WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.500 Last verse, Paul tells us nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. 00:00:06.100 --> 00:00:12.640 And I've been telling you that that ending, that last verse raises a question for Paul's readers, which is, what about the Jews? 00:00:13.419 --> 00:00:15.880 Most of the Jews have rejected Christ. 00:00:16.500 --> 00:00:22.120 I've been repeating that famous verse from the Gospel of John that we read at Christmas from John chapter 1. 00:00:22.379 --> 00:00:28.500 He came to his own and his own people did not receive him, which is a comment about the Jews. 00:00:28.500 --> 00:00:31.899 Jesus came and many of them, most of them, rejected him. 00:00:32.460 --> 00:00:42.939 So if God's so reliable, if God keeps his promises, if nothing can separate us from the love of God, what about God's promise to Israel? 00:00:43.579 --> 00:00:46.980 Aren't the Jews separated from the love of God? 00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:50.740 So we have spent the last three weeks answering that question. 00:00:50.740 --> 00:00:57.859 Three weeks ago, we saw Paul's grief, his heartbreak, how devastated he was over the fact that the Jews rejected Christ. 00:00:58.359 --> 00:01:03.640 Two weeks ago, Paul lists all the privileges the Jews experienced in the Old Testament. 00:01:04.439 --> 00:01:09.420 And then last week, we saw the difference between external religion and internal religion. 00:01:09.760 --> 00:01:12.260 That is, there is this big circle, ethnic Israel. 00:01:12.260 --> 00:01:16.280 And then within that, this little circle of spiritual Israel. 00:01:16.460 --> 00:01:20.280 Not everyone who's in ethnic Israel is in spiritual Israel. 00:01:20.660 --> 00:01:26.100 And we talked about the fact that for us in 2026, what this means is that we can have a physical connection, 00:01:26.520 --> 00:01:31.080 an external relationship with the church, but not have a spiritual connection, 00:01:31.080 --> 00:01:34.600 not have an internal relationship with God. 00:01:34.599 --> 00:01:42.599 It's possible to identify as a Christian and for it not to be a true heart reality. 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:47.719 It's possible to know the words, but not the tune. 00:01:48.599 --> 00:01:54.500 This week, we are now turning to the doctrine of election or predestination, which answers the question, 00:01:55.079 --> 00:01:57.979 what determines who ends up in spiritual Israel? 00:01:58.159 --> 00:01:59.340 Who's redeemed from sin? 00:01:59.340 --> 00:02:05.960 Now, as I mentioned earlier this morning, Romans 9 is one of the most difficult, most argued over portions of Scripture. 00:02:06.219 --> 00:02:08.060 It's a type of battleground. 00:02:08.780 --> 00:02:11.300 And so I'm going to tell you what you're now sick of hearing me saying. 00:02:11.800 --> 00:02:14.379 I'm going to say something, not everything. 00:02:14.759 --> 00:02:22.939 I simply cannot answer every question or objection in one sermon that comes up from this doctrine. 00:02:23.099 --> 00:02:26.439 So I'm going to try to get at what is in this particular passage. 00:02:26.439 --> 00:02:29.960 It might raise more questions for you than it actually answers. 00:02:30.120 --> 00:02:33.740 And so we can say it's the beginning of a conversation, not the end. 00:02:33.819 --> 00:02:35.699 Happy to talk more if you want. 00:02:36.759 --> 00:02:38.800 I'm going to read verses 6 through 13. 00:02:39.520 --> 00:02:42.919 But I want to remind you that last week we covered verses 6 and 7. 00:02:43.039 --> 00:02:45.919 So if you're thinking, why is he not talking about verses 6 and 7? 00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:50.120 It's because I talked about it last week, but I have it here for context. 00:02:50.120 --> 00:02:58.980 And so with that, I invite you to turn with me to Romans 9, starting at verse 6, which you will find on page 7 of your worship guide. 00:02:59.680 --> 00:03:04.500 Remember that this is God's word, and Proverbs 30, verse 5 tells us, 00:03:04.960 --> 00:03:07.000 Every word of God proves true. 00:03:07.819 --> 00:03:11.480 He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 00:03:12.500 --> 00:03:17.680 And so that's why we read now Romans 9, starting at verse 6. 00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:22.200 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. 00:03:23.020 --> 00:03:26.819 For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel. 00:03:27.460 --> 00:03:30.920 And not all are children of Abraham, because they are his offspring. 00:03:31.740 --> 00:03:34.860 But through Isaac shall your offspring be named. 00:03:35.819 --> 00:03:39.960 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, 00:03:40.319 --> 00:03:43.420 but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. 00:03:44.180 --> 00:03:46.180 For this is what the promise said. 00:03:46.180 --> 00:03:51.860 About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son. 00:03:52.800 --> 00:03:59.319 And not only so, but also when Rebecca had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 00:04:00.200 --> 00:04:04.540 though they were not yet born and had done nothing, either good or bad, 00:04:04.539 --> 00:04:08.319 in order that God's purpose of election might continue, 00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:12.439 not because of works, but because of him who calls, 00:04:13.060 --> 00:04:16.680 she was told, the older will serve the younger. 00:04:17.459 --> 00:04:22.560 As it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. 00:04:22.560 --> 00:04:27.240 I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word. 00:04:27.240 --> 00:04:36.180 Our Father in heaven, we do again praise you and thank you for your word that you've given to instruct us and guide us. 00:04:36.900 --> 00:04:38.540 And most of all, to show us Jesus. 00:04:38.960 --> 00:04:42.579 We ask that you would be at work now, that you would give us, 00:04:43.259 --> 00:04:46.000 even in this moment, a new hunger for your word, 00:04:46.060 --> 00:04:48.639 to understand it, to believe it, to follow it. 00:04:48.639 --> 00:04:53.759 That most of all, you would set Jesus before us, that we'd fix our eyes on him, 00:04:53.839 --> 00:04:57.279 that we would see his mercy and his grace and his love, 00:04:58.019 --> 00:05:00.680 that it would lead us to obedience and joy. 00:05:01.120 --> 00:05:04.939 And we ask all of these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. 00:05:05.379 --> 00:05:05.620 Amen. 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:15.539 As many of you, if you are like me, have been receiving an ungodly amount of texts 00:05:15.540 --> 00:05:19.560 the last month or so about the election and who you should vote for, 00:05:19.680 --> 00:05:23.720 and now it's coming up, so the election is Tuesday, the day after tomorrow. 00:05:24.580 --> 00:05:26.140 Don't worry, I'm not going to talk about politics. 00:05:27.379 --> 00:05:31.140 But when you think about the word election, if I were to play a word association game with you, 00:05:31.200 --> 00:05:35.320 other words that might come to mind could be politicians or voting, 00:05:35.939 --> 00:05:39.080 because that's really, in our culture, the only time we talk about elections. 00:05:39.080 --> 00:05:43.140 But election is actually a word that has a bigger meaning, which means to choose. 00:05:43.139 --> 00:05:46.279 So really, an election is when we choose our politicians. 00:05:46.899 --> 00:05:48.479 Now, this shows up in other words. 00:05:48.740 --> 00:05:51.560 You might hear someone say, oh, I'm having an elective surgery. 00:05:52.240 --> 00:05:59.060 Well, that's a surgery they chose, as opposed to a surgery that had to happen because of an emergency. 00:05:59.860 --> 00:06:02.800 You might be wondering why I'm talking about choosing and elections, 00:06:03.360 --> 00:06:08.240 and it's because last week we established that there's this difference between ethnic Israel, 00:06:08.240 --> 00:06:15.319 all the Jews, and spiritual Israel, Israel that actually believes and follows God from the heart. 00:06:15.460 --> 00:06:20.639 That raises a question for us, which is who or what determines that inner circle? 00:06:21.019 --> 00:06:26.660 How does it end up that some are ethnic Israel but not spiritual Israel? 00:06:27.300 --> 00:06:29.340 And we talked about the fact that this applies to the church. 00:06:29.339 --> 00:06:37.079 Not everyone who calls himself or herself a Christian has a real internal reality of faith characterized by repentance 00:06:37.079 --> 00:06:41.599 that's caused by the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. 00:06:42.719 --> 00:06:51.459 And this passage teaches, quite simply, that it is God's choice. 00:06:51.459 --> 00:06:58.079 That's what verse 11 means when it talks about God's purpose of election. 00:06:58.299 --> 00:07:00.659 And this is why we talk about the doctrine of election. 00:07:01.079 --> 00:07:02.719 It's the doctrine of God choosing. 00:07:04.459 --> 00:07:07.180 Ephesians chapter 1 also talks about this. 00:07:07.319 --> 00:07:16.079 There, Paul writes that God chose before the foundation of the world who would truly belong to him. 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:21.859 That's what Paul is getting at at the end of verse 7 when he says, 00:07:22.259 --> 00:07:25.599 Through Isaac shall your offspring be named. 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:35.240 Isaac and Ishmael, both sons of Abraham, God chooses Isaac to be the son of promise. 00:07:35.899 --> 00:07:40.699 If you go back all the way to last summer, summer of 2025, when we were in the Abraham story, 00:07:40.699 --> 00:07:46.819 you may remember in Genesis chapter 17, God comes to Abraham to promise the birth of Isaac. 00:07:48.120 --> 00:07:50.839 And Abraham says, yeah, but why don't you just use Ishmael? 00:07:51.740 --> 00:07:54.199 Because he loves Ishmael, as we find out later. 00:07:54.620 --> 00:07:55.800 Ishmael is already here. 00:07:55.879 --> 00:07:58.360 Why do we need to be worried about Isaac? 00:07:58.579 --> 00:07:59.300 And God says, no. 00:08:01.139 --> 00:08:02.699 Promise is going to go through Isaac. 00:08:02.699 --> 00:08:11.319 So Isaac inherits God's promises from Abraham, not because of anything he did, but because God chose him. 00:08:12.439 --> 00:08:16.339 God says this to Abraham before Isaac has even been conceived. 00:08:17.899 --> 00:08:23.539 Ishmael did not inherit God's promises because God did not choose him. 00:08:24.539 --> 00:08:25.480 Simple as that. 00:08:25.480 --> 00:08:35.259 This is another way of saying salvation is 100% by grace. 00:08:37.860 --> 00:08:42.940 Now, a knowledgeable Jew who's hearing Paul say these things, who's reading this letter, 00:08:43.220 --> 00:08:46.060 would immediately think, okay, Paul, we know that. 00:08:46.300 --> 00:08:49.120 We know that God chose Isaac and not Ishmael. 00:08:49.940 --> 00:08:53.620 But of course, of course he didn't choose Ishmael. 00:08:53.720 --> 00:08:54.700 He had the wrong mom. 00:08:55.980 --> 00:09:00.519 Ishmael, the son of Hagar, who was a servant, not the son of Sarah, who was a wife. 00:09:00.800 --> 00:09:03.279 So in a certain sense, Ishmael is illegitimate. 00:09:03.659 --> 00:09:05.600 Your point doesn't stand. 00:09:06.700 --> 00:09:08.500 It wasn't because of God's choice. 00:09:08.620 --> 00:09:09.659 No, it's because of pedigree. 00:09:10.080 --> 00:09:14.340 The pedigree of being the son of the true wife, the son of Sarah. 00:09:15.139 --> 00:09:19.340 Paul anticipates this objection, which is what he does throughout the entire book of Romans. 00:09:19.399 --> 00:09:21.259 And he's going to do this throughout chapter 9. 00:09:21.259 --> 00:09:25.340 Paul is always thinking of what counter-argument someone might have. 00:09:25.480 --> 00:09:29.800 He says, okay, you're going to object to Ishmael because Ishmael had the wrong mom. 00:09:30.800 --> 00:09:33.980 Well, I'm going to give you another example. 00:09:34.480 --> 00:09:36.800 Let's talk about Jacob and Esau. 00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:43.019 Jacob and Esau are a watertight case because they're twins. 00:09:43.019 --> 00:09:45.779 Why does it matter that they're twins? 00:09:46.340 --> 00:09:58.860 You may know that it is common for scientists to study identical twins, twins that have the same genetic material, to figure out is something nurture or nature. 00:09:58.860 --> 00:10:08.600 If one twin gets a disease and the other twin doesn't, then we know that disease is not 100% genetic. 00:10:08.700 --> 00:10:12.759 It might have some genetic element to it, but there's also an environmental factor. 00:10:12.860 --> 00:10:17.980 If it were 100% genetic, then both the twins would get the disease. 00:10:17.980 --> 00:10:21.740 Now, Jacob and Esau are not identical twins. 00:10:22.440 --> 00:10:24.700 They don't have the same genetic material. 00:10:24.840 --> 00:10:27.740 We know that because we're told how different they look in appearance. 00:10:28.340 --> 00:10:29.720 We're not studying genetics. 00:10:30.379 --> 00:10:33.659 We're studying the nature of God's choice. 00:10:33.840 --> 00:10:35.620 So we don't need their genes to match. 00:10:35.620 --> 00:10:40.980 We need their circumstances and their pedigree to match. 00:10:41.539 --> 00:10:43.220 We don't need their genes to match. 00:10:43.620 --> 00:10:47.279 We need their circumstances and their pedigree to match. 00:10:47.379 --> 00:10:49.519 And so that's why Paul writes in verse 10, 00:10:49.519 --> 00:10:58.500 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac. 00:10:58.500 --> 00:11:06.360 Paul's saying, look, there's nothing to differentiate them except God's choice. 00:11:07.840 --> 00:11:12.340 Nothing to differentiate them in pedigree, same mom, same dad. 00:11:12.899 --> 00:11:15.220 Nothing to differentiate them in circumstance. 00:11:15.679 --> 00:11:17.379 They were conceived at the same time. 00:11:17.460 --> 00:11:20.740 You can't even talk about that there was different years where this happened. 00:11:20.840 --> 00:11:22.639 No, this is our test case. 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:25.039 Like we study genes with identical twins. 00:11:25.039 --> 00:11:27.940 We're going to study God's choice with twins. 00:11:28.500 --> 00:11:32.220 Next, Paul anticipates another objection. 00:11:32.399 --> 00:11:34.759 So we're just going through objection after objection. 00:11:35.360 --> 00:11:40.039 Okay, you might think, well, there's nothing in the circumstances of their birth to differentiate them. 00:11:40.120 --> 00:11:41.700 But Paul, you're not off the hook. 00:11:43.259 --> 00:11:45.980 Because we know they lived very different lives. 00:11:46.840 --> 00:11:47.720 Jacob, faithful. 00:11:48.659 --> 00:11:50.100 Esau, unfaithful. 00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:53.419 Esau's clearly uninterested in the things of God. 00:11:53.419 --> 00:11:56.500 So isn't it, okay, they have the same pedigree and the same circumstances. 00:11:56.500 --> 00:12:05.600 But can't we say that some of it has to do with the fact that Jacob followed the ways of the Lord imperfectly and Esau did not. 00:12:06.960 --> 00:12:08.379 So Paul comes back again. 00:12:09.000 --> 00:12:09.620 Verse 11. 00:12:10.519 --> 00:12:16.799 Though they were not yet born and had done nothing, either good or bad. 00:12:18.059 --> 00:12:19.740 It wasn't because of their behavior. 00:12:19.740 --> 00:12:23.720 It wasn't because Esau was unfaithful. 00:12:24.899 --> 00:12:25.680 Jacob was faithful. 00:12:26.159 --> 00:12:28.700 The decision was made before they were born. 00:12:28.799 --> 00:12:30.680 They'd done nothing, either good or bad. 00:12:32.159 --> 00:12:33.440 So it must not be that. 00:12:33.560 --> 00:12:34.240 It must be God's choice. 00:12:35.360 --> 00:12:37.680 Now you might come back with another objection and say, 00:12:37.679 --> 00:12:41.919 Okay, the decision was made before they did anything good or bad. 00:12:42.439 --> 00:12:43.759 But God knows everything. 00:12:45.139 --> 00:12:48.239 So God knew before they were born what they would do. 00:12:48.979 --> 00:12:52.699 Didn't God make his choice based on that? 00:12:54.239 --> 00:12:55.479 So Paul clenches it. 00:12:55.939 --> 00:12:58.219 He leaves no room for negotiation. 00:12:59.519 --> 00:13:02.019 But in the second half of verse 11. 00:13:02.019 --> 00:13:07.000 In order that God's purpose of election might continue. 00:13:07.899 --> 00:13:09.579 Not because of works. 00:13:10.579 --> 00:13:12.939 But because of him who calls. 00:13:14.159 --> 00:13:16.079 Promise was made before they did anything. 00:13:16.639 --> 00:13:18.980 The choice was made before they were out of the womb. 00:13:20.059 --> 00:13:25.179 And the choice wasn't made on works, their behavior, foreseen or otherwise. 00:13:25.179 --> 00:13:31.579 It rests and only rests on him who calls. 00:13:32.019 --> 00:13:38.240 God chose Isaac because God chose Isaac. 00:13:39.740 --> 00:13:45.379 God chose Jacob because God chose Jacob. 00:13:47.639 --> 00:13:55.319 If you're a Christian, God chose you because God chose you. 00:13:57.319 --> 00:14:01.819 Didn't choose you because you were smart or beautiful or wiser than anyone else. 00:14:02.299 --> 00:14:07.000 Didn't choose you because he saw you doing such great deed in the future and thought, 00:14:07.079 --> 00:14:08.360 I want that person on my team. 00:14:09.740 --> 00:14:10.299 No. 00:14:11.059 --> 00:14:12.439 Not because of works. 00:14:13.019 --> 00:14:15.120 But because of him who calls. 00:14:16.419 --> 00:14:17.779 You believe in Jesus. 00:14:19.439 --> 00:14:20.840 And you follow Jesus. 00:14:20.840 --> 00:14:21.340 Because God chose you. 00:14:21.340 --> 00:14:27.160 Because God chose you to believe in Jesus and to follow Jesus. 00:14:29.019 --> 00:14:33.560 Augustine, one of the great fathers of the early church, has this famous quote where he says, 00:14:34.060 --> 00:14:40.600 He chose us not because we believed, but that we might believe. 00:14:40.600 --> 00:14:48.420 He chose us not because we believed, but that we might believe. 00:14:49.420 --> 00:14:53.060 Now I've been telling you, to the point you're probably sick of it at this point, 00:14:53.940 --> 00:14:55.259 Romans is the fifth gospel. 00:14:56.639 --> 00:15:00.500 What Paul teaches, Jesus taught first. 00:15:00.500 --> 00:15:05.320 And Jesus says this very explicitly in John chapter 15. 00:15:06.440 --> 00:15:11.159 You did not choose me, but I chose you. 00:15:13.080 --> 00:15:19.500 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit 00:15:19.500 --> 00:15:25.639 and that your fruit should abide so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, 00:15:25.639 --> 00:15:28.840 he may give it to you. 00:15:32.639 --> 00:15:34.639 Same thing Ephesians chapter 2 says. 00:15:35.779 --> 00:15:36.639 God chose you. 00:15:37.240 --> 00:15:39.580 He prepared good works for you in advance. 00:15:39.879 --> 00:15:42.319 He didn't see your good works in the future and then choose you. 00:15:42.600 --> 00:15:45.059 No, he chose you and then prepared the good works. 00:15:46.519 --> 00:15:52.980 He chose us not because we believed, but so that we might believe. 00:15:55.639 --> 00:16:00.740 Now we have to tackle, very briefly, verse 13. 00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:02.539 Verse 13 says, 00:16:02.699 --> 00:16:07.279 As it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. 00:16:08.159 --> 00:16:10.699 And Paul here is quoting an Old Testament passage. 00:16:10.819 --> 00:16:14.039 He's quoting Malachi chapter 1, verses 2 and 3. 00:16:14.139 --> 00:16:18.139 And this is a verse that gets a lot of attention and some controversy and some angst 00:16:18.139 --> 00:16:21.519 because it is jarring to hear that God hates someone. 00:16:21.519 --> 00:16:25.779 And some people give a variety of explanations to try to work their way around it. 00:16:25.819 --> 00:16:28.919 Some people look at Luke chapter 14 where Jesus says, 00:16:29.059 --> 00:16:33.000 Hey, you can't follow me unless you hate your father and your mother. 00:16:33.980 --> 00:16:36.819 Jesus clearly doesn't think you should hate your parents. 00:16:36.939 --> 00:16:38.519 That's a violation of the fifth commandment. 00:16:38.860 --> 00:16:41.039 So Jesus is really saying, You should prefer me. 00:16:41.100 --> 00:16:42.879 I should have priority over your parents. 00:16:42.879 --> 00:16:47.360 But I think that softens this a little bit too much. 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:53.860 Because the reality is, Esau really did reject God. 00:16:55.220 --> 00:16:56.679 We saw that this summer. 00:16:57.820 --> 00:16:59.779 Esau's interested in the things of the world. 00:16:59.879 --> 00:17:03.379 He's not interested in the things of the Lord. 00:17:03.379 --> 00:17:10.880 And I would suggest that if we're upset with God's hatred, if we're offended by God's hatred, 00:17:11.420 --> 00:17:15.779 we have lost touch with how terrible sin is. 00:17:17.619 --> 00:17:21.019 Esau rejected the creator of the universe. 00:17:23.619 --> 00:17:27.920 Esau was called to worship God, to love him, to serve him, obey him. 00:17:28.460 --> 00:17:29.599 And he did not. 00:17:29.599 --> 00:17:35.419 Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. 00:17:37.219 --> 00:17:40.740 And I don't think we've just lost touch with how terrible sin is. 00:17:40.779 --> 00:17:44.539 I think we've also lost touch with how great and holy God is. 00:17:44.980 --> 00:17:46.419 God's allowed to hate sin. 00:17:48.359 --> 00:17:49.879 We don't have to explain it away. 00:17:51.019 --> 00:17:56.579 That's the black backdrop that allows the diamond of the gospel to sparkle. 00:17:59.599 --> 00:18:06.019 What makes the difference between who is in ethnic Israel and spiritual Israel? 00:18:06.159 --> 00:18:10.819 What makes the difference between who has an external relationship with the church 00:18:10.819 --> 00:18:13.519 and an internal heart relationship with God? 00:18:15.519 --> 00:18:16.339 God's choice. 00:18:17.559 --> 00:18:19.919 Only God's choice. 00:18:19.920 --> 00:18:28.180 Now, why is the doctrine of election good news? 00:18:29.680 --> 00:18:34.580 Why are we going to talk about this when it's so controversial and people have written books and volumes about all of it, 00:18:34.700 --> 00:18:36.220 arguing with each other back and forth? 00:18:36.279 --> 00:18:37.220 Why don't we just skip it? 00:18:38.360 --> 00:18:43.080 Why don't we just skip chapter 9 through 11 of Romans and go to chapter 12? 00:18:43.079 --> 00:18:44.500 Why don't we just skip it? 00:18:44.500 --> 00:18:45.299 Make my life easier. 00:18:45.899 --> 00:18:47.259 Make our life less controversial. 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:48.939 But this is God's word. 00:18:49.740 --> 00:18:51.159 And he's given it to us for a reason. 00:18:51.259 --> 00:18:52.039 And the reason is this. 00:18:53.899 --> 00:19:00.240 He's telling us our salvation rests on God's purpose and God's plan. 00:19:01.519 --> 00:19:06.199 Our salvation does not rest on our skill or wisdom or our behavior. 00:19:06.200 --> 00:19:23.580 And that's great news for us because the foundation of our salvation determines the security of our salvation. 00:19:24.380 --> 00:19:31.940 If we chose God, then our salvation depends on us and our reliability. 00:19:31.940 --> 00:19:40.799 If it is us holding on to God, we might lose our grip. 00:19:41.940 --> 00:19:43.100 We could let go. 00:19:44.080 --> 00:19:45.640 That's a dangerous place to be. 00:19:47.120 --> 00:19:54.779 If God chose us, then our salvation depends on God and his reliability. 00:19:56.460 --> 00:19:59.580 And God never loses his grip. 00:19:59.579 --> 00:20:06.039 God will not let go. 00:20:07.500 --> 00:20:14.559 Your salvation is not dependent on the strength of your hold on God. 00:20:16.259 --> 00:20:22.199 It is dependent the strength of God's hold on you. 00:20:22.200 --> 00:20:32.019 And what Paul teaches, Jesus taught first. 00:20:32.660 --> 00:20:34.080 This is John chapter 6. 00:20:35.080 --> 00:20:40.740 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 00:20:40.740 --> 00:20:47.220 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me. 00:20:48.120 --> 00:20:48.980 That's what he doesn't say. 00:20:49.039 --> 00:20:52.099 He doesn't say, I'll lose nothing of all the people who were smart enough to choose me. 00:20:52.579 --> 00:20:57.380 No, I shall lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 00:20:58.200 --> 00:21:05.039 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life. 00:21:05.039 --> 00:21:08.180 And I will raise him up on the last day. 00:21:11.079 --> 00:21:20.299 Christian, your hope is that you will be raised up on the last day because of the strength and faithfulness of God. 00:21:21.779 --> 00:21:25.220 Not because of your wisdom and perseverance. 00:21:25.220 --> 00:21:29.579 Jesus then says this in John chapter 10. 00:21:30.460 --> 00:21:34.759 My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. 00:21:35.339 --> 00:21:38.059 I give them eternal life and they will never perish. 00:21:38.759 --> 00:21:41.700 And no one will snatch them out of my hand. 00:21:42.940 --> 00:21:44.900 Why is no one going to snatch them out of God's hand? 00:21:45.940 --> 00:21:51.680 Because it's God holding on to you, not you holding on to God. 00:21:51.680 --> 00:21:56.400 It's God's choice, not your choice. 00:21:57.279 --> 00:22:01.100 You did not choose me, but I chose you. 00:22:02.660 --> 00:22:03.779 And then Jesus says this. 00:22:04.440 --> 00:22:08.460 My Father who has given them to me is greater than all. 00:22:09.580 --> 00:22:12.759 And no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 00:22:13.920 --> 00:22:14.580 You notice that? 00:22:15.120 --> 00:22:18.060 First Jesus says, no one can snatch them out of my hand. 00:22:19.019 --> 00:22:20.320 And then he adds on to that. 00:22:20.319 --> 00:22:24.059 No one can snatch them out of the Father's hand. 00:22:25.179 --> 00:22:29.079 You belong to God because you belong to God. 00:22:31.939 --> 00:22:39.119 The foundation of our salvation determines the security of our salvation. 00:22:40.339 --> 00:22:48.659 And there is nothing more secure than to be held in Jesus' hand and held in the hand of God the Father. 00:22:50.319 --> 00:22:52.859 That's why we sing. 00:22:54.079 --> 00:22:57.960 When I fear my faith will fail, Christ will hold me fast. 00:22:58.859 --> 00:22:59.899 I'm in his hand. 00:22:59.960 --> 00:23:00.740 He's not in my hand. 00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:02.939 I could never keep my hold. 00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:04.220 That's the truth. 00:23:04.740 --> 00:23:06.139 Through life's fearful path. 00:23:07.059 --> 00:23:09.000 For my love is often cold. 00:23:10.059 --> 00:23:12.079 He must hold me fast. 00:23:12.079 --> 00:23:17.659 You did not choose me, but I chose you. 00:23:19.539 --> 00:23:20.199 Let's pray. 00:23:20.200 --> 00:23:31.480 Our Father in heaven, we thank you and praise you that our salvation doesn't depend on us and how today is going. 00:23:31.480 --> 00:23:39.500 But it depends on you, the one who is unshakable, who chose your people before the foundation of the world. 00:23:39.620 --> 00:23:47.200 We ask that you would remind us of that again and again, that it would give us great joy and confidence and boldness as we know. 00:23:48.259 --> 00:23:51.620 That it's not us who hold you, but you who hold us. 00:23:51.619 --> 00:23:54.679 And we ask all of these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. 00:23:55.079 --> 00:23:55.319 Amen.