sermon notes on Romans 9-11WHAT ABOUT THE JEWS?

WHAT ABOUT THE JEWS?
Romans 9-11

Intro. Use this outline in conjunction with your study of Romans 9-11. Often these chapters are used as the primary text to argue predestination vs. man’s choice. The fact of the matter is that these chapters were not intended to be about those issues but rather they are addressing the question raised by Paul’s assertions and demonstrations in the first 8 chapters of Romans that the basis of Law, works and choseness are out the window and in truth any are children of Abraham who have placed their faith in the God of Abraham. If these be true then---what about the Jews?

1. Chapter 9:1-29 God’s choice
a. The Jews are recipients of special revelations and privileges vs. 4-5
b. Not all who descended from Israel are Israel, not by blood but by faith
c. God Himself decides whom He shall bless vs. 10-18
d. God’s mercy, not man’s effort is paramount vs. 16-18
e. Yet man is still held accountable for his choices

2. Chap. 9:30-10:21 Man’s choice
a. Israel pursued righteousness wrongly—by works vs. 30-32
b. Zealousness does not equal nor produce righteousness vs. 2-4
c. Righteousness by faith is a matter of the internal belief –believe in your heart and external expression—confess with your mouth
d. There is now no difference between Jew and Gentile—both are made righteous by the same thing—faith in what God has promised—Christ!
e. This faith comes from hearing
f. And Israel is without excuse—they have heard and were vs. 21 disobedient and obstinate

Illustration: example of a family
A child has nothing to do with their birth—it’s their parents
yet every child at some point makes decisions that affect
their experience of ‘family’—they can stay or run away. Trust or disobey

3. Israel and Gentiles chap. 11:1-29—this is not about individuals but about the entire grouping—remember there are only two groups of people—Jews and Gentiles
a. eldest runs away (the Jewish people as a whole)
b. creates opportunity for adoption
c. grafted in (Gentiles—us)
d. doesn’t mean the runaway can’t be reintroduced—in fact the eldest WILL be grafted back in at God’s timing
e. vs. 26—all Israel does not refer to each and every Jew but rather to Israel as a nation—who now turns away from faith in Christ but one day shall turn ‘as a nation’ to Christ just as the Gentiles have turned to Christ—but certainly not every Gentile. These Scriptures are speaking about people groupings, not individuals.
f. no boasting either way—but great sorrow


g. 11:30-32
a. all have fallen short-consigned to disobedience
b. that God may have mercy on them all
c. c. God will restore His family -- Jew and Gentile
d. in reality God demonstrates that He deals with both Jew and Gentile in the same way—He reveals that both have been disobedient and have fallen short of His glory AND then He showers mercy on both of them based on the same love and same actions through Jesus Christ and culminating in the gift of the Holy Spirit to BOTH groups of people.


Conclusion: 11:33-36 Doxology—what God has done for both the Jew and Gentile is fantastic but it is too much for us to completely grasp. Thank God—who would want to worship a God they could totally understand and comprehend? We have all the information, revelation and understanding we need to live life as followers of Christ through faith.

Jim Swanson shared this little poem with me:

“How odd of God to choose the Jew
not as odd as those of you;
who choose the Jewish God
and hate the Jew.”

We cannot hate the Jew, feel superior nor gloat or be boastful over their misfortune.
They are our sibling. They are before us in the family. We are united with them in the same Promise, we fail as they do through the same sin of Adam repeated in every life through our own trust in ourselves versus trust in God and we are brought back to God through the same Christ, sacrificed on the cross and we share in the same Holy Spirit poured out into our hearts. We have the same Father who has made us both His children.