Israel’s future and God’s mercy

Good afternoon, everybody. Good afternoon. This warm, sunny afternoon, I'd like to thank God for giving me the privilege to be able to speak to you again in his presence and with the Holy Spirit right behind me there. I'm excited. It's Pentecost weekend, right?

Let me start with this. A couple of German friends of mine have commented about me being sometimes very German. What they mean by this is that they say I've integrated well into the culture of complaining.

So in Germany, we complain about the quality of things, we complain about bureaucracy, we complain maybe about the lack of safety standards in some places, we complain about insufficient cycle lanes, climate change, so on and so forth. So my family and me, we love traveling to other countries, and even as a family, we go to other countries and we complain even more in those countries. And the reason for that is because we actually have it good where we are.

A colleague of mine and me, we were cycling one day to work, and he was rather horrified because while we were cycling together to work, there was a police van that was parked right on a green cycle lane. And I actually had the audacity to stop and tell the police that they were parked on a cycle lane.

The thing is, the truth is there were no blue lights on, and they were actually sitting in the van having a cup of coffee. I've had a couple of tickets from police before, and so I felt, you know, I need to get them back.

But my point here is I'm blessed with cycle lanes. I cycle to work every day, I'm blessed with cycle lanes. But yet I felt a little entitled to be able to complain. My point is, we are privileged, we are blessed, we have it good. And the gratitude that we must actually have turns into some kind of an entitlement sometimes.

If you would just so. But the thing about this is God has interesting and mysterious ways of dealing with this, especially when we are called to be his, as we shall see in Romans 11. So if you could maybe just keep this story in mind. I'm not going to talk about it, but if you keep this in mind when we come to the point talking about Israel's stumble and the mystery that Paul calls it in the way in which God deals with it. Now, for those who are visiting Crossway for the first time, we're going through the book of Romans and we've come as far as Romans 11.

And I've titled this sermon. Maybe if you could go to the next slide. I've titled this sermon the Root of Mercy, the God who Never Gives up on His People. I think I'd like to start by saying I think most of us sitting in this room know that the Jews are God's chosen people. And as a matter of fact, they still are.

If not, I think it might be worth listening through this sermon to see what God has to say through Paul's letter to the Roman Church.

Listen, it's a warm summer afternoon. I know it's going to be hard to sit and listen to all of this, but I have a long chapter 36 verses. I'm going to do my best to get through this as soon as possible. So what I'm actually going to do is I'm going to unpack this sermon under three points. If you could just remember past, present and the future.

All right, so maybe if I could go to the next slide, please. Point number one, God's rejection of the Jews is not total. In the past, God never rejected every Jewish. There has always been a faithful remnant. And that'll be verses one to ten.

Point number two is in the present. God's rejection of Israel is not fatal in the present, meaning Israel's rejection of Jesus hasn't actually ruined God's plan. And that'll be between verses 11 and 24. And point three is God's rejection of Israel is not final. In the future, God will not end his purposes for Israel.

God's mercy has the last word. And Paul refers to that as the mystery verses 25 to 36. Now I do have to touch a little bit on the history of this letter. So Romans is a is a is a very. Is a deep pastoral letter that was written to the church in Rome where there were both Jewish believers and Gentile believers.

And they both were very suspicious of each other. They weren't getting along with each other. Historically, the church in Rome began as a very Jewish church, largely Jewish church, but then the Jews were expelled by Emperor Claudius, but later on. So anyways. And when the Jews were expelled, the church became a largely Gentile church.

I mustn't forget to say that. But later on the Jews were invited back to Rome or they were allowed to come back to Rome. And when they came back to Rome, the church was largely Gentile. And the Gentile believers started to feel very superior. And essentially we're saying that God is finished with the Jews and that the church had replaced Israel.

You see, Gentile arrogance towards Jews actually began in Rome. And I actually think that's, that is our modern, that is the start of our modern day antisemitism. And the supreme crime for which the Christian church has persecuted the Jews for centuries is that the Jews killed Jesus. So Romans chapters 9, 10 and 11 is really Paul's spirit inspired answer to this arrogance. And chapter 11 is really a key chapter where Paul finally confronts the gentile pride of 18.

Any idea of replacement theology which is where the church has replaced the Jews? Maybe if you could just look to God in prayer quickly before I begin. Lord, this is a heavy topic. I ask you for your grace as I speak. I ask for your guidance of the Holy Spirit in my life.

And I also ask you Lord, Holy Spirit, guide everyone here listening that we will learn and take something back from what you are saying. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Now here in Europe, especially in Germany, I think we're quite aware of the tragic consequences of Christian arrogance towards Jewish people. I think there have been centuries of poisoning of hearts and just, yeah, just really the poisoning of hearts that have actually led to horrors that we can never forget.

You and I know we're talking about the Holocaust here and Today, particularly after October 7th, we do see a lot of anti Jewish hatred rising and it's often dressed as a political critique of Israel. But I see Romans 11 as God's direct warning against any Christian thinking that God has rejected his ancient people, the Jews, or to think that the church has actually replaced them in any way. You see, God's promises to Israel still stand. His rejection of them is not total, it's not fatal, and it is not final. And I believe that we stand or fall by the way we treat the root that supports us.

I think it also speaks to personal questions. Will God ever forget you and I that love Christ? Let's move to slide, the next slide please. Let's look at point 1. God's rejection of the Jews is never total.

In the past, God has always kept a remnant. We're looking at verse one. Paul says, I ask then, did God reject his people? And there's this very zealous answer. Last week Pastor Steve talked about the zealousness of Paul.

And Paul says, by no means. You see, Gentile believers in Rome were thinking that Israel had rejected Jesus and therefore God had rejected Israel and therefore all the promises to Israel were over.

But Paul's response is very firm. He says, by no means. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknews. You see, Israel's rejection is never total in the past. In fact, Paul connects Romans 11 with Elijah's story in 1 Kings 19.

You see, Elijah had seen. For those of you who don't know the story But Elijah had seen great victory on Lord. Sorry on Mount Carmel for the Lord. And just then, just at that time, Israel had been killing God's prophets and Israel was bowing down to idol baal. And Elijah felt like he was the only faithful one left.

So Elijah runs away under. He runs away, he collapses under a broom tree and he says, I'm the only one left. I'm all alone, I might as well die. But you know, God corrects him. And God simply didn't say to Elijah, you're not the only one left.

In fact, God said, God said to him, I have reserved for myself 7,000 who have not bowed their knee to Baal. You see, Elijah felt utterly alone and he was ready to give up. But God had actually had a hidden remnant that Elijah had absolutely no idea about. You see, Paul uses this to show that even when Israel looks spiritually dead, God has always kept a people for himself. Not by grace, sorry, not by their merit, but by his grace.

Let me get that right now. In March this year, I was scrolling through the news and I read an article about how many Christians are leaving the church in Europe. And if you. And apparently they're living in hundreds and thousands. That's what the article said.

But the thing is, if you read the headlines, you might think faith in Europe is just dying, so why bother with it? But you see, Romans 11 says, God has always kept a remnant. One of my favorite authors wrote a book called where has the body been for 2,000 years? And we're talking about the body of Christ. And his answer was this.

I'm just paraphrasing his answer. Through all the upheavals of history, through wars, through kingdoms, through corruptions and collapses, Christ has always had a people. And here we are. You see, headlines may count departures, but God knows truly who belongs to Him. Let me just illustrate this with a personal story.

Two years ago I was in India with my family and with my in laws and we booked ourselves in a beautiful part of India in a remote area, in a beautiful, in a hotel. And I don't know, some of you, if you've been to places where there's a sense of, a strong sense of spirituality, and this was one such place. It wasn't the Holy Spirit, it was something else. And I felt this very. All of us actually as a family, we felt a very strong sense of Hindu spirituality in that place.

And the reason for this is as soon as you walk into the lobby of the hotel, it was covered in God's image and goddesses, all carved out of Sandalwood in the hotel lobby. And of course there were gods and goddesses all over the hotel as well. And of course the clientele was also such. And many people, many Hindus were in that place either to talk business or politics. I don't know what it was, but we kind of felt we were in a dark place, even though the surroundings were absolutely beautiful.

But what was interesting, I think we were there for about three or four days and on the second last day there were three people that worked in the hotel that actually recognized we were Christians. And they actually had the audacity to come up and ask us, are you Christians? And that's absolutely a no, no thing where a hotel employee gets any, gets friendly with visitors as such, especially in India. And of course my father in law was all excited because he works as a missionary in India and he loves reaching out to people over there. And so he was so excited he couldn't believe that there were three Christians there.

And he invited them to his room and he started praying for them and they even wanted to start a church in that place. Anyways, that's a long story. But in a place where we thought we were in a dark spiritual place, there was a remnant, three people. And that was just wonderful. They had a wonderful time praying together.

So what I want to say is that when you think it's all over, that is not the case with God. In relation to this remnant, this idea of the remnant, I want to offer three points of hope in three different directions. Now to any of us listening, any of us sitting here or listening online, if we're tempted by any kind of anti Jewish arrogance, we must never assume that God has given up on the Jewish people. God has always preserved Jewish believers in Jesus right from the time of the apostles up until today. And let me be honest and say you don't have to go very far to find Jewish believers in Christ.

They are right here in Berlin. I'd like to offer some hope to discouraged believers. You see, when faith feels like the last candle in a storm, remember that God is doing more than anyone else can see. The remnant is God's work and it's not human effort. And to those who feel far from God right now, you know, even if there is some desire that you might want to turn back to God, that is already evidence that God's grace is actually at work.

You see, God preserves a remnant not because we deserve it, but because he is a faithful God. So my key point here is God's rejection is never total. God always Keeps a remnant by grace. Let's move to the Next slide. Slide 6.2.

God's Rejection of Israel is not fatal in the present. Israel's rejection of Jesus hasn't actually ruined God's plan.

Romans 11:24 is where Paul reveals God's surprising plan. Paul asks, did God's people stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? And again Paul with his zeal and his zealousness, he says, of course not what he is saying. What Paul is saying is that through Israel's stumbling you see this grumbling, this rejection of God which is what they're doing right now.

Salvation has come to the Gentiles and that has a purpose. Now that we have salvation, that purpose is to now in turn make Israel jealous. Now I see this really as a two way blessing. Jewish rejection of the Gospel brought the Gospel out to the nations. And Gentile acceptance of the Gospel is now meant to stir is there Israel back to longing.

I think Deuteronomy 32:21 is the script that Paul is running, running with. In Romans 11 you see. In Romans 11 you see back, sorry. Back in Deuteronomy, Israel made God jealous by chasing after false gods. And God said, I will make you jealous through those who were not sorry.

Through those who were not my people. In Romans 11 that's exactly what is happening. You see, Gentiles are receiving mercy in Israel's Messiah. And God intends that this site that we Gentiles are enjoying their Messiah will actually awaken Israel to something that they have missed. Let me just illustrate this with a personal story again.

Now, some of you know my older son. He's a lovely guy, I love him to bits. But he can be a little different towards his parents, of course, and that's fair enough as long as he's nice to people out there. I tell you what, he has a very advanced and a very powerful method of completely cutting me off when I'm talking to him. He can ignore me and just walk away from me.

And that hurts me. But anyways, so I remember a time, I think I was in a good mood. I bought my kids. So I had two boys back then, they were quite young and I gave them a Lego, I think it was. So my second son received the gift and he was all happy with it, playing with it, excited.

But when I gave it to my older son, he might have been in a bad mood either with me or my wife, I can't remember. But he performed this advanced, powerful method of just walking away from us. He didn't want It. I was of course, annoyed. And so I said, I'll get you back.

So I took that gift and I gave it to my second son. And of course my second son took that and he was all excited and he started playing with that gift. He started showing off with it and having a great time with it. And I could see from the back of my head that my older son was actually getting jealous that that gift that was intended for him was given to someone else. But anyways, me being a nice dad, I said, all right, I'll go out and get him another gift.

And I gave him a gift and settled the matter there.

But my point is this. It's the same thing that is happening between God and the Jews. The Jews disappointed God by grumbling and rejecting him.

And now, since salvation has come to the Gentiles, the question is, we Gentiles, I'm talking about us here. Are we Gentiles now making the Jews jealous in a good way? And that good way is not by argument or any kind of superiority in us, but really a genuine joy in Israel's Messiah and their scriptures, the Old Testament.

Paul says in verse 13 and 14, I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as an apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have so I might save some of them. Paul says, remember, Paul was a Jewish, and his passion for his own people was in his creative strategy, which was to live a vibrant faith in Israel's Messiah so that the Jews might become hungry and they would also want to know Him. May I just ask us, as a church of Gentile believers, to reflect on this.

If Jewish friends or neighbors watch the way we Christians treat the Jewish scriptures in the way we Christians pray to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the way we Christians rejoice in the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ. Would that make them curious or would that put them off? I think this is something we need to consider when dealing with the Jews. Let's move to the next slide. Let's look at this picture of the olive tree that I have here.

This olive tree that Paul is talking about, you see here, is one cultivated olive tree. The roots are holy with the patriarchs and the promises. The natural branches are the unbelieving Jews that have been broken off. The wild branches are us Gentiles that have been grafted in. And what's important here to note is that there is only one olive tree.

It's not Two different peoples. You see, Gentiles are not a separate tree. We live off Israel's root. Therefore, I would strongly argue against any kind of Gentile boasting. Again, even now, you see, it is the root that supports the branches and not the other way around.

I sometimes have to sternly tell my children when I'm annoyed with them, I say, don't bite the hand that feeds. I've even heard that in Madagascar in the film that they love watching. Don't bite the hand that feeds. You see, in Romans 11, Paul is saying something very similar to the Gentile believers. He's saying, don't start boasting over the people whose root has fed you.

Let's move to the next slide. You see verses 19 to 22. I think this really speaks for itself, but I do want to read it out because Paul very boldly says here, well, you may say those branches were broken off to make room for me. Yes, but remember, those branches were broken off because they didn't believe in Christ. And you are there because you do believe.

So don't think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. For if God did not spare the original branches, he won't spare you either. Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe to those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you will also be cut off.

I think one of Roman's major warnings here is believers are justified by faith, but our perseverance and our works reveal the reality of that faith. And God will judge whether our faith was actually genuine. Which means to say that presuming on grace or hardening of the heart is actually a spiritually dangerous place to be in. Now, please listen. I don't think Paul is saying any of this, that we live in terror, but it is really about us rejecting either a casual form of Christianity or an arrogant form of Christianity.

If I could maybe have the next slide up, please. Casual Christianity. See, it's this idea that we once prayed a prayer, we once made a decision, and that we can now just surf through life with little thought, little repentance, and little obedience. It assumes that God's grace is a blanket that covers everything we do. So we become spiritually lazy, morally relaxed, and quite emotionally comfortable.

You see, casual Christianity treats the Gospel as an insurance rather than a radical call to follow Christ daily. And on the other hand, we have arrogant Christianity. It is the opposite problem. It looks down on others. It kind of assumes that we are safe.

We are more Right. We are more chosen. Okay. We boast over the. We tend to boast over those that are broken.

We boast over the Jews, we boast over non believers. We boast over other Christians.

We somehow forget that we are branches that are grafted in by mercy. See, Romans 11 calls us to neither. We are not to be casual because God is severe to warn us, severe enough to warn us. And we are not to be arrogant because God is kind enough to humble us. Instead, it's called for a Christianity that is to be humble, grateful and alert.

We have to trust in God's mercy and we have to tremble really at his holiness. How often do we do that? Let me be honest and say very often I do suffer from spiritual pride.

You see, spiritual pride is when I begin to trust my grasp of the truth. It is when I begin to think that my obedience or my spiritual experience in Christ is more than God's mercy. But you know, praise God, when we are tuned to God's mercy through His Holy Spirit, we are led to take a few practical steps in life. And here I think I would like to offer three practical steps. I think the first step is for us to repent of any superiority.

I say towards Jews, towards other Christians, towards other non believers. Secondly, I would say we need to practice humility on a regular basis. We need to thank God that we are grafted in to promises that we've never actually deserved. And lastly, I would say we need to create a life of holy jealousy. We need to live life truly with joy in our hearts.

We need to be holy. We need to have love for the Scriptures so that, you know, other people who are not believers, including our Jewish neighbors, are actually drawn to Israel's Messiah. My key point is this. The root supports the branches. So we believers stand only by faith and we must never boast, but we must tremble and be grateful.

Let's move to the next slide. Point 3. God's rejection of Israel is not final. In the future, God will not end his purpose for Israel. God's mercy has the last word.

And this is what Paul calls the mystery. So Paul's revealing a mystery in verses 25 to 32 so that Gentile believers will not be conceited. He's talking about a partial hardening that has come upon Israel. And Paul says that this partial hardening will only last until the full number of Gentiles has come to Christ.

And he says, in this way, you see this partial hardening. In this way, all of Israel will be saved. How amazing is that? Now I actually see this as a future. It's a future turning of the Jewish people to Jesus.

I think when Christ, you know, the deliverer of Zion will confront them and they will see this one they have pierced. I can only presume that this will be some kind of a crisis that will occur in Israel, quite potentially war. And that is what's going to trigger this turning. This does not mean that every single individual Jew of all time, but I believe that maybe there will be some kind of a national turning where Israel as a people will come eventually under the saving grace of Jesus Christ, the saving reign of Jesus Christ. Paul then goes on to say, as far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies.

The Jews, the Jews are enemies for your sake. But as far as election is concerned, they, the Jews are loved on account of the patriarchs for God's gift and his calling are irrevocable. You see, human unfaithfulness does not cancel God's divine calling. God may take centuries, he may take a millennia to finish his promises, but he will never ever tear them up. God's call is irrevocable and he is not done with Israel.

May I also assure us believers sitting here, thank God we have a God who is patient with us every day he is patient with us every day he is disciplining us, every day he is restoring us. He is restoring those that truly belong to him because we fall all the time.

I like what verse 32 says. This is probably really the highlight. It says God has literally imprisoned or he has shut us up, Jews and Gentiles alike, in disobedience so that he may have mercy on us. You see, once we choose to rebel against God, he actually locks us into a condition that makes any self rescue impossible. And there's no amount of bargaining, there's no amount of bribing or anything that can, that can buy us a way out.

Every door of human goodness is actually slammed shut and the only door that is left open is the door of mercy through Jesus Christ. So no Jew can ever say I have kept the law. And no Gentile can ever say I am decent enough. I think we all stand guilty, requiring the same grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Let's move to the next slide please.

That's the one. I think we all need to see ourselves as being in a deep pit, a pit of disobedience. And the only way out is for someone to actually lower a rope in there and pick us out of it. And that rope is really Christ crucified and risen, both Jew. If there's any Jew sitting in the crowd here, both Jew, Gentile.

We're all in that pit equally and there's only one rope that can take us out. You see, Paul ends up with worship in verses 33 and 36. I'm just going to paraphrase it all. The depths of the riches of the the wisdom and knowledge of God, who has known the mind of the Lord. You see this entire plan that we've talked about, from Israel's calling to Israel's stumbling to Gentile salvation and to finally Israel's future turning.

This is God's plan, not humanity's. No human person could have ever designed this. And you know, our right response should be quite simply humble wonder. Let's not come up with all kinds of fancy arguments about it. I'm just going to paraphrase this.

I think maybe the next slide if I'm right. Yep, I'm just going to paraphrase this. Sorry I've paraphrased this for this slide, but I'm going to read the detail here. CS Lewis famously said this. As long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.

That raises a terrible question. How is it that people who are quite obviously eaten up with pride can say they believe in God and appear to themselves very religious? I am afraid it means that they are worshipping an imaginary God. You see, pride blinds us to God's higher ways. Instead, we need to remember that our faith entirely depends on God's mercy and not on our works.

What I'd like to do is I'd like to first reach out to all of us here, both Jews and Gentiles. You see, we are all bound over to disobedience. We are unable to save ourselves. Any amount of law keeping or moral effort is not going to save us. God has provided one deliverer.

Jesus, the crucified, crucified and risen Messiah, foretold by the prophets, who takes away the sins, their sins. And the only way is in. The only way in is by repentance and faith, trusting in Christ's mercy, not in our heritage, our goodness, or any kind of religious performance.

Secondly, may I reach out to those that are not yet following Jesus? You see, Romans 11 says God has not given up, not on Israel. And I also think not on anyone listening. If you are aware, those of you that don't believe in Christ, if you are aware that you are living in a pit of disobedience, why don't you call on the deliverer, believe in Christ, confess him as Lord and Savior, you know God delights in showing you mercy as well. And lastly, may I reach out to those that have newly become Christians.

Stand firm in God's kindness. Don't drift into any kind of arrogance or presumption. Make every effort to say yes to grace and no to sin. You see, the key point here for us to remember is God locks everyone in disobedience so that mercy in Christ can be the only hope for every single one of us. I'm just going to bring this to a close with four thoughts and actions with it.

The first thought is remembering the remnant, trusting God's faithfulness. You see, when culture around us seems really dark and when sometimes our personal faith is also fragile. Romans 11 says, God always keeps a remnant by grace. My challenge would be this week is to say, take one discouraging situation, maybe a family, a friend, a workplace situation, or even a situation at church. Why don't you entrust this consciously into God's faithful remnant, keeping grace in prayer.

Secondly, I would say, let us reject arrogance. Let's walk in humble fear. You see, the olive tree warns us against any pride. Believers stand only by faith. We are supported by a Jewish root and a Jewish Messiah.

Alright, my challenge is this. Ask the Spirit to highlight any kind of superiority.

When I say superiority in us, I'm talking about superiority towards Jews, towards other Christian believers, or even to non believers. Maybe we could take a concrete step of humility this week and say sorry to someone. Maybe we could do an act of service.

The third thing I would like to say to us today is let us bless the Jewish people. Let your life become a jealousy so that they will want Jesus Christ that's in you. You see, God's design is that Gentile believers enjoy Israel's Messiah so much that the Jewish people long to know him as well. My challenge here would be this. Would you please pray regularly for the Jewish community, even here in Berlin?

Would you learn to love the Hebrew scriptures, particularly the Old Testament, and learn them deeply and where appropriate, would you build respectful friendships with Jewish neighbors without pressure or argument, but really with genuine warmth and integrity there? Maybe I'll invite the worship team to come up. I've just got one more thing I'd like to say and we could move to the last slide. Finally, let's base everything on mercy. Let's live a mercy shaped life.

You see, if everything finally rests on mercy, that will change daily life. We need to stop boasting. Let's stop boasting. Let's be quick to say Sorry. And repent.

Let's be ready to forgive others in the same way that God has forgiven us.

Maybe you could go out this week and identify one challenge. Sorry, one. One place, one relationship where there is need for mercy, such as in my case, with the police. You know, just shut up. Keep moving.

Go on. Stop rumbling about everything. Move on. You know, I even get angry with people on the streets when they cut me off while I'm cycling. I need to stop that.

I'm talking about myself here. I am guilty of it.

Let's just look to God in prayer and bring this to an end. Father, help us to see that we are branches. We are grafted into your ancient root by grace alone, not by our strength. Please, Lord, give us humility to never boast. And give us hearts that long to see your mercy triumph over all unfaithfulness in Israel, in the Church, and in our own lives.

May we go this week knowing that your gifts and your call are irrevocable and that you have never given up on your people. You have called. Amen. Thank you for listening.

Let's just bring the service to a close of the benediction. May the God who has never given up on his people keep you humble, grateful and full of hope. May you walk this week as branches grafted in grace, trusting in his mercy, and may the peace of Christ guard your hearts and minds. I lift up my eyes to the mountains. Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip. He who watches over you will not slumber.

Woher kanisch Hilfer e warten meine Hilfer Kampfand ein Herrn der Himmel und erdege machtat der Her Hair wit nicht zu Larsen. Das du feilst er dein Beschutze schleft nicht. And may the blessings of Almighty God, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit be with you now and forever. Amen. God bless.