Welcome to Waymaker Church! We are so excited to have you join us today! We exist to Encounter, Live for, and Advance the Kingdom of God!

This morning, we are continuing in our series The Church Defined where we are studying the book of Romans. Today we are going to look at Romans 9-11 from a 40,000 foot view.
Roman’s chapters 9-11 have a major focus on the nation of Israel. The three chapters we are going to cover highlight Israels rejection of Christ, God’s purpose, His justice, and the present condition of Israel.

It reveals the need of Israel pertaining to the Gospel. Their rejection of the gospel brought an element of rejection on themselves for trying to find righteousness on their own through works. What we see is that ultimately their rejection is not total or final!

Today may seem a bit more history lesson than a normal message you would hear here on a Sunday morning, but I believe that we must have a proper biblical perspective of Israel as Christians.

We do not replace or supersede Israel. From the beginning, God has had a divine purpose for the people of Israel, and that purpose has not and will not cease.

Something we need to understand as a baseline about the nation of Israel is that they are a people chosen by God.

Why were they chosen?
From eternity past God knew that He would need to be born into the human race in order to save us from the spiritually dead condition that we were in. From our study of Romans, we know that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

To bring salvation to mankind God knew He would have to come in the flesh. In His plan He chose to be born into a very small nation of people called the Jews. The ultimate goal of God’s choice of the Jews as His chosen people was to produce the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would be the Savior of the world.

Throughout their history, the people of Israel were aware of their “chosen” status before God 1 Kings 3:8. “And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted.” Psalm 105:43 “He brought out His people with joy, His chosen ones with gladness.”

The fact that God has an eternal future for Israel is evident in that five sixths of the Bible bears directly or indirectly upon them—Jesus being the central figure who brought the Jews and Gentiles together. Ephesians 2:14, “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,”

The Jews as God’s chosen people have been held to a high standard, but for good reason. Israel’s responsibilities have included keeping and preserving the Law (Joshua 22:5); being “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6); and bringing “renown and praise and honor” to the Lord (Jeremiah 13:11).

Their high calling is straight from the God who chose them out of all the nations of the earth. There is a theology that has crept in to the modern Christian Church called replacement theology or supersessionism which essentially teaches that the church has replaced Israel in God’s plan.

People who adhere to this belief believe the Jews are no longer God’s chosen people, and that God does not have specific future plans for the nation of Israel.

Replacement theology teaches that the church is the replacement for Israel and that the many promises made to Israel in the Bible are fulfilled in the Christian church, not in Israel.

I want you to know that this is a false belief system. The Christian Church is not a replacement for the people of Israel. If that was so, the people like many other ancient peoples should no longer exist. Yet God has sustained them throughout the centuries.

Over the past 2,000 years there have been many attempts to destroy them.
• In 475 BCE Haman attempts the genocide of the Jewish people. (this is found in the story of Esther)
• King Herod ordered all boys under two years of age to be killed after the birth of Jesus.
• Over a million Jews perished during the destruction of the second temple.
• In 610-620 AD there is a massacre of the Jews across the Byzantine Empire.
• With the rise of Islam in 624 AD many Jews are beheaded, and over the next several centuries are sold into slavery, expelled from various regions, ordered to where sashes within an Islamic Caliphate in order to avoid worshipping with them.
• They were marginalized, had unjust laws passed against them.
• In 1096 AD, the First Crusade begins with Christians attacking the Jews. Throughout the next several centuries they are massacred, expelled, and have their homes burned.
• In 1929 Adolf Hitler publishes Mein Kampf which lead to the persecution of the Jews, and ultimately the Holocaust where 6 million Jews were murdered.
• Through the 1900’s many continued against the Jewish people.
• Culminating in the most recent attack on October 7th, 2023 with the unprovoked attack from Gaza into Southern Israel. Which has been followed by protest by people in our own nation calling for Israels destruction for defending themselves.
• You may have a heard a chant. From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free. Do you know what they are calling for? The complete annihilation of the Jewish people.

Throughout the centuries, nothing has changed.

Why is there such hatred for the nation of Israel?

Because they are God’s chosen people. Their preservation by God over the last 5,000 years proves it. At no other time in history has a nation that ceased to exist been re-born. As spoken by the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 37:21–22 “ “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.”

Israel becoming a nation again in 1948 is an absolute miracle. No other ancient nation that ceased to exist has ever been reformed centuries later with its original language. It was prophesied, and the prophecy came to pass.

Why does all of this matter?
It is important to recognize and understand the sovereignty of God. God has an overarching plan for humanity, and His plan will come to pass. He uses all things for his purposes, and that includes people.

A general context of Romans chapter 9 is that God will use what He needs to work out His plans and purposes.

Example: He hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that He might become known to the nations through the then plagues.

Israel’s rejection of Christ as king resulted in them being separated from God. The covenant of Abraham they possessed did not override their personal need for Christ. Their rejection did not stop God from revealing himself to the rest of the world.

Romans 9:25–26 “As He says also in Hosea: “I will call them My people, who were not My people, And her beloved, who was not beloved.” “And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ There they shall be called sons of the living God.””

Israel’s rejection was not because God was opposed to them, but because they chose to pursue righteousness through their own works. Righteousness does not come through the law, but through faith in Christ.

Their rejection of Christ does not disqualify them from salvation. In fact, it is the opposite. In Romans 10 we see that Israel needs the Gospel that they might be saved. It is the same for them as it is for us.

Romans 10:9-13. “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.””

The reality is that all need Christ including Israel. Romans 10:14-15, How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 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.”

The only way for Israel and the rest of the world to come to faith is through the preaching of the word. Every believer is called by God to equip themselves by reading and applying the word of God to their lives. Romans 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

We must take the personal responsibility to learn, grow, and mature in the word so that we can fulfill the great commission in Mark 16:15–18. “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.””

God desires to bring souls into the kingdom of God. Those that were once afar off from Him outside the covenant of Abraham, and also the nation of Israel. We must prepare ourselves and yield our availability to the Lord.