Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Romans

Romans 11:1-10

Intro: Have you ever gotten to the place where you just had enough...
     Enough harassment, low pay and long hours at work that you wanted to quit?
     Enough bad service and long lines at a store that you never wanted to shop there again?
     Enough of having to remind people a hundred times to do things, that you said enough, I will do it myself?
     Enough yelling at your kids time and time again to pick up their toys when finally you had enough and put all the toys in
        a trash bag  and threw them outside?
     Have you ever gotten to the place where you thought or said  'Enough is enough and I can't take any more, that's it ?

Exp: We ended last week with Rom. 10:21. Remember what God said there? 'All the day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.'

     The natural reaction to that statement is to think that perhaps God has had enough. That he said, 'enough is enough, Ethnic Israel was to be my special people, my priests to the world and they have utterly forsaken me. Therefore I will do the same to them.' Paul, in chapter 11 of Romans reassures Ethnic Israel that God is not through with them. That they still fit into God's plan for the future Kingdom.

    Because,  God will continue to do as he has always done...set aside for Himself a REMNANT of Ethnic Israel who will be true to Him, who will be priests to the world in His name. And the questions some of you may have is 'if I continue putting off becoming a Christian will God ever get to the point where He says 'enough is enough' with me?

Background: Before we get into the text this morning, I need to define what Paul means by the word, Remnant. Understanding this is important, especially as we get further along in the chapter.

DEF:  REMNANT: The portion left over after a part has been removed.  Biblically speaking, the remnant is made up of those who have been or will be saved, redeemed and set apart by God.

     Paul's purpose is to show that God has kept His promises to Israel. But, as He had done in earlier chapters, he defines who Israel is. And in vs. 1-10 Paul reminds us that True Israel, has always been the Remnant.

Trans: Open your Bibles to Romans 11:1-10. Here we find that God has not utterly rejected Ethnic Israel because He has set apart a remnant. And he gives us 5 proofs that this is true.

I. The Remnant (Rom. 11:1-10)
    A. Proof One: Paul Himself (vs. 1)
Read: Rom. 11:1

     Paul had responded by faith to the call of Jesus Christ in his life and God declared him righteous. And Paul was a Jew, Abraham's seed, a Pharisee of the tribe of Benjamin. Paul was part of Ethnic Israel and part of the faithful remnant of God. He was proof that God has not utterly rejected Ethnic Israel.

    B. Proof Two: God's Foreknowledge (vs. 2a)
Read: Rom. 11:2a

     This is the same word 'foreknew' that Paul uses in Rom. 8:29. The Jews would have understood this term to mean 'to have known beforehand'. It doesn't mean God looked into the future and saw who would call upon Him and then elected to save them. No, the word literally means 'to have had a previous meaningful relationship with'. God has set apart, elected the remnant of Israel to be His covenant people from eternity past. He entered into a relationship with them from the foundation of the world. God will not cast off or reject forever Ethnic Israel or mankind for that matter until all those He foreknew and elected are saved.

    C. Proof Three: Elijah and the Prophets (vs. 2b-4)
Read: Rom. 11:2b-4

     Paul's 3rd proof takes us back to the OT, specifically to the prophet Elijah. You remember the story. Elijah was depressed, scared after running for his life from Queen Jezebel. Elijah cried out to God saying that everyone was trying to kill him.  Elijah had enough'. I couldn't take being the only one faithful to God in all Israel.

     God was not limited, however, to one, depressed, fearful prophet was He? Amidst all the evil in Israel God told Elijah that He had set aside 7000 faithful who have not bowed their knee to Baal.  The 7000 & 1 was the Remnant. Elijah was only one OT example Paul could have given of God's faithful remnant. In fact, there are very few books in the OT that do not talk about the remnant in one way or another.

     Understand that at no time was ALL ISRAEL faithful to God. It was always a part of Ethnic Israel, the faithful Remnant, that God would set apart to Himself. And God will keep His promises to them, He will not utterly reject Ethnic Israel.

    D. Proof Four: The Present Reality (vs. 5a)
Read: Rom. 11:5a

     Written in a very strong way in the Greek grammar, the idea is that there can be no doubt. There is a present remnant of faithful Jews, who are children of Abraham by seed and by faith, of which Paul already said he was one. God is still working with Ethnic Israel and has not utterly rejected them.

    E. Proof Five: God's Electing Grace (vs. 5b-10)
Read: Rom. 11:5b-10

     Paul's final proof is God's gracious choice, or election of grace, your Bible may say. Paul strongly believed in and taught election. It is truly amazing that even though Paul makes election so very clear here in Romans, many people today still don't want to believe it. And one reason they don't want to believe it is because of verses 7-10.

     Verses 5-6 are usually understood. God's election is not based on the works individuals do to please God but on God's grace alone. The problem for many comes with vs. 7-10 where it says that God hardened the hearts of the 'rest' who were not chosen. This may sound to some like they never had a chance, God closed the door of salvation to them by hardening their hearts.

     But we need to remember that God's hardening comes as a direct result of our rejection of God and His Son, Jesus.
Remember again Rom. 1:24, 26, 28  'God gave them over'. God's hardening of the sinner is not the cause of our being lost but the effect of being disobedient and obstinate sinners.

ILL: C.R. Erdman 'God's sovereignty is never exercised in condemning men who ought to be saved, but rather it has resulted in the salvation of men who ought to be lost.'

     But what about  vs. 8-10? Paul says that God gave them, Ethnic Israel, a spirit of stupor so as not to be able to see or hear the truth. He also said that their table has become a snare, a trap and a stumbling block to them.

     The stupor Paul is talking about means a numbness like one gets after being stung. It is a clouded mind, a lack of enthusiasm. It is like being lulled asleep. Paul says they really had no idea what was going on outside their own self-righteous, sinful worlds. Why? Because God made them that way? No! Look at vs 9. The picture here is of men sitting and feasting comfortably around a banquet table. They are at ease, secure and possess a sense of safety, they are full, content and want for nothing.

     The fact is that they become so comfortable, so relaxed, so full of themselves and the world,  that it ruins them. They don't see the Messiah who is clearly right in front of them. Because they don't want to see Him, because they think it would  make their life uncomfortable. Ethnic Israel's abundance of spiritual blessing should have led them to Christ. But their religious practices, traditions and rituals became substitutes for the real experience of relationship.

     It is sad to say but the church can lull people to sleep as well by it's strict adherence to the rituals, ceremonies and traditions of a relationship-less religion. That is not happening here. Or is it? You have heard the truth of JC here, you have many forums here at CBC to know Him.  But are you being drawn closer to Christ as a result or are you being moved further away from a relationship with JC because of your consistent rejection of the Truth. That which ought to move you to a relationship with Christ, because of sin and rebellion, the more you hear the Gospel the more you reject and the further away from Jesus you get.

     But, Paul tells us, God still sets apart a remnant to Himself. So there is still hope for you, when God calls, answer with a resounding YES. I want the free gift of eternal life thought faith in Jesus Christ your Son.

Conclusion
     I don't know about you, but I am glad that God has not said 'enough is enough' when He looks at my life. As Believers and disciples of JC we have the assurance that we too are one of the remnant of God, set apart, chosen by Him from the foundation of the world. We are a part of the redeemed remnant, holy and acceptable to God because of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.

    This is what Paul is talking about in his text, this is what Communion is all about,  remembering that God, through His Son, Jesus Christ, has made you a member of the Remnant, the One True People Of God. And God will keep His promises to you.

 But, there will come a time when God will say 'Enough is Enough' and He will send His Son to usher in the Kingdom of God in it's fullness. For those who haven't accepted Jesus as Savior, it will be too late to be part of the faithful remnant. And know this,  God will keep His promises to you as well. The promise that the wages of sin ... is death.