“HE SAYS!”

Romans 9:1-16                                                    (ESV)

“1 I am speaking THE TRUTH in CHRIST-I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the HOLY SPIRIT-

2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.

3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from CHRIST for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.

4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.

5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, ACCORDING TO THE FLESH, is the CHRIST, WHO is GOD over all, blessed forever. Amen.

6 But it is not as though the word of GOD has failed. For NOT ALL WHO ARE DESCENDED FROM ISRAEL BELONG TO ISRAEL,

7 and NOT ALL are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but "THROUGH ISAAC SHALL YOUR OFFSPRING BE NAMED."

8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of GOD, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

9 FOR THIS IS WHAT THE PROMISE SAID: "About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son."

10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac,

11 THOUGH THEY WERE NOT BORN YET AND HAD DONE NOTHING EITHER GOOD OR BAD-in order that GOD's purpose of election might continue, NOT BECAUSE OF WORKS but because of HIM WHO calls-

12 she was told, "The older will serve the younger."

13 As it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

14 What shall we say then? IS THERE INJUSTICE ON GOD’S PART? By no means!

15 For “HE SAYS” to Moses, "I will have MERCY on whom I have MERCY, and I will have COMPASSION on whom I have COMPASSION."

16 So then IT DEPENDS NOT ON HUMAN WILL OR ON EXERTION, but on GOD, WHO has mercy.”

Fanny J. Crosby was an American mission worker, poet, lyricist, and musical composer.  She was one of, if not the most prolific hymnists in history, writing more than 8,000 hymns and gospel songs, with more than 100 million copies printed, despite being blind from shortly after birth.  Although her physical eyesight was removed from her, she had something far more valuable that many cannot understand, her Spiritual Eyesight!  There are many, many people whose EYES have not been OPENED (Luke 24:31) to SEE just how JESUS CHRIST can transform their lives.  Not being able to Spiritually SEE is far worse than what Fanny Crosby experienced.  The sad thing is that they think their vision is fine, that we who have our EYES OPENED are deranged.  

The Apostle Paul in the letter to the Church of Rome laid out rather distinctly that simply being of Jewish heritage would NOT get you into Heaven.  In this letter to the Roman church, Paul writes that it is THE PROMISE that GOD makes, nothing else, that separates us from “the rest of the world”.  GOD says HE has “MERCY on whom I have MERCY, and I will have COMPASSION on whom I have COMPASSION”, and it DOESN’T DEPEND ON HUMAN WILL OR ON EXERTION”, (or effort)! You can’t try to be good enough and get into Heaven!  Only JESUS can validate your entrance into the Kingdom of GOD!  

Disregarding THE TRUTH (John 14:6) has become accepted so prevalently these days that people who do their best to live according to THE WORD (or TRUTH) are considered out of touch, or misinformed!   “This world” HATES JESUS, and the things of JESUS.  HIS followers HATES SIN but LOVES the people who HATE them, for we couldn’t SEE the things of the SPIRIT (John 15:16-25) without HIS supernatural work in our lives.  THE TRUTH is that we cannot understand the things of the SPIRIT until and unless our EYES and MINDS are opened by GOD to SEE.  

SEEING the things of THE SPIRIT is a gift from GOD, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:9).  You cannot understand (Job 33:8) unless the SPIRIT OF GOD reveals things to you.  Fanny J. Crosby had her Spiritual EYES opened to SEE things that we probably still cannot SEE.  Abraham KNEW that THE PROMISE GOD made to him was based on his FAITH that GOD would do what “HE SAYS”.  GOD has never made a PROMISE that HE has forgotten or changed HIS mind about.  We MUST remember what “HE SAYS” and not listen to the lies of the enemy.  What “HE SAYS” HE will do........IN HIS TIMING!!!