The Depth and Riches of the Knowledge of God.

Introduction

If you’ve been with us recently then you know that we are studying Paul’s letter to the Romans. And this morning our text is Romans 11:11-36. So if you have your Bible’s you can go ahead and turn there. You can also use The Bible app and navigate to the events page on that app and find our service saved there. You can follow along, make notes, and save your content for future reference too.

Next week we will start a new section in Romans where Paul takes all of the truth of what he has taught so far and answers the qeustion: so what do we do with all this truth?

But before we turn to next week we need to finish with chapter 11. And I will warn you—I usually preach for 30-35 minutes but this morning we’ll be in the sermon for about 10 minutes longer.

In 2 Peter 3 Peter says about Paul’s writings, “some of them are hard to understand” and I have to wonder—most likely along with every other preacher who has taught these texts that maybe Peter had Romans 11 in mind when he said this.

In fact Tony Merida tells a story about when he was preaching through Romans 11 and he was talking about it with a friend and his friend said, “Oh yea, our church is going through Romans too, but when we got to Romans 11 our pastor said that it was too hard to understand—that today we would pray for VBS—and then move on to Romans 12 next week.”

And I understand that sentiment, but all of God’s Word is for us and so friends this morning wade into the deep waters of Romans 11 with me. This morning as we read through the text together we are going to see 5 Explanation and 5 applications in Romans 11. Let’s dive in together.

Explanation 1 (11-12)

Romans 11:11–12 ESV

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. 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!

First Paul wants his Gentile readers and us by extension to know that even though Israel has fallen away from the Lord their fall is not final—they are not without the possibility of redemption. As we’ll see a littler later—though they currently be cut off, they can be grafted in again. God is not done with Israel.

Paul also wants us to see that God’s current rejection of Israel and their rejection of Him—is purposed by God to accomplish 2 glorious things.

Number one, that salvation may come to the Gentiles. He says, “through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles”.

And number two, that God’s blessing on the Gentiles would stir Israel up to gospel jealousy. And we are going to come back to this idea in just a moment.

What Paul is making clear is that God is in control—He has a good and wise plan—wherein His grace will reach all of the people that He is calling to Himself.

Verse 12 Paul then exclaims that Israel’s future return to God can only mean blessing and riches. He says, Romans 11:12 “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!”

God’s Word tells us that Israel’s full inclusion means greater blessing for the world—greater than we’ve seen.

And I’ll just make a brief not here, because we are going to get into it further in v.26, but “full inclusion” does not mean every Israelite that has ever been. There is a theology that would say at the end of times every singles Israelite will be saved by the virtue of being “God’s special people” But that goes far beyond the context of our text and the rest of the Bible.

When God’s Word, penned by the Apostle Paul, says full inclusion here—Paul means that when Israel returns to God they will not return as 2nd class citizens—the Gentiles will not be able to boast over Israel because Israel will be fully included.

So what do we do with that personally? What application do these awesome truths have in our lives?

Friends, as we see the plan of God unfold for entire church throughout redemptive history—be in awe of how glorious our God is! His plans are perfect and elegant. His control over such complex issues hint to us the massiveness of His intellect—of His wisdom—of His glory! This is why at the end of our text after all that Paul says in Romans 11 He exclaims,

Romans 11:33–36 ESV

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

This is an appropriate response to God. As you read your Bible friends—and I hope you are reading it—as you read it build in your hearts and minds the image of God that His word portrays! Do not get used to God—do not miss His excellence!

If you go to a fine arts museum and see the great painters—you can rush through the exhibits and let your eyes only skim their work—and you’ll hardly be affected.

But if you gaze into the painting—if you notice the colors and the composition—if you make note of the different brush strokes—and take in the story of work—if you seek out is emotions—then you will come away deeply impressed by the artist.

Church the Bible is a master work of literary art from God Himself. Unlike a painting it is living and active (Heb. 4:12). Dive deep into—don’t just skim it with your eyes, but ponder every word—seek God in His Word and stand amazed at who He is!

If you have a biblical view of God in your heart—which is full of glory and majesty—then it will transform your daily life as you are drawn to worship your God.

Church be in awe of your glorious God.

Explanation 2 (13-15)

Romans 11:13-15 “Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?”

Paul says, “I magnify my ministry to make my fellow Jews jealous—that some of them would be saved.”

And then in verse 15 Paul again makes the point that Israel’s return to God will include great blessing. Here he says, “For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world—if their rejection means the gospel goes forth to the nations—what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead.”

Of Romans 11 verse 15 and verse 26 has been the genesis for much ink put to page. There is lots of commentary written on these verses.

What does Paul means when he says “life from the dead”.

One commentator says that this is a statement of positional joy (Benson commentary) and that when Israel comes back it will be like receiving a beloved brother back from the dead. But it seems clear Paul in the context of the surrounding verses is pointing to something unprecedented: what will their full inclusion mean, what will their acceptance mean but “life from the dead”!

Whatever it is that “life from the dead” signifies here—it is more than a sentiment on behalf of the Gentiles.

Another view is that Paul is simply stating that Israel too will experience eternal life in Christ—life from the dead. That Paul is just expounding on his meaning behind what Israel’s full inclusion means. That when they return and accept Christ as messiah/savior they too will be saved from death.

But this would be redundant to say—needless—all that Paul has proclaimed about the gospel—as clear as he has been there there is life no where else but in Christ and that Christ alone saves us from the death of our sin—it would be redundant to say that when they accept Christ they will receive salvation too. To accept Christ is to receive salvation.

A third view and the one that I hold myself is that this phrase “life from the dead” is pointing to an end times event.

Paul is talking about how God has rejected Israel so that the Gentiles would be saved—and that there is coming a day when Israel will return and when they do there will be unprecedented blessings—that’s what verse 12 says—and then expounding on it here in verse 15—what will these blessings be?--- “life from the dead”!

I think that the best understanding of this text is that Paul is pointing to the future coming of Christ when our resurrection—our life from the dead—will be made complete. Friends, right now we live in a constant struggle with our flesh, but there is coming a day when you and I will live in eternity with no sin struggle. We will be delivered fully from death.

And Paul is saying here: when God gathers Israel back to Himself this will trigger the end of redemptive history. Later in our text Paul will talk about when the “fullness of the Gentiles comes in” and it holds this idea that God Israel is rejecting God until every elect Gentile is saved and then, when this work is complete, God will bring Israel back to Himself and when He does this

Christ will return for His church and the beginning of the blessed eternal state will begin where all God’s people will exist with their sanctification complete—in bodies free from the death of sin and completely alive. “Their acceptance will mean life from the dead.”

This is the view that the early church Fathers held and it is the view that makes the best sense of the passage, in my opinion.

So what do we do with that personally?

Let me draw your attention back to what Paul said in verse 13.

Paul says, “I magnify my ministry to make my fellow Jews jealous—that some of them would be saved.”

Are you, like Paul, leveraging your life to make others feel a gospel jealousy?

Paul says I magnify—i draw close attention to— my ministry, my walk with Christ, all that He is doing in and through me. Why? So as to make other people jealous for God.

Friends, are you set apart for Christ? Are you noticeably different so that people can see God moving in your life? They might not know it’s God but they can see something is different with you!

I don’t know where this idea came from, but from the pit of Hell, that in order to win people to Jesus the world needs to see that Christians are just “regular people”. We like the same things, we do the same things, we watch the same things, we think the same way. That the world needs to see that we aren’t different. We’re really the same as them.

The evangelistic strategy of many Christians is to cover themselves with the stench of death in order to draw people to life? What kind of sense does that make? It doesn’t!

Friends, if you are saved, you are not a regular person!!!

We are the born again sons and daughters of God, most high! We were dead and now we are alive! There is nothing regular about that! We have been personally called by God himself to join Him in his work of building the Kingdom of Christ! That’s not regular, that’s not like the world, it’s not supposed to be!

Do not try to hide what is most glorious about you with a blanket of commonality!

Dead people’s biggest obstacle to salvation is not that they think Christians are weird—their biggest obstacle is that they are dead.

You are meant to stand out in your holiness—in your set apartness—the lighthouse doesn’t try to blend in with the rocks, amen?

The lighthouse stands among the rocks to shed light on the danger of the rocks. Amen?

You are a light on a hill, Christ says.

Don’t be obnoxious with it like the Pharisees—but intentionally make your walk with Christ a normal part of being in contact with you.

Paul wants peopel to see the fruit of the Spirit in his life so that they will be jealous for the gospel. What about you?

Transition: Paul says there is coming great blessing when the fullness of the Gentiles comes in and Israel returns to God so work zealously for the kingdom of Christ to be filled. As we turn now Paul wants to continue to press against any notion that Gentiles can boast over Israel and he gives us two illustrations.

Example 3 (16-22)

Romans 11:16–22 ESV

If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 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, 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. Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 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.

Paul gives two illustrations here with the same point and then develops one of them. The dough and the roots make the rest of the dough and the tree holy: not the other way around.

The illustration that Paul develops further is that of an Olive Tree. And the illustration is not hard to understand. (Show illustration on PP)

The root is the promise given through the patriarchs—that God would save his people through the messiah.

The natural branches are ethnic Israel the people through whom the patriarchs came.

The broken branches are those natural branches who do not have faith in Christ.

And the wild olive shoots are the gentiles who are grafted in by their faith In Christ.

So this is the picture that God gives us by which to understand all that has happened and is happening with the Jews and Gentiles.

Transition: And within this picture God also gives us a command. Did you see it?

Do....not....be....arrogant.

Do not be arrogant about your faith in God. Paul says, “remember the root supports you, you don’t support the root”

The root is the promise of salvation in the messiah given through the partriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob.

Every believer, every living branch on the olive tree, is nourished by this gospel truth—God on his own has saved you by His good will and grace—the gospel given to you is your life.

The root is not dependent on you and what you’ve done. The gospel does not come to those who are worthy of it.

Friends we have nothing to be arrogant about as it pertains to our salvation because we have no accomplishment in it.

“Well there has to be something special about me—God made room for me by removing others! I’m better than the broken braches.”

Paul anticipates this response—and reminds them and us—they were broken off because of their unbelief and you were grafted in because of your belief but the scriptures are cystal clear that your belief is a gift from God. That means you dind’t possess it until God gave it to you—that’s what a gift is.

Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,”

Transition: And here is the warning for you and I.

Romans 11:20-22 “That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 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.”

Paul says, “If God broke off the natural branches because of their lack of faith then he will certainly do the same to you, a wild olive shoot.”

The warning is: make sure that your faith is based on Christ alone. Our salvation is by faith alone, in Christ alone, through grace alone.

If your salvation ins’t completely dependent on Christ then that is not biblical faith, it’s Jesus+ and Jesus+ is not the gospel. If you have a Jesus+ faith you will find yourself to be a broken branch. That’s the warning.

Before we move on it there is a fair question to ask about this warning. Who is it for?

Should believers fear they will be broken off and cast aside? Yes and no. Now before you call me heretic let me explain, don’t gather your rocks just yet...

Covenant Life Church is a Reformed Baptist Church and our confession, based off of scripture, addresses this.

It says, “the elect can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved...”

This is the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. It’s the P in the Tulip acronym, or the N in the Bacon acronym— “never falling away”

I like that one better. I don’t really like Tulips, but I love Bacon. I digress...

My point, whether you illustrate it with a flower or delicious meat candy, is that we believe that salvation is secure in Christ—you can’t lose it—if you are saved you will persevere and be eternally saved. So why the warning? Should the believer fear being broken off as Paul warns?

So in one sense no, have total confidence in Christ to save you. John 6:37 “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”

But in another sense yes you should fear. God’s word here is clear. “Do not become proud, but fear.”

Philippians 2:12 “We are told to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,”

The warning is to take your sin seriously—fear God and kill your sin—do not stand before God in pride with lackluster worship, unconcerned about the unbelief in your life—sin is always a manifestation of disbelief, when we knowingly sin we don’t believe that’s bad for us, we don’t believe that there are consequences, we don’t believe that God really cares about it.

Friends, fight hard to kill this attitude of your flesh—not because by doing so you will be saved, but because you are already saved—kill your sin for God’s glory and kill your sin because in Christ you have the power to do so.

The Holy Spirit is actively pointing out your sin to you that you may partner with God in becoming more like Christ.

So take every part of your life and let it be transformed by the word of God: How you talk, what you do with your free time, what your spend your money on, do a full inventory and turn all over to Christ. This your acceptable act of worship to God.

This is a real warning to believers and God uses his warning to preserve his people unto salvation. By warning us we continue to fight our sin—that’s what’s going on here.

Transition: As we continue Paul presses in more on arrogance in the believers life. Read with me...

Explanation 4 (23-24)

Romans 11:23-24 “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. 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.”

Paul reminds us that God can save whoever he wishes to save. All those who trust in Christ will be grafted into the Olive Tree and be the people of God together. As Paul calls the gentiles away from arrogance toward Israel he reminds them that again in this passage that God has a plan for them.

Tranistion: As we turn now to the last verses of our text Paul gives us a glimpse into a mystery. Read with me.

Explanation 5 (25-32)

Romans 11:25–32 ESV

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. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

There are three statement here that need a little digging but we’ve already dealt with two of them this morning.

This text says:

“a partial hardening has come upon Israel”

“until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in”

“in this way all Israel will be saved.”

We have already seen that there is a partial hardening on Israel. We see it in scripture and we see it today. By and large Israel does not believe in Jesus as the messiah. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone that is Jesus Christ—for a time God has rejected them, but this is only until...

the fullness of the Gentiles comes in. God has a certain number of people that He is saving—there will be a day when the last Gentile is saved and Israel will come to Christ in a major way—and then Christ will come again. It is not shocking that there are a certain number in the Lamb’s book of Life.

Jesus says it himself in Luke 21:23-24.

The real questions this morning is what to do with verse 26.

Romans 11:26-27 “And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.””

What does “all Israel” mean?

Every person who has ever been Israel?

Every person who is in Israel at this future time?

Every elect person in Israel?

For time’s sake I’ll be brief and get straight to the point.

This cannot mean every person who has ever been Israel. This would negate the gospel and mean that unbelieving Israelites were saved by the virtue of being an Israelite. All of scripture makes the emphatic point that God has one plan of salvation for man. Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.””

Every person who is in Israel at this future time? Maybe.

Every elect person in Israel? Definitely.

Let me wed those two together. The point that Paul is making here is that “all Israel” whatever that means—will be saved when their sins are taken away. The only way that God has provided for the sins of man to be taken away is by the perfect sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. In Christ alone can the sins of “all Israel” be removed. Whoever “all Israel” encompasses—their sins will be removed as they come to Jesus for salvation. That is definite.

Will this be some of Israel at the end of redemptive history? Or will this include all of existing Israel at the end of redemptive history?

I don’t know. I can’t say for sure. Could it be that God has saved for Himself a large number of elect Israel at the end of history who all live at the same time coinciding in an entire nation of elect people coming to Christ and ushering in the 2nd coming? Yes, God could do that and it would be spectacular.

Or will the future in gathering of Israel more resemble how God has gathered His elect to Himself in the past? Will a majority of Israel profess faith in Christ and be saved? Will half the country? Will it be just enough to be noticeable?

We don’t know.

All that can be known for sure here is that this doesn’t mean every Israelite ever, and it does mean that there will be a movement of Israel returning to God by trusting in Jesus for their salvation—that is sure.

Conclusion

So what do we do with this? As we close Romans 11 and look next week to Romans 12—what do we do with this?

We stand in awe of our God.

We stand out as followers of Jesus in a world that desperately needs Him.

We fight pride and arrogance and fear our God by killing sin and partnering with the Holy Spriit in our sanctification.

And finally, as Paul instructs us—we seek not to be wise in our own sight. We take in all that God shows us here and we marvel at God. We proclaim what Paul here proclaims and this is how we will finish our sermon this morning.

Romans 11:33–36 ESV

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Let’s pray.