A Careful Look at Predestination

I want you to give me your powerful
and thoughtful attention this morning. I'm going to be speaking
to you on this subject, a careful look at predestination. Now,
this message will be on tape. If you'd like to hear it later,
if you'd like to have it, your own copy of this message, if
you'd like to study it further, we'd be happy to hear from you.
But I'm speaking on the subject, a careful look at predestination. Predestination is one of the
most abused, misused, and misunderstood doctrines in the Word of God.
And the tragic part of it is that predestination is not only
misrepresented by those who hate it, but also by those who claim
to be its friend. I hear people say, well, predestination
means that what will be, will be. Now you think about that
a moment. In a sense, that's true. What
God Almighty hath willed to be, will be, because he worketh all
things after the counsel of his own will. And the Scripture says
he doeth according to his will in the armies of heaven and among
the inhabitants of this earth. One would have to say what will
be, will be. That's true. We certainly wouldn't
be foolish enough to say that what will be, won't be. But this
is not what the doctrine of predestination teaches at all. When we talk
about predestination and we read the scriptures concerning the
subject predestination, we're not talking about what will be,
will be. So that's not the definition
of predestination. And then I hear other people
say this. Predestination means that before men were born, that
God Almighty predestinated some to heaven and some to hell. Now,
this is not true. This is not taught in the word
of God. Nowhere in the Word of God does it say anything of the
sort that God predestinated men to heaven and men to hell. It doesn't say that at all. I
will say this. If a man goes to heaven, it'll
be because of the grace and mercy of God. That's true. If a man
is saved, it'll be by God's grace through faith. But if a man goes
to hell, it'll be because of his sin. It'll be because of
his unbelief. It'll be because of his own rebellion.
Our Lord spoke of those who did not enter into Canaan, and he
said they could not enter in, not because God wouldn't let
them, not because God didn't predestinate them to enter Canaan,
but they did not enter in because of unbelief. So this is not what
predestination is at all. I've had many people say this
to me. Well, if you believe in predestination, you believe that
God predestinated some to heaven and some to hell. This is just
not true. The Bible doesn't teach anything
of the sort. But if a man does go to heaven,
it will be by the grace of God. If a man goes to hell, it will
be because of unbelief. He that believeth not shall be
damned. Then I've heard people say this.
Predestination means that if a person is predestinated to
be saved, he will be saved whether he ever hears the gospel or not.
whether he ever seeks the Lord, whether he ever believes on Christ,
and this is not true. It is not true. The Scripture
says, For by grace are you saved through faith. The Scripture
says, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved. But how shall they call on him in whom they have not
believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have
not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And
our Lord told his disciples to go into all the world and to
every Christian. He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved. He doesn't say, and he that's
predestinated will be saved. He that's ordained to be saved
will be saved. He said, he that believeth He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth
not shall be damned." So predestination doesn't mean this at all. You
see, it's abused and it's misused and it's misunderstood and it's
misrepresented, not only by its enemies, but also by its friends. Now, predestination is used four
times. The word predestination is used
four times in the King James Version of the New Testament.
And I want you to take your Bible, and let's see what the Bible
says about predestination. It's not what will be, will be.
It's not a man is predestinated either to heaven or to hell before
he's born. The Bible does not teach that
at all. It's not that a man, if he's predestinated to go to
heaven, will go whether he ever believes or not, and even if
he wants to go, he can't go if he's not predestinated. That's
not what God's word teaches at all. What does the Bible say? Are you interested enough to
take your Bibles now and turn, first of all, to Romans chapter
8? You get your own Bible, and let's see what God's word says
about predestination. Let's together take a careful
look at predestination. First of all, in Romans chapter
8, verse 28. Now, listen to God's word. 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.
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed
to the image of his Son. And whom he predestinated, them
he also called. And whom he called, he also justified. And whom he justified, he also
glorified." There the word is used twice. whom he foreknew
he predestinated to be conformed to the image of his Son, that
he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom
he predestinated he called, whom he called he justified, whom
he justified he glorified." There the word is used twice. You see
it in God's word. Now turn with me to Ephesians
1. We are going to read verses 4
and 5 of Ephesians 1. You read it there along with
me. in your Bible, through it used twice in the first chapter
of Ephesians, according, Ephesians 1, verse 4, according as he hath
chosen us in him, in Christ, 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, according to the good pleasure of his own
will. Now look at verse 11, "...in whom we have obtained an inheritance,
being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh
all things after the counsel of his own will." Now, if a man
says, I do not believe in predestination, he is foolish. He is denying
the word of God. Here the word is used four times
in these four or five verses. So we've got to find out what
it means. We've got to find out what it refers to in God's word.
Here it is plainly taught in the word of God. And if we have
a thoughtful mind and a hearing ear and an open heart to what
the Spirit of God teaches, then God will reveal to us what he's
saying here. Now, there are four words, I
believe, that will give you the key to the doctrine of predestination. There are four words. First of
all, the first word is this, the word It says in Romans 8,
verse 29, whom he foreknew, he also did predestinate. And whom
he predestinated, he also called. What are we saying? We are saying
that salvation is of the Lord, from beginning to end, salvation
is of the Lord. Alpha to Omega, salvation is
of the Lord. Salvation is of the Lord in its
eternal planning. It's of the Lord in its execution.
It's of the Lord in its application. It's of the Lord in its sustaining
power. It's of the Lord in its ultimate
perfection. The gift of God is eternal life. Salvation is not by work. Salvation
is not by the will of man. It's not by the will of the flesh.
It is of God. Salvation is of the Lord. David
said that twice in his writings. He said the salvation of the
righteous is of the Lord. One great old hymn writer wrote
years ago, "'Tis not that I did cheese thee, for Lord, that could
not be. If thou hast not chosen me, I'd
a never have chosen thee.'" I want you to answer three questions.
There carefully now, think about these three questions. This is what we're saying, that
salvations of the Lord, all of the work of redemption, is by
God's grace and by God's power and by God's mercy and for God's
glory. And I want you to consider three
questions and answer them from God's word. The first question
is this. Did you choose God or did God
choose you? Now answer that question from
God's word. Did he choose you or did you choose him? You know,
our Lord was talking to his disciples in John chapter 15, and he said
this to them. You have not chosen me, but I
have chosen you. He said, you will not come to
me unless you might have life. This is condemnation. Light is
coming to this world. We know that. Christ is coming
to this world. We beheld his glory, the glory
as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
The word was made flesh and dwelt among us. But he was hated, he
was despised, he was rejected. He had no form, no comeliness,
no beauty that we should desire him. Romans chapter 3, Paul says
there's none that seek God. There's none that understand
him. You will not come to me. One day he stood looking over
the city of Jerusalem, and he said, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
how oft would I have gathered you unto myself as a hen doth
gather her brood, but you would not. So men by nature will not
come to God. They love darkness, they love
sin, so God must come to them. Men will not choose God, so God
must choose them. Left to ourselves, we would never
bow to the Lordship of Christ. Left to ourselves, we would never
seek the Lord. Left to ourselves, we would never
believe on Christ. Left to ourselves, we would never
embrace the Son of God. So in answer to that question,
did you choose God? or did God choose you? The answer
has to come according as he chose us in Christ before the foundation
of the world. That's true, that's what the
gospel says. He chose us. All right, here's
the second question. The second question is this.
When did God choose you? Now, you've answered the first
one from God's word. You didn't choose God, lest you
would have said you'd never come to God. You ran, God caught you. You sinned, God saved you. You
continued in darkness, and God arrested you by his power, by
his grace. Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. Abraham was called out of a land
of idolatry. The Apostle Paul wasn't on his
way to Pradleyton on the Damascus Road, he was on his way to kill
Christians. And God arrested him. God stopped him. God Almighty
called him. It was God who called Paul, not
Paul who called God. Here is the second question.
When did God choose you? The scripture says definitely
that he chose us. We didn't choose him. We love
him because he loved us. We choose him because he chose
us. We seek him because he sought us. When did he choose us? Listen to God's word. He chose
us in Christ before the foundation of the world. And if you'll turn
to the book of 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 13, you'll read this.
Paul said, Beloved, I thank God for you, because God hath from
the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the
spirit and belief of the truth. From the beginning. When is the
beginning? In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and
the word was God, and all things were made by him. Yes, known
unto God are all his works. from the beginning. So when did
God choose us? From the beginning, before the
foundation of the world. I can't account for that. I'm
just telling you what God's word says. All right? Here's the third
question. God chose you. You didn't choose
God. Your love is in response to him.
Your call is in response to him. And he chose you before the world
began to be his own. And then the third question is,
why did he choose you? Why did he choose me? Can you
answer that? Was it because that he saw some
good in you? Was it because that he saw something
in us that he didn't see in other people? Was it because that God
needed us? Was that the reason? Was it because
you're not as bad a sinner, maybe, as other people are? All is thin
and comes short of God's glory. All we like to see have gone
astray. There's none that do us good, no, not one. What does
the Bible say? according as he chose us in Christ,
before the foundation of the world, according to the good
pleasure of his own will. The reason for our election is
found not in us, but in God. Not in us, but in God. Not in
our merit, but in his mercy. Not in our goodness, but in his
grace. That's where it's found. That's
the reason. The Lord Jesus Christ saved us for his name's sake.
Our Lord one day was preaching in Matthew 11, and in the middle
of his message he lifted his eyes to heaven and said, Father,
I thank thee, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast
hid these things from the wise and prudent, and thou hast revealed
them unto them. He foreknew us. He predestinated
us. called us, he justified us, he
glorified us. Salvation is of the Lord. We
love him because he first loved us. This thing of salvation is
not by human work for human will, but it's by God's divine purpose
and God's divine providence. The words of men today, when
they talk about salvation, are mainly about what they are doing
for God. Have you noticed that? I hear
people talking about their religion and about their beliefs and about
their their profession and their experiences. And I listen carefully
to them, and most of them are talking about what they've done
for God, not what God has done for them. But when I hear the
apostles talk about salvation, I hear them saying, by the grace
of God, I am what I am. I hear Paul saying, I obtained
mercy. I was a persecutor. I was injurious. I was a blasphemer. But I obtained
mercy. I listen to people talk about
what they're doing for God. They talk about they accepted
Jesus, and they believed on God, and they're serving the Lord,
and they're doing this, that, and the other. And I think about
those people in Matthew 7 who said, Lord, we preached in your
name and cast out devils and did many wonderful works in your
name. And he said, I never knew you. I believe what we need to
talk about is not what we're doing for God, but what God is
doing for us. Because God was getting along
all right before we came along. God was sufficient in himself
before we came along. I don't believe God needs any
of us, but we need him. So this thing of predestination
starts with he. He predestinated us. Now that brings me to the second
word, and that's the word us. He predestinated us. I cannot
find in any of these verses, now you check them over yourself,
Romans 8 and Ephesians 1, I cannot find in any of these verses one
mission. of the unbeliever. I hear people
say, well, predestination means that God predestinated some to
heaven and some to hell. Now, I read all four scriptures
where that's used in the Bible, and it didn't say that at all.
There wasn't any reference at all to the unbeliever. The unbeliever
wasn't connected in any way to predestination, was he? In all
of these verses, it talks about he predestinated us. He predestinated
us. Who are the us here? Whatever
predestination affords, whatever it brings, whatever it accomplishes,
it has to do with the believer. It has to do with the same people
whom he foreknew. It has to do with the same people
whom he called. It has to do with the same people
whom he justified. It has to do with the same people
whom he glorified. If you want to talk about reprobation,
that's another subject. Judas was the son of perdition
from the beginning. If you want to talk about spiritual
hardness of heart and reprobation and judicial blindness, that's
another subject. But today we're talking about
predestination. And predestination has nothing
to do with the unbeliever, not one thing in this world. Predestination,
every time it's used in God's Word, refers only to the believer. He predestinated us. You read it carefully. He predestinated
us. Whom he knew, he predestinated. He said to that bunch in Matthew
7, I never knew you. So whom he foreknew, he predestinated. And whom he predestinated, he
called. Whom he called, he justified. Whom he justified, he glorified.
God said, let us make man in our own image. And man was made
in the image of God. But by sin, we have lost that
image. We're born into the world, not
in the image of God. We're born into the world in
the image of fallen atoms. We're born of flesh, and that
which is flesh is flesh. And we're children of wrath,
even as others. But God, in his eternal grace,
God, in his sovereign mercy, has purposed and predestinated
and planned to have a people, a company of people which no
man can number. He said, as the stars of the
heavens, as the sands of the seashore, out of every tribe,
kindred, nation and tongue unto heaven, God has predestinated
that he will have a people in glory. When all of this is over,
when the world is destroyed and the new heavens and the new earth
have been made wherein dwelleth righteousness, God has predestinated
and predetermined that he is going to have a people. And those
people are going to be just like his son. That's what predestination
is all about. Whom God foreknew, he predestinated
to be conformed to the image of his Son. As we have borne
the image of the earthly atom, we shall bear the image of the
heavenly. Christ has restored that divine image. Now, God has
predestinated the end. The end is that we'll be like
Christ. Every believer, every blood-bought son, every born-again,
regenerated believer, God has predestinated them to be like
Christ. They're going to be like his
son. And when you tell me you do not believe in predestination,
you're saying you don't want to be like Christ, because that's
what it's all about. He, the sovereign Lord, has predestinated. He has determined the means.
He has determined the end that we'll be like Christ, just like
his son. And that's what predestination
is about. Now, election is the choice of a people. But predestination
is the end or the object that God Almighty has set out to make
those people like his son. Now he's predestinated the means
to bring us to that end. He chose us in Christ. He made
Christ our purity, our representative. That's right. Christ is our representative. He is our purity, the purity
of the eternal covenant. And in time, he sent his son
down here into this world, made in the likeness of flesh, made
of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were born
under the law. You see, in order to save us,
God has to be true not only to his mercy, but to his righteousness,
not only to his love, but to his truth. He's got to be just
and justified. So he sent Christ down here as
a man in the flesh, the God-man, and he met the law and obeyed
it. He went to the cross and died for our sins. It pleased
the Lord to bruise him. Oh, I know wicked men crucified
him with wicked hands, but they did what God predetermined to
be done, what God predestinated to be done. They carried out
the will of God. You see this world, what's going
on today is no accident. Everything's on God's timetable. Everything's on schedule. He
is an almighty God. And our lives are either ruled
by blind faith or by an all-seeing God, either by luck or the living
God. Which will it be? It cannot be
both. God Almighty chose us, made Christ our children, sent
his Son into the world to be our representative, our redeemer,
bruised him on the tree. He pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. It pleased God that
in Christ should all fullness dwell. It pleased God one day
to stop you on your Damascus road to destruction and reveal
Christ to you. It pleased God to grant you repentance
and faith and one of these days it'll please God to raise you
from the dead. To raise you from the dead. That's
what predestination is. He whom he foreknew, he predestinated. to be conformed to the image
of his Son. He, the Living God, the Sovereign
God, the Almighty God, has set out to make a people like his
Son. And everyone whom he saved, everyone whom he redeemed, is
going to be like Christ. Why? Here is the last word, the
fourth word. He predestinated us to be conformed
to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among
many brethren. That he, that he, that he might
be the firstborn, that he might have the preeminence, that he
might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus. Everything God does for you is
for his glory. Yes, it's for your good, it's
for your enjoyment, it's for your blessing, but it's ultimately
for his glory. God is going to have a people
that love what Christ loves, that enjoy what Christ enjoys,
that he might be the firstborn among many brethren, that he
might have the preeminence, that he might show the exceeding riches
of his grace toward us in Christ Jesus, and that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow in heaven, earth, and under the
earth, and that every tongue should confess that he is Lord
to the glory of God the Father. What does it mean to be conformed
to his image? Well, that work has already begun.
It's already begun. We are conformed to his nature
in regeneration. That's right. It says we are
born of God. And then secondly, we are conformed
to Christ in his relationship with sons of God. He is the only
begotten, the well-beloved son of God But we are sons of God,
too. To as many as received him, to
them gave he the right to become sons of God. We are like him
not only in nature and relationship, but we are like him to a degree
in character. He said, you are not of this
world, even as I am not of this world. We are of another world. We are of another kingdom. We
are conformed to him in his inheritance. We are joint heirs with Jesus
Christ. He is the heir of God, and in
him we are heirs of God. And we're joint heirs with Jesus
Christ. Now, one day, we're going to
be like him in his glory. For the scripture says, Beloved,
now are we the sons of God. It does not yet appear what we
shall be. But when he shall appear, we shall see him and be just
like him, like him in his glory. That's a careful look at predestination. Almighty God has ordained that
every believer shall be just like His Son, Jesus Christ, and
He's ordained the means to bring it to pass. And this is one of
those means, the preaching of the truth, not just crying, believe,
believe, believe, but telling men whom to believe. I know whom
I have to believe.

A Careful Look at Predestination

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A Careful Look at Predestination

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