Romans 9–11
THE JOURNEY SO FAR
Sin — We saw our need for grace.
Salvation — What we couldn’t fix, Jesus finished.
Sanctification — Misbehavior flows from misbelief.
Spirit — Life in the Spirit is obedient, not consumeristic.
Romans 8 ends with this confidence:
Nothing can separate us from His love — so now we follow His leading.
ROMANS 9–11: THE BIG PICTURE
These chapters reveal God’s faithfulness across generations.
Romans 9 — The Tension: Has God’s promise failed?
Romans 10 — The Invitation: Do our choices matter?
Romans 11 — The Resolution: Is God finished with Israel?
Theme: God is sovereign in choosing, gracious in inviting, faithful in finishing.
MOVEMENT ONE — ROMANS 9
God’s Sovereignty Protects His Promise
Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people! Being descendants of Abraham doesn’t make them truly Abraham’s children. For the Scriptures say, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted,” though Abraham had other children, too. This means that Abraham’s physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham’s children.
—Romans 9:6–8 (NLT)
The promise does not move by human effort — it moves by mercy.
Election = Purpose, Not Preference
This son was our ancestor Isaac. When he married Rebekah, she gave birth to twins. But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes, He calls people, but not according to their good or bad works. She was told, “Your older son will serve your younger son.”
—Romans 9:10–12 (NLT)
Election here is about purpose-election — God protecting the storyline that leads to Christ.
Sovereignty Is Mercy in Motion
Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not! For God said to Moses, “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.” So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.
—Romans 9:14–16 (NLT)
Sovereignty is not exclusion — it is compassion securing redemption.
Humanity Still Makes Real Choices
What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place. But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him.
—Romans 9:30–32 (NLT)
Gentiles believed.
Israel resisted.
Both made real choices.
God writes the storyline; we choose whether to step into it.
His mercy carries the narrative, and His faithfulness secures the ending.
MOVEMENT TWO — ROMANS 10
Salvation Requires Response
If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
—Romans 10:9–10 (NLT)
Faith is internal surrender. Confession is external obedience.
The Gospel Requires Sent People
For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?
—Romans 10:13–15 (NLT)
That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
Your obedience is part of God’s sovereignty.
Resistance Is Still a Choice
But regarding Israel, God said, “All day long I opened my arms to them, but they were disobedient and rebellious.”
—Romans 10:21 (NLT)
God stays open-handed. People choose their response.
Sovereignty gets the gospel to people; response determines if it takes root.
MOVEMENT THREE — ROMANS 11
God Has Not Abandoned Israel
I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning.
—Romans 11:1–2 (NLT)
If He didn’t abandon Israel, He will not abandon you.
Gentiles Are Grafted In by Mercy
But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree.
—Romans 11:17 (NLT)
We stand in God’s story by mercy, not merit.
God Finishes What He Starts
For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.
—Romans 11:29 (NLT)
God never starts what He won’t finish.
Sovereignty guarantees the ending.
Grace opens the invitation.
Faithfulness carries the story.
Christmas is the sovereignty of God on display:
He keeps His promises.
He writes His own endings.
He finishes what He starts.
If God orchestrated centuries of prophecy to bring Jesus at the right moment,
He can orchestrate your life too.
TAKEAWAYS FOR THIS WEEK
• Trust the unseen work of God.
• Follow the Spirit quickly.
• Stop carrying what mercy already covers.
• Live open-handed, not resistant.
• Live as a sent one — someone’s salvation will be linked to your obedience.
FAITH DECLARATIONS
God is faithful to His promise.
God is sovereign over my story.
God’s mercy carries what my strength cannot.
I respond quickly when the Spirit leads.
My life is part of God’s redemptive plan.
Nothing can separate me from His love.
He who began a good work in me will finish it.
His call over my life cannot be withdrawn.
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