09 25 16 Sunday Sermon Traditions Norris Williams

In one paragraph

This message finished a multi-week walk through Romans 9-11, focusing on chapter 11 and the question of whether God has abandoned Israel. The preacher held two things together throughout: hope, because God has not rejected his people, and humility, because any standing before God belongs entirely to his grace and not to the one standing there. The sermon opened by placing chapter 11 inside a...

Read together

1. Romans 10:9-10 quoted as the central point of the chiastic construction: confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead
2. Romans 11:1 rhetorical question opening the chapter: God has not rejected his people, has he
3. Romans 11:2 stated as the first key verse of the chapter: God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew
4. Romans 11:2-4 the passage about Elijah pleading against Israel and God's response that He kept 7,000 who had not bowed the knee to Baal
5. Romans 11:5 at the present time a remnant according to God's gracious choice
6. Romans 11:6 if it is by grace it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace
7. Romans 11:7 what Israel sought it did not obtain; the chosen obtained it and the rest were hardened
8. Romans 11:8 quoted as scripture: God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes to see not and ears to hear not, down to this very day
9. Romans 11:9-10 David quoted: let their table become a snare and a trap and a stumbling block; let their eyes be darkened
10. Romans 11:11 they did not stumble so as to fall completely; by their transgression salvation came to the Gentiles to make them jealous
11. Romans 11:12 if their transgression is riches for the world how much more will their fulfillment be
12. Romans 11:13-14 Paul speaking to Gentiles, magnifying his ministry to move his countrymen to jealousy and save some of them
13. Romans 11:15 if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world what will their acceptance be but life from the dead
14. Romans 11:16 if the first piece of dough is holy the lump is also; if the root is holy the branches are too
15. Romans 11:17-18 wild olive grafted in among the branches; do not be arrogant toward the branches for the root supports you
16. Romans 11:19-21 branches broken off so you might be grafted in; they were broken off for unbelief, you stand by faith; if God did not spare the natural branches He cannot spare you either
17. Romans 11:22 behold the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell severity, to you kindness if you continue
18. Romans 11:23 if they do not continue in their unbelief they will be grafted back in for God is able to graft them in again
19. Romans 11:24 if you were grafted contrary to your nature how much more will natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree
20. Romans 11:25 mystery: a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in
21. Romans 11:26 and so all Israel will be saved; the deliverer comes from Zion and will remove ungodliness from Jacob
22. Romans 11:27 this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins
23. Romans 11:28 from the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake; from God's standpoint beloved for the sake of their fathers
24. Romans 11:29 the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable
25. Romans 11:30-31 Gentiles once disobedient but shown mercy because of Jewish disobedience; so Jews now disobedient may also be shown mercy
26. Romans 11:32 God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all
27. Romans 11:33-36 closing doxology: oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God; from him and through him and to him are all things

Talk about it

1. The preacher said that what comes out of your mouth reveals what is in your heart. What does that idea challenge or encourage in you personally?
2. Elijah believed he was the only faithful one left, and God told him there were 7,000 others. Have you ever felt alone in your faith, and what did that experience teach you?
3. The message described the Jewish people as having trusted in their religious traditions rather than the heart of God for others. In what ways might Christians today fall into that same pattern?
4. The preacher called for humility toward those whose branches have been broken off, and said we should reach out to them with the gospel in a gentle and winsome way rather than a superior attitude. What does that look like in practice for someone you know?
5. The sermon ended with the observation that all good theology should lead to doxology. Looking at what was covered in Romans 11, what is it about God's character that most moves you toward worship?