Trusting God's Unconditional Promises
Notes
Transcript
1 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. 2 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? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 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.”
9 And David says,
“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and bend their backs forever.”
11 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. 12 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!
Introduction
Introduction
Chapter 11 answers the question asked in Romans 10:19-21 - is God permanently setting aside Israel for their rejection of Christ?
19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,
“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”
20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,
“I have been found by those who did not seek me;
I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”
21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
The question could also be asked as this, can God be trusted to keep His promises regardless of the circumstance?
19 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 20 “Thus says the Lord: If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night will not come at their appointed time, 21 then also my covenant with David my servant may be broken, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and my covenant with the Levitical priests my ministers. 22 As the host of heaven cannot be numbered and the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the offspring of David my servant, and the Levitical priests who minister to me.”
23 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 24 “Have you not observed that these people are saying, ‘The Lord has rejected the two clans that he chose’? Thus they have despised my people so that they are no longer a nation in their sight. 25 Thus says the Lord: If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth, 26 then I will reject the offspring of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.”
Remnant Remains
Remnant Remains
1 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.
Paul asserts that the callousness of Israel’s heart is not inclusive of everyone.
John 1:11 (ESV) He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
How can God’s people reject His own Son, and still be called “His people”???
God promised He would never leave His people.
14 For the Lord will not forsake his people;
he will not abandon his heritage;
Paul is Jewish, and he had not rejected Jesus Christ.
Paul asks, has God permanently left? God Forbid, May It Never Be, By No Means, Certainly Not.
2 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? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
God knew this would occur (foreknew), and yet still made covenants with the Jews.
Elijah saw the same rejection of God, but God reminded him of the 7,000 faithful - a remnant.
Many of the people during Elijah’s time are like today, disobedient and disloyal to God, rejecting and denying God, and living their lives satisfying their own wants and desires.
5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.
Just like the rebellious time of Elijah, there was still a remnant in Paul’s time - and today.
Even though there was the feeling all were against God, there was a few who trusted in God.
The image of the nation was determined by the lifestyle of the majority - the wicked.
Even Elijah, God’s prophet, did not know of these 7,000 faithful.
God will never leave His people.
Notice the reason why there were still the remnant - they were chosen by grace.
God did not preserve them because of their faith, good works, spiritual worthiness, or lineage, it was solely by grace.
7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 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.”
9 And David says,
“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and bend their backs forever.”
If salvation could be achieved by works or merits, there would be no need for God’s grace nor would there have been a need for the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
God would no longer be necessary, as man could save himself.
It cannot be done by man. It cannot be done by works. It cannot be done by merits. It cannot be done by lineage.
It is only through God’s grace that mankind can be saved.
Israel had been given the opportunity to follow Christ, but instead they failed to comprehend who Christ was “Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking”.
Instead, they:
Adopted a spirit of stupor, Israel had fallen asleep at the wheel.
10 For the Lord has poured out upon you
a spirit of deep sleep,
and has closed your eyes (the prophets),
and covered your heads (the seers).
9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people:
“ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
They were worthy of judgment and they got exactly what they deserved.
22 Let their own table before them become a snare;
and when they are at peace, let it become a trap.
They were blind
23 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see,
and make their loins tremble continually.
The unbeliever’s rejection of Christ is alway willful and deliberate. They refuse to see or hear, refuse to open their eyes and ears, and refuse to understand. Why?
15 For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’
Their heart has grown dull - It was fat/overweight - they had been out of God’s will for so long that the heart had become obese on the food of the world.
A person who deliberately chooses to be blind to the gospel and reject Christ is given their just punishment.
God offers love, salvation, and eternal life.
Man can choose to ignore God’s offer.
Continued rejection of God leads to blindness and a rejection by God.
2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
6 He will render to each one according to his works:
Closing
Closing
God freely offers the gift of Salvation.
Man has the choice - to accept or to reject.
Man chooses the course of his final judgment, and eternal destiny.