Romans 9 (Joel and Mike)
- Teaching 11.30.10
- Paul is very sad when he is writing this
- It is because his Jewish brothers are not with him
- He is writing this to his Jewish brothers
- The Roman Church was split
- Jews and Gentiles
- We have this new Messiah movement
- We are all one nation
- Galatians 3:28
- “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
- Living in unity
- Paul is trying to tell his brothers to stop being all high and mighty
- The Jews are pushing the Gentiles away
- For the first time in history, the Jews and Gentiles were getting together
- So crazy!
- God planned for this unity between the Gentiles and Jews
- Romans 9:1-2
- “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart.”
- Paul is so sad and is being super emotional
- He is talking to his old Jewish buddies
- He is wondering why his Jewish buddies are turning away from Jesus’ sacrifice
- Paul really cares about his brothers and does not want to be in heaven without them
- “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart.”
- Romans 9:3
- “For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,”
- Accursed = damned
- Paul is saying that he would rather go to hell than be in heaven without his brothers
- “For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,”
- Romans 9:4-5
- “Who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.”
- Many of Paul’s buddies do not believe in the Messiah
- Did God mess up?
- The Jews do not buy into Jesus being the Messiah
- “Who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.”
- Romans 9:6-9
- “But it is not as though the word of God has failed For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: ‘THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.’ That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. For this is the word of promise: ‘AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON.’”
- Abraham had a wife named Sarah and she could not have kids
- God promised Abraham that he would have a son
- Abraham did not follow God and had a child with Sarah’s hand maiden
- But Abraham went back to God
- Finally Abraham and Sarah (both close to 100 years-old) had a son, Isaac
- “But it is not as though the word of God has failed For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: ‘THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.’ That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. For this is the word of promise: ‘AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON.’”
- Romans 9:10
- “And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac;”
- Isaac’s wife Rebekah had 2 sons
- “And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac;”
- Romans 9:11-13
- “for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, ‘THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.’ Just as it is written, ’JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.’”
- God hates Esau???
- God cannot possibly hate a baby
- God is sovereign? He chooses who he loves and hates?
- What?!
- Does this mean that God already planned for who goes to heaven and who does not?
- There are 2 nations inside of one womb
- Not talking about the boys!
- Esau and Jacob are leaders of two separate nations
- Esau’s nation with serve Jacob’s nation
- Jacob’s side becomes the Jews
- God favored the Jewish people
- So not God saying who he hated and loved…
- Hate and love are 2 Hebrew idioms
- Idiom: “It is raining cats and dogs”
- Hate and love are 2 Hebrew idioms
- Probably one of the most misinterpreted chapters in Romans
- God is deciding to use some people for his eternal plan
- God DID NOT fail!
- This is offered by faith
- Jesus is knocking on your heart and wants to have a relationship with you
- God is asking you…
- Will you trust me?
- Will you have faith in me?
- God hates Esau???
- “for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, ‘THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.’ Just as it is written, ’JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.’”
- Romans 9:14-18
- “What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! 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 does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.’ So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”
- This is saying yes God is fair
- He chose Moses to lead His people out of Egypt
- He hardens who He desires?
- Pharaoh had no choice?
- The Pharaoh was not a nice man
- God sent the 10 plagues and the first plague was turning the river into blood
- Pharaoh did not notice this
- 8 more times Pharaoh says that the people can go, but changes his mind
- Finally after the last plague Pharaoh let God’s people go
- When Moses opened up the Red Sea, this is the story that this passage talks about
- Hardened means to strengthen
- So God gave Pharaoh the courage to try to finish what he started
- With Moses, God will have mercy
- This talks about when Moses was on the mountain getting the 10 Commandments
- Moses wanted to see God, but he would die is he saw God
- You cannot possibly declare that God is unfair
- How is this unfair?
- You cannot approach God on the basis of justice/fairness
- God gives mercy to whomever He wants
- “What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! 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 does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.’ So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”
- Romans 9:19-21
- “You will say to me then, ‘Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?’ On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, ‘Why did you make me like this,’ will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?”
- Talking about Job
- God can make you into anything He wants?
- God’s point is that He can do whatever he wants with the nations
- God is not working predominantly through the nations, but also the church
- “You will say to me then, ‘Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?’ On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, ‘Why did you make me like this,’ will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?”
- Romans 9:30-32
- “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,”
- What is this stumbling stone?
- Jesus
- Paul’s point is…
- It does not matter what country you are from…
- It does not matter what family you are from…
- Will you have faith in God?
- Do you truly love God?
- What is this stumbling stone?
- “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,”
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