I want you to take your Bibles.
Turn with me to Romans chapter 9. Romans 9. The nation of Israel had been looking for their Messiah.
And in this chapter, the Apostle Paul is going to set forth the
indescribable mercy and grace of Almighty God in the preserving
of his sheep. This message from Romans 9 is
the message of today. Let's ask our Lord's blessing.
Our Father, how thankful we are that we can call upon You this
evening. Lord, I pray that You would bless
Your Word. Bless Your Word to the salvation
of Your people, the comfort of Your people, the settling of
Your people. Lord, have mercy upon us. Thank
You for Christ's sake. Amen. The Jews studied the Scriptures,
the Old Testament. And they knew that the Messiah
was coming. They were looking for Him. They
knew what God's Word had to say about one sent from God. And the way
they interpreted those Scriptures, the King, one likened to David,
what they thought was that the prominence of Israel was going
to be restored. It was going to be a kingdom
Just like when David reigned, that's what they were looking
for. They were looking for someone
to come and free them, whether it was from the Babylonians,
the Chaldeans, whether it was going to be the Romans. Whatever
bondage they were in, they were looking for a deliverer. That
was the terminology that they read in the Old Testament. But they failed to understand
that what was written by the Spirit of God concerning the
Messiah was pertaining to Him as being a deliverer from the
bondage of sin. They thought that they were children
of God based on their birth. I'm a Jew. Therefore, I'm a child
of God. And Almighty God is going to
send a Deliverer and get us out from under the bondage of this
conquering nation. They didn't see the significance
of the types and pictures of the sacrifices. that were being
offered, they didn't recognize. Now some of them did. There were
some that were called out of darkness and saw the significance
of those sacrifices and types and pictures. They saw the Lamb
as being a picture of Christ. They knew that the Messiah would
come into this world lay down His life for a people chosen
unto salvation by Almighty God. But when the Lord Jesus Christ
came into this world, the vast majority rejected the Lord Jesus
Christ because He was not what they thought He was going to
be. as a result of their rejection. And all of this according to
the eternal counsel of Almighty God. The majority of the Jews
were spiritually blinded. The gospel of God's grace was
not revealed. to the vast numbers of Jews. And the Lord sent preachers to
the Gentiles, to dogs, those considered by the Jews to be
dogs. If you weren't a Jew, you were nothing. There was Jews
and dogs. But the Scripture says in Romans
11, verses 7 to 10, Israel hath not obtained that
which he seeketh far." They were seeking for deliverance. They
were seeking for salvation by their works. But the election
hath obtained it. Hath obtained salvation unto
all that God Almighty had eternally purposed to show mercy and compassion
to. And the rest were blinded. hardened. According as it is
written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, of remorse,
eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not
hear unto this day. And David saith, Let their table
be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a
recompense unto them. Let their eyes be darkened that
they may not see. Bow down their back, always. Well, knowing this truth, the
Apostle Paul formally saw Tarsus, a Pharisee, a Jew of Jews, called
out of darkness by the grace of God on the road to Damascus,
while he, rebelling against Almighty God, hating God, hating God's
people. The Lord called him, and now
under the inspiration of God's Spirit, penned this ninth chapter
of Romans, a letter to a Gentile church, the church of Rome. And from this ninth chapter,
I would say probably one of the most despised chapters in all
of Scripture. Almighty God set forth these
truths. Number one, God's people must
be truthful concerning God's Word. Romans 9.1, I say the truth
in Christ. I lie not. My conscience also
bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost. Paul was saying what I
am writing, what I am saying, I must be true to the conscience
that Almighty God has given me. I'm telling the truth. according
to the inspiration of God's Spirit to me. Here's the second thing we learn.
That a believer possesses a heart to see sinners converted. Verse 2. That I have great heaviness
and continual sorrow in my heart. Look at verse 1 of chapter 10.
Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that
they might be saved. I know what the world says concerning
believers that hold to the truth of God's sovereign grace. Man rests W-R-E-S-T-S. The Scriptures. And twists the
Scriptures to try to make them say something that they don't.
And I know what men say concerning believers that hold to the truth
of God's sovereign, electing, predestinating grace and mercy. You're trying to keep people
out. You're trying to make salvation so narrow that nobody can get
in. You're trying to make it just
us four and no more. That is not so. The Apostle Paul,
under the inspiration of God's Spirit, he said, I'm not a liar.
I'm not a deceiver. God has given me a heart. I have
great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. I desire to see God's mercy and
grace extended to sinners. I long to see sinners called
out of darkness. Believers are not cold, insensible
creatures. They have a true sorrow. for those that oppose themselves.
Let me ask you this, you that know Him, do you not desire to
see your family saved? I mean, would you not just leap
for joy in your heart that God Almighty would save your wife,
or your husband, or save your kids? that Almighty God would call
out of darkness those who by nature resist Him. Paul says, I pray that God Almighty
might save my brethren. I thank God for the mercy of
Almighty God that has called His people out of darkness But
with the truth of God's sovereign grace set forth and a hunger
and a thirst to see God's people saved, believers are going to
hold true to God's Word. They're not going to deviate.
They're not going to manipulate. They're not going to try to make
men do something that men don't have a heart to do. Paul said
in Romans 9-3, for I could wish that myself were accursed from
Christ, from my brethren, my kinsmen, according to the flesh. Now that's a very, very twisted,
misunderstood Scripture, and I understand it. But I could
wish The phrase, the two words together,
could wish, means was wishing. Was wishing. And I know that
based upon what I could find, seeking after God's Spirit of
that passage, I know this, The Apostle Paul was not wishing
his will above God's will. I know that. I know that he was not wishing
the betterment of his brethren over the will of God. I know
that. Could wish, was wishing, is a
phrase that dies because of the impossibility of its realization. Paul was not desiring something
contrary to God's purpose, God's pleasure. The tense of his words
means that the thought was conceived but was stillborn, being restrained
by the Holy Spirit of God. You can try to make those words
say that I wish that I was anathema if it would be to the betterment
of my people. But the words will not come to
that meaning if you try to make the tense of those words say
that. You would have to go contrary
to God's will Contrary to God's purpose, you would have to look
at man's will and betterment over God's will and betterment.
Paul was a man that was passionate for the salvation of his people,
but not at the expense of God's will and God's purpose. But with
a heart made truthful and a true sorrow, For His unconverted brethren,
a believer knows thirdly that the God of all grace is going
to show mercy. I pray that the Lord have mercy. I pray that God calls out of
darkness more in this congregation. But I know this, Not my will. Not my will. But His be done. If Almighty God passes by a rebel,
He has the right to do that. And I don't have any right to
question Him. I have no right to contend with
the potter. who makes one vessel unto honor
and another unto dishonor. No matter how much I would desire
to see sinners converted, would bow. A believer knows that God is
going to show mercy. Romans 9.15, 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. The Scriptures have set forth
that some were blinded, but not all of them. Our Lord
in the plainest manner claims the right to give or to withhold
His mercy according to His sovereign will. He has the right to spare or
condemn the guilty as it seems right in His sight. And who am I? A man because of sin? forfeited
all claim upon God and is totally at God's mercy, it is the height of arrogance
to argue man's rights and attempt to place them on the same footing
as God's sovereign will. But knowing that the potter has
power over the clay, And I know that he does. Of the same lump
to make or to appoint one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor.
That's what verse 21 says. Knowing that Almighty God is
going to save Jews and Gentiles. That's what verse 24 says in
Romans 9. Knowing that a remnant is going
to be saved. Verse 27. knowing that except
the Lord of Zeboeth, I looked that up. What is the Lord of
Zeboeth? The Lord of the host of heaven. Except the Lord of Zeboeth had
left us a seed, a remnant, had preserved or kept from destruction,
except The Lord of the host of heaven had preserved or kept
from destruction. We would have all been like Sodom
and like unto Gomorrah. The Lord told Abraham, after
Abraham spoke to him and asked him, and asked him, and asked
him, for this many? How about for this many? Would
you spare? How about for this many? It came down to ten. Almighty God said that He would
have spared Sodom and Gomorrah if there would have been ten
righteous men in those cities. And there wasn't. The only reason that any sinner
will be saved is because God chose to not allow this order
to perish. I know this. He's going to do
His good pleasure. He's going to have mercy and
compassion on some. And I don't know who they are.
But I do know this. I know He's going to do it. We've
seen that recently. We've seen the mercy of God. You've seen the miracle of God's
grace. Almighty God has promised that
out of every corner of this earth, out of every period of time,
that the Lord is going to have a witness in this earth. Always. There's always until
the Lord Jesus Christ comes back. There's going to be a witness. There's going to be a group.
There's going to be a church. There's going to be a people.
And they're going to believe this glorious message. This message
that Paul said, I'm not ashamed of this message. This message
that Almighty God has purposed to be the power of God unto salvation. That's what Romans 1.16 says,
not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It is the power of God
unto salvation. And every one that the Lord has
given Mercy and grace too is going to believe because God
is going to give them faith. Philippians 1.29. It's given
unto you to believe. And not only to believe, but
to suffer for His name. I know that everyone that Almighty
God has purposed to save is going to come to Christ by faith, believing
that Christ is all of their salvation. John 6.37. All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me. And I know this, the Lord is
going to save them. I will in no wise cast them out.
No wise. Oh, what two precious words.
No wise. Lord, You mean even if I falter
like I see myself doing? No wise. Lord, even if my conscience
condemns me, No whys. God's greater than my conscience.
Well, here's my question. Do you believe God? Peter said in Acts 5.29, we ought
to obey God rather than men. We ought to believe God rather
than men. I don't think, I know. the glorious
truth, the glorious doctrine. And when we say doctrine, that's
what we mean. The teaching of. The glorious doctrine of election is the absolute truth from Almighty
God that God Almighty is going to save a people. He's going
to. If I didn't know that Almighty
God was going to absolutely save a people in spite of themselves,
what hope would any man have? Do you believe the truth concerning
God's electing grace? If you do, you're a blessed sinner. Believe him and confess him. Matthew 10.32, Whosoever therefore
shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before
my Father which is in heaven. Confessing Christ. I'll tell
you this, confessing Christ begins with what we've recently witnessed,
baptism. Baptism is the confession of
faith. In baptism, we confess our union and confidence in Him
as our Savior and representative before God. We acknowledge our
sin and its just punishment has been put away By the blood of
the Lord Jesus Christ, we died with Him. Risen in baptism, we
confess our faith in the resurrection of Christ and that we were raised
with Him and now walk with Him in newness of life. Can a person be saved without
being baptized? Absolutely. Every one of them
is saved before they're baptized. Baptism doesn't save anybody.
Every believer is saved apart from being baptized. But according
to our Lord's command, and it has everything to do with obedience, We confess the Lord. We confess
before the world by baptism that salvation is by grace. And refusal to be baptized when
it's possible to do so is rebellion against the plain commandment
of Almighty God. We believe in salvation. Totally
by grace. Through faith. Through faith
means by faith we understand and believe what God Almighty
has said concerning the salvation of His people. And we confess
it before men. Baptism is the confession of
faith. in the sovereign God that we
rest in. Lord, this evening, I thank you. I thank God for the miracle of
God's grace to this assembly. And I pray that Almighty God
have mercy again. And I ask Him Lord have mercy
on us, for Christ's sake.