Sermon Tone Analysis

For those of you who have been here at Fellowship for an extended period of time, you know that we are intentional about studying God’s Word and applying it in practical ways.

We strive to be theologically biblical.

We are not content with simply believing things because they are comfortable or traditional, but we are commited to basing what we believe on truth that is biblical.

And what we believe dictates how we behave.

In other words, if God is real, and the Bible is true, then that ought to be changing us.

Now, sometimes we come to passages that make us uncomfortable, or perhaps they require more faith to swallow.

These types of passages are often misquoted or misunderstood, and therefore are set aside or steered clear of.

These passages, when not understood in the immediate context of the chapter and book it is in, and not viewed with the broader context of all of scripture in mind, can cause and has caused great division and schism within the church.

And frankly, the passage we are in today is not exempt.

The beauty of expository (verse by verse) teaching through whole books of the bible is that you can’t skip the hard stuff.

And although there is a time and place for topical studies, the meat of the word is found when you walk strategically through the bible line by line.

Now, in our journey in Romans, we have learned some incredible truths.

In Romans 1-3 we saw Paul’s proclamation of the Gospel and how we are created by God and have broken His law.

Our nature is inherently sinful and in turn at enmity with Him.

The picture painted in the first 3 chapters of Romans is that all of humanity is hopeless in their own efforts to be made right with a holy God.

Then in Romans 4-5 we learned of How God provided righteousness through the Gospel.

Although we are inherently hopeless in our sinful nature, God provided a way to be made right with Him through the perfect life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Also in Romans 6-8 we saw the Power of God’s righteousness in the Gospel, as the indwelling Spirit now enables a different kind of life.

No longer are we bound to live under the deceitful kingship of our old master of sin, but now have everything provided to us to live under the authority of Christ.

And as Paul finishes up chapter 8 that we studied four weeks ago, the love of God toward those who are His is everlasting.

In fact, Paul concludes in vv.

38-39 with some incredible promises:

We affirmed together that the final verses of Romans 8 taught us that:

I don’t deserve to be in God’s care, but He loves me, and nothing can change that!

This is a big claim by Paul, that there is nothing that can change the love that God has for His own.

There is no supernatural power too strong, no earthly ruler too great, no created thing too high or too deep that can thwart God’s plan of His gracious love.

And we walk away from chapter 8 thinking wow!

What a great God we have.

I don’t deserve to be in His care, but He loves me, and nothing can change that!

WOW!

But then we come to chapter 9, and Paul answers a question that is on the minds of his readers that solidifies chapter 8.

This week I listened to a well educated and articulate apologist who tried to give insight into this passage on a podcast who gave some helpful points and perspective on the passage, but one area that lacked was his approach to the misplacement of Romans 9-11.

You see we finish chapter 8 on a high of God’s love, and this apologist’s argument was that before Paul get’s right into the followup of this great spiritual truth of chapter eight in chapter 12, that Paul now takes a break and wants to talk about something else.

In essence, what he implied was that there is a disconnection somehow in what Paul is writing.

But I would argue that is not the case at all.

Paul is not taking a break and shifting gears to get in another side point to the Romans.

What Paul is intending to do is build on chapter 8.

So as we walk through these three chapters over the next five weeks, let me encourage you to commit to being here to hear the whole picture Paul is painting, and to consider the whole context of what Paul is teaching.

And if you have to miss for work or some other pre-determined reason, that you would hop on youtube and watch the recorded service.

So Paul is continuing His theme that:

Romans is all about the righteousness of God, extended to the unrighteous through faith in the Gospel.

And as Paul has been building this point, Romans 9-11 is not a little detour away from this truth, but a freeway to it.

Now as Erin read just a few moments ago, this passage we are in today is lengthy.

And although we could break this passage into 3 or more sermons, we will do our best to outline Paul’s intentional point in one today.

But before we dig into this passionate passage of Paul, I want to preface it with a helpful illustration.

You see we come to Romans 9 and other passages like Ephesians 1, 1 Peter 1, James 2 and 2 Timothy 1 and we learn of the sovereignty of God.

And when you think of the sovereignty of God, it is helpful to think of God being God - that God works independently according to His own will.

A biblical understanding of God’s Sovereignty is that God is allowed to be God.

He is infinitely more wise than we are, and works out His ultimate will regardless of anything else.

And as we dive into chapter 9 here in a moment, we will see this.

However, in chapter 10 and 11 we will see the complimenting truth of human responsibility.

Although God is God, and we are not, he genuinely calls sinners to repentance and faith and holds them accountable to how they respond.

A helpful illustration of these parallel truths is one of a railroad track.

Although it seems like at a point in the future these two parallel points intersect and conflict, our perspective is wrong.

The nature of the two points is that they must extend evenly in harmony for the train to function.

And although we will look at this truth of God’s sovereignty today, remember that this is just one track.

Is God sovereignly in control of all things - absolutely!

Does humanity have genuine responsibility when it comes to what we believe and how we behave - absolutely.

Did God choose me to belong to Him, in spite of me - I would affirm yes, absolutely!

Did I need to genuinely respond to His call - I would equally affirm yes, absolutely.

JI Packer in his book that I reference for further reading at the bottom of your notes page entitled “Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God” talks about these two parallel truth as an antinomy.

He writes,

“An antinomy exists when a pair of principles stand side by side, seemingly irreconcilable yet both undeniable, There are cogent reasons for believing each of them; each rests on clear and solid evidence; but it is a mystery to you how they can be squared with each other.

You see that each must be true on its own, but you do not see how they can be true together.”

J.I. Packer

D. L. Moody illustrated the two truths this way: When we come to the door of salvation, we see the invitation overhead, “Whosoever will may come.”

When we pass through, we look back and see the words “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God” above the door.

With this groundwork in mind, let’s dig into Romans 9.

As Paul continues to build on these promises of God in chapter 8, emphasizing that God can be trusted, we find Paul addressing an implied question about Israel.

If God can be trusted and His plans will never be thwarted, what about Israel?

In reality, God’s original design for Israel was for them to be his people and to proclaim God’s glory to the other nations but they failed.

And not sweeping this reality under the rug, Paul answers it with passion.

Paul says here that the words he mentions are true, and this truth is that he would be willing to be accursed - to suffer eternity apart from God - for his people the Israelites.

It is this group of people who experienced the many blessings of God mentioned there in vv.

4-5.

This group was chosen, brought into God’s family, protected by the Shekinah glory in the wilderness, promised the covenants, recipients of the law and the service opportunities of God, and not only were they brought into covenant relationship with God, they were given promises of protection, peace, and prosperity.

This group had innumerable blessings, including (v. 5) the patriarchs and the lineage of the Messiah.

From this group of people, God chose to work and move and bless.

And Paul passionately acknowledges their failure and subsequent judgment.

And Paul then faces with that serious theological problem in v. 6.

Where he says:

Just because God chose to bless and work through Israel, their failure to live out their purpose does not make God’s plan of no effect.

It was not in vain.

And Paul is going to now highlight how God’s supreme wisdom worked in Israel’s past.

Israel’s failure didn’t thwart God’s plans, in fact (v.6b-13)

Here we see an important truth: God’s is justified in His wise choice of heirs.

Paul builds a case that genealogy doesn’t equal a right standing before God.

The family these people were born into didn’t equal being part of God’s chosen children.

Paul illustrates this with the descendents of the patriarchs.

For example (vv.

6b-9)

In His supreme wisdom, God chose Isaac, not Ishmael, to bear His name.

Also, in (vv.

10-13)

In God’s supreme wisdom, Jacob was elected as the heir of God’s promises and not Esau.

And it’s important to note, that this wise choice of God was in fact contrary to tradition and in spite of works.

This purpose of God according to election (v.

11) was decided before the children were born.

Beyond the cultural understanding of Isaac’s day, and based solely on the purposes of God, Jacob was chosen to be served by Esau.

And we walk away from this countercultural choice learning that God is justified, because He is wise.

Not only do we see God’s supreme wisdom played out in Israel’s past, but also His Sovereign Will.

And Paul answers a question, he knew would be brewing.