Book of Romans - Ch. 9, Vs. 17-Ch. 10, Vs. 9 (03/19/2000)

Romans 9: God’s Sovereign Purpose in Pharaoh and the Pottery of Divine Choice

Open your Bibles to the 9th chapter of Romans, the 17th verse. Paul had just made the statement, so that it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. 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 all the earth.

God had a purpose in Pharaoh. David, what was it? To bring glory to himself. Alright. I would like for you to turn to the book of Proverbs, please, to the 16th chapter and the 4th verse. Bill, I'd like you to read that for us.

Well, you're going to have to give me a second to give you a reading. Well, I thought you were already there. No, I was catching up from the other place. And the reference is Proverbs 16. 16, record. The Lord hath made all things for himself, yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

He has made the wicked for himself. He has made the wicked for the day of evil. Bill, what do you think all of that means? Well, I think Brother David had it right last week. The evil are in the world to shape the children of God to be what they ought to be.

Alright. Therefore, have thee mercy on whom he will have mercy, and on whom he will he hardeneth. Hard words are so true. It is God's prerogative. It is his design and ordained will that has already occurred.

Show mercy on those that he chooses, and he will harden the hearts of those that he chooses. Now please understand, this was a choice that was never made as a choice. When we say choice, we're thinking of choosing up sides.

Choosing one over another and so forth. Much as we did when we were young people in school. But that's not what he refers to here. We're his choice because we've always been his. And he didn't have to choose us out of everybody else.

Now it may seem like that to man, but it is not that way. Thou wilt say then unto me, why doth he yet find fault for who has resisted his will? Of course, that's a question that demands a negative answer.

No one has resisted his will. And it is impossible for anyone to resist his will. So why does he yet find fault? The fault here has got to refer to judgment. Why would he judge us if he has chosen us?

And why would he judge the evil because he has chosen them for the evil? Who demands this? Why are we judged on everything for a day?

Because we still have to be held accountable for the things that we do. Why? Because we have responsibility. I mean, it's not just a free ride. We still have responsibility. We're an example to others by the way we live also.

And we know better.

We're judged because of the decisions that we make, the choices that we make. Because from our perspective, we do make those choices. It's just that simple. Everybody does what they want to. That's why we can be judged.

And that's why the truth is the truth. David was talking about it. We're told what we want to, yes. My mom pointed out a verse here when you were in Proverbs 16 .4. Proverbs 16 .1 shows the mechanism you're talking about.

It says, the preparations of the heart in man. And the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. So, man is free to think what he wants to think. And to choose what he wants to do in his heart and in his mind.

And we're responsible for those thoughts. And what we do is of the Lord, which that's the ordained part. What we say, once it comes out our mouth, it's part of history. But we're responsible because we thought it up.

We thought we thought it up. Well, we thought what we wanted to think about it. Alright. That one key point, if you can get that fixed in your mind. Because most people, most seminary students stumble over how can God be sovereign and man still be judged.

Because man does what he wants to. Not knowing that what he does is working on the name of God. There's a statement.

What? I'd like to make one statement on that. Alright. I sense we're already judged. So the judgment is already there. And what the Christian must do is work himself out. He's responsible for his own salvation in that sense.

That we're already judged and we have to seek God now after we're saved.

Alright, we're told to work out our own salvation. That does not mean to acquire it. But that means to make it productive. Right. Alright. Me, but old man, who art thou that replyest against God? Shall the thing formed say unto him that formed it?

Why do you make me like this? Silly question. Not really. But it has a tremendous truth behind it. We think because we're animated we can get up and walk around and say what Steve can do. But we ought to be in control of what we are.

Hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor? Certainly God has that power and that right. Because back when I was doing so much woodwork, if I built a swinging door and I didn't like it, or if I was building and I didn't like any part of it, I had the privilege of taking it out and destroy it and make another one.

The door didn't have these things on it. But it would turn out that as I invent, not as the door did. Does God reason? He appears to in time, from our point of view. But in reality, he doesn't reason in a linear fashion like we do, one thought at a time.

He knows all things. Well, does he reason? No. Great. So you're saying no to his no? I'm agreeing with his no, so that's a yes-no. There is a verse, I must point you to Isaiah, the first chapter in the 18th verse.

Well, sooner or later you will think of this. Which chapter? Isaiah 118. Greg, can you get there, please? Isaiah 118. Come now and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like starlet, they shall be white as snow.

Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. All right, he says, come, let us reason together. Now, Greg, what does that imply? Well, he doesn't need to reason. So it has to be said for us that we need to align ourselves with his thought.

All right, can two reason together, Bill, without some change on both sides? Yes, if one side is entirely right. All right. Which in this case it would be. The word here is your call, and it means to judge, to decide, to appoint, to show to be right, to prove, to convince, to chasten, to rebuke, and to correct.

So when he's saying, come, let us reason together, it doesn't mean that he's going to change. It just means that he's going to judge your reason. To reason implies doubt and uncertainty. Russell, does God make decisions?

Maybe from our standpoint it appears that way, but they've all already been made.

All right, he does not make decisions, he does not reason, because on both of those accounts it would infer that there was doubt and uncertainty. It also infers one other thing, and that is that the outcome of the reason wasn't previously known.

You reason in order to move knowledge to something, a conclusion, but God already has that already known, so he doesn't need to reason. That's exactly what Bill says. Verse 22, what if God, what if, what if God is willing to show his wrath?

Does he have to show us his wrath? He does, but he doesn't have to, he doesn't. And to make his power known, does he have to make his power known? Anytime there's a question asked of God, do something, say no.

And to make his power known, endure it with much long-suffering, the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. What does this vessel do? This is the seeds that were planted in the, we talked about in the sermon last Sunday, these seeds of, these tares that were planted by the evil one in the world.

But what is the vessel? It's the person. The person. So if he wants to make the wine fitted for destruction, that's up to him. That's what he has done. I have a question. Why is it that this chapter does not finish the argument between the, what they call the Calvinistic position and the Arminian position?

Why doesn't this chapter finish the argument about who's in control? It doesn't seem very clear. Well, I bet it does. Well, it does with us, but it doesn't outside these walls very much. Is it because people are afraid to even go into this passage?

That's right. And I hold that all of you never go into any passage of the doctrine with some preconceived idea that is contrary to the Bible. All I ask of any of you is to look for the truth and don't believe just because I say it.

You must check it out. The reason that the other side, if we can say that, will not even discuss these verses is because they've already made up their mind. They've already come to the conclusion, and they don't want you messing up their mind.

Don't bother me with facts. I already know what I believe. There are those people in this world that, after their assigned work is finished for Satan, will go into hell forever. Proverbs 16, For the Lord hath made all things for himself, yea, even the wicked for that day of evil, and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had aforeprepared unto glory.

What does the word afore mean, truly?

Before time, before when there was just none. That's right.

At some time in eons past, and we ask for a time so that he certainly does not. So the only way that we can express anything, Russell, is in relation to time. God is not limited to that. So we would have to say, at some time in eternity past, he had fitted all of these for exactly that which they do, knowing that he doesn't decide and doesn't reason.

God also made certain ones for heaven, and they can go nowhere else. Do you have a problem with that? Who? Will there be anyone in hell or heaven because of you? This means that no matter how poor a witness you are, you will not send them to their predetermined destined stream of Baptist theology.

That does. But if you could, if you fail to witness somebody and they went to hell because you failed to witness to them, then you are saying their salvation is by what? By works. By works. By your works of witnessing.

That cannot be. Sin is the composite of human effort and divine judgment. Sin is the composite of human effort and divine judgment. 24. Even us whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles, as he hath said also in Hosea, I will call them my people, which were not my people, and her beloved, which was not beloved.

Who's he talking about? Gentiles. Gentiles. You and I, for the most part. I don't think there's a reason. Is there anyone here part Jew, a little bit Jew, a real small part, but you're all Gentiles. Salvation is of the Lord.

Is that right or wrong? Most people believe that man must accept it. Is that right or wrong? I say we want to agree on that. Greg, what do you have to do? I don't have to do anything. That's works. That's salvation.

What occurs? I become aware of it. All right. You will never be saved as long as you believe you must do something. That's a real strong statement, but it's true. As long as you think you must do something in order to have salvation, you're not saved.

Brother Otis, there's nothing you must do, but there are many things you will do. Oh, yes. Yes. You will accept it. That's right. And you will get baptized. It's interesting, isn't it? Yes. You will do good works.

Yes. But it's all after the fact. 26, and it shall come to pass that in the place where it was said unto them, ye are not my people, there shall they be called the children of the living God. Now, this doesn't seem to be very important to us.

We read it quickly and say, well, so what? That's true. Then I guess it's impossible for us to think like the Jew did back at this time, or at any time for that matter. But for the most part, the Jews had hated Gentiles all of their life, on both sides.

And until salvation came, until the gospel came, they considered that the Israelites were the only ones that had God, all the rest were heathens. And they resisted, even unto blood, for a Gentile to be saved.

Now, we haven't faced that. Well, with Wilbernot it might be, some of you. But, these people that were not my people are my people now. And they didn't want that. This is one thing they had against Paul.

Isaiah also cried concerning Israel. Those are the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved. Greg, what kind of word is shall? Imperative. And it means what?

There is no choice. It also means the one that is speaking that must have the power to see that it occurs. Does the one speaking here have the power? Absolutely. Absolutely. 28. For he will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.

Now, this seems very confusing, so we must return to our Professor David to help us understand. I was going to ask you what you thought that meant. But since you asked me first, I take that literally to mean that the time and years on this earth is not going to be long.

It's not going to be millions like the evolutionists say. A short work. In other words, there's going to come a time in the fairly near future where the Lord's coming back. These terms used in the 28th verse are forensic terms.

I don't know. I can't give you a good definition. What did you teach? I didn't bring a definition. Bill was a forensic man. Well, I know what a forensic scientist does. It's someone who studies and makes a determination about an outcome based on evidence that was left behind.

All right. So, these terms are forensic and refer to the conclusion of a judicial judgment. That's what you just said. The Lord has tried them and found them guilty and will immediately execute upon them the judgment that their sins broke.

And that is the quick work. It will not be any appeals. It will not be any waiting on death row for 50 years. It will be immediately. When they are judged, they don't have to wait around. They go immediately for their destiny.

As Isaiah said before, except the Lord of the Sabbath hath left us a seed. It is a good word. We have been as Sodom and Gomorrah. You remember Sodom and Gomorrah and how bad it was. He's saying here that except the Lord of the Sabbath hath left us a seed, we would have turned out like Sodom and Gomorrah.

What shall we say then? That the Gentiles which followed not after righteousness, why didn't they? It was given to them. So all was given to the Jews. They had attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.

The same faith, the same righteousness, exactly as the Jews so proudly claimed. Church members that think they were good enough to be saved, or think that they are good enough to be saved, cannot be taught for it.

It's got to be a change someplace. I don't think there's one of you that thinks you're good enough to be saved. But there are church members in other churches that believe that. But Israel which followed not after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.

Wherefore, or why? Because they saw it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stole not that stone themselves. As it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling block and a rockable fence.

And whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed, shall not have any fear. If you are truly saved, and if you're in the study of the Lord, then you'll have no fear of man also. Chapter 9, Chapter 10.

Israel’s Zeal Without Knowledge and Self-Righteousness

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. Paul had such a yearning, such a broken desire for all of his brethren to be saved, that even though he was the apostle to the Gentiles, wherever he went, he went first to the Jews.

To the temple and talked to the Jews. But his main thrust was of course to the Gentiles. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God and should be for God, but not according to knowledge. Now, explain to me this little word, zeal.

It's devotion or a great desire. All right, Diana, what do you think? I would whisper, zeal.

It's dedication. When I hear zeal, I think of the Torah Witnesses. They just have this overwhelming desire to see that they tell you what they know, what is the wrong knowledge.

All right, you didn't have to tell us this, did you?

I mean, I'll help her.

All right. They have a zeal for God, but it is not according to knowledge. What does this mean, not according to knowledge? True knowledge of God. What they're doing is they're going as far as the man in their own direction.

They don't have the knowledge or salvation that God gives them.

Did they have the head knowledge? They knew they were right in what they were doing, but they did not have the right knowledge. Zeal without knowledge, let me tell you what this means. A person is like a blind man looking for a black cat in a cold day like this.

Lots of exercise, but nothing accomplished.

And convincing you that he's there.

And trying to convince you that he's there.

For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. Doesn't that sound like today? Yes. Exactly.

There's something I do not hear in most churches today, that we must be taught that we are to submit our will to the Lord each and every day. The modern church today goes like this. Monday, they have basketball.

Tuesday, they have football. Wednesday, they play volleyball. Thursday, they have baseball. And Friday, they just have a ball. Our church is so heat up with programs, anything, to keep your mind off the study of the Word of God.

Now that might sound hard, but it doesn't sound hard enough, because that's exactly what they're doing. You have nothing in your possession any more precious or important than the Holy Word of God. Scripture must be obeyed with the obedience of belief.

Remember that. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. To everyone that believeth. Now, everyone that believes. Evangelists on television especially say, come down and accept Christ. If you just nod your head, you're saved.

Is it like that? Turn to Philippians 1 .29. There's a few key verses that you must remember. Bill, you go to Philippians 2 .13. John, would you read to us Philippians 1 .29?

For you have been granted the privilege, for Christ's sake, not only to believe in, if you're to rely on and trust in Him, but also to suffer in His behalf.

Did you know He changes your belief? There was a time that you didn't want anything to do with Him. You didn't believe it. But then there was a time you did. Something had to change, and it wasn't you.

Bill, read Philippians 2 .13. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do on His good pleasure. Now, Bill, tell us, how does He work in us? He puts the desire that you have to study about the Scripture in you.

He puts the desire for you to believe in you. And He puts the ability and the action to your beliefs. So He's responsible for it all. Alright. Anyone want to add anything? The Holy Spirit speaks of who?

Christ. Christ, alright. The Holy Spirit doesn't lead you to buy a new car or a new house. Don't go that way. The guy on TV says He leads you to buy a clean bus. That's right. We might get more information on that.

Did Jesus keep the law for us? Yes. He kept the law for us. He was the Father. What did you say? He kept the law for the Father. Well, did He keep it for us? He kept it. There's a way in which you could say that in our place.

But He kept it primarily to please the Father. Why did He have to keep it, Greg? Because we're not capable to. But there's a reason ahead of that. That may be a perfect sacrifice. Who said that? That's right.

If He had not kept the law, He could not have been my substitute. But He didn't keep the law for me. He kept it for the Father. Verse 5. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, that the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

Another very hard statement. It simply means that if you claim the law as your salvation, then you shall live and die according to the law. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this way.

Say not in thine heart who shall ascend into heaven, that is, bring Christ down from above, or who shall descend into the deep, that is, bring up Christ again from the dead. As if we could be saved by our own efforts.

But what saith the word is nigh unto thee? Clarence, you're in a talkative mood this morning. What does it mean, the word is nigh unto you? Well, that's not far. Heave it in your mouth, Greg, or you have to speak.

And in thy heart. And it's there to be spoken. That is the word of faith which we preach. It has become a part of you. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, you might be saved.

You shall be saved. May his are lights in the world. I've got to tell you this, since it's not my relation. It's my wife. She has a sister-in-law. Bless her heart, she'd do anything in the world for you.

She's Christian. But she believes that you're not saved until and only if you can go to the front of your congregation and confess audibly the Lord. Because it says, Shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus.

She's the same one that believes you're not supposed to bring a dog into church. Based on Scripture. It does say something similar to that, but you're not to bring the money gained from a dog. And a dog is a male prostitute.

Bless her heart, she believes it. I haven't tried to change it. All right. If you confess with your mouth, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. But who can believe?

Anybody? Everybody? No, the chosen people. The chosen people. When can they believe, John? All right. Certainly not the lost sinner. Not the one who is a servant of Satan. This is true, but if it were not for Jesus giving us the belief we could not be saved.

You see how he has worked every little detail.

The thing that I think confuses people is, and thou shalt believe in thine heart, they believe that they can muster up enough belief to believe that Jesus is a true messenger. And I think that even as much as I think I know, I don't think I can muster up enough to do it on my own, to have that belief on my own.

So I think that that sentence confuses me because they say, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. So they believe that they can muster up enough belief to do it.

That's right. And that's the sad part because I don't know, I think that saying that you can do it is outright. Yes.

Every sinner is like a sinner. Do any of the lost people in the world believe they're lost? No. Does the sinner know he's the sinner? No. Did you know you were a sinner before you were saved? No. Did you know it after you were saved?

Yes. No, you didn't. In Romans 1 .16 it says, For I have not ashamed the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God and salvation that are in one. That's right. It's the power of God. Joey, what I meant was after you were saved you were not a sinner.

That's true, but that's not what you said. Before you were saved, maybe the best thing to say is after you were saved is how you were a sinner.

What did I say? You said, did you know you were a sinner after you were saved? That's right.

Yes, I know I'm lost, but that's the past tense.

I'm an English teacher. Well, I didn't interpret it like that. And I'm the interpreter, aren't I? I'm with you. All right. Most of this is designed to keep Joey awake. Where did you leave off?

P .M. P .M., that's where we'll start. Should we discuss that verse in time a little more? Which one? I have a question here. Maybe I want to make a statement. That if we confess with our right mouth the Lord Jesus, that's what he does.

He does that through us because we've read today in Proverbs that he controls what we speak also.

What about a deaf and dumb person that cannot speak?

He is self-believing and ignoring. But what I'm saying in all of that is that God is performing all of this, and the confession is our life confessing him. We don't have to confess it all the time. That's right.

It's just one of the rituals of the church. Some of them keep ordering, all right, it's all right to go down.

Only if you're convinced that's what you should do. Not by persuasion. Not if you're persuaded. Do nothing because you're persuaded. Do all things because you're convicted that that's what you should do.

And do nothing because somebody else does. That's good. Any other questions? The Bible says, Paul, we are persuaded. That doesn't mean persuaded. That's what the New Testament talks about. We are persuaded.

From a man's viewpoint, Paul says, I am persuaded. Persuaded means by God. It's a passive word. We look at it in the Greek, so it means we're persuaded by God. That's right.

He's talking about being deaf. He's talking about nothing that's separated from the love of God. That's why he persuaded that his salvation was because of his knowledge.

So what Paul was saying is I am convicted that I am persuaded. That this is what God wants me to do. That's perfectly legal. What I was referring to, do not do it just because somebody else wants to and they talk you into it.

I think that before I got saved, I knew I was a sinner. I knew I couldn't do it. But I think that I thought that I was as good as anybody else. And that would say a solution. But I know, we know that we sin before we get saved.

Because there are people out there that just sin and do wrong and say they don't care. I was thinking the same thing.

I think there's a difference between a lost sheep and a lost goat. And I don't think the lost goats know they're sinning. Another thing hurting me is we were lost sheep. So even before salvation, we sinned and were convicted of it.

Well, that's exactly it. But I think lost goats know they're sinning because they're saved and saved. And they don't care. Well, they don't know that. They have to. If someone kills someone, they know it's wrong.

There's something to put in them. That's right.