Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Neidert. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 1030 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
945 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m.
Nursery is provided for all services. For more information, visit our
website at toddsroadgracechurch.com. I'm reading from the 22nd chapter
of the book of Luke, beginning in verse 21. The hand of him that betrayeth
me is with me on the table." Now this was during the end of
the Passover and the first Lord's Supper had been given. The twelve
apostles were there, including Judas, and they don't know who
he's talking about at this time. But he says, one of you shall
betray me. Now, can you imagine the shock
of the apostles at this time? And they knew that the betrayer
of Christ was right there, and it was one of them. In Matthew's
account, we read where every one of them said, is it I? Is
it I? Am I the one? And then the Lord
goes on to say in verse 22, and truly the son of man goeth as
it was determined. And notice that word carefully.
He goes, speaking of going to the cross, being betrayed and
being crucified. Everything he's saying that took
place with him was determined. Who determined it? God did. and truly the Son of Man goeth
as it was determined but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed. I want to speak to you upon the
subject divine determination. Now when the Lord said the Son
of Man goeth as it was determined Who determined this? He's talking
about going to the cross. He's talking about being nailed
to a tree. It's just the reason he came
in the first place. The means of Roman execution. And he says,
the son of man goeth. As it was determined, who determined
this? God did. Christ is called the
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world and God determined
this before time began. He determined that Judas would
be the betrayer. This was determined before time
began. Judas is called the child of
perdition. He was foretold in the Old Testament
in the writings of the Psalms He was typified by Ahithophel
in David's days. And David, under the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit, spoke several times in the Psalms of just what
Judas would do. Now, it was determined that Judas
would be the betrayer of the Lord. Now, the fact of the matter
is God determines everything. This is not just some isolated
events. God determines everything. I think of what He said to Pharaoh,
even for this same purpose have I raised thee up that I might
show my power in thee. and that my name might be declared
throughout all the earth." Everything that takes place without any
exception is God's purpose, God's will, God's determination being
done. Now, we're given an example of
this in the verses before this. This is when he told his disciples
to go prepare a place to eat the Passover And he said unto
Peter and John, Go prepare us the Passover that we may eat.
And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? And
he said unto them, Behold, when you have entered into the city,
there shall meet a man with you bearing a pitcher of water. Now
this hadn't happened yet. How did the Lord know that there
would be a man there bearing a pitcher of water? Because He
determined it. Follow him into the house where
he entereth in. And you shall say unto the good
man of the house, the master saith unto thee, where is the
guest chamber where I shall eat the Passover with my disciples?
And he'll show you a large upper room, furnished there, make ready.
And they went and found as he had said unto them." Everything
he said, that's exactly how it took place. God is in absolute
control of everything. Everything is under His sovereign
rule. Revelation chapter 1, verse 1,
John says, The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave
unto him, to show us, his servants, things which MUST shortly come
to pass. Now, why must these things shortly
come to pass? Because God determined them. You know, every time we see in
the scriptures, and it came to pass, well, the reason it came
to pass is God purposed it, God determined it, and everything
God purposes shall come to pass. He is in control of everything. Let me read you some scriptures,
but before I read these, I want you to think about this. Did
God know you would be listening to this message? Well, of course
he did. He's God. Did God see you would
be listening to this message? Of course so. He's God. He sees
everything. Now, is there any way, if God
saw that you would be hearing this message, is there any way
you wouldn't have been listening to this message? The answer is
no, because God determined it. God is in control of everything. Now, I'm going to get more to
what our Lord meant when He says He's determined that it's going
to the cross. But listen to these scriptures.
In Luke 2, verse 49, He said, Now, that word must means it's
absolutely necessary. I was sent here for this purpose,
and everything He purposed for me to do, I must do. When he said it is finished,
that meant mission accomplished. Everything he determined for
me to do, I did. He said in Luke 4.43, I must
preach to other cities, for therefore am I sent. God sent him to do
these things, therefore there was a necessity in him doing
them. In John 4, verse 4, it says, and he must need to go
through Samaria. Now, the only reason he must
need to do anything is he must need to do his father's will
and one of his elect is there, that woman at the well that he's
going to go and save. So he must need to go to Samaria.
He said to Zacchaeus, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for
today I must abide at thy house. This was the day it was determined
to take place, and it's going to take place. In John 3, verse
7, he said to Nicodemus, you must be born again. So Nicodemus
had to be born again because God had determined it. And he
was, if you read at the end of the Gospels, he was a disciple
of the Lord, no longer a secret disciple. We read in John 3,
14, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
the Son of Man be lifted up, crucified, because it was determined.
He's the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. In Matthew
16, verse 21, is one of three times where the Lord told His
disciples that He must suffer and He must die and He must rise
from the dead. Three times He told them that
these things must take place. After the resurrection, the angel
said to the disciples, why seek ye the living among the dead?
He's not here. He's risen. Remember how he spake
to you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of Man must be
delivered into the hands of men and be crucified, and the third
day rise again. And then in Luke chapter 24,
verses 25 and 26, he said to the disciples, O fools and slow
of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Ought
not Christ to have suffered these things? Was there not a necessity
in him suffering these things and rising from the dead? Now,
why was it necessary for Christ to suffer? Why was it necessary
for Christ to rise from the dead? Number one, it was necessary
because God purposed it. It was determined by God. Christ
came to die. He's called the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world before time began. Before there was
any creation, when all there was was God the Father, God the
Son, and God the Holy Spirit, even then, he was the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world, and it was always God's purpose. Before there was ever a sinner,
there was the Savior. Why must he suffer? Because he
was guilty. He was getting what he deserved.
Now, somebody said, why would you say something like that?
because the sins of his people became his sins, so that he became
guilty of them. You say, how could that be? Well,
God can do that. The sins of God's people were
placed off of them, taken off them and laid upon him. The Lord
hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all. He was made sin and
therefore when he was forsaken by God it's because he deserved
to be forsaken because sin is so evil. And all of the sins
of God's elect became his sins. He bore our sins in his own body
on the tree and he had to die. God's just. God cannot let sin
go unpunished, not even if that sin is on His Son. That's how
holy, that's how just God is. Now, why must He suffer? Why must He die? Why must He
rise from the dead? Well, because it's God's purpose.
Because on the cross, He was guilty. The sins of His elect
became His. But why must He rise from the
dead? Because by His death, He rendered complete satisfaction. He completely paid the sin debt
of everybody He died for. And their sin is gone. And the
very justice of God demands His resurrection. That's the necessity
of What he did, God determined it. Oh, I love God's determination. We read in Acts chapter, or Luke
24, 46, thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ. That's
the same word. It was necessary for Christ to
suffer and to rise from the dead. Peter said in Acts chapter 4,
verse 12, there's none other name given under heaven whereby
we must be saved. Not we may be saved. But we must
be saved. Everybody that he represented
must be saved. I think of what our Lord said
in John 10, 16, other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them
also I must bring and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. There's a divine necessity with
everything that he did. When Paul was preaching in Thessalonica
in Acts chapter 17, verse 3, the scripture says he was opening
and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered. That was
God's purpose being carried out. 1 Corinthians 15, 25 says, He
must reign. There's an absolute necessity
in His reign. Let me read you a passage of
Scripture from Acts chapter 2 that just nails all this. In Acts
chapter 2, verse 23, it says, Him being delivered. This is
talking about the death of Christ. This is Peter's sermon on Pentecost.
Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God, you have taken. and with wicked hands have crucified
and slain." How was he delivered? by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God, Him who works all things after the counsel
of His own will. Look in Acts chapter 4 verse
27, For of a 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, for to do whatsoever
thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. Everything
that happened to the Lord Jesus Christ was nothing less than
God's purpose, God's will, God's determination being done. When
they nailed the nails in his hands and feet, it was God's
will being done. When they lifted up that cross
in the air, it was God's will being done. The Lord said, Son of man goeth
as it was determined. Now this not only covers the Lord and his life and his
death and his resurrection. This covers everything else.
The Lord's determination. Do you remember how he said,
not a sparrow falls to the ground without your Heavenly Father?
You see, he didn't say, without your Heavenly Father knowing
it. If a sparrow falls to the ground, it's because your Heavenly
Father caused it. He's in control of all things.
Now, that seems very insignificant. Think of a sparrow falling to
the ground in Europe or Asia. It doesn't seem like it would
have any bearing on us, but it was in the control of the Heavenly
Father because He controls everything. In Acts 17, verse 26, we read,
He's made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face
of the earth and have determined the times before appointed and
the bounds of their habitation. Now, God determined when you
would be born. God's determined when you're
going to die. You can't change that date. Everything has been
determined. He's in control of everything. Somebody says, well, that sounds
like fatalism. No, it's not fatalism at all. God is in control. It's not blind fate. It's the
glorious God working everything after the counsel of His own
will. Now, fatalism is wrong. Well, it had to happen. You know,
that kind of attitude, some kind of blind belief that what will
be, will be, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking
about the God who controls, who rules, who reigns, who controls
everything. That's who God is. Listen to
Scripture in Proverbs 16.1. I'm going to read several scriptures
from Proverbs. The preparations of the hardened
man, that's his disposition, that's his inclination. And the
answer of the tongue, how he responds to something, is from
the Lord. In verse 9, a man's heart devises
his way, he makes all of his plans, but the Lord directeth
his steps. Proverbs 16, 33, the lot is cast
into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. in Proverbs chapter 19 verse
21. There are many devices in a man's
heart, many plans, many thoughts, many purposes. Nevertheless,
the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand. Now, we have all
kinds of things going through our minds, all kinds of plans,
but we're going to do exactly what God has purposed for us
to do. Now, God determined for His Son
to die for sinners before time began. gives us some idea of
the amazing, glorious love of God that he's always determined
this. And I can say to all who believe,
all for whom Christ died, all who come to him for mercy, God
says, Jeremiah 31.3, Behold, I have loved you. with an everlasting love, a love
that never began to be. Therefore, with loving kindness,
have I drawn thee. God has always known all of His
people in the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,
and they've never been separated from Him. There has never been
a time when God did not love His people. They're saved eternally,
justified eternally, sanctified eternally, glorified eternally
in the Lamb of God. Now, I'm not able to understand
that, I just believe it. It's what the Scripture says.
Just like I can't understand how God can be completely sovereign
and men are totally responsible and free in their actions, I
don't understand that, I just believe it. It's what the Bible
teaches. I don't need to understand it, but I do need to believe
it. Now, this covers, God's determination covers everything in our lives.
I love the story of Joseph. You remember how his brothers
sold him into slavery? And they took the coat that his
father Jacob had given him of many colors and they slew a lamb
and dipped the coat in the blood and came back to Jacob and lied
to him and said, is this your son's coat? And they made it
their father. How cruel. They made their father
think his favorite son had been slain by a beast and they sold
him. And he went down to Egypt and
was sold as a slave, got a job. He was doing a great job. The
master gave him control of all of his house. And his master
Potiphar's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and continually tried
to get him to commit sexual sin with her. And he wouldn't do
it. So she screamed, rape. And he was thrown into prison
for something he didn't do. And there he sits in prison. And you know how God brought
him out of the prison because he was able to interpret Pharaoh's
dreams. And then he was made the head
of Egypt, responsible for the granaries, responsible for the
production of the food because of the seven years of famine
that were ahead that he knew of in his dream. And lo and behold,
one day, Sixteen years after it had taken place, his brothers
come to him for food. They didn't recognize him, but
he recognized them. And he ended up making himself
known to them, and they were scared to death when he made
himself known to them. But look what he said to them. Be not grieved nor angry with
yourselves that you sent me hither, It was not you that sent me,
but God." Now, that's what he said. No, he wasn't filled with
resentment and bitterness. He didn't even say, you shouldn't
have done this. He said, you didn't send me here.
God did. As for you, you thought evil
against me. but God meant it for good. Oh, aren't you thankful for Romans
chapter 8 verse 28, and we know that all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are called according
to His purpose. Now the Son of Man goeth as it
was determined, but woe unto Woe unto that man who has betrayed
the Son of God." And this is talking about Judas. Now, just
the fact that we believe that God is totally sovereign and
determines everything that takes place does not in any way take
away from human responsibility. Judas was doing exactly what
he wanted to do. He wasn't being forced. He wasn't
acting under compulsion. He wasn't acting against his
will. He did exactly what he wanted
to do when he betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ. This monstrous
act of his is all his fault. Yes, it was determined by God,
and yes, he's held completely responsible for his actions. It was determined. I quote again
that passage from Acts chapter 2 verse 23 when Peter said, him
being delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of
God, he said, you with wicked hands have crucified and slain.
He didn't say since God delivered him by his own determined counsel,
you're all off the hook. He said, no, you have taken him
with wicked hands, crucified and slain. Now, while it's true
that God sovereignly rules over all the free actions of men,
and once again, I don't need to understand that, just believe
it. God sovereignly rules over all the free actions of men.
That doesn't mean we're not completely responsible for our actions. Judas is in hell now. He's suffering the wrath of God
for all eternity, and it will never let up. And it's not because
God determined for him to do this. It's because he did it.
He did what he wanted to do freely. Yes, God determined it, and yes,
it's all Judas' fault. My sin is all my fault. I can't blame God. I can't blame
his sovereignty. My sin is all my fault. Now,
what if someone became intoxicated and got in their car? and started
driving and ran over a child and killed him. Oh, God forbid
that that happened. It happens. It's so tragic. But
what if the person who did that got before the judge and said,
well, God determined for me to do that. Therefore, I shouldn't
be held responsible. And as far as that goes, I was drunk. I
was unable to drive right. And since I was unable, I shouldn't
be held responsible. What would the judge say? Lock
him up and throw away the key. Yes, God is sovereign and you
and I are completely responsible for all our sins. We can't say,
well, God made me do it. God could have prevented me from
doing it and He didn't. It's God's fault. No, you can't say
that. I am responsible for my sin. And listen to this real
carefully. It's only when I take full responsibility for my sin
that I cry for mercy. You will not ask for mercy if
all your sin is not all your fault. But when all your sin
is all your fault and you've got nothing to bring to the table
but your sin, there's only one thing you can cry for. God be
merciful to me, the sinner. Now if I say, now my sin is God's
fault. He determined it. I'm never going
to cry for mercy. I'm going to think that God owes
me something. It would be wrong for him to judge me when I think
things like that. But that thinking is completely
and totally wrong. Yes, God is absolutely sovereign. And yes, all my sin is all my
fault. Judas' sin was Judas' fault. He couldn't blame God's predestination. He did what he wanted to do.
God is completely sovereign and men are completely responsible. And my sin is all my fault. Now let me say this in closing. I am thankful that God's determined
everything. He determined the death of Christ.
He determined how He would die. He determined for whom He would
die. He determined what He would accomplish.
It's all according to God's determinant foreknowledge and God's eternal
counsel. All that is is God being God.
If God's God, He's in control of everything. And you think
of the backside of that. If He's not in control of something,
we're in trouble. God's in trouble, but that's
not the case. God's on the throne. Somebody says, where was God
when that happened? where He always was, on the throne,
ruling and reigning. This is who God is, and this
lets me know that salvation is altogether what He does. It's not what I do. It's what
He's determined and what He's actually accomplished. He came
to this earth and did what He set out to do. Thou shalt call
His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.
That was God's purpose for him and that's exactly what he did.
He accomplished the salvation of everybody for whom he died
and God's determined everything and I sure am glad it's that
way and I still have to say all my sin is all my fault and I
pray that the Lord will deliver me from my sin. Yes, I believe
in God's determination, but that doesn't keep me from asking Him
for mercy. Yes, I believe God's decreed everything, but that
doesn't keep me from confessing my sins and calling on His name
to do something for me. People say, well, if you believe
that way, you're just fatalistic, and you'll make people not care
how they live or what they do, and they'll just be walking along
like robots waiting for what fate's going to tell them to
do? No. Not at all. Not at all. It doesn't
make any believer that way. Now, if somebody wants to twist
it and use it as an excuse for their sin, they will, but it
doesn't make a believer. react that way. Thank God that
everything is in His hand and He determines everything. This
is my Father's world. I'm living in God's world and
I sure am grateful for that. This is Todd Kniper praying that
God will be pleased to make Himself known to you. That's our prayer.
Amen. To request a copy of the sermon
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