Romans chapter 11. Now let's
remember that in this 11th chapter of Romans, God the Holy Spirit
is writing through Paul to the church at Rome, and it's concerning
the elect that's in Christ. He speaks of the fall of that
physical nation, Israel. the Jews that are by birth in
this world. But the casting away was purposed
by our sovereign God to save those outside of that physical
nation. Gentiles, those that weren't of natural birth to Israel. He purposed it. And we see here
in Romans 11, verse 11, I say then, have they stumbled that
they should fall? God forbid, but rather through
their fall salvation has come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke
them to jealousy. 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. For I speak to
you Gentiles, and as much as I am apostle of the Gentiles,
I magnify mine office. If by any means I may provoke
to emulation, he said, he, he brags on being the apostle of
the Gentiles. That was a horrible, be a horrible
office for any of those Pharisees. They'd all look down on it. And
he said, I magnify that they might say, why is he bragging
on that so much? And through emulation, through
acting like Paul, trying to look in to see why Paul does this
and why he's happy about it. Maybe, just maybe, who can tell
the mind of the Lord? He might save some of those,
some of his brethren. If by any means I may provoke
to emulation them which are my flesh, I 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? If the Lord saved one of those
Jews of natural birth of Israel, What would be the difference
between them and us? It'd still be life from the dead,
wouldn't it? Wouldn't be any different. For
if the first fruit be holy, the lump is also holy. And if the
root be holy, so are the branches. If the saints of old, those saints
that were in that physical nation, saved by the grace of God through
faith in Christ, if they are holy, then all other saints say
the exact same way. All of us Gentiles are holy as
well. How holy? The branches are as
holy as the root is holy. Sinners saved by the Lord Jesus
Christ, we are holy as Christ, the root of David is holy. And
this will be our text, verse 17. 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. Boast not against the branches.
But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, the branches
were broke off that I might be grafted in. I hope tonight we
can see who this olive tree is, what it is to be broke off and
why, what it is to be grafted in, how that takes place, and
why those that are grafted in have no room to boast. Whether
a natural branch or a grafted branch, there's no room to boast.
So who is this olive tree that all these branches stem from
in the first place? See there in verse 17, and if
some of the branches be broke off, and thou being a wild olive
tree, were graft in among them, and with them partakest of the
root and the fatness of the olive tree. What's this olive tree?
Let's turn to Hosea 14. We got Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea. Christ is that tree of life,
that tree of fatness, tree of fullness, richness. He's full
of grace. He's rich in mercy, full of compassion,
and He's full of rest for His people. We rest in Him. Hosea 14, be looking at verse
6. Hosea 14, six, his branches shall
spread and his beauty shall be as the olive tree and his smell
as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow
shall return. They shall revive as the corn
and grow as the vine. We are nourished and grown in
the shade of his tree and the rest and safety provided by crossed
along. The scent thereof shall be as
the wine of Lebanon. He will be a sweet smelling savor
to those that know Him, those who are loved of Him, those who
are preserved by Him. Those drawn to our Master, those
given rest and are revived, are made alive, made to know this
olive tree, made to love this olive tree. What will they say
when they come under Him? Look over in verse 8. Ephraim
shall say, now this isn't the apostate Ephraim, this is an
undeserving spiritual Israel. That's his people. Ephraim shall
say, what have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him
and observed him. As Job said, I've heard of thee
by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eyes seeth thee. I'm
like a green fir. From me is thy fruit found. From me. is thy fruit found. Any fruit we have, any spiritual
fruit, it is Christ's fruit. It is of Him, from His seed abiding
in us, living in us, dwelling in us. Now one type of that fruit
that we're given is faith. That's one of the fruits of the
Spirit, faith. Faith to turn from our idols.
to Christ, to turn from ourselves to Him, to turn from anything
that's between us and the Lord other than Christ and turn to
Christ. We're given that faith, faith
of Christ. Now turn to the left a little
bit there to Psalm 52. Psalm 52, anyone that does not
bow to Jesus Christ the Lord, they will perish. Our Lord said
you must repent or perish. We must turn to Him. We must
be given that faith to look to Him. If we cling to our idols,
those things between us and the Lord, we will surely die. Now here in Psalm 52, we see
there in verse 1, Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty
man? The goodness of God endureth
continually. Thy tongue diviseth mischiefs,
like a sharp razor working deceitfully. Thou lovest evil more than good,
and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Thou lovest all
devouring words, O deceitful tongue. God shall likewise destroy
thee forever, and he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out
of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living,
Selah. It's a pause. It's a musical term. These are
hymns. And that's for the musicians
to pause and for us to pause. Think on these things. God will
punish sin. And we are born as nothing but
sin. That's whatever man, woman, and
child that comes into this earth, born of Adam, is. We're sin.
Now we will either see this, we'll be made to know this while
we're on this earth. So the scripture called the day
of our salvation. We have an end. The Lord reveals that to
us. Or we'll know at that last appointed
time in final judgment. What a blessing it is to know
that now. That we have an end. What our nature is. So in verse
6, the righteous, speaking of Christ our righteousness, the
righteous also shall see and fear, he shall honor the Lord,
and shall laugh at him. Those that still cling to their
selves. Verse 7, Lo, this is the man that made not God his
strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and strengthened
himself in his wickedness. Strength didn't come from the
Lord. The riches weren't of God. And it's all wickedness. Verse
8, but I am like the green olive tree in the house of God. I trust
in the mercy of God forever and ever. I will praise Thee forever
because Thou hast done it. And I wait on Thy name for it
is good before Thy saints. The Lord Jesus Christ, that sweet-smelling,
living olive tree that we are made one with, He ever trusted
in the Father, only ever honored the Father. and continually praises
the Father. Why? It says there in the last
verse, it was good for His saints. That's what we have to do. And
Christ does that for His people. That's what's good for us. Now
turn over to John 15. We'll be there just for a minute.
John 15. Am I reading too far into Hosea and David's writings?
Or is this tree truly Christ? Our Master said here in John
15 verse 1, I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Christ is the vine. He's the
trunk. He's the root of David. And those
that are pruned off, broken off, or those that are grafted in,
it is the doing and purpose of the Father, that great husbandman. Husbandman is one that looks
after cattle or trees, gardens, and an arborist is what we call
them nowadays, and that's a tree surgeon. Christ our great physician. He knows when to mend, when to
prune, when to break off, and when to graft, doesn't he? Here
are these branches being broken off. Verse 2. Every branch enemy
that beareth not fruit, he taketh away. And every branch that beareth
fruit, he purges it. that it may bring forth more
fruit. How could it be that a branch could be attached to the vine
and not bear fruit and need broken off? We remember
that physical Israel, that's a picture and a type of spiritual
Israel, Lord's spiritual children. Those that were attached to the
vine, those that were of the natural birth into that physical
nation, the Jews, they didn't bring forth fruit and they're
broken off. They were physically, in this earth, they were related
to the Lord Jesus Christ. As Paul says, that's my kinsman
after the flesh. They were related to Christ,
but it was not his spiritual child. That was just his physical
brethren. Many nowadays, they appear to
be attached to Christ. But they don't bear fruit. They
go to church. They read the scriptures all
day, every day. They love the scriptures, love
to quote the scriptures. They obey the law. They're concerned
about the law, just as the Pharisees were before. Nothing's different. Outward, they look like godly
men and women. You see them walking up and down the street, and the
way they live, the way they present themselves, you say, that's got
to be a man of God. That's got to be a woman of God.
Look at them. They're doing all these things, but there's no
fruit in them. What's the fruit? Paul told us there in Galatians
5, but the fruit of the Spirit is love. How do we know how to
love? Christ has to love us first.
The Lord has to love us for us to love Him. Joy, peace. How do we have joy and peace?
He is our peace. The warfare is over. It's accomplished. We have great joy in that, don't
we? Long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. That's how we deal with one another,
meekness and long-suffering. That's how our Master is long-suffering
and meek to us. Condescending to this earth,
being made like us, and says, come let us reason together.
He deals kindly and lovingly to us. We have His goodness. It's a good Master. Why do you
call me good? There's none good but God. He's
good. We're made like Him, made one with Him. And we have faith. Believe in Christ and love in
the brethren as Christ loved his sheep. Joy and peace and
long-suffering with one another. Humbled, he makes us gentle and
meek. How can a person make fruit? They must be part of the vine
and the vine must be part of them. Look here in verse 5, John
15, 5. I am the vine and ye are the
branches. He that abideth in me..." See,
all you've got to do is go attach yourself to Christ. No. "...he
that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth
much fruit. For without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he
is cast forth as a branch, and is withered. And men gather them,
and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide
in me, And my words abide in you. If the Lord spoke to your
heart, spoke life into your heart, giving you a new nature, an incorruptible
seed in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done
unto you. Lord, save me. He'll save you.
Lord, magnify your name. It'll be magnified. That's what
the believer wants, isn't it? All glory go to you, Lord. Forgive
us. That's exactly what will happen. Remember what Ephraim
said there, shall say in Hosea 14, from me is thy fruit found. If I have any fruit in me, someone
looks on me and says, boy, you did a good job. No, I didn't.
That's the Lord's fruit. I've told you before, a tree,
if you've got an orchard and you don't harvest that fruit,
and it falls to the ground around that tree, all it does is hurt
the tree. It'll try to spring up and draw nutrients from the
tree, won't it? That fruit for something else.
It's not for that branch. It's for another branch, isn't
it? For another place. Verse 8. Herein is my Father
glorified, that ye bear much fruit. He's going to be glorified
the more fruit that those branches bear. So, shall ye be my disciples. That was fresh to me as I was
in the back reading. Our master said, Christ the Lord said, my
father is glorified because my sheep have fruit. So, you're
going to be my disciples. You're going to bear much fruit
because he's going to glorify the Father. If we're given the fruits of
the Spirit, how can we grow more fruit? The husbandman, the one
that tends to the plant, he must purge it. Sometimes that's pruning,
sometimes that's bracing, it's binding, pulling down, pulling
up. Trials come and will be pruned. Sin will revive and it's going
to be plucked off. Errors going to be made and a
correction is going to take place. Turn over to Jeremiah chapter
11. Jeremiah 11. Our text said, If some of the branches be broken
off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, were grafted among them,
and with them partakest of the root and the fatness of the olive
tree. Some branches were broke off
because there was no oneness with that root. They were physically
attached, but there was no purging of that branch. No fruit was
produced. The branches were broke off,
looked like part of the tree on the outside, but they had
no life in them. That's what our master was saying
in Matthew 23, when he says, woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites, for you are like unto wadded sepulchres, which
indeed appear beautiful outward, looks like a pretty branch, looks
like a pretty part of the tree, but are within full of dead men's
bones and of all uncleanness. Dead branches, fruitless branches. Now from Jeremiah 11, let's see
here who Jeremiah's speaking to. Look here in verse one. Jeremiah
11.1, the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah from the Lord saying,
hear ye the words of this covenant and speak unto the men of Judah
and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. He said, you go talk to that
physical nation. The Lord is speaking through
Jeremiah to that political nation he put on this earth, there's
a picture. Now look down at verse 16, Jeremiah 11.16. The Lord called thy name, a green
olive tree, fair and of goodly fruit." Now physically, Israel
was that picture, a picture of the church of Christ. And with
the noise of a great tumult, he hath kindled fire upon it,
and the branches are broken off. For the Lord of hosts that planted
thee, hath pronounced evil. He's pronounced condemnation
against thee for the evil of the house of Israel and of the
house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke
me to anger and offering incense to Baal. They had unbelief and
turned to other gods. This physical nation, these branches
that just happen to be related to the divine. And they turned
to another gospel, which is not another. They refused Christ. Physically, they were given as
the picture of Christ and his spiritual Israel, his church,
but they didn't believe. They're not all Israel that are
of Israel. Why do you think or what do you
think was in the heart of Christ elect that happened to be in
that political nation? When Jeremiah came down and spoke
to him, said, this is what the Lord said. He had some people
there. He had some of his elect. They
said, you're right, Lord. You're just when you speak, have
mercy on me. And back to our text, there in
Romans 11. These Jews of the political nation
of Israel, this physical nation, were they really cast off because
they didn't believe? Because they apostatized? Verse
20 says, Romans 11, 20, Because of unbelief they were broken
off, and thou standest by faith. They didn't stand in faith, did
they? They turned from the Lord. They weren't given that. Why
didn't they believe? They had all these benefits we
saw in the beginning of the chapter. They had the tabernacle and all
the feasts and everything that pointed to Christ. Why didn't
they believe? They're physically related to
Him. That's got to be worth something. Why didn't they believe? Our
master said in John 10, 26, but you believe not because you are
not of my sheep. You believe not because you're
not of my tree. You're not a branch that's attached
to my vine. As I said unto you, my sheep
hear my voice and I know them. I love them. I am one with them,
bonded to them. and they follow me, and I give
unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Those grafted
into me will never go away, neither shall any man pluck them out
of my hand. From the root to the branch, life's given, that
life's eternal if the Lord gives it, and no man can ever break
that branch off. Those given to Christ, those
made one with Him are grafted into His vine, They can never
be plucked from His hand. We can never be separated from
His love, from His mercy. Paul asks that there in verse
1, Romans 11, 1. I say then, hath God cast away
His people? God forbid, for I also am an
Israelite of the seed of Abraham of the tribe of Benjamin. God
hath not cast away his people which he foreknew." You that
believe Christ, you that have the fruit of the Spirit, have
you ever had times of unbelief? Of course we have. But it's not
the sin unto death. The Lord does not leave His elect
people that He loved beforehand to ourselves all the way to our
grave. He seeks His sheep. He purges
His branches. And He will bring forth fruit
of the Spirit. We go through seasons just like a tree do,
don't we? There's times I feel like every leaf on me is gone.
Turned brown and fell off. And then the sun changes. That's
what dictates the life cycle. Stuff starts growing again, doesn't
it? As he sees fit. We saw that before in 1 John.
It says there is a sin unto death. All unrighteousness is a sin,
and there is a sin not unto death. We know that whosoever is born
of God sinneth not. Was that to the death, the one
unto death, or the one not unto death? He doesn't sin. She doesn't
sin. Those that are born of God, those
sheep of God that were also physical Jews, who happen to be physical
Jews, and those that are born of the Gentiles, they are children
of God. They are put in Christ our Lord in that eternal covenant
of grace before time was. And our new heart put in us cannot
sin because it's living solely from Christ the vine. What keeps
us alive, metaphorically and physically, pumping blood through
our veins and keeping nutrients on us, keeping life in us, is
Christ the vine. He upholds us. Now there in our
text, Romans 11, look at verse 17. We still have an old nature
with us. And it's wild. It's unruly. It has unbelief. That's how we
were when the Lord found us. Look here at verse 17, Romans
11, 17. And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being
a wild olive tree, were grafted among them and with them partake
us to the root and fatness of the olive tree." We were wild
in that we didn't have a law. Us Gentiles, we weren't born
with the law. Now we have law faith. We were wild because we
were wild in nature. Everything in us, just fighting
the Lord and enmity with Him at war against Him. Hating people
around us and everything in creation. Now we have a new nature. Tame
nature, a meek nature, don't we? We're wild and not being
pruned by our husbandman. Just fulfilling the lust of the
flesh, growing whatever we thought we could grow. Unruly. And the master hadn't dealt with
us, and then he comes in and he corrects his child. And he
prunes us. And he trims us just as he sees
fit. How is the Gentile saints of old and us Gentile saints
now? Those that aren't of that natural birth of tree, that natural
relation. How are we grafted in? I spoke
on this a little bit last week, but whenever you graft a tree,
you go to a nursery, most trees are grafted, the vast majority
of them. So they take a root bulb that's
good for that area or that's desirable, that's pleasant, and
they cut it. They wound the tree and they
take a branch, a wild branch or the branch that they want,
what kind of fruit they want. And they cut it, and they put
it inside that slit, and they anoint it. They put some oil
on it. Back in the old days, they'd put olive oil on it or
honey to protect it. And then they anoint it with
oil, and then they wrap and wrap and wrap and wrap. Put that real
tight string on there and pull it tight and bind it into that
tree. That one it's grafted to, and
that holds it there until it becomes one. Those cells merge,
and it's the same. You can't tell where one starts
and where one stops. And when that happens during
that bonding, sometimes it's gotta be lifted up, you gotta
brace it up. Sometimes it's gotta be pulled
down a little bit. It's gotta be tied to another branch to
hold it up. That's how we physically, are
grafted, we graft trees, and that's spiritually how the Lord
grafts his people. He bruised Christ, wounded him for our transgressions,
took us, and a lot of times it's raw, right where it hurts, and
binds us to him, anoints us with his holiness, and secures us
to him, and many times secures us to our brethren, those other
branches. They support us until we're made
one with him. We were saved by God, given life
by the Word of God, bound to Him forever, and we abide in
Him, and praise be to God, Christ abides in us. So where is boasting? I ought to walk around with my
head down all the time, shouldn't I? How could I walk down the
streets outside the joy and the peace we're given? Look here
in verse 18. Boast not against the branches.
Those that are cast away, don't boast against them. That physical
nation that's over on the other side of the world right now,
they don't mind doing. Lord saved us, we know something.
Don't boast against them. Don't boast against the other
branches that were grafted in. Those other saved ones. I've
been grafted in longer. I'm a bigger branch or I'm a
prettier branch. We don't boast against them.
But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee,
thou wilt say then, here's what we should say, the branches were
broken off that I might be grafted in. The Lord said, I've given
nations for you. I've given people for you. And
this is exactly what he's explaining. He had some Gentile branches
he wanted grafted to Christ. And he went through those that
were attached to that tree but had no life in it, didn't bear
any fruit, and he chopped them off. And in that wound he put
us. He gave nations for thee. The
branches were broken off that I might be grafted in. Well,
if you say that, that's good. Because of unbelief they were
broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded,
but fear. For if God spared not the natural
branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee." Be vigilant. Be sober-minded. Look to the
Lord earnestly. That's what Paul's telling us.
Lord, save us today. I think I know you yesterday. Lord, let me know you today.
And tomorrow, let me know you. Let it be fresh every day. Because
if that natural branch can be cast off, you'd think I'd be
a much better candidate to be cast off. Verse 22, Behold, therefore,
the goodness and severity of God on them which fail, severity,
cast off and burnt, but towards thee, goodness, if thou continue
in his goodness. How do we continue in the Lord's
goodness? He grows us through Christ the
vine, and we're kept by Christ. It's the only way we're kept.
The only way we grow in His goodness and stay in His goodness. Look
over in verse 18 again. Boasts not against the branches,
but if thou boasts, when thou boasts, thou barest not the root. but the root thee." Cross the
root, who we were grafted in by our Heavenly Father, He bears
us. He's not contingent on us. He's
not contingent on man. He bears us, and He will bear
those loved and known before time that are grafted in Him
forever. Forever bearing His people. Well,
next week we'll look there at verse 22, the severity and the
goodness of God. how good He is to us. Let's pray
together.