“What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath…? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known?”
Romans 9:22-23
“Often we wonder, ‘Is the Bible really applicable? Is it really practical? Does it really speak to my needs?’ Well, tell me something more practical than the sovereignty of God’s grace in the face of this [tragedy]. Name me something more practical than the reality that God is on His throne accomplishing His good and perfect will even through the wrath of men. Tell me something more practical than that. …
“Paul is telling us that God’s purpose in providence and election is to display the glory of His mercy. And my friends, God always has a purpose to show the glory of His mercy, even in the events of last Tuesday. I don’t know what they are. I may have an inkling of some of them. I may die not knowing all the purposes of God’s mercy, but I do know this, that God always has a plan to reveal the glory of His mercy to those who are the objects of His mercy. …
“If you want fellowship with the living God, then the only place you can go is to the grace of God, and the only way you can do that… is through Jesus Christ.”
“Paul is telling us that God’s purpose in providence and election is to display the glory of His mercy. And my friends, God always has a purpose to show the glory of His mercy, even in the events of last Tuesday. I don’t know what they are. I may have an inkling of some of them. I may die not knowing all the purposes of God’s mercy, but I do know this, that God always has a plan to reveal the glory of His mercy to those who are the objects of His mercy. …
“If you want fellowship with the living God, then the only place you can go is to the grace of God, and the only way you can do that… is through Jesus Christ.”
Scripture Focus
Romans 9:22-29
Insight
This is from Ligon Duncan’s September 16, 2001, sermon titled, “God’s Purpose to Display His Mercy Against the Backdrop of Evil,” given at First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, MS.
Bible In A Year
- Isaiah 27-28
- Psalm 84
- Acts 5-6
