Transcript romans-9x - Thurmans.com

The expansion of spiritual Israel
ROMANS 9
Paul’s concern over the Jews
 Romans 9:1-5 NKJV
 (1) I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also
bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,
 (2) that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart.
 (3) For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my
brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh,
 (4) who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the
covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises;
 (5) of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh,
Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
Paul’s concern over the Jews
 Paul was saddened to the depths of his Spirit
over the spiritual condition of “his family”
 How do you feel when a relative you love
rejects the gospel or is deceived out of their
understanding?
 He recognized the calling of the Jews and
their special place in God’s heart – from out of
them came Christ himself!
Children of the promise
 Romans 9:6-13 NKJV
 (6) But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they
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are not all Israel who are of Israel,
(7) nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham;
but, "IN ISAAC YOUR SEED SHALL BE CALLED."
(8) That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the
children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the
seed.
(9) For this is the word of promise: "AT THIS TIME I WILL COME AND
SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON."
(10) And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one
man, even by our father Isaac
(11) (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or
evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of
works but of Him who calls),
(12) it was said to her, "THE OLDER SHALL SERVE THE
YOUNGER."
(13) As it is written, "JACOB I HAVE LOVED, BUT ESAU I HAVE
HATED."
Children of the promise
 Are the promises nullified by God’s rejection
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of unbelieving Jews?
No! “they are not all Israel who are “of”
Israel”, and Patriarchal descendancy is not
enough either.
Isaac, but not Ishmael, was a child of promise
– the promised child
Jacob was transformed by God, but Esau was
not. Why?
Does election validate reprobation?
The olive tree
Olive Trees are now endangered
throughout the world, and in places
like Cyprus, where they once grew
like grass they are vanishing at an
alarming rate, but when they are
healthy (as the Greek tree on the
right) they are at once art, beauty,
provision, stability, protection and
wealth
Olive Trees (as seen on
left in Gethsemane) can
live for many thousands
of years, and do not
form rings - ageless
Children of the promise
 Through spiritual grafting, WE are children of
Abraham!
 We DO NOT REPLACE THE JEWS, but rather we
have been granted the grace to easily find the truth
rejected by the Jews so that we may SHARE in their
promises as grafted branches.
 “The older shall serve the younger” – shows
foreknowledge
 “.. But Esau have I hated.” – same applies
 Though God foreknew Jacob to be one that would
love him, this did not somehow curse Esau to
reprobation, but rather as God can see past time he
can speak about the future as if it has already
happened – he is not constrained by our notions
Is God unjust?
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Romans 9:14-24 NKJV
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(14) What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not!
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(15) 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."
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(16) So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
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(17) For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, "FOR THIS VERY 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."
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(18) Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.
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(19) You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?"
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(20) But indeed, O 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?"
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(21) Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel
for honor and another for dishonor?
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(22) What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with
much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
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(23) and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which
He had prepared beforehand for glory,
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(24) even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
Is God unjust?
 (14) God is always just!
 (15) God does not need to “make a deal”, he is in
the position to tell us “this is the deal”
 Mercy is not owed to us, and God is not bound to give
it, other than He has seen fit to promise it, according
to his plan
 (16) Nothing we can do (will or run) will allow us
to take or earn this gift, it is God’s alone to give
 (17) Pharaoh had a hard heart and so God raised
him to the pinnacle of leadership to make him an
example – we WILL all bring glory to God
Is God unjust?
 (18) It is God’s sovereign right to choose from
wicked men, whom we wills, and to have
mercy on them so that we may find him, and
it is also his will to harden the heart of those
he rejects so that their condemnation might
be even more the clear example of justice
 (19-20) Shall we question God?
 Job 38 suggests this is a poor choice
 Paul points out that the created should be wary of
questioning the purposes of the creator –
especially in light of grace
Is God unjust?
 (21) Isn’t it God’s right to choose how to dispense
unearned gifts?
 (22) Have we not all deserved destruction? Have
we not been given ample time to accept grace?
Doesn’t this show God’s power that he has given
so much forbearance in the sight of so much sin?
Will his righteous wrath not be seen clearly when
the judgment comes?
 (23-24) Those He chooses (or calls) to give grace
to are prepared for their eventual purpose as the
potter prepares the pot or vessel regardless of
their physical lineage – it is the condition of the
spirit that requires the efforts of His hand. Will
not Yahweh’s glory be shown rich when the
undeserving have been made righteous?
His sovereignty fulfilled
 Romans 9:25-29 NKJV
 (25) As He says also in Hosea: "I WILL CALL THEM MY PEOPLE,
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WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, AND HER BELOVED, WHO WAS
NOT BELOVED."
(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."
(27) 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.
(28) FOR HE WILL FINISH THE WORK AND CUT IT SHORT IN
RIGHTEOUSNESS, BECAUSE THE LORD WILL MAKE A SHORT
WORK UPON THE EARTH."
(29) And as Isaiah said before: "UNLESS THE LORD OF
SABAOTH HAD LEFT US A SEED, WE WOULD HAVE BECOME
LIKE SODOM, AND WE WOULD HAVE BEEN MADE LIKE
GOMORRAH."
His sovereignty fulfilled
 God foretold through Hosea and through
Isaiah that Yahweh’s divine grace would be
extended to the Gentiles and that “the
children of Israel” would offer up only a
remnant when the day of the Lord comes.
 As we established earlier, WE are among “the
children of Israel”
 How fearful should it be for us that among
professing Christians only a remnant will be
saved… Why? (True convert vs. False)
The stumbling block of Zion
 Romans 9:30-33 NKJV
 (30) What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did
not pursue righteousness, have attained to
righteousness, even the righteousness of faith;
 (31) but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness,
has not attained to the law of righteousness.
 (32) 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.
 (33) As it is written: "BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A
STUMBLING STONE AND ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND
WHOEVER BELIEVES ON HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO
SHAME."
The stumbling block of Zion
 (30-33) Paul asks a question followed by a two
part statement and then explains it and
credentials it with scripture
 (30) Well? Gentiles who didn’t seek
righteousness (they knew neither the law nor
their guilt) found it through faith
 (31) Israel (as we have learned throughout
Romans) was on a dead end street – no man
can fulfill the law except Christ
The stumbling block of Zion
 (32) Why? The law, the Talmud, the traditions,
the works… without faith… were dead. They did
not humble themselves before the messiah of
grace, but rather proudly desired to earn a
favored status through their works – which God
measures as coming up short.
 Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God”
 (33) Christ was the stumbling block, but anyone
who truly and fully believes in Him and lives a life
that is truly full of Him will never be put to shame