Would you turn back with me in
your Bibles to Romans chapter 9, and I'd like to make two statements
before we look at this passage of Scripture. God is God, and
God is good. God is God. He is who He is. Any mistaken notions you and
I may have with regard to him makes no difference with regard
to who he is. He is who he is. He has no limitations. He never acts contrary to his
attributes, but his power is such that whatever he wills,
he has. God is God. And God is good. God is good all the time. Every one of his attributes are
good. And that includes his wrath.
His wrath is a good wrath because God is good. God is God and God is good. And I don't think that
that is more clearly brought forth in the scriptures anywhere
than in Romans chapter 9. I've entitled this message Romans
9. It has been called the most controversial
chapter in the Bible. It may be that you're not familiar
with its contents, but I hope after this message, you will
be. How do we reply to it being the
most controversial chapter in the Bible? Well, we reply the
same way Paul replied in 1 Timothy 3, 16, he said without controversy. Great is the mystery of godliness.
And we replied the same way without controversy. Great is the glorious
truth with regard to God declared in Romans chapter nine. No controversy
here. Many have dismissed Romans chapter
nine as hard to be understood. No, it's not. I remember Henry Mahan speaking
of reading this chapter without making a comment on it, just
reading it. And somebody stood up and said, it doesn't mean
that. That's how unmistakably clear
it is. No one can use the excuse. It's
just not too hard to understand. It's easy to understand. Now you might not be able to
receive it, But it's easy to understand what's being said
in Romans chapter 9. I've heard people say it's making
some kind of vague application to Old Testament Israel and it
doesn't have any application for us. That's foolishness. Romans
chapter 9. I would like to preach this message
in the proper spirit in which I should preach it. I pray that
I will be enabled to do so. I pray that you will pray for
me that I will be enabled to do so and that the Lord might
speak to us from Romans chapter 9. Now we're going to look at
the whole chapter. I've never done that before and
I'll keep it in a lot of time, but so don't worry. But let's
look at this chapter together. Now, we begin in verse one. Paul is speaking and he says,
I say the truth in Christ. I lie not. My conscience also
bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. Now do you hear that? Great heaviness
and non-stop sorrow. This is always pressing upon
me. Verse three, for I could wish
that myself were accursed. from Christ for my brethren,
my kinsmen, according to the flesh. This chapter begins with
Paul's desire for the salvation of those he calls my brethren,
my kinsmen, according to the flesh. And I hope you and I have
that desire for the salvation of all of our brethren, sons
of Adam, our brethren. What he said in chapter 10, verse
one, brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel
is that they might be saved. Paul actually says, I could wish
that I myself were accursed from Christ, cut off if they would
be saved. I don't even know what to say
about that. The enemies of free grace say
that a belief in what Romans 9 teaches will create indifference
toward the salvation of men and apathy and fatalism. No desire for missions, no desire
to spread the gospel. Why? If you believe what verse
11 says, that the children being not yet born, either having done
any good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to election
might stand. If you believe that it will kill any desire to see
other men saved. That is a lie fabricated by the
father of lies. It's never had that effect on
anybody who believed it. And Paul demonstrates that with
this sobering statement to begin this chapter. I could wish that I would be
damned. if they would be saved." Now, he describes these people
in verse four, who are Israelites, to whom pertaineth
the adoption. He's talking about national Israel,
the Jews, They have the glory, the covenants, the giving of
the law, the service of God and the promises, whose are the fathers
of whom as concerning the flesh, Christ came, Christ came as a
Jew. And he identifies the Christ
who is over all. God, blessed forever. Amen. That's who Jesus Christ
is. He is over all. God blessed forever. Amen. Now Paul is dealing with his
angst over his brethren who reject Christ. he says in verse 6, not
as though the Word of God hath taken none effect. As I mourn
over the unbelief of these people, it's not as though God's Word
has failed or God's purpose is frustrated. I'm dealing with
mine angst, yes, but God's purpose is being done. It's not as though the word of
God has taken none effect for they are not all Israel which
are of Israel." Just because someone is a child of Abraham
that doesn't make them true Israel. You see, true Israel is the elect
of God. True Israel is every believer. That's the true Jew. Just because
you're a national Israelite doesn't make you a true Jew. Neither, verse seven, because
they are the seed of Abraham are they all children. But in
Isaac shall thy seed be called. What about Ishmael? Abraham was
his father. Yet when God tells Abraham to
sacrifice his son Isaac. He said, take now your son, your
only son. Ishmael is never acknowledged
by God as a son. Take now your son, your only
son, Isaac, whom you love and offer him up as a burnt offering
to me on a mount that I shall show thee of. Why is Ishmael
not regarded as son? Well, you can read the story
in Genesis chapter 16 and Paul uses this to illustrate what
he's saying with regard to salvation by works and salvation by grace
and the difference in Galatians chapter 4. Here's what took place. God promised Abraham a son through
Sarah. Years have gone by, it still
hadn't taken place. Sarah comes up with an ingenious
idea. Obviously, God's promise is not
going to take place unless we do our part. God's promise will
fall to the ground unless we do not help him make it come
to pass. Obviously, I'm not going to have
a child. Here's Hagar. Hagar, a young
woman able to bear children. go into her and through her we
will have this promised seed. Abraham goes into her and they
have Ishmael. And Paul tells us in Galatians
chapter 4, this is representative of salvation by works. This is
law. If salvation is dependent upon
me to do anything before I can be saved, That is salvation by
works. That is salvation by law. You can't be saved under that
scheme. Verse eight, that is, they which
are children of the flesh. And that's what Ishmael was. There was nothing supernatural
about his birth. These are not the children of
God. This is a man doing his part,
but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. You
see, Isaac is supernaturally born, the child of God's promise,
and only they are counted for the seed. Verse nine, for this
is the word of promise at this time will I come. This is God
speaking. And Sarah shall have a son, just
as I determined, just as I promised. Verse 10, and not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived
by one, even by our father Isaac. Now I have been talking about
Ishmael and Isaac who had Same father, but different mothers. Now I'm going to talk about somebody
who had the same father and the same mother, twins out of the
same womb. Verse 11, for the children. Jacob and Esau, being not yet
born, neither having done any good or evil that the purpose
of God according to election might stand not of works but of him that calleth." They were not yet born. They had no good works to recommend
them. They had no bad works to disqualify them. They weren't
born. They are given to illustrate
to us God's purpose. God is a God of purpose. Somebody may think, but didn't
both these boys have a chance? Salvation is not by chance. Salvation
is by the purpose of God. He saved us. He called us with
a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
His own purpose and grace. which was given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began. Now here's God's purpose. That salvation might not be contingent
upon, dependent upon, predicated upon human works. This is God's purpose. That salvation
has nothing to do with anything that you do. What's that say to you? What
do you think of that? If you're saved, it has nothing
to do with anything that you have ever done. What do you think of that? Here's God's purpose. It's going to stand not of works, but of him that calleth. I love the scripture. He saved
us and he called us. What came first? He saved us
then. He called us with the call of
irresistible and invincible grace. If you belong to God, he's going
to have you. Verse 12, it was said unto her. The elder shall serve the younger. Now, that is reverse as to what
usually takes place. The younger serves the elder. I want to read what he's quoting
from in Genesis chapter 25, verse 20. And Isaac was 40 years old
when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel, the
Syrian, of Danaram, the sister to Laban, the Syrian. And Isaac
entreated the Lord for his wife because she was barren. the Lord
was entreated of him and Rebekah his wife conceived and the children
Jacob and Esau struggled together within her and she said if I
be if it be so why am I thus she did not yet recognize that
she had twins and she went to inquire of the Lord there was
a struggle going on within her womb And the Lord said unto her,
two nations are in thy womb, and two manner people shall be
separated from thy bowels, and the one people shall be stronger
than the other people, and the elder shall serve the younger. Back to our text in Romans chapter
nine. He's been speaking from the book of Genesis, now he goes
to the prophets. And this is a quotation from
the book of Malachi. Verse 13, as it is written, that's
all the counts. This is not some denominational
distinctive. This is not some preacher's opinion
as it is written. This is God speaking. Jacob have
I loved and Esau have I hated. That is God speaking. This by itself. makes the teaching
that God loves all men a lie. God said, Esau have I hated, Jacob I have
loved, Esau Have I hated, God did not
love Esau. Now what about this man Esau?
He didn't think his relationship with God was worth a bowl of
soup. And he was quite happy to trade the birthright for a
bowl of soup. He got hungry. I'm hungry right
now. Am I gonna trade my relationship
with God for breakfast? No. Esau did. He saw no beauty in his relationship
with God. He saw no beauty in God. I mean,
the Christ would have come through him and he traded that away for
a bowl of soup. He didn't care a bit about God.
Scripture says God hated him. And remember, his hatred is not
like my hatred and your hatred. Our hatred's sinful. God's hatred is a perfect, holy,
righteous hatred. Somebody once said to Charles
Spurgeon, I have a hard time with Romans 9, 13. He said, so
do I. I just can't believe that God
loved Jacob. What grace! What mercy! I can understand him hating me,
so I can understand God hating me. What I'm amazed by is his
love for that scoundrel, Jacob. You know why God loves? Because
He loves. Why would He love me? Because
He does. Because that's His glorious character. God is love, not here's
love and God fits the bill. No, God is love. Jacob have I loved. Now, Paul anticipates the objection,
verse 14. What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? Is God unfair in loving Jacob
and hating Esau? I love Paul's answer. God forbid
that such a blasphemous thought would even rise in our minds. God forbid. Four, verse 15. He sayeth to
Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will
have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. Now this was his answer to Moses
when Moses said, show me your glory. This was the third part
of that answer. First, I make all my goodness
pass before thee. God's good. Second, I proclaim
my name before thee. That's his attributes. And thirdly,
I'll be gracious to whom I will be gracious. Now, part of the
reason of him saying that, as Moses said, if you're not going
to save this bunch, blot me out of the book. That's what he said
in Exodus 32, and very similar to what Paul said in Romans chapter
nine. He desired their salvation so much, he said, if you won't
have mercy on them, just blot me out of the book you're writing.
And the Lord says, you don't tell me what to do. I will be
gracious to whom I will be gracious. And I will show mercy to whom
I will show mercy. Don't ever think that you or
I can tell the Lord what to do. I think of what The Lord said
to his mom, woman, what have I to do with thee? You don't
tell me what to do. You don't tell me what to do.
Don't ever tell God what he ought to do. Whatever he does is right.
Whether you see it or not, whether you understand it or not. shall
not the judge of the earth do right. I will have mercy on whom
I will have mercy." Aren't you thankful he has mercy? Listen,
his mercy saves. We were on the road to hell unless
he said, I'll have mercy. Thank God for his mercy and his
grace. He delights in saving sinners.
This doesn't not keep anybody out, it brings people in. Nobody
be brought in if it wasn't for this. I'll have mercy. I will have grace. So then, verse
16, here's what we can conclude from this. It's not of him that
willeth. Don't you believe in free will?
No. No. It's not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth. Well, he's trying so hard. Doesn't
have anything to do with it. but of God that showeth mercy. Oh, the mercy of God. Verse 17, for the scripture saith
unto Pharaoh, you remember Pharaoh, he's that man that said, who
is the Lord that I should obey him? I love to think of what
Moses must have been thinking at that point. You're going to
find out. For the scripture saith unto
Pharaoh, even for this same purpose, have I raised thee up that I
might show my power in thee and my name might be declared throughout
all the earth. Remember he hardened Pharaoh's
heart. He actively hardened Pharaoh's
heart. Therefore, verse 18. Now this
is unmistakable. Therefore, hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy and whom he will, he hearteneth. Now understand this. If God hardens
my heart, and sends me to hell. Just and holy is his name. And the same is true with regard
to you. God is holy. Pharaoh is in his hand. He said, I raise you up that
I might show my power in you and that my name might be declared
throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardens. There are people in this room
that he will have mercy toward. And if you or I end up not being
saved, we're people he hardened as an act of his justice. Verse
19, thou wilt say unto me, Paul knew exactly what we'd be thinking.
Thou wilt say unto me, why does he yet find fault? For who hath
resisted his will? Paul anticipates man's objection. If he hardens a man's heart,
how can God hold that man responsible for his sin if God hardened him? That doesn't seem right. God's
the one who hardened his heart, so how can he hold him responsible
for that sin? Verse 20. Nay, but O man, who do you think you are? Who are you to reply against
God? Do you think yourself to be God's
moral superior? that you can argue against what
he says and disagree with it and disapprove of it? Who do
you think you are? Do you really believe that you
have the right with regard to whatever God does to say, I think
this is wrong? He's God. You're a sinful man. Now this is the third time in
Romans that he uses the term, oh man. So when he says, oh man,
who are you, oh man? He's talking about everybody,
me and you, oh man. Look in Romans chapter two, verse
one. Therefore thou art inexcusable,
oh man. Whosoever thou art that judges,
for wherein thou judgest another, you condemn yourself, for thou
that judgest doest the same things. Anything you judge somebody for
is an act. Anything I judge somebody for
is an act of hypocrisy because God says I'm doing the same thing
I'm judging them for. Is that true? Sure is. Look in verse three. And thinkest
thou, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest
the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? O man, O man, who are you to reply against
God? What a base act of hypocrisy
for me or you to reply against God. You know, people say, you
know, if I was God, I'd save everybody. If you were God, nobody'd be
saved. That's the, that's the thing. If somebody could cross
you once, maybe you'd forgive them twice, a hundred times.
That's it. God's long suffering and gracious.
Thank God for who God is. Back to Romans nine. Nay, but, O man, who are you
that replyeth against God? Shall the thing form? Say to
him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the
potter power over the clay of the same lump? Now picture in
your mind the potter with the potter's wheel. He makes a vessel
unto honor. He makes a garbage can with the
rest of what he makes. Are you going to say you can't
do that? You have no right. You have no right to even think
that. God's God. I'm not. Everything God does
is glorious because of who he is. And by His grace, we bow. Hath not the potter power over
the clay of the same lump to make one vessel into honor and
another into dishonor? What if God, willing to show
His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much long-suffering
the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction? that he might make
known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which
he hath afore prepared unto glory, even us whom he hath called,
not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles." Now, we read
here of vessels of wrath, fitter destruction, vessels of mercy. Somebody says, do you believe
in double predestination? If by that you mean some are
predestinated and some are not, yes, I do. I do. But understand this, a man that's
a vessel of wrath isn't sent to hell because God determined
to send him to hell. He's sent to hell because of
his sin, because of his wickedness. And if a man's saved, it's because
God determined for him to be saved. Predestination is unto
salvation. Now it's true, not everybody's
predestinated. There are some people called
the reprobate, living left to themselves. Scripture teaches
that. I'm not giving something that I'm interpreting. It's plain from the Scripture.
Ungodly men ordained to this condemnation, Scripture says
in the book of Jude. I don't understand all the implications
of this. Of course I don't. But I know
this, God's God and he predestinated some and he passed by others
as an act of his justice. Do you believe in double predestination? If that's what you mean by that,
yes, I do. Do you believe that there are
people who want to be saved but they can't because they're not
predestinated? Don't believe that a second. Don't believe that
a second. There's mercy for anybody who
comes to Christ. Thank God for that. Verse 25. As he saith also in Hosea, I
will call them my people, which were not my people and her beloved,
which was not my beloved. And it shall come to pass in
the place where it was said, you're not my people. There shall
they be called the children of the living God. I'm looking at
some people in some places right now, a place where you are not
his people. Now he says, you're my beloved.
What a place. I want to be in that place. Don't
you? Verse 26. Or verse 27, Isaiah also cried
concerning Israel, though the number of the children of Israel
should be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved. Hold your finger there and turn
to Romans chapter 11, just a page over. Verse five, even so then
at this time also there is a remnant, a small number according to the
election of grace. And if by grace, 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. Verse 28 of
Romans chapter nine, for he will finish the work and cut it short
in righteousness because a short work will the Lord make upon
the earth. The Lord will carry out this
sentence on the earth quickly and with finality. And that finality
is heard in these words, it is finished. As Isaiah said before, except
the Lord of Sabbath had left us a seed, we had been a Sodom
and been made like unto Gomorrah. Now, do you have any idea of
what Sodom and Gomorrah is? Scripture says they were exceedingly
sinful before the Lord. And you know, the Lord destroyed
that place. Fire and brimstone came down from heaven and destroyed
them. And Isaiah said, except the Lord
made a difference with us, we are them. No difference. No difference. Verse 30, what
should we say then? What are we going to conclude
from all of this? That the Gentiles which followed not after righteousness."
They didn't care about God, they didn't care about righteousness. What about them? They attained
righteousness. Even the righteousness which
is of faith. The Gentiles had no interest
in righteousness, yet there have attained to it, even the righteousness
of faith. You see, there's the righteousness
of works, The scripture tells us our righteousnesses are as
filthy rags and there's the righteousness of faith, that righteousness
that comes from looking to Christ as your righteousness before
God. But Israel, verse 31, which followed
after the law of righteousness, they sought to keep the law to
gain God's acceptance. There's a problem though. They
didn't keep it. They didn't keep it. Not once. And what's it say about them?
While they followed after the law of righteousness,
they've not attained to the law of righteousness. How come? Why?
Because they sought it not by faith. but as it were by the
works of the law. Turn back, look across the page
to Romans 10, verse one, brethren, my heart's desire and prayer
to God for Israel is that they might be saved for I bear them
record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to
knowledge for they being ignorant of God's righteousness. and going about to establish
their own righteousness have not submitted themselves unto
the righteousness of God for Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone that believeth. If you believe
the gospel, he's the end of the law of righteousness for you. Verse 32, wherefore, why? Why is it that they did not attain
to the law of righteousness because they sought it not by faith,
but as it were, by the works of the law, for they stumbled
at that stumbling stone as it's written, behold, I lay in Zion,
a stumbling stone and a rock of offense. You see, the natural
man is offended with what's just been said. You mean to tell me that I am
so evil that the only way I can be saved is by what this passage
says? That I have nothing? That I have
no control? I have nothing to recommend me
to God and I'm in the hands of a sovereign God who can save
me or damn me? I'm offended by that. I'm offended
by that God. I don't believe that. I know. If you're an unbeliever, I wouldn't
expect anything any different. I love the last phrase, whosoever. What I love about whosoever is
I'm one of them. I'm a whosoever. Are you elect? Well, I hope so. Are you whosoever? Yes. Yeah, that's me. Whosoever believeth on him shall
not be ashamed. You're not ashamed of this message.
You're not ashamed of the gospel. And you won't be put to shame
because believing on him To him that worketh not, but believeth
on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Now the call for you and me right
now, believe the gospel. You will not be ashamed or put
to shame. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for your
word, how we thank you for the clearness of how you save sinners
by Christ. And Lord, deliver us from being
of that number that find your gospel a stumbling block, an
offensive. Enable us to be of that number,
whosoever. believeth on him shall not be
ashamed. In his name we pray, amen.