Hey man, how you doing crossing church?
It is so good to see you. You.
Guys are already amped up. I don't even have to ask you
twice. That's awesome.
And I mean, how can you not be after you watch 44?
That's just incredible, you know?
And you know what we call that at the crossing we call.
That last weekend. I mean, that's what God does.
I mean. He is just working.
He's moving. He's, he's changing hearts and
lives. And you know the thing about
that? Is that you know that that's not
just. Affecting them that that's
affecting a whole generation of people, That's.
Affecting families and extended families and that, that.
Decision that's made is just having this repercussion.
You know, we we often think about like the sins in our lives
are like when we throw a rock in the.
Water and you see these ripples. Going out.
And that affects other people, but so do these wonderful
blessings that happened to us that we allow.
God to work in us. They also go out like that and
they. Affect so many people in such a
positive. And I'll tell you something else
that's great is. I get to preach Romans 9 today,
and you know, some people might not think that's great because
Romans 9 takes us into some really deep water.
Into some into some deep understanding of God of his.
Word of the understanding of God and and so I really want you to
to dive. In deep with me, OK, I'm going
to. I'll be tied to my notes a lot
because. Because.
Romans 9 is heady stuff. It's deep.
Strong stuff, but it will enrich you in your faith and in your
understanding of God. I want to welcome all of our.
Campuses joining from all over the region, if you're.
Inside and online, we're thankful for you.
As well and excited to be able to share this.
With you. So when we get to Romans 9, Paul
he dives deeper into. Understanding God, then many of
us may even want to go. I mean, we might like that more
superficial. Understanding of God, but we're
going to go down deep and the things he's teaching us goes to
like. Deep questions in our hearts,
like why bad? Things happen to people and why
do they? Why do innocent people suffer?
What choices or control do I actually?
Have in my life. I expect those are.
Questions that all of you at one time or another.
Have asked internally, maybe even to other people, and
answers have been hard to come by for the Apostle Paul.
That that internal question was breaking his.
And when we start in Romans 9, we'll see that.
So look. At verse one with me I speak the
truth in Christ. I am not lying.
My conscience confirms it. Through the Holy Spirit I have
great sorrow. And unceasing anguish in my
heart for I. Wish that I myself listen to how
powerful this is. I wish.
That I myself were cursed. And cut off from Christ for the
sake. Of my people, those of my own
race, the people of Israel, theirs is the adoption.
To son sonship. There's the divine glory, the
covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the
promises. There's are the patriarchs.
And from them is trace the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is
God over all, forever praised. Amen.
What the anguish is in Paul's heart is why could these people
of his not see who Jesus for he for who he really was?
Why was there there this barrier to keep?
Them from accepting the truth of Jesus.
Being the Son of God and the Savior of the world, why would
they? Listen to him and that.
Really wasn't just a question for his race, they were internal
questions. He.
Had in his heart about himself, because.
When we go back to his conversion in the book of Acts.
You could ask the same questions.
Why couldn't Paul see the Jesus Who really?
Was until he was blinded on this road to Damascus.
Why had he missed what seems so obvious?
Now, maybe some of you've asked yourself that question.
Why did it take? Me so long to be able to.
Figure this out. Or to to be able to just
surrender to it and trust Jesus? I mean, why did I?
Why did I miss so much in the past where I tried to?
Live life on my own terms and not just accept it back then, he
goes on to give. Illustrations in Romans 9 from
the Old Testament about God's promises and He He says that
God's. Promises came through Isaac, but
not Ishmael. They came through Jacob.
But not esaw. And the question that rises out
of that is why is it that seems that God would?
Choose some people and leave. Others out in the cold, How
could Paul make? Sense of this.
How can we make sense of this? Why did we get to be?
Born in a country with so much opportunity and so many people
are born in parts of the world where there is.
So little opportunity. Why is life so?
How could a good God have? Anything to do with that?
Don't you think that? Question is being asked all over
the world today. Those are some.
Seriously deep questions and Bible scholars have been
debating those. Questions for years, and it
really boils down to two schools of theological thought, the
first one being that God. Determines everything in
advance, so there really. Are no choices.
And in in whatever you're doing, you're just.
Playing out with God predetermined or there's a
belief. That God does not predetermine
things and we are subject to all the choices.
That we make and people have attached labels to those schools
of. Thought those opposing positions
and some of the labels you may have heard before would be like.
Calvinism and Armenianism. Those were named after two
different. Theologians Armenius and Calvin.
John Calvin, But actually, that debate predates.
Them by 1400 years so even though they.
Kind of got the names of those that really, it really wasn't
just. Them so let's this is going to.
Get dealt with in Romans 9. So let's dive down into it.
Look at verses 14. To 18.
What then, shall we say is? God unjust not at all for he.
Says to Moses, I'll have mercy on whom I have mercy, I'll have
compassion on whom I have compassion.
It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort.
But on God's mercy for this. For and and so let's go on.
It says for Scripture says to Pharaoh, I raised you up for
this very. Purpose that I might display my
power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the
earth therefore God has. Mercy on whom he wants to have
mercy and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
Now that sounds a lot to me like God has predetermined
everything. I read that in Romans 9.
I kind of hold that up and I'm like and it sure sounds like
that's what Paul thought because if you go.
To the next 5 verses 19 to 24. Well, just let's just read it.
Together, one of you will say to me.
Well then, God, why does God? Still, blame us for who is able
to resist his. Will I'm only doing what God
predetermined for me to do, That's what he's saying.
But who are? You, a human being to talk back
to God, shall what is formed say to the One who.
Formed it. Why did you make me like this?
Does not the Potter have the right?
To make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special
purposes. And some for common use.
What if God although choosing to show his?
Wrath, to make his power known, bore with great patience the
objects of his wrath prepared for destruction.
What if he did this to make the riches?
Of His glory known to the objects of His mercy, whom He
prepared in advance for glory. Even us, whom he also called,
not only from the Jews, but also.
From the Gentiles? What does that mean?
Does that mean that we really don't have any choices and we're
just? Playing out what God has
predetermined for us to do. Now I want you to remember some
rules that we established. At the beginning of Romans.
And one of those big rules was this.
Context is king, and it really is so.
What is the context of this discussion?
Well, it's Paul. Answering his own question, What
is what? Why has God?
Been in this relationship with the Jewish.
People and they don't seem to understand or accept who Jesus
is. And his anguish in his heart.
So it's. Really answering Paul's
question, not yours. Why do?
Jewish people not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
What is he saying in that those scriptures I just read?
First, he's making it clear that God is God.
And we're not, And I don't think any of us would argue with that.
Even if we think we could do things better than God, which
oftentimes we do, we're like, well, if I were.
God, we don't say it that way. But you know, when we ask why,
that's kind of what we're implying.
Second, Paul doesn't actually say that God was.
Predetermining heaven or hell for people before.
They were born or that they had no control over their actions if
you read it. Again, you'll see that he's
forming them as questions. He's saying, what if God had
prepared objects for wrath or destruction?
And what if God had prepared objects of love for his glory?
He doesn't say that he did. He says.
Well, what if he did, and he's what he's?
Doing is He's reestablishing the fact that God has an
indisputable right to make choices.
No one else has that right. He can do whatever he.
What do we learn from that point that Paul's making?
Only that, God. Is the only one who has an
indisputable right. To make those choices because.
He and he alone is the sovereign of the universe.
But where does that leave us? Are we just puppets on a string
that God has created to amuse himself?
Is God so cruel as to predetermined people to be
homicidal? Child molesters, abusers and
every other vile. Can I believe that some are
shaped by God? For that very thing.
And then when we're left with this idea that God is who he is.
And maybe we just can't understand the infinite mind of
God. Maybe we just have to just.
Punt and say I just. I don't get it, but I'm just
going to believe in God, even though I I don't get it.
So there's some problems with this idea.
Well, there. Certainly is to me in our desire
to understand the greatness of God through his.
The fact that he controls everything.
What have we done to the goodness of God?
When I was a little child, our family started out in the
Methodist Church and when I was a little child, we were taught
to pray before we ate our meals. And we didn't have to come up
with our own prayers. We were taught a prayer to pray.
And the prayer that I learned to pray.
When I was just a little little boy was this God is great.
God is good. And we thank him for our food.
By his hand we must be fed. Give us, Lord.
Our Daily Bread. Amen.
How many of you remember that or heard that?
Yeah, a lot of you. Yeah.
Okay. Well, let me tell.
You in that little tiny prayer, there is incredibly powerful
theology, because what it's doing is it's.
Showing you the duality of the nature of God, God is.
Two things. He's not only one.
He's two things. What are those two things?
He is great and he is good. Defining the quality of his
nature. His power over.
Everything and yet. He is an incredibly good God.
And if God is good, how could he?
Predetermine these obviously horrible things that people do.
Because when you go down that road, it seems to me like it's
more God's fault and not my fault.
And that's really what Paul points.
Out in Romans 9. Why?
Why would we resist His will if
this is what God is? How he's made us.
Also I have. This big problem with the idea
of loving God if I if I. Fall into this camp of
predestination because love is always a choice.
Like I can't be made to love anyone and no one else can be
made to love me. Like I don't have any choice.
It's always a choice. Love is always, always, always a
choice that. We make and we're told to love
God in. Return that he loved us first.
And that we should love him in return.
So is Paul. Saying that God preprogrammed
certain people to love. Him and others not to love him?
And how is that even love at all so?
I have some big issues with that first reality or that first
theology. Now we've already covered this
idea of faith and belief and that being that's what God
requires to receive. This incredible gift of grace,
right? You remember that way?
And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as
righteousness he believed. Him or He had faith in him, and
it was credited as. Righteousness.
The question is, was that faith or belief a choice That.
Abraham made, or was it predetermined by him by God for
him? Did Abraham have any part to
play in that? Now let's kind of move to this
other side, this other. Now if I choose to believe in
free will or in my own ability to make choices, it.
Solves some of these problems like it helps.
Me to understand that God didn't make these vile people vile.
It was their own choices or my own choices.
That made them or me, who I am or who they are.
So the fault. Is theirs and mine.
It's not God's, so that solves that.
It also solves the love issue because I can choose to love God
or As. Paul says to put my faith or my
belief in him, but if I go down that road, this Free will Rd.,
what does that? Do to my understanding of God's
greatness and his sovereignty and his absolute rule, what do I
do with? Ideas like foreknowledge that
God would actually know things before they would happen.
So you can see, can't you, why this has been debated for 1900
years? Because it's.
Deep and it's hard and it's difficult, but it.
Isn't just some theological thing out there.
It goes right into your heart and your life, right?
Because you're like, why do these?
Bad things happen. Why did this?
Happen to me how? How's their?
Fairness in this and yeah, well to.
Understand this better. We need to go back to the
beginning. And when I say the beginning,
I'm talking about creation because it's in creation.
That you begin to understand the nature of who you are and how
you were made. So I want us to look at.
Genesis 126 to 28 OK, so this is.
God creating human beings. In verse 26 it says Then God
said let us make mankind in our image.
Well, that's powerful. Like a reflection of God in our
likeness, so that they may say that word rule.
Now that's a sovereignty word. That's a control word.
And you all know that they may rule over the fish of the sea,
the birds of the sky, over the livestock.
And all the wild animals and over all the creatures.
That move along the ground, so God created.
Mankind in his own image, in the image of God He created them.
Male and female He created them and God bless them and said to
them, be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and
subdue it. What's the next word rule over
the? Fish of the sea and the birds in
the sky. And over every living creature
that moves on the ground. Now this scripture not only
tells us that we. Were made in God's image, but
that we also have God's attributes because.
We're the children of God, and it uses a specific word to tell
us. That and that is the word rule,
and in two contexts it said twice.
In those verses. And it means that we were
created for it, that he created us to rule.
And he then commanded us to do it.
He commanded us to rule those passages.
Inform you who you truly are, and here's what it.
Boils down to you don't have control over everything, but you
do have control over some things.
In other words, God. And only God has an indisputable
right to make choices. He's the sovereign, but if he
chooses to. He can share that rule.
He can. Share that sovereignty, and part
of us being made in His image was him sharing that.
With us and giving us a measure of control.
Not all control, but just a. Measure of it now, at the time
in the garden. All of those things were in
perfect alignment to what God was doing.
In other words, God's will and God's choices.
And whatever human beings were doing at that time, they were
They were in total harmony, in perfect sync with one another.
So our. Choices in the context of God's
sovereignty was the same. And then sin came into the
world. Now Paul talked about that in
the last half of Romans chapter 5.
And that is when our choices and it was a.
Choice that was made whether or not to eat of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil. That is when our choices went
out of sync with. God's sovereignty and God's
choices We were. Out of alignment with God.
Now we have a language for that at the.
Crossing and We've been using this language for a number of
years. And I learned it from a great
friend of mine, Randy Frazee. He's been up on this stage and
he's preached before up here. And he was the one that pinned
this language and I thought it was brilliant and we adopted.
So I'm giving him the credit for it, but we call it the upper
story and the lower story, right, you'll hear us talk
about. Living, trying to live in the
upper story and living. Down in this lower story.
Let me explain to you what that means.
I'll define it. God's upper story has.
Never and will never change. It's as unchangeable as God
himself is. It's full of love.
And order and purpose and meaning.
And there is nothing in the upper story that will.
Harm us, says so in. Jeremiah 2911 This is what it
says, for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.
Plans to prosper you? And not to harm you plans to
give you hope and a future there is, absolutely.
Nothing in the upper story that. Any of us ever can change, not
by choice and not by action, when God said he was going to
send his son into the world to solve the problem.
Of sin there was absolutely. Nothing or no one on this earth
that could change that. Even in the smallest amount,
when Jesus said that, he was. Going to return and take his
people. Home with him and that date is
somewhere out there on the calendar.
Could be today we. Don't know there is, absolutely.
Nothing in the universe that can.
Stop it from happening because God asserts his sovereign.
Control over that and there's so many other choices.
That God has already made part of the upper story.
That none of us can do anything about, nor should we, because
it's all good. Nothing in God's upper story is
changeable. But then there is our lower
stories. What a mess our lower stories,
these are where our choices. Come in and also all sorts of
difficulties. And challenges and chaos and
pain all connected to it. And our choices can hurt us.
And they can hurt others. But it will not change God's
upper story plan. And so we live.
In this tension between the upper story and the lower story,
and when we come to believe in Jesus, what we try to do is.
Make choices that are in alignment to God's upper story,
not our lower story. We want to become more like him
and less like ourselves. We want to live in a way that he
wants us to live, and not the way that we might choose to live
ourselves what we're. Trying to do is make decisions
and choices that reflect. What it was like in the garden
before sin came into the world. That's what we're.
Trying to do and of course we fail.
All the time at that in Galatians 5 when we read about
the fruits of the spirit, love, joy, peace, patience.
Kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control,
all of those flow. Out of an alignment with the
upper story. In Paul's case, Israel's
unwillingness to believe in Jesus, their lower stories
their. Choices in the lower story.
Brought about an opportunity for the rest of the world to believe
in Jesus. Gentiles, most of us, you and
me, see God's. Plan God's upper story Was that
the gospel. Of Jesus Christ was not going to
just be for some people. It was going to be for
everybody, whether or not some people chose not to believe it.
Or even nations chose not to believe it was immaterial
because because. God's upper story plan was never
going to change. It was always part of God's.
Plan Look at verse 25 and 26 in Romans 9 as he.
Says in Hosea. I will call them my people who
are not my people. I will call.
Her My beloved one who was not my beloved one, and in the very
place where it was. Said to them, you are not my
people. There they will be called.
Children of the living God? Yeah.
Are you seeing that even before? Jesus came into the world.
God is. Declaring his upper story plan
that it wasn't just going to be for one people, but it was going
to be for all people. And nothing can change that.
Now you can take a breath, because that's an awful lot to
digest. I told you we were going to.
Be in the deep water that we were going to be.
Cutting red meat in this one, right?
And so, yeah, that's a lot. But I want you to.
I want to leave you with an illustration that'll help you to
understand this better. Back in verse 17, the Apostle
Paul. Used the example of Pharaoh in
Egypt and most of you have. Seen the Prince of Egypt, you
know, or you've seen the 10 Commandments, or you've read it.
So, so you know this story about the Israelites sold into
slavery? In Egypt for over 400 years and
then Moses rises up God. Brings Moses up burning Bush all
that. Then Moses goes to Pharaoh and
he says. Let my people go, God's will.
Was that the nation of Israel would be delivered.
Out of the hands of slavery and go to the promised land.
That was his upper story plan. Nothing was going to change
that, right? Except for Pharaoh.
Had a different idea, so when? Moses told Pharaoh.
Let my people go, Pharaoh said. No, not doing it.
That was Pharaoh's choice. That was his lower story idea
and so. You know what happened?
There were 10 plagues, and bit by bit it whittled.
Down the resolve of the Egyptians until they did let the
nation of Israel go. And Moses led them out.
Of bondage and led them to the promised land Right if you go
back. And you read the narrative in
the book of Exodus. It's.
Pretty interesting what you're going to read, because those
plagues are divided up. And at the beginning, when you
read it, it'll say. That Moses said this and then
it'll say. And Pharaoh hardened his heart.
That Pharaoh hardened his heart. Later on in the later plagues
you read. The same narrative, only it says
and. God hardened Pharaoh's heart.
So which is it? Was Pharaoh?
Making a choice or was God. Predetermining it?
Which was it? Let me give you this
illustration. It's been pretty hot around
here, hasn't it? Amen.
Yeah, so let's say you. Know yesterday the day before is
like I don't know 103 degrees and say I have a table like.
This, and I would take it out onto my driveway, your driveway.
And in one hand I would have a lump of wax and I would shape
this wax. Into a ball okay.
And then I would take it out of the.
Air conditioning out into the driveway onto this table and I
would set it here. On the table and at the same
time that I was doing the lump of wax, I would also be doing.
A lump of modeling Clay and I took.
That modeling Clay and I formed it into a ball and I set it
over. Here and on a bright sunny 100
and three degree day. What's going to happen?
What's going to happen to the wax?
Say it. And what's going to happen to
the clay? So what?
And is the sun changing? Is the sun saying I'm going to
make the wax do this and I'm going to make the clay do this?
No, the sun is just. Shining, right.
Just shining. It's it's just bright and hot.
And this is the point. It is the substance of the
material that determines what happens to it.
It's the substance of the wax that.
Determines that it is going to melt.
It's the substance of the. Clay that determines whether
that it's going to harden. And what you see in the story of
Pharaoh is this that Pharaoh. Made a choice.
And he made a choice about what the substance of.
His heart was going to be, and the choice that he made was that
He hardened his heart. He said this.
Heart is going to be clay. And so, as this narrative goes
on, Pharaoh has just solidified this idea that he was going to
be resistant to. The upper story plan of God,
That heart of clay it got. Harder and harder, and the
effect of God on Pharaoh's heart was too hard in his heart, but
Pharaoh could have said I'll have a heart of wax.
It didn't matter what, Pharaoh. Was going to do God was going to
deliver his people, Period. Nothing was going to change it.
Pharaoh was just. Getting in the way, Instead of
being In Sync with the will of God, he was outside the will of.
And that's why his heart was. Hardened instead of melting.
Pharaoh had a choice. Whether to lean into God or away
from God, Pharaoh determined the substance of his heart.
But God never changed. What is the substance of your
heart? We were having a devotional this
morning. Katie Hollensteiner leading this
devotional for. Communion.
And she was reading some of that Scripture and referring to some
of that scripture. And I started thinking about my
heart, that there are areas. In my heart that I'm determining
the substance of and I'd like to be able.
To say that my whole heart is wax.
And I would, and I just. I'm just moldable and meltable
before my Heavenly Father. But I can't say that because.
There are certain areas in my heart that are hard and.
When I'm doing that, the got the effect.
That God has on me. If I continue to make that
choice, it's going to have a very detrimental effect on me
and it will on you as well. So to me, I think that's the
question. You have an opportunity to make
that choice today. Will you look up to the upper
story? Will you make your choice
aligned to God's or will you stay down in your lower story
and harden your heart again because the sun is shining on
you? Now?
What will you do? We're moving to a time of
decision. It's a very convicting sermon to
me. I don't know if it is to you,
but it's very convicting to me because when I look into my own
heart I just see that. There's a lot of inconsistency
there and I really don't want it to be that way, but.
Some of those things are hard to give up.
Some of those things, and the longer that I've allowed my
heart to be hard in those areas, the harder it is to give it up,
the more reinforcement. That I have.
When I was in college, there was a singer-songwriter who wrote a
song. That really affected me.
And I'm not going to sing it for you, but I will give you the
words of it. He said.
My eyes are dry, My faith is old.
My heart is hard. My prayers are cold.
And I know how I ought to be alive to you.
And dead to me. And then he his chorus is.
What can be done for an old heart like mine?
Soften it up with oil. And wine, The oil is you, your
spirit of love. Please wash me anew in the wine
of your blood, you. Don't have to resign yourself to
the choices of your past because your heart.
And my heart are still at the disposal of God if we choose to.
Let him have it. So what I would like for you to
think about today if you're here?
And you have never come in to an intimate, personal relationship
with Jesus like the Bible says. You may have a heart of.
But God and only God through Jesus.
Christ can take a heart of stone and turn it into a heart of
flesh. There's going to be somebody
right over there by the baptistry that would.
Love nothing more than to talk to you about those next steps.
What would it? Be like to become a follower of
Jesus, as inconsistent, as hypocritical as we all.
Are he knows that, but we're his children.
I encourage you to make that decision today if you've already
made a decision. To make Jesus Christ your Savior
and Lord, if you would listen to the Holy Spirit speaking
quietly, whispering. In your heart right now, you
know that there are areas in your heart that are hard, areas
where you're giving. Permission to not have the
attention of the Holy Spirit. To soften that heart.
And that's why these steps are. Open for you to come up here and
to just do some a little bit of time with the Lord.
I know that some of you might say, well, I can just do that in
my seat, you know, I can just pray in my seat, but there's
something about putting. Some motion to it, making some.
Commitment to it enough to be able to.
Stand up and to come up here and you get down and your knees in a
humble position which is admitting that God is God.
And you're not. Saying, Lord, help me.
I want to soften my heart, but I don't know that I can do it
alone. What do you think God's going to
do with that prayer? Sorry, you've just gone too far.
You're just broken. Or do you think that he'll be up
here ahead of you waiting for you?
And when you say something like that to.
Him, he'll say. That's my girl, that's my boy.
I'm proud of you. I'll help you.
I love you of. Course you know what he will do,
whatever it is. That you're dealing with right
now. Let him have it.
Would you stand with me? In Jesus name, Heavenly Father,
we come before you, and we can only do that because your Son
paved the road and he did it with His.
Body and his blood. He paid our debt.
He set us free. We are no longer slaves, but
help us. Father to live in this new
reality and help us. Father, to yield to your
presence, to your ability to change us, we've made.
Decisions in the past in our lower stories, Father, but
right. In this moment of clarity, we
want to look up to that upper. Story We want to be in alignment
with you. I know you've been patient with
this, but your. It has no end and I pray right
now we will find the peace that comes from coming into alignment
with you. In Jesus name, Amen.