A Savior for the Nations | To Jerusalem & Judea

We're gonna go straight to the Word, so grab

your Bibles. Let's turn to the book of Acts,

chapter one. Good morning, by the way. Good morning,

good morning. Welcome officially to Advent season

here at Oak Hill, as Grant introduced so well.

This is one of our favorite seasons on the calendar.

We get to come together as a church family and

count down the weeks until our traditional celebration

of Christmas. As you can see on the screen, we

have a series title called Savior for the Nations.

And that is, by design, a foundational concept

that was chosen specifically by our elder team

out of this passage in Acts chapter 1. Now, you've

Acts 1 · chapter mention

already heard the primary passage for the whole

series read this morning by Grant in our call

to worship. Let me highlight the key verses from

that passage, which you can find in your Bible.

I'll also put them on the screen. They're verses

6 through 8. So you can look in your Bibles,

you can look at the screen. We're going to break

this down, verses 6 through 8 in Acts chapter

Acts 1 · chapter mention

1. Here's what God says. So when they, and that

is the remaining 11 disciples, correct? When

they had come together, they were asking him,

Jesus, saying, Lord, is it at this time that

you are restoring the kingdom to Israel? Now,

that is not only an important question to ask,

but a very logical one as well. In fact, I'm

guessing that if any of us had been in that moment

with Jesus at that time, we would have asked

the very same question. Remember what's going

on here. They're standing there with the resurrected

Lord. He had been crucified. He was physically

dead. And yet here he was now standing with them,

speaking to them. So there's no longer any question

in the minds of the disciples. that this is Israel's

Messiah. He is the king who would sit on the

throne of David forever as prophesied in the

Hebrew scriptures. And by the way, at this point

Luke tells us, Jesus had been risen from the

dead and with his disciples for 40 days, specifically

talking about the matter at hand, which is the

kingdom of God. So it's entirely logical for

us to see this. Sometimes we make fun of the

disciples for being clueless, but this is totally

logical. Is it now, Lord? After 40 days, is it

now? Is this the moment when you are going to

restore the kingdom to Israel? Verse 7 says,

Notice in that what Jesus doesn't say. He doesn't

deny that a restoration of the kingdom in Israel

will come at some future point. He only warns

them, don't get caught up in the timing of all

this. That's the Father's prerogative. And then

he redirects their focus, not to the distant

future, but to the immediate future, to the mission

that lays before them, the spreading of the gospel.

Verse eight, but you will receive power when

the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall

be my witnesses, both in Jerusalem and all Judea

and Samaria, even to the remotest part. So look

at those locations for a second. Jerusalem and

Judea, that's where they were standing in this

very moment, right? Samaria, which is the territory

just to the north of Judea, and then this massive

leap from lands nearby to the very ends of the

earth. Imagine for a second I got up here and

I say, guys, I have an instruction for you. We

are going to all go out and be missionaries together

in Santa Clarita, in the San Fernando Valley,

and all the way to India. You'd be like, whoa,

Jeff, calm down. Slow down. All the way to India,

that's kind of a big jump. But that's the point.

This is a big mission that Jesus is laying before

his guys. In that moment, it was a simple way

for him to communicate to these 11 novices, soon

to be missionaries, that God has a heart for

every nation on the globe. It's a big mission.

God has a heart for every nation of the world,

not just for Jews, not just for Samaritans and

Gentiles, the whole world. In fact, he has in

mind, because he's God in the flesh, people groups

that the disciples couldn't even fathom in their

minds, where they were located, what they're

called, what languages they speak, but people

from every land, every tribe, and every language

across the globe. That's what Jesus has in mind

here, even if the disciples can't process all

that in this moment. Now, at Christmas time,

we naturally turn our attention to the incarnation,

and rightfully so. Because along with the cross

and the empty tomb, the incarnation sits at the

very center point of human history. And at the

center of the incarnation is this concept of

God giving a gift to mankind. This is why we

exchange gifts at Christmastime, right? Because

God is the greatest giver. He gives a gift to

mankind. This is what Isaiah talked about. We

know this passage, but look at the language.

A child will be born to us, he prophesies. A

son will be given. to us as a gift. He'll be

given to mankind. And then later, John famously

confirms that very truth in John 3, 16. For God

so loved the world that he gave to us his one

and only son. And so the old and the new connect

here in this gift that God gives to us. And if

you think about it, this is an amazing thing

that God has a love for this fallen world that

is filled with people who have completely turned

their back on him. who live in rebellion. But

this is the wonder of the gospel. This is what

makes the gift so amazing, that into such a place

of rebellion, the father was not only willing,

but pleased to send his son on a rescue mission.

Don't lose sight of that, ever, and especially

at Christmas. This is the heart of the gospel

that we celebrate every Christmas, God's heart

for the nations. By the way, this was not a new

teaching for the Jewish men that were listening

to Jesus in that moment. We look at the Psalms.

We see Psalm 96 .3, for example, says, tell of

his glory among the nations, not just Jerusalem,

not just Israel, among the nations, his wonderful

deeds among all the peoples. And in Psalm 67

.4, let the nations be glad and sing for joy.

For you, Yahweh, will judge the peoples with

uprightness and you will guide the nations on

the earth. This is an Old Testament teaching

as well. But in that moment in Acts 1, when the

disciples are in this mode of, okay, is the kingdom

starting right now? Jesus needs to refocus them

and let them know, look, the kingdom is so much

bigger than you can imagine. It's so much bigger

than what's in front of you. My love for the

nations is so much greater than you can even

fathom. So here's what I want you to do. Stay

in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit's gonna come upon

you soon, and then you will be empowered by him

to do something you cannot do on your own, to

go out and be my witnesses to the goodness of

the gospel all across the world, to every nation.

This is a foundational passage, you guys. You

should know this passage in Acts chapter one.

So as Grant said this morning and over the next

three weeks until Christmas Day, we're going

to walk through God's heart for the groups of

people described in this passage. Each one of

them is unique, right? Jews, Samaritans, Gentiles,

and ultimately we're going to go beyond that

and we will talk about life beyond this world.

Life with Christ in eternity in the heavenly

realms. But today we're going to start in this

foundational place, to the very place that Jesus

is talking to the disciples in Acts chapter 1

Acts 1 · chapter mention

in Jerusalem and Judea, and we'll talk about

God's heart for the Jewish people. Flip over

in your Bibles to Romans chapter 1. Romans chapter

Romans 1 · chapter mention Romans 1 · chapter mention

1, and I want you to find verse 16. Very important

verse. In Romans 1, the Apostle Paul is writing

about the good news of salvation, the very salvation

that the disciples were now going to take into

the world. And in verse 16, he writes something

very important. I'll put it on the screen, or

you can look at it in your lap there. In verse

16, he writes this. I'm not ashamed of the gospel,

Paul says, and there's no question that in the

Greek world, he was being mocked. for the fact

that his Messiah, his Savior, had been crucified

on a cross, which in the Greek world was a shame.

But he says, I'm not ashamed of the gospel, for

it's the power of God for salvation to what?

To everyone who believes. Good, everyone. That

means all people groups, all nations, all who

believe. But then look at the peculiar phrase

he puts at the end. To the Jew first, and also

to the Greek. The power of God, To salvation,

to the Jew first. What does he mean by that?

What did he mean? And what are the implications

of it as we look at the scriptures and look at

the gospel? Well, the word first there in Greek

is the word proton, and it has two standard meanings.

It can mean first in sequence or time. That's

one meaning. Or first in rank or honor. So Paul

could be speaking of first, well, this is a sequential

thing that historically, chronologically, the

gospel of salvation goes out to the Jewish people

first, and then it moves on to the Gentiles.

And that is historically true, right? The earliest

followers of Jesus were Jewish. The earliest

converts were Jewish. The early church was mostly

Jewish. So it could be said that Paul is saying,

well, look, the gospel of salvation goes to the

Jews first and then sequentially goes out to

the Greeks. But there's actually a problem with

that interpretation, and this is why you have

to have hermeneutical principles when you look

at Scripture, because Scripture interprets Scripture.

There are two other places where we see this

phrase, and they're found in the second chapter

of Romans, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

And in those two places, it does not mean sequential.

It does not mean time. Let's take a look at this.

Flip over to chapter 2, verses 9 and 10. So again,

this is the very next chapter. So back then,

Paul was writing a letter. There weren't chapter

divisions. This is all one flow of thought that

he has here. Verses nine and 10, it says, there

will be tribulation and distress for every soul

of man who does evil of the Jew first and also

of the Greek. That is not sequential. But glory

and honor and peace to everyone who does good

to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Paul's

using this phrase, he's not speaking merely about

sequence, he's talking about honor or prominence.

That the gospel of salvation goes out especially

to the Jews, and we'll find out why in just a

second, but also to the Greeks. But to be consistent

in our interpretation, we have to say two things

are true then. The gospel is especially for the

Jew, it goes first there, and also the Gentile,

but also judgment goes first to the Jew and then

to the Greek. And what that means is God has

declared that the Jewish people are, A, especially

privileged, but also especially accountable before

him. That's what he's saying in Romans chapter

Romans 2 · chapter mention

2. Now, why? Well, for a whole series of reasons,

beginning with this. Because, first of all, they're

unique calling. That goes back to the Torah,

goes back to the prophets. Listen to the language

in Deuteronomy 14 too. Speaking through Moses,

Yahweh says to Israel, you are a holy people

to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen

you to be a people for his own possession out

of all the peoples who are on the face of the

earth. He could have chosen anyone he wanted,

but he's chosen you. So this is Israel's covenantal

status as being uniquely chosen by God. And Paul's

statement in Romans 1, I believe, is an affirmation

of the irrevocable nature of that divine choice

that God made. Even the point he makes about

judgment in Romans 2 speaks to that unique standing.

There is still an ongoing covenantal relationship

between Israel and Yahweh that will play out

even at the judgment seat of Christ. This principle

then gets confirmed by the prophet Amos, where

Yahweh says to the sons of Israel, look at this,

you only, you only have I chosen among all the

families of the earth. Romans 1, but look at,

he says next, therefore, therefore, I will punish

you for your iniquities. Because judgment begins

at the household of God, doesn't it? That lines

up with Romans 2, because of Israel's unique

calling, there will be tribulation and distress.

for those who do evil, first for the Jew and

also for the Greek. So God is consistent in this

prominence, this honor throughout Scripture from

the old to the new. The second reason why the

Jews are especially accountable to God is because

of all the advantages they've been given over

the Gentiles. And Paul talks about this also

in the book of Romans. Starting in chapter 3,

he says, what advantage has the Jew? Great in

every respect. First of all, he says, they were

entrusted with the oracles of God. They were

the unique possessors and guardians of God's

revelation in the Old Testament scriptures. They

had the Torah. They had the prophets. They had

the writings. All of the shapes and shadows that

pointed them forward toward the coming of Messiah.

They had that. They were drilled in it. And even

more, in Romans 9, Paul lays out even more advantages.

He talks about who are Israelites to whom belong

the adoption as sons, the covenants, the giving

of the law, the temple service, the promises,

and the fathers or the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac,

and Jacob. Look at all those advantages. that

had been given to the Jew. What's really significant

there in Romans 9 is that Paul doesn't use the

past tense. He doesn't say all these things that

once belonged to you. He uses the present tense.

Who are Israelites to whom belong these advantages?

Present tense. So more than any other people

group on the earth, the Jews, even today, are

without excuse. Make sense? But let's leave Romans

2 and go back to the honor and prominence that

Paul ascribes to the Jews in Romans 1. The gospel

of salvation is first for them. Why? Well, obviously

the promise of Messiah is coming and the salvation

that he brings with him was communicated to them

first in the Hebrew scriptures. Right? They got

the word about the coming of Messiah. And in

case you didn't know this, Jesus was Jewish.

Jesus was, you know what? It's funny, on Twitter,

that's become controversial. Because of the post

-truth world we live in, that's actually on social

media become controversial. Do not, just don't

go on there. In case you didn't know that, he

was Jewish. The Son of God became flesh as a

Jewish man born of a Jewish woman, right? When

you look at the Christmas narratives in Matthew

1 and 2 and Luke 1 and 2, everything about the

stories about Christmas is thoroughly Jewish.

The setting, the language, the people involved,

the customs, all the allusions to Old Testament

scripture being fulfilled, it's all Jewish. Jesus

was born, raised, he lived as a Jew under the

law. Virtually all of his public ministry took

place within the boundaries of Israel. He chose

disciples that were all Jewish. He taught in

Jewish synagogues. He went up to the temple to

celebrate the Jewish feasts and festivals. All

the titles that he has, Messiah, Son of David,

Son of Man, all come out of the Jewish scriptures.

It's thoroughly Jewish. But it even goes beyond

those obvious things. Here's a prime example

of God's heart for the Jewish people. Jesus explicitly

said that his mission in coming to the earth

was uniquely for who? The lost sheep of the house

of Israel. He said that. Especially to the Jew.

And the Greek. But especially to the Jew. Jesus

said it himself. In fact, in Matthew 10, he looked

at the 12 before sending them out and he said,

don't go in the way of the Gentiles. Don't go

in the way of the Gentiles. And do not enter

any city of the Samaritans, but rather, I want

you to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

To the Jew first. and also to the Greek. So his

focus during his earthly ministry was the Jewish

people. They were his priority. And I think you

see the reason for this. When Jesus does come

into contact with a Samaritan woman in John 4,

the woman at the well, he says to her what? He

says, you worship what you don't know, Samaritans.

We Jews worship what we do know, for salvation

is from the Jews. Honor and prominence. Jesus

came especially for the house of Israel. Salvation

is from the Jews. He said it himself. And the

anti -Semites in the church today need to hear

that loud and clear. Salvation is from who? It's

from the Jews. The Jews are the stream and the

vehicle by which God's revelation about salvation

has come to the rest of the world. Without that

Jewish foundation, we would not be here as Gentiles.

Israel is, as Paul will tell us in Romans 11,

the olive tree and the root into which all non

-Jews are grafted into so that they can be saved.

The Jews are the natural branches of that tree,

Paul's going to say. So they have the honored

first position when it comes to the gospel of

salvation. And by the way, I think this is the

only way that you can explain how Paul operates

on his missionary journeys. Remember, Paul was

sent out into the Greek world, right, to Asia

Minor and to Greece, and he's called the apostle

to the Gentiles. And yet, where does he go first

every time he comes to a new city? To the synagogue.

But wait, you're the apostle to the Gentiles.

What are you doing that for? To the Jew first.

And it says in Acts 17, this was his custom,

to go first to the synagogue. Now, was he rejected

every time? It appears that way. But he kept

going first to the synagogue. That's his custom.

We see it in Acts chapter 13, 14, 17, 18, 19,

Acts 13 · chapter mention

and 28, in case you wondered. So, first to the

Jew, prominence, honor. Also prominence and honor

in judgment, accountability, because of the advantages

that they have. This is how God has approached

his people Israel. We should know that, even

as Gentiles. Okay, I wanna spend some time this

morning in my favorite Christmas verse that also

talks about God's heart for the Jewish people,

and it's not found in the Gospels. It's actually

found in Galatians chapter four. So I want you

to turn over there. Galatians chapter four. We're

gonna work through this verse very slowly. We're

gonna break it down phrase by phrase because

This verse is carefully worded by Paul, and it's

filled with Christmas theology that we should

all be aware of at this time of year. Now, I

can't explain the first, I don't have time to

explain this whole pericope here. I want to look

specifically at verse four and break down these

phrases. The first one is this. When the fullness

of the time came, what did God do? He sent forth

his son. Now, there's so much in that statement

about God. First of all, he's sovereign over

the ages. He knows the beginning from the end.

He is the author of earthly history. He is the

guider and director of earthly history. And when

he was satisfied that he had prepared the world

in just the right way, put all the right conditions

in place, in his infinite mind, the appointed

time had arrived, and he sent forth his son.

Again, look at what's not being said here. He

doesn't say in the fullness of time Christ was

born. It says in the fullness of time he was

sent forth. That is a specific statement by Paul

that points to the preexistence of God the Son.

He was sent forth. He already was. And he was

sent forth into time. In the beginning, before

anything existed, God the Son was, John tells

us, right? He was. He was with God. He was God

before anything. Anything came into being. But

in this moment of time, in the fullness of time,

he is now sent forth by the Father. Not like

a prophet, not like an angel. God had already

sent prophets and angels to his people. This

is different. This is unique. This is a one -time

thing, his one and only son. And if he's a son,

if he's a son, then he's a divine being himself

because the son reflects the essence and attributes

of his father. That's what's going on here. Now,

the idea of this, that God has an eternal son,

was a difficult proposition for Jews of that

day. That's one of the reasons why we see so

much rejection. But it shouldn't have been because

Isaiah told them about this, didn't he? He said,

a son will be given to us. And you might stop

there and go, okay, good, a baby's born. No,

this is not just a regular son because he goes

on to say, this son is going to be called, wonderful

counselor, mighty God. Mighty God, eternal father,

prince of peace. Names and titles reserved only

for Yahweh. So he left the heavenly glory that

he enjoyed with the father in eternity past to

go on this mission from the father in the fullness

of time. And he was what? Born of a woman. One

of the great mysteries of scripture, right? The

conception in the womb of the virgin by the Holy

Spirit. God experiences a human birth. Think

about that. And in that process, he assumes a

second nature. He already has a divine nature

from eternity past. He assumes a human nature

that he derives from Mary. And this was necessary

for several reasons. First of all, it fulfills

the prophecy in Genesis 3 .15, the seed of the

woman who's gonna crush the head of the serpent.

And of course, the incarnation, so that Christ

could die for man as a man. And that's essential,

right? He represents us as a man, as our perfect

substitute on the cross. And so Jesus is born

the only one of his kind. He might say, he's

a unicorn. There is nothing else. He is the God

-man. And so when people try to say, well, is

he God or is he man? We say, He's both. He's

true God and true man. He is the one and only

God man. Just keep that phrase together so that

you don't get into error on either side. He is

the God man. True God and true man. The born

of a woman and then what? Born under the law.

So here we see the uniquely Jewish aspect of

the Christmas story. He is born a Jewish man

to a Jewish mother and responsible for carrying

out the law of Moses. Like any Jewish man. But

like no man before him or after him, he obeyed

it perfectly. The Bible says he was without sin.

And therefore, he's able to bear the curse that

the law brings, right? Isn't that important?

He bears the curse of the law on the cross. He

qualifies as our perfect sacrifice, a lamb without

spot or blemish, and therefore able to take away

your sin. If he's just another sinner who died

2 ,000 years ago on a cross, just a man just

like you and I, he cannot represent you. But

as the perfect lamb of God, he can. He can bear

that curse. And by trusting in him, we can have

his righteousness credited to our account. So

he's got to be. born of a woman, born under the

law. Here's the purpose. So that, so that he

might redeem those under the law. The law is

a burden, isn't it? It can't be kept. So this

idea of redemption is a commercial term that's

used to buying a slave out of an ancient slave

market. This is what Christ has done for us.

He came to purchase men and women like you and

I who were locked in slavery to sin. And he came

to set us free from that slavery. Now, if there

had been another way that we could have done

it, if we could have done this ourselves and

just gritted our teeth and fulfilled the law,

then we wouldn't need a savior. But the reality

is, is we couldn't do it. We were helpless. We

were dead in our sins. And so he becomes the

curse for us. He comes, thick picture this now,

he comes to the slavery auction block of the

earth and buys us. by his body, and by his blood.

He purchases us out of the slave market. He redeems

us. Amazing. That we might receive the adoption

as sons. We talked about this a couple weeks

ago. It would be enough that we were redeemed,

but God goes so far beyond that. He adopts us

as his children. No longer are you helpless before

the law. No longer are you a slave to sin. No

longer, listen now, do you have to grit your

teeth and morally perform in order to try to

earn God's love. You are a son and a daughter.

Hear that clearly. You are now a son or a daughter.

You've gone from being a slave to being an heir.

There's no greater status you can enjoy in this

life or the life to come. It's greater than any

status an angel has. It comes with all the rights

and privileges of God's family and inheritance

beyond what you can imagine. These are the things

we have to remember at Christmastime, right?

What a beautiful statement. Galatians 4 .4 is

such a great statement for God's heart for the

Jewish people. A savior sent forth by the father

to rescue and redeem his people who were suffering

under the burden of the law of Moses. Now, We

know how that turned out in the way the Jews

did not receive him. So let's tackle one last

thing, and it's not a small one. Let's flip back

to the book of Romans and go to Romans 11. We're

gonna work our way through, we're not gonna read

the whole thing, but we're gonna work our way

through the logic of this chapter. I will reference

certain verses, so just keep it open on your

lap. But here's what we need to remember. We

know from the scriptures what it says about the

Jewish people from ancient times. The whole story

of the Old Testament is what? Rebellion. They're

constantly called a stiff -necked people, refusing

to submit to Yahweh's commands. But more importantly,

what we find out is the Jews have stumbled over

their own Messiah. They have failed to receive

the one whom God sent forth to free them. They

failed to receive him. But when we look closer

at scripture, and this is the thing that blows

our minds, we see that it was actually prophesied

to happen that way. Both Paul and Peter quote

Isaiah 700 years before the coming of Christ.

They quote Isaiah in this. Behold, God says,

I, God, lay in Zion, in Jerusalem, a stumbling

stone and a rock of offense in the person of

Christ. I do that, God says. And Peter then adds

this statement, they stumble because they're

disobedient to God's word and to this doom they

were appointed. That's heavy stuff, isn't it?

But the point is, God isn't surprised by the

rejection. He's not surprised by any of it. So

the Jewish people... They see Jesus. They listen

to Jesus. They say, no, thank you. They stumble

in their pride and disobedience. Everybody acknowledges

that. There's no controversy in that statement.

In fact, even today, even today, the remnant

of Jewish believers in Jesus is a relatively

small number of people. It's still happening.

Less than 1 % of Israelis today are Messianic

believers who trusted in Christ. Less than 1%.

The question we want to ask in this is in light

of that truth, of the stiff -necked nature, the

rebellious nature of the Jewish people, the question

is, does God still have a heart for them? Does

God still have a heart for the Jewish people?

Or we could ask it the way you see on the screen,

is there still a future for ethnic and national

Israel in God's plan? This has become a political

hot potato, hasn't it? in light of world events

right now. So we should know exactly what is

said about this subject. In order to answer that

question, what we have to do is answer some key

questions about the stumbling. Here are the two

key questions. First of all, have they stumbled

temporarily for a time or forever? And secondly,

for what purpose did they stumble? God has a

plan in all of it, but for what was the reason?

What was the purpose for it? And what's great

is we have the answers to those questions in

a single chapter. In the most, what I would call

the most theologically significant book in the

New Testament. In Romans 11. There's so many

people today say, I don't want to read it. I

just want to hold my opinion about Israel. I

don't want to read this chapter. Because it answers

the question. I'm amazed at how many people out

there are claiming that the Jews don't matter

to God anymore. They've been rejected forever,

and they don't look at what Paul clearly says

in Romans 11. So we're going to walk through

this. The very first verse in the chapter says

this. I say then, God has not rejected his people,

has he? Paul answers, may it never be. Is there

anything unclear about that? God has not rejected

his people. Right? The last conclusion that we

should come to is that God's purpose in the stumbling

of Israel was a permanent fall into destruction.

Now, the objection that's often raised to this

is that, well, maybe Paul's talking about spiritual

Israel here or believing Israel, not ethnic Israel.

But Paul's concern throughout the book of Romans,

and especially in chapters 9 through 11, has

been ethnic Israel. In fact, he calls them his

kinsmen according to the flesh. And in this very

verse, in Romans 11, 1, he describes who he's

talking about by listing his own ethnic heritage.

He says, I'm an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham

of the tribe of Benjamin. I'm talking about ethnic

Israel. And God has not rejected ethnic Israel.

May it never be. And then he repeats the truth.

Of verse one and verse two, he says it very clearly.

God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.

In the Greek, that word prognosko in the Greek

is a very powerful word. It doesn't just mean

foreknowledge. It means to be foreloved. It's

talking about election because I chose them.

God says, I've not rejected them. I foreknew

them. I foreloved them. I put my mark of love

on them back in the day. That has not changed.

Now, those Jews who have been chosen as part

of the believing remnant, Paul says in chapter

11, they've taken hold of the salvation in Christ.

Praise the Lord for that. But for the rest, he

says, their hearts have been hardened. Their

hearts have been hardened. It's God who gives

them, it says, a spirit of stupor, Paul writes.

It's God who gives them eyes that... cannot see

and ears that will not hear. He saved his remnant,

but for the most of them, their hearts have been

hardened. And then just in case you haven't been

paying attention, for the third time, Paul says

in verse 11, they did not stumble so as to fall,

did they? May it never be. May it never be. So

he's cleared up the first question. Is the stumbling

of Israel temporary or is it permanent? It's

temporary. He's been very clear about this. Now

here's where we get to the purpose. So if that's

true, if Israel has stumbled temporarily, why?

What is God doing here? Well, Paul tells us this

has been his plan from the beginning. Through

the stumbling of the Jews, salvation has done

what? It's gone out to Gentiles like me. Thank

you, Lord. I would be helpless without it. I'd

be lost in my sin without it. That's what he

says. But that's not all. There's a circular

process here. That salvation, going to the Gentile

world, is part of God's ultimate plan to bring

the Jews back front and center in his program.

Paul recognizes that the Jewish people in that

moment are hard -hearted. Everywhere he has gone

in the Greek world, he has experienced it personally.

Rejection after rejection. There's nothing but

rejection. and they are bitter towards the believing

church. Paul has seen it, but here was his hope.

Are you ready? As the beauty of the gospel is

revealed in the church, it's his heart that the

Jews would see that and become jealous for it.

I want that. If God would open their eyes, they

would see the beauty of the gospel and even the

Gentile church and say, that's what I want for

my life, that he would make them jealous. You

hear Paul's desperation. for this in chapter

11, the heart for his fellow Jews, that they

would be jealous of this, that he could break

through those barriers and save more of his people.

And then he adds this hope in verse 12. There

it is, to make the Jews jealous. He adds this

in verse 12. He says, if their transgression,

if the Jews' stumbling is riches for the world,

and if their failure in rejecting Jesus is riches

for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment

be? Did you catch it? He's presuming that a restoration

is coming. How much greater will it be when they

come around? He's presuming that this is gonna

happen. If God gives this amazing gift to the

Gentiles out of Israel's failure, how great will

their restoration be someday? Do you see the

argument? It'll be nothing short of, he says,

Life from the dead. Oh, wait, that was us too.

We were dead in our sins and trespasses until

God made us alive. Oh, life from the dead, which

is, if you're a Jew, you understand what Paul's

referring to here, right? This is Ezekiel 37,

the valley of dry bones, where God looks at Ezekiel

and says, he says, look at this horrible place

of death, nothing but dry bones. He says, son

of man, can these bones live again? And what

happens? Suddenly the bones start to rattle and

they come to life and flesh comes up and muscle

and sinew and tissue and all that. Out of death

comes life. That's what Paul's expecting in Israel's

future, is life from death. And then he turns

to the example of the olive tree, which is such

an obvious example of Israel. If you've been

to Israel, you know this. The olive tree is the

strongest, most durable, most valuable tree in

all the land of Israel. In fact, its roots are

so deep that tour guides will point to certain

trees and go, that tree's 300 years old, 400

years old. Olive trees are super meaningful in

Israel. And the natural branches of the olive

tree, he says, it's the Jewish people, obviously.

But Paul acknowledges in verse 17, he says it's

true that many of those branches, those natural

branches, they've been broken off. They've been

thrown into the fire, just as Jesus said they

would be. And then Paul talks about a mystery,

something that was hidden from view but now has

been revealed. Look at verse 25. He says, I don't

want you to be ignorant about this. Ignorance

leads to error. Ignorance leads to ungodliness.

He says, I don't want you to be without knowledge

in this, so listen carefully. I'm telling you

this so that you don't become wise in your own

eyes and trust in your own opinion or the opinions

of a podcaster somewhere, but that you'll trust

in what I say in God's word because that's what

matters. So lean in and listen, he says. The

hardening of the Jewish people, is God's will.

But there's a termination date to it. A change

is coming. Until when, you ask? Verse 25, until

the fullness of the Gentiles has come into the

kingdom. That is the saturation point. When every

single chosen Gentile has believed, then God's

relationship with ethnic Israel will shift again.

and the stupor will be lifted, and the eyes will

see, and the ears will hear. They will look upon

the one that they've pierced, it says in Zechariah,

and they will mourn, and they will repent. And

as Paul puts it in verse 26, all Israel will

be saved. What a beautiful truth. This harkens

back. In chapters eight and nine of Romans, Paul

talks about the Jews in light of this everlasting

covenant that God made with Israel, their divine

election as a people. And I want you to hear

this loud and clear this morning, friends. God

doesn't turn his back on those things. Don't

you dare think that God abandons his covenants.

In verses 28 and 29 of 11 here, Paul says, and

I'll paraphrase, the Jews may be hostile to the

believing church right now, but because God chose

them, they are still beloved. They're still beloved.

When we get to the Gentiles, we'll talk about

how we should approach this. That's a future

message. For the sake of the promises Yahweh

made to the patriarchs, he writes here, the gifts

and the calling of God on the Jewish people are

irrevocable. It cannot be revoked. Cannot be.

And I'm telling you guys, this should be one

of the most comforting passages in all of the

New Testament. Think about this. When the Lord

gives a gift, it's irrevocable. When he calls

a person to salvation, the calling is final.

He doesn't take it back. He doesn't fail to fulfill

his promises. So I would say, woe to any Christian.

And there's so many of them out there right now.

Woe to any Christian who arrogantly says, well,

look, I've been called, I've been chosen, and

now nothing can separate me from God's love,

but then turns around and says, yeah, Israel

was at one time chosen, and they were at one

time called by God, but now they've fallen away

from God's love. Do you see the inconsistency?

God does not give up on his promises. He made

promises to his people Israel. For the sake of

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he gave them amazing

gifts. We've already looked at what those gifts

were, right? The oracles of God, the adoption

of sons, the covenants, the temple service, all

of those things. And so he is a people after

God's own possession, and those gifts and calling

are irrevocable. And so Yahweh will one day bring

his mercy to this disobedient and stiff -necked

people and he will save them. That's his promise

in verse 26. For his own glory and according

to his redemptive plan, what does he say? I will

remove ungodliness from Jacob. Do you doubt God

can do that? Oh, but I look at the world, Jeff,

and I don't understand how they can possibly

be saved. God says, I will come and I will remove

ungodliness. From Jacob. How? By what means?

Verse 26. My deliverer, Jesus, Israel's savior,

will come out of Zion and he will do this. He

will remove ungodliness from Jacob. He won't

come from Gentile lands. He ain't coming from

America. He comes from Zion. So just in case

you thought the land didn't matter. Make sure

you see this. The same place where the stumbling

stone was placed by God in Zion, the city that

he loves, the city he's chosen for himself, that

is where Jesus will return to remove ungodliness

from Jacob. And look at the reason why he will

do this. Verse 27. Why? Because of the covenant

that he made with Jacob, a covenant to take away

their sins. It's right there in black and white.

That's why. The covenant. So yeah, it's true.

Today, Jacob lives in disobedience, but God is

going to turn them back at some point in the

future. Why? Because they're owed a second chance?

No. No. Because of God's mercy, because of the

covenant, because of the promises, because of

God's electing grace. And the same is true of

us. The only reason you're found in Christ is

for those very same reasons, because of God's

promises, because of his electing grace. So how

dare we say, oh, we got that, we've received

that, but Israel can't. The Jews can't. They're

done away with. And so all Israel will be saved,

Paul says. Does that mean every, by the way,

does it mean every single Jew in the whole wide

world is gonna see Jesus, repent, and believe?

No, I don't think so. You guys know this, we've

talked about it before. The word all in scripture

can be tricky to handle. It doesn't mean the

same thing oftentimes that we mean in English

when we say each and every person. What I believe

is happening here is there's going to be a mass

outpouring of salvation upon ethnic Jews living

in the land when Jesus returns. Every individual

whom God has chosen, Jew and Gentile, will be

redeemed. But in that day, and I believe the

rapture will have already happened at this point,

the tribulation, the purpose of the tribulation

is to refine God's people Israel. And when Christ

finally returns, that's when Zechariah gets poured

out. They will look on the one that they pierced

and they'll go, we missed it the first time.

And there will be this great outpouring of salvation.

God has a heart for the Jewish people. Even today,

folks, please don't let the anti -Semitism that's

floating around in the church impact you. Reject

that stuff. Now, I want to clear up some misconceptions

as well. Because sometimes evangelicals get carried

away about Israel. So let me wrap up our time

together this morning by saying, if we hold to

this view of Israel, there's some pits that we

can fall into and we should avoid these things.

Number one, and I said this several months ago

in another sermon, I'll say it again today because

it's a hot button issue. Because we see a future

for Israel in the scriptures, that does not mean

that we have to unconditionally support everything

that Israel does. or everything that the Israeli

government chooses to do. Israel is just as capable

of being wicked as any other nation. In fact,

they're a nation of unbelievers. Less than 1

% trust in Christ. They are a wicked nation,

as we are. They're just as capable of wickedness

as America is. So we don't just go, oh, well,

there's a future for Israel. Therefore, whatever

Israel does is fine. That's not true because

on the side of good and evil, we're on the side

of God, not any country. We're on the side of

what God's word says. So, oh, and by the way,

it's not automatically anti -Semitic to say Israel's

doing wicked things. It might be, by the way,

it might be. That's why we check our hearts,

right? It's about the heart motivation. But it's

not automatically anti -Semitic to say, I condemn

what Israel's doing right now. Come talk to me

afterwards. Adam's going to be like, really?

Yeah. Second thing, and this is pretty straightforward,

but it should be said out loud. Being ethnically

Jewish does not give someone greater merit in

God's eyes. As Paul says in Romans 3, there is,

No distinction. All have fallen short of the

glory of God. That puts Jews and Gentiles on

an equal footing before God and in equal need

of redemption. Third thing, and this should be

obvious, but sometimes we are unfairly attacked

for believing that Jews, just by being ethnically

Jewish, have a different path to salvation than

Gentiles, like a simpler path because they're

ethnically Jewish. Nothing could be further from

the truth. All of humanity are saved by God's

grace and by faith alone in Jesus Christ. No

one, Jew or Gentile, comes to the Father except

through him. There are not two paths. There is

one path for Jew and Gentile. Make sense? Last

thing, number four, we need to be careful about

seeing the Jewish people as nothing more than

a practical stepping stone to ushering in the

end times. Okay? It's so easy to see the restoring

of Israel in 1948 and the return of so many ethnic

Jews to the land, and then we turn on the TV

and watch the news and we start plugging things

into Scripture. Be careful. God is clearly at

work in the land of Israel. The land matters

to him. 1948 was important. I think it was because

God's starting to put things in place. Now, we

don't know when Christ is returning. It could

be next week. It could be 100 years from now.

I don't know, but God is always putting things

in place for his ultimate plan, right? So it

matters. But if Paul is rightly describing Israel

in Romans 11, we should expect that Israel today

would be a hard -hearted, unbelieving nation,

which it is. Wouldn't it make sense for God to

say, I'm putting my people back in the land.

They're going to still be stiff -necked. They're

still going to be unbelievers. There's still

going to be wickedness in order to prepare them

for the coming of their Messiah the second time.

It makes sense. That's what they are today. So

in light of all this, I'm sorry, if you sense

my frustration, I've had so many of these conversations

in the last few months with people. So I don't

mean to be impatient. We just, we need to get

this right. In light of all this, here's my exhortation

I'll close with. Have a heart for the Jewish

people that matches the heart that God has for

them. Have a heart for the Jewish people that

matches the heart God has for them. That means

a number of things. First of all, it means, yes,

rejecting true anti -Semitism. First, in your

own heart, if it's there. Second, if you see

it pop up. True anti -Semitism, confront that.

It means affirming the principle of to the Jew

first, recognizing God's ongoing covenant love

for Israel and for the land in spite of their

disobedience. And it means remembering that God

is always faithful to his promises, his gifts,

and his calling. And to know that those promises

given to Israel to this moment are irrevocable.

Finally, friends, it means praying for the Jewish

people. Right? Sometimes, again, we see them,

well, that's just a step to getting Jesus back.

No, these are people with souls. We need to pray

for the Jewish people. We need to pray that the

gospel reaches those hard hearts, not just in

Israel. but Jews in America and all over the

world. The good news of the gospel about Jesus,

the Messiah, it started right here in Jerusalem

and Judea. May it continue to ring out to every

nation of the world and may, let's just say it,

may Jesus return to Zion quickly and remove ungodliness

from Jacob in that day. Amen? Let's bow our heads.

Father, these are confusing times that we live

in, and sometimes when we read a difficult book

like Romans, and especially in this section of

9 through 11, Lord, it can be hard to navigate

through. So my prayer for myself and for my brothers

and sisters this morning is that you will continue

to enlighten us by your Spirit, make things clear

for us so that we have a right posture towards

the world, so that we have a right mindset towards

our Jewish friends, that we have a right concept

of what you're doing in the land of Israel right

now and that we would stay biblical on this and

not allow politics and the chaos of this world

to infect our thinking. Father, thank you for

laying these things out for us. When we need

that truth, God, you always come through and

you say, don't be wise in your own eyes. Take

a look at what I've declared. And so we can do

that. And so we thank you for the time to be

able to do that this morning together. Lord,

as we start to think more about Christmas, we

think about your heart for the nations, for Jews,

Samaritans, for us Gentiles. Lord, continue to

show us what you want us to see in this preaching

series. And may you be glorified by all that

we pray in Christ's name.