God Is Not Through With Israel

SERMON OUTLINE:

(1). IT INVOLVES THE GRAFTING OF GOD (vs 11-24).

• (a). the reason (vs 11-15 )

• (b). the results (vs 16-17)

• (c). the reminder (vs 18-24)

(2). IT INVOLVES THE GUARANTEE OF GOD (vs 25-32)

• (a). his promises (vs 25-27 )

• (b). his purposes (vs 28-32)

(3). IT INVOLVES THE GLORY OF GOD (vs 33-36)

• (a). God’s greatness (33-34)

• (b). God’s grace (vs 35)

• (c). God’s glory (vs 36)

SERMON BODY:

Ill:

Things I have learnt from gardening:

• Nothing ever looks like it does on the seed packet.

• Your lawn is always slightly bigger than your desire to mow it.

• Whichever garden tool you want is always at the back of the shed.

• The only way to ensure rain, is to give the garden a good soaking.

• Weeds grow at precisely the rate you pull them out.

• Autumn follows summer, winter follows autumn, drought follows planting.

• Evergreens go a funny shade of brown in the winter.

• The only way to guarantee some colour all year round is to buy a garden gnome.

• However bare the lawn, grass will appear in the cracks between the patio paving stones.

• When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed;

• And not a valuable plant is to pull on it.

• If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.

• TRANSITION: Our passage this morning does have a brief link to gardening;

• We have some ‘horticultural’ theology via an illustration in this chapter.

• And we will look at that in a moment.

Let me remind you that:

• We are concluding a significant section of Paul's letter to the Romans,

• If you have been here for previous studies,

• Then you probably know that chapters 9-11,

• Ask and answer the question;

“If Israel is God's chosen people and they have rejected faith in Christ as the way of salvation, what will happen to them?”

• In our section the apostle Paul uses the Gentiles to assure Israel of a future restoration.

• The Jews (Israel) may have forsaken God,

• But God will not forsake them.

• These three chapters teach us that:

• God does not abandon his people or forget his promises!

• So now, let’s look at our verses for this morning.

(1). IT INVOLVES THE GRAFTING OF GOD (vs 11-24).

Ill:

• If you are a gardener then you will be aware,

• That is possible to buy one tree for your garden that grows more than one type of fruit.

• The process used is called ‘grafting’ or ‘graftage’

• This is a horticultural technique;

• Whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together.

• You can ‘Google’ or visit ‘YouTube’ if you want to see how this works.

• TRANSITION: Grafting is the illustration used by the apostle Paul in these verses;

• The joining together of two peoples – the Jews and the Gentiles.

(a). The Reason (vs 11-15)

(The reason this grafting is taking place):

“Again I ask: did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!

13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?”

• Because the people of Israel rejected Christ,

• They refused to believe in him for salvation,

• God turned to another people - Gentiles (non-Jews),

• And he has opened the door of salvation wide for them.

Quote: The apostle John in his gospel put it this way (chapter 1 verses 11-12).

“He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”

When ‘Israel’ (the Jewish people) rejected the gospel:

• God sent it to the Gentiles and the Gentiles believed!

• And so, in these verses the apostle Paul teaches;

• That God has used the salvation of the Gentiles;

• To provoke the Jewish people to jealousy.