WWUTT 183 A Cultivated Olive Tree?

If you are in Christ Jesus, you have been saved from the wrath of God, and not because of anything that you have done, but because of what

Christ did. So don't get too proud about yourself, but stand in fear when we understand the text.

This is when we understand the text, studying God's word to reach all the riches of full assurance in Christ.

Here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe. Thank you, Becky. Turn in your Bibles, if you will, to Romans chapter 11.

We're going to be looking at verses 17 through 24, and Paul's illustration of the cultivated olive tree.

Beginning in verse 17, but if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others, and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches.

If you are, remember, it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.

Then you will say, branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in. That is true.

They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.

For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.

Note then the kindness and the severity of God, severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness.

Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in.

For God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree and grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree?

This really is a beautiful picture here. And we could spend a lot of time on talking about all of the deep, mysterious things that are that are being revealed by this illustration of the cultivated olive branch.

But first, as we go back to 17 here, verse 17, I want to remind you that who Paul is talking to is the

Gentiles, specifically that's who he's addressing. And the they that is being referred to in this section is

Israel. So in verse 13, he says, now I am speaking to you Gentiles.

So that's who he's addressing still as we get to verse 17. Yesterday, we ended with verse 16. If the dough offered as first fruits is holy, so is the whole lump.

And if the root is holy, so are the branches. That's talking about Christ.

Christ is the one who is holy. And so everything that grows up from Christ is therefore also holy.

So then we get to verse 17. If some of the branches were broken off and you, although a wild olive shoot were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches.

So who are the branches? It was Israel. They've been cut off because they were unfaithful. And then from a wild olive shoot, those branches had been pruned and grafted into this olive tree, the root of which is

Christ. So all of us who are Gentiles, we're not part of the ethnic Jewish people at all.

We were not even seeking after God, but God gave us the gifts that he had promised to Israel, not by anything that we have done, but according to his own grace and mercy.

And so we, although we were a wild olive shoot, we have been grafted into this olive tree.

We're not to be arrogant toward the branches as though we have accomplished something that they were unable to accomplish because that's not it.

All right. They could not work to attain their faith. Therefore, we do not work to attain salvation either.

It is by the grace and mercy of God. If you are, if you are arrogant, this is middle part of 18.

Remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Again, the holiness that we have, the salvation that we have received comes from Christ, not by anything that we did.

Verse 19, then you will say branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.

And that is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief. So they're not broken off to make room for you.

You're not replacing. That's one of the reasons why I don't like the idea of this being referred to as replacement theology, which is constantly what some of what is being talked about here in chapters nine, 10 and 11 pertains to what is called replacement theology.

Maybe I should backtrack and kind of explain that a little bit. Replacement theology is the idea that Israel was

God's chosen people. They have been cut off and the church has replaced Israel as God's chosen people.

But that's not an accurate description of what's happening here, nor do I think it's really even an accurate description of replacement theology.

That name is just a terrible name. A lot of times you cannot judge the theology based on its name.

You actually have to go to the theology and study it to understand what it is that it's attempting to teach the doctrines that are being compiled there.

Okay. So the understanding that we're supposed to come to based on this illustration that Paul is giving is not that Israel has been replaced, and that's straight up what he's saying here.

Verse 19, you will say branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in. That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith.

So do not become proud, but fear. So Paul is saying here, no, no, no. They weren't broken off to make room for you.

All right. Israel's not being replaced. They were cut off because of their unbelief.

You have been grafted in. You have received the promises of God because of his grace and mercy.

But the Israelites can still receive that too. If they don't continue in their unbelief and they repent and come to know

Christ, they also will be grafted back in. So then we'll have this cultivated olive tree made of both

Jews and Gentiles and rooted in Christ Jesus. So the promises can still be theirs, but it's only if they repent of their unbelief and come to faith in Christ rather than trying to attain their salvation by works, obeying the law of Moses, which was what they were trying to do before.

OK, so so do you get the idea there? Nothing is being replaced. And Paul is even addressing that argument here.

They're not being replaced. They were cut off because of their unbelief, but they can be grafted back in as long as they believe in Christ.

What we get from this illustration of the cultivated olive tree is that there's one people of God. And I said this either last week or the week before, and I got a couple of emails.

I got some folks that were saying, what are you saying that Israel's been replaced? No, that's not the illustration.

There's always been one people of God, and it's always those who believe or who have been saved by grace through faith.

That's the way salvation has been given in both the Old and the New Testament by grace through faith. It has never been by keeping the law.

And those who have attempted to gain salvation by keeping the law are those who were in unbelief and have been cut off, declaring their own righteousness instead of the righteousness of God.

They've been cut off, but can be grafted back in as long as they repent of their unbelief and come to faith in Christ.

So verse 21 here, let me finish up this verse and then let me take you to another section of Scripture.

Verse 21. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.

So you must continue in faith. Do not be proud of anything that you've accomplished, but fear.

In other words, have that reverent respect for the Lord. Let's go to Deuteronomy chapter nine.

I'll give you a moment here to turn to Deuteronomy chapter nine, verses four through five.

We're actually going through the book of Joshua right now in a Wednesday night class that I teach at the church, having finished up Deuteronomy a few weeks back, a month or two ago.

So we spent a lot of time in Deuteronomy, and this was a section of Deuteronomy nine that we came back to every once in a while, constantly being reminded of, well, this is a section of Deuteronomy that we still come back to even while we're in Joshua, being reminded of why the

Israelites were being given the promised land and it didn't have anything to do with anything great that they did.

All right. Deuteronomy nine, verses four and five, do not say in your heart after the

Lord, your God has thrust them out before you. It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess this promised land, whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the

Lord is driving them out before you, not because of your righteousness or the righteousness of your heart.

Not are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations, the

Lord, your God is driving them out from before you and that he may confirm the word that the

Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. So in other words, you're being given the promised land because of their wickedness and because of God's faithfulness.

That's why you're being given the promised land, not because of anything righteous that you have done, but because God is awesome.

And that's the same thing that we're being told here in Romans 11, verses 17 through 21.

It's not because you did anything awesome, but because God is awesome that you have been grafted into this tree.

But if you are proud and you think it's because of something that you did, you're going to fall into that works righteousness thing that the

Israelites were guilty of and you will be cut off from the tree just like they were.

So hold fast to the faith and do not become proud, but fear.

So verse 22 now, we're back in Romans 11, verse 22, note then the kindness and the severity of God, severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you provided you continue in his kindness.

Otherwise, you too will be cut off. That's a verse to underline God's kindness and his severity.

Honestly, in the American church in particular, how much we want to ignore the aspects of God's wrath and just focus on God being a

God of love, he's just so loving. He wouldn't be wrathful and poured out his wrath on anybody.

Well, we have read throughout Romans how often God's wrath is described here.

And even here, Romans 11, 22, Paul is specifically saying, note his kindness and his severity.

You cannot ignore that aspect of God because it is part of his holiness.

He cannot stand sin. He hates sin. And so for those who sin, they are dealt with severely and we need to recognize that it is an aspect and a characteristic of God's holiness.

Also, it drives us to greater praise toward God, knowing that we have been spared that severity and shown his kindness.

Note his kindness and his severity, severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you provided that you continue in his kindness.

In other words, you're standing steadfast in the faith. Otherwise, you too will be cut off.

And we see things like this happening in the church. Even today, a church that may have once been faithful to sound doctrine in the

Lord Christ and is turned away from that after falling in love with the world and chasing after sinful desires.

You know, I'm actually speaking about this on a day that the United Methodist Church is holding its general conference in Portland, Oregon.

And perhaps you had heard about this yesterday. It made news before the conference had even started because 100 pastors, deacons, elders, and ministry staff publicly came out as being part of the gay and lesbian community.

And they said that we have sought to remain faithful to our call and covenant. But you, the church, have not always remained faithful to us.

Boy, if that is not a self -centered declaration. This is what their letter stated addressing the conference of the

United Methodist Church. While you have welcomed us as pastors, youth leaders, district superintendents, bishops, professors, missionaries, and other forms of religious service.

Now again, these are gays and lesbians saying this. Lord have mercy. You have required that we not bring our full selves to ministry, that we hide from view our sexual orientations and gender identities.

Folks, I make a prediction that at this general conference, the United Methodist Church is going to recognize and accept same -sex marriage.

I pray that they don't. And we should pray for that church and this conference. But that is likely what's going to happen.

And so what will happen to their place in heaven? They will be cut off from the tree. That is precisely what will happen, what we see being demonstrated here.

Note the kindness and the severity of God, severity toward those who have fallen.

But kindness toward those who continue steadfast in the faith. Verse 23, and even if they, even they, now talking about the

Israelites again here, even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief will be grafted in for God has the power to graft them in again.

And those who are in sin, even now they can repent and be grafted back into the cultivated olive tree.

Verse 24, for if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and that's what we all once were, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

We read in Romans 3 as it says, no one seeks after God. No one does righteous. So we were wild.

We were wild olive trees and we've been grafted contrary to our nature into a cultivated olive tree.

Our nature is to sin. We read that in Romans 5 talking about original sin, but God by his grace and mercy has grafted us into a tree.

Remember it being talked about how the root is holy. That was in verse 16. So if the root is holy, we are also holy, not because of anything we did, but because we are grafted into this, into a cultivated olive tree.

How much more will these, the natural branches talking again about the Jews will be grafted back into their own olive tree if they repent of their unbelief and come to faith in Christ Jesus.

And so I desire for those who have become apostate, that they would repent of their sin and God will bring them back into fellowship with himself and with the body of Christ.

Here's the ironic thing about that group who is addressing the general conference, the

United Methodist Church, claiming to be gays and lesbians. They're part of a group that is called Reconciling Ministries Network.

What they are is actually the opposite of that. They need to repent of their sins so that they will be reconciled unto

God for real this time through Jesus Christ, our Lord, our God.

But I pray that we recognize your kindness and your severity and may it drive us to greater praise of who you are and the salvation that we have received in Christ Jesus.

Let us not look down on anyone else as though we have accomplished something great.

But it is because of your love and kindness and mercy that we have been rescued from our sin and brought to salvation in Christ Jesus.

So let us not think highly of ourselves in any way, but humbly submitting ourselves before the

Lord and giving ourselves also to humble tasks. We pray and ask this in Jesus name.

Amen. You've been listening to When We Understand the Text with Pastor Gabe Hughes. We hope you are a part of a church family committed to gospel teaching and we thank you for including us in your

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