Well, we've come to a chapter that is, there is a division amongst commentators on what this chapter is actually building up to and means. And the main cause of that division is verse 26. If you look at verse 26, it says, and so all Israel will be saved. And the question is, what is meant there by all Israel? Does it mean all the people of Israel, irrespective of whether they come to the Lord Jesus Christ through faith, God is going to look upon them as a nation and save them as a nation? And some Christians believe that the Jewish nation is still a very special nation in God's eyes, and that he will save all that nation at one time, irrespective of their standing in Christ. There are others who believe that it's talking of a great revival at the end of time, when God will send down his spirit upon that nation and bring the whole nation to repentance and faith in himself. And so all Israel shall be saved. They shall be redeemed. They shall be brought to Christ. But there are others also who believe that it's not speaking about Israel as a nation or as a people, but it's talking about all Israel in the sense of spiritual Israel, Jews and Gentiles alike. So we're not actually going to deal with that verse tonight, but this is what this chapter is building up to. And so we have to understand where we're coming from. We have to understand the context that has brought us to this chapter. So if you look at chapter one and verse 16, just going to go through some of the things that we have learned about Israel and about the Jews and about the Gentiles and their relationship to one another in God, through the Lord Jesus Christ. So in verse 16, we read this. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith. I'm sorry, I'm just gonna have to plug it in. I'm running out of juice. Now I should be back now, sorry about that, technical hitch. So, but this text is telling us that no, everybody must come through the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Jews and Gentiles. Irrespective of whether they are of the nation of the Jews or whether they are Gentiles and outside that nation, everybody must come through the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And in chapter two, we read in verse 29, we read this, but he is a Jew who is one inwardly. And circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter, whose praise is not from men, but from God. So here Paul is laying out the truth that salvation is through a changed heart. And that circumcision of the heart is what is important, that taking away the old heart and implanting the new heart, that new spiritual heart within us, so that we are new in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are born again in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that is who is a Jew, a true Jew, a true Jew in the sense of being part of the kingdom of God is somebody who has had that transportion of heart, not circulation of the flesh. And that has always, again, been the case. That is what God has looked for, and God has desires. Chapter 3 and verse 9, we read this. What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. There is none who understands. There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside. Now remember, this is talking about Jews and Greeks. There is none who seeks after God. There is none who understands. There is none righteous. So being part of the kingdom of the nation of the Jews did not give them any standing spiritually in God's eyes. Spiritually, they were still under sin. They were still those who were fit for destruction. They had no standing. as the true people of God. And he goes on, of course, this is talking about how we are justified. Verse 20, therefore, by the deeds of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, being justified freely by grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. So all have sinned, Jew and Gentile alike, all need to come through the Lord Jesus Christ. They have to be redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ. And the law cannot redeem them, and they cannot be redeemed by the law. They cannot be justified in God's eyes by the law. They will always fail to meet the requirements of the law, and therefore fail to be justified. Jew and Gentile alike must come through Christ. They must be redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ. In chapter 4, verse 13, we read this. For the promise that he would buy the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and a promise made of no effect, because the law brings about wrath. For where there is no law, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace. So the promises to Abraham that he would be a father of a great nation was by faith, those who come by faith. As Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness, his righteousness was in faith, wasn't it? The faith in his God. And so our faith must be in God too. It's not by the works of the law and cannot be by the works of the law. So we are all one in Christ. Therefore, it is faith that according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed. not only to those who are of the law, but also those who are of faith, of Abraham, who is the father of us all. Therefore, it's not through the law, but what he's saying there is those who are of the law, that is the Jews who are under the law, Gentiles who are not under the law, we must all come through faith like Abraham did to our God. In chapter five and chapter eight, is Paul working this out, showing that we are all one in the Lord Jesus Christ and how that affects our lives and affects our walk with God. That we're not those who are under the law, we are those who are under grace through faith. And therefore, we must live in the Spirit and live for God. So now we come to chapter eight and verse 29. And from 29, We have here Paul showing us that salvation is election. It's not what we have done, or what God has seen in us, or what nation we belong to, or what family we are born into. It's through election. And Paul talked about the theology of Jim there, for whom he foreknew he predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn amongst many brethren. Moreover, whom he predestined, he also called. Whom he called, these he also justified. And whom he justified, these he also glorified. The wonderful steps of election there, bringing us to salvation, and finally bringing us to our place in heaven, to be glorified with our appearance in heaven. It's about the basis of election, which is love, God's love for His elect. It's not God's love for physical Israel, it's God's love for the elect. And in chapter nine, he works this out, doesn't he? He tells us that the election is based on that love and before we have done any good or evil. In fact, Jacob and Esau, one was hated and one was loved. They were both Jews, but one hated and one loved. And it was not because Jacob was any more lovely than Esau. In fact, in human senses, Esau was a much more likable person in many ways than Jacob. But God had set his love upon Jacob. So the two The two brothers were only marked out by this, by God's love electing them off. Verse 14, shall we then? Is righteousness with God? Certainly not. For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy. And I will have compassion on whomever I have compassion. So it is not, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. So God, God shows mercy to the elect. God chooses them, God saves them, whether they are Jews or whether they are Gentiles, they are all brought through this. In verse 15, we read this, this very fact, don't we? It is God's choice. And God makes that choice on the basis of whom he will love, not on the basis of whether they are lovely, but whom he will love, his great heart of love towards them. Verse 30 and verse 32, we read, what do we say then? That the Gentiles not pursuing righteousness have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith. But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they did not see by faith. But as it were, by the works of the law, for they stumbled at that stumbling block, as it is written, behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling block and a rock of offense, and whoever believes on him will not be put to shame. So that is the stumbling block that Israel has. Israel, physical Israel, will not accept the Savior. They are blinded by God to the truth of the Savior. blinded, and how does God do that? Well, it leads them to their pride and to their arrogance and to their belief that they are righteous before Him and can be righteous before Him. And in that belief, they do not want to say that, they will not accept to say that. So they stumble on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, whereas the Gentiles are brought in. because they stick righteousness through faith. They know they haven't kept the law because they didn't have the law, and they know they have broken the law when they are confronted by it. So this is the situation that the Jews are not a very special people. As a nation, it is whether they are saved through the word of Jesus Christ. In chapter 10, this is made abundantly clear to us. Verse one, brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. That is the desire that Paul had, that they should all be saved. where I bear the witness that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge, for they being ignorant of God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own right. is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness of the law, the man who does those things shall live by them. But the righteousness of faith speaks in this word, do not say in your heart who will ascend into heaven, that is to bring Christ down from above, or who will descend into the abyss, that is to bring Christ up from the dead. But what does it say? The word is near you in your mouth and in your heart. That is the word of faith which we preach. That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in your heart that God is raising from the dead, you will be saved. And that is the same for Jew and Gentile. For with the heart one believes with 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 or 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. And that's what Paul has been laying down so far in Romans, hasn't he? No distinction between Jew and Gentile. Everybody must be saved on the same basis. They must come through the Lord Jesus Christ. And who will come? The elect. They will come. They will come because they are the ones, the gods, God, who will open their eyes, their blind eyes, and take the blindness of prejudice and pride away from them so that they can see and believe the gospel and come to salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. So who is true Israel? Who are those who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ? They are true Israel. They are the ones, for they are not all of Israel, who are of Israel, as Paul lays down here in Romans 4. I don't think I read that verse, did I? But it is very clear that Paul is telling us that the nation is not a special people. It has always been. the elect, and it's always been that remnant within the nation. So let's now turn to chapter 11 and chase this and follow this through, chapter 11 to verse 26, and see what Paul is telling us here. Is God going to favor physical Israel again? Is he going to bless them? Or is it actually talking about spiritual Israel? First one, I say then, has God cast away his people? Certainly not, for I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away his people, whom he foreknew. Or do you not know that the scripture says to Elijah how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, Lord, They have cured your prophets and torn down your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life." Now, it's very important what we're reading here. Has God cast away his people? Is he going against all the covenants that he made with Israel in the Old Testament? Has he gone against all his promises that he made to Israel in the Old Testament? Well, as we've seen, The covenant that was made with Abraham and the promises made to Abraham were before circumcision. They were before the nation actually was formed. They were made about spiritual Israel, as Paul tells us. And here, Paul is being very specific. He says, has God cast away his people? No, he hasn't cast away his people. But who are his people? God has not cast away his people, verse two, whom he foreknew. Now, where have we read that before? Whom he foreknew. Well, if we turn back to chapter eight and verse 29, we read this. For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn amongst the many brethren So what Paul is saying here is, he's not talking about all Israel, that God has not cast away, in the sense of all Israel is being cast away. He's talking about the fact that some of them, God foreknows. He has set his love upon them. They are the elect, aren't they? God has not cast away his people whom he foreknew. Some of them will be Jews. Some of them will be saved. So they are not completely cast away. Or do you not know that the scripture says to Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your water, and I alone am left, and they seek my life. What is God's reply to Elijah? Don't worry, Elijah, I'm saving them all. No, it's not that, is it? But what does the divine response say to him? I have reserved for myself 7,000 men who have not bowed the need to bow. That is a truth. 7,000 men, prophets, who have not found the need to bow, God has set them aside, God has kept them safe against those who would kill them. Paul's inference of that, interpretation of that is verse five. Even so then, at this present time, there is a remnant according to the election of grace. Do you see that, friends? So Paul is talking about those who need for a new, not all Israel, but what he's laying down there is that some of Israel will be saved. They are not all cast off. Some of Israel will be saved. They are the remnant. They are those that will come according to the election of grace. So now we find out, Two things here, don't we? We find out, firstly, that God has always had that remnant, that God has set his love upon them, and God will save them. God has not cast off all Israel in the sense that he still has a remnant. He still has a people within Israel who are the elect, whom he will save. But we've also learned another thing. And that is election is of grace. So the basis of election is love. That is the only basis that we are elected on. But also the foundation, if you like, of election is grace. Because if God wasn't a gracious God, and if God did not act according to his mercy, which is freely given and not earned and not desired and not sought after, but it's freely given to those who deserve nothing from him whatsoever except to be exterminated by him or to be cast into hell by him forever and all eternity, there could be no grounds for election. So it's more true to say that Grace is the grounds for election. The love is the basis of election, isn't it? Nothing of that in them at all is there. It's not because of their birth, it's because of grace. And it's because that love is freely given to those who deserve nothing from him. But if by grace, then it is no longer works. Otherwise, grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it's no longer grace. Otherwise, work is no longer work. That's very clear, isn't it? It cannot be of works because it's of grace. And it cannot be of grace if it is of works. are mutually exclusive, aren't they? Grace is the freely unmerited gift of God. Works are the merited reward of our labor. So they are mutually exclusive. One is freely unmerited and the other is merited, a reward for merit. what then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks, but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. And that's the state that Israel is in. Some seek it and find it because they are the elect. The others have been blinded through their pride and put through their prejudice and God has allowed them to carry on in that blindness to the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But we don't really have time to carry on. But Paul then proceeds to show us how the Jews have stumbled But that stumbling is not, they stumbled on Christ. So the question now is, does that mean that those who have stumbled on Christ, rather than being those who before Christ, are they cast away forever? Is there no hope for them? They've crucified Christ. They've crucified the Lord of glory. and they are the descendants of those who have crucified the Lord of Glory. They said, let his blood be upon us and our children's heads. Is there no hope for them? And Paul is going to answer that question and show that there is an opportunity for them, just like everybody else. come to salvation in the Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, because he is rich to all, and the Father of all, of all the elect. Well, this wonderful truth that's being laid down here is that there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile. In fact, there never has been a distinction in God's grace and God's election and God's mercy between Jew and Gentile. He says whom he will say. He will have mercy upon whom he will have mercy, whether they are Jews or whether they are Gentiles. There is no foundation for those who would say that the Jews are special people today and we need a special witness to the Jews. We need to witness to the Jews. I'm not denying that. Just the same as we need to witness to everybody in this world. Those who focus their witness upon the Jews, if they're doing it because the Jews need salvation just like everybody else, that is laudable. But there are those who focus upon the Jews as though they are still superior to the Gentiles, that they are still a special people. They are still God's chosen ones. And they are the ones that we should be focusing upon above all others. They make excuses for them. They make allowances for them. They make churches for them, shalom churches, where they can go and they can worship in an Old Testament way, but worship the Lord Jesus Christ. They still practice in those churches the Passover and other things of the Old Testament. but they're supposed to be Christians. But that, they call them messianic Jews, but there's no such thing. There is no such thing, and there should be no such thing. Either you're a Christian or you are a Jew, one or the other. You can be a Jewish Christian in the sense that you are a Jew by your nationality and by birth, But once you become a Christian, that is your faith. That is what and how you should practice your faith as a Christian, not as a Jew. We all have the same standing and we all stand by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Our gracious God and our loving Heavenly Father, we come into your presence and we do praise and thank you, Lord, that there is now no distinction. There is no Jew nor Gentile, no rich, no free, no male nor female in you, O Lord. We all have that same standing in the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And yes, there are differences between us. But, oh Lord, we have the same standing. We stand on Christ, we stand on his merits, we stand on his works, and we stand before you, all the Jews of election, that election of love and grace. We thank you for it, Lord, for if it were not for it, we would perish. We thank you and we praise you our Lord and our God, in Jesus' precious name.