20260215 Romans 9:13 The Heirs of God Receive the Special Love of God
The Book of Romans • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Welcome to Vertical Church
Welcome and good morning
Let us Continue to Worship God
Father, as we look into Your Word, give us clarity of insight and discernment, understanding, and then more than that, may these truths have great impact upon our soul, shape us, mold us, conform us yet further into the image of Christ. And so, we commit this to You. I pray for those who are watching by livestream and who watch this later as it is posted. May the scriptures we study have an eternal impact. We pray this in Christ’s name. Amen.
Introduction: Romans 9:13 The Heirs of God Receive the Special Love of God
13 Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
1 The oracle of the word of Yahweh to Israel by the hand of Malachi. 2 “I have loved you,” says Yahweh. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares Yahweh. “Yet I have loved Jacob; 3 but I have hated Esau, and I have set his mountains to be a desolation and his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.” 4 Though Edom says, “We have been demolished, but we will return and build up the waste places”; thus says Yahweh of hosts, “They may build, but I will pull down; and men will call them a territory of wickedness, and the people toward whom Yahweh is indignant forever.” 5 And your eyes will see this, and you will say, “Yahweh be magnified beyond the territory of Israel!”
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love, 5 by predestining us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He graciously bestowed on us in the Beloved.
Romans 9 is a series of Old Testament quotations. This is one of fifteen Old Testament direct quotations in Romans chapter 9.
So, Paul is using Bible verses from the Old Testament like a sheriff in the Old West would use two six-gun shooters and just start going bang bang bang with Old Testament passages.
Romans 9:13 is from Malachi 1, and the book of Malachi is actually a series of questions that the stubborn nation of Israel was asking God. And God challenges their unfaithfulness by answering them
Malachi 1:2 - “I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob Malachi 1:6 - “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ Malachi 1:7 - By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the LORD’s table may be despised. Malachi 1:13 - But you say, ‘What a weariness this is,’ and you snort at it, says the LORD of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the LORD. Malachi 2:14 - But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the LORD was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Malachi 2:17 - You have wearied the LORD with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God of justice?” Malachi 3:7 - From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ Malachi 3:8 - Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. Malachi 3:13 - “Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’
And so why focus on one verse from one small book of the Old Testament?
First, because in this one verse there is more theology, more doctrinal truth than we could ever deal with in one message.
Second, I believe this verse will help us in sharing the gospel. If the gospel is the power of God for salvation, and our role is to share the gospel to the entire world, how does this verse help us to have confidence and hope rather than guilt and shame?
Third, I’m convinced that the church of today has so focused on the love of Christ for the world based on John 3:16, for God so loved the world, that we do not cherish the special love that God has for the believer, those whom the scriptures call the Beloved. And for those who have come to Christ but are struggling or filled with the guilt of past sins or who wonder if their confessions truly bring forgiveness, I believe that the more we understand the unique and special love God has for His saints, then the greater will be our confidence in Christ, and the greater our confidence in Christ then the greater our joy, and the greater our joy, the greater will be effectiveness in sharing the gospel.
(1) The Double Authority of God’s word
13 Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
There really is no such thing as double authority. All scripture is authoritative. The danger of saying double authority is a little like owning a red letter bible and thinking that the words in red are more important than the words in black.
But there are scriptures in the Old Testament that are no longer binding , such as the sacrificial and dietary regulations and the laws concerning living in the land of Israel.
And so what do we mean by double authority? It is when we see the authority of the OT prophet and the authority of the NT apostle come together in a verse to emphasize the truth of and authority of God’s word
And so, the first impact of Romans 9:13 is that it is really a double authority.
As Steve Lawson says, It would be enough if Paul just said it because he’s an apostle who speaks directly from the head of the church, the Lord Jesus Christ; but for an apostle to quote the Old Testament, that just doubly reinforces the authority of what is being said here. And so, however we interpret this, it is irrefutable and it is authoritative because Paul is citing Old Testament Scripture, and to disagree with the rest of verse 13 would actually be to disagree with God Himself.
When an apostle says It is written we are seeing the equivalent of Thus saith the Lord and this means you need to listen
(2) The Special Love bestowed upon those who are in Christ
13 Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
When we talk about the love of God we must understand that the love of God connects to all the other attributes of God. If God is eternal then He loves us with an eternal love.
If God is immutable or unchangeable then He loves with an unchangeable love. Since God is sovereign He loves us with a sovereign love Since God is holy He loves us with a holy love.
The word holy literally means apart or different. When we say that God is holy we are saying that He is different. We are saying that He is set apart from His creation.
And when we see that God loves those who in are in Christ with a holy love then we must understand that we are saying that we are loved with a different love, a love set apart from those who are not in Christ. His love for the saints is not only perfect, His acts of love perfect the repentant sinner
I - this is God speaking
The word “loved” means God chose to set His affections upon Jacob and God did so not on the basis of anything good in Jacob’s life. I mean, he was a sinner like his brother Esau was a sinner. And a case can be made he was just as much of a sinner as his brother was a sinner.
5 and hope does not put to shame, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
There is only one group of people who have the love of God - YOU
If you ever get discouraged, I don’t think we can drill down deep enough or anchor our soul strong enough to this verse.
You and you alone have received this special gift. God himself has poured His love into your heart. God doesn’t just say He loves you, he dramatically transforms you and recreates you and makes you His child.
Look at Romans 8
15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, also heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
We have the Spirit of Adoption
We cry Abba, a term only a child can say to their parent
We are children and heirs
And he has loved you from the beginning of eternity, before the foundation of the world
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. 29 Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers; 30 and those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified; and those whom He justified, He also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love,
But there’s one more evidence of God’s love for you
5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; 6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He flogs every son whom He receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
(3) The unrighteous will face God’s judgment alone
13 Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
We have looked at the special love of God. In this last part of verse 13 we need to remember the general love of God, the common grace of God
1 Surely God is good to Israel, To those who are pure in heart! 2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, My steps had almost slipped. 3 For I was envious of the boastful, I saw the peace of the wicked. 4 For there are no pains in their death, And their body is fat.
If God shows benevolent love to all people and special love to those who are in Christ wha then are we to do with the word hate?
But we are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus, Jesus is our advocate, our intercessor, Jesus is praying for you.
The Holy Spirit is your constant companion
In the Bible there are various degrees of God’s love. The rain falls on both the good and the wicked. That is God’s benevolent love.
But those who are not in Christ will stand on the judgment day alone and they alone will answer for their deeds.
This is a huge factor in understanding Esau I hated
Let me say this to all believers - God hates sin, God hates hypocrisy, God hates divorce. Just because you have experienced the special love of God does not give you the license to do that which God hates.
And so what does it mean, Esau I hated?
Next week we’ll go a little deeper but let’s leave with this wonderful thought:
1 John 3:1 (LSB)
1 See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we would be called children of God; and we are.
May you spend the week marvelling at and meditating on how much God loves you
Benediction
24 Yahweh bless you, and keep you; 25 Yahweh make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; 26 Yahweh lift up His face on you, And give you peace.’
But of God - salvation is ultimately about the free will of God and his decision to call those who are His to salvation
And in verse 13 He calls Jacob and not Esau to salvation
For God so loved the world is not the same as husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church
In the same way, Esau I hated is not the hate that the Lord has in Proverbs for the seven things He hates, especially evildoers. With Esau we see the same love-hate that Jesus said his followers must have when comparing love for Jesus with love for their parents. Jesus did not contradict the command to honor your parents when he said to hate them.
In the same way, Esau experienced the benevolent love of God and was later in his life greatly blessed by God. But Jacob experienced the special love which God has for those who are the object of His divine favor
Second, what does Jesus say in the sermon on the Mount?
Jesus teaches the true gospel, the true word of God. And on the sermon on the Mount he says this:
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Next week:
This should affect your view of God’s love and hate for the lost and for those who hate the things of God
Love your enemies is a command. And we are to love the way God loves. And in this we see the goodness of God
God even allows those he “hates” to prosper and be blessed
3 For I was envious of the boastful, I saw the peace of the wicked. 4 For there are no pains in their death, And their body is fat.
Ona side note, this should slay any notion of a health wealth and prosperity gospel
So what about Esau I hated?
Let’s end with this:
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.
God and God alone is to be our first love, our greatest love, our most precious love. You are to love and honor your parents, you are to love your wife and children. And so love for God is different than loving your family, loving your job, loving your favorite team or your favorite desert .
