I was fiddling around on Facebook
earlier this week. I'm part of a, I don't know,
I signed up on this, or I clicked on this thing and the next thing
I know I'm getting them. I think it's Cheryl's fault. I think you're the one who first
sent me one of these Charles Spurgeon quotes on our Facebook
page. I think it might have been you.
But I like them. I don't know. if they're truly
quotes from Charles Spurgeon or not. So much of his writings
have been rewritten, rephrased, re-said. So I'm not going to
give him the credit for writing this. But it is a very well-stated
statement, and it goes as such. We believe that the work of regeneration, conversion, Sanctification and
faith is not an act of man's free will and power, but of the
mighty, efficacious, and irresistible grace of God. Now, you cannot
say it any better than that. That is plain and simple the
way it is. That's what this book says from
beginning to end. It's all about our Lord and Savior.
It's not man's free will. Right below that statement in
the Facebook page, it said, and I'm not sure who the guy was
that wrote it, but he said, beware of decisionism. We've called it free willism
here in this church for quite some time. Pastor Gene preached
very strongly on it. Don Fortner preaches very strongly
on it. Many of the pastors who stand
in this pulpit preach very strongly on what we call freewillism.
Same thing. Decisionism, same thing. He says,
beware of it. It is a very subtle deception
promoted by a man by the name of Charles Finney, who has lived
from 1792 to 1875, and Billy Graham, who lived from 1918 to
2018. many, many more in this very
day and age. I forwarded that. I posted that
for all of my friends on Facebook to see. Because it's true. I don't care what anybody says,
Billy Graham stood in the pulpit and said, it's your decision.
If you decide, just come down to the front of the aisle and
make a decision for Christ. I got a note back from a loved
one. And yet, they said it was Billy
Graham who led my uncle to the Lord. And he was one of the godliest
men in my life. And Grandpa rededicated his life
to the Lord during a Billy Graham crusade. I am so grateful that
the Lord Jesus, Peter, John, and Paul all called us to repent
and believe to be saved, and never included the belief in
election and predestination as a requisite. I thought to myself,
really? These three taught us to believe,
but there was nothing in their teachings about election, How
can this person miss this? This is a person who has read
the Bible five times or so, three or four times all the way through.
How could they have missed the teachings of election and predestination
by all of these men? You see, it's not just parts
of this Bible that we're told to believe. Our Lord doesn't
say, if you'll just believe this little part over here, and this
little part over here, and this part over here, you'll be saved.
No, He says, whosoever believeth in Me, and this is the Lord Jesus
Christ all the way through, from beginning to end. Whosoever believeth
in Me, believeth in His Word. In the beginning was the Word,
the Word was with God, and the Word God, and the Word was manifest
in the flesh. Is that what the Word of God
says? Am I wrong here? This is the Word of God. It's about Jesus Christ the Lord.
Whosoever believeth in Him, all of Him. Not just a part. Predestination and election is
not a requisite, it's not a requirement to be a completion of. Yes it
is. All of God's Word is a requirement to be complete in God's Word.
If repentance, this is my reply, if repentance and belief is a
requirement, and it is, whosoever believeth, that's a requirement,
a requisite. You can't be saved unless you
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ according to God's Word. Are you saying only believe what
you like? Or does it mean believe all of
God's Word? And then I quoted Romans 11 through
16 where it says, for the children being not yet born, speaking of Jacob and Esau, for
these two children being not yet born, neither having done
any good or evil, that the purpose of God according
to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. It was said unto her, the elder
shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? What
shall we say then about these things, this election, this predestination
that God is teaching? Yes, Paul is the one who's writing
this letter to the Romans. So this person is wrong. Paul
does teach election as a requirement, as a requisite. Jacob have I loved, but Esau
have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses,
I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy."
My title for today's message is this, a requisite of God. It would seem to me that Paul
did teach that you must believe predestination. and election
as a requirement. What about Peter? Turn over in
your Bibles if you would for just a quick moment to 1 Peter.
1 Peter chapter 1. 1 Peter 1, verse 1, Peter, an apostle
of Jesus Christ to the strangers, that means God's people, scattered
throughout Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
elect, he says in verse 2, elect, called according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience
and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, grace unto you
and peace be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy
hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled,
and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept
by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed
in the last time." So, am I wrong? It would seem that these men
were teaching predestination. Would it not seem that way to
you? Is that not what you see in God's Word? That's not my
interpretation. I didn't sit there and define
anything other than strangers. That just means God's people. Elect means called. Called out
of darkness. This is God's Word telling us,
very much so, elect, chosen, called according to the foreknowledge
of God. These men are teaching predestination
and election, and is not God the one who inspired these men
to write these very truths? Folks, men wrote this book, but
they were inspired of God. This is God's Word. They didn't
write down lies, they wrote the truth because God inspired their
hearts to write the truth. I said two weeks ago, you want
truth in this world? This is the only place you're
going to find it, right here. Everything else you hear in the
world around us can be taken with a grain of salt. Who are
we to know what's true and what's not out there? I know this is
true. I know this very word is true.
Is not God the one who inspired them to write these truths? Predestination
and election are not words of men, but they are inspired words
of God himself. To deny election, to deny the
teaching of election and predestination is to deny God. Folks, either this book is inspired,
It's either the inspired, the inspired, the infallible and
errant Word of God, and you either believe it all, or we're just wasting our time. There is one requisite of God,
and it's the one thing that our Lord says in John 3.16 that the
world loves to stand on. that He sent His only begotten
Son. But they skip right over this
part, and here's the requisite, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life. That's the requisite. That's
the requirement. You've got to believe. This is
the requisite, the requirement, and it is all that God requires
of His people and it is fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not something you and I
decide to do. Faith is a gift of God. Christ
is the author and the finisher of our faith, our belief. Our
faith is a gift from God Himself, not of worthless man should boast.
Folks, salvation is of the Lord, plain and simple, from the beginning
to the end. He is God Almighty or He's not
God at all. I'm having a great time on Friday
night sitting down and reading this book with our brothers and
sisters. It's just a wonderful... Cheryl
said it exactly right. This gentleman, A.W. Pink, Arthur
Pink, he has brought out so many descriptions of the sovereignty
of God in all things. Last night, or Friday night,
we looked at the sovereignty of God in creation before we looked
at what it meant to be sovereign over everything. And here's the deal. Mankind
hate. They hate that doctrine. Those who teach and preach and
want you to believe that decisionism is the path to salvation, they
hate the sovereignty of God. The teachings of predestination,
the teachings of election. Why? Why do they hate it? Because
it takes away their imaginary power. Oh, we like to think we
have power, don't we? You know what I think I'll do
this afternoon? I think I might just go get the Harley out and
go for a ride. God's people say, Lord willing. I think I'll go down to the store
and go shopping. God's people say, Lord willing.
I know we don't say it every time out loud. That's what I
say in my heart. Lord, if it's your will, I'll
be furloughed in a day or two and spend some time working around
here. Lord, if it's your will, I'll
just continue working. Lord, if it's your will, I'd
like to retire sometime around the end of this year from my
job and put full time into the ministry. But Lord, if it's your
will, if it's your will, Lord, if it's your will, I'll hit every
green light. If it's your will, I'll be stopped
at every green light. If it's your will, I'll hit that
ball right down the middle of the fairway, and if it's His
will, it'll go off into the bushes somewhere where it normally goes.
And that's okay. Because it's His will, and God
does all things right. He does all things well. Including His guidance of me. Including His protection of me. The doctrines of predestination
and election take away their imaginary power. It removes their
imaginary authority. It destroys man's imaginary ability
to manipulate a God according to their own heart's desire.
Oh, I love Jesus when I want to. Oh, I love Jesus when it
works out well for me. Turn over to Proverbs 16, would
you? Proverbs 16. We were looking at this in our Bible study this morning. In our Bible study, we've come
to Luke 22 where Judas, the devil has entered
into Judas. And Judas has gone out and made
a deal with the leaders of the church, the religious leaders,
for 30 pieces of silver, he'll betray the Lord Jesus Christ. And we came to the discussion
of, was that God's will? Or did something get away from
the Lord? Are you with me here? In Proverbs 16, this is what
we read. Look at verse 4. The Lord hath made all things
for Himself, yea, even the wicked, for the day of evil. Did not God form Judas, the betrayer,
in his mother's womb? Did not God raise up Pharaoh
so that the world would know of His power? Folks, all the fullness of the
Godhead dwelleth in the flesh, and His name is Jesus the Lord.
Not a Lord, but Christ the Lord. He is Lord of all. He's the only Lord. He's King
of Kings. He is sovereign, not having any
need. Who is to be likened to the Almighty? All of creation that is, powers,
principalities, were created by Him and for Him. Even the
wicked, doomed to spend eternity in hell, were created for His
glory. All things will bow to Him, for
they are of Him and for Him. Look over Proverbs 16 verses
4, 9, and 18. We just read 4, so let's look
at 9 and 18. A man's heart devises his way,
but the Lord directeth his path. For 40 years, John Reeves devises
his own way. And to be quite honest with you,
there's still days today in today's world, I'm trying to devise my
way to retire. But I don't know if that's the
Lord's will. But the Lord directeth His paths, you know? If it's His will, then it's going
to be good for me, one way or another, isn't it? Whatever happens to you this
afternoon, tomorrow, or the next day, if it's God's will, it's
going to be good for you. That's real hard to see. That's
really, really, really hard to see in parts of our lives, isn't
it? I can imagine right now for Shelby Fortner not being able
to see her husband in the hospital. When I spoke
to her on Thursday, it brought her to tears to think that he might have to go in and
she could not be with him. Brought her to tears to think
that today may be the last day she sees him. It's hard. It's very hard. But we know our Lord doeth all
things well, folks. It's said so in His Word. Look
at verse 18. Pride goeth before destruction
and a haughty spirit before a fall. The pride of man will destroy
him. And there are those chosen to
be saved, love from before the world was, predestinated to be
conformed to the image of Christ, but all mankind have sinned,
the sin of pride. So how can I, how can one be
saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. Romans 10.13 says this, you don't
need to turn there. For whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call
on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they
believe in Him of whom they have not heard? I want to stop there
for just a moment because I ask you this, if they're hearing
about a Jesus who's waiting for them to do something, Is God
going to save them through that? If they're going to a box and
confessing their sins to another sinner, thinking that they'll
be reproved of their sin for that reason, is God going to
save them through that? If they're taking a piece of
wood and carving a little figure out of it and praying to it,
is God going to save them from that? They're creating a God, a little
God, of their own imagination in their hearts. Is God going
to save them from that? No. He saves them through the
preaching of the truth of His Scriptures. All of it. Not part of it. Even the part
that we don't like. Jacob have I loved, Esau have
I hated, the Lord says. How shall they believe in Him
in whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without
a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? As
it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach
the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things."
Here's the glad tidings of good things, folks. Salvation is of
the Lord. Put your works down. Put them
away. Don't turn to your works. Turn
to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what a preacher of the
true gospel does. We preach Christ and Him crucified. We bring the good news that Christ
came to save sinners. And we give Him all the glory,
especially in salvation. Was it not God who became flesh? Was it not God who humbled Himself
and became a servant? We read in Bible study today.
He got down on His knees and He washed the feet of His disciples,
the Creator, the very One who put them in their mother's womb,
who created them, formed them as little amoeba or whatever
those little things are, as microbes. Formed them in their mother's
womb. Thank God I'm not a doctor, huh? He got down on His knees and
washed His feet. But here's something even more. What He's done for you and I.
He died for us. Can we get that in our heads?
The love that Christ has for His people? It's not some mediocre
little thing. It's huge. It's a miracle. For God so loved the world, the
people of this world that were given to Him before the world
was, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever would believeth
on Him should not perish." Was it not God who became obedient
even into the death of the cross? Was it not the power of God's
blood that washes the people, all the people that were given
to Him by the Father before the world was? Was it not the death
on that cross? Because He was made to be sin
for us, that we are now righteous in Him? Was it not God who knew
no sin that was made in the likeness of flesh and dwelt among us?
He was made sin that His people, His chosen, His elect would be
made righteous in Him? Was it not God who shed His own
blood for the remission of His people's sins? Was it not God who took those
sins into the grave and left them there never to be seen again? Can we get our minds around that? When God Almighty looks down
on you and I, He sees the blood of His Son, the blood that was
shed on that cross just over 2,000 years ago, shed for our
sakes. And He sees us as perfect as
His Son right now. Was it also not God who raised
himself from the dead and took his rightful place sitting on
the throne of grace? Turn over to the 40th chapter
of Isaiah, please. When God comes to a poor, broken
sinner, And He lifts that sinner up out of the filthy pit that
they once walked in. We, we who walked in sin, see the grace of His
love. We see the grace of Him not leaving
us to what we have earned. But here's a great truth. We
must be made to know the sinner that we are. We must know that our old heart
of stone was removed. We must know that a miracle was
performed when the Lord came and gave us life in this vessel
of death. We must know that all salvation
is of the Lord. Not a decision that is made by
the creature, but a decision that is made by the Creator. Christ chose us in Himself before
the world was. Our names were written in the
Lamb's Book of Life. This is the peace that a child
of God has. Nothing, nothing can separate
me from the love that is in Christ my Lord. Not even me. Not even the sin that I may see
in myself can separate me from His love, because He paid for
it all. He cleansed me of all that I'm
going to do. It doesn't mean I can go out
and just do anything I want. Out of love, I want to be the
right person. I want to be right. I want to
walk right. I want to do the things that
are right. I want to do things in a righteous way, even though
I don't. And Paul, who understood God
better than any man that I can say or walk this earth, he knew. He said, oh, righteous man, or
oh, wretched man, that I am. Not that I was, but that I am. And we see His love and His mercy. And as God Almighty, as Ruler
over everything, as we saw in our Bible study, He will not
let us go. This is what a preacher does.
Look at verse 1 in chapter 40 of Isaiah. Comfort ye, comfort
ye my people, saith your God. See, I know. I know because I
experience it. I do the same thing myself. I
go through this world and I see what I do. And I see that I do
the things I shouldn't and I see I don't do the things that I
should. And it's troubling. On top of all the things in the
world that trouble us, with loved ones being sick, loved ones dying
around us at times, On top of those things, I see the trouble
in my own self. That's my biggest enemy, is me. I need comforted. Do you? Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people,
saith our God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, the people of God, the city of God, and cry unto
her that her warfare is accomplished. It's done, folks. That's our
peace. That's our comfort. Our Lord
has accomplished it all. He said, it is finished on the
cross. That her iniquity, oh, her iniquity
is pardoned. for she hath received of the
Lord's hand double for all her sins." Look at verse 10. Behold, the Lord God will come
with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for him. Behold, His
reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He shall feed his
flock like a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs with
his arm and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead
those that are with young. Who hath measured the waters
in the hollow of his hand, and metered out heaven with a span,
and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed
the mountains and scales and the hills out of balance? Who
hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counselor,
hath taught him? Who are we to say, What doeth
thou? Shall the thing created tell
the potter what should do? With whom took he counsel when
he instructed him? and who instructed him, and taught
him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and
showed him the way of the understanding. I had Mike Loveless here the
other day, and he said, I'm sure glad you're not President John. He says, I'm sure glad you're
not in charge. He says, I'm sure glad I'm not
in charge either. We'd have it all messed up by
now. Oh, our Lord does all things well, folks. How should we doubt
Him? Verse 15, Behold, the nations
are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust
of the balance. Behold, he taketh up the isles
as a very little thing, and Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor
the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. And here's
what I want you to see. All nations before him are as
nothing. as talking about the people.
A nation is a group of people bound together by something either
land or creed or whatever you want to put there. All nations before him as are
nothing and they are counted to him less than nothing and
vanity. To whom, then, will ye liken
God? Or what likeness will ye compare
unto Him? I'd like to ask you to turn now,
if you would, over to Revelations chapter 4, and I'll bring this
to a close. Predestination and election is
not just applicable to God's people. It applies to everything. I've said this before, but have
you ever stopped to consider that everything that has happened
throughout time before us happened exactly how it was happened,
so that you and I would walk this earth exactly when we did,
so that God would call us out of darkness exactly when he did. That's the power of our God.
He makes things happen according to his purpose. It was not an
accident that you or I came into this building and heard the gospel
priest here. It was by His sovereign power
that we are here. It is by His sovereign power
that we were called out of darkness, of which we were on that path
to hell, as the world is around us. And He chose us to be recipients
of His love before the world was. Predestination and election,
these two teachings do nothing to save the lost sinner, but
one cannot be saved without believing these teachings. They are part of God's Word just
as everything else that we've just looked at is. These doctrines, for they are
taught throughout the Holy Scripture, to deny these truths is to deny
God's sovereignty in whom He shall be merciful to and whom
He will harden. Who made the difference between
Cain and Abel? Was it not God? Who made the difference between
Jacob and Esau? Was it not God who made the difference
between Israel and all the nations around Him at that time? Was
it not God? What about the woman at the well?
Remember that story? The Lord had to go through Samaria. Why? Because there was a woman
at the well who had come to a well seeking water, and she would
receive the water of life. He didn't save anybody else at
that well. Didn't say anything about saving anybody else. He
went on his way. What about the lame man at the
pool? The one who couldn't get in the
water? He didn't save any of the other lame people who could
get in the water or couldn't. He just saved the one man, didn't
he? What about the two lepers? Did He not save them and all
the rest of the lepers of that time go on as they were? What about the difference between
you and I? Me and the loved one who responded. Is it not God who makes us to
differ? I ask you, does God have a right
to create one vessel unto honor and another unto destruction?
Who are we to question what God does? I was asked if we would remember when we get to heaven, and I
answered incorrectly. Scripture very clearly says we
won't remember. And I'd have to look it up again
for you to show that, but I called Roger immediately and told him
I was wrong. Who are we to question God? And
I thought about that. Will we remember what happens,
what has happened? And I thought if we could, if
we did, We would see the rightfulness
of everything that has happened according to God's purpose. And
we would see that it's right and perfect and well done. We may not remember the things
of this world that brings us sorrow, but I know we will see
that everything that happened happened for His glory, and it
happened perfectly according to His purpose. I love the doctrine of election
because I know that I would have never chosen Him. Our Lord says, there are none
that seeketh Me. They have all gone astray after their own way,
and folks, that was Me. Was it you? Has God come and
given you life that you might be saved? Look at verse 11 of
Revelations chapter 4 if you would with me. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and
power, for Thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure
they are and were created." Predestination and election.
You can't deny it. It's part of God's Word and all
of God's Word is a requisite for being saved because it all
summarized in this very one thing. Salvation is of the Lord. Whosoever believeth in him, the
Lord Jesus Christ shall not perish. In Ephesians 2, verses 1 through
7, we read this. And you hath he quickened, who
were dead in trespasses and sins, where in times past ye walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prints
of the power of air, The spirit that now worketh in the children
of disobedience, among whom also we all had our conversations
in times past. In the lust of our flesh, fulfilling
the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature
the children of wrath, even as others, but God. But God, who
is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us, even
when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ
by grace ye are saved, and hath raised us up together, and made
us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that
in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of
His grace and His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. When
we can apply these truths to our hearts, these truths that our God rules
all things and salvation is by Him, through Him, and of Him,
then we can sing this closing song. It is well with my heart.