Introduction

Last Sunday, the 2023 season came to an end for my beloved Chicago Cubs. It was a sad ending to a roller coaster of a year. Cubs’ fans are used to disappointment, so most were not expecting a dominant, World Series champion. Instead, after a couple rough years, we were just hoping they would compete for a playoff spot to the end of the season.

Those hopes came true. The Cubs were not eliminated from the playoffs until last Saturday. So, Cubs fans were ecstatic, right? Of course not! You see, early in July, things looked bad. The Cubs had a terrible record, and it looked like another miserable, uncompetitive end to the season was coming. But they started winning, and they won a lot. Through most of July and August, they were one of the best teams in baseball. By September 9, they had a 92% chance of making the playoffs!

But then they fell off a cliff. The bullpen wore down, the offense stopped getting the big hit, and the defense made some awful errors. In 3 weeks, their playoff chances went from 92% to 0%. But Cubs’ nation was ecstatic that it got what it hoped for? No, they were furious that they didn’t make the playoffs.

It’s silly, but isn’t that how we all are? We say that if I just had this one thing, I’d be happy. But when we get it, we think we deserve it and much more. Just imagine explaining to your 20-year-younger self, why you are furious that you can’t download a video onto your phone from your car. The younger you, would look at you like you lost your mind.

We are ridiculous sometimes. We are so entitled and never satisfied. It’s a problem. But today’s text warns that this silliness becomes deadly when it affects how we see God and treat others (read).

The Jew/Gentile conflict Paul confronts is distant from our situation, but the entitlement at the heart of it is all too familiar. God confronts your pride, arrogance, and entitlement. But to appreciate the application, we must first understand how it gets there. Specifically, Paul makes his point with an analogy.

I.  The Analogy

This passage is built on the analogy of an olive tree. What does Paul mean by all this talk about roots, trees, branches, and grafting? You’re not a farmer, and you don’t even like olives (At least not if you have good taste).” So, I’d like briefly explaining the significance behind each part of the tree.

The root is Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God promised Abraham, “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen 12:2–3).

God set Abraham’s descendants, Israel, apart for his blessing. And he promised to bless all nations through the Jewish nation. Jesus, the Jews’ Messiah is the key to that blessing. God has begun fulfilling that promise through spreading the gospel of Christ around the world.

So, Romans 4:16 says everyone who is saved, not just Jews, is a child of Abraham. So, in this analogy, the source of life, the “rich root of the olive tree” is the promise to Abraham, which came to fruition in Christ. As such…

The tree is the people of God. Galatians 3:7 says, “Those who are of faith (meaning Jews and Gentiles in every age) are sons of Abraham.” So, this tree represents everyone since the time of Abraham and extending into the future who is saved through the finished work of Christ.

The natural branches are ethnic Israelites. The root is Abraham, so the natural branches growing out of the root are his descendants, the Jews. Now, just being a Jew doesn’t save them. They must believe the gospel; otherwise, they will be cut off from the tree. But they are the natural branches.

The wild branches are Gentile Christians. Obviously, Gentile Christians are not Abraham’s natural descendants. And wild branches would not be as beautiful or fruitful as a pruned branch. But God is happy to extend the blessing of Abraham, the hope of salvation to anyone who believes.

It doesn’t matter how scraggly, wild, and fruitless of a branch you may be. It doesn’t matter how broken and sinful you are. God will make you a part of the tree, part of his family, if you come to him in faith. God is kind, and God is able. So, don’t focus on how unqualified you are. None of us are qualified. Instead, focus on the kindness of God, believe on Christ, and receive his marvelous gift of salvation.

So, that’s a quick overview of the analogy. Hopefully, it gives you a helpful foundation to understand the text because Paul uses this analogy to drive home 4 exhortations for Gentile Christians. They are just as relevant today as ever. First, God commands you…

II.  Despise no one (vv. 17–18).

Why is Paul concerned with despising others? Each of the commands in our text answers a problem among the Gentile Christians at Rome. You must understand the problem to understand the application God is making to you. So, notice that the first problem was that…

The Problem: The Gentiles used God’s grace to despise the Jews. Verse 17 describes what had the Gentiles worked up (read). We’ve talked about this a lot. Most 1^st century Jews violently rejected their Messiah. So, they were “broken off” the tree. God rejected them too.

Instead, Paul preached Christ to the Gentiles, and many got saved! They were grafted into the olive tree. It’s a beautiful image because domestic trees and branches are usually more attractive and fruitful than wild ones. Just think about how much more attractive the pruned Christmas trees at Lowes are compared to the scrawny pine tree in your yard.

Why would someone graft a wild ugly branch into a beautiful domestic tree? In Paul’s day, they sometimes grafted a fruitful branch from a young, pruned tree into an old one with a stout root, but they never grafted a scrawny, wild branch onto a fruitful domesticated one. But God is doing something surprising and gracious in his church. God is taking scraggly Gentile branches like us and grafting us into his grace. God’s grace is amazing!

But people, even Christians, are stupid. Instead of marveling at God’s grace, the Gentiles at Rome grew proud over what they received. They thought, “Wow, I must be pretty special if God wanted me in his tree.”

We still do that. Christians have written loads of songs and books about how the cross reflects how special I am. Throw away that trash. Ignore any pastor or author who uses the cross to talk about how great we are instead of how good God is. You were a wild, useless branch. Grace is amazing, not you.

But it wasn’t just that the Gentiles were using the gospel to boast about themselves; they were also using it to despise the Jews who rejected Christ (v. 18a). They used the gospel to justify pride, hatred, and division. It was a horrible abuse of God’s grace.

Sadly, this sort of anti-Semitism has a long history in the church. Even Martin Luther used God’s grace to the Gentiles to excuse saying horrible things about the Jews. It’s tragic and inexcusable.

Hopefully you don’t struggle with anti-Semitism, but there are other ways we use the grace of God to despise others. Maybe God has graciously protected you from the destructive patterns that destroy so many around you, and he has helped you live a good life. Praise God! But sadly, we easily begin to take credit for what God has done. We despise the drunkard, the welfare recipient, or the aborting parents. We don’t extend the same grace we have received; instead, we are standoffish and rude. So, what is the solution?

First Solution: Remember God’s grace (v. 18b). It’s silly for a branch to boast. A few weeks ago, I trimmed some trees. They were full of green leaves, but only a couple hours later, they were wilted and dying.

You would be too if you were cut off from Christ. You don’t support Christ, and you don’t give him life. He doesn’t need you. But you desperately need him. So, always remember that you are a wretched sinner who serves a great Savior. Stay near the cross because there is no room for pride at the foot of the cross.

Second Solution: Refuse pride and division (v. 18a). Paul’s primary concern is that Gentile Christians despised the Jews who had been cut off and maybe even their Jewish Christians to a lesser extent. Paul responds, “You aren’t better than them. You have no room to boast in yourselves. Why? The root is your life. The cross is the difference, not you.”

And God is commanding you to make the same application to many spheres of life. You probably are living a better life than your unsaved sibling. You are a better parent than your neighbor whose bratty kids do whatever they want. But you are not inherently better. You are what you are by the grace of God. So, refuse to despise them. Don’t be snotty, standoffish, and rude. Instead, extend the same marvelous grace that God showed you. Don’t approve their sin because Jesus didn’t approve yours. But he loved you, he pursued you, and he showed grace. You can do the same.

And make sure that you extend the same grace to fellow believers. It amazes me how petty and childish we can be toward each other. Stop twisting each other’s words, holding onto silly grievances, and making harsh judgments. There’s no room for pride at the foot of the cross. If you can’t love a brother, work through differences, or get past a fault, you’ve wandered from the cross or never understood it. Refuse pride and division. The 2^nd command is…

III.  Resist entitlement (vv. 19–20a).

Once again, we must understand the problem before we can understand the solution.

The Problem: The Gentiles saw God’s grace as a testimony to their greatness instead of God’s goodness. You see this when Paul quotes them in v. 19. Some of the Gentile Christians looked out at what God was doing among the Gentiles, and they drew a silly conclusion. “God clearly cut off the Jews because we Gentiles are so valuable. God cut them off because he wanted us instead. Look at how great we are.”

It’s absurd. But you can easily slip into the same attitude of entitlement. You begin to think, “God is lucky to have me. I’m godly, and I have a lot to offer God. Look at how smart I am, how gifted I am, and how much I give.” That attitude really shows up in our relationships. Proud Christians talk down to others, they dismiss their concerns, and they avoid anyone outside their little click. It’s arrogant, divisive, and blasphemous. So, what is the solution?

The Solution: Remember your dependence (v. 20a). Paul reminds the Gentiles, “The difference between you and the Jews is not your greatness; the difference is faith. They did not believe the gospel and you did.” That’s a humbling reminder because faith is an expression of dependence and humility, not greatness. We come to God as beggars, not as boasters.

Therefore, the Jewish apostasy should have created fear not pride. If God can reject the Jews for their unbelief, he can also reject you. So, don’t start strutting around God’s mansion like you earned it and built it. Remember that you entered through faith, dependence on Christ’s finished work. And you must continue to rely on that grace for your standing.

If I had to pick a life verse, it would be Galatians 6:14, “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Christian, the cross is your life. It is your only hope for eternity. God accepts you, but only in Jesus. And the cross is the only reason you are becoming godlier. The cross took you out of the world, not some power or strength in yourself.

So, stay near to the cross. Consider the judgment your sin deserved. Give thanks for what Jesus endured. Then, continue to depend on the cross, resist entitlement. Refuse to boast in yourself; boast solely in the grace of God.

IV.  Persevere to the end (vv. 20b–22).

The 3^rd problem is implied in the warning of v. 21.

The Problem: We take our standing with God for granted. Paul warns the Gentiles that God can break them off just as easily as he broke off the Jews. What’s going on here? Is Paul saying we can lose our salvation? Of course not. Chapter 8 was very clear that God will keep every genuine Christian. God knows who his children are, and he will not lose them.

But we can be deceived. I’ve known people who prayed a sinner’s prayer, but they were never broken over their sin, and they were never truly humbled before the cross to the point of complete dependence. So, down deep, they think, “I’m a Christian because of what I did, because of where I come from, and because of what I say and do.”

All that meditation on their glory leads to pride before God and others and ultimately to hardhearted apathy toward God’s commands and rebellion against his will. They really believe that they deserve God’s acceptance and that there’s basically nothing they can do to lose it. Generally, it’s obvious to everyone but themselves that they were never truly humbled before the cross and truly saved. So, how can you avoid that fate?

First Solution: Fear the Lord. Verse 20 commands you, “Do not be conceited, but fear.” Why, v. 21 says, “For if…” I don’t care how long you’ve been saved or what you have done for God, don’t ever begin to strut around as if you are big stuff or as if God couldn’t crush you in an instant.

No, v. 22 commands you, “Behold…the…severity of God.” Specifically, God severely judges those who stop trusting the gospel for their salvation, who fall into unbelief. You probably know someone like that. At one point, he was faithfully in church, saying the right things, and seemingly serving the Lord. But he grew proud, he wandered from the cross, he began justifying rebellion, and thinking he was too wise to listen to anyone’s correction. Now he is far from God and facing the severity of God.

Our God is a loving Father, but he is not a toothless Father. It should terrify you if you are hostile to correction. Remember where you came from. Fear the Almighty justice of God. But also remember the 2^nd

Second Solution: Continue in God’s kindness. This is important. If you only consider God’s severity, you will be a deformed Christian. God commands you as well, “Behold…the kindness…of God.” In fact, he notes that healthy Christians don’t swim in a sea of severity. Instead, healthy Christians stay near to the cross and walk in God’s will. They swim in the sea of God’s kindness. Rest, not terror dominates their sight.

You can’t enjoy a healthy relationship with God if you are walking around terrified. If you in a healthy place, God wants you to rest in his kindness and feel secure, just like any other healthy relationship. Don’t forget that God’s warnings have teeth but focus on his promises and rest in his grace.

Then, persevere to the end. Remember where you came from. Remember what Jesus did. Boast in the cross. Worship God.

And let that worship shape how you relate to others. There’s no room for pride or strife at the foot of the cross. Boast solely in the grace of God. Then be humble and full of grace, patience, and compassion. Love people the way God loved you. The 4^th challenge is…

V.  Hope in God (vv. 23–24).

The Problem: The Gentiles thought the Jews were forever lost and despised them for it. We can infer this from Paul’s emphasis on God’s power to save. The Gentile believers believed that the Jewish situation was hopeless. They were so hard to the gospel, even violently opposed. So, the Gentiles believed they were a lost cause, and they despised, even hated the Jews for their apostasy.

In the last few years a few prominent evangelicals have not only rejected their faith but become harsh, vocal critics of Christianity and biblical truth. For example, Joshua Harris, his ex-wife, and others have said harsh things about biblical purity. We’re right to call out their evil, but it’s easy to assume they are a lost cause and to spiral into nasty hatred. The same can happen with a family member who opposes your faith or a neighbor down the street. We stop seeing them as a mission field and only see them as an enemy. What’s the solution?

The Solution: Believe in God’s power to save. Paul reminds the Gentiles that the Jews are not a lost cause. If God could graft wild, Gentile branches into the tree, he can certainly regraft Jewish branches into the tree.

The next paragraph will argue that God has promised to bring a great revival at the end of the age among the Jews. They aren’t a lost cause because God has more than enough power to save, he is faithful to his promise, and he is full of compassion.

And these realities must shape how the Gentiles view them. Don’t look at them through the lens of unbelief, fear, anger, and resentment. Instead, see them through the lens of the Lord of the harvest, believing in what God can do and loving with his compassion.

And God is commanding you to embrace the same vision of the people in your life. We’ve been confronted this morning with the dark evil of the abortion industry. People are profiting from murder, and our society values sex without consequence over human life. It’s wicked.

Hate the evil, but don’t forget that God can save each one. We should see every lawmaker, doctor, activist, and aborting parent, first, as a mission field because we really believe that God can save them.

The same goes for that frustrating family member, neighbor, or coworker. Eyes of faith change everything. Believe that God can same them. Believe that God is willing to save any who believe. And believe that God keeps every promise. Then keep loving them. Keep the gospel door open. Walk humbly before them like someone who believes you are a sinner saved by grace.

Conclusion

The central challenge of this passage is, boast solely in the grace of God. The cross is your life. God loved you because of who he is, not because of who you are. And it is the cure for so many spiritual ills. Dwell often on the cross, and let it humble you before God and drive you to a healthy walk with him. And then let God’s grace shape every relationship. Be humble, love people, and believe that the grace of God can change anyone.