The Counsel of the Lord

I got to thinking that celebrating the 250th anniversary of the country yesterday, everybody and all their celebrations and everything. I don't have anything against that if anybody wants to do that. It's their prerogative to do and everything. There's a few things that I disagree with about our history. I definitely don't think it was a country that was founded on true biblical principles. I know they claimed to be Christians, some of those men did, and they claimed that some of the stuff was on the principles of Christ. However, a lot of those men despised true Christianity, but that's neither here nor there, and what we've become is definitely not what we were, and Am I glad to live in the United States? Yeah, I am. I mean, there could be worse places to live. We do have some pretty good freedoms here, you know, that the Lord has blessed us with. And I always try to keep that in mind whenever I'm talking about things like that.

You know, we live in a country that has a Declaration of Independence that says that all men are created equal, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, all that stuff, you know. Now, most of that stuff isn't biblical. It sounds good to us, okay, as Americans, it sounds good to us, but it's not biblical because, number one, all men aren't created equal, unless you consider equally sinful in their depravity and inability before God, but all men aren't created equal, and I don't mean that in a racist way. I'm just saying that all men are not created equal.

There are some men that can do things that I can't do. They're smarter than me, more intelligent than me. Some men are more wiser than me. So it's not necessarily, but I know that the gist of the thing was that we're all on a level playing field and not one person should be treated better than another person.

And that everybody has got these inalienable rights that's given by God. That's not found in the Bible either. you know, that sounds good on paper, but it's not found in the Bible. However, I do know that we have been, by God's determination, because the Bible says that he has placed the habitation of all of us, where we live, and under what government he has set up for us to live under. And so, we have been set up under a government that God has given to have that kind of government. And so the freedoms that we have, I can truly say, are from God, but it's because God has ordained that we live under these freedoms.

So I don't have a problem with some of that patriotic stuff, but let's get it straight. It isn't the be all end all. Now, each man has his own convictions on this. I personally have for quite a while now, ceased in my pledge of allegiance and things like that, because the Bible tells us that we're not to do those types of things. We owe our allegiance to the Lord only, not to a country. And so I have a hard time doing that because of what the Bible says.

So to each man their own, as their conscience deals with them and what the word of God has been brought to them and their understanding of it, But I would encourage you to look at what the Bible speaks about those things. But in all the celebrations and everything, we see that still our country, even though it's claiming and recently has been rededicating itself as the one nation under God and all this kind of stuff, all of these things, remember, brethren, whenever we listen to those and we hear those things, you always judge those things by the word of God. Whenever we look at our government, when Donald Trump stands up there and says, we're going to rededicate this country back to being a one nation under God, the question always needs to be, what God are you talking about? Is it the true God of scripture or is it the God that is this generic God that anybody can place their worship under?

You know, a lot of people say, well, I believe in God, but then they turn around and they hate the doctrines that God has given us. They despise the doctrines that God has given us. They despise the gospel that God has given us. But yet they say, well, we love God. And we, you know, he's our king and blah, blah, blah, all this stuff. And we're one nation under God. Well, if we were one nation under God, then that nation would love the things that God has said.

But the fact is, is it doesn't. Any senator, any congressperson, any president that would try to get into office, and he ran on principles, true principles of the scriptures, is not gonna get elected. They're gonna run him out on a rail. They're gonna call him some sort of a Christian extremist of some kind.

The God of the Bible and the God of the nations is not the same God. And as I watch our celebration, the things that I've watched yesterday and leading up to yesterday and all that kind of stuff, at one time would probably made me swell with pride because of our government. But the more I see Christ and the more I see the despising of the things of God that our country, listen, our country is steeped in so much vile things and arrogant things, prideful things, demonic things, that there is no way that we can claim to be a nation under God. And I would even put forth that other than the nation of Israel, who that physical nation itself was not a true nation of God. You'll see why here in a minute when we read these verses.

That could really be the only nation of people that could ever have claimed that. All other nations cannot claim that. But even then, there was only a nation under God in type and shadow. It wasn't in actuality because those people did not keep the commands of God.

And that was the basis of that old covenant. The old covenant is, you will be my people, I will be your God. That was his command to Abraham, to Moses, to Joshua, That was to be the command of the old covenant. I will be your God. You will be my people.

You will not go after other gods. And brethren, listen, every nation on the face of the earth has gone after every God except for the true God. So I don't find a godly nation anywhere. So with that in mind, We look at these verses and we see the Bible teaches something a lot different than how I used to preach these verses. You know, I used to always preach and teach these verses, especially verse 12. I used to preach it a totally different way. I used to preach it that this nation, the United States of America and all the people therein, if we would get ourselves right with God, repent, turn to him, and everything like that, that we would be that nation that's under God. God would bless us. As long as we are obeying God, God blesses us. If we're not obeying God, God curses us. That, brethren, is Arminianism. That, brethren, is not the message of the Bible.

Just like with Job. You go back to Job. What is it that all those three friends that came to him to try to comfort him, what was their accusation to Job? Well, Job, you've obviously done something wrong. That's why God is punishing you. And that wasn't the reason at all.

God was bringing Job through that trial to prove God's sovereign grace faith in Job. that no matter what happens in this life and all the tribulations that we experience in this life, that we will persevere if we've been given faith. Because that faith cannot be destroyed. It's a supernatural thing. That's another reason why I wrote that book on faith. is because faith is not something that we rev up in ourselves. Faith is not something that we go out and try to accomplish, and it isn't something that we effect by, today I'm going to Do this, or I'm going to do that, or I'm going to hold on strong. No, faith is something that God has instilled, given to us as a gift, as the measure. And he gives us that measure for the time and the purpose that he wants. And if we have that faith, we will continue to persevere. That's the promise of God. That's why faith is the assurance of faith. That's why there is the assurance of hope. Because God has given it, it isn't something that we work up.

Now, with that said, we are not making ourselves into a nation of God by obedience. God is not blessing a nation because of some obedience. Number one, a nation cannot fully obey God. That's kind of what I was saying a while ago. and individuals within the country that try to obey God, once again, we go back to the same things that we preach here all the time. All of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. God doesn't do, I'm gonna try to obey so that God will give me something. That's not how God works. Not how God works at all.

So here in Psalms 33, The whole psalm here is a beautiful psalm of the excellency of God, but I particularly want us to look, starting in verse 10, and I'm gonna read down to verse 12. And I'd like to bring out a few things about these passages if the Lord will be with me on it. It says in verse 10, the Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to not. Now, brethren, let's just stop right there.

All of us at one time or another in the flesh can be considered heathens. Now, the children of grace, the elect of God, by right, meaning our union with Christ, are not considered that. We're considered righteous, although we're not in and of ourselves righteous. We're considered the righteous as opposed to the wicked or the heathen, okay?

But heathen in the term of there was a time before God give us the spirit of God and before we had spiritual eyes and understanding that we walked as the heathen walked. And how does the heathen walk? The heathen walked in, I can do, I can do this, I can accomplish this, God's gonna, Give me, because I've done this. We walk in self-righteousness. That's how the heathen walks.

The heathen walks in, I don't need God. I am like God. The very temptation that came to Adam and Eve at the very beginning. You can be as God. To walk as a heathen is to walk thinking that I can be as God, do whatever I want to do. I have free will, I have free choice, I can do whatever I want. God is not going to force me against my will to do anything. I can be as God.

It says here, the Lord bringeth the council. That word council there, that's not talking about a group of people. That would be C-O-U-N-C-I-L. That's not that word. This word council here means the ideas or the purpose or the, what's the word I'm trying to think of here, the advisement. The purpose, the advisement, the plans, of the heathen are brought to nought. He says, the Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought.

He maketh the devices of the people of none effect. Now there we see that the very beginning, the first thing I see in this is the counsel of man will always fail. So it doesn't matter how good of a government you have. It doesn't matter how good of a organization you have, a business you have, it doesn't matter on the individual level how much you pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.

The counsel or the plans, purposes, and advisements of man will always fail. The Bible says that the Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to naught, and he makes the devices of the people of none effect." That means that whatever they devise to do, whatever they plan, whatever they purpose to do, it all is subservient to the purpose of God. It will always either happen according to the purpose of God, or it would fail because it is not the purpose of God.

So let's just take for instance, what's going on with our government and everything here. Donald Trump decides that he's gonna invade Iran, do all this war stuff over there, blah, blah, blah, okay? If it was not in the purposes of God, that would not have happened. Donald Trump thinks that he chose to do that. He planned to do that. And he's the greatest that there is to do it and goes and does it. And what a wonderful man he is. But again, his purposes are serving the purpose of God.

If God's purpose wasn't for that to happen, that would not have happened. and there wasn't anything and any planning, and no matter how much strategy and 6D chess Donald Trump plays, that purpose would not have happened had not God already had purpose for that to take place. People devise things all the time, and their plans fail when it doesn't align with the purpose of God.

See, the nations imagine that they govern the world, All these countries, they believe they govern their people. Your businesses, you believe you govern your people. You husbands, you believe you govern your family. It says here, though, that the Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought, and ye make it the devices of the people of none effect.

See, anything that we do is always gonna serve to the purpose of God, whether it's in the affirmative and positive and actually takes place, or whether it's in the negative or the restricted and doesn't take place, that's because God has determined that this is part of my purpose.

So yes, I permit that. He doesn't permit it because somebody begged for it. He doesn't permit it because he sees, well, you know what? That might be a pretty good idea. Let me go ahead and let that happen. Or he doesn't even do this. Well, I don't approve of that and I don't think it should happen, but I'm going to let it slide this time. No, God doesn't work that way.

Everything that happens, God does because his counsel overrides the counsel of men. His counsel will always stand. Men devise laws. Men establishes kingdoms. Men think that they can rule over other men. Men rebelled against Christ even and thought that they could rule over Christ. Yet every plan that's not according to God's purposes will fail.

Let's look at a few scriptures about this. Go to Proverbs chapter 19. I want to establish that fact by scripture and not by my own opinions of things. Proverbs chapter 19, look with me if you would, down at 21. It says, there are many devices in a man's heart, nevertheless, The counsel of the Lord that shall stand. Now that word devices there means plans or purposes, workings, okay? That's what that is talking about. There are many workings or plans and purposes in a man's heart, but it's the counsel of the Lord. It's the advisement, the purpose, the plan of the Lord that stands.

That's where a lot of people get the fact that we have free will. Well, we have free will to think and do, think freely. do whatever we want. That's not necessarily saying that. It's just saying that God brings thoughts into our mind. And we believe that we can do this or do that or do the other. But ultimately, it's God that determines what's going to be done as it comes according to his plan. Look, if you would, at Isaiah chapter eight. Isaiah chapter eight. Let me dance a jig over here. Isaiah chapter 8, look at verse 10.

It says, take counsel together and it shall come to not speak the word and it shall not stand for God is with us. Listen, brethren, I can come against the Lord, come against the Lord's people, and we're going to surely see lots of tribulation going forward, I'm sure. But listen, it's all gonna come to naught.

I was watching a video the other day, and this is quite interesting for all you conspiracy guys. But the gist of this was talking about all these new space missions that's starting to happen, quote unquote. Space missions is trying to happen and how they're trying to reach all these new things in space. with this new Artemis mission and all this kind of stuff. And I always think and go back, man is always trying to make his way to God, whether to be like God or to get there somehow. But you look back, the Tower of Babel, men thought they were gonna build a tower to heaven. Go back before that, you see Satan, He thinks that he's gonna ascend the throne, take over.

What does the Bible say? The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to not make the devices of his people of none effect. Actually, I kind of think it's a little humorous. I know some people have an aversion of anybody that says that God has a sense of humor, right? uh but god permitted those people to put in all that labor and time and build that tower higher and higher and higher and higher i don't know how tall it is i don't recall the bible said exactly how tall that thing got if it ever did don't know how tall it was dude it may have been a five-story building to us who knows You know, it may have been big, but it could have been a skyscraper. I don't know. The Bible just says they tried to build a tower to heaven. He let them go through all those efforts. And at the very end of it, he didn't push the tower down. He didn't smite all of them with lightning or anything. You know what he did?

Changed all their speech. God let them do all that for all that time, thinking that they were doing and getting to God, but yet in the end all they had to do is do one little thing, make them speak a different language. Then all of a sudden they couldn't communicate, then they couldn't finish building the tower because no one could communicate anything. Nobody knew what the other person was saying because they all spoke a different language. Now, I kind of find that a little humorous. God let them get that far, and then just mixed up their language a little bit, and then they had to abandon their efforts. Why?

Because the counsel of man is brought to naught. God's counsel stands. You can try all you want to override God. You can try all you want to destroy God. You can try all you want to cut God out of your schools, out of your government, out of your country, your world. but the things of man are gonna be brought to naught. And here in Isaiah, he says, take counsel together and it shall come to naught, speak the word and it shall not stand. For God is with us.

How many of us has made a claim, said I guarantee it, I guarantee it. I'm gonna do this or I'm gonna do that. And guess what? We've had to say sorry. And I had good intentions. That was my plan. You know, I wanted to do that. You know, there's a lot of times where I'm out working somewhere and I'm just about done with work. Call my wife and I tell her, you know, hey, I'm just about done here. I'm wrapping things up, fixing to test this thing and everything looks good. I should be be home this time. What happened? Four hours later, I'm calling her back. I'm sorry. This thing went haywire on me after it was all done.

I've told my boss, yeah, I'm going to go out and fix this. And I'll tell him, I said, oh, man, I know what that is right off the bat. That's what that is. That's literally going to be a five minute fix. I'll be in and out and I'll be on my way to the next place. Five hours later, I'm hunting down something in the mechanics, electric stuff, trying to figure it out. Why? Because whenever I got there, there actually was something different than what I thought. You know, the plans of man, we think that we can guarantee anything, but we can't. Every plan, contrary to God's purpose, will fail.

Let's look at one more, Isaiah 46. Isaiah chapter 46. You guys know this verse, probably could quote it. Nine and 10. It says, remember the former things of old, for I am God and there is none else. I am God and there is none like me. Brethren, there's a whole sermon that can be preached on that, not about what we're actually talking about. The fact that God is one. There is no other God beside him. There is no other God other than him.

And that's why I'm saying these countries and these governments and these people that are saying that they are one nation under God, these people that saying that we are gonna bring this nation back to God, have no idea what they're saying. Unless God brings a nation to himself, they're not gonna come. They can't come and they don't wanna come. But what we see in all of this lip service of one nation under God, is people coming to a God that is a generic God that is not the God of the Bible. But God says there's only one God and there is none beside him. And the people that are coming to a God is coming to a false God that is not a real God. It's a God of their imagination. It's the American God. It's the USA God. It's Uncle Sam in the sky. Remember the former things of old, for I am God and there is none else. I am God and there is none like me.

Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done. Saying, here it is, my counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure. Brethren, we can't get away from the fact that we cannot do anything unless it is by the pleasure of God. Now, notice the language here. He doesn't say I'm gonna try. Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying my counsel might stand and I will try to do all my pleasure. I hope to do all my pleasure. No, that's how we ought to talk. I'm going to try to do that. I hope to do that if the Lord wills. That's how we should talk.

You know, I used to think it was a lot of religious speak, someone trying to talk all high and mighty when all these men would always say, You know, every time you would say something, you know, well, hey, I'll see you tomorrow. And the guy would say, Lord willing. You know, I'm like, yeah, it's a given, you know, we know that we're being religious, you know, but the more older that I get, the more I. Study scripture, the more I see. In every part of scripture that only God's pleasure is going to stand, only his counsel is going to be.

That's the thing to actually matter of fact, the Lord told us to. Pray that, right? Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, forgive us our trespasses, and forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the power and the glory forever. Amen. Thy will. The Lord taught us to pray if it's thy will. Because we can't determine anything. We make plans, but we can't determine anything. He says, I will do all my, even the greatest acts of wickedness is included in this, by the way. It's gonna get a little choppy for some people who's listening.

I'm thankful to the Lord that we here, all of us here, recognize that in scripture and We trust in it and believe in it. Matter of fact, just for the sake of controversy, let's go to Acts chapter 4. Acts chapter 4. Look with me, if you would, at verse 27.

Scripture says, For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

Now, brethren, can you tell me a sin in this world, a wickedness in this world greater than crucifying the Son of God? I don't care what sin or what wickedness you come up with, for men to exalt themselves over God, to blaspheme God, and then to cruelly beat, torture, and try to execute God, who was without sin, had not one thing against him that deserved to go through any of that. who had only shown love and kindness and mercy and compassion to those that he was around. While still speaking truth to all those religious zealots, but still showing love and compassion. The most wicked thing that could ever have ever transpired in this world is to kill the son of God.

But look what it says here, brethren. Herod. We didn't like him. We tried to kill him. I don't know if it was the same Herod. I think it was a different Herod. The Herod that tried to kill Jesus whenever he was born. This was a different Herod. That was Herod at the time. I think Herod is a title. It's not necessarily a proper name. It's a title. The Herod of that time. The Jewish king of that time. He didn't like what was going on.

He judged Jesus, let him beat him, sent him on back to Pilate. This is not my affair. Pilate judged him, had him a little beaten, sent him back to Herod. Sent him back to Pilate. Bouncing Jesus back and forth. Neither one of them wanted to do anything with it. They knew what the controversy could be. I'm either going to make the Jews mad or I'm going to make the Romans mad.

But brethren, The Bible here says Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles, which were the Roman armies, and the people of Israel were gathered together. Who gathered them? Have you ever thought about that? Who gathered them? Did they just willy nilly come across this as a time built up, as Jesus had his ministry, they got madder and madder as time went by because of the doctrine of Jesus, Ultimately, it came to this end where they exploded and the straw that broke the camel's back, Jesus blasphemes God by saying that He's the Son of God. Here they were. We're going to crucify this man because he's blaspheming God.

You think that that just organically took place? No, it says here, and the people were gathered They didn't gather, they were gathered. There's a difference between that. I hope everyone sees that. For something to organically happen, we gather. If something causes us to come together, we were gathered. This is we were gathered. God gathered them together. and it proves that by that next verse. For to do, now it's telling the reason, what does the word for mean? Okay, in order to. This is the purpose, that they were gathered together.

For to do whatsoever thy hand, whose thy hand, God, we're talking about God here, because God's the one who anointed the holy child, Jesus, and anointed. for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done." Now look at what he said there. He said thy hand and thy counsel, not just the counsel. God didn't just predetermine this.

All of us high grace people believe that God determine the crucifixion of Christ before the foundation of the world because we believe the Bible when it says that he was the Lamb slain for the foundation of the world. So we all know in the purpose and decree of God, Christ was slain. Christ was meant to be crucified.

We all believe that. We all have no qualms with that. But here's the thing. Here's where the high grace people get divided. thy hand determined to be done. They were gathered together. See, they believe that God determines how this is gonna play out, but they do not believe that God had a hand in bringing about the affairs and how it happened. But it says here that it was God who gathered them together And by his hand, they did exactly what God had determined to do. We call it providence. And guess what?

Just go through all of the documents of our founding fathers. Go through all those letters that all those founding fathers wrote. Go through all of our founding documents, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, all these kind of stuff. Go through all that, scan it, go to your computer. Google it all in, AI it all in, however you want to do it. Have it scan all those documents and ask it to find.

I've not done this, but I'm telling you just from experience of what I've read in the past of these documents, you go to that and ask, show me how many times the word God's providence is found in those. You're going to find all over the place They talk about God's providence. See, people don't believe God's providence. See, they use that word, but they don't believe it. God's providence is God's actual bringing about what he has determined to do.

That's why God said, my counsel shall stand. I will do all my pleasure. I will do it. That's providence. Nobody has a problem with the word providence. We like to use it. But we don't like to believe what it actually means. God having a actual hand in bringing about the decree that he's made. Despite human will and choice. Or anything else. They were all gathered together for to do whatsoever thy counsel determined before." Not at the time. God wasn't reacting. Notice that? God wasn't reacting in time. See, that's why I say, there isn't these blessings that's got these ethereal basket of blessings that's up there that God has.

And he says, you know, I really want to pour out blessings on the United States, but you know, until you come back to me and become my nation again, I'm gonna hold these lessons here. And so now God's awaiting for all the revival preachers to get out there and preach us back into the right standing with God. And then God's gonna start handing out these blessings to us and make us a blessed nation again, because all the preachers got us back right with God.

Well, brethren, that's God reacting. God not knowing, God waiting to see what's going to happen. But the Bible says that God has determined all things, the end from the beginning and all things not yet done. And he says, my counsel shall or shall stand. I will do all my pleasure if it's God's pleasure for this country to turn to God is what's going to happen.

It doesn't matter what any preacher in any pulpit does, no matter how many tent revivals they set up. no matter how many circuses that they run around the country, getting people saved, God's purpose will be done. And whose hand is gonna do it? God's hand is gonna do it.

You know why? Because God's counsel cannot ever fail. Let's go back to Psalms 33. Look at the next verse. Just to recap verse 10, the Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to not, he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. So that means what? Man's can't determine anything. Man's counsel fails. But what do we see in the next verse?

The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. but it's the counsel of the Lord that standeth forever. Guess what? Not one counsel, not one advisement, not one plan, not any part of his purpose has ever missed. 100% success rate. You brethren have been on the road a while since you've come to know the Lord. How's your success rate on your plans and counsels? If it's like mine, not very good. I would probably say way under 50%. Maybe in the single digits even.

It's only the Lord's counsel that stands. Everything that God purposes, He's purposed not only from eternity, but those purposes are eternal. His covenant is eternal, right? He purposed that from eternity. It swings its way, manifests itself through time, where He's placed us, and it continues on. forever and ever and ever. His election, is that not eternal?

It began before time. It dips its way down into time where he has placed us so that it might be manifested, but it keeps on going and going and going. His redemption began in eternity. before time, but dipped its way down. And matter of fact, from the very breath that Adam took until the very end of all things, the whole thing is displaying the redemption in Christ Jesus. It dips its way down through time so that we might see it manifested. What's in the eternals that we cannot see has been made visible And now it continues on past our experience of time here experiencing it.

It's grace. There's never an ending. There's never a beginning. It's always been. He has always had grace. Before anything was ever created, God is the God of grace. It is who he is. It began before the foundation of the world, but yet was manifested to us. in time, how gracious this God is.

So, brethren, listen, whenever we look at this verse here, the counsel of the Lord stands forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations, coupled with what we just learned from verse 10, the inability of man and his purposes, always failing, it tells me that God is never surprised about anything. His plans are not ever altered. And nothing improves upon his wisdom in governing it. So that tells me that all the actions in this world to try to make people something, to bring people to something, as far as a nation under God, all the kingdoms of the world, It's all the works of His hand for His purposes.

Look if you would with me at Ephesians chapter one. Bet you didn't think we'd ever go to that verse in all this discussion, would you? You've never heard me preach on that, have you, Mike? No. Ephesians chapter one, I'm gonna start reading In verse four, according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, why?

That we should be holy and without blame before him in love. Just a side note, does that mean that we might become holy and without blame before him in love at the end? Or sometime in our lifetime when we surrender ourselves to him? Or how about whenever he gives us grace and quickens us? That's whenever he makes us holy and without blame before him in love.

No brethren, he has chosen us in Christ for the purpose of us then being seen as holy and without blame before him in the love that he gave to us by giving us the Christ. He gave us to Christ in love. For God so loved the world, His world, what world? The world of His people, the world of His elect. I can prove that in several different ways. Not going to right now. But He has chosen us. Why?

So that there will never be a time that we, whether it be before time, whether it be in time, or whether it be after time, stand before God without being holy and without blame. God has never seen iniquity in Jacob, nor hath he seen perverseness in Israel, for the shout of a king is among them. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputed not sin. How did he not impute sin to his elect?

By before they were ever created, uniting them to the Holy One of Israel, Jesus Christ. according as he has chosen us in him 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, here it is, to the good pleasure of his will.

It wasn't according to your will. It wasn't according to your choice. It wasn't according to your good actions. It was according to His will. According to His own purpose. Look if you would with me over at, again, another passage we go to often. Second Timothy. Chapter one. Verse nine. who have saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.

So grace, brethren, was not an afterthought. Grace wasn't an afterthought. God didn't choose to come up with this grace plan after Adam had sinned. Salvation was never a response because of Adam's sin. It was always the purpose and the plan. Again, everything, including sin and evil, is according and upholds the purpose of God. You mean to tell me that Adam's sin was purposed by God? Absolutely it was. Romans chapter five tells us very clearly that it was.

Well, I don't believe you, preacher. Well, okay, you don't have to believe me, and you shouldn't believe me, unless what I say is not according to the scriptures, but turn, if you would, to Romans chapter five. I want you to look at this. I want you to see what God's word says. This isn't Michael's words, this isn't some theological position that I've chosen to take because I like the intellectual aspects of things, not because of what Calvin or Luther or anybody else says, but what God says. And I think he says it plain and simple here. Look at chapter five.

Now, I'm going to skip down a few verses here before we get to the actual verse I want to read, but I want you to notice something here. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we also have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope and glory. So right there it tells us that this grace comes by Jesus.

But notice if you would, Verse 12, wherefore, as by one man, sin entered into the world and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned. Who do you think that's talking about? Can anyone tell me who this is talking about? Verse 12, anyone got an idea? For by one man, sin entered into the world and death by sin. Anybody got a clue?

Adam. Okay, so we're talking about Adam. So whose sin is in view here? Adam's, right? Okay, let's move on. Nevertheless, verse 14, nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses. So there it goes, Michael's right, it's talking about Adam. So death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression. Okay, it is Adam, by the way. It is Adam. Who is the figure of him that was to come? But not as the fence, so also is the free gift for if through the offense of one, who's that talking about? That's talking about Adam again, right? That's what the context is bearing out to us. Whenever we interpret scripture, how do we interpret it? By the way, it's intended to be read. Okay, it's intended to be read within its context. What is the context?

Not as the offense of who? Adam. Much more, the grace of God and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath about it to many. And not as it was by one that sinned, again, we're talking about in context, Adam's sin, right? So is the gift for the judgment was by one to condemnation, What did Adam's sin bring? Condemnation, right? But the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. For if by one man's offense, again, what's the context?

I know this is kind of sounding silly for me to keep saying this, but I'm trying to reiterate something. I'm trying to bring light to something because a lot of times, if you're like me, we read scripture and we skip over so many things the Bible says, to get to the thing that we want to hear, right? We call them presuppositions. We have a presupposition that the Bible is saying this, but we neglect to see what the Bible has said about it in other places, and therefore, our viewpoint of it's wrong. I want us to keep looking here at what this context is saying. For if by one man's offense death reigned by one, much more than they receive abundance of grace and of their gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ.

Therefore, here it is again, as by the offense of one, we're still talking about Adam's sin, back to 12 and 14, right? We're talking about Adam's sin. Judgment came upon all men to condemnation. Even so, by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. So all that are in Adam that are not in Christ Jesus, the judgment came to condemnation. That didn't include us, by the way, because in the last part of that, the all men that were in Jesus Christ were given the gift of justification.

That's why I believe in eternal justification. The verses that we read just a while ago that said that we were elected by God in love. Why? So that we would be holy and without blame. We are not holy and we are full of blame. But God has never viewed us that way. Why? Because of this verse right here. All those who continue to be in Adam, stay in Adam, who never will be revealed to be the people of God in the end, they were chosen before the foundation of the world they're revealed in time again here it goes out it dips down in time for the manifestation of it and then it shoots on out and continues on after that the fact was we had the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness and therefore the free gift came upon us to justification of life. Here it is again, verse 19. For as by one man's disobedience, again, the context is who? Adam, many were made sinners. So by the offense of one, obedience of one, shall many be made righteous.

Moreover, the law, here it is, this is the verse I wanted to get to, that proves the purpose of God was always that Adam would sin. He was created for that purpose to bring sin and death into the world so that the eternal purpose of God in redemption through Christ Jesus would take place. He gave a law. And why did he give the law? Now, listen, this is where we always break.

We stop at verse 19 and we say, oh, that was about Adam. That was talking about Adam's sin. Then we hit verse 20, and we say, well, this was after Moses happened. This is talking about all of us after Moses happened. Or if you're medium grace people, you will say, well, this was after Adam sinned though. This is talking about after Adam sinned. No, brethren, this is talking about Adam's sin.

The law entered. Some people think that's Moses's law, but that's not what we're talking about. The only law that fits the context of by one man's offense. What does that mean? The offense of what? The offense of the law. If Adam had an offense, The offense was to something that God had commanded and he didn't do, right? Moreover, the law entered, why? Read it with me there, that the offense might abound. How many times did we see the word offense there? One, two, three, four, Four times, I can see there. And in every one of those references, what was the offense?

Adam's sin. And what does it say here? Moreover, the law entered that the offense might abound. Why did God put that law there for Adam? Don't eat of that tree. That the offense might abound. The purpose God put the tree in the middle of the garden and said, don't eat of this tree. It's because God's purpose was that Adam would eat of that tree. Because God made Adam natural and not spiritual. He made Adam natural.

But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound, even though Adam couldn't do and everyone that has ever sprung from the loins of Adam has never been able to do and never will be able to do, but praise the Lord, where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.

Our sinfulness for us that are justified by the righteousness of the one free gift, all that sin does not matter. Why? Because before the foundation of the world, we were put into Christ Jesus so that we would be holy and without blame before him. So that little side note there was to prove that all of this is by the purpose of God.

So God's purpose cannot be frustrated by sin and wickedness. If sin and wickedness was not by the purpose of God, then brethren, how is God ever gonna Accomplish his purpose if man is running willy-nilly doing whatever they want God's purposes would be able to be frustrated And I know some people will say well, you know God didn't purpose that but he allowed it to happen. Well, let me ask you this Bible also says that The thoughts of God He will do all of his pleasures that all the things that he thinks, he'll bring it to pass. I mean, if God knows it, he's gonna bring it to pass.

Let's look at Job. Turn back there from Psalms back into Job 42. Job 42. for what Job learned through all his trial. Verse one, it says, then Job answered the Lord and said, I know that thou canst, now for all you young people, those who may not know, that word canst there does not mean cannot.

Okay? That thou canst do everything. It means he actually can. Thou can, Do everything and listen that no thought can be withholding from thee. Now I grew up being taught. And I grew up preaching. That the thought of God. Is that he wants all to be saved? That he loves them all and he wants them all to be saved. Well, if he thought it, that's his pleasure. And if it's his pleasure, then his decree is to do all his pleasure. And if his pleasure is to do a thing, he says, I will accomplish all my pleasure, meaning I will carry it out. I will make sure that it happens. Nothing can thwart my plans. My counsel shall stand. Well, if that's the case, then why is not everybody safe? if he wants them saved.

See, brethren, that's where we look at the Bible and we begin to see the inconsistencies of that system of thought. The Lord began to show me it's the truth of the Bible, not about what I think about God. My problem was I don't like a God that chooses some to be saved and some not to be saved. Therefore, I will not ever bow to a God like that. And I had no problem saying that because I thought that God was a God of the imagination that some theological system had strung up.

The God of the Bible is the God of love who loves everybody and wants everybody saved and is offering salvation freely to them if they'll just take it. It's as simple as that. But the problem is. When the Holy Spirit of God comes in us. It leads us into all truth. And the Bible is the truth of God. And the truth of God says. That that is not the truth. and we submit to the truth of God. If the Bible says God is like that, we shouldn't be ashamed to say that He is.

If the Bible says that it is the truth of God, that He has sovereignly chose whom to bestow and whom not to bestow, we shouldn't be ashamed to preach that and to teach that and to say that because that's the truth about who God is. That means that we're either ashamed of God, embarrassed, for him, or we truly don't believe that to be true, or we don't want it to be true.

We hate that doctrine. Therefore, or we're worried that we might not get to keep our preaching job and might get cast out and lose our preaching money. Or we might lose our membership and now we're going to be the small church in town instead of the mega church in town. We won't have the funds to do all this wonderful junk that we do. Brethren, is it the truth or is it not the truth? Let's stand in the truth, right?

Look at Daniel chapter 4. Not this Daniel. You can look at this Daniel. It might make him a little awkward if he's doing it. Daniel chapter 4. Look at verse 35. Daniel chapter 35, here's another amazing verse that we're all familiar with, I'm sure. Old King Nebuchadnezzar.

He says, and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. It almost goes exactly with what we just read in our Psalms a while ago, right? He brings all of the counsel of the heathen to naught. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing, and he, God, doeth according to his will in the army of the heavens.

Well, of course, you know, that's where God lives and he's in charge of where he's at. But down here, you know, we're under the God of this world. He's the one who's ruling everything. That's the devil. the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing and he doeth according to the will his will in the army of the heavens and among the inhabitants of the earth and none can say his hand or saying to him what doest thou why is that because there is one who sits on the throne only one who sits on the throne And again, he sat on the throne before the foundation of the world, before time began. But here it is, it swings down into time for the manifestation for us. And it keeps on going. Christ has always stood in that seat. The vision is to show us that God has, oh, why did Nebuchadnezzar, remember, y'all know the story? Y'all know the story of Nebuchadnezzar? Kids know the story of Nebuchadnezzar? Babylonian king. Babylonian king, he thought he was something.

He was gonna make himself up as God, right? And he made all these decrees and all this stuff. He thought he was prideful. God caused him to go down on all fours and grew feathers. Did he grew feathers? It was feathers or he grew claws. And he walked on and ate grass. Made him like a beast.

I can't remember exactly how long he made him do that. But anyway, after that was all over, here it is it says and they shall drive thee from men and thy dwelling shall be in the beast of the field and they shall make thee to eat grass as an oxen and seven times shall pass over thee until thou know that the most high rule within the kingdom of heaven and giveth it to whomsoever where. That same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from men.

He did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagle's feathers, and his nails like bird's claws. But at the end of the days that God had determined for him, the sevens, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes into heaven, and my understanding returned unto me, And I blessed the most high and I praised and honored him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion." It didn't just begin, it manifested itself at a certain point in time, but it's always been the vision of his kingdom. His kingdom is from generation to generation.

And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. And he doeth according to his will in the army of the heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his hand or say unto him, what doest thou? Brethren, God can never revise his plan. He has never needed a second attempt at anything.

Christ came to accomplish that eternal counsel and he did. One more verse and we'll stop for today. I do want to continue on to that third verse that we read this morning, but we'll probably do that next week. Look with me if you would, John chapter six. John chapter six. Look at verse 37.

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me. Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. Now here we see something here that all who God is has determined something and no man can disannul this in either direction. Stop it from happening, can make it quit, can prevent it from happening, can cause it to quit, or can add to it or take anything away from it.

We see here that the father has an eternal gift that he's given. We see the son takes those people that he has been given and has an eternal redemption to accomplish for them. And then we see his spirit coming and effectually calling them into the experience that has been their eternal standing, but now is becoming their experience.

The eternal counsel of God unfolding. God's eternal counsel. Now, as I've mentioned many times before, I see that in the book of Revelation, whenever Christ takes that scroll and opens that scroll up, that is the eternal counsel of God being opened up and providentially being brought about by Jesus Christ. And the vision is to show that Christ is in control of everything and that all of time has been settled already before the foundation of the world, all the works were finished before the foundation of the world, and that all of it is being played out exactly the way God has determined for it to be. Therefore, because God has determined that, none shall stay his hand and say, why doest thou? No one's counsel is gonna stop the counsel of God. Therefore, all other counsels are subservient to the will and the purpose of God.

All right, brethren, we'll stop right there. We'll pick up Lord Willen with the next verse next week and finish that up. Not next week. We won't be here next week, but the week after that. We're gonna be gone next weekend, but we'll be back the following week, so we'll pick that up then. All right, anybody got any questions or comments? Corrections or rebukes or anything? Any brothers have anything that you'd like to share with folks? All right, any prayer requests? Remember Lori going in to have her arm looked at? She was eating too much spinach, she started to get Popeye arms. All right. Let's pray.

Father, once again, we are grateful for all that you've done for us. Lord, we do truly praise and honor and glorify you as the exalted King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Through the very word of your mouth controls all things that brought it into existence. We could put it out of existence. Lord, we know that. You rule all things, govern all things. We see nations rise and fall. We see men try to accomplish many things. But at the end of the day, Lord, we know that the scriptures declare that only your purposes will stand.

So whatever comfort we find from that should come knowing that despite what happens in this time, in this world that you have placed us in habitation for, whatever amount of time you've given us, that Lord, we would understand and know that everything is according to your purpose. You are displaying yourself and your works to all your people. Father, we know that everything that comes our way, whether it be good or whether it be bad, comes at the hand of God. Even Job himself said that. that does not evil in, good come from the hand of God.

And so Father, help us to understand that, help us to find comfort in that, and that through the temptations and trials and tribulations of life, Lord, may we find the comfort of knowing that even if the worst happens, that someone would take our life, that that too was according to your purpose and that your people Death cannot separate us from you. That we have not only been brought to you and reconciled to you, but one of these days we will be brought to you. And Lord, we just pray that you might continue to comfort our hearts with those things. I pray that these brethren have found comfort in that.

Yes, we deal a lot of times on the negativity of how bad man is. but that's always juxtaposition to how you are, Lord. To show your glory and your majesty that the child of God has confidence in their God, who nobody can sway. We're thankful that you cannot be bought off, that you cannot be bribed, you cannot be coerced, you cannot be fooled. You are God and you alone control all things.

You have promised us And so Lord, we just thank you for that. And we pray that it might find its way into our heart and into our mind. And through your wisdom that you have given us, we see these things as they unfold in front of us. And by your grace, you restrain our sinful nature from lashing out or from thinking presumptively, from being upset about the things of this life. that you have brought for purpose. Lord, may we see those things from that eternal perspective, and especially from the exaltation of you. Lord, again, we thank you for all this that we have seen here today. We pray for all those that are here that you would keep us safe as we leave this place.

And Lord, we just thank you again for the love, the mercy, the grace, and the compassion of our Lord and Savior. We ask that you'll just continue to keep us in this faith, to grow us in the grace and the knowledge of you, that we might be a light that continues to shine the glory in the face of Jesus Christ.

The Counsel of the Lord

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The Counsel of the Lord

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