We're gonna start as we normally do, reading some scripture. So if you would turn with me to the 143rd Psalm, Psalm number 143. We'll use this as our jumping board into the Lord's Word in our prayer time. Psalm 143, beginning at verse six. Let's begin at verse six and I'll read it along, follow along with me. I stretch forth my hands unto thee. My soul thirsteth after thee as a thirsty land, say law. Hear me speedily, O Lord. My spirit faileth. Hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. Cause me to hear thy loving kindness in the morning, for in thee do I trust. Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my soul unto thee. Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies. I flee unto thee to hide me. Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God. Thy spirit is good. Lead me in the land of the uprightness. Quicken me." And that word quicken, as you know, means be made alive. Make me alive, O Lord, for thy name's sake, for thy righteousness' sake, bring my soul out of the trouble. And of thy mercy, cut off my enemies and destroy all them that afflict my soul, for I am thy servant. Now that's gonna go right in hand with our text in Matthew chapter 24. For our guest's sake, I'm just gonna bring us to this. We've been going through Chapters 23 and 24, and we'll be in 25 soon, and these are all woes to the religious world. The Lord is not bashful about telling religions, religious people, they're hypocrites. In your own time, if you want to go back to chapter 23, I highly recommend that you read through and see the woes that God gives to the religious of that day. Well, it goes for the same thing for the religious of this day. The religious of day, there's two kinds of religions in the world. There's the religion of grace and the religions of works. If you boil every religion that you know of down in this world, Catholicism, Mormonism, all these different kinds of religions, even Buddhism, Muslims, you'll find that They're all based on something that man must do. And tonight, the Lord is bringing us to a section in Matthew where he's warning his people. Now, in chapter 23, he spent his time talking to the religious, to the Pharisees, to the scribes. And I bring that out, if you have your handout with you, we'll begin there, and we'll get to our text in Matthew 24 in just a moment. But I want to set the table, as it were, for what we're going to be looking at tonight. And I've titled tonight's study, When Ye Therefore Shall See. Now a quick reminder, this is the first paragraph, page one, the Lord speaking to unbelieving religious Pharisees, as I was saying a moment ago, he said, behold, your house is left unto you deathless. That's in Matthew 23 verse 38. Then we read in Matthew 24 verse 1, and Jesus went out and departed from the temple. Now you recall last week we looked at that part where the Lord departed from the temple. And he never went back into the temple after that. For the remainder of his life, he spent his time outside of Jerusalem, speaking with his disciples, speaking with his people, healing the sick and the lame and so on. So Jesus leaving the temple is a pretty big deal. That means he left the temple. Now look back at our handout here. The Lord of glory left the temple where God communed with men. For he does not commune in a building made with hands. The Lord had allowed men or man in his nature to make it a den of thieves. And that's what we read in Matthew 21 verse 13. Let me establish a point before we go any further. This is the same point that our brother Gabe Stoniker made last Wednesday night, which was just a great blessing if you have time to go hear his message. It says in John chapter 6 verse 24, no man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him. That's the word of God's truth. That's the word of truth. Not man's interpretation, but God's own word. The Lord Jesus himself said those words. No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him. It was the word spoken by the Son of the Living God Himself. We cannot come to God except the Father draws us. Listen to these words. The Lord hath appeared unto me of old, saying, yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore, with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. And now you'll remember I talked about that a little bit as well. Our Lord doesn't use scare tactics to bring His people unto Himself. He calls his people through the preaching of his word. Very clearly in Romans chapter 10, I believe it is. How are you going to call upon, or whosoever calls upon the Lord shall be saved. How are you going to call on them on whom you have not heard, and how are you going to hear and let the preacher be sent? That's just a roughness about what was said there, because I'm not very good at remembering scripture, as you well know. He says, I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee. The point is, unless the Father draws us unto himself, we will go the way of the world, making up ways of our own imagination to appease an angry God. Isn't that what religion is? Think about it. Isn't that what every single religion is on this earth? It's some way for people, and they've come up with all these different ways of their own imagination in how to appease an angry God, how to be better with God, how to be better in this life, whatever. Religions of works, in other words. What must I do to be saved? Now, scriptures are clear. In Ephesians 2, verses 8 and 9, it says, For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, It is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. If it were not for God's grace, all would be left to the ways of this world, and left to stand in a desolate place that is an abomination. In other words, and this word abomination, it means more than just disdain or distaste, it means specifically too idolatry. So if you were to look up that word in the original language, you would see where it refers to idols. And so it's an abomination in the eyes of God because it's specific to idolatry. When ye therefore shall see, that's the title of tonight's message. Remember when you were blind? Some may ask, blind to what? What do you mean, once I was blind, but now I see? Blind to God's truths. Blind to the truths of this Bible right here where we read what God inspired men to write. This is the Word of God. If we can't agree on that, then we have nothing to agree on at all. So it's very important that when I talk about being blind at one time, I was blind to God's truths. Blind, this is the last paragraph, page one. blind to the depravity of man, total depravity. All come into this world spiritually dead in trespasses and sin, unable, unwilling to come to God of our own accord. There was a time for all of God's people when we would not have a sovereign God rule over us, even though He did. We denied Him. Page two. Search the scriptures, it says in John chapter five, verse 39 and 40. For in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me. Interesting, eternal life, and it testifies of him. Then he says this, right after that he says, and ye will not come to me that ye might have life. That's the Lord Jesus himself. He's talking about the natural man, one who has not been converted, one who has not been given the new heart, one whose old heart has not been circumcised away, the old stony heart that we all come into this world with. Paragraph two, page two. We were blind to the fact that God declares he will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. That's Exodus. That's what the Lord was telling Moses. That's election. That's God choosing whom he will be gracious to. It's unconditional election. It's by grace. That means there's nothing you can do to earn it. There's nothing you can do to deserve it. It comes to you through the grace of God. It's being chosen in God. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy." Romans 9 verse 16. We were blind to the fact that God's grace is irresistible and cannot be thwarted, it cannot be turned. Listen to these words, for I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries. He's talking to his people here. Not just his people in that time, but his people throughout all time. This is an eternal word of God. Everything in here is a love letter to his people throughout all time. So he says, for I will take you, you who belong to him, from among the Behithun and gather you out of all countries and will bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your filthiness. And from all your idols will I cleanse you, and a new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away that stony heart of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh, and I will put my spirit within you, and cause you. This is God talking here. He will cause you to walk in my statues and you shall keep my judgments and do them. Hold your place there for just a moment. How do we keep God's judgments? How do we keep his statues when we get up every morning and see this body of flesh that is nothing but full of sin? How can I do what this is telling, what God is saying I will do, that He will cause me to do? By looking to my Savior who's done it for me. By looking to my substitute, who not only is my substitute in death, who is my substitute in payment, He was my substitute in righteousness as well. I have none of my own. We have no righteousness of our own. Our righteousness is as filthy rags. If we don't have Christ's righteousness, we don't have any righteousness at all. That's what this is talking about. Let's go on. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave your fathers, and ye shall be my people. And look what it says next. And I will be your God. He says, ye shall be my people. Not maybe, not might, but you shall be my people. Those for whom he chooses to be merciful to shall be his. And he says, I will be your God. That's in Ezekiel 36, 24, 28. Another one that we read in John 6, 37 through 40, he says, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me. And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out, for I came down from heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that all which He hath given me I should lose nothing. Oh, this is so important. But should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son and believeth on Him may have everlasting life, and I will raise Him up the last day. We were blind to the fact that the atonement, the blood atonement, was limited to those that the Father gave to the Son. That's what we just read a moment ago. All that the Father gives me shall come to me. God does not love all mankind. For the children being not yet born, this is Romans 9 verse 11 through 13, and he's speaking about Jacob and Esau, for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, before they could ever do anything wrong, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth." That's the same thing we just read a moment ago. He says, I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy. This is the one that calleth. It was said unto her, the mother of the two boys, that elder shall serve the younger, as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. We were blind to the knowledge that the blood of the Savior accomplished the purpose it was shed for. It made atonement for his people, limited to them alone. Romans 3 verse 24 through 25, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation, that's a payment, through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God. We were blind to the knowledge that we cannot keep ourselves. If left to ourselves, we'll sink as Peter began to sink when he took his eyes off of Christ. Remember that? When Peter was walking on water, the Lord bid him to come and he came, and he took his eyes off of the Lord because the water was getting boisterous, the storm was splashing up everywhere, and he began to sink. And the Lord reached down and grabbed him by the arm and said, You're mine. I'm not going to let you go. Oh, ye of little faith. Oh, listen to these words from 1 Peter 1, verse 5. This is 2nd paragraph, page 3. "...who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time, perseverance of the saints." When you see the abomination, the idolatrous standing in the holy place, making it desolate of true holiness, Run. Run fast. Run fast from it. Look with me in your Bibles now, if you would, at our text in Matthew 24, beginning at verse 15. Matthew 24, beginning at verse 15. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, Stand in the holy place. Whoso readeth, let him understand. Then let them which be in the Judea flee to the mountains." Run! Run when you see these ones standing in the holy place. Then look at verse 17. Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house. Don't waste your time going back to our old religious things that we used to follow. Neither let him, verse 18, which is in the field, return back to take his clothes. Those old rags that you used to wear aren't worthy. Christ will cover us. You know, that's what happened in Adam and Eve in the garden. They tried to cover themselves with fig leaves. That's not good enough. Folks, everything we do is tainted with sin. Everything. There's nothing we can do that's righteous. Only Christ is righteous. He's the one who walked perfectly. Don't go back for your old clothes, as it says in verse 18. Run for the high mountains, 19, and woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days. But pray ye that your flight be not in winter, neither on the Sabbath day. For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, nor No, nor ever shall be. I'm going to stop there again. There is more tribulation in my life as a Christian than any time I was when I wasn't. Before the Lord called me out of darkness, I was okay. I wasn't a bad guy. Now I see myself and the sin that I am against my God, and it bothers me. There's more tribulation there than I ever had before. People who say that you can get to be a better person by if you'll just turn yourself over to God, they have the slightest idea what they're talking about. If God takes you out of this world and brings you into His love, He's gonna show you what you are before Him, a sinner needing His grace. And that's the good news, is that Jesus Christ is, He came to save sinners. Most people don't think they're sinners though. Verse 22, and except those days should be shortened, there shall no flesh be saved but for the elect's sake. The what? The chosen of God. The elect's sake. Those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, lo, here is Christ, or there, believe it not, for there shall arise false Christs and false prophets. That's what it's talking about back there in verse 15. What did it say? And when ye therefore shall see, the abomination of desolation, spoken by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place. These are the false prophets that we see today. I never saw them as false prophets before. I never saw Christian preachers as being, I didn't believe what they were saying, I didn't pay any attention to it, it didn't bother me in one way or another, but I never saw them as being liars, the way I do today. For there shall arise false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that if they were possible, notice this very closely folks, insomuch that if it were possible, and I'm telling you it is not, they shall deceive the very elect. It's not possible, but if it were, there are some of them out there who can deceive quite well. Look at verse 25. Behold, I have told you before, wherefore if they shall say unto you, behold, he is in the desert, go not forth. Behold, he is in the secret chambers, believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east and shineth even into the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be shaken, and then shall appear the Son of Man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn. and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other." So, there's a lot in what we just read, but I'm going to focus on what we see. And the reason for that is, as I was sitting here thinking about this study tonight, I remember a time when I did not see. I remember the grace of God in giving me eyes to see. I remember the first time I heard the gospel preached, and I said, that makes more sense of God's Word than anything I'd ever heard in my life about it. And what was it I saw? I saw the abomination of the man's religions And I saw the wonders and the beauty of Christ my Savior. Back in our handout, mid-page 3. Be sure we understand the issue. We'll spend the remainder of our time in the handout with lots of Scripture to look at. Be sure we understand the issue. Before I go any further, I want to share with you something about that. I remember talking with Brother Norm Wells up in the Dalles, Oregon. Somebody had come to him with a question about whether or not the Lord was teaching this or that was a part of His Scripture. And Norm stopped that person right in their tracks and he says, here's the issue. What think ye of Christ? Whatever you think of what the Lord is trying to teach there, I'm not saying don't try to do it. I'm saying that we can't do it. Therefore, what think ye of Christ? Is He your substitute? Do you stand fast in Him? Do you believe the Lord Jesus has established a righteousness for His people? That's the issue. What do you think of Christ? The issue is not what or how much does a person have to know to be saved. The issue is who. Who must I know? The answer to that question is plainly stated in John 17 3, and this is life. This is the Lord Jesus speaking Himself. This is life eternal that they might know Thee, the only true God. Now this is Christ praying to God the Father in John 17, and He says, and this is life eternal that they might know Thee, the only true God, one God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. We must know the true God and the true Christ. Consider with me, if you will, these comparisons of the false Christ of modern religion, this abomination of desolation that we're looking at here when we see it. The Christ of our many and free will works religion with the Christ of the Bible. When you have considered these comparisons in the light of Holy Scripture, I pray that you will see the obvious distinctions between the false Christ and the true. First point, the Christ of modern free will works religion loves everyone in the universe and wants to save them. We are told that Christ loves all men alike, desires the salvation of all men alike, and is gracious to all men alike, page four. That makes the love, the will, and the grace of Christ helpless and useless. But that language cannot be applied to the Christ of the Bible canon. If God loves all men without exception, and some are not saved, what does the love of God have to do with anyone's salvation? Absolutely nothing. If that were the case, God's love would be changeable. It'd be unstable, and it'd be meaningless. It could give no comfort to anyone. But God says His love is saving. Remember what we read in Jeremiah 31.3? He says, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness, I have drawn thee. He's loved His people from before the world ever was. Read Ephesians chapter 1 when you get a chance and see for yourself before the foundation of the world. Thank God He does He does love many. But He does not love everyone as we read a moment ago in Romans 9 verse 13. The true Christ, the Christ of the Bible, the saving Christ, loves His people. That would stand to be true, wouldn't it? His wills and praise for the salvation of His people. The whole chapter of John chapter 17 is about the Lord Jesus praying for His people. And He is gracious to His people, the people unconditionally chosen unto salvation from eternity, whom He can save. Listen to these words from Matthew 1, verse 21. And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus. Now listen to these next words. For He shall save His people from their sins. Not maybe. Not might. Not if they're willing. He shall. Now, let me ask you something. If God says He shall do something, is there anything that can stop Him from it? If that's your God, then He's not a God at all. There's nowhere in Scripture where it talks about God not being able to do what He has purposed to do. All things are delivered unto Me of My Father. And no man knoweth the Son, but the Father neither knoweth any man. This Father saved the Son, and He to Whomsoever the Son will reveal Him." There's another Scripture pointing us to the fact, how are we going to come near to God? Unless He comes near to us first. How are we going to come to Him if He hasn't revealed Himself to us? That was Matthew 11, 27. Listen to John 10, 16. And other sheep I have, saith the Lord, which are not of this fold, them also I must. Folks, this is strong language. This is not the language of the churches of the world. The churches of the world are, if you'll just do this, God will accept you. If you'll just let Him into your heart, He'll come into your heart. That's nonsense. God doesn't sit around waiting for men. Oh, He has other sheep that He must bring, and they shall hear His voice, He said. I pray for them in John 17, 9, verse 10. I pray not for the world. but for them which Thou hast given Me. For they are Thine, and all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine, and I am glorified in them." Listen to Acts 13, verse 48. And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord, and as many as were ordained. Folks, this is God's Word. This is not man's interpretation. This is His Word. Those who were ordained to eternal life believed. I was chosen in Christ before the world began. I was ordained to believe in Him. That's the good news. That's the gospel. That's what gospel means. It means good news. Good news to sinners. Let's go on, shall we? The last paragraph, page 4. Hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and another to dishonor? What if God, willing to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering 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." Romans 9, 21-24. One more, if you would. Ephesians 1, verse 3-7. You don't have to read it in your own time. I forgot I put it in here. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us. I stop and I hesitate because I want us to read this. I want us to understand this is you and I that He's talking to. Us. Us word. The chosen of God. Those who He has had mercy on. Who He has had compassion on. Us with all spiritual blessings and heavenly places in Christ. According as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world. that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption through His blood and forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." Folks, salvation is under the Lord. That's what Jonah said. He had to learn it the hard way. He had to die in a fish, in the belly of a fish that the Lord had prepared for him to be cast into, to be swallowed up by, that he would cry out unto the Lord in death. That's what the Lord Jesus did. He cried out to God the Father in death And when he came out of that fish, when the Lord had his fish spit him out on dry land, his message was, salvation is of the Lord. Period. Man has nothing to do with it. We believe God, but that's because God has given us the gift to believe. Secondly, the modern Christian movement The free will works religion tries to save everyone. We are told that he offers salvation to every sinner and does everything that he can to save them, but that his offer is rejected and his work is frustrated by the will of those who refuse to come to him and be saved. If God the Holy Spirit calls all sinners alike to life, and faith in Christ, and some die without faith, what does the Spirit's call have to do with anyone's salvation? According to them, it would be absolutely nothing. If His grace can be resisted, it is not the distinguishing factor in salvation, yet God's Word says it is. Listen to John 6, verse 63. It is the Spirit that quickeneth. That means made alive. If we were made alive by God, it is the Spirit that does it. See how this contradicts what the religion of the world says? It is the Spirit that quickeneth the flesh, profiteth nothing. The words that I speak to you, they are Spirit, and they are life. And this as well. 1 Corinthians 4 verse 7, For who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? If thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? I've heard this over and over again. For the sake of our guest, I've got to share this. I've heard this over and over and over again. I turned myself over to God back ten years ago and things have just been better the whole way, or whatever. You can add whatever you want to it. My point was, every time I hear about somebody and their religion, and I get to hear a lot of it, as soon as they hear I'm a pastor, everybody wants to tell me how they turn themselves over to God at a certain date. I'll be sitting on an airplane. I'll be studying. Hey, what are you studying? Are you a pastor? Yeah. Next thing I know, I'm hearing their entire testimony about how they walked the aisle and prayed the prayer, how they got into the waters of baptism, how they, my sister, how she worships on Saturday. It's all, I, I, I. And what I hear from God's people, this is one of the things that I heard from those folks down in San Diego the first time I went to them when their pastor walked away. The first thing I heard them say is, we're here to worship Christ because Christ is the only place to go. I've got no other place to go. I've got no other salvation. I've got nothing of my own. It's all about Christ. The Christ of the Bible does not merely offer salvation, He performs it. Grace is not an offer, it's an operation. Page 6. The Son of God effectually calls to Himself all of His elect. His sheep. In the book of John we read where He's telling some unbelieving Jews, they asked Him, He says, how long do you cause us to Doubt. Tell us plainly so that we'll know. And he says, I've told you. He says, the works that I've done, they prove I am of my father, and you do not believe because you're not my sheep. And he says this, my sheep hear my voice. How could he say that? Because they will. If they're not listening to him now, he'll bring them to the point that they will. His sheep and His sovereignty works out salvation in them by irresistible power and grace of His Holy Spirit. Not one of them will be lost. Is this or is it not the teaching of Holy Scripture? And I give several verses to show this. Listen to Psalm 65, verse 4. Blessed is the man thou choosest and causest. to approach and to be. Remember I told you our Psalm reading in what was it, 143? Remember I told you it went well with what we're gonna look at? This is exactly what it said in there. Cause me, Lord, cause me to walk in thy statues. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causes to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. Psalm 65, four. Here's another one. Psalms 110, verse three. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. That means it's his power that gives us a will to do so. Otherwise our will would be the natural will of Adam and Eve. Let me cover myself with my own works. Let me cover up my own nakedness with leaves that I've sewn together with my own hands. That's what Cain did. He made a stew with his own hands rather than bringing the venison that Abel brought. Listen to Isaiah 55, verse 11. So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth, it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish... Notice that word shall accomplish that which I please. and it shall prosper in the thing whereinto I send it." Folks, this is the God that we worship. This is the sovereign Lord of all things. This is the One who is even God over John Reeves. And I'm proud to say He's my Lord. For as the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom He will. John 5, verse 21. And I've listed several more as you'll notice there. John 6, 37-40. John 10, 3. John 10, 25. And I'll leave this, take this home with you if you'd like and read it on your own time. Yet, I do believe that we have a picture. Grace is an act performed of God, not of man, lest we should boast. Thirdly, the false Christ of Arminianism cannot regenerate nor save anyone who does not first choose to be saved by Him. How often I've heard my mom say, John, if you'll just choose to be with God, if you'll just choose to turn yourself over to the Lord, if you'll just do this, if you'll just do that, if you'll just do this, Not once did I hear that the Lord comes in His loving kindness and draws one unto Him. We are told that man has a free will, but that Christ's will is bound by and must wait upon man's will because it would not be right for him to violate man's will. If it is the will of God that everyone be saved and some perish in hell, What does the will of God have to do with anyone's salvation? Absolutely nothing. His will would be frustrated, defeated, reversed. But God says His will is absolute. He says His will is unalterable. Listen to Isaiah 14.24, "...the Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, Surely, as I have thought, so shall it come to pass." That's pretty strong words, isn't it? Pretty clear. "...And as I have purposed, so shall it stand." Isn't that interesting? God's not waiting on somebody there, is He? No, He says it will stand. Salvation comes only by God's irresistible will. Listen to Romans 9, 16. This is page 7. So then it is not of him that willeth. Wait a minute. What about my free will? It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth. That means doeth good works. But of God that showeth mercy. This is right after the Lord says, He raised up Pharaoh for one purpose. Now, I asked my sister one time, I said, do you think Pharaoh had a choice? Do you think Pharaoh had a choice? Nope, I don't either. People say that he did. People love to say that, see, well now wait a minute, Moses went to him and said, won't you let my people go? Isn't that giving Pharaoh a choice? The Lord says, I raised him up to destroy him. It also says he, I'm about to get into that next, you're absolutely right, it says he hardened his heart. The Lord doesn't have to make our hearts hardened. All he has to do is remove his restraining hand, and our hands, I had a guy ask me on the golf course today, what do you think of this guy that shot that guy that talks at the colleges? I told him, I said, it just shows us that evil is in the world, and anybody can have it. He's like, what? You saying me or my wife could have that evil? I'm saying John Reeves could be that evil. If it wasn't for God's grace, I could be right there. The true, back in our handout again, 2nd paragraph, page 7. The true saving Christ does violate man's imaginary free will. And the people of God are very thankful that He does. See, I remember my free will. My freer will did a lot of drinking, a lot of smoking, a lot of all kinds of bad things. A lot of things in this world. I'm thankful God overrode my free will. Had He not violated my free will, I would be lost or in hell now. I would still be blind to the abomination of desolation. I wouldn't know the difference between true God and the false gods of this world. And most likely, I'd be mixed up in that false doctrine, in that false teaching, in those false lies. The same is true of you. He sovereignly regenerates and saves every chosen redeemed sinner. His operations of grace are totally independent of the will and choice of the sinner. Apart from His work of grace in us, spiritually dead sinners never would or could believe on Him and come to Him in faith. Faith is not our contribution to the work of salvation. Our faith in Him is the result, not the cause, of God's operations. Let God be true, but every man a liar. Listen to these words from John 3, verse 6-8. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. Marvel not He said unto thee, marvel not, I said unto thee, ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth. This is the Lord comparing the wind to the Spirit of God. Look here. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth. So is every one that is born of the Spirit. I've listed again several more verses for you to look up on your own time to confirm what we've just spoken, but I want to go on to the next point because we're getting long on time. Fourthly, the false Christ of modern Armenian free will works, man-centered religion, died on the cross for everyone in the world. to make it possible for everyone in the world to be saved, but actually secured no one's salvation by His death. We are told that Christ by His death made it possible for all men to be redeemed, justified, and saved, but that His death has no efficacy, no efficiency, and saving power for anyone until they believe on Him. Thus, we are informed that the Son of God died in vain for all who perished in unbelief. Though He tried to save them, He failed. Page 8. If Christ died to redeem everyone, and some yet die under the wrath of God, what does the blood of Christ have to do with anyone's salvation? Absolutely nothing. If Christ died for those in hell as well as those in glory, His blood is of no value at all. It saves no one. It does not wash away sin. It was shed in vain. But God says all for whom Christ's blood was shed shall be eternally saved by it. Listen to these words from Isaiah 53 10. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him He hath put him to grief, this is speaking of Christ, the Lord Jesus, when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands. He shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many for he shall bear their iniquities." And I've given you several more verses again, but we want to move on. The Christ of God is not a frustrated failure. He died for God's elect and effectually put away our sins by the sacrifice of Himself. Having satisfied the justice of God for us, He obtained eternal salvation for us. We were and are forever pardoned, justified, and sanctified by His blood. He shall not fail nor be discouraged till He has set judgment in the earth and the isles shall wait for His law. That's Isaiah 42.4, and these as well. I've listed again several more. The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ shall never be discovered to be a failure. I realize that there's a great division among religious people regarding Christ's atonement, His blood atonement, and I'm sorry that we have such divisions, but it does. Most religious people believe that what is called universal or general redemption, they believe that the Lord Jesus shed His blood for every person in the world, and that intention of Christ and His death was eternal salvation of all men. Here are three inescapable conclusions which must be accepted by all who believe that false teaching. First, if it was the intention of the Son of God to redeem and save all men, and yet some are not saved, then the purpose of Christ and His death has been frustrated. Secondly, if the Lord Jesus shed his blood to save every person in the world, and some of those for whom he died go to hell anyway, then for those who perish, Christ died in vain. Thirdly, if Christ died to make atonement for all men and save all men, and some yet perish under the wrath of God, then Christ failed his mission. His work of redemption is a failure. To stand in a pulpit and teach these lies is the spiritual abomination of desolation. And these blasphemous absurdities, no child of God can tolerate. Kathy and I would go into different churches when we traveled at first, when the Lord first called us out of darkness. And we'd walk into a church and we'd know, oh, this is free will. These guys don't preach Christ. We're out of here and walk out. We just cannot tolerate it. I cannot tolerate somebody who tells me that my God is a failure and allowed one person for whom He died to go to hell. They rob my Savior of His glory and redemption. They destroy the foundation of hope for all sinners. And they call into question the very Godhood of our Savior. If He is a failure, If he fails to save all for whom he came to save, he is not God and we're wasting our time. And all we were once blind to those lies, but God. You don't think I could just leave you with the fact that we were all once blind to those lies. Now we see them clearly. We see the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place. But God, who is rich in mercy for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened. Folks, if we're alive for Christ, it's because God the Spirit has made us alive. If we are alive for Christ, it is because God the Father chose us to be alive before the world was made. If we are alive with Christ, it is because Christ paid our death payment. He went to the cross in our place as our substitute and died our death for us. He was made sin He who knew no sin was made sin, that we would be made the righteousness of God in Him. Even when we were dead in sin, He had quickened us together with Christ. By grace, ye are saved and have raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Do you know that it says in Hebrews chapter 10, that He hath perfected by one offering, He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. We don't see it right now. All we see is this flesh and our perfection in Him. That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Once I was blind, But now I see, by God's loving grace, the abomination of man's religion, the desolation, the desert, the wasteland of this world's religions, and run to Christ, the Christ of scriptures, the only true way to salvation. The Lord tells us, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Yet I cannot come, lest he draws me. Therefore we conclude, we are saved by grace, through faith, a gift of God, not of works, lest I should boast.