The Problem of Israel's Unbelief: Has God Rejected His People?

2. Has God Rejected His People? Romans II Series [9] Romans 11:1-10

3. RECAP & OVERVIEW: THE PROBLEM OF ISRAEL’S UNBELIEF • Romans 9: On the one hand, Israel’s unbelief is due to God’s sovereign election of true Israel within physical Israel as the children of promise. • Romans 10: On the other hand, Israel’s unbelief is due to Israel’s failure to receive God’s righteousness in Christ through faith, seeking their own righteousness based on the law through works. • Romans 11: Two Questions Concerning Israel’s Future • “Has God rejected his people?” (v.1) • “Did Israel stumble so as to fall beyond recovery?” (v.11)

4. RECAP & OVERVIEW: THE PROBLEM OF ISRAEL’S UNBELIEF • Romans 9: On the one hand, Israel’s unbelief is due to God’s sovereign election of true Israel within physical Israel as the children of promise. • Romans 10: On the other hand, Israel’s unbelief is due to Israel’s failure to receive God’s righteousness in Christ through faith, seeking their own righteousness based on the law through works. • Romans 11: Two Questions Concerning Israel’s Future • “Has God rejected his people?” (v.1)  TODAY • “Did Israel stumble so as to fall beyond recovery?” (v.11)

5. THREE EVIDENCES THAT GOD HAS NOT REJECTED ISRAEL 1) Personal Evidence: Paul himself is an Israelite who has been saved by God’s grace. I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! (v.1a) For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. (v.1) • Paul, who was an Israelite himself, is a case in point in his argument. • Paul’s radical conversion from hardened unbelief to faithin Christ is his first and personal evidence.

6. THREE EVIDENCES THAT GOD HAS NOT REJECTED ISRAEL 2) Theological Evidence: God foreknew Israel as his chosen people. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. (v.2a) • “Foreknew” does not mean mere foreknowledge (i.e., God knew who will believe in Christ)—it means that God “fore-loved” and sovereignly chosen his people. • Paul’s theological evidence is God’s absolute sovereignty in his plan of salvation from the beginning to the end (Romans 8:29-30).

7. THREE EVIDENCES THAT GOD HAS NOT REJECTED ISRAEL 3) Historical Evidence: Throughout Israel’s history, God has reserved for himself a remnant of true believers. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 "Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life." 4But what is God’s reply to him? "I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal." 5So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. (vs.2b-6)

8. THREE EVIDENCES THAT GOD HAS NOT REJECTED ISRAEL 3) Historical Evidence: Throughout Israel’s history, God has reserved for himself a remnant of true believers. • In Elijah’s day and Paul’s day, God has kept for himself a remnant of true believers among Israelites. • The Jewish remnants are chosen by grace not by works. [divine activity (grace) vs. human activity (works)]. • Therefore, the theology of remnant is applicable to our days as well—God keeps for himself a remnant in every generation!

9. Fate vs. True Doctrine Fate says the thing is and must be, so it is decreed. But the true doctrine is—God has appointed this and that, not because it must be, but because it is best that it should be. Fate is blind, but the destiny of Scripture is full of eyes. Fate is stern and adamantine, and has no tears for human sorrow. But the arrangements of providence are kind and good. - Charles Spurgeon

10. THE ELECT OBTAINED IT BUT THE REST WERE HARDENED • Their hardening was self-induced. 7What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written, "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day." (vs.7-8) • It does NOT mean that the rest unbelieving Israelites were in neutral spiritually and God caused sin in their hearts. • Rather, It means that God gave them over to the hardening they initiated as in Romans 1:24, 26, and 28 [unequal ultimacy vs. equal ultimacy]. • Paul’s first quote is a blend of Deuteronomy 29:2 and Isaiah 29:10 which are both about God’s response to Israel’s Idolatry—that God let them to be like idols.

11. THE ELECT OBTAINED IT BUT THE REST WERE HARDENED • Their hardening was also by God’s judgment. 9And David says, "Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; 10let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever." (vs.9-10) • Paul’s second quote is from Psalm 69 (a Messianic psalm) which is about David’s response to his enemy’s persecution. • In this regard, the hardening of unbelieving Israelites is also judgment of God. • The judgment is this: Unless God lifts his “hardening” of their hearts, they will not be able to recover spiritually back to God.

12. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR OUR EVERYDAY LIFE • Be HUMBLED BY GRACE and for grace. • Recognize and turn from your pride, self-merit and self-entitlement. • Worship God whose grace is immeasurably rich for you! • Be humbly broken daily to receive the invigorating grace of God. Just as water ever seeks and fills the lowest place, so the moment God finds you abased and empty, His glory and power flow in. Andrew Murray

13. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR OUR EVERYDAY LIFE 2. Be vigilant against THE ELIJAH COMPLEX. • Don’t dwell in self-pity, thinking that you are the only one who is left to follow God alone in your family, work, and season of life. • See yourself in the BIG PICTURE of God’s sovereign plan of salvation. • Thank God for the true believers in every nation (and also every life stage) who are serving God.

14. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR OUR EVERYDAY LIFE 3. Pray for HARDENED UNBELIEVERS with confidence. • Pray boldly because God only has the sovereign will and power to save anyone by grace. • Share Christ boldly because God’s Word can produce faith in anyone by grace. • God can transform anyone by his grace—even the most impossible people in our eyes!

15. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR OUR EVERYDAY LIFE • Live a life WORTHY OF GOD’S SOVEREIGN GRACEfor you.  10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. Colossians 1:10-12

16. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR OUR EVERYDAY LIFE 4. Live a life WORTHY OF GOD’S SOVEREIGN GRACEfor you.  • Do not trivialize sins in your life—pursue real transformation inside out [this is WHY you were saved!]. • Live for Christ who died for you—seek to please him in every way. • Take risks with your time, treasure, and talent to bring glory to God.

17. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR OUR EVERYDAY LIFE • Be HUMBLED BY GRACE and for grace. • Be vigilant against THE ELIJAH COMPLEX. • Pray for HARDENED UNBELIEVERS with confidence. • Live a life WORTHY OF GOD’S SOVEREIGN GRACEfor you. 

18. Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It's way over our heads. We'll never figure it out. Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do? Anyone who has done him such a huge favor that God has to ask his advice? Everything comes from him; Everything happens through him; Everything ends up in him. Always glory! Always praise! Yes. Yes. Yes. Romans 11:33-36 [MSG]