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Romans 9-16

Israel's Past

Chuck Lindsey · Sunday, 28 September 2025 · Romans 9:1-29 · 56:38 · 9,417 words

Romans S23 · 9:1-29 Grand Blanc

There is no public page for this message yet — the transcript below is the whole of it.

Romans 9 shows God as the potter and us as the clay, reminding us that He is God and we are not. Paul’s heavy grief over his people, the Jews, who have rejected their Messiah, reveals a love that would trade his own salvation for theirs. The passage outlines Israel’s special privileges—adoption, glory, covenants, law, worship and promises—while emphasizing God’s sovereign control over rulers and events. The sermon calls listeners to trust God’s authority, admit their lack of understanding, and surrender to Christ by repenting and believing.

What this sermon is about

Ranked by keyness against every other sermon in the corpus. Each one is a word this sermon actually said — nothing here was written by a model.

pharaoh 30 esau 20 god 210 jacob 20 israel 31 jewish 25 people 80 determine 12 clay 10 promise 30 prepare 14 isaac 12

Topics

Israel 12 Salvation 9 Faith 8 The Flesh 4 Election & Predestination 3 Abraham 3 Prayer 2 The Law 1 The Gentiles 1 The Wrath of God 1 Spiritual Gifts 1 Adoption & Sonship 1 Righteousness 1 Condemnation 1

Scripture referenced 25

Verified against the transcript. A reference the recording does not support is never listed here.

Romans 9 1:02 Romans 9 1:07 Romans 9 1:31 Romans 9 4:04 Romans 9 4:13 Romans 9 4:25 Romans 9:1 5:24 Romans 9:3 7:11 Romans 9:2 7:18 Romans 9:3 7:34 Romans 9:4 10:25 Romans 9:5 17:28 Romans 9:6 18:15 Romans 9:7 20:38 Genesis 33:19 36:52 Revelation 22:17 39:49 Romans 9:17-18 41:00 Romans 9:17 41:07 Romans 9:18 45:28 Romans 9:19 45:43 Romans 9:20 46:40 Romans 9:21 47:31 Romans 2 49:37 Romans 2:21 49:37 Romans 2:22 51:02

Transcript

Every word, as spoken, with the second it was said. Each word links to its own entry in the index.

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Thank you for joining us, and we hope you are blessed by today's message.

Good morning to you. Good morning to all of you joining us online.

If today is your first Sunday, that was weird, okay?

Just so you know, that is not normal.

Alright, so if you've got a Bible, I'm going to ask you to open up to the book of Romans,

and we are going to be in chapter 9.

Romans chapter 9 is where we're going to be.

Good morning to all of you joining us online as well today.

And as Josh said there, he kind of gave a little recap of the book of Romans.

So we begin part 2 of Romans today, this morning.

And so Romans is divided, 16 chapters.

It's divided pretty neatly, right down the middle.

First 8 chapters, and then the second 8 chapters.

And so this morning we begin Romans chapter 9.

I'm going to be honest with you, it's a tough area of Scripture.

It's an area of Scripture that a lot of people don't really understand very well,

is used for all kinds of weird doctrinal ideas.

And so we're going to work our way through it as best as possible,

and hope I can help with that, okay?

So let's pray, and let's ask the Lord to speak.

We love you, Lord, and we thank you for your word.

And we pray that, Lord, you would speak to us,

that you would open your word, that you would help us to hear you.

And, Lord, that you would make yourself known today.

We love you, Lord.

We give you our hearts.

We ask in our lives, and it's in Jesus' name I pray.

My wife and I, a few years ago, started to, we took up pottery.

And so we are hobbyist potters, and so we make things out of clay.

And any time I sit down at the pottery wheel to make something,

it's always kind of the same process, right?

I take a lump of clay, I throw it, I center it on the wheel,

and then try to center that.

And then with my hands, I begin to try to turn,

turn that thing into what I see, what I want that thing to be, you know?

And I've never, I've never, honestly, I've never looked down at the clay and said,

hey, what do you think you want to be today?

You know, I've never done that.

Now, sometimes the clay in this process seems to fight me, right?

I don't know what it is.

There's times this happens, and sometimes it's stubborn.

And so I apply more pressure to try to get this thing where I want it to be.

Okay.

And so I have to bring it back to where I want it to be.

And it's a continual process in the shaping of this thing to make it into what I see.

And it is not done until I am done.

Okay.

So that's, you can extrapolate all the spiritual lessons you want from all of that.

But listen, sometimes, as happens with clay,

sometimes it won't, it just won't do what you're wanting it to do.

Sometimes it won't do what you're wanting it to do.

Sometimes it won't do what you're wanting it to do.

Sometimes it won't do what you're wanting it to do.

Sometimes it won't do what you're wanting it to do.

Sometimes it won't do what you're wanting it to do.

Sometimes it won't do what you're wanting it to do.

Sometimes it just won't do what you're wanting it to do.

Sometimes it just doesn't.

Something's wrong with it.

I don't know what it is.

But sometimes I cannot get it to become the coffee mug I'm trying to make

or the bowl I'm trying to make or whatever it is.

And so I end up taking it off the wheel and I throw it into the bucket

and I take another lump of clay out and I begin to mold and shape it.

Now, this is the picture that is actually given to us here in Romans chapter 9.

You're going to see it in just a minute.

But if I were to sum up Romans chapter 9,

this is the summary.

Here is the summary.

He is God and you are not.

He is God and I am not.

That is the summary of Romans chapter 9.

And so we as people, we've got a problem.

Because very often we act like we are God.

We act like we know what's best.

We act like we see more than we actually see.

That we understand more than we actually understand.

And passages like this,

are something of a reset.

They are a reminder to us that God is God and we are not.

And you're going to see that through this passage.

It's going to push you.

And the way that this practically applies in life

is that there are so many things that happen in life where we go,

I don't think that's what it should have been.

I don't think that should happen.

I think it should be this way or it should be that way.

We're sort of taking the place of God and we don't even hardly realize it.

So this is a reminder to us.

That God is God.

And that he always does what is best.

And so it begins in verse 1.

The Apostle Paul speaking.

He says,

I tell the truth in Christ.

I am not lying.

My conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit.

That I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart.

So Paul says he is in this continual state of heavy sorrow.

You say, why?

Well,

it is over.

It is over the lostness.

You'll see it in just a second.

The lostness of the people that are around him.

And so he says he's in continual grief.

The word means pain.

It means deep sorrow.

And he's not just in deep sorrow because of the way of the world or whatever.

His pain and his sorrow, as the next verse shows,

is because of his people, the Jewish people, being unsaved people.

So in Paul,

so many of the Jewish people rejected the Savior of the world, the Lord Jesus.

They rejected their Messiah and ours, our Savior.

They rejected him, the one who came to save us all.

And it is still true today, isn't it?

Still today, the majority of the Jewish people reject their Savior.

Have you ever tried to talk to a Jewish person about their Messiah?

I have many times.

It's a very interesting conversation.

They reject their Savior.

They reject the Lord Jesus outright as their Messiah.

And so they reject him as God.

They reject him as Savior.

But as we'll see next week, that will change.

There's coming a day when all of Israel will be saved.

We're going to talk about that next week.

But what he says here in verse 3 is very, very interesting.

And so before he says it, it's actually shocking.

He says here in verse 2, he says,

What I'm about to say is true.

God is my witness.

I am not exaggerating.

I am not lying.

He says, essentially, I love my people so much that I wish I could trade places with them.

Look at verse 3.

Paul says,

For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren,

my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites.

Now, this is shocking.

Understand what Paul's saying.

The word accursed does not just mean that Paul would take a punishment for them

or that he would surrender.

some sentence for them, the word accursed means to be given over entirely to judgment and

condemnation. Paul is saying he would be cut off from Christ if it meant that the Jewish people

could be saved forever. I wonder if you and I could ever say something like this. Paul's saying,

I would be condemned forever if all of Israel would be saved. He says, God is my witness. I

would do it. If I could make the trade, I would do it. I feel like it's the heart of a parent that

says, I would trade with my terminally ill child. I would make the trade in a moment. I would trade.

I would be the one that would die in place, right? I mean, I feel like that's the heart that is being

conveyed right now from Paul's words, and it shows, you know, obviously there is no way for anybody to

make this trade. I cannot trade with the unsaved people in my life that they would be saved and I

would be unsaved. Of course, that's not the case. I would trade with the unsaved people in my life.

That's not a trade we can make, but it shows his love for lost people. And I would ask you,

do you have this same kind of love for the lost in your life? Not much happens when you don't.

You don't have this deep longing to see the people around you saved. It doesn't burden and bring

continual grief and pain. Not much really happens if that's not where you're at. Not only does this

the heart of like a father or, you know, or a spouse even for their spouse, but I think that

Paul's heart really reflects that he is aligned with God's heart. Why? Because what Paul says he

is willing to do here is what Jesus did. It is what Jesus did for you and I. He was willing,

not only willing, but was cut off from God for you. He was cursed. He was judged. He was condemned for you.

This is what Jesus did for you and for me. He loved us so much that he was actually accursed

for us so that we could be saved. So Paul says here, the people that he's actually talking about,

he says here are his brethren, his countrymen, according to the flesh. Verse four, they are

Israelites, the people of Israel, the Hebrew people. Look what Paul says about the Hebrew

people, the people of Israel. He says they are Israelites to whom pertain the adoption,

the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God and the promises of whom are

the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all the eternally blessed

God. Amen. So I don't know how you feel about the nation of Israel. If you watch a lot of news,

you probably do not have a very great or favorable view towards Israel, but please hear this. So much

as precious came through Israel. Uh, and in case we are tempted to do what the rest of the world is

trying to do and has tried to do forever in case we're tempted to despise Israel and to do away

with Israel and to reject them and to disregard them and to have disdain for them. Paul reminds

us of what Israel actually is. They are God's people. They are adopted. It says now the word

adoption. I want you to listen to this. I want you to listen to this. I want you to listen to this

I want you to understand this. Uh, this refers to God choosing them to be his people, but this does

not mean, please hear me. This does not mean they are automatically saved. That's not what it means.

It does not. Paul is not saying that these are saved people, uh, but they, but they are his

people. Uh, they are the race. They are the nation that God chose to make him known to the nations

people. And I will reveal myself to those people. And then I want those people to now carry that

message to everyone else. God said, I will adopt them. They are not saved automatically. They are

simply, this is the group I have chosen to do this. And so again, they're not saved automatically,

not automatically given heaven. It also does not mean that they're always right. So we sort of have

this weird thing that happens within the church that we sort of go, we're going to ignore any

Israel ever does because they're Israel. No, there is wrong. That is done. We're not saying

that they're right. We're not saying they're good. We're not saying they're godly. We're not

saying they do no wrong. We're not saying that. In fact, the entire Bible is filled with their

wrongdoing, right? So they've continued to do this because they are people. They are unsaved

people. Largely our support of Israel does not come from them doing right or wrong. It is based on God

directive to us. I will bless them that bless you. I will curse them that curse you. You cannot

disregard Israel. You cannot dismiss Israel. You cannot hate the people that God has chosen. You

can't do that. You can't do that with anybody, but you definitely can't do it with God's people.

So it is based on God's decision and you're going to see it next week. God's decision to never give

up on them. Israel is going to be saved one day. That is going to happen. Hear this. They were

chosen by God, though rejected, um, you know, by people, but, and then honestly, many of them have

rejected God, but they were chosen by God to be the people to tell everyone else who he is. That's

what it means for them to be adopted. Now, not only were they adopted, but they were also given

God's glory. What does this mean? Well, it refers to the appearances of the Lord to the Jewish people,

to the prophets and to the priests and the Kings and all of this. God appeared to them. He wasn't

around them. God was revealing himself to them. His glory filled the temple in Jerusalem. His

presence manifested between the cherubs wings in the, in the temple, right? His glory appeared to

various Jewish people at various times. And again, this was so that they could make known who God was

to the nations around them. Now they failed to do that. They did not do that. Uh, in fact, they,

uh, they were very obstinate. And so God actually had to take and through the disciples, he, he

pushed the message of the gospel through his disciples and out into Gentile communities.

Uh, it was supposed to be Israel's task. They didn't do it. Now. God also gave them the covenants,

which of course refers to the agreements, the promises that God made to mankind. So those were

made to and through the Hebrew people. You've got the, the, the, the covenant with Noah. You've got

the covenant with Abraham. You've got the covenant with Moses. You've got the covenant with David.

David was not an Irish man. Okay. These are Hebrews.

And so they were also given the, the, the giving of the law, the giving of the law came through a

Hebrew man, Moses. They were also given the service of God. It says referring to revealing how we

worship God as people that was given to them. That was explained to them, instructed to them.

And so also they were given the promises, all of the promises that you and I treasure came through

the Hebrew people, the priests, the prophets, the Kings, the apostles of

Israel. Um, it says of whom, right? Speaking of Israel are the fathers, all the patriarchs of our

faith, all Israel, all Jews. And then lest you have any final objection, lest we have any final

desire to just think nothing of Israel. Paul says this and from whom, according to the flesh,

meaning the birth Christ came the Lord Jesus, right? Who is overall the eternally blessed God.

Amen. So Jesus was not born as a white man, uh, much to the chagrin,

of the giant picture of him on 75, right around Dixie road. You know, he was not born with blue

eyes and blonde hair and a perfectly manicured red beard, right? Uh, no. Uh, Jesus was a Jewish man

born to Jewish parents. He was a Jewish child. He grew up in Jerusalem. Most of his ministry

centered around the Galilee region. His entire ministry was in Israel. Paul's point in all of

this is to say, though, the devil and the devil and the devil and the devil and the devil and the

and his followers, the world hates the Jewish people and wants them obliterated from the face

of the earth. God does not. And his faithfulness is actually tied to his character. And it's very,

very important that we understand these things. It's what we'll talk about next week. But before

we move on, I want you to notice very carefully what Paul said about our Lord Jesus there at the

end of verse five. Did you catch it? He says that Jesus Christ is overall the eternally blessed God.

So he's not an angel.

As the Mormons teach, he's not a, just a man as Islam would teach. He's not a moral teacher or

someone that showed the way to live rightly. This is the eternal God, the Lord Jesus. He is the

eternal God. He is Emmanuel God with us. Very, very important. Well, someone right here might

say, um, yeah, but even though all of this came through Israel, most of Israel does not believe.

So what happened? Who failed? If they're supposed to be his chosen people,

what happened? Who failed in all of this? Well, verse six says that, but it is not that the word

of God has taken no effect. So even though they've rejected Christ, it's not that God's word or his

promises have failed. It goes on. Paul explains for, they are not all Israel who are of Israel.

What do I mean? Well, the point here is simple. Every Jewish person is not God's chosen people

automatically simply because they are Jewish. The word that Paul uses here for

Israel means governed by God. That's what it means. And so let's, let's, let's say it the way

that Paul means it. It's literally, they are not all governed by God who are of Israel. Does this

make sense? They are not all governed by God who are of Israel. The point that Paul is making is

that being Jewish means nothing in terms of salvation. Historically, every Jewish person

is a part of a very rich history of incredible blessing.

I mean, you, you read it, right? You, we talk about it, but it does not mean that they are saved

just because they are Jewish, but this is what many Jewish people believed in that day. It's what

many Jewish people still believe today that because they are Jewish, they are automatically

guaranteed heaven because of their birthright. Please hear this. That is not true. Every Jewish

person needs to be saved by Messiah, the Lord.

Jesus, just as you and I do. Same, same. They have a wonderful history, but they are no more

righteous than we are. Their feast days do not make them more righteous. Their garments do not

make them more righteous. Their dietary restrictions do not make them more righteous. The Jewish man

or woman is just as lost as anyone else and needs to be saved just as everyone else does. Very

important. They need to turn to their Messiah in repentance and for salvation. And as I said, we

will talk about it in a little bit, but I want to talk about it in a little bit, but I want to talk

about it next week. But they will at one point turn to the Lord Jesus, their Messiah. And it's a

very beautiful picture of what happens. But here, they are not all governed by God who are of

Israel. So verse 7, Paul goes on, he says, nor are they all children, right? Not all children of God

because they are of the seed of Abraham. So this makes the point even clearer. They are not all

children of God simply because they are descendants of Abraham. They don't get a pass. They don't

have that. Abraham was saved. We know that. Genesis shows it. Romans shows it, right? But just

because the Jewish or the Hebrew person comes from him genealogically does not mean that they have

his salvation. It's commonly said, God doesn't have grandchildren. What does that mean? Well,

our faith does not pass to our children, right? He has children. He doesn't have grandchildren,

okay? So every person must believe for themselves. And so they did not have Abraham's salvation,

his salvation was his, and he needed to be saved, and everyone that follows him needs to be saved,

okay? So Paul says this, verse 7, but, or rather, the promise was this, in Isaac your seed shall be

called. So I don't know if you know this, but the apostle Peter said that some of Paul's writings

were difficult to understand. Did you know that? I like that because that's like Peter going,

yeah, I don't get it when Paul writes. It's like,

sometimes I understand it, sometimes I don't, you know? And I just love that.

But like, you know, a passage like what we're looking at right here in verse 7, and really all

of 9 here, it's got to be some of what Peter is talking about. It's really not super complicated,

but it does take a minute to really think through it. So verse 7, when Paul says,

but here's the promise, in Isaac your seed shall be called, this takes us back to the book of

Genesis, and it reminds us of Abraham and Sarah who had not had any children. They were

promised, hear that word, they were promised by God that they would be given a child. And you

remember, right, 90 years old, God comes and says to Abraham, promised to him that Sarah would

become pregnant and have a child, and that this child, this son that would be born would be the

beginning of an entire nation. Amazingly, at a hundred years old, this is exactly what happens.

Sarah becomes pregnant. They have a child. His name is Isaac. He was the son, the one who

was promised. Very important you hear that. And this is why Paul's bringing it up, because Isaac

was the promised son. You might remember that Abraham and Sarah had another son, remember?

They tried to help God out with his promise. It always goes really well when we do this,

by the way. God, I'm just going to help you out. Perfect. This is going to go great. Yeah. Sarah

was tired of waiting for the promised son, and so she had the idea that she could give Abraham to her

servant Hagar. They could sleep together and then produce a child, and that that child would then be

the heir. That child would be the son of promise. And so Hagar did. She became pregnant, gave birth

to a son. His name was Ishmael. And when Ishmael was born, Abraham basically said, Lord, here's the

one you promised. And the Lord said, no, no, it's not. Right? And then this is not the promised one.

This is your mess that is going to cause you problems. The promised one is still

coming. How very gracious God is. Then, of course, the promised one did come. Sarah became pregnant,

gave birth to Isaac, and God said this. It is in Isaac, the promised son, that your line is going

to be counted. This is the line, God said, of your people. Not through Ishmael, but through Isaac,

the promised one. It's a prophecy. And so it's another, right? The prophecy is essentially this.

Another promised son is coming, the Lord.

Jesus, the son of God, the one who is promised. That son is going to come not through Ishmael's

line, but through Isaac's line. And God was saying this. The true people of God will be those that

follow the true promised son. The point of this is very simple, though it seems somewhat complex.

The people of God are not counted by their ancestry. They are counted by their faith

in the true promised son, the Lord Jesus. So verse eight,

so Paul tries to make it clear. That is, those who are the children of the flesh, that means unsaved,

these are not the children of God. Everybody's not the children of God, right? It's only those

who believe, right? Who come to faith in Christ. It says, but the children of the promise are counted

as a seed. So the children of the flesh are just unsaved people. They are not the children of God

because they're Jewish or their dad was a pastor or a priest or whatever. The children of God are

those who are saved. They are not the children of God because they're Jewish or their dad was a

saved. They have looked to the promised son of God. They are the people of God from every tribe,

every nation on earth. And in verse nine, we read that the promise that was given to them at that

time was this verse nine. This was the word of promise at this time, I will come and Sarah shall

have a son. And so that's what happened, but it doesn't stop there. Look at verse 10, not only this,

but when Rebecca had conceived by one man, even by our father, Isaac, so move forward one generation.

Isaac and his wife, Rebecca had children. They had two sons. Do you remember their names? Jacob

and Esau, which one was born first? You remember Esau was born first because of this, according to

Jewish culture, he would have been the head of the family line, right? This would have been the,

the line of the family because he was the firstborn. But God said, no, God said it will not

be Esau that my, my promised one will come. It will be through Jacob that the line comes.

In other words, God can do whatever God wants to do. Esau did not have faith. And so God diverted

the line of his people through the second born. Paul's point here is to say, God will do what God

wants to do, right? He is God. We are not. So look at this verse 11 for the children, Jacob and Esau,

not yet being born nor having done any good or evil that the purpose of God, according to election or

not of works, but of him who calls it was said to her, the older shall serve the younger. That's a

flip, right? As it is written, Jacob, I have loved, but Esau, I have hated. So there's a lot going on

there, taking in bits before these kids were ever born. God decided which one the line of faith was

going to go through. Now, again, normally it would be the firstborn. God said, nope, it's going to

be the second born. It says that this is according to election, literally choosing literally God's

sovereign knowledge, what God knew and hear this. It was before they did anything. They hadn't done

anything. Not good, not bad. God said, it's going to go through Jacob. So before they're born,

before they've done anything, God decided that the line of faith or the example that we are to

follow in terms of faith was going to go through the second born and not the first. God indicated

this at their birth when he says the older is going to serve the younger, meaning the second

would be the head of the family. God said, nope, it's going to go through Jacob. So before they

go through the second born, God decided that the older is going to serve the younger, meaning the

second. God said, nope, it's going to go through Jacob. So before they go through the second born,

Jacob was the head of the 12 tribes of Israel. He was the head of the Hebrew people. The Messiah

would later come through this lineage that God chose and determined. Now, a question, did God's

choosing of Jacob create Jacob's faith in him and keep Esau from having faith in him? This is where

people go in passages like this. And the answer is no. And the answer is no. And the answer is no.

And we've said this before. God knows everything. He can't not know everything. His knowledge does

not determine or force our decision or outcome. So just because God knows does not force you

into a behavior or into a choice or keep you from that choice. Just because God knows what it is,

does not determine what it is. Jacob had real choice. He was not determined to walk

a path and play a part in some giant cosmic orchestrated play. He had real choice to either

follow or deny the Lord. And honestly, for most of his life, he didn't really follow the Lord. It

was up till like a very specific point that he did. But he had a real choice to either have faith

or reject it entirely. Esau had the same choice. He had a real choice to either follow the Lord

or deny him, to have faith or reject it. You see, some people, they come into a passage like this

and they go, oh, let me tell you what it means.

It means God loved Jacob and so gave Jacob faith, saved him before he was ever born.

And Jacob could do nothing but obey and love the Lord and follow the Lord while Esau, God hated him,

didn't love him and made it so that Esau could not exercise faith and was determined for hell.

That is false. It is the wrong, it is man injecting his own understanding into scripture. And so I know

some of this stuff is like kind of out there a little bit, but it's very important. We understand

what happened here. They both had free will. They both could have had faith. They both could have

rejected a real choice. No one was determined. No one was pre-wired by God to be a certain way.

But listen, God did know which one would love him. He did know which one would follow him.

And so God said, the line of my people is going to move through Abraham, ask Ishmael, pass over Ishmael.

It's going to go to Isaac, through Isaac, who ended up having faith and knowing the Lord. It's

going to pass by Esau and it's going to go through Jacob. And God just gets to do this because he's

God. He's God. And we are not. The whole point of this is to show that it is through faith that

every person is saved, not their history and not their genealogy. Now, a final note about the words

in verse 13, which have, you know, really messed people up for a long time. Jacob, I have loved Esau.

I've hated does not mean that God hated Esau. That is not an understanding. It's just, it's just us

not understanding the way that they speak in Hebrew. It's very clear that God loved Esau very

much. And you can read all about that, but it's talking about the choosing of the line of God's

people. It would be the same as saying, Jacob, I have chosen and Esau, I have rejected Jacob.

I have brought my line through. He's the one I chose to bring the line through Esau.

Has been rejected to have the line come through him. Jacob's faith is the example as Isaac's was

as Abraham's was before him. It has nothing to do with God hating Esau. He, he loved Esau. Very,

very clear. Now someone might say, well, that doesn't really seem fair. Why would God choose

Jacob over Esau? Or why would God choose Isaac over Ishmael? And again, I remind you, this is

not about God choosing them to, to love them or not love them. He loved Ishmael as well. It's not

God choosing who will be saved and who won't be saved. It's not about God choosing who will be

saved and who won't be saved. It doesn't say that. It's all about the example that God chose to set

before the world of whose example to follow. But the question is still asked, is it fair for God

to do it? That's the question of verse 14. Paul answers it now. Look what it says. What shall we

say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not. Please hear this. It is impossible

for God to do wrong. He cannot, he cannot do wrong. He literally cannot do what is unfair

what is evil, what is ungodly. He cannot even do less than the best of what it's supposed to be.

This is why Paul asks the question and then answers it with the strongest refusal

in the Greek language. Paul says, certainly not. It literally is perish the thought that God has

done wrong. Hear this. Anytime we think that God is doing wrong, we are wrong. Anytime we think

that God is getting it wrong, we're getting it wrong. Anytime we think that God is misleading

or mistaken, we are mistaken, right? We are not God. We don't see God has never done anything

wrong. Not ever. We are the ones who do not understand. Now, listen, I preach this to myself

as much as to anybody else. There are so many times I want a particular outcome. I want it to

be this way. I don't want this to happen. And I think it would be better if that did not happen.

And I reveal how foolish I am. I do not see.

I do not know. I do not understand. And you may be wrestling today. You may be here. You're like,

I'm literally mad at God because of what he has allowed, because of what has happened,

because of what he is. He is clearly allowed to happen that he could have stopped. You're not God.

You're not him. You don't see correctly. Neither do I. We are not him. We are not God. He knows

what's best. He cannot do wrong. He always does what is best. He cannot do otherwise. So he shows

in verse 15, as we fast forward to Moses now and Pharaoh, look at this for, he says to Moses,

I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy. And I will have compassion on whomever I will

have compassion. Okay. This is something of a reset for us as people. Here's the reset. God

can do whatever he wants to do. And he does not need my approval. He doesn't, it doesn't matter

if we think it's good or if we think it's not good. It doesn't matter if we think it's good or if we

think it's not good or if we think it's right, or if we think it's wrong or whatever, let me say it

even stronger. How we feel about anything he does means nothing. Now, does he want you on board

with faith? Yes, he does. But what we think about that thing means nothing. God is in charge. He is

over all. He loves us. He does not just do these things and tell us to deal with it. He helps us

in all of it, but understand he does not need our approval.

To do what he does. We as people so often put ourselves in the position of God. We think I

don't agree with that, or that's not good, or that's not right. And here's what I would say to

you. Whoa, be careful. Be careful. God cannot do wrong. He cannot be unkind. He cannot be unfair.

He cannot do evil, not ever. He cannot even do the less than the best. So we must be very careful

when we begin to think that God is getting it wrong. Now, verse 15 is a reset. It reminds us

that he is God and we are not. He sees what we do not. Look at verse 15. For he says to Moses,

quoting now from Genesis 33, 19, I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy and I will

have compassion on whomever I will have compassion. The immediate context of this refers to God

choosing Jacob over Esau. And even when Jacob was in our eyes, not worthy of being chosen for

anything other than judgment, God gave him mercy. But also in our lives, it means that God can be

and it reminds me of the parable of the landowner. You remember he went out to hire people to work in

his vineyard at the beginning of the day. He says, I'll pay you, you know, let's say 300 denarii to

go work in my fields today. And he goes at the very last time of the day and he tells them,

whatever is fair, I'll give you the very last hour of the day. I'll give you whatever I think

is fair. And at the end of the whole thing, everybody's lined up to get paid and everybody

got paid the same. And the people at the beginning of the day are like, what are you doing? Why are

you paying the people who only worked an hour the same as us who've worked all day long? And what

was God's response to that? I can be merciful to whomever I want to be merciful. I can be gracious

to whomever I want to be gracious, right? And so the person who hates you, cannot God be gracious

to them if he so chooses? Can he not save them and be kind to them if he wants to? People we think

should be judged forever, condemned, destroyed by God. God says, I will be gracious to whomever I

decide to be gracious to. Jonah learned that lesson, didn't he? When he sat there wishing for

Nineveh to be destroyed and God basically rescued all of Nineveh. People we think should be judged

forever. God says, I will be gracious to them. And they are sitting here today. And one of them

is speaking to you right now, right? People who deserved judgment, but God gave grace because he

is gracious. And we ask why, why would God do this? And the answer is, we have no idea. It's just

to. He is good. And he always does what is good and right. And he does it because he decides to

look at this for 16. So then it is not of him who wills or nor of him who runs, but of God who shows

mercy. So the entire teaching of the new Testament is that salvation is not by work.

It is not by effort. It is by faith, simple faith, and not by works. Lest anyone should brag.

This means that salvation is of the Lord. He shows mercy. And then we respond

with repentance of our sin and belief in his work. That is how we are saved. Now, again,

does this mean he only shows mercy to some and they are saved and he does not show mercy to

others and they are not safe? No. Revelation 22, 17 says what the entire Bible says,

whoever desires, let him take of the water of life freely. Any person who wants to be saved

can be. So not only does this not mean that, that some can't be saved, it's the opposite. This is God

showing mercy to all people. If they will turn, listen, if God didn't show mercy, no one would be

saved. That's the point of the passage, right? That makes sense, right? If a judge is determined

not to show mercy, it really doesn't matter how much the person apologizes and wants mercy and

says that they're sorry and begs for it. If the judge is determined, it ain't happening, right?

They're going to receive judgment in the same way. If God had determined not to show mercy to any of

us, it wouldn't matter if we wanted salvation. If we wanted to be forgiven, it wouldn't matter how

much we said, please forgive me. We wouldn't be saved. We couldn't be saved if he had determined

not to show mercy, but he has determined to, and he shows mercy on whom he wants to. Now, Paul gives

a very shocking illustration in verse 17 and 18, and it's all about the Pharaoh of Egypt in the days

of the plagues with Moses. And this is to show that God can and will do whatever he wants. So verse 17,

scripture says to the Pharaoh, for this purpose, I have raised you up that I may show my power in

you and that my name may be declared in all the earth. The Pharaoh that refused to let my people

go, he was allowed by God to be in the spot that he was in as the Pharaoh of Egypt. He was allowed

by God to be in that spot at the time he was in it for a reason. What was that reason? Well, we are

actually God and who is not the Egyptian Pharaohs. They were believed to be the incarnation of the

gods. That's what the Pharaoh was. He was the incarnation of the gods in their day. And so God

allowed this man to be the Pharaoh, knowing this man would resist the Lord God. And in turn, God

would overrule his rebellion at this tiny man who thought he was in power, who thought he was an

untouchable, could do anything he wanted. Do you realize the 10 plagues are literally God

dismantling every God they trusted in every single one of the plagues was God showing he had complete

and total authority and control over every single one of the gods. They thought they controlled

everything. He dismantled the whole thing. And then he dismantled the Pharaoh himself.

God was showing who was God. And notice, did, did God create the stubbornness in Pharaoh?

As in, did God, as some people say, create Pharaoh as, as Pharaoh and put stubbornness in his heart.

So the Pharaoh had no choice, but to rebel against God. No, definitively. No Pharaoh had real choice.

As we've been saying, very important to understand this. He was acting in accordance with his own

will as he rebelled against God and would not let the people go. And again, God knew this would be

his response. And so he allowed Pharaoh to be Pharaoh and to exercise his free will,

and the point I'm making to you is that Pharaoh did not have to rebel. It's very important for

what we're about to read. Pharaoh did not have to rebel. Judas did not have to betray the Lord.

Adam did not have to eat the fruit and on and on we go. But in the case of Pharaoh,

please hear this. God confirmed Pharaoh's decisions. What do I mean? We are told over and over

that when God's word came to Pharaoh, do you remember this?

To let his people go. We are told over and over that he hardened his heart towards God and refused.

In fact, we're told 15 times in those eight chapters, we are told that Pharaoh hardened his

heart before the Lord. He was determined to refuse God. And so we begin to read after Pharaoh begins

to harden his heart. We begin to read that God confirms that and hardens Pharaoh's heart further.

So, so the Lord gave Pharaoh the

desires of his heart. And as Pharaoh began to harden, God would confirm it and harden

Pharaoh's heart. And so we've said it this way. The same sun that melts ice hardens clay. And

that still applies today. To refuse the Lord today is to choose to harden your heart towards him.

I genuinely believe this. Anytime we take in God's word, it's very, very dangerous for us.

It can be very beneficial, but also very, very dangerous for us. Anytime we take in God's word

and we do not apply it,

our hearts are hardened towards truth. And I don't know how far, but our hearts are hardened

towards truth. And there's many warnings about this, but listen, the Lord cannot do wrong. And

so he did not do wrong in hardening Pharaoh's heart. He only gave him what he wanted. He confirmed

his decision. And so verse 18 tells us this. He confirmed the Lord, uh, Pharaoh's decision verse

18. Therefore he has mercy on whom he wills and whom he wills. He hardens. Well, all of this leads

to an objection in verse 19.

Paul says, so you will say to me then, okay, why does he still find fault for who has resisted his

will? Here are the reasoning. If God does whatever he wants and he used Pharaoh for God's purposes.

And if every believer is an example of the goodness of God and the wickedness of man,

and it only proves God's point, then why does God find fault with us at all? Aren't we just serving

him in all of his purposes? That's crazy. No, the answer.

The answer to who has resisted his will is this many, many, many, many people have resisted his

will for his will is that every person would turn to him in repentance of their sin. That is what

God wants. His will is that no one would perish, but that all would be saved forever. And yet most

reject his will and refuse him. So Paul says in verse 20, but indeed,

oh man, who are you? I don't like that. The Bible says this. Who are you? Who do you think you are?

To reply against God. Will the thing that's formed say to the one that formed it? Why have you made

me like this? Now I can confirm. I have never had a piece of pottery. Look up at me and be like,

what are you doing, buddy? Why'd you make me like this? It's never done that, but that's as silly

as this is. I don't want to be this. I don't want to go through this. I don't want my marriage to be

like this. I don't want this illness. I don't want this thing in life. I don't want, why,

I know what's better. I don't want this. Why have you done this? Verse 21. Does not the potter

have power over the clay from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?

The idea is honor. They're being something that is used in fine dining. And then dishonor is

something that is used in like normal life, right? If you come to my house, you will find

no fine dining. Okay. I had four children. Okay. Everything is utility. Nothing matches, right? It's

over the place, right? Cause it's utility, right? So that's the idea. Paul's point here. Again,

God is God and we are not. And it's very important that we understand he is not talking about

salvation here. When Paul says that God can create from the same lump of clay, one vessel for,

for, you know, precious things in one vessel for just common, normal use.

It's just the picture of different used pottery, right? Different pieces, different,

different usage. And the point here is God can allow a person to be in places,

in positions like Pharaoh or like a president, right? Or like a, you know, a CEO or something,

someone with a lot of influence, or he can have people in spots that are not as influential.

God can do anything he wants. And through all of it, he shows his power in some way through them

either catch this through their submission to him. And we go, man, a guy like Charlie Kirk

used by the Lord in submission. What a, what a wonderful thing. What a blessing the Pharaoh

of Egypt in continual rebellion against God. And in both cases, God's glory comes forward,

right? We don't exalt Charlie. We exalt the Lord, his work and who God is. And so in the case of the

Pharaoh of Egypt, he was allowed by God to be in the position that he was in so that God could show

his power through him, through his defiance to God. God allowed him to be the Pharaoh of Egypt.

Daniel chapter two, verse 21 says that it is God who changes the times and seasons and removes kings

and raises them up. So you go, well, why have we had various people through history? Did God allow

these things? God, God allowed these things to happen. You say, well, I don't think that's right.

Well, you're not God. Neither am I. Well, these things that happened in my life, I don't think

they're right. Okay. So listen, I'm in the same boat as you. I don't want these things. I don't

want the things I'm dealing with right now. I don't want them, but I also don't know what's best.

Only God does. And so it really doesn't matter whether God has my approval or not. He's going to

need to do what is right and what is best. And it's our job to say, Lord, I trust you. It's my

job to say, Lord, I don't understand. And I wouldn't choose this. And I don't want this,

but I trust you. And I know that you know what's best and what's right. And so even though Pharaoh

would rebel against God, he would be used for God's purposes to show the world who is actually God,

the gods of Egypt or the true and living God. Now, finally, we come to the end here. Paul gives a

what God could do if he wanted. Look at this verse 22. What if God wanting to show his wrath

and make his power known? What if he endured with much long suffering vessels of wrath that were

prepared for destruction so that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of

mercy, which he had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom he called not of the Jews only,

but also the Gentiles. I wish we had time to just carefully unpack all this. We don't.

Few things to notice. Number one, the point of this verse is to show

again, God is God. He can do what he wants. Number two, the verses are also a reminder that God is

always good and right. He cannot do evil. So we read he endures with much long suffering. He,

the unrighteous and what they do. He does not want people to perish. He desires all to be saved.

These verses also three, they remind us that it is the person themselves that prepare themselves

very important for destruction or judgment in Greek vessels of wrath prepared for destruction

is in the middle voice.

And what it means is they prepare themselves for destruction. God is not preparing them

for destruction through their rebellion to God and their rejection of the savior that God has

provided. They are preparing themselves. And so this does not mean that some people have been

predestined for destruction. As people teach, it does not mean that a person has no free will to

choose. As some people teach, it means that God knows who will and who will not. And that those

who will not, they were not prepared for destruction. And so this does not mean that God

pre-made to reject him. They had a real choice. God knows what their ultimate choice will be

because he knows all. And so they have prepared themselves for destruction. Also, the vessels of

mercy are those who know and love him. That's you and I. And of us, we are told that he prepares us.

It's active, not middle, which means God prepares you for glory. So the unsaved person is preparing

themselves for destruction, but God is preparing you for glory. What a blessing. And it is in our

lives that he desires to make us. And so this does not mean that God prepares us for destruction.

Make known the riches of his glory, his amazing power and goodness through everything and anything

that happens to us. He works all things together for good to those who love him. Now, before we

close, I just want to show you that you and I who know and love him, we are in the Bible. We are

prophesied about in the book of Isaiah or excuse me, Hosea. Look what it says. Verse 25, as he also

says in Hosea, here you are. I will call them my people who were not my people and her beloved who

was not beloved. So this is referring to the generation of God. And so this is referring to the

nations who were not the chosen people of God, but became the chosen people of God, not replacing

Israel. We'll see that next week, but being added to the true people of God. Verse 26. And it shall

come to pass in the place where it was said to them, you are not my people there. They shall be

called sons of the living God. So this is you and I who know and love him and trust him. Hear this.

You are his beloved. It says there, you are a true member of his family. You are his children

who have turned to him in belief. And so I'd ask you today, who is God? Is it you? Do you know that

it's not you? Is it him? Can you just say that you are God? I am not. I don't understand. I don't get

it. I don't, I don't know why I got to keep dealing with these things, but I trust you. You are God.

I trust you. I don't know, but I know you do. So I trust you. We're all in the same spot.

Second question is, are you saved? Are you lost? If lost, you can turn to him in repentance today

of sin and in belief. It is your choice. Are you like that piece of clay that resists him,

refuses him, or will you yield to him today? That's the choice. Let's pray together. Lord,

we love you. We thank you that you love us. We thank you for your word. And Lord,

though this is something of a difficult passage, we thank you, Lord, for your word and the clarity

with which, Lord, you speak. And I pray today that you would continue to speak. And if it's you

today that the Lord is trying to get hold of, maybe you've been saying, I don't agree, God. I

don't, I wouldn't do that. You shouldn't do that. This would be the moment to repent and to surrender

to God, who is God. And if you've not turned to him, turn to him now. You have a free will.

You have a choice. You can submit to him and he will save you, or you can resist him and refuse

him. And you'll have to do that every day, but you will be lost. So turn to him and refuse him.

Turn to him now because he does not want anyone to perish. Turn to him now. He's listening to you.

Just talk to him in the quietness of your heart. Admit your need. We thank you, Lord. We love you.

It's in Jesus' name I pray. Amen.