Well, good morning. Please take your copy of God's Word and join me in Romans chapter 9.
It's very good to be here with you this morning, opening God's Word together as we continue our verse-by-verse exposition of Paul's letter to the Romans.
Good teachers build cases, laying one truth on top of the next, leading from point to point to aid their hearer's arrival at the truth they intend to present.
Paul, being carried along by the Holy Spirit, is a good teacher.
He has been building the case that we are justified by grace alone through faith alone in the person and finished work of Jesus Christ alone.
In chapter 1, verse 16 and 17, he states his thesis for the entirety of this letter.
There he says,
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
For in it, that is the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith.
As it is written, the righteous shall live by faith.
The rest of this letter is expounding on what is found in those two verses.
He goes on to explain that whether or not a person has God's standard in writing, they have it written on their hearts.
Which leaves all mankind guilty on the day of God's judgment, for we have all willingly transgressed the standard.
Paul states this most clearly in chapter 3, verse 10 and following as he cites the Old Testament.
None is righteous.
No, not one.
No one understands.
No one seeks for God.
All have turned aside.
Together, they have become worthless.
No one does good.
Not even one.
Their throat is an open grave.
They use their tongues to deceive.
The venom of asps is under their lips.
Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.
Their feet are swift to shed blood.
In their paths are ruin and misery.
And the way of peace they have not known.
There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Beloved, this includes us.
Having established that all mankind is guilty before God, he then unpacks justification.
Justification is a declaration that one is righteous.
That is, never committed a sin and has perfectly kept all that's required of them.
And he unpacks that this is through faith alone.
Having been justified by faith, Paul teaches us that we continue by faith, having been set free from the enslaving power of sin.
He then roots comfort for our continued struggle with sin in this life in God's sovereign election, calling, justifying, and glorifying work.
We see this in chapter 8.
We find him in chapters 9 through 11 now, working out the implications of God's elective purposes for those who will not be saved.
Particularly, his concern is for the Jewish people.
Clay very helpfully worked us through the majority of chapter 9 over the past three weeks.
Which begins, this is chapter 9 and verse 1.
Paul says,
I am speaking the truth in Christ.
I am not lying.
My conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
This is in response to all he has said about God's elective purpose.
Which is a comfort for those who are in Christ.
But then he turns quickly with this anguish and sorrow.
Verse 3 tells us why.
For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen, according to the flesh.
And he's talking there about the Jewish people who had largely rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We see a continuation of this sentiment in today's text.
Which is Romans chapter 9, verse 30, through chapter 10, and verse 4.
And in verse 1, he says this.
This is 1 of chapter 10.
Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.
While Paul loves deeply the doctrine of sovereign election, as he should and as we should,
this doctrine does not make him cold to those who will not repent and believe in Christ.
We will see this morning that God's choosing of a people for his praise does not exclude the responsibility of people
to respond in faith to the saving work of the gospel.
And this is where he turns his attention now.
Much of our consideration in the coming weeks will be concerning the nation of Israel.
But let us not merely think this morning that we are speaking of some distant others
and that the warnings here aren't also for us.
So, good teachers build cases.
Good teachers also anticipate and answer objections.
Paul being carried along by the Holy Spirit is a good teacher.
And he anticipates another objection at the end of chapter 9.
Let's read this text together.
Romans 9, verse 30, through 10, verse 4.
We remind you before we do, beloved, that this is God's word to us,
written for his glory and our good.
And so, we would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.
Paul writes,
What shall we say then?
That Gentiles who do not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith?
But that Israel, who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness, did not succeed in reaching that law?
Why?
Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works.
They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written,
Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.
And whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.
Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.
For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
For being ignorant of the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own,
they did not submit to God's righteousness.
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Now, in Romans chapter 9, verses 23 through 26,
Paul speaks of God making known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy,
which he has prepared beforehand for glory.
Even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles.
As indeed he says in Hosea,
Those who were not my people I will call my people,
and her who was not beloved I will call beloved.
And in the very place it was said to them,
You are not my people, there they will be called sons of the living God.
God, God, beforehand, in his sovereign election,
has called a people for his praise from every tribe, nation, and tongue.
All peoples, when you see this Jew and Gentile,
he's talking about the whole world.
It is to that declaration that Paul anticipates the objection found
in verse 30 through 32 right at the beginning.
Please know that both the chapter and verse breaks in a text are not inspired.
Sometimes I just disagree with where they put the breaks,
so I take the liberty to break it up myself.
So, see again, what shall we say then?
That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it.
That is a righteousness that is by faith.
So, those who didn't have the law and weren't seeking to obey God in any measure at all,
they have obtained righteousness.
But that Israel, verse 31,
who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness,
did not succeed in reaching that law.
And in the beginning of verse 32,
why?
How is this possible?
That Gentiles who did not pursue,
and Israel who did pursue,
are blessed differently.
This would have been a significant objection in the Jewish mind.
To show you just how deeply fixed the idea
that God only intended his saving work amongst Israelites,
I want to read to you an episode from the life of Christ,
which I think you'll do well to turn to with me,
found in Luke chapter 4.
So, if you could join me there.
Again, how deeply fixed this idea was in the Jewish mind.
God only intended his saving work for them.
That was the idea that was prevalent in the day.
This is Luke 4, beginning in verse 16.
And Jesus came to Nazareth,
where he had been brought up, his hometown.
And as was his custom,
he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day,
and he stood up to read.
And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him.
He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.
And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.
And the eyes of all the synagogue were fixed on him.
And he began to say to them,
Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.
He's saying,
I'm that one.
And all spoke well of him
and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth.
And they said,
Is not this Joseph's son?
And he said to them,
anticipating the next things they'll say,
Doubtless you will quote me this proverb,
Physician, heal yourself.
What we have heard you did at Capernaum,
do here in your hometown as well.
They asked him to perform miracles.
And he said,
Truly I say to you,
no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.
But in truth I tell you,
there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah,
when the heavens were shut up three years and six months,
and a great famine came over all the land.
And Elijah was sent to none of them,
but only to Zarephath in the land of Sidon,
to a woman who was a widow.
And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha,
and none of them was cleansed,
but only Naaman the Syrian.
When they heard these things,
all in the synagogue were filled with wrath.
And they rose up and drove him out of the town
and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built,
so that they could throw him down the cliff.
But passing through their midst,
he went away.
Now, what happens between verse 22,
and all who spoke well of him
and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth,
and verse 28,
when they heard these things,
all in the synagogue were filled with wrath.
Simply this.
Jesus pointed out two times
that God's mercy passed over Israelites
and was extended to Gentiles.
A Sidonite widow named Zarephath
and a Syrian leper named Naaman.
This is from their own scripture.
The Jews of Jesus and Paul's day
were so conditioned that God's favor had to do
with their lineage and their law-keeping
that they couldn't even entertain the idea
from their own holy text
that God would be gracious outside ethnic boundaries
and they considered Jesus a heretic and worthy of death.
That's how deep-set this type of thinking was.
Paul answers this objection.
You can join me back in Romans.
By pointing out the error of Israel,
I, as Paul does here,
am speaking in generalities.
So praise God that many Jewish people
have and will place saving faith in Jesus Christ.
We're going to explore some of this in chapter 11.
But Paul's concern in this text
and our concern for today
is the broad rejection of justification
by grace alone,
through faith alone,
in the person and completed work
of Jesus Christ alone.
Paul in his day is seeing this broad...
And beloved, we live in a place
that people should know better.
God's word abounds in the place
in which we live.
And yet, there is a broad rejection
of justification by grace alone,
through faith alone,
in Christ alone.
So let's look at Paul's argument
by framing it with the following three points.
Number one, Israel's ignorance
of the purpose of the law.
Number two, Israel's ignorance
of the point of the scripture.
And number three, Israel's ignorance
of the person of God.
So number one, Israel's ignorance
of the purpose of the law.
And we see this in chapter 9
in the rest of verse 32.
He asks the question, why?
Why?
And he says,
because they did not pursue it,
that is the law,
pursue it by faith,
but as if it were based on works.
Notice Paul says that the law,
the righteousness contained within,
believing that somehow
the pursuit of it would be saving.
We live in a glorious day
that we understand how it is
that the law is fulfilled by faith.
They didn't quite understood,
saw things as a shadow,
as a glimpse of what would come,
but it was to be pursued,
nonetheless, by faith.
Paul has established already
that no one has kept God's law perfectly,
and that the righteous requirement
of the law is its perfect keeping.
So what was to be done
with an expectation
that could not be met?
The Jews of his day
seemed to think
that they were meeting
this expectation,
that it was not being met.
Paul asks and answers this question
for us in Galatians chapter 3.
Listen to what he says there,
beginning in verse 21.
He's spoken of grace,
and then he asks,
is the law then contrary
to the promises of God?
Certainly not.
For if a law had been given
that could give life,
then righteousness would indeed
be by the law.
But the Scripture imprisoned
everything under sin
so that the promise by faith
in Jesus Christ
might be given to those who believe.
Now before faith came,
we were held captive under the law,
imprisoned until the coming faith
would be revealed.
So then the law was our guardian
until Christ came
in order that we might be justified
by faith.
The law was, and is,
meant to point us to the one
who kept the law on our behalf.
We're supposed to see our failure in it,
to recognize that we have transgressed it.
Every one of us
has not kept God's law.
And a single transgression of it
deserves the curse of death.
The sinless life of Jesus Christ
is called his active obedience,
and it is a vitally important part
of the offer of the gospel
for our salvation.
He grants to us
his perfect law-keeping
through faith.
Unique in all the world
is the grace and mercy of our God
who makes a requirement
of all who will be saved
and then provides
for all that he commands.
The gospel declares
that we must be perfect
to be saved
and then grants us perfection
through faith in Christ.
This is so incredibly important
to understand.
So important
that I will not grow tired
of saying that one is justified
by grace alone,
through faith alone,
in the person
and completed work
of Jesus Christ alone.
But I will tell you,
even as I say that,
I need to say that.
I need to declare that
to the church.
I will not grow tired
of saying this
because sometimes
I am tempted
to grow tired
of saying it.
We need spines of steel
when it comes to declaring
these great truths.
The law is meant to show us
that we need God's grace
that's given to us
as a gift through faith
and that Christ accomplished
all that we need
that we might be saved.
We're confessional as a church.
We believe that it's important
to draw together
what the Bible teaches
about particular things
that we might put it
in our minds
and live accordingly.
And so we do things
like recite catechisms together.
Some of you may be familiar
with the New City Catechism.
It's one that we do
with our children quite often.
Question and answer 15 says this,
Since no one can keep the law,
what is its purpose?
And then very succinctly stated
that we may know
the holy nature of God
and the sinful nature
of our hearts
and thus our need of a Savior.
The law is meant
to have us looking
for some way
in which the law
will be fulfilled.
Now we live in a Western culture
and Western logic
is very linear.
I'm grateful for the New Testament.
The Greeks were very linear.
This is the heritage
that we receive
in the way that we logic
through things.
But Eastern logic
is very circular
and I don't mean that
as a cut to Eastern logic.
The Old Testament
being written in Hebrew
has a much more
circular logic to it.
That is,
the Old Testament says,
not this,
not this.
And it's leading us to,
well then what?
Well then,
what?
And we're supposed
to arrive
at this realization
that the Messiah
is this one,
Jesus Christ.
And the New Testament
unfolds
all of that
for us.
Israel was
ignorant
of the purpose
of the law.
They thought
that by keeping it,
by some measure,
they could gain
God's favor.
All kinds of people
think this way
today.
They want to put
their works
on a scale.
The good
versus the bad
and they hope
that the one
outweighs
the other.
If you ask
the average person
if they'll go to heaven,
they'll say,
well,
I think so
because I think
I'm a good
person.
And the gospel
says,
Romans says,
no,
you're not.
You do not
deserve heaven.
You do not
deserve restored
relationship
with God.
But,
and that's such
an important
conjunction,
God,
because He's
gracious
and He is
merciful,
has made a way
by grace alone
through faith alone
in the person
and completed
work of Jesus
Christ alone.
It could be said
we are saved
by works,
but not our own,
the works
of another,
the work of Christ.
Secondly,
notice Israel's
ignorance
of the point
of the Scripture.
Notice this
in chapter 9,
the very end
of verse 32
and into verse 33.
There Paul says,
they have stumbled
over the stumbling stone.
As it is written,
behold,
I am laying in Zion
a stone of stumbling
and a rock of offense
and whoever believes
in Him
will not
be put to shame.
Now,
what he's explaining
is what he has
just said.
Right?
He's helping us
to understand
this is according
to the Scripture.
Right?
And we see
God's elective purpose
in this.
They've stumbled
over Christ.
Rather than
laying Him
as the foundation
for their hope
of the future,
they have stumbled
over Him.
But,
I say this,
Israel's ignorant
of the point
of Scripture
because the Jewish
people had the Bible
of their day,
the Old Testament,
and would have known
what God had said
to the prophet Isaiah,
which is the citation
found here
in verse 33.
It's a bringing together
of a number of texts
from Isaiah.
Isaiah.
All of the Scripture
is meant to lead us
to Christ.
And you will not
be able to plead
ignorance
on the day of judgment.
We can read
of another episode
in Jesus' life,
this time
after His resurrection
in Luke chapter 24.
There we see recorded
that very day
two disciples
were going to a village
named Emmaus,
about seven miles
from Jerusalem.
And they were talking
with each other
about all these things
that had happened
while they were talking
and discussing together.
Jesus Himself drew near
and went with Him,
but their eyes were kept
from recognizing Him.
And He said to them,
What is this conversation
that you are holding
with each other
as you walk?
And they stood still
looking sad.
Then one of them,
named Cleopas,
answered Him,
Are you the only visitor
to Jerusalem
who does not know
the things that have
happened there
in these days?
And He said to them,
What things?
And they said to Him,
concerning Jesus of Nazareth,
a man who was a prophet,
mighty in deed
and word before God
and all the people,
and how our chief priests
and rulers delivered Him
up to be condemned to death
and crucified Him.
But we had hoped
that He was the one
to redeem Israel.
Yes, and besides all this,
it is now the third day
since these things happened.
Moreover,
some women of our company
amazed us.
They were at the tomb
early in the morning,
and when they did not
find His body,
they came back saying
that they had even seen
a vision of angels
who said that He was alive.
Some of those
who were with us
went to the tomb
and found it just
as the women had said,
but Him they did not see.
And He said to them,
O foolish ones,
and slow of heart
to believe all
that the prophets
have spoken.
Was it not necessary
that the Christ
should suffer these things
and enter into His glory?
And before I read
the last verse
I intend to read
from Luke 24,
I just want to say
between this episode
and the transfiguration,
there's debate in my mind
which I would have
rather been at.
Verse 27 says,
And beginning with Moses
and all the prophets,
He interpreted to them
in all the scriptures
the things concerning Himself.
Notice that they are
weak of heart.
They stood,
they are sad,
they are not so sure
about the resurrection.
He calls them foolish
and slow of heart
to believe
and then He takes them
to the text
and He walks them
through the Old Testament
showing them
that He is in fact
the Christ.
God will hold you accountable
to what can be seen
of Him
and His saving work
through Christ
in this precious text.
You will be accountable
on that day.
He has spoken,
you and I do well
to listen.
May Christ for us
not be a rock
that has stumbled over
but the sure foundation
of our deliverance.
I am grateful
to be part
of a Christian tradition
that takes
the Bible seriously
and to help
pastor a church
that takes
the Bible seriously
but we must know
that a constant
nagging temptation
for those who reverence
God's Word
and see good
in His commands
is to drift off
into legalism.
To begin thinking
once again
that we could ever
have that same purpose.
We can lose sight
that people are saved
by grace alone
through faith alone
in Christ alone.
Jesus condemns
the Pharisees
who were the legalists
of His day
for this very thing.
Listen to the indictment
of John chapter 5
verse 39 and 40.
There He says,
You search the Scriptures
because you think
that in them
you have eternal life
and it is they
that bear witness
about Me
that you refuse
to come to Me
that you may have life.
You seek to follow
the rules from the text
and yet those rules
are supposed to show you
your need of Me
that you would come
and believe
in the Gospel.
Thirdly,
notice Israel's
ignorance
of the person
of God.
So we jump down
into chapter 10 now
verses 2 through 4.
I bear them witness.
He desires
that they would be saved
because I bear witness
they have a zeal
for God.
They're energetic
toward God
but not
according to knowledge.
The Jewish people
had made a God
of their own invention
and they weren't
coming to Him
on His
terms.
For
being ignorant
of the righteousness
of God
or of
God's righteousness
and seeking
to establish
their own
they did not
submit
to God's righteousness
for Christ
is the end
of the law
for righteousness
to everyone
who believes.
They had failed
to see
that God
is
the standard
that His
righteousness
has been
explained to us
in the law
and therefore
their zeal
was not
according
to knowledge.
Notice
Isaiah chapter 6
I'm thankful
Ernie referenced
this in his
prayer of praise
this morning.
Isaiah
sees a vision
of holy God.
In the year
that King Uzziah
died I saw
the Lord
sitting upon
a throne
high and lifted up
and the train
of His robe
filled the temple.
Above Him
stood the seraphim
each had six
wings which two
He covered His face
and with two
He covered His feet
and with two
He flew.
And one called
to another
and said
holy
that three
time repetition
means perfectly
righteous
is the Lord
of hosts
the whole
earth
is full
of His glory
and the foundations
of the threshold
shook at the voice
of Him
who called
and the house
was filled
with smoke.
And here is
Isaiah's response.
This is zeal for God
according to
knowledge.
He says
woe is me
for I am lost
for I am a man
of unclean lips
and I dwell
in the midst
of a people
of unclean lips
for my eyes
have seen
the King
the Lord
of hosts.
What is
wrought in Him
by this vision
of God's holiness
is humility.
Worship
according
to knowledge.
He sees
His need
of cleanliness
to be made
clean.
And if you read
on in Isaiah
He is
and He is sent
He is commissioned
by God
to be a messenger
of the good news
of Christ.
Isaiah
more than any other
prophet speaks
of the coming
Messiah.
So note that response
right?
A zeal for God
begins
with this
humility.
Another place
that we can witness
this
is Luke
chapter 18
this is
verse 9
and following
Jesus tells
a parable
to some
who trusted
in themselves
that they were
righteous
and treated
others
with contempt.
Two men
went up
into the temple
to pray
one a Pharisee
and the other
a tax collector.
The Pharisee
standing by
himself
prayed
thus.
Look how
contradictory
this is
to the
response
of Isaiah.
God I
thank you
that I
am not
like other
men
extortioners
unjust
adulterers
or even
like this
tax collector.
I fast
twice a week
I give
tithes
of all
that I
get.
But the
tax collector
standing
far off
will not
even lift
up his
eyes to
heaven
but beat
his breast
saying
God
be merciful
to me
a sinner.
And then
Jesus says
I tell you
this man
went down
to his
house
justified
rather than
the other.
For everyone
who exalts
himself
will be
humbled
but the
one who
humbles
himself
will be
exalted.
In this
parable
the tax
selector
comes
by grace
alone
through
faith
alone
in
Christ
alone.
The
Pharisee
comes
on his
own
merit
and is
not
justified.
Again
speaking of
these
Pharisees
and I'm
driving at
this because
I think
there's
such a
danger
of that
for us.
Matthew
chapter
23
verse
27
and 28
Jesus
says
woe
to you
scribes
and
Pharisees
hypocrites
for you
are like
whitewashed
tombs
which
outwardly
appear
beautiful
but within
are full
of dead
people's
bones
and all
uncluenliness
so you
also
outwardly
appear
righteous
to others
but within
you are
full
of hypocrisy
and lawlessness
so if we
are to go
to God
if we
have a
zeal
for God
which I
commend
it must
be
according
to knowledge
we must
come to
him
on his
terms
we must
recognize
that we
have
nothing
to offer
to our
salvation
but humility
of heart
and the
faith
that he
gifts
so an
application
for closing
if you
have yet
to place
saving
faith
in Jesus
Christ
maybe this
morning you
find yourself
trusting in
your own
works
it resonated
with you
when I said
people put
things on a
scale and
hope that
they have
been good
enough
this text
teaches that
if you will
cease laboring
to justify
yourself
and rather
place all
of your
hope in
the personal
work of
Jesus Christ
then you
will be
saved from
the eternal
consequence
of your
sin
you will
not be
put to
shame
if you
trust
in Christ
if you
have placed
saving
faith in
Jesus Christ
church
this text
teaches both
the sovereignty
of God
and salvation
and the
human
responsibility
to believe
the gospel
both things
are being
taught right
here in
this text
the sovereignty
of God
and salvation
his eternal
purpose of
election
and the
human
responsibility
to believe
the gospel
both truths
are to be
believed
they are
important for
us
otherwise
they would
not be
taught
Charles
Spurgeon
once said
this is on
the back
of your
bulletin
it's the
same historic
quotation
found there
last week
but Clay
didn't reference
it
and so
it's just
too good
not to
read it
so I
left it
in place
he said
this
two truths
cannot be
contradictory
to each
other
two truths
cannot be
contradictory
to each
other
if then
I find
taught
in one
place
that
everything
is
foreordained
that is
true
and if
I find
in another
place
that man
is responsible
for all
his actions
that
is true
both
things are
taught in
scripture
and it
is my
folly
that leads
me to
imagine
that two
truths
can ever
contradict
each other
we sometimes
feel that
right
it feels
contradictory
to me
but that's
my
that's my
folly
not the
truth
proclaimed
so both
truths are
to be
believed
and finally
this text
teaches
that there
is a
way
to be
saved
praise
god
we don't
have to
stay
in our
sin
there's a
way to
be saved
by grace
alone
through faith
alone
in the
person
and completed
work of
Jesus
Christ
alone
so we
must
maintain
this
truth
and we
must
proclaim
it
boldly
I told
you at
the outset
of our
study of
Romans
that
a
reason
we
determined
to
study
this
text
is to
remind
us
of
the
hill
that
we
are
meant
to
die
upon
there
seems
to be
so
many
lesser
truths
being
challenged
and
debated
as
distractions
from the
gospel
of
Jesus
Christ
may we
not get
confused
between
the
gospel
and
gospel
implications
we
need
to
stand
shoulder
to
shoulder
arm
in
arm
on the
hill
of
justification
by grace
alone
through faith
alone
in the
person
and
completed
work
of
Jesus
Christ
alone
let's
pray
together
as