The Pursuit of Righteousness

Preached at Cornerstone Church in Cascade, IA on June 3, 2018

Let us begin this morning by reciting our brand new June memory verse.  This is a short verse, which will be good.  It will give you a chance to spend this month reviewing all our past memory verses.  Let us recite this verse together, Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”  


This morning we find ourselves winding down Romans 9.  Next week, Pastor Jim Edgell, our candidate for Preaching and Teaching Pastor here at Cornerstone will be preaching the beginning of Romans 10.  I want to take a second to prepare you for his sermon. 


As we have repeatedly stated at Cornerstone Church, the preaching and teaching of God’s Word is preeminent in the life of the Church.  It is the Word of God that reveals to us who God is.  It is the Word of God that brings us to a knowledge of salvation. It is the Word or God that sanctifies and equips a believer.  


It is because of the central role the Word of God, that one of the distinguishing marks of an elder as laid out in 1 Timothy 3:2 is the “ability to teach.”  Likewise the qualifications of Elder is discussed in Titus and this is what it says in Titus 1:9, “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”


A Biblical Elder is one who with a white knuckle grasp clings to the Scriptures.  He does not deviate from God’s inspired and inerrant Word.  A true Pastor is one who knows that he has no authority except that which is laid down in the Bible.  A godly Pastor is one who proclaims God’s Word, not his own.  And they way that he is to do it this is by way of instruction.  The Word must be understood by those who are being taught.  It must be exposited in a way where people are actually learning about God, about Christ, about themselves, about the gospel. 


Having said this, next Sunday we should not be evaluating Pastor Edgell on his attire, on his tone, on his charisma, on his ability to be funny, or to entertain.  We should be evaluating him based on his ability to rightly handle the Word of God and teach the Scripture that is before him.   


Between now and then, I would encourage all of you to be in prayer.  Pray that God would give us spiritual ears and spiritual eyes.  Pray that God would give us discernment.  Pray that God would lead us not to be tempted to look at worldly and superficial matters, but to evaluate based upon God’s commands as found in his Word.  

Now with that said, let us now turn our attention to our text for this morning.  Romans 9:25-33.  I titled my sermon Pursuit of Righteousness, but that was before I wrote must of it.  This morning we will spend most of our time in verse 25-29, and just briefly look at verses 30-33.  I believe this will work out well in light of what Pastor Edgell we preach on next week, for the end of Romans 9 is continued into the beginning of Romans 10.  So with that said, let us stand in honor of the reading of God's Holy Word. 
   

• Romans 9:25-30 – “As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’” 26“And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’” 27And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29And as Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.”  30What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. 32Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
  
  
  

As we begin, let us, once again quickly review what the issue is in Romans 9.  The primary issue is whether the Word of God has failed as it relates to the election of Israel.  As the Apostle Paul has laid out in Romans, salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ.  Generally speaking, most of Israel does not believe in Jesus, and therefore is not saved.  This causes the Jews to pose the question, did God break his promises that he made to Israel in the Old Testament?  The Apostle Paul answers, no.  Because not all of physical Israel is true spiritual Israel.  That Israel in the mind of God is not those who are biological descendants of Abraham, but instead are the elect; those who are chosen by God and who are predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.  


Paul, in support of this answer uses the Scriptures.  He begins by looking in Genesis and unpacks the relationship of Ishmael and Isaac.  God choosing Isaac because he is of the promise.  Paul then looks at the relationship of Jacob and Esau, focusing on God's selection of Jacob over Esau even before they were born.  These two Biblical examples proves that it is God who chooses who is Israel, not man.   


Paul then directs his readers to the Book of Exodus and God’s conversation with Moses on Mt. Sinai regarding God’s glory.  As we saw from that text, Moses asked God to show him God's glory.  God responds by saying that his glory is best seen in his sovereign choice of who receives mercy and who does not receive mercy.  Therefore, to truly see, or know, the living God is to know him as the one and only being that has Ultimate free will.  No other being in all of God’s creation has ultimate free will, only God does.  And this truth is a manifestation of his glory.  And this is summarized in the heart of Romans 9 with verses 15 and 16, “For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.”  


From that point the Apostle Paul moves to the Book of Isaiah and refers to Isaiah 45 when he says in verse 21, “Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?”  Showing, once again, from the Scriptures that God has authority to do whatever he desires with men because he is the Creator.  God is the one who thought up the idea of Creation.  God is the one designed the idea of Creation.  God is the one who implemented Creation.  It is his and his alone.  This gives him absolute right to do what he desires with Creation. 


Which brings us to our text for this morning. And what does the Apostle Paul do in verse 25?  He goes back to Scripture, specifically Hosea and continues his argument proving that the Word of God has not failed.  Paul is showing the consistency of God in Scripture.  He is showing that Christ-centeredness of Scripture.  Paul is showing that there is not a God of the Old Testament and a God of the New Testament, there is merely God.  And His plan has always been his plan, before the ages. 


Her Who Was Not Beloved I Will Call Beloved.

So let us begin by looking at verse 25 and 26, “As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’” 26“And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”


My guess is that many of you have not read the Book of Hosea.  If that is the case, your assignment this week is to read Hosea.  The Book is only 14 chapters, therefore you can read two chapters a day and finish by next Sunday.  If you have your Bibles  with you, turn with me to Hosea 1. 


The Book of Hosea is a Book in the Old Testament.  It is considered a Book of the Minor Prophets, not because it is minor in its importance or relevance but because it is shorter compared to the other Prophetic Books like Isaiah, Ezekiel and Jeremiah.


The Book of Hosea was written by the prophet Hosea around the year 725 B.C.  In this book, God has Hosea use the institution of marriage as a symbol to show the nation of Israel that they are an adulterous people.  Hosea is commanded to marry an unfaithful woman, a wife who was bound to cheat on him, and Hosea was to remain faithful to her no matter what.  In this marriage, Hosea had three children and God was going to use those three children as symbols to the people of Israel.  So with that said, let us read chapter 1 in its entirety.  

• Hosea 1:1-11 – “The word of the LORD that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. 2When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD.” 3So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4And the LORD said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.” 6She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the LORD said to him, “Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. 7But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the LORD their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.” 8When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. 9And the LORD said, “Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.” 10d Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.” 11And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel.”
  
  
  

Hopefully, this gives you some context for the quotation found in Romans 9.  So with that understanding, let us turn our attention back to Romans 9, and let’s start at verse 24, “even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’” 26“And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”


In this section Paul is referring to God calling Gentiles.  This is the point of the quoting Hosea.  Gentiles were considered not God’s people, but now they are.  However, in Hosea, this book is not about Gentiles it is about Israel.  Now Paul is not stupid, he knows that Hosea is about wayward Israel, so why does he use this text to show that God is calling Gentiles?
It is because Israel in the mind of God is not physical, it is spiritual.  The Apostle Paul is saying that Hosea is about Gentiles, for the Gentiles who are God’s elect are Israel in the mind of God.  If you recall back in Romans 4:16, the Apostle Paul said, “That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.”  Abraham is the father of us all, both Jews and Gentiles, who have faith in Christ. 


Jesus spoke of this truth in Matthew 3:9 when he said, “And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.”  Jesus is clearly teaching that it is God who determines who is a descendant of Abraham.  It is God who determines who is true spiritual Israel and this includes Gentiles.   


Galatians 3:7 says, “Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.”  It is not physical attributes that make you a son of Abraham, it is a spiritual attribute, namely faith, that makes you a descendant of Abraham.  We see it again in Galatians 3:29, “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”  Therefore, Gentiles who put their faith in Jesus Christ are Spiritual Israel.  


We who were not God's people have become God's people through the blood of Christ.  We who were not beloved have become beloved through the blood of Christ.  Today we can confidently say that we are children of Abraham.    


A Remnant of Jews

However, Jesus is not just a savior for the Gentiles, he is also the savior for the Jews.  Paul, after quoting from Hosea goes back to the book of Isaiah.  Look at Verse 27, “And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.”  This is a quote from Isaiah 10.  And this time, the Apostle Paul does not say that this text in Isaiah points to the Gentiles, but that it points to the prophecy that only a few Jews will be saved through Christ.  
The Greek word for remnant is hypoleimma (hü-po'-lām-mä) which means a remainder, a few, a small part.  Last night I was curious about how many Jews in the nation state of Israel are Christians.  According to Wikipedia, 2% of Israeli citizens are Christians.  What does that sounds like?  It sounds like a small part, a few, a remnant.  Therefore, even Israel's disbelief proves that the Bible is true.  It is a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy, and this is all a part of God's divine plan.  
But why does a remnant believe in Jesus, when the rest will not?  Look at verse 29, “And as Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.”  The only reason that 2% believe in Christ is because the Lord of host has left an offspring.  Israel deserves to be annihilated like Sodom and Gomorrah because of their sin, but God has shown them mercy, he has allowed them to continue as a people so that the remnant may be saved.  This is the Lord's doing.  He is the one who preservers the Jews and saves the remnant.    
 
Made us Both One Through Faith in Christians
​
Which leads us to the conclusion of Romans 9.  How does God apply his purpose of election, how does he pour out his love on Jacob, how does he have mercy on us; how does he call a people who are not his people, how does he keep his remnant?


We see the answer in verses 30 to the end of the chapter.  It is through faith in Jesus Christ.  Christ is the cornerstone that is the foundation of God's elect.  It is through placing your faith in Christ for a righteousness that is not our own.  Christ is the keystone that holds the Church together, both the Gentiles and the Jewish remnant.  This is the plan, and it has always been the plan.  Before the ages, God's chosen people would be redeemed through his beloved Son.  The Word of God has not failed.  As it says in Isaiah 40:8, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”