Chapter 11, we're gonna be focusing on verses 11 through 25. Romans chapter 11, verses 11 through 25. And just a little content to set us up. If you guys have not been here, carry on in our Roman series. Roman 8 begins with a declaration of assurance that nothing can separate you from the love of Christ. And this is a universal promise of both the Jews and the Jets. The reality was that most of Israel at this time was apostate. They were not believing in the Christ. Romans 9 verses 1 through 5 highlights this, how they were presented with many advantages, but yet many of them denied the faith. So how could a people group that are called God's people not even believe in God, and yet the believing Jews of this church right now be assured in their faith? Especially when they seen all these Gentiles that are coming into the faith, right? And Paul is dealing with this in a context that kind of sets it up with our verses, why we are where we are. Paul is talking about the fame of assurance, the fame of assurance. So let's look at verses 11 through 24. It reads this. I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not, but through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now their fall is richest for the world, and their failure, rich for the Gentiles, how much more they'll fool us. For I speak to you Gentiles, and as much as I am apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry. If by any means I may provoke the jealousy, those who are my flesh, and save some of them, For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what would their acceptance be but from life, from death? But if the firstfruits is holy, the lump is also holy. And if the root is holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say that branches are broken off, that I might be grafted in. Well said, because of unbelief, they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be prideful, but fierce. For if God did not spread him out to branches, he may not spread you either. Therefore, consider the goodness and severity of God of those who fail. Severity, but towards you, goodness. And if you continue in his goodness, otherwise you also be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted back in. For God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut off out of an olive tree, which is wild by nature, and you were grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more would these, who are natural branches, be grafted back on to their own olive tree? Let us pray, and let's see what Paul is talking about this morning. Father God, thank you so much for another day to be a God before your people on this Saturday, or Lord's Day. I pray that you speak before me right now, hiding behind the cross, give me the words to say, so it's not KJ's intellect, but it's all the Spirit enabling me to speak before your people. And I also pray right now, Father, that you just meet in your word, just open up our hearts to what it is you desire for us to learn today. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Amen. Throughout history, humanity has wrestled with two great temptations in response to God's work. Number one, we kind of get too tempted in our salvation. God has saved me, and it's alive and above my chest. The idea that I'm better than unbelievers, right? Or the other thing, we can fall into despair, questioning God's faithfulness in our life based on circumstances. Both attitudes miss the mark. of how we should properly respond to salvation. It's not about our efforts, or not about our merit, or even our faithfulness, but it's about God's sovereign grace. Because again, your assurance is tied to God's grace. It's not about your performance, but again, it's about God's grace. But this struggle isn't anything new. Believers have always struggled with this, and in fact, in the context of Romans 11, this is exactly what Paul is dealing with right here in our text. And Paul uses the image of a hollow tree, the illustry of how God's plan for salvation includes both Jews and Gentiles. He shows us that salvation has never been based on performance or race or human effort or achievement, but about the kindness of God. So as we open up this passage, I want to invite you to reflect on two questions. Do you take pride in your standing with God, forgetting that it's all grace? Do you take pride in your standing with God, forgetting that all of it is by grace? Or number two, maybe you fall in this camp, do you despair, wondering if God's promises are true, even when your circumstances don't dictate that? Do you despair, wondering if you have assurance in your life, when your circumstances don't dictate that? Or another way of saying that is when things around you are falling apart, do you still have assurance in God's promises? So we can follow one or two of these camps, right? But let's look at how Paul comforts believers and gives them assurance in this text. So we see here a sin problem real quick. The sin is that believers in the church often struggle with pride and despair and questioning God's assurance for our life. But the cure to that problem is that since salvation and inclusion of God's people is grounded in God's grace, we must maintain humility and trust in God's promises. So again, the cure, if you struggle with doubting God's assurance in your life, is that since salvation and inclusion of God's people is not based upon performance, but upon His grace, trust in that assurance in your life. We got a couple of points today. The first point, God's plan is bigger than our immediate understanding. God's plan is bigger than our immediate understanding. Number two, salvation and inclusion are by God's grace and not human effort. Number three, We must remain humble, acknowledging God's sovereignty, and lastly, God is faithful to his words. So number one, point one, God's plan is bigger than our immediate understanding. If you got your Bibles, open them back up. I know you got your clothes, open them back up. Look at verse 11. It says this, I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not, but through their fall, through revoking their jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. So the first part of this verse says that they stumbled in order that they may fall. Who is the they? The they in this context is referring to the nation of Israel. Again, Paul's been dealing with the issue of assurance. How can a believing Jew have assurance when the nation, who is a reflection of God's covenant people, has rejected the one they're supposed to have faith in? Again, how can I have assurance if your people, God, that you say are your people, they don't even believe in you? Paul's been addressing this, chapters 9, 10, and 11. Everything is built upon assurance, assurance, assurance. So did the nation of Israel stumble in order that they may fall? Here, Paul is asking whether his resemblance, their rejection of Christ, was intended to result and be permanent. Is this fall permanent? Can they ever recover back into God's graces? The answer, of course, is by no means that their fall was permanent. God has a plan for them, which we're gonna talk about later tonight and a little bit this morning. But no, this fall is not permanent. This fall is not permanent. Paul here is asserting that their rejection is not total. Look at the next part of verse 11, it says this, through their trespasses, salvation has come to the Gentiles. This reflects the pattern seen in Acts. You guys see that Jews rejecting the Messiah, and so salvation starts turning to Gentiles. You can see all that in the book of Acts. Thousands and hundreds are coming to the faith, but it's only Jews, it's Gentiles coming to the faith. But you do have a remnant, which we'll talk about later, but you see this, Acts 13, verses 46 and 47, and Acts 28, verse 28, you see Gentiles coming into the faith. So this inclusion of Gentiles in the blessed salvation is meant to provoke Israel to jealousy. Hopefully, a desire to reclaim the back relationship with God. So again, the Gentiles coming into the body of believers was meant to revoke believing with the nation of Israel to go back to trusting in God's promise. But this is not a petty jealousy right here. This is a divine jealousy. This is God's plan all along that he would instill in them a jealousy to turn them back to faith. Or in other words, awaken them back to the promises of God. Look down at verse 12, it says this. Now, if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more do they afford us? How much more do they afford us? This first part of the verse says, if their trespasses mean riches for the world, the word trespasses means sin. The word here can sometimes mean Gentile world. Sometimes it means like desecration, but here it's referring to Gentile world. Israel's sin, their rejection of the gospel, which is the sin, has brought spiritual blessings into the Gentile world. Now us, a people group that did not know God are able to know God. The gospel's all around us, right? Right now you're at a church that's preaching the gospel. Get on YouTube, listen to sermons. You got Bibles now that's translated in our language. We got commentaries of Bibles all around us. How's that possible? It's because the Israel rejection brought about Gentiles coming to the faith. So the promises are all the blessings, spiritual blessings we have right now because of this rejection, right? God has moved to us. But this is not a backup plan, this is always a plan. But these riches refer again to the inclusion of Gentiles coming into the body of people. Ephesians 2, verses 11 through 19 kind of talks about this. You can go there at your own time, and again, Ephesians 2, verses 11 through 19. Look back down to verse 12 again. How much more will their full inclusion mean? So here, Paul looks forward to a time when Israel's full inclusion, or their fullness, will occur. This phrase points to a future event when a significant number of Israel, or Jews, come to faith in Christ. The full inclusion of Israel will be a greater blessing to the world when they come back into the faith. So Paul is kind of hinting at this, that God is going to restore them back into the idolatry. But what's a couple of applications that we have for this first one? Number one, it is to trust in God's sovereignty, trust in God's sovereignty. We see here that again, regardless of when mankind fails, God's promise is always true. The whole nation's a whole rejected Messiah, and yet God the whole time already foresaw that, and he always had a remnant within his people group. So you see his plan never really failed. If God is planning to repel for them, to keep them, how much more can you trust that same God today? If God is true for them, or assures them in their faith, he also assures you. When life is not where you want it to be, you can trust that same God. It's the same God, right? The same God in the Old Testament, the same God in the New Testament, the same God today. You have two gods on the board. You can trust that God. But number two, that also shows that you also have to have humility and salvation. Salvation is entirely God's grace. It's not about who your mom is, your dad is, the church you go to, how well you speak, how well you sing, how well you teach, you preach. It's not about your title, right? or an image, it's all about God's grace. And if these things are true, or since these things are true, it should bring about humility, a humbleness, right? When people come around you, they should see this humility and humbleness. It's all God's grace. Blessed are the poor in spirit, right? That means that apart from God's grace, we can bring nothing to God. It's all God's grace. That's what Paul's getting at this time, for us. We've been brought into this people group of God, We need to be humble. But also, lastly, he gets the hope that God is faithful to his promise. This is a guy that's not abandoning Israel. He won't abandon you and your tribes. You can hope in the same God and have hope. And again, this is a hope. Unbelievers don't have this hope. Again, unbelievers do not have this hope. This is only for believers. Because again, Paul is dealing with insurance. If you're an unbeliever here today, where is your hope placed at? Is it placed in drugs? Is it placed in music? TV? Pleasure? For a believer, your hope is God, because God always answers his promises. Is there one promise that God has abandoned his people on? All throughout the scripture we see how God always comes through, right? If that's true, how much more can you ask? Now skip down to verse 13, and this is our second point. It says, salvation and inclusion is by God's grace, not human effort. Salvation and inclusion are by God's grace, not human effort. Verse 13, Paul continues his argument by focusing on the nature of salvation here, and inclusion of God's covenant people. Here we see in verse 13, for I speak to you Gentiles, and at this point in time, when Paul spoke to the Gentiles, I magnify your ministry. Here, Paul addressed the Gentile believer's directive. So from chapters 9, 10, 11, he's referring to solely believe in Jews, believe in Jews. But now he mentions the word Gentile. Why is that? We remember again, this church is filled with both Jews and also Gentiles. So yes, Paul's been addressing the Jews, but by application, these things also apply to the Gentiles. By magnifying or elevating his ministry, Paul is showing them that, again, that you should be humble Gentiles. God is prediluting his people patiently in this particular way, but this should bring about a humbleness in our hearts as Gentiles. Paul's emphasis right here reminds both Jews and Gentiles to trust in God's promises and assurances. Trust in God's promises and assurances. Look at verse 14, it says this, provoking Israel, If by any means, I may provoke jealousy to those who are my flesh and save some of them. If by any means, I may provoke jealousy to those who are my flesh and save some of them. So here, Paul's argument is that his ministry to the Gentiles and focusing on them, and God's focusing on them, again, was to provoke the Jews back into a relationship with God. And again, this is not a petty jealousy that you may have at work or with your parents, with your loved ones. This is a divine jealousy. This is God working right. So Paul's ministry to the Gentiles, it wasn't an end in itself. That was a divine purpose. That was a divine purpose, or a larger purpose. And God was bringing about salvation, right? This reflects God's wisdom in using salvation for one group. So you see, God is orchestrating things behind the scenes. He can use people to bring about his purpose. He always has. And this verse highlights that salvation, again, is both for Jews and Gentiles alike, not for one people group, that God has a separate salvation for Jews and Gentiles, but it's one people group, one salvation for the same God. One people, right? Look at verse 15. It says this, for if their being cast away is reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life and death? Here Paul contrasts the current strength of Israel with the Jewish nation. future hope of salvation, of restoration. Israel's rejection of the gospel does not forfeit God's plan right here again. Israel's rejection of the gospel does not forfeit God's plan. Because again, there's a remnant within the nation. Paul himself is a what? He's a Jew. Peter is a Jew. John was a Jew. All those apostles were Jews, right? God was always using them. And many of the Jews are still being saved. Even right now, there are Jews in the world being saved. So God is still fulfilling that promise to them. But this phrase could also point to the spiritual renewal that would come when Israel again embraces the gospel. I keep hinting at that, we'll talk about that, hopefully you guys stay after service. All Israel bands say, what does that mean? But here, Paul's argument underscores the salvation, the conclusion again is God's grace, God's grace. He's saying the same thing over and over, that it's not about our race, it's not about our community here, but it's about our grace, our grace. But what application is there for us in this point? Again, immediately, immediately, or humbleness. Gentiles must recognize their inclusion in God's people, once again, is solely by grace, solely by grace. It's not anything that we can do in our own strength, but it's by grace, by grace. But here, you also, as a Gentile, can have confidence. You can have confidence. Why is that? You can have confidence in God's promises that he will fulfill what he sets out. Nothing can thwart God's plans. We see in Isaiah, who can stop God's plans, right? So in the end, salvation is all by God's grace, all by God's grace. Point three, I'm gonna spend a little bit of time on this verse. Look at verse 16. Point three is we must remain humble, acknowledging God's grace and sovereignty. First part of the verse says this, for the first fruit is holy, the lump is also holy, and the root is holy, so are the branches. Now what does it mean right here when it says, for the first fruit is holy? This verse right here has led to many divisions, and I'll talk about that in a little bit. But first, here Paul is drawing on Old Testament analogy. You guys can turn there if you want to. It's in Numbers 15. I wish y'all would turn there. Numbers 15, verse 17 and 21. Paul draws on his language from the Old Testament to teach this analogy. And it says this, given the following instructions to the people of Israel, when you arrive in the land where I am taking you and you meet the crops that grow there, Present a cake for the first of the flower of your grain, and set aside a sacred offering. And you do with the first grain of flesh and blood throughout the generations to come. Present a sacred offering to the Lord. So here we see Paul drawing on this testament of the numbers. We see basically a portion of Job's offering to God. And it was a holy sacrifice. So by offering the first part of this dough, the rest of the offering will also be holy. So if the root is holy, the rest of it is holy. This is kind of what Paul's getting at using this language. So this concept teaches that what is dedicated to God sanctifies the holy. What's dedicated to God sanctifies the holy. Paul also uses a second analogy right here, using a tree. And he basically says, if the root of the tree is holy, then the branches are holy, right? Essentially, you can't go to a tree If the root of the tree is holy, the branches should also be holy, right? In the same way you go to an orange tree or a grape tree, if there is those things, right? You should expect fruit to come from those trees of that dedicated tree. Why? Because it's an aperture. It makes it to have a great aperture, right? So if the tree is holy, the branches are going to be holy. A real quick application, if we say we're Christians, should we also produce fruits of the Christian? If we're producing fruits of the devil, But here, focusing on that second analogy, this shows a connection between the foundation and the fruit that's produced here. You may ask the question, why does all this matter? Why does Paul spend so much time talking about dough being offered, and fruits, and trees, and all these things? How does this matter from our assurance? Paul is teaching that God's work among his people, vultures and Gentiles, is grounded in sovereign grace, not in human effort. So here, God's work for both people groups is grounded in his grace. But this also presents another problem for us today. If the first verse here is supposed to teach us this, what does that even mean? What is the first verse? And what does the root represent? Now, there is two main views among Christian commentators, as I was digging, going back and forth. The first view is that the first verse So here, some believe the first fruit symbolizes the faithful remnant within the people or the nation of Israel. And basically, these will be like the first Jewish converts to the gospel during the New Testament. So here, the first fruit symbolizes the first Jewish convert to the gospel. These early Jewish Christians are basically the beginning of a larger spiritual conversion or harvest that would occur when Christ comes back. So those in this camp, they would say that Paul has already emphasized this idea in Romans 11 verse five, showing that God has not abandoned his promises because there's a remnant within the nation. So the whole lump in this view points to the future restoration of all Israelites or Jews that would come to faith when Christ returns. Now the second view is this view, they say that the first fruits and the root refers to the patriarchs, the Jewish patriarchs. This is Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God's covenant with these men set Israel apart as a covenant people. And even in their current unbelief, the nation of Israel remains holy in the sense that they are set apart for God's work. They had certain advantages in the Old Testament. This view emphasized that God's faithfulness to his covenant showing the Israel's future restoration is grounded in God's promises, grounded in God's promises. So whichever view you take, the main point is God's plan is rooted in his faithfulness, again. God's plan is rooted in his faithfulness. The holiness of first fruits here is not based on efforts or individuals, but on God's covenant promises. For us today, these truths should humble us. Again, Gentile believers grabbing to olive trees, there was nothing we could do to bring about our salvation. It was all grace. It was all grace. And if it's all grace, when you sin tonight, tomorrow, this week, when life does not go the way you want it to, don't doubt the same grace that saved you. The same grace that saved you is the same grace that keeps you. And that's what's gonna give you assurance today, tomorrow, until you die, until Christ returns. God's grace. Not your work to your performance, but God's grace. That's not a license to sin and go on living how you want to, but to live for Christ. To live for Christ, the one that gives you assurance. But likewise, we're reminded that God is not done with Israel. It's our plan, we'll unfold in time for his glory, right? This should fill us with awe and gratitude that God always fulfills his promises. Now the view that I'd like to present before us today is the second view. The second view, that the first root in this passage refers to Jewish patriots. Because when we get into our sermon this evening, it'll make more sense with the exegesis. But the first root here in this passage again refers to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. With this understanding, if I could translate the verse better, it would be this. And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy, just as the entire batch of dough is holy, because the portion given as an offering is holy. For the root of the tree is holy, and branches will be too. Now, the word holy in the Bible More often than not, it refers to purity, right? To be without sin. You guys remember Isaiah 6? God is what? Holy, holy, holy. He's without sin. He's set apart. He's transcendent. But sometimes the word holy can also mean simply set apart. Something dedicated or consecrated for God's purpose. So while holy sometimes refers to purity, like God's character, here in this context, that's not what Paul is getting at. His primary meaning is basically something set apart for God's work. Something set apart for God's work. And we see how the scripture supports this in a couple of ways. Number one, God sets apart the entire Jewish people as his covenant people, but also, number two, Abraham, as the root of the covenant nation, is described as holy. So let's see how this kind of unfolds. In Romans 15 verse 8, you'll probably get that in a year, I'm just playing, but in two weeks. It says this, remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to his promises. So you see here how Christ came specifically for the Jews. And in the midst of that, Gentiles are also engrafted into that. So it's not, again, that the promise was just for the Jews. It was always both Jews and Gentiles. But there is a reason why Christ is Jewish. There is a reason why the Old Testament is filled with so much Jewish history. I'm not dispensational. But you see, there's a reason for these things, right? Why? Because God made these people his covenant people. But also, second, we see that several passages how Abraham is the father of the Jews. We can see this even in the book of Romans. How does Paul talk about Abraham in the book of Romans? You can turn if you want to, Romans 4, verse 1. Romans 4, verse 1. Paul says this, what then shall we say? Abraham, our what? Our father has found the will to the flesh. So here, Paul emphasizes that Abraham is the father of the Jewish nation. Abraham is the father of the Jewish nation. And the root, the root from which the entire nation comes from is Abraham. You guys read the Old Testament. Through Abraham, all these nations were blessed. Kings would come from Abraham. There would be a mighty nation. Abraham started all of these things, right? The promises to him. Everything was given to Abraham, and all the descendants come from him. That's why throughout the Old Testament, every time God is ratifying a covenant or reminding people to remember who he is, what does he say? Remember, I'm the God of who? Abraham, the God of Abraham. Why? Because everything starts with him. He's the promise that was given to him. The same idea is seen in Isaiah 51. Isaiah 51, verses one through two. You seek the Lord, look to the rock in which you were born, and to the hole in the pit in which you were dug. Look to Abraham, your father. For I have called him, and Sarah hath bore him. For I have called him alone, and blessed him, and increased in him." So these passages make it clear that Abraham is the root and the foundation of the Jewish nation. The holiness began with him extends to his branches, his descendants. And again, his holiness does not talk about every single Jew that was born had a moral character, a heart after God. No, every Jew was a coveted child. That's all it simply means. They were a company of people, a group, in the Old Testament, that had advantages that pointed to Christ. They had an obligation to believe in God. But if they not believe in God, then God went to hell, right? The same truth with us today. Look at Mark 17. And if some of the branches were broken off, and you being a wild ogre tree would grab the hen among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and the fatness of the ogre tree. What it's talking about, what it's talking about. So before we kind of keep breaking down this analogy, what is an olive tree in this text? Again, Paul is using the analogy of an olive tree, branches and fruits and being broken off. What is an olive tree? Theology, in its analogy, represents the covenant people of God or the true people of God. Martin Louis Jones says that God always has the covenant people of God or people of God. Throughout the Bible, God's people have different titles. There are covenant people, they're called the redeemed, they're called God's nation, and in Galatians, they're called the Israel of God, the Israel of God. So here in this text, theology represents the Israel of God, the true people of God. but also the continuity of the covenant people of God, right? It's one people of God, or some people call it spiritual Israel, from the Old Testament to the New Testament. If you're a Christian in the Old Testament, you're connected to the same bond to the Christian in the New Testament. When you die, you're going to the same place, heaven, right? And this is our connections, our faith connections. So this altar in this text represents the true people of God. Well, let's look at this verse 17 again. But if some of the branches are broken off and you outdo a lot of olive trees, for God being among them, now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree. Some of the branches are broken off. This refers to unbelieving Jews, unbelieving Jews. So in the Old Testament, we had a whole nation that was supposedly dedicated to God. We had a covenant people, right? With a covenant obligation, everybody in that church or that context had an obligation to believe in God. Now we know in the New Testament, a lot of them died on the hill, right? You look at Exodus, God delivered them, and right after God delivered them, after going through the red sea, what happened? A lot of them died of unbelief. They died in the woods. And over and over and over throughout the Bible, you see how God says the Jews are what? A stiff-necked people. So the Jews had all these advantages, and they imposed the points of Christ, and faith in Christ, but a lot of them died not trusting in these promises. And a lot of those people that died, not just in these promises, these are the branches that are broken off. So again, you have a covenant people, and within that people, you have an external and internal adoption. External and internal adoption. Externally, every single Jew was a covenant child, but internally, they was a true people of God, spiritually united into this idol church. Spiritually people, those are the spiritual people, right? And if you did not have faith, God was pruning this tree, or delivering, or getting rid of, The bad fruit. Wood use is bad fruit, right? You guys go home right now, and the milk is full. Are you gonna drink it? I hope not, right? Maybe some of y'all will, if y'all nasty, but I hope y'all won't drink nasty milk or expired milk, right? Because it's no use. In the same way, wood use is someone in the covenant people who does not have faith, and what the covenant promises. All those types and styles in the Old Testament pointed to Christ. So what use was it to be circumcised? What use was it to commit animal sacrifices? And the promises, right? The priests, the kings, all these things pointed to Christ. So if you don't have faith in Christ, what use was it, right? Yeah, you have earthly promises, but you didn't have what they pointed to, which was Christ. And so God is saying, these people were cut off. They were cut off from the people of God, indicating that faith is what keeps us, right? Look down at the next part of the verse in verse 15 or 16, sorry, 17. It says this, you, although a wild olive tree. So Gentile believers are described as wild. Why? Because in the Old Testament, if you're a Christian, you are in this covenant people of God who were the Jews. The Jews were representative of a type of church in the Old Testament. If you were a Christian, again, you were a Jew. In this time period, Gentiles lacked these advantages. They didn't have the law. They didn't have the oracles of God. They didn't have circumcision. They didn't have the priests, the kings, the judges. They didn't have these things, right? The Jews did. So the Word of God was not being preached in the same magnitude to the Gentiles as it was to Jews. So the word of God was being preached to them. They had the advantage of hearing the word of God. And the word of God is what primarily saves us. So if the word of God is not being preached, how can anybody come to faith? And that would cause us to understand, blessed are the feet that deliver the gospel. There was no feet delivering the gospel to the Gentiles in the same magnitude as it was to the Jews. The Gentiles were cut off from these promises. But now, there are wild people or wild horseshoes being grafted into these coveted people. So again, God, over time, removed or cut off all of the unbelieving Jews. And now you have Gentiles who are believing in the gospel grafted into the same tree. You got the concept right here. So you have believing Jews and believing Gentiles all making a consistence of one covenant people, or one spiritual people. So again, Gentiles are added to the speaking, and it's by our faith, by our faith. Look at the next part of this verse. It says, they are shared in the nourishing root Here, the root represents the patriarchs again, but the promises got altered. Gentile believers now have access to the same promises in the Old Testament that the Christians had in that time period. We also have the same promises to us. Paul talks about this in Galatians, how the gospel was preached to Abraham. I think Hebrews, where the writer of Hebrews is, talks about how the gospel was shared among them too. If they continue in faith, well, they did not continue in faith. How much more true is it for us? We must continue in faith. So the same promises they have, has now been given to us. The knowledge of the word of God has been given to us. Look at around verse 18, it says this. Do not be arrogant towards the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You're a Gentile, right? Our job as Gentile believers is not to look down on unbelieving Israel, but it's to be humble and remember God's grace, God's grace. Here you see, the word of God says the root supports you. Grace sustains you, grace sustains you. Again, remember that. Grace will sustain you tonight, tomorrow, and this week. Not to performance, not to performance. In the old testament, that's true, and also the new testament. It was never about keeping a law, You understand him, right? Look at verse 19. Then you will say, branches were broken off so that I may be grafted in. This is true. They were broken off because of unbelief. But you stand fast through faith, so you do not become proud, but feared. Here, you see again, branches for unbelieving Israel were broken off because of the people of God that the Gentiles may be grafted in. Here, Paul anticipates an attitude presupposing the Gentiles would have us. Everything's about us. God's done with the Jews. He's moving to us. We are the real people, God, right? I can't remember the term of what that's called, but you can see that a lot today in a lot of Christian circles. That God is done with the Jews. We shouldn't preach to them. We shouldn't do anything to them. God is totally done with them. Everything's about the Gentiles, right? But that's not what Paul's getting And so our attitude as Christians should be, go out and pray the gospel, Jew or Gentile. But again, the Jewish branch was broken off because they rejected Christ. So again, if you are in the church, this is a covenant membership. The president talks about it all the time. You're in his covenant, right? And what keeps you a part of that covenant with his people group is your faith. But the moment you lack faith, you'll be removed from his people group. Why? Because God is always pruning his tree. It's always pruning the tree. It's a holy tree. And sin cannot be a part of that tree. Why? Because it's all about a spiritual people. A spiritual people. So the idea here is to not become pride or boastful. Do not become pride or boastful. Skip down, let's look at verse 21. It says this, for if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. So again, here you see that God did not spread the Niger branch. The Niger branches are Israelites. Israelites, again, God's covenant people. They had the idea that they were a child of God externally. They had all these advantages. They had the gospel. They had the judge, the king, the priest. They had the temple, the law, all these things. And yet, if they did not have faith, God did not spread them. You die not having faith. Hell, there's no other option, right? I do not read nowhere in the Bible purgatory, right? You die not having faith. God will help you in this alternative place so you can go to heaven. And the same is true for us. The same thing God did in the Old Testament is true today. If you lack faith, God will prune you and cut you off and remove you from the tree. But also, again, your faith keeps you. Now, real quick, faith is not a condition in the same way that work was a condition for Adam in the covenant that he had. Adam was required to have works, to stay in the garden, to have eternal life, to have God's eternal life. But faith is not a word that's printed like that. It's not a condition. And rather, it's a condition that God meets for you and gives to you. So think about this. Why is that important? Because if God gives you faith and the condition is faith to remain on the tree, that means your assurance is all God's grace. So as a believer, you're always assured in God's promises. Why? Because he's the one that brought you to the tree in the first place. It's the grace that will sustain you. It's not your words. It's not your words. Again, God's grace. And it highlights the kindness that God has for believers. Why did God save you? Why did God save you? And the answer to the question every day. I used to do these things. Why am I now in this tree? This verse tells you it's God's kindness and grace towards you. That same kindness leads you to assurance. Go to verse 23 real quick, and let's look at our last point. Point four, God is faithful to his word and restored his will. Verse 23, it says this, and even if they do not continue their unbelief, we'll be grafting in for God has the power to graft them in again. So here you see again, that what got them removed from this tree is their unbelief. But if they will have belief in God, they can be grafted back in. They can be grafted back in. And again, the condition of restoration is faith. A lot of people, they teach this passage, And that's true, but the plan is simple. It's faith. If you do not have faith, you're not a part of God's people. And the Jews did not have faith, so God removed them. If they come back in, any kind of God's promises is gonna be by what? Faith. Not by any kind of earthly promises. God does not have an earthly land for them that's distinctly different from us. It's all faith, right? It's all faith. Look down again, it says, we'll be grafted in. So again, this is a promise of restoration of God's redemptive work is ongoing. He has a remnant now, he has a remnant then, they're gonna be grafted back in by faith, by faith. Next part of the verse says, for God has the power to graft them in again. So you see that again, faith is a condition and God meets that condition. He grafts them back in. This assurance reminds both Jews and Gentiles that God will deliver his people. He will save his people. Look at verse 24. For if you were cut off from what is by nature, a wild oak tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, unto this tree, how much more would these and all the branches be grafted again to their own tree? If you were cut off from what is nature, a wild oak tree. Here, Paul again addresses the Gentile believers, reminding them of their origin. We were not a people of God. We did not have things of God. God, graceful and kind as mercy, by God's kindness, God's kindness, and that same kindness keeps us. So what are some applications for the church today? Number one, these verses call the church, again, to have the spirit of humbleness, hope, and humility. God's plan is bigger than one group or one individual or generation. It's all about His faithfulness to His promises How does this relate to evangelism? This passage encourages that regardless of what happens in the conversation you may share, by you planting the seed, God does the rest. Because God always answers his promises. If God says, my sheep know my voice, and they hear my voice, and they will come to me, you can rest assured that's gonna happen. Just go plant the seeds, right? What about for assurance? How can you have assurance today as we wrap up? Believers can trust in God's faithfulness. Just as he has the power to restore Israel, he has the power to sustain you today. Father God, thank you so much for another day. Thank you for your word. Thank you for gonna share us if you have any believers that we can believe.