The Truth About God (2)

Introduction

Last week we began our study in Romans chapter 9 and I preached what was the first part of a two part sermon. Our text is Romans 9:1-27 and we preached through the first half of this text up to Romans 9:18.

This morning we are going to pick up where we left off with Romans 9:19.

But before we do that I want to state again a couple of things that we started with last week because they are important and they help us as we digest and learn from God’s Word here in Romans.

Number 1 is that Romans chapter 9-11 are a unit. Romans 9 speaks primarily on the sovereignty of God. Romans chapter 10 speaks primarily on human responsibility for sin. And chapter 11 speaks about both.

So we want to be a people that forms our beliefs about God’s Word on the entire counsel of God’s Word and not just from one place. The word of God interprets the word of God. Amen.

Number 2, Paul reminds us at the end of chapter 11 that we are looking into weighty and deep matters. When we are given a glimpse of God and how He operates we are wading into the deepest of places. And this should cause us to be in awe and also to be aware that as finite beings trying to comprehend the infinite there is bound to be some mystery.

So last week we learned the first two of four truths.

1. We learned that God saves everybody that He means to save and has been doing so from the very beginning of time. In verses 6-13 we see that God has been choosing people for salvation from the Very beginning. He chose Moses, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

2. The second truth we learned about God is that he did this because he is a merciful and compassionate God—even though these forefathers of ours were deserving of judgment for their sin just like the rest of mankind—God chose them because He is a God of mercy and compassion. His choosing people for salvation is not a testament to his lack of justice, it is a testament to his abundance of love.

So now let’s read again verses 1-18 and then we’ll continue in our text and learn the next truth about God that the Holy Spirit is teaching us in God’s Word.

Romans 9:1–18 ESV

I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

Okay, take a breath. (Breathe) And let’s continue in our text this morning.

III. Truth #3: God Has the Right to do as He Pleases (19-23)

Let’s continue to read the text.

Romans 9:19 ESV

You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?”

Last week I told you that Romans 9 will rub up against your creatureliness. That as the sovereignty of God is highlighted in the human flesh, often times we struggle with God’s true sovereign right to do as He pleases to do. Especially when it comes to our own lives.

Oftentimes we are fine with a sovereign God as long as his sovereignty doesn’t extend to us or our lives. We want to be coregents with God—not creations of God. Remember this was the subject of the original sin in the garden—Adam and Eve were not content to be creations, but wanted to know what God knew and be as God is.

And here in our text with verse 19 Paul anticipates this line of questioning again. “Why does he still find fault? Who can resist His will”

The question is, as Romans 9 says, “if God has mercy on whom he will have mercy, and leaves others in their sin—and if they can do nothing about it why then does God find fault? Why should man be responsible for their sin?

And as we continue to read what is God’s answer to us?

Romans 9:20 “But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?””

God’s answer to the questions of His justice and his goodness is Who do you think you are? And who do you think you are talking to?

Friends, while the question is perfectly fine to ask and to wrestle over, Paul reminds us here that we must be humble in our questioning.

We should not seek to put God on trial in the courtroom of our hearts. Will sinful man dare to judge the living God?

And the truth is that we do dare—humanity does it all the time—declaring Almighty God to be lacking justice.

But when we do this we are in the height of rebellion. And when we do this it is as ludicrous as clay judging the potter for the potters decisions.

God writes, “Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’”

Friends we are not God! (Bear Swamp Story) We are the clay. And the truth that our text is telling us is that God has the right over the clay to do as He pleases.

And even as I say that—I know that some of us in this room are having burning hearts—you might not like that I said that. It doesn’t sound right to you. This idea that God can do what he pleases with us and is just and good in doing so sounds wrong. It maybe even makes us angry. Or it may make you angry at me for saying it, but friends let me remind you—and please hear me—when God speaks we MUST listen! We must!

If Romans 9 has been blowing up your idea of who God is—the problem isn’t with Romans 9. The problem is that you’ve created an idea/image of God that lacks his sovereignty. And an image of God like that is not a a complete picture as God has revealed himself. We must form our theology and practice on the solid rock of God’s Word.

All I’m doing up here is telling you the plain text of God’s Word.

In response to the question of, “If God is sovereign then why are people judged” is answered not with an explanation—but with a reminder that God is God and we are not.

And if this is something that angers you—or disturbs you—know that you are not alone. I can confess that at times in my life I have been uncomfortable with my creature ness, at my humanity, and I have been disturbed by God’s divinity.

But I will also confess that this is wrong. It is not my place to try and judge God for being God. How can the clay tell the potter that He has no right to do as he pleases? How can the clay demand that the potter make him a certain way or do a certain thing—or not do a certain thing.

Maybe like no where else in Scripture these verses force us to come to terms with our created-ness. With our humanity. And as God’s Word continues the Holy Spirit only doubles down as Paul writes.

Romans 9: 21-23 “Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—”

God can do with individuals what He wills to do by His good, sovereign, wise plan. He sets some aside for salvation, for glory, to be saved by the matchless blood of Jesus Christ—and sets others aside to receive destruction—the deserved judgment of their sins.

And while this is upsetting to us—and it should be—we should be upset that people are left in their judgment, that people will perish without Jesus and receive judgment. This reality that mankind is so lost should be upsetting to us. How badly has sinned destroyed this world, how badly has it twisted us. This is terribly upsetting. But We should not think God unjust—or question God’s goodness when He is a good judge and punishes sin.

Let me remind you that when God saves someone it is a picture of His grace—his compassion—his mercy—because the truth is that not one of deserves to be a vessel of mercy prepared for glory.

We all deserve to be a vessel of wrath that receives destruction. We are—all of mankind—sinners, law breakers, rebeles against a Holy God.

If it were not true then Jesus would not have died for us. The cross is both an expression of God’s wrath against sin and his compassion against sinners. On the cross Jesus died in our place—our wrath was poured out on Him—and God in His mercy forgave the sins of all His people.

And if you’ve never trusted Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins then I want to implore you to—as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:20—I am begging you to be reconciled to God. Because the truth is that you deserve to be punished for your sin and your rebellion but God has provided a way for you to be saved. There is one way by which men and women are saved and His name is Jesus—he alone is the sinless sacrifice given to account for your sins.

Trust in anything else to reconcile you to Almighty God and you will be left in your guilt. Will you trust Him and Him alone today? I pray that if you haven’t you will. But if you don’t you will be left in your sin

The appropriate response to the truth of God’s sovereignty is that we would be humbled before our God, that we would be grateful for the life changing, good news of Jesus Christ, and that we would be eager to tell as many people about it.

As Paul references a Potter and his clay we see that God has the right over his creation to do as he pleases—and we are reminded that everything God does is good. As we continue in our text we see that...

IV. Truth #4: God’s Compassionate, Mercy Has No Boundaries (24-29)

In Revelation 7 we see a picture of heaven and it is filled with people from “every tribe, tongue, and nation”. People from every part of the world and from every era of history will be represented among those that God is saving. The compassion of God and the mercy of God has no boundaries.

The good news of God’s sovereignty in salvation is that people’s salvation is firmly in God’s hands and what God purposes to do can never fail—but if it is up to us, to our effort, to our obedience to share the gospel, to our willingness to suffer—many who could be saved would be lost.

But it is not—God has purposed from the very beginning that His people would include persons from every where and becaues He is God he can save even the most hardened heart and even the most isolated person.

Paul shows us in the rest of our text that this has always been God’s plan. Read the text with me.

Romans 9:24-29 “even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’ ” “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ ” And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” And as Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.””

Paul quotes the Old Testament in Hosea and Isaiah to show all who would read Romans that God’s plan from the very beginning included the Gentiles—the nations have always been on the heart of God. And we should not miss that this would have been shocking news to the Jews of Paul’s day. Who believed that Yahweh was mostly interested in Israelites.

It’s not that people from other nations didn’t worship Yahweh, people before Christ and during the time of Christ would convert to Judaism. But for the Jew this was a byproduct—God was manily concerned with Israel, Israel belonged to God—they were His people and the nations were not.

But Romans 9 proves that from the very beginning God had foreordained that many people from the nations would be forgiven of their sins and come to be reconciled to God.

Nobody can tell God who He can save. The Potter will do as he pleases and will save whonever He desires to save.

And every non Jew in the room should say Amen!

Do you want proof that God can save absolutely anybody? You need to look no further than yourself. Friend, if you trust Jesus for your salvation and you have been forgiven of your sins because of the shed blood of Christ that is all the proof you need that God can save absolutely anybody. Because you are just as bad a sinner as anyone else.

When I think about the fact the God has saved me I am amazed because the more that I read Scripture and the more that the Holy Spirit sanctifies me the more I realize what a sinner I am.

As I survey my life before Christ—and my life after Christ sometimes I see that...

I’ve never murdered anyone with my hands, but I’ve killed scores of people in the anger of my heart.

I’ve never slept with anyone but my wife, but I’ve committed aldutery with many in my heart.

I’ve never stolen anything really expensive, but I’ve stolen a fortunes worth of small things.

I’ve been a liar, I’ve coveted, I’ve been ungrateful, I’ve been selfish and conceited and unkind.

I’ve cared little for the poor and the hurting, I’ve been an unconcerned husband and an annoyed father.

I’ve been a careless brother and disobedient son.

I’ve used my words to cut and my hands to hurt.

I’m a sinner, and when I think about the fact that Jesus died for me. When I read and believe that God cast his love on me—despite these things—despite this rebellion—I am full of words but they fail—they fail to express the shock and the awe at God’s mercy and His compassion to me—to me a rebel, to me a sinner, to me His son Not because of what I’ve done but because of what Jesus has done!!!

Never doubt God’s goodness and God’s love because despite what would have been just and right an innocennt man was punished for the sin of the guilty so that they may know the love of God.

And to that our appropriate response is amen and hallelujah!

God can save anyone, his compassion and mercy have no boundaries. Amen?

Just like last week I don’t want us to leave this morning before we think through how we can apply these incredible truths that Romans 9 has been teaching us. We truly have been swimming in deep waters but they are applicable to our lives.

Application

#1: Your Big God Allows for Big Faith.

When we see God’s sovereignty we can see that truly, as Romans 8 declares, “If Gdo is for us, who can be against us.”

Nothing is too big for him. Share the gospel with anybody because he can save anybody. Trust Him in any situation because there is no situation where He is not working His sovereign will out in wisdom. You don’t have to live life in fear even when scary things are happening.

Allow the bigness of your God to lead to a bigger and growing faith.

What are you afraid of in your life? What causes you to doubt God’s goodness or his power or his control? Speak the truths of Romans 9 over these things and believe that God really is sovereign just like He says He is—and that means that in the highs and lows of life—in the blessings and the painful losses—your God is sovereignly caring for you.

#2: Bow down before your God.

As long as you consider God as an addition to your plan for your life you will struggle to follow Him and trust Him.

God your father is also your King—He is THE King. Humble yourself before Him. In all things believe what God has spoken to you in His Word and apply it to your life.

Are you finding pleasure in sin? Are you redefining what it means to put others before yourself—to consider others as more important than yourself?

We all struggle against this flesh and will continue to do so until that glorious day when Jesus comes again, but in the light of the magnificence of God earnestly seek out your sin and fight—like a warrior—like a mother protecting her children—to kill your sin, to honor your God—and in all things to walk with Christ.

Take the appropriate position of humility before your God.

#3: Don’t ever get over the shocking reality of God’s grace through Jesus to sinners of which you are one.

The key to godly living is to marvel over the gospel.

The key to thankfulness is to marvel over the gospel.

The key to contentment is to marvel over the gospel.

The key to compassion, to authenticity, to joy, to peace, to every other good thing we desire is to marvel over the gospel.

We have every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. Don’t ever let the gospel be come the starting point of your faith—the gospel is the epicenter of all that we are and do and believe.

Never leave the feet of Jesus and never get over the grace God has given you in Him. Amen.

Let’s pray.