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 separated from Christ for my brethren. my kinsman according
to the flesh. Paul knew that life is in Christ. Hope is in Christ. Salvation
is now in Christ. And his friends, Jewish people,
brothers and sisters and neighbors and acquaintances of
all these years rejected the Messiah. They didn't know Christ. They held to their ceremonies
and their laws and their works to make them accepted before
God. And he says that his heart was
heavy continually in sorrow because of these people. his friends
who did not know the Savior, and he makes this statement in
verse 3, a statement to which no man can
do justice, and very few men can identify with. He said, if
my being separated from Christ would be the means of their salvation. I'd be willing to do it. I could wish that myself were
separated from Christ for my brethren. If it, my being separated
from Christ, would mean the deliverance and the salvation of my kinsmen,
my sons, my daughters, in some case, not in this case, but according
to the flesh, she said I'd do it. As I say, not too many of
God's people are able to enter into that. Moses could. Turn to Exodus 32. I think this
is what Moses is saying in Exodus 32. The Lord God was angry with
Israel, and he was poised to destroy them. Exodus 32. They'd sinned greatly against
the Lord, and the Lord had determined to destroy the people. In verse
31, Moses said, he returned to the Lord, he said, oh, this people
have sinned a great sin. They've made them gods of gold.
They've turned away from the living God to gods of gold. yet yet Lord now if you will
forgive their sin if you will forgive their sin but if not then block me I pray thee out
of the book which thou hast written I intercede for them so strongly
I pray for them so passionately that if you can't have mercy
upon my people You can block me out of the book you've written. And the Lord said to Moses, whosoever
has sinned against me, him will I block out of my book. And this is what Paul would,
oh, for that type of intercession. Paul has it here. That's what
he's saying. But who are these people? Who are these people who are
his kinsmen? Well, these people, verse 4 says,
they're Israelites. Israelites. They're the natural
sons and daughters of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. That's who
they are. A people highly favored, greatly
blessed, and yet so blind. I guess it's like America, England,
Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Switzerland, these countries that have been
so enlightened. I'm not talking about present-day
religion. That's double darkness. I'm talking
about our background, our ancestors, great men whom God raised up
in England and Switzerland and America back
in bygone days who laid a foundation, a foundation laid by the apostles
and the prophets of old, Christ Jesus, the gospel. We're blessed
like these people. He said, look how, Paul says,
look how they've been blessed, these Israelites to whom pertaineth
the adoption. They were, they were a separated
nation. a favored nation, highly favored
of God, like we were, till we became sidetracked. And they
had the glory, the glory of the tabernacle, the mercy seat, the
sacrifice, the priesthood. They had the covenants God made
with Abraham and Moses and David. They had the giving of the law.
They had the service of God, the worship services. They had
the promises. promises of life, whose are the
fathers, they had the prophets. Go back through our day, we've
had the prophets. God never left himself without
a witness. We've had the prophets just like
Israel. And Israel, of whom as concerning the flesh, the Savior
came, the Christ came. He was a Jew. It says that he was, according
to the flesh, made of the seed of David, declared to be the son of God,
but made the seed of David, became a man, came into this world. These people, Christ came, God
blessed, whose overall God blessed forever. These people so blessed,
so blessed. so highly favored, and yet so
blind. So blind. Why are these people
so blind? These people who are so highly
favored, our, our relatives and friends, are so highly favored. We've
had the scriptures, through the past we've had the preaching
of the word of God, the gospel, and yet they're so blind. They go after the gods of silver
and gold and materialism and flesh. They do not turn to Christ, do
not believe Christ, do not know Christ. Why are they so blind?
I'll tell you why. Turn to John 7. John chapter
7, our Lord tells us why they're so blind. They're so blind because they
will not come to the light. They will not come to Christ. In John chapter 7 verse 14, now
about the midst of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple
and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying,
How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? And Jesus
answered them and said, My doctrine is not mine, it's his that sent
me. And we can say the same thing.
This is not the Baptist doctrine. This is not the Reformer's doctrine. This is not our doctrine. This
is not my doctrine. This is the word and gospel and
doctrine of him that sent me, God's gospel. the gospel of His
glory, the gospel of His beloved Son, the gospel of His grace. It's not mine, it's His assentment,
Christ speaking as the representative of His
people, the surety. It's not mine, it's His assentment. Now if any man will do his will,
if there's in the heart of a person the will to know God's will and
to do God's will and to know God's doctrine and to believe
God's doctrine, He'll know of the doctrine, whether it be of
God or whether I speak of myself. If you come to me, he'll know. If you look to me, he'll know. He that speaketh of himself seeketh
his own glory. But he that seeketh his glory
that sent him, the same is true. No unrighteousness in him. Here's
another one that he said over here in John chapter 5, talking
to those religious leaders. John chapter 5, and here's the
key to the key. Why men so highly favored are
so blind? Why people whose background has
been in the Word, in the Scriptures, in the truth of God, in the truth
of the gospel, and yet they're so blind, like these Jews with
the covenant and the promises and the priesthood and the sacrifices
as pertaining to the flesh, Christ came. He said to them in verse
39, you search the scriptures. He's not commanding them to search
the scriptures here, though we are commanded to search the scriptures,
but he's saying you do search the scriptures. These men were,
they read the Bible, they revered the Old Testament, he said you
search the scriptures, in them you think you have life. In the scriptures you think you
have life, but there's no life in the scriptures, the life is
in Christ. You teach doctrine and argue
doctrine and argue your creeds and But life is not in the creeds
and the doctrines, life is in Christ. You search the scriptures,
in them you think you have life. There they which testify of me.
And here's the problem, you won't come to me that you might have
life. You won't come to me, Christ
said. And these Jews, these people
Paul's weeping over interceding for them. They're arguing doctrine,
they're searching, reading the Bible, they're comparing different
denominations and different beliefs and condemning idolatry and all
this sort of thing. And he said, you search the scriptures
and you study religion and you argue religion, but salvation
is not in those things, it's in me and you won't come to me. But you might have life. And even these, our friends,
they'll go to different churches, they'll go to different, hear
different speakers, they'll read different books written by men,
and they're searching, searching, searching. They say, but the
key to the key to the key to the key is you won't come to
me. I'm the way, I'm the truth, I'm
the life, Christ said. Christ is our hope. to please
God that in him should all fullness dwell, not in the church, in
Christ, not in the altar, not in the baptister, not in the
sacraments, in Christ, you will come to me. Go back to our text, but verse
6, Not as though the word of God
had taken none effect, they're not all Israel which are of Israel. Don't judge the kingdom of God
by what the Jews believe or the religious people or the religious
multitude or those in command. They're not Jews which are so by natural genealogy,
sons of Abraham. They're not all Israel, which
are of Israel. It says over here in verse 27,
Isaiah also cried concerning Israel, though the number of
the children of Israel be as the sands of the sea. How many
are the sons of Abraham? How many millions and millions
and millions down through the years, even now, sons of But they're not all Israel which
claim to be Israel. Verse 7, neither because they're
the seed of Abraham are they all children. That doesn't make
a man a child of God because he's of the seed of Abraham. Or because his father was of
the seed of Abraham. In Isaac shalt thou seed, because
Ishmael is the son of Abraham. That is, verse 8, they which
are of the children of the flesh, they're not the children of God,
but the children of the promise. Children of the promise, they're
the children of God. The barren shall give life. It says here in verse 9, and
here's the promise, the word of promise, at this time will
I come and Sarah shall have a son. Abraham already had a son. He
was the son of Abraham. Ishmael and Isaac had the same
father. They had different mothers, but
they had the same father. And yet God chose Isaac. Ishmael,
Jacob, and Esau. Let's read this in verse 10.
Not only this, but when Rebekah also had conceived by one, even
our father Isaac. Here are two boys born Ishmael
and Isaac had the same father, but different mothers. And God
said Isaac is a child of promise, supernaturally born of God. But
then here are two boys born with the same father and the same
mother and born at the same time. And listen to what it says. And
the children, verse 11, not being yet born, neither having done
any good or evil, that the purpose of God The purpose of God, according
to election, might stand not of worse with him that calleth.
It was said to her, the elder shall serve the younger. The
choice, all natural distinctions favored Esau. But God said, Jacob. Jacob. So everybody that's religious
and has a background of religion and even a background of, even
a family of religion, same father, same father and mother born at
the same time, with salvations of the Lord. You search the scriptures, in
them you think you have life, you search your ancestry, in
that you think you have life, you try to find the right heritage
and the right pedigree and the Right, all this other thing,
the salvations of the Lord. And everybody that's of Israel
and of religion are not children of God, but the children of the
promise. They're the children of God. God said at this time
I'll come and say we'll have sons. Abraham, you can produce
all the sons you want to. But this is a child of promise,
born of God. Turn to John 1 verse 11. Listen
to this, John 1, John 1 verse 11, verse 10. Christ Jesus was in the world,
and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He
came unto his own nation, Israel, own temples, sacrifices, and
they received him not, but as many as received him. You will not come to me that
you might have life, but as many as received him, to them gave
he the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe
on his name. Now watch this, which were born,
not of blood, that is, not of natural genealogy, not of the
will of the flesh, not of the will of man, born of God. Esau, Isaac, I mean Ishmael,
Isaac. Ishmael has all of the means
God used. But Isaac is a child of promise,
supernaturally born from above, given of God, chosen of God,
through Isaac, my seed. And then here's Isaac. Rebekah, same father, same mother,
and his children, not being involved before they were born, before
they had done any good or evil. At the purpose of God might stand,
it was said to her, the elder serve the younger. Jacob have
a love, he saw a hate. We're not children of God because
we're children of Abraham. We're not children of God because
we're children of believers. We're not children of God because
we're in the majority. This religious world has the
idea they're going to gang up on God. We reject his sovereignty, we
reject his lordship, we reject his word people do, they reject
his divine election, they reject his right to do with his own
what he will, and they think because most of them are opposed
to God's sovereignty then we'll just cancel it, we'll gang up
on God. But this thing of salvation is
of God before we're born, before we've done any good or evil,
and it's according to His own purpose. Turn to Ephesians 1. Ephesians chapter 1. Listen to
this in verse 11. Ephesians 1, 11. In whom? In Christ also we have
obtained and inherited. being predestinated. We obtain the inheritance not
because of what we've done, or whose sons we are, or what religion
we cling to, but being predestinated according to the purpose of Him
who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.
that we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted
in Christ. Look at chapter 3, verse 11. Chapter 3, verse 11. Verse 10
says, and to the intent that now unto the principalities and
powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold
wisdom of God. according to the eternal purpose
which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now turn to 2 Timothy
chapter 1 or chapter 2, 2 Timothy 1 it is, verse 8. Be not thou therefore ashamed
of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner. But be
thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the
power of God who saved us, and 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." The choice was made by God. The
choice was made in eternity. The choice was made before we
were born. The choice was made before we'd
done any good or evil. The choice was made based on
His own purpose, given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began. Now back to my text. Verse 14,
what shall we say then? What shall we say then? You know, he asked that question
back here in chapter 8. You remember when he said, verse
30, Moreover, whom he did predestinate, him he called, whom he called,
he justified, whom he justified, he glorified. What shall we say
then? What have we got to say? Well, the world's got a whole
lot of things to say. Verse 14 of Romans 9, is there
unrighteousness with God? Shall we charge the holy God
with unrighteousness? Shall we charge the just God
with injustice? Shall we charge the merciful
God with being unfair? Paul said, what shall we say?
Is there unrighteousness with God? Is there injustice with
God? Is God unfair? God forbid! God forbid! God forbid that we should judge
Almighty God by our thoughts and our standards. God forbid. But if you want the best answer
to this question, what shall we say? Turn to John or Matthew
chapter 11. This is the best answer that
can be given to God's election, God's sovereignty. God's choice,
Matthew 11, and this is, I say this is the best because this
is what the Lord Jesus Christ said concerning this very thing,
that He chose us according to His own will. We're born not
of the will of man, not of the will of the flesh, but born of
God. All right, Matthew 11, 25. Our Lord had just rebuked these
cities in which his mighty works were done. And he said to them,
if Sodom and Gomorrah had been blessed with the revelations
that you've been given, they would still be here. In verse
25, at that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, because
you've hid these things. from the wise and prudent, and
you've revealed them to babes." Isn't that what we're saying?
God's been pleased to hide these things from so many, wise and
prudent, religious, so forth. And He's revealed them to babes,
to things that are not, to children, like you and me, to foolish things. And then He says, "...even so,
Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight." It seemed good
to God. So that's the reply that I give
to this question. What should we say then to these
things? I say even so Father, it seemed good in thy sight.
And this is what he said to Moses and this is what he said to Pharaoh.
This is what he said to his friend Moses and what he said to his
enemy Pharaoh. Look at my text again, Romans
9. What should we say to these things?
Is God unfair? Is God unrighteous? Is God... He said to Moses, he's praying,
Moses, I'll have mercy on whom I'll have mercy. I'll have compassion
on whom I'll have compassion. And this was in answer to Moses'
request in Exodus 33. He said, Lord, Show me your way and show me
your glory. And this is what he said, Moses,
I'll be merciful to whom I will be merciful. I'll be gracious
to whom I will be gracious. So then, it's not of him that
willeth, it's not of him that runneth, it's of God that shows
mercy. Who made me what I am? Who made
the difference? Who gave me the light? Who gave
me Not only the light, but the life. Who chose me? Who called me?
Who saved me? He did. And it's not of him that
will it. Salvation is not of him that
will it. You will not come to me, he said. We follow our natural
wills. It's away from God. Away from
Christ. It's not to Christ. You take every free will denomination,
just name them, just select any free will, anybody that says
they have a free will, free will, free will. They do what they
will, they say by their will, they say I will. Every one of
them without exception take credit for what they will. Every one without exception. They believe that they're saved
by their wills and they give their wills the glory. That's
right. They teach and preach works.
What you do. Every one of them. And everybody
who says salvation is of the Lord, they give him the glory. They praise his name. They give
him all the credit and all the glory. Now you think about it.
Go to any church you want to. Go to any preacher you want to.
Listen to them preach. sit in the congregation and everyone
that believes in free will you'll find the glory and the praise
is given to that will and to that preacher and to those people
and the fact that God's done all he can do now it's up to
us Christ died but it's of no effect unless we make it effectual
God wants to save you but he can't do it unless you let him
in other words the will of man is praised Everywhere if you'll
go and listen to a preacher who preaches this word what I'll
be merciful to whom I will be merciful I'll be gracious to
whom I will be gracious Salvations of the Lord they praise him Lord. We were dead in sins and you
quickened us. We were lost and you found us
We were enemies and you saved us you came where we were and
lifted us and out of the dunghill from the grave and raised us
and and seated us on the throne with Christ, and to thee be the
glory and the praise both now and forever." That ought to tell
us something. And he said that to Moses, and
he said it to Pharaoh, his enemy. Look at verse 17. The Scripture
said to Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have
I raised you up. He saved us on purpose. He called
us on purpose, according to the purpose of Him who works all
things after His purpose. Called according to His purpose.
But He said to Pharaoh, for this same purpose have I raised you
up, that I might show my power in you, that my name might be
declared throughout all the earth. I'll use you for my purpose too. Verse 18, therefore, hath he
mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he'll harden.
Lord, don't harden me, don't leave me to my will. Don't leave
me to my natural mind. There's a way that seems right
to me, and in the end is death and destruction. Lord, do something for us. Give life and light and
truth understanding. Don't leave us with this majority
of religious folks, sons of Abraham by the sands of the seashore,
yet a remnant according to the election of grace. Isn't that
what he said? According to the election of
grace, just a remnant. All right, verse 19, let me give
you this before we close. Therefore thou wilt say then
unto me, you know, men are always justifying themselves. Even this
doesn't satisfy. What shall we say to these things?
Well, God said, I'll be merciful to whom I will. So then they've
got another reply in verse 19. Why does he yet find fault? We blame even God for our ruin. Justify our sins. They say, why
does he find fault with us? Why does he condemn us for sin?
He's sovereign. No one can resist his will. He's
on the throne. He rules and reigns over the
armies of heaven and the inhabitants of this earth. Why does he find
fault with us? Why does he condemn us? Well, Paul gives three answers.
And none of these will satisfy a natural man. None of them will
satisfy a natural man. But they'll be sufficient for
the believer. And I judge that I'm among believers. And when
this question is asked, why does he condemn men? Why does he find
fault with men? He's on the throne. He's sovereign.
He does what he will, when he will, with whom he will. He's
God. He reigns and rules, then why does he find fault with us?
Who can resist his will? Who has any power against it?
Or fire? Well, here are the three answers
Paul gives, and as I said, the natural man is not going to be
convinced, but the believer will. The first one is this, verse
20, O man, who art thou that replies
against God? Let God be God and every man
a liar. This is what the natural man
will not do. He won't let God be God. Who are we to criticize God? Who are we to contradict God? Who are we to question God? Why God does what God does is
found only in the wisdom of God. That's the first answer Paul
gives. Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why
did you make me thus? God, why did you create the world
and then let Adam fall? And sin take over. Why did you
do that? Why did you create the angels
and allow a third of them to fall? Why did you do that? to contradict and criticize and
sit in judgment on God. What God does and the wisdom
for that is found in himself. Why did you choose this one and
pass by that one? Why did you elect Moses and condemn
Pharaoh? Natural man would Pharaoh being
in the position he was in as king of the most powerful nation
on earth. That's the one we would have
chosen to do our work. He has the power and the influence
and the means. Moses is a shepherd 80 years
old out in the wilderness taking care of a bunch of sheep. We
wouldn't have chosen him. Well, who are we to find fault
with God's way? And here's the second answer.
Hath not the potter power over the clay? Whose clay is it? Can the sovereign God created
all things for his own use and pleasure? Doesn't he have the
right to do with his own what he will? The potter has power
over the clay to make of the same lump one vessel under honor
and another under dishonor. It's his clay. And he said, can I not do with
my own what I will? And that answer is sufficient
for a believer, it's not sufficient for the world, not at all. What
I think, Naleman said, I thought, God says your thoughts are not
my thoughts, your ways are not my ways. As the heavens are high
above the earth, so are my thoughts and my ways higher than your
thoughts. Who are we to dispute with God?
Who are we to criticize, find fault, contradict God? Let God
be God. Let his word stand. Unquestioned. Believed, though not understood.
All of it. God can do with his own what
he will. You say, my children, no, they're his. My friend, this is his clay. He'll do with his own what he
will. He will, believe me, he will. Honestly, he will now. He will. He'll do with his own
what he will. And the third answer is this. Verse 22. What if God, willing to show
his wrath, to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering
and vest the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, and that
he might make known the riches of his glory? Now, he's going
to make known two things. Verse 22, willing to show his
wrath and make known his power. God's going to show his wrath
against sin. God's going to reveal and to
show this universe that he's God and that he's holy and that
he will no wise clear the guilty. He's going to show his power His holiness, His justice, and
His wrath against sin. He's going to show that to this
universe. And He's going to show it like He showed it to Pharaoh.
He made Pharaoh an example. He said, I raised you up that
I might show my power. That I'm God. That those who
rebel against me and find fault with me are going to perish under
my hand. I'm going to show this universe
One of these days, everybody says, why does God permit this
and permit that? Their foot will slide in due
time. In due time, He'll show His wrath.
He's going to show His wrath against sin. Against rebellion,
especially against rebellion against His Son. Jesus Christ
is God. Jesus the Christ came into this
world and walked on this earth and they spit in His face Pucked
out his beard, said, we'll not have this man reign over us,
and nailed him to a cross. And they said, let's see if God
will have you now. And they mocked him in his agonizing
death. God said, I'm going to show this
world someday who he is. I'm going to exalt him above
all exaltation. I'm going to put down every thought
against him, every word against him. every imagination against
him, I'm going to crush every enemy, and I'm going to show
the world that I did it. I'm God. I endured them, he said, with
much longsuffering, this vessels of wrath. I put up with their
mouth. I put up with their mouth. I
put up with their criticism, their contradictions. I put up
with them calling me a devil. Like they say, the doctrine of
election is the doctrine of devils. That's alright. God said, I'll
put up with that. I'll put up with it. I'll put up long suffering. These vessels of wrath fitted
for destruction. But someday, I'm going to show
my wrath. And then the second thing he's
going to show, he's going to make known the riches of his
glory on the vessels of mercy. He's going to show his love. He's going to show his love.
And he's not going to show his love by saying, now, I did all
I can do, but you saved yourself. You're up here in heaven because
you are smarter than Joe Brown, and you're a little bit more
holy than Mary and Elsie. And you've tithed and tended
church and served the Lord. And I'm going to give you seven
crowns. These things we can stack them one on top of each other
without you losing them and dropping one of them. And we're going
to praise you and your preacher. Your preacher was a good little
preacher. And he was faithful and we're going to just give
you a... Unto him who loved us and washed
us from our sins in his own precious blood. and made us kings and
priests under our God, unto Him be all the glory and all the
crowns at His feet. He loved me. He called me. He chose me. He saved me. He
kept me. He raised me. He lifted me. He seated me. I'm nothing. Never was anything. But now I'm
everything in Him. To God be the glory. Now come
on! There's one verse, Ephesians
2, turn over there. He's going to show two things,
His wrath and His grace. His judgment against sin and
sinners and His kindness and mercy. Ephesians 2 verse 4, But God,
who is rich in mercy, For His great love wherewith He loved
us, even when we were dead in sin, hath quickened us together
with Christ. By grace are you saved, and raised
us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding
riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
That's what I'm going to show. The purpose of God. purpose of
God. I hope that's a blessing to you.