Now we'll be in that passage
that Brother Terry just read, Romans chapter 9. This morning I want to talk to
you a little bit about the invincible calling of God. The invincible
calling of God. Beginning at verse 24 of Romans
chapter 9, the Apostle Paul being inspired
by the Holy Spirit, continues with a thought that he'd begun
earlier in this chapter. And that thought is this, if
God's promise to save his chosen people, his elect, if his promise
is good, if he's good on his promise, then why are most of
the Jews rejecting Christ? That's the issue he started with.
Why are most of the Jews rejecting Christ? Not all the Jews, but
most of them. Now we could certainly say the
same thing about Gentiles, that most of the Gentiles reject Christ. Not all, but most. But the reason
that he takes up this issue with the Jews is because of Old Testament
prophecy. For example, in the book of Isaiah,
chapter 45 and verse 17, there's a prophecy, and we could give
a lot of different passages here, but I'll just give you this one
as an example. Isaiah prophesied that Israel
shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation. That
was a prophecy. One among many that spoke of
the salvation of Israel. And then over in Romans chapter
11, The Apostle Paul in verse 26 quotes that passage or quotes
a similar passage when he says in verse 26, and so all Israel
shall be saved. All Israel shall be saved. So
the Apostle in this section of the book of Romans, in fact it
runs from chapter 9 to chapter 10 to chapter 11. Answering this issue this question
if God promised to save all Israel Well, then why why are most of
the Jews rejecting Christ because salvation now has to do with
a sinner coming to Christ bowing to Christ Being submitted to
Christ Paul started this off. He said in verse 2 of chapter
9. I have great heaviness and continual
sorrow in my heart, for I could wish that myself were accursed
from Christ for my brethren." And who's he talking about here?
Now Paul had two families in this sense. His family in the
flesh, he mentions here, my kinsmen according to the flesh, according
to my physical makeup. And he also had a spiritual family.
That's the church, that's the people of God in Christ. But
he said, They're Israelites, but they rejected Christ. Over
in chapter 10 in verse 1, listen to this. Brethren, my heart's
desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be
saved. I'm praying for their salvation, he said. Verse 2,
I bear them record, they have a zeal of God, but not according
to knowledge. They're religious, but they're
ignorant. That's what that means. You say, Paul, you shouldn't
be so critical. Well, that's just the truth.
He says, what are they ignorant of? Verse 3, they're ignorant
of God's righteousness. They're ignorant of God's righteousness.
Do you know if you're ignorant of God's righteousness, what
does that mean? It means you're lost. If I'm ignorant of God's
righteousness, I'm lost. How do you know they're ignorant
of God's righteousness? Paul says, here's how I know.
Look at it. Verse 3, they're going about to establish their
own righteousness. If you're trying to work your
way into righteousness before God, to present yourself as righteous
before God, then you're ignorant of God's righteousness. You don't
know the justice, the holiness, the perfection of God. If you
think that you can work your way into making yourself righteous
before Him, because He says in Romans 3,
by deeds of law shall no flesh be justified in his sight. So
he says they've not submitted themselves unto the righteousness
of God. Well, what is the righteousness of God? Verse 4 of chapter 10
defines it. For Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Messiah, is the end of the law. He's the end of the law. That
word end there is the same Greek word that is translated finish
or finished. For example, in John 19.30, Brother
Richard preached on that last Sunday night. It is finished.
Christ is the finishing, the completion, or you might say
the perfection of the law for righteousness to everyone that
believes in Him. In other words, if you believe
in Christ, you know that He is your righteousness. You can't
work one of your own. It'll always fall short. It'll
always be less than what's required. But Christ completed it. Christ
did it all. His blood is my righteousness
before God. His obedience unto death. And
so what Paul's doing here, he's showing that God's word of promise
has not failed, because listen to this now, Because God, in
all of those prophecies that He gave in the Old Testament
concerning Israel, He never promised to save all national ethnic Israelites. He never did. Because in those
prophecies of the Old Testament and here in the New Testament,
God always made a distinction between what? national Israel,
physical Israel, and what the Bible calls spiritual Israel. God always made that distinction.
Look back at Romans 9 and verse 6. Not as though the word of
God, the preaching of the gospel, not as though the word of God
hath taken none effect. Is the word of God, is the preaching
of the gospel effectual to everyone whom God promised to save? The
answer is yes. The answer is yes. Not as though
the word of God hath taken none effect, for they are not all
Israel which are of Israel. Now who's he talking about there?
He's talking about national Israel and spiritual Israel. There's
a distinction here. What does the word Israel mean?
It means those who have prevailed with God. Sometimes we say Prince
of God. But literally it means those
who have prevailed with God. What does it take for a sinner
to prevail with God? I'll tell you exactly what, pleading
Christ. Pleading Christ. That's the sinner who prevails
with God. And he says in verse 7, neither because they are the
seed of Abraham are they all children. What is he saying there?
Well, just because they're the physical descendants of Abraham,
that doesn't mean they're all children of God. You remember
John the Baptist in Matthew chapter 3 when he confronted the Pharisees
and the Sadducees when they came out to see his baptism? And he
told them, he says, you vipers, you snakes. And he said, and
think not to say in yourselves, we are Abraham's children. In
other words, don't claim to be a child of God just because you're
a physical descendant of Abraham. That won't do. Well, that's what
Paul's saying here. Neither because they are the
seed of Abraham are they all children, but in Isaac shall
thy seed be called. Now, Isaac was the child of promise
given to Abraham and Sarah in their old age. And what is the
significance of Isaac being the child of promise? Well, it's
not just a miracle birth, which it was. by the power of God and
not the power of men. And it's not just the nation,
the physical nation that came out through Isaac, even though
that's included. But the real significance of
the promise of God made through and accomplished through Isaac
is the coming of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, through
Him. That's how that promise... How
do you know that? Well, look at verse 8. They,
which are the children of the flesh, the physical descendants
of Abraham, these, now look at this, these are not the children
of God, huh? Now, how much plainer can you
get? Well, who are the children? He says, but the children of
the promise are counted for the seed. Now, what promise is he
talking about? Well, hold your finger there
and turn over to Galatians chapter 3 real quick. And we've read
these Scriptures before. And look at verse 26. Now he's
talking about children of the flesh as opposed to children
of God. Children of the flesh. Now, did
God promise to save all Israel? Yes. But they are not all Israel
which are of Israel. There's a distinction, you see.
The Holy Spirit is telling Paul, there's a distinction here. Now
you've got to make this distinction if you're going to understand
the Bible. And I'll tell you what, if you fail to make this
distinction, it's real questionable whether you really understand
the grace of God or not. That's how important this is.
But look at verse 26 of Galatians 3. Now you remember the churches
at Galatia were made up both of believing Jews and believing
Gentiles. So understand that. Verse 26,
for you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Now that's the children of God.
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put
on Christ, you're united with Christ, you're placed into Christ,
and you put Him on, that means you believe on Him. There's neither
Jew nor Greek. That distinction's gone. What
does it mean, there's neither Jew nor Greek? The Greek was
a way of referring to all Gentiles back then, because it was a Greek,
it was a Greco-Roman world, but a Greek world. But what does
it mean, there's no Jew nor Greek? He means, in Christ, that distinction
is gone. It is over. If you're a Jew,
that makes you no better than a Gentile in the kingdom of God.
We're all saved by the grace of God. We're all washed in the
blood of Christ. We're all clothed in the righteousness
of Christ. We're equally saved, equally
justified, equally have a right and title to the presence, the
holy presence of God by the body of Jesus. We're under the headship
of Christ. And he says there's neither Jew
nor Greek, there's neither bond nor free, there's neither male
nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you be
Christ, if you belong to Christ, then are you what? Abraham's
seed. Now I'm a Gentile. But if I belong
to Christ, what am I? I'm Abraham's seed. Am I reading
that right? Are you reading it with me? If
I'm a Gentile, I have no, well, to my knowledge, I have no Jewish
blood in me, but maybe I do. I don't know. I don't care. What
I'm simply saying is this. If I belong to Christ, if I'm
one of God's elect, if I'm redeemed by the blood of Christ, if I'm
justified based on His righteousness imputed, if I've received Him
by the power of the Holy Spirit, received Him in faith, then what
am I? I'm Abraham's seed. I'm Abraham's
seed. Now I've never worn a yarmulke
and don't intend to. And I'm not going to wear one
of those claws around my neck. That has nothing to do with it.
Do I know Christ? Am I submitted to Him and His
righteousness as my only, only right entitled to the kingdom
of God and the presence of a holy God? Then I'm Abraham's seed
and heirs according to the promise. Now see, being a believer doesn't
make me a physical Jew. It doesn't make you a physical
Jew. Go back to Romans 9. But it makes
us spiritual Jews. You say, well, what's a spiritual
Jew? Well, look over at Romans chapter 2. Look at verse 28. Romans 2 and verse 28. It says, for he is not a Jew
which is one outwardly. Now what does that say? I'll
tell you exactly what it says. It says he's not a Jew who's
one hour late. I mean, I'm not just making fun.
What I'm saying is it's so plain and simple in the scripture and
we want to complicate it up because of our own traditions and self-righteousness. What is he talking about? He's
not talking about an outward Jew here. He's not talking about
a physical Jew. He is not a Jew which is one outwardly. Neither
is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh. But he
is a Jew which is one inwardly. What is inwardly? That's the
heart. And circumcision is that of the heart. What is circumcision
of the heart? That's the new birth. That's
when God the Holy Spirit brings a sinner to see his sin and drive
him to Christ for all salvation and brings him to repentance
of dead works and idolatry. Circumcision is that of the heart
in the Spirit, not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but
of God. There it is, Romans 9. Now, Paul knew that his teaching
on this subject would not be popular, especially with his
Jewish brethren according to the flesh. And then he starts
out here, in Romans 9 as he begins to show this, he simply puts
it in a way that he unashamedly, without apology, tells them,
now look, here's the fact of the matter. God says He will
have mercy on whom He will and He'll be compassionate to whom
He will. God chooses His people. He doesn't make any apology,
any excuse. He doesn't try to get God off
the hook in the human mind. Why? God chooses His people. He has a people among the Gentiles
and among the Jews. And he tells them that among
the Jews it's always been a remnant according to the election of
grace. And he uses Jacob and Esau as an example. Jacob have
I loved, Esau have I hated. Both Jacob and Esau deserve God's
hatred, but God chose to love Jacob and hated Esau, gave Esau
what he deserved. Remember I preached on that,
God's hatred. Don't equate it or define it
or look at it in terms of our own hatred. Because you'll mess
up every time. God's hatred is his justice.
It's the fact that he will not receive and accept a sinner apart
from Christ. That's God's hatred. Ask Cain
about it. God's love is that which brings
a sinner to Christ ultimately. And so he says he chooses whom
he will. And Paul knew that his teaching about God choosing some
But not all would raise questions, and so he answers those questions.
And the bottom line to the whole thing, look at verse 16. It begins
here, he says, so then it's not of him that willeth, it's not
of the will of man. Now people talk about, well,
we're saved because of our own free will. Well, the Bible says
no. It says no. It's not of him that willeth.
Somebody said, well, does that mean that people will want to
be saved and God won't save them? No, it doesn't mean that at all.
Listen, anybody who wants salvation, now listen to this, God's way
shall be saved. Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved. God has never and will never
turn away any sinner who seeks salvation and mercy from Him
His way. The problem with man is man wants
it, we want it our way. And our way is an ungodly way,
even in our religion. But he says here, he says, it's
not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, that's the
works of men, but it's of God that showeth mercy. And then
he says in verse 22, what if God, willing to show his wrath
and to make his power known? See, this is what it's all, it's
about God's glory. He's endured with much long-suffering
the vessels of wrath fitted or made up to destruction, and that
he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of
mercy which he had aforeprepared unto glory. God sovereignly chooses
whom he will, and he accomplishes purposes through a remnant that
he's chosen according to grace. And since we all have sinned,
And since we all deserve damnation, none of us has any right to blame
God for judging us. God is the divine potter, and
we're the lump of clay. That's what Paul wrote. God has
the right to use the clay for his glory, whether as vessels
of wrath or vessels of mercy. Now, here's the question. Who
are these vessels of mercy? Now, that's what I'm interested
in this morning. Who are these vessels of mercy? Now you can
choose. The last message I preached on
this had to do with God's sovereignty and man trying to box with God
as it was trying to spar with God. And remember I told you
our arms are too short to box with God. You can forget it.
That's what Paul's saying there. Who are you, old man, to reply,
to argue, to debate with God? God is God and we are who we
are. We can't rise above who we are.
But he speaks of vessels of mercy here. Mercy. Now, here's what
I know. I know that if salvation is going
to come to this center, it's going to be a matter of mercy.
Isn't that right? It's not going to be brought
about By anything I do or don't do, and listen, it's not gonna
be brought about by anything I choose or don't choose. It's
all sovereign mercy. Now that's what this book teaches.
Here's vessels of mercy. Well, who are these vessels of
mercy? Well, he tells us, look at verse 24. Even us, even us, whom he hath," what? Called. Even us whom he hath
called. And then he says, not of the
Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. So now, whoever he's talking
about, he's not just talking about the Jewish nation here,
he's talking about Jews and Gentiles. Gentiles are included on this.
Now, is he including all Gentiles without exception here? No, he
says, even us, whom he, the he there is God, whom God hath,
what? Called, he's talking about the
called. Have I been called? Have you
been called? And not just Jews, but Gentiles
too. And in fulfillment of his word, God in mercy is calling
to himself a people from the Jews and the Gentiles. That's
what he's saying. And Romans, as we said, emphasizes that God,
not man, is the power and the will behind this, behind salvation,
not man. Both heathen Gentiles and religious
Jews were all by nature deserving of God's righteous wrath and
condemnation. Look over at Romans chapter 3. And look at verse 9. From Romans chapter 1 and verse
18 up to this point, what the apostle has been doing is bringing
all mankind without exception, all men and women without exception,
guilty before God by nature in Adam. because we fell in Adam
and because of our own sin. Jew and Gentile. And so he says
in verse 9 of chapter 3, he says, What then are we better than
they? Are the Jews better than the Gentiles? And he says, No,
in no wise, in no way. In other words, there's not any
way that you can say before holy God that the Jews are better
than the Gentiles or the Gentiles are better than the Jews. He
says, For we have before proved, both Jews and Gentiles, that
they are all what? Under sin. Sinners. So here's the point. If God saves
a Jew, you know how he saves the Jew? By grace in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Mercy. If God saves a Gentile,
you know how he does it? By grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. Mercy. The religious Jew is no
closer to salvation, no closer to righteousness before holy
God than the heathen Gentile. Salvation is by grace, not by
works, for the Jew and the Gentile. And that's what he's talking
about there. So that's the emphasis, by nature. By nature, that's
what we are. But yet over here in Romans 9
he talks about those who are called, called of God. What kind of calling is he talking
about? There are a lot of different
kinds of calls or callings. For example, there's an invitation. If you receive an invitation
to attend a certain event, you have the power to accept the
invitation or to turn it down. And that's a call, in essence. But the kind of calling that
he's talking about here, even us whom he hath called, is more
like a summons to appear before the judge. It's like a subpoena. If the sheriff shows up at your
house and gives you a subpoena, what does that mean? It means
you are by law commanded to appear before the court. It's a command. And this call that he speaks
of here is not just an invitation which you can refuse or choose. This is a summons from God that
cannot be ignored and cannot be resisted. It's the invincible
calling of God. It's a command, a subpoena to
appear before Him in His court for the purpose of being informed
and convinced of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. That's the work
of the Holy Spirit. Showing forth that all who come
to Christ for salvation have been justified before God, have
all their sins forgiven, and are set free from all judgment
and condemnation by God's grace in Christ. This is the calling
of God's elect. It's the calling of the redeemed.
Now let me show you a couple of passages here. Go back to
Romans 3. Go back to that verse 9. It says,
The scripture has concluded all under sin. Now let's just suppose
that God sent His messenger to stand before the whole world,
all people without exception at one time, and he issued forth
a general call that left it up to the people whether or not
to accept it or reject it. What do you suppose would happen?
What do you suppose would happen if God did that now? If He just
issued a general calling that was just an invitation They just
left it up to the people to do what they wanted to do. Well,
most preachers would tell you, well, there'd be some who'd reject
him and some who accepted him. Well, what would be the difference
between the ones who rejected him and the ones who accepted
him? What would you say is the difference? Well, they'd say
their own free will. Well, why was their will any better off
than the ones who rejected him? What's the difference? Well,
what does the Bible say about that subject? Well, look at verse
And I've told you, if you want to define total depravity, here's
the way to do it. It says in verse 10, as it is
written, there is none righteous, no, not one. That's the first
issue of total depravity. We don't have a righteousness.
God requires righteousness. We don't have it. We're born
in sin. We fell in Adam. and we're born
dead in trespasses and sins. We don't have the righteousness
that God requires. The second aspect of total depravity
is this. Even at our best, we cannot achieve
righteousness. Look down at verse 19 of Romans
3, or verse 20 rather. Therefore, by the deeds of the
law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law
is the knowledge of sin. No matter how good a person tries
to be, he cannot make himself righteous before God. Now that's
not to say that people should not try to be the best they can
be, the best citizens, the best husbands, the best wives, the
best fathers. Sure we should. But what I'm
saying is that is not what makes a sinner righteous before God. That's total depravity. Even
at our best, altogether vanity. But go back up to verse 11 now.
Here's the third aspect of total depravity. There is none that
understandeth. Now what is it we don't understand?
I know lost people that understand a lot of things that I don't
understand. But he's talking about something
specific here. They don't understand who God
really is. They don't understand their sinfulness
and their depravity. And they don't understand God's
way of salvation. The natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them, for
they are spiritually discerned, judged, and understood. There's
none that understand God's way. There's, now listen, there's
none that seeketh after God. Now who's that talking about?
Well, that's talking about some group of people who are just
bad people. No, it's talking about the whole
human race by nature. They're all gone out of the way.
What way? God's way. Christ said I'm the way. They're
together become unprofitable. Their way of salvation is unprofitable. Their religion is unprofitable.
It will not result in salvation. There's none that doeth good,
no not one. That is in God's sight. Now what's
he saying? Here's the third aspect of total
depravity. Not only are we not righteous, not only can we not
work out one, but we don't want one God's way. Now that's man's
will right there. What does man want? He doesn't
want salvation, righteousness, forgiveness, God's way, He wants
it His own way. Point being, that if God just
come down here and issued a general call to everybody without exception
and left it to their own wills whether or not to receive it
or reject it, the Bible teaches that we would all reject it.
That's right. We would all reject. Now, the
moment you look at me and say, not me, well, you're the exception. The Bible's not talking about
you. You're not even in here. You're not even in the human
race, really. I don't know what you are. I know what you are. You're a
self-righteous sinner. I remember that. I remember being
there till God broke me. But that's what it says. That's
what the Bible says. If left to ourselves, We would
not receive Christ. We would not believe in Christ. We, left to our own wills, we
would reject him. You see, what Paul's teaching
in Romans 9 is God does not leave his sovereign purpose up to the
choices of sinful people who've turned their backs on God. We've
left to ourselves. We'd all choose against Christ.
All of us without exception. That's what the Bible teaches.
Men are not saved because they're better than those who refuse
to be saved. It's mercy. Now go back to Romans
9. That's what he's talking about. Even us whom he hath called. Even us whom he hath called.
This is the calling of God's elect. It's the calling of the
redeemed. It's not a general call as an
invitation you can refuse that sinners can and do resist. The
Bible said it, our Lord said in Matthew 22, 14, many are called
that way, but few are chosen. This calling means to call into
one's presence or summon and believers, you know how sometimes
believers are described in the Bible as the called of the Lord. Called. The word church. What does it mean? It means called
out ones. Called out of the world. Summoned
out of the world. Look at Romans chapter 8 and
verse 28. Listen to this. He says, We know that all things
work together for good to them that love God, to them who are
the called, the summoned, according to His purpose. Now is he talking
about a class of people there that are better than those who
didn't choose him? No. He says in verse 29, for
whom he did foreknow, that's his forelove, his foreordination. He did also predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called. That word called there is like
they're named. They're named. They're chosen. And whom He called them, He also
justified. Who is it that God justifies?
The ungodly. And whom He justified, them He
also glorified. It's all the work of God. It's
all the power of God. It's all the grace of God. Look
at 1 Corinthians chapter 1. Look at this one. Verse 22. Talking about the preaching of
the gospel. 1 Corinthians 1.22, he says, for the Jews require
a sign. The Greeks seek after wisdom. But unto them which are
called. You see it? Both Jews and Greeks. The power of God and the wisdom
of God. Now what do you suppose is the
difference between those Jews who sought after a sign, those
Greeks who sought after human wisdom, and the called. What's
the difference between them? Is it because the called are
better than the ones who sought a sign or sought wisdom? No. What's the difference? The sovereign
grace of God is the difference. That's the difference. Go back
to Jeremiah 31. I know I'm having you turn to
a lot of scripture, but I want you to look at this. Jeremiah 31. Here he's talking
about the days of the new covenant. It's the days we're living in
today. In verse 31 of Jeremiah 31, here's what the Lord's going
to do in the days of the Messiah. That's what he says. Jeremiah
31, 31. Behold, the days come, saith
the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah. Now, who is the house of Israel
and the house of Judah? Well, now look at what he says.
Here's how he describes it. Not according to the covenant
that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by
the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. It's not going
to be like that covenant at Sinai. It's not going to be that law
covenant. Which my covenant they break. They broke the covenant.
So would we have. Which my covenant they break.
Although I wasn't husband unto them, saith the Lord, God united
himself to that nation for a period of time. Verse 33, but this shall
be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after
those days, that's the days of the Messiah, saith the Lord.
Now look what he says, I will put my law in their inward parts
and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they
shall be my people. Now do you think God does that
for every individual without exception? Puts his law in their
hearts. Writes it in their inward parts.
unites himself in covenant marriage to them? No. You know he doesn't
do that to every individual without exception. Why not? Well, it
seemed good in his sight. He says in verse 34, They shall
teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying,
Know the Lord, they'll all know me. They'll all know me, he says,
from the least of them to the greatest of them. Christ said,
This is life eternal, that they know thee, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. They'll all know me. And
he says, I'll forgive their iniquity and I'll remember their sin no
more. Who's he talking about? Romans 9, right back over here.
Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also
of the Gentiles. You see that? That's the issue. That's the effectual calling
of the Holy Spirit. We read about it in 2 Thessalonians
2, but we're bound to give thanks For you, brethren, beloved of
the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you into
salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the
truth, whereunto he called you by our gospel to the obtaining
of the glory of the Lord." Called out by the gospel. A heavenly calling. It's called
in Hebrews chapter 3 and verse 1. And I know this bothers some
people. But it's what the Bible teaches.
People say it isn't right to say God is going to bring sinners
to himself kicking and screaming. To say you can't fight it, you
can't resist it, that God is going to overpower you against
your will and violate your freedom. That's how they look at it. Many
say God would never violate our free will or our freedom to choose.
I've heard that all my life. It's not in the Bible. They say this calling is the
power of human persuasion, emotion. And they develop methodologies
of getting people to respond to what they say is the calling.
And they use psychology. Preachers who are really convincing
and emotional, they even use scare tactics. Let's show our
children the burning hell and scare the hell out of them and
get them down the aisle. And it'll do it. I've been there,
but it's not in the Bible. Get them to make that decision.
Pray the sinner's prayer. Repeat after me, and then bank
on it the rest of your life. That's not this calling that
Paul's talking about. It doesn't work. It's not scriptural. It's not gospel. But in the end, they say, It's
got to be up to them to make the right decision and believe.
God would never drag us into the kingdom, they say. Well,
a man told me one time, he said, well, you believe that God brings
and saves people even if they don't want to be saved. And I
told him, I said, well, the Bible teaches that none of us want
to be saved God's way. But thank God, the Bible also
teaches that He does make some willing in the day of His power.
It's not coercion, my friend, it's convincing, it's conviction. Where the Holy Spirit comes under
the preaching of the gospel, and convicts us of sin, shows
me what I am by nature, what I deserve even at my best, that
without Christ I am nothing and have nothing, nothing to recommend
myself unto God, nothing good in me, nothing good from me. Without Christ I'm doomed forever.
convinces me of righteousness, that the only righteousness that
a sinner can stand before God and be accepted is the righteousness
of Christ, freely imputed and received by God-given faith. That's what He does. And convinces us of judgment,
that the only way that I can pass the judgment of God is to
have already been judged in the cross of Christ, having my sins
charged to Him, and His righteousness charged to me. Grace, grace,
all grace. Who are these vessels of mercy? Have you been called? Do you
have any desire to believe God? To believe in Christ? To submit
to Him? Well, you know, if you have that
desire truly, that is a God-given desire. powerfully given by the
Holy Spirit in the invincible calling of Almighty God.