The Divine Election Of Israel - Part 2 Series

Tonight, we will continue our study of Romans Chapter 9. Last week, we opened the study of these vital three chapters, Romans chapters 9-11, as a critical understanding of Israel and her relationship to the new covenant and the church today. And last week, we saw how Paul was in travail over Israel's rejection of the gospel. What Paul wanted more than anything was to see his people and his nation come to know and realize that Jesus was the Messiah. This challenged us to share the same passion, not only for the community around us but also for Israel too. This brings us to an important question we have to answer tonight.

If you were to go to Israel today, you would discover a Jewish culture that is primarily secularized. A dichotomy exists in this land where the Bible took place. However, among the Jewish people, two dominant views regarding the Messiah largely exist. The first is the secular view, which states that the nation of Israel is the Messiah. It is the nation that will save God's people. The second dominant view is that the Messiah is yet to come. The Jewish people are today are expecting Messiah to come and open the eastern gate of the temple mount, which was sealed by the Turks, and ascend his throne on the temple here now; we know this to occur at the second coming of Christ, but they don't recognize Jesus asthma Messiah so they are still expecting his first.

Herein lies this critical question that we will answer this week and next. The question is, “How is it that the Jews missed their Messiah?” Both of these views reject categorically that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. And when you think about this, it is shocking because it was Israel that was given the blessing of bringing him into the world. It was the prophets who proclaimed throughout this land that he was coming. Here in Israel, Jesus's ministry of teaching and healing occurred, his disciples were called, and the prophets were fulfilled.

Yet, with all the biblical data and all the historical facts that fill the land, the Jews still reject Jesus. This nation that God uniquely chose to be a source of blessing for the entire world, and yet the religious leaders of his day who had the entirety of scripture at their hands, who were given the blessing of these revelations, reject him. In other words, if the leading Jews of the time of Jesus Christ did not believe he was the Messiah, and for the most part the Jews then and the Jews today do not believe he was the Messiah, then how could he really be Messiah? Why would God give them a messiah their leaders would reject and consider a heresy?

So what we are left with, is a divide between Christianity and Judaism. If you were to ask any orthodox Jew, they would see Christianity as a blasphemous heresy. In their minds, Jesus could not possibly be the Messiah or the religious leaders of his time would have accepted him as Messiah. This isn't anything new because this is precisely how they essentially felt in the apostle Paul's day. The attitude is this” “If God sets aside His people because of the Messiah that no one believes in, then God has broken his promises and covenants, and His Scriptures are false, and we cannot accept that.” This rejection is what Paul addresses in Chapter 9.

And so, over the next several weeks, we are going to unpack this. And so Paul is going to say four things:

1. The unbelief of Israel is not inconsistent with God's promise,

2. The unbelief of Israel is not inconsistent with God's person,

3. The unbelief of Israel is not inconsistent with God's prophets

4. The unbelief of Israel is not inconsistent with God's prerequisite.

So tonight, we’re going to unpack how Israel's unbelief is not inconsistent with God's promise in verses 6 to 13.

6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. Not all descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” (Romans 9:6-13).