“The Lives of Holy Branches”
Romans 11:16-24
I’m sure we all know the proverb, “Experience is the best teacher.” In life, you often learn “lessons” from an experience, but everyone’s life “experience” is going to be different, so we need FAR MORE than “experience”; We need TRUTH that is not going to be changing; that’s why we continually go to God’s Word: “Your word is truth!”
Last week we looked at the pictures of Holy Dough and Holy Trees: We saw how Israel had received the promise from God through Abraham to receive RIGHTEOUSNESS by the gift of SAVING Faith, not works: That’s the theme of the Book of Romans: THE JUSTIFIED (or righteous) LIVE BY THE GIFT OF FAITH. (Romans 1:17: For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”) The fulfillment of the “promise” is seen in the Lord Jesus Christ. I cannot be HOLY, but God provided a substitute for me in the Lord Jesus Christ and He applies His righteousness to my unrighteousness.
Romans 3:21 explains it clearly: 21 “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and (ALL WHO BELIEVE) are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” By faith, by believing, you are justified freely by his grace. How important is grace?
Here are two other verses that support HOW God completed this work: 1 Corinthians 1:30: “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.” (What else do you need?
2 Corinthians 5:21: “God made him who had no sin (Jesus) to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Today we are going to view the same verses we looked at last week to teach us something about “The Lives of Holy Branches:” Romans 11:16 NIV: “If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches. (If you start with the HOLY, HOLY should be produced.) 17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.”
19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief (the word in the Greek means NO FAITH), and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. 22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.”
I don’t ever want to be cut off from the root or trunk of righteousness, which is the Lord Jesus Christ, do you?
We get some Godly advice here; If you have been grafted into God’s Family by Grace, Holy Branches don’t boast over broken branches.
1. The Greek word for boast (katakauchaomai) means “to glory against, to exult over, to exult one's self to the injury of another person or thing.” It’s different than pride. This is glorying and exulting in yourself to the injury of others. It is being injurious to someone else. In this case, a person is boasting over or gloating over the fact that they have received mercy but somebody else has been cut off! Don’t be joyous because someone else (another branch) has fallen away from God because of unbelief and has been broken off. You were once CUT OFF and separated from God too, and it’s only because of His mercy that you are have been grafted in.
Some in the Corinthian church didn’t hide their unholiness, and the church merely accepted it, rather than stopping it. 1 Corinthians 5:6-7 says: “Your boasting (kauchaomai) is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven, leavens the whole lump of dough? 7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.” Boasting is like a yeast of corruption in God’s Holy Body. It doesn’t only affect you, it affects others. Boasting ABOUT your own sin or relishing someone else’s demise OVER sin has to be “CUT OUT” of the Church Body before the whole LUMP becomes contaminated.
James 2:12: “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, (the law of loving God above all and your neighbor as yourself) 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over (the same word as “boasts”) judgment!” Mercy boasts over judgment.
1 Corinthians 1:31 says: "LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD."
You’ve been shown MERCY not judgment, so you must temper your life and judgment of others and show MERCY with the same type which God has shown to you…or risk being “cut off” from grace. Showing mercy to unbelievers and BELIEVERS alike is the evidence of a HOLY SPIRIT-regenerated heart.
2. In verse 20, “Holy Branches are not arrogant about themselves” (The words in the Greek are hypsçlo phroneô- hoop-say-lo-fron-eh'-o.) Literally, it says you are not to be “High-minded”. You have such a puffed up head that your chest even expands. The concept is a totally self-absorbed and self-centered pride. It’s saying: I am a strong and Holy Branch because of something that I personally possess. Holy Branches are not to be “High-minded but HOLY-minded. We are to be consecrated and dedicated to bringing God exaltation and glory, not To be arrogant to exalt yourself to the praise of yourself.
1 Peter 5:5: “You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders ; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD,(same root word-showing one's self above another,) BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”
Romans 12:3 gives us the same understanding using the same root word: “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment (this is the same root word but in the positive, in other words “in your right and sound mind”), in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” This verse is in connection with spiritual gifts, but can still be applied to the fact that you have been grafted into Christ by FAITH and GRACE, not according to your works, so you can ONLY be HIGHMINDED about Christ.
Remember that the ROOT, the Lord Jesus, supports and carries YOU, you don’t carry HIM, the ROOT.
3. Holy Branches will continue in his kindness. (Vs. 22) God’s Kindness is all of His benefits to me because He has grafted me into Christ, and preserved me from His severity. Ephesians 2:7 says: “so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” God will SHOW His kindness eternally to those who are IN CHRIST JESUS. Faith that is alive must be nourished to stay alive; faith must be cultivated. How can you cultivate faith?
Jesus died for my sins; I owe it to Him to continue in HIM and His Kindness. John 15:4 tells us how: "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” How do we ABIDE in Him? In Fellowship with Him, His Word, His People, Worship of Him, Prayer with Him. That’s how we abide with Him. If we are “born from above”, we have His indwelling Spirit in us: Don’t quench the Spirit of God by neglecting Him. If you think “ABIDING” is just going to “happen”, you’re mistaken. You have been forgiven by grace, but You have to cultivate your faith if it is going to grow. If you try to live apart from Him, you will BE APART from Him.
4. Holy Branches stand in fear. Vs. 20 “You stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid.” We subject ourselves to God with a reverent and HOLY Fear, day by day, knowing full well, that by His grace He has forgiven us, by His grace He sustains us, by His grace He will complete what He has promised. How could we NOT have a reverent fear of the Holy One, when He has applied HIS HOLINESS to us in Christ, and DISMISSED our sins?
1 Corinthians 10:12 says: “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful (LOOK CAREFULLY) that you don't fall!”
Revelation 15:4 and 19:5 both speak of a healthy and holy WORSHIP fear: “4 "Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy ; For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU, FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED.".... And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.” (What chorus do we sing?) "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.”
God has dismissed our sins and we do NOT have to fear His judgment. If you truly HAVE received what God offers, and THIS realization is yours, YOU WILL STAND IN REVERENT FEAR, and you will continue in His same kindness.
5. Finally, Holy Branches stand BY faith. (Vs. 20) “You stand (Gr. histçmi) by faith.” Some of the translations say “you stand by YOUR faith”, but I couldn’t find the word “YOUR” in the Greek text, and the NIV and King James simply say, “You stand by faith.” I don’t feel safe standing by “MY” faith, but I feel perfectly safe standing by Godly Supernatural faith that has been given as a gift by God to me! Since I have become attached and “stand” by the supernatural faith and favor of God, I know that I will STAND and be kept safe, and protected by the faith and favor of God, but that also means that I must do ALL that I CAN DO to STAY attached.
Jude 1:3: “Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.” This faith was delivered and committed to you; that’s what it means to be “handed down”. “Contending earnestly” is what people did in the gymnastic games; they fought diligently and zealously to win against their competitor, and that’s what we have to do, NOT TO gain the faith, but to keep the faith that was “handed down to the saints”.
“Standing in faith” is a REALITY; it is far more than a “feeling” or an “experience”. It is where I am established. It is an assurance of where I am IN CHRIST! If I asked you to stand up right where you are, and I asked you, where are you right now, would you have to wait for God to reveal that to you? Would you have to think about it for a minute? Of course not! You would wonder if I was a little crazy asking you the question.
Romans 5:1-2: “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.” We don’t exult in our glory, but in God’s Glory. If you exult in YOUR glory, watch out.
Stay attached in fear and reverence of God’s Grace. Nothing but UNBELIEF KEEPS a person from grace. Unbelief means “no faith.” It means NOT BELIEVING what Jesus did to save from sin. “No faith” means disobedience to loving and serving a Holy God. What is the remedy and only solution for unbelief? MERCY. YOU NEED God’s MERCY and GRACE or you will experience the severity of God. ( see Rom. 11:28-32)
Romans 10:9-11 says: “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."
Nothing but SAVING FAITH will enable a believer to STAND in grace. God started His Saving Work with justification by faith, all the way back to Abraham. Romans 4:3 says: "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." Do you believe that Christ alone is the answer for your unbelief, disobedience, and sin and that your eternal future RESTS on God BEING MERCIFUL to you on account of Christ? I hope that the faith of Lord Jesus is your experience and reality in life…and for eternity.
Romans 11: 36 says: “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen”
OUTLINE: “The Lives of Holy Branches” Romans 11:16-24
1. Holy Branches don’t “Boast” over broken branches.
(v. 18): (1 Cor. 1:31, 5:6-7, James 2:12)
To exalt one's self to the injury of another person.
Showing mercy to others is the evidence of a HOLY SPIRIT-regenerated heart.
2. Holy Branches are not arrogant about oneself: NOT High-minded but Holy-minded.
(vs. 20, 1 Pet 5:5, Rom 12:3)
To exalt oneself to the praise of oneself
3. Holy Branches will continue in His kindness. (Vs. 22, Eph. 2:7, John 15: 4-5)
4. Holy Branches stand in fear: a reverent and HOLY Fear. (1 Cir, 10:12, Rev 15:4, 19:5-7)
5. Holy Branches stand in faith. (Rom 5:1-2, Jude 1:3, Rom. 4:3, 10:9-11, Rom. 11:28-32)
I must do ALL that I CAN DO to STAY attached
An assurance of where I am IN CHRIST!
Nothing but unbelief keeps a person from grace.
Nothing but faith will enable a believer to stand.
