Ministry's Only Hope: Election - [Ephesians 1:4]

Well, it is great to be back here at Bethlehem Bible Church. I was just caught up in that song thinking about a mighty fortress is our God and then I realized when it was over I had to preach so. For the last two weeks of my life.

It's just they stand me in front of a pulpit whether it's 10 o 'clock in the morning or or 10 o 'clock at night. And then you just preach and so I believe it's now 61 degrees in here. Fahrenheit. And everybody should be raring to go and ready to hear God's Word.

Thank you for praying for me while I was in India. We were there for about eight days for the national expositors conference. And we believe in expository preaching here, which would be the opposite of imposition.

Exposed or to impose we want God's Word to be proclaimed. From the text the Bible as one man said is God preaching God speaking. And we want the text to preach and not necessarily The preacher. And so we trained about a hundred Indian pastors there, and it was wonderful because they're all excited.

They want to know God's Word, and and they're very enthusiastic, and so it was really encouraging. To minister to them. It was also a wonderful privilege for me to go with my brother. My brother is nine years younger than I am he's also a Christian, and he's a Bible teaching pastor and so to minister together.

It was a great joy. We left India, and then we went to Geneva quickly over to where Calvin would preach and just had a little Protestant icon worship, and then we were fine. It's funny in that church when the Protestants took over they got rid of all the icons except the stained glass.

And then what do we do we travel? 7 ,000 miles to go see the icon of the pulpit so I Got to the last pulpit. I was in was in John Calvin's pulpit. A lot of people preach the Bible better than I do. Like John Calvin did but I don't preach a gospel.

That's any worse a lot of people preach the gospel better than I do but nobody preaches a better gospel. And so that's what we want to get into today. And as way of introduction. I was very saddened when I went to India as well.

There are 1 .1 billion people in India. It is a huge country. It is massive. It may be the seventh largest. Geographically, but it is very dense in population. Seventy percent of the Indians live in rural areas just with a few big cities, and I said to myself What do you do with all the people in India?

We're meeting with 100 pastors. If there are 1 .1 billion people in India, and we're meeting with 100 pastors. What's that one expository preacher for every 10 billion? 10 million rather see people running around the streets and lost India where four major religions were originated Hinduism Buddhism Jainism and Sikhism.

How do you turn a country like that right side up back in 1947 when India Emerged as a nation-state only 11 of Indians were literate. So how do you give people the gospel if they're not even literate by now?

There's about 58 percent of females and 78 percent of males who are literate. But I was walking around thinking like Acts 17 16. Paul was waiting for them at Athens. His spirit was being provoked within him as he was beholding the city of idols.

And back in Athens it was maybe easier to find him God than it was a man. It is almost impossible in India to find the triune God. Everywhere you look idolatry. The minds of the unbelievers blinded and I pretty much walked away from India sad gloomy depressed and down thinking how do you change 1 .1 billion people and When you can only affect like ten twenty a hundred or a thousand.

But I was only down on the human level because with God what all things are possible. Without the two words, but God India is a lost nation and no amount of ingenuity. No amount of American dollars no amount of American pastors can come over and turn that place right side up, correct?

It will take the God of the universe to rescue India and then I began to think What's the only hope for our friends? Who aren't Christians? What's the only hope for the person in your family? Who's not a Christian?

It's not our ingenuity. It's not how wise we are. It's not because we've got the right way to give the gospel. The only hope for the Indians is the only hope for you and your family and that is the sovereign God of the universe.

He's our only hope and so I wanted to spend this morning talking about the only hope in ministry. The only hope in evangelism and that's God is sovereign. God is on a throne and God is not just letting India go her own way.

God is sovereign over India. And I want to encourage you today because I have family members and so do you? Who I'd like to have saved wouldn't you like to have all your friends be Christians hope of heaven assurance of Eternal life forgiveness of sins, but how are you humanly going to get them saved?

It's impossible. It cannot be done. And that's why we have to look to our great God. Psalm 103 verse 19. It says the Lord has established his throne in the heavens as his sovereignty rules over all. God is sovereign.

He is subject to no one. He is influenced by no one and if anybody in this universe has free will it is God of the universe. He does what he pleases as he pleases and only as he pleases and he is the one who is the only hope for India.

He's the only hope for your family and we want to study Him today as I want to give you a boost of confidence that Isaiah 46 10 says my counsel shall stand. And I will do all my pleasure. Well, it's gonna be a little bit different.

My whole sermon today is going to be an introduction. My whole sermon is going to be an introduction for next week. And so I want to try to Get into your mind that God is sovereign by nine different ways for introduction and then we'll move into the main passage later today.

And then next week Lord willing and I think it's about 930 at night my time in India or so like that. So this is going to be my midnight sermon. And so if you can just stay awake while I preach that would be great.

We want to talk this morning about the sovereignty of God and how he has a Reign and dominion and rule and it should give us hope. I ultimately wasn't just heartened when I left India because I knew God was sovereign and I knew he blesses his word.

And I knew that those who would come to faith would come to faith because God is sovereign and I was encouraged by that. But it's just such a big problem. I was driven back to God. And it is warming to my soul to realize that God is sovereign over everything.

Psalm 115 verse 3 says but our God is in the heavens. He does whatever he what? Pleases. God is sovereign over the past present and future. He is a king. Some of the titles of Scripture of his sovereignty are.

Lord most High King only sovereign. Almighty God sits on a throne. His times are in his hand our times are in his hand. He has a rule a decree a Reign he establishes he chooses he predestines he foreordains and his sovereignty concerns.

Everything. Let me give you nine areas where he's sovereign this morning by way of introduction. Before we get to the final one and that is God's sovereign over salvation. God is sovereign over everything and he's also sovereign over who goes to heaven.

But let's just work our way up to that. My main purpose this morning is to show you that God is sovereign over everything. So it's easier for you to understand he's sovereign over who goes to heaven because there's something in us that says, you know What I know he's sovereign over the weather.

I know he's sovereign over other things but when it comes to who's going to heaven, that's up to those people. It's up to their free will it's up to who they are and I'm going to try to reinforce today that God is sovereign over Everything every molecule every person in India and here in America as well.

The first area is the weather. God is sovereign over the weather. Do you believe that? Did your praise to God this morning for how cold it was show you believed he was sovereign over the weather? Typically, we take a passage and we just kind of go verse by verse and just really dig into that.

We will soon enough today. But right now I'm going to give you plenty of verses to just show you in a cursory fashion God is sovereign over everything and so you can either listen to the verses or follow with me but turn to Deuteronomy 11.

If you'd like me to give you the passages, we're gonna look at two passages in Deuteronomy God is sovereign over the weather and lots of times we say well, you know, it's raining outside. But the scripture uses more terminology that would be like this a God sent rain God sent rain, I'll never forget as long as I live.

I read a W pinks book sovereignty of God and he has a whole chapter over weather. I used to be the biggest complainer about weather and I don't know if I can blame my grandmother or not. But they'd have one of those little, you know radio channel things a weather channel and oh, it's gonna be cold out.

It's gonna be rainy. No, it's gonna be a blizzard it's gonna be a typhoon and she would just sit like a worrywart and worry about the weather and I began to do the same thing. And then to realize that God is sovereign over the weather he's sovereign over mildew.

You laugh, but I'm gonna show you the verse. He is sovereign over everything. Don't believe it unless I can prove to you from the Bible God is sovereign over everything and so we're gonna work from large God's sovereign down to the sovereignty of souls.

So we can be encouraged in ministry because to tip my hat. Every person in India that's elect will come to faith. No matter what no matter the blinding of Satan no matter all kinds of idolatry. No matter the unregenerate hearts of the people every elect person God will bring.

There's no hope for India without that statement. There's no hope for anyone even with your own family members and you say automatically will then what if he didn't choose anyone? What if he didn't choose it?

Why didn't he choose everyone? We'll just put those all on hold until I show you and remind you again. God's sovereign over everything. Do you believe he's sovereign over the weather. Look at Deuteronomy 11 14?

Again talking to Israel, but we can get the point very clearly Deuteronomy 11 14 that he will give the rain for your land in its season the early and the rate late rain. That you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil.

Deuteronomy chapter 28 several chapters forward. Deuteronomy 28 verse 12. The Lord will open for you his good storehouse the heavens to give rain to your land in its season. Way back in Genesis 2 God had not sent the rain yet.

The corpus of Scripture will say here elsewhere, maybe first Kings 18. Leviticus 26 God sends the rain and so as a way of quick application if it's cold outside if it's rainy outside. If it's nice outside the best thing to do is what?

Buck the system and tell God you don't like the weather he sent. No, it's just to say Lord. Thank you for sending me this. Here's what I deserve. Here's what you sent, and you've sent rain for the good.

It's cold because God made it cold and you say well. I'm just going to want to respond correctly. Psalm 107 about the wind. God sends the stormy wind for your reference. Haggai 2 17. Haggai 2 17 where God sends wind mildew and hail.

God is sovereign over all the weather. Earthquakes are not of active nature and as John Calvin said it is certain that not one drop of rain falls without God's sure command. Lightning landslides. Sun Moon rain hail snow clouds wind.

Everything God is sovereign over. Including that so much so that he can make the Sun stand still. True or false. Matter of fact he did that in Joshua chapter 10 so much so he can make the shadow of the stairway go back.

10 steps. 2nd Kings chapter 20 verse 11 God's sovereign over everything. Number two. Not just over weather, but over all history. You believe God's sovereign over all Human history every bit of it. He's the king.

He's the the ordainer. He's the planner. He's sovereign over all history. If you'll turn your Bibles to Daniel 2 and again. We're jumping around a little bit more today. But it's all as an extended introduction for the only hope in ministry and that is sovereign grace our sovereign election.

Say well, why do I need to show you all these verses. Well many of you believe in sovereign election? But some don't and I'm trying to prove this morning that if God's sovereign over everything then how could he not be sovereign over souls?

Daniel chapter 2 and Daniel chapter 4 both wonderfully and magnificently show God's rule over history. I'm not careful. I read all kinds of real politics. Calm and get on all the political scoop and what's happening and what's the world gonna come to and What about our?

President president to be governor governor to be all these other issues, and I think God's sovereign. Only one vote counts for all these elections. Daniel chapter 2 verse 20. Daniel answered and said let the name of God be blessed forever and ever.

Why. What would elicit such praise? For wisdom and power belong to him. Verse 21. And it is he who changes the times and the epics. He removes Kings and Establishes Kings. He gives wisdom to wise men and men knowledge to men of understanding.

Strongest person back in those days who had the most power was a king. God sovereign over the king and he can turn the king's heart. Whatsoever way what he wishes? Daniel chapter 4 maybe the best two verses to show the sovereignty of God over everything.

Maybe found in all the Bible these two might be the most wonderful verses. Daniel chapter 4 verse 34 and 35. But at the end of that period Daniel 434 I Nebuchadnezzar raised my eyes towards heaven and my reason returned to me, and I bless the Most High.

Do you remember the situation? Remember Nebuchadnezzar he was he was he was being a cow for a while. He was acting like there's no God. Nebuchadnezzar basically said God you're not sovereign and you're not in charge of me.

That is utter Insanity to act like there's no God. And so what God often does with with the sin is he says if that's what you really like then I'll give you more. So Nebuchadnezzar wants to act like there's no sovereign God.

And God says if that's the way you'd like it. Then I'll just leave you to your own devices and what happens. Moo, that's what happens. He just says it's insane you want insanity. I'll let you be insane more.

Can you imagine the king? Can you imagine if this was one of our presidents out there? Just and the when the White House lawn Chewing grass like you know a cow does its cud. Depending on who's the president I may like or may not like that.

He finally gets his census back and the census should say God alone is sovereign. And then he praises him and I bless the Most High and praised and honor him who lives forever. For his dominion his control his sovereignty his rule is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom endures from generation to generation.

Kings may die Sons may take over. People might get killed but God endures forever and ever and so does his kingdom and all the inhabitants of the earth are Accounted as nothing verse 35, but he does according to his will and the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and No one can ward off his hand or say to him.

What has thou done? Paul says in Acts 17 he made from one every nation of mankind to live on the face of the earth. Having determined their appointed times and boundaries of their habitation. God is not only sovereign over whether he's sovereign over human history.

Number three. God is sovereign over all the circumstances of life. Do you believe that. Do you believe that God is sovereign over every circumstance of life? Let me show you some bad ones. Ecclesiastes 7 14.

Ecclesiastes 7 14 you might think God works everything for good, but that's only the good things. How about is God sovereign over calamities. Is God sovereign over adversity found right in the middle of your Bibles Ecclesiastes?

714 could God be sovereign over all circumstances of life. Even ones that we don't think are good. Well, of course, or he's not sovereign. There can't be one rogue molecule or atom proton neutron or electron in the universe or God's not sovereign.

Ecclesiastes 714 in the day of prosperity be happy. But in the day of adversity think or consider when things are going well. Enjoy life when things aren't going so well. Think of this thing. God has made the one Day of prosperity as well as the other the day of adversity so that man may not discover anything that will be after him.

How about Lamentations 339 is not from the mouth of the Most High that both good and ill go forth. How about Amos 3 6 it gets pretty blatant if a calamity occurs in the city has not the Lord done it. How about Isaiah 45 7 the one forming light and creating darkness causing well-being and creating calamity?

I am the Lord who does all these things. This is a Group of scriptures that show us that God is not just sovereign over good. He's sovereign over all things including calamity sickness evil everything.

Number four. God is sovereign not only over weather and history and circumstances of life. But also known for duration of life. God is sovereign over how long you will live. God's sovereign over your dying breath.

You can turn to Job 14 with me if you'd like. Maybe we'll just turn to one of each of these Job 14 and again. This is all by way of long introduction trying to remind ourselves that God's sovereign over everything and by the ways you're turning there.

It's a good thing. I love this. This is the doctrine that gave me almost like a second blessing in my life. The first blessing was I was saved from my sin and I realized that I didn't contribute to my salvation.

I realized I couldn't earn my salvation. I found my old baptismal slip the other day from when I was an infant in my old church and when I thought that was what was gonna make Me go to heaven. I have that little piece of paper right there and I realize that it's not the piece of paper that gets me into heaven.

It's not some drops on my forehead. It's the work of another true or false. Salvation is by works true Christ works not your works. We are saved by works the works of another Christ Jesus perfect life perfect death.

Guaranteed by the resurrection. We aren't saved by our works because if his works are perfect, what could we add? Especially if our hearts are dirty, what can we add? We're not we're not somehow cleansed by God because we got water on her forehead.

We're cleansed by God because we realize we have no Goodness in ourselves and we look towards the other one. The other one is Christ where the first Adam fell the second Adam comes along and says I'm not going to sin.

I'm going to fulfill my father's righteousness. I'm going to be perfect. And so all of a sudden you realize that for the first time you think I've forgiven I should have died and gone to hell. I can't believe all the different times in my life that I I should have died and all the ones that I probably don't even know about Falling asleep while I was driving down the interstate.

Doing all kinds of stupid things in my life. I have kind of a small opening in my throat. I'm always choking on food always just about once every two weeks. I'm choking on some kind of food and that is Horrible feeling to choke and it's just kind of that slow thing.

I think I'm gonna die. I'm not gonna die of cancer. I'm gonna die of choking on my food and I can remember Choking on some steak at a restaurant when I was about 18 going into the bathroom trying to drink some water, you know I'm embarrassed in front of everyone else trying to drink some water and the water just comes out my nose because there's nowhere to go.

And just laying there thinking I'm gonna die. But God's sovereign and God will perfectly keep all his elect Alive until they believe and he's perfectly sovereign over everyone's life and death and Job 14 verse 5 says since his days are determined the number of his months is with thee and his limits thou has set.

So that he cannot pass if you can grab a hold of this. It's like the second blessing after salvation. What greater truth could I know that the God of the universe doesn't have me in some kind of Fatalistic relationship, but he personally knows me and loves me and he is sovereign over all that I do and all everyone does.

Now it's fine to work out it's fine to eat right and all those things. But he has set his limits my limits so that I cannot pass them. How about Psalm 31 my times are in thy hand deliver me from the hand of thy enemies and from those who persecute me.

Psalm 139 verse 16 the days that were ordained for me when as yet there was not one of them. We are dead men walking, but we aren't going to die until God decrees it till God has it happen. That leads me into number five.

God is sovereign over our manner of death. He's not just sovereign over our life, but he's sovereign over how we die. Do you believe that? Can you think of anybody in the Bible who was told by God he was gonna die a certain way.

So I could illustrate that God is sovereign over not just how long we live, but actually how we die. I Can listen to John 21 verse 18 and following. Truly truly I say to you when you were younger Peter you used to gird yourselves and walk wherever you wish.

But when you grow old you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you and hold you. And bring you where you do not wish to go. Verse 19 of John 21. Now this he says signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God and when he had spoken this he said to him Follow me.

So here Jesus tells Peter. Here's how you're going to die. By the way, follow me. God is sovereign over every person here their life their death their birth. This one's easier number six. Let's get to the hard ones.

But first one more easy one number six the sixth area in which God is sovereign over. Is he sovereign over the good acts of men? He's sovereign over good things. Do you believe that? You can turn to Isaiah 44 with me if you will or you can just listen Isaiah chapter 44 again all leading us to the fact that God is sovereign over salvation.

It is a fallacy to believe he's sovereign over everything, but he's not sovereign over salvation. He is sovereign over everything therefore he must be sovereign over salvation. Therefore we must have hope that God who is by nature a Savior will save people and it's our job to give the gospel to everyone.

We don't know who's going to come to faith or not, but we just need to preach Sovereignty over good acts of men. Isaiah 44 28. Strangely, it says it is I who says of Cyrus. He is my shepherd Cyrus we're not talking about Josiah here somebody righteous.

Cyrus is the shepherd of God and he will perform all my desire all the good things that this unregenerate king could do. God is sovereign over them and He declares of Jerusalem. She will be built and of the temple your foundation will be laid.

How can God be sovereign over the good things of a bad person? Because he's sovereign over everything he's all-powerful and almighty. But now it's really gonna get pushed a little bit too far for some maybe.

Number seven. God is sovereign over the evil acts of men. Do you believe that God is sovereign over the evil acts of men? Let's start off with some easy ones. Genesis chapter 50 verse 20. As for you you meant evil against me Joseph said to his brothers, but God meant it for what good we all know that one.

In order to bring about this present result to preserve many people alive. But sometimes we forget chapters 45 of Genesis now therefore verse 8. It was not you who sent me here. Joseph said but God. Okay, that one's all right.

We're okay there. How about Job? Let's turn to Job chapter 1 for a moment and these are the verses that many Saints Have uttered God's sovereign over evil evil acts of man are evil Satan. Excuse me Job chapter 1 verse 21 naked I came from my mother's womb and naked I shall return there.

The Lord Yahweh gave and the Lord Yahweh has taken away blessed be the name of the Lord. Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God who really took away all the stuff. Well Satan did but was God sovereign over Satan.

That's why Martin Luther can say the hardest working servant in the world is Satan because God can take all Satan's work and turn that into good. That's amazing to me. Well, let's make it a little tougher here.

How about? First Kings 22, let's turn to first Kings 22 if you haven't turned to any passage so far. Let's turn to first Kings 22 together and I want you to to see how God is sovereign over everything including this whole idea of Satan and evil and God here is willing that false King Ahab be deceived and Satan comes and says, you know what?

I offer my services. God sends him with the command to be a lying spirit in the mouth of the people. How does that happen? I wouldn't believe these verses unless they were right in the Bible. But you read them and it's not a matter of well, that's your interpretation.

You just read it. It's anybody's interpretation. First Kings 22, how can God will something like this? It's just amazing we can't even figure it all out. I kind of like that about the scriptures where I can't put everything in my nice little sovereignty box.

I have to just say this is what God says and I acquiesce first Kings 22 20 and the Lord said who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramath Gilead. One said this while another said that. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said I will entice him verse 22 and the Lord said to him how and He said I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.

Then he said you are to entice him and also prevail go and do so. I Sure, wish Jesus would have said when he came to earth, you know. All the Bible's true all the stuff about Jonah's true all the stuff about Sodom and Gomorrah.

Sodom and Gomorrah is true and all the stuff about Adam and Eve that little section there in first Kings chapter 22. Verse 22 you just cut that out. That's not really true. But no Jesus leaves it. God is sovereign over Satan and Ahab and even these false prophets.

Did you know true or false? Jeremiah declared that the Chaldean cruelty against God's people was God's work. You're gonna want to say no, but we say it's true. That's Jeremiah chapter 1 in chapter 50 true or false.

Nebuchadnezzar is called God's servant. I don't want to say true, but it's right there in Jeremiah 25 this is an easy one who hardened their heart first. Did God Hardened Pharaoh's heart or did Pharaoh harden his own heart first?

And the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and then amazingly. Wonderfully acts chapter 4 the worst sin ever committed in the history of mankind are that will be. God was sovereign over and you are going to rejoice in this you are going to be glad.

Yes, you know you say God used the Egyptians to despise his chosen people Israel. I kind of get that but here the worst evil act of all time. I want you to know God was sovereign over it. He wasn't sleeping.

He wasn't taking a nap. He wasn't in the other room kind of not paying attention. The worst evil act of all the sin of the sin the death of the sinless one. God was sovereign over Acts chapter 4 verse 23 and when they had been released They went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priest and the elders had said to them and when they had heard This they lifted their voices to God with one accord saying Oh Lord It is thou that just make the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.

Who by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of our father David thy servant did say? Why did the Gentiles rage and the people devise futile things? The kings of the earth took their stand and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ.

And now we focus in on these two verses where God is sovereign over the worst sin that has ever been committed. For truly in this city that were gathered together against thy holy servant Jesus. Whom thou dist anoint both Herod and Pontius Pilate.

Along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel to do whatever by hand and my purpose Predestined to occur. Did you know the crucifixion of Jesus Christ was predestined by God? God was sovereign over that very much, so God is sovereign over the acts of evil men.

I don't know how you can watch the news without it. I know how you can travel the world without that bit of information. Quickly before number nine number eight. God is sovereign over the most trivial Circumstances, do you believe that God's sovereign over the most trivial circumstances?

Sminute details. I'd do that's why I don't play the lottery. Because I know God's sovereign over the lottery and I know he doesn't want me to have a lot of money because then I won't Trust in him. J. Vernon McGee used to say by the way J. Vernon McGee is actually dead for those of you that didn't know he's always on the radio preaching and I thought he was alive for a lot of years and J. Vernon McGee is dead, but he used to say When God wants to judge people he judges them by giving them a lot of money.

Because if you've got a lot of money who needs God. Who needs God. And so I don't play the lottery because a I think it stems from a heart that wants to be greedy and get money. Without work, but I also don't play because I know God won't use my stupid rationalizations of you know.

If I win God, I'll give 10 to the church. I mean, come on Proverbs 16 33 the lot is cast into the lap, but it's every decision is from the chances of the die. Know every decisions from the Lord. God sovereign over the big things and also the liver little things.

He's sovereign over the liver things, too. He is sovereign over every organ of your body. And this is the only hope for mankind. It's the only hope for humankind. It's the only hope for your friends and family members who aren't saved.

You have children who aren't saved. The only hope is a sovereign God. Do you have parents who are getting older who are going to die without Christ? You have only one hope and it's not your prowess. It's not your academic Excellence, it's not your rationalistic debating.

It is nothing except the sovereign grace of God and grace by definition friends. It's a sovereign grace and that leads us to number nine. God is sovereign over the salvation of sinners. Do you believe that God is sovereign over the salvation of sinners?

I was using a little hyperbolic statement when I was saying I was so sad leaving India. Left to myself left to my own natural thinking I was very sad. But I knew there was a God who sits in the heavens.

I knew there was a God who was sovereign. I knew there's a God who saves people and as Thomas goes to India and then William Carey goes to India and others go to India. And now national Indians preaching the gospel that God will not be frustrated.

I can rejoice. One man said quote if the hope of preachers and missionaries was in their own power and ability to convert sinners. Or if our hope was in the power our ability of dead sinners to give themselves life all would despair.

But when the workers hope for results is in the work of the Holy Spirit who alone can quicken we labor on with hope and Expectation in what God will do and be sure he will Affectually call his sheep by his own will and power through prayer and preaching.