Well, as I said, we're continuing tonight and finishing Romans chapter 11, which next time we move into the gratitude section of Romans in chapter 12. I almost timed it perfectly with Heidelberg, but I didn't get quite right. But tonight we are on the end of Romans 11, verses 25 through 36, found on page 11 26 I'll read at verse 17 to the end of the chapter. Let's give our attention tonight to the Word of the Lord.
"But if some of the branches were broken off and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it's not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Then you will say, branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in That's it. That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. Do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity towards those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in His kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in. For God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree and grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these the natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree?
Now, our text tonight: lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers. A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion; He will banish ungodliness from Jacob. And this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake, but as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned them all to disobedience that He may have mercy on all. Oh, the depths! The depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? Or who has given a gift to Him that He might be repaid? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen."
Well, understanding the big picture to something, the master plan of something is an important help to people of a project. It's essential. If you don't understand that master plan or what's happening, you're not going to put a lot of effort into something, are you? You're not going to understand what's happening. Um, it would be crazy if you signed up to build a house and you didn't know who was going to live there, what the plans were, why you're building it. You just signed up to build the house. That's how a lot of people look at the church. What is this we're a part of? What are we doing? What is it accomplishing? What is the master plan? That's what this helps us with tonight. That's what the Lord is helping us to understand.
The same is true with regards to the Christian ministry and the goals and objectives of Christian ministry. That's important that we understand purpose. That's important that we understand a plan that is set out, because if you know that God has the plan, then you'll give yourselves to that plan. And if we have no idea of that plan we don't know what he's doing then we will have no motivation, no service, no passion, no completion. Kind of an ignorance that really facilitates a dull and kind of lifeless approach to the kingdom of God.
Now, that's the great message that's here tonight: God has a plan. God's told us of that plan. He's revealed a mystery to us. He's unveiled something to us. He's handed us the building plans, if you will. And he's telling us, "I'm saving, and I'm saving all my children. And I want you to understand what that looks like. I want you to see that plan and appreciate that plan." And with that said, we come to Paul's conclusion tonight on the matter of the plan of God with regard to Jew and Gentile together as one olive tree as we talked about one people of God. And Paul is helping us so that we're not ignorant about this.
And again, you see how much confusion there is on this matter. Um, somebody said to me the other night i thought was interesting when they had the Schofield Study Bible and they got they studied dispensationalism and they fell into all that, it's really hard to come back to the Scriptures out of all of that because you kind of built a grid that you see the Scriptures through. To let the Scripture speak on their own terms on this is very important. And that's what people do: they build a system over the Scripture and they don't listen to the Scripture.
Well, that's very. That's why there's so much confusion on Jew and Gentile on this issue. And we've looked at replacement theology and these claims the last time. But God doesn't want us ignorant on this, and tonight the apostle sums up everything that he's been saying with one goal in mind: "I don't want you, as Gentiles, because that's who we are, we're the Johnny-come-latelys, if you will, we're the nations of the earth, we're the people spread out over the earth. I don't want you conceited. I don't want you ignorant about what I'm doing with Israel." That's the heart of this tonight.
God has been saying something to us very important about Israel's unbelief and how we are to understand His faithfulness to His promises. Has His word failed? This is all the way back to chapter 9: "Has God's word failed with regard to them?" And this burden, Paul. And he wants us to understand this mystery, as he calls it tonight. It's going to lead, when we do, to something very healthy among us. I plan to show that to you here for a moment. It's going to raise the value. It's going to raise the appreciation of the gospel ministry that we have the privilege to enjoy and advance. We're serving the King. This is a great privilege. And God is giving us real purpose to what we're doing. And when we understand why we have the gospel ministry and what it's actually accomplishing, we do it with meaning. And it leads to the very praise and doxology that Paul ends with. He breaks out into praise and doxology, marveling over God's ways. And that's where this should lead us.
In verse 25, he's working toward a conclusion to everything he has been saying since the beginning of chapter 9. And you'll notice in verse 25, he says, "Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers." that This is a very pastoral verse in this section because before we jump into that, he is making a final conclusion on the issue of Israel and how we are to understand their inclusion in the plan not our inclusion. He assumes we've kind of understood that by now that it was always God's plan to include the Gentiles. This is what was promised to Abraham: "And you, all the Gentiles and nations shall of the earth shall be blessed." But "I don't want you ignorant," says the Lord, "about what I'm doing. I'm telling you what I'm doing." This is you hear the Lord here. This is what Jesus said to the disciples: "I tell my friends what I'm doing." is all the way back to Sodom when He told Abraham, His friend, what He's doing. Because when you don't understand this, here's the problem: it leads to a lot of arrogance. It leads to disregard of people. I don't want you to be wise in your own opinion here. Notice how pride is the chief sin he's dealing with in this section among Gentiles. "I don't want it because you're ignorant about what I'm doing." And when you are, I'm afraid it leads to pride. It's an amazing statement because it tells you that if you don't really understand the Scriptures and understand the purpose of ministry and what's going on, pride will be the result.
They're not written off, Paul says. They're not written off. Now, here's the important point to understand: with the situation, the gospel spreading over all the earth it, began think of in the new covenant in that little room in Jerusalem with 122, and it's spread over all the earth. The gospel has, it's been on the Lord's terms, a sweeping success. The Gentiles have received christ you're evidence of that. But we've already studied this because he said something important: that this has occurred, the Gentiles receiving Christ, because a hardening has come upon Israel. That's how that's what opened this all up. Promises were made to them; they trespassed; they didn't receive their Messiah. That wasn't that the Lord went to plan B. God had a hardening purpose in this that's how sovereign He is. They didn't receive their Messiah, but in God's divine plan, it was being fulfilled to include you. This is very humbling, isn't it?
He opened the door at Pentecost to us all the nations and languages were there. And this, though, caused a huge challenge in the early church among with the Jews. The Jews became filled with envy It's all over Acts. it's all over acts Persecutions became common, especially because they were religion of antiquity and claim that these christians these johnny come lately's in a Roman culture that despised the new and cherished antiquity charged them for being a new set. It was great turmoil in the first centuries. And Paul is concerned about Gentile attitudes. You can appreciate what happens here in the divisions and happened in the church.
I think just for a minute, follow this, and you'll see that we know this very problem well. What's described here? We divide over a lot of things in the church. Some of those divisions are very necessary. The Apostle Paul said, "There must be divisions among us to determine who is true" when the word of God is directly violated. But it's fascinating on certain things that have never been viewed in the history of the church as essential. People will separate out into their own groups. Pride drives the brake. And it's ugly. You guys have seen this stuff. It's ugly. And we fall into it.
What Paul was dealing with was not a division over little issues. That's what I think is remarkable here. This was a division over the gospel. Think about this: of Jew and Gentile. This was at the very heart of the Christian message. They rejected their Messiah, right? They denied the gospel. So you could imagine the attitude of the Gentiles toward unbelieving Jews, right?
I think of what Paul describes in Second Corinthians 11: "From the Jews five times I've never received anything like this. But think about this: from the Jews five times I received 40 stripes minus one; three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and day I've been in the deep." All from the Jews persecuting him.
First Thessalonians "For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus, for you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets and have persecuted us. And they did not please God and are contrary to all men, forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins, but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost."
Okay. The issue is, Jews rejected Christ. They would not receive His righteousness. The Gentiles actually received it. But do you see the hatred that arose between the groups? It was bad. Gentiles, we were the ones who've attained this. They have not. How dare they persecute us? We have the Messiah. We haven't rejected Him. We're not the dogs. They're the dogs. We have baptism. They're stuck in circumcision. They've rejected the gospel and turned from it. But we have the true gospel. We have the right gospel. They're stuck in types and shadows. It's Hebrews. Their worship is corrupted. Ours is true. Ours is in spirit. What is to be our attitude toward people like that?
Now Paul's saying, "I don't want you to be ignorant of why the hardening happened, lest you become arrogant in the way you treat them." This is the sense of this. This is what he's driving home, right there. In other words, if you understand what the Lord's doing, you'll never act like that. You'll never act like that.
When the Reformation happened, which really kind of parallels some of this, there had been so much abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, we're so disconnected from some of that, it was really bad. You can just read Luther on the stuff that he saw: the priests, the sexual immorality, all kinds of abuse, doctrinally of the people. When the gospel was recovered, people fled into that freedom. I mean, the abuse was so bad, they ran into it. Finally, it's like the gates, the prison were open, and they ran out of there like a stampede. What was the danger in that? You can just read Luther. He described it: the spirit that developed among many of what he called "the enthusiasts" or "the seditious." They're trained now in revolt as infiltrators, crude, factitious, rebellious spirits, messengers of the devil, rabble preachers. He says, "I'm not even sure what they believe. I'm not even sure what they believe."
Rome was labeled everywhere by Protestants as a false church. I mean, you have the Belgic Articles on this. And you can see the strength and the emphasis of what they were reacting against at the time of the Reformation. Well, what can happen? Something really ugly. Take it closer. URC start, you know, what was the danger? Well, we reacted against the slippery slope of the denial of Scripture and new church forms. And this stuff hit close to home for many of you. There were bad. There's bad blood, right? I've seen it in almost every community where this happens. It happened in Linden. "We've gotten back to the true church, you know. We've gotten back to the true church." What is the attitude toward those stuck in compromise? Disgust. Disgust. Disgust. These aren't little things. There were gospel issues at stake. There was truth at stake. At times, divisions have to happen.
In all of these circumstances, the Jews, the Roman Catholics, Christian reform, just go through the label of all the challenges that have been there. What develops in people running out the gate? Pride. Pride.
Here's what Paul says: "Imagine the shock of this. Have you not thought God hardened them for this? Let that set in for a minute. Have you not thought God hardened them to bring this about?" That's what he's saying here about the Jews. That means that what we receive comes and came by the grace of God that opened the door for us to receive it.
I think in some ways this stuff still happens today, in a sense that God creates new opportunities because of the hardness of people's hearts, right? And He does the same thing. This is not a one-time phenomenon. Certainly hardening judgments can come on groups. Certainly hardening judgments can come on groups who compromise the word of God. The last thing that should produce in those who've been delivered is a hard, cold, uncaring, conceited spirit. That's what he's saying.
If you once had your house built on a slope, you knew that from an engineer: that, "Listen, there's a whole bunch of you got houses here on the slope. And I'm telling you guys right now, when the rain comes, all your homes are going to slide down the mountain." What if all your neighbors won't hear? And you hear. And you move your family out to a safe house. And you know that one day the rain's coming and all those homes are going to slide down the mountain. What kind of person are you if you said, "I don't care? I don't care. Shame on them for not listening"?
The attitude completely misunderstands the grace of God and the sovereignty of God. And that's Paul's concern. Remember, he said in verse 20, "Don't be haughty, but fear. And further, don't boast against the branches." What Paul was concerned about was Gentiles would lose sight of the mission here. And all of that is to say, that's why you have to appreciate the master plan. That's why you have to appreciate the mystery that he's speaking of here.
What is the mystery? Well, a mystery is not something like a novel that we open up and have to piece together. The mystery is something that we would never know unless God, by revelation, had not enlightened our eyes to understand it. And that's what this is. That's why this passage is very helpful for all these kind of scenarios.
All those statements seem to indicate Israel's final rejection of Christ, and that the Gentiles thought it was over. And if not clarified, would think, "Those Jews are just going to get their desserts." And Paul says, "You need to understand something." In verse 25: "A partial hardening. Notice that. A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in."
He says, "Look, Gentiles, there's a reason you're here. God is saying, I blinded them in part for you, but don't you dare write them off. Right? Remember his heart at the beginning of chapter 9? "My heart yearns for my countrymen. I long for them. I love them." Look back at them. Remember what Paul said? "There's a whole remnant right now coming in according to the election of grace," he said in Romans 11.
But the mystery is important to understand. Unbelieving Israel was hardened. God's purpose was to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth, the Gentiles that's why we're here, Gentiles here, and a great number of Gentiles have come into the kingdom. The Jews have become jealous. They have hardened hearts. But Paul said, "Through that jealousy, the chosen remnant, according to the election of grace, we'll come back as you magnify the ministry, as you preach Christ." That's why Paul said, "I magnify the preaching of Jesus. I preach Christ to the nations, because you know what that's going to result in? The salvation of some of them as God uses that to bring them back."
So now he emphasizes this: "That blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so here comes the conclusion to the matter."
So think what this means. Some like to say that the Jews living at the end of the world, we will see a mass conversion of them. I think you have to look carefully at what he's saying here. It goes like this: "Blindness in part, a partial hardening has happened to them, to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles have come in. And in this way, in this manner, so this way, all Israel will be saved."
Paul just said, "I don't want you ignorant about the mystery." He's not adding something new here. He's already explained it, the whole chapter. God's hardened the Jews. Right now, there's a remnant coming in. The Gentiles have been joined to the olive tree, the one lump, through Gentile inclusion. Right now, that means God is actually working through the gospel ministry that many of the Jews are being brought back to life from the dead. And if we didn't get it, he restates it again in verse 30.
Notice verse 30: "For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. Now, now." See? And so notice what he says: "For God has consigned them all the disobedience that he may have mercy on all."
So in this way, every last one of the true Israel will be saved. That's what he's saying. Jew and Gentile together, as a people, fulfilling the mystery that mystery of their hardening, our inclusion, their jealousy, their being brought back in, together forming one people as the Israel of God. That's happening. That's happening. It's not once all the Gentiles come in, then Israel will be saved. It means in this manner Israel will be saved. This is the way Israel is being saved. And you're part of that.
His whole emphasis is in the now. This is what's happening. And so what he does is cite Isaiah 59: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion; He will banish away ungodliness from Jacob. And and is this not a familiar verse to you? And this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins." That's Jeremiah. That's the new covenant. That's Hebrews 8 quoted. Jew and Gentile together. So he just said that when the great arrival of Christ comes on the scene of history that happened he'll deliver His people Israel, all of them, and you're included in that. And He has hardened, hardened them to bring you in. And now He's using you to bring them back. And we together form the Israel of God. We live in the most glorious day of fulfillment.
I'm sure that the great question of many still resides in the hearts of many is that Christians today: is "Won't there be a mass turning of Israel?"
Well, wouldn't that be great? That'd be wonderful? text is telling us we're we're living in the day of fulfillment. That's the main point. You live in the day of grace and mercy. You live in the day when the gospel door has been opened to every nation even them. And that mystery is playing out in surprising ways.
So where does that leave us in this ending, this section of Romans? Well, Paul breaks into the most beautiful doxology here in this book. If you'll notice it, it's just a wonderful doxology: "Oh, the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? And who has been His counselor? Who's given a gift to Him that He may be repaid? Oh, the ocean depths that cannot be plummeted of God's wisdom and knowledge in this great master plan His decrees his ways are totally unsearchable!
Look at how perfect the plan of salvation. Every last one of His people, Jew and Gentile, will be saved. That's what he's saying. Not one of them lost. That comes right out of the mouth of Jesus. It's a beautiful promise of the gospel. It's as if Paul's lost in the exaltation of Christ. I had he started this soul section it. There's there. Yeah, this has got to be. Um, I'm blanking tonight, but there's a beginning here and an end. And notice: "I have continual grief in my heart for my countrymen according to the flesh." And he's weeping in anguish that they would be cut off. And now, after standing in the Lord's council and understanding the mystery, he concludes tonight saying, "Through this glorious plan of redemption to the ends of the earth, God is being faithful and God is saving," and it overwhelms me. "His word has never failed. I see how committed God is to save all His people. Jew and Gentile together. Who's known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?"
It's from Isaiah 25: "Lord, you are my God. I will exalt you. I'll praise your name. You have done wonderful things. Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. Therefore, the strong people will glorify you. The city of the terrible nations will fear you, for you have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat. For the blast of the terrible ones is a storm against the wall."
Job 36: "Behold, God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him? Who is prescribed for him his way? Who can say you have done wrong? Remember to extol his work. Remember to extol his work, of which men have sung."
And Paul concludes tonight: "For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To whom be the glory forever. He is the source of our life."
Now, that's the transition to the doxology after celebrating God's master plan. But I just come back to the challenge of this text tonight: How we look at lost people. Again, since it's on my head, being out yesterday in Escondido, I talked with numerous people. All of them say they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Every single one I talk to, all of them are churchless. We live in a churchless age. They all hate the institution of the church. And God loves His church. And we have to help people to understand the glorious gospel that they might come into the church and enjoy the fellowship of the saints and receive His word together as one people. These people are alone. These people are empty. These people are sad. Miseries fill their life.
And I think the great challenge of this text, whether it's Jew, whether it's anyone, in light of the circumstances I raised, shouldn't it produce in us a real heart for the lost? There's been a lot of ugliness in the Reformed world of arrogance and pride of people who I've been guilty who bash others and judge others and look down upon others. Woe to us if we're known for that: judgment without mercy. How does that fit the gospel? See? How does that fit the gospel?
Paul wants to have us think about that and to remember our purpose, to remember the plan. God is saving. We care for them. We care for all people. May that kind of spirit that filled the apostle fill us, as it leads us to praise, as we pray for the nations to come in of all peoples. And when He brings them in on that day and we stand and we look over in glory, all the multitude, no man can number i got a feeling we're going to sing something very similar to this.
Let's thank God tonight.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your mercies to us johnny come lately Gentiles who don't deserve any of this. When we see departure, when we see hardening on people, when we see the things that they do that turn away from You, may we remember the very gospel that we confess. May we never compromise our principles. May we stand strong on the truth and tell the truth. May we never forget the aim: we want to see all peoples delivered as we were. And the evidence of that, oh Lord, will be in our humility. Give us this, oh Father, to recognize, as we saw this morning with the rich young ruler, such pride, to realize we have been brought in and carried into the kingdom as infants, all by grace. Bless us in that perspective, especially with the lost. And fulfill Your plan. And as we see people come in, may we sing this doxology for Your praise and glory in jesus name. Amen.