God’s Mercy Is For All
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Romans 11:7 What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 8 Just as it is written: "God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day." 9 And David says: "Let their table become a snare and a trap, A stumbling block and a recompense to them. 10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see, and bow down their back always." 11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. 12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!
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The Jews as a people and nation missed their time of visitation from God; however, God still had a plan! If the Jews not believing in Jesus as the Messiah brought repentance and salvation to the Gentiles, what will their restoration bring. Paul clearly taught there would come a time of fullness for the Jewish people. Their fall opened the door of the gospel of Jesus to the world. The apostle Paul calls himself the apostle to the Gentile. God’s plan in part is to provoke the Jews into jealousy when they see how the Gentiles can walk in such sweet fellowship with God. When the Jews can see that man can be justified by faith in Jesus apart from the works of the law a jealousy can be birthed.
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Luke 19:41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 "For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 "and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."
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Mat 21:42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes'? 43 "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44 "And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder." 45 Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.
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Because the Jews missed their time of visitation from the Messiah the kingdom was taken and given to those who would believe on Jesus.
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Romans 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. 15 For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
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Paul is clearly preaching that one day the Jewish nation will repent. The nation of Israel returning to God will bring revival; as Paul called it life from the dead!
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Zechariah 12:10 "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
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The prophet Zechariah spoke of the day the nation Israel would repent for the One they pierced. We now know it is Jesus whom the pierced. God is not done with Israel and one day all will see this truth.
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Romans 11:16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.
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The first fruit is Jesus Christ; He is the root! The Jewish non-believers were broke off the olive tree and we Gentile believers were grafted in. Holiness can only come from Jesus the olive tree! We as believers don’t support the Root; the Root support us the branch. As a believers we are righteous and holy; we must never forget the only and exclusive source to this righteousness and holiness is the Root Jesus Christ! Abiding in the root is imperative!
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Romans 11:19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in." 20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.
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Paul has never left the theme of all of Romans, the just shall live by faith! We are told over and over to hold on to the confession of our faith. God has clearly shown through His Word that a man can depart from the faith (the object of your faith being in Jesus exclusively). The last phrase is a strong warning to all believers… He may not spare you either. Is it about our performance? No! However, what a man truly believes is what he acts upon! A sinner is going to sin; a righteous man will live righteously. If one has never been grafted into the olive tree there is no holiness or righteousness in them! If one has been grafted in there is a new creation within that loves righteousness and holiness’ It is truly Christ in you the hope of glory.
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Romans 11:22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.
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I have heard “once saved always saved’ folks say there are no “ifs” about eternal life. They have chosen to turn a blind eye to the Word of God. By the authority of the Word there are “ifs”. This passage is one and let me give a few more.
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Colossians 1:21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight; 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul , became a minister.
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Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, 2 who was faithful to Him who appointed Him,…
Hebrews 3:5 And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, 6 but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.
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Matthew 24:11 "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 "But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
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I love talking about the goodness of God and indeed it can lead to repentance; however it would be less than the full counsel of God if we leave out His severity. Our faith in Jesus must endure to the end! We must hold on to our confession of Jesus; we must ever make sure the object of our faith is ever in Jesus Christ and Him crucified! We must be aware that the root supports us! Keep our eyes upon Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith.
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Romans 11:23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? 25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
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God is able to graft in the Jew again! If He can graft in a wild branch like you and me, He certainly can graft back in the natural branches that were broken off. Their blindness has happened until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in! This is a mystery revealed that the Gentile would be brought in. Now the Gentiles need to know of the mystery that the Israel will be grafted back into the olive tree!
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Romans 11:26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion , And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins." 28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
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The Jewish people and indeed Israel still have promises from the Father. Although as a whole they are not apart of this covenant of grace and truth brought through Jesus Christ, God will turn His attention to them one day. Paul called them enemies of the gospel because of their unbelief; but according to the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). Here is such a great truth about God revealed! His gifts and calling are irrevocable. Assurance coming from God to us; a continuing in the faith until the end on the believer’s part.
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Romans 11:30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
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God is a merciful God! His intent and will is to have mercy on all. It is not His will that any should perish but all come to repentance.
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Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! 34 "For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?" 35 "Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?" 36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
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It is not all about you and me! It indeed is all about a merciful kind God! Such a mighty all knowing God and yet he made a way of escape from sin, shame, and condemnation. What a wonder that He would qualify man to be brought into His kingdom. How marvelous that He bestowed such great love that we can be called the children of God. His ways are past finding out; however, we can enjoy His mercy and abundant pardon found only in Jesus Christ. Repentance and remission of sin is found exclusively in Jesus. You and I were created for God and for His glory. Jesus says come…
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Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
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