Turn tonight in our Bibles to Romans 9, Romans 9, and that is the text that we're considering tonight is found on page 1202, and we will read from verses 19 to 29, the text being the end of verse 24 to 29 romans chapter 9 beginning at verse 19 let's give our attention tonight to the word of the lord you will say to me then why does he still find fault for who can resist his will but who are you oh man to answer back to god will what is molded say to its molder why have you made me like this? Has the potter no right over the clay to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he's prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles, As indeed he says in Hosea, those who were not my people I will call my people, and her who was not beloved I will call beloved. And in the very place where it was said to them, you are not my people, there they will be called sons of the living God. And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved. For the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay. And as Isaiah predicted, if the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah. There's the reading tonight of God's Word. And I'd ask you to keep your Bibles open and we're going to be looking at a few Old Testament passages. If you thumb through to the book of Hosea, that's going to be very important tonight. But we've been working through this section in Romans chapter 9. And tonight we are really beginning to look at and transitioning to some of the initial conclusions that Paul is making with this initial problem that he raised at the beginning of chapter 9. But I want to start tonight with something that he said in 2 Corinthians chapter 3 regarding the nation of Israel. And this is a really important subject in the scriptures I just added. You have to give time to think about this. The scriptures devote a lot of attention to this. If we don't think about this or wrestle through this, we are basically axing out sections of the Bible. In 2 Corinthians chapter 3, Paul said this about Israel. But their minds were blinded for until this day, the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament because the veil is taken away in christ but even to this day when moses is read a veil lies on their heart nevertheless when one turns to the lord the veil is taken away a clear statement is made there in second corinthians chapter 3 that there is a veil that is over israel's heart they can't see jesus when they read the old testament it's only about a system of ethics of how to attain we'll look at next time their own righteousness now there have been a host of bible teachers in our day and on the radio that are obsessed with the nation of israel telling us over and over that they are god's chosen people they are the apple of his eye telling us even that is if we do not as a nation support the nation of israel we will not be blessed by god this has been common lingo over christian radio for a long time remember all of the bible teachers would tell the presidents that they would plead with the presidents to do that and now we have one that's not really in support of israel like former presidents and this has caused a nightmare for many christians but we hear this all the time that that the promises made to abraham have yet to be fulfilled until national israel is restored to their land and when we see a temple go up jesus get ready because the rapture is going to happen and then after this seven years of tribulation jesus is going to come back and he's going to reign in that jerusalem temple for a thousand years so the promises to abraham they say the apple of his eye all those promises are future we're looking for that we're waiting for that and that's the common teaching today still on the radio here's the sad fruit of that teaching. Who is calling Israel to repentance today? Think about it. As we sit and tell them they're God's chosen people, as we sit and tell them they're the apple of His eye, what do they say? Why do they love Christians? Great. They don't believe in the Messiah. They haven't turned to the Messiah. And so we have Christians flooding Israel with a lot of money so that the temple furniture would get prepared in fact the moment that you say no no no wait on that's misguided that's wrong and you begin to say that there's a veil over their heart and the promises to abraham are finding fulfillment now as the gospel's breaking out to the ends of the earth they say you're a replacement theologist that's the the lingo you have replaced the church with israel for all the promises well i want to consider if that's right tonight let's test that let's look at that charge in light of scripture what has god said has god left us in wonder about national israel i believe that romans 9 tonight 10 and 11 especially 11 is dealing with this providing us clear teaching it's really not the big picture is not unclear about what God's plan is and how these things are being fulfilled. So we're continuing tonight to answer this great important question about national Israel. The question that was beginning at the beginning of chapter 9, the question that was raised was, has God's promises failed to them? Because they've all turned away. That nation sits in darkness. That nation has turned from their Messiah. That nation doesn't believe in Jesus. And what Paul does tonight is, after all of this, looking at the teaching of election to say, first and foremost, no, God has never gone back on the true Israel who are his elect. That's how he's proved it. There's a true Israel. There's always been true Israelites, we'll look at this tonight, that have been coming in steadily. But tonight, we come to a string of Old Testament passages that are rather shocking when you study them and look and see what he is doing he is making some plain observations about what the old testament scripture said about this issue and by the way since i'm in preaching country down here and westminster's next door i always think what a glorious thing to point out that some of the way that paul always was demonstrating preaching and even in acts when they preached what were they doing they were taking old testament scriptures and showing that jesus is the christ they were applying the old testament they were showing the big picture they were showing that the bible is one and that all of these things that were prophesied are finding fulfillment in jesus and now we are to live in a way that is thankful to that this is what they're doing they're filling their sermons with old testament scripture and so what a thing to consider when you're considering preaching and if we're asking what did the early Christian preaching look like here you go if I were to um say what are the three points tonight and I don't usually do that because I never really think my three points are very creative but if I were boiling it down to three points it would go like this tonight God is first showing us his intention to call Jew and Gentile together as one Second, in that, he promised that he would restore Israel. He's doing that. And third, but he never said it would be every single Israelite. It would only be the remnant. I'll come back to some of those points. Tonight, God has shown us this. And remember, with last week, we left off with verse 23. he said something very powerful about what he's doing in his working as he was explaining the teaching of election he said remember in verse 23 that he is being patient think of noah noah's day he's being patient with what he calls vessels of wrath vessels of destruction in order that he might demonstrate what his mercy to the vessels of mercy and you saw that this morning with michael you see the world continues he continues to bear with all of this bad stuff you see on the news an awful wicked rebellious man he bears with that so that he might demonstrate in the midst of that his mercy to the vessels of mercy beautiful isn't it god is rescuing he's on a rescue mission of saving every last one of his vessels to demonstrate to this world his grace it's wonderful and all of you should be able to testify to that all of you should be able to say well i'm a recipient of that i've i've received that look at him work steadily at the course of my life look at what he's done in the course of my life look at how he is committed to bring me through it all he's always stood by me he's always helped me he's sanctifying me he's doing all these wonderful things for me but after this talk which really in the first section of romans had been focused on israel he says something that's startling at the end of verse 24 notice what he says he's demonstrating his mercy on the vessels of mercy and then look at the end of verse 24 even us whom he has called not from the jews only but also from the gentiles whoa now i don't know if you feel how shocking that is that's a highlight verse it's a verse everyone reads right over you know how radical a statement that is he just interjected into the israel discussion gentiles you and then he starts quoting old testament passages and the first one he quotes comes out of the book of hosea notice what he says there in verse 25 as indeed he says in Hosea so this was planned Jew and Gentile to be called as indeed he says in Hosea those who were not my people I will call my people and her who was not beloved I will call beloved in the very place where it was said to them I want you to think about this in what place in what place was it said to them in the very place where it was said to them you are not my people there they will be called sons of the living God where is that that's why I want you to go back to Hosea tonight and if you're looking for that in your pew bibles it's worth taking the effort to open it and look and turn to number 953 in your pew bibles and this is really important to see what Paul's doing here tonight from the book of Hosea. You know that Hosea prophesied to the northern kingdom of Israel, which would soon be carried off and destroyed in the year 722. Well, no one can forget the famous scene of Hosea 1. Remember how shocking the scene of Hosea 1 was? Verse 2, when the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, go take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the lord so he went and took gomer now this is fascinating they have three children by by this whoredom and notice in verse four their names the lord said to him she conceived and bore a son and the lord said to him call his name jezreel for in just a little while i will punish the house of jehu for the blood of jezreel and i will put an end to the house of israel now that's fascinating jezreel is a weird name which means god scatters scatters god had announced he's going to scatter now she conceived again verse nine six and bore a daughter then god said to him call her name, this is verse 6, the Lord said to him, call her name Lo-Ruhamah or no mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel to forgive them at all. Now this is ratcheting it up, isn't it? The second child, no compassion, no mercy. So it goes on. Now when she had weaned, notice what it says, when she had weaned no mercy, she conceived and bore a son. And the Lord said, call his name not my people. For you are not my people and I am not your God. Okay, what a horrible thing. He just said about Israel. Now, what you say about God's promises in light of that, I mean, God has said there, I mean, think of all the Bible teachers. Israel's the apple of God's eye. God's going to fulfill His promises. He's going to restore Israel to the land. He's going to give them a temple. Jesus is going to reign there. Notice what the Lord just said through Hosea. There would be a time when the Lord would say, they are not my people. How does that fit then? Well, Paul's answering that tonight. In Romans 9, he cites two verses out of Hosea. If you turn back in Hosea again to verse 221, this is the verse he quotes. And we just read it. And in that day I will answer, declares the Lord, I will answer the heavens. And you should stop and say, well, what day? And they shall answer the earth. And the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil. And they shall answer Jezreel. And I will sow her for myself in the land and I will have mercy on no mercy. And I will say to not my people, you are my people. And he shall say, you are my God. Now everything was just reversed. He said, wait a minute, he just said this in chapter one. And then in chapter two, he says, no, there is going to be a day where I'm going to reverse all of that. So let me have you think about this carefully for a he just changed all their names jezreel from scatters to sows lo ruhamah no mercy no compassion to i will have mercy lo ami are not my people too i will say those who are not my people you are my people everything reversed what day now paul's putting this in romans 9 He stamps it right in Romans 9, and then he connects it with Hosea 1, verse 10. Turn back to Hosea 1, verse 10. And this is put in Romans 9. Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea. Whoa, now where was that promise made? It was made to Abraham, right? Which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place, here it is, where it was said to them, you are not my people, it shall be said to them, children of the living God. So the children of Judah and the children of Israel, notice what it said here, they're going to come under one head, there's going to be this day of sowing. And he goes on to say that. The children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, now listen of this and they shall appoint for themselves one head who's that you know who that is jesus and they shall go up from the land for great shall be the day of jezreel now notice the emphasis they have been scattered everywhere they're not in the land Notice what it says, in the place where it was said, you are not my people, so that's wherever they are, in that place, they will be called my people. Where are the Jews scattered? In the Gentile regions. In that place where they call on the name of the Lord, they will be called my people. Now, if he said, I'm done with national Israel, I'm scattering them, what is this day he's talking about? Turn over to one more place tonight, and I hope this comes together for you. I knew this would be a little thick, but if you stay with me and follow, I think it'll be a great blessing when you walk out of here tonight. Turn to Psalm 87. Now, we just sung out, glorious things of thee are spoken. Zion, city of our God. Zion, Jerusalem. Psalm 87, the psalm of the sons of Korah, a song. on the holy mount stands the city he founded the lord loves the gates of zion more than all the dwelling places of jacob glorious things of you are spoken o city of god among those who know me i mention now think of who he mentions rahab and babylon and behold philistia and tyer and cush this one was born there they say and of zion it shall be said this one and that one were born in her for the most high himself will establish her the lord records as he registers the people this one was born there singers and dancers alike say all my springs are in you all of these new births are happening in the earth in zion well wait a minute that's not in jerusalem i don't see it happening in jerusalem what is he saying zion's the city above whenever a new birth happens guess who that includes rahab the harlot philistia these are gentile pagans they are born in zion it's jerusalem the heavenly Jerusalem these are Gentile nations so wherever they're born they come out of Zion Gentiles and Jews now Hosea said they were scattered to the ends of the earth and there they would be restored whoever called on the name of the Lord let me summarize again there will be a time when I'm done with the nation of Israel says the Lord i'm done i am done dealing on them with a national blood level it's over they will cease to be my people dealt with that way low army not my people however there will be a day after i scatter them in judgment that they will say and they will come and call together in the nations upon the lord and i will again so and they will be under one head together jesus so this is beautiful and hasn't all that been validated put the story together and i i know i've done this twice in the sermons today but see the bible again shrink the ultimate fulfillment of this happened when jesus comes he comes to the nation of israel and what happens to the nation of israel oh Jerusalem. How I long to gather you together as a hen gathers her chicks. You were not willing. He starts weeping over Jerusalem. The one who kills the prophets and stones the ones who are sent to her. Jesus laments the whole history of Israel's rebellion. He says, I wanted to gather you. You were not willing. And so guess what? Parable time. The kingdom is taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. It's done taking it from you. Jesus dies on the cross. Cursed the fig tree, by the way, which represented national Israel, dies on the cross. The temple veil is split in two from top to bottom. And the glory departs from the temple. That was the Ezekiel scene. And a few years later, the whole structure gets toppled down. I mean, there wasn't one stone left there upon another. Do you see that Jerusalem temple today? Why? God's not localized in a little place. And what happened at Pentecost? All these nations are coming. Jews and Gentiles are coming. And the Jews are struggling with this, who are believing in the Messiah, and they say to Peter, you went to Cornelius' house and a Gentile, and you baptized him? Explain yourself, Peter. And Peter begins to explain it. God gave the same gift as he gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. Who was I to withstand God? When the Jews heard these things, they became silent and they glorified God saying, then God has granted to the Gentiles repentance to life. God's included them in the plan. We accept it. And, you know, that was hard for the Jews. You know, even today the Christian church doesn't accept that. They say, well, you know, the Jews rejected their Messiah and so Jesus just decided to go with plan B and get the Gentiles. No, no, that was not how it worked. God always planned to get the Gentiles because when He made the promise to Abraham, He said, in you all the Gentiles of the earth will be blessed. So here we are, and Peter would even take the language of the Old Testament and speak to you that way. You ever thought that the very language of Peter in 1 Peter 2 is the very language of the Old Testament in speaking of Israel? Listen to this. They, speaking of Israel, stumble being disobedient to the word to which they were also appointed, but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into this marvelous light, who were once not a people, Loami, but now are the people of God, who had not obtained mercy. This is all out of Hosea. But have now obtained mercy. Has God's word failed to Israel? You see what Paul's doing? You're it. You're it. Has God cast off His people whom He foreknew? He planned to save you at this time years ago when that promise was made daybreak. And that's why to a Gentile church, Paul says in the church to Galatia, you are the Israel of God. In Ephesians 2, he speaks to Gentiles and he says, You being without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now, day of sowing, in Jesus Christ, you who were once afar off, have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made both one. Who's both? Jew and Gentile. He's made them one. He's broken down the separation to create in himself one new man from the two, wherever they call. That is the promise made to Abraham. And in fact, it's going to be fascinating next week when we come to Shem, Ham, and Japheth. It's fascinating that Japheth would be brought into the tents of Shem. It's all prophesying this. the coastline peoples, brought into the tents of Shem. That's Romans 11. So the glory of the new covenant is not that we're replacing Israel, but that God has included all tribes, tongues, peoples, and nations and brought them together, creating one new man, Jew and Gentile, to be the Israel of God because an Israelite has never been one who is merely external by blood, but is one who is given the new birth, who is circumcised in the heart. That's a true Jew anyway. And so that's the beauty of what's being said to us tonight. He's called us together. And Paul, as he goes on, cites Isaiah, you know, in verse 27 of Romans 9, though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved. There's always been a remnant. For the Lord will carry out His sentence upon the earth fully and without delay. If you want to see this on a physical Israel level, things are happening over there. It's not that it's just completely dead over there. I posted online last week, David Zadok, who I went to school with here, he has a church in the heart of Israel. And I'm overwhelmed by what God is doing with David. You know, it's called Grace and Truth Church in the heart of national Israel, Reformed Church sitting there that they had to appeal to the Supreme Court in Israel and they won. And now it's opened the door for the gospel to get in. And God, you stand back and you say, well, has God cast off his people? No, the remnant's coming. Look at him. And so what a beautiful thing tonight, you know, when you go back and you read these judgment sections in the Old Testament, Jeremiah has a bunch of them, you'll come to statements like this. For thus says the Lord God, sing with gladness for Jacob and shout among the chief of the nations. Proclaim, give praise and say, O Lord, save your people, the remnant of Israel. Behold, I will bring them from the north country and gather them from the ends of the earth. And when Jesus gave his great commission, that's exactly what he was talking about. What a beautiful thing. Who is the remnant? Those who see their sin. Those who bow the knee before this Jesus, the name given by which men may be saved and confess that He is Lord. Because you see, that tonight, as we see that witnessed as we have today, as we praise the Lord for His working in our lives, we should be so thankful that the Lord has not failed on any of His promises. because you see unless paul concludes this section the lord of sabaoth the lord of hosts had left us a remnant guess what we would have all been made like sodom and we would have all become like gomorrah and we're going to come to that in genesis that would have been terrible but it's not true for us whosoever calls on the name of the lord will be saved and so the question then centers tonight as we close on what is your relationship to this jesus do you know this jesus have you been born again in zion have you been given life coming to him turning from yourself repenting of your sins looking to him for life he announces something to you tonight. You who are not my people, you are my people. You who didn't have mercy, you have mercy. So why don't you praise me who has called you out of darkness into this marvelous light so that you might take on the designation as the Israel of God. Let's pray together oh lord our god what a powerful section of scripture to encourage us that your promises are being fulfilled to the ends of the earth and that you always plan to gather together jews and gentiles together and make them one tearing down walls there's now neither jew nor greek those distinctions are over we are all one in christ and what a privilege it is to be called your people we praise you tonight for saving us and redeeming us and showing us mercy send us out oh lord into another week and would we be conscious every waking moment of who we are and the wonderful things that you have done for us in jesus name we pray amen