Pastor Steve Hopkins' sermon at Barnet Bible Church focuses on the doctrine of God's purpose according to election, as detailed in Romans 9:7-13. He explains that not all descendants of Abraham are considered children of God, but rather those who are children of the promise, as exemplified by Isaac over Ishmael, and Jacob over Esau. The sermon emphasizes that God's electing love predates any human action or merit, underscoring the humility it should inspire among believers. Hopkins argues that God's word has not failed concerning Israel, despite their widespread rejection of Christ, as true children of God are determined by promise and election, not ethnic descent. He further illustrates this with references to Galatians, affirming that both Jewish and Gentile believers are children of promise. The sermon concludes with a call to humility, acknowledging that salvation is solely by God's mercy and not human effort, urging listeners to embrace this truth.

Welcome back to Barnet Bible Church. Join us this week as Pastor Hopkins continues his sermon series through the book of Romans. The purpose of God according to election. Romans chapter 9 verses 7 through 13. Let's read together the word of the Lord.

Neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children, but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. For this is the word of promise, at this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac, for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. It was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger.

As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Let's pray. Father, we praise you, oh God, for your amazing grace shown us, Lord, that you've given us eyes to see and ears to hear, hearts to understand the truth. And God, as we begin to look into the teaching of your word on the doctrine of election, we ask for the Holy Spirit to guide us into the way of truth. And you might be pleased to grant us, O God, humble hearts, seeing we've been given the gift of so great a salvation.

For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. Let's be seated. So again, the title of the sermon is that the purpose of God according to election might stand. Charles Spurgeon once said in a sermon that he preached back in the late 1800s, he said, "'Friends, if you want to be humbled, study election, for it will make you humble under the influence of God's Spirit.

He who is proud of his election is not elect, And he who is humbled under a sense of it may believe that he is. He has every reason to believe that he is. For it is one of the most blessed effects of election that it helps us to humble ourselves before God." If you have your Bibles open, I hope you do, to Romans chapter nine. Flip back to Romans chapter eight for just a moment because I want to remind the congregation that the theme of God's electing love that is hammered out here in Romans chapter nine didn't begin in chapter nine, but you'll remember it began in chapter eight. It was there in chapter eight and verse 29 that we read, for whom he did for know, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son.

The chain of your salvation, if you're a believer in Jesus Christ here today, began with God's electing love and eternity past. We really hammered that out, I think, in the last few months. It began with his electing love in eternity past, his foreknowing you in an intimate and distinguishing way, with an intimate and distinguishing love before the world began. And in a few minutes, if you're looking at Romans nine and our text from Romans nine this afternoon, in a few minutes, we're going to come to that verse that tells us this very thing concerning Jacob. Says Jacob.

It tells us that God loved Jacob. Jacob have I loved, he says in verse 13. Jacob, who is later called Israel, His name is changed to Israel. And he tells us that God loved Jacob before he was ever born and before he and his twin brother Esau were ever born And before he and his brother Esau had either done any good or any evil, and that for the purpose that God's purpose according to election might stand. In Romans chapter 8, we read that those whom God did for know or for love, with this distinguishing, in this distinguishing sense, He did also predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son.

If you're a believer, that's the love, wherewith God loved you before you were born and before you had done any good or any evil. Paul went on, you may remember from our study of Romans chapter 8, he said in those he predestinated he also called with a calling that results in their justification, their final, their justification or being justified in God's sight. And finally, their glorification at Christ's coming when they'll be ushered into Christ's presence in heaven and fully conformed to his image. God's electing love for his people, Paul went on, assures us that He is for us and not against us, and therefore that none can be against us or ultimately condemn us or fully or finally separate us from His love." And then picking up with chapter 9, what we saw was that the Jews were brought in. Paul starts this theme of predestination in chapter eight, and then in chapter nine he brings in the Jews, his brethren according to the flesh.

And you remember in our last session I said he communicates this love for them. It's so great that he says he'd be willing to be eternally cursed in their place if it would only mean they could be eternally saved, yet at the same time knowing it doesn't work that way. And then we looked at how the apostle anticipating this possibility that someone might conclude, well, I guess the word of God has somehow failed concerning the Jews. Despite all their national privileges, they've almost universally rejected Christ, and so it is to this day. And Paul said, no, hold on, the word of God hasn't failed.

This near universal rejection of the gospel, despite their national adoption, Despite the glory of God manifested to them, the covenants of God made with them, the worship of God revealed to them, the promises of God concerning the coming of Christ through them and even Christ's lineage from the Hebrew fathers, none of this is proof that the word of God has failed concerning Israel. God's eternal purpose according to election stands. It continues. Paul says the issue is not, and we went through this in our last session, is not that the word of God has somehow failed concerning them. It's the issue is that they're not all Israel who are of Israel.

They're not all spiritual Israel who are of the tribes of Israel. And then we went on and in verse seven, we saw Paul take his argument back to Abraham. And then in verse seven, we saw Paul take his argument back to Abraham from Jacob, who is called Israel, back to Jacob's grandfather, Abraham, who, by the way, is the first Jew. And this is where Paul tells us that neither merely because they are the seed of Abraham are they all true children? And I made the point of the case that God never promised to save all of Abraham's descendants.

That's what Paul is teaching. And his case in point was Isaac. Remember Paul quoted the promise from Genesis 21-12 to Abraham where God says, "'In Isaac shall thy seed be called.'" Remember Abraham had two sons, Isaac and Ishmael, but Ishmael is passed over and Isaac is chosen. And I say what you have to understand is that as the apostle Paul said, they that are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God. Just because you're born the physical offspring of Abraham, you're an ethnic Israelite like Ishmael was, doesn't make you a child of God.

They're not all children of God, he's saying, and they're not all the children of God, they're not all the heirs of God and heirs of salvation, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed or reckoned for the offspring that are the children of God. And if anyone would doubt Paul's meeting and that the promised heirs of salvation are not specific to ethnic Israel. I said turn to Galatians chapter four and verse 28, and I wanna add something to that this afternoon, so if you would turn with me to Galatians chapter four and verse 28. This is so important. Galatians chapter four and verse 28.

This is so important. Galatians chapter four and verse 28. Look at this, here Paul is speaking to Gentile believers. So right now he's dealing with the Jews, Right? Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who are the chosen, you know, who are the true children of God, who are the children of the promise, who are counted for the seed.

Here in Galatians 4.28, Paul is speaking to Gentile believers at the Church of Galatia. And he says, now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. We, like Isaac, are also children of promise. God's promise was not specific to ethnic Israel. God never intended to save every descendant of Abraham or every Gentile believer for that matter.

But all those whom he had chosen to save were the Jew or Gentile, that his purpose according to election might stand." Oh, I know it's a hated word in most of the churches of America today. You can get run out on a rail for talking about election. I was reading an article by Dr. Sproul and he was talking about a he was called to do a debate and he kept trying to debate and he kept trying to be okay well let's look at Romans 9 And he said he could not get the man to discuss Romans 9. He couldn't get him to this pasture to discuss Romans 9.

But Romans 9 is where the doctrine of election and predestination are best articulated and communicated in the Word of God and pulled so many scriptures together. At any rate, that His purpose according to election might stand. That the children of the promise, whether they're Israelites or whether they're Gentiles, They're the heirs together, heirs of God, children of God, children of the promise, the true sons and daughters of Abraham who, like Abraham, believed God. And it was accounted to them for righteousness. But Galatians 3, 7, flip back a couple pages, makes it absolutely clear who the children are.

Know you therefore that they which are of faith, Galatians 3, 7, the same are what? What does it say? Know you therefore that they which are of faith the same are the children of Abraham, spiritual children of Abraham, of the faith of Abraham, their father. And again, that was written to Gentiles, non-Jews. But if there's any doubt as to what the implications are with regards to Paul's reference to Isaac and Ishmael in Galatians 428, go back to Galatians 428, where he says, now we brethren as Isaac was are the children of promise.

Look at this, Look at verse 29. People just, I think, pass over this verse a lot of times. Galatians chapter four and verse 29. Look what Paul says. Here Paul says, he that was born after the flesh, that's a reference to Ishmael, persecuted him who was born after the Spirit.

And even so it is now in the world. The children of promise we see here are born again. They're regenerated. Here we read that Ishmael was born after the flesh and Isaac was born after the Spirit. Robert Haldane, Scottish theologian, late 1800s comments here, Ishmael, it is said, was born after the flesh.

This denoted that though he was descended from Abraham, according to the laws of nature, he was not a son of Abraham's faith. Isaac was also in a certain sense born like Ishmael after the flesh, right? Because he was naturally descended from Abraham. But not of the flesh merely, nor of the flesh naturally, for according to the course of nature he never would have even been born. But at the same time, remember their parents are too old, but at the same time he was more, he was more than that.

He was not only a son of Abraham's flesh, but his son as born after the Spirit, close quote. Paul adds that Ishmael, who's not among the elect of God, born merely after the flesh, not after the Spirit of God, does what all unregenerate, unsaved people do, he persecutes those who are born of the Spirit. He persecutes Isaac, the chosen, regenerated, born again, child of God. And so it's always been, and so it is even unto this day. Those born after the flesh persecute those born after the Spirit whether they're Jews or Gentiles.

Brothers and sisters, the children of promise are the true children of God whether Jew or Gentile and they are chosen before they are even conceived in the womb. As it was with Abraham's sons, son and grandson, so it is with all. They are chosen, all who are chosen of God are chosen before they are even conceived in the womb. Romans 9, 9, for this is the word of promise, at this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son." This is a year earlier. He's not even conceived in the womb yet.

At this time I will come. This is back in our text in Romans 9.9. At the appointed time, God says, I'm going to exert my power. And Sarah, who is beyond childbearing years, she's going to have a son, miraculously have a son at the age of 90. That's Genesis 18, 14.

At the appointed time, I'm going to come about this time next year and I will call him into being this son of Promise and he will be reckoned for the seed the true seed not only a child of Abraham But a child of God not only heir of the promises made to the nation, but an heir of the promise of salvation, not only born of the seed of Abraham, but born of the Spirit, born of God. The children of the flesh are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted or reckoned for the true seed. Why? That the purpose of God according to election might stand. That's what Paul's been driving at.

That's what he's driving at. And if Anyone at this point might still doubt God's purpose in election is the determining factor as to the true children of God, the true Israel, the heirs of salvation. Paul says, take a look at Isaac's two sons. We'll look at them briefly. Jacob and Esau.

Look at the text. Again, what we're going to see here is that God never promised to save all the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God choosing Isaac over Ishmael was the first case in point. That they're not all spiritual Israel who are of ethnic Israel, that the true children of Abraham, the true children of God, who are the heirs of God's promised salvation are reckoned by promise and not by physical descent. And second, he says, consider Jacob and Esau, verse 10.

Consider Jacob and Esau. Why does he go on with Jacob and Esau? Wasn't that enough? No. Paul is going to remove every possible objection.

Here are two sons, okay, unlike Isaac and Ishmael, that are born from the same father and the same mother. Okay, Isaac and Rebekah, They're born, Jacob and Esau are born from Isaac and Rebecca, unlike Isaac and Ishmael, who were sons of the same father, but not the same mother. So what's the objection? Someone might say, well, look, Ishmael was a son of Abraham, he's a Jew, but his mother was Hagar, she was an Egyptian, not a Jew, so it's just ethnic. That's why Isaac was chosen and not Ishmael.

Paul says not so fast, no, not so fast. Rebecca, the word before us says, conceived Jacob and Esau by one man, our father Isaac, okay? Jacob and Esau were born of the same parents, both Jews. They were twins, born from the same womb, born only a few minutes apart. And yet God chooses Jacob and passes over Esau.

God chooses the one over the other. Charles Hodge, great Princeton theologian. Not only does the case of Isaac and Ishmael prove that The choice of God does not depend on natural descent, but on the sovereign will of God, but that of Rebekah evinces the same truth still more clearly. Again, Paul says Jacob was chosen before the twins were even born. And not only that, but Jacob was selected before either boy had either done any evil, had done any evil or good.

See, Paul's just whittling it down more and more. It's not their descent from Abraham. It's not because they're ethnically in line with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or Abraham and Isaac. It's not that. It's not even because they're from Jewish parents or not Jewish parents.

It's not because of anything that they've done. They were chosen before they were born that the purpose of God, according to election, might stand. Jacob was selected over Esau before either boy had done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand. Why do we hate to hear those words so many times? Why are there so many that hate to hear those words?

That the purpose of God according to election might stand because it rips salvation out of the hands of man and places it solely into the hand of God. And men don't like that. It's humbling. No, me, I, I. Paul says, not of works, last page here, but of Him who calls.

Who is Him who calls? God. It's not of works. It's not of human works. God didn't look down through the corridors of time and say, you know, Russ, I just looked at and just, hey, you're it, man.

He didn't look down at the corridors of time and say, Steve, you know, he's just, no. If he had done that, I would not be standing in this pulpit or professing Christ today. What about you? Have you looked at your works? If He was basing it upon, you know, you and what you've done in your life, not in works, That the purpose of God according to election might stand not of works, but of Him who calls it, that it's all God.

It's of God who calls. God chooses who will be saved. And His choice is not based on any future deeds. It's not based upon his foreseeing of your faith. It's not based upon his foreseeing of any of your actions.

It's not based upon any works whatsoever foreseen, but it is entirely of him who calls. Based on God's good pleasure, not man's foreseen future performance, unearned and undeserved in all of grace. That's God's choice. That's God's purpose according to election. That's the purpose of God according to election that stands and that continues.

That the purpose of God according to election might stand not of works, but of Him that calls. So I want to just close here. I quoted Spurgeon. We'll finish this text next week. Jacob, I loved and he saw I hated will be the message next week.

But I want to land on Spurgeon here. I quoted Spurgeon when we began how the doctrine of election should humble us. These things should humble us when we think about it. When we consider God chose me and not another for nothing that was within me. Not because of anything that is in me.

Not because of anything he foresaw in me. But in fact, if he had based it upon what he foresaw in me, he would never have chosen me. When we think about this, and Spurgeon, you know, Spurgeon talked much about how the doctrine of election humbled him, and how it should humble the people of God. When we consider that our faith is the result of God's electing love, it should bring us to our knees in humble gratefulness. When we admit to ourselves and we admit to God, it's all of you God.

It's not of me. I was saved purely by your mercy and chosen for some unfathomable reason because of your good pleasure. Spurgeon said, I believe in the doctrine of election because I am quite sure that if God had not chosen me, I would never have chosen Him. And I'm sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would have chosen me afterward. That's humbling.

Let's pray. Father, we believe Your Word. Oh God, Your Word is truth. There was nothing in any of us to cause You to choose us and Your Son before the world began. The only thing foreseen in us was our sin, oh God, but we thank you, Lord, for your electing love.

We thank you that you sent Christ into the world and that he willingly came and suffered and died for our sins, and that one of the sins that he died for was our unbelief. He died so that we could believe. We thank you for that, God. We thank you, God, for choosing us before time and drawing us with cords of love in time, and giving us hearts to repent and faith to believe in your son for saving our souls. Oh God, there's any who have never trusted in Christ, I pray Lord that this would be the doctrine that would humble them as well, and that they would call in the name of the Lord, even if for the first time in their life, God be merciful to me, a sinner, and put their trust in the only one who can save, Jesus Christ, who suffered and died for our sins and rose again the third day.

For it's in His name we pray these things. Amen.