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Romans: The Power of the Gospel Message 109 of 150
God’s Sovereignty and Human Responsibility
Pastor Anthony King· May 11, 2025
Romans 9:14-24
A sermon on Romans 9:14-24: God's sovereign decisions always agree with His righteous character, and His mercy flows from His nature, not human merit. His hardening of hearts is a just response to persistent rebellion, which calls us to humility, repentance and trust in His perfect justice and mercy.
“What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.”
Romans 9:14
The series
Verse by verse through Paul’s letter to the church at Rome: the Gospel of God’s righteousness, from our ruin in sin to life lived as a living sacrifice.
God’s sovereign choices always align with His righteous character.
The Lord’s mercy flows from His nature, not human merit.
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;Titus 3:5
And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.Exodus 34:6-7
Divine compassion operates according to God’s perfect wisdom.
The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.Psalm 145:9
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!Romans 11:33
God’s mercy is not random or reckless. It’s always just, always wise, and always undeserved.
God’s hardening of hearts occurs in response to persistent rebellion.
The Lord gives people over to their chosen path of resistance.
He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.Proverbs 29:1
Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:Romans 1:24-26
Spiritual hardening follows willful rejection of divine truth.
But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.Zechariah 7:11-12
But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.Exodus 8:15
God’s hardening is not Him forcing unbelief, but confirming the path already chosen by prideful hearts.
Human objections cannot invalidate God’s righteous judgments.
As created beings, we have no standing to challenge our Creator’s wisdom.
Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.Job 38:2-4
God’s sovereign authority establishes His right to judge.
And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?Daniel 4:35
Questioning God’s justice is human pride, while trusting His justice is humble faith.
God demonstrates patience toward vessels of wrath to reveal His glory to vessels of mercy.
Divine longsuffering provides opportunity for repentance.
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.2 Peter 3:9
The Lord’s patience magnifies His glory through redemption.
And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.Isaiah 30:18
Rest in the righteousness of God’s character.
Stay sensitive to the voice of God.
Maintain a humble posture before God.
Pray for those under judgment.
14What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 15For 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. 16So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. 17For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 18Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. 19Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 20Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 21Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 22What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 23And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, 24Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? Romans 9:14-24
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