I invite you this morning to
turn with me to John chapter 15. A message this morning, and I
hope that it is God's message to you and I both, is concerning
what men call free will. Free will. I remember a man asking
me, I think they were Pentecostals, And they were painters. And we
had a member of the church that lived up in North Louisiana over
toward Mississippi. And he said, these two painters
have been chomping at the bit to talk to you. And I kind of
dreaded it. But we went up there. And here
they came. And they introduced themselves.
And they said, so. You don't believe that man is
a free moral agent. And I said, well, I believe one
of those three. I believe in the agency of man.
But I don't believe he's free, and I know he's not moral. He's
not a free moral agent. And that's what I'm going to
talk to you about this morning, the free will, or what men call
free will. At the very core of all worldly
religion is the concept of man's free will. If you listen to them
long enough, just close your mouth and listen to what they're
telling you. At the very core of what they believe is man's
free will. I want you to listen real close
to me now. I want to define as best I can
what I will be calling the free will of man. I mean by free will
that they believe that man is free to choose to let God save
him. He's free to choose to let God
save him. and that his eternal destiny
is fully in his own hands and is dependent altogether upon
his choice. Therefore, his salvation rests
entirely upon his free will. That's what I'm calling, when
I refer to free will this morning, that's what I'm talking about.
I'm not saying that men and women do not have a will. They do have
a will. I read to you in John chapter
5 a while ago, these religious men, they had all the gifts, all the advantages,
You remember Paul at the end of Romans chapter 2, he said,
so what prophet then had the Jews? He said, much in every
way. They had the oracles of God. They had his word. He had his prophets. They had
the priesthood. They had the tabernacle. They
had the temple. All of his prophets were Israelites. What advantaged
it? Oh, they had every advantage.
And that's what he told them. He said, search the scriptures.
In them you think you have eternal life. And they are they that
testify of me. But you will not come to me that
you might have life. I'm not saying that men and women
do not have a will. They do. I'm not saying that
they're not responsible to exercise their will. They are. They are. And I'm not suggesting
that man's will is not exercised in his calling and or in his
condemnation. It's exercised in both. He said, I stretched out my arms.
And he said, you will not receive me. Therefore, now you're going to
call on me early, but I ain't going to hear you. I ain't going
to hear you. Why? Why? Because you would, would, that
will, you would not receive my counsel. You wouldn't hear me. It's exercised in both. What I will be talking about
this morning is that man's will is not free. Man's will is not,
first of all, it's not the preeminent thing in his character. If you
listen to religion, they're saying that the will is first, and then
behind that comes the heart and the mind. The will is not preeminent
in men in their character. The mind is first. How are you
going to call on him in whom you have not heard? There has
to be an understanding. So the mind is first, not the
will. The mind is first. It has to
hear. And then the heart. It has to
go from the mind to the heart. The heart follows what the mind
perceives and understands. What you believe to be so, you'll
practice. That's right. The mind, then the heart, then
the will. So the will's trailing way back
here. It's not in the forefront. It's way back down the line. Man's will's not the determining
factor in his life. His nature is. We say, don't you believe that
man's free in any sense of the word? Yes, sir. He's free within
the confines of his nature. You take a criminal. He's been
judged. He's been condemned. And they
take him over, and they put him in the cell. He doesn't have
handcuffs on. He don't have leggings on. He's
free. He can go anywhere in the confines
of that cell. He can go all around. That's
the only sense in which man's free. He's free within the confines
of his nature. Now hear what the Lord says.
Ye must be born again. You cannot proceed the kingdom
of God unless you're born again. That's right. So what's he saying?
He's saying there has to be a change of nature. If left to yourself, the gospel
will roll off of you like water off a duck's back. There has
to be a change of nature. You see what I'm saying? A man's
character, his nature is what dictates his walk. Read that
in Ephesians chapter two. You hath equipped them who were
dead in trespasses and sins. Where in time past you walked
according to the course of this world. You walked according to
the prince of the power of the air, the spirit, who now worketh
in the children of disobedience. And we live that way after the
lust of the flesh and after all these things, we live that way.
And we're now, listen, by nature, children of wrath, even as others. Most of you know that free will
is not right as it's promoted in churches
across this land. And you believe that it's a lie.
But I wonder if you and I both know how wicked and how evil and how ungodly
this doctrine really is. Do you? Do I? I know that it's not right, but
something not being right and seeing that thing as repulsive
and evil and unclean and wicked are two different things. In John chapter 15 verse 16,
our Lord makes a very clear and concise statement to his disciples
and to all of his elect. I want you to listen to it. It's really complicated now.
You might have to have an interpreter. You have not chosen me, but I
have chosen you. Is that too hard to understand?
Is there anybody in this building this morning that can't understand
what that means? Well, this world don't. This
world don't. I've chosen you. Now listen to
this. And ordained you. Fixed it in
my eternal counsel. Ordained you. That you should
go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain.
And that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name,
He'll give it to you. He'll give it to you. Salvation
is of the Lord. It's of the Lord. It's of the
Lord in its eternal purpose and provision. Romans 8.28 says that
all things work together for good to them that love God. to
them who are the called according to his purpose. He goes on to
define that purpose like this, for whom he did foreknow. He
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son. Moreover,
whom he did predestinate, them he also called. Whom he called,
he justified, and whom he justified, he glorified. Salvation's of the Lord. He said,
you've not chosen me. You was fishing in the boat. You were fishing in the boat.
You weren't thinking about God. You weren't meditating about
God. You were not seeking God. You was fishing. And I chose you and I called
you and you left your nets and followed me. You have not chosen
me, I chose you. And the fruit which God has ordained
us to bear is the fruit of faith and repentance and love and worship
and prayer. In Ephesians 2.8, he said, by
grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It's
the gift of God. It's not of works, lest any man
should boast. Now listen to this. For we're
his workmanship. Whose workmanship? God's workmanship. Preacher told me one time I was
tore up. We were going through hard times. I didn't know what else to do
except to do what I was taught to do. I come to the front of
the church and I prayed and wept and asked God to deliver me and
went back and sat down. The preacher says, everything
okay? I said, no sir, it ain't. Well, he said, just believe.
I said, I can't. Have you been there? I can't. You didn't choose me, God said.
I chose you. And I ordained these fruits in
you. And your fruits are going to
remain because I created you that way. The means of salvation are of
the Lord. 2 Thessalonians 2.13, God has
from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the spirit and belief in the truth. were unto he called you
by our gospel. That's of the Lord. And in our text he tells us that
he's ordained that our fruit should remain preserved by the
ordination of God through the work of the triune God and the
means he has given. Peter says that we have an inheritance,
now watch this, incorruptible undefiled, and that fadeth not
away. Reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of
God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last
day. Kept by the power of God. Your fruit, he said, I ordained
it. I ordained that Russell Sanders
would believe. And he's going to keep on believing
because I'm God. And that's based not of his works.
He's my workmanship. And he's created in Christ Jesus
unto good works, and he's going to walk in them. Now, I said all that to say this.
Who gets the glory in free will decisionism? Man. I can't tell you how many Wednesday
night, Wednesday night was testimony night. It was called prayer meeting
but they didn't have that much praying going on. It was testimony
night and they'd stand up and go to bawling and crying and
talking about how God saved them. I remember the time and I remember
the place that I gave God my heart. Huh? You didn't do any
such thing. If you did, he wouldn't want
it. What's he going to do with it? The heart's deceitful above
all things and desperately wicked. You're going to give that to
God? And then you're going to feel good about it? Come on. Out of the heart, the mouth speaketh. You're going to have to do more
than give him the heart. He's going to have to give you
one. Everything God did would have
been for nothing had a sinner not chosen to let God save him. That's what religion preaches.
You think about that. God's done all he can do. That
still echoes in my ears, hearing that from guys preaching revivals. God done all he can do at the
altar call. Now it's all up here. God has
done all he can do. I thought he created the universe. I thought he said, I declare
the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things
that are not yet done saying my counsel stand and I'll do
all my pleasure. You mean that God who has his,
he does all his, he does it in the seas, he does it in the land,
and in all deep places. He has his way in glory and in
hell. He's God. And he's done all he
can do, and he said, now, it's all up to you. Bunch of maggots. I rest all my glory, all my purpose,
everything on the sinner. What a bunch of hogwashers. Of all the doctrines of devil's
hatch, from the beginning of time, none in my estimation are
more abominable than free will decisionism. Now there's four things which
are completely denied by those who preach and believe in free
will. So if you're holding out a little
bit in your heart this morning for free will and you've got
a little affection and confidence in free will, I won't tell you
what that free will denies. First of all, if I believe in
the free will of man, I deny the absolute sovereignty of God. There's a city in the Bible called
Babylon. You might recall the history
of it. That's where men came together with the idea of building
a tower up in heaven. They're going to make their own
way into glory. And God confused the languages
of the people and divided them and scattered them throughout
the earth. And from that day forward, all false religion is
called Babylon. You remember our studies. We've
already been through that. He called them Babylon, that
great whore. Babylon, that's her name. But after some years had passed,
an evil king arose whose name was Nebuchadnezzar. And I don't
know, I've often wondered if those hanging gardens of Babylon
wasn't what was left of that old tower. They just went up
there and planted big gardens on that big tall structure that
they built. But it was one of the wonders
of the ancient world, the hanging gardens of Babylon. And one day,
the old king, Nebuchadnezzar, he was up on top of that garden,
and he was looking down over that city, and I've always pictured
him with his thumbs in his overalls. I've seen my dad do that sometimes. We got all swelled up. He put
them thumbs in them overalls. I could see him up there, and
he said, boy, is this not great Babylon that I built for the
glory of my name and by the might of my power? God said, I'm going to show you
what you are. And he took his kingdom away
from him. And he sent him out here to eat
like oxen. And his hair grew like birds
feathers and his nails like eagle claws. And he sat out there until
seven times, whatever that is, passed by. Left him out there. Showed him that he was a beast.
And he did exactly as a beast would do. And then God returned him. And
he said, boy, when my reasoning returned, he never had any reasoning
until God reasoned. He said, now I praise and honor
and extol the God of heaven, whose kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom. He reigns from generation to
generation. And he rules in the armies of
heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can say
unto him, what doest thou? They can't stay his hand, and
they can't question what he does. That's God. That's God. By his prophet Isaiah, he said,
you remember the former things of old. What things? When you read these scriptures,
do you think like this? I do when I read them. He said,
you remember the former things of old. First thing come to my
mind, what thing? Well, what about the destruction
of the world? What about the fall of man? What about the prophecies of
Moses and Elijah and so on? What about the deliverance of
Israel out of Egypt? What about the forming of a nation
out of the loins of one man? What about all the covenants
that God revealed? He said you remember these former
things, these things of old. How that you walked out of Egypt
and not even a dog barked in any resistance. How that Pharaoh
and his army was buried in the sea by the hand of God. How God
preserved you in the wilderness and gave you water from a rock.
sweetened Mars waters with a tree, rained down bread from heaven.
You remember these former things of old, for I'm God and there
is none else. Huh? I'm God and there's none
like me. You can't compare me to anybody.
Our Lord said you thought I was altogether such a one as yourself.
But I'm going to straighten you out. I'm God. There's none like me. None like me. What do you do? I declare the
end from the beginning. And from ancient times, the things
that are not yet done, saying my counsel's going to stand.
And his counsel stood, didn't he? And is still standing. He's God. He said, I will do all my pleasure. God is eternal, almighty, unchangeable,
ever good and perfect gift, comes down from above, comes down from
the Father of life, with whom is no variableness, not even
a shadow of turning. Man's destiny is not in his hands
or in his will, but in the sovereign will of God. He understood that. He wasn't
no theologian, but he understood that. He fell down at the feet
of Christ, and he said, Lord, if you will, you can make me
clean. Now, I'm telling you, that's
what salvation is in the will of God. Christ said, I come not
to do my will. I come to do the will of him
that sent me. And this is the will of him that sent me, that
of all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing but raise
it up again in the last day. Now I'll tell you something else
about the sovereign will of God. He said this is the will of God.
Everyone that seeth the Son and believeth on Him, he can have
eternal life. How come? Because that's the
will of God. He gave some power to become
the sons of God and believe on His name which were born, not
of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of
man, but of God." Isn't that what Scripture says? They who
believe in man's free will deny the absolute sovereignty of God. Cannot I do with my own what
I will? Secondly, those who believe in
the free will of man deny their sinnerhood according to the testimony
of God. God says the sinner is dead and
trespasses and sins, by nature a child of wrath. Sin reigns
in him unto death, Romans 5 21. None righteous, none good, none
that understandeth, none that seeketh after God. All gone out
of the way, the way of peace they've not known. Together become
unprofitable, destruction and misery in his way. And on and on the testimony of
God goes. He drinks iniquity like water.
All his righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Every thought of the imagination
of man, only evil continually, sold under sin. Receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God, believing them to be foolishness,
and his mind enmity against God. You believe in the free will
of man, you deny what God says you are. It's a total denial
of it. What are you saying, preacher?
I'm saying that man makes God a liar. That's what I'm saying.
That man who preaches free will and believes free will or tolerates
free will. Don't tolerate it. Not for the
sake of yourself and not for the sake of your children. Don't
tolerate that doctrine. Tell them, no, it's not right. It's ungodly. Any man, woman, boy, or girl
that believes and defends or promotes the free will of man
denies God's testimony concerning his sin. The scripture said,
man is a fallen creature depraved in his nature, and therefore
all his faculties are in bondage to sin. Thirdly, free will is
a denial of the gospel doctrine of free grace. Not free will,
free grace. Free grace. The scripture said
we're accepted in the beloved, but it don't stop there. It said
to the praise of the glory of His grace. His grace provided
our acceptance. It provided it in eternal election. It provided it in eternal appointments
of Christ. And it provided it in the accomplished
redemption that Christ accomplished. And it provided it when He sent
us a preacher and sent His Spirit to accompany Him and gave us
a new heart and a new mind. Huh? Not free will, it's free
grace. Free grace. Even when we were
dead in sins, he quickened us together with Christ. By grace,
ye are saved. And by grace are you saved through
faith. That's not of yourselves, it's
the gift of God. And Paul said, even so at this
present time, there's a remnant according to the election of
grace. And if by grace, then it's no more works, otherwise
grace is no more grace. Free will is a denial of the
free grace of God, and free will is just another stream that branches
off the doctrine of salvation by works. That's all it is. We
are what we are and have what we have and know what we know
by the grace of God. God doesn't love men and make
provision for men and call men because of some potential he
sees in men either now or in the future. He saves men because he will. And those he wills to save, he
blesses with his grace. Now the thing about grace, when God gives his grace, there's
no restraint. If he gives you that much grace,
he'll give you this much grace. Those that he shows grace in
time, They're receiving grace for grace. That grace began way
back in eternity, and it just leapfrogged all down through
time. And it continues to leapfrog until we're with Him in glory.
Grace. Everyone saved of God is saved
by grace. But free will is a denial of
the grace of God, and it's nothing more than another version of
salvation by work. And Paul said in Romans 11, 6,
if it's by grace, it can't be of works. They don't mix. And
then fourthly and lastly, I believe in and hope in and promote the
preaching of man's free will. If I do that, if I do that, if
I promote it, if I hope in it, if I believe in it, I set myself in opposition to
the God of Holy Scripture and I make him a liar. I deny the
Word of God. Man's fall in the garden has
left him in bondage to a fallen nature. It's left him in bondage
to the rulers of the darkness of this world and to the influence
of false religion. To be saved necessitates a new
birth, a new creation, a new covenant established within Christ
in you, the hope of glory. And it requires God's intervention,
God's grace, and God's truth. And there's one more thing that
I added this morning. Free will denies the sufficiency
of the redemption accomplished by Christ Jesus. It says his
redemption is not enough. His redemption will all be for
naught if I don't choose him. That's what free will says. You
think about that. The humiliation that God put
his son through. The pain and suffering that God
put his son through. All the oaths and covenants that
he gave to his son's hand. And you're going to tell me that
all of that is for naught if you don't choose him? That's
what free will says. It says that his redemption is
not complete without the addition of man's decision to accept it.
No matter what God has purposed, no matter what God has decreed,
no matter what Christ has accomplished, and no matter what the Holy Ghost
is doing, it's all for naught if man doesn't approve of it,
accept it, and choose to let God save him. No wonder that religion is an
abomination to God. Men and women are not saved by
the free will of man, but by the free will of God. He said,
of his own will begat he us with the word of truth. That's the
will of God. I will, Christ said, be thou
clean. And he was clean. God said to Moses, he said, I
will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. And I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then, this is how God reveals
himself. This is how God defines his salvation. So then, Paul said, it is not
of him that willeth. Boy, don't you want to scream
that to this world. It's not, it's not, it's not
of him that willeth. It's of God that showeth mercy. So let's quit begging man to
accept what God has done and start begging God to save sinful
man. Oh, I hope this has helped you
at least a little bit to understand how wicked this doctrine of free
will is. It's not just that they're mixed
up in their theology. This thing is an abomination
to God. And it's a total denial of everything
we preach in the gospel, and all the means of salvation, and
even the work of Christ. Total denial of it. Our Father, use the message this
morning. Use it for Thy name's honor and
glory. And Lord, we beg You this morning not to allow our children and
our loved ones and our neighbors, not to allow them to be overcome
and influenced and sold down the river with these evil doctrines
that we're plagued with. Oh, that it might be found in
your will, in your will, to save them for Christ's sake.