The following resource is from desiring God.org.

Romans 9, sorry in verse 19,

you say to me then, why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will? But who are you,

old man, to answer back to God. Well what is molded say to the molder, why have you made me

like this? Has the potter no right over the clay to make out of the same lump one vessel for honored use and another for dishonorable use?

What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction

in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy which he has prepared beforehand for glory. for Our Father, I ask now for hearts that are unlike the heart in verse 19, skeptical and cynical, rather submissive and humble and teachable. and this is the one to whom I will look, he who trembles at my word, forbid Lord that we would

elevate our own human sense of values to the level of becoming the judge of the Almighty.

Grant that we would bow and learn what it is to be creatures, deserving of punishment and spared by Jesus

Christ through faith alone. Lord be honored in this service as we continue worship

over the word. Make me a faithful expositor of your word.

Now I pray.

Let there be a transaction in this moment of transformation out of conformity to the world and

into conformity to the word that would magnify Christ.

That's why we exist, Lord,

that Christ might be made much of in the universe over all things.

In his name I pray, Amen.

One of the advantages of being a pastor who's called to understand and to exult over the word of God in preaching in front of a covenant people called Bethlehem. One of the advantages of that

is that I must stand before a people week in and week out whose children have died, or worse, are spiritually dead, whose spouses are critically ill or worse, spiritually hard, whose health is failing and whose jobs

are in jeopardy and whose finances are strapped and who

battled depression or love somebody who battles depression. I stand week in and week out before a people who know from experience that this world, the real world in which you live, is shot through with sin and pain and suffering and futility.

That is a great advantage to me as a pastor.

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