A Gift, All may Repent and Turn to Christ
God is over All
God calls us to call to the lost
Wabush, a town in a remote portion of Labrador, Canada, was completely isolated for some time. But recently a road was cut through the wilderness to reach it. Wabush now has one road leading into it, and thus, only one road leading out. If someone would travel the unpaved road for six to eight hours to get into Wabush, there is only way he or she could leave---by turning around.
Each of us, by birth, arrives in a town called Sin. As in Wabush, there is only one way out--a road built by God himself. But in order to take that road, one must first turn around. That complete about face is what the Bible calls repentance, and without it, there’s no way out of town. Brian Weatherdon.
Would people say you’ve made the about face today?
God is over All
I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. [12] Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? Romans 11:11-12
Stumble and fall…
The only permanent and final fall—spiritually.
Is Israel’s problem with Christ permanent and final? Is it with any other man?
Paul’s response: God forbid! Perish the thought! Let it never be!
Israel, now...
·have shut their eyes, lest they should see Christ (Romans 11:8).
·have closed their ears, lest they should hear Christ (Romans 11:8).
·have set themselves to bitterly oppose Christ (1 Thes. 2:15-16).
(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. Romans 11:8
Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: [16] Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost. 1 Thes. 2:15-16
Because of this God sent HIS glorious message of HIS love throughout the world (the Gentile world) in search of any person who would receive the message of Jesus.
God did what Israel had failed to do: God threw open the door of salvation to the whole world.
“Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:46).
“For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it” (Acts 28:27-28).
“Then saith he to his [God] servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage” (Matthew 22:8-9).
“Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper” (Luke 14:21-24).
God calls us to call to the lost
For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: [14] If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. [15] For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? Romans 11:13-15
God indeed does and has “worked all things out for good.”
He took Israel’s rejection of Jesus and enriched the world. Why?
God ordained that Jesus Christ shall have many brothers and sisters who will worship and serve HIM throughout all eternity
God stirs the Jews and all people to be restored. God has not forsaken the nation of Israel or any other that will humble themselves and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in their lives.
All nations should be able to look upon the true Christian believer and see God’s holiness, love, joy, and peace in their lives; that they might be stirred to receive Christ.
Is this demonstrated in your life?
In fact, God sees to it that some are “provoked,” stirred or shaken to receive Christ.
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world [both Jew and Gentile] of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged” (John 16:7-11).
“And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47).
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).
“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:27- 28).
When Israel became “diminished”, Israel became spiritually injured and defeated; the Jewish people lost the blessings of salvation…other than through Christ Jesus…
I pray no one here has missed out on this blessing, if you have not received it you have a chance to do so today.
Now Paul continues to reason...
·if the spiritual fall of Israel led to the riches of salvation being carried to the world...
·if the spiritual diminishing of Israel led to the riches of salvation being carried to the Gentiles...
...how much more shall the fullness (the restoration of Israel) bring the blessings of God to earth?
“fullness” means completion or that which is filled.
The day is coming when God’s plan and purpose for Israel will be completed and perfectly fulfilled. That day, the day of Israel’s restoration, will cause even a greater blessing to spread out across the world.
The spread of the gospel has had an enormous impact upon the world. A great gift has been given…
ÞIt has liberated millions from sin and shame.
ÞIt has saved millions from death and hell.
ÞIt has assured millions of life eternal with God.
ÞIt has liberated women and children from slavery.
ÞIt has proclaimed morality and purity world-wide.
ÞIt has stirred justice and the enactment of just laws among men.
When Israel is restored and large numbers of Jews begin to turn to Christ, then the world will experience unprecedented blessings from the hand of God.
God promises such blessings to the world.
God has overruled and will continue to overrule Israel’s stumble and fall over Christ.
ÞMore and more Gentiles will be saved. The uttermost part of the earth is going to hear the gospel.
“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14).
ÞMore Israelites will be stirred to accept Christ and be restored.
ÞA glorious restoration of Israel is going to take place.
“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob” (Romans 11:25-26).
“And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart” (Jeremiah 24:7).
The sure test of the quality of any supposed change of heart will be found in its permanent effects. ’By their fruits you shall know them’ is as applicable to the right method of judging ourselves as of judging others. Whatever, therefore, may have been our inward experience, whatever joy or sorrow we may have felt, unless we bring forth fruits meet for repentance, our experience will profit us nothing. Repentance is incomplete unless it leads to confession and restitution in cases of injury; unless it causes us to forsake not merely outward sins, which others notice, but those which lie concealed in the heart; unless it makes us choose the service of God and live not for ourselves but for Him. There is no duty which is either more obvious in itself, or more frequently asserted in the Word of God, than that of repentance. Charles Hodge.
Are you ready? Have you repented and become part of the “some believed” to salvation?
God’s glory lays before each of us today, are you willing to put aside the vain things of this world today and follow God’s directive to “Go ye therefore…” it is our directive as soon as we have repented and accepted Christ…yet some never GO.
Will you commit today to be part of the restoration of Israel and all the people apart from Christ today??? Will you commit to a greater growth and fellowship in Christ today???
