Would you turn back to Romans
chapter 9? Paul says in verse 18, therefore,
now what's the therefore, therefore? Look in verse 17, 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 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 hardeneth. He does this. And that word means
to make dry and hard. Who is this one who will have
mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardens. This one is God. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Spirit. He's the creator. The very last breath you gulped
into your lungs is his air. and you're in his hand. He's holy. I think the best definition
I've ever heard of holiness is other. That means he's not like
me and you. He's altogether holy. He is sovereign. That means he's
in control of everything. And everything that happens,
happens because he caused it to happen. You can't overstate
God's absolute sovereignty. He's all wise. He's all knowing. He never learns anything. Nothing
ever takes him by surprise. He's omnipresent. He's everywhere. He's right here. He's absolutely
just. He'll let no sin go unpunished.
He's immutable. He never changes. He's eternal. He never began and he'll never
end. He's always been. He's infinite. He's not bound by space or time
the way you and I are. He's eternal. He's merciful. He's gracious. He's good. He is good. I love it when the rich young
ruler came to the Lord Jesus Christ and said, good master,
what good things shall I do to inherit eternal life? And his
reply was, why callest thou me good? He knew he was coming to
him only as a man. Why callest thou me good? There's
none good but God only. When Abraham was pleading for
God to spare Sodom for 10 believers, if they could just be found,
10 believers in that city, he said, shall not the judge of
the earth do right? Yes, he will. And he doesn't
do something because it's right. It's right because he does it. That's who is speaking. The God
of glory is the one who has mercy on whom he will have mercy and
whom he will he hardens. Actually, he has mercy. He delights
in mercy. He loves to show mercy to sinners. Don't you? Aren't you thankful
for that scripture? He delights in mercy. not giving them what they deserve,
but God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith
he loved us even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened
us together with Christ. He delights in mercy and beloved
it's sovereign mercy. He has mercy on whom he will
have mercy and whom he will, he hardens. When we read of Jacob
and Esau, Jacob was someone who was shown mercy. Esau was someone
who was not shown mercy. Pharaoh certainly was not shown
mercy. The scripture says where God
spoke to him and said, even for this same purpose, have I raised
you up that I might show my power in thee and that my name might
be declared throughout all the earth. As a matter of fact, Pharaoh
is somebody that God hardened. Turn with me to Exodus chapter
four. Hold your finger there in Romans
nine. I want to look it up. bunch of scriptures, I'm not going
to comment on them, I just want to read them about God hardening Pharaoh. Look in chapter 4, verse 21. And the Lord said unto Moses,
when thou goest to return unto Egypt, see that thou do all these
wonders before Pharaoh, which I put in thine hand, and I will
harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go." Now,
let me say this, all God has to do to harden my heart is nothing.
That's it. But it's him actively doing that.
All he has to do to harden my heart is leave me alone, and
my heart will be as hard as a millstone. Look in chapter 7, verse 3. God says, I will harden Pharaoh's
heart. Look in verse 13 of the same
chapter. And he hardened Pharaoh's heart,
that he hearken not unto them. He wouldn't listen because God
had hardened his heart. Look in verse 22 of chapter 7.
And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments, and
Pharaoh's heart was hardened. neither did he hearken to them
as the Lord had said." The Lord said this was what happened and
that's what took place. Look in chapter 8 verse 15. But
when Pharaoh saw that there was respite He hardened his heart
and hearkened not unto them as the Lord had said. Verse 19 of
chapter 8. Then the magician said unto Pharaoh,
This is the finger of God. And Pharaoh's heart was hardened,
and he hearkened not unto them as the Lord had said. Look in
chapter 9, verse 7. And Pharaoh sent, and behold,
there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. He had
seen all their cattle die, and not one of the Israelites dead.
And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, even when he saw that,
and he did not let the people go. Verse 12 of the same chapter. And the Lord hardened the heart
of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them as the Lord had
spoken unto Moses. Verse 34 of the same chapter. And when Pharaoh saw that the
rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more
and hardened his heart, he and his servants, and the heart of
Pharaoh was hardened. Chapter 10, verse 1. And the
Lord said unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, for I have hardened
his heart and the heart of his servants. Verse 20 of chapter
10, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he would not let
the children of go. Chapter verse 10 of chapter 11,
and Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh and the
Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he would not let the
children of Israel go. Now we see from these scriptures
that the Lord actively hardened Pharaoh's heart. Are you saying
that God is the author of sin? I'm saying that God hardened
Pharaoh's heart. Now that is the language of Scripture,
and I'm not going to apologize for it. This is God's Word. hardened
Pharaoh's heart. Now turn back to Romans 9. Therefore, verse 18, hath he
mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardens. If God hardens your heart, you'll
never believe, you'll never repent, you'll be damned. If God hardens
your heart. Now look at verse 19. Thou wilt
say unto me, why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted
his will? How can he hold me personally
responsible for my sin and find fault with me when he's the one
who hardened my heart? How can that be fair? You know, I think that is a question
that is just put in our hearts. I mean a kid, a little two-year-old,
where they feel like we've got a sense of fairness and of what's
right. How can that be fair? He took my toy for it. You know,
that's just in our thinking. How can that be fair? How can
it be right for God to do that? It's ultimately his fault that
I did what I did. If he hadn't hardened my heart,
I wouldn't have done it. I should not be held responsible. Now that sounds very similar,
eerily similar to what Adam said in the garden when he said, the
woman that you gave me, she gave me of the fruit and I did eat. If you wouldn't have given me
that woman, this would have never happened. Now, anytime we do
not do what we're responsible to do, what God tells us to do
in his word, and comfort ourselves with, well, I was unable to do
it because of my sinful nature, and God chose to not enable me
to do it. You ever thought like that? He
could have softened my heart, he could have enabled me, but
he didn't do it. We're saying the same thing Adam
did anytime we even think something like that. The same thing the
man in Romans 9 says, How can he hold me responsible if he
hardened me? Now, let me say two things that
I want you to listen to very carefully. Me and you do what
we want to do. We act freely. When I sin, I
cannot say, well, God didn't restrain me from it. He let my
heart get hard. Therefore, it's his fault when
I sin. I do exactly what I want to do, and I do it freely and
uncoerced. My sin is all my fault, and I
am completely responsible for my actions. I can't blame God. Number two, God is completely
sovereign over everything that I do. I love that scripture where
Joseph said, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. God is completely sovereign over
every action. Now, can I intellectually grasp
those two things? No. Do I believe them with all
my heart? Why does he yet find fault? For
who hath resisted his will? Verse 20, Nay, but O man, who
art thou that replyest against God? Now what Paul is saying
is, and this is what I've entitled this message, who do you think
you are? Who do you think you are to reply
against God? Paul answers this question by
not answering it. Nay, but O man, who are you to
reply against God? Do you have such a high opinion
of yourself that you think God, the living God, the God of glory,
is answerable to you? Does He have to explain Himself
to you? Are you His judge? Do you sit
in judgment on God Almighty and say, well, I disagree with that.
That's not fair. Do you believe yourself to be
confident to call into question His fairness? Who do you think
you are? What audacity! What arrogant
presumption! Who are you to reply against
God? I think of what God said to Job,
the entire dialogue between Job and his friends. They're saying,
you must have done something for God to bring all these terrible
things upon you. And man, he had a rough life.
He lost his health. He lost his family. He lost all
of his material possessions. And there he was sitting on a
dung hill, scraping himself with a broken piece of pottery, the
boils all over him. And his friends were saying,
you must have done something. And he said, I did not. This
is not fair. This is not right. I can't understand
why God Treating me this way is just not fair. And all of
a sudden God speaks from the whirlwind and says, Who is this
that darkeneth counsel with words without knowledge? Gird up now
thy loins like a man, for I'll demand the answer thou to me.
Where was thou when I laid the foundation of the earth? And
he goes on to ask Job a series of questions. Who are you to
reply against me? When Job says, who are you to
reply against God? Let me remind all of us who we
are. I'm talking about me. I'm talking about you. We are sinners. We are evil. We are born into this world.
totally depraved, without the ability to love, without the
ability to believe, without the ability to repent. That's the
way we're born into this world. Evil. And we're morally competent
to be God's judge. Why, that's preposterous. to sit in judgment on God and
say, I don't think this is right. I don't think this is fair. Oh,
so you know. So I know what's right and what's
fair. Why that is preposterous. For me to sit in judgment on
anybody is amazing hypocrisy, but to sit in judgment on God?
Now, if I say, I'm talking about myself. I'm not just talking
to you. I'm talking about, we're liars. We're hypocrites. Somebody says,
well, I don't want to go to the church. There's too many hypocrites
there. Well, you'd fit right in. You'd
be right there with them. For me or you to sit in judgment
on God? Nay, but O man, who are you to
reply against God? He that sitteth upon the circle
of the earth and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers.
Now, let's see now. We believe ourselves able to
make judgment against him. Now he has mercy on whom he will
have mercy. Whom he will. He hardens. Well, how could that be fair?
If he hardened my heart, how can I be held responsible? Nay,
but old man, who do you think you are? And look what Paul says
next. Shall the thing formed say to
him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? This is a
quotation from two passages of scripture in Isaiah. Would you
turn to Isaiah chapter 29? Verse 15. Woe unto them that seek deep
to hide their counsel from the Lord. And their works are in
the dark, and they say, Who seeth us, and who knoweth us? Surely
your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the
potter's clay. For shall the work say of him
that made it, He made me not. Or shall the thing frame say
of him that framed it, He had no understanding. Look at Isaiah
chapter 45, verse 9. Woe unto him that striveth with
his maker, Let the potsherds strive with the potsherds of
the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, what
makest thou or thy work? He hath no hands. Now, hath not
the potter, this is back to our text in Romans chapter nine.
Let's turn with me back there to verse 21. Hath not the potter
power over the clay? of the same lump, that lump being
fallen humanity, everybody in Adam, of the same lump to make
one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor. Hath not the potter
power authority right over the clay to do whatever he's pleased
to do? There are no boundaries, there
are no limits to the power and the authority of God. Pilate
said to the Lord Jesus Christ, speakest thou not to me? Don't
you know that I have power to release you and I have power
to crucify you and you don't speak to me? And the Lord said,
thou couldst have no power at all over me. Don't you love that? except it be given thee from
above. Turn with me for a moment to
Jeremiah chapter 18. Jeremiah 18. This is what Paul
is quoting from again. Verse 1. The word which came to Jeremiah
from the Lord, saying, arise and go down to the potter's house,
and there I'll cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down
to the potter's house, and behold, he wrought a work on the wheels,
and the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of
the potter, so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good
to the potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came
to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this
potter, saith the Lord? Behold, as the clay is in the
potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. Now, what did the potter do? Whatever seemed him good. Can you just trust the Lord with
that? He does whatever seems him good. And if it seems him good, it's
good. I don't have to understand it. Very much like the Lord said,
I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because
You've hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed
them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed
good in Thy sight. Now, hath not the potter power
over the clay of the same lump? Now when he's talking about the
same lump, he's talking about all of fallen humanity. Men fell
in Adam and were born into this world in sin. Totally depraved,
without the ability to do anything for our salvation. What does
that mean? Dead in sins. Dead in sins. born into this world with a sinful
nature. Now listen real carefully. A
man doesn't become a sinner by committing sins. He sins because
he's a sinner. Big difference. And if it were
in our power, if it was any man's power, he'd pull God off the
throne and take his place. That's true about me. That's
true about you. And the cross is the proof of
that. The one time men were allowed
to do what they wanted to do. Scripture says, Pilate delivered
Jesus to their will. And what was their will? Put
him to death. Now, Potter, has power over that clave,
that same lump to make one to honor and another to dishonor. Now, all men in that lump richly
deserve to go to hell. If God cast me into hell for
all eternity, I don't even like talking about hell. You know,
hellfire and brimstone preachers, I can't stand preachers like
that, just the way they, almost like they enjoy thinking about
it and enjoy scaring people. I don't even like to talk about
hell. Paul didn't even mention hell. He talked about destruction. The Lord talked about hell much
more than any of the writers of the scripture did, but it
is a reality. There is a place called hell,
and if God sent me to hell, I would be getting exactly what I deserve. The wages of sin is death. And
God doesn't send men to hell simply to make them miserable.
It's because that's what the crime deserves. The punishment
always fits the crime with Him. Now, don't kid yourself. Don't
lie to yourself. Somebody says, well, how could
a loving God send somebody to hell? A loving God doesn't. But
a just God does. shall not the judge of the earth
do right. Now this potter has the right,
he has the power, he has the authority of the same foul and
lump of humanity to make one vessel under honor and another
under dishonor. Now think of this concept. to be made a vessel of honor. What amazing grace that He would
give His Son to die in order to make you a vessel of honor. What amazing love! What unparalleled
compassion Now, there's some questions that are okay. You
know, that where he says, Nabit, old man, who are you to reply
against God? That's a bad objection. That's a bad question. Here's
a good question. Why would he love me? Why would he give his son for
me? Why would he choose me? Why would He make me an object
of His eternal affection? I stand amazed in the presence
of Jesus the Nazarene, and I wonder how He could love me, a sinner,
condemned, unclean. How could God be just and yet
bring me into glory? You know, these are reasonable
questions. These are questions we ought
to be asking. How could He love me? How could He make me honorable? How could I be a vessel to honor?
As sinful as I am, as contradictory as I am, I could just go on all
day long talking about how I am, and He'd make me a vessel of
honor? He'd make me to be perfectly conformed to the image of Jesus
Christ, so that I'm the very righteousness of God, and He
honors me? Amazing! And there are others. He makes
vessels into dishonor. He leaves the other to himself
and he hardens his heart. And like I said, all God's got
to do is let me or you alone. He doesn't have to do anything.
Just withhold his influences and me and you will become as
hard as the devil himself. He hardened Pharaoh's heart. And if God hardens our heart
and sends me or you to hell, how it will magnify and exalt
and glorify His justice and His holiness. You see, we wouldn't
even know anything about what grace means if there wasn't anything
to do with the justice and the holiness and the wrath of God. Proverbs 16.4 says, God hath
made all things for himself, yea, even the wicked for the
day of evil. That's what the Bible says. And
once again, you know, I love what God says. I don't apologize
for it. I'm not ashamed to preach this.
I love what I'm preaching. I love who I'm preaching. This
is who he is. Now, how should I respond to this
thing of being clay in the hand of the potter. How should I personally
respond to this? It's the truth, however I respond. But how should I respond to this? I know the way that one fellow
responded, well, why does he yet find fault? Who's resisted
his will? What can I do about it? Turn
with me to Isaiah chapter 64. Isaiah chapter 64. Verse 5. Thou meetest him that rejoiceth,
and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways. Now what a description of, well
that's a description of Christ. He's the one who rejoices and
worketh righteousness. But it's also a description of
everybody in him. Next he says, Behold thou art
wroth, for we have sinned. And in those, those very sins
we're confessing, there is continuance. That's hard to even comment on
that, isn't it? Having a sin that you confess
and you know you're going to sin it again tomorrow. How evil. In those sins, there is continuance. And then look what he says next.
And we shall be saved. How can you say both of those
at the same time? Well, this is God, like I said, let me remind
you, this is God's word. I didn't say this, he did. Now
let's go on reading, verse six. But we are all as an unclean thing
And all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Is that true
about you? Isaiah thought it was about him.
And he's talking about me and you too. What else he says? And
we do all fade as a leaf and our iniquities like the wind
have taken us away. Would that describe you? Verse 7, And there is none that
calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee.
For thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us because
of our iniquities. Now, this is the experience of
every believer. Did this describe you? Now, if it did, Let's go on reading. Verse eight. But now, oh Lord,
thou art our father. We are the clay and thou our
potter. And we all are the work of thy
hand. Be not wroth, very sore, O Lord,
neither remember iniquity forever. Behold, see, we beseech thee,
we're all thy people. See us in your Son, thy holy
cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a
desolation. Our holy and beautiful house,
which our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire, and all
our pleasant things are laid waste. Wilt thou refrain thyself
from these things, O Lord? Wilt thou hold thy peace and
afflict us very sore? If you are in the hand of the
potter and you're nothing more than clay and completely dependent
on the potter, you know what you're going to do? You're going
to ask for mercy. Nothing else to ask for. You're
going to ask for mercy. You're going to say, oh, let
me be found in Jesus Christ. That's what everybody does who
sees there nothing more than a sinful lump of clay in the
hand of the potter. Lord, have mercy on me. Save me by your grace. All without exception who see
him as the potter, the sovereign potter who has the right to do
whatever he pleases to do. Every person like that They all
cry for mercy. They all cry, Lord, let me be
found in Christ. Oh, let me be found in Christ.
Let me be seen nowhere else. Everybody who objects to this,
well, they're just like that fellow who says, why does he
yet find fault who has resisted his will? And all I can say to
that person is, who are you to reply against God? Now we're either somebody who
replies against God or we're somebody who justifies God in
all that he does and looks to Christ only. we realize our righteousnesses
are as filthy rags and we really believe the only righteousness
there is is the righteousness of Jesus Christ and we trust
Him only and we cry with Paul Oh, that I may win Christ and
be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of
the law. I don't have anything to do with
that. But that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness
which is of God by faith. And what I've been talking about, I really don't have a problem
with it. And the reason is by the grace of God, I believe everything
he does is right. And we bow to that. We're not
going to explain it away. We're not going to hide it. We
want to preach the whole counsel of God. I want to preach my responsibility,
but I also want to preach this. I trust God will bless this to
our hearts. Let's pray together. Lord, thou art the potter and we're the clay. And Lord,
we ask in Christ's blessed name that you will of that lump of
seeing that we are by nature, choice, and practice, make every
one of us according to your blessed will, vessels of honor, made just like Christ. Lord,
do that for us and in us for Christ's sake. And Lord, take
your word and bless it according to your will, and let your will
be done with your word. And Lord, truly we pray, Thy
will be done. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be
done on earth as it is in heaven. Bless us for the Lord's sake,
in His name we pray. Amen. We've got Duane.