Title History and Sovereignty (Romans 11:1-36)
Contents
history and sovereignty
Romans 11:1-36
There are many peoples in the world, but perhaps no other nation has a history as unique as Israel. They have lost their land for nearly 2000 years and have been scattered all over the world, living the fate of the diaspora.
The nation-state was dramatically revived in Palestine on May 14, 1948, after 2000 years, after enduring intense and intense persecution around the world called anti-Semitism, while preserving its own culture, traditions, philosophy, religion, and language. It is a nation with a history similar to that of a successful drama.
The apostle Paul develops the theory of God's sovereignty through the history of Israel in the text. Going one step further, Chapter 11 provides important conclusions from a profound Christian philosophy of history. We can find a summary of the historical philosophy that can represent the Christian view of history in one word in Romans 11:36. "For all things come from the Lord, and through the Lord and to the Lord, to whom the glory is forever, Amen." The Apostle Paul presents the history of the nation of Israel as a representative example of God's sovereignty that all things come from the Lord, proceed through the Lord, and return to the Lord. In particular, we declare the sovereignty of God by citing three events in the history of the nation of Israel. What are the characteristics of God's sovereignty revealed in history?
First, the sovereignty of God proceeds by grace.
But what was the reason that these remnants were able to remain as people of faith and be used by God? They were not special, they were chosen by the grace of God. This fact is recorded in verses 5 and 6 of the text. “Therefore, even now there is a remnant according to the election of grace. If it is by grace, it is not of works; otherwise grace is not grace.” So, to summarize the text in one word, the reason why the nation of Israel still exists as a nation used by God is because of God's sovereign choice and because of God's grace.
This also applies to us. It is because of God's grace that our nation can be used by the Lord.
Also, we can be used by the Lord not because we have better things, not because of our own merits or achievements, but because of God's sovereignty and God's grace. Ex) Office-bearers - God's grace, those who serve. Bell.
Second, we can discover God's sovereignty through the case of Israel's abandonment.
Even though God has chosen the people of Israel, why does he allow most of the people of Israel to remain in the place of unbelief today? The reason is that it is an opportunity for the Gentiles to be saved. "Therefore I say, Have they stumbled until they stumbled? It cannot be. For by their stumble salvation has come to the Gentiles, which makes Israel jealous (verse 11). It is said that salvation came to the Gentiles because they fell, and that is why he made Israel jealous.
Here, the broken branch of the true olive tree refers to the disobedient Israelites, and the branch of the stone olive tree grafted in the broken place refers to the Gentiles. God gave the Gentiles the opportunity to accept the gospel that Israel rejected. So the Gentiles received the wonderful blessings promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Therefore, what a wonderful providence that Israel's rejection of the gospel did not end in failure from the point of view of world history, but became an opportunity for the gospel to all nations scattered around the world!
In that providence, the seeds of the gospel were sown in Korea as well. So our parents believed in Jesus, and we ourselves became God's people. Now, our job is to spread the gospel to our neighbors who are still among the spiritual Gentiles and fulfill God's will that they too become a people to be saved like us.
Third, in God's sovereignty, Israel will be restored.
It is a message that the people will be revival as a whole and will surely return to Jesus Christ, whom they turned away from and crucified. Why would you do that? “This is my covenant, which will be made to them when I take away their sins” (verse 27). Until then, God is waiting. How long will that be? Until the full number of the Gentiles comes in (verse 25).
“For all things come from the Lord, and through him and to him return” (verse 36). As we prophesy the restoration of Israel, see the faithfulness of God's sovereignty in this restoration. He must keep his promises.
The faithful God who keeps his promises will accomplish the spiritual revival of our nation, the spiritual Israel of this age. In history, revival began with the prayers of the saints. Now is the time for all of us to pray. I hope the whole church will attend the special early morning revival meeting that starts tomorrow, gain power through prayer, and become the Lord's people who dedicate themselves to evangelism with that power.
Dear saints,
I praise the God of salvation, who promised Israel a wonderful blessing, for giving me the same salvation, making a covenant with me, and becoming my God who uses and provides for me. God, who is the master of human history, is also the master of my personal history, so I hope that he will guide and claim me, use me and fulfill God's will for me. In particular, through this special dawn revival meeting, all the saints who gave grace to the whole church and received grace testify, so through the Great Awakening Evangelism Rally and the New Life Festival 2003, souls are revived in God's sovereignty and the number of the Lord's people is increasing. Blessings the indicator Amen.