Text
3. The
righteousness of God is upheld by his forbearance:
Israel’s
rejection 11:1-24
a. Did
God cast off his people?
11:1-10
Chapter
11
1 I say then, God has not rejected
His people, has He? May it never be! For I
too am an Israelite,
a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 God has not
rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or
do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah,
how he pleads with God against Israel?
3 "Lord, they have killed
Thy prophets, they have torn
down Thine altars, and I
alone am left, and they are seeking my life."
4 But what is the divine
response to him? "I have kept for
Myself seven
thousand men who have not bowed the knee
to Baal."
5 In the same way then, there has also come to be at the
present time a remnant according to God's gracious
choice.
6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of
works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.
7 What then? That which Israel is seeking
for, it has not
obtained,
but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened;
8 just
as it is written,
"God gave them a spirit of stupor, Eyes to see not
and ears to hear not, Down to this very day."
9 And
David says,
"Let their table become a snare and a trap, And a
stumbling block and a retribution to them.
10 "Let
their eyes be darkened to see not, And bend
their backs forever."
b. Did they stumble that they might fall forever-
No! 11:11-36
11 I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did
they? May it never be! But by their
transgression salvation has come to the
Gentiles, to make them jealous.
12 Now if their transgression be riches for the world
and their failure be riches for the Gentiles, how much more will
their fulfillment be!
13 But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. I much
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.
15 For if their rejection be the reconciliation of the
world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
16 And if the first piece of dough be holy, the lump is
also; and if the root be holy, the branches are too.
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,
- 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.
- You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I might be
grafted in."
20 Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief,
but you stand by your faith.
Do not be conceited, but fear;
21 for
if God did not spare the natural
branches, neither will He spare you.
22 Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to
those who fell, severity,
but to you, God's
kindness, if you continue in His kindness;
otherwise you
also will be cut off.
23 And they also, if they do not continue in their
unbelief, will be grafted in; for God is able
to graft them in again.
24 For if you
were cut off from what is by nature a wild
olive tree, and were grafted contrary
to nature into a cultivated olive tree,
how much more shall these who are the natural branches be grafted
into their own
olive
tree?
25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of
this mystery, lest you be wise in your own
estimation, that a partial hardening has
happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in;
26 and thus all Israel will be saved; just as it is
written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove
ungodliness from Jacob."
27 "And
this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins."
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.
30 For just as you
once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because
of their
disobedience,
31 so these also now have been disobedient, in order
that because of the mercy shown to you
they also may now be shown mercy.
32 For
God has shut up
all in disobedience that He might show mercy
to all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God! How unsearchable
are His judgments and unfathomable
His ways!
34 For
who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?
35 Or
who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again?
- For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
Thought
questions for chapter 11
- Why do some Christians fall away?
Their heart. See Lk 8:5-15
- Why are some saved ( the remnant) and others not?
Belief in Jesus.
- What is God’s part in salvation, and what is man’s?
To provide the way of salvation
I should accept by faith and not be arrogant about it for I am
just being grafted in.
- How does verses 11-24 encourage a Jewish evangelistic mission?
Because some may believe see vs 23
- What relationships does Paul see between the Gentiles and the Jews in verse 11?
If God brought in the gentiles by faith, then they were to be an
example to the Jews as to how they were to act towards God.
- What characteristics of God does Paul emphasize in chapter 11?
The kindness and severity of God are shown to be true wisdom and
beyond human understanding. See vss. 22 with 33-34
For
Further Thought
What lessons can we learn from God’s
dealings with Israel? See 11-24
God is both kind and
severe. God will provide a way. If I change, God will accept me.
What three reasons are given in verses
1-10 to show that God did not cast Israel away?
God
would not 1a
God
has not rejected me vs 16
God
did not reject Israel in the time of Elijah
What reasons does Paul give in verses
11-24 to show that Israel’s rejection of God is not final?
They
were made jealous
Some
may accept vs 15
If
they believe, they will be grafted in vs 23
What is God’s ultimate purpose for
Israel, and how do the scriptures cited confirm that purpose?
Sanctification vs
26 Paul refers to the covenant made in the latter days.
How does the content of this chapter
relate to what Paul says about the true Jew in 2:28-29?
God
has chosen the Jew who is a true Jew.
What benefits and blessings do the Jews
and Gentiles derive from one another? See verses 28-32
Enthuaism
of faith
Knowledge of Jesus
In verses 25-32 does Paul mean that every Jewish person will
ultimately be saved, or that the nation as a whole will experience
the salvation of those who believe in faith?
The
Jewish nation will be exposed to the concept of salvation by
(through) faith. The deliverer will remove sin from Israel and
segregate unto God a remnant that will be saved by faith.
How might Paul’s comments in 9:25 and 10:21 lead someone to as the
question in verse 1?
If
the gentiles are to be selected for inclusion and the Jews rebuked,
it would be natural to ask this question.
Israel’s
fall
- The salvation of the Gentiles provoked Israel to jealousy
- The hope of Israel was being fulfilled in the Gentiles Eph 2:12; 3:6
- The promise given to Israel was now being fulfilled in the Gentiles
- The God of Israel was now being believed upon by the Gentiles
By
way of illustration
Hardness
of heart
I
knelt to pray when day was done,
And
prayed, "Lord, bless everyone;
Lift
from each heart the pain,
And
let the sick be well again."
And
then I woke again one day,
And
carelessly went on my way;
The
whole day long I did not try
To
wipe a tear from any eye.
I
did not try to share the load
Of
any brother on the road;
I
did not even go to see
the
sick man just next door to me.
Yet
once again when every day was done,
I
prayed, "Lord, bless everyone."
But
as I prayed to my ear
Came
a voice that whispered dear,
'Pause,
hypocrite, before you pray;
Whom
have you tried to bless today?
God's
sweetest blessings always go,
By
hands that serve Him here below.'"
And
then I hid my face and cried,
"Forgive
me Lord, for I have lied;
Let
me but live another day,
And
I will live the way I pray." The Bulletin
Darkness
stands for the Christless life
Darkness is hostile to the Light
Darkness
stands for the ignorance of life apart from Christ
Darkness stands for the chaos of life without God
Darkness
stands for the immorality of the Christless life.
Darkness is characteristically unfruitful.
Darkness
is connected with lovelessness and hate
And darkness is the abode of the enemies of Christ and
the final
goal
of those who will not accept him.
Wisdom
All
is best, though we oft doubt
What
the unsearchable dispose
Of
Highest Wisdom brings about.
John
Milton (1608-1674)
Chapter Outline: Hope for Israel
1. I
am not cast away 1
2. The
scripture testifies that all are not cast away 2-4
3. There
is a remnant by God’s grace 5-6
4. There
is a remnant by God’s design 7-12
The character of God shows that He will be kind
To those He is please with: The remnant 13-24
- God’s remnant is a part of the revelation His
“Mystery” 25-32
- God’s magnificient ways are beyond ours,
and thereforewe should trust in His judgments. 33-36
Rom 11:23
- Do again
We
should
1. Be
revived by God Psa 85:6
2. Turn
to God Ez 33:14; Jas 5:19-20
3. Turn
from evil Jer 25:5; Ez 18:27
4. Believe
in Christ (and be
Grafted into the vine) Rom 11:5-23
5. Be
made over Jer 18:1-4; 2 Corth 5:17
6. Be
born again Jn 3:3-7; 1 Pet 1:3
We
should not
1. Turn
from righteousness Ez 3:20
2. Rebuild
the Law Gal 2: 15-19 (esp. vs 18)
3. Turn
back to slavery Gal 4:9; 5:1
- Become dull of hearing and
Need to be retaught Heb 5:11-6:1
5. Turn
back to folly Psa 85:1-8
6. Become
entangled in sin 2 Pet 2:20
Rom 11:25
“The mystery” -- was hidden, but is now revealed
God’s
1. Wisdom 1
Corth 2:1-7
2. Will Eph
1:9
3. Graftings Rom
11:22-25
4. Kingdom Matt
13:11; Mk 4:11; Lk 8:10
5. Dealings
with Bablyon Rev 17: 5-7
6. Seven
churches Rev 1:20
Christ’s
1. Gospel Eph
6:19; Rev 10:7; Rom 16:25-26
2. Church Eph
3:1-9; 5:32
The
Holy Spirit’s
1. Gift
of knowledge 1 Corth 13:2
2. Gift
of tongues 1 Corth 14:2
Our
1. Obedience
of faith Rom 16:25-26
2. Rapture
with Christ 1 Thess 4: 13-16
3. Being
in Christ Col 1:26-27; Eph 1:1-13
4. Faith 1
Tim 3:9
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