Well, it's a delight to be here
again. I was trying to think of the first time I preached
here. It was up in the trailer park a long time ago. We went to Rock Church, then
here. And the last time I came, I think
you'd just redone this and it's beautiful. It's a lovely auditorium,
isn't it? It's really nice. It's a blessing
to be here. See all of y'all. David told
me he met me in 1986. That's 33 years ago. That's hard
to believe. And I think I met you for a minute,
David. So we've been at it for a long
time. Looking at Nathan, he's getting
a little hoary hairs in his head. I think I played with him when
he was hardly a top, you know. Somebody get an Ole Miss outfit.
I feel for y'all. Turn back to 1 Peter chapter
2. I want to take one passage, one
verse here in my text tonight. Because it has an important word
in it. Verse 8 says that Christ Jesus
became a stone of stumbling. A stumbling stone and a rock
of a fence. even to them which stumble at the Word. And that's
those who are offended at Christ, or those who stumble at the Word,
because the Word is Christ. He said that He's the Word. The
Word was with God, the same as in the beginning with God. He's
the living Word of God. And it says, them which stumble
at the Word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were, that
last Word, appointed. That's what it says. Some people
might read that and say, well, I don't much like that, but that's
what it says. This word appointed. It's one of the words used in
Scripture to declare the doctrine of predestination. Predestinated
purpose of God and the salvation of sinners. Here the word means
to set or to place, referring to the fact that they're stumbling.
They're disobedient. or offense happened because of
Christ and it was not an accident for unto they were appointed
rather they were set and placed by God in this manner that when
they heard the gospel they would not obey they could not obey
they would not believe because they were appointed not to our
lord said it was in his wisdom in his wisdom in first corinthians
chapter one in his wisdom by his wisdom according to his wisdom
men in natural wisdom could never know him that was part of his
wisdom part of his purpose and plan for this universe Though
this may not set well with some, and I'm sure it doesn't, it is
nonetheless the Word of God declaring His sovereignty in all things.
And if you believe God is sovereign, if you believe God is God, He's
sovereign in all things, or He's not sovereign in anything. He's
the Sovereign Lord. The concept or principle stated
in Scripture of predestination is found throughout the Word
of God. Throughout the Word of God. Now it travels under several
names in scripture. You have the word predestination
or predestined. The word foreordained or foreknown
can also be interpreted predestinated. Determined or ordained, these
words are often used. In Acts 13.48 it says, As many
as believed, they believed because they were ordained of God. They were ordained to believe.
Those whom the Lord gave eternal life. Jude chapter four It says
that some were ordained to this condemnation. Same word is used,
and that word is prografo, which means they were written to this.
This was somewhere written in all eternity in God's book, that
this is how it was going to turn out. Now these all mean the same
thing. It means determined beforehand.
Now predestination is not hard to understand. Sometimes it's
hard to swallow, but it's not hard to understand. We all predestinated
a whole bunch of things before we got here tonight. While I
was looking at this message, I thought I just, I took a shower
and shaved and I thought, sat down, I said, I'm just gonna
figure out how much I'm gonna determine beforehand before I
get to this place behind this desk tonight. And it turned out
to be about 50 or 60 things that I determined beforehand had to
be done and I had to meet in order to get to this place tonight.
And it's the same with you. You didn't wake up this morning
and then suddenly appear here Something happened. You determined
beforehand some things to be done. Lorraine Bettner said we're
all practical predestinarians. We're all practical predestinarians. God always does as He pleases.
I know men say today, God wants this for you. God wants this
for you. If God wants something for you,
you have it. You've got it. You've always
been intended to get it because God has purposed it. What God
does, He does from his heart, what he pleases. Never does anything
else. In Isaiah 14, 24, the Lord says,
the Lord of hosts has sworn saying. This is his saying. not something
some theologian came up with. It's what the Lord Himself said,
He hath sworn, saying, Surely, surely, truly, as I have thought,
so shall it come to pass, and as I have purposed, so shall
it stand. That's how it's going to be. Just the thought of God,
whatever He thinks, or what He has thought, it's going to come
to pass. Why? Because He's God. He's God. This is predestination. In the
Word of God, it's declared that every aspect of the salvation
of God's elect, all sinners saved by grace. Every sinner saved
by grace is saved according to God's predestinated purpose from
Alpha to Omega. It's the predestinated work of
God. They've written the word that's used mostly in the New
Testament. In fact, it's only used six times, and every time
it's used exactly that same. The word is proorizo. I don't,
you know, they say, well, do you know Greek? Yeah, I know
a little Greek. His name is Sam Vlahos, and he owns a restaurant
in Winston-Salem. That's the only Greek I know. but I've got
a Strong's Concordance and this told me, and I looked it up,
and this is used six times in the New Testament only. And it's
translated, predestinated, ordained, or determined six times in the
New Testament. Only six. Now I've preached this
message before. I think I might have preached
it at the Rock Church years and years ago. Last time I preached
it at SCOIA was about eight years ago. I preached it because I
love the concept and the preset that God has set forth about
his predestination. I love that thought. I know some
people don't. A fellow told me one time, I
don't believe predestination. And I looked at my watch and
said, you said that right on time. Do that the next time somebody
says, I don't believe it. You say, yeah, you said that
right on time. Because that's exactly when they did it. Exactly. God is in charge of these things.
But this word is used six times. It's each time, each time that
it sets forth one of the facets of this perfect diamond of salvation. It's a perfect chain of evidence,
if you will, and a perfect chronology of salvation as it's used in
the Word of God. And I want us to look at these
six times tonight, and I'm not going to keep you long. I know
it's Friday, but I know you've been wore out. Some of you have driven
a long time. Some of you are tired. And some of you just want to
get some of those little weenies in the sauce back there under
that thing. It forms a chronological revelation of the salvation of
the sinner. This word in the New Testament starts and ends
salvation. This word, this one word, translated
predestination, ordained or determined, starts and ends salvation. That one word. So is it an important
word? I'd say so. I'd say so because
this book is about salvation. If a person hates predestination,
and many do, they hate salvation. They do. If a person despises
or discounts predestination, he discounts salvation. If he
does not believe predestination, he does not believe salvation.
Because predestination is the heart of God revealed in how
He saved wretched people like you and I. It's revealed that
way in Scripture. from inception in eternity to
culmination in eternity, it's all according to God's predestinated
purpose. This is what the Word of God
teaches. Redemption, salvation, and all its attendant gifts and
graces are according to God's predestination. Now, have I said
that word enough? No, I'm going to say it some
more. I'm going to say it some more. The first time that word,
that particular word, that is translated, predestination, ordained,
or determined. The first time it's used is Acts
chapter four. Acts chapter four. Peter and John have been let
out of prison. And these words that I'm going to read to you
are actually the words of the church in unity. They come back, Peter
and John comes back, and this is what the church says. This
is, this is the, and man, the church really. Have you ever
seen that many people together say one thing? This is something.
this is what it says in Acts chapter 4 verse 28 we have these
words it says well let's look at verse uh... twenty uh... twenty
six the kings of earth stood together and rulers were gathered
together against the Lord and against his Christ according
from Psalm 2 Psalm 2 and of a truth against thy holy child Jesus
whom thou hast anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate that's
the government of both Rome and Judaism with the Gentiles and
the people of Israel were gathered together or everybody was gathered
together. Why were they gathered? And that
word gathered is important. They were gathered together for
to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before
to be done. That's the first use of that
word in scripture. The first use of that particular
word, that particular group word. It doesn't mean written to. It
means determined beforehand. determined beforehand to do whatsoever. Now you think about this. You
think about Herod, the leader of the Jews, the king of the
Jews. Pontius Pilate, the leader of Rome, was graded the great
Rome. All the Gentiles, who knew nothing of anything, and all
the Jews were gathered together against Jesus Christ. And they
were gathered. That means they didn't They were
gathered. Now they thought they were doing
exactly what they wanted to do, and they were. They were releasing
their venom and their hatred against the Lord Jesus Christ.
They wanted him dead. They wanted him out of their
lives. They wanted this man not to reign over them. They didn't
want anything to do with him. They wanted to kill him. Like
we say, he was a man of sorrows, a queen of grief. None should
desire him. No flesh would ever desire him.
And they wanted him dead. They wanted him gone. Because
God had had corralled them to this place. God had gathered
them together. God had motivated them. God had
manipulated them. God had employed their hatred
and their venom. God predestinated them to do
this. To hang our Lord on the cross. That's the first time that's
used. Isn't that interesting? This is how it began, my friend.
This is how it began. The second time the word is used
reveals the intent. What was to be the outcome? And if God intends to do something
or is intended to do something, that's what's going to get done.
If you really want to know, I know we can't know what God is doing.
We can see what He's done and that's what the preaching of
the gospel is. Telling folks what God has done for them. What
God has done for His people. But we can't really know what
God's doing. Now, how many people like to say they do? They see
old Joe back here holding his belly and bending over, and they
say, well, the Holy Spirit's holding him. They don't know that. I would have a toothache for
all they know. They don't know any of that. We can't know that. But
I can tell you, one way you can find out what God's doing in
the world, pick up the newspaper tomorrow morning and read it.
That's what He's doing in the world. You say, well, this world
is a mess. It's God's mess. And everything's on schedule.
Everything's exactly how it's supposed to be. I know we get
all vexed and tore up. And we got a little tore up and
vexed today at the house just talking about what's going on
in this nation. We want to choke some people.
I actually told Melinda that I've actually thought of ways
I could kill people. I'm not a murderer. Well, I am. In my flesh, I'm a murderer.
But I've actually thought. Maybe there's a way we could
get the CIA to give them all some kind of shot and have them
all die of a heart attack the same night. Wouldn't that be
a great thing? Things are just as they're supposed
to be. Who's on the throne? The guy that God put there. Who
was on the throne before? The guy that God put there. That's
just how it is. Just how it is. We get all vexed. But the Lord is in control of
this thing. What was the intent? He's going to come down here.
His son's going to be hanging on a cross. by men that he has
manipulated to hang him on a cross. By men he has moved and motivated
through their own hatred, using their hatred to fulfill his will. The wrath of man shall praise
him, the rest he will restrain. What's the intent of that? What's
the reason? Religion will give you a hundred
reasons that don't mean a thing. They'll say, well, he died to
express God's love to all men. That's a hallmark card. That
ain't true. That ain't true. He died as a martyr. No he didn't.
He came to this world for this cross. According to God's purpose
and God's plan. Why did he? What was the intent?
What's the outcome? Why did God do that to his son? Second time, Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8 and verse 29. for whom He did foreknow. He also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of His Son. That's why it happened. He was hung on that cross in
agonies and blood, crucified by men, punished by God, offering
up His death as the perfect sacrifice to satisfy God's law and justice.
Get all of that. Why? So you'd be conformed to
Christ's image. Predestinated. You gonna be like
Christ? Yes, you are. You'll be like
him because you see him as he is, but according to God, we
already are. We already are. That word image is an interesting
image. One time God said in the early
days of the human history, He said, let us make man in our
own image. Now whose image was that? He's
going to be conformed with the image of Christ. Who is Christ?
He's the image of the invisible God. This is our image. This
is the image that God has created us in and that's predestinated.
Are you going to be like Christ? You are like Christ or are you
going to be like Christ? Why? Because God said that's how it's
going to be. God has predestinated that to
take place. For whom He did foreknow, He
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Now I know people say, well I
want people to see Christ in me. You forget that. Jesus Christ
was perfect and righteous as he walked on this earth and never
sinned, never did an evil thing, never thought an evil thought.
Everything he did, he did for somebody else, a totally selfish
human being, the true human being. We're mutants. He was the true
human being. And God, by His grace, through
His mercy, through the shed blood and death of the Lord Jesus Christ,
has conformed us to Him. He's conformed us to Him. He's conformed us to what true
humanity is supposed to be. Isn't that something? He's conforming
us and He has conformed us. That's the second time that word
is used. So, first, it was predestinated for Christ to die. Why? It was predestinated that in
that death we were predestinated to be conformed to His image. To His image. The third time
the word is used reveals the manner and means by which this
predestinated death of Christ and the predestinated conforming
to His image or the image of the Son of God was accomplished.
How was it accomplished? We read in verse 29 or verse
30, for whom moreover whom he did predestinate. There's the
third time this one word is used. Then he also called. Called. Some say that means name, but
the word called is often used in reference to the preaching
of the gospel and bringing men to Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2,
13 and 14. You're familiar with those passages
of scripture. Brethren, we're bound to give
thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord,
because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through
thanksgiving to the Holy Spirit. and believe the truth whereunto
he's called you by our gospel to what? The obtaining of the
glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's predestinated. That's
predestinated. He didn't predestinate to be
conformed to the image. He predestinated those he predestinated to be
like Christ. Those who are the beneficiaries of the work of
Christ on Calvary Street. Those are predestinated and then
he calls by his gospel. That's how it works. It never
happens any other way. God don't light a bluebird on your shoulder
and tell you to come to Jesus. He don't do that. You're called
one way when me or this fella or this fella stands up and on
our hind legs and talks about things that's too wonderful for
us to even speak about and tell you what God has done for His
people. God through that somehow gives you life in Jesus Christ
and brings you to Him through that preached word. Gospel is
good news but it's news. It's a record of something. Something
has happened and we report that record to you by predestination. That record finds purchase in
your soul. and you come to the Lord Jesus
Christ, called. Not only that, another intent
of this predestinated purpose in conforming us to Christ is
He justifies us, whom He called, whom He also justified. Now you know what that means. I see sitting here the kings
and priests of Israel, the children of God. God looks at you and
He says, Bruce, There's no record of you having ever sinned. Think about that now. Just roll
that over in your old head. There is no record. And before
God, you've never sinned. You've never sinned. You say,
well, why do we confess our sins? That's for us. It's not for God.
Because it says there, if we confess our sins, he's what?
just because we confess? I don't make God just. Why is
He just? He's just because of the shed
blood of Jesus Christ, according to Romans chapter 3. He's just
and justified, they believe, because of the blood of Jesus
Christ, because He was made to be a propitiation for us. Justified. How? By predestination. Called
by predestination. Not only that, glorified. You
say, well, that's coming. It's here. It's here. You understand. Please
understand. That if you're a child of God,
He sees you in Jesus Christ. And as Christ is, so are you
in the world. According to Scripture. How did that happen? Justified.
Called. Glorified. By predestination. By predestination. The fourth
time this word is used reveals how and for whom this predestinated
death, for the predestinated to be conformed, whose manner
and means of confirmation to Christ is predestinated, are
made aware or informed of what God has wrought on their behalf.
Turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 2. This is the fourth time that
word is used. How are we made aware of it?
You see those first three things are eternal things. way outside our time. Christ
died in time, but he was the lamb slain from the foundation
of the world. We weren't there. I know they
sing that song, were you there when they crucified the Lord?
Well, you were spiritually, you were already in Christ according
to election and predestination, but we weren't there physically.
And when God ordained and predestinated that we'd be conformed to Christ,
we weren't there. And when God said He's going
to call us, predestinate us to be called and justified and glorified,
we didn't know anything about that. We were born in this world
having no idea of any of that going on. And had somebody God
sent not preach the gospel to, we'd never known about it. We
just went on in our ignorance. We didn't know anything about
that. Nothing whatsoever. Well, how is it? God also predestinated,
and you'd find out about it. I mean, he could have done it
in a way. I suppose, you know, we use the
word could have with God, but that's just a human way of saying
something goofy. God did what he did, predestinated
what he predestinated. Well, we didn't know about him,
but God will have you know about him. This thing, you're going to find
out who's elected when the dust clears. It ain't going to happen.
If you're one of the elected God, you're going to find out
about it in time. And you're going to tell people,
and it's going to make them mad. Our Lord said it in John 15,
didn't he? He said, you'll tell them. Because that's the only
way they know. If you never mention election, nobody would ever know
you were chosen. And the world would never hate
you. But the Lord says, you're going to tell them, and they're
going to hate you. I'm one of the elected God. Why
do you think you're special? You don't understand election.
You understood election, you know that I'm the worm of the
dust. I'm the maggot on the dung here. I can't do anything. I
am nothing. I have done nothing. I can't
do nothing that would ever draw me one inch closer to God. Nothing
whatsoever. That's why election must take
place. God must choose me because I would never choose Him. But
He wanted me to know about it. So Paul says this in 1 Corinthians
chapter 2 and verse 7, but we speak the wisdom of God. in a
mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained, there's that
word, which God ordained before the world for what? For our glory. He's going to have his people
know what he's done. That's why you have a pulpit,
you have a pulpit, and I have a pulpit. That's why we have
these things, because God would have his people know. You're
not going to heaven without knowing who saved you. God has ordained
by predestination. So when Drew stands up here and
preaches, or when Dave stands up here and preaches, they're
doing what God has predestinated. for them to do, to tell those
whom He has predestinated to be justified, called, and glorified,
and conformed with the image of Christ, those for whom Christ
died by predestination. That's what you do it every time.
And it's predestinated. Predestinated. That's the fourth
time this word is used. God ordained the gospel. for
the glory of his people. Now we speak in a mystery because
we don't know who they are. It's still a mystery to me. Most
of the Bible's a mystery to me. And when I preach it, I'm full
of wonder in preaching it. But Spurgeon, I think it was,
said that really where we worship God is where we're in complete
awe of what he said. Well, you can't. How in the world
can that be? That's where we worship him, truly worship him.
The fifth time this word is used, reveals that the predestinated
dead were the predestinated ones to be conformed, whose manner
of confirmation is predestinated, and for whom the gospel is ordained
to inform them of that. The fifth time the word predestinated
is used reveals that God makes it personal. God makes it personal. Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians
chapter 1. verse four and five says this
according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world and we should be holy we're going to be holy yeah
he's chosen us to be holy and without blame before him in love
having predestinated us to what to the adoption of children by
Jesus Christ and to himself well he getting personal man all that
stuff he did back there we didn't know about And we heard the gospel,
we heard what he had done for us. We had no idea that he had
done it in order to make us his children. To bring us into this
glorious family of the redeemed. To be a family that spreads out
from all over. Y'all are my family. The folks
in Cherokee who believe the gospel. They're our family. They're your
family. Isn't it wonderful we can go to these places? I've
come to Drew and Melinda's house. I haven't seen them in a long
time. And they take me in and say, well, it's your house. Do what
you want. You know. The Lord has given us mothers
and fathers and houses and homes all over this world. We're family. Why? Predestinated. That's why. Predestinated to
the adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto Himself. he makes this very personal this
whole thing that he's done by making us his sons and daughters
he's our father our heavenly father and we don't have to worry
about going in and talking to him speaking to him and pouring
out our heart to him because our daddy will always take us
to our bosom when we cry Abba Father he'll always hear us and
he'll be mad at us, he's not mad at us what about when I foul
up, when? Forget it. You're a foul up.
That means everything you do is foul up. You come to your
daddy. He takes you in his arms. He
says, it's all right, son. It's all right, daughter. I'm satisfied with you and satisfied
for you. He ain't waiting to thump you
on the head. He waiting to wrap his arms around you. Why? Because it's predestinated. That's
what he said he's going to do. It's predestinated. The sixth
and last time this word is used in the New Testament reveals
that these for whom Christ was predestinated to die. These who
are predestinated to be conformed to the image of Christ. These
who are predestinated to be conformed are called justified
and glorified. These who are informed of that
wonderful thing by the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ which
was predestinated for them. These who are predestinated to
be in the family of God are by predestination given absolute
proof that they are indeed the children of God, Ephesians 1.11.
The sixth and last time this word is used. In whom we also
have obtained an inheritance being predestinated. Who gets an inheritance? Family. That's why we name people in
our wills, don't we? We don't say, being of sound
mind and body, I give this stuff away. Well, who gets it? You gotta be in the family to
be in the will. And that will and testament was ratified by
the blood of Jesus Christ according to Hebrews. We're in the will. We got an inheritance. Here's
the way, Paul said in Romans chapter eight, we are heirs of
God, God's heirs. Wow, he has everything. He owns
the cattle in a thousand hills, all the gold and silver in the
world, but He is. The earth is His, and the fullness thereof,
and all that dwell therein, they're His. This universe in its vast
expanse is His. All of it's His, and we're His
heirs. And joint heirs with His Son, Jesus Christ, to whom we've
been conformed. Joint heirs, what does that mean?
We, Jesus Christ, cannot have what he earned unless we have
it too. Join heirs with Jesus Christ.
All things are yours. All things are yours and you're
Christ's and Christ is God's. Why do you have an inheritance?
Because of predestination. That is a six-faceted diamond,
isn't it? That word is only used in reference to the salvation
that began with Jesus Christ and ends with Jesus Christ. That's
salvation that covers everything from the fact that you have been
bought by the blood of Christ, you have been predestinated to
be conformed to Christ, you have been predestinated and those
who have been predestinated have been called, justified and glorified
and then they have been informed by predestination. They have
been brought into the family by predestination and they have
an inheritance by predestination of Him who worketh all things
after the counsel of His own will. I love predestination. You can tell me about it all
day long and for the rest of my life because it is the doctrine
of salvation. Father bless us for understanding.
Pray in Christ's name. Amen.