Romans 9:1-24; Exposition/Applications #2

The point: Contend earnestly for the dominion and kingship of God over all creation.

Martin quotes Charles Haddon Spurgeon's words on divine sovereignty, highlighting its comfort to believers and its hatred by worldlings, using it as an introduction and brief review of the sermon's theme.

We come tonight to the eleventh message in our series on the general theme of the sovereignty of God. As I was thinking of how I would introduce the subject again tonight without becoming tedious in my review, my mind turned to a collection of sermons on this theme by the great preacher of a hundred years ago, Charles Haddon Spurgeon of London, and he said the following, and I believe it's the best introduction and brief review that I could give to get our thoughts moving in the direction that I trust they will for our study tonight. He said of this great biblical theme, divine sovereignty, th...

0:00 - 0:44 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin reviews previous messages on God's sovereignty in grace, citing key words (elect, predestinate, foreknow, called) and passages (John 3, 6, 17; Matthew 11). He then…

Martin uses the analogy of Genesis 1 (general creation) and Genesis 2 (expanded creation of man) to explain his approach to preaching Romans 9 again, indicating he will recapitulate and expand on certain aspects.

Now you'll remember, when God gives an account of creation, he begins in chapter 1 of Genesis by giving a general statement of all of creation, and then in Genesis 2, he recapitulates, he goes back over and expands upon the creation of man. Now I've tried to find some warrant for what I'm going to do tonight, and I've come up with that. I'm going to preach on Romans 9 again tonight. But just like Genesis 2 gives you the account of creation again.

4:56 - 5:26 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin reviews previous messages on God's sovereignty in grace, citing key words (elect, predestinate, foreknow, called) and passages (John 3, 6, 17; Matthew 11). He then…

Martin shares his past personal struggle with Romans 9, admitting it caused him 'great consternation' and that he would have disbelieved if told he would preach it with delight, illustrating the difficulty of the doctrine before God's grace made it precious.

It's not going to be a repeat of last week's message. But it's going to be a recapitulating and an expanding of certain aspects of the core of this passage. And I told someone the other night, if anyone had told me five years ago that I would preach several sermons from Romans 9 and do it with delight, I would have said, I can't believe it. For this was one of those passages that caused me great consternation.

5:26 - 5:52 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Instead of asking, is there unrighteousness with God, you'd fall down and say, what a wonder that a holy God could love the likes of a Jacob and love the likes of me.

He uses Charles Wesley's hymn 'And Can It Be' to illustrate the difference in perspective between a heart amazed by unmerited mercy ('Can it be that I should gain...') and a natural heart that feels entitled ('Can it be that I should fail to gain...').

Mrs. Starrett played a hymn while the offering was being received. Charles Wesley's famous hymn, And can it be that I should gain an interest in my Savior's love? Can it be that I should gain an interest?

19:33 - 19:49 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Paul anticipates the objection 'Is there unrighteousness with God?' (Romans 9:14) and vehemently denies it. Martin explains that this objection arises from a misunderstanding of…

He describes the mindset of someone who thinks God 'owes' them mercy because they weren't in the Garden when Adam fell, contrasting it with the realization of personal guilt and deserving wrath.

Rather than viewing mercy as something God freely wills to give to men according to the good pleasure of his will. And once you begin to see mercy, not as something that is drawn forth from God because I deserve it. Poor little me. I wasn't there in the garden when Adam got me in this foul mess.

20:27 - 20:49 Read in full sermon

The point: When in the realm of mercy, throw out the word 'right,' as the only 'right' thing for God to do is damn us all.

He uses the metaphors of a 'warm, hot, cold room' or a 'black, white piece of paper' to illustrate that 'mercy and right' cannot be put together in the context of God's free grace, as mercy is outside the realm of what is owed.

It just doesn't belong there. Mercy and right. That's like talking about a warm, hot, cold room. I mean, you just can't put those things together.

26:30 - 26:38 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin moves to God's hardening of Pharaoh (Romans 9:17-18), explaining that God hardens those who are already rebel, hell-deserving sinners. This hardening is judicial, a giving…

He uses the metaphor of man with his 'face down, his back away from God' and moving towards self-destruction to depict humanity's fallen state, emphasizing that God's mercy and hardening occur within this context of universal sinfulness.

God gave them up. That's a hardening. So don't picture man standing on a neutral plane, innocent, and God says, I'll show mercy to this one, and I'll harden this one. No, get the picture.

29:20 - 29:31 Read in full sermon

The point: Remember you are a student of the word, not a judge of the word.

The objector's question, 'I'm just some little puppet being moved along the stage of human existence,' is used to articulate the common concern about human responsibility under divine sovereignty.

First objection, it's not right. This objection, it isn't fair. If everything is traced back to the will of God, how can I be responsible? I'm just some little puppet being moved along the stage of human existence.

31:52 - 32:05 Read in full sermon

The point: Bow to the fact that God made you as He did and learn the blessedness of being a creature, or dash yourselves upon the rocks of rebellion.

He uses the humorous analogy of a birdhouse dancing a jig and complaining about its creation to illustrate the foolishness and arrogance of man questioning God's design and sovereignty.

He said, How foolish. You go into your workshop and you make a little bird house and just as you're about to put your hands on it to hang it up in a tree, it dances a jig all over the table. He said, I don't like the way you made me. That's what Paul's saying.

35:48 - 36:02 Read in full sermon

The point: Love, preach, and make the high doctrine of God's absolute sovereignty a main stream of worship in this assembly.

Martin quotes Charles Spurgeon's words, 'you don't reconcile friends, you only reconcile enemies,' to explain his approach to the apparent tension between divine sovereignty and human responsibility, asserting they are harmonious truths.

as I preach this passage that sets forth His divine sovereignty. Ah, but you say I can't reconcile that. And I answer you with Charles Spurgeon's words, you don't reconcile friends, you only reconcile enemies. So I'm not trying to reconcile them either, because they're friends.

46:18 - 46:37 Read in full sermon

The point: Worship a 'two-armed God' – the God who stretches out the arm of mercy and the God who shapes destinies – embracing all that is revealed in Him.

He uses the metaphor of a 'one-armed God' to criticize churches that emphasize only divine sovereignty or only God's mercy, arguing that true worship embraces both aspects of God's character.

The God who stretches forth His hands of mercy is the same God who shaped with those hands the destinies of men. And if you're going to worship the God of the Bible, beloved, you better not be worshiping a one-armed God. Churches have gone to absolute barrenness who merely worshiped a God who had an arm and a hand that shaped the destinies of men. All they saw and preached and thought of was divine sovereignty and never held out the offers of God's mercy.

46:37 - 47:08 Read in full sermon