Sermon notes May 25th, 2025

ROMANS 10 part 2

ROMANS 10:15

15   And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:                                “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,                         Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

• God is the One who sends. We are the ones who are sent. What are you doing about it? Do we have the beautiful feet which Isaiah ascribed to Him who brought glad tidings of good things (Isa. 52:7)? Isaiah writes of the beautiful feet of Him—that is, the Messiah. Here in Romans 10:15 the “Him” becomes “them.” He came with beautiful feet 1,993 years ago. Now it is our privilege and responsibility to go with beautiful feet to a lost and dying world.

16   But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 

• But Paul’s ever-present grief is that the people of Israel did not all listen to the gospel. Isaiah had prophesied as much when he asked, “Lord, who has believed our report?” (Isa. 53:1). The question calls for the answer, “Not many.” When the announcement of the Messiah’s First Advent was heralded, not many responded.

ROMANS 10:17-18

17   So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

• But hearing with the ears is not enough. A person must hear with an open heart and mind, willing to be shown the truth of God. If he does, he will find that the Word has the ring of truth, and that the truth is self-authenticating. He will then believe. 
• It should be clear, of course, that the hearing alluded to in this verse does not involve the ears exclusively. The message might be read, for example. So, “to hear” means to receive the word by whatever means.

18   But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed:                                                  “Their sound has gone out to all the earth,                                                              And their words to the ends of the world.”

• What then, has been the problem? Haven’t both Jews and Gentiles heard the gospel preached? Yes. Paul borrows the words of Psalm 19:4 to show that they have. He says, Yes, indeed:

“Their sound has gone out to all the earth,                                             And their words to the ends of the world.”

• But the surprising thing is that these words from Psalm 19 are not speaking of the gospel. Rather, they describe the universal witness of the sun, moon, and stars to the glory of God. But as we said, Paul borrows them and says, in effect, that they are equally true of the worldwide proclamation of the gospel in his own day. 
• By inspiration of the Spirit of God, the apostle often takes an OT passage and applies it in quite a different way. The same Spirit who originally gave the words surely has the right to reapply them later on.

ROMANS 10:19

19   But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says:                                                           “I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation,                                                   I will move you to anger by a foolish nation.” 

• The call of the Gentiles and the rejection of the gospel by the majority of Jews should not have come as a surprise to the nation of Israel. Their own Scriptures foretold exactly what would happen. For example God warned that He would provoke Israel to jealousy by a non-nation (the Gentiles), and anger Israel by a foolish, idolatrous nation (Deut. 32:21).

ROMANS 10:20-21

20   But Isaiah is very bold and says:                                                                      “I was found by those who did not seek Me;                                                                        I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”

• In even bolder language, Isaiah quotes the Lord as being found by the Gentiles, who weren’t really looking for Him, and being made manifest to those who weren’t inquiring for Him (Isa. 65:1). Taken as a whole, the Gentiles didn’t seek after God. They were satisfied with their pagan religions. But many of them did respond when they heard the gospel. Relatively speaking, the Gentiles responded more than the Jews

ROMANS 10:21

21   But to Israel He says:                                                                                       “All day long I have stretched out My hands                                                                              To a disobedient and contrary people.”

• Against this picture of the Gentiles flocking to Jehovah, Isaiah portrays the Lord standing all day long with outstretched, beckoning hands to the nation of Israel, and being met with disobedience and stubborn refusal.

ROMANS 11

What about the future of Israel? Is it true, as some teach, that God is through with Israel, that the church is now the Israel of God, and that all the promises to Israel now apply to the church? Romans 11 is one of the strongest refutations of that view in all the Bible.

Paul’s opening question means, “Has God cast away His people completely? That is, has every single Israelite been cast off?” Certainly not! The point is that although God has cast off His people, as is distinctly stated in 11:15, this does not mean that He has rejected all of them. Paul himself is proof that the casting away has not been complete. After all, he was an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, and of the tribe of Benjamin. His credentials as a Jew were impeccable.

ROMANS 11 

New King James Version

1   I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 

2    God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, 

3   “Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”?

• "But the picture wasn't as dark and hopeless as Elijah feared." This indicates that Elijah had anticipated a bleak and dire situation, but the reality was not quite as bad as he had initially feared. This suggests a glimmer of hope or a more positive outlook than Elijah had initially anticipated. The phrase is a common literary device used to introduce a shift in perspective or a change in the perceived severity of a situation.

                 

                We All are Afraid (Sometimes)

Everyone can and does struggle with fear. Here's one reason I know that's true: think about the ministry of the prophet Elijah.

• When we first meet Elijah, he speaks authoritatively to Ahab, the king over Israel; he speaks boldly to him about God's word that there would no rain in the land, except by heaven's decree. 
• But in the face of that troubling prophecy, Elijah himself is miraculously fed by ravens as he hides from Ahab by the brook Cherith on the east side of the Jordan River (1 Kings 17:6).
• When God finally directs him to a new place of refuge, with a widow in the town of Zarephath, he is confronted by more scarcity. As she expresses it in 

1 Kings 17:12

 “As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.”             

• But again, God miraculously provides.                                                           As Elijah explains the divine decree for their provision:

1 Kings 17:14

 “The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.’”

• Even more stunning, when the widow's son dies, God restores life to the boy after Elijah's prayer in 17:20-21. Yes. He raises the boy from the dead (the Bible's very first resurrection!).
• In chapter 18 we are presented with the incredible story of Elijah and the prophets of the Canaanite god Baal on Mount Carmel. Not only does Elijah confront King Ahab once again, but this time, he challenges these 450 false prophets to a test of divine legitimacy.

Baal versus Yahweh

• And not surprisingly (since Baal represents Satan and he has already been defeated), Yahweh wins when he unleashes spectacular fire from heaven that not only consumes the wood, water, and meat of the sacrificial offering, but also the very stones on which the altar is built.
• So, think about this: when Elijah found himself in dangerous and difficult situations, he was... fed by ravens, given unlimited baking supplies, used to restore life to the dead, and witness an unrivaled display of heavenly fire. But... surprisingly... this is what we read in the opening verses of chapter 19...
• Ahab told Jezebel [that's his foreign, idolatrous wife] all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” Then he [Elijah] was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life...

Everyone can and does struggle with fear... even a prophet of God; even one who has witnessed the power of God at work for his good... over and over again. Can you relate to that? Do you struggle with fear? (Sometimes) It often comes after being a witness of God's power? Let's look together at how the story continues in:    

1 Kings 19:9-13                                            New King James Version

9  And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10   So he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”

11   Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 

12   and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

13   So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

• There in a cave … the LORD dealt with him. In a self-righteous spirit, Elijah protested his own faithfulness and denounced the children of Israel. He said, in effect that he was the only one who had remained true to the Lord. 
• God then commanded him to stand on the mountain of the law, but Elijah did not obey. We know this because later (v. 13) he went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. 
• In rapid succession the mountains were visited by a great … wind, an earthquake, and a fire. These violent storms must have reminded Elijah of his harsh, critical spirit. None of them brought him out of the cave. Finally, after the fire the prophet heard a still, small voice. It was this gracious voice of the Lord which brought him to the entrance of the cave. There he again exalted himself as God’s sole remaining witness. George Williams comments:

Had his heart not been occupied with self, he would have learned that tempests, earthquakes and fires cannot accomplish what the gentle voice of love can. 

• He should have recognized that there was no difference between his heart and that of the nation Isreal; and the coercion God used failed to make him leave his cave, so it failed, and must fail, to compel men to leave their sins.
• God answers Elijah:

1 Kings 19:18

18   Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

• God is saying your not alone!

ROMANS 11:4-5

4   But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 

5   Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 

• What was true then is true now: God never leaves Himself without a witness. He always has a faithful remnant chosen by Himself as special objects of His grace

ROMANS 11:6-7

6   And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

7   What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 

• The conclusion, then, is that Israel failed to obtain righteousness because they sought it through self-effort instead of through the finished work of Christ. The remnant, chosen by God, succeeded in obtaining righteousness through faith in the Lord Jesus. The nation suffered what might be called judicial blindness. Refusal to receive the Messiah resulted in a decreased capacity and inclination to receive Him.

ROMANS 11:8-14

8   Just as it is written:                                                                                  “God has given them a spirit of stupor,                                                                  Eyes that they should not see                                                                                 And ears that they should not hear,                                                                            To this very day.”

• This is exactly what the OT predicted would happen (Isa. 29:10; 

Deuteronomy 29:4 NKJV

4   Yet the Lord has not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear, to this very day.

• God abandoned them to a state of stupor in which they became insensitive to spiritual realities. Because they refused to see the Lord Jesus as Messiah and Savior, now they lost the power to see Him. Because they would not hear the pleading voice of God, now they were smitten with spiritual deafness. That terrible judgment continues to this very day.

9   And David says:

“Let their table become a snare and a trap,                                                                  A stumbling block and a recompense to them.

10   Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see,                                                  And bow down their back always.”

11   I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. 

12   Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!

• As a result of Israel’s rejection of the gospel, the nation was set aside and the gospel went out to the Gentiles. In this sense the fall of the Jews has meant riches for the world, and Israel’s loss has been the Gentiles’ gain.
• But if that is true, how much more will Israel’s restoration result in rich blessing for all the world! When Israel turns to the Lord at the close of the Great Tribulation, she will become the channel of blessing to the nations.

13   For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 

14   if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. 

• He sought by every means to provoke to jealousy those who were his countrymen, so that he might be used to save some of them. He knew and we know that he himself couldn’t save anyone. But the God of salvation identifies Himself so closely with His servants that He permits them to speak of their doing what only He can do

ROMANDS 11:15-17

15   For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

• This verse repeats the argument of 11:12 in different language. When Israel was set aside as God’s chosen, earthly people, the Gentiles were brought into a position of privilege with God and thus in a figurative sense were reconciled. When Israel is restored during the Millennial Reign of Christ, it will be like worldwide regeneration or resurrection.
• This may be illustrated in the experience of Jonah, who was a figure of the nation of Israel. When Jonah was cast out of the boat during the storm, this resulted in deliverance or salvation for a boatload of Gentiles. But when Jonah was restored and preached to Nineveh, it resulted in salvation for a city full of Gentiles. So Israel’s temporary rejection by God has resulted in the gospel going out to a handful of Gentiles, comparatively speaking. But when Israel is restored, vast hordes of Gentiles will be ushered into the kingdom of God.

16   For if the first fruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 

17   And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 

• The branches that were broken off picture the unbelieving portion of the twelve tribes of Israel. Because of their rejection of the Messiah, they were removed from their place of privilege as God’s chosen people. But only some of the branches were removed. A remnant of the nation, including Paul himself, had received the Lord.

18   do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

• But the Gentiles should not take a holier-than-thou attitude toward the Jews, or boast of any superiority. Any such boasting overlooks the fact that they didn’t originate the line of privilege. Rather, it is the line of privilege that put them where they are, in a place of special favor.

 

 

ROMANS 11:19

19   You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” 

20   Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 

21   For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 

22   Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 

23   And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

25   For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

 26   And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

“The Deliverer will come out of Zion,                                                                       And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;

27   For this is My covenant with them,                                                                        When I take away their sins.”

28   Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 

29   For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 

30   For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 

31   even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 

32   For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.

33   Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord?                                                           Or who has become His counselor?”

35 “Or who has first given to Him                                                                          And it shall be repaid to him?”

36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.