Well, good morning.
I think those of you who know that we have been going through the Book of Romans—I am not sure I will live long enough to finish the Book of Romans. But, thank you, I try to.
You know, it started with Pakistan, for those of you who do not know. They asked me to teach on Romans. My idea was to maybe do a chapter at a time, with a broad overview and the main points. That did not work too well for them. They were desirous of more in-depth teaching and asked me to try to get—even though I told them, by the way, that I am not going to do a verse-by-verse study—they said, “We would like it closer to a verse-by-verse study,” whatever that means.
We are behind where they are, but we are entering the second half of the Book of Romans. And we do this once a month, so it would be good to read it every once in a while. Romans is so full. There is so much we need to learn from it. There is so much embedded in the Book of Romans that you do not find in other places.
There is a complete presentation of the gospel of God in Jesus Christ that you cannot find, even in such fullness, in Paul’s other writings.
So, let me read. We will turn to Romans 9. Romans 9 is a big change in the book. I will read verses 1 through 18.
I say the truth in Christ, I lie not,
my conscience bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit,
that I have great grief and unceasing pain in my heart.
For I could wish that I myself were anathema from Christ for my brethren,
my kinsmen according to the flesh:
who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants,
and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
whose are the fathers, and of whom is Christ as concerning the flesh,
who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.But it is not as though the word of God hath come to nought.
For they are not all Israel that are of Israel:
neither, because they are Abraham’s seed, are they all children:
but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
That is, it is not the children of the flesh that are children of God;
but the children of the promise are reckoned for a seed.
For this is a word of promise, According to this season will I come,
and Sarah shall have a son.And not only so; but Rebekah also having conceived by one, even by our father Isaac—
for the children being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad,
that the purpose of God according to election might stand,
not of works, but of Him that calleth—
it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
Even as it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Far be the thought.
For He saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.
So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth,
but of God that hath mercy.
For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, For this very purpose did I raise thee up,
that I might show in thee My power,
and that My name might be published abroad in all the earth.
So then He hath mercy on whom He will, and whom He will He hardeneth.
Let us pray.
Father, we thank You for giving us Your only Son. We are delighted that we could be here this morning, together in Your presence, to share the table and rejoice in the One who is everything—that One whom You gave.
Now, as we turn to Your Word, we are asking that the Holy Spirit would illumine Your Word. We seem to remember when You were in the Book of Luke, after You were raised from the dead and were with Your own disciples, You opened their understanding to understand the Scriptures. Would You do that today?
We know only the Holy Spirit can open what is divine to us. Only the Holy Spirit can give us understanding of words that are spirit and life. And today, we once again bow our hearts and ask You to breathe upon Your Word and make it living, for Your name’s sake. Amen.
Well, I read a phrase in Romans 9:11—pardon me, I do not want to go to Romans 11 yet. I do not think we are there yet. In Romans 9:11, it says—and this phrase is most important when you cover these eighteen verses—that “the purpose of God according to election might abide.”
Now, I like it better in the King James Version. It says, “might stand.” I think that is so clear. So, as we come to these eighteen verses this morning, the title is God’s Purpose According to Election. You will see that very clearly.
As a matter of fact, that is the theme for all three of these chapters: Romans 9, 10, and 11—God’s purpose according to election.
Today, we are going to look at three things:
First, in the first five verses, Paul reveals his deepest emotions. He talks of this great grief, this unabating pain in his heart. We will look, first of all, at the great grief in Paul’s heart. Why did he do that? Why did he so open up? And what does it mean to us in the study of God’s Word?
Second, we want to look at this phrase: God’s purpose according to election stands. Now, that is in verses 6 through 13. That is very important. If you do not understand that singular phrase, you will never understand these three chapters—these three very important chapters in the Book of Romans.
Finally, we will look at something most precious. It says in that last part, from verses 14 through 18, “The God who shows mercy.” Now, you would not be here; I would not be here; none of us would have the joy of knowing the Lord if it were not for the God who shows mercy.
So, this is the burden, and this is the thought. Some people look at these three chapters in Romans as an add-on. It is the best way I know how to explain it to you: an appendix, as a thought that is not as important as the first eight chapters.
Now, the first eight chapters—we have looked at those—they are glorious. But these three chapters, when this book changes, are also very important. I think there are those who say, “Well, I do not usually read Romans 9, 10, and 11. I love to stay in chapters 1 through 8.”
There is a significant change here when we come to Romans 9. Before, we were looking at the mighty works of God in Romans 1 through 8. Remember, our brother Joe read from Psalm 145 about praising His mighty works. His mighty works are mentioned a couple of times.
When we come to this chapter in the Book of Romans and look back over what occurred before, what we see are the mighty works of God. As a matter of fact, you may not know this—you should notice these things when you are studying the Word in depth—the word works is used more in the Book of Romans than in any other book in the New Testament.
It talks about the evil works of man. You remember, we spent quite a bit of time on the ruined condition, because Paul spent almost three chapters on the ruined condition of man. It talks about how no one can be justified by the works of the law. It is impossible.
So many of us try to live the Christian life by rules and think we have done this and it is enough, or we have done right here and that is adequate. But the Word is very clear:
No one shall be justified by the works of the law.
It talks about a righteousness that is given to us, not according to works. That is the great redemption. That is the great rejoicing we have in the Lord. That is being justified—full justification in Christ Jesus.
So, the first eight chapters of the Book of Romans are not really dwelling on man’s works, but upon God’s mighty works. It is the mighty work of the cross—the greatest work ever—where you were rescued from the penalty of sin, which the Bible makes very clear is death.
Once we believe in the Lord Jesus and know Him as Lord and Savior, you will never die. You may go to sleep. I do not mind sleep—when I can sleep. But thank God, we will never die. We are released from the penalty of sin through justification. That is mighty works—incomprehensible mighty works.
Now we have a righteousness by which we are acceptable to God, which we no longer had. Can there be any more mighty works than that? Well, there is sanctification.
You know, if you think you are holy—or, if you think I am holy—ask my wife. Holiness is sanctification. But in these chapters, Romans 1 through 8, we see that God had another great work to do: not only to release us from the penalty of sin, but to free us from the power of sin.
And He does that through sanctification. What a mighty work! God making us holy through the indwelling Holy Spirit and conforming us to the image of the Lord Jesus, so that when we see Him, we will be among the many sons brought to glory.
Finally, the mighty works are glory. Romans 8 deals with glory. How precious it is—glorification. We are not only removed from the penalty of sin and the power of sin, but we are finally removed from the presence of sin. Can you imagine that day when there shall be no more presence of sin? What mighty works!
So this is how, at least, I separate the Book of Romans. You may have a different view, and that is okay. There are many good speakers and authors out there who have wonderful explanations, but this is the way I see it.
Now, when you come to Romans 9, 10, and 11, the emphasis is on something entirely different. It is on the ways of God—not the works of God, but the ways of God. It is where we begin to see not just what God does in His mighty work, but why He does it. This is the secret.
When you read the end of this section, it tells you where I got this from: Romans 11:33–36.
Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past tracing out!
For who hath known the mind of the Lord?
Or who hath been His counsellor?
Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
For of Him, and through Him, and unto Him, are all things.
To Him be the glory for ever. Amen.
Ways. How wonderful are His ways. Well, that is the difference. And I know some people look at these chapters as not quite as important as the first eight. I wish we would not do that.
I like what Griffith Thomas said when he talked about the change in this book. He said, “The change from chapter 8 is abrupt and striking, and yet there is a close and necessary connection between these sections.”
Some think of these chapters as an appendix which, maybe to some extent, could be overlooked in the study of the epistle. But it is entirely incorrect—an entirely incorrect view. For these chapters are an integral part of the epistle and essential to its true interpretation. Do not ignore these chapters.
So this is what I want us to look at today: to begin to see the ways of God. That is the first thing in the overview.
The second thing we need to do, when we look at these things, is recognize that they have caused quite a controversy in the church. I do not know if you know that. But a lot of people ignore these three chapters because they do not quite agree with them, and they do not quite understand what this thing is. How is Israel still so much in view?
As a matter of fact, there has become a doctrine—or a teaching, a theory—it is called replacement theology: that the church has replaced Israel. Brothers and sisters, you may think I am a Zionist. I am not. But the church will not replace Israel. They are two different things.
The church is the heavenly people of God. Thank God many Jews are in it. Thank God, in the first century—the first seven years before the Gentiles were brought in—it was Jews who were saved and became the heavenly people of God.
But there is also the earthly people of God: Israel. And God has not finished with Israel yet. You cannot, I do not think, read these chapters clearly and meditate on Romans 9, 10, and 11, and say, “God is done with Israel. I believe in replacement theology, or supersessionism. He is done. Now it is all about the church.”
No, I would beg you to read Romans 11. I think you will be shocked when it says, “And so all Israel shall be saved.” It is quite a statement.
We have come into the blessings of the Lord, and God in His mercy will eventually reconcile Israel. Now, we will save that point about all Israel, because it is quite controversial. But God can do two things at once.
He will never forget His earthly people. He has made promises to them. He has covenants with them. He has mentioned blessings for them, and we just cannot, as the church, spiritualize every promise to Israel in the Old Testament and say, “It is all now about us. It is the church.”
That is another factor I think we need to see before we fully embrace this fulfillment theology, as it is also called. I think Newell said something very precious about this.
He said, “And God, here in Romans, sets forth His ways in the past, His ways in the future, with the chosen earthly nation, Israel.” Now listen to this simple fact: the only nation on earth that was ever chosen of God is Israel—the only national people, God’s people.
I think it is pretty amazing. He now, thank God, in His great purpose, had something much more glorious in the end in mind. It included Israel, if they would come into it, and that is the church, where there is the full expression of His heavenly people for eternity.
You remember the promise to Abraham. He said something to Abraham—I think it is in Genesis 22:17, but I may be wrong. He said to Abraham, “Your seed shall be as the stars in the sky.” That is the heavenly people.
He said right after that, “Your seed shall be as the sands of the sea.” Countless, countless. That is the earthly people. All His great purpose includes both. Do not just cast away; God will never cast away.
Now, that is something I want you to remember as you read these chapters: what the Lord has in mind.
The third thing, as we think of the overview of these three chapters, is that we need to think about the essential theme. What is God talking about? What is God trying to show us through the apostle? It is clearly the word election.
That phrase, you need to understand, in Romans 9:11: “that the purpose of God according to election might stand.” That is the whole thing. God is a God of election.
Once we begin to understand that everything He does in His ways is because of divine election, we begin to understand these chapters. Everything He did for Israel—He chose that nation out of all the other nations, and He is not finished with them yet.
Everything He does for His church, His eternal companion, His bride forever, is because of election. And if you do not understand election, you will not understand these chapters at all.
So that is the overview. I hope maybe that gives you some direction—the difference between the first eight chapters and these three chapters.
We want to look at the grief in Paul’s heart, the first main point in this section. Paul is very transparent here about his agony for his natural kinsmen, the Jews. He is in utter agony about it.
When you read those verses again, I will just go to verse 2:
I have great grief and unceasing pain in my heart.
For I could wish that I myself were anathema from Christ
for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites.
That is quite a statement. The apostle Paul said, “I would that You would curse me.” Here was the one who, if you read Romans 11:13, is the apostle to the nations. God chose this Israelite, this Pharisee of Pharisees, this one that far exceeded all of his contemporaries, to be the apostle of the Gentiles.
Yet when he comes to these chapters, he is talking about an agony. It is hard to express: great grief, uninterrupted pain. I do not think you can get any more graphic than that. He is not just being dramatic. This is not just spiritual poetry.
This is what he sensed: the people whom God had chosen as the only nation on earth had turned from the living God. This Israelite of Israelites could only say what deep pain was in his heart. And if God would draw them back to Himself, arrest them again, and make them His own in reality, He could curse Paul. That was what his request was.
I think that is rather overwhelming when you read it. What does it mean? It means here is somebody who understood God’s ways. I wish there were more of us like that.
He had an agony in his heart for an unsaved people who had turned away from the God who called them and blessed them with everything a nation could have. And it was uninterrupted pain. He had the heart of God for people.
This story is not just told so that you will have some sympathy for the apostle Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles. This story is told that we might see: this is what God is like.
He has an uninterrupted agony. He has a deep grief that all would be saved and come into a knowledge of the truth.
Paul never received his request. He was never cursed. But there was One who was cursed: the Son of God, the One who had done no wrong, the One who was sinless.
This was not just God talking about what He liked in His ways. God actually gave His only Son, and that only begotten Son became the cursed One for you and for me, that we could be restored to God and experience all of His heavenly blessings.
We could experience all the true privileges of being sons of God—not leaving out you sisters, by the way. I do not know how you explain it, but that includes brothers and sisters. Let me put it this way: if you are a sister, God considers you a son of God; if you are a brother, God considers you a son of God. This is no sexist discrimination, by the way, if you were wondering.
So here we see the first thing revealed in Romans 9 about the ways of God: one would have to be cursed to redeem a lost people. Do you understand? Do you understand?
You know what it says in Galatians 3:13—I think it is Galatians 3:13; I am not quite sure—but it talks about Christ becoming a curse for us. And he quotes Deuteronomy:
Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.
When you go back and read Deuteronomy 21, where that is from, it says this phrase: cursed is he that hangs upon the tree if he has done any sin. Have you noticed that? That is why you need to read both the Old and the New Testament. Think about it.
Christ was cursed, not because He did some sin. Christ was cursed—the sinless One, God Himself come in the form of man—who was perfect and had done no sin. But Paul in Galatians applies this curse of God that fell upon His Beloved to show us His ways, what He is really like.
There is no one like Him. There is no one who did what He did.
You remember, I always think of the story of Abraham. You know how Abraham and Sarah longed for seed, longed for a son. Sarah had this wonderful idea of how to make it happen on her own, and you remember the handmaid and the son that came of that birth. That was not God’s way, by the way.
“You shall have a seed of Sarah,” was the word that came. You shall have a seed of Sarah.
I think of Abraham. Remember when Isaac was born? Later, God did the unthinkable. In Abraham’s old age, He said, “Take your son, your only son”—He drove the stake a little deeper in Abraham—“the son whom thou lovest, and take him up the mountain and offer him to Me.”
Can you imagine? Here was this one with his wife who had this agony, who wanted a son. All they wanted was a son. Finally, God gave them a son. And then, at the end, He said about that son, “Take that son and make him a sacrifice.”
I do not know if I could have done what Abraham did. He took his son. He said, “Let us go worship.” You remember his son. He put him on the altar. He drew back the knife—his own son.
I cannot think of more deep, uninterrupted pain. He is thinking, “The next moment, I will plunge this knife into the heart of my son.” And the angel of the Lord said, “Stop. Do not harm the lad.”
The son, the only son, the loved son, was not sacrificed. God withheld the knife. But when we read Isaiah 53, as we read this morning, God Himself did not do this. He offered His only Son, His perfect Son, and He did not withdraw the knife. Can you imagine?
These are the ways of God. This is who He is. This is why He does what He does. We do not just see His mighty works—how wonderful, beyond anything we can imagine—but we see what He is like.
A loving, merciful, heavenly Father who would sacrifice the only perfect One, the One who made everything, the Creator of the universe. He would become, for you, that cursed sacrifice, and you would be forever set free to become a blessed son of God.
I think that is wonderful. I think I know why He did what He did to Abraham. I think I know why Paul was pursued by the Holy Spirit and recorded these few words. I think we see something of the One who is much greater, who took that position.
This is the way of the Lord. This is the great grief that was in the apostle’s heart. He has always been looking for men who understand His ways.
You remember what it says—I think it is Psalm 103; I am not sure. You can look it up:
He made known His ways unto Moses,
His doings unto the children of Israel.
To the children of Israel, they saw His acts. Now, do we see the ways of God? How precious and wonderful they are. How beautiful they are.
You know, Moses did something just like Paul does here in Romans 9:1–5. Moses, when he came down that mountain—you remember they provoked God at Mount Sinai. By the way, I have climbed Mount Sinai. People doubted I was going to make it to the top. I was seventy-two years old. I made it all the way to the top.
All I can tell you is Moses was in great shape. Most people went two-thirds of the way, or more, on camel. I said, “I am not going to do it. Moses did it; I can do it.” I thought I was going to die. I made it to the top.
They said, “We cannot believe you made it to the top.” I said, “Neither can I. What are you talking about?”
Moses, when he came down from that mountain, saw the people rebelling. The people had provoked God, and He had given these Ten Commandments, written with His own finger in the stone. Moses saw that they had provoked Aaron to make a golden calf—an idol to worship instead of God.
You remember his reaction: he tossed the stones, and they broke asunder. You remember that. Well, a lot of people do not think of Moses this way, but when you read Exodus 32, you see what was in Moses’ heart.
He begged the Lord not to curse the people. He begged the Lord. He even asked—let me read it to you. I do not want to get it wrong. I am afraid I will if I just go by my memory. Exodus 32:32. You probably already know this, but let us read it.
Yet now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin—
and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written.
I know he was begging the Lord God to forgive their sin. My Bible has three dots after that phrase; it must have been a long pause. But if not, “blot me, I pray thee, out of Thy book that Thou hast written.” That was his request.
Here was this man of God—as Moses has this special name, Moses the man of God, or Moses the servant of the Lord—and he said, “Blot me out of Your book if You do not forgive them.” But, you know, he was never blotted out of the book.
Praise the Lord. Here is somebody that God is looking for: people who understand His ways, who are like Him. The heart of God was put in Paul for Israel, his kinsmen.
Moses—God was going to judge the whole nation and be done with it. And it says, as Moses appealed to Him, God repented. I think us evangelicals probably wrestle with it. God repented.
I understand me repenting, or you repenting, but God changed His mind because He found one who understood His ways.
Well, I think you are getting the point, at least for the first part. Then Paul talks about what Israel did in spite of enormous privileges. In the last verses, 4 and 5, there are the eightfold privileges they had.
Listen to what he says: “Whose is the adoption.” Brothers and sisters, this is what we are all called to as the people of God. We are called into adoption as sons. That is what he wanted for all of Israel. What a privilege they had.
“And the glory.” Think of it. Moses, when he came down from that mountain, had to cover his face because his face shone with such glory—such tremendous glory—they could not look at his face.
Think of the glory that was in the tabernacle, the first house of God—that mobile temple, if you will. In the day, there was a pillar of cloud. The glory of the Lord rested upon it. In the night, there was a pillar of fire that rested upon the tabernacle.
In the holiest of all, God’s glory and presence permanently dwelt. No nation has had these privileges, or could even think of having such privileges.
When you come to the temple and Solomon’s dedication of the temple, I think you know the story. When he prayed that wonderful prayer, the Spirit of God fell. The Shekinah glory so filled that temple that the priests could no longer stand. How tremendous. What glory. That is what Paul meant: “and the glory.”
“And the covenants.” They were given eternal covenants to Abraham. We have already talked about his seed, his heavenly seed and his earthly seed. Moses was given these covenants—this covenant. No covenant had been given like that before to man, yet they had this privilege.
The fourth thing: “and the giving of the law.” God, I just mentioned it, engraved that law Himself with a divine finger on those stones, at the height of Mount Sinai, and gave it to Moses. They had divine law for the first time of any nation. I think it is remarkable.
“And the promises.” What promises they had as the people of God—unequaled blessing. “You will have a land flowing with milk and honey,” treasures unbelievable. They had great promises.
“Whose are the fathers.” Think of their fathers. God even revealed Himself: “I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob.” They had the fathers, yet they turned.
Then it says the last thing, the eighth thing: “of whom, as concerning the flesh, is the Christ, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.” Christ—we say Messiah.
Brian already said there are those among them who will not read Isaiah 53. It does not fit into their thinking. Brothers and sisters, eight privileges—unspeakable privileges.
Well, God will never give up. Never give up. We give up. We fail. But God will never give up.
When we go to the second point, God’s purpose according to election stands. Now, these people have not changed, in spite of all of these privileges. Look at the reaction. Look at the reaction.
In Romans 9:6, Paul’s eyes were open to see that though man fails, God never fails.
But it is not as though the word of God hath come to nought.
For they are not all Israel that are of Israel:
neither, because they are Abraham’s seed, are they all children:
but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Brothers and sisters, our heritage in the Lord has nothing to do with natural lineage. Just because you are born a Jew, in God’s eyes you may not be a Jew. He is looking for the heart. He is looking for ones who know Him, love Him, and serve Him.
Just because you are born in a Christian home and go to church, you are not a son of God. All Israel is not all Israel. Everyone that says, “I am of Christ,” is not of Christ.
But what Paul saw is that the Word of God never fails. He says again, “But it is not as though the word of God hath come to nought.” I think that is so precious. God cannot fail.
You would think, with these privileges and the way they walked away from the living God, that God would walk away from them. Believe me, if I were God, I would have walked away a long time ago. But God refuses to walk away from a people He has called to Himself.
However far they stray, however much they deny, His Word will never fail. He will have an earthly people where we see His glory. He will have it. He will have it in His kingdom. He will have a heavenly people for all eternity, because He has sworn it in His Word that cannot fail.
This is what Paul saw. This one thing lifted him from his depression of being in this incessant pain into the glory of the Lord, to see God’s ways.
His methods may change. I remember Brother Kong used to say, “His ways never change.” So He is in hot pursuit—I borrow a police term—of a people He has called and chosen, and He will not ever give up. He will not ever give up until He gets that people.
This is what Paul saw. This is the glory of what Paul saw. Paul saw, when it says in verse 11, “His purpose according to election shall stand.” He will never fail.
The One who called cannot fail. The One who promised, if you read Hebrews, cannot lie. All it says in Hebrews is that He is faithful. And how we need to see that. When we see that, our spirit is lifted, like the apostle Paul.
Oh, hallelujah. May the Lord really open our eyes to see that He cannot fail.
Paul sees God’s sovereign election as at the center of His ways. His sovereign election is at the center of His ways. He knows this is the way God works: He chooses. He finds that people. He brings that people to Himself, and He will never, never let them go.
How wonderful that is, brothers and sisters, when you think of it. I think God’s election is everything. It is His choosing—or let me put it another way: divine selection.
Do you know that is what happened to you? You were divinely selected. Is that not tremendous?
I think we often think that we choose God. One day, we have had enough of life. One day, we are finally depressed, and we have made endless New Year’s resolutions and sworn we will never do this again. We finally choose God.
Brothers and sisters, that is not true. One day, you awakened to a God who chose you. Amen. Do you understand the difference? He is the One who chooses. He is the One who calls.
As a matter of fact, to His own disciples, in those last words of highest assurance in John 13 through 17, the Lord said this in John 15:
Ye did not choose Me, but I chose you.
Oh, good evangelicals, especially those of us who have an evangelical bent to lead people to the Lord, we say, “Choose Christ, choose Christ. Open your heart. All you have to do is choose Christ.”
We think somehow we finally bowed the knee and chose Christ. It is never that. One day, God awakened you to His calling. You heard a word. You heard a message. Someone shared something to you that was alive.
At that point, you thought you chose the Lord, but the Lord had chosen you. This is God’s way.
The purpose of God according to election will stand. Last week, I think—if my memory serves me right—Roger shared from Ephesians 1:3–4:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ:
even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blemish before Him in love.
You were not only chosen by God. He did not all of a sudden have a warm impression of you and think He would save you instantly. He marked you out and divinely selected you before the foundation of the world. Can you imagine? What ways!
Election means God chooses us, not that we choose God.
He gives a couple of illustrations in that last part of the paragraph through verse 13. He talks about Sarah and the promised seed. It says in verse 9:
For this is a word of promise, According to this season will I come, and Sarah shall have a son.
It was God’s Word. You remember when the three men—the Bible calls them three men, actually angels, and one, I believe, was the pre-incarnate Son of God Himself—appeared. They said Sarah would have a seed.
You remember Sarah was, I think, hiding behind the door curtain and laughed in her heart. And that One said, “Why did Sarah laugh?” Of course, she denied laughing.
“The Lord”—what is that? Somebody said something. She denied laughing. “Oh, I did not laugh.” God had a wonderful sense of humor. He said, “Okay, we will name this promised seed Isaac.”
Can you imagine when they told all the relatives later, “What is your cute little son’s name?” And they said, “His name is Isaac.” He must have thought, “Laughter. How strange is that?”
But God showed them something of His ways. He said, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” We are so limited, brothers and sisters. We live so much in our senses, so much in our feelings, that we do not understand the ways of God. Is anything too hard for Him?
I believe this is what we see when we look at the Word. He also talks about Jacob and Esau in verse 10:
And not only so; but Rebekah also having conceived by one, even by our father Isaac—
for the children being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad,
that the purpose of God according to election might stand,
not of works, but of Him that calleth—
it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
It is never based on what we do. It is a pre-born promise. You were chosen before the foundation of the world. Even in these illustrations of the Jewish people that Paul cited, he was showing that God had long ago thought about what He would do.
This is what is so beautiful about this pre-born promise. They had done nothing good or evil. Election was not based on works—their works. It was based on Him who calls. How we need to see that.
Then, when we get to verse 13, I think we all get very confused when it talks about the birth of Jacob and Esau, the twins:
Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.
Have you ever thought about that, for God to say that? I think that is kind of remarkable. It comes from Malachi 1:2–3, where God is appealing to His people, whom He tells about loving Him and how they do not love Him. This verse is quoted: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
There is a famous old story. Lance used to tell it with regularity about Charles Haddon Spurgeon. It did not come from Lance, by the way. I love Lance—no offense to Lance. I did not hear him give credit. But Brother Newell told this story in his book on Romans.
It was a sister who came to Spurgeon in distress over this single verse. “How can God say He loved Jacob and hated Esau? Why would God do such a thing?”
She said, “As to ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated,’ I cannot understand why God should say He hated Esau.” And Spurgeon said something so wonderful: “Madam, that is not my problem.”
He said, “It is not my difficulty. I cannot understand why He says He loved Jacob.” Think of it. Jacob was a swindler. He stole the birthright. I feel sorry for Esau sometimes. He stole the birthright from Esau.
He was a liar, and he deceived his blind, dying father and lied to him. I would never think of doing this. Yet the ways of God are, “I have loved Jacob.” Do not get hung up on, “I have hated Esau.” Think about what God has done. Let it sink in.
This is election. The purpose of God according to election shall stand. You know, you are Jacob. I am a Jacob. We are all Jacob.
Jacob was changed at the end. God called him in his terrible state, and by the end of his life we see a transformed Jacob, leaning upon his staff, worshiping God in his weakness. Finally, the work was complete.
Well, let me just give you a few minutes on the last point: the God who shows mercy. He is not only the God who calls us—election—He is the God who shows mercy.
Do you know that God not only chose us, but He showed us the highest mercy imaginable by calling us to be His people, His eternal people? There is nothing more grand than that.
If you look at verse 14:
What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Far be the thought.
For He saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.
So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth,
but of God that hath mercy.
How wonderful. Is that not a delight to read? This is the way of God: He shows mercy. We are people of the highest mercies.
I think of that great song, “At Calvary.” I think some of you—most of you—know the chorus:
Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There my burdened soul found liberty,
At Calvary.
What mercies were shown to me. The mystery of election is governed by mercy. That is all you need to understand. It is not you; it is Him. It is not what you do for Him; it is Him. He chooses, He elects, and then He shows mercy—eternal mercy.
Do you remember David, in his most famous work, Psalm 23, ended in verse 6? What did David say?
Surely goodness and lovingkindness shall follow me all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
This is the way of God.
You know, if you read Romans 11:30–31, you are going to discover something—just thinking ahead for a moment. It calls the Gentiles who have believed objects of mercy. It calls the Jews who have yet to believe, but will believe, objects of mercy.
That is what you are. That is what I am. The final analysis is, we are but objects of mercy. How wonderful this is.
You know, the Bible has many chances for us to get offended, I am afraid. Many do, and many walk away, only because they do not understand the ways of God.
But listen to what the last verse says in verse 18. He is talking about Pharaoh. We back up to verse 17:
For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, For this very purpose did I raise thee up,
that I might show in thee My power,
and that My name might be published abroad in all the earth.
So then He hath mercy on whom He will,
and whom He will He hardeneth.
You know, we think, “How unfair to Pharaoh.” God did harden his heart. God used him as an instrument to show His ways and to show His mighty work.
But if you read the Exodus record, you will see that Pharaoh himself chose to harden his heart ten times.
I am not saying God would have changed His mind and shown mercy had Pharaoh not hardened his heart. But I am saying, this is the way of God.
Thank God, if you are the Lord’s, you are a vessel of mercy. You are a vessel of God’s divine selection, and you are one to whom God has shown mercy.
Newell said something I like very much. He said, up to this point—speaking of the first eight chapters—the grace of God has been spoken of in this epistle often before, but not until these chapters is mercy raised.
And until mercy is understood, grace cannot be fully comprehended.
Brothers and sisters, this is the glory of the ways of God: the invisible hand that chooses, selects, and calls. His whole purpose is wrapped up according to election, and that will stand. It will never fail.
One day God chose you, and you realized it, and you just responded. At that point, you were selected—divinely selected—as He determined before the foundation of the world. You are a testimony of divine election.
But you are also a testimony of divine mercy—unfathomable mercy. Every judgment should have been ours, but instead, in His ways, He replaced it all by showing us mercy.
This is the first part of Romans 9.
Lord, we have to confess: we do not always understand Your ways. But when You open our eyes to see Your ways, we fall in worship.
How glorious to be one who is divinely selected. How glorious to be one who has had divine mercy shown to him by the God who shows mercy.
Lord, we are asking You that You continue to teach us Your ways. We do not want to just appreciate Your works—Your so wonderful works—but we want to be like Paul was, like Moses was, and be ones that understand Your ways.
We ask this in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.