The Remnant That Leads To Salvation Series

The Remnant That Leads to Salvation

Dr. Bradford Reaves

Crossway Christian Fellowship

Hagerstown, MD

www.mycrossway.org

We now come to the final of three marvelous chapters that we have been studying in Romans so far this fall. I’m talking about Romans 11, of course. We are going to be taking a deep look into this fantastic chapter for the next three weeks. In this chapter Paul is going to reveal to us some of the mystery and nature of our salvation and how it relates to Israel today.

From the very outset it is important to remember that God is a God who always keeps His promises. God does not change His mind, nor does God void His promises. And with that we understand that God made a very comprehensive and specific set of promises to the nation of Israel. God promised them several things.

In the Abrahamic covenant God promised that he will make Abraham’s name great (Gen 121:1-3, 6-7; 13:14-17; 15; 17:1-14; 22:15-8). And that Abraham would be the father of a multitude of nations. That his families would be blessed through the physical line of Abraham (genesis 12:3; 22:18 ). This is a reference to the Messiah who would come from the line of Abraham.

The land covenant was given to Israel (Deuteronomy 31:10), the land aspect that was detailed to Abraham. The covenant with David ( 2 Samuel 7:8-16; et al.) Emphasizes the seed aspect of the Abrahamic covenant with God promising that David's lineage would last forever and that his Kingdom would never pass away. We could examine many others but just don't have the time. But what we must understand is that God's covenants are eternal and unconditional. If God would cancel or change His promises to Israel, we would be worshipping a God who could not be trusted.

Israel's existence today is a prophetic miracle tied to God's promises. That cannot be denied. God confirmed these promises with an oath in Genesis Chapters 12, 13, and 15. If you remember, this covenant was sealed by cutting an animal in half and laying the two halves apart from each other. God then, as a smoking furnace and burning lamp, passed between those two pieces, swearing by himself and making an oath to himself that he would keep His promises.

13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” 15 And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. 17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. (Hebrews 6:13-18)

These covenants of God sworn in the oath by God have demanded the preservation of the people of God, the nation of Israel. God has a plan for Israel. His character depends upon it his integrity depends upon it. His Holiness depends upon it. And so, god promises to redeem them. However, God also promises that those who are outside of the nation of Israel will also be blessed. It is not that God will bless Israel alone, it is that God will bless Israel and through them the world is blessed. So, all these promises given by God must be fulfilled to the Jewish people, and through Israel, millions of Gentiles have been blessed, and that does not cancel God's promise to Israel.

Unfortunately, today, because God has placed Israel aside temporarily, some have concluded that because Israel rejected their messiah, God has canceled His promises to them. Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the question Paul answers in Chapter 11. Tonight we're going to read through verses one through 10.

Part 1 is “Point Blank” - Setting Aside Isreal is Part of God’s Plan.

• Demonstrated by the Life of the Author

• Demonstrated by the existence of a Remnant

• Demonstrated in history by Elijah

Part 2 is “Grafted In” - Setting Aside Israel is Part of God’s Purpose

• for gentile salvation

• to bring jealousy to the Jews

• to bless the entire world

Part 3 is “God’s Glory” - Setting Aside Israel Has a Great Provision

• It Emphasizes God’s Sovereignty

• It Upholds God’s Integrity

• It Magnifies God’s Generosity

• It Underscores God’s Incomprehensibility

1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. 7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.” 9 And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; 10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.” (Romans 11:1-10)