Of Jews & Gentiles
The Romans Road • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction:
*Open your Bibles to Romans 11
As we enter into chapter 11, it is going to feel like we veered onto a different path
Let me assure you, we have not
Where we are headed is the same as it was at the end of chapter 10
Before we dive into today’s text, there are two things from earlier in Romans that I need to remind you of to tie things together.
*I’m going to ask you to get your listening guides out early today
These two things that we are going to discuss need to be clearly fixed in our minds, and so I want you to write them down.
The first comes from Romans 9:6
But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel;
THIS IS THE FIRST THING WE NEED TO REMEMBER this morning, THAT
Not all of Israel is Israel
Not all of Israel is Israel
Not all of those who descend from Abraham will be saved
Only those who are among God’s people that have received the grace of Christ shall be saved
The saved of Israel, the chosen of Israel are the true Israel
God isn’t finished with Israel, He hasn’t replaced Israel- but the true Israel are those among Israel who have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ
The place of Israel as God’s chosen people is a gift of blessing and responsibility rather than privilege and exclusion
Secondly, we need to remember Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
THE SECOND THING WE NEED TO REMEMBER IS
God uses everything and everyone for the good of those that are following Him
God uses everything and everyone for the good of those that are following Him
This means that God uses the lost to bless and, sometimes, to reach the saved
And the saved to reach the lost
It means He uses the bad circumstances, experiences, and happenings in our lives to bring about ultimate good
WHILE GOD DIDN’T CAUSE THE BROKENNESS WE LIVE IN, He is still sovereign over it and uses it for our good and His purposes
Understanding these things is critical to our understanding of the chapter ahead of us.
I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?
“Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.”
But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice.
But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.
What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened;
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.”
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.”
I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.
PRAY, Invite the church to sit down
If we are not careful, it is easy for us to read things into Scripture that are not there, or to come to ideas that are unbiblical
We do this more than we realize
EX: God helps those who cannot help themselves…
this implies that some of us are able to help ourselves, which is not true
EX: Adam and Eve were the only people on earth...
After all, their children married women!
Today’s text deals with just such an idea, a heresy called replacement theology
That is, the belief that the church replaces or becomes Israel, the People of God, in the New Testament
I am glad to see many of you shaking your heads, but their are many who believe this is true
But what we are going to see is that this is outside of the character of God.
Look at verse 1:
I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?
“Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.”
But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
If you have your listening guide this morning, the next thing that I would have you to not is this,
God is faithful to Keep His people and His promises, even through their rebellion
God is faithful to Keep His people and His promises, even through their rebellion
I love what Paul says here: God didn’t abandon the Jews-I’m proof!
If God had abandoned the Jews, we wouldn’t have any of the New Testament
Even Luke, who some scholars say was a Gentile, would have needed the testament of the Jews around Jesus.
The entirety of God’s Word was recorded by Jewish writing
If Jews had not gone out as missionaries, you and I would have never heard the Gospel of grace
God is faithful to His promises. He promised Abraham
“In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
God kept this promise, not only in sending Christ as a Jew to the Jews first, but also by sending the Jews to the Gentiles
Now, we know that not all who are descendents of Israel are truly of Israel
But there have always been some who believed in their midst
And though the nation rebelled and God punished them, He was always moving to bring about good to those that were His
Verses 2-4 give us the example of Elijah, who thought he was alone, when God had more than 7000
God watched over Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah, just to name a few, in the midst of rebellion and exile.
Why would God preserve Israel through the coming of the Messiah, only to abandon them?
Why would He give His Son to save them, only to abandon them?
God is faithful to keep His people and His promises. Let’s continue. Verse 5
In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice.
But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.
God is faithful and unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever
He remains faithful to the Jews, even as He brings others into His Kingdom
But that also means that the way that He saves us remains the same to. In fact, that’s our next point to remember, that
God saves both Jew and Gentile by grace through faith
God saves both Jew and Gentile by grace through faith
There were and still are many Jews that are trying to earn their salvation from God
Just like there are many who claim to be Christians that are trying to earn their salvation
This is a wasted effort, regardless of your nationality, because no one can do it
This doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be works in your life, but that works cannot save you
works are the fruit of salvation-If you are saved, their will be good works in your life
“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”
It is only by grace you and I can be saved, and it is God’s choice who He is gracious to, since all deserve death
It isn’t that Israel used to be saved by the Law, but can now be saved by grace
THE LAW COULD NEVER SAVE A MAN-
This is why we spent so much time earlier in Romans talking about God’s promise to Abraham
How Abraham’s faith in the promised blessing of Christ that was the means to His righteousness before God
This is why Peter, a Jew, says in Acts 4:12
“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
The Jews are God’s Chosen people, and that will never change
From among them, God has chosen some for salvation, even as He has chosen you
Any Jew can find salvation in Jesus Christ, but only those who choose Him will
WHY IS THIS SUCH A BIG DEAL?
Because in all ways, God has used the Jews to bring about your salvation. Look at verse 7:
What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened;
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.”
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.”
I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.
The last thing that I would have you to remember this morning is this, that
God uses Jews to save Gentiles and the Gentiles to save Jews
God uses Jews to save Gentiles and the Gentiles to save Jews
Remember the first two points this morning: Not all of Israel is Israel and God is using everything and everyone to bring good to those that follow Him
Just like among the Gentiles, there are some Jews that are saved and some that are not
God uses both the saved Jew and the unsaved Jew to bring you salvation
The Gospel started with those that are saved amongst the Jews
Peter, Paul, Barnabas, Silas, and others went out as missionaries
It is only because of their faith and faithful teaching that you and I ever heard in the first place!
God also opened the door to the Gentiles through hardening of Jewish hearts
Our text here quotes Deuteronomy 29:4 and Psalm 69:22-23
Those that reject God have their hearts hardened
God put stumbling blocks before Israel for good
Those that believe were turned to Him
Those that did not were only driven to what they deserve, making room for Gentile recipients of God’s grace
Verse 11 really brings this whole thing together for us: God uses all things for the good of those that are His
God uses saved Jews to proclaim the truth to the nations
God uses lost Jews to make space for the Gentiles (for the Gospel goes to the Jew first, then the Gentile)
God uses saved Gentiles to make Jews jealous and draw them to Himself
God uses lost Gentiles and lost Jews both to bless His people and to glorify His Name in their just punishment
INVITATION
In all these things, we see the character of our God:
He is just, punishing all who are wicked, for none deserve salvation
He is faithful, keeping His promises to Abraham and the nations through Him
He is gracious, as He brings salvation to those who deserve death
And in all these things, He is working to the good of those that love Him
This morning, won’t you find yourself among them?
There is no day like today to become a child of the King
The door has been opened, that you and I can know salvation!
Don’t be like those of Israel who heard the promises, but stumbled over them
You cannot earn your salvation-thank goodness! Who would want to?
Today, it is yours freely, if only you will receive
Let all who have ears hear His call
And if you hear Him calling, harden not your heart