Pastor Steve Hopkins, in his sermon at Burnet Bible Church, explores the theme from Romans 9:22-29, emphasizing God's plan to call both Jews and Gentiles as His people. He reiterates that salvation is not based on ethnicity but on God's mercy and grace, highlighting the concept of a 'remnant'—a small group of Jews who will be saved. The sermon underscores that true Christianity involves confessing Jesus openly and acting as a light in the world. Hopkins connects this theme with the Old Testament, quoting prophets like Hosea and Isaiah to illustrate God's longstanding purpose. Through historical and biblical references, he stresses that God's sovereign plan included extending mercy to both Jews and Gentiles, making them vessels of mercy. The sermon concludes with reflections on God's everlasting love and the call to praise His grace.

Welcome back to Burnet Bible Church. Join us this week as Pastor Hopkins continues his sermon series through the book of Romans. If you would turn with me in your Bibles once again to the book of Romans. We will be picking up with chapter 9 verses 22 through 29 we'll be reading. But before we begin and stand for the reading of the Lord, week before last in my pre-message, we looked at Philippians 2-4, where we're encouraged by the Apostle Paul, the people of God are encouraged to look not on our own things, but also on the things of others and I was thinking this morning the devastation and and suffering that our neighbors both here and in the Kerrville area have have endured and are still enduring you know provide us with endless opportunities to get outside of our, of the four walls of our, of our homes and to look to the things of others.

And I know That many in the congregation are are doing just that I've seen it and I've already heard many stories But you know for any maybe who have not or just consider Praying asking God what what can I do? What what can I do to relieve some of the suffering? And then last week, and so I wanted to kind of put these two together, I said, you know, there's two things that are in every Christian's life, the life of every true Christian. We looked at, what was it, Romans 10, We looked at how we are told that we are to believe and to confess. We confess Jesus with our mouths and we believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead.

And so every Christian does this. They believe, not as a work, but the trust that God has placed in their hearts. They believe on Christ, that He died for their sins and rose again the third day. And they confess Him before men. That's what every true Christian does.

And a person who doesn't believe and a person who doesn't confess Him before others, they have to look at their life and say, well, Maybe I'm not truly a child of God, because that's what believers do. It's just the fact of the Christian life. As I said in our last session, there's no such thing as an undercover Christian. We all will be confessing Him who know Him. And so I was thinking about how these two go hand in hand.

So you're out there in the world and you're helping someone, you're lifting burdens, You're caring for those who are, and using your resources and your time and your energies to help others. Make sure that when you do that, that you're confessing with your mouth the Lord Jesus in some way or another. You know, it might just be a simple thing of looking at Him and just saying, you know, God is good. God is a present help in our times of trouble. Just some way bringing it to their minds that the purpose for which you are there, the motivating factor is not simply that you are a great humanitarian or a great human benefactor, but that there is another cause for why you are there, that God is the one because of what Christ has done for you.

You are doing this for them because Jesus had mercy on your soul. You have mercy upon others. We never want someone to walk away and say, what a great guy, what a true humanitarian. If we do, the glory goes to man. But if there's just a simple word, a choice word spoken at the right time, where they know this person is a believer in Jesus Christ then God receives the glory rather than man so just wanted to say that you know Jesus said you are the light of the world this is in Matthew chapter 5 you are the light of the world, a city set on a hill that cannot be hid.

It cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle or put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it gives light to all that are in the house. Then he says, let your light so shine before men. Why is that word so there? Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

It's saying, let your light so shine before men, that is, shine before men in such a way that they give the glory to God and not to you. And many times all it takes is just a simple word. It's just a simple word. So we'll end there with that. And let's stand, if you would, for the reading of the word of the Lord.

As I said we'll be reading Romans chapter 9 verses 22 through 29 as we continue the verse by verse exposition of Paul's epistle to the Romans. Let's read together. What if God, willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, even us whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. As he saith also in Hosea, I will call them my people, which were not my people, and her beloved which was not beloved and it shall come to pass that in the place where it was said unto them ye are not my people there shall they be called the children of the living God is saith also cryeth concerning Israel though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved. For he will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth and as Isaiah said before except the Lord of Savioth had left us a seed we had been a Sodom and been made like unto Gomorrah.

Let's pray. Father, some things that Paul wrote are difficult to be understood. Peter told us this in his epistles. And Father, he told us there are things that he has written that the unlearned and unstable will rest even as they do the other scriptures to their own destruction. And we know it's true, Lord.

And so we ask that you would help us, Father, help us to understand, through the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit, give us understanding, so that we can understand what the apostle is saying in the text before us, for we ask it in Jesus' name, Amen. Let's be seated. So I want to I don't want to waste any time this afternoon coming to the point. It is always been the plan of God to redeem from among the mass of fallen humanity and elect people for himself, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. It was never God's purpose that every ethnic Jew would be saved, nor was it his purpose that every Gentile outside of the commonwealth of Israel would be left in his sins.

It has always been God's purpose to make known the riches of his glory on both Jewish and Gentile vessels of mercy. The Apostle has been driving this point home throughout the chapter. God will have mercy upon whom he will have mercy, whether Jew or Gentile. He will have compassion on whom he will have compassion, whether Jew or Gentile. The potter, salvation has never been of him who wills nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy, not only to the Jew, but also to the Gentile.

The potter has power over the clay. That is, God has absolute right to make from the same lump of fallen and utterly corrupted humanity one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor, whether Jew or Gentile. God willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much long suffering both Jewish and Gentile vessels of wrath, that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of his mercy, on both Jewish as well as Gentile vessels of his mercy, whom he had afore prepared under glory, even as Paul says in the text before us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. Paul has already proven from the history of the Jewish descendants of the patriarchs that they are, as he said in Romans 9, 6, they are not all Israel who are of Israel. Does everybody remember that?

And everybody knows what that means? They're not all Israel who are of Israel. That is, they are not all the Israel of God, as Paul says in Galatians, who are the descendants of Israel. That being the physical seed of Abraham doesn't make one the spiritual seed of Abraham. That all who are of the lineage of Abraham are not of the faith of Abraham.

That the children of the flesh are not the children of God, but the children of promise are counted for the seed, that is, our heirs of salvation. You may remember it's been over a year now, but back in our study of Romans chapter 2, where the Apostle Paul said, for he is not a Jew who is won outwardly, but he is a Jew who is won what? Inwardly, thank you. He is not a Jew who is won outwardly, but he is a Jew who is won inwardly. In a little while, just a few minutes here, I want to apply that to Christians, because He's not a Christian who is one outwardly, but He is a Christian who is one inwardly.

Okay, but here's where we are. Paul says he's not a Jew who is one outwardly. He is a Jew who is one inwardly. The true seed of Abraham are the called of God of all nations. The true seed of Abraham are the called of God of all nations, whether they be Jew or whether they be Gentile.

The Israel of God, as Paul refers to believers in Galatians 6.16, is quote, the full company of God's elect people from both the Jews and the Gentiles, end quote, as a note in my RHB Bible commentary puts it. Brothers and sisters, election is about God in his mercy calling a people who merit only his wrath into his favor and into the kingdom of his son. Paul says, even us whom he hath called, called with an effectual calling, a calling that produces the intended effect that they come. Even us whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. And what we need to understand is that whether we be Jew or Gentile, listen, we all came into the world equally guilty under the law before God.

That's a sprawl quote. Equally guilty under the law before God. And because of our sin and our guilt, we all deserve justice and none of us deserves mercy. And brothers and sisters, it is the grace of God, and it is the mercy of God, and it is the calling of God alone that has made the difference with any one of us, whether we be Jew or Gentile. Does everyone understand that?

It's the grace of God alone, the mercy of God alone, the calling of God alone that's made the difference to any one of us in this room today, whether you're Jew or Gentile, no matter what your ethnicity or no matter what your background. Now if we understand this, how should we respond? If we understand that God, look at our text here, that God endured with much patience, much long-suffering, the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, who don't deserve mercy." Okay? If we understand that, that God endure with much patience, vessels of wrath that don't deserve mercy, that He might make known the riches of the glory of His grace in the salvation of equally guilty and undeserving vessels of His mercy like us, what should we say? How should we respond whom God hath called not of the Jews only but also of the Gentiles?

How should we respond who deserve wrath and not mercy, whether Jew or Gentile? How should we respond who have received mercy? Paul will later say, oh, the depths of the riches, both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out. The only appropriate response of the recipients of God's mercy to the wonders of his free grace, his free mercy and undeserved grace, is to praise the riches of the glory of his grace, to praise God. For though we were all concluded in belief, both Jew and Gentile, God's plan from the beginning was to call a people unto himself out of both.

That was God's plan from the beginning to the praise of the glory of his grace. And we see God's sovereignty and salvation with regards to Jews and Gentiles continuing to be displayed as Paul goes forward. Look at the next five passages, verses 25 that immediately follow, verses 25 through 29. Here we see God's sovereignty shown, quote, in appointing many Gentiles in the New Testament age to salvation, whereas there were times when the number of believing Jews was small enough to be called a remnant." Close quote, another note in my Bible. We're going to look at two passages Applied to the Gentiles from Hosea and then two and a half two three applied to the the Jews from Isaiah first from Hosea chapter 25 and verses 25 and 26 concerning the Gentiles look what he says as he saith as God says also in Osea, Osea in KJV, in KJV would be Hosea, as he says also in Hosea, it is the book of the prophet Hosea, I will call them my people, which were not my people, and her beloved, which was not beloved.

Again, Paul is quoting the prophet Hosea. He's quoting the prophet Hosea and he's applying it to the Gentiles. I've read some arguments in all of people that say, well, that shouldn't be applied to the Gentiles. Well, argue with the apostle Paul about it. He's the one who applies it to the Gentiles, right?

Paul is quoting the prophet Hosea and he's applying it to the Gentiles. Dr. Sproul comments here, quote, he's talking about us. We who were no people are now his people by grace. We are the olive branch grafted into the root of the tree." If you're a believer here this afternoon, you are included in this prophecy of Hosea.

We who were not a people are now by grace the people of God. Amen. We who had not obtained mercy. We who had not obtained mercy have now obtained mercy. Even us whom he has called not of the Jews only but also the Gentiles verse 26 goes on and it shall come to pass that in the place where it was said unto them you are not my people there shall they be called the children of the living God and it shall come to pass that in in the place where it was said unto them, You are not my people.

There shall they be called the children of the living God. And it shall come to pass that in the place where it was said unto them, You are not my people, there shall they be called the children of the living God. Think of the wonders of this. It was said of those outside of the commonwealth of Israel, you are not my people in all the Gentile lands. But God will have an elect people from among the Gentiles as well as the Jews.

And listen to this, brothers and sisters, the occasion of this will be the rejection of the Messiah by the greater part of the Jewish people, which is exactly what happened. The occasion of this will be the rejection of Jesus when he appears on the scene, which he did 2, 000 years ago in Israel, by the greatest part of the Jewish people. John says in John 1-11, he came unto his own and his own said no. He came unto his own and his own said, no. He came unto his own and his own received him not.

Paul will later say in Acts chapter 13 verse 46, actually this is Paul and Barnabas to the Jews, he says it was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you, speaking of the Jews, but seeing that you thrust it from you and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. But it wasn't that it was God's plan B, like, well, if the Gentiles, I'm trying to get the Jews, you know, but I can't get them, then I'll get the Gentiles. No, it was God's plan from the beginning. Plan A always included the Gentiles. In a few minutes we'll see that it also includes the regrafting back end of the Jews.

The occasion of the rejection of Messiah by the greater part of the Jews, which the Old Testament prophets foretold was the occasion of the extension of mercy on a grand scale to the Gentiles. Why did I say a grand scale? They were always Gentile saints in the Old Testament, right? Well, Rahab, she was Gentile. Ruth, she was a Moabitess.

She was Gentile, who was converted, okay? We all know the story of Jonah. Jonah goes to Nineveh, an entire pagan, godless, Gentile city is converted when he comes and he preaches 40 days and Nineveh will be destroyed. But the occasion of the rejection of Messiah by the greater part of the Jews, which the Old Testament prophets foretold, was the occasion of the extension of mercy on a grand scale to the Gentiles. And so it came to pass, even as Hosea said, that in the place where it was said unto them, you guys aren't my people, you know, where it was said unto them, you're not my people.

In the places outside of the Commonwealth of Israel where it was said unto them, you're not my people. Were the Jews also considered the Gentiles not the people of God? Were the people of God your not? There they will be called the children of the living God. And so it happened.

And we've seen it over the past 2, 000 years. The triumph of the gospel among the Gentile nations and the calling of a people who were not God's covenant people, but who on account of the mercy of God, extended to them are now the children of the living God. And if you're a believer here this afternoon, that includes you. If you're a believer here this afternoon, this includes you. God, who is rich in mercy for the great love wherewith he loved us, wherewith he loved you, has called us his people who were not his people.

The wild olive branch has been grafted into the root of the tree, which we'll look at more when we get to Romans chapter 11. The Gentiles, Paul says in Ephesians 3, 6, are become fellow heirs. Okay, fellow heirs, with who? With the patriarchs, with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, with the Jewish prophets and all the believers in the Old Testament, of the same body and partakers of God's promises, how? In Christ by the gospel.

Okay, so there's the Gentiles. So what about the Jews? Paul goes on in verse 27. Isaiah, which here is said Isaiah's. Isaiah also cries concerning Israel, though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved.

What's he saying? The word that was spoken to Abraham, This is from Genesis 22, 17, a quote, if you want to look it up. The word spoken to Abraham was that his descendants would be as the sand of the sea, that Abraham's seed, his children would be so numerous that they could not be counted even as the grains of sand on a beach. Genesis 22, 17 says, I will multiply, this is God speaking, I will multiply your seed, Abraham, as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore. And so God did.

He multiplied their descendants. Right? But Paul says even so, only a remnant among them would be saved. Okay? Think about this for a moment.

So we talked about, okay, the Gentiles, the masses of Gentiles are being saved, right, in the last 2000 years when this mercy is extended and he calls them a people who are not his people. Even though you got Nineveh and you got Rahab and you got Ruth, okay, you have Gentiles being saved in the Old Testament. Well, you have, you know, throughout the history of Israel, of the Jews, you have this continual pleading, you know, with the people. It's circumcision of the heart that matters, not the cutting of your flesh that matters before God. You have this continual preaching.

There's got to be a change. There has to be something inward. Paul says later he's a Jew, not who is one outwardly, but one who is one inwardly. Doesn't matter if you keep all the ceremonies and all these things. If your heart's not there, If your heart isn't in it, if you haven't truly been converted and changed into a child of God.

So you have ethnic Israel and then within ethnic Israel, within the ethnic Jews and the nation of Israel, you have this true Israel of God. People who are, you know, they slaughtered one after another of their own prophets. Who did that? The true Israel did not take the prophets that were sent of God and kill them. So you have Jews in, you know, all throughout history who are not the Israel of God that Paul talks about.

They're not Jews inwardly. They're not of the faith of Abraham. They're not of the faith of Abraham. They're not of the faith of their father Abraham. Paul says only a remnant among them would be saved, okay?

Even in the time when the children of Israel were brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand, how many get to enter the promised land? Two, Caleb and Joshua, right? That's not probably all the believers that were there, true believers, but it gives us an idea of this Rebellion that is taking place. How many of the sons of national Israel, ethnic Jews, lay their hands to the slaughter of the prophets sent to them by God? They're not all spiritual Israel who are the physical descendants of Israel.

He's not a Jew who is one outwardly. He is a Jew who is one inwardly. The cutting of the flesh and ceremonial circumcision means nothing if the heart is not cut. The true circumcision involves the rending of the heart, resulting in heartfelt repentance and turning to God. And at the appearance of their Messiah, the Jews for the most part stumbled over Christ, colluded with the Roman authorities to have him destroyed.

And as a result, the nation of Israel was almost itself completely destroyed. Verse 29, as Isaiah said before, except the Lord of Sabaoth, that's the Lord of the armies of heaven, had left us, that is the Jewish people, a seed, we would have become like Sodom and Gomorrah, completely wiped off the face of the earth. Paul is a Jew, and Paul says, if the Lord of the armies of heaven of Sabaoth hadn't left us Jews a seed in the earth a remnant of ethnic Israelites from which to grow and replenish our numbers we the Jewish people would have been completely wiped out of existence, even as the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah, when the fire of God fell from heaven and consumed them all. But God wasn't finished with His chosen people. And you know, you've got this contingent of people out there today that, oh yeah, they'd be just right.

What I just got through saying to them, oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah, they rejected Jesus, everything. We're the good guys, they're the bad guys, all that kind of nonsense. God wasn't finished with His chosen people. Though a remnant, a relatively small number of ethnic Jews have been saved, a seed was left in the earth to spring back up, and over time it would become a vast number again, even as we see today, because it was God's plan, as we'll see when we go forward with our study of Romans, especially chapter 11, to graft them back in again. Okay?

God's destruction of Israel was thorough, but it was not complete. Their rejection was neither full nor final. We're going to see this going forward, especially as we come to chapter 11. We're gonna see the Apostle Paul say things like, has God cast away his people? God forbid.

What did the antisemites within the church do with that? Has God cast away his people? Whom he foreknew? No. Paul's gonna say, you know, I'm also a Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the patriarchs.

God has not cast off his people whom he foreknew. That's what he'll say. I'll get into more of that later, but even at the time when the greater number of Jews rejected their Messiah, Paul's going to say, even at this present time, 2, 000 years ago, there is a remnant according to the election of grace. It's kind of like, you know, Elijah, when he's out there and he's complaining, Lord, I'm the only one left. They killed all your prophets and they've torn your altar down.

And they're, you know, I'm the only one left. No, I've reserved 7, 000 who have not bowed the knee to Baal. I've reserved unto myself, called and reserved unto myself seven thousand who have not bowed of the knee to Baal. And it's always been that way. But today, two thousand years later, we look and there are Jews, though few, who are being saved today.

We see it, we see conversions. It's not on a grand massive scale, just as it wasn't on a grand and massive scale for the Gentiles, until the time of the Gentiles when God's mercy was, you know, given us in just a grand way, okay? But the day will come when the Apostle Paul says, all Israel shall be saved, a much debated sentence. When all Israel shall be saved. What does it mean all Israel shall be saved?

Every Jew, every person who's an ethnic Jew, every single one of them will become Christians. No, it doesn't mean, other people say, what does it mean, no, it means that all of the true Israel will be saved, all of the elect of God. No duh. No, he's not saying that. It's not the context there.

He's saying that there's going to come a time when there will be a revival, such a revival amongst the Jews coming to Christ, that such a number of ethnic Jews looking upon Him whom they pierced and fleeing to Christ and His cross and fleeing to God and trusting in Jesus, hearts pierced with the conviction of sin, that they will come crying and repenting and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and there will be so many Jews that will be saved at that time that you would think all Israel had been saved. That's what's coming. That's what's coming. Anti-Semites within the church, they don't like that. No, we don't like that.

It's all about us. God's done with the Jews. It's all about us. God's done with them. They're bad.

They crucified Jesus. We're the good guys. They're the bad guys. That's not Bible. That's not Scripture.

Brothers and sisters, I'm getting ahead of myself. We'll go here later in a few weeks. But Gentile believers like you and me are a part of the wild olive branch grafted into the root of the tree in Romans 11, and we're not supposed to boast against the original branches, Paul says. God called a people who were not His people, who were lost and without hope and without God in the world, but who are now his people on account of his amazing grace. Not on account or not based on any works of righteousness that we have done, all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, but on account of his mercy and his grace, He saved us and he grafted us in and we should be praising and thanking him that he did and never boasting against the original root of the tree.

Jeremiah 31 3, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therewith loving kindness have I drawn thee. That's what happened to me. That's what happened to you if you're a believer here today. God loved you with an everlasting love.

And therefore with loving kindness, He drew you. His love is from everlasting. It wasn't based upon some foreseen works or merit of ours. It wasn't related to anything whatsoever that God saw in us. Any of us Gentiles or any of the Jews, all our righteousness are as filthy rags to merit God's love and acceptance.

It is only in Christ that we were loved before the foundations of the world. Not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to die for us and called us with a calling, predestinated us and elected us before time began because of His great love for what He loved us. And then in time called us unto himself, called us unto himself. We should be praising and thanking God that he had mercy on those who have not obtained mercy that he said unto them who were not his people, you are my people." Then he said, I will call them my people who were not my people and my beloved, which was not beloved. And in the very place where it was said to them, you guys aren't the people of God.

Now we are made or become the children of the living God. Praise his name. Praise his holy name. And let's pray. Father, we want to praise and thank you now for your electing love, Lord, that before time began you called a people, you predestinated a people, You elected a people, both of the Jews and of the Gentiles, Lord, that You called us, God, and drew us to Your Son.

And at a time You sent Your Son to die for our sins, to pay the penalty for our sins that we couldn't pay. Oh God, how we praise and thank you, Lord, that you called us your people who were not your people and your beloved who were not beloved of you, Lord, that you called many not of the Jews only but also of the Gentiles. We praise and we thank you, God, for your grace, for your mercy, for your calling, and especially for the sacrifice of your son, whereby we who have been brought to saving faith have been saved. It's in His name we praise you and thank you now and forever. Amen.