Messages with Meaning


Sermons delivered at Sanlando Springs by Pastor Jack Parrott

My Purpose; God´s Promise

Romans 9:1-29
Presented on February 24, 2008, © Dr. Jack Parrott
I. Introduction

Paul is (1-5) broken hearted and grieving for a struggling people. Like Christians who minister to others but whose own families have not believed. Paul was happy about the response of the Gentiles, but the non-response of so many Jews broke his heart. He could not get it out of his mind.

II. God's Will Controls History
  1. God is in control, but humans are given freedom to make their own choices.
    1. God created humanity in His image. One aspect of that divine image is our ability to make moral choices.
    2. My life (and yours) is a contest of wills.
  2. If God is in control, what does it mean when life doesn't work the way we thought God said it should?
    1. God had promised to bless Israel
    2. Israel was not faithful in keeping their commitment
    3. God could not bless disobedience, so Israel as a nation was not being blessed
    4. Did this mean that God's promise had failed? (verse 6)
  3. Two options
    1. Yes, God failed. He is not all powerful and cannot be counted on to keep His word.
    2. No, God did not fail. God is accomplishing His will in ways we may not have understood.
III. God's Ways Often Confuse Humanity
  1. Paul shows God's working 'behind the scenes' to accomplish in purpose in history
    1. In the story of Isaac/Ishmael we see that God is not confined by physical limitations.
    2. Paul reminds us of Jacob and Esau and says God acts according to His own priorities and not the rules of society.
    3. When Paul mentions Pharaoh he teaches us that God can even use bad people for good purposes.
    4. It is never God's desire that some people be damned to hell. (Rom 9.12; 1 Thessalonians 5.9)
    5. Sometimes God confuses us in the way He works but Paul reminds us, it's not our place to question God.(v19)
IV. God's Work Changes History

  1. Sometimes we draw boundaries and we tell God, "You must act like this. You can do this, and you can't do that." God doesn't work in our box. Before man had a need, God had a plan. Before the curtains of history pulled back Almighty God was erecting a cross on Calvary. He had already determined that Christ would come. He had already devised a plan for our salvation. In that Awesome Mind he determined that everyone who names the name of Jesus will be saved.
  2. While it is God's will that no one miss out on God's plan for their lives, some will opt out by their own choice.
    1. Paul looks back to OT and says some people we didn't think would become part of the people of God responded to the message of salvation and therefore were saved. They are called "sons of the living God."
    2. But there are others, who we thought would be included in the family of God who rebelled and are lost. There are some who will see the demands of being a follower of Jesus and it will be too much.
    3. Not everyone will choose to follow His purpose; in fact only a "remnant." Many turn away from God.
  3. God is giving us time to recognize our mistakes and return, but as the Prophet Isaiah said, there is coming a time when "the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality" (v28).
V. Conclusion

God has made us for Himself, and we will search for our purpose in life and not find it until we discover the Giver of life, Jesus Christ.



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