The Singular Decree

Welcome to No Compromise Radio Ministry. My name is Mike Ebendroth. I think we've been doing No Compromise Radio, I don't know, like 4 ,500 shows, not so many videos.

And a lot of our videos were lost, but working on the videos, thinking about what to do, what do you say, what are the topics?

And I think you're going to see, starting next week, a newly formatted style of show.

And it's gonna be top secret, it's a big surprise, but instead of me just sitting here, talking to you about Bible things and Jesus, and that's fine and good, it's gonna just be more of a variety, a variety show, if you will, kind of a,

I don't know, a Christianized David Letterman show, which I've done in the past elsewhere, but I haven't done it at No Compromise Radio.

So if you have ideas, probably after 18 years, people have thought

NOCO has run its course, so now it's time for the big shake -up, the NOCO shake -up. Don't forget, you can pick up the new book,

The Chosen on Amazon, written in easy style for people that need to understand the doctrine of unconditional election.

And it's meant to broach that subject, understanding God as the

God who chooses, and a God who chooses unconditionally. So you can pick that up at Amazon, along with that other book,

King, What Does It Mean to Understand God as a King? So today will be the kind of the last, least

YouTube show in this format of me just sitting here teaching in a room by myself, laughing at my own jokes with one -star ratings.

Why does Pat get all the good ratings? The Pactum, I need to start figuring out sweatshirts and hoodies and caps and all that other stuff, off we go.

And maybe the new variety show format will kick us off. Today, I want to talk about one of the chapters in The Chosen.

I've talked about a chapter in the book, King, about election. Today, I wanna talk about one of the chapters in the book,

Chosen, and it is a chapter about a decree. What is a decree? Matter of fact, in this book, chapter one and two and three are all about unconditional election or decrees or predestination.

Then I've got the Savoy Declaration section on unconditional election, Canons of Dort, a selection on unconditional election,

J .C. Ryle sermon and a B .B. Warfield sermon on election, all in one kind of handy little resource.

And I wanted to make it kind of small and easy just to hand out, you know, $10 -ish kind of book just to hand out.

And so today, I want to talk about this topic, decree. What is a decree? What is an edict?

I mean, it just seems kind of weird and out of place. I don't even know if we use those words anymore.

Certainly in America, we have a president and he doesn't even make law, right?

He's the executive branch. And so what is a decree? What is an edict?

If you understand God as king, you will understand decree a little bit better because these kings would have subjects that essentially would say, you know, your word is my command type of thing.

Kings would make binding authoritative decisions. The word decree is derived from the

Latin decretum, which means I judge or decreno, I judge.

It's a judgment. A decree is a judgment. Esther 1, when the king's edict, which he will make as heard throughout all his kingdom, great as it is, then all women will give honor to their husbands, great and small.

Esther 1, verse 20. That word edict in NAS is also translated elsewhere as decree.

What is a decree? What is a decree? A thing that's binding as a law of the

Medes and Persians. And so today on the show, I want to talk about edicts and decrees.

Now I know what you're thinking, boring. My daughter, Gracie, we had her wisdom teeth extracted when she was probably,

I don't know, 15, 16, something like that. And she was all drugged up and she's got the cotton in her mouth post -surgery.

And we went to Rite Aid to fulfill prescriptions when Rite Aid existed. And we pulled up and Kim was in the car.

My wife's in the car. Gracie's in the back with her friend, Caroline. And I said, Gracie, just stay in the car right now.

Dad's gonna go in and get your prescriptions and then we'll go home. And she had her mouth and she's like, boring.

Like, oh, great, decree, boring. I think you're gonna say to yourself after the show, you know what, that's an important thing.

Never really thought about it too much. I thought about election, sovereignty, God's law, but I never really thought of decree.

And it's gonna really blow your mind. Okay, I'll give you a hint. We think of decrees. We think of laws.

We think of one thing after another, after another. Did you know the whole world and everything that's in it and happened in the history of time is under one singular decree of God, one thought of God, one singular decree, one singular purpose.

So we're gonna get there, but that's just my little teaser. Today is a discussion on decree, but I want it to be mind -blowing.

I want it to be awe -inspiring. I was so happy to learn about decree today.

I almost turned the show off, but we'll just put up with Abe and draw to the end. You can watch at 1 .5 speed, by the way.

Somebody told me that when you watch at 1 .5 speed, what they do is they take out the vowels. I think there's a scrubbing mechanism that takes out vowels.

So I don't know if that worked out or not. What's the definition of a decree? Westminster Shorter Catechism says, the decrees of God are

His eternal purpose according to the counsel of His will, whereby for His own glory,

He has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass. How about A .W. Pink? A decree,

His purpose, our determination with respect to future things. Whatever God has planned in the future, it's a decree.

And so I want to look at aspects of decree, starting off with the one I gave you as a hint that there's just one decree.

First thing I wanna teach you about God's decree is that there's one, grammatical number one.

Shockingly, surprisingly, can you imagine the Bible uses singular decree, singular purpose.

The Bible proclaims the King, the divine King has one and only one decree.

A supreme mind, no what ifs, no plan Bs, no what about this, no flow chart tracking human people, not powerful enough to overcome this, no lines and arrows pointing different ways, going around this way because of this fault or this issue, no changes, no erasers, no whiteout.

Remember whiteout back in the day, you just put that white stuff over some typing things. No, if God is playing chess, it's checkmate on the first move.

It's amazing, the decree of God, whatsoever comes to pass, it's in the mind of God.

Dabney said, it is one act of the divine mind and not many.

So when it comes to all of history, when it comes to thinking about God's ordination of things, for ordination of things, there's never a decision making process.

There's never, let's sit down and work this out. That's why even when we talk about the covenant of redemption, this intra -trinitarian promise, we have to make sure we call it an eternal covenant because there's not sitting down, working through things.

Listen to Ephesians 1, 11, and you'll hear the singular. Also, we've obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to his purpose, who works all things after the counsel of his will.

So just think about it for a second. The future, the present, the past, everything that's ever happened, purpose, the purpose of God, the decree of God, the edict of God.

Now, I know what you're thinking. There's all kinds of what about this and what about that? Ephesians 3, 11, this was in accordance with the eternal purpose, which he carried out in Christ Jesus, our

Lord. Can you imagine? Singular, and sometimes we rush right by this word and we never think singular to ourselves and the implication.

I'll give you another illustration. You rush by it every single time, I bet, because I do too. We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love

God, to those who are called according to his purpose. Singular, he has a singular purpose.

One, and everything that's happened in the whole world is under and enveloped by that one purpose.

That's pretty mind -blowing to me. My good purpose will be established. I will accomplish all my good pleasure,

Isaiah 46, verse 10. Our plans always need changing.

If you're gonna go on vacation, you're like, okay, wait a second. I'm gonna need a spare tire. I'm gonna need extra food.

What's in the cooler? What about extra diapers? What about this? What about that? And all these kinds of contingencies, arranging plans.

No, that's not how it works when it comes to God. Dabney said, as his natural knowledge is immediate and contemporaneous, not successive like ours, and his comprehension of it all infinitely completes always, his purpose founded thereon must be a single, all comprehensive and simultaneous act.

Even if Dabney's language is old and harder to understand, just think one, the divine purpose, singular.

The divine decree, singular. The divine edict, singular.

Doesn't that make God different from all other so -called gods, so -called kings, so -called leaders?

The best way to think about decree is not decrees of God, but decree.

Second thing I wanna tell you about decrees, made a mistake about decree. I make my own mistake.

So let's take that out, Mario. The second thing we wanna learn about is the decree of God is free.

The decree of God is free from influence. Now think about kings back in the day. They have advisors influencing them.

They have a harem. They have personal assistants. They have a wife. They have friends. They have brothers. They have other kings. All kinds of people trying to influence.

Military leader, you should do this. Economic advisor, what about that? All kinds of advice coming in to the king's agenda.

Maybe I shouldn't do this because I'm taking the temperature of my subjects and I don't want them to revolt. So maybe

I should do something a little bit different. God is free from all external influence, opinions, pressure.

He does what he wants and only what he wants. The decree of God is utterly liberated from every would -be external compulsion or compeller.

He's free. He does what he wants. He's answerable to no one. He is the creator. God plans,

God purposes, God declares based on his own independent choice. Nothing external, no pressures, nothing satanic, driving, worldly driving.

This makes sense, does it not? Because before there was a beginning, God alone existed eternally.

Who would give input or advice to God when God alone exists? God, the triune God, God, the

Father, God, the Son, God, the Spirit. Pink says, God was alone when he made his decree and his determinations were influenced by no external cause.

He was free to decree or not to decree and decree one thing and not another. This liberty we must ascribe to him who is supreme, independent, and sovereign in all his doings.

God decrees, as the London Baptist Confession says, by his most wise and holy counsel. That means he himself, in himself, not external, not compulsion.

He is free to decree. I asked with Isaiah, who has directed the

Spirit of the Lord? Or as his counselor has informed him, who gave

God understanding? Who taught him in the path of justice and taught him knowledge and informed him in the ways of understanding?

Nobody, God is free. He is the only, his is the only will in the entire universe that's free, ultimately free.

Pink says, God does as he pleases, only as he pleases, always as he pleases. Psalm 115, you know it.

Our God is in the heavens and he does whatever he pleases. You think, how is that practical?

I'll tell you how it's practical. It should create in you praise. God, there's no one like you.

God, you're awesome. God, you're infinite. You're above, you're transcendent. You're different, you're free.

You're sovereign. It's like rocket fuel booster for praise. Any theological position that allows man's total freedom quickly and radically will hurl us in the theological quicksand because God is the one who is ultimately free.

Third, today we're talking about decree of God. The decree of God, the mind of God, the decisions of God.

Well, let's just make it singular again. The decision of God, the purpose of God. Number three, the decree of God is wise.

What if this all powerful, all knowing God was somehow off the rails?

Not wise, but foolish. Not smart, but dumb. Not all knowing, but ignorant. But God we know is all wise.

Therefore his decree is all wise. Think about the mistakes that other kings have made on earth and the blunders and the mistakes in a military area are somehow feeding the people or how to take care of a disease.

Think about how they've miscalculated and acted rashly and acted foolishly. They get too much power and pride puffs up and they just go off and try to invade a place and get decimated.

All human kings because of original sin and their own sin have failed to act wisely.

We've have failed to act wisely. Think about wise men, counselors around the king.

Why would a king on earth need that? Because if he's smart, he knows that he's not all wise.

So he brings in advisors. He brings in counselors. He brings in people like Daniel back in the day to give him input.

Joseph is brought in by Pharaoh to try to help because Joseph was a wise man. He could understand things.

So kings need help, but God is all wise. So he doesn't need any help.

I know you know that, but just hammering home the point. There is in him wisdom and might and to him belong counsel and understanding.

Job chapter 12. God by nature and essence is all wise and all knowing.

James P Boyce, B -O -Y -C -E says that God in terms of decree being wise, as that just wise and holy purpose or plan by what eternally and within himself, he determines all things whatsoever that comes to pass.

He doesn't just know what's going to happen in the future. He's planned everything that will happen in the future. Let me say that again.

It's not just that God knows ahead of time. He knows, of course, but he knows because he's planned it. It's all done.

History is written. It's not circular. I mean, you see trends, of course, but history is linear and there's gonna be an end.

There's gonna be an end point. And it's already determined. The day that Jesus is going to come back, God knows.

I wonder if that would be today. It could be today. Pretty amazing. God's wisdom, in a sense, humanly speaking, undergirds his decree.

So his decree is wise. He's planned every second of history, every detail of history, how the particulars fit together.

His wisdom helped ensure that the plans will be consummated and consummated to his glory.

J .F. Packer said, wisdom is the power to see and the inclination to choose the best and highest goal.

That's right. And Packer goes on and says, wisdom is in fact the practical side of moral goodness.

As such, it is found in its fullness only in God. And so I ask with Isaiah, do you not know?

Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired.

His understanding is inscrutable. Inscrutable. And I love the end of Romans and I know you do at the end of chapter 11.

Remember, oh, the depth and riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable his ways.

God is all wise. And therefore that means the best outcomes and the best means to achieve those outcomes will come together in a flawless way.

God's knowledge is perfect. The decree of God is nothing else, church and said, than an act of his will by which from eternity, he will freely and wisely determine all things which should be done in time.

Fourth, God's decree is effectual. God's degree is effectual. So the last one, he's wise, right?

And you could think, oh yeah, he's omniscient. But also when he planned, when he purposed, when he decreed, does he have the power to carry it out?

Is it a wise thing? Now does he have the power to carry it out? And of course we know he's omnipotent. So the decree of God is effectual.

Think how many Kings back on the earth had plans and they were frustrated. Plans, but they were incomplete.

It's like I go to different places around the world and you see a building that's half built and then just abandoned, right? You have plans and you try to have a cost of building the tower and then you can't finish it.

Maybe the King didn't have enough power. Maybe the King didn't have enough soldiers. Maybe the King didn't have enough grain, enough horses.

They're incapable of doing something. I mean, Kings, I'm sure Napoleon and others had world changing plans, but they didn't have the resources to accomplish them.

And they extended themselves too far. But God isn't like man. God is all powerful and he carries out his plan perfectly.

Job 42, Job finally bent the knee and said, I know that you can do all things and no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

God knows whether something will occur in the future. He knows it because he's purposed it to happen and he has the power to make it happen.

He knows his plans will happen. He accomplishes them by his omnipotent, mighty right hand.

How about details that are small? You think, well, yeah, I understand that he's purposed maybe the return of Jesus, but how about smaller things?

How about details in the universe? How about minor things? Pink, the decrees of God relate to all future things without exception.

Whatever's done in time was foreordained before time began. God's purpose was concerned with everything, whether great or small, good or evil,

God's decree is as comprehensive as his government. It's true, everything.

And by the way, let's stop and make this practical. Why are we so in a fuss about world affairs?

Of course, politicians have to do what they have to do, but for us, can't you rest knowing that Psalm 33 says, the

Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations. He frustrates the plans of the people.

Don't we know that God's in control of all this? When you look out there and it doesn't seem like God's in control, that's why you need to look to the word of God to remind yourself, the

Bible teaches me that God is in control and that I can trust him. And he's working all things together for good.

I might not see it, but I can believe it, right? It's not seeing and then believing, it's believing and then seeing.

I'm going to trust what the scripture says, even though my eyes might say something different, right?

People say, seeing is believing. Okay, I know what they mean, but you look at the world and you see it, you tell me

God's in control. If I was an atheist, I'd say, hey, your Bible says God's in control, show me, show me.

That's why I go to the scripture and the scripture say, you know what? God is in control. The counsel of the

Lord stands forever, Psalm 33. I can trust him. And I can trust him because he's been faithful.

He keeps his promises. He's raised Jesus from the dead. That tomb is empty, he's coming back.

And while my mind can't understand how God could have one sovereign decree freely given with wisdom and power to make it all happen, that doesn't mean it doesn't happen because I'm a creature.

I'm looking at God, the creator going, I don't understand that you can do that. I mean, it's just dumb.

Plus my mind's been tainted by the fall. So now the creature is trying to understand the creator and the creature that's fallen is trying to understand the holy sinless creator.

No wonder there's a gap. And by the way, that gap can either cause you frustration or it can cause you worship, that there could be such a

God. I mean, here's how I think about it sometimes. What's the largest group of people you could be around?

I think the largest group that I've been around lately is I went and saw, okay, I'll admit it, the Rolling Stones with my daughter at Foxborough Stadium last year, maybe last year.

I don't know, 80 ,000 people. You go to a Patriots game, make sure you go on Monday night or Thursday night because Sunday morning's the

Lord's day. They played Thursday night, last night. You go there, 80 ,000 people. And I think to myself when

I'm around that many people, God knows every person. He knows every thought. He's planned out all the details.

He knows which ones do this, one do that, sovereign over every one of them. I mean, when

I was sick and having radiation and some other things, I couldn't be around a lot of people who were talking because it just bothered me.

Not that the people bothered me, but just all this noise, noise, noise. I felt like the Grinch, noise, noise, noise, noise, noise, noise, noise.

And I thought, wait, just one person at a time, please. Can you imagine all the chatter that God hears?

Billions of people's thoughts and God knows every one of them. He actually, it says in the

Psalms that he knows it before they even say it. Now, how can I get my mind around that? I can't even know my own thoughts.

I can't even read my wife's mind half the time. So that I can't understand something about God and I'm sitting down here pontificating about God.

I don't see how that could all happen. What about, you mean to tell me sin and evil and calamity and death and all that stuff that's in the decree of God?

You mean to tell me that's all there and I'm just gonna put God underneath my thumb? I mean, we have answers in scripture, that's true, but God doesn't answer to us.

The decree of God should make you humble. It should make me just zip my lip. It should make me like Job.

You know what? I have no idea what I'm talking about. I'm running my mouth again. God has a decree, he has a purpose. And if the

Bible says he's working everything for good, then he is. Whether I believe it or not, it's better if I submit and believe it, make my life a lot easier versus just kicking against the goads and be that person.

And you're the why guy, you're the why girl, you're the why woman, why, why, why?

I've got this problem, why? I've got that problem, why? What is going on, God? I want you to rule the universe differently.

And I'll show you how it shows up in my life is when I'm thankless, when

I'm bitter, and when I'm sad to tell you, worried, anxiety.

Essentially, I'm saying, God, why did you work it out this way? You could have worked this out in such a way that I didn't have to worry.

Don't you care? And off we go. The decree of God. My name is Mike Haven, you're office is No Compromise Radio Ministry.

The decree of God is found right here in the chosen. If you need more information about the decree of God, I'm sure you can find it online.

You know, you can find almost every book online for free, illegally, because people put them online for free, illegally.

And it's like, what does that do to the poor publishers and other people that are trying to make a living off books? And then you can go just hijack it.

That's like, back in the day, what was the, when people could rip music and they first started, what was the company that started?

Something like LimeWire, but even before that, they had maybe started with an N and they just could steal music back in the digital day.

Uh -huh. Yeah, it doesn't matter. Number five, the decree of God is all -encompassing.

You're trying to think. I know I am too. Some kind of, yeah, right. Noise, something,

I don't know. The decree of God is all -encompassing. Now I've made illustration of that before, but it covers everything.

The lot is cast into the lap, but it's every decision is from the Lord. Even dice.

That's one of the reasons why I don't gamble because I know the Lord's never gonna let me win. And if he'd let me win, J.

Vernon McGee used to say, one of the ways God will chase in you is by giving you a lot of money because it'll just take your focus off of who the

Lord is. Your dependency on the Lord will go away. You won't have to be as dependent.

Dabney, the decree is universal, embracing absolutely all creatures and all their actions, right?

Even Acts chapter two and Acts chapter four. What about the death of Jesus? And by the way, that was a sinful act.

Herod's sin, Pilate's sin, the people's sin, the leader's sin. Even it was our sin to put

Jesus on the cross. That was determined by the pre -planned purpose and decree of God.

That's Acts chapter two, Acts chapter four. If God can take the worst sin that's ever been committed, the death of Jesus Christ, and turn it into something good, salvation and forgiveness for all those who'd ever believe, millions of people, billions of people saved, redeemed, one day will be glorified.

If he can take that sin and turn it into something good, I think he can take other sins too, but it's predetermined.

Matthew chapter 10, are not two sparrows sold for a cent, and yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your father?

The very hairs of your head are all numbered. So small or large, important or trivial, temporal or eternal, all things are enveloped by God's decree, everything.

So see how that leads to us to talk a little bit about election. Would it not be then included that who goes to heaven is part of that decree?

If God's decree is all encompassing, who goes to heaven and who doesn't is part of that decree.

That's true. No luck in the universe, no lady luck, no knock on wood or composite board from Ikea.

By the way, this was back from the NoCo ever movie that we did.

I think it's still on Vimeo, Mario. We should probably transfer that over to YouTube.

And we had James White, Carl Truman, Phil Johnson, and I sitting at this table. Not setting, setting, sitting.

Lastly, God's decree is eternal. Oh, I only have one minute and 20 seconds. It's eternal. He is eternal, and so his decree is eternal.

All this to say, this should be blowing our mind. Nothing can go apart from his plan.

Everything's going to happen. His will will be accomplished. And matter of fact, we're taught to pray that. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

That's how we're to pray. The Lord knew that, so he wanted us to pray that very thing. Do you agree with Francis Turchin that God's decree is free, eternal, immutable, wise, according to which he fordains all things?

I think you do. That's why I love that little poem that says, Lord of glory, eternal King, let us to him our worship bring.

What should this cause in your heart? Worship, thanks, awe, praise. My name's Mike Ebendroth.

This is No Compromise Radio Ministry. And next time, it's gonna be a different format, and we are gonna work through a variety of different things.

I think you're gonna like it. I think you're gonna say, finally, we'll start listening to Ebendroth again after 15, 18 years of pontification, pontification.

Finally, we'll do it. Don't forget the books. Don't forget to click like.

Don't forget to watch the Pactum. See you later. Yes, Napster it is.