Good morning, everyone. Join me in your copy of God's Word and go to Romans chapter 9.
! This is the third week we've been riding this crazy bull that is Romans chapter 9.
! Hopefully most of you are still hanging on for eight seconds.
We are going to pick up the last little part of Romans 9 today.
We started by...
Last week I was torn whether or not to introduce to you in a doctrinal manner what we would call the doctrines of grace, Calvinism, or Reformed theology.
And I've done my best not to really push that, but just to let you see it in the text.
That really is sort of the best way.
And like, you know, some people get nervous when they hear the phrase Calvinism, but I can put you at ease.
Like, Paul was way before John Calvin, you know.
So when we look at Romans chapter 9, we see some things that are very hard for us to swallow as human beings.
And it helped me as I wrestled with these things, somebody in my early 20s.
I was pretty frustrated.
I was really angry, hostile towards this kind of teaching.
And then I had just some men in my life who just very humbly and compassionately just pointed me back to the Scriptures over and over again.
To where I eventually just had to bow before what God's Word said.
And it also helped me to understand these are not new teachings.
It's been...
These are things that many in the historical, gospel-believing, Bible-preaching church have believed throughout the history of the church.
And one man that I know many of us respect would be a man named George Muir of Bristol.
And he was famous for starting his orphan homes.
And he cared for around 10,000 orphans in his lifetime.
And he pastored the same church for 66 years.
Didn't take a salary for 68 years and preached the gospel in 42 countries.
And he's a man marked by what many would say just humility, compassion, and service.
That's what marked his life.
Gospel conviction.
And he at first was very obstinate towards these things.
And just as an introduction, just really shortly, he was against the doctrines of grace for a long time.
But then he said this,
I was brought to examine these precious truths by the Word of God.
Being made willing to have no glory of my own in the conversion of sinners,
but to consider myself merely as an instrument.
And being made willing to receive what the Scripture said,
I went to the Lord, reading the New Testament from the beginning,
with a particular reference to these truths.
It's something he did frequently.
He would say, here's a doctrine or a teaching I've heard about.
Let me read through the entire Bible and see how many times I see this.
And he would just read through it.
And he said,
I found, to my great astonishment,
that the passages which speak directly for election and persevering grace
were about four times as many as those which speak apparently against these truths.
And even those few, shortly after, when I examined and understood them,
served to confirm me in the above doctrines.
As to the effect in which my belief in these doctrines is had on me,
by the grace of God, I have walked more closely with him since that period.
So, just by way of encouragement,
many faithful men and women have taught these things throughout the history of the church.
Now, going back into Romans 9,
two weeks ago, we did Romans 9, 1 through 5,
where Paul expresses the great anguish
and burdened, he feels,
for his fellow Jews that are still in darkness,
those who have rejected Jesus as the Messiah.
And he even says he'd be willing to give up his own soul
if it meant that all Israel could be saved.
And last Sunday,
well, excuse me, I probably should tie this all in together,
but the question has eroded,
since many Jews have not laid hold of Jesus as the Messiah,
has God's promise failed?
That's the question.
What does Israel's unbelief prove?
And Paul answers the question directly,
as we talked about last week in verses 6 through 13,
and he says,
yes, even though the majority of Jews have failed
to believe in Jesus as the Messiah,
God's promise to them has not failed.
And the reason that we unpacked at length
is just simply because God never made a promise
to save every single Jewish individual.
And he points out, if you look at verse 6,
for not all who are descended from Israel
belong to Israel.
And we see there's this reality
that there's an ethnic, physical Israel,
and there's a spiritual Israel.
And within the larger collective circle of national Israel,
there's a smaller circle of saved, believing Israel.
God only promised to save a chosen remnant from Israel.
He is faithful to that promise.
And then last week,
we sort of walked into that in the next few verses,
and we looked at Abraham and his sons,
and Isaac and his sons,
to show that God's election was not just to a group,
but it was to individuals.
He chose.
He chose, right?
Isaac over Ishmael.
Jacob over Esau.
And God did this in verse 11.
We'll start there.
Look at verse 11.
God did this in order,
or so that God's eternal purpose of election
might continue,
not because of works,
but because of Him who calls.
So without regard of any human good work,
any merit,
any foreseen faith,
God chose some individual Jews,
but not all,
for salvation.
And like a good teacher,
Paul's anticipating at least two objections to that statement.
Right?
And I personally think these might have been things that he himself wrestled with.
Okay?
Things that I wrestle with still do,
but they are natural objections that arise.
And so before I get into this,
I want to say there is a humble and right way
to question God,
to come to Him with the desire to honor Him,
to come to Him with the desire to know Him,
to be okay if answers don't come.
There's a way to do that that is humble,
but that's not the kind of questioning
that we're going to look at here.
This kind of question is presumptuous.
It's arrogant.
And Paul draws that out here.
And again,
Paul doesn't just use his own feelings.
His own opinions and his own sentiments
to prove what he claims to believe.
In this chapter 9,
he cites 15 Old Testament references.
And today,
he uses
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,
8 references
in the text today.
He's saying,
look, it's always been this way.
This is what the Scripture says.
To prove his answer.
So,
at least these two objections
comes to our mind.
We'll pick it up here.
But this is,
we're going to do it in the form of questions.
Three questions today.
Question number one is,
if God's election is true,
does this make Him unjust?
If God's election is true,
does this make Him unjust?
This is answered in verses 14 through 18.
All right,
let's look at this.
Verse 14.
Paul says,
What shall we say then?
Is there injustice on God's part?
By no means.
For He says to Moses,
I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
So then,
it depends not on human will or exertion,
but on God who has mercy.
For the Scripture says to Pharaoh,
For this purpose I raise you up,
that I might show my power in you,
and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
So then,
He has mercy on whomever He wills,
and He hardens whomever He wills.
Hard words.
But true.
So just to clarify the question,
or to clarify the objection
that Paul is anticipating,
he's saying,
Is God just in choosing
one particular individual over another
for salvation?
This sounds so unfair of God.
I thought God was supposed to be loving.
I thought God was always supposed to do what's right.
So if unconditional election is true,
then that would make God unjust,
arbitrary, unloving.
Therefore, it can't be true.
Right?
And by some small shot,
if it is true,
then it's not a God I want to worship.
That's where this kind of questioning can take us
when we are approaching things
in a man-centered position.
But I'm going to just say,
it's not wrong to say,
Well, God,
I just want to see how this fits together.
And if you say no,
okay.
But I'm just,
I would like to know
if there is an answer.
And Paul answers the question,
Does this make God unjust?
And he says,
No, never.
By no means.
The strongest negative
in the Greek language.
Other translations idiomatically say,
God forbid.
May it never be.
No, no, no.
A thousand times, no.
It's impossible.
No infinity,
as we would say growing up.
No infinity.
Even the mere thought of God
being unjust or unrighteous,
Paul says,
even the thought of that
to the slightest degree
is blasphemy.
Even with his limited revelation,
even that Abraham did not have
the Scriptures in his hand as we do,
Abraham said,
Shall not the judge of all the earth
do what's right
and act justly?
That's Genesis 18, 25.
And Moses wrote later,
God is the rock.
His work is perfect.
All his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness
and without iniquity,
just and upright is he.
That's Deuteronomy 32, verse 4.
So by no means,
like God's election
does not make him unjust.
No.
By no means.
God forbid.
And so we go,
Okay, well,
I take it as your word.
Now, why do you say that?
So then he goes from that,
verifying his answer to affirming his answer
in the next few verses here.
And God is not just,
not unjust,
excuse me,
in choosing one or the other.
He goes to Scripture.
He goes to the Exodus account.
And in verse 15,
he looks at Exodus 33, 19,
verse 17,
Exodus 9, 16.
And I want you to look very closely
at 15, 16, 17, and 18.
Like, look at verse 15.
See the 4?
He connects the 4 in verse 15
to the so in verse 16.
And then later,
he connects the 4 in verse 17
to the so in verse 18.
So basically,
4,
because of this,
so,
therefore.
So he's driving home a point.
And first,
he speaks of Moses in verse 15,
as we just read.
4,
he says to Moses,
I will have mercy on whom
I will have mercy,
and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion.
Exodus 3, 19.
So God remains perfectly just
even if he chose not
to save anyone.
Further still,
the salvation of anyone
is only due to his grace
and his mercy alone.
In verse 16,
So,
so then,
therefore,
accordingly,
right?
It depends not on human will
or exertion,
the totality of human effort,
but on God who has mercy.
Our salvation then,
I mean,
you can look it up if you want to,
this is what it says.
I'm not trying to pull the wool
over your head.
It just,
it says that our salvation
is not ultimately due
to human free will
or our effort,
our work,
our exertions.
It depires completely
on God's merciful
and gracious will.
I have some things
we'll pull out of this
in just a second,
but then he goes from Moses,
what God said to Moses,
to what God said to Pharaoh.
In verse 17,
for,
because of this,
the scriptures say to Pharaoh,
for this very purpose,
I've raised you up
that I might show my power in you
and that my name
might be proclaimed
in all the earth.
He quotes that scripture
to show that God
is completely sovereign
over the actions of Pharaoh,
over the actions of his army,
towards the Israelites.
You know a verse
that will just spin your head around?
Spun my head around.
Proverbs 16,
4.
It says,
the Lord
has made,
created,
everything for its own purpose,
even the wicked,
for the day of evil.
God appointed Pharaoh
as a supreme ruler of Egypt
and in judgment,
he hardened his heart
so that God's saving power
and his glorious name
might be spread
throughout the whole world.
That's what that passage says.
And he repeated it
on several occasions
in the Exodus account.
God says that his goal
is to make his name great,
to glorify his great name.
At the climax of,
the Red Sea,
where they're at the Red Sea,
this is what God said
in Exodus,
I will harden Pharaoh's heart
and he will pursue them,
meaning like he will follow them
into the wilderness
and into the Red Sea
to his own destruction.
And I will get glory
over Pharaoh
and all his hosts.
And the Egyptians shall know
that I am the Lord.
Exodus 14, 4.
So saying in Exodus
the same thing
as chapter 14, 17 through 18,
but summary,
God,
so then, right?
Connecting it back
to the earlier part.
So then,
he has mercy
on whom he desires.
You see this?
Verse 18.
Mercy on whom he wills
and hardens whom he wills.
A lot of us struggle with this.
Like,
we have to understand
that God has
numerable attributes.
Guess what?
Justice and wrath
are two of those attributes
just as much as
goodness,
love,
and mercy.
And it may be hard
for us to swallow,
but God is glorified
when he destroys evil.
God is glorified
when he destroys
those who spit
upon his greatness.
And so,
I'm going to give you
three takeaways
from just this one passage.
All right?
We're saying,
again,
this just isn't fair.
I feel like this is unjust,
but we have to remember this.
Number one,
underneath this first question,
none are worthy
because all are guilty.
Because all mankind,
me,
I know me
and you,
all of us
have trampled upon
the infinite worth
of God.
We only
deserve judgment.
We all have rebelled
against our good creator.
We have no case
to plea.
This is what Paul does
in the first two chapters
in Romans.
He just lays it out.
Yeah,
you've got no case.
All guilty.
All guilty
before God.
And man
is not
deserving
of God's goodness.
I am not deserving
and you are not.
We only
deserve
death
for our sins
that mankind
has committed.
And it says,
those who practice
such wicked things
deserve
to die.
And they not only
do them,
but give approval
to those who practice them.
That's Romans 1.32.
And so,
when we see our sin
and how terrible
and appalling
it is,
we question
God.
How can we do that?
When we see
how awful it is,
the real question
is not why would
He save some,
but why would
He save any of us?
That is the question.
Why would God
be inclined
to save any of us?
Y'all know that
in 2 Peter
it talks about
how the angels
rebelled against God.
God didn't spare them.
He didn't spare any of them.
He didn't send them
any Savior.
He just judged them.
So the fact
that He even
sent a Savior
to save
mankind
is mind-blowing.
So none are worthy
because all
are guilty.
This leads
to
save any
sinner.
Yet He chose
to save
some
as a demonstration
of His mercy,
His grace,
and His love.
Because all
are guilty,
God has the right
to have mercy.
We see it right there
in the text,
verse 15.
Mercy on whom
He desires
and compassion
on whom He desires.
Now,
God would be
perfectly justified
again in
annihilating
all of us
for our rebellion
against Him.
There's a good chance
that you spat upon Him
today.
I have.
We have rebelled
against God.
And so,
there is no
injustice in God
if He chooses
to save some
and not others.
Now,
let me help you
wrap your head
around this.
This helped me.
I know my history
major was good
for something.
But,
I tend to bring
a Western,
democratic idea
of
justice
into this text.
And this is not
how the Bible
talks about things.
And let me
tell you,
the kingdom of God
is not a democracy.
It is an absolute
monarchy.
And we go back
in the ancient
and medieval worlds.
We will see that
a king,
an emperor,
a ruler,
they also served
as judges, right?
Think about Solomon.
He was a judge.
People brought their
cases before him
and he would listen
and he would make
a decision.
So,
these monarchs,
kings,
emperors,
would serve
as judges.
And,
a good monarch
would be powerful,
merciful,
and just.
If a king
isn't powerful,
then his subjects
can see him
as weak
and will take
advantage of him.
If he's not
merciful,
he cannot maintain
the love and loyalty
of his subjects.
He's seen as weak.
And if he's not
just,
then they see him
as corrupt.
Right?
So,
supreme power,
mercy,
and justice
are all inseparable.
And here's what would
happen.
If a king
was confronted
with a band
of rebels,
people who had
murdered,
raped,
stolen,
this is,
I'll show you
in just a second,
just a common occurrence,
but they would all
come before the king
and he would say,
look at me,
all of you
deserve the sword.
You all deserve to die.
You broke the law.
You hurt people.
You dishonored me
as the king.
All of you deserve to die.
But,
because
I am
a merciful
king,
I will pardon you
and you.
But the rest of you
get the sword.
Because people
also need to know
that I'm not a pushover.
And that,
I take the law seriously.
So in that one act,
a king would be feared,
right,
as well as loved.
He spared.
He spared
these rebels
when he didn't have to.
And so,
let me give you
just two examples
of this in the Scripture.
It's just important
for you to see this,
but you don't have
to look there,
but in Exodus 32,
we know the context.
Moses had received
the Ten Commandments,
from God
on Mount Sinai
and down the Israelite camp.
There's rebellion brewing
and idolatry spreading.
They build the golden calf
and commit this sensual,
depraved celebration
at the bottom
of Mount Sinai
and unbelief.
And Moses feels
that indignation
from God
coming towards the nation.
And he knows
that punishment
will come.
All right?
For that sin,
you'll see,
God commands
that 3,000 people
be killed
immediately.
And so,
here's a question.
A question for us.
For that horrific act
of idolatry,
would God be justified
if He put to death
all those Israelites
who had committed
that sin
or those who just stood by
and let it happen?
Yes.
He would be just
if He killed them all.
I mean,
Aaron blows my mind.
Aaron,
the mother of Moses,
was just like,
okay guys,
sure,
whatever you want to do.
And I always wonder
why God didn't punish him.
Well,
the answer is His mercy.
He could have.
He was guilty.
And Moses made that prayer
of intercession.
Right?
God demonstrated His justice
by executing 3,000
as a warning.
Don't do it again.
And He incited fear.
But He also spared the rest
inciting gratitude.
You see that?
Another quick example
comes out of,
this is really simple,
2 Samuel 8,
verse 2,
that's when David
was winning
all these victories
against all the pagan
enemies of God.
And he defeated Moab
and he captured
a whole bunch of them.
And we read this,
David defeated Moab.
He measured them
with a line,
making them lie down
on the ground.
Two lines he measured
to be put to death
and one full line
to be spared.
The Moabites
became servants to David
and brought Him tribute.
So,
I hope you see that.
But I just want you
to think about,
if you were the judge,
if you had all the power
and that band of criminals
who committed heinous acts
came to you,
you expect them to come in
on their knees
begging for their lives,
right?
and they come in to you
and say,
hey,
we deserve to be let go.
We think this trial
is an outrage.
You can just say,
excuse me?
That is how
the indolence
that you feel
when you hear that,
that's just a fraction
of how God feels
probably
when we say,
that just doesn't
sound fair, God.
It puts me
in my place.
Spurgeon said,
sinful man
is now
not in the position
of a well-deserving
innocent child.
We will suppose
another case,
one closer to the mark.
A number of criminals
guilty of the most
aggravated
and detestable crimes
are righteously
condemned to die
and die
they must
unless
the king
shall give them
a free pardon.
If
for good
insufficient reasons
known only
to himself,
the king chooses
to forgive
a certain number
and leave the rest
for execution,
is there anything
cruel or unrighteous
here?
And so,
may we say,
is there any
unrighteousness
with God?
God forbid.
And that's
just important
for you to understand.
God has that right.
He's under no
obligation.
And the fact
that he saves any
should blow our minds
and this leads
to the third
and last one.
This is
hard to swallow.
But,
as a consequence
of what I just said,
just as
God freely
and graciously
decided to save
some,
so he also
passed over
others.
This is what
is referred to
as reprobation.
God has chosen
to pass over
certain persons
and punish them
for their sins,
manifesting
his justice.
I'm not making
it up.
Look at
verse 18.
So then,
God has mercy
on whomever
he wills
and hardens
whomever
he wills.
Now,
it's important
to understand
this,
that when we say
God hardens
somebody,
he doesn't just
go,
and just
zaps them
and just
makes them
bad.
Scripture teaches
we are bad
on our own.
We are
sinful
by nature.
What it means
is God
gives us
over to our
already sinful
devices.
God
hardens
sinners
not by
implanting
evil in us,
for that
would infer
evil comes
from him,
right?
But rather,
God chooses
not to
change us
and leaves
us
to our
already
existing
sin.
If you
go back
to Romans
1,
it says
three times
in there
a phrase,
God gave
them up.
God gave
them up.
And
that's what
happens
when God
takes his
hand off.
That's what
happens.
There is
grace
constraining
us.
Just for
the sake
of time,
I want
you to
write down
John
chapter
12
verse
37
through
40
where
basically
it says
that people
have
rejected
Jesus
because
God
has
blinded
their
eyes
and
hardened
their
hearts.
That's
what it
says.
It's a
hard truth
out of
God's
word.
And this
leads to
the second
question
in Romans
9.
Going
in verse
19.
This is
question
number
two.
Question
number
one is
does this
make God
unjust?
No,
it doesn't.
question
number
two.
If
God's
election
is
true,
then how
can
he
hold
us
responsible?
Verses
19
through
23.
Let's
read.
Paul
says,
you will
say to
me
then,
why
does
he
still
find
fault?
For
who
can
resist
his
will?
All
right?
Now
listen to
this
stunning
response.
But
who
are
you,
O
man,
to
answer
back
to
God?
Well,
what
is
molded
say
to
its
motor?
Why
have
you
made
me
like
this?
Has
the
potter
no
right
over
the
clay
to
make
out
of
the
same
lump
one
vessel
for
honorable
use
and
another
for
dishonorable
use?
What
if
God
desiring
to
show
his
wrath
and
to
make
known
his
power
has
endured
with
much
patience
vessels
of
wrath
prepared
for
destruction
in
order
so
that
to
make
known
the
riches
of
his
glory
for
vessels
of
mercy
which
he
has
prepared
beforehand
for
glory.
So
again
like
these are
things I
never read
most of
my life
until it
was shown
to me
and I
was like
this
I don't
like
this
rubs
me
wrong.
But to
clarify
the
question
that's
being
asked
they're
basically
saying
if salvation
just only
comes from
God
and who
just has
mercy
on whom
he wants
to
then how
can he
hold any
of us
responsible?
How can I
be blamed
!
for my
sin
if God
just
chooses
not
to do
anything
about it?
I can't
resist him
so
how can I
be held
responsible?
And
based on how
Paul answers
the question
in one way
we can
say
yes
he can
and he
will
hold you
responsible
hold me
responsible
he'll hold us
to account
for our
sins
but
Paul
chooses
the answer
in a way
that
is very
humbling
he doesn't
notice though
he doesn't
start going
outside the
Bible
using extra
biblical
philosophical
arguments
of free
will
or anything
else
to resolve
that problem
rather
he turns
back
to such
and such
a man
or woman
who would
ask that
kind of
question
so
presumptuously
and says
who are
you
to the
contrary
who are
you
to answer
back to
God
Paul
rebukes
any
prideful
challenge
made to
God
by using
a warning
that God
once gave
to Israel
in Isaiah
45
9
woe
to him
who
quarrels
with his
maker
so this
isn't
like a
humble
God
I just
would love
to know
if you
say no
that's
okay
but help
me see
it's not
that
it's like
well
God
how can
you hold
me
accountable
then
it's that
kind of
person
he's
answering
so he's
saying
stop
no further
cease
and desist
you go
too far
you puny
mortal
man
it is
blasphemy
to deny
much less
question
God's
right
to hold
rebellious
mankind
accountable
he insists
that fallen
finite
humans
being blinded
by sin
are in
no position
to question
God
right
I mean
think about
this
like
let me
ask you
personally
who in
this
congregation
feels
confident
enough
and they're
good enough
in their
walk with
God
to ascend
the mountain
and stare
God in
the face
and go
like
not me
I will
not approach
the holy
one
and question
him
that has
not
happened
and worked
out well
for many
people
in the
scripture
Job
most notably
Job 38
1-3
the Lord
answered
Job
out of
a whirlwind
who is
this
that darkens
my
counsel
without
knowledge
now
gird up
your
loins
like a
man
and I
will
question
you
that's
what
God
says
to him
mind
blowing
so then
to reinforce
this answer
who are
you oh
man
he gives
this
common
illustration
!
makes this
indisputable
declaration in
the form of
a rhetorical
question
using that
common
biblical
metaphor
of
a potter
or a
molder
which is
God
the creator
molding
the clay
pot
or vessel
which is
man
humanity
in verse
20
right
see verse
20
well what
is molded
say to
its
molder
why
have
you
made
me
like
this
so
basically
for us
to question
God
our maker
is
presumptuous
and ludicrous
as a
clay pot
jumping off
the table
and
arguing
with
the potter
to fully
understand
God
we would
need
to be
equal
with
God
who has
made
us
and that's
a notion
more absurd
than a clay pot
being equal
to the potter
who made
it
so to
presumptuous
!
Isaiah
29
verse 16
this is
something
Paul is
thinking
about
he quotes
that
you turn
things
upside
down
shall
the potter
be regarded
as the
clay
that
the
thing
made
should
save
his
maker
he
did
not
make
me
or
the
thing
formed
say
of
him
who
formed
it
he
has
no
understanding
this is where
Paul is getting
this language
from
and
so
look at
verse
21
24
he
continues
this
same
illustration
He says
can the potter
do what he
wants to
over the
clay
to make
out of
the same
lump?
Now that lump in the metaphor is sinful human beings.
It's all of us.
It's a single lump of fallen humanity.
That's the clay that God is using to shape and mold.
And he says he can make one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use.
So just hear me.
That God has the perfect right to make different vessels for different purposes.
In this case, you see it right before your eyes.
He formed some vessels for honorable use and some for dishonorable.
In this context, meaning some who will be saved and some who will not be.
And let's connect the two categories together, alright?
There are two categories of vessels.
Dishonorable vessels.
And I'm pulling it right out of the text.
Dishonorable vessels.
That God has prepared beforehand in order to display his wrath by bringing them to destruction.
And then secondly, honorable vessels.
That God has prepared beforehand in order to display his mercy by bringing them to glory.
That's all right out of the verse.
I didn't make it up.
So God created a world in which both his wrath and his mercy would be put on display.
Right?
We freely and willingly choose sin every day.
He did not zap us and make us this way.
He can hold us to account.
He can save who he wants to.
Then going on in the next few verses, verse 22 and 23.
And then Paul just sort of takes a shot at it.
Like, I kind of think in one way, he's like, I don't know.
I think this.
I can tell you this at least.
But I'm not going to give you an exhaustive answer.
Here, he says in verse 22,
What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make his power known,
has endured much patience vessels of wrath or prayer for destruction,
in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy?
That's where I got that definition.
Which he prepared beforehand for glory.
Indeed, all that to say that God's mercy and God's grace
shines the brightest against the backdrop of his wrath.
When the end comes, we who are in Christ will be aware of it.
We won't suffer his wrath because we are in Christ,
but we will be aware of it when it happens.
And in that moment, it will be like Noah being in the ark.
And be like, look at what's going on around us.
And yet, we are spared.
Right?
Indeed, right?
We see here very clearly that those of us who are in Christ should understand.
We should know that God has patiently endured.
He has endured.
Even today, men just spitting upon his name.
He's endured it for thousands of years.
Why did he do it?
So that we may know and realize the great extent of his mercy and blessing towards us.
You see that?
So in summary of all this, Paul affirms all human beings, all of us, guilty before God.
Right?
We are all guilty.
And he doesn't offer some kind of philosophical reasoning as to why all this comes together.
He just simply insists that God ordains all that happens.
That's Ephesians 1, 11.
He works all things after the counsel of his will.
Even though God himself does not sin, he is not responsible for our sin.
He just insists that that is true.
Therefore, we have to humbly see the salvation of any sinner is only due to his grace.
And not because I deserve it.
I don't deserve it.
And so, the third question in the last few verses here.
Alright?
Third question.
From where do God select people come?
So meaning like, who are they?
Alright?
So, remember, Paul has used the scripture to give you his answer.
Even though it was a hard one to swallow.
And I want you to imagine Paul sitting there telling you this.
He's not just sitting up on a stool going,
Well, I have a great answer for you.
He's doing it with tears in his eyes, according to verse 1-5.
He feels it in his soul.
And he's saying, this is still true.
And so, he uses the Old Testament historical account in Exodus.
And now, he jumps forward to prophetic revelation.
Saying, hey, the prophets spoke of this.
The prophets foretold this.
He shows that God's election is consistent with prophetic revelation from Hosea and Isaiah.
That God's mercy not only extends to a chosen remnant of Israel.
But also, to elect Gentiles through faith.
Most of us in here want to answer a prayer that was.
That's awesome.
Verse 24.
He goes,
Even us whom he has called,
effectually calls.
That means,
now from the Jews,
not from the Jews only,
but also from the Gentiles.
As indeed,
he says in Hosea,
those who are not my people,
I will call my people.
And her who is not beloved,
I will call beloved.
And in the very place where it is said to them,
you are not my people,
there they will be called sons of God.
That's amazing.
So these texts were originally meant for Jews,
but Paul is applying them here to the salvation of the Gentiles.
Israel had displayed,
if you read Hosea,
if you read Isaiah,
any of the prophets,
Amos,
you'll see that God's people were in great rebellion against him.
And God warned them.
He warned them,
stop,
repent.
He sent them prophets.
He sent them messengers to say,
hey,
this idolatry,
this wickedness that you are committing is not okay.
Repent.
And they didn't.
And God judged them with Assyria and Babylon.
And they were taken into captivity.
Remember all this?
And so they,
by their own sin and disobedience toward God,
they,
in one way,
forfeited their covenantal status.
The Mosaic covenant was a conditional covenant,
where God said,
if you do this,
I will do this.
If you obey,
then I will bless you.
If you disobey,
you will be cursed.
And they were breaking that covenant.
Thank God,
the one that we live under is unconditional,
where God says,
I will do good to you,
regardless.
And so,
what he's saying here,
is that,
God has promised,
that outsiders,
Gentiles,
people outside the nation of Israel,
will be brought into God's people,
and united,
along with,
that restored remnant of Judah,
calling them all,
sons of God.
Like,
remember what Jesus said?
I have many,
many,
sheep,
who are not of this fold,
Israel.
I must go,
and bring them in,
also.
So they will be,
one sheep,
but one,
plug it out.
Yep.
Basically,
one flock,
with one shepherd.
That's it.
So this idea,
that God has,
people spread abroad,
that he's going to bring into one,
group,
Jews and Gentiles alike.
It goes back to Romans 1.
Right?
Not ashamed of the gospel,
for it is the,
power of God,
salvation,
for the Jews,
and the Gentiles.
Saul ties into this.
So he is,
bringing them all together,
into one collective people,
he will call,
sons of God.
And the prophets foretold this,
the stunning grace of God,
that there are people who will be called,
sons of the living God,
calling salvation,
to the Gentiles.
All right?
So look at verse 14.
This is where he quotes from Isaiah,
or excuse me,
verse 27.
Quotes from Isaiah.
And Isaiah cries out,
concerning Israel,
though the number of the sons of Israel,
be as the sand of the sea.
You see this?
Only a remnant will be saved,
for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth,
fully and without delay.
And as Isaiah predicted,
if the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring,
we would have been like Sodom,
and become like Gomorrah.
Gosh.
So,
Paul ends that original premise,
that no,
God's word,
God's promise to Israel has not failed,
simply because,
his promise was never,
to save every single Jewish person.
Most of Israel was judged,
only that remnant was saved.
And this was,
due to the horribleness of their sin,
that they had committed.
And he says,
like Israel,
deserved,
to be wiped out.
Like Sodom and Gomorrah.
But yet,
God,
showed mercy,
and chose to spare some.
You see that?
I mean,
it's just right,
all here in the text.
So,
wrapping it up,
I know your heads are spinning,
so is mine.
So,
when we have this class in a couple weeks,
like,
come and bring it.
Let's sit down and look at the scripture together,
and wrestle with these things.
But,
I want to give you two quick applications,
of what we see here.
Because this isn't meant to frighten you,
it's meant to give you hope.
Alright?
At least there are three things,
I will try to spend time on just two of them.
But,
one,
understanding election,
will give you a deeper humility.
Alright?
And I'm not saying,
if you don't believe it,
that you're not humble.
I'm just saying that,
it'll give you a deeper humility.
When we realize,
that my sin,
and your sin,
our condition,
how serious it is,
before God,
knowing that He graciously chose us,
to be adopted into His family,
it'll only leave us,
like in awe and wonder.
Rightly believed,
pride is impossible.
It blows my mind,
that so many people,
who claim to believe these things,
just approach them,
in such a pompous way.
It should destroy,
any kind of pride,
you have left.
And,
in love,
He predestined us,
to adoption.
1 Thessalonians 5,
9.
Check this out.
For God,
has not,
destined us,
to wrath,
but,
to obtain salvation,
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5,
9.
As I mentioned,
this is steeped in,
Baptist history,
history,
as well.
And,
a Southern Baptist,
pastor in 1842,
C.D. Mallory,
wrote this,
Is this not a doctrine,
that strikes at human pride,
and brings the creature,
low at the footstool,
of great Jehovah?
It strips him,
of all boasting,
nourishes a meek,
and lowly sense,
of dependence.
While,
the soul,
with still adoring thoughts,
of his matchless,
sovereign,
eternal love,
when the believer,
reflects,
of how much he is blessed,
he will melt,
into tenderness,
and grateful affection,
as he dwells upon,
the particular mercy,
that rescued him,
from death,
and gave him a place,
at the gospel feast.
And he will only exclaim,
why me?
That is,
our response.
Like the,
all you can say,
it just puts you in a position,
like,
I don't know,
why me?
Like,
what is there,
about me?
And the answer is,
nothing.
But you're just shocked.
Like,
why would God,
choose,
to show me,
my sin?
Why would he bring me,
to Jesus?
It gives you,
a deeper humility.
And then,
and one,
I wrestle with this one,
it gives you,
a stronger assurance.
Okay?
If salvation is begun by you,
it can be finished by you too.
Good luck with that.
Our,
our assurance of salvation,
does not lie with us.
Like,
God saved us,
but now we have to kind of,
you know,
and just,
by some chance,
we'll hold on.
In fact,
it actually says,
he who began,
a good work in you,
will finish it.
Right?
As it says in,
in John,
chapter 10,
a beautiful text here,
I'll just read it,
John 10,
verse 27,
Jesus says,
my sheep,
hear my voice.
I know them,
and they follow me,
and I give them eternal life,
and they will never perish,
and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
Now,
check this out,
my father,
who has given them to me,
the father,
gave a people to the son,
and elect people.
My father,
who has given them to me,
is greater than all,
and no one is able to snatch them out of my father's hand.
The father and I are one.
If this has begun in God,
I can rest.
Like,
wow,
okay.
He started it,
he's going to finish it.
He's going to carry me all the way through to the end,
and I will not fall.
So,
who can bring a charge against God's elect?
No one.
So,
again,
if you're wrestling with this,
just to be familiar again,
to encourage you,
a lot of people have called this the doctrines of amazing grace.
We just sang that hymn.
John Newton,
who wrote it,
believed deeply in the doctrines of grace that we were talking about.
And in closing,
he said,
the views that I have received of the doctrines of grace are essential to my peace.
I could not live comfortably a day or an hour without them.
I believe them to be friendly to holiness,
and to have direct influence in producing and maintaining gospel conversation.
And therefore,
I must not be ashamed of them.
That's what Newton said.
a great awareness of the grace of God in his life and in our life.
But these are hard words,
but the goal is to be like,
wow,
why did God have mercy on me?
It's supposed to just leave you struck with humility and awe.
Like,
why me?
He could have chose not to.
He did.
If you are in Christ,
you are a vessel of mercy prepared for glory.
So I hope that that encourages your soul.
And I could spend forever talking about how this has challenged me and encouraged me to go and reach the loss.
Okay?
Like,
this does not nullify the Great Commission.
In fact,
it adds great fuel to the fire for it.
Talk about that another time.
But,
let's pray together.
Let's pray together.