Sermon Breakdown

1. The apostle Paul is dealing with the question of why the majority of Jews are outside the church and Gentiles are coming in.
2. Paul wants to show this does not mean God's purpose has failed or changed. God's purpose stands according to election.
3. Paul uses the examples of Abraham's sons and Isaac's sons to show God chooses some and rejects others to carry out his purpose.
4. Paul raises and answers an objection to this teaching in verses 14-24.
5. We must understand what Paul has said so far to understand the objection and answer. Some common misinterpretations of Paul's teaching so far:
6. Paul is only dealing with nations, not individuals. But Paul refers to individuals like Jacob and Esau, and says "us whom he hath called."
7. Paul is only dealing with election to privilege, not salvation. But Paul is dealing with who comes to faith, not just privilege.
8. Paul is just justifying justification by faith. But Paul is dealing with who is justified by faith, not just the method.
9. God chose Jacob and Esau because he foresaw their faith. But Paul says the choice was before they had done anything good or bad.
10. The correct view is that God chooses some for salvation and rejects others to carry out his purpose, according to his will alone. This view leads to the objection Paul raises.
11. We must approach this passage with the right spirit: humility, reverence, recognizing we can't fully understand God. We must believe even what we don't understand.
12. Paul deals with this topic using Scripture, showing he views Scripture as the word of God. We must submit to Scripture, not argue against it.
13. Many great teachers in church history have held the view Paul teaches here. We must be careful not to reject it just because we don't understand.
14. Paul's main point is that if we are God's children, we will always be in his purpose and saved. Election shows how God infallibly accomplishes his purpose despite our weakness.