Let me tell you what gave birth
to this message, and then we'll look at our text. I was finishing
up my work yesterday on the message for this morning, and I got a
note from a young man I've been corresponding with a good bit
recently. And he asked me three questions, three questions that
I briefly answered and immediately As I began to answer them, I
knew I had to give fuller answers to you this morning publicly,
and I intend to see that he gets a copy of the message. He, of
course, brought it with me a good bit, and though I had told him
I don't refer to myself as a Calvinist, and never do, that just doesn't
fit me, and I don't refer to myself as reformed. I'm not reformed
from anything. But he asked this question first. What's the point of missions,
witnessing, et cetera, for Calvinists? If God decided who's saved and
man has no choice in the matter, then it should seem witnessing,
missions, and other missionary outreach is pointless. If a man
can decide, you can't convince them. And of course, it is a
common accusation that we don't believe in missions. that we don't believe in evangelism.
I would defy this young man or anyone else to find a congregation
anywhere more committed to missions or a preacher who preaches more
incessantly than I do everywhere God opens a door. preach the gospel incessantly,
by every means God gives us, precisely because we recognize
our responsibility and our great privilege. I said to him, as
you might know, our congregation supports missionaries around
the world. Every one of them, every one of them, believes and
preaches the gospel of God's free grace in Christ. By that
I mean T-U-L-I-P, TULIP, total depravity, unconditional election,
limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance or preservation
of God's saints. Not only do the missionaries
preach it, but all the pastors in the churches where those missionaries
have established churches preach these things. We believe and
preach the gospel. When someone asks me if our missionaries
believe what we do, I'm insulted by the question. Of course they
do. I wouldn't send a nickel to anybody
to preach anything else. I'd send them $500 to come home,
but not to preach, not to stay there. We don't support We do
not support anything contrary to the gospel of God's free grace. I said to this young man, I travel
at least once a year on a missionary trip to one of the mission fields
to visit missionaries and the national churches and preaching
among them and with the preachers. Yes, we certainly believe in
preaching. Why? Because God has ordained
by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. We
know that God has a people in this world whom he will save. He chose them. He predestinated
them to salvation. Christ redeemed them. And at
the appointed time of love, every one of them, he will call by
his grace, by the irresistible almighty operations of his spirit,
bringing them to Christ. And he does it through the foolishness
of preaching. And he promises, my word will
not return unto me void. It shall accomplish that which
whereunto I send it. So I preach with confidence,
knowing that nothing in the salvation of the sinners to whom I preach
depends on me. Whether or not you believe the
gospel, whether or not you're saved this day by God's grace
doesn't depend on my ability as a preacher, but rather upon
God's purpose of grace and his gift of grace and his operation
of grace. And this I know, wherever God
sends his word, it will accomplish his purpose. And so we preach
and preach with confidence. And then he asked, He'd read
a tract I wrote some years ago, a little booklet, what does it
mean to be reformed? He said, you said Baptists who
call themselves reformed are just ducking Presbyterians, so
why do you pastor a Baptist church? And I think that's worthy of
an answer. I'm a Baptist by conviction,
not by name only, by conviction, by conviction. Most of the churches
among whom we have association where I preach, do not wear the
name Baptist. Todd's Road Church is called
Todd's Road Grace Church. The church in Rock Valley is
called Rock Valley Community Church. The church in Wheatleyburg
is called Wheatleyburg Grace Fellowship or Fellowship Church.
Most folks today do not choose to take the name Baptist who
believe as we do because they do not want to be identified
with the we'll worship Arminian Baptist of the age. But I said
to him, I'm a Baptist by conviction and by name. I choose to retain
the name because it is somewhat of an identification with the
people who have shed their blood and died at the hands of Protestants
and Papists throughout history because of their conviction that
believers confess Christ in baptism for that one thing. For that
one thing, God's people have been put to death by Protestants
and Papists throughout their history. Why? Because confessing
that baptism is for believers only, by immersion, denies the
totality of their works, family religion, that says sprinkle
a little water on a baby, gets him into the kingdom of God.
and there's a total denial of it. So I choose to be identified
with that, recognizing that even in those days, prior to the Reformation,
there were many heretics among Baptists, just as there are today. The vast majority of Baptists,
I acknowledge, are now heretics and always have been. I acknowledge
it frankly. But there have always been, since
the days our Lord established His church on this earth, Baptists,
men and women who believed God and walked with Him according
to the ordinances of the New Testament. And these Baptists
throughout history have been known for the gospel of God's
grace that we preach, some familiar to most anybody. John Gill, John
Bunyan, C.H. Spurgeon, just to name two or
three. And then he asked if God decided
who would be saved. And man has no choice. Wonder
where anybody gets that idea that man has no choice. Never
heard me say that. Didn't read it in this book.
I've never heard anybody say that except somebody who's denying
the gospel. Have you? I've never heard a
message. Every one of you got a choice
and you're going to make one today. You will decide today whether
or not you will believe the gospel I preach to you. You'll decide
that. And you will too. You will too. Man has no choice. You've got
a choice. My only contention is your choice is always wrong
until God makes it right. You will always choose error
rather than truth. You will always choose your way
rather than God's way. You will always choose to serve
your lust rather than serve God. So this idea man has no choice
is not so. It's just that man's depraved
and his choice is determined by his nature. Depravity. Well,
if man has no choice, then some people were created for the express
purpose of going to hell. Hmm. I never did hear anybody
say that either. Now, nobody except someone who
is attacking the gospel of God's grace. And for those who are
saying they're merely robots on a stage like in a skit. And I responded this way. If
the plain revelation of God's word made God a monster and men
robots, as is suggested by men who cannot refute the doctrine
of Holy Scripture, that wouldn't change anything. That would not
change the revelation of God. Of course, that's not the case.
But if it were the case, that doesn't change anything. What
men conclude from what God says doesn't really matter. What does
God say in his word? That's all that matters. Well,
this is what I think. I would like to never hear you
again refer to anything with regard to God's Word, God's truth,
and God's way as I think. Bobbie Estes, it don't matter
a hill of beans what you think. And it don't matter what your
mama thought. And it doesn't matter what your preacher thinks.
The only thing that matters is what God says in His Word. Nothing else matters. Now, I
said I'll ask you three questions. Please give them thoughtful consideration. Number one, if God loves all
men alike, what does the love of God have to do with anyone's
salvation? That's a reasonable question,
isn't it? If Christ died for all men alike,
what does the death of Christ have to do with anyone's salvation? Again, that's a reasonable question. If God the Holy Spirit calls
all men alike, What does the call of God have to do with anyone's
salvation? Give consideration to those questions.
Think about them. If God loves all men alike, what
does God's love have to do with anyone's salvation? If Christ
died for all men alike, what does the death of Christ have
to do with anyone's salvation? If the Holy Spirit calls all
men alike, what does the call of God have to do with anyone's
salvation? There can't be but one answer.
Nothing. Nothing. If God loves everybody, some
folks go to hell. God's love doesn't make any difference.
If Christ died for everybody and some folks go to hell, his
death doesn't make any difference. If the Holy Spirit calls everybody
and some folks go to hell, his call doesn't make any difference.
Nothing. Such doctrine declares that salvation
is not determined by the will of God. or the love of God, or
the work of Christ at Calvary, or the power of God the Holy
Spirit, but rather is determined entirely by the will of man. We live in this day and age in
which everybody everywhere worships man's will. Man is set in the
house of God as though he were God and worshipped as though
he were God, making everything to be determined by man's will.
Now, it is strange to me, my dear friend, Brother MB Magruder,
years and years ago, he's with the Lord now. I was preaching
in Louisville and he was still living years ago before Brother
Boots Parks ever went there. And after I got done preaching,
he said to me, after the service one night, he said, isn't it
strange? A man takes the weakest aspect
of the human nature and makes it his God. What can be weaker than your
will? We're going to have dinner today. And some of you folks
who love gravy, are going to be tempted to go off your diet.
And I bet you do. I bet you do. You remember the
old Lay's potato chip commercial? They made millions of dollars.
Bet you can't eat one. Did you ever try to eat one?
Just one? The weakest aspect of your nature
is your will. There's nothing so weak about
anybody as his will. And yet men make man's will to
have power over God's will, determining everything. And such doctrine
is utter blasphemy. And it's totally contrary to
scripture. This is what the book says. So then it is not of him
that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth
mercy. It appears to me that God, the
Holy Spirit, anticipated that people would come along and worship
man's will. And so it specifically says this
is not how sinners are saved. It is not by your will or your
doing. It's by God who shows mercy. And then I sent him several things
that I've written over the years and asked him to read Specifically
dealing with these things now open your Bibles if you will
to Deuteronomy 32 again And I'll give you a fuller more complete
answer to this young man's questions When people can't refute our
message and it can't be refuted as a matter of fact, I I said
to this young man If I've heard and anything written in these
things I send you If I've heard in any of them, in any of them,
please let me know my error, showing me from the word of God. If that can be done, if that
can be done, I will make a public retraction as soon as possible,
begging God and his people to forgive me. I promise you. If that can be done, I will make
a public retraction as soon as possible and beg God and his
people to forgive me and I will never preach again. I issue that
challenge to anybody who wants to take it. Anybody who wants
to take it. Anybody who wants to take it.
Can't be done. This doctrine can be refuted.
Then it is totally contrary to scripture and it is not to be
received. If, however, these things are
so, if that which I declare to you today is so, let no man be
considered God's servant or a preacher sent from God who does not preach
these things boldly, clearly, and relentlessly. Boldly, clearly,
and relentlessly. Years ago, I met a fellow down
in Tennessee He'd heard me preach a few times. He said, how often
do you preach what he called the five points? Tulip, total
depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement. I said, every
time I preach. Every time I preach. And he was
shocked. I said, that's right. Every time
I preach. I don't let it get by without me preaching these
things. For they're the very salt and pepper to sit on the
table in the house of God constantly. But when people can't refute
our message, when they can't break down and destroy our doctrine,
and they yet refuse to believe it, they refuse to bow to the
Word of God, they only have one means by which to defend themselves,
and that's slander. And so they say, well, those
folks down at Grace Baptist Church, they don't believe in missions.
They believe babies go to hell. Those things are lies. They're
not just mistakes. They're out and out lies to anybody
who knows us. They're just lies. They're antinomian. They're antinomian. They believe folks can live like
hell and still go to heaven. You never heard that here? Never
heard that here? Not from anybody who believes
the gospel of God's grace. I got a note. Another note. Yesterday,
if I'd have been to here, Someone in England. I never heard telling
the man. I've never seen him don't have any idea who he is
He don't got it. Okay He's got a public means
at Fort as an antinomian. Of course, my friend's wife jumped
in his face, but that's That's the way folks handle things they
can't handle Now, don't you be guilty of it? and let me not
be guilty of it. We dare not slander men. We've been enough the objects
of such slander. Some little imps a few years
ago started passing around word Fortner's a compromiser. His
doctrine has changed. He's not as strong as he used
to be. Bull feathers. I'll leave that for you to decide.
I gave up the business of defending myself years ago. What I preach
to you today, I have been preaching since I was 17 years old and
haven't changed one hair's breadth. Not one hair's breadth. Go back,
get anything I preached since I was 17 years old. Anything
you want to. But the yelping of little dogs
doesn't bother me. I just ignore them. But I try
my best to ignore them in such a way that they know they're
being ignored. I do like to aggravate them. Others attempting to cast one
of God's servants in what they might imagine is ugly light,
they say, well, he's a doctrinal preacher. Boy, that sounds bad
today, doesn't it? He preaches doctrine. He's a dogmatic doctrinalist. What they fail to realize is
that to people who read this book, people who actually read
this book, not those who talk about it, folks who actually
read this book, Those who know something about the Bibles, that's
not a detraction, it's an attraction. All gospel preachers are doctrinal
preachers. All gospel preachers are doctrinal
preachers. Doctrine is not a curse word.
It simply means teaching. The doctrine of Christ is the
teaching of Christ. The doctrine of scripture is
the teaching of scripture. The doctrine of God is the teaching
of God. The doctrine of the gospel is
the teaching of the gospel. We sometimes use the word plural,
referring to the doctrines of the word of God. But in the scriptures,
in the scriptures, the only time the words used in the plural
is when it refers to false doctrine. You see, the doctrine of God
is one. The doctrine of God is one. The whole revelation of
God stands or falls together. You cannot pick and choose and
take your pen and knife and draw. I'm going to cut this section
out here. In this section over here. I never did like this section
over here, but I believe this is God's Word. You may as well
use a toilet paper. I'm not, I'm being as plain as
I can be. Deliberately. To deny one part of the book
is to deny the whole book of God. You cannot receive a portion
of things as if you bow before God. You bow before God and receive
everything. So I don't understand it all.
I take a lot of medicine. Some of it, if it stays in your
mouth very long, tastes horrible. So I try to get it down quick
in one gulp. And I'll be honest with you, there's things in this
book that are bitter in my mouth, but they're honey in my belly.
They're contrary to the flesh, but they're good for my soul
and good for the spirit. And we bow to the Word of God.
David, whether you understand it or don't understand it, whether
it makes you jump up and down or makes you fall down and cry,
we bow to the Word of God. If it shuts out mom and daddy,
it shuts out mom and daddy. If it shuts out you, it shuts
out you. If it shuts out me, it shuts out me. But we bow to
the Word of God. The Bible talks a lot about doctrine.
It describes doctrine this way. Pure doctrine. Good doctrine. Sound doctrine. Gospel preachers
instruct men and women in doctrine. Pure doctrine. good doctrine,
sound doctrine, that you be not tossed about with every wind
of doctrine. The gospel of Christ, the teaching
of the Bible is called the doctrine of God, the doctrine of Christ,
the doctrine which is according to godliness. The doctrine which
is according to God, the doctrine which is according to godliness,
godliness, God's way. God's worship, God's honor. That's the doctrine of the gospel.
And that pastor who labors in the word and in the doctrine,
the Holy Spirit tells us, is worthy of double honor. That
means double pay. He's worthy, that man who labors
in the word of God, in the doctrine of Christ, is worthy of double
the pay of any other man. He doesn't desire it, and he
doesn't seek it, but he's worthy of it. I say that with regard
to any man who spends his life laboring in the Word and in the
doctrine of God. He's worthy of your highest esteem
in love for his work's sake, and God's people esteem his servants
just that way. In the light of these things,
I want to talk to you this morning briefly about my doctrine. That's
the title of my message. I take Moses' word and Paul's
word for my title, my doctrine. Moses speaks in verse 2 of his
doctrine, says, this is my doctrine. Now let me say this concerning
my doctrine. My doctrine is public knowledge. Public knowledge. Paul said to
Timothy, thou has fully known my doctrine. Everybody who comes
in here and sits down where you're sitting this morning, knows my
doctrine, unless you sit there and snore all the time. You can't
come here and not know my doctrine. I don't attempt to hide anything,
not anything. I intend to make things so clear,
you can't possibly mistake what I say. Everything I preach everything
I write is made public to anybody who wants it folks I get letters
all time both wonder what I believe about this whether I said go
to the web page type in that word You'll find out what I believe
It's there. It's there Second my doctrine
will bear the scrutiny of Holy Scripture What I say to you I
challenge you you go home take this book this one right here.
This is right here and find out of what I've said so. If it's
not, don't come back here. Go find you somebody who preaches
this doctrine. If it is, pay attention to what's
said and bow to what God says. This is what our Savior said,
and this is what I say. My doctrine is not mine, but
his that sent me. If any man will do his will,
he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether
I speak of myself. All right, let's look at Deuteronomy
32. My doctrine is the joyous doctrine of song and praise. Give ear, O ye heavens, and I
will speak. And hear, O earth, the words
in my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the
rain. My speech shall distill as the
dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers
upon the grass. What's that mean? Oh, his doctrine's
so hard. That's such hard doctrine. Bob,
that's good doctrine. Dew's not hard, it's soft. It's not hard, it's sweet. It'll
distill as dew upon the tender grass, because I will publish
the name of the Lord. Ascribe ye greatness to our God. That's what it is. to preach
the doctrine of the gospel is to publish the name of the Lord
ascribing greatness to our God. I write to preachers every week.
I pick up some of them, drop them a brief note, and I constantly
encourage them this way. Preach God high and great. Preach up the Redeemer! Make
God's name known in His greatness. If there's anything this generation
has not seen, it is the fact that God is great. God is great. Read on. He is the Rock. Seven times in this chapter,
Moses speaks by inspiration and refers to the triune Jehovah
as the rock, the rock, the rock. And then in verse 31, he tells
us their rock, little r, their rock is not as our rock. Now look at the next line. Have
you got your Bible open there? Verse 31. Their rock is not as
our rock. He not anything like it. He not anything like it. No,
their rock is not as our rock. See if I can find something,
maybe, that'd be a pretty good representation of their rock.
A pair of fingernail clippers, bent and twisted, not much count.
There's their rock. We've made a pair of clippers
to Jehovah. We'll call him Jehovah, and we'll
worship him. And we'll go to church and sing
his praising, amazing grace, how sweet the sound. See, I walk.
And then you come along and declare God's greatness, his glory. And,
Merle, they'll tell you in a heartbeat, that's not our God. My God's not like that. My God's
not like that. Oh, I wouldn't worship a God
like that. Well, I grant that that's not your God. And I grant
that your God is not like that. Your God's a helpless piece of
nothing. Nothing. But the God I preach
to you, he's the only one you'll worship. You'll make a bargain
with your God. You'll try to bribe your God.
You'll try to twist your God's arm. The only God to be worshipped
is our rock. He's not like their rock. And
this is what they say. even our enemies themselves being
judges. That is, they themselves have
told us, our rock is not like their rock. Not to say. My doctrine set forth here, he
is the rock. His work, not works, work. Work. Oscar, do you know God
only does one thing? Just one thing. God's never done
but one thing. Just one thing. Saving His people. That's His
work. All those things we call His
works. And right we do. Creation. and providence, and
predestination, and election, and redemption, and regeneration,
and preservation, and instruction, the outpouring of the Spirit.
All his works are just one work. He's making himself an everlasting
and glorious name by the saving of his people. His work is perfect. And Moses speaks plainly then
and says, this one who is our God, His ways are judgment, just,
right, righteous. His ways are wise and right. All his ways. Whatever God does
is wise. And whatever God does is right. God teach me that. Whatever God does is wise. And whatever God does is right. If he sends tornado, or opens
up a sinkhole, or sends an earthquake, or sends the flood, or sends
pestilence, or sends upon a man an evil spirit from the Lord
to do evil. That's what the book says in
here, Larry. He sent an evil spirit on Saul. It's been an
evil spirit, an evil spirit from the Lord owns all. Oh, my God
wouldn't do that. That's what we just said. Your
rock's not like our rock. Your rock can't do a frazzling
thing. Your rock can't do anything without your permission. Your
rock waits on your, your rock will be set in judgment by you. Imagine, imagine men and women
claiming to believe God claiming to worship God, and then set
in judgment over what God does. I hadn't been here any time,
but sitting right back there where Frank's sitting, visiting
with us one morning, a fellow who claimed to believe grace.
He listened to me preaching Romans 828. He said as he went out the
door, I heard him say it. How could anybody say what your
mother's going through is God's work and works for good? What's that? What's that? Who are you to sit in judgment
over God? That's my baby. How could God
do that? Because God's work is judgment. Right and wise. He's done what's right and wise
with you and with me and with everything else. His work is
perfect. All his ways are judgment, a
God of truth, a God of truth without iniquity. Just and right
is he. All right. Let me give you my
doctor. I will give it to you in five
short statements, and I'll sit down. Nothing new here, just
reemphasizing what I've been preaching to you for 33 years.
Number one, the Lord our God, the God of this book, is an absolute
sovereign. He's an absolute sovereign. He
is the absolute sovereign. Back years ago, I recall a fellow
started bantering about some theology, talking about sphere
sovereignty. Sphere sovereignty. For example,
A man who's king over in Syria, he's sovereign in Syria, but
not in Israel. He has sphere sovereignty. And
God, they would say, has sphere sovereignty. That is, he's sovereign
over these things, and he's sovereign over the elements of nature,
unless they turn bad, and he's sovereign over the good things
that happen, and he's sovereign over giving you grace once you've
let him give you grace. He has sphere sovereignty. Sphere sovereignty is no sovereignty
at all. Mr. Assad's fixing to find that
out. No sovereignty at all. Not at all. Sphere sovereignty
means you're helpless. Sphere sovereignty means you
can't do anything. Sphere sovereignty means you're
dependent on other things. Read the book of God and tell
me whether God's sovereign or helpless. Our God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever he pleased. In the sea, in the earth, and
in heaven above, in all deep places, our God rules. The Lord of hosts has sworn,
saying, Surely, as I have thought, so shall it come to pass. As
I have purposed, so shall it stand. God's sovereign, sovereign
in creation, so that All things were made by God for himself,
yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. He made Pharaoh
to cast him in the Red Sea. He made Esau so that he in the
day of evil would show his glory in the judgment of Esau. I just,
I don't understand that. What's so hard to understand
about that? That's what he said. Jacob, have I loved thee, Saul,
have I hated? It's not a problem of understanding it. The problem
is bowing to it. The problem is bowing to it.
The Lord God says, what I think. That's what comes to pass. Skip
what God thinks is what comes to pass. You've got that problem
with your leg right now because God, before the world began,
ordained it to be brought to you at this time for your good
forever by his grace. And when you get up wanting to
cuss the leg in the morning, remember God did it. God did it. God did it. God did
it for you, not against you, for you. He's sovereign in predestination. God Almighty predestined from
eternity everything that comes to pass in time. And nothing
comes to pass He didn't predestine. God's sovereign in providence,
for of him and through him and to him are all things to whom
be glory forever. God Almighty is sovereign, especially
in grace, especially in grace. He says it is not of him that
willeth, not of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.
Well, what are you going to say to that? God said, Jacob have
I loved, Esau have I hated. He says, I will have mercy on
whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will
have compassion. And he declares, whom he will,
he hearteneth. Whom he will, he hearteneth. Number two, this book, this book, This blessed book alone, and
in its entirety, is the Word of God. Not many of you know this. I
have been asking in recent years to serve on committees translating
different reference Bibles and translating modern translations
of the Bibles. And I haven't done so for a couple
of reasons. The biggest is this. We don't need a new translation. We need to bow to God's word. People can't understand the King
James. Can't understand the King James.
Well, let's make it modern. And you go to Bible bookstores,
you can't hardly find one on the shelves. You can't hardly
find one. Everybody getting a new translation. And the reason they
keep getting new translations is because they keep trying to
find some way to fix it so there's nothing in this book that offends
man's pride. That's the only reason. That's
the only reason. This book is the word of God. It is the word
of God given by inspiration of God. Given by inspiration of
God. I realize we have, of course,
an English translation. Our Mexican friends have a Spanish
translation. The book is the word of God. given to us in our language,
given by divine inspiration, and is in all things completely
authoritative. That means that we have no authority
to believe anything with regard to things spiritual, with regard
to things eternal. We have no authority, no right
to believe anything that's not written in this book. This is
the final, complete, authoritative revelation of God. We're to add
nothing to it and take nothing from it. That means that our
only rule of faith in practice is right here, right here. Some
of you were present. Some years ago, I was preaching
at the First Presbyterian Church in Louisville, and a bunch of
Presbyterian fellows were there kind of poking fun at What we
practice and believe is Baptist. And I stepped out in front of
the pulpit and I said to him, we claim to believe the word
of God. We claim to believe the word of God. Is that right? Yes,
sir. Yes, sir. We claim to believe and teach
what the book teaches. All right. Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
As I tell you what, if you can show me anywhere in this book,
anywhere in this book where anybody sloshed a little water on baby's
face and called it baptism. I poured a little water on baby's
face and called it baptism. I'll go back to Danville and
we'll baptize, we'll sprinkle or pour water on every baby in
the congregation. I'll do it tomorrow. That's exactly
what I said to him. Is that what I said to him? If
you can't find it, you quit. I'll quit calling yourself God's
servant. It's exactly right. We practice baptism the way we
do. We're going to have the Lord's
table in just a minute. We're going to have bread and wine. Not soda
cracker and grape juice. And if you don't like that, I'm
sorry. No, I'm not sorry. You need to like it. You need
to like it because that's the way it was done in the New Testament.
We practice baptism by immersion because that's the way it was
done in the New Testament. Nothing else is baptism. Nothing
else is observing the Lord's table. Nothing. Nothing. Our
only rule of faith and practice is what God says in his word.
People want to argue about predestination. Does the Bible teach it? Does
the Bible teach it? Whom he did predestinate. Man,
that sounds like predestination. Predestination is God's eternal
purpose. Of course it teaches it. Election. Does the Bible
teach election? This is a true story. It's a
true story. I had a friend down in, uh, Fort
Worth, Texas area years ago, a man and his wife. One of the
folks from one of the big whoopee churches came by one Saturday
trying to get him to come to church. Not him, but his son. And I never met the son, but
the son was busy doing his yard work, didn't want to be bothered.
He said, you wouldn't want me to come down there. Oh, yeah,
everybody welcome down there. We'd love to have you come. He
said, what do y'all believe about election down there? And that
fella, Looked at him like a cat looking at a new gate. Election? I'm not sure, but I believe almost
everyone of them down there is Republicans. And that's what most folks know
about election. Whom he did predestinate, he called. Who are those? According
as he hath chosen us in him. You've not chosen me, but I've
chosen you. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and calls
us to approach unto thee. Of course the book teaches it.
Limited atonement, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. Effectual atonement, with his
own blood, he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained
eternal redemption for us. This is what the book says. To
the law and to the testimony, if they speak, Not according
to this word, it's because they're blind as bats. It's because they
have no light in them. No light in them. Number three, all men and women
since the fall of our father Adam are born in a state of sin. Total depravity. Complete alienation
from God and spiritual death. In Adam, all stumped and fell
over a little bit. No. In Adam, everybody got sick. No. In Adam, everybody made a
mistake. No. In Adam, we sinned. And in Adam, we died and you
have be quickened to work. What? Dead in trespasses and
in sins. Dead. Dead. I've been around a few dead bodies.
I've been around a few dead bodies. I've transported a few dead bodies. And if I was ever around one
that moved, I'd jump out of my skin. Actually happened to me
one time. I was taking a body. They got
in the room. I was a janitor in the hospital.
I wasn't taking it. Somebody else was taking it,
but I was in the elevator. And they were taking it down to the
morgue. And I'm looking over there. I was 18 years old. I
was looking at that corpse laying there. Suddenly, it slapped me
in the leg. Arm fell off and hit me. I jumped
to the 12th floor. Don't expect that from a dead
corpse. And once my knees got a little strength back in them,
I realized his arm just fell. A dead fella can do that. He
can fall. That's all. That's all. Nothing
else. You can pour hot water on them,
they won't burn. And you can pack them in ice
and they won't get cold. And you can make promises and they
won't respond. And you can tell sad stories
and they won't cry. because they can't feel, sense, or do anything. But if you'll take the first
step, Merle, God will take the rest. And the papers have a tradition
about St. Dennis. He was beheaded and he
picked his head up and walked for 100 miles. That doesn't surprise
me in it. If he could pick his head up,
he could walk 100 miles. What's a dead man going to do?
Well, you've got to believe and then Jesus will save you. You? Dead. Dead. This is what the Master says
to the dead. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the
Kingdom of God. He said, except you be born again,
you cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. must ask foolish questions. Which comes first, faith or regeneration? That's kind of foolish. That's
kind of foolish. The dead man can't believe until
God gives him life. And when God gives him life,
he is raised from the dead. And the proof that he is, is
he believes on the Son of God. Lazarus, Jesus is here. He'd sure like to see you. Lazarus! Lazarus! Jesus wants you! And then the master comes and
he says, Lazarus, come forth and watch him. He that was dead
came forth, full of life, full of life. Here's the third thing, or fourth
thing. Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation
is of the Lord. God's salvation is an eternal
covenant salvation, something finished before the world began.
God's salvation began in sovereign election, choosing us in Jesus
Christ to salvation according to his own purpose of grace.
God's salvation is a salvation secured by divine predestination. God Almighty, we read in verse
8, divided to the nations their inheritance when he separated
the sons of Adam. Watch this. He set the bounds
of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. What on earth does that mean?
God Almighty, before the world began, set the bounds of the
habitations of all men, of all races, of all nationalities,
according to the number of His elect. He divided the nations with Shem,
Ham, and Japheth, sons of Noah, and scattered them over the earth.
And those nations are divided and scattered further. And those
nations are divided and scattered further. And those nations are
divided and scattered further. So that God's Israel are scattered
among all nations and peoples and tribes and tongues. And at
the appointed time of love, he sends his word and calls them
by his grace one by one. Salvation is that which is accomplished
for us by a legal purchase, an effectual atonement made especially
for those chosen of God in the death of his son. Christ did not just do something
at Calvary when he died. He paid the debt. He satisfied
justice. He put away sin, and all whose
debt he paid must go free. All whose sins he put away are
without sin. All for whom he died shall enter
into glory. Augustus' top lady put it this
way, complete atonement thou hast made and to the utmost fathom
pay what ere thy people owed. Payment God cannot twice demand,
first at my bleeding surety's hand and then again at mine. God's salvation, his saving grace
is irresistible grace. Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest and causes to approach unto thee. Irresistible grace. What do you mean by that? Just
exactly what you think. You can't resist it. You can't
resist it. Mark, aren't you thankful God
wouldn't take no for an answer from you? Hear the gospel? No. Hear the
claims of Christ? No. Hear the preaching of the
Lord, no! I will not have this man rule
over me. Let's see. I'll hedge your way. I'll bring
you into the wilderness, and I'll speak to your heart, and
I will betroth you unto me in righteousness and in faithfulness,
and you shall be mine. And you're going to love it when
he does. Irresistible grace. Oh, that makes me mad. If you ever get in on it, it'll
make you glad. And every saved sinner, every
true believer is infallibly secure in that grace, no matter what. The master says, I give unto
them eternal life and they shall never perish. Now, one more thing. Please hear this. Every sinner in this world who
trust the Lord Jesus is saved by the free grace of God. No matter who you are, no matter
how old you are, no matter how young you are, no matter how
vile you are, no matter. If right now you believe
on the Son of God, you're forgiven of all sin. accepted in the beloved,
free from the law, an heir of God and joint heir with Jesus
Christ, a son of God forever. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting
life. Not shall have, hath everlasting
life. Has it right now. Because Mark,
you would not believe if he didn't give you life. That faith is
the proof of his call. That faith is the proof of his
redemption. That faith is the proof of his
election. Now, how do we test doctrine? Jeremiah said, seek you the good
way, the old path, walk therein, and you shall find rest for your
soul. Tested by that. Everything by
that. Papers doctrine? Does that give
you rest? If it does, keep it. If the nonsense
you go through with papers gives you rest, keep it. I'd keep it
if I were you. Free will doctrine? Does that give you rest? Doctrine
teaches salvation depends on you, and your faith, and your
belief, and the power of your faith. If that gives you rest,
I'd keep it. I'd keep it. I'd keep it. Here
is my rest. It is finished. Salvation's of the Lord. Nothing about it Nothing about it depends on Don
Fortner. Everything depends on God, His
goodness and His grace in the finished work of His Son. That's
my Sabbath. That's my rest. Come to the Savior
and you shall find rest for your souls. Amen.