For our scripture reading, we turn to Romans 9. We will read the first 24 verses. Romans 9, one through 24. I say the truth in Christ, I lie not. My conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart, for I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen, according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the services of God, and the promises, whose are the fathers, and of whom is concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever, amen. Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect, for they are not all Israel which are of Israel, neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children, but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. For this is the word of promise, at this time will I come and Sarah shall have a son. And not only this, but when Rebekah also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac, for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth, it was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then, it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. For 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. Therefore hath he mercy, on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardeneth. Thou wilt say that unto me, why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay, but, O man, who art thou that replyest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor? What if God, willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had aforeprepared unto glory, even us whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? We consider verses six through eight, not as though the word of God hath taken none effect, for they are not all Israel which are of Israel, neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children, but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. Beloved in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the text we consider this morning, the apostle addresses a great concern that he has. And that concern is that when he looks out over the history of the children of Israel, he sees the undeniable fact that many have perished through their unbelief. They dropped like flies in the wilderness because of their unbelief. The history of Israel is filled with example after example of their unbelief. Even now, the Apostle writes in the context that his own brethren, according to the flesh, live in unbelief and show that by rejecting the Christ and killing him and rejecting the holy gospel concerning Christ. But that really is not his main concern. It is a concern, great concern. He even says, with God as his witness, that he could wish himself accursed if only they would be saved. Quite a statement, a statement of a mediator. But that's not his main concern. His main concern is that if you look at that history and deal with that reality, you might come to the conclusion that the problem here is God's promise. His concern is that one might conclude that the promise of God is made, as he puts it, of none effect, that is, falls to the ground, doesn't actually accomplish that which God promises. And that's what he addresses here in this text. And in that, he teaches that not all the children of the flesh Not the children of the flesh are the children of God, but the children of the promise are the true children of God. They are the seed of Abraham. That's the explanation. We too, on the occasion of baptism, cannot ignore that we have the same concern. In baptism, God makes a promise. God promises virtually the same thing that he promised Abraham. It's one promise. The promise to be our God and the promise that we will be his people. And God witnesses and seals that promise in baptism, for we are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. And we read in the form exactly what that promise is, what God the Father promises to do, and God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And so we baptize. We baptize because God commands us to baptize. And we do so understanding that promise and knowing that promise. And we also know from experience the very same thing the Apostle Paul learned. That is, not everyone who receives that baptism with water receives the reality. Many reject that sign, many reject that promise, many fall in unbelief. causes us great pain and sorrow, especially for the parents. What is going on? How can this be? And we might conclude the problem is the promise, that God promises something, but he does not deliver. The Apostle Paul explains the truth of the matter, that yes, there is this reality, but the explanation is in the promise. What God promises, precisely what God promises. God promises to save certain children and not others. God in baptism promises to save the children of the promise. That is the answer. And that is the answer especially because it is the one that shows forth the truth that God's Word never fails. Any other explanation, God's Word fails. His promises fall to the ground. And if that is so, there is no salvation. If that is so, then salvation is by man. and that is no salvation at all. Consider with me this morning, beloved, the children of the promise. Children of the promise. And we consider, first of all, the meaning of that, that means they're begotten of the promise. Secondly, they're called by the promise. And thirdly, they are believers in the promise. At the heart of this text and its explanation. And the truth of the matter is this distinction, this important distinction that's made between the children of the flesh and the children of the promise, because only the children of the promise are counted as the seed, whereas the children of the flesh are not the children of God. without even going any further, that's an amazing statement that's often overlooked. That the children of the flesh are not the children of God. Just think about that. Only the children of the promise are the children of God. And the point of that distinction is that only the children of the promise receive the promise and are saved by that promise. I said let's think about that right even at the outside because that's not how we think. That's not how we look at things. But no child of the flesh is a child of God. Only the children of the promise. That's humbling. But it's meant to be that way. So there's that distinction, an important distinction. And it's an important distinction because we know that there's a connection between the children of the flesh and the children of the promise. And that connection is this. God calls the children of the promise from the children of the flesh. We all know this. This is the case in the nation of Israel. If you look back at the history of Israel, there was this nation and there were children of the flesh. That is, those whom God saved, the Jews, that's where God worked. And that's who God saved. We're all, for the most part, physical descendants of Abraham. They were children of his flesh. They were seed according to the flesh, as it were. But then there are the children of the promise. in distinction from that. Similar today, we know the same thing. That ordinarily, as God works his salvation in the New Testament, the children of God, the children of the promise, come from the children of the flesh. That God ordinarily, often, calls an individual as an adult out of darkness into light. That is, out of the world of iniquity, The world of the Gentiles, as it were, the spiritual Gentiles, and he grafts them into his church. And then God's covenant is with that individual and their seed. So that the vast majority of those who belong to God and are children of the promise come from and come out of the children of the flesh. So there is a connection. One comes out of the other. both in the old and the new, but there is also a vast difference between them. Only the children of the promise are counted as the seed, we read. Counted means considered, reckoned. Those who are of whom the seed consists. That's what he means by counted. That is, only the children of the promise are considered or counted as even Israel. Yes, in the Old Testament, Israel was often referred to according to the flesh. But truly, Israel was only the children of the promise. That's what the apostle's getting at when he says they were not all Israel who were of Israel. There was an Israel according to the flesh, those who were the children of Abraham according to the flesh, produced by the flesh. but they were not Israel. They were of Israel, but they were not Israel. Israel was reckoned and counted to be the children of the promise. That's the importance of that distinction. And so important is that distinction, the apostle proves it from the Word of God. He goes to the Word of God and he says, I'm going to show you now from the Word of God this distinction, this important and vital distinction. And he looks first of all at the very promise of God to Abraham. In Isaac shall thy seed be called. And that, of course, was connected to the other promise that Isaac would come from Abraham and from Sarah. But God points out, in Isaac shall thy seed be called because Abraham had other children. He had six by Keturah. He had one by the Egyptian Hagar. And God is saying now, thy seed shall be counted in Isaac. That's the children of the promise. God also points to the history of Isaac and Rebekah. Isaac himself now, the one to whom God made the promise, had two children, Jacob and Esau. One was a child of the promise, Jacob, and the other was a child of the flesh. That's the proof of this distinction the apostle gives. When the apostle is talking about them as the children of the promise and referring to them as those who are counted as the seed, what he's referring to is the fact that they are children of the promise and counted for the seed because it is the promise that begets them. They are born out of the promise. They are born by the promise. They are raised and nurtured by that promise. That's evident when you consider it's being compared to the children of the flesh. When we talk about the children of the flesh, it's obviously we're not saying simply that they are children who have flesh, or even that they were children who receive flesh, but they are born out of the flesh. They are begotten by the flesh. That was the case of all the physical children of Abraham. They were born by the flesh, the union. Abraham with Keturah, Abraham with Agar, and Abraham with Sarah. That flesh begat them. That's brought out even in the holy scriptures. But there was only one who was born of the promise. All the others were created by the natural power of the flesh. One was born by the power of the promise itself. That's brought out in the book of Hebrews. Isaac wasn't born of the power of the flesh. That was evident with Abraham. Hebrews says he was as good as dead. And Sarah, who was bare in her entire life, conceived. What accounts for that birth of Isaac? Was it the flesh? Answer, no. There was nothing in the flesh of Abraham or Sarah that accounts for the birth of Isaac. The promise alone accounts for that birth. That's true of our children. If we do not understand that distinction, we do not understand the truth of the word. We give birth to children of the flesh according to the power of flesh. But if our children are believers, if our children are born in another sense, that is due to the promise. The promise begets them just like the flesh begets others. Now that promise is the Word of God to do something. We may boil that promise down to one single promise. It's the very promises that we read in our baptism form. You may go right to Acts 2.39. It is the promise of God to be our God and that we will be His people. That's the promise of God. It's the covenant promise. It's the promise to save them, even as many as He shall call. It is the same as the promise of the Holy Gospel that you find in John 3.16, that whosoever believeth in Christ shall not perish but have everlasting life. It is the promise. that you will find in the Canons, Head 2, Article 5. Now, there are many promises in Scripture, even as there was the promise to Abraham that he would beget a child from Sarah or with Sarah. But it all belongs to one promise. It's all different aspects of the same promise, the covenant promise that God will be our God and we will be his people. Now to be born or begotten by that promise is basically and simply regeneration. That promise regenerates you. That promise has the power to give you a new life. It is to be born again by the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Understand, therefore, that when we talk about being begotten by the promise or born again by the promise, we're saying really that one is born of the Word and Spirit. You will always find those two together, Word and Spirit. And the idea is the Spirit who is the agent works through that Word or through that promise to accomplish the purpose of God. and we call that regeneration. It is to take the power of salvation and work it in the hearts so that God is indeed their God and they are the people of God. That's what the Apostle says in Galatians 4.29 where he says that Ishmael was born of the Spirit or the flesh, but Isaac was born of the Spirit. Notice here, it has to do with being born of the promise, but in Galatians it's called being born of the Spirit. Same thing. The Spirit works through that promise. That's what we're talking about here when we talk about the children of the promise. Now, the point is that we may never suppose that our act of begetting children with our spouse or our rearing of our children accomplishes that. That's the whole point here, that it has anything to do with making them children of the promise. First, because the apostle shows that the ultimate explanation for this distinction is God's own choice. There's a reason why this section of the Word of God follows instruction on election and reprobation, or predestination, and why it follows this text. That stands behind it all according to that truth. God is the sovereign potter who takes clay, dirt. That's what we're made out of. Amazing how that's a picture of our spiritual birth. God is the potter who takes the clay, makes a vessel of honor and a vessel of dishonor. And if you ask why he does that and what's going on, God will answer that two ways. Number one, to show forth his justice, to show forth his righteousness, what he really thinks of sin, you will find that in the canons. And the second is to show his mercy. Those two things we need to know about God. And the only way to know that is the way of God and the way of being sovereign over salvation to the point of election or approbation. That's the truth of the matter. That's the ultimate explanation. If you want to know why there's children of the promise and children of the flesh, why there are children of faith and children of unbelief, Why it is that the power of the promise regenerates some and not others, that's the answer in the first place. The answer in the second place is that all we can ever produce of our flesh and by our flesh is children of the flesh. All that are born of the flesh are flesh, Jesus himself said. That means that what we do according to our flesh and all we can do is pass on to our children the very corrupt and sinful nature that they need to be saved from. Notice how our baptism form starts out there. That's where our creeds begin. That's where they always begin. What is our great misery? We marry, we're given in marriage, we have children, and all that we can produce is depraved little sinner, just like ourselves. That's our misery. You can't pass on to that child the spirit. You can't pass on to that child who and what they are. Not according to your flesh, you cannot. And we always have a way of supposing otherwise. Yes, God is pleased to use us. We're going to go on to that. We're going to go look on to that. Yes, God calls the children of the promise from the children of the flesh. But it's always our sin and sinfulness to imagine that we're producing that. That we're responsible for that. That we automatically, even perhaps, make this happen. Or that it's automatic, regardless. Only the children of the promise are counted as the seed. Only the children of the promise are the seed of Abraham. Only the children of the promise are those of faith. Only the children of promise are born again. Only the children of the promise are those to whom that promise comes. And that's the second main point of the sermon. They are children of the promise because they are called by that promise. That is clearly implied in the text when it speaks about the fact that in Isaac, shall thy seed be called. It implies that all that we're talking about here involves a calling. That's even brought out in the promise itself. When that promise to Abraham is restated by the Apostle in Acts 2.39, and he goes on to say the promise is unto you and to your children and to all that are far off, he adds, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. You have to understand, when he brings that up in his passage, he isn't simply saying this, This is what they're called by Abraham, or this is how Abraham looks at them as such. He's bringing up something more profound. He's not even really saying, well, this is how God views them and how God sees them, although that's true also because he talks about the fact that that's how they are reckoned, that is counted, considered. Certainly it involves both Abraham and God, but he's getting at something more important, and that is that promise works in connection with a calling that's brought out in the canons itself. Look at the canons, Head 2.5. It talks about the promise of the gospel, sets forth what it is, and says that that is to be published promiscuously to all men. along with the command to repent and believe. There's a connection there, an important connection. And again, briefly I must warn you about separating them and confusing them. We may not do either. Some separate. They assume that the call and the calling is merely the declaration of the promise. So if you simply declare the promise, That's it. The work of the church and the work of preaching the holy gospel is done. Nope. One must be called. Others confuse. So that the call of the gospel becomes a universal promise to everyone that God will save them. This text denies that. May not separate or confuse. May not separate because we must preach the holy gospel. We must declare it to all persons. Wherever God sends the gospel, whether someone is elect or reprobate, there is, in a real sense, a calling that goes out. Call that the external call. And even then, if you separate the promise from the call, there is no gospel. Nor may we confuse them, because then we promise what God does not promise, and we declare what God does not declare. So you have the promise, I will be your God and you will be my people. That promise must be declared and people must be called to believe that promise. But now, does the fact that that promise goes out promiscuously and is declared promiscuously to all and sundry imply that the promise is also universal, and to all who hear that promise. That's what this all involves. I'm trying to set that forth by noting that the promise itself calls the children of the promise, and I am aware that that's a little bit different than how it's often set forth. Strictly speaking, the call of the gospel is a call unto the promise. It's a call to believe the promise. But I'm convinced that in this text and elsewhere in Scripture, the Scripture set forth the truth that the power of that call is in the promise. And so that what one understands that promise to be makes all the difference in the world whether that call has any effect or not. That is why the apostle is interested in the point of whether the promise has no effect. The call is connected to being begotten again. I think we realize that, what this all concerns. God must realize that promise. God realizes that promise by begetting someone, giving them the gift of regeneration and faith. And that occurs through the call, and it's all connected to the promise. And these things all go together, and they explain everything. What's the reason for the attitude of believing parents to their children? And why is that so radically different than everyone else? concerns the promise of the gospel. With regard to the world, there is no such promise. And so children are cursed. Children are a bother. Children are for your own self-fulfillment. Children of believers, parents don't look at them that way. They look at them this way. God is pleased to call His church and to issue His promises and save His people from the children of the flesh. That's how you look at your marriage. That's how you ought to look at your home. Why is it that the home of a believer and the marriage of a believer is so radically different than the world? Why is divorce and remarriage intolerable in the church of our Lord Jesus Christ? Why is it intolerable to raise our family and our children without any discipline? Why is it that we labor and work to institute good Christian schools and send our children there? And why is it intolerable that we would allow our children to be educated in the schools of the world? And the answer is because God promises, God promises to save our children, not all of them. God promises to save certain children, and those certain children come from the children of the flesh. This makes all the difference, even with regard to baptism. We don't baptize because we believe God saves all of our physical children, do we? That's not what you imagined this morning, is it? Because that would not be true. And if you imagine that, then you have a real problem. And that is, then God's promise is of none effect. That's the issue here. That's the issue. That's what this concerns. This is an important issue. This is an issue with which the Protestant Reformed people have wrestled before in our own history. Great controversy in our churches. And that controversy centered on one thing. Does God promise to save all of the children who receive the water of baptism? and are brought up, baptized by the minister. Yes or no? Promise isn't really even if God saves them all. Everybody's agreed on that. Everybody's agreed that God doesn't save everybody in the world. God doesn't save everybody to whom the preaching of the gospel comes. Everybody's agreed on that. Or at least most are. Who does God promise to save? To whom does God say, I will be your God and you will be my people? And the answer is, only the children of the promise. That's over against the common answer that's given today. God promises to save everyone who hears that promise in the preaching of the gospel. God promises to save everyone to whom water of baptism falls. That's the common answer today. That's the answer you will find virtually everywhere in the church today. And that answer is given Because there's concerns. Concerns about how that makes God seem to be. Maybe people will think God's not fair, God's not just, God's not righteous. How then will we preach the Word on the mission field? There may be even the same concerns that Paul had. What about all these people who fall in unbelief? God promised to save them, did he not? Did God make that promise? Does not God preach that and declare that in the preaching of the gospel? And the answer of the apostle is absolutely no. That's not done in the preaching. That's not done at baptism. That's never done. God's promise is particular. Oh, make no mistake, God publishes that promise promiscuously. God even allows and commands that the waters of baptism fall on the heads of all the children of believers. He commands that. He demands it. Bring all your children. But who does God promise to save? For whom is the real baptism, the baptism of the Spirit? And the answer is, only the children of the promise. Only those who believe. That's humbling, isn't it? that results in a lot of pain. God sometimes shows that in our own midst, from our own children, and it causes great grief, doesn't it? I know parents that have said the same thing. Oh, I could wish myself a curse if only my son or my daughter would believe. Pain in the church. Pain in the history of the church. Yes. It may seem hard to explain. Yes, it may seem a lot of things may cause even embarrassment. Why is it that this isn't preached? And the answer is because it embarrasses and humbles us. We think we need to protect God. God has an answer for those who want to protect Him. God has an answer for those who think we got to explain all this. He even has an answer for those who in the day of judgment are going to give him the cheeky, unbelieving answer. Well, if that's the case, it all comes down to election reprobation. Why are you condemning me to hell? All we've done is thy will. Can you imagine that? Such is the hardness of heart of the unbeliever. who doesn't believe election or approbation, rejects it when it's preached, when it's taught, is going to throw it back in the face of God. And God's going to give the ultimate answer, just who do you think you are, old man? You got a problem with what I do and how I do it? I understand your grief, but you're going to accuse me. You're going to cast aspersions on my word? Just who do you think you are, old man?" That's quite an answer. But don't forget that in the end what this is all about is God and the Word of God. That's the principle here. You see, we all like the idea of salvation. We all claim to be saved by God. Everybody claims to have faith, but the point of the apostle is that a universal promise that is not effective has no power to save. People might imagine they're saved by believing it, but there's no power there. Because the difference between the saved and the unsaved, and the difference between those who believe and do not believe, comes down to you. It can't be God's promise, because God promises to save everybody. It can't come down to the power of God, because God gives that power to everybody, gives that grace to everybody. That's what's at stake here. The whole point is, is there's only one promise that has the power to save, and that's a particular one. Only that promise is effective when you believe in God. and you say you do, and you believe in the Word, don't forget, this has to do with the Word being effective, and the Word of Jesus Christ, what you say about God's promise, you say about Jesus Christ, is, is it effective or not? Because if it's not, there's no power to save in you. And there's no power to save in a promise that's universal. It's ineffective. That's the point. Do you understand that? So this is about the glory of God, not only. But it's actually all about the power of salvation. You see, we don't just argue about election or probation. We don't just have debates about these things for being right's sake. At issue is the very power of God unto salvation. Yes, it's humbling. But it's amazing, because what the apostle also sets forth is that children of the promise are believers in that promise. And notice, they're believers in that promise. They don't believe in a universal Jesus. They do not believe in a Jesus that wants to save everybody, but really can't. Impotent to accomplish His will. They have no desire in a God or salvation, or a God or a Jesus who is not sovereign over salvation. Not interested in a Jesus and a God who's only sovereign over matters in creation, but leaves salvation in our hands. And God makes that clear in the promise. And don't forget what's being said here. You see, it's easy for us to say, well, I believe in Jesus. And I believe Jesus loves me and he saves me. That's easy. Millions and millions of people who confess that. But they believe in a Jesus who cannot save. They believe in a promise that does not save. Children of the promise, believe the promise. They are called to believe that promise. And they do believe that promise exactly because only that promise has the power to save. This explains, beloved, your rearing and your attitudes. Always remember that. Part of your calling as parents is not only to teach this promise and to teach this truth and raise them in the fear of God, Call them to believe it, these very children who are baptized without their knowledge. You believe in this God, and you believe in His Word, an effective Word. It never fails. It never falls to the ground, exactly because it is particular and not universal. Oh, it's published. It's published wherever God sends the gospel. It's even published, you might say, when the sacrament is administered to all the children of the flesh of believers. And those who reject it are responsible for that. They're not allowed to blame God. They're going to try. God will show. that they are responsible for their sin. But as to the conversion, the regeneration of the children of the promise, God gets all the credit. It's His promise that saves, and that's what we teach. Amen. Let us pray. Lord our God and Father in Heaven, we thank Thee for the truth about the children of the promise, and therefore the promise itself, and therefore the reminder that Thou art our Savior. that thou art the one who has determined and planned all things, who has published that plan, who has established that covenant, who maintains thy word and makes it all effective. Give us grace, Father, according to thy promise, to believe and never to doubt. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.