Redeeming Love

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This is a sermon based on Romans 11:1-36, and it is part of a series of messages that Pastor Les has been preaching through the book of Romans.

Written Excerpts:

Introduction:

We are ready to wrap up another major section of our outline on Romans by taking a look at chapter 11 today.

In Chapters 9 and 10 we have discussed other aspects of God’s sovereignty (infinite authority and power) over His creation, including His purposes for the patriarchs and the nation of Israel. One of the themes that Paul has emphasized in those chapters includes God’s choice to move away from using Israel (the Jews) because of their lack of faith expressed through obedience. Near the end of chapter 10 Paul used an OT quote to emphasize the fact that the Gentiles have responded to the message of God’s redeeming love even though they weren’t actively seeking after God. As I said last week, “Even though they weren’t seeking after God, they did respond when they learned that God was seeking them.” On the other hand, Paul gave another OT quote to describe the fact that Israel has rebelled against God in spite of repeated attempts by God to get their attention and help them get it right.

In this current chapter, Paul’s predominant message is that God isn’t finished with His people yet. Yes, as a nation, Israel has been set aside, and many, many individual Jews have missed God’s will for them, but God has always had a remnant of people who haven’t forsaken Him and God will once again use the faithful remnant to restore His grace to the Jews and they will join with the Gentiles to complete the “congregation of the faithful,” “the Bride of Christ,” or the “Church triumphant.”

Let’s turn our attention to the message God has for us today in the 11^th chapter of Romans. 

B. Israel’s restoration illustrates God’s sovereign love. (11:1-36)

This chapter is about love, forgiveness, and redemption. There are some very specific matters that Paul includes in this chapter for our proper understanding of how God works with people, but the overall theme of the chapter focuses on how God’s heart is not for the doom and destruction of souls, but for the salvation and redemption of souls.

i. God’s love is shown by His remnant in Israel. (1-10)

¹I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. ²God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, ³"LORD, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life"? ⁴But what does the divine response say to him? "I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal." ⁵Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. ⁶And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. ⁷What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. ⁸Just as it is written: "God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day." ⁹And David says: "Let their table become a snare and a trap, A stumbling block and a recompense to them. ¹⁰Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see, And bow down their back always."

v. 1 “cast away” – “push away,” “repel.” Aorist tense, which would imply a completed, final action.

Paul begins his argument for the future hope of Israel by insisting that God has not completely discarded His people, and the proof of that is the fact that he (Paul) is an Israelite (Jew).

v. 2 “God has not cast away His people” – There are specific texts in the OT that Paul is probably thinking of to support this claim such as Psalm 94:14 For the LORD will not cast off His people, Nor will He forsake His inheritance. (et. al.)

“whom He foreknew” – We’ve already talked about the fore­knowledge of God in Chapter 9.

Since God’s knowledge is not limited by the constraints of time, He knows everything about the future just as perfectly as the present, but His knowledge doesn’t cause the fulfillment.

“Elijah…” – Illustration from OT that God always has had a remnant of faithful people in spite of mass departures from the truth.

v. 5 “present time…remnant” – In addition to the OT example of the faithful remnant, there continues to be faithful believers in the present as well.

“…election of grace” - According to John Wesley, the election of grace is that gracious purpose of God to save those who believe. (Reasoner)

v. 7 “Israel…not obtained… elect have obtained” – Repeats what he has already discussed in previous chapters, i.e. Israel did not obtain salvation because they sought it through works, but the elect did because they met the condition for election – faith. (see also v.20 in this current chapter.)

vv. 8-10 provides further proof from OT confirming what we’ve already noticed before, that God will strengthen the decision of those who refuse to believe by granting them their desire through further blindness and hardening. (e.g. Pharaoh)

ii. God’s love is shown by Israel’s restoration. (11-32)

a. The purpose of Israel’s rejection. (11-24)

¹¹I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. ¹²Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! ¹³For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, ¹⁴if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. ¹⁵For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? ¹⁶For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. ¹⁷And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, ¹⁸do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. ¹⁹You will say then, "Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in." ²⁰Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. ²¹For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. ²²Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. ²³And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. ²⁴For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

This section does not present the cause of Israel’s rejection, but the purpose of their rejection.

The cause was their lack of faith demonstrated by disobedience. But the purpose of their rejection was the salvation of all the Gentiles, which was God’s purpose from the very beginning. (Certainly implied in the promise to Abraham in Gen. 12.)

v. 11, “…that they should fall? Certainly not!” – Before describing the purpose God has for rejecting Israel, Paul gives a hint that restoration is assured.

vv. 11 & 14, “provoke to jealously” – Both God and Paul are expecting the salvation of the Gentiles to instigate a jealousy in the minds of Jews, which will bring them back to the place of faith and obedience.

If this (jealousy resulting in renewed faith) should happen, it will only enhance and expand the effects of the gospel that have already been happening among the Gentiles. (vv. 12-15)

vv. 17-21, Paul sternly warns the Gentile readers of this letter to be careful how they receive and respond to the gospel.

It is only logical to conclude: if God did not spare those who were originally chosen, then He will also judge us if we fail to actively respond to him in faith.

b. The promise of Israel’s restoration. (25-32)

²⁵For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; ²⁷For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins." ²⁸Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. ²⁹For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. ³⁰For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, ³¹even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. ³²For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.

v. 25, “blindness… until fullness of Gentiles…” – this condition of failing to see and understand God’s plan of salvation will have a defined duration… until the Gentiles have reached the fullness of their day of grace and salvation.

v. 26, “all Israel will be saved” – probably does not mean every individual Jew, but the nation as a whole will once again return to genuine faith in God, which will include recognition of Christ as the Messiah.

iii. God’s nature is exalted in praise. (33-36)

³³Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! ³⁴"For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?" ³⁵"Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?" ³⁶For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Paul finishes this entire section by giving vent to his praise to God, who is far above and beyond all our abilities to understand.

There is no way we can fully comprehend or even describe the greatness of God.

His ways are far above our ways, and His thoughts above our thoughts.

His Redeeming Love is far beyond any plan or design of man.

He is worthy of praise!

Conclusion:

Listen to the words of the first verse in the song: “He Didn’t Throw the Clay Away.”

Empty and broken, I came back to him;

A vessel unworthy, so scarred from sin.

But He did not despair...He started over again

And I bless the day, He didn't throw the clay away.

Dear friends, God’s love is a redeeming love!

God extends mercy and grace over and over because He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

If you have turned away from God, and like Israel, you have felt the sting of His discipline and the loss of His peace and presence, You can come back to Him!

His love is a redeeming love. He loves to reclaim those who have left Him. He loves to redeem the wayward and the lost.

Give Him a chance!