The Mystery Of His Will

Q: What does the Bible say about God's will?

The Bible reveals that God's will encompasses His eternal purpose, particularly in salvation, which is ultimately fulfilled in Christ. In Ephesians 1:9, Paul speaks of the mystery of God’s will, which centers on the eternal purpose and reason for all things. God's will is not a plan in the way humans make plans; rather, it's a sovereign decree that is accomplished as He desires. This underscores that everything, including our salvation, is within His divine purpose and wisdom. The mystery of His will is ultimately revealed through the gospel, showing that it is God who is at work, fulfilling His purposes for His glory.

Q: How do we know predestination is true?

Predestination is a biblical truth found in Ephesians 1:4-5, which affirms that God chose His elect before the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1:4-5 clearly outlines that God has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world. This doctrine of predestination emphasizes that our salvation is not based on our own actions or decisions but solely on God's gracious purpose. As scripture illustrates, God’s sovereignty in election ensures that those whom He has chosen will come to faith and ultimately be conformed to the image of His Son. Understanding predestination brings assurance to believers that their salvation is secured in God's sovereign will.

Q: Why is grace important for Christians?

Grace is vital for Christians as it is by grace we are saved, making it central to our relationship with God. Grace, specifically saving grace, is the foundation of the Christian faith. Ephesians 2:8 emphasizes that it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. Grace signifies unmerited favor and reflects God's love towards sinners. It assures believers that salvation comes through Christ's sacrifice, not human effort. Moreover, grace empowers Christians to live out their faith, fostering a spirit of gratitude and obedience as they respond to God's love.

Q: How does God's sovereignty impact salvation?

God's sovereignty ensures that salvation is entirely a work of His grace, from election to glorification. The sovereignty of God plays a crucial role in the doctrine of salvation. Scripture teaches that God's will is absolute and His purposes, including salvation, cannot be thwarted. Ephesians 1:11 illustrates that God works all things according to the counsel of His will. This means that salvation is not contingent upon human choice but is part of God's plan, ensuring that those He has predestined will come to redemption. Understanding God's sovereignty in salvation reassures believers that their destiny is secure in Christ, affirming that it is solely by His grace that they are accepted.

The writer of that hymn surely
must have had Ephesians 1 in mind. His good pleasure, his
grace, All right, go back to Ephesians
1. These first fourteen verses that
we read tell us what God has done for his elect in Jesus Christ. I want to briefly comment on
the first eight verses, and then dwell on verses nine and It says
in verse one, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will
of God. Paul was an apostle because God
made him so. A man can receive nothing except
to be given him from above. This was by the will of God,
as is everything by the will of God. The Lord raises up, the
Lord casts down. To the saints, he says, which
are at Ephesus. and to the faithful in Christ
Jesus. Once again, everything is by
the will of God. Who is a saint, or that is a
sanctified one? Who is? Not one whom man canonizes,
but whom God sanctifies. Whom God makes a saint and to
the faithful in Christ Jesus. You're going to see as you go,
as we go down through here. How often it says, in Christ,
in Christ, in Christ, those who are in Christ. Paul writes this
often, does he not? He says, oh, that I might win
Christ and be found in him, accepted in him, justified in him, the
sinner subject to him. To the faithful are those who
believe Christ. Now, who are in Christ? Who will
be found in that great day in Christ? By faith. Who? Those whom God elected. He's going to say that. Those
whom Christ died for. He's going to say that. Those
whom the Holy Spirit grants repentance and faith. He's going to say
that. First Corinthians one thirty, he says, Of God are you in Christ,
who of God is made unto us. wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption. And all glory belongs to him
in Christ. Verse two, grace be to you, all
grace be to you, and peace. How much grace? All grace. Whatever you need. How long? Forever. Grace. What kind of
grace? Chiefly, saving grace. saving
grace. And peace be unto you, peace,
grace and peace. Peace because God the Father
declared it. God the Son obtained it by His
blood. God the Holy Spirit applies it.
From God the Father and from our Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ,
blessed, O blessed be, verse three, the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings. in heavenly places or things
in Christ. Do you esteem what we're doing
now, what you're hearing now, as the true blessings? Now, there
are many in this world who have all of this world, all that this
world could give them, yet are poor, poor toward God. But they are those who are rich
in faith, or poor in spirit, but rich in faith toward God.
the unsearchable riches of Christ. These are the blessings. Material
blessings are not necessarily a sign that God, that a person
has God's favor. They may be a judgment upon that
person, because they generally take people away from God. But the blessings of God, the
true blessings, are spiritual blessings. They say, He's blessed
us with all spiritual blessings. Where? Where are these blessings? All the promises of God are in
Christ, and they're sure, they're yea, and amen to the glory of
God the Father. All the blessings of God, the
new birth. Job cursed the day that he was
born on this earth because of the troubles he had, but oh,
he blessed the day he was born again, the new birth. Salvation, mercy, grace, the
gospel, eternal life, these are the spiritual blessings, and
they have not yet entered into the heart of man. Eye hadn't
seen, ear hadn't heard, neither have we fully experienced the
things that God has prepared for us that love Him. It's going to be so glorious
when we finally experience those, when we finally are there to
experience the blessings that God has prepared for us, so glorious
that it says the former things will not be remembered. won't
even come to mind. All spiritual blessings, they're
all in Christ. Verse four, according, who does
God bless? Those according as He hath chosen,
elected. Those whom He has chosen, us,
in Christ. Isaiah 42 talks about mine elect. God says, my elect, my servant,
my elect, he'll bring forth judgment to the Gentiles and so forth.
God's only begotten well-beloved son, his elect, his choice, his
choice of son, his elect, and all others, we're going to see,
had been chosen in him, because of him, to be like him. God had one son, and he's the
apple of his eye, and no other could please the Father but those
that are just like him. So he's determined to have a
people just like him. That's what predestination is.
He had chosen us in Christ. Read on, verse four. According
to this, he hath chosen us. Who chose who? Why, he chose
us in Christ. But when did he do it? before
the foundation of the world, not after we believe, but before
the world began, before the children were yet born. Paul wrote in Romans 9, before
the foundation of the world, and here's the reason of it.
This is who chose and when, and this is why, that we should be
holy and without blame before him in love. Left to ourselves,
we are unholy, blamable. and will stand before him in
judgment. But if chosen in Christ, we are
holy, unblameable, unreprovable, and will stand before God in
the judgment in his love and in his salvation and his mercy. He'll say unto us, Come, ye blessed
of my Father, for the things I have prepared you. Love is
the reason why he set his love on his people, verse five, and
he's predestinated us. Having predestinated us unto
the adoption of children, everything about his people is for the purpose
of making them like Christ. Look over at chapter two, verse
eight, or yes, verses eight through ten. Chapter two, by grace he's
saved. through faith, but that's not
of yourself. It's the gift of God. It's not of works, lest
any man should boast. But we're His workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus—there it is again—unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them. And we should be like
Christ. Everything God does to his people
is for the purpose of making them like Christ. Like the old
illustration, the fellow who was whittling a hound dog, a
piece of wood, whittling that hound dog. And someone asked
him, said, how do you whittle those hound dogs? That's amazing.
How do you whittle those hound dogs? And the old fellow just
said, why? He said, I just cut off everything
that don't look like a hound dog. And that's exactly what
God Almighty does with His people. Cuts off everything. Burns off
the drops. Everything that doesn't look
like Christ. We're going to be like Him. The measure of the stature of
the fullness of Christ. That's what God has predestined.
Or as like old brother Barnard said, and you've heard this a
thousand times, I have too. I've heard it two thousand, and
I still like it. Barnard said God looked at his son one day
and loved him and admired him so much, he said, I want to have
a whole family just like him. And so that's what predestination
is. Predestinating us unto the adoption
of children by or through or because of Jesus Christ to himself. Unto himself. He's the father.
We're adopted by him and to him for his glory. According, why
did he do this? Why did God do this? Why me?
Why did God choose me? Surely that's what every one
of God's elect say, are saying, and will ever say. Why me? The
Pharisee thinks he ought to be in glory, and he'll be surprised
if he's not. But the sinner saved by grace
will be saying throughout eternity, I can't believe I'm here. Why
me? Why did he do this? Because it
was according to the good pleasure of his will. That's why. He pleased the Lord to make you
his people, he said. Nothing pleasing about us by
nature. But God, who is rich in mercy,
for his great love wherewith he loved us, quickened us together
with Christ. Oh, it's by grace you're saved,
you're chosen, by grace, according to the good pleasure of his will.
Two, this is all to the praise of the glory of his grace. That's
what it's all about. Everything redounds to the glory
of God's free, unmerited, sovereignly bestowed, saving, keeping grace. This whole thing, the topstone
of salvation that will be laid by the rebel boy himself, is
grace. with Christ by all the people
of grace unto Him. This is all about God's grace. And only those who've experienced
it know something about it. They know why. They know why. It's to the praise of the glory
of His grace, wherein by His grace He hath made us accepted
in the Beloved. Accepted in the Beloved. Oh,
my. Like to dwell there a little
while. Accepted into beloved. We're going to be allowed into
the Holy Father's presence. Why? Because we're with the Son. We're with the Son. We're accepted
in Him. In whom, verse seven, in whom,
in Christ, we have redemption. Not might have. We have redemption. Because He, Christ, entered into
the holy place. with his own precious blood.
And what did he do when he entered into the holy place? Make an
offer? Make a down payment for the sins
of his people? Make an attachment to save them,
to make salvation possible? No! Hebrews 9, 12 says, having
obtained eternal redemption. That's what it says there. He,
we have redemption. How? Through his blood. He paid it off. He paid it off. All the debt of sin had left
a crimson stain. What did he do? Washed it white
as snow. There is therefore now no condemnation
of them that are in Christ Jesus, because the payment's been made.
Verse seven, the forgiveness of sins. Oh, a dear The pastor
called me this morning about an argument that someone had
brought up in his church, and they wanted to argue that God
punishes his people. They went back in the Old Testament
and found a verse that talks about God punishing, and the
person wanted to argue about it. We have forgiveness. sense. There's no condemnation. God
punished Christ. Punishment is the full recompense
of reward that sin earns. That's what sin is due. Punishment, all right? There's
no usage of the word in the New Testament regarding His people.
God does not punish his people. He chastens them. He corrects
them. But God, when Christ was on Calvary's
cross, God made him to be sin for us who knew no sin. And God
punished his son for every sin that I committed. Now, he'll
deal with me and correct me for those sins that I've committed,
but we have forgiveness of sin. We don't experience punishment. He hath not dealt with us according
to our sins. Aren't you glad? Aren't you glad? Now, we've received in the Lord's
hand double for all our sins. Double. Not only mercy, but good
grace. Read on. In whom we have redemption
through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. Oh, it's all according
to the riches of his grace. The riches of his grace, my,
my. You think the Lord would save
me, preacher? Well, how much grace does he
have? How much does he have to go around? The riches of his
grace. How much does he have? was poor
and without back in Solomon's day. You studied with me Solomon,
his riches, the vastness of his kingdom, his treasure. And somebody
went to him and said, King Solomon, I'm very poor and I need a little
something. Do you have anything to spare?
To spare? I've been to say that the person
came, that came in such humility to Solomon, Solomon sent him
among Christians. Like old Baphishan, huh? You
reckon David would let me sit just on the outside and eat a
little, some crumbs from the table? You reckon, reckon David
would just have mercy on me and just kind of leave me to myself
and not? Oh, he'll do more than that.
He'll set you at the table. And you'll sit there from now
on like a king. You come like that, you get the
riches of his grace. Riches. Verse eight, wherein,
is in his grace. See, everything here is written
about his grace. Wherein, that is, in his grace,
in God's grace, he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence. God's wisdom in the gospel is
amazing. God has abounded toward us in
wisdom. This is the greatest story ever
told, the wisest thing ever invented. The wisdom of God in the gospel,
don't you marvel at the wisdom of how God may be just and yet
justifier? And all from Genesis to Revelation,
the wisdom of God in bringing this all together to speak of
the grace of God's grace and cry. It's just it's marvelous
and he is abounded toward us and all wisdom while the world
plays around with this shallow religion today that it consists
of mere moral platitudes and little sentimental stories and
so forth. We have all the depth all the
depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and the knowledge
of God, His ways of past finding out, yet we find some of it out.
Verse nine, because He hath made known unto us the mystery of
His will. He's made known unto us. The
word prudent means God's wise, good judgment, how He does things,
His dealing. He is bounded toward us in wisdom
and prudence, and he's made known unto us the mystery of his will. Now, this is where I want to
dwell for a minute, the mystery of his will, God's will. Now, whose will are
we talking about here? We're talking about salvation,
we're talking about taking a hell-bound human being and taking him all
the way to glory, justifying him, sanctifying him, saving
him, making him fit to dwell with him who's unapproachable. All right? How is this going
to be done? Well, I've decided. Well, I've made my decision to
let go. I accepted Jesus. Not by the
will of man, not by the will of the flesh. It's of God. We're talking about God's will
here. This whole thing we're going to see is all about God's
will. God's will, we're talking about
the eternal purpose and reason for all things. We're talking
about the mind of God. What was on God's mind when he
created earth? What's the reason people are
asking this question all the time? What's the purpose of life? What's the meaning of life? Well,
he's made known unto us this mystery. It's a mystery. People
are looking for the answer, and there's only one way they'll
find it. That is if God reveals it. It says he's made known unto
us. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2,
he said, the natural man receiveth not the things of God. The foolishness
to him, neither can he know them. They're revealed. And he's made
known unto us. That which the philosophers and
the religious hierarchy are seeking after, to know. They don't know
it. God has hid these things from
the wise and the pious and revealed it unto man. We
sat and listened to all the religious leaders try to give an answer
to 9-11, you know, or any catastrophe or anything that goes on on this
earth that they cannot explain, and we sit and listen to these
wise men, so-called, the worldly wise, the religious leaders in
our days sit and try to, and they don't know. Like the magicians
of Pharaoh, aren't they? Like the wise men in Joseph's
day, we don't know the interpretation of this dream. But God has made
known unto us this mystery. It's a mystery. The purpose for
all things. God's will. Now, we're not talking
about, at times when we say, I wonder what God's will is for
me to, where to go to work, or who to marry, or so forth and
so on. That's not the will we're talking
about. We're talking about God's eternal, sovereign purpose. That which everything is created
for. That what he had in mind. And
why he does what he, did what he did, and does what he does,
and what he's going to do with it, and why. Are you with me? The will of God. The mystery
of his will. All right? God does not make
plans. That's not in the Bible. Not one time. You hear men say
that, don't you? God has a wonderful plan for
your life. Don't mess it up. That's what men believe, don't
they? You see, that's what is intimated by a plan. You make
a plan. If it doesn't work out, you make
a contingency plan. Well, this didn't work, so I'll
try that. Well, if that doesn't work, I'll
try something else. Until it all nothing works, you
just bring your hands. God doesn't make plans. Men make plans. A plan intimates
that you really don't, you have no power to fulfill it. You just
hope that it happens. We're making plans to go on a
little trip, aren't we, everybody? Well, we might make it and we
might not. Our plan is to get from point A to point B, isn't
it, Brother Mack? We might make it and we might
not. The water's high. Anyway, God
doesn't make plans. God wills. God wills. You've got to turn
with me to these passages. Isaiah fourteen. As I said, you
need to look at these verses, search the Scripture. This is
how God blesses. He blesses not only the hearing
of it, but the reading of it, but the searching of it. God
blesses effort. Those that seek me shall find
me. Isaiah 14, and commit these things,
if not the very verse itself, remember its whereabouts, okay? Isaiah fourteen, verse twenty-four
says, The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have
thought, so shall it come to pass. As I have purposed, so
shall it stand. Verse twenty-seven, The Lord
of hosts hath purposed it, and who shall disanother? His hand
is stretched out, who shall turn it back? In another place he
says, I have spoken it, I will bring it to pass. God's will, we're talking about
God's, what he has purposed for all things, including us. We're
a part of that. God's purpose. Now, there's something
we need to know and understand about this mystery, this will,
the mystery of God's will. Number one, it's God's will. And when everything is said and
And things happen that we don't understand. All we're left with,
the only answer we're left with, is this. It's the Lord. Let him do as he will. And he will. And we don't understand
that. And maybe we would not have done
it that way, but God did. That's what he will. And you
can be sure of this. We're going to see in a minute.
that the end result of everything he has willed is the only way
it could have been done. All things work together according
to that purpose, to this will. It's God's will. Nothing happens
by, nothing happens by the will of man. Nothing. Did you read,
I love that article by Brother Maurice in the, in the, in the
Bill of Sins. Did you get time to read that?
To paraphrase him, he said, If there's a germ out there in the
universe that's not under God's divine control, then I'm going
to get it, maybe. AIDS. Whatever. Bless my heart. Unless Skeeter
passes that. People, I've got books all over
me right now. Skeeter bites. all over me right
now. I get them bad. Hannah and I
just, we just swell up. We get them big. We attract them.
I don't know why. And one little mosquito over
there from the Nile. Where are they? Wherever God
puts them. Who they gonna bite? Whomever
God says bite them. If there's one out there outside
of God's control, We'd better hide somewhere in a vacuum, hadn't
we? We'd better go somewhere where
there ain't no scooters. Or Maurice said, if there's a
devil out there, if there's a demon out there, not under the control
of God Almighty, I've got to avoid him. Somehow I've got to
avoid him. I can't tackle one demon, let
alone the devil himself. Everything is under the sovereign
dominion of our Lord. Nothing is by the will of anybody,
especially man. Man's a creature in God's divine
purpose. You like that? The world doesn't
like this. Where are you going to have peace
any other way? Where are you going to find any peace? You
worry about your children? I do too. There's only one place
to find peace, and that's that they're in the will and purpose
of the sovereign God. And he does it. This is God's
will, and he does it. Why? According to his good pleasure.
We need to understand that. Why did God do this? Because
he decided. Because he wanted. Why did God Who art thou, O man,
to reply against God? God did it because he did it. Isn't that what he said finally?
Cannot I do with mine own what I will? Yes, that's what makes
him God. And mere ants, mere worms shake
their fists in the hand of the—and he scoffs at them. You can't
do that. Yes, I can. I just did. Why does he do what he does? according to his good pleasure." Read on. Now, it says he purposed
this in himself. Verse nine, the mystery of his
wills. It's his will, it's according
to his good pleasure, which he purposed in himself. No one was
around when he purposed this, and he says this over and over
throughout Isaiah. He says it, who stood in my council
and heard me say that? when men say this that God told
me that God has a wonderful plan for your life that there's no
evil shall befall you. God said in Jeremiah 23 God said
who was there when I said that? Who heard me say that? Were you
there? Gerald and his friends were hashing
out trying to understand what all God was doing and finally
God said every one of you shut up. Who was around when I made
this purpose? That's what he said. He's speaking things you don't
know about. That's the conclusion Joe came to, that is. I'm going
to put my hand over my mouth. I've been speaking off the top
of my head. All I can say is it's the Lord. And then, and then only, does
God begin to reveal why he does that. Well, here's the essential reason
behind it all. Verse ten, here's the purpose,
here's the will of God, this is what it's all about, this
is the meaning of life. Verse ten, that in the dispensation
of the fullness of time, That is, when God is finally dispensed
of everything, when all time is over, when time shall be no
more, when everything has worked together to fulfill God's purpose,
God's will, what is it? What's it all about? Here it
is, that in dispensation of the fullness of time, he's going
to gather together in one all things in one. Christ, both which
are in heaven and are on earth, even in him." Oh my, God give
me the ability to expound this a little bit. God Almighty purposed
all things. God Almighty willed all things. God Almighty created All things,
God Almighty worketh, all things, everything that writhes or wriggles,
every event in the history of mankind from the least to the
greatest event is to this end, to this purpose, the glory of
God Almighty's Son. That's what it's all about. It's all about His Son. The Scripture, Proverbs 8, it
talks about wisdom. It talks about Christ. He said, I was with him before
he made anything. I was daily his delight, the
Scripture says. I was with him before God created
the planet. It was just God. God the Father,
Son, the Eternal Son, was with the Father. God the Holy Spirit,
dwelling together. enjoying himself. God didn't need anything. God
didn't need man. God didn't need anything or anyone
for any reason. That's what the name God means,
self-sufficient, self-existent, needing no one, needing nothing. But God Almighty determined to
do something for the glory of his son, which he delighted in. Something that would redound
to the honor of the glory of his son. Much like a king who
has a son, and he builds a city in the name of and for the glory
of his son. Isn't that That's why God created
this planet. That's why God did, does everything
he does, to the honor of his son. Everything is going to bring
honor to his son. The salvation of his people,
the damnation of those who are not. It's going to redound to
the glory of Christ. Those who know him, he's going
to say, see, he's who I said he was, isn't he? My son. Those
who reject him, he's going to say, see, he's who I said he
was, isn't he? all to the glory of his son.
Now, let me see if I can illustrate that a little more where you
can understand it. I'm forty-six, soon to be forty-seven
years old, my wife in about a few days, forty-three, and that's
not old, is it? It is thus now. But, you know, really and truthfully,
I've pretty much lived my life. I mean, really. I've done all I could do and
been pretty much everywhere I wanted to be and obtained and owned about
all I could own. Really, I've pretty much lived
my life, but I have a daughter. My life is over. That's really
it. It's not, and I say this in all
honesty, I'm not living for me. But now I have a daughter, an
only child, and ever since we had her, is this not so? All of our plans, all of our
hopes, all of our dreams, all of our wishes, our happiness,
is bound up in her. Everything that we purpose has
her in mind until some day she reaches the measure of the stature
or fullness of a human being and experiences what we've experienced
until it comes full circle. But what I'm trying to say is,
you see what I'm saying? We're now living our life through
her. And they tell me, you grandparents
could really tell me this, Oh, we get a long story out of Jeanette
and Ed right now. Talk about, they tell me that's
even better than having children. And somehow, Ed, Jeanette, that
child, it's from your child. You love
when, love her dearly, don't you? You love her dearly. And
that child she has is hers. You love her and that child,
the more it's like her, the more you love that child. You see
what I'm saying? And you're now living your life
through her. Now, I don't know if that makes sense,
but God Almighty needs nothing, wants nothing, but for the glory
of His Son, everything He's done, purposed and willed, is for His
Son, for His glory. God created it all for his glory
and the procreation of children, if you will, grandchildren. That's
what he says here, predestination of the adoption of children.
He's the firstborn among many brethren. Is this sinking in? They tell me that being a grandparent
is better than being a parent. I can't imagine how. Can you,
Stephen? Can you? That's what they say. Most of
you say, those of you grandparents say, if I'd have known it was
going to be this good, I'd have done this first. Don't you? I'd have had those grandbabies
first. Well, you can't. You've got to go through the
difficulties of being a parent. Oh, what a picture of the gospel
that is, how that Christ has suffered for us, the just and
unjust, to bring us to God. How that Christ prevailed in
birth for us, to give birth. He's the firstborn. It's all done for the procreation
or rather the regeneration of the people, just like Christ,
just like Christ. And so it's in him, verse eleven,
in whom, in Christ, we have obtained an inheritance. When your grandparents
die, you generally, if your relatives aren't out and out crooks, You'll
get a little something, a little inheritance, don't you? Right?
Why? Because you're the son or the
daughter of their son or daughter. Right? You receive an inheritance. And so do we. Why? Because we
earned it? No. Because the Son of God did. He's the heir. He's the firstborn. He's the one who gets all things,
but he distributes it among his people. We have obtained an inheritance. It's not just a little bit. It's
everything Christ. Yes. Being predestinated. There
is that blessed word again. Being predestinated. Aren't you
glad God predestinates all things? Oh, I am. What makes the world
mad makes the believer exceedingly glad that God predestines all
things according to the purpose the all-wise purpose and will
of him who works all things after the counsel according to that
pre-written covenant, his own will. And here it is again, that
we should be to the praise of his glory. It's all going to
be to his glory. Someday we're going to know as
we've been known. We're going to see clearly. Right
now, it's like we're on the backside of a tapestry, you know, and
we're just seeing individual threads. Unless God gives us
a little glimpse, every now and then, just a glimpse of the whole
picture. And what we see is Christ. We see it all in Christ. But
when we try to look too closely at things, we just see unrelated
events, threads at the backside of the Temple of Geneva. Stand
back and look at the whole picture. It's all to the glory of Christ,
the praise of his glory. Who first trusted in Christ,
read on, in whom you also trusted after you heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation. That's how God makes known his
will, the preaching of the gospel. In whom also after you believe.
Why do you believe? That's by grace, too. You're
sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, sealed. That's the
earnest, that's the promise, that's the pledge of our inheritance. Do you believe this thing? Do you love this thing? Does
the sound of God's sovereign electing grace please you? Do you Love the fact that God
does as he will, according to the good pleasure of his will?
Well, that's the Holy Spirit in you, the indwelling of the
Spirit. You see, the Holy Spirit doesn't
make us talk foolishly, but makes us talk wisely. The Holy Spirit
doesn't make a man or woman act out of their mind. He gives them
the mind of Christ. They see things clearly. They
understand. They'd love to have it so, read
on. That's the earnest, that's the pledge that you're going
to be there, of our inheritance, until, now I like this, until
the redemption of the purchased possession. Now Christ, he purchased his people, yes
sir, paid for, our sins are gone. There is therefore now no condemnation,
but we sure feel the presence of sin, don't we? Sure. Oh, we
wonder if we're going to make it. We sure do. We wonder if
God will eternally, finally forgive us. Well, we need to remember
old brother Ed Hale's song. There's scars up in heaven. That's
receipts. for redemption paid. Redemption
means it's been paid for. Has somebody paid the price?
But you won't have to. And he's going to come some day
and gather what he paid for. He's going to come get it. Have
you ever made a, bought something 90 days, just made a down payment,
you put down a, what is it? You put down a, oh, you do it
at T.J. Maxx all the time. Layaway? Yeah,
there you go. Layaway. You ever bought something
on layaway? Have you? No, you haven't. Well, I don't mean to be too
familiar here, but that's, you buy it, and you pay it, and you
finally pay, and then one day you go pick it up. You go pick
it up. It's yours. You bought it. You've
got to receive it. You say, see that? Paid in full. It's mine. Give it to me. You
get it, don't you? What if they said, no, you can't?
Well, it's mine. I purchased it. I redeemed it.
You let me have it. And our Lord paid our redemption,
and he's going to come. and received that unto himself,
the purchased possession. Why? Under the praise of his glory.
Now, see, that's what it's all about. That's why he did it. That's what his will is. That's
the mystery of God's will. If we can't figure out things,
we just need to understand. that somehow or another this
is going to work out for the glory of God's Son, and it's
the only way it could be done, though I don't understand. That's
the mystery of this will, and we preach in part, don't we?
We just know in part. All right, let's see, in closing,
number 42, M number 42, in the Green Book. This thing in number forty two. OK.

The Mystery Of His Will

What does the Bible say about God's will?

How do we know predestination is true?

Why is grace important for Christians?

How does God's sovereignty impact salvation?

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The Mystery Of His Will

What does the Bible say about God's will?

How do we know predestination is true?

Why is grace important for Christians?

How does God's sovereignty impact salvation?

Sermon Transcript

About Paul Mahan

Comments

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