Untitled Sermon (44)

Other than the topic of election this section of scripture introduces a another subject that is often not discussed.

and the reason why it is often not discussed is because people are not comfortable with preaching such a message. People are not comfortable with the possibility of painting God in a negative light.

such an attitude is created by allowing the world to intimidate us in a way where we change our message. So we will talk about things that you may have heard in the past but have never heard it fully and correctly.

We have always had a fire and brimstone kind of wrath preaching but rarely in the proper context. and so today I want to introduce it in a proper context.

Typically for those who have heard a real fire and brimstone type of message chances are it was a message designed for Evangelical purpose.

That is that it was not an exposition of scripture but a Evangelical service meant to preach sin in the repentance of a sinner.

Which is not a bad thing and I am not critiquing it however the attitude that the regular Sunday service must be equivalent to that of a traveling evangelist has to come to an end.

This is how the church got into so much muddy water. They liked the traveling evangelist and so they demanded that their pastors create their Sunday services to look just like that.

The problem is is that an evangelist service is mint to preach the gospel to lost souls and never to increase or edify souls.

That is what the church is for. The church is the place where those who are saved go to beatified to be encouraged to be renewed and to increase in their face not to share the same style message preached every week.

So when everyday churches approach their pastors they would say do you see all the followers Billy Graham has? You need to start doing what he is doing. will Billy Graham was an evangelist in his message was designed for non-believers here in the gospel for the first time.

If you are a Christian for 20 years and you’re still listening to a message that is meant for non-believers hearing it for the first time, well then folks we have a problem.

The issue is not with the Evangelist of the issue is the attitude of the people within the church. Does that make sense?

For that reason fire-and-brimstone has never really did in proper context. Now of course not everyone defines a fire and brimstone the same way. But typically what that means is that you are discussing the wrath of God.

Dial setting aside for now, the context. Is there is a time where fire-and-brimstone needs to be brought up it is now. not a shock value type of sermon. Not a sermon that is specifically designed to be shocking and controversial.

And you should be well aware that there are preachers out there who are deliberately shocking and controversial just for the sake of attention, and they do get attention.

But there needs to be as honest preaching of the wrath of God upon sinful man. And there is a reason why our fellow countrymen and women our kinfolks really need to hear it now. Because the world is becoming a scary place, our nation is becoming a scary place.

The Mayflower came to America in November of 1620. Among some of the boat workers were a group of religious separatist known as the Puritans have the intentions of coming to America to build a new land where they can freely worship without fear of persecution and threats of the king of England.

It was the idea that they will build and create a land made to honor God with people who live to honor God. there were other settlers in different parts of North America who were here for gold only, but the Mayflower was a mission to build a new society that honors God in the New world.

It was a great sacrifice for these people to do such a thing and it didn't take long for what they were trying to create to be invaded. Invaded by Catholicism or invaded by the gold rush, it was invaded by people who do not have the same motive.

The reasons they had to leave is because they were under the oppression of King James. And they did not want to be oppressed anymore. So they lived near Dutch colonies for a while but the Dutch people we're soon getting sick of them.

They knew in the Dutch colonies in in Holland that it was not a permanent deal. And so they set voyage to come to America. And the building of America has its terrible history, it has its dirty history.

But also has much good history. Not all people have high tensions with the native Americans. There were good relationships in the 1600s and in the 1700s.

and although it took more than a hundred years to actually get out from the oppression of England, by this point in American history there has been way more influence than what the Puritans have brought. So it had to be granted that our country would be a country with freedom of religion.

That our country will grant any religion to practice freely wherever they are at in this country. And we will not invade and tell them they can do no otherwise and they cannot invade us and tell us that we cannot do otherwise.

And the freedom of religion has never been perfect. But without a doubt and without arguments our country has had the truly freest country when it comes to the right of warship than any other country. Our country has been the most Christian friendly country that is ever existed which is why we call it a Christian Nation.

It is not a Christian Nation because everyone here is a Christian. But we called a Christian Nation because it was founded on Christian principles. And it was a place meant to protect us. I am sad to say that I am seeing this disappeared.

It is so extreme that there are reports of Amazon refusing to sell certain digital books or they are editing certain digital book. I am still waiting to personally see and verify that this is true before stating it as a solid fact. But I can say that the source of where this is coming from is a reliable source.

Facebook is increasing their security measures and are becoming stricter against Christians. They are trying to silence us and in some areas they are successful. And the worst part of it is that we have so many believers who are not concerned about it. Or maybe they are but they will never do anything about it.

Well I think there is a reason why we are in the position that we are in. And I believe there is a reason why Christians are acting the way that they act. And I think that this section of scripture helps us shed light on those theories. So let's dive into our text for today and unpack it and see what God word have to say to us.

Romans 11:7 NASB95

What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened;

We will be referencing chapter 9 quite a bit as that is what Paul is doing here. So the first question Paul asks is what then? And this is a question that is a conclusion of what he has been saying. So what is the conclusion or what shall we say.

And the conclusion is that what Israel was seeking they had not obtained. Except for one group oh, but what is real was seeking it has not obtained but you have to notice the Paul is speaking in the present tense. Not Only this is true of the Jewish people before him, but it is true of the ones he is speaking about in his present time.

What's they are seeking they have not obtained. Paul has already stated this back a chapter 9.

Romans 9:30–32 NASB95

What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,

This is a reminder to us that there is a right way and a wrong way to pursue God. And this also connects with verse 6 of this chapter of chapter 11. That we are saved by grace and not works and if we say it is our works than it is no longer Grace.

The Jewish people were trusting in their good works and we're trusting in the actions that they did. Now let me just say this, is there a someone in here who is still holding on to but yeah there’s something I have to do in order to be saved.

Let me just say that on your best day of righteousness or your attempt at righteousness, it will never compare to a first century Jewish person. A first century Jewish person will outperform you 100% of the time.

So the scriptures speak about the people who can outperform you 100% of the time like this then you need to take a second look at what you were trusting in.

Israel did not seek God in faith. And apart from faith there is no pleasing God. Now the text is not speaking of every Jewish person as Paul makes a clear note here. He says in my translations but those who were chosen obtained it. It literally reads the election obtained it.

Now that is an interesting way of freezing something the election obtained it. That’s the elect not so chosen but the election obtained it. This forces the reader to recognize on who is doing the choosing.

It's not on the recipients of this Grace but the administrator of the grace. it is not on the elect but the one who elects is the reason why you would use such a phrase.

In in Paul's theology, God receives the highest praise. There is no room for man to boast and if a person is boasting because they feel they are the elect Paul would have the strong argument with that.

his arguments would be it is not about you you cannot boast about this the boasting we do is about to God. So Paul has a focus on the one who does the electing not the one who is elected.

there may be some in here who are still struggling with this choice of language but this is biblical language. We cannot preach to the Bible without using this language. And because this is biblical language we should not be so offended by such a word.

So except the election, that is the remnant that was spoken about in the previous verses, the rest were hardened.

Now this should take us back to chapter 9 again because it was there will Paul told us that God hardened the pharaoh’s heart.

And here Paul is saying the same thing about the remaining Jewish people. Now before we explain this it will help us to read the next verse.

Romans 11:8 NASB95

just as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, Eyes to see not and ears to hear not, Down to this very day.”

pause as just as it is written which is connecting what he just said to an old testament scripture that he's giving us and this scripture he is giving us is a combination of Deuteronomy and Isaiah.

And he says God gave them a spirit of stupor which means a spirits of death. Or a spiritual death if that helps.

Now immediately was some people want to do when they see something like this that God is the one that gave them this spiritual death and when they see the word election, they ask how is it to that man is accountable for their actions if God is actively hardening hearts if God is the one that is giving them a feeling of deadness?

And some have used a drunk person as an analogy. They say a drunk person will do dumb things under the influence of alcohol butts these dumb things or because of the alcohol and not because of the person.

And I would argue that a person is still accountable for their actions because there are steps taken to get to the point of being drunk.

And the actions you take you are accountable for. well this is what Paul is essentially saying here. What he is saying is that people did not pursue God the right way. They were seeking, there is nobody throughout history who sought after God the more than Jewish people.

But they were seeking all the wrong way. They never considered it to seek to buy face and they are accountable for that.

Just as the man who is drunk is accountable for the actions that got him to the point of being drunk. All mankind is accountable for their actions that got them to the place of being hardened.

God did not take people who had a great desire for him and loved him very much and he loved them in return. He hardened those who were already hardened. He used what people had already created. What is a intended for evil God intended for good.

this is language that is used back in chapter 9 when Paul is talking about the pharaoh and he dresses that it was God who hardened the pharaoh's heart. When we were in that chapter we also look back at the Pharaoh and we seen that the Pharaoh also hardened his own heart.

That scriptures make both the claims. the Pharaoh hardened his own heart and that God hardened his heart. We see also that it is God who blinded them and closed their ears eyes to see not and ears to hear not. and then we see the words down to this very day.

Meaning that Paul is making the connection that this text is not just talking about the Jewish people in the days of Moses or in the days of Isaiah but down to his very day. I want to read it the next two verses before I tell you all what this doctrine is called and what is taking place here. So let's look at verse 9 and 10.

Romans 11:9–10 NASB95

And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, And a stumbling block and a retribution to them. “Let their eyes be darkened to see not, And bend their backs forever.”

Paul is quoting from he is also pulling in from other songs but he is mostly quoting . that song is referenced a lot in the New testament because it is a prophetic Psalm. It is one that has much prophecies about Jesus in it.

read psalm 69

the context of this song is a prayer David is praying against Israel for there rebellious ways. And the statement he makes is let their table become a snare and a trap. not only let their table become a snare in a trap let it be a stumbling block and a retribution it to them.

He then prayed to let their eyes would be darkened and to bend their backs forever. Now there is a meaning behind these statements. And it's one that is going to resonate with us. Both David and Paul State let their table.

The table was a sign of prosperity. You have to picture a table with abundance of goodness of good food and good treats and just the ultimate feast is what is in mind here.

It is a picture of prosperity. And what both of these men are communicating is that this prosperity is a snare and a trap. That it is a stumbling block and a retribution to them.

In other words, Israel's blessing has become their curse. God is using what he has blessed them with to curse them with. That they're prosperous ways is the very thing that has darkened in their eyes. And we called this judicial blindness.

And the reason why it is called that is because this blindness is an act of judgment, judicial blindness. Judicial hardness is what we are seeing here. When God hardens the heart that is a judicial act. So when we look around at the world today and we say what is going on, folks God has brought his judgment.

And he is going to use the very things that he has blessed us with to bring judgment with. The very things that were given to us that were meant to be a blessing will become our curse.