Sovereign Grace Glory

Q: What does the Bible say about sovereign grace?

The Bible teaches that sovereign grace is God's unmerited favor granted to those He chooses, displaying His authority and will in granting eternal life. Sovereign grace refers to the doctrine that God's grace in salvation is freely given according to His sovereign will, rather than being based on human merit or decision. Scripture, particularly as seen in John 17:1-2, emphasizes that Christ was given authority over all flesh to grant eternal life to those whom the Father has given to Him. This highlights the particular and effective nature of salvation, where God's grace is not seen as an offer to all, but as a decisive action taken by God who chooses whom to save. The sovereign nature of grace affirms that it is entirely God's work, emphasizing His glory and sovereignty in the salvation process.

Q: How do we know predestination is true?

Predestination is affirmed in Scripture, indicating that God chooses certain individuals for salvation before they are born. The doctrine of predestination is heavily supported by various biblical passages that convey God's sovereign choice in salvation. Ephesians 1:4-5 states that God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, illustrating that salvation originates from God's initiative rather than human choice. Additionally, John 17 reinforces this idea by depicting Jesus as praying specifically for those given to Him by the Father. The notion of predestination aligns with the understanding of God's sovereignty, where He is in control of all things and actively chooses those whom He will redeem, emphasizing the glory and majesty of His grace.

Q: Why is God's sovereignty important for Christians?

God's sovereignty assures Christians that He controls all circumstances and has a divine plan for their salvation. Understanding God's sovereignty is crucial for Christians as it reassures them of His ultimate authority over all creation and the specific events in their lives. It emphasizes that God's purposes cannot be thwarted and that He acts in accordance with His will (Romans 8:28-30), ensuring that all things work together for the good of those who love Him. Furthermore, God's sovereignty in the context of salvation means that it is God who draws people to Himself, granting them the gift of faith and repentance, which showcases His mercy and grace. This truth encourages believers to trust in God's plan and sovereignty during trials and uncertainties, validating their hope in His promises.

John chapter 17. I know we've preached out of these verses quite a bit. Time's passed. And that's all right, I think. Can't exhaust God's word. And it's always good to hear it. But I'd like to look at the first couple of verses here. talked about this subject matter quite a bit we've preached out these verses quite often but um it's truly amazing the holy spirit give us this um passage of scripture here we get to kind of look and this is actually the lord's prayer you know everyone talks about you know our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name is all that the lord's prayer this is actually the lord's prayer Christ praying and what a blessing it is to be able to look in on the prayer that Jesus prayed. You know, we're allowed to sit here and look and listen and ponder upon the thoughts of our Lord as he prayed these prayers before his crucifixion and all thoughts that was going through his head. Not that it was something willy-nilly. I mean, he's God.

He knew exactly what was about to happen, but in the flesh about what he was about to go through and his determination, his dedication, his covenantal promise that he had made as our surety to come and save us and redeem us and everything. All of this here is laid out in this passage and this prayer that he prays. And so we get to look in on all this and we see these are covenantal words. And I don't know, the Lord's really kind of got me on covenant for quite a while, you know, whether it's the ending of the old covenant or the exaltation and the declaration of the new covenant, but this is a covenantal prayer that Jesus is praying here.

He is expressing, and again, Jesus is God manifested in the flesh, right? He is all the fullness of the Godhead dwelling bodily. All of the Father is in him. He is the spirit of God, is his spirit. And so all the fullness of the Godhead is well in him.

And so whenever Christ is praying here, he's not praying to a separate entity that's out there. He's praying to God, who is himself God, but he is praying. And I believe that the reason that he is praying these prayers is so for our benefit. showing us again the relationship of us with him as he is as God's son in the office and role of God's son as his dependence was upon God.

How he came as the surety, as the Messiah, as the anointed one. As he came, the Bible says that he, that he didn't quit being God. The Bible doesn't say that he ceased to be divine, but the Bible says that he took on himself the form of a servant. So he took on the form of a servant while still being God, completely God, totally God, fullness of God. He was no lesser but yet he took on this form and this role of God for the purpose of redemption.

And in doing that also, he also showed us glimpses of relationship that we have with him. Matter of fact, as you go down, we're not gonna read all the verses down here, but you see how he prays for the relationship between us and him as it is with Him and the Father, okay? That His relationship as the Son to God is how our relationship is with our surety, our Redeemer, our Lord, our King. And so Christ has given us a glimpse here in these prayers of this relationship that we have with Him. that we can boldly come to him, that we can come and pour out our heart to him. And so these prayers, I believe, is to show us not that he was deficient in any way, not that he was helpless in any way.

I mean, the Bible says that he could have called a legion of angels to come and to destroy all his enemies at any point. I mean, the Bible says that he has the power over everything, as we're gonna read here in a minute. He has power over everything. He could do, he is God. I mean, we watched before this time period here, we watched all throughout the gospel, Jesus walking on the water, calming the storms, raising people from the dead, healing people of their blindness, of their lame, of their ailments and all the stuff that they have. causing people to see and to not to see. We see Jesus having power over the devils.

And so all of this shows that he is fully God, and he never did lay aside that deity. He just humbled himself. And now here we see him humbling himself once again, and I believe this is for our benefit, is to show us and to teach us how our humility should be towards him. If he, as God, has humbled himself to the divineness that is God, then we should also, as his children, humble ourselves before him and recognize our dependence upon him.

But here in this first part of this prayer, though, we see his covenantal fortitude that he has come for a purpose. We also know throughout all of scripture, God's purpose will always stand. God's purpose is not gonna falter, it's not gonna fail. God's purpose cannot be stopped or thwarted or sidetracked, okay? So Christ is coming in not only obedience to the commands that he has taken on, but he has also come in fulfillment of the covenant that he made himself as God to do for his people.

And so we see that here in this very first portion. Let's go ahead and read the first couple of verses here. It says, these words speak Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, father, the hour has come. Glorify thy son that thy son also may glorify thee. As thou hast given him power over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

Now those are the two verses that I'd like to look at and I kind of draw from that some thoughts about Christ and about his divine nature, some thoughts about his authority, about his power, about salvation, but mainly, brethren, about the blessedness of sovereign grace. Whenever I see these two verses here, I cannot help but think of the blessedness of sovereign grace.

I know that sovereign grace is a controversial doctrine. I know that it is a dividing doctrine. I've seen that in my own life, in my own family, my own friends, past church people. I've seen that within myself. Sovereign grace has brought a divide within my own heart a lot of times. And I think all of us at one time has experienced that and continues to still experience that.

You know, whenever you're dealing with God's sovereignty and God's predestination and things like that, whenever things happen to us and trying to find out, brother, you've told me why, you know, why did, why did God send an eagle down to run into my windshield this morning, you know, uh, you know, whenever we are dealing with things that we don't know why. Sovereign grace can be a very dividing thing to us.

But the fact remains, the Bible is explicit that grace is sovereignly given, that Christ has been placed as the king, he has been placed as the mediator, He's been placed as the redemptor, if that's a word, the redeemer. Redemptor probably wasn't the right word. Redeemer is the word that I was wanting.

He has been placed over all these things. It says right here, thou has given him power over all flesh. So in these verses, we see the purpose of his authority. The purpose of his authority is to what? That I might glorify the father, right? Father, the hour has come, glorify thy son that thy son also may glorify thee. So Christ is praying that the father would exalt the son so that through the son, the son will give exaltation and glory to God so God's purpose as we see here if you'll just kind of sift through all the all the thoughts here and kind of break it down to its to its basis form here God has purpose to glorify himself in the person of Jesus Christ now I've mentioned this two or three times if you go listen to brother Dan O'Dell he's been preaching several messages in a series on this very subject.

God manifesting himself in Christ. Christ being the one who is making the Father known. Christ is the one who is letting us know our relationship to him. Christ is the mediator between God and man. The only mediator. The only mediator between God and man. But his purpose here of this authority that has been delegated into this man, Christ Jesus. And when I say that, now listen, when I say that, I want everybody to understand this. I want everybody listening and watching. I am not separating the manhood and the divineness of God. I'm not separating that.

I'm not saying that he came as just a man and he operated as just a man. I do not believe that in any way. I do not believe that Christ was peccable or mutable. However you want to say, I don't believe that he could have sinned. I don't believe that he could have failed. I don't believe that he was just like Adam. I don't believe that he was anything like it.

The Bible says that he came in the form. of a servant. The Bible says that he took on the likeness of his brethren, but he was different. The Bible says that he came like us, but he is different than us in that the fact that he has no sin. There is no sin in him, no ability to sin in him, no possibility that he could ever sin. Jesus is different than us in the fact that he is God who has manifested himself in the likeness of sinful flesh.

But yet in this flesh, his purpose in coming was not only to redeem his people, but to glorify God. Therefore, all of God is in Christ Jesus because Christ cannot glorify God unless he is on the same par and level as God. Something less level than God cannot be glorified as God. None of us can. We can try to get glory to ourselves, but it's false. We are undeserving of any glory. But God is worthy of all glory. And Christ, in and of himself, in that character and role as the mediator, as the surety, as the substitute, brought full glory to display in who God is.

He has shown us what God is like. He has shown us God in the flesh. If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. He said that everything that I do, everything that I say, everything comes from Him. So you are hearing Him whenever you hear God speak. Whenever I speak, you're hearing God speak. Whenever God speaks, you're hearing me speak. Whenever I act, you're seeing God act. Whenever God acts, you're seeing me act. I am the full representation. I am the full display. I am the fullness of God bodily.

And so he is the one who is bringing glory to God. And we see here in this the purpose of that authority. There is a certainty of salvation that has been given to Christ. We see that there is a particularness of redemption that Christ performs. We see that the glory of the father is accomplished in Christ Jesus. And we see that the effectual nature of eternal life is governed and given and sovereignly bestowed through Jesus Christ. We see all that in two verses of his prayer. And yet we see that what we believe about sovereign grace is so maligned, is so castigated and relegated to a devil's doctrine, to a hated doctrine, to a doctrine of exclusivity that makes us think that we're greater than everybody else.

When in fact, most people who really believe sovereign grace I found they're the most humble people that I've met. And I'm not talking about artificial, superficial, humble people. You know what I'm talking about, people that act like they're humble. I'm talking about they truly know their unworthiness. And they know that there's no difference between me and that person that is not chosen. Nothing has changed in our natures. The only thing that has happened is God has chosen by his divine choice to love me. And he has truly loved us.

And in that love, wrapped up in that love, brethren, is our salvation, is our redemption. In that love comes Christ Jesus because the Bible said that God so loved us that he gave his only begotten son. So why did his son have to come? What's the purpose in his son coming? So that he might save us. And that's the full showing of his love.

The love of God for mankind is to redeem them. through Christ Jesus. So that leads us to this. Well, what about those that aren't saved? Well, what does that say? That God does love those whom he redeems and he redeems them that he loves. Those that he does not redeem, the Bible says that he has not loved.

And that's where the rug comes, is because people say, you're not right in doing that, God. You are not fair. You're not just. And you're surely not being holy by choosing some and not others and not loving somebody. But who art thou, oh man? He replies back to God. Asked the clay, said to the creator, why is thou forming us? See, we don't have the right. Nobody has the right to say, why did you make me this way? Why did you choose one and not another? Why did you not love me?

You know, the Armenians all the time talk about God forcing things on everybody, right? Well, God's just a gentleman. He's not going to force me to do something against my will. but yet they're okay with forcing God to love them. See, they don't want God to force them to love him. That's not true love. But yet they want to hold God hostage and say, you have to love me. And then they think that that's true love.

No, true love is God setting his affection on whomever he wants to set his affection upon. See, I could love any woman in this world that I want to love. but I've set my affection on this woman over here. Every other woman is just like this woman to some degree or another, but I've set my affection on this woman. I've devoted myself to this person because I have the freedom to do that. God is the only one that has the freedom to choose whom he loves and whom he wants to love. He can love and whom he doesn't, He cannot love and still be God.

And Christ here is saying, you have sent me, exalt me. And we're going to see how he's going to be exalted. Exalt me so that I in turn can show people the exaltation and love and greatness and divineness and majesticness and justice and you put all the words there of God.

Listen, whenever you read these first two verses, you cannot, you cannot deny sovereign grace. It's there. It's there for anybody who has eyes to see and ears to hear. For anybody who God has opened up their heart and spiritually given them life and has given them to understand and given them faith to believe. These two verses right here scream sovereign grace. Not forced grace, which is not grace. Not owed grace, which is not grace. Not demanded grace, which would not be grace. Can't demand from God anyway.

No, it's sovereign. Whenever we say sovereign grace, we mean grace that comes freely. If someone is a sovereign, that means he has all rule, all authority, all power, all governance, And if he chooses to do that, that means he's not beholden to anybody or anything and nothing influences him. Matter of fact, isn't that also the name of God, I am that I am? Means the same thing. I am that I am means sovereign. Means nothing affects me to make me do what I ought to do or what I should do or what you want me to do. It means that I do what I want to do, when I want to do it, how I want to do it, to the effect that I want effected. I am the sovereign. I am God. I have purposed all things. I control all things and have the power to make everything submit to my will. That's what sovereign means. But if it's sovereign, if he is sovereign, then that means he is free.

That means the grace that is bestowed is free grace. If you Armenians that are out there want something that's free, then why don't you preach sovereign grace? Because that truly is free. See, you're shackling God that he ought to give you this because he's the God of love. But his love throughout the scripture is always, always evidenced in its particular nature. And it's divine, sovereign, bestowal. God can give when he wants to give, on whom he wants to give.

Notice if you would, verse one there. Father, the hour is come. There was a specific hour. This was his hour. Talked about all through the gospels. Jesus kept saying it. My hour has not come. My hour has not come. My time is not here. It's not time yet. The hour has come.

So that tells me that the coming to the cross and the work that was gonna be done on the cross, the life, the death, the resurrection, all of this was culminated to this one point where Christ would be everything for his people. The fulfillment of all of God's righteousness, he would be the substitute for all of God's people in their sin as he suffered for them. This is the culmination of everything. And so everything comes down to this hour.

This hour, he glorifies God. This hour, God is being glorified in Christ Jesus. Now look at verse two. We're going to see that Christ glorifies God, how he glorifies God, is in the exercise of that authority, of that sovereignty, of sovereign grace. This is why we love sovereign grace. This is Christ displaying His Godship. This is Christ displaying all that God is in His glory. Glorify thyself. How? Glorify thyself and glorify me. And whenever you glorify me, I'm in essence glorifying you.

God is receiving glory here. And how is it that God has chosen to display his glory? As thou hast given him, Christ, power over all flesh. Christ has been given power over all flesh, brethren. So the son glorifying the father is through the authority and power that he has over all flesh. He has power, he has authority, he has dominion. Listen, everything, all governments, that's part of being part of flesh, right? all of these leaders that's out there doing all this stuff in the world all these rulers all these uh synods all these religious orders all the everything that has breath in it christ has authority over it and not one of them is doing anything outside of his authority he has power over all flesh And that is to the glory of God.

This authority, brethren, is not symbolic. Listen, we have a president in this country. He's symbolic, but he don't have authority. It's symbolic. Supposedly, he is symbolic of the authority of the people who chose him. That's not necessarily always true in our case, though, right? But see, that's not true when it comes to Christ. Christ actually does have authority. See, Donald Trump has whatever authority that we have given him and allow him to continue doing. But listen, Donald Trump can't do nothing. Putin can't do anything. The Ayatollah can't do anything. Nobody can do anything. Christ has all authority. Christ's authority also, brethren, is effectual.

That means the authority that's been given to him is not just to be a figurehead, but it is to accomplish a purpose. That's why I was talking about a while ago. This is a covenantal part of the prayer. Christ is reiterating the covenant that he made to save his people. And he's expressing that covenant promise through the fact that it is going to come in the way of giving eternal life, having power over all flesh. Meaning not just that I'm a figurehead, okay? I've been a figurehead on a lot of things in my life, but not had the true authority to do anything about anything.

Christ, no, not him, he has power over all flesh. He has authority over the kings, over the rulers, over the devils, over the angels, over the principalities, and the powers that be, the things that are seen, the things that are unseen. Christ has power. Can you believe that? Listen, I don't care how great Donald Trump thinks he is. He does not have power over things that are unseen. Jesus does. Genghis Khan had a lot of power. Didn't have power over things that are unseen. Didn't have power over devils. Didn't have power over death and life.

Jesus has power over death and life. Matter of fact, what does it say here? Let's go on. As thou has given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life. See, Jesus has been given authority. He's given power over all flesh. that he should give eternal life. This is part of the glory of God. Sovereign grace, giving eternal life, is the glory of God and God alone. And see, that's why we are so dogmatic in our hatred of Arminian freewillism. is because that blasphemes the God of the Scriptures who is all power. Whenever we say that salvation now waits for your decision, your choice, your acceptance, your work of some kind, that has taken the power that Christ was given to accomplish and said, Christ is going to help you, but you've got to finish it.

You've got to put the nail in the coffin. You've got to finish the structure out. It's almost finished. That's what Jesus said on the cross. It's almost finished. Take her from here, kind of like their old relay race, you know. I never run track, as you can tell. But I used to always watch our runners whenever we would run track. And they'd run those relays, and they'd carry a little baton. and you always put your fastest guy there at the end.

He'd be the last one to get the baton. Everybody else has done their business, and then he hands off that baton to that last guy. All right, it's up to you to finish it off. That's kind of how people treat salvation. Christ has done all that he can do. Now it's up to you to finish it off. It's all up to you. to accept the offer. It's up to you to believe on him. It's up to you to do the whatever work you want to do.

But see brethren, he says he has given power over all flesh that he should give eternal life. He has been given the power over heaven and earth. Matter of fact, let's just look at a few verses here. Matthew 28. Matthew chapter 28 and verse 18. And Jesus came and spake unto them saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

So it wasn't just in earth that he had the power. See, he didn't have power over demons just here on earth. No, he had power over all the devils, over all the demons, over Satan himself. before he ever shown anything here on earth. Matter of fact, he's the one who kicked Satan out of heaven. He has power over all flesh. He has power over all things seen and unseen.

Look, if you would, at Colossians chapter one. Colossians chapter one. Look if you would with me at verse 16. It says, for by him, Jesus, were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, Whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created by him. Now, if we would just stop right there, if the Holy Spirit would have just ended it right there. We could say, well, that's true.

He did create a lot of things, but that didn't say that he controls everything. That doesn't say that he makes things do what he wants to do. I mean, there are a lot of men who have created things and their creation has went awry and became something other than what they created it to be. Not here. Not in this case. Not when it comes to Christ Jesus.

Whatever he creates, he creates with purpose. And the Bible says that his purposes cannot be thwarted. His purposes do not fail. That's why we say that Adam falling, quote unquote falling, Adam's sin did not create a plan B. We do not say that Judas's betrayal brought forth a crucifixion. Peter's denial. We do not say that Pharaoh's vacillating will led the children out of Egypt. No, we don't say that. No, God controls it all. God controls it all. Nothing has happened that God has not purposed to happen. And that is the exercising of God's glory, the glory. I can't remember where it's at in Genesis. I'm sorry, not Genesis, it's in Exodus. I want you to see something here, brother, because it definitely ties into what we're saying. Exodus chapter three, verse 14.

And God said unto Moses, I am that I am. And he said, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I am, hath sent me unto you. Now I just mentioned, The word I am that I am, the name I am that I am means sovereign. I will do what I will do. I will be who I will be. Nothing dictates to me anything.

Okay, that's what the word means. That's what the name means, what it implies. But look at verse 15. And God said, moreover unto Moses, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob has sent me unto you. This is my name forever. And this, now pay close attention here, brethren.

What is this? My name. What's my name? I am that I am. Sovereign. Sovereign is my name. What does he say? This is my memorial unto all generations. His name is his memorial to all generations. So in every generation, how does God want to be known as? Sovereign. Wait a minute, I thought God was supposed to be the God of love. He's supposed to be known as God. That's his chief characteristic, his love. Oh, I thought his chief characteristic was holy.

I mean, all the angels are sitting there saying, holy, holy, holy, the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is filled with thy, what? The whole earth is filled with what? Thy glory. Well, what did we just find out is his glory. His memorial to all generations is His sovereignty. And back in John chapter 17 again, we see that the glory that was given unto Christ is that He might have what? All authority, all sovereignty over all flesh. To do what? To give eternal life. So that means God has the power and authority in Christ Jesus to give eternal life. So now I know where eternal life comes from.

It doesn't come from seeking anything. It doesn't come from doing anything. It doesn't come from learning anything or applying anything that I've learned. It doesn't come from a greater heightened sense of awareness within myself. It doesn't come from me doing whatever.

Eternal life comes freely bestowed by the authority that has the right to give it. And that alone, I can't force him to give it to me. I can't beg him to give it to me. I can't back him into a corner so that he'll have to give it to me because God is the I am that I am. He is the sovereign. There is no outside force that causes him to do.

So therefore, eternal life must be freely chosen by him to be given to me. And that is the glory of God. You want to down on sovereign grace? You're downing on the glory of God. You're downing on the work of Christ Jesus in fulfilling the everlasting covenant of glorifying himself through the sovereign grace of redemption. God's purpose from all eternity before the foundation of the world is that Christ be the lamb slain for his people.

And you're saying, I don't want that. I don't want God to choose that. I don't want God to be in control of that. I want God to offer that. And for me to be able to make my own decisions on whether or not I'm going to go that direction or not. It's my destiny. It's my life. It's my choice. I want to choose that. I don't want to be forced in that.

If you force me into that, then that's not genuine love. Will you want me to be loved by God by force? No, Christ has been given Eternal life, but see brethren. The reason that people don't love that is because they come from a different perspective They come from a life motivated by the idol of free will Free will is their golden calf. I Have to have free will or it ain't right. I have to have free will or it ain't true It isn't genuine I'm just a robot. No, you're just clay in the potter's hand formed and fashioned the way he desired you. And you don't want that God. You don't want his salvation. That's the problem.

And the thing is, is nobody would want that if God did not exert sovereign grace. See, what makes people not want that, people that do love that, is sovereign grace. When someone is given eternal life, they now love that. Not because they're chosen and everybody else isn't. No, they love that because now they're given to see, wait a minute, this true salvation, I could have never earned.

I never would have chosen it. I never would have come to it. And that God, the true God of scripture, I would have never bowed a knee to him at all. I despised him. I'm telling that from my own Michael Smith's own life. I despise this God of sovereignty. I just, even though I thought God was sovereign, I despise the God that chose and chose not, who loved and loved not.

I did not care for that God. I would not bow my knee to that God. And I don't know how many friends and family I've heard said, I will not serve that God. A God that will be like that, I will not serve that God. I blaspheme God many times by saying those exact same things.

But what does it say here? This is the glory of God. In the face of Jesus. Thou has given him power over all flesh that he should give eternal life. Brethren, look to who? Give eternal life to who? Christ has the power to give eternal life. I have no doubt about that, that he could give eternal life to every man, woman, and child in the whole entire world that has ever lived and ever will live. Christ has that power. But what does it say? What does the Bible, what does God's word dictate to our thinking about how he does it? To whom does he give it? See, old Mike would have said, well, he gives it to everybody if they want it. It's there for them. They just.

Brother, this is not an offer anywhere in here. You see an offer anywhere in those first two verses or any proceeding? I don't either. Does that negate? Come, you are weary and heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. No, it don't. Not when you take it in context. Not whenever you see who the heavy laden and weary are. Not whenever you know how salvation works according to scripture. Whoever thirsts, let him come. Whosoever will, come. Don't have any problems with any of those verses. I'll preach those all day long. Whenever we have context of scripture, it tells you who the whosoevers are.

Everyone who's been given life becomes weary and heavy laden. What do they become weary and heavy laden over? Their sinfulness, their unworthiness, their depravity, the curse of the law upon their head. They become weary of trying to be righteous, but they can't whenever they see what true righteousness is. And then they become thirsty for the righteousness of Christ. They come and they want to hear about who truly is their righteousness. How they're standing before God is in Christ Jesus. Brethren, I don't have no problem with the whosoevers. But you cannot get around the whosoevers is dictated by this right here.

To as many as Now, we've talked about that phrase before in other places of scripture, right? What is as many as? Does anybody remember the word that I taught you that we use for that? As many as is a what? Collective. Well, that's true. Wasn't quite the word I was looking for, but it is true about that. It is collective. It's a quantifier. You know what a quantifier is? A quantifier tells you a specific amount of people, a particular group of people. It quantifies.

Now it can have a universal nature to it whenever it means this is all of a particular group, right? It's all of a particular group. But even though it's all of a particular group, it's universal in that nature, it's not universal in the extent of everybody everywhere. It's all of that people.

All of Christ's people are given to believe. All of Christ's people are given to repent. In that aspect, he has called all people to believe, all people to repent. What people? All that are given to repent, are given to believe. Because belief and repentance are granted by God, they're gifts of the Holy Spirit.

It's a quantifier. And so here we see this as many as quantifies who has been given eternal life By the authority, Christ Jesus. Who's been given eternal life? By the authority, Christ Jesus. As many as thou hast given him. The ones who was given to Christ. Now, you have two options here. Well, I guess you have three.

Nobody was given to Christ. Everybody was given to Christ. Or some people was given to Christ. If nobody was given to Christ, then Christ was crucified for no reason at all. His death is in vain. God sent his son, bruised him, caused his suffering, caused his grief for no reason.

If everybody was given to Christ, the Bible says, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me. And all that come to me, which is all, I will in no wise cast out, but raise him up at the last day. So if everybody was given to Christ, if that's what this is all about, if everybody's given to Christ, everybody is going to heaven. Everybody is coming to Christ. Everybody will be saved. We'll believe on him. Is that going to happen?

Well, you're either a universalist you're a sovereign gracer. Anything in between is just wishy-washy mishmash. The Arminian is the one who is the least consistent of anybody else. The Universalists, they're consistent. They're just consistently wrong. Those who believe the doctrines of grace, they're consistent and consistently right with Scripture. The Arminian They are not.

They say Christ died for everybody, but not everybody is saved. When the purpose of Jesus coming to die is to save those for whom he died. So you're either saying Christ failed or didn't have any meaning at all. If you're not going to bow the knee to sovereign grace, it's either nobody was saved or it didn't have any meaning, period. Let me ask you this, next time you have a conversation with somebody who believes those things, ask them, did Jesus save anyone particular when he died on the cross? If Jesus saved anyone particular when he died on the cross, that was a particular redemption.

So that means that person is saved, right? because Christ died for them, they are justified. The result of Christ's death is justification, right? Isaiah tells us that. Well, if that's the case, if Christ died for that person, that person is justified.

And you're telling me that Christ died for everybody, so then he didn't save everybody that he died for. That's illogical, and that's not according to the scriptures. You're saying that Christ saved everybody because he died for them. But then you're telling me everyone that he died for, he isn't saved.

That's double-mindedness. The Bible says the double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. Listen, I believe it. He has power. over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him." Brethren, that is particular in nature, that is specific, that is sovereign grace.

God has the choice to give eternal life to whoever. Now, someone might say, well, you know, I think that People can know God without having to have eternal life. They can know him. They don't have to believe sovereign grace to believe him, to love him.

And this is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Hmm. So if I'm given eternal life, I'm given eternal life that I might know the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Well, what did he send him here for? The hour has come, glorify thy son that the son may glorify thee. How has he glorified thee?

If I'm gonna know Christ, this true God, to know the true God, and Christ Jesus is one in the same. I believe that and there doesn't mean two separate people. It's the same person. If I'm to know this God and the glory of this God, I mean, that's what we're here for, right? That's why people come to church is to give praise to the glory of God, to worship the glory of God. Well, here we're seeing that God himself is telling us that His glory is wrapped up in the sovereign nature of His giving eternal life by Jesus Christ. Particular redemption. Election. Irresistible grace.

This right here is sovereign grace in two verses of the prayer of our Lord. That's why I say Jesus Christ preached the doctrines of grace more than anybody. Paul did too, but Jesus preached sovereign grace all the time. Everywhere he went, he preached sovereign grace. And brethren, this right here is no different. He prayed a sovereign grace prayer.

Now brethren, I didn't take this in the direction that I was wanting to go, but the Lord led a different way. But my question is to you, If Jesus has power over all flesh to give eternal life, and then you, on the other hand, say that God wants everybody to be saved, then why doesn't he do that? Why doesn't he do that? Why, if Jesus has the authority and the actual power to give it, It isn't something that you have to do.

He gives it to you. It's a gift. It isn't something that you have to work up in you. It's a gift. He gives it to you. He pronounces it eternal life and you've become alive. The word of God calls into you and you come alive. He has the power to do that. And then on the other hand, you say, well, God wants everybody to be saved. God loves everybody and desires a relationship with them and wants them to be saved.

Well, the only way that they can have a relationship with God is to be spiritually awakened to have that relationship with God. Because the natural man is at enmity with God, doesn't want God, hates God, runs from God. The natural man can't perceive the glorious nature of the true God in Jesus Christ. So the only way that if God loves everybody and wants a relationship with everybody, the only way that God can perform that or make that happen is for Him to give them eternal life. If He doesn't give them eternal life, they can never enjoy the greatness of this relationship. Our relationship with God hinges on God giving us eternal life.

So if God has that power and that authority and has that desire, why doesn't he give it to everybody? You're now at the place of saying you believe that God has all this power. You believe that God can raise somebody from the spiritual death that they have. and you believe that God loves everybody, well, what kind of love leaves the person that he is desiring a relationship in, in spiritual death? Spiritual death is really not the right word, I don't think that should be used, but leaving them dead in their trespasses and sin, not quickening them, not giving them eternal life. Why does God do that? What's your only answer for that?

Well, he gives us the choice. There it is. There it is. Back to the same thing we always come back to. Who is the true sovereign? You are. You think you have to have free will. That is antithetical to the gospel. That is opposite of God's glory. God's glory is freedom to give eternal life to as many as have been given to him. That's his glory. Yet people are standing in pulpits and churches all over this world proclaiming a false Jesus false God, false gospel, false redemption, false salvation that's hinged upon their false free will. It's abomination to God. I am that I am, and this will be my memorial forever to all generations. I call the shots. I do the choosing. I give life to whomever I choose to give life.

And if you can't glorify in that, brethren, you're probably not born from above. If you can't glorify God in that, you can't glorify God in the very thing that Jesus said was the glory of God. The one that you say is your redeemer, the one that you say is your king, the one that you proclaim to bow your knee to in lordship salvation, He's the one that says that's the glory of God and you don't want that glory. He's not your king. This Jesus isn't your king. He's not your Lord. He's not your savior. I have glorified thee on earth. I have finished the work thou gavest me to do.

And now, oh father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had received before the world was. See, Jesus had that glory before the world began. We've just read the verse a while ago, he created all things. All things were created by him and what? For him. By him, what? All things. consists. He has all power, all authority. So why doesn't he give eternal life to everybody? Because he has purposed a purpose that is worthy of himself and out of the hands of everybody else. All right, anybody have any questions or comments? Corrections, review? Brother, you got anything you'd like to share? All right, let's pray.

Father, I thank you today for your marvelous sovereign grace. Father, and by your grace, we hope to continue to declare the glorious of who you are. We pray, Lord, that you would keep us in the faith, that you would give our mind and our heart to love and to enjoy and to embrace, to proclaim the wondrous glories of a sovereign God that has truly finished what he promised he would do. Father, we know that all things are in your hands. And Lord, we just pray that you would help us, forgive us, for the blasphemy that comes from our natural heart to rise up and to rebel against the God who has predestinated all things for His glory.

And forget that it's also before His children for our good. So Father Lord, I pray that you might continue to draw your people to yourself Father, we pray for our families and our friends who despise sovereign grace. Father, we pray that you would call them to yourself, that you would reveal yourself to them. Remove the scales from their eyes. They might see the glorious beauty and wonderful nature of your love and grace in Christ Jesus.

Father, we just thank you. for the times that we have together, together like today. We ask Lord that you would continue to gather us together. Keep us. Lord, we just pray that you would encourage each and every one of these brethren that are here today as they go throughout the week and all that you have planned and purposed in their habitation, in their daily life, in their walk. Lord, we pray that you would strengthen them that you would grow them in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I know we pray these things week after week, but truly, Father, these are the things of our heart. These are the things that are of most importance to us, is that you be glorified and that you help us to be encouraged in what you are, who you are, and what you do. Lord, we are once again grateful for the Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sin, It has removed the wrath of God from being put upon us because He has been our surety from the foundation of the world. And we have been ordained not to wrath, but ordained to glory. So Father, we just thank you We know that none of us deserve that. We know that none of us earn that.

We know that you are beholden to us to give us that that is freely by your choice and your choice alone. The only one who has true. Freedom of choice. So father, for that we are grateful. And we pray that you will never be. Proud and boastful. Of our standing in Christ Jesus, because we know father that we by nature, children of wrath as others. And so Father, just thank you again for all that you've done and all that you continue to be in and through us. It's in Christ's name that we pray, amen.

Sovereign Grace Glory

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about sovereign grace?

How do we know predestination is true?

Why is God's sovereignty important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

Sovereign Grace Glory

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about sovereign grace?

How do we know predestination is true?

Why is God's sovereignty important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

More from Mikal Smith

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Articles by Mikal Smith

Suggested for You

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book