This morning for our Bible study,
instead of taking one particular Bible text like I normally do,
I've decided today to bring you a message from seven different
texts in Scripture. I want you to consider this morning
seven stubborn statements. I want you to carefully consider
these seven statements in light of Holy Scripture and honestly
answer them in your heart. Now, here's the first one. Now,
I want you to listen to me very carefully. Turn up the radio
just a little bit louder or pull up your chair just a little bit
closer. Or if you're driving along, pull over and listen to
these seven statements. Here's the first one. Either
God is absolutely sovereign or He's not God. Now, David said,
Our God is in the heavens, and He hath done whatsoever He pleased. Psalm 115. Psalm 135 declares,
I know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is above all gods. Whatsoever the Lord pleased,
that did He in heaven, and in earth, and in the seas, and all
deep places. Now only a God who is absolutely
sovereign reigns over all things, doing as He pleases in creation,
in providence, and in salvation. is worthy of the name of God,
worthy of our worship. A God whose power can be defeated,
whose will can be frustrated, whose purpose can be defeated,
whose grace can be resisted is no God at all. Either God is
absolutely, eternally, infinitely sovereign or He's not God at
all. Either he does what he will,
when he will, with whom he will, in the way he will, or he is
not God at all. Now listen to this scripture
in Daniel 4, verse 35. Our God declares, All the inhabitants
of the earth are reputed as nothing, and he doeth according to his
will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the
earth, and none can stay his hand or say unto him, Lord God,
what doest thou? Either God is absolutely sovereign
or he's not. Now the scriptures declare that
he is. Secondly, either man is totally depraved, totally sinful,
without God, without hope, without life, or he is not. There is
no such thing as partial depravity. Some would have us believe that
man is blind in one eye, lame on one foot. withered in one
hand, deaf in one ear, partially sinful, partially dead. But the
Scriptures paint a different story. Man is totally shut out. Man is totally depraved. They
tell us, some do, that man is guilty of sin. But the Scriptures
declare that he is full of sin. The Word of God declares that
man's heart is evil, deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked. He's deaf. lame, blind, dead
in sin. Man by nature is spiritually
ignorant, spiritually separated from God. He's helpless and shut
out because he's dead in sin. The scriptures declare in Romans
5 so clearly, in Adam all died, in Adam all are shut out, in
Adam all are condemned. Now listen to this scripture
from Genesis 6, God saw that the wickedness of man was great
in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart
was only evil continually. Man is totally depraved. Now here's the third statement.
Now consider these things carefully. Either God chose his own elect
in Christ before the foundation of the world or God has no people
at all. The same Bible that reveals that
there is a God in heaven that Christ died for sinners, that
all who believe on Christ are the people of God, teaches plainly
the doctrine of eternal election. If you reject the gospel and
the doctrine of God's elected grace in Christ, you must reject
the gospel doctrines of redemption by Christ, the gospel doctrine
of regeneration in Christ, the gospel doctrine of eternal life
in and from Christ. Either God has an elect people
chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, or He has no people
at all. The scriptures plainly declare
that God chose a people unto salvation from eternity. Now let me read you two scriptures.
Ephesians chapter 1, verses 3 through 6. Now listen carefully. Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
according as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy 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,
all to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath
made us accepted in the Beloved." Now here is the second scripture
that verifies and teaches that God chose a people unto salvation
in Christ, way back in eternity. 2 Thessalonians 2, 13, that we
are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved
of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you
to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth, whereunto he calls you by our gospel to the obtaining
of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, God did choose a
people unto salvation way back yonder in eternity. Now here's the fourth statement.
Either the Lord Jesus Christ affectionately redeemed all his
elect by his death, by his blood on the cross, or he failed in
his priestly work to do so. Here's a scripture, Matthew 121,
it's written, Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall
save his people from their sins. My friend, the death of Christ
is not a failure, it's victory. It's securing the everlasting
salvation of God's elect upon Calvary's cross. Our Lord came
to put away the sin of his people. He came to redeem, justify, and
save his own elect. Either he effectually accomplished
the great work of redemption by his bloody sacrifice, substitutionary
sacrifice upon the cross, or he failed. Either Christ redeemed
his people, or his blood was shed in vain. Now we know nothing
God does is in vain. We know that nothing God does
is a failure. It says in Isaiah 42 that he
shall not fail. Now listen to this scripture
in John 15. John 10, verse 15 rather. I am the good shepherd,
I know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth
me, even so know I the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep."
The blood atonement of Christ is particular, it is effectual,
and all of God's elect were redeemed by the blood of Christ. His blood
was not shed in vain. Now here's the fifth statement.
Now consider these things carefully. Here's the fifth statement. seven
stubborn statements. Now here's the fifth one. Either
God the Holy Spirit calls sinners irresistibly by His grace and
power or He does not call sinners to Christ at all. Now we are told by some that
the Holy Spirit's call can be resisted, that the power of God,
the gospel of God can be defeated. that the grace of God can be
frustrated by the sinner's depraved puny will, but the word of God
declares, and this is where we find our source of information,
our comfort, our hope, the word of God declares, thy people shall
be willing in a day of thy power, God's power. Psalm 110 verse
3. Here's another scripture that verifies that God irresistibly
calls His people to Christ, giving them faith and repentance that
acknowledges the truth. Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest and causest to approach unto thee. Salvation is by the
power of God, by the purpose of God, by the grace of God,
not by the power and puny will of a fallen, frail, fickle, sinful
creature. when God the Holy Spirit calls
the dead here. His voice when he says live,
sinners live in Christ. They come to Christ. Now there's
many examples of that in scripture, but I'll give you one that clearly
teaches that the call of the gospel by the power of God through
the preaching of the gospel is irresistible. Our Lord walked
in the front of the tomb of a dead man, Lazarus, and he spoke with
power, Lazarus come forth. And he that was dead came forth. Now that example, that was all
given to us to show us that God irresistibly calls sinners to
Christ, giving them faith and life in Christ. Now here's the
sixth statement. Either all of God's elect will
persevere to the end. These all died in faith, it says
in Hebrews 11. Either all of God's elect will
persevere to the end or none of them. None of them will. Our perseverance in faith depends
upon, not our will, our perseverance in faith depends upon our Lord's
sovereign preservation and his sovereign grace. We are kept
by the power of God through faith. If it were possible for one of
God's elect to fall from grace and to lose salvation, all of
them would. We're not kept by our power.
We don't persevere by our power. We're preserved by the grace
of God. But my friend, it's not possible
that any of God's elect should perish. He says, my sheep, hear
my voice. I give unto them eternal life
and they shall never perish. What does that mean? That means
those in the hand of Christ, in the hand of God, have life
in Christ and they are saved eternally in Christ. Now here's
a scripture again that verifies this fact, this truth. John chapter
6, verse 37 through 39. Now let's read these verses.
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from
heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent
me. And this is the Father's will which has sent me, that
of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but raise
it up again at the last day. God's elect do persevere to the
end. Now, my friend, these are seven
stubborn statements that you must answer, that you must deal
with. Now, here's the last one. Either
salvation is altogether by the grace of God, or there's no such
thing as salvation. Now, listen to me carefully.
If salvation depends in any way on the works of man, all will
perish. For no man can do that which
pleases God. If salvation depends on the will
of man, all will perish. For no man left to himself will
come to Christ. Our Lord plainly says that in
John 6. You will not come to me that you might have life.
But bless God. We read in Scripture that salvation
is all of grace. It's God who saved us. It's God
who called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to God's own purpose and grace. It's not by works
of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy
He saved us. Now listen to this scripture
carefully from Romans chapter 9. It's not of Him that willeth,
nor of Him that runneth, but of God that shows mercy. Salvation is not by man's works,
but by God's grace, God's purpose. Salvation is not by man's will,
but God's will. Salvation is of the Lord in its
planning, its execution, its application, its sustaining power,
and its ultimate glory. For by grace are you saved through
faith. Seven stubborn statements. I pray that the Lord will give
you grace to consider these things.