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Bro. Otis Fisher
Now you're a child of the Father, right? Does God want his very best for you?
No, he doesn't. Does he want the best for you,
David? Does God want his best for you?
Who is... But you're answering based on Myron's answer.
Russell? Greg? Who is that behind you,
David? Paul, does he want his very best for you?
No, you're too late. Russell? That's exactly right.
There is no best or anything else with God.
He doesn't have his good, better, and best. That's man's viewpoint.
When God does something, it is his very best, and his best doesn't enter into it.
You all understand? Anybody not understand? All right.
Open your Bibles to chapter 9 of Romans. So the answer to the question is no.
Verse 1, I say the truth in Christ. I lie not. My conscience also bearing me witness in the
Holy Ghost. This chapter that we have worked our way up to is the doctrine of election, and it's not for newborns.
There's no newborn person in here. It was at this time that the events of Acts 23 12 took place.
Myron turned to Acts 23 12 and read for us the things that took place.
And 23. No, read that again.
Now, the last we heard of these men was that they died of starvation.
Verse 2, that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
Paul was not mentioning the Jews' rejection. I wonder why. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen, according to the flesh.
The word for accursed is anathema, and what does anathema mean,
David? It means physical destruction.
The Apostle here does not speak of this wish as a possible thing. It's simply a vehement expression of feeling, showing how strong his desire was for the salvation of his people.
Paul is saying that he would give his body as a sacrifice for the welfare of his people, much like Moses when he said of God, let now if thou will forgive their sin, and if not, this is in Exodus 32, 32, and if not blot me,
I pray, out of thy book which thou hast written. He wanted to be blotted out of the book that God has written of the living.
Now, four. Who are Israelites to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises?
Whose are the fathers, and whom as concerning the flesh of Christ came, who is over all,
God blessed forever. Amen. And John 4 22, we read,
Ye worship ye know not what. We know what we worship, for salvation is of the
Jew. Now, to whom pertaineth the adoption, meaning who had been selected of God as his people, and on whom he had disallowed peculiar privileges.
The glory, the visible emblem of the divine presence, the covenants those were made with their father, the giving of the law, the promises, those contained in the
Old Testament, remember this, God is our last end, as well as our first cause.
Let me say that again. God is our last end, as well as our first cause.
Verse 6, not as though the word of God hath taken none effect, for they are not all
Israel, which are of Israel. Seems like a contradiction.
Israel had the visible presence of the Lord. What was it, Myron? What was the visible presence of the
Lord? Yes, Israel.
Shekinah glory. Now, Paul, we don't have the
Shekinah glory with us today. Why? We have what?
The Holy Spirit. That's right. Seven. Neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children, but in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Now we're narrowing it down. How is it that two people that are saved can produce a child that is the seed of Satan?
Russell? All right.
All right. The first proof is taken as an example of Abraham's own family, in which
Isaac only was was considered the son, and that by God's ordinance, although Ishmael was born of Abraham and circumcised before Isaac, Isaac was the true and natural son and therefore heir of the blessing.
This battle, that's why they're fighting the battle today in the world. The fight's still going on.
How long will it go on, David? That's exactly right.
That is eight. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
You're not a child of God just because your parents are. And David turned to John 8, 39 and 40.
And 44. That seems to be very plain.
Jesus was plain spoken there. In verse 9, for this is the word of promise.
At this time will I come and will I come and Sarah shall have a son.
Now, Myron, why was
Isaac the chosen one? Are you born elect or do you become the elect?
You're born the elect. Because Isaac was born by the power of a promise and therefore he was not chosen.
He was not at all chosen except by the free will of God.
None of us were chosen for any earthly reason. It is totally, absolutely the free will of God.
As far as I know, that's the answer. In this world.
Now, it may be in the other world. We'll find something else, but not here. It is the total free will of God.
By which it follows that the promise is the fountain of predestination.
The promise is the fountain of predestination and not the flesh.
From which promise the particular election proceeds. That is that the elect are born elect and that they are not first born and then afterwards elected.
Is that clear to everyone? I think you understand. It is
God in his free will that predestinates.
Any questions? Then you all understand.
Who's on the back row over here? Okay. Is Debbie with you?
Good. And not only this, but when
Rebecca also had conceived by one, even our father Isaac. Now this is another strong, persuasive proof taken from the example of Esau and Jacob who were both born of the same
Isaac, who was the son of promise. And they were born of one mother and were born at the same time.
And not at different times as Ishmael and Isaac. And yet nonetheless as Esau was cast off only
Jacob was chosen. And that before their birth.
We have record of that. That neither any goodness of Jacob, Jacob's might be thought to be the cause of his election.
Neither any wickedness of Esau to be the cause of his being cast away.
For he, for the children being not yet born, neither having done away any good, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to the election might stand not of works, but of him that calleth.
Now it's presented to us as a call. On earth you can refuse a call.
When God calls through Christ, you cannot refuse. This proves that there are two seeds in the world.
And if you go back to Genesis 3 15, I think it is, turn back there.
Check me. Byron, read it.
The first place that the seed of Satan is spoken. Read the next verse.
I will read it again. Thy sorrow and multiply thy conception.
They're two separate things. Thy sorrow and thy conception. Now Paul, why did
God the Lord have to multiply the woman's conception? Speak up a little louder.
What did he say, David? That's right.
So he multiplied her conception, meaning she was going to conceive many, many more times than normal.
And why did he have to multiply her conception, Russell? Why must there be many, many more children born?
That's right. That's right. They were both to come into the world at the very beginning.
This proves that there are two seeds in the world, those of Satan and those of God.
His mercy does not stand on man's effort, church attendance,
Wednesday night attendance, tithing, praying, witnessing, or any other thing.
All is according to the sovereign will of God. Yes. That's to be of childbirth.
Period. All of this is according to the sovereign will of God, which has always been the same.
Now to prove this, Greg, turn to Daniel 4 .35 and read it.
There are many places where we could go to prove we can't question
God. Twelve. It was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger, talking about Esau and Jacob.
He proves the casting away of Esau in that he was made servant to his brother and proves the choosing of Jacob in that he was made
Lord over his brother. Although his brother was the first begotten and in order that no man might take what
God has said and offer it to external things. The apostle shows out of Malachi, it's a good interpreter of Moses, that the servitude of Esau was joined with the hatred of God and the lordship of Jacob was the love of God.
In Malachi 1 .21 I have loved you, saith the Lord, yet you say wherein hast thou loved us?
Was not Esau Jacob's brother? Saith the Lord, yet I loved
Jacob. 3 .6 For I am the
Lord, I change not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
If the Lord changed one dot, we'd all be consumed.
Now think of the ramifications of that. This is the
Lord speaking 9 .13 As it is written
Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated. For years
I tried to read that that God loved Jacob less but don't fall into that trap.
God hated Esau to hate.
Myron give me the definition of hate. And God hated
Jacob or Esau. What shall we say then?
Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. Now David tell me why do you hate something?
I suppose that you do they hate somebody someplace. All right
Myron tell me why do you love something? All right.
It's your character. We hate or we love because of the person.
No of the person they are. We hate or love someone because of his person because of what he does or doesn't do how he's acted.
In other words the physical life. The first objection if the
Lord loves or hates without any consideration of worth worthiness or unworthiness then is the unjust because he may love those who are unworthy and hate those who are worthy.
The apostle detests this blasphemy and afterward responds to it in depth point by point.
Man knows no other cause of love or hatred but those that are in the persons and thereupon this objection arises.
That's why they raise the objection. See man cannot hate or love because of the invisible spirit because of the holy spirit.
Now I know the we're guided in everything we do and say but set that aside.
Not that you can but for he saith to Moses I will have mercy on whom
I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
This is the Lord speaking. God has always done that which he desires.
Isaiah 40 13 who hath directed the spirit of the Lord or being his counsel or hath taught him with whom took he counsel and who instructed him and taught him in the paths of judgment and taught him knowledge and showed to him the way of understanding.
Who is there among you that did this? Of course, we'd have to say no one. I will not have mercy on those that I hate and I will not have compassion on those that I will not.
So then it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that showeth mercy.
Salvation is not due to the one who is willing or or that he wants to or that someone else wants to.
Neither is it due to anyone working for it it is all according to what?
The will of God, the will of the Father. Salvation is not ever due.
Salvation is not due to you. It is not due you. 17
For the scripture saith Unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have
I raised thee up that I might show my power in thee and that my name might be declared throughout the earth.
Now he answers concerning this reprobate are those whom
God hates born or not yet born and has appointed to destruction without any respect of their unworthiness then first of all he proves this to be true by aligning the trust testimony of God himself if concerning Pharaoh whom he stirred up to this purpose that he might be glorified in Pharaoh's hardening and just punishment.
How was God glorified Russell in Pharaoh hardening his heart and rejecting to let the people go.
How was that to bring glory to God? All right
God says Pharaoh I brought you into this world for this one purpose and when you have finished that purpose,
I'll take you out of this world. He says the same thing to the evil today.
You are here for a specific purpose and when you have ended that purpose you'll be gone.
He has said the same thing to us that are his purpose.
Paul brings the goal of God's counsel to show that there is no unrighteousness in him.
Well, David, what is God's main goal? Is it the destruction of the wicked?
All right. All right.
Could we say that his goal is to have us with him? The father to have us
That's exactly right. Yes.
We should look on the wicked today as working God's will among us.
That's hard to do. I fight against it. Emotionally, spiritually, physically and rightly so.
In Proverbs 16 .4 The Lord hath made all things.
The Lord Christ hath made all things for himself.
Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. We'll stop right there.
Begin with Romans 9. Now, is there anything that you'd like to question?
Yes. Romans 9.
Let me look. Malachi 1 .2
and Malachi 3 .6 Yes.
That David handed out from last week's study and he wanted to give them to you.