WWW Be Right (16)
First B Jackson
2015-10-14

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Think we have a few visitors this morning too. Welcome to you. Thank you, Lauren Christine, for that beautiful praise music that love so amazing, our redeemer, our Emmanuel here with us, this morning. When Deborah asked me to teach and said she and Becca would be traveling, I thought, well, that'll be fun extracting out God's perspectives and God's principles in Romans. Like in Romans eight last week, we could have expounded on the role of the Holy Spirit and just talked about eight different principles of applying the Holy Spirit and as our empowerment.

We could have talked in principles about there is therefore now no condemnation and what that means and how we can walk free of the law and free in grace but then I discovered, I was teaching on Romans nine. Where Paul takes a big parenthesis and goes back to the history in Israel and I said, oh no. Whoo. That is one of the hardest chapters in the whole Bible and the passages don't really lend themselves to drawing conclusions or coming up with a lot of practical applications. So, this morning, we're going to go straight from the text.

I do use primarily the New American Standard Bible and so, I ask Amy to put the different scriptures that we'll be going over this morning in Romans nine up on the screen so that you can we can all be looking at the same thing But before I start, I do want you to know that I take teaching very seriously. God tells us in James three one, let not many of you become teachers knowing that as such, you will incur a stricter judgment. That's quite a standard to uphold. And so please take everything I say this morning and measure it against God's holy word. On a humorous note, when I was growing up in LA, did you all know I was from LA?

Lower Alabama. I went through I went through the dual immersion program and I learned two languages, English and Southern. We would say things like, how you doing, darling? Hey, baby. What's up, sweetie?

So as Nancy can attest to in the back, no no matter what people would tell you, you could always say, well, just bless your heart. Bless your heart. So, I'm just going to ask the Holy Spirit this morning to translate my southern dialect into a language that you all can understand clearly and if my talk goes on too long, just know that I'm like Moses back Exodus when God asked him to lead two plus million people. Moses said, oh, but Lord, I am so slow of speech. I am so slow of tongue.

But I'll try to keep it within the the thirty five minutes. So, as I've prepared, I've prayed for you all and for myself couple scriptures out of Ephesians one and this is our prayer this morning. If you'll just bow your heads. Father, I have not ceased giving thanks for the ladies who come to sit before your feet. I mentioned them in my prayers that you, the God, the Lord, Jesus Christ, the father of glory, may give to each one this morning a spirit of wisdom, discernment, of revelation, of the unveiling, of a truth, the truth, to have knowledge of you, to understand, to experience what is true of you.

I pray that each lady's eyes, the eyes of her heart would be opened and enlightened that we all may know what is the hope of your calling for each one of us. What are the riches of your glory in your inheritance for us as daughters of the king? And what is the surpassing greatness of your power in each one of us who believe in the name of Jesus Christ. So, I ask you to quieten our hearts, enable us to be still, and to know your God and to receive the good gifts from your word that you have for us today. In Jesus name, amen.

I thought I would refresh for a few minutes and talk about what we've been learning in Roman. It's been a wonderful journey so far and we've seen Paul lay out the doctrines of salvation and justification sanctification, and glorification, a lot of occasions. We've learned that salvation is by faith alone in the finished work of Christ on the cross. A word for that is sola fide by faith alone. When you place your heart in Christ and commit your life to him, he legally declares you saved now and for all of eternity.

We learn that our new relationship and our right standing with God is also by grace alone. Based solely on the atoning work of Christ. That means that God shed blood, covered our sins, and exchanged our filthy, sinful record for his perfectly pristine, pure, clean record. God looks at you and me as though we've never sinned and that is called justification. Romans five one and two tells us that therefore, and remember, when you see that word therefore, you ask yourself, what is the therefore, therefore?

So, Paul says, therefore, having been justified by faith, we now have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have obtained an introduction or our access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we exalt in the hope of the glory of God. Ephesians two eight tells us that our faith in Christ is a gift. And again, it's by grace alone, not based on our good works. Ephesians one thirteen tells us that we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit that after we have listened to the gospel of salvation and we have believed in Christ's death and resurrection on our behalf.

That he seals us forever and nothing can ever take that away. And then we have the role of the Holy Spirit in our life to make us more Christ like. Until we draw our last breath, Christ is in the process of sanctifying us. So that's the sanctification or being made Christ like process. And you know and I know that every day during our journey here on earth, we are still sinful people.

We still have to battle our flesh. And even though we will never become sinless here on earth, we should sin less and less as we're walking in freedom and in grace and in the power of the Holy Spirit yielding totally to him. I like Paul's perspective in Galatians two twenty. I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me and the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith. In the son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me.

Last week in chapter eight, we learned that we have been called by God, that we have been conformed and are being conformed to the image of his son and that no matter what happens in our lives through trials and tribulations that God works all things, not some things, but all things together for our good and for the purposes to which we've been called. Paul describes some pretty tough situations in Roman eight but he adds that little word but. In Romans eight thirty seven through nine, God says, but in all these things, no matter what you encounter along your journey, we what? Overwhelmingly conquer. Not just conquer, not just mere victory, but overwhelmingly conquer.

We stand tall because we are more than conquerors in Christ. Through Christ who loved us. He said, for I'm convinced that neither life nor death nor angels nor principalities nor the present nor your circumstances right now nor things to come, not any power, no height, nor depth, nor any created thing can ever separate you and me from the love of God which we have in Christ Jesus. So, what a great climax. Paul seems to have reached the pinnacle, didn't he?

Now, he takes a parenthesis for three chapters to address Israel's spiritual history in the past, in the present, and Israel's future. Paul's purpose is to explain how could God set aside his chosen people and what eternal purpose now does he have that he has opened the doors for all other people. He called them the Gentiles and how also he will restore the nation of Israel at some future date. So chapter nine may be one of the hardest passages in the Bible because it concerns the doctrine of election for the nation of Israel and for individuals. So today, we're going to take it straight through the text verse by verse.

As Kay Arthur says, precept by precept. So let's travel together. Amy, if you can put up the first slot slide, the solicitude for Israel. We're going to start on verse verse one through five, Amy. Oh, I see.

Chapter nine. Guess I need my glasses. So, you all can read. I'll I'll read from here. I am telling you the truth.

So, Paul here is expressing, just feel his great burden for his Jewish people. He says, I am telling you the truth in Christ. I am not lying. My conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit. I have great sorrow.

I have unceasing grief in my heart. For I wish that I myself could be accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen, according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the temple service, and the promises, whose are the fathers and whom, from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is overall God blessed forever. Amen. This passage describes Israel's election as God's chosen people. They were chosen by God because of his unsurpassing greatness of his love.

He gave them so many privileges such as his presence in the tabernacle, in the temple. God made covenants with Abraham, with David, and with the nation of Israel. God gave them the law through Moses. Israel heard God's voice. They followed God's voice.

They received his laws which governed their lives. They had the priestly service in the temple and the Old Testament is full of promises. Some have been fulfilled and many have yet to be fulfilled for the Jews. He gave them lineage starting with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the 12 tribes of Jacob. And as you know, Christ was a Jew of the tribe of Judah.

But the Jews refused to accept Jesus as their Messiah. So, Paul was just beside himself. He was grieved. I'm sure he felt tormented that his own people had spurned these wonderful blessings and privileges and had rejected the righteousness of God through Christ. I thought we'd pause for a moment and contrast the similar blessings that we have in Christ.

In Ephesians one five through six, we're told that we are God's elect. We have been adopted as his children to the praise and the glory of his name. In Hebrews seven twenty two through 27, we're told we have been given a new and better covenant in Christ shed blood. No more animal sacrifices. It's now through Christ shed blood and we no longer need those priestly services because we have Christ as our high priest always interceding on our behalf.

In Galatians three twenty nine, God tells us we are spiritual sons and daughters of Abraham. We're in the lineage. We have been engrafted into the lineage of Abraham as sons and daughters. And in Romans two fifteen, we're told that his law is now written upon the tablets of our heart. No longer do we need tablets of stone but we have God's word written on the tablets of our heart.

Amy, if you'll put up Romans nine six through 13, Let's let's read this. But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who descended from Israel nor are they all children because of they they are Abraham's descendants but through Isaac, your descendants will be named. That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. For this is the word of promise.

At this time, I will come and Sarah will have a son. And not only this, but there was Rebecca, also when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac. For though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to his choice would stand. Not because of works, but because of him who calls. It was said to her, the older shall serve the younger.

Just as it is written, Jacob, I loved, but Esau, I hated. So this passage is the biblical basis for the doctrine of election. In election, God exercised his sovereign divine will to accomplish his perfect plan. In Isaiah forty six nine through 11, we see God makes no justification, no apology for his sovereignty and lordship. For I am God and there is no other.

I am God. There is no one like me. Declaring the end from the beginning, the ancient times where things have been done saying, my purpose will be established and I will accomplish all of my good purpose. Calling a bird of prey from the East, the man of my purpose from a far country. Truly, I have spoken.

Truly, I will bring it to pass. I have planned it. Surely, I will do it. Paul was receiving so many objections from the Jews but the main one was this, this new gospel of faith, righteousness did not sit well with the Jews and it was replacing the Jewish law righteousness that we've been studying and it opened up the door for salvation of the Gentiles. So, the Jewish covenants and the privileges were abolished and they as God's chosen people seem to have been rejected by God.

What an outcry. God's word had failed. That's what it looked like. That God's word had failed. So, Paul begins his reply by adamantly denying that the word of God has failed.

One of the meanings of the word Israel is governed by God. So, Paul says, just because a person is of Israel does not mean that he is governed by God. Just like the word Christian. Some people and you know, some of them, they call themselves Christians. They come in and warm the pews on Sunday morning.

But they are not true followers of Christ. They have the image that looks good but in reality, they have not committed their hearts to following the lordship of Christ. So, Paul goes on to say that a person is not a child of God just because he came through the descendants of Abraham. Paul says, the children of promise are counted as descendants. So, Paul here is declaring that God in his exercise of sovereign will has declared that it is faith not heredity.

That is the eternal principle of sonship. So Paul makes his point with two examples from the patriarchs. With Sarah and Rebecca, God's promises were fulfilled and God exercised his sovereign choices in electing Isaac over Ishmael and Jacob over brother Esau. He also demonstrated that his choice took place yet before these twins were even born and therefore, it could not be based on anything that Jacob or Esau did or failed to do. So, here's the school of thought for verse 13 where God says, Jacob, I loved but Esau, I hated.

Keeping in mind that the election discussed in these verses can be national and it can be individual. One commentary said that hated means loved less and refers to Jacob later on called what? Israel. And was the nation of Israel was elected for a special function, a special destiny in the history of our world. Whereas Esau represented the nation of Edom, and Edom suffered divine judgment due to their sinful rebellion against God.

Another commentary I studied stated that Paul was making a point about God's sovereign election of Jacob as an individual. Now, as a human trying to understand the choice between Jacob and Esau even before they were born, I think, is it like any, many, miny, moe? You know, how how is God doing this? And we may not be able to fathom God's reasons for choosing but they are reasons he alone knows fits perfectly into his plan and his purposes. The bigger perspective that even before the beginning of time, God looked at Jacob.

God saw Jacob's heart. God saw Jacob's entire life from the time he was in the womb to he until he draw his drew his last breath and the choices that he would make and he saw that Jacob would respond to the wooing of God. That Jacob desired to have a relationship with God and to be upright with God. Therefore, having seen all of that, therefore, Jacob was elected. He was divinely appointed by God to be one of the patriarchs.

Robertson McQuilkin, who was president of the Columbia International University and Seminary for over two decades, said this. Listen to this carefully. It is easier to go to a consistent, logical, extreme than to remain in the center of biblical tension. In other words, to determine that God in his divine sovereignty chose Jacob, leaving Jacob no choice in the matter or to say that Jacob exercised his own free will and took his human responsibility in responding and coming to God. Both of those are logical, theological, logical, theological extremes.

And over the century, denominations have been formed based on these two views. What we do know is what God tells us in John three sixteen. We all know it. For God so loved a few, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life. This tells us that salvation through Christ is sufficient for all people but it's only efficient or effective for those who take hold of Jesus Christ in faith alone.

It says, whosoever, the ones that take hold and in first Peter three nine, we see God's heart. The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowing slowness but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all, not some, but all to come to repentance. So none of us know who will respond to God's gift to salvation, so we must follow God's command in Matthew 2,819 through 20 where he said, go. Go. Therefore, and make disciples of all nations everywhere.

Baptizing them in the name of the father, and the son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them all that I have commanded you, and he promised I will be with you always, even until the end of the age. And that reminds me of a quote by a famous pastor, doctor E. V. Hill. God, he said, God has called us to be fishers of men, but most of us just want to be keepers of the aquarium.

We want to stand by and watch others go out and share. Whether it's over a simple cup of coffee or whether it's at any event where you feel like, wow, this person's ripe. This person, I think, is getting there. But we're silent. Jesus tells us to go and to share the gospel.

If we all had a cure for cancer, wouldn't we be out and about telling everyone? I think we all would be. Those that are dying of cancer, hey, there's a cure. Well, we have people all around us dying without Christ and we all have the cure, don't we? So, we must be compelled to share the life saving news of Jesus Christ.

In verses 14 through 18, be the next slide, Amy, please. Here we go. Paul says, what shall we say then? There is no injustice with God. Is there?

May it never be. Paul is again imagining the rebuttal by the Jews. He he's refuting here. So, the imagining the rebuttal, the Jews are wondering, well, is God unrighteous? And Paul is saying, hey, no way.

Certainly not. Then, in verses 15 through 18, Paul gives another example from the Old Testament and he refers back to Exodus thirty three nineteen when God said to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. Let's remember what mercy is. Mercy is not getting something we deserve. God is never less than fair with anyone, But he fully reserves the right to be more than fair with individuals that he chooses.

So we're on a slippery slope, I think, ladies, when we think that we are entitled to God's mercy as though it's our right. If God is obliged to show mercy, then it's not mercy. It's an obligation. Verse 16 emphasizes that God's mercy is not given because of what we wish to do or what we actually do but solely out of God's loving desire to show mercy. Paul gives another example of pharaoh in verses 17 through 18.

For the scripture says to pharaoh, for this very purpose, I raised you up to demonstrate my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth. So then he has mercy on whom he desires and he hardens whom he desires. The historical context here is Moses has been called and is leading two plus million Israelites who were in slavery in Egypt under the rule of pharaoh. In Exodus five one, the Lord told told Moses and Aaron to go to pharaoh and tell him, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, let my people go. That they may celebrate a feast to me in the wilderness.

And we see in Exodus seven three, God tells Moses, but I will harden Pharaoh's heart. That I may multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. So, Moses and Aaron went right ahead and did as the Lord commanded And in Exodus seven thirteen, we see that Pharaoh's heart was indeed hardened and he did not listen to them. So, we see here an illustration that God allowed Pharaoh to rise in power so that God could show the strength of his judgment in the 10 plagues against pharaoh and his people and thereby glorify himself. Sometimes, God will glorify himself by showing mercy and sometimes through a man's hard heart.

I don't think we should look at this as God divinely persuading Pharaoh to be hard hearted because we see in scripture that God gave Pharaoh many many times to be repentant and to turn to God as the one and only God. God simply allowed pharaoh's heart to follow its own natural sinful inclinations. I've heard it said, the same sun that melts the wax also hardens the clay. To be true to his character, God must show both mercy and judgment. As you know, it took 10 plagues and the death of pharaoh's firstborn son to cause pharaoh to finally let God's people go.

Now, in verse 19, Amy, the next slide. Paul now proceeds to deal with the charge that, well, if verse 18 is true, that God has mercy on him whom he chooses and hardens those that he chooses, then God must be unjust to blame sinful man. Can we be responsible for our own sinful choices? So the huge question here is if God has absolute free will to elect for better or worse, where does human responsibility come in? Paul brings down the gavel and he replies, this argument, Jews, is out of court, that the creature is in no no position to question God the creator.

If God says he chooses and God also says that we are responsible before him, then who are we to question God? Paul uses the example of the potter and the clay. It is the potter's choice, the potter's prerogative to make out of the same lump of clay, one vessel that is held up with beauty and honor to be admired, and one for menial purposes to just sit on the shelf. Paul is saying, if God wishes on one hand to display his wrath and manifest his power, that's his sovereign will and he will await to reveal it according to his eternal purposes. And if on the other hand, God wishes to show mercy in his election to salvation, then as Ephesians one five tells us, God has done so according to his good pleasure.

So to illustrate this further in verses 22 through 23, Paul contrast two vessels. One is a vessel of wrath and one is a vessel of mercy. What is God, although willing to demonstrate his wrath and to make his power known? What if he endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And he did so to make known his riches of glory upon the verse vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory.

Now, I want you to note that the vessels of wrath were prepared for destruction. It does not say God prepared them for destruction, and the word derivative here means they were fit for destruction. So it's indicative of an unrepentant person being ripe and ready for destruction. So did Pharaoh not fit himself being worthy of judgement, destruct, destruction by persisting in his own sinful way, his own hard hearted ways? So it is of every sinner.

We learned in Romans seven that the law reveals and arouses sin and that our sinful nature rebels against God and his and his law. Without Christ in his life in us, we would also be fitting ourselves for God's wrath. In Christ though, we are vessels of mercy. As a Romans eight one declares, therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. And Romans nine twenty three says, vessels of mercy have been prepared beforehand for glory.

And that indicates the activity of God to prepare a person through divine orchestration of our circumstances accompanied by the work of the Holy Spirit to God's calling. Therefore, wooing us and us responding and God being glorified. Paul indicates in verse 24 that God's calling and his mercy are not exclusive to the Jews but open now to all other people, the Gentiles. In verses 25 through 29, we see God's election confirmed by scriptures as he says in Hosea, I will call those who were not my people, my people. And her who was not beloved, beloved.

And it shall be in that place where it was said to them, you are not my people. They shall be called sons of the living God. Isaiah calls out concerning Israel that though the number of sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that will be saved. For the Lord will execute his word on the earth thoroughly and quickly. And just as Isaiah foretold, unless the Lord Sebioth had left us to posterity, a future.

We would have become like Sodom. We would have resembled Gomorrah. So, here the prophet Hosea is declaring God's right to choose. God calling those who were previously not called his people. And these passages show the mercy of God and God's promises that one day, Israel will be restored and once again, that remnant will be called sons of the living God.

Isaiah also prophesied that God would always preserve that Jewish remnant among the Israelites for salvation and as Isaiah said, if it were not God's mercy on Israel's sinful state, they would have been completely destroyed like wicked, Sodom, and Gomorrah. In Genesis eighteen thirty two, Abraham said, God, if there are even 10 righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah, will you spare the city just for those 10? God could not find even 10 who were righteous. So we know that God completely destroyed the city, its inhabitants, and its produce with fire and brimstone. In verses 30 to 33, Paul comes back to why the Jews have missed the Messiah and he draws a draws a contrast between the Gentiles who only had the light of consciousness.

Do you all remember when we were in Romans chapter one? We said that Romans one nineteen, God says, because that which is known about God is evident within them. They had the light of their conscience that God had revealed himself to them for God made it evident to them. The Jews on the other hand possessed a special revelation from God. So, the Gentiles secured salvation by faith in Christ and the Jews kept trying to attain salvation by keeping the law.

So, when the scripture says that the Jews stumbled over the stumbling stone, it's referring to them being offended, being irritated, and even shamed that Jesus could be their messiah. So instead, they and we killed the just and holy one because we wanted to still cling to our own law of righteousness. The last verse of the chapter says, and he who believes in him will not be disappointed. The sovereign grace of God through Jesus is our hope here on earth. And one day, we'll reach heaven, and we'll behold him face to face, and we'll understand all the mysteries.

We'll see that perfect tapestry where on this side, it was all knots and gnarls and hard to understand and we'll see that perfect tapestry and how everyone of the strands of our life have been woven by God into a vessel of beauty and holiness acceptable to him and we'll understand his sovereign will and we'll see him in all of his grace and all of his glory. I peeped ahead in chapter 10 and I looked at the first verse and I see Paul coming full circle here. We started out seeing that he is grieved over his lost kinsman. And we see here again, he says, brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is their salvation. So, we see Paul's passion, that fire in his belly for souls and his persistence in praying and pursuing the lost.

And you know like Paul, you and I have been chosen. We have been called to live lives that point to Jesus and to the saving grace only found in Jesus and we have been commissioned as we saw in Matthew 28 to go and to pursue the loss with the message of the cross. In John four thirty five, Jesus said, behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, look on the fields for they are white for harvest. So can I challenge you, each one of you, pastor Ray in the back, and me this coming week to pray that we would fulfill God's purpose in sharing the gospel, that we would have Paul's passion, that fire in our belly, and ask God, God, heart is right and ready to pluck for your kingdom? And then go.

Go. And feel the joy of being mightily used for his purposes.