Sermon Tone Analysis

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SLIDE 5

Rom 11:

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Rom 11:5-

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Rom 11:8-

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Rom 11:9

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PRAY

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Intro:

Last week we considered these beautiful and powerful words from the end of chapter 10.

They were revolutionary words… They were game changing.

They caused many to gasp in offense.

They ripped down the walls of religious understanding and showed the reader that grace reaches farther than the eye can see...

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Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame… There is no distinction between Jew and Greek.

The same Lord is Lord of all.

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It doesn’t matter what family you were born into… what profession you chose… what your nationality is… or the color of your skin… - God will bestow riches on all… upon EVERYONE.. who call upon Him.

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The key word… the theme… in these previous verses… is summed up in the word, “Everyone”.

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Paul now has the undivided attention of both Jew and Gentile.

The Gentile feels pretty good about himself, because of what Paul said in verse 20.

“God found those who did not seek Him.” - When this was read in their meeting, some of the Gentiles looked at each other and smiled… mouthing the words… “That’s us!”

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Earlier in … and later, in verse 11, we are given a secondary purpose for the salvation of the Gentiles.

The primary purpose of salvation for them, and for anyone… is to simply fulfill God’s desire in showing opulent grace to save those whom He loves… who hear and believe…

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but, as an added bonus… The salvation of the Gentiles serves the purpose of provoking Israel to jealousy.

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So, Paul now that Paul has the attention… of those in Rome, who are both Jew and Gentile.

This message pertained to both groups…

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This was revolutionary stuff to the Jews.

They didn’t grow up with this kind of teaching.

They were taught to lean heavily upon their lineage… to lean heavy upon their adherence to the law… to lean heavy upon their traditions…

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And now… in this new era of grace… after Jesus has risen from the dead and His apostles are teaching the new believers about this new aspect of faith in light of the Law and Prophets… They are seeing Gentiles entering into the family of the church… in great numbers…

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But… the few who came from a Jewish background were still wondering… Why were the bulk of their own people, still holding onto the old ways?

Why did so many reject Jesus as Messiah… For the most part, the guys who led the synagogue 5, 10, 15 years ago… are still there.

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They are still hoping to find righteousness in the works of the law.

They are still looking forward to a different Messiah.

They have rejected this faith that Paul is teaching them about.

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At the end of chapter 10, Paul quotes .

- The Lord has found those who did not seek Him… God showed Himself to those who did not ask for Him… to a people who had no history or heritage with God… He revealed Himself.

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But concerning Israel it says… - “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

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The believers in this new church in Rome look around, and they see Judaism alive and well, as if it hasn’t even been phased by the appearance of Jesus on the scene.

It’s still going strong.

It seems like nothing has changed amongst the Jews because of what Jesus has done.

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So, because of what they observe… they might wonder: (SLIDE 8) “HAS GOD REJECTED HIS PEOPLE?”

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Paul knows what QUESTIONS his arguments will provoke.

He knows that each level of explanation, leads to a new level of mystery…

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The mystery now… after talking about the salvation of the Gentiles… is this: “Well, what about the Jews?”

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Paul answers the question he also states in verse one… by emphatically declaring: “By no means!”

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What we have here, is the conflict between human perspective, and God’s perspective.

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God has brought the message of the Gospel to Gentiles.

Gentiles are coming to faith like crazy… Yes, Jews are being saved also… but the bulk of Judaism is still rejecting Jesus… Does this mean that God has given up on one group in favor of the next group?

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We ask these kinds of question.

We make these kinds of observations.

We suffer the same form of limited perspective.

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Christianity is on the decline in our country… We as a nation, follow in the footsteps of many European countries that are now considered to be, ‘post Christian’.

And yet… we look at places like China… even in some of the Muslim countries like Iran… there is revival going on.

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Where is our revival?

We haven’t seen one in the states since the early 70’s… and before that… in the 40’s.

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Has God rejected the people of the United States?

Has God rejected Europe?

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I think Paul answers that question for us in verse one… BY NO MEANS!!!

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Why? - Well, in verse 1, Paul goes on to give himself as an example.

Has God rejected Israel?

No way!

Look at me.

I am of the tribe of Benjamin, and God has saved me.

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We are a capitalistic and market driven people… we deem success on the terms of growth and numbers.

We then, bring that thinking into the church and try to measure a spiritual thing, with a secular measuring rod.

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But Paul is showing us in this chapter… (SLIDE 9) - that sometimes, God’s plan is not fulfilled with the masses… but rather, it is fulfilled with the remnant.

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Has God rejected an entire nation?

Paul’s answer is this: “No.

I am a member of that nation, and I have been saved.

In fact, God taught this very same lesson to Elijah.

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SLIDE 10

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Romans 11:

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SLIDE 11

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In 1st Samuel chapter 8… the people of Israel proved themselves unfaithful by demanding a king like the other nations had.

In , they are convicted of this sin and Samuel calls them to repent.

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He tells Israel: “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil.

Yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart… and then… this beautiful promise:

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SLIDE 12

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1 Sam 12

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In , the people are suffering under the oppression of evil kings… and in the midst of this difficulty, the Psalmist tells them:

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SLIDE 13

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Paul echoes these promises.

In fact, as Paul writes this letter in the Greek, he quotes ‘word for word’, the Greek translation of the OT (called the Septuagint)… from these two passages.

THE LORD WILL NOT FORSAKE HIS PEOPLE.

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And then… he reminds them of Elijah’s story.

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After his great victory against the prophets of Baal… Elijah comes down from this great high… and suffers a great low.

He is a hunted man, and in what seems like a fit of depression, I gives this fatalistic cry to the Lord… “I am all that is left.

There are no other believers… just me.

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To which God replies… “I have kept for myself 7,000 men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.

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Now, if we don’t stop and think… we might brush over that and think that God still has A LOT of believers… -But, amongst an entire nation, 7,000 isn’t a lot.

And due to the fact that this great prophet Elijah was unaware of them… it seems that they were a scattered and quiet group.

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With this lesson in hand… Paul tells those who might think that God has forsaken Israel… not to worry.

There is at this present time, a remnant....

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And then, at the end of verse 5… there are three words you should underline.

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CHOSEN BY GRACE

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it goes on to say:

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