Jesus, the redeemer to come out of Zion

I was interested to hear on the radio as I drove home on Thursday afternoon of that week our Prime Minister at the time Julia Gillard give a speech to Australian & United States Service personnel in Darwin as part of the same visit.

It was probably the best I had heard from her.

Quite passionate.

Enthusiastic.

Warmly thanking the troops for their service and sacrifice.

Two things stood out for me at that moment.

The first was that this has been an unusually successful week for Julia Gillard.

The second was how the two different politicians ended their speeches.

For Julia her speech to the troops in Darwin was in typical Australian style, make your point right to the end and just finish.

For Obama his speech to the Parliament concluded in the classical President of the United States style.

“God bless Australia, God bless America, and God bless our friendship.”

Now there is nothing wrong with that.

In fact I hope it is true.

But it raises a question.

Does it make an assumption that God is pleased with our efforts, that our goodness ensures our prosperity?

I understand many Americans genuinely believe this.

God must be blessing them because they are good, rich and powerful.

Many other Americans, especially conservative Christians, see the current economic situation as a removal of God’s blessing because the country has become morally bankrupt.

Now you can spend all day arguing this point as apparently many do in America.

But the point I want you to grab hold of is that national pride is a good thing which can easily become a sin.

A sin that many nations commit, as a natural and healthy love for their country, customs and values turns into a belief that we are always right and everyone else is always wrong.

It has lead to wars and massacres.

Terrible crimes against humanity as nations take the attitude that they are valuable and everyone else isn’t.

Seems that this is an underlying issue in all of the present conflicts and especially in the conflicts we fear might be coming.

Scene 2: The nation of Israel in Jesus’ time had made this same assumption; that their goodness, through observance of the law, ensured God’s favour.

They were wrong, they weren’t good instead they were filled with pride and rejected God’s gracious true nature (11:6-7, 11:5-10).

Have a look at Romans 11: 7

Romans 11:7 NLT

7 So this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favor of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have—the ones God has chosen—but the hearts of the rest were hardened.

Throughout Israel’s history God had chosen them as his own.

And on so many occasions they had disobeyed him.

But when Paul wrote the book of Romans Israel had changed.

The times of exile and foreign conquest had taught them a very harsh lesson.

In Paul’s time and for several hundred years before most of the Jewish people had become very zealous about keeping the law.

Or at least having the appearance of doing so.

Now they were sure that God was definitely on their side.

Israel was God’s chosen one.

He had promised to bless them.

But once again they had misunderstood God’s nature.

Their chosen status was always a matter of sheer grace on God’s part.

The bulk of Paul’s Jewish contemporaries had (in Paul’s view) made the mistake of understanding their status as God’s chosen people in terms of works.

They were chosen and if they did the things that God required of them as a people.

If they kept the rituals and the national customs which defined their identity as God’s holy people, both ethnically and religiously.

Then God’s continued favour was assured.

But there is a fundamental problem with such an understanding.

Listen to the words of Romans 11:5-6

Romans 11:5–6 NLT

5 It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them. 6 And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.

God’s choosing Israel in the first place wasn’t because they were any more righteous that anyone else.

God’s choosing them was his decision alone.

It was undeserved, unmerited.

It was an act of God’s grace.

Instead of seeing the grace behind God’s election of them as a nation, Israel has reduced God’s choice of them to a ritual formula.

Keep the law and God will be with them because they are his chosen people.

Somehow special!

Scene 3: Often Christians today make the same mistake, if I am good God will give me what I want. Romans 11:17-22

People think they can earn God’s blessing, and that they are secure because God has accepted them.

But such thinking doesn’t truly understand God’s nature or our sinfulness and dependence on his grace.

You see all too often I deal with Christians who do things they know they shouldn’t.

They regret their actions but seem to shrug it off.

They do not fear God.

It is a case of hey God loves me; all is well even if I have just committed a significant sin.

As long as I don’t personally suffer any ill effects it really is all OK.

In his book, Knowledge of the Holy, A. W. Tozer writes:

In olden days men of faith were said to “walk in the fear of God” and to “serve the Lord with fear.” However intimate their communion with God, however bold their prayers, at the base of their religious life was the conception of God as awesome and dreadful. This idea of God transcendent runs through the whole Bible and gives colour and tone to the character of saints. This fear of God was more than a natural apprehension of danger; it was a non-rational dread, an acute feeling of personal insufficiency in the presence of God the Almighty.

Wherever God appeared to men in Bible times the results were the same—an overwhelming sense of terror and dismay, a wrenching sensation of sinfulness and guilt. When God spoke, Abraham stretched himself upon the ground to listen. When Moses saw the Lord in the burning bush, he hid his face in fear to look upon God. Isaiah’s vision of God wrung from him the cry, “Woe is me!” Daniel’s encounter with God was probably the most dreadful and wonderful of them all.

Conversely, the self-assurance of modern Christians, the basic levity present in so many of our religious gatherings, the shocking disrespect shown for the Person of God, are evidence enough of deep blindness of heart. Many call themselves by the name of Christ, talk much about God, and pray to Him sometimes, but evidently do not know who He is. “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,” but this healing fear is today hardly found among Christian men.*[1]

Do you get that?

The Apostle Paul had the same concern for the Gentile Christian in Rome.

Romans 11:17–22 NLT

17 But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. 18 But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root. 19 “Well,” you may say, “those branches were broken off to make room for me.” 20 Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. 21 For if God did not spare the original branches, he won’t spare you either. 22 Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off.

We gentiles must never forget our reliance upon the divine grace of God; else our end will be the same as that of the old branches of Israel.

Just as God was willing to cut off the rebellious branches from the nation of Israel, so too will he cut of any rebellious branches from the church.

Just as Israel cannot make any special claim because of their status as the chosen people of God, nor can we claim any special favour because we are 21st Century Christians.

Scene 4: God’s nature is to faithfully extend mercy to those who don’t deserve it.

This grace is evident in the fact that he has not rejected Israel even in their rebellion.

Read Romans 11:1–4

“1 I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning. Do you realize what the Scriptures say about this? Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel and said, 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” 4 And do you remember God’s reply? He said, “No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!””

God offers grace to his people.

Paul himself and so many other New Testament Jewish Christians are testimony that even when the nation rejects God there is always a remnant.

Those who remain faithful.

Those who get God’s grace and embrace it.

Elijah in the midst of despair, thinking that he was the only one left and would soon also be dead complained to God that the people were corrupt.

God’s reply, “Elijah there is always a remnant!”

“There are always the few who remain faithful!”

The 7000 in Elijah’s day got God’s grace and embraced it.

God’s grace is evident in the fact that even rebellious Israel is not beyond redemption.

Listen to what Paul wrote in Romans 11:11-16

Romans 11:11–16 NLT

11 Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. 12 Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it. 13 I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, 14 for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them. 15 For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead! 16 And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy—just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.

Yes their rebellion has been used to offer salvation to us gentiles.

But one day Israel will accept the offer of God’s grace and truly understand it.

And even then, in spite of their rebellion God will accept them.

Scene 5: God is faithful and will one day bring a significant change in the heart of Israel. Romans 11:19-32.

All those from the nation of Israel who have trusted in Christ as Messiah, have done so because of his grace.[2]

They have realised that being part of the chosen people of God is a special privilege, but in and of itself it does not guarantee God’s favour.

As verses 28 & 29 tells us God continues to call them.

His call and promise will never be taken away.

One day their hearts will be softened and as verses 26 to 27 tell us a great awakening will occur in Israel.

But that awakening will only happen because the people accept his grace and truly understand his nature.

It will not occur because of anything the people do.

The Apostle Paul understood the truth of Isaiah 59:16-20 that is why he quoted it in Romans 11:26 -27

Isaiah 59:16–20 NLT

16 He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed. So he himself stepped in to save them with his strong arm, and his justice sustained him. 17 He put on righteousness as his body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on his head. He clothed himself with a robe of vengeance and wrapped himself in a cloak of divine passion. 18 He will repay his enemies for their evil deeds. His fury will fall on his foes. He will pay them back even to the ends of the earth. 19 In the west, people will respect the name of the Lord; in the east, they will glorify him. For he will come like a raging flood tide driven by the breath of the Lord. 20 “The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem to buy back those in Israel who have turned from their sins,” says the Lord.

It will occur because the Messiah came to turn the people from their rebellion.

It will occur because that Messiah is Jesus the one who gave his life to redeem humanity from our sins.

It will occur because the remnant of Israel will come before a Sovereign Holy God in awe and wonder.

Humbly seeking his mercy for their sins, just as we have

If we are to continue to receive his mercy and salvation we need to remain faithful to what he really asks of us, total dependence on his grace as Sovereign Lord!

We cannot impress God by our goodness for we can never be good enough!

We cannot earn God’s favour by keeping the rules, because everyone seems to have their own understanding of what those rules are and as I said last week keeping them only leads to pride and arrogance!

We receive God’s grace because in his mercy he offers it to us.

We are called to accept his grace in humility and brokenness.

Realising our sin and total dependence on his mercy.

Remaining faithful to his commands.

We are not good enough for God, yet God is good enough to offer us his mercy.

Will you genuinely accept it?

* A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy (New York: Harper & Row, 1961), 78. [1] Morgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson's complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes(electronic ed.) (302–303). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. [2] Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson's new illustrated Bible commentary (Ro 11:18–24). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.

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