God's Sovereignty
Series: MADE NEW
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 17th July 2022
Passage: Romans 9:1-29
00:00:00 --> 00:00:05 imagine there are five people who are planning to hold up a bank.
00:00:06 --> 00:00:08 All of these five people are friends of mine.
00:00:09 --> 00:00:14 I find out about it, and so I just beg with them not to do with it.
00:00:14 --> 00:00:18 I plead with them, don't go ahead with this.
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 I try to block them from doing it,
00:00:22 --> 00:00:26 and they push me out of the way and go on their course.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:32 On the way to the bank, I managed to catch up with the group,
00:00:33 --> 00:00:36 and just before they're moving in to rob the bank,
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 I tackled one of my friends to the ground,
00:00:40 --> 00:00:43 and I wrestled with them on the ground,
00:00:44 --> 00:00:47 and I managed to convince them in the process of doing that,
00:00:48 --> 00:00:49 this is not the right course of action.
00:00:50 --> 00:00:51 Come back with me.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 And they stop, and they come back with me.
00:00:56 --> 00:00:57 The other four continue on.
00:00:58 --> 00:00:59 They rob the bank.
00:01:00 --> 00:01:04 A guard and a bank employee are killed in the process.
00:01:05 --> 00:01:06 All four are soon caught.
00:01:07 --> 00:01:08 They're convicted.
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 They're sentenced, never to be released.
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 The one I tackled goes free.
00:01:19 --> 00:01:20 Two questions.
00:01:21 --> 00:01:25 Whose fault is it that the four are in prison for the rest of their life?
00:01:26 --> 00:01:26 Secondly,
00:01:28 --> 00:01:34 can the one that I tackled go about the rest of their life saying,
00:01:34 --> 00:01:38 I am free because I'm such a great, moral, upstanding citizen?
00:01:38 --> 00:01:45 The only reason they're free is because I restrained them.
00:01:46 --> 00:01:47 I tackled them.
00:01:50 --> 00:01:54 Such is the triumph of God's grace towards us sinners through Jesus Christ,
00:01:54 --> 00:01:58 as it's been unfolded before us in the book of Romans.
00:01:58 --> 00:02:07 The triumph of God's grace, as we've seen in Romans 1 to 8, radically changes everything for us.
00:02:08 --> 00:02:15 Being made right, just, justified by Jesus Christ means that we now enjoy peace with God,
00:02:15 --> 00:02:22 access to God, and even joy in the midst of hardships and difficulties and trials in life.
00:02:22 --> 00:02:28 And as we saw last week, as Aidan brought the end of Romans 8 to us,
00:02:29 --> 00:02:41 it ends with this great climax of confidence that nothing can possibly separate us from God's loving Jesus Christ.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:47 God himself guarantees, sovereignly guarantees,
00:02:47 --> 00:02:55 our final perseverance because our salvation is not based on our moral goodness.
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 It's not based on our will.
00:02:58 --> 00:03:01 It's not based on the strength of our character at all.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:07 God has called us, opened our minds to this truth.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:13 He's tackled us, and now he carries us to final glory.
00:03:15 --> 00:03:24 And so, imagine we're in Rome, and we receive this letter from the Apostle Paul,
00:03:24 --> 00:03:27 there's a church in Rome, Jews and Gentiles are in here.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:32 And as this is being read out to the church in Rome,
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 the Jewish group are going,
00:03:37 --> 00:03:38 hang on a bit, Paul.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:40 Wait a minute.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:49 You've just ended chapter 8 here with this great climax of God's sovereign purposes not failing.
00:03:49 --> 00:03:58 You say God will, those who saves, he will bring them all the way home to himself.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:01 What about our people?
00:04:02 --> 00:04:03 What about the Jews?
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 God called them out of Egypt.
00:04:07 --> 00:04:14 But most of our people to this day have in fact rejected their God.
00:04:16 --> 00:04:22 So maybe God's calling and purpose can in fact be rejected.
00:04:23 --> 00:04:27 If God promised to Israel that they would be his people,
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 and yet the majority of them don't in fact believe in Christ,
00:04:30 --> 00:04:36 does that mean that God's promise, his power, his mercy can in fact fail?
00:04:37 --> 00:04:46 That is, will what you've just said, Paul, in Romans 8, stand?
00:04:47 --> 00:04:48 Will it stand?
00:04:49 --> 00:04:57 Will the blood-bought promises that we Gentiles and Jews are staking our lives on here, Paul,
00:04:57 --> 00:04:58 will they stand?
00:04:58 --> 00:05:06 Will God stand by his commitments, filled with the blood of his son?
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 Will he work all things together for our good?
00:05:10 --> 00:05:17 Will the predestined be called, be justified, those who are justified in fact be glorified?
00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 Will he give us all things in him?
00:05:21 --> 00:05:27 Will nothing separate us from the love of Christ, in love of God, in Christ Jesus our Lord?
00:05:27 --> 00:05:30 Is there truly now no condemnation?
00:05:31 --> 00:05:34 And will there be no condemnation tomorrow?
00:05:36 --> 00:05:40 Because look at God's historic people in Israel.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:55 Romans 9, which Gary's just read to us, is, and you can see why he mentions,
00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 there's so many references to the Old Testament,
00:05:58 --> 00:06:01 because that's what we're dealing with, is God's historic people now.
00:06:01 --> 00:06:08 Romans 9 is an explanation for why the word of God has not failed.
00:06:09 --> 00:06:14 Even though God's chosen people, his historic people, Israel,
00:06:14 --> 00:06:17 are now not turning to Jesus and being saved.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:28 The sovereignty of God's grace is brought in as the final ground of God's faithfulness,
00:06:28 --> 00:06:38 despite Israel's failure, and therefore as the deepest foundation of the precious promises of God
00:06:38 --> 00:06:39 in Romans chapter 8.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:45 This is the deepest foundation, God's sovereign purposes.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:47 So I've got three points today.
00:06:49 --> 00:06:54 Israel's failure, did God fail, and God's sovereignty and our failure.
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 So first of all, Israel's failure.
00:06:58 --> 00:07:06 Now, Paul is here dealing with a subject not only of intellectual importance,
00:07:07 --> 00:07:10 but of great emotional importance to him as well.
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 Can I just add this point?
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 I think this is a very significant point.
00:07:16 --> 00:07:21 This is one of the most overlooked thing about Romans chapter 9.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:26 Romans chapter 9 to 11 have been debated for centuries.
00:07:26 --> 00:07:31 And they are very difficult chapters.
00:07:31 --> 00:07:38 But the most striking thing about Romans chapter 9 is verses 2 and 3.
00:07:38 --> 00:08:00 That is staggering.
00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 It is staggering.
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 What he has just written there.
00:08:06 --> 00:08:07 Absolutely staggering.
00:08:09 --> 00:08:17 He has just spent eight chapters outlining the joy, the hope, the confidence of everything that he has
00:08:17 --> 00:08:20 and you can have in Jesus Christ.
00:08:20 --> 00:08:25 He knows the horror of rejecting Jesus.
00:08:28 --> 00:08:31 And he is saying that he would give it all up.
00:08:32 --> 00:08:36 All the benefits of Romans 1 to 8.
00:08:36 --> 00:08:45 All the benefits of knowing Jesus Christ if that somehow it meant that his own fellow Jews would be saved in mass.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:58 I had to stop there in my preparation.
00:09:00 --> 00:09:01 Because I can't say that.
00:09:01 --> 00:09:07 I can't say that.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:20 Here is a love for people that is incomprehensibly staggering in the Apostle Paul.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:27 We also see it in the Old Testament in Exodus with Moses.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:37 It is a great reminder as we jump into Romans 9 to 11
00:09:37 --> 00:09:44 that Paul, while incredibly logical, was never cold.
00:09:44 --> 00:09:48 Never cold in his emotions.
00:09:50 --> 00:10:00 He feels the unceasing anguish of knowing that his people that he loves have rejected their Savior.
00:10:01 --> 00:10:03 And instead of seeking to ignore it,
00:10:04 --> 00:10:09 instead of seeking to alter his theology to deal with that,
00:10:11 --> 00:10:13 he lived with it.
00:10:14 --> 00:10:15 He lived with it.
00:10:16 --> 00:10:21 And so if the next three chapters pose an intellectual or a moral challenge for you,
00:10:21 --> 00:10:26 it is important to remember that Paul is not writing from some kind of ivory theological tower
00:10:26 --> 00:10:28 out of a college somewhere.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:30 This is not a lecture.
00:10:31 --> 00:10:36 This is Paul with a heart that longed to see his own people saved.
00:10:36 --> 00:10:46 It is, however, a salvation that was just as open to them as it was to the Apostle Paul.
00:10:46 --> 00:10:52 His own people have had the exact same opportunity that he has to receive Christ,
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 but they have rejected this salvation.
00:10:55 --> 00:11:01 And in verses 4 and 5, there are eight privileges that have effectively been rejected.
00:11:01 --> 00:11:09 And each one of these privileges pointed Israel forward, forward, forward to Jesus as their Messiah.
00:11:09 --> 00:11:15 The adoption of sons, which refers to Exodus 4 verse 22,
00:11:15 --> 00:11:18 where Israel is called God's son.
00:11:18 --> 00:11:25 Jesus taught that through him we can now approach God as father.
00:11:26 --> 00:11:32 The divine glory refers to God's visible glory cloud dwelling amongst his people.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:34 John chapter 1 verse 14 tells us,
00:11:34 --> 00:11:45 And it says in John 1 verse 14,
00:11:45 --> 00:11:48 We have seen his glory.
00:11:50 --> 00:11:54 Same as Moses and Israel in Exodus.
00:11:55 --> 00:12:00 The covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship, the promises, the patriarchs,
00:12:00 --> 00:12:02 all pointing forward to the Messiah.
00:12:02 --> 00:12:05 And lastly, Paul says,
00:12:06 --> 00:12:10 From them is traced the human ancestry of Christ.
00:12:11 --> 00:12:18 That is, it is obvious, but often overlooked, that Jesus was himself a Jew.
00:12:20 --> 00:12:24 By God choosing to enter his creation as a Jew,
00:12:24 --> 00:12:28 he not only was giving the Jewish nation an incredible honour,
00:12:28 --> 00:12:38 but was in fact making it easier for them to relate to the Son of God than anyone else in the world.
00:12:39 --> 00:12:42 And so with all these privileges and opportunities,
00:12:43 --> 00:12:52 why is it that God's historic people have not recognised their often promised and long-awaited Messiah?
00:12:52 --> 00:12:57 That brings me to verse 6 and my next point,
00:12:58 --> 00:13:00 Did God in fact fail his people?
00:13:01 --> 00:13:04 And this is the bulk of Paul's argument in Romans 9.
00:13:06 --> 00:13:12 In 6 to 13, Paul firstly makes the point that God's promises have not failed.
00:13:12 --> 00:13:17 That is, God's word to his people, his promise to his people has not failed.
00:13:17 --> 00:13:21 And to clarify that point, he says in verse 6,
00:13:22 --> 00:13:28 Not all who are descendant from Israel are Israel.
00:13:29 --> 00:13:41 What he means there is that not everyone who is racially God's historic people are truly God's historic people.
00:13:41 --> 00:13:47 In other words, it is so essential as we come into this argument here,
00:13:48 --> 00:13:55 that we define Israel properly to see that God's promises have in fact not failed.
00:13:56 --> 00:14:04 Some who are racially descendant from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are not God's true people.
00:14:04 --> 00:14:11 And others who are not racially descendant from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are in fact God's true people.
00:14:11 --> 00:14:17 And Paul, to build on this, gives two Old Testament examples.
00:14:19 --> 00:14:27 He's calling his people here to look at God's promises just a little bit more closely.
00:14:29 --> 00:14:29 He says,
00:14:29 --> 00:14:57 Ishmael was Abraham's physical descendant.
00:14:57 --> 00:15:04 But he was not Abraham's spiritual descendant.
00:15:05 --> 00:15:11 Only Isaac was a child of the promise and inheritor of the blessings from God.
00:15:12 --> 00:15:17 And the same principle is there in verse 10 with Isaac's twin sons.
00:15:17 --> 00:15:24 They had the same father, both physically descendant, ultimately from Abraham.
00:15:25 --> 00:15:30 But only one is the spiritual descendant and inheritor of the promise.
00:15:30 --> 00:15:44 What Paul's doing here in this section is tackling the really thorny question of why anyone loves God.
00:15:45 --> 00:15:50 And why anyone does not love God.
00:15:50 --> 00:15:57 It's an answer that is hard to avoid and even harder to accept.
00:15:58 --> 00:16:09 In verse 11, he tells us that God's choice to bless Jacob and not Esau was made prior to their birth.
00:16:09 --> 00:16:23 Secondly, this choice was not based on foreknowledge of how the child would turn out in life.
00:16:24 --> 00:16:30 It was made before either child had done anything good or bad.
00:16:30 --> 00:16:41 Verse 11 reinforces the point of God's sovereign choice by adding in order that God's purpose in election might stand.
00:16:42 --> 00:16:50 Verse 12 further reinforces this point by telling us that blessing from God does not come by works,
00:16:50 --> 00:16:53 but by him who calls.
00:16:53 --> 00:17:02 And for good measure, in verse 13, Paul adds a paraphrase of Malachi chapter 1 verses 2 and 3,
00:17:03 --> 00:17:06 Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.
00:17:09 --> 00:17:14 Now, we've got to be careful here not to read into the word hate,
00:17:14 --> 00:17:21 some sort of an emotional thing that we might add to it.
00:17:21 --> 00:17:25 Paul's teaching here is very similar to what Jesus says in Luke 14
00:17:25 --> 00:17:28 about his disciples hating their families,
00:17:28 --> 00:17:30 about the cost of discipleship, if you like.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:35 He's not saying that you must have a strong emotion against your family
00:17:35 --> 00:17:41 as much as he's saying that there is a preference and allegiance to Jesus over everything else.
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 That's his point.
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 It's an allegiance question.
00:17:46 --> 00:17:50 God chose to put Jacob over Esau.
00:17:51 --> 00:17:57 But not because Jacob was morally superior to Esau.
00:17:57 --> 00:18:02 Just read the Old Testament and you will see that clearly,
00:18:02 --> 00:18:06 that Jacob is in no way morally superior to Esau.
00:18:08 --> 00:18:12 It was by God's gracious choice.
00:18:12 --> 00:18:20 Paul's defense of God's promises in the Old Testament is pretty straightforward.
00:18:22 --> 00:18:29 Those promises were never automatically given to the physical descendant of Abraham.
00:18:30 --> 00:18:34 A spiritual faith was necessary to inherit the promise.
00:18:34 --> 00:18:41 In other words, what he's saying here is that God's promise to his people,
00:18:41 --> 00:18:45 his word to his people has not failed at all in any way.
00:18:46 --> 00:18:48 It's been misunderstood.
00:18:49 --> 00:18:52 It's been misunderstood by his people.
00:18:52 --> 00:19:01 He also asserts that this necessary spiritual faith is ultimately a function of God's choice.
00:19:03 --> 00:19:10 Those who freely come to God are those who are freely chosen by God.
00:19:10 --> 00:19:20 As I said, this teaching is not hard to understand, but it isn't easy to accept.
00:19:24 --> 00:19:31 One initial response that many people have is an emotional response,
00:19:31 --> 00:19:38 and it is that God's electing choice seems arbitrary, random.
00:19:41 --> 00:19:45 And especially when you look at the Old Testament, you look at Jacob and you go, why him?
00:19:49 --> 00:19:55 But Paul does not say here that God has no reasons to choose who he chooses.
00:19:55 --> 00:20:05 All we are told is that the reason for his choosing has nothing to do with the individual.
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 That's all we're told.
00:20:08 --> 00:20:10 Has nothing to do with the individual.
00:20:12 --> 00:20:15 God has every reason to choose who he chooses.
00:20:16 --> 00:20:19 We're just not told why it is.
00:20:20 --> 00:20:23 But we do know it has nothing to do with the individual.
00:20:25 --> 00:20:31 There is no superiority of one individual over another.
00:20:33 --> 00:20:39 Nevertheless, this raises a second question of whether God had failed Israel.
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 Have a look at verse 14.
00:20:41 --> 00:20:43 What then shall we say to this then?
00:20:44 --> 00:20:46 Is God unjust?
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 Paul says, no, not at all.
00:20:48 --> 00:20:54 In other words, if God's the one who does the choosing,
00:20:55 --> 00:20:59 then why doesn't he choose everyone, all of Israel?
00:21:00 --> 00:21:05 In verses 15 and 18, Paul again turns the Old Testament to form his answer.
00:21:06 --> 00:21:11 In Exodus 33, Moses asked God to show him his glory
00:21:11 --> 00:21:17 and not to depart Israel despite Israel rejecting God consistently.
00:21:19 --> 00:21:23 God's response to Moses is in verses 18 to 19.
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 And he says,
00:21:24 --> 00:21:27 I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you
00:21:27 --> 00:21:30 and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence.
00:21:30 --> 00:21:36 I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy
00:21:36 --> 00:21:40 and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
00:21:43 --> 00:21:49 God's words to Moses here are not the words of some arbitrary bully.
00:21:49 --> 00:21:56 You see, mercy and compassion by their very definition
00:21:56 --> 00:22:01 can never, ever be an obligation.
00:22:03 --> 00:22:10 To say it is unfair for God to have mercy on some and not others
00:22:10 --> 00:22:15 is in itself a self-contradictory statement.
00:22:15 --> 00:22:22 The moment we declare mercy to be unfair
00:22:22 --> 00:22:29 is the moment mercy becomes an obligation.
00:22:31 --> 00:22:33 And therefore, it's no longer mercy.
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 And none of us wants that.
00:22:39 --> 00:22:41 If you look at the rest of Romans,
00:22:41 --> 00:22:44 no one wants mercy to be an obligation.
00:22:45 --> 00:22:51 Mercy is always undeserved and totally free.
00:22:52 --> 00:22:54 God is free to give it to all.
00:22:55 --> 00:22:57 He's totally free to give it to some.
00:22:58 --> 00:23:00 And he's totally free to give it to no one.
00:23:03 --> 00:23:03 He's free.
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 For instance,
00:23:08 --> 00:23:11 imagine a rich person deciding to choose
00:23:11 --> 00:23:14 20 homeless children.
00:23:14 --> 00:23:19 and gifting them with a home to live in
00:23:19 --> 00:23:21 and, you know,
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 cupboards full of food,
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 clothes on their backs,
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 full education,
00:23:27 --> 00:23:30 a job in their companies.
00:23:33 --> 00:23:36 That rich person could do the same thing
00:23:36 --> 00:23:38 for many more than 20 children,
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 but they choose 20 children.
00:23:40 --> 00:23:40 That's it.
00:23:40 --> 00:23:44 Does anyone have the right to say
00:23:44 --> 00:23:47 that that rich person is being unfair
00:23:47 --> 00:23:50 by not helping
00:23:50 --> 00:23:52 all the homeless children?
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 In the end,
00:23:58 --> 00:24:00 that person has no obligation
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 to help any of them.
00:24:01 --> 00:24:07 their action to those 20 is sheer mercy.
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 And there is,
00:24:09 --> 00:24:11 can be no suggestion
00:24:11 --> 00:24:13 of it being unfair
00:24:13 --> 00:24:15 to all the rest.
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 See,
00:24:18 --> 00:24:20 the early chapters of Romans tell us
00:24:20 --> 00:24:22 that no human being
00:24:22 --> 00:24:25 can have any claim
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 at all
00:24:26 --> 00:24:28 on God's mercy.
00:24:28 --> 00:24:31 And if they did have a claim on it,
00:24:31 --> 00:24:33 it can no longer be called mercy.
00:24:34 --> 00:24:37 And since Romans 6 tells us
00:24:37 --> 00:24:39 the wages of sin is death,
00:24:39 --> 00:24:41 then the real shock,
00:24:41 --> 00:24:44 the real shock of Romans 9
00:24:44 --> 00:24:49 is that God would extend
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 his mercy
00:24:50 --> 00:24:53 to anyone.
00:24:55 --> 00:24:55 Anyone.
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 Not
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 everyone.
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 Paul then expands
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 on this point
00:25:05 --> 00:25:07 of whether God
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 is unfair
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 by turning
00:25:09 --> 00:25:09 to the example
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 now of Pharaoh
00:25:10 --> 00:25:12 in verses
00:25:12 --> 00:25:14 17 and 18.
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 and this builds
00:25:15 --> 00:25:15 on the
00:25:15 --> 00:25:17 early chapters
00:25:17 --> 00:25:17 of Romans.
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 He comes to this
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 same issue
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 of God's fairness
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 but now from the opposite direction.
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 This is the Egyptian leader
00:25:25 --> 00:25:27 who enslaved
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 God's people
00:25:28 --> 00:25:30 who
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 anyone set up
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 against him
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 as
00:25:33 --> 00:25:36 you see
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 in those early chapters
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 of Exodus.
00:25:38 --> 00:25:40 He kills them.
00:25:40 --> 00:25:46 and he did that
00:25:46 --> 00:25:48 because he decided
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 that he would do it.
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 And in verse 17
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 Paul is quoting
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 from Exodus
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 9
00:25:54 --> 00:25:54 16.
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 I have raised you up
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 for this very purpose
00:25:57 --> 00:25:59 that I might
00:25:59 --> 00:25:59 show you
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 my power
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 and that
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 my name
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 might be proclaimed
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 in all the earth.
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 God has compassion
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 and he wants
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 to have compassion
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 and hardens
00:26:10 --> 00:26:10 those whom
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 he wants
00:26:11 --> 00:26:11 to harden.
00:26:12 --> 00:26:12 Again
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 these are hard
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 verses
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 but they make
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 a lot of sense.
00:26:17 --> 00:26:17 If you go back
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 and you read
00:26:18 --> 00:26:20 Exodus 4
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 to 14
00:26:20 --> 00:26:22 you will notice
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 two things
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 that's happening
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 at the same time
00:26:24 --> 00:26:26 in those chapters.
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 God hardens
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 Pharaoh's heart
00:26:29 --> 00:26:29 to fulfill
00:26:29 --> 00:26:31 his plans
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 and Pharaoh
00:26:32 --> 00:26:34 at the same time
00:26:34 --> 00:26:34 hardens
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 his own heart.
00:26:37 --> 00:26:37 Pharaoh
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 sets himself
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 up against
00:26:39 --> 00:26:39 God
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 and against
00:26:40 --> 00:26:40 God's people.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 In other words
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 Pharaoh
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 is not
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 an upstanding
00:26:45 --> 00:26:47 moral man
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 that God
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 comes along
00:26:49 --> 00:26:51 and hardens
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 his heart
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 so that he
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 becomes
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 cold and evil.
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 That's not
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 what's happening
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 in Exodus
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 4 to 14.
00:26:59 --> 00:27:01 Somehow
00:27:01 --> 00:27:03 both
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 God hardening
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 and Pharaoh
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 hardening
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 are both
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 true
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 at exactly
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 the same time.
00:27:13 --> 00:27:13 God's
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 hardening
00:27:14 --> 00:27:14 of Pharaoh's
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 heart
00:27:15 --> 00:27:17 is God
00:27:17 --> 00:27:17 giving
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 Pharaoh
00:27:18 --> 00:27:20 over
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 to what
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 Pharaoh
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 has already
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 chosen
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 to do.
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 And we see
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 that in
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 Romans chapter
00:27:29 --> 00:27:29 1.
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 Pharaoh
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 decides
00:27:35 --> 00:27:35 to resist
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 God
00:27:36 --> 00:27:38 and God
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 reinforces
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 that position
00:27:40 --> 00:27:40 for Pharaoh.
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 God
00:27:43 --> 00:27:43 gives
00:27:43 --> 00:27:43 Pharaoh
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 what he
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 has already
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 chosen.
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 God's
00:27:47 --> 00:27:47 plans
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 work
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 through
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 our choices
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 not
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 despite
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 our choices.
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 This is
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 crucial.
00:27:56 --> 00:27:59 that is
00:27:59 --> 00:27:59 we ought
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 not
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 take
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 God's
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 sovereignty
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 as
00:28:03 --> 00:28:03 something
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 like
00:28:04 --> 00:28:06 fatalism.
00:28:09 --> 00:28:09 The
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 biblical
00:28:10 --> 00:28:10 version
00:28:10 --> 00:28:10 here
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 the Greek
00:28:11 --> 00:28:11 notion
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 of fate
00:28:12 --> 00:28:14 the Islamic
00:28:14 --> 00:28:14 notion
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 of kismet
00:28:15 --> 00:28:17 are quite
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 radically
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 different
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 than the
00:28:19 --> 00:28:19 Christian
00:28:19 --> 00:28:19 teaching
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 of God's
00:28:20 --> 00:28:20 sovereignty.
00:28:20 --> 00:28:23 in the
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 tragic
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 Greek
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 myth
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 of
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 Oedipus
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 he was
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 fated
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 to kill
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 his mother
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 and
00:28:30 --> 00:28:30 sorry
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 kill his
00:28:31 --> 00:28:31 father
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 and marry
00:28:32 --> 00:28:32 his mother.
00:28:34 --> 00:28:34 And
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 he
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 and his
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 parents
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 did
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 absolutely
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 everything
00:28:40 --> 00:28:40 that they
00:28:40 --> 00:28:40 possibly
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 could
00:28:41 --> 00:28:41 to avoid
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 that fate.
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 And yet
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 despite
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 their working
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 against
00:28:47 --> 00:28:47 it
00:28:47 --> 00:28:50 it
00:28:50 --> 00:28:50 happened.
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 And
00:28:52 --> 00:28:52 it's
00:28:52 --> 00:28:52 basically
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 exactly
00:28:53 --> 00:28:53 the
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 same
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 as
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 the
00:28:55 --> 00:28:55 Islamic
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 kismet.
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 It's
00:28:57 --> 00:28:57 fate.
00:28:57 --> 00:28:57 It's
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 destiny.
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 It doesn't
00:28:59 --> 00:28:59 matter
00:28:59 --> 00:28:59 what I
00:28:59 --> 00:28:59 do.
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 It's
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 the
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 will
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 of
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 Allah.
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 It
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 doesn't
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 matter
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 what I
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 do.
00:29:06 --> 00:29:06 That's
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 not
00:29:07 --> 00:29:07 the
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 Christian
00:29:08 --> 00:29:08 teaching
00:29:08 --> 00:29:08 of
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 God's
00:29:09 --> 00:29:09 sovereignty.
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 For
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 the
00:29:11 --> 00:29:11 Christian
00:29:11 --> 00:29:11 God
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 never
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 forces
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 us
00:29:13 --> 00:29:13 to
00:29:13 --> 00:29:13 do
00:29:13 --> 00:29:13 anything
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 other
00:29:14 --> 00:29:14 than
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 what
00:29:15 --> 00:29:15 we
00:29:15 --> 00:29:15 already
00:29:15 --> 00:29:15 want
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 to
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 do.
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 God
00:29:18 --> 00:29:18 works
00:29:18 --> 00:29:18 his
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 purposes
00:29:19 --> 00:29:19 and
00:29:19 --> 00:29:19 plans
00:29:19 --> 00:29:22 perfectly
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 through
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 our
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 actions.
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 And
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 that's
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 a
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 mystery.
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 I
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 can't
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 tell you
00:29:33 --> 00:29:33 how he
00:29:33 --> 00:29:33 does
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 that.
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 It's
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 a
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 mystery.
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 And
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 yet
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 it
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 is
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 both
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 a
00:29:38 --> 00:29:38 beautiful
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 and
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 comforting
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 mystery.
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 It's
00:29:41 --> 00:29:41 comforting
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 because
00:29:42 --> 00:29:42 either
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 we
00:29:43 --> 00:29:43 are
00:29:43 --> 00:29:43 determined
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 in
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 our
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 world
00:29:45 --> 00:29:45 by
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 natural
00:29:46 --> 00:29:46 forces
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 such
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 as
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 fatalism
00:29:49 --> 00:29:49 and
00:29:49 --> 00:29:49 kismet
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 or
00:29:50 --> 00:29:52 they
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 happen
00:29:53 --> 00:29:53 randomly.
00:29:55 --> 00:29:55 All
00:29:55 --> 00:29:55 the
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 actions
00:29:56 --> 00:29:56 and
00:29:56 --> 00:29:56 events
00:29:56 --> 00:29:56 in
00:29:56 --> 00:29:56 our
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 world
00:29:57 --> 00:29:57 are
00:29:57 --> 00:29:57 just
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 random
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 events
00:29:59 --> 00:30:01 and
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 we
00:30:02 --> 00:30:02 are at
00:30:02 --> 00:30:02 the
00:30:02 --> 00:30:02 mercy
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 of the
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 elements.
00:30:04 --> 00:30:04 It's
00:30:04 --> 00:30:04 either
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 fated
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 or in
00:30:06 --> 00:30:06 a
00:30:06 --> 00:30:06 secular
00:30:06 --> 00:30:06 world
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 it's
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 just
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 random.
00:30:09 --> 00:30:09 Or
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 of course
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 there's
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 the
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 biblical
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 doctrine
00:30:11 --> 00:30:11 of
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 certainty.
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 we
00:30:13 --> 00:30:13 make
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 choices
00:30:14 --> 00:30:14 under
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 the
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 sovereign
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 hand
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 of
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 a
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 merciful
00:30:16 --> 00:30:16 God.
00:30:17 --> 00:30:17 God
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 chooses
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 those
00:30:19 --> 00:30:19 he
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 hardens
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 but
00:30:21 --> 00:30:21 all
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 he
00:30:22 --> 00:30:22 hardens
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 want
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 to
00:30:24 --> 00:30:24 be
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 hardened.
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 Paul
00:30:29 --> 00:30:29 then makes
00:30:29 --> 00:30:29 a third
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 case
00:30:30 --> 00:30:30 for why
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 God
00:30:31 --> 00:30:31 is not
00:30:31 --> 00:30:31 unfair
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 to have
00:30:32 --> 00:30:32 mercy
00:30:32 --> 00:30:32 on
00:30:32 --> 00:30:32 some
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 and not
00:30:33 --> 00:30:33 others.
00:30:35 --> 00:30:35 This
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 is a
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 section
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 really
00:30:37 --> 00:30:37 from
00:30:37 --> 00:30:37 19
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 to
00:30:38 --> 00:30:38 29
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 really
00:30:39 --> 00:30:39 makes
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 one
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 point
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 and that
00:30:41 --> 00:30:41 is
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 God
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 is
00:30:43 --> 00:30:43 just
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 supremely
00:30:44 --> 00:30:44 right
00:30:44 --> 00:30:46 and
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 for
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 us
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 little
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 autonomous
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 kings
00:30:49 --> 00:30:49 we
00:30:49 --> 00:30:49 really
00:30:49 --> 00:30:49 struggle
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 with
00:30:50 --> 00:30:50 this
00:30:50 --> 00:30:50 little
00:30:50 --> 00:30:50 bit.
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 The
00:30:52 --> 00:30:52 first
00:30:52 --> 00:30:52 thing
00:30:52 --> 00:30:52 he
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 says
00:30:53 --> 00:30:53 in
00:30:53 --> 00:30:53 verses
00:30:53 --> 00:30:53 20
00:30:53 --> 00:30:53 to
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 21
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 is
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 that
00:30:55 --> 00:30:55 God
00:30:55 --> 00:30:55 makes
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 us
00:30:56 --> 00:30:56 and
00:30:56 --> 00:30:56 has
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 the
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 right
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 of
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 ownership
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 as
00:30:58 --> 00:30:58 the
00:30:58 --> 00:30:58 creator
00:30:58 --> 00:30:58 of
00:30:58 --> 00:30:58 us
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 all.
00:31:00 --> 00:31:00 We
00:31:00 --> 00:31:00 are
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 so
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 far
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 below
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 God
00:31:02 --> 00:31:02 that
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 we
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 neither
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 have
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 the
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 right
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 nor
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 the
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 wisdom
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 to
00:31:07 --> 00:31:07 question
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 our
00:31:08 --> 00:31:08 creator.
00:31:10 --> 00:31:10 And
00:31:10 --> 00:31:10 so
00:31:10 --> 00:31:10 we
00:31:10 --> 00:31:11 must
00:31:11 --> 00:31:11 be
00:31:11 --> 00:31:11 really
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 careful
00:31:12 --> 00:31:14 beware
00:31:14 --> 00:31:14 of
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 standing
00:31:15 --> 00:31:15 in
00:31:15 --> 00:31:15 judgment
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 of
00:31:16 --> 00:31:16 God.
00:31:17 --> 00:31:17 Beware
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 of
00:31:18 --> 00:31:18 standing
00:31:18 --> 00:31:18 in
00:31:18 --> 00:31:18 judgment
00:31:18 --> 00:31:19 of
00:31:19 --> 00:31:19 God
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 and
00:31:20 --> 00:31:20 beware
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 of
00:31:21 --> 00:31:21 forgetting
00:31:21 --> 00:31:21 that
00:31:21 --> 00:31:21 he
00:31:21 --> 00:31:21 is
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 in
00:31:22 --> 00:31:22 fact
00:31:22 --> 00:31:22 judge
00:31:22 --> 00:31:22 over
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 us.
00:31:24 --> 00:31:24 In
00:31:24 --> 00:31:24 verse
00:31:24 --> 00:31:24 21
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 it
00:31:25 --> 00:31:25 says
00:31:25 --> 00:31:25 he
00:31:25 --> 00:31:25 is
00:31:25 --> 00:31:25 the
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 divine
00:31:26 --> 00:31:26 potter
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 we
00:31:27 --> 00:31:27 are
00:31:27 --> 00:31:27 the
00:31:27 --> 00:31:27 clay.
00:31:29 --> 00:31:29 The
00:31:29 --> 00:31:29 second
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 thing
00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 he
00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 says
00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 is
00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 that
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 we
00:31:31 --> 00:31:31 are
00:31:31 --> 00:31:31 the
00:31:31 --> 00:31:31 authors
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 of
00:31:32 --> 00:31:32 our
00:31:32 --> 00:31:32 own
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 damnation.
00:31:34 --> 00:31:34 Notice
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 verse
00:31:35 --> 00:31:35 22
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 God
00:31:36 --> 00:31:37 bore
00:31:37 --> 00:31:37 with
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 great
00:31:38 --> 00:31:38 patience
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 the
00:31:39 --> 00:31:39 objects
00:31:39 --> 00:31:39 of
00:31:39 --> 00:31:40 his
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 wrath
00:31:40 --> 00:31:41 prepared
00:31:41 --> 00:31:41 for
00:31:41 --> 00:31:41 destruction.
00:31:44 --> 00:31:44 Now
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 that's
00:31:45 --> 00:31:45 verse
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 22
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 but
00:31:47 --> 00:31:47 compare
00:31:47 --> 00:31:48 verse
00:31:48 --> 00:31:48 22
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 what it
00:31:49 --> 00:31:49 says
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 there
00:31:50 --> 00:31:50 with
00:31:50 --> 00:31:50 verse
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 23
00:31:51 --> 00:31:53 where
00:31:53 --> 00:31:53 we
00:31:53 --> 00:31:53 are
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 told
00:31:54 --> 00:31:54 that
00:31:54 --> 00:31:54 the
00:31:54 --> 00:31:55 objects
00:31:55 --> 00:31:55 of
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 God's
00:31:56 --> 00:31:56 mercy
00:31:56 --> 00:31:59 are
00:31:59 --> 00:31:59 prepared
00:31:59 --> 00:32:00 in
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 advance
00:32:01 --> 00:32:01 for
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 glory
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 by
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 God.
00:32:05 --> 00:32:05 That
00:32:05 --> 00:32:05 is
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 what
00:32:06 --> 00:32:06 is
00:32:06 --> 00:32:07 explicit
00:32:07 --> 00:32:09 in
00:32:09 --> 00:32:09 verse
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 23
00:32:10 --> 00:32:12 is
00:32:12 --> 00:32:12 that
00:32:12 --> 00:32:12 it
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 is
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 God
00:32:14 --> 00:32:14 who
00:32:14 --> 00:32:15 does
00:32:15 --> 00:32:15 the
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 preparing
00:32:16 --> 00:32:18 and
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 yet
00:32:19 --> 00:32:19 in
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 verse
00:32:20 --> 00:32:20 22
00:32:20 --> 00:32:22 we
00:32:22 --> 00:32:22 are
00:32:22 --> 00:32:23 not
00:32:23 --> 00:32:23 told
00:32:23 --> 00:32:23 who
00:32:23 --> 00:32:23 does
00:32:23 --> 00:32:24 the
00:32:24 --> 00:32:24 preparing
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 and
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 the
00:32:26 --> 00:32:26 implication
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 is
00:32:27 --> 00:32:28 that
00:32:28 --> 00:32:28 the
00:32:28 --> 00:32:28 vessels
00:32:28 --> 00:32:29 of
00:32:29 --> 00:32:29 wrath
00:32:29 --> 00:32:30 are
00:32:30 --> 00:32:30 prepared
00:32:30 --> 00:32:31 for
00:32:31 --> 00:32:31 destruction
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 by
00:32:32 --> 00:32:33 themselves.
00:32:39 --> 00:32:39 That
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 is
00:32:40 --> 00:32:40 what
00:32:40 --> 00:32:40 we
00:32:40 --> 00:32:40 saw
00:32:40 --> 00:32:40 in
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 chapter
00:32:41 --> 00:32:41 one
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 of
00:32:42 --> 00:32:42 Romans
00:32:42 --> 00:32:42 where
00:32:42 --> 00:32:43 God
00:32:43 --> 00:32:43 hands
00:32:43 --> 00:32:43 people
00:32:43 --> 00:32:44 over
00:32:44 --> 00:32:44 to
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 the
00:32:45 --> 00:32:45 life
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 and
00:32:46 --> 00:32:46 the
00:32:46 --> 00:32:46 death
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 that
00:32:47 --> 00:32:47 they
00:32:47 --> 00:32:47 have
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 chosen
00:32:48 --> 00:32:48 for
00:32:48 --> 00:32:49 themselves.
00:32:52 --> 00:32:52 And
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 then
00:32:53 --> 00:32:53 the
00:32:53 --> 00:32:53 last
00:32:53 --> 00:32:53 point
00:32:53 --> 00:32:53 he
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 makes
00:32:54 --> 00:32:54 in
00:32:54 --> 00:32:54 this
00:32:54 --> 00:32:54 section
00:32:54 --> 00:32:57 is
00:32:57 --> 00:32:57 that
00:32:57 --> 00:32:58 God
00:32:58 --> 00:32:59 saves
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 some
00:33:00 --> 00:33:00 and not
00:33:00 --> 00:33:01 others
00:33:01 --> 00:33:02 because
00:33:02 --> 00:33:02 in
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 his
00:33:03 --> 00:33:03 divine
00:33:03 --> 00:33:04 wisdom
00:33:04 --> 00:33:04 it
00:33:04 --> 00:33:05 displays
00:33:05 --> 00:33:05 his
00:33:05 --> 00:33:05 glory
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 more
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 than
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 any
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 other
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 way.
00:33:08 --> 00:33:09 If
00:33:09 --> 00:33:09 God
00:33:09 --> 00:33:09 had
00:33:09 --> 00:33:09 mercy
00:33:09 --> 00:33:10 on
00:33:10 --> 00:33:10 all
00:33:10 --> 00:33:12 or
00:33:12 --> 00:33:12 if
00:33:12 --> 00:33:12 God
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13 condemned
00:33:13 --> 00:33:13 all
00:33:13 --> 00:33:15 then
00:33:15 --> 00:33:15 we
00:33:15 --> 00:33:15 would
00:33:15 --> 00:33:15 not
00:33:15 --> 00:33:16 see
00:33:16 --> 00:33:16 God
00:33:16 --> 00:33:18 as
00:33:18 --> 00:33:18 majestic
00:33:18 --> 00:33:19 and
00:33:19 --> 00:33:19 glorious.
00:33:19 --> 00:33:22 again
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 at
00:33:23 --> 00:33:23 its
00:33:23 --> 00:33:24 heart
00:33:24 --> 00:33:24 this
00:33:24 --> 00:33:24 is
00:33:24 --> 00:33:24 a
00:33:24 --> 00:33:25 mystery
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 and
00:33:26 --> 00:33:27 this
00:33:27 --> 00:33:27 mystery
00:33:27 --> 00:33:28 may
00:33:28 --> 00:33:28 seem
00:33:28 --> 00:33:29 strange
00:33:29 --> 00:33:29 to
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 us
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 but
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 that's
00:33:32 --> 00:33:32 the
00:33:32 --> 00:33:32 point
00:33:32 --> 00:33:32 of
00:33:32 --> 00:33:33 this
00:33:33 --> 00:33:33 section
00:33:33 --> 00:33:35 we're
00:33:35 --> 00:33:35 not
00:33:35 --> 00:33:36 God
00:33:36 --> 00:33:37 we
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 don't
00:33:38 --> 00:33:38 have
00:33:38 --> 00:33:38 all
00:33:38 --> 00:33:38 the
00:33:38 --> 00:33:39 clues
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 all
00:33:40 --> 00:33:40 the
00:33:40 --> 00:33:41 facts
00:33:41 --> 00:33:41 we
00:33:41 --> 00:33:42 cannot
00:33:42 --> 00:33:42 know
00:33:42 --> 00:33:43 everything
00:33:43 --> 00:33:43 or
00:33:43 --> 00:33:43 decide
00:33:43 --> 00:33:43 what
00:33:43 --> 00:33:44 is
00:33:44 --> 00:33:44 best
00:33:44 --> 00:33:45 for
00:33:45 --> 00:33:45 the
00:33:45 --> 00:33:45 whole
00:33:45 --> 00:33:45 course
00:33:45 --> 00:33:46 of
00:33:46 --> 00:33:46 human
00:33:46 --> 00:33:47 history
00:33:47 --> 00:33:48 my
00:33:48 --> 00:33:48 goodness
00:33:48 --> 00:33:48 we
00:33:48 --> 00:33:49 can't
00:33:49 --> 00:33:49 even
00:33:49 --> 00:33:49 decide
00:33:49 --> 00:33:49 what's
00:33:49 --> 00:33:49 best
00:33:49 --> 00:33:50 for
00:33:50 --> 00:33:50 dinner
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 sometimes
00:33:51 --> 00:33:56 but
00:33:56 --> 00:33:57 these
00:33:57 --> 00:33:57 words
00:33:57 --> 00:33:57 ultimately
00:33:57 --> 00:33:58 are
00:33:58 --> 00:33:58 words
00:33:58 --> 00:33:58 of
00:33:58 --> 00:33:59 comfort
00:33:59 --> 00:34:00 clarity
00:34:00 --> 00:34:00 and
00:34:00 --> 00:34:01 comfort
00:34:01 --> 00:34:02 and
00:34:02 --> 00:34:02 so
00:34:02 --> 00:34:02 the
00:34:02 --> 00:34:02 final
00:34:02 --> 00:34:03 point
00:34:03 --> 00:34:04 not
00:34:04 --> 00:34:04 just
00:34:04 --> 00:34:05 Israel's
00:34:05 --> 00:34:05 failure
00:34:05 --> 00:34:05 but
00:34:05 --> 00:34:05 our
00:34:05 --> 00:34:06 failure
00:34:06 --> 00:34:06 and
00:34:06 --> 00:34:07 God's
00:34:07 --> 00:34:07 sovereignty
00:34:07 --> 00:34:09 God's
00:34:09 --> 00:34:10 sovereign
00:34:10 --> 00:34:10 election
00:34:10 --> 00:34:11 is
00:34:11 --> 00:34:12 marvelously
00:34:12 --> 00:34:13 practical
00:34:13 --> 00:34:14 and
00:34:14 --> 00:34:14 it's
00:34:14 --> 00:34:14 profoundly
00:34:14 --> 00:34:15 comforting
00:34:15 --> 00:34:16 for the
00:34:16 --> 00:34:16 Christian
00:34:16 --> 00:34:16 right
00:34:16 --> 00:34:17 now
00:34:17 --> 00:34:18 it's
00:34:18 --> 00:34:18 simply
00:34:18 --> 00:34:19 I think
00:34:19 --> 00:34:19 builds
00:34:19 --> 00:34:20 on the
00:34:20 --> 00:34:20 hope
00:34:20 --> 00:34:21 of
00:34:21 --> 00:34:21 Romans
00:34:21 --> 00:34:22 8
00:34:22 --> 00:34:22 that
00:34:22 --> 00:34:23 was
00:34:23 --> 00:34:23 outlined
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24 for us
00:34:24 --> 00:34:24 last
00:34:24 --> 00:34:24 week
00:34:24 --> 00:34:24 by
00:34:24 --> 00:34:25 Aiden
00:34:25 --> 00:34:26 it
00:34:26 --> 00:34:26 means
00:34:26 --> 00:34:28 that we
00:34:28 --> 00:34:28 have
00:34:28 --> 00:34:29 an
00:34:29 --> 00:34:30 incredible
00:34:30 --> 00:34:30 incentive
00:34:30 --> 00:34:33 to use
00:34:33 --> 00:34:34 our wisdom
00:34:34 --> 00:34:35 and our
00:34:35 --> 00:34:35 will
00:34:35 --> 00:34:36 and our
00:34:36 --> 00:34:37 efforts
00:34:37 --> 00:34:37 to the
00:34:37 --> 00:34:37 best
00:34:37 --> 00:34:38 effect
00:34:38 --> 00:34:40 we're not
00:34:40 --> 00:34:41 robots
00:34:41 --> 00:34:42 to use
00:34:42 --> 00:34:42 to use
00:34:42 --> 00:34:44 to use
00:34:44 --> 00:34:45 it to
00:34:45 --> 00:34:46 the best
00:34:46 --> 00:34:46 effect
00:34:46 --> 00:34:47 knowing
00:34:47 --> 00:34:48 that God
00:34:48 --> 00:34:49 and knowing
00:34:49 --> 00:34:49 that we
00:34:49 --> 00:34:50 will suffer
00:34:50 --> 00:34:51 consequences
00:34:51 --> 00:34:52 from foolishness
00:34:52 --> 00:34:53 and wickedness
00:34:53 --> 00:34:57 at the
00:34:57 --> 00:34:57 same time
00:34:57 --> 00:34:58 there's an
00:34:58 --> 00:34:58 absolute
00:34:58 --> 00:34:59 promise
00:34:59 --> 00:35:00 that we
00:35:00 --> 00:35:01 cannot
00:35:01 --> 00:35:02 ultimately
00:35:02 --> 00:35:02 mess up
00:35:02 --> 00:35:02 our
00:35:02 --> 00:35:03 lives
00:35:03 --> 00:35:06 even
00:35:06 --> 00:35:07 our
00:35:07 --> 00:35:07 failures
00:35:07 --> 00:35:08 and our
00:35:08 --> 00:35:09 troubles
00:35:09 --> 00:35:09 will be
00:35:09 --> 00:35:10 used
00:35:10 --> 00:35:10 for
00:35:10 --> 00:35:11 God's
00:35:11 --> 00:35:11 glory
00:35:11 --> 00:35:12 and
00:35:12 --> 00:35:12 our
00:35:12 --> 00:35:12 benefit
00:35:12 --> 00:35:14 I gotta
00:35:14 --> 00:35:15 tell you
00:35:15 --> 00:35:15 as someone
00:35:15 --> 00:35:16 who regularly
00:35:16 --> 00:35:16 fails
00:35:16 --> 00:35:17 that is
00:35:17 --> 00:35:18 profoundly
00:35:18 --> 00:35:19 comforting
00:35:19 --> 00:35:22 profoundly
00:35:22 --> 00:35:22 comforting
00:35:22 --> 00:35:26 the promise
00:35:26 --> 00:35:27 of God
00:35:27 --> 00:35:27 to his
00:35:27 --> 00:35:28 children
00:35:28 --> 00:35:29 in Romans
00:35:29 --> 00:35:29 8 28
00:35:29 --> 00:35:30 is that he
00:35:30 --> 00:35:31 works
00:35:31 --> 00:35:32 for the
00:35:32 --> 00:35:32 good of
00:35:32 --> 00:35:33 those who
00:35:33 --> 00:35:34 love him
00:35:34 --> 00:35:36 it is a
00:35:36 --> 00:35:37 guarantee
00:35:37 --> 00:35:38 to those
00:35:38 --> 00:35:39 who are
00:35:39 --> 00:35:39 adopted
00:35:39 --> 00:35:40 into God's
00:35:40 --> 00:35:40 family
00:35:40 --> 00:35:41 through faith
00:35:41 --> 00:35:41 in Jesus
00:35:41 --> 00:35:42 Christ as
00:35:42 --> 00:35:42 saviour
00:35:42 --> 00:35:45 and if you
00:35:45 --> 00:35:45 are not
00:35:45 --> 00:35:46 in his
00:35:46 --> 00:35:46 family
00:35:46 --> 00:35:49 if you
00:35:49 --> 00:35:49 are not
00:35:49 --> 00:35:49 in his
00:35:49 --> 00:35:50 family
00:35:50 --> 00:35:50 if you
00:35:50 --> 00:35:50 have not
00:35:50 --> 00:35:51 come
00:35:51 --> 00:35:53 and embrace
00:35:53 --> 00:35:54 Jesus
00:35:54 --> 00:35:55 Christ as
00:35:55 --> 00:35:55 your
00:35:55 --> 00:35:56 Lord and
00:35:56 --> 00:35:56 saviour
00:35:56 --> 00:35:57 then know
00:35:57 --> 00:35:58 this
00:35:58 --> 00:36:00 even the
00:36:00 --> 00:36:01 good things
00:36:01 --> 00:36:01 in your
00:36:01 --> 00:36:02 life
00:36:02 --> 00:36:03 will
00:36:03 --> 00:36:03 ultimately
00:36:03 --> 00:36:04 not turn
00:36:04 --> 00:36:05 out for
00:36:05 --> 00:36:05 your
00:36:05 --> 00:36:05 good
00:36:05 --> 00:36:10 they will
00:36:10 --> 00:36:11 most likely
00:36:11 --> 00:36:12 harden you
00:36:12 --> 00:36:13 to make
00:36:13 --> 00:36:14 you proud
00:36:14 --> 00:36:16 or to
00:36:16 --> 00:36:16 make you
00:36:16 --> 00:36:17 comfortable
00:36:17 --> 00:36:18 or to
00:36:18 --> 00:36:19 make you
00:36:19 --> 00:36:20 blind
00:36:20 --> 00:36:21 to your
00:36:21 --> 00:36:21 need
00:36:21 --> 00:36:22 and your
00:36:22 --> 00:36:23 dependence
00:36:23 --> 00:36:24 upon
00:36:24 --> 00:36:24 Jesus
00:36:24 --> 00:36:24 Christ
00:36:24 --> 00:36:25 as your
00:36:25 --> 00:36:25 saviour
00:36:25 --> 00:36:30 the other
00:36:30 --> 00:36:31 marvellous
00:36:31 --> 00:36:31 thing about
00:36:31 --> 00:36:32 God's
00:36:32 --> 00:36:32 sovereign
00:36:32 --> 00:36:32 election
00:36:32 --> 00:36:34 is that
00:36:34 --> 00:36:34 his
00:36:34 --> 00:36:35 electing
00:36:35 --> 00:36:35 love
00:36:35 --> 00:36:36 is
00:36:36 --> 00:36:37 ultimate
00:36:37 --> 00:36:37 love
00:36:37 --> 00:36:39 if God
00:36:39 --> 00:36:40 loves us
00:36:40 --> 00:36:41 before he
00:36:41 --> 00:36:41 found
00:36:41 --> 00:36:42 something
00:36:42 --> 00:36:42 good
00:36:42 --> 00:36:43 in us
00:36:43 --> 00:36:46 sorry
00:36:46 --> 00:36:47 if God
00:36:47 --> 00:36:47 loved us
00:36:47 --> 00:36:48 because he
00:36:48 --> 00:36:49 found something
00:36:49 --> 00:36:49 good in
00:36:49 --> 00:36:50 us
00:36:50 --> 00:36:52 we would
00:36:52 --> 00:36:53 always be
00:36:53 --> 00:36:54 worried about
00:36:54 --> 00:36:55 losing his
00:36:55 --> 00:36:56 love because
00:36:56 --> 00:36:57 he finds
00:36:57 --> 00:36:57 something bad
00:36:57 --> 00:36:58 in us
00:36:58 --> 00:37:00 there's
00:37:00 --> 00:37:00 something more
00:37:00 --> 00:37:01 that I'm
00:37:01 --> 00:37:01 going to bet
00:37:01 --> 00:37:02 deals off
00:37:02 --> 00:37:02 guys didn't
00:37:02 --> 00:37:03 realise you
00:37:03 --> 00:37:03 were that
00:37:03 --> 00:37:04 bad
00:37:04 --> 00:37:05 it would
00:37:05 --> 00:37:06 always be
00:37:06 --> 00:37:07 a concern
00:37:07 --> 00:37:10 and in
00:37:10 --> 00:37:11 that case
00:37:11 --> 00:37:11 his love
00:37:11 --> 00:37:12 would never
00:37:12 --> 00:37:12 be a
00:37:12 --> 00:37:12 total
00:37:12 --> 00:37:13 miracle
00:37:13 --> 00:37:15 but God's
00:37:15 --> 00:37:16 love does
00:37:16 --> 00:37:17 not love us
00:37:17 --> 00:37:18 because we
00:37:18 --> 00:37:18 are useful
00:37:18 --> 00:37:19 to him
00:37:19 --> 00:37:21 he doesn't
00:37:21 --> 00:37:22 love us
00:37:22 --> 00:37:22 because we
00:37:22 --> 00:37:23 are better
00:37:23 --> 00:37:23 than someone
00:37:23 --> 00:37:24 else
00:37:24 --> 00:37:29 God in
00:37:29 --> 00:37:30 Jesus Christ
00:37:30 --> 00:37:30 simply
00:37:30 --> 00:37:31 says
00:37:31 --> 00:37:33 I love
00:37:33 --> 00:37:33 you
00:37:33 --> 00:37:35 simply
00:37:35 --> 00:37:37 because
00:37:37 --> 00:37:39 I
00:37:39 --> 00:37:40 am
00:37:40 --> 00:37:40 love
00:37:40 --> 00:37:43 that's
00:37:43 --> 00:37:44 it
00:37:44 --> 00:37:50 and that
00:37:50 --> 00:37:50 kind of
00:37:50 --> 00:37:51 love is
00:37:51 --> 00:37:51 perfect
00:37:51 --> 00:37:52 love
00:37:52 --> 00:37:53 perfect
00:37:53 --> 00:37:54 love
00:37:54 --> 00:37:55 that kind
00:37:55 --> 00:37:56 of love
00:37:56 --> 00:37:56 is the
00:37:56 --> 00:37:57 fountain
00:37:57 --> 00:37:57 of
00:37:57 --> 00:37:58 endless
00:37:58 --> 00:37:58 praise
00:37:58 --> 00:37:59 and
00:37:59 --> 00:38:00 gratitude
00:38:00 --> 00:38:00 and
00:38:00 --> 00:38:01 thanksgiving
00:38:01 --> 00:38:03 and that
00:38:03 --> 00:38:04 kind of
00:38:04 --> 00:38:04 love
00:38:04 --> 00:38:05 ultimately
00:38:05 --> 00:38:07 means
00:38:07 --> 00:38:08 that you
00:38:08 --> 00:38:09 grow
00:38:09 --> 00:38:10 more
00:38:10 --> 00:38:10 and more
00:38:10 --> 00:38:11 and more
00:38:11 --> 00:38:12 in humility
00:38:12 --> 00:38:16 the one
00:38:16 --> 00:38:17 major
00:38:17 --> 00:38:18 characteristic
00:38:18 --> 00:38:18 of the
00:38:18 --> 00:38:19 Christian
00:38:19 --> 00:38:21 humility
00:38:21 --> 00:38:23 because
00:38:23 --> 00:38:24 God
00:38:24 --> 00:38:24 has got
00:38:24 --> 00:38:24 nothing
00:38:24 --> 00:38:25 to do
00:38:25 --> 00:38:25 with
00:38:25 --> 00:38:25 me
00:38:25 --> 00:38:30 you
00:38:30 --> 00:38:30 see
00:38:30 --> 00:38:30 the
00:38:30 --> 00:38:31 God
00:38:31 --> 00:38:31 of the
00:38:31 --> 00:38:31 Bible
00:38:31 --> 00:38:32 is so
00:38:32 --> 00:38:32 majestic
00:38:32 --> 00:38:34 he is
00:38:34 --> 00:38:34 so
00:38:34 --> 00:38:35 free
00:38:35 --> 00:38:36 he is
00:38:36 --> 00:38:36 so
00:38:36 --> 00:38:37 absolutely
00:38:37 --> 00:38:38 sovereign
00:38:38 --> 00:38:39 that
00:38:39 --> 00:38:39 any
00:38:39 --> 00:38:40 analysis
00:38:40 --> 00:38:40 that we
00:38:40 --> 00:38:41 want to
00:38:41 --> 00:38:41 do
00:38:41 --> 00:38:41 of his
00:38:41 --> 00:38:42 purposes
00:38:42 --> 00:38:42 and plan
00:38:42 --> 00:38:43 must
00:38:43 --> 00:38:44 ultimately
00:38:44 --> 00:38:44 end
00:38:44 --> 00:38:44 in
00:38:44 --> 00:38:45 worship
00:38:45 --> 00:38:46 worship
00:38:46 --> 00:38:47 it
00:38:47 --> 00:38:47 must
00:38:47 --> 00:38:47 end
00:38:47 --> 00:38:48 in
00:38:48 --> 00:38:48 worship
00:38:48 --> 00:38:48 it
00:38:48 --> 00:38:48 must
00:38:48 --> 00:38:49 merge
00:38:49 --> 00:38:50 into
00:38:50 --> 00:38:51 worship
00:38:51 --> 00:38:52 the
00:38:52 --> 00:38:52 God
00:38:52 --> 00:38:52 of
00:38:52 --> 00:38:53 Romans
00:38:53 --> 00:38:53 9
00:38:53 --> 00:38:54 will
00:38:54 --> 00:38:54 not
00:38:54 --> 00:38:55 simply
00:38:55 --> 00:38:55 be
00:38:55 --> 00:38:57 analysed
00:38:57 --> 00:38:57 he
00:38:57 --> 00:38:57 must
00:38:57 --> 00:38:58 be
00:38:58 --> 00:38:58 adored
00:38:58 --> 00:39:00 he's
00:39:00 --> 00:39:01 not
00:39:01 --> 00:39:01 simply
00:39:01 --> 00:39:01 to be
00:39:01 --> 00:39:02 pondered
00:39:02 --> 00:39:03 and read
00:39:03 --> 00:39:03 about
00:39:03 --> 00:39:04 he is
00:39:04 --> 00:39:04 to be
00:39:04 --> 00:39:05 proclaimed
00:39:05 --> 00:39:08 his
00:39:08 --> 00:39:08 sovereignty
00:39:08 --> 00:39:09 is not
00:39:09 --> 00:39:09 simply
00:39:09 --> 00:39:10 to be
00:39:10 --> 00:39:11 scrutinised
00:39:11 --> 00:39:12 it is
00:39:12 --> 00:39:13 to be
00:39:13 --> 00:39:14 heralded
00:39:14 --> 00:39:18 this
00:39:18 --> 00:39:19 Romans
00:39:19 --> 00:39:19 9
00:39:19 --> 00:39:20 is not
00:39:20 --> 00:39:21 details
00:39:21 --> 00:39:21 for
00:39:21 --> 00:39:22 controversy
00:39:22 --> 00:39:24 it is
00:39:24 --> 00:39:24 the
00:39:24 --> 00:39:25 gospel
00:39:25 --> 00:39:25 for
00:39:25 --> 00:39:26 sinners
00:39:26 --> 00:39:27 who
00:39:27 --> 00:39:27 know
00:39:27 --> 00:39:28 that
00:39:28 --> 00:39:28 their
00:39:28 --> 00:39:28 only
00:39:28 --> 00:39:29 hope
00:39:29 --> 00:39:29 in
00:39:29 --> 00:39:29 this
00:39:29 --> 00:39:30 world
00:39:30 --> 00:39:31 is
00:39:31 --> 00:39:32 the
00:39:32 --> 00:39:32 sovereign
00:39:32 --> 00:39:33 triumph
00:39:33 --> 00:39:33 of
00:39:33 --> 00:39:34 God's
00:39:34 --> 00:39:34 grace
00:39:34 --> 00:39:35 over
00:39:35 --> 00:39:35 the
00:39:35 --> 00:39:36 rebellious
00:39:36 --> 00:39:36 will
00:39:36 --> 00:39:37 of
00:39:37 --> 00:39:37 human
00:39:37 --> 00:39:37 beings
00:39:37 --> 00:39:38 God
00:39:38 --> 00:39:38 in
00:39:38 --> 00:39:39 his
00:39:39 --> 00:39:39 mercy
00:39:39 --> 00:39:39 in
00:39:39 --> 00:39:40 Jesus
00:39:40 --> 00:39:40 Christ
00:39:40 --> 00:39:41 has
00:39:41 --> 00:39:41 tackled
00:39:41 --> 00:39:41 us
00:39:41 --> 00:39:42 to
00:39:42 --> 00:39:42 the
00:39:42 --> 00:39:42 ground
00:39:42 --> 00:39:45 shown
00:39:45 --> 00:39:46 us
00:39:46 --> 00:39:46 his
00:39:46 --> 00:39:46 glory
00:39:46 --> 00:39:47 a
00:39:47 --> 00:39:47 better
00:39:47 --> 00:39:47 way
00:39:47 --> 00:39:50 how
00:39:50 --> 00:39:51 dare
00:39:51 --> 00:39:53 we
00:39:53 --> 00:39:53 look
00:39:53 --> 00:39:53 down
00:39:53 --> 00:39:53 on
00:39:53 --> 00:39:54 anyone
00:39:54 --> 00:39:54 else
00:39:54 --> 00:40:02 Romans
00:40:02 --> 00:40:03 9
00:40:03 --> 00:40:03 comes
00:40:03 --> 00:40:04 after
00:40:04 --> 00:40:04 Romans
00:40:04 --> 00:40:04 8
00:40:04 --> 00:40:05 8
00:40:05 --> 00:40:10 for this
00:40:10 --> 00:40:11 is
00:40:11 --> 00:40:12 not
00:40:12 --> 00:40:12 failed
00:40:12 --> 00:40:14 because
00:40:14 --> 00:40:15 it is
00:40:15 --> 00:40:15 grounded
00:40:15 --> 00:40:16 in
00:40:16 --> 00:40:17 God's
00:40:17 --> 00:40:17 sovereign
00:40:17 --> 00:40:18 electing
00:40:18 --> 00:40:19 mercy
00:40:19 --> 00:40:20 God's
00:40:20 --> 00:40:20 pure
00:40:20 --> 00:40:21 love
00:40:21 --> 00:40:21 and
00:40:21 --> 00:40:21 therefore
00:40:21 --> 00:40:21 the
00:40:21 --> 00:40:22 promises
00:40:22 --> 00:40:23 to
00:40:23 --> 00:40:23 the
00:40:23 --> 00:40:24 true
00:40:24 --> 00:40:25 Israel
00:40:25 --> 00:40:26 and
00:40:26 --> 00:40:27 the
00:40:27 --> 00:40:27 promises
00:40:27 --> 00:40:28 of
00:40:28 --> 00:40:29 Romans
00:40:29 --> 00:40:29 8
00:40:29 --> 00:40:31 stand
00:40:31 --> 00:40:35 that's
00:40:35 --> 00:40:35 the
00:40:35 --> 00:40:35 good
00:40:35 --> 00:40:36 news
00:40:36 --> 00:40:36 of
00:40:36 --> 00:40:36 Romans
00:40:36 --> 00:40:37 9
00:40:37 --> 00:40:38 the
00:40:38 --> 00:40:38 promises
00:40:38 --> 00:40:40 purchased
00:40:40 --> 00:40:41 by the
00:40:41 --> 00:40:42 blood
00:40:42 --> 00:40:42 of
00:40:42 --> 00:40:42 Jesus
00:40:42 --> 00:40:43 Christ
00:40:43 --> 00:40:45 will
00:40:45 --> 00:40:45 be
00:40:45 --> 00:40:46 mercifully
00:40:46 --> 00:40:47 fulfilled
00:40:47 --> 00:40:48 by the
00:40:48 --> 00:40:48 sovereign
00:40:48 --> 00:40:49 power
00:40:49 --> 00:40:50 of a
00:40:50 --> 00:40:51 merciful
00:40:51 --> 00:40:52 loving
00:40:52 --> 00:40:52 God
00:40:52 --> 00:40:55 gracious
00:40:55 --> 00:40:56 God
00:40:56 --> 00:40:57 you
00:40:57 --> 00:40:58 are
00:40:58 --> 00:40:59 worthy
00:40:59 --> 00:40:59 of our
00:40:59 --> 00:41:00 worship
00:41:00 --> 00:41:01 of our
00:41:01 --> 00:41:02 honour
00:41:02 --> 00:41:02 of our
00:41:02 --> 00:41:03 allegiance
00:41:03 --> 00:41:05 of our
00:41:05 --> 00:41:05 love
00:41:05 --> 00:41:08 Father
00:41:08 --> 00:41:10 please
00:41:10 --> 00:41:11 forgive us
00:41:11 --> 00:41:12 that we
00:41:12 --> 00:41:13 live
00:41:13 --> 00:41:13 day by
00:41:13 --> 00:41:14 day
00:41:14 --> 00:41:15 and
00:41:15 --> 00:41:16 we
00:41:16 --> 00:41:16 make
00:41:16 --> 00:41:17 much
00:41:17 --> 00:41:17 of
00:41:17 --> 00:41:17 our
00:41:17 --> 00:41:18 self
00:41:18 --> 00:41:18 instead
00:41:18 --> 00:41:18 of
00:41:18 --> 00:41:18 making
00:41:18 --> 00:41:19 much
00:41:19 --> 00:41:19 of
00:41:19 --> 00:41:19 you
00:41:19 --> 00:41:21 please
00:41:21 --> 00:41:21 forgive
00:41:21 --> 00:41:22 us
00:41:22 --> 00:41:22 where we
00:41:22 --> 00:41:23 look
00:41:23 --> 00:41:23 down
00:41:23 --> 00:41:23 on
00:41:23 --> 00:41:24 other
00:41:24 --> 00:41:24 people
00:41:24 --> 00:41:24 where we
00:41:24 --> 00:41:25 are
00:41:25 --> 00:41:25 angry
00:41:25 --> 00:41:25 with
00:41:25 --> 00:41:26 others
00:41:26 --> 00:41:26 where we
00:41:26 --> 00:41:27 self
00:41:27 --> 00:41:27 righteously
00:41:27 --> 00:41:28 elevate
00:41:28 --> 00:41:28 ourselves
00:41:28 --> 00:41:29 over
00:41:29 --> 00:41:29 others
00:41:29 --> 00:41:31 give us
00:41:31 --> 00:41:31 more of
00:41:31 --> 00:41:31 your
00:41:31 --> 00:41:32 gospel
00:41:32 --> 00:41:32 of grace
00:41:32 --> 00:41:33 we pray
00:41:33 --> 00:41:35 thank you
00:41:35 --> 00:41:36 Jesus
00:41:36 --> 00:41:37 for your
00:41:37 --> 00:41:38 sovereign
00:41:38 --> 00:41:39 grace
00:41:39 --> 00:41:40 you have
00:41:40 --> 00:41:41 loved
00:41:41 --> 00:41:41 me
00:41:41 --> 00:41:44 the
00:41:44 --> 00:41:44 unlovable
00:41:44 --> 00:41:47 Holy
00:41:47 --> 00:41:47 Spirit
00:41:47 --> 00:41:49 help us
00:41:49 --> 00:41:50 because
00:41:50 --> 00:41:51 our hearts
00:41:51 --> 00:41:51 and our
00:41:51 --> 00:41:51 minds
00:41:51 --> 00:41:52 are so
00:41:52 --> 00:41:53 small
00:41:53 --> 00:41:55 we
00:41:55 --> 00:41:55 cannot
00:41:55 --> 00:41:56 grasp
00:41:56 --> 00:41:56 or
00:41:56 --> 00:41:57 appreciate
00:41:57 --> 00:41:58 the
00:41:58 --> 00:41:59 majesty
00:41:59 --> 00:42:01 your
00:42:01 --> 00:42:01 majesty
00:42:01 --> 00:42:04 without
00:42:04 --> 00:42:04 you
00:42:04 --> 00:42:04 capturing
00:42:04 --> 00:42:05 our
00:42:05 --> 00:42:05 hearts
00:42:05 --> 00:42:05 and our
00:42:05 --> 00:42:06 minds
00:42:06 --> 00:42:09 and so
00:42:09 --> 00:42:10 as we
00:42:10 --> 00:42:11 read
00:42:11 --> 00:42:11 your
00:42:11 --> 00:42:12 word
00:42:12 --> 00:42:12 as we
00:42:12 --> 00:42:13 study
00:42:13 --> 00:42:13 your
00:42:13 --> 00:42:13 word
00:42:13 --> 00:42:15 oh
00:42:15 --> 00:42:19 put us
00:42:19 --> 00:42:19 we pray
00:42:19 --> 00:42:20 in our
00:42:20 --> 00:42:20 proper
00:42:20 --> 00:42:21 place
00:42:21 --> 00:42:23 at the
00:42:23 --> 00:42:23 foot of
00:42:23 --> 00:42:23 the
00:42:23 --> 00:42:24 cross
00:42:24 --> 00:42:26 our
00:42:26 --> 00:42:26 hands
00:42:26 --> 00:42:27 over
00:42:27 --> 00:42:27 our
00:42:27 --> 00:42:28 mouths
00:42:28 --> 00:42:30 and our
00:42:30 --> 00:42:31 hearts
00:42:31 --> 00:42:31 just
00:42:31 --> 00:42:32 cry
00:42:32 --> 00:42:33 thank you
00:42:33 --> 00:42:34 thank you
00:42:34 --> 00:42:35 thank you
00:42:35 --> 00:42:38 grow us
00:42:38 --> 00:42:39 we pray
00:42:39 --> 00:42:40 in humility
00:42:40 --> 00:42:42 as we
00:42:42 --> 00:42:43 adore
00:42:43 --> 00:42:43 Christ
00:42:43 --> 00:42:44 together
00:42:44 --> 00:42:45 amen