Would you turn to John Chapter
4? John Chapter 4. Now, I'm going
to ask you that you ask the Lord that He would give you the grace
to listen to every word that is said this morning. This is
one of those messages that I hope nobody's mind wanders. I don't
want to lose you because what I have to say I think we need
to give our most careful attention to it, and that's the way we
ought to be with every worship service. Don't this is no different than
any other, but I pray that the Lord would give us a spirit of
hearing. I want to read verse four of John,
chapter four. And he. The Lord Jesus. must needs go through Samaria. Now, that word must needs means
it was binding upon him to go through Samaria. It was absolutely
necessary for him to go through Samaria. I've entitled this message
Certainty and Necessity. Certainty and Necessity. Now, I'm going to walk over to
that chair and I'm going to sit down. If the Lord doesn't take
my life before that happens, I'm certain that's going to take
place. I'm going to walk over to that chair and sit down. You
know what's necessary then? It's necessary for me to go over
there and walk over to the chair and sit down, isn't it? If it's
certain, it's necessary. If it's certain, it is in fact
absolutely necessary. Certain means beyond a doubt,
fixed or stated, definite, Absolutely sure if it's certain it cannot
not be. Necessary is that which cannot
be otherwise. Unavoidable. For instance, it
is necessary that when you add two and two, four is going to
come out. It cannot be otherwise. It's
never going to be three. It's never going to be five.
If the law of gravity is in place, it is necessary that whatever
comes up is going to come down. It's an absolute necessity. Certainty,
that which is sure and certain, is necessary. That which must
be, whatever is certain, is necessary. Did the Lord know for certain
last night that you'd be here this morning? Sure he did. OK, was it absolutely
necessary that you be here then? If the Lord knew for certain
that you would be here, it's absolutely necessary that you
be here this morning. Now, this is not a mental game.
I've said all this for a reason. That's kind of a weird way to
introduce a message. I realize that it's almost like a Lesson
in logic or something like that. I don't mean it to be that way.
I've got a point. So that's what I'm saying. Stick with me. Verse four. He must needs. It was absolutely
necessary. It was binding. It could not
not be. He must needs go through Samaria. Now, that doesn't mean that's
the only way he could get to Galilee was if he went through Samaria.
There were a lot of other routes that he could have taken. I went
to Crossville, Tennessee last week to the Bible conference
there, and I got off on 61. I went down 75. I got up on 61
to get to 40. I didn't have to do that. I could
have got there some other way, but I didn't have to. When it
says he must needs go through Samaria, it's not saying that
was the only way to get there by any means. The word must needs
is it was binding, it was absolutely necessary, and the reason that
it was absolutely necessary was because God had ordained it. Whatever God ordains must come
to pass. Now, what we do. Everything we
do, we do freely. Unrestrained. We do what we want
to do. That's what people do. People
do exactly what they want to do. We don't open up the book
of God's decrees and say, what am I supposed to do next, and
then read it. That's foolishness. You know that. We do what we
want to do. Yet in doing what we want to
do, we do neither more nor less than with God, than what God
predetermined and predestinated for us to do. And let me show
you that from scripture, would you turn with me to Proverbs
16. Verse one. The preparations. That's the
inclinations. What you are inclined toward
the preparations of the heart in man and the answer of the
time, what he actually has to say, how he responds is from
the Lord. Verse nine of Proverbs 16, a
man's heart divides it his way. He makes his plans. You do what
you do freely. You make your plans. This is
what I'm going to do. A man's heart divides it his
way, but the Lord directed the steps. He's in control of every
bit of it. Look at verse 33. The lot is
cast into the lap. That is seemingly luck, but the
whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. He is in control of
everything. Now, listen, the God of the Bible
is the God of predestination. If your God, is not the God of
absolute predestination, you have the wrong God. That is who
God is. He is in control of everything. Barnard once preached a message
on election and predestination, how God chose who He would to
be saved and pass by whom He would and predestinated everything
to make His purpose come to pass. And a woman came up to him after
the message and said, Your God's a monster, if that's the case.
And he replied, prepare to meet a monster then, because that
is the God of the Bible. God is the God of absolute predestination. He predestinated all things,
everything that happens. He is in sovereign control of. And if somebody replies, well,
I don't believe that. That was predestinated too. Let
me show you that in Scripture. Turn to 1 Peter, chapter 2. 1 Peter, chapter 2, beginning in
verse 7. Unto you therefore which believe,
he is precious. Well, isn't that just so? But
unto them which be disobedient, The stones which the builders
disallowed, the same as made the head of the corner, and a
stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which
stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were what? Appointed. I'm not going to apologize
for what God says. I don't understand all the stuff
behind that, but I know it is exactly that. They were appointed
to that. That's what the scripture says.
And let me give you two scriptures, one from the Old Testament, one
from the New Testament, that is going to just underline this. Turn to Isaiah 46. Isaiah 46. I love this passage of scripture. 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. Do you know any comparison I
make and say this is what God's like is wrong? There's no one
he can even be compared to. Look what he says, verse 10. 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. calling the
ravenous bird from the east, the man that executes my counsel
from a far country, yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring
it to pass, I have purposed it, I will also do it. Now turn to Ephesians chapter
1. Ephesians chapter 1, verse 11. in whom also we have obtained
an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will."
All things? All things. That's what the Word
of God says. Now, God's providence, you've
heard that God's providence is His purpose
being brought to pass. When we say that certain things
are providential, we actually deny the meaning of the word.
Everything is providential. Everything is God's providence. He works all things after the
counsel of His own will. Everything that was, is, and
will be is certain, having already been determined, and that certainty
does not negate it being necessary for it to take place. And when
I talk about, or when the Bible talks about God predestinating
all things, and all things being certain, He must means, it's
absolutely necessary that He go through Samaria. That doesn't
take away from our personal freedom. You do what you want to do, and
it doesn't Take away from our personal responsibility. Well,
how can God hold me responsible if He ordained for me to do that?
If I do something bad and it's all part of His plan and purpose,
how can He hold me responsible for that? Well, the fact of the
matter is He does. I don't know how else to answer
that. Why does He yet find fault, Paul said, for who has resisted
His will? I mean, if it's His will, how can He hold me responsible?
David, old man, who are you to reply against God? Since when
are you in the position of sitting on judgment on God and saying,
I don't believe that's fair. Whatever he does is right, whether
you and I like it or not. And we bow before that. Now,
when we talk about all things being absolute and certain, if
they're certain, they are necessary. You know, one of the arguments
against what we believe is, if you believe everything's predestinated,
why witness? Why evangelize? Why seek the
Lord? What will be, will be. You know,
that's certainly true. It's never true that what will
be, won't be. That's not going to happen. But back to the question
I asked a few moments ago. Last night, did the Lord God
know for certain that you would be here this morning? Yes, he did. Was there any way
you wouldn't be here since he knew you'd be here? No. Well, did anybody think when
they woke up this morning, well, it's predestinated whether I'll
go to church this morning. Therefore, I'm not going to get
up. I'm not going to get dressed. I'm not going to do what I need
to do to get there because it's predestined. I mean, I either
will be there or I won't. Therefore, I'm not going to do
what it takes to get me to the worship service. I'm just going
to see if I'm predestinated. None of us thought anything that
foolish, did we? That's stupid. And it's amazing to me. And I
guess I said that stupid with the right emphasis. It's amazing
to me. And I'm talking about myself,
too. It's amazing how we check our brains out at the door when
we start thinking about what the Bible teaches. We never say
that in real life, but yet that's the way people. Well, it's all
predestinated. That means you think you don't
have to witness. You don't have to preach. You don't have to pray. You don't
have to. I don't believe that for even
a second. I want to look at some scriptures
that talk about what must needs be turned to Revelation chapter
one. We're going to get to the woman
at the well next week, but this is just one thing I couldn't
get past. Verse one, the revelation of
Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him to show unto his servants
things which must shortly come to pass. Now, why must they shortly
come to pass? Why? That's the same word, it's
binding, it's necessary. Why must these things shortly
come to pass? Because he predestinated it. And everything that he predestinated
must come to pass. Turn over to Matthew chapter
16. Verse 21. From that time forth began Jesus
to show unto his disciples how that he must. It was binding,
it was absolutely necessary, this could not not be. It was certain and necessary.
He must go unto Jerusalem. He must suffer many things of
the elders and the chief priests and the scribes. He must, it
was binding, it was necessary for him to be killed and he must
be raised again the third day. Every one of those things were
absolutely necessary. Why were they necessary? Why
did they must be? Why did Christ have to die? Why
did He have to be raised from the dead? What is this all about?
This must be. God ordained it. God purposed
it. Whatever God purposes must, absolutely
must, come to pass. Him, speaking of the death of
Christ, Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge
of God. That's why He was delivered.
You have taken and with wicked hands are crucified and slain.
You did what you wanted to do. But his purpose was done. Look at Acts 4. Let me emphasize
this. I'm going to ask you to turn
to a lot of scriptures. I just want you to see that this is what the word of
God says. Acts chapter 4, verse 26. For the kings of the earth stood
up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and
against His Christ. For 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,
doing what they wanted to do. But what were they doing? For
to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before
to be done. Everything that they did, even
in the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ, every move was
determined before by God Almighty to be done. Now. God is so absolute. And what I'm saying, I don't
understand, but I believe. God is so absolute that when
he wills it, It has already taken place. It becomes history before
it even happened. And that's how supreme God's
will is. And let me back this up with the scripture. Hebrews,
chapter four, verse four, says the works. Now, listen to this. The works. And he's talking about
the work of the Lord on the cross. He's talking about the great
work of salvation. He said the works were finished from the
foundation of the world. He doesn't say it's as if they
were finished. He says they were finished from
the foundation of the world. Everything God does has already
been done in eternity. I believe, I know that God's
elect, every believer has been eternally justified by God. Every
single one of them. God never viewed any of his people
as guilty. He didn't see him as guilty and
then all of a sudden say, well, I'm going to make him not guilty.
No, somehow God's elect have always been viewed in the Lord
Jesus Christ. They've been eternally justified.
Now, somebody says, well, if you believe that, why did Christ
have to go to the cross then if they're already justified?
If Christ is landslain from the foundation of the world, if everything
was already done in eternity, why would he even have to go
to the cross? Well, he does. That's all I can say about it. He does. Just the fact That Christ
is the Lamb slain, just the fact that God's people have always
been saved in the purpose of God doesn't take away from the
fact that he's going to have to come to the cross and save
them. It doesn't take away from the fact that I'm going to have
to hear the gospel, that I'm going to have to believe, that
I'm going to have to repent. Certainty does not negate necessity. It
never does. He must needs go through Samaria. What were Christ's first recorded
words? Does anybody remember? When he walked upon this earth,
what were his first words? Let me quote it to you. It's from Acts chapter, I mean,
Luke chapter two. He said, How is it that ye sought
me? Wist ye not that I must be about
my father's business? It was absolutely necessary.
It was absolutely binding. I must be about my father's business. You see, every step he took,
everything he experienced, there was a must be to it, not because
he was victimized and he didn't have any choice, but because
it was his father's business. It was his father's decree. It
was his father's will. Let me show you this in the scripture.
Turn to Matthew 26. Matthew 26. And this is after Peter tried
to help out the Lord, and he cut a fellow's ear off. And he
meant to cut his head off. He dust his head, and that's
how the ear came off. And we read in verse 52 of Matthew 26,
Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place.
For all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and He shall
presently give me more than twelve legions of angels, seventy-two
thousand angels to take care of this problem?" He says, do
you think I'm victimized by this? The fact that they're coming
to arrest me? The fact that they're coming to take me to the cross?
Do you think I'm a victim of this and there's nothing I can
do about it? He said, oh, I could pray to my Father right now.
72,000 angels would come and just wipe this place out. I'm
no victim. Look what he says next in verse
54. But then how shall the Scriptures be fulfilled that thus it must
be? It's absolutely necessary. It's absolutely binding. When the Lord looked up that
sycamore tree and saw Zacchaeus sitting up there Zacchaeus wanted
to see the Lord. He sought to see Jesus, who He
was in the Scriptures. He wanted to see who the Lord
was. He had no idea that this was all ordained and ordered
by the Lord. He just wanted to see who the
Lord was. He climbs up that tree. There He sits. And the Lord comes
marching through. All those people around Him saying
all kinds of stuff. And there He comes. And all of
a sudden, the Lord stops. And He looks up in that tree.
And He said, Zacchaeus, Can you imagine how shocked he was? He
knows my name. Zacchaeus, make haste. Come down right now, for today
I must abide at thy house. It's absolutely binding. It is
necessary that I abide at thy house. You see, It was because Zacchaeus
was one of God's elect. This appointment with Zacchaeus
had already been appointed and thus it must be. Turn to John chapter 10. John chapter 10 verse 15. As the Father knoweth me, even
so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep."
Who did he lay down his life for? The sheep. The elect. Those the Father gave him. And
let's go on reading. And the other sheep I have, which
are not of this fold, them also I must bring. It is binding. It is necessary
that I bring them. They must be saved. You see, the sheep of Christ
must be saved. While you're there, look at verse
24 of John chapter 10. Then came the Jews around to
Babian and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt?
If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Did the Lord ever make
them to doubt? Everything he ever said was plain.
They were confused, though. They were confused. Didn't make
sense to them. You know, if you don't have the spirit of God
in the gospel, it's confusing. I realize that. How long are
you going to make us to doubt? How's our Lord answer? Jesus
answered him, I told you, and you believe not. The works that
I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But you believe
not because you're not of my sheep. Not everybody's a sheep,
are they? You believe not because you're
not of my sheep, as I said to you, my sheep hear my voice and
I know them and they follow me. God's sheep must be saved. Turn
to John 20. Verse nine. For as yet. This is a comforting
verse. For as yet, they knew not the
Scripture. They're going to know it. They
have to know it. They belong to the Lord. He's
going to teach them. But they don't know it yet. You know, there's
stuff that I don't know yet that I'm going to know. There's stuff
you don't know yet that you're going to know, that the Lord's
going to teach you. But as of yet, they did not know the Scripture
that he must. That it was absolutely necessary,
that it was binding for him to rise from the dead. Now, why
was it necessary? He's the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. And God purposed for Him to die.
God purposed for Him to rise from the dead. Therefore, it
was necessary for Him to rise from the dead. You see, what
He did, He accomplished. Whatever He intended to do, that's
exactly what He did by His death on the cross. He satisfied the
claims of God's justice against God's people. He satisfied the
broken law. He satisfied everything that
needed to be satisfied. He's life. He was raised from
the dead. He must be raised from the dead. God had determined for it to
take place. Therefore, it had to take place. And he must needs
go through Samaria. You that is so sweet to me. And
there's only one reason why he must need to do anything. He must do his father's will.
There were other ways he could have got to Samaria if he wanted
to take them, but the only reason he must need to do anything is
he must do his father's will. You see, one of his elect was
there, this woman from Samaria, and she was a, she was a, she
was something. She'd been married five times.
That's a lot. She obviously was kind of an
unstable individual. The person she was living with,
she wasn't married to, she was an immoral woman. She was shacked
up with somebody. She had problems, this woman did. She was a sinful,
weak, ignorant woman. But she's one of the elect. And he must need go through Samaria. You know when He came after you,
there was a must needs be behind it. Isn't that amazing? That your salvation is necessary. If He died for you, if He paid
for your sins, you must needs be saved. God's purposed it. Christ has purchased it. God,
the Holy Spirit applies it. It must be. He must need to go
through Samaria. And that's just such a wonderful
thing to think about. If God has purposed my salvation,
it must come to pass. You must hear the gospel. Are you hearing right now? You
know why? Because you must. You must believe. Do you believe
what I'm preaching? You know why? You must. That's
why. You must. You don't have any choice in
this thing. You must. It's not like I'm trying not to. You can't
not believe, can you? You must believe. When you believe,
you believe. You must repent. You must. You must continue to
look to Christ. You must continue to come to
Christ. You must continue in Him. I mean, there's a need to
be to it. When He came your way, all this became a must. He must
needs go through Samaria. Well, I'm sure glad He must needs
come through Ashland, Kentucky, whenever that was when He made
Himself known to me. Aren't you glad? He must needs. When He came to you, there's
a must needs. There's a must needs even in your walk right
now. There's a must needs for you to be walking in good works,
because the scripture says God had before ordained that we should
walk in them. And if he's ordained it, it's
going to happen. There's a must needs be. Now. How can I know? If I'm one of these people. That
has been predestinated to eternal life. How can I know if I'm one
of these people who the Lord must save me? How can I know
if I'm one of these people? I believe what I've preached
this morning. I believe it with all my heart.
God is a God of predestination, and there's a must need to be
to everything. So how can I know if I'm one of these people? Let
me give you a sure way you can know. Everybody who must be saved must
be saved. Everybody who Christ says, I
must abide at thy house, they all have this in common. Every
single one of these people, they must have Christ. Now that's the one sure-fire
way you can tell whether or not you're one of these people who
must be saved. If you're one of these people
who must be saved, you personally must have the Lord Jesus Christ. You've got to have Him. You've
got to be found in Him. You know you can't stand before
God on your own. You believe that with all your
heart. You know exactly what Paul meant when he said, oh,
that I may win Christ and be found in Him, not having my own
righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through
the faithfulness of Christ, the righteousness which is of God
by faith. I must have the Lord Jesus Christ. I must be found in Him. I must. I don't know how to express that.
I've got to have him. I've got to be found in him.
I cannot bear the thought of standing before God on my own,
in my own works. I must have him. Is that you? You must have him. You must be found in him. Well,
if that's you, you're one of these people who must be saved. Now can you do without this?
Well, okay. But there's no indication that
you're one of these people that must be saved. He must need to go
through Samaria. One of his elect is there. And
I tell you what, this woman had to have him. We're going to look
at her for the next several weeks. She had to have him. And you
know what? I do too. I do too. There is none other
name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Now I want to close with a scripture
in 1 Corinthians 15. Would you turn with me there? Now I would like to give you
all a challenge. If you want to know what God's
gospel is, Read 1 Corinthians chapter 15,
the first 25 verses. Now, you'll notice he begins
verse one of 1 Corinthians chapter 15 with a moreover, brethren,
I declare unto you the gospel. And do you know that that sentence,
that thought is not over until verse 25. If you look at every
verse up until verse 25, It has a conjunction by, for, and, and,
after, after, and, for, but. This is one thought that is not
ended until verse 25. And if you want to know the clearest
definition of what God's gospel really is, you study carefully
what 1 Corinthians chapter 15 has to say. But I want us to
notice how he ends this glorious definition of the gospel. Look
in verse 25. For he must reign. There's the end of the gospel. He must reign. It's absolutely necessary. It's binding because of who he
is. He must reign. You know what that means? If he must reign, he reigns. The Lord reigneth. The Lord is in absolute control. Thank God for his reign. Let's pray together.