All right, Galatians chapter four. I've already read the verse that I intend on reading for this morning's message, but I'll read it again. Galatians four and verse four. But when the fullness of the time was come, just note, I'm not preaching on this, it's not when the fullness of time was come. but the fullness of the time. And I hope that will be more evident as I go on. But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law. I'm going to leave actually dealing with the actual context of what Paul wrote here in this letter, just for this message at least. In this verse, In our text, Paul mentions time, but then in quotes, time. My subject for this morning, my title is God Ordained All Time. There are some who would read this and say, well, there are certain specific points in time that God has ordained, but the scripture does not bear that out. Again, I point out, but when the fullness of the time, and this is the time, because this is what all that God purposed from all eternity culminated in was when the Son of God came into this world and was made flesh just like we are. The only difference was he didn't have a human father, but he had a human mother. and he came into this world. So again, in our text, Paul mentions this word time. Let us never think God ordains only certain times or just special times. Never. We see, and this is just a fact, and I am including myself, we see with self-centered eyes Everything we view, we view with self-centered eyes. The only way we can get away from that is when God Almighty rebukes us and restrains us. Just what it is. We see with self-centered eyes. We really do not see time as God's tool to enact his sovereign decree precisely as he decreed. How can I say this? I say this because we murmur and doubt and complain about time at the drop of a hat. We're good at it. We're sly with it. Because when we complain and murmur and gripe, we always include somebody else as having the same feeling as we have about a certain matter. I'm not the only one that feels this way. Time. Time. You know, they're afraid misery loves company. But it's more than that. Misery loves justification. Justification. I say this is so because we murmur, doubt, and complain, and we do it, you'll do it, not even planning on doing it. Not even say, okay, I'm going to murmur and complain about this or that, and I'll see why that matters when it comes to time. We'll, God willing, see why that matters here in a moment. We will murmur and complain, not even purposing to, but it's just ingrained, it's inbred, it is in us by the fall of our father Adam. It's the first thing he did after the fall that he hid, He was discovered for where he was. God wasn't trying to discover where he was. He was forcing Adam to confess where he was. What did he begin to do? Murmur and complain. In time, God unfolds what he has ordained. And it's not in bits and spurts. All time. All time. is ordained by God. No matter what circumstance comes, no matter what trouble comes or what delight comes, God ordains all time. In time, God unfolds what he has ordained. Now, if you're following along, turn to, this is familiar, I understand that, but Isaiah chapter 46. The man who stands behind any podium like this or even in our public testimony or witnessing to somebody else, you always stand safe when you just tell the truth. Doesn't mean everything's gonna go nice, but you always stand safe when you tell the truth. But I can also testify to this. When you tell the truth, the flesh, no matter whose flesh it is, unregenerate or regenerate, a believing man's flesh or an unbelieving man's flesh? It'll rebel. It will rebel. Think of it, as I said, in time God unfolds what he has ordained. Now here's the statement. God is not ordaining anything. Do you hear what I just said? Notice the difference in the two statements. In time, God unfolds what he has ordained. God is not ordaining anything. Look at Isaiah 46, verse eight. Remember this, and show yourselves men. God's saying, pay attention to me. That's what he's saying. Remember this. Show yourselves, men, bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors. Who's he writing to? The unregenerate of this world? Here, particularly, when Isaiah wrote, he was writing to God's people, that special elect nation amongst all the nations of the earth. That's who he's writing to. Listen. Remember the former things of old, for I am God. and there is none else. I am God and there is none like me. That's why by his grace, and I know Joe does the same thing, Paul does the same thing, other God sent men, they all do the same thing. We try not to use things to illustrate God because nothing compares to him. I mean, it's always a feeble attempt at best. But you know what? I can sum this verse nine up. Remember this. This is what God says, I am holy. That's what he's saying. I am holy. Yes, we were created in his image. But we, just like Satan, was this. We wanted to be like God. We were recreated, and I'm not here to try to argue or even scripturally argue the difference in those two things. We were created in his image, but we were not created little deities. We were still the creature, okay? And one of the one thing that Satan used to beguile Eve was, when you eat of that, your eyes shall be opened and you'll be like gods. that appealed to her. And it still appeals to mine and your flesh as well, because who is God after all? He's the one unique being in all that there is that gets control of everything. And we like control. Some of us like it more than others, granted, but we all like control. So in time, God unfolds what he has ordained. He's not ordaining anything. Why? Because this is what he said. Declaring the end, when? From the beginning. He's not working out the end. He's declaring the end from the beginning, and that's not just the two ends, the beginning and the end, so to speak. Look, and from ancient times, the things that are not yet done. Do you see that? Saying, my counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. And then we will see two aspects in which this is true. And I want to term it this way, concerning the unregenerate, and concerning those who are going to be regenerated, the saved and the lost, or the lost and those who will be saved. Calling, what? A ravenous bird. Do you see it? A ravenous bird. From the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country. Stop for a moment and I will add this, even if they don't know it. Usually they do not know it. calling a ravenous bird from the east, the men that execute of my counsel from a far country. And when we see things being carried out by men, what do we do? Come on now, complain and murmur and gripe. Hmm? Don't we? Hmm? Come on. From afar, yet yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it, not I am purposing it. I have purposed it, I will also do it. Now, look, hearken unto me, ye stout-hearted that are far from righteousness. I bring near my righteousness. You see that? I bring near my righteousness, it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry, it shall not linger along. God is saving everyone right at the, I'm not talking about conversion, a gospel conversion. He's saving everyone right at the exact moment he purposed to do so. Most of the time, I'll say this for me, my prayers, Even for someone else's soul is me praying for what I want from God, rather than what God Almighty has decreed. Oh, I'll throw in in my mind, Lord, if it's your will. But I still sit and wonder, why? Why is this like it is? When you see a loved one laying in a bed or in a place or in a wheelchair, And you wonder, why is this so? God's salvation is not tarrying. Whether it be the beginning act of our conversion, or whether it be, as Paul has already mentioned, that day when he takes us to him, or he comes and gathers us. You see it? Hearken unto me, ye stout-hearted that are far from righteousness, I bring near my righteousness. It shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry. And here it is, I will place salvation in Zion for Israel, my glory. Sounds like God does what he purposed he'll do, don't it? That's the first thing. Here's another thing concerning this idea of time. Consider it. God's first inference to time lets us know that he holds sovereign sway. He does not mention the word time, but look at this. And you know the passage. Of course, most of all this you know. Genesis chapter one, first few verses. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. The earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep. The spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters and God said, let there be light. What happened? There was light. Just the way it works. When God speaks, it's so. Paul Bayhan used in a message years ago, the Latin phrase is just two words. Dictum, factum. Spoken, done. when it comes to God. God said, let there be light, and there was light. God saw the light, that it was good. And God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness he called night. And here is the first reference in the scripture to time. And the evening and the morning were the first day. Do you see that? The evening and the morning were the first day. Now, I am told, I have read this, that time is this. It is a measured or measurable period of action, process or condition. Well, that fits that, right? Now, astronomically, we know it's about the sun moving around in its 24-hour process, and they say it's slowing down. I really could care less. There's scientists all upset that the Earth is slowing down. you know, milliseconds, per whatever, however long. I don't care, one day it will be burned up. Burned up, it doesn't matter. But I'm not here to debate those kind of things. I'm not here to talk about time in that sense. I'm talking about God ordained all time. Whether I understand time correctly or not, God ordained all time. God ordained all time and his first ever inference is what God was in control of all this and he decreed it He said let there be light. There's light Okay, and when he created and it says that earth was without form and darkness was upon the face of the deep Who was it that created that? God did Do you see it? Note that the darkness, just a side note, something for you to chew on later on, the darkness preceded the light. The darkness preceded the light. And that's the way it always is with us. I remember the one lady told Henry Mahan, she said, well, Henry, I've been a Christian all my life. And he said, honey, that's too long. Do you get that? I've been a Christian, no you ain't. We started out where? In darkness. That's where we start, in darkness. And God has to say what? Let there be light. And then and then only will there be light. That's the first thing. Secondly, God ordained and controls all events in time. Now turn to Ecclesiastes, and if I can find that one. Sometimes I have a little trouble with finding that one. Isn't that after Proverbs? Yes. Ecclesiastes chapter three. I'm not going to read but just a few verses. But I want to say this, God ordained and controls all events in time. Solomon is clear, one verse, to everything to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. And then he names this list of opposites, right? You can go back and read it sometime. A list of opposites. And this is what I've often said I don't believe is an exhaustive list. In other words, it doesn't mean, well, if he didn't mention this event or season particularly, that it's not included, it's all included. It's all included. This is just the illustration of the fact that to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven. He's done stated it, now he's just illustrating it. But then here's the point, what I want us to read. Verse 11, he, that is God, hath made everything beautiful in his time. Do you see that? In his time. Also he hath set the, wait a minute, what? He has set the world in their heart so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. Paul just preached about that. We can know about it, love it, but we don't understand how it works. We don't understand how it works. That's what confounds us so much. That's what confounds us. The Spirit of God leads us to know God Almighty's in sovereign control when the flesh is, but I wanna know how. I want to know how this works. I want to know why it's working like it's working. You ever been there? Now somebody says, is that God putting evil in men? No, that's the judgment of God against us because of our fall in Adam. I've heard people say it. I'll just use this illustration. And of course, it's quite prevalent for our day. Such and such an individual, a family member, a brother or sister or somebody, they're bent toward homosexuality and someone says, well, God made them that way. Now, don't you fly off the handle first and say, no, God didn't. Yes, he did by the judgment of God. That's the judgment of God against us. Don't we understand that? Our fall was not something over here beside that God had no control over. When he fell, he cast us all into darkness. The only thing that keeps us all from being, and I'll use the, a homosexual, is his restraint. It's not because you have any more personal morality in you than any one other person has. I don't care how much you disdain that act. If God lifted his restraint from you or me right now, we'd be in the degradations of the flesh and corruption forever. And I'm afraid this is what a lot of our young people born and raised. Born and raised under free and sovereign grace. They've been trained upright. And rightfully so. Don't get me wrong on this. Don't you say Walter said this or I'm saying exactly what I'm saying. And they're actually pretty decent kids compared to a lot of other kids. And preachers are afraid to really stand up and tell those. They just always encouraging them. Tell them how bad they really are. In fact, if it weren't for God's restraint and the means God has used through your parents teaching you the truth of the gospel, you would be out there, you would be a Charles Manson yourself. I know this religious world despises that, but that is the truth. Look, I know that there is no good in them. Do you see that? No good. Now, we're talking about God good, not human good. When we compare ourselves to one another, it's just one worm comparing themselves to another worm. It's just one dog who doesn't eat as much as its vomit as another dog does. But to eat any of it is vile and corrupt, right? Say, preacher, don't talk like that. I will, and I do. I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice and to do good in all his life. But he doesn't. Now that's what I'm putting there. But he doesn't, does he? We all ought to praise God for what we got, whether it's little or great. But we bellyache and murmur and complain about it. Don't we? Now come on. We like Earl. I remember Earl pointing that out years ago, and I read it, but I didn't remember it. He said, we're like the horse leech. More, more, more. Suck, suck, suck. That's what we do. We're like a fat tick on a hound dog. We just want more and more of the flesh. And also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor. Why? It's the gift of God. He don't owe us any of this. That I sit around and think about. At least, if I don't say it this way, Tommy, I think about it down in here. Boy, I wish I had this. Or boy, we have, what most people in this world dream for when it comes just to physical life in this world. And then we can complain about going to the doctor and it costing a copay. God help us. It is the gift of God. I know, now here it is. I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever. Nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it, and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. And again I say, but we don't. But we don't. That which has been is now, and that which is to be hath already been, and God requireth, do you see it? He requireth that which is past, number three. to use God's sovereign ordination of all events in time as an excuse to our laziness and our sloth and our complacency and our self-centeredness is an insult to God's integrity. Paul's already mentioned it. We were there. Luke 19, 20 through 23. He read a few more of the verses there. Remember that one with 10 pounds? He said, I knew you was an austere man. You know what that means? Severe, tough. And you reap where you don't sow. Well, that's exactly right. He said it with him, you're sovereign, you're in control. But then when he said, well, here, take my 10 pounds. Make money off of it. What was the austere man doing? Nothing, he just said, here's a gift. Now make money off of it. Isn't that reaping where you don't sow? Huh? He said, well, I knew all this about you, so I do you reap. You didn't need my help. Listen, here, I'm gonna sum it up. If we insult God's means, we insult God. When we insult God's means, we insult God. And you remember the passage, I read it, maybe last week, I don't remember, Matthew 26-24, what our Lord said about Judas Iscariot, before he was ever known, he was really the one that was gonna betray him. He said, it had been better for this man had he not ever been born. Was not Jesus Christ the one that controlled that? Huh? Was he not the one that caused him, allowed him, however you wanna, whatever is the best way to put that, Tommy, was not he the one that had him conceived in his mother's womb? Gave him breath and a mind to think all of the selling the Lord out that he did? He gave him that mind, did he not? He said it had been best if he'd never been born. But yet he suffered him to be so. Hmm? Now you go figure, see what, now what some high-minded Calvinistic man does is try to explain all that. I'm just saying that's the way it is. And we either love God for it or we hate him for it. There is no in between. When we're trying to figure out how it all works and make it all seem justifiable, here's what we really want. Not to justify God, but to justify ourselves in equal action, or what we perceive to be equal action. Yeah. Number four, God uses time to display and exercise his loving kindness and his promise of mercy to his elect. And I'm just gonna give you the passages. 2 Peter 3, one through nine. Romans nine, 22 through 24. God uses time to display and exercise his loving kindness and his promise of mercy to his elect and to give the reprobate enough rope to hang themselves. You hear me? Enough rope to hang themselves. We all are here to have it in our mind to hang ourselves with our gluttony of whatever kind you want to put it. He just says, all right, here's some more rope. There's a tree. It's a little high for you. Here's some more rope. It even goes so far, it says God gave them up unto vile affections. He can do that to you. He can do that to me. Yeah. Number five, the redemption of God's elect took place, and we already looked at this last week, exactly when God appointed it. Our text, Galatians chapter four, verses one through five, right? That's when it took place. And it's not that it took God 33 years to do it, Mac. He purposed to do it that way. You see what I'm saying? It's not that it took God 33 years to get this done. God purposed it that way. But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his son made of a woman made under the law to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons, period. Period. Number six. According to Hebrews 3, and I'm not gonna read it, verses 7 through 19, there is never a good time for one thing. Do you hear me? Now with everything I've said before, I'm not trying to be good solid Calvinistic now. I'm preaching what God's book says. Isn't all time and all events ordained of God? Yeah. The book says that. Look at Judas Caret. Huh? Look at it, go back and read it sometime. There's never a good time for one thing. Do you know what that one thing in Hebrews 3, 7 through 19 is? Anybody remember the passage? Unbelief. Today, if you will hear his voice, that's time, ain't it? Harden not your heart, just like others have done. just like others have done. There's never a good time for unbelief. That's why that one man knew he had to cry out, Lord, I believe. But he knew how bad the unbelief was. We often forget because we think we can tackle it ourselves. Lord, I believe. Help thou my unbelief. You see it? Help thou mine unbelief. I can't deal with it myself. Why? Because it's all that I am in the flesh. The flesh operates on the principle of unbelief. Number seven, Ephesians chapter five. I will read that one. I'm going a little longer than I planned on doing, but it's Ephesians chapter five. Since time is God's, it's God's, Okay? Since time is God's, we should seize each moment and use it responsibly. Now I'm telling you what we should do. Now I'm gonna tell you what we do, do. We don't. We don't. Oh Tommy, we waste, it would scare us to death if we really knew how much time we really wasted. That's the one thing that all humanity bellyaches and murmurs about, time. Time, not enough time, too much time. Didn't have enough time to do this. Well, that takes too long. Time, even a youngster. When it first gets up old enough to be able to articulate, maybe walk on its own, and it finds something that youngster loves to do, and you give that little youngster opportunity to do it, and then say, all right, it's time to stop. We gotta do something else. They start murmuring and bellyaching and complaining that you didn't give them enough what? Time. Listen to what Paul wrote to us in Ephesians 5, just a few verses. Verse 14, wherefore he saith, awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. This is not us talking, not talking about we give ourselves regeneration. It's talking about open up your eyes and see. Look and see God. Don't look at the circumstance. But what do we do? We look at the circumstance. Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time. What does that mean? It means this, to seize each moment and use it responsibly. Our only hope of truly engaging in this is with a real, long-lasting dose of repentance. Because when we engage in this, we will fall flat. Because we are not truly redeeming the time. Most of our time, most of what we want in our time is for who? Come on now. And as I said, we always include somebody else in on it so that we don't look like we're too self-centered. I'm not saying this or doing this just for myself. Somebody else feels the same way I do. Let me tell you something, folks. We got to be long-suffering with one another. Because we all want me, me, me. I do, too. I do too. Look, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Notice it's not just the people. The days are evil. Why? Because God condemned this world. And when it says days, in other words, there's really never, ever, ever, ever going to be any respite from what? The evil that's around you. The days are evil. Not most of the day, not all of the day. Most of the days, but the days are evil. We're in a sin-cursed world. When will we just face that? I think the only time, Tommy, we ever really will is when we get to glory and all the flesh is dropped and we can say, boy, how ignorant I was, huh? No, ignorant. Wherefore, be ye not unwise, but understanding what, not how it all works, but what the will of the Lord is. And I know people say, well I wish I knew the will of the Lord. It's written all over right here. You know, it's written right over right here. And here's the thing about how much do I really spend reading? How much time, sorry, do I really spend reading and studying this word? This is his will. What he's pleased for us to know, it's all right here. He told us in Deuteronomy, right? The secret things belong to me. That means leave them alone. Don't sit around and ponder over them. You're just wasting what? Time. But what I have revealed, that belongs to you and your children. Turn to Revelation 10, I gotta read Revelation 10. Listen to what is written here. Look at the Revelation 10. And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, his feet as pillars of fire. And I'm not going to be able to explain much of any of this. I just want us to get to the point. And he had in his hand a little book open. And he said, his right foot upon the sea and his left foot upon the earth. That lets me know that whether I'm on dry land or upon the ocean, upon water, this applies no matter what. That's what that's saying, okay? And he cried with a loud voice as when a lion roared. And when he cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. I have no idea what all this means. But it caught John's attention, did it not? Look, and when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write and I heard a voice of heaven saying unto me, here's why I can't explain it to you. And people who sit here and try to are wrong. Look, seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered and write them not. Okay, this has just given us to ponder about the majesty of God. Why do I say, look, the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven and swear by him that liveth forever and ever. Even the angel, Tommy, did this. The book in one hand, he lifts up the other. Swear by him that liveth. Swear by him that liveth forever and ever, who created heaven and all things that therein are, and the earth and things that therein are, and the sea and things that therein are, that there should be what? Time no longer. One day time will stop. I can't explain that. If you just say, well, there's no more sun, the book does, Revelation says that, don't it, Matt? It'll be like an eternal day, but a day, can it be measured? You see, if you try to figure out God, you're wasting what? Time. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets, and the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, now here it is, go and take the little book. You see it? Which is open in the hand of the angel, which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel and I said unto him, give me the little book. And he said unto me, take it and eat it. Why? Even though you don't know what it says. You see this? even though it's not even being revealed yet. John was gonna start writing down what he was hearing. No, this is the book's what matters, you see it? And eat it, and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. Do you understand that when you even read this book? You eat it, I mean, that's great. But then when you probably put it in the perspective of time, and events makes your stomach hurt, don't it? Makes your heart hurt, don't it? Now come on now, don't it? And I took the book out of the angel's hand and ate it up. And it was in my mouth, sweet as honey. And as soon as I'd eaten it, my belly was bitter. God ordained, and Paul read it. We are accounted as what? Sheep for the slaughter. Now if I pray opposite of that, what am I praying for? Opposite of what God's will is. But how often do I pray that? Now come on, you too, don't you? Don't we? I know this is tough, but remember, he is that austere man. He reaps where he sows not. He's not asking us to figure out how it all works. Just do what I tell you to do in this book. And he said unto me, and he said unto me, thou must prophesy again before many peoples and nations and tongues and kings. And you know how he did that? This book right here. John wrote, what, one, two, three, four, five books, right? He's still preaching to us today. And you know what I have to say about that? Do I wanna summarize all that up? Amen. Amen. Heavenly Father. You are so beyond our comprehension. And we can't figure you out, but we know from your own testimony about yourself that what you do in time is all wise. It's right. It's not just the best way, Lord. There is no other way. It is the way. Bow us to it and Lord help us by your grace to simply worship you in it even though we don't understand it. In Christ's name, amen.