God's Sovereignty, God's Plan

The End of Chapter 8

How do we know God works all things together for the good of His people?

Because of His Unbreakable Chain of Salvation

Foreknew, Predestined, Called, Justified, Glorified

How can we be sure? Hasn’t He failed with Israel?

Chapter 9

True - Majority of Israel stands condemned b/c

Not all Ethnic Israel belongs to the True Spiritual Israel

It is not based on descent, genealogy, heritage

It is not based on works, potential, good deeds

It is based on God’s election and His grace

God is Just and Fair in

Holding man responsible for his own willful rejection of God

Bestowing mercy and grace on whomever He pleases

God is glorified as either Judge or Savior

How does the church (called out ones) respond? (Chapter 10)

People of Passion (Burden for the lost)

People of Prayer (Praying for God to open hearts)

People of Proclamation (We preach the gospel)

People of Persistence (Lifelong Pursuit of God’s Glory)

Romans 11 - Paul closes

Recapping that God has not rejected Israel, He has not failed

Remembering how God uses Israel to accomplish His plan of salvation for the world, and how deep, vast, amazing the mind of God must be to work all of history together for His own glory.

William G. Wallace - Painting Tittle “3:16”

A large crowd of people gathers at the cross, young and old, rich and poor, white, black, native american, all kinds of people...

There is a roman soldier, an astronaut, a priest, a prostitute, a clown, a statue of Buddha… someone that represents all people groups from all across the world.

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

As we have finish up this difficult section (Romans 9-11), we continue all throughout to keep the cross at the forefront of our thinking…because the death and resurrection of Jesus is the linchpin of the gospel. Without this, the wagon falls apart, there is no hope.

Romans 11:1–11 ESV

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. 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. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. 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.” So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.

God has not rejected the nation of Israel, but rather, through their unbelief salvation has come to all nations.

Paul’s Two Illustrations

Look at me - Similar to Philippian 3:2

Israelite from Abraham, of tribe of Benjamin, circumcised, Pharisee, Keeper of the Law

Paul’s history was a persecutor of the church, but God had other plans....God foreknew (fore loved) him

I gained nothing, it is rubbish....my hope alone is Christ

Look at Elijah

Elijah says, “God, look at all this evil, no one trusts in you but me, and they are trying to kill me”

God - “I have kept for myself, 7000 men who have not bowed to Baal”

They have in common - “GRACE”

Paul and Israel had misplaced faith

Trusting their heritage

Trusting their good deeds

Thinking that they could carve their own path

But it took God’s grace to save them

God revealed himself to Paul, rather than kill him on the Damascus Road

God “kept for Himself”, 7000 men chosen by GRACE

Don’t miss this…let Grace, be grace

This is not just letting 7000 live

This is turning, capturing the hearts of 7000 men

This is God keeping for Himself a people for His own glory....to boast in His undeserved mercy and grace.

Paul - There was a remnant then, there is a remnant now, because God is dedicated to His own glory and name…He will not fail. He will not allow this to fizzle out.

What about those of Israel who have rejected Jesus?

God has hardened their hearts

We talked about how God hardens, by allowing men to further harden themselves…leaving them to themselves.

to further pursue their own pride, foolishness and destruction…

Paul says God hardened Israel for a purpose, so that salvation would come to the Gentiles…all nations.

But Then, he goes further and says salvation comes to the gentiles in order to make Israel jealous…so they will receive salvation.

Romans 11:11–16 ESV

So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

As Paul preached the gospel to the Gentiles, Israel will begin to take notice.

Paul is saying that he is “making the most” of his ministry to the gentiles because in effect as He preaches the gospel of salvation to other nations, the nation of Israel takes notice of the message of the gospel and the effect God has on the lives of the people He saves, and it will lead them to eternal life.

He is going to give us an illustration of what He is talking about, and follow up with further explanation of God’s plan of which Paul is in awe...

Romans 11:17–24 ESV

But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

Paul gives the illustration of the Olive Tree

The Illustration of the Olive Tree

Root - Pointing to God’s Covenant with Abraham

God calling Abraham out from a pagan nation

God promising Abraham blessing, land, heritage

Abraham trusting God, receiving all by faith

Some Branches Broken Off

Jewish People who have rejected Jesus as Messiah

They rejected God’s provision through Jesus

They looked for a King that will make them great not a servant priest who would die for their sin

But they can easily be grafted back in IF they do not continue in their unbelief

Wild Branches

Gentile Nations who God grafts in by faith in Jesus

Paul says that the attitude of Gentile believers should be continued faith in what God has done through Jesus on our behalf, and humility that He has acted on the behalf of undeserving people.

Now Paul will explain the mystery of God’s plan of salvation for not only Israel, but all nations.

Romans 11:25–32 ESV

Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

Paul is summarizing and explaining all that He has just said...

Diagram

Regards to Gospel - Enemies

For Your Sake

So Salvation Comes to the Gentiles…all other nations

Regards to Elect - Beloved

For the Sake of Forefathers

BECAUSE the Call and Gifts are Irrevocable (Sure, Faithful)

God made a covenant with Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Israel

He is faithful to His promises, even when it seems the majority of ethnic Israel has rejected God, He has kept for Himself a remnant for His own glory.

We are all consigned (judged) as disobedient

We were at one time (rebellious, rejected)

They are now rebellious, rejecting

ALL are judge as disobedient…(none righteous no not one)

SO GOD COULD HAVE MERCY ON ALL

Gentiles (all nations/people groups) can receive mercy

Jewish People can receive this same mercy

WHAT MERCY - THE CROSS

Paul being lead by the Holy Spirit in one stroke of the pen, recaps all that He has said in these first 11 chapters of Romans…that ALL people regardless of race, age, gender, nationality, profession are sinners that have rebelled against God, that have rejected God and deserve Hell, but that God has carved a way through all of History that leads to the cross, and His death for undeserving sinners.

Romans 11:33–36 ESV

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Paul is in awe, in total amazement at the “bigness” of God, how that God has worked all of History to the glory of His great name, revealing everything in scripture in order for us to see His greatnesss....

PIPER

what we find when we take it as a whole is that there is a history in it. It moves from predestination, to creation, to the call of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to the bondage of Israel in Egypt, to the Exodus and the giving of the law and the wilderness wandering, to the promised land and the judges and the monarchy with Saul and David and Solomon, and to the divided kingdom of Judah and Israel, to the exile in Babylon and the return to the homeland, to the silence between the Old and New Testaments, to the coming of the Messiah - Jesus Christ - and the rejection of Christ by his people, to the crucifixion and resurrection and ascension, to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., and on to the amazing spread of the lordship of Christ among more and more of the peoples of the world, including us.

So God uses Israel to bring into the world the Messiah, their rejection to bring salvation to the Gentiles, and one day, our salvation will bring the nation of Israel back to repentance…this is mind blowing, the gospel spreading through the entire world, coming full circle, that whoever would believe could have life eternal....

God working through thousands of years of history to ensure that every detail of scripture points to the absolute sovereignty of God, and the absolute need of this God’s mercy and grace in our lives...There is no room for human boasting.

He made everything, owns everything, He is in no one’s debt, He needs no one’s advice…From Him, Through Him, and to Him are all things, so TO HIM be GLORY FOREVER.