City Life Church San Diego
Welcome to the City Life Church Podcast, where faith meets action in the heart of Mt. Hope. We are a diverse family of God, united by Jesus, led by Scripture, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are committed to caring for both the spiritual and tangible needs of the lost and hurting. Through inspiring messages and practical lessons, we seek to equip and encourage you to live out God’s calling in everyday life. Join us as we grow in faith, serve our community, and share the hope of the Gospel with the world.
City Life Church San Diego
Romans 9:1-24 What I Would Give To Save You
The paradox of God's fairness is explored through Romans 9, examining how divine justice and mercy work together in perfect harmony rather than opposition.
• Paul expresses profound grief for his Jewish brothers and sisters who have rejected Christ
• Being ethnically Jewish (or born into a Christian family) doesn't automatically make someone spiritually connected to God
• The story of God hardening Pharaoh's heart demonstrates how God uses human resistance within His sovereign plan
• The prodigal son parable reveals God as the "prodigal father" showing extravagant, almost excessive love
• God's children are those who humbly accept His mercy, not those who earn it through hard work
• God allows His children to follow their own way while waiting patiently for their return
• The potter has rights over the clay, but God desires mercy more than judgment
• Heaven has room for everyone who would choose to follow Him
If you're ready to come home to God today, please tell someone—get prayer, speak to a pastor. The Bible says there's a party among the angels when someone is saved; we want to get that party started early.
So glad to be with you guys this morning. I think it's a beautiful morning because, like, we got that heat for just a second and I'm glad it's back to cold because I, like, I'm a sweaty guy, so we're going to be in Romans 9. I'm going to jump right into our text this morning, if you would be alright with that, but before I read, I just want to let you know you can do this, okay. No, you can do this okay. So the text you have before you, sometimes these kind of texts, they're a little longer today and you can feel intimidated by them. Now let me just say this If me, as your pastor, if you come to a text and you say I don't know what it says, and then every time I preach you say, oh, I'm so glad you preached because I would have never been able to get anything from it myself, then I'm not doing my job.
Speaker 1:My job is to help you understand what it's saying and learn how to find it. We do that especially at city groups, because we want to equip you, because, you know, I don't know how long I'm going to be around. I could be gone tomorrow. Not like I want to hit you guys, but you know like life is short and you might have to move and you need to be able to look at the Bible yourself and see what is it saying, because there are people out there that want to manipulate the Bible, to manipulate people, and we want to equip you so that that can't happen, heaven. So we always try to break down the text. This is a bigger one, but you can do this, and if you feel intimidated by the text today, just know there will be a day when you'll be able to get this on your own, without me. It's always good to have people because they help you with your blind spots, but it's still good to know how to get there. So who is there in Romans 9? Can you show me If anyone has a physical Bible, because I just love seeing them, they just make me so happy, so beautiful, and they smell good too. Alright, romans 9. Ready, this is the Apostle Paul.
Speaker 1:I speak the truth in Christ. I am not lying. My conscience testifies to me throughout the Holy Spirit, through the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart, for I wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the benefit of my brothers and sisters, my own flesh and blood. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple service and the promises. The ancestors are theirs, and from them, by physical descent, came the Christ, who is God over all, praised forever Amen.
Speaker 1:Now, it is not as though the word of God has failed, because not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Neither is it the case that all of Abraham's children are his descendants. On the contrary, your offspring will be traced through Isaac, that is, it is not the children by physical descent who are God's children, but the children of the promise are considered to be the offspring, for this is the statement of the promise. At this time, I will come and Sarah will have a son, and not only that, but Rebecca conceived children through one man, our father, isaac, for through her sons had not many been born yet or done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose, according to election, might stand Not from works, but from the one who calls. She was told, the older was served, the younger, as it is written, I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau.
Speaker 1:Now, I just got to tell you, if you're new to the Bible. There's like 10 stories he just said, and you're not going to get those because you don't know the stories yet. This is why we try to have us all read straight through the Bible as much as possible, like we want you to read these stories so that when the Bible references the Bible, like we know what the heck is going on. But if you're new, it's okay, just know you'll get this, and we know there's lots of people in the room who are new to this, so it's okay. There's lots of stories referenced here. We're gonna reference a couple of them, but we'll continue to learn these stories as we go along being church.
Speaker 1:Now, paul has established something here. God made a way for his Jewish brothers. Even the Messiah Jesus, came out of this family of God. But being born as an ethnic Jew was not the same thing as being an actual Jew is what Paul is saying. And while God had a heart for the Jewish people, he knew some would not give their lives to him. It's the same thing with our children, right, like for those of us in the room who have kids.
Speaker 1:You are not a Christian because you were born in the United States. Did you know that? You are not a Christian because you were born into a Christian family. You're just not Like. That's not how it works. We pray that one day our kids will bow their knee to Jesus, but it has to be completely independently of us. We can train them up and then one day they have to decide. That's the worst feeling in the world and I hate it so much, but until then we have to pray fervently for these kids. In the same way, god's kids have the same thing on them, right? God's kids? He still can't force them to love him.
Speaker 1:So, continuing chapter 9, verse 14 of Romans, what should we say then? Is there injustice with God? Absolutely not, for he tells Moses another person you can learn about soon, I will show mercy. To whom I will show mercy and I will have compassion. On whom I will have compassion? So then, it does not depend on human will or effort, but on God who shows mercy? For the scripture tells Pharaoh I raised you up for this reason, so I may display my power in you and my name may be proclaimed in the whole earth.
Speaker 1:Now there is this story in the book of Exodus where God is telling the Pharaoh of Egypt to set his people free, and there is a part of this text where God actually hardens Pharaoh's heart. Now, for me, that gets me so mad, because I'm this independent. Like, don't tell me what to do, how's God going to? But you have to look at the entirety of the text once again. Pharaoh's heart is hardened many times before God does that. Pharaoh's heart is hardened after God hardens his heart. So you have to be aware that God uses the hardened heart of Pharaoh to accomplish what he wants to accomplish. But the things that we wanted to see would never have been possible without the hard heart of Pharaoh. So before we get all mad at God hardening his heart, though, we have to understand he hardened an already hardened heart. Who was against God so now verse 17,. I promise you we're getting there or who was against God? So now verse 17, I promise you we're getting there.
Speaker 1:For the scripture tells Pharaoh I raise you up for this reason, so I may display my power in you, so that my name may be proclaimed in the whole earth. So then he has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. You will say, therefore, why does he still find fault? Who resists his will? You will say to me. Therefore, why does he still find? Oh, I just read the same line on the contrary. Who are you, a human being, to talk back to god? Well, what is formed? Say the one who formed it. Why did you make me like this? Or has the potter no right over the clay to make from the same lump one piece of pottery for honor and another for dishonor? And what if god wanted to display his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much patience objects of wrath prepared for destruction? And what if he did this to make known the riches of his glory on objects of mercy that he prepared beforehand for glory, and on us, the ones he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles.
Speaker 1:So, guys, heavy text, we're going to work through it together. Let's pray. Father, your love for us is astounding. We're so grateful for you, god. We stumble through life with addiction, with abuse, with grief, and there in the midst we see you all, perfect, looking good, and it reminds us how far we are from you just on our own strength and our own power, how far we are from perfection. So how did you decide to make room for us? We've been kicked out of clubs, out of houses, out of apartments, out of classrooms. But you have room for us. It just feels impossible, but we thank you that you're willing to save the most impossible of us in the room. Thank you for having relentless love for us. Lord, we know that if this world falls apart, tomorrow we will have you, and today. I think that is enough to keep us going. Please teach us this morning. May the words of our mouth and the thoughts of our hearts be pleasing to you. We pray this all in Jesus' name, and all God's people said amen.
Speaker 1:Today I'm going to give you two rough questions and two answers about the fairness of God. And my first question is this how can God be fair when his children are cut off from the family? How can God be fair when his children are cut off from the family? How can God be fair when his children are cut off from the family? And the answer is God allows his children to follow their own way, but he waits on the stoop every day for his children to come home Every day. So the text was saying I speak the truth in Christ.
Speaker 1:I'm not lying. My conscience testifies this is verse one I'm sorry Testifies to me, through the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart, for I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the benefit of my brothers and sisters, my own flesh and blood. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants and the giving of the law, the temple service and the promises. See, paul is saying here these people are your people, and so much has come through these people Historically. You have to understand, though, why is Paul saying I'm not lying, I swear, I swear I'm not lying. Well, it's because he's an apostle, the sent one, and he's sent to non-Jews, like God has sent him to some people called the Gentiles. So why is he preaching to the non-Jews, like God has sent him to some people called the Gentiles? So why is he preaching to the non-Jews? Well, it's mostly because God called him away from his own people and sent him to the far reaches of Europe and Asia.
Speaker 1:You know, it's really funny Sometimes, like God sends you to the people who are opposite of you. I don't know why, and it's really funny. I guess I get an idea why Because, like I'll be in a church, I'll be in an old how do I say it in a nice way an old, rich white people church and they do these things. That would drive me crazy when I was like first working in churches. And you know, selfishness, focus on money and greed. And then I'll come to this neighborhood and I'll try to like start greed. And then I'll come to this neighborhood and I'll try to like start a church. And then I get people like oh man, I'm so sick of the black church. It's all about selfishness, it's all about themselves, it's all about greed. And it's kind of funny to me because I'm like oh, that's the black church, like it sounds like it's the church, like it sounds like that we all fall into that. And it sounds like if we're not careful, that will be us in a few years, focused on ourselves, not focused on the people outside, and so we have to be careful. But in the same way it's funny that God would draw me to an area where it's a little different than me and that's where he decides to use me. And so I just find that funny.
Speaker 1:Paul is sent to people different from him and most every time he tries to share the gospel with his own people, they get ready to kill him. He wants to tell them about the goodness of Jesus and they try to kill him. So when he would share with the non-Jews, the Gentiles, guess what would happen? He made progress, and so some powerful Jewish people were mad at Paul we get it right. And the thing that was rough about it was they felt privileged, and when God opened up the floodgates of grace to everyone, they didn't like him. Like, no, no, no, no. That's my God, for me, nobody else, nobody else. And that's not a Jewish thing, right? That's a power and privilege thing. That's in all of us, isn't it? I want to hear an amen on that one. That's in all of us, right? Okay, thank you. I need to hear that Because we need to acknowledge that a lot of times, the bad guys in our Bibles will look a lot like us, but we're unwilling to see that.
Speaker 1:So some powerful Jewish people were mad at Paul, and it's like when you give a child a piece of cake, right, like here is your piece of cake, this is what you get, and then they're so happy they have their piece of cake, and then you slice a piece of cake for a sibling. All of a sudden they're mad, like I want more cake. Why do they get to have cake? Didn't they have that sugar cereal in the morning? Like it's that? Like, wait a minute, weren't you just happy for yourself? Why are you mad that somebody else is being blessed? Friends, do you ever find yourself mad that God is showing grace to someone else? Check yourself Like.
Speaker 1:God has grace enough for everyone. If he made room for you and your shenanigans, he has room for every murderer. He has room for every dealer, every gang member, from every set, from goody two-shoes to every teacher's pet, every Republican, every Democrat. God has more than enough room to forgive everyone who would choose to follow him. Jesus says in his Father's house are many rooms. It does not say in my Father's house are only the rooms for the people that I want. And I just want you to know that I'm cutting it off based on no, no, no, no. He's like many rooms. He makes room. You don't have to worry if there's enough room. Jehovah's witnesses actually believe heaven is limited. That is not in the Bible. That's not in the Bible. There are. There's more than enough space for everyone who would come to repentance. And if you can't handle them, making room at the table for sinners who repent. Guess what? It's time for you to repent. Okay, so continuing verse 5, chapter 9. The ancestors are theirs and from them, by physical descent, came the Christ who is God over all, praised forever. Amen. Now it's not as though the word of God has failed, because not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. So you've got to know church Paul.
Speaker 1:The author of a letter is the Jew's Jew. He has called himself that. He's trained under a famous rabbi that Pastor Markham, pronounced his name. Now, he probably knew most of the Old Testament Bible by heart. He actually knew the first five books of the Bible by heart. We know this. If you wanted to belong to that leadership group, you had to know the first five books of the Bible by heart.
Speaker 1:He was famously known as the defender of the Jewish faith. He was someone who stood up for the faith of our God Yahweh, and he would have told you he did it because he loved God and he was loyal to his Jewish roots, his Jewish family, and he was loyal to his Jewish faith, and so he was known as the man who killed and persecuted Christians. Now some of you have told me some of you have spent some time in jail, have said that he would have been described as a mer-o-mer. So as Christians were killed, paul sat by and encouraged it to happen. That was what he did until Paul met Jesus, the resurrected Jesus, and then he didn't know what to do. He loved his people.
Speaker 1:He loved those crazy non-Jewish pagan Romans now too, and at first he tried to speak to his Hebrews about Jesus and they weren't having it. They mostly just tried to kill him. They called him blasphemous. So what did he do? Now the Pauline pastor, dr Ramesh Katri. He says Paul's agony is all the greater because the Jews have received so much from God. They are like a child belonging to a rich family whose father gives him all the toys and facilities possible, yet the child turns around and says I hate you. So at some point he has to move on to anyone else who would listen right Like that just makes sense. These were the non-Jews. They were not his people, but now the formerly pagan Romans had more in common with Paul than his family.
Speaker 1:Is that crazy to you? I bet some of you are the same way. You are pursuing God and you're finding out that he's amazing. You're also trying to tell everyone around you how he saved you, but your family? They can't stand it. Some of you got families that are annoyed and even hate you for this.
Speaker 1:Like my family, there was no believers in my family. On my grandpa's deathbed he said please don't let my grandson come to see me because I know he's going to proselytize me. You know, I'm just that way. Sorry, I was like I would have said, hey, I'll just chill. No, no, he did not want that. And many of you are Catholic by birth and your family thinks you've rejected your family by walking with Jesus in a Christian church.
Speaker 1:Guess what Paul gets you? Paul gets you, and so do I. I was born into a Baha'i family and a family full of secular humanists, rationalists, agnostics and atheists. That was my family's religion Like, so much so that my grandfather wouldn't see me on his deathbed. So I get Paul, and so you have to listen to the grief in his voice here when he says for I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the benefit of my brothers and sisters, my own flesh and blood. Do you not feel the tears here? Do you not feel the pain, the suffering in his heart? It's a beautiful sentiment, isn't it? I would rather die than see the people I love go to hell. He's not talking about death, though. He's like I'd rather die the second death. He would rather go to hell if he could save his people from hell. Tell me that's not useful. Tell me that's not a heart to aspire to.
Speaker 1:Honestly, I've had similar feelings for my own family. I've prayed for them, I've talked to them, but most of them aren't interested. But if I truly believe Jesus is the only way to the Father, how could I be such an awful person as to hold it for myself? Shouldn't I want to share it with everyone? Like Jesus is not some jewel to be like hidden in the back or like in the basement, kept to ourselves collecting dust. He is a light to be shared with everyone. In a dark world, people who are stumbling around falling His kingdom is like a bank with endless seating. Shouldn't I want to share that with everyone?
Speaker 1:Now, for some of you in the room, you are the annoyed friend or family. Sorry, we invited you, but we love you. You are the annoyed family because we want to plead endlessly with you, because we care about you. It's not because we want to annoy you. It's because we love you and we love you enough that we are willing to be disliked by you If it might give you a chance to accept the gospel and be saved from the heat of hell fire.
Speaker 1:But some of you will say what my family said All roads lead to God. If that were true, why would Paul willingly, willingly surrender his life? Why would Paul willingly willingly surrender his life? Why would Paul willingly surrender his afterlife that some might be saved? If all roads led to God, that really easy one over there, that's one I'm going to die so that they can take the really hard one. That seems kind of weird. If all roads lead to God, then why does each road say the other one is completely false? That's what my struggle was as a Baha'i. There's no my truth, friends. There's no your truth, there's your perspective and my perspective, and perspective matters. We're not going to throw out people's perspective. We're not going to throw out their experiences, because they truly feel the way they feel and we should acknowledge how they feel, feel and how they've been hurt and how they've been abused and all the things they've gone through. There is still only one truth Truth is not subjective. Many will say they love Jesus, but they won't listen to his words when he says he is the only way to the Father.
Speaker 1:Throughout the Bible, jesus consistently speaks of how salvation is exclusive to him and him alone. Matthew 7 13. Jesus has entered through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road broad. That leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life. And if you find it see, what he's saying here is he's saying all those roads that lead to God. Most of them lead to destruction. There's only one. There's only one, and it's not the one that's downhill. Okay, calm down, but this is a hard saying. If you do not belong to Jesus, you're destined for hell. Man, I don't want to say that to anybody, but I have to. Now.
Speaker 1:Sometimes I think Christians almost look like they enjoy other people going to hell. That is not Christian behavior. That is arrogance and hatred and it has nothing to do with Jesus. We should also not be happy if the only one, if we're the only one in a crowd that is Christian. That's not a reason to be arrogant either. Like oh, look at me, I'm the one that hits it. Look at them. I shouldn't feel good when I'm in a crowd that's all walking towards a gas chamber and I'm the only one who's going to stop at the door. That should not be a good feeling. It should be a terrible feeling that tears our hearts asunder. Does that say asunder man? 18th century reading. All right, guys, it's just that sacrifice that would save you from the fires of hell. If it was just that sacrifice, I would do it. Just because God is a better, exclusive way doesn't mean that he's not pleading and begging you to avoid the way of destruction. And if you think that sounds dramatic, our hearts cannot match the severe, sincere desire of our God to save his children. God's children are those who are humble and accept his mercy.
Speaker 1:Jesus once told a story to his fellow Jews, particularly the super-religious, arrogant ones, the Jewish religious leaders and experts of the law. Now, some of you know this as the story of the prodigal son. Prodigal is a term meaning extravagant, extravagant almost to the point of wasteful. Okay, so Jesus told this story and I'm going to paraphrase. It's got a little bit of my language in it, but let's go.
Speaker 1:There was once a good dad with two sons. Okay, you with me. The wild youngest son said Dad, I wish you were dead. I wish you were dead so I could have my inheritance now. Why not just give me my half now? Let me be done with you. The dad was grieved. But the dad gave him his money and the son took off. And so the son basically went to their equivalent of like Broadway and Oklahoma bar and he spent the money on bars, on women's and drugs. I said women's. But there was a famine that came upon that land and the money ran out. And then his friends, they ran out too right.
Speaker 1:So one day the young Jewish man was feeding pigs, wishing he could eat the pig food, which is crazy because Jewish people don't go near pigs. He must have been desperate. A Jewish man was never supposed to be around a pig. So he came to himself and he said you know what my dad has food. I realize I don't deserve to be a son anymore, so maybe I can just go work for him Like as a regular worker, like, not as a son, just a worker. It sucks, but it's not starving to death. When I get back to the house I will say Dad, I'm sitting against heaven. You please allow me to be like one of your workers. I promise I'll work hard, can I work?
Speaker 1:So he started home with his dad's guys. Meanwhile, meanwhile, dad, he's sitting and he's standing there on the stoop day and night waiting. His friends and family are bringing him meals. Sometimes they would go give him advice, man, go inside, get yourself warm. Your son is a no good fool. Look at your older son. He does everything you ask. Forget the knucklehead, focus on your good son and just remember that other son's dead to you anyway. Don't worry about him.
Speaker 1:But still, dad stayed on the porch. There was dad with his hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun, and in one moment his heart it skipped a beat. Then what was it that he saw at the end of the horizon? It was a person dragging their feet slowly. They looked tired. Could that be his boy? I don't know. This person looked raggedy. He looked skinny. Maybe it was his son.
Speaker 1:And so Jesus says the old man girded his loins, meaning he tucked his robe and he took a belt around, and he tucked it so he could run and get support. I said something different in my city group and I'm not going to repeat it here. And he took off like a track star. Dad took off down the road. This was not the dignified lord of the house, was it? This was not the dignified man of the property. This was not the power of familiars. This was not the dignified old man. He didn't care.
Speaker 1:Once he caught up to his raggedy son, the son's speech began Dad, I know that I have sinned against heaven and you, but, son, I don't care. Stop, let me just stop you there. I don't care what, son, I don't care where you went anymore, I don't care what you did anymore. I care more that you came home, that you are here with me now. Dad had his servants put a new robe on his son. He put a ring on his finger as a sign that he had access to the family wealth again. He just put a gold card on his fingers. Then the father told his servants get out the good wine, go get the good meat we were saving, start frying that up, go get that man down the road. My son was lost, but now he is found, and so they celebrated and they feasted.
Speaker 1:Meanwhile, the good son was out in the field. The other older good son was out in the field working for his dad and he heard the clink of wine glasses. He could hear a kumbia meat down the road Sounds like my neighborhood. He could smell the meat cooking on the fire. He heard voices. He heard laughing. What was going on? So he started walking towards the house and he asked the servant outside what was up and the servant said hey, your younger brother, he's home. Your dad's throwing a party for him. What? No, no, no, that guy, that loser, that gangbanger, that addict. No, screw this, I'm not going in there so I can see them spoiling my selfish, idiot brother. He does not deserve any of this. No, no, I'm not going. I'm staying out here.
Speaker 1:When the dad heard about his older son's refusal to join them, he went outside and met with him. He could see that his son was steamed. You serious, pops Right now? Are you serious with this? That dude just stole your inheritance. He's going to try to take mine now. Ooh, maybe it was about that old. He used it on whores and fentanyl and you're going to let him back in here. Since when did you get out the carne asada from me and my friends? I mean, you didn't. You didn't even get us Taco Bell, but the father pleaded with him Son, you didn't even get us Taco Bell. But the father pleaded with him Son, everything I have is yours. But this brother of yours, he was lost and now he is found. How can we not celebrate he's home?
Speaker 1:You remember the name of the story Prodigal son. Remember what prodigal means? Extravagant, almost to the point of excess. Some call the living of the younger son as extravagant, thus prodigal son. But the father, the father, was the extravagant one here, wasn't he? He's the one who put on the party, he's the one who forgave much, but he was just as extravagant with his love for the older son too, wasn't he?
Speaker 1:That older brother was supposed to resemble the Jewish people in Jesus' story. God's extravagant love was on display for them, and the father too. He pleaded with his older son. Once again. This is not dignified behavior. Go outside and plead with your son. No, no, no, get out, go. You're not welcome here either. Then, but he went outside and pleaded with his son.
Speaker 1:Have you heard of a Middle Eastern father acting like this? It's a scandal Running like that out to meet his old wife, tucking his robe around his belt. Act, your age old man. You should have removed your belt, whipped him in front of the crowd. That's what you should have done.
Speaker 1:But no, our God is extravagant, forgiving the young, reckless son. He didn't deserve to be his son anymore. See, god's children are those who will humble themselves and accept his mercy. Belonging to Jesus is not about doing hard work, it's about receiving his hard work. But then his love was also extravagant in another way Loving and forgiving the older, selfish, unforgiving son. He's so selfish, he's so self-centered. Why are you trying to get him to join you in the party? He's just made his inheritance smaller. Why not just cut him out of the will altogether? But no, the father is extravagant in his love.
Speaker 1:Extravagant love, god's prodigal love for his children is the same love Paul is speaking about in this story. For the younger son and for the older son it almost feels irrational. Now you may tell me God is mean for cutting off his family, and I say he is allowed to let his family go, but he's still calling for his children to come home and he's pleading with them even now. He might use a weird, like goofy pastor to say that to you right now you may tell me God is mean for cutting off his family, but I say he is full of mercy and grace. What about everyone else? What about the arrogant? What about those who will not humble themselves to the side of the Lord, though God created them and now he's going to reject them? Well, that's our second question. How can God be fair when some of his beloved creation receives destruction? How can God be fair when some of his beloved creation receives destruction? How can God be fair when some of his beloved creation receives destruction? And I say we get what we choose, but God is rich in mercy and patiently shows love to children who could never earn his grace without help.
Speaker 1:Verse 14,. What should we say then? Is there injustice in God? Absolutely not, for, he tells Moses, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So then, does it depend on human will or effort, on who God shows mercy? Verse 17,. For the scripture tells Pharaoh I raised you up for this reason, so I may display my power in you and that my name may be proclaimed to the whole earth. So then, he has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
Speaker 1:Now, it's easy to point the finger at God here, totally easy. And we can say he's exclusive. We can call him arbitrary, we can call him unwelcoming, but we know that's not his nature. He is unwelcoming to sin and before you call him a jerk, he made the way for you to be forgiven. It's like this. It's like this, okay.
Speaker 1:So imagine you're showing up for a palace, showing up to a palace for a black tie gala Gala, a black tie ball. There we go, but you show up in shorts and sandals and there's that dude at the front. He's got the like marshes and hair and he's telling you I'm sorry, you can't come in, you can't. Oh wait, no, he's English, right? I'm sorry, sir, this is a formal event. You cannot enter wearing a hat. You're livid. I want to go to this event. You're going to let me in? Sorry, sir, the queen would love to have you, but that rules. How terrible. I just want to come in and dance.
Speaker 1:Let me into the ball in the palace for the queen. I want to meet foreign dignitaries. I want to eat filet mignon. Who does this queen think she is? Just then, the queen. She pops her head out of the palace door. Oh, so good to see you. I've just had a suit that is tailor-made just for you, perfect fit. The inside is lined with silk. It breathes like under armor. You'll love it. But then how do you respond? How dare you? Queen? If you are a good queen, you'll let me eat my steak and you'll let me mingle with celebrities in my sandals and my shorts. That's what you'll do, the queen. I am letting you in. You just have to obey the house rules. Let me clothe you in splendor. Let me honor you with new clothes. You are off. I would never come into this exclusive ball now. You are awful. I would never come into this exclusive ball now you are keeping me out. But really, everyone is invited. You know, have enough beautiful clothing for everyone. But you'd rather stay outside in the rain than deal with such a mean, terrible, awful, judgmental exclusive woman, wouldn't you? She's horrible, am I right?
Speaker 1:Church, okay, yes, god is all powerful, but he also allows his children to reject him, because a forced love is not love. Hell is a place where God ain't. That's all it is. You want to talk about hellfire? You want to talk about gnashing of teeth? You want to talk about darkness? You want to talk about pain and torture? That is absence of God. Now, if those physical things are happening there, I promise you, the absence of God is worse, guys. But if we desire it and we just want to do us, he is good enough to let us leave the safety and love of him and stay outside in the dark with the gnashing of teeth. But don't be confused. God wants us to choose life. He's made a way for us to choose life. He's still waiting on the stoop for you.
Speaker 1:God is exclusive and inclusive at the same time. He demands perfection, and then he provides perfection. In 1st Timothy, 2, 1 through 4, we are urged to pray for everyone, and then he says this is good and it pleases God, our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. See, belonging to Jesus is not about doing the hard work. It's about receiving the hard work of Jesus on our behalf.
Speaker 1:But let's keep looking at the text in verse 20. Paul says cool, you want to talk back at God a little bit, as the youth might say, clap back, I don't know, let's see how it goes for us, okay. On the contrary, verse 20, who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Well, what does form say to the one who formed it? Why did you make me like this. Or has the potter no right over the clay to make the same lump into one piece of pottery for honor and another for dishonor? And what if God wanted to display his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much patience objects of wrath prepared for destruction? And what if he did this to make known the riches of his glory and objects of mercy that he prepared before him for glory On us, the ones he also called, not only from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles?
Speaker 1:See, what I love about this text is that Paul is saying the creator has the right to create objects for destruction. But listen carefully, he's saying he has the right. God can do whatever he wants. Right, he has the right. But then here's the question what does he want? What does he want for me and you? That is the ultimate question, not what does he have the right to do, but what does he want? The God who can do anything he wants. He makes the ultimate sacrifice of his son. But check this the son, who is God, can also do what he wants, and he sacrifices himself for you. The Spirit, who is also God, who can do anything he wants. He chooses to be with us, his adopted children. Even when we're watching reruns of Full House for like seven hours, he's willing to be there with us. You don't think he's got something better to do. And then it says in our text God endured with much patience objects of wrath. So yes, he still endures patience for us.
Speaker 1:God has the right to treat us like trash. If you are a potter and you make a lump of clay into a trash can, is that not your right? It's your clay. You purchase a new car. You want to put a whole bunch of manure in the back. Man, it's your car. It's stupid, but it's your car. You can do that.
Speaker 1:God has a right to send us all to hell, but what did he do? He loved us and he made a way for us all so we could say yes to him and find forgiveness and grace. See, god's children are those who are humble and accept his mercy. Belonging to Jesus is not about doing hard work. It's receiving the hard work Jesus did on our behalf. So, 2 Peter 3.9. The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. John 3.16. For God so loved who the world. In this way he gave his only son that everyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Speaker 1:Congolese pastor, dr David Kasali. He once spoke to the church in Africa and this is what he said. He said believers all over the world are among the objects of God's mercy. We are his people, his children, from all the tribes and nations of Africa. God has called us to be a special people belonging to him. God has called us not because of who we are, but because who he is. I don't think that applies to the rest of us. It does.
Speaker 1:Guys, this is the beauty of the gospel. You can't earn it and it is exclusive, and he's willing to dress you in perfect white clothing. To all those annoyed friends and family members in the room listening today, we tell you this gospel not to judge you, because we too were once enemies of God. We tell you this gospel because we want to plead with you, because we know this is the truth, not because God is just and full of wrath, even though he is. We tell you because God absolutely loves you and he made a way for you to have life and freedom from sin and death. We have to say yes to Jesus, city, life, church and friends.
Speaker 1:Tomorrow is not promised, but today your Father in Heaven is waiting on the stoop for you. It might be you are ready to come home for the first time, or maybe you finally have returned the prodigal sons and daughters coming home to their prodigal pop. Maybe this is you today. It's time, quit waiting. But he's there waiting for you. He's squinting his eyes. He's searching the roads, scanning the horizon. The angels are like pop, sit down, but he refuses. Not until my kids come home. Friends, come home.
Speaker 1:Tell Jesus, yes, I've sinned against you, man. I've ruined a lot of things. I don't deserve to be your child anymore. But if you would forgive me, I will freely receive your grace and commit my life to you. And if that is you, please tell someone, get prayer in the back, come, tell me, and I'd love to pray with you. We'd love to welcome you home as the family, as the party of God. The Bible says that when you come to God, when you are saved, there is a party amongst the angels. We just want to get that party started early. Friends. God's children are those who are humble and accept his mercy.
Speaker 1:Belonging to Jesus is not about doing the hard work.
Speaker 1:It's receiving the hard work of Jesus on our behalf, and we give our lives to Jesus to thank him. After that, you can do this. Let's pray, father. We don't deserve this. We don't deserve you waiting for us. We don't deserve you making a way for us. We don't deserve you making a way for us. We don't deserve this kind of extravagant love. And yet we stand before you, recognizing that it is your desire to make us right in your eyes. It is your desire to have a relationship with us. It is your desire that we would know your voice, as children know the voice of their dad.
Speaker 1:Thank you, and Father, we do have sins and in this moment we will come to you and we will tell you about the times that we have sinned Silently. We will confess our sins to you, knowing you are good to forgive us. Father, I thank you for those who have come home in their confessions today, those who have recommitted themselves to you, as the prodigal son did, those who have committed to you for the first time. God, I pray that you would help them to take just the next step, whatever that may be, in following you. God, we thank you that as far as the east is from the west, so our sin is from your side. We thank you that when you look upon us, you see the righteousness of your son, jesus, by no good work but ours. We are so thankful for you. We are so blessed by you. We ask that you would help us to live in a new way by the power of your Holy Spirit. Lord, we love you. We pray this all in Jesus' name, amen.