Is not that I did choose thee? Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Niver. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com.
Now here's our pastor, Todd Nyberg. In Romans chapter 9, verse 30,
Paul the Apostle says, what shall we say then? How are we to respond? What conclusions are we to draw? Well, the first thing that we
have to consider is what's he talking about? What do we say
to what? everything that was spoken in
Romans chapter nine. Now Romans chapter nine is perhaps
the most controversial chapters. It is the most controversial
chapter in the Bible. I have no question about it.
Probably 95% of the preachers in America have never even preached
from it and wouldn't touch it. Because if they did, it would
be denying pretty much everything they say. Romans chapter 9 is
about God being God indeed. Not just an empty title, but
Him exercising absolute sovereign control as the God of glory. We read things in Romans chapter
9 like this, for the children, speaking of Jacob and Esau, 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 was said unto her, the elder
shall serve the younger, as it's written, Jacob have I loved,
Esau have I hated. And that is God being God. We read in verse 15 of this chapter,
for he, God, saith to Moses, I'll have mercy on whom I will
have mercy, and I'll have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
That's God being God. We read in verse 17, 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 have
he mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will, he heartens. That's God being God. We read in verse 21, hath not
the potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one
vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor. That's God being
God. He really is God. It's not just
an empty title. He exercises sovereign control
in everything. He saves whom he will and he
passes by whom he will. That's God being God. Now, do I have to understand
it? No. Do I have to bow to it? Absolutely. God is God. Romans chapter 9 tells us the
truth about man. What man's all about. It tells
us that man can't be saved by his works. God's purpose according
to the election is that it's not of works. but of him that
calleth. Verse 16 of this chapter says,
so then it's not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth,
but of God that shows mercy. Man can't be saved by his will,
by willing his salvation. Free will is a delusion. There's
no such thing. Man can't be saved by its efforts.
It's not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but
of God that showeth mercy. We read in verse 19 where man
says, thou wilt say unto me, why does he yet find fault for
who has resisted his will? If God is in control and he hardens
whom he will and he softens whom he will, if he saves whom he
will and passes by whom he will, how can I be held responsible?
How can it be fair for God to judge me if he's the one who's
hardened me? And Paul answers, nay, but old
man, who are you to reply against God? You and I are in no position
to argue against how God is, We're evil. We're sinful. We
have no right to sit in judgment on God. What God does is right. Now, Romans chapter nine, you
can see why. That's a very controversial chapter. There's a lot of people
who would not dare deal with what is being said in Romans
chapter nine, but Paul says, what shall we say then? How will
we respond to this? Well, here's the first conclusion,
verse 30. God being God, being absolutely in control, salvation
being his sovereign gift, he can give it to whom he will,
and he can harden whom he will. Salvation is not by man's will
or by man's efforts or by man's work. It's a gift of God, a sovereign
gift of God. Now that's just so, my friends,
that's just so. Somebody that doesn't preach
this doesn't know God. This is who God is. And it's
glorious. I'm not apologizing for this.
Everything about God that he reveals in his word is altogether
glorious. God is God. Praise the Lord for
that. How should we respond? What should
we say to it? Well, here's Paul's first conclusion,
that the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, They
didn't care a thing about righteousness. They didn't care a thing about
God. They did not pursue righteousness. They were totally satisfied to
never know God and to never have a right standing with God. They
didn't care. They were Gentiles, aliens, aliens from the Commonwealth
of Israel without hope, without God in this world. These people
who did not seek God nor care about righteousness have attained
a righteousness. even the righteousness which
is of faith." These Gentiles who didn't have a revelation
from God, didn't care about God, God saved them. They've attained
to the righteousness of faith. Somebody says, well, what's that?
to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth
the ungodly." His faith is counted for righteousness. These were
counted perfectly righteous before God because God justified them. They were ungodly and God justified
them. That's what the gospel is, how
God can justify the ungodly. He can take a sinful man with
no righteousness, nothing to commend him to God at all, and
make him perfect and just through the gospel. You say, how? My
sin, I'm one of these Gentiles, my sin was placed in Christ.
He bore it. God killed him for it. It became his sin. It's called
substitution. He took my place. He became what I am, and I become
what he is, the very righteousness of God. His righteousness, my
sin became his, and his righteousness becomes mine. That's the righteousness
of faith. And that's the only hope I have,
that Christ would die for me. and that he'd put away my sin
and that he would give me his righteousness. That's the righteousness
which is of faith. That's what we can conclude from
this, and you know this is good news to every sinner. If you're
a sinner, this gives you hope. God can take all your sin and
have it placed in his Son. put away and give you his righteousness
without you doing a thing to earn it. Salvation is by the
free grace of God. Now that's the first conclusion
we can draw from the fact that God is God and he gives his salvation
to whom he will and he passes by whom he will. The first conclusion
we can draw is here is good news for a sinner. If you're a sinner,
this is good news. You can be saved by the grace
of God. You don't have to work your way into heaven. You couldn't
do it anyway. So this is good news. What's my response to that?
Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Now let's go on reading. Verse 31, but Israel, although
the Gentiles attained the righteousness of faith, but Israel, verse 31,
which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained
to the law of righteousness." Now they pursued righteousness.
They pursued obedience to God's law. They thought, if we can
just keep this law, we can be saved. But you know what? They
failed. They didn't keep one commandment
one time. And neither I, and neither have
you. But if I seek to go the law route,
salvation dependent upon something I do, if I do this, then God
will respond to me with salvation. If I give up this sin and if
I start doing this good work, if I change my life, if I do
my best, if I accept Jesus as my personal savior, if I, if
I, if I, I is always in it. If I do this, that's salvation
by works. If any aspect of my salvation is dependent on me
doing something, That is salvation by works right down to an act
of your free will. If you believe in free will,
you believe in salvation by works because you think salvation is
ultimately dependent upon something you do, even if it's an act of
your will. Now, if I go the works route,
I'm not going to attain to righteousness. It's not going to happen because
my righteousness is a filthy rags. Israel, which followed,
pursued after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law
of righteousness," he says in verse 32, wherefore? How come?
Why? If they were pursuing righteousness
and didn't get it, how come? Because they sought it not by
faith, but as it were by the works of the law. Now, they sought
righteousness, Not by faith, but by works. Now please hear
me carefully. I want you to believe. I'm not
trying to straighten anybody out on their doctrine. I want
you to believe the gospel. I want to believe the gospel.
I want to have true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And I
want to, as clearly and simply as I can, I want to show from
the scriptures what faith in Christ is. Now these people didn't
seek righteousness by faith. All I have to do is believe salvation
in some way is dependent on me and I don't know anything about
faith. What is faith? Faith is a complete
reliance upon Christ as all in salvation. Now let me repeat
that. Faith is a complete reliance
on Christ himself as all in salvation. I'll be saved for this one reason. Christ paid for my sins and gave
his righteousness to me. I can't say it's because I did
anything. It's because he did everything. And I am relying On His shed
blood only is my sin payment. I am relying on His righteousness
only as the only righteousness that I possess that will make
me acceptable before God. He is the Alpha and the Omega,
the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Faith is looking
unto Jesus as the author and the finisher of my faith. It's
relying on Jesus Christ, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1.30, to
be my wisdom, my righteousness, my sanctification, and my redemption. To him that worketh not, but
believeth on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted
for righteousness. Now I want to try to illustrate
this from the scriptures. In Genesis chapter 42, we read
the story of Jacob not wanting to send Benjamin back with his
brothers to get food in Egypt. Now, he didn't know that Joseph
was the one at this time, but Joseph had let the brothers know,
if you don't send Benjamin back, you won't get any food. So it's
time for them to go back. They've run out of food. And
we read in verse 37, and Reuben spake unto his father, saying,
slay my two sons if I bring him not to thee. Reuben says, I'll
make sure Benjamin gets there, and I'll take care of him, and
I'll make sure he gets back to you. And you can kill both of
my boys if I fail in doing this, as if that's what Jacob would
have wanted to do. Reuben was, well, Jacob himself
said, unstable as water, thou shalt not excel. But Reuben said,
trust me with Benjamin. I'll take care of him. And Jacob
replied, my son shall not go down with you. For his brother
is dead and he's left alone of mischief befallen by the way
which you go. Then you shall bring down my
gray hairs and with sorrow to the grave. He said, I won't trust
you with the life of Benjamin. But then sometime later, Judah
speaks up. And remember, Judah is the one
through whom Christ came. And Judah said unto Israel, his
father, in Genesis 43 verse 8, send the lad with me and we will
arise and go that we may live and not die, both we and thou
and also our little ones. I will be surety for him. Of my hand shalt thou require
him. If I bring him not unto thee
and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame forever. And you know what? Jacob trusted
Benjamin with him. He trusted the life of his boy
with him. And that's such a beautiful picture
of the gospel, how the Lord said regarding all of his people,
I'll be surety for them. He said to the father, I'll regard
him Todd, Nybert, I'll be surety for him, of my hand shalt thou
require of him. If I bring him not before thee,
and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame forever.
Christ was my surety. He said, everything you require
of Todd, you look to me for. And you know what the father
did? He trusted Christ to save me. I wanna read a passage of
scripture from Ephesians chapter one, and I hope this will turn
the light on as to what it means to trust Christ. Now remember,
Jacob would not trust his son to Reuben. but he trusted his
son to Judah. Ephesians chapter one verse 11
says, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will that we should be to the praise of
his glory who first trusted in Christ. You know who first trusted
in Christ? The father did. The Father trusted
the Son with the salvation of all of His people. And then it
says in verse 13, in whom you also trusted after that you heard
the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Now, the Father
trusted Christ completely to save me. And I have the same
trust. I trust Christ completely to
save me. The Father looks only to Christ
for my salvation. I look only to Christ for my
salvation. Paul said in 2 Timothy chapter
1 verse 12, I know whom I have believed. And I'm persuaded that
He is able to keep that which I've committed to Him against
that day. Now, I have committed the entire
salvation of my soul to Christ. When people save for retirement,
they have all kinds of mutual funds and different funds to
protect themselves. If one place goes bad, there's
another two places it'll work out. And they think, well, I'm
going to put my money in all these different places, and that
way I'll be protected. But you don't do that with faith.
You trust Christ only. If what he did is not enough,
you know you won't be saved because you commit the entire salvation
of your soul to him. Now that's the righteousness
of faith and Israel didn't go that direction. They sought it
not by faith but as it were by the works of the law. We read
in our text, for they stumbled at that stumbling stone. Romans
chapter nine, verse 32. Wherefore, because they sought
it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law, for
they stumbled at that stumbling stone, that particular stumbling
stone. And he quotes Isaiah chapter
eight, verse 14, which says, and he shall be for a sanctuary,
a place of safety. but for a stone of stumbling
and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel for
a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem." Now
Christ Jesus is to some a sanctuary, a hiding place, a place of safety,
and to others He's a rock of offense. a scandal. Why that's scandalous to think
that your works don't have anything to do with your salvation. Why,
if I believe that, I'd sin all I want because my works don't
have any bearing on my salvation. That would produce immorality
if people really believed that, to say that salvation's all of
grace. and that everything God requires,
he looks to Christ for. Why, that's scandalous. That's
most people's response when they hear of the freeness of God's
grace. They say, well, I'd sit all I want if I believe that.
Now, you may say that, but a believer wouldn't. A believer, when he
hears of grace, it makes him want to give himself lock, stock,
and barrel to the Lord Jesus Christ to be his and his alone.
Oh, when I hear that salvation is by grace, that's what gives
me hope. I don't go out and say, well,
good, I get to sin now. No, not at all. I want to be
found in Christ. Now, the gospel is a stumbling
stone. It's a rock of offense. People
are offended by the gospel. Scandalized. You know, this is
big in the scriptures. I think of the first beatitude,
or the last beatitude, blessed are they who are persecuted for
righteousness sake. And that's not talking about
being persecuted for good works. You're persecuted because you
really believe that the righteousness of Christ is the only righteousness
there is. Paul warned of the offense of
the cross being removed. And when the offense of the cross
is removed, when people try to make the gospel easier to believe,
easier to receive, more understandable. What they're doing is removing
the offense from the cross. The job of the preacher is not
to make the gospel easier to receive, to package it up in
such a way as men won't be offended by it. That's not the job of
the preacher at all. The job of the preacher is to
tell the truth concerning who God is and how He saves sinners
by His grace through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He's to
preach the gospel, to declare the gospel, not try to make it
understandable, but declare it, and we trust God the Holy Spirit
to apply it to the hearts of those who believe. I'm not going
to try to remove the offense. If I remove the offense from
the cross, all I have left is a neutered gospel, a gospel that
does not produce life. Oh, may the Lord deliver us from
removing the offense from the cross. But these people found
the cross to be an offense and a stumbling stone. Now, why is
the gospel offensive to the natural man? because it cuts against
the grain of the way we naturally think. The Lord said to the Pharisees,
you are they which justify yourselves before men, but God knows your
hearts. For that which is highly esteemed
among men, human righteousness, human religion, is an abomination
in the sight of God. There is a way that seemeth right
unto a man. but the end thereof are the ways
of death. God said, my thoughts are not
your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, for as the heavens
are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your
ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Now, what is so offensive
about the gospel to the natural man? Let me give you a few reasons. First of all, the gospel of God's
grace, this stumbling stone, this rock of offense that men
find so offensive. It offends men's intelligence
and wisdom because it says, you can't figure this thing out.
We're completely dependent upon God to reveal Himself to us. And if He doesn't reveal Himself,
we will not know Him. We can't lock ourselves into
a room and figure out the gospel and learn it. No, we're completely
dependent upon God to make Himself known. And if He doesn't reveal
to me the gospel, if He doesn't reveal to me His Son, I'll not
know Him. The gospel offends men's sense
of personal righteousness because it calls our righteousness filthy
rags. Really? Really, Isaiah said,
our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. The best deed I've ever
done is nothing but sin in the sight of a holy God. Now, this
may seem negative to you, but if you ever see who the Lord
is and who you are, it won't seem negative. It'll just be
the truth. The gospel offends me in sense of personal righteousness
because it says we have none. The gospel offends men's sense
of rights by saying, we lost our rights in the fall, and we're
in the hands of the sovereign God. You know, we don't give
criminals rights, and that's what we are before God, criminals,
criminals, lawbreakers. Lawbreakers do not have the rights
that those who keep the law do. We're lawbreakers, and we have
no rights. The gospel offends our sense
of self-control by saying we have no control. We're in the
hands of an absolute sovereign who can do with us whatever he's
pleased to do. God's God. Remember that. God's
God and we're not. And we have no control and he
has all control. But that offends me in sense
of control. We like to think we can control
when in reality we don't have any control at all. The gospel
offends our pride by saying we have nothing to be proud about
by way of our works. It's God that's made us to differ,
not we ourselves. If I'm saved, it's by grace.
You can't be proud of grace. Oh, you can be proud of the Lord.
You can be proud of his gospel, but you can't be proud of yourself.
Not in any way. The gospel gives men nothing
to be proud about in and of themselves. The gospel offends men's love
of self by calling upon us to deny ourselves, to take up our
cross daily and follow Him. Now, these people did not have
the righteousness of faith. They found the gospel an offense
and a stumbling stone, and they did not believe. As it's written,
verse 33, behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock
of offense. But I love this last statement,
whosoever. And whosoever. I'm a whosoever. And whosoever believeth on him
shall not be ashamed. This rock of offense that many
stumble over, there's others who believe on him. They rely
upon Him. And you know what it says about
these people? They'll not be ashamed. Now,
first of all, they'll not be put to shame. Do you know when
I stand before God in judgment, there will be nothing for me
to be ashamed of. My life is an open book. It's
all good. It's all righteous. There is
no sin. I'll have nothing to be ashamed
of. Now that's the gospel. Christ's
righteousness is my righteousness. I'm justified before God. I'm
an open book. You can put my life up on a screen.
You'll see nothing but that which is perfectly conformed to the
image of Christ. I will not be put to shame. And
not only will I not be put to shame, I'm not ashamed of the
gospel. In Romans chapter 1 verse 16,
Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel. I'm not ashamed of
the gospel. And I'm not ashamed of the gospel.
I'm proud of it. It's a gospel worthy of God.
It glorifies God. It securely saves the sinner. Whosoever believeth on him shall
not be ashamed. He won't be put to shame, and
he won't be shamed. Now, what should we say to these
things? Well, the people who were seeking righteousness didn't
find it. People who weren't were made
righteous. Now, that's good news to a sinner. They're not offended by it. And
oh, how I love these words, whosoever believeth, relieth. him. The only hope I have is that
what he did for me is all that's needed for my salvation. I'm
relying on him for that. I've committed my salvation to
him. He that believeth on him shall
not be ashamed. I will not be put to shame and
I will not be ashamed. I'm not ashamed of the gospel
of Jesus Christ. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ
and I'm relying on the gospel of Jesus Christ. You have just heard a message
by Todd Nybert of Lexington, Kentucky. You may download a
copy of the sermon you just heard by visiting the Yuba-Sutter Grace
Church website at ysgracechurch.com. This is Pastor Rick Warta, praying
God would make himself known to you in Christ.