GOFAMINT DEVOTIONAL- THE JEWS' SELF-EFFORT TO PLEASE GOD

THE JEWS IN GOD’S SALVATION PLAN

Monday 25/4/2022

Suggested Hymns: G.H.B. 190, 194

Devotional Reading: Rom. 11:11-21

Topic For Adults: Consequence of Unbelief on Jews

Topic For Youths: Do not Toy With Your Salvation

Topic For Intermediates: Unbelief Closes The Door To Salvation

Lesson Scriptures: Matt. 10:5-7; Acts 9:46-48; Rom. 10:1-5; 11:13-36

MEMORY VERSE

“Concerning the Gospel, they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election, they are beloved for the sake of the fathers” (Romans 11: 28) NKJV.

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 THE JEWS' SELF-EFFORT TO PLEASE GOD

 Rom. 10:1-5

The orthodox Jews are very zealous in keeping the laws given through Moses - ceremonial laws and moral laws. They believe that they will be righteous before God by keeping these laws. They are ignorant that all these activities do not count for righteousness before God because they proceed from their sin-stained life. They are ignorant that God has provided another avenue of becoming righteous, which is accepting Jesus as Saviour and believing in His atonement. Out of ignorance and hardness of heart, they rejected all proofs which Jesus gave to them that He is the Messiah. In view of this, they preclude themselves from God’s salvation.

Point of Emphasis: Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Prayer Point: Open our eyes, O God, that we may be able to see the true source of righteousness.

Reading The Bible Through in a Year: Morning: 1 Tim. 3; Evening: Ps. 89-91

BACKGROUND

The obedience of Abraham paved way for an everlasting covenant made with him by God. Faithful Yahweh keeps this covenant and is ready to ensure that Israel is saved even though they neglected the great salvation encapsulated in the Messiah, the Christ, whom they treated disdainfully and with cruel disposition. This is the focus of this week’s lesson.

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NOTES ON THE LESSON

PART 1: THE JEWS REJECT GOD’S SALVATION PLAN – MATT. 10:5-7; ACTS 9:46-48; ROM. 10:1-5

The Gospel of the kingdom of God was first focused on the Jews. Out of spiritual blindness, unbelief and pride they rejected the Gospel and refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus instructed His disciples to go and preach to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and not to go to the way of the Gentiles. In spite of the great miracles Jesus performed in their midst, they rejected Him and caused Him to be crucified. The early Church started mainly with Jews, but majority of the Jews rejected the Gospel message. Paul would always preach to the Jews in any city he entered; it was when the Jews rejected the message that he turned to preach to Gentiles.

The Jews were zealous in keeping their ceremonial and moral laws, hoping to meet God’s standard of righteousness through the keeping of these laws. Saul demonstrated such zeal without knowledge in joining others to persecute the early Christians before he had an encounter with Jesus Christ on his way to Damascus. The trouble with righteousness through the law is that no one can keep all the laws without breaking any. There is a curse attached to not being able to keep every law. In their zeal, they were blinded to the fact that God has provided a path to righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ; that Christ has redeemed those who believe from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:10-14). The Jews are trying to earn by their own efforts the righteousness which God is offering them freely. Righteousness by faith is a free gift from God and not a reward for some religious activities.

It is saddening to know that some who claim to be Christians still try to please God and earn salvation by keeping sets of laws and religious practices at the detriment of giving their life to Christ.

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PART 2: THE GENTILES ARE GRAFTED INTO GOD’S SALVATION PLAN – ROM. 11:13-24

Grafting is a horticultural technique of taking a stem or branch from a plant (scion) that has desired genes, attaching it to the lower part of another plant (stock) which has less desired genes. The desired genes of the scion are duplicated in the stock/scion plant thus formed.

Spiritually, the nation of Israel is likened to an olive tree whose roots are in the patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Individual Jews are expected to bring forth the fruit of righteousness. In Isaiah 5:1-5 the Jewish nation is compared with a vineyard planted with choicest vine with the expectation that it will bring forth good grapes of righteous living. In either case God could only get sour fruits though the roots and stems of the plants are good. God’s judgment is to lop off the branches that are bearing sour fruits (Jn. 15:6). God then decides to replace the branches that were cut off from the good tree with branches from wild olives. The branches from the wild olives bear sour fruits while being attached to the wild olive. But when attached to the good olive tree, the wild branches draw nutrients from the good olive stock and begin to bear good savory fruits. The Gentiles are the wild olive trees; when attached to the good olive tree the branches begin to bear fruit of righteousness.

It is important to note the difference between normal horticultural practice and the grafting which God is doing. In God’s grafting, it is the rootstock that has the desired qualities while the grafted branches possess the undesired qualities. Gentiles should therefore remember this and guard against thinking that God chose them because they are better than the Jews. They will not be spared either if they do not bear good fruits when they have been grafted.

PART 3: ISRAEL WILL STILL BE SAVED – ROM. 11:25-36

The Jews are cast off God’s salvation plan because of their unbelief; Their rejection is not total and not final. It is not total because in every generation, God has always reserved for Himself a remnant whose eyes are opened to know that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. It is not final either in that the rejection of the Jewish nation is not forever. God has a time window for the Gentiles to be saved. After this time window, the veil that covers the spiritual understanding of the Jews will be taken away. They will realize that Jesus is the Saviour of the world (Zech 12:10). That all Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:26) does not necessarily imply that every Jew will be saved at this period, just as not every Gentile is grafted into salvation. It implies that God will restore the nation of Israel out of His mercy and not because the nation merits it.

God’s plan for man’s salvation through the mercy He shows to both the Jews and Gentiles is a demonstration of how immeasurable His wisdom and power are.

CONCLUSION

The Jews were thrown out of God’s salvation plan because of their unbelief. Meanwhile, the Gentiles are grafted in to replace the Jews. The rejection of the Jews is however not total nor is it forever. The Jewish nation will still be grafted in again after the time slot God allots the Gentiles has expired.

QUESTIONS

1. In what ways do the Jews made effort to please God?

2. What is God’s standard for righteousness?

3. Why did God make a plan to save the Jews?

4. What is the place of grace in the issue of Salvation?

5. How can both Jews and Gentiles appropriate and benefit from the Gospel of Christ?.

DO HAVE A BLESSED DAY

©2022 THE GOSPEL FAITH MISSION INTERNATIONAL DEVOTIONAL IS BY PASTOR (DR) E.O ABINA, THE GENERAL OVERSEER OF GOFAMINT Worldwide.