The Church's Roots in Israel

by Jesma O'Hara

From the "Watchmen on the Walls" series of studies

"But if some of the branches were broken off, while you,
a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among them
to share the richness of the olive tree,

Do not boast over the branches and pride yourselves at their expense.
If you do boast and feel superior, remember it is not you
that supports the root but the root that supports you."

Romans 11:17-18

It has been a tragic fact that the church, while lauding the book of Romans as the very foundation of the christian faith, has generally chosen to ignore the teaching contained in Chapters 9 through 11.

Many wonderful sermons have been preached on Romans 1 to 8 and chapter 12 of the same epistle, but few preachers ever use the material contained in the chapters concerning Israel as the basis for a sermon.

Read the above verses

How is the church portrayed in verse 17?

What analogies are used to describe Israel in verses 17 & 18?

What is the relationship between a grafted branch and it's parent tree?

What role does the root system play in the life of a tree?

What is the church warned not to do?

For too many years the church has seen ITSELF as the tree and the root and has tried to ignore the fact that it has been grafted in to the tree called Israel and is dependent on the root system of the Judaic faith for it's very existence.

Read Ephesians 2:11-16; 3:1-6

What was the relationship between Jew and Gentile before Jesus?

What is the mystery that Paul spoke of?

Read Ephesians 2:18-22

What have the Gentiles become in Jesus?

Who is the foundation our faith is built upon?

Read Romans 9:4-5

What are the foundations of our faith listed here?

To whom do we owe the fact that we can build our faith on these foundations?

All of the prophets and apostles were Jewish.

Our own Saviour was Jewish and lived His earthly life as an observant Jew, never leaving the borders of Israel.

Our scriptures tell the story of God's own dealings with the Jewish people and come to us written with Luke the only exception, (and he was probably a proselyte to the Jewish faith who then accepted Jesus as the Messiah), by Jews.

Whichever way one looks, one cannot escape the fact that the foundations of our faith, the very root which nourishes us spiritually, is Jewish.

Read Romans 11:1-2

What was Paul's question to the believers in Rome?

What answer did he give to the question?

Read verse 11

What was his question here?

What answer did he give?

What was to be one of the results of their stumbling?

It is difficult, on reading these scriptures to understand how the church at large could hold to the belief that Israel has been rejected forever.

Read verses 12-15

What was the reason behind Israel's temporary rejection?

Read verse 16

What does this verse tell us about how God sees Israel?

The First Fruits offering in scripture consecrated (set apart for a special purpose) the whole harves.

The Lord consecrated Abraham to Himself and made him righteous because of his faith.

"And Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him as righteousness." - Genesis 15:6

Abraham was the father (first fruits) of the Jewish people and even as he was consecrated to God, so were they.

Read Verses 25-29

How long is the hardening of Israel to last?

What is God's intention?

What are His feelings towards the Jewish people?

What must our answer be to those who say they have been cast off forever?

Read Verses 17-25

What is Paul's warning to the church contained in these verses?

These verses are a solemn warning to a church which has indeed become conceited and deceived into believing it has replaced the jewish people as the only Israel of God.

Romans 11 tells us that our relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob should be such that it should make the Jewish people jealous enough to want to return to Him too.

It is a sad indictment on the church that we have, for the most part, succeeded in making them fearful, disbelieving and resentful of the Christian church, but rarely jealous!

Introducing John & Jesma O'Hara John, a businessman & Jesma have five children, and two grandchildren, Isabella and Asher. Both serve on the Eldership of Hesed Fellowship and are board members of International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem, Australian Branch and Jesma has also been the Editor of their magazine for the past 12 years. Hesed Ministries is involved in supporting a number of projects : Field workers in Israel, Orr Shalom Children's Homes, Kesher Friends of WIZO and Mercy International in Thailand. They also support orphanages and schools for AIDS affected children in Malawi and Kenya. Jesma is Chairman of the Board of Nambour Christian College, co-educational inter-denominational college of over 1200 students, from preschool to year 12. They are also the Australian Representatives of Orr Shalom Children’s Homes. Jesma's Qualifications Masters in Early Judaism and Early Christianity. B A major in Religious Studies Studied in Jerusalem at AMI Jerusalem Centre For Biblical Studies and Research and Educator’s From Abroad Study Course at Yad VaShem.