Romans Chapter 9:1-13
Memory verses for this week: James 1:25 But
whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth
therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work,
this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Introduction:
Last week, in
the last half of chapter 8, we found that the Holy Spirit
intercedes and helps us when we pray.
Also, we found that God works all things for good to us who
are His children, and Paul elaborated in great detail at the end of
the chapter how nothing can separate us from the love of God.
I.
Paul’s
Concern for Israel
Rom
9:1 I say the truth in
Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy
Ghost,
Rom
9:2 That I have great
heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
Rom
9:3 For I could wish
that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen
according to the flesh:
Paul
declares that he is telling the truth when he desires for all of
Israel to be saved. His
conscience bears witness in the Holy Ghost that this is true.
Paul many times said that God was his witness that he told
the truth. It
takes a man or woman being led by the Spirit of God to have this
type of conviction, and it takes walking a circumspect life for
those around you to believe you.
Paul had great convictions, and was known for his zeal for
God.
2
Cor 1:23 Moreover I
call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as
yet unto Corinth.
2
Cor 11:31 The God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore,
knoweth that I lie not.
Phil
1:8 For God is my
record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus
Christ.
Phil
1:9 And this I pray,
that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all
judgment;
Phil
1:10 That ye may
approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and
without offence till the day of Christ;
In
verse 2, Paul speaks of his continual sorrow in his heart for the
nation of Israel. He
goes so far in verse 3 to say he wishes he could be accursed from
Christ for his brethren.
There are various opinions as to what Paul meant by this
statement.
Rom
9:3 For I could wish
that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen
according to the flesh:
Paul
was a man who knew what it meant to be cut off from Christ.
It may have meant that Paul was willing to be cut off from
Christ if this would bring the Jews to Christ and for them to be
saved. We have a record
over in Exodus when Moses had a similar desire to see God forgive
Israel.
Exo
32:32 Yet now, if thou
wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of
thy book which thou hast written.
Exo
32:33 And the LORD said
unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of
my book.
The
reality of God is that each man and woman will answer for
themselves. The one and
only one that could sacrifice His life for others and be acceptable
to God was Jesus Christ. This
was in the divine plan of salvation by in the council halls of
eternity past when God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost made
the way of salvation. Paul could not give his life that others might be
saved, and while all of us should live in such a way with such
dedication, we answer for our decision about whether we believe in
Jesus Christ for salvation. I’ve
heard many pastors say that if they could do it, they would be saved
for everyone that was in attendance in the services, but we can not
make that decision for the other person.
Paul’s overwhelming desire was for his kinsmen, the Jews,
to be saved. All of us
have a special love for our own people and especially our own
families. Remember the
story of the rich man and Lazarus.
In hell, the rich man looked up and saw Lazarus in
Abraham’s bosom and cried out to Abraham that he might send
someone to save his five brothers from the flames of torment.
Luke
16:27 Then he said, I
pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my
father's house:
Luke
16:28 For I have five
brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into
this place of torment.
Luke
16:29 Abraham saith
unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
Luke
16:30 And he said, Nay,
father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will
repent.
Luke
16:31 And he said unto
him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be
persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
II.
The
Privileges of Israel
Rom
9:4 Who are Israelites;
to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants,
and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
Rom
9:5 Whose are the
fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is
over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
Remember
the question that Paul asked at the beginning of Chapter 3.
“What advantage then hath the Jew?”
The answer is in these 2 verses.
They had many privileges given to them because they were the
chosen nation of God.
They
received the adoption… not all nations, just Israel.
They received honor and glory because they were God’s
witnesses.
Isa
43:10 Ye are my
witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that
ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me
there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
What
an honor to be the witnesses of God.
This was given to one nation and one nation only.
Today, in our time, the church is God’s witness in this
lost and dying world. Even Israel has lost this honor because they rejected
the messiah that God sent.
Today, we live
in the time of the Gentiles. But
one day, and I don’t think it will be long, the nation of Israel
will be reborn as in a day.
And the great nation of God will once again be known as the
nation of God.
God
made special covenants with Israel, and those will always be
honored. When God makes
a promise, he fulfills his end of every bargain. The promise to Abraham extended on into the great
nation of Israel and all nations of the earth were blessed. This was through Abraham’s son of the flesh, Isaac, but
more so in the greater Son, Jesus Christ, have all nations been
blessed.
God
gave the law to this chosen nation.
The service of the tabernacle and the temple services were
given to Israel as a nation. And think of all the promises (some still to come) ….
Many temporal blessings were given and some will be fulfilled in the
near future in what is known as the kingdom age.
Christ will set up His Millennial kingdom, and we will be
here on earth with Him.
Special
gifts of the fathers were given…. The Jews point back to many
great fathers such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David.
Through these men came the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
III.
In
Isaac Shall Thy Seed be Called
Rom
9:6 Not as though the
word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel,
which are of Israel:
Rom
9:7 Neither, because
they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac
shall thy seed be called.
We
can rest certain that the Word of God never has, and never will
fail. God is not like
man, and can not lie. Every
promise He ever made has already, or one day will be fulfilled. There are many failures recorded in the Bible, but not
one of them was God’s failure.
Man is fleshly, and the flesh will fail us.
God is Spirit, and the Spirit is perfect and not subject to
fail. Not all the
descendants of Abraham, according to the flesh, are God’s chosen
people.
John
8:37 I know that ye are
Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no
place in you.
John
8:38 I speak that which
I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with
your father.
John
8:39 They answered and
said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye
were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
John
8:40 But now ye seek to
kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of
God: this did not Abraham.
John
8:41 Ye do the deeds of
your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication;
we have one Father, even God.
John
8:42 Jesus said unto
them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded
forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
John
8:43 Why do ye not
understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
John
8:44 Ye are of your
father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a
murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because
there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his
own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Jesus
spoke to this group of Jews that did not believe that He was the Son
of God. But Jesus
did not pardon their ignorance, but pointed out that if they
believed not in Him, then they were following after their father the
devil. We need to
learn when to speak and when to keep silent as it teaches over in
Ecclesiastes. I heard
David Jeremiah teaching on the meekness of Jesus this past week, and
he pointed out that Jesus was a very strong man.
He said that the world is done a great disservice when
preachers portray Jesus as a helpless and a person with no backbone.
Jesus was the ultimate man.
What he taught about meekness was very important.
When someone attacked him as a person, he turned the other
cheek. But when they
attacked God or the Word of God, Jesus sprang into action with no
fear and with clear teachings.
Several times in the word of God, it tells of Jesus becoming
angry. When they would
not let the children come to him, it upset Christ.
And when they set up the tables to sell animals for sacrifice
at the temple, not only was he angry, but he overthrew the tables
and drove them out with. Jesus
was a strong man, and understood the true meaning of meekness.
John
2:14 And found in the
temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of
money sitting:
John
2:15 And when he had
made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple,
and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and
overthrew the tables;
John
2:16 And said unto them
that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house
an house of merchandise.
Concerning
who was God’s chosen people, we find that Ishmael and Esau were
not counted as God’s chosen people, but they were the sons of
Abraham.
Gen
21:12 And God said unto
Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and
because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee,
hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Rom
9:7 Neither, because
they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac
shall thy seed be called.
Rom
9:8 That is, They which
are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God:
but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
Gentiles
who have accepted Christ as their Savior are called children of
Abraham, but they are not included in the promises mentioned her
concerning the nation of Israel.
Gal
3:29 And if ye be
Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the
promise.
IV.
Two
Lines of Descendants
Rom
9:8 That is, They which
are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God:
but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
Rom
9:9 For this is the
word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a
son.
J.
Vernon McGee had this to say about verse 8.
“The Apostle Paul makes a
clear distinction between the elect and the non-elect in the
nation Israel. “The
children of the flesh” are not the children of God. “ “The children of promise” are the ones counted for the
seed. In Acts 21:20,
Luke tells us “And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord,
and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews
there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law.”
There were in Israel thousands of Jews who turned to Christ
after His death and resurrection.
They were the elect, and Paul always call them “Israel.”
There
are two lines of children… the natural and the spiritual
descendants. Ishmael
was born after the flesh and represent the children of the flesh.
Gal
4:23 But he who was of
the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was
by promise.
Gal
4:24 Which things are
an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount
Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
Gal
4:25 For this Agar is
mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and
is in bondage with her children.
Gal
4:26 But Jerusalem
which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Gal
4:27 For it is written,
Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou
that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than
she which hath an husband.
Gal
4:28 Now we, brethren,
as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
Gal
4:29 But as then he
that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the
Spirit, even so it is now.
The
natural line was figuratively represented in Genesis by the dust of
the earth. (Gen 13:16)
Isaac
represents the spiritual descendant.
He was born in a supernatural way, therefore those who are
descended though the line of Isaac are children of the promise.
The spiritual seed are represented as the stars of heaven.
Gen
15:5 And he brought him
forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars,
if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy
seed be.
V.
The
Elder (Esau) Shall Serve the Younger (Jacob)
Rom 9:10
And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by
one, even by our father Isaac;
Rom 9:11
(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any
good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might
stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
Rom 9:12
It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
Rom 9:13
As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Rom 9:14
What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God?
God forbid.
Rom 9:15
For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have
mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Rom 9:16
So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that
runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.
Rom 9:17
For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same
purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee,
and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Rom 9:18
Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom
he will he hardeneth.
Over
in Genesis chapter 25, we find that Esau and Jacob were born twin
brothers. Esau was born
first. God promised to
Rebekah that the elder son would server the young son, before they
were born.
Gen
25:23 And the LORD said
unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people
shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be
stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the
younger.
Gen
25:24 And when her days
to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her
womb.
This
promise was meant in a ‘national sense’ rather than a
‘personal sense’, since we know that Jacob never exercised power
over Esau, nor was Esau subject to Jacob.
Gen
33:8 And he said, What
meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are
to find grace in the sight of my lord.
Gen
33:9 And Esau said, I
have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself.
Gen
33:10 And Jacob said,
Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then
receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face,
as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.
Gen
33:11 Take, I pray
thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt
graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and
he took it.
Gen
33:12 And he said, Let
us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.
Gen
33:13 And he said unto
him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks
and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them
one day, all the flock will die.
The
elder serving the younger found its fulfillment in the descendants
of Jacob and Esau. In later years, Esau’s descendants did serve those of
Jacob’s. Verse
13 mentions “As it is written.”
What did this refer to?
It was about God’s love for Jacob.
“Jacob have I love, but Esau have I hated.”
The Lord chose Jacob and his seed to be heirs of the promise
while rejecting Esau and his seed.
One of the reasons God hated Esau was because he sold his
birthright.
Gen
25:32 And Esau said,
Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this
birthright do to me?
Gen
25:33 And Jacob said,
Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his
birthright unto Jacob.
Gen
25:34 Then Jacob gave
Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and
rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
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