God's Divine Plan, Part 1
Notes
Transcript
Today we will be delving into Romans 9-11. Granted, we will not be able to cover all of these chapters in our brief time this morning. We will be focusing on chapter 9. However, I encourage you to take time to read these chapters as a single unit this week. They really are a complete thought, and we need to keep the big picture in mind while we study the individual parts.
Please open your bibles to Romans 9.
Karen at the grocery store demands good samaritan pay for her groceries, too
What does that have to do with a sermon on God’s Divine plan? We will come back to that.
Glory to God!
Glory to God!
Romans 9-11 are some of the most difficult chapters of the scriptures to work through. They are fantastic, in that they reveal the greatness of God’s Divine Plan to bring about salvation for us, how He has worked in the past, and how he will continue to work in the future! It is truly beautiful, and a design that when we see it should lead us like Paul to rejoice in Him!
At the end of this portion of this letter to the Romans Paul literally bursts out in praise,
For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?”
“Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?”
For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Beware of Manmade Systems
Beware of Manmade Systems
This realization of the greatness, the unfathomableness of our God is something that we too often miss. We study God’s Word and come up with our systems to understand what He has revealed, and often we think we have it all figured out. Or, we come up with a system that makes us feel like we have it figured out. It makes sense to me, so this is how it is.
Let us not go there. We need to know the truths God reveals, and receive them joyfully. But let us never think that we are on the same level as God and that we understand all things fully.
As we go through this section, there may be things that are hard to accept, but let us accept them, knowing that God has all of this worked out in His greater knowledge and understanding, and we can rejoice in how wonderful He and His plan are.
Let us delve into this chapter with that mind.
I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit—
I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race,
the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises.
Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
Great Sorrow?
Great Sorrow?
how does Paul have great sorrow? Why does he have great sorrow?
Especially after seeing where we just came from:
Romans 8:28–39 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it …”
As Paul speaks and rejoiced in God’s faithfulness, in his own heart, there is also sadness. This sadness is because of the lostness of his own people, the Jews.
And while considering the Jews, we have to wonder, “Wait a minute, God chose them… If He is faithful, and nothing can separate us from his love, what about them? What happened? Is God not faithful? Is there something that can separate us from God’s love?”
paul wants to address that head on, and tackles that in the next 3 chapters of Romans. Let it be known, God is Faithful! We can rejoice that nothing will separate us from His love.
But what about the Jews who had everything going for them?
Aside: “… the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.”
Aside: “… the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.”
Some argue that we need to change this to be “...the Messiah. God who is over all be forever praised.”
Why? Because Paul never really calls Jesus “God” directly, even though grammatically speaking, he is quite clear here, and in another verse...
while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
Which, though the grammar clearly indicates Jesus is both God and Savior, some argue against this verse because… Paul never really calls Jesus “God” directly.
Again, human philosophy is the reason accepted over what God plainly reveals.
We must remember that this is not Paul’s scripture, it is God’s revealed scripture given through Paul.
Now, back to the point at hand… what about Israel? Does that show God is not faithful.
It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.
Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”
In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.
For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”
God is Faithful to the Ones of Promise
God is Faithful to the Ones of Promise
Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac.
Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand:
not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”
Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
God is Faithful to the Ones of His choosing
God is Faithful to the Ones of His choosing
Remember Esau and Jacob?
Why did God choose Jacob over Esau? Remember it was before they were born.
It was not because of who they were, or who they would become.
Jacob was no saint, until God brought him to the end of himself. He was a liar. Deceiver. Manipulator.
God never chooses based upon who we are or who we will be, or what we might do.
We are all together unrighteous, god-hating, self-focused, self-righteous sinners before God brings us to the end of ourselves and saves us. And that is always an act of Mercy!!! Not deserved in any way!
Does God Hate?
Does God Hate?
The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong;
The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion.
And yet… God loves
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.
What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all!
For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
Election - God is Just and God is Merciful
Election - God is Just and God is Merciful
God is Just
God is Just
God is Merciful
God is Merciful
It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.
For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
The Case of Pharoah
The Case of Pharoah
It is about God’s glory!! Not that God is an egomaniac, but He is truly worthy, and the One who should be glorified.
Pharoah was the great example of all of us, as described in Romans 1, we do not glorify God or give him thanks, but rather worship created things.
So, God used Him to show that He alone is God! He used the plagues to one by one, show that the things Pharoah worshipped were not worthy, and that God is Sovereign.
And through Pharoah, all of the world around came to know who God is!
1 Samuel, the Philistines still referred back to this hundreds of years later!
But what is this hardening?
Briefly look back at Exodus with me to see what this hardening is...
The Lord said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.
But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt,
he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites.
But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.
and the Lord did what Moses asked. The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not a fly remained.
But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go.
The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians.
But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said to Moses.
How did God harden Pharoah’s heart? By showing his power, authority and mercy!!
It was when God removed the plagues that Pharoah hardened his heart. So God showed more of His power which hardened Pharoah even more.
Remember Romans 2.4
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
That same kindness of removing the plagues hardened Pharoah.
Sun - melts frozen ground… and hardens clay...
God’s kindness in some melts the heart of stone and draws us to Him, in others, His kindness and power harden them.
let us always remember that God is always, only Good, Righteous.
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
That word of truth that drew us to salvation, hardens others who refuse to hear it and receive it!
Please do not refuse the word!!
One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?”
But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ ”
Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?
What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction?
What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—
even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?
As he says in Hosea: “I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people; and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”
and, “In the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ ”
Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved.
For the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality.”
It is just as Isaiah said previously: “Unless the Lord Almighty had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.”
Arguments against Election
Arguments against Election
It is not Fair
It is not Fair
Remember Karen...
unfair
God shows justice
All condemned...
God shows mercy to whom He chooses
who is elect....
Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,
so that no one may boast before him.
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
Matthew 20:1-16, the workers in the vineyard
What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;
but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal.
Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.
As it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”
Fatalism
Fatalism
While it is 100% true that God elects, he chooses people to be saved completely based upon his mercy,
It is also 100% true that we are responsible to respond in faith.
It is those who believe who are saved. This is not fatalism.
And as we move into chapters 10 and 11 we will see repeatedly that all who believe will be saved. God has completely condemned all so that He might show mercy on all. And He does show mercy, showing the way of salvation to mankind… the problem is the lack of faith...
People stumble over the stumbling stone… why? Looking at the wrong things...