The good news of the gospel is that we don't rely on ethnicity or culture for our salvation. The gospel is for everyone. Too often we can be too focused on a culture that appeals to us and so we think that to be a true believer then new converts must act and behave as we do in that culture. It is the gospel that frees us from these cultural pressures and makes us free in Christ.

In Romans 9 Paul's heart is open before us to look beyond the culture of the Jews, who thought their faith and culture were dependant on each other. Paul says that if he could save them he would, but they reject the truth and look to their culture as their salvation. We cannot rely on who we are by birth, by tradition, or by culture. None of those things matter in salvation because God's free gift is for all without prejudice.

Romans - The heart of the Gospel is a teaching series from Annalong Presbyterian Church. Find out more at www.annalongpc.org/sermons.

I wonder if you've ever been in the position

2

of having to defend yourself.

3

Now, I'm not talking about having to

go into a court of law and make your

4

defense that way, but perhaps you've

said something or you've done something

5

that someone challenged you on and

you find yourself having to give an

6

answer for such actions and such words.

7

And if we're honest, we don't like

being challenged and we like even less

8

having to give a count for ourselves.

9

Yet it comes our way, and we either

respond with confidence in our decision

10

to speak or to act, or we brush it

off and simply contend that it is

11

no one else's business with what

has been said or what has been done.

12

And through the first eight

chapters of Romans, we get to

13

grips with how Paul writes.

14

He's a solicitor by profession, and

so he writes in a defense, or for a

15

defense for the faith, anticipating the

objections that will be given to him.

16

He makes certain statements about

the traditional practice of the

17

Jewish religion, and he knows that

there's going to be comeback, because

18

what he's trying to do is show how

everything of the Jewish faith has

19

been important, but is now fulfilled.

20

in Jesus Christ.

21

And not only how Paul writes is

important, but it's also what he

22

has written, what he perceives.

23

And this is what gets him in trouble.

24

And people will want to challenge him.

25

And so at the end of chapter eight, we

have the great affirmation that we are We

26

are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus.

27

And listen, listen again

to the marvellous words.

28

No, in all these things we are more than

conquerors through him who loved us.

29

For I am sure that neither death nor

life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things

30

present nor things to come, nor powers nor

height nor depth, nor anything else in all

31

creation will be able to separate us from

the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

32

What an affirmation!

33

What a truth.

34

What a spring to have in your step

as you left last Sunday evening.

35

Because there's absolutely nothing,

if there's genuine faith in Jesus

36

Christ, there's absolutely nothing

can pull you away from Him.

37

Isn't that wonderful?

38

Isn't it wonderful how God

has brought about faith to us?

39

But the problem is, as we head

into chapter 9, this is not

40

going to be well accepted.

41

Because of that word, faith.

42

The Jews, although theologically

were supposed to base everything

43

on faith, they didn't.

44

They based it on so many other things

that now in chapter 9 with this shift

45

in gear from Paul where he perceives

what their objections will be, he

46

now moves to tell them why everything

that they're doing is truly wrong.

47

And listen, listen as he starts to

this to the anguish of his heart.

48

He's concerned about this.

49

Did you notice what he

said there, um, in verse 3?

50

For I wish that I myself were

accursed and cut off from Christ

51

for the sake of my brothers.

52

Paul wishes he wasn't a Christian if it

meant that the Israelites would be saved.

53

But Paul knows the reality, and that's

what he's going to take us through.

54

And so as he finished chapter 8, he

has written beautifully what it means

55

for us to know and to love Christ

and to have great confidence in him.

56

And I was thinking about this during the

week, uh, and, uh, As I was also preparing

57

for tonight, I read the following from

Dean Ortlund's book, Gentle and Lowly.

58

And I thought this was a lovely way

to summarize chapter 8 and get us

59

ready for getting into chapter 9.

60

And listen to these words.

61

For those united to him, the

heart of Jesus is not a rental.

62

It is your new permanent residence.

63

You are not a tenant.

64

You're a child.

65

His heart is not a ticking time bomb.

66

His heart is the green pastures and

still waters of endless reassurances

67

of his presence and comfort, whatever

our present spiritual accomplishments.

68

It is And as we hear this, as it echoes

what Paul has said in Romans 8, it

69

gets us ready to stand firm in what we

believe, because there's going to be

70

attacks to say that we are wrong, that

indeed Christianity is the wrong way.

71

Paul says it's not, and so we must

stand firm in what we believe.

72

And so this is what Paul

presents to us as the gospel.

73

Our position in Christ as forgiven

and as redeemed is permanent.

74

And this is what we need to

hear as he begins chapter 9 with

75

quite the unexpected statement.

76

Because in verse 1 he says, I

am speaking the truth in Christ.

77

Did anybody doubt that?

78

Probably none of us here did.

79

But he goes on to say, I am not lying.

80

My conscience bears me witness in the

Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow

81

and unceasing anguish in my heart.

82

So why would, Oh, we've

lost something here.

83

Why would Paul want to say, something

like that to us at the start of chapter 9.

84

It seems that it's come out of the

blue because he's been so confident.

85

Is this Paul second guessing himself?

86

Is he starting to think, well maybe

this isn't what I thought it was?

87

But in view of what's been happening

in chapters 1 to 8, and just of what

88

is to come now ahead of us in chapters

9 to 11, he wants to get us ready

89

so that we would know the truth.

90

That indeed he has been speaking

the truth, and we will not doubt it.

91

Because where Paul will conclude

his great theology on salvation,

92

his protest of honesty is needed.

93

He's going to stand against those who

will challenge him, and these first

94

eight chapters would seem totally

unacceptable to the Jews of Paul's day.

95

And every one he has affirmed about the

gospel is rooted in claims about God,

96

God's word, God's people, God's plan of

salvation, and God's continuing promises.

97

And that, on first level, seems

okay, because to the Jews, this

98

is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and

Jacob, that's quite palatable.

99

But Paul claims that this is also the

God who has become man, in the person

100

of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.

101

And most Jews, if not all, reject that.

102

So Paul is now perceiving that he will

be reviewed as a troublemaker, an enemy

103

of Israel and of its religion, Judaism.

104

But Paul, knowing what is going to be

thought of him, he desires deeply that

105

this salvation will come to his kinsmen.

106

And so he feels the weight of

these charges against him, and

107

he has to present a defense.

108

He demonstrates this in verse 2,

when he speaks of the anguish of

109

his heart, as we've already seen.

110

Because Paul is a truth

speaker, and he wants to make

111

sure that the truth is heard.

112

And so he begins in verses 1 to 5, and

he speaks of the advantage of the Jews.

113

Because Paul wants to make it clear

that the Jews have access to everything

114

they need to know about the Messiah.

115

They have the right to be

adopted into God's family.

116

Amen.

117

They are the inheritors of the covenants.

118

They have their history of a

people being led by the patriarchs.

119

God spoke directly to these

patriarchs as they led.

120

And from their race comes

Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

121

Because after all, they'd

been looking for him.

122

And so there is great advantage, as

Paul has already said, to being a Jew.

123

Because they have everything they need in

their toolkit to recognize the Messiah.

124

But the problem is they don't see it.

125

Their vision is clouded by their tradition

and their own self righteousness.

126

And because of this, they lose out.

127

And in many ways, we as a people here in

Northern Ireland have the same advantage.

128

We have access to the truth and

we've had it from our youth.

129

We are free to worship and we

have buildings in which to gather.

130

We have good, faithful teaching from

the scriptures from many of our pulpits.

131

And we have multiple copies of

these scriptures in our homes.

132

Yet, there are some of us

who are just like the Jews.

133

We have all we need, yet

we do not see the Messiah.

134

We think we will be okay in

our tradition and in our self

135

righteousness, but we won't.

136

Only in Christ, and in a

living relationship with

137

Him, can we be truly saved.

138

If you think by being a Protestant

here tonight you have some special

139

access to God and a right to

eternal life, then you're mistaken.

140

But Paul does go on to speak of a hope,

and that hope is for everyone, because

141

it is hope in God's love towards us.

142

Because it is all about God's promise

of redemption in verses 6 to 13.

143

Because Paul moves on to answer

the question then, has God failed?

144

That's the question that he

supposes will be challenged to

145

him then if the Jews don't get it.

146

If this has all been God's plan, well

then actually has that plan failed?

147

Did God get it wrong?

148

Did he choose the wrong people?

149

And this would be a logical question.

150

Because after all these are his people.

151

How did they choose to

ignore him so dramatically?

152

Well, Paul emphatically says no.

153

God has not failed.

154

His word has been true and is faithful.

155

Paul starts to pick up on an

extension of who Israel are.

156

Because look at verses 6 and 7.

157

But it is not as though the word of

God has failed, for not all who are

158

descended from Israel belong to Israel.

159

And not all are children of Abraham,

because they are his offspring.

160

But through Isaac shall

your offspring be named.

161

Paul is here reminding the people

of what God has said to them about

162

who can be part of his family.

163

The salvation, the salvation message of

God has always been open to everyone.

164

But it was through the children of Israel

that people could access this salvation.

165

It wasn't the people who saved, nor was it

belonging to the people group that saved.

166

But they were the heralds.

167

They were the messengers

of God's goodness.

168

And so, some of those who were

part of this community would

169

have been Egyptians who came out

with the people in the Exodus.

170

That's why they were called Hebrews,

because they were a mixture of

171

the children of Israel and those

who were Gentiles, Egyptians,

172

who wanted to leave Egypt.

173

Others found faith during

the Babylonian exile.

174

Those who made captive Israel

came to faith and even though they

175

were not born Jews, they returned

back to Jerusalem and were fully

176

entered into the covenant promises.

177

And as the church grew, people from all

nations came to Saving Faith, and this

178

is the point that he's driving home.

179

Because in quoting about Isaac, who had

his twelve sons, he's making the statement

180

that Abraham didn't birth just one nation.

181

So, blood connection to Abraham

does not make people children of

182

Abraham, in that highest sense.

183

This promise that comes through

Isaac points to a deeper truth.

184

And in verse 8 he comes

to that central point.

185

Your birth line doesn't save you.

186

Because in verse 8 he says, This

means that it is not the children

187

of the flesh who are the children

of God, But the children of the

188

promise are counted as offspring.

189

Paul goes on to detail the

birth of Abraham's offspring

190

through Sarah and then Rebekah.

191

And in his conclusion, he has for us

in verse 11, he says, Though they were

192

not yet born, speaking of Jacob and

Esau, and had done nothing, either good

193

or bad, in order that God's purpose of

election might continue, not because

194

of works, but because of him who calls.

195

And so we come back to

God's work in human history.

196

His plan of salvation, which we call

Covenant Promises because it is through

197

Abraham that God promised he would

make a nation, a people of his own.

198

Not a, an ethnic nation as it was

perceived to be the Jews, but an

199

eternal nation where Jew and Gentile

through Jesus Christ would have

200

an inheritance that would never

perish, never spoil, and never fade.

201

And so he mentions Jacob and Esau here,

that even though they were not yet born,

202

God's saving work was already at work.

203

And Paul here wants to confirm

that salvation is by God's

204

election or by God's choosing.

205

Related to this, God's purpose of

election is realized not by God's

206

choice, people's good or bad behavior

but because of him who calls.

207

That's what verse 11 tells us.

208

Paul is not saying that faith

is not necessary for salvation.

209

He's already made this point right

back in Romans chapter 1 that

210

God's righteousness comes via

human, the human act of believing.

211

What he's doing is he's reminding us

that salvation is not by works and

212

he's confirming that God's purposes

in redemption and his foreknowledge

213

of who will join the ranks of

God's people and who will not.

214

are matters of promise of the

covenant promise of God, neither

215

ethnicity nor religious performance.

216

can guarantee God's favour.

217

It is the achievement of

God's covenant promises alone.

218

And I think we can sometimes depend on

who we are in this place at this time.

219

There was a belief in previous

days that the Protestants of

220

Ulster were God's chosen people.

221

At times it was said in jest and at

other times it was said sincerely.

222

But this notion joins that

of other nations who said

223

the same in years gone by.

224

The Afrikaners of South Africa, a mixed

culture of Dutch and German, believed

225

that they were God's chosen people,

quite literally in a promised land.

226

They depended on culture and an

observation of the peoples around

227

them, who they considered barbarians.

228

Neither the Afrikaners nor the late 19th

century Ulster Protestants had this right.

229

And Paul confirms it.

230

Each and everyone has the opportunity

to respond to the gospel because it is

231

a message from God and not from man.

232

Don't try to rely on self,

be that culture or practice.

233

or religious observance.

234

These won't save.

235

Only faith in Jesus Christ

will bring us home to heaven.

236

And this calls for us to

look into our own hearts.

237

If we say that we are Christs,

how do we know that we are?

238

And the only way that we can

genuinely answer that is to is by

239

saying that we have submitted to him.

240

We now become the goldfish in

the goldfish bowl, where there

241

is constraint, yet freedom.

242

Because when that fish jumps out of that

goldfish bowl, it is not free, because

243

within minutes, it will no longer live.

244

But if we think the answer to that

question that we're saved is because

245

we come to church, because we're

an Ulster Protestant, or because

246

we have how many Bibles on our

shelves, well then, we're mistaken.

247

Only coming through Jesus Christ by

surrendering to him and acknowledging

248

that we, that he is our savior.

249

Well, then we will know that that

is true, genuine, lasting faith

250

that will bring us home to heaven.

251

Well, we're going to go through to

the last section here of this passage,

252

and it brings us back to questioning

God and to questioning his purposes.

253

But the overarching message is

that salvation is God's initiative.

254

And he begins again with a question that

he anticipates that he might be asked.

255

Let's see if we can get

it up here for you again.

256

So he comes and he says in verse

14, What shall we say then?

257

Is there injustice on God's part?

258

By no means.

259

So the question is shifted.

260

No longer is it asking, has God failed?

261

It's now asking if God is a just God.

262

It boils down to whether

God is fair or not.

263

And this is a very dangerous question.

264

Because actually, if God was

to be fair, then none of us

265

would have any of his mercy.

266

Because in our sin, we deserve to die.

267

But God is fair because of Jesus Christ.

268

It is in Christ that he has provided

us a way to know his great salvation.

269

And to demonstrate how fair God is,

Paul uses two Old Testament examples.

270

He uses Moses and Pharaoh.

271

Paul explains that to Moses

God demonstrated his mercy and

272

his compassion again and again.

273

It wasn't up to Moses to

decide who would receive these.

274

It was part of who God is and the promise

that he made to his covenant people.

275

God's mercy is freely given to people

who should not deserve it, yet he

276

gives it because of the price to which

it cost him, his one and only son.

277

And so God lavishingly displays his mercy.

278

But Paul also talks about Pharaoh,

and Pharaoh here is used to

279

demonstrate God's sovereign will.

280

And it would be hard to stomach

that God would raise up one of

281

Israel's enemies for his purpose,

yet this is exactly what he does.

282

Pharaoh was used to demonstrate

how God can harden hearts.

283

This was done so that God

would demonstrate his power

284

of salvation for his people.

285

They had no hope against this tyrant.

286

But God hardened his heart so

that he would submit the people

287

to even greater hardship.

288

So that when their freedom did come,

their salvation, they knew without

289

shadow of a doubt there was no one

who could have done it save God alone.

290

And so moving on then to follow

this up to, to earth it as it

291

were in their time and place.

292

In verse 19 Paul says,

293

For who can resist his will?

294

Again, challenging the fairness of God.

295

And Paul's simple answer to this

question is, Who do you think

296

you are asking such a question?

297

And he gives the image

of a potter and his clay.

298

The potter takes the clay, wets it, puts

it on a wheel, and shapes it and moulds it

299

into the product that he desires it to be.

300

The clay doesn't talk back to

the potter, nor should it want to

301

because the potter is the craftsman.

302

The potter knows what is going to be,

in his mind's eye, the final product.

303

The clay cannot form itself

into anything that it wants to.

304

And so it is with God.

305

He has made both honourable

and dishonourable vessels

306

for his purpose of salvation.

307

Moses and Pharaoh being

the examples given.

308

God has done this so that both Jew

and Gentile can know the truth of

309

salvation through Jesus Christ.

310

That's what the prophecy to Hosea

was detailing in the passage.

311

And it is a message of shock to the

Jews and a message of blessing to us.

312

The Gentiles were despised.

313

How could they ever be worthy

of the message of salvation?

314

And the blessing for us is God said

they are worthy, because I say so.

315

Not on their own merit, but

because of my Son, Jesus Christ.

316

Paul goes on to quote from the prophet

Isaiah in verses 27 to 29, and look

317

what God says through that prophet.

318

This makes it clear that because

salvation is God's initiative,

319

then not everyone will be saved.

320

It is only a remnant who will be His.

321

and his alone.

322

This is shocking to the Jews.

323

In their mind, everyone who

was a Jew would be saved.

324

Paul says, no, that's not the

case, nor is that the promise.

325

God will make honourable and

dishonourable vessels, those who

326

are the elect and those who are not.

327

So what does this mean for us?

328

Well, we've taken one fell swoop at

chapter nine, but the overview I hope has

329

been more helpful than perhaps getting

bogged down in some of the deeper detail.

330

We cannot rely on who we are by

birth, by tradition, or by culture.

331

None of those things matter in

salvation because God's free gift

332

is for all without prejudice.

333

His is the gift of salvation.

334

It is His initiative to us and not

something that we can create or coerce.

335

This is done so that we can know

the gentleness and goodness of God.

336

He is firm and He is clear, but

this is so we can find rest in Him.

337

God shows us mercy even when we

don't deserve it, so we can know

338

forgiveness of sins And this is

not a new message, but it is the

339

message we must all pay attention to.

340

In hearing this message, we hear

God call us to trust in Him now.

341

We hear God call us to know His

forgiveness for all our sins now.

342

And we hear from God the promise

of eternal rest now, and the

343

assurance of that forever.

344

Are you listening?

345

Do you hear?

346

Are you paying attention?

347

Because Christ needs a response.

348

What will your response be tonight?

349

to him.

350

He is seeking us, calling us, inviting

us to know his great salvation.

351

The book I quoted from at the start is

based on Matthew chapter 11 verses 28

352

to 30 and it's with these words that

speak so well of God's mercy that I

353

want to leave them with you tonight.

354

You will be familiar with them because I

think if you keep count they're probably

355

the words I quote the most but that's

because they're the most beautiful.

356

Where Jesus says come to me

all who labor and are heavy

357

laden and I will give you rest.

358

Take my yoke upon you and learn from

me for I am gentle and lowly in heart.

359

And you will find rest for your souls, for

my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

360

This is the invitation.

361

Are you listening?

362

Are you paying attention?

363

Because if you are, God is calling you.

364

He's calling you to come and

find this rest as a demonstration

365

of his mercy towards you.

366

Not based on who you think you are

by birth, tradition, or culture.

367

But who you are before him, who we

all are before him, sinners needing

368

redemption, redemption that is sure and

certain to see us not only through all

369

the days of life, but into eternity.

370

Listen up, pay attention, and

receive the rest that he offers.

371

Let's pray.

372

Our Father God, for this your word,

we thank you for the glorious and

373

beautiful invitation that your mercy is

more than anything else in this world.

374

So, Father, may we respond

as we've listened, as we've

375

heard, as we've paid attention.

376

May we be faithful to what you're

calling us to, and may we know that joy

377

forever, and we ask it in Jesus name.