If the Lord will enable me, I
want to speak to you this morning about glorious predestination. We live in an age, not much unlike
any that has preceded it, in which men universally are will-worshippers. That's how Paul described the
religious age in which he lived in Colossians chapter 2. And that's how every age since
then can be properly described. Will-worshippers. I'll give you
an example. Everybody likes to talk about
man's great free will. Now I've heard free will, I've
heard of it being, having attributed to it many, many things. You
may or may not have seen one of the discussions with Bill
O'Reilly on Fox News right after that hurricane that swept through
New Orleans and all the devastation and somebody had made the statement,
had dared to make the statement that it was God's work and Mr. O'Reilly, now he's a smart fella
he didn't fall off a cabbage truck, he's a smart fella he
said, but we believe God's given man free will as if that had
something to do with that hurricane coming to the shores of New Orleans
Men love to boast of man's free will and despise the fact that
God is sovereign in the exercise of his will. Why? When you happen to mention the
fact of divine predestination, when you happen to somehow let
it slip out That you believe God has ordered from eternity
all things that come to pass in time. Men say, oh, that's
predestination. Yeah, it is. It sure is. Well, you don't believe that,
do you? Well, why, that'd make God a monster. Now let me tell
you what they're really saying. God really can't be trusted. and really shouldn't be trusted. What else is the denial? What
other reason can there be for the denial of God's absolute
predestination of all things which is so plainly and completely
taught through all the scriptures. Our text this morning is Ephesians
1 verse 11. Ephesians 1 verse 11. We've already read considerable
portions of Romans chapters 8, 9, and 11, teaching this blessed,
blessed doctrine. Here in Ephesians 1, 11, the
Apostle Paul writes by divine inspiration and says, In whom,
that is, in Christ, in whom God has abounded toward us in all
wisdom and prudence, according to the riches of his grace, in
whom also we have obtained an inheritance." Now if you get
this inheritance, this is the way you get it. Being predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will. In verse 5, the Spirit of God
tells us, that we who are made the children of God in time were
predestinated under the adoption of children by Jesus Christ according
to the good pleasure of his will. Here in verse 11 he tells us
that we who believe on the Son of God have obtained an inheritance
in Christ being predestinated according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. Now there is no question, there's
absolutely no question in the mind of anyone who reads this
book, who has ever read this book, there's no question, there
can be no question, that the word of God teaches God's sovereign
predestination. It is taught throughout the scriptures,
illustrated time and again. stated repeatedly, but there
is a question that needs to be answered because there's so much
confusion. What does this book teach about
predestination? What does the Bible clearly teach
concerning God's glorious predestination? Back many years ago in the 70s,
I was preaching here in Danville with Brother Henry Mahan, and
he preached on the subject of predestination. And he introduced
his message with a statement. Some of you may have been here
and remember it. He said, it is hard to say whether this doctrine
has suffered more in the camp of its enemies or in the camp
of its friends. And he was exactly right. I want
first to show you clearly what the word of God does not teach
about predestination. Briefly, I will show you what
it does teach about predestination. And then I want you to see that
predestination is for God's elect. It is that we should be conformed
to the image of Jesus Christ, and it is for the glory of Christ
our Savior. All right, first, let me begin
by showing you that there are some things commonly taught about
predestination, which the Word of God does not teach. The Word
of God does not teach That impersonal, stoic philosophy that says, whatever
will be, will be. Sometimes folks like to speak
in jest concerning predestination and tell about the fellow who
tripped and stumbled and fell down the stairs and got himself,
well I'm glad that's over with. It had to happen. It sounds clever
and cute, but such an impersonal philosophy is nothing but the
philosophy of fatalism. It is not the teaching of Scripture
with regard to predestination. This philosophy, whatever will
be, will be, Dinah Shore used to sing every morning when I
was born in North Carolina, Okay, Sarah, Sarah, whatever will be,
will be. But such a notion removes all
responsibility from man for his actions. How many times By ignorance,
we speak about something a man does or doesn't do and say, well,
that's God's predestination. The Scriptures clearly, clearly
tell us that men and women are responsible before God for everything
they do, for everything they think, and for everything they
are. Now yes, obviously, the Word
of God teaches us plainly God's sovereign predestination. But
we do not for a moment believe that man is the master of his
own destiny. But the scriptures do tell us
plainly that every man's destiny is his own responsibility. Men
are responsible for their own souls. You who are sitting here
today. You will find no covering, no
cloak, no place of hiding for your ungodly unbelief and rebellion
in God's sovereign predestination. That's not going to happen. You
may pretend to do so now, but when you fall into hell under
the wrath of God, your hiding place will be taken away. Second,
the Word of God does not teach that religious fatalism. that
says the elect will be saved no matter what. You might say,
well, I believe in predestination, I believe the elect will be saved
no matter what. No, we don't. Not we who believe the scriptures.
The word of God teaches otherwise. The Bible doctrine of election
is plain and clear. It is impossible to believe the
book of God and not believe in the election of God's people
unto salvation from eternity. Yet the Word of God never suggests
or even allows the possibility that the elect will be saved
no matter what. Rather, the Scriptures tell us
that no one will ever be saved, election notwithstanding, who
does not hear the gospel. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the Word of God. So, well, if they're elected,
they're going to be saved by the hearing of the gospel, not
any other way. Well, as a matter of fact, when
the first missionary, William Carey, sent out, he was speaking
one time, and a fellow by the name of Ryland, one of the old
Baptist preachers, believed in election, he stood up and he
said, young man, if God wants to save the heathen, he'll do
it without us. What foolishness. What foolishness. God sends men preaching the gospel,
calling sinners to repentance in faith by the gospel. And none
will be saved without it. None will ever be saved who do
not personally believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. None will
ever be saved who do not themselves experience the grace of God in
the new birth, causing them to acknowledge and confess their
sin, repenting of their sins. And those who believe must persevere
in the faith. You see, God has not only ordained
or predestined the end. He has ordained and predestined
all the means by which that end shall be accomplished, and the
means are just as necessary as the end itself. Third, the Word
of God nowhere teaches, nowhere implies that God has arbitrarily
predestinated some to heaven and some to hell. How often folks
will say, well, you just believe God arbitrarily chose to save
some, chose to damn some. God Almighty never does anything
arbitrarily without a reason. Never. He has a wise and good
purpose for everything He does, everything He does in time, and
everything He purposed in eternity. Now let's look at some scripture,
beginning with Proverbs 16. Without question, the everlasting
condemnation of the reprobate was as much a part of God's decree
as the salvation of his elect. I want you to hear and hear clearly
what the scriptures teach. The damnation of the reprobate
was ordained of God as much as everything else was ordained
of God from eternity. Now, you say, well, I just can't
understand that. You might not be able to understand
it, but you can bow to them. This is what the book says, Proverbs
16, 4. The Lord hath made all things for himself, yea, even
the wicked, for the day of evil. Can you think of any other interpretation
for that word scripture? Either God predestined their
judgment or he didn't. Let's see a more clear statement,
1 Peter 2, verse 8. Peter is talking about Christ
being precious to believers, to you therefore who believe,
He is precious. God gives you faith in Christ,
you believe on Christ, and believing on Him, trusting Him as your
only Savior, He is precious indeed. But look at verse 8. And a stone
of stumbling, and a rock of offense. Now watch this. even to them
which stumble at the word. But don't stop there. There's
just a comma there, not a period. Being disobedient, and this is
what I mean, whereunto also they were appointed. Jude, verse 4. Jude is warning us of these false
prophets who creep into the church unawares. These false prophets,
deluded with blindness and darkness, and deceitful false religion,
and deluded with blindness and darkness, deceitful false religion. He says there are certain men,
crafty and unawares, now watch this, who were before of old
ordained to this condemnation. ordained to this state in which
they are found, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God
into lasciviousness, denying the only Lord God and our Lord
Jesus Christ. The scriptures speak plainly,
as we read in Romans 9, about vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. They speak just as plainly about
those vessels of wrath fitted to destruction as about the vessels
of mercy which God had aforeprepared unto glory. But don't fail to
see this. God's predestination, while securing
the salvation of His elect by His hand alone, leaves the responsibility
for every sinner's damnation in his own hands and on his own
shoulders. The elect, we are told plainly,
are vessels of mercy which are aforeprepared for glory, prepared
by God. God Almighty, before the world
was, prepared everything necessary to bring you to glory. And it
was all the work of his free grace. Whereas the vessels of
wrath are fitted, fitted by their own wickedness, fitted by their
own rebellion, fitted by their own deeds for destruction. What
are you saying brother Don? Salvation in this book, salvation
in this book is always set before us as the work of God alone. You contribute nothing to it. Whereas damnation, your eternal
ruin is always laid before you in this book. Now forget theology
books, forget doctrine books, forget logic, forget creeds.
In this book, damnation is always your fault. Find me one place in this book,
I challenge you, find me one place from Genesis 1 to Revelation
22. Find me one place where there
is any statement implying anywhere that you go to hell for any reason
if it's not your fault. Find me one place. God says he'll
not visit the iniquities, or he'll not put, the son shall
not die for the father, nor the father for the son, but every
man shall die for his own iniquities, his own transgressions. Divine
predestination, thirdly, is not based on God's foreknowledge.
These days people love every kind of ignorant, superstitious
thing imaginable when it comes to religion, spiritual stuff.
Have you noticed how popular in the last 25 years psychic
programs have become on television? Psychic phenomena, psychic detectives,
psychic police, psychic people who can see the future and they
see the future and see what's going to happen out in the future
so they can stop it from happening out there in the future. That seems a little bit strange
to me. I think the fellow who thought it up may have had a
problem between his ears. If you see what's going to happen
in the future, that's because it's going to happen. And nobody
sees that. And yet that's how men represent
God Almighty, as having some kind of psychic power they call
foreknowledge. So He looks out in the future
from all eternity and sees what man will do. And since he sees
what man will do, being a helpless bystander, he decides to foreordain
what he saw men would do. What blasphemy! No. God's foreknowledge is an act
of his love. God's omniscience is an attribute
of his being. He is the all-knowing God. But
God Almighty cannot anymore know what's coming to pass unless
He has determined that it comes to pass that you can. He knows
what's coming to pass because He has ordained what comes to
pass. Let's see, that's what the book teaches. Turn to Isaiah
14. That which is foreknown must
have been foreordained. God knew the end of all things
from the beginning because he predestined the end from the
beginning. Isaiah 14, 24. Lucifer has decided to take over
the God business. I'm going to become God. God,
you step out of the way now. If you don't, I'm going to shove
you off the throne and I'm going to take over. And the Lord God
just shook in his boots. No. This is God's response. The Lord of hosts hath sworn,
saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass. And
as I have purposed, so shall it stand. Go ahead and roar all
you want to. Verse 26. This is the foreknowledge of
what I have seen you were going to do. I don't think that's the
way it reads, is it? This is the purpose that is purposed
upon the whole earth. And this is the hand that's stretched
out upon all the nations. For the Lord of hosts hath purposed. And you think you're going to
stop it? Who shall disavow it? His hand is stretched out. Who
shall turn it back? Nebuchadnezzar said, I have learned. I have discovered. that God doeth
as he will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of
the earth, and nobody ever slaps him on the wrist and says, what
are you doing? Look at Isaiah 46, verse 9. God speaks again. Remember the former things, he
says in verse 9. Remember the former things of
old, for I am God. I'm telling you who God is, he
says. I am God. All these little peanuts that
are blind and helpless and need you, they're not God. There is
none else. I am God and there is nothing
like me. There's none like me. What do
you mean? This is how I describe myself,
he says, as God. Declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, said.
Not, I'm going to allow you to do what I foresaw you would do.
Saying, my counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. Now those are some of the erroneous
notions men teach concerning predestination. Whatever will
be, will be. The elect will be saved no matter
what. God arbitrarily predestined some to go to heaven and some
to go to hell. Our predestination is based on foreknowledge. What
do the scriptures teach? What does the word of God plainly
tell us about divine predestination? First, eternal predestination
is God's work. You see this in our text. Our
back in Romans chapter 8 verse 29. Whom he did foreknow, then
he also did predestinate. He did. He did. All things are
of God. For of him and through him and
to him are all things. Specifically, predestination
is God's eternal purpose of grace toward his elect. It is God's
determination to save a chosen people. His determination of
the everlasting destiny of sinners chosen in Christ before the world
began. I know, I've said it repeatedly. God's sovereign decree of predestination
includes all things. Everything. Nothing excluded. Nothing excluded. But it is for
the salvation of his elect. He ordained all that comes to
pass in time for the salvation of his elect. Divine predestination
is free. sovereign, unconditional, unalterable,
immutable. It is that which was finished
before the world began. It is God's gracious purpose
to save specific people. His purpose founded upon and
arising from His infinite, eternal, everlasting love. This is what
it says, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore
with loving kindness have I drawn you. Turn back to Romans 8, 28. Paul is talking about God's providence. Works all things together for
good to them that love God, to them where they are called according
to his purpose. And in verse 29 he explains that
statement. For whom he did foreknow. And
let me just cut out all the background to exactly what he is saying.
For whom He loved once, forever, with finality, before the world
began. That's the word for no. Whom
he loved eternally, he also did predestinate to be conformed
to the image of his son. Salvation is God's everlasting
love toward us in eternal predestination accomplished through the work
of Jesus Christ our Redeemer by the power of His Spirit. Salvation
is accomplished by the irresistible power of God's grace according
to His sovereign purpose in predestination. Let's see if that's not how the
Scripture is teaching. John chapter 1. John chapter 1. No, Brother Don, if all these
things are so, then it must be true that man's will has absolutely
nothing to do with his salvation. Well, I think that might be exactly
what the Scripture says here. John chapter 1, verse 12. As
many as received him, to them gave a power to become the sons
of God, even to them that believe on his name. which were born
not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man,
but of God." Isn't that strange? Now listen carefully. The word
received there. There are two words in the New
Testament that are translated received. Two words that mean
received, but they mean received in a totally different way. This
glass received some water just a little while ago. What did it do? Nothing. Something was done to it. Something
was done to it. And the sinner who is born of
God receives grace totally passively as far as he's concerned. Man
is dead when he receives grace. But the sinner who receives grace
receives Christ like this. Oh, that's good. That's the word
that's used here. As many as received Him. Have
you received the Son of God? Your receiving Him is not the
cause of receiving Him, but the result of having received Him. But you better receive Him. You
must receive Him. And if you don't receive Him,
you'll never have Him. As many as received Him, what
comes as a result? To them gave He the power. I think Brother Darwin asked
me a few weeks ago, what does that mean, power? Does that mean
the ability or the right? It means both. gave him the ability
to become, in experience of grace, the Son of God. And gave him
the right. How dare you call yourself one
of God's sons? I've received His Son. I am receiving
His Son. Well, look at you! That's your
problem. I'm not looking at me, I'm looking
at Him. as many as received Him. To them gave He the right to
become the sons of God. Well, explain that, okay? I'm
talking about those who believe on His name. Well, how is it
they came to believe? Which were born, not of blood. Because your mama and daddy were
faithful, that doesn't have a thing on us to do with it. I believe
in the covenant family, I do too. God's covenant family, not
yours. Not of blood. nor of the will of the flesh.
Well, I just believe if you want somebody to be saved bad enough,
and you pray long enough and hard enough, they'll be saved.
Well, you just believe flat contrary to this book. There have been
many a man, many a woman, who longed for the salvation of folks
who perished under the wrath of God. And you and I are no
different from them. And I just believe that I believe
that if you just hang on and believe God, it'll happen. No.
No. Salvation doesn't come by the
will of the flesh. Well, I believe that that man
would just make his decision for Jesus. Not that way either. You must believe on the Son of
God. You must come to Jesus Christ. You must trust Him. Yes, you
must decide for Him. Yes, you must come to Him. Yes,
you must lay hold on Him. And it's your responsibility
to do so. And if you don't, it's because
you don't want Him. And that's your business. Your
responsibility. Your blame. You'll go to hell
for it. But you're receiving Him, not by your will. Well how is it then? But of God. But of God. So then, it is not of him that
winneth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. The means, the method by which
God accomplishes this eternal work of grace that he devised
in eternity is faith in his darling son. Yes, God chose us and nobody
is going to be saved without God's election. Ain't going to
happen. Nobody is going to be saved, God didn't choose. Not
going to happen. Yes, Jesus Christ redeemed us
with his precious blood, shed in our stead at Calvary. And
every sinner for whom Jesus Christ died shall enter into glory. But to imagine that election
alone is salvation, or that redemption alone is salvation, to imagine
that election is all we need to get to glory, or redemption
is all we need to get to glory, is to deny every other work of
God and every word of God. A man who is redeemed will not
go to glory except he be born of God. You must be born again. A man who is born of God will
not go to glory except you believe on the Son of God. Without faith
it's impossible to please God. And you imagine somebody going
to stand before him and please him, or who doesn't please him?
Nonsense. Men and women must hear the word
and believe on the Son of God and all according to God's purpose. We're bound to give thanks all
the way to God for you, beloved, because God has from the beginning
chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit
and belief of the truth. What? How was it God chose to
bring Merle Hart to glory? Through the righteousness of
his son who died as your substitute. Through the regenerating work
of his spirit. And fixing it so that you hear
the gospel and believe it. That's it. That's it. This is
God's plan. This is God's purpose. And all
exactly according to his purpose. The Lord Jesus was delivered
up to die by the hands of wicked men according to the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God in predestination. God Almighty
predestined the time, the place, and all the circumstances of
his son's death. God Almighty predestined the
end which would be accomplished by his son's death. And the Lord
God Almighty before the world began predestined everything
concerning the salvation of his elect for the praise of his glory. Turn back to Psalm 106. Psalm
106. Hang with me a minute. I want
you to see a couple more things. Why on this earth do you reckon
God saved you? Why do you reckon God almighty
saved you? What was his purpose? Why you? Why me? Look at verse 8. He saved them for His namesake. To make something great, you
know. To show something great about
Him. That He might make His mighty power. Oh, wait a minute. I thought we were saved by grace.
That's what I'm talking about. I thought we were saved by the
love of God. That's what I'm talking about. I thought we were
saved by God's infinite mercy. That's what I'm talking about.
His power is not to send you on bone. His power is the power
of His omnipotent mercy, love, and grace. Nevertheless, He saved
them for His name's sake, that He might make His mighty power
to be known. Understand this. Whatever predestination
does, whatever predestination affords, whatever predestination
accomplishes, if you read this book, and that's all that matters,
informing your opinion about anything dealt with in this book,
the only thing that matters is what this book says. If you read
this book, everything predestination accomplishes, Everything it affords,
everything it brings to pass is for God's elect. Imagine that. Imagine that. Everything God Almighty predestined to come
to pass. And everything that comes to
pass everything that has been and
is. The pains, the confusion, the
darkness, the pleasantness, the order, the light, the bitterness,
and the blessedness. Everything, everything is for
His elect. and accomplishes good for his
elect. To bring his elect at last to
be conformed to the image of his son. To make us just like Christ. We have been made like Christ
before the law by the imputation of his righteousness. We are
conformed to His image in the new birth being given His nature.
We are conformed to His image as we experience His grace in
this world. As He calls us as sons, like
the Son, to learn obedience by the things that we suffer. And
at last, in resurrection glory, we shall be conformed to the
image of His Son. But what about unbelief? What about folks who go to hell?
Judgment is always the act of justice. Judgment is always the act of
justice. In the word of God, it is nowhere
represented that sinners are saved because of anything they
do or don't do. And in the Word of God, it is
everywhere declared that sinners are damned because of what they
do and don't do. Let's see. Turn to Proverbs chapter
1. Proverbs chapter 1. Now men can argue about this.
Plus about this, to go to hell and experience it in reality.
But this is what God declares, if you go to hell, are you listening
to me? If you go to hell, you got nobody
to blame but you. Nobody. Nobody. Our Lord Jesus
said, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets
and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how oft Would I have
gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens
under her wings? And you would not. But Brother Dodd, a man can't
believe unless God gives him faith. That's exactly right.
That's the reason for you to pity him. A man won't believe
because he won't believe. And that's the reason God blames
him. Men are blind because they will
not see. They're blind because they will
not see. Look here in Proverbs chapter
1, verse 20. Christ crieth without. He uttereth
his voice in the streets. I'm reading it as it's intended.
He crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings
of the gates, in the city, he uttereth his word, saying, now
listen, How long, ye simple ones, will you love simplicity? You're
going to go to hell because you love simplicity. And the scorners
delight in their scornings, and fools hate knowledge. What? He's not talking about
Men who are intellectually incapable of learning. He's not talking
about men who are intellectually lacking something. He's talking
about men and women who are simple and fools because they hate knowledge. The knowledge of the Lord. Verse
23. Hear what it says. Turn you at my reproof. Behold, I will
pour out my Spirit unto you. I will make known my words unto
you. He looks to me like a preacher. If that's the Lord Jesus speaking,
He is saying to me, if I turn, He'll pour out His Spirit on
me. That's what He said. That's what He said. Look unto me and
be ye saved, all the ends of the earth. For I have God beside
me, there is an answer. Read on. Verse 26. Or verse 25. because I have called and you refused because I stretched out my hand
and no man regarded but you have said it not all my counsel you
said nothing is of value in what God says and would none of my
reproof I also will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when
your fear cometh. When your fear cometh as desolation,
and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind, when distress and
anguish cometh upon you, then shall they call upon me. But
I will not answer. They shall seek me early, but
they shall not find me. What a strange prayer meeting
is going to be when God casts folks into hell and they cry,
but not for mercy, for the mountains to fall on them. And they pray
not to see Christ, but to be hid from the wrath and the face
of the Lamb. How come? They'll call on me,
they'll seek me, but they'll not find me. How come? Is it
possible? Indeed it is. Verse 29. For that
is the reason you go into hell. It is. They hated knowledge. And did not choose the fear of
the Lord. Did not choose faith in Christ. They would none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof. Verse 31. Therefore. Can language be more plain? Therefore. shall they eat the fruit of their
own way, and be filled with their own devices. Verse 33 But whoso
hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall
be quiet from the fear of the Lord. This is He who stood with outstretched
arms and stands today with outstretched arms, who came to seek and to
save that which was lost, who came to save sinners of whom
I am chief, and says, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are
heavy laden. Do you need rest? Come unto me,
all ye that labour in a heavy labour, and I'll give you rest. Oh, how blessed it is to be at
rest from the fear, the dread, the terror of the Lord. He gave me rest. He gives me rest. Rest. Rest. And it's just begun. Come unto me, all you that labor
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon
you, learn of me. And you'll find rest unto your
souls. Amen.