romans 11: remnant grafted

Here is the lesson for Wednesday night class. If it is useful to you, use it to his glory.

Romans 11: The Remnant of Israel Grafted into the Kingdom of God

A natural question would be: If God loved Israel so much and promised her so much stuff in the Old Testament, why then would he allow her to be destroyed? Does that mean they are gone forever? The apostle Paul says no. after all he is an Israelite, so they can’t be completely gone. It is just that there is just a remnant left then. Paul even mentions Elijah’s bout with depression in 1 Kings 19 when Elijah was afraid that he was the only righteous person left. God said he had 7000 more, or, in other words, a bunch more.

That remnant enjoyed the favor of God as much as their ancestors did. It is just that the relationship changed. Israel would never be again what they were when David was king. They and their relationship with God had changed. The people of God now were spiritual rather than physical. And they were chosen by grace rather than blood.

It is the same when the kids leave home. They are still your kids, but they have a different relationship with you now.

Israel’s problem was that they tried too hard in the wrong directions to get to God. He kept telling them that what they were doing was useless, but they would not listen. As he says, The elect among them did, but the others were hardened. God let them go their way while he went his.

Of course, God would take them back at any time, but because of their disobedience, he adopted other children, hoping that they could see that he wanted to love his children. Of course, that disobedience bless those he would not have had as children, since it brought new people – the Gentiles – into the Kingdom.

The relationship is completely different now. Anyone coming to God is adopted. There are no longer any natural children. We are grafted into the tree. Even the natural branches were cut off and, if they wanted, were grafted back into the tree. In this way, everybody who comes to God and is adopted is Israel. Israel has changed. It is now spiritual, rather than physical.

QUESTIONS:

1. Why would God reject people he loved?

2. Why do you think a prophet of God wouldn’t know there were other people serving God? Wouldn’t he have seen them?

3. How can you go so far from God that he will turn from you? Don’t w have second chances in him? (cf v22)

4. God said he wanted to make the Jews jealous by calling the Gentiles. Did that work?

5. Is there a remnant in the church today?

6. Is our status as Gentiles and our adoption as sons an indication of second class citizenship? Are the Jews better than us? Do they have seniority?

7. Are we better than the Jews? Is our branch grafted in as well as theirs? Or does God have less tolerance for us than he did his natural children?

8. V34 – Can we ever know the mind of God? Is there any way to understand him?

romans 10 study sheet

The following is our study sheet for class tonight. Use it if you would like to his glory.

 

Romans 10: You Gotta Have Faith

There has always been a strong and sometimes angry dissension between those who want to earn their salvation and those who know they cannot. The ones who want to earn their salvation realize that nothing is totally free. And that is true. Even grace, though free, has a terrible price attached. It requires your whole heart and your whole life.

But there is a difference between the fact that grace has a price and that grace is totally free. One side looks at it as grace is attached to and earned by things we do. The other side sees it as the fact that grace is removed from anything we can do. Both are right and both are wrong.

Grace is free and is gained only by faith in God. Because of that grace, we give our lives to God, to Jesus and his word, to the Spirit of God. But the things we do in service to him are not  what saves us. We are saved by his grace. We do what we do not in order to, but because of.

If we are in his grace and truly believe in him, we will do what is needed to be his children. The apostle Paul says that our righteousness is not based on what we can do. It is given to us when we become children of God. We do what we do because God gave that righteousness to us. If we could have gotten it any other way, the sacrifice of Jesus would have been useless.

Paul also writes about the process of coming to Jesus. To call on him, we have to believe. To believe, we have to hear. To hear, someone must tell us. Faith comes by hearing. However, not everyone who hears will believe. That is the sad lesson learned by the prophets.

QUESTIONS:
1. Again Paul says that his greatest wish was for his people to accept the grace of Jesus. He recognizes their dedication, but also that their dedication is not in the right direction. Is it possible to be totally sincere and wrong at the same time?

2. Romans 10:4 says that Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes? The Message translation says: The earlier revelation was intended simply to get us ready for the Messiah, who then puts everything right for those who trust him to do it. What do you think it means?

3. How does the person who does these things will live by them, quoted from Leviticus 18:5, fit in here?

4. Why do you think he talks about ascending into heaven or descending into the deep. What do those mean?  How can you ascend into heaven or descend into the deep?

5. V8 The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart. How does that relate to a Christian?

6. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Does that really mean everyone? What about those who do not really understand what they are doing? How much about Jesus do you have to know in order to be saved?

7. What if no one ever tells you about Jesus? Is that possible?

8. Why would people hear about the saving grace of Jesus and not do anything about it?

9. I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me. What does that mean?

10.V21 How sad to have someone turn you away when you love them. Do you turn him away?