March 16, 2022

Romans 11 (HCSB)
Israel’s Rejection Not Total
 11 I ask, then, has God rejected His people?  Absolutely not!  For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,  from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew.  Or don’t you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he pleads with God against Israel? 3 Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars. I am the only one left, and they are trying to take my life!  4 But what was God’s reply to him? I have left 7,000 men for Myself who have not bowed down to Baal.   5 In the same way, then, there is also at the present time a remnant chosen by grace.  6 Now if by grace,  then it is not by works; otherwise grace ceases to be grace. 7 What then? Israel did not find what it was looking for,  but the elect did find it. The rest were hardened,  8 as it is written: God gave them a spirit of insensitivity, eyes that cannot see and ears that cannot hear, to this day.  9 And David says: Let their feasting  become a snare and a trap, a pitfall and a retribution to them. 10 Let their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent continually.  
Israel’s Rejection Not Final
11 I ask, then, have they stumbled in order to fall? Absolutely not! On the contrary, by their stumbling,  salvation has come to the Gentiles  to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their stumbling  brings riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full number bring! 13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. In view of the fact that I am an apostle to the Gentiles,  I magnify my ministry, 14 if I can somehow make my own people   jealous and save some of them.  15 For if their rejection brings reconciliation  to the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?  16 Now if the firstfruits offered up are holy,  so is the whole batch. And if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 Now if some of the branches were broken off,  and you, though a wild olive branch, were grafted in among them  and have come to share in the rich root  of the cultivated olive tree, 18 do not brag that you are better than those branches. But if you do brag—you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you.  19 Then you will say,  “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 True enough; they were broken off by unbelief, but you stand by faith.  Do not be arrogant, but be afraid.  21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you either. 22 Therefore, consider God’s kindness and severity: severity toward those who have fallen but God’s kindness  toward you—if you remain in His kindness.  Otherwise you too will be cut off.  23 And even they, if they do not remain in unbelief,  will be grafted in, because God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut off from your native wild olive and against nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these—the natural branches—be grafted into their own olive tree? 25 So that you will not be conceited,  brothers, I do not want you to be unaware  of this mystery:  A partial hardening has come to Israel  until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.  26 And in this way all  Israel will be saved, as it is written: The Liberator will come from Zion; He will turn away godlessness from Jacob. 27 And this will be My covenant with them when I take away their sins. 28 Regarding the gospel, they are enemies for your advantage,  but regarding election, they are loved because of the patriarchs, 9 since God’s gracious gifts and calling  are irrevocable.   30 As you once disobeyed God, but now have received mercy through their disobedience, 31 so they too have now disobeyed, resulting in mercy to you, so that they also now  may receive mercy. 32 For God has imprisoned all in disobedience,  so that He may have mercy on all.  
A Hymn of Praise
 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and untraceable His ways! 34 For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? 35 Or who has ever first given to Him, and has to be repaid?  36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

Pastor H.D. Jones
The underlying theme of most of Paul’s writing is the gospel – the good news that Jesus came to save sinners. In chapter 1 he notes, “I’m not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation, first to the Jew and then to the Gentile”. In his day there were only two types of people, the Jews and the Gentiles. Both groups were in desperate need of a Savior and neither group had an advantage over the other. As a believer, we should be constantly aware that our salvation is a work of God that is simply AMAZING. That alone should cause us to look at other people in a whole new light. Everyone you meet is in need of good news; no one is beyond God power to change; everyone is a candidate to receive good news; not all of them will believe Jesus is the Christ but some will. Until Jesus comes back, we have a command to “make disciples” and that only happens when we believe that the gospel message is the power of God to change people’s lives.

How Can I Apply It?