Let us turn again to God's word
and I direct you this morning to words that we find at the
end of the first chapter in Paul's epistle to the Philippians. Philippians
chapter 1 and reading at verse 28 Philippians chapter 1 verse 28
and in nothing terrified by your adversaries which is to them
an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation and that
of God. For unto you it is given in the
behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer
for his sake, having the same conflict which he saw in me,
and now here to be in me. Observe the opening word here
in verse 28, the conjunction, and clearly it indicates that
there is some connection with what has been said previously
in verse 27. Only let your conversation be
as it becometh the gospel of Christ, that whether I come and
see you or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs. that is
then cast in one spirit with one mind striving together for
the faith of the gospel and in nothing terrified by your adversaries. He speaks then of their conversation, the words really has to do with
their conduct, their citizenship, it's the same word that we find
later In chapter 3 at verse 20, our conversation is in heaven,
he says, our citizenship is in heaven, from whence also we look
for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. It's the same word then
that we have here at verse 27 there, conversation should be
as becomes the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ whether or
not Paul is there amongst them or absent from them. He wants
to hear of them and their affairs that he stand fast in one spirit
with one mind striding together for the faith of the gospel. That is stand fasting. Stand
fast he says in one spirit. He's speaking here of their stability
in the truth that has been preached, chosen, that message that Paul
had proclaimed during those events that we read of in Acts chapter
16. They're not to be moved then
from that truth. We read in Ephesians 4 of some
who might be moved by every wind of doctrine. Well this is not
to be true of those whose citizenship is such as becomes the gospel. There in Ephesians 4 he says
that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and
carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of
men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive but
speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things
which is the head, even Christ, not tossed to and fro, but stable,
settled, established in the truth of the gospel. And not only stability
in the truth, but also some understanding, some real appreciation of the
spirituality of that truth of the gospel. Stand fast, he says,
in one spirit. In one spirit, striving together
for the faith of the gospel. Adam Paul himself experienced
something of those who were motivated by a wrong spirit. As he said
previously here, knows of some, he calls them brethren in the
Lord, in verse 14, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold
to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even
of envy and strife, and some also of goodwill. The one preached
Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to
my bonds, the other of love. knowing that I am set for the
defense of the gospel, what then notwithstanding every word, whether
in pretense or in truth, Christ is proof, and I therein do rejoice
and will rejoice. Though he known in his own experience
in something of those who were motivated by a wrong spirit here,
he speaks of their striving for that faith, in a right spirit,
stand fast in one spirit, he says, with one mind, for that
blessed unity that comes by the Spirit of God, that necessity
that we're contending not only for the great doctrines of grace,
but we also know something of the grace of those doctrines,
motivating us in all that we do and all that we say. With one mind, then, he says,
striving together for the faith of the gospel. What is the mind that he is speaking
of here at the end of verse 27? Well, he can tell the Corinthians
we have the mind of Christ. The mind of Christ. And he speaks
of that, does he not, later in the second chapter he says, let
this mind be in you. which was also in Christ Jesus
and then he goes on there at verse 5 in chapter 2 and the
following verses to speak of that lowliness of mind which
was so evident in all that the Lord Jesus Christ did in the
execution of that work that the Father had committed to him in
the eternal covenant. It is that humility of mind then
that is so important. as they would be those who are
striving for the faith of the gospel, as he calls it. The faith
of the gospel. The reference here at the end
of verse 27, of course, the faith of the gospel, is not the grace
of faith. By grace are you saved through
faith. He tells the Ephesians, that not of yourselves, it is
the gift of God. There's that grace. of faith. But that's not what we're to
understand here at the end of verse 27. The faith of the gospel
is really that great body of truth that we believe in. Jude speaks of the need to contend
earnestly for the faith once delivered unto the saints. That
is the great body of truth that we have in the gospel that we
are to contend for, that we are to strive together for. And so
he goes on here in the words that we read as our text, And
in nothing terrified by your adversaries, which is to them
an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation and that
of God. For unto you it is given in the
behalf of Christ not only to believe on him but also to suffer
for his sake having the same conflict which he saw in me and
now here to be in me. Well this morning as we come
to this portion from verse 28 following I want to center your
attention on what he says particularly in verse 28 with regards to predestination
and double predestination is what we have. We read of salvation
and we also read here of perdition. Look at the words that we have
in the text then. He speaks of the adversaries
who set themselves against those who are seeking to conduct their
lives as becomes the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. In nothing
terrified, he says, by your adversaries which is to them an evident token
of perdition. The word perdition means loss,
destruction, perishing, an evident token of perdition to them, but
to you of salvation, and that of God. And this is part of that
faith of the gospel, part of that great body of doctrine that
we are to believe in and that we're to strive together for. And so it's a solemn subject
but I want with the Lord's help to say something with regards
to what is often referred to as double predestination. First of all, consider here the
purpose of God. The words at the end of verse
28, and that of God. And that of God. Those words
really govern all that is being said in our text. Verses 28,
29 and 30. All is of God. All comes from God. All is according
to the sovereign purpose of God. God is sovereign. And God is
sovereign with regards to sufferings. Look at what He says at verse
29. Unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ not only to
believe on Him, but also to suffer for his sake. It is given. It is the sovereign
disposal of God, that is the gift of faith. It is given unto
you to believe, but not only does God sovereignly bestow that
gift of saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but also there
comes with the gift of faith the trial of faith. not only
to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake. God is sovereign with regards
to those sufferings that come into the lives of his people.
When a man is tempted, James says, he is not to say that he
is tempted of God. God's cannot be tempted with
evil and God himself does not tempt any man. However, with
regards to the faith that God is pleased to bestow upon his
people, God does try that faith, he proves that faith. And Peter
also speaks of that trial of the faith does he not? In the
opening chapter of his first epistle wherein he greatly rejoices
he says Though now for a season, if need be, are in heaviness
through manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith,
being much more precious than the gold that perishes, though
it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour
and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. And he goes on
later in chapter 4 and verse 12 to say, Beloved, think it
not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as
though some strange thing happened unto you. It's not strange, it's
part of God's sovereign will for his people. And the believer
can rest in this, that it is all for his good. We know that
all things work together for good. To them that love God,
to them who are called according to His purpose. We recognise then that God is
Sovereign and He is Sovereign when He comes to that trial that
is the believer's experience. As he has that precious gift
of faith and God will prove the reality of it in his life. It's all of God and to you it
is given. in the behalf of Christ not only
to believe on him but also to suffer for his sake but then
also as God is sovereign with regards to the sufferings that
come to his people so God is sovereign of course with regards
to that salvation look at the words in the text verse 28 it's
to you of salvation and that of God or your salvation, it
is of God. Salvation is of the Lord. There is that great purpose that
we know as eternal election, that truth that He set before
us there in the opening chapter of Ephesians. According as He
has chosen us in Him, before the foundation of the world that
we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself according to the good pleasure of his will." Look at
the language that the Apostle uses, he speaks of God's good
pleasure, the good pleasure of his will, he speaks of predestination,
He speaks of God making choice before the world was created,
eternal election. Here is the sourcing of that
salvation that is of God. It's all in accordance with what
God himself has decreed and then also of course as God has ordained. salvation so he bestows the gift
of faith whereby that salvation is brought into the experience
of those whom God hath set his love upon. By grace are ye saved
through faith and not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. O unto you it is given in the
behalf of Christ to believe on him. And Paul, as he writes here
to the Philippians, is well assured of these things. He speaks of
his confidence back in verse 6. Confident, he says, of this,
that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until
the day of Jesus Christ. It will all be accomplished.
God is sovereign with regards to the salvation of his people. though it be that they must pass
the way of trial and of sufferings. But then, and this is what we
have to come to, God is also sovereign with regards to the
non-elect, with regards to the reprobate. Again, in the words
that we have here in the text, verse 28, He speaks of your adversaries. which is to them an evident token
of perdition, and that of God. Or not only the salvation of
the elect is of God, but the perdition of these who are adversaries
to the Gospel is also of God. Double predestination. In the words of that Great Puritan
document, the Westminster Confession of Faith, in the third chapter,
which deals with God's decree. By the decree of God for the
manifestation of His glory, some men and angels are predestinated
unto everlasting life, and others foreordained to everlasting death. Some predestinated to life, others
foreordained to death. That's double predestination. It's God's decree. And Calvin
refers to it as the dreadful decree. And yet we see it here
in the Scriptures quite clearly. Those who are lost are appointed
to that sad condition that they are found in. In 1 Peter 2 and verse 8 we read of the stone, the great
cornerstone that God has laid in Zion, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is spoken of here as that
stone, elect and precious, he that believeth on him shall not
be confounded but he goes on at verse 8 to say of Christ that
he is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense even to them
which stumble at the word being disobedient whereunto also they
were appointed solemn words they were appointed to that sad condition
again in Jude verse 4 We read of certain men cracked in unawares
who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly
men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying
the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Before of old these
ungodly men were ordained to this condemnation. We read there, of course, in
Romans chapter 9, the same truth. There are vessels of rock, says
Paul, who are fitted to destruction. As God has predestinated some
men to everlasting glory, so there are these others who are
foreordained to everlasting destruction. The elect have obtained it, he
says in chapter 11 of Romans, and the rest were blinded. In
the words of the text you see, in nothing terrified by your
adversaries, which to them is an evident token of perdition,
but to you of salvation, and that of God. Now, with regards to this doctrine
of reprobation, We have to recognize that there are in a sense these
two parts to it. There is what we might term passive
reprobation and there is active reprobation. With passive reprobation
God determined, God decreed that he would pass by some of the
human race. When he made choice of his people
there were others that he passed over. And then, when we come to the
other aspect, that active reprobation, we say that God appointed those
that he passed over to suffer for their sins. They are condemned
because of their sins. They are appointed to condemnation
because of their sins. The passive aspect is God simply
passing over them, as he makes choice of the others. But then
those that he has passed over he condemns and appoints to death
because of their sins. It is truly a most difficult
doctrine for us to really begin to comprehend or to understand. In some ways the statement that
was made by Archbishop Leighton, Robert Leighton, is very appropriate
for us to consider. Leighton says it were easier
to lead you into a deep than to bring you forth again. I would rather stand on the shore
and silently admire it. That's his comment with regards
to this doctrine. There is a drawing back from
these things in that sense. We don't glory in these things. There is a mystery here. When
Paul is dealing with the whole matter of the sovereignty of
God in the calling of the Gentiles and the rejection of the Jews
in those three chapters in Romans, we read Romans chapter 9, The
reasoning of the Apostle runs through of course into chapter
10 and chapter 11 as he deals with this whole matter of God's
sovereignty in the calling of Gentiles, a rejection of Israel. When we come to the end of that
section, the end of Romans chapter 11, what does Paul say? There
in the last verses of that 11th chapter, verse 33, all the depths
of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgments
and His ways past finding out. For who has known the mind of
the Lord, for who has been His counsellor, for who has first
given to Him and it shall be recompensed unto Him again for
of Him and through Him and to Him are all things to whom be
glory forever Amen. That's how Paul concludes that
section in which he is dealing in some detail with the whole
matter of this double predestination. We can only silently look and
admire the wonder of God and the ways of God. And he tells
us, does he not, there in that chapter that we read, have not
the potter power over the clay? of the same lump to make one
vessel unto honour and another to dishonour God is the great
potter and God is the one who therefore has the power, he has
power over all his creatures and we are to we are to wonder
at these things but we are to recognise these things though
to us they be strange doctrines, solemn truths that we are considering
that whereas God is pleased to make choice of some, it is inevitable
that there must be others that God has not chosen, that he has
passed over. And then condemn them because
of their sins. The purpose of God death. And
that of God we read here at the end of verse 28. Salvation is
of God the perdition of the ungodly is also of God. But then, turning in the second
place from God's purpose, to consider something of the evidence
as we have it, the evidence of double predestination. And in nothing terrified by your
adversaries, he says, which is to them an evident token of perdition. but to you of salvation and that
of God." Mark the words that we have here in the middle of
the text, to them an evident token of perdition. An evident token. The expression
means something that has been shown forth, something that has
been pointed out. Here is the demonstration of
it. Now we know that God's decree is secret. The secret things belong to God.
There are certain things that we cannot pry into. We have to
bow before the absolute sovereignty of God with regards to his eternal
purpose. And we are reminded of that,
are we not? In Deuteronomy 29 the end of
the end of the chapter verse 29 the secret things belong unto
the Lord our God but those things which are revealed belong unto
us and to our children forever that we may do all the words
of this law. There are things that God has
been pleased to reveal to us but there are things that are
yet secret to God And we cannot, of course, pry into the Lamb's
Book of Life. We know that there are those
names that were written in that book from the foundation of the
world. But, the Lord knoweth them that
are his, says Paul. We know not who the election
of grace are, because that is something that
is secret to God. He knows them that are His. And He watches over them even
from the very moment of their conception. He brings them into
this world. He watches over them throughout
their unregenerate lives. And in the appointed hour, of
course, He brings them to an experience of His grace. He works
salvation in their souls. They are preserved. in Christ
Jesus, says Jude, and caught and even preserved before ever
they are caught by grace. But the Lord knows them that
are His. There is that that is secret only to God. But then
God does in time, in the outworking of His purpose, reveal to us
His decree. And we see it, we see it here
of course with regards to these in the attitude that they manifest
towards God and manifest towards the people of God. He says, in
nothing terrified by your adversaries, there are those who are adversaries
to these Christian believers at Philippi, enemies to the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here they are, They are to conduct
themselves in a manner that is becoming to the gospel. They are to stand fast in one
spirit, with one mind. They are to be striving for the
faith of the gospel, the great verities of the gospel. They
are to contend for, and they are not to be terrified by these
who set themselves against these great doctrines. He says, which
is to them an evident token of perdition, how they are revealed,
you see, by their attitude to God and His Gospel, their attitude
to the people of God. We can know whether or not we are the Lords
by certain simple tests, can we not? We're exhorted, of course,
to give diligence to make our calling and our election sure. There are some who are troubled
and tormented. They say, well, am I of the election
of grace or am I one of those whom God in his mysterious sovereignty
has passed over and foreordained that they will be condemned forever
because of their sins? Which category do I belong to? And while we can examine ourselves,
we are to examine ourselves, we are to prove ourselves, we
are to know ourselves, that Jesus Christ is in us, except we be
reprobate, to use the language of Paul to the Corinthians. But
John tells us, does he not, of something of those marks of God's
grace in the souls of his people. When he writes in his first epistle, Several times he speaks of the
necessity of the love of the brethren. And he says here in
the third chapter, 1 John 3 verse 14, we know that we have passed
from death unto life because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother
abideth in death. We know. We know, he says, because
we love the Brethren. Again at the end of that same
chapter, verse 23, it says, This is his commandment that we should
believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another
as he gave us commandment. Here is the evidence then of
the grace of God, the salvation of God coming into the soul of
a sinner. He has a love for the Brethren
and he has faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are the children of God through
faith in Jesus Christ. Here is the evidence, you see,
where there is that simple trusting in Christ for all of one's salvation,
no dependence upon self or any works that one is able to perform,
but a simple looking to Christ and a resting in Him, in His
person and in His work, and that love towards those who are the
brethren, those who are of the same persuasion, those who are
also lovers of God and trusters in Christ is the evidence that
there is that mark of grace in the soul of this person. They
are not of those who have been passed over. They are those who
know something of the grace of God. they trust in Christ, they
love the brethren. But how searching are these words,
if nothing terrified by your adversaries, which is to them
an evident token of perdition, and that of God. These adversaries, these who
set themselves against the gospel, is there any hope that those
who have refused the gospel and rejected the gospel and opposed
the gospel is there any hope that such as have manifested
that sort of spirit could ever be of the election of Christ
well we know that there is hope for the greatest of sinners the
very man who is the human author of this epistle of course was
previously a great enemy of the faith. He was an aggressor, was
he not? To those who were the followers
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he even speaks of those days
in the third chapter. The third chapter is one of those
portions in Paul's epistles where we discover something of himself
and his experiences. These portions, we might say,
are the more experimental part of his epistle. He writes of
himself and his own experiences, and he does so, of course, because
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he must, thus speak,
because he's a patent to them which you thereafter believe.
We learn something of the pattern of God's why, God's dealings
with sinners in the experience of this man. Now what does he
say here in chapter 3? He's dealing of course with certain
legalists, he's dealing with those who are always contending
for circumcision, those who are saying that the gentile believers
must submit to circumcision, they must become circumcised
like the Jews in order to know salvation. And so he writes,
finally brethren rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things
to you, to me indeed is not grievous but for you it is safe. Beware
of dogs. He uses very strong language
when he speaks of these legalists. Beware of dogs, beware of evil
workers, beware of the concisionists. Concision is a reference to illegal
cuttings in the flesh that was forbidden under the Mosaic Law.
But you see, he's saying that what these who are contending
for circumcision for the Gentiles are really wanting is that it
is not right in God's sight, it's not circumcision, it's concision,
it's illegal cuttings. We are the circumcision. which
worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have
no confidence in the flesh. Oh, that's the true believer,
all his trust, all his hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ, it's
a spiritual trusting in Christ that is the mark of those who
are the true circumcision. And then he goes on to say, though
I might also have confidence in the flesh, if any other man
thinketh that he hath wear off him I trust in the flesh I more
circumcise the eighth day of the stock of Israel of the tribe
of Benjamin and Hebrew of the Hebrews as touching the Lord
a Pharisee concerning zeal persecuting the church he was a persecutor he was an
adversary to the gospel He set himself against the truth as
it is in the Lord Jesus Christ. And he burned with such zeal
that he would persecute those who were followers of Christ. He writes even more fully of
this, of course, when he addresses Timothy in the first epistle
there. 1 Timothy 1 In verse 13 he speaks of himself
who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious but
I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And
the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love
which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners of whom I am chief. for he was the chief of
sinners and yet this man who was such a persecutor of the
believers and sought only to injure them and to kill them
and the great blasphemer against the Lord Jesus Christ he obtained
mercy and so there is hope you see
there is hope even for those who are adversaries to Christ
to his gospel, to his people. Hope for these who are spoken of here, in nothing
terrified by your adversaries, all which is to them an evident
token of perdition. If they continue in this manner
of living, it is evident that they are indeed reprobates. They know not the Lord Jesus
Christ, they are rejecters of him. It is a solemn truth, is
it not, that the Gospel does divide between men. It was so during the ministry
of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have those references several
times, I think at least three times in John's Gospel, with
regards to the result of Christ's preaching that there was a division.
There was a division amongst the people because of him, it
says. Or there was a division because of these sayings, what
he said, the content of his ministry, divided between men. At the beginning, of course,
there in Luke chapter 2 we are told that he was set for the
fall and rising again of many in Israel. Set for the fall, but also the
rising again of many. In preaching there is that dividing. A man, in a sense, as he hears
the word of God, Dr. Rowan, the great Puritan, says
that man is on trial. He cannot be indifferent. The
Gospel will have an effect. It will either prove him to be
one who is to know the salvation of God or one who alas is lost
and lost forever. In the account of John Grace,
some of you may be familiar with it, may even have read the account
of John Grace, but he speaks of when he went to hear John
Vinyl in Brighton and he said, I sat before him like a criminal
for life or death. That's how he heard the word
of God when he was awakened in his own soul and there was a
conviction brought by the Spirit in his heart and he had a realization
of what he was, how he heard and he was waiting upon God for
the verdict as it were. He sat like a criminal for life
or for death. This is the Gospel. It is solemn
and yet it's played enough, is it not, in what the Apostle writes
concerning his own ministry at the end of the second chapter
there In his second letter to the Corinthians, verse 15, he
says, we are unto God a sweet saver of Christ in them that
are saved and in them that perish. To the one we are the saver of
death unto death and to the other the saver of life unto life.
And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not as many
which corrupt the word of God, but as of sincerity, but as of
God, in the sight of God, speak we in Christ." He's only seeking
to be a faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's not seeking
in any way to corrupt that message that he has to preach. He wants
to speak it plainly and sincerely to man, and he knows that to
some it will come as a sweet savour, even the savour of life,
but alas to others, To them that are perishing it will come as
the savour of death. Who is sufficient? Oh friends,
we have to look to God. Our sufficiency is of God, he
says. And so here in our text, we cannot
escape the truth of this double predestination. You're nothing,
terrified by your adversaries. which is to them an evident token
of perdition, but to you of salvation and that of God. And then with
regards to those who are saved, and he goes on to speak of that
faith and the trying of that faith, unto you it is given in
the behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to
suffer for his sake, having the same conflict which he saw in
me, I'm now here to be in my God willing we'll consider what
he says in those verses in the evening now. The Lord bless his
word to us. In conclusion we're going to
sing hymn number 75. Behold the potter and the clay. He forms his vessels as he pleases. Such is our God and such are
we, the subjects of his high decrees. Behold the potter and the clay,
he forms his vessels as he pleases. Such is our God, and such are
we, the subjects of His high decrees. Does not the world