And I told you I was going to
start preaching a series on sovereignty of God. I preached on the sovereignty
of God, the necessity of the sovereignty of God. Tonight,
I'm going to talk about the sovereignty of God, the Father, in salvation. The sovereignty of the Father,
God the Father, in salvation. Next week, I'll talk about the
sovereignty of the Son in salvation. But look here in Ephesians 1,
in verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father
by Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ." Everything's in Christ. Everything God has for us is
in Christ. Thank God it's there. It's not in us, not required
of us, but everything God has for us is in Christ, and He gave
us Christ. You are Christ, and Christ is
God. according as He hath chosen us again in Him, in Christ, before
the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before Him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good
pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace,
when He hath made us accepted in the Beloved. in whom we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according
to the riches of his grace, wherein he hath abounded us in this grace,
toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the
mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he
hath purposed in himself." Now it talks here about God having
a purpose in himself. An electing purpose, a predestinating
purpose, a purpose manifest in His will. But the blessed Trinity,
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, they're one.
They are one. They all are sovereign in their
actions. They all are sovereign in their
purpose. They all are sovereign in their work. And they never
work apart from one another. They all have different offices.
They all have different things that they do, but they work as
one. They work in one accord, they
work in one purpose, and their purpose is to glorify God and
to save His elect and magnify His blessed Son. Now, the Scripture
tells us in Jonah chapter 2 and verse 9 that salvation is of
the Lord. Salvation is of the Lord. He
read it tonight in Psalm 37 and verse 39, the salvation of the
righteous is of the Lord. If there's any salvation, it's
of the Lord. And so you see now, I know what that means. I know
what that means. And what it means to other people
are two entirely different things. When I say salvation's of the
Lord, I mean, beloved, that we have absolutely nothing to do
with it. That God was the one who planned it and purposed it
before the foundation of the world. That God was the one who
executed this salvation. He's the one that sent his son
into this world. And the Holy Ghost is the one
who comes and applied this salvation to our hearts and to our minds
and to our souls. And God must preserve us in this
salvation or we will not be saved. He can save us and then left
any part of it to ourselves. We would lose it just that quick.
And then salvation, as we know, is of the Lord, because He will
consume this thing. He will bring it to a consummation.
He'll bring it to a final end, and we'll be with Him in glory.
But the Lord doesn't save everyone. In fact, He never intended to
save everyone. He never had a purpose to save
everyone. Never was His intention to save
everyone. And Paul says, you know, This is a faithful saying
and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners of whom I am chief. But why doesn't the
Lord save everyone? Is man too depraved? Is he too
depraved? Is he too wicked? Is he too lost? Is he in such a horrible condition
that God can't save him? Is that why he don't save everyone?
Are their hearts so hard that God can't break it? When He told
Ezekiel, He said, Ezekiel, He said, I'll take out the stony
heart of flesh, and I'll put in a heart of flesh. So, oh,
we were depraved. We, God's elect, those that are
saved now, we were as depraved as anybody else. And what depravity
means, beloved, is that we are not as bad as we should be, but
we're as bad off in the sight of God as we can be. that there's
nothing good about us, that we were shaped in iniquity and conceived
in sin, and we come forth from the womb speaking lies. With
our minds we were enmity against God. So we were depraved, we
had hearts of stone, and there was a time we would not have
the Lord Jesus Christ to reign over us. We said, we will not
have this man to reign over us. So who made the difference? Huh? We are what we are now,
right now, by one reason, by the grace of God. That's the
only reason. We were willing to come to the
Lord Jesus Christ when others weren't. Why? Who made us willing? Why aren't all men saved? Why
aren't all men saved, especially those who hear the gospel? Lots
of folks come and hear the gospel. Why, especially not all men saved
who come hear the gospel? People say, well, because they
refuse to believe. Yes, from the human side, that's
so. Our Lord Jesus says, you will not come to me that you
might have life. But we're not talking about the
human side. There was a time that I didn't
believe and I refused to believe. But now we're talking about sovereignty
of God in salvation. We're talking about God's side
of salvation. The unsaved are lost because
they refuse to believe, and the others are saved because they
believe. Well, what makes the difference
in those who don't believe and those who do believe hearing
the same gospel? What makes the difference? Does
man make the difference? You keep Ephesians 1, and look
over here in 1 Corinthians 4, verse 7. Oh, that's why John said, we
know that the Son of God has come and given us an understanding.
He came, and He gave us an understanding, that we might know Him, the true
God in Jesus Christ. And oh, who makes the difference? People refuse to believe, and
they're lost. And others are saved because they believe. What
and who made the difference? Did you make a difference in
yourself? Huh? Who makes the difference? Did a man's free will make the
difference? Did a man make the right choice? Did the man cooperate
with God? Is that what made the difference?
Look what it said here in 1 Corinthians 4, 7. Who maketh thee to differ
from another? Who maketh thee to differ from
another? Who distinguishes you from somebody
else? What have you got that you did
not receive? What have you got? You got grace?
Did you earn it? You got salvation? Did you earn
it? You got faith? Did you earn it? You got repentance? Did you earn it? Do you have
an understanding? Did you get it on your own? What
have you got that you didn't receive? And if you received it, then
how in the world can you glory as if you didn't receive it?
How could you do that? Oh, beloved, I'm telling you.
So listen, and I know this, we're talking about belief because
some refuse to believe, but we're talking about God's side. Why
do some refuse to believe and others believe? Who makes the
difference? And I know this, that faith is a gift of God,
and God doesn't give this gift to everyone. He doesn't give
faith to everybody. Over 2 Thessalonians 3, verse
2, you don't have to look at it, but it says there that all
men have not faith. Preachers can tell everybody
that they've got faith all they want to, and all you've got to
do is exercise it. You ain't got it. You weren't
born with it. You can't buy it, and there's no right prescriptions
for it in the doctor's office. And the church can't give it
to you, and the preacher laying hands on an empty head ain't
going to put none on you either. So if you get faith, where are
you going to get it? I mean, I'd love to have more
faith than I've got now, and I believe I've got it. Anybody
here wouldn't like to have more faith? Their faith be stronger? Their faith be more God-honored,
more Christ-honored? Will you never waver, never doubt,
never worry, never fret? Wouldn't you like to have that
faith? But I can't even muster up my own faith that God gave
me and make it any better than God gave it to me. I'd make it
better if I could, but I can't. I have to take what God gave
me. And He don't give it to everybody. Well, who does He give faith
to? Look at Acts 13.48, and I'll
show you. Acts 13.48. You know, oh, who
does He give faith to? Acts 13.48. Look here what He
gives. Who does He give faith to? He
gives it to His elect. He said in Titus, Paul said,
Paul is a servant of Jesus Christ according to the faith of God's
elect and to the knowledge of the truth, which is after godliness. Who does he give faith to? He
said here in Acts 13.48. And when the Gentiles heard this,
they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord, and as
many as were ordained to eternal life believed. Huh? Ordained. Who did he give faith
to? as many have ordained to eternal life. What I mean when I say that God
the Father is sovereign in salvation is that He is partial in giving
His gifts. He is partial in it. His grace
is discriminating. He said, is it not lawful for
me to do what I will with my own? And He is sovereign, and
that means He reigns. He's got the right. He's got
the power. The gifts are His. He can give them to who He will.
It's not lawful to do what I will with my own. His grace is His
grace. He can discriminate in it if
He will. And He is sovereign in bestowing gifts, both natural
and spiritual. If you have any natural gifts,
any abilities, God gave you those abilities. If you have any spiritual
gifts, God has to do that, and He's sovereign in doing that.
Now, I want to go through this. Look in Romans 9 with me right
quick. The sovereignty of the Father in the salvation of His
people. Romans 9. I want to say something. He has just a very simple, very
simple message. He has the right, I say that
God has the right to determine the destiny of His creatures,
of all His creatures. Look what He says in Romans 9,
21. Hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lump
That's the key right there, how the same lump hath not the potter
power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto
honor and another unto dishonor. If God, what is God willing to
show His wrath And to make his power known, endured with much
longsuffering, the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction.
He's going to make his longsuffering known, because he just endures,
he endures, he endures. How many times have we said,
it's a good thing I ain't God, I put him into that mess, I put
him into this mess. And that's why God said, he makes
his wrath known by enduring, enduring, enduring with these
vessels of wrath already fitted for destruction. And any of his
long-suffering here, that he might make known the riches of
his glory, on the vessels of mercy which he had aforeprepared
unto glory." Now here, beloved, lumps of clay. Lumps of clay
out of the same lump. He takes one lump, the human
race. Out of the dust we come, and he takes this lump, and he
reaches in there, and he takes one lump, and he makes a vessel
of honor, a vessel of honor, a vessel of mercy out of that
one. He puts it on the wheel, and he makes it as he wants to
make it. It's his clay. He's the one resonator. He's
the potter. And he says, I told Jeremiah, I said, go down to
the potter's shop. I'm going to teach you something. And so he
takes this other piece of clay and he makes a vessel of a ranch
for it. And what does he call it? He
said in verse 21, one unto dishonor and another unto honor. Oh, listen,
that's God's claim. This God's right. He can make
a man a vessel of dishonor if He will. He can make him a vessel
of honor. What in the world is the claim going to say to the
potter? That's what they ask. Why did
you make me this? Let the potchers of the earth
strive with the potchers. Who? Who's going to say, why
have you made me like this? Oh, two things God's going to
make known in this world. He's going to make His wrath
known in this world, and His wrath against sin, and He's going
to make the riches of His grace known, both of them known. And,
oh beloved, He has some vessels of wrath and some vessels of
mercy. And He's got the right to determine which is which. I have no, no, nothing to say
against God. And the way he deals with anybody
that I know of, the way he dealt with my father, the way he dealt
with my mother, the way he deals with my brothers, the way he
deals with my family right now, he is God, he's the potter and
we're the clay, and he will do what he will with that, because
everyone is just a lump of clay. And I'm not going to get upset
with him, are you? And he told me, this is what Abraham said
about him. When he was going to go down
and destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham said, oh, verse 50, will
you spare it? Yes, I will. In verse 40, will
you spare it? Yes, I will. In verse 30, will
you spare it, righteous people? Yes, I will. In verse 20, will
you spare it? Yes, I will. Let me say it one
more time. In verse 10, will you spare it?
He said, yes, I will. And he says this, he said, I
know, far be it from you, to destroy the righteous with the
wicked. You cannot do that, for the judge
of all the earth must do right, and he will not destroy the righteous
with the wicked. And when he destroys this world,
the righteous are not going to be destroyed with it. Ain't that
right? There are vessels of honor. And
I tell you, not only does he have the right, but this is what
I love about him, talking about the sovereignty of the fathers
in salvation. He exercises that right. He exercises that right. How does he exercise that right?
In his electing grace and his predestinating purpose. Ain't
that what it says? Look back over in Ephesians again.
Ain't that what he says over here? That he says there that
you know what... I'll get there in a minute. that he
says, you know, that, that make him, have made known unto us
in verse nine, the mystery of his will, according to his good
pleasure, which yet purposed in himself. Purposed in himself. See, God's got a purpose. He
does everything on purpose. I've heard Brother Henry tell
the story, I don't know how many times. There's a young man, he
just got called to Ashland, Kentucky, as a assistant pastor music,
over the music there at Holler Baptist Church. And he said they
had a big tent meeting that year, and they got Rothbard to come
in, because the preacher had waited around and didn't find
anybody. Somebody said, I know a fella come here named Rothbard to come
in here and preach. So Rothbard got up to preach, and he looked
back three or four pews, or seats in the tent, and he asked Brother
Henry, and he didn't know who he was from Adam. He said, can
you quote Romans 8, 28? Henry stood up and says, all
things work together for good to them that love God. He sat
back down. He said, is that all it says?
He stood back up and said, that
says something else, don't it? He got back up and says, all
things work together for good to them that love God and others,
called according to His purpose. And old Barney ran out, Purpose! Find out what that means and
you'll know the gospel and God does everything on purpose. There's no accidents happening
in this world. And Him, He went home, and He
said, I got every book I could find out to read, and I found
out. And oh God, that one word, bam! And the fruit had come from that
one time that preacher said something. And that's what I'm talking about.
That's God exercising His right. He exercised it that day. He
exercised it today. And He has this predestinating
purpose before the foundation of the world. Ain't that what
He says here? in Ephesians 1, 4, according as He hath chosen
us in Christ before the foundation of the world. Huh? And He hath made a choice, He
made a selection, He made an election from Adam's fallen race. He predestinated us to the adoption
of children. In verse 5, predestinated us
to the adoption of children. Does that mean that if I was
one of God's predestinated people, does that mean that there was
a chance that I wouldn't be one of the adopted sons of God? Could
it possibly have not happened? Could I have ever done anything
to change God's predestinating purpose? And I ordained Him. I want you
to look at Acts 13.48 again. I got ahead of myself. I'm bad
to do that. I'll just go back and forth,
back and forth. But look again at this Acts 13.48.
Oh my, He predestinated us to be conformed to the image of
His Son. And that's going to happen. That's
going to happen. And that don't mean we're going
to look like Christ. in the sense that we're going to look just
like Him, but we're going to have that sinless nature. We're
going to have that sinless nature one of these days. That's what
it means to be like Christ. We're going to have that eternal
life that we get from Christ. We're going to be without sin
one of these days. We're going to be without this
body. And that's what it means that we're going to be like Christ,
that we're going to be sinless. We're going to be perfect. We'll
never sin again. And Christ was born sinless.
We have to be born again. And then we're going to have
to be changed bodies and taken to glory in order to get rid
of this old body so we won't never sin again. But look how
he said here again in Acts 13.48, And when the Gentiles heard this,
they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord, and as
many as were ordained to eternal life believed. Now, there's four
things here we learn in Acts 13.48. First of all, this is
the first thing we learned, that believing, that faith, is the
consequence, the effect, not the cause of God's decrees. As
many as were ordained to eternal life, they believed. Oh, now
wait a minute. I thought believing is why God
calls God to give you life. No, no. God gives you life. Did
you believe? They were ordained to believe. You know, the day you believed,
the moment you believed, the moment you trusted Christ, the
moment you said, this is it, this is it, this is my salvation. I trust Christ, and that moment
was the day you was ordained to believe. And then look what else, I tell
you that, and not only is it believing, it's the consequence,
not the cause of God's decrees, the ordination of God. And that
word ordained here is the same word as predestination. And there's
another thing about we learn here. A limited number are ordained
to eternal life. He said here, as many as. As
many as. Huh? That don't mean everybody. As many as. Well, how many of
you reckon will be ordained to eternal life? As many as. As many as He ordains to eternal
life, as many as He ordains to believe. And listen here, and
I'll show you something else about this, as many as were ordained
to eternal life. This ordination, this predestination
of God, is not to external privileges. Now, this is what I'm going to
tell you, that this ordination of God, this ordination to eternal
life, is not to external privileges, but to eternal life. People say,
He saved us to serve. That's not what it says here.
As many as were ordained to eternal life, they believed. We are ordained
to eternal life, not to service, but to salvation. And listen to this, not only
as many as were ordained to eternal life, that all, as many as, who
are ordained to eternal life by God, will believe. As many
as were ordained to eternal life, predestinated to eternal life,
every single one of them shall believe. That's why I love preaching the
gospel. People are going to believe. People are going to believe.
That's what I heard somebody say the other day, that Mr. Spurgeon
said, you know, you say you believe only what the electors say. He
said, why don't you go preach to them? If they all had an E
on their forehead, I certainly would. Oh, beloved. That's why it says
that there's a remnant. Romans 11, Paul says there's
a remnant according to the election of grace. And if it's a grace,
then it's no more works. Because if it was works, then
it wouldn't be grace. So there's a remnant according
to the election of grace. And I'll tell you something,
beloved, grace is the cause of God's election. Now, if you've
heard, this is the verse that God used to teach me in the gospel.
As God who has saved us and called us with the holy calling, not
according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace,
which was given us in Christ Jesus, when? Before the world
began. Huh? Grace is the cause of God's
election. Look with me at 1 Corinthians
1, just a minute. 1 Corinthians 1.26. Grace is the cause of God's election.
God has the right to do this and give it to whom He will. There's no cause for us and us
for election. The cause is only found in God.
And look what he says here in 1 Corinthians 1.26. For you see
a calling, brethren, you see this calling. Paul said, you
know, look at your calling. Not many wise men act of the
flesh, not many noble, not many mighty are called. But God hath
chosen the foolish things of the world. Why in the world would
he choose foolish things? Why would he choose the foolishest
of preachers? Why would he put his treasure
in earthen vessels? Why would he send men instead
of angels to preach the gospel? Why would he bypass the learned
men of his day and go save a bunch of fishermen that were ignorant
and unlearned? Why would he choose the foolish?
I'll tell you why. To make the wise, just absolutely
confound them. Doesn't. When he saved Saul and
Tarsus on the road, you know those fellas just scratched their
heads and said, I cannot understand why you'd save a man like him. When they saw Peter, James, and
John preaching, all them wise fellas said, oh, how can it possibly
be that these hells are preachers and we've been to school all
our lives, but God's blessing them? He does it just to make
a wise man look like a fool. And, oh, beloved, then God hath
chosen the weak things. Oh, my, how weak are we? How weak are we? How weak are
we? Hmm. Oh, listen. Why did He choose
weak things like us? Why did He use Weak things like
people would call the Word, the Scriptures. Why would He use
weak things? Why would He do that? To make
the mighty just absolutely confound Him. That's why He does it. Oh
my. Now I want you to notice this,
and look what he says, and he chose in verse twenty-eight,
"...based things of the world, and things which are despised
hath God chosen. Yea, and the things which are
not," things that don't even come on the radar screen, things
that are just absolutely, as far as the world's concerned,
are nothing. to bring to naught the things that really think
they're something. And why does He do this? That no flesh should
glory in His presence. And you notice it says here three
times, God hath chosen, God hath chosen, God hath chosen. Why
did he choose? He didn't go to town and say,
I'm going to hire, I'm going to call that businessman there,
he knows how to run affairs, he knows how to manage money,
and I'm going to get, I'm going to get that PhD, that doctor
of philosophy, and that doctor of language, he said, knows all
these languages, I'm going to get him up and let him preach,
and he'll be able to explain the Greek to them, he'll be able
to explain the Hebrew to them, and them folks will just be mesmerized. You ever heard anybody get up
and try to explain the Greek and the Hebrew? They're wasting their
time with me. Absolutely wasting their time. There's a time and a place to
emphasize something. Yes, there is. But to do it every
single time, they don't. That's why God gave us English
Bibles. He said, well, we should read it in English. If He wanted
us to know Greek with it. He said, if you want to hear
somebody preach in Greek, go down to Greece. But that's what
I'm telling you. He bypassed all these people.
That's what they said about our Savior. Where in the world did
this man learn, where did he get this wisdom, having not learned
in letters like us? That's what they were astonished
at. That's why the Scripture says that common people heard
Him gladly. But God hath chosen, God chose the weak, the foolish,
and the nothings. to absolutely calm down the somethings,
the mighty, and the strong. Oh, bless His name. Ain't you
glad He done that? And He adjusts to glorify Him
in His grace. God's ways are absolutely opposite
to our ways. You and I would go out here and
say, boy, I'll tell you, and how many times have folks said,
boy, if the Lord ever saves him, if He saves him, boy, God can
really use a man like that if He's saving him. Oh, no, no. God don't think He'll save anybody
because He can use it. Oh, God, everyone's saved me,
so I'm going to show them what a Christian really like. Oh,
I'm sure you will. I'm sure you will. God's ways
are after Starway. The natural mind would have made
the absolute opposite choice, wouldn't it? That's why now everybody
wants a doctor. Every church nowadays, the bigger
they are, they want a doctor. They want a doctor, don't they
get it? They want a doctor. But most of these doctors wouldn't
even make good nurses. But that's what they want. They
want these people with education for their name. And it's wonderful. I'm not downplaying
that. I wish I had a heapsight more
than I do. But the natural man makes the opposite choice than
what God would do. Absolute opposite choice. Ain't
that right? Look in Luke 16, just a moment.
Luke 16. Man, man would make, the natural
man would make, would you, just let me ask you this. If you were
choosing somebody to be saved, and to honor and glorify the
Lord Jesus Christ, would you have chose yourself? If you could have chose somebody
that's got no claim to fame whatsoever,
would you have chose yourself? And I tell you what, that's why
this business of salvation belongs to the Lord. We don't know. God
knows. And He knows all His people.
Look here in Luke 16, verse 15. Oh, God's ways are just absolutely
opposite to ours. And He said unto them, Ye are
they which justify themselves before men. But God knows your
hearts. For that which is highly esteemed
among men is abomination in the sight of God. bragging, bragging, bragging,
bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging,
bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging,
bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging,
bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging,
bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging,
bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging,
bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging,
bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging,
bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging,
bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging, bragging The purpose? The adoption of children by Jesus
Christ himself. The purpose? To obtain an inheritance. The motive for God doing that?
In love, having predestinated us under the adoption of children. That doesn't sound like an unjust
or a mean God to me, does it to you? In love, having done
that? Look at 2 Thessalonians 2.13.
Is it getting too cold in here for
you all? I'll turn it off if you want me to. Look in 2 Thessalonians
2.13. Three things we learn here about
God's power and grace. God's sovereignty of the Father
in salvation. He says, But we are bound to
give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the
Lord. Oh, how many times I say that.
Beloved of the Lord. Because God has from the beginning
chosen you to salvation through thanksification of the spirit
and belief of the truth. Three things. First of all, God's
elect are chosen to salvation. Chosen to salvation. Not to service,
not to some privilege, an external privilege that we get that makes
us something. God's elect are chosen to salvation.
And the second thing we learn that he uses means. What's the
means? Sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth.
You reckon God ever used a lie to save anybody? It's through
sanctification of the spirit and belief. God uses means. He purposed the end through the
means. He ordained us to eternal life,
but the means that He uses is the sanctification of the spirit
and belief of the truth. He ordained the means that's
going to bring us to that place. And God's election for us is
a reason for praise. That's what Paul said in verse
13, that we're bound always to thank God. Always to give thanks
to God. I tell you, you find anybody
gets mad at election, or afraid of the blessed doctrine of predestination,
and God's electing grace, oh, true believers rejoice in it,
give thanks for it, and blesses God for it, for without it, No
salvation? Without it, no salvation? Oh, let me show you one more. I'm about done. Look over here
in 2 Peter 1. Oh, this is wonderful. We're
talking about the Father. Next week, we'll talk about the
Son. Sovereignty of the Father. He has the right, and He exercises
that right. He never intended to save everybody. And I'll tell you what, if I thought for a minute that I might not be one of them,
I'd start crying out to God right now. Knowing God's absolutely
sovereign, that salvation belongs to Him, and He gives it to whom
He will, I'd start crying out right this minute, Lord. It belongs
to You. It's Yours. You can give it to
whom You'll give it. But I sure would to God that
you'd give it to me. I would. That's what I'd do.
And look here what he says in verse 2. 1 Peter chapter 1. Elect according to foreknowledge
of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit unto the obedience
of the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. First of all,
we see here that election is by the Father. elect according
to the foreknowledge of God the Father. And the election is before
the Spirit's work, and the Spirit's work is before their obedience. Now, notice what he says here.
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God. That foreknowledge of
God the Father is based upon him actually knowing the person,
knowing them intimately. He said, I know my sheep. I call
them by name. I lay down my life for the sheep."
When he talked to Paul on the Damascus road, he said, Saul,
Saul, Zacchaeus, Zacchaeus, Lazarus, Lazarus, bring him over here. He knows his people's names.
And he said, he foreknew us. And because he foreknew us, he
chose to steal. Christ was delivered by the permanent
counseling foreknowledge of God. For whom he knoweth, foreknoweth
him he also called according to his purpose or his decree.
And, O beloved, look what it says here now. Through sanctification
of the Spirit, Election comes first, then the sanctification
of the Spirit. And then after the Spirit sets
you apart, then you're brought to the obedience of the sprinkling
of blood of Jesus Christ. It's not the other way. People
say, come to the sprinkling of the blood, then you'll get paid,
and then God'll save you. No. God elects, then He sanctifies,
and then the sprinkling of the blood. He sets us apart to those things.
Oh, beloved, knowing in the Scriptures is used in the sense of intimacy,
approval, love. Paul says, you know, they that
love God the same are known of Him. They that are loved of God
the same are known of Him. And I tell you, beloved, whom
He loves. And who did He choose? Why did God choose whom He did?
Why did He choose you? Why did He choose me? Why does
He choose him? Why does He do it? It says, "...because of Ephesians
1, 6, 4, because it pleased Him to make you His people, according
to the good pleasure of His will." Now, I'm going to tell you something.
Nothing outside His will is the cause of our salvation or our
election. Nothing outside His will. is
the cause of it. Did he foresee they would believe?
Well, the Scripture says that they believed through grace. The cause of our election, the
cause of our salvation, the cause of everything that God does for
us lies within Himself, not the objects of His choice. He chose the one He did because
He chose to do it. That's all you say about it.
Is that not right? Sons, we are by God's election,
who on Jesus Christ believe, by eternal destination. Sovereign
grace we now receive, Lord, thy mercy. Doeth grace and glory
give. Let me give you four reasons
why salvation is of the Lord, why it's of God. Only God, who
is all-wise, could devise a salvation to save sinful men. Only God
has the power to apply that salvation, and only God can sustain this
salvation, and only God can bring it to its consummation to be
with Him in glory. That's why salvations of the
Lord. Ain't you thankful that it is?
I am thankful that it is. I'm going to lay down tonight
knowing that my salvation has nothing to do with me but everything
to do with Him. I'm going to face tomorrow knowing
that my salvation's with the Lord. And by His grace, I'll
call on Him. By His grace, I'll trust Him.
By His grace, I'll read His Word. By His grace, I'll treat people
right. By His grace, I'll love and pray
for those of you here. But, beloved, none of those things
have nothing to do with my salvation. It's because I am saved. And
God chose me and made me a vessel that we do these things. That's
the reason we do them. That's the reason we do them,
amen. We can't do any less. We can't
do any less. We can't do any less. If God
so loved us, we can't do any...