Accepting Gods Plan
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
This has ben a great journey through the Book of Romans.
It is one you need to study yourself - AMEN
The following chapter flows together with chapters 10 and 11 so , read them together this week.
Romans 9 (NASB95)
1 I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit,
2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,
4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, 5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7 nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “through Isaac your descendants will be named.”
8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. 9 For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.”
10 And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; 11 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls,
12 it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” 14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be!
15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.”
18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. 19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?”
20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? 21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?
22 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?
23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.
25 As He says also in Hosea, “I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’ And her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’ ” 26 “And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘you are not My people,’ There they shall be called sons of the living God.”
27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that will be saved; 28 for the Lord will execute His word on the earth, thoroughly and quickly.”
29 And just as Isaiah foretold, “Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left to us a posterity, We would have become like Sodom, and would have resembled Gomorrah.”
30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law.
32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 just as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”
PAUL’S HEART (VS 1-5)
I call this section Paul’s heart
For the brethren
all theses great gifts are theirs for the asking, if only they would reach out and take it.
Illustration - I heard of a Pastor wanting to give away 100 dollars in a service. He offered it to the congregation, He said come and get it. Nobody moved so he put it back in his pocket and probably took his wife out for lunch. Why wouldn’t they take it?
God only wants the best for you
Illustration - Don’t you always want the best for your children no matter how much of a stinker they have been?
THE FATHERS HEART (vs 6-13)
God made a promise. a promise of great blessings for all the children through the line of Isaac.
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
God uses Abraham in this chapter becasuse he is making a very clear distinction. - It is not through the line of Ishmael - Muslims think the blessings flow through the line of Ishmael and they are wrong . Scripture says
1 Now there was a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines.
2 The Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you.
3 “Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham.
4 “I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;
5 because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws.”
We live in a time of great jealousy. Just like the time when Cain rose up against Abel and killed him
A jealous brother wants to kill the blessed brother.
God himself creates the divine order. He knows his reasons and since he is God it is always his call not ours.
How about vs 13 - Esau I hated - this is explained somewhat in Luke when God says - If you don’t hate your family - lets read it
26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.
It means we have to love Him more, He is our number one priority.
Doesn’t this make sense- It is not out of pride it is out of love. If you love God you will love your family even more. If you love God you allow his blessings to flow to your family.
Everything Good starts with God.
Genesis says he created all these things then called them good.
God has given us a promise and we will see it in a minute.
Esau isn’t hated in the regard as we define the word hate. It is a matter of priorities.
God has a divine order
It is hard for us sometimes because we don’t live under a king.
King Charles the 3rd - took over from Queen Elizabeth solely because he was the first born son. Prince William will follow him, no matter how much Megan Markle might scream about it. Prince George the first born son of Prince William is next. Harry will never see the throne unless his brother and his family are killed or all die before him.
If God wants to change the order He can. He does not need your permission
God’s decisions rest on God’s mercy
Your salvation, His Promises all are anchored on God’s mercy. ELEOO
Mercy in this context is Gods gracious faithfulness to you and the promises made. Your salvation and Gods salvation to his people throughout history.
Not only does he have mercy, but he also sees your heart.
Pharoah in vs 18 had a heart that was hardened. It is the opposite of mercy.
It says God hardened it. The question is did God personally harden it or was it already hardened and God new it was not going to be softened. No where does it say God hardens someones heart which was not hard already. A hard heart is full of trouble.
Be very careful. People fall because of a hard heart. May it not be you.
Forgive quickly and humble yourself under the hand of God.
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,
Paul moves from mercy to divine Choice.
The potter molds the clay, it is not the other way around
The clay is nothing more than a clump of dirt until the potter gets a hold of it.
God by definition can make the choices
If God made you a bowl, don’t whine that your not a cup - it was His decision
People who try to be someone else are nothing more than actors. They are not real and live in a delusion
CHRISTS HEART
Because of Christs death Gentiles are brought into the fellowship
It is now no longer by lineage it is by faith.
It has nothing to do with the church it is by faith in Jesus
With the exception of the Jewish remnant - everything revolves around faith in Jesus
The one who trusts in Jesus will not be put to shame
The law does not get you into heaven, it just makes it clear to you that your a sinner.
Conclusion
Who does God have mercy on?
Are you being a good vessel ( the one you were created to be)