I did choose the Lord Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Neiberg. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com.
I'm going to begin this morning's message the same way I began
last Sunday morning's message. I dare say you have not heard
a preacher preach on this passage of Scripture. You may have, but
I know the great majority of preachers would not preach from
this passage of Scripture because it would run clean contrary to
everything they believe. Now, people will say, well, I
don't understand what's being said in Romans 9, and I don't
believe that. You may, you do understand what's
being said in Romans 9, but you see, it would condemn you and
condemn your gospel, the gospel you believe, and that's why people
avoid this passage of scripture. Let me read the verses that I
want to preach on, and I think you'll see why. I want to begin
reading in verse 18. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardens. Now jump down to verse 22. We
looked at verses 19 through 21 last week. And if you would like
to get a copy of that message, if you didn't hear it, we can
send you a copy. But Paul says in verse 22, what if God, willing to show His wrath and
to make His power known endured with much longsuffering the vessels
of wrath fitted to destruction, that He might make known the
riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy which He had aforeprepared
unto glory. Even us whom he hath called,
not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles." Now I've entitled
this message, Vessels of Wrath and Vessels of Mercy. Now I would like to introduce
this message with the words of Abraham when he was pleading
for Sodom. And he had asked the Lord if
the Lord would spare Sodom if ten righteous men were found
in that place. And he made this statement, shall
not the judge of the earth do right? Abraham knew God, and
he knew that whatever God did was right. Now, such is the supremacy. such as the transcendence of
God, that He doesn't do a thing because it's right. It is right
for this one singular reason, because He does it. If He does it, that makes it
right. Now, any objections we have toward
Him, is a display of self-ignorance and irreverence. Now, I must
understand, and this is what the Bible reveals about God,
that God does what He does for His own glory. He created the universe for His
own glory. Everything that happens in time,
everything that happens in God's providence happens for the glory
of God. Now, I might not understand how
something glorifies God when you see all the bad things and
evil things that take place. But God is in control of everything,
and when it's all said and done, He will be glorified. Romans
8.28 says, all things work together for good to them who love God,
to them who are the called according to His purpose. And His purpose
is to glorify Himself and salvation. Oh, How he's glorified in salvation. All the glory in salvation goes
to him, and none goes to man. Now that's how I can tell if
what I'm hearing is true. Does it give God all the glory? If it gives man any glory, it's
not true. Now Paul says, what if God? What if God really is like this? What if he really does have mercy
on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardens? What if that's really true? What
if God's like that? Will mere you disagreeing or
finding fault with it change the fact? Does what you and I
think about God or our thoughts of God have any bearing at all
on the isness of God? He that cometh to God must believe
that he is. God is who he is, whatever you
and I think about him. He identified himself to Moses
with this name. I am that I am. Tell them I am, I said thee. Now God is who He is, and what
people do or do not believe about Him does not change the fact
of His isness. Now Paul is saying, what if God
is like this? What if He really acts as the
potter with power over the clay of the same lump to make one
vessel under honor and another under dishonor? What if he made
one vessel a vessel of wrath and another vessel a vessel of
mercy, which he afore prepared unto glory? What if God really
is like this? What if this is the truth? And
deep down, everybody listening to me knows deep down that this
is the way God is. It wouldn't be God if he wasn't
like this. He'd be more like me or you.
But God is God. Now, Paul says in verse 22, what
if God, willing to show His wrath? There is such a thing as the
wrath of God. The wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who
hold or hold down or suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Now, the wrath of God has something
to do with the punishment of the wicked. And the punishment
of the wicked is not an arbitrary act of God having no object but
to make men miserable. God's not like that at all. It's
designed to manifest His displeasure against sin. God is holy. God is just. God must punish
sin. That's His character. That's
who He is. Things like the love of God,
and the mercy of God, and the grace of God, and salvation,
and the forgiveness of sins would be meaningless concepts were
there no wrath of God. But there is such a thing as
the wrath of God. And where I would point you to
see that, well, there's two things. There's hell. I don't even like
to talk about hell, but there is a place called hell that God
is going to send men to because of their sin. But, oh, what wrath
He displayed on the cross when my sin, the sins of all of his
people, the sins of all of the elect, were placed in Christ,
who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree,
and my sin became his sin. He was guilty of that sin when
it became his. It's not like God just charged
my sin to his account and treated him as if he were me, not at
all. My sin actually became his sin
and God showed no partiality. Even when sin was on his son,
what did he do? He killed him. Why? God is just. God must punish
all sin. The wrath of God came upon Christ,
but thank God he swallowed it all up, and there is now no wrath
for those he died for. That's the gospel, the gospel
substitution. But there is such a thing as
the wrath of God, and he's willing to show his wrath. It's a part
of who he is, and to make his power or ability known. Without omnipotence, his power
to punish, his wrath is but an empty threat. Now, the Scripture
says, he endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to
destruction. That's strong language, fitted
to destruction. Jude 4 speaks of ungodly men
who were before of old ordained to this condemnation. Peter tells
us in 1 Peter 2.8, of those who stumble at the word being disobedient,
whereunto also they were appointed. Proverbs 16.4 says, God hath
made all things for himself, yea, even the wicked, for the
day of evil. Vessels of wrath. A man does
not go to hell because God arbitrarily appointed him to go to hell.
A man goes to hell because of his sin. That's why God sends
men to hell. because of his sin, and he was
before of old ordained to this condemnation. As God is sovereign
in election, he chose Jacob to be saved. He is sovereign in
reprobation. Esau, he hated. There was no
Savior for Esau. There was no salvation for Esau.
Esau was under the displeasure of God because of his sin. And Pharaoh, he uses that example,
God actually hardened Pharaoh's heart. The scripture says, 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." Now, everything that happens in time, God determined
in eternity. He's the eternal God. He's not
bound by time and space the way you and I are. And everything
He does is eternal. He loved His people eternally. There's never been a time when
He didn't love them. I've always been viewed in the
Beloved. And those outside of Christ were
reprobated eternally. Now, do I understand that? No,
I don't. Do I believe it? Of course I
do. It's in the Bible. It's what God's Word teaches. I remember this, whatever God
does is right, shall not the judge of the earth do right.
And he doesn't do it because it's right, it's right because
he does it. And everything God does is good,
and I trust him. I trust him. Whatever he does,
with vessels of wrath or vessels of mercy, Whatever he does is
good, because he did it. He's God, and he's good. Now let's go on reading. Verse
23. Verse 22 said he endured with
much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction,
the reprobate, those that Christ never died for. And before I
go into verse 23, let me say this. This does not prevent anyone
from being saved. If you come to Christ for mercy,
you'll be saved. No one's going to say, I came
to Christ for mercy and he refused me because I wasn't one of the
elect. That's never going to happen. If you come to Christ
for mercy, you'll be saved. This doesn't prevent anyone from
being saved. People say, well, that means
there's people who want to be saved, but they don't have a chance. Salvation
is not by chance, it's by the purpose of God. And let's go
on reading, verse 23, that he might make known the riches of
his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had aforeprepared unto
glory. I think of what our Lord said,
come ye blessed of my Father. inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world. Now mercy would be
meaningless if there were no wrath, but oh, the riches of
his glory, vessels that he pours his mercy into. How could he
love such sinners that he would give his son to die and suffer
His wrath for them, that there would be grace, unmerited favor
for such sinners. What glory He displays in His
salvation! I think of him saying to that
woman who was taken in adultery in the very act, woman, where
are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? She
said, no man, Lord. He said, neither do I condemn
thee. Go and sin no more. Now the only
reason he would say, neither do I condemn thee, is because
there was nothing there for him to condemn. That is what Christ
accomplished on Calvary's tree. He made sin to be no more for
all he died for, and he has nothing to condemn them for. I think
of that leper coming to Christ full of leprosy. Lord, if you
will, you can make me clean. It's totally up to you. I can't
make myself clean. I know you don't have to. I know
you're on the throne. But if you will, you can make
me clean. Oh, how glorious are his words.
I will. Be thou clean. And immediately, his leprosy
was cleansed. You think of that thief hanging
on the cross who just hours earlier had been cursing Christ, but
God revealed himself to him. He now saw that Christ was the
Lord, that he wouldn't stay back, that he would return as a mighty,
reigning, conquering king into his kingdom. And he says, Lord,
Remember me when you come in your kingdom." And the Lord answered
with sovereign authority, today thou shalt be with me in paradise. Oh, the glory given to the vessels
of mercy. Paul said, for God who commanded
the light to shine out of the darkness has shined in our hearts.
to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in
earthen vessels. Oh, the treasure that's poured
into these earthen vessels. Now, these vessels of mercy were
taken out of the same lump as the vessels of wrath. fallen
humanity, but He afore prepared it to glory. 2 Timothy 1.9 says,
He saved us, and He called us with a holy calling, not according
to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which
were given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Ephesians
1.4 says, According as He hath chosen us in Him, before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before Him. 2 Thessalonians 2.13 says, We're
bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved
of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you
to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth. Whatever He does, He did before
time began. That's just who He is. Isaiah said in Isaiah 46 that
He declares the end from the beginning and from ancient times
the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand
and I will do all my pleasure. Now, this is the teaching of
God's Word. There are vessels of mercy that
he aforeprepared unto glory, and there are vessels of wrath
fitted to destruction. The vessels of mercy, there's
no way they wouldn't have mercy. God determined it. and the vessels
of wrath, there's no way they would have mercy. God determined
it. God is God, and whatever he does
is right. And let me remind you, this does
not prevent anyone's salvation. If you come to Christ, you'll
have mercy. He said, all that the Father
giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out. He comments on who these vessels
are in verse 24, these vessels of mercy. Who are the vessels
of mercy? Well, he tells us, even us whom
he hath called. That's who the vessels of mercy
are. Even us whom he hath called. Not of the Jews only, but also
of the Greeks. You see, whom He did predestinate,
them He also called. And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the
called according to His purpose. Paul said, we preach Christ crucified
under the Jews' stumbling block, under the Greeks' The Jews, the
religious fellows, find this scandalous. You mean that salvation
has absolutely nothing to do with anything that I do? Why,
that'll lead people to sin. If our works count for nothing,
why, people will just live wicked lives. That's scandalous. To
the Greeks, it's foolishness. You mean I'm supposed to be saved
by somebody else's righteousness? I don't believe that for a second.
But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ,
the power of God, and Christ, the wisdom of God. Romans 9, 11 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, but of him that calleth. Now, who are these vessels of
mercy? They're the people who are called
of God. Now, I have five very simple
statements to make regarding this call, so you can determine
whether or not God has called you. Now, I want to be someone
He calls, don't you? When I hear that the only people
who are saved are the people He calls, my response is, call
me. Call me. Don't leave me to myself. Call
me." Now, let me give you five statements regarding who God
calls, and this is very simple. Who, what, whom, how, and why. Who does God call? What is the
call? Who does He call? How does he
call and why does he call? Very simple. First, who is the
one who calls? Paul said in Galatians 115, when
it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb and
called me by His grace, it is God who calls. He has actually called Him who
calleth. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Spirit all call. Now somebody may think, how can
I know if He's called me? You'll know. because his call
is effectual and irresistible. His call is effectual. When he
calls, you know, you respond. It's irresistible. You can't
say no when he calls. Now, if all you hear is my voice,
no good will come. If it's just my opinion that
you can agree with or disagree with, God's not called you. But
if you hear his voice, the Lord said, my sheep, hear my voice. I know them and they follow me. You hear his voice. When he calls, he's the one who
does the calling. And if he calls, you will hear. Now, what is meant
by calling? There are three shades of meaning
to this word. It means a divine summons, a
loving wooing, and a statement of ownership. First of all, God's
call is a divine summons. Like if you're handed summons
to go to court, it's not optional. You must come. This is the authority
of God's call. If he calls, you must come. Lazarus, come forth. Could Lazarus say no? No, He
that was dead came forth. That's the divine summons. That's
the irresistible, invincible call. If God would have called
everybody in that graveyard, they would have all been raised,
but He called Lazarus. And this is the divine summons. God's call is a divine wooing. The Lord Jesus says, come unto
me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. And if you're heavy laden and
laboring under a sense of your sin and your inability to please
God, oh, how you want this rest, and how sweet this sounds. Come unto me, all ye that labor
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And this call
also speaks of the divine possession. God said, I've called thee by
name. Thou art mine. John said, Behold, what manner
of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called
the sons of God. Now, God's call, He's the one
who does the calling, and His calling is His divine summons,
it's His loving wooing, and it's His statement of ownership. Now,
who is it that He calls? Well, Paul said, when it pleased
God who separated me from my mother's womb and called me by
His grace, God calls individuals. God's call is not some kind of
general call awaiting a response from the sinner. He calls His
own sheep by name. Whom He did predestinate, them
He also called. Zacchaeus, make haste. Come down. For today I must abide at thy
house." You see, Zacchaeus was one of his children. And you
know what Zacchaeus did? He made haste. He came down and
received him joyfully. Well, how does he call? Well,
Paul tells us, he called me by his grace. It's a gracious call. It's the call of grace. By grace,
you're enabled to respond. And grace becomes everything
to you. It's the call of grace. Paul
tells us in 2 Thessalonians 2.14, he calls us by the gospel. You
hear the gospel of God and you respond. And this call is irresistible. You've been called by irresistible
grace. When you find Christ to be irresistible,
you must have him. You don't choose to believe you
believe because you have no choice. And what are we called to? First
Corinthians 1.3 says we're called to be saints. What a high, heavenly,
holy calling, called to be God's holy ones. Sanctified ones. God said, be
ye holy for I am holy. There's nothing you do to become
holy. It's what He makes you to be. Holiness is not a bland,
colorless, joyless existence. It's life more abundant. looking to Christ. How humbled, how thankful, how
confident every believer ought to be because the gifts and calling
of God is without repentance. How can I know if I'm a vessel
of mercy? Well, if I'm a vessel of mercy,
I'm somebody he has called. Well, how do I know if I've been
called? I believe the gospel. I, by His grace, responded to
His call. To request a copy of the sermon
you have just heard, send your request to messages at todsroadgracechurch.com. Or you may write or call the
church at the information provided on the screen.