We've already read Romans 11, 17 to 24. We'll read 14 to 36 later on. So I keep updating the outline bit by bit. It's changed a teeny bit. But I want to look back at just a couple chapters back in chapter 8. We saw that nothing stops God's love. What can separate us from the love of God, et cetera? Nothing stops God's love. But the question arises, what about the Jews? And in the chapters ensuing 9, 10, and 11, Paul has been answering that question. He said, first of all, that no, it didn't stop towards the Jews. Some Jews didn't have God's saving love from the beginning. And in fact, God rightly condemns the reprobate, which magnifies grace. Those who say, well, how can he only choose some? Well, that just proves that he needed to do that. Because otherwise, everyone would have said, he had to save us, because he saved all of us. But God does not have to save anyone at all. The Bible, Paul in Romans says, let God be true in every man a liar. And if God hadn't left us a remnant, we would have been like Sodom and Gomorrah. That would have been a righteous judgment on all of man. And so we recognize that God has the right over the lump of clay to make some vessels for honorable use and some for dishonorable. As creator, he can do that. But Paul goes on to address this question of election and God's love, God's foreknowledge. And he says that the Jews need the gospel. The Jews need to call on Jesus. That's the solution. But God has sent the gospel to them. They have heard, he says in chapter 10. There have been all these overtures by God towards the Jews. He's held out his hands to an obstinate and disobedient people. So then the question comes, if all these means of salvation are coming to the Jews and yet they are not saved, does this imply that the Jews are rejected by God? He actually asks that question. And the answer in chapter 11 is that he hasn't rejected all of them. Paul says, I'm a Jew, I'm saved, see? And God has not rejected the people whom he foreknew, Paul writes. And so there is a Jewish remnant chosen according to God's electing grace. We saw that last time in chapter 11. And so there's this remnant that's been chosen. It's not the majority of the group. Now, we know that the number that is saved ultimately will be innumerable from man's perspective. But there is a remnant at the time of Paul's writing that is being saved Paul being one of them He says They haven't stumbled so as to fall in other words, there's not an ultimate cutting off of all Jews But verse 11 in chapter 11, but by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles to make them jealous. And so Paul says, that's what I'm all about in my ministry to the Gentiles. I'm all about making those Jews jealous. So I magnify my ministry to the Gentiles. Look at the Gentiles. They're learning the Old Testament. That was the only scripture they had, remember, at the time. And so Paul's teaching the Old Testament to the Gentiles, making the Jews jealous. Now we're going to continue in chapter 11 with verse 17. He just finished saying that there's still something going on. from God towards the Jews. They're not entirely cut off so as to fall. And he says, you know, the root's holy, so the branches are holy. He says, there's still something going on there. Verse 17, he says, but if some of the branches were broken off and you, being a wild olive, in other words, a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant. Let me just say that this section, verses 17 to 24, has this concept in it. That you Gentiles have been grafted into the elect against nature. Against nature. So do not be conceited that Jews can be more easily grafted in again. If God can graft you in, in your own olive, wild olive tree, and he's grafting you into this cultivated olive tree, He can easily put in those original cultivated olive branches again. He can do it. So let's just look at that in verses 17 and 24. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you being a wild olive were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. You know, Maybe that's some answer to what Luther's issues were with the Jews, you see. Don't be arrogant towards those Jews. And Brother Clint and myself, and many times we've emphasized as we present the scriptures about the Jews, and they're falling away at various times, and their disobedience, is that that's not because they're worse than Gentiles, it's just because they're the chosen people. So God's focusing on them. Verse 18, but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you, you Gentiles, who supports the root, but the root supports you, the Jewish elect. You will say then, branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in. You know, hey, they broke these, God really loves me. He broke some branches off to graft me in. And think about this. To graft in a branch, a branch has to be cut off. Now, there is a variety of methods of grafting. But that's generally the way it's done. A branch is cut off in a V or some type of shape or a slice, a diagonal, to create a more surface area so that the graft will take better. And then that other branch is brought in there and tied up against it tightly. And the scion, I'm not sure I'm pronouncing that properly, is grafted in. And the rootstock receives that graft. And we could list more than a dozen reasons for making a graft, a horticulturist or whatever, botanist, whatever. do that, there's more than a dozen reasons for that. But one that I noticed is, again, not sure the pronunciation of this, but precocity, precocity. And this idea is that the juvenility of a tree, okay, it starts out as a juvenile, right? And it doesn't produce fruit for up to anywhere from five or as high as, depending on the variety, 15 years. Imagine you plant a tree, it's not gonna have fruit for maybe as much as 15 years, depending on the type of tree, before any fruit's produced. Grafting can reduce the time to fruit to as short as two years. That's just one example. And if you think about the fruitlessness of the Jews, and how that was emphasized in scripture, and how it was going to be given to a new group of people who would produce the fruit, right? That reminds me of that, you see. But special care of the graft, the joint of that graft, is needed. Just think about it. It's a piece of wood taken off of one plant and just stuck on another one. And then you've got to, take care of that, and tape it up, and take care of that, and it's gonna be a little bit of a weak spot, but in the case of the Gentiles being grafted into the Jewish elect, the graft was performed by the care of Jesus. Just think about the fact that that graft happened at the time of the coming of Jesus, so that it could be successful. Jesus came at the time that the Gentiles were grafted in to the elect olive tree. So you will say then, verse 19 of chapter 11, you will say then, branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in. Quite right. They were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand in your faith. Notice the word unbelief and faith. I've said many times, faith, belief, same Greek word, okay? They have unbelief, you have belief or faith, okay? There's just two different English words being used for the same Greek idea here. Do not be conceited, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. And remember though, that although God does choose individuals, Paul here is viewing these as groups of people, right? And so many of the Jews were cut off, but there's a remnant that are still remaining, Paul being one of them. And so there are Gentiles being grafted in as a group. And each one's an individual, but there's this group going on. And then so when he talks about sparing and not sparing, to remember that to be grafted in again would be to believe, to be Nazareth would mean you were cut off because of unbelief. So verse 22, behold then the kindness and severity of God to those who fell severity, but to you God's kindness if you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. Just think about that. You know, we depend on God. We depend on God. Verse 23, and they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. Verse 24, for if you who were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree. So we started as Gentiles on a wild olive tree, not a cultivated olive tree, but a wild one. We're cut off of that. and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? So as I say, you Gentiles have been grafted into the elect against nature. There's this natural cultivated one that you're not in and you became grafted into it. So don't be conceited. The Jews can be more easily grafted in again. In fact, well, let me just look at this one phrase here, grafted into their own olive tree, the last phrase in verse 24. How much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? It's their olive tree. He emphasized that at the beginning of this section, We don't support them. They support us. The Jews support us. It's their olive tree, he says here, their own olive tree. That's theirs. We're just sort of riding on there with them. Praise the Lord that God made us a people. As he said in one of the previous chapters, those who were not a people are our people. We're a people now. We're part of the people of God. In fact, and this is the debated part here, as I said, Jim Gunn would say that no, there's not, God doesn't respect groups of people, but this whole thing is about groups of people. So God does have dealings with groups of people. It's not because this group's better than that group, but because God made a promise to this group, the Jews, and he's fulfilling it. We know, obviously, we're not going to continue the sacrifices after the sacrifice of Christ has come. And so we don't agree with those who say, in the end times, God is going to sanction these sacrifices. But rather, we do believe that there's a promise to the Jews. Even some Reformed writers support this idea that there will be a broad saving of the Jews. I remember back when I was in high school, I lived in New Milford, New Jersey. And it was a community that had Christians and Jews. In Alabama, we have very few Jews, I think. But there were a lot of Jews in my town. I went to school, one of my best friends was a Jew. And sometimes we had discussions with other people, Christians, Jews, about what's the plan of God in the future for the Jews according to the Christians. And one said, well, You say, I think you teach that God will save the Jews. And I said, well, yes. I don't know if I was a senior, junior in high school, I forget. I said, yes, because they're going to become Christians. It's not because they're Jews. It's because they get faith and have faith in Jesus. I'm embellishing what I said right now. But I told them it's because they become Christians, you see, that they are saved ultimately. It's not because they're Jews. And God is going to choose to save a bunch of Jews because of his promise to them as a people. He's fulfilling his promise. Verse 25. So we're going to see that here in verse 25, that in fact, as a group, they will be in the end times. They will be grafted in again. God is able to do that. Yes. And in fact, he will do that. Verse 25. For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery. We need to do the reading now before we continue. This is a little bit of a different idea here. So I'm going to read the reference in the second reading, and together we'll read the text. Romans 11, 14 to 36. From the standpoint of the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But from the standpoint of God's choice, they are beloved to the sacred fathers, for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 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 disobedience so that he may show mercy to all. Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable his ways! For who has done the blinding of the Lord? For who became his counselor? For who has first given to him that it might be paid back to him again? And that extolling of God right there at the end of this chapter 11 marks the end of the doctrinal portion. Now Romans 12 then begins more practically. But there's still a lot of doctrine in the subsequent chapters in Romans. I'm not saying there's no doctrine. And it's not like there's no application in what we've already read. No, not at all. But there's sort of a little bit of a change of emphasis as we get from chapter 11 into chapter 12. And so here, he just extols the glory of God in what he's doing through all these things. And then he's going to apply that chapter 12 when he says therefore I urge you brethren by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship so that's where he goes into chapter 12 after this not part of this sermon. But I just want to mark that this is the end of the mercies of God section, you might say, OK? And then he's going to urge us by those mercies, because of those mercies, to present ourselves a living and holy sacrifice. So we want to continue now with this part, verse 25. Paul says he doesn't want us to be uninformed of a mystery. There's a mystery. It's a mystery. And what's the mystery? That, in fact, as a group, the Jews will be grafted back in, in the end times. Verse 25, for I do not want you, brethren, to be unafforded to this mystery, so that you will not be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening He's saying it's partial because remember, Paul's saved, okay? So it's not a complete hardening of all Jews, but there's a partial hardening. It's partial in scope, but it's also partial in time, okay? Because there's an end in time to it, okay? It's partial in scope of number of people and it's partial in time. Has happened to Israel when? Until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. God's cut off a lot of branches. He's grafting in these branches from the wild olive tree, the Gentiles. But that's going to be true until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, until then. And then what's going to happen? Then the Jews will once again be grafted in. So it says this here. It says, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, verse 26, and so all Israel will be saved. Now, some take that to mean that, well, that's spiritual Israel, because you've got some Jews being saved, you've got some Gentiles being saved, and then comes the end, and then all of spiritual Israel will be saved. But we have to take that in the context of what follows, because he continues to explain this. You could possibly take it that way. I think the fact that he says, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in implies that there's an end to it, And then that partial hardening ends, and so they're grafted back in. And he just said, he's able to graft them back in again, and then he says there's a mystery. Well, there's got to be something new information here that he's giving us. Because he said, there's a mystery. I'm going to let you know about it now. Here it comes. Oh, everyone that's elect is going to be saved. That's no mystery. It's that the Jews are going to be grafted back in. That's the thing he's telling us new in this paragraph here. It's got to be that. Otherwise, there's nothing new. What's the mystery? You're informing us so we won't be uninformed. OK, so I think that proves it right there. But again, he continues to explain it, and it continues to support this view as you read the rest of it. But let's continue with verse 26. And so all Israel, I say that's physical Israel. That's physical Israel. It's got to be. Will be saved. Now, again, when he says all, he's not saying all throughout all time. There was a partial hardening, and some of those are lost. They were not elect. Like he explained in these several chapters here that we've covered about why the love of God seems to have stopped and failed toward the Jews. Well, he never had a love toward some of them. They weren't chosen. God's love cannot be stopped. And so there's a partial hardening that will end. And so Israel will all be saved, not all. Everyone threw on all time. All probably doesn't mean every single individual, but as a group, the nation of Israel, many will be converted to Christianity. Maybe everyone. It says all, but you have to remember that all often just means a lot. So there's going to be an end to that partial hardening, and then they will be grafted back in again. That's the idea. So let's see what it says. He's in quotes from the Old Testament, just as it is written. The deliverer will come from Zion. He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is my covenant with them when I take away their sins. Now, we want to see in the next few verses that God still loves the Jews as a people. Some would say, no, no. But he says that right here. I don't see how we can avoid it. And that's why he's gonna graft them back in again. He's chosen them and he's gonna graft them back in again. Verse 28, from the standpoint of the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. Yeah, you know, looking at the good news, we're grafted in. The only way we can be grafted in is they were cut off and we were grafted in. So they're enemies for our sake. But from the standpoint of election or God's choice, The word God there is added. It just says choice. From the standpoint of election or God's choice, they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. God made a promise and it's going to stand. For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience. So these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you, they also may now be shown mercy. That's what Paul is saying. Because there's mercy to the Gentiles, then there can be mercy to the Jews. Now how does that work? He just said it before. I'm making them jealous. The fact that the Gentiles are being saved is making the Jews jealous, and they're gonna come as a result of that, okay? The jealousy of the Gentiles. So, because of the mercy shown to you, they also may now be shown mercy. That's a subsequent result of that. So God still loves the Jews as a people, and that's his plan. He says, And he's going to explain why all this in the next verse, OK? So I don't want to say too much. But he cut off some Jews. He grafted in some Gentiles. Jews made jealous, grafted Jews back in again. Now, meaning now as a result of that, not at that time necessarily. Verse 32. We get a whole subject in verse 32. All groups have disobeyed so God can show mercy to all groups. God didn't just choose the Jews and then just keep them constantly being saved and then graft in Gentiles, but rather he cut off Jews so he can show his mercy to them as a group. Let's read that verse. For God has shut up all in disobedience so that he may show mercy to all. And as I say, it's not every individual. We're talking about groups here, groups of people. We're talking about the Jews and the Gentiles. So I say all groups, or perhaps he just means both groups. All, meaning both Jew and Gentile, would be everybody. But we know that there'll be people from every tribe, tongue, and nation who are saved. The Gentiles were shut up in disobedience from the beginning, because God didn't choose them from the beginning. Then the Jews were cut off, so they were shut up in disobedience. And then the Gentiles were grafted in, so He showed mercy to us at the time of Christ. And then, at the end times, He's going to show mercy to the Jews. So all groups have disobeyed, so that God can show mercy to all groups. And finally, or next to finally, this plan of God shows how great God is in every way. And that's what he says here in verses 33 and 34, and then on. But Paul writes, oh, oh. It's an exclamatory, oh. because of how amazing this is, as he just basically sums up everything he's written in Roman so far, okay, with just a few brief statements. It's just mind-blowing, because just think about all the stuff that we've heard about For example, and I always think about this in Romans, is the imputation of sin from Adam and the imputation of righteousness from Jesus, right? Oh, you know, and oh, that he did this thing with the Jews. He chose Jews, so we'd see how he chooses. And he cut them off so he could have mercy again to them. And he grafted in Gentiles. All this is amazing. So he says, oh, the depth. of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable his ways. For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became his counselor?" You know, God's mind. God is so far above us. Who can say, God, what are you doing? As he says earlier in Romans. What are you doing? The thing created doesn't say to the creator, why did you make me like this? No, who are you to speak back to God? His ways are unfathomable. Who knows his mind? Who can become God's counselor? God, you probably should do this a better way, God. The plan that we've read in Romans just shows how great God is in every way. People object to it. Well, that's because we're humans and not God. And I just want to point out this word unfathomable again. Fathom, that's just a measurement of depth in the water. How many fathoms? Each fathom, I guess, is six feet, I think. If I remember right, this is where Mark Twain got his name, Two Fathoms. Mark Twain. They drop a rope, every six feet there's a knot or something and marks the depth of the flat boat going through the shoals in the Mississippi River. Mark Twain. Marking the number of Mark 2, two fathoms, 12 feet deep, we can go. Anyway, or it's getting close. But it's unfathomable. You just drop that rope down and one fathom, two fathom, three fathoms, four, five, six, 10, 100,000. You cannot fathom the depth of his unsearchable judgments and ways. So who's now in his mind? Who's become his counselor? Ultimately, the next two verses, we see that everything is His. It's all His. It's all His. And it's all about Him. We like to think it's all about us, but it's all about Him. And it glorifies Him forever. So let's just read those verses. 35, or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to Him again? That shouldn't be capitalized, that last hymn, because that's us. uh... that's just a mistake but uh... yahoo who's given to him in now that we need to back you know you owe me god we often think that's that's attitude of some people god owes me uh... so there's something about me i must have done something for god and now you gotta pay me no that's not the way it works there's nothing you can give to god uh... Solomon and David both, I think, had the same attitude, but especially Solomon, I think it was Solomon, who said, what am I going to do, build you a temple? You're God. You're going to dwell in a building? How can you dwell in a building? God is so great. There you go, the heavens are your throne room and the earth is your footstool, right, exactly. So you know, everything is his, everything is his, it's all about him and it glorifies him forever. Who has first given to him that it might be paid back to him again? For from him and through him and to him are all things, to him be the glory forever. Amen No, amen and and This this doesn't this doesn't Detract from the fact that God expects us to have faith, you know Like he said in here just here you could be cut off without faith, you know And other people could believe and they can be grafted in you know It's all a part of God's plan. But in reality in in let's say, in our experience, temporally, we don't see what's going on behind the scenes. God is a spirit, invisible, working behind the scenes. But he's using these means. He sent all those means to the Jews, and yet he was putting out his hands to the rebellious, disobedient, obstinate people. And it seems like they were cut off, that they were reprobate. Paul says, nope, nope, I'm one, God chose me. And in the end times, God's gonna honor his promise to the Jews, and at least vast numbers of Jews, maybe every individual, I don't know, but it says all, all the Jews will be saved. They are enemies for my sake, praise the Lord, but from the standpoint of election, they are beloved for the sake of the fathers, for the gifts and the calling of God, are irrevocable. So we have the title today, Jews in the End Saved. Let's pray. Gracious Heavenly Father, we're thankful, Lord, that you've chosen the Jews and then you chose us to be grafted in. We're grateful for it, Lord, but certainly not deserving. And we pray that as those that are not conceited May we reach out to others who are in the same position we were in. Such were we, some of us, criminals, haters. But Lord, you've changed us and you've placed us in that cultivated, natural tree of, grafted back in to that olive tree, Lord. You've got a root in the Jews, Lord. We're grateful that there's that root there that you chose, Lord. Continue to work according to your plan that glorifies yourself. May we be trusting and following according to it. In your name we pray, amen.