A real good week, I think, at
Vacation Bible School. And I dealt with Romans 8, 29,
and 30, five different lessons on foreknowledge, predestination,
calling, justification, and glorification. And I decided to try to, for
the next several, next five Sunday schools, to do that. And we'll
get back to the Psalms after that, but would you turn with
me to Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8. We're going
to read verses 28 through 31. And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are thee
called according to his purpose. Four, whom he did foreknow He
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that
he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom
he did predestinate, them he also called. And whom he called,
Them he also justified. And whom he justified, them he
also glorified. What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for your
word, how we thank you for your son, how we thank you for your
salvation. We ask in Christ's name that
you would be pleased to meet with us and to speak in power
from your word to our hearts, enable us to believe thy son,
rest in him. Lord, we confess our sins. We
are so thankful. For the forgiveness of sins through
thy son, we ask that you would unite our hearts together to
fear your name. We ask that you would order our
steps in your word. We ask that you would be with
all your people wherever they meet together. Bless us for Christ's
sake. In his name we pray, amen. God is who he is. And that may sound simplistic,
but it's so. God is who he is, and what men
and women believe about him has no bearing on that. He said in Psalm 50, thou thoughtest
thou was altogether such a one as yourself. And that's the way
men are. They think God is just like they
are. That being said, God is who he
is. He said in Exodus chapter three,
verse 14, I am that I am. What a name for the Lord. That's so glorious. I am that
I am, not a would-be, not a wanna-be, not a will-be, not a should-be,
not a could-be. He's always the eternal, great
I am that I am. That is who He is. Men don't know who He is. They
don't know who they are, and they don't know what salvation
is. That's the way we're born into this world. We don't know
who he is, we don't know who we are, and we don't know salvation. That's the way we are by nature. But thank God, God has given
us his word. All scripture. All scripture is given by inspiration
of God. God breathed. Holy men of God spake as they
were moved by the Holy Ghost. And in this book, the great I
am that I am tells us who he is. We cannot know apart from
this book, but this book, the Bible tells us who he is. I am that I am. Now, the thing that I thought
about was the fact that The Bible reveals, for instance,
that God is one God in three distinct persons. That's so mysterious. That's so beyond explanation. That's so... We'd never come up with anything
like that, would we? We'd never know that God is one God in three
distinct persons apart from revelation, the revelation of this book. Now, look what verse 31 says
of our text. What shall we then say to these
things? The things that he'd said in
verses 28 through 30, If God be for us, who can be against us? If the God this Bible describes,
the God who's holy, who's all powerful, who's sovereign, whose
will is always done, who's all wise, who's immutable, he can't
change, If that God, the God of the Bible, is for us, if he's
for me in foreknowledge, if he's for me in predestination, if
he's for me in calling, if he's for me in justification, if he's
for me in glorification, who, who can be against us? The answer is nobody or no thing. If God be for us, who can be
against us. Now look what verse 28 says.
This is not what I want to consider. I want us to consider foreknowledge.
That's the first chain of this golden link, five golden links
of salvation. But look what verse 28 says.
And we know that all things, now what is covered by all things?
all things, no matter what it is. All things work together,
not separately, but together for good to them that love God,
not to everybody, only to those who love the God of the Bible
as he's revealed in his word. And these people are described
as those who are the called according to his purpose. Now, one thing you'll never read
in the Bible is a plan. How many times have you ever
heard a preacher say, God's got a wonderful plan for your life? You know, that's ridiculous to
speak of God in terms of plans. Now you and I have plans, but
they don't work out, but God's got a purpose. It's called the
eternal purpose, Ephesians 1.11, the eternal purpose, which he
purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now, with regard to these
people, those that love God, those who are the called, the
ones he's called according to his eternal purpose. Verse 29, for whom he did foreknow. That's what I want us to consider.
This is the first link in this five links, the golden ones. Somebody preached the message
once called the five golden links of salvation. What begins right
here, foreknowledge. For whom he did foreknow. Whom
he did foreknow." Now, what I want us
to notice first, he did not say what he did foreknow. Now, he foreknows everything
that's going to take place. When you walked into this room
this morning, did it take God by surprise? And I say that reverently. No, the reason you're here is
because God purposed for you to be here. Now, you came because
you wanted to. It's not like you felt some kind
of compulsion pushing you in. You did what you wanna do. And
we do what we wanna do. Everything we do is what we wanna
do. We can't say, well, you know,
I was forced to do that. No, you did what you wanna do.
When you sin, you sin because you wanna sin. That's your reason
behind it. That's the old nature. We're
in here, we're here, I hope, because we want to be here, but
it was all according to God's purpose. I love that passage
of scripture where the Lord says, not a sparrow falls to the ground. Now you think about how significant
that is, insignificant that is, not a sparrow. falls to the ground
without your heavenly father. He knows everything because he's
God and because everything that happens happens because he purposed
it to happen. Everything he is an absolute
sovereign control of and the two scriptures turn with me in
Acts chapter two. This is a... I started to say especially true
with regard to the cross, but it's especially true with regard
to everything. But let me show you these scriptures. Acts chapter
two, verse 23. Talking about the death of Christ
on the cross, him being delivered by what? The determinate counsel
and foreknowledge of God. You have taken, and with wicked
hands have crucified and slain. Now, he was delivered by the
determined counsel and foreknowledge of God. God determined this to
happen. It was all his will. But that doesn't let anybody
off the hook. You have taken with wicked hands,
have crucified and slain. You can't say, well, how can
God hold me responsible if he determined this? He does. He
does. That's who he is. And he, look
in Acts chapter four. Verse 27, for of a truth against
thy holy child, Jesus, whom thou has anointed both Herod and Pontius
Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered
together for to do, and look at the language, whatsoever thy
hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. Proverbs 16.33 says the lot is
cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. He determines every event. He knows everything that will
take place because it's all taking place according to His purpose,
whatever it is. He purposed it. He's in control
of it. And it's working together for
good, not to everybody, but to them that love God, to them who
are thee called according to his purpose. Now, it doesn't say while he
knows everything that will take place, it doesn't say what he
foredo. It says whom. Whom he did foreknow. Whom. He did know beforehand. What did he say to Jeremiah?
Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee. Now, what is this thing of God
knowing somebody beforehand? Well, let me give you two Scriptures,
one from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament, that
tell us something about what God knowing us means in the first
place. In the Old Testament, Adam knew his wife, Eve. Now, everybody here knows what
that means. That's talking about the intimate
relationship of love they entered into. Adam knew his wife, Eve. And what about the New Testament
when it says Joseph knew not Mary. Now he knew who she was,
but he didn't enter into that intimate relationship of love
with her. When the scripture speaks of
God knowing somebody, it means God loves that individual. That's exactly what that means.
When he said to that group in Matthew chapter seven, depart
from me, ye that work iniquity, I never knew you. He knew who
they were. He knew what their names were.
He knew everything that they had done. They didn't know, but
he did. But he says, depart from me,
ye that work iniquity, I never knew you. That means I never
loved you. That's Christ speaking. Somebody
says, that's harsh. No, it's not. No, it's not. He says to these people who worked
iniquity, I never loved you. Now, Jeremiah chapter 31, verse
three says, behold, I have loved you. If you're a believer, it's just like you're the only
person to ever live. Behold, I, the living God, have loved
you with an everlasting love, a love that never had a beginning. I've always loved you. Now that's
the teaching of God for loving or for knowing somebody. There
was never a time when he did not love you. You've always been
the object of his love in eternity past. You've always been the
object of his love. And what is so amazing about
that, and I don't understand this, but There's never a time
when I didn't have personality and existence before God. There's
never a time when he did not love me. Whom he did for no. Now if God loves me, he never
did not love me. And he will never stop loving
me. whom he did for no. Now, God is eternal. He's not bound by space or time
the way you and I are. We're stuck in the present. We
can't get into tomorrow. We can't change yesterday. We're
stuck in the present. And we can't be two places at
once. I'm here right now. I can't be somewhere else. Not
God. He's not bound by space or time. He is eternal. And if he loves me now, he has
loved me eternally. Everything with God is in the
eternal present. He's not thinking about yesterday
and tomorrow. Everything with him is in the
eternal present. God is immutable. Malachi 3.6
says, I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore, ye sons of Jacob
are not consumed. The reason is I change not. God is immutable. If he ever began to love me,
or if he ever stops loving me, That would mean he has changed
in some way. And that is impossible because
he is immutable. He doesn't mutate like you and
I do. I mean, we're one way one day, the next day, the next,
or the next day we're something different as far as the way we
feel. We have different attitudes, different thoughts, not God.
The living God is absolutely beautiful. Jesus Christ, the
same yesterday, today, and forever. God is sovereign, and his love
is a sovereign love. That means he loved you simply
because he willed to do it. What about that scripture in
Romans chapter nine, verse 11, and it's a quotation from the
Old Testament, Malachi chapter one, where God said, Jacob have
I loved, and Esau have I hated. And that's God's word. Jacob
have I loved, Esau have I hated. Somebody says, well, God loves
everybody. You're not going to get that from scriptures. He
himself said, Esau hath I hated. And somebody says, well, how
could that be right? Now, before I go on, I can see real clearly
why God would hate me. He's holy. I'm not. He's altogether
pure. I'm sinful. God's hatred's not
like our human hatred. It's a holy hatred. And I can understand why God
would hate me. I've got no problem with that. What I'm amazed by
is God loving me. I stand amazed in the presence
of Jesus the Nazarene and wonder how he could love me, a sinner,
condemned, unclean. God's love is sovereign love. Jacob have I loved. Now here is what I think is the,
I can't grasp this, but I can come closest to grasping it.
Go back to Romans chapter eight, verse 38. For I am persuaded. Who persuaded you, Paul? God
did. If you're persuaded, it's because he persuaded you. This
is his work. Paul says, 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, if I've left out anything, no
other creature shall be able to separate us from the love
of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Now that is why nothing
shall separate us from the love of God, because all of God's
love, all of it is in the Lord Jesus Christ. He doesn't love
you independently of his son. If he loves you, there's one
reason. You are in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's where God's love
is. That's where God's favor is.
That's where God's acceptance is. It is in the Lord Jesus Christ. I love that passage of scripture
where the Lord said, this is, the father said concerning his
son, this is my beloved son. In whom? Now he could have said
with whom and we'd understand it, wouldn't we? I can understand
why he's pleased with his son. His son's altogether lovely.
His son is equal to himself. He's the beloved son. I can understand
the father saying, I'm pleased with him because he is pleased
with him. But he didn't say with whom,
he said in whom. I am well pleased. And the reason God loves any
believer is because they are in his son. Nothing will be able
to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus,
our Lord, according as he has chosen us in him. before the
foundation of the world. Every one of us has said, why
me? Because you're in Christ. That's the answer. That's why,
because you're in Christ. What a place to be, accepted
in the beloved. Now, remember when the angel
appeared to Mary and said, behold, thou art highly favored. And you think of how favored
she was. She was the one the Lord was going to bring his son
through. He put his son in her womb by
his spirit, and she conceived, and how favored this woman was. Ladies, think about if the Lord
used you for this. What a special favor this woman
had. But do you know her favor is no better than any other believer's? Because Ephesians 1.6, that word
is used twice in the Bible. She was highly favored and Ephesians
1.6 says, He hath made us accepted. That's the word highly favored
in the beloved. Turn with me to Hebrews chapter
seven. You've probably heard this before,
but I think this is something that helps me to understand this.
Verse 9. And as I may so say, Levi also,
the great grandson of Abraham, who receiveth tithes, the people
were required by law to pay tithes to the sons of Levi. They didn't
pay tithes. The Levites didn't. Everybody
paid tithes to them. And so I may so say, Levi also,
who receiveth tithes, paid tithes in Abraham. For he was yet in
the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him, when Abraham
came to Melchizedek, the Lord Jesus Christ, who that is, the
King of righteousness, the King of peace. And the scripture says
he paid tithes of all. You know who else paid tithes
of all? Levi and every other descendant of Abraham. Now, When
Jesus Christ kept the law, you know who else did? All of the
elect. Every believer. When Jesus Christ
died on Calvary's tree, you know who else did? Every believer. They were with Him. on the cross. When he was raised from the dead,
you know who else was? Every believer. He hath made
us sit together with him in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. Now this is the truth. Whom he did foreknow, he also
did predestinate. Now listen to this statement.
The Lord said concerning us, his people, and he said to his
father, thou hast loved them. as thou hast loved me." I chew
on that. That's the kind of love we have.
However the father loves his son, that is how he loves his
people. You know, I despise the term
unconditional love. No such thing. God did not unconditionally
love his son. He loved his son because his
son is altogether lovely. He loves his son because he's
altogether lovely. And our Lord tells us, thou hast
loved them as thou hast loved me. As he is, so are we in this
world. There will be nobody in hell
that God loves. Amen? There'll be nobody in hell
that God loves. Now I realize this religious
world says God loves everybody. That is the basic teaching in
most religious institutions. God loves everybody, Christ died
for everybody, God wants to save everybody, but he can't do it
unless we do something to enable him to do it. It's up to us as
to whether or not we can accept what he did to make us objects
of his favor. God loves everybody. You can't teach that from a Bible.
It's not in the scriptures. That's man-made religion. You
can't teach that in the scriptures. And if you do teach that, God
loves everybody. He loves everybody the same.
There's people in hell that God loves. There's people in heaven
that God loves. God loves everybody the same.
If you teach that, you make God's love meaningless. You mean to
tell me he can love somebody and they wind up in hell? That
love doesn't do anything for anybody. If he can love you,
you end up in hell anyway. His love is meaningless. Somebody says, what about John
3.16? You know I love John 3.16. God so loved the world that he
gave his only begotten son. that whosoever believeth on him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. I thank God for that scripture. Does that scripture say God loves
all men? No, it says God so loved the
world. Aren't you thankful? God so loved
this wicked, evil world that anybody who believes on his son,
whoever they are, If you believe, you'll be saved. Thank God for
that scripture. But I would be scared to death
right now, and I would assume I'm not going to end up holding
out. if God can love somebody and they can wind up in hell
anyway. There's no comfort in that at all. But, whom he did
foreknow. That is the very beginning of
salvation. God's love beforehand. Whom he did foreknow. He also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn
among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
then he also called, whom he called, then he also justified,
and whom he justified, then he also glorified. What should we
say to these things? If God before us, who can be against us? Now, next week, we'll consider
the second link, predestination. Whom he did foreknow, he also
did predestinate.