I like us this morning to begin in the reading of Scripture, so stand with me and read with me Romans 9:6-13 and we will all read these verses together. Alright, Romans 9:6-13, let us read these audibly together.

Romans 9:6-13

[6]Not as though the Word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: [7] Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. [8] That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. [9] For this is the word of promise. At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. [10] And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; [11] For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth; [12] It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. [13] As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

Thank you, please be seated.

This is a wonderful text of the Bible and I am excited to be able to share God's truth with you. It is my passion to be able to communicate to you the Word of God, the sincere milk of the Word, the pure, unadulterated Word of God.

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I believe, that as God's people think on Scripture, meditate on Scripture and humble themselves before The Spirit, God will build up our spiritual lives and we will be drawn nearer to Him and we will be more like Him and so, there is the need for us to be girded, grounded and founded on doctrine.

Here is a passage that gives us tremendous doctrine and I want to encourage you this morning to think along with me because this is not fast food, this is really strong meat, requires thinking. So, along the way, if you find your neighbor falling asleep, give him a good nudge and say, "Think, don't sleep!" alright, don't miss out on the Word of God today for your life.

This is a passage about the Jews, and the Jews, the nation of Israel, are a chosen people, they are a special people. God has chosen people of Israel to belong to Him. They are unique, they are special, God has chosen them for blessings and God has also chosen them in order to be a blessing to all the world. In Romans 9:4-5, Paul elucidates for us the many blessings the nation of Israel possesses.

They have the Word of God, they have the sacrificial systems, they have the priesthood, they have all those wonderful traditions and they are a special people chosen by God, unique to Him. However, ironically the nation of Israel, by and large, have also rejected God's Son and therefore they have been cut off from the blessings of salvation that can only be found in Jesus Christ. So, they are a chosen people, but they have rejected God's Son and have been cut off from the real blessings that is found only in Jesus Christ and that is what grieves the heart of apostle Paul.

Paul said he wished he could do this, to exchange his salvation for the salvation of his brothers, of his kinsmen, of the people of Israel. He was broken and burdened for them and that is one of the reasons why he gave or wrote the Epistle to the Romans, so that he could communicate to them and share with them and preach to them that they need to believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. They need to receive Him for salvation and life. But the Jews would not. By and large as a nation, they would not believe or receive Jesus Christ. You say "Why?" because the Jews say that "Abraham is our father, we are God’s chosen people, we are descendants of Abraham and because God made a covenant with Abraham, our father, and because we are his descendants, we are fine, we are secure, we are happy, we are alright, we do not need Jesus, we are Abraham's children".

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So, they sit in their false security. In fact, they go as far as to turn the tables back onto Paul. They say "Paul, I do not believe, we do not believe that your Gospel is from God. Why, because if the Gospel that says we need to believe in Jesus to be saved is true, then what you're saying is that God will be unfaithful to His covenant with Israel."

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You say, “How does it work?” Well, it looks like this: ‘Paul, did God make a covenant with Abraham?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Are we descendants of Abraham?’ ‘In a sense, yes.’ ‘So, you see, if God has made a covenant with Abraham and we be Abraham's children, that means we are fine and if you say that we need the Gospel to be saved and most of us don't believe the Gospel, does it mean then that God will go back on His promise, on His covenant made with Abraham for our people?’ ‘Paul, I suspect that your Gospel is not real, in fact, what you are preaching is blasphemous. It's saying that God will be unfaithful, God will go back on His Word, God is a God of no integrity, you are blaspheming God!’

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Wah! I don't think Singaporeans think like that, I don't think Chinese think like that; the Jews think like that, [they are] unique people, don't do business with Jews, you will loose out, they are that smart! But when I spoke to one of our brothers here who is a Jew, he said, actually, it's nothing surprising, this is one of the first questions they will ask. ‘If you say I need to believe in Jesus and if I don't, does it mean then that God will void His covenant with Abraham? Paul, your Gospel cannot be true because you are blaspheming God.’

Well, this is a powerful argument and I think, this is an FAQ that Paul would receive, ‘frequently asked question’. So, how will Paul respond, what is his answer? Well, maybe some of you are lost, and I want to show you in diagrammatic form what this dialogue between Paul and the Jews must have been like. As Paul preached in the synagogues, as he went around preaching the Gospel, this might be a common scenario (and thankfully for people in our church who are good at graphics, they helped me with it), it looks something like this.

The Jews say, "We are all saved" Why, because Abraham is our father.  But Paul would affirmatively say, "You are not all saved". The Jews would reply, "But we are God's chosen people". Paul would say "You, however, rejected the Son of God".

The Jews retort "But must we receive Jesus Christ?" Paul says "Yes, you must receive Jesus Christ.  There is no salvation anywhere else apart from Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life." The Jews will now say "But we have largely as a nation rejected Christ, are you saying now, that we have no salvation?" Paul says "Yes". "Then, doesn't that mean that God will have to break His covenant with us?"

Wah, this is powerful stuff from the Jews! And what is Paul's answer? Paul s answer is this, "No, you need to believe in Jesus to be saved and God's covenant with Abraham is still, and will never be broken." That's what he says, in Romans 9:6 which we have just read.

It is not as though the Word of God has taken none effect. It's saying that the Word of God has not failed. God's covenant with Israel is still valid, but you need to believe in Jesus Christ.

This is getting complicated. ‘How does it work, Paul? How can you say that?’ The answer lies in the second half of Romans 9:6.

Rom 9:6 “For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel.”

So Paul is saying, when God made a covenant with Abraham, that covenant is with regards to the spiritual seed, the spiritual Israel that follows the faith of Abraham and not the physical nation itself.

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Suppose today all of you stay in Singapore. Are you all Singaporeans? No, not all who stay in Singapore are Singaporeans, not all who are physical, racial Israel, is the true spiritual Israel. Therefore, God can be faithful to His covenant and still, it is only in Jesus that anyone is to be saved.

So let me try to explain it more clearly for you, if I may. This is the key verse for our thinking today: Not all, they are not all Israel, which are of Israel. Not everyone living in Singapore is a Singaporean, not everyone who is a racial Jew, is a spiritual Jew.

I was inspired by a ramen tamago, an egg, and so let me try to explain to you with regards or with reference to a kind of an egg. My egg looks like this, I drew this.  It is reminiscent of the ramen egg and this little diagram explains to you what it means: ‘They are not all Israel which are of Israel’. Follow me closely.

There is this physical Israel, the Jews.  You ask anyone, “Are you a Jew?” he says, "Yes, I am a Jew, I am from Israel, I am of this race, I'm of this religion, I am a Jew, I am a physical Israel”. At least during Paul's time, it is easily identified. But there is a group of people within physical Israel that is different. They will be what we will call ‘the true spiritual Israel’. So, Paul says, they are not all Israel, in other words they are not all spiritual Israel which are of physical Israel. There is a spiritual Israel within physical Israel and not all physical Israel is spiritual Israel. Do you get that? Very simple, Paul is saying, ‘The term I am referring to, the real Israel, is the spiritual people whom God has saved, who believe in Jesus Christ, not the entire nation.

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Now, let me test you whether you understand, alright? Now spiritual Israel versus physical Israel, let's look at spiritual Israel, what are their characteristics?

With regards to receiving, believing in Jesus Christ, do they believe, do they receive Jesus Christ? It's for you to answer, do they receive, do they believe Jesus? You sure? Alright, you are right. Spiritual Israel are the people who believe and receive Jesus Christ.

What about the Abrahamic covenant? Are they referred to in the Abrahamic covenant? Yes or no? Sure? Alright, you are right also, they are those whom God included, when He made that covenant with Abraham. Two ticks for you.

Now, let's look up to physical Israel, physical Israel. What is their relationship with regards to Jesus Christ, do they believe in Jesus Christ? Are you sure? Yes, you are right, they don't believe in Jesus Christ.

But what about the next one, are they included in the Abrahamic covenant? In the first service, the most resounding answer was yes, but being loud doesn't mean it is right. (Laughter in the congregation). Physical Israel are not included in the Abrahamic covenant because if it is, then, there will be a dilemma. They don't believe in Jesus, but they are to be blessed, there is a problem. So, Paul is saying, no, they don't receive Jesus and actually they are the ones who are not included in the Abrahamic covenant in the first place. ‘Not all Israel, which are of Israel’. God's covenant is only with spiritual Israel, God's blessings are only for those who believe in Jesus Christ.

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So, let me work it backwards, I erase everything, I test you again.

Spiritual Israel, do they believe in Jesus? Yes. Are they therefore part of the Abrahamic covenant? Yes.

What about physical Israel? Do they believe in Jesus? No, they reject Christ. So, are they part of the Abrahamic covenant in the first place? No, that's right and that's why Paul says, they are not all- I add in the word- ‘spiritual’ Israel, which are of physical Israel. Not everyone in Singapore is a Singaporean, not everyone who is a Jew, is a real Jew on the inside. This is nothing new, this is not new theology, it has been the way, for a long, long while already.

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Notice, in 1Kings, Paul made mention of the event at 1Kings in Romans 11. Romans 11 is two chapters after Romans 9, and Paul says, "I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal."

Rom 11:4 I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.

So, Paul is saying, out of the millions of Israelites, most have worshiped a false idol, but 7000 have not. What is Paul saying here? If I come back to my ramen tamago, he is saying that the entire nation of Israel during Elijah's time consists of a physical Israel and then there is a real, true blue spiritual Israel. How many of them are here? 7000. So, again, they are not all Israel which are of Israel.

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The Jews have this excuse: Abraham is our father, if I may use Hokkien, "Wah eh lao pe si Abraham", I use that so that you wake up a bit alright, ‘Abraham is our father, so, surely I must be included in the covenant, surely I cannot be lost, surely I must be saved, why, because Abraham is my father, because I am a physical descendant of Abraham.”

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Jesus, however said, ‘It's not your physical lineage that's important.’ He said, in verse 39, "If you were really Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham." So guys, it is not your physical lineage that's important, it's your heart, it's your life and he defined for us, in verse 42, "If God were your father, you would love Me."

The true Israel is not those who have the blood, the genetics of an Israelite, of Jacob. A true Israelite, a true Jew, is someone who would believe and love Jesus and it is with this group that God covenanted with, when He made a covenant with Abraham in Genesis chapter 15.

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God did not change His plans by the way.  It has always been like this. It's just that the Jews have misunderstood the intention and the will of God and Paul is saying, ‘Don’t sit in your false security. Abraham being your physical father means nothing with regards to salvation. Only those who believe and love Jesus will be saved and with those, only, is the Abrahamic covenant, relevant and applicable’.

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You see, this is nothing new, as I have said, in Romans chapter 2, if you backtrack several weeks, or several months ago, Paul has already said this very clearly. There is something called an ‘outward Jew’ and there is something called an ‘inward Jew’, don't confuse the two! An ‘outward Jew’ is someone who is circumcised, someone who is under or in the line of Abraham, but that is not what God is looking for. As a nation, they are blessed to possess the Word of God, to have all the ceremonies and all the priesthood and sacrifices, they are blessed as a nation, but individually, with regards to salvation, you have got to be an ‘inward Jew’, an inward circumcision of the heart. See, Paul is re-emphasizing to us, they are not all Israel, which are of Israel, there is something called the ‘inward’ and the ‘outward Jew’, a true Jew and a physical Jew, spiritual versus physical.

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You see, that’s the whole confusion the Israelites have, and may I start to apply this for us. That's what organized religion brings: confusion. Throw your mind back to some 1700 years ago, to ancient Rome. (The slides are).. not very clear, because it is very dark. In ancient Rome, (a bit chim), a man named Constantine decided that an entire empire, the entire nation, the entire empire of Rome, will be a Christian nation. So, he began, he wanted to Christianize the whole nation. So, people there will say, “We are all Christians, we are all Christians”, but if Paul were to live today, what would he say? If you cannot see anything, you can see this big, big ‘NO’.

You don't make a person Christian simply by Christianizing your nation. You are an outward Christian but not one in the inside, not a true believer, ‘they are not all Israel which are of Israel’.

Let me bring this nearer to our times. The United States is a great country and it was once, once, called a Christian nation. Am I right? I can't quite say that now, but certainly, it was a once great nation, maybe they would say, “We are a Christian nation.” But even at the prime of their spiritual height, this statement, ‘We are a Christian nation’, stands to be challenged. If Paul were to come, he would say, “No. You don't make an entire nation Christians, just by calling yourself a Christian nation.”

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Let me bring this closer to home. Many of you come as families. My family comes to church. Well, maybe we are a bit late for church, but I do come to church, I do sing a few songs, I do hear the preaching and by the way, I pay my dues, because, the preaching is so boring, I am still sitting through God, my parents are Christians and I’m coming to church, doesn't that mean something? Doesn’t it mean that when I come to church, I am a Christian? My parents are Christians, doesn’t that mean that I am a Christian? Paul says to you, “No, no!”

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Let me put this into perspective: This is you, this is all of us and when we gather in church, there is sometimes that thinking we are all saved. If Paul is to come, I think, he will probably say ‘No. Don't stand on the assumption that just by coming to church and attending services, you are saved.’ I realize something very real in GLCC, we are 24, 25 years old, if you don't already realize, and God has given us a wonderful first generation of believers. But there is a danger that comes when there is a second generation that comes up. The children of those who have believed in Jesus Christ, they have always been coming to church, they have joined Sunday school services, reluctantly, but they still joined, they have sat through the lessons and they thought to themselves, "Well, my parents are Christians, I have been attending Sunday school, I am still coming to church, although I am totally not interested in the Bible, I am not interested in the spiritual things, don't talk to me about it because I'm already saved."

There is a great fear I have for our second generation of people growing up in this church, great fear. If you are honest with yourselves, you have got to get out of that false security, simply because my family comes to church, you have got to get out of that false security that because I am part of the congregation here, I am a believer. Not necessarily true. He that has the Son has life and he that has not the son of God, has not life. It doesn't matter whether you are circumcised, it doesn't matter whether your name is on some register or whether you are part of this or part of that, the issue is, "Do you have Jesus, do you have a personal relationship with Christ?"

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You see, the visible church is not always the true and invisible church, that's what Paul is saying. It is why it is relevant for us, ‘they are not all Israel which are of Israel’, that's what he means. Now, this is the verse that really launches us into Romans 9, 10, 11, this is the key verse- you miss this, you miss the rest of the three chapters. You’ve got to get this right and in order to get this right, Paul is going to help us, he's a great teacher and teachers must teach with examples and that's what Paul is going to do.

In order to consolidate this theology, this understanding, Paul is going to give us two examples, from two men. Now, if you are a Jew, who would you want to hear about? If you talk about this man and if this man does this, case closed, no argument, because he is the venerated one. Who would it be? Abraham.  And so let's begin with example 1 Paul gave in Romans chapter 9:7-10. His name is Abraham and so you say, ‘What's up with Abraham?’ So, this is a masterstroke, by the way, by Paul. He goes to where they are.  Alright, your pride is in Abraham, let's go to Abraham, I will tackle you on your home ground, and see how he tackles the issue.

He starts with Abraham, and you know about the story of Abraham. Abraham has been promised by God that in his seed shall all nations be blessed. But Abraham and his wife Sarah suffers from sub-fertility, not so easy to conceive, couldn't have a child for a long time. So, he starts to think, ‘Will the promise of God be realized?’ I mean, Sarah is not getting younger, I am getting older, will we even have a child, so they decided to take things into their own hands. What did they do? One day, Sarah decided, ‘Okay lah, suah lah, I think I am hopeless buay sai leow, cannot. In order for you to have a child, Abraham, take, take her, take Hagar and let her bear you a son’. And that's what they did. Abraham took - what's her name?- Hagar, an Egyptian handmaid, went in unto her and she was successfully impregnated and she gave birth to a son called Ishmael. And, so this is what Abraham did, Ishmael, and Ishmael grew from a baby, to a young little toddler, to a teenager. Now at about 13 years old, and Abraham was fully convinced Ishmael will be the one from whom all nations will be blessed.

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That's why he says in Genesis 17:18, “O that Ishmael might live before thee!”

He is convinced, this is it. I mean, it is so hard for him to have a son and thankfully, Hagar could bear me a son. So God, is this the one? God, this is must be the one. But one day, God came with a surprise for Abraham. The Bible tells us in Genesis 17:19 God said, “Not Hagar, but Sarah, thy wife shall there be a son.”

Wow, this one is a ‘supersurprise’, it's a shocker to Abraham. Why? Because Abraham (sic) at this point is no spring chicken. He is a 99-year-old man and his wife is 90 years old and they have already sold all their baby goods. They have sold their stroller, their diapers, breast pump, all gave away already. I mean, confirm no more child lah, 13 years, cannot make it means cannot make it, ‘factory already close’, Sarah says. She is already postmenopausal, the room they have is already converted into a study room, no space already.

But God came one day and said, "Sarah, your wife will have a son and not only that and you shall call his name Isaac” Wah, strange, haven't even born and you give a name, yes, “You will call his name Isaac and I will establish My covenant with him”. Not Ishmael huh, and also not with them, just one, Isaac.

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What is the point? You see, God is saying, “Look at your father Abraham. You say you're proud that you are Abraham's descendants. Let me tell you something: not all Abraham's descendants are part of the covenant.”  Just look at Abraham. He has two sons, in fact he has eight children, alright. There are another six more that is born by Keturah, after Sarah died, but, because there is no space (on this slide) so never put lah. (Laughter in the congregation). But in any case, Romans 9, tells us, for all intents and purposes, it is Hagar and Sarah that give rise to Ishmael and Isaac and God only chooses Isaac.

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‘Not all Israel is Israel’. Look at your father Abraham. He says in verse 7, “In Isaac shall thy seed be called”.  ‘In Isaac only’, only in Isaac, not in Ishmael, neither both of them, just one. In verse 8, there is something called the children of the flesh and children of the promise. Those who are the children of the flesh, the efforts of men, the scheming of man, will not be part of that salvation. Only those who are the children of promise are part of God's salvation.  This is a sobering thought, sobering, and we will come to the application later. But it is very clear to me, ‘not all Israel’, they are not all spiritual Israel which are of physical Israel. Example number one: Abraham.  That should settle the problem.

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But you know the Jews are very intelligent people. They say, ‘No lah, Paul, your argument cannot hold water. Let me tell you why, because, when Abraham had Ishmael, the mother is an Egyptian, she is a Gentile, she's not a Jew, not valid, Paul!’

So Paul says, ‘Never mind, I give you example number two’. And, example number two is from who? Isaac. So, let's come to Isaac. What is unique about Isaac is that he also suffers from sub-fertility. Likewise, he prays to God and God will now give him children. But Isaac had only one, one what, one wife and so, through Rebekah. Now, this time the Jews cannot complain already. Same wife, same woman, same womb, and both came out about the same time, right? The first twin that came out is? Esau.  The second one is Jacob. Now, is the covenant with both the children? You see, this is the point that Paul is making. In Romans 9:12-13, Paul says, ‘It was said unto her, “The elder shall serve the younger.”’  This is weird, because in usual history, culture of those days, the firstborn has the first rights, or the birthrights, double portion of respect, blessings, inheritance, but here God is saying the younger one shall rule, the elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.”

Rom 9:12-13 It was said unto her, “The elder shall serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.”

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The point, I think we need to make here is this: God has chosen only one, out of the two. ‘Not all Israel is Israel’, I come back to the same point. I hope you know by now what this all means. God chose Abraham. From Abraham, he has eight children. For all intents and purposes, looking at Ishmael and Isaac, he chose only one, not all eight. And from Isaac he chose Jacob, not Esau. He is using these two examples, tetrarchical history, people and ancestors the Jews knew very well, to support this point that he is making: ‘they are not all Israel which are of Israel’.

So, that's the whole gist of it all. You say, ‘Pastor, why you keep telling us about Jews? I am not a Jew. Does it interest me, does it concern me?’ Well, I think so.

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Let's come to some closing applications as we understand.  This is the way God works, that's how He saves, closing applications for you and for me.

1. Salvation is a personal matter

Being in a Christian nation doesn't make you saved. Being in a Christian church doesn't make you saved. Being in a Christian home doesn't make you saved. Not all Israel is Israel. Salvation is a personal matter. He that hath the Son has life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. Salvation is personal. Salvation is not found in your race, it is found in grace. God doesn't have grandchildren, He has children and everyone has to have a direct personal relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. He tells me that Jesus died for my sins, not just a load of sin or a concept of sin. He did die for my sins, He died for the sins of those who believe in Him. He died for me, personally. This is my Savior, my personal Savior. Salvation is personal, you can't look to your parents, you can't look to your friends and say, ‘you are a Christian, you are a Christian, I am in the midst of Christians, so it makes me a Christian’. No! It's personal.

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Let me try to make this interactive for you. There is a verse in the Bible that seems to teach contrary to that. Turn with me to Acts 16, I did not put this up, I want you to look in your Scripture and find your answers there. In Acts 16:31, there is a very interesting statement made by the apostles. This is the story of how Paul preached to the Philippian jailer and gave him this promise, Acts 16:31, this is what it records.

Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Wow! Is Paul saying that if one person gets saved in the Lim family, then the whole household will be saved? But this is apparently what Acts 16:31 teach. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

Eh! But I thought, salvation is personal, just being part of the Israelite family doesn't mean I am saved. So, how do you reconcile this? I give you some time, can anyone tell me?

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Sorry? Alright, verse 32 says,

Acts 16:32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

So, he preached to them and so, verse 34, Carol, and verse 34 says

Acts 16:34   And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.

There is no contradiction. You being saved doesn't mean your family get saved. Well, you can be the channel of blessing, to give them the Word of life, but they will only be saved, if, as in verse 34, they believe in God, the Gospel that God presents. No contradiction. You see, salvation is a personal matter. I want to ask you today: do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Please, please don't come to church week after week after week after week and sit in false security, it does you no good. One day, we'll stand before the Lord and the only way we can stand, the only way we can be justified is, if we have been a believer of Jesus Christ, a personal relationship with Him, nothing else.  Salvation is personal. But number two, this is potentially explosive. Why? Because I am going to say salvation is pre-ordained.

2. Salvation is preordained

We don't like that, we like to be the ones in control. We like to be the one to determine whether I am saved or not, but let me tell you, the Bible tells me, salvation is preordained.

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Isaac was destined, was pre-ordained, to be the child of promise even before he was conceived. Even before there was anything remotely called Isaac, God has already said, "Isaac, he will be the one." He was chosen to be saved before he was born. Jacob, Esau, same, alright, they were already conceived, but God said, “It is the younger one that I have chosen”.

Salvation is pre-ordained. Romans 8:29 tells us that it is God, who according to his foreknowledge, fore-ordination, predestined us, and then called us, and then justified us, and then will glorify us. (Rom 8:29     For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.)

It is all the work of God, from the beginning to the end, salvation is of the Lord. And the argument is persuasive in Romans 9.

Rom 9:12-13 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

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So God has determined, it will be Jacob and the Esau. You say, why? Why would you hate Esau, why would you love Jacob, why not both? God has chosen. Then you say, ‘Why did God chose Jacob? Ah, I know, Jacob is very cute, he's a cute-looking boy. Oh, no, no, no, Jacob is a strong man. Oh, no, no, Jacob is a gentle man. Oh, no, Jacob is a man who is predisposed to hearing the Word, or Jacob is a man who is predisposed to believing, or Jacob has a tender heart’, and we give all kinds of reasons, or ‘Jacob is a man of great potential for God’. As if, preempting this would be the argument, Paul says in verse 11,

Rom 9:11 For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election (might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth)

It's not that God saw through the tunnel of time, and say, “Oh, this guy is good, I will choose him”. As if God is reactive, He is no more sovereign, He can't determine, you got to determine for Him. That is not the God of Scripture. Before Isaac was born, before Isaac was even in the mind of any man, God said ,“It would be Isaac, it would be Jacob.” Not yet born, nor having done any good or evil.

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Why choose Jacob? You know, this is the grace of God, this is the sovereign grace of God. Frankly, there is nothing in Jacob that deserves God to save, there is nothing in Jacob that deserves the love of God, absolutely nothing.  Just like there is nothing in me, inherent in me, that necessitates the saving grace of Jesus Christ, none.

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Jacob is loved not because of who he is, but because of who God is. All the reason is not found in that man, all the reason is found in the God who saves.

Why God saves me today is not because of who I am, or who I will become, but because of who He is, you see. People often have a problem with this verse. “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated”. They say, I can't understand this verse, I can't understand how Esau would be hated.

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Let me tell you, the real problem is: I can't understand how God can say, “Jacob have I loved” because Jacob is not lovely. Well, this is the sovereign grace of God. Before time, before the foundation of the world, He has chosen us. He has chosen Isaac out of his grace, unmerited favor, unconditional love, therefore, an everlasting love, for Isaac, for Jacob, for Jason, for you and for me who believe in Jesus Christ.

And you know, because it is the sovereign work of God, it is not done by man.  Man could not save himself, it is the work of the Holy Spirit.  A tremendous verse I see in Galatians 4(Gal 4:29), he says here,

“But as then he that was born after the flesh..” this refers to Ishmael, go check in your context, it refers to Ishmael, who is born of the flesh, who is born by Hagar, Paul says, Ishmael, was born after the flesh. “…persecuted him,” that is Isaac,  “that was born after the Spirit.”

(Gal 4:29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.)

Isaac is a child of promise, he is the result of the working of the Holy Spirit and Isaac's salvation is a picture for you and for me, even so it is now. Your salvation is the work of the promise of God, your salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit, is the work of God. “Except ye be born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God” and you are born again not by what you do but by the sovereign blowing and moving of the wind of the Spirit in John chapter 3. It's consistent in Scripture. Salvation is the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit and of God.

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Look at these verses, Rom 9:23, we will look at it in the weeks to come.

Rom 9:23That he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

Your lives are prepared by God to be receptacles of mercy.  He has destined you to be one.  And as you hold and as you embrace the mercy of God, you make known the riches of His glory and He prepared you afore time.

Ephesians 1 tells us “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,

(Eph 1:4-5 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love; having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,)

Paul says of himself in Gal 1:15 that “It is God who separated me from my mother's womb”. He set me apart for His ministry, for His service, for His purpose, from my mother's womb.

(Gal 1:15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace)

Oh yes, Saul was an enemy to the church, Saul was a persecutor of the Christians, but there came a time where God, who has set him apart, now calls him.

But that salvation was not only planned on the road to Damascus, it was way before, it was way before. Salvation is preordained of the Lord.

Now, let me put this into balance. Pastor, are you then saying that we should be fatalistic therefore? And since salvation is preordained, does it not mean that we do not need to preach the Gospel and we do not need to encourage and exhort and plead and reason with people for them to place their faith in Jesus Christ? I say absolutely no! Look at the ministry of Paul.  He believes in the sovereignty of God, he believes in the saving grace of God, but, he was a man who devoted himself to the preaching of the Gospel, because God ordains, that it’s through the preaching of the Gospel that man would be saved. So, it is absolutely true that man is chosen by God to salvation, but man is to believe in Jesus. If you today do not believe in Jesus Christ, you will be damned because you are yet in your sins. And we are judged in hell because we refuse to believe in Jesus Christ. God is sovereign, man is to make the choice of faith in Jesus Christ.

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You see, what this does is that it does not give us, it should not give us a sense of complacency but what the sovereign grace of God does, is that it knocks off all reasons for pride. There is no reason any Christians could say, “I am saved because I am potentially better than you”, or “Because I was a man who could have more faith than you.” No, it is the sovereign work of God! You are a child of promise! God determined it and God performs it.

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And it fills our hearts today with appreciation of His grace and His mercy. When there was nothing good in me, He chose to give me His Son and to save me. My salvation is personal, my salvation is preordained. Now, let me go to the third practical application. In the life of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, salvation is purposeful.

3. Salvation is purposeful

It is purposeful. Don't you think sometimes we think of it, oh, who gets saved is all by chance, random, it is as if God is playing ‘eeny, meeny, miney mo, catch your spider.. ‘and He chooses randomly who He wants to save. No, I say no! It is purposeful. And He also doesn't choose based on our purposes. It's according to His purpose. What is His purpose? You see, Romans 9 tells us, “ that the purpose of God according to election might stand”,

So there is a sovereign purpose of God that is running through the course of human history in who He saves. There is a purpose of God that will stand and must stand because He is sovereign and He is God. He determines it, it will be done, there is a purpose. Let me tell you from Scripture what the purpose is. In Romans 9:23, we have already looked at this verse, I want to emphasize on this part. The purpose is so that you being a vessel of mercy will be a trophy that will bring about glory to His Name.

Rom 9:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

If I may say this, your salvation is to the glory of God and if this is not clear enough, look at the threefold emphasis in Ephesians 1:6,12,14

Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Let me tell you something, you are saved for a higher purpose, for the purpose of the glory of God. ‘Oh yes, God’s salvation blesses me with joy, with peace, with wonderful assurance, with hope, with life change’. All that is true, but friends, think biblically, think theocentrically, think God. What is His view? What does He say in the Scripture? it is primarily not about man, it is primarily about Him, for His glory. And you say, ‘How does it work? How does my life, getting saved, bring Him glory?’

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I bring you back to a tremendous passage we looked at in Romans 8, great verse. Paul says, “For whom He did foreknow.” Again we know this is the word ‘foreordination’, not just to see ahead, but to determine ahead. Then there is the word ‘predestinate’, proorizo. In other words, this is the limit, this is the mark, this is the destination you will be, and God is saying, “I have already set before time, this would be your final destination”, conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus. Most of us stop there. “Hah! I know why God saves me, so that I can be like Jesus!” I said amen to that, but there is more and what is more? That, this is the reason, this is the ultimate: that He, that is  Jesus, might be the firstborn among many brethren, firstborn in terms of the glory, respect, honor that is due.

(Rom 8:28-29 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.)

You see, if I may summarize in simple words, God's purpose for salvation is that there will be a whole redeemed race of humanity that will be like Jesus, who would then be able to properly give glory and honor to Jesus Christ, because fallen man, sinful man, those of Ishmael's line could not do so. It's only that line of the child of promise that would be like Jesus and then, Jesus receives the greater glory.  And when Jesus receives the greater glory, the Father is glorified. My friends, salvation is greater than just your life. Yes, God blesses you tremendously, in ways far beyond our imagination, but there is a higher goal, theocentrically-oriented goal, that Jesus would be the firstborn, the preeminent One, properly worshipped by a race of redeemed humanity, who understands grace, who have been saved from the clutches of sins, and in order that the Father will be glorified.

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So, there is a purpose as to why Isaac is chosen, Jacob his chosen, you and I are chosen, if we believe in Jesus. But let me end with a last observation, salvation is perpetual.

4. Salvation is perpetual

Salvation is perpetual, because it is the work of God from the beginning to the end, He cannot fail, He cannot fail. I say this in

Romans 9:6 Not as though the Word of God hath taken none effect.

You know something? When God made a covenant with true Israel, spiritual Israel, it always stands. Do you know why Paul gave Romans 9, 10, 11? Preachers, pastors often skip, 9, 10, 11, too chim, too technical, too theoretical, let's get to the practical part, let’s skip from 8, go straight to 12, because that's where the excitement is. But friends, you’ll miss out on what the Holy Spirit intends to teach us. Paul wrote this, but it is the Holy Spirit who inspired him to do so.  It is the will and mind of God to tell us, 9, 10, 11 theology-why?

Because, Romans 8:28 ends with this: "we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.”

All things synergize for our good. The question is, are you sure? The Jews would say, “Are you sure? Look at how God broke His covenant with Israel if your Gospel is true!” And Paul would not allow that to shake the foundations of any believer and so, he goes to lengths to prove it to you. My friends, this passage is giving you grounding, foundation, it's the solid ground on which you can stand and say "Yes, God’s salvation is secure, I have a rock solid foundation for my life today. I am once saved, always saved and all things will work together for my good unto His glory. Rejoice today in who God is. My friends, God is amazing, perfect, perfect in all His ways, sovereign, unstoppable, irresistible.  This is the sovereign God we worship, at the same time, a God of immense mercy and grace and love, who will save those who believe in His Son. You can walk out of this place with joy in your hearts because God has given you the reason why. Romans 8:28 is true, because this is the kind of God we worship, not a capricious, not a fickle, not a changing, not an unfaithful God but a God of His Word, a God of sovereignty, a God of grace. Church, I want to encourage you today, to search your own lives.  Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus? He that hath the Son has life and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. Believe on Jesus and be ye saved. Let's bow for a word of prayer.

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Heavenly Father, thank You that You have chosen to reveal Yourself in the Word, because our human minds would never be able to comprehend, nor appreciate who You really are and what You have really done until You have chosen to reveal Yourself to us in this wonderful way. I thank You as I look into the pages of Scripture, I see who You are: God of amazing faithfulness, never change, and even when we have been unfaithful, you remain faithful. Thank You that you love us with an everlasting love, because it is not a love that is based on who we could be or who we are, but because You are love. It's a strong love, it's a sovereign love, and we thank You for loving us, gracing us, preparing us to be the vessels of mercy. Would we ask You, dear Lord today, to enable us to be those vessels of mercy that will live for Your glory. We pray too today, that You will so work in our hearts that we will seek to know You more, to honor You more, to love You more because You first loved us. Father, once again I want to pray for my friends who are here.  Maybe they have been in church for a long while, been attending services, but they cannot honestly say they have a personal relationship with Jesus, they have yet to turn from their sin, turn from their sinful ways and trust in the finished work of Jesus Your Son. By Your Holy Spirit, dear God, would You so work in their hearts that they may believe in Jesus Christ. Thank You, You are the God of our salvation, thank You for who You are.  Thank You, we ask and pray all this in Jesus name, amen. God bless.