Romans chapter 15 The name of
the message is by the will of God by the will of God Romans 15 verses 30 to 33 Now
I beseech you brethren for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake For
the love of the spirit that she strived together with me in your
prayers to God for me That I may be delivered from them that do
not believe in Judah and that my service Which I have for Jerusalem
may be accepted of the Saints that I may come unto you with
joy by the will of God and May be and may with you be refreshed
Now the God of peace be with you all amen Now it is an absolute
wondrous blessing to be able to gather together as believers.
It's a great privilege. I was talking to Brother Bruce
Crabtree today and we were talking about how refreshing it is when
the saints get together, when we just talk in fellowship, when
we come to hear the gospel preached and proclaimed. It seems like
sometimes the things that are pressing upon us in our lives
and the things that are occurring in our lives, they fade away
for a small time, don't they? Because we come here to hear
about our Savior. We come here to be together as
believers, knowing that every one of us in this room who believe
are going through something. We're struggling with something.
And it's a great joy as believers to gather together. Now Paul
is here writing to the church in Rome, and he's saying that
he's asking them to pray with him, and that he may be delivered
from them that do not believe, and that he may be able to come
unto the saints. And it says, with joy. Joy is
always tied together with the meeting of the saints, because
you have a bunch of sinners who've been saved by the grace of God
in Christ. and we rejoice, we rejoice. When we hear the word of God
preached, we rejoice with great joy. But note these words, he
says, by the will of God, by the will of God. Now the underlying
Greek word in our text in verse 32 for will is defined as this,
what one wishes or has determined shall be done. what one wishes
or has determined shall be done. So Paul is submitting himself
to the will of God. And we know that he's submitting
to the will of God whether he gets to see them or whether he
doesn't get to see them. He knows that God's will will
be done. So Paul practices what he preaches. And we see that here. Because
he talks often about God's sovereignty and about God ruling and reigning.
And we see here that he's submitting himself to God's will. That if
it's by God's will for him to be there, he will be. But if
it's by God's will for him not to be there, he won't be there. Now, with that in mind, let us
consider some things. A lot of folks talk about will.
They talk about will. We've all heard folks talk about
man's supposed free will. People say that all the time,
don't they? Well, I got free will. No, you don't. No, your
will's bound to your nature. But people say that without even
realizing that their will is bound to their nature. We have a will, but it's bound. It's bound to the nature. It's
either bound to a dead nature, or it's bound to a regenerated
nature, one who's born again. Because we all come into this
world dead in trespasses and sins, and that's a result of
our fall in our father Adam. So our will, being bound to our
nature, therefore is dead, spiritually. And we cannot discern in a natural
state, we cannot discern or know the things of God. Just remember how you were before
the Lord saved you, and we didn't have... Now, we may have known
doctrine, we may have known things, right? But we didn't really know
Christ until He revealed Himself to us. We couldn't discern spiritual
things. We didn't have really any idea who God was. So our
decisions are therefore bound to our nature. And we exercise
our will, which is bound in our natural state to a dead nature. And when we're born again in
the Holy Spirit of God, we have a new nature. This is why we have a battle,
beloved. This is why the spirit's willing, but the flesh is weak. It's a constant war, isn't it?
It's a constant battle for us. And it doesn't end until we get
home to be with the Lord. That's why we ask the Lord to
give us grace and strength, don't we? We're bound in this body of flesh,
so now the spirit wars against the flesh. Every day. Every day. Do you not have a conflict within
you that you never had before? Do you not despise sin when we
sin? Do we not despise it? We do,
don't we? And everything we do is tainted
with sin. But we do sins that we don't even know. But the ones
we know and willingly do and we repent of, we grieve. You didn't grieve before. I guarantee
you didn't grieve before you were born again. You may have
felt bad, but you didn't grieve like we do now. So the spirit
wars against the flesh every day. Is it so with you? Is it so with me? So with me. Now, so often man will vault
up man's supposed free will. And this is nothing, I want us
to think on this, this is nothing than man trying to usurp the
sovereignty of God. When man vaults the free will
of man, saying that God can't save them unless they do it on
their own, they are doing nothing but trying to usurp the sovereignty
of God in salvation. It's an attack on God's sovereignty. It's an attack on God's sovereignty
and it happens all the time. Because what they're doing is
they are putting salvation in man's hands rather than in God's
hands. And we're looking at all this
to set up the will here. Natural man and religious man
talks about man's supposed free will. Well, we're gonna look
at God's will. Man is essentially saying, turn
if you would to Luke, turn if you would to Luke chapter 19.
When man says that God can't save them unless he lets them,
do you know that man is basically saying, we're not have this man
rule over us. That's really what they're saying.
They're setting themselves up as a sovereign, and they're setting
their God up as a puppet. Well, their God really can't
save them. No, because the God of the Bible
is sovereign, isn't He? And He saves whom He will, when
He wills. And we'll look at that in depth
tonight. He's a sovereign God. Look at Luke, chapter 19, verses
12 to 14. He said, therefore, a certain
nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom
and to return. And he called his 10 servants
and delivered them 10 pounds and said unto them, occupy till
I come. But his citizens hated him and
sent a message after him saying, we will not have this man to
reign over us. That's what natural man says.
That's what religious man says. Who's caught up in free will.
They're basically crying out, we'll not have this man to reign
over us. What does a believer do? We bow our knee, don't we? We bow our knee. Oh, Lord, you
reign. You reign in absolute sovereignty. Oh, it's you who made me willing
to come to you. I never would have unless you
made me willing. Now, man talks about supposed
free will, but there's a greater will. that reigns and rules over
all things. A will that is often not spoken
about or even thought of by natural man. It is a will that religious
folks will only allow to have a certain amount of power. A
certain amount of power. In natural man, in their finite
minds, whether they're religious or not, Always imagine a God
who's at their beck and call. I like what brother Tim James
said. The religious God is like a cosmic
muffin man who can just do whatever people ask him to do. I remember
watching a message by Tim and he said that and he hit it right
on. It's like a genie. He watched his health, wealth,
Prosperity, guys, that's not the God we worship. No, the God we worship does whatever
He pleases. Whatever He pleases. We're in
His hands. We're in His hands. So religious
folks say God can have control over nature, but not the salvation
of a sinner. And we will have nothing to do
with such nonsense. And that's what it is. It's just
nothing but nonsense. It's a weak God who can't do
anything. This greater will that we will
look at is absolutely sovereign. It is the one supreme will over
all things visible and invisible. And the greater will is God's
will. God's will. Look at our verse again, Romans
15, 32. That I may come unto you with
joy by the will of God and may with you be refreshed. The statement
I'd like to look at is the will of God. By the will of God. Now in the text which we read,
we can clearly discern by God the Holy Spirit, His teaching
here, that God has a will, right? We see that, don't we? It says
it right here. That I may come unto you with
joy by the will of God. God has a will, boy. That's what
it says. And we can see in our text that
Paul was hoping that if it was the will of God, that he would
soon see the saints in Rome again. but only if it was the will of
God, only if it was by the will of God. Paul had resigned himself,
he had submitted himself in his whole life to the sovereign will
of God and the wise disposals of his providence. He knew that
deliverance from his enemies must be by God according to his
will, according to his will. Paul was walking and fleshing
out exactly what he preached, submission to the will of God. And he knew, again, that if he
was to come to Rome, it would be entirely according to the
will of God. And he exhorts the other believers
to pray, pray with him. And also to do the same, to sit
down and be contented with the will of God. And be contented
with the will of God in all things. Now this is hard for us as believers. This is hard for us. But the
Lord even told us to come to himself. Turn, if you would,
to Matthew 11, 28. Matthew 11, 28. To come to himself
in what? In rest from our labors. In rest
from our labors. Rest from our religious labors.
Cease your works. Rest in Christ, in Christ alone.
Look to Him. He's the only Savior. Matthew
11, verse 28 to 30. Come unto me, all ye that labor
in our heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Rest. We all love rest, don't we? I
don't think there's a human being on this earth that doesn't like
rest. Rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn
of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. This is God incarnate
in the flesh. You talk about meek and lowly.
He left the glories of heaven. You can't get any more condescension
than that. And ye shall find rest unto your
souls. So we see rest from our labor
in verse 28, and now, 29, we see rest unto your souls. Peace with God, beloved. For
my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. What does he tell us? Look to me and be saved. Just
look. So Paul in our text is bowing
to the will of God to bring what he desires to pass if it's God's
will. And so from this text before
us, we have declared that God has a will. And I may come unto you with
joy by the will of God and may with you be refreshed. Now knowing
that from our text and knowing who God is as revealed in Scripture,
we can come to see that His will is supreme. Supreme. And that His will is sovereign. Because we know our God is sovereign.
Therefore His will is sovereign. If God is not sovereign, then
His will is not sovereign. Someone I once talked to tried
to tell me that God is sovereign and man is sovereign at the same
time. This is not the God of the Bible. And this is not what the Bible
states because it plainly decrees that God is sovereign and man
is not. We are bound by sin and we cannot
come to God unless He draws us. And He draws us by His sovereign
almighty power. Now, listen, beloved, according
to His will. Isn't that wonderful? Isn't that
wonderful? Oh, my. It thrills our heart,
doesn't it? The definition in English for
sovereign is this. One that exercises supreme permanent
authority, especially in a nation or other governmental. So, beloved
of God, there is only one sovereign in this universe. One sovereign
in this universe. And He's over all. All that's
being created. And that is God Almighty, the
King of kings and the Lord of lords. In man's imagination,
Man thinks he's sovereign, but there's only one who rules and
reigns supreme. Only one. And folks are always
trying to figure out what the will of God is. I remember when
I was in religion, they had so many books about trying to find
the will of God in your life, and trying to find this, trying
to find that about the will of God. Instead of bowing to it in their
lives, His thoughts are not our thoughts,
beloved. His ways are not our ways. Turn, if you would, to
Isaiah 55. His thoughts are not our thoughts
and His ways are not our ways. And this is plainly declared
in Scripture. Isaiah chapter 55, verses 6 to
9. Seek ye the Lord. Look to Christ. Seek Him. While
He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near. All flee
to Christ. Remember, come unto me all ye
that labor and are heavy laden. Flee to Christ. And beloved,
even we as believers, keep looking to Christ. Keep fleeing to Christ. Let the wicked forsake his way
and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return unto the Lord,
and he will have mercy upon him. And to our God, for He will abundantly
pardon. Beloved, we have been abundantly
pardoned in Christ by the shedding of His precious blood at Calvary's
cross for the sins of His people. We have been abundantly pardoned. You can't measure the pardon
that we have in Christ. For my thoughts, look at this,
are not your thoughts. People have cooked up in their
minds. Calvin said our hearts are like
idle factories. They just pump out who we think
God is in our natural state. That's very true. Because I know
I had a figure who I thought God wasn't. The God of the Bible
wasn't at all what I thought he was in my natural state. He
says here very plainly, for my thoughts are not your thoughts.
Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. We find that
out, don't we? We find that out. For as the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your
ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. So God has a will. And you know what, beloved? It's
beyond our comprehension. It's beyond our comprehension.
He just shows us a little bit of who He is. Oh my. His understanding guides his
will. And his will determines all his actions. All his actions. Here are some things for us to
consider about God's will. God's will is eternal. Turn,
if you would, to Acts chapter 15. God's will is eternal, beloved. It's eternal. God's eternal,
therefore his will is eternal. Acts chapter 15. Acts chapter 15 verses 17 to
19. His will is eternal. We'll see
that right here. Verse 17 to 19, that the residue
of man might seek after the Lord and all the Gentiles upon whom
my name is called, saith the Lord, who do with all these things. Look at verse 18 of Acts 15.
No one under God or all his works from the beginning of the world.
Wherefore my sentence is that we trouble them not, which from
among the Gentiles are turned to God. God's will is eternal. Look at verse 18. Remember his
actions, right? His will determines his actions,
don't they? No one unto God are all his works
from the beginning of the world. Everything he does, he does according
to his will. And it says here, that they're from the beginning
of the world. Therefore, our God's will is eternal. It's eternal. These verses here are speaking
about the Gentiles being saved and that it was God's will that
they be saved. And he knew that from time. He
knew that from time. See, beloved. To the Israelites,
this would be shocking. This would be shocking. They
were the chosen people. And they thought they would only
be saved. But God's people, his elect, are of the Jews and the
Gentiles. Do we see here that God's ways
are not man's ways? The Jews thought, oh, it's just
us. But God's ways are not our ways. And the Lord never changes,
right? He's eternal. Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday, today, and forever. This leads to our next
point. Turn, if you would, to Malachi
chapter 3. God's will is unchangeable. It's unchangeable. And believers, we can draw great
comfort from this well. This is a well that's deep. We
can draw refreshing cold water for our souls. Because we're
always changing. We can have a love that's hot
and fervent for God and then we can be cold. God's love for
His people never changes. Never. God's will is unchangeable. Look
at this. Malachi 3.6. For I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are
not consumed. God's will doesn't change. Because
God Himself states here that I change not, therefore His will
doesn't change, beloved. God works in time. His works
in time were planned in eternity. And there's great comfort for
the believer found here. Here before us is the immutability
of God, which is on the side of His people, beloved. He is just and always just. He
hates sin and always hates sin, yet that unchangeableness of
His is always on the side of His people. Think of what He provides for
us, a perfect righteousness in Christ. And that righteousness
is unchangeable. It's unchangeable. His Son, The
perfect sacrifice sent here to die for his people. The fulfilling
of his law by the Lord Jesus Christ. So perfectly satisfied that there
will never be a charge brought against you, brother, or against
me, or any of God's people. And since God's will is unchangeable,
He's absolutely satisfied with the sacrifice of Christ, and
that will never change. That'll never change. Oh, what comfort that can bring
us, eh? We who are sinful people. We're saved, we who believe,
but we're still sinful, aren't we? Oh, my. What a Savior. What a Redeemer. and in the justice of God, fully
satisfied in Christ, who was sacrificed for his people. And
this will never change. Not one of God's laws, the broken
law of God, will never be bought against God's people. The justice
of God, the sword will never fall on God's people. Because God's will is unchangeable,
and if God's satisfied in Christ, then it will never fall on us.
It's wonderful, wonderful. What a Savior! The next point
is this, God's will is always successful. Turn if you would
to Job chapter 42. God's will is always successful.
He shall not fail, the scripture declares, of Christ and His mission
here upon this earth. We know no man can thwart Him. Job chapter 42, and then put
your finger in Daniel 4. Job chapter 42, in Daniel chapter
4. God's will is always successful. Job 42 verses 1 to 6, Then Job
answered the Lord and said, I know that Thou canst do everything,
and that no thought can be withholden from Thee. Who is he that hideth
counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that
I understood not things too wonderful for me which I knew not. Here
I beseech Thee, and I will speak. I will demand of Thee, and declare
Thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing
of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor
myself and repent in dust and ashes. Look at verse 2. I know
that thou canst do everything. God's will is always successful,
beloved. Always. God's will always does that which
he has decreed. Therefore it can never be thwarted.
And he has a will. He has a will and the power.
He has the will and the power to produce a desired result.
And Job knew this when he said this. I know that thou canst
do everything. It's wonderful. Therefore, we as believers can
rest, that what God decreed shall come to pass. And God in eternity
chose a people in Christ. Chose to save a people from their
sins. In the Lord Jesus Christ. And
His will in this is successful, isn't it? Because the scripture
declared of Christ, He shall not fail. And we know He didn't
fail. He cried it is finished. And
we know He was raised for our justification. He's a successful Savior. Remember
God doesn't change and cannot change so his will is supreme. It is an omnipotent will An omnipotent
is defined as this One who has unlimited power One who is able to do anything
is that not what job just said I Know that now can this do everything One who is all powerful, almighty,
supreme, preeminent, most high, invincible, and I love this,
unconquerable. Unconquerable. That's our God. Beloved, that's the one who keeps
us. That's the one who, if you're a believer, you're in his hands
right now. No matter what you're going through, you're in his
hands. Now tie this in with Daniel.
Let's go to Daniel chapter 4. Tie this in with Daniel 4, 34,
37. And we see that this will, which Paul was submitting to,
the will of God, is all-powerful, almighty, supreme, preeminent,
invincible, unconquerable. And his will, God's will, is
always carried out. Always. Look at Daniel chapter
4, verses 34 to 37. And at the end of the day, I,
Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up mine eyes into heaven, and mine understanding
returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised
and honored Him that liveth forever." And remember, the One who can
do everything. whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and
his kingdom is from generation to generation. So kingdoms come
and kingdoms fall, but our God's reign, our God's kingdom continues,
continues, beloved. And all the inhabitants of the
earth, now this is what man doesn't like, right here. Man doesn't
like this. But look what it says. And then
as we read this, look what it says, but think how wondrous
it is that God has had mercy upon we who believe. Just think
of that as we read this, look at this. God is so great, so
high, so supreme. It says in all the inhabitants
of the earth are reputed as nothing. And he doeth according to his,
what? Will. The same will that Paul
submitted himself to. The same will. He doeth according
to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of
the earth. And none can stay his hand or say unto him, what
doest thou? Not one person can say to God,
what are you doing? Now they say it all the time,
but remember the ones that are saying that are reputed as nothing. My, oh my. And think of this.
We're in that number too, right? The inhabitants are reputed as
nothing, but God looks upon his people with love. His eyes have been set upon us
since eternity, beloved. His love has been set upon us
since eternity. And we are precious in His sight,
right? Look at this. At the same time,
my reason returned unto me, and for the glory of my kingdom,
mine honor and brightness returned unto me, and my counselors and
my lords sought unto me, and I was established in my kingdom,
and excellent majesty was added unto thee. Now Nebuchadnezzar
was one of the greatest kings in the natural world. The city that he reigned over
was huge. And the empire that he reigned over was... This man
knew what it meant to be a king, right? We know that. If anyone
can talk about being a king, this man can talk about it. And
look at the wonder of this next verse. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar,
praise and extol thee and honor the king of heaven. The king
of heaven. This is a king saying this. This
king knows what it means to be a king. He's been taught something,
hasn't he? The King of Heaven, all whose
works are truth, in His way is judgment, and those that walk
in pride, He is able to abase. And that is exactly what He does
to His people. Because we walked in pride once.
And we're still prideful creatures. We've got that sin nature we
fight against all the time. But has He not abased us, beloved?
Has He not brought us love? And we thank Him for it, don't
we? We thank Him for it, that He didn't leave us where we were.
And He didn't leave us where we were, because we're His people.
It's wondrous. It's wondrous. Absolutely wondrous. What a great God. What a Savior. None can stay His hand or say
unto Him, what doest thou, Daniel 4.35. From the first moment of
human history even to the last, God's will shall be done. Shall be done. My word shall
accomplish that which I please, and shall prosper in the thing
whereunto I sent it." Isaiah 55, 11. So religious folks think
that he reigns in providence and is king, but that man can
overrule his reign in salvation. That goes right against Daniel,
doesn't it? Because then they're thwarting
his hands, right? If they say salvation's up to
them, they're thwarting his hands. They're making God a liar. Oh my, and to my shame, I used
to teach that. Back when I was a full-on works
believer. Now, I wasn't a believer, but
I thought I believed, but I was a works monger. But now, God's
taught me grace. I'm born again in the Holy Spirit
of God. My, salvation's in the Lord. It's God who has mercy
on us. It's God who has mercy upon us. So our answer to them, to those
who think that God is providentially in charge and is a king, but
that man can overrule his reign, we say no. We say a resounding
no. Our God's will reigns supreme,
both in providence and in salvation. And salvation is all of grace. It's all of grace. And may we
who are the redeemed marvel in the will of God. Because it's
according to God's will that we're saved. And we just marvel
at this. Marvel at this. The will of God
is not conditional. Jacob was chosen. Turn if you
would to Romans chapter 9. The will of God is not conditional. Jacob was chosen and he saw rejected
before either of them had done any good or evil. It's not based
on any conditions in the sinner. It's by the free and sovereign
grace of God. He can do whatever He wills,
whenever He wills. His will is bound to no one.
He doesn't seek counselors. His will is free and His will
is sovereign. Look at this, Romans chapter
9. Let's look at verses, start in verse 10. Jacob was chosen
and Esau rejected before either had done any good or evil." Look
at this, Romans chapter 9. And not only this, but when Rebekah
also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac, for the
children being not yet born, either having done any good or
evil, that the purpose of God, now the purpose of God is according
to His will, isn't it? It's according to us that the
purpose of God, according to election. And we know that we're
chosen in Christ, right? According to his will. Might stand not of works, but
of him that call it now there, it's plainly stated, not of works,
but of him that call. And as we've seen earlier, God's
will is eternal. And His people are chosen in
Christ before they were ever born. And it's the will of God
that it's so. And we see here in the text before
us that it's not of works, but of God's calling His people.
It's an effectual calling. It's an invincible calling. You
can't resist it. Just ask we who are born again. We couldn't fight it, could we?
God called us with His irresistible will. And let us think of this, if
God chose us in eternity, and He did, then it could never be
of works. It could never be of works, because
we hadn't done it. We hadn't done it. Look at verses 12 and 13. It
was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it
is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Now God's
love is set upon His people from eternity. From eternity. And this love that God has for
His people is an eternal love and an unchanging love. And it
brings great comfort to the believer as we know that God's love for
us is not like our love for Him, which can grow cold and hot as
we journey through this world of war. God's love for us never
changes. It's unchanging. Look at verse
14. What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? God forbid. Now Paul here deals
with natural man's objection to the statement about Jacob
have I loved and Esau have I hated. And obviously he had heard objections
to this, and the Holy Spirit has him pen this before us, for
us. And think about this fact, that
we still deal with this today. I can't tell you how many people
say, that's not fair. I don't want fair. I want mercy. See, but they don't
understand that. When we talk to folks about the
doctrine of election, they say this, they say, well, that's
just not fair. Is there unrighteousness with
God? God forbid, Paul says. No, we don't want fair. And Paul
answers the question with the same words we do as folks ask
this, God forbid. And this leads right into our
next verse. Look at verse 15. For he saith to Moses, I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I'll have compassion
on whom I'll have compassion. God has mercy on his elect, and
he has compassion on whom he wills. And we see God's will at work
here in these verses. Look at verse 16. So it is not
of him that willeth. So there goes, plainly in scripture,
there goes man's supposed free will, right out the window. It's right there. But natural man rejects it. So
then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but
of God that showeth mercy. It's not by your labors. It's
not by how much you've learned. Christ must reveal himself to
us or we'll never know him. But look at the latter part of
that verse, but of God that showeth mercy. Salvation here before
us clearly hinges upon the mercy of God and upon the will of God
and not on man's will. Right? Very, very clearly. So
it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but
of God that showeth mercy. So the reason that any man or
woman is saved is not because he willed it, but because God
willed it. That'll help us to leap for joy.
God has willed that I'd be saved. If you're saved, it's because
God has willed it. God has shown you mercy, which
is exactly what verse 16 says. So then it's not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. And I pray that if you don't know
him, that he'll have mercy upon you. The wrath that was justly
deserved by the believer by God's elect has been poured out upon
Christ as your substitute at Galilee's cross. What great mercy
God has upon us. His wrath does not fall upon
his people. His wrath falls upon the substitute. And that wrath would consume
us like putting a candle before a blast furnace. It'd be evaporated. What mercy? What mercy God has
upon his people, look at verse 17 for the scripture saith under
Pharaoh, even for the same purpose, have I raised the up that I might
show my power and the. And that my name might be declared
through all the earth. Here before us, we we have an
example of God's absolute sovereignty as the birth. The situation,
the power, and the conduct of Pharaoh were all by divine appointment
to accomplish the will of God concerning Israel. And then look
at verse 18. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy, and whom he will be hardened. Paul again repeats that which
he has written in the text above, that God will have mercy on whom
they have mercy. God's mercy is a divine attribute,
and his mercy is sovereign, beloved. It's sovereign, just as his love
and his grace are sovereign. He's sovereign. God must deal
in justice with all men, but when God acts in mercy, he's
free to deal with man according to his own will in Christ. However,
mercy cannot be exercised at the expense of justice, So we see in the text, which
we've just read, that the will of God has no cause outside of
itself. Mercy cannot be exercised at
the expense of justice, so the justice that was due, we who
believe, fell upon Christ. What a Savior. So we see in our
text there that we've just read that the will of God has no cause
outside of itself. His will is the one doing the
planning. His will is the one doing the calling. His will is
the one that we're saved according to. And the applying of salvation
to His people is all by His will. All by His will. Which leads
to our final point. The will of God is sovereign.
The will of God is sovereign and in the making of the world. The will of God is sovereign
in the making of the universe in the heavens. The will of God
is sovereign, absolutely sovereign. Some folks say God is sovereign
over creation, but not over the will of man. My question for
them are, do you think that God has abdicated his throne? No,
he's still king. He's still sovereign. Does he
reign in creation and not in grace? That's what they're saying. Is He absolute King over nature
and not over the greater works of the new nature? He's absolutely King. Is He Lord
over the things which is hand made at first and not King over
the great regeneration where He makes all things new in the
believer? See, these are questions we can ask people. God is sovereign. over creation
and salvation. And God has ordered all things
after the counsel of His own will. Turn, if you would, to
Psalm 135. Psalm 135. He does how He pleases, and His
will is supreme. It's absolutely sovereign. Psalm 135, verses 5 to 13. Psalm 135, verses 5 to 13. For I know that the Lord is great. God's people know that the Lord
is great. And that our Lord is above all
gods. Whatsoever the Lord pleased,
that did He in heaven and in earth and in the seas and all
deep places. That proclaims right there that
God is absolutely sovereign. He causes the vapors to ascend
from the ends of the earth. he maketh lightning for the rain,
he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries, who smote the firstborn
of Egypt, both of man and beast, who sent tokens and wonders into
the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh and upon all his servants,
who smote great nations and slew mighty kings. Sion, king of the
Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan,
and gave their land for inheritance, heritage and heritage unto Israel,
his people. Thy name, O Lord, endureth forever
in thy memorial, O Lord, throughout all generations. He's absolutely
sovereign. And we see that right in those
verses, don't we? If someone asks you, where does
it say God's sovereign? Well, we go anywhere, can't we?
Pretty much. But look at how much it's proclaimed there, what
he's done for Israel. That's amazing. He's absolutely
sovereign. So there can only be one will,
which is sovereign. And it's not man's will. It's
God's will. It's God's will. His will is
sovereign, and he reigns as a sovereign beloved from spiritual things. It is even so, father, for it
seemed good in my sight. It is by the will of God that
we are chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. It is by the will of God that
Christ, the Word of God, became a man and came to save His people
from their sins. The God-man. It is by the will of God that
Christ, who is God incarnate in the flesh, died the sinner's
substitute on Calvary's cross. It's by the will of God. It's by the will of God that
Christ was raised from the dead for our justification. And that
He now sits in the right hand of the Father as our mediator. And it is by the will of God
that we are called by the Holy Spirit through the preaching
of the Gospel. It's by the will of God. And it's by the will of God that
we are granted faith to believe that we are regenerated and granted
faith and repentance to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ is by
the will of God. And beloved. It's by the will
of God that one day we shall be in heaven. We shall be in It is by the will
of God that one day we shall be in heaven beholding the face
of our King, our Redeemer, and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's all by God's will. It just makes us want to fall
down. What a Savior. What a Redeemer. Praise be to
our sovereign, unchanging God. in and through the Lord Jesus
Christ for His mercy on poor, undeserving sinners like you
and I. May God be pleased to grant faith
to those who hear this message who do not know Him. And may
this message be to the glory and honor and praise of our great
God. Heavenly Father, we thank Thee
for this time that we've had together. Oh, Father, Your will
is supreme. the one true free will. Lord,
we just bow to Thee in awe that it was according to Thy Father's
will that Thou, the second person of the Trinity, the Word of God,
became flesh by God's will, by Your will, to come and purchase
us by the shedding of Thy own precious blood. And we know,
Lord, that one day we'll breathe our last breath here. We who
believe. And it'll be by your will that
we're going to be in your presence. And by what you've done for us. Shedding your precious blood
for us on Calvary's cross. Dying in the place of chosen
sinners. All by the will of God. May this
bring us great joy this week as we journey through this world.
May we draw great comfort from the fact that all things happen
according to Thy will. We praise Thee and we thank You
in Jesus' name. Amen.