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5-20-13. Romans 11:7-11. RICHES FOR THE WORLD – my devotional

5-20-13. Romans 11:7-11. RICHES FOR THE WORLD – my devotional

 jesus with the world

 

 Romans 11:7-12                                                                                     Kevin E. Jesmer

Key Verse: 11:12                                                                                    5-20-13

 

“Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusionmean!”  (ESV)

 

Dear Lord Jesus, please calm my heart with your love and your peace. Thank you for sending people into my life who love me and reveal to me your love. Help me to be a good mentor to the people whom you have sent into my life, starting with my kids and wife and the few Bible students you have led my way. I pray that you may bless the upcoming trip to Canada. I pray that you may open the doors for us to send permanent missionaries there who can share the gospel with those whose hearts have been prepared. Lord, bless the Art of Marriage to be very joyful and fruitful tomorrow. Lord, help me to accept one word deeply in my heart and mind and soul through this passage. I thank you and I pray in Jesus’ holy name. Amen!

 

Part 1: Those Who Were Hardened (7-10)

The nation of Israel had failed to live up to their high calling. God chose Israel and lavished his love on her. God hoped that they would be a kingdom of priest and a holy nation, a nation that could be a light on a hill and point the world to Christ. But they disobeyed God and they gave their hearts to worship foreign gods. Israel rejected God’s gift of love when they rejected the Christ.

The ironic thing was, that though Israel had prided itself as being God’s chosen people, it was not they, but the Gentiles, whom they despised, who would became God’s elect. That is why verses 7-10 read, “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; 10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.”

Rejection of God’s love results in the hardening of the heart. Deuteronomy 29:1-12 tells how God loved Israel and how she rejected that love. Verse 8 is a reference to this passage. Look at verse 8 again, “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.” In Psalm 69, David pronounced a curse on those who rejected him, God’s chosen king. Jesus is God’s chosen one. Look at verses 9-10 again, And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; 10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.” Again, to reject Jesus is to reject God and bring hardness and curse upon one’s self.

 

It is no small thing to reject the love of God. In the past I mocked God. I lived as an enemy of God by living according to the sinful desires of my heart. My heart was at enmity with God. But all that changed when Jesus revealed himself to me in such a wonderful and life changing way. Jesus patiently waited and endured my mocking. He extended his love to me, a great sinner. He extended the hand of friendship. He forgave all of my sins. He granted me eternal life. He also made me his child. He made me into a servant of God and entrusted his Gospel into my care so that I can propagate it among the people of my generation. This is the grace of God to me. This is God’s love. I am just so happy that he led me to saving faith before my heart became hardened beyond belief.

 

What if I rejected the love of Christ? I was rejecting the love Jesus for two decades. Jesus came to me again and again. But I rejected him again and again, not really knowing what I was doing. But God in his patience bore with my many sins and gently led me to accept Jesus as my savior and Lord. But what if I consciously and stubbornly rejected him again and again for more decades? I shudder to think what I would have become. I would have been so hardened in my pride. My heart would have grown cold and callous. I would be loveless. Not only that I would have lost my health because I was doing so many unhealthy things just to quench the thirstiness within due to my lack of relationship with God.  My mental health would have been damaged too, because I remember as I lived in sin, I was falling into boredom and depression so many times. Being depressed has the negative health equivalent of smoking 2 packs a day! Eventually I would have died and would have had to face God’s judgment without my Savior. I would have no hope. But God saved me. He broke through my hardened heart with his love. He helped me to accept his Son Jesus as my Savior. He spared me from living my life in a hardened and callous state of heart and mind. Thank you Jesus!

 

America is experiencing a hardening of heart in part. But I don’t think it is too late for us to enter into a vibrant relationship with Christ and live up to our high calling as light to the Gentiles. We just need to repent and serve God where we are. We must think globally and act locally. I can see changes. I can see Bible churches like Harvest and Christ Community flourishing in the western suburbs. America is getting excited once again about sending missionaries. But we need to be humble.

 

Craig Smith, in his book, “Whiteman’s Gospel” states that the church originated with the Jews and then it spread to the Gentiles. Sometimes we think that the Gospel originated in the Western world. Today some people may think that the Gospel originated in America. But it has its roots in Jerusalem and the rest of the Mediterranean world. We are just the recipients of a long line of baton passing over the last 2,000 years. The USA is the ends of the earth for the Christians of 2,000 years ago. We are recipients of God’s grace. Craig Smith, says that we tend to think of ourselves as the sending church and that everything that is happening in the world wide church comes from America. He indicates that we should be humble and thank God for sending us the Gospel and not be proud about what you have received. (see pages 87-88)

 

God’s redemptive purpose will not be thwarted by humanity’s unfaithfulness. God’s plan was not thwarted when I held onto my foolish pride. God’s plan is not thwarted by America’s and Canada’s drifting away from the Gospel. God keep marching on with his redemptive work. His Holy Spirit is moving in millions across East Asia and Africa. God is awakening America and Canada. He sees the potential among the Native People of NW Ontario. I thank God that his plan is moving forward despite of our stubborn unbelief.

 

Part 2: Riches And Greater Riches (11-12)

 

If God called a new people of God from among the Gentiles, is there any hope, then, for Israel? In God there is always hope, for God is not a fatalist. God is the Creator and his is the one who raises the dead. In God there is hope. Verses 11-12 read, “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. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusionmean!”  God had a plan of salvation for Israel. If Israel was going to persist in their unbelief, God was not going to give up on them He made up a plan. He hoped that calling and blessing the Gentiles would make Israel jealous enough to repent and return to him. I don’t see that happening en masse. Back 2,000 years ago thousands of Jews converted and came to Jesus. In fact the early Christian Church was at first Jewish. Today, I do see individual Jewish people converting to Jesus. There is a ministry called Jews for Jesus. There are Messianic Jews coming to Jesus for they know that Jesus is the Messiah that they have been looking for. There will be a huge conversion of Jews in the future. But I think that the main point is that God does not give up on his people. He is ready with plan after plan to help them to turn their hearts. People may have a broken relationship with God at the present time. But that does not mean that this will always be the case. God is working out a plan for every nation and people group. Thank God that he has great hope and a plan for our nation and for us individually.

 

If the world was blessed by Israel’s failure, how much more will it be blessed when they come to Christ? Look at verse 12 again, “Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusionmean!”  Yes, when the Jews repent and accept the Gospel and Jesus as their Messiah, the whole world will be blessed. I am waiting for this day to occur. What a powerful testimony to the world will it be! All things will be made complete with the conversion of Israel to Christ and all people will have to stop and seriously consider the claims of Christ.

 

When anyone repents and returns to Jesus the whole world is blessed. The world was blessed when a destructive hedonist like myself accepted Jesus because my kids believe. There is a whole new branch of the Jesmer family tree that is Christian. By the grace of God I could be a blessing to a handful of people. The world will be blessed when America accepts Jesus from their deep heart and steps up missionary activity in the world with the right motivation and attitude. The world will be blessed when the Native people of Canada can accept Jesus en masse and reach out to the rest of the world with the Gospel. God wants to overflow his riches to the world through us. It is not about us…it is about Jesus who wants to bless.

And this is the point that Smith is trying to make. In the preceding chapters, he went to great lengths to draw the parallels between the experience of the ancient Jews and the Native people. Just as the Jews were drawn away from God by the idolatry of surrounding nations, the Native people have been drawn away by animism. Just as God was not finished with the Jews, he also has great plans for the Native people. They too are grafted into the vine, which is the Creator God. When this occurs then this will mean spiritual riches for the whole world. I agree.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for not giving up on people and nations. Thank you including us into your family. Make us a blessing to the whole world.

 

One Word: God wants all people of all nations to be saved.




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