A God of Purpose - A God of Predestination

Q: What does the Bible say about predestination?

The Bible teaches that predestination is God's eternal purpose to choose certain individuals for salvation, as seen in Romans 8:29-30. Predestination, according to the Bible, is the eternal act of God in which He chooses certain individuals for salvation. Romans 8:29-30 clearly outlines this doctrine, stating that those He foreknew, He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. This predestination is based on God's love and purpose, and it emphasizes that salvation is not based on any foreseen actions or merits from individuals, but solely on God's sovereign grace and will. Furthermore, passages like Ephesians 1:4-5 affirm that God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, illustrating that predestination is rooted in His divine purpose for humanity.

Q: How do we know predestination is true?

We know predestination is true because it is grounded in Scripture, particularly in Romans 8:29-30 and Ephesians 1:4-5, where God's sovereign choice is affirmed. The truth of predestination is confirmed through various Scripture passages, most notably Romans 8:29-30. These verses explicitly state that God has a deliberate plan for His people based on His foreknowledge, which leads to predestination. Additionally, Ephesians 1:4-5 emphasizes that believers were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, highlighting that this doctrine is not a mere theological idea but a biblically supported truth. For those who trust in the Scriptures and God's sovereignty, the assertion of predestination is not only true but foundational to understanding salvation from a Reformed perspective.

Q: Why is God's purpose important for Christians?

God's purpose is crucial for Christians as it assures believers of their salvation and conforms them to the image of Christ, showcasing His sovereign grace. Understanding God's purpose is vital for Christians because it instills hope and assurance regarding their salvation. Romans 8:28-30 illustrates that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. It reveals that God has an intentional design for believers, which includes foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, and glorification. This divine purpose reassures Christians that their lives are not accidental but aligned with God's sovereign plan. Additionally, it emphasizes the transformative aspect of salvation, where believers are being conformed to the image of Christ, fulfilling God's intended purpose in their lives.

Q: What does Romans 8:29-30 teach about salvation?

Romans 8:29-30 teaches that salvation is a process initiated by God involving foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, and glorification. In Romans 8:29-30, the Apostle Paul outlines the distinct steps in the salvation process as designed by God. The passage begins with God's foreknowledge—His intimate and prior knowledge of those He will save. Following this, He predestined these individuals, meaning He set them apart for salvation, molding them to be like His Son. The sequence continues with God calling them, which refers to the effectual call that brings sinners to repentance and faith. Then, He justifies them, declaring them righteous through the blood of Christ. Finally, these individuals are glorified, indicating the ultimate fulfillment of their salvation. This process underscores God's sovereignty in salvation, where every aspect is rooted in His grace and purpose.

I want to look in two verses
here in Romans 8, two very familiar verses to us, Romans 8, 29 and
30. Romans chapter 8, these two verses,
29 and 30. For whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that
he that Christ may 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."
Now, I doubt seriously if you could find another congregation
this morning whose pastor stands in the pulpit and opens the scriptures
and reads these two verses for his text. And I say it would
be sad if he did. Because what I've experienced
is when free will takes these two verses, they do so either
to refute them, to twist them, or to explain them away. You
and I love these verses this morning, and one of the reasons
we love these verses, because the first thing we see about
them, if you read these verses slowly, read them in the context,
the first thing we notice about these verses, that it begins
with this F-O-R, for. And that refers us back to verse
28. Look here in verse 28, We know
that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are called according to His purpose. That tells us that verse 29 and
verse 30 is God's purpose. The reason we love this passage
is because it tells us that our God is a God of purpose. That's the first thing we see
concerning Him. He's a God of purpose. Now, if there's one thing the
Scripture teaches, And I think every careful Bible reader will
have to acknowledge it, that God has a purpose. You and I go through this world
and we look at things, I guess rightfully so, as accidents. We have a lot of accidents. We
look at these great mysteries that's taken place. But you know
something, with God there's no accident. With God there's no
mysteries. Everything that's happening from
the beginning of creation to the ending of creation, the birth
of every man and woman, and the death of that man and woman,
everything that's happening in this world is according to God's
purpose. God is a God of purpose. Now,
I want you to look with me at a passage, a very familiar passage,
in Isaiah chapter 46. You just hold on to chapter 8.
Look here in Isaiah chapter 46, and beginning here in verse 5.
When you and I think of God, we think of the knowledge of
God. One of the things that distinguishes God, from all else is this very
fact. He's a God of purpose. He's a
God of purpose. Satan doesn't have an established
purpose. He can't have it. He does what
he does by the permission of God. God, what distinguishes
Him from all else, He is a God of purpose. He has the wisdom,
He has the understanding, He has the power, He has the will
to bring that purpose to pass. Now notice what He says here.
Notice what He says distinguishes Him from everybody else. Look
in verse 5. Hear what He says. To whom will
you liken Me? and make me equal, and compare
me that we may be like." Look in verse 6, the idolaters, he
says, they bring their bags of gold, and they pour it out, lavish
bags of gold, and they weigh silver in the balance, and they
hire a goldsmith, and he maketh it a god. And they fall down,
yea, they worship their God. But look the kind of God this
is. Look at the kind of God they worship. They bear Him upon the
shoulder. Now what's the difference between
their God and our God? They have to bear their God wherever
He goes. God bears us then. He bears us
upon eagles wing. Look at this. They carried Him
and they set Him in His place. Now what's the difference between
their God? They carry their God around. When the Lord found you,
when He first found you, what did He do to you? He put you
on His shoulders, didn't He? And He took you back to the fold.
He carries you. You'll just see one set of footprints.
That's all you'll ever see because He's carrying you. He's carrying
you in His bosom. He's in your hands. No man can
pluck Him out of my Father's hands. He carries us. And look
at this. Wherever they carry Him, they
set Him in His place. That's where He stands. From His place
shall He not be removed, yea, one shall cry unto Him, yet He
cannot answer, nor save Him out of His trouble. Now, have you
ever heard, has anybody ever told you that God is a God who
can't do anything without us? That we're His ears? Have you
ever heard anybody say that? We're His hands? We're His feet? We have His hands tied? He can't
do anything without us? That sounds more like this God
here, doesn't it? That somebody's made a novel
out of. That don't sound like our God at all. Look what he
says in verse 8. Remember this, and show yourselves
men, bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors. Remember
the former things of old, for I am God, and there's none else. I am God, and there's none like
me. What's the difference between
him and other gods? Look at verse 10. I declare the end from the
beginning. from ancient times the things
that are not yet done, saying, My temple shall stand, I will
do all my pleasure. I called up Ravenous Bird from
the east, the man that executed my counsel from a far country,
yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass. I have
purposed it, I will also do it." That's the difference between
our God and everybody else and everything else. He has a purpose.
I have purposed it, and he says, I have the will, I have the ability,
I have the wisdom, I have the power to bring it to pass. But here in Romans chapter 8
and 29 and 30, it doesn't regard everything
that God has purposed. We have no idea what all God's
purpose is. I have no idea. We understand
so little about what He's purpose. But Romans chapter 8 verse 29
and 30 tells us about the most important thing, that He's purpose.
And you know what that is? Salvation. Salvation. You know salvation. Some men
never think about salvation, do they? Poor things, they never
think about being saved. And it's because they don't love
their souls. They don't even know their precious
soul. They face eternity and give little
regard to it. But you're not like that, are
you? The Lord has saved you. He's called you to know that
you have a soul and love your soul. And you seek the salvation
of your soul. And when you come here and you
read Romans chapter 8, verse 29 and 30, and you see that God
has already purposed salvation. The most important thing between
the eternities, for all eternity to some of you, and you realize
God has purposed to save a great host of men out of Adam's race. Don't that comfort you? And don't
it assure you? Don't it give you hope? What
if you ran in here that God never had thought about saving anybody?
Oh, that would make you despair, wouldn't it? But when you read,
God has an eternal purpose that He purposed in Christ Jesus the
Lord, and that purpose is to save men, to save humanity. Oh, what a joy and what a comfort
to your precious soul. And the first thing, look at
this, what's the first thing we find concerning God's purpose
of salvation? Well, this is the first thing
we see. He's always known who He was going to save. Isn't that
what He said? This is God's purpose, and look
here where He begins. For whom He did foreknow. See where God's purpose begins?
It begins with those He foreknows. Now when you talk about the foreknowledge
of God, it's just like the knowledge of God. Only God can foreknow
a person as if he exists at this present time. The foundation
of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them
that are his. He's always known them. Other
sheep I have. They're not of this fold. Most
of them aren't even born yet. But what did He say? I know of
them. I know of them. Foreknowledge. Now why does the
Spirit begin here? The Holy Spirit begins here in
the purpose of God with those He foreknew. Now where does He begin with
that? Because those He foreknew. Those are the very ones he predestined. Now let me give you a couple
of wrong views of this word foreknow before we look at it. Here's
a wrong view of this word foreknow. Some people tell us that when
Paul said those who be foreknew, he was talking about he foreknew
what people would do. Have you ever heard people say
that? When they talk about, I believe in direction, and it's based
upon God's foreknowledge of what people would do. Well, there's
just one thing wrong with that. Read the text slowly, and it
never mentions what people are doing or not doing. It talks
about the person, doesn't it? Whom He formed. The person is whom He formed.
This word is only mentioned four times in the whole New Testament.
You only find it four times. And every time it's mentioned,
it's speaking of the person whom God formed you, and not what
they did. Some people tell us, well, God
foreknew that some people would repent and believe the gospel. And therefore, He predestinated
them to repent and believe the gospel. But foreknowledge never
deals with repentance. It never deals with that. It's
always all about the person. Now let me just quote these four
places to you in the Scripture. Remember in Acts 2, verse 23,
we're speaking of the Lord Jesus. People said, You crucified Him.
Him being delivered. by the determinant counsel and
foreknowledge of God. Him. Him. It's speaking of Him. And then in 1 Peter 1 and verse
2, he's elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.
See, God foreknew who? The elect. And then in Romans
11 and verse 2, we have it again. As God casts away his people,
which he foreknew, people is linked to those he foreknew. And then in the fourth place
we have it here, those whom he foreknew. So it's not dealing
with what he knew about the person, what he would do or not do, but
it's dealing, Glenn, with you yourself. God foreknew them. And the second wrong interpretation
of this, some people tell us this word foreknow means to foreordain. But that can't be right either.
Because if we said foreordained, what does foreordained mean?
It's just another word for predestinate. Predestinate means to foreordain. And then we'd have to read this
verse like this. Who he did foreordain, he also
did foreordain. That wouldn't make any sense
would it? What does this word mean? What does this word mean? Those whom He did foreknow. It means two things. Two things.
They're so joined together. It means two things. One of them
is to have prior knowledge of. To know beforehand. God had prior
knowledge to these men and women. Other sheep I have, them I must
bring. He knows them, doesn't he? Neither
pray I for these alone, but for those who shall believe on me. How did he know anybody would
believe on him? Because he knows them. Before
they were born, Glenn, he knows them. But it means more than
having prior knowledge of them. It's an intimate knowledge. It's
not just knowing somebody. You know, I know a lot of people.
But this is to know particularly, peculiarly, intimately. Before
I formed thee in the womb, I knew thee. I knew thee. And when you
divide up the word and read those who know something about words
in Hebrew and Greek, They always go back to Genesis chapter 4
and verse 1 where the scripture said, and Adam knew Eve, his
wife. Well, of course he knew her.
Of course he knew her. When God brought Eve to Him,
He said, this is your wife. That's where he knew her, intellectually. But that's not what that word
knew means. Adam knew Eve, his wife, and
she conceived. What does that mean? He knew
her intimately. That's what this word foreknows
to me. It means to foreknow intimately. It means to forelove. God set
his heart of love upon this people before they were ever born. Now there, we're beginning to
get into the heart now, aren't we? We're beginning to get right
down on the foundation of what God's purpose is all about. What do we trace God's purpose
back to? The first thing we see about
God's purpose here is this multitude of people that God loves. God loves. The foundation of
God standeth sure. He knows these people. He loves
these people. Some people talk about the purpose
of God as though it's something awful. Oh, God's an awful God. Look what an awful God He is,
the purpose of God. No, look at the love of God.
That's what I see in this purpose of God. The love of God. Trace it all the way back. All
the way back in eternity. If you can find the beginning
that Brother Larry read to us about, before the world ever
was, from everlasting, you go back there somewhere and you
find where God purposed to do what He's going to do. And it
all had to do with God's love. The love of God. Those whom He foreloved before
they had a being before the world. What did He do then? Well, He
tells us number two. Look at Romans 8, 20, 29. He
provided for them. He loved them. He provided. What
did He do? He predestinated them. He foreordained
them to be saved. He chose them to salvation in
Jesus Christ. He predestinated them to be conformed
to the image of His Son. I love Deuteronomy chapter 7
and verse 6 and 7. The Lord was wanting to humble
the children of Israel and make them know His grace. And He says, I didn't choose
you. I didn't choose you to be my
people, my special people, because of anything that was in you,
or anything that you was going to do. You were the smallest
number of all the nations. You know why he told them he
chose them? Because I loved you. Because I loved you. And here
we find out the same thing, don't we? Those he foreloved, he knew
intimately. What did he do? He chose them
to salvation. He predestinated him. He set
him aside to be conformed to the image of his son. Strong looks at this word predestination,
and he gives one meaning, but he has two aspects of this meaning.
And as I read this his definition here of this word
predestinate, it sort of struck me that he began with defining
predestinate like this. This is the first thing Strong
says, but you can look in your concordance. And the first thing
he says about this word predestinate means to limit in advance. And you know this is one of the
things that really galls some people down. And we see that
in this passage. We see a limited number here
that God has chosen. Everybody's not going to be saved.
God has a purpose to save everybody. It is a limited number whom He
foreknew, them He predestinated, those He called, them He justified,
and them only. It's not everybody, but thank
God it's many. It's a great host of people. He's going to bring many sons
to glory. And I'll tell you this about
this. If He hadn't predestinated these, every one of us would
have perished. Every one of us would have perished.
But He says you're limited, limited. And I'll have you to remember,
brothers and sisters, that verses 29 and 30 is not speaking about
damnation, is it? If you want to know why men are
damned, we have to go to other scriptures to find out that.
And there's where men are to blame. If men are saved, it's
according to God's purpose. But why are men damned? The soul
that sinneth, the wages of sin is damned. But here we're talking
about not damnation, but salvation. So the first thing Strong says
about this word predestinate, it means to limit in advance. And the second thing he says
about it, to determine beforehand what shall be done. God has determined
beforehand what shall be done to those and for those that he
has predestinated, those he foreloved. And what is it? Well, he tells
us here, look what a glorious purpose. He has predestinated
them to be conformed, that means to be fashioned, to be molded
in the image, resemblance of His Son. Isn't that a glorious
purpose? Isn't that a good purpose? Somebody
said God so loved His Son, His soul is so wrapped up in His
well-beloved that He's going to populate heaven with people
that look just like Him. And I believe that, don't you?
That's what He's telling us here. He came down from heaven and
was made in our likeness that we might be molded into His likeness. That's God's purpose concerning
those He loves. It's to make them just like His
Son. And you know something? That
work begins right here. And the first place it begins
is within a man. within, not outward, but it begins
inward. Let me give you four or five
things, and you'll see what I'm talking about. Christ's Father, Christ's Heavenly
Father, becomes our Father. God sends the Spirit of His Son
in our hearts, crying, Father, Father. I send to my Father and
your Father. We have the same Father, don't
we? We have the same Spirit. Did Christ love the will of His
Father? Of course He did. He said, I'd
be like Father to do your will. Don't you love the will of God?
Every time you pray, Father, your will be done, don't you?
We don't know the will of God as Christ did, and we sure can't
do it perfectly like He did, but aren't we being molded to
that end? The more you grow in grace and
knowledge, the more you seek His will, the more you delight
in His will, just like the Son of God did. Our Lord Jesus glorified God
on this earth in His heart and His life. Father, I have glorified
Thee on this earth. And you know what Paul said about
us. Whether we eat, whether we drink, or whatever we do, do
all to the glory of God. We're being molded to the image
of God's Son. Every time you and I eat, and
in our heart of hearts we say, Oh, Father, thank you for this
food. Every time we do whatever we do, we say, Oh, Father, my
desire, my need is to glorify you. And you know what he said?
That reminds me of my son. That's the same attitude he had
when he was gone there. Was Christ's purpose to please
His Father? Sure it was. He said, I do always
those things that please Him. And Paul said, as you have been
taught of us how you ought to walk and to please God, so you
would abound more and more. We have been conformed to the
image of His Son. And it's on purpose. It's on
purpose. Whatever trial you go through,
whether you're on the mountain or whether you're in the valley,
God is working. He's got you on His will. And He's molding
you and fashioning you and farming you. He's going to make you just
like His Son. You're going to have the same
heart He's got, the same mind, the same motives, the same thoughts,
the same words. You're going to be just like
Him. And it begins here. And you know something? It ain't
going to end until you're made just like the Son of God. In
your body. In your body. There's coming
a time when He's going to fashion these bodies. He's going to mold
these bodies. Fashion them like unto His glorious
body. It does not yet appear what we
shall be, but we know when He appears, we'll be just like Him. Just like Christ. And that's
God's purpose. That's His purpose. That's how
much God delights in His Son. What's the purpose of God all
about? It's to honor His Son. That's what it's about. His purpose
is to honor His Son, and the way He's going to do it is to
make a great number of people just like Him. Just like Him. And that's a good purpose, isn't
it? That's a glorious end. That's a glorious end. When does
this work begin? He's going to conform us, He's
predestinated us to be conformed to the image of His Son. When
does it begin? Here in verse 30, He tells us,
look at this, here's where it begins. Whom He did predestinate,
them He also called. Here's where it begins, in our
calling. When He calls, there's where
He begins to conform us. to the image of Jesus Christ. You know the first thing the
Bible says about calling. Our Master said, I came not to
call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. Would you have
ever believed that the image of Christ begins to be conformed
in us and we're conformed to Him during repentance? You say,
Bruce, how in the world could that be? Because the Son of God
needed no repentance. No, He did. He had no sin to
repent of. But in the whole attitude, in
repentance, you begin to see the very nature of Jesus Christ
Himself. Let me give you a good example
of what I'm saying. You remember in Luke 18 where the publican
was at the temple praying. And he was smiling upon his chest,
saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner. You know you see Christ
in that. You see Christ in that. You see
the image of Christ begin to be formed in this man. You say,
Bruce, what do you mean? He was repenting of sin. I know
that. But that's what I'm saying. Look
at his whole attitude about sin. How did he feel about sin? Well,
he hated it, didn't he? He's trying to beat it out of
his head. Sinner. Sinner. Oh, sinner. I hate sin. Isn't that what he's saying?
And what did he say about his sin? Be perpetuous. That's what
that word merciful means. Be perpetuous. Cleanse me from
my sin. Wash me and I shall be clean.
I want to be clean. I want to be righteous. See those
two things? He hates his sin. He hates sin. And he wants rid of his sin.
He wants to be clean. What does the Bible say about
the Son of God? Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Phew, you see the image of Christ
in that man, don't you? And the Scripture says that man
went down to his house justified. He went down to his house clean. What did God see in that man?
When he left that temple and went back down to his house,
a saved man, what did God see in him? What did he see when
he looked upon his conscience? You know what he saw? The blood
of his son. Did he not? He wasn't guilty anymore. He
was washed. When I see the blood, I'll pass
over you. When he sees me, he sees the
blood of the Lamb. When God looked upon that man's
soul, why did he see him dressed in the righteousness of his son?
He saw Christ in that man. Christ was in that man. And that
man was in Christ. And he went back down home singing
with the old prophet. He has covered me with a robe
of righteousness. He's put on me the garment of
salvation. When God looked in his heart,
what did he see? The spirit of his son. The Spirit
of His Son. That's what he sees in every
believer. Christ in him. He was being conformed. And it
began there at repentance. And I'll tell you something else
the Lord went right ahead to say, right after that. He said
He went down to His house justified. And then He says, Everyone who
exalts himself shall be amazed. But he that humbleth himself
shall be exalted. And what does the scripture tell
us Christ did? When he was found in fashion
as a man, he humbled himself, just like that publican there
in the temple, took his place as a man, became a servant, even
unto death he was obedient, therefore God hath highly exalted him. If a man misses repentance, brothers
and sisters, he'll miss Christ. Here's where it begins. Here's
where God's purpose in you is made known. Here's where you
begin to be just like Christ. Here's where you're made sick
of sinning. Here's where you want righteousness. right here
in repentance, those he called, he called, he begins to conform
them to the image of his dear son. And look at what he says
in verse 30 also. Here's the next step. Here's
the next step. Those whom he called, he also,
them he also justified. What does this word justify mean?
It means to be just before God, to be innocent, to be righteous,
to be acquitted from all blame, to be free from the consequences
of sin. You know only God can justify
that. That's what he said down in verse 33, wasn't it? Who can
lay anything to the charge of God's elect, it's God who justifies. And God's purpose is to justify
those that He foreknew. He provided. See, when we started
that, He provided for them. He provided for them. Provided
justification for them. There's three things that Paul
mentions here in Romans, the book of Romans, about being justified.
He says many things about it. Three things he says about it
is this. He tells us about what the old timers used to call the
moving cause. What's the cause of a man being
justified to begin with? Paul tells us in Romans 3.24,
being justified freely by His grace. You can't earn justification. It's by God's grace. Freely,
freely by His grace. And then he has what the old
timers used to call the meritorious cause in Romans 5, 9 being much
more than now justified by his blood. That's the way God can
be just and justify man. Christ took our place. Christ
went to the cross of Calvary. He atoned for our sins. He bore
our sins. He satisfied God for our sins. He paid the debt. Now God looks
upon us and says, their sins are gone. Payment's been made. I've accepted it. Now I justify
them freely. For Christ's sake. And then he
says in Romans 5.1, being justified by faith, We have peace with
God. We conclude that a man is justified
by faith. Is it by grace? Or is it by faith? It's by both, man. It's by both. It's by blood. And only God can
do it. John Gill, he has a big book
that he wrote on the subject of eternal justification. Most
of you may have never heard of eternal justification, but John
Gill had an argument that the elect of God are justified from
all eternity. And he used this verse here as
one of the verses to prove that. And he made the statement to
the effect that the purpose of God is always present with God. That whatever God did back in
eternity, according to His decrees and purpose, it was done. I like
that, don't you? You notice as we read this, all
these were in past tense. You and I are here in a battle
today. We're living by faith. But you know in the purpose of
God we're glorified. We glorify Him. Those He foreknew,
He predestinated, past tense. He called them, past tense. He
justified them, past tense. He glorified them, past tense.
So John Gill said this about justification. He said there
is a definite sense when the elect of God and the decrees
of God have always been justified. Tim James was preaching. Donny
Bell, I got sort of amused at what happened to him. He said
something like, a brand new bad memory of saying this. He said
some guy called him one day and said, Tim, I believe we're justified
from all eternity. He said, Amen, brother. Amen.
He said he hung up somebody else's call. He said, Tim, I believe
we were justified there at the cross. He said, Amen, brother.
Amen. He said he hung up and he began
to read the Scripture. You're justified by faith. He
said, Amen. He said, Amen. So wherever you
found this word, keep it in its context. Keep it in its context. And remember this, only God can
justify. Only God can clarify. And He
does it on purpose, doesn't He? He does it on purpose. I remember
one time we had a little debate. Some of you were there in the
Church of God when we were debating that Church of God guy. I remember
his wife, she was trying to speak up, help him out a little bit. I asked her the question that
spurred her to ask the old lady one time. I asked her, I said,
Has God saved you? She said, Yes, I believe He has. I said, Has He saved you by accident,
or did He save you on purpose? And she wasn't answering. She
didn't know what to say. God never saves a man by accident.
He never justifies a man by accident. It's on her. That's a confidence. That's a confidence. Only God
can do it. Look at this last thing here
in verse 30. Then he also glorified. You know, there's no weak links. That's the thing we see. There's
no weak links in this chain, is there? All of those before
him, he glorified every one of them. He didn't lose a one. His
purpose is sure. The foundation of God standeth
sure. All of those he predestinated,
those are the ones that he glorified. It stands here because He did
it. He did it. You and I see this
word glorify. We know what it means, at least
in the sense that He was speaking of here in Romans 8. He was talking
about the redemption of our bodies. And, boy, we see the necessity
of this building. We ought to see the necessity
of all these things. We realize the necessity of God
redeeming our bodies. Here we are laying in the ground,
and the body is gone. It just went back to the dust.
It's gone. You can't even find the dust anymore. And yet the
scripture says they'll hear the voice of the Son of God, and
they'll come forth with a new body. A new body. That's a miracle. That takes the power of God,
doesn't it? And you and I that are alive and remain in these
mortal, frail, vile bodies, in the twinkling of an eye, we're
going to be chained. And caught up together with them
to meet the Lord in the air. That's a miracle. We see the
necessity of that, don't we? But you know, brothers and sisters,
we ought to see the necessity of all of these things that we've
been taught. It takes God to justify man just
as much as it takes God to glorify man. It takes God to call a man
to Christ, to call a man to repentance, just as well as it takes God
to justify and to glorify man. These things are of the Lord,
and you and I ought to see the necessity of these things. How
important it is for God to know a man and love that man. That's
the one she preached yesterday. That's pretty important, isn't
it? Our salvation hinges right there.
That's why we're trying to make it sure, isn't it? That's why
we're not going around and playing with the things of God. This
is serious. This is serious. He said to those
on the Day of Judgment, depart from me, I never knew you. I never, never, never knew you. When I made up my jewels in eternity,
When I predestinated them, it's those I knew. Oh, I want to be
an owner of God. I've got to know Christ. I've
got to know Him. Oh, and it's based on His love.
He says here in verse 35, Who shall separate us from the love
of Christ? Tribulation, distress, persecution
of family, meekness, peril of sword. For thy sake we are killed
all the day long, we are like sheep for the slaughter. Nay,
in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that
loved us. I am persuaded that neither death,
nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God. which is
in Christ Jesus. The love of God. The love of
God. That's what the purpose of God's
all about. The love of God. The love of God is greater far
than tongue or pen could ever tell. It goes beyond the high
star and reaches to the lowest hell. When our time here shall
pass away, and earthly thrones and kingdoms fall. When men who
here refuse to pray on rocks and hills and mountains call,
God's love so sure shall still endure, all measureless and strong,
redeeming grace to Adam's race, the saints' and angels' song.
Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the sky a parchment
made, And every stalk on earth he quilled, and every man the
scribe by trade. To write the love of God above
would drain that ocean dry. Nor could the scroll contain
the whole, though stretched from sky to sky, the love of God. Oh, to know the love of God.
May God help us to know it. Father, we praise your holy name. We bow before you today, stand
in awe that you are God's great purpose, eternal purpose. Father,
we bow before you to worship you. We know that whatsoever you do,
it shall be forever. No man can add anything to it
or take anything from it, and you do it that we may fear before
you. We cast our souls, we cast our
salvation upon your hands, into your hands. We fall, Lord, upon
you. We're broken before you. We believe
you. We trust you. Christ is our only
trust, our only stay, our only salvation. In knowing this, we
have assurance. We have confidence that you love
us. that You've chosen us, that You've called us. Confirm us,
our Father. Put us upon the wheel. Confirm
us to Him who is altogether lovely. Cause us to love. Cause us to
obey You. Cause us to follow You as dear
children, even as Christ the Lord. Then we can know. We can know we're Yours and that
You are. We can know we know you and we
can know that you know us. That I am my Beloved's and my
Beloved is mine. Oh Father, gracious Father, work
in our hearts. Do for us what we can't do for
ourselves. Work in us to will and to do
of your good pleasure. For the glory of our Lord Jesus
we ask. Amen. We'll see you tonight,
brothers and sisters, 6 o'clock. Lord bless you and give you a
good day.

A God of Purpose - A God of Predestination

What does the Bible say about predestination?

How do we know predestination is true?

Why is God's purpose important for Christians?

What does Romans 8:29-30 teach about salvation?

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A God of Purpose - A God of Predestination

What does the Bible say about predestination?

How do we know predestination is true?

Why is God's purpose important for Christians?

What does Romans 8:29-30 teach about salvation?

Sermon Transcript

About Bruce Crabtree

Comments

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