Election (part 9) - [Romans 9]

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Election (part 10) - [Romans 9]

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Well, it never ceases to amaze me what people will do when it comes to God Last year the
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Presbyterian Church USA voted to receive a document that would give new names to the Father the Son and the
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Holy Spirit They could have two other triads like sun light and burning ray
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Overflowing font living water and flowing river Fire that consumes sword that divides and storm that melts mountains
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It gets worse compassionate mother beloved child and life -giving womb Have kind of a side note
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I they never want to rename Satan to her, but that's another story Very strangely al moeller said to rename.
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God is to create an idol God gets to name himself Isn't that true?
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God gets to rename to the name himself and And as compromise leads to more compromise the
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Arizona Daily Star said that some churches now in Arizona no longer like to use the word
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Lord for God They don't want to say the word Lord her article talks about the largest
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Episcopal Church in Tucson st. Phillips in the hills and They have said according to the rector
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Susan Anderson Smith Lord has become a loaded word conveying hierarchical power over things
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Come to mean that doesn't it mean that? Which in what we have she said recorded in our sacred text is not who
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Jesus understood himself to be So Jesus didn't think of himself as Lord Even though Hebrew and Greek both mean
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Lord They even have a prayer over at the First Congregational United Church in Midtown It's not called the
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Lord's Prayer because you'd hate to use the word Lord So instead you call it the prayer of our Creator and I don't know if this reporter was a believer or not
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But reporter Stephanie ends was insightful when she described a service at st. Phillips noted quote
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There's not much Lord in this service end quote Truer words could not have been spoken today
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I have the pleasure of preaching from a passage that extols God the
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Father God the Son and God the Holy Spirit with basically one word and that word is what?
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Lord Jesus is Lord because the Father made him
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Lord and there's something about that hierarchical power that we sometimes
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Resist against yet It is everywhere in Scripture and it has been a wonderful series in my life and in the church's life
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I believe to go through God is Lord to the extent that he chooses who will be his children
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That he has the authority and the right and the privilege And we should be thankful that he would actually choose us to be his children
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God and God alone is Lord. It is God's will and God's will alone
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That determines who is saved. It is God's grace and God's grace alone that determines who will go to heaven
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It is God's choice and God's free choice alone that determines who will be in his presence
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We've been going through an election series and now we're up to election part 9 Asking this question
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What is the biblical doctrine of election and how can we understand it in a way that would make us respond?
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Properly with praise and thanksgiving. What is election? We're on part 9 today, and I was gonna finish today part 9
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But I'm gonna finish next week Lord willing 10 is a round number. And so let's go for 10
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I did not want to rush through Romans 9. There'll be some introduction today some overview today. We'll look at Romans 9
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God's sovereignty in choosing and then next week We'll look at some of the responses that this doctrine will elicit in our soul
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And are they good objections or not and Paul deals with those as well But overall the series the last nine weeks
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We've been looking at 20 questions that will ask and answer the question. What is the biblical doctrine of?
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Election we've gone through 18 so far Steve and I are gonna try to put this into a book in the next year so we can have it to read as well
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Let me just quickly go over the questions that we've looked at so far and every one of these questions is designed to answer
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The objection, how could that be? How could that be fair? This seems to be something that is not proclaimed that often help me understand it
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So I've tried to set up these 18 to 20 questions to answer any objections
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Going from easiest to hardest almost and these will all basically Force you to take the telescope that you look at God with and it'll make you have the eyepiece
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Here and the big lens here Too often we flip that thing around and when you've got the big lens here and the eyepiece there in the telescope
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There's only one thing you see in the lens and that's what? Your own eye and so we want to have
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God be magnified and glorified and that's exactly what this series Has attempted to do question number one in review quickly
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Do you view election as something for mature Christians only we answer that no, it's for every
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Christian Number two, do you think election stifles praise? How could it stifle praise?
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Ephesians 1 verse 6 is to the praise of the glory of his grace. God chooses our
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Response should be praise in God's Word. There's always a statement of fact and then there's a response your scripture reading
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Here's the response and the response with the election should be God. You're great Number three, do you think that all
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Christians believe in election answer? They all do it just depends on how you describe the word election
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Does God foresee their faith then choose them or does God foresee their sin?
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No, they're so needy that with just grace and love he rescues them and grants them eternal life
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Number four, when do you believe election took place? We believe election took place before the world what began 2nd
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Timothy chapter 1 verse 9 Number five, do you believe election is based on a person's faith?
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No, it's not based on their faith faith is a gift. It's based on God's grace I love by the way that we have a new little baby in the church faith
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And I can't wait to see that Binny's and when I do from now on I'm gonna walk up to him I'm always gonna say this faith is a gift
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Number six, do you view election as unloving? Some people think it's unloving that God would pick and choose
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But the Bible says in Ephesians chapter 1 verses 4 and 5 in love he predestined us
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Number seven is election impersonal and sterile that is fatalistic How can it be fatalistic when he chooses us and adopts us unto sonship to be daughters and sons?
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That's not impersonal That's as close to familial as you could get Number nine, do you believe an unbeliever's will is totally free?
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We've talked about how our will is fallen Do you believe at the fall in other words that when
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Adam sinned he was corrupt when his mind his soul his body His his thinking processes, but his will was still somehow good.
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No, we believe that the fall was total Number ten. Do you believe election inhibits evangelism?
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I mean why evangelize if God chooses I Could ask you lots of questions. Why do you chew and swallow if God has ordained you to eat?
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We know the answers to those things God has ordained that there be seed planted and then the harvest then the growth so too in the spiritual world we
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Evangelize because God has chosen for us to evangelize and has called us to do that very thing
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Number eleven. Do you realize that election does not eliminate human responsibility? Are we responsible to preach the gospel?
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Yes People responsible to hear the gospel. Yes, we are accountable both are clearly and plainly taught number twelve
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We could have a whole sermon on review couldn't we and I've done that before Did you know that it is a sign of maturity not to force mental closure on doctrines?
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That come from an infinite God. There are some things that are too high for us to get over. Yes Jesus is fully
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God and fully man The Trinity, etc this teaches that God chooses and That God holds accountable and we just have to realize that those two parallel lines will one day meet up in heaven
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They do in God's mind, even though I might not be able to understand them Number thirteen. Did you know that grasping depravity unlocks the doctrine of election?
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Did you know that if you understand the fallen nature of man, you will realize he needs a Savior He needs a
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Savior by name and by action Number fourteen.
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Do you believe the non -elect will ever desire salvation? The answer is no, they'll never want salvation
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They won't want the punishment, but they won't want to love Jesus Christ Number fifteen does election promote sinful living?
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No, it it spurs it on we've even read today I heard read from this pulpit in the scripture reading
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John 15 16 I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth.
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What did he tell the disciples? Fruit so to when God chooses us. He wants us to bear fruit
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We're almost caught up number sixteen. Do you believe that election is the gospel? I mean, that's what will happen is we love election.
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We can't believe it We can't believe we haven't seen it like this and then we run around and when we meet unbelievers That's all we talk about is election
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I'm glad we're zealous but overzealousness would make us get off track that Jesus Christ died on behalf of sinners was raised from the dead
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And people must believe and so we don't need to run around preaching election to unbelievers We should be preaching what the gospel to unbelievers?
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By the way, the modern missionary movement from John Payton to add an arm Judson to William Carey all was propelled
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By their belief in what? election By the way,
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I keep thinking whenever I drive by the church now for the last 16 months during the series where it says election part
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Nine, I think they think I'm gearing up for the presidential election coming up And if we just have 42 parts of this series, we're figuring out
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Romans 13 from every angle Friends what we love about ourselves our freedom to choose who leads us
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Sometimes we're not too sure about God when he gets to choose of his own desires who he wants us his children especially when we realize
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Every person including me has forfeited the right to ever even look at God or be in his presence
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Number 17, what should I do? If I attend a church that never preaches about election to quote
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Steve Lawson rise up and chant Bring the book It's everywhere. You start to read it and you just think
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God sits on a throne. He ordains things He decrees things he purposes things.
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He wills things he is on the throne. Jesus is Lord Number 18, did you know election raises many questions at least 20 that I could think of but there are other questions like he
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Is patient towards you not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance What about that verse in 2nd
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Peter we attempted to look at some of those? Verses and we would affirm that whoever calls on the name of the
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Lord will be saved but we also confirm that John 6 Jesus says no one can come to me unless They try really hard unless they use their free will unless the father who sent me what draws him and now number 19
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Does God choose us by name? Does God choose us individually or does
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God choose us corporately? Does he choose us as a clump or as a bunch as a as a big group?
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Can you say beloved God chose me if you're a
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Christian Can you say that God chose Mike Abendroff before the foundation of the world? Is that a biblical thing to say if I'm a
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Christian? The answer is yes God Uses election as something very personalized.
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He picks a definite number of people by Specific names as it were or is it kind of election like this dear sirs
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To whom it may concern dear John dear
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Jane No When God was writing the names in his eternal book of life, they were by name
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Your name if you're a Christian turn over to Romans chapter 16 before we get into chapter 9
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I want to show you a great illustration of what happens when we see this Rufus is a wonderful man of God in Romans 16 verse 13
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Sadly the NAS doesn't really bring out the import of the original language the
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Greek language But Rufus is like a template for us as Rufus is given this name.
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So to every Christian Can claim this exact same thing because it's true
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Rufus in my NAS it says greet Rufus a choice man in the
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Lord kind of like, you know When you go to the store, I've eaten so much beef from Nebraska that these days you know instead of having some kind of Shank steak or some kind of you know pulverized
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You know rawhide Dog chew bone steak thing if I can't really have a good steak
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Then I might as well just not have one at all when I pick steak I want to have what kind of steak a choice steak a good one something
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That's the best if I come to your house and it's ribeye. That's fine. I won't complain but if I get to pick If it's
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Chuck steak, well, that's another issue Now there's an element to that but here's what the
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Greek says about Rufus greet Rufus the elect the chosen one
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Rufus the elect one That's how Paul says it greet Rufus the chosen the elect
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The choice man in the Lord is one thing but the choice if you say it's God's choice
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God chooses to say Rufus is mine Greet Mike Abendroth the elect one chosen by God personally.
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That's the idea God does not choose us by group or bunch or by nation or something vague
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He doesn't choose us in a big huge clump of humanity and then say, you know If you'll just believe in me, then that will kind of solidify that choice
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No, that is not how God chooses Kurt Daniel said it. Well Would be like saying that God prepared so many seats at a banquet
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But leaves it totally up to us whether we will be at the banquet or not. That is not what the
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Bible teaches Scripture teaches that God has indeed prepared a banquet table with just so many chairs
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But he has also placed name tags at each seat Election is a divine reservation for us in particular
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How rich is that? Name tags we have people come over and eat at our house The kids usually do the name tags and they put their the people's names on there
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You know Rufus and Chloe or whoever comes over. There's the personal name tag that people know right where to sit
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He didn't just choose the church as a as a some kind of group without choosing the individuals He did not wait for you to write your own name in by believing
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Come forward to the front and as you do God's writing your name in his book That can't be
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Why don't you come up front and write your own name in God's book? Can that be that can't be? How about God's written everyone's name in the book and in believe before he erases it
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Revelation 3 5 says he is not going to erase it What God does he does with indelible ink he engraves the names he chooses by name and the
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F the evidence is Suffocatingly evident
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Turn with me if you would just we're gonna just take a tour. Here's a tour through the New Testament and old Let's start with Isaiah verses in the
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Bible About election you said I thought we were in Romans 9. Well, we'll get there Isaiah chapter 4 we're gonna look at several verses and I want you to just see the tenor and the flavor of this choice of These names recorded and these names you're going to find out are going to be personal names
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Written personally by God. It's amazing to just do a little overview about how God writes people's names in a book
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This is God's black book that he has the choice to write in whomever he wishes
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Isaiah 4 2 Not all these are on election unto salvation for believers, but you'll get the idea
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Isaiah 4 2 in that day the branch of the Lord will be beautiful and Glorious and the fruit of the earth will be the pride in the adornment of the survivors of Israel Will come about that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy
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Everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem Astounding let's go to Daniel.
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Please chapter 12 the same kind of terminology people's name written in a book personal names
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Personally written by God Daniel chapter 12 This will all help us understand
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Romans 9 Daniel 12 1, please Now at that time Michael the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people will arise and There will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time
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At that time your people Everyone who is found written in the book
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Will be rescued Not just a group. It's not just an amorphous blob of people
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It's not them writing themselves in the book. How about Malachi? Please last book of the
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Old Testament in the English Canon 2nd Chronicles would be in the Jewish Canon, but turn to Malachi.
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It's just before Matthew Mark Luke and John Malachi Chapter 3 and again.
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I'm just trying to give you an overview of this personal name written by God himself
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Malachi 3 16 and following then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another and the
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Lord gave attention and heard it and a book of Remembrance was written before him for those who fear the
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Lord and who esteem his name Now listen to this from God. They will be mine says the
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Lord Yahweh of host of the armies of God on the day that I prepare my own possession and I will spare them as a man spares his own son
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Who serves him? That is just an awesome set of verses now
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Let's go to the New Testament Luke, please Luke 10 just a few more verses and we'll get to Romans chapter 9
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Luke chapter 10 if Steve Lawson was preaching on big
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God Psalms. These are big God verses the transcendent nature of God Luke 10 verse 17 the 70 returned with joy saying
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Lord even the demons are subject to us in your name and He said to them one of the most amazing statements out of our
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Lord's mouth. I Was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning verse 19 behold
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I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing will injure you
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Now for our notice verse 20 nevertheless do not rejoice in this
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I mean by the way, would you want to rejoice in that if you were given that kind of power? If I could only have that kind of power for my ministry,
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I Would be so happy. I would be dancing and that's a good thing to be rejoicing at because God has blessed them but something more is to be rejoiced over Nevertheless do not rejoice in this that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in Heaven it's one thing to be able to walk around unlike the charlatans of today
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Jesus. I read I mean Satan I rebuke you and I bind you and I I cast you over to my next -door neighbor's yard
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I know I'm supposed to be loving to them, but I'm just get away from me or whatever it might be But I have power over spirits
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That's minor But to have power from God to write your name in a book of life
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Philippians chapter 4, please two more books Philippians and then Revelation Philippians chapter 4
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You could just hear it I mean my Just want to read these verses and just think this is my
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God This is my congregations God what he has done for these dear fellows these fellow workers
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He has done for his people. It's not just them and we get the crumbs This is for us as well
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Philippians chapter 4 verses 2 and 3 I urge
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You odia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord Indeed Philippians 4 3 true companion
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I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel
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Together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers Whose names are in the book of life?
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Written by God before time begins Well, there's a flip side to those not written turn to Revelation and we'll wrap up our overview of these
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Personal names personally written by God Revelation 13, please. This is a
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VIP list. You do not want to be on Revelation 13 verse 8 all those who dwell in the earth will worship him
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Everyone whose name has not been written and look at where when it's written Has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the
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Lamb who has been slain if Anyone has an ear let him hear pay attention in other words verse 10 If anyone is destined you might see that in italics in your
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Bible Basically, if anyone hasn't had their name written before the foundation of the world is what he's saying for captivity to captivity
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He goes if anyone kills with the sword with the sword, he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and faith of the
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Saints chapter 17 of Revelation Says the same thing it just talks about the doom of those who are not personally written by a personal
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God before the foundation of the world Revelation 17 8 the beast that you saw was and is not it is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction
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Those who dwell on the earth Whose name has not been written in the book of life when?
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From the foundation of the world will wonder when they see the beast that he was and is not
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And will not come And I could go on and on beloved revelation 20 if anyone's name is not found written in the book of life
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He's thrown in the lake of fire God is the true lawgiver of the
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Medes and Persians as pilot would say what I have written I have written God personally records our names in his book
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And if you think those verses are airtight, I can actually take the ratchet and tighten it a little bit more
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I don't know why I'm fascinated with snakes But one of the things about snakes
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Especially some of the constrictors boa constrictors Just heard a story last night that my nephew was on Omaha TV with some big anaconda thing around his neck
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It's like a nice. It's like the pastor's kid gift snake deal and If a boa constrictor grabs a little rabbit or something else
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Titans and then when that rabbit breathes just a little bit more what happens is that constrictor? Squeezes just a little bit more and you know the rest of the story
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If you think this has been airtight before written in the book before the foundation of the world Romans chapter 9 is the final ratchet.
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It is the final constrictor that should make any of the breath of our pride or the breath of our free will are the
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Oxygen that is in our system that somehow Knows not to claim salvation is of God and of us but pragmatically and evangelistically
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Sometimes it's not 100 % grace, but we attribute cause to our faith or something
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This just sucks it right out this is like some kind of Space shuttle airlock and if you open the door accidentally all the oxygen just go
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Get sucked out. You said enough is enough. It's been 30 minutes. We're not in Romans 9. Okay Romans 9
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That's right Romans chapter 9 Not so stark of a passage
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About election to be found in the New Testament Not just nations, but individuals the sovereign choice of individual people
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Say well, you know we spend too much time on this doctrine of election Met somebody this week and been coaching my son's basketball team
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And I was talking to one of the parents and I thought Lord one of the reasons why I want to coach Is because I want to spend time with my son
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One of the reasons I want to coach is because I want to have an influence on some of these kids Even though it's a
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Christian school. There's still influence that need to be given and so I was talking one of the moms the other day of one of our kids and She said oh your pastor.
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I said yes She said oh, you know that guy on TV, I love him He just he looks good and he's attractive and and I love to hear his message
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He's down in Houston and I just sitting there going. Oh great. I hope by the way when you describe me
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It's not with you know, first of all lies. Oh, he's good -looking. He's attractive. He's got a good smile.
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I Try using that teeth whitening stuff. It doesn't work long term I want to be known as a preacher of the gospel all the gospel
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Yeah, I even draw it doesn't do X Y & Z But at least he'll teach me the truth and tell me what the Bible says in total full counsel
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Well, she said to me, you know old Joel down in Houston. He's he's just You know my kind of pastor and I just thought you know 2nd
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Timothy chapter 4 people heaping up teachers after their own desires I mean just go ahead and put a shawl on and a long beard and walked around Venice Beach for a half hour
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You'll have 500 foolish followers. I mean people just follow And I thought I don't want to blast her contrary to my preaching style
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I'm not always blasting and just setting everyone straight Don't say one doctoral deviation around me because I'll show you chapter and verse
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Abendroth Rambo So, how do
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I get into this story? So I said to her, you know as far as I'm concerned
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I want to hear more preaching about sin and Joel Osteen minimizes sin she said
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That's just not my opinion. I could prove that I said to her but the Bible teaches a lot about sin and she said
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We already know that we're sinners We don't need to keep hearing it all the time. We're sinners
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And I thought all right calm I said
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Paul wrote the book of Romans how many chapters were in the book of Romans she's like Well, Joel has nice teeth.
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No, she didn't say that. I said there are 16 chapters How many chapters do you think talked about sin in total or even in part?
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And she said well, how was I supposed to know you're a pastor and I don't know these things I looked at her and I said translation
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Everywhere Paul talks about sin because it exalts the Savior to save such kinds of people it shows his grace it shows his love and as Lawson says when you show people how bad they are in Scripture and then exalt the saving power of Christ the chasm that's between the two is worship all that for just a little side detour to say to you
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That the Bible doesn't just give us a little crumb of election talk here and there in Paul's magnum opus
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In Paul's Magna Carta as it were in the book of Romans He talks about sin a lot.
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Yes. He talks about the Savior a lot Yes, he mainly talks about the righteousness of God, but included in that is a hearty section on election
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If you were to ask Paul can election be over preached I think I know the answer and basically what's happening is if you look at the end of chapter 8 chapter 9 is is kind of helping people who had a question after chapter 8 if Chapter 8 is verse 1.
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There's no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus The opposite of justification is condemnation if there's no condemnation
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We ought to praise God In chapter 8 verse 28 God causes all things to work together for good to those who love
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God in Chapter 30 chapter 8 verse 31. What are we gonna say about these things?
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God's for us who's against us if God gives us the greatest gift verse 32. He didn't spare his son
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Won't he give us everything else? Well, what about God's love verse 35? What will separate us from the love of God?
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Nothing will tribulation distress persecution famine, etc. Etc. Verse 38
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I am convinced and remain convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor things present
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Nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor any other thing We'll be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus And if you're a
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Jew, the first thing you think of is well that may be true but there are lost Jews and if there's lost
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Jews who have been given the promises of God and they're this Covenant nation and they're this Jewish nation.
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They have perished Maybe they've even seen some parish without being saved and how can
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I be sure of my salvation if Israel? Doesn't all believe
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So now Paul is going to answer this question Why are some individual Jews saved and others are not
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Romans chapter 9 is basically that Why are some individual Jews saved and others are not and are you ready for the answer?
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The answer is shocking. The answer is Pauline The answer is you know what some people think about this chapter
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They think Paul didn't write it Because they can't see a Paul who has been saved by the mercy and grace of Christ Jesus on the
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Damascus Road so deserving of hell and then rescued from wrath and love
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Commissioned that Paul would never write this though. They think it's not Pauline Others have called
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Romans 9. Are you ready for this one? immoral It's immoral this chapter something it's sinful
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I don't know about you and I don't know if it's my Sinful hangover that I still have even though I'm saved
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But that's if people if liberals are telling me this is not written by Paul and immoral.
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This is my kind of chapter This is exactly where I want to just belly up to and go.
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You know what just park it. This is for me You tell me Jesus didn't create everything with the word
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I want to park on that you tell me Jesus isn't God. I would love to worship him as God and Here we have the question ask why are some individual
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Jews saved and others are not? Answer because God never planned them all to be saved
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That's Romans 9. It is amazing. They were never part of the plan Why aren't why aren't everybody?
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Why isn't everybody saved in this world? You'll soon come to find out because God never planned it that way if I have breath the rest of the sermon and Next week.
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I'm going to try to show you from Romans 9 that salvation is both sovereign and undeserved
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That you don't understand grace unless you realize it is a sovereign and be undeserved
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And that's what happens here in Romans chapter 9. God is King God is God God only intended to choose some of Israel for salvation
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He didn't choose to save them all he might have chose the whole nation as his people as a nation
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But he has not chose them all to go to heaven God is God and he does what he wants and If Romans 8 is true, and it is there security for the believer
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Who God has chosen don't let Romans 9 and some people of Israel's damnation
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Rock your eternal security assurance boat Because God did not plan to save every person who was ever living whether it's in the
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Jewish nation are out of the Jewish nation This is one of those chapters and it's time about ready to go to The theme parks and all my little kids run up to that theme park sign and it says no one over 50 inches can ride this
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No one can ride this chapter unless they will say to themselves God I have preconceived notions.
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I have training from other religions I have other ideas about you But if you're going to say something in Scripture and I can see it plainly in context and understand what you say
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I will what? Believe it Lord I don't believe but help my unbelief
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Here we see the eternal love of God, so let me give you in the time remaining I know we won't get very far six proofs in Romans chapter 9
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Six proofs to answer this question. Why is not all Israel saved? The answer is because God's grace is number one sovereign and number two undeserved six proofs that show
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We don't have to be shook up about our eternal security because there's a few Israelites many
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Israelites that aren't in heaven I mean after all Jesus was the
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Jewish Messiah You'd think all the Jews would follow him But they didn't and the answer Romans chapter 9 is they didn't of course because they didn't believe but that's not
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Romans 9 Romans 9 is because God didn't choose them James Boyce with Philip Ryken said the reason is that God does not choose everybody and Never has great
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Baptist preacher of a century ago said as long as Romans 9 remains in the Bible No, man shall be able to prove
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Our minion ism our election that's God sent God that man -centered. All right chapter 9 verse 1
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I'm telling the truth in Christ Paul says Romans chapter 9. I'm not lying My conscience testifies with me in the
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Holy Spirit. I mean it is off and going No, ands no, buts no therefores.
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No some kind of particles I'm telling the truth eight ends and before you know what he's out of the chute just with action
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No conjunction at all, and he goes from the top of the world feast kind of language celebration kind of language to now lament and damnation kind of language and just Aghast as it were verse 2
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That I have great get the word mega out of that great like a megaphone great sorrow and Unceasing grief in my heart.
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This was not just theological for Paul. This was Personal he had the joy of Romans 8 and then now just the unceasing grief in his heart
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Why Paul verse 3? For I could wish that I myself were a curse doesn't this sound like Moses Praying that God instead of cursing
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Moses's people that God would curse Moses instead Unbelievable self -sacrifice,
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I wish I myself were the Greek word anathema Cursed damned sent to hell.
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I wish I could be sent to hell God Separated from Christ why?
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For the sake of my brethren my kinsmen according to the flesh Paul loved them and then he gives many things that the
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Jews had going for them many special blessings that only God chose to give Verse 4 who are
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Israelites to whom belongs the adoption of sons and the glory and the
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Covenants and the giving of the law and the giving of the temple service and the giving of the promises
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Who are the fathers and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh who is over all
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God bless forever Amen, Jesus is God there by the way in Romans 9 5 and Paul is going to defend
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God as it were John Piper's book called the justification of God is excellent in Romans 9 that God on the ground of his own sovereignty has only thought there was going to be a remnant of Israel anyway, and God has the prerogative to do that And so we come to proof number one if you're taking notes six divine proves that proofs that I Guess what is it is?
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It's still a proof. Yes six divine proofs That show Israel's rejection as part of God's sovereign plan six divine proofs that Grace is both sovereign and undeserving
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And if you zip quickly down to verse 11, this is the key verse of the whole chapter
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Of all of chapters 9 10 and 11 is Paul deals with Israel. The answer is found right here
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But everything else is just helping us understand it with logic and understanding and scripture, but 11 is the key
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For through the twins or though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad. Here we come so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand not because of works but because of him who calls
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That's the key to this chapter. Why is not all Israel saved? Answer let it be written.
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Let it be said let it be believed that God's electing grace is both sovereign and desert undeserved and God's Sovereignly chose not to save every every
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Israelite Proof number one of that very fact God's Word endorses only a partial choosing proof number one
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God's Word many other places endorses only select choosing and if you look at verse 6
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Basically, we'll see the the limit of the scope is Propped up against that God's Word still true.
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Look at verse 6 Can you imagine if God was going back on his promises? Could you imagine that he he's some kind of Indian giver?
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Can you imagine verse 6? Working with that. It's the exact opposite.
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It shows the verity and the sufficiency and the authority of God's Word, but it is not as Though the
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Word of God has failed Because of verses 1 2 3 4 and 5 in chapter 9 when you read that you can't say to yourself
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God's Word isn't true. You can't say that it's not as if God's Word has failed The word failed means to to run off course
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It means to kind of drift off. It means to somehow you're on the straight and narrow I was on a bike ride yesterday
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And if I just look up for about 10 seconds before you know what I could easily almost go off the side of the road
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Failed run off the course run adrift on some kind of coral or something.
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Is that what God's Word does? We all we know the answer May it never be but Paul says this in verse 6 for they are not all
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Israel who are descended from Israel Just because you're in the
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Jewish nation temporarily. It doesn't mean God has chosen to save you unto heaven That's not
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God's purpose and it never has been You see this word Israel in Romans 9 10 and 11.
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It's used 11 times and it's always talking about ethnic national Israel Why is there unbelief in the nation of Israel?
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Has God's Word fallen off the edge of the truck? No God's Word has always talked about a select few
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They're not all of Israel Look down in verse 27.
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I could show you elsewhere even in Romans 9 about God's undeserved sovereign grace
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God's Word hasn't failed it This is just an example of what God does Romans 9 27 and Isaiah cries out concerning Israel Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea it is all of them that will be saved true
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It is the remnant That shall be saved Isaiah 10 teaches that the
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Word of God is still true It's always taught that there's going to be some chosen and not all God even judges
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Some of the unchosen ones looking for the Lord will execute his word upon the earth verse 28 thoroughly and quickly
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Judges Israel saves a remnant. It's always part of the word It's not odd or something new or strange
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Why is not all Israel saved answer God's never planned it that way proof number one the
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Word of God teaches it proof number two God sovereignly chooses to bless only through Isaac and not other children of Abraham back up to verse 7
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Can you imagine how many children did Abraham have? Trick question.
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How many children did he have? Well, let's just read the verse first and we'll find out God chooses
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Isaac over Ishmael. Why on purpose? Why because he wanted to why because it's just the nature of God to choose
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Verse 7 neither are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants just because you're an
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Abraham kid Doesn't mean you're going to heaven just because you're a pastor's kid It doesn't mean it either here on a much grander scale because of covenant promises to Abraham God chooses to restrict it look at it in verse 7 through Ishmael your descendants will be named
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Why not Ishmael? It's more than 13 years earlier God chose to bless through Isaac verse 8 that is it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God It's not just because you come from someone's loins as it were.
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He's got you got your dad's DNA but the children of The promise are regarded as descendants
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God decides who his children are are he's decided before the foundation of the world to pick and choose who his children are and God makes a divine distinction.
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God makes a divine determination Paul is just illustrating why some
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Jews reject Jesus and others believe and look at verse 9 I mean, this is absolutely amazing for this is the word of promise
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The words not nullified there's all this promise word stuff and in verse 9 you see the Old Testament quoted at this time
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I will come and Sarah shall have a son matter of fact. God says it's not through Hagar It's through Abraham not with Hagar.
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It's through Abraham through with with Sarah But did you know something listen to Genesis 25
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Abraham had six other sons through Keturah Now Abraham took another wife chapter 25.
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This is after Sarah died whose name was Keturah She bore to him Zimran Jakshan Medan Midian Ishbak and Shua so we've got
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Isaac Ishmael and The six strange -named guys all eight of those
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Come on Here's how I would do it Whoever rises up and has the most influence who has the most money who can control things the best
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Who kind of rises above the other sons who honors me the most who shows me the most difference who creates a name that while I'd be remembered for that's the one that I'll pick
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But God said with sovereign Undeserving grace I pick only
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Isaac. Is everybody okay with that so far We're fine when he gets to pick Isaac It's you know, what about people in my family and neighbors, but Paul's not dealing with that right now
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You cannot just be a physical descendant of Abraham. There has to be more and that's why you see this promise language in here
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Let me just show you one more. We can't stop now I think it's a sin to make the
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Bible boring when you preach But it's also a sin to be bored when the
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Bible's preached proof.
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Number three. Why did God? Somehow abandon Israel. He never did
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God's Word proof one always endorses choosing God's Word Also shows us proof to God chooses to bless through Isaac of his own pleasure and number three
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I know what you're saying Isaac and Ishmael had the same father, but they had different They're not really all
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Jews They're not really all Hebrew of Hebrews. And so proof number three we see
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God sovereignly chose Jacob and did not choose Esau proof three Remember the big picture chapter 8 am
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I secure in Christ? Because look at Israel Paul said look at Israel because God has planned it that way the
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Word of God proves it He chose Isaac by his own choice his own meaning God's own choice and number three look at Jacob and Esau and Not only this verse 10, but there's
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Rebecca also when she had conceived twins by one man our father Isaac conceived at different times at the same time
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Conceived at the exact same time by a Jewish mother and a Jewish father For though the twins were not yet born.
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You need to underline that in your mind They were not yet born and if you're not yet born, they had not done anything good or bad
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Why so that God's purpose according to his choice would stand?
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Not because of works not because Esau was better Not because Jacob was better doesn't matter who's better But because of him who calls it was said to her the older will serve the younger
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Is that the way it works back in those days? It's not even the way it works today. You think about inheritance?
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Okay out comes the first boy who came out first Esau comes out first.
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Yes Well, there was this little thing called the law of primogenitor. He got all the double blessings.
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He got all the extra stuff He was top dog. I Know it's a stretch. But when my mother died a year and a half ago almost two years ago.
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There were three kids Myself my brother and my sister
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I'm the oldest and Guess what part of my guess what the my mom said just divided up among the kids, you know equal share
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I was hoping for the law of primogenitor so I could have double would have been biblical but would have been dated but since I was a firstborn
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I Got I mean, how do you divide a hundred percent three ways? You can't really
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You're gonna have just you know four significant figures and so I got thirty three point three four percent My sister got thirty three point three three percent and my brother got thirty three point three three percent
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But I was the oldest I got the most And I got the check for dinner that night too in this other culture
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It's the firstborn we've even got inklings of it now in China and the girls and and people choosing the sex of their children because they want boys and all these other things here the law that was pretty much around and the culture was it's the firstborn that has preeminence and Jacob wasn't the firstborn at all
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Real Jews same father same mother conceived the same time Distinction made before they were born
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Distinction made in eternity past so God's purpose could shine Why isn't all of Israel saved because God never chose to save them all it's not
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God's purpose Israel is to be saved based on the calling of God Why are some
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Jews saved and others are not because God and then in verse 12 you see in Romans 9 It was said to her the older will serve the younger the elder
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Esau will serve the younger That is completely Non -semitic that is completely not
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Jewish and then if you can't stand it so far verse 13 it only seems to get
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Tighter as the anaconda of God's Word just squeezes out all human choice
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Just as it stands written Jacob I loved But Esau I hated weren't even born yet when that was determined Hadn't even done anything yet God didn't say
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I'm looking down the quarters of time and and I see Jacob will be a really fine fellow Was he a fine fellow
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Woman once said to Spurgeon regarding this verse when he was preaching it as to Jacob. I love but Esau I hated
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I cannot understand why God should say that he hated Esau That Spurgeon said it's not my difficulty madam.
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My trouble is to understand how God could love Jacob when you research probe
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Investigate do some kind of titration analysis get the microscope and look down really close
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To examine salvation what you will never ever see is man's work merit deeds baptism ordinances
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Sacraments, you'll never find those no matter what kind of atomic microscope you can find Because the choice
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Romans 9 and elsewhere says it is God's prerogative I've used the illustration a thousand times, but it's still so true when
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I would play out in the sandbox of our backyard. I Boxes anymore.
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I don't think they do that, but it would be good for them I had a civil war going on all the time between the
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Confederates and the Yankees and even in Nebraska I knew it was right to be on the winning team the Yankees And so I would always have these blue guys and I determined who was the best who was right who was just who was the victor?
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Who I was how I killed all the other guys at the last second and rescued the world and saved the
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Union Because you want to know why because I have been made in the likeness and image of God and it's
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God's credit and God's glory because I was in Adam and I defaced to some degree and Made a grotesque view of my image of God at the fall, but it's not completely wiped out
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And that's why I have a desire for love and compassion and mercy That's why I have a conscience and that's why
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I like to choose Because God by nature is a chooser and I have the image and likeness of God and to this very day
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I choose People on my own team, etc. And that's just a reflection of God Paul shows here that God has the absolute authoritative right to do whatever he wants with his creatures and May I push it he has the absolute authoritative right to do whatever he wants with his sinful creatures
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They deserve nothing and if God rescues some out Why do we look at those who haven't been rescued by saying
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God? How can that be just when we should be dumbfounded thinking I can't believe God would choose them for good
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Not that they did good but he made them into good to do good things you have a lot of questions
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Well, Paul answers those questions. We're gonna have to get to those next week Why does God love one and not another the answer?
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Because to love the one and hate the other Is God's sovereign and undeserved choice of grace and Friends, we may or may not like such a
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God but that is the only God with whom we have to do and And Paul said in Ephesians instead of grinding your teeth and gnashing at God Paul said in essence in order of chronology before you ever get on your knees and say
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Jesus is a fair Savior a Wonderful Savior. He said that we should be on our faces praising
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God that he would choose us before the foundation of the world It is an absolutely mind -blowing thing to see how
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Sovereign God is and that stupid little, you know Wizard of Oz deal where Toto pulls the curtain behind and you see some little egghead kind of a guy back there
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Controlling all the levers and you're let down When Paul takes the screen and Pulls it back to let you see the backside back parts of God as it were
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What you see shining forth through Romans 9 is divine sovereignty and Paul isn't ashamed
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Lord. Thank you for your condescending grace Thank you that you would call us children of God.
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Thank you for your spirit. They would help us to see these truths Lord, it is the most humbling thing in the universe to think that in eternity past you would choose us
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And think that you knew all of our sins and all of our skeletons and you knew us we were worse than Jacob And yet you've decided to love us
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Lord help us by your Spirit's grace not to be haughty not to seem how somehow better than those
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But to praise the glory of your grace for saving a people like us Lord, would you work in our hearts this week and let us find time?
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To just reflect on this great glory that in your sovereignty you have picked and chosen like you did in Eternity past and We happen to be the ones who receive the buckets of mercy now and that how you've poured out your love upon us through Christ Jesus our risen