Romans 11:30-32 - Mercy on All

Romans 11:30-32 - ³⁰ For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹ so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. ³² For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.

Message: Disobedience and Mercy

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome.

What the Lord is Saying:

The Common Thread of Disobedience - verse 30
I need to understand today that I was in a state of disobedience and so I should never look at someone in that state and think highly of myself. What it should do is move me to want to share with them, not make myself out to be better than them.But here, the language is specific to the Jewish people. If anyone deserves the most compassion in their state of disobedience, it is the Jewish people.

Mercy Came Running - verse 31
I have received mercy. The Gentile has received mercy. Mercy will come again to the Jew. I remember that song from Philips, Craig and Dean, "Mercy Came Running."

Once there was a holy place
Evidence of God's embrace
And I can almost see mercy's face
Pressed against the veil

Looking down with longing eyes
Mercy must have realized
That once His blood was sacrificed
Freedom would prevail

And as the sky grew dark
And the earth began to shake
With justice no longer in the way

Mercy came running
Like a prisoner set free
Past all my failures
To the point of my need
When the sin that I carried
Was all I could see
And when I could not reach mercy
Mercy came running to me

Disobedience and Mercy at the hands of God - verse 32
The ideas of disobedience and mercy come together in verse 32 and Paul really makes a conclusion that God shuts all up in disobedience and shows mercy for all. God is the one in charge. 

Promise: From Table Talk August 28, 2014, "The Lord shows mercy to all kinds of people, so we must never think that someone is beyond the reach of God's grace."

Romans 11:28-29 - God's Irrevocable Gifts and Calling

Romans 11:28-29 - ²⁸ From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; ²⁹ for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

Message: Though some are opposed to the Gospel, God still loves Israel and His calling of them is irrevocable

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome.

What the Lord is Saying:

Opposed of the Gospel - Verse 28

As a corporate body, Israel is presently opposed to the Lord. This is Paul's meaning here. This does not mean that every Jew is against the Gospel. But, as a whole there is opposition. There is animosity between the Gentile and the Jew. It is natural. Romans 11:11 - But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. Jealousy results often in hurt feelings.

God still loves Israel - verse 28

However, we must not forget, from the standpoint of God, Israel is still beloved because of the covenant promise God made to their forefathers -- first in Abraham, re-affirmed to Isaac, and then to Jacob (Israel). This does not mean that every Jew will be saved, but as a whole God will never cast them off. 

God's calling is irrevocable - verse 29

God's calling on a people does not change. God chooses and He does not go back on His word. 

Malachi 3:6 - “For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed."

Numbers 23:19 -  

“God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent;
Has He said, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

Promise: God will not go back on His word

 

Romans 11:25-27 - Israel's Temporary Hardening

Romans 11:25-27 -²⁵ For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; ²⁶ and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,

“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”
²⁷ “This is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”

Message: Partial Hardening followed by Salvation to Israel

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome.

What the Lord is Saying:

 
A mystery revealed - verse 25
Paul here continues to speak of the hardening of Israel that has occurred, but it is a partial hardening. Paul shows it to be a mystery, but it is not a mystery as something that is mysterious, but something that was previously a mystery and now has been revealed. Prophecy can be a mystery and Paul is showing here the fulfillment of that prophecy or the salvation of Israel, that will come. 

Wise in your eyes - verse 25
Paul is concerned that people will then determine, in their own eyes, truth that is only determined by God. People espouse truth all the time and Paul wants people to always submit to the truth of the Word.  

We need to realize that we do not know everything, this is what is meant by "will not be wise in your own estimation." Stated another way, "so you will not be proud and start bragging." 

I think one problem, possibly, with this understanding is we don't realize what it means for Gentiles to be saved. I think it for granted. This is a huge thing. That in itself is a mystery, revealed. And I think this is hard for me to understand because it is something I have known and often, I am caught up in the idea that Christianity is a western religion because it has shaped the landscape of this country. But God is not finished with Israel, salvation has come to a remnant of people and salvation will come to many more. 

“The Deliverer will come from Zion," - verse 26Psalm 14:7
Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord restores His captive people,
Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad.

Paul ties together the prophecy or truths of the Old Testament with what he is saying here, that salvation or Yeshua will come out of Zion and be for Zion.

He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” - verse 26
Isaiah 59:20 -

“A Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” declares the Lord. 

This redeemer will remove ungodliness from Jacob. There will be a repentance or turning away from sin for the people of Jacob because of the Redeemer. All of these verses point to the salvation of Israel. Too quickly, I want to apply all of these verses directly to me and the other Gentiles, but they have their root application toward Israel.

“This is My covenant with them, - verse 27 
The 'them' in this verse is specifically the people of Israel. This is who Paul is speaking to in these verses. A covenant is an agreement between two parties.

Isaiah 55:3
"Incline your ear and come to Me.
According to the faithful mercies shown to David.
Listen, that you may live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you."


Promise: From Table Talk of August 26, 2014 - We Gentiles must not pridefully think the Lord loves us more than the Jews, but we must work for harmony between all peoples in the church.

Romans 11:23-24 - The Miracle of Restoration

Romans 11:23-24 - ²³ And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. ²⁴ For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?

Message: Being Grafted in, Again, Restored

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome.

What the Lord is Saying: 


The Set Up
Paul continues to be on this theme or explanation of the grafting in of Gentiles. But it really seems to be talking about how God grafts in Gentiles and Jews. He does it based upon his gracious choice (11:5). 

From yesterday, verse 22 was kind of a challenging verse, that I'm not sure if I understood the complete meaning of it: Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.

The phrase "if you continue in His kindness" mesmerized me. According to the Table Talk guide they felt like this wasn't referring to someone losing their salvation, but instead was speaking to the entire Gentile nation, in the same way previously where verses had spoken of the entire Jewish nation. I guess in the context of this particular chapter and these verses, that would seem to make sense as the texts have been talking about corporate Jewish and Gentile nation in the verses. 

Graft in Again - 23
And so now in verse 23, Paul makes the proclamation that if the Gentiles or really anyone does not continue in their unbelief they will be grafted in again. Again, the language here, I see could be somewhat confusing, but to me it is coming from different perspectives. 

God grafts in. It is God's kindness. It is God's foreknowledge. But, it is man's belief. It is man not having pride in his belief or position. It is man not falling from the truth. SO, in some ways these verse give the non-Christian hope. God is not unshakeable. God knows the saved and chooses people, but God's choosing is not random. 

Maybe what Paul is wanting to get across to people is that God is not random because there is obviously potential to think this about God based upon his choosing. But, I definitely do see that he does not choose empty vessels. He doesn't go out and choose people that have no faith or state no belief or make no proclamation of God in their life. God is not random. 

God restores people from all walks of life - 24
In verse 24 mentions olive trees. It mentions a wild tree, a cultivated tree, and then an "own" tree. The final tree being one that people are now a part of, for it is the own tree. Could it be that Paul is simply describing trees of all different sorts or different backgrounds where God restores people to himself? There are wild trees and cultivated trees, so there are people from different backgrounds, but in the end people become part of the grafted in ones, whether they are Jews or Gentiles or whatever. 


Promise: The Lord is able to bring people back to himself, from all walks of life.



 

Romans 11:19-22 - Broken Branches

Romans 11:19-22 - ¹⁹ You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰ Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; ²¹ for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. ²² Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.

Message: God's kindness leads us to repentance. Those that fall away receive the severity of God.

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome.

What the Lord is Saying:

Up to this point
I have been walking through text that is talking about the grafting in of the Gentiles because the Jewish people turned to their own way of righteousness rather than accepting the righteousness which is by faith. Paul communicates very directly how God's grace means that people are chosen by God based upon His choosing. Because of this, we never are to be arrogant or prideful about our faith in Christ. We haven't done anything special to deserve it. Yet, through all of this I am to be a witness and proclaim the message of the gospel continually in my life.

Broken branches - 19,20
Remember, branches (the Jewish nation) have been broken so that I might be grafted in. It is prophetic that the Gentile people have been grafted in, brought in to the family of God. However, we are not be conceited. Conceited is somewhat similar to pride, talked about in Romans 11:18. To be conceited is to have an excessively conceited view point of one's abilities or appearance. The focus is not to be on me. But, I am to live in Godly fear. Fear is to have reverential awe of God. Either way, my focus is not to be on my abilities, but instead to be on God and what He has done. 

Set aside for having pride - 21
This is an interesting verse because Paul shows that the Jews were set aside or not grafted in because of their unbelief and then he says that the Gentiles could find themselves in the same predicament because of their pride or self-conceited attitude.  

Kindness and Severity Contrasted - 22
We know earlier that God's kindness leads us to repentance (2:4). The problem with people is they fall away, and God is severe with them. God's kindness however lea2ds to repentance. God chooses people through His kindness. People reject God. Interesting contrast. It's not that God chooses some to hell, but rather they fall from Him and He gives them hell, yet in the reverse He chooses some with His kindness. It is always an interesting contrast. 

Promise: God prunes branches.



 

Romans 11:16-18 - Wild Olive Branches

Romans 11:16-18 - ¹⁶ If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too. ¹⁷ But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, ¹⁸ do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.

Message: Beware of feeling prideful

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome.
 
What the Lord is Saying:

From the Amplified: Now if the first handful of dough offered as the first fruits [Abraham and the patriarchs] is consecrated (holy), so is the whole mass (or lump) [the nation of Israel]; and if the root [Abraham] is consecrated (holy), so are the branches [the natural ethnic Jews]. But if some of the branches [the ethnic Jews] were broken off, while you, a wild olive shoot [believing ethnic Jews and Gentiles] were grafted in among them to share the richness [of the root and sap] of the olive tree, Do not boast over the branches [All Jews] and pride yourself at their expense. If you do boast and feel superior, remember it is not you that support the root, but the root [that supports] you.

Once a person belongs to something special and even a group that has an elite distinction, often what occurs is pride or a feeling that one earned their way into this situation. Pride may be one of the chief sins in life. Os Guinness in his book Steering through Chaos looks at the 7 deadly sins and the first sin is pride.

Pride, to me, means that we think that we are in the position we are because of something we have done and also, by being in the position we are, our position is greater than others. Pride rears its head in many different situations in life. At sporting events, the victor in the match might have pride. At a job, receiving a promotion or being a manager might result in pride. Any time a person receives recognition or a pat on the back or hears, "Job well done" pride can be at the fore front.

It is somewhat difficult to not have pride. I was reading, earlier this week, an article about being ordinary and this is something we are not encouraged to be in life, but instead we are often encouraged to be extreme or high or to stand out from the crowd. In raising children, I see this everywhere. It is hard because in raising children, I want my child to have confidence as this helps them to achieve goals and be productive. But, in that confidence should not be an elitist attitude.

I find this interesting and fascinating that Paul, after interjecting that the Gentiles, upon the sin of the Jew, received the gospel and the gracious gift of salvation, quickly comes to this illustration to present the message that these converts are not to boast over those that haven't been chosen. He wants them to remember that their position is not because of their own good works, but because of being placed with the distinguished one (Abraham, later Jesus Christ).

Wow, this is hard. It is so hard to not have the elitist thinking in life. I have done it so many times, but I must go back to Romans 1:21 which says "For even though they knew God, they did not give thanks." Our first response and here, the first that goes astray in the life of the God follower, is not giving thanks. I Thessalonians 5:18 says, "Thank God in everything." My first response is not to puff out my chest or clap that I am on the top podium or pat myself on the back or throw a bumper sticker on my car that declares my position or sneer at my adversary or opponent because I was the victor, but my first response is to "give thanks."

It is to say, "Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul, thank you, Lord, for making me whole; thank you, Lord, for giving to me thy great salvation so rich and free."

It is interesting when sports figures often do this or ever stars or performers. It is interesting when the first they do upon winning a game or accepting an award is to thank God. This is accurate and fitting. This is correct. Our first response should always be that God is to be thanked.

Promise: As fallen human beings, we are constantly tempted to believe that the reason we are Christians is that we are somehow better than others. Even within the church, we are tempted to believe that we have a monopoly on God's grace and that others who are not part of our denomination are second-class citizens in the kingdom of heaven. If we ever find this feeling in ourselves, let us repent. 



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Romans 11:13-15 - The Jews and the Resurrection

Romans 11:13-15 - ¹³ But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, ¹⁴ if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them. ¹⁵ For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

Message: Jealousy and the Jewish people; Paul sought to reach the Jews by reaching the Gentiles.

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome.

What the Lord is Saying:

In the same chapter, Paul states he is an Israelite, but also an apostle of Gentiles. This is a somewhat simple passage, it would seem. Jealousy continues to be a theme though. Paul mentions it here. Romans 10:19. Paul introduced the idea based upon Deuteronomy and the Israelites provoking God to jealousy by serving other gods. And then Paul talking about how God went out to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous. 

Paul sought to reach the Jews by reaching the Gentiles. 

In verse 15, Paul mentions the reconciliation of the world, meaning all Gentiles everywhere. Paul had confidence that the number saved would be large. 

The Table Talk reading for today was quite poignant. It defended the argument that the Reformed theology, though it speaks of the sovereignty of God and that the Creator has only chosen some for salvation, reminds us of the zeal Paul had in his ministry to reach the lost. It is clear then that the Lord works through means of all sorts, including our or my preaching of the gospel. He uses us to bring about the ends He has ordained. 

Ezekiel 37:12-14
“Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel.

“Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people.

“I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and done it,” declares the Lord.’ ”

Promise: Many will be saved.