I. Introduction (Hebrews 13:5)
A. Why do Gentile believers (that’s you and me) have such a hard time with Israel? You wouldn’t think it, but they did in the First Century, even in Paul’s day, and people do today!
- Believed that Israel had rejected their Messiah, so their Messiah had rejected them
- Believed that the Christians had replaced Israel as the people of God
- Believed that all the promises of God were now for THEM instead of for Israel
- And that all the promises of God to Israel were symbolic and allegorical instead of literal
B. Why take the time to learn from and study and pray for and love a single group of people called Israel? Why would Paul write THREE chapters in Romans about them?
C. What Good is Israel?
- Is it just an ancient nation, lost in history that has no relevance to today’s world, or especially to today’s Christian? (That’s what a load of people believen today)
- Are they maybe a “failure of God” to save a people and make them holy?
- Who really are the Jews?
- Have believers in Jesus Christ replaced the Jewish nation?
- Is God all through with them as a people?
D. Romans chapter 11 is all about God keeping His promises to ISRAEL (not us Christians)
- Because if God has actually cast away the Jewish people, and abandoned them, then He is not a trustworthy God, and He has lied time and time again! He doesn’t actually mean what He says in the Old Testament
- But if Israel is STILL His people, and they are still wandering around in this world, whether in their own land or not…
- Then He is keeping His promises to them, and He is proving that He is faithful, and totally trustworthy, and will do the same for US aHebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. bHow you trust God to keep THAT promise? cDeuteronomy 31:1 And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel. dDeuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee [ISRAEL], nor forsake thee. eDeuteronomy 31:8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee : fear not, neither be dismayed.
E. This is a multi-part sermon/lesson – loads of Scriptures, loads to ponder and process
- There is so much confusion about this little nation called Israel, and much wicked hatred of them as not just an inferior race, but as totally cursed by God
- You need to be very careful about what you believe about the Jews
II. Message
A. Paul Answers a Shocking Question (Hebrews 11:1)
- Romans 11:1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people?
- THAT is the core question throughout history! aHas God cast away His people, and replaced them with Christians? bOr like the Muslims believe, has God cast away Israel and replaced them with Muslims? cCould the God of Israel actually get rid of Israel? dFor the past 4,000 years, empires have risen, and crumbled to ash, nations have come and gone, while a tiny group pf people, the children of Israel, came out of slavery from Egypt, and were born a nation of kings and priests as they entered the very land they now possess, called Israel eAnd throughout those 4,000 years of history, Israel was a great disappointment to God – there is no excusing it – they were a mess, spiritually, and morally, and consistently fThey would be close to God for a while, and then, would fall away, and turn to the world, and worship the gods of this world, and curse the very name of their God gJust like Ireland has done over the past 30 years! hThe children of Israel would hit rock bottom, and turn to God and cry out for help, and God would send them a Moses, a Samuel, a David, a Hezekiah iAnd then they would be right again for a little while, before the cycle would begin again! Fickle! jAnd THEN came Jesus kAnd for 3 ½ years, Jesus taught and preached and healed and helped that small nation of people called Israel hear the Gospel lAnd for a while they loved it – tens of thousands of Jewish people followed Jesus mBut then came the day when Jesus stopped doing miracles, and told of a cross He would die on, and the life he was calling His followers to live nAnd the people left HIM, and then cried out Crucify HIM oAnd that is just what they, and the Romans did – they murdered the Son of God
- So no wonder people would think God would be done with such fickle, sinful, rebellious people
- But He wasn’t through with them at the cross – Jesus prayed father forgive THEM! aAnd He wasn’t through with them throughout the Book of Acts – 10’s of thousands of JEWS got born again, in chapter after chapter bAnd He wasn’t through with them when the Roman general Titus destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD and drove every Jew into the four winds cAnd He is not through with them today! There are tens of thousands of Messianic Jews who have lost most everything to come out of Judaism and believe on and follow Jesus as their Messiah!
B. Who are God’s People?
- To most people they are a problem – like an unpredictable firecracker
- To some, they are to blame for everything wrong in the world: the banks, the Middle East, the Illuminati
- To others, they are not real – just imposters claiming to be Jews, when they are not
C. Who are God’s People?
- Can’t be referring to US Christians, because Paul keeps worrying about them, and wanting them to be saved aRomans 9:1-4 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren , my kinsmen according to the flesh : Who are Israelites ;… bRomans 10:1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is , that they might be saved.
- Can’t be referring to a good, and godly, and holy people aRomans 10:19-21 But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you [ISRAEL] to jealousy by them that are no people [GENTILES], and by a foolish nation I will anger you. But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not [US]; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. But to Israel he saith , All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. bThat is how israel has generally been throughout their history
- And it can’t be referring to a people group that doesn’t exist anymore aRomans 11:25-28 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. * And so all Israel shall be saved : as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins*. * As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes*.
- Paul is referring to the Jewish people – there is no doubt!
D. Let’s let the Bible tell us who the Jews are:
- They are God’s Own People
aMatthew 2:4-6 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
bThat is not a symbolic statement about Christians, but about literal Jews being ruled by Jesus Christ one day! That is one of the reasons why Jesus came!
cMatthew 15:31 Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.
dChosen by God to be His people, above all other people and nations in the world
eDeuteronomy 7:6-8 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself , above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you , and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers , hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
fSo, They are His people by HIS choice – They are THE elect the Bible usually is referring to
- Chosen by God to be a peculiar people in this world – out of step with the world
- Just like we believers are supposed to be now
- But THEY are different than Christians, and different than the other nations gImporatant fact: When Paul is referring to Israel as God’s people, he is NOT saying they are saved, or born again, or right with God, but are in a special relationship with God as a people that he has special care for, and as a people whom He works through still! (REPEAT) hPeople HATE this fact – antisemitism iThey despise the Jewish people – hate them just because of what they are
- If you are black, you know how that feels
- If you were Irish in New York City in 1850, you would know how this feels
- But people feel free to hate two groups of people: Jews and Christians!
- They are Israelites, descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and JACOB/Israel – not just Judah
aRomans 11:1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
bHow many times do you read the phrase “the CHILDREN of Israel”?
cNo one else can claim that title except someone born from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (Israel)
dThey are Jews genetically
- They are not pure bred Jews - they never have been
- They have at times mixed with other nations and we’re still known as Israel
- Remember Boaz and Ruth
- As of today people who are descendants of the tribe of Levi have been discovered, but only that tribe eThey are a unique nation even when they are dispersed
- Just like the Irish are
- And the Chinese fThey have been dispersed time and again, and yet they still exist
- Subgroups include Ashkenazi Jews, Sephardi Jews, crypto Jews, and oriental Jews
- They are all Jews!
- They are Far from God - The Jews are away from God, and yet are still God’s people aMatthew 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. bMatthew 15:24 But he [JESUS] answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. cJesus never referred to the lost Jews as anything but ISRAEL dTheir religion in Jesus’ day was wrong, and it is even more wrong today! eBut they are still God’s people
- Yes, they Rejected Their Own Messiah aAct 2:22,23 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. bAct 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. cBUT… the Jews were not the only ones who KILLED Jesus dActs 4:27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
- Yet, Jesus IS the King of the JEWS – not just of Christians, believers aMatthew 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. bMatthew 27:11 And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. cEither Jesus IS or He isn’t
- Salvation came from the JEWS (John 4:22) aJohn 4:22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. bGod’s people, Israel, gave us the Old Testament Scriptures, AND the New testament Scriptures – every Book in your Bible was written by a believing JEW! cThey gave us the perfect Law of God – Moses was a JEW dThey show us the Passover Lamb, and the sacrifices for sins and how to worship God eFrom them came the Messiah, who was born a Jew, from a Jewish mother, in a Jewish village called Bethlehem, raised as a Jewish Man, keeping the Jewish Law PERFECTLY fNo one will find out how to be saved by going anywhere else but to the JEWS! gAnd THAT is why everyone hates them – people want to go to God their OWN way (the catholic way, Baptist way, moral way, rational way, just not the Bible way)
- By-the-way, the 12 Tribes of ISRAEL WILL Exist in the Future - The Apostles WILL judge the literal 12 tribes of Israel in the FUTURE – they are not totally gone! aMatthew 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration [MILLENNIUM] when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye [APOSTLES] also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. bSounds to me like Israel remains throughout history, and never quite goes away!
E. There are two Israel’s:
- One part unbelieving, and the other part believing
- Acts 14:1 And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both [PAUL AND BARNABAS] together into the synagogue of the Jews [UNSAVED], and so spake [ABOUT JESUS], that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.
- Unbelieving Jews are still ISRAEL, even though they rejected and crucified Him aActs 2:22 Ye men of Israel , hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you , as ye yourselves also know: bActs 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified , both Lord and Christ. cActs 17:5 But the Jews which believed not , moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
F. So, Can God Cast Away His People? (Romans 11:1,2)
- Permanently thrust them to the side, and put someone else in their place?
- No! (Romans 11:1) I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid …
- God CANNOT cast them away aRomans 11:2 *God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew *… bThe apostle Paul is proof of it, as was peter, and james, and Nathaniel, and Thomas… cRomans 11:25-29 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. [WITHOUT CHANGE] dJeremiah 31:37 Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD. eJeremiah 46:28 Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished. fGod does away with every nation throughout history – they come and they go gExcept Israel! hAnd believe me, GOD WILL PUNISH AND CHASTISE ISRAEL! iJeremiah 51:5 For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.
III. What’s The Point?
A. Israel PROVES that God Remains Faithful (Hebrews 10:23)
- Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
- He is not just God in heaven
- He actually has made commitments to people, and promises that He cannot break – He cannot lie
- The Bible says something, and then Israel proves it to be true!
- And the majority of promises that God has made have been to rebellious, sinful people that never deserved God’s kindnesses – including you and me
- You can trust Him, because He keeps His promises – even when we don’t
B. We Must Not Curse Israel (Genesis 27:26-29)
- But rather bless them, and pray for them, and support them
- (I will show this in 2 weeks)
- You can AND SHOULD rebuke them, correct them, show them where they have done wrong
- But you cannot hate them, curse them, make fun of them, or persecute them
- Genesis 27:26-29 And his father Isaac said unto him [JACOB], Come near now, and kiss me, my son. And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed: Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
- Why? Because they reveal what WE ALL are like on the inside – a mess!
C. Everyone, both Jew and Gentile are sinners and need to repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ
aActs 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. bRomans 3:9,10 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one 2. Are you so arrogant that you think God is impressed with YOU and your self-righteousness, when he knows all about your deepest darkest sins and rebellion against Him? 3. Do you not know Jesus died for sinful people – He was crucified BY sinful people, but he gave His life FOR sinful people – to save us from the coming judgment of our sins 4. He came to save 5. Are you saved? Born again? Totally and absolutely forgiven by God? 6. You can be if you admit you are a mess – lost, without God – and cry out to God Almighty and ask Him to forgive you and save you, right now!