The grafting in of Gentiles and Jews
Romans 11:11-24
Good morning everyone, if you could turn to Romans chapter 11verses 11-24.
Continuing in our series with Christianity 101
Looking at the letter Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Rome.
Understanding and seeing all the chaos that has broke out in Israel, I do not think it a coincidence that we land on Romans 11 this morning.
The nation of Israel is under attack and many people are dying on both sides and we should be a people of prayer and be lifting this biblical nation up before our holy and righteous God.
Because of time, we are not able to read the whole chapter but in the beginning of chapter 11, the Apostle Paul begins with a question…Does God reject His people?
His people being the Jews and the nation of Israel.
Because of the covenant with Abraham and his descendants Paul says an emphatic No!
Romans chapters 9-11 is a package that speaks of the grafting in of both the Jews and Gentiles in the wonderful works of Jesus on the cross.
The question…does God reject His chosen people is a hard question to understand when you read and see that the Jews at this time as a nation have rejected Jesus Christ as savior.
In fact Paul references scripture that says the prophet Elijah cried out against Israel (3) “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me?
Funny how many in the thick of battle think they are the only ones going through something, only ones persecuted…only ones that are standing up for righteousness of God.
God answers him but it is not the answer he is wanting- “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
God’s answer reminds a crying prophet that as much as he thinks that he is the only one- God has in fact seven thousand just like him serving and not bowing to Satan and doing evil.
He reminds him that there is a remnant, chosen by grace and not by works that will not bow and will not serve other Gods.
God has always had a remnant of people- there has always been a remnant of believing Jews. Those who believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah.
He has always used that remnant to accomplish big things for His glory and tasks.
God says that right now they struggle to believe. (7) “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so they could not see so that they could not hear.”
Right now they have a blinded eye- stupor- “a state of unconsciousness or insensibility”. Drunken stupor is to drink enough alcohol that you are unconscious of the things around you to make right decisions.
Israel’s rejection of Jesus is not final.
We will see what that means in a moment.
So we come to the text- the grafting as a noun, a shoot or twig inserted into the trunk so that it can receive nourishment. Medically, a tissue that is grafted or surgically placed- (connection) so the fallen Jews to be grafted back on the branch of God and the Gentiles (all others) having an opportunity to be grafted in and experience salvation. (Let that sink in for a minute)
Romans 11:11-24 Read from Bible clearly and slowly.
Apostle Paul to the church at Rome and to us tells us that the Jews have not fallen so far that they could never come back or recover.
That because of their transgression that a window of opportunity has come to all else so that all are invited to be a part of the family of God under the Lordship of Christ.
That the fall of the Jews would be a blessing to all others.
How much more will God rejoice as His chosen people come back to Him?
Paul’s argument is that God has a plan, a divine plan that started at the promise of Abraham and it’s fulfillment in Christ going to the cross.
That all might have an opportunity for salvation through the wonderful works of Christ.
“ Saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.” (Repeat)
God has not rejected his people in the fact that there is always a remnant of God’s people and that they will spread the word of God and see people come to Him.
Paul presents himself as a case in point- “I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. That doesn’t mean much to Gentiles, but the Roman Jews understood what he was saying- How can anyone think that God has rejected his people? Consider the evidence; I Paul, am an Israelite and a believer. More than most of my fellow Israelites. I am all that and a bag of chips!
I was a victim of the same zeal that blinds them to Christ.
The grace that rescued me can save anyone.
Galatians 1:13-17
“For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.”
We see Paul’s conversion in Acts 9
“Who are you Lord, Saul asked. I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
The one who persecuted the church is now the one that will begin the gospel to the Gentiles.
Transformation! Like only God can do in a heart!
Saul, now called Paul (22)”Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.”
Look what he writes to the church of Corinth
2 Corinthians 11:22-
“Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abrahams descendants? So am I.”
We are now in a time of Gentiles receiving an opportunity to embrace Christ and the cross, but in time there is coming a time that there will be a massive move of God on the Jewish people and will see them come and embrace Jesus as Lord.
Ezekiel 18:32
“For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the sovereign Lord. Repent and live.”
18th century preacher Jonathan Edward’s famous sermon- “Sinners in the hands of an angry God.”
His sermon compares the way that God looks at sin- He hates sin, and as sinners, we are facing his wrath. But because of Jesus, because of the grace and mercy of God, He loves us enough that He desires no one to go there except for the devil and his angels who it was created for.
One preacher has said God hates sin because he loves you.
God is repulsed by sin, but does not delight in those that don’t except his way of forgiveness.
Heavens war against sin is a fight to save the sinner from death.
Steve’s Camp song from 1993 says
”But the hands of an angry God were pierced and bleeding…
As he embraced all heaven’s wrath upon the cross.
And the hands of an angry God still reach out pleading.
For He came to seek and save that which was lost.”
So let me with the Lord’s help try to put a few more pieces together and then end with a word of hope and encouragement.
Verses 16-23 talks about dough and the giving of the first fruit and if the root is holy then the branches are holy. For the sake of time, these are statements of the patriarch’s of the nation…Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Because of their faithfulness and because of their covenant with the Lord that yes some of the branches have fallen off the vine but one day they will be grafted back.
(17) “If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among others and now share in the nourishing sap from the Olive root, do not consider yourself to be superior to those branches. If you do, consider this: you do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, branches were broken off so I could be grafted in.”
The Olive Tree: An Allegory for Those Who Believe In Jesus
In verses 16-24, Paul develops an allegory of the olive tree.
An allegory is a story or picture with a hidden meaning. Each of the characters or elements of an allegory symbolizes a particular person or idea. You might think of The Pilgrim’s Progress or The Chronicles of Narnia.
So let’s start by identifying the elements in Paul’s allegory and what each one symbolizes.
We have already seen that the root in verse 16 represents the patriarchs, and the branches are Jews that believe in Jesus.
The broken branches are, accordingly, unbelieving Jews—that is, Jews who have failed to recognize or believe in Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah.
John wrote of Jesus in the first chapter of his gospel, “He came to his own (that is, the Jewish people), and his own did not receive Him.”
The wild olive shoot represents Gentiles who HAVE chosen to believe in Jesus, who have recognized Him for who He is, the Son of God and the only Savior, and have transferred their trust to Him.
The “others” in verse 17 are the “faithful remnant” of Jews who believe in Jesus and accept him as their Messiah.
In America, people will be without excuse when they stand before God and say that they did not know that they needed a relationship with Jesus-
Those 1000’s of phone calls made by pastors to connect wayward people back into a right relationship with the Lord.
1000’s of invitations thrown out as they were asked to be a part of the church worshipping and fellowshipping together.
Hopefully all the invitations that people say they are extending to their neighbors and friends.
One day…bless their hearts. They will be out of time and out of chances.
As we close, a time of prayer for Israel and those that need to reconnect with the Lord. Those that are disconnected… and no longer want to be disconnected.
It is both scary times and exciting times. Scary because we see the world now needs Jesus more and more and people seem to be farther and farther away from Him.
Exciting times because we are here at this time for a purpose and have been appointed for such a time as this- to spread the gospel to all who will have an open heart to listen. That Jesus Himself would open those hearts to hear and respond to Jesus.
The taping clock says that we have a few minutes so we will close is prayer and then those in house, we will continue to pray and then we will take holy communion together – let’s pray.
