Now, as I said, the overall context
is much longer. We don't have time to read it.
But we're breaking in. Paul is arguing with the Jew,
reasoning with them about a matter, and that is why so many Jews
did not believe on Christ, why so many of them were perishing,
notwithstanding the appearance of Messiah in the world. His
argument is continuing in verse 15. For he, that is, God said
to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I
will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Now watch, for the scripture
saith unto Pharaoh, first he spoke to Moses, now to Pharaoh,
even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might
show my power in thee, that my name might be declared throughout
all of the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he willed, and whom he willed he hardens. Thou wilt then say
unto me, why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted
his will? Now he rebukes them. Nay, O man,
who art thou that replyest against God? Shall the thing formed say
to him that formed it? Why have you made me like this? Has not the potter 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 hath aforeprepared unto glory? Now watch. Even us, whom he hath
called not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. That is, all these things are
applicable not just to the Jew or to Israel, but also to the
nation or to the Gentile, to the people of the world. Now,
we come to take up this morning a subject that might, in the
hearing and mind of many, be the most offensive truth that
one might bring forth out of the Holy Scripture. This is the
most offensive chapter and doctrine found in the New Testament, unless
it be that doctrine of everlasting punishment that has that distinction. The subject is anathema with
many. Many will not touch it. Many
will not preach it. Many deny it. And the only kind
of reprobation that many admit today is that kind that is strictly
conditional upon the act of the sinner himself. And what's more,
there are many professing sovereign grace preachers and people today
who seldom preach on it, are weak on the subject and do not
bring it up, and therefore try to cover it over with some other
thing that they bring in. No wonder. I want to emphasize
the fact that this passage and this truth is offensive and is
rejected by so many in our day. Jerome Zacchaeus, who wrote in
the 15th century, if you will, wrote in support of this doctrine. And he called it, quote, this
tremendous truth, unquote. And yet later, in that very same
article, he called it, and I quote, this awful subject, unquote. I once read of an old-time preacher
who, referring under this subject, called it, quote, the horrible
decree, unquote. Neither of those men intended
to impugn or to deny the doctrine that we are considering this
morning. It is clearly set forth in the
scripture, and I will give you plenty of text to justify that. It is an awesome truth to be
found in the Bible. It is overwhelming. It is contrary
to the natural thinking and reasoning of so many people today, and
for that reason is offensive unto them when they hear it.
That I might illustrate, working my way slowly up to our doctrine
of the day. Consider something in Deuteronomy
chapter 10 and verse 17. Moses sets before Israel the
greatness of God. He is speaking unto them of the
greatness and the majesty of their great God, even Jehovah. And he says to them in that 17th
verse, for the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords
and here's the part I wanted you to remember a great God and
a terrible he says to them he is a great God and a Terrible
he calls God terrible as he speaks of them under Israel now several
times in the scripture God is called terrible. I jotted down
some of them. We won't turn there and read
them. And this is by no means every place where that is mentioned
or that it is you. You'll find it in Deuteronomy
10, 17 that I read. You'll find it again in Deuteronomy
7, 21. You'll find it in the prophet Nehemiah in chapter 1
and verse 5, chapter 4 and verse 14, chapter 9, verse 32. In Psalm chapter 47 and verse
2, you will also find again that God is referred to as terrible
in the Old Testament scripture. Now, the word terrible. The word
terrible in the Hebrew means, and this is not in a bad sense,
this is not talking about God in a bad sense, but it means
to fear. It means one that is to be revered. It means that at times it is
frightening to think of God or to hear God. To see God in his
true nature and it means literally to make a free our God is great
and is Terrible even so that which comes forth out of the
Holy Scripture for us now this morning is an awesome truth and
a hard saying You remember in John chapter 6 in verse 60 where
the disciples said to the Lord This is a hard saying who can
hear it now It's a hard saying and it is offensive not because
it is not in the scripture and not because it is unclear in
the scripture, but it is that because are preconceived and
ill-conceived notions of God that dwell in the mind of men
and women, a weakness on the attributes of God and the sovereignty,
an ignorance of the purpose and the decree of God and the covenant
everlasting and election, and a faulty view of God inflated
opinion of man's free will and of men and of women trying to
make the things of God fit their preconceived notion. But I have been digressing here.
Oh yes, many are dull of hearing. Some are babes in Christ and
therefore cannot hear. Now the question to consider
is this. What, if anything, does this
subject today have to do with our study of the perseverance
of the saints of God? Have they anything in common? Have they any relation one to
another? After all, not all come to know
God or to persevere in the things of God. are in the faith until
the end of their life. In fact, to report unto you,
the number of them that persevere in their sin is greater than
the number of them that persevere the faith and the number of them
that persevere under the end of their life in a false religion
is greater than they who embrace Christianity and persevere in
the way of Jesus Christ. Now, why is this? Why is this
the case with the human family? It has been so from the beginning.
It was so in the Old Testament. It is so in the time of Christ
and the Apostle, in the time of the Reformation, and even
up until our day. Why is that? that there are more
that are in the broad way than there are that are in the narrow
way. Now, there can only be two answers
under that question. Here they are. Number one, either
this is an aberration of the will of God, it is an overthrow
of the intent of God, a frustration of his design toward the human
family. It is a failure of his purpose
owing to the refusal of all of them that refuse to embrace and
espouse the Lord Jesus Christ and the gospel. That's one possible
cause. Or two, it could be, as Jerome
Zacchaeus wrote, in the 1500s in the book that I alluded to.
Quote, God did from all eternity decree to leave some of Adam's
fallen posterity in their sin and to exclude them from participation
in Christ and his benefits, unquote. It is one or the other of those. Why? There are so few that are
in the right way and so many that are in the broad way that
leads to destruction. Now, I will attempt to prove
and make the case for the second premise that we mentioned is
the scriptural one to be espoused and believed. And answers the
question, Why so many are perishing? Why are so few quickened and
called and converted? And that it is not contrary to
the will of God, and it is not an overthrow of his purpose,
but that the premise of the Italian Jerome Zacchaeus holds true to
scripture that we quoted, that God did from all eternity decree
to leave some of Adam's fallen under the power of their sin. And to paraphrase the author
of the book of Hebrews on another subject, of which thing we have
many things to say and hard to be uttered seeing that ye are
dull of hearing. Hebrews chapter 5 and verse 11. So again, let's work our way
slowly, as it were, into our subject and our passage of scripture
for today, taking one step at a time as we lay out a premise
and a foundation. Now to any that take offense,
that God leaves some in their sin without the grace of God
and does so not because they are too adamant or too strong
in their resistance for him to overcome. Now if such a thing
is offensive to you or they are angry that you hear such thing
or if you see this as a blight upon the character of our great
and holy God that God would act in such a way as I read here. So he has mercy on whom he will
and whom he will he hardeneth. So let's reason and here we go. Here are some Deniable premises
from the holy scripture number one I want you to consider in
light of this I want you to consider the angelic family the family
of Angels that God created we're told about them in the scripture. They are written up there We
read that there are quote elect angels Unquote that's in first
Timothy chapter 5 and verse 21 there are chosen angels there
are elect angel but on the other hand there are also apostate
fallen angels you'll find that in Jude and Verse 6, the angels
that left their first estate. What did God do? He cast them
down to hell, reserved in chains until the day of judgment. And
he did that without a remedy. There is no remedy. for the fallen angel and their
condition. They are forever under the condemnation
of their sin. Some he kept, and others there
fell, and he rescued them not. Now, secondly, from the nations
in the Old Testament. And I want to make an argument
here, and you need to understand it. What did God do? God chose
one nation, out of all the nations upon the face of the earth, and
he chose one and only one to be his peculiar people. And he separated them from the
other nations of the world, and he left the other nations, that
is, the Gentiles, without a revelation of himself and the true way of
worship. Acts 14 and 16. He left them
to themselves at the time when God suffered all nations to walk
in their own way. Acts 14 and verse 16. Paul is dealing with those who
would worship him. They would fall down and worship
him because he'd done a miracle. And he answered that they ought
to put away those gods, for God left not himself without a witness. And he winked at this ignorance. Acts 17 and verse 30. The time of this ignorance God
winked at, but now commandeth all men to repent. Now such as
those in Acts 14 were ignorant of God because he had made no
spiritual revelation of himself unto them, giving them only the
light of nature, only the light of nature that Paul talks about
in Romans 2 14 15 while to one nation only That's
Abraham seed. That's the Jewish nation. That
is Israel. He did as James a Alexander wrote
in his commentary on act he granted an exclusive revelation unquote
Is under Israel he granted an exclusive revelation We have
it in Ephesians 2 verse 11 and 12 that of old the Gentile in
that day before the coming of Christ and the spread of the
gospel the Gentiles were Ephesians 2 11 and 12 without Christ they
were strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and
without God in the world. Now Paul says that of them and
this was not by their choice. It was by the providence and
the purpose of God. The Gentiles, the nation, were
purposely excluded from the spiritual revelation of God. That is except
for the few who became proselyte and crossed over to the worship
of God and Israel. You have this in Hosea 417. Micah
4 and 5 and that verse in Amos 3 2 says this You only have I
known of all of the nations of the earth He said that unto Israel
you only have I known of all of the nations of the earth the
not known about them, but known them favorably and Lovingly and
Christ enforced this rule at first in his ministry chapter
10 of Matthew and verse 5 he sent him out and he said go not
into the way of the Gentiles but to the lost sheep of the
house of Israel now I I realize I'm laboring the point in light
of the protest of Universalism, that it would be unfair of God
to act in such a manner. It would be unfair of God to
bestow his great salvation upon some and not upon all, and that
if he shows saving mercy to some, He is bound to show that same
mercy unto all and yet I want you to consider again number
one God chose one Nation in Israel in the Old Testament in the old
economy God chose one nation and may I add he did not choose
them because they were many or because they were a mighty people.
He did not choose them upon that ground and Deuteronomy 7 and
7 tells us that. He did not set his love upon
you because you were many or mighty. And he left the other
nation to walk in their own way and to worship and to serve their
idols for generations. And he put his name and he put
his revelation and he put his law in Israel, in the family
of Abraham, the extended family of Abraham, leaving again the
Gentile only under the law of nature. But then it narrows even
more. Secondly, even in Israel, even
in them, there was an election and there was a reprobation. And it's right here in our chapter,
Romans 9, verse 7 through verse 13, seen in Jacob and in Esau. that not every offspring of Abraham
was a child of God or a child of promise. Paul speaks of the
election and the rest in Romans 11 and verse 7. There is the
election that is in Israel and there is the rest. And that the
election had obtained and the rest were blinded. And the Greek
word there is hardened, to petrify, to make like a stone, to make
stupid, hard, and callous. And here are two points to consider,
and they both are to be considered from the scripture as we lay
our foundation. A, are those texts of Scripture
that speak of election, of choosing some, do suppose and infer the
rejection of others, even if the Scripture had been silent
on the matter. But they're not silent on the
matter, and I want you to hear a few testimonies from the Scripture. Have you read this? Jeremiah
6 and verse 30. Reprobate silver shall men call
them because the Lord has rejected them John 10 26 our Lord said
to a group of Pharisee the Lord tells some you believe not Because
you are not my sheep as I said My sheep hear my voice and they
follow me revelation 13 and verse 8 Some names were not written
in the Lamb's Book of Life from the foundation of the world. Revelation 13, 8 and again in
Revelation 17 and verse 8. And have you read in Jude Verse
4, certain men who were before of old ordained to this condemnation. Again, 1 Peter 2 and verse 8,
some were appointed to stumble at the word. 2 Peter 2 and 12,
the apostle Lycans the false teachers to natural brute beasts
made to be taken and destroyed and who shall utterly perish
in their own corruption. And here in Romans 9 22, what
do we read? Paul speaks there of vessels
of wrath fitted unto destruction. So let's take a further step. Not only are these scriptures
in the Bible, but there are also a certain or limited number of
persons identified in the scripture by name as reprobates. And we'll look at that. Such
as Esau. The most notable is Esau. Malachi 1, 1-3. Romans 9, 10-13. It is specifically stated that
God hated Esau. And you can't make anything else
of that. And that was before he was born
and before he had done any good or evil. Romans 9 and verse 11. Here is a bitter pill for some
to swallow. Esau have I hated. Jacob I loved. Esau on the other
hand have I hated. And this was made manifest in
the descendants of Esau according to Malachi chapter 3 verse 1
through 3. And may I say it was not his
ways but him that is mentioned. It don't say I hated his way.
Esau have I hated. Esau also rebuts the notion of
some that reprobation is only a last resort after God has tried
every other remedy. For remember, being not yet born,
neither having done any Good or evil before he was born While
he was yet in the womb when the child children twins struggled
together God said unto their mother the elder shall serve
the younger Genesis 25 and 23 and Romans 9 and verse 12 Then what of Pharaoh? Pharaoh
in the scripture, that mean, wretched, wicked, and vicious
man. In Romans 9, 17 and in Exodus 9 and 16, those
two verses, for this purpose have I raised thee up. that I might show my power in
thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all of
the earth. There's another man in the scripture.
His name is Judas. The Lord called him a son of
perdition. John 17 and 12, a devil he called
him in John 6 and verse 70, and he was never anything else than
that during his life and his relationship and association
with the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, that being said, I fully
grant you that we cannot, by present behavior, You and I cannot
look out at how people are living now before us in this very world
and tell whether or not one is one or the other. Though we or
others sometimes refer to a person as that old reprobate, though
we really don't know that in the secret counsel of God, for
we are not privy to the secret counsel of God, nor ought we
to be, nor can we be. To illustrate this, We might
at one time have considered Judas, a real and true Christian, and
the demoniac of Gadara as a reprobate. But we would have been wrong
upon both of these men. However, the Lord knows them
that are his. 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse
19. And Christ knows whom he has
chosen John 13 and verse 18. And then we come into our text
today. I read, you heard, Paul likens
God using the simile of a potter and a lump of clay. And in that
image there that is so clear for us as we read, half, verse
21, Hath not the potter power over the clay? Romans 9 21 22. That is, the potter, when he
sits down at his wheel, he has the power. Now the word here,
power, in our English Bible is the word exousia, meaning right
and privilege and authority. The potter has the right and
the privilege and the authority, and it denotes his freedom of
action. When he sets at the wheel, throws
the clay upon it, puts the water, begins to spin it, forms it with
his hand, he has the right to act. He has the freedom of action. He has the power, the exousia,
as it is in the Greek. And over the clay to make from
that same lump. Now that's very important. Same
lump. One and the same lump. From making
from that one lump. one vessel to honor and another
unto dishonor. Who would deny? Who could you
that could deny the potter's sovereign right to do exactly
as we have said? Who could deny the potter when
he sits down the right to make whatsoever he will? from the
lump of clay that is there at his disposal. And who could imagine
that the clay could have the ability to resist the skilled
hand of the potter and frustrate his will as to what he desired
to make? Even so, here in this passage,
Paul makes the transition from the figure of the potter and
the clay to the application of the sovereignty of God in dealing
with the human family in verse 22 and 3. Now in the figure,
the potter makes vessels, two sorts. Number one, he makes vessels
of honor. to honor, for honorable uses,
in other words, for noble or honorable uses. Perhaps he might
make a beautiful flower vase out of the clay. Perhaps he might
make something for the queen's table. Or perhaps he might form
something to be a jewelry box or a jewelry container. But secondly,
he makes vessels to dishonor, that is, for baser usage. Perhaps he might form from the
clay a spittoon. He might make a trash receptacle
to throw all manner of refuse. Or he might make a feeding dish
for a dog, a dog bowl, something along that line just to illustrate. Now, there's no question that
the potter has both the right and the ability to do this. None can stay his hand. None
can fault him for it. None can fault him with an injustice,
and the point is not to be missed. He does so from the same lump
of clay, from one and the same. This word lump is five times
in the New Testament. Interesting, every one of them
is from the Apostle Paul. It is him that uses it every
time. And I'll just give you the places
we won't read them. They are twice in Romans, 921
and 1116, twice 1st Corinthian 1st Corinthians
5 verse 6 and again in verse 7 once in Galatians chapter 5
and verse 9 and in some of those places it refers to a lump of
dough and They say a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump Remember
Grandma making biscuits and setting them the night before and putting
in her yeast, mixing it in that they might rise and be ready
for the baking. Now, a lump of potter's clay,
and from that he makes two sorts of vessel. Now, the reason for
the two sorts of vessel And the different character of them,
vessels of honor, vessels of dishonor, is not accounted for
by any differences in the clay. The clay is not any different. It is one and the same lump from
which come a vessel of honor and a vessel of dishonor. It resides only in the good pleasure
and the will of the potter. who sits down and in his own
mind and heart determines what he shall fashion from the lump
of clay. And that's clearly stated in
verse 21 of the text that we read this morning. Has not the
potter power, right, authority over the clay when he goes to
the wheel, throws the water on, begins to spin it, and form and
fashion it. Now, the question is, why does
Paul bring in this reference to the potter and the clay in
this particular place in Romans chapter 9? How does it fit? How does it flow with the context
or clay and vessels of clay are but inanimate objects. They cannot see, hear, or speak. So how is Paul going to make
the application? Now the figure of Potter and
Clay is a frequent one in the Old Testament. The Jews were
familiar with that in the Old Testament. Here are some places
where reference is made to the Potter and the Clay to show that
God fashions them as he would. Isaiah 29, 15 and 16. Isaiah
45 and verse 9. And Isaiah 64, Verse 8 and then there's that
famous extended parable in Jeremiah chapter 18 1 through 6 God sent
Jeremiah the prophet he said go down to the potter's house
He is working a work on the wheel and there was a lesson in that
But those passages that are referred to they contain such statements
as these We are the clay thou our potter. As the clay in the
potter's hand, so are ye in my hand, saith the Lord. And so
forth. There are some of the statements.
Now, as to the question, how does the reference to the potter
and the clay fit into the context here in Romans chapter 9? Well, the answer is, as John
Murray wrote in his commentary, Paul is answering the objection
that might be raised against what he called the sovereign
discrimination mentioned earlier in the chapter, stated in the
previous verses. Now, let me take you back. Here,
verse 18 again, Romans 9. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will, and whom he will he hardeneth. Now, verse 19. Thou
wilt then say unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? for who hath resisted his will? In other words, if his will cannot
be resisted, why does he find fault, hold men and women guilty
and such like? If God's will cannot be resisted,
and this is the thought there, how does he find fault? How can
he condemn one whose heart he has hardened and has not extended
mercy unto them. By the way, there are three objections
that are raised and answered here in Romans chapter 9. Just look at them quickly. One
is in verse 6. The objection that, look, God's
word has failed if Jews, if seed of Abraham are perishing. No, says Paul, not all of the
flesh are the children of God. The second objection is found
in verse 14, and that is that sovereign election is unrighteous. It is unfair of God to do such
a thing and to act in such a way. And the third one is in verse
19. Thou wilt then say unto me, Why
does he yet find fault? In other words, the objection
is God's ways are harsh and they are severe if he acts in such
a fashion. Now Paul meets these objections
and especially the third one with a strong rebuke in verse
20. Nay, O man, who are you that
replies against God? Shall the thing form say to him
that formed it, why have you made me thus? Again, the image
of the potter and the clay. Who calls God to the bar of human
judgment? Who passes sentence upon the
ways of God? who criticizes it and condemns
what God has done. Now, as to the last half of verse
20, we notice that there are two references in this to the
prophet Isaiah. Paul, no doubt, has them in mind. And the Jews would be familiar
with them. And they are Isaiah 29, 16 and
Isaiah 49. It says this, 45. Woe unto him that strives with
his maker. Shall the clay say to him that
fashioned it, what makest them? Shall the work say of him, thou
hast not made me? Those are the objections Paul
has referenced unto them. Now, looking at verse 22 through
24, as we come to the close of our study, Paul applies what
he has just written. As these verses present a difficulty,
because as expositors have noted, they contain actually an unfinished
sentence. I learned a new word. I never
heard of it. Aposiopesis. Breaking off in
mid thought and that's what we seem to have here Not giving
the result not carrying it all the way out under his conclusion
But he has already done that in the preceding verses. So Paul
writes in verse 22 What if God? willing literally it is But if
God, they say in the Greek, that's the way it is. And to say, but
if God does so, what then? If God does that, What then? And Paul makes a transition from
the figure to the application and God's willingness or wishing
or his will as two objects already mentioned in the activity of
the potter and his clay. They are number one vessels of
wrath in verse 22 which correspond with a vessel of dishonor in
verse 19. Secondly, vessels of mercy, verse
23, which correspond to the vessels of honor in verse 21, also fashioned
by the potter, out of the same lump of clay, and while the first
is fitted to destruction, the second is aforeprepared unto
glory. Now we focus in the closing minutes
the vessels of dishonor fitted to destruction such as Pharaoh
and Esau mentioned in this chapter and Ishmael back earlier who
was cast out of the house of Abraham and out of the family
and Was only a child of the flesh now was Paul saying here God
is pleased to make a display of his wrath and and an exercise
his power in manifestation toward the vessels of wrath, even as
he did Pharaoh. And two things are said about
it. Number one, that God was long-suffering. even toward the vessels of dishonor. He held in his wrath and he did
not stir up the whole measure. With Pharaoh, there was respite
again and again. And then God overthrew him in
the Red Sea and all of his army and all of his host. You know,
there are some that sin, previously until they are old. But yet, in God's time, judgment
will overtake them. The second thing that Paul said,
he's willing to show his wrath. In Romans 118, the wrath of God
is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness and ungodliness
of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Now in our text
it said, whom he will, he hardens, as he did Pharaoh in Exodus chapter
8 and 9 and 10, some eight or nine times. And Sihon, king of
Heshbon in Deuteronomy 2 and 30, whose heart the Lord hardened
that he would not let us pass, that he might be destroyed. That
works to God's purpose. Now, falling away exposes them. It brings to light their falseness
when they turn away from Christ and the gospel. And 1 John said,
chapter 2, they went out from us because they were not of us. If they had been of us, they
would no doubt have continued with us. That they go out is
proof, therefore, that they were not of us. And the Lord said,
or will say, depart, I never knew you. Not at any time did
I know you as one of mine. Now this is a sobering, awesome
subject. It ought to be preached because
it's part of God's Word, and it ought to be taken to heart
because it is like a sword that cuts to cause us, our people,
our sinners, to rethink their preconceived notions of God,
that he's lovey-dovey. He'll overlook what I've done. I'm a good person and all of
that. And in that comes false hope
that lets one down.