810 Rom.11.11-24 Israel Is Not Beyond Recovery
Romans • Sermon • Submitted
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· 11 viewsPaul deals with the relationship between Jewish heritage and the Jews current opportunities to turn to Christ.
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- Last week, I raised the issue of Phineas Gage, the railroad worker who had an iron bar shot through his cheek bone through the top of his head
- Last week, I raised the issue of Phineas Gage, the railroad worker who had an iron bar shot through his cheek bone through the top of his head
- I mentioned how children could grow up believing different things depending of what their parents believed
- Unfortunately, I have been told by someone close to me, that I didn't make the link to the Scriptural passage I was teaching
- I actually agree with her so, here, I'll attempt to make that link
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- We were looking at v.5-7, but v.7 in particular causes concern
—7 What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened;
7 What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened;
- Predestination is a sovereign matter with God
- In raising the issue of Phineas Gage & children whose minds are shaped, I should have asked the question: “who is truly free”?
- Free will is what is set against predestination
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- My point being is that we are not truly free to chose because we are all conditioned to one degree or another
- Children are conditioned by who raises them, where they are raised & under what conditions they are raised – this goes on to shape & to even dictate the choices they make for themselves & they do it under the assumption that they are truly free in making those choices
- This is why it is important to get the word of God into your kids
- They will be dictated to by someone – either the secular, atheistic culture, or by Christian values – nothing is neutral – it will shape their choices
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- Phineas Gage by having his brain damaged was not in control of his faculties & became, according to his family & friends, another person
- The frontal lobe apparently is where decision-making processes of the brain are located
- Predestination from these examples, doesn't seem that silly after all, especially when we consider how our “free will” is actually constrained
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- The human race is so tainted by sin & self-desires that it truly doesn't know up from down, nor truth from falsehood
- But God has intervened & opened the door to some & this becomes a basis for our encouragement – that we have been chosen out of the world
- Damo put it well at homegroup: he noted the upside for the kid who gets picked out of a line of kids to be on the basketball team
- Hopefully, this has clarified some of the missing links of last week
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- The passage today expands & clarifies much of what we looked at last week
Q. Is Israel doomed beyond recovery? Paul says “no”
- Paul himself is a Jew & was not rejected, but chosen, in spite of his persecuting zeal against Christ
- Whilst we may think we are on our own, there are many more that God knows about – there, the example of Elijah thinking that he was the only one faithful to God – there is a sizeable remnant of Israel that are saved
- We spoke about the animosity between the Jews & the Gentile church in how the Jews not only rejected Christ, but encouraged the Roman authorities to persecute the church
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- You can understand why the Gentile Christians have such a negative view of Israel, but that ought not cloud them, nor us, from recognising that God's grace also comes upon some in Israel
- But there is something even more to consider
- The apostle Paul moves on to explain why the rest of Israel were hardened & why Israel is not beyond recovery
1. Moving Israel to Jealousy
1. Moving Israel to Jealousy
- There was a purpose in God hardening Pharaoh
- Through the hardening of Pharaoh, the world got to learn about & witness the power of God as He poured out His judgements on the so-called gods of Egypt
- Through this, we know of the family of Rahab & her faith that was ignited by coming to know the God of all creation
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- This happened through what He revealed to the world in rescuing the Israelites from the rage of Pharaoh through the parting of the Red Sea.
- In there He saved His people & dealt a decisive blow against the Egyptian army by drowning them all
- Divine hardening of Pharaoh had a greater purpose than merely the existential salvation of Israel
- So too, there was also a purpose in the hardening of Israel
- That is, so that God could reveal His grace to the Gentile world
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- When Mel Gibson was filming the “Passion of the Christ”, he came under severe fire for implicating the Jews in the killing of Jesus
- It's the usual nonsense we hear from the cultural elites
- You can bring out the truth against Christian colonialism, but you cannot bring out the truth if it happens to be a minority group
- I know this is a side issue from what we are talking about, but it is something we need to understand
15 ‘You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
-- 15 'You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
- Getting back to my point – the hardening of Israel is an obvious allusion to the crucifixion of Christ
- A week before His crucifixion, they were all cheering His entrance into Jerusalem
12 On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.”
-- 12 On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, "Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel."
- But then a week later, they were saying
—15 So they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”
15 So they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”
- So the Jews were hardened in order that the Gentiles might have the salvation of God opened up to them
11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
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- The hardening of Israel has meant riches for the Gentiles
- Israel rejected God's purposes in Jesus Christ, therefore, God has opened the door for Gentiles to come in
- You have the same thing in Jesus' parable of the king who gave a wedding feast for His Son (an allusion here to the Father & Jesus)
- The honoured guests of the wedding (Israel) were invited but refused the invitation from God's servants (who are His prophets)
- They paid no heed to the invitation but mistreated & killed His servants (the prophets)
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- So the king – our Father in heaven – in anger, commands His armies to destroy those murderers & their city – here is a clear prophecy regarding the slaughter of the Israelites & the destruction of Jerusalem that took place in 70 AD
- More of His servants are to go out to the streets & highways & to bring in as many as they can find & the wedding hall was full (allusion here to NC apostles/prophets calling Gentiles to Christ) ()
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Q. As you cast your mind back to your childhood, did you ever experience a time when you were left behind?
I think of our daughter Amy when she was a little girl. We, as in our many family members – Mum & Dad, brothers, grandparents, uncles, aunties, cousins, all attended the Southport Church of Christ & after church we would all make our way back to Poppies house for lunch. Well, Amy was a bit of a social butterfly & would go mingle with the other kids of the church. Since all her brothers, often went back in the cars of our other family member's, we assumed that Amy had done the same.
When we were about to eat lunch, someone would say, “where's Amy”. Oh dear, she must still be at church & someone would have to go back & collect her. From memory, this happened twice! I don't think too much harm came of it, but I'm sure she didn't like the feeling of being left behind.
- Here, the apostle reveals that in granting salvation to the Gentiles, Israel will feel like they have been left behind & it will move them to rectify the situation
- Interestingly, we see here, the flip side of the coin, to predestination
- Predestination is not an abstract principle that locks a person into a no-win situation
- Even though the bulk of Israel has been hardened, through Israel's jealousy of the Gentiles being richly blessed with God's deliverance, they are now provoked into seeking the Christ out, for themselves
2. The Source & Call of Israel Still Stands
2. The Source & Call of Israel Still Stands
2. The Source & Call of Israel Still Stands
- Paul is still concerned for his own countrymen - Israel
- Previously, in he says that he would forfeit his own salvation if it meant his countrymen responding to Christ
- He has been called as an apostle to the Gentiles – he knows that – it was a direct call from Jesus Himself
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;
But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel
- His calling was to the Gentiles, but also there, Jesus says, to the sons of Israel
- We all know that Paul is the apostle to the Gentiles & so he now directs his attention to the people who know him as their apostle
-- 13 But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them.
13 But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them.
- His mission is to Gentiles, but he says that he magnifies his ministry
- I suppose when you magnify an image, you make it bigger
- Which is what he is talking about by including Jews in his evangelism efforts
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- He is now asking we Gentiles to consider the source & origin of Israel's call
- Soon, he will make this statement…
28 From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
—28 From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
- Whilst the Jews, on the basis of their hideous persecution of Gentile Christians, are regarded as enemies, they still have a significant history with God
- The patriarchs, especially Abraham, received the word of promise from God
- This means that he & his descendants were entrusted with the work & mission of God – they had a holy calling
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- We need to investigate this further
- To be holy is to be set apart to God for His exclusive use
- To be holy is to be a recipient of God's special attention
- However, to be holy is not synonymous with salvation
- In other words, a “holy” person is not necessarily a saved person
—14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.
14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.
- Paul is saying that the unbelieving spouse is “holified” through the holy believer
- Paul is saying that the unbelieving spouse is “holified” through the holy believer
- Obviously, this does not equate to salvation, otherwise, Paul could not have written this
16 Wife, for all you know, you might save your husband. Husband, for all you know, you might save your wife.
—16 Wife, for all you know, you might save your husband. Husband, for all you know, you might save your wife.
—16 Wife, for all you know, you might save your husband. Husband, for all you know, you might save your wife.
- The point made here is that if your spouse is an unbeliever, you should stay in the marriage
- Your influence is a positive influence that will more likely draw your unbelieving spouse to Christ, rather than had you cut her off by divorce
- Holiness is your being used for God's exclusive use & with His special attention & blessings – which come upon the unbelieving spouse & children
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- So Paul is talking about this use when he refers here to the first piece of dough being “holy”
- Of cause, dough rises & becomes a big loaf – it grows outwardly, just like the holy influence of the Christian spouse
- Israel's call & the promise of Abraham was a “holy” call &, therefore, what God had gifted, He will not take back
Q. Does it mean that all Israelites are now saved?
- Not at all – he is arguing rather, that they have NOT been rejected, discarded as in the way the Gentile Christians thought or perhaps wished to think
- Israelite's still have the opportunity to be grafted back into the vine
3. Misplaced Gentile Superiority
3. Misplaced Gentile Superiority
- Just because God opened the door to Gentiles, it didn't mean that He closed it to the Jews
- I want you to notice some of the words he uses here of the Gentile Christians & their attitude to the Jews
- Twice in v.18, he says, “don't be arrogant”
- Again in v.20, he says, “do not become proud” (NAS “conceited”)
- The sense here is that Christian Gentiles have become cocky & believe that they are now better than the Jews – after all, they persecuted Jesus didn't they & now they're persecuting us
- This is the backdrop to the how & why he is writing this section here
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- He had to level the playing field against the law-carrying Jews who think they are above the Gentiles & insist that the Gentiles must become Jews in order to be saved
- And he levels the playing field against the prideful Gentile Christians who think that God has now chosen them & cast wretched Israel aside
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- The apostle is leading up to a crucial finale in his discussion of the salvation of God to both Jew & Gentile & it comes in v.32
—32 For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.
32 For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.
- The Gentile has no advantage over the Jew & the Jew has no advantage over the Gentile in respect to God acceptance & salvation
- They are both saved alike through God's Son & Servant, Jesus
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- To make his point here to the Gentile Christians, he calls them a wild olive branch that has been grafted into a natural olive tree
—17 But if some of the [natural] branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the [broken off] branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.
17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.
- So you have two trees – an Olive tree that grows in the wild & a cultivated or domestic Olive tree
- The Olive tree was used, on occasion, as an image of Israel in the OT
—16 The LORD called your name, “A green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form”; With the noise of a great tumult He has kindled fire on it, And its branches are worthless.
16 The Lord called your name, “A green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form”; With the noise of a great tumult He has kindled fire on it, And its branches are worthless.
- It was known that a wild Olive Tree was not a fruitful tree, hence the need to have cultivated Olive trees, which were designed to produce more fruit
- But when the cultivated Olive tree was sick & not producing or even ready to die, they would graft a wild Olive branch into the tree to strengthen or save the life of the tree (it would spark it up)
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- The wild can be grafted into the cultivated tree, but they are not the natural branches
- So the wild branches are feasting off someone else's tree, that is not their own
- I'm putting it too harshly here, but a parasite feeds off it's host
- That is too harsh – but the point is this – you do not support Israel & her holy calling, but that holy calling supports you
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- Here the focus is not on the nation as such, but the heritage – the calling that God gave through Abraham
- That should be obvious for the wild Olive branches as well as the cultivated Olive branches that are alike on the tree – both participate in drawing blessings from the root
- However, Israel IS the natural recipient of that calling, so if they believe in Jesus, they can slot straight back in as easy as pie
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- Israel has a holy calling & heritage, the Gentiles have a pagan one with the worship & corruption of idols & all the darkness that is associated with a lost world without the light of the Lord
- That kind of tree root would be a disaster
- So Gentiles are slotted into a Jewish root, not Jews slotted into a Gentile root but they both stand by grace
4. The Return of Israel – If they Believe in Jesus
4. The Return of Israel – If they Believe in Jesus
- Here is a warning shot that Paul fires over the bow of the HMAS “Gentile”
- To those Gentile Christians who think that God has replaced ethnic Israel with Gentiles, he gives this warning &, of course, this warning is very applicable to us
—21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either.
21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either.
Q. What does this mean?
- It means that the hinge which determines whether you remain in the salvation of God is faith in Jesus
- Gentiles stand by their faith in Jesus & if that faith evaporates, so does that branch from the Olive Tree
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- No one likes hearing truth like this, but it is necessary to hear
- It is certainly no different from the words of John the Baptist to the Jews
9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.
- And He has – you who are here today who obey Jesus are the children of Abraham
—9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.
- And He has – you who are here today who obey Jesus are the children of Abraham
- Likewise, the words of Jesus to the Jews...
39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham.
—39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham.
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- There are two sides to God in this section: kindness & severity
- And the proviso is that you stay in His kindness & avoid His severity
Q. How may you do this?
- It is answered in v.23 – for Israel, if they do not continue in their rejection of faith in Jesus
- The same would be true for the Gentile – it all centres on a person' relationship to Jesus
- It is faith in Him & Him alone that secures God to us & us to God
Summary
Summary
- We see in both this message today & last week's that God has not cast ethnic Israelites aside & barred them from salvation
- They still have opportunity if the come to God through the cross of Christ
- He is the long awaited Messiah or ruler of the world
- Unlike earthly rulers who use brute force to ensure compliance, Jesus calls us to come follow Him
- He defeats our greater enemies of sin & death so they we can live the fullness of life with the glorious hope & confidence of everlasting life
- It is through faith in Him & the working of His Spirit in us, that brings to us every spiritual blessing from heaven
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- The world doesn't understand that the serious enemies in life are not from without, but from within
- Jesus deals with these both through His death & resurrection
- At His first coming [2000 yrs ago], He defeated our inner enemies; when He comes again, every other enemy will be defeated including death itself
- This promise is not just for Gentile believers but also ethnic Jewish believers if they come the way of Christ & Christ alone.