The Castaways
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Joke - A dying man gives each of his best friends -- a lawyer, doctor and clergyman -- an envelope containing $25,000 in cash to be placed in his coffin.
A week later the man dies and the friends each place an envelope in the coffin. Several months later, the clergyman confesses that he only put $10,000 in the envelope and sent the rest to a mission in South America.
The doctor confesses that his envelope had only $8,000 because he donated to a medical charity.
The lawyer is outraged, "I am the only one who kept my promise to our dying friend. I want you both to know that the envelope I placed in the coffin contained my own personal check for the entire $25,000."
The Jewish response to the Gospel led to some tough questions for those who seriously study the Bible. One of those questions is, “Has God cast away the Jews?” Has God rejected His people? Will God keep His promise?
After all…they – Heard but didn’t believe, their character was one of disobedience, and will be provoked to jealousy.
WE have to consider the hardness of their heart, declared disbelief, and God’s response to them.
God’s Work is evident because of Paul’s life. ()
God’s Work is evident because of Paul’s life. (
We can break ch 11 into three main sections:
11:1-10 – The rejection is partial
11:11-22 – The rejection is over-ruled
11:23-32 – The rejection is temporary à In the end, Paul predicts the acceptance of Jesus Christ as their Messiah by the nation of Israel.
God’s Work is evident because of Paul’s life. ()
God’s Work is evident because of Paul’s life. ()
God’s Work is evident because of Paul’s life. ()
I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.
Paul’s simple answer is…Absolutely Not!
Paul’s Heritage -
though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:
circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;
as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
Paul’s Hope -
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—
that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—
that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Paul’s Calling -
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.
He points to himself as being a member of the minority. As long as there are physical descendants of Abraham who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Messiah, the rejection of the nation cannot be counted as complete or total.
This is an affirmation of what Paul is teaching about election — no one comes to faith in Christ by happenstance. (You know what happenstance means? That two things come together purely by chance.)
God’s Remnant is Present in Every Age ()
God’s Remnant is Present in Every Age ()
God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel?
“Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.”
But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel?
“Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.”
But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.
God has never been without a people. It says here that “God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew.” For God to reject His people would be to “unchoose” them or “unknow” them. God has not rejected what He selected. God elected a nation, He chose a people. This election is gracious and loving, but it demands a personal response.
2. At one time, He only had 8 in this minority
At one time, He only had 8 in His minority. Noah and his family were the remnant even though the world was completely given over to evil and sin.
In Sodom and Gomorrah, it came down to one man. Lot. But God still has His people.
Even today, though a vast majority of the nation of Israel has rejected the truth of Jesus Christ, and thus rejected by God Himself, there is still present a remnant within the nation…a small minority that belongs to God. They have always been there, and will always be there. They are in Christ just like many of us.
One of the ages that Paul speaks to is the time of Elijah.
In that day, Elijah had just won over the prophets of Baal. But in a time of deep discouragement, he was convinced that he was the only faithful soul left in all of the northern kingdom of Israel. He cried out to God against the nation. They were killing the prophets of God, tearing down their altars.
His appeal is found in 11:3.
He thought the minority was going to be wiped out by the rage of Jezebel…yet read God’s response in 11:4.
Notice the language - “God has kept, He has preserved these 7,000 men for Himself.” Notice - they sign they are the minority - they refuse to bow before any besides the living God.
Even today…though small and few in number, there are true believers in the nation of Israel.
God’s Remnant is Chosen by Grace ()
God’s Remnant is Chosen by Grace ()
So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.
But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
How do you explain the continuance of this minority? This remnant? Why is it that at every point in time, when all seems lost…God still has a remnant? GRACE!
But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
Remember earlier in Romans, Israel was chosen based not on their heritage nor on merit.
Though heritage and merit are great ideals and standards
God chose then as He does today…HIS MERCY & GRACE ()
What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
It wasn’t the strength & character of Elijah, the 7,000, or Paul. Did they step out from the majority to form God’s minority because they were better men, more spiritually alert, and more religiously inclined? NO!
They stepped out because it was God’s gracious choice. He took the initiative to do a work in their lives.
Look at verse 6 - “If it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.”
God’s Remnant is Responsive to God’s Truth ()
God’s Remnant is Responsive to God’s Truth ()
Grace and works are mutually exclusive. If it is based upon works, it is a matter merit.
It is either grace or works, but never both. If works are brought in in any way, then grace ceases to be grace.
God’s Remnant is Responsive to God’s Truth ()
God’s Remnant is Responsive to God’s Truth ()
To trace Paul’s mention of grace in salvation in Romans is to easily understand his mention of it in :
• : Paul, a Jew, has received grace from God personally.
• : The promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring (Jew and Gentile alike).
• : Those who have received salvation stand in grace.
• , : It was God’s grace that overcame the sin of Adam and provided redemption for the human race through Christ.
• : No human sin is so grievous that it has not been overcome by God’s grace.
• : God’s grace is the controlling element in salvation history. Grace, not sin, is reigning and will ultimately reign.
Kenneth Boa and William Kruidenier, Romans, vol. 6, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 336.
When you find an Israelite who has accepted Jesus as Messiah, you give God praise because you know He has chosen and saved this person out of His grace. Paul himself explained this to us when he said, “I am what I am by the grace of God.”
We are included among this group not on the basis of our works, or our language, or our nationality, but by the gracious choice of God. It is grace from beginning to end.
God’s Remnant is Responsive to God’s Truth ()
God’s Remnant is Responsive to God’s Truth ()
What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened,
as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.”
And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.”
What a great question —> “What Then?”
The Majority vs The Remnant - One main characteristic of the remnant is their openness and responsiveness to the truth of God.
The Majority — blindness, hardness, calloused.
The Remnant, the Elect —> They obtained a right standing before God, obtained by grace through faith.
The Majority - They pursued the goal on a basis of works and self-righteousness…because they could not and would obtain it, their hearts were hardened in their sinful life.
The hardening is God’s judicial response as they refused to hear His Word. They refused to see, God made them so they could not see.
Verse 8 - Quotes from and
For the Lord has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers).
But to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.
was given to the generation that is preparing to enter the promised land after the 40 years of wandering in the desert.
is given at a time when Israel’s leaders stagger when seeing visions and stumble when rendering decisions because of alcoholic intoxication. God says He will bring over them a “deep sleep” or as Paul says, “a spirit of stupor.” IT’s a form a discipline
It’s like a the guy who buys all the new hardware for his workshop, but never builds anything. Compared to the guy who owns a few basic things, banged up, and builds shelter and furniture for many.
Israel had all the tools, but failed to use them for God’s missionary mandate to take the Gospel to the Gentiles.
When people repeatedly refuse to listen to the Gospel, they eventually will be unable to hear and understand it. If you tell God, “Leave me alone” He might just answer that prayer and leave you alone…hardened and calloused.
DAVID -
Let their own table before them become a snare; and when they are at peace, let it become a trap. Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually.
David is under attack and asks their table become a snare and trap, and that their eyes become darkened.
The “table” can refer to “blessing”. What was supposed to lead them to Christ, instead led them to pride that led them away from God.
You can pick out God’s Remnant by the response made to the Gospel. Those who belong to the remnant do so because they believed and obeyed the Gospel. They responded in faith, with a whole heart. You must be drawn to the God of grace is at work in this world. Nothing will defeat the purposes of God and He is accomplishing and will accomplish that which He is set to accomplish.
This is a reminder about the seriousness of your personal response to the Gospel.
There is nothing but judgment and rejection in the future for those who reject the Gospel.
There are warning signs of developing hardness in your heart:
Disobedience - Willful disobedience will lead to a hardened heart...
Having wealth and prosperity and loving it more than giver of that wealth & prosperity - Taking God’s blessings for granted can cause us to feel as if we are owed these things.
Rebelling and discontentment - Discomfort or suffering can create an attitude that blames God for your situation.
Rejecting a deserved reproof - Rejecting God’s reproof or correcting will make our neck stiff and beyond remedy.
Refusing to listen - leads to a loss of spiritual hearing
Failing to respond - Listening to God with no intention of obeying produces an in ability to obey.
Think about this as I close:
Israel though they could do it all…now they can do nothing. They thought they could hear it all, they can hear nothing.
Holman New Testament Commentary: Romans Applications
What fears in my life can be relieved by trusting in God’s promises?
• In what areas of my life have I become casual about obedience to God?
• Have I failed to thank God for a situation that he used to renew my love for him?