We're going to read through Psalm 94 tonight, and I hope to be able to give you an overview of it as we get started here, and we'll get into verse one with more detail. Psalm 94, it says in the opening verse, O Lord God, O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth. O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, show thyself. This verse is clear that the one speaking here in the psalm is crying out for God to take vengeance. It belongs to him, and he's praying for it, but he doesn't see it happening. He doesn't see God's vengeance, and so he's asking God to show himself in this way. He says, lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth.

Render a reward to the proud. So you can see here that the Lord is the one who renders judgment. He renders his vengeance and he does it against those who are proud. A reward to the proud. Give them what's due to them. Give them what's coming to them. He says in verse three, Lord, how long shall the wicked How long shall the wicked triumph? So here's a question of when.

When will God, to whom vengeance belongs, when will he take vengeance? We don't hear from him, it seems. It seems like there's no vengeance being taken. How long will it be before he takes vengeance? It seems that the wicked triumph, and to all appearances, the wicked triumph. So how long, Lord? How long shall the wicked triumph?

And he says in verse four, how long shall they utter and speak hard things? And all the workers of iniquity boast themselves. They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage. You see, God's people are his inheritance. They slay the widow and the stranger and murder the fatherless. Yet they say, the Lord shall not see, Neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.

Understand, you brutish among the people and you fools, when will you be wise? He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? He that formed the eye, shall he not see? He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? He that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know? That's very plain reasoning given to those who boast that God will not regard what they do. That he won't see it, he won't hear it, and he won't chastise them. And yet he says, if God created the ear and the eye, if he teaches knowledge, if he teaches man knowledge, and if he corrects the heathen, then won't he correct, won't he know, won't he see, and won't he hear?

Verse 11 says, the Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity. Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law. So you can see the transition here in the Psalm. First, he's crying out for vengeance because of these atrocities that these wicked, these proud and wicked men do in afflicting God's people, and even the weak ones. He calls them the fatherless, and the children, and the widow, and the stranger. These are the ones they're afflicting. And remember Jesus said, if you've done it to the least of these, my brethren, you've done it to me.

But then he says in verse 11, the Lord knoweth the thoughts of man that their vanity. Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law. So in the first part, you can see that he's crying out against the wicked, and then he's reasoning with the wicked that they would be so foolish and so much like beasts they wouldn't even recognize that God who created the ear will hear them. God who created the eye will see them. God who teaches knowledge will teach. He will be able to know. He will know what they're doing.

And he says, all their thoughts are vanity. But then he says, blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teaches him out of thy law. Verse 13, that thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity until the pit be digged for the wicked. So there's a time coming when the pit for the wicked will be digged and they will be cast into it.

And so he's thinking about that. He knows that God's, that judgment is God's that it belongs to him. And so he knows that it doesn't seem like God is judging, so he's asking, when? When will it happen? The Lord will do it. And he goes, now blessed is the man whom thou chastenest out of thy law. And so there's a reason for that. He says it that way, that it is a blessed thing to be chastened by God. He says, that thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity until the pit be digged for the wicked. So we have rest until the end. when God does bring judgment.

Verse 14, for the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance. Okay, so in the light of the fact that it seems that the wicked have their way and triumph over God's people, he said the Lord will not forsake them. He will not cast them off. In fact, he will chasten them. Verse 15, but judgment shall return unto righteousness, and all the upright in heart shall follow it.

Who will rise up for me against the evildoers, or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. When I said, my foot slippeth, thy mercy, O Lord, held me up. In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul. Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?

They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood. But the Lord is my defense, and my God is the rock of my refuge. And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness. Yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off.

Okay, so we can see this psalm, it has, in the end of the psalm, it seems to change, doesn't it, from the beginning. In the beginning, he says, vengeance belongs to the Lord, and the Lord will give a reward to the proud, to the wicked. And then he enumerates all the things that the wicked have done against the Lord's people, and then he reasons with those wicked men that God will hear and see, and He knows, and He can correct, because He does correct the heathen. And if He corrects the heathen, then He can correct any man, and He does correct every man. in two ways, but he goes on in verse 12 to say, a man is blessed who received chastisement from the Lord, and he teaches him out of his law in that way. And then through the end of the psalm, from there, From verse 13, towards the end of the psalm, he talks about how blessed it is that God would do this for his people.

He won't forsake them. In verse 14, our judgment shall return to righteousness, the upright in heart shall follow it. Verse 16, he will rise up for me against the evildoers, or he asks who will rise up for me against the evildoers. who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity."

And then he says, who? The Lord. Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. Okay, so silence because of the wicked and their, it seems, unrestrained persecution of him. And then he says in verse 18, when I said, my foot slippeth, thy mercy, O Lord, held me up. Because as he considered these things in this Psalm, he saw that these, that the the way that the people of God were being treated, that he himself was slipping.

And there's something about that we need to understand. But he goes on in verse 18, in the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul. Now he sees something that he, it seems to have had a transition here. And the transition is that God's comforts delight his soul, even though he has all these thoughts that are expressed in the first part of this psalm. And then at the end of the psalm, he has this assurance. He says, the Lord is my defense. My God is the rock of my refuge. So let's think about these things in this psalm now.

So in the first few verses, say up to verse seven, what we see here is that the believer, who the psalmist is a believer, and he's speaking by the spirit of God here, he sees the chastening of God's hand when he looks at the enemies of his own life, that they apparently, to all evidences, they triumph over him in wickedness. So that's what he sees in the first few verses.

And he's greatly disturbed by this because God is silent and he doesn't see God's judgments against his own enemies. Then, beginning with verse 8, where he says, understand you brutish men, he speaks against the enemy and he reasons about the ear and the eye and God's knowing and how he chastens the heathen, that he will hear, he will see, he will know, and he will chasten. After that, in the psalm, the comfort of God comes to him from verse nine, where he says, he that planted the ear, he's not only speaking against the heathen, but he's also speaking in comfort to his own soul. If God hears and sees and knows what the wicked are doing, then he can commit himself to the Lord. God's comforts delight him in this way, and he also sees that something that maybe we don't realize, but if we think about it a little bit, we will realize that, and I wanna get to that before we try to unfold it here.

Okay, so first thing I wanna point out here is in verse one. He says, O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth, O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, show thyself, lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth, render a reward to the proud. So the first thing we see here is that two times in verse one, it says, vengeance belongs to God. Now, this is a theme that is spoken about throughout scripture.

For example, in Romans chapter 12 and verse 19, it says, dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves. So this is what we have a tendency to do. We want to avenge ourselves. We see wickedness, let's get after them. Let's hope for their demise. And so that's natural in our hearts. We've been offended. And it might be a trivial thing. We want to show that person, you offended me. That was wrong. And as if we have rights. So he says, don't do that.

Don't avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath. In other words, let God take wrath, for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. So it's the Lord's prerogative. In fact, only the Lord is allowed to take vengeance. That's what God is saying here. Vengeance belongs only to God. We can never legitimately take personal vengeance.

He says in first, I'm sorry, second Thessalonians, Second Thessalonians chapter one and verse eight, he says, in flaming fire, God will be taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. When the Lord Jesus returns, he says, he will return in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Okay, so we know that to obey the gospel is to trust Christ, is to believe the word God has given concerning His Son. And so, this is showing us that there are those who do receive the outpouring of God's vengeance. He will render to men the wrath that is due to them, and those upon whom this vengeance falls are those who obey not the gospel. They don't know God, they don't obey the gospel.

Then he says in Hebrews chapter 10, he says in verse 30, we know him that has said, vengeance belongeth to me, I will recompense, saith the Lord, and again the Lord shall judge his people. So God judges, he judges and he brings vengeance as it seems good to him. So the matter of vengeance belongs to God. The way that God brings vengeance belongs to God, and the timing when God brings vengeance belongs to God. Everything about vengeance belongs to God.

And we can also understand from Scripture that God uses the heathen, He uses the wicked, to bring compensation. He uses the heathen to bring chastisement on His people, as is being done here in Psalm 94, because they're under this affliction by the wicked, and God is using them in that way. So, in that sense, You have to ask the question, this vengeance that he's praying for on the wicked, isn't it true that God is chastening even the psalmist here? And the answer is yes, it is. God is chasing his people.

And then in Jude, the book of Jude chapter one, there's only one chapter, verse seven, he says this about vengeance. He says, even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them in like manner giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. So this outpouring of wrath is the outpouring of God's eternal fire, his eternal wrath. It's the full outpouring of God's wrath. And so there's a time coming. And Sodom and Gomorrah were used as an example of that. that they were an example of what it means to suffer the wrath of God, eternal vengeance, fire.

And then in James chapter one, this is a very important one, he says, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. So our wrath, And we do get angry, and it's not right. He says, let not the sun go down on your wrath. Our wrath will not produce the righteousness of God. It won't.

We have to leave it to the Lord, don't we? Now, some things in scripture are said to belong to God only, and this is one of them. Vengeance belongs to God only. It humbles us to know that that's true. It's necessary that we know this, and it's necessary that we own it, so that in our life we'll have the proper attitude, that we will have an attitude of humility. These things belong to the Lord only. They don't belong to me. They don't belong to you.

And so that makes sense because here he says in verse one, O Lord, to whom vengeance belongeth, O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, show thyself. He's praying that God's vengeance would be seen and would come about. But he asks in the next part, in verse three, how long, how long, how long shall the wicked triumph? That's what verse three. So he doesn't see it and he's asking when, when are you going to bring it about?

Now, the fact that this vengeance belongs to God only should comfort us. It should endear the Lord to us, just like knowing everything that belongs to God only should endear Him to us. If it belongs to Him, then first we know when He executes, when He renders judgment, when He renders vengeance, it will be right.

It will be. Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? We know it will be right. So we don't have to worry, do we? And the timing, the timing of that wrath that God pours out, that also is in the Lord's hands alone. So we are also comforted. And the Lord, His goodness is seen in the fact that He's long-suffering. He's long-suffering.

This is important to us. He says, I want to read this to you in 2 Peter. In 2 Peter chapter 3, he says this. He says, Beloved, be not ignorant, this is verse 8 of 2 Peter 3. Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. So the psalmist is saying, how long? But God sees things in a different time scale than we do. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness. but is long-suffering to us-ward."

This is verse nine of 2 Peter 3. Not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. This is God's long-suffering. So we can see that the timing of his vengeance has a reason behind it. And what is that? God is long-suffering.

Remember in the days of Noah, 120 years the ark was preparing and the Lord was long-suffering in that day. He says that in 1 Peter chapter 3. But he goes on in verse 10, but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in the which the heaven shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat.

The earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. That's vengeance. That's eternal fire. He says, seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting to the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

Nevertheless, notice, we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. He goes on, verse 14, wherefore, beloved, seeing that you look for such things, be diligent that you may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless, and account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation, even as our beloved brother Paul, also according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you.

All right, so this is why God's taking his time, isn't it? Every day the Lord doesn't bring vengeance is another day of salvation for his people. And that's what he's saying. He's long-suffering to us-ward, to those who were, as he said in verse 1 of 2 Peter, who were given this precious faith by an allotment from God. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in his righteousness. So it's important that the Lord himself execute judgment because he'll bring it in his way, the manner of it, and the timing of it, and the timing of it will be such that he accomplishes his saving work. The long-suffering of God is salvation.

And so think about it in your own life, if the Lord would have returned and brought vengeance before he brought you to faith in Christ by his grace, through his word, by his spirit, where would you be? So we desire our children, our families, and lots of people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the Lord.

This is what 2 Timothy says in 2 Timothy chapter two. I'll read this also to you. He says this in verse 24. The servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient in meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves.

If God, peradventure, will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. We want that, don't we? We want God to give repentance, to grant repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, to faith in Christ.

Now I want to read another verse with you in John, the Gospel of John chapter 3. I think this verse helps us a great deal in Psalm 94. Look at John chapter 3. And I'm having you turn there because I want you to have it right in front of your eyes. He says in verse 36, this is John 3, verse 36.

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. And he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. Okay, now notice in this verse there are some who have everlasting life, and there are some upon whom the wrath of God is now abiding."

It hasn't been poured out yet, but it is. It's withheld. It's not being poured out yet, but it will be poured out, according to God's truth, that He is the God of vengeance. And yet, there are some, believing Christ, who are not going to have that vengeance, that wrath of God will not abide on them.

And I think that that's the key to unlock Psalm 94, because what he's saying here in Psalm 94 is the great comfort of the vengeance of God. We don't think of God's vengeance as comforting, but in fact, it is. Look at Isaiah chapter 61, for example, and this might surprise you to find this here in Isaiah 61. It turns out that when Jesus began his public ministry, he mentioned the vengeance of God. And notice, he didn't do it in a way of condemnation, but he spoke of it in a way of salvation. So in Isaiah 61, in verse one, you'll recognize these as the words of Christ from Luke chapter four, but he says, the spirit of the Lord God is upon me.

Because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

That's the year of Jubilee, which is a day of redemption. All of the land would be given back to its rightful owner who had received it by an inheritance from God, by promise. The land that was given by God, by promise, as an inheritance, was returned at that time to the rightful owner. And that's what God has given us, an inheritance in Christ, isn't it? That's the year of Jubilee. And Jesus said he came to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, the year of Jubilee.

And all the debts were forgiven. And he says in the next verse, and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all that mourn, to appoint to them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. So there's something about God's vengeance then that is connected to our salvation. And in John 3, 36, whoever believes on the Son has everlasting life.

How is it then, and here's the question, how is it then that God, whose glory it is, his revealed glory is that he will by no means clear the guilty, how is it then that God would not bring vengeance on those who believe on him? Is it because of their faith, that he looks at their faith and he says, well, that's okay because that's going to wipe away their sins or establish righteousness because they believe. Is that it? No, no, that's not it. Actually, The reason is that those who believe on Christ, the reason that vengeance doesn't come upon them is that because those who believe on Christ, God poured out his vengeance on his son in their redemption.

And so what we learn is that even though we deserve the vengeance of God, because we're really no different, are we, than the wicked that are described in Psalm 94? Are we different than them? Can we really find a difference? Doesn't the Bible say all have sinned, and that the wages of sin is death, and that there's not a just man on earth who sinneth not?

And so we see that there's no difference between us. We were like others. We walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, and we were children of wrath. By nature we were children of wrath, even as others, according to Ephesians 2.

And so, something had to happen, didn't it? And God is saying to those who believe on Christ, vengeance has already passed. And Jesus promised even in the opening sermon of his ministry that he came to declare the day of vengeance, the day of vengeance of our God. And what we find is that, what is surprising is what we see is that in our redemption, God executed the vengeance upon his people but not upon them in their own individual person, but on them in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's the phenomenal thing.

Look at Isaiah chapter 63. Isaiah 63, it says this in verse one, who is this that comes from Edom with dyed garments from Basra? This that is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. So who is the one that's coming? The one who is mighty to save, the one who speaks in righteousness. And he's coming from Edom. Edom is the land of Esau. That's the people God hated.

And he's coming with his garments there. He's traveling in the greatness of his strength, his dyed garments. He says in verse two, wherefore art thou red? in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine-fat." So in coming from Edom, he's coming with garments that are dyed red because of the wine-fat. It's like he tread in a wine-press. He says in verse three, I've trodden the wine-press alone, and of the people there was none with me.

For I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. He says in verse four, for the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. You see how the Lord joins those two things together here? The day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. So in this one It is one act here. There's both vengeance and redemption. Now, how can that be? Well, he goes on in verse five, I looked, there was none to help. I wondered that there was none to uphold. Therefore, my own arm brought salvation to me and my fury, it upheld me.

And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth. There's two things being spoken of here. The redemption of God's people, John 3, 36, whoever believes on the Son has everlasting life. And the judgment of the unbelieving, he says, I will tread down the people in my anger. And the way that he redeemed his people is that the Lord Jesus Christ took their sin, and under God's law, the curse of God's law was poured out on Him. He redeemed us from the curse of God's law, being made a curse for us. And that was the outpouring of God's wrath. That was the just repayment, the rendering of justice to His people in their surety, in their Redeemer. And it was in that way he gave himself a ransom for many, that he redeemed them.

And that redemption was a redemption from sin, because he says, for example, in Titus 2.14, that he has redeemed us from all iniquity. from all iniquity by His precious blood. He redeemed us to God by His own precious blood." Revelation 5, verse 9. And we know also that He redeemed us from death. He says, O death, I will be thy plagues. I will redeem them from death and the grave. And that's in Hosea, chapter 13, verse 14.

And then He redeems us from this present evil world. It says that in Galatians 1 verse 4, He gave Himself for our sins that He might deliver us from this present evil world. And He redeemed us from Satan. He redeemed us from all of the... judgment that Satan would have brought from God's hand because of our sin. And that was Satan's motive to murder his people, or to murder God's people, Christ's people, by bringing them under the judgment of God, tempting them to sin against God and bringing his wrath upon them.

But in the redeeming work of Christ, he not only delivered them from these things, but he delivered them to the glorious liberty. He not only visited God's wrath poured out His fury and vengeance upon Christ for them, but He also delivered them to the glorious liberty of the children of God. He made them heirs, joint heirs with Christ, heirs of God, the children of God. And so He qualified them, He prepared them to receive a heavenly kingdom, an inheritance, that was only for God's children. That's a redemption. That's what the year of Jubilee signified.

And so, if you turn to Romans, chapter five, I think there's a couple verses in the New Testament, in the revelation of the gospel there, that makes this abundantly clear. In Romans, chapter five, he says this, and as soon as we read this, you'll see this, when it connects to the wrath of God, from John three, verse 36. He says, in Romans five, God, in verse 8, God commended His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, much more than being now justified by His blood. You see, it was the obedience of Christ unto death that justified us.

We shall be saved from wrath through him. How is it that those who believe on Christ never come unto the vengeance of God? It's not because they don't deserve it. It's not because by their faith they somehow made up for a broken law. But it's because Christ died for them. It's because by His blood shed for them, God received full satisfaction to His wrath, to His justice. All of His judgments were poured out on the Lord Jesus Christ for them.

Look at Romans chapter 6. In verse six, he says, knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, our old man, the body of our sins. He says, let's see, in verse six, knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed. that henceforth we should not serve sin. You see, there's that deliverance. What happened to the body of sins?

Destroyed. That's vengeance. And what was the result? Well, we were set free. What? That we should not serve sin. That's liberty. Verse seven, he that is dead is justified from sin. The word freed means justified here. If we be dead with Christ, we believe we shall also live with him. So we've been delivered from wrath. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, he says it that way. He says in verse, let me start with verse 5.

He says, you are all the children of light and the children of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober for they that sleep, sleep in the night. They that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on, and this is all an act of looking to Christ in faith, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.

For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. We've already been delivered from death. Whether we're alive, awake, in this life, and still in our bodies, or whether our bodies sleep in death, we're together with Christ. And that's why He died for us, so that we would be together with Him. He brought us to Himself. He put us in relation to God as dear children. He translated us into the kingdom of God's dear Son. This is all the work of God by the Lord Jesus Christ, because He did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation.

But look at Romans chapter 9. In Romans chapter 9, He didn't do this for every person, did He? There are some, according to Psalm 94, according to Isaiah 63 that we just read, some who are going to receive this wrath, this vengeance, this rendering of judgment. He says in Romans chapter 9, and this is a fairly lengthy text of scripture.

Let me get right to the point here in verse 22. In verse 22 of Romans 9, 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? So God doesn't bring his vengeance upon the vessels of wrath, because of his long-suffering. And we can see why in the next verse, and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory." Now, we understand that this distinction is God's doing. He made the difference, didn't he? Look back up in Romans chapter 9. He says in verse six, not as though the word of God has taken an effect.

There's a lot of people who had the name of being Israelites, but they weren't true Israelites. And even though they were all called Israel, God's word didn't fail. It wasn't a fault with God's word. He goes on. It was not as though the word of God has taken an effect, for they are not all Israel which are of Israel. The reason that many perished in Israel under the wrath of God is because they weren't truly of Israel.

And he goes on to say who those are. Neither because they are the seed of Abraham, the physical descendants, are they all children, but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. So he's gonna use Old Testament history to make a spiritual truth evident. He uses Isaac. In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That was God's promise.

So he says in verse 8, that is, they which are the children of the flesh, the natural born Israelites, these are not the children of God. They're not spiritually born, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. You see, God's people, Abraham's true seed, are not those born to Abraham physically, but those who are born of God. of promise. God promised salvation to them before the world began.

Verse 9, he says, for this is the word of promise, at this time will I come and Sarah shall have a son. Speaking of Isaac. So it's clear that that was a promise. Therefore Isaac was a child of promise. And verse 10, and not only Isaac compared to Ishmael, who wasn't of promise, but when Rebekah also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac, for the children, those two twins, the twins in Rebekah's womb, Esau, Jacob and Esau. He says, 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. That's God's purpose of election. Not of works. It's not going to be.

But of him that calleth. It was said to her, Rebecca, the elder, Esau, shall serve the younger, Jacob. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. And people say, no, he didn't really mean hate there. He meant he didn't love him as much. But that's not what the next verse says. What shall we say then?

Is there unrighteousness with God? Can God love less? Does God love less? Or does he love all of his people in Christ with the same love as he loves his son? Surely it's the same love with which he loves his son, because he's chosen them in Christ. And Jesus prayed that in John 17. But here, what he's saying is that if God truly loved Jacob and hated Esau before either of them were born, and they hadn't done any good or evil, then there must be unrighteousness with God, isn't there?

No. Next verse. He says at the end of verse 14, God forbid, no. Verse 15, he says, but he saith to Moses, now he's gonna use another scripture, he's gonna refer to scripture to prove the truth that he stated and that was objected to. When he says, is there unrighteousness with God? But in verse 15, he's gonna prove it from scripture.

The highest possible authority. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. That's in Exodus 33. And I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So I'm sovereign, the Lord is saying, and I give mercy to whom I will.

I chose Isaac. I chose Abraham. I chose Isaac. I chose Jacob. I did not choose Ishmael. I did not choose Esau. And the evidence was God's testimony. I've loved Jacob. I have hated Esau. And there is no unrighteousness with God. God can't do wrong. because he even said so in Exodus 33 to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. Okay, well, if mercy and compassion is God's prerogative, what are we gonna do? Are we gonna object to it? No, we're gonna submit to it, aren't we?

Because we trust him that if he has mercy on those who are the same in their nature, as those upon whom he has wrath, then the salvation is not of him that works, but of him that calleth. It's a promise. It's not our works, it's his work. Verse 16, so then it is not of him that willeth, it's not our will, nor of him that runneth, not our striving, not our working, but of God that shows mercy. That means the mercy of God is sure. That means that mercy cannot fail. That means it's without our works. That means it's in spite of our sin.

And that means it's upon all those who also are given faith out of that same grace and mercy. Verse 17, for the scripture said to 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. This is what God did to Pharaoh.

He was not a vessel of mercy, a vessel of wrath. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then to me, why didst yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay, but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? And he quotes another scripture, shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why has 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?

You see, when God says he hated Jacob, because we always have trouble with that, don't we? Instead of saying, why did God love Jacob? We say, why did God hate Esau? Isn't that our natural tendency? Well, because we know ourselves to be no different than Esau, and if God hated Esau, then we could say, he would hate me, right? But we don't stop to think, why would God love Jacob? And he's saying, who has resisted his will?

Was it unjust for God to love Jacob? It wasn't unjust if God loved him in Christ, because Christ would fulfill God's law and answer God's justice to the satisfaction of his wrath in his own substitutionary death. Was it unjust for God to hate Esau? No, because for God to hate Esau means that God left him to answer for his own works.

Is that unjust? Isn't that what men want by nature is for God to give them what they earn? So it's not unjust at all. And besides the fact that God can do what is his with what he will. He can give grace as he chooses. And he did that in that parable of the penny, where he gave those at the end of the day the same that he gave at the first. But the point here is, verse 22, if God is willing to show His wrath and make His power known, He endures 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 had aforeprepared to glory even us, whom He hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. It doesn't matter whether you're a Jew or a Gentile. Your physical birth doesn't make a bit of difference. It's only God's grace in Christ.

As he said in Hosea, I will call them my people, which were not my people, the Gentiles, and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass that in the place where it was said to them, you are not my people, there shall they be called the children of the living God.

Isaiah also crieth concerning Israel, though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved, a small amount. He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because a short work will the Lord make on the earth. And Isaiah said before, as Isaiah said before, except the Lord of Sabaoth, the Lord of the host of the armies of heaven, had left us a seed. Unless he had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom and Gomorrah What shall we say then?

This is what we say, that the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. You see, we look to Christ who is our righteousness. They've attained righteousness. It was a gift from God. And because of that righteousness, God gave them life in their souls by His Spirit and by His Word unto faith in Christ.

But Israel, which followed after the law, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they sought it not by faith. They considered their own works they preferred their own righteousness to Christ. But as it were, by the works of the law, they sought it.

For they stumbled at Christ, the stumbling stone, as it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. Verse four of the next chapter, For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. Why is it that God says that His people, believing Him, believing Christ, His Son, have everlasting life?

Because vengeance has already been poured out. And He declared the day of vengeance of our God when He rendered, He offered Himself to God, He answered God's wrath. with himself, and he asked the Lord in that offering of himself, let these go their way. If you seek me, in John 18, verse eight, then let these go their way. In Genesis 44, he says, let me abide a servant to my Lord instead of the lad, and let the lad go up to his father with his brethren.

What mercy, isn't it, that the judge of all we couldn't answer his judgment, we couldn't satisfy his wrath, but he had mercy upon us in Christ, so that all of the vengeance of God's eternal justice were poured out on the propitiation for our sins. That's who he is. God made his love known to us, that he made his son the propitiation for our sins. He endured the wrath.

Psalm 85, he says this, He says, Lord, Thou has been favorable to Thy land, Thou has brought back the captivity of Jacob, Thou has forgiven the iniquity of Thy people, Thou has covered all their sins, Thou has taken away all Thy wrath, Thou has turned Thyself from the fierceness of Thine anger. Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause Thine anger toward us to cease.

You see this? This is all praying the truth, Isaiah chapter 12. He says, and in that day thou shalt say, O Lord. Let me read that to you in Isaiah chapter 12. Make sure I get it right. I love this verse. He says, in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee.

Though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me. Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song. He also is become my salvation. Jesus, that's his name, for he shall save his people from their sins. Jehovah is salvation. That's the other thing that belongs to God only, salvation. It's his initiative. It's his providing. It's His performing, it's His accepting, and it's His application, it's His giving.

He chose us to salvation. What a marvelous Lord. And see, the psalmist in Psalm 94 is saying this because when he sees the wicked and knows they deserve vengeance, and he wants God's vengeance to be known, to be poured out on them, he understands that he himself is like them. And so he says, blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, because in the chastening of seeing this God using the wicked to bring judgment upon his people, he's saying God is going to bring vengeance upon us. But he's delivered us from this. And how is that going to happen? He's going to do it in his son. And that's when he sees, oh, this chasing of God brings me to the comfort of God. And what is that?

The Lord has you've received double for all your sins. You see vengeance and redemption all in one stroke in the Lord Jesus Christ. God has done this. What an amazing grace. Amazing grace, let's pray. Father, we thank you that all that we deserve from your hand in justice, your fury poured out, was put in a cup, and our dear Savior drank it himself to the very dregs, and he's taken that cup from our hand, and we will not drink it anymore. He himself now pleads for us, who died for us, at the right hand of God, he advocates for us, He presents Himself and in Himself presents us, holy, without blame, before God in love. What amazing grace, what great salvation. Thank you for chasing in us and bringing us in that chastening to see our salvation in Christ fully and alone in Him. In His name we pray, Amen.