Revival Involves Brokenness

 

Revival Involves Brokenness

Mal 1:9

SUBJECT: NEGLECT OF WORSHIP

THEME: Honoring God in our Worship Must Be our Number One Priority.

RELEVANCE:  Have we succumbed to problems of neglect, expediency-convenience, and outright disobedience? Do we have a proper perspective of God, or do we doubt His faithfulness to His promises?  

Such opinions lead to widespread unfaithfulness, and it affects the worship of others. We need to renew our perspective, reestablish our hope, and promote a proper faithfulness to God. 

INTRODUCTION:

1. What sins were the priests committing as they carried on their duties in the restored temple? This showed in the way they kept up superficial religious behavior which actually insulted God.

2.  God calls his people to revival, repentance, and brokenness! Verse 9 of Malachi chapter one gives us some insight to this necessary condition of revival called brokenness.

MESSAGE:

I.  Give God the Honor Worthy of His Name.   (Mal. 1:6-9)

God focuses on the priests, who should have been the spiritual leaders of the land. The priests were not giving honor to God’s name; they were taking the best for themselves.

A.  THE ALLEGATION (Mal. 1:6)

B.  THE VERIFICATION (Mal. 1:7-8)

C.  THE INSTRUCTION (Mal. 1:9).

There must be a humbling of oneself before the Lord and a fresh acknowledgment of his greatness and majesty.  A believer should return to a right view of God!  This will afford him a right view of self.

Revival happens when God's people, real Believers, are prepared for it. Renewal occurs when we are ready for it with tender receptive hearts and humble submissive spirits. Neither preacher, churches, or Christians can manufacture, produce, or orchestrate widespread far-reaching revivals! Such work belongs exclusively to God Almighty. We may certainly come to sense our great need for revival…our need for God, but He alone must give it! Revival often begins with believers coming under deep conviction and crying out to the Almighty in confession and repentance for our sins.

   1.  Appeal to God with a Broken Heart—Seek Repentance Toward God. (Mal. 1:9)

      A.  Involves Returning:  Repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of heart and actions.  Repentance or a broken and contrite spirit can lead to “godly sorrow that worketh repentance” when we yearn for forgiveness for our sins.

There must be a return to respect and honor the Lord once we recognize we have departed from this high motivation in our living and service. We need to return to devoted living and service…to the True and living God with respect this. A revived life is the new reasons for our existence and meaning.

      B.  Involves Brokenness:  Call upon God with all Humility, Brokenness, and Contrition. “And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us”; literally, the face of God.

APPICATION: Brokenness brings an intense regret for the things I've done to God and what I've done to his name. It’s a matter of say, “God, my sin is against YOU, I've done this…I've belittled your name - I've sinned against YOU.” Brokenness is not merely regretting the consequences of our sin, or the damage done to our lives because we messed up; it's understanding the real impact of our sin against a holy and generous God. This understanding is brokenness that involves a bottomless godward sorrowfulness for what has been done against God and his name, rather than just regretting the costs, extent, failures, circumstances, or magnitude of our actions.

Psalm 34:18, The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. 

Psalm 51:17, The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Such spiritual brokenness can be a key to developing a strong relationship with God. It can involve:

              1.  Brokenness can lead to humility, which can allow God to use someone in new ways. A humble brokenness is the proper attitude posture before God.  Like Joshua and the elders, we should humble ourselves so that we will be able to hear his words (Josh 7:6).

              2.  Humility keeps us from depending on our own strengths. Only after Israel was defeated did they turn to God and ask what happened (Josh 7:3). Too often we rely on our own skills and strength, especially when the task before us seems easy. It’s not that our strengths and various abilities do not matter, they do; but God expect us to not only give ourselves but to count on Him for victory, triumph, and achievement.

              3.  Humility makes our prayers direct and honest. Imagine praying the way Joshua prayed to God. Joshua poured out his real thoughts to God. Hiding your needs from God is ignoring the only one who can really help. God welcomes your honest prayers and wants you to express your true feelings to him. Any believer can become more honest in prayer by remembering that God is all-knowing and all-powerful and that his love is everlasting. So, it is okay to admit when we are depleted of zeal, our commitment is wanning, our devotion is periodic, or our service is perfunctorily. It is right to ask God to renew our strength, increase our discipline, and help us to stay the course! The Lord already knows these things and can help us experience revival in these areas.  Isaiah 57:15, For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Isaiah 66:2, For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

Brokenness is being so crushed by our sin and the darkness of the world that we recognize there is no place to turn but to God. This comes when our desire to be cleansed from sin is so consuming that our hearts ache with sorrow and we yearn to feel at peace with our Father in Heaven.  

      C.  Involves Faith:  Regarding brokenness, trust God to deal with you in grace (Ex 32:11; Jer 26:19; Lam 2:19). Repentance and faith are the ways we response to God’s grace and initiative. Many fail to realize that brokenness is really a tremendous gift from God that demonstrates His remarkable and unfailing love.

APPLICATION: Keep in mind that God uses brokenness to deepen our understanding in at least three ways: 1) We gain a new perspective of His mercy and provision and learn to depend on Him more. 2) We develop a more complete comprehension of ourselves. 3) Our compassion and understanding for others' suffering grows. Beloved, embrace brokenness and trust God alone to bring you through the difficulties, challenges, and persecutions.

   2.  Approach God Seeking to Please Him.  (Mal 1:9)

Regarding the person, “Will he regard your persons?” The idea seems to be this: “You are expecting that God will accept you just because you are priests, on account of your official standing alone. You think that it does not matter to him what you are morally, so long as you go through the routine of his service according to the standards;” It is intimated plainly enough that their intercessions on behalf of the people must be in vain so long as they are acting unworthily. -W. W. Wiersbe

Certainly the governor (peḥâh, a Persian title) would not have been pleased with the meat of blind, crippled, or diseased animals; in fact he would not have accepted it. How much more absurd it was to expect the favor of the Lord Almighty (cf. Mal. 1:4) with such offerings. He did not accept such sacrifices, nor did He accept (vv. 8–9) the priests. ^[1]

      A.  The Sense in Which God Does Regard the Person.

            1. He deals with everyone individually, never loses the one in the many; each person stands out distinctly before him as if there were no other. We need to dwell on this truth, because people readily hide themselves from their own view, and mistakenly perceive thy are hiding themselves from God’s view, in the class, group, church, or ethnicity they belong to. Such actions do not prevent God from dealing with individuals or a single person.

             2. He deals with a person’s moral condition. That belongs exclusively to the individual. This is the matter of supreme concern to God.

      B.  The Sense in Which God Does Not Regard the Person.

He is no “Respecter of persons.” This enlarges the idea, and we may see:

             1. That God takes no account of attractions, appearances, or stature. “Man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh on the heart.”

             2. God takes no account of social rank. He pays no attention to the rich; he shows no special attention to the poor. His supreme interest is in the individual, not the status of the person. This does not imply any failure in our appreciating the value of social status and influence; it only emphasizes that these are not the matters of Divine consideration.

             3. God takes no account of official position. No one has special favor with God because he is a king, and no one has any special ground for pleading with God because he is a preacher. A believer’s power of intercession with God depends on his personal relations with God! No matter what our office may be, if there is not a correct state of mind and heart, God does not acceptance the person bases on their ministry or office.

The prophet urges them to repent of their sins so that God’s wrath might be averted.^[2]

CONCLUSION:

QUOTE: “The consideration of God's universal dominion, and the universal acknowledgment of it, should restrain us from all irreverence in his service.”   — Matthew Henry's Commentary

The priests were treating God in a way that they would not dare treat a human leader (1:8). The priests were listlessly going through the motions….  Malachi called on them to repent (1:9)! How can we avoid making the same mistakes?

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^[1] Craig A. Blaising, “Malachi,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 1578.

^[2] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1175.

God Sent a Great Wind

Jonah 1:4, 11-16

SUBJECT:  God’s Chastisement and Jonah

THEME:  Jonah’s experience teaches us how God uses means to chasten rebellious believers to turn our hearts back to Him. God in his sovereignty will use natural disasters and great wind storms in an attempt to persuade his people to repent and obey his will.

RELEVANCE: Chastening is any instruction, correction, teaching, rebuke or circumstances God uses to conform our hearts attitude and behavior to His will. In this account God sovereignly uses the natural element of the wind, which is related to Jonah’s circumstances to get this wayward prophet back on track. God still chastens His people today to keep us on track or to persuade us to repent and return to His will (Heb. 12:5-13; Rev. 3:19). Clearly, one goal of chastening is to bring about deep repentance—a change of mind and heart that results in a change of action or direction. A person who repents turns from his old ways to wholeheartedly commit himself to doing the will of God.  

INTRODUCTION:

No matter how you look at it, Jonah had rebelled against the Lord in a most flagrant manner. He had utterly refused to accept the missionary ministry to Nineveh; instead he elected a cruise in the opposite direction to Tarshish, a Pheonician colony on the southwestern coast of Spain about two thousand miles west of Israel. The last thing the wayward prophet wanted for the city of Nineveh was the mercy of Jehovah, so he rebelled rejecting God’s directive.  

Accordingly, the Lord has a way of dealing with wayward believers who insist on their way thus negating His will. God “sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken” (Jonah 1:4). No doubt someone will insist that the Lord only “allowed” the great wind to come…in an attempt to vindicate or defend the notion that God is a “good” God. However, the statement of this Scripture is transparently clear. “But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea…!” God is directly responsible for these developments in the light of His servant’s rebellion and willfulness. Yes, God “sent out” the great wind, which means he threw it down or hurled it far out there. Beloved, this was a deliberate and calculated attempt to turn this rebel, Jonah, around and set him back on track to reach a wicked people! God does not need to be defended on this point; His character is good, His actions are good and His motives are good. Why do we feel the need to defend Him concerning such passages?

MESSAGE:

God uses Great Winds to Chasten His Rebellious People (Jonah 1:11-16).

Beloved, it may not be an actual wind storm at sea for you and me, but God in his sovereignty over all things uses whatever means necessary to turn our hearts from rebellion back to Him. Obviously, he can use great winds and great fish, but he can use anything else he deems fitting to get our attention and redirect us in his will. So, God used a great wind, but why?

A.    To show Jonah how his rebellion negatively impacted innocent people (Vs. 11-13).

1.     I have heard people say in defense of their substandard Christian living, “I am not hurting anybody but myself” or “I am minding my own business, and what I do is no one else’s concern.”

2.     But this is not at all what God’s Word reveals; Jonah’s rebellion affected this captain and his entire crew and literally put their lives in mortal danger (1:11-17). 

3.     Often our sin does negatively impact others.

                                          i.     The Apostle Paul says to the Corinthians, “Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? ⁷ Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: ⁸ Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”^[1] (1Cor. 5:6-8)

                                        ii.     Leaven here is a picture of moral sin. The apostle is saying that if they tolerate a little moral sin in the church, it will soon grow and expand until the whole fellowship is seriously affected. Righteous, godly discipline is necessary in order to maintain the character of the church.^[2]

                                      iii.     Our failures to confront our sinfulness will certainly impact others in negative ways.

4.     Lot’s worldliness compelled him to move to Sodom where he eventually lost his spiritual credibility (Gen. 19:24-38), his two daughters were corrupted by that society, and he lost his wife to worldliness well before she turned to look back on Sodom. The Lord Jesus warned, “Remember Lot’s wife.”

                                          i.     Although Lot’s wife was taken almost by force out of Sodom, her heart remained in the city. This was indicated by the fact that she turned back. She was out of Sodom, but Sodom was not out of her. As a result, God destroyed her by turning her into a pillar of salt.^[3]

                                        ii.     We cannot afford to be so attached to possessions, luxuries and earthly comforts when commitment to Christ demands prioritizing eternal and spiritual realities over worldly things. Beloved, our worldliness will impact others. Often what we parents practice in moderation, our children will practice in excess!

5.     Acchan’s sinful greedy heart compelled him to take the gold and silver, but his entire family died with him as punishment for his sin (Josh 7:16-26). Clearly, our sins impact others!

                                          i.     Romans 14: 7-8, For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. ⁸ For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.^[4]

                                        ii.     The lordship of Christ enters into every aspect of a believer’s life. We don’t live to ourselves but to the Lord. We don’t die to ourselves but to the Lord. It is true that what we do and say affects others, but that is not the thought here. Paul is emphasizing that the Lord should be the goal and object of the lives of His people.^[5]

B.    To show Jonah how God could still witness to His power, nature, and character (vs. 14-15).

1.     God did not leave Himself without a witness because the natural world responded to His will and evidenced His awesome strength.

2.     God wanted to show these mariners their need to fear the Lord (16), therefore He taught these pagans something about the “fear of the Lord” (Ps. 111:10; Prov. 14:26, 27; 15:33; 16:6; 19:23; 22:4).

C.    To correct Jonah’s rebellious attitude…. (Vs. 11-17).

1.     Jonah’s resentment and rebellion broke fellowship with the Lord. He brought these developments on himself when he departed from God’s will for his life. While we cannot live free of all troubles and challenges, some of the “winds” and storms we face are self-inflicted. That is correct, we invite the Lord’s correction through our carelessness and rebellion. In addition, the natural consequences of sin are a punishment in and of themselves.

2.     Tragically, the great winds did not produce the repentance God desired. Though the ship’s crew suggested something had to be done concerning Jonah in order for them to survive, Jonah’s response in verse 1:12 is absolutely shocking. He intimated that the only means of the sailors surviving was to cast him into the sea…since it was his fault they were in jeopardy. Though the sailors had suggested this, they were not ready to act on this notion of sacrificing the prophet. So, they worked even harder against the winds to bring the ship to safety, but they failed utterly. The great winds prevailed! Finally, accepting the apparent inevitable, they begged God to not hold them accountable for the death of Jonah, and they cast him into the sea. Instantly, the storm ceased from her ragging! What’s so tragic about that? Though Jonah had experienced all this trouble, fear and anxiety at sea, he still was not willing to go to Nineveh and preach God’s warning to them. He had not repented…he would rather have died first than to obey God!

                                          i.     What frightful bitterness and resentment is this! How stubborn can a human heart be to persist in such rebellion? What awful lying intoxication sin holds? Will we dare God kill us because we refuse to get right? Rational behavior is completely abandoned here.

                                        ii.     Beloved, this is jaw-dropping off the charts ridiculous! No wonder God had to turn up the heat and prepare a “great fish to swallow up Jonah.” There is zero repentance in this prophet’s heart at this time!

3.     But God initiated the process of restoration. In chapter 1:17, God prepared the great fish to swallow Jonah. This was an act of loving mercy on God’s part. He provided a means of Jonah’s safety, a means that brought him to repentance, confession, and to prayer. 

4.     God purpose for chastening His people is to produce righteousness in our lives: “... but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.” “...nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” (Hebrews 12:10-11)

5.     Many times we resent what God places in our pathway, but we need to see and consider His mercy, for He is working towards restoration. How far would Jonah have gone had it not been for the storm and the great fish?  How far would you and I have gone if it hadn’t been for the storms and the great fish (or whatever it was that God sent) into our lives?

6.     All things God bring to us, directly or indirectly, come for our good.  What kind of fruit did the chastisement of God produce in Jonah's life? It eventually produced repentance, and from a heart of repentance, Jonah sought the Lord in prayer.

CONCLUSION:

Clearly, Jonah’s experience teaches us how God uses means to chasten rebellious believers to turn our hearts back to Him. God in his sovereignty will use natural disasters like this great wind storm at sea in an attempt to persuade us to repent and obey his will.

What does all this mean for you and me? Honestly, we need God’s chastening—his instructions, corrections, teachings, rebukes or circumstances as he seeks to conform our hearts attitude and behavior to His will. We should appreciate His initiatives to convict us and bring about a godly sorrow. To our shame, we tend to persist in sinful attitudes and behaviors. We truly need the Spirit of God to deal with us fervently at times.

In our experiences, God will sovereignly use natural elements like the wind, or some other natural element related to our circumstances to get us back on track. He has used sickness, disease, financial straits, stock market crashes and even the death of loved ones to help us reconsider the course we have chosen. God still chastens His people today to keep us on track or to persuade us to repent and return to His will (Heb. 12:5-13; Rev. 3:19). Please do not miss this point: God’s corrective measures are acts of love towards his children. It is not because he hates us that he corrects us, but because he loves us. Clearly, chastening is designed to bring about deep repentance—a change of mind and heart that results in a change of action or direction. We have truly repented when we turn from our old ways to wholeheartedly commit ourselves to doing the will of God.  

A believer pursuing sin will experience God’s chastening. Although not all pain and suffering are related to chastening, certainly chastening can include pain, suffering, loss, and trouble. A believer who refuses the prompting of the Holy Spirit to repent and be transformed in character and behavior will experience a few semesters in “Whale University.” Jonah provides us with a great case study of how God in his sovereign love will use a number of means to steer us back to a lifestyle of obedience, submission, and conformity to His plan for our lives.

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^[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., 1 Co 5:6–8). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^[2] MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 1760). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

^[3] MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 1437). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

^[4] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ro 14:7–8). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^[5] MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 1736). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

How Should We View Israel's Rejection?

Romans 11:1-10

SUBJECT: ISRAEL’S FUTURE

THEME: Israel’s rejection is not total, final, or permanent; in fact, God is saving individual Jews by His grace when they believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

INTRODUCTION:

Rom. 11:1-2a, I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.

Paul’s opening question is, “Hath God cast away his people?” That is has God utterly, completely, and finally cast away the nation of Israel? Since the question is rhetorical, Paul answers, “God forbid!” Meaning certainly not! No, every single Israelite has not been cast away. He follows with the reason through a series of illustrations and Old Testament references demonstrating how God historically reserved a handful of faithful believers even in seasons of extreme national apostasy.

Israel’s Rejection by God is not Total; He has Always Reserved a Remnant for Himself; Therefore, Individual Jews can be Saved by Grace.

Remember Chapter 10 of Romans ended with the fact that the Nation of Israel refused to pay attention to the message and messengers of God. Paul described them as a “disobedient and gainsaying people.” There was nothing deficient in the message of God, they opted to close their ears to it. Likewise, there is no weakness in the Gospel of Jesus Christ even though the nation of Israel has rejected it. The majority chose not to believe, but there is a remnant!

CONSIDER THE TWO GROUPS OF ISRAEL (Rom. 11:1-10)

There is the minority group of believing Jews, and then there is the majority group of Christ-rejecting Jews.

The Minority Group Represents the Saved Remnant of Israel (Rom. 11:1-6)

God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace (Rom. 11:2-5).

The Minority Group Is Represented by Paul (Rom. 11:1).  

The converted Pharisee, Apostle Paul, represents the believing remnant of Israel in this Age of Grace. Remember Romans 10:8-13, “Whosoever” includes Jews and Gentiles! We know that all Jews have not been cast away because Paul himself was a Jew and he certainly was a saved man. Exhibit A is Paul himself as proof that God has not fully rejected all of His covenant people Israel. Actually, Paul’s conversion in Acts 9 can be understood as a foreshadow of the conversion of the entire nation of Israel one day. They will acknowledge Jesus’ Lordship, trust Him as Savior, and serve Him faithfully after His glorious future revelation and return to the earth!

The Minority Group Is Represented by Elijah (Rom. 11:2-4).  

Elijah pictures the believing remnant of Israel throughout the life of the nation of Israel. The situation of Israel today is similar to that which existed in Elijah’s time. The mass of the nation had turned away from God to serve the idol Baal. It was so bad that Elijah prayed against his nation instead of for it!     

During Elijah’s season of discouragement, he was convinced he was the only believer in his day, and to make a bad situation worse, his life was in danger according to the death warrant issued by the queen of Israel. Who would worship Jehovah then? In those difficult times, the prophet actually made “intercession to God against Israel” (11:2). Can you imagine national conditions being so sinful and idolatrous that you feel compelled to pray judgment upon your own country? But God (who fully understood the truth) quickly informed him that: “I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal” (Rom. 11:4; see also 1 Kings 19:10, 14,18).

What was true then is true today: God never leaves Himself without a witness. Though it may be modest, He always has a faithful remnant chosen as special objects of His grace (Vs 5, ... “according to the election of grace”). The fact that God always has a remnant of believing Jews is proof that He has not totally and finally cast aside Israel!

The Minority Group Represents the Principles of Salvation for Every Age (Rom. 11:6).

Rom 11:4-6, But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. 5, Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6, And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

Like us, God did not choose this remnant on the basis of their cleaver and devoted works, services, or rituals! No, God's actions evidenced His own sovereign electing grace (vs 6). That is God saved them on the basis of unmerited, undeserved, unqualified, and unwarranted kindness. It is the same way God has always saved anyone who is saved or ever will be saved. Grace is always the basis of salvation. Paul also clearly insists that Grace and Law are mutually exclusive, and they can never be mixed. If you tried to combine them, you will in effect destroy them both. While Law and Grace cannot be fused together, they do complement each other. Law prepares us to see ourselves as sinners in need of the Savior. Accordingly, God saves repentant sinners by special favor motivated by His great love and nothing else—grace. Praise the Most High God that even this remnant under the Law from Elijah’s day were saved by Grace and not on the basis of their works/performance. If salvation was by our actions of service, we all would be damned to Hell for all eternity. God requires perfection and none of us measures up to the absolute perfection in Jesus Christ! Principally speaking, this minority group represents the saved, redeemed of every age! Praise our gracious Lord, I am in this group! What about you?

The Majority Group Represents the Unsaved of Israel (Rom. 11:7-10)

What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded (Rom. 11:7).

The Nation of Israel desires salvation, but they are going about securing it entirely wrong. Israel failed to obtain righteousness because they sought it through self-effort instead of through the finished work of Christ Jesus. In contrast, this elect minority—the chosen remnant—did indeed obtain God-given righteousness through faith in the Lord Jesus. As a result, the majority of the nation of Israel has and will suffer various forms of God’s judgments. Review the history of the nation….

God Punished Them with Blindness (Rom. 11:7) “and the rest were blinded”: This blindness is a judicial act of Almighty God because of their unbelief, and their insistence upon trusting in their own efforts of self-righteousness (Rom. 10:2-4). They refused to believe God; they would not exercise faith in the all-sufficient atonement of Christ our Lord. Therefore, their refusal to receive the Messiah resulted in a decreased capacity and inclination to receive Him. This is exactly what the OT predicted would happen. Spiritual blindness is an act of divine judgment. Beloved, unbelief is an exceedingly serious matter to God!

Isaiah Predicted This Form of Slumber, Blindness, and Deafness: Compare Romans 11:8 with Isaiah 29:10.

According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear; unto this day (Rom. 11:8).

Today Israel as a nation is in a spiritual stupor; they have become insensitive to spiritual realities, because they refused their Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is key and central to comprehending God’s redemptive work and gracious plan, if you reject Him then nothing makes any sense at all. The greater number of the national population is in this group who have lost their power to see spiritual reality; therefore, they stumble around in utter darkness!

David Predicted This Curse of Enslavement to Blindness: Compare Romans 11:9-10 with Psalm 69:22-23.

And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway (Rom. 11 :9-10).

Understand, that no nation was ever privileged and blessed like Israel was historically. It was God who prepared an unrivaled “table” of spiritual and national benefits for them! Yet, the sum total of their abundant blessings became a source of curses to them! Yes, it even became a form of entrapment judgment upon them! Finally, it proved to be a stumbling block—an obstacle of great offense to them. Both prophets Isaiah and David predicted this. Present-day Israel is thus plagued with a threefold blindness:

         1) The blindness caused by the fall of Adam (Eph. 4:18)

         2) The blindness caused by Satan (2 Cor. 4:4)

         3) The blindness caused by God (Rom. 11:8)

Beloved, there is a sober warning for each of us in these words of Scripture. The things we cherish most can become the very source of our stumbling, blindness, and rejection of the mind and heart of God for each of us. You see a refusal to accept God’s truth and Christian responsibility will result in spiritual blindness for both sinner and saint alike. Peter warms NT believers of the possibility of spiritual senility taking over and crippling our potential for Christ (2Pet. 1:8-10). The writer of Hebrews cautions believers of the awful condition of growing backwards and reverting back to spiritual infancy (Heb. 5:11-14). It is vitally important that we pursue godly growth and maintain real sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Scriptures, our Holy Savior, and our Holy Sovereign.

It is a frightful thing to contemplate becoming so enamored with the blessings that I dismiss the God who blessed me! I shudder at the thought of allowing a human relationship, a professional path, a standard of living, a certain church family, or an unjustified prioritization of convenience and comfort over God’s will, godly convictions, and surrender to Christ. Too many of God’s people can delineate their blessings, but they cannot imagine life without those privileges…not even when God summons them to go further and deeper with Him in life and service. Saying NO, to what God is trying to teach us and refusing to accept God’s will for us is literally asking for His chastening!

CONCLUSION:

Because of the things we’ve explored, we are assured that God still has plans for His covenant people. Once again, the Nation of Israel will be saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and according to the Covenant of God to Abraham. God will fulfill all His great promises to the nation. In the meantime, God will save the Jewish person who repents believing the Gospel of Jesus our Lord. Therefore, Israel’s rejection is not entire, permanent and certainly not final—she has a brilliant future before her when she turns to Jesus Christ in faith.

Now consider this brilliant and powerful description of Jesus Christ, the Savior,

In whom [Christ our Lord] we have redemption [Redeemer] through his blood [Blood Atonement], even the forgiveness of sins [Forgiver of our sins]: [15] Who is the image of the invisible God [Revealer & Representative of God], the firstborn [The Unique Superior & Sovereign over creation] of every creature: [16] For by him [Jesus] were all things created [Creator], that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones [Superior to all creatures], or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him [Originator], and for him [Supreme Purpose & Meaning]: [17] And he [Jesus] is before all things [Preeminent One], and by him all things consist [The Providential Sustainer]. (Col. 1:14-17)

Beloved, because of these truths and Paul’s constant proclamation of Jesus Christ as the perfect, divine, all-sufficient Lord, we do not need to add anything to Him and His work to be saved. Nor should be supplement Jesus to find fulfillment, completion, confidence, maturity, power, victory, or meaning in this life and the next! Come Jews and Gentiles alike…there is room at the Cross for all. Come religious person and atheistic person to this one Savior and Lord. He promises to save, to give life to, to forgive, to receive you, to be your Savior when you trust Him. Remember, it is Jesus who died, was buried, and rose again the third day. Yes, He is alive to rescue you from spiritual destruction and hell because of your sin. Listen, God forgave even me when I repented trusting Jesus…He will certainly do likewise for you. Turn to Him now. Cry out to Him for forgiveness, confess that Jesus is the Lord God who became a man to die for our sins. Believe in your heart of hearts that God raised Him from the dead proving that Jesus had conquered sin, death, and hell for us. Our Lord Jesus, the very Son of God, is the consummate Savior! The question remains, is He your Savior? Why not trust the Lord today?