Mercy Shown to the Disobedient

Transcript

GR 2252
10/11/2020
Mercy Shown to the Disobedient
Romans 11:28-36
Gil Rugh

We are in the book of Romans, chapter 11. Let’s have a word of prayer and then we’ll go into the book of Romans, chapter 11. Thank You, Lord, for the blessings of this day. Thank You for Your work of grace in our lives. Thank You for the privilege that’s ours again to look into Your word. What a privilege it is to have You, the living God speak and then have Your very words recorded so that down through the centuries of time Your people could be refreshed with Your word, unbelievers could hear the truth. We gather to look into Your word together. We ask Your blessing on the Word and each person here in the auditorium or at home and other places as they join in. May the Spirit give us a greater appreciation of Your work of redemption for us as Gentiles and for Your people, the nation Israel. We commit this time to You, in Christ’s name. Amen.

Go to Romans chapter 11. There are no more important chapters for clarifying Israel’s place in the purpose of God than chapters 9, 10, and 11 of Romans. Let’s put up those summary points from the end of last week, just to review verses 25-27. We went through these so we can do them quickly.
First point, God’s work of salvation for Gentiles as well as Jews is a mystery. It can only be known by divine revelation and that’s what Paul said in the first line of verse 25. “For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery…” That’s important because a mystery is something you couldn’t know if God didn’t reveal it. This is new information. You may see pieces in the Old Testament, but the real putting it together with clarity so that it could be understood awaited the revelation that’s being given. It’s the mystery. So, that’s God’s work of salvation for Jews and Gentiles.

Secondly, Israel’s hardening today is partial, not complete. We are talking about the nation Israel. Keep in mind that we’re talking about national salvation here in the sense of the salvation of the nation. That doesn’t mean every individual Jew is rejected nor will it mean every individual Jew is saved, but the nation as a whole and their position. We’ll say more about that.

Third, Israel’s hardening is temporary not final. It’s partial whereas some Jews are being saved today, but God’s work of salvation, redemption, is focused upon the Gentile nations. But it’s a temporary focus, if you will. There will come a time when the Gentiles will be removed from that focal point and it will revert back to Israel.

Fourth, the time of Gentile favor and blessing will end. That’s verse 25, it will end with the coming in of the fullness of the Gentiles. Really that will come with the rapture of the Church and that will gather the Church into God’s presence. Then we’ll begin the seventieth week of Daniel and we’ll be back to God completing His program, seventy sevens have been determined for Your people, Israel, God told Daniel.

The fifth point, all Israel will be saved. That’s verse 26, “…and so all Israel will be saved...” In other words, we move to time when primarily God’s work of salvation centers in Gentiles; it’s primarily Gentiles getting saved. The day of Gentile evangelism, Gentile salvation, but some Jews get saved. Now we’re going to move back where God puts Israel back in the center of what He is doing in His work of salvation. That will carry us into the Tribulation, that seventieth week of Daniel. Whereby at the end of that, all Israel, as a nation, not every individual Jew, will be saved. We see in Matthew 25, judgment there to sift out unbelieving Jews from the nation Israel, so they will not be going into the kingdom. So, all Israel, in other words, Israel as a nation.

Number six, Israel’s salvation will happen in connection with the second coming of Christ. That would mean the judgments of the Tribulation will be used of God to bring Israel to the point that they turn to God as a nation. And a large portion of the Jews call for the Messiah to intervene and rescue them, so they experience a spiritual salvation and a physical redemption. When Christ comes, we have the battle of Armageddon then subsequent judgments.

And then point seven, Israel’s ungodliness and sin will be removed. That’s in verses 26 and 27. “‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.’” It’s God’s plan. The Deliverer will come, and the focal point will be Zion, and He’ll set up the kingdom. Israel will be the focal point in the kingdom. We have a place in kingdom as the Church, but the focal point is the nation Israel.

Verses 28 through 32, first summarize what he has been saying. Really the preceding verses about the salvation of Israel have served to wrap up chapters 9, 10, and 11 which will conclude with a doxology giving praise to God. Let’s pick up with verse 28. In light of what he said, “From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake…” Remember verse 13 of chapter 11, “…I am speaking to you who are Gentiles.” So, “From the standpoint of the gospel they (the Jews) are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s election…” We have the word “God’s” there, God’s choice. We put “God’s” there because it is His acting. But it’s simply the word “election.” “…but from the standpoint of election…” which is God’s work in choosing. “…they are beloved for the sake of the fathers...”

So, as you look at the gospel, Israel as a nation has been rejected. We noted that you see that exemplified when Paul finally says he will shake the dust off his feet and says, from now on I’ll go to the Gentiles. He doesn’t give up on the Jews, he’s writing this letter, he shares his burden for their salvation. The reality is the focus has changed. The first part of the book of Acts is primarily Jewish salvation. The early church was Jewish in make-up. Remember it’s not until chapter 8 that we even get the Samaritans, the mixed-blood Jews getting saved. And then it’s not until we get to chapter 10 and Peter reluctantly, with special revelation from God, is sent to the Gentiles, to the house of Cornelius. So, the transition occurs. From the standpoint of the gospel, they are God’s enemies. They are enemies for your sake.

Why? Remember that place of favor in verse 17, the Jewish nation, those branches have been broken off and Gentiles have been grafted into the covenant promises God gave to Abraham. Not to replace Israel, but to focus on something you didn’t realize was going to be such a big issue. In you all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Israel is put aside, under God’s judgment which continues down to today, and will until the rapture of the Church. And then they’ll experience God’s judgment, if you will, a disciplining judgment that will result in the salvation of the nation.

So, as the gospel is preached today, the Jews are enemies. That’s where the nation Israel is. Now be careful, not every single Jew, we’ve emphasized that. Now as far as the gospel is concerned, the Jewish nation is opposed to it. They are enemies for your sake, you Gentiles. That’s what he said in verse 11, middle of the verse, “…But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles...” Verse 12, “Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles...” Verse 15, “For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” So, even though they have been removed from the focal point of God’s work of salvation in the world, in contrast to what they were from the time of Abraham until the establishing of the Church in Acts chapter 2, all of what God is doing today keeps in perspective a final realization of all God promised to Israel. So, we are benefiting. In the Old Testament, Gentile salvation was the rarity. Now Jewish salvation would be more in that context.

Verse 28, “From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of election...” And we’ve talked about this earlier, we talked about it in chapter 9, we talked about it in other portions of Romans as well. It’s God’s work of choosing, “…from the standpoint of election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers...” So, from the standpoint of the gospel and it’s being preached today even as Paul was writing to the Romans, the focal point is the Gentiles. And he has to remind them, “God has not cast away His people,” the Jews, but there’s no question, they have been set aside in judgment. Don’t fail to understand, “…from the standpoint of God’s election they are beloved (His loved ones) for the sake of the fathers...”

Remember when we talked about the Abrahamic Covenant which is passed along through Isaac which is passed along through Jacob. That’s why they’re called “the fathers.” And then to the twelve sons of Jacob, whose name remember was changed to Israel. That’s the way we know them down to today. We talk about “the fathers,” Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to get that line established. We keep in mind that’s the line it has to be. We have discussions in the world, Muslims as well as Jews look to Abraham. But that doesn’t count because it’s Abraham, Isaac and some of them say the Scriptures as we are Jewish, and they changed it. It was really Ishmael who was the favored son. But no, it has to come through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That takes us back to verse 17, remember the “…rich root of the olive tree...” This is the Abrahamic Covenant through which the promise is coming. We keep going back to that because as he’s going to emphasize, that’s why we can be sure God is going to complete His program with the nation Israel as He gave it. So, from the standpoint of God’s election, the Jews are the objects of God’s love. He made this point in verse 16, “If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too.” That’s why you go back to the beginning, the promise made to Abraham. And then that early beginning passed on to Isaac and Jacob, “…for the sake of the fathers…” which we just read. That’s the assurance.

Come back to Deuteronomy 7 and pick up with verse 6, where God is speaking to the nation Israel when they do go into the land and the situation. Verse 6, “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” Here we are talking about the nation Israel in contrast to every other nation, every other Jewish grouping, however you want to divide them. There’s only one nation. It’s not the United States. It doesn’t mean that we haven’t experienced blessings from God as a nation. Different nations have in time, but Israel is the only nation God has chosen for Himself. Amos chapter 3, verse 2 says, “You only have I chosen among all the families (nations) of the earth...”

There’s a uniqueness to Israel. It continues down to today. We recognize their special position, but we realize this will not be a day of Israel’s national redemption. It’s a day of salvation for some Jews, but primarily it’s a Gentile world. Deuteronomy chapter 7, verse 7 continues, “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples…” One man and his wife and they are both old and they haven’t been able to produce children so you can’t get any smaller than that. The promises to Abraham, a man who has no descendants. Remember Abraham had a question, well I don’t have any kids, I guess my favored servant will inherit what I know. No, can’t be him. I chose you when you were the smallest. This doesn’t have anything to do with who’s the nation that looks like it has the most potential. God chose the one that had the least potential. It had no potential. It would take supernatural intervention of God for there to be a nation descended from Abraham to make up the nation Israel. So, God’s going to create a nation that doesn’t exist so they can be His favored people.


Verse 8, “…but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand…” because Moses here is addressing the people Israel to prepare them for going into the Land, that’s the context here. He brought you out from the land of Egypt, because what happened in the land of Egypt? They went down into Egypt as the family of Joseph, seventy people, and they come out a nation, maybe two million. We come to that number because of the number of the people, the men twenty years old and over, and then we get the count of that, then how many women would have been involved? How many children? We guess six hundred thousand men capable to form an army. And then you round it to somewhere around two million people. They come out of Egypt a nation.

Verse 8 continues, “…and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the land of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, (now note this) the faithful God, who keeps His covenant…” I don’t understand how people who claim to be evangelical, bible believing Christians can talk about Israel being replaced, for not having the future God gave them. We are told God chose them and He is “…the faithful God, who keeps His covenant...” Does that even need to be said? God keeps His word. We’ve looked at the Covenant established, and God took the full responsibility for its fulfillment. Remember when they passed through the animals, cut the covenant? Abraham is asleep! God as a flaming torch goes through. He takes full responsibility for the fulfillment, for all its provisions is dependent on God’s faithfulness. “…and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments; but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them…” This is the dangerous position Israel is in. “From the standpoint of the Gospel they are enemies…” And the worst is yet to come where in the tribulation their numbers will be decimated with the judgments God brings on the nation. But there will be a remnant that comes through and forms the nucleus for the nation to again grow and expand and receive all the promises of God. So that’s just an example you see how God commits Himself.

Come back to Romans. And we talk about they are the enemies of God and all of that. There are things that are applicable to individuals, but he is talking about nations here. The Gentile nations, the Jewish nation. We have the electing work of God for the nation. So even at this time, verse 5 of chapter 11, “In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to the election of grace…” or as we have it, “…God’s gracious choice.” But literally, “…according to the election of grace.” A choosing God made, based on His grace. There was nothing there but an old man and a barren old woman when God made His choice. Made in eternity past but made evident and manifest. So, it’s a remnant and even though Israel at times there have been an attempt to annihilate them, you can’t. There’s always a remnant that comes through and even in the tribulation there’ll be that remnant when we get to the end. They’ll be ready to call for the Messiah to rescue them to be their Savior.


Back to chapter 11, and verse 29 summarizes this. I hope you have this marked in your Bible. “…for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” If that was the only verse we had, we’d know that the covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are what? Irrevocable! Commentators, commentator after commentator will talk about, well with the coming of Christ a change was made. Now we can go back to the Old Testament and we realize that will be fulfilled in a different way. It’s not a coming earthly kingdom, it’s a kingdom that exists in the hearts of believers, or well, Christ, as we gave you examples, fulfilled the physical land promises for Israel. They are no longer in operation. Or those physical land promises to the nation Israel have now been expanded. They are not just for the nation Israel. The physical land promises are for all the nation, so Israel’s place is just like any of the others. I mean I don’t know! “…the gifts and calling of God…” and that’s what he just referred to, when he referred to election in the previous verse, God’s choice made clear in the covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. “…for the gifts…” It was a gift, He called them by grace. We saw that there. He put His lovingkindness on them. You were the smallest, but His kindness, His lovingkindness. “…the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.”

If we just stop there, that’s all we had, we’d say no, all the promises will be fulfilled as they are. Well, we have to reinterpret that. No, they haven’t been revoked, they’ve just been changed. That doesn’t help. You say you’re going to give me a million dollars and you promise and guarantee it with your word then later you say, well, you know with what’s happened that doesn’t mean you. Well, wait a minute! I think you changed. God not only did that, He signed a covenant and then He took an oath, to fulfill His covenant as we talk about from the book of Hebrews. What does God have to do? “…the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

What Israel has received in being chosen as a nation is a gift. Salvation is always a gift because grace provides the gift. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. We saw that earlier in Romans. These are the privileges for Israel that back in chapter 9, verses 4 and 5, he talks about the “…Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ (the Messiah) according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever…But it is not as though the word of God has failed.” It may look from appearances that Israel, will they make it? Will their enemies annihilate them and push them into the sea in the tribulation? Will the anti-Christ be…nope, nope, nope. These are the gifts of God to Israel. That’s the point. Paul is saying nothing’s changed. God’s calling is always effective. We saw this earlier in Romans, the call of God is an effective call, as Paul uses in the epistles. It always results in the response that God intends, so His calling to the nation is an irrevocable calling.

We won’t go back. I have some verses we could go back to, but we’ve done those. So, what he says is there are implications for individual believers, but keep in mind as we move into the subsequent section that we’re not going to talk about believers who become disobedient and are rejected by God. There’s discipline for believers, but what happens to the nation? What’s going to happen to the Church? What happened to the nation, the nation as a nation? There are believers in the nation through the gospels, believing Jews. In the first part of the book of Acts it’s Jews that get saved. On the day of Pentecost, thousands and later the number grows to five thousand. So, there are Jews being saved, but the nation as a nation is put under the judgment of God. We don’t want to get confused on what he is going to say.

What will happen to the Church? When the rapture of the Church occurs a lot of churches will be left. There is an apostate church that has great power during the first three and a half years of the seven-year tribulation, remember. Only believers make up the true Church, not just people who take up a seat. We have churches of all kinds, Protestant and all their various kinds, and Roman Catholics. You understand when the rapture occurs a lot of people are going to be left. Some churches won’t see much of a change because they don’t preach the Gospel and haven’t for so long that most of the people that make it up are not believers. What happens then? Well, the Church comes under the judgment of God just like Israel came under the judgment of God. They were no longer a nation believing in Him. No longer a nation honoring Him. We find faithful, godly Jews in the gospel and there are that today, but the nation is under judgment. Gentile nations come under judgment. The world experiences the wrath of God and it just intensifies their opposition. Like the coming of Christ and rejection of Christ, the opposition intensified. What do we find Paul doing before his conversion? Standing at the stoning of Stephen for his testimony as a believing Jew in the Messiah of Israel who is the Savior. So, then the nations, this world comes under the judgment of God. Israel experiences the intensity of God’s wrath, but not for their destruction, for their salvation.

So, look at verse 30. He continues to explain it. We talked about mercy today in our study of Jude. I knew, because I’m working on Romans at the same time. Just think, isn’t it amazing, mercy, mercy, mercy! You know what the key words are in verses 30, 31, and 32? Mercy and disobedience. Four times we have the word “mercy” and four times we have the word “disobedience.” Mercy and disobedience. Mercy is always functioning in the context of disobedience, because if there’s no disobedience there’s no sin. Mercy is given to those who are not deserving. That’s why we needed mercy. Why? Because all have sinned; there’s none righteous. I have to call for mercy, I’m deserving of judgment. So, he’s going to talk about God’s mercy given to the disobedient.

Verse 30, “For just as you once were disobedient to God…” By and large, the Gentile world were in rebellion against God. It doesn’t mean there were no Gentiles ever saved. There were Gentiles saved in the Old Testament, but primarily it was Jewish salvation. There wasn’t even any missionary activity going on in the Old Testament. We mentioned that. When Israel goes into the Land of Canaan, they don’t go in to do missionary work. In fact, they’re down in Egypt for four hundred years to allow the sin of the Canaanite people, the land promised to Israel, to ripen until they’re ready for judgment. We might say why would He not take that four hundred years to send Jewish missionaries there? God works His purposes. It was a day of Jewish salvation. He’s building a nation that He loves, for Himself. But they are Jews. There’s not even a Gentile evangelism program in Egypt so what he is pointing here, you were once from the standpoint of prior history here, you Gentiles were once disobedient to God. That’s the realm you lived in “…but now have been shown mercy (there’s our word) because of their disobedience…” You see they were disobedient at a time when God was showing mercy to Israel, but because of their disobedience and rejection of His mercy, now their disobedience has opened the door for them to receive mercy. I want to appreciate what is going on in the plan of God. The disobedience and the mercy.

Look at verse 31, “…so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.” You see we keep going back and forth, mercy, disobedience. Israel had mercy because of their disobedience. God put them under judgment and focused His program of mercy. Focusing the work of salvation on Gentiles, but when with Gentile disobedience the program will be turned back to Israel for mercy when Israel comes to realize we have rejected what was ours. Ours by covenant. It’s our father Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the fathers. They are ours; they are all Jews. Then the Messiah who is the Savior, He’s our Messiah. Gentiles have come in and they are getting these. That’s what God is doing with the Gentiles through that seven-year tribulation; their eyes are going to be opened. It’s a work of God’s grace, mercy for Israel, but it takes terrible suffering, discipline to ultimately bring Israel as a nation to its knees and they will turn.

This is why any concept of not being merciful as God’s people, as we stressed this morning, you see how these things weave to together in Scripture, is totally uncharacteristic of a true believer because you remember, we had to start out with humility. We had to humble ourselves before God and acknowledge our unworthiness, our sinfulness, our guilt and place our faith in Christ. People who have no sense of their sin and guilt, why would they turn to a Savior? Look at the world we have, the country we live in where the word of God is so available. Most people see no need. They’ve made their own way. Created God as they want Him to be, as Romans 1 started out. They worship their own way. So, they’re comfortable. When you tell them about their sin and guilt and hopelessness, that’s offensive. That’s not welcomed. That’s the condition. Disobedience, that’s where we all were.

Come over to Ephesians. We will take a moment to look over there. This characterizes us all. We know this theologically. It ought to not escape our thinking in our conduct. Ephesians chapter 2 opens, and I want you to note, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked…” That was where our life was lived. That was the pattern of our life. “…according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working (now note this) in the sons of disobedience.” That becomes a way to define and mark out unbelievers. They are “sons of disobedience.” Why? Because disobedience is the characteristic of their life. They never do good. They never please God. We saw this in Romans chapter 3 as Paul drew from the Old Testament, “…none righteous,” “…none who does good,” “…they’ve all gone astray.” He calls them “sons of disobedience.” They belong to disobedience because that’s what they are. They are disobedient people. We weren’t any different.

Look at that in verse 3, “Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy…” That’s why you see mercy in the context of disobedience. The “sons of disobedience” need what? Mercy! “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us...” You see how it’s almost like he’s piling up words. Not just mercy, “…rich in mercy,” “…great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, He made us alive…” And then the riches of what we have.

Come down in verse 7, “…so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace…” Rich in mercy, great in love, rich in grace. This is the way he talks about God dealing with us. Understand what you were, and that’s why mercy becomes a divine characteristic. When we were in Matthew 18, Jesus said what? If you don’t show mercy and forgiveness, you’re just indicating you are a rejector of God’s mercy. Because how could one who has been forgiven so much, who has received so much mercy, be a person who withholds mercy? That’s why Jude was talking about we act in mercy to rescue God’s children when they begin to get off the track. God uses us. Just like our children, when our children get off the track, we have to bring them back.

God works for His children to come back and He uses His people in different times, situations to help bring back His wayward children. And it comes back to what? Mercy. We show mercy. We can’t forget that. We’ve been the recipients of mercy. That’s the realm in which we live. If we claim to be the children, slaves of the God who is rich in mercy, how can we be stingy in mercy? That’s why Jesus told Peter, you forgive your brother not seven times, but four hundred and ninety times. You can’t keep count. Why? How many times show mercy to us? That principle just pervades the Scriptures and when you begin to drift from that as Israel did, they failed to appreciate the mercy and love and grace that God had bestowed upon their nation, they become self-sufficient and arrogant. Sin doesn’t just stay a little bit. Pretty soon they’re hardened toward God because they saw themselves as good, fine. They are the chosen people. That’s true, but they thought that meant then that they were in. Everybody else were dirty sinners that we can’t have anything to do with, but we are good to go. God comes to the point to say, don’t bring sacrifices anymore, it’s repulsive.
So, the “sons of disobedience,” that term, seen also in chapter 5 of Ephesians. Let’s look at verse 30 of chapter 4, for context, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” He dwells in you. Rebellion against God is rebellion against Him, resistance against His will, God’s will. The provision of the Holy Spirit to enable us to carry it out. “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you...” Those were the marks of the godless we saw in the book of Jude. “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted...” See these words that are to characterize us? Why? “…forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” So, kindness, tenderheartedness, mercy, love, forgiveness, all these words that go together to show how God dealt with us, that’s how we deal with one another.

Come back to Romans chapter 11. The Gentiles need to remember. They are where they are because of the mercy of God. And to recognize Israel’s position, not be arrogant toward the Jews. There is that anti-Semitism that pervades the world because the devil hates the Jews. Above all the nations of the world the devil hates the Jews. Why? Because God has chosen the Jews. God’s kingdom program is dependent upon Him fulfilling His promises to the Jews and it’s a work of the devil to infiltrate with false doctrine that God won’t fulfill His promises to the Jews. And there we see some, even believers, have gone shipwreck on that hidden reef of apostates because they’ve adopted such an interpretation of the Bible. We have to be faithful to the truth and we have to realize we are the objects of God’s mercy. Why do people think that God would have rejected Israel? Well, they crucified the Messiah. They were so wretched in their sin God had to replace them. Oh, aren’t we the wonderful, holy ones? You know how it becomes a matter of arrogance. Well, I would have never done what they did. I would have never…like Israel. You read sometimes, what were they thinking? It’s one thing to read their failures, but when I’m failing in the day I don’t see it with that clarity, because I have all kinds of reasons and excuses why I didn’t do what I should have done there. Well, Israel had all kinds of excuses too.

So, verse 18 of chapter 11 of Romans, “…do not be arrogant toward the branches...” Remember you have a Jewish foundation. You’ve been put into a Jewish covenant that made provision for you and you occupy such a large space today in the portion of that covenant that covers you, but God doesn’t go back on His word. Israel failed for disobedience. If you’re disobedient and when the Church is raptured all that will be left is the disobedient church which we call the apostate church. God’s intention, verse 32, “For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.” You know, “for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” We are in that provision. Jesus changed the focus of His disciples when He told them originally, don’t go to the Samaritans, don’t go to the Gentiles, only go to the lost of the house of Israel. But when you get to the end of Matthew what does He tell them? Go into all the world, to all the nations, and make disciples of all of them. That’s where we are now but the Church, where are we? It is a constant battle to keep the church on track, is it not? We are to be holy as He is holy and so on.

Come back to the last part of Romans 11. We’re going to pull this together. How do you end this? You end it with a doxology of praise to God. We have seen the marvelous plan of God. “Oh, the depth of the riches (you note that word riches) both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” What do you say? We are in awe. He’s just walked us through chapters 9, 10, and 11. It really in many ways is a doxology to the first eleven chapters of Romans where the first eight chapters talked about that plan of salvation. Walking us through our sinfulness and the provision of God’s righteousness and the work of sanctification. Then you realize how this comes to Gentiles, but that doesn’t frustrate God’s plan for Israel or change it in any way. This is why he called it a “mystery” in verse 25. Because in verse 33, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” His judgments and ways they can’t be searched out. They’re unfathomable. We know by revelation. What could you say? We couldn’t have figured that out. Who but God could have devised such a plan? So, then he’s going to draw from the Old Testament. He’s talking about revelation here. He doesn’t say, oh, we can’t really know. Obviously, we only know what’s known. Deuteronomy 29, the things revealed belong to us. The rest belongs to God, it’s a secret, we don’t have an answer to everything, but we have an answer to everything we need to know. We are finite. He is God. We will never exhaust the knowledge of Him, and I can’t think of that and in a hundred billion trillion years I still won’t know everything about God and everything God knows.

“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?” Who did God go to for advice? God said if I needed anything, would I come to you? What could we give to God? He owns everything. He knows everything. He’s the omniscient God. We know what He has revealed to us and we are in awe of what He has made known. We are privileged to know the mind of God because He has revealed it to us. We won’t take time to go back to Corinthians, but Paul talks about that. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things God has prepared for him.” Sometimes I quote that at funerals and say, well, now he knows because he’s in heaven. The point is the next verse, but God has revealed them to us. That doesn’t mean we know everything, but we have the mind of Christ and the Spirit indwells us now.

These truths we are discovering should never cease to be wonderful and marvelous. It is a bad sign when we tire as Israel did and God said to them you’ve become weary of Me. You find Me tiresome. That’s a sign we are on a spiritual slide. We need to get pulled back to the right track. Well, yeah, I know, I know. I’ve been through it all. I think I know pretty much what I need to know. I’m telling God I’m sort of… We wouldn’t want to say it this way, but I’ve had my fill of You. Well, I’d never say that! Well, Israel didn’t want to say to God, I’m tired of You, but God said, I see your heart. I see your mind. What they are really saying is, I’m tired of Him and I don’t have the interest in His word anymore. So, He says I will make My words scarce for you.


“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?” You have in the margin of your Bible, where you can go back to the Old Testament and read in Isaiah 40, “Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again?” Does God owe me anything? We need to be careful. Sometimes we develop the attitude that He does. We think if we have poured our self into what we should be and tried our hardest and done this and then things maybe come up and we almost, can be a little upset with God. God, I did my best. I tried. I was faithful. Yes. Remember what Jesus said? When you’ve done everything you were commanded, say we are unprofitable servants because you only did what you were commanded. “You be holy as I am holy.” Have I reached that standard yet? No. Do I want to strive for it? Yes. Does God owe me anything for doing what He tells me to do? I’m a slave in the house of the Master. Do I deserve honor for doing what He tells me to do? Now in grace and rich mercies He does bless me. He doesn’t owe me anything.

How can it be? Look at verse 36. “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” He’s the Source, the Sustainer, the Goal of everything. He’s to receive all the glory. To Him and Him alone go the glory. Glory not for the servant, and it’s amazing to think that someday we will share in the presence of His glory. And we will be glorified, but all the glory for all eternity will be His because I’ll be a trophy of His grace. You’ll be a trophy of His grace as Ephesians says.

The way we begin to drift is we lose a biblical perspective. What Jude was talking about, that we have to be careful in how we help those who begin to waiver or those who begin to get involved and drift to where they shouldn’t or those who have gone over the edge and need to try to rescue them. And all of us are subject to that possibility. That’s why we have this. The world is always pushing. It’s a relentless pressure and we feel justified in making adjustments that we are not justified to make. Well, if you knew what I was going through. I don’t! Only God knows. But you see it becomes a challenge to God. Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen. Nobody but Jesus, the old spiritual says. I can’t lose that. Sometimes I may say, God, nobody understands, nobody knows. But God knows. God knew the trouble Job was going through. God knew what it meant to Job to lose all ten of his children in one disaster. God knew what Job was going through when he lost his health. God knew what Job was going through when he didn’t have any friends left to comfort him. The three that came he had to say, you are miserable comforters. You just make my agony worse. Did God know that? So, to Him belongs the glory. We want to keep our perspective. Now He will be ready to say, I want to give you some practical applications of this truth so you can live it out and that’s what we’ll pick up with.

Let’s have a word of prayer, then I want to address some of your questions. Thank You Lord, for the riches of Your word and we do need to be reminded. We need to be reminded by Your Word every day because every day presents new challenges. Every day provides new opportunities to step off the path, to stray. But every day provides new opportunities to grow, to mature, take another step on the right path. We pray these truths, Lord, we won’t look at them, close our Bibles, and then go on our way forgetfully. We take them to heart, mull them over. Lord, may we live in light of them in the week, the months until Christ comes so that You will receive all the glory. We pray in Christ’s name. Amen.

I received a number of questions from you. One of the home bible studies really went to town. I got a series of questions from one of the bible studies. That’s great. I had some other questions outside of that and I was told, in love, if I didn’t take so long on a question I could answer more. I know! That’s why I take so long. That relieves me from the pressure of answering many. I’m not going to take them in any particular order.

***A question that came out of Ezekiel chapters 40-48. We can’t go into the detail on that. Ezekiel 40-48, and to refresh your mind, is a prophecy for the millennial period, and I think it is. One thing you have that makes Old Testament prophecy difficult is, it does not sort out the first and second coming of Christ. It does not sort out the millennium, the first phase of the kingdom, from the eternal phase. And just like the first and second coming, we have to sort that out. Well, that’s helped by that has already occurred. Naturally when you see prophecy fulfilled, now you can go back. So now we can sort out and see how the Messiah, the prophecies for Him to suffer and die, they’d be fulfilled at His first coming to earth and then prophecies to rule and reign, they will come at a second coming. Well, prophecies regarding the kingdom, there is nothing in all the Bible all the way up to Revelation chapter 20 about there being a thousand-year first phase of the kingdom. So, you expect when the Old Testament and even New Testament passages talk about the kingdom, they are talking about the kingdom. Paul didn’t even know. From his writings there is no indication that there was a thousand-year first phase of the kingdom. I think we want to be careful. The kingdom starts with the coming of Christ to rule, but Revelation 20 indicates there is a thousand-year first phase. Some writers call it an intermediate kingdom. I think that is a misnomer. It is not a different kind of kingdom. It’s not an intermediate kingdom. It is the beginning of the prophesied kingdom and it will go on, but that first phase is important because there will be a change after the first thousand years. So, the millennial period but the millennium will not fulfill all that God promised to Israel.
***If you can, please explain the killing of animals for sin and guilt offerings. They will go into the first phase because there won’t be a temple in the eternal phase. We are told in the New Jerusalem there is no temple because God’s presence makes the New Jerusalem itself a temple. So, there’s no temple in it. The temple of Ezekiel 40-48 is a millennial temple. It will have served its purpose when the presence of God Himself will be on earth. God’s presence in its fullness is not moved until the new heavens and new earth beginning in chapter 21 of Revelation. That’s why we begin to get things sorted out because we are told then, in chapters 21 and 22, that there is no temple in the new earth because God Himself resides there. And where God manifests His presence, in its fullness among His creation, that’s where heaven is. Right now, it is not on earth. It’s in what we call heaven, where God resides, His throne is, His presence is manifested. When that is moved to the new earth, heaven will be on earth. There won’t be another place.

***What about the sacrifices in the first thousand years? I know someone who says this passage is the reason they can’t hold to a literal interpretation of prophecy. Well, first I’d say you determine the way the Bible should be interpreted. I think we have been through the principles of interpretation. That shows how all prophecy has been fulfilled literally. And we always use examples. The prophets said the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. The Jews understood that. Where was Christ born? Bethlehem. And everything Isaiah prophesied, His death, and some of the Psalms. What did He do? He died.
You don’t take prophecy literally, now be careful about saying, well, prophecy that has not been fulfilled won’t be fulfilled literally. Why? Well, I don’t see how it could be. Well, that’s a different issue. Remember we only know what God revealed because He hasn’t revealed every detail of how He’ll fulfill a prophecy literally, doesn’t mean the prophecy won’t be fulfilled literally. When He said Christ would suffer and die, and rule and reign, the Old Testament couldn’t understand how He could do both. That’s what Peter tells us. The prophets didn’t. How can He suffer and die, and rule and reign? So, are you going to pick a choice? Which is it? Will He suffer and die, or will He rule and reign? They had to believe both and wait and see. So, there is that element in all future prophecy that has not been fulfilled. What has been revealed will be fulfilled literally. Now how all the details of that will be carried out, we’ll have to wait and see. Now regarding the sacrifices in the millennium, I take it they are literal sacrifices. I don’t think that ought to affect the literal interpretation. I was asked if I could recommend a commentary. There is a book. This is the updated version, if you have it in the prior version, I haven’t gone through to see what changed in the updated version. This is Messiah’s Coming Temple by John Schmitt and Carl Laney. They would be dispensationalists. They take a literal interpretation of prophecy and have diagrams and so on. For your question, you don’t have to read the whole thing, but they have chapter 11, “The Altar and Sacrifice,” and then he goes in to talk about Ezekiel’s altar and sacrifice. Ezekiel 43 and animal sacrifices, and the millennial sacrifices and the purposes of the millennial sacrifices and so on. So, if you want a book, I recommend this because it’s not too big and you don’t have to read the whole book. You can start back there and just read that section if you want. I have some other articles. John Whitcomb has an article that’s been rather widely circulated on the millennial temple and the millennial sacrifices. Jeff told me if you want a copy of that you can email him, and he’ll email you a copy. I have hard copies that you could print out if you don’t have that access. I can give it to you to make a copy of. Arnold Fruchtenbaum’s book, The Footsteps of the Messiah, does a very nice job. I brought just a copy that I printed out of a section of that book. You can go to the library and read it. “The Kingdom Sacrifices”, these are the millennial kingdom sacrifices, will be multi-purposed. There are at least four purposes for the sacrificial system that can be suggested.

First a memorial of the death of the Messiah. Remember the sacrifices of the Old Testament never took away sin. The blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin. So, it’s not like, well if we have them in the millennium and Christ has been sacrificed, that would be a problem because we don’t need those to take away sin. Well, they never did take way sin. Don’t get confused on that. We could have the sacrifices but that Christ has been offered, there are questions we want to resolve, but they could be a memorial of His death just like we do the communion service and we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. Remember in the millennium we will have a mixture of believer and unbeliever. Everyone goes into the millennium. This is why we only get one question answered. I just want you to know, I know what’s happening. I can’t help myself. At my age it’s too late to change. Marilyn reminds me, when I am in a home bible study, some of you have been there, she always sits next to me. And when I feel her foot kicking my shins, I know she’s telling me, alright we got the point, move on. But she can’t kick me when I’m up here and I don’t look that way, so I don’t get any indicators.
Alright, first reason he gives, a memorial of the death of the Messiah. That would be fitting. Even though all believers who are in physical bodies who are alive at the return of Christ will go into the millennium in physical bodies. They’ll have children. Well, those children will have to place their faith in Christ. These sacrifices could serve as a visible reminder for them just like they reminded Israel of their need of a Savior. They remind them the penalty for sin is death. You’re going to have to place your faith in the ultimate sacrifice of Christ that has already occurred.
Second possible meaning, it’s a way of restoring fellowship for the millennial saint. The sacrifice in the Old Testament did provide an opportunity in the worship for fellowship. They drew the people of God together in a focal point of worship in a physical, tangible way. That could serve in the millennium as well.
They could serve for ritual cleansing, the third reason. Ritual cleansing for uncleanness. There will be sin in the millennium. That’s why we want to keep it out of the eternal state where there will be no sin. So, it could be a ritual cleansing just like it was necessary in Israel for the ritual cleansing to keep these matters before them. There will be a difference between the eternal aspect of the kingdom and the thousand years. That would be another reason for it.
Fourth, the privilege of life in physical blessing in a theocratic kingdom. There can be physical things. This will be a physical kingdom. People there in physical bodies and there will be sinful people present. We have a thousand years. There’s going to be a lot of babies born. A lot of people growing up in this kingdom. They have a physical way. The nations will be required to come up to Israel to Jerusalem. Remember Zechariah? If they don’t come, God will withhold the rain. These things are going on, so there’s a place for physical sacrifice. Just like, why do we do the communion service? Why do we have physical baptism in water? Weren’t we baptized with the Spirit when we believed? Aren’t we saved when we placed our faith in Christ and believed in His death and resurrection? Why are we partaking? Because God said to. So, they have a place. So, we want to be careful, this rather cavalier decision to abandon literal interpretation.
There are four reasons, and then he’ll give an additional point by John Whitcomb and he has the quote from him, but I won’t go into that. So, I see that there can be a place for the sacrifices in a literal way in the millennium and that millennial temple. Why do we have the millennial temple? The thousand years serve a special purpose in God completing His program of dealing with sin. So, while Satan will be bound during the thousand years, sin will not be removed. Remember the person who dies at a hundred years of age in the kingdom will be thought to be just a kid.
It is going to go on for a thousand years, we could be viewed as a young person. There will be death. There will be resistance and rebellion and by the time we get to the end of the thousand years the number of unbelievers on the face of the earth, after a thousand years of perfect reign, a thousand years where the devil has not been active nor his demons, is a number like the sand of the sea. It can’t be numbered! Those who have not become believers, and when given the option of rebellion against Christ that we have recorded in Revelation chapter 20, what’s it show? How sinful we really are! So, yeah, I wouldn’t abandon literal interpretation. If you want more detail, I’d recommend it. It’s a worthwhile read. I read the older version a couple of times and then I went, got a copy of the older version and I found out they had a new version, so I guess I’ll read it again. But you can pick up a copy. If you really want it now, come see me afterwards and you can have this one. I’ll get another one when we get them in. I don’t know how many we have. And then there are articles available. Any articles you want, I have articles by John Whitcomb, I have articles by Charles Ryrie, and so on, on the kingdom. And if you want Whitcomb’s article, email Jeff and he’ll give it to you.

Well, I got one question in and I have seven, eight. I’m slipping behind. I’ll move to some of the bible study questions next time. The one on the sacrifices is one that comes up often, so I spent a little time on it.

Let’s pray together. Thank You Lord, for Your word. Lord, it is a rich word and Lord, You, have revealed everything You have for us to know. But Lord, it is a lifelong pursuit to devote ourselves to the study of Your word, and it seems there is more to learn that You have revealed. More that we are responsible to learn, to put into practice. We want to be diligent to show ourselves faithful students of Your word, so we have Your approval and not just to know the facts of the Word but to know it so it’s part of our lives and shapes our conduct. I pray for the week before us, the challenges for those of our body who are going through physical trials and difficulties, financial pressures, family pressures, Lord the pressures that come from the world. Lord, may they provide opportunities for us to grow in our trust of You. For You to work in our lives. You won’t depart. You won’t leave us. Your grace will be sufficient for us. May we be encouraged by Your truth and be faithful to You. We pray in Christ’s name. Amen.