Well, this is a text that is very controversial, as you know.
It's something that's made very complicated by sinners. It's
something that many, many books have been devoted to, many hours
of argument and debate have been wasted over. But the truth taught
in this passage is so simple. It's so simple that only spiritual
blindness could prevent us from seeing it. And that is spiritual
blindness that we have by nature, that we are unable to see the truth of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Always remember that the deepest
truth of scripture is made plain in the gospel. It's not complex. It's not complicated. You don't
need a chalkboard. You don't need a doctorate in
theology. It's very simple. What makes all of the dealings
with this passage of Scripture complicated is trying to avoid
the truth. It's trying to work around it.
It's trying to make the truth of God reconcile with your preconceived
ideas of who God should be and what's fair. In the previous verse, verse
20 of our text, man's kind is described as the thing formed
and God, the one who formed us. It's kind of important to start
there. There's a reason why Paul says that. That's literal. We are literally formed by God.
From the dust of the earth, he made us and breathed into us
the breath of life and made us a living soul. And in this verse,
an illustration of that is given. The potter and the clay. There is one lump of clay. One lump. What does that mean
in spiritual terms? Romans 3, 9, what then? Are we
better than they? Paul is condemning the Jews for
their Christless religion. And he says, are we better than
they? Those who know the Lord, are we any better? Are we better
than the Gentiles who are without hope and without
God in this world? That are called dogs and they
were outside the commonwealth of Israel, worshiped other gods. Are we better than they? No,
in no wise, no way. Not in any way, for we have before
proved, both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin.
One lump, one lump of humanity, flesh, mankind, no difference. As it is written, there is none
righteous, no not one. There's gonna be two vessels
made here, and one of them's gonna be righteous. One of them
is a vessel unto honor. We'll see what that means, Lord
willing. The other is unto dishonor. But they didn't start that way.
They started as one lump. They are all under sin, and as
it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. There
is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after
God. They are all gone out of the
way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that
doeth good, no, not one. Could that be any plainer? That's
the one lump. That's the one lump of humanity
that God dealt with in the beginning.
Romans 3.21, but now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested,
being witnessed by the law and the prophets. The righteousness
of God without the law. not contrary to the law, the
righteousness means conformance to the law. But this righteousness
that Paul preached and expounds upon here in Romans chapter three
is righteousness before God without you keeping the law, without
you honoring the law, without you satisfying the law. Righteousness
without, that's manifested in the gospel and it's witnessed
by the law and the prophets. Even the law, even the Old Testament
law revealed that there's got to be blood, that the satisfaction
with God, that communion with God didn't happen by works. The
law and the prophets. Even the righteousness of God,
which is by faith of Jesus Christ. And don't let that be ambiguous
right there. It's not saying faith in Jesus
Christ there. The righteousness of God is not
by faith in Christ. Though the faith that he gives
us unites us to him and therefore we're righteous in the sight
of God, him being our righteousness. But that's simply and clearly
saying It's by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. The righteousness
of God is by Christ being faithful to the law. Not us. And not us
even believing on Christ. He's gonna say that next. Unto
all and upon all them that believe. There's our faith. There's the
faith that God gives us. It's his gift that he's the author
of. Unto all and upon all them that believe. For there is no
Difference. There's a difference in our text,
but it doesn't start that way. There's a big difference, isn't
it? Honor, dishonor. Throughout this chapter, love,
hate, righteousness, evil. There's a lot of difference in
this text, but it starts out with one lump, no difference. No difference, for all have sinned
and come short of the glory of God. There are no vessels unto
honor born into this world in themselves. Nobody makes himself
a vessel of honor. God began with one lump and he
made two vessels. Is that complicated so far? But
what didn't happen when God made us individuals out of the same
lump of sinful flesh. And when he made us, it was potential
sin, not potential in the sense that it may or may not happen.
God doesn't deal in may or may not. But he made us holy. He made us in his image. He made
us perfect. But that sin, that heart susceptible
to sin, was in us in the beginning. What didn't happen when God made
us into individuals from that same lump is he didn't make us
all the same vessel. There was a difference made right
there. You see that in the text. One lump, two vessels, different
in every way, completely different, very different. He didn't make
us all the same vessel, and then we vessels distinguished ourselves
from one another, but some of us filled ourselves up with honor,
and others filled ourselves up with dishonor. No, that's not
what happened. According to the word of God
before us tonight, from the same lump, God made two different
kinds of vessels. And as I mentioned already, there
are twos throughout all this narrative. Verse eight, the children
of the flesh and the children of the promise. Verse 12, two sons, two individual
sons. Verse 13, two attributes, love
and hate. Verse 18, two actions taken by
God. Verse 20, the thing formed and
the one who formed it. Verse 32, if you look down at
verse 32, the narrative continues that way. Look at the difference
as it's played out in our experience. God made two different vessels
from the same lump in the beginning before we were ever born, He
purposed this and determined this. And he loved one and hated the
other before they were ever born or had done any good or evil.
But then we are born and then we live our lives and we have
experience. We hate God in actuality, not
just in theory. And then if he's gracious, we
love him, not in theory, Indeed. And look at the difference in
verse 32. There are those who sought righteousness
by faith and those who sought it by the works of the law. Two different vessels. So all
through the narrative, we see this, two ways that sinners seek
righteousness with God. faith and works. In our text,
two vessels described as vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor. And further along in the context
described as vessels of wrath and vessels of mercy. And these
distinctions are talking about the same things. They're talking
about the lump of humanity, the evil of man. There's no difference
by nature. There's none that doeth good.
There's none that seeks after God. We don't distinguish ourselves
by walking an aisle and somebody else didn't walk an aisle. We
don't distinguish ourselves by making one decision while another
makes another decision. There's no difference. And then
God does something and then everything's different. And he did it a long
time ago. He did it regardless of anything
you ever do or are or ever will be. A vessel unto honor. Now you
listen to the definition of this word honor and see if this is
not the gospel that we see everywhere in this book. Honor. A valuing by which a price is
fixed. Of the price paid or received
for a person or thing bought or sold. A vessel that the Son of God
purchased with a price that he set and
fixed. a price that he willingly gave,
a price that he determined, and he gave it freely in order to
own somebody, in order to possess somebody.
That's the vessel into honor. That price that was set was his
own precious blood. That's what he bought us with.
We are bought with a price. His own very soul. He made his
soul an offering for our sin. He gave himself. What's the price? Himself. He gave himself, the
scripture says, for our sins. We were not redeemed with corruptible
things. We weren't bought with any price
but this, with the precious blood of Christ as of the lamb, without
blemish and without spot. a valuing by which a price is
fixed. That's our honor. It's an estimation
made by him, not something we earned, not something we achieved. We didn't set the price. We were
worth nothing. We were on the slave block of
sin, worthless and spent and useless and horrible. So why would God's precious only
begotten son give such a price for the weak, foolish base things
that are not? The answer's in our text to love. Jacob have I loved. Verse eight of our text, does
not God teach us even in our own nature? as messed up as it
is. You think about this with regard
even to our love. With love, the price, the value
is set by the one who loves. What am I worth? Well, if you wasted a bullet
on me, you'd be paying too much. Unless you love me. unless you
love me. By the grace of God, Christ loved
us so. God loved us so that he gave
his only begotten son. There was a valuing, an evaluation
made. God's vessels of honor, he deemed
them Love them so that he gave himself.
You know, we can't ever understand the love of God, the love of
Christ, until we see. If we're ever gonna get a glimpse
of it, we're gonna have to see that love is the only difference. It's the only difference. Now
you think about that with me for a minute. Between a vessel
of honor, The Lord evaluated and set a price upon the very
precious blood of his own son. And a vessel of dishonor that
we're gonna talk about in a minute. Well, let's talk about it now.
A vessel unto dishonor, that word dishonor means ignominious,
disgraced, reproached, despised, shameful, and vile. If we're ever gonna even get
a glimpse of the love of God in Christ, we're gonna have to
understand that that love is the only difference between the
two. If there's any other difference,
if there's, well, this vessel of honor over here wasn't quite
as bad, or maybe he decided something, or maybe he sits, maybe he did
something to attract God's love, then you don't know
what his love is. His love is free. His love is infinite. His love is in spite of. He told Hosea, he said, I'm gonna
teach you something about the love that I have for my sheep.
Go and love this obnoxious, unfaithful, undeserving, repulsive woman. And he caused Hosea to fall in
love with Gomer. Is there anything more? It's hard off the top of my head
to think of anything worse than that. A loving godly woman is one of
the greatest blessings that God ever gives a man. But you talk
about the opposite of that? You talk about a life that's
two notches from hell? Would anything else destroy your
soul like that would as far as earthly things? Could God have
picked a more beautiful picture of his love for us? He loved
us anyway, and that while we were yet sinners, God commended
his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. If there's any other difference
between dishonor and honor besides his love, then you've destroyed
his love. The reason that there are two
kinds of vessels and not just one is the love of Christ. God did not throw the whole lump
in hell because he so loved his vessels of mercy. And that's the only reason. If
God loved us because we deserved it, or because we attracted it,
or because we merited it, then his love is no different than
ours. And you can't even with a straight face call our love
real love. If we understand anything about
the love of God. He died for us. He shed his precious
blood for us in that while we were yet sinners. I've told you,
I'm gonna use this illustration till I die because it's just
so clear. Somebody got offended one time,
cause I used the word stupid in a message. I'm stupid. And when it comes
to spiritual things, I'm stupider. And I got news for you. You're
stupid too. The scripture says you are. Those
with great outward advantage, the Lord Jesus called them stupid.
And he didn't use that word. I don't believe the way we do.
It's something that we use whether it's true or not, just to defame
somebody. But the point of it is this,
stupid is a compliment compared to sinner. If you're offended by the word
stupid, but you're okay with being called a sinner, then you
don't know what a sinner is. And I don't either. When we read
that definition of the word dishonor in our text, you know what it
also brings to mind? It's all of us by nature, isn't
it? Repulsive and violent and ignominious, shameful, disgraceful,
guilty. But you know what it also brings
to mind? what our Savior did for us. The
very same words are used for him. He was despised and rejected
of men. His death was an ignominious
death, shameful and disgraceful. Though there was no gall found
in his mouth and in him was no sin, he bore our sins in his
own body on the tree Why, why, why? Herein is love. Herein is
love. Not that we loved God, but that
he loved us and sent his son to be our sin offering. One vessel
is loved and the other hated. One vessel gets mercy and the
other wrath. One vessel seeks righteousness
by the works of the law. and the other by grace through
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. You see that all through this
text. Religion teaches that the difference is made by man's will,
and I know I harp on that. Man's decision, but we see all
through the Word that the difference is not made by man. It's not
made by the sinner. but the scriptures teach completely
different. The word power in our text is
worthy of notice. It's worthy of us remembering
it. The word power in verse 17, where he says, I showed my power
in Pharaoh. I set Pharaoh up to knock him
down. He said, I showed, and everybody
is to declare throughout all the earth that God is God and
not you. And sinners say, everybody knows
that. No, no, that's your problem. You think you're God. And I do too by nature. We all
do by nature. But he would have that declared
throughout all the earth. And so he dealt with Pharaoh
that way. And that word power is dunamis. It's the word we
get dynamite from. Strength and ability. The word
power in our text tonight Concerning the potter's power over the clay
is exousia, power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases. Word for word, power of choice,
does not God get to choose? Does not he have the freedom
to do as he pleases? He said he did. He said he did. I'll do all my pleasure. Whatever
I want to do, that's what I'll do. And as I said this morning,
that's the God that we have to come to. Every other God is a
false God. That's why we preach God is God. Notice the word Lord. I said
this morning that we would look at this word Lord. I think that's
important because, you know, people talk about the Lord. I
just want to, you know, serve the Lord. I want to, you know, get a bumper sticker
that says Jesus is Lord, you know. I used to be encouraged by that
when I would see that there's somebody that realizes that he's
the Lord. Well, maybe, maybe not. The word Lord in verses 28 and 29 of our text. For he will finish the work and
cut it short in righteousness because a short work will the
Lord make upon the earth. And as Isaiah said before, except
the Lord Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been a Sodom. And been made like unto Gomorrah Unless the Lord did something
we'd all go to hell In a fantastic way That word Lord Is curious one to whom a person or thing
belongs, of which he has the power of deciding. Word for word. Master, possessor, disposer of
a thing. Shall the thing formed say to
him that formed it, why has thou made me thus? Hath not the potter the power
of choice? Does he not have the authority
to decide, to dispose as he sees fit of his creatures? To call Jesus Lord in scriptural
terms is to acknowledge that he will do with you as he pleases. You see why that leper came the
way he did? Because he knew who he was. You see why the thief
said what he did? Because he knew who he was. When
he said, Lord, remember me, he knew what Lord meant. He'll do with you as he will.
and whatever he does with you will be right. Jesus, thou son of David, have
mercy on me. Have mercy on me. Remember 1 Corinthians 12, three,
wherefore I give you to understand that no man speaking by the Spirit
of God calleth Jesus accursed. and that no man can say that
Jesus is Lord. Nobody's gonna say he owns me
and he can do with me as he pleases. And if he puts me in hell, he'd
be doing the right thing. And it's his will that decides
and not mine. You're not gonna say that, but
by the Holy Ghost, are you? You're just not gonna do it.
You're just not gonna do it. But if through sanctification
of the Spirit and belief of the truth, if God has chosen you
from the beginning and saved you through those things by the
Holy Spirit coming where you are and causing you to confess
the truth of Christ, then you'll say exactly that. Lord, remember
me when you come into your kingdom. Lord, if you will, you can make
me clean. Lord, just say the word and my
servant will be healed. Have you ever read that verse there in 1 Corinthians
12, three? Have you ever read that and thought,
well, I know people that say Jesus is Lord that really don't
seem to know him. Well, when they say Lord, they
may well not have any idea what they're saying, what that word
means. Turn with me to Jeremiah chapter
18. Jeremiah chapter 18. You see
how simple our text is? That's the most controversial.
People will complicate that so that you don't know which end
is up. They'll dissect the meaning of the word I and me and thee
and strifes over words. Missing the
forest for the trees. God, God help us. God forbid
that we ever be removed from the simplicity that is in Christ. If thou will confess with thy
mouth, the Lord Jesus. And believe in that heart that
God has raised him from the dead. He said, I'll save you. Jeremiah
18 one. Jeremiah 18.1, the word which
came unto Jeremiah from the Lord saying, arise and go down to
the potter's house. Go down to the potter's house
and there will I cause thee to hear my words. I remember Maurice Montgomery
preaching a message one time and I don't think he was even
preaching particularly on this text. But I remember him as clear
as a bell, and I'll have to paraphrase it, of course, but he said, I
don't wanna argue with you. I don't wanna debate you. I've
got no interest whatsoever in debating over the doctrine
of election or predestination. He said, and I'll tell you why.
By the grace of God, I've been to the potter's house. I've been
to the potter's house. There will I cause thee to hear. You see that? God's sovereignty
in every sentence of scripture. The God to whom we are to come, submitting, confessing, revealed
on every page. "'Arise and go down to the potter's
house, "'and there will I cause thee to hear my words.' "'Then
I went down to the potter's house.'" He wasn't on his way there till
God said, you go down to the potter's house. I'm gonna make
something happen, God said. "'Then I went down to the potter's
house, "'and behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.'" The potter
was doing something. What's the potter up to? That's
the question. Well, let's try to get sinners
to do something. No, by God's grace, let's find out what the
potter did. And if we ever see him, if we
ever go down to the potter's house and are caused to hear
his word and he reveals to us who he is, then we're gonna do
something. He'll cause us to come to him.
No man can come unless he causes you to, but that's how he does
it. by you hearing his words. I'll cause you to hear my words.
And I went down to the potter and he wrought a work on the
wheels. And the vessel that he made of
clay was marred in the hand of the potter." It wasn't an accident. When Paul expounded this passage
in Romans 9, it wasn't, oh, I messed up. No, he made a vessel under
dishonor. as well as one under honor. It was marred in his hand, in
his sovereign hand, in his perfect hand, in his omnipotent hand. So he made it again another vessel,
as seemed good to the potter to make it. As seemed good. As it pleased
him. Then the word of the Lord came
to me saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this
potter? That's not complicated. Now,
if you start reconciling, if you start trying to say, well,
how does that fit with my free will? That's gonna get complicated.
You're not ever gonna figure that out because it don't fit.
One's a lie and one's the truth of God. Grace and works don't
mix. "'Cannot I do with you as this
potter, saith the Lord? "'Behold, as the clay is in the
potter's hand, "'so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.'" And that verse goes on to talk
about repentance and those that don't repent and those that return
to the Lord and those that don't. But it starts out with this. Those who seek righteousness by faith in Christ,
those are the ones that the Lord made a vessel of honor, a vessel
that he set a price on, an infinite price of love. And he formed that vessel so
that he could pour himself into it. Well, you might be asking, I
suspect somebody, maybe they listened to this, and maybe you're hearing this
now, and you're saying, well, what vessel am I? What kind of vessel
am I? You might even be thinking, surely,
surely I'm a vessel of wrath. The question is not what kind
of vessel am I. That's the wrong question. You might think, well, what if
I'm a vessel of wrath? You might just as well think, what if I'm
a vessel of mercy? Because your thinking on it is
no different in either direction. The real question is the one
that our Lord asks the sinner. He never asked anybody what kind
of vessel they are. You know what he did ask though?
Do you believe on the Son of God? Those that believe on the Son
of God, those are the vessels of mercy. Romans 9, all of it. They sought it by faith. The
ones who he chose, who he loved, who he made as vessels of honor,
whom he set the price of his own blood upon and paid it. Sure enough, they sought righteousness
with God by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. Not a coincidence. We delight in the truth concerning
who God is. We delight in the truth of who
his son is. We delight in the truth of what
happened on Calvary when Christ accomplished salvation for his
elect. Because by his grace, we believe
on him. And we delight in the sovereign
Lord, the unfailing Redeemer. We preach him because he is the
one upon whom sinners must believe to be saved. Believe on the what? Believe
on who and thou shalt be saved. Believe on the one who owns you. As God, He owns you and will
do with you what He will. And on Calvary, He bought the
right to do with you as He will. And He has the authority to decide
what He will do with you. Believe on Him. Believe on the
Lord that it is up to you. And thou shalt be saved. Let's pray.