<i>♪ MUSIC ♪</i> >> WELCOME TO <i>GOSPEL TRUTH</i> WITH ANDREW WOMMACK, A TEACHING MINISTRY THAT FOCUSES ON GOD'S >> UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND GRACE. >> YOU HAVE TO SAY IT'S EITHER THE GRACE OF GOD THAT OFFERS YOU RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THROUGH WHAT JESUS DID AND JUST YOUR FAITH IN HIM; IT'S EITHER THAT GRACE OR IT'S YOUR OWN EFFORT, BUT IT CAN'T BE A COMBINATION >> OF THE TWO. >> AND NOW, HERE'S ANDREW. WELCOME TO OUR MONDAY'S BROADCAST OF <i>THE GOSPEL TRUTH.</i> TODAY IS THE BEGINNING OF MY EIGHTH WEEK TEACHING THROUGH THE BOOK OF ROMANS, AND WE'RE NOW IN ROMANS, CHAPTER 9, AND IN VERSE 14. SO, MAN, THIS HAS BEEN A LONG PROCESS AND I'VE STILL GOT QUITE A WAYS TO GO. I'M GOING TO TRY AND SPEED UP A LITTLE BIT, BUT THIS IS JUST SO RICH. IT'S HARD TO PASS UP ANY OF THESE SCRIPTURES. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND THAT YOU GET THIS BRAND NEW BOOK THAT I'VE PUT OUT ENTITLED, <i>ROMANS: PAUL'S MASTERPIECE</i> <i>ON GRACE,</i> AND THIS HAS TEACHING THAT I'VE DONE ON E...ON THE BOOK OF ROMANS AND THEN IT'S COMBINED WITH MY <i>LIVING COMMENTARY</i> FOOTNOTES THAT I'VE DONE ON THE BOOK OF ROMANS, AND I TELL YOU, THE...THE COMBINATION OF THIS, IF YOU STUDY THIS, IT'S OVER 400 PAGES LONG. I PROMISE YOU, THIS WOULD REALLY HELP JUST OPEN UP THE BOOK OF ROMANS TO YOU AND IT WOULD BE A BLESSING. WE'VE ALSO GOT A LOT OF OTHER MATERIALS. WE'LL BE MAKING THAT ENTIRE OFFER AT THE END OF OUR PROGRAM, BUT REALLY, THIS IS A MUST READ. THE BOOK OF ROMANS IS POWERFUL. IT'S LIKE A...THE TITLE OF THIS BOOK, IT'S <i>PAUL'S MASTERPIECE</i> <i>ON GRACE.</i> YOU NEED THE REVELATION OF THIS. WE'VE ALREADY COVERED SO MUCH GOOD THINGS, AND IN THE 9TH CHAPTER, I GOT DOWN THROUGH VERSE 13. WE'RE NOW STARTING WITH VERSE 14. REAL QUICKLY, LET ME JUST SAY, THAT IN CHAPTER 9, THE APOSTLE PAUL SAID, THAT HE LONGED TO SEE THE JEWS SAVED SO MUCH THAT HE WOULD BE WILLING TO GO TO HELL IF THAT COULD GUARANTEE THEM GOING TO HEAVEN. NOW THAT EXPRESSES A GREAT DESIRE. NO GREATER LOVE HATH ANY MAN THAN THIS, THAT HE LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS, IS WHAT JESUS SAID, IN JOHN 15:13. SO, IT'S A GOOD DESIRE, BUT IT'S TOTALLY UNNECESSARY BECAUSE JESUS GAVE HIS LIFE SO THAT NO ONE WOULD HAVE TO GO TO HELL, BUT HE'S JUST EXPRESSING HIS LOVE FOR THE JEWS. AND THEN HE STARTS SAYING, BUT YOU KNOW, THE JEWS AS A WHOLE, AS A NATION, MAY HAVE REJECTED GOD, BUT THEY AREN'T ALL JEWS JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE PHYSICAL DESCENDANTS. HE SAYS, IN ISAAC SHALL THY SEED BE CALLED. IN OTHER WORDS, THE CHILDREN OF THE PROMISE ARE ACTUALLY THE CHILDREN OF GOD. LET ME JUST MAKE SOME STATEMENTS. I'M NOT GOING TO GO FAR INTO THIS BECAUSE I COULD GET OFF AND SAY A LOT ABOUT THIS, BUT THERE'S SOME PEOPLE WHO HAVE TAKEN THESE TRUTHS AND THE STATEMENTS THAT WERE MADE IN ROMANS, CHAPTER 2... LET ME JUST TURN OVER AND READ THIS IN ROMANS, CHAPTER 2, AND IN VERSE 28. IT SAYS, FOR HE IS NOT A JEW, WHICH IS ONE OUTWARDLY; NEITHER IS THAT CIRCUMCISION, WHICH IS OUTWARD IN THE FLESH: BUT HE IS A JEW, WHICH IS ONE INWARDLY; AND CIRCUMCISION IS THAT OF THE HEART, IN THE SPIRIT, AND NOT IN THE LETTER; WHOSE PRAISE IS NOT OF MEN, BUT OF GOD. SO PEOPLE HAVE TAKEN THESE VERSES RIGHT HERE, ROMANS, CHAPTER 2, VERSES 28 AND 29, AND THEN THESE FEW VERSES HERE IN ROMANS, CHAPTER 9, AND THEY HAVE SAID, THAT THERE IS A SPIRITUAL ISRAEL THAT ARE NOW THE PEOPLE OF GOD, AND THAT'S A TRUE STATEMENT. BUT THEY HAVE GONE SO FAR AS TO SAY, THEREFORE, THE JEWS HAVE NO PLACE IN THE PLAN OF GOD TODAY, THAT THE CHURCH IS THE SPIRITUAL ISRAEL, AND THAT'S TRUE, BUT IT'S WRONG TO SAY THAT THE JEWS HAVE NO PLACE. AND MATTER OF FACT, SOME OF THESE SAME SCRIPTURES WHEN WE GET INTO ROMANS, CHAPTER 11, IT SHOWS THAT THE ENTIRE NATION OF THE JEWS IS GOING TO TURN TO THE LORD SOMEDAY. SO YES, IT'S TRUE THAT THE CHURCH, WE ARE THE SPIRITUAL SEED OF GOD. IN A SENSE, THE CHURCH, TRUE BORN-AGAIN BELIEVERS, NOT JUST THE RELIGIOUS CHURCH, BUT THOSE WHO HAVE A TRUE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, WE ARE THE CHUR... TRUE PEOPLE OF GOD. WE ARE THE TRUE JEWS TODAY, BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE JEWISH NATION ARE NOT STILL THE PEOPLE OF GOD, AND THAT THEY DON'T HAVE ANY PROMISES FOR THEM. THERE ARE PROMISES TO THE PHYSICAL SEED OF ABRAHAM AND THEN THERE'S PROMISES TO THE SPIRITUAL SEED. THE CHURCH HAS BECOME THE SPIRITUAL SEED OF ABRAHAM AND WE ARE GOD'S PEOPLE, BUT THE JEWS ARE STILL GOD'S PEOPLE AND THERE ARE PROMISES TO THEM. THERE ARE PROPHECIES THAT ARE COMING TO PASS IN THE NATION OF ISRAEL. THE VERY FACT THAT THE NATION OF ISRAEL HAS NOW COME BACK INTO EXISTENCE IS VERIFICATION OF THIS. IT WAS PROPHESIED THAT ALL OF THIS WOULD HAPPEN, AND I MEAN, IT WAS A MIRACLE. IT WAS A MIRACLE THAT A NATION THAT JUST LITERALLY CEASED TO EXIST AND IT WAS SCATTERED ALL OVER THE WORLD, THAT IT COMES BACK AND THEY RESURRECT THE LANGUAGE AND THE CULTURE AND ALL OF THESE THINGS. THESE ARE FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECIES AND THERE ARE PROPHECIES ABOUT THE JEWS THAT STILL ARE COMING TO PASS. AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE SCRIPTURE SAYS, IN GENESIS, CHAPTER 12, THAT I WILL BLESS HIM THAT BLESSES YOU AND CURSE HIM THAT CURSES YOU, WHEN I GOT DRAFTED, I SAID, I'LL GO FIGHT IN VIETNAM, BUT I SAID, IF THEY EVER SEND ME AGAINST ISRAEL, I'M NOT FIGHTING. I'LL GO AWOL, I'LL DO WHATEVER I HAVE TO DO BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT GOD STILL HAS PROMISES FOR THE JEWS AND I AM NOT GOING TO CURSE HIS DESCENDANTS. AND SO, I...I DISAGREE WITH WHAT IS SOMETIMES CALLED REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY, WHERE THE CHURCH HAS REPLACED THE JEWS. I WOULD SAY THAT THE CHURCH HAS FULFILLED THE PROMISE MADE TO ABRAHAM, THAT, IN ISAAC SHALL THY SEED BE CALLED, AND I BELIEVE THAT THE CHURCH AND ME, AS A GENTILE, I AM NOW GOD'S DESCENDANT. I AM GOD'S CHILD. I AM THE SPIRITUAL ISRAEL. I'LL AGREE WITH THAT, BUT THAT DOESN'T DO AWAY WITH ISRAEL AND THE PHYSICAL PROMISES MADE TO THEM. WE HAVE NOT DISPLACED THE NATION OF ISRAEL. SO, I JUST SAY THOSE THINGS; AGAIN, THAT COULD BE A LOT... COULD BE EXPLAINED IN A LOT MORE DETAIL, BUT PAUL HERE IS SAYING, THAT HE LONGS FOR THE JEWS TO COME TO KNOW THE LORD SO MUCH THAT HE WISHED HE COULD BE ACCURSED AND...AND GO TO HELL SO THAT THEY COULD GO TO HEAVEN. BUT THEN HE BEGINS TO SAY THAT THERE IS A SPIRITUAL ISRAEL AND THERE IS A REMNANT IN ISRAEL. NOT ALL OF THE JEWS HAD REJECTED GOD. PAUL WAS A JEW, AND HE DIDN'T REJECT GOD. PETER, JAMES AND JOHN, THEY WERE JEWS, THEY DIDN'T REJECT GOD. SO, THERE WAS A REMNANT EVEN AMONG THE JEWS, BUT THE JEWISH NATION STILL HAD A PLACE IN GOD'S PLAN AND THERE ARE PROMISES TO THE PHYSICAL NATION. AND WE ENDED YESTERDAY, I WAS SHARING HERE IN CH...VERSES 12 AND 13, THAT HE TOLD REBECCA THERE ARE TWO NATIONS IN YOUR WOMB AND THE ELDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER. ESAU WAS THE ELDER; HE WAS BORN FIRST. JACOB WAS BORN SECOND, BUT JACOB PREVAILED. AND THEN TO VERIFY THAT, HE QUOTED A VERSE, FROM MALACHI, AND HE SAID, JACOB HAVE I LOVED AND ESAU HAVE I HATED, GOD CHOSE JACOB. THROUGH HIS FOREKNOWLEDGE HE KNEW THAT JACOB WOULD PREVAIL, AND THAT JACOB WOULD TURN TO HIM, AND THROUGH HIS FOREKNOWLEDGE HE KNEW THAT ESAU WOULD REJECT HIM AND SELL HIS BIRTHRIGHT, NOT EVEN, YOU KNOW, ESTEEM AND HONOR HIS BIRTHRIGHT AND JUST SELL IT FOR A BOWL OF PORRIDGE. AND SO, HE KNEW THESE THINGS AND HE PROPHESIED THAT THE ELDER WOULD SERVE THE YOUNGER, BUT HE DIDN'T MAKE THAT HAPPEN. AND WHEN HE SAID, JACOB HAVE I LOVED AND ESAU HAVE I HATED, THAT WAS QUOTED OVER 1,000 YEARS AFTER THE DEATH OF JACOB AND ESAU. IT WASN'T CAUSATIVE. IT WAS JUST USED TO SAY, SEE, IT CAME TO PASS THE WAY HE FIRST...FIRST SAW THAT IT WOULD HAPPEN, AND SO THAT'S ALL THAT HE'S SAYING. SO HERE IN VERSE 14, IT SAYS, WHAT SHALL WE SAY THEN? IS THERE UNRIGHTEOUSNESS WITH GOD? GOD FORBID. FOR HE SAITH TO MOSES, I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I WILL HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I WILL HAVE COMPASSION. YOU KNOW, THIS REMINDS ME OF THE PR...A PARABLE THAT JESUS GAVE IN THE 20TH CHAPTER, OF THE BOOK OF MATTHEW, WHERE HE TALKED ABOUT, THAT HE WENT OUT EARLY IN THE MORNING, A MAN WENT OUT AND SAID TO SOME PEOPLE, GO INTO MY VINEYARD AND I'LL PAY YOU WHAT'S RIGHT. HE AGREED WITH THEM TO PAY THEM ONE PENNY. THAT WAS A DAY'S WAGE. AND THEN HE WENT OUT, TWO, THREE, FOUR OTHER TIMES. HE EVEN WENT OUT JUST ONE HOUR BEFORE THE DAY'S WORK WAS OVER AND FOUND SOME PEOPLE THAT WEREN'T WORKING AND HE SAID, WHY AREN'T YOU WORKING? AND THEY SAID, WELL NO MAN'S HIRED US, AND HE SAYS, YOU GO INTO MY VINEYARD AND WORK AND I'LL GIVE YOU WHATEVER'S RIGHT. SO WHEN IT CAME TIME TO PAY THEM AT THE END OF THE DAY, HE TOOK THE PEOPLE WHO HAD ONLY WORKED ONE HOUR AND GAVE THEM A PENNY, WHAT HE HAD AGREED TO PAY THE PEOPLE THAT HAD WORKED 12 HOURS. AND SO WHEN THE PEOPLE WHO HAD WORKED SO LONG, 12 HOURS, CAME, THEY THOUGHT THEY DESERVED MORE AND HE ONLY GAVE THEM ONE PENNY AND THEY GOT UPSET. AND HE SAYS, WHY DID YOU PAY THESE PEOPLE THAT HAVE ONLY WORKED ONE HOUR AS MUCH AS YOU PAY ALL OF US WHO'VE WORKED 12 HOURS? AND THE MASTER, HE SAYS, LOOK, I'M NOT UNJUST. YOU AGREED WITH ME FOR ONE PENNY. JUST BECAUSE I'M GRACIOUS TO THESE PEOPLE THAT HAVE ONLY WORKED ONE HOUR, DOES THAT MEAN THAT I'M TREATING YOU WRONG? AND OF COURSE, THE ANSWER TO THAT WAS NO. AND HE JUST SHOWED COMPASSION ON THESE PEOPLE. NOT BECAUSE THEY DESERVED IT. HE JUST CHOSE TO DO IT. SO THAT WAS A PARABLE THAT JESUS WAS TEACHING. THAT GOES RIGHT ALONG WITH THIS WHEN IT SAYS, THAT TO WHOM HE... HE WILL SHOW MERCY ON WHOM HE WILL SHOW MERCY, AND WHOM HE WILL, HE HARDENS. THIS ISN'T SAYING THAT HE'S UNJUST TO ANYBODY. IT'S JUST SAYING THAT GOD SHOWS COMPASSION TOWARDS SOME PEOPLE AND GRACES THEM WITH THINGS. HE GOES ON TO SAY, SO THEN IT IS NOT OF HIM THAT WILLETH, NOR OF HIM THAT RUNNETH, BUT OF GOD THAT SHEWETH MERCY. FOR THE SCRIPTURE SAITH UNTO PHARAOH, EVEN FOR THIS SAME PURPOSE HAVE I RAISED THEE UP, THAT I MIGHT SHEW MY POWER IN THEE, AND MY NAME MIGHT BE DECLARED THROUGHOUT ALL OF THE EARTH. AND SO, PHARAOH NOW IS BEING USED OF...AS AN EXAMPLE OF GOD'S FOREKNOWLEDGE AND HOW HE JUST SHOWS MERCY TO SOME PEOPLE AND OTHER PEOPLE HE BRINGS JUDGMENT ON. AND SO PEOPLE HAVE TAKEN THIS AND HAVE SAID, SEE, GOD...IT SAYS MANY TIMES, IN THE BOOK OF EXODUS, THAT GOD HARDENED THE HEART OF PHARAOH, AND SO THEY SAY PHARAOH ISN'T RE...ACCOUNTABLE. GOD DIDN'T GIVE HIM A CHANCE. GOD RAISED HIM UP AND JUST MADE HIM HARD-HEARTED AND REJECTED... AND HE REJECTED GOD BECAUSE GOD MADE HIM THAT WAY. THAT'S NOT WHAT THIS IS SAYING. THAT GOES AGAINST EVERYTHING THE BIBLE TEACHES ON FREE WILL. YOU KNOW, I'VE ALREADY DEALT WITH THIS WHEN WE WERE IN ROMANS, CHAPTER 8, I'M NOT GOING TO GO BACK THROUGH IT, BUT I QUOTED MANY, MANY, MANY SCRIPTURES, WHERE THE SCRIPTURE SAYS, YOU CHOOSE, WHOSOEVER WILL... WILL CALL UPON THE LORD. HE'S NOT WILLING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH, BUT THAT ALL SHOULD COME TO REPENTANCE. GOD DOES NOT FORCE PEOPLE TO ACCEPT OR REJECT HIM. BUT IN HIS FOREKNOWLEDGE, HE KNOWS WHO WILL ACCEPT OR REJECT HIM AND HE IS GRACIOUS TOWARDS THOSE, AND THOSE WHO HE KNOW... WHO HE KNOWS ARE GOING TO REJECT HIM, HE WILL HARDEN THEM, AND THAT'S WHAT HE'S SAYING ABOUT PHARAOH. THERE ARE MANY TIMES THAT IT SAYS, GOD HARDENED PHARAOH'S HEART, BUT LOOK AT THIS. IN EXODUS, CHAPTER 8, VERSE 15, VERSE 32, AND ALSO IN EXODUS, CHAPTER 9, VERSE 34, IT SAYS, THAT PHARAOH HARDENED HIS HEART AGAINST GOD. GOD WOULD HAVE BEEN UNJUST TO JUST HARDEN PHARAOH AND NEVER GIVE HIM A CHANCE AND JUST MAKE HIM THIS PERSON WHO TOTALLY RESISTS GOD AND PHARAOH HAD NO CHOICE IN IT. NO, PHARAOH HAD A CHOICE. PHARAOH PROCLAIMED HIMSELF TO BE GOD, AND I CAN GUARANTEE YOU, THE HOLY SPIRIT WITNESSED TO HIM THAT HE WAS NOT GOD, AND YET HE JUST CHOSE TO GO WITH THE FLOW BECAUSE OF THE ADVANTAGE IT HAD TO HIM PERSONALLY. HE PROCLAIMED HIMSELF AS GOD. HE HAD PEOPLE WORSHIP HIM, AND HERE ARE THREE EXAMPLES THAT I JUST GAVE YOU, EXODUS, CHAPTER 8:15, AND 32, AND EXODUS 9:34, WHERE PHARAOH HARDENED HIS HEART AGAINST GOD. SO GOD DIDN'T CAUSE THE HARDENED HEART. PHARAOH HARDENED HIS OWN HEART, BUT ONCE HE MADE THAT CHOICE, GOD JUST SAYS, ALRIGHT I CAN USE THIS, AND SO GOD JUST CONTINUED TO HARDEN HIS HEART. HE JUST ENFORCED HIS CHOICE. YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME PEOPLE THAT ARE GOD HATERS AND THEY JUST ARE AGAINST GOD, AND SOMEDAY THEY ARE GOING TO STAND BEFORE GOD, AND IT SAYS IN PHILIPPIANS, CHAPTER 2, THAT EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, AND EVERY TONGUE WILL CONFESS THAT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, BUT THERE ARE MANY THAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO IT JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE OVERWHELMED WITH GOD'S GLORY AND IT'S NOT GOING TO SAVE THEM. THERE ISN'T A SECOND CHANCE. THERE'S NOT A PURGATORY. WHEN THEY STAND BEFORE GOD, THEY WILL CONFESS HIM AS LORD, BUT THAT WILL BE AS THEY ARE THROWN INTO A LAKE OF FIRE AND ETERNALLY SEPARATED FROM GOD. AND IN A SENSE, SOME PEOPLE SAY, WELL, GOD IS SENDING THEM TO HELL EVEN AFTER THEY'VE REPENTED. NO, THEY CHOSE TO REJECT GOD AND ALL HE'S DOING IS JUST ENFORCING THEIR CHA...CHOICE. A PERSON WHO HAS EITHER TOTALLY REBELLED AT GOD AND HATED GOD OR A PERSON WHO HAS IGNORED GOD AND SAID, I DON'T NEED YOU. MAYBE THEY BELIEVE HE EXISTS, BUT THEY JUST...IT... THEY DON'T HAVE TIME FOR HIM, THEY'RE TOO BUSY DOING THEIR OWN THING. WHEN GOD JUDGES THEM AND SENDS PEOPLE LIKE THAT TO HELL, DID YOU KNOW ALL HE'S DOING IS ENFORCING THEIR CHOICE? HE DIDN'T TAKE CHOICE AWAY FROM THEM. THEY HAD A CHOICE. DEUTERONOMY, CHAPTER 30, VERSE 19, HE SAYS, I CALL HEAVEN AND EARTH TO RECORD AGAINST YOU THIS DAY, THAT I SET BEFORE YOU LIFE AND DEATH, BLESSING AND CURSING: THEREFORE CHOOSE LIFE, THAT YOU AND YOUR SEED MAY LIVE. GOD GAVE YOU THE CHOICE, AND WHEN A PERSON STANDS BEFORE GOD AND NOW THEY'RE WANTING TO REPENT AND GOD SENDS THEM TO HELL, A CHRIST-LESS ETERNITY, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SAY, THAT'S NOT FAIR. IT IS FAIR. THEY CHOSE AND ALL HE DID WAS ENFORCE THEIR DECISION. HE DOESN'T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL WE'RE DEAD AND WE STAND BEFORE HIM TO ENFORCE THAT. ANY TIME A PERSON REJECTS THE LORD, THERE IS NOTHING IN SCRIPTURE THAT SAYS HE GUARANTEES EVERYBODY 10,000 CHANCES TO ACCEPT HIM. ONCE A PERSON STARTS REJECTING THE LORD AS PHARAOH DID AND HE MADE HIMSELF GOD AND HE HARDENED HIS HEART AGAINST GOD, ONCE HE CHOSE TO DO THAT GOD WAS JUST TO SAY, ALRIGHT, IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO DO. YOU THINK YOU'RE GOD; I'LL USE THAT. I CAN USE THAT. I'M GOING TO TAKE AWAY REASON FROM YOU AND EVEN WHEN I DEVASTATE YOU AND EVERYBODY AROUND YOU IS SAYING, LET THEM GO, WE'RE ALL DEAD MEN, IS WHAT THE SCRIPTURE SAYS, PHARAOH'S HEART WAS SO HARDENED HE WOULDN'T LISTEN TO ANYBODY. HE JUST REFUSED TO BOW THE KNEE TO ANYBODY BUT HIMSELF. GOD USED THAT ATTITUDE. HE DIDN'T CAUSE IT; HE USED IT. HE...THERE IS NO UNRIGHTEOUSNESS WITH HIM IS WHAT THIS IS SAYING. SO IN VERSE 18, THEREFORE HATH HE MERCY ON WHOM HE WILL HAVE MERCY, AND WHOM HE WILL HE HARDENETH. THOU WILT SAY UNTO ME, WHY DOTH HE YET FIND FAULT? FOR WHO HATH RESISTED HIS WILL? NAY BUT, O MAN, WHO ART THOU THAT REPLIEST AGAINST GOD? SHALL THE THING FORMED SING TO HIM THAT FORMED IT, WHY HAST THOU MADE ME THUS? YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF APPLICATIONS OF THIS, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I TAKE AWAY FROM THIS PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE IS THAT GOD IS OUR CREATOR. GOD MADE US AND THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE UPSET WITH GOD FOR THE WAY HE MADE THEM. NOW, I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THERE'S SOME PEOPLE THAT HAVE BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO THEM, AND BECAUSE OF A WRONG UNDERSTANDING THEY BLAME GOD FOR THOSE BAD THINGS, BUT I'M SAYING THAT THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE THAT JUST REBEL. THEY KNOW THAT GOD; SAY, FOR INSTANCE, IN MY PROFESSION OR VOCATION, IF YOU WANT TO CALL THAT, I'VE MET MANY PEOPLE WHO KNOW GOD CALLED THEM TO PREACH THE GOSPEL AND YET THEY DON'T WANT TO PREACH THE GOSPEL BECAUSE THEY'VE SEEN PREACHERS WHO WERE POOR, THEY'VE SEEN PREACHERS WHO ARE RIDICULED AND CRITICIZED AND MADE FUN OF, AND FOR WHATEVER REASON, THEY DON'T WANT TO DO IT AND THEY GET UPSET WITH GOD, AND THEY KNOW WHAT GOD'S WILL FOR THEM IS, BUT THEY TRY AND FIND FULFILLMENT SOME OTHER WAY. THAT'S WRONG. WE...YOU KNOW, WHEN GOD REVEALS HIS WILL TO YOU, WHETHER IT SEEMS APPEALING TO YOU OR NOT, YOU NEED TO DO IT. YOU KNOW, FOR A WHILE I PASTORED THREE LITTLE CHURCHES OVER A SIX-YEAR PERIOD OF TIME, AND I JUST LOVED PASTORING. I NEVER WAS VERY GOOD AT IT. THE LARGEST CHURCH I EVER HAD WAS 100 PEOPLE AND... BUT I LOVED IT. I LOVED THE PERSONAL INTERACTION AND STAYING WITH PEOPLE AND BUILDING LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS. I LOVED IT, BUT THEN THE LORD TOLD ME IT WAS TIME FOR ME TO LEAVE BEING A PASTOR AND TO START TRAVELING THE WAY THAT I'VE DONE NOW FOR NEARLY 50 YEARS. AND WHEN I STARTED DOING THAT, AT FIRST, I R...I REALLY MISSED THE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP, THE LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS WITH PEOPLE THAT CAME FROM PASTORING A CHURCH, BUT I KNEW IT WAS GOD'S WILL, AND SO INSTEAD OF ARGUING WITH HIM, I DID IT. AND DID YOU KNOW WITHIN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, I MEAN, GOD CHANGED MY HEART, AND NOW I LOVE DOING WHAT I'M DOING. MATTER OF FACT, I OFTEN... I WAS AT A THING LAST NIGHT WHERE EVERYBODY, THERE WERE 16 PASTORS THERE. I WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT WASN'T A PASTOR. I'M A TRAVELING MINISTRY, TEACHER, BUT THEY STILL CALLED ME PASTOR, AND JOKINGLY I TOLD THEM, I SAID, HEY, I'M NOT A PASTOR; I SERVED MY TIME, PRAISE GOD. NOW I LOVE WHAT I'M DOING SO MUCH, THAT MAN, I WOULDN'T WANT TO GO BACK TO BEING A PASTOR. SO MY POINT IS THAT INSTEAD OF SAYING, WELL, GOD, I KNOW YOU WANT ME TO DO THIS, BUT I WANT TO DO THAT. YOU JUST NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT GOD'S PLANS FOR YOU ARE BETTER THAN YOUR PLANS FOR YOURSELF. YOU'RE LIKE A LUMP OF CLAY, AND ARE YOU GOING TO TELL GOD, DON'T MAKE ME THIS? NO, YOU JUST NEED TO BE PLIABLE, AND WHATEVER GOD WANTS TO DO IN YOUR LIFE, LET HIM DO IT. YOU'LL BE BETTER OFF BECAUSE OF IT. SO HE SAYS, IN VERSE 21, HE SAYS, HATH NOT THE POW... POTTER POWER OVER THE CLAY, OF THE SAME LUMP TO MAKE ONE VESSEL UNTO HONOUR, AND ANOTHER UNTO DISHONOUR? WHAT IF GOD, WILLING TO SHEW HIS WRATH, AND TO MAKE HIS POWER KNOWN, ENDURED WHICH MUTH... LONG-SUFFERING THE VESSELS OF WRATH FITTED TO DESTRUCTION. AGAIN, SEE, IF YOU LOOK AT THESE WORDS, THIS VERIFIES WHAT I WAS SAYING, THAT GOD DIDN'T MAKE PHARAOH EVIL, PHARAOH CHOSE TO BE EVIL, AND ONCE THAT WAS HIS CHOICE, GOD JUST ENFORCED IT BECAUSE THIS SAYS, HE ENDURED WHICH MUCH LONG-SUFFERING... THAT MEANS THAT GOD DIDN'T CAUSE IT; HE ALLOWED PHARAOH, AND OF COURSE, YOU COULD APPLY THIS TO US, HE ALLOWS US TO GO OUR WAY, TO MAKE OUR OWN CHOICES. AND ONCE A PERSON CROSSES A LINE, WHICH I CAN'T DRAW, ONLY GOD KNOWS, AND THIS PERSON JUST, YOU KNOW, HAS...IS ADAMANT THAT THIS IS WHO THEY'RE GOING TO BE AND THIS IS HOW THEY'RE GOING TO ACT, GOD ENDURES AND PUTS UP WITH THAT, HE'S LONG-SUFFERING, BUT AFTER A WHILE, IT SAYS, THAT HE MIGHT MAKE KNOWN THE RICHES OF HIS GLORY ON THE VESSELS OF MERCY, WHICH HE HAD AFORE PREPARED, EVEN US, WHOM HE CALLED, NOT OF THE JEWS ONLY, BUT ALSO OF THE GENTILES, AND SO THEN HE JUST USES THESE UNGODLY PEOPLE TO ACCOMPLISH HIS WILL. THAT DIDN'T MEAN THAT HE MADE THEM UNGODLY. HE JUST PUTS UP WITH THEM AND ALLOWS THIS. IN VERSE 25, AS HE SAID ALSO IN OSEE, I WILL CALL THEM MY PEOPLE, WHICH WERE NOT MY PEOPLE; AND HER BELOVED, WHICH WAS NOT BELOVED. HE WAS TALKING TO THE JEWS AND HE WAS TELLING THE JEWS THAT THERE WAS COMING A TIME THAT BECAUSE OF THE MESSIAH, PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN OUTSIDE OF THE NATION OF ISRAEL WOULD NOW BE HIS PEOPLE, AND THOSE WHO WERE NOT BELOVED WILL NOW BE CALLED, THE BELOVED. THIS IS TALKING ABOUT THE CHURCH OF OUR DAY. IN VERSE 26, AND IT CAME TO PASS, THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID UNTO THEE, YE ARE NOT MY PEOPLE; THERE SHALL THEY BE CALLED THE CHILDREN OF THE LIVING GOD. AGAIN, THIS IS TALKING ABOUT ME AS A GENTILE. I WASN'T BORN A JEW. I WAS BORN A GENTILE, BUT THROUGH JESUS, I AM NOW GOD'S PEOPLE. I AM...I BELONG TO HIM. I AM A PART OF THE BODY OF CHRIST. IN VERSE 27, ESAIAS ALSO CRIED 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 ON THE EARTH. AND THEN HE QUOTES ISAIAH AGAIN. MAN, I'M RUNNING SHORT OF TIME. LET ME JUST QUICKLY GO THROUGH SOME OF THESE VERSES. VERSE 29, AND AS ESAIAS SAID BEFORE, EXCEPT THE LORD OF SABAOTH HAD LEFT US A SEED, WE HAD BEEN UNTO SODOMA, AND BEEN LIKE UNTO GOMORRAH. THOSE WERE THE TWO CITIES THAT WERE GIVEN OVER TO HOMOSEXUALITY AND THAT GOD DESTROYED THEM WITH FIRE AND BRIMSTONE, AND LOT AND HIS FAMILY CAME OUT OF THERE. AND SO HE WAS SAYING, THAT IF IT HADN'T HAVE BEEN FOR THE MERCY OF GOD, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NOBODY SAVED, BUT THERE IS A REMNANT. AND IN VERSE 30, IT SAYS, WHAT SHALL WE SAY THEN? THAT THE GENTILES, WHICH FOLLOWED NOT AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS, HAVE OBTAINED TO RIGHTEOUSNESS, EVEN THE RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS OF FAITH, AND THE REASON FOR IT IS BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T GO THROUGH JESUS. THEY TRIED TO OBTAIN IT ON THEIR OWN. I'M OUT OF TIME TODAY, BUT THAT'S WHERE I'LL START TOMORROW. AND I TELL YOU, THIS LEADS INTO THE 10TH CHAPTER, AND SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SCRIPTURES THAT GOD HAS EVER SHOWN ME. THIS HAS JUST REVOLUTIONIZED MY LIFE AND I'VE USED THESE VERSES TO SEE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE BORN AGAIN. SO THAT'S WHERE WE'LL CONTINUE TOMORROW. BUT I TELL YOU, THIS IS POWERFUL. IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN THIS BOOK ON ROMANS, THIS IS A BRAND NEW PRODUCT THAT WE HAVE OUT, AND I PROMISE YOU, THIS WOULD TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE. I REALLY BELIEVE THAT. THAT'S THE POWER OF THE WORD OF GOD. AND SO THIS IS OVER A 400-PAGE BOOK. WE ALSO HAVE CDs AND DVDs IF YOU WOULD RATHER JUST LISTEN TO IT, BUT THERE'S THINGS IN THIS BOOK, THERE ARE FOOTNOTES AND REFERENCES AND THINGS THAT YOU CAN'T GET JUST LISTENING TO THE AUDIO, SO THIS BOOK, I WOULD ENCOURAGE THAT. WE ALSO HAVE A <i>LIVING COMMENTARY,</i> AND WE HAVE SOME VIDEO TESTIMONIES. LISTEN TO OUR ANNOUNCER AS HE GIVES YOU THAT INFORMATION, AND PLEASE CALL OR WRITE TODAY. >> ANDREW IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE RELEASE OF HIS BRAND NEW, HARD BACK BOOK TITLED, <i>ROMANS: PAUL'S MASTERPIECE</i> <i>ON GRACE.</i> THIS BRAND NEW BOOK INCLUDES ALL OF ANDREW'S PERSONAL STUDY NOTES AND COMMENTARY ON THE BOOK OF ROMANS COMPILED FROM ANDREW'S <i>LIFE FOR TODAY</i> STUDY BIBLE AND <i>LIVING COMMENTARY.</i> THIS VALUABLE RESOURCE IS AVAILABLE FOR A GIFT OF ANY AMOUNT WHEN YOU CONTACT US. <i>ROMANS: PAUL'S MASTERPIECE</i> <i>ON GRACE </i>IS ALSO AVAILABLE IN A CD OR DVD ALBUM MADE FROM OUR DAILY TELEVISION BROADCAST. EACH OF THESE VALUABLE RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE FOR A GIFT OF ANY AMOUNT WHEN YOU CONTACT US. THIS ENTIRE SERIES IS ALSO AVAILABLE FOR AUDIO DOWNLOAD ABSOLUTELY FREE FROM OUR WEB SITE. GO TO AWMI.NET TO SEE ALL THE WAYS YOU CAN GET THIS TEACHING. TODAY YOU HEARD ANDREW'S PERSONAL REVELATION ON THE BOOK OF ROMANS. YOU CAN STUDY THROUGH THE ENTIRE BIBLE WITH ANDREW WHEN YOU GET HIS CONTINUALLY UPDATED <i>LIVING COMMENTARY.</i> THIS EXTRAORDINARY RESOURCE CONTAINS HIS PERSONAL STUDY NOTES, FOOTNOTES, AND COMMENTARY ON OVER 25,000 BIBLE VERSES. ANDREW HAS PRICED THIS VALUABLE STUDY TOOL AT ONLY $120. GO TO AWMI.NET TO DOWNLOAD YOURS TODAY. ALSO TODAY, ANDREW IS OFFERING <i>THE GRACE ENCOUNTERS</i> VOLUMES 1 AND 2 DVDs AS HIS FREE GIFT TO YOU WHEN YOU WRITE OR CALL. THIS SPECIAL OFFER IS A $50 VALUE, ABSOLUTELY FREE WHEN YOU CONTACT US TODAY. OR YOU CAN GET EACH OF THESE VALUABLE RESOURCES AS PART OF THE ROMANS PACKAGE. THIS PACKAGE INCLUDES ANDREW'S<i> LIVING COMMENTARY,</i> AS WELL AS THE <i>ROMANS:</i> <i>PAUL'S MASTERPIECE ON GRACE</i> HARDBACK BOOK, YOUR CHOICE OF EITHER THE CD OR DVD ALBUM, AND<i> GRACE ENCOUNTERS</i> VOLUMES 1 AND 2 DVDs. THIS INCREDIBLE PACKAGE HAS A CATALOG VALUE OF $275, BUT YOU CAN RECEIVE ALL OF THESE VALUABLE RESOURCES TODAY FOR JUST $197. WE WANT TO SAY A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE GRACE PARTNERS OF ANDREW WOMMACK MINISTRIES. YOUR GIFTS MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO PUT FREE MINISTRY MATERIALS INTO THE HANDS OF MANY PEOPLE IN NEED. IF YOU'RE NOT ALREADY A GRACE PARTNER, WE ASK YOU TO PRAY ABOUT BECOMING ONE TODAY. YOU CAN BECOME A GRACE PARTNER OR ORDER RESOURCES THROUGH OUR WEB SITE AT AWMI.NET. WHILE THERE, YOU CAN DISCOVER MORE PRODUCT DETAILS AND DOWNLOAD ADDITIONAL FREE RESOURCES. YOU CAN ALSO ORDER RESOURCES OR RECEIVE PRAYER BY CALLING OUR HELPLINE AT 719-635-1111. OUR HELPLINE IS OPEN MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, 24 HOURS A DAY, AND SATURDAY AND SUNDAY FROM 7:30AM TO 6PM, MOUNTAIN TIME. TO WRITE US, USE THE ADDRESS ON YOUR SCREEN. WE APPRECIATE YOUR GENEROSITY AND HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU >> TODAY. <i>♪ MUSIC ♪</i> >> ONCE YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS WHAT GOD HAS SAID, YOU JUST BASE YOUR LIFE ON IT, AND I MEAN, THERE IS NO PLAN B >> OR THERE IS NO PLAN C. >> JESUS GOT IN THE SCRIPTURES AND GOD SPOKE TO HIM. HE FOUND HIS IDENTITY IN THE SCRIPTURES JUST LIKE YOU AND I ARE GOING TO HAVE TO FIND OUR IDENTITY NOW >> IN THE SCRIPTURES. <i>♪ MUSIC ♪</i> <i>♪ MUSIC ♪</i> >> WELCOME TO THE AWM MINUTE, A SMALL GLIMPSE OF HOW THE FRIENDS AND PARTNERS OF ANDREW WOMMACK MINISTRIES AND CHARIS BIBLE COLLEGE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN LIVES AROUND THE WORLD. LIVES LIKE YVONNE SMITH, WHO AT THE AGE OF 15 HAD AN ABORTION THAT FOR YEARS BOUND HER TO FEELING CONDEMNED AND UNWORTHY OF GOD'S LOVE. THAT IS, UNTIL ONE DAY WHEN A FRIEND INTRODUCED HER TO ANDREW'S TEACHING, <i>>> SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY.</i> >> IT WAS THAT TEACHING THAT LIKE WAS THE KEY THAT UNLOCKED MY TRUE FREEDOM. I THOUGHT EVERY SINGLE THING I DID ALTERED WHETHER OR NOT I WOULD GO TO HEAVEN, BUT LISTENING TO HIM EXPLAIN IT >> WAS LIKE, WOW. >> DELIVERED FROM THE GUILT AND CONDEMNATION OF HER PAST, YVONNE IS NOW IN FULL TIME MINISTRY, WHERE SHE HELPS OTHERS WHO HAVE MADE SIMILAR MISTAKES EXPERIENCE THE FREEDOM OF GOD'S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND GRACE. TO SEE YVONNE'S FULL GRACE ENCOUNTER, >> VISIT AWMI.NET TODAY. <i>♪ MUSIC ♪</i> <i>♪ MUSIC ♪</i> >> FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS, CHARIS BIBLE COLLEGE HAS BEEN TRAINING AND EMPOWERING STUDENTS TO STEP INTO THEIR GOD-GIVEN CALLING AND PURPOSE. CHARIS WORSHIP SPECIALIZES IN GUIDING BELIEVERS INTO THE PRESENCE OF GOD. EXPERIENCE THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF PRAISE AND WORSHIP WITH STANDING FROM CHARIS WORSHIP. STANDING WILL BUILD YOU UP AND REMIND YOU OF THE POWER YOU HAVE WHEN YOU STAND IN GOD'S LOVE AVAILABLE AS A CD, THIS ALBUM FEATURES TEN TRACKS THAT WILL KEEP YOUR MIND FOCUSED ON GOD. GO TO AWMI.NET >> TO GET YOUR COPY TODAY. <i>♪ MUSIC ♪</i> [END]
