Sermon Tone Analysis

The Other Side of Election - Part 1

Last time in our study of Romans 9, we learned that God appoints certain people for a relationship with himself.

But that doesn't mean we're completely off the hook when it comes to evangelism.

Today, we're going to unravel some of the mystery around the subject of predestination, and our responsibility to both receive and proclaim the Gospel.

My message is titled, "The Other Side of Election", on today's edition of Pathway to Victory.

Imagine you are walking down the street and to your surprise, you see a crisp new $20 bill on the sidewalk.

You're excited about your newfound discovery.

You pick it up, you look at it and sure enough right there on the front is a picture of Andrew Jackson.

You turn over to the other side and there's a picture of Andrew Jackson.

What do you conclude about that bill?

It's counterfeit, isn't it?

Any bill that only has one side on both sides is a counterfeit bill.

There has to be a different picture on the other side.

It's the same when we come to the teaching of predestination.

Any teaching of salvation that just emphasizes one side, the side of God's electing some to be saved.

Any teaching that just emphasizes that is a counterfeit teaching about salvation.

Because to present the true biblical picture of salvation, we need to present an equally compelling truth.

And that is our responsibility to both trust in the Gospel and share the Gospel with others.

We've looked over the last two weeks in Romans 9 at one side of predestination.

And that's the truth of God electing some for salvation.

But today when we come to Romans 10, we're going to look at the other side of election.

Take your Bibles and turn to Romans 10.

Now, today, now I think this will be a help to you.

To understand this doctrine of salvation, it's important that we differentiate between God's responsibility in salvation, the unbeliever's responsibility in salvation and the believer's responsibility in salvation.

Paul does all three in Romans nine and 10.

First of all, what is God's responsibility in salvation?

Its election.

And that's what we saw in verses 1 - 29 of Romans 9.

It is true that God has elected some to be saved and passed by other people.

Is that unfair?

No. Romans 9:14 says, "There is no injustice in God".

All of us deserve eternal damnation for our sins.

We are on death row waiting for our final execution.

The fact that God chooses to pardon some is a demonstration of his mercy.

The fact that others are not pardoned and received their punishment is a demonstration of God's justice.

But in no way does God ever act unjustly.

That's what we find in Romans 9:1-29, God's responsibility in election.

But then beginning in verse 30 of Romans 9, there is a change.

There is a hinge in which Paul is now going to discuss our responsibility.

Remember the question Paul's answering in Romans nine through 11 is, why isn't all of Israel being saved?

Why are the vast number of Jews not accepting the Gospel?

And remember what Paul said.

He said, "God never promised to save all of ethnic Israel.

Instead, he chose to save those elected to be saved, those who would come to faith in Christ".

And that's why Israel is not being saved.

It was never God's plan to save all of ethnic Israel, but instead to save all of believing Israel.

Now in the first 29 verses, Paul says the reason Israel is not saved is because only the elect will be saved.

But then notice in verse 30, he changes.

He says, "What shall we say then, that gentiles who did not pursue righteousness attained righteousness, even which the righteousness which is by faith: but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law".

In other words, Paul is saying, the reason most of Israel is not saved is not because of God's choice, it's because of their choice to pursue a right standing with God based on their works and not on faith.

And the reason so many gentiles are being saved right now, is not because of God's choice, it's because of the gentiles choice to receive that right standing with God that comes through faith in Christ.

And so, beginning in verse 30 of 9, all the way through chapter 10, Paul is secondly going to talk about the unbeliever's responsibility in salvation.

And that unbeliever's responsibility is to believe, to believe.

Notice how he begins in Romans 10:1.

He said, "Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them, that is for Israel, is for their salvation".

In chapter 9:1, in chapter 10:1, in chapter 11:1, Paul pours out his heart for Israel's conversion.

Let me tell you something.

Any understanding you think you have about predestination that leads you cold and apathetic about those around you who don't know Christ, reveals you don't understand predestination.

The apostle Paul understood and taught predestination, but he also prayed for and worked for the conversion of his brethren who were not saved.

And that's what he says in chapter 10 verse 1. "My heart's desire and my prayer is for their salvation".

Let me ask you something.

How many people do you have you're praying for right now to be saved?

What about that child or grandchild who doesn't know Christ?

Do you pray for them regularly?

What about that parent who may not know the Lord?

What about those you work with?

Don't say, "Well, God is going to save whomever he wants to save".

No, God does elect people to salvation, but he elects us to pray for the lost as well.

I think about the story, my mentor for so many years, the late Howard Hendricks used to tell about his own dad.

His dad was a military man, a good man, a moral upright man, but he wasn't a Christian.

And Dr. Hendricks prayed and prayed for his dad's salvation.

And he led his kids to pray for their granddad's salvation.

And when Hendrick's father would come to Dallas to visit the family, Hendrick's kids would run up to meet their grandfather at love field and say, "Granddad, do you know Jesus yet"?

And the granddad would look down and say, "No, I can't honestly say that I do".

And they'd look up at him said, "Well, you will soon, because we're praying for ya".

That went on for years, for decades.

One day Dr. Hendricks was in his study late at night and the telephone rang.

The man on the other end said that he was the chaplain for the nursing home in another state where Dr. Hendrick's father was staying.

The chaplain said, "Dr.

Hendricks, I thought you would like to know that tonight, your dad prayed to receive Christ as his Savior".

And three months later, his dad went home to be with the Lord.

You know how long he had prayed for his dad's salvation?

42 years.

42 years praying for salvation.

Let me encourage you, if you have people around you who are lost, don't give up.

Our responsibility is to pray.

But notice in chapter 10 while we can pray, Paul says, "It's the responsibility of the unbeliever to believe".

And that's the focus of verses 1 - 13 of chapter 10.

The unbeliever's responsibility is to believe the Gospel.

Now, to describe exactly how unbeliever exercises faith.

In these first 13 verses of chapter 10, Paul uses three words that describe how a person is saved.

What an unbeliever has to do to be saved.

You say, well, I thought he doesn't have to do anything.

I thought salvation is a gift.

It is a gift, but there's something you have to do to receive a gift, isn't there?

You have to open your hands.

Well, it's the same way with an unbeliever.

There are some things he has to do to receive the gift.

And Paul talks about that beginning in verse 1 of chapter 10.

The first thing an unbeliever has to do to be saved, is to repent, repent.