 Last time we were together here in the book of Romans, I really didn't finish the the verses that I had intended to take you through So I'm going to pick up Approximately where we left off last time so I'm going to pick up at verse 13 I'm going to read verses 13 through 15 and again give you a Review of what we'd looked at and take you through and then move on through the chapter So let's begin reading here together in Romans chapter 11 at verse 13. I'll read to verse 15 and Given introduction and move into our study Paul writes. I speak to you Gentiles In as much as I am an apostle to the Gentiles I magnify my ministry If by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and and save some of them For if then them being cast away is a reconciling of the world What will their acceptance be but life from the dead so in our last study? I closed early and and so I'm going to review some things like I said When Paul was saved Paul became what has been called and he refers to himself in this way. He became an apostle to the Gentiles I mentioned Ephesians 3 verse 8 where he had said to me who am less than the least of all the saints This grace was given that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ Now when you look in your scriptures, you'll find that it's interesting to note that Peter and Paul are mentioned as apostles to Peter was referred to the as the apostle to the Jews in Galatians 2 verse 8 and It says he who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the Circumcised to the Jews also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles and so Paul Speaks of himself as being the one who preaches among the Gentiles as the apostle to the Gentiles And and that's basically what we were looking at last time and he said in verse 14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy Those who are my flesh So this is part of my calling to win you to Christ As well as reaching Jews not only you Romans But also the Jews acts 9 verse 15 Go said the Lord this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel So Paul is telling the Romans that his ministry was to reach them, but also included Reaching the Jewish people he had said in verse 15 He had said if they're being cast away is the reconciling of the world What will their acceptance be but life from the dead speaking again of Israel? He speaks of Israel being cast away now I wanted to develop that with you and that's basically where we left off last time Israel rejected messiah in Turn they were rejected by God Now this isn't a totally and forever rejection. It's partial and temporary He had already said that God would continue working with Israel He had opened up this chapter by saying that in verse 1 in chapter 11 When he had said 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 So he had already made it very clear that the Lord was going to continue working with Israel But he is pointing out that their rejection results in the possibility of salvation for non-Jews for the Gentiles Now if this is true for Gentiles What will Israel's acceptance of Jesus result in well he said it's going to be joyful. It's be it's like life from the dead Now he made us that he used a phrase. I'm going to point it out here in verse 15 He said if they're being cast away cast away is an interesting way of saying things cast away One of my commentators more than one actually but one in particular is pointing out to the fact that he could very well Have been speaking of a term that was used by by gardeners during his day Casting away was a term that was used when it was speaking of throwing away the dead or dried up vines Now that's interesting because in John 15 verses 5 and 6 Jesus said this He said I'm the vine and you are the branches If you remain in me and I and you you will bear much fruit Apart from me you can do nothing if you do not remain in me You are like a branch that is thrown away and withers such branches are picked up thrown into the fire and burned It's the same kind of image So he's speaking of the gardeners who throw away the withered or dead or useless branches So he's speaking of those within Israel that were not bearing any fruit of faith And so as he's speaking about this in verse 16 he continues on and he says if the first fruit is holy The lump is also holy and if the root is holy, so are the branches and so That would be speaking of when he speaks of the first fruits That would most likely be speaking of the what are called the patriarchs Abraham Isaac and Jacob the first fruits He was saying their foundations their foundations would be pure and if the foundations are pure While the followers will be pure also So he speaks of the the first fruits as well as the lump if you will well The word first fruit would pertain to Jewish believers who are the foundation of Christianity We need to remember that Every one of the early believers from Pentecost and to the early days of the church were Jewish and and this There there's been a strain of anti-Semitism Almost from the very beginning and a rejection of the Jewish people and even to a denigration of them as a as a as a people and and You know and it's still alive to the stain maybe not as as as it has been in the past But there are still strains of that that anti-Jewish kind of mentality in this church many years ago probably 39 years ago at least I Was given a study on a Sunday. I mentioned that I had gone to to France. I had spent time in France back in 75 and I had backpacked is throughout Europe went through like 12 or 13 countries taking trains and and all and I was sharing how I had gone to a place called lords and I mentioned How that you go to the church in lords and and you enter into the church there in lords, France and and There's a statue of the Virgin Mary That's huge and it's there and what would be called in the Catholic Church the altar and I mentioned that I said There's a statue of Mary that's several feet high several feet high and Then at her feet is a crucifix Then I was just pointing that out to show how that we can we can worship the wrong figures and we can We can venerate the wrong people that Mary shouldn't be in the center of any church and Jesus should always be in the center of the church. We as Christians understand that that's basically what I was saying But afterwards I was standing I used to stand at the back and shake people's hands and pick their pockets And all in and as I was I was back there a Man comes walking up to me. I'll never forget what he what he said to me And you know, he shook my hand and he said so you've been in lords and I said yes I have he said he said did you know that the city of lords is owned by By the Jews and he said it like that by the Jews Then he kind of snickers to me. It was his first time in our church and he snickers And he says I wouldn't be surprised and he's holding my hands. I wouldn't be surprised if they even owned the church so I held on to him and I said well, let's see Jesus was a Jew Jesus died on a cross poured out his blood and He bought the church. I guess you're right a Jew owns the church So there is this mentality of forgetting our foundations Paul isn't He's reminding us About the first fruits the first fruit is Jewish. They are the foundation of the church He speaks of the whole lump Well, those would be the converted through the ministry of the church from its early beginnings and so he's speaking concerning that the first fruits and He speaks of the root being holy and so are the branches well in verse 17 If some of the branches were broken off and you being a wild olive tree were grafted in among them And with them became a partaker of the root and the fatness of the olive tree do not boast against the branches But if you do boast remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you You'll say then branches were broken up that I might be grafted in and well said Because of unbelief they were broken off and you stand by faith do not be haughty But fear for if God did not spare the natural branches. He may not spare you either interesting So some of the branches as we're broken off this break-in off of branches Is this is this break-in off is speaking of the branches that are bearing no fruit But as the branches are broken off there's an in grafting of healthy branches Now when he's speaking of this, I'll say this briefly Olive trees and all while the olive tree is one of the symbols of the nation of Israel as a matter of fact in 2007 it was elected as the national tree of the state of Israel and So this olive tree in scripture can be used to represent Israel Jeremiah 11 16 The Lord called your name a green olive tree beautiful in fruit and form So Paul says in reference to Israel's temporary rejection to the Gentile to the Romans. He says don't become proud Don't get proud or think you've replaced Israel. We are not self-sufficient. We need Israel We are beneficiaries of the blessings because of Israel Well in verses 19 and 20 you say that the branches were broken off that I might be grafted in now You might claim to replace Israel as God's special people That kind of thinking by the way is part of what is referred to and I'm not going to go into a big thing about it But it's part of a thinking of what has been referred to as replacement theology Replacement theology which is basically simply saying that the church has replaced Israel in God's plan That's not true. The church has not replaced Israel We're seeing that even as we go through chapter 11 He's speaking of a temporary rejection and he's saying don't become proud because of that. We're not self Sufficient. We need them. Don't think that Gentiles have replaced Israel You need to remember and this is his point God honors faith and it is by grace and faith that he saves whether Jew or Gentile now in verses 21 and 22 if God judged the nation Israel What makes you think you won't judge you? So Gentiles were brought into relationship in part because of the rejection of Israel and God severity was revealed when he judged the nation So if God temporarily has set aside Israel to work with the Gentile nations, he's saying he could set Gentiles aside also You see the reality of your faith is is is that that it remains that your your faith continues that you You don't follow then stop, but you continue on it's like what Jesus said in John 8 31 Jesus said to those Jews who believe in him if you abide in my word, you're my disciples indeed in First John 2 24 asked for you See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you if it does you'll also remain in the son and in the father So he's saying that it's by faith. You've been saved through the grace of God Don't be boasting against Israel because God has temporarily Rejected them as working with Gentiles because if you don't abide in faith if you aren't truly saved You also will be one who's rejected He says in verse 23 and they also if they do not continue in unbelief will be grafted in For God is able to graft them in again. They're going to be restored. He's saying to God's favor He's going to bring believers from Israel to himself. He's not excluding them forever, so He says We are to consider The goodness and severity of God You can be an object of God severity if you enter into unbelief That's a picture of someone who professes faith, but in fact does not genuinely genuinely have it And so he moves on and he's saying that God is Going to once again Begin to work with the nation of Israel So verse 25 I Do not desire brethren that you should be ignorant of this mystery Unless you should be wise in your own opinion that blindness in part has happened to Israel Until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in Blindness in part now I want to point something out here notice in verse 25 He said I don't want you to be ignorant the word ignorant Means without knowledge I Got some one of the ladies in our church so mad at me one time So I'll I'll say this just to be clear. I Think I called her ignorant. I didn't mean to The word ignorant simply means without understanding or knowledge it can be used as a slam But it's not intended to be When when Paul says I don't want you to be ignorant. He's simply saying I don't want you to be without understanding I don't want you to be without knowledge and It's something that he wants them to understand, but he he speaks of something called a mystery Now the word mystery Used in the scriptures is not the way we use mystery today if you you use the word mystery It's normally something that is is is a secret and something that You don't understand you see a murder mystery or something like that Biblically the word mystery is something that was previously concealed that has been revealed That's what a mystery is it was in previous times. It was concealed But now it has been revealed by the Lord It's a word that Paul uses and I counted out some 21 times He uses the word mystery because he's wanting to give understanding of how God moves so It is most completely revealed this mystery through the revelation of the gospel of Jesus Christ In Colossians 1 27 he was writing to Gentiles and he said that God willed to make known What are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles which is Christ in you? The hope of glory so it was something that was in the past hidden, but it's now been revealed So he says I don't want you to be ignorant of this Last verse 25 you should be wise in your own opinion So God's grace to Gentiles. He's saying is no basis for conceit Because God's grace to them is intended to reveal God's glory now He's speaking of a mystery. What is the mystery that he's talking about? Well, he says it he says that in verse 25 this mystery is that blindness in part Has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in That's the mystery So hardening in part has happened to Israel that word Hardening in the original language speaks of something that has been covered with a callus It speaks of that which is dulled adult perception. It even can speak of a of a stubborn heart This hardening is a spiritual callousness that Israel has But he's saying it's temporary. It's not permanent And it's going to continue this hardness until God finishes the work that he's doing with the Gentiles Now he uses a phrase the fullness of the Gentiles notice that when he says until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in well has come in or Entering in speaks of people coming into or entering into salvation It speaks of entrance into a relationship with God till the fullness of the Gentiles has come in until the fullness of the Gentiles and the Gentiles The last Gentile has been saved and Matthew 5 20 Jesus said I Say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees you will by no means Enter you will know means come into the kingdom of heaven and Matthew 7 13 He said enter come into enter by the narrow gate for why does the gate broad is the way that leads to destruction? There are many who go in by it or John 3 verse 5 most assuredly I say unto you unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter He cannot come into the kingdom of God. So this entering in is speaking of salvation He's speaking of the total number of the elect of the Gentiles this fullness of the Gentiles He's saying the blindness continues until the Gentiles chosen by God Enter into salvation So during this present age God is calling out a people for himself And those who have come to him are referred to as the church And the majority of those who have come to him are Gentiles In Acts chapter 15 7 through 9 it says after much discussion Peter got up and addressed them Brothers you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles Might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe God who knows the heart Showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them Just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them. He purified their hearts by faith And later on in verses 13 and 14 of chapter 15 it says when they finished james spoke up Brothers listen to me. Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern By taking from the Gentiles a people for himself He's speaking of God's timetable With the Gentiles when he finishes that work. It's called the fullness of the Gentiles And at that point he resumes his work with Israel as he promised he would Now this is where it's going to get a little complicated. I keep looking at the time Let's see how confused I can get you in the next 20 minutes I want to develop this with you because it deserves a deeper look In the old testament book of deuteronomy chapter 30 verses 4 and 5 God said if any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven From there the lord your god will gather you and from there He will bring you Then the lord your god will bring you to the land your fathers possessed And you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers Well, that was a promise that he was given of a regathering Because he says if any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven from there The lord your god will gather you so he's speaking of in a prophetic way Moses is of a scattering of the nation of israel And when you read your bible, you'll see that they were scattered more than once Especially You'll see when they They came under the captivity of assyria beginning in 722 bc The 10 northern tribes were scattered by the assyrians now later In 605 bc They came under Babylonian captivity for 70 years So when the Babylonian exile ended The jewish exiles began to return under the leadership of a man named Zerubbabel That happened in 538 bc and also under another named Ezra In 457 bc and then Nehemiah in 444 bc Once again israel was occupying the land By the time you get to the time of jesus The jews have completely rejected messiah And when israel rejected him Jesus prophesied their overthrow and captivity In luke 2124 he said they will fall by the sword And will be taken as prisoners to all the nations Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles Until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled So you have the fullness of the Gentiles, but there's another phrase called the times of the Gentiles The times of the Gentiles is the time that Jerusalem is under foreign control That began when Babylon took Jerusalem There are differences in opinions as to When that actually took place some say 605 because that's when Nebuchadnezzar came against Israel others say around 588 When Jerusalem was taken But the times of the Gentiles is the time that Jerusalem is under foreign control It ends this times of the Gentiles at the return of Christ Now god had said he's going to scatter them But he also promised that he would regather them In isiah 43 5 and 6 Fear not for I am with you I will bring your descendants from the east and gather you from the west I will say to the north give them up to the south do not keep them back Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth Jeremiah 23 7 and 8 the days are coming declares the lord When people will no longer say as surely as the lord lives who brought the israelites up out of egypt But they will say As surely as the lord lives who brought the descendants of israel up out of the land of the north And out of all the countries where he had banished them and then they'll live in their own land That's a regathering The regathering has been called the budding of the fig tree And there are those who would point to the re budding meaning the regathering that officially began to occur And was established in may 14 1948 when israel once again became a sovereign nation Now going a little bit further Though israel is a nation once again israel is not spiritually alive In the old testament prophet's book ezekiel 37 versus seven and eight It reads i prophesied as i was commanded and as i prophesied There was a noise and behold a shaking and the bones came together bone To his bone When i beheld lo the sinews and the flesh came up among them the skin covered them But there was no breath in them The nation of israel Is being is is regathering But there's no breath in them when you go to israel and some of you have and some of you will You see that that it may be it may be a sovereign nation But it is not spiritually alive a very small percentage Of jewish people will go to what they call going to temple go to synagogue on shabbat Very few observe the different festivals and and all and there's there are even You know openly Atheistic people who are members of the nation of israel the nation may have been gathered the sinews and all have been Placed together the body is once again been formed But even like when adam was formed out of the dust there was no life until god breathed life into that form into adam Israel may may be regathering, but there's still no spiritual life in the land Now and i'm condensing a lot of things After the rapture Which is the next event on the prophetic calendar? It's the next thing that's going to happen After the rapture of the church god once again begins working with the nation of israel In the old testament we looked at this in the book of daniel daniel gave the prophecy of 70 weeks And he gave 69 weeks and then he said there's the 70th The 70th week of daniel and i'm not going through all of that I'll just remind you the 70th week of daniel is really called the tribulation It's also referred to as the time of jacob's trouble. It's a seven-year period. We know it best as the tribulation In jeremiah 30 7 through 10 the last for that day is great So that none is like it. It is even the time of jacob's trouble But he shall be saved out of it It shall come to pass in that day say at the lord of hosts That i will break his yoke from off thy neck and will burst thy bonds and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him But they shall serve the lord their god and david their king whom i will raise up into them Therefore fear not oh my servant jacob says the lord Neither be dismayed o israel for though i will save you from afar and your seed from the land of their captivity jacob shall return Shall be in rest and be quiet None shall make him afraid During the seven-year period god purges israel of its unbelief Zechariah 13 8 and 9 it shall come to pass that in all the land say at the lord Two parts therein shall be cut off and die But the third shall be left therein And i will bring the third part through the fire and will refine them as silvers refined and will try them as gold is tried They shall call on my name. I will hear them. I will say it is my people. They shall say The lord Is my god And so he's speaking of the work that god is going to do With the nation of israel. Do you think that the nation of israel he's saying has been forever Abandoned he's saying no God's promises are that he will regain or you renew his work with them in the latter days And so the church does not replace israel We we didn't step into the place of israel the church and israel have two separate works god is doing with them Now the ones who survive through this purging become his covenant people And through that notice verse 26 and so All israel will be saved as it is written The deliverer will come out of zion and he will turn away ungodly in us from jacob For this is my covenant with them when i take away their sins And so during the tribulation there's going to be continual A continuing of ministry. I've had people ask in the past Will there be people saved during the tribulation when i first was saved There were young young believers say no Nobody's going to be saved during the tribulation. No, there are going to be 144,000 evangelists revelation 7 There'll be the two witnesses Raul Reese and me in revelation 11 There's going to be an angel who is proclaiming the everlasting gospel in revelation 14 And there are going to be evangelists those who are being saved who will be sharing with others during that time And they're going to be used to bring people to faith in jesus as messiah So as surely as they were cut off from the olive tree, they shall be regrafted Israel has been temporarily set aside God is working with Gentile nations But after he finishes gathering Gentiles again, he works with the nation He restores israel. He establishes his kingdom and he rules through the millennium Jeremiah 31 33 and 34 This shall be the covenant that i will make with the house of israel After those days says the lord i will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts I will be their god. They shall be my people They shall teach no more every man his neighbor and every man his brother saying no the lord For they shall all know me from the least of them and to the greatest of them says the lord For I will forgive their iniquity. I will remember their sin no more In verse 28 concerning the gospel their enemies for your sake But concerning the election they're beloved for the sake of the fathers At this point he's saying they're hardened Their enemies of the gospel Yet god still has made his promises and he's not through With them why well verse 29 for the gifts and the calling of god are irrevocable God has made his promises to israel and god keeps his promises Deuteronomy 4 31 the lord your god is a merciful god He will not forsake you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant of your fathers Which he swore to them the gifts and the calling of god are irrevocable He says in verse 30 As you were once disobedient to god it have now obtained mercy through their disobedience It's interesting when he says you were once disobedient the root word for disobedience speaks of unbelieving or disbelief You once did not believe is what he's saying as gentiles you were lost you were without god you lived in unbelief yourself Your lives were filled with darkness You loved the world you were in continual sin But instead of god's just judgment falling upon you he gave you mercy that word mercy speaks of divine compassion The way you were enabled to receive mercy Came because of their disobedience their obstinate unbelief And he goes on to say in verse 31 even so these also have now been disobedient that through the mercy shown you They also may obtain mercy God intends to use gentiles to reach israel He saves us by his grace and he intends To use the blessings that god has bestowed on us To awaken israel to the fact that he's a merciful and loving god He intends us as gentiles to value his mercy And through his mercy that he might reach israel And then finally he says verse 32 for god has committed them all to disobedience that he might have mercy on all Or the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of god how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out For who has known the mind of the lord or who has become his counselor Or who has first given to him and it shall be repaid to him For of him and through him and in to him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever amen Has god ever called you up and asked for advice Has he ever called up and said, you know, I'm really kind of caught up. I'm not sure what to do I was just thinking how deep and and wise you are and I I thought I'd send you a text message and If you got some time get back to me. No, of course, he doesn't right Of course, he doesn't he doesn't ask us for advice Remember the book of joebel closed with this with the book of joebel We we see in the first couple of chapters of the book of joebel Now job is spoken of as being a righteous man God even declares him to be so god himself states that he is a righteous man There's no one like him on the whole face of the earth and you remember how that he god and and the The evil one the devil are discussing job and and actually All the sons of god came before him and satan was also amongst them And god speaks to satan and says give an account of yourself. What have you been up to? He says i've been going to and fro throughout the earth and It's a picture of him prowling looking searching even as peter said he's like a roaring lion Seeking whom he made of ours. So he says, what have you been up to? I've been going throughout the earth. He says, oh, have you considered the word considered? Have you scrutinized have you looked deeply and closely at have you looked for a weakness in my servant job? Because he knew That satan would be aware of joe. He was the most righteous man on the face of the earth Oh, yeah, of course. I mean immediately remember just read the first two chapters. You see it very clearly Immediately, of course, but you put a hedge about him I can't touch him and that's when the the battle begins well Take the things that he has but don't touch him Then finally god allows the enemy To plague him personally and then the book of job Takes off in front of you and you see the arguments between joe been and his his comforters And how it goes through so many chapters explanation argument explanation argument And then finally god Speaks to him and when god approaches him God basically Says oh, you know within you the sum of all wisdom has been Incarnated right, you know all things don't you you're the most brilliant person on the face of the earth? And you see how the lord humbles job What is it that job says this has always stood out to me since I first noted it I heard of you with a hearing in my ear But now I see you with the scene of my eye And I am humbled I abhor myself And I now will be seated here in dust and ashes because I opened my mouth against the holy one This was the most righteous man on the face of the earth and the minute he got a glimpse of god And what also is so beautiful about that I heard of you with the hearing of my ear I have walked by faith I have put into practice the things that I've been taught Without ever really having a personal confrontational experience with you I have just trusted and walked by faith and not by sight And that's why god would say he's a righteous man Not because they had been communicating face to face But because he obeyed the things that had been revealed to him and by faith had been living But when he now sees him with the scene of his eyes He said I heard of you with the hearing of my ear But now I see you with the scene of my eye And I humble myself So what are you saying? I have walked by faith and not by sight But now I have a personal experience with you that causes me to realize That I should cover my mouth and say nothing Because anything I say concerning you is always going to be wrong because it's not adequately right Who am I? Who am I To become his counselor Who am I to say I first gave to you I I gave to you this I've done so much I've tried so hard. I've I've lived so You owe me I wonder how many believers I've done that in my early days with Christ. I've done that You owe me I've tried I gave up my friends. I gave everything up. I've I I still remember praying and crying and god You and I said that you owe me. I've tried And then the holy spirit finally got through to me and said the only thing he owes you is judgment But he gave you mercy That changed my life When I realized that maybe somebody needs to hear this right now, maybe you're going through something too in your god's counselor You're telling him what he should be doing You gave to him first he owes you right now Who has first given to him that it should be repaid Everything I have from the breath. I'm breathing to everything else upon it Is a gift from him Every second I have Is a gift from him And the lord gives And the lord can take away And god was working with the nation of israel and israel became disobedient And the romans the gentiles could begin to think that they're special because god has has put them aside and they're working with us He says don't think that Because you are a wild olive branch and that is the true tree God broke some branches off to engraft you, but he could take you off too. Don't get haughty Realize that god isn't through with israel. God is going to continue to work That's why we pray for the peace of israel That's why we as believers Love the nation Not the unbelief But the nation that god has set his affection on The city of the great king called jerusalem. We pray for the peace of it And we want the people of israel Those who have rejected messiah to come to faith in him and one day they will They're going to go through so many things But ultimately he begins to work with them and we'll work with them once again And that's basically in a nutshell what paul is reminded in the roman church Don't boast against the branches You need them They've given you everything The prophets and and the rituals but but especially from them Not only the priesthood, but the high priest jesus christ Came through him our messiah So don't boast against the branches. You were broken. They were broken off so you could come in But god isn't through working with the nation of israel and