I would like you to turn to the book of Romans and chapter 11. We are going to read today the first 15 verses of Romans chapter 11. And we find out in these 15 verses, in fact, the whole chapter 11 of Romans, the importance of knowing and understanding God's purposes for the people of Israel in the future day. And that is exactly what the apostle Paul, what Shaul is trying to communicate with the brothers and sisters in the city of Rome. And let me read these verses and please follow the reading. Verse 1, Paul is saying, "I say then, hath God cast his people? God forbid. For I am also an Israeli of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin." He says, "God hath not cast away his people, which he foreknew.

What ye not, what the scripture saith of Elijah, how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and they dig down thine altars, and I am left alone, and they seek after my life." He says, "What sayeth the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knees to the image of Baal. Even so then, at this present time also, there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works. Otherwise, grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace.

Otherwise, work is no more work." He says, "What then? Israel has not obtained that which he seeked for, but the election has obtained it, and the rest were blinded or hardened. According as it is written, God has given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear unto this day." "And David saith, let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a recompense unto them. Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back always." "I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid!

But rather, through their fall, salvation is common to the Gentiles, to the goyim, for to provoke them to jealousy." "Now, if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! For I speak unto you, Gentiles, inasmuch as I am an apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify my office, if by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead?" And I am stopping in the reading here, in verse 15, which is the first three points that the Apostle Paul presents here in these verses to the Gentile believers in the city of Rome, concerning the future of the nation of Israel." Now, brothers and sisters, as we have said in, in fact, every meeting, I am making sure that we understand where we are in the text.

We are in the Book of Romans, and the Book of Romans is one of the most important documents that we have in the Word of God. All the Bible is important, but the Book of Romans is essential to understand. When we are beginning our studies of the Book of Romans, we have said that most Bible teachers say that every believer in Yeshua, the Messiah, need to be a Roman soldier. A Roman soldier, meaning that you should understand the Book of Romans. The first few chapters of the Book of Romans talked about the sin that the whole world had been plunged into. Then the salvation that had been provided for us by Yeshua.

Then sanctification, that we need to live a sanctified life as believers walking here in this world. And in here, the section that we study, Romans 9, 10, and 11, the thought of the sovereignty of God. God is sovereign, and He has elected the nation of Israel. And in Romans 9, we saw the past privileges of Israel. In Romans 10, we see the present condition of the nation of Israel. And the fact that Israel as a nation is still blinded to the Messiahship of Israel. And that's the problem that Israel has. And now we begin today in Romans 11, the future prospect for the nation of Israel. And Romans 11 is very important for us to understand.

So a person may ask, what's going to happen with the Hebrews? What's going to happen with the Israelis? What's going to happen with the Jewish people in the future day? Do they have a future? Will they ever be restored to God? What's going to happen? Well, Romans 11 gives us the answer. Romans 11 gives us a New Testament, clear answer concerning the future of Israel. Israel yet has a glorious future. Israel yet has a day when Israel as a nation is going to be regathered and brought back to God. And they will be used by Yeshua, the Messiah, to bring blessings to the rest of the nation of the world.

And so Paul brings it to the table or to the witness stand witnesses, one after another to show us that Israel truly has a future. And so in these verses that we are studying today, we can see that Israel rejection of the Messiah is not complete. It is not total. Not everyone rejected the Messiah. And then we can see also in this chapter, that Israel rejection of the Messiah is not final. There is yet coming a day when they will no longer be blinded, where they will no longer reject Yeshua, the Messiah, our Messiah, whom we love and we have accepted him into our life, receive the forgiveness of sins that he had provided for us.

Israel one day as a nation will accept the Messiahship of Yeshua. So he brings one by one to present before the Roman believers to show them that Israel yet has a future. And you know what he does here in the first verse. Actually verse 1 and verse 2a, he presents himself the Apostle Paul. His Hebrew name is Shaul and his diaspora name is Paul. And he presents himself and he's saying to the Roman believers in verse 1, "I say then hath God cast away his people? God forbid, for I am also an Israeli of the seed of Abraham and of the tribe of Benjamin. God, verse 2a, hath not cast away his people which he foreknew." Now this verse or verse and a half is very important because the Apostle now, remember, he's a Hebrew, Israeli, he is Jewish, and he's telling to the Romans to whom he writes, "Listen, has God actually cast away his people?" And he's using that word "his people." He doesn't say like some say, you know, "They used to be his people, but they are no longer his people." Well, the Apostle should have write it this way if what those people say is true.

He should have write, "Has God cast away the one that used to be his people and are no longer his people?" No, he doesn't say so. He says, "Hath God cast away his people, his nation?" Even if the nation of Israel is still today in a state of blindness to the Messiahship of Yeshua, they are still reckoned in the Bible, they are still reckoned in the eyes of God as his people. And he's looking at them as the whole nation of Israel, and he's saying, "Listen, they are his people." As far as God's concerned, he have elected the nation of people to represent him here in this world.

But, as we know, as a nation, they have a problem. Chapter 10, they have rejected the Messiah, Yeshua. They have not accepted the Messiahship of Yeshua. And so, they are now nationally hardened, nationally blinded. And therefore, today, as a nation, they are still in darkness. They are still in blindness. Rejecting the Lord Jesus. And unsaved as a nation. But they are still considered in the Bible as his people. So, Paul is saying, "Has God cast away his people?" And he answered, "God forbid, may it never be. Let it be taken out of your mind. It is not possible. God hath not rejected his people." He's saying in verse 1b, "I am an Israeli of the seed of Abraham and of the tribe of Benjamin." If you will notice this statement here.

First of all, he says, "I am an Israeli." "Israeli connect him with Jacob." Jacob's name was changed to Israel. Then he says, "I am of the seed of Abraham." Abraham was the first Hebrew in Genesis chapter 14. That means that he's not only Israeli, he's also a Hebrew connecting him with Abraham. And thirdly, he says, "I am of the tribe of Benjamin." It was Benjamin that linked himself from the tribe of Judah. And therefore, we can see that Apostle Paul, that Shaul here is a Hebrew, Israeli, and Jewish. We can see him as a person that is linked with the nation of Israel and connected to Abraham, to Jacob, and to Judah.

We can see, he says, "Listen, God hath not cast away his people in Israel, and I am a proof that he has not cast away the nation of Israel." I am a proof because I myself, Jewish, Hebrew, Israeli, he hasn't cast away his people. I am a living proof," the Apostle Paul is saying. And it is very interesting, if you notice in the scriptures, when you turn to the book of Acts, and we are not going to turn to it right now, three times in the book of Acts, we have recorded the coming to faith in Yeshua the Messiah by Shaul of Tarsas. Three times it is mentioned in the scriptures in the book of Acts.

It is mentioned in Acts chapter 9, the actual event, when Shaul on the way to Damascus, with letters from the leaders in Jerusalem, to kill the believers in Damascus, to bring them to Jerusalem, those who are Jewish believers, to bring them to the city of Jerusalem, he has letters in his hand, and he is taking those letters on the way to Damascus. Yeshua the Messiah, the glorified Messiah, met him on the way. And you remember, he lost his sight, he became blind. He heard the voice of Yeshua, the Lord Jesus from heaven, and he says, "Shaul, Shaul, why are you persecuting me?" And you remember what Shaul said?

He fell on his face, and he says, "I am Yeshua, I am Jesus, who you are persecuting." And of course, you know, brothers and sisters, that Shaul was not persecuting Yeshua, because Yeshua, the Lord Jesus, was in heaven. He was persecuting the believers that were here on earth. He was going to bring those letters to Damascus, to the Senagogues, that where all those Jewish people who believed in the Messiah were there, bring them to Jerusalem, and then in Jerusalem they will execute them, and they will do harm to them because of their faith in the Messiah. And Yeshua said to him, "Shaul, I am Jesus, I am Yeshua, whom you, Shaul, persecuting." And when he was persecuting the Hebrew believers of first century, the first Christians, Jewish believers in the first century, he was actually persecuting the Messiah himself.

Because he is the head in glory, and the believers as the body here on earth. They were connected and linked so much together that whenever Shaul had persecuted those believers, he actually persecuted the glorified, the Lord Jesus himself. That's how much they were linked with him. And three times, brothers and sisters, we read in the book of Acts chapter 9, chapter 22, Acts chapter 26, we read that the Apostle Paul rehearses again and again the experience that he had in coming to faith in the Messiah. He says, "Listen, I am a living proof that God has not cast away his people. which he foreknew." God had a purpose for the nation.

He has elected this nation for himself. And out of this, he says, "Look at me," he says, "I am a Hebrew. I am an Israeli. I am a Jewish man that I became a believer in Yeshua the Messiah. I am a living proof," he's saying to the Roman believers. "I am an Israeli of the seed of Abram, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew." God had a purpose for the nation. He have elected this nation for himself. And out of this total nation, he always had a remnant that would believe in him and follow after him. And Shaul was one of them.

And he says, "Listen, God hath not cast away his people." And three times, the Bible shows us the experience that Shaul had when he came to faith in Yeshua the Messiah. But even more, brothers and sisters, I would like you to see something here that I think is very important. I want you please to turn with me to two passages in the New Testament. And I want you to see what the Apostle Paul say when he's saying about his own experience and how it's linked with the nation of Israel. If you turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, I want you to read with me this verse there.

1 Corinthians chapter 15, it says this. The Apostle is writing about the Gospel and the essence of the Gospel. And everyone that will ever become a child of God must believe in this Gospel. Just the same like Israel will have to accept it. And what is the Gospel? It says here in verse 3 of 1 Corinthians chapter 15, "I delivered unto you first of all, that which I also received, how that the Messiah died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen of Cephas, and then of the Twelve, and after that He was seen of above 500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep." Then verse 7 and 8, "He was seen of all, He was seen of James, and of all the apostles." And then look what Paul is saying about himself in verse 8.

He says, "And last of all, He was seen of me also as one that is born out of due time." Now I love that statement. And many, if you will read commentaries, when some Bible teachers will speak about this expression here, that in verse 8, "And last of all, He was seen of me, and that expression as one that is born out of due time." Shaul was saying, really? He says, "Look, I became a believer in the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. I was born spiritually out of due time. It was really not my time. I was born spiritually early sooner than the rest of my nation.

I was born ahead of time." You know, the apostle linked himself so much with the nation of Israel that he was speaking of himself as one that was born early. He was like this early bird that came to faith in the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, earlier than the rest of his own nation. And you see, when he was saying such a statement, "I was born out of due time." What he's really saying here, there is a time that the rest of the nation will be born in time. But I am early. I became a believer in the Messiahship of Yeshua sooner than the rest of the nation of Israel.

And by the way, his faith in the Messiah and his experience that he had became like a pattern of the way that Israel as a nation will become a saved nation. Another verse that I want to read, found in 1 Timothy 1:16. Let me read that to you also, because that is linked very much with the verse that we have just read. 1 Timothy 1:16. Look and listen to the beautiful verse that the apostle is saying. Now, he's writing to Timothy. He's a younger one, younger believer, Jewish believer. And he's saying to him, Timothy, in verse 15, "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus, that the Messiah Yeshua, came into this world to save sinners, of whom I am the chief." He always thought of himself as the chief of sinners.

You think that you are a sinner? He said, "I'm greater. I'm chiefer than you." You think that you have had so many sins in your life? He said, "I have had more than you. I'm the chiefest of sinners." And then he says in verse 16. "However, for this cause I obtain mercy, that in me," this is in Paul, in Shaul, "First Jesus the Messiah might show forth his long-suffering for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to an everlasting life." Paul is speaking of himself and he says, "You know what? Yeshua the Messiah used me as a pattern. He used me as a pattern to those that in a future day will come to faith in a Messiah.

I became as a patron to them which should hereafter believe on him to everlasting life." Now bear with me for a moment. When the Lord Jesus the Messiah led Shaul to faith in him, Shaul had an experience that I don't think any one of us have ever experienced such an experience. You and I got saved and accepted the Lord Yeshua the Messiah when somebody shared the message of the Gospel. Maybe some of us had a tough time in our life. Maybe we have had some experiences in our life that drove us to accept the Lord Jesus the Messiah, whether through word or whether through action, whether through experience in our life, none of us had the experience that Shaul had on the way to Damascus.

None of us have ever seen and heard the voice of Yeshua from heaven and that he said, Shaul, Shaul, why you persecute me? None of us can say that. None of us can say that we became blinded when we heard the message of the Gospel. None of us can say that we have been called, we have literally heard the voice of the Lord coming from heaven. None of us can say that we can look up the Bav and we have actually have experienced the sight that Shaul have experienced 2,000 years ago. And I want to tell you why I'm saying this. Because the experience that Shaul have had on the way to Damascus is a similar pattern that Israel as a nation will come to faith in a Messiah in a coming day.

The Apostle Paul, born out of due time. And Apostle Paul became a pattern to those that will come believers in a future day. And specifically, I would like to suggest today, dear brothers and sisters, that it has a reference to the nation of Israel and how they, as a nation, will come to faith in the Lord Jesus, the Messiah in his second coming to this earth. Remember what the book of Revelation says in Revelation chapter 1 and verse 7? "Every eye shall see him," Revelation 1:11 and there in verse 7, and specifically it has a reference to the nation of Israel. It says in verse 7, it continues, "He cometh in the clouds, and every eye shall see him, also which pierce him, and all the kinders or all the tribes of the earth or of the land shall wail because of him." Revelation 1:7 specifically has a connection with the coming to the Messiah into this world in a second coming, and the nation of Israel.

"They shall look upon him whom they have pierced, and they will mourn as one mourned for his only son." And there will be a repentance of the nation of Israel. And all the nation, as a nation, will come to faith in the Mashiach, in Christ. And they will fall on their faces. We read in Scripture, "When they will see him whom they have pierced, and they will mourn, and they will weep." And just like the experience that Shaul had on the way to Damascus, they will have the experience in a future day, when they are going to look at the one that they have rejected for so many years.

And they will finally embrace him and accept him. Zechariah 12:10-13:1 it says, "And a fountain of grace will be opened for them, for the nation of Israel." When they as a nation will accept the Messiahship of Yeshua. And Shaul is one that was born out of time too early. The nation is going to come later. Shaul became a pattern, 1st Timothy 1 and verse 16, to those that will come to faith in the Messiah in the coming day. It was the experience of Shaul that is mentioned three times in the Book of Acts, to reveal to us the importance of the coming of the Messiah one day to restore the nation of Israel to himself.

And that's what the Apostle is saying here in Romans 11 and verse 1 and 2a, where he says, "God has not cast away his people." He says, "God forbid, I am also an Israel. I am of the seed of Abraham. And I am of the tribe of Benjamin. God have not cast his people, Israel, away." And so the first witness that came to the witness stand is none else but Shaul himself. And he's showing to us that God have not finished with the nation of Israel. How many of you can say that much that you hear today around the professing Christian community, many would say that God has finished with the Jews, you see?

God has finished with Israel. God has finished with the Hebrews. They don't have any more future. Now we, the church, replacing Israel, and God has no more future for the nation of Israel. Shaul, Paul said to the believers at Rome, he says, "God forbid." "God forbid." "God has not cast away his people whom he foreknew." God has yet a plan for the people of Israel for the future day. We are in the present dispensation of the grace of God where Jews and non-Jews are united together in the body of Messiah, which we call the church, the ecclesia, the called out one. But when the time comes, and we as believers in this body of Messiah are going to end up our time here, will be raptured out of this world, Yeshua the Messiah is going to come to restore the nation of Israel at the end of the tribulation period.

And then Israel will become a nation that will be restored unto the God who called them, who foreknew them. But he doesn't stop here, because he's moving on now in the next verses, 2b, all the way to verse 10, and now he's speaking to us about a second witness to the truth that God have not cast away his people. And the second witness is none else but the prophet Elijah himself. In Hebrew we call him Eliyahu, means my God Jehovah is he. Eliyahu was a prophet in Israel. We read 1st Kings chapter 19, the first 18 verses, and you notice that the apostle here takes us all the way back to 1st Kings.

All the way back to the time when Elijah, Eliyahu, was a prophet in Israel. And Eliyahu saw the condition of Israel at that time when Israel and the king Ahav had been in a poor state. There was a wicked wife of Ahab by the name of Isabel, and she had led the nation astray. She had led Ahab astray. And they have caused so much havoc to the people of Israel at that time, and they have followed idolatry. They have gone astray from the things of God. And now Paul takes us all the way back, and he shows us that the second proof that God had not finished with Israel, and that Israel has a future, is really found with some of the things that Elijah himself had to learn.

And so notice in verse 2b to verse 4, we have the historical example. He says, "Don't you yet know what the scripture is saying about Eliyahu?" How he made intercession to God against Israel? By the way, never make intercession to God against the people of Israel. Never make intercession to God against the people of God. We are never to pray against the people of God, and we had to pray for the people of God, and we had to pray for correction among the people of God, but never to pray against them. Elijah did. It says here in verse 2, he made intercession to God against Israel, and look what he said, "Lord, they have killed thy prophets, they have digged down thine altars, and I am alone left, and they seek now my life." Verse 4, What did God say to Elijah?

He said, "I have reserved to myself 7,000 men who have not bowed their knee to the image of Baal." You see, Elijah thought that he was the only one that is faithful among the Hebrews, among the people of Israel. And he began to pray to God, and he says, "God, look what they have done, they killed the prophets, they digged down the altars, they have done all these, God, and I am left alone. You see, God, I am the only faithful one, God." And God had to say to Eliyahu, Eliyahu, "Listen, what are you doing here?" Remember we read in 1 Kings chapter 19, he was there in the cave, and he was waiting to hear the voice of the Lord.

It was not the wind, it was not the fire. It was a still small voice that God was speaking and saying to Elijah, "What are you doing here?" And Elijah had to bow his head, had to put his head between his knees, and to recognize that he thought that he was the only one. He thought that Israel forsook the Lord, and there is nobody from the people of Israel who followed God anymore. And God had to say to Eliyahu, "I reserved for myself." You know, it gives me joy when I think about it, but there were many, and there are many Jewish people today. There are many Israelis who believe in the Messiah.

You and I might not see them. You and I might not know where all of them are. It looks like there are a handful, and there are a handful. And it looks like there's only me here. And I remember years ago, when I first became a believer in Yeshua, I thought I was the only Jewish man upon the face of the earth that came to faith in Jesus. And I said, "What have I done? What's happening? What's going on? What about my people? Look at them. None of them believe." And you could only hardly find one here and one there. And yet, as time went on, I discovered that there are many Jewish people that already came to faith in the Messiah long before I have even come to faith that they have already have themselves gone through struggleings and challenges that they have faced.

And God has touched many Jewish people and many hearts and many of them came to faith in the Messiah. God said to Eliyahu here in verse 4, He said, "I have reserved to myself." I have reserved Elijah to myself. It is for me. I have reserved 7,000 men who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. You see, the rest of the nation have allowed Baal to be worshipped, have listened to Jezebel, have listened to the wicked man, the wicked king Ahab. But there is always those that have never done so and been faithful to God. And that's what he is saying. That's what Paul is showing to the believers in Rome.

Listen, I am a witness that God has a future for Israel. And the Elijah experience shows us that there are many that are still believing in the Messiah today. And yet there is a future that God is going to bring the whole nation unto salvation. And you notice in the next verse 5, the application to the present time. In Romans 11 verse 5, "Even so," he said, "Just like then, just like at the time of 1st King chapter 19 at the time of Elijah, even like then, today at this present time also, there is a remnant according to the election of grace." You notice some of the things. the word "remnant." The word "remnant" here, it's the Hebrew word "she'erit." It's the Greek word "le'ima," which means "left over." "She'erit," or "remains." There is always "remains." You have the total nation of Israel, and there is the remains of the nation of Israel.

Within the totality of the nation of Israel, there was always the remnant. And the remnant size may be different in every period of time in the history of Israel, but there is always from the whole Israel, there is Israel. The whole Israel by nature, by natural birth, there is the Israel by natural and by spiritual. Israel is always a remnant. So just like then, there is also today a remnant according to, here's the word, "election" of grace. I know we often time have a problem with the word "election." "To elect" means "to choose." "To elect" means "to have a purpose." God had a plan, and He had elected them in eternity past, and in time they became His own.

And so there is election. And thirdly, it is according to the election of grace, of chesed, of chen. That means that we did not deserve it, but God showed grace, God's favor, unmerited favor, towards each and every one of us, but here each and every one of the Jewish, Hebrew, Israeli believers in this present day. wonderful to know that. So He is saying to the brothers and sisters at Rome, "Listen, there is a future for Israel, the evidence of it, is that I am today is a living testimony to show you that here I am a Hebrew, and if God have completely finished with the nation of Israel, how come I am here?" Secondly, He says, not only the fact that I, look at the history, look at Elijah, historically, Eliyahu, at the time when Israel were in such a decline.

Look how God, have had 7,000 souls, men who did not bow their knees to the image of Baal. And the proof of it, I want to tell you, He is saying to them that even today there are those Hebrews who are believers. who are believers, even this day, in the present time, there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And grace, brothers and sisters, is such an important thing. You and I are in this wonderful relationship with God is because of grace. You and I could not save ourselves. We could not do anything in order to bring ourselves into a relationship with God. God showed us grace.

And grace is unmerited favor. If man does not take this unmerited favor, he is a fool. Because we don't deserve it. We could not earn salvation. And God has done something for us in providing for us His Son. And every sin that one committed throughout our life can be forgiven to us when one confesses, Lord, I am a sinner. And thank you for giving me your dear Son, the Messiah of Israel, the Savior of this world, to die for my sin. And now He is giving them the explanation that it is grace and grace alone. In verse 6. Notice that. If by grace, then it is no more works.

Otherwise, grace is no more grace. But if it is of works, then it is no more grace. Otherwise, work is no more work. He is explaining to us. He says, listen, it is either grace or works. Do you want to try to get saved, to receive forgiveness of sins on the basis of works? Try it. Try to be good for 24 hours. Try to live a clean, pure life for one hour. Try to have your mind thinking perfectly for one hour, and you will see how deceitful our mind and our hearts are, and how we cannot for moments without failure, sin. And that is what He is saying.

It is either grace or works. Grace and works cannot mix. It is like water and oil. You cannot mix it. It is either grace or works. It is either chen or chesed or avoda, works. You cannot mix them. John chapter one says, the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Yeshua, the Messiah. And so He says, you cannot mix them. If it is grace, it is no more works. If it is works, it is no more grace. You can't have them both ways in order to be redeemed. Now, works comes after we have received the grace. Works come after we have been forgiven, then works coming after.

Therefore, we should live our lives and the evidence of the grace that we have received will be as we live our life here pleasing to the Lord. And so now, after He gives us the explanation that it is by grace alone that we have been saved and that Israel will be saved in a future day, then He gives us the conclusion. He says, look, in the next verse seven, He says, what then? Israel have not obtained that which Israel is seeking for, but the election have obtained it, and the rest were blinded or hardened. You know what the conclusion is? Simply this. He's telling to the Romans, He says, you see now, when you look at the nation of Israel, the rest of the nation of Israel, they did not obtain salvation.

They did not obtain justification. Why? Because they sought it by works and not by faith. And that's why the Israel, the large Israel, if you will, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the flesh, have not obtained it because they sought to gain it by works. That's what we have the problem in Roman chapter 10, where we have studied before. Brethren, He said, my heart desire and prayer to God for Israel that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. They are ignorant of God's righteousness, and they are going about to establish their own righteousness, and they have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

See, that's what Israel's problem is. They sought to obtain righteousness by good works. And you know today, brothers and sisters, go to be among our Jewish people, and you will see the conservative Jewish people would constantly seek to do works in order to be justified. Whether it is keeping the Shabbat, or whether it is proper eating, or not mixing meat and milk, or whether it is not holding money on Saturday, or whether it is not working on a Shabbat, or whether it is works that have been developed by the rabbinical teachings that have nothing to do even with the Bible. It's works and works which do not give us peace in our hearts.

And how many Gentiles are doing the very same thing? They are trying to be justified with God on the basis of works, good deeds, and it doesn't give them justification. And here we see the problem with Israel. It's no longer, it's either works or grace. Works will never bring us justification. Grace has been provided justification for us through the Lord Jesus the Messiah. So it says in verse 7, "What then? Israel, that's the whole, has not obtained that which they sought for, but the election, or the elect one, the believers, they did." Why? Because they did not seek after it with works, but they accepted the grace of God.

And it says here in verse 7 at the end, "And the rest were blinded." In other words, for blinded is hardened. You know what God did? He judicially hardened the hearts of the rest of the nation. He judicially, in judgment, He disciplined His very own nation in hardening their hearts because He have opened the door, He have revealed to them so much, and the nation rejected, and again rejected, and again rejected. We are calling it judicial blindness. In some of our studies, I've already mentioned the difference between natural blindness, willful blindness, and judicial blindness. Natural blindness we all have when we were born into this world.

We are naturally blinded. We cannot see the things of God. But then there is willful blindness. We receive information and guidance how to be right with God, and men reject it. That is willful blindness. But what we have here in verse 7, it's not natural blindness. It's not willful blindness. It's the consequence of willful blindness. It is judicial blindness. That's why it says, the rest were blinded. God had blinded the eyes of the vast majority of the nation of Israel because of the rejection of the Messiahship of Yeshua. And so verse 7 teaches us that the election obtained it because they got it by grace. And the rest were blinded because of the judicial blindness that came after the willful blindness.

And today, when somebody will reject the Lord, and he will be exposed to the Gospel, and God will speak to them, and speak again and again, and there is a coming point where God says, "Okay, I gave you all the opportunities. I've presented before you my son. I've shared with you. I've sent messengers to listen to my voice, I've rejected it." And God said, and we do not know when, and the time. God says, "That's it. The time now, that even if you want to come to me, I'm going to judge you, and I'm not enable you to come to faith in me." And that's the way that God is working things out in his ways, in his time.

You know, we have this same expression is found in the book of 2 Thessalonians in chapter 2, where we find out that eventually God will blind man's eyes because rejection of the Messiah. It says in verse 11 in 2 Thessalonians 2, "For this cause, God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie. Why? That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 11 and 12. That will happen in the tribulation period to a world that have rejected the Messiahship of Yeshua. And so, Paul is a witness, verse 1 and 2b. Elijah is a witness, verse 2b, all the way to verse 10.

Look what it says now in verses 8, 9, and 10. The apostle is now giving us quotation from the Tanakh, from the Old Testament. And it is interesting because the quotation coming from the whole Old Testament, from the law, from the prophets, and from the writings. The Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim. You know, the Old Testament, the Tanakh, has three sections. The first five books of Moses is the law. From Joshua all the way up to the end of the prophets is the prophets. And the Ketuvim, the writings, is the Psalms and the Proverbs. This is the third section of the Old Testament. And look, verses 8, 9, and 10. According as it is written, God has given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear.

That is coming from the book of Deuteronomy chapter 29 and Isaiah chapter 29. The law and the prophets. But then we continue and he gives them also from the writing what David said in the psalm. Verse 9, David said in the psalm, "Let their table be made a snare and a trap and a stumbling block and a recompense unto them. Let their eyes be darkened that they may not see and bow down their back always." You know, here David says in Psalm 69, verse 22 and 23, David says, "Let their table be made a snare." Now that is sad, you know, because a table, when you spread a table, is where you have all the food to enjoy.

The table suggests of that which belongs to you to enjoy. Because it says, "their table." Now what happened here, beloved brothers and sisters, we learn here, that the table represent what belonged to Israel. What belonged to the Jewish people that God had given to the nation. The word of God. The promises of God. The covenants of God with them. The prophets of God. The law givers of God. What God had given to our own people as the nation of Israel. And the table become a snail. The blessings become a cursing. You know what sometimes can happen? The blessings that one can have. If he or she do not appreciate what God have done, the same blessing end up to be a cursing when we reject what God had provided for us.

You know, it had been said that the same sun that comes as a blessing to us who melt the wax, also the same sun harden the clay. That would happen. The same sun that God had given to us in heaven as a blessing, showers of blessing that we will enjoy it as a heat and light and warmth. When we reject what God provided for us, the same sun will be the one that will be used to harden, to be hardening the clay. the same table that became, that was given by God to our own people Israel. Table of blessings and mercies. Table of promises. The same table became, as it says here, became as a snare and as a trap.

you will find many of our conservative Jewish people reading the word of God. They know their Bible very well. They know the word of God very well, much more than many Christians today. But the very same Bible clearly teaching us about the promises concerning the coming of the Messiah. Clearly teaching us about the fact that we need to be saved. Clearly teaching us about the fact that God is a holy and a righteous God and one need to confess their sins to turn to Him. But we can read the very same Bible and we look at the very same verses and we can be rejecting the word of God and then it's become like a snare.

We become blinded to the truth of the word of God. The word, the table become a snare and a trap and a stumbling block. Because you take the word of God and you say, no, no, that is not what it meant. It made something else. Oh, no, no, no, really. That is not what it's promised. No, no, we don't need the blood anymore. You see, we can be forgiven on the basis of works. We don't need the blood of the sacrifice. Oh, you see, we can do this and we can do this and what you're doing, you're taking the word of God that promised blessings and you deny the truth in it and you end up allowing it to become now a snare and a trap.

And as it says here in verse 9, 9, a stumbling block and a recompense unto them. Then it says in verse 10, as he concluding with the witness of Elijah, he says, "Let their eyes be darkened that they may not see and bow down their back away." In other words, ultimately, the table will become a snare to the nation and indeed, beloved brothers and sisters, to see Israel as a nation who has so much truth in their hand and yet, Israel as a nation have not accepted the Messiahship of Yeshua. And here, the apostle is telling to the brethren at Rome, listen brothers and sisters, the proof that Israel have yet a future even though they are blinded today is number one, look at me, and I am a witness to you today.

And number two, look at when Elijah was the one who was accusing Israel, even at that time God said to him that they are those that did not bow their knees to Baal and that they worship the true and living God. So, two witnesses we have so far in verses one to ten. Let's look quickly in the remaining time that we have to the third witness and you know he's the third witness, the third witness is the Gentile world. It's the believers in this world who are coming from among the nations of this world. That is from verse 11 to verse 15. Here the apostle showing the Roman believers the purpose that Israel has been rejecting the Messiah.

The fact that Israel rejected the Messiah in this present-day dispensation is in order that the Gentile Christians the Gentiles believers in Yeshua the Messiah that they will be used to reach the people of Israel in turn with the gospel. Let me remind you that the first believers were all Jewish. The first Christians or Meschichim were all Hebrew Jewish. The first people who accepted the Messiah were Hebrews. they have spread the gospel in the world. They have shared the message with the Gentile world and now in return Paul is saying there is a responsibility in the plan of God for the Gentile Christians now to reach back to the Jewish people in sharing with them the gospel.

And so in verse 11 now he is saying first of all in verse 11 he asked a question and he is also giving us an answer. look at the question in verse 11. I say then have they stumbled that they should fall? Notice that? He is telling to the believers at Rome he says look do you think that the fact that they stumble the reason for that is that they will fall ultimately and they completely will fall and completely will never have a time for restoration? He says God forbid. By the way this is the second time he used the word God forbid. Or may it never be.

perish the thought he is saying in verse 11. God forbid he is saying to the believers at Rome but rather that through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles. Do you know beloved brothers and sisters you are here that are not from a Jewish background that you who have become a believer you have been benefited from Israel's rejection of the Messiahship of Yeshua. The Gentile world have benefited. God forbid he says through their fall salvation came unto the Gentile. Now we know it is in the plan of God but what happened if Israel as a nation would have accepted Yeshua at his first coming? We know it would not happen because God has said it in the scripture but here the Apostle Paul shows us the heart of God and he says look the reason that they have fallen the reason that they have stumbled is in order that the Gentile world will receive salvation.

The gospel have gone all the way beyond the borders of Israel to the nations of this world. And so through Israel's fall salvation came unto the Gentiles but it doesn't stop there. because what happens if the Gentile world will say oh well now I am saved now we are saved now our sins are forgiven and we will hold it there and not use the salvation to share back the gospel with the people of Israel that will not be the plan of God. that is not what God have intended. It says here in verse 11 that through their fall salvation came unto the Gentile and he adds here for to provoke them this is Israel to jealousy.

There is a responsibility that Christians that believers in Yeshua believers in the Lord Jesus have today is to provoke the Jewish people to jealousy. I mentioned that already in chapter 10 when we studied that over the 2,000 years of church age a lot of provoking have happened to the Jewish people by the Christians or professing Christians but most of it was not to jealousy most of it was to anger. A lot of things have happened that have provoked Jewish people not to be jealous of what the Christians have but to make them angry and to say you keep your Jesus and I keep my God. That's what happened.

I know. I know for a fact from experience and I can tell you this from experience. I know that from experience and I'm not only known from experience I said this many times before I know other believers Jewish people that have told me certain things about what they knew or what they heard by professing Christians telling them you killed Jesus. You are the one that rejected your Messiah. God finish with you Jews. There is no hope for the future of Israel anymore. It's because of you that my Savior died. They don't know that the Savior had to die and because his or her own sins that he had to die.

And that if he or she were there 2,000 years ago they would do the very same thing. We will not have this man to rule over us. That's what you and I would say if we were there 2,000 years ago. Because your heart and my heart are just as sinful and deceitful as was the hearts of those that have been there 2,000 years ago. I remember a Russian person a Russian family who told me that when they lived in Russia the only way they knew that they were Jews is by the fact that they were appointed by professing Christians who said to them you are Jesus killer. And they said what did I do?

I was not there 2,000 years ago. I was not there. But that's how they knew and every generation have heard the same thing over the 2,000 years of church history. I don't have to tell you about what the Crusaders did in the name of Jesus. Take Jewish people put them into the synagogue burn the synagogue and go worship their Jesus. Could you provoke any Jewish person to jealousy this way? Can you lead any Hebrew to the Messiahship of Yeshua this way? There is a responsibility beloved brothers and sisters that believers that Christians have. And I did not say it. Paul said it. And it doesn't matter how I feel or many other Jewish people feel but the Bible teaching this to us.

That's the word of the Lord. That's the word of God. There is a responsibility for Christians to provoke the people of Israel to jealousy. Look at that again. I say had they stumble that they should fall? God forbid but rather through their fall salvation came unto the Gentiles for to provoke them to jealousy. In chapter 10 we read earlier in verse 19 but I say did Israel know? First Moses said I will provoke you I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are not a people and by a foolish nation I will anger you.

You see Moses already in the Torah said to Israel that there will come a day in the future day that I will provoke you through a nation that was not a nation through a people that were not a people by a people there were no people and you know brothers and sisters you and I can say especially from the nation of the world they were not a people not in relationship to God but now Gentile believers non-Jewish believers became the people of God where before they were not a people they were not a nation and now believers in Yeshua the Messiah became a people and now there is a responsibility to provoke the Jewish people

to jealousy that is a challenge that Christians have today a challenge to provoke and I said in my experience there were some Christians that have really provoked me to jealousy I have been so attracted to the Messiahship of Yeshua through their testimony that I said I want to learn more about this person and the Lord opened my heart to learn more about Yeshua and fall in love with Him and recognize my sins but it took Gentile Christians to tell me about Him and love me and care enough for my need of salvation and to pray for me to pray for the people of Israel to pray for the peace of Jerusalem the peace of Jerusalem

they that love thee shall prosper the psalmist said to pray for the nation of Israel to provoke them to be jealous over what you and I have that's what the apostle is saying in verse 12, 13, 14, and 15 we see Israel stumbling should teach the Gentile believers lessons look at the lessons first of all in verse 12 that Israel's fullness will bring more than the riches that have already come to this world look verse 12 if the fall of them be riches of the world and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles how much more their fullness you see Paul is saying here if Israel's rejection of the Messiah brought so much

riches to the Gentiles do you want more riches?

he's saying to the Gentiles believers in Rome do you want more blessing? do you want more riches?

he says look what you need to do is to do to provoke them to jealousy that they will come to faith in the Messiah and their fullness will bring greater riches to the world around that's what I never understand why sometimes people who claim to be Christians do not see the importance of Israel restoration to God you see as long that Israel is not accepting the Messiahship of the Lord Jesus this world will be lingering in accepting the riches that God has for them it is only when Israel will accept the Messiahship of Yeshua that the world will truly receive the riches that he is seeking for and that tells us that we should long

for the Israel's salvation we should pray because when Israel being restored the world will see a riches that they have never seen and that's what Paul is saying in verse 12 the fall and the diminishing brought so much riches riches what's gonna be when their fullness come when Israel salvation how much more how much more you know the natural men we always want more riches and more riches and more riches and more riches in a physical realm in a physical sense and that would happen do you want more spiritually speaking well let's get Israel the nation come to faith in Yeshua the Messiah look at the second reason the second lesson in verses 13 and

14 it shows us that Paul's burden for Israel should be also the burden of every Gentile believer in Yeshua in verse 13 and 14 he says look for I speak unto you Gentiles by the way he used the word Gentiles here he doesn't use it in a derogatory way it's a simple word mean goyim goyim means nations I know it's become in the Old Testament time derogatory but it's not the word itself does not have any derogatory meaning it simply means nations goyim in Hebrew Gentiles so he's saying I speak unto you Gentiles inasmuch that I am the apostle of the Gentiles and I am magnifying my office or my ministry if I may by

any means have provoked tumulation them which are of my flesh and I might save some of them you see in those two verses verses 13 and 14 he want to show the believers from among the Gentiles that their hearts should be similar to his heart towards the nation of Israel he's saying in verse 13 he says listen I magnify my office my ministry I am called in the Bible he said as an apostle to the goyim to the nations and I magnify it he said I'm not ashamed of being an apostle to the nation in a sense he said I'm boasting in this and I'm so thankful to God for making me an apostle to

the nation of the world and I thank the Lord Yeshua the Messiah for that but he says listen if I am so delighted in the gift and the calling that God had for me I would like you to share this burden with me towards the nation of Israel that if by any mean he said verse 14 I may provoke to emulation to jealousy again use the word provoke them which are of my flesh he said I wanted to provoke the Gentiles to bring them to the Messiah but I also want to provoke those that are of my flesh the Jewish people the Hebrews the Israelis he says that I might save some what he means

by that he's not the savior he does not save the Messiah save but he can lead them unto salvation he can bring them to be exposed to the person of Yeshua the Messiah and accept him as their lord and as their savior and as the Messiah and so the lesson that they learn that the fullness of Israel will bring more blessing and riches to the Gentile world and that his burden for Israel should be in the hearts of the Gentile believers and finally and finally in verse 15 that Israel return to God will be life to the world look at this in verse 15 if if the casting away of them be the reconciling of

the world he says what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead dead you see he's saying to the Romans believers and to all Christians today if God have in a sense placed them he cast them aside for a moment for a season it's not if the casting away of them reconcile you know reconcile had been turning about so many in the world have been reconciled to God when Israel rejected the Messiah and had been cast away reconciliation of many in the world have happened he says what shall be he's kind of lifting up his hands and his eyes he says what shall be the receiving of them but life from the

dead we live in a poor miserable world that a vast majority of the world is dead in trespasses and sins and this world is awaiting a day when there will be life coming into this world and the only way that the world will enjoy it is when Israel will receive the Messiahship of Yeshua and so brothers and sisters these verses 1 to 15 of Romans chapter 11 gives us three witnesses to the fact that God has yet a future for Israel number one Shaul himself an Israeli a Hebrew a Jew number two Eliyahu and the experience that he had to go through in 1st Kings chapter 19 there are 7,000 souls that God had not

allowed them to bow the knees to Baal and thirdly the Gentile believers are another proof that God has a future and there is a reason why God have allowed Israel to reject the Messiah of Israel so Gentiles will become believers and in return that they will provoke to jealousy the Jewish people and lead them to faith in Yeshua the Messiah the Messiah