Romans, chapter 8. We're going to look at one verse,
basically. I do hope you will listen carefully,
follow along. We're going to look at several
verses of Scripture along with this verse, because no one verse
stands by itself. But this is a verse quoted quite
often, Romans 8, verse 28, and we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the
called according to his purpose. A verse quoted by many, understood
by few, truly understood by few. He says, and we know. Who's he
talking about? We know. We. In verse 24, it says, we are
saved by hope. Verse 22, we know that the whole. Who is this we? He's talking
to. Who is this written to? Everyone
doesn't. It's not saved, everyone does
not know these things, nor believe these things. Back to chapter
one. We have to go back there to understand
who he's talking to. All right? This is a letter written
to someone. It's addressed to them. It says
in verse 7, this is who it's addressed to, "...to all that
be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints, grace to you."
and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. And
he goes on through this book saying we, we, we. So you understand that? He's
talking to those who were beloved, that is foreloved by God, called
to be saints. Grace to you. And he says we're
saved by hope and we know. Believers, people, God makes
to know these things. We know this. What? Verse 28, We know that all things
work together for good to them that love God,
who are called according to his purpose. All things work together. We're going to take each one
of these short phrases and look at them. All things work together. To know the God of the Bible,
to understand the true God, you must understand that he does
everything on purpose, and that he purposed all things,
that he foreordained all things, predetermined all things, before
the world was made. Now, that's the God of this book.
People don't believe that, but that's the God of this book. You've heard this story, but
some have not. Most of you have. My father,
when he was a young preacher, about 21 years old, he didn't
know the God of the Bible. He was a preacher anyway, and
there are a lot of those. He was pastoring a big old Southern
Baptist church, so-called church. He didn't know God. He didn't
know the true Christ, the true God, the truth. He didn't know.
He was preaching what all he was, you know, most preach today. What he thought about God. That
God was, you know, this loving person that just sits up there
on the sidelines kind of wondering what man's going to do. And he
sure hopes that man He accepts him, and accepts his son, and
quit being bad boys and girls, and straightened their act up,
and sure hopes that everything turns out all right, because
he wants to save people, but he can't. His hands are tied.
He doesn't even have any hands. That's what everybody preaches,
except true preachers. That's no God at all. God is the Creator. He made all
things, including us. We're creatures. Who controls
who? Do creatures control the Creator?
He used that illustration in Romans 9 when he said, have not
the potter power over the clay to make whatever he decides to
make? And can the clay say to him that made it? You can't do
this. That's foolish, isn't it? Well,
my father was preaching a God who is no God. And an old preacher
from North Carolina, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, came through
town, named Ralph Marder. You hear me quote him often,
because the Lord used that man like John the Baptist to start
a revival in the South. back in the early fifties. But
he came through and held a meeting there at this big, great, big
old Southern Baptist church with about 1,500 people on the roll. About 400 in service on Wednesday
night, but 1,500 on the roll. And my father was assistant pastor
there, leading the singing. Well, Barnard came through, and
he was preaching from Romans 8. And in the middle of preaching,
he said, my father was sitting on the front row. All gung-ho,
zealous young preacher, you know. And Barnard said, young man,
stand up and quote Romans 8, 28. And my father, you know,
sure, no problem. Stood up and said, We know that
all things work together for good to them that love God. And
sat down. And Barnabas said, Wait a minute. This is the way he talked. Wait
a minute. He said, You didn't quote all
of it. Stand up and quote all of it.
Oh, he said, oh yeah, and we know that all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according
to his purpose. And Dad said as soon as he said
purpose, Barnard screamed at the top of his lungs, purpose. And he kept screaming that about
five times, purpose, purpose. Learn something about God's purpose,
and you'll know the God of the Bible." He said, God does all
things on purpose. That's the God of this book. Dad said it not only scared him
to death when he screamed like that, but it opened his eyes, like men do, you know. leave
out part of the verses. Him that cometh to me I'll know
wise cast out. They quote from John 6. That's
not all that verse. He says all that the Father giveth
me shall come to me and him that cometh to me. See, God gets the glory. God does all things on purpose. All things work together according
to his purpose. Turn with me to a few verses.
We're going to go back in order. Acts 15. If you don't know this
verse, you might want to put a mark beside it. You'll hear
it quoted all the time, at least from this pulpit. Acts 15, verse 18. This is James preaching to the
church, and he says, Known unto God are all his works from the
beginning of the world. That's the God of this book.
Known unto him are all his works from the beginning of the world,
because he purposed all things before the world began, like
a wise architect would, a wise ruler would. He ordered all things. Go back to Daniel. Keep going
back to the book of Daniel. These are passages that we quote
all the time, but I want you to look at them with me and memorize
where they are. And those who have not seen them, mark it well. Daniel 4. You have it? I'll give you a
moment to find it. Daniel chapter 4. Look at verse 35. This is something
that God Almighty made a man, a king, who thought he was in
control a king named Nebuchadnezzar who thought that he had built
a big kingdom by his own self. This fellow was bragging on what
he had done, and God said, You're going to see who did what. And
God turned him into a beast until God said, Now, who does what? And when God made him understand,
then Nebuchadnezzar said, I now see. Verse 35, that all the inhabitants
of the earth are reputed as nothing, and he, God, doeth according
to his will. This is not, nothing is done
according to man's will. That is not in this book. And their whole denomination
that puts this on top of their building, free will. They're not talking about God's
will. They're talking about man's. And that's blasphemy. God says,
He does according to His will. Look at it. Where? Just in heaven,
within the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the
earth. And none can stay in His hand. Whatever He has willed
and purposed to do, He's going to do it. And that's what this is. Keep
going. Go back to Isaiah. Isaiah. Again, these are foundational
truths of scriptures that we quote and look at all the time.
But I want everyone to see these things. Isaiah 45. Isaiah chapter
45. And the book of Isaiah, a few
books after Psalms. Isaiah 45, look at verse 7, or
well, verse 5 through 7. You have it? He says, I am the
Lord. That means absolute controller. That's what Lord means. Capital
L, capital O, capital R, capital D. I am the Lord. There is none
else. There's nobody in charge of anything but me, he said.
I am the Lord. There is none else. There is
no God beside me. There's no one in control of
nothing. to put it in our southern vernacular. Ain't nobody doing nothing. Nobody
in control of anything. That's what God said, but many.
He says this all through this book, over and over again. There
is no God beside me. Satan's not God. Man's not a
little God. Only one God in the absolute
sense of the word. Read on. I, the Lord," verse
5, "'I girded you, though thou hast not known me.' He said,
I, the clothes you're wearing, I gave them to you, though you
don't know it. You think you went down to beg pebbles and
got it." This is exactly what God said. You think you did this.
You got this for yourself. You think you do this. You think
you do that. Everything you have, I gave it
to you. Everything about you. Read on, verse 6, that they might
know from the rising of the sun, that is, from the east and from
the west, there is none beside me. I am the Lord, there is none
else. Read this. It might shock you, but read
it. I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create
evil. I, the Lord, do all these things. Have you ever heard a modern
preacher say that? They're afraid to. Why? It's God's Word. Keep going. Deuteronomy. You know where I'm going, Stan.
Deuteronomy 32. Deuteronomy chapter 32. That's
the Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Fifth book
from the beginning. Deuteronomy chapter 32. And these are just a few that
we could look at. What we're seeing is that God
worketh all things according to his purpose. Everything, as
old Brother Barnard used to say, that rides or wriggles. Oh, yeah. If there's anything
outside of the absolute control of God, then it's chaos. Then
it's chance. Then it—nobody knows how it's
going to turn out, do they? That's not the way it is. God
reigns. Deuteronomy 32, verse 39. Look at it with me. 32, 39. I advise you to read
this whole chapter for yourself on your own. Verse 39, see now
that I, even I, am he. There is no God with me, not
even a little God. See, that's small g. I kill. And I make a lot. You see that? Nobody dies. Things
don't kill people. God does. He uses means like
a man takes a gun and shoots somebody. There is means that God has determined
and purposed to remove a soul from this earth When it's time,
when that appointed time by him, and that's Job 14, appointed
time by him comes, whatever means God has ordained is how that
person is going to die. The means of your death has already
been predetermined. That's not fatalism, people. That's not fatalism. That's Deuteronomy
32, 39. I killed. And you'll hear preachers all
over the place saying, God didn't want this to happen. God didn't
want that to happen. Then he's not God if it happened. Right? He's no more powerful than you
and I. He just, I don't know what he is. Don't need him. If he doesn't want something
to happen, it happens anyway. Who needs him? The way you listen to preachers
today, they act like Satan has more power than God. Satan is
doing whatever he wants to do. We need to start praying to him
to quit his meanness. That's not the God of this Bible.
He says, I kill and I make a life. Read on. I wound and I heal. That means make sick. And I heal. Who's going to get SARS? Whoever
God determines to get SARS. Who's going to get cancer? Well,
if you eat right and live right and do right, no sir. That's not so. I can give you
countless examples. I'm not giving us an excuse to
abuse our bodies and things. It's just a fact. There's a man
years ago who was a fitness expert named Jim something or other
forget he was just an absolute fitness nut and he was thought
he was just had all the answers and he was about 41 years old
and all his life had eaten organic food and taken vitamins and eaten
all the right things and ran a hundred thousand miles a day
you know how they do. Look at me, I realize something.
I'm healthy. You need to be like me, and you'll live—he died,
dropped dead of a massive heart attack. Why? God killed him. Let not the mighty glory in their
strength. Strong man is strength. All right? Do you see that? Do you see that? All right. All things work together.
Go back to Romans 8. All things work together. Everything
is intricately woven together. Everything is connected. Everything
God has purposed is absolutely connected, intertwined according
to this all-wise purpose, like a tapestry. You look at a tapestry. Have you ever looked at the back
of a tapestry, the backside of a tapestry? Ah, you can't make
any sense of it at all. It's millions and millions of
threads, it looks like. Individual threads. And you think,
what is all of it? Well, turn it around and you'll
see a picture. In the purpose of the creator
of that tapestry, every single individual thread worked together
to bring about this picture. So it is with God Almighty. Though
we just see the backside. We say, what's this? I don't
understand it. It's all working together. It's all working together. It's
all intricately woven together. To what purpose? Look at the
next sentence. All things work together. God worketh all things
together for good to them that love God. All right? All things work together
for good to them that love God. Everything doesn't work for the
good of everyone. But it says here, all things
work together for good to them that love God. All right, who
loves God? Who loves God? I mean, who really
loves God? A lot of people say they do. Well, it's who loves what I just
said about God. If I were to stand up today and
just quote those verses you looked at with me, just quote the verses
of Scripture that you and I looked at, in the average place throughout
America today, there would be people absolutely gritting their
teeth and ready to lynch me. It's so. Maybe somebody in here
did not like what they heard us read. But that's God. That's
the God of this book. That's the God of the Bible.
Now, people make up a God that they like better, a God that
needs them, a God that can't do things unless they let Him
do it. They kind of like that, you know. Makes them a little
God. Like Eve, that's how it all began. Satan tempted Eve
by saying, you'll be like God. And she said, I kind of like
that. I don't like Him telling me what to do. I'll eat what
I want to eat. Here, look at that. And that's
exactly what humans beings are doing all over the world. No,
I've got a free will. Look, watch me. Who loves God? It's those who
love God as God. You understand? Not their conception
of God. It's those who love God as God.
The God as He is. What did you actually think about
what we read? Did you just, well, hell, it
says that. I don't much like it and don't
believe it, but that's what it says. Grudgingly believe it?
Did you not sure you believed it? Surely it says something else?
Or did you look at it and say, that, oh, yes, and oh, I'm glad
it's that way. I'm glad he's God. That's to
love God. That's what it is to love God. And people, absolute sovereign
God, believing in Him is the only place you're going to find
any peace in this world. In this world full of sin and
death and sickness and death and catastrophes and all that.
If this thing's spinning out of control and God's just on
the sidelines and can't do anything, we don't need him. And if God
didn't want my sister to waste away to an 80-pound cancer victim,
I hate him. Why'd he let it happen? Hmm? They didn't want it to happen.
Satan, he let Satan do it. Satan did it. I hate that God.
But now, if God, according to an all-wise purpose, for my good,
for her eternal good, for the good of some purpose he has that
I don't understand, yet he did it, and someday I will understand
it, is for absolute good, then that's God. And that gives me
peace. I don't understand. I don't know
why I did that. I might not have done it that
way. I wouldn't have done it that way, but he did it that
way. It must have been the only way. And someday I'll know, and
someday I'll just be so glad he did it that way. And this is what it says. All
things work together for good to them that love God. I love that God is God. Do you? I'm telling you, you
don't even have a God if he's not as we have been reading. You might as well forget it.
Might as well forget it. Well, all things work together for
good to them that love God. For good. All things work together
for good. I'm going to go ahead and use
my sister as an example, OK? There are many examples, but
I've already spoken about her. She's 42 years old, two young
children at home, a husband that loved her, the apple of her father's
eye, only daughter, loved dearly, as you do, an only daughter.
As those who have them know, as fathers especially know. The absolute Dorcas the of the
church in 13th Street the one who entertained more people than
anybody else who did more for that church than anybody else. Irreplaceable. Invaluable to
the church. That. Leaves two children without
a mother. Loving husband without a wife
a father without a daughter a church without a vital member. How can that be good? Hmm? This is not good. Yes, it is. Yes, it is. Didn't understand
it at the time. Boy, it sure was for her good
what The scripture says—this is Old Brother Joe's text that
we looked at at his funeral—it says, The righteous perish, and
no man lay at the heart, and merciful men are taken away.
People don't consider the righteous are taken away from the evil
to come. She only had to live forty-two years on this God-forsaken
planet. The rest of us go on another
thirty or more. God in mercy took her early. What mercy to
her! Good, yes, her good. All things
work together for good to them who love God. Eternal good. What
about the rest of us? Well, there was a young lady
sitting in here, wasn't there? Same age, without a husband,
son without a father. And Lord united this departed
lady's husband with this woman. You know who I'm talking about.
A son who'd never been in a home, it was a home, and had a father
figure, now had one. God took our Dorcas. Rebecca,
another one, Rebecca Shadley. Sure meant a lot to this church,
didn't she? I regretted introducing her to Bob Conley. I really did. I mean, I wanted her to have
a man, I wanted Bob to have a woman, and they were just two of the
finest that I loved. So, but when it was all over,
I didn't want to lose Rebecca. For good, for good. Now, she's a
vital part of that church up there. Since she's left, God's
replaced her with a few. And on and on we could go with
stories like that, stories in our midst, taking dear ones to
us. It's good. I mean, all things
work together for good. We might not see it right now,
but we're going to. Now, here's the point. All things
work together, ultimately and primarily, for our eternal good. This whole thing is about eternity. Everything may not seem good
temporally at the time. It may just be absolutely devastating. And you can't find any good in
it. But God Almighty, and now you
need to look at this verse again by faith and believe that God
Almighty is working this all together for good. This is good. This is good. He's too good not
to do good. He can't do evil. He can't do
bad. Nothing God does is bad. Shall
not the judge of the earth do right? Yes! That's what old Abraham pleaded
with God, didn't he? Lord, you're going to destroy
the whole city? How about there's just ten? How about just five? Shall not
the judge of the earth do right? Yes. And he destroyed the whole
city. Destroyed Lot's wife. Sons-in-laws. He does what's
right. He does good. We'll know someday.
Here, let me give you the supreme example. God's Son. Jesus Christ. The supreme example
of how all things work together for good. Christ crucified. How? The Son of God came down
here, holy, spotless wonderful, merciful, gracious, kind, gentle,
helper, healer, the wonderful Son of God came to this earth
and human beings Utterly tortured him, his God
standing back idly, wishing they wouldn't do this to his son.
What kind of God is that? You understand, people call the
God, the sovereign God that I'm preaching right now, a monster.
Don't they? I say their God's a monster.
I say, the God they're talking about is a monster. Your kid's
running out in the street. Okay, I'll save you. I won't
save you. I won't violate your free will. You'll have to save
yourself. What kind of a father is that?
Would you mind telling me? Old Brothers Todd used to say,
if God was like they say He is, and He was a man, they'd put
Him in jail for child neglect, child abuse. If it's in your
power to save your child, would you do it? To keep them from
harm's way, would you do it? Is it in God's power? It sure
is, and he does it, because he's God, and he's a father to his
children, and none will perish. None will perish. But our Lord, Christ, came to
this earth as a man and men took him and brutally tortured him
and hung him on a cross, drove nails in his hand. What's God
doing? He purposed the whole thing. It even says in Isaiah 53, it
pleased the Lord to bruise him. Wait a minute. drive the nail. No, men did it, but they did
what God determined before to be done. The Scriptures say,
How? Why? How could He do that? For good? How could this be good? That's
what the disciples at the time were saying. Well, how could
this possibly be any good? You can't go to heaven unless
this happens. For good, eternal good. Oh good, the eternal salvation
of all of God's people was in that horrible event that took
You see, that's the supreme example, how all things work together,
no matter how evil they may seem, no matter how horrible they may
seem, no matter how devastating, no matter how heart-wrenching,
saddening, sorrowing, just on and on it goes, traumatic, no
matter how it's working together for good, you have God's Word
on it. And that's the supreme example. None of them. for three days
believed that any good came out of that. But boy, when they saw him risen,
and when we rise, when we go to be with God, he's going to
show us the whole picture. He's going to turn this tapestry
around. God Almighty is going to turn
this tapestry around. Until then, we just have to believe
Romans 8.28, you see. I don't understand this, this,
this, this, this, this. Someday we will. It says we'll know even
as we've been known. God's going to turn the tapestry
around and say, look, my purpose has been fulfilled and everything.
And I really believe that God is going to show us all these
intricately woven events and things that took place throughout
days on this earth to show us that here's a fellow over here,
and I wish I could give a good illustration, Somehow there's
a fellow over in the middle of Africa doing something that affects
something over here. Oh, no, no, no. Oh, yes, yes,
yes. That's the way. How I understand it, no, you're
not God. That's how all powerful and wise
he is. All right? All things work together
for good, eternal good, and somehow it is our temporal good. It is.
It is. We don't. To them that love God
who are the called according to his purpose. The called. Those that love God, he calls
them the called. Who are the called according
to his purpose. The called. The called. God calls them. God's the one that called them.
All right? It says, let's read on, OK, it
all goes together, this all goes together. For, you see the word
for is connected. According, here's purpose, for,
that is to explain what he just said, for whom he did foreknow,
he also did predestinate. What's the word foreknow mean?
Well, these idiots that don't have a clue say God looked down
through time with a telescope and saw what man was going to
do. That is, he just knew it was going to happen. That's not
what this word means. The word comes in the beginning,
all the way back in the Garden. It says, Adam knew his wife Eve. Does that mean he went up and
said, Who are you? I'm Eve. Well, I'm Adam. Glad to know you. It's silly. As soon as he saw her, he said,
my bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh, and he knew her. That
means they calculated. They got together and became
one, literally. The two of them became one in
union. He loved her. As soon as he saw her, he loved
her, and they embraced, and they became one physically, emotionally,
everything. These two became one flesh, a
symbol of marriage. It's a symbol of more than that.
It's a symbol of this union that God Almighty made with his people.
God foreknew, foreloved. Before I formed you in the belly,
he says, I knew you, loved you. Yea, I loved thee with an everlasting
love, he said. Before you were born, I set my
love on you. You're my bride, bone of my bones,
flesh of my flesh. In time, when we are brought
forth, it is a vital union, a vital union. But God foreknew, foreloved. Before we even knew him and loved
him, he knew us and loved his people. Not all people, but his
people. For whom he did foreknow, forelove. He did predestinate. Boy, the world just hates that
word, the P word. Predestinate. What does that mean. Exactly
what you think it means. Predetermined. Predestined. Predestined. What else could
you get out of that. Why would you want to get anything
out of it. The only ones that want to make it say something
else is the ones that don't believe it. But it's as clear as a nose
on your face. predestinate, whom he did foreknow,
forelove, he did preordain to do wrong, to be wrong. Verse
29, to be conformed to the image of his Son. As Brother Barnard said, God
loved his Son so much who was with him before he created this
world. He loved his Son so much he determined,
he purposed to have a whole family just like him. That's what predestination is,
predetermined to have a people just like God. Now, read on. He's the firstborn among many
brethren. That is, he was made flesh, and
we're flesh, and we're going to be sons of God like him. Verse
30, "'Moreover, whom he did predestinate, he called.' See, all things work
together for good to them that love God, who are to call. Whoever
God foreloved, whoever God predetermined to be his child, he calls. Now, this is the way it works.
This is the way God purposed it. That in time, we're born. We're born on this earth. We
grow up as human beings, all right? And this is the means
that God has used. to create these sons of God. It's a mystery, but this is how
he does it. It's called the gospel call. The call of the gospel,
whom he predestined, he called. He called. All the elect of God are called.
I want you to turn quickly, 2 Thessalonians 2. 2 Thessalonians Can you turn
over there real quick? 2 Thessalonians 2. How does God call his people?
He calls them all. He doesn't do it out loud. God
hasn't spoken out loud in 2,000 years. He had everybody God foreknew. predestinated by hearing call,
but not out loud. 2 Thessalonians 2, 13, we're bound
to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, to love the
Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you. See that? That means he elected you. He
chose you. You didn't choose him. He chose
you. That what it says? That's the way it is. And God's people love it. Through,
now look right on, chosen you to salvation, that is, to be
saved. Through sanctification, this is the means God chose,
through sanctification of spirit, that is, the Holy Spirit separates
God's people from the rest. How? He separates them in belief of
the truth. They believe the truth. They
believe the truth. What's the truth? Well, we've
been reading it. who God is, the true God. Everybody doesn't
believe that. Then the Holy Spirit didn't separate
them. Right? But he separates all he
believes, causes him to believe the truth. Read on, whereunto
he called you by our gospel. You see that? He called by our
gospel. He called. Christ said that my
sheep hear my voice. He said that about all his sheep.
They all hear my voice. I know them, and they follow
me. What is his voice? It's the gospel
call. Now, this call is not an invitation. Like, if you read the article
in the book, it's the best I could do, but I think it's pretty good. It's not an invitation. It's
not an offer. It's not God freely offering it. Why would he do
that? No, it's a specific, particular
call. A specific, particular call to
those he's set his love upon, and it's the call of the gospel to tell them who he is. That's
the first part of the call. That's all he does, is just declare
who he is. It's not an invitation, it's
a declaration. There's a big difference. See, the gospel is not an invitation,
it's a command. In Stammit, God commandeth all
men everywhere to repent. The gospel is not an invitation.
Won't you please repent? Why, the king demands that you
do stuff. The gospel is not an invitation,
won't you believe my son, please? No sir, that's blasphemy. God commands everybody everywhere
to bow to and submit to his sovereign Son whom he hath made Lord over
all flesh. It's not an invitation. Kings never have issued invitations. Kings don't do that. A real king? They issue proclamations. Well, who's going to answer it?
Who's going to be willing? Those he pre-loved and pre-determined
and who he chose. They're going to. They're going
to believe. They're going to hear this proclamation.
Not an invitation. They're going to hear the proclamations.
Hey, he is God, isn't he? God says, and you're going to
hell unless you bow to him. Oh, I am, aren't I? Christ is
your only hope. Oh, he is, isn't he? This is
the call. It's a declaration, not an invitation. You won't find that word in the
Bible, invitation. But Romans 1, Paul said, declared
to be the Son of God. I got a, you know, God Almighty
foreknew, foreloved his people. That's a particular effectual
love. Whoever he loves, he's going to say, he's going
to marry them to him. A general effectual love, a general
ineffectual love, means nothing. Let me give you a good illustration,
okay? This is a good illustration. Suppose back when I was dating
Mendeck. that I proposed to her in marriage. I said, Honey, would you marry
me? And she asked me, Well, do you love me? And I said to her,
Why, sure I do. I love all women. Would she marry me? Huh? Well, yes, I love all women.
just as much as you. Well, that's foolish, isn't it?
That's a pretty good illustration of it. That would mean nothing
to her. Boy, but no, I told her, yes,
I love you and you only, and I want you. I don't want anybody
else. I want you. You're mine. I have to say, if
you'll have me. I had to say that. I had to say,
will you? I had to say, Would you accept
me as your husband?" Didn't I? Huh? But now God's people shall
be willing in the day of His power. He doesn't, will you please
accept. No, He says, I love you. And
they say, you don't love me. He says, I'm yours and you love
me too, don't you? And they say, well, I do. They're
made willing in the day of His power. I couldn't make her willing. God made her willing. But God
Almighty has to make us willing or we won't will it. Right? And that's the only kind of love,
Robert, that's the only kind of love that will mean anything
to a person who's a sinner. You know what? That's the only kind of love,
a particular choosing, electing love. person who thinks they're
unlovely, who think, why would God have anything to do with
me? That's the only one that this sovereign love means anything
to, you see? Does God love me? He chose you. Not him. He looks better and
sounds better and all that, but no, he chose you, chief of sinners.
Oh, my. An effectual love. Well, I've
got to quit, but over in our text it says, "...whom he did
foreknow, he did predestinate." Verse 30, "...and whom he did
predestinate, he called." So the gospel calls a declaration,
not an invitation. It's a declaration. And God Almighty
causes those who are dead to hear it, hear his voice, and
the dead in Christ rise. They believe. Whom he called he justified,
justified by faith. They believed. God says, Believe,
you'll be justified, or you'll find out about it. They believed. What did they believe? What you've
just heard. Who God is. Who Christ is. Their righteousness.
None righteous, no, not one. You need a righteousness to get
to heaven, God the Father tells us. You don't have one, you can't
produce one. Nothing you can do to make you righteous. Nothing
good about you. He can't come into my heaven
without this perfect righteousness, God said. If you don't have it,
you can't make it up. Try as though you may, you can't
do it. You come far short of what I
demand. And the sinner says, well, then how? God says, I have
it right here. It's my Son. And I'll put Him
on you. I'll make you righteous. I'll swap places with Him. Oh,
now I see. They believe. They don't believe
their righteousness. They don't believe anything about
them. Gets them to heaven. They believe it's all God's Son.
God says, you're justified. Just for believing. Justified. Believing. They are determined
to do it. And in time, they believe and
they're justified by faith. Whom he justified, he also glorified. It's all past tense, isn't it,
Ron? It's past tense. I'm not there yet. I'm not glorified.
Oh, wait a minute. just to believe this gospel is
to be glorified. You understand what I'm saying?
We've beheld his glory. That's what it means to be glorified.
We've beheld his glory, the glory of the gospel. We see his glory, and it glorifies
us, and someday we'll be glorified to see him actually. I've got
to show you this, all right? It says he did all this for his
purpose. What is his purpose? Ephesians
1, and I quit. I promise. I promise. Ephesians
1, this is the last verse. It says, All things work together
for good to them that love God who are called according to his
purpose. What is this all about? God's
purpose. What is it all about? And we're
called according to his purpose. God called us according to this
purpose. It's not because God needs us.
That's what a one false preacher actually said. Oral Roberts is
his name. He actually said God was lonely,
so he created man. What an absolute fool. You can't be more ignorant than
that. God was lonely. Their name means self-sufficient,
independent, not needing anything or anyone. That's what the name
means. Look it up, Oral. Just look up the name. God didn't do it because He needed
anything or anyone. But He did it for this reason.
This is the purpose. Look at verse 9, and he's made
known unto us, Ephesians 1, he's made known unto us the mystery
of his will according to his good pleasure which he purposed
in himself. What is it? Read on. That in the dispensation of the
fullness of time, that in plain language, when it's all over,
he's going to gather together in one all things. All his people that he foreknew,
that he foreloved, that he predestinated, that he called, that he justified,
are going to gather them all together in one. Some of them
in heaven now. Some of them are still on the
earth. Are you with me? This is the
purpose. In whom? In Christ. That is, all those
in Christ. He's the one we've obtained this
inheritance by. He's the one, while we're going
there, he's the one that obtained it. You with me? Verse 11. We've been predestinated according
to the purpose of him who works all things. That's the very same
verse, isn't it? Who works all things up to the
counsel, the predetermined purpose of his own will. That's who he
is. It's what it's all about, that
we should be to the praise of his glory. God didn't do all
this because he was lonely. God did it for his glory, to
display his glory. You see, God had one son that
was with him before the world began. He doesn't need anybody.
What's he need a bunch of sons of Adam for, a bunch of rebel
sons? He doesn't need them. Why does
he need a bunch of rebel sons, a bunch of prodigal sons? He's
got his son that he loves. Remember what Barnabas said?
Look at your son. I love you. I'm going to honor you, God said. I'm going to honor my son. I'm
going to create a whole race of beings. to behold his glory,
to give him honor and glory, much like you would throw a party
in honor of your child or whoever you love. Right? A party. The Scriptures call
it the marrying supper of the Lamb. God determined for his
son to be wed, to have a bride. for his glory. See, you know,
next Saturday, we're going to, this Saturday, two people are
going to come in here and unite in holy matrimony. All right? Patrick's going to come in here
with me, kind of come in here like men do, you know, kind of
come in here and then down the aisle. Here she comes. Ain't she wonderful? Well, I
think you are. I'm not making fun of you. I think you're wonderful. And, uh, Patrick's going to stand
over here with me like, now, boy, you know, everybody's going
to be looking at her. That's not the marriage supper
of the Lamb. The marriage supper of the Lamb
is we're all going to be standing on sidelines while Christ comes
walking down the halls of glory. Ain't he something? The groom. He wouldn't even be here. He
doesn't need us. He did this for Son's glory.
And we're going to glorify Him throughout eternity. Him. Him. Now, that's the purpose. And so we know. Everybody doesn't
know it, but we know it. All things, all things work together. can't be any other way than the
way it is. God determined for good, yeah, for good, to bring
us into that marriage to them that love God, God as God, who
are the called. Did you hear it this morning?
Anybody hear it? The called? According to his purpose. All right. Let's close in here.
What's the number? 352. 352. Let's sing the first
and last verses, okay? Let's stand. 352, first and last. Jesus, lover of my soul, led
me through thy woods on fly, while the nearer waters roll,
while the tempest still is high. Hide me, O my Savior, hide, till
the storm of my fears pass. Safe into the haven, God, O receive
my soul at last. Plenteous grace with me is bound. Thank you.