Rejection of the Jews
A Sermon on Romans 9:25-29
Originally preached March 15, 1963
Scripture
25As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. 26And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they …
Sermon Description
In order to help the Jews truly understand the peril they were in, Paul uses the Jewish people’s own Scripture to argue against their pride. The Jews were very prideful about the fact that they had the Scriptures, but they were also blinded to the message that was in the Scripture. In Romans 9:25–29, Paul is speaking directly to the Jews about their standing as God’s chosen people. In this sermon on Romans 9:25–29 titled “Rejection of the Jews,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones notes that the Jews received promises, but they also received threats. They did not realize that the promises they received from God were conditional and His warnings against them were true, because God’s words are always true. The words of the prophets that Paul quotes have both an immediate implication and a remote application. God would indeed carry out destruction on the Jewish people and Paul cries out for them on their behalf. Some Jews thought God would not seek destruction on them because it had been so long, but God does not always act immediately on his warnings. Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds that salvation, to the Jew and the Gentile, is purely the work of God and we are saved by his loving mercy. The Jews should be thankful that even a remnant of them were saved.
Sermon Breakdown
- Isaiah prophesied that only a remnant of Israel would be saved (v. 27)
- Though Israel's population was vast, most would face destruction (v. 27)
- God would swiftly execute his judgment against Israel (v. 28)
- God's word of judgment would be fulfilled, though delayed (v. 28)
- Without God's mercy, Israel would have been destroyed like Sodom (v. 29)
- God sovereignly chose to preserve a remnant of Israel (v. 29)
- No one deserves salvation; it comes solely from God's grace (v. 29)
- The gospel is God's power to save, not man's ability to believe (v. 29)
Sermon Q&A
What Does Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Teach About God's Sovereignty in Salvation?
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explores God's sovereignty in salvation through his exposition of Romans 9:25-29. Here are key questions and answers based on his sermon:
What is the main argument that the Apostle Paul is trying to prove in Romans 9:25-29?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Paul is proving two key points: "First, that the vital, the only really vital element in salvation is God's sovereign choice... the absolute sovereignty of God in the matter of salvation." Secondly, Paul emphasizes "God's complete freedom of choice, so that he may choose Gentiles if he wills to do so, and that he may reject Jews, the bulk of the nation of Israel, if he so wills." The apostle demonstrates that this isn't a new idea but one clearly stated in Scripture.
Why were the Jews struggling with Paul's message about salvation?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the Jews faced two major stumbling blocks: "The Jews couldn't accommodate themselves and their thinking to this notion that Gentiles could ever become citizens of the kingdom of God." The second stumbling block was "that they could not accept the notion that any Jew could be rejected, and that what was utterly impossible was that the bulk of the nation of the Jews should be rejected as a whole."
What does the phrase "Isaiah also crieth concerning Israel" reveal about the prophet's message?
Lloyd-Jones notes that this word "crieth" is significant - it's "an impassioned utterance" and "an inarticulate cry...expressing deep emotion." He explains: "When Isaiah uttered that prophecy, he did so with a sense of shock, with a sense of amazement. He was almost overwhelmed by grief and by sorrow." The prophet was in anguish over having to deliver this terrifying message that only a remnant of Israel would be saved.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones teach about God's timing in judgment?
The preacher emphasizes that "God doesn't always carry out what he says he's going to do immediately," which leads many to wrongly conclude that judgment will never come. He explains: "The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceeding small." Lloyd-Jones illustrates this with the story of a Canadian farmer who thought he could work on Sunday without consequences, to which a wise minister replied, "God keeps long accounts. He doesn't always settle his accounts in the fall." The principle is: "God makes his statement... he may delay for his own gracious purpose," but eventually "he will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness."
What does it mean that "except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom"?
According to Lloyd-Jones, this quote from Isaiah 1:9 summarizes Paul's entire argument: "Nobody at all deserves to be saved. Every one of us merits destruction and damnation... The fact that anybody is saved at all is to be attributed to one thing only, and that is the mercy and the grace of God and his almighty power unto salvation." The preservation of even a remnant of Israel is entirely due to God's sovereign choice, not human merit or decision.
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say the existence of Christians is astonishing?
Lloyd-Jones concludes his sermon by stating: "The amazing thing is that there is such a thing as a single Christian. It's the most astounding thing in the universe that there is a single Christian. And nothing explains the existence of even one Christian but the love and the grace, the mercy and the power of the Lord God Almighty." This reflects his conviction that salvation is entirely of God, not of human will or effort.
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.