This morning for our Bible study, let's turn in our Bible to Isaiah chapter 46. Isaiah chapter 46, and I'll begin reading with verse 9. I would encourage you to get your Bible and look at these verses carefully.

Isaiah 46, verse 9. Remember the former things of old, for I am God and there is none else. I am God, there is none like me. declaring the end from the beginning, from ancient times of things that are not yet done, saying my counsel shall stand. I will do all my pleasure, calling a ravenous bird from the east. The man would execute my counsel from a far country. Yea, I have spoken it. I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it. I will also do it.

Now here's the phrase or the thought I want to leave with you this morning. Our God, the God of Scripture, declares in these verses, in this chapter, there is none like me. And then He says that He has declared the end from the beginning. The end from the beginning. Almighty God has decreed, fixed, settled the end of all things from the beginning. God's foreknowledge of all things is always based upon His eternal, immutable decree. We read in Acts chapter 15, known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world. God is omniscient in all things. He knows everything. That's one of His many essential attributes.

We read in Psalm 139, O Lord, Thou hast searched me and known me. Thou knowest my down sittings and my uprisings. Thou understandest my thoughts afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. You see, He's omniscient. Again, David says in Psalm 139, For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind me before, and laid thy hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high, I cannot attain unto it. God is omniscient. He knows all things. He knows your heart, your thoughts afar off.

God's full ordination of all things is his deliberate act by which he accomplishes all his purpose, all his pleasure. We read in Romans 11, for of him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever and ever. Our Sovereign Lord has decreed the end of all things from the beginning. Now that's the God of the Scripture. Is that the God you worship? My friend, this is God as He's revealed in Scripture, Almighty, Eternal, and Sovereign, knowing all things, declaring all things from the beginning.

Now here are four things I want to mention this morning, four things that we know that God has declared from the beginning. We read in Romans chapter 10, verse 4, that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believe it. Christ Jesus, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the end of the law for righteousness. The end of the law. God had declared the end of the law from the beginning, and Christ Jesus is the end of the law.

We read in Galatians, he appeared once Or rather, in the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem them that were under the law. The Lord Jesus Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. Romans 10, 4. God has declared the end of that from the beginning, the end of the law.

Now listen to me carefully. If a justifying righteousness could be produced by us, by the sinner, why did the Lord Jesus Christ come into this world? The Apostle Paul, when he wrote to the Galatians, said this, I do not frustrate the grace of God. If righteousness comes by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. You see his argument there? If I can produce a justifying righteousness in myself, why did the Lord Jesus Christ come? But we know that he came to put an end, to honor the law, to fulfill the law. Our blessed Lord came to honor the very law we had broken. His perfect obedience established an everlasting righteousness for us.

That's exactly why the Lord said in Matthew 5, verse 17, think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I came not to destroy, but to fulfill. In Isaiah 42, we read the Lord is well pleased for his righteousness sake. He will magnify the law and make it honorable. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. He not only provides a justifying righteousness for us, but also freely imputes a justifying righteousness to us.

Listen to Paul. in Romans 4. Now to him that worketh is reward, not record of grace, but of death. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness, even as David also described the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputed righteousness without work. saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

Now mark it down. God has declared the end from the beginning. And the Lord Jesus Christ came to put an end, to satisfy the law, to establish a righteousness, to honor the law of God on behalf of God's people.

Now secondly, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared once in the end of the world to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. God is declaring the end from the beginning. He declared the end of the law. Secondly, he declared the end of our sin by the sacrifice of himself. We read this in Hebrews 9, for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world, but now, once in the end of the world, hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, Hebrews 9, 26.

Our sovereign Lord has declared the end of our sin by the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ from the beginning. Before Adam's sin, the Lord Jesus Christ stood as a lamb slain from the beginning. We read in Revelation the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Calvary is not an afterthought of the fall. Calvary was in the decree and ordination of God long before Adam ever sinned.

We read in 1 Peter 1 about the blood of Christ will redeem, not with corruptible things, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, who was verily foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you. You see, God declared the end of our sin by the sacrifice of Christ, the end of the sin of God's people, God's sheep, God's elect, and that from the beginning.

After Adam's sin, God again declared the end of our sin in the beginning. He gave that promise of the gospel Christ, the seed of woman would bruise, demolish Satan's head, sin's penalty and sin's power. He said in Genesis 3, 15, I put enmity between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head. Christ shall bruise Satan's head and thou shalt bruise his heel. I, Lord Jesus Christ, my friend, didn't fail to put away sin, and God had declared the end of our sin from the beginning. The very means and the very person who would execute all the counsel of God, he said, I've spoken it, I've purposed it, I'll bring it to pass, I will do it.

Now here's my third thought. Again, remember the text. Scripture says that there's none like God. He said, I'm God. There's none like me. Declaring the end from the beginning. Christ is the end of the law, Christ is the end of our sin. Thirdly, the Lord Jesus Christ is the end and fulfillment of all scripture, prophecies, and promises.

Our Lord told those two men on the road to Emmaus that day, remember? Old fools, slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken, ought not Christ to have suffered these things and entered into his glory? You remember? These are the words which I spake with you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning me. Then opened he their understanding that they might understand the scripture. And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures a thing concerning himself.

All that was spoken, now listen carefully, I want you to hear this. All that was spoken and written by the Old Testament prophets concerning salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ, God had decreed from the beginning. We read in Acts chapter 10, to him give all the prophets witness. All the prophets tell us that the Lord Jesus Christ is a fulfillment and he did come. He would come and he did come. to honor God and to put away our sin and to establish righteousness. And God had decreed from the beginning that the Lord Jesus Christ would fulfill all prophecies and all promises in the gospel of God's grace.

Our blessed Lord died for our sins according to the scriptures. according as God had decreed from the beginning. We read this in 1 Corinthians 15. Paul said, I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. God declared the end from the beginning, and this is written in the scriptures, that he was buried, that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.

The Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man, the God-man mediator, one God and one mediator between God and men, that's the man Christ Jesus, the God-man. He came in the fullness of time and executed all the purpose and counsel of God. We read in Isaiah 44, he is my shepherd and he shall perform all my pleasure. God has declared the end of all things from the beginning. The end of the law, the end of our sin, and the fulfillment of all scripture by the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

Now here's my last thought this morning. God in Christ has declared the end salvation, the end of our salvation from the beginning. Now listen to this scripture in 2 Thessalonians 2. Paul, when he wrote to these believers, said, we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit, that's the new birth, that's regeneration, that's Holy Spirit conviction, through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth, whereunto he called you, by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What I'm saying is this, God had declared the end of the salvation of God's people, to make a people just like the Lord Jesus Christ, and God has declared salvation for His elect from and before the foundation of the world. The end or goal of our salvation is to be just like the Lord Jesus Christ, is it not? Paul, or rather John when he wrote to wrote his epistle, 1 John 3, he said, Beloved, now are we sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he said this, who shall change our vile body, that it might be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

This is what predestination is all about. Predestination, God has declared from the beginning to have a glorified people just like the Lord Jesus Christ. God in the beginning determined to have a people in the very image and likeness of Christ himself. Predestination is written four times in scripture, and every time it's written, it's saying that God has preordained or determined to have a people just like his son. When did that happen? He's declared the end from the beginning.

Now let me close by reading this scripture in Romans 8, 28. Romans 8, 28 through 30. And we read, 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. declared the end from the beginning. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called, and whom he called, them he also justified, and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Now did you notice that all those words are past tense for whom he did predestinate them? He called, he justified those he justified, he glorified. You see my friend, salvation. From God's decree, he has declared the end from the beginning, from ancient times of things that are not yet done, saying my counsel shall stand and I'll do all my pleasure. This is the God of scripture that we worship and preach and love. He said there is none like me. I've spoken it, I've purposed it, I'll bring it to pass. I'll do it.

Is that the God you worship today? I hope that it is because that's the God that is revealed in Holy Scripture.