Have you seen that commercial for ipads? Those things amaze me! You can actually point your ipad to the sky and it will tell you which star and constellation you are looking at! Amazing! But let me ask a basic question: How does the Bible start?? In the beginning ……..!
Why is it that we get fascinated with so many things, do many things, and learn many things and we forget that everything starts with God? We will really not learn anything significant until we accept the facts that:
God is the Creator of everything!
God knows everything (omniscient)!
God is always present (omnipresent)!
God sees everything all at once!
Before we read the Word of God, we must commit to these truths. You see, when God talks about the past, the present, and the future, God knows the reasoning for everything! The question is, will we totally trust Him?
Our tendency as human beings, because we are stained with sin, is to have proofs/records of what happened in the past, to feel good about the present (in other words we live with our emotions), and we question the future because it is unknown! On the other hand, God knows and sees everything all at once at any point in time! Will you trust Him?
If you are ready to trust God, then grab his Holy Word and open it to Romans Chapter 11. Before reading, let us together pray our commitment to God’s Word
(show prayer slide)…….
Read along with me Romans 11………
Verses 32-36 affirms what I shared at the beginning: God knows and sees everything all at once at any point in time! We human beings can not do what God can do! Why then do we question Him? We question God because we are sinners who think we can be God! We would say, I know the past because we have records of the past; I know the present because I am experiencing it right now; and I can know the future based on the past and the present!
Sounds logical? Let me ask a couple of questions: Can a person really know everything that happened in the past?? Can a person experience what everyone else in the world is experiencing right now??
If a person really doesn’t know everything that happened in the past and can only experience what’s around them, how can they really predict the future? Only God knows everything! We human beings can not do what God can do!
Why then do we question God? - because we are sinners.
Does God know this and does He care about man’s predicament? – Absolutely! Look again at v32……
God knows we are stained with sin. Therefore God shows His mercy because not only is He an Almighty, Omniscient, Omnipresent God, He is also a loving God! How are people supposed to respond to this good God?
V36! - To God be the glory forever! Amen!
Will we commit to this amen today and everyday?
This is the question for the Israelites in Rome 2000 years ago! And so in v1-12 of Romans 11, God tells the Jews of what He is doing and what He will do through Israel! What did God say about the Jews 2000 years ago?
v1: God did not reject His Chosen people.
v2a: God foreknew what was going to happen.
V2b-4: God reminded them that He is omniscient! Can the Israelites use the excuse that God never told them about judgment and salvation? Absolutely not!
God through the Prophets of the Old Testament over and over warned the Israelites that although God is a loving God, He is a Holy God who has to judge sin!
A quick note of application for people of today:
Is the Old Testament the Word of God? Yes or no??
Is the New Testament the word of God? Yes or no??
Does God warn people through the New Testament that although He is a loving God, He is a Holy God who has to judge sin? Yes or no??
Now, in relation to God’s warnings, what’s the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament??
In the New Testament, God’s solution to judgment is not just promised but realized! (realized through Jesus Christ!)
Now, let’s look again at Romans 11:5……
What is God saying to the Israelites? As the transition happens from the Old Testament to the New, God is saving people from Israel! And according to v5-6, does God save people from judgment because of the good works they do? God saves people because of His grace, not by people’s good works! No one can be righteous with god through good works or religion! We talked about this last week from Romans 10 as the Israelites tried to be right with God with their “religious” works.
In v11, we can note 2 truths from God:
a. God brought salvation to the entire world through Israel!
God used Israel to bring the rest of the world back to Him. And what is God doing now to Israel?
b. God is using Christians to bring back Jews to Himself! Now, sadly many Jews would see this as an insult wouldn’t they? Wouldn’t you and I find it hard to listen to an enemy? And of course because God knows all and He is a God of love, what does God immediately tell the Jews in verse 12 of Romans 10? God says there will be much richness to still come to the Israelites through Jesus Christ!
God is not done with Israel! God promises Israel great things, but this promise is for the people of Israel who will believe in Jesus Christ! Let’s think about this for a moment for the Jews who will believe in Jesus Christ. What great things did the Israelites of old experience from God? What glorious things did the Israelites in the Old Testament experienced??
God was telling the Jews that for those who will believe in Jesus Christ, if you think the days of Moses, King David, and King Solomon were awesome, you haven’t seen nothing yet!! Let’s take a look at some of the awesome things to happen after Christ’s ministry on earth.
Turn with me to the Book of Acts; look at v8-9………
And look at Acts 2:17-21…………
Turn to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18..…..
And of course God gives us a glimpse of the complete Israel in heaven; turn to Revelation Chapter 4………
Along with the Israelites who will accept Jesus Christ as their only Savior and Lord, we too who believe in Christ will experience all the riches from God now and for forever!
Next week, we will finish Romans 11 and also celebrate Communion. Let us conclude by summarizing the biblical principles from the passages we looked at this morning.
God knows and sees everything all at once at any point in time!
We human beings can not do what God can do!
God is a loving, merciful God!
Salvation from God’s judgment is by grace not by works.
And so, whether Jew or Gentile, the question for all of us is, “Will we completely trust this all knowing and perfectly loving God?” In other words, will we live our lives based on an almighty God who desires a perfect relationship with us?
Trust God! What does this mean for the non-believer in Jesus Christ?
Basically, if you’re not a Believer in Jesus Christ, you’re completely missing the life intended for you! And not only is the non-believer in Christ missing true life, they will be completely separated from God when they leave this earth to a place where there will be constant weeping and gnashing of teeth; a place for demons, you don’t want to go there!
And, what does trusting God completely for the Believer in Christ? Remember what we noted from Romans 11:11, God is using Christians to bring other people to salvation!
How does grace and works work for the Christian?
Christians are saved by grace but Christians are called to work for God! Will you and I completely trust God by doing work for Him?
If you were told by the best doctor in the world that you only have 1 month to live, will that impact how you’d live today?
What if the richest person in the world said to you, “I want to bless you and in 2 weeks you will have a million dollars in your personal bank account!” Will that impact how you’d live today?
Jesus Christ promises all the riches in heaven!
How is that promise impacting your life on a daily basis?
