ROMANS 11 |

LAST WEEK

We looked at Paul’s heart for Israel

How his one desire, was for them to be saved.

It was very simple

If they would confess with their mouths and believe in their hearts who Jesus was, they would be saved

They would not be put to shame

Upon Israel’s rejection of this plan, God took those who were previously in a shameful state, the Gentiles

Began to work in their midst

Saving those who were not His people

Rescuing those who were at war with Him.

THIS WEEK

We are going to look at the continued pursuit of Man.

What I want us to ask ourselves is this:

Would you give up on people who constantly reject the Gospel?

Do we put less effort forth when we know others should know better?

Why do our thoughts encourage us to give up on those who are going through a rough time?

TURN TO

Romans 11 NKJV

1 I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, 3 “Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”? 4 But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. 7 What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 8 Just as it is written: “God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day.” 9 And David says: “Let their table become a snare and a trap, A stumbling block and a recompense to them. 10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see, And bow down their back always.” 11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. 12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! 13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. 15 For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” 20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? 25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.” 28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?” 35 “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?” 36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

PRAY

Romans 11:1–6 NKJV

1 I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, 3 “Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”? 4 But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

Romans 11:1-

THIS QUESTION STILL STANDS TODAY:

“HAS GOD CAST AWAY HIS PEOPLE, ISRAEL?”

Sadly, there are Christians that believe that God is done with Israel.

They believe that they are a forsaken people.

Some believe in whats called Replacement Theology

That states that the Church has replaced Israel in God’s future plans

This theology is not only unbiblical, it was this thought that birthed the Holocaust.

It was one of the thoughts that led Hitler to compile his own belief system

It is a thought that devalues people that God still loves.

1900 years before someone could come up with such an Unbiblical Theology

PAUL SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT

If God had truly cast out Israel from His redemptive plans, why did God save Paul?

If God had truly cast out Israel from His redemptive plans, why did God save Paul?

Why was his spirit poured out on Jews at Pentecost?

PEOPLE WERE GETTING CAUGHT UP IN THE ISRAEL’S REJECTION OF THE GOSPEL

TRYING TO COMPREHEND WHAT WAS GOING ON SPIRITUALLY

WITHOUT EVER CONSULTING THE HOLY SPIRIT

THEY FORGOT THE PROMISES THAT WERE MADE TO THEM ALL THROUGHOUT HISTORY

HOW DO WE PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING?

HOW CAN WE PREVENT OURSELVES FROM GIVING UP ON PEOPLE?

HOW CAN WE BE LIKE JESUS, AND CONTINUE TO PURSUE PEOPLE IN JESUS NAME?

Remember Elijah?

He was also frustrated with the spiritual condition of the Israelites

He wanted God to cast away Israel

For valid reasons too

Israel had chased off all prophetic authority from their spiritual life

They had killed the prophets

They had torn down altars

And Elijah was the only left that believed in the God of Israel

How did God respond to Elijahs frustration?

How should we respond when we are living in calamity?

How should we respond when the world has gone mad?

How should we respond when their is no hope?

How should we respond when we are not seeing the result we desire?

Return to God’s Word

Return to the Source that does not return Void

“I HAVE RESERVED FOR MYSELF, 7,000 MEN WHO HAVE NOT BOWED THE KNEE TO BAAL”

OUT FROM AN INUMEROUS PEOPLE, THERE WAS A FRACTION OF PEOPLE RESERVED FOR GLORY

OUT FROM THE SANDS OF THE SEA, WAS A GROUP OF FAITHFUL PEOPLE

If our city, and our community go the way it may, we are called to be faithful

It is required of a servant that He’d be faithful, not succesful, not popular, FAITHFUL

It is in man’s venture to be faithful, that He experiences the unmatched faithfulness of God

Elijah needed to stay faithful to his role as a Prophet

Paul needed to stay faithful to his Apostolic Role

We need to stay faithful to our representation of Jesus in all that we do.

We must realize that God’s soverignty is by Grace Alone

It is not of how one works to be a good person

It is determined by ones response to the Gospel of Grace

Romans 11:7–10 NLT

7 So this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favor of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have—the ones God has chosen—but the hearts of the rest were hardened. 8 As the Scriptures say, “God has put them into a deep sleep. To this day he has shut their eyes so they do not see, and closed their ears so they do not hear.” 9 Likewise, David said, “Let their bountiful table become a snare, a trap that makes them think all is well. Let their blessings cause them to stumble, and let them get what they deserve. 10 Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and let their backs be bent forever.”

ISRAEL HAD SEARCHED FOR COMMUNITY WITH GOD

THEY WANTED CONNECTION

THEY WANTED IDENTITY

BUT THEY WANTED IT TO THEIR OWN GLORY

THEY WANTED IT ON THEIR OWN TERMS

BECAUSE OF THEIR STUBBORNESS, AND BECAUSE OF OUR STUBBORNESS

WE SPIN OUR WHEELS TRYING TO EARN AND WORK FOR WHAT GOD DESIRES TO GIFT US

WE TRY TO MANIFEST IT ON OUR OWN TERMS.

For Israel, they could not obtain what they sought

However, the Elect obtained it

Those who desired to please God above all else were rewarded

But the rest were blinded

Check out what happened:

God allowed them to fall into a Lethargic Spiritual State

A Sleepy state of spiritual lethargy

Eyes that cannot see

Ears that cannot hear

As David said in 9:

Let the table that they have made be as a snare or a trap

May Jesus continue to be that source of stumbling for the one who chooses to be righteous in their own eyes

May they always come back to Jesus

May they realize that it is hard to kick against the goads

SO WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE PERPETUALLY DENIES CHRIST?

IS THAT THE GOAL OF GOD

TO HAVE THEM CONTINUALLY STUMBLE ON THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE?

Romans 11:11–18 NKJV

11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. 12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! 13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. 15 For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

AS PEOPLE CONTINUE TO DENY JESUS

TOMANS 11:11-18

AS THEY CONTINUE TO TRIP ON HIM

GOD WILL MAKE THEM JEALOUS

GOD WILL REMIND THEM OF WHAT THEY ARE MISSING OUT ON

IN THE STORY OF ISRAEL, GOD HAS REMAINED FAITHFUL TO HIS LOVE FOR THEM

IF THEIR FOLLY

IF THEIR REJECTION

IF THEIR STUBBORNESS HAS LED TO THE SAVING OF OTHERS

WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE FOR ISRAEL TO TURN TO THE LORD?

WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE IF THEY CAME INTO THEIR FULLNESS ACCORDING TO THE LORD.

PAUL, IN SPEAKING TO THE GENTILES

HE LET’S THEM KNOW

WE NEED TO TELL EVERYONE WHAT THE LORD IS DOING IN OUR MIDST

THAT HIS COUNTRYMEN WOULD TURN TO THE LIVING GOD

THAT THE JEWS WOULD NOT ONLY BE JEALOUS, BUT THAT THIS JEALOUSY WOULD CAUSE THEM TO TURN.

WE HAVE BEEN GRAFTED IN.