If you will, turn back in your
Bibles to Romans 11. Romans 11, and you can follow
me in your pastor's outline if you wish. We are at the apex
or zenith of the apostles' theological treaties on the subject of the
gospel relative to the church at Rome. I say the zenith because
he has come to a point of recapitulating certain realities about what
he has stated for a number of chapters now. He opens up chapter
11 in the manner in which he does, if you recalled the questions
that he raised, hath God cast away his people? That's a conclusion
really that he's drawing. It's an interrogative question
that's really predicated upon his whole argument that Israel
has failed to obtain that righteousness that God has revealed. And the
calamity of their failure, which is described at the end of Romans
chapter 9, and again described by Paul at the end of Romans
chapter 10, forces him to raise a question that would be a conclusion
for most of us. That if Israel has so miserably
Abandon the gospel the way they have historically. Isn't it logical
that God has cast them away? Now you have to think in terms
of the author and his own personal investment in national Israel. The one that's speaking is himself
a Jew. The one that's speaking is also
the one whom God has used to explain to the whole church of
Rome exactly what God was up to when he used Israel and then
had to discard them because of their disobedience and rebellion.
So there is a pathos in this question verse 1 of chapter 11
I say then has God cast away his people because the conclusion
by virtue of Romans 9 32 and 33 in Romans 10 19 through 21
would tell us that he did he cast them away listen to the
reading of Romans 9 32 and 33 wherefore I Because they saw it not by faith
that is that righteousness to which they never obtained But
as it were by the works of the law for they stumbled at the
stumbling stone that stumbling stone being home Christ as it
is written behold I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock
of offense and whosoever Believe it on him shall not be ashamed.
That's Paul's argument, but he says Israel failed to obtain
it Once we went into chapter 10, as we learned over the last
couple of weeks, that faith comes by what? And hearing by what? And the very magnanimous expression
that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved was uttered in the context of this statement. But Israel
has not obeyed the gospel. And then it closes out chapter
10 this way in verse 18. But I say, have they not heard? Who? Israel. Yes, verily, their
sound went into all the earth and their words unto the end
of the world. But I say, did not Israel know? First Moses says, I will provoke
you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish
nation will I anger you. But Isaiah is very bold when
he says, I was found of them that sought me not. I was made
manifest unto them that asked not after me. Who is he talking
about? The Gentiles. Then he closes
but to Israel he said all day long Have I stretched forth my
hands unto a disobedient and talking back people Now this is the context in which
chapter 11 opens up You need to know that you need to know
that what Paul is about to do in chapter 11 is is sum up everything
that he said in chapters 1 through chapter 9. And that's why the
language opens up in our text in which it does. And as he is
speaking these things, seeking to carefully contextualize what
he is about to say now, he deals with three radically important
realities that we also will call doctrines from which I get the
title of our message today. He deals with election, he deals
with grace, and he deals with reprobation. All in the 11 verses
opening chapter 11. Election, grace, and reprobation. The three clear undeniable doctrines
of this opening text. But this is also, if you will
saints, the way the apostle has laid out the whole argument of
the book of Romans in reverse. So when we understand Romans
1 through 9, here's what we understand. Paul started off arguing God's
revelation and righteous justice to reprobate men and women who
rebelled against the gospel. That's how he opens Romans, remember?
Romans 1 18. But the wrath of God is revealed
against all unrighteousness and injustice of men who are constantly
suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. You remember that? This is God's
righteous revelation of reprobation. And then he says over in verse
26 that he gave them up He gave them up to vile affections, Romans
1, 26. He gave them up to vile affections.
He gave them over to the lust of their own flesh. He gave them
over to the passions of their own heart. Do you guys remember
his lengthy argument that when you and I Persistently reject
the gospel. He gives us over to base Emotions
and base fillings and purse perverse Passions that lead us into a
corrupt state for this cause God did what gave them up? That's the term we use theologically
for reprobation watch this unto vile affections for even their
women did change the natural use into that which is against
what a verse 27 listen to it and likewise also the men leaving
the natural use of the woman burned in their lust one towards
another men with men working that which is unseemly and receiving
in themselves that recompense of their error which was me and
verse 28 closes this way listen to it and even as they did not
like to retain God in their knowledge is that our present culture Is
that the condition and state of the world in which we are
presently in? Are we in a Neo-Roman culture at this time? Listen
to it. God gave them over to a reprobate
mind. Romans chapter 1 deals with reprobation
as the first argument of God's righteous wrath against a world
that rejected the gospel. You remember what he said in
romans 1 16 and 17 for I am not ashamed of the gospel For it
is the power of god and the salvation to everyone that believes to
the jew first and then also to the gentiles For therein is the
righteousness of god revealed what righteousness god's righteous
act To reprobate men and women who reject his revelation god's
righteous act to save whom he wills, how he wills, when he
wills, and God's righteous act to save them according to his
own electing love and grace. That encompasses Romans 1 through
Romans 9. Romans 1, God's righteous revelation
and wrath to reprobate society. Romans 2 through Romans 7 is
God's righteous revelation to show favor to guilty sinners
by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God argues that
I can save whom I will on the merits of Christ's death and
shed blood so that merely by faith they get to enter into
my blessings. Was that not Paul's argument?
And he's telling his Jewish brethren, you cannot get in by your works.
It can only be done by faith. So he builds up his argument
in Romans chapter 3 verse 24 through 26 Follow the argument
as we move from God's righteous revelation of reprobation in
chapters 1 and 2 to God's righteous favor and Grace shown in the
salvation of sinners in chapter 3 verse 24. Are you there? being
justified how freely by his what and Through the redemption that
is in Christ Jesus. That is not by the works of the
law or by anything that you and I have done. We have been justified
freely by his what? This is Paul's argument to his
Jewish brethren who are demanding that men get right with God by
what they do. And he's telling them you can
only get right with God by what he did. And God has revealed
this in the gospel and he's revealing it here. Mark it now. being justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ,
whom God, that is Christ, whom God the Father has set forth,
appointed Him, manifested Him to be what? A propitiation. What
does that mean? A sacrifice for sin. A proper
sacrifice by which God's justice is satisfied. A proprietary sacrifice
by which God now can be at peace with you and me through His death.
Christ was appointed to die that I might live. He was appointed
to die that sinners might live. Are you guys hearing what I'm
saying? Christ was set forth as the lamb slain from the foundation
of the world, picked up in Genesis three, carried all the way to
the gospel of Matthew, where he hangs on the cross saying,
it is what? The lamb slain revealed in Revelation
chapter 4 and 5 as that precious lamb that sits at the right hand
of God ruling over the whole world Bringing lost sinners to
God the Father through him This is Paul's argument that salvation
is only by Faith in this lamb. That's his argument. Look at
the language whom God set forth to be a propitiation through
what? That's always a term and device that Paul is using to
say leave your hands off of it It's always a term that says,
don't think about your good works as a basis for getting right
with God. In this context, faith is simply trusting the merits
of Him. You guys got that? And apart
from that, you cannot be right with God. That's his whole argument. And the thing is, for those of
you who don't know, is when you are wondering what is God up
to where people are getting saved and trusting Christ and there's
this peace in their conscience and there's joy in their soul
and they're walking at liberty and openly honoring God and loving
God and enjoying God, and yet you look at them and they still
toe up. How they get to enjoy God when I know they still a
mess. Faith in Christ alone. Which is a mystery to a lost
person until they're brought into the experience of that grace. Are you guys hearing what I'm
saying? So what Paul is doing in Romans 11, as we're about
to unpack, is simply in reverse what he has done for nine chapters
in exposing God's right to reprobate men and God's right to save men
by faith through the merits of Jesus Christ. And finally, God's
right, Romans chapter 9, verse 24, God's right to save whom
he wills, how he wills, and when he wills. We call this the doctrine
of election. It's the doctrine of God's saving
election, whereby God has the rights. Let me start back at
verse 11, Romans 9, 11, and verse 12, and then we'll conclude with
verse 24. Notice what it says in Romans 9, 11, going back and
remembering what Paul's argument was, because for Paul, here it
is, you guys, on a personal psychological level, it's tearing him apart
to have to explain the failed history of Israel, his own people,
whom he's a part of, and how over and over and over again
God had to destroy them because they would not submit to God's
righteousness. And while he's explaining it,
he's thinking about how he was just like them a few years earlier. And so for him to be sharing
with you a history of criminal behavior on the part of a privileged
people who abandoned God for idols that could not save, Paul
is reflecting on how it used to be him. And this is a good
point of application for you and I who are believers in Christ.
It used to be us. And because it used to be us,
we ought to have a level of sympathy for people who are lost. And
especially our own kinsmen. Our own relatives. So Paul is sharing this with
a great sense of pathos. Are you guys with me so far?
This is pathos from what he's saying. For the children being
not yet born, neither having done good or evil, that the purpose
of God, according to what? Might stand on the grounds of
grace and not works. Three doctrines that men really
don't like. The fact that God has a right
to condemn. The fact that God has a right
to say, the fact that God has a right to choose. Men hate the
fact that God is sovereign. Are you guys hearing me? And
so as we move into the 11th chapter, the question, have God cast away
his people? When we read the Old Testament
and see how almost everyone in Israel abandoned God, the logical
question is, it appears that they have. but paul wants us
to think it through now as we work through our five points
today point number one is which israel did god cast out now that's
coming from your pastor and it's coming from your pastor because
i'm rephrasing the question understanding that most people are not as discerning
as they ought to be theologically to know that when Paul raises
the question, did God cast away his people? The answer has to
be both yes and no. Do you guys get that? It has to be both yes and no.
And because it's both yes and no, the question is, which Israel
did God cast out? Because if you know your Bible
as you ought to know your Bible, as God demands that you know
your Bible, God cast an Israel out. God had typically all throughout
history cast out every covenant people who rebelled against him
God's used to casting folks out Sub point number one the sons
of the kingdom cast out Who said that? Jesus did Matthew chapter
8 verse 11 and 12 watch it. Our Christ had just our Lord
had just received a man who was a Gentile he was a ruler and
centurion and that centurion wanted his servant healed and
And he heard that Jesus was a healer. And what he said was, Lord, I
got a servant that's sick. And you know, you don't have
to come to my house because I'm just like you. I rule over people.
I have people under me and I'm under authority as well. And
I tell people to do this and I tell people to do that. All
I need you to do, Lord, is send your word and your word will
heal my servant. And our Lord turned to all the
Jews and said, I ain't never seen faith like that. That's
my translation. I've never seen faith like that
in all of Israel. He was amazed at how a Gentile
outside of the church, a non-religious person, a non-Christian could
believe in his capacity to heal from right where he was. This
gives us little insights on how sometimes you and I get a little
pagan. We think we got to go somewhere
to get God's blessing. You get in trouble. I got to
go to church. No, you don't. You got to stay right where you
are and ask God for mercy right where you are, right in your
spot. If you got to go to church, what happens if you get hit by
a car between the time you leave to go to the church? Are you
praying, Lord, keep me from dying before I can get to the church
so the folks can pray for me? See, at that point, we're being
pagan, aren't we? It's very important that we understand location,
proximity, participation, identification with the communion of the saints
in prayer. That's a whole nother subject.
It's important to be part of a praying community. There is
no doubt about it. But as this centurion understood,
he didn't feel even worthy of Christ coming into his house.
He said, just send your word. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we
could believe God for him just sending his word? And here's
where Christ began to admonish them. I say unto you that many
shall come from the east and the west and shall sit down with
who? Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in
the kingdom of heaven, verse 12. But the children of the kingdom,
who is that? National Israel, shall be cast
out into utter what? And there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth. So our Lord is talking about casting out
a people group who have rejected Messiah and the ultimate casting
out is for them to perish. You and I can't deny that. Hosea
chapter 8, around verse 8 in the book of Hosea, it underscores
this also with regards to how God had basically abandoned Israel
because of their rebellion. Listen to Hosea chapter 8, verse
8. Are you there? Israel is swallowed up. Now shall
they be among the what? As a vessel wherein is no what?
The metaphor by the prophets speaking to the ten northern
tribes is that God would take that vessel that was set apart
and sanctified for his use. That's called sanctification.
But because of its rebellion, it has now been swallowed up
by the pagan practices of the world and God no longer identifies
it as his own people. So then what does he do with
that vessel? He throws it among all the other vessels and he
does not see a distinction between Israel and the Gentiles. That's
what it means to be cast out. And we have patterns of being
cast out all through the Old Testament, do we not? Adam and
Eve were cast out of the garden, were they not? Israel was cast
out of the nation into which they were because of their rebellion
and disobedience against God's law, were they not? And ultimately
the kingdom of God was taken from Israel during the days of
our Lord Jesus as he warned them, the kingdom will be taken from
you and given to others bearing the fruit thereof. Is that true?
So the question that I am posing, going back to our point, is which
Israel did God cast out? It's valid, isn't it? Since I
understand history, and I know that God has been getting rid
of Jews and Gentiles, particularly those who profess covenant because
of their rebellion. And this becomes sticky because
on a theological level, some of us believe in once saved,
always saved. And then on another hand, we
wonder about how is it that a person can appear to be saved, go to
church, understand doctrine, call on the name of Jesus, and
then one day fall away. Be cast away from the faith.
Isn't that a struggle? Right, but we make the clear distinction
as we are here now Contextually that there is a people that only
appear to be in the kingdom Who bear the superficial marks of
the kingdom, but not the real? substance of the kingdom and
Paul taught us this in Romans chapter 2 didn't he when he told
us that a Jew is not one who is circumcised in the flesh and
Romans 2 28 and following is that what he said and yet you
and I are still I mean You and I are still wrestling with trying
to identify Jews on an ethnic level Are we not and get this
ethnic Jew said a real Jew? Is circumcised in the heart?
Whose praises of God not of men the false Jew was cast out when
Christ took the kingdom and gave it to the church and Are you
guys hearing what I'm saying? But now what Paul is going to
do is explain that you need to parse between the true Jew and
the false Jew. Let's go back to Romans chapter
11 and work through this. Point number one. Which Israel did
God cast out? Here's the answer. Are you ready?
The ones he did not foreknow. See, I told you what he's doing
in Romans 11. is giving us a more concise expression of what he's
developed over the whole of chapters 1 through 10. You've heard that
word for no before, haven't you? For whom he did for no, he also
did predestinate to be conformed to the image of Christ. Those
he predestinated, he also has justified. Those he justified,
he also has glorified. Who did he cast out? The ones
he did not foreknow. Are you guys hearing me? Listen
to how the text works. Verse 2. When he says, God hath
not cast away his people, he didn't stop right there, did
he? What does he go on to say? Which he foreknew. He's assuming
that you've been trekking with him for the previous 10 chapters. that you don't have such a soundbite
mentality that you forgot what he said in Romans 8 28 that all
things work together for good to them that love God to them
that are thee called not called That's a verb. The called is
an adjective. It describes the state of a people.
Are you the called? Have you heard the gospel? Do
you believe the gospel? Is Christ your shepherd? Are
you his sheep? Do you hear his voice? Do you
hear him speaking to you specifically? If you do, then you are the called
and you are called according to his purpose. You got that? And then everything is working
together for good for you. for whom he called him he also
predestinated to be conformed to the image of Christ. These
are the people that he has not cast away. And that context needs
to be understood as we're developing Romans chapter 11. And he's speaking
with regards to our need as Gentiles to get this reality that as bad
as it was looking for national Israel, he wants us to do what
I think you need to be able to do today too. Because you know,
sometimes we look on the church, don't we? And we see that it's
a mess. Is that true? It is. But we fail
to acknowledge that we are a mess too. I told you the psychologists
have plainly stated it. Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's
the fairest of them all? And Mr. and Mrs. Narcissist is
the person we see in the mirror. We never ever give ourselves
a legitimate and true assessment of ourselves. We're always just
a little bit better than everybody else. When in fact of matter,
except for the grace of God, there go on. But Paul has already
treated this theology all through the book of Romans. There's none
righteous. No, not one. There's none that
seek after God. There's none that do it good.
There's none that understand. Now, when you believe the true
gospel, here's what you know. We can stop all this measuring
ourselves against other people. We're all worms. Is that true? Pastor, I don't like being called
a worm. You want me to call you something
worse? Because I can. And I've told people this before,
you can't be saved until you're lost. You can't see until you
acknowledge that you're blind. You can't be liberated until
you know you are bound, a hell bound, hell bound, hell bound
sinner. You can't be set free until you
know you're bound by sin. You can't say yes to Jesus until
you are willing to say no to you. Are you guys hearing what
I'm saying? So what the gospel does when
it makes us uncomfortable, it's because it's leveling everybody
to the ground. And when you look up, no heads
are standing but one, and his name is Jesus. You got that? His name is Jesus. So what you
see being dealt with in Romans 11 is actually a reaffirmation
of things we have already developed over the last 10 chapters. Y'all
following me so far? So that if you are trekking with
Paul in this excursion of a gospel treatise, he is now dealing with
trying to explain to his Gentile brethren what has happened to
Israel because he suspects that his Gentile brethren are inclined
to do now what his Jewish brethren did then. both in God choosing
them. Now I know that, now I know you
don't do that. You don't, you don't, you don't do that. But
those Gentiles did back then, not us now. And so our context
is dealing with that. Which Israel did God cast out?
Quickly then, points A, B, and C. Are you ready? The sons of
the kingdom were cast out. That's national Israel. Adam
was cast out, was he not? As a pattern. And finally, a
remnant is always what? So while God is doing all this
casting out, if you read your Bible carefully, doesn't he hide
one under his shoulder? Doesn't he stick one under the
bush? Doesn't he put one in a little basket and send him down the
river? Doesn't he know how to hide a ram in the thicket? While
he tears everything else up, he saves one to start all over
again. Because all God needs is one. God and one is a nation. So he always has what we call
a reserved people of God. because god can't what lie he
can't what change and he can't what fail so even though we fail
god's purposes are going to be what fulfilled this is where
paul now talks in verses three through five these words i want
you to get it in romans 11 three through five here's what he says
He's arguing now. In fact, he's arguing in verse
2. God had not cast away his people for whom he foreknew.
Do you not know what the scripture says of Elias, how that he's
making intercession to God against Israel? Lord, they have killed
your prophets and digged up your altars, and I am left alone,
and they are seeking my what? But what saith the answer of
God unto him? I have what? Reserved to myself. See? Now here's what he did. He made
a distinction between these hell-bound rebels who were pretending to
love Jesus, who actually hated the gospel enough to want to
kill God's servant, whom Elijah was. Remember that? Because on
the throne was a woman. That's a whole other message. Whose husband was a wimp, which
is message two. And the two were running Israel
And they had raised up in Israel a wholesale system of idolatry
and apostasy. You want to talk about leavening
the whole lump of Israel at that time? 800 years before Christ? Ahab and Jezebel set false prophets
all through Israel and set up false churches all through Israel.
And in short order, the whole of the nation just about apostatized. And how bad was it? I taught
you guys two weeks ago that when the gospel is preached to you
and you reject that gospel because you are seeking righteousness
by your own good works, that ultimately you will turn hostile
to the gospel. Isn't that what I taught you?
And so church history is laden with this fact. When the church
goes apostate, it ultimately will not only reject the gospel,
it will persecute God's faithful servants. And this is the context
in which Elijah is living because Jezebel is on the throne with
her hyper-feminism and her husband is failing to exercise his divine
authority as the patriarchal head and king and the true gospel
has been emaciated. The temple is now empty and all
of the harlot shrines and prostitutes are everywhere and they're engaging
in bell worship everywhere. And yet once or twice or even
three times a year, they come saying, Lord, Lord, But you know
who they hate? The gospel preacher. Because
the gospel preacher is calling you back to a monotheistic God
who is sovereign, who has a right to damn and save, whose law we
have broken, and until we admit that we are lawbreakers, we are
under the wrath of God. Are you guys hearing what I'm
saying? So the context here in Romans chapter 11 is that Paul
wants you and I to understand. Yes, while the mass, the vast
majority of the Israelites are persecuting the true prophets,
God has reserved 7,000. That's a small number compared
to the millions, isn't it? But here's the point, not so
much the numbers, it's the act of God to preserve a people for
himself. But what's the answer of God?
I have reserved to myself 7,000. You guys see that? I'll teach
you a quick Bible lesson before I go on. If you would have been
with us in our Wednesday psalm class, you would have learned
in Psalm 16 that God preserves His elect and He reserves the
wicked for the day of judgment. That preservation is God's act
of keeping us in the totality of our being so that we don't
corrupt or apostatize or go away from the faith or are destroyed.
That's how much care God has for your soul when you're His.
Are you guys hearing me? This is how much care he has
for you. And this is why the believer every day ought to give
God thanks for waking up in your right mind. Waking up with your
mind on Christ waking up with your heart still devoted to the
gospel waking up with a clear understanding that you need his
righteousness Waking up with a clear understanding that because
God is immutable and unchangeable Your salvation is secure based
upon his faithfulness now when you think like that It's because
God kept your mind because he kept your heart. He kept your
soul. He preserved you. Are you hearing
what I'm saying? now when he reserves people it
simply means he keeps him in a holding pattern and And according
to Job, he reserves the wicked for the day of destruction. Did
you get that? That means the vast majority
of the world is corrupting in its sin while God is holding
them back for the day of judgment. Did you get that? They are not
preserved. Something that's preserved is
maintained in its constitution. Its ontological makeup is kept
when you are preserved. That means our imago de as believers
is such that God is sanctifying us because he preserves us He's
renewing our mind. He's causing us to think God's
thoughts after him He's giving us grace to seek him and to love
him and to serve him that's called preservation. Are you hearing
what I'm saying? Now when you are not preserved
you are corrupting in this sinful culture But God still is reserving
you For a day appointed wherein he will judge the world in righteousness
by that man Jesus Christ who has offered you and me freedom
through him where we have abandoned and rejected that freedom every
day of our life. Are y'all hearing what I'm saying?
So these people that he has reserved in our text are people he has
also preserved because they are the elect of God. Are y'all hearing
what I'm saying? And if you are a believer today
in Christ, you ought to be shouting in the bottom of your soul. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Because what he did
for them, he's doing for me right now. If it wasn't for the grace
of God, I'd be apostate, departing from the faith, living like hell,
departing from God right now. Right now. Right now. I wouldn't
have nothing to do with church. I wouldn't have nothing, especially
to do with religious folk who drive me crazy. I wouldn't have
nothing to do with you. and you wouldn't have nothing
to do with me if God took his hand off me and let me go. The only reason we are kept is
because God has kept us. Do you understand that? It's
very important to understand. What's the answer of God? I have
reserved to myself and I love that. Does God value relationship? He didn't just reserve. He reserved
me to himself. That means his everlasting arms
have covered me and shrouded me and protects me from every
assault of the enemy. And you can't get through God
according to what Christ said, I lay down my life for my sheep. I give them eternal life and
they shall never perish. Neither shall any pluck them
out of my hands. My father is greater than I and
they will not pluck them out of his hands. That's what we
call preservation. That's what we call preservation.
And that's what's going on in our text. So now let's work through
this because we've got two more points to underscore as we worship. And I hope you are worshiping
when you think about how God has a right to cast you out,
but he didn't. God has a right to end your life right now, but
he didn't. God can cut the lights out on you right now, but he
doesn't. You ought to be thanking God right now. A remnant always reserved, always
reserved. Multiple texts underscoring that.
I'm going to show you one. Revelation chapter 12, verse
14 through 17 to underscore Paul's empathetic, sympathetic identification
with his own people. Because Paul is, he's torn. Because
just a little while ago, he was the instrument of hatred and
hostility towards the Christians themselves. At the height of
authority and power, he received papers from the high priest to
kill Christians. And now he's an object of their
hatred and ridicule while he's a proponent of the gospel. And
he's trying to stand between the two people groups. Can you
see that? He's vying to help the Gentiles understand my brethren
are crazy, but not all of them. And I have an argument for why
not all of them when you look at me. That's what Paul is saying. Now listen to what he says in
Revelation. And to the woman which is a symbol
of the what? Church. We're given two wings
of a great eagle and that is the old covenant metaphor of
God's power and grace sustaining them in the wilderness in the
Old Testament. Remember that? I will carry you on wings of
eagles that she might fly into the wilderness into her place
where she is nourished for a time and times and a half a time from
the face of the serpent. What is she doing? Running from
his assault, isn't she? But who's helping her? God is
helping her, right? Saints, sometimes it's a time
to run. Ask God to help you when it's
a time to run. Look at the next verse, verse
15, verse 15. And the serpent cast out of his
mouth waters as of a what? after the woman. So the metaphor
is of that oriental dragon whose mouth is filled with water and
ushering out of his mouth are floods of waters to try to swallow
up the woman, right? Those floods of waters coming
out of his mouth are doctrines and ideologies and worldviews
that are secular, anti-biblical, and anti-Christian, seeking to
sweep up everyone who is pretending to be a believer. Did you guys
get what I just stated? The flood that's coming out of
his mouth is trying to swallow up and expose everyone who plays
church. The flood is secular ideology. secular philosophy, New Age ideology,
psychology, and all of the other ologies that are man-centered
and designed to take you away from a biblical worldview. Are
y'all hearing what I'm saying? That's what's happening right
now. And the only way you're going to overcome that is for
you to know your Bibles, and to know the God of the Bible,
and to know that God in a saving way, and to be committed to a
biblical worldview. As it goes on to say, verse 16,
the earth helped the woman and the earth opened her what and
Swallowed up the what which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
We're dealing with metaphor, right? Because this is apocalyptic
language So the imagery is the picture of a serpent flood pouring
out waters like a flood and now the earth is Personified isn't
it because it's opening up to help the woman So the earth says
we will take your flood Isn't God good? the very flood that's
designed to swallow you and Mia, the earth says I'll take it.
What does the earth signify? The people of this world system. He that is of the earth is earthing. And he that is of heaven is heavenly. Christ told national Israel,
particularly the rulers that were opposing him, you are of
the earth. I'm from above. That's why you
don't understand what I am saying. This language goes back to the
Exodus account. It goes back to the Numbers account,
where in those days Moses and Aaron were opposed by Korah,
Dathan, and Abiram, all of the priests at that time. Remember
that? Talking about you take too much onto yourself. We be
the people of God too. God operates as a democratic
society. I'm sorry, he doesn't. He doesn't. And Moses being opposed
by the other princes and priests of Israel, God told Moses, just
tell them, come back tomorrow and we'll solve this argument.
Do y'all remember that account? And God says, tomorrow I'm going
to do such a special thing that you will know that I chose Aaron
and Moses over you. And the next day the earth opened
up and swallowed up 250 of the princes and rulers, thousands
of the people, their wives, their families, and their children
all went into hell alive. Did they not? Why? Because the earth helped the
woman. You see how the Old Testament
points to the New? And how that what we're dealing
with is persecution that comes after the church of the living
god And how that god preserves his church in the midst of that
persecution Otherwise you and I would be swallowed up wouldn't
we be swallowed up? If god in his mercy and his mercy didn't
keep our minds in christ, wouldn't we be swallowed up by these false
doctrines? Have you ever been led astray by a false doctrine?
Have you ever been hoodwinked and deceived for a small season
by a false doctrine? Have you have you lost your mind
for a minute under false doctrine? therefore lost your identity
for a season and then God brought you back and gave your mind back
to you right this is so very important because we are living
in a time right now where people are crazy and they don't think right and they really don't think right
I know some of you know what I'm saying. I'm gonna be too
long, but I know some of you, I'm gonna milk this for a moment
just to help you. See, do you, like I, recognize that our culture
is shifting quickly and that insanity is the order of the
day? That irrationality dominates
the talking points of most of your change agents in the media.
that their job is to get other people to think crazy like they
do and that somehow irrationality illogical speech is supposed
to be liberal is supposed to be kind and right but irrationality
you guys is insanity do you understand what I'm saying so if I hear
you say something that makes no sense propositionally and
rationally listen to me Listen to me and you expect me just
to agree with you because it's politically correct I'm assisting
you in your insanity and then I'm joining you in the same straightjacket
Move over give me one of the arms When your Bible has told you
that God has not given us the spirit of fear but of love and
and power and a sound mind and a sound mind. Are you guys hearing
what I'm saying? And so you and I have to negotiate these floods
because we love our lost ones, but we see the floods coming
and we have to determine what we're going to do. Well, the
first thing you do is put on your scuba diving suit. Y'all like the metaphors I'm
using? Because you got to swim through that stuff without drowning
yourself. And you gotta try to love on
them to get them to oxygen so that they can start breathing
sound doctrine. Am I making some sense? Other
words, the only thing you can do, as the airline pilot says,
when the oxygen mask falls down, save yourself. But you and I
are called to help save other people. So we have to engage
them in the gospel. So we cannot be afraid to wait
for them to say something that we know is illogical, irrational,
unbiblical, and then look for an opening to say, you know what?
I understand what you're saying, but can I share this with you?
Without faith, it's impossible to please God. For all that come
unto God must first believe that he is and is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek him. Are you guys hearing me? So as
Paul talks about preservation, he's talking about this hazardous
state that you and I are in every day. Y'all understand that this
is the condition that you and I are facing every day? The floods.
Please understand that. Let's go on now. I want to go
on so we can close it down. So, now, second point. We've
already considered which Israel did God cast out. He only cast
out the superficial Israel, the phony Israel, the Israel that
really does not know God, want God, Point number two, who are
the remnant that are reserved? There are three sub points that
I quickly want to affirm. They are the seed of Abraham,
the seed of faithful Abraham who do what? Believe. Secondly,
they are those who what? Understood faith through what? And thirdly, they are a shadow
of two groups in the Old Testament. So I did that so I can expedite
the time. this is very clear what paul
is demonstrating here in our context is that when you go through
history there are people that god has always saved and he saved
them the same way every time do you know what that is by faith
by faith for by faith are you saved through grace and that
not of yourself for by grace are you say through faith and
that not of yourself it's a gift of god so in the old testament
when god saved people he only saved them on the merits of what
faith in christ never by the words of the law never by the
words of law so when i raised the statement in point sub point
number one the seed of faithful abraham who believed Paul's argument
in Romans 4 was that Abraham found favor with God not by his
own words, but by God's grace, right? And that David found favor
with God not by his words, but by the grace of God, right? They
both admitted how blessed is the man or the woman to whom
God does not impute their trespasses. because they believe purely in
the grace of God. So here's how we will sum up
our argument here in point number two. Who are the remnant that
are reserved of God? People who in the Old Testament
walked by what? So Hebrews chapter 11 verse 4
is going to be our first character. Hebrews 11 4. Because the book
of Hebrews underscores the historical journey of all the people of
God up to the New Testament, right? And what is the basic
overarching rubric or overarching term that's used in Hebrews chapter
11? By faith. So Hebrews chapter
11 verse 4 says, By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent
sacrifice than Cain. Why? Because it had been revealed
to Abraham that God requires a substitute and the shedding
of blood in order for you to have fellowship with him. And
what Abel did is obey the revelation. In other words, Abel believed
the gospel. Are you guys hearing me? And
he walked by faith and God was pleased with him, by which he
obtained witness that he was what? Oh, how was he righteous? By his good works or by faith?
By faith in the very blood that was shed by that lamb or that
bullock that he had learned from his daddy that this is the only
way we can get right with God. So he was righteous on that ground
God testifying to his gift and by it hit yet being dead He now
what speaks cuz Abel is a type of who Jesus who was killed by
Cain Because remember if you reject God's righteousness, you
ultimately are going to persecute Christ and persecute Christ's
people Now he's in the hall of fame of faith in Hebrews 11.
You guys see that watch this There was no law system at the
time This is a pre-law salvation. Look at verse 7. Verse 7. By faith Noah being warned of
God of things not yet seen. Do you see that? Moved with fear,
prepared in art to the what? Man, I wish I had time. See,
because children of God, listen carefully to me. We despise the
holy things of God. God have mercy on us right now. We despise. See, your intellectualism
and your pride causes you to mock the gospel. Even Christians. See, the Bible has plainly told
us that the gospel is foolishness to the unbelieving world. Everything
about the gospel is foolishness. What does that mean? That means
the pride of natural man. quite cannot quite understand
how God can save us by the death of someone else on a tree. You understand that? So it's
irrational to a prideful man to think that he can be made
right with God by the death of somebody else. And the manner
in which we share the gospel, that's foolishness to people
as well. Why should hundreds of people like you guys are and
even thousands of people come and sit week in and week out,
hear somebody rant about somebody they say is able to save anyone
who looks to them? That's foolishness to them. And
the whole of the Christian life is foolishness to our world because
they think we are insane because we trust in a God who sent his
only begotten son to deliver us from our sins. Are you guys
hearing what I'm saying? And I know that this incipient
cynicism also reeks and works its way into your own members.
And this is why you are ashamed of the gospel too. In many states
you are ashamed of the gospel because the gospel inherently
is foolish. Hint, if it doesn't feel foolish
to you when you share it, you're probably not sharing the gospel. If you don't feel a little awkward
when you tell men and women, I'm a Christian and here's the
reason why, it's probably not the gospel. You've probably shaved
off all of the offensive elements of the gospel and you have a
nice little clean little package of religion that you can sell
somebody that leaves them in their dignity and leaves them
in their pride and leaves them in their sin because you know
inherently the true gospel offends everybody. We are a mess pretending to be
Christians today. Am I telling the truth? And so
here we are, Noah, hallelujah, heard from God and he built an
ark for a hundred years in the presence of a whole world that
mocked him every day of his life. the only one that was with Noah
was his family and do you know if they were as human as my family
is how much hell they went through daily trying to believe in the
ministry that God had given to their father when they had to
hear all of that crazy stuff on the outside your daddy is
a nut week in and week out vandalizing
the ministry tearing down the boards graffiti everywhere profanity
everywhere do you understand what I'm saying because that's
the nature of the gospel in this world and yet daily God gave
that man grace to put plank after plank after plank, nail after
nail after nail, board after board after board. Even when
they knocked it down, he put it back up. They knocked it down,
he put it back up because Noah was moved by the revelation to
believe that what God said would happen. Watch this. Watch this. And this
was before the law too. So this is not about legalism.
Verse 11. I think it's verse 11 that I
want to deal with. I don't want to deal with verse
11. I want to deal with my last verse then maybe. Let's see here. Verse 31. I want to deal with
my last person. The book of Hebrews chapter 11
is a wonderful place to go for all of these different peoples.
But here's one person I want to deal with now. Y'all know
her? See, most people wouldn't sit by her in church today. But
she's the great-great-grandmama of my Savior. You got that? And God loved her enough to write
her name in his book and tell her story. A harlot! You understand that? Harlots
and publicans enter into the kingdom of God before you do
religious folk. A harlot, a harlot had heard
years before that the God of Israel was bringing his people
into the land of Canaan. And she had said in her heart
that if God ever showed up, I'm gonna be honest with God. And
when God showed up, she told the truth to his servants. She
said, I heard about you. I believe you. Would you have
mercy on me? Save me and save my house. And do you know what Joshua said?
I need to see it. I need to see it. I need to see
it. See what? The scarlet colored
thread. What is the scarlet colored thread?
The shed blood of Jesus Christ. What do I need to see? I need
to see that you believe the gospel, that you trust Christ as your
atonement, that you are resting on the blood and righteousness
of another as the grounds by which we might pass over you
as we passed over the children of Israel when they were in the
land of Egypt. Faith is always attached to the
blood. Watch this. And religious folk
like to get into arguments. Well, did she lie? That's beside
the point. I don't see how God could save
her since she lied about the two spies. That's because you don't understand
grace. You have no understanding of grace. You don't understand
that grace is not waiting for you to qualify for God to accept
you, but God qualifying you on the grounds of someone who never
had to lie, who never did lie, who never did sin, who knew no
sin and him was no sin at all. And what's imputed to you is
his total righteousness. The righteousness of another
is given to a liar so that that liar can by faith, by faith,
by faith, by faith glorify God in her body, which was his. Did you see the two spies? No. No. Lord, I don't know what else
to do. I'm just a sinner, Lord. You know, I'm not going to give
them up because I love you and I love them. And I believe that
this is an evil, but this is not as bad as me giving them
up. You go out to deliver a sister. Can I keep preaching? Because some of you allow your
self-righteousness to bleed over into the gospel and stain the
righteousness that's going to get you to glory. What do you
mean, pastor? I wish you would start from this
day till the day you die. Stop lying. If you could make
it to midnight tonight, I'll give you $100. I'll give you
$100. I'll give you $100. You text me tonight, Pastor.
I didn't think one bad thought. I didn't distort anything. I
didn't prevaricate. I didn't procrastinate. I didn't
alter. I didn't fluster. I didn't diminish. I didn't exalt anything. I did
it all right, perfectly. And I'll call John George to
come pick you up. All men are liars. Your only hope is the righteousness
of another. That's your only hope. That's
your only hope. It's your only hope. And this, watch this, sister,
was outside of the law. Two before the law, one outside
the law. She the great, great grandmama
of my savior. God saved by grace apart from
the works of the law. Does he not? All right, let's
go on to our subsequent points. I might deal with one more point
and shut it down here. Point number three, grace unambiguously what? And this is something that has
to be treated. I won't have to treat it with you because you
at grace, you don't have the heebie-jeebies over the doctrines
of grace as many people do. you will therefore be more inclined
to receive uh paul's arduous explanation of grace as it stands
in antithesis to works as we read in verse six are you there
so when he says there is a remnant according to the election of
grace that god is already preserving in israel that to be talked more
about next week he says and if it's by grace then it's no more
what So now he's speaking to his Jewish brother to let them
know that all of those who are elects part of that remnant,
they're only elect according to what? Not words. And in fact,
you want to know right now whether you are one of God's elect? Ask
yourself, do you believe that you will be saved by your words
or by his grace? And that's how you can know right
now. Are you hearing me? You can know
right now whether you're lost and still outside of the grace
of Christ. Because if you are ever saved,
it's only going to be by his grace. So long as you are thinking
that you're going to bring one vestige of righteousness to God,
say, Lord, look, see, this is what I am bringing to you for
you to accept me. That one vestige of righteousness
will sink you into hell forever. because there are none righteous.
All of our best works are filthy in the eyes of him with whom
we have to do. Are you guys hearing what I'm
saying? So what the gospel does is forbid you, it forbids you
to contemplate that there's anything good in yourself by which you
can merit favor with God. Now, once you stand on the grounds
of what Christ has done for you, good things can happen to you,
in you, and through you. Are y'all hearing what I'm saying?
But once you have established yourself on the grounds of what
he has done for you. So the second point goes like
this. He says in verse six, and if it's by grace, then it's no
more works. Otherwise, grace is no more grace. But if it be
of works, then it's no more grace. Otherwise, work is no more work.
You got that? So that point three says grace
is unambiguously defined, points A, B, and C. The work of the
law is not to be understood as corresponding to what? Faith.
That's Galatians chapter 3, 12, pull it up. And so what Paul
says in Galatians 3, 12 is this. Everything that the law demands,
it demands not from a place of faith, but from a place of works.
So when you read the Old Testament and it demands that you obey
God, The law is not telling you to believe God on the grounds
of what somebody else has done. It's telling you, you have to
perform obedience. So that the law is never born
out of the concept of faith in another, but out of the concept
of works by you. Are you guys hearing that? And
that's critical to understand, so that we as Christians don't
mix grace with law, which is the battle of church history.
That's why we're learning church history, because it's so easy
to mix a little law with a little grace, a little faith with a
little work, and miss Christ altogether. Now you helping him
save you, which is Catholicism. And the law is not of faith,
but the man that doeth them shall what? Live in them. Is that what
it said? Who can do it? Except Jesus. But you notice what the law is
not going on to say. Believe on Jesus. Because that comes
from grace through faith. That's the gospel. Are you guys
hearing that? So the law is not of faith. And then sub point B. And no
one is what? Ever justified by the what? That's
Galatians chapter 3 verse 11. Look at it. Galatians 3, 11.
No one is ever justified by the law because the law is not a
faith No one can ever be justified by the law because the law will
never accept you telling it take Christ's righteousness and Impute
it to me and then look at me as if I were Christ the law will
never do that The law will say no no, no, no, I'll see you I'll
see you and I'm judging you on the merits of who you are and
I don't have the ability or right, it's not ontologically in my
character as the law, to look to another and then take what
they did for you. That has to come from another
place. So long as you're trying to get right with God by the
works of the law, the law is going to demand of you personal,
perfect, perpetual, unending obedience. You guys got that?
That's what the text is teaching. But that no man is justified
by the law in the sight of God, it is what? Why? Because here's
the rule, the just shall live by what? Hallelujah, that's so
good. I love Paul's logic. If we didn't
have what we call the law of faith, the message of the gospel,
then you and I might think that possibly there's a way of being
saved in the law. But if the law comes along and
says obey, and then another rule comes along and says trust, it's
evident that obedience to the law never justifies. I'm going
to say that again real slow. And once you get it, we'll let
it go. God knows that when he tells you to obey, you can't. But he must tell you that so
that you know how holy he is and how sinful you are. Keep
my laws, obey my commandments. And you that are parents know
exactly what I'm talking about. You didn't raise kids. And every
time you said obey, what did they do? and you were compelled by their
perpetual rebellion against you to show grace so they could live. Right? Right, right, right. Stay
with me, right? Am I telling you? No, no. Watch
this. Watch this. Give me five more
minutes. Watch this. So this is what I love about
God. This is what I love about God.
This is why I say an honest person ain't going to hell. The only
reason you're going to hell is because you're not honest. You're
not honest. Honest person is not going to
hell. No honest person is going to hell. You know how when you
had that idealistic view of raising your kids and your kids were
going to be better than everybody else's kids because you were
going to do a better job of raising them. They were going to be holier
than you. And you read all the books on how to motivate them to obey.
But once you saw this uncanny pattern of them just not obeying,
you started scratching your head, figuring out what you're going
to do. Remember that? And you said, I know what I'll
do. I'll punish them. And so some of us have the strength
and veracity to pull out the belt. Remember that? And we would
start whipping them, right? Whipping them into shape, right? Wrong. Now it was right to discipline
them. This is the problem with our
present generation. All whom the Lord loves, he disciplines.
I hope my kids ever shape their lips. I hope they never shape
their lips and frame their lips to oppose God's word in the area
of discipline. Let the world throw you in the
jail. Children have to be disciplined. They have to be restrained. They
have to be corrected. They have to be admonished. They
have to feel a little pain when they understand that they have
violated law. This keeps them from going to
hell and going to jail. Well, not really. I got whooped, still went to
jail. And if Christ hadn't come along
in his mercy, I was still on my way to hell. because by the
works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But what discipline
did do to me was show me that I was a sinner. And all my children
will tell you that. They may not like being disciplined,
but it reminded them that they failed and that there are other
consequences if they don't find a way of escape. And remember,
parents? Remember? We realized we were in a conundrum.
We were in a perplexity. We were in a strait. We were
in a paradox. We were in a tension because
we knew we were doing something that didn't work. We were imposing
a system of law which God meant for us to do, but it couldn't
penetrate the heart to change it. So we were shut up to grace
too. And you know what we often did?
Let him go. Didn't we let him go? We just,
ah, the boy knucklehead. He hard, he hardheaded anyway.
I'm going to let him go. We used to say things like, I'll just
let the law deal with him. Maybe every now and then he'll
clean up his room. You show him grace, right? That's what you
do. You show him grace. Our grace
is perverted, but it's still a semblance of grace. Because
what you're doing is not giving them what they deserve. And do
you know even that begins to work on our kids? Because it's
rooted in what? Love. So then our kids begin
to think, you know, how come daddy is not, you know, hitting
me upside my head. I'm just living like hell. I'm
just, you know, I'm doing what I want to. I'll come in when
I want to and go out when I want to. I don't even say hi when
I come into my daddy's house, eat my daddy's food, eat my mama's
food, where my parents close even my daddy's bed and my mama's
bed. And I just come and go like a
king ruler doing whatever I want to. And he just lets it go. Why?
because he's hoping that grace gets a hold of you since law
hasn't. Do you understand that? And we're praying, we're praying
that you're not reprobate. That's our last point. Do you
understand that? We're praying that you're not
reprobate. So Romans chapter 11, as we close,
I'm just going to read and shut it down right here. Romans chapter 11, verse 8. Verse 7 through 9 and 10. What then? Israel has not obtained
that which it seeketh after. Do you see it? But who has? The election has, right? The
elect will always obtain it. And the rest were what? It's
the thing that scares us. The only thing that's left for
our children and our loved ones who have come under the gospel
and the gospel does not save them is blindness. Blindness, like it happened to
Israel. When you come to the place of
light and you reject that light, blindness. And that's why some
of us live with the bitter Consequences of our kids growing up under
the gospel and walking away from the gospel and seeing their lives
tragically fall apart because of reprobation Do you understand
that look at it? According that according as it
is written. He had given them the spirit of slumber You know
what that means they are sleepy all the time around spiritual
things. That's scary when you see that They used to be fervent
They used to be passionate. They used to be interested. They
used to be committed. They used to be earnest. They
read their word. They studied doctrine. They sat
under your teaching. They listened carefully. They
raised the questions. They asked God to give them grace. And then over time, It slowed
down. And they stopped asking questions.
And stopped reading their Bibles. And stopped yearning for God.
And found ways to avoid the truth. And the next thing you know,
you can't talk to them about the things of God without them
blowing it off. sleeping in their souls. And
you see it happening and you can't do a thing about it. Eyes
that they should not see and ears that they should not hear.
And David said, let their table be a snare, a trap and a stumbling
block and a recompense unto them. And let their eyes be darkened
that they may not see and bow down their back always. Ladies and gentlemen, that's
reprobation. Do you understand that? That's when God gives them
over. And the only thing you can talk
to them about are superficial things. You can't talk to them
about God. That's where Israel is. That's where many church folk
are. You understand what I'm saying? And so what are you and
I to do in a situation like that? Pray. Pray for them. You understand
that? Pray that God will wake them
up. That's going to be our next message. See what Paul is preparing
his Gentile brethren to believe? That God can wake them up. Do
you hear me? That God can wake them up. that
God can wake them up. That if they're God's elect,
he can wake them up. Do you hear me? That if they're
God's elect, he can wake them up. Even though they're going
through this lull and sleep, that only God can wake them up.
Amen.