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)
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.