Romans CH 9 Continued

Recap vs 1-5

Okay so two weeks ago we started ch 9

Now we only covered the first 5 verses

and in these 5 verses we see that Paul was talking about the Lost people of Israel

His heart Hurt for the Lost soles for the People that were rejecting christ as the Messiah

they were missing it

Jesus had died for their sin and fulfilled prophecy yet they didn’t believe

Salvation to them was not something that was a gift , it was something that was earned through works and the Law

Pauls burden for the salvation of His brothers of the flesh was heavy

God had developed in Him a heart for the Lost

to the Point of Him making a crazy statement ; he said in vs 3 that he wished he himself was accursed from christ for his brothers

in other words he would give up his salvation; His life if it meant that it would save the lost people of Israel

but remember there was no need for that because again that was the work that had already beed done on the cross by Jesus

so the first 8 chapters really paint the picture that Salvation comes through Faith not of works

but now here in chapter 9 Paul is really talking about some different stuff ;

What about the people of Israel who reject Jesus as the messiah ?

thats what we are going to Get into starting in vs 6 of chapter 9

Romans 9:6 “6 But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel,”

Israel itself means ( Governed by God )

not all the people born in the actual country of Israel are Gods people

not all people who claim to be a Jew are actually Jews

not all people who claim to be christians are christians

Gods word has indeed taken some effect ; not all of the Jews rejected Jesus ; some did accept Him as the messiah

Paul is going to give us examples in the next few verses of this

Romans 9:7 “7 nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.””

Romans 9:8 “8 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.”

Even the seed of Abraham; some are not Children of God because they are not from the actual promised line of Jacob

Romans 9:9 “9 For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.”

this is Isaac ; we will read more in Genesis

Romans 9:10 “10 And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac”

Romans 9:11 “11 (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),”

these two verses show us that through God and his election that his Blessings are for Him to hand out

not for us to work for or earn

they are not a birthright Just because Some one is born Jewish

Just because someone is born into the Line doesn’t mean that are of God

Just because someone is born into a christian bible believing home doesn’t mean that are saved

Romans 9:12 “12 it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.””

Romans 9:13 “13 As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.””

So Paul here gives us some examples of Isaac and Ishmael and then the Example of Isaacs children ; Jacob and Esau

God chose Isaac ; Isaac was this picture of Gods promise

Ishmael was a product of the Flesh

Abrahams attempt to Help God in the Process or to help speed up the process didn’t work and it was from the flesh

Are any of you familiar with these stories in the old testament ?

If not Lets scan through them real quick to have an idea of what Paul is talking about

Genesis 16:2 “2 So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.”

Genesis 16:3 “3 Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan.”

Genesis 16:4 “4 So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes.”

Theses 3 verses here and there is more to it ; i’m just scratching the surface but these 3 verses are where we see the example of the flesh through Abraham

He sleeps with the maidservant to try and speed up the promises of God that he lacked faith in

the promise being the covenant God made with Abraham in Genesis chapter 12 vs 1-3 ; God would give him land ; numerous descendants ; blessings ; and blessings for the Nations

He took the matters into his own hands and has a child with another woman

this was completely outside of Gods promise for Him; Now lets look at Genesis 17

Genesis 17 (NKJV)

1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.

2 And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”

3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying:

4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.

5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.

15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.

16 And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”

17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”

18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!”

19 Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.

21 But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.””

So again Ishmael was not the Promised one ; Isaac was

From Isaac Gods promises would be fulfilled

Now again we see that in vs 13 even more when Paul says Jacob I have Loved but Esau i have hated ;

Jacob and Esau were both Kids from Isaac and Isaac from Abraham ; they were twins

even out of the twins both from the Line which God promised to fulfill His covenant God still chose to Love only one

Thats Jacob ;

Now when you look at the word hated it could mean a few different things ; it can mean He loved him less than Jacob; or accepted vs rejected

either way Gods plan was going to be fulfilled through Jacob not Esau

Esau when you read through Genesis is still a blessed man

Gods choices are somewhat of a mystery and this whole idea that God hated can be a little hard to understand

but at the end of the day He is in control and everything is designed to bring Glory to him

those that accept Jesus and know him and have a relationship with him become grafted into him

So the whole idea from vs 6-13 is what we would call The Sovereignty of God; the Supreme power of God ; God has the right as the creator to rule over his creation how ever he wishes:

we are going to see that here more from vs 14 on

this means that God has the ability to Govern Himself

everything done is for his own pleasure

Romans 9:14 “14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not!”

God can not be unrighteous , it is impossible , He is not un just ;

God doesn’t have to treat all sinners the same if he doesn’t want to

Again God has the right to do what he wishes with his creation

when you create something or make something ; how stupid would it be if you couldn’t do what you wanted with it ?

(expound)

Romans 9:15 “15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.””

Exodus 33:19 “19 Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.””

Again God is Sovereign

He is always fair ; and with Him always being fair he can also chose to bless some more than others

take a look at Matthew 20

Matthew 20:15“15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’”

God chose to bless the men who hand’t worked out in the field for as long as the others with the same pay

some of the others didn’t like that ; fairness is not up to us

Our God is Just and free to make what ever choices he wants

if he didn’t have that ability to freely make decisions as our creator than he wouldn’t be Just

we would’t have the ability to experience His mercy

God’s mercy is not our right as individuals

God ability to show mercy shows us that he can’t be unfair

Romans 9:16 “16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.”

Gods mercy is given to us because that His desire for us

nothing we do or wish to do is reason for God to show us mercy

Salvation does not depend on human effort ; It is based on the Mercy of God because we are sinners undeserving of the love that Jesus displayed on the cross

Romans 9:17 “17 For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.””

Another example of God choosing to do what he wants with his creation

He used pharaoh to proclaim His name and to reveal his power

Pharaohs heart was hardened because ultimately he hardened it himself

Romans 9:18 “18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.”

Pharaohs heart was hardened 10 times by himself and 10 times by God

God was confirming his hardened heart by hardening it more

He gave him over to it

Romans 9:19 “19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?””

this is a question obviously

If Gods sovereign and its his choice to make things the way they are then why or how could God find fault in me or us ?

Paul answers this in the next verse

Romans 9:20 “20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?””

Romans 9:21 “21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?”

Pauls saying how can you question the creator

He has the right again to do what ever he wants with what he Has created

He can make one lump of clay for trash and another lump of clay for honor

don’t question it

either way God being the potter works the clay into what ever shape he wants to fulfill His desire

some for honor , some dishonor ; the ones he uses for dishonor he uses for his Glory

Romans 9:22 “22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,”

Now even with those that Gods wrath falls on he still shows patience

if people want to fall away from God he will make his power known through his wrath

Just like Pharaoh ; again for his Glory

Romans 9:23 “23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,”

Romans 9:24 “24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?”

the objects of Mercy ; God shows and displays his Grace to the Jews and the Gentiles

Romans 9:25 “25 As He says also in Hosea: “I will call them My people, who were not My people, And her beloved, who was not beloved.””

Romans 9:26 “26 “And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ There they shall be called sons of the living God.””

Paul is referring to the gentiles in these two verses

Just as God sovereignly chose Israel , He sovereignly choses us ( those who were not originally called His people )

The Jews and The Gentiles

Romans 9:27 “27 Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, The remnant will be saved.”

A small group of the Jewish people will be saved and they will also become part of the church

Romans 9:28 “28 For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, Because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.”

Romans 9:29 “29 And as Isaiah said before: “Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, We would have become like Sodom, And we would have been made like Gomorrah.””

If God didn’t save this small group of Jews they would have been wiped out but He chose to save them

He saved them not only by themselves but along with the Gentiles ( Us)

Gods sovereignty gave the Jews a chance to be shown mercy and to accept him even though few Did

that remnant responded to Jesus

Romans 9:30 “30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith;”

faith saved the gentiles ; not an inheritance or birthright like we talked about earlier

faith ; belief that Jesus died on the cross and that he was the messiah

the gentile who was unable to earn His way into heaven is granted His gift through His faith

Romans 9:31 “31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.”

Romans 9:32 “32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone.”

Romans 9:33 “33 As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.””

Remember we talked about this before

the law was designed to point out the sin in our life

not to earn our salvation

it showed us that we were sinners

the Jews believed that if they followed the Law closely that they would be in right standing with God

that wasn’t the case

following the Law does not mean that Jesus is in your heart

Galatians 3:24 “24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”

faith Saves ; the belief in Jesus christ saves

Hebrews 9:22 “22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.”

Jesus purified us with his Blood on the cross and the faith place in that is what saves us

1 Corinthians 1:22–23 “22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,”

So in this passage dealing with what we would call Gods sovereignty ; His supreme power and our responsibility

Some of us might ask well if God is sovereign then what about free will or sin ?

If God knows everything and if he is Sovereign and everything is used for his Glory and everything by design is for His purpose then how can we sin?

How is it that we are still held responsible for sin if He designed it that way ?

Well heres my answer , I don’t know and i don’t think anyone knows truly How both of those work

but what i do know and have a better understanding of Is the Nature of God

we cant focus on what we don’t truly know but we can focus on what we do know

God is Just , Loving , graceful, and merciful

Exodus 34:6–7 “6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.””

God is Merciful: he’s forgiving

God is Gracious : he is Kind

God is Long-suffering: he is patient

God Abounds in goodness and truth: he is goodness and he is truth

God keeps mercy for thousands: how ? by forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin

He choses to forgive us

and then He is also Just : He’ s fair

and in the end it is all for His glory

2 Peter 3:9 “9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

Gods heart is that all would come to know Him and that all would be apart of His kingdom

its part of His nature

He gives us a choice just Like Adam and eve and even the Jews to believe in Him

We know that He sent His only son Jesus to die for our sins

John 3:16 “16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

There are always going to be questions some like this that come from this passage

but again what saves us ? the belief and the faith that Jesus died for us

faith is what saves not works not serving , not anything else but faith

God is Sovereign and we still have responsibility as believers

both are true and at the end of the day we always have to answer these tuff questions with Gods nature and his character

Lets Pray