Red okay? Red okay? I ain't touchin'
that. Remember those who, of course,
you've had it through the prior race Wednesday night, Thomas
again. Adam and Amanda Monteith and
the Wolfe family. Also, Debbie's brother Randy
started some high intensity chemotherapy and he's very sick from it. He's getting very sick from it. But evidently the type of cancer
they got, they're trying to do something about it. Remember
him in your prayers, Randy, if you will. and then I can't think
of any announcements. Let's begin our worship service
with hymn number 17, Come Thou Fountain of Every Blessing. Come Thou Fountain of Every Blessing
do my heart to sing thy praise streams of mercy Call for songs of hallowed praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above. Praise the Lord! It's the bawling,
how could I redeem him, Lord? Here I raise my head in eastern,
Inner by night here I come. And I hope I buy the pleasure,
Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Oh, to grace I'm made a giver
Daily I'm constrained to be Led by goodness, like a feather By
my wandering heart to be Run to wonder, Lord, and feel
it! Run to be the God I love! Here's my heart, Lord, take and
steal it! Steal it for Thy courtship! have your bibles turned to the
ninth chapter of the book of Romans. Paul is addressing the question that though the Israelites had
so much going for them as far as what God has done for them
in these words, priesthood, ceremony, and so forth. They have not believed on the
side. Does that mean the word of God
has taken on a face? They've had it all these years,
it's taken on a face. And Paul answers that question
by setting forth the absolute, unequivocal sovereignty
of Almighty God in the salvation of sinners. I remember many years
ago hearing a message by a pastor out in the Midwest named Jesse
Gistan. The message was wonderful, but
I love the title even more. It was, It Ain't Like You Thought
It Was. It Ain't Like You Thought It
Was. Beginning with verse 7, Neither because they are the
seed of Abraham are they all children, but in Isaac shall
thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children
of the flesh. These are not the children of
God, but the children of promise accounted for the seed. Well,
this is the word of promise, at this time will I come and
settle up, shall have a son. Not only this, but when Rebecca
also had conceived by one, even our father Isaac, for the children
being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election might stand not of works, but
of him that calleth. It is said to her, the elder
shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved, and he saw him, I hate him. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with
God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So it is not him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. For
the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have
I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that
my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath
he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardeneth. Thou wilt say unto me, why doth
he yet find fault for who has resisted his will? Nay, but O
man, who art thou that replyest against God? Shall the thing
formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus?
Hath not the potter the power over the clay of the same lump
to make one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor? What
if God, willing to show His wrath and to make His power known,
endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to
destruction, that He might make known the riches of His glory
on the vessels of mercy which He has aforeprepared unto glory,
even on us, even us, whom He hath called, not of the Jews
only, but also of the Gentiles, as He saith also to Hosea, I
will call them my people, which were not my people, and her beloved,
which was not my beloved. Our Father, we rejoice as your
children, to whom you have given faith to believe your word. We rejoice in the words we've
just read, knowing full well that the judge of all the earth
shall do right, that you rule in this world. All the inhabitants
of this world are yours to do with as you see fit. And we are
thankful, so very thankful, that you did not leave us to our sins,
that you did not ordain us to be vessels of wrath fitted to
destruction, to be vessels of dishonor. But you chose us in
Christ before the world began. We have done neither good nor
evil. We were not even born yet. But it's the purpose of election,
I understand. You said of one and not another.
I love this one, and I hated that one. We do bow in full recognition
that you are God, and you do what you will. Help us this hour
to see it, and rejoice in it, and be thankful if you have given
us faith to believe that we are those vessels prepared for glory. Help us, we pray in Christ's
name. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh, that makes me white as snow! No other fount I know, nothing
but the blood of Jesus! I see nothing but the blood of
Jesus. For I think he is my plea, nothing
but the blood of Jesus. Oh, precious is the flow that
makes me wise. Nothing but the blood of Jesus
Nothing can for sin atone Nothing but the blood of Jesus Not a
good that I have done Nothing but the blood of Jesus That makes me wise, O! How wonderful, I know, The good,
the good, the good He knows! ? All my hope and peace ? ? Nothing
but the blood of Jesus ? ? His gifts all my righteousness ?
? Nothing but the blood of Jesus ? ? Oh, precious is the flow
? ? That makes me white as snow ? Father, again we come in the name of Jesus Christ, our
majestic, high and lifted up, holy one, who sits at thy right
hand because he is the first of our seed. He has protected
forever them that are sanctified. And now he sits in wondrous repose,
still interceding for his children, advocating with the Father. We
know we're sinners. We are thankful that he has put
away our sin before you, and we are no longer accountable
for it. attention. We thank you for the
gift of the Lord Jesus Christ. We know because you give us to
him, you freely give us all things, everything that pertains to God
and us in life. And we return to thee that which
you have blessed us with. Let us do so with thanksgiving
and praise. Praise, precious thing. Amen. so so You. The language of scripture is
complete, but utterings concerning and declaring and praising the
glory of God and His absolute sovereignty over all things.
You know the story of David when he was presented with a false
idol and asked where his God was, he said, our God is in the
heavens. He's done whatsoever He has pleased. Done whatsoever. But never did Ezra, after his
season of being a beast because he had mocked God, He came out
of that season with his right mind and he said that the Lord
God does according to his will in the armies of heaven and among
the inhabitants of the earth and none can say his name and
none can say of him what doest thou. There's an interesting
phraseology there. We know that God does his will. Our Lord said that in Gethsemane,
I will be done. I will be done. The prayer he
gave to his disciples was that I will be done on earth even
as it is in heaven. He does his will. Nebuchadnezzar
said he does according to his will. That word according makes
his will align with an equation. He does according to purpose.
I think it was Ralph Barnard on Henry Mahan one time. God
does everything on purpose. There ain't no slip ups. There ain't no responses. There ain't no some, an action
that comes based on some other action. He does His will according
to His purpose. And that is clearly set forth
in this passage here. In Romans chapter 9, if there
was no other chapter in scripture that declared the sovereignty
of God, this would be sufficient to convince anyone, if they understood
the scripture at all, that God does what he will. And not only
that, he does what he will with every creature upon the face
of the earth. And what his will is, does not sit well with some
people. And even us sometimes want to
protect God from what we think might be doing evil, but we can
do no evil. But He controls evil. He never
lies, but He uses the lie. He does not save Satan, but He
uses Satan as a ministering spirit to those who shall be heirs of
salvation. Everything belongs to Him. what
he's telling those who have opposed have come up with the idea that
because Israel had all these benefits and they had them all
they were the only nation that had them of all the nations that
owned the earth this little place on the coast was the place God
dealt with and the people there and those people had a high priest. Those people had the Word of
God. Genesis to Malachi, they had
the Word of God. They had all the ceremonies that
showed that they were sinners and that the remedy to sin was
a blood sacrifice, all pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ. They
had the oracles, the teachers, the prophets, who all gave witness
of Christ, but they didn't see it. And people said, well they
have all this. And yet they couldn't believe
it. Must be that all that meant nothing, or that all that had
no power, and all that had no function, but all of it did.
All of it did. They pointed to Christ. They
declared that Abraham wasn't their father, therefore they're
no children of God. Our Lord said in John chapter
8, if you were Abraham, he said you'd love me. You're not Abraham
C, because you tried to kill me. Abraham never tried to kill
me. We are Abraham C. He said, well
here's the first thing. And he said, you're not called
an Abraham. Now, we know according to Galatians
chapter 3 that if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you are Abraham
C. But that is in reference to being
an heir according to promise. Because that's what Abraham was.
I said, I'll give you Canaan. He never saw Canaan. I'll give
you a promised land. He never saw it. I'll make you
a great nation. He didn't. He made Jacob a great
nation with his 12 sons, but not Abraham. He was an heir according
to promise. He believed in a city whose builder
and maker was God that he never saw and never touched. But he
believed God. And if you are a child of God,
if you're a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, Galatians chapter
3 says you are Abraham's seed. But the distinction here is made,
it's not from the flesh, which was Abraham in the flesh, to
Isaac. He said, in Isaac shall thy seed
be called. In verse 7, neither because you
are in the seed of Abraham are they children, but in Isaac shall
thy seed be called. Now we know we're called in Jesus
Christ by the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. What is this talking
about? He's talking about the manner in which Isaiah was born.
Isaac was born. His mom and dad, Abraham and
Sarah, could not bear children. Both of them had lost all that
life force. It was gone according to Romans
chapter 4. It was gone. Neither one of them could do
that. So this child was miraculously born by the power and spirit
of God. And so the first distinction
is made. The first distinction is made. And this is his extension. Men are not born by the power
of the flesh. They're not born because they're
chosen into a natural nation. They're not chosen because of
the natural seed of a man. They're saved because they are
the seed of one who is born like no other has been born before.
By the Spirit of God. By the Spirit of God. The way
Isaac was born, that's the way you'll be called. Our Lord told
Nicodemus in John chapter 3, you must be born from above,
and that's what that's talking about. You must have a spiritual
birth. Then he goes on to say that God
chooses between men because of love and hate, so that the concept
of election being chosen before the foundation of the world would
stand. Look at what he says in verse 10. And not only this,
but when Rebekah also was received even by one, even our father
Isaac, were the children being not yet born, having done neither
good nor evil. So it can't be based on what
they do or don't do. That's what that's saying. That the purpose of God according
to election might stand. Not according to works, but according
to him that calleth. And how does he call? He calls
by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's how it takes place. To them that are called. So the
distinction is not the order of birth, or the law that sets
forth the rules of the order of birth, because the rules of
the order of birth in Jewish religion, under the law of the
elder, would be the birthright. He would get everything. He didn't
just get, the next son didn't get anything. He had to serve
the elder. That was his job, the elder.
And then Iroh said, well, we're gonna change that all together.
The elder shall serve the younger. Why? Because I love the younger
and I hate the elder. That's what he says. As it is
written, the elders shall serve the younger, as it is written
in Malachi chapter 3, Jacob have I loved, and he shall have I
hated. This is according to his will. You say, how could he love Jacob?
He had the will to do so, because there ain't nothing lovely about
either one of them boys. And the same way with you. He
don't love you because there's a lovability about you, if he
loves you at all. He don't love you because there's
some kind of attraction to you. He loves you because he wills
to do so. And if you really want to know
what love is, true love, sure it has love between a man and
a woman has to do with affection, between brethren has to do with
affection, often has to do with looks, being drawn to one another,
things like that. But true love is about the will.
I will love. I won't show love. That was the
promise you made when you got married. I will. I do. That was the promise of the will. The actual response to that is
what we would do by the flesh and still do may sometime in
our hearts feel this way. Jacob had our love. Jacob was
a wretched person. he saw was a hunter, that his
family was a good guy. We'd probably like him, but he
loved Jacob. He loved Jacob. How could he
love such a person like that? How could he love him? And our answer is, this doesn't
seem right. And that was the question answered
here. Paul always addressed the questions
that he might receive concerning the truth. This was the question,
is there unrighteousness in dealing with God? I can't tell you how
many times I've heard that said in the American language, in
the normal vernacular of America, and they say it ain't fair. It's
not fair. I heard it said in driving home
one time with some family. They said it just wasn't fair
that one brother was chosen and one wasn't. That just isn't fair.
That's the response. Is there unrighteousness with
God? If he loved one and hated another, his will to do so, because
he does according to his will in the arms of heaven and among
the lambs of the earth, is that right for him to do that? Of
course it is. It's absolutely right. And he
says, this is why. See, when Moses asked him to
show him his glory, this is what he said, I will have mercy on
whom I will have mercy. I will have grace, or I will
be gracious unto whom I will be gracious, or I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. I will have compassion on whom
I will have compassion, and I will show mercy on whom I will." So
then the conclusion of that statement is this, so then it is not him
that WILL have Though men talk about their free
will all the time. They talk about their will being
free. Such a thing does not exist in
the universe. A free will does not exist except
in the power to perform in that and only one character in the
universe and that's God himself. God's will is not free in the
sense that men think free will. Because he always does according
to his character. He always does according to what
he wants. and what he wields, and what
he's purpose. He never goes, he cannot lie.
Now if you have a free will, which means there is no encumberment,
there is nothing to inform it, to make it go one way or another,
it's free. No such thing exists. Because
I'll guarantee this about everyone in this congregation today and
everyone on the top side of God's Word. They'll never choose to
do what they don't want to do. They'll never do it. They will
never will to do what they will not do. They'll always do what
they want. And that comes from here, inside
the character. So it's not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth. or his passions, but it's God. So mercy doesn't come because
you're with it. Mercy doesn't come because you
run to it. Mercy comes because God shows it according to his
good pleasure. And the example he gives of that,
the illustration he gives of that, for the scripture saith
unto Pharaoh, even for this purpose have I
raised thee up. that I might show my power and
that my name might be declared throughout the earth. Why did
he raise up Pharaoh? He raised up Pharaoh to punish Israel.
He raised up Abraham. He raised up Pharaoh to enslave
Israel according to his purpose. He had purpose in speaking to
Abraham in Genesis 13 when he told Abraham that you're going
to be a great nation. But you're going into captivity
for 430 years. And then I'm going to deliver
you by my great power. That's the reason I raised up
Pharaoh. I raised up Pharaoh. And I might show my power, what? In delivering his people from
the most powerful nation on earth. Therefore, he had mercy. on whom He willed. But not only that, remember it
says He hardened Pharaoh's heart in Exodus. Therefore He had mercy on whom
He would have mercy and whom He willed. He hardened it. You mean He goes on both sides
of this one? A fella asked me this a long time ago. He said,
if you believe in double predestination, And I really hadn't thought about
it. He was talking about, do you believe God predestinates
some men to heaven and some men to hell? And I thought, well,
one time seems to be enough for me. But is that what His things
say of you? He does according to His will,
according to His purpose. And the armies of heaven are
among the inhabitants of the earth. And none can stay His
hand or say unto Him, what doest thou? And he said, I will have
mercy on some and others. I will pardon them. That's his
purpose then. That's his purpose then. A man can't take that. They said,
well, if God is sovereign over all things and does everything,
why do any of that? Why do any of that? They say to preachers,
why do you preach? Because that's the means God
used to bring his children to the truth, to faith. through
the word of God, the priest, with the power of the Holy Spirit. That's how that works. Men say, well, if he's chosen
who will live forever in eternity and those who will spend eternity
in hell, why bother? Well, that question
is asked. Now I won't say in verse 19,
why the, how can he find fault with me if I am what he's made
me? What's that doing in you? What's
your flesh saying to that? Resist, resist, resist. Why does it yet find fault for
who has resisted his will? If he does everything according
to his will, does everything according to his power, according
to his purpose, who has resisted his will? Well, what's the answer
to that? Shut up, you silly piece of clay.
That's what it means. That's the answer. Nay, but oh,
man. Who are you to comply against
God? Shall the, what does it say? Have not the power, or it says,
shall the thing form, that's you, you will form out of the
clay of the dust, dust of the clay. Say to him that formed
it, why do you make me do it? And I've worked with Clare, I've
never been very good at it, but I, you know a lot of people here
on the res, are very good at pottery. And you wonder if Clare
goes, hey, I've got several pots, and I haven't swill them in,
and I love them, and I'm glad I knew her. She was Clare, she
worked with Clare. But I'll bet you dollars to donuts, that not one of her palms ever
stood there. Why have you made me into a marriage
vase and not an astronaut? Why? Because clay has no sound. Here we're treated as if we were
inanimate mud. Because that's what we are. We'll
find that out one of these days when we go back to the dust from
which we came. had not the potter the power
over the clay to make one vessel unto honor and another to dishonor.
Here's that thing. This is a double thing. The purpose
is to make one to honor and one to dishonor. And what does that
mean? That simply means one to be used
and displayed for his glory. That's the one of honor. One
to be used for a purpose and then discarded. You had certain
pieces of pottery that were beautiful and works of art and they were
used to honor the potter for his skill and his artisanship. But you had others that were
just plain old bowls, cups, and once they got a crack in them
or something, they were just thrown out on a pot shirt pile, never
to be used again, but they were both used One for the glory of
God and one to be discarded. He makes this division. He makes
this division. And then the question is this.
And it's not a question that requires an answer. It's a question
that says, this is one of those shut up questions. What if God
does this? We've already found out that
the clay has no side. So what if He does it? What if
God? in order, willing to show his
wrath and to make his power known,
which is already done with Pharaoh, endured with much long-suffering
the vestments of wrath fitted or made to destroy. vessels of wrath made to destroy. Sounds to me like the purpose
of God involves both ends of that spectrum, doesn't it? Some he makes to honor, some
to discard. Some he makes for his wrath,
and others he makes And it says that he might make known the
riches of his glory on vessels which he hath before prepared
unto glory. The difference is made. This
is not the only place that this is found in Scripture. In the
prophet, or the apostle Jude, he said men unawares were ordained
of old to this condemnation. And what about the Jews that
despised the word of God, that the gospel was a stumbling block
to? Peter, who is a Jew, dealt with
the Jews on that very topic. In 1 Peter chapter 2, for the child of God, he says,
unto you who believe, unto you who therefore believe, he is
precious. That's a great value and honor. But to them which
are disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed is became
the silver every corner. And a stone is stone, and a rock
of a fence. Even to them which stumble at
the word being disobedient, wherefore also they were appointed." They were appointed to that. God's will. and suffering. God's will will be done. Paul said that the elect of God
are recipients of His grace and His mercy. He said, even us whom
He hath called. Whom He hath called. Who did
He call? Those He predestinated, it says
in Romans chapter 8. For whom He did it. according
to the image of the Son of the Father, there might be the firstborn
among the brethren, moreover, whom he did predestinate. Then
he also called. Then he also called. Whom he
called, he glorified and justified. Whom he called, he glorified.
But then he called whom? Those he predestinated according
to his will and according to his purpose. You say, well, that
was a man without a hat. Well, that was a man with the
only hope there is. Because considering the whole of humanity, Those
who are elected under salvation and those who are not. There's
no difference whatsoever between them. They're all deserving of
eternal hell. Being separated from God in darkness
and fire forever. Everyone deserves it. What's
their only hope? That God will save Simon. That's
their only hope. Because it left to themselves.
Martin, you say you're good, you'll go to hell if you can.
Thank God some people can't. And the reason they can't is
because God stops them in their progress. Because before they
were born, neither having done any good or evil that the purpose
of a lexicon might stand, God said, The elder shall serve the
younger. Jacob, have I loved, and Esau, have I hated? your vessel of mercy, afore prepared
to glory. And God gives glory for both
of you. For in the end, in Revelation, when
the Lord destroys Babylon, and casts hell and the inhabitants
thereof into the lake of fire, and destroys all those opposed
to him, the children of God, who have been saved by grace
and mercy, shocked by the great shadows, the sound of many waters. Hallelujah. The Lord God omnipotent
reigneth. This is the God of the Bible.
This is the God you're going to confront. This is the God
you're going to meet one day. Father, bless us to understand
and pray for us. Amen.