Romans – Chapter 11

Our Ticket, Israel Restored by God’s Grace

Romans – Chapter 11

Review

1. What was Chapter 1 about?

1. Gospel
2. Discusses how bad the Gentiles are (remember: “Greeks and barbarians”)?

2. What’s Chapter 2 about?
1. Judgment – God’s Judgment falls on all.
2. Jews aren’t much better than the Gentiles from Chapter 1
3. Chapter 3?
1. Justification
2. Faith through Salvation, not works
3. Works are THE FRUIT of Salvation through Faith (in Jesus Christ)
4. Chapter 4?
1. Faith
2. …Of their fathers (Abraham and David)
3. Shouldn’t be a new concept for them.
5. Chapter 5?
1. Result of Justification
2. We receive benefits.  Jesus is contrasted (mostly) with Adam
6. Chapter 6?
1. Life and Death – Believer’s Style
2. Alive in Christ, dead to sin.
7. Chapter 7?
1. Our Motivation – The Law motivates by Fear.  God-followers are motivated by Love.
8. Chapter 8?
1. Our Position with God in the Spirit.
9. Chapter 9?
1. This is God’s show.  He can, He does, He will…just because He wants to…just because He’s God.
2. Israel’s past
10. Chapter 10?
1. Salvation, how?
2. Israel’s present

Introduction

1. What’s your opinion of Romans (thus far)?  Easy, hard, straightforward, confusing, basic, advanced, etc?
2. How did you all do this week reading Romans?
3. What is your opinion of this chapter?  Easy or lots of questions, difficult and convoluted?
1. LOTS of stuff (topics)
2. LOTS of pronouns to keep straight
3. Insightful, a different perspective (granted, one I should have already had) between the relationship between Gentiles and Jews.
4. Can you group any of these chapters together?
1. 1-5 deal with justification / conversion, ie “getting” saved
2. 6-8 deal with sanctification - “living” saved.
3. Chapters 1-3:20 deal primarily with God.
4. Chapters 3:21-7 deal primarily with Jesus Christ.
5. Chapter 8 - introduces the Holy Spirit
6. Chapter 9 – talks about God’s Authority and the history of Israel
7. Chapter 10 – talks about God’s Mercy and the present Israel
8. Any guesses what Chapter 11 will be about? (Israel’s future and God’s grace)
5. J. Vernon McGee says “Romans chapters 1-8 are doctrinal.  Romans chapters 9-11 are dispensational.  Romans chapters 12-16 are duty.  The first eight chapters of Romans emphasize faith.  Chapters 9-11 emphasize hope.  Chapters 12-16 emphasize love.  There is another way to view Romans: the first section deals with salvation; the second section with segregation; and the last section with service.” (Thru the Bible, vol. 4 pp 708)
6. My wife HATES the news.  She rarely watches it.  It’s got to be a SERIOUS situation for her to watch it.  There are some items she pays particular attention to – things that get repetitive airtime (ie “big” local stories), the President, war, Israel, etc…  Why Israel?  We’ll see in Chapter 11.

Lesson

1. vv. 1-6 [READ – Rom 11:1-6] – Question 1
1. Why is this question (v 1) asked?

                                                               i.      Paul just “smacked down” Israel at the end of Chapter 10.  It could be that the reader might think that Israel is so depraved that they have been abandoned by God – that there is no hope for Israel.  Paul quickly dismisses this position.

2. Why is it important for Paul to identify himself as he does?

                                                               i.      Because he IS A JEW.  That’s critical.  He’s not only a Jew, but he’s of the tribe of Benjamin – which never seceded from Israel.

3. V 3-5 – Paul uses Elijah to show that he (Paul) knows that he (Paul) is not the only saved one of his kind.  Elijah wasn’t the only one.  There are others like him (both Paul and Elijah).  [See: 1 Kings 19:10,14,18]  Likewise, God will maintain others (a remnant) of Israel.  But what of the others???  We’ll get to them.
4. V 6 – what’s being said here?  Grace and Works are mutually exclusive, it seems, right?  Then, is Paul trying to say that there’s NO relationship between them?  No.  He’s only saying that God maintains His remnant by grace according to His choosing.  It’s not according to anything that people (Israelites) do (work).
1. vv. 7-10 [READ – Rom 11:7-10] – Question 2 – the “others” question we identified above
1. What’s the question?  The question is about what the result of God’s choosing means for Israel.
2. Paul mentions “Israel” and “those” […who were chosen].  Are those two groups mutually exclusive?  What’s the relationship between those groups?  In other words, what does the pronoun “those” refer to?

                                                               i.      I believe it is NOT mutually exclusive, and that “those” refers to both Jews and Gentiles.

3. “hardened” – as we’ve seen in previous chapters, this word does not mean that a decision was made for them, but rather their existing decision was “petrified” or “solidified” in them.
4. Some translations say “blinded” rather than “hardened”.  Does this difference in terms matter in meaning (if only to you individually)?

                                                               i.      I think so.  Both give me slightly different (yet agreeing) visuals.  They rejected God, so He hardened them.  But they were always blinded to His plan, He also maintained that blind state at this point.

                                                             ii.      They were always blind to God and His plan.  God just “hardened” that blindness here.

5. V 8 (See Deut 29:4) “down to this very day”. 

                                                               i.      Based on Israel’s (Jews’) actions, I believe this is still the case.  Also, because the “day of the Gentile” is not over.  (More on this later)

                                                             ii.      Did they not accept God because they had been blinded/hardened?  Obviously, this verse states that their position (lack of acceptance) occurred BEFORE they were hardened/blinded.  Yet, some people mistake this.

6. V 9-10 – (See Ps 69:22-23) This is a reference to their own prosperity (symbolized by the table) and standing with God (His chosen people) will be their demise.  Israel had feasts (ie and especially Passover) where God invited THEM to participate with Him, not vice versa as others (pagans) did.  However, they lost the importance of that tradition and practice (just like they did the Law).  They placed the importance in the fact that they kept Passover and other feasts properly, etc, rather than the true purpose of them (acknowledging and building a relationship with God).

                                                               i.      Do we have any traditions, practices, sacraments, etc that are easy to forget the “whys” and “wherefores” and just get into the production, being seen, or WIIFM (what’s in it for me)???  Sure.  Kids (and I’ll just leave it at that) like to see what other kids are taking the Lord’s Supper.  It’s significant.  It’s not just a snack.  Worship.  People “do” worship thinking about what they’ll get out of it, or what God will do today.  They forget that the purpose of worship is for US to worship God, not vice versa.  Other candidates are:  teaching, deaconship, and any other leadership or highly visible positions.

3. vv. 11-22 [READ – Rom 11:11-22] Question 3
1. What’s the next question?

                                                               i.      Did Israel stumble only so they could fall?  In other words, did Israel stumble such a way that they can never rise again?

2. The answer is no, but…

                                                               i.      No, because God will restore them. 

                                                             ii.      But, because God is using the Gentiles to provoke and make Israel jealous.

3. V 12 – if the demise and fall of the Jews are riches for the world (including Gentiles), how much more will “their” fulfillment be?

                                                               i.      Who is “their”?  Israel.

                                                             ii.      So, what then does this mean?  It states that if we receive benefit from the current state of Israel, how much better will things be when Israel regains their standing/favor with God.

4. V 13-14 – What does it mean that Paul is the Apostle of the Gentiles?

                                                               i.      His ministry was mostly to non-Jews.

                                                             ii.      He LOVES it (he magnifies it).

1.       Paul loves doing what he’s doing.  He was called to this ministry.  One thing is certain, if you’re not doing what God wants you to do, you won’t be happy doing ANYthing else.

                                                            iii.      But make no mistake, he works not only to see Gentiles won for Christ, but to provoke Israel to jealousy.

1.       Paul loved the Gentiles (which was a big deal for a Jew, especially a Pharisee), but he had an ulterior motive – to see his people (Israel) won for Christ.

5. V 15 – again, who do the pronouns reference?  Israel.  They are as “dead”.  But they will be made alive again.
6. V 16 – This reference is back to OT (See Num 15:21) practices of offering a bit of bread dough to God as a sacrifice of thanksgiving.  If the bit is holy (meaning set-aside), isn’t all of it?
7. The “root” is often referred to as the forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  If they (the root of Israel) were holy (set aside) is not the rest holy?
8. V17-20 – We (gentiles) are grafted into the holy tree established by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  However, we needn’t boast that we’ve achieved some status or position at the expense of Jews.  Why?

                                                               i.      First, because we didn’t do anything, remember.  It’s all God.

                                                             ii.      Second, because without the Jews (the forefathers of the root), there would be no place for us (gentiles)

                                                            iii.      “Do not be conceited, but fear”… wise words.  Don’t dare stand before God and tell Him about YOUR merits…

9. V 21-22 – A warning…don’t fall into the same trap Israel did.  If He did not spare His chosen people, why would He spare you/us?  Uh…we’re there and He won’t.  Be afraid.
3. vv. 23 - 32 [READ – Rom 11:23-32] The restoration of Israel
1. V 23 – So is Israel lost forever?  No.  Israel can be “grafted in again”.

                                                               i.      “again”.  That’s an important word, no?  It means they’ll be restored to their previous position with God.

2. V 24 – God grafted Gentiles in, so it stands to reason that he’ll graft Jews back in too.

                                                               i.      This verse is basically a picture of the Gentile’s position.  We’re “wild” organisms grafted into a refined organism.

3. V 25 – So, there’s a timer running…

                                                               i.      for what?

1.       The partial hardening of Israel will be lifted.

                                                             ii.      Until when?

1.       The fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

2.       That’s the Rapture.

4. V 26-27 – (See Isaiah 59:20)

                                                               i.      Does this mean every single Israeli/Jew will be saved?

1.       No.  The reference states that there is a “turn[ing] from transgression” that has to occur. 

5. V 28-29 – Jews are “enemies” in the sense that God allowed them to falter in order to open the doors to Gentiles.  On the other hand, we cannot hate our own “root”. 

                                                               i.      If we are Christians, if we are grafted into the tree of Israel, then the forefathers (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) are our roots.  We cannot hate them.  They are beloved. 

                                                             ii.      The “gifts” are that of God to us; grace.

                                                            iii.      The “calling”, both ours and Israel’s is perpetual.  It will always be.  (Ie, nothing can separate us from God)

6. 30-32 – The gentiles were/are no different than Israel.  They disobeyed, were forgiven and saved by Grace.  Israel is disobeying, will be forgiven, and saved by Grace when they’re restored, un-blinded, etc.
4. vv. 33 - 36 [READ – Rom 11:33-36] Why restore Israel?
1. Paul breaks out in praise.  There’s no argument here, although there ARE some heavy thoughts/points here.

                                                               i.      Who has known the mind of God?  Not me.  Not you.  Only God.

                                                             ii.      Who became His counselor? Not me.  Not my church.  No human.  Only God.

                                                            iii.      Who has given to Him that he may be paid back?  Not a one of us.  We didn’t make, do, give, get, build, buy, sell, work, think, etc ANYTHING that God doesn’t already have.

2. Paul ends by stating that God is the source of all things (from Him), the enabler and controller of all things (through Him) and ultimate destination and goal of all things (to Him).

Summary

1. What’s your key verse?
1. v 11
2. What do you think now of this Chapter?
1. We need to understand our position as Christians and relationship to Israel.

                                                               i.      We need to not think down on Israel, but rather pray and work for their restoration.

                                                             ii.      We reference Jews as “not getting it” and similar.  They don’t as a whole but, there is a remnant, they don’t because God has blinded them, and they will.

2. We need to understand our position as Americans and relationship to Israel.

                                                               i.      I always want to be on Israel’s side.  Because of the promises to restore Israel, my wife follows their news.  We’d be terrified if we ever heard that the U.S. had taken a stance opposing Israel.  That’s not a fight I want to be in on, if I have to face Israel.

3. What if Israel does something unbiblical?  How do we navigate those waters? 

                                                               i.      Hint: They are.  Look at the Palestinian conflict.  They do plenty of ungodly and unbiblical things in how they treat the Palestinians.

                                                             ii.      If they do something REALLY stupid, then we’d need to be careful to try to convince them otherwise, but not oppose them as in war.  Israel’s armies have some SERIOUS backup.

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