October 27, 2021 - Romans 11:1-10

Martin Luther struggled mightily with his relationship with Christ. At one point in his life, he would spend time in prayer, on his knees, ascending a staircase to demonstrate his willingness to serve Christ. Like Luther, there are many people who have come to me concerned about their spiritual condition. They have been anxious for fear of an act or thought that would have caused God to abandon them and therefore hinder their relationship with Christ.

I think the apostle Paul had questions posed to him after watching how the Gentiles had come to trust the Lord and how the Jewish people had seemingly rejected and turned away from the Lord in their rebellion and hardness of heart. Can God turn His back on a people that He had called for His own and made promises to for centuries of time? His answer was an emphatic "no" and he uses several arguments to bolster his position.

The first argument is that Paul himself was a Jew and so therefore God had not rejected His people. Paul's conversion and his faith was grounds to establish that God was still at work with His people. Secondly, Paul spoke of the Old Testament person of Elijah. When the nation was rebellious and idolatrous, God still had seven thousand who followed Him (v. 2-4; 1 Kings 19). Lastly, He speaks of a remnant that was following God even though the rest of the nation had been blinded and deafened to the point where they were asleep to the words and actions of God in their midst. Quoting from Isaiah and Psalms to emphasize his point that God is still actively involved in lives of people who do not acknowledge Him currently.

We can be assured that what was true in the lives of the Old Testament Jews is also true in the lives of people today. Individuals that have been raised in the church and currently are living in total disregard and disobedience to God are still important to the Lord. They may not acknowledge or desire to have a relationship with Him but that does not hinder the Lord from continuing to be active and at work around them. Like Israel, large portions of the culture may stray from His word and presence but He remains faithful. He will continue to draw out a remnant to proclaim and make His name known to the world.

This week, do not be surprised if someone rejects, mocks, or ignores the invitation to know Christ or know Him better. It is not a rejection toward you but of Christ. He is doing a work that we cannot see or understand. Continue to trust Him because He is not finished with Israel or the Gentiles.