Romans 11:1-15
Key Verse 11:4... “And what was God’s answer to him? ‘I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’”

 In the previous passage we learned that we are saved by confessing Jesus as our Lord with our mouth and believing his resurrection with our heart. We also learned the importance of missionary work to proclaim good news so that people can hear the message and call on the name of the Lord. Today’s passage shows how God carries his mission through his remnant. We see Paul’s view of salvation. Paul felt that he needed to see the current situation of Israel from God’s perspective based on the Scripture. He wanted to shed the light for the future of his own people Israel through this passage. He prayed that all Israel people might believe in Jesus and might be saved by faith. However, most of them rejected Jesus and became the objects of God’s wrath. How did he see the current event? He learned that God always worked out his salvation through the remnant not the majority throughout the Bible history. God’s work is the work of the minority chosen by grace. It is the remnant verses the majority. Sometimes we wish that all of our sheep might accept Jesus and receive God’s salvation. But most of them do not remain in God and leave us when we expect them to become shepherds of God’s flocks. Why am I so fruitless? Then we feel that we are the only ones left. But God reserved his remnant to carry out his salvation work in each generation. In this respect we have a positive view of America because God reserved many pure Christians. I pray that God may open our spiritual eyes to see his remnant reserved for himself and obey his will to preach the gospel message to all college students.

Part 1. THE REMNANT OF ISRAEL (1-6)

 In chapter 10 Paul pointed out the misguided zeal of the Israelites. They are zealous for God but their zeal is not based on knowledge. They tried to establish their own righteousness not by faith but by keeping the law. As a result, they rejected the good news of Jesus. Though they disobeyed God’s word and rejected Jesus, God was holding out his hands for them to repent and come back to him. Paul now addresses God’s plan of salvation for the Israel people. It is necessary for him to draw some conclusions about the salvation of the Jews because he has a shepherd heart for his own people. He begins this chapter with the question, “I ask then: Did God reject his people?” The gist of his question is whether the promise of God for the Israelites is now invalid. What was his answer? “By no means!” He believed that God did not reject his own people. God’s promise for them is still alive. God never rejects his own people but people reject God. God will not abandon his promise in spite of people’s situation. Men’s lack of faith cannot nullify God’s faithfulness. Men change their minds many times according to their situation but God never changes his mind. Based on God’s faithfulness, Paul was confident that God would save the Israelites. How did God fulfill his promise towards his chosen people? Paul gives himself as an example. He was saying, “Look at me. Who am I?” Verse 1c says, “ I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.” Paul was proud of his ancestors like Abraham and Benjamin. The tribe of Benjamin was very prestigious, like the Kennedy family in America, because the first king of Israel came from this tribe. As we know, the story of Paul’s conversion is very dramatic. He was the least likely person to be saved by God. He was hurting the young church of Jesus with his misguided zeal. It was impossible for him to be chosen by God. But everything is possible to God. God saved him by his grace and appointed him to be an apostle for the Gentiles. This was a clear evidence that God did not reject his people but he is using them as his instrument to carry his mission to save the whole world. It was truly the amazing grace of God that Paul became a chosen instrument of God for world salvation. If God changed Paul, he can change anybody. Shep. Steve was a difficult sheep to be changed. But God changed him and chose him to be the remnant. Shep. Steve think that Anthony O. is a difficult sheep to change because sometimes he is high spiritually right after the Bible conference but he is low again when he loves basketball more than Bible study. So Steve’s heart bounces like a yo-yo depending on Anthony’s spiritual condition. But Anthony can be changed by the power of God.

 Look at verses 2-4. “God did not reject his people, whom he fore-knew. Don’t you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah-how he appealed to God against Israel: Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me. And what was God’s answer to him? ‘I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’” Paul uses the case of Elijah to reinforce his case that God still can save his people Israel. The time of Elijah was the darkest time in Israel’s history. King Ahah did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. His corrupted leadership gave a bad influence to all his people.  His major problem was that he married Jezebel daughter of Ethabaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. His downfall began when he married a woman of unbelief, Jezebel. It is very important for man to marry a woman of faith. The worst sin of king Ahah was to kill God’s prophets who rebuked his idol worship. Now prophet Elijah was fighting against 450 Baal prophets. Baal prophets called on Baal to answer their call and there was no answer because Baal went to vacation. But Elijah called on God and God answered his call by burning up the sacrifice. Then Elijah commanded them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!” They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there. “ (1 Ki 18:36-40)

It was a great victory for Elijah and God’s people. But this made queen Jezebel furious. She was looking for his life and Elijah ran for his life. He said in 1 Kings 19:4, “I have had enough, Lord. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” As we know, Elijah is known as the most powerful prophet in the Bible. Suddenly, he became so fearful of one wicked woman. What caused him to become so weak? He thought that he finished his mission by killing 450 Baal prophets. After a great spiritual victory there is a spiritual danger. He felt that he had suffered enough and it was time to retire by saying, “I was faithful to God all my life and now it is time for younger servant to fill in.” But he did not finish his mission yet. He had to anoint his successor Elisha and many more missions to do. As we know, there is no retirement in the Bible. God called Moses at the age of 80 and Abraham began his mission life when he was 75 years old. Last Sunday Lawson Glenn said to M. Sarah Chang, “Sarah, your feet are beautiful. Thank you for preaching the word to me.” She is a senior among women missionaries. But she never said to younger missionaries, “I had had enough and now it is your turn.” She is vigorous and active because she thinks that she has mission to do from God.  He complained to God in 1 Kings 19:14, “I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” God answered in 1 Kings 19:18, “Yet, I reserve seven thousand in Israel-all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.” Elijah thought that he was carrying the burden of God’s mission on his shoulders all by himself. He thought that he was the only one left. Many scholars said that he was proud at this time. There is a danger when we think we are lonely and we are doing God’s work alone. Elijah thought he did everything by himself. But God was doing his work. God was helping Elijah. God fed Elijah by sending his angels and protected him from the hands of wicked queen. He took him up to Heaven with a chariot of fire later. God keeps and blesses his chosen remnant. But Elijah did not see the remnant God reserved for himself. He was pessimistic about the future of Israel. But God did not think so. God reserved a remnant of seven thousands who have not bowed the knee to Baal. The condition of Israel was seven thousands times better than Elijah had thought. God had seven thousand to pick in case he needs them. He reserved his remnant for the work of salvation. God continues his work of salvation regardless of the world situation. God did not depend on the better situation of the world. He carries out his plan by choosing his remnant in each generation. We don’t need to be pessimistic about the world situation. We must believe that God reserved his own people we do not know at all to carry out his mission to the end. When we go out campus to share the gospel message of Jesus, we receive many rejections. Then we ask, “Did God reject America?” By no means. God chose America to become the kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Of course, we may feel like Elijah. “Lord, I am the only left. How long should I remain sheepless shepherd?” But God reserved seven thousands remnant we do not see. Let’s go out and find them through our campus fishing.

Here Paul applies Elijah’s case to his current situation. Look at verses 5-6. “So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.” Here we learn the importance of the remnant in God’s history. Though their number is small like the yeast in the bread, their role is significant. Though they are minorities in the world history, they keep the lamp of God burning. Paul also emphasizes that the remnant was chosen not by works or position or human merit but by grace alone. God did not allow anyone to claim a right to be chosen as the remnant. No one among us is qualified to become God’s remnant. We did not volunteer to be the remnant. Truly the work of God is the work of the remnant. In the time of the Flood judgment only Noah and his family were saved while all the others were perished because they did not listen to God’s words. Noah was a remnant chosen by grace. Though Noah was a man of complete obedience, he revealed his human weakness because he loved to drink wine too much. That’s the reason why he was chosen by grace. Abraham was a remnant chosen by grace. Humanly speaking, he was a helpless, hopeless, useless, childless old man but God chose him to become a father of faith to bless all the nations of earth. God chose him by his grace not by his own merit. Jesus’ twelve disciples were the remnants chosen by grace not by their own works. When we look around us, sometimes we say to ourselves, “Gee! Where is everyone? I am the only one left in my fellowship.” We feel like all people seemed to run away from God. We become very fatalistic about the future prospect of God’s salvation work. But that’s not true. God blessed America through his remnant in the past. He reserved many sincere Christians to preserve America to become the kingdom of priests and a holy nation in the 21st century. God has a great hope for America. In the same way Paul was optimistic about the salvation of the Jews by the grace of God. He was right. There are many Jewish Christians. God reserved Shep. Bruce Hollinger as the remnant chosen by grace among the Jews. Though many people come and go, God will continue his work of salvation to pioneer 206 East Coast campuses through his chosen remnant. The other day I looked at the center photo album. Among them only a few have remained in our ministry and the majority have left. Then I did not want to see the album again. But I did not have to do like that. God reserved the remnant to carry on the work of God for world campus mission. I was very thankful for the remnant God preserved for himself. They are so precious in the sight of God. They are God’s hope for the salvation history in America. When we study history, Arnold Joseph Toynbee seems to be the best historian. His definition of history is challenge and response and new result. He believed that it is not the majority and the creative minority that contributes to the advancement of the human civilization. Our number is small but God can use us as his remnant to change the history of America and the world.

Part II. THE TRANGRESSION OF ISRAEL (7-15)

 Paul raises another question regarding the fate of the majority of Israel people in verse 7. “What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened.” While the remnants were saved by God’s grace, what happened to the rest of the Israelites? Though they worked hard to obtain their own salvation, they failed to obtain it. The majority of the Israelites went into the hardening process and they were excluded from God’s salvation. This is proved right when we look at the history of Israel. Though all the Israelites came out of the Egyptian slavery through the mighty exodus, the majority perished in the desert except Joshua and Caleb due to their rebellion and disobedience. Only Joshua and Caleb were allowed to enter the final rest God promised to them. In the same way the elect was saved by God’s grace but the others were hardened. Why? Look at verse 8. “As it is written: ‘God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day.’”  This is a quotation from Deut. 29:4 and Isaiah 29:10. Once God gave them a spirit of stupor, they became hopeless. The meaning of stupor is “a condition of greatly dulled or completely suspended sense or sensibility or being drunken.” They became like a drunkard. The drunkard cannot see well and cannot hear well. Drunk driving is the number one cause of fatal accidents in America. Why? If someone drinks too much, he loses his sense of direction and crashes into another car or trees because he cannot see the object clearly. Most heavy drinkers used to say when they wake up in the morning, “What did I do last night? I am sorry I don’t remember anything.”  When people refuse to repent of their sins, they usually harden their hearts. When they continue to do that, then eventually they become blind and deaf spiritually. They become dull and insensitive towards the word of God and God gave them a spirit of stupor. They invited God’s judgment when they remained in their stubbornness and rejected God’s will. It was what happened to the majority of the Israel people. It was God who gave them a spirit of stupor. If that is the case, God can restore them also! Paul did not look at their spiritual condition from pessimistic viewpoint. He was positive about God’s future plan for the people of Israel.
I see Paul’s shepherd heart for his people. In spite of their stubborn refusal and unbelief, Paul did not give up on them. In spite of their opposition and persecution, he prayed for them and loved them so that they may be saved by God’s grace. How often we give up on wayward sheep easily. I learn God’s heart from Apostle Paul’s prayer and began to have a great sense of hope for young people in America.

When Israel became arrogant and self-righteous because of the abundant table of God’s grace, what happened to them? Look at verses 9 and 10. “And David says: ‘May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.’” This is a quotation from King David’s psalm 69:22,23. This is the word of curse to those who rebelled against God. The table is usually refers to the eating table which provides food to eat. The table can be symbolized as God’s grace of salvation. In John 6:35 Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” God gave them Jesus to save them from their sins as the table of grace but the table of grace given to them became a snare and a trap to them. Jesus became a stumbling block to them. They missed their privilege to welcome the Messiah born as a Jews and instead nailed him and threw him outside the city. Why? Their eyes were darkened and they could not see God’s abundant blessings given to them like delicious food table prepared in front of them. They were like people who overturned the party table filled with delicious foods. Their backs will be like hunchbacks forever. John described their spiritual condition ironically in John 1:11, “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” What a tragedy it was!

Look at verses 11 and 12. “Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches their fullness bring!” Wow! Paul had a great hope for Israel. The transgression of Israel provided a great opportunity for the Gentiles to come into the salvation. Israel’s failure resulted in blessing for the Gentile world. God revealed his riches to the Gentiles also while the Israelites went through the process of hardening. What he was saying was that one man’s misfortune becomes another man’s fortune. His main point was that his own people did not fall beyond recovery. They will be recovered again according to God’s plan. God did not give up on his people Israel.

Look at verses 13-15. “I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from dead?” As we know, Paul was an apostle for the Gentiles and pioneered many churches. Through his fruitful Gentile ministry he wanted to make the Jews envious of them so that he might save some of them. His view of salvation is for all people either the Jews or the Gentiles. God will reveal much greater riches through the people of Israel. If the Jews are accepted, they will receive life from dead. At this point God is making them envious of the Gentiles so that they can repent and come back to God. God will reveal his glory through them. God will restore them in due time. If God saved the Gentiles through the remnant, he will save his own people through the remnant. The salvation of the Jews is the process of God’s salvation. May God bless us to be used in his salvation work as his remnant. Let’s read the key verse 4.