And verse 1, there's always these reminders
in the Word of God to be aware of what's written both before
and after the verses that we're studying. But especially before,
we won't look into the future verses, but we keep looking back.
Why? Well, Paul said in Romans 11-1,
I say then. So what he's saying, fixing to
say, what he just got through saying has some bearing upon
it. I say then. He's not just saying something,
he's saying something then. Seeing that what he just said
is true. Now, then, he's going to say this. He's going to ask
a question because of what he just said. Has God cast away
his people? Does God no longer have a people that
he calls His own, that He blesses, and as He said, I'll be their
God and they'll be my people, and that He goes with them everywhere
they go, never forsake you, and blesses every step they take.
God forbid. Don't go thinking that because
of what I just said. Don't misunderstand what I've
said and think that God has cast His people away. And he's saying
here as an Israelite, as a Jew, he's saying God hasn't cast his
people away. He said, I'm an Israelite. I'm
of the seed of Abraham of the tribe of Benjamin. If you're,
if you have a right to be offended by what I just said, then I would
too. I'd be in the same boat as you are. We'll talk about what he just
said in a minute. But I want you to see, he's standing there
as a Jew, as one of them that he's writing to, saying, God has not cast away
his people. God forbid that we think that.
And then look at verse 2. Here's the key. God hath not
cast away his people which he foreknew. Which he foreknew. Now what does he mean by that?
The reason Paul addresses the notion that God might have cast
away his people is because of the common misunderstanding that
people have, and especially Israelites, according to the flesh, have
this misunderstanding that Israelites, according to the flesh, are the
people of God. That's a common misunderstanding
among them, especially back then when Paul was writing this. They
thought that the earthly nation, if you were born a Jew, a son
of Abraham, then you were in the kingdom of God. And Paul refutes that here. He
shows that that's not the case. He wrote in chapter 10 some things
that were discouraging to those with that misconception. If you
had that misconception that because I'm a Jew, then I'm one of God's
sheep, then verse 12 of chapter 10 might be a discouragement
to you. You might be thinking, wait a minute, God, if that's
true, then God doesn't care anything about the Jews anymore. Verse
12, he said, there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek.
That would have been a surprise to most Jews. Because they thought,
oh, there is a difference. Gentiles are a bunch of dogs.
They're the outcasts. We're the God's people. No, there's
no difference. between the Jew and the Greek.
What do you mean, Paul? Well, he's already talked about
in the same letter to the Romans that there's no difference in
their nature. All have sinned and come short of the glory of
God. There's no difference. He said
the same words were in that context, too, where he's talking about
their sin, their nature before God. There's no difference. But
here he's talking about another aspect. salvation in which there's
no difference between the Jew and the Greek the same Lord is
rich and all that call upon him and the reason he says it that
way here is because the context of chapter 10 is he's talking
about God the experience of salvation where God causes a sinner to
call out to call upon the name of the Lord and he said God will
hear you those that call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved and when you call You believe in your heart that God has raised
his son from the dead, that God is able to save, that his son
came down here to do that very thing and got it done, accomplished
the salvation of his people. You believe that in your heart
and you cry out for that salvation that he wrought, that he bought
on Calvary. God will save you. And so he's
saying here, there's no difference between the Jew and the Greek.
And the Jews didn't like that idea much. And then look at verses
18 through 21 of Romans chapter 10, and you'll see why he asked
this question in chapter 11, verse one. Romans 10, 18 through
21. But I say, have not they heard?
He just got through saying now, not all have obeyed the gospel,
verse 16. For Isaiah said, Lord, who has
believed our report? So then faith comes by hearing
and hearing by the word of God. But how come if faith comes by
hearing and they've heard, then how come they haven't believed?
Oh, that's what we get into in chapter 11. Have they not heard? Yes, their
sound, the sound of God's preachers went into all the earth and their
words into the end of the world. But I say, did not Israel know?
Didn't Israel know that this was going to happen? that what
Paul is preaching is true. Moses saith, I will provoke you
to jealousy by them that are no people. And by a foolish nation,
I will anger you. But Isaiah is very bold, very
clear in what he said about this. I was found of them that sought
me not. I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me,
but to Israel. He saith all day long, I have
stretched out my hands. unto a disobedient and gainsaying
people. It was already prophesied that
the Jews would reject the gospel and the Gentiles would be brought
in. And this shows forth this truth that was so offensive to
them. It's not about being an earthly Israelite or an earthly
Gentile. It's about obeying the gospel.
That's how a sinner comes into the kingdom of God, by hearing
and believing and calling all of the things. God's going to
have to send a preacher. That preacher's going to have
to preach the gospel of God's grace in Christ. A sinner's going
to have to hear it up here, but something's going to have to
happen in his heart, too. Paul said it in another place,
the gospel did not profit them because it wasn't mixed with
faith in them that heard it. God's got to put faith in the
heart or the gospel won't profit you. Whether you're a Jew or
a Gentile, there's no difference. God's rich to those that call
on Him. All right? And this breaking down of the
distinction between Israel and the Gentiles in the minds of
those who thought otherwise might appear to be a forsaking on the
part of God, that He doesn't care anything about His people,
everybody's equal. Well, in the sense of God not
being a respecter of persons, everybody is equal. It's not
about who you are. or what you've done. Under the Old Testament covenant,
there was a marked difference between Jew and Gentile in this
sense, all of the outward advantages. Paul talks about that in the
same letter. What advantage then hath the
Jew? Well, much every way. Unto them were committed the
oracles of God. God gave the Jews every outward
advantage. He taught them his truth. He
had his prophets among them. not among the Gentiles, but now
the tables have turned. The believing Jew is an exception. The Jews were steeped in religion,
in heresy, in works, in trusting their own heritage like he is
trying to break them out of here by what he's preaching and praying
that God will break them out of. The very things that Paul forsook
in Philippians chapter three. I was a Hebrew of the Hebrews.
That's dumb, Paul said. Well, I was circumcised the eighth
day of the stock of Israel, a Pharisee, knew the scriptures inside. That's
dumb. I was highly respected. Everybody
looked up to me. I was a leader among the Jews,
among the religion. of the Jews. That's all dumb. All those things that I thought
were gain, those are loss. The only gain, the only thing
that will benefit me in the matter of salvation, in
the matter of being in God's kingdom, is Christ and what He
did. I don't want my own righteousness,
Paul said, but His. That righteousness which is by
the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. That's the righteousness I got
to have. So, Paul says here, God hasn't
forsaken His people whom He foreknew. He hasn't forsaken His elect.
Just because the nation of Israel has gone off the deep end and
are steeped in superstition and religious heritage and all the
things that God hates. That doesn't mean God has forsaken
his elect. And look at what he says in the
rest of, we'll look at this more, chapter 11 again. He gives an
example here of what he's talking about. He said in the middle
of verse two there, don't you know what the scripture says
about Elijah? Here's how it is. You're saying,
well, God's forsaken his people. That's what Elijah said. Elijah
said the same thing, Lord, they've all they've dig down your altars
and there's nobody that worships you. I'm the only one that left
that that worships you and honors you. And they're trying to kill
me. And then there won't be any left. But Isaiah was Elijah was
wrong about that. He was wrong about that. Why?
Why was he wrong about it? Because there were a lot of Jews
still up? No. That's who he's talking about,
digging down the altars and hating God. But why was Elijah wrong? And he said, don't you know what
Elijah said and how he made intercession to God against Israel? The Jews are the ones he was
saying have forsaken you, God. But there were some that hadn't.
Read on now, verse three. He said, Lord, they've killed
all of your prophets except me. And they've digged down your
altars. They got no interest in worshiping you or offering
sacrifice to you. And I'm left alone and they're
trying to kill me. And then it's all going to be
over. And he said, Lord, just take me now and let's end it. But what sayeth the answer of
God unto him? Verse four. I have reserved. to myself, 7,000 men out of all
the millions of the Jews and Israelites that were on the earth
at that time that Elijah spoke against. These Jews, they're
supposed to be your people. They're not. That's what Elijah
said. That didn't surprise God. That's not it. That's not it.
I've reserved 7,000 who have not bowed the knee to the image
of Baal." Why hadn't they bowed to Baal? Why hadn't they digged
down the altars of God and killed His probably 7,000? And God said,
I've reserved them. Even so then, Paul said, at this
present time, the same thing's happening now. There is also a remnant according
to the election of grace. Not because there's a bunch of
Jews left in the world, but because God has some elect among those
Jews and among the Gentiles. There are those in every age
who have not, who will not bow down to the false gods of religion. And the reason that they will
not is always the same. The God of man-centered free
will, mega-religion, is worshipped by most these days. And we might
get to thinking like Elijah that everybody, everybody's gone. Sometimes we think, well, this
whole world is gone. No, not everybody. And we might get discouraged
about that like Isaiah did. Paul quoted right here in the
text, who hath believed our report? Everyone to whom God has revealed
his power, his arm, to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed,
that's the ones right there that have believed. We get discouraged and think
that the whole world is rushing madly into hell, believing in
their own free will, we'd be just as wrong as Elijah was.
But the only reason we would be wrong is because of the free,
electing, distinguishing grace of God, who hath not cast away
his people, and never will. And there are three statements
in the text that separate the idol worshipper from the child
of God. Let me give them to you briefly,
what Paul just said there. What separated those 7,000 from
everybody else among Israel that had forsaken God and worshiped
Baal? First of all, God hath not cast away his people whom
he foreknew. God forbid that you think that.
God hasn't done that. And that's why then and now there
are a people in this earth that worship God. That's why. that
that experience of salvation that he's talking about in chapter
10 has happened to, and they're still calling on his name, they're
not worshiping a false god. And that's why, because God hasn't
cast his people away. No. God has set his affection
on an elect choice people. And that's what the word elect
means, chosen, according to the choice of grace. That's why they're
still a remnant, because God chose them. And we know why he
chose them from the same context. Romans chapter nine, that the
purpose of God, according to election might stand. God said,
Jacob, have I loved? He didn't say eeny, meeny, miny,
moe. He loved one and hated the other. That's election. It's
the love of God that distinguishes the reserved from the reprobate. And whom God did foreknow, Paul
said he hasn't cast away his people whom he foreknew. And
whom he foreknew, he did predestinate. Same letter, same context. Romans
chapter 8, two, three chapters previous to this one. And whom he did predestinate,
them he also called. And whom he called, them he also
justified. And whom he justified, them he
also glorified. Paul said those ones there, God
hadn't cast him away. No. And then the second thing
is that he said here is this, that distinguishes the 7,000
from all the others and whoever they are today. We don't know
how many there are. We knew how many there were in Elijah's day. I don't know how many there are
now. But I know why they are. Because
God hadn't cast his people away. His promises are yea and amen
in Christ. And they always will be. And
secondly, He reserved them. He kept them back from doing
that. From bowing their knee to bow. That's what we'd do naturally.
That's what we'd do if God left us alone. We'd be worshiping
ourselves. God has reserved to Himself those
ones whom He chose, those whom He foreknew, and predestinated,
and called, and justified, and glorified. He has prevented them
from bowing their need of Baal, that which is natural to us.
He's given us a new heart that despises Baal and loves Him. Those who have seen and known
the Lord Jesus Christ will never bow to anyone or anything else. And God has revealed unto us
His Son. All of those whom He chose. And
then thirdly, He said there's a remnant according to the election
of grace. Because God hasn't cast away
his people, because he has reserved to himself those whom he loved,
there is a remnant according to the choice of grace. A remnant, that which is left
over when you've gathered material of whatever kind to do a certain
job, and that job is done, and there's some material left over.
That's us. As far as this world is concerned,
we're the leftovers. But we're God's leftovers. The exceptions to the divine
judgment of God in Luke 13, 1 through 5, and I have to hurry, but in
Luke 13, 1 through 5, The Lord Jesus talks about some that a
tower fell on and killed them. I forget how many there were.
I think there were 18 of them, he said, that were killed by
a tower falling over. And he said to his disciples,
do you think those men were bigger sinners than everybody else that
the tower didn't fall on? That's why the tower fell on
them, because God was, you know, punishing their sin. He said,
oh, no, it's not that way. He said, except you repent. you're
all going to perish the same way. Not by a tower falling on
you necessarily, but suddenly an absolute destruction. Can you imagine being just, you
would explode if a tower fell on you. God's going to destroy
those who repent not, suddenly and absolutely. Exactly the same
way. He said, except you repent. That's what's going to happen
to you. Why didn't he say it this way? Why didn't he say,
except you reject God and be evil, you'll be fine? Why wasn't
it the other way around? Well, because we all reject God
and are evil by nature. That's just, that's the rule.
That's the way we are already. We're walking around doing that
already. The exception is that God gives repentance to some.
Paul told Timothy, teach those that oppose themselves and maybe
God will give them repentance. And then they won't be destroyed
suddenly or without remedy. The repenters are the exception. The remnant. Everybody by nature
rejects God. And as such are on the path to
sudden and complete destruction. All that needs to happen for
you to be destroyed is nothing for God to just leave you as
you are. So we're the exception who believe
on Christ, the remnant among the whole. But we're God's remnant. And unbeknownst to this world,
we are the select and precious ones of God. Nothing to this
world, but select and precious to our God. There is in this
world, Romans 11, 7, the election and the rest. And these are elect according
to His grace. It's the election of grace. It's
the choice of grace, not the choice of free will, the choice
of God. His sovereign free grace is upon
us all who are His. And thus we have all blessings
in Christ and all of the things that Paul said had to happen. In chapter 10, in order for a
sinner to be saved in the experience of salvation, the preacher got
to go, he got to preach, it's got to be heard, there's got
to be faith in the heart, there's got to be a calling upon God,
and then there's salvation. All of that, why didn't that
happen to everybody, he asks. Because only the ones whom God
reserves, only the ones whom he has chosen according to his
grace, are the ones who bow. are the ones who repent, are
the ones who truly hear the gospel and believe in their hearts and
cry out to God. He's answering that question.
In chapter 9, he talks about the election of God, the grace
of God. Jacob, have I loved? Esau, have
I hated? In chapter 10, he talks about the experience of salvation. When God saves you, what happens
in here? What happens for that to happen? And here he brings them together
and shows how the one happens because of the other. You believe
and cry because God loved you and chose you and elected you
and determined to show the riches of his glory on vessels of mercy
like you. That's why it happens to you
and not others, because God has a remnant. There is a direct
and unbreakable connection between Romans 10-16 and Romans 11-4. Look at them with me. Romans
10-16. They have not all obeyed the
Gospel. For Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath
believed thy report? Who believes and who doesn't?
Look at Romans 11-4. God answers Elijah this way,
I have reserved to myself 7,000 men who have not bowed. the knee
to the image of Baal. Who hath believed? Those ones
right there. When you understand the connection
between those two verses, you'll know what grace is, and therefore what salvation
is. It's the free, electing, distinguishing
love of God. Marvelous, infinite, matchless
grace. Amazing grace. The grace that
religion talking about this morning that amounts to just God giving
you another chance to do the right thing. There's not much
amazing about that. But this grace here amazes me, doesn't
you? That God would look upon such a wretch as I. And love me with an everlasting
love. And with loving kindness draw
me to himself. That's grace. Let's bow in prayer.