But to turn back to Acts chapter
4, we're going to be observing the Lord's Table together tonight. And the subject for this morning,
I shouldn't even use the word subject, it's the gospel. But
I've entitled this message, The Issue of Predestination. Does the Bible teach predestination? It does. But what is the issue
of predestination? Now look once again in our text
in verse 27. For of the truth against thy
holy child, Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and
Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were
gathered together when they were putting the Lord to death, when
they were nailing him to a tree, they were gathered together for
to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before,
predestinated to be done. Now, last week, we looked at
this entire prayer of the church in Acts chapter 4, and I made
the statement during that message, if your God is not the God of
absolute predestination, you might as well be worshiping a
totem pole. Now, that's a strong statement. That's a strong statement. Is
it so? Is this what the scripture actually
teaches? Is this statement true? Now,
without doubt, like I said, I entitled this message, The Issue of Predestination. Without doubt, the Bible teaches
predestination. Look in Romans chapter eight
with me. The word is mentioned six times
in the New Testament. verse 29 of Romans chapter 8,
for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate. There's the word. 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. Turn to 1 Corinthians
2. Verse seven, here the word is
translated ordained before the world, but it's the same word.
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery even the hidden
wisdom which God predestined, ordained before the world unto
our glory. Turn to Ephesians chapter one. Verse four, according as he hath
chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love having predestinated
us. unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made
us accepted in the beloved. Look in verse 11 of this same
chapter. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being
predestinated according to the purpose of him who work with
all things after the counsel of his own will. Now, without question, the Bible
teaches predestination. You saw it. What is the issue
of predestination? What is the issue? It's a very misunderstood, misrepresented
doctrine. But before we see what the Bible
teaches, here are the issues involved. I want to give those
right off the bat. The issue of predestination. If I do not believe in the God
of absolute predestination, the God I believe in is non-existent. That's the issue. If I do not
believe, if you do not believe in the God of absolute predestination,
the God we believe in is non-existent. The issue is that of worship. You can't worship if you don't
worship the God of absolute predestination. You see, if your God is not the
God of absolute predestination, he's a God you can manipulate.
He's a God you can get to do what you want him to do. And
you will never worship a God like that. You only worship a
God of absolute predestination. You know, really, if your God
is not the God of predestination, he's either a weak God who can't
control everything or there's no God. And both of those alternatives
are not acceptable. God is the God of absolute predestination. And listen to this. This is the
issue. If you don't believe in predestination, the God of predestination,
you have no real understanding of the cross of the Lord Jesus
Christ. You can't separate this as some kind of theology or some
branch of theology. No, Christ is called the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. And this universe
was created for the cross. And if I don't understand that,
I don't really understand the cross at all. You can't separate
predestination and the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. If
I do not believe in predestination, that means I don't really believe
men are dead and sins. I don't really believe total
depravity. You see, if you believe in total depravity, predestination
is an absolute necessity in salvation. If I don't believe in the God
of predestination, remember this is who God is. God is the God
of predestination. This is who He is. If I don't
believe in the God of predestination, I don't really believe that salvation
is by grace. I believe salvation is brought
on by God responding to something you do. That's the inevitable
result of not believing in the God of absolute predestination. If predestination is not true,
now listen to this. If predestination is not true,
I have no hope of being saved. That's the issue. The issue of
predestination. Now, like I said earlier, predestination
is neither more nor less than God being God. That's predestination. God being God. Turn with me to Isaiah chapter
45. I'm gonna look at several scriptures. Isaiah chapter 45. Verse six, verse five. He says to Cyrus,
I am the Lord, And there's none else. There's no God beside me. I go to thee, though thou has
not known me, that they may know from the rising of the sun and
from the West that there's none beside me. I am the Lord. and there is none else. I form
the light and create darkness. I make peace and create evil. I the Lord do all these things. Isaiah chapter 46 verse 9. Remember the former things of
old, for I am God, and there is none else. I am God and there's
none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient
times, the things that are not yet done, saying my counsel shall
stand and I will do all my pleasure. calling a ravenous bird from
the east, the man that executes my counsel from a far country,
yea, I have spoken it, I will bring it to pass, I have purposed
it, I will also do it. Now that is who God is. Now what I'm talking about really
can't be understood apart from understanding something about
the decrees of God. Didn't we just read, I have purposed
it, I also will do it. That is the decrees of God. I
have purposed it, I also will do it. Acts 15, 18 says, known
to God are all his works from the beginning. And Hebrews 4,
3 says, all the works were finished from the foundation of the world. Now, God is not bound by space
or time. He is omnipotent. He has no limitations. Is anything too hard for the
Lord? Is anything too hard for the
Lord? Think of creation. He willed the universe in existence
from nothing. That wasn't too hard for him.
Think of providence. He controls everything. Not a sparrow falls to the ground
without your heavenly Father. A sparrow on the other side of
the world dies, falls out of the tree. There he lays dead.
God did that. God was in control of it. God
is in control of everything. The lot is cast into the lap,
but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. He controls everything
in providence and it's not difficult for Him. It's not hard. I think
of salvation, salvation, the power of the Lord demonstrated
in salvation. He made that which is my sin
to not be. And He made that which was not
me being holy to be. That is who He is. Now, listen
to this definition of the decrees of God. The decrees of God are
His eternal purpose, according to the counsel of His will, whereby
for His own glory He has foreordained whatsoever has come to pass. Let me read that again. The decrees
of God are His eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his
own will, whereby for his own glory he has foreordained whatsoever
has come to pass. Now, let me say this about his
decrees. His decrees have one purpose and only one purpose,
his glory. Whatever it is that He has decreed
before the foundation of the world has only one purpose. His glory. His decrees are eternal. They're eternal. They were made
before the foundation of the world and they really have no
time to them. They are eternal. His decrees,
remember we're talking about the one who's all powerful, His
decrees are immutable. They'll never change. If they
could change, that would mean a lack of wisdom or a lack of
power on His part. His decrees are absolutely sovereign. He doeth according to His will
in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth,
and none can stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest thou?
His decrees are efficacious. There is absolute, certain occurrence
of all that He's decreed. And the decrees of God relate
to all events. All events. When they were nailing
the nails in the hands and feet of our Lord, It was decreed by
God before the foundation of the world. What you did yesterday,
what you do today, what you're thinking right now is in the
complete sovereign control and decree of God Almighty. The free and uncoerced actions
of men were all foreordained. And that's what is meant by the
decrees of God. It means God is God. It means
He purposes everything, He controls everything, and everything happens
according to His will. Somebody says, that makes me
in puppets. If God decrees everything, And
all that we end up doing is His will that makes men puppets. Let me give an answer to that. If you think the opposite is
true, you make God men's puppet. You have God on men's train. He's got to wait to see what
they will do and respond to Him. So who do you want to be running
the show, God or man? And you know what? I'd like to
be God's robot, wouldn't you? I don't see that as a bad thing.
I would like to be programmed to simply do his will. You either believe God is in
control or you believe man is in control. And if I don't believe
in absolute predestination, the God who decrees and determines
all things, I believe God is on man's train and he can only
do what God allows him to do. Now, before time began talking
about predestination, Before time began, there were some people
he foreknew. Whom, I read this, whom he did
foreknow. Now God doesn't know everybody
like this. He knows who everybody is. But
what about that group he said, depart from me, ye that work
iniquity, I never knew ye. Now he knew exactly who they
were, he knew exactly what they were made of, but he said, I
never knew you. What does that mean? It means
I never loved you. That's exactly what that means. I never knew you to be one who
worshiped me. I never knew you to be one who
loved me. I never knew you in this intimate way. And you know
the way the word know is used in the scriptures. Adam knew
his wife. Joseph knew her not. It's used
of an intimate relationship. And with regard to those he foreknew,
this foreknowledge comes logically before the predestination. This
is where it begins. God's foreknowledge. Before I
formed thee in the belly, I knew thee. I knew thee. humbling thing
to think of God knowing me in Christ before the foundation
of the world. Whom He did foreknow, them He
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son. Now, This is stuff that we just
believe. We can't understand it. I can't
understand how I've always been in Christ. I can't understand
how God always knew me. These are concepts that are just,
I can't intellectually grasp them, but I believe them. I believe
them with all my heart, according as He hath chosen us in Him before
the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before Him. Second Timothy one night, He
saved us, He called us with a holy calling, not according to our
works but according to His own purpose and grace which was given
us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Now think of that
scripture I just quoted, He saved us and He called us. Which came first? The saving
or the calling? You see, I was saved in the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. And that is my hope. I don't understand the Trinity.
We talk about, shouldn't you understand what you believe?
Do you understand the Trinity? Do you understand how God is
one God? in three distinct persons. God, the Father, God, the Son,
and God, the Holy Spirit. Do you understand that? No, you
don't understand it. Neither do I. Do you believe
it? I believe with all my heart that that is so. You see, God
is eternal. And every aspect of a salvation
is eternal. We read of eternal life. We read
of eternal salvation. We read of eternal judgment.
We read of eternal redemption. We read of eternal inheritance. The blood of Christ is called
the blood of the eternal everlasting covenant. All every aspect of
God's salvation is eternal because God is eternal. Being predestinated according
to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the council. of His own will. We read in Ephesians 3.11 of
the eternal purpose, which God had purposed in Christ. Romans 8.28, and we know that
all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 9.11, for the children
being not yet born. neither having done any good
or evil that the purpose of God, according to election might stand,
not of works, but of him that calleth. Now, God predestined,
when we're talking about predestined, predestination, God predestinated
that every body that he predestinated would be perfectly conformed
to the image of Jesus Christ. And this is what predestination
is about. It's God predestinating everybody
He predestinated to be perfectly conformed to the image of Jesus
Christ. Now, if God's predestinated me,
this is my destiny that I'm going to be just like Lord Jesus Christ. I'm going to be as beautiful
as Him. I'm going to be as righteous as Him. I'm going to be as holy
as Him. I'm going to be perfectly conformed
to His image. That's God's purpose in predestination. Now, how can I reach that point? Perfectly conformed to the image
of Christ? Look at me. I'm so sinful right
now. I'm so sinful, I'm ashamed of
myself. I cannot not sin. I'm an evil
individual. I know exactly what Paul meant
when he said, Oh, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver
me from the body of this death? I believe that about myself.
I'm a sinful man. I cannot not sin. I can't do
it. What is man that drinks iniquity
like water? That's me. Now, how am I going
to reach that end? I, the chief of sinners, what
I hate, I do. What I want to do, I don't do.
How am I going to reach that glorious end of being perfectly
conformed to the image of Jesus Christ? Let me tell you how. Because Christ is the lamb slain
from the foundation of the world. Before there was ever a sinner,
there was a Savior. Now, when Adam fell, me and you
fell in him. When he fell, when he ate of
the tree, I ate of the tree. It's not that his sin was imputed
to me. It's that I was in him and when
he did it, I did it. You're not judged for somebody
else's sin for your own. And when Adam ate of the fruit,
I ate of the fruit. But you know what the scripture
says? God said to him, in the day you eat thereof. Didn't say
if you eat, said when you do. You see, the fall of Adam and
my fall was all according to the predestinating purpose of
God. I like it that way. Somebody
says, well, that's making God the author of evil. Listen, you
can take up all your complaints with God that you want, but I
wouldn't do it if I were you. I wouldn't do it if I were you.
God is God. And whatever he does is right,
whether you and I understand it or not. You know, with regard
to what I'm saying, in Romans 9, we read, why does he yet find
fault? For who hath resisted his will?
How can God hold me responsible for something he predestinated
for me to do? And he's in control of it. If
he can harden me, if he can pass me by, how can he hold me responsible?
I love Paul's response. Name it, old man. Who are you? to reply against God. Now, here's
the point. I'm far too sinful to be able
to make some kind of judgment on God. The problem's with me. The problem's not with Him. Now,
God predestinated the fall. It was all a part of His eternal
purpose. The cross The cross, now remember I said
you can't understand the cross apart from predestination. The
cross is God's eternal purpose and he made this universe and
he allowed the fall of Adam for the purpose of the glory of the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb slain from the very
foundation of the world. Now, remember I was saying how
can I be brought to that end? because of the lamb slain from
the foundation of the world. The cross of Christ is how a
man like me or a person like you can be perfectly conformed
to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, here's predestination.
Here's predestination. Most people, when they think
of predestination, they think of every action being like if
I lose my balance and fall, on the ground there and, well, that's
predestinated. I'm glad it's over with. Well,
it was predestinated. Everything's predestinated. But
that's not the point behind predestination. God is in control of everything.
But here is the point of predestination. Christ stood as my surety before time began. And he took
full responsibility for my salvation. before I was even born, before
the foundation of the world. Christ stood as my surety. He said, as Judah said of Benjamin,
I will be surety for him. Of my hand shalt thou require
him. If I bring him not unto thee
and set him before thee, let me bear the blame forever. Now that is what Christ said
of all his people. I will be surety for them. Here's predestination. He took
responsibility for my salvation before the foundation of the
world. And in time, he came as my savior. Matthew 1.21 says, Thou shalt
call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. He said, I'm come to seek and
to save that which was lost. I'm one of those people. He,
the predestinator, came to save all who were predestinated, and
He saved them. Those in Him, He kept the law
for them. When He kept the law, I kept
the law because I was in Him. When He died, He died for my
sins. I died at that time. My sins
were paid for. They were put away. They were
completed. When He was raised from the dead,
I was raised from the dead with Him. When He was raised from
the dead, all that He predestinated were justified. As far as that
goes, they were justified in the Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world. Now, when He said it's finished,
When he said it is finished. Everybody he predestinated their
salvation was finished. What about that sin you committed
yesterday? It's still finished. It's still finished. And because Christ died for these
people, God gives them life from the dead. He justifies them.
He calls them. He gives them faith. Turn back
to Romans chapter 8. Let's look at these words again. Verse 29. For whom? He did foreknow. He also did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that
he, the Lord Jesus Christ, might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
then he also called. And whom he called, Then he also
justified, and whom he justified, then he also, what's that word? Glorified. Glorified. It doesn't say they will be glorified. I am glorified. Everybody he predestinated
is conformed to the image of his son, is glorified. Well, you don't look glorified.
Well, that's because I still have this flesh that is sinful. I still got it. And it keeps
me from looking what I am. And when I put this body in the
grave, I'm going to shine like the sun. I have it right now. Now, you
can't understand the gospel without understanding it. I don't mean
understanding it, I mean believing it. Do I understand everything
about predestination? No. No. But I believe it. And when these people prayed
this prayer and talked about how both Herod and Pontius Pilate
with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together
for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before
to be done, these people had only been saved two or three
days. These were newborn believers. Yet they believed in predestination. And do you know every believer
does, even if you've never heard the word. I guarantee you the
thief on the cross had never heard the word predestination. But I guarantee you as soon as
he heard it, he'd say, that's the truth. I know that because
that's who God is. You see, this comes from a knowledge
of the living God. It's not some doctrine you believe.
It's not theology. You know, I hate that word theology.
It makes the gospel academic. This is not theology. This is
the ABCs of the gospel. It's the character of the living
God. It's who God is. Predestination. God being God. Now, what did He determine before
to be done? These people were doing whatsoever His hand and
His counsel predestined to be done. What did he determine before
to be done? Well, the lamb slain before the foundation
of the world had to come in time and be slain. He had to come in time and be
slain. What did he determine before
to be done? Everything that takes place in
time is subservient to this end, that he died to make every one
of his people perfectly conformed to his image. And everything
that happens in time is subservient to that one end. And like I said, this is not
deep theology. This is just so. It's who God
is. Now, concerning all the objections
men make to predestination, this is what I'm going to close with. Men make all kinds of objections
to predestination. Let me say right off the bat
that they're all frivolous and wrong. They're frivolous and
wrong. But I've already mentioned this. This makes men robots, puppets
on God's string. Well, it's either that or God
being on man's throne. Which way would you rather have
it? It simply means God reigns. He's in control. That very idea
of free will is ridiculous. It's ludicrous. It makes God
at man's disposal, man's free will over God's sovereign will. Why, that's ridiculous. It's
frivolous, and it's wrong as it can be. God is God, the God
of absolute predestination. Another objection people make
to predestination, well, it kills missions. It kills the desire
to witness. Why do it if everybody's already
predestined? Do you know that every great
missionary that ever lived believed in absolute predestination? Every
single one of them. There wasn't any missionaries
that God used that didn't believe. As a matter of fact, the reason
they go and preach is because they know God has a people he's
going to call out. I sure believe in missions. I believe in witnessing.
It's our great privilege to do so. So when people make that
objection, that's a lie. That's all it is. It's a lie.
Absolute predestination has never turned anybody into some kind
of fatalist. Now, if you're already a fatalist,
you might use it for that way. What will be, will be. Well, it's better than saying
what will be, won't be. I mean, that doesn't make any sense.
But if you're already a fatalist, you might take it that way. But
it doesn't have that effect with any true believer. Well, predestination
destroys the motive for obedience and holiness. Where do you get that? That's ridiculous. Every believer
wants to honor the Lord and Obey the Lord. And we hate our sin. And we ask for the Lord to deliver
us from temptation so we won't even sin against Him. We hate
our sin. And we hate disobedience. And we want to honor the Lord.
We love Him. We love Him for who He is. I love the God of
absolute predestination. Anything else and not even a
God. Not even worthy to be called a God. A weak God. A pygmy God. Let me tell you what. Predestination
says, it says God is so glorious that he brings good out of evil. What's the most evil thing to
take place? The cross. when men put to death Jesus Christ. God left men to themselves to
let them do what they wanted to do, and they killed Jesus
Christ. That's the most evil thing to
ever take place. Ain't nobody in here gonna argue
with that. That's the most wicked thing to ever take place, when
men nailed the Son of God to a cross. Most evil thing is the most glorious
thing. God brought good out of evil. Oh, what good he brought out
of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Predestination is about
the glory of the cross of Jesus Christ. The accomplishments of
the cross. It's not some theological football
to be kicked around and argued about, debated about. It's who
God is. And there's no understanding
of the cross apart from the lamb slain from the foundation of
the world. I love the story of Joseph. His
brothers sold him into slavery. What a horrible thing. And you know the story, how at
the end, he's made the head of Egypt. And his brothers come
to him, and they find out who he is. And he said, what you
did was wrong. You meant it for evil. You meant
it for evil. You weren't thinking, I'm doing
God's will. I'm making it to where Israel will be saved down
the road. You didn't think anything like
that. You were doing what you did because you hated me. You did
it for evil. You meant it for evil, but God
meant it for good. It was not you that did it, but
it was God. That is predestination. God is God, and he's going to
save those he predestinated. Nobody can say, well, what if
I want to be saved? If you want to be saved, you
will be saved. You know the reason you want to be saved? It's because
God put it in your heart. You wouldn't even care. You wouldn't
listen. You'd say, I don't believe this.
Oh, but those who are predestinated. And don't worry, this may sound
contradictory, don't worry whether or not God predestinated you.
Do you believe that Christ is the Son of God? Do you believe
that He's the complete, sufficient Savior of sinners? Do you rely
on Him only? Not do you believe you're predestinated.
Do you believe He's the Son of God? Well, if you do, you were
predestinated. Let's pray. Lord, we come into your presence
in Christ's name and how we thank you. That you are the God who predestinates. And Lord, we worship you. And
we thank you for who you are. We thank you for how you save
sinners through that predestined work of thy son before the foundation
of the world on the cross, who came in time and saved his people
from their sins. Lord, bless this word according
to your will. Give us hearts to believe and
receive. In Christ's blessed name, we
pray. Amen.