It is not that I did choose thee,
Lord, O Lord, that could not be. 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 Mattawar 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.
Now here's our pastor, Todd Neibert. In 2nd Corinthians, chapter 5,
verse 18, Paul made this statement, and all things are of God. I've entitled this message, The
Origin of All Things. All things are of God. The origin means the source.
the cause, the beginning, what something is derived from, all
things are of God. God is the origin of all things,
and you cannot take that too far. All things. That is an all-encompassing phrase. All things. falls under the umbrella
of all things, all things. Now, in the context, when Paul
made this statement, he said in the previous verse, Therefore,
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things are
passed away, and behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God in
the new creation. And we can't limit it to that,
though. All things are of God, period. Now, we're going to get to all
things of God in the new creation in just a moment. But first,
all things are of God in the physical creation. When He created
the universe, He had no help. There was no one to consult with. He spaked the universe into existence. Now, you can't believe the Bible
and believe evolution. Now, someone may say, well, I
believe in God and believe in evolution. Well, Charles Darwin
believed in God and believed in evolution, but that's not
what I said. I didn't say you couldn't believe God and believe
in evolution. I said you can't believe the
Bible and believe in evolution. Creation took place as the Bible
presents it to. Somebody says, do you mean six
literal days? Well, if that's what it means, yes. It's exactly
as God created the universe. All things are of God in the
physical creation. In the beginning, God created
the heavens and the earth. He did it all and He had no help. Secondly, all things are of God
in providence. Now, providence is everything
that happens in time. He's the first cause behind everything. He's in control of everything. And that is why all things work
together for good To them that love God, to them who are the
call according to His purpose, it's because He's working them
together for good. You see, there's no such thing
as chance. There's no such thing as good
luck or bad luck. There's no such thing as blind
fate. All things are of God. He controls
everything. I'd like to read you a few verses
of Scripture from the book of Proverbs. In Proverbs chapter
16, verse 1, it says, The preparations of the heart in man and the answer
of the tongue is from the Lord. That's the inclination. Your
inclination and the way you answer something. You do what you want
to do, but God's in control of it. He's in control of all of
it. Yes, we act freely, but God is
in control of our free actions. Now, I don't know how to... I
can't really comprehend that, but I believe it. All things
are of God. We read in verse 4 of this same
chapter, the Lord hath made all things for Himself, yea, even
the wicked, for the day of evil. We read in verse 9, a man's heart
devises his way. He makes his plans about what
he's going to do. A man's heart devises his way,
but the Lord directeth his steps. God is in control of everything.
We read in the 33rd verse of Proverbs 16, the lot is cast
into the lap, and we think of that as pure chance and happenstance. The lot is cast into the lap,
but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord." Listen to this
scripture from Isaiah chapter 46. This is God speaking. And He says in verse 9, remember
the former things of old, for I am God and there's 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. I will do all my pleasure. You see, 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? Nothing escapes this. There's
nothing flying under the radar from the path of a particle of
dust to the destruction or raising up of an empire, whatever takes
place in providence, God purposed it, and He is in sovereign control
of it. From the drop of a rain, to a
mighty earthquake, to the success or the failure of any enterprise,
God reigns. All things are of God. The king's
heart is at the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water he turneth
it whithersoever he will." Now somebody's thinking, are you
saying God's the author of evil? I'm saying this, there wouldn't
be evil unless He allowed it to take place. He's in control
of it. I am saying that. Isaiah 45 verse
7 says, I form the light I create darkness, I make peace, I create
evil, I the Lord do all these things. He is in control and
whatever He does is right. You see, I trust Him. I trust
Him. This God who controls every event
of providence is too wise to err and too kind to be cruel
and I trust whatever it is He does. Oh, may we be given grace
to say with Job, though He slay me, Yet will I trust Him." Now,
all things are of God in the physical creation. All things
are of God in providence. And most especially, all things
are of God in this new creation. All things are of God in salvation. You see, salvation is of the
Lord. Now, we would count the man a
blasphemer. who denied that all things were
of God in the first physical creation. If someone said, well,
God had help, he consulted, no, there wasn't anything. All there
was was God. And if a man believes God is not in control of everything
that happens in Providence, he believes in a different God than
the God of the Bible, because the God of the Bible controls
everything. Most especially, though, are
all things of God in this new creation, in salvation. All things are of God in the
desires of this new creation. And I think that's a wonderful
title of what salvation is. It's a new creation. It's God
making us something that we were not before. A new creation. All things are of God in the
desires of this new creation. All things are of God in the
privileges of this new creation. And all things are of God in
the actions of this new creation. All things are of God in the
desires of this new creation. That first desire to know God,
God put it there. If He didn't put it there, we
would not desire to know Him. We would desire sin and rebellion,
not to know Him. The desire to be saved from my
sin, God put that there. the first glimmer of faith, the
first spark of love to God. God placed that in the heart
of the new creation. If you leave a man alone, none
of these things shall be. All God has to do is nothing
and we'll go to hell. All God has to do is leave us
alone and we will go away from Him. Now, please listen to this
very carefully. The idea that God lets men choose
their eternal destiny, that He loves all, that He wants to save
all, and that Christ died for everybody, but He won't save
anybody unless they, of their free will, choose to allow Him
to and accept His offer of salvation. And salvation is not in God's
hands, it's in your hands, whether or not you'll accept Him or reject
Him. That is all a lie. There is no
truth in it. If God leaves us to our depraved
will, we will nail Him to a cross. And that's the proof. You look
at what happened when Luke 23, 25 says, Pilate delivered Jesus
to their will. And here would be our will, if
God leaves us to our will, we'll nail His Son to a cross. That's precisely what took place. The will to be saved comes from
Him. Whosoever will, I love that word,
whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. But
if you will, it's because He works in you. Both the will and
to do is good pleasure. Psalm 110.3 says, Thy people
shall be willing in the day of thy power. The desire for mercy,
the desire for forgiveness, The desire to be found in Christ,
that's all of God. None of those desires would be
there unless God placed it there. All of this is of God. Now, all
of the privileges of the new creation are of God. Now, when
you speak of the privileges of the new creation, you first have
to talk about election, God choosing who would be saved. Now, God's
choice of His people wasn't because He saw anything in them. Oh,
I'll choose this man because I foresee he'll believe, or I'll
choose this man because I foresee he'll be a good witness and he'll
give and he'll be helpful. No, His reason is found in Himself. The reason for election is God's
sovereign will. The Lord said, I thank Thee,
O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You've hid these
things from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto babes,
even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight. The forgiveness
of sins is of God. God doesn't forgive me because
I asked Him to forgive me, although I do ask Him to forgive me. Salvation
doesn't end with the forgiveness of sins. If you do this, this,
this and this, you'll be forgiven. No. Salvation begins with God
forgiving my sins. Not in response to me asking,
but simply because He wills to do it. Redemption. He redeemed
me. I didn't have anything to do
with that. He paid for my sins before I was ever born. being
justified freely by His grace through the redemption that's
in Christ Jesus. Justification is of God. Justification
is not something you decide to accept or reject. It's something
God declares you to be if you're justified. You know, the judge
doesn't say to the person, well, do you want to be justified or
do you want to be condemned? It's up to you. No, he declares
somebody either to be guilty or not guilty. God declares His
people, because of Christ's work for them, to be not guilty and
justified. Sanctification is all of God. He sanctifies us. We don't sanctify ourselves.
Both He that sanctifyeth and they who are sanctified. are
all of one, for the which cause He is not ashamed to call them
brethren." Adoption. He adopted us into His family. What manner of love the Father
has bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of
God. Regeneration. Being born again is all of God. It's not man. Listen to this
Scripture. To as many as received Him. John
1, 12 and 13. To as many as received Him. To them gave He power to
become the sons of God, even to them which believe on His
name, which were born, not of blood, not because their mommy
and daddy were Christians, not of the will of the flesh, not
because a bunch of men got together and said, we're going to have
a revival, not of the will of man, not as an act of man's will,
but of God. That's how they were born. God
birthed them into the kingdom of heaven. Perseverance. If I
persevere in the faith, it's because He preserves me. The
Scripture says we're kept by the power of God through faith
unto salvation. Why, even the faith I have is
the gift of God. By grace, you say, through faith,
and that not of yourselves. It's the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. If the Lord left me to myself,
I wouldn't have any of these things. All things are of God
in the privileges of the new creation. And all things are
of God in the actions of the new creation. What do I mean
by that? Well, let me try to draw a picture
of this. Here's a man who feels led of
God to go to a foreign country, leave all he holds dear in order
to preach the Gospel. He and his family go believing
God has called him. He works tirelessly preaching
the Gospel to people who are ungrateful. at best. And during the course of his
preaching, over a several year period, every member of his family
dies, perhaps contracting some kind of disease that would be
in that land that wouldn't have taken place if he'd stayed home. What does he do? He doesn't regret
what he's done. But he asked God to give him
grace to be more zealous and more faithful to preach the gospel
even more. Now all that is of God. You find me somebody like that,
God caused them to be that way and ask them and they will tell
you. The only reason I'm like that
is because of the grace of God. All things are of God. Anything
we do, God gets all the credit. And we cry with the psalmist
of old, not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name
give glory for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake. Now, how
are all things of God? We see that all things are of
God. I don't care if we're talking about the physical creation,
everything that happens in time, and all things in salvation.
All things are of God. How are all things of God? Well,
first, all things are of God in their planning. God, before
time began, planned the new creation exactly as He willed to do it. 2 Timothy 1.9 says, He saved
us. And He called us with an holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to His own
purpose and grace, which were given us in Christ Jesus before
the world began. Everything happens according
to God's purpose and according to God's plan. He did not leave
the number of the saved to chance, or what is worse, to the depraved
will of man. He planned and decreed all that
would take place. He left nothing to chance but
decreed who would be saved when they would be saved and how they
would be saved. All things are of God in the
planning of salvation. All things are of God in the
price of salvation. Hebrews chapter 1, verse 3, speaking
of the Lord Jesus Christ. It says, when He had by Himself
purged our sins, He sat down at the right hand of God, from
henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool.
He did it by Himself. No help. Now how much did men
aid in Him, in Him doing this? None. You see, There's one reason
I'm saved. And I, I'm saved. I know the Lord. And there's
one reason I'm saved. Because He died for me. He paid for my sins. That is one of the reasons why
I despise this teaching that says that Jesus Christ died for
all men without exception. And yet some of those men that
He died for will end up in hell if they don't do something to
make what He did work for them. That takes all my joy away. That
takes all my comfort away. My comfort is that when Christ
said it is finished, all that God required of me was completed
and finished. Christ paid the debt. what he did and he did it all. We don't sing Jesus paid a half
the other half I owe. No, we sing Jesus paid it all,
all the dead I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow. All things are of God in the
application of this salvation. Now we're said to be born of
God. That's what being born again is, or born from above. Born
of God. Now, in this thing of birth,
how much cooperation is involved even in a physical birth when
a child is conceived? Did anybody ask him, do you want
to be conceived? Why do you say that's foolishness?
Well, you're right. Of course not. This is a miracle
of God. It's something that God does.
And in the new birth, in being born again, it's of God. Of His own will begat He us,
the Scripture says. Of His own will begat He us,
James 1.18, through the Word of Truth. And all things are
of God in the maintaining of the new creation. If it were
up to us to keep ourselves for five seconds, we'd fall away.
If I was brought right up to the one step away from the pearly
gates, but I had to make that last step in my own strength,
I'd drop down to hell immediately. All things are of God in the
preservation of the new creation. Now I want to ask a question.
Why are all things of God? I see that all things are of
God. It's true. Why are all things of God? Let
me give you three or four reasons. First, because nothing can be
of us. We are, by virtue of our Connection
with Adam born into this world dead in sins and the Lord said
without me You can do nothing. I can't believe I can't repent. I can't love God. Now, this inability
doesn't take away my responsibility. I'm responsible to do these things,
and I'm guilty if I don't, but I still am unable to do these
things. John 6, verse 44, the Lord said,
No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me
draw him. If all things are not of God,
And if anything's left to me, I will not be saved because of
the state, my state of nature. Romans 8, 7 says the carnal mind
is enmity against God. And it's not subject to the law
of God, neither indeed can be. All things are of God because
we're told in James 1, 17 that every good gift And every perfect
gift cometh from above. It cometh from above and cometh
down from the Father of light with whom is no variableness
nor shadow of turning. Did you notice that word every?
Every good gift cometh from above. All things are of God because
He must have all the glory. in salvation. He has all the
glory in everything, and it's right that it should be so, because
He's God. The Scripture says we're saved
to the praise of the glory of His grace. And what I'm saying,
every believer without exception will testify that this is true. I appeal to your experience.
If you're a believer, you know this is so. If you're saved,
it's because He saved you. And He did it all. And all the glory goes to him. Now, there are some excellent
effects that this has on those who believe that all things are
of God. First, it's so humbling. It's so humbling. You know, many
men hear of sovereign grace, how God saves whom He will and
He hardens whom He will. Read Romans 9. He saves whom
he will, and he hardens whom he will. And they say, well,
I don't like that. Well, who ever thought you would?
If you did like it, it wouldn't be true. But if you believe this,
how humbling it is to you that God would do this for you, that
He'd pass by somebody else, maybe somebody much better, humanly
speaking, and that He would do this for you, how humbling this
is. And if I believe all things are
of God, this is the death blow to self-sufficiency and self-righteousness. All things are of God. I can't
look to myself for a thing. And this is a good thing because
only when I am nothing is Christ everything. Only when I'm strengthless
does He give me strength. This is a good thing for Him
to be the origin of all things. And this is comforting. All things are of Him who is
too wise to err and too kind to be cruel. You see, I trust
Him. I trust Him. All things are in His hands.
I trust Him. Whatever He does is right. And how comforting it is to know
that all things are of God. And my dear friend, how encouraging
this is to the sinner. You don't have to bring anything. You don't have to be anything
in order to be saved. Quit trying to do. Quit trying
to feel. Quit trying to be. and trust
Him who did." You see, what if something had to come from you?
If you're a sinner, you know that you're in trouble, if that's
the case, because you can't come up with anything. You can't be
good. You can't be righteous. You can't do anything to save
yourself, but because all things are of God in salvation, this
gives hope to the vilest sinner this side of hell. I don't care
how bad you are. There's hope for you, if all
things are of God. Because He is mighty to save. Because He is able to save them
to the uttermost that come to God by Him, seeing He ever liveth
to make intercession for them. This is good news to any sinner,
that all things are of God. I love thinking about this. All
things are of God in the first creation. He did it. Everything
that's going on right now, In time, in providence, all things
are of God, and in salvation, most especially in salvation,
all things are of God. And we'd like to invite you to
service at Todd's Road Grace Church. Our Bible study begins
this morning at 9.40. The morning worship is 10.30,
and the evening is 6, and we'd love to have you come out and
hear the gospel. We have this message on DVD and
CD. If you call the church to write,
we'll send you a copy. This is Todd Nyberg praying that God
will be pleased to make Himself known to you. That's our prayer. Amen. To request a copy of the sermon
you have just heard, send your request to messages at toddsroadgracechurch.com. Or you may write or call the
church at the information provided on the screen.