Don’t Mess With Israel
Romans 11:3-12
May 26, 2024
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
Bible Baptist Church of Ballincollig
I. Introduction (Romans 11:1-7)
A. Romans 11:1-7 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot [KNOW] ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they [ISRAEL] have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
B. This morning, we are going to continue in Romans chapter 11, and learn a little about the Remnant of Israel, the Elect of God
C. Why? What is so important about Israel?
1. They are THE most talked about people group in the Bible – “the children of Israel”
2. Because Gentile Christians have trouble appreciating the people of Israel – can’t see ISRAEL in the Bible except maybe as an ancient, dead and gone people group that has been replaced by Christians
3. They won’t obey God’s commands for us to pray for them – many actually hate them!
4. They won’t put Jewish people first, above themselves and their own national needs
5. Won’t bless them, and love them like the father loved the prodigal son in Luke 15
D. Every Religion Today tries to claim to be the “True Israel” of God
1. They think they are the elect of God
2. The people of God
3. The ones that God favours and honours and blesses above all other people
4. The ones specially chosen by God because they are so “good” and so “right”
5. Muslims believe they are the people of God, above all nations
6. White Europeans believe they are the Lost Tribes of Israel!
7. Calvinists believe God chose THEM above everyone else
8. So many Cults believe THEY are God’s special people
9. But the Bible says they are all wrong!
E. Israel is a special people above all other nations, tribes, and cultures (Zechariah 2:8)
1. Whether you like it or not - Whether you agree with it or not
2. Zechariah 2:8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.
3. The apple was the focus of God’s attention, like a single apple on a table of rotting fruit
F. Don’t mess with Israel
1. They are special to God – the apple of His eye!
2. I know we Christians are too, but they are more!
II. Review
A. God Has NOT Cast Away the Jewish People (Romans 11:1,2)
1. Romans 11:1,2 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,
2. “HIS people” is NOT a reference to Christians, or any religious group even
3. But in context, God is referring to the Jewish people as a nation
a. Physically the genetic descendants of Jacob/Israel
b. The group of people that had just left Egypt were called GOD’S PEOPLE
c. Deuteronomy 7:6 For thou [ISRAEL] art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
d. Did you notice, God honours the Jewish people ABOVE all other people groups?!
4. This was surprising to the Christians in Rome
a. Israel was usually a nation full of people who did NOT believe and follow the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and instead, followed their own hearts and wills
1) The Jews in Jerusalem had rejected their Messiah, and had gone their own way
2) And they have been that way for thousands of years
3) The Christians in Rome and elsewhere believed that certainly they were NOT God’s special people anymore
4) Surely God had forsaken and abandoned them for sure – thrown them behind Him
5) And surely God had replaced such a messed up, sinful group with a better people – “Christian people” – right?
b. The Christians had forgotten that there were also Jews who DO believe and follow the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
c. And that God was still committed to His people, no matter how messed up they were
d. TRUTH: Both kinds of Israelites (believing and unbelieving) are ISRAEL, but only one, is the kind of people God wanted them to be
5. Paul is Proof that God has not turned His back on the Jewish people
a. He offered himself as a BIG proof that God was and is not finished with the Jewish people
b. Remember that Paul was a Christ-rejecting, blasphemous, murderous JEW – hated Jesus. Hated anyone who followed Jesus.
c. And yet Jesus Himself went after Saul in Acts 9, and humbled him and called him to trust Him and follow Him!
d. That was one of THE GREATEST proofs that God still is committed to the Jewish people!
6. The remainder of chapter 11 proves that the unbelieving Jewish people are STILL God’s people, and God is STILL going to protect them, and save them, and raise them up above all other nations one day
B. So, Don’t mess with Israel
1. They are special to God
2. I know we Christians are too, but they are more!
III. Message
A. God Knew How Bad Israel Would Become (Romans 11:2,3)
1. Romans 11:2,3 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.
2. God already KNEW – foreknew – just how wicked Israel as a nation would become
a. God foreknew – NOT chose, or predestined, but knew the kind of people He was choosing when He committed Himself to making promises to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
b. They were Killers, murderous people
c. Listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
d. Listen to Stephen Acts 7:51,52 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers.
e. They have been Idolators, Blasphemers, God rejectors
f. And they rejected and murdered their own Messiah!
g. Even though God saw how wicked they would become (Romans 10:21) But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying [LYING] people.
3. And yet, knowing ALL that this nation would do, God still calls them HIS people, and is committed to them? Wow! They were chosen by God to be His people
4. In simple words, The Jewish People are God’s Elect
a. By-the-way, Election has nothing to do with salvation
b. It just means God has set them apart for a special purpose
1) Like when we ELECT someone to go to the Dail – we didn’t save them, or forgive them – we just gave them a job to do!
2) To bring the Saviour into the world
3) To give us God’s mind and heart and very words in the Bible
4) To show us how to worship God and approach unto Him
c. The Jewish people have promises given to them as a people, not given to any other people
d. They were chosen and elected by God, not because of their goodness or good works!
1) Deuteronomy 7:6-7 For thou [THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL] art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:…
e. But simply because God decided to love them, and keep His promises that he made to their forefathers – WOW!
1) Deuteronomy 7:8 But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
B. God Speaks about TWO Israel’s
1. Romans 9:30-32 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone…
2. Romans 11:1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. [A BELIEVING ISRAELITE]
3. There are two Israel’s – believing and unbelieving Jews
a. Unbelieving Israel – people who do not want God, and go their own way
b. And believing Israel – people who believe God, and trust Him, and follow His words
c. Both groups are God’s people – that’s what most people do not understand
d. But only ONE group is the kind of people He wants them to be
e. Sometimes they are called the True Israel
f. But the Bible refers to them as “believing Israel”
4. And God is committed to both! That will blow most people’s minds
a. God’s commitment is not because anyone is worthy – it is not based on effort (works)
b. But it is based totally on God and His desire to be gracious and kind to people who just simply believe that a Lamb is enough!
c. God’s decision, God’s choice to be gracious to a rebellious group of people
d. Israel has to still exist for Jews to get saved from – think about that!
5. And then there are Christians – a mix of Jew and Gentiles who follow Jesus
a. 1Corinthians 10:32 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God
b. How did WE get in there?
c. Those words were written by an Ex-Jew (Paul), who was now a believer in Jesus Christ
d. He was teaching the CHRISTIANS in a church in Corinth that…
1) There are Jews: there were unbelieving Jews after the cross that need to be respected
2) Gentiles: there were unbelieving Gentiles that need to be respected
3) And the Church of God – Christians, made up of believing Jews and believing Gentiles (no longer Jew or Gentile)
C. There is a Remnant Because of Grace (Romans 11:4-6)
1. Romans 11:4-6 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
2. God always has a remnant...
a. Heard of Carpet remnants? Fabric remnants?
b. Leftover pieces that usually no one wants.
1) My Mom took remnants of unused cloths, bits of fabric and made beautiful quilts
2) She didn’t need vast amounts of fancy cloth
3) Just like God doesn’t need vast numbers of people to do a great work!
c. The remnant that Paul is referring to are a fragment of Israel (a small number) that believes what God says and follows His words in the Bible
d. Romans 9:27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved
e. Isaiah was warning that numbers don’t matter – how many there are – belief does – and only a remnant of Jews will be saved right now
3. The Remnant in Elijah’s day, 800 years before Christ
a. Paul quotes from 1Kings 19…
1) Romans 11:2-4 … God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot [KNOW] ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they [ISRAEL] have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
2) 1Kings 19:14 And he [ELIJAH] said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
a) Elijah prayed AGAINST the Israelites, claiming to be the only one left believing in God – tried to say they were gone! Finished as a nation.
b) Elijah had thought HE was the only believer in the Lord God of Abraham, and that the entire nation of Israel had abandoned faith in God…
3) HERE IS WHAT GOD SAID BACK TO ELIJAH… 1Kings 19:18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
4) God had amazingly reserved, 7,000 Israeli MEN who had not submitted to and worshipped Baal, but who still worshipped God – clandestinely, in hiding, but still believing God
5) That was a remnant, a bit of scrap, leftover, that was still in the game so-to-speak
6) And that was proof that God was still working in Israel, and committed to Israel
4. There was a Remnant of the First century
a. God had a remnant in the first century A.D. AFTER the crucifixion
b. Paul was a remnant believer – an Israelite, of Benjamin – not a nobody or Gentile…
c. Paul said, “I am one of those Israelites, and I am proof that God is not through with Jews, but is still willing to save all the Jews that will believe the Gospel”
d. Yes, the majority of Jews rejected the Bible and their Messiah
e. But there is a remnant of JEWS who believe the Scriptures and follow Jesus as their Messiah
1) 3,000 JEWS at Pentecost in Acts 1 and 2
2) There were tens of thousands of believing Jews in Acts 15
5. God has a Remnant Today – of Jews who have believed
a. Romans 11:7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest [OF THE JEWS] were blinded…
b. Messianic Jews obtained salvation
c. They are Born again just like you and me
d. Bible-believing, Jesus-following Jews who are now Christians!
6. Because of GRACE
a. Romans 11:5-6 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
b. God elected and keeps Israel because of grace – an act of undeserved kindness
c. Not of any works on their part, or else grace has no meaning!
d. By the way, it is because of grace that any of US get saved as well!
7. But believing Israel is not the only Israel
a. There is still a national people, descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who even though they constantly reject Jesus Christ, and hate Him, and spit at His name, are special to God, and cannot be cast away!
b. They will be saved, during the Tribulation
c. Zecheriah 12:9-11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.
D. The Elect Jews (Romans 11:5-8) – A Remnant
1. Romans 11:5-8 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
2. Paul is Still talking about ISRAEL – not Christians, not the church, but ISRAEL
3. Still showing that RELIGIOUS, PHYSICAL JEWS have missed what they are wanting more than anything …
4. The blessings that were promised to Abraham
5. The ELECTION (a remnant that believe) have received it
6. And the rest of them have not – they are lost
E. Why aren’t all the Jews saved yet? (Romans 11:7-10)
1. Romans 11:7,8 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
2. Simply because they were asleep when Jesus came, and have not awaken YET
3. And yes, they are under a curse – David’s curse against unbelieving Israel
a. Romans 11:9,10 And David saith [IN PSALM 69], Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
b. To be blinded, and become deaf, and experience a fall – stumbling fall
c. Unable to SEE the work of God, unable to HEAR the word of God, and unable to DO the will of God!
4. Why? For unbelief – not believing what God warned about and promised!
5. The reaping principle
a. The result of refusing to hear is more deafness added – become more deaf, unable to hear preaching, the Gospel…
b. The result of not believing is a hardened heart that will find it harder to believe next time
c. But, The result of a little faith, is more faith
d. The result of a broken heart is a new heart!
e. How you react to what you hear today decides whether you become easier to work on by God, or harder – the Jews are proof of that
F. But the Story is Not Finished (Romans 11:11,12) – God Still Wants to Save All the Jews
1. Listen to the question…
a. Romans 11:11 Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
b. Did you see that?
1) Was their blindness their ruin as a peculiar nation?
2) Have the unbelieving Jews stumbled so that God would ruin them, and abandon them?
c. No. God forbid.
1) God uses even the worst disasters to make things work out for good
2) Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
d. Romans 11:12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
2. Their stumbling opened up the opportunity now for all nations and tribes and people – Not just the Jewish people, but all non-Jews, Gentiles, to get saved!
a. So, YES, when Israel rejected Jesus, the nation was diminished, but nor destroyed
b. They were Humbled but not hated by God
c. Their loss meant riches for the whole world – not financial riches, but the riches of:
1) Forgiveness of sins like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had
2) Eternal life like Abraham had
3) Closeness to God like Abraham had
4) ALL the promises of God that are in God’s Son, are OURS now!
3. And OUR salvation works to provoke the unbelieving Jews to repent and get saved themselves!
a. Romans 11:12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
b. Their fullness refers to their RESTORATION and SALVATION as a people
c. But until that day, unbelieving Jews are asleep, blind, deaf, and lost
d. And need to be prayed for, and upset and provoked to believe the Gospel
IV.Conclusion
A. Romans Chapter 11 proves beyond any doubt the following things:
B. God made promises to Israel throughout the Bible…
1. He made some promises to those who were physical descendants of Jacob that still have to be fulfilled – like keeping Israel around in the world even though they don’t deserve it – like physical blessings, and rain, and fruits and health and safety
2. And He made some spiritual promises, eternal promises to Jews who believe in their Messiah Jesus Christ – like salvation, and so many spiritual blessings
3. Romans chapter 11 is not about Israel being so great, but the God of Israel being so great
4. Deuteronomy 4:7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?
C. Those who believe are saved, and are the Remnant, and the elect of God’s grace
D. Those who are lost, need to be saved, prayed for, blessed, and OUR lives sacrificed for – seriously!
E. There is always a Remnant Because of Grace
1. And YOU and I are believers today because of God’s GRACE
2. Ephesians 2:8,9
3. That He loved you and drew you and me to His Son
F. God remains faithful to all His promises
1. He made commitments to people, and promises that He cannot break – He cannot lie
2. Rebellious, sinful people never deserved God’s kindnesses – including you and me – and yet we enjoy it
3. You can and desperately need to call upon Him, and trust Him, and follow His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ
4. Will you do that right now?
G. And chapter 11 will prove that we Christians are grafted into the same spiritual promises that believing Israel has coming to them, all because we have repented and believed in THEIR Messiah, Jesus Christ!
H. We Are NOT Israel – we are not a replacement for Israel
1. We are part of the elect now
2. But we have not replaced Israel
3. More about that next week
I. We have a responsibility towards unbelieving Israel
1. I literally pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
2. I literally pray for all Israel to be saved.
3. I believe it's one of the greatest honours to give the gospel to a Jew.
4. And I do that not because I personally love the Jews, or think they are the most kind of people, or because they are the most powerful of people
5. But simply because God loves them, and He tells me to.