What’s Up With Israel? - March 8, 2009- Romans 9-11
Turn with me this morning to the book of Romans, chapter 9. We’ve been going through this book written by the Apostle Paul to Christians living in the city of Rome. He writes giving them good news, an explanation of the wonderful salvation that is ours in Christ Jesus. We saw in chapters 3, that we truly didn’t deserve salvation. Rather, all are under the condemnation of God because of our sin: ungodly sinners, moral people, and even religious Jews. We saw in chapter 4 that salvation in by faith alone, not by keeping the law, not by trying to live according to some moral standard of do’s and don’t’s. We saw in 5-7 that we are justified by faith -- we have no righteousness of our own, but the righteous of Christ is given to us, it is credited to our account completely by God’s doing.
We saw in chapter 8 that we face trials to help us grow, to makes us spiritually mature, to develop godly character, to give us hope. And we saw last week in chapter 8 that our hope is of one day being in the very presence of God forever. When we have that hope if forever changes the way we live.
We ended last week looking at these verses in Romans 8:38+
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
These are wonderful verses, but this morning, we want to ask a simple question: Can we believe them? Today we want to look at chapters 9-11 of Romans, where Paul raises a simple question: What about the Jews?
When we think that nothing can separate us from God’s love, we have to ask: what happened to Israel? In the Old Testament we see that the Jews were God’s chosen people. God had a special relationship with this people group. They were in line for His choicest blessings. What happened to all those promises?
If God failed to keep His promises to the Jews, we have to wonder if we can trust God for the promises He makes to us. Our view of the Jews and how God keeps His promises to them determines our view of our own future. Normally we think little about the Jews, but when we consider the faithfulness of God, we NEED to have a clear understanding of what happened to the Jews. And that’s what Paul gives us here in these chapters of the book of Romans. Let’s pause and pray and ask God to help us understand this passage. PRAY.
The first thing we want to understand today is that definitely,
I. The Jews had a remarkable PAST. Look with me as I read the first 5 verses of Romans 9.
I speak the truth in Christ--I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit-- I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, for ever praised! Amen.
To understand the past of the Jews, let’s refresh our memory of exactly what a JEW is. 4500 years ago, in the area that today defines the nation of Iraq, there lived a man named Abram. He lived in a city named Ur. God called Abram to leave his family and his hometown, and God led him to the Middle East, to the area that today is known as the country of Israel. God changed his name from Abram to Abraham, and God made a special covenant to bless Abraham’s descendants. He had a son named Isaac, who had twin sons named Jacob and Esau. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, and ever since his descendants have been called Israelites.
This people group received many wonderful blessings. It says here they had
“adoption”- they had a special relationship of being chosen by God. They had
“divine glory” - they enjoyed the visible presence of God with them, signified by a pillar of fire and cloud of smoke. They enjoyed covenants, promises that God would be in a special relationship to them; they had the
“law” - Moses went up on Mt. Sinai and came back with commands written by the finger of God. They had the
“temple” where the people would go to worship their God. And they had the
“Messiah” - the promised deliverer sent from God.
The Jews truly received remarkable blessings from God. But then the OT ends, and it seems like everything changes and the focus of the NT is on the Gentiles, those who aren’t Jewish. Did God give up on the Jews?
II. The Jews have a misunderstood PRESENT - And that is what Paul helps us to understand here. He writes in verse 6: It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. He says did God fail to keep his promises? Absolutely Not! But we often misunderstand what God is doing in the nation of Israel. The first thing to know is this:
1. Most Jews have stumbled into unbelief. Think about a football team. Especially a good team. That team has a star quarterback. The quarterback has been groomed for setting up the plays and executing them flawlessly. But what do you do if the quarterback is not having a good day? In NFL Hall-of-Famer Mike Singletary’s first game as head coach of the San Fransisco 49ers, his starting quarterback was turning over the ball, and so Mike benched him in the second quarter. Another one of his starters had a bad attitude, and Mike sent him off the field and to the locker room in the fourth quarter. Mike said after the game that he’d rather play with a 10-man squad that deal with an apathetic 11-man squad.
In a similar way, God sent Israel to the locker room for their attitudes and actions. Did God kick them off the team? No way! But they have been “benched” for the current time. The Gentiles -- we who aren’t Jewish-- were the second string, and currently God put us into the game, and we’ve been given the ball to keep it in play; but soon the starting lineup is going to take the field in the fourth quarter and WIN the game, and when they do, we’ll ALL rejoice! In a nutshell, that is the idea of Romans 9-11. But let’s look a little more closely.
Most Jews have stumbled into unbelief. In verses 6-9, we see the lesson of
Isaac: salvation is not based on BIRTH - It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”
Many Jews prided themselves on their race, their birth, their family of origin. They thought that God OWED them salvation because they were Jewish. But that was faulty thinking. That was “stinking” thinking. Paul reminds us that Abraham had other children besides Isaac, but they weren’t blessed in the same way. Birth had nothing to do with the blessings of God. Paul gives another lesson here, the lesson of
Jacob: salvation is not based on WORKS. Two twin sons were born to Isaac, but Jacob was chosen to receive the greater blessings of God. Did he DO anything to earn that blessing? No! Because God determined he would receive the greater blessing before he had DONE anything. Verse 10 - Not only that, but Rebekah’s children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad--in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls--she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”
So, Paul is clear: Jews are not saved by birth nor by works. So, How are Jews saved? We know from the earlier chapters of Romans that Gentiles are saved by faith, not by works, not by keeping the law. Look here in 9:30 - What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the “stumbling-stone”.
The Gentiles are saved by faith, but so also are the Jews. The Jews tried to be saved by keeping the OT law, but in doing so, they were lost. In 10:2 Paul says that they had great zeal -- they put forth great effort to keep the law -- but it was not wise. Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.
In Matthew 23 Jesus rebuked the Jewish leaders: Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.. . you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness... You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
The Jews tried to be saved through their works, but that effort condemned them to hell. They were lost because they failed to accept their Messiah, Jesus. It says in 9:32 that Jesus became a stumbling stone for them: they just couldn’t accept the idea of a crucified Messiah.
But how can Jews be saved? Only in the same way we do: by placing faith in what Jesus has already done:
John 14:6 - Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me. Acts 4:12 - Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. In 10:4 we see that Christ will make all people -- Jews and Gentiles together-- He will make righteous all who believe. Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
So, today, most Jews have stumbled into unbelief. What does that mean for us?
We need to pray for the salvation of the Jews! There are several good organizations that focus on sharing the gospel to the Jews. We need to pray that the Jews understand that Jesus IS their Messiah.
God’s purpose has always been to magnify His name. That was one of the key purposes why the Jews were given these great covenant promises from God. But the Jews failed to be a light to their world.
Gen.12:1-3 - The LORD had said to Abram. . . I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you . . . and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you. . . and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.
Gen. 18:18 - Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.
Gen. 22:17 - I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. . . and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed.
Gen. 26:4 - I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed.
Gen. 28:14- Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.
Ex. 19:5- Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
Over and over and over again, God called the Jews to be a witness to the greatness and majesty and wisdom of God. But the Jews were content to sit back in their synagogue and let the rest of the world go to hell. And so God used their stubbornness and hardness of heart as a reason to put them on the bench and give the ball to the Gentiles. Consider what Jesus says in Matthew 21:43 - Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.
But for us as Gentiles, this also has sobering consequences. We cannot be proud that God has sidelined the Jews, but we need to seriously, earnestly, with pure hearts seek to bear fruit. We need to do our best to share this wonderful gospel presented in the book of Romans with everyone.
Why do we exist here in Owosso as a church? Not just to worship God -- God could make the rocks cry out his praise. We are here because we have been given a job to do, to share to good news of the gospel will all creatures. Remember the last instructions Jesus gave to his disciples before he ascended up into heaven. We call it the Great Commission - it is the play our coach wants us to run. We find it recorded in Matthew 28:19-20 - Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Take a moment to reflect about this: How good of a job do I do at being a faithful witness to others?
So, when we consider the Jews in present day, we understand their position is often misunderstood. Not all Jews are true Jews, believing Jews, Jews looking by faith to their messiah for salvation. The second thing about the present day is this:
2. God used the fall of the Jews to bless the Gentiles. In 9:22-25, we see that God was patient in dealing with the unbelieving Jews so that He might provide salvation for the Gentiles. Some might say, “That’s not fair!” But Paul explains for us
3. God is just in showing mercy to the Gentiles. Look at verse 14 - What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” What is truly just of God to do? Damn us all to hell! We saw that in chapters 1-3. We all deserve hell. But in His mercy, God chooses to save some. That’s not unfair, that’s mercy. God is under no obligation to save everyone. There are some churches that believe that God is too loving to condemn anyone to hell. That’s untrue. God is so loving that even though everyone deserves to be damned, in His mercy, God invites all to believe, and He saves some. There is nothing unjust about it: it is purely mercy.
The Jews have a remarkable past; they have a misunderstood present; but
III. The Jews have an Unlimited FUTURE - the best days are yet to come for the Jews. Paul tells us two things about their future. First,
• The Jews are not COMPLETELY lost - look in 9:27 - Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved. Throughout the Bible we see this idea of a remnant - a small group that is spared when judgment comes on the rest of the nation. Paul says that even though most Jews are currently blind to the gospel and have hardened hearts, there are still SOME who will respond to the gospel in faith and be saved. In 11:1 - Paul says he is a Jew who has been saved; he is part of the remnant. I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.
In 11:3 Paul says that Elijah is proof that God saves the remnant. The Jews are not completely lost. Also,
• The Jews are not PERMANENTLY lost - The future for the nation of Israel is great. There are some who mistakenly think that the church has replaced the nation of Israel and that all of God’s promises to the nation of Israel are now passed on to the church. But that goes against what God teaches us here in Romans. Rather, in 11:11 we see that the Jews are not beyond recovery: 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. Yes, the Jews fumbled the ball, but God is going to do something great through it. Think about a football game where the quarterback receives the snap, and then fumbles the ball -- he can let the other team get it, or he can pick it up and run the length of the field for a touchdown. The Jews are not beyond recovery as a nation, but when they turn in faith, their recovery will send great blessings to the whole world. Look at 11:12 - But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fulness bring! Through their hardness of heart and unbelief, the Gentiles have received salvation. But in the future, in the coming kingdom of the Messiah, we will receive even greater blessings when the nation of Israel is restored to faith.
Paul uses an example of an Olive tree in verse 17 - Israel was like an olive tree that stopped bearing olives, so the branches were broken off and the branches of a wild, uncultured olive tree were put on the tree -- that is a picture of the church becoming part of God’s plan -- and then in verse 23 we see the branches of the good olive tree are grafted back into the tree: Israel will again be fruitful for God.
So, how will the Jews be restored? 11:25 tells us God is waiting until he is finished working through the church - Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. But when that time is done, the whole nation of Israel will receive salvation - vs 26: And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. How will that happen?
We see the answer in the book of Zechariah. Consider these verses:
I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it. . . Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. . . Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the LORD Almighty is their God.’ . . . And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and . . . they will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
On the day that Jesus returns with the armies of heaven and defeats the antichrist and all his armies, the whole nation of Israel will see that Jesus truly IS the Messiah, and on that day, the whole nation will believe and will be saved.
So, what does the hope of the restoration of Israel mean to us? It teaches us to Hold on to HOPE! God is not through with Israel -- and He is not through with you either. No matter what has happened in your life, God still wants to use you for His glory. You may feel like life has you on the sidelines, but God wants you back in the game! Look for God to lead you and use you and direct your ways this week. Don’t give up hope. He has great plans for the nation of Israel, and He has great plans for you, if you will only live an obedient life.
In conclusion to this section, when Paul thinks about God’s wonderful plan of salvation, he is led to a doxology of praise to God. In 11:33 he writes, Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory for ever! Amen.
What a great, wise, faithful God we serve. He has consistently worked out his plan for the Jews, for the Gentiles, and in our lives today, and we can trust every single promise in His word. When we consider the nation of Israel, we are reminded not to live apathetically and let our hearts get cold, but to passionately love and serve our God and seek to bring Him glory in everything we do. Let’s pray.
