Rom 11-Does God Reject his People

| Does God Reject His People?! Romans 11:1-10

November 4, 20071I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.  2God 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”?  4And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”  5So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.  6And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.7What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened,  8as 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.”9And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. 10May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.” PRAY Scripture Memory:Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Romans 11:33(NIV) Intro:How can we believe in the eternal security of the Christian if, as we can clearly see, Jews as a whole are not responding to the preaching of the gospel and thus are not being saved?If Christianity is true, doesn’t that mean that God has rejected the Jews?If God has rejected the Jews after choosing them, why couldn’t He do the same thing with us?If God might, at some time down the road, reject us, then is there any sure hope of salvation? This week:1. What about the Jews? (vv. 1-5)Next week:2. What about grace? (v. 5)3. What about hardened hearts? (vv. 6-10) 1. What about the Jews? (vv. 1-5)God’s plan for Israel has not failed.Seven reasons Paul gives in Romans 9-11 (James Boice):1.  Paul distinguishes between national Israel and spiritual Israel (2:28-29; 9:6-24)Between the visible church and the invisible church – Explain the difference… His point: membership in the visible Jewish nation does not guarantee salvation…Elijah and the prophets of Baal – Israelites who were NOT God’s people… They were natural children of Abraham, but not spiritual children of his. They were outward, visible members of the covenant community, but they were not truly believers. They were children of the flesh, but not children of the promise.Children, is Jesus YOUR Lord and Savior? Or are you here merely because Mom and Dad brought you?2.  God had previously revealed that not all Israel would be saved and that some Gentiles would be (Quoting Hosea and Isaiah in Rom. 9:25-29).The fact that Israel, as a nation, was set apart for God, with many precious promises based on their lineage, does not translate into every Israelite being saved.Certainly, the mere fact that a person can trace their physical lineage back to Abraham does make them right with God.More on this shortly when we look at the concept of the remnant…3.  The failure of the Jews, who rejected Christ, to believe was their own fault, not God’s. (Rom. 9:30-10:21)They stumbled over the stumbling stone, preferring their own attempts at righteousness to that which is by grace through faith.We will look at this more closely next week when we look at vv. 6-10.Once again, though, we are reminded that rejection of God is a choice we make, not based upon what we do NOT know, but upon what we DO know…Call to repentance and faith…4.  Many Jews (i.e. Paul) HAVE believed. (Rom. 11:1)What makes a person a Jew?In a Bar Mitzvah service, the male members of the family are invited to take part in the Torah readings. One time a man who was also a follower of Jesus Christ went forward with them. He was stopped by the Rabbi, who claimed that he was no longer a Jew because he believed in Jesus. The man replied: “Are you telling me that I am not a Jew? How can you say that I am not a Jew? God made me a Jew. My mother and father were Jews. I am descended from Jews. I am a son of Abraham.”Notice Paul’s argument in v. 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.  How many of you have had the privilege of knowing someone who is Jewish and has embraced Jesus as his/her Messiah?NOTE: Paul is also reminding us, here, that just because Jewish people are often particularly resistant and even antagonistic to the gospel, they are not beyond the grace of God…This is also true of others we might think would NEVER embrace Jesus Christ… |   | 5.  Even in the worst of times, a remnant has always been preserved. (Rom. 11:2-10)The example of Elijah & the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18-19) – recount the story…Never mind the fact that the Israelites had just responded to his challenge to execute the 400 prophets and priests of Baal.The theme of a remnant…·     Noah and his line·     Joshua & Caleb·     The exileNotice how God did not chide the prophet in his moment of weakness, but rather provided for him what he needed.God always has a remnant, and the remnant is often much larger than we can see or might think.Many of us have felt, at times, like we are standing alone…“Our problem is a simple lack of faith, which means that we judge by mere outward appearances and not by God’s promise.” James Boice It is very easy to be pessimistic in our present day world. I have heard people say, on more than one occasion, that “If God doesn’t bring judgment on America, He owes Sodom and Gomorrah an apology.” – This statement, by the way, usually reflects a self-righteous, better-than-thou attitude by professing Christians, that contradicts their faith… explain… Certainly, our country is moving rapidly away from God. Morals are being systematically removed, particularly in the area of sexual purity. Materialism, greed, humanism and anti-Christian bias are rampant.But it is wrong for any of us to go down the path of thinking that “Only I am left. I might as well give up.”“The culture may indeed be rushing down a slippery slope to damnation. But God has His remnant, nevertheless, and this remnant has NOT bowed its knee to the Baal of sex and possessions. There ARE devout people, who are living for God and trying to do the right thing, often in very difficult circumstances. We should be encouraged to know this, seeking out such persons and encouraging them whenever we can. That is what the church is to be, after all—the company of those who are living for God and encouraging one another to live for Him even in this present evil world.” James Boice Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT) – Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. 6.  The salvation of the Gentiles, which is now occurring, is meant to arouse Israel to envy and thus be the means of saving some of them. (Rom. 10:19-21; 11:25-32)Romans 10:19 (quoting Deuteronomy 32:21) - Moses says, “I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.” “God is using the day of Gentile salvation for the good of Israel, since it is through God’s work among Gentiles that Israel is being stirred from self-complacency and lethargy, and some are being saved.” James Boice 7.  In the end all Israel will be saved. (Rom. 10:19; 11:25-32)“While in the providence of God Israel’s sin and unbelief have been used to open up the way for the Gentiles, now the conversion of the Gentiles will lead to the conversion of the Jews.” Leon MorrisThis does not mean that all Jews will be saved. It means that all those whose names are written in the book of life will be saved. The spiritual Israel, the invisible church… Applying this to communion:If you have made a public profession of faith here at Hope Church, or in joining another church, you are invited to participate in the Lord’s Supper with us.We cannot distinguish between those who are and those who are NOT members of the invisible church, the spiritual Israel, but we are responsible to distinguish, in this sacrament between those who are and those who are not members of the visible church….Membership does not guarantee salvation…We must each examine our own hearts in this matter and ask the Spirit of God to convict us of our sin…We must not allow what we do NOT understand to keep us from acting on what we DO understand.This table is a vivid reminder that we belong to God now. We have been purchased at the price of Jesus’ blood and righteousness. We do not come to this table because we are better than those who are not coming. We must turn from any foolish pride that looks at those around us with disdain, as though their judgment is right, while we, somehow deserve better.This table is a reminder that, apart from the grace of God in Christ, we would stand condemned before God. A Truth to Remember: God WILL fulfill all of His promises to His people. A Challenge to Consider:How big is YOUR gospel? Are you amazed at the fact that it saved YOU? Do you believe that it can save those all around you? One thing I heard this morning was…      |