Sermon Breakdown

1. The apostle Paul divides up his matter into two main difficulties or objections which could be brought with respect to the teaching that he has given from verse six to verse 13.
2. The first objection was that it seems unjust and unrighteous in God to show his mercy to some and not to others, and particularly in view of the fact that he teaches that he does so even before they were born, quite irrespective of any action or any merit on their part.
3. The second objection was that it seems equally unjust and unrighteous on the part of God in the words that we are given with regard to Esau, namely Esau. Have I hated Jacob have I loved Esau have I hated.
4. In verses 15 and 16, the apostle took up the first aspect of the general case, or if you'd prefer it, the first subsidiary case. And he deals with it.
5. In verse 17, we come to his handling of the second case, the second subsidiary case, or the second aspect of the general main case, this charge of unrighteousness in God in the light of this teaching.
6. The scripture Saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
7. The meaning conveyed in the original term is allowing someone to appear or bringing someone forward onto the stage of events.
8. A better translation would be this, I have caused thee to stand, rather than I have raised thee up. I have caused thee to stem.
9. The whole idea is that he brought pharaoh into that particular position at that particular point for this purpose. We must get rid of any notion that he was made or created for this purpose.
10. To harden means to render obstinate, to render stubborn. That's what it means. It doesn't merely mean to punish. It's more than that. It literally means to render obstinate and stubborn.
11. The record in Exodus not only tells us that God hardened Pharaoh's heart, but it also tells us that Pharaoh hardened his own heart.
12. God hardened Pharaoh's heart, but also we are told that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. How do we resolve this?
13. The word used is an active word. It's not a permissive idea at all the statement is quite definitely that God rendered Pharaoh stubborn and obstinate. It wasn't merely that he permitted him to become thus, or allowed him to become.
14. God doesn't do that. God cannot do that. We've got a statement by the apostle James that ought to put us right on this once and forever, where he says in the first chapter and verse 13, let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God. For God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any men. God is not the author of evil. God cannot be tempted by evil, and he never tempts anyone?
15. What God does is to aggravate what is already there. He doesn't create it. He doesn't put it there, but he aggravates what is there for his own great purpose. God never made pharaoh an unbeliever. But because he was an unbeliever, God aggravated his unbelief in order to bring to pass his own great purpose of showing his power and his glory.