Did God Reject His People?

Introduction

Good evening and welcome to all of those out there in Facebook land!

It is great that you have been able to join us this evening for our Sunday night worship service.

Hopefully you have been enjoying the music from our archives.

Tonight, we are going to continue in our Walk Through Romans, pushing forward into Chapter 11.

If you recall two weeks ago when the last time we looked at Romans, we finished up chapter 10.

And the question we asked, was “How Can They Hear?”

And the whole premise was centered around our obligation and calling to be sharers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

How that even thought he church doors are closed for the time being, we are still called to share the message with our friends, our family, and our neighbors.

And even though it is made difficult by our current circumstances, we are still called to share whenever we have the opportunity to share.

In fact, Paul asks us pretty point blank in chapter 10 . . .

Romans 10:14–15 NIV - Anglicised

14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

And I continue to post that question.

How will they hear if we don’t share?

How will they know if we don’t share?

How will they come to Jesus, if we won’t share?

And the answer to that question is, they will not.

We will lose an entire generation, not because of the evil influences in the world.

But rather due to our unwillingness to share the gospel with others.

And right now, we have an easy excuse…I can’t go out…I can’t interact…I can’t share.

Well, what about those you talk to on the phone?

What about those you text message?

What about those comments you leave on Facebook posts?

What about those in your own household?

Even in these times we are not hermits living in the desert.

We interact with others.

Do our interactions reflect Jesus Christ?

And this doesn’t just apply in times of crisis and pandemic.

This applies across the board.

All the time we should be reflecting Jesus in our lives and how we live our lives.

And if we are not, then we also have an obligation to do the necessary heart work so that God can be reflected in our actions and behaviors.

All the time.

We are supposed to be Christians and representatives of Jesus Christ ALL THE TIME.

Regardless of our political views and affiliations.

Regardless of anything else, we should first and foremost reflect Jesus Christ to our world.

Because regardless of how well we speak of Jesus, if our life does not reflect Jesus, people will not listen to what we have to say.

Which all deals with the subject of chapter 10.

However, Paul is moving forward with the conversation and he is anticipating in chapter 11, the next question the Jewish converts and the Jews who have not converted yet would ask.

And that question is “has God abandoned us then?”

Or, “Does God now favor the Gentiles and not love us anymore?”

And the reason for that question is that Paul has just spent a great deal of time talking about sharing the Gospel with the Gentiles.

He has already established that the Gospel is open to all people.

And the Jews were feeling a bit rejected at this point.

And chapter 11, starts Paul’s explanation to them.

So, lets pick up in verse 1 and tonight read through verse 10.

Paul writes . . .

Scripture Focus

Romans 11:1–10 NIV - Anglicised

1 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? 4 And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. 7 What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, 8 as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day.”9 And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling-block and a retribution for them. 10 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent for ever.”

By No Means!

So, we see straightaway here Paul addressing the question of God rejecting His people, His chosen ones. He says again . . .

Romans 11:1 NIV - Anglicised

1 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.

It’s almost as if Paul is saying here, “that is ridiculous!”

Nothing Paul has said was an indication that God has rejected his people wholesale.

Paul even reminds them that he is a Jew.

Actually a Jew of Jews, a descendent of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.

So, there is no merit to this question whatsoever.

He goes on to tell them . . .

Romans 11:2 NIV - Anglicised

2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel:

And now what Paul is doing here is bringing them back around to something that they knew and understood.

We have to remember that these people did not have the benefit of the New Testament and all of Paul’s other letters.

This was fresh material to them.

The Gospels had been lived but they hadn’t been written down and distributed yet even.

So, he goes back to Elijah and reminds them of some of the events that happened to Elijah, that is recorded in 1 Kings.

He tells them . . .

Romans 11:3 NIV - Anglicised

3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”?

And Paul is referencing a prayer here of Elijah in a very dark time in his life.

This was when Elijah was running from Jezebel as she was trying to kill him.

He had witnessed many of the prophets of God die at her hands and in his mind he was all alone.

No one to turn to, not even support from likeminded brothers and sisters.

Elijah was feeling like we do sometimes.

When the devil has isolated us and got us all alone and started whispering those lies in our ears.

The Jewish people were in this position as well, feeling as if God had abandoned them.

But Elijah’s story doesn’t end there.

Paul goes on . . .

Romans 11:4 NIV - Anglicised

4 And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”

You are not alone Elijah.

You are not by yourself.

You are not the only one left.

God had 7000 true prophets still left and they were strong.

They were resolute.

They were on fire for God.

And they were there to help and support Elijah.

To lift Elijah up and remind Elijah that God was still God.

And God’s got this.

And to the Jews who were feeling rejected and abandoned by God in their day . . .

Romans 11:5 NIV - Anglicised

5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.

The Jewish people are still the Jewish people.

They are still God’s chosen people.

They are still God’s beloved.

The only thing that has changed is that their salvation comes through grace and not the law.

Their salvation is through the sacrifice made by the Messiah and not by bulls and goats.

Sure, they are not this elite better than everyone else group, but God never intended them to be that way anyhow.

They were intended to be the leaders who led all others to the Messiah.

But they twisted it all around and made it a private club that only they could join.

And not only that, they set the rules.

That is not how it works.

It is by God’s rules and not ours.

And God says He will save all by GRACE through FAITH in Jesus Christ.

That was always the plan and the intention.

Nothing more and nothing less.

And the message for us in this is that we are no different than those Jews.

Even in our most alone minutes, God is still with us.

Even if we thought we were the only person on the planet living for Jesus, that is not true.

God will always preserve a remnant.

And the remnant is strong and resolute.

The remnant is determined.

The remnant is on fire for Jesus.

And we are here to support and lift up one another.

To go forth and share the good news with others.

However, the Church needs to be careful that we do not presume to be this elitist group that gets to make up our own rules and our own ways.

A group that gets to exclude who it wants based on what it thinks.

A group that thinks it can do whatever it wants.

And God’s Church is not like that.

However, we have many groups that say they are part of God’s Church but they are stuck in that line of thinking.

We are all saved by the GRACE and MERCY of God through our FAITH in Jesus Christ.

And we would do well to remember that and remember that God’s got this.

And God’s got our back.

Regardless of how evil and bad the world gets.

We are ALL God’s chosen people, His “elect” as Paul puts it here.

All we have to do is accept Jesus Christ and we are opened to an entire world of brothers and sisters in Jesus.

But the key component though is, we cannot control it.

We cannot dictate it.

We cannot say who’s in and who’s out.

It is all through God’s GRACE.

Which is the point that Paul is making in the next verse . . .

Romans 11:6 NIV - Anglicised

6 And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

If we could work for it, “earn it” dictate or control it, it would no longer be valid, because it would no longer be equally available to all who choose to accept it.

The Spirit of Stupor

Which is a hard concept for us to understand and grasp, because we are condition and used to working for everything.

We are not used to people extending grace to us.

Which is sad, because in a world where we are supposed to be part of the Church, we would think that the Church itself would at least demonstrate some of God’s grace toward the world and toward each other.

Instead of extending God’s grace and mercy toward others though—inside and outside the church—we tend to see the opposite.

“My way or the highway” attitude.

The “it’s my right and I’m going to take it” mentality.

Where is the grace, mercy, and love of God in any of that?

And the danger we run into that is one of hardened hearts.

Look at what Paul says here next . . .

Romans 11:7 NIV - Anglicised

7 What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened,

Simply put, Israel rejected Jesus and for the most part hardened their hearts to the message of salvation through Jesus.

The elect, or the Gentiles did not harden their hearts.

They accepted God’s mercy and God’s grace and thus God accepted them.

However, the rest of Israel . . .

Romans 11:8–10 NIV - Anglicised

8 as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day.”9 And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling-block and a retribution for them. 10 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent for ever.”

Closing

And the danger that we all run into here is that if we are careful, we could end up just like those Israelites who turned their backs on God.

We harden our hearts and it becomes our own stumbling block and we will never find our way or see the truth.

We reject God and thus He rejects us.

Which is what we see going on in our world today.

There is a great deal of rejection of God and of Jesus Christ.

It’s obvious and it is all around us.

But we also see a lot of people who simply do not know and are searching for the truth.

And as God’s people, we are supposed to be sharing the truth with them.

Are we?

Or do we have the “they don’t deserve it” attitude?

Do we exhibit God’s mercy, love, and grace to others, or do we take the “eye for an eye” approach?

What has God laid on your heart this evening?

And finally, what are you willing to do about it?

It’s your choice to make, what will it be?

You can leave a comment or send me a private message if you need to.

But until next time, stay safe and we’ll see you here, there or over there!

Have a great week.