Making Room for Israel

In one paragraph

This was the third Sunday in a three-week series on developing a heart for Israel, built around a twenty-one-day fast the congregation had been running alongside the teaching. Brian walked through Romans 11:11-15, asking what it means that God made salvation available to the Gentiles in part to make Israel jealous, and what it will mean for the world when Israel finally accepts it. The service was...

Read together

1. Romans 11:1-2 read aloud by a congregation member, God has not rejected Israel, Paul identifies as Israelite of tribe of Benjamin
2. Romans 11:3-4 read aloud, Elijah complaining to God, God's reply about 7000 who have not bowed to Baal
3. Romans 11:5-8 read aloud, remnant chosen by grace, God put Israel into a deep sleep, eyes shut and ears closed
4. Romans 11:9-10 read aloud, David's words about bountiful table becoming a snare, eyes going blind
5. Romans 11:11-12 read aloud twice at Brian's request, Israel's stumble brought salvation to Gentiles, their acceptance will be even greater blessing
6. Romans 11:13-15 read aloud, Paul as apostle to Gentiles, Israel's rejection meant salvation offered to the world, their acceptance will be life for the dead
7. Isaiah 55:9 Brian referenced God's ways being higher than our ways and his thoughts higher than our thoughts
8. Deuteronomy 32:9-12 congregation member mentioned it as the day six devotional scripture about Israel as the apple of God's eye
9. Romans 11:28 congregation member quoted it, Israel enemies for Gentiles sake but beloved for forefathers sake, gifts and calling of God are irrevocable
10. Zechariah 4:6-7 Brian quoted, who are you oh mighty mountain before Zerubbabel, not by might nor power but by my spirit

What was said

• Watch the documentary films Covenant and Controversy, parts one, two, and three, which you can find linked at tribegh.com or by searching YouTube.
• If you have not started the 21-day prayer and fasting guide, go back and watch the livestreams and jump in with what remains before the fast ends this Friday.
• Find a friend and read through all of Romans 11 together, not just verses 11 through 15.
• If you are facing something that feels impossible right now, ask God to show you one small, concrete step you can take, and then take it.
• Mark your calendar for the Sukkot campout next week, and plan to come out for the evening even if you cannot stay the night.

Talk about it

1. Brian talked about jealousy as something God describes about himself, and how our human experience of jealousy is fallen and distorted compared to his. What does it look like in your own life when you confuse those two things, and how has that shaped the way you relate to God?
2. Paul writes in Romans 11 that God made salvation available to the Gentiles partly so that Israel would become jealous and claim it for themselves. What does it mean to you personally that your life as a follower of Jesus is supposed to make someone else want what you have?
3. Several people shared that going through the twenty-one days exposed things in their hearts they did not know were there, including ways replacement theology had quietly shaped their thinking. Has this series surfaced anything like that for you, and what did you do with it?
4. Brian read from Romans 11 that when Israel finally accepts what they turned down, it will be life for those who were dead. He asked the room to sit with that verse slowly, like savoring a meal. What do you actually feel when you read that, and why?
5. Jay shared that he was resistant to the series for the first ten or twelve days and only slowly, through obedience, began to experience the same scriptures hitting him differently. Where in your life right now are you being asked to stay obedient to something before your heart has fully come along for the ride?