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Let's have a Bible study. Romans
chapter nine, the first 13 verses this morning of the ninth chapter
of the book of Romans, that thing working right on. Lost the first
one. So but anyway, the first 13 verses,
the title of the message, God has a plan. The book of Romans
seems to be a theological cross between mountain climbing and
cliff diving from high highs and summit peaks to low lows
and and diving into the depths of draining issues. Perhaps you
recall from chapter 1, the summit peak of verses 16 and 17 where
Paul declared the incredibly good news of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ and how it is the power of God to salvation for everyone
who believes that in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith
to faith as it is written, that just shall live by faith. Now,
biblically speaking, you don't get a much better view than that. That kind of declaration is a
summit peak. And just when he had gripped
us with that breathtaking view of the beauty to be found in
the gospel of Jesus Christ. You recall that without warning,
it's as if he just turned around and plummeted headlong deep into
the depths of the depravity of man. He went from one extreme
all the way to the other, just like that. And of course, when
we get an understanding, a good understanding of who we are,
it causes the love and grace of God to shine all the brighter
against the blackness of our own sin towards and rebellion
against God. And I pray for you that as we
have been studying through the book of Romans, that you have
come to gain a deeper appreciation for all that God has done for
you in Christ. Well, as we concluded chapter
eight, we had just ascended another peak on this theological mountain
range of the book of Romans, Paul had hit just an incredibly
high crescendo with the declaration and the revelation of the fact
that nothing, be it visible or invisible death or life powers,
principalities, present realities or future happenings, tribulation,
fear, distress, persecution, height, nor depth, nor any other
created thing shall be able to separate you from the love of
God, which is in Christ Jesus. I mean, We read of the reality
of the love of God towards us, the fact that in Christ he is
forever for us and that nothing can separate us from his love.
And it's like all that we can do to restrain ourselves from
a hallelujah chorus. If that reality does nothing
for you, do me a favor. Check your pulse. Make sure you're
with us, because if you know, we've done here's the deal. We've
done nothing to deserve it. We're in no way worthy of it.
But that God has loved us. with an everlasting love. In
Christ He is for you. And as we have been learning
on Wednesday evenings in the book of Esther, He refuses, praise
God, to give up on you. And once again, without warning,
Paul now takes us from this summit peak of Scripture to what would
seem to be a screeching halt to share with us the unending
anguish and the practically unbearable burden of his heart. The Jews,
his own countrymen, according to the flesh, But don't think
that he's somehow sidetracked. Some see it that way as if this
is sort of a parenthetical kind of, you know, side light in the
midst of the main things that he's wanting to teach us. Some
see it again that way, kind of like as if Paul just sort of
had an intellectual blowout at the end of chapter eight, having
had this, you know, this major epiphany, if you will. He just
imparting this radical revelation. And then over the next few chapters,
he just kind of meanders and carries on about the nation.
of Israel, but then he picks back up in chapter 12 and carries
on because you can read it from chapter 8 right into chapter
12. And it doesn't miss a beat with
all of that. But because of that, they choose to see some choose
to see chapters 9 through 11 again as sort of that parenthetical information that's just kind
of on the side of the main point that Paul is trying to make.
But in reality, these chapters are not parenthetical to Paul's
point. They're absolutely essential
because the argument goes something like this. Paul, you've just
shared with us this mind boggling reality, the absolute certainty
of God's love, the unalterable, the inseparable position that
God has brought us into in Christ. But if that be true, well, then
you know, kind of caught in a quandary. What about the nation of Israel?
They're God's chosen people. They're a people of promise.
And yet it seems that God has set them aside, has separated
them. Hey, if it didn't pan out for Israel, the chosen nation
of God, then how can we be sure it'll pan out for us? I mean,
you see, how can I be sure of God's love and salvation to me
when it seems that Israel once loved, once saved and all of
that, but now has been cursed or rejected, as it were? How
can I be sure that God won't one day curse me or reject me? And so he's building this all
along the way throughout these chapters. And over these next
few chapters, he deals with just that perspective, ensuring us
of the fact that God has a plan. And Israel is an integral part
of that plan and will still serve to illustrate the faithfulness
of God. We have to understand that there
is a big picture at work and nothing is going to circumvent
or slide outside of the predetermined plan of God, be it for Israel
specifically and nationally or for your life personally. The
emphasis of chapter 9, if you kind of etch in your margin or
above your chapter, is on God's past dealings with Israel. Chapter 10 deals with God's present
dealings with Israel. And chapter 11 is God's promised
dealings or future dealings with the nation of Israel. So follow
along with me, if you will, in the first five verses of chapter
9 we read, beginning in verse 1, I tell you, or I tell the
truth in Christ, I am not lying. My conscience also bearing me
witness in the Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow and continual
grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself
were cursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen, according
to the flesh, who are Israelites to whom pertain the adoption
the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service
of God and the promises of whom are the fathers and from whom,
according to the flesh, Christ came, who is overall the eternally
blessed God. Amen. And amen. So from the summit of glory at
the end of chapter eight to this somber and sobering reality at
the beginning of chapter nine, the great sorrow, the unending
anguish of heart that Paul perpetually dealt with. He says, I tell the
truth in Christ. I am not lying. You see, there
were those who considered Paul a traitor, basically having left
the guild of the Pharisees. He was perceived to have abandoned
the law himself, having kind of taken his seat or his side
with the Gentiles, teaching them that the law of Moses was irrelevant
or unimportant. This was their perspective of
him. And he just seemed to have turned his back on everything
they held sacred in their own eyes. And so Paul says, listen,
that couldn't be further from the truth. I don't know how to
say it any clearer. I can't make my point any stronger. You know, I just I'm telling
the truth in Christ. I am not lying. My conscience
bearing witness in the Holy Spirit. Of course, the affirmation here
being that he in no way, shape or form is against Israel. but
in reality is very much for them, has a deep unrelenting burden
towards them, and would even take his seat in hell if it would
save them. But before we get too carried
away with all of that just yet, I want to draw out a very simple,
but I believe a very necessary application found in verse 1. Now you'd think that amongst
believers it'd be a simple reality, no need to place emphasis on
it specifically, but unfortunately, Such is not always the case. Paul emphasized the fact that
in Christ, he was telling the truth, not lying. What's my point? Listen, if you're in Christ,
speak the truth. Don't lie. Don't bear false witness. Don't
exaggerate a circumstance or a situation. Now, I find that
most believers don't wrestle too much with flat out, bold
faced lying, though some do. But there are many who are caught
in the snare of exaggeration, just stretching the truth just
a bit for the sake of emphasis. And that's called a lie. The
Bible says lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but
those who deal truthfully are his delight. Paul told the Ephesians,
therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth
with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. To the
Colossians, he wrote, do not lie to one another since you
have put off the old man with his deeds. Another way to understand
that is a lying tongue is characteristic of the old man, the old unregenerate
nature. The new nature will speak the
truth. In love, which is another huge key, speaking the truth
is good, but being rude about it accomplishes absolutely nothing.
Everything we do. as believers, including speaking
the truth, needs to be balanced and brought into the context
of love. Again, we read speaking the truth
in love, grow up in all things into him who is the head Christ. And so a real mark of Christian
character is being tactfully truthful. Paul calls their attention
to his transparent honesty before them, his conscience bearing
witness in the Holy Spirit. Now, again, the word or the phrase
in the Holy Spirit is key because the conscience in and of itself
is an insufficient guide. It can become seared through
non repentant sin, through a bitter spirit. It can be, as it were,
covered over through, you know, insensitive scar tissue. A lot of people, I mean, in the
world, a lot of people do a lot of sinful things and their conscience
doesn't bother them one bit. You know, growing up, my mom
every now and then used to issue the exhortation. Perhaps you've
heard it. Let your conscience be your guide.
Hey, that's all I needed to hear. You know, kind of a thing. Glad
to hear that. See you later. You know, kind of a deal. Of
course, every now and then the guilt worked and all of that.
But for the most part, if I can do what I feel like, you know,
fine, that sounds like a good deal. But even the believer's
conscience can become unreliable if, as I say, they're neglecting
fellowship with the Lord, they're living in disobedience to his
word, they have an unforgiving, embittered spirit or whatever
the case may be. But a conscience that's truly
surrendered to and held captive by God's word is a conscience
that's truly subject to the Holy Spirit and the witness therein.
Now, not an imperviousness to mistakes. Don't misunderstand
me. I'm not saying that. But the context here is that
he is, in essence, calling God as his witness to the truthfulness
of his statement. And he says that he qualifies
that this way The fact that his conscience is clear before God
in what I'm about to tell you, because what he's about to tell
him is radical. Notice verse two of chapter nine,
that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart,
for I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for
my brethren, my countrymen, according to the flesh. In essence, what
Paul is saying here is that his burden for the lost, specifically
those Jews who had missed Jesus as the Messiah, was so great
that if it'd be possible for him to trade his salvation that
they might be saved, he'd do it. Think about that. Oh, don't just pass that by.
Think that one over. This was a people. Think about
who he's speaking of. He's speaking of a people who,
by and large, wanted him dead. And we discovered that emphatically
throughout our course in our journey through the book of Acts.
And this type of self-sacrificing love for me, I confess, is something
I've yet to realize. Oh, I mean, we can think of ourselves
perhaps sacrificing our ourselves for for our family. I'd like to think that I could
make the decision to suffer an eternal fate in hell if I knew
it were the only way that I, you know, my wife or my kids
could make it to heaven. You know, but within that context,
we're talking about the people who are dearest to me on the
face of the earth. But I can't sit here before you
and try and pretend to say I'd make that same choice for a people
I didn't even know, much less those who literally hated everything
that I was about. Think perhaps of the person that
grates on your nerves the most. Unless it's me, then think of
someone else. Think of the second most person
at that point. Or those people that you quote unquote love at
a distance. And I'm not even sure exactly
what that means, honestly, but the phrase floats around. But
would you suffer an eternity in the lake of fire for the people
that you can barely stand the sight of in the here and now?
I mean, much less for those who made no bones over the fact that
they couldn't care less about you or your general well-being
or anything along those lines. I mean, that's what Paul is saying.
And he's speaking the truth in Christ, his conscience bearing
witness in the Holy Spirit. This is my heart for them. They're
against me, but I'm for them. Kind of reminds us of that scene
there in Exodus 32. Moses, perhaps you remember,
had been up on the mountain spending time with the Lord. He was receiving
the testimonies or the law. He was receiving the blueprints
of the tabernacle and all of that. But when he had delayed
in coming down, at least according to their thought, they thought
maybe he'd be up there a day or two or a week or three or
whatever, but 40 days goes by and man, I don't know if he's
come. Maybe he crawled up there and I don't know what happened
to him and he ain't coming back. And so they thought he had delayed
his return and all. And so you remember the story,
the people began to grow antsy. They were getting restless. They
were kind of, you know, and so what they did, you know, the
scriptures, long story short, Aaron fashions a golden calf
for them out of the jewelry that the people brought to him. And
then Moses comes down. He finds them committing this
horrific sin of idolatry. He becomes irate. He tells them
to choose. You got to choose hot or cold.
Which side of the fence are you going to stand? You remember
the Levites drew near to Moses. And then, of course, the purging
of the leaven of the lump of Israel when 3,000 that day were
struck by the sword of the men of Levi. And Moses goes back
up on the mountain after that in order to intercede for the
people. Of course, he had to regroup the law and everything
because he had thrown it down and, you remember, destroyed
the calf and ground it up and made them all drink it and all
that. I just always thought that scene was kind of funny. you
know, crushing the cow and making him drink it. But be that as
it may, maybe it's not funny to you. Maybe I'm just sick and
twisted. Forgive me. I go, I always thought that was funny. Everyone's
going... I don't see humor in that. But
he goes up on the mountain and he begins to make intercession
for them. And he says, oh, these people have committed a great
sin and have made themselves a god of gold. Yet now, if you
will forgive their sin, but if not, I pray, blot me out of your
book which you have written." Translation, God, if you won't
forgive them, I'll take my part with them in condemnation. Now, I can't fathom that kind
of love for a rebellious, stiff-necked, murmuring, constantly complaining
kind of a people, having a heart like that. And of course, God
spared him. But I don't want you to think
that in that, so I don't want you to miss the main message
in that. The reason God spared him specifically, oh, surface-ly
perhaps, but specifically, was not because of Moses' plea bargaining,
but because God is merciful. We thank God for Moses being
there and everything, but you see, before you make man out
to be the hero there and God out to be the mean one wanting
to smoke all of them, You need to stop and ask yourself, how
is it that Moses even obtained that kind of a heart? Who put
that heart of intercessory, that passion and care and love and
intercessory prayer for them in his heart? You see, God is
always looking for an opportunity to show mercy. But his holiness
demands justice. But somehow and in some way and
for some reason, he's opted to use humanity instrumentally in
the accomplishing of his will here on the earth. And I suggest
to you that had God not called Moses up on that mountain, had
Moses not been spending all of that time, intimate time with
God, gleaning the heart of God as he did, that he wouldn't have
had it in his heart to stand in the gap for the people the
way that he did. But because he spent time, intimate
time with the Lord, he had captured the heart of the Lord. And through
that, God was able to do what God was wanting to do, which
was show mercy. But he was needing an opportunity
to do that, and Moses gave it to him through intercessory prayer. What's the application? That
you, that I, spend intimate time with the Lord. That you might
capture the heart of the Lord and cultivate the heart of the
Lord for the lost around you, that you might find yourself
standing in the gap. You see, how is it that Paul
could say this? How did he obtain such a huge
burden for the lost, specifically his own countrymen? I believe
one major key is found in the first verse of chapter 10. Flip
over, if you will, take a look at chapter 10, verse 1. Paul writing and he says, Brethren,
my heart's desire and prayer to God for the nation of Israel
or for Israel is that they may be saved. You see, here's the
deal. When we spend time with the Lord, praying and crying
out before the Lord for the salvation. In this case, with him, of his
fellow countrymen, or in your case, perhaps another circumstance,
Through praying on the behalf of them, his heart was welling
up with love for them. And what I'm trying to tell you
is this. Something happens in your heart when you begin to
pray honestly and openly for a people or a person who otherwise
might get on your nerves or want nothing to do with you or whatever.
Your heart will begin to change towards them. You'll find that
you begin to find yourself concerned, desiring whatever God has. for
them." Hey, it's no wonder that Jesus said, love your enemies,
bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and
pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you that
you may be sons of your Father in heaven. Oh, it would seem
to me that Paul was wracked with this burden for them because
of all the time he was spending in prayer over them or with regards
to them. You see, not only is it good
for those whom you're praying for, obviously, emphatically,
that's going to benefit them. But also it challenges and changes
your heart as well. Suddenly, I find myself more
concerned for you or concerned about you if I'm spending time
in prayer for you. You see, we spoke Wednesday evening
about the need to have a burden, the need that we have to be burdened
for the lost. Think it through briefly. How
much time do you spend literally praying for the lost? Think about it. Oh, that God
might use you to bring people into his kingdom. Think about
the things that worry you, the things that in life really that
bother you and get to you. And I think that if honestly
evaluated in the scope We would find that most of the things
that really, really trouble us, they're not usually a big deal
in the scope of the grand scheme of things, or maybe an isolated
little situation that may disrupt me. But in the big picture, it's
really not. I mean, generally, we worry a whole lot over fairly
insignificant issues. But there is a surefire way to
eliminate insignificant stress from our lives, to wipe away
all the minor problems that we allow to consume us. And the
way to do that is to place our focus on a major problem, that
being the need to reach the lost around us with the gospel of
Jesus Christ. The fact that there are people slipping off of the
planet every day, day in and day out, without Jesus to find
themselves in for a rude awakening, being eternally separated from
God. You see, the great passion for
souls that Paul had helped him maintain the proper perspective
presently and personally for him. Now, he had his share of
situations and circumstances. We talked about that last week,
hard pressed, struck down, persecuted, you know, in prisons, stoned,
left for dead, whipped. shipwrecked, you know, all of
these things. But he wasn't troubled about
those things, minor things, because he focused on a major thing.
Again, he didn't let those things get to him because there was
a greater need out there than his personal comfort. There was
a greater need out there than what so and so thought about
him or what the other guy perhaps said about him or the way that
the people were trying to treat him and all. And listen, proper
perspective. will do amazing things for the
stress load of your life. What troubled Paul was that there
were people out there, many of whom he knew and loved, who didn't
know Jesus. And as far as this life is concerned,
nothing else really matter. When what bothers you is someone's
eternal destination, you'll find all those minor issues such as
being worried about job security or being mad because you're the
center of the gossip chain personally or what they said about you or
perhaps the way they treated you or the way you see this or
the way that's going or whatever. All of those things just fall
to the wayside. Because there's a greater need
than me and what's happening to me or the way someone treats
me or what they think about me or. As far as that goes, what
I think, or whoever, you know, you think about me, or I think
about you, or from my perspective, the way I would think about another
believer, whatever, all of those things are really minor issues
compared to the fact, listen, there's a greater need out there
than to get introverted, self-centered, and self-perspective. Instead,
we should be placing our focus on, well, the fact that God so
loved the world, you see. Spurgeon said something to the
effect of, Get love for the souls of men." He said, you'll be delivered
from petty worries if you're concerned about the souls of
men. And he said, get your soul full of a great grief and your
little griefs will be driven out. Paul said, I could wish that
I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen
according to the flesh, willing, if it were, to become accursed
of God Himself, if it meant the salvation of others." Hmm, who
does that sound like to me? That sounds a lot like Christ-like
love, doesn't it? Who did become accursed of God,
that we might be saved. Oh, wait a minute, this guy,
he had captured... Remember what he said to me? For me to live is Christ. He had just so captured the heart
of Christ. It was such a reality in him.
Remember he told the Philippian believers that if it meant their
edification, he'd stay out of heaven for them. Remember, he
was there, he was talking, he said, For me, it's hard-pressed. Between
the two, I'm hard-pressed. I mean, to depart and be with
the Lord is far better, but to stay and remain with you is a
necessary thing for you. So he says, if that's what the
need is, then that's what I'll do. I'll stay out of heaven for you,
brother, but for you who don't know Christ, I'd go to hell for
you. So if He'd make for their edification,
He'd stay out of heaven, for the loss of his own countrymen,
he said he'd be willing to go to hell if he'd make for their
salvation. Of course, it couldn't. I mean,
Jesus had already paid the price. He had already taken their place.
And there is no other name given among men under heaven by which
we must be saved. We understand that. And I'm not
trying to magnify Paul at the minimize. I mean, Christ is one.
He did it. And he's the one who is worthy
of our honor and our glory and our praise and power and blessing
and all of that. But this is Paul's burden for
his nation, the Israelites, whom God called His own Son. As a
nation, He adopted them. You remember Exodus 4, verse
22, He called them His Son. As a nation, He caused His glory
to reside literally among them, the pillar of fire by night as
He led them, the pillar of cloud by day, then ultimately residing
the Shekinah, tangible, practical presence of God over the mercy
seat and the tabernacle, and then ultimately filling as well
the temple that Solomon built in the Holy of Holies, the covenants
he made with them, the law he gave to them, the ministry of
the tabernacle and the temple, all of these things he gave to
them, all of these things culminating in the coming of Christ Himself
who, according to the flesh, came through them. And then Paul
makes this radical declaration at the end of verse 5. Did you
see it there? He says, who is overall the eternally blessed
God." Now, you have to do some real serious swimming around
in circles and all of that in order to not see the fact that
Paul makes it emphatically, unequivocally, he declares right there, Jesus
himself is the eternally blessed God. Forevermore, amen, kind
of a thing. He says, "...who is overall the
eternally blessed God. He told the Colossians that he's
before all things and that in him all things consist. Lord,
overall, Israel has been radically blessed by God. Well, then what's the problem? Well, verse six, follow along. But it is not that the word of
God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who
are of Israel. Nor are they all children, because
they are the seed of Abraham. But in Isaac your seed shall
be called." Paul says two things you need to consider when you
start thinking of God's faithfulness to Israel or Israel in the grand
plan and grand scheme of things. First of all, they are not all
Israel who are of Israel. You kind of read that and you
go, all right. You kind of scratch your head.
What are you telling me? But it's not that difficult.
And we talked about this a little bit before, but what does that
mean? Israel, the word Israel means governed by God. You remember Jacob had his name
changed. He was there. He was going to
meet his brother Esau. He knew that he was going to
meet up with him. He was worried because Esau was coming towards
him and they had told him. And he goes, OK, part of us go
here, part of us go there. We'll separate our companies.
If he attacks this company, this will go. If he attacks this company,
this will go, whatever. He goes, I'm going to go over here by
myself. I'm going to spend some time with the Lord. And I remember
the angel of the Lord met him there that night. And we read
that he wrestled with the angel of the Lord all night long. And
finally at the dawning of the day, the angel says, look, you're
going to have to let me go. And Jacob, a broken and crying
and desperate man, says, no, I can't let you go, not until
you bless me. Kind of a thing. And he says, what's your name?
He says, Yaakov, my name is Jacob, which translated means deceiver
or heel snatcher or supplanter, you know, conniver kind of a
thing. And he says, no longer. And remember,
he touches him on the thigh and he cripples him. He was a broken
man after that, governed by God. Your name shall be Israel, governed
by God. Oh, before you may have been
doing your own thing after the flesh, scheming, conniving, all of these
things. No more. You're to be governed
by God. And so. What Paul is, in essence,
saying here and again, having spent some time on this back
in chapter two around verse twenty five, so we won't hear, but he's
saying that not everyone who is of Israel is truly governed
by God. Today, we might say not everyone
is a Christian just because they go to church. People wonder what
in the world's a deal with the church. Hey, not everyone's a
Christian just because they go to church or just because they
say They're a Christian. It's not about us. You were a
Christian nation, right? No, we're not. Not anymore. You know, not not on a national
level. Oh, it's still on our currency and all. But I think
that the reality is anything but. But the point is, is that
it's not about ascribing a label or being, as it were, quote unquote,
religious. But in reality, it's about having
a personal relationship with the one true living God. Right.
We know that. And then unless you are governed by God, then
you're not truly Israel. Now secondly, number two, he
emphasizes here in verse seven the fact that the physical lineage
means nothing. I think we talked about this
in chapter four as well. Just because you may have happened
to physically descend from Abraham, what does that prove? All kinds of people descended
from Abraham. Ishmael and his lineage and descendants came
from Abraham. A lot of people forget the fact
that after Sarah died, Abraham remarried a gal named Keturah,
had six more sons. through her. And so there's all
kinds of, you know, people. So just being a descendant of
Abraham in and of itself, it doesn't mean anything. God's
plan was a plan of promise. And remember, we talked about
the difference between being a descendant of Abraham and a
child of Abraham. There's two distinct different
things, scripturally speaking, spiritually speaking. Ishmael,
who came from Hagar, was a product of the flesh. He was a product
of Abraham's own attempt in helping God out with his promise. And
it made for a mess. And by the way, it always does.
Anytime that we try and help God along, we just make a mess
of things. And then a lot of times, like, Abraham, we just ask God to bless
our mess, you know. Remember that? He was all like,
oh, you know, God, that Ishmael might live before you. Just bless
my mess, God. But in reality, we thank God
that He didn't bless His mess in that way, that He didn't even
acknowledge. Remember He said, take Isaac, your son, your only
son. Remember that? He didn't even
acknowledge Ishmael as rightfully a son of... And we're glad because
a lot of... Hey, if you're anything like me, you've got a lot of
Ishmaels running around. You know, a lot of things that you've launched
out in the flesh and done, and you just... You thank God that
the things that He does in and through you and on behalf of
you is that which He acknowledges and uses and that... My flesh
makes a mess. I don't know about yours. I have
a feeling yours does too. And so the fact of the matter
is, God acknowledged the promise, not the product of the flesh.
And Paul is stressing here this fact. Isaac, being a child of
promise, an heir of the covenant, and he's stressing the point
that the flesh means nothing. Just because someone is of a
certain ethnicity or specific lineage personally, that doesn't
mean they're elect of God automatically. Because God does not elect for
his purposes on the basis of the physical. I want you to notice
verse 8, when he kind of underscores what he said here. That is, those
who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of
God. But the children of the promise are counted as the seed. For this is the word of promise."
And you'd have to look this up to find the context. "'At this
time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.'" Remember when the
Lord had come, the angel, they were getting ready, they were
on their way to Sodom to smite the city. And Abraham went out
and he bowed down to him and he brought him in and fixed him
a meal and all of this. And he began to say that, you
know, you're going to have a son and then Sarah laughed. back
in the kitchen. And she was like, you know, kind
of a thing. He's like, why did Sarah laugh? Sarah's like, I
didn't laugh. She said, oh yes, you did laugh. Remember that? And
he said, but this time next year I'll return and you'll have a
son. And of course they called and told him to call his name
Isaac. But we understand the interpretation
of verse 8. Paul's saying it's not a physical
thing. God's purpose is bound up in God's promise. And the
children of promise are those who, like we discovered, you
guys, As we study books of the Bible like this, it's difficult
for us on a week-by-week basis to keep the totality of the context
of the entirety of the book. But as you read this book from
beginning to end, you still realize that he's already talked about
the children of Abraham being those who by faith trust in the
Lord just as Abraham by faith trusted in the Lord. And so that's
all still in here working where the children of promise are those
who by faith look to and trust in the Lord just as Abraham did.
But man, there's an application that that would be the interpretive,
but there's an application all over this verse. I don't want
you to miss it. See it there in verse eight, the first half,
those who are the children of the flesh. These are not the
children of God. Underline that man highlighted
circle and somehow draw attention to it. The Bible is clear that
those who are Christ have crucified the flesh along with its passions
and desires. In other words, if you live for
or are constantly seeking after or perpetually driven by the
desires of your flesh, that is not the nature of the child of
God. The child of God is the one who
lives for and is seeking after and desires to live in, walk,
that is, walk in the spirit and the things of the spirit. Verse
10. And not only this, but when Rebecca
also had conceived by one man, Even our father Isaac, he says
parenthetically here, for the children not yet being born,
nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according
to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls.
It was said to her, the older shall serve the younger. As it
is written, Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated." It's
always good for me when we come across passages like this at
the end of our study time, because it means I don't have to say
too much about it. That wasn't funny either. Okay,
I'm going to have to work on that, my delivery a little bit.
But the whole gist of this passage is just this, that God has a
plan. The purpose of God according
to election will stand, and that the purpose of God The election
of God is found again in no way, shape, or form in me, but it's
found emphatically and in its entirety in Him. You see, some
might argue, well, it's obvious why God chose Isaac over Ishmael
in that Sarah was Abraham's rightful wife. Ishmael wasn't his wife. I mean, she was the handmaiden.
She wasn't his wife. But you can't say that with respect
to Jacob and Esau. So Paul brings in this perspective
just to go ahead and completely eradicate that thought
of, well, obviously Ishmael, Isaac, Sarah, Hagar. I mean,
you got two different things happening there. Sure, he's going
to pick the child of Abraham's rightful wife. But no, Jacob
and Esau were both from the same mom. As a matter of fact, they
were twins born at the same time. And beyond that, Esau was born
before Jacob. He came out first. Remember,
because Jacob coming out of the womb grabbed Esau's heel. That's why they called him Jacob,
heel snatcher, one who trips up and the whole thing. And so
by all cultural standards, the covenant should have gone to
Esau. But God purposed that it should
be Jacob. Why? That God's plan And His
purpose might stand. It had nothing to do with Jacob.
It had nothing to do with Esau as a person. Neither one of them,
having been born, had done anything good or anything evil to try
and slide God's favoritism their way. Nothing like that. God elected
Jacob in His own sovereign will to be the recipient of the covenant.
His chosen nation had nothing to do... It wasn't in Jacob,
the reasons. They were in God. Those were
the reasons why. A lot of people struggle with
verse 13. I can't believe that God hated
Esau. Really, that's not the surprise. The surprise is the
fact that God loved Jacob. Because he was a rascal, man.
We talked about him. A schemer, a lot like the rest
of us, that God miraculously loves. But I do want to make
a couple of things clear before we shut down, and that is this.
Keep the context of what this is speaking of here. You will
not find during Esau's life, as you study the scripture, any
indication whatsoever that God ever hated him as a person. He was an incredibly blessed
man while living on the earth. And this comment that we're reading
here of Jacob I have loved and Esau I have hated, you find that
in the book of Malachi. And it was written nearly, you
know, some close to 2,000 years after Esau lived. And it was
written in the area was stated in the context, uh, in regards
to the nation of Edom who came from Esau, Esau and Edom, uh,
the same, same guy and the way that God had rejected them as
a nation in regards to the covenant and had elected Israel, uh, in
regards to the covenant. You've got to remember, guys,
you've got to keep the totality of the counsel of the Word of
God. The Bible is clear. We mentioned it earlier that
God so loved the world. That is, all of the world, not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
This comment is made within the confines of the covenant nation,
so that God is in essence saying, and it might be easier on your
conscience to render it this way, Jacob, I have accepted in
regards to the covenant, but Esau, I have rejected. in regards
to the covenant. He hasn't esteemed Esau in any
way, but that he did esteem Jacob. He honored Jacob. He blessed
Jacob with the covenant. And so this hating of Esau in
the light of his inheriting of the covenant, not with respect
to the way he'd be blessed in this life, or should he believe
and trust in the one true living God, the next. The doorway to
salvation is open to all who will call upon the name of the
Lord." So this isn't a reference to eternal life and death, but
God's covenant. What's Paul communicating? That
God has a plan. And that plan resides entirely
in him. And his choosing one person as
opposed to the next with regards to that plan rests entirely in
him. His purpose, his plan is going
to be fulfilled. And the way he chooses, you know,
maneuvers in and through one person's life as opposed to...
It's not because I'm so cool or you're, you know, all that
and all that. The purposes aren't found in me, they're found in
Him. They're not found in you, they're
found in Him. The way that He sovereignly moves
and chooses to use or bless your life or whatever. Okay? It's not of works, but of Him
who calls. My encouragement to you is simply
this. If God is calling you to be a part of that plan, by either
A, opening your heart and receiving Jesus Christ as your personal
Lord and Savior, which is where it all begins, or by B, grabbing
hold of the plan that He has, the purpose that He has for you
in an active way, whether it's through repentance or being renewed
in commitment to Him or whatever, but that you respond to His prompting
and His plan and His purpose for your life. We're talking
about Israel and that's good and well, but He has a plan and
a purpose for your life. that I'm encouraging you to tune
into and become a part of and just let the Lord use your life,
His will done His way in your life for His glory. Let's pray. Lord, I pray that that would
be a practical working reality in each heart and each life here
today. And we thank you that your plans and your purposes
will stand, Lord, that they can't be thwarted by the likes of us.
that Lord, that you are the one in control. Lord, we want to
be an active part of your plan, and so whatever that may entail,
to whatever degree you might want to use us, would you help
us, Lord, to be sensitive to the leading of your spirit? God,
help us to have the proper perspective of our worries. May you remind
us of a greater grief that should be concerning us. The need to
reach the lost with the good news of what You've done for
us on the cross in the person of Your Son. Lord, it's so easy
for us to get sidetracked about what she does, or what He said,
or what they think about me, or perhaps what was mentioned
in regards to me. Oh Lord, help us not to be self-centered
in that way. but that we would be centered
on You. And Jesus, we worship You, being over all the eternally
blessed God. And while we're praying, if Christ
is calling you today, then why not respond? Just give your heart
to Him. God has loved you with an everlasting love. And He displayed
that love on the cross of Jesus Christ, who shed His blood, laid
down His life for you. But three days later, Jesus rose
from the dead, and having defeated death, He stands in a position
and He offers you life, forgiveness of sin. All you have to do is
believe Him for it, receive Him for it, open your heart and receive
Christ today. Listen, if that's what you want
to do, can I pray for you? I'm going to ask you right here
and right now while all our heads are bowed, all our eyes are closed,
that if God's dealing with you and you want to respond to Him
by opening your heart to Him, receiving Him, You just raise your hand wherever
you're at. Let me pray for you. I see your hand. I'll acknowledge
you. You can lower it. God bless you. I see you. Anybody else? God's just dealing with you.
You're ready to surrender, to become a part of that plan, that
purpose centered in Him for your life. I don't want you to worry
about who you're sitting around, how old you are, how young you
are. If God's dealing with you, let me pray for you. Anybody
else want to make that commitment today? Alright, Father God, we
just thank You for Your love and Your mercy, Your grace. Lord, I just pray that be there
anyone else here who's just kind of wrestling over that, trying
to weigh out the benefits one way or another,
what they want to do, maybe a misconception of what you'd have them do or
whatever, that, Lord, you'd just continue to deal with them, work
on them. Anyone else, maybe you know you
should have acknowledged that need, but you failed to. That
doesn't mean that you can't receive Christ. I'm going to say a prayer.
You raised your hand. I want you to pray in like manner. You don't have to pray out loud.
You're free to, but just from your heart. God knows the cry
of your heart. And the Bible tells us that we
all sin, we all fall short of God's glory. but that if we'll
just confess it openly, humbly before Him, He'll forgive us
our sin and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. So just from
your own heart, just say, Lord, I'm confessing my sin to You
now. I made plenty of mistakes, but Lord, I'm crying out now
and asking for Your forgiveness. Lord Jesus, I would ask that
you would come into my heart. I open the door of my heart.
Come into my life. Just fill me with your Holy Spirit. May your Spirit rest upon me
and flow through me. God, would you use my life now,
all the days of my life, for you and for your glory. And thanks for putting my name
in your book of life. Lord, we're all thankful of that.
And God, we're thankful that you're sovereign and that even
when we say something like, hey, if this
doesn't happen, then take me out of your book or whatever,
that you, Lord, are greater than all of that and are able to save
to the uttermost even the likes of us, all who call upon your
name. And so, God, we give you glory.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Romans 9:1-13 GOD HAS A PLAN
Series Romans
| Sermon ID | 991716159300 |
| Duration | 49:19 |
| Date | |
| Category | Sunday - AM |
| Bible Text | Romans 9:1-13 |
| Language | English |
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