Experience of Grace #11 - Worship and Adoration
Description
In Romans 11, Pastor Brady Randall unpacks the controversial mystery of Israel's hardening and God's irrevocable mercy, showing that every act of grace—then and now—is undeserved. Whether you've wandered far or feel secure, this message invites you into the humility and awe that come from trusting a God whose ways are higher than ours.
Summary & Application
What do you reach for when life feels completely out of control? A diagnosis lands, a marriage ends, your child wanders, the ground under you gives way — and your instinct is to grab for something. Control. Withdrawal. A plan. Someone, anyone, who can fix it.
In the final message from the series Experience of Grace, Brady made the case that what we actually need in those moments isn't more control. It's a God who already has it — a sovereign, gracious God who works all things, even the hardest things, for the good of those who love Him. That's the heart of Romans 11, a famously difficult chapter that Brady walked through by tracing four realities: God's rescue is all by grace, it invokes humility, it is certain and sure, and it demands a response.
1. God's Rescue Is All by Grace (Romans 11:1–10)
After establishing in chapter 10 that Israel had hardened itself against God's mercy, Paul reminds his readers that God has always preserved a faithful remnant — even when His people turned away. He points back to Elijah, who, after his mountaintop victory over the prophets of Baal, found himself isolated and certain he was the last believer left. God's answer in Romans 11:4 is direct: "I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal." Paul draws the conclusion in verses 5–6: "So too, at the present time, there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if it is by grace, it cannot be based on works. If it were, it would no longer be grace."
Brady was clear that this isn't a closed club. Romans 10 already settled how anyone can know they belong: "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." The only thing any of us brings to that table is our need.
2. God's Rescue Invokes Humility (Romans 11:11–24)
So what about Israel — has God simply moved on? Paul says no: their stumbling opened the door for Gentiles to be grafted in, "a wild olive shoot," into a tree they didn't originally belong to (Romans 11:17–21). The natural branches were broken off because of unbelief; the wild branches were grafted in by grace alone. Paul's conclusion isn't boasting — it's trembling: "If God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either."
Brady illustrated this with a story from his own high school years, playing on a mediocre church basketball team that won a championship only after a few skilled "ringers" were added to the roster for the playoffs. Taking credit for that win would have been absurd. In the same way, anyone who knows God's grace today knows it not because they're special, but because He is.
3. God's Rescue Is Certain and Sure (Romans 11:25–32)
Paul then addresses one of the most debated phrases in the chapter: "all Israel will be saved" (v. 26). Brady noted that "all Israel" is a phrase used over a hundred times in Scripture and doesn't always mean every individual — citing 2 Samuel 16:22, where "all Israel" plainly doesn't mean every single person. What Paul appears to be describing is a future, significant turning of Jewish hearts to Christ — not a separate path to God apart from Him. As Brady put it, there is no Jewish track and a separate Christian track; anyone who comes to God does so only through Jesus.
The good news underneath this is for anyone who has hardened their heart and wandered: "they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable" (v. 28–29). God finishes what He starts.
4. God's Rescue Demands a Response (Romans 11:20–22, 33–36)
Paul's own response, after working through all of this, is awe. Brady pushed past the part of God's character we tend to embrace — His kindness — to the part we'd rather skip — His sternness (v. 22). He referenced a paraphrase often attributed to theologian H. Richard Niebuhr, that we'd prefer "a God without wrath who brings people without sin into a kingdom without judgment through a Christ without a cross." But that, Brady said, isn't the God of the Bible — and selectively embracing only the parts of God we like leaves us worshiping a God of our own making.
The chapter closes with Paul breaking into praise: "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!... For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen" (vv. 33–36). Brady echoed a line attributed to J.I. Packer — that God's sovereignty, far from being a controversy to argue over, was meant to be a matter of praise.
Worship Is the Only Honest Response
This chapter doesn't resolve neatly, and Brady didn't try to force it to. God's mercy toward the undeserving, His sternness toward the hardened, and His sovereignty over a plan none of us could have authored — all of it lands, finally, not in an argument won but in a posture taken: on our knees.
Questions For Reflection
Where in your life have you found it easier to embrace God's kindness than to sit with His sternness — and what would it look like to hold both honestly, the way Paul does in this chapter?
If God's call on someone's life is genuinely irrevocable, even after long seasons of hardness or distance, is there a person — maybe even yourself — you've quietly written off that this passage invites you to keep hoping for?
This post was developed with the assistance of artificial intelligence based on the sermon "Worship & Adoration" by Brady Randall (Romans 11:1–32, June 27–28, 2026). While every effort has been made to faithfully represent the content and intent of the original message, readers are encouraged to engage the full sermon audio or transcript for the complete teaching.
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Opening Prayer
Before we jump into the text, I want to invite you to pray with me and for me. Romans 11 is a very difficult text and we need the help of the Lord to understand it and put it into practice today. As you pray, would you pray for me that God would fill me with His Holy Spirit? Would you pray for yourself that God would give you clarity and understanding? Would you also pray for your neighbor today, that they might see and receive and respond to the goodness of Jesus this morning?
Father God, I pray today that you would give us eyes to see and ears to hear, understanding so that we might put into practice all that you have for us. Father, I pray that you would soften hardened hearts today. I pray that we would see and be in awe and be transformed by Jesus. I pray that you would help us — not just put it into practice today, but for this week and for the rest of our lives. We ask and pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Introduction: What Do You Need Most?
Let me ask you a question: What do you do, or what do you need most, when life feels out of control? What many of us do is try to regain control. We pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and make things happen. Some of us withdraw or escape. Some of us turn inward, or turn to the people around us to help make it better.
But is that really enough? When everything hits the fan and things around you are out of control — when you get a major health diagnosis, when a marriage ends, when your parents die, when your child goes wayward, when the stock market crashes, when your body is failing — in those moments, what do you and I need most?
I submit to you this morning that what you and I need most is a God who is in control. A big, sovereign God who controls all things and works out all things — even the hardest things — for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. What we need is a God who is gracious, a God who sits in heaven and does whatever He pleases. And what He pleases is to generously rescue and show grace and mercy to people like us who don’t deserve it.
I think that’s what Romans 11 is all about. It’s a difficult text, and we’re going to take a 30,000-foot view of it because there is a great deal packed in here.
I see four realities in Romans 11 today: God’s generous and gracious rescue is (1) all by grace, (2) it invokes humility, (3) it is certain and sure because it is based on God, and (4) it demands a response.
1. God’s Generous Rescue Is All by Grace (vv. 1–10)
Chapter 10 established that God’s people, the Israelites, had hardened themselves and rejected His mercy and grace. In chapter 11, Paul picks up by reminding us that God has always kept for Himself — even when His people have rejected Him — a faithful remnant, a small group of believers through whom He shows Himself. He gives the example of the prophet Elijah.
Elijah performed many miracles, including calling down fire from heaven before the prophets of Baal. He had this great mountaintop experience, and then right afterward felt isolated, dejected, and depressed, wondering if he was all alone. Here is how Paul describes God’s answer to him in verses 4–6:
“I have reserved for myself 7,000 who have not bowed the knee to Baal. So too, at the present time, there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if it is by grace, it cannot be based on works. If it were, it would no longer be grace.”
You may rightly ask: How do I know if I, or the people I love, are part of this remnant? How do I know if I am chosen by God? That’s part of what makes Romans 9–11 a controversial and difficult text. But God plainly stated in chapter 10 exactly how you and I can know for sure: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” He said that if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you can know for sure you will be saved.
In other words, God has not set apart a frozen chosen huddle. He has extended wide-open arms of mercy — whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Today, if you recognize your need for grace — and grace, by definition, is God’s undeserved favor toward us — these are incredible promises. The promises of all that God promises to those who are in Christ are not true for everyone, but they can be true for anyone and everyone who calls on His name. It is all by grace. The only thing you and I bring to the table is our need.
In verse 7, Paul asks: “What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened.” God’s people had all the promises, the patriarchs, the prophecies — and yet with all their religious zeal and law-keeping, many were hardened toward God. Most significantly, they rejected the very Messiah, Jesus Christ, when He was in their midst. Paul then quotes Isaiah, Deuteronomy, and Psalm 69, noting that as a result of their sin, they would have eyes that couldn’t see and ears that couldn’t hear.
That is an incredibly important warning for you and me. If God is reaching out in His mercy and grace with this incredible message — that you can be saved by His grace today — and you continue to harden your heart and snub your nose at God, there can come a point where you no longer understand, no longer see, no longer hear.
Many of us bristle at the concept of grace. We ask why it is fair that God gives grace to some people and not others. But here is the stark reality: when you and I stand before Jesus face to face and give an account, no one will be able to say God was unfair. In that day, God will either give us what we deserve — punishment and justice — or He will give us mercy and grace.
Grace is a difficult concept because everything in our culture tells us it is about performance — how well we make the team, how well we do in school, in our job, in our tryouts. God destroys that mindset by saying: it is all based on grace. And even repentance is a gift from God. So if you have come to a place of trusting in Jesus, it is not because you are so special — it is because He is. It is all by grace.
2. God’s Gracious Rescue Invokes Humility (vv. 11–24)
Paul’s readers — and we — may rightly ask: What about the Jews? Has God forgotten about His chosen people? Has He moved on? This is an important question, one that has become especially relevant and even political over the last couple of years. Should Christians — should the United States — support the land and ethnic Israel?
What we do know is that Paul already established in chapter 2 that not everyone who claims to be a Jew is actually among the people of God. Romans 2:28–29 says: “A person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is circumcision of the heart by the Spirit, not by the written code.” Simply claiming to be Jewish is not enough to enter the kingdom of God, just as claiming to be a Christian is not enough. What matters is a change of heart toward the grace of God.
In verses 11–12, Paul writes: “Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring?” God used their sin and hardening to widen His mercy so that more people could come to know Him.
Paul then uses the imagery of an olive tree (vv. 17–21): “If some of the branches have been broken off, and you — though a wild olive shoot — have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not consider yourself to be superior to those branches… They were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.”
God compares His people to an olive tree. The original branches — the Jewish people — were broken off because of hardened hearts. Wild olive shoots — Gentiles — were grafted in unnaturally. Rather than causing boasting, this should produce humility and even trembling, because God did not spare the original people who hardened their hearts, and He will not spare us if we continue in unbelief.
I remember playing in a church basketball league in high school. I probably had the best height advantage on our very mediocre team, but my contributions were limited. During the playoffs, we were allowed to add some ringers — tall, aggressive, skilled players. We ended up winning the championship. It would have been ridiculous of me to boast as though it was my doing, when the reason we won was because of players who weren’t on the team originally. In the same way, God says: if you have come to a place of knowing His grace and all His promises, it is not because you are so special — it is because He is.
I want you to think about the last time you literally trembled or were afraid — maybe when you got unexpected news, a major health diagnosis, or you were caught in an actual storm. Whatever caused you to tremble, remember that moment. And then remember this: that moment cannot hold a candle to what it will be like when you and I stand before a holy God one day. What will you say when you come before almighty God with all your sin?
The only way to stand before a holy, just God is to be covered by Jesus — the only One who lived the perfectly obedient life God requires, who went to the cross and bore the very wrath of God that was due against sin, who died and was buried and rose from the dead, defeating sin, death, hell, and Satan. He promised that whoever puts their trust in Him, God will cover with His righteousness — right standing not based on ourselves, but on the grace of God. That should cause us to tremble. So God’s gracious rescue is all by grace, and it invokes humility.
3. God’s Gracious Rescue Is Certain and Sure (vv. 25–32)
Again — what about Israel? Did God abandon them? Verses 25–27 say: “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: ‘The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.’”
What does Paul mean by “all Israel will be saved”? In context — where he is contrasting Jews and Gentiles throughout this section — he appears to be referring to ethnic Israel. And the phrase “all Israel” does not mean every last individual. The phrase is used over a hundred times in the Bible and does not always mean every single person. For example, 2 Samuel 16:22 refers to something done “in the sight of all Israel,” obviously not meaning every Israelite.
What Paul appears to be saying is that before the return of Christ, there will be a significant number of Jewish people whose hearts God will soften, and they will come to saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. And when that happens, it will not be because they are so special, but only through Jesus Christ. There is not a Jewish track to God and a separate Christian track. Anyone who does not come through Christ will die in their sins without the saving mercy of Jesus.
But His calling and election are sure — and that is really good news for people like you and me who have blown it. If you have heard the news of Jesus, come to church services, and heard the good news of God’s love, but hardened your heart and gone your own way — God is not finished with you. God has not abandoned you. When you and I have been faithless, He has been faithful. He still has a plan for you. As long as you can hear His voice, it is not too late.
Verses 28–32 say: “As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable… For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.”
That means God finishes what He starts. He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion even if you have failed. God is faithful. He loves to show mercy. In His gracious mercy, He took even periods of disobedience and used it all to open His arms so more people could receive the grace and mercy of Jesus. Who could come up with a plan like that?
Nothing surprises God — not your stumbling, not your family’s stumbling. If you are in Christ, God uses all of it — especially the hardest things and even your own sin — to bring people to faith in Jesus. God’s generous rescue is certain and sure because it is based on the finished work of Jesus.
4. God’s Gracious Rescue Demands a Response: Repentance and Awe (vv. 20–22; 33–36)
Anytime we hear a message or teaching from the Bible, we should ask: So what? And now what? If this is true, what should my response be? How should I live differently? Paul’s response, as he reaches the end of chapter 11, is awe — awe at who God is and what He has done.
Verses 20–22 say: “Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.” Don’t you love that? God is able. Where there seems to be no way, we have a God who is more than able — a God who looks at the vastness of the universe and says there is not one square inch that does not belong to Him.
When God implores us to consider both His kindness and His sternness, many of us embrace the kindness but resist the sternness. In fact, some of you may have been turned off by Christianity because of passages that don’t seem like God to you — a God who flooded the entire earth, or opened the ground to swallow people whole. We love Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, but we don’t often want to think about what Revelation says: that in the day of judgment, people will cry for boulders to fall on them rather than face the wrath of the Lamb.
Yet God says it is for our good that all of us consider both the sternness and the kindness of God. Author H. Richard Niebuhr once wrote that we often want a God without wrath who brings people without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the means of a Christ without a cross. But that is not the God of the Bible.
If you and I are going to persevere through this difficult life and make it to the end in Christ, it will be because God is persevering us. It will be because we consider the sternness of God while also reveling in and continuing in His kindness and mercy. God is a pursuing God. He cannot help but pursue and love. He desires to forgive, to make you new, to wipe your sins away and cast the skeletons in your closet to the bottom of the sea. That is the amazing, gracious rescue plan of God for us.
But God means what He says. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 10:28: “Don’t be afraid of the one who can kill the body, but do be afraid of the one who can throw both body and soul into hell.” Remember the kindness of God and the sternness of God. And know that if God is for you, who or what could possibly stand against you? There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
This also challenges me: to come to that place, we must expose ourselves to the full counsel of God. When we read passages we don’t like and explain them away, or avoid hard teaching, we end up with a God of our own making rather than the God who is. If you have been here over the last several weeks, you know that Romans 9–11 is difficult. But rather than saying “I don’t agree with that” and picking and choosing what we like, God commends to us sitting under the teaching of the entire Word of God. When God and I disagree, let it be me who is wrong. God is never in the wrong.
As Paul considers the plan of God, it breaks him out into praise. He closes chapter 11 in verses 33–36:
“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them? For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”
Who could ever come up with a plan like that — to use the very rejection of His people to bring more people to Him? Who could ever be a God like that? No one is His counselor. No one gives to God. From Him and through Him and for Him are all things. God does not consult anyone. He sits on His throne and does whatever He pleases. And what He pleases is to show grace and mercy to people like us who don’t deserve it.
You and I will never fully comprehend the mind of God — and that is a good thing. God is doing a billion things in the background that we may never see until we see Him face to face. But in the meantime, God invites us to literally and figuratively fall on our knees in awe and worship. As J.I. Packer once wrote, people today consider God’s sovereignty a matter of controversy — but in the Bible, it was a matter of praise. God is big. God is good. From Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To Him belongs glory forever.
Closing Prayer
Father God, we stand in awe and we tremble at who You are and what You have done. Father, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that if there is someone here today — someone listening today — who has a hardened heart and has rejected You up until this point in their life, that You would soften their heart. That You would open their eyes and give them understanding, that they would repent and turn from their sin and put their full trust in You, and know that they could receive eternal life that starts today.
And Father God, I pray for others of us who may be undone and overwhelmed with life. I pray that the reality of who You are and whose we are would bring tremendous comfort. God, I pray that You would convict us, comfort us, bring us hope, and that we would respond — not just today, but with all of our lives — in awe and reverence for You, for who You are and whose we are. We ask and pray all these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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AI-Generated Content Disclaimer
This transcript was cleaned up and formatted with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI). The AI removed filler words, corrected grammar, and improved readability while making every effort to preserve the speaker’s original words, meaning, and intent. This document is not a verbatim transcription. Minor edits have been made for clarity. For the original audio or video of this message, please refer to the source recording. If you identify any inaccuracies, please contact the ministry team.
