“Saints God’s Choice”
Romans pt. 12
Honoring the Graduates of New Life Community Church - play video by Blue Fish TV “Honoring Graduates” – recognize the graduates and hand out Bibles to them.
Opening Story: Tell the story of Tiffany and her being healed of Cancer this last week.
Thesis: God choose the saints because they are individuals who have followed and aligned themselves with the Promise to Abraham. This promise is associated with faith in God – the willingness to believe and to be saved by faith not works.
Scripture Text: Romans 9:1-33
1I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit—2I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, 4the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
6It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 8In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. 9For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”
10Not only that, but Rebekah’s children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. 11Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
14What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15For he says to Moses,
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
16It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
19One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?” 20But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ “ 21Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?
22What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? 23What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—24even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25As he says in Hosea:
“I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people;
and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”
26and,
“It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them,
‘You are not my people,’
they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ “
27Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:
“Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea,
only the remnant will be saved.
28 For the Lord will carry out
his sentence on earth with speed and finality.”
29It is just as Isaiah said previously:
“Unless the Lord Almighty
had left us descendants,
we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah.”
30What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. 32Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the “stumbling stone.” 33As it is written:
“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
Illustration to introduce this chapter - Video Clip: God has a Plan! - Blue Fish TV
Introduction:
This chapter highlights the omniscience (all knowing), omnipotent power of God Almighty. He has the ability and even the right to show mercy on whoever He wants to show mercy. He has the power and the right to determine a person’s destiny. He God has the ability and the power to do what ever He wants to do with a person’s life. Why? Because He created us – we did not create ourselves God did! This chapter is a scary chapter because Paul is telling us that God has the right – He has the power – He has the ability to do what ever He wants to do with a person. God could choose to show mercy on you and He could choose to allow judgment to crush you. Paul reminds us of our weak position in life. He reminds us that we are created beings not the Creator and who do we think we are to judge God and the way He acts or does not act to us and to others in this life on earth. We are not God! We are His creation and subject to His rules and regulations in this life. This chapter is especially difficult for American Christians to accept and even to agree too. We in America think we are all in control of our own lives and God has to be there to serve us – to help us – to meet our every need – to protect us from the difficulty of life – to be our Jeannie who will always grant us our wishes.
But Paul throws a curve ball at prideful, self-centered Christians and he tells them “Who do you think you are to judge God and to shake your fists at God for doing what He knows to be right and fair in this life for all?” He reminds us that God knows what we will do even before we do it! He knows what controls our hearts and our minds! He knows if sin is the master of your life or if He is the master of your life. He knows if you lie and if you deceive others. He knows the intent of your heart. He knows whether you have really had a DNA change or not at conversion. He knows if you are fraud or the genuine article. He knows your plots and your schemes and He will deal with you accordingly. God is the one that chooses what will happen in your life and what will come your way in life. God chooses to allow you to walk the path of cursing – the path of death or the path of blessing and the path of life. God chooses to be with the “Saint” and to allow the false prophets, hypocrites, imposters, liars, and deceivers to reap a whirlwind of destruction in their life. God will not be mocked by people who say that they are His children and refuse to live life the way He prescribes. Paul uses the nation of Israel as an example for all of us Christians to pay attention to today.
Israel was God’s chosen people – chosen to receive His protection and deliverance but the nation of Israel rejected Him and His way. Many Israelites walked away from His covenants, His glory, His law, His temple and His promises. So therefore not all of the Israelites are children -- sons and daughters of God anymore! Why, because they have rejected God’s covenant and blessings from Him. They have rejected His holy DNA. They have rejected God’s Word, God’s Truth, God’s rules, God’s path, and God’s gift of eternal life.
Deut. 11:26: “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse—the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.”
They were God’s chosen people – they were given the opportunity to receive the blessings of God in their nation and in their personal lives, but over a period of time they rejected the One who they claimed to worship and to follow. They instead looked to their own abilities to achieve salvation, deliverance, and eternal life. Salvation became a way of human works and effort. The people actually thought they could be good enough in themselves to get into Heaven. Therefore the applause changed from God to man. It went from faith to works. It went from men applauding other men for their goodness. They even sold out to other gods and idols and thumbed their noses at God Almighty. They claimed to be God’s chosen people but they rejected the ways that made them God’s children. They rejected the way of holiness, they rejected the path of God and it cost this nation and the people of Israel dearly.
This last week we took a band trip with Clayton High School to Washington DC. One day we toured the Holocaust Museum in DC. To be blunt it was not a pleasant experience to tour, it made my stomach turn and it grieved my heart. It made me sick and it grieved my spirit. To use Paul’s words in verse 2 “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.” As I walked through this nightmare that occurred for millions of Jews and others like the gypsies, the homosexuals, the dissenters against Hitler and toward the end of the war even some of the Christians. I heard people’s stories from some of the Jewish people who suffered through this ordeal and many were asking were was God? They shared how their faith in God was rattled and even shattered. They could not understand why some made it through while others died horrible deaths? But I heard in some of the testimonies thoughts like this, “We are God’s chosen people and He allowed us to suffer horribly! WHY?”
God had chosen the Jews to be His sons and daughters but today not all Jews will be allowed entrance into Heaven according to Paul in this chapter. There are many Jews that have rejected the way of God and as a result they will not be saved because they are not God’s chosen people. Many of the Jews who were exterminated in World War II had failed to accept Jesus as their Messiah – I do want to make it clear that some were God’s chosen people who died in the Holocaust! But many were not and these individuals chose to reject the path of Jesus and faced the fate of their rejection of their own Messiah.
But just like what the Jewish nation did in their rejection of God and His way many Christian have also done today. God has also chosen the Gentiles to be recipients of His grace and mercy but not all of the Gentiles will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Why because there will be those who think they can get into Heaven based on their good works or even their own way of spirituality. God’s desire is that no one perishes but many continue to make choices that go against God and His way and therefore they set themselves up for judgment. Peter reminds us of the heartbeat of God and His heart’s desire:
2 Peter 3:9-11: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives.”
God has also chosen all professing Christians to enter into Heaven but a Christian will only make it to Heaven if they follow the ways and the teachings of God’s Holy Word. Paul reminds us that not all who call themselves Christians will make in to Heaven either, especially if they fall prey to the deception of sin and the mindset of good works. Jude addresses this deception in his remarks in the New Testament:
Jude 1-4:
1Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ: 2Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance. 3Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. 4For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.”
Jude along with Peter and Paul warns the Christians to beware of the imposters who will try to infiltrate the church of Jesus Christ as so-called Christians but will use grace as a license to sin. These people are not genuinely saved but only living in deception. They have no DNA change because they still live an immoral life. We were told by Jesus previously that we will be able to judge a persons standing with Heaven – In other words whether they are “Saints” or not by their fruit. “Saints” will produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit and their will be good fruit being produced by their lives.
T.S. – Paul tells us in this hard hitting chapter that God has chosen the “Saint” for entrance into Heaven --- not imposters, not those who claim to be “Saints or Christians” but who have no DNA change in their lives. ‘Saints” are ones who live Godly lives and Holy lives for God.
I. God chose us to be saints and He wants to bless us but He will not tolerate imposters in the Kingdom of God!
a. Imposters claim to know Christ but they have no Fruit of the Spirit in their lives.
i. Imposter’s are defined as: One who imposes upon others; a person who assumes a character or title not his own, for the purpose of deception; a pretender (Webster’s Dictionary).
1. As I search through the Church of Jesus Christ I see a lot of imposters who claim to personally know Jesus but yet they produce no fruit for the Kingdom of God. They remind me of Judas who was one of the twelve!
ii. These imposters say they are believers “Born Again” but they live a lifestyle of sin. They live a life filled with immorality, deception, lies, and impurity.
1. Titus 1:10-16 states: 10For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. 11They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. 12Even one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.” 13This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith 14and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth. 15To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.
a. The Bible is clear in stating that the way you can tell an imposter is by their fruit.
b. What do they produce with their life.
c. They claim to know God but their lives produce nothing but evil results.
b. God chose saints for entrance into Heaven but He will not allow imposters or deceivers into the Kingdom!
i. Deception is the characteristic of the enemy not of a saint.
1. When a person lives a life of deception then they are not saints!
2. Let me say it again: “You can claim to be a “Born Again” Christian but if you still live in sin and allow sin to run your life then you will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven!
3. Listen to me New Life Community Church – God is both loving and just. In the Day of Judgment He will not permit someone who possess the nature and the character of the Devil in His Holy City. If He did, He would then pervert and contaminate the entire city, including all of the cities inhabitants who are His “Saints.”
a. God will protect His chosen people from the ravages of sin in the Holy City – nothing impure or immoral will be allowed into the Holy City.
ii. The Reality Check is this: Every Christian will enter The Judgment Seat of Christ and we will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and imposters will hear, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”
1. Let’s look closer at the context of this passage:
a. Matthew 7:13-27:13“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. 15“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ 24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
b. Jesus warns us that many people will be shocked when they get to the Judgment Seat.
i. Why? Because they will be denied entrance into the Kingdom.
ii. Why? Because of their sinful lifestyle!
c. Many who profess to be Christ followers will be deceived by false prophets – imposters of the Gospels and therefore not genuine believers.
i. He tells us that the way that you can determine if a person is a genuine Christian or not is by their fruit.
ii. He tells us to look at the fruit to see if it’s good or bad. This is the evidence to prove their genuine position in Christ.
iii. He even points out that these imposters will try to argue with Him on the Day of Judgment. They will say, “Did we not cast out demons in your name, prophesy and preach in your name and even do miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit?” The Lord tells them that He never knew them!
iv. These imposters will distort the Word of God to justify their sin.
v. The key here to see and to apply to our own lives is that by their practices – their lifestyle will you be able to tell if they are genuine Christians or not.
1. Jesus says that those who do the will of the Father and live it will be able to survive the storms of life and even the Judgment seat of Christ.
2. But those who built their house on lies, deception, self-centered ways, the works of the flesh, pride, and other evil ways will not survive the storms of life and especially the Judgment Seat of Christ.
2. Jesus in summary makes this point very clear and very direct – If you claim to be a Christian then you will act Christ like – you will bear forth the fruit of the Spirit in your life.
3. Bottom line: As a Christian a “Saint” - Your lifestyle will be radically different from the world and the people around you will know that you are Christian by the way you live.
a. Jesus – Peter – Jude – Paul and the Bible tells us this is the true measurement of a “Saint” – it’s how they live their life and the type of fruit they produce!
T.S. – God chose the saints because they are producing fruit for the Kingdom of God and all imposters will be chosen to be cast into eternal judgment and they will pay the price for their deceptions. God has chosen to make a away for all people but only a few will chose to follow the road that He has made into Heaven.
II. God’s Word has not failed but man has failed repeatedly in spite of God’s willingness to choose to die for their sins and to provide a way that will set them free.
a. God’s Word did not fail Israel – Israel chose to follow other Gods and disobey the directions of the Lord. Israel is the one responsible for their failure – not God’s Word! Their failure is by their own sinful choices!
i. 2 Chronicles 7:11-22: 11When Solomon had finished the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the LORD and in his own palace, 12the LORD appeared to him at night and said: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices. 13“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. 17“As for you, if you walk before me as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, 18I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a man to rule over Israel.’ 19“But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 20then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 21And though this temple is now so imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 22People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’”
1. This text is clear in pointing out that in the future - Israel will fall away from the Lord because they will chose to come out from under the protection and the guidance of the Word of God.
2. The Lord knew that Israel would drift away from Him so He appeared to Solomon and gave him a remedy for restoration and a healing from sin for individuals and for the nation as a whole.
3. His remedy is found in verse 14 of our text:
a. His people must call on Him!
b. His people must humble themselves in His presence!
c. His people must pray to Him for help and insight!
d. His people must seek His face – no others!
e. His people must turn from their wicked ways – repent!
f. His people must receive the gift of forgiveness!
g. His people will then receive the gift of healing and restoration to their lives and to their land.
4. God gave these instructions to Solomon because He knew that they would one day fall away and worship other gods. He told Solomon and all Israel to expect judgment on the land and the people when this happens because this would bring about a spirit of repentance.
a. Others will see the disaster that has come over their lives and say, “What happened?” Then this warning will be awakened in them to show them that they drift away from God and therefore they must follow the steps to be renewed and restored in the sight of God!
b. This same warning is for the church of Jesus Christ today in America – God will judge this nation and each Christian will give a reckoning of their life and their deeds!
b. Many Jews have chosen to reject Jesus because He did not align with their religious system and their distorted image of God.
i. Today many are repeating the mistakes of the Jewish religious leaders and rejecting the way of Jesus because it does not align with their religious views and doctrines.
1. Man is always trying to make God into their image and not worshiping Him as the Alpha and the Omega.
ii. We have many in the church who are false prophets and imposters in the Kingdom of God.
1. We need to recognize them by their fruit and by their sinful lifestyles and then separate your self from them.
2. These false prophets and imposters are the result of men and women who live in sin and have distorted the truth of God’s Word to justify their self-centered sinful ways.
3. The failure is not the Word of God but it is the individuals fault for forsaking the Lord and His holy Word.
a. The truth is sinful men and women are at fault for rejecting the truth of God. It’s not God’s fault that judgment will come it’s the fault of the person who chooses the way of sin.
iii. George Barna’s thoughts on the condition of the Church today in America:
1. George Barna comes to the conclusion in his book Revolution that the Church is in serious trouble with the Lord because of sin, he states:
a. “One of the greatest frustrations of my life has been the disconnection between what our research consistently shows about the churched Christians and what the Bible calls us to be. Granted, we are sinful creatures an will never achieve perfection on this planet; only when we are reunited with God in heaven will we experience a fully restored state. However, if the local church is comprised of people who have been transformed by the grace of God through their redemption in Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit, then their lives should be noticeably and compellingly different from the norm” (page 31).
i. He states the following statistics from his research to prove his observation about the current unacceptable position of many in the church (page 31).
1. The biweekly attendance at worship services is, by believers own admission, generally the only time they worship God.
2. Half of all believers say they do not feel they have entered into the presence of God or experienced a genuine connection with Him during the past year.
3. The typical churched believer will die without leading a single person to a lifesaving knowledge of and relationship with Jesus Christ.
4. Only 9 percent of all born-again adults have a biblical worldview-meaning that less than one out of every ten Christians age eighteen or older believes that absolute moral truth exists, believes that such truth is contained in the Bible, and possesses a handful of core beliefs that reflects such truth. Those beliefs include a certainty that the Bible is accurate in its teachings; Jesus lived a sinless life on earth; Satan is real, not symbolic; all believers are responsible for sharing their faith in Christ with others; the only means of salvation is through God’s grace; and God is all knowing and all-powerful creator of the universe who still rules today.
5. When given the opportunity to state how they want to be known by others, fewer than one out of ten believers mentioned descriptions that reflect their relationship with God.
6. Churched Christians give away an average of about 3 percent of their income in a typical year-and feel pleased at their “sacrificial’ generosity.
7. Fewer than one out of every ten church Christians donates at least 10 percent of their income to churches and other nonprofit organizations. (More than one-third claim to do so.)
a. The truth is - They actually lie about it!
iv. Barna states it well in his book Revolution when he tells us were our hope should be for a spiritual revolution in this country:
1. “And despite its faults and flaws, a spiritual healthy local church will always have a valid and valuable role within God’s Kingdom on earth. The point here is simply to recognize that if we place all our hope in the local church, it is misplaced hope. Many well-intentioned pastors promote this perspective by proclaiming, “The local church is the hope of the world.” Like most advertising slogans, this notion is emotionally appealing. The trouble is, the sentient is not Biblical. Jesus, and Jesus alone, is the hope of the world. The local church is one mechanism that can be instrumental in bringing us closer to Him and helping us to be more like Him. But, as the research data clearly show, churches are not doing the job. If the local church is the hope of the world, then the world has no hope” (36).
a. The key in this point which I want you to grasp is that being in right relationship with God is what brings revival and restoration to a life.
b. This is what really matters the most for a healing to be birthed today in our nation and in this generation.
c. Our hope is in Jesus Christ and in His power and ability to change the DNA of a person and cause a revival to break out in this society.
T.S. – God chose to make a way for mankind and He sent His Word but it’s not the Word’s fault that many will not make Heaven and eternal life! The responsibility lies with the individual’s choice to accept the way of God or to reject the way of the Word. The blame for their eternal judgment is a result of sin controlling and ruling their lives and that was and is their choice to make. God has chosen a path for the “Saint!” but it is up to them to follow it!
III. God chooses the direction and the path of our lives as Saints and as a Saint we must choose to follow it.
a. The pattern is this- we chose God over self and then God chooses a path for our life that will bring eternal blessings and eternal fruit for the Kingdom of God.
i. The whole process of finding eternal fulfillment in life comes from our freedom to choose blessings or cursings – to choose eternal life or eternal death.
1. Joshua models for us what our choice should be in life when he says, “As for me and my household we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15b).
a. God has already made the choice of who will enter into Heaven – it is those who are “Saints” who live like a “Saint.”
i. Those who claim to be “Saints” and still choose to live in sin will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
2. The Lord tells us that we all have the ability to choose: Listen to what we were told in Deut. 30:15-20:
a. 15See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.17But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
b. In this passage the Lord gives the choice to the people of God to choose life or death – to chose to follow God and say “yes” and align themselves with His choice for Eternal Life.
b. The truth is we cannot find our divine purpose in life without God so we have to choose to follow His will and way to discover fulfillment in our life.
i. Saints are to ask God to show them what their purpose is – why they are here and ask the Lord to help fulfill that purpose with their life – time!
c. We are to follow God’s path – not our path – we can not make our own roads into Heaven we must use the path that God constructed for us because our road will fail to get us into Heaven and pass the Judgment Seat of Christ.
i. When we chose to become saints we chose to follow the path of Jesus Christ.
ii. Jesus said that we must deny ourselves.
iii. Instead many in the “Born Again Club” do not pick up their cross and deny themselves they instead indulge themselves and have all the excuses to justify it.
1. Jesus said in Mark 8:34-36: “Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”
2. John Bevere in his book Driven by Eternity makes the following observation from his travels across the Us preaching in different churches:
a. He says that there are a lot of people claiming to be part of the “Born Again Club.”
i. A recent poll from Rev Magazine says that 53% of the United States claims to be Born Again Christian’s.
b. Bevere states the following as he looks at 2 Timothy 3:1-5: But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
i. “… ‘Having a form of godliness but denying it’s power.’ So you can see what makes it difficult to be a Christian in our generation; there will be many (according to other references in the New Testament) who profess being Christian, born again, or saved who will not have allowed the Cross to slay their self life. They’ll not have made the decision to forsake all their own rights to follow Jesus. They’ll sincerely believe He is their Savior, but they’ll affiliate with Him for the mere fact of what can He do for them, rather than who He is. It’s no different that a woman marrying a man for his money. She may marry him for love, but for the wrong reasons. Out of this motive they’ll seek Him for the sake of salvation and success in this life and believe sincerely that He is their Savior, but they will have never relinquished control of their own lives” (86).
3. 1 Corinthians 13:5 states love is “Not self-seeking.”
a. Failure to show real concern for others discloses lack of love. There are some who do not care what happens to others and therefore it reveals their selfish hearts.
b. A person who is self-centered will always ask, “What’s in it for me?” There life will center on meeting there own personal agenda.
c. A person who is gripped with selfishness will always do what they want first – it will be their priority in life.
T.S. – God chose to make a way for mankind to enter Heaven and that is through Jesus Christ. The choice to choose Jesus is ours to make but it does not stop there because we also have to choose to live after salvation by the way of the Spirit. In a sense God chose the pathway to Heaven and only those who align with it become His chosen people.
IV. Does God chose His favorites and then call them Saints?
a. It’s important when you come to passages like Romans 9 that you take the text in context with the rest of the Bible.
i. Many have built doctrines or teachings out of a few verses taken out of context and in the process distorted the Truth of God.
b. A thought surfaces in my head as I read this chapter , “Does God Play Favorites?”
i. I have always hated it when people play favorites! And I especially hate it when I am not one of the favorites!
1. Can you relate to what I am saying!
a. You may be thinking, “It’s okay to play favorites as long as I am one of the favorites!” But no one likes it when someone plays favorites and you are left out of the loop.
2. Story: Growing up my mom never played favorites! She was so careful to treat us kids with equal love and respect. But my Grandmother did and it always bothered me. She loved my older brother and my cousins more than she cared for me. I do want to say that she did not mistreat me but she definitely gave the others more attention, more perks and more things than she did me and it bothered me. When I asked my brother about it one time he said, “She never did that she was good to all of us!” I suppose he just never realized it because he was on the inside! But the truth is she played favorites and I noticed that she did and if hurt my feelings.
c. A few weeks back I addressed briefly the subject of the Doctrine of Election or the Doctrine of Predestination:
i. What does it mean to be “Predestined” by God?
1. Sproul tries to explain it this way:
a. Unconditional election means that "our final destination, heaven or hell, is decided by God not only before we get there, but before we are born. It teaches that our ultimate destiny is in the hands of God" (R.C. Sproul, Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, p. 161). God did not base His choice on anything in man. He did not choose those whom He foreknew would choose Him, but based His choice upon Himself and His holy purposes only. http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/8449/uncon.html
b. By the way I do believe in some of what he says but I believe there is more to it than just this simple explanation. I do not believe God would predestine some people to death – because Peter told us in the Word earlier that “God does not want any to perish!”
2. There is another website that I discovered that seeks to explain the Doctrine of Election and Predestination this way http://geneva.rutgers.edu/src/christianity/predest.html -
a. This page discusses the way in which human responsibility interacts with God’s responsibility. A proper balance here is critical to the Christian life. If human responsibility is overemphasized, Christianity turns into legalism, without an appreciation for God’s power active in our lives. If God’s responsibility is overemphasized, Christianity turns into fatalism, losing the emphasis on obedience to God and service to others. Both of these problems have occurred at times.
i. I really like what this writer has to say and I really believe it all comes back to taking a balanced approach to this subject.
ii. The Christian orthodox position maintains both of the following points about God and people’s destiny:
1. As I look at Scripture God is in charge both of history in general and of our lives personally. We are unable to come to know and serve Him on our own power or ability – The Holy Spirit is involved in this whole process. We are completely dependent upon His decision to save us, and His divine work in our lives to transform us and make us new creatures in Christ. But we also have a say so in whether we will allow Him to do a divine work in our lives.
a. One preacher said it this way, “Sometimes Christians so emphasize God’s responsibility that they lose sight of the need for our lives to be transformed, and for us to be active in working with others.”
i. The truth is there is a responsibility placed on every individual when it comes to eternal truth.
2. We all have the choice to make responsible decisions with our lives. Not that we always do so – many do not take responsibility with their lives and others pay the price. But the Word says that we will be judged by God for how we respond to Him, and how we deal with each other.
a. This same preacher said, “Sometimes Christians so emphasize human decision that they lose sight of our dependence upon God. Christianity then becomes a demanding moral code, but it loses contact with Christ’s work to redeem people who are unworthy of it.”
i. The truth is there is to be a dependence on God. We need His intervention in our lives and we must have it to be able to deal with eternal truth.
iii. DAVID C. PACK gives us some good insight with these thoughts about his view of the Doctrine of Predestination.
1. He challenges us to think about this teaching, “Is this true? Is this what the Bible actually teaches when it makes reference to predestination? Did God actually pre-plan every sin, every act of immorality and every crime that has ever been committed? Is God the author of every war—every act of civil disobedience—every divorce—every suicide—every murder? Did God pre-plan every rape—every act of child abuse—every lie ever told—every time one chooses to cheat on his income taxes? Understand. If God has already charted the course, in advance of everything that will ever happen, all acts of sin and unrighteousness cannot be excluded. Now turn the coin over. Has God predetermined which people will obey Him? Has He decided in advance who will be righteous—and thus who will become Christians and ultimately be saved? If this is true, we must at the same time consider whether He has also decided who will be lost. And can the “lost” not choose to repent and be saved? Can the saved not fall back into, by choice, the way of life that will cause them to be lost? These are important questions. Is anything missing? Yes, a great deal has been completely overlooked from the pages of the Bible. It is time to answer this important question. We have clearly seen that predestination does not mean that God has determined the fate of all human beings in advance—that the entire course of their lives has been decided for them. It does not mean that all human beings who have ever lived were chosen to be either lost or saved.”
2. David strikes to the heart of the issue and helps us to see that God who is Love never produces that which is evil! It’s against His nature and character to do so. So to say that God pre-destined people that he created to sin is against his character and nature.
iv. I found a great article which addresses the question “Does God Play Favorites? On page 1562 in the Quest Study Bible: Listen to what it says:
1. The whole Bible teaches that God is fair and just (Psalm 11:7). It also states that God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 18:23), but that he wants all men to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4). Therefore, the idea of God’s purpose in election (v. 11) raises some hard questions, such as “How can God choose some and pass on others?” People have attempted to explain God’s election in several ways. Some hold the view that God elects some to be saved because he knows beforehand that they will choose to accept Christ (8:29). Their election, according to this view, is based on God’s foreknowledge (Arminianism). Others conclude that God, in his wise and sovereign will, chooses some but not others for reasons we cannot understand. His selection may seem unfair, but that is simply because we have limited perspective. Humans, bound in sin. Do not naturally seek God (3:11), but when God’s grace comes to the elect, it frees them to choose God (Calvinism). Still others emphasize that God elected Jesus, his Son, and that all those who are in Christ by faith share in that corporate election. What about Pharaoh (vv. 17-18)? While the Bible clearly states that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (v. 18; see Exodus 9:12), it also records Pharaoh’s own decision to harden his heart (Exodus 8:15). The mystery of how God works in election is not easily resolved. Difficult questions continue to confound us. In the end we may need to confess that our understanding is limited, that we may be missing some key part of God’s plan that would allow us to understand election better (page 1562, Quest Study Bible).
a. I believe this article put a balance view of this subject and enlightens our heart to the fact that in this life there is to be an interaction between God and Mankind. God is in complete control and we can choose to align ourselves with Him or not.
d. God has chosen the course of salvation – God has chosen who will get to Heaven – The Saints.
i. God has designed and implemented the path to Heaven and it is narrow but it is walk-able if we chose to walk it. It’s our choice to make!
ii. God chose the way now it is our choice to walk that way!
Conclusion:
Roman’s is heavy book and it pounds home the point that Christian’s must act like “Saints”, their behavior, their lifestyle after being “Born Again” or “Saved” is to be righteous – it’s to be moral – it’s to be Christ like. If it is not Christ like then there has been no DNA change in the individual despite what they call themselves.
They may have chosen the name “Christian” to define their life but they have not chosen to change their DNA which is reflected by their actions and this points back to where their hearts are at. A person who is a genuine “Saint” according to the Bible and the Book of Romans will act differently than a sinner.
The Word points to the fact that there are imposters in the Kingdom of God on earth – those who are not genuine Christians.
God has already made a choice to bless only the “Saints.” These holy, righteous, and moral ones will enter into His Kingdom. The imposters will have no part in the eternal kingdom. This is God’s choice!
So as “Saints” we have a choice, to either, follow His divine choice and do it His way or chose to do it our way and be rejected from His eternal Kingdom.
My promise to this church today:
Today as Senior Pastor of New Life Community Church I decree as Paul did in Acts 20:26-27, “Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.”
I am making a personal ministry pledge to all of you today. I will continue to preach the whole message of Jesus Christ both the positive dimensions and the negative dimensions. I will continue to warn you not to drift away from the truth of God’s Word. I will warn you to not to be swayed by the deceptions of the enemy and by his imposters who will distort the truth of God’s Word. My goal is to have you mature in Christ and be the types of “Saints” that Paul says we are to be in the book of Romans. I must present the Word as it is spoken and drive home to you the importance of following the whole Gospel! You must flee from sin and chose the path of purity and holiness as a believer. If you chose the path of the sinful nature with your life, even though you claim to be a Born Again Christian then you will face God’s wrath. I promise you that you will face the Judgment Seat of Christ one day and you risk the possibility of being denied entrance into Heaven.
Will you follow the choice of Joshua who said, “As for me and my household we will serve the Lord?” Or will you follow the leading of Satan and chose to go against the ways of the Lord and continue to live in sin?
Here is another question of the day “Saint” -- “Who are you to talk back to God and to question why He does what He does? Who do you think you are to question God and His choices? Are you God?”
Let’s look at a few more questions to ponder as we struggle to understand this chapter of Romans:
Do you think you are better than God?
Do you think that you know more than God does?
Do you think you are more powerful than God?
Do you think you are more holy than God?
Do you think you can fool God?
Do you think you are wiser than God?
Do you think you are superior to God?
Do you think that God answers to you?
Do you think that you can love better than God?
Did you create the world and everything in it?
Did you some how become greater than God?
Altar Call: God has chosen the path to Heaven “Jesus” – He has created its route – he has built the highway to Heaven – (He chose to do this!). He now gives you a choice to step onto His highway to Heaven or to step off. It’s your choice but your choice will determine your eternal destiny! So what path will you choose? God has already made His choice and He will not change His mind!
