Expound: Romans 9-10:4 - Part C

Think of God's every flaw that you had as I'm done getting get out of here under just, you're not going to have like Santa Claus having a list checking it twice. She glad that he is patient enough merciful and gracious, though your margin should every day since this can't avoid some snowfall in nature, with God's love for still looks today on connect with Skip Skip shares by the West about God's gracious love right now to tell you about a resource that should dive deeper into God's truth.

Trial temptation and the tone those of the major themes of three booklets from when you were making available this month@connectwithskip.com here's one with more of this bond and I handed the keys to unlock the thought stances and fears that can cause you to give into temptation and speak no evil. I encourage you to avoid setting fires with your word and instead use them to bring showers of blessing when you height six booklets go to speak no evil unhappy trials provides help hope and encouragement in dealing with life's challenges. This bundle of three booklets or years for a gift of $20 or more to help keep this Bible teaching ministry on the year did yours when you get today by calling 800-922-1888, or give online securely connectwithskip.com/offer that's connectwithskip.com/off Romans chapter Skip today's message next illustration. Paul uses this, Moses and Pharaoh to man. Both centers both murderers both had seen the marvels of God in their bets. One is saved, one is not God chose Moses to lead his people. God chose his people to inherit a new land. Now something I want you to notice in verse 15 he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will immerse level of compassion. And remember, I will have compassion. He's quoting from Exodus 33 you need understand the context of Exodus 33, as soon as the children of Israel were dancing around the golden calf.

What was I just mentioned you and God said move aside on my white mount destroy them and start a holy nation, Moses intervenes and no after that. After after Moses. God said, I will have mercy on whoever I will have mercy, I will compassion whoever I will have compassion. Other words I'm gonna have compassion on these people and if you know the story. A plague swept through God stop the plague instead of wiping all of them out 3000 died but not all of them died.

All of them deserved death because all of them were engage in idol worship, but God was merciful to his people during that incident, so I am Paul is bringing it up because some music.

It's not fair that God should should choose people to be saved and and and have compassion on one and not another source is okay so if God if you are having trouble and balking at the fact that God is merciful and compassionate then you have to realize that God was merciful and compassionate to you, he should have destroyed all y'all. And he didn't.

He had mercy on you. He was compassionate on you now what you say.

I'm glad he did. Yeah exactly.

So that is the incident that he uses as an example, verse 17. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, even for this purpose I raised you up that I might show my power in you that my name might be declared in all the earth. Therefore, he has mercy on whom he wills, and whom he wills.

He hardens if you are familiar with the book of Exodus. I'm just guessing that you are. We are told in that book that God hardened Pharaoh's heart you member reading that you read that you go, that's horrible. So it's God's fault. No, because if you would've read from the beginning it says Pharaoh hardened his own heart. First, there's about 20 instances in the book of Exodus where it says that Pharaoh's heart was hardened about half the time Pharaoh hardened his own heart. The other half God hardens two different words or use one is a voluntary. I want nothing to do with God. I want nothing to do with his revelation to do what I want to do. That's personal hardness that's choice and then it says God hardened it.

It's a different word. It means he affirmed it or he firmed up his heart.

He firmed it made it firmer so here's the principle. Whatever choice you make. God will affirm that choice up if if it's a choice for him.

He will firm your heart, he'll harden your heart in your desire to be owned by him control by him submitted in health firmed that up if you hardened against him help harden your heart against. He will it's it's bad analogies like poker. I see your five I raised you 10 I see your hardness. I raise you a little bit harder on Bernard Meyer okay on the make it firm ominous off of my heart open up your camera. I met affirmed that decision so one is personal. Your choice. The other is sovereign God's choice. Both are true. Therefore, he has mercy on whom he wills, and whom he wills. He hardens you will say to me then why does he still find fault for who was resisted as well. So if God is hardening. My heart then how can God charge me for having a hard heart even though we just explained how we can do that because Pharaoh hardened his heart first, but indeed old man. Who are you to reply against God, will the thing formed say to him who formed it, why have you made me like this does not the potter of power over the clay from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor. What is God wanting to show his wrath to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction. Yeah, this is God firmed up or made hard the heart of Pharaoh, but think how long God was patient with that bonehead is the Lord that I should obey him.

He said he was just so flagrantly in God's face as a rebel for a long time.

God put up with them. A long, long time that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which she had prepared beforehand for glory. Even us, whom he called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. Now back to this whole election thing. If people hear about that and and they're not following Christ.

They might like the dissenter Paul uses in an imaginary way. Say something like will. Maybe God didn't choose me. What if God didn't choose me for salvation. How can he blame me then how could he. How could he send me to hell since he didn't choose me well that's an interesting objection, because the Bible says whosoever will let him come whoever wishes, let them drink the water of life freely. There's a lot of whoever's or whosoever is in the Bible. There's lots of appeal for you to make a choice to change your future trajectory. So I would tell somebody who says maybe God didn't choose me. I say well maybe didn't. But do you do you want to be saved. Do you want your sins forgiven. Do you want to spend heaven forever or eternity with God forever in heaven.

Honor no deed you want to commit your life to Christ, you want to right now. Let's pray right now you can repent right now and everything can change for you. Your name can be written in God's book of life. You can be a forgiven sinner you walk out of here with joy.

I don't know. I don't think so. I don't want that. Okay your choice maybe got inches you were so farewell that if is not fair.

I can prove that God chose you turn your life over to Christ. Choose him and you will discover, like the disciples who chose to follow Jesus you didn't choose him. He chose you know I want to hear. I maybe got inches, but you can't use that an excuse as an excuse when God says whoever will let him come so calm. Do something about it make a choice. Do it tonight. Don't let another day go by, apart from Christ, which you can't stand before God. If you think you be able to stand before God and say not fair also brings it down to this answers is who are you to say to the potter year lump of clay. Who are you to say the potter not fair member when God told Jeremiah said Jeremiah go down to the house of of the potter and watch the potter work to work on his will and I will reveal my word to you there.

So he goes down he sees the potter working on up a jar of some kind.

Some kind of a vessel because as I was watching the potter. The vessel was marred in the potter's hands so the potter rather than throwing the clay and discarding it. He reshaped and reformed it because it was marred and shaped into something different. That's a picture of the mercy and compassion of God because what causes a clay pot to be marred a lump right it's hard and it stiffened as a lump in it and so went went when the wheel is turning around any any puts his farmer hand on it to to shape it that lump will dig out and leave a scar. It'll be marred the potter could say that this stupid bunch acclaimed toss it away but no clay cost money and takes time to ask of you just will add water re-softening work out that stiffness you know, make it malleable and shape something he wants to cuts as this is like the children of Israel. Instead of discarding the nation hell reshaped the nation will rework the nation so think of God's every flaw that you had a goes on done with you forget you get out of here. I'm never just, you're not going to have like Santa Claus having a list checking it twice. Aren't you glad that he is patient enough to be merciful and gracious, and though you are marred. He reshapes and reworks for his glory as he says, verse 25 in also in Hosea I will call them my people who are not my people, and her beloved, who was not beloved, as you remember the book of Hosea right.

Hosea married wife by the name of Gomer, a great name, not a great wife.

She was a prostitute.

God said go down to marry a prostitute and so they got married. They had a few kids first born boy was named Jezreel second born daughter was low roof, and then he said the third born son.

When that certain third born son was born. The name was given to them low me, which means not mine are not my people and God was working out an analogy to the life of Hosea, the prophet of how he dealt with the people of Israel. So here you have a prophet. God says if you got a tough assignment for you dude marry a prostitute knowing that she's going to go out on you after you have kids in the marriages and the leave the marriage and go back to prostitution and when she does that. Here you are at home with the kids, your wife is left you and gone to be a prostitute again. Go take money with you to the house of prostitution and buyer her back to you again. That's a tough assignment.

I want to be a prophet and do that. I don't want that job. I was Hosea's life and Hosea was demonstrating that that's what God would do with his people Israel and in the in the place where it was said, you are not my people, the book of Isaiah said, you shall be called on me. My people mine you belong to me. So that sort of a summary of that book so he quotes that I I will call them my people, and he says that regarding Jew and Gentile. According to verse 24, and her beloved, who was not beloved and it's a come to pass in the place a word was said to them, you are not my people, they will be called sons of the living God so recites Hosea, the prophet now. He cites Isaiah the prophet Isaiah chapter 10 Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel, though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved. There is that principle again rejection by the majority does not negate God's promise to the minority. A few people will be saved. A remnant will be saved. Some will believe so though the number of the children of visual be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved, for he will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth. Now I can't be sure but in part, Paul may have been looking also to the future, even if he wasn't. John certainly had the advantage of writing about the future. In the book of Revelation in the book of Revelation.

You have a remnant of Jewish people who are sealed in the tribulation. There are 15 million Jews right now on the earth.

A very small remnant hundred and 44,000 of them according to the book of Revelation will be sealed and protected during that time the future judgment upon the remnant, a small group. It's always a remnant verse 29, and as Isaiah said before, unless the Lord of Szabo all had left us a seed we would become like Sodom, we would have been like made like Gomorrah, what shall we say then that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness. Even the righteousness of faith. Sort of like the second born, you know, in the law of primogeniture. The second born isn't the one chosen, but in Isaac's case and in Jacob's case it was. We said in the been chosen, but we are God made us his people. We've attained righteousness of faith.

But Israel pursuing the law of righteousness has not attained to the right is not attained to the law of righteousness.

Why because they did not seek it by faith.

But, as it were by the works of the law, for they stumbled at that stumbling stone as it is written, behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone or rock of offense, and whoever believes on him will not be put to shame. Now, if you're wondering what on earth does that all mean what he just sent Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness hasn't attained to righteousness okay. He explains that I'm glad you asked. Verse one chapter 10 brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved but I bear them witness that they have a seal for God, but not according to knowledge, for they here's the answer for they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. There are two religions in the world is a skiff you need a math class.

There are far more religions than to know if you boil all belief system down all belief systems down, you have only to approaches to God. Two religions in all the world. The first is the religion of human achievement. The second is the approach we might call the religion of divine accomplishment. Most all religions in the world fall in the first category were saved by something you do for God open the door but you earn your salvation you you achieve certain things the Jews had a system of righteousness system of sacrifices they would pray they would they would pray three times a day, they would they would fast a few times a week that they would tie in and all of that was a means by which they were earning favor with God. Jesus even gave a parable that Luke chapter 18. He said two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself. Lord I thank you that I am not like other men unjust extortioners, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I possess. He is boasting of what he had done. And so whenever you have a righteousness that you concoct or conduct or perform by your self, that is, by definition, self righteousness, a self righteous person is a person who is righteous by him or herself. They've done things they burn things but then there's the only approach that God will receive and that is divine accomplishment for you, and you say nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling you realize I can save myself I can add to my salvation.

I can earn my salvation. It's only by the grace of God. It's a gift that I received all of sand and fallen short of the glory of God, but he gives a grace he's willing to give you salvation if you just believe in him it's not faith plus continued for a full membership in the certain church. It's faith plus nothing. No, it's faith plus baptism notes not because of his faith plus baptism. Now it's faith plus a work you have performed your work of baptism. When Jesus was on the cross and he said to the thief next to him who evidently believed in him made some kind of utterance of belief. He said Jesus said today you will be with me in paradise. He didn't say buddy boy. Once you've been baptized and establish membership in the local church proving yourself faithful, then and only then will you be with me in paradise. First of all the man's on the cross is to be dying soon. He can do anything at all and he really didn't need to do anything at all. Jesus was doing it all for him.

The cross was at all he did it all and so that simple act of faith that simple utterance of faith today you will be with me in paradise. But they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. We need to look at the next verse. As we close for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes it's over. The covenant of the law. The covenant under Moses. It's over. It ran its course. It's done.

God promised to the prophet Jeremiah. Behold, I will establish a new covenant in chapter 31 of that book a new covenant with the house of Israel, not like the old one. All right my law in their hearts to be a covenant of faith not of works, not of sacrifices not praying or fasting or tithing just believing in Jesus then Skip the message from the series expound now want to let you know about a special opportunity you have pursued biblical study in a way that works with your schedule personal or small group Bible study is a great way to learn God's word. What you want to learn more deeply.

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