Romans 9:1-33
Getting on the Same Page as God about God’s Sovereign Choices
Introduction
A. Music expresses emotions and feelings.
B. Movies will use music to explain what is going on, you know Jaws is about to attack when you here the music
C. Now last week we learned that we do not have to fear, because God is for us
D. If you were to play music for that portion we study last week it would sound something like this
E. (Have Heather Play Happy Music)
F. Now we have to deal with this week. If we were to play music for this portion it would sound something like this
G. (Have Heather play doom and gloom music)
H. I will admit, I have been scared to deal with this passage; I knew it was coming up.
I. Today we are going to look at God’s Sovereign Choice
J. This might make some people upset, hey don’t blame me it is in the Scripture
K. This passage deals with 4 Attributes of God
a. God’s Faithfulness
b. God’s Mercy
c. God’s Righteousness
d. God’s Grace
I.
God’s Faithfulness (9:1-13)
A. Explanation
1. So here we are dealing with a subject I am sure that Paul did not necessarily himself want to deal with it but He knew that he had too.
2. Paul was a Jew, and he loved the Jews, take a look what he says in verse 3. He wishes he could sacrifice his own life for the sake of the Jewish nation
3. The Jews were tight with God, they were God’s chosen people
4. Look at everything that they were given and all the promises that were made to them
5. Paul has been creating a lot of uproar among the Jewish community. Preaching to the Gentiles, telling them that God would save them
a) Understand that the Jews thought they were the only ones who would be there, and they had a hatred for the Gentiles like nothing we know today
(1) I guess a way to compare the level of hatred would be that of the Germans against the Jews back during the Holocaust
6. So here Paul is teaching something that goes against everything the Jew’s would believe
7. The logical conclusion in the Jewish mind then would be to call God unfaithful, if he is not going to restore the Jewish community He is not keeping His word right?
8. Paul then goes to great length to explain that God is faithful
9. In Jewish culture the first born always had more rights then the second. Paul traces us back to Abraham and Isaac and shows us that God choose the second born in both cases, not because of what they had done, not because of any Human involvement but because he did
10. In verse 8 Paul makes a very bold and important declaration. (Read 8)
11. I have to mention verse 13. This verse has created a lot of controversy over the years let me try and explain
a) This verse is referring to the nation of Israel and Edom not the individuals
b) God does not hate sinners, read John 3:16, it makes it clear his loves sinners
c) Since national election does not have to do with human effort 2 things are true
(1) First, Israel disobedience cannot nullify the elective purpose of God, that is to say God is faithful even though His people are not
(2) 2nd There is hope for people of Edom. Just as Israel’s disobedience does not separate them from the love of God, either does Edom obedience or disobedienc
B. Application
1. What can we learn from all of this?
2. First of all natural decent, doesn’t mean a thing.
a) God does not care if you are a Jew, Gentile, German, Polish, or Yugoslavian. God cares if you follow him
b) God does not care if your father is Billy Graham, John Calvin, or Vern Borchert
c) To quote Tom Ferguson “God does not have Grand Children”
3. Second it is not based on human effort
a) God would choose Jacob before Jacob and Esau were born.
b) Obviously they had not done anything good or bad at that point
4. Finally we learn that God is faithful
5. God promised to bless the nation of Israel if they followed him, did they? No
a) God promises us that he will save us if we call on Him.
b) Because of God’s faithfulness we are guaranteed of that
c) Does that mean we will be saved if we do not call on Him? NO
d) God is always faithful
C. Illustration
II. God’s Mercy (14-18)
A. Explanation
1. We need to keep two things in mind here
a) First God is Holy – Because of the Holiness of God their can not be sin, sin and holiness do not mix
b) 2nd God is Love – God does not want us to die, God loves us and desires to save us sinners
2. Both of these are Attributes of God.
3. God in Unchangeable, so these two Attributes seem to be in conflict with each other
4. If Everybody is saved, it would deny God’s holiness
5. If Everybody is lost, it w0ouold deny God’s Love
6. So the solution to the problem is God’s Sovereign election
7. God chooses to show Mercy on whom He wants
8. Now understand something here, in verse 17 it mentions Pharaoh
9. Every time before a Plague would come Mosses talked to Pharaoh and gave him a chance to repent, he did not.
10. So God hardened his heart, if Pharaoh would have repented would God have spared him? I do not know.
B. Application
1. Ok, let’s look at what we can learn from all of this.
2. First of all if you cannot figure out this whole election thing, do not worry you are not alone.
a) Someone once said, “Try to explain election, and you may lose your mind, but explain it away and you will lose your soul!”
3. Here is what is important for your to know
4. God is Mercy
5. Mercy is God not giving us what we deserve
6. We sin, we deserve death. God, out of Mercy, sent His Son, to take our place for the punishment that we deserve, because God is Holy.
7. What did you do to deserve God’s Mercy?
8. Nothing!
9. Everyday we should be thanking God for God’s Mercy!
10. God choose to give us Mercy.
11. None of this is about us, this is all about God.
12. We can be the most ungrateful people. We say stuff like God has never helped me when I needed him.
13. He offers Salvation, that is way more help then we deserve
C. Illustration
1. I am a sinner. Because I am sinner, I deserve death. If I were sitting in a courtroom I would receive the death sentence. But God did something I do not deserve, He offered His Son for payment of my sins.
2. Why me? Why did God choose me? I am nothing special. Why? I don’t know, I do not deserve it.
3. All I can do is say “Thank You Lord” the rest of my life
III. God’s Justice (19-29)
A. Explanation
1. Here Paul goes again with his favorite technique of answering the question before the question is asked.
2. In this case the question is of God’s Justice.
3. Paul Gives us three answers to the question of God’s Justice
a) 1. Who are we to argue with God? 19-21
(1) This is a logical argument. If God makes us, If God is what we say he is, wise, don’t you think he has a reason he made us the way we are
(2) Guess what you are no accident
b) 2. God has His Purposes. 22-24
(1) Never think that god enjoys watching people suffer. He endures it
(2) Ex. 3:7. He was moved by the pain Israel was suffering
(3) But God has purpose in all he does, and as we learned about a month ago, God works for the good of those who love who have been called according to His purpose
(4) We are too limited to understand what his purpose is a lot of times, but with God everything has purpose
c) 3. All of this was prophesized
(1) Paul third response to the question is amazing
(2) Paul uses the one thing witch there is not argument against, Scripture
(3) All of this that the Jewish community was so upset about was prophesized, and all Paul does is point it out and give the all famous “don’t blame me this is what Scripture says”
B. Application
1. Is God Just?
2. Yes! Has God ever broken His promise? NO!
3. What we have to understand is that we did not create ourselves, we are not some random act of evolution
4. We were designed by God,
5. God has every right to make us the way He made us
6. See God knows everything, and God has a purpose behind everything he does
7. God is Just in all He does
C. Illustration
1. I told you about the one time when I went to court over a speeding ticket and the judge asked me if I was speeding, and I said yes. Because I was speeding, they had every right to give me a ticket. I went their to throw myself on the Mercy of the court and not have to pay the ticket
2. It did not happen. I had to pay it. Was that Justice? Yes
3. Did I like it? NO, It cost me $142.00.
4. God might do something that we do not like.
5. Just because we do not like them does that mean they are not just?
6. No. God is just is all He does
IV. God’s Grace (30-33)
A. Explanation
1. Paul now explains to the Jewish community how this low life gentile people can receive the righteousness that the Jews thought was their birth right
2. If you have ever tried to do only good things for one week, you would have quickly realized that if you are honest with yourself you will have a bad though, a bad word or something that will prevent your from doing so
3. Therefore, you are unrighteous
4. The Jews tried and tried and tried but always failed
5. Here are the Gentiles not even trying because they figured there was no hope and along come Christ and there is hope
6. The Gentiles turn to Christ and receive Justification –Being declared righteous in God’s sight
7. In verse 33 Paul quotes two differing Passages from Isaiah 8:14 and 28:16
8. I admit I had to read these a couple of times to fully understand it, but I get it now
9. The Stone = Jesus. Jesus by being perfect, will cause people to stumble will cause people to realize that they have problems
10. The Stone = Jesus. The ones who trust in Jesus will never be put to shame. Another way of stating it is that those who trust in Jesus will get to enjoy Eternity with Jesus!
B. Application
1. What can we learn from the Jews and Gentiles?
2. It is not about what we do.
3. It is about the Grace of God
4. Grace is God giving us what we do not deserve
5. Who deserves Salvation more the Jews or the Gentiles?
6. Neither they are both guilty of breaking the law and they deserve the punishment of their sins witch is eternal separation from God
7. Here is were God’s grace comes in
8. Once we trust in the Stone, God gives us grace
9. The grace that he gives us is The opposite of eternal separation from God
10. It is Eternal company with God
C. Illustration
1. Let put this is human terms. You have a kid. Your kid is about to turn 16. He is very interested in cars. He takes your brand new Hummer2 out of a joy ride. Long story short, he runs into 10 cars and totals them, 4 houses and does considerable damage to them and totals your hummer.
2. Justice makes him guilty
3. But you decide to act Merciful, you let him live
4. Now Grace, guess what you do, you buy him his very own Hummer!
5. We are talking about Cars and Money.
6. The grace of God offering us Eternal life with Him, is far more amazing the our silly little example
Conclusion
A. So does this clear everything up about God’s Sovereign choices verses Mans free will and responsibly?
B. No!
C. Both are at work, both are true
D. However the main point of this chapter is clear
E. Israel’s rejection of Christ does not deny the faithfulness.
F. God is faithful, merciful, just, and gracious
G. If you are here today and you have not accepted what Christ has done for you, by offering you forgiveness of your sins, and you would like to know how to do that come see me.
H. Maybe you are here today and your like me
I. You realize how awesome God is
J. You realize that God has is faithful—never broke his promise
K. You realize that God is Just – He has every reason to punish your
L. You realize that God is Mercy – He chose not to let you experience what you deserve
M. You realize that God is gracious – He is given you what you do not deserves
N. If that is you they are a couple ways to respond
O. If you realize that you have been too self centered to appreciate what God does for you, tell God your sorry
P. Maybe you just need to stop and express thanks to God. I tried this when I was working on this sermon and this is what I got “Wow, Thank you Lord.”
Q. Words could not express the gratitude that I was feeling.
R. Let me encourage you to try and express your gratitude to God for what He has done for You
S. The question is then are you on the same Page as God about His Sovereign Choice?
