God's Redemptive Plan: Unity of Jews and Gentiles

Devotional

Day 1: Divine Commission and Humility

Paul's role as the apostle to the Gentiles is not a position of pride but a divine commission to teach and equip them for God's purposes. He magnifies his office to fulfill God's calling, emphasizing the importance of his mission. This task is not about elevating himself but about serving God's plan and ensuring that the Gentiles are fully prepared for every good work. Paul understands that his mission is part of a larger divine narrative, and he is committed to it with humility and dedication. [01:29]

Romans 15:15-16 (ESV): "But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit."

Reflection: In what ways can you magnify your own role or calling without falling into pride, but rather to fulfill God's purpose in your life?

Day 2: Unity in God's Plan

Despite his focus on the Gentiles, Paul remains deeply concerned for the Jews, longing for their salvation. He warns the Gentiles against arrogance, reminding them that God's plan includes both Jews and Gentiles. This unity in God's redemptive work is crucial, as it reflects the inclusive nature of God's love and purpose. Paul desires that the Gentiles understand their place in this plan without feeling superior or despising the Jews, as both groups are integral to God's ultimate purpose. [07:33]

Ephesians 2:14-16 (ESV): "For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility."

Reflection: How can you actively promote unity and understanding among diverse groups within your community, reflecting God's inclusive plan?

Day 3: The Glory of Restoration

Paul argues that the Jews' temporary rejection has brought reconciliation to the world, and their eventual acceptance will be even more glorious. This highlights the magnitude of the blessing that will come when the Jews are restored. Paul uses this argument to emphasize the hope and glory that await when God's promises are fulfilled. The restoration of the Jews is not just a future event but a demonstration of God's faithfulness and the power of His redemptive plan. [14:34]

Zechariah 8:13 (ESV): "And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong."

Reflection: What areas in your life need restoration, and how can you trust in God's promise of future glory and blessing?

Day 4: Humility and Anticipation

The Gentiles must remain humble and avoid viewing themselves as superior to the Jews. God's ultimate purpose is to include both groups in His redemptive work, and the Gentiles should anticipate the fulfillment of God's promises. This humility is essential for maintaining the right perspective on God's plan and ensuring that they do not fall into the trap of arrogance. By anticipating God's promises, the Gentiles can remain grounded in faith and hope, looking forward to the glorious future that God has in store. [10:23]

Micah 6:8 (ESV): "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

Reflection: In what ways can you cultivate humility in your daily interactions, and how can this humility help you better anticipate and participate in God's promises?

Day 5: Faith and Fulfillment

Paul's message encourages believers to hold on to the truth of Scripture and to look forward to the glorious future that God has promised. The restoration of the Jews will confirm their faith and demonstrate the power of God's promises. This assurance of faith is vital for believers as they navigate the challenges of life, knowing that God's word is true and His promises are sure. By focusing on the fulfillment of God's promises, believers can find strength and encouragement in their faith journey. [35:04]

Hebrews 10:23 (ESV): "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful."

Reflection: How can you actively remind yourself of God's promises today, and in what ways can this strengthen your faith in times of doubt or difficulty?

Sermon Summary

In Romans 11:13-15, Paul addresses the Gentiles, emphasizing his role as their apostle and the importance of his mission. He magnifies his office not out of pride, but to fulfill the divine task given to him by God. Paul is deeply committed to teaching and explaining God's purposes to the Gentiles, ensuring they are fully equipped for every good work. He warns them against the dangers of misunderstanding God's plan for the Jews, emphasizing that the Jews are not entirely cast out or forgotten. Paul desires to provoke the Jews to jealousy, hoping that some might be saved through his ministry to the Gentiles.

Paul's heart remains burdened for his fellow Jews, as he expresses in Romans 9 and 10. Despite his primary focus on the Gentiles, he longs for the salvation of the Jews and rejoices when any are converted. He cautions the Gentiles against arrogance, reminding them that God's ultimate purpose includes both Jews and Gentiles. The Gentiles must not view themselves as superior or despise the Jews, as God's plan is to include both groups in His redemptive work.

Paul's argument in Romans 11:15 is that if the Jews' temporary rejection has brought reconciliation to the world, their eventual acceptance will be even more glorious, akin to life from the dead. This hyperbolic statement underscores the magnitude of the blessing that will come when the Jews are restored. Paul encourages the Gentiles to remain humble and to anticipate the fulfillment of God's promises, which will confirm their faith and demonstrate the truth of Scripture.

Key Takeaways

1. Paul emphasizes his role as the apostle to the Gentiles, highlighting the importance of his mission to teach and equip them for God's purposes. His commitment to this task is driven by a divine commission, and he seeks to magnify his office to fulfill God's calling. [01:29]
2. Despite his focus on the Gentiles, Paul remains deeply concerned for the Jews, longing for their salvation. He warns the Gentiles against arrogance and reminds them that God's plan includes both Jews and Gentiles. [07:33]
3. Paul argues that the Jews' temporary rejection has brought reconciliation to the world, and their eventual acceptance will be even more glorious. This highlights the magnitude of the blessing that will come when the Jews are restored. [14:34]
4. The Gentiles must remain humble and avoid viewing themselves as superior to the Jews. God's ultimate purpose is to include both groups in His redemptive work, and the Gentiles should anticipate the fulfillment of God's promises. [10:23]
5. Paul's message encourages believers to hold on to the truth of Scripture and to look forward to the glorious future that God has promised. The restoration of the Jews will confirm their faith and demonstrate the power of God's promises. [35:04]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:12] - Introduction to Romans 11:13-15
[01:09] - Paul's Role as Apostle to the Gentiles
[02:37] - Translation Challenges in the Text
[04:05] - Paul's Concern for the Jews
[05:24] - Misunderstandings About the Jews
[07:33] - Paul's Burden for Jewish Salvation
[09:30] - God's Ultimate Purpose for Jews and Gentiles
[10:37] - The Current Salvation of Some Jews
[14:34] - The Future Restoration of the Jews
[18:13] - The Impact of Jewish Restoration
[20:06] - Rejection of Misinterpretations
[24:00] - The True Meaning of "Life from the Dead"
[32:27] - The Hyperbolic Nature of Paul's Statement
[35:04] - The Confirmation of Faith Through Jewish Restoration
[41:57] - Closing Prayer and Benediction

Sermon Clips

Paul is deeply committed to teaching and explaining God's purposes to the Gentiles, ensuring they are fully equipped for every good work. He warns them against the dangers of misunderstanding God's plan for the Jews, emphasizing that the Jews are not entirely cast out or forgotten. [00:02:28]

He is anxious to provoke them to jealousy or to emulation. His evangelizing of the Gentiles does have this indirect effect upon the Jewry, and he wants them to bear that in mind constantly. His main work is amongst the Gentiles, but he hasn't forgotten the others. [00:06:00]

The danger is to feel that the Jews are entirely cast out, not only is the Apostle no longer concerned about them, but that God isn't concerned about them, that they've been excluded from blessing, and therefore that they Gentiles are superior to the Jews and can look down upon them and despise them. [00:08:00]

He wants them to understand God's purposes in an ultimate sense as regards both Jew and Gentile. In other words, he's going to open out a great Panorama as a great of history, and this is about which they must be clear, and it's something about which we all must be clear. [00:09:19]

The thing that he's concerned about above everything else is that the Gentiles should not think that the Jews have stumbled in order to fall. They haven't. They have not stumbled that they should fall finally and completely. It is nothing but a stumbling. There's going to be a restoration. [00:10:50]

Whenever a single Jew was converted, it thrilled the heart of the great Apostle. It gave him tremendous joy if by any means I might save some of them, and that, as I've already suggested to you, should be our attitude. It should be our attitude today to sections of the Christian church. [00:12:34]

We must never write people off. We must never say that someone cannot be saved. We don't know. Indeed, we should be anxious for their salvation and anxious that they should be saved. It's the old question once more of drawing this valuable and careful and essential distinction between contending for the truth and not damning individuals. [00:13:29]

The Apostle's argument is this: if even as they are now, you have had such great blessings, such riches, well, how much more will you be blessed when they are fully restored? It does away with the how much more if you take it to mean that the Gentile church will be in a dead, lifeless, and powerless condition. [00:24:54]

The Apostle here refers to life from the dead. Now, the resurrection is never referred to in a single instance in that way. The resurrection is always referred to as the resurrection from the dead, never life from the dead. There is no instance of a reference to the resurrection as life from the dead. [00:28:54]

The Apostle is not exaggerating when he says when this happens to these people of all others, and they come in as a nation, it'll be nothing short of life from the dead as it were. The impossible has happened. That's what he's saying. [00:38:47]

When they come in as a nation and as a body, it'll be so wonderful that we'll scarce be able to contain it. We'll be lost in wonder, love, and praise. The church will be glorying. She will be triumphant. She'll be filled with this joy unspeakable and full of glory. [00:39:36]

The one thing that makes all this an absolute certainty is the coming of the one of whom we are all going to be thinking and upon whom we are all going to meditate and in whose coming into the world and whose death and resurrection and second coming should be the glory of our lives. [00:40:27]

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