God’s Sovereignty, My Submission Part 4

Transcript (Beta)

As we open up godsword this morning. 

Our Heavenly Father, we want to thank you so much for just again your many blessings to us and. 

Pray that our view of you would not be clouded by our own limitations, but that we would truly seek to understand as much as you have revealed. 

All that is great about you and all. 

We thank you that you have given us your word. 

May Holy Spirit now open up our hearts and minds to understand and comprehend your wonderful truths so that we would not only know it in our minds, but that we would be able to experience it. 

In our lives, in the way that you intended, all that you might be glorified and honored in Jesus name Amen. 

Well, I know that I mentioned if you read the weekly spark this week, I was at a youth retreat and I was there from Sunday through Wednesday and I already shared this earlier with my Sunday school class. 

So you're already hearing you've already heard this, but it's probably the one of the worst retreat sites I have ever been to. 

In my life I've been there a number of Times Now, and so I'll tell you. 

If you think that I go away abroad to just get pampered and enjoy the high life, no way. 

This place was like right next to a dairy farm and there was a plague of flies every day starting about 8:00 AM till about maybe 7:00 PM and flies everywhere. 

The ground was literally covered with dead flies. 

I don't know if you've ever seen something like that, but when you're walking around, you think they're like just little berries. 

Or something, and then you look and you're like they all got little legs and it's just thick. 

I mean so when you open the door you gotta run in you. 

Know 'cause you don't want the flies to follow you. 

Anyways, in the midst of all that and the greasy food and all that, I had a wonderful time with a bunch of youth. 

About 60 youth as they asked me to speak about the importance of being involved in the local church. 

And if there's a topic that you don't have to get me too motivated to talk about that one. 

I had a wonderful time. 

With them in fact, one of the message messages you know, I know this is kind of maybe impossible to believe, but I got so hyped up and I was so excited about the message that before I knew it, an hour and 40 minutes had gone by and the kids were just with me. 

Though, they're just really with me and. 

Yeah, but I realized I shouldn't push it, so I I finished in about 5 minutes. 

But I think that's my all time record. Now at a youth camp, an hour and 45 minutes. But The funny thing was, is I was like had a chance to sit down and talk with them. 

They had all these great questions and you know. 

Had provided a. 

Lot of opportunities because so many of them have already had bad church experiences, you know. 

And that was a sad thing. 

Was that so many of these young people had such a pessimistic view towards church? 

You know, especially when they look at even their own parents and the hypocrisy that they've seen, and even the conflicts and the splits that have taken place in churches, it's no wonder that so many young people have a very low view of God because they've been. 

Presented such a low view within the church, especially for the lives of people. 

So I want to 1st. 

It really lets you know that I appreciate our church because every time I come back home and just have a chance to be with our church family there, there's just so many of you who really, I know, treasure and value, every opportunity to be a part of this church family and to fulfill what God calls us to do. 

And at the same time, I also am thankful for the. 

Opportunity to be able to go and share with others. 

And so you know to continue to encourage all of you that our church is not simply here, just. 

For our own sake. 

That we're also called to be an encouragement to other believers, and even this afternoon, as we have a fellowship with a Jesus Community Church, I want you to really see that as an opportunity to be a blessing. 

OK there there are. 

There are brothers and sisters in Christ and it is an opportunity for us to encourage them. 

To come alongside them, and you know really share about what we have in common and that is Christ. 

OK, so you've got free food. 

I don't know how you could beat that. 

We're feeding you so there are no excuses. 

OK, no lame excuses come out and join us for that time. 

Anyways, as we get to Romans 9 and we're going to finish today, I promise we've been four weeks in Romans 9. 

I probably could go a lot longer just 'cause there's so much in there, but I wanted to again preface just the passage with some thoughts in terms of giving a theological framework for how we are. 

To understand. 

Just the dilemma of reconciling God sovereignty and man choice. 

How do these two coexist without one being compromised? 

Now I think if anything, our tendency being man is that we will sort of forego God sovereignty because we want to uphold man sovereignty. 

Because that's precious to us, we want to have the right to ultimately decide my own destiny, right? 

I mean, that's what? 

Most of us don't we? 

Don't want that ever taken away. 

But then how do you see all that the scriptures say regarding God's sovereignty? 

How can you just do away with that? 

And in essence, what are we saying by trying to do with do away with God's sovereignty? Are we actually saying that my sovereignty matters more? There's the sovereignty of the creation matter than more than that of the creator. 

Well, these are difficult things to reconcile, and as I mentioned last week, there's a particular aspect of God truth that we will never fully comprehend because they contain elements of God, transcendence. 

In other words, there are aspects of God that are independent from us in such a way that we would never understand. 

And in trying to understand those things and justice really pursue those things is an effort in futility. 

OK? 

I know some of you are really smart people. 

OK, you've got your degrees you've got. 

Your pH D. 

's You you know you've got a bright. 

Brain you got, but you're still here. 

Zoom in OK. 

You're still limited by your finiteness. 

And so I want you to really make sure that you come to grips with that, but at the same time we are granted a certain element of understanding thing now. 

So again, put on your thinking caps alright and follow along with me because we're going to try to talk about some theological concepts that will help us understand this whole idea of God, sovereignty, gods, election gods, pre. 

Detonating work right now let me talk about God's will. There are two aspects of God's will. The first is that of his deck. 

If will, which we also call God decree there is the other part of his will which is called his perceptive will. 

That's what we also call his commandments. 

Or the law of God. 

Now I want to read a quote from one of my theology props from seminary Mark Miller. 

He said this decorative will of God is that will by which God, purposes or decrees whatever shall come to pass, whether he accomplishes it effectively or permits it to occur through the unrestrained agency of his rational creatures. 

Now when we try to understand the will of God, particularly this aspect of God sovereign. 

Well, I hope that you are not presuming that you actually understand how that all works OK. 

It is something in one respect that again, is transcendent, but there's an aspect in which how God works out of sovereign will is beyond us. 

Yet we are able to relate it to. 

Relate to it in one way and it's in. 

This way God is sovereign. 

He is Lord his will is what matters. 

We have to be careful about questioning that will. 

Look at Isaiah 46, nine to 10. It says woe to the one who quarrels with his maker, an earthenware vessel among the vessels of Earth. 

Will the clay say to the Potter what're you doing or the thing you are making? 

Say he has no hands? 

Well to him who says to a father, what are you be getting or to a? 

Woman to what are you giving birth? 

Now that that is one of the passages that power first backs in Romans 9 when he's in verses 19 and 21. 

Paul describes the one who answers back to God as the one who questions God. 

In fact, you could say that this person is blaming God. 

He's quarreling with God. 

He's trying to find fault with God, and as we looked at last week, what did job do? 

Even though job was suffering in one sense in ways that he didn't understand it. 

Wasn't related to. 

His sinfulness per southeast, yet he was questioning God right. 

In fact, it got to the point where he is saying, you know, hey, come on, what did I do here? 

I don't understand. 

There's no explanation. 

Says God talk to me, tell me something and then when God finally does, what does he say? 

Well, the faultfinder. 

Contend with God. 

You trying to find fault with me? 

Are you so justified in your own righteousness that you think you have reason? 

To question me. 

Now I'll tell you again. 

That just really goes back to our pride. 

Who are we compared to God? 

And who are we to question God's will? 

Now, the reason we question it is because we are so used to seeing unjust rulers exercising their authority in an unrighteous way. 

So we're quick to debate that we're quick to question it. 

We're even quick to challenge it, whether it's at home, OK, is there such a thing as a perfect parent? 

Ask my kids. 

They'll tell you I'm not perfect. 

Yet isn't it amazing how children will fight and rebel against their parents? 

Have any of you ever done that? 

Yeah, probably not. 

I mean, have you ever literally? 

Shaking their fist at your parents. 

Thinks I'm like, who do you think you are? 

And what do you think your parents saying? 

Who do you think you are you little pipsqueak? 

I bore you. 

You came from my loins who are you to tell me what? 

I mean, that's what the guy said is. 

Saying and I there, you know. 

Who would forget me? 

You know, the I mean, Can you imagine? 

It's ludicrous? 

It's ridiculous. 

To question that, that's exactly what people do when they're questioning God's sovereignty. 

You know, it's like a little bug shaking their fist at you. 

You know if that was me, especially at this past camp where these pesky flies, OK, there could be a lot of you bring it. 

On just you. 

Know Bam, bam, you're dead, you're dead. 

Who are you compared to me? 

That's a very poor illustration. 

OK, that's just me that's messed up. 

Me trying to relate to it, but think about it. 

Who are you to God to quarrel with God? 

Do you really want to take on God? 

And you can try to take me on, you know, people do that all the time you. 

Know what is. 

Who's John kid and what does he think he went to? 

Master Seminary who thinks he's a big deal? 

Yeah I, I'm not OK. 

I'm really you. 

You could probably knock me down pretty pretty quick. 

My my back was out. 

This week too, so I'd go down really fast, OK? 

You don't need to quarrel with me. 

But you do you want to quarrel with God? 

We must be reminded of our position before God. 

He is our creator. 

He is our Lord. 

We are the creation and we are subject to his lordship. 

Do you really understand that that is something that is so fundamental that must be part of the foundation of our thinking before we try to venture into theological dialogues? 

That we have no idea about what we're talking about. 

You see, that's why people argue so much they're arguing all from the vantage point of thinking that they are the authority, that their intellect is what matters, that their understanding or comprehension of theological truths is somehow better than anyone else is the last thing I talked about that even just because you go to seminary doesn't guarantee all those things. 

The only way you're going to really understand God truth is if God helps you understand it and you know the amazing thing is God can allow any of you to understand it. 

Isn't that amazing? 

I mean, you don't need to go to UCLA. 

You don't need to go to seminary. 

You don't need to go to some academic institution to understand God's word, but I tell you what you do need and there's one thing that's absolutely indispensable in knowing God truth, and that is, you need the Holy Spirit. 

It's impossible, you cannot know this stuff on your own. 

Turn over the first Corinthians chapter 2. 

Looking at verses 6 through 16 and again, this is the framework by which we are to make sure we have this in place so that I can understand these deep truths that are found in Scripture. 

Starting in verse 6. 

Says yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature a wisdom, however, not of this age. 

Nor the rulers of this age who are passing away, but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory, the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood. 

For if they understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory, but just as it is written things which I have. 

Not seen and ears not heard and which have not entered the heart of man all that God has prepared for those who. 

Love him for to us God revealed them through the spirit for the spirit, searches all things, even the. 

Depths of God. 

For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? 

Even so, the thoughts of God. 

No one knows except the spirit of God. 

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit who was from God, that we might know the things. 

Freely given to us by God. 

Which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words, but a natural man does not accept the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. 

He cannot understand them because they are spiritually praised, but he is spiritual appraises all things, yet himself is appraised by no man. 

For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him? 

But we have the mind of Christ. 

Now as you listen to that text as you read it, do you see what's being shown there? 

Wisdom is in one sense of mystery. 

It's a hidden wisdom, and it says there actually the God pre destined it before the ages. 

And so again, you see this element of predestination even in regards to his wisdom in verse nine. 

It says that God has prepared all these things for those who love him. 

Now that is crucial. 

OK, the only way to know God truth is by loving him. 

Bye love. 

Now that right there creates a dividing point for most people. 

If you're not a Christian, you cannot. 

Know the things of. 

God, you absolutely cannot. 

There must be a love relationship that is the foundation of the understanding of God, truths, and as much as you try to apply your own intellect. 

We're not saying you're dumb, we're not saying. 

That you're incapable. 

But you are not even allowed to understand these things 'cause you have no relationship with God. 

That's why for many people doesn't make any sense either. 

In fact, a lot of people just like to fight about theology because in the end they don't really understand it in the context of our loving relationship with God. 

That's why people are so quick to even. 

Question whether God? 

As a loving. 

God, you know? 

What are some of the typical typical questions that you hear? 

Well, if God is so loving, how could he allow these disasters to occur? 

So the question there is the wrong question. 

The question is, do you even know what a loving God means? 

No, you only see it in the context of what you assume love to be. 

Which is ultimately self serving, because you're just using that as an argument to discredit God. 

That is your motive and intention. 

You don't really care about God in this case. 

You're looking for a way to discredit him. 

That is the heart of that question. 

Now, granted, there are some people who earnestly do want to understand, and they're confused. 

Maybe there's some of you even here today who are confused by some of these things because it's hard to reconcile. 

I'll tell you. 

That is not the primary issue. 

At this point. 

The primary issue is do you know God? 

'cause only if you know God can you then understand the things of God. 

It says it clearly there. 

Look at verse 14. 

The natural man does not accept the things of the spirit of God because what they're foolishness, that's why someone who is not a believer in Christ will look at the church and. 

Say a bunch. 

Of fools that they actually get. 

Together to listen to someone talk. 

About a dead book. 

I mean, why not something a little more exciting? 

Why not talk about Harry Potter? 

I I could talk about Harry Potter. 

I haven't actually read. 

Harry Potter I. 

Don't care to read it, maybe for me then it'll be Lord of the Rings. 

Oh I, I could expound for hours on Lord of the Rings. 

Oh I love that story. 

I've read that series at least 50 times. 

You know, I'll read that one sitting the whole way through. 

Why 'cause I just love that series. 

It's incredible when you think about just all the imagery in there. 

I mean, you think about all the characters and all that they represent. 

See, I can't get going. 

And so if you right now, you're not paying attention, who he's? 

Talking all orderings. 

Oh how sad come? 

On yeah Bible you know, let's go back to Bible air but loriens yeah isn't that sad? 

Come on. 

You see, when you're when you're talking to men in a humanistic way. 

Of course it's. 

More appealing to them. 

When we talk about God, it's so amazing how quickly the demeanor changes. 

Heavy eyelids droop. 

And how this soft snoring starts to take place even if at the camp feels that way. 

Oh my goodness, some kids are just like I mean, it's like without shame, you know. 

And I even thought I would. 

Point them out and the kids like. 

Neo nudging them and all. 

Well, I'll tell you a lot of that does actually have to do with. 

How much do you love God? 

Because if you love God, you would love his word. 

You would love the presentation of his word. 

You would love the discussion of his word. 

You would love the applying of his. 

Word do you? 

Do you love God? 

And if you love God then you will have the basis to start to Plumb the depths of those deep truths which do not ultimately just confuse. 

They bring comfort and they bring confidence. 

I'll tell you the electing Predestinating work of God is what brings great confidence close to you without that. 

I've got no hope. 

I've got no chance for hope. 

I am hopeless. 

Because in my sin I am incapable of doing anything to save myself. 

Unless God chooses to intervene. 

And do something on my behalf. 

The point is this. God's wisdom is revealed through his spirit to those who love him. 

And so even for those of you who are Christians, I'll tell you this much too. 

Why is it that so many Christians? 

I mean, if you're not a Christian, we understand you don't love God, so you don't want the things of God. 

You don't care their foolishness, but how about for those who say they're Christians? 

You know this is again the thing that kills me. 

You say you love Christ, then how come the things of Christ are not worthy to you? 

Well, this morning Sunday school class we talked about that too. 

Even the whole idea of identity. 

What is identity? 

If you place your identity in the things of the world, you are foolish because those things are so passing. 

And those things are so insecure. 

And let's take the identity issue of ethnicity alone here. 

Oh wait, we could get really hung. 

Up on that, right? 

Let's start to compartmentalize. 

Compartmentalize our church into ethnic groups. 

OK, we're all the Koreans. 

Come on, come on, where are you where? 

Are you you ashamed? 

How sad, yeah yeah yeah you know you. 

You think I'm tricking? 

You right? 

OK, no come on. 

Come on, yeah OK hey. 

How about our Chinese brothers sisters China? 

How about Taiwanese? 

I know it's supposed to be different. 

That's right, huh, OK. 

OK, now we have our. 

This is our Asian contingent. 

OK, how about our Caucasian contingent right? 

Welcome you, we welcome you. 

Now we have our. 

Middle Eastern contingent. 

We have our African contingent. 

We haven't. 

You know, maybe from every continent you could have someone. 

But what's the point of that? 

What is the point of that? 

There's no point to it. 

You want to know where we have racism? 

You want to know why we have ethnic cleansing. 

You want to know why we have all just all this. 

You know social. 

Outcasts that people create simply because of just one ethnicity. 

When socioeconomic status, all those things, it's because Jesus Christ isn't central to your thinking. 

That's the bottom line. 

You don't look at people through the eyes of Jesus Christ and the church does. 

The same thing. 

That is sad. 

If you're not looking at it with the heart of loving Christ, it's no wonder not only are we confused about these deep theological truths, we don't even know how to get along. 

We don't even know how to accept one another. 

We create all these superficial limitations. 

Do you want to know God? 

You need to start first with the question do you love him? 

When you love God, have a relationship with him. 

You will then be granted the Holy Spirit and that's why that passage of Ephesians one is so crucial to understand. 

You know God has done so much and not only that he's given you the seal of the Holy Spirit, which is a stamp not only of your security of salvation but is that is now where you are able to understand also the truths of God. 

And to apply it. 

Now, even with that we will not fully understand the transcendent aspects of God's nature in sovereign will. But we can understand it as much as man can understand it with the help of the spirit. 

And so that's the issue of God's decorative will. OK, now there is the 2nd aspect of the perceptive will of God. 

And that is the rule of life which God is laid down for his moral creatures, indicating the duties he enjoins on them. 

That is the theological definition according to my seminary profess. 

That is, in distinction to the decorative will of God. 

The perceptible of God are those commandments he is going for example, Exodus. 

Chapter 20 to 10 commandments. 

These are the things that you shall do. 

These are things you shall not do. 

This is what God calls us to follow. 

We are his creation, so we are subject to his law. 

And so we are accountable now to regard his perceptive will. 

The question is, are we going to bring him glory through our obedience to his perceptive will, or are we going to reject his glory by our disobedience? 

Now what is the main issue with God perceptive? 

Well, it is this. 

We are sinners. 

God's prescriptive laws that are presented to us reveal to us how sinful we are by our inability. 

To obey them perfectly. 

No matter what we like to think then about God, character and God, sovereignty and this is where I hope you really understand this point. 

You can't get hung up on God, sovereignty and God decorative will when you have clearly been given his preceptive will and the choice to obey it or not. 

You see it is in a sense to try to deflect responsibility and we are pretty good at that. 

That's all psychology is is learning how to deflect, deflect, blame. 

I'm not guilty. It's my parents fault. It's my society's fault. It was when I was in my mother's womb, and the tremendous trauma of childbirth caused this psychological damage to take place. So when Angela has her baby, the baby is already psychologically demand damaged. 

That's the way it just is. 

Now you can try to find any excuse you want, but no, the bottom line excuses. 

We're sinners. 

We sin against God. We choose to rebel and reject God's law. 

And you know what I'm always going. 

To be held. 

Responsible for that. 

You cannot deflect responsibility for that on God. 

Think about it right now. 

Does anyone know God decretive? 

Decree for your life right now. 

Do you know what's going to happen tomorrow? 

Do you even know what's going to happen in an hour? 

But you know what you know after. 

The fact, because then it's happened, right? 

That's one thing that you're just never. 

Going to get over. 

You're never gonna figure out God, Deckard will, but you must be accountable to God's perceptive. 

You can't avoid that now because we recognize that we are sinners. 

Because we fall short of that perfect standard Romans. 

323 

All sin falls short of the glory of God. 

When we die because of that sin, the wages sin is death. Romans 623. 

By nature, and if you recall way back, for those of you who are with us when we went through Ephesians by nature we are children of wrath, Ephesians 2 three. 

So we are deserving of God judgment. 

You see, you can't deflect that truth. You can't try to set it aside and then try to take issue with God's sovereignty and say somehow God is to blame for this. No, you you can't do that. 

You must first accept responsibility for your own actions. 

Left to ourselves, this is what the scriptures say. 

Clearly when we looked at this in Romans one through 3 left to ourselves, we will always choose to reject God. 

We always choose to suppress the truth of God. 

You don't have to go too far to see that happening. 

This week find. 

Any non Christian? 

Any non Christian you want, whether you know them or don't know them, throw them a few tidbits of God truth. 

Let's see what's going to happen. 

And here's a good. 

One, and I thought I talked about. 

This, with the youth about purity. 

That's always such a controversial issue. 

Purity, so I said something like this. 

I don't see purity so much as an issue of graduation issues like it starts with holding hands and then it goes to kissing and then it goes to. 

Deeper kissing and then it goes to touchy, touchy and then deeper, touchy, touchy and then intercourse. 

No see, that's a fallacy in thinking that somehow purity is related to this grades. 

No, no. 

It's a package deal. 

It's a package deal, right? 

I mean. 

Think about it. 

Any married couple here right now. 

Gay husbands, you are going to feel me on this, OK? 

Some guy come up to your wife right now, just starts kissing them. 

Just like kisses but on the lips. 

What are you going to say? 

Go ahead, take a few more. 

It's alright. 

I'm generous. 

Feel generous today. 

Would you? 

Would you? 

I doubt it. 

Someone kissing my wife. 

Yeah I'm gonna kiss you. 

Well, in my Bible I don't know about your Bible OK, but in my Bible it presents marriage as a holy thing. 

And it presents the love between a man and a woman as a holy thing. 

Should not kissing be holy? 

We even see such a thing culturally. 

Right, you build you in Argentina. 

You learn the holy kiss right on the side. 

OK, and I heard even in Russia, the holy kisses lip on lip with men. 

Oh oh, I don't know. 

About going to Russia. 

Might be a little bit too much but but what's the deal? 

There is a certain element where it's holy, why? 

Is this before God? 

Now I don't know. 

I I take any of you on this. 

OK those you are dating. 

You're kissing, really holy. 

I don't know, I I I could I I just really have to say I can't see someone kissing my daughter right now saying that it's holy. 

You will arouse holy wrath. 

But this is all I can say. 

OK, don't try to think you've got God figured out and that somehow you know while there aren't some serious sin issues, there's some really bad ones and. 

This is the whole. 

Still, as long as I don't do the really bad things, I'm a decent person, no, you soon. 

Once you're a Sinner. 

You will always. 

Be a Sinner and before God you've fallen short. 

Yeah, for a lot of these kids they're like. 

Pastor John that's too harsh, no kissing. 

OK, let me see you in 1015 years. 

Let me feel your spouse has to say, you know, I'll tell them you know what you know what your wife said, or your husband said. 

They said it was OK to kiss when they kissed all these people. 

In fact, let's bring him here. 

Let's show all the people that they kissed. 

No, no, please don't do that. 

Not you ashamed. 

Why are you saying now when you weren't ashamed later? 

What changed? 

What's the standard? 

I'll tell you what change was your standard because you're serving yourself. 

So only to your benefit now that you're married that you don't kiss another person why you're supposed to kill you. 

Right? 

Think about it, it's all. 

Self serving. 

No, you've gotta change your thinking on that. 

God has in mind our best interests in giving us his preceptive law. 

Do you see that he wants to save us from trouble? 

Trouble now and trouble later. 

Do you follow that? 

That's where some of your you know those. 

You're single, you're like. 

Why is this so hard those? 

You are dating so hard now I've got something there. 

When you feel this temptation, why do you? 

Where do you feel? 

This longing to want to kiss? 

I remember when I was dating Angela, I felt that way. 

It didn't make sense. 

Why do I want to kiss her? 

I I don't know but I'm I'm. 

Drawn, it's like you know, the tractor beam is pulling me. 

In, there's like global, why? 

I'll tell you why, 'cause that's us being human in our passions, but you know what, God? 

Has given us. 

Clear lines as to how we're to. 

Think and that is, does it glorify me? 

Do you glorify God in everything you do? 

'cause that's the whole point of this. 

Preceptive law is to bring him glory. 

Now you might want to say. 

Well, God, if you're sovereign. 

Then you must have ordained for me to sin. 

You must have forced me into the situation so it's all your fault. 

It's your fault I messed up. 

Now what are you? 

Saying by. 

That are you saying? 

God is the source of sin. 

Are you saying God is the author of sin? Would you like to defend that before God? When James 113 to 15? 

You can go back to Scripture, see what it says says, let no one say when he is tempted. 

I'm being tempted by God. 

Forget God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself does not tempt anyone, but each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 

Then when less is conceived, it gives birth to sin. 

When sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. 

Don't put on the Wonder Woman bracelets and. 

Try to deflect blame. 

For something you don't know that if you remember the old TV show, Wonder Woman had those bracelets and when someone? 

Shoot a Bush. 

Go ping ping. 

Ping and so somehow she was so fast that she could deflect all the bullets. 

Now that's what some of us. 

Do we just totally want to deflect responsibility even now? 

Some of you probably are deflecting responsibility. 

Why is it making me feel bad? 

Whenever I come to lighthouse, they make me feel bad. 

Wish I am Sinner. 

Well it's a fellow Sinner telling I'm not the perfect one. 

I am not the holy one. 

K right Peter used to call me that boy I said stop saying that I'm not the only one. 

OK, there's only one holy one that's God. 

We're on the same boat. 

We're sinners. 

Now a few things that I need to make sure you understand. 

Don't ever say the devil made me do it. 

No double double makes you do nothing you choose now. 

The devil can tempt you. 

That was good at that. 

That was pretty good at coming to each. 

One, he's got a. 

A customized temptation plan just for you. 

Oh, I know you're weak in this area. 

So booga booga booga booga. 

And we're just like it's like the. 

It's like when you go. 

Fishing, you know? 

And we see that lure so much you know, we think that fish are done. 

No, we're Dumber. 

We are so dumb. 

All it means is freaking. 

Here you go, what? 

No, maybe he needs a few casts. 

But it inevitably. 

Or maybe he changed the lore, makes it brighter, more attractive, and then ah, and we're gone. 

We bite and we bite big time. 

And the problem is for some of. 

US we even know abiding it. 

Right, this is bad. 

This is bad. 

This is bad. 

I can't help. 

It and you just go. 

Don't blame the devil, you choose to take that temptation. 

You also can't say well, people make me soon. 

No people never make you sin now they can tempt you to people are good at that too. 

They not to press your buttons right? 

And do you have siblings? 

You know how siblings know how to press the buttons? 

We all know how to do that. 

You know exactly what the buttons are for your particular siblings and you press them just to get a kick. 

Sometimes there's no good reason. 

You know my brother got married this past weekend was just reminding me it was like a flashback when raw growing up and now we're older, but I still remember all the times when we were little, especially my two younger brothers so they could just press the buttons. 

But you can't blame that other person. 

OK, they might press the button, but you reacted. 

But you can't deflect the blame. 

So if you can't say the devil made you do, it can't say people made you do it, you most of all cannot say God made you sin. 

In fact, this goes against the very nature who of who God is. 

That's what James says James says. 

God is not tempted, nor does he tempt. 

See do you see that so when you go back to Romans 9 and you start asking certain questions, do you realize you questioned the very nature and character of God? 

But do you see what the Scriptures have already revealed about the nature and character of God? 

God is not the author of sin. 

He doesn't tempt people to sin. 

You cannot blame God for your sin. 

It is because of your own less that it says. 

And when less is conceived, it gives birth to sin. 

Now, here's something that maybe is going to blow a fuse for a few of you. 

The decorative will of God is always accomplished, while the perceptive will is very often disobeyed. 

Hence, there is a dialectical relationship between the two. 

Often the decorative will of God is established precisely by disobedience to his perceptive will. 

Therefore, God is not the author of sin. 

And you follow that. 

Like no. 

How does my disobedience of his perceptive will establish his decorative will? 

Once like this, the Westminster Confession, I think, says it well, says God, from all eternity did by the most wise and holy counsel of his own, will freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to. 

Cast yet so is there by one. 

Neither is God. 

The author of Sin, because that is clearly shown in Scripture. 

Second, nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, and thirdly, nor is the liberty or contingency of secondary causes taken away, but rather established. 

And I want you to again put on your thinking caps here. 

And here's a little bit of philosophical understanding. 

There is what is called a simultaneity of first causes and 2nd causes. 

God achieves his will through the genuinely free will of men and angels. 

Now there's a quote for you that's going to be hard to swallow. 

God is always the first cause because he's God you follow that. 

That's the sovereign will. 

Now the secondary cause is. 

Where man is. 

This is what we call the doctrine of concurrence. 

God always operates sovereignly according to his nature and character. 

He never. 

Compromises on that. 

Yet parallel to that man still always exercise his choice as to how he will respond to the perceptive will of God. 

It is not the responsibility of man to figure out the decorative will of God other than to accept the nature and character of the one who declares it. 

Beyond that, there's nothing else for you to figure out 'cause. 

You can't figure. 

It out. 

But you can submit to the one who is sovereign. 

You will always be responsible, though, to respond to the precept of will of God. 

These things always will go in a concurrent line. 

The transcendent, and in that that is where we get what we call the idea of the indescribable. 

We even sing about that right. 

God, you are indescribable. 

Why 'cause human words cannot describe who you are? 

And so it makes sense that word is a term to help us understand something we don't understand. 

You understand? 

We even acknowledge those things, but you can't figure out the indescribable 'cause you can't describe it. 

Now the second part of the Westminster Confession. 

I want to just make sure you understand violence is not offered to the will of the creature now. 

I tried to describe this to you last week with the example of Pharaoh, right? 

Some people say, well, pharaoh. 

Had no choice. 

'cause God hardened his heart, but it says Pharaoh hardened his heart too. 

And so there was not this sort of dilemma going on in Pharaohs mind. 

Pharaoh fully was aware of the choices that he. 

Made and he chose to. 

Reject God even though he was given incredible evidences to God. 

And that's the amazing thing. 

What did Pharaoh see? 

He saw crazy stuff happening. 

And it got to the point where even his own Wiseman said, what this is the hand of God. 

Relent, let them go. 

You are destroying Egypt through your pride. 

Just let him go. 

Feels like now. 

No, just like a baby. 

That's sad when babies say no, come eat your dinner now. 

Come here, let Mommy give you hell. 

No why? 

Proud stubborn rebellious Sinner. 

Here's the question that we need to ask. 

Do you trust God? 

Do you trust God? 

God has revealed himself to you. 

He has given enough for us to comprehend even just a little bit that he is an awesome incredible God. 

But do you trust him? 

That is our ultimate responsibility. 

Do you trust God? 

We are so lame. 

We trust almost anything in everything other than God. 

We trust people we trust. 

Our work we trust. 

Anything and everything we trust Aladdin. 

More than we trust God. 

How sad. 

Yeah, that's really the whole point of. 

The gospel message. 

Do you trust God? 

Take on who you are. 

Or man. 

And that's the thing about a lot of churches where they're. 

Just telling you. 

That you're all good. 

You're all nice. 

Let's just be happy. 

Let's just hug each other and sing Kumbaya. 

For what purpose to just somehow emotionally convince yourself that you're OK when along this line you have this reality of what we call sin taking place continually? 

By nature, we are children of wrath. 

On our own we despise God. 

We reject God. 

You can't blame God for that. 

That's our choice. 

And some of you here today. 

If you're honest, you'll recognize that your problem is not that you can't figure out God, the the problem is, you're not willing to deal with the reality of who you are before God. 

That's your Sinner. 

The only appropriate response is to recognize your sin humbly come to God, who is the merciful and gracious God. 

And you need to bow the knee in submission to his lordship. 

Christ died so that sinful man. 

Might be redeemed reconciled with God. 

And instead of being a child of wrath, become a child of God. 

Now all that to say, do you have that in place before you try to figure out election, predestination, and all these deep truths? 

Do you love him? 

Do you trust him? 

'cause if you do now you're in the right place to understand Romans 9. 

OK, let's go to the first point. 

First point for today does God hate? 

Now hate is a strong word. 

I tell my girls never use it. 

Don't say stuff like I hate you to each other. 

That's terrible, right? 

I mean if I came up. 

To you and said, I hate you. 

What would you say? 

Yeah, I know. 

So you probably well last week he talked about the relative use of hate, so maybe there's some, maybe I don't know strange way or he's trying to use that to figure. 

You're me out to give me a message, or so. 

No no. 

If I said I hate you, probably because I didn't like you. 

So we had to be careful about how we. 

Used the word hate, but how about? 

When it says God hates. 

OK go back to Romans Chapter 9. 

And it says there in verse 13, just as it is written. 

Jacob I loved. 

But Esau I hated. 

Now last week I did mention there are relative uses of the term. 

We talked about how Jesus even used that in terms of following him, that in light of following him it would be as if you had to have you hate your own father and mother, even your own spouse, even your own children. 

In comparison to loving Christ and following him. 

He's not saying literally hate them, but because your love would be so great for Christ. 

It would be seen in contrast to that. 

Now we need to do a little contextual study here in Romans 9 so that we make sure we understand how hate is being used. 

We don't want to inject our own preconceived ideas. That's what we call. I said Jesus. OK, reading into the text, not something for those of you who are going to take the hermeneutics class that Patrick's going to teach starting this week, which. 

If you haven't taken, you'd better take. 

OK, if you haven't taken it, take it because you're going to learn how to say the scriptures accurately. 

Rather, instead we want to do what is called exegesis. 

We don't allow the text to speak for itself now. 

I mentioned last week that in Romans 913 Paul is actually quoting Malachi 1/2 and saying that God loved Jacob and hated Isa. And he's actually talking about the descendants of Jacob and descendants of Esau the Edomites, versus the Israelites. Now what is the context of policy use? 

Here in 13, well, first let's go back to the beginning and verses one through 5. 

Paul has revealed his own heart for his people, the Nation of Israel. 

He shares his grief over the fact that they have rejected the Messiah. 

He talks about God, sovereign plan in regards to the nation of Israel, particularly in giving a reason for their rejection. 

He understands why the reject is part of God sovereign plan, namely that not all who are of Israel are going to inherit the promises given to Israel. 

Just because you are descendant of Abraham doesn't mean you inherit the Abrahamic covenant. 

And he gives the example there is Ishmael and Isaac, both descendants of Abraham, but only Isaac's descendants were to receive the promise. 

And then from there he went to Jacob and Esau, saying that even between twins, both being sons of the same husband and wife, yet God chose and he chose, not because one was better than the other. 

OK, it makes it pretty clear there in verse 11. 

For though the twins were not yet born, and had not done anything good or bad, in order that God's purpose, according to his choice, might stand not because of works, but because of him who calls God. Choice was the basis for the calling, not their own merit. 

Then it goes to verse 14, which is in the context, what shall we say then? 

There is no injustice with God, is there? 

May it never be. 

God is not unjust. 

That is clear, if you recognize the rest of Scripture, God is a just God. 

He will always do that which is consistent with his justice. 

Now here's a question. 

Does God have a right to hate? 

Now, does the Bible ever talk about God hating? 

Other than this, Oh yeah, turn over the proverbs 6. 

There are some things that God hates with a passion. 

Versus 1619 there are six things which Lord hates. Yes, seven, which are an abomination to him. Haughty eyes, the lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers. 

Now there's a saying you've probably heard it hate the sin, but love the Sinner, right? 

Now is that is that an accurate thing to say? 

Yes it is OK. 

You're all getting worried. 

Yeah, we always like to call the hates in. 

But we're to love sinners. 

OK, doesn't God love sinners? 

But does God hate sinners? 

Does he just hate the sin? 

Does God express hatred toward those who sin? 

Question is, what kind of hatred are we talking about? 

God has every right to hate sin because he is a righteous and holy God. 

When it says that God hates sin, he's not just hating the idea alone. 

The reason why judgment is passed on those who sin is because that is the justice of God being applied. 

If he could say his hatred of sin is being applied. 

Yet God has every right to bestow mercy and love on those whom he chooses. 

It's not because they're deserving, or because they are just, uh, righteous, but man is sinful. 

Man is evil, man is unjust. 

Man is unrighteous. 

Now God simply in reflecting on that particular issue alone. 

He has the right to hate it. 

And we're not talking about some just emotion here. 

We're not talking about God blowing a fuse, just getting angry. 

That's that's us. 

Hey, that's human hatred. 

That's human anger, which is not righteous, which is not just. 

When it says that God loved Jacob, it is a reflection of his sovereign love being bestowed on an unworthy subject. 

So you can't say well, somehow. 

Well, Jacob had something to do with that, no? 

Jacob had absolutely nothing to do with receiving God's love. In fact, if anything, he proved how much he didn't deserve it by his continued sin. 

That same sovereign love was not bestowed on Esau. 

Now that is part of God's sovereign planning. 

But it was also reflected through the evil nature of Esau and his descendants. 

And that's why God says he hates Esau, his descendants. 

Now, again before we're quick to judge God. 

We have to first understand, do we even know what his righteousness is? 

Do we? 

What do we know what? 

His Holiness is. 

Do we even know what mercy and grace are? 

You know The funny thing about it is, well, it's not so funny is we take mercy and grace and we abuse it. 

We don't really live in such a way to appreciate it. 

So either way. 

We tend to distort God and his character's character qualities. 

God's holiness and righteousness are in full operation and his mercy and love is bestowed, not as an issue of fairness. 

It's never about fairness. 

You've got to get that through your minds. 

God mercy is never about being fair. 

God mercy is about him being merciful. 

If we want fairness, then all we're asking God to do is condemn us. 

That is fairness. 

Now let's move on to God, sovereign design for Pharaoh and I know it touched on this last week. 

Now, right before that, in verses 15 and 16. 

Paul says where he says to Moses I will have mercy on whom I have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. 

So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God, who has mercy. 

God is the one who has the prerogative. 

The full prerogative to show mercy on whom he desires. 

No one deserves it. 

You see, you can't demand mercy because then in doing so you destroy the very concept of mercy. 

You don't deserve it. 

You can't say God. 

You owe me mercy. 

There's no way you could do that. 

The only thing God owes us is condemnation, because we've sinned against him. 

That's all we can ask for. 

That's the only thing we have a right to ask for. 

If you want to be fair. 

If you want God to be fair. 

Now the question here is when you go to Pharaoh. 

How come Pharaoh was not shown mercy? 

Was Pharaoh given an opportunity to repent? 

Let's look at where $0.17 for the scripture says. The Pharaoh for this very purpose I raised you up to demonstrate my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed throughout the whole Earth. 

Now what's the issue here? 

What was Pharaoh good for in God's sight? 

Two things. 

One to demonstrate his power and two so that his name would be proclaimed through the whole Earth. In essence, what is that God's glory? 

God is being glorified through pharaoh. 

Well again we have to appeal to the doctrine of concurrence. 

Yes, God had a sovereign plan that involved Pharaoh being hardened. 

And in rejecting his law toward him. 

His revelation tore him through Moses. 

Now did Pharaoh have an opportunity to repent? 

Yes, many times. 

In fact, every time Moses came to him, it was an opportunity to repent. 

But what did Pharaoh do? 

Showed his pride. 

Turned to what he could have at any point. 

Simply turned repented. 

Did Pharaoh deserve God? 

Judgment, yes. 

Even at the very first show of his rebellion against God. 

Now, what's the point here? 

God very purpose for Pharaoh was so that God power would be displayed through Pharaoh and that God name would be proclaimed in all the earth. 

You see, God greatness and supremacy were confirmed through Pharaoh's actions. This is the perspective that we often don't even begin to have because our view of God. 

Glory is so poor it's not even a priority for us to see God glorified. 

We just we just argue with God. 

God, why did you do this? God, why did you do that? Well, God's already. 

Saying, are you concerned about my glory? 

Now we take them, say, God, you're so selfish. 

No, no you're selfish. I'm selfish 'cause that's the way we would think God has every right to demand his glory because he's God we're not God and God's not petty like us. 

We want glory because we are selfish. 

That's why we manipulate people and that's why we try to force things all to come back to me because we want the glory God not like that. 

This always then goes back to our view of God A. 

Tozer says this. 

This way the church has surrendered her once lofty concept of God and has substituted for it. 

One solo sub noble as to be utterly unworthy of thinking. 

Worshipping men this she has done. 

Not deliberately, but little by little and without her knowledge and her very unawareness only makes her situation. 

All the more tragic that is such the truth. 

You go into the majority of churches today and I'll tell you what the first thing they've compromised is the glory of God. 

The greatness of God, a high V of God. 

They are what we call icabod churches. 

I told this to the youth. 

This past week you know what? 

You're called, you know, I won't say their names so. 

I won't make him feel bad you're such and such Presbyterian Church. 

But if you not care about God, glory. 

If God glory is departed, let's just call you Ichabod Presbyterian Church. 

And they kind of laughed. 

And then later on they did a skit. 

They incorporated that whole idea. 

Hey, we're from Ichabod Presbyterian Church. 

I'll tell you right now, there are lot of churches. 

You might as well inscribe Ichabod in front because God glory is not a concern at all. 

You can see through the music. 

It's not about glorifying God, it's about appealing to man. You can see it in the presentation of God's word. No, it's all about appeasing people. Making them feel good about themselves as opposed to presenting God truth. 

This is the primary problem. In particular, I think that exists within most people's hearts and minds, even of that of Christians. 

I mean, we can understand that for someone who's not a Christian to have allowed low V of God and a high view of men's own intellect himself. 

But at the expense of acknowledging God sovereignty, why is it that God sovereignty is being sacrificed for the sake of? 

Our own glory. 

You got to understand that's what's at the heart of it. 

So God has every prerogative to show mercy on whom he desires. 

No one deserves it. 

And you can't say that God's being unfair. 

It's God's prerogative. 

In verses 21 and 22, it says or does not the Potter have a right over the clay to make from the same lump 1 vessel for honorable use and another for common use. 

What if God, although willing to demonstrate his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 

Now here's our key verse here, and he did so in order that he might make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory. 

If you say you're Christian, that is what you need to be thinking here. 

Yes, there are vessels that are made for destruction. 

That is their ultimate end. 

Yeah, it's a terrible thing to have to see. 

And even acknowledge. 

Now it's a funeral recently of a non Christian. 

It is never a pleasant thing to know that someone has died not knowing Christ. 

But you know that was their choice. 

But I was also part of God's design. 

God is not unjust. 

Yet even in that, God shows the vessels of mercy, and that's the key thing to recognize that you as a vessel of mercy, are able to see the display of God's glory even through the vessels that are meant for destruction, you see. 

When we look at Pharaoh, you know what we need to see. 

This look at how patient God was. 

Look at how many chances God gave. 

Look at what to what extent God did to show him how great he was and yet he still rejected him. 

You know right now, if you were to have the same issue presented before you, you couldn't say. 

Well I have been pre destined to not accept this. 

You can't use that. 

You are being granted God mercy even now to hear the truth again, another opportunity. 

And every time you come. 

Again and again and again. 

God is a patient God. 

The fact that he doesn't strike us down right now is a testament to his mercy. 

But all the more for us it shows us how wonderful God really is, how patient he is, how enduring he is. 

And that just is to bring him more glory. 

That is the great comfort and hope. 

The last point is this, and this will be just really quick, resting in God's word, going back to 96, it says, but it is not as though the word of God has. 

Failed, that is. 

Such a crucial phrase there to understand. 

God's word never fails. God made a promise, yes, to Israel he made a covenant with them with them as a nation. OK, that is not a promise. He's going to break. 

But here's the key. 

It wasn't to every Israelite. 

Yes, it was in general to the nation, but not all will inherit that promise. 

It was always only a remnant. 

And it was always based on his calling. That's the whole point of him quoting Isaiah in verses 25 and 26 and then in verses 27 through 29 when he quotes Isaiah, he says, you know, unless God chose a remnant, what would happen? We'd all be like Sodom and Gomorrah. 

Unless God intervened himself and chose a group of people, none of us would have chosen. 

So even in the Old Testament is the. 

Same idea God. 

Electing Mercy and Grace being extended to us. 

To those people as well as us. 

But here's the key in verses 30 through 33. 

It says this righteousness, which it is not attained by your works. 

The Gentiles they didn't even pursue righteousness. 

Yet they attained. 

It how by faith and the Jews they tried to attain righteous but they didn't attain to it. 

Because it was by works. 

And so here's the key. 

It says there in verse 39 why? Because they're not pursued by faith. 

And then verse 33 in the last verses says, behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling in a rock of offense. He who believes in him will not be disappointed. 

This is your call and this is your responsibility today. 

If you are not a believer. 

Yes, God can seem a bit. 

Incomprehensible to you? 

That's because he's got. 

You're never going to fully get him. 

But you know what? 

He's given us everything we need. 

In Christ, now that's a stumbling block for many people, but it says there in the last phrase he who believes in him will not be disappointed. 

I'll tell you this. 

You will be disappointed if you place your confidence in anything except Christ. 

You will. 

That is a guarantee. 

You can place your confidence in people. 

You can place confidence in your own abilities in your own accomplishments, but you will be disappointed. 

And especially when it comes to dealing with your sin and your guilt. 

Man, I'm such a Sinner. 

I mess up all the time. 

I hurt my wife. 

I hurt my children. 

I disappoint you. 

If you placed your faith in me, I would let you down immediately. 

Don't place your faith in me. 

Don't place faith in your accomplishments. 

There will always be someone better than you always. 

Well, you could try your whole life and then you'll die. 

How disappointing? 

What if I was right in the middle of a project? 

And you died. 

Well, you're out of it. 

I guess. 

But you'll be disappointed. 

Jesus Christ is the only one who won't disappoint you. 

Now, get over your hang ups about who God is. 

You are not God. 

God is God and you know what? 

He is a good God. 

And he is merciful even in giving to us today. 

An opportunity hear his truth and respond by believing and trusting in him. 

Let's powerheads 

Our father, we thank you for this time and I do really ask that you would help each person here. 

To consider where Jesus Christ is in their lives. 

Maybe there are some here who do not know Christ Lord, I pray that you would help them to see. 

That only Christ will not disappoint. 

Maybe there are people here who are already disappointed. 

And help them to see the reality. 

That this world offers no hope. 

That human thinking offers no hope. 

That we ourselves are incapable of saving ourselves. 

And our only hope can be found. 

And the person and work of Jesus Christ who came and died for our sins. 

So that we might be saved. 

Well, I pray that you would. 

Open up hearts even now. 

To respond to that. 

To your gracious call Lori, thank you for these shoes and again as we are reminded that we would really take it to heart. 

All in the context of loving you to see how gracious and merciful you are. 

Even through those that reject you. 

Define great comfort and help in knowing that you are sovereign and that your plans will not be thwarted. 

That you will always save a remnant. 

We thank you. 

And we will praise you. 

Just that we would live in light of these things. 

All for your glory and praise, hey man.