God's Soveriegn Plan
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
Today, we come to a pivotal passage. You could outline the book like this:
Romans 1-8 emphasize “Faith.”
Romans 9-11 emphasize “Hope.”
And Romans 12-16 emphasize “Love.”
So here in our passage today, we are going to see Paul pivot—or transition to talking about hope. And for Paul, his hope was that his people, Israel, would come to know their Messiah, Jesus!
Anguish for Lost Israel
Anguish for Lost Israel
Paul just finished emphasizing there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:39).
Yet, Paul has a deep longing to see the lost of Israel come to know their Messiah. So here in verse 1, he begins to reveal the depth of his anguish over Israel.
I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
Paul begins by assuring his reader that what he is about to tell them is “TRUE in Christ” (v. 1a).
And he even shows that he is not lying to himself—because the Holy Spirit (living in him) assures him of this truth (v. 1b).
Then Paul says he as great sorrow—unceasing anguish, or unceasing grief—in his heart (v. 2).
So what is Paul’s message? Look at verse 3.
For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
Paul says he would sacrifice his own relationship with Jesus (be cursed and cut off from Christ) in order to see the people of Israel come to know Jesus as their Messiah (v 3).
QUESTION: Would you say the same thing about any of the lost people around you? Is there any lost person that you would say you’d be willing to sacrifice your relationship with Jesus if they would come to know Him as their personal Savior?
Paul desires for “his people” to experience the glory that God originally gave them. After all look at the list of things that God gave to Israel (vv. 3-5):
Adoption as children of God.
Diving glory.
The covenants.
The Law of God.
The temple—and temple worship.
The promise of the coming Messiah.
The Patriarchs.
And the Messiah would be from their ancestry!
Since many in Israel have failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, does that mean that God failed (v. 5)? Look at verse 6.
Sovereign Choices
Sovereign Choices
It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.
The answer is “No, God did not fail.” (v. 6a)
Paul reminds the reader that not every descendant of Israel are counted as Israel (v. 6b).
Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”
Paul is going to argue that just because you trace your linage back to Abraham does not automatically make you part of Israel (v. 7a).
God emphasizes that by God’s desire, He chose Isaac to be the chosen line (7b). This rules out Ishmael and his line.
In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.
Now Paul is going to make his thinking plain—it isn’t only Isaac’s physical descendents who are God’s children (v. 8).
For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”
The angel told Abraham that Sarah will have a son by the time the messenger returned.
Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac.
Then we are reminded that Isaac had two sons at the same time—Jacob & Esau.
Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand:
Yet, before either of the twins did anything good or bad—God’s election was already underway!
not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”
So it is not by what we do but by God who calls us.
In this case, the older served the younger—Esau served Jacob.
Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
Paul loosely quotes Malachi 1:2-3—reminding that God made a choice and the choice was God’s choice—Jacob I have loved, but Esau He hated!
The big question:
QUESTION: Is God unfair?
This is the question of verse 14.
What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all!
Once again, Paul ask (and answers) a rhetorical question—Should we think that God is unjust?
The answer—Not at all!
For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
Paul reinforces the idea that God is not unjust—simply because he is God!
Paul quotes from Exodus 33:19—where God announces that He can have mercy on whoever He wants, and He can have compassion on whoever He wants! It’s up to Him!
To further express this point, look at verse 16.
It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.
No one does anything to get God’s approval! It’s ALL about God!
And again, Paul is going to illustrate this point in verse 17.
For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
Paul again goes to the Scriptures—specifically, Exodus 9:16.
God says He elevated Pharaoh so He could display His power, and so His name might be proclaimed in all the earth!
God is all about being proclaimed through all the earth!
Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
Because God wants to be proclaimed through all the earth—He can have mercy on whomever He wants to have mercy.
And He can harden whomever He wants to harden!
Have you noticed something throughout this entire passage? It is ALL about God!
—God’s choices!
—God’s plan!
—God’s calling!
If it is truly all about God, Paul anticipates some people’s logical conclusion. The logical conclusion is—it’s not my fault!
One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?”
So Paul has two rhetorical questions for us:
—What does God blame us?
—For who is able to resist His will?
While these are logical questions they actually miss the mark.
But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ ”
Here’s the third rhetorical question—Who are we to talk back to God?
He expounds on this question by quoting from Isaiah—Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, “Why did you make me this way?”
Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?
Paul continues to expound on this idea.
The bottom line is that the potter can make anything he wants to make out of lump of clay!
The potter can make two very different things out of the same lump of clay:
—He can make pottery for special purposes. Some special or beautiful.
—And he can make pottery for common purpose. While making something of common—not special or just common use.
Now we get a couple of more rhetorical questions.
What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction?
Couldn’t God show His wrath to make his power known?
While at the same time extend great patience with those same people who are the objects of His wrath?
What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—
What if God did this to make the riches of His glory known to the objects of his mercy.
After all He prepared all of this in advance for His glory!
even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?
It is God who called some of the Jews to himself.
And it is God who called some of the Gentiles to Himself.
As he says in Hosea: “I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people; and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”
Now a quote from Hosea
I will call them my people—who don’t appear to be God’s people.
And I will call them “my loved one” who shouldn’t be my loved one.
and, “In the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ ”
Another Hosea quote
God told them, even though you are not my people you will be called ‘children of the living God.’
Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved.
Now a quote from Isaiah
Isaiah cries out to Israel
Even though the number of Israelites will be like the sands of the sea.
Only the remnant will be saved!
For the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality.”
For the Lord will carry out the sentence He deems right.
And He will carry it out with speed, and with finality!
It is just as Isaiah said previously: “Unless the Lord Almighty had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.”
Unless the Lord had tempered His response to Israel
They would have become like Sodom and Gomorrah.
So What?
So What?
We need to develop an anguish for those who do not know Jesus!
It is all about God and His plan!
God will have mercy and compassion on whomever He wants!
Because God has the “right” to do whatever He wants to do with His creation.
This right that God has includes both believers and non-believers alike.
The honest truth is—the created being cannot argue with the creator!
The recurring theme of this passage is that it is all about God!
—God’s Choices!
—God’s Plan!
—God’s Calling!