When you turn back to Romans
chapter 9, I've entitled this message, Who Are the Children
of God? I don't have to convince anyone
that not everybody is a child of God. Who are the children
of God? And more specifically to myself,
Am I one? Am I a child of God? The way most people deal with
Romans chapters 9 through 11 is to dismiss it as irrelevant
to themselves because it's some vague teaching about God's dealings
with national Israel. That's the way most people deal
with Romans 9 through 11. You know it could not be saying
what it seems to be saying, so we explain it away as relevant
only toward national Israel. And that, my friends, is handling
the Word of God deceitfully and dishonestly. May the Lord himself
condescend to teach us, for Christ's sake, what is being
taught in this passage of scripture that I just read. May I be enabled
by the Spirit of God to preach this message as it ought to be
preached, as he would have it preached. The main point Now
listen to me. The main point in this passage
of scripture is that God always keeps his promise. Now that's the point. God always
keeps his promise. He did not make a promise to
Israel that he did not keep. Now let's look at these first
five verses real briefly. I'm not going to say much about
them, but I think it's important to set up this message. Paul
said, 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. For I could wish that myself
were cursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen, according
to the flesh, the Jews. Look what he says about them.
He said, they're the Israelites to whom pertaineth the adoption. You can't read the Old Testament
and fail to see that God made a difference between Israel and
the rest of the world, didn't he? I mean, it's plain. God said,
against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his
tongue, against man or beast, so that you may know that the
Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. Now, if I'm saved, God's made
a difference. A good word that people understand
would be this. He discriminates. God discriminates? Yes. And we're
gonna see that more as we look at this passage of scripture,
but they have the adoption. They have the covenants, the
glory. They have the Shekinah glory,
the cloud. signifying God's presence, the
covenants, the giving of the law and the service of God. And
this is talking about that tabernacle worship, all the beautiful dress,
all the rites and ceremonies, the service of God and the promises. Whose are the fathers? They're
the true ancestors of whom is concerning the flesh. Christ
came, who is over all God, blessed forever. Amen. And my heart is broken over the
children of Israel because of their rejection of God, their
rejection of the gospel. But look what he says in verse
six. It's not as though the word of God has taken none effect. It's not as though God's purposes
are not being done. It's not as though God has made
a promise to them that he's not able to keep because of their
rejection. Four, they are not all Israel which are of Israel. These people, as blessed as they were, and their rejection of God, it
doesn't mean God's purpose in them was frustrated or of none
effect. It does not mean that his promise
toward them failed. He didn't promise them something
and failed to keep his promise. Verse seven. Neither because
they are the seed of Abraham are they all children. But in Isaac shall thy seed be
called. When God first appeared to Abraham
in Genesis chapter 12, he was about 75 years old. And God said,
in thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. He didn't
have any children, but yet God said, you're going to have children.
In Genesis chapter 15, some years later, God renews the promise. He said, Abraham, look at the
stars. Can you count them? So shall
thy seed be. Sarah was still barren. She still
had not had a child, but Abraham believed God. with no evidence
but what God said. He couldn't see any evidence
in himself that he could have children or in his wife, but
he believed what God said. And that's what faith is. It's believing what God has said. Now, 12 years later, after this
first promise was given, still no seed Sarah comes up with a new innovation
12 years later. Now it's obvious that God's promise
is not going to come to pass unless we do our part. We have to give him something
to work with. If we do not do our part, God's
promise will not come to pass. Now Sarah God does not need you
to do your part. He doesn't need anything you
have to contribute to work with. But anyway, she introduced this
new innovation. We need to do our part. So Abraham,
you see, Hagar, my young Egyptian maid. You go into her and that's
us doing our part and that way God's promise will be able to
be fulfilled. So Abraham went into her and
they had Ishmael. Now, another 12 years later,
God appears to Abraham in Genesis chapter 18 when he was going
to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. You remember that. He and two
angels came and appeared to Abraham. And God said, at this time next
year, I will come and Sarah shall have a son. Nothing about you
all doing your part. This is what I'm saying. I'm
going to come. and Sarah shall have a son. Now, Sarah at this time was 89
years old. I don't believe there's anybody
in this assembly that old. There's some people in their
80s, but 89 years old. And she had already gone through
menopause. The scripture says it ceased
to be with Sarah after the manner of women. It was impossible for
her to have a child. And when the Lord said that,
you know what she did? She laughed. It was the laugh
of unbelief. Shall I, being old, have pleasure
and my Lord also, talking about Abraham, we're too old. This is not going to happen.
She laughed. And I think it's kind of humorous in the passage
of scripture where the Lord said, why did Sarah laugh? And she
denied it right before the Lord said, I didn't laugh. He said,
no, you did. You did. Is anything too hard for the
Lord? Is there anything beyond his
ability to perform? Is anything too hard for the
Lord? So that time next year, Sarah had a child, Isaac. And look what the scripture says
about these two boys in Galatians chapter 4. Hold your finger in Romans 9 and look at Galatians
chapter 4. I think this passage of scripture
is key for us to understand the gospel. You see, if this passage
of scripture wasn't in here, I would have never known what
Abraham and Sarah and Isaac and Ishmael and Hagar represent. I just wouldn't have known it.
I would think it is one of those glorious Old Testament stories,
but I'm not real sure what it meant. But here, God tells us
exactly what this story represents. In Galatians chapter four, verse
20, verse 21, he says, tell me you that desire to be under the
law. Do you not hear the law? And what I would have done, I
would have start quoting the 10 commandments. Do you not see
how you can't keep any of those 10 commandments? That's how I
would have handled that. I would have quoted the 10 commandments. Don't you hear what the 10 commandments
are saying? But look what the Lord says.
He says, for it is written, verse 22, that Abraham had two sons,
the one by a bondmaid. the other by a free woman. But he who was of the bondwoman
was born after the flesh. There wasn't anything miraculous
in it. This young Egyptian maid, he goes in, they have a baby. Nothing miraculous. But he of
the free woman, Sarah, who had already gone through menopause,
who could not have children, was by promise. The promise of
God. There is one reason Sarah had
a baby. Because God said it. No other
reason. Verse 24. Which things are an
allegory, for these are the two covenants. The one from Mount
Sinai which genders to bondage is Hagar, for this Hagar is Mount
Sinai. Hagar and Ishmael represent Mount
Sinai. They represent the law. He says
these are the two covenants. One covenant is a conditional
covenant. It won't be completed unless
you fill the conditions. God's promised, he's done his
part, now you need to do your part. And there's all kinds of
conditional promises in the Bible. If you obey God perfectly, he'll
save you. That's a conditional promise.
If you obey, he'll save you. The other is an unconditional
covenant, simply because God willed it. One is God will if you will,
the other is God will and you shall. One is dependent upon man's obedience
or response, and the other is simply dependent upon God's promise. God always keeps his promise. And I think it's very interesting
that God never acknowledged Ishmael as a son. He said, cast out the
bond woman and her son. The son of the bond woman shall
not be heir with the son of the free woman. Remember when he
said to Abraham in Genesis 22, take now thy son, thy only son. Ishmael is never acknowledged
as a son by God. That's the son of the flesh.
Take now thy son, thy only son, whom you love, and offer him
up as a burnt offering to me. Now back to Romans 9. And I think you'll see what Paul
means when he says in verse 8, that is, they which are the children
of the flesh, those that have flesh involved in their birth.
These are not the children of God, but the children of the
promise, God's promise. At this time, I will come and
Sarah shall have a son. Verse nine, This is the word
of promise at this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son. Now, somebody may be thinking,
well, the reason Isaac is the promised seed is because he had
two Jewish parents. Ishmael, his mom was an Egyptian. So surely he couldn't be counted
the seed. Well, Paul says, okay, let's
deal with that. Look at verse 10. And not only this, but when
Rebekah also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac. Now here, the mom and dad are
both pure-blooded Hebrews. No mixing going on. But look
what it says. Verse 11, for the children, talking
about Jacob and Esau, being not yet born. There are women sitting in this
assembly right now who you're going to have more children if
the Lord doesn't come back. They're not yet born, but they're
certain. They're not yet born. They don't
have any existence. You don't even know what their names are.
You don't know what they look like. You don't know what they'll be like,
but they're children. who are not yet born. All a part of God's glorious
purpose and providence. For the children being not yet
born, neither having done any good or evil. How could they
do good? They're not born. How could they
do evil? They're not born. These children
that will be. Now what's it say? Twins who came from Rebecca and
Isaac, came out of the same womb, 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. Election. What is it? Election is God's choice of his
people before time began, and this choice he made It didn't have anything to do
with their works, good or bad. Their bad works did not disqualify
them. Their good works did not recommend
them. Now let me say this about election. This opens the door wide for
mercy. This doesn't shut anybody out.
This doesn't close the door. This gives any sinner this side
of hell hope. Salvation is not by works. It's not because of what you
do or do not do. Thank God. according as he hath chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him. Paul said, we're bound to
thank God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord. And to the
elect are the beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the
beginning chosen you to salvation. through sanctification of the
spirit and belief of the truth. The Lord said, you didn't choose
me. I chose you. And what's God's purpose in election?
that salvation might not be of works. Now understand this, please
understand this. Election doesn't prevent people
from being saved. It causes people to be saved. This is who God is. Election
is God being God. I like that, don't you? is God
being God. He controls everything. He controls
who will be saved. If there were no election, there
would be no salvation. Every one of us would be in hell.
But thank God, He chose a people to be saved because that's who
He is. He's gracious. He's God. Now, verse 12, because
of God's purpose, verse 12, it was said unto her, The elder
shall serve the younger. That's the opposite of the way
we would do it. We'd say, no, the elder's gonna
be on top. But he said, no, the elder is
gonna serve the younger. I love the way that the Lord
turns things upside down. I just love it. I love the way
he does things. And then we read in verse 13,
as it's written, he quotes Malachi chapter one. As it's written,
this is what the Old Testament says, Jacob, this is God speaking,
Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. That's God's words. Jacob have I loved, Esau have
I hated. Let me say this right off the
bat. I don't apologize for these words. This is God's word. And it's good. It's all good.
Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated." Now, I've heard
many people say, well, what that means is he loved Esau less. Just the very concept of God
loving somebody less is offensive. That's not who God is. And if
you read Malachi chapter 1, where he actually said this, Read it
for yourself. You're not going to get God loving
him less. Now, let's let me talk about Esau for just a moment.
I mean, it's just it's such a shame that people get staggered at
God hating Esau. Now, first, let me say this.
God's hatred is not like our hatred. Our hatred is dark. It's vindicative. It's evil. It's wrong. God's hatred is not
like that. God is holy. and his hatred is
a holy hatred. Esau didn't think God was worth
a bowl of soup. He sold his relationship with
God for a bowl of soup. He didn't care anything about
his birthright. He didn't care anything about
God. The scripture says in Hebrews chapter 12 that he was a profane
person. He deserved the hatred of God. Now I know for a lot of people,
that just sounds, doesn't God love everybody? No! The scripture
says in Psalm 55, thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Now that's a pretty big demographic,
isn't it? All workers of iniquity are those whom he hates. The
Lord shall abhor the bloody and the deceitful man. So many scriptures
regarding this. Don't get stuck on Esau have
I hated. Be amazed. Be encouraged by Jacob have I
loved. Jacob was a willful cheat. He was a deceitful man. He was
a fraud in many ways. You remember how he deceived
his brother? There's no way that you can justify that. He deceived
Laban. He was going to get what he wanted,
whatever it took. He was a deceitful, sinful man. He was a mama's boy. Esau, you
probably like Esau better. Esau was a man's man. He was,
Jacob, was a plain man dwelling in tents. He's the type, probably
the kids beat him up when he was a kid. But God said, I love him. One of the glorious
things about God's love, one of the things, everything about
God's love is glorious, but God's love is in Christ. Jacob was
in Christ. Jacob was lovely to God. He said, oh, Jacob's my son.
He's my son. God has called the God of Jacob
more than any other title in the Bible, the God of Jacob. God said, I love Jacob. You know, my response is to that. Number one, how? And number two, why? And even
more than that, why me? Why would he love me? Now, Paul on down in this chapter,
and we'll look at this in the next couple of weeks, He knows
how people will object to this. He knows exactly what men will
say. He says in verse 14, what shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness
with God? Is God unfair in making this
selection, choosing to love Jacob and hate Esau? Is God unfair? I love the way Paul answers it.
God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I'll have
mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I'll have compassion on whom
I will have compassion. Look down in verse 19, here's
the next objection. Thou wilt say unto me, why did
he yet find fault, for who hath resisted his will? If he's purposed
by his will to save one, and purposed to pass by the other,
how can he hold me responsible? If he's purposed everything,
how can I be held responsible? I love Paul's answer. Verse 20,
Nay, but O man who art thou to reply against God. Do you think
that you have the moral genius to sit in judgment on God? Whatever
God does is right. And we bow. Now, the title of this message,
Who Are the Children of God? The children of God are the children
of promise. That's who they are. The children
of promise. Now, I've already alluded to
this. God has made two kinds of promises. There are two covenants. The one is conditional. Blessing
for obedience. Blessing dependent upon your
response. The other is unconditional. Blessing simply because I said
it. The conditional promises are
not in Christ. You're on your own. You're on
your own. If you can obey it, more power
to you. If you can keep the law perfectly, go for it. Go for
the gusto. Try it. You the desire to be
under the law, go for it. God'll meet you on the ground
you want. If you want to take that route, God'll let you do
it. Do you want to take that route? I don't want anything
to be dependent upon me in any way to any degree. I don't. Oh, I don't. I want to simply
be found in Christ. Turn with me for a moment to
2 Corinthians chapter 1. Verse 17, When I therefore was
thus minded, I used likeness, or the things that I purposed.
2 Corinthians 1 verse 17, Do I purpose according to the flesh,
that with me there should be yea, yea, and nay, nay, yes and
no to the same thing? But God is true. Our word toward
you was not yea and nay, for the Son of God, Jesus Christ,
who was preached among you by us, even by me, and Silvanus,
and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. For all the promises of God in
him are yay and amen to the glory of God. Is salvation by grace? Well,
yes and no. Yes, it's by grace. But no, if you don't do your
part to receive it, it won't do you any good. Will that grace
help you any? Will it help me a bit? Thank
God all the promises of God in him are yea and amen. Second Timothy 1.1 speaks of
the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. They
are unconditional to me and you because Christ kept all the conditions
for us if we're in him. It works like this. He did for
the children what Judah did for Benjamin. Benjamin said, send
the lad with me. And this is what the Lord Jesus
Christ says of all of his people. Send the lad with me. I will
be surety for him. I will bear all the responsibility
of his salvation. All of it, of my hand, shalt
thou require of him. The Lord said that for me. He
said to his father, you look to me for what you expect out
of him. If I bring him not unto thee and set him before thee,
then let me bear the blame forever. Salvation conditioned wholly
upon Christ. Is that good news to you? Does that rejoice your heart? This is precisely what David
spoke of in 2 Samuel 23 verse 5. He said, although my house
be not so with God, yet hath he made with me an everlasting
covenant, ordered in all things and sure. And this is all my
salvation. And it's all my desire. though
he make it not to grow." Now, who are the children of
God? Let me briefly answer that question from this passage of
scripture we've looked at. The children of God are the children
of the promise. They're the ones God elected.
For the children, being not yet born, neither having done any
good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to election,
might stand. Somebody's thinking, what if
I'm not elect? What if you are? What if you are? Election's not
gonna keep you from salvation. If you come for mercy, if you
come pleading Christ alone, oh, let me be found in Christ, you
are elect. If you're a sinner, a real sinner,
who needs a Savior, you are elect. You're the chosen of God. Isn't
that wonderful? The elect are the ones He loves. Jacob have I loved. They're the ones of a supernatural
birth. Isaac was born supernaturally
because of God's promise. God's children are born supernaturally. To as many as received him, to
them gave he the power to become the sons of God, even to them
which believe on his name, which were born, not of the blood,
not of, because your mom and dad are saved, not of the will
of the flesh, not because a bunch of men got together and said,
we're going to pray till he's saved, not because of the will
of man, not because of an act of your free will. They were
born of God. Supernaturally. These are the
children of God. The ones birthed by God. The
ones Christ shed his precious blood for. And what is the evidence? How can I know I'm one of those
people? They are children who believe the promise. Now look
with me for a moment in Romans chapter 4. Verse 19, speaking of Abraham and being
not weak in faith, he considered not his own body, now dead, when
he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness
of Sarah's womb, he staggered not at the promise of God, through
unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, being fully
persuaded that what he had promised. You see the stars? Can you count
them? So shall your seed be. He believed what God said. Now, faith is the evidence. Not an evidence, but the evidence. Well, I believe I'm a child of
God because I seek Him as much as I can. I try to put down sin.
I try to read the scriptures. I try to live like Christ. I
try to do my best. Surely I'm a child of God. That
ain't no evidence. Not according to the scriptures,
it's not. Faith is the evidence. of God. Faith is the evidence
of things not seen, the substance of things hoped for. Turn with
me to Galatians chapter 3. Verse 26, for you are all children
of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Verse 27, for as many as you
as have been baptized into Christ, you've put on Christ. There's
neither Jew nor Greek. There's neither bond nor free.
There's neither male nor female. For ye are all one in Christ
Jesus. And if you be Christ, then are
you Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. The promise of God. Look in Philippians
chapter three. Paul says in verse 2, beware
of dogs. That's strong language, isn't
it? He calls these men who claim to be of the circumcision, he
calls them dogs. Beware of the concision. They
talk about circumcision, but this is a play on words. What
they are is mutilators. That's what they are. Now that's
strong language. And then Paul says in verse 3, for we are the
circumcision. We're the true Jews. We're the
true children of God. Beloved, you're looking at a
real Jew. I'm looking at some real Jews,
and here they are. We are the circumcision, which
worship God for who he is. And we do it in the Spirit, by
the Spirit of God. There's no worship without the
Spirit of God. It takes a new nature to worship.
A natural man can't worship God. He can't see Him. I've got to
be born of God. I have to have His Spirit to
worship Him. And what do folks do who have His Spirit? They
rejoice in Christ Jesus. they find all their salvation
in Christ Jesus. And you know what someone does
who rejoices in Christ Jesus? They have no confidence in the
flesh. None, nada, zilch, no confidence
in anything that has anything to do with my flesh. Now that
is the true Jew. And this is the promise that
God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began. God has
never broken a promise. And this is the ground of our
faith. When we read that Christ, by his precious blood, has presented
us holy and unblameable and unreprovable in God's sight, you know what
we do? We believe. said, faith is the evidence,
not an evidence, but the evidence. Is it any wonder that Peter called
these promises of God, exceeding great and precious promises. All of God's salvation is in
his promise. And here's why. Let's look at
one other scripture in Romans chapter four. Verse 13, for the promise that
he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to
his seed, every believer through the law, but through the righteousness
of faith. For if they which are of the
law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none
effect. It's all useless. It doesn't work, because the
law works wrath. For where no law is, there's
no transgression. Therefore, it's of a faith, salvation,
it's a faith, that it might be by grace to the end, that the
promise might be sure to all the seed, not to that only which
is of the law, the Jews, but to that also which is of the
faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all." Now the point,
the point in Romans 9 is God never breaks his promise. The children of God are the children
of the promise. And the children of the promise
are manifested like this. They believe the promise. They're like Abraham. He staggered
not at the promise of God through unbelief, but he was strong in
faith, giving glory to God, being fully persuaded that what God
had promised He was able also to perform. Now I want to leave
you with this question. Is God able to save you with
no help from you? Do you believe he has to have
something to work with before he can save you? What did he have to work with
when he created the universe? Huh? Nothing but his own free and
sovereign will. That's all it took. He didn't
have anything to work with. He spaked the world into existence.
What does he need to work with in the new creation? His work. May God give me and
you the grace to be just like Abraham, to believe. that what God has promised, he
is able also to perform. Let's pray together.