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, the 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 of 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 debt. But to him that worketh not,
but believeth on him that justifies 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. 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. 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.