Do you believe in predestination? I've been asked that question
countless times by people who overhear a conversation with
someone else or discuss the things of scripture with me a little
bit and it kind of leaks out. And I ask, folks ask, do you
believe in predestination? I'll give you a good answer for
the question. If you've read this book and
you believe it, you believe in predestination. If you've read this book and
you believe it, you believe in predestination. You cannot read
this book and believe this book and not believe in predestination. It is so plainly stated, so emphatically
and universally taught throughout the book that you cannot read
this book and believe it and not believe in predestination.
Now, you may have some confusion about it. You may have been taught
some false things about it. In fact, I'm sure if you've ever
been to church anywhere where folks denied God and the gospel
of His grace, you have been taught many things that are wrong concerning
the doctrine. And sadly, you may have been
in churches where folks believe the doctrine, but they have taught
things that are wrong concerning the doctrine. God Almighty, the
one true and living God, the God of this book, the God we've
heard about this morning in Exodus chapter 3, is eternal, sovereign,
unalterable, immutable. If indeed he is eternal, sovereign,
unalterable, immutable, he is a God of purpose. Eternal, sovereign,
unalterable, eternal purpose. Everything that comes to pass
in time. is brought to pass by God, by
His hand, on purpose, according to the eternal purpose which
He purposed in Christ Jesus, our Lord. This eternal purpose
of God is what we call in Bible terms, predestination. That's my subject today, predestination. Our text will be Romans chapter
8, verses 29 and 30. Predestination. What is it? Predestination is the decree
of God by which He has for His own glory foreordained whatever
comes to pass in time. It is the decree of God by which
He has for His own glory foreordained whatever comes to pass in time. Now, there's absolutely no question
about the fact that the Word of God teaches this doctrine. It is taught throughout the Scripture
and it is taught in numerous passages of Scripture and plainly
stated. The basis of our faith in all
things is the Word of God. No other basis. The basis of
our faith is not logic and reason. Though this doctrine clearly
is logical and reasonable. That's no basis for faith. The
basis of our faith is not the fact that this doctrine of predestination
has always been held by faithful men throughout the ages of Christianity. Though it has always been held
to by faithful men throughout the ages of Christianity. But
the basis of our faith is not history. That's not the basis
of our faith. This doctrine is not a part of
some confession of faith or creed that we must defend. We have
no creed. We have no confession of faith
except the book of God. None at all. I have folks sometimes
who you don't, Brother Fortner's afraid to put his doctrine down
on paper. Somebody will have to hold him
to it. You don't know Brother Fortner very well. It's not a
matter of fearing putting it down on paper. Getting you to
sign a piece of paper saying, I believe this doctrine. When
you join this church, wouldn't matter a hill of beans. If you're
going to deny the word of God, a piece of paper is not going
to change that. We believe what we believe in all things relating
to God, to Christianity, to faith, to spiritual things, to worship. We believe what we believe. only
because it is plainly declared in the Word of God. No other
reason. No other reason. Our doctrine,
if it is true doctrine, is doctrine which we can point to some portion
of Scripture and say, thus saith the Lord. Now, if you can't show
it to me in the book, don't pretend to believe it. If you can't show
it to me in the book, don't pretend to believe it. Look here in Romans
chapter 8 verse 28, we'll begin reading there. We know that all
things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to his purpose. People quote Romans 8.28 or at
least a portion of it, sort of quote it. We know everything
will turn out for good. That's sort of a quote. We know
all things work together for good. Everything will be all
right in the end. That's not what Romans 8.28 says. Romans
8.28 declares that everything in time, everything in time, is sovereignly
manipulated by God. Down to the very thoughts of
every man's heart. Sovereignly manipulated by God. Down to the very thoughts of
a man's heart. Everything in time is sovereignly
manipulated by God to do good for his people. according to his purpose. What
purpose? For whom he did foreknow, that
is, whom he loved with an everlasting love, he also did predestinate. Predestinate. Those he loved
with an everlasting love, he predestinated. This is his purpose,
according to which he sovereignly manipulates everything and everybody. For whom he did love from eternity,
he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his
son, that he, the Lord Jesus Christ, his darling son, might
be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called. And whom he called, them he also
justified. And whom he justified, them he
also glorified." God chose us in love, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according
to the good pleasure of his will. In him we also have obtained
an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.
So there's no question. This book teaches the doctrine. No question about that. The only
question to be asked and answered is, what does this book teach
about predestination? Back in the early 70s, I attended
a conference here in Danville with Brother Henry Mahan. And
Brother Mahan preached on this subject and he began his message
by making this statement. It's hard to say whether this
doctrine has suffered more in the camp of its enemies or in
the camp of its friends. That's a pretty good statement.
It's hard to say whether this doctrine has suffered more in
the camp of its enemies or in the camp of its friends. So I
want us to carefully search the scriptures and I want us to see
plainly what the book of God teaches about predestination. I'll begin with this. I want
you to see some things commonly thought and commonly taught that
this book does not teach. Let me give them to you, three
or four of them. Number one, the Bible does not
teach, it does not teach that impersonal, stoic, fatalistic
philosophy that says, whatever will be, will be. Whatever will be, will be. That's
a stoic, impersonal, fatalistic philosophy. That's nothing but
fatalism. It attempts to remove from man
all responsibility for his actions and for his own condition in
life. Now, we do not for a moment believe man is the master of
his own destiny. But we do believe, according
to this book, that every man is responsible for his own soul. and that every man's destiny
is his own responsibility. I have heard people say, well,
if you believe in predestination, why don't you just get out there
and run back and forth across the highway? You won't get hurt
unless it's predestinated. That's the fatalistic philosophy
I'm talking about. That's a mockery of the things
of God. The Lord God puts in our hands,
on our shoulders, the responsibility for our own souls. The word of
God does not teach that religious fatalism that says God's elect
will be saved no matter what. I once heard a preacher, a primitive
Baptist preacher make this statement. This is precisely what he said.
I preached the funeral today for a man who died in a drunken
stupor. So far as I know, He had never
darkened the doors of any church, made no profession of religion
of any kind. But I was able to comfort his
wife and his family when I preached the funeral, and I told her and
them that his hope of heaven is as good as mine. That's religious fatalism. We
believe the Bible doctrine of election. It's impossible to
believe this book and not believe that God chose, elected a people
for himself before the world began. But the word of God never
suggests, it does not even allow the possibility that the elect
will be saved no matter what. That preacher said, if he's elect,
he'll be in heaven. And if I'm elect, I'll be in
heaven. No, no. No one will ever be saved. Are you listening to me? According
to this book, according to that which is written in this book,
no one will ever be saved who does not hear the gospel. Faith comes by hearing and hearing
by the word of God. Is that what the book says? Is
that what the book says? That's what the book says. No
one will ever be saved except they believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ. He that believeth on the Son
of God hath everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son
of God shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. Is that what the book says? That's
exactly what the book says. You mean preacher, in order for
a person to be saved, he's got to hear the gospel and he's got
to believe on the Lord Jesus? Of course, that's what I mean.
Of course that's what I meant. Well, what about all those people
that never hear the gospel? They'll never be saved. What
about all those sincere religious people who don't believe on the
Lord Jesus? They'll never be saved. I don't
care how sincere a fellow is, a dark tribesman in New Guinea
who worships a stump or worships a monkey. He won't be saved.
I don't care how sincere he is. I don't care if that sincerity
even makes him put on clothes and act civilized. Sincerity
is not saving faith. Sincerity is not salvation. No one will be saved except they
hear the gospel and believe on the Son of God. Oh, the importance
there of you and I, to whom God has revealed the gospel of His
grace, that we preach the gospel. No one will be saved. No one
will be saved. No one believes on the Lord Jesus
Christ. who does not acknowledge and confess his sin. If we confess
our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin. If we
say we have no sin, we make God a liar. What does that mean,
confess your sin? Well, nobody's perfect. That's not quite confessing sin.
Nobody's perfect. That means, Bill, rather me and
you, we're just exactly alike. We do the best we can. We're
good old boys, but not perfect. Not perfect. Once in a while,
lose your temper. Once in a while, maybe say something
you ought not say. Once in a while, do something
you ought not. Nobody's perfect. Yes, I'll confess that. No, that's
not confessing your sin. To confess your sin is to rip
your heart open before God and acknowledge what you are.
on the inside, what you're hiding from your wife and your daughter
and your son and your father and your mother and husband,
neighbor, what you've got to hide from
everybody else or they'd lock you up. To confess your sin is
to acknowledge to God what you are. Not to talk to a preacher
about it, much less a priest, but to God. Not to talk to the
church about it, but to God. to confess your sin. No one will
ever be saved except he hear the gospel, believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, acknowledging his sin, trusting Christ as his only
Savior. God has predestined the use of
specific means to accomplish his purposes, and those means as necessary
and as certain as God's purpose If God purpose to save you he'll
cause you to hear the gospel He'll send somebody to tell you
the truth by one means or another If God's purpose to save you
he'll cause you to believe on himself If God's purpose to save
you, he will by the preaching of the word, by the power of
the spirit, rip open your heart so you can no longer hide from
him what you are. Third, the word of God nowhere
teaches. It nowhere implies that God has
arbitrarily predestinated some to heaven and some to hell. Well,
you just believe God predestinated this person go to heaven this
person go to hell nothing be done about it No, the all-wise
God never does anything arbitrarily Everything God does he does own
purpose and for a specific purpose He does everything according
to his purpose from eternity now without question The everlasting
condemnation of the reprobate was a part of God's eternal decree,
as much so as the salvation of his elect. Now, just no getting
around that. And who wants to? The everlasting
damnation of the wicked is as much a part of God's decree as
the everlasting salvation of his elect. The Lord had made
all things for himself, yea, even the wicked for the day of
evil. The Apostle Peter tells us that
some were ordained to this end. A stone of stumbling Christ Jesus
is made to them. And a rock of offense, even to
them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto
also they were appointed. That's plain enough, isn't it?
Listen to Jude. There are certain men crept in
unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation,
ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness
and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ." God
Almighty. has predestined everything that
comes to pass, and works all things according to his eternal
purpose of grace in predestination, even the life, and the ungodliness,
and the behavior, and the attitude, and the persecution, and the
filth, and the abomination of the wicked, and their everlasting
destruction. God's ordained it all for the
good of his people and the glory of his name. The Bible speaks
very plainly about vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. Just as plainly as it does about
vessels of mercy aforeprepared unto glory. We won't read it
this morning, but you read the 9th chapter of Romans. Vessels
of wrath fitted to destruction. Vessels of mercy aforeprepared
unto glory. Now notice the language of scripture.
The elect are vessels of mercy, prepared for glory by God's free
grace in Christ. The reprobate are vessels of
wrath, fitted for destruction by their own sin and willful
unbelief. Now this is what that means.
If you go to hell, You'll go to hell because it's right for
you to go to hell. Did you hear me? If you go to hell, you'll
go to hell because you fully deserve it. If you go to hell,
it'll be a result of what you do, of what you do according
to God's purpose. In this book, judgment and damnation
is always set before us. as that which is man's fault
and the result of man's work alone. Judgment is always God's
just retribution for sin. Judgment is always God's just
retribution for sin. Yes, I quoted to you those passages
of scripture that declare that the reprobate and the wicked
are eternally exactly as God before the world began foreordained
and predestinated. But God in infinite wisdom has
arranged things this way. If you go to hell, it's your
fault. And everywhere in the book, every single place in the
book that speaks of judgment, speaks of judgment upon men as
the result of what they've done. Not the result of God's purpose,
but the result of what they have done. The result of their own
determined rebellion against God. If you go to hell, it's
your fault. And one more thing, the word
of God doesn't teach. Divine predestination is not
based upon foreseen faith. We're told that God's foreknowledge
is like this. God with the telescope of omniscience
looked out through the ages of time and he saw that you would
believe on Jesus. He saw that you would choose
Jesus. Therefore, he chose you. Did you ever step in a manure pile?
Shake it off as soon as you can. Oh, what blasphemy. What blasphemy. That's God taking credit for
something he didn't do. No, no. God did not foresee something
you would do. And therefore, because he knew
what you would do, he determined what he would do. God's foreknowledge
of things, God's previous knowledge of things, God's pre-science
of things, God's omniscient awareness of things can only be true if
those things are foreordained. He can't know what's not foreordained. He can't know what he hasn't
purposed. He can't know beforehand what
he didn't determine to do. Let me try to be clear. It's
impossible, it's impossible to believe one statement of prophecy
in this book, not one word. Not one word. You can pretend
to believe it if you want to, but it's impossible, it's unreasonable,
it is not faith to believe one word in this book if you deny
God's eternal predestination and God's total sovereignty.
If God didn't predestinate that it come to pass, you can't be
sure it will. If God promises it, but doesn't
control everything down to the thoughts of the ungodly, and
the actions of the wicked, you can't be sure it's going to come
to pass. But we read in Isaiah 45 about a fellow named Cyrus. About 250 years before he was
born, God said, Cyrus, I've given you the name Cyrus, though you
don't know me. And you are going to deliver my people out of Babylon
and you're going to bring them out through these leaved gates
that didn't even exist when He made the statement. He said,
I'm going to show you the treasures of darkness and the riches of
the earth. I'm going to show you my infinite
wisdom, goodness, and sovereignty, and that which I thought I will
bring to pass exactly according to my purpose. Predestination
is not God foreseeing what you'd do or foreseeing what would come
to pass. It is God for ordaining that
which comes to pass. He says, surely as I have thought,
so shall it come to pass. And as I have purposed, so shall
it stand. Remember the former things of
old for I am God and there is none else. I am God and there's
none like me Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient
times the things that are not yet done saying my counsel shall
stand and I will do all my pleasure calling a ravenous bird from
the east and the man that executes my counsel from a far country There's God's prophet out hiding because suddenly this
man who's bold as a lion shows himself to be a man and he's
scared to death of Jezebel and he's out hiding. He's out hiding
and pouting. Prophets do that sometimes. They
get weak, and they're cowardly, and they pout, and they're peevish
at times. Prophets too. Even prophets like Elijah. And
there he sits. And God's going to feed him. He's going to feed him. He's
got a trained, what do you call them big dogs that carry the
whiskey with them? St. Bernard. He's got a trained
St. Bernard to carry him some rum every day. And he got him
a trained German shepherd to carry him a packed lunch every
day. That'd make good sense. That'd make pretty good sense.
But instead of that, he takes a raven, a raven, a carnivorous, filthy
black bird who's not likely to share meat with anybody and sends
him every day to feed his prophet. How come that raven would do
that? Because I said to the raven, carry Elijah, a hot dog with
all the treadmills. Exactly why, exactly why. And
God says, I'm going to send my people to Babylon for 70 years.
And I'm going to bring them out by a man from a far country who
executes my counsel and my wisdom. Oh, now, I can worship this God. He controls ravens to do things
contrary to their nature. And He so rules men, even men
sitting in power who don't know His name, to do things contrary
to their will, exactly according to His will. Brother Allen saying a little
bit ago now tell me what is I'm supposed to be afraid of What
is I'm supposed to fear our God is sovereign understand this Before the world began God sovereignly
predestinated all his elect to be conformed to the image of
his dear son the Lord Jesus and And that which he predestinated
in eternity, he accomplishes in time by his sovereign, irresistible,
immutable grace. Eternal predestination is God's
eternal work, his sovereign work. That which he purposed stands. Nothing that comes to pass in
time Changes any of it, nothing. Carefully observe the language
of Holy Scripture in our text. He also did predestinate. He is the original source and
cause of all things. He is the source of salvation. Everything springs from Him of
whom it is written, all things are of God. Specifically, Predestination
is God's eternal purpose of grace toward his elect. It is God's
determination to save his elect. It is his determination of the
everlasting destiny of all chosen sinners before the world began. Now, I know God's sovereign purpose,
God's decree, God's predestination, as I stated, includes all things.
all people and all events in heaven, earth, and hell. But
the object of predestination is the salvation of His chosen. The object of everything God
purposed, the object of all history, The
object of God in everything he purposed before ever he said
that there'd be light and there was light. His object was the
salvation of my soul. That's my father. And the object of God in providence. Everything he brings to pass
according to his purpose of grace in predestination is the salvation
of his elect. Wonder what he's gonna do tomorrow.
Wonder how this gonna turn out. Wonder, ah, God did that for
me. God did that for me. And God
did that for me. And God did that for me. And
God did that for me. God did that for me. God did that for me. Everything
God has done. He has done for me. And everything
that is, has been, or shall hereafter be is done by the hand of God's
providence according to God's purpose of grace in predestination
for the saving of our souls. God predestined the means and
brings the means to its accomplishment as well as the end. God predestined
the method by which he would save his people. The Lord Jesus
Christ was born exactly according to God's eternal purpose of grace
and predestination at the exact place, at the exact time. It could not have happened in
fulfillment of scripture at any other time in history. Couldn't
have happened at any other time in history. Thou Bethlehem of
Judea. Why Bethlehem of Judah? Because
there was another Bethlehem. So prophet Micah makes it very
specific. That's where the Messiah is going
to be born. He's going to be born through the womb of a virgin
because he's God's son. A woman's gonna bring forth the
seed, a woman's seed, who'll crush the serpent's head. He's
gonna be born, gonna be born sometime after the Jews return
from Babylon. He's gonna be born in Bethlehem.
And he's gonna be born at a time when the Jews are in subjection
to, in bondage to the Romans at Bethlehem, at Bethlehem. In
order to arrange to get Joseph and Mary down to Bethlehem, when
Mary was just about to go into labor, there's a pagan ruler
who doesn't know God from a billy goat, like most rulers. Doesn't
know God from a billy goat. And he decides to do something. that's about as absurd as our
welfare system. I mean, it's absurd. It is just
absurd. He said, I'm going to order that
everybody paying taxes this year, rather than taking it by the
local publican's office and paying their taxes, rather than mailing
it in to the local IRS agent, I'm going to order that everybody
go back to the place where he was born and pay his taxes there. Does that make sense to you?
And they didn't even have cars, let alone jets. You got to go
back to the place where you were born. You got to pay your taxes
before April 15th. Got to do it. Got to do it. So
Mary and Joseph take them a donkey and set Mary on that thing and
they walk down to Bethlehem, Judah. And there the Lamb of
God comes forth. according to the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God in predestination. And the Lord Jesus, 33 years
later, is taken by the hands of wicked men according to the
determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God and crucified and slain
at the moment. the hour in the exact manner
the Lord God ordained before the world was and prophesied
up plainly in the book of God. How can that be? We believe God. We believe God who purposes all
things and God who brings all things to pass according to his
purpose of grace in predestination. Not only that, but God's ordained
the means. by which he would save those
chosen ones, by which he would cause them to know his darling
son, by which he would call sinners to believe on his son. It pleased
God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. He created the world and rules
the world and raises up men and takes them down, raises up nations
and puts them down, puts men on thrones and takes them off
of their thrones. He sends work to this place here
so you can live over here where there's a gospel preacher preaching
the gospel. And somehow or another fixes
it so you There you are Man alive. What am I doing here today? Well,
how come I'm sitting here today? You stop and think about all
things that raised it Wow Well if that thing hadn't happened,
I wouldn't be here If I hadn't had this heartache, I wouldn't
have been here If I hadn't gone over there and experienced that
I would have been here Yeah, if that fella hadn't done what
he did to me, I wouldn't be here. But here I am so that you can
hear the gospel of God. By the arrangement of God from
eternity, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
When God sends darkness to men who will not receive the love
of the truth and blinds them, He always has a remnant. but
we're bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren
beloved of God. Because God has from the beginning
chosen you to salvation through sanctification, through the regenerating
work of the Holy Spirit and belief of the truth. Oh, thank God for electing love. Thank God for the arrangements
of providence. Thank God for the purpose of
grace and predestination by which He's ordered the universe to
give His own life and faith in Christ. Believe on the Son of
God and go home with this blessed
joy in your heart. God chose me and God predestined me to be
His own before the world was. Next time somebody says to you,
that's a hard doctrine, try to remember something about this.
Nothing sweeter, more blessed, more glorious, more comforting,
more delightful than God's sovereign predestination. Just imagine, just imagine how
comfortable, your children and grandchildren
would be. That's Larry Brown. We're just
sinful men, and we're prone to every kind of evil in the world.
But just imagine how comfortable your children and grandchildren
would be if they could be convinced, and it were true, that you had
absolute control over everything and everybody. That'd be all right. My daddy's
in charge. Look at that lion over there. He's daddy's lion.
Look at that thief over there. He's daddy's thief. He's in daddy's
jail. Daddy's got him on his leash. Look at that rapist. That's my daddy's. That's my
daddy's. He's under my daddy's control. Look at that vile, vile
thing. That man's plenty. That's my
daddy's. My daddy's in control of everything.
And my daddy loves me. and he gonna take care of me.
And that vile thing, that rapist, that murderer, that thief, that
lion, can't touch me. Can't touch me, except by my
daddy's order. And if my daddy orders it, all
he's gonna do is make things better for me. It'll be all right. It'll be all right. Oh, will
you hear me? My Father rules the universe
according to His purpose of grace in predestination for me, for
you, my brother, my sister, for you who believe on the Son of
God. This gives us assurance The Lord hath made with me an
everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure, and this
is all my salvation and all my desire, though he make it not
to grow. In the face of adversity, in
the face of what seems to be horrible adversity, in the face
of terrible darkness, In the face of terrible, terrible things. God, I can't see how you're accomplishing
your will. I can't see how you're glorifying
yourself. I can't see how you're advancing
your kingdom. But oh my God, I thank you for
the confident knowledge that you're God. And beside you there
is none else, and you do all your pleasure for your people."
This gives us confidence in evangelism, in all our labors, in all our
causes. Why the expense? Why the trouble?
Why the work? God has a people He's going to
save, and He's going to save them by the gospel of His grace. Oh God, will you be pleased for
Christ's sake, for your glory, to make us to have a hand in
this marvelous work of your grace, carrying the gospel to the four
corners of the earth for the saving of your people. I can't
think of a better thing in the world to desire. are a better
thing in the world to do with everything God's put in my hands
and in yours. For of Him and through Him and
to Him are all things to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.