These words. Turn with me to the book of Romans. Book of Romans chapter 11. I was reminded again. I was thinking
about it. this morning and thinking about the wonder
of us being able to be here. But more than just being here,
I got to thinking about the miracle of God's grace that the Lord
would bless His Word to our hearts. The greatest blessing, and many
people talk today about God's blessing. They talk about how
He blesses, and normally what we think of when we say that
is we think of material things. But the greatest blessing to
God's people is a hearing and an understanding and are rejoicing
in the Word of God, to be able to rejoice in Him. I think about
those two on the road to Emmaus when the Lord began to open unto
them the Scriptures concerning Himself. And their statement
was, didn't our heart burn within us as He opened unto us the Scriptures? God blesses His people. with an understanding of his
scriptures, and they rejoice in them. They feed on them. And
it's more, you know, have you ever got ready to leave after,
you know, attending some scriptural studies and services? Someone
asked you, said, well, how were the services? Oh, it was good. Yeah, it's good. Yeah, it's good.
Well, it was probably true. It was consistent with what you
know. But then there's been times when
it just seems like heaven just opens. God just blesses that
Word. And you just sit there and you're
just lost in the amazement. of that truth. And I mean, it's
just you'll hear something or read something. This brings tears. I mean, your eyes just well up
and you think, oh, this is so good, you know. Man, isn't it
good to have times like that? Just to, I mean, it's like a
cold drink of water on a hot day. You just drink that and
while you're drinking it down, you say, I can't believe it's
so good. Man, it's the best water I've
ever had in my life. I pray God bless us today. I pray that the
Lord be pleased to bless that. I've said this before. I've got
a set of notes here, you know, written. Sometimes I write something
in red, you know, so I can see it real fast. You know, kind
of bring my – because I don't see like I used to. I write it,
you know, so I can kind of look down, glance down. It triggers
my mind, you know. But I pray that it's just more
than just kind of going over a set of notes. I pray the Lord
truly bless us and that we truly grow in grace and in the knowledge
of our Lord. As I've said before, God's grace
doesn't grow. Us being found in His grace doesn't
grow. You can't grow in that. God's
grace. God's grace. But I can grow in
knowledge and in my understanding. I believe God's blessed us here.
I truly do. I believe. I'm looking. I told you I'm looking for my
five year anniversary coming up here. Pretty soon. Five years. Somebody says, Lord,
bless the church. I think so. He can bless me. Taught me some things. Well,
OK. Well, that wasn't even in my
notes. Romans chapter 11, the Apostle
Paul, in that last verse that we looked at in verse 10, Romans
10.21, he quoted from Isaiah 65.2, Isaiah saith, All day long
I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying
people. God revealed concerning the nation
of Israel, natural Israel, that he had spoken to them through
the Word, through the Scriptures, through the law, through the
prophets, to a disbelieving disobedient and gainsaying backtalking. Backtalk. You know, there is
nothing that is more disrespectful than backtalk. My mother used
to say something to me, my dad said this too. Say something
to me. I may ask him, but why I said
so? That's enough. This thing of
backtalk. You know what you know what takes
care of backtalking? Right there. Backtalk. all day long, stretched
forth my hands unto a disobedient and back-talking people. The
Jews, generally speaking, had rejected God's Messiah. But Paul
asks this question in verse 1 of Romans 11, ìI say then,î after
that last verse he had just read in verse 21, ìhath God cast away
his people?î Has God cast away? Now, he's talking about the Jews
in verse 21. This chapter 11 in this book,
there's going to be some real eye-opening truths set forth
in this chapter. It was for me. And Paul is beginning
to open up something here that he's getting ready to build on.
And Lord willing, over the next few weeks, we're going to be
looking at it. Has God cast away His people? Has God cast away
the Jews completely? Has God cast away those that
He sent the prophets to, and the law to, and the Word, the
Scriptures? Has God cast away His people? God forbid. Paul says, I'm an Israelite. of the seed of Abraham, the tribe
of Benjamin, that God would, in justice, cast out a people is a given, that God would do
that, that God would do it. Turn over to Jeremiah 7. Let
me show you something. Jeremiah 7. Jeremiah chapter 7, verse 13. Jeremiah 7.13, And now, because
ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto
you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not. I called you,
but ye answered not. Therefore will I do unto this
house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust." Now,
let me tell you something. He is talking to Israel. And unto the place which I gave
to you, to your fathers, as I have done in Shiloh, I will cast you
out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the
whole seed of Ephraim. Therefore," he is telling Jeremiah,
"'Pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer
for them, neither make intercession to me, for I will not hear thee.'"
That God would cast out in judgment. that God would cast out a people. Can that be? God told Jeremiah,
He said, Don't pray for them anymore. Boy, that looks kind
of desperate. What kind of hope do they have? It appears as though they don't
have any hope. What, if God leaves them alone, what are you going
to do? What are you going to do if God
doesn't open up the heart of one of your own? What are you
going to do? Well, I'll tell you what you're
going to do. You're going to bow. You're going to say, Lord, You're the Master. What are you
going to say? What do you think Eli said? When
they came, told them, said, you two boys are dead. Eli said, it's the Lord. Let
him do what seemeth right. What are you going to say, bro
Scott? Nothing. You see, he's God. The Lord told Jeremiah, he said,
don't you pray for this people anymore. I'm not going here.
I'm not going here. Paul asks, has God cast away
His people? Paul said, God forbid. Almighty God has not cast away
His people. Paul said, I am an Israelite.
1 Samuel 12, 22 says, The Lord
will not forsake His people for His great name's sake, because
it pleased the Lord to make you, to accomplish you, to ordain
you as people. Paul says, I know that God has
not told me. It appears as though God told
Jeremiah, don't pray for these people anymore. Does that mean
they have no hope whatsoever? Paul says, thanks be to God.
God hadn't cast them all away. I'm a Jew. I'm an Israelite,
a Jew by natural generation from Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin,
one of the tribes that was true to the prescribed manner and
worship of Almighty God that didn't revolt. John Paul says, God, if not,
verse 2, cast away his people which he foreknew. Know ye not
what the Scripture saith of Elijah? How he maketh intercession to
God against Israel, saying, God Almighty has not cast away natural
Israel completely. There is a spiritual Israel within
natural Israel, just like there is a spiritual Israel within
the Gentiles. A Gentile that is an object of
God's grace is a true Jew, a spiritual Jew, not Jews after the flesh,
but spiritual Jews. God has not cast away His people
which He foreknew, which He distinguished and predestinated. To be found
in His mercy and grace and that everlastingly? What is the difference? What is the difference between
one man and another man? Whether it's Jew, Gentile, man,
woman, black, white. What is the difference between
any of them? Nothing but the grace of God.
What are we going to say? You think you're smarter than
somebody else? You think you figured this all out? And I tell
you what, I looked in the Bible and I found out that election,
I figured that out. No, you didn't. That was a revelation,
a great mystery. God has not cast away his people
that he distinguished in Christ. God leaves a man to himself.
He does just exactly what he wants to do, just like everybody
else. But I'm telling you, Paul is saying here, I know that God
told Jeremiah. I know what the Lord has said
concerning, don't pray for them, leave them alone. But did He
cast them all away? Here's a great mystery. Not those
that he foreknew. Not those that he loved in Christ.
What ye not or know ye not? Verse 2, what the Scripture saith
of Elias, how he maketh intercession to God against Israel concerning
those that God foreknew in electing grace. The Old Testament prophets
were even made aware that God had mercy. Don't you know what
you're not? Don't you perceive? Don't you
know what Elijah was actually doing? He was praying against
Israel. That's what Elijah was doing.
Read what he said. Know ye not what the Scripture
saith of Elias? How he maketh intercession to
God against Israel. It's what he
said. They kill their prophets, dig
down thine altars, and I'm left alone, and they seek my life. Oh, I tell you, it's the easiest
thing in the world. I hate to have to admit this,
but I'm going to. It's the easiest thing in the
world for me when I see an attitude or something that's manifested
It's always easier for me to see it in somebody else. I can
see it in you a lot quicker than I can see it in me. And I'll
excuse myself. But when I see acts of rebellion,
open rebellion against God's Word, man, I'm telling you, Brother
Scott, I just want to just cut them off that quick. I'm sorry. This is what Elijah did. Lord,
they killed Your prophets. Knock down your altars. All those
that you sent, Lord, they murdered them. And the altars, altars. You know, there was only
one altar. But there were different times. There was one over in Exodus
20. You can turn over and see this. Exodus 20. Let me show
you when it says altars. I want to just deal with why
it said altars. Exodus 20 verse 24. The Lord speaking. He says, An
altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shall sacrifice
thereon thy burnt offerings, thy peace offerings, thy sheep,
thy oxen, in all places where I accord my name, I will come
unto thee, I will bless thee. And if thou wilt make me an altar
of stone, well, they're just talking about An earthen altar,
and then he's talking about an altar of stone. He said, If you
make an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone. For if thou lift up the tool
upon it, thou hast polluted it, neither shalt thou go up steps
unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon. The Lord, that would allow them
early to make altars and they would sacrifice, but if they
built a An altar out of stone, they couldn't take a, you know,
a hammer or anything and hewn it. Why? Because they'd have
something to glory in. I built that. My altar looks
better than your altar. See, Robin's altar was seven
foot. Mine was seven foot three. I built mine better. Make an
altar, he said, you place the stones and don't you put a tool
on them. Why? Because you glory in it.
But they had these altars around. They went across the Jordan River
one time. He told them, he said, take seven stones, built an altar
right there for the seven, I mean, twelve, twelve stones for the
twelve tribes of Israel that go. Elijah was saying, Lord,
they killed your prophets. They come across these altars
where worship was made. And they're so mad, they just
tear them down, scatter them all over the place. All that
Elijah saw was the outwardly apparent. That's all he saw. He saw rebellion, and he saw
unrest, and he saw they hated the gospel that he preached.
They hated the God that he was preaching. And he said, Lord, they killed Your preachers. They dig down your altars, and
he said, and I am left alone, and they are after me. They seek
my life. But what saith the answer of
God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven
thousand men who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. You know, though the Lord owes
no man any explanation of his dealings. God didn't have to
tell him that. There was Elijah. He was upset and he was complaining. But God was pleased to tell Elijah
something that only God knew. I have reserved. I have caused
to be left in eternal election, in everlasting mercy. I know
that you don't see them, Elijah. I understand that. And I wonder
if there'd be 7,000 in Fairmont. Man, could there
be? You say, oh, there's no possible
way. How do I know? What if God called out a vast
number of people? Man, I'm telling you, I tell
you what I'd do. I would suspect something was
wrong. I'm thinking, now, this ain't happening. There ain't
no possible way. the 7,000 people in Fairmont,
West Virginia, possibly. Why? Because I'm so frail in
my belief. I just think, no, there ain't
no way in the world. Why? Because they're heathens.
That's why. They all go to them heathen churches.
Or all them churches in there. They hate your gospel. They hate
you and they hate me. They hate Scott. There ain't
no way in the world. How do I know? How do I know? How do I know that God's not
going to call out a large group? How do I know that God's not
going to save your child? How do I know? What if He does? I have reserved to myself, Elijah,
I'm the Lord. You don't know. What do you do? You preach the gospel. And you
believe that Almighty God is going to do what God is pleased
to do. I have reserved to myself their mind. I made them. I called them. I loved them. I saw them. I chose them. I predestinated them. Seven thousand
men who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Boy, I tell you, if there's any
that's kept from the power and the dominion of sin, it's because
the Lord reserved them to Himself. And that's the only reason. Why? What'll happen? Well, just like
Revelation before, they're going after the world, Glenn. That's
what they're doing. They're going after it. And it'll
have them. It'll manifest it. I have 7,000
that's not bowed the knee to Baal. The image of is in italics. They've not bowed the knee to
Baal. Baal was actually the God of
Jezebel. But actually Baal, B-A-A-L, Baal
means the Lord. Little l doesn't mean Jehovah,
but it means little l. That's the interpretation. The
Lord, Baal. Little l-o-r-d. And actually,
Baal here refers to the god of the imagination, the little. If something is a lord to you,
a little el, it's something that you love, you serve, you go after,
that's a god to you. Have not bowed the knee to Baal,
Balaam. B-A-A-L-I-M. Balaam. You ever heard of that? You know, you've read that. Balaam.
Balaam is actually the plural of the word Baal. Baal means
little l-o-r-d. Lord. Balaam means many lords. I want you to turn to Judges. If you've got a Cambridge like
I do, it's Judges 2.11. It's on page 339. 339. Judges 2. Balaam. Now remember, Baal, it means
little, little l-o-r-d. Lord. A lord. Balaam is lords. Balaam. Judges 2.11. And the
children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served
Balaam. Balaam. It means many gods, many
gods. And they forsook the Lord of
their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt.
And here it is right here. And followed other gods of the
gods of the people that were round about them and bowed themselves
unto them and provoked the Lord to anger. And they forsook the
Lord and served Baal and Ashtoreth. Named one of them. Ashtoreth. Balaam. Before the Lord's people. Turn over to Hosea 2. Hosea chapter
2 verse 14. That's on page 1127. If you've
got one like me, it's easier for me to find if I know page
number 1127. Before the Lord's people. Now
remember, Balaam. Balaam, that means other gods,
multiple gods. And boy, we've all got them.
Hosea 2, verse 14, Therefore, behold,
I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness. This is
the Lord speaking concerning His people. I will allure her. Bring her into the wilderness.
Speak comfortably to her. I will give her her vineyards
from thence, the valley of Achor, for a door of hope, and she shall
sing there as in the days of her youth, as in the day when
she came out of the land of Israel." What he's about to read, I'm
going to read a few more verses here, but this is what the Lord
is saying so you can understand what's going on. Before the Lord's
people knew Him in power, Actually, what they did, what
we did, is we worshipped who we thought was the Lord. We called
Him our God. We called Him the mighty God.
We called Him Jehovah. We spoke in biblical terms. But we didn't know Him. This
is eternal life. This is salvation, that they
may know Thee. Know Him in power. How can you
know the Lord before He gives you a heart to know Him? How
can you know Almighty God as He's revealed in these Scriptures
until He reveals Himself to you? How do you know Him? Did you
know Him before He called you out of darkness? The answer is
no. No. Oh, you called Him the Lord Jesus.
You used those words. But you didn't know Him. You
didn't hunger after Him. You didn't seek Him. You didn't
love Him. Because you didn't know Him. Why? You were dead.
You were dead spiritually. Not dead to the moral sense that
you think you were right. You were religious. I was too.
But did you know Him? Now, the Lord said, I'm going
to call her out. Verse 16, It shall be at that
day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call Me Eshi. my husband, and shall call me
no more Balai, for I will take away the names of Balaam, many
gods, out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by
their name. And in that day will I make a
covenant with them, I will reveal that covenant With the beast
of the field, thou'st the heaven, creeping things the ground. I
will break the bow, the sword, the battle of the earth, make
them to lie down safely. I will betroth thee unto me forever. Yea, I will betroth unto me,
thee unto me in righteousness and judgment and loving kindness
and mercy. I will even betroth thee unto
me in faithfulness. And thou shalt know the Lord. It shall come to pass in that
day, I will hear, saith the Lord, I'll hear the heavens, and they
shall hear the earth, and the earth shall hear the corn, the
wine, the oil. They shall hear Jezreel, and I will sow her unto
me in the earth, and I will have mercy on her that had not obtained
mercy. I will say to them that were
not my people, thou art my people, and they shall say, thou art
my God." You see, what he was saying, This coming a time, the
Lord says that my people, talking about Israel, but a picture of
spiritual Israel. She's not going to call me Balaam
anymore. Oh, she called me Lord. She approached
me with her mouth, but her heart. But she had created an image
in her mind, and she said that that image was me. That image wasn't me. She thought she knew me. Elijah said to the Lord, Lord, they killed your preachers, knocked
down your altars. He said, I've reserved to myself
seven thousands, not bowed the knee to Baal. Even so, then at this present
time." Here's some good news. This is when Paul was writing
this down, and it's still so right now. You say, I don't see
many Jews being called out of darkness. I don't see that. He told Paul, and even so, then
at this present time. This word is eternal right here.
At this present time. There's a remnant according to
the election of grace. Just like in the days of Elijah,
there's been in every generation right up until now, a remnant. You say, yeah, but I don't see
it. I don't see many Gentiles being
called out. But Paul is talking when he says,
remember where he started this conversation. Has God forsaken
His people? Did God cast away His people?
He said, no. He said, I can tell you proof, proof that I know
of, Paul says, that God hadn't completely cast away the Jews.
He said, I'm a Jew. I'm one. I was called out of
darkness after God talked to Jeremiah. I told him, I said,
don't preach to him anymore. I'm not going to hear you. Paul
said, best news I ever heard. God called me out of darkness.
Has God cast away completely? No, he said, not those that he
foreknew. Elijah thought he did. Oh, he
said, a bunch of murderers knocked down your altars. God said, I've
reserved to me 7,000. Even so, at this present time,
there's a remnant according to the election of grace. Not graciously,
as men say, just offering salvation, but God sovereignly has chosen
to show mercy on whomsoever he will. Who are they? I don't know.
But I can tell you this, they're God's people. His choice was
made according to good pleasure of His will. Verse 6, And if by grace there
is no more of works, I understand that even right now there's still
a whole lot of the law being performed. You know, they keep,
Jews still keep the Passover. What are you saying? They don't
believe that the Passover has ever come. They don't believe
that. If it's by grace, then it's no
more works. Otherwise, grace is no more grace.
You know, man's natural interpretation of God's electing grace is that
God foreknew who would choose him, so he chose them. That's
not grace. That's works. That's God seeing
who would do something and God making the decision based on
my work. But if God's choice is based
on what he foresaw me to do, then I've got something to glory
in. But if it be of works, then it's not grace. If it's anything
that I've done or you've done, and there's no difference, I'm
telling you. There's no difference in God showing mercy and having
a people, a remnant according to grace if they be found from
the natural lineage of Abraham or the natural lineage of anybody
else. If God has shown you mercy, it's
by the grace of God. If the Lord says, I've got a
people, Paul says, I'm a Jew. He hasn't
cast them all away. I'm one of them. There ain't
many of them. I'll grant you that. But God says that there's
some. And there's some, according to
the election of grace, a remnant right now. Are they going to
hear? Yes, sir. Yeah, they're going
to hear. How about those Gentiles? They're
going to hear too. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. What do you do to that statement?
You say, Lord, as you say it is, it is. If it be of works, it's no more
grace. Otherwise, grace is no more grace.
But if it be of works, then it's no more grace. Otherwise, work
is no more work. What's he saying? Grace, if it's works, And grace
doesn't mean. Unmerited favor. Remember this. If it has anything to do with
what you did. If salvation has anything to
do with what you do. If you've got to do anything.
In order to be saved. If you have to do what you say,
don't you have to believe? Yeah, yeah, you're going to believe,
but not to be saved. Faith is the evidence that God
has revealed to you that he saved you by grace. Faith is not the merit of or
the grounds for salvation. Then say, you've got to believe
in order to be saved. That's not scriptural. We are
saved by grace through or by the understanding
of faith. And that not of yourselves. It's
the gift of God. Best a man would boast. This
is salvation. God chose to show mercy. And He chose a people and loved
them from before the foundation of the world in His Son. What they were due in judgment,
Christ was made that. And He died. under the judgment
of Almighty God, because those that God foreknew He was going
to have and going to save. And in time, He told you about
it. That's the bottom line. That's
all of it. You say, but where in there is
something Surely, no, there's nothing in
there that is to be spoken of concerning anything that you
did. God saved His people by grace and told them about it. That's it? That's it. And God
gave them a new heart, a new creation. And they believe Him by faith.
And they trust Him. What is your salvation? David
said this. It's all my salvation. It's it.
It's all of it. He made with me an everlasting
covenant in Christ. And it was ordered in all things. And it was sure. It stood. That's all of it. What do I do? Believe Him. And even your belief
doesn't add anything to your salvation. It doesn't add anything
to your sanctification or your holiness. You believe Him. And God's people hear that and
they say, you know what? That's amazing grace. You mean to tell me that salvation
is totally, completely of the Lord? That's right. And you mean to tell me that
me walking down an aisle or me being baptized or me joining
the church or me praying through or me speaking in tongues doesn't
add anything to it? No. All that does is give you
bragging rights for nothing, for nothing, for nothing, for
nothing. God's people are saved by the
grace of God. And has God cast away? Paul says,
not those that He foreknew. Salvations of the Lord. All of
grace. And that ends it. That's all
there is to it. And I'm telling you, God's people
go through the rest of this life considering that thought. And
every time they hear it, that's a fresh, revelation from God. And they love it. They love it
to be so. They don't want to hear about
anything that they had to do. Do they do anything? Oh, yes. Yes. They follow after Him. Scripture talks of good works,
you know, a labor of love, following after Christ. But do they do
anything in order to merit or sustain? What do you do to sustain
your salvation? You're kept by the power of God
through faith. That's good news. Let's pray together. Our Father, we thank You for another time
to consider the indescribable grace of God that is found totally
in our blessed Lord and Savior. His obedience is our obedience. His blood is our covering, our
atonement. Lord, this is such good news.
Lord, this is wonderful, blessed, glorious news. the gospel, the salvations of
the Lord. We thank You that what You demanded,
You supplied. That what You foresaw in Your
Son, You loved. Lord, would You remind us of
this? Cause us to feast upon these things. It's been a good day. Thank you
for allowing us to come again and consider your mercy. For Christ's sake, Amen.