Sermon of the 10th Sunday os Trinity. Rm 11.25-32. 10th of August, 2026

 The Mystery of Mercy for All

10th Sunday after Trinity
Romans 11:25–32

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Why Me?

Every baptism invites us to wonder about something that is both beautiful and mysterious.

Today, as we gathered around the baptismal font, we watched God make a promise. He will place His name on a child and say, "You belong to me."

And if we're honest, that raises a question many of us have asked at one time or another:

Why me?

Why was I born into a family where I heard about Jesus, while millions have never heard His name? Why have I received baptism? Why has God been so patient with me, despite all my failures?

And then we look around the world. We see wars, poverty, natural disasters, families torn apart by violence, and people living without hope. We can't help asking, "Why them? Why not me?"

These are not new questions. Christians have wrestled with them for centuries.

In today's reading from Romans, Paul doesn't answer every question we have. Instead, he points us to something even greater—the mystery of God's mercy.

A Mystery Bigger Than We Can Understand

Paul begins by saying,

"I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery."

When Paul uses the word mystery, he doesn't mean a puzzle waiting to be solved. He means something that no human being could ever have figured out unless God revealed it.

The Christians in Rome were mostly Gentiles—people who were not Jewish. Some had begun thinking that because many Jews rejected Jesus, God must have replaced Israel with them.

You can almost hear the temptation.

"We believed."

"They didn't."

"Maybe we're better."

Paul immediately stops that kind of thinking.

"Don't become proud."

Because that's exactly what grace destroys.

Paul explains that Israel has experienced a partial hardening, but only for a time. Through that, the Gospel spread throughout the nations, and one day God's saving plan for Israel will also be fulfilled.

It sounds complicated, but the point is surprisingly simple.

God is working a story far bigger than any of us can see.

Sometimes what looks like failure in God's kingdom turns out to be the very way He brings blessing.

The rejection of Jesus by many in Israel opened the door for the Gospel to reach people like us.

Who could ever have imagined that?

God's ways are often beyond our understanding—but they are never beyond His love.

We All Stand on the Same Ground

Then Paul says something that almost takes our breath away.

"For God has consigned all to disobedience so that He may have mercy on all."

At first those words sound unsettling.

Is Paul saying God causes people to sin?

No.

Scripture is clear that we are responsible for our own sin. We choose our own selfishness. We wander away from God by nature.

But God allows us to discover what life without Him really looks like.

Why?

Because people who think they are healthy never look for a doctor.

People who think they are righteous never look for a Saviour.

Only when we realise how deeply we need God's mercy do we stop pretending we can save ourselves.

Paul says that every one of us stands in exactly the same place.

Jew or Gentile.

Religious or not.

Rich or poor.

Young or old.

Pastor or visitor.

Every one of us is a sinner.

And every one of us needs exactly the same thing.

Mercy.

That means none of us has room for pride.

We cannot say, "God loves me because I'm better."

Or, "I've earned my place."

Or, "Those people are beyond hope."

No.

We all came through the very same door.

Grace.

Charles Spurgeon once observed that one of the greatest dangers to the human heart is self-righteousness—the idea that somehow we contribute to our own salvation.

Paul says exactly the opposite.

Everything begins with God's mercy.

Baptism Is God's Promise

That brings us to the baptism we celebrate today.

Paul writes,

"The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."

What a wonderful word.

Irrevocable.

It means God does not change His mind.

He doesn't wake up one morning and regret His promises.

He doesn't say, "I've decided to take my grace back."

When God calls, He means it.

When God promises, He keeps it.

That is exactly what happens in baptism.

Today, God isn't simply performing a ceremony.

He is making a promise.

He says,

"I know you completely.

I know every weakness.

I know every future failure.

And still I place My name upon you."

That's astonishing grace.

Someone might ask,

"But what happens when I sin again?"

The answer is not that baptism stops working.

The answer is that baptism continually points us back to Christ.

Martin Luther famously said that the Christian life is a daily return to baptism.

Every day we confess our sins.

Every day the old sinful nature is drowned again.

Every day we hear God's promise again:

"You belong to Me."

Our faith may sometimes become weak.

Our hearts may sometimes become cold.

But God's promise remains stronger than our weakness.

His calling is irrevocable.

Living as People Who Have Received Mercy

What difference should this make tomorrow morning?

First, it leaves no room for pride.

If everything we have comes from mercy, then there is nothing to boast about except Christ.

The ground is perfectly level at the foot of the cross.

Second, it gives us hope.

Perhaps someone you love has drifted away from the faith.

Perhaps you've prayed for years for a son, a daughter, a husband, a wife, or a friend.

Don't lose heart.

Paul reminds us that God is not finished with people simply because we cannot yet see what He is doing.

The same God who patiently pursued Israel is still pursuing people today.

Never stop praying.

Never stop hoping.

Finally, this fills us with worship.

Paul cannot talk about God's mercy for very long before he bursts into praise.

"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!"

That is where theology should always lead us.

Not merely to bigger brains.

But to bigger hearts.

To wonder.

To gratitude.

To worship.

God's Final Word Is Mercy

As we gather around the baptismal font today, remember this.

God's final word is not condemnation.

It is mercy.

Not because sin doesn't matter.

But because Jesus has carried our sin to the cross.

God's mercy is not only for people who have everything together.

It is for sinners.

For doubters.

For people who struggle.

For people who have failed.

For people who know they cannot save themselves.

In other words—

It is for us.

Today God says once again,

"You are Mine."

Not because we deserved it.

Not because we earned it.

But because He is merciful.

May we leave this place with humble hearts.

May we treat others with the same mercy we ourselves have received.

And may we never stop giving thanks for the God whose gifts and calling are forever faithful.

To Him alone be all glory, now and forever.

Amen.

Prayer

Merciful Father, thank You for calling us by name and making us Your own. Keep us from pride and teach us to live each day in the joy of Your grace. Help us to trust Your promises even when we cannot understand Your ways. Bless this child who is baptised today, and remind each one of us that Your gifts and Your calling are never taken back. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.