God's Sovereignty and Glory in Salvation

 

Summary

In exploring the profound truths of Romans 9:19-23, we delve into the sovereignty of God and His divine prerogative in salvation and judgment. The Apostle Paul addresses the objection raised in verse 19, questioning God's justice in finding fault with humanity when His will is irresistible. Paul rebukes this line of questioning by reminding us of our position as mere creations before the Creator, likening us to clay in the hands of a potter. This analogy underscores the sovereignty of God in choosing some for salvation and others for judgment, emphasizing that His actions are beyond human reproach.

Paul further explains that God's patience with the "vessels of wrath" serves a dual purpose: to demonstrate His power and wrath and to highlight the riches of His glory upon the "vessels of mercy." This patience is not an indication of indifference but a deliberate act to reveal His character and attributes. The ultimate aim is to manifest His glory, particularly through the salvation of the elect, which is the most profound expression of His grace and mercy.

The sermon also highlights the mystery of God's long-suffering, as seen in His dealings with Israel and individuals throughout history. This patience is a testament to His compassion, rendering the ungodly inexcusable and making their eventual judgment more striking. Moreover, it provides a period of grace for the salvation of those predestined for mercy.

The riches of God's glory are most vividly displayed in the salvation of sinners, a truth that surpasses even the wonders of creation and providence. This salvation plan, conceived before the foundation of the world, involves the entire Trinity, with each person playing a distinct role. The Father plans, the Son executes, and the Holy Spirit applies this salvation, showcasing the depth of God's love and grace.

Key Takeaways:

- God's Sovereignty and Human Limitation: We are reminded of our position as creations before the Creator, akin to clay in the hands of a potter. This analogy emphasizes God's sovereignty in salvation and judgment, urging us to trust His divine wisdom and justice. [01:37]

- Purpose of God's Patience: God's long-suffering with the ungodly serves to demonstrate His power and wrath while highlighting His glory upon the vessels of mercy. This patience is a deliberate act to reveal His character and attributes, not a sign of indifference. [03:16]

- The Riches of God's Glory in Salvation: The salvation of sinners is the most profound expression of God's grace and mercy, surpassing even the wonders of creation. This divine plan, involving the entire Trinity, showcases the depth of God's love and grace. [14:06]

- The Mystery of God's Long-Suffering: God's patience with Israel and individuals throughout history is a testament to His compassion, rendering the ungodly inexcusable and making their eventual judgment more striking. It also provides a period of grace for the salvation of the elect. [06:09]

- The Role of the Trinity in Salvation: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each play a distinct role in the salvation plan, conceived before the foundation of the world. This collaboration highlights the depth of God's love and the riches of His glory. [33:18]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:13] - Introduction to Romans 9:19-23
- [01:04] - The Objection and Paul's Response
- [01:37] - The Potter and the Clay
- [02:16] - God's Reason for Punishing the Ungodly
- [03:16] - The Mystery of God's Long-Suffering
- [04:07] - Jesus' Words to the Pharisees
- [05:15] - Prophecy and Fulfillment
- [06:09] - Reasons for God's Patience
- [07:12] - The Riches of God's Glory
- [08:38] - Grace and Mercy Extended
- [10:31] - The Revelation of God's Character
- [12:38] - The Injustice Questioned
- [14:06] - The Ultimate Truth About God
- [19:59] - The Wonder of Salvation
- [22:29] - The Riches of His Glory in Redemption
- [33:18] - The Role of the Trinity in Salvation
- [37:58] - Old Testament Preparation
- [40:14] - Examples of God's Glory in Individuals
- [42:27] - Conclusion and Prayer

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Romans 9:19-23
- Matthew 23:34-36
- Ephesians 2:7

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Observation Questions:

1. In Romans 9:19-23, how does Paul address the objection regarding God's justice in finding fault with humanity? What analogy does he use to explain this? [01:37]

2. According to the sermon, what dual purpose does God's patience with the "vessels of wrath" serve? [03:16]

3. How does the sermon describe the role of the Trinity in the salvation plan? [33:18]

4. What examples from the Old Testament are mentioned in the sermon to illustrate God's long-suffering and patience? [06:09]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the analogy of the potter and the clay in Romans 9:19-23 help us understand our position before God? What does this imply about our response to His sovereignty? [01:37]

2. The sermon mentions God's patience as a testament to His compassion. How does this perspective challenge or affirm your understanding of God's character? [06:09]

3. In what ways does the sermon suggest that the salvation of sinners surpasses the wonders of creation and providence? How does this perspective impact our view of salvation? [14:06]

4. How does the sermon explain the involvement of the Trinity in the salvation plan? What does this reveal about the nature of God's love and grace? [33:18]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you questioned God's justice or decisions. How can the analogy of the potter and the clay help you trust in God's sovereignty and wisdom in those moments? [01:37]

2. Consider the ways in which you have experienced God's patience in your life. How can you extend that same patience and compassion to others, especially those who may not yet know Christ? [03:16]

3. The sermon highlights the profound expression of God's grace in the salvation of sinners. How can you actively participate in sharing this message of grace with someone in your life this week? [14:06]

4. The sermon discusses the mystery of God's long-suffering. How can you cultivate a deeper appreciation for God's patience in your daily walk with Him? [06:09]

5. Reflect on the distinct roles of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the salvation plan. How does this understanding influence your relationship with each person of the Trinity? [33:18]

6. Identify an area in your life where you struggle to see God's glory. How can you seek to recognize and appreciate His glory in that area this week? [12:38]

7. The sermon mentions the history of redemption as a testament to God's glory. How can you incorporate the study of biblical history into your spiritual growth to better understand God's redemptive plan? [37:58]

Devotional

Day 1: God's Sovereignty and Our Humble Position
In Romans 9:19-23, the Apostle Paul addresses the challenging question of God's justice in holding humanity accountable when His will is irresistible. He uses the analogy of clay in the hands of a potter to illustrate our position as creations before the Creator. This imagery emphasizes God's sovereignty in choosing some for salvation and others for judgment, urging us to trust in His divine wisdom and justice. As mere creations, we are reminded of our limitations and the importance of humility before God's ultimate authority. [01:37]

Isaiah 45:9-10 (ESV): "Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you making?' or 'Your work has no handles'? Woe to him who says to a father, 'What are you begetting?' or to a woman, 'With what are you in labor?'"

Reflection: In what areas of your life do you struggle to trust God's sovereignty? How can you practice humility and surrender in those areas today?


Day 2: The Purpose of God's Patience
God's long-suffering with the ungodly serves a dual purpose: to demonstrate His power and wrath and to highlight the riches of His glory upon the vessels of mercy. This patience is not a sign of indifference but a deliberate act to reveal His character and attributes. By allowing time for repentance, God showcases His compassion and provides a period of grace for the salvation of those predestined for mercy. This understanding calls us to appreciate the depth of God's patience and the opportunity it provides for transformation. [03:16]

2 Peter 3:9 (ESV): "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."

Reflection: How have you experienced God's patience in your life? What steps can you take to extend that same patience to others around you?


Day 3: The Riches of God's Glory in Salvation
The salvation of sinners is the most profound expression of God's grace and mercy, surpassing even the wonders of creation. This divine plan, involving the entire Trinity, showcases the depth of God's love and grace. The Father plans, the Son executes, and the Holy Spirit applies this salvation, revealing the riches of God's glory. This truth invites us to marvel at the intricacy and beauty of God's redemptive work and to respond with gratitude and worship. [14:06]

Ephesians 1:7-10 (ESV): "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth."

Reflection: How does understanding the role of the Trinity in your salvation deepen your appreciation for God's grace? How can you express this gratitude in your daily life?


Day 4: The Mystery of God's Long-Suffering
God's patience with Israel and individuals throughout history is a testament to His compassion, rendering the ungodly inexcusable and making their eventual judgment more striking. This patience also provides a period of grace for the salvation of the elect. By reflecting on God's long-suffering, we are encouraged to recognize the opportunities for repentance and transformation that His patience affords us. It challenges us to respond to His grace with a heart of repentance and a commitment to live according to His will. [06:09]

Romans 2:4 (ESV): "Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?"

Reflection: In what ways have you taken God's patience for granted? How can you actively seek repentance and align your life with His will today?


Day 5: The Role of the Trinity in Salvation
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each play a distinct role in the salvation plan, conceived before the foundation of the world. This collaboration highlights the depth of God's love and the riches of His glory. Understanding the unique contributions of each person of the Trinity in our salvation invites us to a deeper relationship with God, recognizing the fullness of His love and grace. It calls us to live in a way that reflects the transformative power of this divine plan. [33:18]

John 14:16-17 (ESV): "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you."

Reflection: How does the understanding of the Trinity's role in your salvation impact your relationship with God? What practical steps can you take to deepen your connection with each person of the Trinity?

Quotes



"nay but oh men who art thou that repliest against God shall the thing formed say to him that formed it why hast Thou made me thus has not the Potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel un honor and another un dishonor what if God willing to show his wroth and to make his power known endured with much long suffering the vessels of wroth fitter to destruction and that he might make known The Riches of his glory and the vessels of Mercy which he had aord prepared un to Glory even us whom Heath called not of the Jews only but also of the Gentiles" [00:24:03]

"we see we saw that in punishing the ungodly God seems to put a restraint upon everything that is in him that urges him to punish the ungodly willing is all being Desiring urging him to manifest his wrath upon the children of Disobedience God as it were holds it back he endures with long suffering we've seen that in the case of pharaoh particular example of it but it's to be seen so clearly in his dealings with the children of Israel over their long story and is dealing with individual characters that are put before us in the pages of the Old Testament" [03:00:84]

"God delays and shows this longsuffering for those three main reasons but there is also a further reason and it's to that we come tonight as we look at verse 23 now there is a good deal of disputation amongst the authorities as to the precise relation between verses 22 and 23 are they two separate but parallel statements or are they two parts of one statement is the Apostle saying that on the one hand God does something in the manifestation of his wrath and he does something else in the manifestation of his Mercy or is he saying that verse 23 is a further explanation of verse 22" [07:23:79]

"while God is enduring with much long suffering the vessels of Wrath he is at the same time extending grace and mercy and compassion to those who are the vessels of Mercy the Apostle I suggest is partly saying that that it is at one and the same time a manifestation of his compassion toward the vessels of Wrath and a manifestation of the rich is of his grace to those who are the vessels of Mercy the same period contains the two things and the two elements but I think it is also good and right that we should take them as separate statements" [09:01:59]

"everything that God does is a revelation of some aspect or other of his being and of his character everything that God does in punishing the ungodly God manifests his wrath and his power and at the same time his compassion because of the way in which he does it but in his in showing Mercy towards those who are to be saved he shows the riches of his glory no here it seems to me is the apostles great argument that God in all things on the two sides in the Roth and in the mercy is and the phrase you notice that he keeps on repeating is this that he shows" [10:56:76]

"the ultimate truth about God the ultimate attribute of God if we may so speak is his glory we talk about the power of God his omnipotence and his omniscience and his omnipresence and all these very other attributes but of course ultimately what makes God God Is His glory you can't describe it you can't Define it all the Bible itself does is to give us some kind of description of men and women who have had some glimpse of the glory of God and they fall to the ground and they feel utterly unworthy Glory the most essential attribute of God is his Everlasting and eternal glory" [14:52:39]

"the salvation of a single soul is the most wonderful thing that God has ever done he has s fast and as eclipsed everything all his ways are Godlike matchless and divine the creation Providence all these things the manifestation I say of his power over pharaoh and his H the manifestation of his W all these things are manifestations of the glory of God but they are nothing when you put them at the side of what God has done in the Redemption of men even creation becomes nothing when you put it by the side of this Providence is nothing punishment is nothing everything is eclipsed" [19:35:52]

"the almighty holy Blessed Trinity of persons became concerned about this Fallen mass of humanity and that in their eternal glory they had a councel to contrive and conceive a plan whereby some should be saved now what we are told is this not that God deputed this matter to some angels or archangels this is the plan of God himself the ever lasting and eternal God infinite in all his attributes beyond measure of our understanding he stooks even to consider this matter but he does more than that he evolved his great purpose the thing we've been reading about in the previous chapter" [31:14:27]

"the three persons in the Blessed Holy Trinity are involved and this was all done as we are told before the foundation of the world this is the hidden Mystery before the foundation of the world and we see the three blessed persons dividing this work and this plan up amongst themselves it is the Father's plan but it's got to be carried out and the son volunteers to be the executive agent but then after the work has been done it needs to be applied and the Holy Spirit volunteers to do the applying now this is the division of the work of Salvation amongst the three persons" [33:07:60]

"the Old Testament preparation for all this because there it is the Bible is the history of redemption that's what it RAR a manst and all the history and all that you have about other nations it comes in simply because it throws some light upon the history of redemption some foolish people would have us believe that the Old Testament is the history of men searching for God it isn't it's always the history of God searching for lost men when God as it way came down from heaven into the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve had fallen that's the beginning of the history of redemption" [37:01:56]

"and where you see the special Glory of it all of course is in this respect that in spite of the Folly and the sin and the recalcitrance of these very people whom God has chosen in spite of their idolatry and their backsliding in in spite of everything that is true with them God keeps the purpose going and in doing this he shows us the glory and The Wonder of his ways now perhaps this is seen most clearly of all in the case of certain particular individuals and I simply mention two of them as I close this evening look at a man like Jacob" [39:47:39]

"God in that Old Testament preparation is showing us something of the riches of his glory well I'm afraid we've got to leave it as I say at that for tonight we haven't finished it we haven't exhausted it by any means but I'm just trying to show you this thing which the Apostle puts before us in this most extraordinary manner he throws in this phrase The Riches of his glory I wonder whether we've ever troubled to work that out and to see what he means by it well there it is there is the beginning of it and God willing next night we'll continue with our unfolding" [41:09:28]

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Transcript
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