4 Prophets, 1 Privilege (Part 1)

Good morning. Romans chapter 9.

We'll pick up where we left off. Last week about the universe that team. So that's Romans chapter 9.

S13.

The Bible says, as it is written, Jacob. Have I loved Esau, have I hated What shall we say that? Is that unrighteousness? Because cost of it but he said to Moses, I will have mercy on whom. I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion So then it is not of him that will it snow with him, run it, but of God that show with Mercy. For the scripture says Center Farrow even for this same purpose. Have I raised the that I might show my power in the 50s. That's all hockey, Mercy on whom he will have mercy.

Tops Buffet then on to me. Why does he yet find fault? But who has resisted his will?

Shall the thing form, say to him that formed it, why has Thou made me this? I have no power over the clay of the same length to make one vessel into honor and another one to dishonor. What if God willing to show his wrath and to make his power, know, injuring with much long-suffering the vessels of Wrath make it to destruction. And he might know the riches of his glory on the vessels of Mercy, which he had a foolproof head into Glory. Even us who may have called the Jews only but also of the Gentiles. May the Lord our blessing.

Thank you for that reading. It says It was an amazing. Privilege to be chosen by God to be the ones to spread the word throughout the whole world. There was some notable Gentiles who did trust in Jehovah. God is our say but it was Rahab and there's Ruth and God got infused them into the Messianic line, pretty amazing. We have a sovereign God who controls everything and maybe feel like the events of 2024 have been out of control. I understand that happened Wars rumors of wars. Not to not to lessen. The impact of these events Upon Our Hearts, not to lessen. The impact of the worries that I see floating around social media. What if, what if this happened, are we prepared The ancient Israelis had those same fears as well. In fact at times they were on the brink of annihilation. I don't think that I've ever had the fear of being on the brink of annihilation. They did, it was privileged to be the first to be connected to God, to know God, why why did they need a reminder? Why did ancient Jews need a reminder of that connection to God, will time wore on? And they were out. There's just four hundred years span between the last prophet Malachi, who's the first one that called quotes in this passage 400 years between Malachi and Matthew? What does a 400? Your silence mean? It meant that there was no open revelation. God was not actively speaking to his people. Can you imagine what that was like? You know, there was another 400 year. In Israel's history, where it seemed like God had abandoned them as well. And that's what the second profit is going to address as well. Find an incredible connection between all four of these prophets. That we're going to cover between this weekend and next week, that's and they're all intertwined somehow in the first two that appeals to is Malachi and Moses. Next week, we look at Hosea and I desire, I love it. When I am when I don't have to go hunting for the cross-references there, their they're both them and I do have some other cross-references but and Malachi. What was what was his life all about, what was his message, all about. It's very short book of the Bible, just a handful of chapters. But his main message is returned to God is real. Give to him, was due to him, that is Malachi's. Message in a nutshell return, the God give to him, what do to him will? Then I thought about summarizing the first five books of the Old Testament or pentateuch Genesis Deuteronomy in one word at just one word synopses. I thought well, even five words is a little too long and too to kind of get our heads around because it is really five different concepts. Where do they all tie together for the pentateuch ties? Together is to introduce this connection and responsibility to God mainly in the word salvation. God, introduces salvation to humanity and that is Humanity's connection to God and there's a responsibility. So, and all these prophets testimony, we find, we can always depend on God, for being merciful to the repentance and execute Justice on the ungodly that second half is not. It's not really a message that we like to put out there because it is such a hard message to receive. But once it's not a message I like, as in, to destruction, destruction of Sinners. And by the way, it's not a message that God takes pleasure in either. The scriptures are very clear that God does not take pleasure in the destruction of the wicked but because of his holy character, it is part of the message. So it is a message of Destruction over. Once in, there is justice, that will be executed if in your heart, you yearn for justice. That is because you have part of the image of God in you and God is a God of Justice and therefore you are a person who has just as hardwired into you. You see it from the smallest child who had something taken off then. Hey, that's mine. And if it doesn't get returned, well, then violence might ensue between three-year-olds. You've seen it before, at work, at least you've heard of it. There's a sense of justice. Like, I'm going to sort you out, right? And a happens at a very early age. Also happens on the highways as well. We'll just admit that whole part of the conversation, but there's a sense of justice that bounces around within our minds. Why is it there? And why is it so perverted? Why is there is a sense of I'll sort him out without thinking? Actually, God can sort him out a whole lot better than I can. Well, it's because there's a God, Like part of you that knows that all Injustice needs to be sorted, Paul appeals to Malachi a prophet that the Jews would be well acquainted. With any says in verse number 13 is first last week, but I felt it was best to have a running start, especially to capture that first prophet in this list of for-profits. So, Malachi says, Jacob, I loved Esau, I hated To what God is saying. I've rejected this nation the cross reference is Malachi chapter 1 verses 2 through 3. If you would take a moment and turn there, Malachi chapter 1.

And versus 223.

The scriptures are obviously pointed to Israel. I have loved you since the Lord. Yet you say, where in have you? Love is for how have you loved us? What is not Esau Jacob's? Brother says the Lord yet. I love Jacob. And I hated Esau and I laid his mountains and its Heritage waste for the dragons of the Wilderness. Another way to wild beasts of the Wilderness. So there it is between 2 and 3. I've Loved Jacob, then you going to verse 3 and I hate the least off. So there you have it. That's there's a quotation of Paul from the Old Testament, but why I want to look a bit deeper into this, into the prophet Ezekiel. And he says, in chapter 25 verses the Lord because he demanded revenge against the house of Judah, and as grievously offended and taking Vengeance on them. There for that, says the Lord, I will stretch out my hand against eating, that's easiest to send it and cut it off from men and beasts. And I will make it desolate from team and even into deed in they shall fall By The Sword. And I will lay my vengeance upon them by the hand of my people is real. And they shall do and eat them according to my anger, and according to my wrath and they shall know my Vengeance declares the Lord. What in the world happened? That eat them or the descendants of Esau would have this kind of Rapport out against them? When Captain Joshua was leading Israel to the promised land. They tried to get permission from one of the neighbors came in the king of Edom to pass through their land, just to ask for a temporary public right-of-way, to get to the promised land. And this is what he said. No, you're not going to pass through my land and the fact I'm so insecure whatever his issue was maybe was insecure because several million people were coming his way. He was so insecure. They said in fact, I'm going to take my Army out and I'm going to try to slaughter you Just for being on the door, just for asking permission to pass through and eat them comes out after Israel. He think what kind of issues has he got. He's got big issues and because it came out after Israel. God says look. All right, I'm going to sort them on the shore thing now, and in the future, I will fast forward to King. Saul ones is real now has a series of Kings starting with the first one. King Saul God says that he use King Saul to nearly wiped out the edomites, who's the next k? David, the scripture say that David nearly wiped them out and they were completely subdued under a King David. But as time wears on Israel turned his back on God. And then God says, right. I'm going to strengthen, eat them to judge Israel. Otherwise I'm going to give them I'm going to force their hand to do, what's on their heart. We're going to look at that bit further in Faro, but it's already on their heart to destroy Israel. So God says, right, I'm going to force your hand to do it in order to judge My People Israel. Do they were judged for what was already on their hearts, but they weren't they they don't think that they were sort of lead, like a robot To Go destroy Israel, they were not already on their heart and got simply forced them to do what was already on their heart. They prevent they were revenged. It says that they act eventually against the house of Judah. There was this massive grudge against Israel. Now, presumably the king of Eden had heard about Israel coming now. Where did spread their Messengers there a better wins? They were shepherds out there in the desert would have spread that this mass of 56 million people were coming. So presumably he knew about it then when they arrived on his doorstep, you know what happened after that. But it also says that they have grievously offended and taking Vengeance on them. That were those words, grievously offended in context mean to punish. Without any reason that is, that's really what Injustice is to punish someone that have no reason to punish them. Now, verse number 14, you might, you might stay with with Israel. Is God being unfair. What shall I say? That is a run righteousness with God. God forbid. Absolutely not. It start being unfair, that's one of the earliest phrases that children learn isn't it? That's not fair sense of justice within you. That's not fair. But there's a famous pastor of the last century. His name is Jay Vernon McGee. You might have heard of him before and it is is worse. We gathered into it a common tree. Anyone said this? It's hardly an answer to. This is there unrighteousness with God. We cannot intrude into the mysterious dealings of God, but we can trust him to act Injustice. We can trust him to act in Justice for the two ways that Humanity looks at unrighteous people. Humanity. Judges people being righteous old? Yes, every day. That's why we had that phrase. Don't Judge Me Humanity. Looks at some people, in society is unrighteous are the two ways that humans have naturally looks at the unrighteous. The first of all is, and I feel bad. Don't judge him at the Barlow. There's worst people. Is that not how our society deal and righteous people? That's one way. Another way is this for the really, really bad people fines jail time, that'll fix them. That's it. I see some shaking head I'd say rarely does it ever know alright this is going out on recording fine whatever I got caught years ago, going through a speed camera. I thought it was a 40 but it was a 30. So yep. I got done doing 38 and what I thought was a 40 but it was a 30, so it's over and start. Yeah, I owned it. So I went to the speedway on this course. I learn all the things that there was to learn about it was actually quite a useful course. And you know what, just going to that course and the fact that the insurance company didn't find out because you went to the course, you know how it works. That fix me, I've seen my Speedo speed limit before. And took my foot off the gas and brought it right back down. Fortunately, it wasn't going through a speed camera at the time that we've all been there. It's an easy thing to do. But you're going through that speed awareness class that fixed, maybe that was all the therapy. All the recovery I ever needed to be speeding and tend to be a bit more careful to do. The speed limit signs before a vast majority of of things in society, just take for instance, the prison population. Now, simply going through a speed camera at just a bit over the speed limit. They're not going to throw you into the slammer as a result, but these Solutions are often temporary and failed because they don't focus on the real issue. The heart.

There's two ways to do that. God looks at the unrighteous that's very different to how the world looks at the unrighteous. The first way is God, looks at unrighteous people first and foremost, as ones he can break, and remake break, and remake, what God wants to do with our broken lives in God. Yes, he wants to break us. Bring us to the end of the tether, in order to make something to save us. To redeem, has to take the ashes and make something beautiful out of it, to take what you thought was irredeemable and redeem you and make you beautiful to him. Is the first way, God wants to view you, but if we and our unrepentant, shake the proverbial fist at God. Then he looks at us a different way. It looks at us as one whom he breaks, not to remake, but to destroy in order to show his glory to the righteous. If the unrighteous always went unpunished, if Injustice, always went without any kind of penalty, Would we not be angry with in our hearts that sense of justice from God? We would have an uprising. That's why we have civil wars in the world, because of uprisings, because of the lack of Justice in society. So you can look at the unrighteous the way man does or the way that God does and then Paul appeals to Moses. He says I will have mercy on whom I'll have mercy of compassion on whom I have compassion verse 15. Tall always Mercy. Always depends on one turning to God. Repentance from their sin. Those is fairs and continues to spare this day and those who stay in their sin and hold fast to their worship of lust, the worship of the status of wealth and Society, whatever it might be God, resists there's people. I know don't go unpunished because he's a good and holy and perfect God. So you can always depend on God, be merciful with the repented execute Justice for those who try to establish their own standard of righteousness. Looks like a parallel justice system, Justice systems in this country, praise the Lord get prosecuted because there's only one justice system. We do not bring about God's Mercy by our acts of love and kindness know cuz wants us to do that, but we don't bring it. Bring God's mercy of help because of it. It's been extended to us already if in Repentance will accept it and it becomes ours is our present possession. Verse 16 says it is not of him that Willis but of God who shows mercy so I can't will God's mercy into existence in my life. It's been extended to me and I take it like a gift. We're about to enter into the greatest gift giving part of the Season, aren't we? And to try to earn the gift is completely to go against the definition of a gift. So we don't learn God's mercy, turning away from sin and turning to Christ. Is not me twisting my arm is not, you got twisting his arm to withhold. Justice is an act of surrender to which God always responds in Mercy. And Paul continues to appeal to Moses, verses 17 and 18 and uses. The example of pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

Look at verses 17 and 18. For the scripture says unto pharaoh. even for the same purpose, I raised you up that I might show my power in you and that my name might be declared throughout all the Earth there for God has Mercy on whom, he will have mercy. And who me will he hardens? Now, I explain this a little bit earlier in the sense of the edomites, but let me let me start out with this statement that you really need to take home in your heart and in your minds. There will never be a person in Hell who do not choose to be there. There will never be a person in Hell. Who did not choose to be there. There's no one righteousness with God. Pharaoh here, think about what his Heritage was. There's just four hundred years. Remember, we talked about the 400 years of Silence between Malachi and Matthew, there's another four hundred years, 400 years between Joseph and the time is real goes out of of Egypt and their Exodus, what happened? And there's four hundred years. It was hard is incredibly impressive Israel. In fact, both. Of 400 years were incredibly impressive Israel. So you put combine those together. You got eight hundred years of Israel. Being pressed and threatened with Annihilation and yet their redeemer is mighty. And then in Egypt, Pharaoh is using Israel to build all the Jews to build his great and maybe they built the pyramids, I don't know. But to build his kingdom and to make more bricks, Any oppressed and more and more. I took the materials away and then he said, go scavenge from them after they asked to be free from the slavery. So favorite shows the same Hardness of Heart that his predecessors. Did he wasn't 400 years old? His predecessors also chose to oppress Israel and he simply took up the acts of his previous previous Esther's and he went forward to continued with his free work for Force his slaves. The Jews Severa chooses the same Hardness of Heart that is pretty assessors. Did to oppress Israel, and ultimately state is behind this, to enslave them at Satan's will. The hardened, the hearts of the people against Israel, as an act of defiance Against The God, Who Kicked Satan out for his unruly behavior in heaven, that is Satan's will. And he, he guides the sovereigns of the Earth away from God and to his own purpose. Chose Steely bondage for God's people, until God forced him to make the decision that was already on his heart. Don't think that there's any unrighteousness with God because God Force someone into a decision, the decision was already there, he was just looking for an opportunity to do it and it did it. The further detain is real from leaving and and from his point of view, it was a significant loss and Workforce free labor. Will God punish David for nine times? God, punishes pharaoh. And then you know what happened on the 10th time 9 opportunities to the one true God and 9 * faris's no no no I will not I will defy your God. He means nothing to me. I am a God in Egypt. That was Pharaoh's mindset. In fact they were his very words were worshipped as the God as the deity's in Egypt and then the 10th play God says right I meant business to previous nine times. I really mean business. Now and the firstborn were killed and five. Finally, Pharaoh is so broken and so angry is fine. Go. Get out of here and eventually favor loses his life. Through his own Pride, chasing Israel into the Red Sea and got collapsed, is the Red Sea on his army on Farrow. Would we find fault? Verse 19 for God's hardening Pharaoh. God's purpose was to free Israel. There's 19 says, what I say then why does he yet find fault for who has resisted his? Will they ever had? Plenty of opportunities to resist? God's Will, and did We would like to verse 20 and 21. Some would say to God, how dare you to, which God replies, the Earth is my footstool, it's my sovereign territory. The rest of the universe is mine, too, and I am free to bring about perfect Justice that looks different to yours. Oh man, some would even say to humanity, go find another Universe to rule, if you don't like, how God does it, Are we witnessing perfect Justice in our society on earth? Have you ever in your lifetime? No, we've not yet. Sometimes we act in a way that presupposes, we know, better than God in our sin, sick sense of justice or send corrupted sense. Of justice is not about some Steely Joy. This resolved though to follow Jesus because he's bigger than us. Okay, he's going to beat me down. If I don't know if I don't follow him, that's not it at all. He's our creator and it does for us, what is good for his glory and is good for us from the 828? Even if we can't see the good results straight away, we love him because he first loved us and God is free to act within the mystery and Majesty of his sovereignty. And according to these verses and protect your 22 to 24 of Romans 9, Paul shows that God deals with patience and mercy. Even with the vessels of Wrath people who with a free will show it to him throwing themselves on their heart to say in the heart. Mainly basically went straight instead in heaven, before it gets kicked out. He says, I will be like the most high. I will be that One Sovereign and guts is no. Gets kicked out of heaven to the Earth. God's forgiveness is real to those who who kick themselves off the front of their heart and then thrown King Jesus. His forgiveness is real. So is his rules on unrepentant. Approximately a G37. Israel did not accept God's outstretched love and offer. Forgiveness, what happens in approximately 8037? Jesus died and rose. Again, a few short years later after Jesus has risen from the dead spent 40 days on the earth and ascended to Heaven 8070 Some of you historians. Know what happened? The Roman Empire crushed Israel. Destroyed their Temple. And it's remarkable that God with this perfect hatred of sin and with this perfect judging of it, still deals in constant, Marcy it to those people, all over the demonstration of his perfect memory is perfect. Mercy in perfect Justice. And for the Redemption of Us Fallin beings, God still has a plan and purpose for Israel. Was ancient or Monday is real. Loving God. And following him with all their heart, maybe for a short while agent is real, but modern-day Israel certainly not. It's remarkable. What God has done. He judged my sin and your sin on Jesus, his shoulders, and he let me go free you, let you go free, it's only ever. If the messages again, it's the only ever case of unfair Justice. Let that sink in. the death of Jesus on the cross is the only ever case of unfair Justice because Jesus Took the Justice For Me, The Condemned one, and let me go free and he stood condemned for me and for you Jesus himself got choked up and emotional over Israel's Rebellion against God, don't think for a moment that God's heart is not in this because emotions are not in this and Luke 23:24 Jesus weeps over Jerusalem and he says, oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who have stolen and killed the prophets, who I sent before you namely some of the ones who were who were sent to them Jeremiah and so on, I would have loved to gather you as a hen gathers, her chickens in but you would not I just seen this not with outstretched fist against his people, he sang it with tears, genuine tears, in his eyes, And then on the cross he further says father forgive them for they know not what they do. The heart of God is even for unrepentant people with the hope that they will repent. So please remember this God's first. Regarding sin is is absolute perfection but is very next thought about extending his offer of Salvation and weighs you and I never would have thought of God brings us into this world with a conscience that is God's mercy to connect us, to his Spirit, working in the world, that is his Mercy. Let's not forget that despite kind of heavy passage of scripture that God is love and salvation of God and the mercy of God has woven throughout all of this. And hardens, those who've already hardened their heart and they freeze those who come to him in perfect surrender. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we come before you. Thank you so much for your plan for Humanity that you sent so many years ago. And a tiny feeding trough in order to save Sinners, such as me in order to save. Sinners such as those who are under the sound of my voice. Lord, thank you so much for It for switching, our hearts on, for connecting, our hearts to the heart of God in Repentance and surrender to you. Lord, I pray that it was someone who's listening. Who's never found the knee and said, God, I turn away from my sin and I asked you to save me from my sin. I trust that Jesus was that right to substitute for me, despite my sin against God or the lies I've ever done, all the lust of ever conducted all, all the pride I've ever had. Lord, I surrendered it to you. Would you save me? Lord, I pray that if there's someone here or someone listening who's, who never prayed that and wants to pray, or just did, pray that I pray, Lord that you would deal with their heart as needed and Lord for the rest of us who've already prayed. To receive your gift of eternal life. I pray that you would help us do not read a chapter like this and decide that you're just too hard and Steely God, but that, but that you do give people a chance but there's a Day of Reckoning coming and I pray that you would help us to be the messengers. All That Day of Reckoning that is lost and Dying World with a message of the love and Redemption of God. In Jesus name.

The Last Song of the morning is silent nights.