The Book of Romans: “God’s Grief and God’s Choice“

The Book of Romans

Introduction:

Good morning church. What a joy it is to be here with all of you this morning. 

If you are new this morning, if you have been visiting, then let me catch you up on where we have been, what we have been reading, and where we are going this morning. 

For the past several weeks we have been walking through the book of Romans. Romans is Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, a church made up of Jews and Gentiles, men and women, new believers and mature believers, all trying to figure out how to live this Gospel life together. Paul has been revealing the glory of grace, the power of the cross, and the freedom that comes through faith in Christ alone.

Today we turn to Romans 9, and here Paul begins to help us understand God’s divine right as Creator, Alpha and Omega in whom He chooses and rejects, in whom He saves, and how God continues His covenant with and through His people. It’s one of the most sobering and yet hope-filled chapters in all of Scripture. Paul opens his heart with deep sorrow for those who are lost, and yet he points us to the truth that God’s promises never fail. This morning we’re going to see that salvation is not about what we have done. It is not about our merit or our effort. Romans 9 shows us that salvation is not about our goodness. It is not about where we are from, what we do, or who we know. It is all about God’s mercy. Salvation is God’s calling. It is all about His mercy. 

Today message is entitled, “God’s Grief and God’s Choice”. 

Today’s Message:

“God’s Grief and God’s Choice“

The last several weeks I have been on a bit of a musical kick. You can ask my wife. The other night as we were cleaning up the kitchen after eating, we found ourselves listening to 1990’s Christian music. We were jamming away to artists like Michael W. Smith, Carmen, Jeremy Camp, Audio Adrenaline, and Geoff Moore and the Distance. I bet many of you have your favorite artists. Well, one of my favorite artists from that time period is the great Steven Curtis Chapman. 

If you want to get me going, start playing songs like: “The Great Adventure”, “Dive”, “Speechless”, “Heaven In The Real World”, or “More To This Life”. 

It was not until much later that I admired Steven Curtis Chapman the man as much as I enjoyed his music. 

Several years ago, Steven Curtis and his wife Mary Beth adopted three little girls from China. None of those girls were related to them by blood. They did not share any of the Chapman’s genetics. They didn’t look like them. Their culture was nothing like the Chapman’s who were living in Nashville, Tennessee at the time. What secured those little girl’s place in the Chapman family wasn’t their biology, it was the love and grace of God. 

In a book that the Chapman’s wrote about their experience, Steven Curtis stated that , “adoption is a picture of the Gospel.” Those three little girls received a new name, a brand new home, and a fresh identity…not because of their genetics, but because two Americans, a man and a woman, a husband and a wife chose them and chose to love them. That’s the Gospel. That’s the Good News. Romans 9 reminds us that God’s family is not made up of those who were born into the right bloodlines, but those who were purchased by His grace. 

Do me a favor this morning and fill in the blanks under “Today’s Thought”. 

The gift of the Gospel is governed by grace, not genetics. 

Today’s Thought:

The Gift of The Gospel Is Governed By Grace, Not Genetics! 

Salvation doesn’t come through some distant religious relative. It doesn’t come through our background, how wealthy we are or though how much we have given to the church. Salvation is not based on any of our outward piety, how loud we sing in worship, or how high we can raise our hands when Chris is singing. God is not impressed with any of that.  

Paul reminds us in Romans 9 that not all who are descended from Israel truly belong to Israel. Now that statement might leave you scratching your head. 

“Not all who are descended from Israel truly belong to Israel.” 

“Come again?”

“If I am descended from Israel, doesn’t that absolutely mean that I belong to Israel?”

“Not in the way you may think.”

“Again, I will come back to that in just a moment.”

The good news is that God’s family is not about your genetics, rather it is His grace, His unearned love shown through Jesus Christ. That means anyone, regardless of background or family history, can be saved if they put their faith in Him.

Speaking of Israel, Paul talks a lot about the nation of Israel in Romans 9. They have a special, unique role in God’s master plan. In his book entitled “The Church of God”, G. Campbell Morgan states that…

“The nation of Israel was chosen to receive the Law, the Prophets, the covenants, the worship, and the promises, and from them came the Messiah according to the flesh. But God’s purpose was never that these blessings end with them; through Christ, born of Israel, the good news has gone out to all nations so that Jew and Gentile alike might share in the promises of God.”

That statement means Israel was uniquely blessed to be the people through whom God revealed His Word and ultimately sent the Messiah. God’s master plan for Israel was for them to be the conduit that Jesus would come, live and die. However, God’s plan was never for those blessings to stop with Israel…they were meant to flow through them to the whole world. In Christ, the promises of God now extend to every person, Jew or Gentile, who believes in Him.

You and I are the true Israel today! We are God’s true children and we are the recipients of His new covenant made through the blood of Jesus Christ. 

Don’t worry, I will come back to that point in a few minutes. 

Today’s Quote:

“The nation of Israel was chosen to receive the Law, the Prophets, the covenants, the worship, and the promises, and from them came the Messiah according to the flesh. But God’s purpose was never that these blessings end with them; through Christ, born of Israel, the good news has gone out to all nations so that Jew and Gentile alike might share in the promises of God.”

-Rev. G. Campbell Morgan’s “The Church of God”

Turn in your Bibles to Romans 9:1-13 this morning. While you are doing that, I want to remind you that…

Statement of Belief:

“This morning, we open the living and powerful Word of God…truth without error, breathed out by Him, and fully sufficient for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. It is our authority, our guide, and our hope. In honor of the God who gave us His perfect Word, I invite you to stand with me as we read it together.”

Today’s Scripture:

Romans 9:1-13 ESV

I am speaking the truth in Christ-I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit- [2] that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. [3] For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. [4] They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. [5] To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. [6] But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, [7] and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." [8] This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. [9] For this is what the promise said: "About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son." [10] And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, [11] though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad-in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls- [12] she was told, "The older will serve the younger." [13] As it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

Pastor: “This is the Word of the Lord.” 

Congregation: “Praise His name. Praise His holy name.” 

God’s Sovereign Salvation!

First, We See Paul’s Passion In Romans 9:1-5

So, let jump into these three points this morning. Let’s fill in this first blank, first we see Paul’s passion. We see this in verses 1-5. Specifically verse 3. 

“For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”

Yes friends, you are reading verse 3 correctly. Paul is really stating that he wishes that he could be cursed, separated from Christ if it meant that his brothers, Israel, could be saved. 

I’ll be honest with you, that is a hard emotion for me to reckon with. I don’t think we fully fathom what Paul is declaring. Paul is saying that he would rather not know Christ so that his countryman could know Jesus. Paul is literally saying that he wishes he could spend eternity in hell, cast out into outer darkness, if it meant that Israel could receive salvation. 

Now I want people to be saved. I do. More than just about anything. Notice that I didn’t say “more than anything”. Friends, hell is not where I want to spend my eternity. I don’t want to spend one second in hell. Hell is described as a place of pure and utter darkness, filled with despair, a place where the fire is never quenched and a place where the worm never dies. A place of torment. A place of destruction and desolation. I don’t want to be there and I certainly don’t want anyone else to go there. 

However, Paul so loves his people, he loves Israel so much, that if he could, he would pass his salvation to them. He would live in that place if it meant that they could be in heaven. 

Paul uses the word “accursed” in verse three. In the Greek, the words is “anathema”. Anathema is to be devoted to destruction or set apart for God’s judgment. Paul is expressing the deepest possible anguish, that he loves his fellow Israelites so much that if it were possible, he would be willing to trade places with them, to be cut off from Christ himself, if it meant they could be saved.

Friends…“Paul’s broken heart for Israel reminds us to carry a burden for the lost.”

Paul repeats this sentiment in Romans 10:1 saying , “Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.”

When I read this passage of Scripture, I began to wonder if Paul thought of Moses in Exodus 32:32. Moses loved his people. He led them, fed them, governed them, and served them until he died in the dessert. Moses’ passion for the Israelites drove him to do great things. Sometimes, his passion burned so hot for them that it led him to stumble and sin. Moses so deeply loved his people that he said this in Exodus 32:32, Moses praying declared “blot me out of your book” if God would forgive Israel. 

The emotion that Moses felt is the very same emotion that Paul is experiencing in Romans 9. 

“I would go to hell if they could be saved.”

Friends, that is a passion for the lost, a passion for those dying in their transgressions that I cannot understand. Perhaps it’s my own selfishness. Maybe it’s my own sin. Maybe it’s my own want to self perseveration, whatever it is, I don’t want to go to hell. Paul’s passion for the lost has convicted something in me this week. 

When I read Romans 9:3, I understood that my enthusiasm for seeing dead people brought to life is not the same as the Apostle Paul’s.

I understood that my desire to see lost people found is not the same as the Apostle Paul’s.

I understood that my wish for people to miss hell and gain heaven does not match the Apostle Paul’s.

Friends, that is a problem. I have prayed this week that God would open my eyes to the lost. I have prayed that he would change my heart, granting me eyes to see those destined for darkness, separation, and eternity separated from Christ. 

Ask yourself, “am I as burdened for the lost as the Apostle Paul?” If you aren’t, why? Is it sin? Selfishness? 

if Paul could carry such a burden for his people, if Moses could plead with God to take his own name out of the book for the sake of Israel, then what kind of burden should we carry for our neighbors, our coworkers, our classmates, our families who don’t know Christ?

If we’re honest, too often our passion burns brighter for temporary things than for eternal souls. We get worked up over politics, sports, our careers, or our comfort, but we stay silent when it comes to the eternal destiny of the people right in front of us. Paul’s passion should convict us, but it should also compel us.

Friends, if we really believe that eternity is at stake, then we can’t afford to be casual about evangelism. We must pray for the lost by name. We must weep for them. And we must open our mouths to share the gospel with them. Paul’s passion reminds us that if we love Jesus, then we will love people enough to point them to Him.

God’s Sovereign Salvation!

First, We See Paul’s Passion In Romans 9:1-5

Next, We Witness God’s Promise in Romans 9:6-9

Let’s look at our second point this morning. We see Paul’s passion, next we witness God’s promise in verses 6-9. 

But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, [7] and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." [8] This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. [9] For this is what the promise said: "About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son."

Paul writes in verse 6, “But it is not as though the word of God has failed.” That is the promise right there, God’s Word never fails. Israel may have rejected their Messiah, but that does not mean God has abandoned His plan. His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob still stand.

Paul reaches back to Genesis to remind us of the promise God made to Abraham and Sarah. God said, “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son” (Romans 9:9). Humanly speaking, that was impossible. Abraham was too old. Sarah’s womb was barren. Yet God kept His promise. Isaac was born right on time, just as God had said.

Know this brothers and sisters…

“God’s Word never fails, and His promises are always fulfilled according to His sovereign plan.”

Sarah laughed when she first heard God’s promise, but her laughter of doubt turned into laughter of joy when Isaac was born. Friends, when God speaks, it will come to pass.

Isaiah 55:11 tells us…“So will My word be which goes out of My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it.”

That means every promise He has ever made, He will keep.

Do you know how many promises are in the Bible? Scholars tell us there are more than 7,000 promises given to us by God. 

Promises like, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). 

Promises like, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). 

Promises like, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). 

Promises like, “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). 

Promises like, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).

And brothers and sisters, you can trust those promises. Why? Because God is not like man. We live in a world filled with broken promises. Remember Abraham and Sarah. If God can bring life from a barren womb, He can keep every promise He has made to you. Politicians promise but rarely deliver. Institutions promise stability but often crumble. Even families, as much as we love each other, let one another down. If you are human, you will eventually break a promise. But thank God, He is not human. Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it?”

Maybe you walked in here today doubting God’s promises. Maybe you have prayed and prayed, and it feels like heaven is silent. Maybe you have wondered if God really does see, if God really does hear, if God really does care. Friend, let me encourage you…God’s promises have not failed you. They may not always be fulfilled in your timing, but they will be fulfilled in His perfect timing. What He has spoken, He will bring to pass.

So take heart today. While the promises of people may crumble, the promises of God never will. He is the Promise Keeper. His Word will not return void. His promises are true. He kept His word to Abraham and Sarah, and He will keep His word to you. And because of that, you and I can rest, trust, and hope in Him.

God’s Sovereign Salvation!

First, We See Paul’s Passion In Romans 9:1-5

Next, We Witness God’s Promise in Romans 9:6-9

Lastly, We Remember God’s Purpose in Roman s 9:10-13

Let’s look at our final point this morning. We see Paul’s passion, we witness God’s promise, and lastly, we remember God’s purpose in verses 10-13.

Paul writes, “When Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger.’ As it is written, ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.’”

Do you hear what Paul is saying? Before Jacob or Esau were ever born, before they had done anything right or wrong, God had already determined His plan. Why? Paul tells us—so that God’s purpose in election might stand. That means salvation is not about us. It is not about our good works, our good deeds, our moral résumé, or our religious performance. It is all about God’s sovereign mercy and God’s sovereign choice.

Ephesians 1:4-5 says, “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will.” Friends, before you ever took your first breath, before you ever committed your first sin, before you ever bowed your knee to Christ, God already had a plan to save you. That’s grace!

Now verse 13 can trouble some people: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” Did God really hate Esau? The language here is not about emotional hatred like you and I might think. In Hebrew idiom, to “hate” often meant to “love less” or to reject in terms of covenant purpose. God chose Jacob to carry the line of promise. Esau was not chosen for that role. This is not about God being cruel, it is about God working out His sovereign plan of redemption. Remember this—God owes salvation to no one. He does not have to save anyone. The fact that He saves some is pure mercy. The fact that He saves any is evidence of His incredible love and grace.

Church, don’t stumble over that truth. Shout over it! Celebrate it! Rejoice in it! Because if salvation depended on your merit, you would be lost. 

If salvation depended on your works, you would fail. 

If salvation depended on your goodness, you would never measure up. 

If it depended on your strength, you would fall short every single time. 

But praise God, salvation is not about you…it is about Him. It is about His grace, His mercy, His sovereign choice. 

It is about the God who loved you before you ever loved Him. It is about the God who sent His Son to die for you while you were still a sinner. It is about the God who takes broken, guilty, undeserving people and calls them sons and daughters of the King. That is why we worship. That is why we sing. That is why we preach and proclaim the Gospel…because salvation is not earned, it is given. It is not worked for, it is received. It is not about our worthiness, but about His wonderful grace!

Let me put it to you this way: God’s sovereign choice reminds us that salvation is by His mercy, not our merit. That should humble us, but it should also thrill us. It should drive us to our knees in gratitude and lift us to our feet in worship. None of us deserve salvation, but God in His grace chose to give us salvation through Christ.

So as we close this morning, remember this,God’s grief reminds us to carry a burden for the lost, God’s promise reminds us His Word never fails, and God’s purpose reminds us that salvation is all of grace. You cannot earn it, you do not deserve it, but through Jesus Christ you can receive it. And that, my friends, is the best news you will ever hear.

Remember…

The Gospel Is Not A Story Of Merit But Mercy!

Closing Prayer:

Father, we bow before You today humbled by the truth of Your Word. Thank You for showing us through Paul’s passion what it looks like to truly carry a burden for the lost. Forgive us when our hearts grow cold and stir within us a fresh fire to pray for, weep for, and speak to those who need Jesus.

Thank You, Lord, that Your promises never fail. While we live in a world filled with broken promises, we rejoice that You are the Promise Keeper. Every word You have spoken will stand. Strengthen the hearts of those here today who may be doubting or discouraged. Remind them that Your timing is perfect and Your Word never returns void.

And Lord, we give You glory for Your purpose. Thank You that salvation does not depend on our merit, our works, or our goodness, but only on Your mercy and grace. We confess today that if You had not chosen to love us, we would still be lost. Yet in Your kindness, You have adopted us as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ.

So we close today with hearts of gratitude and mouths full of praise. May we leave here remembering that the gift of the Gospel is governed by grace, not genetics. May we walk out as living testimonies of Your mercy, carrying the good news to a world in desperate need of hope.

In the strong and saving name of Jesus we pray, Amen.