Roots and Branches

Posted by on February 8, 2009 under Sermons

The Lord’s Genius

  • God’s not finished with Israel
  • If He can save Israel to save the Gentiles …
  • Then He can save the Gentiles in order to save Israel!

Past, Present, Future

  1. Past: Romans 9:6-29 – God Shapes a People
  2. Present: Romans 9:30 – 11:6 – Remnant
  3. Future: Romans 11:7-36 – God’s Mysterious Plan

Did God Reject Israel?

  • Saul/Paul the Benjamite
  • Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. – 1 Samuel 8:7

God’s Saving Remnant

  • 1 Kings 19 – Elijah and Remnant
  • Three texts describing Israel’s inability to see God’s work
    – Deuteronomy 29:4
    – Isaiah 29:10
    – Isaiah 6

The Future of Israel

  • God has not rejected Israel forever
  • Israel is not without hope
    – Psalm 69:22-23
  • Nothing separates us from God’s love (Romans 8)
  • God will use it to His purposes

Warning to the Gentiles

  • Romans 2:17 – Warning to Jews not to boast in their advantage with the law
  • Romans 11:11-16 – Warning to Gentiles not to boast in their advantage in the present

Image #1: The Lump

  • Lump of dough, lump of clay
  • Numbers 15:19-20 – The first-fruit offering of the grain
  • If the portion is consecrated, then so is the rest

Image #2: The Root

  • Gentiles were wild branches grafted into the “chosen” nation
  • Remember your place
  • Don’t despise the root
  • Historical reality – Jew first and also Gentile

grafting photo

Chiasm

  • Kindness
    – Sterness
    – Sterness
  • Kindness
X
  • Israel
    – Gentile
    – Gentile
  • Israel
X

Ingrafted Branches

  • The Future
  • The broken branches can be grafted back into their own root
  • Sin and Grace
  • Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!