Turn your Bibles to Romans chapter
9. Since I was not creative with my title
last time, this time it's Romans 9 part 2. So, Romans chapter
9. There in verse 3, Paul wished
himself accursed. That means cursed in the same
manner Christ was. To be killed, to lay down His
earthly life. if it were possible for his kinsmen
after the flesh to be saved, if his brothers and sisters by
a natural birth in this world would be brought to saving faith
in Christ. He said, I'd die for it. In verse
4 and 5, he tells us all those advantages that physical, that
political Israel had. There was that physical nation
chosen of God that he performed all of his miracles in. They
witnessed the glory of God in that tabernacle. They saw that
cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. And they had the
covenants of God in type and in picture. The ceremonies, all
those feasts, everything that showed the saving work God established
for His true Israel, His spiritual Israel in Christ, that Lamb that
was slain for the foundation of the world. These Jews, after
the flesh, they were given the holy law of God. They were given
the privilege to serve Him in His tabernacle. And through that
same lineage, cross that successful Savior of His sheep. He was born
there through that house of David, line of the tribe of Judah. Messiah
was born in that same family tree. We have pride in our families. We got a brother or sister or
cousin or somebody's done something special, we're proud of that.
Christ was born into that family, into that bloodline. He was the
one who was over all things that God the Father blessed forever.
And with all these precious advantages, all this privilege, they did
not know Christ and they did not know God, they turned from
him. Now, many people would react to those first five verses, and
they might ask, if physical Israel had all these things the Lord
gave them, and they still didn't know Him, did God fail? Was it
all for nothing? Well, Paul addresses this question
before anyone asks it, here in verse 6. Look at Romans 9, verse
6. He begins by saying, "...not
as though the word of God hath taken none effect." After he
listed all these things, he said his word didn't take no effect.
If a person that has not been given spiritual eyes, if they
haven't been given a spiritual heart, new life, a spiritual
understanding, if they read the Bible and they saw the nation
of Israel had turned from God, it'd be easy for them to think
that God's will and His purpose in providing all things for Israel
had been for nothing. They turned from Him. But God
promised to save a people in Christ. He cannot lie, and we
praise Him because He changes not. In Numbers 23, it says,
God is not a man that He should lie, neither the Son of Man that
He should repent. Hath He said, and shall He not
do it? Or hath He spoken, and shall
He not make it good? Has He ever said anything that
didn't come to fruition, didn't come to pass? Hasn't happened.
He says it will make it good. Let's turn over to Isaiah 55. Isaiah 55. The problem that men
and women have with the God of the Bible being in total control,
always, of everything, is that they think of the Lord as someone
like them. They don't know Him as He is. And that's understandable. We
shouldn't get impatient and we shouldn't get frustrated with
sinners that do not yet know God. You can't understand or
know someone that you've never met. Someone that's not revealed
themselves to you, you can't understand their character. You
can't expect them to know those things. But our fallen nature
in Adam, through that fallen nature, we are born not knowing
God. We were born and do not have
a clue as to His holiness, His power, His majesty, His might,
His wisdom. So we assume that that triune
God, majestic and holy in all things, is just like us. We don't
know any different. But read what the Lord showed
Isaiah here. Isaiah 55, verse 8. For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For
as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher
than your ways, and my thought than your thought. He ain't like
us. And the Lord goes on here to
give us an example, to show us something. Look in verse 10,
Isaiah 55, 10. For as the rain cometh down in
the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the
earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed
to the sower, and bread to the eater. To put this in perspective
for us, the Lord speaks of something that He does every day that we
cannot do. He waters this earth. He brings
forth abundance. He controls the natural world
all around us and gives it increase. And he continues on in verse
11. So, shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please. And it shall
prosper the thing whereto I sent it. The sovereign God of all
things has not failed. Right now, He is not failing,
and He will never fail. He's never been taken aback.
He's never been surprised. He's never been let down. His
will has never been prevented in creation or in salvation,
in the natural world around us or men's hearts. He's never been
frustrated. Tell me, well, it just don't
seem like that to me. Don't seem like that to me, preacher. It does not have to seem any
way to you. God's will is generated from
His good pleasure. He does what He sees fit. That's
why He's God. If He were subject to anyone
or anything, then He would not be God. That's His name. He does it for His name's sake.
We consider Israel going into captivity. God told them exactly
how long they would be there. And to the day, he pulled them
out when he said he was going to do it, the hour he intended
to do it. But those 400 years they were
there, that was not pleasant. There was multiple generations
there that had a rough time. You talk about trials. being
put down. And as God worked in the heart
of Pharaoh, several times it seemed that this ain't going
to pan out for Israel. We're in trouble. But how quickly
we forget, God raised up Pharaoh just to show his power. Just
to show his might. His word does not return void
for those in their hearts that hear him as well. That's what
we're thankful of. It accomplished the thing he
set out to do. But many trials that a believer
goes through hardly ever seem that a great benefit is going
to come from it. That's why it's a trial. It's not a temporary
inconvenience. It's hard. It's rough. That it'll
be worked out for good. But it does work according to
the will and the power of Christ our Lord. ruling and reigning
over all things. And sometimes we get to see His
hand of providence after that trial. Just like Israel and Egypt. Them living through that, we've
talked about World War II before, after services that all those
British, they didn't know how that was going to pan out. We
do. We get hindsight on that. And
we have that privilege now to look and see what happened to
Egypt and how the Lord spoke it beforehand. Told them what
was going to happen. Now back to our text there in
Romans 9. In the same manner as God ruling
over all creation, as His Word being fulfilled in the Old Testament,
we're allowed to see the purpose of God having a physical nation
on this earth as a type and a picture of His spiritual Israel. Look
here in Romans 9 verse 6 again. Not as though the word of God
hath taken none effect for, because, for this reason, they are not
all Israel which are of Israel. I would say that stepped on some
toes for the Jewish people there around Rome that read that. We
remember there in John chapter 8, those Pharisees, those physical
Israelites, they said Abraham is our father. Christ responded
to him and said, if you were Abraham's children, you would
do the works of Abraham, you'd believe on me. And they said,
they have one father, even God. Christ said, if God were your
father, you would love me, for I proceeded forth and came from
God. We see in that it's not what
people say that saves them. They can say they accepted Jesus.
They can say they joined the church. They can say that they
believe the gospel or they support the gospel. But did Christ speak
a word and save you? Did He speak a word and you were
found accepted in Him? Through His word did He fitly
frame you together with your brethren in a local assembly?
Did He join you? If so, then you were saved. You didn't get saved. You didn't
go pick it up at the store. He saved you. What we are, what
we do, and what we say does not determine God's salvation. But
rather, His salvation determines what we are, what we do, and
what we say. That's what dictates it. He rules
our lives. So being physically born a Jew,
being a part of that physical Israel, an Israelite, does not
profit anyone. It doesn't benefit them. Being
born into a family of believers, having two loving, believing
parents, does not secure your name in the land's book of life.
But being born of God does. Being born of Him. Being born
again in that hard work of circumcision that He performs. That's what
makes you a seed of Abraham. Remember that church at Rome
was mostly made up of Gentiles, but there were some Jewish brethren
there. But imagine the shock that they'd
have hearing Paul just dismantle what they thought was their birthright.
Turn over just a couple, maybe a page there in Romans 9, but
verse 27, not the end of the chapter. He didn't say this once
to them. Romans 9, 27. Isaiah also cried
concerning Israel, though the number of the children of Israel
be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved." Only a remnant
out of that political nation. He goes on there in Romans 11
and says, "...even so that at this present time also there
is a remnant according to the election of grace." The Lord
elected a people. Beginning in chapter 9, we see
that Abraham, God's elect, does not consist of a physical seed
of that lineage, but rather a spiritual seed, a spiritual seed of Abraham. The true sons of God do make
up a nation, make up His kingdom. We're a nation of sinners. We
were born in sin, shaped in iniquity, who were called out of spiritual
darkness, redeemed by the blood of Christ, regenerated by God
the Holy Spirit. That's why Paul told us there
in Philippians 3, he said, for we are the circumcision, we are
the true Israel, which worship God in the spirit, rejoice in
Jesus Christ, and have no confidence in the flesh. We looked at that
several months ago, but we were ruined by the fall, we have no
confidence in the flesh. We're redeemed by the blood,
we rejoice in Jesus Christ, and we're regenerated by the Holy
Spirit, we worship God in the spirit. Those that are born again
from all nations, Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, educated and uneducated,
they are the children of Abraham. Why is that? Look here in verse
7. Neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all
children, but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. In Isaac
shall thy seed be called. Why is that singular? Let's turn
over just a little bit to Galatians chapter 3. Galatians 3. They are not all Israel that
is of Israel, but in Isaac shall thy seed be called." Or in Galatians 3 and verse 6,
even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for
righteousness, because he believed Christ, his righteousness was
revealed in him. Know ye therefore that they which
are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. Those that
believe Christ, like Abraham did, those are God's children
in the seed of Abraham. Verse 8. And the scripture, foreseeing
that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before
the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be
blessed. Not just this one, all nations
be blessed. So then they which be of faith
are blessed with faithful Abraham. What's that? Those given faith
in Christ are blessed the same way Abraham was blessed, in Christ. Same place, same way, through
him. Look down at verse 16 there in
Galatians 3. Now to Abraham and his seed were
the promises made. He saith not, and to seeds, as
of many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ. Paul explains this to us. He's
explaining that promised Son we read about the other night
is the Lord Jesus Christ. And if Christ is the seed, He's
the seed, how then are we the seed? We were put into Him before
time again. Look down at verse 26, Galatians
3, 26. For ye are all the children of
God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been
baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew
nor Greek. There is neither bond nor free.
There is neither male nor female. For ye are all one in Christ
Jesus. And if you be Christ, then Are
you Abraham's seed? If you're in Him, then you're
Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. What promise
is that? The promise of grace. That promise
of eternal security in Christ. He'll keep us forever. And back
to our text in Romans 9. We'll look at verse 8. Romans 9.8. That is, they which are the children
of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children
of promise are accounted for the seed. Paul is repeating this
truth. All believers are the son of
God and made eternal heirs of the promise given in Christ before
time was. We are made the sons of God by
His electing grace, His redemptive work on Calvary. And that promise
is counted to us. It's imputed to us. For, it says
there, the promises are counted for the seed. It's imputed to
us for Him. We are His workmanship. We are
for His honor. We are for His glory. Look here
at verse 9. For this is the word of promise,
At this time, I will come and Sarah shall have a son." God
made a promise to Abraham, this is a picture of our salvation,
that this barren wife would be given life in her womb. She would
have a son by a miracle, by the power of the Almighty God. How
does that work? How does a slave that's 90 years
old have a son? The Lord said, I will. That's
the word of His promise. And Sarah shall. He says He will. It shall happen. The Lord told
Jeremiah several times in 30, 31, 32. He said, I will be their
God and they shall be My people. Remember that Ishmael was that
son of Abraham and Hagar. But that was the flesh's doing.
That was by Abraham doing something. He's a picture of an attempt.
Ishmael's a picture of an attempt at salvation by the will of man,
the deeds of the flesh. Isaac was the will and the doing
of the Lord. In that miracle birth, it declared
that salvation's by God's hand alone. It's a work of His hand,
not ours. Ishmael's the flesh and Isaac
is that spirit born of God. That's just like Cain and Abel,
isn't it? A lot of these two examples. Cain brought the works
of his hand and Abel brought the blood sacrifice that the
Lord provided, that he gave to him. And that sums up all of
religion. That sums up all denominations,
or whatever you want to call them. If you boil it down, you
get down to where the rubber meets the road. It's either God
is sovereign in the salvation of the people that He chose.
That's grace. or man having a part in any of
it at all, that's works. Works have never, they do not
now, and they will never save anyone. Christ alone, through
His mighty sacrifice and through His blood, He saved already. Paul continues and he gives us
another example here in verse 10 of a sovereign, I will and
you shall. occur in Romans 9 and 10. And
not only this, not only all the promise of power that was displayed
there in Isaac and Ishmael, but when Rebecca also had conceived
by one, even our father Isaac, for the children being not yet
born, either 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 was said unto her, the elder
shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved, but Esau have I hated." He didn't say Esau have I disliked
or have I loved a little less. He said he hated him. Cain was
the firstborn. Abel was the secondborn. Ishmael
was the firstborn. Isaac, secondborn. Esau was the
firstborn. Jacob was the secondborn. This
birthright of man, what was so heavy looked upon by us, the
strength of man, the strong one that came out first, this tradition,
it will not profit. But here we see these twin boys,
Esau and Jacob, from the same father, same mother, but the
Lord in His sovereign mercy chose one. He passed over Esau and
He chose Jacob. And so many people, I've talked
to her over the years, 25 years, they say, that's not fair. First thing we looked at, we've
already established that the Lord's thoughts and His ways
are not man's thoughts and man's ways. What we think is right
don't matter. He's higher than the heavens.
He's not like us. And our proof is that He's the One that created
us. Look down there in verse 20, Romans 9.20. 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 power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel
to honor and another to dishonor? The natural heart, that sinful
nature we were born of Adam's seed, we all come into this earth
with, it has such a problem with the Lord loving Jacob and hating
Esau. Our natures hate that, because
we don't have eyes to see Christ as the Creator and Master of
all things, the Savior of His people. Our old heart has a God
of its own imagination. In our sin, we created our own
gods, something that's like us, as if we're the potter and He's
the clay. That's what our old nature tries
to do, tries to conform Him the way we want Him. But thanks be
to God, our new man is created anew in us by Him. I'm thankful
to be clay. We're convicted of sin and we're
convicted that Christ is our only righteousness, that He is
our hope of glory. And with that new heart, we understand
the thing in this text that inspires all. It's amazing. It's awesome. It's not that God
hated Esau. The amazing, the awe-inspiring
part of this is that God loved Jacob. When we see ourselves
as clay, when we ain't nothing but mud, a Jacob, a deceiver,
a liar, that's what I am, then all of a sudden that's precious.
And we say, how'd that happen? How could a holy God be just
and justify me, a deceiver? Let's look at verse 11 again,
Romans 9-11. 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. We learn something here about
the electing grace, the saving grace in Christ for those that
He loves. Election is unconditional. We know that's the ewe and tulip. But before these two boys were
born, one was not better than the other one. They were twins
in the womb. They hadn't even breathed air
yet. They hadn't done anything. They were both conceived in sin
though. They were both born sinners when they came from the womb.
And before either was born, having done either any good or anything
bad, God loved Jacob. People try to explain away the
doctrine of election by saying that, well, this is the foreknowledge
of God. He had a crystal ball and he
cheated and he looked way down the tunnel of time and he saw
who would pick him and who wouldn't and then that's the one he elected.
Well, that one said yes, I'll take that. That'll be my elect.
That still depends on the will and the choice of the human,
of the man. Not the will and choice of God
Almighty. That still makes him the clay and man the potter."
That ain't right. But here it plainly states that
neither one had done any good or evil. There was no condition
in the sinner that influenced the Lord's grace in this matter,
outside of His good pleasure in putting souls into Christ
before time was. It's all in distinguishing mark.
Now here in verse 13 we see a very simple statement, a very clear
statement. But the response that someone
has to this statement is very telling of what Christ has convicted
them of. Here's the mystery of the gospel
given to mankind. Verse 13, as it is written, Jacob
have I loved, but Esau have I hated. The mystery of the gospel is
not that God could hate Esau. Esau fell in the garden. He was
a child of two sinning parents. He was conceived in sin, born
in sin, and he was a sinner from birth. He came from the womb
speaking lies, just like every one of us, just like me. He did
not believe God, and he had unbelief all in him, as a nature. It's easy to understand how God
could hate Esau, if we look at these scriptures. The mystery
and the glory of the Gospel is how God could love Jacob. It's
not difficult to see how God could hate both of them. They
were the same. They were twins in nature and
twins in body. But in righteousness, remaining
holy, God could justly hate both. Both had to be punished. But
the love of Jacob, love for Jacob, and the love for all God's sons
and daughters is found in Christ, in the substitute. This electing
love rests in the fact that we were chosen, we were elected
in Christ before we was ever born, before we were a thought.
So on Ephesians 1 it tells us, according as He hath chosen us
in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestinated
us under the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself. According to the good pleasure
of His will, to the praise and glory of His grace, wherein He
hath made us accepted in the Beloved." That sounds like I
wasn't around. I wasn't born yet. He did it.
When was Jacob saved? Before he was born. When was
I saved? Before I was born. When was Jacob
called? When he had his hip popped out
of socket. That's just when he found out about it, wasn't it?
Paul told us there in 2 Timothy 1.9, Christ who hath saved us
and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to His own purpose and grace which was given in
Christ Jesus before the world began. You see the order there?
It says He saved us and called us. That's the way it happened.
And to be the seed of Abraham, the seed of Jacob is to be the
spiritual seed, the spiritual child of Christ. To be put in
Him before the world began. To be made one with Him. To have suffered with Him. To have died with Him. To have
been raised with Him. In Him. That's why Isaiah told
us in Isaiah 41, Fear not thou worm Jacob. And it says, and
ye men of Israel, but and is talisized. Fear not, thou worm
Jacob, ye men of Israel. That seed, Jacob's. I will help
thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. And he told us again in Malachi
3, for I am the Lord, I change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob
are not consumed. I'm not mad at Jacob and I'm
not mad over Jacob. I want to be a son of Jacob.
I want to be like Jacob. I want to be found in Christ.
That's where I want to be found. If the Lord saved you before
time was in Christ, you will be called of Him. He will not
lose one. If He died for you, He's going
to make you aware of it. He will reveal Himself in you.
And I pray the Lord calls out His sheep in this area, where
we are, and that He turns us from our works, from our imaginations
of who He is, reveals Himself to us, turns us from our hands,
and turns us to the One we were chosen in, that Holy One of Israel,
and turns us to Christ alone, and keeps us looking to Him forever.
Amen.