Turn with me, if you would, to
Romans chapter 11. Romans chapter 11, the last two
Sundays we have been looking at what Paul is saying here in
Romans 10 and Romans 11 and we have had to set up what he's
saying so we can be extremely clear on the message of the chapter. And we're going to do that again
today. I do not want to look at this
without really understanding what he's saying and where he's
coming from. The Lord willing, we are going
to end this Bible study by reading through what he says in Romans
11. But may the Lord help us to truly
enter into the truth of it. Chapter 10, Paul explained God's
favor to the Gentiles. He said God plainly declared
throughout the Old Testament that He would show mercy to the
Gentiles, and He did. He did and aren't we so glad.
Oh, you talk about take this moment for granted that we're
sitting here worshiping the true and living God and not an idol.
Not some, you know, the sun God or whoever. I'm the true and
living God. God did this for us. He sent
this to the Gentiles. Now in chapter 11, he's gonna
tell us that God has also plainly declared that His mercy and His
favor has not forever been cut off from the Jews. Paul prefaced all of this by
saying, in both cases, Jew and Gentile, only God's elect will
be saved. When we talk about the gospel
going to the Gentiles, It's God's elect Gentiles that are going
to be saved. And when he talks about the gospel,
going back to the Jews, it's God's elect Jews that are going
to be saved. Verse five says, even so then
at this present time, also there is a remnant according to the
election of grace. The election of grace. That's
who this is to the election of grace. Verse seven says what
then Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for, but
the election hath obtained it and the rest were blinded. Just
like when salvation came to the Gentiles, it didn't come to every
single Gentile. He came to the elect Gentiles
and it's always been that way. Always from the beginning salvation
to Israel. He said, Israel, those are my
people, Israel salvation to Israel. It didn't come to every single
Israelite. He came to the elect Israelites. If you look at Romans
nine, verse six. He said, Not as though the word
of God hath taken none effect, for they are not all Israel which
are of Israel. Neither because they are the
seed of Abraham are they all children, but in Isaac shall
thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children
of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children
of the promise are counted for the seed. What does he mean by
that exactly? He explained it in Romans 2.
Turn with me over there to Romans 2. Verse 28 it says, For he is not
a Jew which is one outwardly. Neither is that circumcision,
which is outward in the flesh. The Lord gave Abraham this token. He said, this is a token to let
you know that you're my chosen people. It was circumcision. And what he's saying is just
because a person is circumcised, that doesn't mean he's a child
of God. Verse 29, but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly and circumcision
is that of the heart in the spirit. And not in the letter whose praise
is not of men, but of God. So whoever God chose to have
mercy on and whoever he chose to perform a work of grace on
Jew or Gentile chapter 10 told us there's no difference. No
difference at all. Whoever God included in his election,
that's Israel, that's spiritual Israel. And if you go back to
our text in Romans 11, Paul declared to us here that
whoever God has chosen to save, Whoever ends up being included
in the election and saved, that person was saved by God's free
grace. Whoever was put in the election
and saved. All of them were saved by God's
free grace and not by self-righteous works, not by our own works. If you look right here at Romans
11, verse five says, even so then at this present time, also
there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And
if by grace, then it is no more of works. Otherwise grace is
no more grace. But if it be of works, then it
is no more grace, otherwise work. He is no more work. It's one
or the other. It's either works or grace. And he said, it's not
works, it's grace. Saved by grace. The free gift
of God Almighty. It is not a reward to man for
his good works. He was freely chosen. Christ
freely came. He freely shed His blood on the
cross of Calvary. He freely paid the sin debt of
all of His people. Free, free, free. Start to finish. It was His work and not ours.
His payment and not ours. And here's how He's gonna end
the whole chapter. He says, therefore, it's His glory and not ours. That's how the whole thing ends.
His glory, not ours. Now, on a few different occasions,
the apostle wrote some things to God's church. Different apostles
wrote some things to God's church that in their words, in the inspired
words of God that he gave to them, they said that they did
not want us to be ignorant of these things. And you know that
it said, I don't want you to be ignorant of this, brethren.
We don't understand them all. We do not understand them all.
The ones that we do understand just a little bit of what they're
saying. We don't understand the fullness of what they're saying.
We don't, but we do believe what they're saying. God's people
believe his word, whether they understand the fullness of it
or not. They believe his word. And we want to remember these
things when he says, I don't want you to be ignorant of this.
We want to remember these things because there may come a time
when the Lord makes them more clear to us. He may open up some
things to us, just like he did with the apostles and the disciples. So many things happened. He said
things to them. And then later on down the road,
a light bulb went off and they said, that's what he was talking
about. That's what he meant when he said. It was opened up to
him. It was revealed to him. After
the service last Sunday, I was talking with a brother about
the Bible study and we were talking about how Paul was saying in
Romans 10, the Jews should have known. Israel should have known. He said over and over and over
again, my gospel and my blessing is going to the Gentiles. It's
plainly written. They should have known this,
it's in black and white. And as we were talking about
that, my brother pointed out the fact that how many times
is it written that our Lord said, told them point blank, I'm gonna
go to Jerusalem, they're gonna lay hands on me, they are going
to crucify me, I am going to die, and I'm gonna rise again
on the third day. And they didn't see it, they
didn't, oh, don't say that, Lord, no, no, no, don't say that, you
know, well, they couldn't understand it. It was many, many, many times
he told them, he told them, he told them. And they didn't see
it and they didn't understand it to the point that when it
happened, they all wanted to quit the ministry and go back
to the fishing business. So how many times has he said,
This is what I mean. But until God's people receive
eyes to see it, it's a mystery to them. They're blind to it.
And anyway, in John 10, this is what
some Jews asked the Lord. They said, tell us plainly whether
you're the Christ or not. Just tell us plainly whether
you're the Christ. And he said, I told you plainly,
you just don't believe me." And he said, the reason you don't
believe me is because you're not my sheep. I haven't given
you faith to believe me. So when our Lord says, I don't
want you to be ignorant of this, He's not speaking in code. He's
telling us plainly. Everything that He has said to
His people, His children, He's telling them plainly. This is
what I mean. In His good time, He'll reveal
it. Now don't turn, but in 2 Peter
3 verse 8, it says, Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing,
that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years. and a thousand
years as one day. I don't have any idea what that
means. I honestly don't. I've thought a lot about that.
I don't have any idea. I believe in my soul. I believe with all my heart that
it means a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is
as one day. I believe with all my heart that
that's what it means. but I just don't understand it yet. I told you last week that I'm
not interested in prophecy. The farther it appears we're
going into prophecy and going into predictions, I'm ready to
go the other way. That's not my interest, that's
not my calling, but my calling is to tell us what He's written
in the Word. And if He writes that, I'll tell
it to us. If He says, don't be ignorant
of this, I'll tell it to us. I don't understand what that
means. But I'll tell it to us. And what we need to do is hold
on to it and remember it. Again, don't turn. Here's another
one. In 1 Thessalonians 4, this is what Paul said. I'm going
to just read this to you. He said, I would not have you
to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that you
sorrow not, even as others which have no hope, For if we believe
that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep
in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you
by the word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain
unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. We're not gonna go before they
come. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with a voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and
the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive
and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with
the Lord. I don't understand the fullness
of that. I don't, but I believe with all my heart, all my soul,
that is exactly what's going to happen. It's exactly what's
going to happen. Our Lord has plainly told us
what is going to happen on that day. Very plainly. We do not want to be ignorant
of it. On that day, We're gonna know
everything that happens as it happens. See if you can enter
into this. On that day, can you imagine the fear that's gonna
come to this world? Can you imagine when all of a
sudden the cloud does open up and the kingdom of God does come
out of it? Just what is going on? Our Lord
has told us everything that's gonna happen on that day. We
will see it. We'll be prepared. Yes, this
is exactly what he said would happen. We're not going to be
wondering, honestly, why is my brother who I know coming out
of his grave right now? We'll have the peace. That's
exactly what he said would happen. Every bit of it was true. So
for that reason, we don't want to be ignorant of these things.
Now if you want to sometime, you can get a concordance and
look up in the concordance the word ignorant. And you can see
all the times that He said, I don't want you to be ignorant of these
things. Whatever it says, you can believe it. One of them is
right here in Romans 11. If you look right here at Romans
11 verse 25, He says, For I would not, brethren, that you should
be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your
own conceits. Don't be ignorant of this or
you'll become so puffed up and so wise in your own mind, it
won't be good for you. I would not brethren that you
should be ignorant of this mystery lest you should be wise in your
own conceits that blindness in part is happened to Israel until
the fullness of the Gentiles become in. Blindness in part, he's speaking
of the nation of Israel, he's speaking of the Jews, those that
he chose to represent his spiritual people. Verse 1, he said, I say then,
hath God cast away his people? He's speaking of the Jews. You say his elect? Absolutely,
his elect. But hath God cast away his people? God forbid. Paul said, I am also
an Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God
hath not 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, Lord, they've killed thy prophets and digged down
thine altars, and I'm left alone, and they seek my life." Elijah
said, I'm the last one, there's nobody else. But what saith the
answer of God unto him? What did God respond to him?
God said, I have reserved to myself 7,000 men who have not
bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so, then, at this
present time also, there is a remnant according to the election of
grace. And if by grace, then it is no more works, otherwise
grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it
is no more grace, otherwise work is no more worth. What then? Israel hath not obtained that
which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained it and
the rest were blinded. God's salvation is to his elect. To the Jew first, also to the
Greek. Verse eight says, according as
it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber Eyes
that they should not see and ears that they should not hear
unto this day. And David saith, let their table
be made a snare and a trap and a stumbling block and a recompense
unto them." Their table, everything that God has set before them
to give them the advantage. Paul asked the question, he said,
what advantage does the Jew have? He says, every advantage. God
gave them the law, God gave them the tabernacle, the priest, the
sacrifice, the blood, the everything to point them to Christ. And everything that God has given
to them, all those things. The Jews observed, still, the
Jews observed the Passover. They observed the Passover. They
just can't see Christ in it. Not at all. Does anything picture
the substitution and the satisfaction of the blood of Christ more than
God's Passover? A substitute to die in your place. A substitute to shed His blood
so you don't have to. So God will be satisfied and
say, when I see the blood, I'll pass over you. Does anything
point us to Christ more than that? That's what we observe
in the Lord's table. They're elements that point us
to the Passover. But to the Jews, it's just a
feast. That's all it is, just a religious ceremony. They don't
see Christ in it at all. So their table has become a stumbling
block to them. Verse nine, David said, let their
table be made a snare and a trap and a stumbling block and a recompense
unto them. Let their eyes be darkened that
they may not see and bow down their back always bearing the
burden of the law. Verse 11, he said, I say then,
have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid. But rather through their fall,
salvation is come unto the Gentiles for to provoke them to jealousy. It was the Jews' rejection of
the message of Christ that sent it to the Gentiles. We read about
that last Sunday morning. Paul said, that's it. I'm not
preaching to the Jews anymore. I'm going to the Gentiles. They
rejected it. They wouldn't have anything to do with it. Through
their stumbling, blessing came upon the Gentiles. Now watch
verse 12. It says, Now if the fall of them
be the riches of the world and the diminishing of them, The
riches of the Gentiles, how much more their fullness. If their diminishing brought
spiritual riches to the world, if the gospel went out, go out
into all the world and preach the gospel. If the world saw the unsearchable
riches of Christ through their diminishing, Paul said, how much
more would the world now see the unsearchable riches of Christ
through their fullness? Through them being reinstated
in the witness and the gospel and the calling of the Lord Jesus
Christ, to see Him have mercy on them. Verse 13 says, for I
speak to you Gentiles and as much as I am the apostle of the
Gentiles, I magnify mine office. Paul never magnified himself.
He said, I'm a wretched man. He said, I'm the chief of sinners,
but he said, I magnify my office. The words that I'm speaking,
they're the words of God himself. And He said, I'm saying this
to you, verse 14, if by any means I may provoke to emulation them
which are my flesh and might save some of them. For if the
casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the
receiving of them be but life from the dead? He said, do you
want to see a revival? You want to see a revival? When
God sends an awakening back through that nation, it's gonna be life
from the dead. He said, you will see life from
the dead. Verse 16, for if the first fruit
be holy, the lump is also holy. And if the root be holy, so are
the branches. And if some of the branches be
broken off, and thou being a wild olive tree were grafted in among
them, And with them partakest of the root and fatness of the
olive tree. He said, if branches from the
root, which is Christ, if they were broken off and if you were
grafted in and you're receiving your fullness from the root.
Verse 18, he said, boast not against the branches that were
broken off. Don't be lifted up with pride
over this. But if thou boast, thou barest not the root, the
root's bearing you. Verse 19, thou wilt say then,
the branches were broken off that I might be grafted in. Well,
because of unbelief, they were broken off. And thou standest
by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear. Don't think, well, I'm doing
better works than they are, and that's why I'm being grafted
in. God's more happy with me, I'm being grafted in. Verse 21,
If God spared not the natural branches, take heed, lest he
also spare not thee. Behold, therefore, the goodness
and severity of God on them which fell severity, but toward thee
goodness, if thou continue in his goodness. Otherwise, thou
also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they abide
not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in, for God is able
to graft them in again." He said, if God gives them faith again. Faith is not of ourselves, it's
the gift of God. If a person remains not in unbelief,
that means God kindly gave faith to them. Nothing they did. In verse 23, he said, If they
abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in, for God
is able to graft them in again. For if thou wert cut out of the
olive tree, which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary
to nature into a good olive tree, how much more shall these which
be the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? For I would not, brethren, that
you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise
in your own conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel
until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in." He's quoting our
Lord right there. We're going to turn, but we don't
have time. Our Lord said right there in Luke 21-24, these were
His exact words. He said, "...Jerusalem shall
be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the time of the Gentiles
be fulfilled." Verse 26, it says, "...and so all Israel shall be
saved." Spiritual Israel. Elect Israel, Jew and Gentile. All Israel shall be saved, as
it is written, there shall come out of Zion the deliverer and
shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is my covenant
unto them when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the
gospel, they are enemies for your sakes, but as touching the
election, they are beloved for the Father's sakes." God said
to them, I'll never leave you, I'll never forsake you. And God
says, I'm not going to. I'm not going to. Verse 29, he
says, for the gifts and the calling of God are without repentance. He does not give and he does
not promise only to change his mind and take it back. Jacob
didn't deserve his favor in the first place. Abraham was an idolater
in the first place when God came to him. And that's where he finds
all of us. And God made a promise and he
will not change his mind. Verse 29, the gifts and the calling
of God are without repentance. So verse 30 says, as you in time
past have not believed God, yet now have obtained mercy through
their unbelief, even so have these also now not believed that
through your mercy they also may obtain mercy." He said, in
the same way that you Gentiles were in unbelief. But God sent
Jewish apostles to you to preach to you. to bring mercy to you. He said, in that same way, the
Jews are now in unbelief. And he said, God's going to send
Gentile preachers to them. They're going to preach the gospel
to them. When? I don't know. How? I don't know. But he said through
that message, mercy is gonna come back to him. He's gonna
have mercy. He's gonna have grace in time
of need. Verse 32, for God hath concluded
them all in unbelief. That word concluded means shut
them all up together. God hath shut them all up together,
Jew and Gentile in unbelief. that he might have mercy upon
all." What he's saying is all men and women are saved the same
way, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. People say, I've
heard this so many times, they say, well, the Old Testament
Israel was saved through the law and the New Testament Israel
is saved through faith. That is not so. That's not so. All of God's people, it doesn't
matter, Jew, Gentile, old, young, male, female, rich, poor, Old
Testament, New Testament, all of God's people are saved one
way, by grace, through faith, in the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Verse 32, God hath concluded them all in unbelief that he
might have mercy upon all. Pause right there and finish
the verses in the message here in a moment. You're dismissed.