Now, we continue in our Bible
study in Romans chapter 9, and we'll go back to visit verse
18 for just a minute, and then I'll make the introduction. Therefore,
therefore, and that always looks back to what has been previously
stated. Therefore, hath he, that is our
eternal God, sovereign, eternal, holy God, he will have mercy,
He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He
will, He will harden. Now, once again we see the Lord
is sovereign in salvation. The Lord our God, through the
Apostle Paul in these verses in Romans 9, clearly sets forth
the eternal purpose of God to glorify His holy mercy, in the
saving of sinners, and also to glorify His holy justice in the
just and righteous condemnation of sinners. One, to the praise
of the glory of His grace. The other, to the praise of the
glory of His justice. But everything works to that
end. His glory. In all things and
in all ways, God is determined, and rightly so, to receive all
the honor and glory and blessings both now and forever. I remind you of this verse in
Romans 11, 36, for of him and through him and to him are all
things to whom be glory forever. And every believer can say amen.
to him be all the honor and glory both now and forever. Worthy is the lamb that was prayed,
worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive all honor, glory,
blessings, and power both now and eternally. Now, look at verse
19. Romans 9 verse 19, wilt thou
say then, wilt thou say then unto me, Paul here is going to
defend the gospel, not that it needs our defense. Remember,
these are the words that God has given to the apostle. That
will say then unto me, why does God yet find fault? For who hath
resisted his will? Now, Paul brings up another objection
unbelievers might bring forth to argue, or as it says in a
marginal reference, to dispute with God. and their argument
might go this way. Since it is true that God is
absolutely sovereign and no puny and sinful man can resist the
will of God, the power of God, why does God find fault with
the sinner and charge him with condemnation of his sin when
all works to the eternal glory and purpose of God? Well the
short answer is this, we'll get into a longer answer in just
a minute, but the short answer is this, all men are guilty,
all men are sinners before God and all men therefore are accountable
unto God for their rebellion and sin against Him. Now in these next verses, the
Apostle Paul answers that objection. This will not satisfy the natural
man, for the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit
of God, but believers do receive God's truth, We do receive his
word, not as it is the word of men, but as it is in truth, the
word of God that effectually works in the hearts of the Lord's
people. Now look at verse 20, Romans
9 verse 20. There's this big word, but. Nay,
no, but. Oh man. O sinner, weak, vile,
wretched sinner, who are you to argue with God? Who are you
to pick a fight and reply against God and say to Him, shall the
thing form, say to Him that formed it, why have you made me the
way I am? Well, God created man in uprightness,
that's true. but he's a fallen creature. He's
a sinful creature before God. The Lord our God is accountable
to no sinful man. Can you imagine such a thing?
As for a sinner to ask God to give account of his matters unto
men. You remember the young man in
the book of Job, in Job 33, the young preacher that was sent
to Job, you remember his name was Elihu. He said this, why
dost thou strive against him? For he giveth not account of
his matters to anyone. Who are you to reply against
God that he should have or he should change his will or his
power. No man has right or ground to
charge God with any unjust actions. Everything he does is holy, good,
and it's right. Whatever he does, it is right. And that's what Abraham said,
Genesis 18, 25, shall not the judge of all the earth do right? And whatever the Lord our God
is pleased to do, It is right. In the salvation of sinners,
in the salvation of some, and the damnation or what we call
reprobation of others, the Lord our God is just and true in both. None have a right to dispute
with Him. Absolutely none. The choice in
salvation is in His hands. We see that all through the scripture.
Salvation is not by the will of man, it's by the will of God.
Salvation is not by the choice of a sinner, he loves darkness
and hates God. Salvation is by the choice of
God. We are bound to give thanks for you, brethren, beloved of
the Lord, because the Lord hath chosen you unto salvation. He
said to those disciples, you didn't choose me. I chose you,
I ordained you. He found them at the tax table,
he found them out fishing and the Lord walked forth and the
Lord called them to salvation. The choice in salvation is in
the hands of the Lord. He is a great shepherd who has
chosen his sheep and he died to redeem those sheep. He said, I laid down my life
for the sheep. Now, who are you or who am I
or who is any creature to reply against our sovereign Lord God
and say, that's not right? None. No one has the right to
stick his finger in the face of almighty God and challenge
him or dispute with him. Now, look at verse 21. He takes
us down to the potter's house and he argues from the lesser
to the greater. Hath not the potter power over
the clay? Now no one would dispute with
the potter as he takes that lump of clay and throws it on that
spinning wheel and he shapes and fashions that just the way
he wants to. Hath not the potter power over
the clay of the same lump to make one vessel to honor and
another unto dishonor. Paul takes us down to the potter's
house to show us how the Lord works in the salvation of sinners. Now this is given to us in Jeremiah
18. I'm not going to turn and read
that to you, but that's exactly what is quoted in Jeremiah 18
1-7 when the Lord takes Jeremiah down to the potter's house to
show him and to illustrate to him that the Lord will have mercy
on whom he will. It is the sovereign power, will,
and right of God alone to have mercy on whom he will. Look back
up at verse 16 in Romans 9. So then it's not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God, it's of God who shows
mercy. To make one vessel to honor,
to the honor of His mercy, to make another vessel to the honor
of His justice. All humanity is a lump of lifeless,
helpless clay. All are guilty and wicked, and
none deserve honor, none deserve or merit mercy, none merit His
favor, His love, or His grace. Look at verse 22. What if God
willing to show His wrath and His power? Now notice those two
things. His wrath. What is His wrath? It is holiness stirred in activity
against sin. That is His wrath. His holy anger. His holy wrath. What if God willing
to show His wrath and to make known His power? Now his power
is the ultimate power, absolute power, universal power, sovereign
power, almighty power. and to make his power known,
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 afore prepared
unto his glory." Prepared unto glory. God is willing, ready,
and able to show his wrath, willing, ready, and able to show his power
on the vessels of wrath made up for the day of eternal judgment
and eternal condemnation. Because these vessels are full
of sin, because they have willingly sinned against God, because they
are guilty before God, because they deserve nothing but what
they've earned. That includes all of us. The
wages of sin is death. The gift of God is eternal life. Now, let's read a couple of scriptures
here. Let's find 1 Peter 2. 1 Peter 2. Verse 7 says, 1 Peter
2, 7, unto you therefore which believe he is precious, But unto them which be disobedient,
the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made
the head of the corner, a stone, a stumbling, a rock of a fence,
even to them that stumble at the word, being disobedient,
whereunto also they were appointed. verse nine, but you are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people,
that you should show forth the praises of him who called you
out of darkness into his marvelous light. Some are chosen vessels
of mercy, some are chosen vessels of wrath. Cannot I do with my
own as I will." Don't turn to this one, let me just read this
one to you, if you remember from our study of the book of Jude. He said, Beloved, when I gave
all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was
needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that you should
earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered unto
the saints. For certain men crept in unawares
who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly
men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, denying
the only Lord God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Some are vessels,
objects of God's love, His mercy and His grace. Some are vessels
unto His wrath, vessels of wrath that receive nothing but just
exactly what they deserve, which is judgment and eternal condemnation. Look at verse 23 in Romans 9,
that he might make known the riches of his glory. the riches
of his grace. You remember that scripture from
Ephesians chapter two, where it says, but God, who is rich
in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved us, even when
we were dead in sin, hath quickened us together with Christ, that
he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of
mercy. That's his elect. That's his
elect, which he had afore prepared unto glory. Remember the Lord
Jesus Christ stood as the eternal surety of that eternal covenant
of grace. He is the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. The Lord Jesus Christ was the
prepared atonement, the prepared righteousness for us even before
we were fallen in our father Adam. He prepared all these things
for us. We call that the eternal inheritance
of grace, don't we? That he might make known the
riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had afore prepared
unto glory. Now, I'm gonna read this to you,
you don't need to turn, you're familiar with this. But over,
you remember in Matthew chapter 25, And here we see the distinguishing
sovereign mercy of God. In Matthew 25 it says verse 31,
When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy
angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory,
and before him shall be gathered all nations, and he shall separate
them one from another, as a shepherd doth divide his sheep from the
goats. there's vessels of mercy, there's vessels of wrath, sheep
and goats, tares and wheat. And he shall set the sheep on
his right hand, and the goats on his left hand, there's vessels
of mercy, there's vessels of wrath. Then shall the king say
unto them on his right hand, Come ye blessed of my father,
inherit the kingdom of God. The kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world. He has afore prepared us unto
glory. Now there's another verse I want
to read in connection with that. I quote this almost every time
I bring a gospel message. is found in 2nd Timothy 1.9.
Listen carefully. It's God, Paul said, don't be
ashamed of the gospel, the gospel of God, the gospel of the power
of God who has saved us and called us. Now notice how that's said
here. It doesn't say he called us and then he saved us. It said
he saved us, then he called us. The reason he called us is because
he saved us in that eternal covenant of grace. Who saved us, called
us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
his own purpose and grace, purpose and grace, which was given us
in Christ Jesus before the world began, before I was born. God made a choice in that eternal
covenant to choose a people. He said, all that the Father
hath given to me, they will come to me. And those that come to
me, I will in no wise, no way cast them out. The Lord our God
is willing and able to save his people, vessels of mercy by the
power and might of his sovereign grace. Thank God he has all power. How much power does it take to
raise a dead man? We're helpless to do anything
for a dead man. How much power does it take to
raise a dead body from the grave? Aren't you glad he has all power
in heaven and earth? The Lord prayed that in John
17, remember? Father, And then in Matthew 25,
too, he prayed, Father, I thank you. You've hid these things
from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto babes. And
then he prayed later in John 17, Father, you've given me power
over all flesh that I should give eternal life to as many
as you have given to me. He has all power in heaven and
in earth, and he has given us salvation in him before the foundation
of the world. We only believe the gospel according
to the working of His mighty power. Now you remember that
scripture over in Acts chapter 13 verse 48 where the apostle
Paul had been preaching to those Jews and later he preached to
the Gentiles and the Jews got upset And he said, well, God
has ordained that the gospel be first preached to you, but
seeing you put it from yourself, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
And then he says in Acts 13, 48, as many, when they heard
this, they were glad and received the word of the Lord. And as
many as were ordained to eternal life, they believed the gospel. You see, it takes the power of
God with the gospel of God in the power of God the Holy Spirit. You hath he quickened who were
dead in trespasses and in sin. This is the reason that we do
not say that salvation is by the sinner's will. or the sinner's
choice, or the sinner's decision. Salvation is of the Lord, not
of man. Now, as I said on the radio program
this morning, aren't we just splitting theological hairs?
No, we're not. The issue is light and darkness. The issue is truth or a lie. And no lie is truth. Salvation
is of God. Salvation is of the Lord. Now
look what he says in conclusion to his argument, who are you
to reply against God? Verse 24, even us, even us whom
he hath called. Now he called us. You remember back in Romans 8,
turn over there. Romans 8, 28, And we know that
all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the called according to his purpose, even us whom
he hath called, for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate
to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be
the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called, whom he called, them he also justified,
whom he justified, them he also glorified. God calls his sheep,
they hear his voice, and they do follow him. Look back at Romans
9 verse 11. For the children being not yet
born, neither having done any good or any evil, that the purpose
of God, according to election, might stand not of works, but
of him that calleth." Now this call of God is not just a mere,
simple invitation. The gospel is not an invitation. The call of the gospel is not
an invitation. It's the command of the king.
It goes forth as the command of the king. The Lord doesn't
invite men to believe the gospel. He commands them to believe the
gospel. And those who are commanded to
believe the gospel, they will. They will. That's why we don't
sing 15 verses as just as I am and beg sinners to come forward
and make a decision for Jesus. Where is that taught in the Word
of God? And yet, if you go back and find
the history of that, there were three men who instigated that
whole thing. Billy Sundy, D.L. Moody, and a man by the
name of Sankius. Those three men, they started
this whole thing of an invitation to get people moving forward,
to get people to make a move, to make them make a decision
or to come forward and do these things. It's all the invention
of men. We preach the gospel of God that
honors God, glorifies God, and then we leave it in the hands
of God. It's his business to convict
sinners of sin, is it not? It's his business to convert
sinners. That's why I don't, we preach
the gospel, God uses, and he has ordained that as the means
to call out his people, but we don't try to get people to make
decisions Make Jesus your personal savior,
they say. The apostles never preached that
way, did they? The Lord never preached that
way. Now, if you look over here in 1 Thessalonians chapter one,
he says, 1 Thessalonians chapter one, we give thanks to God always
for you, you all making mention of you in our prayers. Remembering without ceasing your
work of faith and labor of love, patience of hope, in our Lord
Jesus Christ, in the sight of God, our Father, knowing, brethren,
beloved, your election of God, for our gospel came not to you
in word only, but in power. Now, it did come in word only.
Paul preached to these people. But our election is known by
our calling. Our gospel came not in word only,
but in power and in the Holy Spirit. And it came with much
assurance. You know what that is? Faith.
Faith is a gift of God. That's how we have assurance.
Faith is a gift of God. As you know what manner of men
we were among you for your sake. You became followers of us and
of the Lord. having received the word in much
affliction with joy, with joy in the Holy Spirit. Even us,
verse 24, Romans 9, even us whom he hath called, not only of the
Jews, but also of the Gentiles, God hath a people of every kindred,
tribe, nation, tongue, people under heaven, as we read in Revelation
chapter 5.