Romans 11:1-18 - Feeling rejected by God - CityReach SOAP

S. Romans 11:12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!
O. Feeling rejected by anyone is painful, but for a Christian to feel rejected by God can be devastating, even terrifying. But as astounding as it seems, it was the feeling of God’s rejection that catapulted various Bible heroes to spiritual greatness (i.e. Elijah, Ruth and the Canaanite woman). In today’s passage, Paul tells us Israel’s fall out of grace is also a manifestation of God’s loving goodness for them to return to Him.
a) Did God reject Israel? (1-10) Paul’s answer is an emphatic ‘no’! Israel rejected Jesus. their Messiah, in God’s plan. Yet a substantial remnant embraces the gospel of Jesus Christ. And God has often worked in Israel through a faithful remnant (as He did in the time of Elijah). This small group among Israel received and responded to the mercy of God but the rest were hardened by their rejection because of their stupor.
b) Results (11- 14) There were two wonderful results because of their rejection to God. First, it gave more opportunities for the gospel to go to the Gentiles, and many Gentiles took advantage of this opportunity. Secondly, the Jews would be provoked to a good kind of jealousy, motivating them to receive the same blessings the Gentiles enjoyed.
c) No room for pride (15-18) With the picture of the tree and the branches, Paul reminds the Gentile Christians that it is only by God’s grace that they can be grafted into the “tree” of God but the “root” of which is Israel. Therefore, we (the Gentiles) should not think of ourselves as superior to Jews, Paul also reminds us that the root supports the branches – not the other way around.
A. The spirit of fear and failure will come into our lives when we reject God. If we want to experience blessing and acceptance from God, it is important for us to repent and acknowledge His truth. We need to be humble and be submitted to His Word and the Holy Spirit in our lives. We should never think we are superior to other sinners for we are sinners saved by grace. Instead we should humbly share God’s grace with them.
P. Lord, thank you for calling us out of darkness and accepting us. Thank you for granting us eternal life and the joy of salvation. May we humbly submit to Your grace to reach out to the lost so that they can find acceptance today.