Tonight, I would like to share with you my passion for the olive tree, which is a shocking thing for me to say; I'm not known for my horticulture. But ever since I went to the Garden of Gethsemane for the first time, I have fallen in love with the olive tree. Just when you see these massive trees, they look like they are hundreds of years old when you see them. And I can remember the first time I was in this Garden of Gethsemane, I asked our guide, could these be the same trees that were here at that time of Jesus two thousand years ago. That's how old they felt. And I was shocked that he did not look at me like I was a foolish tourist for asking that question. But he said that there could be trees in the garden that were over thousand years old, but they probably weren't the ones when Jesus was there praying, because the Romans came in AD 70 and destroyed everything. But these olive trees are so impressive that you can see why Paul is going to use the olive tree as an analogy for us in Romans 11. And I thought it would be cool if we had one of these epic olive trees here at our church this weekend. And so, like I got so hyped on these trees, they were on my screen. You have a background on your phone sometimes; one of these trees was like the background on my phone for months after we got back from Israel last time. And I went up to Katie Slusher, who works here at the church. Guess what the background on her phone was? One of these awesome trees! And I was like, Katie, we need to get one of these trees at our church. I think everybody at church could get their picture taken with an olive tree. And they'll remember how they got grafted in as Gentiles for the rest of their lives. Katie, we’ve got to make it happen. And it could happen. All we'd have to do is uproot a tree in Northern California, have it driven down here, crane lift, it has to get inspected by the Agricultural Society of California. And for $30,000, they would let us have it here. $30,000 is the price just to have it here for the weekend, you don't even get to keep the tree at the end of it. So, I hope you guys really liked these videos.
And I would like everybody to see what the olive tree is really all about in Romans chapter 11. If you could open up your Bible, I invite you to open your Bible to Romans chapter 11 for the olive tree analogy that Paul uses. And this is a long text that we're going to get through together here tonight because I want us to get the whole thought together with the picture of the olive tree attached. So, I'm going to start reading Romans chapter 11, verse 7, and we're going to go all the way to verse 24. So, this is a long text for us, you might need to use both hands when you're holding your Bible here today. And I invite everyone to stand out of respect for God's Word, for the public reading of Scripture. This is talking about you whether you're a Jew or a Gentile, this is talking about the relationship that you can have as one of the people of God. And so, we would do well to pay our full and undivided attention to God's Word. Please follow along as I read starting in Romans 11:7-24, starting in verse 7 all the way down to verse 24.
What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written,
“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that would not see
and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.”
And David says,
“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and bend their backs forever.”
So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.
That's the reading of God's word, please go ahead and have a seat. You can see that Paul is explaining to us that through the unbelief of the Jews, the Gospel has gone forth to the Gentiles. And the picture here is that the Gentiles, if you've gone to church for any number of years, you've probably heard this word grafted. It's often said about the Gentiles being grafted in where you kind of join two different plants together to grow now as one. And so, God had a cultivated olive tree that was the nation of Israel, the Jewish people. And some of those branches have gotten broken off because of their unbelief. But some of us Gentiles have been grafted into the olive tree of God's people. That's the picture here. And I want to go through it with four points. You’ve got a handout there in your bulletin, if you could pull out that handout and take some notes with me. I want to take you through what Paul is saying, and we will get it if you stick with me. We'll get way beyond Jews and Gentiles, and all of tree analogies and we will end up in the very presence of God himself.
So, pick it up with me here in verse 7. This is Romans 11, verse 7. And we're talking about how Israel has failed to obtain what it was seeking. This is the main issue Paul is trying to address in Romans 9 to 11 is why are so many Jews not believing in Jesus. And he's explaining to us that not all Israel is Israel, there's a remnant of God's elect, of God's people who are still receiving grace; there are saved Jews. But there's also a lot of them whose hearts have been hardened. And this is kind of counterintuitive. How could God's chosen people not be believing in Jesus as God's chosen and anointed one, make it make sense. Paul, so that's what he's doing. And he says, look at verse 7, and then all the way to verse 10. He says it very clearly here, that, hey, some of the Jews, they obtained what they were seeking, but the rest of them were hardened. And then you can see in verse 8, he says, “As it is written,” and then he quotes David there in verse 9. So, the fact that the Jews have stumbled over the cornerstone of Christ, the fact that the Jews, many of them have not believed; in fact, the cornerstone that God is using to build the church, and Jesus has become a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to the Jews. This is not something we should be surprised by. This has been said, in fact, this is fulfilling prophecy.
So, if you're taking notes, let's get that down for point number one. First thing we want to see from our text is you want to “See how the Jews’ stumbling fulfills prophecy.” this idea that the Messiah would be rejected by his own people. Well, this has been foretold. God has already made this known to us before it even happened. And so, is it sad to see the Jews turn away from the Messiah and see them get hardened in their hearts? Yeah, it is sad, but it is not surprising. We can look back in the Scripture. And so, look with me here, he uses verse 8. And what he does here in verse 8, what he's done a few times. I mean, I've been so impressed with how much Scripture Paul has quoted in Romans 9,10, and 11. I've been trying to show you in many of these sermons. Okay, here's your text over here. Here's the references of what he's quoting over here. And sometimes Paul even does a mash up of multiple verses. And so, I'll throw up here the verses that he's using on the screen. We have a verse from the Law, a verse from the prophets, and diverse writings. And if you know how the Hebrews had the Bible, the Bible that's written in Hebrew; they didn't call it the Old Testament. They didn't have the books in the order we do today. They had the books in this order. They had the Law of Moses, the first five books, then they have the Prophets, which were eight books. There were the Former Prophets, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, and then there was the Latter Prophets are, they're sometimes referred to as the written prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel; and then the book of the twelve. And then the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures. They were in the Writings. and he quotes from all three of those sections of the Hebrew Bible to prove. He says here, God gave them a spirit of stupor. That's actually a quote from Isaiah there. And it's blended with Deuteronomy 29. “For that the people would have eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear.” And then he quotes David writing in Psalm 69. And Psalm 69, we know has some prophecies that are fulfilled by the Messiah, by Jesus. But along with those prophecies, even prophecy of his betrayal by Judas, but along with those prophecies, it says this, quoting David in Psalm 69, here, “Let their table become a snare and a trap.” Look, it's going to become a stumbling block and a retribution for them unless their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see.
So, grab your Bible and go back to Deuteronomy 29 with me. We won't go to all three of these passages. But we are reading through Deuteronomy right now. And we're on pace, at least on the schedule to finish Deuteronomy this week. I don't know if anybody's behind in their Deuteronomy reading; I'm behind in my Deuteronomy reading. But this is what we're reading through right now. So, I want to show you, I encourage you to read the end of Deuteronomy to see what Moses says, the ending of the life of Moses. Moses, his last words to the people are truly epic in every sense of the word. And you can see here that Moses wants to get back to the covenant being renewed here. And he says in Deuteronomy 29:1, “These are the words of the covenant that the Lord commanded Moses to make with the people of Israel in the land of Moab.” Besides the covenant that he already made with them, at Horeb, Mount Sinai, the first time back there in Exodus, well now we're renewing that covenant here in the plains of Moab, before we crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land. And Moses summoned all Israel, Deuteronomy 29:2-4, and said to them, “You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. But to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.” Like, you saw things with your physical eyes, but you can't see it with your heart. Moses, even saying, like you guys have eyes, but you can't see, you have ears, but you can't hear; you're still hardened in your heart against God. And unfortunately, this has been a part of the history of God's people as the Jews is that they harden their heart against God. And so if you keep reading this week, you'll see in Deuteronomy 30, Moses is going to talk about how God needs to circumcise their hearts, something needs to happen in their heart so that they'll be able to really see who God is, and really hear God's Word, because Moses can tell, even though they've seen the miracles, they can't see from their heart what God is really saying to them. And so Moses is clearly addressing this problem of the hardness of heart among the Jews, a problem that wasn't new to Paul's day. No, what happened in the day of Moses, the day of Isaiah, even at the time of Christ, it was very prevalent, so that we shouldn't be surprised to see many of the nation of Israel not believing.
Now, go back to Romans chapter 11. Because in the mystery of God and the awesome knowledge and wisdom of God, the rejection of his own people has led to the gospel spreading to all people. The chosen nation of Israel, there are some who believe, but many are hardened against Christ. Well guess what, through their disobedience, through their trespass, through their sin, well, the good news is now going out to the Gentiles, to all the nations of the earth. And that's what he says here in Romans 11:11. And this is again, Paul just using his style, his conversational style where he asks questions, and then expects an answer. “So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall?” Hey, we've seen between them stumble, are they going to stay down? Is God done with the Jewish people? Is it over for Israel? What's our answer to that? By no means. No, rather, through their trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles.
Last week, if you were here, we had everybody raise your hand with me if you are a Gentile. Are we glad that salvation has come to us, that we can be God's people? Let's not take it for granted. And hey, this is an amazing thing that God has done. Something that was often overlooked among all the prophecies is this beauty that the Jewish people, even in their disobedience, they're going to end up being a light to the nations. And so, God's not done with Israel. But during this time, many Gentiles are now being grafted in. And then he says something that I find to be fascinating. Look at the end of verse 11. He says this twice, “salvation has come to the Gentiles.” And then, here you can tell this is what Paul's hoping for, so as to make Israel jealous. See, Paul really thinks this idea that if Israel, if the Jews got jealous that other people are knowing God, and we don't even know God, he thinks that kind of jealousy would be a great thing. In fact, he brought that up back in Romans 10:19. He quoted Deuteronomy 32:31. Last week, if you remember, and he said to Israel, this is what he quoted from Moses here, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation with a foolish nation. I will make you angry if you guys aren't going to be my people and receive my Anointed One, Jesus, I’ll bring in others who will come and be my people. And then that just like you're making me jealous by worshipping other gods, I’ll make you jealous by having other people. And you can see Paul is hoping that the Jews will be jealous of the Gentiles being saved. And so, in fact, let me talk to the Gentiles here, Romans 11:13, “Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry.” And part of the reason I'm so zealous in reaching people of every tribe, nation, and tongue is I want to somehow make my fellow-Jews jealous. He says it again, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? So, he brings that up two times.
Go back to Romans 11:12. This is another way that Paul has spoken a lot in the book of Romans. If this is true, how much more is this true? And if it's true that the Jews’ disobedience has spread the good news out to all the other nations, well, then here's the question. If their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean? If the Jews disobeying means a whole bunch of us Gentiles have gotten saved, what do you think is going to happen when God's plan for the Jews comes to fruition? And God brings the Jews back to himself, and God, through his grace and mercy turns the heart of Israel to Jesus, and they look upon the one that they have pierced, and they repent, and they turn to Christ, and they believe in him. Wow. If God can save so many people through the Jews’ disobedience, can you even imagine what's going to happen when the Jews actually turn to God and are accepted by God and have full inclusion with God? So, Paul, he's saying that the Jews, they have stumbled, but he's saying they're going to get back up. And he believes, even as he's quoting prophecy, Paul, here in Romans 11, is prophesying a future for the nation of Israel. That's what he's teaching.
And so, we want to just make it very clear that when God calls his people, the call of God is irrevocable. That's the title of our sermon next week. “Irrevocable”. We're going to see that once God calls you, once God has made a promise to you, there is nothing on earth that can keep God from keeping his promise to his people. And so, God has a full future for Israel. We'll get back to the more of that later. But I want to focus on the fact that he's addressing the Gentiles here, and I want to focus on the fact that you as a Gentile getting saved somehow could make Jews jealous. And I want to really think about that.
Let's get that down for point number two: “See how the Jews’ jealousy reveals salvation. I want you to see how the Jews’ jealousy reveals what salvation really is. Okay? I want to talk about my experience interacting with Jews now. There are Jews are now all over the earth, and there are many different Jews who believe many different things. I want to just again, take a moment to praise God, that we have Jews that our brothers and sisters here and this congregation. We have Jews right here who believe that Jesus is the Messiah who died and rose again for their sins. So, we've got believing Jews here at our church, praise the Lord. But if you ever get to go where I've been blessed to go a few times now, and some of you have been able to go with me. And we got to walk in the Old City of Jerusalem, and we get to go to the Western Wall and, and something that I'll do every time I go to Israel, is also tell the tour, hey, everybody, what a great day, go to sleep. And then I'll immediately take off running out of our hotel, when it's Friday night, because I want to go see the Jews celebrate the Sabbath at the Western Wall, because they come from every nook and cranny of the city. And there are hundreds of them, there are thousands of them there. And they're all wearing a certain kind of getup, and they're all gathering in a certain kind of place. And the whole city is going to shut down over the next evening and the next day until it gets to sunset on Saturday. Now, that whole place, it's all going to be closed. In fact, there's a Shabbat elevator that you can get in and it just stops at every floor. You can't because you can't even do the work of pushing a button. Everything that you're going to be served to eat around you is going to be Kosher. I mean, wait a minute, if we're going to make the Jews jealous, the Jews, they're doing a lot of activity in the name of what they believe. So, wait a minute, what does that mean that us believing is going to make them jealous? These people are full of religious activity.
In fact, go back to Romans chapter 9. Look at how Paul described the Jews in his day. Here in Romans chapter 9, he said in verse 30-32, towards the end, “What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone.” But look what he goes on to say in Romans 10:2, because he wants to give the Jews he wants to give a right representation of what the Jews are doing. And he says, in Romans 10, verse 2, “For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.” These people have a zeal for God, but they don't really know God. This really gets me thinking, because I know people who will claim to know God, but I don't see zeal for God. And the Jews, like these people they are to this day, if you've been able to see them in action, they are doing a lot. They gather on a certain day of the week, they have a book that they will open and refer to. They have cultural customs that set them apart from all the other people around them, they are committed to this, they are wearing this every day, they are eating this every day, they have certain days that they will not miss no matter what these people are doing. So if our salvation is going to make them jealous, then we have to be doing more than just going through the motions. We have to really know God if we're going to make a Jew jealous. Because I think the Jews would look at many of us and what we're doing and they would think they're doing more than what some of us are doing. And so, it really begs the question, are you just thinking that you know God because you're doing things? Because that's how the Jews are. And that's not real salvation. That's not really knowing God. Oh, you can have a zeal. You can come to church every Saturday night. You can read your Bible and check it off the list. You can go through the right activities, and you can be passionate about it. But the salvation that's going to make the Jews jealous, is do you really know God? Do you really have a relationship with God? Does the throne set the tone for how you live day in day out? Do you wake up in the morning and know God in such a way that it makes a difference in how you go about the day? Or are you just doing things because that's what we Christians do. See there's a real danger here when he's talking to the branches that have been grafted in that we don't become proud that we don't think we're better than the Jews. Because if we become proud and we think, well look at all that I'm doing, we will become Jews 2.0. That's what we will become. And we'll have to get removed out of the tree in the same way that some of those branches got broken off. So, I'm asking you, would your salvation with your religious activity make any Jew jealous? Like, do people who know you know that you know God? Or do they just think you do a bunch of Christian things? Because the Jews were doing a bunch of things. But they didn't know God? Do you really know God? That's what's going to make the Jews jealous is is people really knowing and worshipping their God.
And so, look what it goes on to say here in the next verse here, Romans 11:13, after we talked about the whole inclusion, then he said, I'm speaking to you Gentiles. Okay, Romans 11:17, let's get now to the analogy here. But if some of the branches were broken off, okay, so some of those are cultivated branches, they're not believing they're broken off. But you're a wild olive shoot, and now you're going to get connected. Now you're going to get grafted in, among the others. And now you get to share in the nourishing root of the olive tree. Us, as Gentiles, gathering together on a Saturday evening to call ourselves the people of God, in the name of Jesus. We are saying that we're now sons and daughters of father Abraham, because we share his faith. What an honor for people like us to get to be the people of God. And it says very clearly, Romans 11:18, “do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root,” but the root that supports you. But the root supports you, you new branch. That's my addition, it doesn't actually say that. But you could feel it there. Romans 11:19, then you will say branches were broken off. Well, the Jews, they don't believe, hey, they stopped believing and now I have been grafted in. That is true, okay. They were broken off because of their unbelief, and you stand fast through faith. So this is the second time he feels like he needs to say this, do not become proud, but fear. And then he says this, and this is like, whoa, “For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.”
There's going to be a temptation for pride, there's going to be a temptation to think highly of yourself. That's what the warning is here, or you're going to look at the Jews, you're going to read the book of Numbers where they complain a whole bunch of times, and you're gonna read the Prophets where they have to get exiled because they just keep doing what's right in their own sight. And all these different kings are evil in the sight of the Lord. And then you're going to read even at the time of Jesus, how they're shouting, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him.” And at some point, you're going to think, oh, look at those Jews not believing. I'm so glad I'm not like one of those people. Watch out. Do not become arrogant, do not become proud. And here's all you’ve got to do to become arrogant. All you’ve got to do to become proud. It's very simple. And people like us have been doing it for hundreds of years. And if you don't stop yourself, you will probably become proud and arrogant. Because all you have to do is just compare yourself to somebody else. That's all you’ve got to do. Oh, look at that person. I'm not like that person. Praise God. Look at me, then look at them. Now back to me. How about me? That's how it happens. There is so much pride among religious people who go to church, and you know what their pride comes from. Look at me, I go to church. Look at me, I read my Bible. Look at me. I gave my money. I fasted. I prayed. That person's not doing those things. Look at me.
Point number three. Let's get it down like this: “Don't compare yourselves to others.” Humble yourself before God. Don't compare yourself to others. Humble yourself before God. I’ve got to ask you a personal question as if you are one of my fellow Gentiles and you've been grafted in. Do you think of yourself as better than other people? Do you think of yourself particularly as better than the disobedience of the Jewish, people that we can see throughout their history? Because of that he says, look at it, look at it with me again and I want to just make sure we see that he feels like he needs to say this twice here in this passage, just like he said, he wanted to make the Jews jealous twice. He wants to warn the Gentiles about this in Romans 11:18, “Do not be arrogant toward the branches.” And he's referring here now maybe to some of these branches that got broken off, some of these branches that don't believe. If you are, remember, hey, just remember that God, he worked through the people of Israel. And now you're getting brought in to be one of God's people. And go back to the promise to Abraham, the promise in the covenant with David. Go back to the to the new covenant that the prophets repeat reveal God has been working through the nation of Israel. And now yes, it's open to all nations. But we're still coming to be one of God's people through the foundation of what he has done with Abraham, and David, and the Prophets. Don't think there are a lot of people in the church that think they're better than Israel. In fact, there are a lot of brothers and sisters in Christ, who believe that the church has now replaced Israel, you talk to some Christians, they will give you the idea that we don't even need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem anymore. We don't even need to pray for a future, for the nation of Israel, or pray for revival or repentance among the Jews. Oh, no, their time is over. And we're just all about us as the church now. And they're done with Israel, that would sound very arrogant, that would become proud. And when you compare your little obedience that you've got compared to somebody else's obvious disobedience, you will feel puffed up about yourself every single time. And so, do not be arrogant, do not become proud. Stop measuring who you are in some kind of horizontal way, and start measuring who you are in a vertical way. It says here, if you look at the end of verse 20, where it talks about those who are broken off because of their unbelief, and now you have faith, well, that's true, that you've got faith and they were broken off because of their unbelief. So do not become proud, but what everybody fears it says. Now, let's just make it very clear that we are telling Gentile believers, who have been grafted into the olive tree, people who are now the people of God, that's all of us Gentiles, who have been saved by our faith in Jesus, it is telling you as my brother or sister in Christ, you should not be proud, but you should fear. Fear is being encouraged across the room here this evening. Because you will become proud if you compare yourself to other people, you will have a godly fear if you compare yourself to who God is. And the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And some of us think we've moved past that by this stage in our life. When the moment you think you've moved past, fearing God is probably the moment that you have become proud. And if you know your Scripture, you know that God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble. So yeah, you might have gotten grafted in, and you might have gotten saved, but that has nothing to do with you. And it has only to do by faith in what Jesus Christ has done for you. And so, you got grafted in when you weren't even seeking God and And yet, even though we know that we will still somehow become proud about it. Who are you comparing yourself to? Is it the Jewish people? Is it people outside of the church? Do you even compare yourself to other brothers and sisters in Christ, and think that you are somebody because of your comparison to another person at church? Or a person who claims to be a Christian at your workplace, or down the street? Hey, this is something I'm really asking you to search your heart. In fact, you might even want to ask God to search your heart because this kind of deception is kind of self deception, where I'm not proud. I'm just not like that guy that can creep into anybody here. So Paul feels like he needs to warn us. And then he says, I found verse 21 as kind of a whoa-moment. Hey, if God did not spare the natural branches, if God's removing the cultivated all branches of the olive tree. Hey, if he didn't spare all the Jews who don't believe, I mean, we have seen God judge his people in the wilderness. We have seen God judge his people in the exile. We have seen God judges people after they rejected his son. The Romans came and God used them to judge his people in AD 70, we have seen that God will judge his people. And so you think he won't judge you? You should not become proud but you should fear. And then verse 22 is like the clear skies after the rain and the clouds have gone and everything is so radiant and fresh when it says in verse 22. Note then, or literally it says, See then, behold then, can you see the kindness and the severity of God? Can you now see God? The God is breaking off branches of his own people and God that seems so severe to cut off branches of his own people. And yet God is so kind to graft in branches that are not even his people and to make them his people. Wow. Look how kind God is to save sinners like us. Look how severe God is to cut off branches. Can you see who God is? That's what's gonna keep you humble. See, my concern is that we think that God plays favorites rather than shows favor.
And I'll tell you what, I'll try to explain what I mean by that by talking about the fact that Shohei Otani is now a Dodger. Okay. I feel like enough time has gone by. Enough healing has happened. The reality is now in front of our face. We can talk about this, okay. And we are a divided church when it comes to this. I just want to address the elephant in the room here. Okay. Look, look, I am an Angels fan. I'll just admit it. Okay, I tried to keep these things to myself because they don't no, no, no, no, no, they don't matter. Okay. If you are a Dodgers fan, I just want to acknowledge right now, that in every conceivable metric, and statistic that we can use, you are superior, you are better, there is no conversation to be had after the service. So please don't talk to me about it. Okay. And now you have our best player, you have our thing that we had the, precious thing that we had that no one else had. Now you have that as well. Okay, but let me just tell you, and I speak for Ryan Pierce, I believe as well, when I say this guy who leads worship up here, who I am just a noob in the Angels-fandom compared to Ryan Pierce, that we have great seats, and we have great prices. And we have a sad looking Mike Trout on our billboard. Okay. And we have one of the worst teams in baseball and one of the best fan bases in all of baseball. And we are terrible. And we will be there on opening day. All right, that's just that's just who we are as Angels fans, it doesn't make sense. It's not logical. If any Angels fans want to leave and join the Dodgers right now, I would recommend it you'll have a happier life. Okay. But the Angels are my favorite team. And I'm loyal to a fault like my guy, Mike Trout, all the way to the end. And here's the point. It's like the Angels are bad, but they are my favorite. Let's see, we think that's what God's doing with us. It's okay, if I'm bad. I'm one of God's favorites. No, it's not okay if you're bad, because God will judge his own people. And if he won't spare the Jews, you think he's going to spare us? Because if he didn't spare them, he won't spare you either.
So God's not playing favorites. God's not liking you a lot because you come to church and read his Word and acknowledge the evident reality that he is there. He's not impressed by the fact that you can see him or hear him because he gave you the ability to do all of those things. God sent his Son Jesus to die for you. And if you profane the name of Jesus, by stepping over the blood of Jesus and continuing to sin against God, God will cut you off just like he cut off his own people. Consider the kindness and severity of our God. God's not playing favorites, but he does give favor to those who turn to him in repentance, and trust in him. By faith. You cannot continue in sin and expect the grace of God. “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” My friends, what is the answer to God is not playing favorites? “By no means.” That's what Romans 11 has said. He'll graft in a branch who doesn't even know him and love him like one of his people, but he'll take a branch of one of his people, a carefully cultivated branch that he loved is one of his people, and he will not spare that branch. Look at how it goes on to say here in Romans 11:22. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be… what does it say there everybody? “Cut off.” This is not a point I'm trying to make. This is the point that Paul is making.
This is the olive tree sermon. This is the grafted branch analogy. Hey, are you a Gentile? Have you been brought in? Isn't it amazing that you get to be one of God's people? Stay humble. Remember his kindness because the kindness of our God is meant to lead you to what, everybody? Go back to Romans 2. The more we go through Romans, the more Romans 2, 4, and 5, seem like they set up so much that comes after it. Romans 2:4-5, are definitely verses, as this is our 55th sermon from the book of Romans. What do you want to remember for the rest of your life? What do you want to take away from the book of Romans? There are so many good things to learn and to memorize. Romans 2, 4, and 5 are definitely in that top list. Do you presume on the riches of his kindness, and forbearance, and patience? Are you like the Jews of old thinking, I can do whatever I want? It's okay. I'm one of God's people. God likes me. I'm one of God's favorites. I'll still be one of his people, no matter what I do. Do you presume it calls it here? On the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to what everybody? If God will love you so much, he will save you from your sin. If God will love you so much. He'll send his one and only Son Jesus to die a bloody terrible death on the cross to pay for your sin, then what is the purpose of God's love? Don't continue in sin. That's the purpose. You can't think well, God just loves me. So it doesn't matter what I do. No, that's presuming on his kindness; his kindness is meant to turn you from your sin. Or Romans 2:5, or this is what it's saying here to the Jews here, “but because of your heart, and impenitent,” that's unrepentant. That's not sorry. You've got a hard heart. It's not sorry. And because of that, “you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.” Have you forgotten the severity? Have you forgotten that there is a day that is coming? It's referred to in the Bible as a great and awesome day. It's known as a terrible day. It's called the time of Tribulation. It's a time you and your loved ones want nothing to do with. And what is the title of this terrible day that is coming, that everyone should fear, that everyone should flee? Make sure you've repented before this day comes? And it's the day of the who everybody? Do you believe in a severe God? Do you believe in a God who is putting his name on the Great Day of Judgment, a day of righteous judgment, a day of wrath? And when you continue in sin, and you defy the gospel of Jesus, and you deny the grace of our Lord, and you presume upon his kindness, by continuing in your sin, don't you realize that severity of our God, that you are storing up more judgment, because he is angry, and his anger will be poured out on a day of judgment, like the world has never known? And he flooded the world before as a judgment. But there's a day coming much worse than that.
Can you see both the kindness and the severity of God? This is a big concern that I have for you. Some of you are here every Saturday night and I wonder, who is your God? Is he a God of your own understanding? Or is he that God here revealed to us, a God beyond our understanding? Because our God, can you see him? Note this, our God has kindness and severity. Our God loves you more than anyone else will or can ever love you. And our God is someone you should be afraid of? You should fear and love God even as you sit here tonight. Is that how you see him? Or do you just see God as so kind that you're one of his favorites? Like a grandchild who can do whatever they want? And God will still love you like a baseball team that can be bad for years. And Ryan Pierce is still going strong. Do you think that's how it is with God? Or do you see both kindness and severity? I bet there are even some people here tonight, that what you have done, you have an idea of how bad your sin is. And you have an idea of how holy God is. And you see the holiness of God, and you see your sin. And you think that God is so severe, he couldn't even save somebody like you. He wouldn't even want to. So you can see, I bet there's a few people here you can see the severity of God, but you're not really seeing his kindness. And I bet there are some here who are presuming on his kindness, and aren't seeing his severity of our God.
Let's get this down for point number four: “Make sure your view of God is not one-sided.” Make sure your view of God is not one-sided. This is a concern that I have for the maturity of the believers here at our church is we need to know who God is. And the only way we can know who God is, is to see how God reveals himself to us in the Scripture. And when God showed his glory to Moses, on the mountain, God said that he was a God who is merciful, and a God who's gracious, and a God who is slow to anger. He is ready to forgive. He is abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, and he will by no means clear the who? Everybody the guilty, ready to judge sin for generations. God wants you to know, I am kind. And if you come to me and you turn from your sin, my kindness is meant to lead you to repentance, I will forgive you for your sin, based on the blood of my Son, Jesus. God wants you to know, the love, the steadfast love, the unfailing, never ending covenant love that God has for his people. But God also wants you to know the guilty aren't going to get away with it in the end. And if you become proud, and you think it's all about you, and you think like the Jews did, that you can worship other gods and still be God's people, hey, if he didn't spare his own people, the Jews, you think he's going to spare you? know that God is severe, and do not become proud. But fear, fear and trembling, is a proper way to approach God coming before God with a broken spirit and a contrite heart, being sorry about our sin. That's a proper way of coming before God. Humble, where I have a very high view of God. And I have a very low view of myself, it's twisted all around us. Is it twisted in your heart? Do you have a high view of yourself, and your view of God is actually getting lower? And your view of self is actually getting higher? Or is God really high and lifted up in your heart, and you see yourself accurately as lowly before a holy God? See, this is one of our goals. One of the reasons we exist here in Huntington Beach. One of the distinctives that we want to have as a church and we'll throw it up here on the screen. We have eight distinctives, if you've ever looked at them on our website, or if you've ever been to a class where we talk about them, we have eight distinctives. And number three is we seek to maintain a what everybody? A high view of God. And the only way you can have a high view of God is you have to first of all, get over yourself and not be thinking highly of yourself. And then you have to note then the kindness and the severity of God, you have to see the full picture of God. You can't just resonate with the part of God that resonates with you. You have to know God for who he is in the fullness of his revelation. And when God expressed himself, when God showed himself, when the Word became flesh, the Word that was of the glory of the Father, but he put on flesh, we beheld his glory, and it was a glory full of what everybody? Grace and truth, steadfast love and faithfulness, kindness and severity. Like, if you are a person who just looks at the hesed, at the steadfast love of our Lord, and you just think God will love me no matter what, you need to fear and consider his severity, is what this Scripture is saying to you here. And if you're like, Oh, God, God, so against me, and God saw his hand so heavy upon me, you might need to make sure that you can see his kindness and his forbearance and his patience towards you. But you don't just get to see one or the other. The people who are mature, the people who are really growing up in the image of God, they're seeing, they're beholding who God is, and they're being transformed into His likeness. The people that I respect, that I've seen, wow, God is working in that person's life. That person can tell me the truth. and they can make it clear they love me at the same time. They don't go back and forth between one or the other. They're both of those things.
So, you see, sometimes you'll hear people say, well, now I’ve got to stop loving you. And I’ve got to speak the truth. While I'm glad God never stops loving me, and speaks the truth. See, this is who our God is. Souls are going to live with God forever and eternal life and souls are perishing apart from God, and it's happening all at the same time, because of the kindness and severity of our God. Can you see him like that? And is there a way maybe, that you're too focused on one side of God, and and you're starting to have your own self made one-sided opinion of who God is? Just remember that every story has two sides? And are you growing in seeing the kindness and severity of our God?
If you flip your handout over, I’ve got some questions. We want to have a high view of God. In our fellowship group this week, how are we going to maintain a high view of God? Here at our church? That's question number one. How are you going to in a world that is tearing God down and exalting idols, and a culture that says, who cares about God? Let's make it about us? How are you going to be somebody who still sees God for who he is, when very few people around you are seeing God that way? How can we maintain this accurate biblical view of God? In fact, question number two, are you seeing God as both kind and severe? Or are you just considering one side or the other? I'll tell you what, when I realized that Jesus was full of grace, and truth, and if I wanted to really be like Christ, I needed both of those things in my life that unlocked a whole new era of spiritual growth for me. And I hope that tonight, you can note the kindness and severity. And if you see you're not really considering that you're not really seeing that you could really grow in your knowledge of God. In fact, for question number three, I really want you to ask God to show you this. Are there any ways you are comparing yourself to others to other people and becoming proud? What is a verse that will help you consider God to keep you humble? Like, hey, I don't want to be one of the branches that's like, hey, I'm a new branch. Look at me. In fact, look what he says in Romans 11:24. Go back to Romans 11, verse 24. And look at how he ends this discussion. He's kind of using this horticultural analogy of grafting branches, in grafting all of shoots in. And then it says here in verse 24, as he's kind of summarizing his whole picture of the olive tree for if you were cut from what is by nature, a wild olive tree. So if you're one of the Gentiles, who's out here, a wild tree, and you got grafted, contrary to nature, see, this isn't even how it works. People who are really doing this kind of grafting don't take wild shoots, and then graft them into cultivated trees. In fact, you would do the opposite, you would take probably the cultivated tree, and you would graft that into the wild shoot. And so he's saying, Hey, here's you, outside of God's people, and by his kindness, by the love God has for all people he has grafted you in to be one of his people. And that's contrary to nature. That's not even the way you would think that it would work. Well, hey, if God's brought you into a cultivated olive tree, how much more see here's another… if you've been brought in, if you've been grafted in, how much more will these, the natural branches, the Jews, they could be grafted back into their own olive tree. If he can graft in the Gentiles, then he can graft in the Jews, too.
Because our God is mighty to save our God can make anyone, he wants to be one of his people. And if God has made you to be one of his people, don't start making it about you, don't start thinking how much better you are than other people who are not his people. Stay humble before your God. Now note the kindness that God has treated you with. And note the severity that, if God was willing to judge his own people, the Jews throughout history, then God will be willing to judge anyone here who continues in sin as well. And consider who God is in his kindness to you and his severity to you and worship God. That is the problem. What's the point of being one of God's people if you're going to make it about you. The point of being one of God's people is you get to know God. You get to worship him. You get to never be alone for the rest of your life. You get to gather together with the people on Saturday night and you get to sing songs; that means something and a world full of songs about broken hearts and empty lyrics. You can sing something that matters, because he's your God. And you're one of his people that don't make it about the rituals, the traditions, the things that we do. The purpose of being one of God's people is you get to behold the glory of God, and all of his kindness to a sinner like you, and all of his severity, that you never hope to experience, because of Jesus Christ. We get to be branches grafted in. That is priceless. Let's not make it a cheap thing. Let's pray.
Father in heaven, we come before you, and we have to confess that the pride that was there among the Jews is also here in the church. And this grace that you give us, this kindness that you give us, to draw us to Christ, to bring a sin among your people, what a blessing it is, to have the truth of who you are revealed to us to have the gospel that Jesus died and rose again. To know what Easter is all about what a blessing it is, for us to get to be your people. And then, Father, we just need to confess that sometimes we make it about us being the people. And we stop making it about you being our God. And so I pray that you would make it very clear here tonight, that if any of us are comparing ourselves to the sin of the Jews of old, or if we're comparing ourselves to the sin of lukewarm Christians around us, or we're comparing ourselves to people who don't even go to church. If we're comparing ourselves to anyone other than you, I pray that tonight, we can humble ourselves. And we could confess our arrogance, that we would own up to our pride. The only way we think we're better is when we're looking and comparing ourselves to others. Father, I pray that tonight you would open our eyes to see You high and lifted up. And that we would truly be humbled that we would be sorry for the high view we've had of ourselves, and the low view we've had of you. And I pray that tonight, you would show everybody here your kindness and your severity. And I pray that we would not presume upon your kindness. I pray that no one would take your grace for granted. I pray that no one will look at how patient you've been to us and how forbearing you've been to us, and the fact that we have never yet experienced your judgment. And I pray that we will thank you for your grace to us, for your kindness to us. Father, I pray that we would not be so foolish as to believe that just because we have not experienced your judgment means we will never experience your judgment. Help us to see that all of those who continue in sin are storing up wrath for themselves and will be judged. Help us to see that you are not deceived. You are a God who is not mocked. We are going to reap what we sow. And so if there's anybody here, who is continuing in sin, anybody here who thinks that they're one of your favorites, and they're going to get away with it, but they can be bad, and you will still treat them good. I pray that they will be able to see your kindness and your severity. And that they will turn that kindness, will have its work in their life to turn them in repentance, away from their sin, and that they will trust in the love that you've poured out in your son Jesus, who died for that sin so we could be done with it. It is finished, paid in full. And the life that we now live because we've been crucified with Christ, we no longer live for ourselves, but we live by faith for the one who loved us and gave himself for us. Father, I pray for those who continue in sin that tonight you would save them in your kindness, but they would see your severity and turn to you before it's too late. And so, Father, please teach us as a church how you are high and lifted up so that we can know you, the one true God. And we pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.