Romans 11:1-36

Romans 11:1-36Senior Pastor Alex KennedyIn chapter 11, Paul writes about God's covenant faithfulness. He begins with the question, "has God rejected his people (the Israelites)"? He responds, "By no means!" and then gives 4 examples:

1. Paul himself (1 Tim 1:15-16)
2. God foreknew (v2)
3. Elijah (v3-6) (1 Kings 19:1)
4. There is still a remnant in Israel (v5)

It is God who preserves the remnant, and those who believe do so entirely because of His grace. So what then? Israel failed...
The Word of God has not failed. Not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel. The order goes this way: First, Israel sought the righteousness of God, but when confronted with the choice of getting it by works or gift (grace), the majority sought it through works, while the "elect" accepted it as a gift. Then, the majority was "hardened". Those who so wanted to please God were the same people who rejected His love for them and were hardened by Him. This hardening occurred in the Old Testament (and continues today) and was ultimately manifested in both the ten northern and the two southern tribes of Israel being carried into captivity.
Verse 8 tells us that "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day." (Is 29:10) This hardening involves spiritual drowsiness or numbness. God has always treated ethnic Israel in this way...if they hardened themselves, He hardened them, giving them "a spirit of stupor". Paul is quoting Isaiah, who is quoting Moses' words in Deuteronomy. This passage refers to a time of Israel's abject sinfulness, including leadership who were typically drunk. (Is 28:7) (Is 29:10)
To read more, go to: https://carmelbaptist.org/carmel-sermon/romans-111-36/

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