Pastor Mac Hammond | March 6, 2022

Recap:
“All Israel shall be saved.” These words come directly from Romans chapter 11. What do they mean? How should they affect our relationship with Israel? That’s what Pastor Mac addressed in his latest message, The Mystery of Israel. We will not always understand everything in the Bible. In fact, we will have questions about what the Bible means, particularly in passages like this. How can all Israel be saved if they have been blinded to the truth? That’s why we should not use questions as the basis for our beliefs, but turn to the Word. Believe what it says first. Trust God that He will handle the things you don’t understand.

Dive Deeper:
Paul writes a lot about Israel in his letter to the Romans. He tells us that Israel’s eyes have been blinded to see the truth that Jesus is the Son of God. God did this so that the Gospel could be opened up to the Gentiles, which includes us. We would not be part of God’s kingdom if Israel had always believed that Jesus is the Son of God.

So if God blinds Israel to the truth, does that mean they are destined to hell? No. That’s why Paul states that all Israel shall be saved. That means redemption isn’t peculiar to our New Testament covenant. Jews who believe in their God-given, everlasting, Old Testament covenant will be saved.

This doesn’t mean that they are saved outside of knowing that Jesus is the Son of God and it doesn’t mean that we are to be the ones who bring the Gospel to the Jews. God will take care of them seeing and understanding the truth about Jesus in order to be saved. Their covenant with God is everlasting, so He will find a way to bring them the truth they need to know about Jesus. Our job isn’t to determine how God does His job. Our job is to believe that He will save Israel, and that they have a covenant with God that has not been wiped out or changed because of our covenant with Him.

God told Abraham that those who bless Israel will be blessed. This particular blessing isn’t tied to a covenant with God but will be given to anyone who blesses Israel. That means our focus should not be salvation of the Jews, but our focus should be on blessing them!

Read More:
Genesis 12:1–3 KJV
1 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Romans 11:1–36 KJV
1 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.
2 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,
3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.
4 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 it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
8 (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.
9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:
10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
11 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?
13 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?
16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.
20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.
24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
25 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.
26 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:
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father’s sakes.
29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
33 O 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 hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
 
Discussion Questions:
1. Have you ever considered Israel and your relationship to it?
2. Why does the Jews’ covenant with God matter to us today?
3. What’s one way you can bless Israel?
4. How can we be vocal supporters of Israel as a church and individually?