Romans 11:25-36 Teaching Outline

Segment One: God Is Not Finished

Romans 11:25-32

• 1. Beware spiritual arrogance, Romans 11:25
  • "Lest you be wise in your own sight."
  • Grace eliminates boasting.
  • Gentile inclusion does not mean Gentile superiority.
  • The root supports us, we do not support the root.
  • Grace should produce humility.
• 2. The mystery revealed, Romans 11:25
  • A partial hardening has come upon Israel.
  • "Partial" means the hardening is not absolute.
  • God has preserved a remnant.
  • "Until" points toward God's continuing redemptive purpose.
  • Human unbelief does not overthrow divine faithfulness.
• 3. God sees what we cannot
  • We see moments, God sees history.
  • We see the branch, God sees the tree.
  • We see the present, God sees the purpose.
  • Do not declare the story finished while God is still writing it.
  • Do not confuse mystery with inactivity.
• 4. "All Israel will be saved," Romans 11:26-27
  • Recognize the major interpretations.
  • Keep the focus on Paul's central argument.
  • God has not rejected His people.
  • God has not forgotten His promises.
  • God remains faithful to His covenant purposes.
• 5. The Deliverer does the saving, Romans 11:26-27
  • "The Deliverer will come."
  • He removes ungodliness.
  • He takes away sin.
  • Salvation originates with God.
  • Grace is God's work from beginning to end.
• 6. Enemies and beloved, Romans 11:28
  • Present rejection does not mean God has lost control of His purposes.
  • God's redemptive purposes are deeper than our categories.
  • Present circumstances do not always reveal the final outcome.
• 7. God's calling is irrevocable, Romans 11:29
  • Read the verse in its covenant context.
  • God's faithfulness rests upon God's character.
  • God does not casually abandon His promises.
  • 2 Timothy 2:13: He remains faithful.
  • Do not confuse delay with abandonment.
  • Do not confuse mystery with absence.
• 8. Remember where you came from, Romans 11:30-31
  • Gentiles were once disobedient.
  • Gentiles received mercy.
  • Mercy is not a trophy.
  • Saved sinners have no grounds for spiritual superiority.
  • We are testimonies of mercy, not trophies of achievement.
• 9. Everybody needs mercy, Romans 11:32
  • Jew and Gentile stand on common ground.
  • All are under sin.
  • All need mercy.
  • Romans 3:23: "All have sinned."
  • Salvation leaves no room for boasting.
  • Jesus is the only basis of redemption.
• 10. Probing application
  • Who have I decided is beyond God's mercy?
  • Has grace made me humble?
  • Do I view unbelievers with contempt or compassion?
  • Do I complain about lost people more than I pray for them?
  • Have I mistaken God's delay for God's abandonment?
  • Can I trust God when I cannot understand His methods?
• Segment One landing
  • God is not finished.
  • God keeps His promises.
  • God accomplishes His purposes.
  • God humbles the proud.
  • God welcomes sinners.
  • God gives mercy to those who cannot earn it.
  • Confusion -> revelation -> mercy -> humility -> worship.

Segment Two: When Theology Becomes Worship

Romans 11:33-36

• 1. "Oh, the depth," Romans 11:33
  • Paul moves from explanation to exclamation.
  • The Greek "Oh" expresses wonder and astonishment.
  • Eleven chapters of theology culminate in worship.
  • Sometimes the deepest theological response is simply, "Oh."
  • Theology should produce awe, not arrogance.
• 2. Knowing God truly, but not exhaustively
  • God can be truly known because He has revealed Himself.
  • God cannot be exhaustively comprehended by the human mind.
  • The deeper we go, the more depth we discover.
  • Mystery is not a defect in Christianity.
  • Mystery reminds us that God is God.
• 3. The riches, wisdom and knowledge of God, Romans 11:33
  • Nothing has ever occurred to God.
  • God never learns.
  • God never receives new information.
  • God sees every consequence and every outcome.
  • There has never been an emergency meeting in heaven.
• 4. His ways are unsearchable, Romans 11:33
  • We will not always understand what God is doing.
  • Faith does not require pretending we understand.
  • "I don't understand what God is doing" is different from "God doesn't know what He is doing."
  • We see the thread, God sees the tapestry.
  • We see Good Friday, God sees resurrection morning.
  • Trust God's character when you cannot trace His methods.
• 5. God does not need a counselor, Romans 11:34
  • "Who has known the mind of the Lord?"
  • "Who has been his counselor?"
  • God does not need our advice.
  • God does not need a focus group.
  • God does not require our approval.
  • Stop trying to make God follow your plan.
  • Maybe God is not ignoring your plan, maybe He already has one.
• 6. God owes us nothing, Romans 11:35
  • Nobody can put God in their debt.
  • Everything we could give God came from Him first.
  • Our money came from Him.
  • Our gifts came from Him.
  • Our intelligence came from Him.
  • Our opportunities came from Him.
  • Our breath came from Him.
  • Our salvation came from Him.
  • Entitlement dies where grace is understood.
• 7. The great threefold declaration, Romans 11:36
  • "From Him."
  • "Through Him."
  • "To Him."
  • Source -> Sustainer -> Goal.
• 8. FROM HIM
  • God is the source.
  • Before everything, God.
  • Genesis begins with God.
  • Life comes from Him.
  • Breath comes from Him.
  • Gifts come from Him.
  • Salvation comes from Him.
  • James 1:17: every good gift comes from above.
  • We are not self-created or self-existent.
• 9. THROUGH HIM
  • God is the sustainer.
  • Colossians 1:17: in Him all things hold together.
  • Creation continues because God sustains it.
  • Every breath and heartbeat depend upon Him.
  • We did not carry ourselves this far.
  • Every storm survived: through Him.
  • Every burden carried: through Him.
  • Every prayer answered: through Him.
  • Every day we are still standing: through Him.
• 10. TO HIM
  • God is the goal.
  • Everything ultimately exists for His glory.
  • Christianity confronts the religion of self.
  • Not my truth, my kingdom, my glory.
  • Our lives are not ultimately about us.
  • Our gifts are for Him.
  • Our influence is for Him.
  • Our families are for Him.
  • Our ministries are for Him.
  • Our lives are for Him.
• 11. The question changes
  • Not: "What will God do for my life?"
  • But: "What does God want to do with the life He gave me?"
  • Not: "How does God fit into my plans?"
  • But: "How does my life fit into His?"
  • Not: "How can God make me successful?"
  • But: "How can my life make Him known?"
• 12. Worship is surrender
  • Worship is more than singing.
  • Worship surrenders the illusion that we are the center.
  • We are not asking God to become a supporting character in our story.
  • We discover that we have been invited into His story.
• 13. Probing application
  • Am I trying to understand God or control God?
  • Can I worship when I do not understand?
  • Do I secretly believe God owes me because I have been faithful?
  • Is my life organized around my glory or His?
  • What have I received from God that I have failed to return to Him in worship?
  • If everything is "to Him," what needs to change about how I live?
• 14. Final crescendo, Romans 11:36
  • Every gift: from Him.
  • Every breath: through Him.
  • Every purpose: to Him.
  • Every victory.
  • Every heartbreak redeemed.
  • Every answered prayer.
  • Every closed door.
  • Every mountain.
  • Every valley.
  • Every moment.
  • Every heartbeat.
  • Every remaining day.
  • FROM HIM.
  • THROUGH HIM.
  • TO HIM.
  • "To Him be glory forever."
  • Amen.