Please take out your copy of God's Word, which I hope you brought with you this morning, and turn to Paul's letter to the Romans chapter 10.
To be honest and humble this morning, I have been dreading coming to this point in the book of Romans.
And by this point, I mean chapter 11, verse 26, which we're going to get to today, if you can believe it or not.
But, beginning in chapter 9, I have been wrestling with the meaning and the implications contained in such difficult, difficult text.
I have taken some comfort in kind of widely reading and seeing that I'm not the only one, a bit confused by it.
I take comfort that Peter himself, the apostle in 2 Peter chapter 3, verse 16, said that there are some things in Paul's writings that are hard to understand.
Even Peter himself was a tad confused at times.
I have been actually kind of physically in anguish over the bearing and the meaning of this text that we're going to get to today.
You're going to think I'm crazy.
We are going to go from chapter 10, verse 16, through chapter 11, verse 32, taking a particular look at Israel and the meaning.
What is Paul getting at about Israel?
How is it that the grace of God is relating to Israel?
And that has been really the argument that he began for us at the beginning of chapter 9.
So let's read it together.
And I just ask that you be very attentive.
As we normally do verse-by-verse exposition, I won't be quite verse-by-versing it today.
So this is your verse-by-verse dose.
And then I'm going to kind of jump a little bit through the chapter so that we can actually make it through today.
And I hope you'll see the value in that by the time we finish our time together, which is starting at 11.
We'll see how this goes.
All right.
So begin reading in verse 16 of chapter 10.
But they have not all obeyed the gospel.
For Isaiah says,
Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
But I ask, have they not heard?
Indeed they have.
For their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.
But I ask, did Israel not understand?
First, Moses says, I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation.
With a foolish nation, I will make you angry.
Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, I have been found by those who did not seek me.
I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.
But of Israel, he says, all day long I've held up my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.
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.
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?
Lord, they have killed your prophets.
They have demolished your altars.
And I alone am left, and they seek my life.
But what is God's reply to him?
I have kept for myself 7,000 men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.
So too, at the present time, there is a remnant chosen by grace.
But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works.
Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.
What then?
Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking.
The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened.
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.
And David says, let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.
So I asked, 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 would their full inclusion mean?
Now, I am speaking to you, Gentiles, and as much 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?
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.
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 contrator nature into a cultivated olive tree,
how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree?
Lest you be wise in your own sight.
I want you to understand 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 of God 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.
Let's pray together.
Father God, I feel the weight of this text this morning.
But I pray as we've read from your Holy Scripture,
and as we listen to the preaching of it, and just even as I preach it,
that you will teach us from it.
We know that all Scripture is profitable.
So this text is for us this day.
And I pray, God, that will be the case.
That by your Spirit, we will feel the truth, and it will move us to action.
And I pray this in Christ's name.
Amen.
So we've been in the book of Romans for quite some time now.
We've been marching through it.
I need to go back and look and actually see how long we've been at this now together.
But those of you who are here may remember in Romans chapter 3,
I preached a sermon on verses 19 through 16,
and I said that this text was the crux of Romans.
For those of you not familiar with that term,
I used to, I don't really anymore, but used to rock climb quite a bit.
And every route has or had, for me, a crux.
And the crux was always the most difficult move in the entire climb.
So if you could pull the crux off, with fair certainty,
you were going to be able to finish that particular route.
And that is this for Romans.
Martin Luther actually called it the center of the Bible,
verses 19 through 26.
And it's where we see that the whole world,
verse 19, is going to be held accountable to God.
For no human being will be justified in his sight.
Down in verse 22, there's no distinction.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
And could be then only justified, verse 24,
by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ,
who's the propitiation, the replacement for our sin.
We received his righteousness in what Martin Luther called the great exchange.
So to understand the entirety of Scripture,
as well as just where we're at today in Romans,
we have to get this right.
The case that Paul has been building,
beginning in chapter 1 and working his way through,
is that all man is condemned in God's sight,
because all men have sinned.
There is no good thing we can do.
There's no lineage we can have,
no associations,
no activity that's going to make us right before God
except faith in his Son,
which is a grace to us.
I didn't know it at the time.
I didn't have verse 26 and chapter 11 in mind
when I said that this was so key,
so important that we get this absolutely right.
I'm glad I did,
and I'm glad I'm saying it again now.
We must see that this is the case.
This is the lens by which we must look at
the rest of Romans and all of the Scriptures.
It's very key that we get that right.
Man has sinned,
and therefore we are found unworthy.
We are depraved,
utterly worthless in God's sight.
But by the propitiation,
the work of Christ,
and our faith in him,
we can be redeemed,
have a right standing before God.
That is the way of salvation.
Not a way of salvation.
That is the way of salvation.
So Paul continues to go on
and build a case for what now life in Christ looks like.
This receiving of the Spirit
and life by the Spirit.
The difficulty that we're going to experience
as Christians in chapter 8.
And then he gets at the end of chapter 8
to talk about the sovereignty of God in salvation.
And so if God was sovereign in our salvation,
he's also going to be sovereign in our perfection
and our final completion.
He is sovereign over all things.
So as we suffer,
we have this great and glorious truth
that if God is for us,
who can be against us?
No one.
Not even ourselves.
Right?
He is good and loving to us
because he is God
and he is in control.
Right?
Then he, in chapter 9,
says,
but,
the question in his own mind,
and I'm sure the question he was asked many times
is,
what about the Jews?
What about the people that,
that culturally they had an understanding
were God's people?
These were the people
that God had given all these blessings to.
You see in verse 4 and verse 5 of chapter 9,
they had the glory,
the covenants,
the giving of the law,
the worship,
and the promises,
the patriarchs.
And it's from their flesh,
according to the flesh,
that Christ was born.
He himself was a Jew.
What about those people,
right,
that had all these benefits
given to them?
And Paul then gives us his famous argument
in chapter 9
of God's sovereignty and salvation.
We see the introduction of the term election
in verse 11.
That God's purpose of election might stand
not on the basis of works.
Jacob and Esau is the example
given there, right?
Esau was the eldest son.
His work was that he came out of the womb first,
but the promise was given to Jacob,
so that the eternal purpose of election
might stand not on the basis of works,
but because of him who calls.
That's verse 11.
He turns back then in chapter 10,
end of 9 and then into 10,
to talk once again about the Jews.
So what is it that's going on
in God's sovereign eternal purposes?
How is it that he still is relating
and he kind of rewinds back
to the beautiful simplicity
of the gospel
that anyone who believes in him,
verse 13 of chapter 10,
for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved.
Verse 14,
how will they call on whom they have not believed
and how will they believe in him
and whom they have never heard?
And how are they here without someone preaching?
We talked over the past three weeks
about the mission of the church,
which is to preach the gospel,
the good news of Jesus Christ,
because anyone who hears it
and believes it
and calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved.
So as Paul talks about
the exclusion of some
in Romans chapter 9,
he then wraps it back around
and says,
but anyone who believes
will be saved.
And then he turns back
in the most challenging text
I've ever had to preach,
I hope ever will have to preach,
at the end of 10
and into 11
to continue to address Israel.
And that's what we're going to talk,
we're going to focus in on today.
Next week,
Lord willing,
we're going to talk about us,
the Gentiles,
and how it is we've benefited
from this.
This morning's going to be
a bit academic,
and for that I apologize.
At the end,
I promise to make it practical
for your living.
But I think it's important
that we get this
absolutely right
to the best of our ability
by the grace of God.
But let's see things.
In Paul's argument,
he's argued in chapter 9,
verse 27 through 29,
that God has always saved
a remnant of Israel.
Okay, so look at that there
at the end.
And Isaiah cries out
concerning Israel,
though the number of the sons of Israel
be as the sand of the sea,
only a remnant of them
will be saved.
For the Lord will carry out
his sentence upon the earth
fully and without delay.
And as Isaiah predicted,
if the Lord of hosts
had not left us offspring,
we would have been like Sodom
and become like Gomorrah.
So, number one,
we have to recall
that he's already stated
that God has always saved
a remnant of Israel,
remnant being the operative word
in this case.
Secondly, God has the right
to show mercy
or to harden
whomever he desires.
He is God.
We talked about him
being the great I am.
Everything plugs into him,
but he plugs into nothing else.
He is God.
And the question
asked in verse 19 of chapter 9,
the person who says,
you will say to me then,
why does he still find fault?
For who can resist his will?
And Paul's response to them is,
who are you, O man?
To answer back to God.
God has spoken.
He has decreed
that he'll have mercy
on whom he will
and he'll harden whom he will
because he's God.
Don't be so haughty.
Don't be so arrogant
and stand in judgment over him.
He's God.
You're a man.
As the creation,
worship your creator
for who he is.
He's worthy of that praise.
So that's the second one.
God has the right
to show mercy
or to harden
whomever he desires.
Number three,
Israel has rebelled
against God
throughout her history.
It's been a constant theme
throughout the history of Israel.
Rebellion,
even though they had received
all of these
beautiful pictures
of God's grace,
the things that were meant
to point to
the Christ that was coming,
the tabernacle,
the law,
the sacrifice,
the patriarchs,
the prophets,
all of those things,
these reflections
or shadows,
if you will,
of the coming glory
in Christ.
Yet,
she continued to rebel
in chapter 10,
verse 21.
But of Israel,
he says,
all day long,
I've held out my hands
to a disobedient
and a contrary people.
And that's the stage.
We can't divorce
where we're about to be
in chapter 11
from where we've been
in chapters 1
through
first half of 10.
Right?
We can't do it.
It would be
exegetically unfaithful
to do so.
But let's step
even a little bit
further back
from the book of Romans.
Okay?
And let's just see
how Jesus
dealt with the Jews,
speaking to the Jews
in Matthew chapter 8.
If you'll turn with me there,
we're going to look
at three texts
in Matthew
and then two in Zechariah,
which you don't have
to turn to.
Okay?
Matthew chapter 8,
verse 11.
Jesus says,
now remember,
in all three of these texts,
he's speaking to a Jewish audience.
He says,
I tell you,
many will come from east
and west,
the world,
and recline at table
with Abraham,
Isaac,
and Jacob
in the kingdom of heaven,
while the sons
of the kingdom,
Israelites,
will be thrown
into the outer darkness.
In that place,
there will be weeping
and gnashing
of teeth.
Here,
Jesus is already
beginning to expand
the gospel message
out beyond
just the nation
of Israel.
Okay?
We see Paul
as the carrier
of that message,
as the culmination,
the fulfillment
of what Jesus
is saying here
as he begins
to take the gospel
out to the Gentiles.
And just in case
you don't know,
Gentiles is everybody
but Jews,
just in case.
I think we're all,
I'm pretty sure,
we're all Gentiles
in this room.
That's what the scriptures mean.
All right?
So,
there's going to be
this passing
of the gospel
from the unbelieving Jews
to the nations,
to the world.
Matthew chapter 21,
verse 43.
He says,
I'm going to read it
as you're getting there.
Please don't dislike me
for that.
Therefore,
I tell you,
the kingdom of God
will be taken away
from you
and given
to a people
producing its fruits.
Okay?
So,
again,
the same thing
he's been saying
in Matthew chapter 8.
The gospel
is going to be
passing from the Jews
to the Gentiles.
Okay?
And then,
Matthew 22.
So,
turn just a little bit there.
Verse 1.
And again,
Jesus spoke to them
in parables,
saying,
The kingdom of heaven
may be compared
to a king
who gave a wedding feast
for his son,
God throwing a wedding feast
for Jesus Christ,
and sent his servants
to call those
who were invited
to the wedding feast,
but they would not come.
Again,
he sent other servants,
saying,
Tell those who are invited,
See,
I have prepared my dinner,
my oxen and my fat calves
have been slaughtered,
and everything is ready.
Come to the wedding feast.
Okay?
So,
these are all the blessings
given to Israel.
All right?
The prophets,
the sacrificial system,
the tabernacle,
all these things,
these pictures
of the coming Christ.
Verse 5.
But they paid no attention
and went off,
one to his farm,
another to his business,
while the rest seized his servants,
treated them shamefully,
and killed them.
And those are the prophets.
The king was angry,
and he sent his troops
and destroyed those murderers
and burned their city.
Then he said to his servants,
The wedding feast is ready,
but those invited were not worthy.
Go therefore to the main roads
and invite to the wedding feast
as many as you find.
And those servants went out
into the roads
and gathered all whom they found,
both bad and good.
So the wedding hall
was filled with guests,
but when the king came in
to look at the guests,
he saw there a man
who had no wedding garment,
and he said to him,
Friend, how did you get in here
without a wedding garment?
And he was speechless.
Then the king said to the attendants,
Bind him hand and foot
and cast him into the outer darkness.
In that place,
there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth.
For many are called,
but few are chosen.
So there's this expansion,
once again,
of the invitation
to come to the party.
Both good and bad,
he says,
are invited.
The both good and bad,
in reference here,
are the Jews
and the Gentiles.
The Jews
and the Gentiles.
So they go out
and he invites,
he brings.
And a man comes in
and he's not wearing
a wedding garment.
In these days,
if you showed up to a wedding,
you were given something
to put on
to show that you were
an invited guest.
I didn't have time
to research what it was
you would put on,
but it was a garment
of some sort
you would wear
and you would joyfully
put it on to say,
I am here celebrating
what's going on
in this place.
And this is ultimately
talking about
the marriage supper
of the Lamb.
Jesus Christ
feasting with his people
and guess what
our wedding garment
is going to be?
It's going to be
the righteousness of Christ.
Because we're invited guests.
So there's this picture.
Then in Zechariah,
there's just some prophecy.
So Zechariah 12.10,
God speaks through Zechariah
and says,
and I will pour out
on the house of David
and the inhabitants
of Jerusalem
a spirit of grace
and please for mercy
so that when they look
on me
on whom they have pierced
they shall mourn for him
as one mourns
for an only child
and weep bitterly
over him
as one weeps
over a firstborn.
Chapter 13,
verse 1 of Zechariah.
On that day
there shall be
a fountain open
for the house of David
and the inhabitants
of Jerusalem
to cleanse them
from sin
and uncleanliness.
So we see
that the gospel
passes
from the Jews
to the Gentiles
but it has not
left them entirely.
The grace of God
has been expanded
across the world
including those
who are of the nation
of Israel,
including the Jewish people.
Paul asks that question
in chapter 11,
verse 1, right?
I ask then,
has God rejected
his people?
By no means.
And he makes the case
of himself,
his present day self.
I'm a Jew
and I'm a believer.
By and large
the nation
had rejected Christ
but many Jewish
yep,
not a good word for that,
Jewish people,
right?
Many Jewish people
had been turning
to Christ
at this time.
God hadn't rejected
his people
and you see here
the teaching
of Jesus
and Matthew
and this prophecy
in Zechariah.
We see these two things.
Both
are going
to be true
and that's
where Paul's wrestling.
Alright?
So we've
seen the stage
in Romans.
We've come back
from it a little bit
just to look at
some other scriptures
generally.
And so we get
to this phrase
in chapter 11,
verse 26.
And in this way
all Israel
will be saved.
There are three
major
arguments
for what this means.
And within those
three majors
there are some
variations certainly
on them.
I say to you
humbly
that I have
an opinion
that is not
inspired.
Certainly what I say
should only be
weighed against
the scriptures.
I hope I make
a clear case
because if I don't
then I shouldn't
be studying to preach.
I hope that
the opinion
I've arrived at
makes some sense
to you
as I present it
to you.
But I want to
quickly tell you
these three arguments
and then tell you
kind of where
I rest
on this.
Number one,
there's an argument
that when
he refers to
all Israel
that he's
speaking of
the church.
And that kind
of logic is
pulled from
the beginning
of chapter 9,
verse 6
when Paul says,
but it is not
as though the word
of God has failed
for not all
who are descended
from Israel
belong to Israel.
And he makes
this argument
that those of us
who are of the church
are of the spiritual
Israel.
And certainly
the scriptures
do that.
They do do that.
And I can see
why somebody
would be tempted
because it cleans
it up.
It makes it
really nice
and neat
to do it
that way.
But you kind
of have to
ignore the rest
of the chapter
for that to be
possible.
Paul is speaking
of the nation
of Israel.
Look with me.
I'm going to do
this really fast
so we don't
run out of time.
But look with me
beginning in
verse 1 of chapter 11.
He asks the question,
has God rejected
his people?
No.
I myself am an
Israelite.
So he's talking
about his heritage.
I'm an Israelite.
His people
an Israelite.
Then he goes on
in verse 2
to talk about
his people
whom he foreknew.
And at the end
of verse 2
being Israel.
Verse 7.
What then Israel
failed to obtain
what it was seeking?
The elect obtained it.
Verse 11.
They,
so I ask
did they stumble
in order that they
might fall?
And it goes on
and it goes on.
I'm probably
wasting time
to continue to do
this, right?
Verse 11.
There.
Israel.
Verse 12.
There.
Then you see
the world.
And if there.
Failure.
Riches for the Gentiles.
How much more
will their inclusion
mean?
Okay, so
if we follow
the pronouns
through,
and I'm just
going to stop
there,
but it keeps
on marching
its way
up to verse 26.
We follow
the pronouns.
Certainly we can't
say that he just
suddenly changes
his language
at this point.
He just suddenly
totally throws out
and shifts it
just to massively
confuse everyone
who might read
this letter,
right?
That's not the case
at all.
So we can very
quickly and easily
dismiss that.
Paul is not
arguing here
that in verse 26
that in this way
all Israel,
meaning all the
church,
will be saved.
It's not what he
means.
The second option,
and this is the
most prevalent
and popular,
which is not
the one I'm
resting on,
which gives me
great hesitation,
is the national
argument,
right?
It's an eschatological
argument.
It's an end times
argument that the
day will come
one day when
all of the
Gentile peoples
meant to be
saved will be
saved,
and then all
Israel will be
saved.
My challenge
with this is
that it seems
inconsistent.
I want to
focus in,
these people do,
on the word
all Israel.
I want to
focus in on
that,
but then neglect
what that would
actually mean.
If we just
simply look at
the phrasing
all Israel,
would that not
mean every Jew
who ever lived?
From the beginning
to the end?
That in some way
God is a
universalist in
regards to this
nation?
And here's where
chapter 3,
verse 19 through
26 serves us
well.
There's not a
separate promise,
as some have
suggested.
There's a
separate covenant
for the Jewish
people and a
different covenant,
the covenant of
grace, for the
church.
They're one and
the same.
That's the
argument Paul was
making for us.
Jew or Gentile,
there's no
distinction,
doesn't matter,
all of a sudden
fall short of
the glory of God
and will only be
redeemed,
only be redeemed
through Christ,
through his
propitiation,
the covenant of
grace.
So if we're
going to be
exegetically
consistent,
we can't say
that all means
all Israel
from the beginning
to the end,
all those who
have Jewish
heritage.
So most who
hold this view
don't believe
that.
They believe
that there
will come a
time when
all the Gentiles
will be included
in the end of
all things and
then all of the
Israelites who
are left will
turn to Christ.
There will be a
great national
turning back to
Christ.
Maybe, but I
don't believe
that's what Paul
is saying here.
There are some
who say, well,
not all of them,
but at least a
lot of them.
I mean, there's
just going to be
a big revival
that will happen
in Israel.
But then you
have to read it
and say, and
in this way,
all Israel,
well, I mean,
at least most
of them, or
not all Israel,
but the people
who are left
alive at this
time that we
don't understand.
That's what you
have to do.
Now, just to be
clear, I disagree
with the Johns
who all hold
this view.
You know who
the Johns are?
John Piper,
John MacArthur,
and Jonathan
Edwards.
This is what's
been making me
mentally sick
about this.
Generally
speaking, if
you disagree
with these
three men,
you really
ought to
reconsider your
stance, which
I've been doing
for the past
two months,
yeah, about
two and a
half months.
I've been
really, really
wrestling with
this.
these men
are godly
and wise.
I just
think in this
case they're
wrong.
I don't think
that's what it
means.
Now, granted,
if they're
right, it
does not
ultimately
change what
this text
really means
for us.
And we'll
get there
when we get
to the
practicality
of it.
They're not
distorting it
in order to
meet some
end of their
own.
I hope and
pray that
they're right.
I hope and
pray that there
will come a
time when the
whole nation
of Israel who's
alive will turn
to Christ.
And that
may happen.
I just
don't think
that's what
Paul is
trying to
teach us
in this
case.
So the
third argument,
and the one
I believe is
right, is
that he's
referring to
the remnant.
He's referring
to those of
Israel that
will be saved.
He means
all of Israel
intended to be
saved.
And I
recognize I
have to do
the same
thing, right,
to be
exegetically
consistent.
I have to
go, but
we've got to
add a few
more words in
there to make
that make
sense.
And so I'm
going to
show you
contextually
why I
think that's
what he
means when
he says
all Israel.
So, firstly,
he's speaking
in the present
tense throughout
the entire
chapter up
to this
point.
He's speaking
present tense,
which is why
I believe he's
continuing to
speak in the
present tense.
Okay?
Many who
hold to the
remnant still
think it's an
end times
issue, right?
I think it's
the remnant
present day.
Because,
verse 1,
right?
When he
asks, I
ask them,
as God
rejects his
people, he
says, by
no means,
and he
gives his
current day
evidence,
present tense.
I myself
am an
Israelite,
and I'm
a recipient
of God's
grace.
Verse 5,
says, so
too at the
present time
there is a
remnant
chosen by
grace.
Verse 13
and 14,
he says,
now I'm
speaking to
you Gentiles.
In as much
then as I
am an
apostle to
the Gentiles,
I magnify
my ministry
in order to
somehow make
my fellow
Jews jealous
and thus
save some
of them.
When?
Present tense,
right?
He's speaking
about his
ministry.
Now, I
magnify it
to make
Gentiles be
Christians so
that the Jews
will be jealous
so that some
of them will
be saved.
And then look
in verse 30
and 31 of
the use of
now.
Okay?
So once
again,
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.
Right?
So even after
the infamous
verse 26, we
see present
tense language
in verse 30
and verse 31.
Okay?
So I think
we're still
speaking in
present tense.
And I want to
show you,
beginning in
verse 11,
and Michael
Q, verse 11,
a pattern that
Paul has
established
throughout the
scripture to
get us here.
Okay?
So number
one, we see
the Jewish
rejection of
the gospel.
That's the
red lettering.
Okay?
We see the
Jewish rejection
of the gospel.
We see that
in chapter 10,
verse 21,
which is a
quotation from
Isaiah 65,
2.
I spread up my
hands all the
day to a
rebellious people
who walk in a
way that is not
good, following
their own
devices.
That's what he's
talking about,
chapter 10,
verse 21.
That's why he
brings that up.
Jewish rejection
of the gospel.
Secondly, the
grace extended to
the Gentiles in
blue, up here.
Grace extended to
the Gentiles.
Chapter 10,
verse 20, he's
quoting from
Isaiah 65,
1.
I was ready to
be sought by
those who did
not ask for me.
I was ready to
be found by
those who did
not seek me.
I said,
here I am,
to a nation that
was not called
by my name.
So again,
here we see,
grace extended to
the Gentiles and
presented in
chapter 10,
verse 20,
and again and
again and again,
which I'm going
to show you in
just a moment.
Thirdly, we see
the envy of the
Jews.
Chapter 10,
verse 19, he
quotes Deuteronomy
32, 21.
They have made me
jealous with what
is no God.
They have provoked
me to anger with
their idols.
So I will make
them jealous with
those who are no
people.
I will provoke
them to
anger with a
foolish nation.
So the part of
the goal of this
rejection is that
Gentiles receive the
gospel so that
Jews become jealous
so that Jews
receive the gospel.
This pattern.
And fourthly,
the salvation of
Israel.
Chapter 11,
verse 1-4.
We see
Elijah basically
saying,
destroy them.
I'm the only
one left.
God's response to
them.
But what is God's
reply?
I have kept for
myself 7,000 men
who have not
bowed the knee
to Baal.
So he establishes
it for us there
and then continually
on and on and
on.
So the envy of the
Jews is in green up
there and then the
salvation of Israel
not found in verse
11 is going to be
in orange.
We're going to go
through these
together.
Okay?
Verse 11,
So I ask,
did they stumble
in order they
might fall?
By no means.
Rather,
through their
trespass,
the rejection
of the gospel
by Jewish
peoples,
salvation has
come to the
Gentiles,
right?
Grace extended
to the Gentiles
so as to make
Israel jealous.
Okay?
So the third,
the envy of the
Jews.
Right?
Verse 12.
Now if their
trespass,
right?
Jewish rejection
of the gospel,
means riches
for the world,
grace extended
to the Gentiles,
and if their
failure,
Jewish rejection
of the gospel,
means riches
for the Gentiles,
grace extended
to the Gentiles,
how much more
will their full
inclusion mean?
Salvation to
Israel.
So are you
seeing the
pattern?
Here we go
again.
Verse 13.
Now I'm
speaking to you
Gentiles.
Inasmuch then
as I am an
apostle to the
Gentiles,
I magnify my
ministry.
There's the
grace extended
to Gentiles,
in order somehow
to make my
fellow Jews
jealous.
There's jealousy
to Israel,
and thus save
some of them.
Salvation to
Israel.
Verse 15.
For if their
rejection,
rejection of the
gospel by the
Jews,
means the
reconciliation
of the world,
grace extended
to the Gentiles,
what will their
acceptance mean
but life from
the dead?
Salvation to
the Jews.
Verse 25
and 26.
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,
rejection of
the gospel
by Israel,
until the
fullness of
the Gentiles
has come in,
extended grace
to the Gentiles.
And in this
way,
all Israel
will be
saved.
The inclusion,
the salvation
of Jews.
Verse 30
and 31.
Let's throw
those together.
Yeah,
I did it up
there.
Okay.
Verse 30
and 31.
For just as you
were at one
time disobedient
to God,
but now have
received mercy,
grace to the
Gentiles,
because of
their disobedience,
rejection of the
gospel by the
Jews,
so they too
have now been
disobedient,
in order that
by the mercy
shown to you,
grace to the
Gentiles,
they also may
now receive
mercy.
You see the
pattern that
he's establishing
for us there?
He's simply
making this
argument,
right?
That the
rejection of the
gospel by the
Jews has
caused God's
grace to extend
to the Gentiles
by his
sovereign plan,
not like God
threw a plan
C in place,
right?
By his
sovereign plan,
that's how he
always intended
for it to be,
grace extended
to all peoples,
praise God,
were some of
them,
right?
Will cause the
nation of
Israel to be
jealous,
those who are
truly worshipping
their God,
by the right
way,
and they will
turn to
Christ.
Okay?
So,
we see this
continual pattern
being worked
through.
So,
that all needs
to be contextually
tied together,
right?
So,
as he's referred
in the very
beginning of
chapter 11,
verse 5,
so at the
present time
there is a
remnant,
right?
So,
what is he
referring to
then as he
says all
Israel?
And that's
why I
believe he
means all
intended
Israel.
All of
those that by
sovereign purposes
are meant to
be saved,
will be saved
through this
process.
Verse 26,
I'm proud of
the ESV.
I believe it's
properly rendered
here,
and in this
way.
Some of
your
translations
might say
and then,
right?
Which has
in mind
that once
the fullness
of the
Gentiles has
come in,
then this
thing will
happen,
right?
It's not the
proper rendering
of the Greek
phrase there.
The proper
rendering is
and in this
way,
which I
believe,
with great
humility,
refers to
the mystery
that he
mentions in
verse 25.
Lest you
be wise
in your
own sight,
I want
you to
understand
this
mystery.
That this
is the
way in
which God
is including
Israel in
the plans
of grace.
He hasn't
rejected them,
he hasn't
cast them
off entirely,
he's still
working amongst
the people
of Israel,
the peoples
of the world
and the
people of
Israel.
Verse 30,
verse 32,
for just as
you were at
one time
disobedient to
God but
now have
received mercy
because of
their
disobedience,
so they
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.
We are
not
universalists.
If you
read this
out of its
context,
you have
to be.
If I
hand you
just
verse 32
and say
these are
the scriptures,
the scripture.
You read it
that way,
you say,
man,
God's pretty
fantastic because
all people will
be saved even
though they're
all his
enemies,
all people,
it doesn't
matter.
It's not
the case.
Faith in
Jesus Christ,
that's what
brings to
us the
salvation of
God.
So contextually
what is he
saying?
What is he
saying?
We've all
been consigned
to disobedience
so that he
can have
mercy on
all kinds
of people,
Jews,
and
Gentiles.
So why?
Why?
Why does
he tell us
all this?
What is
the point?
And how
does this
mean anything
for our
lives today?
Practically.
Verse 25,
he says,
lest you
be wise
in your
own sight.
And in
this case,
he is
referring to
the Gentiles.
He has
turned and
began speaking
to them in
verse 13.
He says,
now I'm
speaking to
you Gentiles.
And he
actually has
already brought
some correction
that the
Gentiles might
understand who
they are,
wild olive
trees being
branched,
being grafted
in to the
holy root,
the root
that is
the nation,
the peoples
of Israel.
Lest you
be wise
in your own
sight,
there is a
history in
the Christian
church of
anti-Semitism,
a history
of it,
of Christian
Gentiles looking
down their
noses at
Jews because
they were
the people
that killed
the Messiah.
It's prevalent
still today,
it certainly
existed in
the first
century church,
judging those
who had
originally
received these
benefits and
had rejected
Christ,
looking down
their noses
at them.
I don't
really think
that's a
problem for
any of us
in this
room.
I don't
think any
of us
really have
a disdain
for anybody
who said,
yeah,
I'm of
Jewish descent,
we've in
any way in
our minds
think,
you killed
the Messiah.
I don't
think any
of us
have that
issue in
our lives,
but we
just may
have a
superiority
complex.
We just
may still
think that
we're better
because somehow
we figured
it out.
See,
crazy Jews,
you guys
know the
Old Testament
and it
points to
Christ.
You had
all these
benefits,
all these
blessings,
you have
all these
national
holidays
that are
supposed to
show you
Jesus and
you miss
the point.
But I
got it
because I
am pretty
darn smart.
Lest we
become wise
in our own
sight,
that's what
he's saying
to us.
Recognize,
church,
that God
has consigned
all the
disobedience
that he
might have
mercy on
all.
That our
understanding,
our realization,
even though we
didn't have
all these
benefits,
is all
the work
of grace.
It's all
mercy.
It's all
the display
of his
loving kindness
toward us.
And we
have no
reason to
boast in
anything but
the cross
of Christ,
in anything
but our
God who
has saved
us.
we
ought to
be humble
and present
ourselves
as such
to the
world.
This
truth that
Paul has
presented to
us,
whether he's
speaking about
final things
in all
Israel or
the case
that I've
made to
you today,
speaks of
the nature
of God.
We ought to
turn our
hearts to
praise him
because we
see another
example,
just one
other example,
of God's
goodness and
loving kindness
to people
who do
not deserve
it,
who have
rejected him
at every
turn,
who have
willfully
sinned
against him,
who have
said to
God,
you are
my enemy
and I
hate you.
It's another
picture of
God's
goodness to
his people,
including the
peoples of
Israel,
the nation.
God continues
to love
and to love
and to love,
beckon people
to himself.
It's the
picture in
Hosea of
when Gomer
gets kind of
cast out of
the city and
God talks
about alluring
his wife
back to
himself,
this constant
picture of
God's goodness
and loving
kindness.
It ought to
cause us to
praise him.
And those two
things should tie
together,
our humility,
our understanding,
our right
understanding that
the gospel of
grace is still
being extended to
the people of
Israel as well
as the nations
and this immense
view of God's
love for the
world that should
move us to
evangelism.
God's
love for the
people of
God's
love for the
people of
the world,
including
Jewish peoples.
The church of
Christ should be
actively pursuing
Jewish people,
Israel.
We should be
going after
them.
Why?
Because they'll
be made
jealous.
God's working
in their hearts
to see that
by his grace,
we know why.
Why the
temple?
Why the
sacrifice?
Why the
patriarchs?
We understand
the prophets.
What were they
talking about?
We get all
that because we
know the
Messiah of
whom they all
spoke and we
ought to be
active and
seeking to
bring the
gospel to
the nation
of Israel.
And so that's
what it means
to us in
this large
academic pursuit
of patterns of
words.
That's how it
comes down and
it comes home
for us.
We should
have no
disdain,
no superiority
complex over
the Jews
because they
are people
like us
separated from
the grace of
God by their
sin and they
need him and
they need
messengers to
carry the
gospel to
them.
And if we
rightly understand
who we are
and we rightly
understand who
God is,
this will
happen.
This will
flow out of
us.
So as we
pump academics
into our
heads, it's
my prayer that
it works its
way into our
hearts.
That we walk
out of here
both gladdened
and abased.
Glad in who
our God is,
his great
loving kindness
to us,
and abased
because we
know that we
were wretched.
We did not
deserve the
love that he's
lavished on us
and that ought
to be such a
motivating factor
to share that
with the world.
Let's pray.
Amen.
Let's pray.