Beyond Recovery

Beyond Recovery

A sermon delivered by Rev. Peter T. Atkinson

October 28, 2018

at Bethany Presbyterian Church, Zuni, Virginia

Romans 11: 11-21

Jonah 4: 4-11

Let us pray,

Help us to see despite our eyes

Help us to think outside of our minds

Help us to be more than our lives

For your eyes show the way

Your mind knows the truth

Your being is the life.

Amen.

So for the last few weeks we’ve been in anguish with Paul about his sadness over so many of his people not converting, not being drawn to Christ, and he continues on this theme with our lesson for this week, as he continues further into chapter 11. Listen to what he writes this week: this is chapter 11:11-21

 ¹¹ Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all!Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. ¹² But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!

¹³ I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry ¹⁴ in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. ¹⁵ For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? ¹⁶ If the part of the dough offered as firstfruitsis holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

¹⁷ If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, ¹⁸ do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. ¹⁹ You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” ²⁰ Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

In reading that this week there were two things that jumped out to me. . . one the first line, which was, “did they stumble as to fall beyond recovery” and the other that the purpose of the gentile ministry was to create envy in those who had not fallen in the fold, so I thought that I would spend some time reacting to those, that in fact there would be two sermons, one on stumbling beyond recovery, and one on this positive view of envy but I want to do the envy one first.

Because of all the seven deadly sins, envy is the one I most dislike. . . it causes the most problems. . .

It’s so bad that it has two of the ten commandments about it. . . Right Thou shalt not covet. . . not thy neighbor’s wife, not thy neighbor’s house, his slaves, his animals. . . or anything else. . . they are pretty clear on this whole coveting thing being bad.

Let’s define envy then:

If Pride is self-idolatry, a disordered love.

Envy is the cousin of pride, disordered hate.

Envy is instead consumed with the idea that everyone else and everything else is threatening or diminishing to us

St. Thomas Aquinas says that envy is the hatred of a good enjoyed by one’s neighbor or the rejoicing in his harm. The proud man wants to usurp the lord’s rightful power. The envious man wants there to be no lord at all.

It comes from the latin word Invidia – which means seeing inside out, or looking at things wrong

Which fits the Divine Comedy – in Purgatory, those who are envious have their eyes shown shut with wire. . .

Reminds me of Thumper, and his daddy, if you can’t say anything nice. . . or in this case if you can’t see anything nice. . . don’t see anything at all.

the Parson in the Canterbury Tales says that it is the worst of all sins because it is the only one that seeks to pull down others, rather than just a fall from your own virtue. . .

Our Old Testament Lesson is a great example of this as well. . .

 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

⁵ Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. ⁶ Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant^[a] and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. ⁷ But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. ⁸ When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die,and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”

⁹ But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”

¹⁰ But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. ¹¹ And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh,in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

Proverbs 14:30

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

Romans 1:29

They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,

I can’t stand envy. . . we used to have an envy bush. . . the girls would have to run to it

We see it in our world too. . . and in adults. . . there is nothing worse for the community, for the country than the politically correct push for egalitarianism. . . or a false equality of outcomes. . . There is a difference between equal opportunity and equal results. .  hatred of another person’s success, which we’ve defined envy to be, not only hurts us and our relationships but it tears down the foundation that we build our communities on. . .

No two people are given the same fortune, the same talent, the same, health, the same ingenuity, the same work ethic. . . we just aren’t the same. . . why not?

Because obviously it is not God’s will that we would all be the same. . . God seems to like things that break categories and are a little messy. . .

Equal is straight lines and perfect angles. . . but what map of nature have you ever seen like that. . .

No God makes the lion and the lamb, the cheetah and the elephant, the hippo and the sailfish. . . the flea and the whale. . . equality does not seem to be his thing.

So this envy thing is having an ungrateful heart that is blind to the gifts we have been given in focus of our neighbors. . .

Looking at that greener grass on the other side of the fence, so sure that the other has it so much easier than you do, wishing to take a walk in someone else’s shoes in theory, but never having done so. . .

It’s a lack of gratitude and a lack of empathy. . . because we all face trials and nothing is as easy or bad as it seems and the grass is not greener over there.

But as despicable as envy is. . . look at how Paul uses it here.

What do you think of that

What do you think of God using sin as a means of inspiring folks to salavation

Paul of all people . . . does this mean we should sin so grace abounds. . . by no means! He say. . . isn’t God made the greater by our sins. . . by no means!

“, I take pride in my ministry ¹⁴ in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. “

I hope that it will arouse my people to envy. . .

Now I’ve always said that I am not for scaring people to salvation because I don’t think it creates a lasting genuine love. . . but how bout this envy thing?

Can envy, which we’ve shown to be a vile sin, a horrible sin, a community shattering, relationship destroying sin? Can envy be a path to salvation? Can envy which drives wedges between people, separating them, dividing them and building walls of resentment actually be a step towards Salvation and a fuller relationship with God?

If we are to listen to Paul, and he is calling us to, then yes it must be. . .

God can even use the vilest of sins as a means towards salvation. . .

We talked about God hardening and softening hearts. . . is this possibly one of those ways he does it?

One thing that it shows, that envy shows is desire. . . and desire for God is a marker, it shows something about where our hearts are. . .

Ftheonou – envy in Romans 1

Parazelostho – envy in Romans 11

WE can see the roots in these – theo – God in Romans 1

And para – beside --- and zelostho – which means boiling. . . beside boiling misplaced desire, but zeal is in that too, which is a boiling over. . . passion is something God is about.

Which brings me to the next part. . . did they stumble as to fall beyond recovery? By no means. . .

This really does speak to the glory of God, because if God can even use a sin like envy, which we have shown to be so vile. . . then there is nothing that he can’t use to bring us to salvation. . . there is no limit to his power. . . he always shows up. . . and we see it throughout the Biblical story. . . again and again God shows up, and it is us that hides, it is ourselves that runs away, but God is there again and again, throughout, constant, steadfast.

I said in the weekend welcome how important context is. . .we’ve already looked at it once today with the idea that Paul uses two different words, though we translate them the same – envy. . . but think about an earlier point that Paul makes, and how much his words echo eachother, and make each other true. . .

 ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing, not even envy, not even the greatest sin,  nothing can separate us from the love of God that is Christ Jesus, , for God is very much in control. . . and everything he uses as means to bring us towards salvation, and means to give us a new chance at extending and passing on grace. . .

For as he says we are grafted into a vine, we are not the roots but branches grafted in, we do not make the plant holy, the root does. . . and the root is. . . holy

The Stumbling Stone

The Stumbling Stone

A sermon delivered by Rev. Peter T. Atkinson

October 21, 2018

at Bethany Presbyterian Church, Zuni, Virginia

Romans 9: 30-33

Romans 10: 1-8

Isaiah 8: 11-18

Let us pray,

Help us to see despite our eyes

Help us to think outside of our minds

Help us to be more than our lives

For your eyes show the way

Your mind knows the truth

Your being is the life.

Amen.

Last week we scrunched up our noses and talked about Anguish. We talked about it because Paul talked about. He was lamenting the fact that so many of his people, the children of Israel were not coming to Jesus, were rejecting the word. Now again, remember such has been his theme often here, extending grace to Gentiles. . . explaining how salvation comes from faith and not the law, how there is no difference. . . and this can cause people great anguish, who for so long have counted on being the chosen people, God’s chosen people. . . it causes Paul great anguish in his heart because he sees them falling, those who have counted on being chosen, may not be, and he explains how God’s sovereignty works, how he is in control, how he makes the decisions, and how he knows that there is nothing we can do to influence God in that decision, and how even though it causes him great anguish, he knows that it is the truth, is convicted in it as truth. How often do we do that? How often do we accept a truth that we do not like, especially theological one, but look at Paul, he knows this is the case, because he certainly didn’t deserve being the one chosen by God to deliver this message, but he was, all those years back on the Road to Damascus. Jesus came to him. . . and not the other way around. . .

So this week we continue with the theme, and look at what Paul is going to say gets in the way. . . this the end of Chapter 9 – 30-33

³⁰ What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; ³¹ but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness,have not attained their goal. ³² Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.³³ As it is written:

“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall,
    and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”

Gentiles who haven’t even been pursuing it obtain it. . . righteousness by their faith. . .

But Jews who were pursuing it, through law, through righteousness, have not attained their goal. . . why, not by faith but instead by works. . .

And they fell over the stumbling stone. . .

But what is this stumbling stone? What is that which causes us to fall?

Maybe first we can look at the context here, it seems that falling is pursuing the goal by works instead of faith. . .

But how does that make someone stumble. . . He’s made this point before in other ways, but how is he going to make it this time. . .

He is quoting Isaiah, but he is combining two separate places, to make his point for one mentions this “Stumbling Stone” and the other does not. . . first our old Testament Lesson

One is here Isaiah 8: 11-18

¹¹ This is what the Lord says to me with his strong hand upon me,warning me not to follow the way of this people:

¹² “Do not call conspiracy
    everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,
    and do not dread it.
¹³ The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,
    he is the one you are to fear,
    he is the one you are to dread.
¹⁴ He will be a holy place;
    for both Israel and Judah he will be
a stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall.
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
    a trap and a snare.
¹⁵ Many of them will stumble;
    they will fall and be broken,
    they will be snared and captured.”

¹⁶ Bind up this testimony of warning
    and seal up God’s instruction among my disciples.
¹⁷ I will wait for the Lord,
    who is hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob.
I will put my trust in him.

¹⁸ Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.

There is where there is talk of the stumbling stone,

The other place is Isaiah 28;16. . . which you can see some of the language Paul quotes. . . its like he combines the two.

See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,
    a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who relies on it
    will never be stricken with panic.
¹⁷ I will make justice the measuring line
    and righteousness the plumb line;
hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
    and water will overflow your hiding place.

Remember Paul says. . .

“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall,
    and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”

So in combining these two parts of Isaiah he is showing how the foundational corner stone, that we know to be Jesus Christ, from other New Testament places where this metaphor is used, remember the stone that was rejected, has become the corner stone. . . that this corner stone has become the prophecized stumbling stone. . . but why? But how?

What happens with striving for righteousness through the Law that is bad. . . since Paul has many times argued that it is not bad in itself. . . what is the stumbling stone, that causes those striving for righteousness to falter, stumble, and fall. . .

I think the answer comes if we continue right along into chapter 10 of Romans. . . let’s look at 10: 1-8. .

10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. ² For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.³ Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. ⁴ Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

Since we know Paul, as a former Pharisee. . . we know that this is the big change in his heart from his Damascus Road moment with Christ. . . this is what has changed, because before this, this very argument that Paul is addressing would have been his before, and now it isn’t. . . but look how he continues

⁵ Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.”^[a] 6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”^[b] (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷ “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’”^[c] (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).⁸ But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”^[d] that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim

You see this comes directly from the Old Testament to, this time from Deuteronomy:

¹¹ Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. ¹² It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” ¹³ Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” ¹⁴ No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

I’ve always had trouble with that question about “who is ascending to heaven” – that eye on the prize kinda thinking. . . to me the doing, the relationship, the reaching is important

But look, what is the word that Paul adds to the Deuteronomy . . . do not say in your heart. . . who will ascend to heaven. .

In your heart.

How do you take this heart business. . . ?

Do you have control of what your heart says? Maybe but it takes much to do so. . .

Do you know how many times the word heart is used in the Bible --- at least in the NIV translation?      725 – pretty good right

But looking through them is really eye opening. . .

I want to share a few, but I was amazed by how many of them centered the worship of God in the heart, AND expressed it as unified. . . having a unified, God centered heart. . .

Genesis 6:5

The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.

Deuteronomy 4:29

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Deuteronomy 6:5

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength

Deuteronomy 8:14

then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

Psalm 14:1

[ Psalm 14 ] [ For the director of music. Of David. ] The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.

So many in the Old Testament have to do with oneness of heart, directed unconflicted to God. . .

But in the New Testament there are some really interesting ones

Matthew 6:21 

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 5:8

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Matthew 12:34

You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

Matthew 15:8

“‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

Mark 7:21

For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder,

Luke 5:22

Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?

Luke 16:15

He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.

So we ask the question. . . how is your heart. . . where is your heart?

Where does works righteousness put your heart?

What is that stumbling block?

Is it entitlement?

Should we look to kings and princes to put right the inequalities between rich and poor? Should we require soldiers to come and seize the rich person’s gold, and distribute it among his destitute neighbors? Should we beg the Emperor to impose a tax on the rich so great that it reduces them to the level of the poor, and then to share the proceeds of that tax among everyone? Equality imposed by force would achieve nothing, and do much harm. Those who combined both cruel hearts and sharp minds would soon find ways of making themselves rich again. Worse still, the rich - whose gold was taken away - would feel bitter and resentful; while the poor - who received the gold from the hands of soldiers - would feel no gratitude, because no generosity would have prompted the gift. Far from bringing moral benefit to society, it would actually do moral harm. Material justice cannot be accomplished by compulsion, a change of heart will not follow. The only way to achieve true justice is to change people’s hearts first—and then they will joyfully share their wealth." 

Where is your heart when you make it a transaction?

Where is your heart when you make salvation a transaction?

Is that the stumbling block that occurs?

Expectation? Is that where they have gone wrong?

Seek relationship, seek Jesus, love God. . . let everything else flow from that faith. . .

When I first sang for you, back last summer,  I sang a song where I wrote, “I seek to love God not just to be saved, I seek to know God not just behave. . . “

Build the relationship, know your heart. . .

When I was in college I was an English Major, and I remember at one point in my life watching Dead Poet’s Society, and remember Robin Williams as a teacher asking his students why we read and write poetry. . . and they offer stock answers, and he says, NO. . . to Woo women. . .

Now I must have taken this to heart because I can remember some of those great lines from Shakespeare. . . like

Good night Sweet Princ (ess) may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest. . .

And

I cannot heave my heart into my mouth. . .

But my all time favorite was from Much ado about Nothing

I love you with so much of my heart that there is nothing left to protest. . .

Can we seek to love God in that way, where our entire heart is unified and directed to God?

The Anguish of Truth

The Anguish of Truth

A sermon delivered by Rev. Peter T. Atkinson

October 14, 2018

at Bethany Presbyterian Church, Zuni, Virginia

Romans 9: 1-19

Exodus 9: 8-12

Let us pray,

Help us to see despite our eyes

Help us to think outside of our minds

Help us to be more than our lives

For your eyes show the way

Your mind knows the truth

Your being is the life.

Amen.

Story of memorizing Tell all the Truth . . .

Tell all the truth but tell it slant —

Success in Circuit lies

Too bright for our infirm Delight

The Truth's superb surprise

As Lightning to the Children eased

With explanation kind

The Truth must dazzle gradually

Or every man be blind —

It is one of my favorite poems to this day. . . and I can recall it whenever, having spent that final exam time, going through it. . . at the time it kept falling out of my brain, but now it is there, and will be forever. . .

But it’s message is so true because telling the truth to someone when you know it may hurt them is one of the hardest things to do. . . and it’s especially hard when you need to tell them for them not for you. . . if you need to tell them for you, often maybe it’s better to keep it to yourself, there is always so much to weigh in those situatons.

But when you need to tell someone something, they are not going to like it, but they need to hear it, is one of the hardest things to do. . . Emily Dickinson says that sometimes the truth must dazzle gradually if it really to set in. . . but sometimes that strategy just won’t work. . .

Paul finds himself in this very place. . . his message he knows is true, he’s convicted by it, in it, and through it, he’s had his encounter with the Risen Christ, on the road to Damascus, he has reread scripture, he has applied his new knowledge to everything he has ever known, and he now is preaching it, travelling creating churches, supporting churches, and instructing churches in his knowledge. . . but he knows that to many of the people he loves, this teaching will be a challenge. It will be new, and many of those whom Paul loves just may reject it. And time is short for him. We, with the perspective that history grants us, know that Paul’s life will be cut short, and the sense that time is short, the sense that the time is now, that they are living in apocalyptic times is throughout his letters.

So he must push forward this message. . . listen to his words. . . and the anguish he feels as he writes, this his most thorough treatment of the good news he brings. . . though in that anguish he laments that all will and do not see it as good.

Here is Romans 9: 1-19, but we’ll look at it in parts. . . the first part being 1-5

9 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— ² I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ³ 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, ⁴ 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. ⁵ Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised!^[a] Amen.

Here he is the spreader of good news. . . but he has sorrow and unceasing anguish in his heart. . .

I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ- for the sake of my people

And that is exactly his issue. His people are rejecting Christ

Those who have always been chosen. . . anguish

What a great word it is. . . its one of those perfect words that sound like what it means. . .anguish. . . . you almost can’t even say it without letting out a little grown and squinching up your face. . . look at what saying it does. . . .

And they were chosen. . . theirs the patriarchs the human ancestry of the messiah. . .

But he goes into more detail about the issue. . . 6-9

⁶ It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. ⁷ 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.”^[b] 8 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. ⁹ For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”^[c]

Look at these details. . . he is again going back to the beginning, the foundations of what it means to be a child of Israel. . . and it leads us to ask the question. . . Why Isaac and not Ishmael? I mean really when you think about it? Why Isaac and not Ishmael? Why does God choose one over the other. . . back to that in a minute. 10-13

¹⁰ Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac. ¹¹ Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: ¹² not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”^[d] 13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”^[e]

Whoa we come to it and again God is doing the same thing? Why one and not the other? And its not because it’s the older, but instead the younger. . . so even that breaks the mold. . . . He doesn’t mention it, but we can even go back farther. . . isn’t this the same issue with Cain and Abel? How should we react? How did he? Let’s listen to Paul, remember Paul is in anguish. . . (see my face scrunched again) 14-15

¹⁴ What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! ¹⁵ For he says to Moses,

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
    and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”^[f]

Here is Paul with another of his “not at alls” . . . logic might point us in that direction. . . . our human wants and desires might point us in that direction. . . the past. . . tradition. . . every fiber in our being might have us questioning. . . but that is that old slavery. . . the kind where we find our brother lying in the dirt below with his skull crushed by the stone that just happens to be sitting still in our hand. . . 16

¹⁶ It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 

So that leaves us asking. . . what is it? That’s a big it. It would appear if we were to look backward we would find that it is “God’s compassion. . . . “ and that doesn’t depend on human desire or effort. . . but on God’s mercy. . .

And what’s the difference between compassion and mercy. . . they are both generally the same. One might say that one gives cause to the other. . . out of compassion comes mercy. . . but check this out. . . Compassion depends upon God’s mercy. . . . ain’t that backwards. . . and the answer is yes, but not to flip the world upside down, although in many ways it does, but instead it creates a circle. . . and in this circle there is no beginning and now end. . . in other words it is eternal. . . just like God, and therefore God’s mercy is not reacting to us, is not dependent on us, but is completely free, unto itself. . .  how does that make you feel? Anguish? Let’s get back to Paul, and close it out. . . . 17-19

¹⁷ For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”^[g] 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

Whoa. . . really. . . God turns those hearts he so desires. . . either to compassion, and faith as we have seen with Paul, and towards hardness, as we see with Pharaoh.

I was at Monday Night Bible Study. . . and we talked about God hardening the heart of Pharaoh. . . I heard it said, can’t remember who, doesn’t matter. . . but they said. . . we don’t really think God did that do we?

Paul seems to. . . but good thing for us we have instant replay. . . we can go to the tape, well the text, but remember we need incontrovertible evidence to overturn the call on the field. . .. which was by Paul saying. . . yes God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. . .

Let’s enter the booth, and check this situation out. . . Exodus 9: 8-12

⁸ Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh.⁹ It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on people and animals throughout the land.”

¹⁰ So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on people and animals. ¹¹ The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians. ¹² But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said to Moses.

WE back it up and replay it there it is verse 12. . . his knee was down, by contact. . . yes the call on the field has been confirmed. . . the Lord in fact did harden Pharaoh’s heart.

But maybe we still have some grumbling in the play by play booth. . . “I know they made the call, but I’m just not seeing it. . . We have a few more camera angles

Vers 10:20

But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.

V 10: 27

But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go.

V11: 10

Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country.

Now you might say to yourself. . . I do not believe that the God I worship would do such a thing. . . perhaps. . . but at that point you have left the authority of scripture. . . which is your right to do. . . but it is something that must be acknowledged. . . .

Anguish right. . . say it with me anguish. . . did you feel your cheeks pinch into a frown of disgust.

And those other denominations are always giving us a hard time. . . telling us we are all hung up on predestination. . . . you read this. . . and you wonder why we are the only ones. . .

We’ll fight to the nail about creation in 7 days. . . noah and the ark. . . and the virgin birth, but in a Bible containing these anguish filled lines. . . Calvinists get a bad wrap for holding up the doctrine of Predestination

But is it predestination or is it God sovereignty. . . Paul says

God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

It reminds me of Jamie Fox playing Ray Charles in the movie. . . and he plays one of those signature Ray Charles licks on the piano and puts the song just into orbit. . .and when he finishes the room erupts, calling him a genius. . . he saya. . .its gonna do what its gonna do baby. . . there is something else in charge of it. . . .

But is it that we get in with the predestination language when we start talking about Heaven and Hell. . . because look at where Paul takes it next. . . . this closes our reading 19 and going over into 20 & 21

¹⁹ One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” 

You see, we do want to go to the mysteries of heaven and hell. . . Paul predicts it. . . why still blame us? Why condemnation? If he is in control. . . what is it all about then? How does Paul answer. . . he again steals from the Old Testament. . .listen he says

²⁰ 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?’”^[h] 21 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?

We’ve heard this before right?

Isaiah 29:16

You turn things upside down,
    as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!
Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it,
    “You did not make me”?
Can the pot say to the potter,
    “You know nothing”?

Or 45:9

“Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker,
    those who are nothing but potsherds
    among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,
    ‘What are you making?’
Does your work say,
    ‘The potter has no hands’?

The ones in Job, go back and look at Job 38 – 42 sometime, they are phenomenal

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
    Tell me, if you understand.
5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
    Who stretched a measuring line across it?
6 On what were its footings set,
    or who laid its cornerstone—
7 while the morning stars sang together
    and all the angels[a] shouted for joy?

Have you ever given orders to the morning,
    or shown the dawn its place,
13 that it might take the earth by the edges
    and shake the wicked out of it?

Have you entered the storehouses of the snow?

Can you bind the chains of the Pleides

Can you raise your voice to the clouds

Job 40

“Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
    Let him who accuses God answer him!”

“Would you discredit my justice?
    Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
9 Do you have an arm like God’s,
    and can your voice thunder like his?
10 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
    and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.
11 Unleash the fury of your wrath,
    look at all who are proud and bring them low,

No  you can’t

Or Job 41 – Can you capture Leviathan?

You see we can’t. . . God is bigger than you and I. . . Elvis sings about it. . .

Who made the mountains. . . who made the spring

Who made the songs for the Robins to sing

And who brings the rain when the earth is dry

Somebody bigger than you and I. . .

It’s not about predestination it is about the amazing world shaking sovereignty of God.  . . who is very much in control, who can harden our hearts, and who if he so wills compassion, mercy, and grace, will do so with no Earthly reason for it that we can comprehend. . .

Alleluia right. . . . Amen right. . .

Why is this a theological stumbling point? Why is there anguish?

Why does it confuse us?

Why do we make something so simple complicated?

Because we don’t like it. . .

I one time wrote a poem called “Mercy” . .. I put it in the weekend welcome. . .if you want a copy I can make you one. . . or I have it in a book I published. . . which are available online, for purchase, if your heart is so compelled by compassion? Or because you know me I might just be able to get you a good deal on one. . .  It’s about what we don’t like. . .

Fairness does not survive in a world of grace,

For it would be fair and just to punish us,

For we fall far short of the standard.

It makes us question the divine wisdom of one,

Who creates a world that makes no sense

To us for we cannot fathom mercy.

Mercy takes away the limits that comfort us,

Finding peace in control, in order, in symmetry,

Blind to invisible order outside of our plans.

We need limits because we are created finite.

At some point, though we push, there is the end.

It takes mercy and love and faith and

God out of our plausible categories. To truly

Understand God, our must be put aside,

Leaving only the eternal mercy of the infinite.

Yo that’s way deep. . . I can hear my student’s now. . . I just don’t get poetry. . . and I’d be like what part. . .

That eternal mercy of the infinite. . . that sounds crazy. . .

Why?

You know what eternal means. . . yes

Mercy. . . yes

Infinite . . . yes

Then whats the problem. . . I just don’t get it

Is it that  you don’t get it or you don’t agree with it. . . and so your mind makes you stop short of it all. . .

I think we as humans do that all the time.

We say things are complicated. . . we say it’s hard. . . confusing. . . because we don’t like it

God’s sovereignty is a pretty concrete concept.

God is in complete control. . .he gives compassion. . . when he wants

He gives mercy when he wants

He hardens hearts when he wants

And it is not in reaction, but connected to his perfectly, free, infinite, eternal, will

I’m not saying it’s easy to accept, but it is easy to understand.

To truly understand God, our must be put aside --- another concrete line of poetry

Help us to see despite our eyes

Help us to think outside of our minds

Help us to be more than our lives

You see this is why in my statement of faith I wrote. . . God is the great poet of the universe

Because you see he creates things as plain as day, but in trying to grasp them, to know them, we lose sight of them

I don’t get poetry Coach A. . . me neither, but its not for you to get. . . it’s not a mystery for you to solve. . . it is a gift for you to experience.

So is grace. . . Let go.

The anguish comes because we don’t want to.

I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart, Paul says. . .

Too bright for our infirm delight the truth’s superb surprise. . .

We have to be freed from our infirm delight first. . . then we can hear the truth

For sin has been taken from us, our burden lifted. . .

This was done at the cross. . . we should not then need to tell it nor hear it slant any more. . .

God help us when we do.