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·         In chapter 9 we looked at the work of God in the past with Israel.

·         In chapter 10 we looked at the present state of Israel.

·         In chapter 11 we are looking at the future work of God in Israel.

·         For centuries, people have been puzzled by the nation of Israel.

o   Many of the great Christian leaders of the past, including Martin Luther, felt that the Jews were “Christ killers” and should be completely annihilated.

o   Hitler used some of these writings to justify his persecution and murder of the Jews.

o   The great historian, Arnold Toynbee, classified Israel as a “fossil civilization.”

o   There is a theology that has developed among many churches, called “replacement theology” which says that the Jewish nation no longer existed as a special people to God and they have been replaced by the church, essentially saying, “we are the “new Israel.”

·         But Paul dedicates chapter 11 of Romans to presenting proof positive that God is not finished with Israel.

Vs. 1

·         Even at the time, only a few decades since Christ, many must have been asking the question, “Is God done with Israel?”

·         Paul is about to answer this question with many “proofs” that God is not only not done with Israel, but He has a wonderful plan for their future.

Paul calls forth 5 witnesses to give proof that God still has a future for the nation of Israel:

·         1^st Witness: Paul Himself

·         Paul’s conversion was an illustration, a “pattern” of the future plan God has for Israel.

·         Paul’s conversion is mentioned 3 times in Acts: Acts 9, 22, and 26.

1 Timothy 1:16

However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.

·         What does he mean by a “pattern?”

·         It certainly is not a pattern for us today: I don’t know too many people who have been knocked down by a blinding light, seen a vision of Jesus, been blind for 3 days and then had a prophet come and pray for them.

·         It is a pattern of how the nation of Israel will be saved!

Zechariah 12:10

"And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced; Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.

Zechariah 13:1

"In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.

·         The nation of Israel will see Him as Messiah and repent.

·         It is the way that Paul was saved that will be prophetic of how Israel will be saved in the latter days.

Vs. 2-5

·         2^nd Witness: The Prophet Elijah

·         Elijah prophesied against Israel, not for them! He felt he was the only one left. He had the ultimate martyr complex.

·         At no time has God ever completely rejected Israel.

·         In vs. 5, at the “present time” means today. There is a remnant of Messianic churches in Israel today.

·         God has not completely rejected Israel; He always reserves a remnant.

·         “Foreknowledge” doesn’t just mean knowing the future, but also implies a plan, an eternal purpose.

o   Foreknowledge is not just advanced knowing, but a knowing of what and whom you will become.

Jeremiah 29:11-13

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

·         God is not through with Israel.

Vs. 6

·         It is impossible to mix grace and works, for one cancels out the other.

·         Israel’s main focus has been to appease God through works, through the Law.

Romans 10:3

For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.

·         Ex. This is the struggle of religious people today; they try to gain favor with God through good works, through rituals.

·         Ex. If a debt has been entirely paid, there is nothing more to pay! If the mortgage company calls to tell you that you have been chosen to have your mortgage paid off for you, you are no longer obligated to the creditor or lender. Jesus has paid your full debt at Calvary.

·         Repentance doesn’t pay for sin; Jesus paid for all your sins.

·         Baptism doesn’t pay for sin; Jesus paid for all your sins.

·         Communion doesn’t pay for sin; Jesus paid for all your sins. 

Vs. 7-10

·         God has presently blinded the nation of Israel.

·         Their own religious practices, lighting candles, kosher meals, washings, none of these leave a place for the forgiveness of sins.

·         The Jews today try to approach God completely by works.

·         Their “table”, the blessings of God, the prophets, patriarchs, the scriptures, that should have led them to Christ, have become a burden to them.

·         There is no joy in worship when you don’t really know the One who you are worshipping! Worship becomes a burden!

Vs. 11-15

·         3^rd Witness: The Gentiles

·         If great blessings have come to us, the Gentiles, because of Israel’s rejection, how much more will the blessing be when Israel repents and comes to Christ.

·         He says that Israel, “stumbled”, they “fall” (mentioned 3 times) and are “cast away.”

·         God promised that He would use the Gentiles to provoke the nation of Israel to eventually accept Him.

Romans 10:19-20

But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says:

“I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation,

I will move you to anger by a foolish nation.”

But Isaiah is very bold and says:

“I was found by those who did not seek Me;

I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”

·         In the same manner, just as God has promised us salvation, will He not also, in the latter days, move to bring Israel back to Himself?

Isaiah 54:7-10

"For a mere moment I have forsaken you,

But with great mercies I will gather you.

8 With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;

But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,"

Says the LORD, your Redeemer.

9 "For this is like the waters of Noah to Me;

For as I have sworn

That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth,

So have I sworn

That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.

10 For the mountains shall depart

And the hills be removed,

But My kindness shall not depart from you,

Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,"

Says the LORD, who has mercy on you.

·         God is going to come with His great mercy in these latter days and bring a great revival to Israel.

Vs. 16-18

·         We’ve been grafted into the Olive tree.

·         The lump of dough and the Olive tree are symbols of the nation of Israel.

·         So don’t be prideful and arrogant because it is still only by God’s grace that you have been grafted in.

·         If only Luther, Zingli, and many of the great churchmen of the past could have read and understood these words! If only the church that commissioned the Crusades, that murdered millions of Jews, could have studied this passage.

·         4^th Witness: The Jewish Patriarchs

·         We are who we are today because of the root: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

·         These are our roots too! The Jewish Fathers of the Jewish faith are the fathers of our faith! This is why we have the Old Testament and the New Testament together.

·         The lump of dough illustration comes from Numbers 15. The first part of the dough was offered up to God as a symbol that the entire lump belonged to God. The same idea was involved in the feast of firstfruits, when the priest offered a sheaf to the Lord as a token. That meant the entire harvest was His.

·         The basic idea is that when God accepts the part, He sanctifies the whole.

·         In the same way, God has accepted Abraham, the root, and He is going to sanctify the whole later.

 Vs. 19-24

·         It’s all by grace, so don’t be haughty. God chose you and that should evoke praise, not pride.

 ·         I believe this is a warning against pride in our lives.

 ·         God still has a plan to graft the nation of Israel back into the tree.

·         Ex. I believe that the branches being cut off here speak of the church in the latter days that will fall away.

·         1 Timothy 4, 2 Timothy 3, and 2 Thessalonians 2 speak of the apostate church as we close in on the end of the age.

·         Look at 2 Thessalonians 2:1-11.

·         Know your doctrine well.

·         Know your Bible well.

·         Deceptive doctrines are in the world today!

Vs. 25

·         5^th Witness: The Gentiles

·         The blinding or hardening of Israel is not complete nor final; it is partial and temporary.

·         There is a timing of the Lord for a great revival to come to Israel, when the full number of Gentiles has come into the kingdom.

·         Ex. There is an unprecedented move of God in the southern hemisphere right now. In Africa, South America, and Asia, God is bringing in the Gentiles. When this number and timing of God is complete, that will end that dispensation.

·         In Daniel 9 the angel told Daniel 70 sevens determined upon the nation of Israel. From that prophecy there will be a time of destruction and rebuilding of Jerusalem to the coming of the Messiah, the 70^th final week. Jesus is referring to the 70^th 7-year cycle in Matthew 24 as the time when the Anti-Christ will stand in the Holy Place in the newly reconstructed Temple.

·         Until that time we are still in the time of the Gentiles.

Vs. 26-29

·         6^th Witness: God Himself

·         When Christ returns, the nation of Israel will see Him and the whole nation will mourn, repent and give their hearts to Him as we read earlier in Zechariah 12.

·         God hasn’t changed and His covenant with Israel has not changed.

Matthew 24:29-31

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

·         He is speaking here of the Jews because we will already be raptured out of here.

·         Leading up to this time will be the greatest revival the world has ever seen with 144,000 Jewish Billy Grahams preaching the gospel all over the world.

Vs. 30-32

·         Even as the Jews’ disobedience has enabled us to get saved, now let your obedience be the salvation of the Jews.

·         Ex. I really don’t understand why God called me to know Him, but I do know that He now calls me to bring my friends and colleagues into a personal relationship with Christ.

·         Let your obedience bring mercy to others! Show mercy and love to everyone you meet, because of the mercy that has been shown to you.

Vs. 33

·         God is beyond us being able to figure out!

·         You can’t reconcile in your mind the foreknowledge and the free will of God. You just can’t, but you’re not supposed to. You do have to take it by faith; believe Him, not your mind.

Vs. 34-36

Psalm 139:6

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is high, I cannot attain it.

·         Theology has become our doxology!

·         All that Paul can do is just praise and worship the Lord here!

·         God’s mind and plans are a lot bigger than ours.

·         Ex. Why are some kids born into poverty? Why are some born without legs and arms, and why have I been so blessed? Why? I don’t know, but God has a purpose in that.

·         Ex. I don’t understand electricity but I use it.

The universe is not spinning out of control. He really is working out a divine plan that is wonderful and working together for good.