Who Are You?

August 14, 2024

Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, August 11, 2024.

Sermon text: Romans 9:19-29


Who are you? Who am I? We live in a culture where you will often find groups of people who gather to talk about their opinions. And you end up with generally 2 kinds of people... "I like that"... or "I don't like that". For many of us sitting here today, we may be approaching these verses in Romans 9 for the purpose of seeing if we agree or not... do I like that or not... how do I feel about election... how do I feel about predestination... to which Paul says, "Who are you?" 


1.) I am not God.

I recently had a discipleship conversation with one of my children whose behavior was out of line. As I explained to them what our expectations were, I felt like I wasn't getting through, so I asked, "Do you understand what I am saying?" And my child looked at me and said, "Well, I have my view, and you have your view."

Do we really want to do that with God? Our goal shouldn't be to figure out what our opinion of God's will is. Our God should be to figure out what God's will is. We have already established that God wishes that all would be saved and that there is free will. And you may look at these verses and say, "It sure doesn't look like there is free will!" But in asking that question you would actually be using your free will question the justice and righteousness of God! One pastor once said, "Many pastors have actually used their free will not to preach through Romans 9!" There is an irony here. But there is also a sobriety. Import yourself into this text and hear Paul saying to you, "Who are you?"

"Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 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?"


2.) God has complete authority over me. 

Remember: The point of this section is to prove that the Word of God has not failed! If God is unrighteous, then His Word has failed. If God is unjust, then His Word has failed. If God is out of line in any way whatsoever, and if He does not have authority over all of His creation, then His Word has failed. And Paul is emphatically saying that God's Word cannot fail. 

Paul is drawing our attention to God's power. If God wants to take one lump of humanity and out of that lump make two different vessels, one for honorable use and one for dishonorable use, then he has the absolute power to do so. 

So how does this work? Of course He has the power to do whatever he wants, but our goal is to figure out what he wants... our goal it to figure out the will of God so that we can walk in it. We cannot remove the mystery, but we can clarify confusion. 

22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 

I'm now going to hit you with what we call a double whammy... A John Stott quote within a Tim Keller quote. It's like a super quote...

"In verse 22 Paul says that while God is the author of our salvation, we are the authors of our damnation. Notice that Paul says here that God “bore with great patience the objects of his wrath.” This shows that evil people are not made evil by God. He bears with them. He never gives anyone quite what they deserve. He is unjust to no one. And then Paul adds that these objects of wrath are “prepared for destruction”—but he doesn’t say by whom. Contrast this with verse 23, where it says clearly of the objects of God’s mercy that “he prepared [them] in advance for glory.” By implication, it appears that the vessels of wrath are prepared for destruction by themselves (remember 1:24, where God hands people over to the life and death they have chosen). In summary, in election God comes in, softens our hearts and makes us good. In hardening, God simply passes over and lets people have the way they have chosen. In John Stott’s words:

“If … anybody is lost, the blame is theirs, but if anybody is saved, the credit is God’s. This antinomy contains a mystery which our present knowledge cannot solve; but it is consistent with Scripture, history, and experience.”


I wish that I could simply say, "Well, who are we to disagree with Timothy Keller and John R.W. Stott?", but we do need to keep doing the work of understanding...

Let's use Pharaoh as the example of a vessel of destruction. God wants the world to understand both his wrath toward unrighteousness and his power to save His people. God endured Pharaoh with much patience. Why? In order to make known the riches of His glory to the Israelites who were under Pharaoh's oppression in slavery. There were generations of Israelites, 430 years worth, that were born into slavery and died in slavery. There is no doubt that to some of them, it probably looked like God's Word had failed. Can you imagine hearing only stories about God's promises? Can you imagine a point where it had been 200 or 300 years since you had a living relative who wasn't under the oppression of Egypt, but bore the name of God's people?! All for what? To show that even 430 years of oppressive slavery, racism, violence, and injustice CANNOT make God's Word fail! Who is afraid of Egypt today? Who is afraid of Rome today? Empires have fallen and become tourist attractions while the Word of God stands and His Kingdom continues to progress! There were likely times where vessels of mercy felt like they were prepared for destruction, but today they stand in the presence of a living God, because they were prepared beforehand by God for glory! And it is in glory that they stand! And those who prepared themselves for destruction stand separated from God, a sober and sad reminder that God's Word does not fail. 


People get confused and wrapped up in how all of this happened, as if perhaps God made His point that His Word cannot fail, but did He do so in a way that is above reproach? I've found an easy way to settle this once and for all... Everyone close your eyes... 

Step 1: Pretend like you are God.

Step 2: Pretend like you are God, but now outside of time. Really lean into timelessness.

Step 3: Climb into the timeless thoughts of God. 

Step 4: Now, while you are up there, consider how you would view your creation. Are they all good? Are they all bad? Do you choose which is which? What is it like to have a foreknowledge of everything that hasn't happened yet? 

Step 5: Now pay attention, this is the most important part. How does a pastor in 2024 explain to a room full of people all of the mysteries, similarities, and differences between election, predestination, double predestination, why some people mean one thing by that phrase and others mean something different, supra-lapsarianism vs. infra-lapsarianism, all of the Israel stuff, and clarity on the rapture and tribulation?

Now open your eyes... 


3.) God did not predestine innocent people to eternal damnation by causing them to do evil. 

R.C. Sproul: "Some allege that God is unjust in hardening somebody’s heart and then punishing him for doing what he couldn’t possibly stop from doing once his heart was hardened.

Such an idea is utterly repugnant to everything that the Bible teaches about the character of God. The question is, Shall the judge of all the earth ever do wrong? God is incapable of committing an unjust act. There is no dark side to his personality, by which he would commit an outrageous act of injustice, such as would be the case if he hardened somebody and then punished him for being hardened. We have to make a distinction between active hardening and passive hardening, and understand that what we are reading here in the text is an example of God’s punitive judgment against a wicked man."


As we come to the end of this challenging section of Scripture, we still have some who are saved and some who are not saved. We can see that, in mercy, God saves people. We can also see that, in wrath, God gives people over to their debased minds. And in all of it, God is just. These next verses indicate that his patience with Pharaoh was even meant for us to see the riches of His glory in Jesus Christ. 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 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.’ ” 

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, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 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.” 

God's Word has not failed. And his Kingdom has grown. We see it active among Israel in the Old Testament, we see it in the prophets, and we see it among the Gentiles today. We know that not everyone will be saved, but church, that is our goal! We are are not allowed to used God's sovereignty as an excuse for our laziness. We are not allowed to use God's foreknowledge to excuse ourselves from evangelism. The Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth without delay. And until we are called to go and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey. 



Discipleship Questions:

  1. In what areas of your life do you struggle to apply the reality that “I am not God”?
  2. Why do you think Paul emphasizes that?
  3. In what areas of your life do you wish that you could control God?
  4. What are some practical steps you can take to lean into the reality that God does have complete authority over you? 
  5. What is the difference between vessels of mercy and vessels of wrath? 
  6. What was something that you found comforting by Romans 9 this week? 
  7. How does the reality that “God’s Word Cannot Fail” help us in our struggles and uncertainties? 
July 29, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, July 27, 2025. Sermon text: 2 Peter 1:3-4 We have everything we need for a godly life. Sentence has: 68 words 9 prepositional phrases 5 dependent clauses God called us. “By His divine power” The word here is summon Like Lazarus, come forth. English readers are apt to understand calling in terms of an invitation that can be accepted or rejected. Peter has something deeper in mind. Christ’s call is effective, awakening and creating faith. -Thomas R. Schreiner 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. By revealing Christ to us. “Through the knowledge of Him” Side note, ambiguity: The ambiguity in the text indicates that Peter does not clearly distinguish between God and Christ, which indicates that God and Christ were venerated equally. - Thomas R. Schreiner Excuses are Eliminated We need to note that this comes to us by grace, but also that we have a part to play here. Effort is not a 4 letter word. You have no excuse for: Pornography- You have everything you need. Substance Abuse- You have everything you need. Pride- You have everything you need Laziness- You have everything you need Anger- You have everything you need. Prayer and Scripture Reading- You have everything you need. Evangelism- You have everything you need. He’ll go on to mention supplementing He has given us what we need for godliness now, and He promises us even greater things to come. We will share in Christ’s Divine Nature 2 Pe 1:4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature Unusual word… The “divine nature” (Theos) appears only here and in Acts where Paul addresses the Areopagus an odd work choice and would have appealed to his pagan readers. Acts 17:29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. Redefining what it means to become like God. Christ shared in our nature that we might share in His. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. In 1:3, it’s through the knowledge of Christ that we are called to Him. Here, we see that a fuller revelation of Christ will conform us even more fully into His likeness. How so? Purity Immortality Restoration to Eden Christians also share in God’s immortality. They are not trapped in this world. Though ‘perishable’ now, Christians will be raised ‘imperishable’ -Paul Gardner Glory John 17:22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, We have everything we need for a godly life. English readers are apt to understand calling in terms of an invitation that can be accepted or rejected. Peter has something deeper in mind. Christ’s call is effective, awakening and creating faith. -Thomas R. Schreiner 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. The ambiguity in the text indicates that Peter does not clearly distinguish between God and Christ, which indicates that God and Christ were venerated equally. - Thomas R. Schreiner Excuses are Eliminated We will share in Christ’s Divine Nature Acts 17:29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. Purity Immortality Christians also share in God’s immortality. They are not trapped in this world. Though ‘perishable’ now, Christians will be raised ‘imperishable.’ -Paul Gardner Glory John 17:22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one. Discipleship Questions: 2 Peter 1:3 says we’ve been given everything we need for life and godliness… Do you find that verse encouraging, challenging or both? Are there any areas of your walk where you struggle to believe that you already have everything you need for success? Do you ever make excuses to yourself or others for a lack of godliness? If yes, explain. How much work does it take to live as a Christian? What does it mean that we will be “partakers in the divine nature”?
July 21, 2025
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, July 20, 2025. Sermon text: 2 Peter 1:1-2  Peter is warning us about counterfeit teaching and false teachers The genuine gospel came from Jesus through His apostles —servant (humility and honor) —apostle (called, unique, sent) The genuine gospel is just as precious to us today —received and believed “How does someone become a Christian? One person might say, ‘Because I believe,’ and another, ‘Because God chose me.’ According to Peter, both ways of stating it are correct. On the one hand, we believe. It is a fundamental definition of a Christian that he or she is a ‘believe-er’; that he or she ‘has faith’ But Peter also knows that it is not our feeble faith that holds us close to God. It is God who does all the holding, and that is the reality behind the word received.” —R. C. Lucas and Christopher Green, The Message of 2 Peter & Jude The genuine gospel is centered on the person and work of Jesus —God —Savior —Christ —Lord “This fourfold description of Jesus is important because it puts him at the focal point of human history. As God, he guarantees that his words and his works cannot be replaced or revoked; as Christ, he fulfills all the Old Testament promises; as Savior, he died on the cross for our salvation in the past, present and future; and as Lord he claims the right to our individual love and obedience—notice how Peter calls him our Lord.” —R. C. Lucas and Christopher Green, The Message of 2 Peter & Jude The genuine gospel transforms us as we grow in knowledge of Jesus —grace and peace multiplied Discipleship Questions: Why is false teaching so dangerous? How does remembering and focusing on the true gospel help us stand against false teaching? In what ways is the gospel just as precious to us as it was to the apostles? How do you relate to Jesus as God, Savior, Christ, and Lord? What is the difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Him?
July 16, 2025
Notes from Zach Snow's sermon on Sunday, July 13, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 5:8-14 Why is the lion roaring? Wouldn’t it be a better strategy to be quiet…subtle…sneaky, in an attempt to “devour” Christians? I think that Peter, led by the Holy Spirit, was very intentional with his description here of the devil being a roaring lion. Went into a rabbit hole on a lion's roar…there are some spiritual applications to these: Can reach up to 114 decibels…almost as loud as a jet engine taking off They roar for social reasons (territory, create bonds, locate other members of their pride) as well as for purposes of intimidation. One of the primary purposes of the lion's roar is to strike fear in the heart of their prey. The lion will always start with a psychological advantage Fear, anxiety, depression, anger, hatred - these things can absolutely paralyse you spiritually The lion is not necessarily trying to kill you, but to destroy your faith Prayer: Be sober-minded - Have a clear and self disciplined mind - Titus 2 Exercise self control in thoughts, words, and action this is the 3rd time Peter has said this to us in 1 Peter - 1:13, 4:7 - it’s a call to remain alert and focused Being sober-minded means waging war against the things that are detrimental to the mind: fear, hatred, anxiety, depression, anger I believe these are specific things the enemy uses to derail our mental health and cause us to take our guard down Be watchful - this is the same word that Jesus used in the garden before he was arrested and crucified - this is a call to pray Prayers for others - Eph. 6:18 - Ephesians 6:18 - [18] praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, Prayers for yourself - James 1:5 - 5 j If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. So here’s the question… Do you believe in prayer? How much do you trust that God can do the things that you are not able to do? Do you trust God with the big stuff AND the small stuff? Discipleship Questions: 1.) In your personal life, what does being sober minded and watchful look like to you? 2.) Who are the people who help you stand firm in your faith the most? 3.) As a CG look at each of the points of the Theology of Suffering and find Scripture to support each one of those statements: God is ALWAYS good God is ALWAYS enough God will ALWAYS love you 4.) Discuss ways that the God of all grace has restored, confirmed, strengthened, and established you.
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