Alright, turn with me to the
book of Jeremiah chapter 24. Jeremiah chapter 24. I will read the whole chapter.
I will not mention every verse. But as I was reading through
the book of Jeremiah, when I came across this chapter, some things fail in place. Jeremiah chapter 24. Now, before
I read, when you begin to read the book of Jeremiah, what we
are actually reading, especially in the first 10, 20 chapters,
are Jeremiah's messages that he preached to Jerusalem and
Judea. And then later, some way or another,
God had Jeremiah compile these things in a book. These are individual
messages in many cases, and they're compiled in here by God through
Jeremiah. And here is one of the things
that Jeremiah sing. Jeremiah 24, the Lord shoot me. And behold, two baskets of figs
were set before the temple of the Lord. Remember, nothing is
insignificant. Set before the temple of the
Lord after that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had carried
away Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah. So this lets us
know when this took place. Jeremiah's clear, it's after
this event took place. King of Judah and the princes
of Judah with the carpenters and smiths from Jerusalem and
had brought them to Babylon. One basket had very good figs,
even like the figs that are first ripe. And the other basket had
very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad. And let me stop and say, because
I'm not gonna deal with this in particular, the good figs
are not good based upon their own doing. the good figs are
good by an act of God. Because as you will see, if you
read the book of Jeremiah, the good figs deserve the Babylonian
captivity because of their sin. That's the whole of the book
of Jeremiah. But there were these other, this
was this other basket of very naughty figs which could not
be eaten, they were so bad. Then said the Lord unto me, what
seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, figs, the good figs,
very good. Only one time this is ever mentioned
in scripture, and that is when God Almighty creates something,
and that was originally in the beginning, and God said concerning
man, he is very good. And then man fell. And all of Adam's posterity fell
with him. and we are no longer very good
by nature. But in Christ, we are created
very good. And the evil, very evil, that
cannot be eaten, they are so evil. I'm not a big lover of
figs. I suppose, though, if a person
who does enjoy figs quite well ever got a hold of some rotten
figs as compared to some very good figs, they'd have some idea
of what Jeremiah's talking about here. And I'm not gonna suppose
to try to give you something to help you understand that.
But then look, and again, the word of the Lord came unto me
saying, thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Like these
good figs, so God is teaching Jeremiah and us a lesson with
this vision he gets of these two baskets of figs. Like these
good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive
of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of
the Chaldeans for their good. Now, not because of their good.
They were going into Babylon because of their sin. But they're going into Babylon
because of their sin. Is God working this for their
good? Now I know some people don't
like that, but that's just the way it is. Even the sin of God's
people, God will work. I said God will work it for their
good. Because there's something else
that goes along with that. That's the work of God. for their
good. For I will set mine eyes upon
them for good, and I will bring them again to this land, and
I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them
and not pluck them up. But let me tell you something,
this is not simply about a piece of real estate. This is not an example, no, wrong. This is not a type or a symbol
of how God saves his people. This is an actual example of
how God saves his people. Because look about those who
are going to be brought back. Verse seven, and I will give
them an heart to know me. This is much more than just returning
back down to Jerusalem to build some physical temple. and I will
give them in heart to know me, that I am the Lord, and they
shall be my people, and I will be their God, for they shall
return unto me with their whole heart. Now go back and read about
those people, and you think, well, how can that be? Because
God said so. It ain't how you and I view it, it's how God views
it. That's what it is. It's how God views it. And as the evil figs, which cannot
be eaten, they are so evil. Surely, thus saith the Lord,
so will I give Zedekiah, the king of Judah, and his princes,
and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and
them that dwell in the land of Egypt. Let me stop a moment. The whole of the first part,
especially of the book of Jeremiah, is this. You are going into captivity
because of your sins. The good figs acknowledged that
fact. The bad fig says this is not
so. Jeremiah is a false prophet and
they even put him in prison because of it. They were trying to avoid
the Babylonian captivity. God through Jeremiah saying the
Babylonian captivity is coming. Bow down to Nebuchadnezzar. That's
right. That's what God through Jeremiah
was saying to Israel. You're going into captivity because
of your sin. You will be under the auspices
of an evil king, because God said so. Now bow down under it. But the evil fig said, we will
not bow. Oh, we're the people of God. Israel is our name. We worship
at the temple. And notice Jeremiah sees this
vision where? At the temple. What they were doing, the bad
figs, is they were mixing the worship of God with the worship
of this world. And that's not my intent here
this morning either. This is how all religious men and women
do who profess the name of Christ but do not teach free reigning
grace. They are mixing the religion of Christ with the religion of
this world. And they are bad figs. But look at what this second
group, this evil fig, these naughty figs, and I will deliver them
to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt. You see it? To be a reproach
and a proverb, a taunt and a curse in all places whither I shall
drive them and I will send the sword the famine and the pestilence
among them till they be consumed from off the land that I gave
unto them and to their fathers. Sounds a little contrary to what
God said to Abraham back yonder, didn't it? Yes or no? Be honest now. Don't try to play
your doctrinal theological accuracy before this group. It just won't
work. You'll have to come up to me
later with one of your catchphrases. Huh? I give this land to your
seed. God said to Abraham, did he not?
Who was the seed? It wasn't the people. It was
the son. The land belongs to him. not
to you or me or a Jew or an Israelite. It belongs to him and everything
he did in his first advent, where did he do? In that land. Rarely
did he even go out of that land. Did he? What did he do in his
first advent? Joe, that's where he parked himself.
That's where he parked himself. Here, Jeremiah has shown God's
distinguishing purpose of deliverance. And this is not a type or a symbol.
This is a prophecy of God Almighty's actual grace. Think about it. It was a literal prophecy concerning
the Babylonian captivity and national Israel's continuance,
but only under Judah. Only under Judah. Remember the nation had been
divided long before this took place. Only under Judah. And why did Israel as a nation
continue? Why did they continue? Was it
because of land? Was it because of houses? Was
it because of figs and grapes and milk and honey? No, it was
because the Messiah himself was to be born in a little town called
Bethlehem Euphrata, and that's why they were brought back into
the land. Because the messianic promises were all centralized
in that land. That's just the facts. If you
read the book of Jeremiah, God says, I'm tired of repenting.
And I'm not here trying to explain that to you. Well, that doesn't
fit our sovereign grace theology. Yes, it does. You just don't
have the capacity to lay down before it. There's no, there's
no, God's different. About to say it wrong. God's characteristics are never
at odds with one another. And God said through Jeremiah,
I'm tired of repenting. God's, I'll wipe you all out.
Other than for my covenant. I would. And it was the covenant
of the Messiah. It wasn't about the covenant
to men. It was the covenant of the Messiah. Else God would have wiped them
out. Just like he did with Abraham.
I'm sorry, Moses. Remember Moses didn't circumcise
that one boy of his? And it said God sought to kill
him. God sought to kill him. God's
holiness always comes first before God. It always comes first before
God. But thank God he is such a wise
sovereign that he always works everything out so that his holiness
is never dishonored. That's exactly right. So this
was a prophecy concerning the Babylonian captivity, and yes,
national Israel's continuance but it's also an example of God's
deliverance of all of his elect in every age, and this was an
actual deliverance. That doesn't mean that every
person that returned from Babylon to Jerusalem was saved, but it
means this, that was the remnant. And Jeremiah prophesied about
the remnant. As a matter of fact, this whole
book talks about the remnant, the remnant, the remnant. And
as one pastor said, what is the remnant? It's the leftover stuff
that's discarded and nobody else wants. And God said, that's what
I choose. That's what I choose. Good figs,
that's the elect. I'm not here to try to argue
that. Naughty figs, that's not just the reprobate. It is the
reprobate, it's the religious reprobate. Here directly in the
context, it was the Jewish reprobates. The Jewish reprobates. but specifically
the Jewish reprobates who profess to know God, but yet worship
Baal. And they kind of baptized, if
you will, they kind of give the worship of Baal kind of a Jehovah
ring to it. And they go do it in the temple,
then they run up on the groves and do it there too. Go back
and read the book of Jeremiah, you'll see these things. Three
things here, first of all, both were figs. Both were figs, right? Both groups were figs because
of providential covenant privilege. I will bring this to a head here
in a moment. Both were figs because of providential covenant privilege. Every Jew, because of their covenant
relationship to one another by blood, had specific privileges
far above all of the heathen round about them. They had the
word of God. I mean actual God's holy scripture.
They had the temple of God to worship in. They had the sacrifices. They had the altar. They had
the Ark of the Covenant. They had God's presence, the
Shekinah, glory, the very God himself. It was God who came
down and sat over that box. You know, the very presence of,
that presence that, you remember the angels, Ezekiel seen them
flying around and Isaiah seen it too, holy. Holy, holy. Mason, that very God came down
and sat right over that box, top of that box. These Jews had
great privilege. All of them did. But secondly, they are in separate
baskets. Right? There's two baskets. And
they have distinct states or conditions. Do they not? You
see it? Now this is not my reckoning,
it's what God says about them. The Apostle Paul deals with this
reality. They're all figs, but in separate
baskets and distinct states. And he says this is still true
amongst the Jews. Now you know the passage, Romans
chapter nine. And turn to Romans chapter nine.
Now let me say a couple things. You get upset, that's tough.
I don't apologize for it, it's tough. I will not argue with those who
have said it and still say it. I may still say it, but I want
us to look at how God says it. I've heard men speak of Israel
and they say it's an election within an election. I understand
what they're trying to say. I understand that. But that's
not the way Paul puts it, is it? Turn to Romans chapter nine
and let's read how Paul puts it. We must take his word and
his summary of it because he's inspired of God rather than our
reasons of how we think we ought to state it and how it sounds
good and how it helps me understand it. Doesn't matter if it helps
you understand it, you're understanding wrong if you're stating it wrong. In Romans 9, I say the truth
in Christ, I lie not. My conscience also bearing me
witness in the Holy Ghost, that I have continual heaviness and
continual sorrow in my heart. And Paul said, I'm serious about
this. This is how I feel. And I'm not going into trying
to define all this. For I could wish that myself
were accursed from Christ. That's strong language. For my
brethren, my kinsmen, according to the flesh. Who's he talking
about? Jews, Hebrews, Israelites by nature. Those who were born
the seed of Abraham by the flesh. Jewish people. He says, who are
Israelites? But he's gonna change that here
in a moment. You're gonna change that here in a moment. They are
Israelites, naturally, yes. Who are Israelites, to whom pertaineth
the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the
law, the service of God, and the promises. Whose are the fathers,
and of whom, and I want you to notice how he sums it all up,
because that's the most important thing of all. Some men zero in
on all those other stuff. Here's all the covenants. Here's
all the promises. Here's all the law. Blah, blah,
blah, blah, blah. Here's the way Paul sums it up.
Who's all the fathers and of whom as concerning the flesh
Christ came who was over all, God bless forever, so be it. You see it? There's the whole
reason that the Jewish nation was held together for all those
years. for that one end, right there. Right there. Then he says, not as though the
word of God has taken none effect. Here's the way you sum it up.
What about them good figs, bad figs? What about these figs,
but they're in different baskets? For they are not all Israel,
which are of Israel. So it's not an election with
an election, it's a bunch of reprobates among the elect. That's
what it really is. That's the appropriate scriptural
way to state it. Now, a lot of good gospel preaching
men say what I've said before, election with an, I've said it
before, may slip up and say it again, but God help me, here's
the truth. They're not all Israel, which
are of Israel. And go on to look, there is the
reprobate and they're right amidst the elect of God. You see it? Neither because they are the
seed of Abraham are they all children, but in Isaac shall
thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children
of the flesh. These are not the children of
God, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. Do you see it? amongst that Jewish
nation of which all of them had great privilege. All of them
had great privilege, great opportunity. How many prophets did God send
to the heathen? Maybe one called Jonah, you know,
and maybe a few others, but very few, all of these prophets sent
to them, all of this great privilege, and yet they disbelieved and
was in unbelief against God. Paul explains why. They are not
all Israel, which are of Israel. But Paul goes on to let us know
that he even warns us about this concerning the church as well.
Turn to Acts chapter 20. Now the reason I know this is
the church is because he has called here the elders from Ephesus. the elders of the church at Ephesus
to meet him at Miletus. And he says these words in verse
28, Acts 20 verse 28, take heed therefore unto yourselves and
to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers
to feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his own
blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous
wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock." People will
creep in from the outside. Jude warned about that, did he
not? Yes, sir. They'll sneak in just to spy
out your liberty. That's right. All right? Now, that's true,
but that's not always it. Also, look at the next verse,
also of your own selves. Amen. That's solemn. Yes, sir. Isn't it not? Yeah. Also of your
own, can you imagine what those men were thinking about? I don't
know how many of them there were. Whoa. Can you put yourself there? Also
of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things
to draw away disciples after them. That's the same thing he's
talking about amongst the Jews over there in Romans chapter
nine. Right amidst the elect of God, the very church of God,
are these perverse men speaking perverse things, and they rise
up right from your midst. They're not an elect within the
elect. They're the reprobate amongst the elect. That's what
they are. They're the reprobate amongst,
therefore, verse 31, watch. Look. Look. Watch. Oh yeah, look out
there, but you better look here too, instead of your own selves.
Right? Keep an eye out. Grow eyes in
the back of your head. Because they could be sneaking
in from without, and they could be rising up from within. Isn't
that what he says? Therefore, watch and remember.
Ah, you know, God's in charge, he's sovereign, don't worry about
it. You take that attitude, they will overtake you. They will
overtake you. Therefore, watch and remember
that by the space of three years, wouldn't you get tired of hearing
about the same old thing for three years? Therefore, watch and remember
that by the space of three years, I cease not to warn everyone
night and day with tears. And now, brethren, I commend
you to God, and notice he does not say unto his grace. That's
certainly true. but it's more particular than
that, isn't it? And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the
word of his grace. Paul was referring to the Old
Testament scriptures. That's what he was referring
to. Right here defines everything
that we believe and every way we walk. It's in this book and
in this book only. When we take this book, and try
to apply our human wisdom to it, and our philosophy to it,
and try to make it all fit. I tried that for years, folks.
It don't all, I'm telling you, there's not a system in this
world, I don't care what system it is, that fits this world,
this word. Because no man has ever figured
out God theologically. You understand? His ways are,
what does the book say? Past, finding, out. So if any man says, okay, I've
got it now, here's how it all lays out in scripture. They are
lying to you. They are lying to you. And each
passage stands on its own laurels. You understand what I'm saying?
You don't take one passage to explain another. Each passage
means what it means, and then you just take it for what it
means and go with the flow. If it takes me out of my little
box that I put God in and his truth in, then so be it. So be
it. Now, just like it's always been, there's
always been the elect amongst the reprobate. And there's always
been the reprobate amongst the elect. And as to their distinct
states, I'll just for brevity, 1 Corinthians 6, look at it sometime,
verses nine through 11. Paul says, don't you deceive
yourselves. Certain ways of living will damn you forever. Go back
and read it for yourself. 1 Corinthians 6, nine through
11. Be not deceived, fornicators,
adulterers, effeminate. They'll not inherit the kingdom
of God. And such were some of you. We're all figs. Now, if I am a good fig, how
did I get that way? God Almighty made me that way. Well, if left to my devices,
I'd sit out there on the tree or whatever, however those bad
figs came to be what they were. You know, Jeremiah's seen it.
I suppose, Joey, you could probably smell the rot of the one basket
and the other, you know, that one. And it was, you know, how
did the good figs become good? God made them good. And the bad
figs are bad what? By nature. By nature. You see, Paul told Titus, keep
reminding them. Why? Because at one time we were
all hateful and hating one another. Yeah, you're right. 30 some years
ago, I would have not got along with this group. And you wouldn't
have got along with me. You're right. Exactly right.
Couldn't walk together because we weren't agreed. Exactly. We
weren't agreed. Who makes the difference? God
makes the difference. Amen. Never boast. You feel yourself,
you have reason in yourself to believe, or reason to believe
that you are a good fig. Remember, God made you a good
fig. He gets the credit because he
did the work. We're not paying lip service
to God. He's the God of all glory because he gets all the glory.
Now, having said all that, the election and the reprobation,
and that's what we're always talking about here. It really
boils down to all that. We can say there's three kinds
of people on the earth. That's true, but there's really only
two kinds of people on the earth. The elect and the reprobate.
The elect and the reprobate. The election and the reprobation.
I know some people don't like that. Reprobation, some people
think that's really bad people out there. No, reprobation is
this, God Almighty rejects you. That's what the reprobate, God
Almighty rejects you. The election means God Almighty
didn't reject you. He received you. He chose you. He set his heart and mind upon
you. The election and the reprobation was God's purpose of distinguishing
determination. Go back to Romans now, chapter
nine. Now I want to give you something. Before I state this,
several, a few years ago, I made this statement. Now I will explain
it this time. I didn't explain it last time
but I do not give that the onus. The onus was because of rebellion
in someone's heart. I made this statement years ago,
a few years ago, not too long ago but a few years ago. I do
not believe there is one baby in heaven. And I dropped that
phrase and I let it lay right where it was. You remember I
told you sometimes God's ministers just pull the pin on a hand grenade
and just throw it out there and drop it down? It'll make the sissies scatter.
It'll make the reprobate cringe and hate and despise God. And you know what the elect do?
They run for cover. Yeah, they run for cover. Why?
Because it's all a bomb. Now, when I said I don't believe
there's one baby in heaven, I will put it this, I don't believe
there's any 120-year-old paraplegic in heaven either. Now do you
understand what I was trying to say? And yet an individual
said I was preaching that God stoked the fires of hell with
the souls of little babies. Is that not the truth? Had no idea what I was talking
about. But here's the problem. That person really didn't like
the gospel I was preaching, the God I'm preaching, and the redemption
I was preaching, and he finally found him some nail to hold on
to and pull on. That's the way the reprobate
do. That's the way they do. You see, look at it. Now the
reason I said that because I was accused by that same person.
He always preaches from Romans chapter nine. So since I'm preaching
on Romans nine quite a bit here, I figured I'd throw that in. Now listen, Verse nine now, for
this is the word of promise. At this time will I come and
Sarah shall have a son. It did not depend upon Abraham
or Sarah. They were both unable. To be blunt, Abraham could not
produce sperm and Sarah's ovaries were basically gone. She had
no egg to be fertilized. She was barren, unable to bear
children. On top of not only that, they
were both past the age of Mary. Isn't that what the book says?
So it wasn't dependent upon them, it was dependent upon who? God. For this is the word of promise.
At this time, think about the Babylonian captivity. You're
going into bondage, but 70 years later, you are coming out. All
of God's elect are in bondage. We're all under the reign of
an evil, wicked king. We walk according to his dictates
by nature, don't we? And yet God has a time for each
and every one of us to be what? Delivered. Delivered. For Abraham and Sarah, it was
a set time for Isaac to be born. For the elect Jews that had been
carried off to Babylon, it was 70 years. The Apostle Paul put
it this way concerning our individual calling out, when it pleased
God. For this is the word of promise,
that this time will I come and Sarah shall have a son. And then he just kind of drops
that. You see it? He just drops that. He just like,
look what it bombs. There it is. Deal with it. And
not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even
by our father Isaac, and all of a sudden we see this parentheses
in our English, because here's the explanation. Now when it
comes to the election, it is absolutely unconditional. As well as the reprobation, the
rejection. Look, for the children being
not yet born, that tells you when, neither having done any
good or evil, that will tell you the foundation that it's
not based upon. Right? It doesn't tell you the
foundation that it is based upon, but it's not based upon any good
or evil in these two boys. Right? Being not yet born, neither
having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according
to election might stand. Not of works. Any kind of works. Good, evil, whatever. 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. If you go on and read it, and
Paul goes on to say, this is just the way it is. Good enough? It's not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. but election and reprobation
are not ends in themselves. You understand now? Election
and reprobation are not ends in themselves, but they are rather
the determinative decrees that assure the means to the end. In other words, reprobation assures
means just destruction because of sin. Destruction is not based just
upon some arbitrary will of God. Destruction is based upon the
wrath of God and men and women being fitted, that's what he
says, fitted to destruction. Anybody that goes to hell deserves
to go to hell. Anybody that perishes under the
wrath of God and is destroyed, they deserve to be destroyed.
Just like Israel of old that rejected the captivity and fought
against Nebuchadnezzar, God wiped them from off the face of the
earth and they deserved it. But the elect, though they deserve
captivity because of their sins, they bowed down because they
admitted, oh, we've sinned against God. And they bowed down to Nebuchadnezzar. Carried away captive. But when
the appointed time of God in grace came, what did he do, Joe?
He delivered. And I mean, he didn't just, he
said, I'd do it for their good and their spiritual good as well. This wasn't, this is not, well,
God's got an earthly people that's called Israel and God's got a
heavenly people that's called the church. No, I've said that
before. I've preached that before. That's
not the truth. because every Gentile, though
they be a wild olive branch, they have been grafted into the
root stock of Israel, who is indeed true Israel, the elect
of God. Every other Israelite, because
of what unbelief, not because God just arbitrarily wants to
damn some folk, but because of unbelief, breaks them off. Does
that know what the book teaches? And I've been grafted where?
Into that. That makes me a part of Israel. Yes or no? So when a man tells
you the church and Israel are separate, they're lying to you
because they really don't know who Israel is. They're not all Israel which
are of Israel. True Israel's always been the elect of God.
The elect of God. Now that doesn't change anything
about where I stand when it comes to millennialism. That's just
the way it is. It's just the way it is. But
I'll tell you this, God doesn't have this earthly people, these
blessing with real estate and houses and grapes. Even big bundles
of them that you have to carry between two guys. Think about it. Here's gonna
be another one of them statements. You get upset with me, just be
upset. You better study what you're talking about before you
come at me with your little swear words. Because I know what I'm
talking about here. Somebody says God promised the
land. Yes he did, I done told you, he promised the land to
Christ. He's the seed singular, right? Here's the second thing.
Does anybody believe that circumcision, physical circumcision of a male's
parts, private parts, does anybody know, do you believe that that's
supposed to be an eternally practiced covenant? No. No, it definitely is not. But it is stated to be an everlasting
covenant. And it's always a covenant. It
didn't say it's to be everlastingly practiced. It's an everlasting
covenant. And that's the same thing he said about the land.
Anyhow, you've noticed that he, God Almighty, circumcision came
before the law. But we know it has nothing to
do with redemption because God incorporated it into the law.
Right? The land's the same way, folks. I had Penny look it up for me
this morning. On the way up here, just to make sure I remembered
correctly. What was it again? Exodus 20, wasn't it, Penny?
Exodus chapter 20, verse 12. Now look at what it says. God promised that land to his
son. And I'll just leave it right
there. Because that's all I know about it. But look at what he
says. Honor thy father and thy mother.
What's that? That's law. Yes, sir. Is that
not law? That's law. That's as law as
law can get. That's the law's kind of law. That's mosaic law.
That's mountain law. That's Mount Sinai law. That's
law law. Honor thy father and thy mother
that thy days may be long upon the land. Now when it comes to
us, when it comes to men, when it comes to Jews, their promise
to the land was based upon what? Doing the law. Did they? No. No. So this idea God's got this earthly
people and he's blessing them through law keeping, he's got
this spiritual heavenly people that God's blessing them in Christ,
that's all a lie, folks. It's all a lie. And the only
way I could ever even hope of living in a new Jerusalem, wait
a minute, what did I say? New Jerusalem? I thought they
were giving that land forever. Why's it gotta be a new one?
Because it's an old covenant. And there's a better covenant.
Remember I mentioned this to you all a few months ago, but
I've been looking at this for some time now, there's a better
covenant based upon better promises. 10-4? Huh? You understand what
I'm saying? It's all in Christ. And Joe,
the very fact that there's gonna be a new heavens and a new earth
and a new Jerusalem, lest we know it has nothing to do with
the one exists now. Why? Because it's got to be. But my
only hope of being in that new Jerusalem, Joe, is in Christ. It's in Christ. It's the fact
that he was promised that he's gonna sit upon that throne, not
for a thousand years, but forever. Forever. Yes, sir. When you bow to the Word of God
and just bow to what it says, it's like, there it is. There
you go. No, I don't understand how everything
fits together. I don't understand how everything
fits together concerning Jesus Christ's incarnation and His
living 33 and a half years on this earth and never sinning
against God. Yeah, that's right. Can you explain
that to me? None of us can. None of us can. You see, reprobation assures
men's just destruction because of sin. Romans 9, let me read
it. What if, verse 22, what if God,
willing to show his wrath, what, just arbitrarily? God's just
gonna be wrathful and he gonna damn some people. No, that's
not what it's talking about. What if God, willing to show
his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much, what? Long suffering. Now if something's
righteous, God don't have to suffer with it. Does it? It's
because it's an unrighteousness here he's dealing with. Endured
with much long suffering, the vessels of wrath, what? Fitted
to destruction. Every one of those Jews that
God, I mean, they ended up, you remember when the city was besieged,
lamentation, Jeremiah speaks of, they boiled their own kids
in pots to eat because they were starving to death. Why? Because
of unbelief, they refused to bow to the captivity in Babylon. And we'll stick this thing out
and we will deliver ourselves by our own hands. And that's
why God said, curse be the man that trusteth in the arm of the
flesh. Amen. He said, these people in chapter
eight, verse 12, they got no shame in their corruption. That's
the bad figs. You know what the good figs,
they have shame. Neil, the good figs have sin. And they're ashamed
of it. They're ashamed of it. Watch
the people on TV. Listen, no, don't really do that.
I'm saying if you did. They got no shame in their sin. Oh yeah, maybe if you talk about
child molestation, maybe, I was gonna say homosexuality, but
that one's kinda, you're coming out of the closet now on that
one. Listen, men have no shame in their sin. What's that mean?
You reprobate. Go back and look at Romans one.
Oh, God help me. It's good to be ashamed of your
sin. Isn't that a good thing to be ashamed of your sin? And
in our day and so-called religion, that's the one thing y'all not
be ashamed about. But we're all human, don't you
know? We all make mistakes, don't you know? Know the soul that
sinneth, it shall die. And thank God our representative
died that death for us. But let me tell you, election
assures men's finding mercy for gracious prior preparation. Look at it, here's the next one.
There are the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. They deserve
the destruction. They deserve the wrath. And that
he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of
mercy, that's the good figs, which he hath afore prepared. under glory. Election is not
your hope. Election assures your hope. I mean, I've heard people telling
people this and I've heard others who know people who've told,
well, if you're one of the elected, it'll be okay. That's deceptive. Technically it's true. If you're
one of the elect, you're going to be okay. But why? Because
God will afford. Prepare you to mercy He'll put
you in bondage in Babylon so that you have nowhere else to
turn but to him He will shut you down to yourself And force
you to run to Jesus Christ. Hmm. Oh Don't lean upon election
lean on Christ. Oh And don't be ashamed because
you're ashamed. You ought to be ashamed. You
ought to be ashamed. If you have no shame in your
sin, you got a problem. And yet people will try to make
you feel bad because you're ashamed of your sin. Isn't that sad? But that's exactly what Jeremiah
was warning these Jews about. Listen, captivity's coming. Fight against it and God will
wipe you out. Right? Captivity's coming, bow down,
and there will be deliverance. So in effect, Mason, it wasn't
simply bowing to captivity, it was bowing to God's word. Bowing
to justice. Bowing to God being honored.
Bowing to his son being glorified. Why? Because just immediately
before this, what had Jeremiah prophesied? Chapter 23, verse
5, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord. I will raise unto David
a righteous branch, and a king shall reign and prosper, and
shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days, Judas
shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely. And this is his
name, whereby he shall be called the Lord, and aren't you glad
for this next word? The Lord, our righteousness. His name is that he's my righteousness.
Isn't that glorious? His name is, he's my righteousness. And then people say, well, Jeremiah
was probably into some trance and writing. Jeremiah knew there's
one coming. Just like Adam and Eve were looking
for one to come. Wasn't it? Just like old Joseph
was looking for one to come. Was it not? And just like that
man, Simeon was looking for one to come. Was he not? Plus he
knew this Old Testament book. And he knew that was gonna be
a young male child. Why? Because this book says so.
And God opened his eyes to see that. So that when he picked
up the late day old baby, that his parents had brought him to
be circumcised, and he picked up the late day old baby and
held him in his arms, he said, Lord, now you can let your servant
depart for mine eyes have seen thy salvation. A little baby
right here, that's it. That's it. Both baskets of figs face judgment. Didn't they? Both baskets of
figs face judgment. Judgment had to come. Sin must
be dealt with. And this says something also
about our chastisement, and I don't have time to deal with that.
When God chastens you, don't look for a way out of it. Just
bow down under it. He will deliver you from it once
it's done its work. If you sin against God, he's
going to correct you. And Paul read it, it'll be grievous. But just bow down. Don't look
for ways to get out from under it. Bow down till God opens up
the way before you. That's what it's all about. The
one basket faced Babylon in captivity because of their sin, yet it
would be to their spiritual good by free, gracious deliverance
from captivity. Isn't that what we read in Jeremiah
chapter 24? God said, I will deliver them.
I will deliver them. But the other, the other who
refused to submit to captivity, God said, they will be destroyed.
Right, that's what he said. You reject captivity, you reject
bondage, then you deny God's word about your sin. Exactly.
That's what it is in effect doing. We don't deserve captivity. We're
gonna fight against this. God said, I'll wipe you out.
That's right. But those who bow down said, we deserve this. Yes,
sir. And you know what God told him? Go down in the land and
start building houses. Down there in Babylon. Yeah. Have your sons marry daughters,
and have your daughters marry sons, and grow. Prosper. Pray for the nation that you're
in. Is that not what he said? Go back and read what Jeremiah
prophesied. Pray for that nation. Pray for the prosperity of it.
You're coming out. You're coming out. You see, nothing
we go through in this world as good things is for our hurt.
It's all for our good. It's all for our good. I don't
have to explain how it is. God just says, it will be. Right? I know they hung their harps
on the willows, but God said, deal with this. This is the way
it's going to be. And you got your old sinful nature
in it, you can't get rid of it. You can't. At best, we can mortify
its members, some appendages. Beat on them, beat them, beat
them down, beat them down, but you can't get rid of the old
man. He's a part of what you and who you are. Bow down unto
God, boy. Look to Christ in it. Trust Christ
in it. It will be okay. You hear what
I said? It will be okay. First of all,
notice they are aforeprepared to glory. And our minds automatically,
mine does too. I'm sure yours does to some degree.
We look to the end, the eternal state, right? Isn't that true? Aforeprepared to glory. Now that's
true. That's true, but turn to 2 Thessalonians, and we will
see that glory is not just some distant, far distant future thing. 2 Thessalonians 2, and we're
gonna see right here the same subject that I've been preaching
to you about the past hour. That verse 12, 2 Thessalonians
2 verse 12, Verse 11, for this cause God
shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie,
that they all might be damned. Why? Just because he wants to
damn some folk? No. Who believed not the truth. but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we're bound to give thanks
all the way to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the spirit and belief of the truth. Whereunto he called you
by our gospel to the obtaining, that's in the present tense,
to the obtaining of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. You've already obtained the glory
of God. Don't look at yourself for it. Look to your representative. Yeah, that's it. Look up. Set your affections
where? Up there. You see, glory is not
just something we're waiting for way down yonder. Glory is
something God's already prepared us for, and he's already brought
it to us, and now just bringing us, and Paul puts it this way
in 2 Corinthians, from glory, To glory. And that's the way
Paul puts it. From glory to glory. And I'm
done.