 looking at the first several verses and actually I took chapter 11 and I divided it into two portions and so we'll be looking at part one chapter 11 today we're looking at the elective Israel and so we'll begin at verse one in Romans 11 I'll read verses one to six and we'll get into our study Romans chapter 11 beginning at verse one reading to verse six Paul writes I say then has God cast away his people certainly not for I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham of the tribe of Benjamin God has not cast away his people whom he foreknew or do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah how he pleads with God against Israel saying Lord they've killed your prophets torn down your altars I alone am left and they seek my life but what does the divine response say to him I have reserved for myself 7,000 men who have not bowed the knee to Baal even so then at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace and if by grace then it is no longer of works otherwise grace is no longer grace but if it's of works it's no longer grace otherwise work is no longer work and so Paul has been presenting Israel from two standpoints from the standpoint of God and from Israel's own standpoint now in chapter 9 verses 6 through 8 he had written that God sovereignly chose his children he had said there it is not that the word of God has taken no effect for they are not all Israel who are of Israel nor are they all children because they are of the seed of Abraham but in Isaac your seed shall be called that is those who are the children of the flesh these are not the children of God but the children of the promise are counted as the seed and so he's speaking of how God has chosen his people and he had said in chapter 10 that that Israel stubbornly refused to respond to God and as we looked at chapter 10 he had said at verse 21 the last verse of the chapter he said to Israel he says all day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people so they have consistently been disobedient they have consistently resisted him I mentioned to you out of Matthew 23 verses 37 through 39 how Jesus had said this he had said oh Jerusalem Jerusalem the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her how often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings but you were not willing see your house is left to you desolate for I say to you you shall see me no more till you say blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord so he had already pointed out that the nation of Israel has stubbornly refused stubbornly rejected him and the sending of Messiah so has he's been sharing that in chapter 10 he begins in verse 1 here by actually answering a question in verse 1 it reads I say then has God cast away his people the question would be has you know has God cast away the people but he answers and says certainly not for I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham of the tribe of Benjamin so will Israel's stubbornness result in their never being saved the Jews not being rescued by God well well God ultimately and forever reject Israel now seeing that Israel has rejected Messiah what will become of them is what he's dealing with what will become of them as a people now Paul had already prepared his readers for this section in chapter 9 verses 27 through 29 when he said that God has a remnant so in this portion of scripture he's clarifying what he's referred to earlier so he begins in verse 1 again with the question did God cast away his people so we're going to see in a moment that the answer to that question is no in Jeremiah 46 verse 28 it reads do not fear oh Jacob my servant I'm with you declares the Lord though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you I will not completely destroy you I will discipline you but only with justice I will not let you go entirely unpunished but he said I will not completely destroy you now when we're speaking about Israel and I'm refreshing your memory for a moment in chapter 9 he had said in verse 6 not all who are descended from Israel are Israel that's because Israel is not simply natural descent but spiritual in Matthew chapter 3 verses 8 and 9 we read bear fruits worthy of repentance don't think to say to yourselves we have Abraham as our father for I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones it's not the natural descent it's not that you can point back he is saying and say that we all are from Abraham's seed is there Israel being the children will say of Abraham so he had already pointed out to be recognized as children of Abraham actually requires faith he had already said that in chapter 4 when he said in verse 9 we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness and so it is not physical descent not every physical individual who claims that they have a kinship to God through Abraham is really Israel Israel is actually made up of those you know there is a spiritual quotient we'll put it that way there are Jews and then there are those who are real descendants of Abraham by the basis of faith and that's the point he's making right now and I'll develop that with you as we go through this so he's speaking of himself in this way and he's saying that in reality I'm an example he's saying I'm an example of what would be called a Christian Jew I'm both Jewish and Christian and that reveals that such a person actually exists when you go to Israel I've said this before I'll say it briefly at least the last time I remember checking on this maybe it's changed since then but if you were of a Jewish heritage if you you were Jewish ethnicity you took a DNA test and and you know you're you're a Jewish person you could apply for citizenship in Israel based on the fact that you have Jewish DNA and they would accept you but if you're a Christian who is also of Jewish descent and you claim to be a Christian they would say you cannot receive citizenship here because you're not Jewish they would say you're a Christian which in their mind and this is recent it may still be in their mind you stopped to being Jewish when you became a believer in Messiah and that that it that's a fact I mean that that's what what's been going on for for quite some time but Paul is saying no no God has not cast away his people I'm an example of a Jew who's a believer in Messiah that's a point he's making now remember in Ephesians 2 in verses 11 through 13 Paul had said remember that you once Gentiles in the flesh who are called uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision made in the flesh by hands that at that time you were without Christ being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world but now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ and so it's a blood of Christ that brings you into the family of God so he said to the Galatians in chapter 3 verses 28 and 29 there is neither Jew nor Greek slave nor free male nor female you are all one in Christ Jesus if you belong to Christ then you are Abraham seed and heirs according to the promise and so that's what we call a spiritual kinship to the nation of Israel and so has God cast away his people certainly not so he goes on he says God in verse 2 has not cast away his people whom he foreknew or do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah how he pleads with God against Israel saying Lord they've killed your prophets turned down your altars I alone am left they seek my life but what does the divine response say to him I've reserved for myself 7000 men who have not bound the need of all even so then at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace and it by grace and it's no longer of works otherwise grace is no longer grace but if it's of works it's no longer grace otherwise work is no longer work so has God forsaken his people once again no now notice this and I'll develop this for a moment he uses the example of a prophet in the in the Old Testament all of us know his name Elijah Elijah is spoken of in first Kings chapter 17 in the Old Testament up until chapter 2 of second Kings and Paul is referring to scripture found in chapters 18 and 19 to illustrate this is utilizing the prophet you see in chapter 18 scripture records an encounter on Mount Carmel it was in this place that Elijah exposed Israel's false prophets some of you have been to this place and you've stood there overlooking the Valley of Megiddo and you've received Bible studies there this will refresh your memory what he was doing is he was making a challenge to the false prophets those who represented the God quote-unquote Baal as well as Ashra and he wanted to reveal to Israel their true God so there were 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Bashar and they were gathered together and so there was a challenge given there were going to be two bulls that were to be cut in pieces placed on wood but there would be no fire placed under the wood now the prophets the false prophets would take one bull and they did and they slaughtered it they butchered it they placed it on the wood and and the Bible says that from morning until noon they cried out and they leaped about the altar but in spite of all of their efforts the Bible makes it clear there was no answer so in 1st Kings 18 27 through 29 it says so it was at noon they'd Elijah mocked him and said cry out for he's a God either he's meditating he's busy he's on a journey perhaps he's sleeping he must be awakened so they cried out and cut themselves as was their custom with knives and lances until the blood gushed out on them when midday was passed they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice but there was no voice no one answered no one paid attention which is a picture of worshiping idols worshiping false gods all their efforts all their screaming all their dancing around all the bloodletting availed in no way and so they're being mocked by the true prophet so Elijah calls the people to himself he takes 12 stones they had an altar that had been broken so they repair that broken altar he dug a trench he filled it with 12 large water pots of water and then he prayed and prayer was a simple prayer he wasn't bouncing around he wasn't slashing himself he wasn't doing anything he simply said in first Kings 1837 hear me oh Lord hear me that this people may know that you are the Lord God and that you have turned their hearts back to you again what was the answer God answered by fire he consumed the offering as well as drying up all the water because they had poured all this water in order to ensure that if something happened it would have to be a miracle and when this happened the people cried out the Lord he's God and so he took the false prophets and according to the law of Moses he executed them you know after this he was chased by the patroness of the false prophet Jezebel I have two daughters I didn't name either one of them Jezebel I dated a few but I never never named my child that I mean Jezebel is like naming your son Judas that's not a name that you give to your child and so Jezebel comes after him again we know the story and he fled from before Jezebel and he went out and he hid in the wilderness he sat under the branches of a juniper tree and he and prayed and this is what he's basically said he said God just take my life and as it was moaning to the Lord God sent an angel to minister to him he fed him and he sent him on a journey and he made his way all the way to a place called Mount Horrib which was which the scripture says took him 40 days that was actually an unusually long time to take a 200 mile journey there's no explanation as to why it took so long but it took a long time for him to get there and finally when he arrived he went into a cave and it was in a cave that the Lord came and spoke to him in first Kings 19 verse 9 he asked him what are you doing here Elijah now he's discouraged he's physically and spiritually exhausted and so he replies in verse 10 of first Kings 19 I've been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty the Israelites have rejected your covenant torn down your altars and put your prophets to death with the sword I'm the only one left and now they're trying to kill me too what are you so discouraged well some minor problems they're trying to kill me that that causes me some concern but God said go stand on a mountain and and then he passed by a strong wind tore into the mountain broke the rock after the wind came a strong earthquake and after the earthquake earthquake came fire earth wind and fire I believe that's where that group got the name seriously earth wind and fire and so this is what took place now the scripture says the Lord was not in the wind the Lord was not in the earthquake and the Lord was not in the fire in first Kings 19 12 it simply says after the fire the Lord spoke and he was a still small voice a still small voice earth wind and fire earthquake windstorm and fire a still small voice what are you saying not by might nor by power but by my spirit say if the Lord a still small voice keep that in mind next time you're going through your own earth wind and fire experience keep that in mind because it wasn't in the earthquake he wasn't in the windstorm and he wasn't in the fire he spoke in a still calm voice to remind him that he was in control he didn't have to do something so extreme he simply needed to bring comfort into a broken prophet you see he's saying to him and we'll get back to the passage but he was saying I will accomplish this work you're not alone you see he thought he was alone but God says no you're not alone I have reserved for myself seven thousand men you know church today we can feel that we are alone and we have no allies we can think in truth the world is against us and the onslaught against the faith of the Christian is huge I mean even when there have been disasters of some sort and Samaritan's purse wants to be on the scene to help and the people of New York say we don't want your help it's a real obvious thing that there's a a war against the faith of Christ there's no doubt about it and sometimes we can begin to be very very discouraged and we can think we have no chance that we're going to be overwhelmed completely nobody else wants to be saved young people don't care about the gospel that's a lie from Satan that's a lie from the pit that's not true at all there are still people who are faithful to God there are still Christians who are serving the Lord with all of their heart there are still churches that are built on the faith of Christ proclaiming the gospel it's still happening and we need to remember that and God is going to do that work and he has a way of doing it we're not alone God says I will accomplish that work and so he's pointing out that he's the one who does the work and so in context back to Romans 11 God has set a people apart for himself he's saying even as God had seven thousand who had not bowed their knee to this false God he was saying there are Jews that are reserved to be used by God also and so he's pointing that out notice verse 5 even so then at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace when he speaks of the election of grace there are those he's saying are the remnant who are saved not because they hold fast to an attempt to observe the law and the commandments they are saved because they are yielded to God through the grace of God and faith in Christ in 2nd Timothy 1 9 he has saved us and called us with a holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began so he says they are saved by God's grace and then he says in verse 6 if by grace then it's no longer works otherwise grace is no longer grace but if it's of works it's no longer grace otherwise work is no longer work so the preservation of the remnant cannot be a work of of grace and and and works themselves because he said work is no longer work in another words attempting to obey something that should actually be done through the grace of God you cannot in other words be saved by your efforts it's all going to be always by the grace of God and so grace is what we trust in I made a note to myself I'll say it very very briefly because I ain't going to get through this and we're going to have communions so I'm going to relax a moment and I'll stop where I stop so we can have communion I wanted to share this but here this is important for you I want I'm going to point it to you and take just a moment verse 6 again if by grace then it is no longer of works otherwise grace is no longer grace but if it is of works it is no longer grace otherwise work is no longer works there's a scripture quote-unquote it's not really what we would call a scripture but it's referred to by those who are proponents of Mormonism there is a scripture quote-unquote that they quote and this is basically what they say they say we are saved by grace after that we have done all that we can do for those who want to check that that second Nephi chapter 25 verse 23 that's in the book of Mormon we are saved by grace after that we after that when we have done all that we are able to do all that we can do well that's an example of trying to replace grace with law what they're saying is that God's grace begins at the point of your efforts rather than in spite of your efforts I am saved by faith and God's grace plus nothing else it is by grace that you are saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God and not of works less any man should boast if I could perform works that would that would give me a relationship with God then Christ has died in vain Paul said I do not frustrate the grace of God for if righteousness came by the law Christ has died in vain he said that in Galatians chapter 2 and so you are saved by the grace of God through faith and Paul's making that point he's saying these people this remnant are not saved because they've kept the law of Moses no God has set apart a people for himself who actually have faith in Messiah and that faith in Messiah at that time remember this that the early church was all Jewish and Jesus when he when he said you're gonna receive the power the Holy Spirit he said you're gonna receive it you're gonna be witnesses to me he said where he said in Jerusalem and Judea then to Samaria and the other most parts of the earth so the grace of God is expressed the nation of Israel first so when when Paul in chapter 1 he was speaking he made it very clear he said to the Jew first and also to the Gentile and when Paul got saved where is it that he would go first when he entered a new town look at the book of Acts we're going through it right now where would he go he would go first to the synagogues to speak to the Jewish people so the grace of God was demonstrated through Messiah who died on a cross for us both Jew and Gentile come to relationship with God in the same way Abraham had faith it was accounted unto him for righteousness you and I have faith in Christ and it is accounted to us as righteousness and so we are children of Abraham not by physical descent we are children of Abraham by having the faith of Abraham and that's what Paul's speaking about so has God stopped working with the nation of Israel there are those who would say yes that is called replacement theology I'm not going to give you a big thing on that but they say that the church replaced Israel that's not what scripture says and that's not what Paul is saying here has God forsaken the Jews no God is continuing to work with them and so he says in verse 7 what then Israel has not obtained what it seeks but the elect have obtained it and the rest were blinded just as it's written God has given them a spirit a stupor eyes that they should not see ears that they should not hear to this very day David says that the table become a snare and a trap a stumbling block and a recompense to them I don't remember saying that but I guess I did let their eyes be darkened so that they do not see and bow down their back always and so the non-believing Jews he have been seeking by law he's saying what God is given by grace now in chapter 10 verse 3 it said they being ignorant of God's righteousness seeking to establish their own righteousness have not submitted to the righteousness of God what's the result he says hardened hardness of heart the word hardness speaks about a stiffening a callousing a callousness it's a mental callousness so a hardness national it national Israel he's saying has become hardened against Christ that was true then it is true to this day in verse 8 he said God gave them a spirit of stupor and blind eyes the word stupor means that there are their numb blindness is obvious they may have seen the wonders of God but they're spiritually blind they're refusing to believe God gave them prophets and God gave wonders but they refused him they've grown dull is what he's saying they not only don't believe but they refuse to believe because they're spiritually blind when he says in verses 9 and 10 that David says let their table become a snare and a trap that table represents safety and feasting so may their table become a trap in other words as they eat of the law may they be judged by it have they stumbled verse 11 that they should fall certainly not but through their fall to provoke them to jealousy salvation has come to the Gentiles now if their fall is riches for the world and their failure riches for the Gentiles how much more their their fullness and so have they stumbled to never recover will they forever be rejected and the answer is no there's a purpose in this this is interesting because he's saying that God is using non-Jews God is using Gentiles to provoke them to jealousy their fall has actually resulted in riches for the non-Jew when we looked at Ephesians in chapter 1 we saw what God has given us in Christ spiritual blessings such as adoption and acceptance redemption and forgiveness he's given us wisdom and inheritance he has sealed us with the spirit he's given us life he's poured out his grace he's given us a heavenly citizenship these are things we found in Ephesians 1 I remember hearing a Jewish man on one occasion say this I have never met a Christian who's ever made me jealous of anything and I think what he's saying there's a bit of truth to it because what he was saying is they don't live any better lives than the non-believers that I know and there are quite a number and we know this it's not a judgment on people who try and fail who's going to be perfect other than me nobody so but it is true isn't it I mean we all fail we all stumble I mean who's to say that's not true of course it's true we aren't in heaven yet we're not perfected yet we still have a long way to go and that's all to be admitted but it's never to be used as an excuse just because I'm not perfect doesn't mean I should continue to live as one who doesn't care to be I should strive for perfection that I might reach excellence it's been said I should discipline myself like Paul said lest he said having preached to others I myself should be disqualified I I should live in such a way that that people will see that God is with me and say whatever it is you have that's what I want that's what happened the day I got saved that's exactly what happened the day I got saved when I came home and my sister Madeline and I were speaking and she said what happened to you and Madeline my sister was four years younger than me but she knew me very well she knew the life I was living in things of that nature what happened to you and I told her I gave my heart to Christ and and there was such a difference about me even the day I got saved that you went to bed that night and that's when she said God whatever you did for my brother please do it for me and are there people in your life that look at you and say whatever they have that's what I need I want it I want that I want that you know the joy the contentment the peace the the the ability to not strive and and be angry and to be addicted and the other various things that are flesh craves and desires you know Paul said you know God saved the Gentile because he's going to use the Gentiles the believers in Christ to provoke Israel to jealousy when they say God is with you and there are Jewish people I've known Marie and I have known who have been around Christians our guides in Israel the our bus driver we have a bus driver named Abbey and Abbey Abbey loves us for some reason I don't know why but last I'm serious I don't know why but the last time I saw him he the last trip we he came specially see us he's retired from driving his bus but he came to see us and was in the hotel with us and and he looked at us and talked to us and hugged us and love and he said this to me he said you are my family and that just touched my heart and then he asked for a loan but anyway but I yeah I am your family but he was a bus driver for Pastor Chuck and so many others and over the years he heard the gospel heard the gospel and then watched the ministers he watched the life of Pastor Chuck and the others whom he had gotten to know and he developed a closeness to them and then he developed a love for them and then he developed a love for the Messiah because obviously saved man Jewish believer I mentioned Yossi who was a very dear very dear friend of ours and Yossi did the same thing he watched the Christians he watched the pastors he spent time with Pastor Chuck he listened to the Bible studies and then one day he finally said Jesus is Messiah there's something in their life that I want and that's the life I want to live that's the way I want to live I don't want people to say boy you know he's a nice guy I want people to say I want to worship the God that he worships because that's that's the key right not just being somebody that is liked by others but somebody who leads the way for others to discover that one who has made them who they are and so the Jews are intended to see the blessings that God pours out on the church and to say we have so many promises in the Old Testament but they've seen the fulfillment they have what we don't have and I'm going to stop there because it's time to have communion I will pick up next week God willing but may we be the people that are able to provoke others to a desire for the God that we worship