All right, turn with me to Romans
chapter 9. The last time I was here, which
was probably three Sundays ago, the title of my message was None
Resist God's Will. I'll kind of pick up with that
verse and then read a few more this morning. But before I do,
let me say this. This place certainly would, this
morning, not be fitting for a kosher Orthodox Jewish synagogue. Because
the smell of finely fatted swine's flesh baked in the oven still
hangs in the air. And it is wonderful. I mean,
it's nice to preach the gospel and hear it preached with the
smell of bacon in the air. It's just good. All right, Romans
chapter nine, verse 19. Thou wilt then say unto me, why
doth he yet find fault, that is, why does God yet find fault
for who hath resisted his will? Nay, but, O man, who art thou
that replies 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
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, and that he might
make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy
which he had aforeprepared unto glory, even us whom he hath called,
not of the Jews only, but of the Gentiles? Here's my title. Who Dares Reply
Against God? That's my title. Paul asked it
that way. He doesn't say some reply against
God, though this is true. But he says who art thou that
replies against God? Now when I read that as a question,
who dares? Reply against God. Do you think
about that free will church you seen as you came to services
this morning? Do you think about that beer
joint that you seen that was maybe wide open last night? Is
that who you think about replies against God? As I begin to ponder,
what am I going to say on this? I've preached for 37, 38 years,
and I've been accused of preaching from this chapter every time
I preach. It's not so, but I have been lately, because I've been
in Romans nine. And all of a sudden, God turned the light on, and
God said, just be honest. Who dares reply against God?
I do. I do. Yes, I do, and I hate myself
for it. Yes, the unregenerate reply against
God. There is no doubt. But let us
remember, this rebuke was not written to the unregenerate.
It's written to us. It's written to saints. This world that teaches men and
women that once God saves you, all of your problems with sin
and corruption and immorality and false religion, it's all
over. They are lying to men's souls. This was written to us. Our old man has not improved
one iota. And when we deaden one of his
members, remember Paul talked about mortify your member? Now
not the flesh, we can't even mortify the flesh. God's purpose
to leave it in us. and I'm not going to deal with
that in itself, but he does say, mortify your members, deaden
them, cut off the blood supply, but eventually you will let go.
Eventually it will receive its blood again, and eventually it
will seem to strive within you again. Our old man has not improved
one single bit. We are the ones blessed to know
better than to reply against God. But we do. We know better. We know better. Aren't you glad we had a redeemer
who shed his blood for our sins? Aren't you glad? Old man. Old man. It's not old. Old man.
I thought about that phrase. You know what that would let
us know? Fallen. Corrupt. By nature, a God-hater. Paul has already told us, we
looked at it, not in a lot of detail, but he's already told
this, because the carnal mind is enmity against God, and we
still have one of them, even as believers. Now we have the
mind of Christ, yes, but that's only under the auspice of the
new man. The old man is still just as
carnal, the old mind is just as carnal and thoughtless toward
God. Not that we don't think about
God, but we don't like to think the truth about God and to love
the truth of God. Because the carnal mind is enmity
against God for it's not subject to the law of God, neither indeed
can be. Oh man, John 3, this is what,
I am persuaded this is what our Lord was actually saying to John,
not necessarily what John gave us, this was, look at John chapter
3, let me just read the verses, John 3. Verse 18, he that believeth
on him that is on Christ is not condemned, but he that believeth
not is condemned already. You don't have to do enough to
get condemned or to be condemned, Just not believe. Just believe
not, and you're condemned already. Condemned already, because he
hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
And this is the condemnation, that light is coming to the world,
and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds
were evil. Oh man. Then the other one here,
of the same lump. Turn to Ephesians 2. Of the same
lump. And you, Ephesians 2 verse 1.
And you, hath he quickened? So, and I know that's put in
there by the translators, but it doesn't harm that because
he, in a moment, says this. This is who he's writing to.
Now these are people who are quickened by the Spirit of God.
These are people who are believers. It says that in chapter one.
These are people who are predestinated and chosen by God. And you hath
he quickened. who were dead in trespasses and
sins, wherein in time past ye walked according to the course
of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience,
among whom also we all had our way of life, our conversation
in times past, in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires
of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature, and were
by nature, the children of wrath, even as others. All humanity in Adam is one big
same lump. Now he dead now, but the heart,
I've said this before, but I don't, the heart that dwelt in Charles
Manson, and he was a evil, wicked, desperate man. But the heart
that dwells in him, in Adam, is the same heart that dwells
in this man by nature that stands behind this podium preaching
from God's Bible this very morning. Of the same lump. And Dodd Fortner said something
along this line one time, and it's not gonna be an exact quote
by any means. He said, but you know, it's a
blessed thing for God to teach you that you're really, truly
a bona fide sinner. An ungodly sinner. And he said,
may God help us never to grow above that. I like that statement. May I never grow above that. But now, enough about us. Enough about us, per se. Now
let's see our God. Let's see our God. Now, before
I even move any further, and you all know I have some things
to take care of today, so I need to get with that, but I don't
wanna rush through this, but I don't wanna try to wax theological. You know why? Nothing more profound
can be said than what was said when I read what was wrote down
right there. All I'm trying to do afterward
is just reinforce what Paul said. This is divinely inspired words. I believe providentially held
together by God, translated into English for us, even in this
King James Version. So I can say nothing more profound. I just want to reinforce these
things. Number one, God, our God is manifest
in Jesus Christ. I didn't have that in my points,
but I knew I had to say that. Our God is manifested in Jesus
Christ. It's not, here's God the Father,
and then Jesus is way up here, but he's kinda like that. I and
my Father are one. So this God we're talking about,
that same God is manifested in the person of Jesus Christ. Remember he told one of the disciples,
show us the Father and that'd be enough. And Jesus said, have
I been so wrong with you? He that has seen me has seen
the Father. And I'm no prophet, but I can
tell each and every one of us this morning, you listening right
now, last stream or later, if you believe God, no, if you believe
Jesus Christ, you believe God. You believe God. First of all
about our God, he is absolutely unresistable, period. I'm gonna go back over that.
We went through that, but look up. Thou wilt say then unto me,
why does God yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? None have, that's the whole point.
That's the objection that our flesh raises, but I see men rebelling
against God all the time. Even the wrath of God shall praise
him. And the remainder of it he'll
restrain. Now that is in such simple, even
our English language, but our flesh revolts against it. And
we'll find every little passage we can find to try to think to
contradict that passage. No passage contradicts the other. And some passages are what we
call precedence. They set the standard and everything
else must be engaged in in light of that. In the beginning, God
created the heavens and the earth. We do not debate that. That's
just the way it is. That's a precedent. That stands. If you find another verse in
the Bible that you think teaches that that's not so, you're misunderstanding
the words that you read in that other passage. Our God is absolutely
unresistable. Secondly, he is the potter. He's the potter. And this potter
molds according to his pleasure. Hath not the potter power over
the clay of the same lump? to make one vessel into honor
and another into dishonor. And somebody says, does that
mean God makes men bad or evil? No, it's not what he says. We're
already evil. We're already the same lump.
He's not dealing here with election itself. He dealt with that up
in verse 11. That's the election. This is
the results of the election. And let me tell you something,
God Almighty even chose that the human race fall in Adam. He chose that we fallen at him
because he already chosen his son as our Redeemer before the
foundation of the world He's the Potter he molds according
to his own pleasure and some men are Vessels of dishonor,
but they may be very moral men And other men may be vessels
of dishonor, but they are very immoral men. But God hath bolded
both, and fitted both, because of their sin, to destruction. God doesn't just say, all right,
I'm gonna mold that one, make him sinful, and they gotta go
to hell for it. But these others, I'll mold them and make them
good, and they get to go to heaven for it. That's not what this
is talking about. There are people who think we
teach that. But we don't teach that. So again, he is the potter. He molds according to his own
sovereign pleasure. Three, he is pleased, he is pleased
to show his wrath. What if God, willing to show
his wrath and to make his power known, that's power against wrath,
or I should know, power against men and their sins, I'm sorry.
What if God willing to show his wrath and to make his power known
endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to
destruction? God's wrath is not what God holds
back holds back and he's trying to hold it back then he opens
up a little eye and sees us more. He holds back and he opens up
an eye and then it busts out on him. No sir. He is willing
to show his wrath and to make his power known. Turn to Paul's
letter again to the church at Ephesus. Look at Ephesians five. Verse one, to be therefore followers
of God as dear children, and walk in love as Christ also hath
loved us, and given himself for us, and offering sacrifice to
God for a sweet-smelling Savior, and oh, God always make me grateful
for that, because that's the foundation of any hope we have
before God, being one same lump. You hear me? Being one same lump,
but look, And look, but fornication and all uncleanness and covetousness,
let it not be once named among you as become a saint, neither
filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient,
but rather giving of thanks for This ye know, that no whoremonger,
no unclean person, nor covetous man who is an idolater hath any
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man
deceive you with vain words, for because of these things cometh
the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Do you see it?
God is not pleased to show his wrath even though no wrath is
warranted. But where wrath is warranted,
he is willing to show his wrath and to make his power known. But this next one, number four,
he is pleased to show mercy to some. Do you see it? And, verse
23, thank God for that and. And that he might make known
the riches of the glory, of his glory on the vessels of what? Mercy. Not reward. It's not we're better than somebody
else. Therefore God shows us a little favor because we stand
just a little higher than somebody else. Mm-mm. That he might make
known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy. mercy,
which he had afore prepared unto glory. Do you see that? In other
words, this lets us rest assured that God is not doing his best
to make this day work out. He's already assured it, even
before the world began. And he assured it in himself.
And then when he made man, he came along to a man called Abraham
and said, I swear, and will not repent. I swear and will not
repent. But here's the fifth thing. Aren't
you glad his mercy has no racial bounds? Verse 24, even us, whom
he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. It ain't about black or white.
It ain't about male or female. It ain't about rich or poor.
It ain't about bond or free. It's all about God. It's all
about God. If God has shown you mercy in
this world, or if he hasn't yet, that's in your experience, and
he does, it's because he was pleased to do so before the foundation
of the world he purposed to do so, and he did it in spite of
you. not in light of you. He did it
in spite of me, not in light of me. Some say, well, he looked
down into the future and seen who would believe, or seen who
would repent. No, the Bible doesn't say that,
but it does say he looked down from heaven, and he looked at
us and seen what we are, and you know what he said? There's
none righteous, no, not one. That's what he's saying. There's
none that doeth good, no not one. There's none that understandeth.
There's none that seeketh after a God. They're all gone out of
the way. That's what he's seen in us. Aren't you glad for sovereign
free mercy in Christ? Who dares reply against God?
The world? Yeah, yeah, the world. But let me tell you something.
I thank God for his free reigning mercy. Because there are some
people in this world that are called, in Galatians 3, 26, 27,
28, 29, the very seed of Abraham. And racial and sexual distinctions
of class and character do not matter. It's all in Christ. And I thank God he did not refuse
mercy to sins, because Paul told the Corinthians, Excuse me, some
of you folk were really immoral folk. I'm not even going into
some of the stuff. You know what they are. This
world's trying to cover it up and make things willy-nilly nowadays,
but God, men might see it different today, but God ain't seen none
of it different. That which was sin to God before He even made
the world is still sin today. And it'll be sin tomorrow. But
Paul told those Corinthians, and such were some of you. But you're washed, but you're
sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit
of our God. So again, who dares reply against
God, the world, yes, but us too. If God had asked me this past
week Will you let me bring these things upon you and your family?
I believe I said, God, I don't want that. But I'm glad he didn't ask me.
Because he knows what he's doing. He knows what he's doing. Thank God for his forgiveness.
Thank God for his free reigning grace. Thank God for Jesus Christ,
our Redeemer.