God's Purpose, According to Election

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Preacher: Ross Macdonald Scripture: Genesis 25:1-28

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Through the end and take a look at the inheritance that Esau despised learn a little bit more about the family dynamic between Isaac Rebecca Jacob and his twin
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We're very quickly now moving out of the Isaac narrative
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Which may be surprising considering how long we've been considering Abraham And we know of course that the the great patriarchs of God's Covenantal promise are
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Abraham Isaac and Jacob and yet Isaac only occupies very short distance compared to Abraham compared to Jacob and so even in chapter 25 we're beginning to transition past the life of Isaac and We'll see in a moment the genealogical structure that perhaps we haven't seen in a while but it does form the structure of Genesis and that includes
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God's purpose in Ishmael and I think that's very helpful as we consider Ishmael and Isaac and how that's
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Parallel with God's purpose between Jacob and Esau. So this morning we want to consider
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Divine election God's purpose according to election Now last week in Genesis 24
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We considered the marriage between Isaac and Rebecca not only the historical marriage between Isaac and Rebecca But theologically the way that that portrays the mystery of marriage which concerns
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Christ and his bride the church Just like Abraham. We saw Rebecca acting out in faith willing to leave behind the family and home
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The way of life that she knew in Mesopotamia and to enter into a land that God would give to her
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She became the heiress of God's covenantal promises to Abraham and to Sarah She takes the place of Sarah as we said not just physically in Sarah's tent
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Not just emotionally as she comforted her husband, but covenantally she becomes the matriarch of God's Promised line the promised seed will now come through her even as it had come through Sarah And so once more we've seen a foreigner prepared by God's grace
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Being brought by God's promise into a land that she would come to inherit the land of promise and We saw
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God's covenantal promise being fulfilled step by step even through the marriage to Isaac and Sort of chapter close as we begin chapter 25 we consider
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Abraham in verses 1 through 4 and the offspring that Abraham has through his wife
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Keturah we could say a concubine Keturah We should not assume that Genesis 1 through 4 is chronological
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Meaning that he did not have a relationship with Keturah until after the death of Sarah.
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That's possible. It's not required It's not necessary The details within this narrative don't follow chronologically we have several examples of that even in this chapter
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So we have no dog in this fight. Certainly even in his old age. He would be able to sire offspring
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But what is emphasized, of course we have in verse 5 and following Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac but verse 6
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Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had and While he was still living he sent them eastward away from Isaac his son to the country of the east so in verses 1 through 4
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We see not only that Abraham takes to himself a new wife and has offspring not only through Keturah But through concubines plural we see that in verse 5 in verse 6
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He becomes as it were the father of many nations even in his lifetime And so this too, you know in a sense is the fulfillment of that which
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God had said of Abraham and so he's not only the father of Isaac and Ishmael but of other children as well and he is
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Before his days come to an end the father of many nations nations that are dispersed not only between the promised land but among them now historically, of course, we'd have to wrestle with the issue of Polygamy within the patriarchal narratives
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God does not pronounce either way upon it But we have it clarified from our
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Lord and Savior that which was from the beginning Simply because God does not comment on it within the narrative does not imply his approval of it his acceptance of it
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But rather as with all things belonging to fallen man, he uses it to bring about his greater purpose for the world
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And I think that's as much as we can say about polygamy in the patriarchal narratives or even among the kings of Israel and Judah We learn in this passage that God is faithful to his promises
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Abraham has indeed become the father of many nations and in this sense He's imaging
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Mirroring the father who not only has a special land in which dwells his people and he with them
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Covenantally, but he's the father of all humanity He's the father of all of the tribes in the tongues.
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And so here I think Abraham is reflecting that But we also see with Abraham this this desire to protect
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The sole heritage of his son Isaac to make sure there's no confusion No false claims between the other offspring and Isaac the seed of promise
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And so he does two things to ensure that Isaac will be secure within the land
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Secure as the designated heir of the Abrahamic promise first He designates him legally as the sole heir verse 5
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Abraham gives everything to him We saw that even last week in the in the way that Jesus Fulfills the the place of the heir of that which is given to him by the father
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The father has given all things to me Jesus says in John Abraham therefore dispossessed the children he had through Keturah He gives them gifts we read
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But he doesn't give him the inheritance He gives them good things but they'll have no share in the inheritance all is given over to Isaac and We we see secondly, he separates them.
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Not only does he give them gifts, but not the inheritance He removes them from the land so they have no share in the inheritance
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They have no place within the land of inheritance. They're sent away within Abraham's life
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They're sent away eastward and so notice that Abraham is doing what he can even in his old age to clarify
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God's promise and clarify the designation of God's promise upon Isaac and then and this is sort of Sad considering the time we've spent tracing the life of Abraham beginning in Genesis 12
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But Abraham's life comes to an end. He was at the age even when he sent away the sons of Keturah He was at an age as they say
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Where he had seen more sunsets than he was going to see you get to that place in life where you realize you've you've lived more life than you're going to live and Abraham even in his old age
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Found us a certain contentment. We read in verse 8 He breathed his last and died a good old age an old man full of years now that's that's supplied
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By the translation full of years. It's literally the Hebrew old and full So the translators are assuming full of years however, you could simply read it as content old and content
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Old and satisfied would be a very good translation And of course that is the connotation of full of years.
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He lived to a good old age. He lived in hope He died in confidence he died as the writer of Hebrew says looking for the city whose builder and maker is
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God and That's a contented way to live life. That's a contented way to die that is as Is claimed by the
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Heidelberg Catechism our only hope in life and death and so I love what
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Calvin says about this He says we see how many in our own day are in bondage to the desire of life
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Yet nearly the whole world languishes between on the one hand a weariness of present life
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But on the other hand and inexplicable desire for it to continue very wise
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Contentment with life Calvin says therefore That which will cause us to be ready to leave life is a favor from God In other words, it's
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God that gives you contentment in life and it's God that gives you contentment to leave life but the world is in this tension between wanting more of life, but also
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Desiring to be released from the tensions and the pressures the weariness of life And so the world is living between the weariness of life
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But the terror of the prospect of life ending and God gives his people peace Not only do they have the contentment the fullness of life they're ready to leave life itself
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Without that dread without that terror that there's nothing that lies beyond but rather with a sure hope a living
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Hope the hope of glory ahead of them And so because of God's mercy in the lives of his people were able to enjoy life
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Even as we come to the end of life We appreciate the blessing of life and yet that blessing does not weigh heavy on our hearts.
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We're also content to leave and if you like I have have seen elderly
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Christians who realize This particular illness this particular health
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Episode is not going to be one they recover from and and other people of course are rallying around them
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You're gonna pull through you know, we thought that three years ago You're gonna do fine. And what do they do? They sort of reach out the hand and they just say
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I'm ready to go They're content I'm ready to go that is of the
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Lord and Abraham had that kind of life Abraham had that kind of death And Abraham is buried with his wife in hope of glory in the cave of Machpelah, which he had purchased for her
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So he's buried in the land Knowing that on that great day the true seed of promise will come call
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Abraham and his wife forth from their grave Just like he called Lazarus forth from the grave And they'll enter into the land of blessing the land of promise to dwell with their maker forever
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Well in verses 11 and following we shift now from Abraham that chapter has closed and we have briefly a genealogy
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We have a genealogy of Ishmael and you remember of course that now notice
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What is book ending the genealogy of Ishmael beginning in verse 11 first? We have a little note about Isaac.
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It came to pass after the death of Abraham God blessed his son Isaac so the blessing of Abraham has now been poured out upon Isaac Isaac is now taking the place of Abraham even as Rebecca had taken the place of Sarah and we read
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Isaac dwelt at beer Lahai Roy that's familiar from the last chapter Isaac is dwelling in the land of promise and Then we enter into the genealogy of Ishmael So this little prologue to the genealogy of Ishmael is a reminder of where God's blessing is residing
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It's not upon Ishmael although just like the children of Ketora God has given gifts to Ishmael and in fulfillment of God's promise
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He has become the patriarch of 12 tribes as it were 12 princes 12 groups of people
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Even as God had told Hagar and so in verses 12 and following we have the genealogy
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Given you all did such an amazing job pronouncing. I won't even attempt These are verse 16 the sons of Ishmael And these were their names by their towns and their settlements 12 princes according to their nations
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God gave gifts to the children of Ishmael and We read these were the years of the life of Ishmael 137 years and he breathed his last and he died
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He was gathered to his people And they dwelt all across the region
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We read they dwelt from Havilah as far as sure which is east of Egypt as you go toward a
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Syria He died in the presence of all of his brethren But we read in verse 11
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God blessed Isaac and this verb bless
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Includes all of the blessing all of that which Isaac has received from Abraham God has poured that out upon Isaac it's a pledge of God's continued promise being made sure in the life of Isaac and We're reminded as we move on to consider details in a moment from Isaac Reminded that even though God gives this statement
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He blessed Isaac That Isaac's wife was barren for 20 years
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So we have the divine pronouncement God is blessing Isaac, but what's the day -to -day reality in the life of Isaac and his new bride a
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Lot of months that go past with weeping and heartbreak and yet God's blessing is upon them and now we see again a mirroring of the life of Abraham and Sarah the one out of all the world on whom
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God's blessing uniquely rests and yet they're walking through barrenness They're walking by faith in light of the promise
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And so God now is just as he tested the faith of Abraham testing the faith of Isaac Testing the faith of his wife
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Rebecca Will you stay in the land and walk in accordance with the promise even though you have no visible evidence that this will come about?
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Will you do what your father Abraham did and live by faith and not by sight?
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Trust that you now carry on this great promise and you will now become
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The next in the line of the promised offspring, which will bless the nations of the world
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Even though your wife is barren and why?
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why do we then go from the blessing of Isaac to the generations of Ishmael and Then focus on Isaac why why include why do we need to dig up Ishmael's genealogy?
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Why is that necessary to put here in Genesis 25? We've dealt with Ishmael. We're done with that Genesis 16 he's brought back into the fold
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Genesis 17. Oh that Ishmael might live before you No, it will not be through Ishmael. It will be through the son of promise.
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It will be through Isaac So we've dealt with Ishmael why include him here it's a reminder by showing the genealogies of Ishmael and Isaac It's a reminder that God's purpose according to election must stand and so the whole lineage of God's grace
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Now flows through Isaac not through Ishmael the whole lineage of God's grace in other words is discriminating as We've seen as a pattern throughout
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Genesis from the beginning of God's promised grace in Genesis 315 when he promises an offspring that will crush the head of the serpent we see
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God's discriminating God's electing sovereign grace It's through Seth not
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Cain that God's grace will continue. It's through Shem Not ham or Japheth that God's grace will continue.
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It's through Abraham not Nahor or Haran It's through Isaac not
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Ishmael and as we'll see in chapters to come it's through Jacob not Esau God is establishing that his purpose according to his divine election must stand and therefore the lineage of God's grace is
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Discriminating and so we read beginning in verse 19. This is the genealogy of Isaac Abraham's son
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Abraham begot Isaac Isaac was 40 years old when he took Rebecca as his wife the daughter of Bethuel the
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Syrian of Paddan Aram the sister of Laban the Syrian now Isaac pleaded with the
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Lord for his wife because she was barren and The Lord granted his plea and Rebecca his wife conceived
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We we line up the dates and we realize that this is a 20 -year period The the term pleaing here is not a typical term for prayer.
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This is not something lackadaisical Like oh, you know, we've never really prayed about this. Let's just pray this one time and God answered it's it's a pleading
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So what began as prayer even intense prayer becomes a form of pleading?
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Apparently by verse 21 Isaac is pleading. This is not a very common verb in Hebrew It's it's used of someone interceding for example in Exodus Moses pleads same verb in Hebrew for God to cease the plagues
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So it's an intercessory kind of pleading it's a very desperate kind of pleading And we have simply the reception of that and then
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God's answer the Lord granted his plea and so for 20 years, they're living out this life of barrenness and They're mourning and the patriarch the one whom
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God has blessed He's pleading for God to intervene and God grants his wife.
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His faith has been proven We also learn if we again take the time to line up the dates that are given
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Isaac was married 35 years before Abraham died and Rebecca was barren for 20 years and That means that Abraham would have lived to see
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Jacob and Esau grow up at least for a short while And so for the 20 years of Rebecca's barrenness
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Abraham was there to encourage his son Don't lose faith I'm praying for you.
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I'm praying with you Let me embrace you Rebecca I remember how
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I used to hold my wife Sarah and we wept like you and my son are weeping even now Let us pray to God Who's able to do abundantly exceedingly beyond all that we ask
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Let's trust in his purpose. His promise is sure Rebecca you're still a young woman
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Don't forget how old Sarah was when she gave birth to your husband my precious son
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Isaac and Think of the joy in Abraham's life when the bump began to show on Rebecca's robe or whatever you would call it back in those days and The joy he would have had in his old age before he died.
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God had blessed him He was able to see that the promise would continue that God had blessed his son
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He was able to know these twin boys Perhaps up until they were adolescent
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And he would have been able to teach them the ways of God The testimonies of God's covenant that would reside on them the promise that would come upon them
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Now if We were to anticipate The promise that a man is going to become a father of many nations
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We would not choose the barren couple Right if God said okay from among this people
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There's going to be a father of many nations a mighty man kings and rulers will come from him
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And if we said, okay, who's it most likely to be who you know Who are we gonna kind of put our bet with it wouldn't be the barren couple.
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It wouldn't be the elderly couple Would probably be someone like Ishmael, you know, Ishmael apparently has no problem producing offspring.
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He's just look at his genealogy It's pretty effortless 12 princes within his life He's got a lot more to show for the time compared to Isaac or compared to Abraham his father
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But where does God's blessing reside? If we had to pick between the two sons as we'll come to see with Jacob and Esau Who's the one that's going to fulfill
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God's promise? Who's the one that's going to secure? God's testimony in this land and ensure this promise to continue through his lineage
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Well, just by looking at the description we get the sense that Jacob is deceitful the heel grabber the twister
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He's deceitful and his life will be deceitful and he seems rather weak He's very close to his mother his mother's very close to him
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His father doesn't seem to have a lot of affection maybe even respect for Jacob Not compared to the respect he has for Esau Esau is a mighty man.
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He's a hunter Not like, uh, you know in the snow with a bright orange vest and a bolt -action rifle hunter
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I mean like spear in hand, you know running around with a bow like a madman kind of hunter. He's a mighty man
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He's the man that when you know, he walks through the tent Everyone kind of stiffens up and it's in his fob's heart swells with pride.
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Oh, that's my boy. That's Esau mighty Esau Who's like Esau and if we had to choose?
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It's not gonna be this deceitful heel grasping treacherous whiny little brother
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That's not where God's blessings going to reside. It's going to be on this Self -sufficient self -made mighty man this man
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Esau But where does God's blessing reside? When we talk about these things
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We talk about the wisdom of God's election that it runs Counter to the wisdom of man counter to the way of the flesh
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This is what Paul is saying in 1st Corinthians 1 consider your calling brethren But there were not many wise according to the flesh not many mighty not many noble But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise
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God's chosen the weak things of the world to shame those which are strong the base things of the world the despised
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God has chosen the things that are not he has chosen so that he can
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Bring to void he can nullify the things that are so that no man can boast before God Esau has no boast before God Ishmael has no boast before God Where does
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God's blessing reside? It resides upon the despised the weak the shameful the ones who aren't mighty aren't wise aren't noble and God's grace calls and transforms them into his precious bride and So here we come really to the focal point of this morning, which is
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God's purpose according to election We read beginning in verse 22 the children struggled together within her
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And she said if all is well, why am I like this? This is so cool about Hebrew Depending on the
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The emphasis of the character or perhaps what state of mind they're in The grammar will reflect that and you never see that more clearly than when there's broken
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Hebrew We don't do that in English, right? We have certain adjectives to say she desperately said or she cried out or something and that's meant to show you the emotion
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Well in Hebrew, you don't have an adjective They'll just break down the speech to give you the sense that she's so desperate
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So alarmed that she can't even put out a proper sentence Why why me like this and it's kind of like, you know, it's so desperate what's happening to me
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Which seems to say she thought she was about to miss Carrie Because she has no idea that there's twins within her that are struggling she just knows something's not right and She probably is crying out in desperation
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Lord, why would you bring me through 20 years to give me this? positive rejoicing news if you're just gonna take it away and So even here
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I think we have reflected that the desperation and the test of faith upon Rebecca and So the
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Lord in verse 23 is comforting her I'm not taking away the life But rather two nations are in your room.
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And so we have this prophecy now two peoples They'll be separated from your body
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One people will be stronger than the other the older shall serve the younger
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And so when her days were complete to give birth indeed There were twins in her womb and we read of Esau He came out red like a hairy garment all over what a sight to see this guy.
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It's one of those You know the old cell phone. Oh, isn't he sweet look at me like oh, yes, he's beautiful Is that a red shag carpet or a baby he's covered in in hair so he really is a man's man
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I mean this guy's, you know, he's covered in hair at birth and Then the brother comes out twisting the heel the clinger the desperate one
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Not self -sufficient not mighty Not healthy, perhaps a sickly boy a weak boy a mom a mama's boy
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So we might put it in our culture today. Nothing wrong with being a mama's boy. Come on guys And the boys grew and Esau was a skillful hunter a man of the field
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Jacob was a mild man and that's putting it mildly dwelling in tents making soups and Isaac loved
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Esau because he ate of his game Rebecca loved Jacob. So now sin has begun to divide
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Marriages and siblings and there's not a healthy dynamic in this home We're gonna see how dysfunctional it is in chapters to come
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The point of this is what God reveals to Rebecca Two nations are in your womb two peoples that will be separated and the older will serve the younger the
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Older who's meant to be the heir the recipient of the blessing the one who goes forth in strength
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He'll be brought to submit to the younger the one who's supposed to go out on his own He gets nothing as it were he gets only a share if that and he's forced to carve out a different way of life
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This is primo geniture This is the way it's supposed to be and God is upturning that reversing that why?
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So that his purpose according to election might stand So that there's a testimony of the way that God works and that it's not according to the flesh not according to the will of man
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But it's according to the grace of God according to his divine decree God reveals here that he has a purpose according to election and that even in two twins
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He has a view of the two nations that will be formed from them
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And that's even before they have done anything It is irrespective of who they are or what they've done of what they've become
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God has a purpose before the foundation of the world according to election Now the last time we considered election we we were talking about the seed of promise from Romans 9
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Maybe this will sound familiar. We emphasize it for several weeks in the summer It is not that the
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Word of God has taken no effect Paul says they are not all Israel who are of Israel nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham But in Isaac your seed shall be called that is those who are the children of the flesh
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These are not the children of God. It's the children of promise who are counted as the seed and This is the word of promise at this time.
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I will come and Sarah shall have a son so we considered that when we got to Genesis 17 and we spoke about how
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God had never purposed to bring about his Covenant fulfillment according to flesh and blood.
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It was always according To the promise according to grace But as we keep reading in Romans 9 we move out of the promise given to Sarah We move into the promise given to Rebecca.
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This is verse 10 Not only this Paul says in the words If if that's not enough to demonstrate this concept for you that God has a purpose according to election consider this
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When Rebecca had also conceived by one man Even by our father Isaac for the children not yet being born nor having done any good or evil
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So the purpose of God according to election might stand not of him who works of him who calls
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It was said to her the older as it is written
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Jacob. I've loved Esau I've hated and so when we read in Genesis 25
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God's word to Rebecca the older shall serve the younger We must read it through the lens of what
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Paul would draw in Romans 9 In other words, we cannot read this promise this prophecy
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The older shall serve the younger without a view to God's purpose according to election
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That's what Paul does with it So that God's purpose according to election might stand
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How do we define election? How do we define election RC Sproul really helpful introductory book to this chosen by God an older book
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He wrote I think that was probably back in the 80s when he he had all sorts of hair and Somehow he always had a raspy voice from his 30s onward
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But a great book and he says what election means in its most elementary form is that our final
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Destination heaven or hell is decided by God He chose some individuals to be saved into everlasting blessedness in heaven others
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He chose to pass over very significant term to allow them to follow the consequences of their sins into Eternal torment in hell.
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So that is how we're defining election God's divine choosing of those he would save by his grace to the inheritance
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Those he would pass over in his justice that they might receive the just dessert of their sins
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That's divine election and divine election is a fact whether we like it or not divine election is a fact whether we understand it or not
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Divine election is something that used to be trembled over Something that was so profound so mysterious that You wouldn't want to speak too much about it
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It was something to approach very humbly and very soberly and it's become a topic that's rather flippant and people feel a little too free in my mind to be able to try to Try to work against it or narrow it down or mitigate it or filter it make it something less than what divine
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Election actually is which is God's divine prerogative to save a people for himself
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And This is not according to the flesh. This is not according to works This is not of him who wills nor of him who runs this is according to God's purpose
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Spurgeon said in his own day In a day that there were more full -throated
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Calvinists He said you might go for 50 years to some places of worship and never hear the word elect mentioned
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Modern ministers meaning 19th century ministers to him seemed to be ashamed of this grand old doctrine of election
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But it was not so with the Apostles or the early Christians They always spoke of each other as the elect of God in other words
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Election as a concept elect as a word is throughout the New Testament. It's it's part of the vocabulary of early
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Christianity So why is it disappeared? Why do we no longer embrace this concept use this language speak in this manner now?
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I'm speaking generally I think in our church, we perhaps speak of of the elect more but perhaps not as much as we should
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Election is one of those doctrines, isn't it? That If you don't know about it, you don't see it
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And there's things like this in Scripture like once you see it once you grasp something you can't not see it
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To use a double negative. It's everywhere and Perhaps you had that experience where you began to understand something about what the doctrine of election is and once it clicks it's everywhere
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And you can no longer ever read the Bible irrespective of it. It's it's everywhere Whenever Paul speaks of himself introduces himself speaks to the church whenever he introduces
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Usually the great chapter ones whether it be Ephesians or Colossians or some of these famous passages
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We we just see the concept everywhere. We see it throughout the prophets speaking of the divine election of Israel We see it on the mouth of our
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Lord Jesus who reveals more about the doctrine of election We see it from the mouth of Jesus as it were being handled and taught and declared to the churches under the
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Apostles It's everywhere everywhere, but the pulpit Everywhere but our reflection and meditation upon what
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Spurgeon calls the grand old mystery So I've been reflecting on it.
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I've been thinking about it and as we Sort of come to the body of the sermon
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I I'd like to give five aspects of election that I think are worth our consideration and the first is election and foreknowledge
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Election and God's foreknowledge. I think it's it's very significant that when
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Paul Alludes to Jacob and Esau. He's very clear just before that to say before they had done anything good or bad
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In other words, we cannot speak of God's divine election as a response to the will of the way of man
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To do so means it's no longer divine election To do so is to injure the sovereignty of God That's not to say that there is no place for the responsibility of man
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For the way in which God does respond to and interact with man for the dynamics of free will
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In accordance with human nature that do exist I Want to be careful not to open up a barrel of fish here
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But I just want to say most people come into the concept of the doctrine of election with a straw man understanding of what it really means and most
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Christians that are of this Calvinistic persuasion tend to live most of their lives with an understanding that does not actually resemble biblical
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Calvinism It actually resembles Something of God being utterly arbitrary and man being robotic.
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There's no such thing as free will It's an illusion and God is just sort of coldly and distantly ordaining everything that comes to pass and that is a travesty of How Calvinism has ever been understood or proclaimed throughout history when we
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I love what Spurgeon says, you know Calvinism It's just the gospel what we mean that when you open everything up at its fullest.
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We're talking about God's sovereign prerogative To save a people by his grace for his glory.
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So it's not that we're robots It's not that there's no such thing as free will But as Luther clarified in his great book the bondage of the will our will is in bondage to sin
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It's not that God has nothing to do with the the actions and the responses of man.
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It's just that election Does not depend on these things it does not respond to these things
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God does not decree according to his foreknowledge Even though he has foreknowledge.
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So we have to make sure we get the horse in the cart, correct? The horse is
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God's election that is that which he foreknows that which he brings to pass and If we missed it at the beginning when
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Paul emphasizes before they had done anything good or bad We can't miss it in Romans 9 21 and following does not the potter have power over the clay because that's the objection that naturally comes
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Well, if it's true what you're saying Paul who can resist God's will how is it then my fault?
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How am I to blame? Why would I have to give an answer if God has that kind of sovereignty and it's not in response to me or my actions
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My will the way I run walk or move Why is God angry with me? How is that fair?
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How is that just and Paul doesn't say well You have to read this book by Paul Helm on compatibilism. And once you understand, he just says who are you?
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You don't speak back to the potter That's his response. I Miss the good old days when
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Calvin is good. It's like who are you? That's my response. Who are you your clay?
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How small is God in your mind? God is sovereign
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God is infinite God is omniscient God is omnipresent God is omnipotent
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Who are you to talk back to God?
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That would be Paul's response Doesn't the potter have power over the clay? Doesn't God have a divine right
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To save those by a grace that is undeserved that he might make them vessels of honor for his glory and by the same sovereign right
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Can he not choose to dispense justice on those who he has? he has pre ordained he has predestined to be vessels of wrath a
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Display case of the glory of his justice rather than the glory of his mercy And Paul's saying if this is troubling to you
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You Probably have a very low view of human sin and a very low view of who
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God is Because when you have a high view of the treachery of sin the hell of sin and a higher view of the infinitude of God You recognize that the clay has nothing to say in response to the potter
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God is God And so we see the force of Paul's words
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God acts Ephesians 1 5 according to the good pleasure of his will He doesn't act
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According to his dialogue in this sort of dance between the will of man and his will No, he just acts according to the pleasure of his will.
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That's how he acts. That's why he acts And we confess in Ephesians 1 9 it's a mystery of his will it's a mystery to us how these things correspond
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How these things work out in time in history What we know is what we confess in verse 11 He worketh all things according to the counsel of his will who does he take counsel with his will his desire?
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That which will bring about his objectives and purposes for this world But as we reflect on these things and as much as I'm trying to emphasize the right of the potter
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The divine prerogative of a holy and infinite God. I think it's unhelpful for Calvinist to To only think of divine election in that category because remember we said there's this tendency to only think of it abstractly and rather coldly and So man becomes robotic and God becomes arbitrary and that's not how the scriptures present these issues
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So we want to on the one hand Romans 9 defend the right of the potter and make sure we're not
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Limiting or somehow bringing God down to be like one of us Having done that having secured against that danger, then
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I think we must consider divine election We must consider election and foreknowledge in terms of God as our father
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God as our father Remember how Abraham gave gifts to the children of Keturah and then he sent them on their way
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That Which neither the sons of Keturah nor Isaac deserved all of it was given to Isaac simply because he was the object of God's election and So the children of men they get good gifts.
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They live in a world. They don't deserve every drawn breath is an ode breath Every breath is a mercy every every glint of joy in this world
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However, dim and pale is a good gift given by a faithful God who causes the rain to fall on both the just and the unjust
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But inevitably the sons of Keturah are sent eastward they're sent away and there's no difference between the son of Keturah or Isaac Other than God's divine election
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God's purpose according to election Why is one made the heir of untold blessing and the other receives good gifts?
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But is sent away from the land away from God's presence. Why? So that God's purpose according to election might stand
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That's the only reason We therefore do not relate to him as the arbitrary dispenser of destiny
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But we relate to him as the father who has elected us in mercy the father First Peter 1 2 he writes to pilgrims who are elect according to the foreknowledge of God the father
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He doesn't have to add the father here He could simply say elect according to the foreknowledge of God But Peter wants you to think through the fatherhood of God as it relates to your election
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You're elect according to the will of the father who provides for all but has poured out abundant blessing upon you
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Ephesians 1 3 we see the same thing with Paul blessed be the God and father of our
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Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places He chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him
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It's not an arbitrary dispenser of destiny. It's our heavenly father who has elected us
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Jesus says as much in John 6 all that the father gives me will come to me And of the ones that come to me,
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I will I'll never cast them out No one 44 644. No one can come to me
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Unless the father who sent me draws him Not the
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God who dispenses election according to some mysterious arbitrary decree But the heavenly father who made us the object of an eternal love that we cannot fathom there is no difference between The sons of Keturah and Isaac other than God's purpose according to election
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And as we consider the fatherhood of God in terms of election secondly, we consider election and adoption so we talked about election and foreknowledge and then election and adoption
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Which is another one of these issues within our doctrine of salvation that is sadly skimped upon When we speak of the father who elects out of love those who will be joined to Christ by his spirit
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We can't help but think of the doctrine of adoption behold, John says what manner of love the father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God and He's describing divine adoption
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Elect and adopted election leads to adoption Our relationship to our father has changed
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There is a general fatherhood of God for all that he has made But when we address
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God as our father we do so according to this Understanding of having been adopted by grace having been made heirs with our husband who is
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Christ Jai Packer says of adoption. It must be the controlling thought. He wrote a great little book on adoption by the way
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The normative category if you like at every point every relationship in the believers life is
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Transformed by it just as all of Christ's life was ruled by his consciousness of his unique relationship with the father and so we're brought into that we realize that we are elect and therefore
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Adopted in the beloved and now our relationship to our heavenly father who chose us by his grace is forever
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Transformed and it controls every other aspect and relationship of our life behold what manner of love the father has bestowed upon us and So Paul can say we've been called by the spirit of adoption
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So unique is the work of the Holy Spirit in this respect that he's called the spirit of adoption He brings about this relationship this reconciliation that we go from being
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Subjects of slavery to sin in a dark domain to being beloved children within the household of God adopted by his grace we tend to focus on election or Even what what then follows election which in the life in time in the believer is regeneration
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We're born again by the Spirit, but when we're born again, we're also adopted and we miss the significance of that adoption and So all of the language of Israel being the the elect of God has this connotation out of all of the nations
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I chose you I adopted you I made you my son as it were out of Egypt I called my son as as my adopted heir
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I showered blessing and privilege upon you though You were a foolish and weak nation compared to the others you were a
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Jacob compared to the Esau's and yet my divine grace chose you and because I chose you
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I adopted you I reconciled with you and brought you near and Without adoption there is no divine blessing if we're not brought nigh unto the house of God There is no blessing as one hip him puts it pause my soul adore and wonder and ask
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Why such love to me? grace Has put me in the number of the
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Savior's family. We've been adopted by the spirit of adoption according to God's purpose in election and Because we've been adopted now we have an inheritance election and inheritance
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We talked about election and foreknowledge that which is unique of the father Election and adoption and now election and inheritance and we we see that inheritance is always related to election
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That's true Of course the the whole display of Israel is their elect unto the inheritance and so it is with the
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Christian We are elect unto the inheritance. We await the hope of glory
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Colossians 1 5 we give thanks to God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ for the hope laid up in heaven for us
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Our inheritance Ephesians 1 11 and following Notice how inheritance and predestination belong together
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In him also we have obtained an inheritance Being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things
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According to the counsel of his will you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. I was gonna say of adoption here
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Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession
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So, why do we await this glory? Why are we made heirs? It's because of election and it's because of adoption and therefore fourthly we ought to have great assurance
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And this is another area. I think we all can struggle with when we start to think through the matter of election
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It often produces within us a struggle for assurance And of course there's a you're hoping
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I'm sure we're all familiar with the ministry of Joel Beakey Joel Beakey when he did his doctoral work which is now published it was on the doctrine of assurance in the 17th century and Banner of truth republished his dissertation.
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It's called the quest for full assurance And one of the things that Beakey is pointing out is the
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Reformers uncovered What had been lost or marginalized in the teaching and doctrine of the church, which is really
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Augustine's portrayal of election according to the Apostles You know that this isn't something that's uniquely of Calvin or the
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Reformation. This isn't something uniquely of Augustine. This is biblical This is right out of the Apostles and Augustine when the debate came in his day
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Augustine stood forth for the Word of God And when that debate carried forth in the day later on in the
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Middle Ages, of course, it happened as well But in the days of the Reformation they went back and they said no we must declare that which is evident from the scriptures and that includes this matter of an election according to grace
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But of course as they began to teach this doctrine of election naturally people began to struggle with assurance of salvation if it's all according to divine decree and there's no amount of rosary beads
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I Can grasp no amount of money. I can donate to the church I can't go find a saint's knuckle bone and somehow get some years shaved off of my purgatory if it's all
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According to God's purpose and election. How can I know that I'll be saved? And so Beakey says what what the 16th century
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Caused in terms of perhaps anxiety about Salvation was really what the 17th century was trying to answer.
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And so so many of the Puritans Wrote great works and spent much time preaching on matters relating to assurance the quest for full assurance
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That you don't gain assurance by ignoring the doctrine of election, but rather by making it more firm more sure
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Because election is based upon the father's foreknowledge the father's love
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It cannot be overthrown This is the keystone of Christian assurance
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Because my salvation is based not upon my will How much it?
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Seeks after the Lord or fails to see how much it thrives upon God's blessing or turns away from it
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However much it stumbles and pumbles its way through the Christian life clinging and failing
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Hoping and betraying in the way of God Ultimately my salvation cannot be overthrown because it is
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God who has purposed it not me who has brought it about That is the keystone for the
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Christians doctrine of assurance. Remember what Gamaliel said in a very wise counsel
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Given to his colleagues in the Sanhedrin. I say to you keep away from these men Let them alone if this plan is of men, it will come to nothing but if it's of God, it cannot be overthrown and Salvation is of God and therefore it cannot be overthrown for it's not of the flesh nor of the will of flesh
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It's of God by his grace given to us in Christ Now elsewhere, we've preached on the need to make our calling an election sure
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That which ought to produce assurance in the Christian life and working these things out with fear and trembling and because we've said that elsewhere
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I trust you have that as a footnote that won't be expressed here this morning I want to talk supremely just about having this assurance in the finished work of Christ according to God's purpose in election
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God's will for us in Christ cannot be overthrown for it is not of the will of men
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It's of the will of God And so when we struggle with assurance We struggle to know what if I'm not of him?
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What if I don't belong to him? What if I have not been adopted when we struggle with that we must understand the gospel of God's grace
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Which was never something we chose we sought we desired we worked we couldn't open our own eyes
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We couldn't take out that stone heart. We couldn't resurrect ourselves from the dead To even get to the place where our hearts are heavy and we feel
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Sick in our souls because we're wrestling whether or not we know the Lord in his grace is already a great
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Hope that we know the Lord's grace That I could desire the feast says something of the
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Spirit's work in my life But I could sorrow over my sinfulness and question
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The status of my salvation should say something about the Spirit's illumination in my life
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His presence in my conscience Richard Sibbes, here's an example of a
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Puritan on a quest for full assurance. He says Many are much troubled because they proceed with a false method to judge their estate
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They begin with election Which is the highest step of the ladder
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So he's talking about the Christians understanding of their salvation and he says they begin with election, which is the highest wrong on the ladder
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Whereas they should begin from the lowest which is the work of grace in their heart
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Which is God's calling by his spirit and just that call. That's the first step on this ladder of Salvation the highest ring of which is the divine decree of election
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Those things which angels peer into the mystery according to his will and if you're trying to work out your salvation
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By determining the counsel of God before the foundation of the world. No wonder you're gonna be struggling with assurance but if you look to the very first rung of the ladder and say
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Well, I know I've been called by his spirit because I've been convicted of my sin and even now it's the conviction over my sin
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That is causing me to wrestle with my assurance So you begin there you begin with his work of grace?
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and then he says From that place you begin to climb upward making your calling and election sure
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God descends to us. He says think of the ladder again God descends to us from election to calling right from the divine eternal council of election down to the
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Historical calling in that backseat of the Toyota Camry and you know the
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Walmart parking lot It's from the divine election before the foundation of the world down to the actual moment.
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His spirit called you by his grace but for the Christian the Christian struggling with assurance
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We proceed from our calling Step by step up to the divine decree of election
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So we make our calling an election sure and as we do so we recognize there's no place for boasting
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Every Rung on the ladder is a rung Stained with the blood of our Savior.
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It's always a reminder that he has done the work We were not able to do He has put a desire within us that we did not have that in a million lifetimes.
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We would never have had He made a scent that was sweet and alluring to us
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When in and of our flesh it was the scent of death By grace we have been saved through faith not of ourselves
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So that no flesh can boast it's the gift of God Paul says in 1st Corinthians 1 we already read this
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God has chosen the things which are not to nullify the things that are so that no flesh can glory in his presence and That means that as you climb this ladder of assurance working out your
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Salvation it's not saying yeah, I've done a lot of good stuff in my life I've worked out a lot of things and you finally get to that top rung and you're going
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Here's a little flesh to glory and you're the whole point is as you're working it out. You're realizing
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Woe is me I'm ruined if not for my Savior and as you're climbing you're repenting and as you're repenting
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You're brought nigh unto God and that's where assurance flows Yes.
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Yes, that's right You're a miserable wretch and I love you and I've bled for you and I'm completing a great work and you keep climbing you were chosen before the foundation of the world and So Paul can look at the church at Corinth full of division and backbiting and slander and you know even despising
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Paul and breaking out into factions and committing all sorts of debauchery with Temple prostitutes in Corinth and dragging the name of Christ through the mud just just you know the just the worst imaginable congregation and he can say the beloved elect of God the beloved elect of God and Lastly brothers and sisters in light of this election ought to move us to worship
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It ought to move us to worship If we can truly consider what divine election is what it what it means for us as Believers in Christ walking by faith today.
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There is perhaps no doctrine that ought to so Immediately and fully bring us to a state of worship
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We were beloved of God Chosen in Christ before the foundations of the world for an inheritance
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Everlasting and everything. We're rehearsing from Genesis. Even chapter 25 is written for our sake and this divine love has not left us as We were it's called us and It's wrought life and light and love
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Into our walks and we're being sanctified by the spirit of adoption by whom we cry in our prayers
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Father It's the father who's elected us in his love and the father then who as we rehearse the great truths of the gospel floods our lives with assurances that we are of him and belong to him and If that doesn't bring us to worship what possibly could?
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It's sad that this is not a doctrine spoken about Proclaimed about that.
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It's a doctrine that is only now Publicized on YouTube debates, you know with James R.
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White and someone else This is a doctrine for the church to worship with This is a doctrine which magnifies
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The sovereignty of God's grace and the infinite wisdom of his counsel This is a doctrine which shows just how weak we are in the flesh dead and ruined lost by the fall and it must be
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God's Identifying discriminating electing grace not according to him who wills nor runs but according to him
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That is God who wills And that's what our Confession says chapter 3 on God's decree
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This is just such a wonderful statement the doctrine of this high mystery of predestination
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Is to be handled with such prudence and care right, you don't want to you don't want to You Want to approach it
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Trembling as it were it's a very precious mysterious doctrine. So don't be matter -of -fact about it
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This isn't the old, you know iron Cast iron pot to kind of bang around.
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There's other doctrines that we can do that with this is sort of the bone China This is the porcelain of our faith
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The mystery that belongs to God's decree of will and so they say in our confession
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It's to be handled with special prudence wisdom and care Don't bring it too low.
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Don't don't rob it of its mystery and its majesty And so as you're carefully handling it carefully approaching it they say you do this in order that men may be assured of their eternal election and So shall this doctrine provide a cause for praise reverence admiration of God and also
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Humility diligence and abundant comfort to all who obey the gospel
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This is a doctrine that has all sorts of impacts in our worship in life
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How can we fail to worship in light of the God who has chosen us? What does
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Paul say in Romans 8? I mean we talked about the comfort the consolation That this doctrine brings what does he say in 831?
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Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect?
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There is no doctrine that is able to more bring you to a place of assurance than perhaps the doctrine of election
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Where for most people the doctrine of election is the one doctrine that robs them of assurance But look at how
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Paul is dealing with it what what could possibly separate you from the love of a divinely electing
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God if He's chosen you irrespective of the good and the bad that you've done
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What could possibly separate you from him? What could possibly hinder his objective in choosing you?
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Will God not bring about all that he has purpose to do in your life And so this doctrine becomes the greatest means to Christian assurance
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There is nothing that is able to separate us from the divine sovereign
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Electing love of the Father through Jesus our Lord by his spirit
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And so I close really with this question Does election move you to worship?
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Does election move you to worship? God owes us nothing.
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He gives us everything God owes us nothing. He gives us everything
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Because he gives away Everything as it were he gives away his beloved son And because his son was torn on the cross we become heirs of an eternal inheritance
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We were predestined for this great blessing if this doesn't move you to worship Nothing in the
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Christian life will if this doesn't bring you to a place of assurance Nothing in the
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Christian life will God takes heel grasping deceitful twisting weak shameful
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Christians And he pours out Divine favor blessing and glory upon them so that his purpose according to election might stand
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Let's pray Father we thank you for these truths.
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We pray that they would do this great work of comforting us Giving us assurance giving us zeal as we strive to obey your gospel
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Giving us assurance Lord of the work that you have Undertaken the work that you've begun that you continue to do through both trial and blessing
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That we would have the testimony of the spirit of adoption that we would be able to revel in the love that has made us your children
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There's no difference between those you've given gifts and sent them Eastward as it were in this world and in this life that we would never lose sight of the reason that we dwell here in the south as it were in the dry land awaiting the fulfillment of your promise and that we would recognize as Isaac perhaps could not have seen at the time that your divine blessing rests on us even when we're pleading and crying out because of trial
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And so Lord we lift up especially those that are divinely chosen That have divine blessing upon them and yet are in the midst of trial and are pleading with you