I have two texts of scriptures
if you want to read with me. Psalms 145 and Romans chapter
8. Psalms 145 and Romans chapter
8. Just want to read a few verses.
A wonderful chapter that Brother Doug read. This sort of goes
along with that. But I want to begin reading in
verse one, Psalms 145. I will praise thee, I will exalt
thee, my God, O King, and I will bless thy name forever and ever. Every day will I bless thee,
and I will praise thy name forever and ever. Great is the Lord,
greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable. One
generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare
thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious
honor of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall
speak of the might of thy terrible acts, thy awesome acts, and I
will declare thy greatness." I want to stop there, but I would
encourage you to finish that chapter sometime. Turn with me
over to the epistle of Paul to the book of Romans chapter eight. I want you to look in verse 28,
29 and 30. Romans chapter eight in verse
28. 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, 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. What shall we then say to these
things, if God be for us? who can be against us. I want
to teach just a little bit this morning, if you don't mind, take
a few minutes and look at the subject of predestination. And I want to entitle this a
simple look at predestination. I talk to people about this a
lot. I asked a young friend of mine, she went to a particular
church and I was showing her some of the things in the scriptures
concerning predestination and election. And she said, my preacher
doesn't preach that. And I said, would you please
ask him why not? Show him these scriptures and
ask him why not? And she did. And I saw her a
few days later and she said, my pastor told me it was too
controversial. That's a cop-out, isn't it? I've
noticed in some of the modern commentaries that when you come
up almost on any subject now concerning redemption, that's
a controversial subject. And they use that not to deal
with it at all. Some of you may have seen Joel
Osteen on Larry King Live a few years ago, when Larry King asked
him about the deity of Christ. Do you believe Christ is God?
Joel Osteen said, I don't get involved in those controversies. Mr. King said, don't you think
it's important to know whether Jesus Christ is God or not? Oh,
Larry, I just don't get involved in those controversies. And we're
going to look this morning just for a few minutes at predestination.
And I bet when we're finished, I can ask anybody that's here
and you'll say, no, that's not a controversy. There's no controversy
about that. It's no controversy in the church
this morning concerning what God has done in His purpose.
We're in total agreement, aren't we, about that? So I want us
to look at that this morning in these few verses here, but
I want to begin by giving you four or five things why God does
what He does. There's different motives in
God for doing what He does. And the first one is this, He
does what He does because He's pleased. to do it. He desires
to do it. Whatsoever his soul desires that
he doeth, Job said. They asked David one day, and
I imagine David must've been in trouble. He must've been tried. And they came to him and they
said, David, where's your God now? And David said, where he
always was. Our God is in the heavens and
He has done whatsoever He hath pleased. We're talking about
creation. Doug, I think everything you
read this morning was wonderful about everything praising Him.
Why did God create what He created? He was pleased to do it. For
thy glory and for thy pleasure, they are and were created. And
you read some of the commentaries and dear brother Gil, I love
him to death, but sometimes he spiritualizes everything to death. But when we read Psalms 147,
the beast prays him. The lions praise Him. The young
and old praise Him. Everything and everybody praises
Him for this reason. He's their creator and He created
them. And why did He do it? He was
pleased to do it. I was preaching to a bunch of
fishermen one time. They loved to fish. And I said,
listen, God has fish in streams that you guys will never see.
You'll never get your hook into it. He never put those fish there
for you. He put them there for Himself
in His own glory because He was pleased to do it. There's things
in God's creation that He'll never show to any man. He did
not create it for us to see and us to even praise Him by. He
did it because He was pleased to do it. Probably most of the
things God does, He doesn't do it for us to see and give Him
glory for. He just does it because He's pleased to do it. Secondly, He does many things
to get Himself a great name, does He not? Just to get Himself
a great name. In your heart and in my heart,
He does that. He says here in the text that
I read you in Psalm 145, One generation shall praise Him to
another. A dad Sees the glory of God. Sees the glory of God in creation
and in providence and in salvation. And it fills his heart. And what
does he do? He tells it to his children.
And his children tell it to their children. And one generation
shall praise you to another. And God gets Himself a great
name because of that. I love how the Lord Jesus began
His prayer in John 17 when He said, when He lifted up His eyes
to heaven and He said, Father, I've glorified Your name. Now
glorify Me. Isn't that what salvation is
about? Isn't that what everything's about? The glory of God in Jesus
Christ? That everything should praise
Him? He's got Himself a great name
in some of your hearts, hasn't He? You live to His praise. God does this in creation, He
does it in providence, and especially in salvation. How often do we
read, to the praise of the glory of His grace. He gets Himself
a great name. God does things that men might
stand in awe of Him, that men may fear Him. Everything He reveals
to us that He's done, it brings this reverence. It brings this
awe about it. He instills that in our hearts.
I know that whatsoever things God doeth, it shall be forever. No man can put anything to it
or take anything away from it. And why does God do that? that
men should fear before him. Stand in awe of him. Be still and know that I am God. He told Job, where were you when
I laid the foundation of the earth? And I'm like you, David.
He just kept sinking lower and lower, didn't he? Oh, and his
heart kept looking up in awe. Where were you when I did this?
Where were you when I did that? Oh, the wisdom and understanding
and knowledge of God. It passes our knowledge, doesn't
it? There's no depths to it. And the more we see of Him, the
more we stand in awe of the eternal God. That's the missing note
in our generation. Do you know it? That's the missing
note in our generation. Fourthly, God does it to do humanity
good. God is good. And what God does,
He does it for the good of humanity. When He's speaking of temporal
things, He does humanity good. Even rebels, He does them good. Paul said, He left not Himself
without witness, in that He did good. He gave rebels fruitful
seasons, filled their hearts with gladness, gave them jobs,
gave them children, gave them good health. Why does he do that? Because he's good. He causes
his son to rise upon the evil, upon the just and upon the unjust,
sends rain upon the good and upon the bad. Why does God do
that? Because he's good. He does humanity
good, doesn't he? There's not a man this side of
hell that can blame God for anything. I don't care how rough his life
is, how much sickness he's had to endure, all the trials. There's
not anybody this side of hell that should not lift up their
voice and say, you've been good to me. You've been good to me. And there's a host of humanity.
The Bible says it's a number that no man can number. that
God has not only did temporal good, but He's done them spiritually
good. He's done them eternally good.
And not only has He did it, but He's purposed to do it before
time, before they ever had a being, even before the world was, God
has purposed to do a great host of Adam's race good. And that
brings me to my subject this morning. Predestination. Webster gives, I think, a good
definition for predestination. He said, in general, here's what
it means. To appoint all things beforehand. To predetermine something. God has predestinated or predetermined
all things before the foundation of the world that should come
to pass in time. I can't understand that, and
you can't either, but I believe it. If he hasn't, then who has? If he hasn't, then why are these
things happening? And Webster went on to give another definition
of this as it pertains to people. Webster says, predestination
as it pertains to salvation is this, that God has determined
or predestinated from eternity the salvation of certain individuals
out of Adam's race. That's what predestination is
about. God has determined before time
to save a great host of people out of Adam's race. That's what
we have here. Those he foreknew, he predestinated. Those he predestinated, he called
them. He called, he glorified. That's
the setting aside of a great host and predestinating them
to salvation in Christ and to heaven at last through Christ.
That's what predestination is. First thing I want to look at
here in our text in verse 29, predestination is of individuals. This is so important. God never
predestinated groups. It's not about God predestinating
groups. It's not about God predestinating
a certain race of people. It's about individuals. Notice
how He said this in verse 29, He did foreknow. He also did
predestinate. Moreover, whom He predestinated,
them He also called. And whom He called, them also
He justified. And whom? They're people. They're
individual people that God has predestinated to eternal salvation
in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's very important, is it
not? look at the basis of the grounds
upon which He predestinated them or because He predestinated them.
Those whom He foreknew, He did predestinate. Those whom He did
foreknow. You find this word four times
in the New Testament. And some people will say that
God looked down through time and He saw what certain people
would do. And so he backed up and he said,
I'm gonna predestinate that person because I foresee that they will
repent and believe me. But that's not what this word
says as we look at it in the New Testament. Here in our text,
it's not saying anything about what people will do. It's talking
about the person themselves, whom he did foreknow, not what. I'm sure he knew about them.
And here's what he said about them. All of them have gone astray.
They've all gone out of the way. There's none of them that doeth
good. No, not one. It's a good thing he didn't say,
I'm going to find out what they're going to do. But it's them. It's them. He foreknew them. In the 11th chapter of Romans,
he said this about this word. God hath not cast away his people
which he foreknew. It's a people, not the works.
And Peter said, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the
Father. And when Peter was preaching that great message in Acts 2,
he said, Jesus Christ was delivered by the determinant counsel and
foreknowledge of God. All four places is speaking of
the people, the persons that God foreknew. And this word foreknew,
you probably know already what it means. It means to have intimate
knowledge of. You can't, you and I can't foreknow
anybody, can we? We have to get acquainted with
it. You meet somebody and you hang out with them for a while
to decide if you like them or not. And what determines if you
like them or not is what you see in that person. If they're
good, if they're kind, if they've got a good attitude, you like
them. If they're mean and hateful, you don't like them. But this word foreknow, it means
to love beforehand. to know intimately beforehand. Adam knew Eve his wife, and she
conceived." Intimate knowledge. God had foreknowledge of you,
dear child of God, before you ever had a being. Before the
world was ever made, He knew you. Only God can do that. He knew you, and because He knew
you and loved you, He provided for you. What did He do? He predestinated
you. to be conformed to the image
of His Son. It's not complicated yet, is
it? And it's not controversial yet. And it's so simple. Secondly, we see in this text
what it teaches about predestination is this. God did it. God did it. This is something
that God has done. That's why I read Psalms 145.
It's His mighty acts. It's His wondrous works. The
more we learn of God in creation by viewing His creation, the
more we magnify Him, don't we? Because God did that. I was amazed
every time I come through the Smoky Mountain. I'm amazed at
that. I just look at that and see God's
glory in it and how He created. You go out on a clear night and
you'll see the innumerable number of stars that God has created. He did that Himself. And His
providence, working all things in this world after the counsel
of His own will. You know why that man's in the
White House today? God put him there. And God will
set him down and put somebody else there. God does this. He
works in his providence. But if you and I could see everything
about creation and say, oh, what wondrous works this is. If we
could see God working in providence, we say, oh, what mighty acts.
But none of that compares to what God has done in his eternal
purpose of predestination. That's where his glorious act
most of all is revealed. That's why we look at this scripture.
We don't shun this scripture. This is God working. This is
God doing something, securing the eternal salvation and happiness
of a great host of people. God did it. And boy, when he
says he did it, that ought to get our attention. The third thing we see about
God's predestination here is it's unchangeable. It's unchangeable. There's not one weak link in
these five links of grace. Not one weak link that's going
to break. None of them. Those whom He foreknew,
He glorified. He did it. There isn't one mansion that will be empty in glory.
There is not one seed in heaven that will go unoccupied when
this is all said and done. Every one that He foreknew will
be glorified. Every one of them, every one
of them. Somebody said, well, this can't be increased. No,
the number can't be increased, but thank God it won't be diminished.
Not by a single one. The meanest saint, the weakest
saint, has a place in heaven reserved for them, and it's reserved
there by God before they ever had a bed. I had the unfortunate
opportunity one time of having to retain an attorney. If you
ever have to retain an attorney, you know what I'm talking about.
And he said, Mr. Crabtree, we got some documents
we got to get rescinded. I said, what in the world does
that mean? Well, he says, that means we gotta make them like
they never existed. We gotta do something about this. We can't have this come into
court. We gotta rescind this. Well, you ain't gonna rescind
this. This is history. You may change a lot of facts
about history and make people believe it, but you cannot change
history. It's already happened. And God's
eternal purpose and predestination is already happened. It's history. Those he foreknew, he glorified. It's finished in the mind and
purpose of God. Now you get a hold of that, dear
child of God, and you can rest there. You get a hold of that,
and you see that your eternal happiness is fixed. You know
what that'll make you do? That'll make you do things you
never dreamed you would do. You'll face dangers you never
thought about facing. You'll go through this world
with all the change and decay, and you say, I'm serving one
who cannot change, and his purposes cannot change. He's purposed
it, and he will also do it. It's unchangeable. You know anything
else in this world that's unchangeable? Change and decay and all around
I see, and I see it in me. O thou who changeth not, abide
with me. And he'll never change. And you
can rest there in that. I don't know of another blessed
truth in the scriptures that will trump this truth for the
comfort and the assurance of God's children. Can you imagine how it'd make
you feel if you went to bed the night sick and you said it don't
matter? You went to bed the night and
the world was threatening you all around and you said it just
don't matter? Your family's tore all to pieces, your heart's broken,
but you say really it don't matter? Why don't it matter? Because
my eternal happiness is fixed by God who cannot change. What's the end of predestination? Well, He gives a couple of things
here. One is found in verse 29, that He predestinated us to be
conformed to the image of His Son. How could anybody find fault
with this blessed truth when they realized what the purpose
of God was and predestinated us? His purpose is to make people
just like His Son. Just like Him. Brother David,
I don't think you'll care for me telling people that you're
adopted. And didn't you tell me your adopted dad and mom were
short? Yeah, they were short. And David,
look at Brother David. That's the thing about adoption,
isn't it? We'll look at that in just a minute. Sometimes when
you're adopted, you just don't look like you fit into that family.
But when the Lord adopts you, He makes you into the image of
His Son. You begin to look just like God's
Son. You're in the very image of Him
who created you. Your attitude becomes more like
Christ. When you get into trouble, here's
the way you pray, Father, not my will, but Yours be done. and you take an old drunk or
a harlot and what happens to them? They become like the master.
They go about doing good and loving the Father and loving
the church and loving the Word just like their Lord. That's the purpose of God in
predestination. He's making you just like His
Son. And when it's all finished, heaven's going to have an innumerable
group of glorified saints and they're all going to look just
like their Savior. And they're going to act just
like their Savior. Then He mentions here about called. He predestinated them to be the
image of His Son. He predestinated to call them.
And then he predestinated them to be justified and to be glorified. You know, Paul doesn't stop here
and tell us how he calls us. He doesn't stop and tell us how
he justified us or how he's going to glorify us. You have to go
other places. That's not his purpose here.
His purpose here is to show us that God has did this and how
unchangeable it is so you and I can get a hold of it and live
in the assurance of it and praise God for it. I can't find fault with this,
can you? Is this controversial with you so far? It isn't, is
it? I may be weak in setting it forth.
And you say, Bruce, I've heard it set forth a lot better than
that. I know you have. But this is plain enough, isn't
it? And you know something? David made the statement that
I could tell him how to pronounce that word. I don't even know
my vowels. They quit teaching them when
I went to school. I couldn't have learned them anyway. I got
this disability. So many sounds, sounds of life
to me. When I see a word, I have to
memorize it. I can't break it down and spell
it. I just can't. You probably make fun of a lot
of things that I say. I told one man, I said, I got
a, I got a problem and I was born with it. It's a disability. And he said, what is it? And
I said, ignorance. It's incurable. But here's the thing. God raises
up some dumb hillbilly like myself. Dumb as a box of rocks, as Donnie
Bell says. And I come here, and I look at
this, and I'd say, you're what it's saying. I don't have to
go to the seminar. I don't have to get out, I've
never, I've not quoted one commentary this morning, except Webster,
given the definition of predestination. We've looked at just what the
Bible says about it. And you may be the commonest
person, as dumb as I am, but you can read what God has done
and understand it, can't you? And why then are these seminar
talks These people that know all about the languages, why
are they using the excuses? This is hard. This is controversial. Why can I do it? And they can't.
I don't think it's the problem. I think their problem is they
just don't believe. I think their problem is they care nothing
about the wondrous acts of the Lord. I think that's their problem. I had a pastor one time and he
said, that's just too deep for me. I said, no brother, that's
not your problem. You just don't believe God. This
is too simple. A simple look at predestination. God has did it. It pertains to
certain individuals. The end is fixed. They'll be
just like the Son of God when it's finished. And you can't
find any fault with that. It's simple. Look at the next place in Ephesians
chapter 1. Here's the second place that
we find this word used, just four places. We find two places
here in Ephesians 1. Look in verse 4 in Ephesians
chapter 1. Look in verse 3. Let's go back
to verse 3. Blessed be God and the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as He hath
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 Himself, according
to the good pleasure of His will, He has predestinated us unto
the adoption of children. Well, here's something else about
predestination. It's not only in the image of
Christ, it's not only to be called and justified and glorified,
but He tells us here that He's predestinated us unto the adoption
of children. The text that I just read to
you a minute ago said that he's predestinated us to be conformed
with the image of Christ, that he might be the firstborn among
many brethren, children, brethren. In another place, he said, I
will be a father to them and they shall be my sons and my
daughters, saith the Lord. Who is my mother? Who is my sister? Who's my brother? You who do
the will of God. What's predestination about,
brothers and sisters? God is begetting a family. See that here? He's predestinated
us to be His children. God is our Father. Jesus Christ
is our elder brother. And all of us are brothers and
sisters. God is begetting a family. God is a family man. You know
there was a family before there was a church? There was. We hear today that Satan hates
the family. He does. Look what he's doing
to the families today. What's this deal of homosexual
marriage about? What's that about? Let's just
be honest, what's this about? When you get down to the nitty
gritty, I know it's just uncontrolled lust, I know that. But what's
it really about? What's at the foundation to destroy
the family? Heard a man say, a woman say
the other day, a man can have a baby. See how dark the understanding
of this generation has become? What's all the shacking up about? What's all the babies born out
of wedlock about? What's all the divorces about?
It's an attempt to destroy the family. That's what it's about. The Lord is a family man, brothers
and sisters, and He's gonna have His family. He loves the family. And when we get to heaven, well,
right now, we don't wait till we get there. Paul talked about
the family in heaven and the family in the earth, and they're
one great family. And God has predestinated that
to be so. I remember when the Lord, you
may mention that Gadarene, that maniac that had and all the devils
within him. And the Lord saved that man.
And that man said, let me be with you. And the Lord said,
no, don't go with me. And you remember where he told
him to go? Go home. Go home. You've got a wife that
you've left. Go home and love her as I love
the church. You've got children that you
left. Go home and teach them and bring them up in the fear
and admonition of the Lord. Go home. And when the Lord calls
us, he sends us to our family, does he not? I got family that
don't know the Lord, and I talked to them for an hour or two, and
we've talked about everything we need to talk about, but get
around you, and I could just hang out with you all day, because
you're my family. You're my brothers and sisters
in Christ. God has predestinated us unto
the adoption of children. Nothing wrong with that, is there?
The devil hates you because the devil hates families. Here's what I wanted to get at
just a minute ago. I want to show you three things. I want
to show you the scripture about adoption, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children. Look in Galatians chapter four,
just back to your left, Galatians chapter four, and look in verse
four and verse five. There's something that takes
place in adoption and it has to be legal. You just don't go
out and get a baby. They'll arrest you for doing
that. That's kidnapping, isn't it? You have to go through the
courts. I know the lawyer's got it set
up that way and I know it has to be that way, but it has to
be legal. And God doesn't do anything that's
illegal. There's a procedure that you
have to go through before God adopts you. It has to go through
the court of heaven. And look what he said in Galatians
chapter four, and look in verse four. But when the fullness of
time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made
under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that
we might receive the adoption of sons. God cannot adopt us
as sons until he redeems us. Fear not, old Israel, I have
redeemed thee. And then what happens? I have
called thee by thy name, you're mine. We have to be redeemed. We have to be purchased by the
blood of Jesus Christ. Then God adopts us as sons. But there's something else, the
second thing about adoption. It's not only the legal aspect
of it, but it's the spiritual aspect of it. Look here in the
very next verse. And because you're sons adopted
sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his son and to your
hearts crying, father, father. It's not only that we're legally
adopted, we're legally adopted, We have the spirit of adoption. I was going to say a minute ago,
David, you look at David's adoptive parents, and his dad's short,
and his mom's short, and here's David big and tall. He doesn't
favor them at all. But when God adopts a child,
He gives them the nature of the child. He sends the Spirit of
His own Son into our hearts. And He's crying, Daddy, Daddy,
I love that, don't you? They say that's what the Hebrew
says and the Greek says, Papa, Papa. And as soon as the Lord
saves us, He sends the Spirit of Jesus Christ into his heart. And we have the nature of God,
the very nature of a child, the nature of God's child. How often
have you gone to prayer, and you didn't have any words to
say, but the first word out of your mouth was, Father, Father. The apostles heard Christ praying
one day, and they said, Lord, teach us to pray like that. And
He put a word in their hearts, and He said, when you go to prayer,
say this, Father, Father. Haven't you had as much comfort
out of that single word sometimes as all your prayer put together?
Father, my Father. Oh, brothers and sisters, if
you can get along by yourself, and that's in your heart, I tell
you, God has put it there. God has put that there. He is
your Father. He's your spiritual Father. And
you're His spiritual child. Another aspect of adoption, and
look quickly back over at Romans 8. You got your legal adoption.
You got your spiritual adoption. And you know something? What's
coming someday is a physical adoption. A physical adoption. Right now,
these old bodies are frail and they're wretched and they're
weak and crumbling. But you know something? Someday
God is going to make this body new. And you're going to look
just like the Son of God in your spirit, in your soul, and in
your body. And it's called adoption. Look
here in chapter 8. And look in verse 19, the earnest
expectation of the creature waits for the manifestation of the
sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not
willingly, but by reason of him who has subjected the same in
hope. Because the creature itself shall be delivered from the bondage
of corruption and to the glorious liberty of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together
to now. And not only they, but ourselves
also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves
grown within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, that is to
say the redemption of our bodies. You may be alive when the Lord
comes. If you are, He's going to change your body. You may
be dead and your body's decayed, but He's going to raise it by
His power. And He's going to change it into the likeness of
His glorious body. And you know how certain that
is? God has predetermined, predestinated that to take place. I have purposed
it, and I'll also do it. That's why Ed Parker can lay
down and die and say, ransom, ransom. Not only has my soul
been ransomed, but I'm waiting for this body to be ransomed.
We don't put much stock in that, do we? We think, well, we just
look at this wretched body and think it don't mean anything.
It means something to God. He made these bodies. He loves
these bodies. And He's going to glorify these
bodies. Jesus Christ died to redeem the entire man. And He's going to. And that's
what God has purposed. One other place, back in Ephesians
chapter 1, and look in verse 10. Here's the last place
in this mission. Just four places. Two places
in Romans 8 and two places here in Ephesians 1. And look in verse
10 of Ephesians chapter 1, that in the dispensation of the fullness
of time, God will gather together in one all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven and which are in earth, even in Him,
in whom also we have obtained non-inheritance, being predestinated
according to the purpose of Him who works all things after the
counsel of His own will. God has predestinated us to non-inheritance. He doesn't say what it is, does
he? But Peter does. Peter talks about an inheritance
that's incorruptible, that's undefiled, and it fades not away. And he says it's reserved for
you in heaven. Paul said you're predestinated
to it. Peter said it's reserved. Another
place Paul said there is laid up For me, a crown. You know what happens when you
lay something up. You're preserving it for somebody or something.
There is preserved or laid up for me a crown of righteousness. And not just for me, but all
that love is appearing. All that love the Lord. The hope
which is laid up for you in heaven. In other words, you've been predestinated
to that. And that cannot fail. That's
sure. Whatever God has thought to make
and whatever He will make in that new heaven and new earth,
it's yours. It's yours. He's predestinated you to that
end. And then here in the second part of verse 11, it's not only
associated with the inheritance, But it's according to the purpose
of Him who works all things after the counsel of His own will."
Everything that God is doing now or ever has done or ever
will done, it's because He's purposed to do it beforehand.
Nothing takes Him by surprise, does it? He's working everything. He's working it all after the
counsel of His own will. You and I look at certain things
that happen and we call them accidents. Well, what a chance
that was. Depended upon second causes. But the real and final analysis,
everything that happens, happens because God has predestinated
it to happen. Everything, everything. Barnard
used to say, every grain of sand that flies through the air, every
little red worm that wiggles out of his hole, it's all been
predetermined of God. And you find one thing that hasn't
been, that's the thing that's gonna get you. Everything, everything
has been determined. Everything is working after the
counsel of God's own will. All the seeming good and all
the seeming evil, All the things that are plain to see, and all
the things that's mysterious to see, it's all working according
to God's purpose. He doesn't stop you and say how
it's working. You couldn't understand it anyway,
could we? He doesn't present an argument
and say this or say that. He just declares that God is
working all things, and He leaves it to us now to believe it and
rest there. Can you do that? Turn CNN off, turn Fox News off,
and rest here. All things worked out for good
we know, such is God's great design. He orders all our steps
below for purposes divine. All things, all things. And someday the path he chose
for me will all be understood. In heaven's clear light I'll
see all things worked out for good. I wouldn't change a thing,
would you? While I'm sorry about some things,
while I weep over some things, I would not change a thing. And in heaven we'll see that
clearly. Is this controversial with you?
It isn't, isn't it? It is. It's so plain and wonderful
and reassuring and God-honoring. Go tell somebody else about it. Lord, we thank You. Gracious,
gracious Father. There's no God besides You. In
the Trinity of Your sacred persons, there is no other God, no other
Creator, no other Redeemer. We bow this morning, our Father,
We thank you for your electing love. Lord Jesus, we bless you
for your redeeming blood. We bless your Holy Spirit, the
revealer of the secret things of God. We bless you, our triumphant
God. And Lord, we seek you this morning
that you would continue to bless this place. Work here and let
no man hinder you. Let no devils hinder you. Show
yourself in this place to be God. Reveal your mercies. Reveal your strength to this
dear people. Thank you for this pastor. Thank
you for his dear wife. Thank you for these dear people. We thank you for this weekend.
Oh, how you've blessed us. How you've blessed us to worship
with your people. We thank you for it. We praise
your name forever. Amen. Thank you, John.