Invite your attention to Ephesians
chapter 3 verse 11. We're going to finish today a
short series of three messages on the subject of God's eternal
purpose in Christ Jesus our Lord. God's eternal purpose in Christ
Jesus our Lord. Paul says here in Ephesians 3
verse 11, or he speaks of, the eternal purpose which God purposed
in Christ Jesus our Lord. And we earlier observed that
it is not that he merely purposed it in Christ Jesus our Lord,
he accomplished it. You can rest assured that if
God purposes something, it shall be done without fail. It shall be done. Now, you have
the synopsis and the tract in front of you. You can read the
introduction. We reviewed it last Lord's Day. I'm not going to go into it today.
You have it there before you. Except that I do want you to
look at the outline that we were to follow with regard to this
subject. And we're looking at the various
aspects of God's eternal purpose And there were 11 of these, and
they are at the end of your introduction in your synopsis. What are they? First, God foreknew his people. Second, God eternally and savingly
loved his people. Third, God predestined his people. Fourth, God chose his people. God prepared His people for glory. Sixth, God foreordained Christ
to redeem His people. Seventh, God promised eternal
life to His people. Eighth, God prepared the eternal
kingdom of His people. Nine, God foreordained to reveal
to His people the wisdom of His eternal purpose. Tenth, God foreordained
the good works of His people. And eleventh, God decreed that
all whom he had purposed to save would believe the gospel of Jesus
Christ. Now, thus far we have gone down
through the first six of these, and today we're going to continue
with point number seven, which is that God promised eternal
life to his people. Our text is Titus chapter 1,
verses 1 and 2, reading it to you in these words. The faith
of God's elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with
godliness is in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie,
and watch this phrase, promised before time began. God made a promise to me and
to his people Before we existed, before anything existed, He promised
eternal life to His people before time began. Now, this promise
is to people identified with two qualifications in our text. They have the faith of God's
elect. Folks, everybody's got faith
in God. James says, you believe in God?
Oh, you do well. The demons believe. The devil
believes in God. His demons believe in God. But it's not saving faith. There
is a faith that will not save your soul. God's elect have saving
faith. This is the faith of God's elect. This is the faith which trusts
in Jesus Christ, not merely believes in him, but trusts in him and
has him for its hope of salvation. The faith of God's elect and
acknowledgement of the truth which accords with godliness.
Now, there are many people who acknowledge the truth. There
are many people who will read God's Word and say, I believe,
I believe what is there. And yet, their lives are full
of ungodliness. I once knew a preacher many,
many years ago, a man claiming to believe in sovereign grace
who said, the only sin is a doctrinal sin. And according to him, You
could live just about any way you wanted to as long as you
believe the truth, the five points or whatever. Well, that's not
true, folks. That's not true. We are not antinomians
in the sense that we live as libertines. We are not. There
is a faith of God's elect and acknowledgment of the truth that
accords with godliness and holiness and righteousness. You can spot
God's people because Their faith is a hope and trust in Christ,
and their lives exemplify what they believe. They are godly,
righteous, and holy in their conduct. And this is in hope
of eternal life. We have a hope for it. And here
it is, that God who cannot lie promised before time began. God promised. Folks, this purpose
must be fulfilled. It must be fulfilled. God cannot
lie. Now, many promises are unfulfilled,
usually for two reasons. First, some promises are unfulfilled
intentionally. And second, other promises are
unfulfilled unintentionally. Let me illustrate the first.
Unintentional promises not fulfilled. Intentional, intentional. When I lived in the Virgin Islands,
we had two time zones. We had Atlantic time. and island time. Atlantic time
was the official time, one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Businesses ran on Atlantic time. If you were to be at work at
8 a.m., you were there at 8 a.m. or docked for your pay. It was
the official time. Now, island time, that was the
time that was used by handymen, electricians, and plumbers, and
people who had jobs of their own. What was island time? Island time is any time. Minister time, I'd call a handyman,
plumber, electrician. I need you here at 8 a.m. Can
you be here at 8 a.m. in the morning?" Oh, yes, sir,
Mr. Parks. You got my word on it. I'll be
there. 8 a.m. Yes, sir. 8 a.m. He is not there. 8.15, he has not arrived. 8.30, give him a call. Sir, you
promised you would be here at 8.30. Mr. Parks, I am at the
intersection just before you should be there in five minutes.
He shows up half an hour later. When he said, I'll be there at
8 a.m., he was lying through his teeth. When he said he was
five minutes away and promised me that he was, he was lying
through his teeth. Some people do not keep promises
intentionally. Now others, they fail to keep promises, but
it's unintentional and perhaps excusable. We have a brother
in this church that sells and delivers big-time farm equipment
hundreds of miles away. Now, he may say to you, I'll
have your farm equipment to you by 5 p.m. three days from now. He's got it on the truck and
it's ready to go. He fully intends to keep his
word. What he may not know is that in North Dakota there's
a blizzard coming that's going to hit his truck and shut the
road down. Or the tractor pulling the trailer
throws a rod. There's nothing he can do about
it. He gave his word, but he was, we call it providentially
hindered. It's excusable. We understand. We understand. All right. God
never intentionally fails to fulfill a promise. And God is
never providentially hindered. Nothing in providence ever hinders
God. He is not a man like us. If he
promises it's going to happen, it will happen without fail. What did God promise? Eternal
life before time began. Eternal life before time began. And when time is over, and God's elect are seated before
Him in Heaven's glory to receive their eternal life, there's a book called out The
book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world
and the names of God's people are in it. It is the book of
God's purpose. The book of God's purpose. God
opens a book. Abraham Adams, here Lord. Okay. Barbara Brown, here Lord. Okay. Cecil Charles, here Lord. Okay. David Daniel. David Daniel. Where is David
Daniel? Lord, back at the final judgment
when the sheep were divided from the goats, he was sent to the
wrong place. He has gone to eternal death.
Oh no. You mean I promised eternal life
to one who never made it? No, no, no. It will never happen. We sing, and with good reason,
when the road is called up yonder, I'll be there. Because God promised,
God has made this promise before time began, that they who have
the faith of God's elect, and they whose lives reflect the
truth that they believe, they who have the hope of eternal
life, they're going to receive it. God cannot lie. It's His
purpose. It must be fulfilled. Number
eight, God prepared the eternal kingdom of His people. Matthew
25, verse 34. I just alluded to this. When
the King comes in all His glory, And all the holy angels with
him. He's going to sit there on the
throne of his glory. And everyone who ever lived is
going to be gathered there in front of him. Everyone. Without fail. Now the king becomes
a shepherd. He steps down from his throne.
He starts walking among those who were there before him. Everyone
who ever lived. You, get on my right hand. That's where my sheep will be.
By the way, take your wife with you. You, you get on my left
hand. That's for the goats. Take your
wife with you also. And he does it. He goes separating.
As a shepherd, he buys the sheep from the goats. He finally would
have separated all mankind, sheep and goats, and then the shepherd
stands before them, and what does he say? To those on his
right hand, the sheep, come, you blessed of my Father, inherit
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
A kingdom prepared, not planned, not planned, prepared before
the foundation of the world. God is said to be an eternal
king. We sing unto the king eternal,
immortal, invisible, the only wise God, the honor and glory
forever and ever. Amen. He is the king eternal.
You cannot be an eternal king if you do not have an eternal
kingdom. He has an eternal kingdom. Before
time began, it was prepared. A kingdom prepared for you. Now watch. Earthly kings prepare kingdoms for themselves
at the expense of their subjects. Our king prepared a kingdom for
us at his own expense. Particularly the blood of His
Son, Jesus Christ, a kingdom prepared for us before time began. This kingdom is eternal, prepared
for you from the foundation of the world. When this world was
set on its foundation, this kingdom was already prepared. An inheritance
predestined according to the purpose of him who works all
things according to the counsel of his will. Ephesians 1 verse
11. An inheritance incorruptible,
undefiled, and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven
for you who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation,
ready to be revealed at the last time. An inheritance prepared. It's there. Folks, there will
be no empty mansions in glory. None. It was prepared and everyone
for whom it was prepared will have the place that was prepared
for him. Number nine, God foreordained
to reveal to his people the wisdom of his eternal purpose. Paul
writes in 1 Corinthians 2, verse 7, that we gospel preachers speak
the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained
before the ages for our glory. Now this wisdom of God is the
opposite of human wisdom or the wisdom of men and the wisdom
of this age, which is often foolish and results in the salvation
of no one. Wisdom of man. Man in his wisdom says it is
foolish to believe in God. God in his wisdom laughs at man's
foolishness. The wisdom of God This wisdom of God is in a mystery. There are truths that are undiscoverable
in God's Word that require Him to reveal them unto us. This
book is, well, it's a closed book. It was an article in the
last Lord's Days Bulletin. An open Bible may be a closed
book. You may read the Bible. have your advanced degree, you
may be brilliant, you may be smart, you just may be able to
teach others all kinds of things, but when you read God's Word,
it doesn't make sense. That's understandable, folks.
It's understandable. These are mysteries. I've had
people who tell me, I've read the book of Revelation, cannot
understand it. It is an interesting thing that
the book of the revelation of Jesus Christ is the only book
in all the Holy Scriptures that contains in its introduction
a blessing to him who reads and understands. Blessed is he who
reads and understands. People say, well, yeah, I just
don't understand this book. You know, the mark of the beast
and Armageddon and all of this. Well, that's the problem. You're
looking for the wrong thing. It is the revelation of Jesus
Christ. Look for Him. You're going to
find the mystery solved. It is the revelation of Jesus
Christ. This book, The Revelation of
Jesus Christ, was, as it were, written in code so that some
people could not understand it. You have to have the key, and
the key is Christ. And that's why God sends his
preachers to preach Christ. And as you hear the man from
God speaking the truth, all of a sudden it is as it were, you
know, you say, now I see it! Now I see it! God turns a light
on through the preaching of the gospel. These are things that
are hidden from the ungodly. They are not supposed to understand. God reveals them through the
preaching of the gospel. He does it through gospel preachers
preaching the truth. Bible study is great. Personal Bible study is great.
But there's a reason why God called and sent preachers. What
is it? We speak the wisdom of God in
a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the
ages for our glory. Now number 10, God foreordained
the good works of his people, Ephesians 2 verse 10. Paul writes
that we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good
works. which God prepared beforehand
that we should walk in them. Preacher, are you saying I do not do any
good works? Well, it says here that God prepared
them The good works of God's people
are His own works, God's own works, and they were purposed
and foreordained before eternity. There is none who does good,
no, not one, and yet there are good works done by God's people,
and yet it is God who has done the works. He prepared them,
He ordained them. Jesus said in John 6, 29, this
is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent. It's God's
work if you believe. Yeah, preacher, but I'm the one
who believed. Well, tell me, where did that
faith come from? Is it the gift of God? Do we not believe through grace? Even our believing the gospel
of Jesus Christ is a work of God. Paul says to work out your own,
salvaged with fear and trembling. I've had people who would quote
that part of the verse and then just almost forget that there's
another part of the verse after it. What is it? It is God who
works in you, both to will and to do, for his good pleasure. Now, you can spot a lot of people
who like to brag about their good works. You can spot a bunch
of them. And then there are some of us
who say, well, I've never done anything good, but any good work
attributed to me, God did it. God did it. When Barnabas and
Paul returned from their missionary journey. Oh, what marvelous things
had been done. They had traveled around from
place to place, been delivered from persecutions, preached the
gospel, many souls converted, churches established, pastors
ordained, They spent months out on this missionary journey and
now they come back. I've heard missionaries tell
stories. I remember back in my seminary days, we had quite a
few missionaries that came in and I've heard them tell their
stories about what they did here, what they did there. They were
pretty good about talking about what they had done. When Barnabas
and Paul came back, they gathered the church together and we read
these words. They rehearsed to the church
all that God had done with them. Later on, again, Paul rehearsed
what God had done with him. This is how you spot God's children.
They do not brag about what they have done. Even if the world
thinks it was good, they do not brag about what they have done.
Rather, they boast of what God has done with them. They are
thankful that God would be pleased to use such unworthy vessels
as they are. They realize that they were created
in Christ Jesus unto good works. They are required. But if there
are good works, it is God who did them to his own glory in
fulfillment of his purpose before time began. Now that's how you spot God's
children. They speak of what God has done, not of what they
have done. And all that he has done has
accomplished his purpose. Okay, last point. Told you we'd
finish. Number 11, God decreed that all
whom he had purposed to save would believe the gospel of Jesus
Christ, Acts 13, verse 48. And as many as had been appointed,
ordained, predestined to eternal life, believe. Oh, what a battlefield this verse
is. Oh, the battles that have been
fought over this verse, Acts 13, 48. Two attacks have been made. One,
Some would change the Greek verb. It's translated appointed and
ordained. They would change it to disposed
or inclined. Disposed or inclined. According
to them, Paul preached the gospel and as many as were inclined
to believe what he said, they believed the gospel. As many as were disposed to accept
what he said, they believed. Now, that is not what this word
means. The Greek verb is very particular. When Jesus saved Saul of Tarsus
on the road to Damascus, he told Saul to go to the city And he said, there are certain
things that are appointed for you to do. You will do certain
things that are appointed for you to do. Now, Jesus did not
say, go to the city and you do what you're inclined to do or
disposed to do. No, no, no, no, no, no. Paul
was appointed to do these things and he had to do them. He had
to do them. It was his appointment. Therefore, this text is not saying
that if you are inclined to believe the gospel, then you'll trust
in Jesus Christ. That's not what it's saying.
And if you're inclined to believe, you will receive eternal life.
That's not what it says. It says, as many as were ordained,
appointed, predestined, if you will, to eternal life, they believed. Who believed? They that were
foreordained to it. Now, some will take the text
and just turn it upside down. They say, as many as believed were ordained to
eternal life. Just turn the verse completely
over. Instead of reading, as many as were appointed to eternal
life believed, they say, as many as believed were appointed to
eternal life. Well, folks, that is egregious. It perverts the Scripture. It
just completely turns it over. Peter means when he says, when
he informs us that certain people rest or twist the scripture to
their own destruction, to their own destruction. When a man takes
God's Word and just completely upturns it to suit himself, it
is to his own destruction. It is a perversion of the truth.
It denies God's purpose. It exalts man's will. It makes
God dependent on man, and it puts the cart before the horse. Why do we believe the gospel? Because we were ordained to it. We were predestined to it. We were appointed to it. And if we have done so, if God
has appointed us to eternal life, we will believe the gospel. We
are not appointed to eternal life because we believe the gospel. We were appointed to believe
the gospel and then Through believing the gospel, receive this saving
faith in Jesus Christ. What does the scripture say?
And as many as were ordained to eternal life, they believed. I love that verse. And as many
as were ordained to eternal life, they believed. Why did I believe?
It was God's purpose. from all eternity. And thus,
we take this text at face value. Divine ordination to eternal
life is the cause, not the effect, of any man's believing. God's
election and predestination from eternity is the moving cause
of man's faith in Christ in time. And all who believe in Christ
Jesus our Lord receive eternal life. And thus, God's eternal
purpose is accomplished. It's done. It's fulfilled without
fail in every jot and tittle. O God our Father, we are so glad that The eternal end of our souls
is based upon your purpose and not our own. And we are blessed in knowing
that although our purpose often fails, yours is always done. Now receive our thanksgiving
for all these blessings that you have predestined and foreordained
unto us. Look forward to the day when
we may sit at the feet of Jesus Christ in
heaven's glory in that kingdom prepared for us from eternity. Having received the eternal life
that was promised to us before time began and there before your
throne We will thank you for having accomplished your purpose
through Christ Jesus our Lord to the salvation of our souls. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.