A Wild Olive Tree

My hope, though, is that in this we see Jesus, we see the hope of the gospel, and we see the sovereignty of God who works all things according to his purposes.

So this passage it's difficult to navigate for various reasons.

So we're gonna be using some big words.

I'm gonna try and define those words for you so that you can stay on track with where we're going in this text.

Uh, but I want to talk about some of those complications.

Uh, as we get to them, what we want to submit first and foremost, what I'm about to preach, uh, we hold with what we would call a semi-closed hand, right?

So so here's what we mean by that.

An open hand is like, brother, we can disagree all day long, but it's nothing that really is valuable.

Like, right?

Is La Rosa's pizza good?

No.

Let's just be honest.

Everything else on the menu is wonderful, but the pizza's bad.

Okay, that's an open hand.

You can disagree with me all day, and it doesn't really matter, right?

So we don't hold what I'm about to present with a completely open hand, but we're not gonna close our fist and say that it's in a closed-handed position.

Jesus being the eternally begotten Son of the Father, born of a Virgin Mary, uh uh uh died for our sin, raised on the third day to the glorious life.

Those are closed-handed things that mean you we're not, if we disagree, um, I win because the Bible wins, right?

I'm on the side of the Bible.

Uh so we put those things in a closed hand.

Uh, we're gonna put what I'm about to bring to you this morning in a semi-closed hand.

There's some things that we hold tightly to.

It's closed in the sense that we contend the church.

The church is God's elect throughout all redemptive history.

That's gonna be in that partially closed hand.

The church is God's elect throughout all redemptive history.

We reject a replacement or dispensational theological framework.

So here's what I mean by that, right?

These are two words I want to hope to define for us.

Replacement.

Replacement theology believes that the New Testament church, what we see today, replaced Israel.

Uh, we don't believe that in any sense.

We'll reject that position completely.

The New Testament church that we have today does not replace Israel.

We believe that the New Testament church as we see it today is purposed in God's eternal plan from the beginning of redemptive history.

God did not have alternate plans or multiple failed attempts followed by course corrections and adjustments.

God has one grand plan, and through it, he demonstrates men's repeated failures followed by men's repeated adjustments.

So if anyone fails, if anyone has to course correct, it's always us.

It's not God.

God is faithful to his promises, God is faithful to what he says.

We are the ones that are unfaithful.

And God's steadfast love relentlessly chases us down, time and time again, to bring us back unto himself.

So replacement theology, that the church has replaced Israel.

We reject that.

We also reject dispensationalism.

Uh, dispensational theology teaches that there are two distinct peoples of God: there's ethnic Israel, and then there's the church.

Dispensationalists hold that the church has not replaced Israel in God's program or redemptive history, and that the Old Testament promises to Israel have not been transferred to the church.

So here's what dispensationalists believe: there's there's the Israel, ethnic Israel, and there's the New Testament church.

And these are two distinct people groups who God promises distinct things to and works redemptively, distinctly between them.

Again, what we're going to contend for is that there is one people of God throughout all redemptive history.

Okay?

We want to show God's consistent, purposeful, glorious plan of salvation to bring him glory and to make a people for himself who were once not a people.

Here's some hermeneutical challenges that we're going to face.

When I say the word hermeneutics, that simply means how we work to interpret the Bible, right?

So hermeneutics is the study of uh of the Bible, or it's the uh art of studying the Bible.

And so here are some challenges that we face hermeneutically in this.

Uh, number one is that throughout this passage and the passages previously, we're gonna hear Paul's heart.

Paul's writing this letter.

He is an Israelite, uh, he was a Pharisee of Pharisees, a Jew of Jews, right?

He and he loves ethnic Israel.

And what you're gonna see is Paul's desire that they would all be saved.

He loves his people.

And you're gonna hear that desire in the text.

And what's challenging about that is you're hearing a man's passion, desire inside a context of inerrant scripture.

Right?

So we believe that the Bible is inerrant, that means it has no errors within it.

It is it is uh able to be fully trusted and placed faith upon because God's promises are yes and amen, and that he used the Holy Spirit uh to inspire human authors to write out his divine word and revelation to us.

Uh that's what we believe.

But here we see Paul's heart communicated inside of that context.

That's challenging, okay?

Uh we also see the challenge of the use of analogy.

How many know when you try to use an analogy somewhere it always falls short, right?

Well, my house is is like a subway, and um you uh and people are like, what the heck are you talking about, dude?

Well, I'm trying to say um analogies just fall short a lot of the time.

And Paul's gonna use the chunk of this text as an analogy to help us understand who is Israel and what's our relationship with them.

And then we have language limitations, right?

You're gonna hear language like fool and all.

And our temptation or our our kind of uh the way that we uh uh approach it initially is that that's a universal type of language, right?

When you say uh all of these people, we think, oh, you mean universally every single person that is sitting in this room.

Uh the same thing can happen in this context.

When we hear the word fool or all, we can think of a way of every single Israelite ever to have lived throughout all time.

That's not what Paul will be saying.

We're gonna work through that.

So there's language complications, and then there's some terms that we need to understand.

There's ethnic Israel, okay?

Ethnic Israel is the people who were born of the line of Abraham, who have the genealogy of the patriarchs, and who are ethnically, geopolitically Jewish people.

So there's ethnic Israel, and then there's spiritual Israel.

The Bible talks about spiritual Israel, those who are of Abraham, of the true Israel, uh, through the Spirit, not through blood, but through the Spirit.

They are brought into God's family, not by blood, but by the Holy Spirit himself.

And then you're gonna hear a word called Gentile.

Uh, gentile just means anybody who's not a Jew, right?

So uh probably I would imagine, how many of y'all done 2023 of me or uh ancestry?

Yeah, I have.

It's it was weird.

Um found found out my family, lied to me for a long time.

No, uh, but uh I was way less German than I than I was ever told.

And I had no Native American.

Like, how many of you grew up like you're 516ths Cherokee?

Any everybody was told that if you live in Southwest Ohio, well, that was a lie.

I determined that was a lie.

What was that from?

I don't know.

Anyway, uh, Gentile people are people who are not ethnic Jews.

Okay, so you're gonna hear these languages.

Israel, referring to ethnic Israel.

I'm gonna try and do my best to use ethnic Israel when that's what they're talking about.

Spiritual Israel, those who are brought into God's family by the Holy Spirit.

Gentile, if you're not a Jew, you're Gentile.

That's probably most of us, if not all.

So, last thing before we dive in the text.

Well, almost.

Uh, this is a much bigger conversation than we have time for.

Stop it.

Stop it.

What is wrong with you?

Um, this is a much bigger conversation than we have time for.

So we we need to be honest about that.

Uh, I'm doing my best in the time allotted to preach the text faithfully to help us see Jesus and his glorious plan of redemption.

Before we dive into the text, let's take a moment to reflect on some things Paul's already made really clear to us throughout the book of Romans.

Here's number one Not all ethnic Jews are true descendants of Abraham.

Not all ethnic Jews are true descendants of Abraham.

Romans 9, 6 through 7 says, But it is not as though the word of God has failed, for not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham, because they are his offspring.

But through Isaac shall your offspring be named.

So Paul makes it clear: not all who have descended physically in the genealogy of Abraham are ethnic Israel, uh are the true Israel.

Also, we see this Abraham is the father of the children of faith, not flesh.

Abraham is the father of the children of faith, not flesh.

Romans 4 11 says, He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.

The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well.

Paul also classifies who is a Jew and who is not.

He does this in Romans 2 28.

But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.

His praise is not from man, but from God.

He also helps us understand that the law has held us captive, but the spirit brings us freedom and liberty.

Romans 7.6, but now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

Romans 10, he helps us understand that there's no salvific benefit to ethnicity.

This is in this is key.

He does say there's benefit to ethnicity.

He says, look at the Jews.

Do they not have God's law and his promises?

What great benefit is that, Paul says.

But he says and he makes it clear, there's no salvific benefit.

So just because you're a Jew doesn't mean you're going to be saved by God.

He says this in Romans 10, 12, and 13.

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Romans 11 5, he helps us see there is an elect remnant of Jews that are distinct from the rest of Israel.

There's an elect remnant with inside ethnic Israel that is distinct.

Romans 11 5, he says, so too at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.

So with all this in mind, let's dive into the text.

Every theologian, well, most theologians and pastors I read on this or listened to on this, on a dime flipped at this passage because it's difficult to deal with.

Who is Israel?

What's our relationship with them?

What is God promising?

And we saw like a fish on dry land just flop over.

And it's like now all of Israel is going to be saved.

Now, and it seemed that they were by implication saying there is salvific benefit to ethnicity.

Well, Paul has just worked for chapters upon chapters to say, no, there's not.

There's no salvific benefit to ethnicity, but it is by grace through faith that we are saved in Christ.

Paul starts this section of his letter again with a question.

He says, So I asked, did they stumble in order that they might fall?

But let's rephrase it a bit better to understand it.

Here's how I would rephrase it.

Did ethnic Israel stumble to the point where they have fallen beyond recovery?

I think that's a better way contextually for you and I to understand that question.

Did ethnic Israel stumble to such a point that they have fallen beyond recovery?

And Paul's emphatic answer to that question, rhetorical question, is what?

By no means.

There's no way that that's the truth of Israel.

They have not fallen to the point of that they are beyond recovery.

He's going to demonstrate the power of God in the possibility of their salvation.

Well, we have to understand that nothing is beyond God's power, even in saving of those who have been cut off.

Nothing is beyond God's power, even in the saving of those who have been cut off.

So what's the fruit of their stumbling?

Right?

Paul goes into this.

The fruit of their stumbling is not hopelessness to them, but it's hope to the world.

The fruit of their stumbling is not hopelessness to them, but it's hope to the world.

Look, he says that it's because of them the riches of God have been poured out on all people.

The world is now invited in, even the Gentile, to experience the riches of his saving power.

The Gentiles received salvation.

The gospel has redeemed and reconciled the nations.

You see, it wasn't the totality of Israel's downfall that was the effect of their stumbling, but it was the salvation of you and I.

What's God's divine purposes in this?

Twice, Paul says, it's to make them jealous.

He says this twice.

He says, one is that the result of their fall has made them jealous as they watch and gaze upon Gentile people receiving the salvation of the Lord through Jesus.

And then later he says, I magnify my ministry to the Gentile people in such a way so I make it big and bold.

I'm magnifying such a way that the Jews become jealous or provoked to jealousy to see what the Gentiles are grasping hold of God's promises that seem to be fleeting their hands.

I love this comment in the Epistle to the Romans, a commentary written by Leon Morris.

I missed a slide, didn't I, Miss Melissa?

Thank you.

If we were to look at 11 through 16, uh, this is how it's summarized.

So if you're following along in the notes uh on the app, this is how it's summarize 11 through 16.

Salvation has come to the Gentiles to make ethnic Israel jealous.

That's what Paul's very clear about.

Uh, do you want to see a fruit or an implication of salvation coming to you, Gentile people?

It is to make the Jews jealous, to provoke them to jealousy.

All right, so fill in the blanks there, ethnic Israel moving on.

Uh, Leon Morris, in his uh commentary on uh the epistle to the Romans, he says this.

Paul is saying that the salvation of the Gentiles was intended in the divine providence to arouse in Israel a passionate desire for the same good gift.

When they saw the wonder of the Messianic salvation, the Jews would want it for themselves.

Why does Paul put forth such an effort to magnify his ministry of the gospel to the Gentiles in front of ethnic Israel?

Paul says this clear, and we have to listen to the words that he uses, in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous and thus save some of them.

Some of them.

Paul had already talked about the remnant, we're gonna get to that in just a minute, that was chosen out of ethnic Israel to be saved, chosen by grace.

Paul understands the limitations of God's salvation, not because of his absence of power, but because of his divine purposes, of whom all he will save, and there's a remnant of chosen people inside of Israel, and Paul understands that's not all or universal totality of the Jews.

Let's look for a moment at the language used in the end of verse 12.

Paul says that their trespasses actually brought blessing to the whole world.

How much more will their full inclusion mean?

This is a bit of tricky language.

We talked about this in the beginning.

So Paul says uh if their rejection means riches to the world, then how much will their full inclusion mean?

Uh the NASB, uh the New American Standard Bible, uses a different word.

It uses the word fulfillment.

How much more will their fulfillment be?

Um The Greek here is playoma.

Pleroma.

And we see this somewhere else.

Um, and this word, what it's referring to, is the fullness of the body of believers.

So playeroma, fullness that we see, full inclusion, we see at the end of verse 12.

What it means actually is the fullness of the body of believers.

So when it talks about their full inclusion, it's talking about those whom God has chosen by grace.

Uh, we see this same language used below in verse 25.

So if you've got a Bible out or if you uh got uh an app that you're really quick on, uh go down to verse 25 and look at that.

What we see here is this language.

Paul says, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

That pleroma word, fullness.

Uh, he talks about it in the same way of Gentiles.

Now, what we see in the church a lot of times is we see uh fullness, meaning all of ethnic Israel will be saved because we have some weird end times prophecy issues.

And then when we look at the word fullness of Gentiles, we're like, nah, not all of them.

We we like blink on and then blink off, right?

This is an issue that we have when it comes to faithful biblical interpretation to understand what is Paul actually talking about?

Because we romanticize Israel in places that God never intended for us to do so.

When Paul's talking about the fullness of the Israel, uh of the uh ethnic Israel, he's also talking about the fullness of Gentile.

Well, what does that mean?

Well, it's the fullness of those who would belong in the body of Christ.

It is those of whom, like he said earlier in chapter 11, would be chosen by grace.

That is the fullness of which Paul is talking about.

In both instances, the pleroma, the fullness chosen by grace, brought in through the preaching of the gospel.

Fullness does not equate universal totality.

In the context of the opening of chapter 11, the remnant chosen by grace, and in light of it with the inclusion of Gentiles, we land at Paul referring to the fullness of those God who he has elected.

You see, as we work to allow scripture to interpret scripture, it would be unfit to allow fullness to reflect a universal uh context in one case, but not in the other.

That's bad hermeneutics.

So another way that we interpret the Bible is we allow scripture to interpret scripture.

Here's why American Christianity is jacked up, because of Hobby Lobby.

No, I'm joking.

But here's what they do, right?

Here's what they do: they take some verse that sounds super cute and looks great on a distressed white piece of wood, and then they put it up on your wall.

But but this is a heart posture of the American church.

We're gonna take one verse, rip it out of context, out of the rest of the Bible, and then we're gonna build a whole belief system around it.

Right?

Eat, pray, love.

That's not even in the Bible.

Some of you think that's in the Bible.

That's not even in the Bible.

Um this is what we do, though, right?

We take things out of context.

When we don't allow scripture to interpret scripture and have a faithful hermeneutic or the way that we approach the Bible for interpretation, we come out with wonky doctrine.

That's really heresy at the end of the day.

So if fullness is gonna mean one thing in one passage and only eight, ten verses later gonna mean fullness, something completely different, maybe there's a problem with our interpretation method and not with what the Bible says.

Therefore, I would submit fullness, the pluroma, is not in the fullness of humanity, but it's in the fullness of God's divine purposes, namely the full inclusion of his elect into the salvation of his son.

Let's jump back to verse 7 for a moment.

What then, Paul says, Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking?

Again, what then is the question?

The answer is Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking.

The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened.

That's Romans 11.

Paul's referring to ethnic Israel at this point in time.

He's making a clear distinction between ethnic Israel and elect Israel.

He says, Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking.

The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened.

Paul is making a clear distinction and referring to ethnic Israel between those who were seeking righteousness through self-righteousness and those who have been elect by God and attained the righteousness of Him.

He clearly defines and distinguishes between the two, much in the same way.

He's making a clear distinction between ethnic and elect.

God uses the preaching of the gospel to call home those whom he has chosen by grace, so too will he cause jealousy to be provoked in the hearts of elect Israel to call them to himself.

How inscrutable are his ways.

Who are you?

Who am I to question the means by which God will call people to himself?

He is the potter.

We are the lumps of clay.

We cannot question his goodness, his faithfulness, his loving kindness.

God is God in you and I are not.

As we go down to verses 17 through 24, we see this kind of theme that the Gentiles have been grafted in by grace.

17 through 24, the Gentiles have been grafted in by grace.

So Paul uses this whole analogy of a tree here.

We didn't read this in the first part, but I'm going to kind of uh uh synthesize this to shorten it up a bit.

Paul uses this analogy of a tree to understand the people of God.

He says there were these natural branches that were cut off of this tree.

That's ethnic Israel, is what he's talking about.

There were these natural branches that were cut off, and then these wild olive branches, that's us, the Gentiles, unless you're 23andMe says you're Jewish, that's cool.

Um that were grafted into the tree, right?

And so they were grafted into the trunk of the tree, nourished by the root, and then those that were cut off remain cut off.

But then he says, This is God not so powerful as to graft back in those natural branches that were cut off so that they may might produce fruit as well.

Right?

So ethnic Israel was cut off so that you and I could be grafted into God's people.

And he says, But isn't God so good and so powerful that if he wanted to, he would even graft in the natural branches that he cut off so that they might bear fruit also?

So he's saying that this God's purposes to accomplish his good desire is not beyond his power.

We don't serve a weak God church.

We don't serve a weak God.

You and I have story after story of like, well, we wanted it to be this way, but we we kind of um we're kind of just didn't do it because we're weak, because we're lazy, because we couldn't accomplish those things, right?

We wanted it to be this way, but it turned out something different because ultimately we're not great at life.

I have those situations.

I would take a bet every single person in this room has one of those situations.

I I thought it was gonna be this way, that's what I was working toward.

It ended up at the end of it all.

I was too weak, I was too lazy, I was too powerless to accomplish that.

So I'm settling for something different.

That's not God.

God says, This was my purpose, this is my will, this is my good pleasure, and I am powerful enough to accomplish it in its full according to my own good desire.

So Paul uses this analogy of grafting branches into an olive tree to describe the Gentile relationship with ethnic Israel.

Let's try to work through this analogy in light of all that has been taught throughout this letter.

Because a temptation in biblical interpretation is to not incorporate the larger context into our understanding of specific passages.

Okay, that's a temptation.

We're gonna jump in at Romans 11 and we're gonna come out on the other side, God's gonna save all of Israel.

Did you not read 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, all the way back to one?

No, we just look kind of like smorgasbord this, like we're at Orion's steakhouse and want this and not that, and we come up with goofy doctrine.

Paul says some of the branches, ethnic Israel, have been cut off, and the wild olive shoots, Gentiles, have been grafted in and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree.

We can easily identify the natural branches.

That's ethnic Israel.

In this analogy, that's completely understandable.

Who's been cut off?

Ethnic Israel's been cut off, uh, they were the natural branches.

We can easily understand who the wild olive branches are, right?

They are the Gentiles.

And they've been grafted in now to share what Paul says in this nourishing root of the olive tree.

So the question begs, what's the nourishing root?

Here's where I'm going to submit with a partially open hand.

Jesus is the nourishing root that Paul's referring to.

It's not the patriarchs, it's not ethnic Israel, it's not the law.

Jesus is the nourishing root.

Because look at what Paul's saying.

Now, you Gentiles, he's been talking to the Jewish people at Rome for several chapters, and he turns his attention to the Gentile people, his listeners of this letter.

He says, Now you Gentiles, you have been beneficiaries, being nourished by the nourishing root.

Well, he just told us throughout several chapters, there's death in the law, not life.

There's no nourishment in the law or in the keeping of covenants, there's no nourishment in the patriarch.

There's no nourishment in the ethnicity, there's no nourishment in those things.

The Gentiles are now going to be nourished by anything.

They're going to be nourished by Jesus, the Son of the living God, the root of God's kingdom.

We have to ask the question again, what are the Gentiles being grafted into?

It's not the law that they're being grafted into.

It's not ethnic Israel they're being grafted into, because we've been shown there's no nourishment to be had there.

Gentiles, you and I are being grafted into the true Israel.

Those of faith, not of flesh.

Jesus is the true Israel in all of us who are united to him by faith.

This was prophesied from Isaiah.

It was prophesied hundreds of years ago, before Jesus even stepped onto the scene or was birthed out of the virgin, that that the root would come.

Isaiah says this in 1110.

He says, In that day, the root of Jesse, this is a messianic prophecy speaking of Jesus, the Messiah coming.

In that day, the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples, of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

Paul says in Romans 15 that Jesus is that root, the fulfillment of the promises made to the patriarchs.

This is why a broader uh uh inclusion of the text for faithful biblical interpretation is necessary.

Here's what he says in Romans 15.

For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness in order to confirm, listen to this, to confirm the promises given to who?

To the patriarchs, in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy, as it is written, therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles and sing to your name.

Again it is said, Rejoice, O Gentiles, with this people, and again, praise the Lord all you Gentiles, and let all the people extol him.

And again, Isaiah says, The root of Jesse will come.

Even he who arises to rule the Gentiles, in him will the Gentiles hope.

What are the Gentiles being grafted into?

Jesus, because he is Israel.

Jesus Himself reveals that he is the root in the book of Revelation.

Let's look at Revelation 5, 5.

And one of the elders said to me, Weep no more.

Behold, the line of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.

Revelation 22, 16.

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches.

I am the what?

Root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.

So what has been prophesied is that this tree which was bearing no fruit, that's ethnic Israel, right?

This tree which was bearing no fruit is gonna be cut down by the hand of God Himself.

And out of this stump that lays there now, out of the roots of that is gonna shoot forth a new tree.

A new tree from which the branches are held and bear fruit.

This is Isaiah 11 1.

Does this sound familiar?

Isaiah 11 1, there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

Isaiah 11, 10 through 11, just down a little bit, he says this in that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples, of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to what?

Recover the remnant.

Does that sound familiar?

Paul 11, 1 through 10.

He's going to recover the remnant that remains of his people, speaking of ethnic Israel, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Kush, from Elam, from Shinar, should have practiced these names beforehand, from Hamath and from the coastlands of the sea.

What's Isaiah saying?

This root or this tree, this ethnic Israel has borne no fruit.

And their pursuit of self-righteousness through the obedience of the law, they have failed to attain it.

And they did not attain the righteousness of God.

And so these dead branches that bear no fruit has been cut down, and out of that stump shoots forth Christ, who is the nourishing root, who is which we are grafted into, both the natural branches of ethnic Israel and the wild olive branches of the Gentile.

This is what John the Baptist comes on the scene saying Behold, the axe is laid at what?

The tree.

So they'll cut down anything that is not bearing fruit.

Jesus is the nourishing root.

Jesus is the vine.

Jesus is the shoot from which the branches are held and bear fruit.

So in light of this, in light of this glorious truth, that the Gentiles have been brought into the vine by grace, what does Paul challenge them with?

Stupid watch.

I swear Steve Jobs is resurrected from uh.

So, in light of this, what does Paul challenge the Gentiles with?

Don't be arrogant.

Don't be arrogant.

And he gives them two aspects of God's character as to why they should not be arrogant, that they are wild olive branches being grafted into the tree.

He says, because of God's kindness and because of God's severity.

Now, when you think about God, the culture wants you to think about God, a different God, not the God of the Bible, as the kindness part.

And they twist what that kindness means or what that love means.

You're not going to hear from the culture.

Well, think about God's severity when it comes to how you live your life.

But God, through Paul, wanted us to see him in this nature because he is more complex than being nice and kind to people.

You see, Paul says, reflect on his kindness.

Do not be arrogant.

You have been grafted in by grace.

Do not be arrogant.

Think about his kindness.

Paul is magnifying the grace of God toward the Gentile people.

It's because of his kindness and nothing else that you and I have been brought in.

It's not based on ethnicity, works, obedience, political party, socioeconomic status.

It's grace alone.

Grace alone.

Imagine this.

Paul calls the Gentile reader to look upon the cut off natural branches by God's own hand and ponder his severity.

If God saw fit to cut off these natural branches, well, who are you to think that he won't cut you off as well?

These branches did not bear fruit, that's why they were cut off.

Jesus does this very same thing.

He does a living parable of sorts as he comes across the fig tree in his earthly ministry that had no fruit on this tree.

And what's he do?

He curses it.

And it dies and withers before their eyes.

Why?

Because it didn't bear fruit.

Jesus was showing in that moment the severity of God toward us who do not bear fruit, that he will curse it and cause it to wither and perish.

If he was so severe with these natural branches, are you and I so foolish as to believe that he would not do the same to us wild ones?

In light of this truth about God's kindness, his grace and severity, his judgment, do not become proud, Paul says, but fear him.

Fear God.

Paul closes this section of the letter by calling our attention to the power of God.

If he's grafted you Gentiles, you wild branches, in, could he not also graft back in the natural branches?

Ethnic Jews?

God is so powerful and able to accomplish his purposes, to prune the tree so that it bears the fruit he so desires for his glory.

A tree of fruitful branches, consisting of both wild and natural, grafted into the true vine and nourishing root.

Jesus.

God will cultivate the perfect tree for his glory.

If Paul is drawing our attention to anything in this whole passage, church, it is this key thing.

The power and might of God to accomplish his purposes.

That's what Romans 11 is about.

The power and might of God to accomplish his purposes.

This section is no different.

Paul has shown that it is by God's hand that some branches have been cut off and some have been grafted in.

A tree of majesty, grandeur, and beauty is being cultivated by the Father's own hand.

And its branches stretch over his creation, consisting of people from every tribe, nation, and tongue.

You and I will look to him and declare his kindness and his severity.

When Jesus comes back and he assembles his church, he calls them unto himself, and we will see the scope of all humanity of those who are not his and those who have been purchased by his blood, chosen by grace, called to belong to him as his bride, the church.

We will look at Christ and look at him and declare his kindness, that we have been included in such beautiful grandeur and glory, and his severity of those who have been cut off because of their fruitless state.

What grace and mercy that we belong, what righteousness and justice that they have been cut off.

That will be our cry.

That will be what we proclaim on that day.

Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches.

God is the vine dresser.

What's a vine dresser?

A vine dresser is one who goes out there and prunes, who cuts off, who makes sure the tree's healthy, that it's doing what it's supposed to do, that there's no invasive uh plants around it, that it's producing the fruit that it's supposed to be producing.

That's the vine dresser.

Who is that?

That's the Father.

Jesus is the vine.

He is the true Israel of which we are finding our nourishment.

And we, church, we're the branches.

We cannot bear fruit disconnected from Jesus.

It's impossible for us to do that.

That's what Paul's been helping us understand.

You search for righteousness and obedience to the law, and you did not attain it.

There is no fruit disconnected from Jesus.

As we read John 15 in closing, 1 through 6, think about the words Jesus is saying in light of what Paul's trying to communicate to us in Romans 11.

Think about the power and beauty of Christ.

Think about what you and I, if we have faith in Jesus, if we've placed our trust in his death, burial, and resurrection for salvation, what we are eternal benefactors of.

Listen as we read this text.

I am the true vine.

And my Father, he is the vine dresser.

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away.

And every branch that does not bear fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.

Abide in me, and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine.

Neither can you, unless you abide in me.

I am the vine.

You are the branches.

Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.

For apart from me you can do nothing.

If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers.

And the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

This is the word of the Lord.

Let's pray.