Unshakeable Promises: God’s Plan in a Broken World

Bible Passage: Romans 9:6–33

Summary: In Romans 9, Paul discusses the sovereignty of God in choosing Israel and the unfolding of His redemptive plan despite human failure and disobedience.

Application: This sermon encourages believers to trust in God's sovereignty and faithfulness, reminding them that even when circumstances seem bleak, God's promises remain unbroken and His plan will prevail.

Teaching: The central teaching of this sermon focuses on understanding God's sovereignty in salvation and the assurance that His plan is inclusive yet divinely ordained, instilling hope and faith in the hearts of Christians.

How this passage could point to Christ: In Romans 9, Christ stands as the fulfillment of God's promises to Israel, showing that through Him, God’s purpose is realized and the extension of grace is offered to all nations.

Big Idea: Even when we fail, God's promises endure; He remains faithful to His plan of redemption throughout history.

Last week we saw that Paul exposes his heart for his people in hope that when the unbelieving jew understood Paul’ love for them the message that brought would be readily accepted.

But to the Jew this message of salvation to all seemed scandalous. It seemed to them If what Paul was saying to them was true than from their perspective God’s promise to Abraham had failed. So then what do we do when it seems that God’s promise has failed? Maybe there is someone here today that is feeling something very similar. Maybe their some great need in your life that seems like it is going unmet or maybe at some point you were so certain of God’s direction but in pursuing it nothing has gone as planned. The unbelieving Jews had several arguments against the truth of the gospel.

The first one is that God’s promise must have failed.

1. God’s Promises Never Fail

Romans 9:6–13 CSB

6 Now it is not as though the word of God has failed, because not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Neither is it the case that all of Abraham’s children are his descendants. On the contrary, your offspring will be traced through Isaac. 8 That is, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but the children of the promise are considered to be the offspring. 9 For this is the statement of the promise: At this time I will come, and Sarah will have a son. 10 And not only that, but Rebekah conceived children through one man, our father Isaac. 11 For though her sons had not been born yet or done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to election might stand— 12 not from works but from the one who calls—she was told, The older will serve the younger. 13 As it is written: I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau.

One of the main arguments for the unbelieving Jew was that if it is true that God has included the Gentiles through Christ into his promises than it must mean that the promises of God to bless Abraham and his descendants must have failed. They believed that the promises of God were exclusive to Israel so that any variance was an accusation against God’s promises.

So then what was wrong with their thinking?

You see you and I are tempted to question the promises of God when when the outcome doesn’t match our expectations.

The Jews expectation was that no matter what they did God was bound to only bless them. So Paul reminds them that while the son of Promise would come through them. Abraham had other children, as did Isaac, and Jacob.

God’s plan was always to rescue the entire world and not the Jew only.

When we place all of our hope on a certain outcome we will often miss what God is doing and doubt his faithfulness and his promises.

Or the outcome seems unfair to us

Now look at verses 11-13. Now if you remember from earlier weeks, election in Romans was not about salvation but about purpose.

So then why did God choose Jacob over Esau. Why did he decree the older would serve the younger? Is God just unfair? Or Is it that God really hated Esau? No. God chose this path to illustrate how the Gospel would go into the world. The Jews(older brother) would reject the Gospel. The gentiles (the newer part of the revealed story) would be the one’s to possess the truth and do what Israel should have done. Proclaim the Light of the world. In this way the younger would become a prominent part of God’s plan but both would be used by God to illustrate the Gospel plan.

So even though Israel was unfaithful, God’s promise of blessing the world would still come to pass.

So then what do we do when we begin to doubt God’s promises? We look at our own expectations. Have i put my hope in a desired outcome or in the Word character and the promises of God?

It may seem to you that God has shown favor on others and has neglected you. Like Jacob and Esau. In Christ, however we can rest assure that God loves us and our story matters even if it seems like somehow we have been missed. When we determine to allow God to write our story for us, we can peace in the unknown.

The next Jewish argument was, then if God chose this path before Jacob and Esau were even born then doesn’t that make God unjust?

We must remember and trust that God has perfect Justice.

2.God has Perfect Justice

Romans 9:14–18 CSB

14 What should we say then? Is there injustice with God? Absolutely not! 15 For he tells Moses, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16 So then, it does not depend on human will or effort but on God who shows mercy. 17 For the Scripture tells Pharaoh, I raised you up for this reason so that I may display my power in you and that my name may be proclaimed in the whole earth. 18 So then, he has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

In these first three verses God is reiterating that his grace cannot be earned. In this way, God has treated all people equally, all as sinners needing salvation. For if grace could be earned than salvation would be by merit.

Then he uses the illustration of Pharoah. Many will often point to this passage as proof that Salvation through grace is not freely offered to all but after examine a few simple ideas we will see that this isn't the truth in the least. Was Pharoah living in prideful rebellion to God prior to the events that unfolded with Moses?

Yes, he was an Idolator elevating himself to a position of a god.

Proverbs 9:8 CSB

8 Don’t rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke the wise, and he will love you.

Did God’s rebuke of Pharoah through the plaques harden his heart?

Yes.

But the hardening of his heart came a result of his own prideful rebellion. When someone is living in such a prideful state correction will indeed cause them to harden their heart. But it wasn’t as if God said okay Pharoah I will not let you repent. It was the natural Outcome of God’s justice on Pharaohs sin.

So then let this be a lesson to us God will raise up the rebellious for a time so that he might display His great power over them but it is their rebellion that brought them to the point of destruction not some decree of God.

God is perfectly just and will do what is good even if for awhile he tolerates those living in rebellion to his perfect ways.

In this we must trust in Gods...

3. Purposeful Design

Romans 9:19–29 CSB

19 You will say to me, therefore, “Why then does he still find fault? For who resists his will?” 20 On the contrary, who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Will what is formed say to the one who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?” 21 Or has the potter no right over the clay, to make from the same lump one piece of pottery for honor and another for dishonor? 22 And what if God, wanting to display his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much patience objects of wrath prepared for destruction?

Again we see this same idea. That God will allow a rebellious person to flourish on this earth for a time. He will use their rebellion in a way that will display his glory. But it was their rebellion that got them their.

God’s purposes are not limited or hindered by evil people. He can and often will use them as an example of what takes place when you stand against a holy all-powerful God.

But why would he do this?

Romans 9:19–29 CSB

23 And what if he did this to make known the riches of his glory on objects of mercy that he prepared beforehand for glory— 24 on us, the ones he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25 As it also says in Hosea, I will call Not my People, My People, and she who is Unloved, Beloved. 26 And it will be in the place where they were told, you are not my people, there they will be called sons of the living God. 27 But Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, Though the number of Israelites is like the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved; 28 since the Lord will execute his sentence completely and decisively on the earth. 29 And just as Isaiah predicted: If the Lord of Hosts had not left us offspring, we would have become like Sodom, and we would have been made like Gomorrah.

You see the Jews were trusting in their heritage instead of the goodness of God. Because I am a jew and I follow the law, God is obligated to me.

4. Faith over Heritage

Romans 9:30–33 CSB

30 What should we say then? Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained righteousness—namely the righteousness that comes from faith. 31 But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not achieved the righteousness of the law. 32 Why is that? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. 33 As it is written, Look, I am putting a stone in Zion to stumble over and a rock to trip over, and the one who believes on him will not be put to shame.

Jesus was this stumbling stone. We see this precious promise that salvation doesn’t come by works, it doesn’t come by religious heritage. It comes by individual faith in the atoning work of Jesus.

That is that he died for your sin. He took your punishment on the cross. But he was not defeated by the wieght of the world’s sin or by death. He conquered both through his resurrection. Offering eternal life to all who will come to him by faith and repentance.