"For it has been granted on you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him"
-Philippians 1:29
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST IS VERY HONEST
As the end of the year approaches quickly, I'd like to share some of my reflections of this past year. To preface this post though, I'd like to encourage you to remember the good in the past year, not only the bad. Even in the bad or difficult situations, God is always so good. That being said, I am going to talk about some of the struggles that I had this year, particular in this past school semester. I will write another reflection probably sometime after the New Year arrives in my key verse testimony. For now though, I'll just share what's been on my mind recently.
There have been a lot of changes this year, but they've all seemed to happen so fast that I kind of missed a lot of them. For starters, my church has finally started construction to expand the building, which we have been trying to do for a long time now. Also, a lot of people have been coming and leaving the church as well. We have a new associate pastor (something we never had), as well as many new members. We have new students from the University of Maryland, as well as new members from out of state. The change I want to talk about today was quite significant not only for me, but for many others in my church. One of the families has left to Vietnam due to a job change. We all knew that this change was coming, and we all tried to prepare mentally for it, but I don't think we were truly ready for this change. The father of this family was our long time YDJ (our church's college group) leader, of whom we relied on heavily to lead YDJ meetings.
As some of you know, last year I joined the so called "YDJ committee", since I was asked to join. At the time, I thought it wouldn't be a big deal, since it seemed like they had everything already figured out. I figured that I would just go to a couple meetings to help them plan, and maybe help out with praise every now and then. In the beginning, that was the case, but as time passed, I found that I had more and more responsibilities in the group. I had to lead praise almost every week, and even lead some meetings. When we found out that our leader was leaving, we didn't really know what to do. We had relied on him to lead us, and we simply just did what he said. What we decided to do in the fall and winter was try and spread the responsibility between the leaders we had now, to try and prepare for the future when we wouldn't be able to rely on our former leader.
The fall semester went by without much difficulty, but I assumed even more responsibility than I had before. I now led praise every week, since our praise leader couldn't do it anymore. I also did the announcements at the end of the meetings, which normally our former leader would do. Additionally, I found that I had to take care of a lot of behind the scene things, which I normally would never have done before. Honestly though, this was not a huge deal, since I still could rely on our leader for advice or guidance. Before he left, we decided we wanted to have a winter retreat. However, our leader was going to leave before the retreat, so we would have to plan it without him.
During the planning phase of the retreat (which we are still in), I've had a lot of stress. We had meetings to distribute responsibilities between the leaders, which went fine. What stressed me out was that it felt like we never really accomplished what we said we were going to do. To be brutally honest, I wondered if any of the other leaders cared about the retreat and planning it. I felt like nothing ever got done, and I had to continually ask the others if they were doing their part. One phrase that I really learned to hate was "well I assumed that". It felt like I had to do the job of three people all by myself, since it seemed like no one else was taking responsibility.
Last Sunday, I felt extremely burdened and depressed. Perhaps I was tired, but I really felt like I was doing too much on my own. I had to lead praise for the retreat, write a message, figure out the schedule, deal with supplies, and now I thought I was going to have to lead a bible study group. This made me frustrated that I let myself take so much responsibility, and frustrated at the other leaders for not stepping up. I even considered not being a YDJ leader anymore, since it burdened me to do a lot of things that I was not expecting to have to do.
However, later that same night, I started a conversation with a friend, who encouraged me to keep going strong. I also was chatting with another leader, who I have learned to appreciate greatly. We were talking about different details of the retreat, and she told me that I don't have to be a bible study leader. This relieved me immensely, since I could now focus more energy on my message. The following day, yesterday, we continued to talk about the retreat, and I realized that she and others had done a lot to prepare for the retreat. A lot of things that I was worried about were being taken care of. I learned to appreciate the other leaders, because they were doing more than I gave them credit for. Was I still doing a lot? Yes, I was, but I felt like I wasn't alone. The preparation for the retreat felt bearable, and not overwhelming.
This struggle with the retreat reminded me that being a leader is never easy. You have to do a lot more than you may expect. However, I was also reminded that I am never alone. Not only do I have other leaders that I can trust, I also have a friend in Jesus. He never will give me anything that I cannot bear, and He is always by my side. I just forgot to be thankful for the things that I already had, and I let the bad situations around me bring me down. I feel like 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 is a perfect ending to this post. "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
-Smart
Romans 9:1-29 Message
This is a message I gave for my youth group at church. I didn't break it up into parts so it's gonna be quite long, but I hope you find encouragement from it.
Obviously I was not here last time you guys had Sunday worship, but I assume you guys studied Romans 8, or at least part of it. Romans 8 is a fantastic passage, which encourages us to endure suffering for our future glory. Paul also talk about how if God is for us, no one can be against us, and we are more than conquerors. I don’t know what you guys learned about two weeks ago, but I know that I personally don’t understand how anyone can be “more than a conqueror”. A conqueror is already powerful enough, yet in Christ we are more than conquerors. I think Paul uses that phrase because not only has Jesus conquered death, He also reigns with all glory and power, and we too can share in His glory. As great as Romans 8 is, we do have to move on and talk about the passage we have today, which is a bit more difficult to understand. Although Romans 9 was written for a specific audience, we can learn many things from it. Let’s all begin by reading the key verse together, which is verse 16. “It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy (Verse 16)”.
Paul starts off by saying “I speak the truth in Christ- I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit (v. 1)”. For some reason, when I read this verse, I immediately thought of Joshua. I just imagined Joshua’s voice saying something like this- “Guys, come on I’m serious I’m not lying!” I don’t really know why I thought of Joshua, I guess maybe it’s just because his voice perfectly fits this verse. In any case, think about when someone says “I’m telling you the truth, I am not lying”. What are they trying to say? They’re telling you that they are serious, and they want you to pay close attention to what they have to say. So what does Paul have to say? Let’s read verses 2 through 4 together. “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 sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises (v. 2-4)”. What Paul is saying here is no small matter, it’s a big deal. Paul is saying that he is willing to be cut off from Christ and lose his own salvation so that the Israelites could regain theirs. Paul would rather die an eternal death than let the Israelites be cut off from Christ. Unfortunately, Paul is unable to do this. Why is Paul so upset and anguished over the Israelites that he would be willing to trade places with them? It is because Paul understands what the Israelites lost. I didn’t mention chapter 8 just because that’s what messengers do; I mention it because it is connected to today’s passage. What was chapter 8 about? The fact that those who are in Christ are more than conquerors because of God’s love. The Israelites didn’t realize that because they turned away from God, they lost things that cannot be matched by anything on this earth. Let me ask you guys this-who were the Israelites? Can someone summarize who they were in a sentence or two? In short, they were God’s chosen people. However, they lost their adoption to sonship, the divine glory, the covenants, the law, the temple worship and the promises. They were more than conquerors and they had the love of God, but they forsake it. Paul understood the tragedy of losing God’s promise, and He wanted others to understand the weight of God’s love. This is why at the beginning he says “I speak the truth”, and “I am not lying”. He wants the reader to realize the significance of God’s promises, and the tragedy when someone loses it.
Paul now anticipates the next logical question someone may ask. Let’s read verse 6 together please. “It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel (v. 6)”. After Paul talks about the Israelites losing God’s promise, he realizes that people may ask- “weren’t the Israelites God’s chosen people?” and “does this mean that God’s promise failed?” These are logical questions. Jeremiah 31:33 says “’This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,’ declares the Lord ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people’”. Clearly, God has chosen the Israelites as His people, and have made a covenant with them. However, it seems like they no longer are God’s people, because they are all falling away. Does this mean that God’s word has failed? No, it does not. “For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, ‘It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.’ In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. For this was how the promise was stated: ‘At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son’ (v. 6-9)”. What is Paul talking about here? Not all who are Israel are Israel? What does that mean? Great questions. Let’s take a moment to consider the Old Testament story of Ishmael. First, we have to consider God’s promise to Abraham. Anyone know what it was? “Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God (Genesis 17:3-8)”. God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, and that God would be the God of all Abraham’s descendants. In order to make a nation, you need a son. As many of us know, Abraham spent many years of his life without any sons, even though God promised him one. After a while, Sarah, Abraham’s wife, became frustrated and took matters into her own hands. Sarah took her slave named Hagar, and told Abraham to sleep with her, and maybe then he could have a son. Surprisingly, Abraham agreed and laid with Hagar, and she did bear him a son, Ishmael. So was this the son that God has promised? Absolutely not. We never hear “God of Ishmael”, but we do hear “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”. Paul reminds us in verse 9 that God promised that Sarah would have a son, not another woman. Therefore, even though Ishmael is Abraham’s descendant, he is not part of God’s promise. In the same way, even if someone was from Israel, it does not mean that they are part of God’s promise. “For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel”.
Now Paul moves to Esau and Jacob. Esau was the older son of Isaac, and deserved to inherit the birthright from Isaac. However, as we know, Jacob stole the birthright from Esau. Did this happen just because Jacob was crafty and was able to steal the birthright from Esau? In part, yes, but this cannot be the full explanation. If the only reason Jacob became part of God’s chosen people was that he was crafty and stole the birthright from Esau, that would undermine God. That would say that you can earn your way to God’s promise, but you cannot. So why was Jacob able to become God’s chosen person? It’s simply because God chose him, not Esau. Paul says that God chose Jacob “before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad (v. 11)”. Paul reveals the sovereignty and authority that God has over everything. No one can earn God’s promise or favor, it is a gift of God. God is able to do as He pleases, regardless of what we do or expect.
The next logical question that Paul addresses is in verse 14. Let’s read that together. “What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! (verse 14)”. In the case of Jacob and Esau, it seems like God may have been unfair towards Esau. Esau was older and deserved the birthright from his father Isaac, yet God took that from him. Paul tells us that God “will have mercy on whom (He) has mercy, and (He) will have compassion on whom (He) has compassion (verse 14)”. What does that mean? Let’s read verse 16 together. “It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy (verse 16)”. Let’s think about what is just. This should be quite easy now, since you guys have been learning about Romans this year. What is just? Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, and Romans 6:23 tells us that “the wages of sin is death”. Therefore, what is just is that everyone dies. The good news is that God made a way for us to be saved. The question now is- who gets to be saved by God? The answer is, anyone that God chooses. The story of Pharaoh is familiar to all of us. God sends plagues on Egypt, in order to release His people from captivity. Despite sending many plagues, Pharaoh does not let Israelites go. Why? It is because God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Why would God harden Pharaoh’s heart? It is so that God’s power would be displayed to the world. God is able to use whoever He chooses, in any way that He chooses.
Paul answers yet another objection that may rise in verses 19-21. Let’s read those verses together. “One of you will say to me: ‘Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist His will? 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 (v. 19-20)?’” The question boils down to this; if God can use us how He wants, how can we be held responsible for what we do? If God chooses whoever He pleases, why does God still judge us? This is actually a great question. It seems like since God can do what He wills, we cannot be to blame for our actions. Let me give you an illustration similar to Paul’s. Here I have a stapler. Let me ask you guys this; what is the purpose of a stapler? The purpose of a stapler is to staple pieces of paper to each other. Plain and simple. Now, imagine if I used the stapler to start hammering nails. What would people say to me? “You’re using the stapler the wrong way.” There’s a right way to use a stapler, and there’s a wrong way to use it. How do we define what the right way and the wrong way is? We define it by the purpose of the stapler. Once I violate what the purpose of the stapler is by using it in a way it was not meant to used, I am using it the wrong way. The same is true for us. People may ask, “Why should I have to live in a certain way?” It’s because we have been given a purpose. Once we violate that purpose, we sin. If you’ve ever wondered where morality comes from, it comes from purpose. As a matter of fact, that is the only way you can really define morality. Think about when you are driving. Imagine that you are in a car, and you are going to church. The only way you can know if you are going the right way is if you are heading towards your destination, church. You know you are going the wrong way if you are not headed towards your destination. Now imagine if you are in the car, but you have no destination or purpose. You have no way to determine whether you are going the right way or wrong way. I believe that this is why people cannot really understand or define morality these days. You can never be in the wrong if you have no purpose, so people just make up their own morality. They have no clear purpose, so they have no clear morals.
The next question you may have on your mind is “what is our purpose”? To answer that, we first have to answer this- “Where does our purpose come from?” Let’s think again to the stapler. We know that the purpose of the stapler is to staple things. How do we know that? Who defined that purpose? The maker of the stapler defined that purpose, and made the stapler for that purpose. If you saw something that you didn’t know how to use, the best person to ask would be the creator. In the same way, we find our purpose in our creator. So what is our purpose that we find in God? Our purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Anything that goes against that purpose is what is defined as sin. How do we know what glorifies God? Read the Bible. The Bible tells us that the best way to glorify God is love each other. However, that’s another message for another time. The point is that God is able to judge if we go against the purpose that He has given to us. We have no right to do whatever we want because God has given us a purpose.
Lastly, Paul talk about God’s wrath and mercy. Let’s read verses 22 through 24 together. “What if God, although choosing to show His wrath and make His power, 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 (v. 22-24)?” Paul is saying that God indeed has shown His wrath, but He also has shown mercy. Even though we deserve God’s wrath, He has chosen to withhold His wrath against us. As we talked about earlier, we all deserve eternal death, but God has shown mercy to us who don’t deserve it. Not only are we spared by God’s mercy, we also will share in His glory if we believe in Him. This is all familiar to us, but we often forget how serious of a matter this is. Remember that Paul felt great anguish because the Israelites did not realize what they had lost. They lost their salvation, and the incredible mercy of God. Paul quotes Isaiah in verse 27, saying “though the number of Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved (verse 27).” Even though there were so many Israelites, so many of God’s chosen people, only a few would be saved by God. We can be tempted here to focus on the bad. We can look at how many Israelites were not saved, but Paul reminds us of those who were saved. Verse 29 says “Unless the Lord Almighty had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.” What happened to Sodom and Gomorrah? They were completely wiped out by God. Unlike Sodom and Gomorrah, God did not forsake all of the Israelites, He saved a remnant. God showed mercy by saving this remnant of the Israelites. If you are saved by God, which I hope we all are, we have to remember that it’s only by God’s mercy and grace. We should be especially grateful because in the midst of billions of people, God chose us to show His mercy to. We also have to open our eyes to those who are not saved, because God’s wrath unfortunately is waiting for them. Remember what our purpose is? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. One way we can fulfill our purpose is to share the gospel to others.
So what did we learn about today? What should you take away from this passage? The first thing we can learn is that God’s promises are valuable. At the beginning Paul was deeply sorrowed because the Israelites forgot God’s promise. Remember the amazing promises given in chapter 8; nothing can separate us from God’s love, God works all things for the good of those who love Him, those who suffer for Him will share in His glory, and we are more than conquerors. We should value God’s promises and not take them for granted. The next thing we can learn is that God’s word never fails. God is faithful to His word. This is related to the first key point, but it is still important. Thirdly, we can learn that God is sovereign. God is in control of everything, and can use whoever He pleases in any way He wants. God holds everything in His hands. As a counterpoint, fourthly we should remember that we have a purpose, which is found in God. We have no excuse to do whatever we want, because we were made with a purpose. Our purpose should guide our actions and define the way that we live. Lastly, we should remember that God is merciful. Even though all of us deserve death, He chose to save us. We cannot save ourselves by our works, but God can save us in His mercy. We should remember God’s mercy, but also remember that not everyone has accepted it. We therefore have a responsibility to share His mercy with others. Let’s read the key verse together, verse 16. “It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy (v. 16)”.
-Smart
Obviously I was not here last time you guys had Sunday worship, but I assume you guys studied Romans 8, or at least part of it. Romans 8 is a fantastic passage, which encourages us to endure suffering for our future glory. Paul also talk about how if God is for us, no one can be against us, and we are more than conquerors. I don’t know what you guys learned about two weeks ago, but I know that I personally don’t understand how anyone can be “more than a conqueror”. A conqueror is already powerful enough, yet in Christ we are more than conquerors. I think Paul uses that phrase because not only has Jesus conquered death, He also reigns with all glory and power, and we too can share in His glory. As great as Romans 8 is, we do have to move on and talk about the passage we have today, which is a bit more difficult to understand. Although Romans 9 was written for a specific audience, we can learn many things from it. Let’s all begin by reading the key verse together, which is verse 16. “It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy (Verse 16)”.
Paul starts off by saying “I speak the truth in Christ- I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit (v. 1)”. For some reason, when I read this verse, I immediately thought of Joshua. I just imagined Joshua’s voice saying something like this- “Guys, come on I’m serious I’m not lying!” I don’t really know why I thought of Joshua, I guess maybe it’s just because his voice perfectly fits this verse. In any case, think about when someone says “I’m telling you the truth, I am not lying”. What are they trying to say? They’re telling you that they are serious, and they want you to pay close attention to what they have to say. So what does Paul have to say? Let’s read verses 2 through 4 together. “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 sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises (v. 2-4)”. What Paul is saying here is no small matter, it’s a big deal. Paul is saying that he is willing to be cut off from Christ and lose his own salvation so that the Israelites could regain theirs. Paul would rather die an eternal death than let the Israelites be cut off from Christ. Unfortunately, Paul is unable to do this. Why is Paul so upset and anguished over the Israelites that he would be willing to trade places with them? It is because Paul understands what the Israelites lost. I didn’t mention chapter 8 just because that’s what messengers do; I mention it because it is connected to today’s passage. What was chapter 8 about? The fact that those who are in Christ are more than conquerors because of God’s love. The Israelites didn’t realize that because they turned away from God, they lost things that cannot be matched by anything on this earth. Let me ask you guys this-who were the Israelites? Can someone summarize who they were in a sentence or two? In short, they were God’s chosen people. However, they lost their adoption to sonship, the divine glory, the covenants, the law, the temple worship and the promises. They were more than conquerors and they had the love of God, but they forsake it. Paul understood the tragedy of losing God’s promise, and He wanted others to understand the weight of God’s love. This is why at the beginning he says “I speak the truth”, and “I am not lying”. He wants the reader to realize the significance of God’s promises, and the tragedy when someone loses it.
Paul now anticipates the next logical question someone may ask. Let’s read verse 6 together please. “It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel (v. 6)”. After Paul talks about the Israelites losing God’s promise, he realizes that people may ask- “weren’t the Israelites God’s chosen people?” and “does this mean that God’s promise failed?” These are logical questions. Jeremiah 31:33 says “’This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,’ declares the Lord ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people’”. Clearly, God has chosen the Israelites as His people, and have made a covenant with them. However, it seems like they no longer are God’s people, because they are all falling away. Does this mean that God’s word has failed? No, it does not. “For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, ‘It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.’ In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. For this was how the promise was stated: ‘At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son’ (v. 6-9)”. What is Paul talking about here? Not all who are Israel are Israel? What does that mean? Great questions. Let’s take a moment to consider the Old Testament story of Ishmael. First, we have to consider God’s promise to Abraham. Anyone know what it was? “Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God (Genesis 17:3-8)”. God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, and that God would be the God of all Abraham’s descendants. In order to make a nation, you need a son. As many of us know, Abraham spent many years of his life without any sons, even though God promised him one. After a while, Sarah, Abraham’s wife, became frustrated and took matters into her own hands. Sarah took her slave named Hagar, and told Abraham to sleep with her, and maybe then he could have a son. Surprisingly, Abraham agreed and laid with Hagar, and she did bear him a son, Ishmael. So was this the son that God has promised? Absolutely not. We never hear “God of Ishmael”, but we do hear “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”. Paul reminds us in verse 9 that God promised that Sarah would have a son, not another woman. Therefore, even though Ishmael is Abraham’s descendant, he is not part of God’s promise. In the same way, even if someone was from Israel, it does not mean that they are part of God’s promise. “For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel”.
Now Paul moves to Esau and Jacob. Esau was the older son of Isaac, and deserved to inherit the birthright from Isaac. However, as we know, Jacob stole the birthright from Esau. Did this happen just because Jacob was crafty and was able to steal the birthright from Esau? In part, yes, but this cannot be the full explanation. If the only reason Jacob became part of God’s chosen people was that he was crafty and stole the birthright from Esau, that would undermine God. That would say that you can earn your way to God’s promise, but you cannot. So why was Jacob able to become God’s chosen person? It’s simply because God chose him, not Esau. Paul says that God chose Jacob “before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad (v. 11)”. Paul reveals the sovereignty and authority that God has over everything. No one can earn God’s promise or favor, it is a gift of God. God is able to do as He pleases, regardless of what we do or expect.
The next logical question that Paul addresses is in verse 14. Let’s read that together. “What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! (verse 14)”. In the case of Jacob and Esau, it seems like God may have been unfair towards Esau. Esau was older and deserved the birthright from his father Isaac, yet God took that from him. Paul tells us that God “will have mercy on whom (He) has mercy, and (He) will have compassion on whom (He) has compassion (verse 14)”. What does that mean? Let’s read verse 16 together. “It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy (verse 16)”. Let’s think about what is just. This should be quite easy now, since you guys have been learning about Romans this year. What is just? Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, and Romans 6:23 tells us that “the wages of sin is death”. Therefore, what is just is that everyone dies. The good news is that God made a way for us to be saved. The question now is- who gets to be saved by God? The answer is, anyone that God chooses. The story of Pharaoh is familiar to all of us. God sends plagues on Egypt, in order to release His people from captivity. Despite sending many plagues, Pharaoh does not let Israelites go. Why? It is because God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Why would God harden Pharaoh’s heart? It is so that God’s power would be displayed to the world. God is able to use whoever He chooses, in any way that He chooses.
Paul answers yet another objection that may rise in verses 19-21. Let’s read those verses together. “One of you will say to me: ‘Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist His will? 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 (v. 19-20)?’” The question boils down to this; if God can use us how He wants, how can we be held responsible for what we do? If God chooses whoever He pleases, why does God still judge us? This is actually a great question. It seems like since God can do what He wills, we cannot be to blame for our actions. Let me give you an illustration similar to Paul’s. Here I have a stapler. Let me ask you guys this; what is the purpose of a stapler? The purpose of a stapler is to staple pieces of paper to each other. Plain and simple. Now, imagine if I used the stapler to start hammering nails. What would people say to me? “You’re using the stapler the wrong way.” There’s a right way to use a stapler, and there’s a wrong way to use it. How do we define what the right way and the wrong way is? We define it by the purpose of the stapler. Once I violate what the purpose of the stapler is by using it in a way it was not meant to used, I am using it the wrong way. The same is true for us. People may ask, “Why should I have to live in a certain way?” It’s because we have been given a purpose. Once we violate that purpose, we sin. If you’ve ever wondered where morality comes from, it comes from purpose. As a matter of fact, that is the only way you can really define morality. Think about when you are driving. Imagine that you are in a car, and you are going to church. The only way you can know if you are going the right way is if you are heading towards your destination, church. You know you are going the wrong way if you are not headed towards your destination. Now imagine if you are in the car, but you have no destination or purpose. You have no way to determine whether you are going the right way or wrong way. I believe that this is why people cannot really understand or define morality these days. You can never be in the wrong if you have no purpose, so people just make up their own morality. They have no clear purpose, so they have no clear morals.
The next question you may have on your mind is “what is our purpose”? To answer that, we first have to answer this- “Where does our purpose come from?” Let’s think again to the stapler. We know that the purpose of the stapler is to staple things. How do we know that? Who defined that purpose? The maker of the stapler defined that purpose, and made the stapler for that purpose. If you saw something that you didn’t know how to use, the best person to ask would be the creator. In the same way, we find our purpose in our creator. So what is our purpose that we find in God? Our purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Anything that goes against that purpose is what is defined as sin. How do we know what glorifies God? Read the Bible. The Bible tells us that the best way to glorify God is love each other. However, that’s another message for another time. The point is that God is able to judge if we go against the purpose that He has given to us. We have no right to do whatever we want because God has given us a purpose.
Lastly, Paul talk about God’s wrath and mercy. Let’s read verses 22 through 24 together. “What if God, although choosing to show His wrath and make His power, 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 (v. 22-24)?” Paul is saying that God indeed has shown His wrath, but He also has shown mercy. Even though we deserve God’s wrath, He has chosen to withhold His wrath against us. As we talked about earlier, we all deserve eternal death, but God has shown mercy to us who don’t deserve it. Not only are we spared by God’s mercy, we also will share in His glory if we believe in Him. This is all familiar to us, but we often forget how serious of a matter this is. Remember that Paul felt great anguish because the Israelites did not realize what they had lost. They lost their salvation, and the incredible mercy of God. Paul quotes Isaiah in verse 27, saying “though the number of Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved (verse 27).” Even though there were so many Israelites, so many of God’s chosen people, only a few would be saved by God. We can be tempted here to focus on the bad. We can look at how many Israelites were not saved, but Paul reminds us of those who were saved. Verse 29 says “Unless the Lord Almighty had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.” What happened to Sodom and Gomorrah? They were completely wiped out by God. Unlike Sodom and Gomorrah, God did not forsake all of the Israelites, He saved a remnant. God showed mercy by saving this remnant of the Israelites. If you are saved by God, which I hope we all are, we have to remember that it’s only by God’s mercy and grace. We should be especially grateful because in the midst of billions of people, God chose us to show His mercy to. We also have to open our eyes to those who are not saved, because God’s wrath unfortunately is waiting for them. Remember what our purpose is? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. One way we can fulfill our purpose is to share the gospel to others.
So what did we learn about today? What should you take away from this passage? The first thing we can learn is that God’s promises are valuable. At the beginning Paul was deeply sorrowed because the Israelites forgot God’s promise. Remember the amazing promises given in chapter 8; nothing can separate us from God’s love, God works all things for the good of those who love Him, those who suffer for Him will share in His glory, and we are more than conquerors. We should value God’s promises and not take them for granted. The next thing we can learn is that God’s word never fails. God is faithful to His word. This is related to the first key point, but it is still important. Thirdly, we can learn that God is sovereign. God is in control of everything, and can use whoever He pleases in any way He wants. God holds everything in His hands. As a counterpoint, fourthly we should remember that we have a purpose, which is found in God. We have no excuse to do whatever we want, because we were made with a purpose. Our purpose should guide our actions and define the way that we live. Lastly, we should remember that God is merciful. Even though all of us deserve death, He chose to save us. We cannot save ourselves by our works, but God can save us in His mercy. We should remember God’s mercy, but also remember that not everyone has accepted it. We therefore have a responsibility to share His mercy with others. Let’s read the key verse together, verse 16. “It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy (v. 16)”.
-Smart
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