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Your Day in Romans - 11:11-36

Started by Al Moak, December 17, 2004, 09:48:29 AM

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Al Moak

The Fifteenth Sermon
Romans 11:11-36
The Right Attitude


How do you feel about your relationship with God?  Are you absolutely confident that He loves you, so that you have no doubts at all?  Or are you worried that God might reject you at last, and that you'll be lost forever?  Neither attitude is uncommon, and neither one should be yours.

Of course, there's always lots of advice.  Some will tell you it's wrong to doubt, others that it's not healthy to be too confident.  Is one of these positions right? Is the other one wrong?  I believe the best answers must be found only in God's Word, for they are the answers given by God Himself.  I hope when we're through with Romans eleven today that you'll see that Paul had some really good advice for us. 

I have to tell you right at the beginning, though, that my understanding of this passage differs from that of one of the most esteemed seminary professors I've ever known - the late Professor John Murray of Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia.  Simply stated, it was his view that although the Jews as an ethnic group are alienated from God at present, yet they aren't permanently cast away, but will, as an ethnic group, be returned one day into the favor and blessing of God.

I don't believe the passage before us today warrants such a conclusion.  I believe it points us in a different direction.  I believe with all my heart that "all Israel will be saved" (vs. 26), but I also believe we miss the mark if we identify "all Israel" with all ethnic Israel. 

As we've seen, throughout his letter Paul mentions over and over again an Israel within Israel, a chosen few who obtained favor with God.  It's the "remnant" of which Jeremiah also speaks (Jer. 23:3). In fact Paul, also found it necessary to say, "What then?  Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded." The point is that all of the elect Israel - the Israel within Israel - would indeed be saved, because God has chosen them.  But we need to see that absolutely no human attribute, be it law righteousness, racial distinctiveness - or anything else – is or can be grounds for obtaining God's favor.  God's favor is by God's choice – alone.

Besides, Paul reminds the Ephesians, "Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh - who are called uncircumcision by what is called circumcision made in the flesh by hands - that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ."  (Eph. 2:11-13).  What Paul is plainly telling these Ephesians is that elect Gentile believers are a part of the elect remnant of Israel.  So "all Israel" just includes all chosen Jewish believers along with all chosen Gentile believers.

Paul said, "blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in."  Then, when the chosen of Israel, along with the chosen Gentiles have come in, the words of the apostle will be fulfilled: "And so all Israel will be saved . . ." The Greek here translated "so" is far better translated "thus," and it means "in this way."  So we would read, "And in this way all Israel (elect Jew and elect Gentile as well) will be saved."  So "all Israel" just consists of all the chosen of God, whether Jewish or Gentile.

Well then, what does all this have to do with our own personal confidence or doubt?  Paul gives us the answer to that question here while at the same time discussing the way in which the majority of Jews became alienated.  He says, "You (the Gentiles) will say then, 'Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.' Well said.  Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith.  Do not be haughty, but fear.  For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.  Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in the goodness.  Otherwise you also will be cut off."

He's telling us that many ethnically genuine Israelites were "broken off" as branches – that they were alienated through their unbelief. Gentiles who believed have taken some of their places as "branches" ever since.  Paul's warning, however, is quite clear.  He's saying, "Don't have an attitude of pride because you were grafted in, but maintain a proper attitude of fear, because if there's unbelief in you, you too will be 'broken off.'  So be extremely careful, then, to continue in the goodness and mercy God showed you when He grafted you in." 

From this teaching of the apostle, then, we have to conclude that the proper attitude for every Christian is an attitude of fear.  Of course many will disagree.  Many in our day consider fear to be a negative to be avoided at all costs.  They say it's debilitating and that Christians should never entertain anything but a positive attitude - to do less wouldn't be a good witness to the world.  They say a positive attitude is a great sales point for the Gospel - that Christ makes everything positive.

But there are serious problems with such an approach.  The first and most important problem is that it makes a mockery of the Cross of Christ!  The Cross isn't positive!  It's the most extreme negative that ever was, especially since it is our sin that required it - and because there's absolutely nothing positive about sin.

Secondly, the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ doesn't need to make "sales points" to be effective.  It is effective when and where the Holy Spirit makes it effective.  If two very negative things - the penalty and bondage of sin - are not recognized and repented of, then there is no salvation, and it is the Holy Spirit's role to open otherwise blind eyes to these things.  So we have to conclude that the Holy Spirit is in the business of revealing some very negative things.

Thirdly, proper fear isn't debilitating.  The wrong kind of fear is debilitating, but proper fear is good.  How do they differ? Solomon told us that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."  So we must conclude that at least one kind of fear is good. 

Yet Paul said elsewhere that, " . . . God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."  There must be something improper about a "spirit of fear."  What's wrong is strongly hinted at when Paul mentions power, love, and a sound mind as the alternatives.  In that passage, Paul was exhorting Timothy to stir up the gift of God that he'd been given, and that gift was intended to result in the ability to minister - to exhort, rebuke, teach, etc.  Improper fear couldn't do that.  It couldn't motivate, and in fact it would be afraid to move at all.  The alternative for Timothy, though, would be love.  The wrong kind of fear wouldn't love God or others, but would be concerned only for self – it would be afraid of losing something. So Timothy could – and should – have the proper "fear of God" as he went about ministering.  He would need to trust in the God Who called him to minister.

Finally, the good kind of fear operates from a "sound mind."  It isn't irrational, and doesn't shrink back from facing facts.  The wrong kind, on the other hand, is afraid to do anything, because it hasn't faced the facts and realized that there is adequate power (in God's Spirit) to deal with them.

What we need to see is that proper fear is quite different from debilitating, irrational fear.  The good kind is just reverential awe of God, a joyful but profound recognition of His power and love, a power and love that can and will accomplish all His will - even through us.  That fear is motivating, not debilitating.

It's that kind of fear that should always be a part of our attitude before God.  When the writer of Hebrews said, "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God," he was talking about the wrong kind of fear.  He called it "an evil heart of unbelief." It's opposite - the needed kind of fear - is reverence and awe of God. 

Paul was saying the same thing in this letter.  When he said, "Do not be haughty, but fear," he was certainly not worrying about losing "sales points."  In fact he needed very much to inform us of the fact that it's possible for someone who thinks he's a Christian to be mistaken.  It's possible for someone who thinks he has faith to have false faith.  The fact is that people who think they're Christians but have false faith will be "cut off" as branches."  All of us need to hear about not being haughty and about proper fear.  We all need to face the facts in a rational manner and repent before it's too late.  We all need to turn from self to God.  It's good fear that does that.

What about you?  Do you have proper fear?  As we look at the "tree" Paul describes here, as we see the natural branches and the grafted branches, our response shouldn't be one of pride that we were either grafted or natural, but it should be an attitude that moves us to ask the all-important question, "Am I really in the tree at all?"


Chris & Margit Saunders

You are correct about the Israelites Al.
I have jewish aquaintances and customers, some are Godly men, studying the Torah, and with these I can have discussions about the scriptures, others are completely ungodly and leading very unclean lives.
Just like gentiles, unless God saves them as individuals they are lost. :)

Al Moak

It's very, very encouraging to hear you say that, Chris.  We're kind of in the minority, to say the least.  Thanks to Dallas Seminary (and others) for that.

Chris & Margit Saunders

Yes Al, We cannot thank some of the seminaries for very much at all!
Whited sepulchers indeed.