SERMON SPOTLIGHT * 10/18/26
Introducing…THE CHURCH. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.
SERIES: ROMANS: The Power of God in the Gospel of Jesus Christ
TEXT: Romans 9:22-29
TITLE: Introducing The Church
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: God does not react to events in the moment; He fulfills His word from eternity past.
POINTS:
I. A New People
II. An Old Plan
SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.
ILLUSTRATION: Grandson Jack running down the hallway like a basketball player
“Jack loves big introductions. In today’s text, Paul is introducing the Church. And it’s a big introduction. Paul has said much in Romans 9. The purpose of it all has been to defend the idea that the Jews’ failure to embrace the gospel (1-5) does not mean that God’s word has failed (6). On the contrary, God is faithful to His word, and His faithfulness is ultimately revealed in His electing purposes that are creating a new people of God, His Church.”
“Everything Paul has been saying about the freedom and sovereignty of God in saving sinners, he now applies to the Gentiles, or, everyone not a Jew—read 22-24.”
“The us in 24 are the vessels of mercy which God prepared beforehand for His glory in 23. They are the spiritual Israel in 6, the children of God and the recipients of His promise in 8. They are the ones God effectually calls, not only from the Jews, and here it is—from the Gentiles. This would have astonished the Jews of Paul’s day. God’s chosen people are not confined to ethnic Israel. His saving mercy is not limited to Abraham’s physical offspring. There is a New People of God, born to spiritual life through the gospel by the grace and mercy of God.”
“We come to Romans 9 wanting to challenge God about His fairness and to doubt His goodness because some perish. But that’s not Paul’s emphasis. He doesn’t even explain it. Paul’s emphasis, what he takes time to unpack, is the glory of God revealed through His mercy in the gospel: He saves undeserving sinners, who have no claim to His covenant love and mercy, from every nation, tribe, and tongue. God is creating a new people, the church.”
“Where were you before you were here? I’ll tell you where you were, the same place I was—running headlong off the cliff to hell. But here you are loved, indwelt, and kept in the power and goodness of Jesus Christ!”
“I think the Spirit wants to use this in us: Cultivate a deep sense of privilege, not pride, humble privilege in being part of THIS. Too often we view Sunday morning as a duty. And it is. Hebrews 10 Do not forsake the gathering. But before Heb 10 presents the gathering as a Christian duty, it presents it as a gospel privilege. If we allow our hearts to be captivated by this truth, we will experience an irresistible longing for a unique manifestation of God’s, which we experience only when we do THIS.”
“God’s intentions for us on Sundays are that we would be about so overwhelmed with His love for us in Christ Jesus that unstoppable praise pours from our hearts to His glory. Why would you want to miss that? I pray God would use Romans 9 to create an irresistible longing in our hearts for the grace of God we experience only when we do THIS.”
“Returning to the question in 6—Has the word of God failed then?—Paul points them to something they would be very familiar with—the OT prophets. The new people of God is not a new plan; it’s an old plan. First, he argues for the inclusion of the Gentiles from Hosea—read 25-26.”
“The context is Hosea and his adulterous wife, Gomer, and their children, whose names meant "not my people" and "not beloved." They represent God’s judgment on Israel’s spiritual adultery. The point is that those rejected by God would be accepted by Him. Those who were not my people and not beloved, I will call my beloved people. This injected hope into Israel’s hopeless situation.”
“To understand how Paul uses this prophecy and how to read your Bible, we need to understand how the NT treats OT prophecy. John Stott offers us three helpful categories:
Immediate and literal (in the history of Israel)
Intermediate and spiritual (in Christ and His church)
Ultimate and eternal (in God’s consummated kingdom)”
“In Hosea, Paul, under the inspiration of the Spirit, takes a prophetic word with an immediate, literal application in Israel’s history and applies it in an intermediate, spiritual way to Christ and His church. Those that are not called my people, those that are not my beloved, those outside my covenant love—Gentiles, will be called my beloved people, as it says at the end of 26—sons of the living God. That’s you! That’s us! That’s the Church! We see this all over scripture! [See ‘additional scripture’ below].”
“God’s ancient promise to Abraham and Hosea’s prophecy had a greater fulfillment. In the gospel, God’s mercy and grace extend beyond Israel, creating a new people of God, Jew and Gentile, the Church.”
“I believe God wants this to take hold in our lives through a joyful eagerness to embrace everyone who walks through our doors. God is creating a new people. He is building His church. What you look like, where you’ve been, and how you talk have nothing to do with it. There are still people running toward the cliff, and some of them are future vessels of mercy whom God may lead here. Are you coming to church ready and willing to embrace and love them with a smile, perhaps a meal, and always with the gospel?”
“So Paul says the inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s family is nothing new: it has always been God’s plan. What of Israel then?—read 27-29. Paul is reinforcing what he already asserted in 6-13: God’s word did not fail because of the Jews’ rejection, since the promise was not to save them all. Many Jews reject Jesus; they keep running toward the cliff. But a remnant, that’s the word Paul uses in 27, a small number comparable to the sand of the sea, are vessels of God’s mercy. Instead of becoming like Sodom and Gomorrah, destroyed by God in judgment, they will be saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. More on that in chapter 11.”
“Here’s the point: (6) God is faithful to His word. The gospel creates a new people of God who live by faith in Jesus Christ because of God’s mercy toward them. Whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, there is no other way to be part of God’s people, the Church. Apart from God’s mercy and grace in His electing purposes, we would all be like Sodom and Gomorrah, rushing headlong into eternal judgment and destruction.”
“This is not a new plan. It’s God’s plan. It’s always been His plan. Look no further than the prophets. A New People of God brought about by an Old Plan of God.”
“Here’s the message for you today: God does not react to events in the moment; He fulfills His word from eternity past. From salvation to sanctification to consummation, God has no plan B. He has plan A, which He spoke in eternity past, and He is carrying it out yesterday, today, and tomorrow. His word never fails. This should bring us gratitude for our salvation, comfort in the moment, and hope for the future.”
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
1 Peter 2:9-10
Ephesians 2:11-13
Ephesians 3:4-6
QUOTES:
R.C. Sproul - “When we are adopted into the family of God, we experience an affection from God that we have no claim upon. There is nothing lovely in us in the sight of God, but he has been pleased in his mercy to cause his people, to adopt us into his family where we have no birthright or entitlement. In Christ he calls us his beloved. The New Christ-Centered People of God.”
APPLICATION:
Where do you need to believe that God is faithful to His word?
God’s grace is sufficient as you pursue your struggling or wayward child.
God is always with you, even when He seems distant and indifferent.
In Christ, nothing can separate you from God, not even that secret sin you’re painfully ashamed of.
Do you need to be sobered by God’s unfailing word, which says He will oppose you in your pride and discipline you for your sin?
SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION:
Romans 8 (entire chapter)
SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Grace Alone
Rock of Ages
Grace and Peace
All I Have Is Christ
We Are Thankful
We Are Yours Forever
In Christ Alone
NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
1 Peter 1:3-9 Our Hope in Counseling: The Gospel of Christ
THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:
Chosen For Life: The case for divine election
by Sam Storms