Calvinism Sermon: God's Sovereignty (Part 1)

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Calvinism Sermon: Total Depravity (Part 2 in series)

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We typically do as our primary methodology of teaching and apology of church

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Expositional Bible preaching that's through the Bible preaching verse by verse sometimes word -for -word

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But it's important sometimes That we equip the church in particular areas

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And so we're taking that step off of the series for now just for a minute To study the doctrines of grace

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And there's so many texts that we can go to I want you to know before we open our Bibles And and and begin this study that what we're gonna look at over the next a couple of weeks next few weeks

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Will not be an exhaustive look at this subject that would take years, and you know that I would love to But I'm not gonna and so we're gonna really

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Just take a strike at or a cursory look at this subject Together but one particular text that works well as a springboard tax of this subject will be

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Romans Chapter 9 so you can open your Bibles to the letter of Paul to the

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Romans Romans chapter 9 Many call

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Romans the gospel according to Paul. I think that that's an apt title. It's a good title It's Paul's systematic explanation of the gospel, and if you work with Paul through the text under divine inspiration of course

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You can see that he begins explaining the gospel from its foundations from the bottom, and he moves his way up in a very systematic coherent way

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Through the scriptures explaining and by the time you get to Romans chapter 9 He's explained a gospel of grace that is so gracious It is so God's grace that is so apart from any work of law

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It is so much to the glory of God and to his boasting and it has nothing to do with us

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That it finally gets us to Romans 9 Where of course the question arises?

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Well, if it's all of God's grace, and it's all through faith, and it's all Christ alone if it's apart from any work of law

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Then it must of course get us to some kind of Conversation about the sovereignty of God in that salvation because if it has nothing to do with you and me if it's all

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Christ's work to the glory of God through faith apart from works Then what's the difference between me a person who believes and somebody who lives their whole life in unbelief and dies in that unbelief and This is a premier text in this subject and so let's just start as a means of springboard in Romans chapter 9 and We'll start in verse 10 here now the words of the living and true

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God and Not only so but also when Rebecca had conceived children by one man our forefather

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Isaac Though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad In order that God's purpose of election might continue not because of works, but because of him who calls

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She was told the older will serve the younger as it is written

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Jacob. I have loved but Esau I hated What shall we say then?

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Is there injustice on God's part by no means? For he says to Moses.

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I will have mercy on whom I have mercy and I will have Compassion on whom

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I have compassion so then it depends not on human will or exertion but on God Who has mercy for the scripture says to Pharaoh for this very purpose?

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I? Have raised you up that I might show my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth so then

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He has mercy on whomever he wills And he hardens Whomever he wills

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He will say to me then why does he still find fault for who can resist his will?

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But who are you? Oh man to answer back to God Well, what is molded say to its molder

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Why have you made me like this has the potter no right over the clay to make out of the same lump?

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one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use what if God Desiring to show his wrath and to make his nut make known his power has endured with much patience

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Vessels of wrath prepared for destruction in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy

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Which he has prepared beforehand for glory even us Whom he has called not from Jews only but also from the

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Gentiles As far as the reading of God's Word, let's pray God we

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Humble ourselves before your word We recognize God what a privilege it is to have your word right before us

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God There are people this very moment in this day that will not look to you

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Still lost still as Paul says in Romans Helpless ungodly

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Lord wicked sinners They are still in their sin and they Lord are not here with your words before them

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We recognize God that the only reason we would look to you God is because you first loved us

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We recognize God that in ourselves Lord. We are unworthy. We are unrighteous that we have nothing

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Lord to boast in or to give And God we thank you for the privilege of your word

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Father I pray that you would Lord work through an unworthy servant God that you bless this message today for the glory of Jesus for his praise and his fame

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Pray God that your grace Would be exalted that you would be praised for your salvation

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Lord that nobody would take any credit or attempt to boast in any way

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And the things that you've done God I pray that you Lord would increase that I would decrease

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That as we do this study God that by your spirit you cause us to trust you more

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To worship you more to love you more that you would bless us

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God with the knowledge of your marvelous grace in Jesus name

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Amen so Let's talk again. This is topical study.

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So we're gonna be doing a Big study on some foundations and we're gonna go through tulip t -u -l -i -p

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The acrostic that was used by Christians after the remonstrance after the protest of the followers of Jacob Arminius We're gonna do all that.

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We're gonna have a day where we actually just go through challenges We're gonna talk about the popular verses that are used to argue against God's sovereignty and the freedom of God's grace and salvation

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We're gonna go through all those We're gonna let you guys bring challenges to these truths so that we can see that this is really the truth of God But as we talk about the importance of this study, let's ask the question.

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Why do it why? Isn't it divisive? I mean, isn't this the premier issue of division?

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I mean think about how many different Facebook groups are out there like Calvinism is from the devil, right?

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Calvinism debate and discussion group right and the reason I know about all these groups is for some reason

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Facebook allows people to add you to groups without your permission

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So one day I actually took a look over at what groups I'm a part of and I saw that I'm actually a part of Like 500 groups most of them anti Calvinism groups

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Like I mean, these are amazing discussions, right? These happen a lot and we all of course know the problem of the cage stage

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Calvinist, right? I think that was something coined by dr White if I if I if I'm correct and that's that when you really begin to see the sovereignty of God over all things

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Over every detail and you begin to see the grace of God in salvation It causes something to happen in you, right?

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It did me when I began to really start to work through my own Traditions as a Christian and to question them and to say okay

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But what does the Word of God actually say? And then all of a sudden it leaps off the page when you start to actually the page and the text speak for itself

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You fall in love with the sovereignty of God, right? It's all you can talk about and the grace of God and you begin wanting to tell everybody that's all

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God It's nothing to do with us Don't you see how gracious God is that salvation is solely of the

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Lord and then the cage stage Calvinist Era begins in your life, right?

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That's where you try to find every person you can to lop their heads off, right? So you want to make everybody

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Calvinism by force of argument, right? You got to find every person, you know and destroy every personal relationship, right?

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And then come back a couple years later and go, you know that time

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You see here's the thing when you understand these truths It's not something that should make you into an arrogant or haughty person

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If you embrace the truths that we study here in the scriptures about the sovereignty of God and the grace of God in salvation

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What it ought to do is humble You what it ought to do is slow you down What it ought to do is cause you to actually be patient Because you have to recognize

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Fundamentally that if these things are true that God is fully sovereign and he has

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Freedom in his grace to bring about salvation and if you understand that God actually is the one who grants repentance and faith and salvation

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Then you understand that the only way that anybody will ever know and believe and herald and embrace these truths

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Is through a work of God's Spirit in their heart Dr. White tells the story often of a person that he read

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Romans 9 to He talked about the God of Romans 9 and the person said

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I would never worship a God like that I would never worship a God like that and dr.

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White's response was I know and you never will Not unless God changes your heart. Why is this important?

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I Believe with all of my heart that the truths we're gonna study about the grace of God and his freedom and salvation

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His sovereignty over salvation these truths protect and preserve the gospel of God's grace

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What we're studying in the doctrines of grace these this is not a Mere intellectual exercise.

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It's not about a click that you're a part of it's not about a club that you're a part of it's about the

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Preservation of the grace of God and salvation. I believe with all my heart that what separates man -made religion and really

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Biblical gospel is Contained in these truths that we talk about when we talk about the doctrines of grace

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You see here's the thing I've noticed that when I bring the gospel to those who are part of say the

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Watchtower Bible and tract Society those who are part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter -day Saints When we really start to get to it and start to unpack the

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Word of God and get to what grace really means According to the scriptures we begin to see to see the dividing line between man -made religion and Biblical gospel and they're summed up in these truths that we refer to as the doctrines of grace or the five points of Calvinism How important is this subject?

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I? Believe that again that it preserves the gospel if we lose these truths We lose the biblical gospel if we lose these truths.

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We have a warped Disharmonious view of God from the scriptures and Ultimately, it's about God's grace in the gospel and then there's another part of this that's vitally important to get and this is something

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We have to all think about and embrace and unless God has changed your heart This means nothing to you.

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This study is about listen the glory of God Meaningless to those who don't know

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God meaningless to people who have no desire to see God's name praised and for him to get all the glory and Credits for everything he does in the world

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But for those who know God those who have been regenerated who have new hearts Who are humbled by the grace of God in the face of Jesus Christ?

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This is the premier issue the glory of God When I talk to my kids often as much as I fail as a father

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One of the things I try to highlight is not to give them a list of moral do's and don'ts but to deal with their hearts and one of the things that's sort of a key phrase in our own home is

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Does that glorify God Is that behavior that glorifies God is that something that's pleasing to God It was really amazing this week my daughter my older daughter was babysitting my younger ones

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My 12 year old probably say she wouldn't babysit me. Okay, but at least the younger one There was of course conflict as there is with a pack of sinners, which is you and me and our kids, especially and One of the really beautiful moments is where my daughter said

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Referring to something that happened. That's Behavior that glorifies God those are words that you live for as a parent someone who knows

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God doesn't glorify God because that's the fundamental issue and I believe that man -made religion and I do believe that our minion ism

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Actually robs God of his glory and on that basis alone should be rejected by anybody who loves

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Jesus But we should love those who aren't there yet careful of the cage stage

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Next point Calvinism is not about John Calvin This is vitally important to get and if you've ever been in a discussion with anybody about this subject

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I am almost a hundred percent that somebody has called you a follower of John Calvin Have you ever heard this?

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I don't believe in Calvinism because I don't follow a man. I follow Jesus right

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You ever had that I can't tell you how many times people have said to me Oh, you're a follower of a man named

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John Calvin and you know what? I've actually never read anything that John Calvin has has written

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I've seen quotes here and there and I think I'm gonna kind of stick with that unless something happens and I actually have to I've decided at least for this moment in my life

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I'm just gonna stick with the fact that I'd never read anything John Calvin has written not a thing and I kind of like that because when someone says well

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You're a follower of John Calvin. It really demonstrates that you don't know what you're talking about Calvinism has

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Nothing to do with a man named John Calvin Nothing to do with a man named John Calvin.

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Here's what we would say fundamentally Jesus was a Calvinist now if you want to really make someone angry say that Jesus was a

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Calvinist want to say Paul was a Calvinist Peter was a Calvinist Isaiah was a Calvinist Somebody said how that's how is that possible?

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Jesus existed before John Calvin did Paul wrote before John Calvin. How is it even possible?

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And this is where you begin to unpack? Calvinism is not about a man named John Calvin The word Calvinism is simply a word to describe a system of theological beliefs

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I'll give you another word that describes a system of theological beliefs Trinitarianism There's a word that describes a system of theological beliefs

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It's an easy word for me to give to you to help you to understand what I believe about a host of issues

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So we would say again. Jesus was a Calvinist. Paul was a Calvinist. We would say Jesus was a

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Trinitarian Jesus was Trinitarian There are words that we use to express particular beliefs

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So think about it for a moment when someone says I don't want any titles I want to just be called

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Christian when someone says that to you. Here's what I often say back to them Jeff I don't want any titles.

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I just follow Jesus. I'm just a Christian when I say to them is this Are you Trinitarian?

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Now what they'll generally say is well, yeah, okay, so you do accept titles. How about this?

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Are you a pagan you polytheist? Well, no, how many gods are there? Well, there's only one God. Okay, so you're a monotheist

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Aren't you so you're a monotheist Trinitarian Christian? You see you will accept titles

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You see that's what's important to get here is that every Christian for the sake of actually explaining things has to use things called ready words words and there are certain words that have have come up over the history of the church as we've been

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Bringing the gospel to the edge of the earth that actually describe particular theological beliefs

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Calvinism is one of those words What we would say is Augustine was

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Calvinistic though He existed hundreds and hundreds of years Before a man named

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John Calvin. And so we talk about Calvinism or the five points of Calvinism or the doctrines of grace

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We're talking about an issue of history Now this is one of the glorious things about the church in 2 ,000 years of church history

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I've said many times to us as a church That Jesus says that he would build this church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it

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The Bible teaches from really beginning to end that the Messiah was going to bring a kingdom

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He was going to bring a rule and a reign that would never be destroyed so for example in Daniel chapter 2

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Daniel is given this beautiful vision that he's able to interpret and what he interprets is there's gonna be four kingdoms

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From the Babylonian kingdom Babylon moving down you get to Rome and he says during the time of the fourth kingdom

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It says that God Himself will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed it'll be it'll never be left to another people and So you move throughout the

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Bible and you begin to see texts like Daniel chapter 7 verses 13 through 14 Where Daniel sees in the night visions one like a son of man is coming and he comes up to the ancient of days and is

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Delivered before him and to him has given dominion glory and the people that all

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Peoples of every tribe tongue nation would serve him his dominion It says is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away

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His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed when Jesus comes in Matthew chapter 3

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John the Baptist says what? first words Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand

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When Jesus comes out of his temptation in the wilderness in Matthew chapter 4 the first words out of his mouth are repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hands and he goes about proclaiming the gospel

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Matthew 4 of the Kingdom the Apostle Paul says that God has delivered us out of the kingdom of darkness the domain of darkness and he's

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Delivered us into the kingdom of his son Well a revelation chapter 1 John says that he has made us a kingdom priests

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The Bible teaches that God's kingdom came in the Messiah Jesus tells us in the

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Great Commission as he's ascending that he has what all authority where in Heaven and on earth and now what is our call our commission is to go and make disciples of all the nations

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Baptizing them and doing what teaching them to obey? So here's here's the key the the the reason

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I bring this up is because we have something spectacular as Christians that can't be missed don't lose it.

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The Messiah came accomplished his salvific work he is ascended and seated on his throne and God by his spirit has indwelt his people and has been equipping his church growing his church

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Protecting his church for 2 ,000 years now what has happened in that 2 ,000 years lots of stuff

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Great example of controversy It's actually really one of the first times that our

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Canon was was essentially declared because of a controversy first controversy that arose in the second century besides the

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Gnostic heresy that's addressed by the Apostles John and Paul was an issue over the law of God there was

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Marcion Marcion and those who were called Marcionites were denying that the

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Old Testament was valid any longer the church gathered together against this heresy against this false teaching and declared really with a declaration of Canon the

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Old Testament books that the Jews all held as God's Word and the New Testament Canon that is identical to ours today that happened in the second century and What was the controversy over the law of God and it was the people of God against the

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Marcionites? Then you had of course Sibelius second century Tertullian fights against Sibellianism and what's essentially brought from that controversy is the defense of the

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Trinity and Now you have again people coming to bring false teaching into the church.

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The church gathers around the Word of God They give a response with Scripture and they formulate confessions

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So great examples the Marcionites Sibellianism then you got

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Arianism you have all these things that have come into the church's life The church has gathered around the

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Word of God and by confession declared this to be false and this is the truth of God That's what

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God has been doing Through his people by his spirit Because of his word for 2 ,000 years

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How about this controversy you ever hear the controversy between Augustine and Pelagius?

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You ever hear the tradition, I don't know if we could actually prove it about st.

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Nicholas What's the tradition of st. Nicholas? He punched him in the face

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Right. The story goes that Wasn't listening at this gathering and he wouldn't listen to reason or the scriptures and so st

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Nick got so upset that he punched him in the mouth Right, by the way, not the way to handle controversy as a

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Christian in case you didn't know. Okay, but you know We've had these controversies you have of course

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Pelagianism that taught that man Men and women come into the world people come into the world as a tabula rasa as a blank slate

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They denied original sin that you come into the world as a fallen son or daughter of Adam and Eve They denied original sin

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They said essentially you come into the world as a blank slate and you don't need the grace of God You can't essentially earn in some way your own standing before God your own righteousness now watch

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Pelagianism was easy to defeat With the Word of God you have so much

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Pelagianism was easy to defeat and it was defeated Until its sister came along semi

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Pelagianism That came along about a hundred or two hundred years after that controversy came up and the church had to face that issue know this that when the church has gathered around the scriptures to fight against false teaching in the area of salvation it has consistently been a reformed or Calvinistic view of the nature of man and salvation

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Now time rolls on Roman Catholicism Essentially Denies the gospel the degradation of God's gospel and truth starts to take place and now there's darkness and then after darkness light

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You have the Reformation where the people of God start rising up against a church that is spread across That actually is teaching things that are contrary to God's grace and to his gospel the

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Reformation Booms because the gospel comes into clear light once again with power and as the church is growing and forming in history now there's a new controversy as John Calvin is dead already and Jacob Arminius the followers of a man named

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Jacob Arminius Form what's called a remonstrance? They protested against the church at large at the time

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They protested and here's what they said Listen closely They by the way, make sure in the end as you debate this issue and talk about it know this you can say this

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They started it there are monstrance happened and they said this watch ready.

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We do not believe that man is so dead Spiritually that he cannot respond to God protest

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We deny that man is dead dead We think that he is of course a sinner

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But he is not so much of a sinner that he's incapable of responding to God's grace.

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He has a free will Essentially listen closely as a sign.

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This was not new Their challenge to the church at the time wasn't a new challenge

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This is something that had already been addressed in the history of the church Pelagian ism versus Augustinian ism that debate that took place where someone comes into the world as a blank slate

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The church said no you come into the world as a fallen son or daughter of Adam Here's what the Bible says all these different texts, but then it's sister comes along semi

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Pelagian ism That teaches what that people have what spiritual sickness that they're sinners, of course

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But they're not so sinful that they can't respond to God what the remonstrance taught with the followers of Arminius Was not new it was old false teaching that had already been addressed, but they said watch people are not

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So dead that they can't respond to God spiritually. They're sick in a sense

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Next they taught this that we think that when God elects He chooses people to say because you can't get around that word when someone says

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I don't believe in election I'm gonna say do you read bro? The word elections on the page

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Predestined Predetermined it's on the page. You have to have a doctrine of election and they said this we don't think that God chooses based upon his own sovereign will

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We think that God essentially chooses based upon what he sees somebody responses to him

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So I think about it in this way, they would say something like this today God looks through time

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To see who will choose him and he elects based upon their choice of him

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Another issue in this remonstrance listen closely to this one When we sing songs listen close this is big when we sing songs like this

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Jesus died for me Jesus took my sin on that cross

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He was thinking about me when he died for me the father was giving to Jesus the punishment for my sins

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When you talk like that Welcome to Calvinism You see what the remonstrance was arguing was ready that God gave us the atonement to make people savable

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To make them save a bowl. He didn't actually in that cross Accomplish salvation for anybody.

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He in the cross made salvation a possibility if People would through their own free will

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Choose to cooperate with the grace of God to receive salvation They also protested and they said this we don't believe

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That God can save anybody by his own will and choice Through his own power we think that ultimately fallen sinful human beings

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When God tries to save them They can through their own exercise of free will say no to God and no matter what

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God really wants He cannot ultimately Manipulate their free will the

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God is not according to the Calvinists Able to save to the uttermost perfectly through his own power and might raise dead people to life

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They would say no. No, no, no People are not so dead. They can cooperate and they can ultimately thwart

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God's purposes in him trying to save Now here's where the Arminians were divided

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When they protested they were divided on a particular point They said when it comes to whether you can lose your salvation

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We're divided Some of us think that you can lose your salvation and some of us are convinced that you really can't lose your salvation

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So we're we're kind of divided on that issue So they they formed a remonstrance an official protest against the church at large

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Now what took place? was in 1618 in Dortrecht The Synod of Dort began there were 154 meetings.

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Let me say that again 154 meetings

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It's so different from our culture, isn't it? Think about it for a second We want an immediate answer if someone lobs a bomb over the wall.

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We're like give me the answer push click, right? So it's it's on a blog tomorrow, right? These guys meet together.

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You know what they were scholars Missionaries theologians pastors they met together so many of them for 154 meetings to do what to listen to the remonstrance the protest of the followers of a man named

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Jacob Arminius Calvin and Jacob Arminius are dead. Now. They're gone. They're not even around by the way

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If if you were to walk up to John Calvin in his lifetime and say hey tell me about Tulip He would have walked you to his garden and say you're dummy right

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Tulip He wouldn't have had a clue what you were talking about Because what came out of the

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Synod of Dort was the acrostic? tulip T u

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L I P the response to those protesting was

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T U L I P What they said in response to the protest was

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T man is totally depraved Total depravity what they meant was listen closely

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Not that man is as bad as he could possibly be you see they believe that God actually restrains people's evil

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They didn't believe when they said total depravity that people were as awful sinners as they could possibly be

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They believe that ready man Men and women were totally spiritually unable to come to God why because Ephesians 2

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They're dead near sins and trespasses They're by nature children of wrath. They are

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Romans 1 Suppressing the truth of God and unrighteousness. They are enemies of God.

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They are sinners help helpless Ungodly they go wicked astray from the womb

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They are conceived in sin. And so they said total depravity That was their response and they responded with a slew of scriptures next they taught the you

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Unconditional election you see what they believed because of the scriptures was that listen closely.

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This is big if God looked through time to see Who would believe in him that what he would be looking at is a spiritual graveyard

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He would be looking at dead people He would look he'd be looking at corpses if God looked through time to see who would believe in him

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He would be looking at people who were rebelling against him and didn't want him He would be looking listen to this at people

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Romans 3 who are non God Seekers, he would be looking at John 6 44.

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No man Can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him and another thing

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They understood what the implications were Think about this brothers and sisters is

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God all -knowing Let's try you can you can come with me here is God all -knowing.

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Yeah, he knows everything Not because he just takes in knowledge, but because he decrees all things

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He's a sovereign of all things His knowledge is wrapped up in his decree of what will and won't happen if God is all -knowing

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They understood that when you say something like God looks through time to see who will believe in him and he bases his choice on their choice of him

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Then that means that God is learning Because he's looking through time to learn something about the future and Basing a choice of his on that new knowledge

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Next this is important. And by the way, this is the one point what don't you hear it people go? I'm good with like four out of five points.

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What's the point that everybody says? They can't go with in the five points.

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What is it? Look at that. It's unanimous limited atonement, right person says

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I don't believe you got you should limit God's atonement. I Calvinist were saying the

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Reformers were saying with the Christians of the time were saying was this when Jesus died on that cross

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It was a perfect atonement. It was a salvation that accomplished God's purposes

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It was a salvation that actually saved It was like the angel

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Gabriel says in the New Testament record around the birth narrative of Jesus You shall call his name

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Jesus for he will Save whom his people from their sins

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They were saying no Jesus died for us on that cross and he accomplished salvation

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It was a perfect atonement a perfect salvation that accomplishes God's purposes

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It wasn't an atonement to make people savable. It was a salvation that accomplished everything

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God intended So we can say Jesus died for me on that cross

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He took my sins and he accomplished my salvation It wasn't a theoretical atonement.

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It was an actual atonement They also understood in response to the remonstrance irresistible grace

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What they mean? Listen, they did not mean they did not mean that people

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Aren't sinners and they don't resist God's will in terms of his commands

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What they were not saying is that people don't attempt to resist God and his purposes what they were saying was fundamentally this

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Ephesians chapter 2 you were dead in your sins and trespasses By nature children of wrath ready but God Made you alive together with him by grace.

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You've been saved They believe this that when God comes to bring salvation the father decrees the son

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Accomplishes and the Holy Spirit brings that about in the person's life So when the

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God comes into a person's life who was dead and opposed to him He through the means of the gospel and his spirit listen, he raises that person from death to life so they go from Alienated from God to now alive in God and now they have the ability as someone who's alive in God To cling to Christ to trust in him for salvation

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And what they were saying is this that no mortal can resist

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God who raises the dead and the final point and this is where most modern evangelicals

37:33

They go. I at least believe that Perseverance of the Saints What was that to those who are responding to the protest?

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They were saying no, no No When God determines to save somebody and Jesus accomplishes their salvation and the

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Spirit of God brings them to life You don't go in and out of regeneration Like you don't go and you're not like a schizophrenic like he loves me.

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He loves me not. He loves me He loves me not he loves me. He loves me not you are regenerated alive from the dead joined

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To Christ and union with him and God by his spirit within you will cause you to persevere to the end

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They believed ready Heart of stone turned into a heart of what? Flesh they believe that God lives in his people and he brings about the good works that they do

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They believed John chapter 6 ready I've come down from heaven

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Not to do my will but the will of him who has sent me and this is the will of him who has sent me that of all that he has given to me a

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Particular people. Did you hear it? I Should lose Nothing.

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Did you catch that if you want to know what the five points are really you say like, okay I just want give me the summary

38:53

Jeff. Give me the cliff notes. I'll give it to you ready John 6 The five points of Calvinism in John 6 you want more

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John 10 Jesus and John chapter 10 says what I'm the Good Shepherd, you know the verse right?

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He says I'm the Good Shepherd What's the Good Shepherd do for a sheep? He lays his life down for who?

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The sheep and he says watch other sheep. I have which are not of this fold Jews Them I must also bring and they will be one flock with one shepherd and watch

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Right after he says that listen closely. It's in the same text Good Shepherd life down for the sheep

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I'm gonna bring them one flock with one shepherd He says what to the Jews who say how long are you gonna keep us in suspense?

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If you're the Messiah tell us plainly and he says what watch ready? Oh, sorry.

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I Gotta give you that sermon You could download it on my website. No, he's like he's oh You must have missed the sermon, right?

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Oh, let me go ahead and tell you again. That's not what Jesus says They say tell us plainly if you're the Messiah just tell us he says

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I told you and the reason you don't hear me is because you are not of my sheep

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My sheep hear my voice and they come and I give them eternal life and they're in my hands and Nothing can snatch them from my hands.

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They're in my father's hands and nothing can snatch them from my father's hands

40:37

Ready Jesus was a Calvinist That's the story and that's what they were referring to in the response to the remonstrance now

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I'm gonna go quickly over this next point Tulip is actually missing something

40:54

It's missing something. All right, like you have T. What's the T stand for guys?

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total depravity you unconditional election L limited atonement

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I Irresistible grace P Perseverance of the Saints now watch we like to say today total depravity doesn't quite get across Doesn't really express what we're really saying

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So we don't want to say total depravity really total inability not able to come to God apart from God's Divine work and the

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P or the L parts Limited atonement doesn't really express what we're getting at on the atonement

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What we want to say Is that there was a perfect atonement

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Right. We want to say that that atonement actually accomplished something

41:49

And so we sometimes don't like the word the letters in the acrostic So we can change them around a bit

41:55

But there's something missing from it all actually that was undergirding the entire discussion. Do you know what it was?

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sovereignty of God Sovereignty of God that's under the entire discussion

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So so I've mentioned him now a couple times because I'm gonna recommend a book to you guys

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Dr. White says that he actually thinks that should be stupid The sovereignty of God has to be really what undergirds this entire discussion

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The entire thing really rests on the sovereignty of God And so let's look at a few passages today together get your fingers ready

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Whether you have your cheating devices or your real Bibles, okay, we're gonna do it together

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I'm just gonna go quickly through these listen This of course is proof texting, but it's in context and it is the entire story of God's revelation

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But let's just do this for today. So you have scriptures to put into your heart I'm gonna unpack a particular one in a minute, but let's do it quickly.

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Psalm 115 -3. Psalm 115 -3 is A powerful passage.

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It seems in some sense kind of cavalier It goes like this verse 1 not to us

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Oh Lord not to us but to your name give glory for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness

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Why should the nation say where is their God? Here's the answer from Scripture ready?

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The nations are mocking God What do they say? Where's your God? Where is he?

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Where's your God with all the evil happening in the world Where's your God with all the corruption, where's your

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God with all the tragedy? Where's where's your God? When I have my boot on your neck, where is he?

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Now, like I said, the answer seems kind of cavalier, doesn't it? Here's God's divine answer to the question.

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Where's your God as a challenge? our God is in the heavens

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He does whatever he pleases Now that's a verse that takes your legs off Because all of us

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I think Know what it's like to hurt. We know what it's like to be oppressed

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We know what it's like to experience tragedy and loss We know what it's like to face death

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We know what it's like to lose someone that we love And you know what's amazing that verse does sound cavalier

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Where's your God with your divorce? Where is he? Our God is in the heavens.

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He does whatever he pleases Where's your God with the loss of your child? Our God is in the heavens.

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He does whatever he pleases Where's your God with your financial collapse? Our God is in the heavens.

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He does whatever he pleases. Now you might be tempted to say that's too cavalier

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That's too cutting. It's too short. It doesn't express enough. Do you know the truth? That's the only answer that will suffice

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That's the only answer that will truly give comfort. Do you know why? because the judge of all the earth will always do right and What you want is this

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God doing as he pleases Do you know why because what he does for his children is only for their good

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Every time there isn't a maverick molecule in the universe There's not an instance of your life where something enters into your life that thwarts

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God's purposes or takes him by surprise Do you know what you want as the foundation of your life?

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No matter the difficulty or trial what you want is to be able to answer this My God is in the heavens and he does whatever he pleases though.

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He take my life and my stuff He deserves all the glory and he does everything for his glory and my good

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God is the sovereign another text just like it just move the page over to Psalm 135

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Psalm 135 the consistent testimony the scriptures about God's sovereignty his rule his control over all things

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Psalm 135 6 here it is again, whatever the Lord pleases he does in Heaven and on earth and in the seas and all the deeps

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Question stop. Don't let it like we always do we just sort of get mellow headed news

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Whoo verses just go right past us. Did you hear it? Whatever the

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Lord pleases he does Let's try it

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If God pleases if it pleases God to save a wretched rebel sinner

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Can he do it? Yes, welcome to Calvinism you get it

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Whatever the Lord pleases he does that's our fundamental assertion when God wants to save he saves

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When he wants to provide an atonement that will actually atone for the sins of his people He does it when he wants to raise a dead sinner to life.

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He does it whatever he pleases He can accomplish it next Isaiah 46 10 you knew you were getting this one

47:26

You knew you're getting this one. Isaiah 46 10 after God spends a great deal of time mocking false gods

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After he establishes that he is the only God in terms that cannot be ultimately refuted

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After he calls out the idols in the world Challenges them to provide the future

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Tell us what it'll be and tell us why things happen the way they did. Here's God's answer

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Isaiah 46 10 Let's start in verse 8 Remember this and stand firm recall it to mind you transgressors

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Remember the former things of old for I am God and there is no other

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I am God and there is none like me Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done saying my counsel shall stand and I will accomplish all my what

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Purpose caught watch this. This is amazing calling a bird of prey from the east the man of my counsel from a far country watch

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I Have spoken and I will bring it to pass. I have purposed it

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Purposed and I will do it Can there be any question about the full reign and rule and sovereignty of God?

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You know what? I love it. God's sovereignty even works down to the small details All right

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Favorite things that Jesus says to you and to me as his people in terms of our anxiety and our worry

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Listen up moms in terms of our anxiety and our worry is when

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Jesus talks about it. What's he do? He uses as his greatest argument against your worry in mind

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His sovereignty. What's he say? He says do not be anxious and you go

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Okay, that's a command not sure if I can hang with that though Kind of having a hard time.

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Okay moms. Listen Mom struggled so much in this era right anxiety and worry

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It's just kind of a part of what makes up Moms wanting to love and care for their families and anxiety becomes this great deal for mothers

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Of course for fathers too, but we can usually hide it and fake it, right? Things are great. God is good.

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Oh my gosh, right? But what's Jesus do he appeals to the sovereignty of God?

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He says which of you by your worry? Can add a single hour to your life.

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Can you do it? And your answer to God is I can't do that Jesus says why why can't you do that?

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Well because you're in control. Ah So if you can't add a single hour to your life by your anxiety

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Stop and then he says what the very hairs on your head are numbered Okay, that's a super easy task for God with someone like Anthony or Jamie, but for the rest of us, it's actually a pretty cool promise

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He knows the hairs. I'm just joking guys. He knows the hairs on our heads. It's crazy

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He knows the number of hairs on my head and I'm losing him now at too quick a rate

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But he knows and then Jesus says this he says that a sparrow Doesn't fall without the knowledge of your father a bird doesn't drop dead from a tree

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Without your father in heaven knowing it not just knowing about it, but watch determining the life of that creature

51:09

The sovereignty of God, let's do some more Just a handful of verses for you

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Daniel 4 35 go back to the Old Testament Daniel 34 No, sorry for 35 another text powerful

51:25

Let's start. Sorry in verse 34 at the end of the days

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I Nebuchadnezzar lifted my eyes to heaven and my reason returned to me and I blessed the

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Most High and praised and honored him who lives forever here it is for his dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom endures from generation to generation all

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The inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and Among the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his hand or say to him.

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What have you done? You know, we love to do listen closely We love to say that Jesus is sovereign and Lord and in control in heaven

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Right. I borrowed this from my friend. We love to say that Jesus is king over Neverland He deserves that but that's not the

52:20

God of the Bible. It says here in this text from the mouth of a pagan king

52:26

He says that he God does according to whose will His will where heaven everyone goes.

52:34

Well, yeah, God can control the angels it's fine that he controls them, but it actually says and Among the inhabitants of the earth and no one can stay his hand and say what have you done?

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You know what that means? Listen that God is In control of who won the last presidency

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He is He's actually in control of who won before that It wasn't ultimately the

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American voters who puts a wicked leader like Barack Obama in charge of our country

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It was ultimately God himself. I believe judging our nation

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By giving our nation a wicked ruler When God raises up these rulers to lead people know this nobody thwarted his sovereignty

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He determines What would and would not take place in the world

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He raises nations up and he brings them down when a nation has a good ruler

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You have to know that that's a blessing from God That's a gift from God when we see evil happening around us in the world.

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We're tempted as fallen Finite creatures were tempted to say where is

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God? He can't be in control of this We're losing and the answer honestly is our

53:56

God is in the heavens He does whatever he pleases Jesus is King on his throne putting his enemies under his feet if something is happening in the world

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You know why it's happening. It's fundamentally happening for the glory of God and listen the good of his people every detail every

54:11

Single detail he's sovereign. He does according to his will another verse Job 42 to just write it down another verse second

54:20

Quranic Second Chronicles Quranic second Chronicles 20 verse 6

54:29

Isaiah 43 13 Now I want to read you

54:36

These last few because they're pretty powerful Proverbs 16 9

54:46

Proverbs 16 9 Here's the verse The heart of man

54:54

Plans his way But the Lord establishes his steps The heart of man plans his way, but the

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Lord establishes his steps. Hey, do you have stories? Do you have stories like me as a

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Christian you walk him in God for a little while Do you have listen think about it for a moment now and I want you to try to consider this

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So this doesn't just become a proof texting moment where you think about oh, that's a great verse and God's in control of my

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Steps, can I ask you this? Do you know instances in your life? Where you had a whole plan?

55:30

for how you're gonna do something a direction you were gonna go and all of a sudden your world shifted and And do you like me have stories where you thought one thing was the way and you were chasing it down You're pursuing it trying to be faithful And then

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God all of a sudden took the rug out from underneath you and he puts you in a different place and you were like Now, what are you doing?

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Why would you do that? I? Had this whole plan God I had I prepared for this.

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I I put money into this. I was going this direction This was totally like for your glory and you did this

56:06

Why? Maybe you struggled but then time went on and you saw what

56:13

God did You saw the people that he put in your life. You saw the lives that were changed you saw something

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In that God altered your course and you finally look back and what do you say God?

56:27

Thank you Thank you that you altered my course my path God. Thank you that you took that away from me

56:33

God Thank you that you didn't let me have that. I wouldn't have it any other way The story of this church is very much like that It's very much like that.

56:44

Oh my goodness the story of this church the all your stories We could just sit down and just talk about the sovereignty of God and his

56:51

Providence, but even this church itself. I Was going to South Carolina many of you guys know my house is boxed up It was in it was in boxes down to this.

57:00

We were eating off of plastic stuff. It was boxes all in my house We're leaving one year search committee process of a church in South Carolina We were going

57:10

I was saying my final goodbyes. I was shepherding and pastoring at a church at the time Then all of a sudden listen the world fell apart where I was at The church was experiencing some struggles and then

57:22

I got a call from a friend that said hey We lost our pastor at this hospital. It's a rehab. Can you come and fill in tonight for him?

57:28

Cuz he's gone I'm like, all right. It's a room full of people that can't leave I can tell him about Jesus. I'm in So I go that night.

57:36

I preach the gospel to this room of people that are just like me People that were in their addiction to drugs and alcohol now

57:43

They're sitting in front of me and I'm preaching Christ to them people got saved that night and all of a sudden this weird thing

57:48

Came over me. I'm ready to make the phone call to go to South Carolina. We're leaving we're leaving and I just felt like I don't know why

57:58

I can't leave I can't I don't know what's going on I don't know why I can't leave So I call this guy and I say hey

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I don't know what to tell you because I know that this is unanimous decision and you're waiting for me to give you the Okay to send the truck, but I don't think

58:12

I'm supposed to go right now. He says Jeff. It's really weird I'm your biggest supporter. And if you say yes,

58:18

I'm pulling the trigger and the trucks at your house. You got tickets You're coming out. He said but I feel like something's up right now, too.

58:25

I don't know what it is And then all of a sudden more stuff started falling apart at where I was at and now we're in a place

58:31

We're a penniless and we have no ability to survive, but we're saying we're gonna trust you God We don't know what in the world you're doing, but we'll stay

58:38

So many things took place to get to where we're at today where I thought I was going one place in my life and God Directed the steps elsewhere and you know what

58:49

I say today. Thank you God Thank you that you didn't let me go Thank you that you didn't let it happen.

58:56

Thank you that you had a much better plan Than I did You're sovereign

59:02

You're in control God Allows us to plan and to decide and to be faithful on a path, but he's the one ultimately orchestrating the entire story and What for?

59:17

Ready, so the end of your life He can draw praise from your lips because you'll look back and see the glorious hand of God's providence every single

59:27

Step of the way whether it was a job that you lost Ultimately, that's a job that God took away from you

59:37

Whether it was money that you lost or money gained that was from the hand of God Whatever your circumstances

59:45

God is sovereign now watch this. Here's what's important to get When we say

59:50

God is sovereign, we don't believe In some sort of fatalism

59:57

That God doesn't work through the actual desires of their own of his own creatures What what we say is this listen closely

01:00:04

God is sovereign And we are his creatures and we have a creaturely will we're making decisions.

01:00:11

We want to do what we do There's nothing that we do that. We don't ultimately desire

01:00:16

But that God is in control as to whether or not he allows us to have our desires or not

01:00:23

God is the sovereign even over our Ultimate choices he can stop people.

01:00:30

He can allow people people ask the question. What's with our country right now What's wrong with our country right now?

01:00:35

Destroying the family destroying our children not knowing if they're men or women Going the other direction from God saying no

01:00:43

We don't want God's Word and people are saying what's wrong with the world and the answer Romans 1.

01:00:48

What's it say? It says people know God they suppress the truth of God and unrighteousness They know him so clearly and vividly that they become fools and they switch

01:00:58

God for idols. And what does it say? It says therefore God Gave them over to do what what is against nature?

01:01:08

So we see even in that instance of Romans 1 when people even go off into sexual sexually perverse things

01:01:15

It's not something that ultimately they are thwarting God in but God who is determined to let them have what they want

01:01:23

Why? Ultimately in that case as judge as a just judge

01:01:33

God is sovereign. I'll just point you I won't read the text, but just point you to Two instances and then we're done number one

01:01:42

Genesis read it later The story of Joseph and his brothers, you know it what happened his brothers want him dead.

01:01:49

They throw him into a pit, right? He goes into slavery. He's in Potiphar's house

01:01:55

He's faithful faithful faithful faithful faithful woman wants to sleep with him. He's like no, thanks

01:02:01

He gets thrown into a dungeon then he becomes essentially Prince over Egypt And what happens when his brothers like 20 years later later get back in front of him

01:02:11

What's he saying? He says as for you you meant evil against me

01:02:18

But God meant it for good in the Hebrew. It's parallel You meant evil against me

01:02:24

God meant it for good your intention evil God's intention and purpose good and he says to them when they're in front of him and he's weeping and they finally realized that Joseph Their brother is in charge of Egypt.

01:02:36

He says what he says and it's crazy You can say this as a Christian. He says you didn't send me here

01:02:44

God did and you think for a second now, that's a little convoluted Joseph. They would have probably like ah, no,

01:02:51

I did it Now I threw you into the pit Reuben from which we get the name of the sandwich.

01:02:57

He was like I threw you in I Did it right? I threw you in it was like I was part of that whole situation.

01:03:04

I actually remember the slave traders I remember the thing going through the merchants and I put you on that thing and Potiphar we did it and and Joseph says

01:03:13

You didn't send me here God did and why watch to preserve for you a remnant now, that's crazy sauce

01:03:23

God says I'm gonna let you sin For my purposes watch I'm gonna let you sin so that you can send

01:03:30

Joseph there so that I can preserve for you a family So watch he does this he actually sovereignly controls their desire to sin

01:03:40

He says go ahead. I'll let you have it. Go ahead. Throw your brother into there. Oh, not too far They were like we're gonna kill him and then he's like me shouldn't kill our brother, right?

01:03:49

And God's like new It lets him go and why he lets them sin to do what?

01:03:57

Save them and you think about the the atonement

01:04:04

What's it say in Acts the text, you know in Acts just read it later acts 427

01:04:10

He says what when he's preaching he says gathered against your holy servant What's he say?

01:04:16

He says Herod Pontius Pilate Right, he says the Jews the Gentiles to do what he says to do whatever your hand predestined to occur question

01:04:28

Was what happened to Jesus sin? Yes, was it murder?

01:04:34

Was it wicked did God make them do it? No They did what they wanted and they all had different motivations, right?

01:04:44

Think about it Pontius Pilate knows Jesus is not guilty And he says publicly as a matter of historic record on trial with Jesus.

01:04:52

That's a record in history from the magistrate He washed his hands. He says I find no guilt in him.

01:04:58

You see to it. You know what you are Pontius Pilate a coward You know, he's not guilty and you said kill him

01:05:07

Herod he is Nasty Disturbing.

01:05:16

I mean you could have a nickname Herod freak nasty He is like not a good guy.

01:05:25

He's perverse. He's perverse He has his own motivation for killing

01:05:30

Jesus. Why did why did the Jews of Jesus day want him dead? He constantly exposed him.

01:05:36

He showed their twisting of Scripture He showed their abandonment of justice and mercy and he confronts them

01:05:43

It's that they want Jesus dead and what they say let his blood be upon us and our children Do it Let the curse be on us and our kids our children our nation.

01:05:53

Let us all get it all of us Let it fall on every one of us And what the

01:05:59

Romans doing they're like that's another criminal Put them up there and what's it say in the text it says to do whatever your hand had predestined to occur

01:06:08

God predestined the murder of Jesus for your salvation for you and me

01:06:16

It was a crime. It was a sin. It was the most wicked sin committed in history and watch this.

01:06:22

It says God planned it God Determined it God is sovereign.

01:06:31

What's underneath all of the doctrines of grace? Fundamentally one word Sovereignty God is sovereign

01:06:41

Not kind of sovereign not mostly sovereign fully sovereign and what I want you to hear today at the very end of this message is the most important part

01:06:52

Who is Jesus? He's God in the flesh Who is Jesus? He's the Messiah.

01:06:57

What did he do? He was blameless He kept the law perfectly. He died a death that his people deserved

01:07:03

He rose from the dead and know the call the gospel is watch this. It's not let

01:07:09

Jesus into your heart It's not Would you just give Jesus a chance?

01:07:15

It's not just give Jesus a try. You know what the call the gospel is. It's like this is what Jesus did

01:07:21

This is who he was and Now God commands men everywhere to repent and believe

01:07:28

The gospel listen is a declaration of who Jesus is

01:07:33

What he did and it's a call to repent and to believe It's not won't you give

01:07:40

Jesus a chance? It's God commands you to repent and believe now watch you're gonna put that out there and some people are gonna hear it and they're gonna believe and Some people are gonna hear the command to repent and believe and they're gonna resist and say no

01:07:55

What's the difference between the two one word ready grace? Grace guys if you can consider something

01:08:09

And absorb it it'll change you forever this truth That the only reason you're sitting in this room today believing in Jesus Christ and trusting in him is because God loved you before the foundation of the world

01:08:23

Here's the thing. Look you might say something to that you might say That's not fair.

01:08:29

And my answer to that is yep Because what's fair is that God sends you and I to hell what's fair is that we get what we deserve for our sins

01:08:38

That's fair. And if you say it's not fair that God chose me over them. I'd say exactly. It's not fair.

01:08:44

It's mercy Fair would be giving you what you deserve. It was mercy and if you say this watch but God I don't deserve it

01:08:53

My answer you're seeing it If you say this God that makes you so gracious and so big and me so unworthy

01:09:02

I would say You're getting it That is the glory of God's grace in the gospel these truths should humble you and More than that like beyond that They ought to cause you

01:09:19

To experience a peace that surpasses all understanding Knowing that you have a sovereign father in heaven who loves you and does everything for your good in his glory and nothing can thwart

01:09:30

His purposes, you know that means you can face the world with your chest up and your chin up with praise

01:09:36

Knowing that nothing ever befalls you that wasn't first strained through your father's hand not a thing not one thing

01:09:45

Let's pray father, please bless the message that went out today. I pray that you would Lord allow it to change our hearts and minds.

01:09:53

I Pray God that you would you would God cause us to fall in love with your word and truth

01:09:59

I pray even now that you shatter our Traditions on this subject and allow your word to speak and transform us.

01:10:06

I pray for anyone in this room that does not know you That has never turned to you

01:10:13

Forgiveness and salvation. I pray God that Lord and your grace and mercy that you would grant eyes to see to your people

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Draw your sheep out of the world bring them out of darkness and delight God for your praise

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In Jesus name. Amen praise God as you can see I like to talk about these things and I'm excited over the next couple of weeks next week will be

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T which stands for Total depravity or total inability. Okay, we're gonna come to the