Introduction to The Godhead: Predestination Decree | Steve Benson

We've been doing a a uh series on sound

doctrine

um looking at the word of God

as our guide and our only guide to

sufficiency of the scripture.

So,

uh, we have a sufficient scripture, a

sufficient salvation, a sufficient God,

and he's poured his grace and mercy out

upon us.

Not everyone is going to go to heaven.

I mean, we all know that. Um,

some are and some are not. the good news

and and bad news about

those things. We want to be

understanding the good news

and the grace of God. Open your Bibles

this morning to Ephesians chapter 6.

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

And we've been looking at the decrees of

God.

We've looked at God's decree to his

creation.

That's all through the Bible. Genesis to

Revelation. God's going to wrap things

up.

In the beginning was God and in the

ending is God

and we're in between. And looking at his

word,

understanding who God is. I think it's

important for us to

uh if you're a new Christian or a young

Christian,

what we know about God is so important.

And it's so important because that's

what he says,

you know, that we should uh know him and

put him first in our lives. And we don't

even know how to do that. We need God's

word for that. Even we never graduate

from this.

So we open the word of God and today

we're going to be looking at the subject

of predestination.

Predestination.

And

you know some people

and this is this is a controversial

subject

and you know some people don't

understand

believe what the Bible says. That's

where we are. I, you know, this is not

something I thought up or, you know, the

theologians that I like to listen to

thought up. This is in the word of God.

So that word predestination

is in the Bible. You It's not like,

well, it's nowhere in the Bible like

some people try to say, "Oh, that word's

nowhere in the Bible." Well,

it is. And we study the New Testament

Greek and we study the Old Testament

Hebrew. I I am a scholar in neither. But

I have books from scholars who are

so they help me wander along on these

things. And we come to this word

predestination.

There are several words in the Greek

language uh for predestination. There

are two nouns and five verbs.

for predestination. So, we can't say

it's not in the Bible.

It is in the Bible. What we have to say

is maybe we don't quite understand what

it is because we've never looked at it

as God looks at it and what God's word

says about it. We don't want to add

anything to it or take anything away

from it. And as we begin here in chapter

6 and verse 15, here's the word.

Here is the word for us. And Paul

writes, "And your feet shod with the

preparation of the gospel of peace." So

there's that word predestined.

And notice it is for Christians.

And it is the gospel of peace. has been

the gospel has been predestined to be

peace

and you know the Bible says we should

stand in that in that predestined part

of the word of God and what God has

done.

We we didn't do any of this. We didn't,

you know, prepare the gospel. We didn't

prepare peace. you know, we're dependent

on God here

to do what God says and we should, you

know, predetermine

uh to prepare here with the gospel of

peace. And above all, Paul goes on, but

that's just a part of our armor. And

this allows us to see that word in

context here where, you know, God has

predestined something and and then we

we're to stand in it. We're to um

prepare and do what God has done. You

know, we do what God has already done.

That's what Paul is saying here. And we

follow in these things. Well, you know,

when well, when do we when did we

prepare? Look back in verse 10. Finally,

my brethren, be strong in the Lord and

in the power of his might. So

God's might has been predestined

for us Christian

to grow in and this is God's supply you

know we you know we count we you know we

share with each other we suffer with

each other we rejoice with each other

all of one anothers we all do those

things together well here the Bible says

for us to do things with God and take

advantage of something that God has

already predetermed determined

for us. And here it is the the light,

the power of his might being strong in

the Lord. And Paul says the preparation

of the gospel of peace is what God has

already prepared for us. So, you know,

we fulfill what God ordains. I mean,

that's what it says here. Turn over to

chapter two. This is a real good one. It

talks about the gift of salvation. and

that salvation and that faith is a gift

up there in verses 8 and N.

Awesome verses. But look at verse 10.

We are his God's workmanship. It takes a

long English word to explain what we

are. We're a work of God.

And we're a work of God that he has

already predestined. He's already

predetermined

uh and created in Christ Jesus. That's

where it's all at. Don't miss that. Unto

good works.

We should be doing these things. And

then Paul adds, "Which God

has before ordained that we should walk

in them." Well, there's that word

predestined. God has predestined that we

walk in these good works that he has so

supplied for us from his son. And if

you'll remember, go back to chapter one

of Ephesians. And this is an area that

we looked at as we began

this series on the decrees of God.

And you know, we should be, you know,

believing under good works. That's what

the gospel is for us. And we fulfill

what God ordains.

And you know, God is the one who

predestined the elect.

That's what Paul says in chapter one

verse five. Predestined. There's that

word. Don't say predestination is not in

the Bible. There it is.

Uh us to what? Adoption.

How does adoption work? Well, the parent

do all the work.

The kids don't do any work. The parents

do all the work, then they adopt. And

that's what God did. He did all the

work. And he's adopted us in in his son

by Christ to himself. And here according

to the good pleasure of his will. Why

did God do this? He decided that's what

he would do.

And he's the sovereign one. And remember

verse 11 over there, whom we obtained an

inheritance. What do you do to get an

inheritance?

No works for inheritance. It's just like

adoption. It's a gift.

And here it's a gift from God. And it's

in Christ by which

uh heaven and earth and him. So I mean

all the angels, fallen angels, good

angels, holy angels,

the demons, the devil, no one is going

to escape

who Jesus is and what Jesus has done.

But verse 9 says, having made known unto

us,

that's what the word of God is. That's

what God does. He makes known to us his

glorious gospel and the riches of his

grace up there

and according to his good pleasure which

he purposed in himself.

So you know there's the predestination

from the go sovereign God who says I

will do as I please

and in this universe he made it. You

know, God doesn't need anyone's

permission to send the Lord back and

judge this wicked world. That's that's

going to happen happen soon. That's what

God that's what the word of God said.

These are the decrees of God. And since

God knows everything, he can he can

decree something, you know, from

eternity past. And then what happens is

we obtain the inheritance there in verse

11. Being predestined, there's that word

according to the purpose of him who

works all things after the council of

his own will.

So predestination is according to the

will of God. It's according to uh the

pleasure of God. It's it's what God

wants.

And God predestinated the elect

before the foundation

of the world.

And as well, God for ordained that

everyone of the elect would walk in good

works before the foundation of the

world.

So the having here you know in verse 9

having made known God makes this known

to us.

So this is a revelation. This is not a

IQ thing or you know well the you guys

come along and you guys add so much to

what the Bible says.

No this predestined

this predestination and election is not

something we added to you know the word

of God. Here it is from the beginning.

God chose us.

And uh

as well remember what Jesus said in John

14. What did he say there? I just sum it

up. He said, "I go to there's our word,

prepare a place for you." So we've been

predestined to be with Jesus. and he is

predestined and in heaven now

um building us a place. What a place

that will be.

So this Greek word predestined I mean

here here it is in the book of

Ephesians. I mean over and over we got

it you know in the front and in the

back.

So you know we can't say it's not in the

Bible. Here it is and it's according to

God's will.

No other explanation needed.

You know, this is what God has chosen to

do.

So, you know, Paul says in Romans, the

potter, don't argue with the potter

clay.

That's in that illustration is in the

Old Testament as well. You know, don't

you can't challenge God on this.

It's his own will and he can do as he

pleases.

But it prepares us to worship God to

know it's nothing we did. It's something

he did. He's the author of salvation and

the finisher of our faith and everything

in between. That's what we're learning.

But God as well. Um, you know, outside

of the church and outside of the

Gentiles, you think Gentiles are just

going to naturally get saved.

You know, that's not going to happen. We

need the gospel. We need gospel

preachers.

And to get the word of God out to know,

you know, that God loves us in his son.

But God as well has

predestined elect angels.

We'll get into that when we look at

angels as well. God, you know, his own

nation, Israel.

I mean, that's do we need any more proof

that God can predestin God can choose

and God can determine and God can say,

you know, you you're not going to go

against my will.

So the things that God says are

the word of God, the promises of God.

And this is one of them as well.

You know, Israel is going to inherit the

earth.

You know, it doesn't look real too

probable right now, does it?

But, you know, it's not God isn't

working through Israel now. God is

working through the church. us the

Gentiles, you know, he says, "Well,

working through the Jews." We've had a

few of them here. And, you know, thank

God he is working uh continually through

the Jews. But, you know, I don't know

what it is. 90% of the church is made up

of Gentiles.

And that's just what the Old Testament

says. You know, God says, "I'm going to

have mercy." It's like it's like Jonah

and Nineveh. We get mad because God's

having mercy on people.

and you know provoked people and that's

what has happened and what is going on

with the Jews. God is trying to provoke

them with the with the Gentile nations.

I mean we didn't, you know, we're not

smarter than the Jews. It's not an

intellectual thing.

It's God's choice

and we're one of his choices if we're

the elect.

like Israel is, like the angels are,

it's quite an honor to be one of God's

chosen.

And you know, we have throughout the New

Testament, uh, you know, there's like

seven things, you know, we say, well,

you know, predestination's not in the

Bible. Well, there's like seven things

that that occur in the Bible as well

that help amplify this great doctrine.

We are chosen in the Lord.

You know the elect. That's us. We're

going to talk about election tonight. So

come back, please. We're chosen to

salvation.

We were chosen before the foundation of

the world. We were adopted here as

children.

We're not even servants.

You know, I'd be nice to get into heaven

and being a servant. I'll just be the

janitor.

No, no janitors in heaven because the

work of Christ. We're all one and we're

all one in him. And as well, this

extends into our good works. You know,

that's what God determined that we

should do as well. And we are preparing

for glory.

You know, that's uh that's what we

preach at at the funerals. This is not

the end. This is the beginning. We're

destined for glory. We're destined to

this inheritance. We're destined as hes.

We're destined as the elect.

And that's what predestination means.

And it's over and over and over in the

Bible here.

And and neither does. You know, some

people misunderstand this doc.

And you know, we we grow in these

things. Um, and and we learn and we help

others learn about these things. But,

you know, God is not Santa Claus.

You know, that's what a lot of people

think God is. And that's what the devil

accused Job.

You know, God, the only reason that Job

likes you, you're Santa Claus.

You bless him. No wonder he follows you.

God says, "Fine, take him away and I'll

show you." The Lord gives, the Lord

takes away. Blessed be the name of the

Lord.

But uh this whosoever will

and these people that are chosen before

the foundation of the world

are

God's chosen people. Turn over to second

Timothy.

We're we're dealing with predestination

this morning and tonight we'll deal with

the lection.

You know, but you know, some people

think, well, okay, God knows everything

and he looked out into the future and

everyone that was nice to him, he

predestinated.

That's foolishness.

or any good work in us, any merit in us

whatsoever. There is no merit in us.

We're going to look at the depravity of

man. We're going to look at the evil of

man, the evil of sin. We're going to

look at those things uh in a future

date.

But now, we're looking at what God did.

And God did a great thing.

He's prepared us for glory.

And you know it's

you know it's no more no less um than

the elect

are going to come. We'll talk about the

calling. We'll talk about these things

in future messages but this is just to

show us you know who God is and what God

has done.

He's predestined what he's going to do

with this planet.

He's predestined what he's going to do,

you know, with unbelievers.

He's predestined what he's going to do

with believers.

So God sovereign will does these things,

not what we think we can do or we will

do or you know God makes God dependent

on us, not us dependent on God.

Proper theology is us depending on God.

Salvation is of the Lord.

So here in second Timothy, Paul says in

verse 9,

you know how how many times did Paul sit

around, scratch his head and say, "I

can't believe this. I'm murdering

Christians and God chose me. I'm one of

the elect.

Not by works." So we can see it's not by

works.

uh it's not by you know being good or

anything like it's not behavior related

at all even our faith

there's no merit in us

and he says here who has saved us God

did it we didn't save ourselves it's not

a joint effort

not 99% God and 1% us

and he called us with the holy calling

Well, if you remove any of these, then

you know that you know no one would ever

get saved.

If God elected none, then no one would

get saved.

But those that God elects

come to him

and then we have this holy calling

and not according to our works. Nothing

to do with our works.

It is all to do with God's grace and

that's what he says which was given us

in Christ Jesus when

before the world began before Adam ever

sin

and God knew what was going to happen.

We looked at that last week but is now

manifest. That's what we're doing. We're

seeing what God did.

He chose us before the foundation of the

world. He's predestined us to a holy

calling, not anything to do with us. I

mean, that's what Romans says. Remember

the children not yet being born, not

having done any good or bad,

God elected.

And it's because we're all bad. None of

us can do any works. We're going to look

at that in a future date,

you know. But there there is not one

merit in the elect,

you know, at all. We all fall short of

the glory of God.

God is no respector of men. You know,

you you can't fool God.

You know, he chose his people Israel not

because they were great, but because

they were the least. And God elected us

not because we're the great,

but we're the least as well.

And and uh Ephesians says in love, God

did this,

you know. So God didn't have to think

about loving us, you know. He knew what

Adam was going to do. He knew what we

were going to do. He didn't have to

think about loving us. He just instantly

simultaneously loved us and

predestinated us to be conformed to the

image of his son. So in Christ is the

love of God. In Christ is the grace of

God. In Christ is the mercy of God

uh for us to go on and to be holy like

he wants us to be like his son. Like I

said, we're we're going to heaven not as

janitors but as sons of God.

And because of the son of God, turn over

to Romans nine.

And this is what I just quoted

over in Romans chapter nine.

This wipe this verse just wipes out all

merit in any of us. There aren't, you

know, two groups of sinners, you know,

those that God was favoring over another

group. No, we're all dead,

you know, and if God wouldn't have

elected,

no one would be called

and justified in that great chain that

we talk about. But here in Romans 9:1,

Romans 9:1

you know, it it was hard for the Jews to

say, "Wait a minute, we're God's chosen.

We're" and they hated Gentiles.

What's going on?

It's the will of God. It It's the

purpose of God. It's the pleasure of God

according to his will. He chose us

Gentile,

you know, and and you know, as the Jews

looked at it, we we are worse off than

them. We didn't, you know, we weren't

keeping anything.

And here,

you know, so that removes all merit. You

know, people aren't saved because

they're Jews. They thought they were.

They still think they are. That's in

Romans, earlier in the Romans.

But by the time Paul gets to the end of

chapter 10, that's what he says about us

Gentiles.

You know, God's grafted us in. Whosoever

will may come.

This is the riches of his glory there in

verse 23.

on the vessels of mercy which he before

prepared into glory. That's us. He

elected us. He predestined us not just

to be saved but to be uh justified and

sanctified and glorified and with him

someday.

So this is just an incredible privilege.

And then uh he says in verse 12, "The

elder shall serve the younger.

As it is written, Jacob

have I loved and Esau have I hated."

And what shall we say then? Is there

unrighteousness with God? There's no

merit in God's mercy. If there was merit

in God's mercy, then we could charge God

with something. But we can't charge God

with anything. He's merciful to whom he

wants to be merciful.

There's just no conditions that exist to

make God choose the elect over any any

other sinner. There absolutely no merit

in us.

And you know this is the revelation of

the word of God. This again, this is

not, you know, an Athens Bible Church

thing or, you know, you fundamentals,

you Bible thumpers, whatever you want to

call us, it's here

and we must proclaim it. We must preach

it. We must share it,

you know, because it is just such an

important part of the kingdom of God.

No one deserves God's mercy. No,

not one.

Morning, Jax. Morning, Coupe. Nice hat,

buddy.

Charles Spurgeon said this. He said, "We

are saved not because we deserve it, but

because God is merciful, and mercy found

a way where justice would have condemned

us."

So, this is all God's purpose. This is

all for the glory of God.

And this is all a revelation.

So, you know, again, I mentioned we're

going to look at man, look at our fall.

And, you know, fallen man is not forced

to sin against his will.

You know, we talked about a message or

two ago,

Flip Wilson saying, "The devil made me

do it."

Well, you know, he he can influence you.

He can tempt you, but you and I are

responsible

to God, not the devil. He'll answer to

God. We have to answer for our own our

own sins. And, you know, we that's our

will is, you know, to sin

and and to go on without God. And then,

you know, people that don't get saved,

you know, they just feast on sin like,

you know, they can just turn it off any

time.

That's such a lie. Sin makes you a slave

and you just sin more and more and more

if you're not born again.

And you know, we'll talk about those

things when when we look at man. But you

know,

you sin is voluntary. You know what? You

got a choice in front of you. You know,

you're you decide what you're going to

do.

And God tempts no man. We looked at that

in James. So he's don't blame God,

you know, and and as we, you know, go on

and sin, that's why the Bible's so

important, you know, we don't even know

what sin is. We don't even know what the

law said.

The law says don't steal.

And we wouldn't know stealing was wrong

without the Bible. We wouldn't know

anything was wrong without the Bible.

So, we have to go with what God says.

That's why it's so important to read

your Bible and be accustomed to the

Bible so you can know when somebody is

lying to you about something.

But fallen man becomes a slave to sin.

That's what happens. The woman at the

well, Nicodemus, all these great

examples in the book of John,

you know, we can't turn it off. We can't

go the other way. We can't turn over a

new leaf. We need to be regenerated

and and to receive the new birth.

So that's the way God is dealing with

our sin problem. Before we were saved

and and after we're saved, God is

dealing with our sin problem with his

light and life. We're dead. We need

life. We're blind. We need the light.

and God comes along and gives it to us.

And you know, we still decide whether

we're going to follow God or not. Don't

blame God if you don't follow him.

You know, he's done everything

needed. Nothing else needs to be done.

That's what Peter says. See, these

blessings that God has given us are so

great. Everything is on us now as far as

responsibility

for what we do with the light and the

life that God has given us. And it comes

at b at the new birth and at

regeneration. We're going to that's what

Bible word predestination Bible word new

birth word regeneration Bible Bible

word.

And what does this mean?

Well, it means that, you know, it's all

of God,

even our good works after we're saved.

And we also have the whosoever will may

come. Now, this

doctrine of predestination is not at the

expense of the whosoever will.

You know, we have that throughout the

Bible and and the New Testament zeros in

on it.

But the whosoever will may come and no

one is excluded

from calling on God.

Now, calling on God doesn't save us. But

the Bible says this, "Call to me,

Jeremiah."

pastors in this very chapter. Jeremiah

Jeremiah 33:3

33:3,

"Pall to me

and I will answer you and I will tell

you great and uncarchable things that

you don't know." You know, I've had pe

missionaries tell me they God sent them

to a remote place and when they got

there, there was somebody praying,

"Lord, send me the light."

Say, "Well, they're unsaved. God doesn't

hear the unsaved prayer.

I'm staying out of that argument. I'm

telling you, God says, "Whosoever will

may come."

And God has told us to call

upon him.

And you know, that's what he tell he

tells us to pray. I mean, we have the

you know, we decide what we're going to

do today. Do do I go to church? Do I go

not go to church? How do I feel? you

know, we still make our daily decisions

based upon, you know, the light that God

has given us, but we're still

responsible for every step that we take.

And as well, you know, God says to pray,

you know, so don't wait until things are

bad to start praying, you know, like I

do. We we should be prayer warriors with

God before anything happens.

You say, "How can I out change the

outcome of something by praying?" Oh,

yeah. Yeah, we can. That's what God

says. Call on me

and come to me.

And in Psalm 86:E5

says, "You, Lord,

are forgiving and good, abounding in

love to all who call upon you.

And so don't think you're too remote and

too tiny and too, you know, too small to

care uh for God to care about you.

That's wrong.

Come to the poor,

you know. So God knows your condition.

God was poor himself

and his son.

And the one that I like in Romans, turn

over to chapter 10.

I you just can't get any better theology

than Romans.

I don't know why people don't believe

these things that are here.

But here in Romans chapter 10

Romans 10 · chapter mention

and verse 13,

for if the elect

Oh, didn't say that. It says, "Whosoever

shall call upon the name of the Lord

shall be saved."

Paul amplifies what Jeremiah said. And

the Bible says,

you know, God says, you know, come to me

and we'll reason. And you know, in

Isaiah, though your sins be as scarlet,

I'll make you clean.

You know, God is no despiser or

respector of men.

So if you're one of the whosoever you're

not saved yet, you can quickly become

one of the elect by

calling upon the name of the Lord. And

here to be saved. And here, you know, it

all goes together. Verse nine, if you

will confess with your mouth

and the Lord Jesus and believe in your

heart that God raised him from the dead,

you will be saved.

So there's the confessing with a mouth.

And this confessing is to God.

You know, people get saved in church. I

know that people get saved in the middle

of the night. you know, they wake up or,

you know, they're listening to somebody

on a radio and they hear the gospel and

they get saved.

So, getting saved is doing business with

God

and believing God and believing on the

name of the Lord, not the name of Athens

Bible Church,

but the name of the Lord shall be saved.

And then Jesus says in John 6:37, go

John 6:37

there

John.

And Jesus said this as well

John John 6:37.

John 6:37

What you know, can you combine the elect

and the whosoever will?

Well, listen to what Jesus said. He he

does that very thing right here

in verse 37. He says, "All

100%

of the ones that God predestined

will come."

100%.

And how did Jesus get them?

They were given to him

by his father.

and him that comes to me I will no wise

cast out. So here's the whosoever will.

Jesus says I won't cast you out ever.

So come

to him and and Jesus he says all all

total acceptance

you know here I'm not saying that this

is easy belieism anything like that. I'm

saying if you come to God on his terms

which are through his son,

this one that God chose us in before the

foundation of the world. Jesus says, I

will no eyes cast out.

So John or excuse me, Paul comes along

years later and writes Romans 8, there

is therefore now no condemnation to them

that are in Christ.

So the question isn't am I a whosoever

will or am I one of the elect. The

question is am I in Christ.

That's the only way is through h his

work and this gift of salvation. Turn

over to Philippians chapter 1.

Philippians 1 · chapter mention

Philippians

and chapter 1,

we are, and we're going to get to it

when we talk about man, our depravity

and our death. You know, we don't have

life. You know, that's what Jesus says.

You won't come to me that you might have

life.

That's what we get when we come to him.

That's what regeneration is. That's what

justification by faith is. That's what

the new birth is. God gives us life and

light

that we so desperately need.

And here in Philippians, and again,

there aren't, you know, two groups of

sinners, you know, okay, well, God likes

you guys over in Athens, but he doesn't

like people in, you know, another town

somewhere else. There is no merit in us

whatsoever.

No one deserves the mercy of God. Not

one

except his son. And he he went to the

cross and paid for our sin that God

might be merciful to us through him.

He's the way. He's the light. He's the

truth. He He's all those things he says.

And now here's Paul preaching this

gospel in Philippians.

He says in verse six,

don't teach them election.

Don't teach them predestination.

No, Paul says, "Be confident."

That's what this gives us is the

confidence. Oh, God chose me before the

foundation of the world.

So, this gives us confidence to live.

This gives us our insurance to live.

This gives us our comfort to live. This

gives us our confidence. And people say

that, "Man, you're awful confident about

this."

Well, I'm confident in what God has done

and in God's word, not myself. Paul

says, I the flesh profits nothing still.

There's nothing in my flesh that can

please God. Romans 8.

But what is here now is a new man. What

is here now?

Uh

I've been regenerated through

Christ. And I'm confident of this very

thing.

Paul singles it down. Oh, don't tell

people this this Paul Paul does.

He begun a good work in you. He will

perform it. How can that be? How can we

be responsible for God to God for every

decision that we make yet God is going

to work in us and perform

making us holy

like his son can't have it without this

gift. It's not something your flesh can

do or my flesh can do. Even as it is

right for me to think this of you,

because I have you in my heart, in so

much as in my bonds, the defense and

confirmation of the gospel, ye all are

partakers of my grace. They benefit from

Paul's grace. We benefit from each

other's grace.

But that all comes from God. This isn't

something that we've dreamed up and

we're doing. We're in the body of

Christ, not in our flesh.

We're still battle with our flesh. Paul

says, "Oh wretched man that I am, who

shall deliver me from the body of this

death and death is going to do us a

great thing and a great favor."

And we don't need anything else. You

know, we don't go to purgatory and get

baptized and then we're ready for

heaven.

That's a lie.

If you're born again, if you've been

regenerated, if you're one of the

whosoever will that has come,

when you die and open up your eyes,

Jesus is going to be there just like he

promised.

And we're going to pass into the

presence of God through him. What an

incredible thing he has done.

So all of the whosoever wills, you know,

they're elect as well.

And you see the invitation to come. No

one is turned away.

Um, and then go to Romans chapter 8. And

Romans 8 · chapter mention

we've turned to this verse so many

times. Here we go again.

Romans chapter 8.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

BB Warfield called this the the golden

chain of God.

They're all tied together here.

Morning Martha.

And

what did Paul tell us in Ephesians? It's

God's purpose. It's God's choice.

You know, God ordained. He purposed.

All those great things he predestined

and those that he predestined

he calls. Now we're going to look at

election tonight

and we're going to look at the call

maybe later on

but you know the this is here is

confirmation of the transformation

here.

So Paul says, "No one that God has saved

will not be transformed

into the image of his son." Not one.

That doesn't mean we're not responsible.

You know, that doesn't mean we just go

live like the world. Paul said, "God

forbid in Romans." Paul said, "God

forbid to the to the Galatians

and to the Corinthians." Paul said, "You

make the grace of God of no effect. You

You've made it void."

You know, God knows how gracious he's

been to every single person.

You know, he's not in the dark on that

at all.

And to us who are saved that has God's

mighty grace

and good to us. We're the ones who

should stand out in this old wicked

world. Not because we're perfect and

sinless, but because we have the grace

and the mercy of God. We have been

regenerated.

And that's what Paul says in verse 24.

For we are saved.

God saved us.

It turns out God saved us before the

foundation of the world. And we're just

now finding out about it. Maybe

that's a hope.

We're not saved by hope. We're saved by

faith. But they're they're twins. You

you can't have one without the other.

Where there's great faith, there's great

hope. Where there's great hope, there's

great faith.

And Paul deals with that here. And then

he says, we know, even apostles needed

to know this. Verse 28, all things work

together for the good to them that love

God. to them. Here's that word. Who are

called according to his purpose.

Oh, predestinations all over the Bible.

Here we go again.

For whom he did forno,

those he predestinated.

Even though he knew there was no merit

in us,

there can't be. Else it's not mercy.

So the mercy of God is not merit-based

that we might be that he might be the

firstborn among many brethren. What

Jesus did has

he has started a whole new race of

people.

Remember what happened in the garden?

God allowed sin to come along and and

now here we are. We're going to we're

going to reap

the benefits of what Jesus has done for

us sinners.

Here it is. We're going to be uh we're

predestined. We're called them. He

called. Here's that golden chain

that Warfield was talking about.

Justified. Whom he justified, he

glorified. You you just can't stop God

when he predestines something.

And what shall we say?

If God before us, who can be against us?

God, there's no merit in God's mercy.

How you going to charge God with

anything here?

You can't. We can't. He spared not his

own son. He delivered him up for us all.

Jesus died for every sinner.

And whosoever will may come.

And who's going to lay anything here?

Paul says to the charge of God's elect.

That's who we are. We are God's elect

because he chose us, predestined us

before the foundation of the world in

his sovereignty. And as well he says,

"Whosoever will may come, you know,

become one of the elect,

call upon the name of the Lord, do these

things."

And you know, there's no merit in us,

not one.

And you know, God is going to start a

new race in heaven when we get there.

There's old sinful Adam's race who has

become

sons of God through the work of Christ.

That's the way the book of Revelations

starts out. No one. Who's going to open

a title? No one can.

You know the wisdom of God here. You

can't charge God with anything

at any point in time anywhere in the

universe. God is without sin.

So, you know, God chose Israel, not

Egypt.

God's chosen gentile nations

as well. And he said before their birth,

before they did anything,

that's what God says to Job.

Oh, where were you creature

when this creator did these things? Who

can lay anything to the charge of God's

elect? No one can. That's what Paul says

here in verse 8. And there are many that

I mentioned this. Let's go to it in 2

2 Corinthians 6 · chapter mention

Corinthians chapter 6.

When I'm gracious to you and you're

gracious to me, you know, God knows

that. It's not, you know, it's not

something he doesn't know,

you know. So when we're gracious back to

him and you know gracious to each other,

God is gracious to us. This is not merit

in any means.

It's responsibility.

And now we're the children of God. We

got we know the sun. We have light and

life

that God has given us as a free gift.

But some people don't want it.

And and Paul says here in 2 Corinthians

6, we then as workers together with him

beseech you also that you receive not

the grace of God in vain.

That's what people do.

You know, God's blessed them from the

time they were born till they die and

they curse God at their death. It's not

God's fault. It's their fault. And those

of us who are saved,

if it wasn't for God, we'd be with him

and we'd be just like him.

And he says here, God in a time accepted

the day of salvation. God knows what day

we got saved, what hour, what

circumstances.

And I got to quit. You guys, I've told

you before, I had I had all kinds of

excuses not to get saved. I had a long

list of them. And the day that I got

saved, they were nowhere to be found.

And my best friend, I said, "I'm going

to go talk. He'll tell me not to do

this. He'll talk me out of this." He

couldn't talk me out of it. He said,

"No, this is what you need to do." He

was an unsaved man.

So come whosoever will uh to this

wonderful, loving, gracious, kind,

merciful God who pours out on us not

because we deserve anything but because

of who he is. Father, we thank you this

morning for these great things. These

are deep subjects and we need to believe

you and what you said, what your word

has said.

There's no merit in any of us, Father.

We all have sinned and come short of the

glory of God. There's none that doeth

good. Know not one, that's me included.

So, thank you for your mercy. Thank you

for this gift of salvation. Thank you

that you predestinated me before the

foundation of the world to be conformed

into the image of your son. I'm going to

be a part of this new race in heaven

because of the work of your son. and we

praise you today for these great gifts

and we pray it in Jesus name. Amen.

>> As we go from this place

you more

trusting you more.

May the power of your love and the light

of your word shine

to a sin darkened world as we go from

this place.