Amazing Grace

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Introduction

I don’t know why engineers make things so complicated

Changing bulb on my truck takes...

Removing part of fan shroud, removing the grill, opening a hatch in the wheel well

What?!

The other day I was helping Ronnie with his car - key was stuck in ignition

Borrowed my dads truck, made an appointment at Franks

Replace a switch or maybe the cylinder

But also, the battery was dead

Found out, when the battery dies, your key gets locked in the ignition

Let’s jump it! Battery is in the trunk...

Pop the trunk - with an electronic button

Electronic things don’t work when you battery is dead

That’s okay! You can use your key!

Which has been locked into the ignition! How stupid!

I read online that some people were able to lower their backseat and crawl into the back

OR you can remove an access panel under the steering column

Use a screwdriver to release the key

Open the trunk, lift the mat and access the battery

Turns out, all that was totally unnecessary

Under the hood at the fuse box, is a little post

You hook the + to that and the - to the frame

You can jump start it right there - everything I needed was there the whole time

Made me feel dumb to work so hard for something that had the answer right there

We jumped the car, the battery held a charge, the key came out

Took me 2 minutes

Didn’t need to replace a switch or key cylinder, crawl through the back seat, remove an access panel, make an appointment or borrow another vehicle...

What I needed was simple, and it was right there...

I had no need to get mad at someone else...

This morning, we’re going to learn about God’s amazing grace

And that relates to us, Jewish Christians, and unbelieving Jews

You may wonder why we wold ever talk about that — why do I care about Jews?

If that’s how you feel, that’s why we’re talking about it!

God’s chosen people are a vital part of our story

Always were, still are, always will be

YouVersion: Amazing Grace

We’re in Romans 11:1-10, and 16-24

Romans 11:1 (ESV)

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 is returning to this Israel thing

David Wilkerson: “God's covenant with the church and Israel is unbreakable.”

Here’s why it’s important, Jesus has been a turning point

From Abraham to Jesus, God has worked almost exclusively through the nation of Israel

Now, the gentiles get introduced because salvation is for anyone

Paul is writing to Jewish Christians in Rome

They may be wondering, what about us? Was Israel just a waste of time?

1. God is not finished with Israel

Revelation 7:4–8 (ESV)

4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

Verse 5 lists 12,000 from Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, etc...

This means the nation of Israel will exist and serve the will of God in the end times

This is not symbolic, twisted or untrue

JW’s teach 144,000 Christians will be resurrected to rule

It’s clear, it is 144,000 Jewish Christians!

Do you know how amazing it is that Israel exists today?

Miracle of 1947

3 Jewish-Roman wars left Israel without being a nation

First Jewish Revolt in 66-73 A.D.

Destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D.

Kitos War from 115-117 A.D.

Bar Kokhba Revolt in 132-136 A.D.

RESULTS: Jews sold as slaves, removed from Jerusalem and depopulated

Then Jewish persecution –

As Catholic Church grew, they blamed Jews for killing Jesus

Massacred by Arabs as Islam grew

Blamed for Black Plague

Persecuted during the inquisition

Russians held racist laws for centuries

Nazi’s killed 6,000,000 of them

Going into WWII, Britain held control of the Holy Land

Released at the end of the war, and U.N. gave it to the Jews in 1947!

Why is that a big deal?

Scripture mentions Jews in prophecy (i.e. Revelation) preachers used to say people or symbolic

After thousands of years w/ no country and everyone trying to kill them, they reappear in a day

John C. Hagee: “How did (the Holocaust) happen? Because God allowed it to happen. Why did it happen? Because God said, 'My top priority for the Jewish people is to get them to come back to the land of Israel’.”

God is not done with the nation of Israel, even today!

But here’s their current status:

Romans 11:25 (ESV)

25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

Problem is, Israel is blind to the fact their Messiah has come and it’s going to stay that way

That is, until the fullness of the gentiles comes in

AKA - When the very last person who will be saved has been

2. Most of Israel will be blind until the last Christian is saved

That’s long term, here’s the short term (time of writing):

Even in Paul’s day, they were not done:

Romans 11:2–4 (ESV)

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.”

PROBLEM: As a whole, Israel has rejected their Messiah. How can God continue to use them?

Paul answers this question with a precedent.

He quotes Elijah from 1 Kings 19

TELL STORY OF AHAB AND JEZEBEL

King Ahab married Jezebel who worshipped Ba’al.

1 Kings 16 says Ahab did more to make God angry than anyone before him

He and his Ba’al loving wife were murdering the prophets, so there was a huge drought

Then at Mount Carmel there was a challenge!

450 Ba’al prophets tried to sacrifice a bull and didn’t work

Then Elijah alone called to God and his sacrifice burned up

People again followed God, Ba’als prophets were executed and the drought ended

Of course, Jezebel wasn’t a fan of this, and sought to have him killed

Elijah ends up in a cave at Mt. Horeb and asks for death

Elijah felt like he was the only one left, and yet God says “You’re not alone; there’s still 7,000!”

Do you ever feel that way? Like you’re the only one going through what you’re going through?

Just like Elijah, God’s answer often is “Relax, there are thousands of you. Now just trust me.”

That’s not to say your troubles are insignificant, but they’re surely not too big for God!

Now Paul brings it back to his current situation with Israel

Romans 11:5 (ESV)

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

Israel has rejected the Messiah just as they rejected God when they worshipped Ba’al

Just like God preserved some while that happened, he preserved some by grace

3. God preserves a remnant of Israel

How do you receive God’s grace? You accept the free gift through His Son!

Roman Jews may think Israel’s purpose is empty because they rejected Christ

Actually, God preserves Israel through those who have accepted Christ

That means that God preserved Israel’s remnant because they accepted Christ

Today we call this group “Messianic Jews”

Romans 11:6 (ESV)

6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

Paul draws a very hard that we must accept as believers:

God’s grace CAN NOT be earned! Requiring the smallest work removes the possibility of grace

You have no requirement except to accept. That’s it!

4. Our salvation comes from grace

Salvation doesn’t come from attending church, baptism, prayer, refraining from sin or anything else

You have one or the other – that’s it! It’s either a no strings attached gift, or you have to earn it

AND guess what?! You CAN NOT earn it!

ILLUSTRATION: H.A. Ironside tells a story about Elizabeth I in his book “In the Heavenlies”

French woman dressed like a man hides in Elizabeth’s boudoir ready to stab her

The queen’s attendants inspect the room first and find her

The woman threw herself at the queen’s feet to beg for grace

Elizabeth said “If I show you grace, what promise will you make for the future?”

The woman said “Grace that hath conditions, grace that is fettered by precautions, is not grace at all.”

Elizabeth said “You are right. I pardon you by my grace.”

It is said that that woman became a strong supporter of Elizabeth from that point forward

Grace is free, free, free.

WATCH THIS:

Romans 11:7 (ESV)

7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened,

What did Israel seek? Salvation and mercy from God through the Messiah!

How did they seek it? To earn it through the Law. That is NOT the way to do it!

Matter of fact, seeking salvation by works only hardens your heart!

Friend of mine who used to be Baptist is now Catholic

Asking questions: infant baptism, papal infallibility, praying to Mary, etc...

Then we came to purgatory

He said, “I can’t imagine that we can do all this bad stuff and totally get away with it. There must be some kind of punishment for us at the end.”

Jesus says, “It is finished” in John 19:30 - not just started

In Luke 23:43, Jesus says to the thief next to Him on the cross, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Not after a short stint in purgatory… but TODAY!

Why? Because God give grace… Unearned, undeserved favor

Israel as a whole never found it.

But guess who DID find it?! The elect! Who is the elect? We are!

The ones God elected to save through His grace and mercy!

God gave them every chance… we read over and over again that God gives them chance after chance

Amos 3:2 (ESV)

2 “You only have I known

of all the families of the earth;

therefore I will punish you

for all your iniquities.

God says I’ve given you everything! My Son was born into your nation and came to speak only to you!

Jesus came to the Jews!

He taught in the synagogues and in the Temple!

He had Jewish disciples

He performed miracles for Jewish people

He walked in Jewish lands...

But then he was accused by Jewish Pharisees

And murdered by the Roman government at the behest of the Jewish people

God says “You seek salvation and mercy, but I will give it to someone else. The Gentiles.”

With all that, God still preserves a remnant - even today.

But as a whole, the Jewish people are blinded.

Romans 11:8 (ESV)

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.”

Paul is quoting Deuteronomy 29:4 and Isaiah 29:10

Those references mention that God can give these things “as He pleases”

If God decides to only enlighten a remnant at present time, it is well within His rights as God!

We don’t understand all His workings, but we know our responsibility is not removed

Romans 11:9–11 (ESV)

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.

Paul is quoting Psalm 69:22-23

That is a scary and familiar picture

Israel was sitting at their banquet table

Blessed, celebratory and comfortable

It was that sense of accomplishment and status – God’s chosen people – that ruined them

They were so sure of their place that they forgot what they were looking for

Sound familiar? A successful country of moral police that forget about their own need for forgiveness?

As Americans, we can fall right into Israel’s trap

Romans 11:16–17 (ESV)

16 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree,

God uses the image of a tree a lot to tell the story of salvation

Isaiah 6 describes Israel as a tree that will be chopped down and burned

Too proud, seeking other gods, forgot their first love… so it was chopped down in exile

In Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar attacks Jerusalem and holds them captive

The burning represents purification

So you have a burnt stump - that’s God’s plan

If you know about forest fires, burning is good for trees - allows for regrowth!

Isaiah 11:1 (ESV)

1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

From that burnt stump, comes a shoot...

Want to guess who that is? Jesus!

He will bear fruit from those roots - all the Jewish Christians!

But, look what Paul just said:

Wild olive tree branches get grafted in!

Did you know you can graft plants?

You take a shoot from a plant called the scion

And attach it to the roots of another plant called the stock

And they both grow together!

I saw a guy graft tomatoes into a potato plant and make french fries and ketchup with it!

In God’s illustration

He made Israel as a tree, grew Jesus from the purified stump

And now he grafts in wild olive branches - guess what those are...

Gentiles! Most/all of us in this room!

Galatians 3:29 (ESV)

29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Now, anyone can be a part of God’s chosen people!

BUT anyone can also be removed

That’s because it’s not about your nationality or your works

It’s about faith in Christ, period.

But we still struggle with feeling like we’ve got it all figured out

And we think that makes us better somehow...

Christians have persecuted Jews for centuries!

Early Church Fathers (Tertullian, Augustine, John Chrysostom)

Jewish Disabilities in the middle ages

The Spanish Inquisition

Martin Luther wrote, “On Jews and Their Lies”

Hatred for the Jews still continues today

You may wonder why it even matters

You may not like Jews yourself!

But look at what Paul says:

Romans 11:18–21 (ESV)

18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.

We are very fortunate to know Christ

We become part of that tree because of our faith! Not because we are better...

But Paul warns not to let that make us feel like we’re better

But to fear - your version might say, “Be afraid, or tremble”

Remember, you are not grafted in because you’re so great!

D.L. Moody - "It is well that man cannot save himself; for if a man could only work his own way to Heaven, you would never hear the last of it. Why, if a man happens to get a little ahead of his fellows and scrapes a few thousands of dollars together, you'll hear him boast of being a self-made man. I've heard so much of this sort of talk that I am sick and tired of the whole business; and I am glad that through all eternity in Heaven we will never hear anyone bragging of how he worked his way to get there."

We are not self-supported

We are upheld by the root, the good parts of Israel

5. We should honor, respect and appreciate Israel

It is something to be appreciated, honored, respected

This should affect the way we think about our personal Jewish friends and the nation of Israel

Remember, God said to Abraham:

Genesis 12:3 (ESV)

3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

You don’t have to agree with everything about them

You don’t have to be a Christian Zionist or political activist - God will work all that out

But spiritually, they deserve our reverence

And we should want God’s good and perfect will for them

“Yeah, but they don’t believe in Christ! They murdered Him!”

Here’s what Paul says about that:

Romans 11:22–24 (ESV)

22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

God has truly been kind to us

He made a way for us, even as we did not believe

He had given us grace, been patient with us

And so He does the same now for Israel

Someday, every Jew will bow at the feet of Jesus, but for now there is blindness

And although Israel missed it, it’s not over for them now or in the future

Israel still has a place in God’s plan

And God still grafts Jews back onto the tree today

One day, all remaining Jews will be grafted back in

So, instead of criticizing them, ask yourself a question:

“How can we respect Israel’s place in God’s kingdom?”

AND

“What is my place in God’s kingdom?”

Have you ever thought about that?

Israel has a contribution to the story of Christ, what’s yours?

I want to encourage you to find it, pursue it and thrive in it!

Children’s church? A Life Group? Missionary? Evangelism?

We may have the next Billy Graham in this room!

Whatever it is, do it whole-heartedly.

Not because you have to, but because God didn’t have to have mercy

Because Christ chose to die to show His amazing grace to you...