for your goodness and mercy and
grace towards us. We lift up all these prayer requests
to thee and we pray that your sovereign will would be done
and you would do as you see fit and that you would comfort your
saints and give them grace and strength to make it through each
situation that comes about. And we pray for the preaching
today too and the singing and all our worship, Lord, that it
would be pleasing to you and that you would receive all the
glory in all the honor, in all the praise, and we love you because
you first loved us. In Jesus' name, amen. Today we will be continuing our
study on the doctrines of grace. And it's been a marvelous time
going through the scriptures and looking at the various scriptures. Today we'll be looking at irresistible
grace, the eye and the tulip, irresistible grace. So this will
be the doctrines of grace part four. Last week we looked at limited
atonement. Last week we looked at limited atonement and how
that Christ died for his people. And he only died for his people.
He didn't die for the whole world like folks like to talk about.
He died for his people. And it was an effectual atonement.
He redeemed his people from their sins. The week before we looked
at unconditional election. That's actually one of my favorite
parts of the tulip. Unconditional election. That
God chose us based upon absolutely nothing in ourselves. Nothing. Nothing but the pure, free, and
sovereign grace of God in Christ. There's no conditions in us,
no reason that God chose us except was except that he loved us.
Remember, we saw that, except that he loved us from eternity.
He didn't look down through time, as some said, and would see who
would choose him, because Scripture declares that none of us would
choose him. Left to ourselves, none of us would choose him.
But oh, praise God, he had mercy on sinners, and he chose a people
in Christ. And we looked at the week before,
the first week, was total inability. The tulip, which is total depravity,
total inability. Man has no ability to come to
Christ on their own. Absolutely none. And we saw the
scriptures prove that to us. And that's the thing that I like
with our study that we're going through. Scripture is what we're
going to use. And only scripture, not our opinions.
I was talking to some guys this week, and I said to them, I said,
you know, I'm going to tell you what scripture says. I'm not
going to give you my opinion. Because what the Bible says is
what's most important. Not people's opinion. We're going to get into that
in the sermon. You talk to a hundred different people, they're going
to give you a hundred different opinions on who Christ is alone. So we're
not looking for that. We're looking to see what scripture
says. And Jonah 2.9 says this, salvation is of the Lord. It's
of the Lord. It's nowhere else. It's only
in Christ and him alone. And that means from beginning
and to the end. He is the author. Hebrews 12.2
says this. You want to turn there? Hebrews
12.2. He is the author and the finisher
of our faith. The author and the finisher. Scripture declares in Hebrews
12.2, looking unto Jesus. Unto Jesus. Looking unto Him. The author, which means He He
planned and purposed it. I used to know an author in Oregon,
and I talked to him one time, and I said, when you write a
book, he had written several books, and I said, when you write
a book, do you just sit down and start writing? He goes, no,
I plan it. I purpose what I want to do.
And I said, amen. That brought the scripture even
more alive that way. Looking on to Jesus, the author
and the finisher, which ties into Jonah 2.9. Salvation is
of the Lord. He is the author and finisher
of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured
the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right
hand of the throne of God. He is the author, and he is the
finisher of our faith. It's all Christ, or it's nothing,
or it's nothing. And the five points that we believe
as a church is total depravity, also known as total inability
or original sin. When Adam fell, we all fell in
him. We all fell in him. Unconditional
election, which means that God's election was based upon absolutely
nothing in us, nothing in us at all. Limited atonement, also
known as particular atonement. Christ died for his sheep. He
died for whom he said he died for. He said, I lay down my life
for the sheep. In Irresistible Grace, which
we'll look at today, and I like to call it Invincible Grace.
It's invincible. You can't stop it. You can't
resist it. It's invincible. It will set
out to accomplish what it sets out to accomplish. And then next
week we'll look at Perseverance of the Saints, which is a marvelous
doctrine to God's people because those he saves, he keeps. It's
not based upon us. It's based upon him and what
he's done for us. So today we'll look at the eye
of the tulip, irresistible grace. Here's a question for us to ponder
throughout this study today. When God calls a man to himself,
can that man resist the call? Something for us to ponder as
we go through this study. Now there's two callings, right?
Every time the gospel's proclaimed, there's two callings. There's
a general call. We can we say turn to Christ
and there's an effectual call. There's an effectual call. And this effectual call is irresistible. It's a call of God, the Holy
Spirit. God, the Holy Spirit calls his people to flee to Christ. He calls his elect. He calls
his elect into salvation. And they can't resist it. Can
anyone resist God? Do you see the fallacy when people
say that they can resist it? Can anyone resist God Almighty? Well, man, try, don't they? They
shake their fist, and Scripture says he just laughs. Turn with, if you would, to Ephesians
chapter 2. The gospel message goes out to
all, right? The gospel message goes out to
all. Here's a question then. Are all saved? Nope. Nope. Do all hear the gospel
and flee to Christ? Nope. Nope. But the elect of God do. They hear a call that's irresistible. Remember Lazarus? Do you think Lazarus could resist
Christ and not come out of the grave? That's a picture of us,
dead in trespasses and sins. And when God calls us, he calls
us by name, beloved. And we cannot resist him. The unwilling are made willing.
The unwilling are made willing. Ephesians 2, verses 8 and 9.
We're familiar with these verses. But this call by the Holy Spirit
of God cannot be resisted. The Holy Spirit of God regenerates
his elect. And by faith and repentance,
they flee to Christ. For by grace are you saved through
faith. We're given faith to believe.
That's a gift. And that not of yourselves, it
is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Turn
with me, if you would, to Acts chapter 11. We are granted repentance. So we're given faith, and we're
granted repentance. Both of these are a gift of God.
It's not something we can muster up ourselves. And when God calls
a sinner, he grants him faith, and he grants him repentance.
And they're gifts. They're gifts. Acts 11, verse
17, for as much then as God gave them the like gifts as he did
unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, what was I? That I could withstand God? When they heard these things,
they held their peace and glorified God, saying, then hath God also
to the Gentiles. Look at this. Granted. God gives
repentance. We saw he gives faith. He gives
repentance, too. Granted repentance unto life.
As I said, the unwilling willingly flee to Christ when they're made
willing. They run. They run. We're not robots. Somebody accused me this week
of us being robots. I said, I ain't no robot. I just
was made willing. I wasn't willing before. I remember
how I was. I wasn't willing at all. But
God made me willing. And I fled. I ran to Christ. Oh, Psalm 110.3, we're familiar
with this. What a beautiful verse. I remember reading Robert Murray
McShane on this, and he was the one that first brought this out.
Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. We're made
willing in the day of God's power. He will save his people. You
can't resist it. In the beauties of holiness from
the womb of the morning, thou hast the dew of thy youth. So God's people willingly and
freely flee to Christ because we've been made willing. You
can't resist it. Again, I ask, can anyone resist
God Almighty? Does not scripture say he does
whatever he pleases in the armies of heaven? And in the earth? And none can stay his hand? And
man has the audacity to say that they can resist him? What? Be
thankful he's had mercy on us. Be thankful he's had mercy upon
us. That he didn't leave us where
we were. And that he made us willin'. He made us willin'. Some more questions we could
ask in light of folks saying that we can resist the will of
God. So whose will is going to prevail here in this world? Is
the devil's will going to prevail? Well, you talk to some people,
they give more power to Satan than they do to God. He's just
on a leash, beloved. God's all powerful. Satan does
his bidding. Well, if he's in charge, though,
then man would remain in bondage, right? If Satan was in charge,
man would remain in bondage. But we're free, beloved. We're
set free in Christ, because God's in charge. Is man's will going
to prevail? Well, from what we looked at
earlier in our study, if man's will prevailed, then no one's
saved. Because no one comes to God.
No one seeks God on their own. So if man's will prevails, then
there's no salvation, so there's no hope in either. Is God's will
going to prevail? Absolutely. Turn, if you would,
to Romans chapter 9. Absolutely. Yes. God's will will always prevail. Always. Always. And we're talking,
again, we're talking about the sovereign God of the universe.
When I talk to some folks, you wonder, oh, you know they don't
know the God of the Bible, because the God of the Bible is all powerful.
And I don't say that in a boasting fact that I know that. He's just
revealed that to me. I have nothing to boast in. I
was caught up in all that. And praise God, he had mercy. Oh, look at Romans 9, 15 and
16 in light of what we're looking at. Is God's will going to prevail?
Absolutely. For He said to Moses, I will
have mercy on whom I have mercy. There it is. God will have mercy on whomever
He pleases. Look, it continues, and I'll
have compassion on whom I'll have compassion. For those of
us who believe, aren't you thankful God had compassion on you and
mercy on you? Like I said again, didn't leave
us where we were. Oh, what a wonderful God. So
then it is not of him that willeth, there goes free will. Nor of
him that runneth, there goes works. God. But of God that showeth. Mercy, mercy. If you're saved, it's because
of the mercy of God in Christ, plus absolutely nothing else. This is why we say, praise his
mighty name. This is why we give him all the
glory, all the honor. And that text in Romans 9, it
destroys the belief that you can come to God on your own will
or works. Not of him that willeth. I say, there it goes right there.
Not a hymn that runneth, there's works. Oh, it's God's having
mercy on his people. And look at what it says, I will
have mercy. Does that mean that God, that man can resist, you
know, if God chose him, that man can say, well, you know what,
no, I don't really want to come to you. Absolutely not. Thy people shall be made willing.
And God's people flee to Christ. We flee to him. So can any resist
God? Well, the Holy Spirit is God,
right? Just as much as the Father and the Son. So folks that say
they can resist God, the Holy Spirit, are saying they can resist
God. Well, God's will will be done. Philippians, if you turn
there, chapter two. Philippians chapter two. See,
God, he draws us to Christ, right? He draws us to Christ. He grants
us faith and repentance. Look at Philippians 2, verses
12 and 13. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye
have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much
more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling. Look at this little verse in 13. For it is God which
worketh in you. The Holy Spirit, you're born
again in the Spirit of God. God the Holy Spirit. It's God
which worketh in you, both the will and the do of His good pleasure.
If you're saved, it's His good pleasure that you're saved. Isn't that amazing? The God of
the universe, it's His good pleasure to save worms like us. It's amazing. No man could ever think this
up. It's amazing. God worketh in
you to do his will and his good pleasure. Marvelous, what a statement. God must regenerate a sinner.
And if he regenerates that sinner, they're gonna come to Christ.
He ain't gonna resist. Not at all. And this is our hope. If you're a sinner, may God grant
you faith to believe. May he grant you faith to believe.
May he turn you to Christ. Oh, turn, if you would, to John
chapter 6. Oh, that God would make you willing.
And if he makes you willing, we're going to flee to Christ. So we know faith is a gift from
the scriptures that we looked at earlier. And look at John
chapter 6, starting in verse 28. Then said they unto him, what
shall we do that we might work the works of God? What might
we do? Well, it's not what you do. It's what God does. It's what
God does. They're asking the question that
natural man would ask, right? Jesus answered and said unto
them, this is the work of God. You see, it's not our work. It's
not our work. It's the work of God. This is
the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. Do you believe on Christ? It's
the work of God in you. It's the Holy Spirit regenerating
you, and you fled to Christ. This is the work of God, that
ye believe on him whom he hath sent. They said therefore unto
him, what sign showest thou then, that we may see and believe thee?
What doest thou work? He continues, Our fathers did
eat manna in the desert, as it is written, he gave them bread
from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from
heaven, but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
That's Christ. For the bread of God is he which
cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto the world. Then said
they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am
the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and
he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you that ye also
have seen me and believed not. All that the Father giveth me
may come to me. No, it doesn't say that, does
it? May resist me? Doesn't say that. No. All that the Father gave me,
those little hinge words, again, we've been talking about that,
man. These little hinge words, shall. Shall. Shall come to me, and him that
cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. If you come to Christ,
he will never cast you aside. Never. Never. For I come down from heaven
not to do mine own will. Brother John and I talked about
this last week. A couple weeks ago. He didn't come to do his
own will But the will of him that sent me he came to do the
father's will to redeem his people from their sins beloved and he
accomplished it And this is the father's will
people always wonder what God's will us This is the father's
will which has sent me That of all which he hath given me I
should lose nothing Not one sheep will be lost but should raise
it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that
sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son and believeth on
him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the
last day." Oh, what an act of love that Christ, who is God, saves
those who shake their very fists. He saves rebels like us who shake
our fists by nature at him. What undeserved love. What matchless
grace. It's depthless. You can't plumb
it. Ah, we find it all in Christ
Jesus our Lord, don't we? That's where it all is. In Him. Turn, if you would, to John chapter
1. Someone the other day took me to a passage the other day
to try to prove free will. but the very passions they took
me to destroyed free will. Oh, John chapter one. Look at this, verse 11 and 13. He came unto his own, and his
own received him not. Now, several commentators, they
say that he came unto Israel. I was listening to old Martin
Lloyd-Jones this week, an old preacher, John Claude, used to
sit under him. And I listened to a sermon by him this week,
and he said, not only is that Israel, but that's even God's
elect. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
And it was an interesting fact. I
thought, boy, that's interesting. I'd never heard of that perspective.
But I thought, but look at, as this verse continues here. And
this was a passage that the guy took me to to try to prove free
will. But as many as received him, And he said, see, there's
a decision. I said, yeah, but look what it
says. To them gave he power. They wouldn't receive him unless
God gave him the power to do it. And then 13 just totally
destroys free willism. Give you power to become the
sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were
born not of blood. So it's not your heritage. Just because your parents are
saved doesn't mean you'll be saved. Nor the will of the flesh. nor the will of man, can it be
any more plain, right? But of God. God has mercy on
his people in Christ. He has mercy on his people. So
the very verse that folks like to trumpet, free will, destroys
free will. If you come to Christ, you're
made willing. And it's an irresistible call because you're born again. The old question comes back again.
What comes first, faith or regeneration? Regeneration. You wouldn't have
faith unless you regenerated. You're born again. And then you
flee to Christ. Those who believe on his name
are given the power to believe. Born again, the dead are made,
the dead spiritually are made alive. Born again by the Holy
Spirit of God. And as I said, made willing.
And verse 13 in John 1 reinforces that, doesn't it? It reinforces
that. Which were born not of blood,
nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God.
You must be born again. And that calls an irresistible
call. Not by our works, not by our
wills. See, man wants to have a part
in their salvation. They want to say they either
accepted Christ or rejected Christ. They brag about their so-called
free will. Think of this. Before you were
saved, was it hard to resist sin? Absolutely, right? We didn't even think of it. We
drank sin like iniquity, like water. Then the Lord saves you. All
of a sudden, you don't want to do the things you used to do,
because your nature's new. Because your nature's new. We
had a dead nature before, and our wills was bound to that nature.
Now we have a new nature. The Holy Spirit is working in
us. Pink says we now have free will
in the sense after we're saved. because then our wills are bound
by our nature. You're reading that book on Luther,
and he just hammers that, the fact that the will is bound when
we come into this world, bound. Oh, praise God, we're set free
in Christ. We're born again in the Holy
Spirit of God. And think of this, salvation
is either all of God, all of the Lord, or it's not. God would cease to be God if
his purpose to save his church through the atonement of his
Son was not fulfilled. God would cease to be God. God, the Holy Spirit, comes to
each of us elect, and he regenerates us. saves us. And then we come
with gladness to Christ, don't we? It's amazing. That's why we call
it amazing grace. It's amazing grace. It's truly
amazing. Turn with me, if you would, Isaiah
46. I'm not going to get through
all my notes today, so we're going to hit a few scriptures
here to see that God's will will be done. It cannot be thwarted. If it's
God's will to save you, you can't resist it. Isaiah 46, and then
put your finger in John chapter 6. Isaiah 46, verses 9, 10, and
11, God will do His will. Remember the former things of
old, for I am God, and there is none else. I am God, and there
is none like me. Declare in the end from the beginning
and from ancient times the things that are not yet done saying.
Now, hold on. Folks believe they can resist God's will, right? Well, they're added to Scripture.
They're making themselves an authority over the God's holy
word. That's a horrible place to be.
Because look what it says. It's saying, my counsel shall
stand and I will do all my pleasure. God is God, beloved. Calling
the ravenous bird from the east, the man that executed my counsel
from a far country. Yea, I have spoken it. I will
bring it to pass. Brother, you were given to Christ
before the foundation of the world, and he saved you. Isn't
that amazing? He has saved his people, and
they're calm. They're calm, and they cannot
resist it. They cannot resist that call.
This is why we, again, this week someone was talking to me about
evangelism, trying to tell me what we believed on evangelism
here without even asking me what we believed on evangelism here.
And I said, well, look at it this way. You ever go fishing? And they said, yeah. And I said,
you ever go to a stock pond? And they said, yeah. And I said,
well, I'm fishing in a stock pond. God's people will be saved. The gospel goes out, and God
saves whomever he will. It's all His work. It's all His
work. He can do whatever He pleases.
John 6, 44 and 45. We looked at this earlier too,
but look at another hinge word again. No man can come to Me
except the Father which has sent Me, draw him. And I will raise him up to the
last day, as it is written, in the prophets, and they shall
be all taught of God. They shall be. They shall be.
Again, there's another hinge word again. They shall be. It's
not a maybe. All taught of God. Every man,
therefore, that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh
unto me. It's irresistible. God Almighty has spoken it. And
it's truth. It's truth. Turn with me one
more chapter, Romans chapter 8. We're finished with this.
Like I said, I'm not going to get to all of it here, but we
can. And all this tulip that we're
looking at is all interconnected. It's all interconnected. You
take one away, and they all crumble. But they're all interconnected. Romans chapter 8, verses 28 to
31. And we're close with this. 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. For whom he did foreknow, and
that's not that he looked down through time and saw who would
choose him. He chose us unconditionally, remember? Unconditionally. For whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son. He might
be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called. In whom he called, then he also
justified. In whom he justified, then he
also glorified. Notice it's all past tense. Marvelous. What shall we then say to these
things if God before us? Who can be against us?