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Well before we start I just wanted to say our preaching discipleship is finished and yesterday we had Four or five layman come and preach here at the sanctuary. Men who might not necessarily be gifted are called in the ministry.
But have been trained over the past four or five months and they got to stand up with their suits on and their shoes shined. And preached and if you were here preaching yesterday, would you just stand up?
Let's see a J was here Andrew Tom Scott and Bernard, where are you. Bernard preached as well? You guys can sit down now. Maybe some of you layman out there will be in the next group men that need to be trained how to teach the Bible verse By verse to a wanna to themselves to their wives and to have those men stand up and preach yesterday.
It was just a great time to see them stand up and to have someone else nervous in the pulpit besides just me. One man said I Slept one hour another man said I slept to no hours no hours, and I think five hours.
So we averaged I think about an hour and a half sleep per night per men rather. And someone said do you still get nervous when you come up to preach? We have the Harley Davidson crew out there. I Said the answer is yes.
Not because I'm nervous to preach in front of you because I know most of you and I love you and you know my faults and Strengths, but because when we stand up and preach we preach God's Word to God. I Hope you like the message today, but if you don't and it's biblical and God is pleased then what is the pastor to do?
The pastor preaches for God, and then we hope we all Redound in the glory of God as we hear him through his word. You know there's a big campaign these days to get prayer out of school. I could take it or leave it.
I hope they people pray in a variety of different places. I hope people that want prayer in school pray with their own families. But there's a bigger campaign that seems to be going on and that campaign is in the Evangelical Church and that campaign is this.
Not to get prayer out of school, but to get God out of these catastrophes. To get the triune God away from any blame regarding the hurricanes in the south. The number one Christian author and bestseller said on Good Morning America recently Ask about this and he said well first thing we need to understand is that not.
Everything that happens in this world is God's will. I have a will. You have a will. We have a free will. I'll tell you where God is. He's in the thousands of lives of people who love him and follow him and they are the hands and feet of God.
Was the hurricane outside of God's will? We need to answer that question. Combining this issue of where is God in Catastrophe we have this to help us. Published just last week the 100-minute Bible designed for times at times starved Christians.
The hundred minute Bible. Well, what would you put in a hundred minute Bible? It's interesting. This is called an abridged version of the Bible. It's ideal the publisher said for those who don't have time to read the original.
After all it says in the beginning there was the Bible and to read it chapter and verse would take months slim down page turner in an effort to get more people to read it. Lynn Budd the publisher of the hundred minute press Bible said this is a book for adults and has been written in a style to Encourage readers to keep turning the pages, but without resorting to any literary gimmicks.
He has spent 18 months on the work and he said it's in modern English and he has only included the really essential parts. I Thought there was a good strategy to combat that and it could be called the hundred minute sermon.
Where is God in all this does it matter if God is in charge of natural disasters? It's a big deal. See, well, it's kind of unloving to even talk about, you know, somebody's right. Somebody's wrong. Here's what I'd like to do and I've had four little children and about age 10 months 12 months 15 months.
Sometimes we're slow learners in the Avondroth family at chip off the old block. The kids are about ready to stand and walk they can kind of stand but they're teetering back and forth. Got those big chunky legs.
No, those big huge legs. It really soft and you put them out in the middle of the room at about 11 months old. And they're just like that kind of weeble there except they do fall down and You you put your hands there and you say all right.
Today's the day you're gonna learn to walk and you kind of back up a little bit and the kids thinking abandonment. He doesn't love me, but you're trying to teach that little one a lesson and that lesson is.
This family at 12 months old you're gonna walk. Okay, that's not the lesson. And so what from one perspective seems very unloving you're stepping back and the kid is like this. The other perspective is it's learning and maturing and teaching that you're teaching that child.
If you just back up a little bit and you start coming to daddy. I'm right there. Similarly with this idea of where is God when life hurts? Where is God when there's a natural catastrophe? It's not loving to somehow say God doesn't have anything to do with it.
Especially when the scriptures teach that he does. It's more loving to say from the pulpit to a congregation. It may seem a little harder. It may seem a little more rigid. It may seem a little more austere.
To say God's involved. But as you see how God's involved, it's a maturing process and you can say to yourself. I see that Christianity sometimes deals with hard doctrines true. Not everything's easy if you come out of here every Sunday saying that was sure a swell sermon.
Sometimes when Jesus preached what did the people say? It was a hard scene and. So today we want to look at how Jesus Christ is exalted and should be praised because he's in control of all things. You don't need to make an excuse for God.
Well, how could God allow that to happen rather? We'll see today that Jesus is in charge of everything. He is the instrumental cause he is the direct agent for God. Controlling the entire universe and because of that he should not be questioned.
You should not say well, how could God allow that the response of the Christian the response of BBC should be God is Incredible. So let's turn our Bibles to Hebrews chapter 1. We'll probably be in Hebrews 1 for a couple more weeks before we begin our Journey in the Sermon on the Mount verse by verse Matthew 5 6 and 7.
But I want to still talk about how great Christ is and that he is Majestic and that he is superior and he is what the writer of Hebrews calls I think 13 times better. Jesus is better. He's better than the angels.
He's better than Moses. He's better than Joshua. He's better than the Old Testament priesthood. He's better than the Old Testament law. You show me a prophet. He's better. You show me a king. He's better.
You show me a priest. He's better and what you know about Jesus should determine how you praise him and back to where we've always been in this church. It's theology what we believe about God Determines your methodology how you respond or behave which determines your doxology how you praise God.
And if you know Jesus is high and exalted and making all these things like natural disasters. Turn out for his glory and are good then you'll end up praising him instead of saying well, how could this all happen?
The book of Hebrews is an argument by the inspired author. To the writer to the listeners of this sermon. It was probably a sermon to try to tell them that Jesus is great that Jesus is God. And it should change the way that the listeners live.
And that's really my purpose today. My purpose today is to show you the Jesus of the Bible the Jesus of the Bible who's not just love. But the Jesus of the Bible who is loving but so many more things.
How many attributes of God does Jesus have? Probably an infinite amount. He's revealed many in the scriptures, but Jesus has all kinds of attributes. And by the way, that's what I think is so great about God is because he has so many attributes and they perfectly come together.
And they're not opposite. My idea is how can love and holiness go together? But in God, especially at Calvary he can manifest his love and his justice and his graciousness. Simultaneously, we want to do what Paul told Timothy in 2nd Timothy chapter 2 today.
Remember Jesus Christ. Christ Jesus is superior is the theme of the book of Hebrews. Now to jumpstart us look at verse 1 of chapter 1 God. After he spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways.
And stop there for a minute. Remember this is just the writers Introduction, he doesn't say grace to you in peace like normal apostolic greetings. He kind of almost sings this it's got all starts with the letter P the letter pie and in Greek and it just is abrupt yet very melodic.
God used to speak a certain way in piecemeal. But in these days verse 2 in these last days more literally on the last of these days. In the days of the Messiah Messiah has come we're waiting for the Messiah to return.
Those days in between the first coming in the second coming are the messianic days the last days in those days. He has spoke to us spoken to us in his son. By the way, if you take a look at the Greek language in Son is how it should be translated.
Fixing our attention on who the son is not the particular son. He speaks through his son. He doesn't speak anymore. He has spoken past tense in his son and then his apostolic messengers. Then he jumps right into showing Jesus is superior and in review He says number one out of the seven reasons why he's superior.
Found in verse 2 Jesus is superior because he's the heir of all things. If you have only one son, he's the heir of everything and then he's the Lord of the estate. Secondly in review Jesus is superior not only because he's an heir but furthermore because he's the creator.
Do you see verse 2 through whom also he made the literally ages? God makes Atoms and God makes molecules and God makes minerals. But this particular term is he makes ages. He makes the times he makes the eons.
He makes past present and future. Certainly, he makes other things and everything in the world. But this is more he makes eons not something in it. Colossians chapter 1 would discuss he makes mountains, etc.
Jesus is great because he's the heir of all things. Moses isn't. I'm not. He creates everything. Which character in the Bible created things. No one. He's trying to show the listeners and the Jewish audience, especially especially that Jesus is great.
He's better. He's God. Thirdly, he's superior because he's the radiance of God's glory right there in verse 3 I keep trying to refer you to the Bible because I want you to see the Bible verses with your own Bible a Pastoral hint.
Bring the same Bible to church every Sunday. Well, let's back up bring a Bible to church every Sunday. If you don't and you can't afford one We'll buy you one. But you want to get a good English Bible to bring that every Sunday and then all of a sudden especially if this is part five of the Hebrews 1 1 2 3 series.
If you don't look down in your Bible and you tell me where Hebrews 1 is I think you can tell me at least in my Bible. It's on the far left top column right up there and when I need to find Hebrews 1 I just start looking at the top left right in the Hebrews area because I'm gonna find it right there.
When you use the same study Bible you become familiar with it and you kind of break it in. Just like if you had a tool kit at home I have a big box of tools and I'm finally learning throughout the years that if I always put the point file over here.
You didn't know I knew what a point file was. Did you I had to file my points the other day on the boat? It wouldn't start. And then if I put my Okay Crescent wrench over here. You just know where things go.
Same thing if you use the same Bible bring the same Bible to church every Sunday you'll start seeing where everything belongs and a much quicker pace and Here as you see in your own Bibles verse 3 says he is the radiance of his glory.
He is the shining forth everything that's perfect and great and wonderful about God. Jesus Demonstrates the same. He's the same essence of the Father. He's not just like the Father. He has the same nature and being an essence of the Father.
The majesty of God's splendor the Father's splendor is easily seen in the Son's glory. Fourthly Jesus is superior because he's the exact Representation of God's nature. He's the stamp of God as it were verse 3 the exact representation of his nature.
If you want to see what God looks like in other words, you look to Christ the Incarnate Son Jesus reveals God perfectly the personal imprint of God in time and space and Then we're up to number five now the fifth reason why Jesus is superior if that's not all so far.
There's enough to fall down and worship him to say God you deserve my praise and adoration and my exaltation. You deserve my life. I Should have be a living sacrifice to you God because of all this. But what's more and what brings us to the point with all this suffering and catastrophe issues that are very timely.
Verse 3. He's superior because he upholds all things by the word of his power. He's not holding things up. He's holding them up and moving them along to the final goal to the final completion. God has something in mind when he's made the universe.
He has a beginning of the universe and an end and he will see fit to make it happen. He upholds everything. He has evolved himself with everything God. I think I said this several weeks ago is a micro what?
Manager. God is a hands-on sovereign when it comes to his creation. He is not the deist. He does not take us the universe and wind it up like a watch and sit it there and say wow. That's great our oops.
Sorry that happened. He upholds all things by the word of his power. He's superior. So then we stopped a little bit and we said let's try to understand this a little bit more. How can God be sovereign when there's sin?
How can Jesus be providentially ruling everything if there's a disaster and so we started laying some foundations to this idea of the providence of God. Let me give you those foundations. The first foundation regarding the providence of Jesus Christ is that Jesus Doesn't have to explain everything to us.
That is to say when God says he's providentially ruling the universe. We don't need to know all the details. It's okay to sleep at night not knowing how God is doing all this. How is God using Katrina for his good?
Do you have to sleep to know that? What if you just know the answer that God's going to use that? Sometimes these issues are left entirely and absolutely unexplained. God wants you to know what's in his Bible true.
You are expected to know everything in his word in this love letter about God so you can worship him properly. True. Everything in the Bible is sufficient for you for life and godliness true. Therefore why didn't God tie some of the loose ends of the life trials and problems and issues?
With evil or sin because God didn't want us to know. Because God sometimes calls us not to have to everything figured out. He calls us to do what Proverbs 3 says to trust in Yahweh the personal covenant-keeping God and trust the Lord with all our hearts.
We don't need to know all the answers. We know God has the reason for his plans that he'll make him for the best. Sometimes. That's all we need to know. Furthermore another foundation block is that God's providence is universal.
Would you turn your Bibles over to Daniel 4 as I try to construct this idea of a we have a theological problem? How is God sovereign over evil. The way to attack that problem or deconstruct that problem is to understand in the Bible?
What we know? There's something we don't know. So let's go for everything. We know to help us with that issue. That's how we have to deal with all kinds of problems is well. What has God told us? He hasn't told us a lot.
But what has he told us? He has told us that God's providence Through Christ is universal or its general Daniel chapter 4 verses 34 and 35 are two of the most Amazing verses to teach that God is sovereign over everything and may I bring it down low to us?
He's sovereign over your life. He's sovereign over your skin color. Who your parents were. How old you'll live the chromosomes that you have or don't have. Who your parents are. Who your parents weren't.
All the kind of issues everything that's happened in your life every medical issue. God is sovereign over everything. This is two good sentences for us to two good verses rather for us to see and It's through most likely a pagan strangely enough Nebuchadnezzar but at the end of that period I Nebuchadnezzar what period was that Oh Nebuchadnezzar that period when you were running around saying moo.
That particular period when you were eating grass and you had the long Fingernails and you were acting like there was no God and God said there's no you think there's no God. Okay, then I'll abandon you in a divine way over to your own devices like Romans chapter 1.
And if you think there's no God, let me give you a taste of what it's like to act like there's no God but at the end of that period I Nebuchadnezzar raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me and I blessed the Most High.
Even those two words little in them of themselves about God is God. He's the Most High he does what he wants and praised and honored him who lives forever. For his dominion is What an everlasting dominion and his kingdom his sovereignty his providence if you will endures from generation to generation.
All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing but he does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and No one can ward off his hand or say to him.
Why have you caused Katrina? No, that's not what it says. What have you done? That's not a proper response to God. What have you done? Why did you do that? Why couldn't you keep that person in my life alive?
Why couldn't I get that disease white why I shouldn't have gotten that disease etc, etc. God is in charge of everything but not just the big umbrella issues, but he's also involved very intimately with people and That's the third building block.
The first one is God doesn't have to explain everything. The second building block block is God's providence is universal and now God's providence is specific or minute or particular Proverbs 16 33 the lot is captain cast into the lap, but it's every decision is from the Lord.
The very hairs of the of your head are numbered. God knows us intimately and personally and to further bolster my Case let me give you some Bible words about how God reigns. I love these sovereignty reign with our EIG and Dominion rule decree ordained appointed established.
He chose he predestined he foreordained. God's sovereign hand is over the past present and future every time event every molecule without Exception as one theologian said if you can find one random molecule in the universe that God doesn't say he's sovereign over.
You don't have a sovereign God. I Think Abraham Kuyper the Dutch reformer said everything in the universe. You can just look at it and see God saying that's mine. That's mine, that's mine. It's like there's a cattle on a thousand hills God owns.
They're all his. It's concerned with everything great or small good or Evil, that's the issue that we have today. How can God be sovereign over evil because we don't want God to get messed up with evil because somehow God's only good.
God never Authorizes sin in terms of you know generating it inside the people and and so we want to somehow protect God. But you want to know an amazing thing God never tries to protect himself from being sovereign over sin in the Bible.
Why do you we don't need to make excuses for God? He never does he never says well. You know I'm sovereign over everything, but so how can we understand it better? How can we understand it so we don't have to go to one extreme chaos?
It's random. The actuarial tables, it's luck. It's fortune and then on the other side God is so sovereign over everything. We don't have to do anything. It's fatalistic. It's. You know we're not involved at all.
What do we do? Well, let's keep going with what we know and let's go to the big one now the fourth building block the foundation that can help us praise Jesus better is That we need to understand that Christ providence as he upholds all things includes your will.
Jesus Christ is sovereign over your will he's sovereign over the unbelievers will and he's sovereign over your will. All right, let me give you two inflammatory comments one. Now you'll listen right? I think it's.
I think it's sinful to hear preaching and ignore it and fall asleep. I also think it's sinful for the preacher to not try to preach in such a way that keeps the people involved in listening. All right if I just get up here and kind of monotone it I don't think I'm doing a very good job and if you sit in The back or the front and just kind of doze off.
You know you kind of One of those I just think it's not about me. It's God's Word and we are to honor him and worship you are worshiping right now. So sometimes I like to be a little provocative. Oftentimes I like to be provocative with statements.
One of the biggest idols today is The idol of free will. It's the idol of free will. When I went to India, it's an amazing trip. And of course 330 million gods and goddesses the Indians have when I got off the plane.
I looked all around and There was just gods everywhere. People worshiping those gods. People spending money on those gods people spending time on those gods. Oh By the way, I'm not talking about Bombay.
I'm talking about Logan and one of those gods today is don't you dare touch free will or somehow? God is relegated to some kind of Cosmic robot maker. I have a question is God's will free. What do you mean by free will of man if we understand those?
I think there's a good free will and a bad free will but here is my question if God the Sun is to be praised For holding up the universe and driving everything to its final result. Including natural things supernatural things people minds wills.
Does it include that? Or somehow is God sovereign over everything except your will. By the way I don't think you think so because if you believe in free will how do you pray for your unbelieving friends?
God I'd like you to order to the circumstances in such a way that the people on their own in their own time of their Own volition that they just decide to follow you in such a way when you're forgetting that people's wills are fallen.
People's wills are sinful. People's wills are Captivated by Satan. Do you know 2nd Timothy chapter 2 says unbelievers wills are Bound to do what Satan tells them to do. Now what's free about that if an unbeliever has freedom from Satan?
I'd say call it free, but he doesn't he's captive to do Satan's will the insidious nature of all. This is he thinks he does have a free will. You're going around saying I'm free to do whatever I want for 29 years of my life.
I ordered my own life and everything seemed to be going okay to plan until 27 years into it. The bad thing is I was doing exactly what Satan wanted me to do. I was a serf. I was his pawn. I was a slave.
Today the idol of free will that man is not influenced from Satan. Man is not influenced from eternal. Excuse me internal sin. Romans 7. I can deal with those. But here's what I can't deal with. The Bible teaches that God's will Is supreme and that man's will is in subjection to God's will?
He upholds all things by the word of his power. Except that thing in your life. That's called the island of righteousness the will. You say well, what does that mean? What about this whole robot deal?
I thought real love was love if you follow him on your own. That's probably for next week. Just give. I think we'll get to it. Let me give you a few verses and why don't you turn to the book of Proverbs, please?
I want to show you three proverbs as I build my case if you're a visitor here today. Then you need to make sure what I say is biblical and if it's not you need to tell your family on the way home. I'm not biblical, but let me try to show you from the Bible that we evangelicals.
Try to use this word free will too often to protect God from somehow being involved in evil or somehow because we want God to do. Half the work and then the man can do half the work versus salvation being all of God.
And my question is this as we go to these three Proverbs does God have a free will. Does he. I can make it more simple. I? Could put it more simply. Is God God. We'd all say yes. But we might have a little exception clause.
What does Proverbs? We'll look at some other verses in just a minute. Romans 9 look at Proverbs 16 9 to start and these are all verses that talk about Mind and heart and plans of a man and it yet. It shows that God's sovereign over those when you see the word heart don't be an American.
Don't be someone born in this century where we say this. I've got a lot of head knowledge, but I don't have a lot of heart knowledge in the Greek and Hebrew mindset the head and the heart were combined.
Every year, so I need to have a Star Trek illustration so here comes the Star Trek illustration. Captain Kirk and Spock and all these other guys are in the mission control center. They're right there Jean-luc Picard, and they're all there right in the hub of where decisions are made and we'll call that the mission control center.
When you read heart in the Bible you need to think mission control center. You don't want to think I love my wife, and I love dogs, and I love ice cream and the emotions. You know your heart's just beating.
No. It's the mission control center. It's the mind choosing. It's just all wrapped up so much so that sometimes We're told to to love with our bowels to love with our guts. To love with our spank nut is the Greek word because it's we're one component.
I'm not a man of flesh and with some spirit floating around inside of me. I'm one. I'm not a dualist. I'm not kind of Mike the flesh and then Mike the good guy on the inside spirit ghost thing. How did this get in the sermon I want to know.
Sometimes I like to preach on Sundays and sometimes I don't and the times that I don't like to preach. I just like to hear what I'm gonna say while I'm preaching so. Well, however you can get yourself to the service.
That's a good thing. When you read the word heart I want you to think of mind as well because that whole issue of heart. Mind and will are all bound up in that word heart our mind. When you read Greek and Hebrew Proverbs 16 9 the mind of man plans his way.
I believe man is responsible and we'll get there in a minute but the Lord. The covenant-keeping God of the universe who has a personal name. This is his name. Yahweh directs his steps. Secondly chapter 19, please.
Proverbs 19. Proverbs 19 21. Many plans are in a man's heart and you can tell right there that the heart has to be more than emotions. Correct, because how can you plan with your emotions? Many plans are in a man's heart, but the counsel of the Lord will stand.
Man makes all kinds of decisions within his free will quote-unquote, but God's free will rules. That would be a good translation an interpretive translation. Chapter 21, please. Who is the most powerful man in all the universe back in the Bible days?
What particular office would he have or what would he be called? Be called a king so you can tell the author of the wisdom literature picks the king as he's inspired by God. Proverbs 21 1 the king's heart the most powerful human sovereign on the earth.
President Bush is President Bush's will influenced by God. The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord. He turns it wherever he wishes. Isn't that amazing? I find that amazing that God can be control.
He can control and be sovereign over the mind choosing Robert Dabney the theologian said for otherwise God would not govern any of the physical events into which human volitions enter as modifying causes that is to say that if a mind chooses to do something and has.
There are results and effects. You mean God's not sovereign over that he has to be. Let me read you from our statement of faith. We have a statement of faith here. You can get it on the website. It's a modified 1689 Baptist Statement of faith.
Our statement of faith reads quote. God who in infinite power and wisdom Has created all things upholds directs controls and governs them both intimate and inanimate intimate great and small by a providence supremely wise and holy and in accordance with his infallible foreknowledge and the free and Immutable decisions of his own will.
We believe that God has the free will and if you want to believe humans have free will I'll allow that for time being. But I want you to subordinate man's freedom to God's. Our statement of faith goes on to read he fulfills the purposes for which he creates created them.
So that his wisdom power and justice together with his infinite goodness and mercy might be praised and glorified. Why don't we turn to Romans chapter 9 for a minute. And I'd like to answer the question if man doesn't have a free will does that make him a robot?
What about this whole robot deal? I there must have been before route robots were Invented another argument. I don't know what the argument would have been 200 years ago before robots. But some kind of fatalism and somehow what man does or not do God doesn't care.
It doesn't factor in. The purpose of my message this morning is to make sure we realize God's providence rules over all which includes you and your will. Look at Romans chapter 9 verse 20 certainly the book of Romans talking about a righteousness of God Imputed to our account and we are justified we have great standing before God because we have God's own righteousness his son's righteousness.
Romans chapter 9 verse 20 in this whole issue of who's sovereign people. Have a problem with that people have a question about it. We are made in God's likeness and image true or false. You ever watch a kid playing a sandbox.
I used to play in the sandbox all the time. I mean that was big and when I was growing up, I lived in the day before big wheels and to this day, I think my My psyche has been damaged by that because I wanted to play with big wheels and it was an invention after I was alive.
Or you know young we'd go out in the backyard next door at the Rouse house, and we would play in a sandbox. We would bring those little army guys. It's a little green army guys sometimes I had a little silver a little silver Civil War guys kind of made of metal or some kind of Asbestos coated thing or something in the 60s and I would get that thing and My buddy and I would be on the same team and those were the good guys.
These were the bad guys. This guy died first. This guy here was courageous and even though he got bayoneted in the stomach he still lived and that guy was me by the way and off you go and who wins and You know people are doing.
They're showing that God has made them in his likeness and image and part of his image and likeness is he's sovereign. And so when God makes a man he makes that man makes a young boy makes a woman they want to exercise sadly because of the fall their own Person their own sovereignty.
I run things. I'm the king. I'm the castle of my own ship. I do things on my own before the fall. It was proper after Glorification it'll be proper, but there's something built into every one of us that wants to be in charge.
So therefore now as sinful people after the fall after Adam had had Sinned we all sinned in Adam in a federal sense at in the garden. Now when God says I save I initiate it's all my will you're just a responder.
We don't like that because our Sovereignty has been skewed and we think we're sovereign over God and so the response Paul anticipates like a good lawyer. This whole robot deal if God's sovereign of my will then who cares then what do I whatever I do I do doesn't matter verse 20 on the Contrary, who are you?
Oh try you and God. Showing the difference here. We're talking about God and now he's saying don't forget you're a man. Don't forget who you are. Don't forget that. You're a human. How could you ever say anything like that to God on the contrary who are you oh man who answers back to God.
It's okay to say Why did God do this or how could God allow that and I think that's fine as long as you're not impinging on God's motives. And somehow ascribing bad things to him the thing molded will not say to the molder.
Why did you make me like this? Will it so my answer to the robot deal is found in verse 21. Our does not the Potter Have the right over the clay to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use.
The analogy is not God in a robot. The analogy is God is the Potter and we are the Clay. Can God make some Clay take some clay and make it into a nice bowl that you Use for when the guests come over Mitt Romney's gonna come over the governor and so you get out your best stuff and can also God take some clay and he makes it for everyday use stuff just for a Little flower or daisy or something like that.
He can do whatever he wants. God's sovereign and our response to God if he says in my scripture I am holy I am providential. I am sovereign. I have free will our Response should not be God that makes me a robot and the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and he did not listen to him.
Just as the Lord had spoken to Moses. Look back up in chapter 9 of Romans verse 13, by the way. Let me just spin off into a verse something very practical. Does this help for evangelism or does it hinder it if God is the Potter and we're the clay?
Is this help us in our evangelism that God's sovereign over the wills? Let's get to the point God's sovereign over who goes to heaven and who doesn't. Is it helpful. Does it hurt in evangelism? What if you go to evangelism and you go up and preach somebody you think well, maybe God hasn't chosen them.
So why bother what do we do with all that? Let's back up just a hair and take a look at Romans chapter 9 verse 13. To think that God would choose anyone is absolutely unbelievable. This is a I don't think Paul had it but I'll have it.
This is a conniption fit passage right here. And if you don't have a conniption fit Then what we need to do and what I have to regularly do is go back to before I was saved and realized what? What was my what was my lot in life?
What was my lot in eternity? What would I have gone through for eternity in hell forever that I was owed that God was a Debtor to give me because of what my actions were. Harkening back to pre-salvation look at Romans 9 13 just as it is written.
He brings out the big guns here with Bible verses. Jacob I have loved but he saw I have hated. Wait, how can that happen? What shall we say then verse 14? There is no injustice with God. Is there is God ever unjust?
Katrina. Satan falling. Eve falling. Me sinning. May it never be those are just two words in the Greek and it means no way. Never don't even talk like that. No way. Jose, whatever you want to say. It's just big don't don't talk.
Don't talk like that. Why we all deserve death but yet God look at how wonderful he is and how merciful and compassionate he even said to Moses. Quoting verses for those people that somehow think how could this be?
I will have mercy on whom I have mercy. I'll have compassion on whom I have compassion. And here comes the drumroll for the one who's got the real free will whose will Are all the unbelievers souls hanging upon their own are gods.
So then it does not depend on the man who wills free will or fallen or The man who runs how much work he tries to do how much self-righteousness he tries to do but on God Who has mercy. I could translate it this way interpret Lee but on God's will who has mercy.
Why do you evangelize? I'll tell you why I evangelize. I'll tell you how I evangelize. I Evangelize knowing that God has told me to evangelize and God tells me to evangelize and he says to me Through the scripture you were to evangelize and you're to preach the good news as a fragrance.
Something that smells good to those who are saved and it doesn't smell good to those who aren't saved. I always think of walking into a house and walking into a house and smelling kind of toll house cookies.
That smell good you wake up when you're camping you sleep in real late. And that's like 445 sleeping and late camping and you wake up somebody's already put bacon on the griddle. That smell Scott just goes.
Mmm. There's just something about that and when we go preach The Jesus Christ alone saved sinners. There's a fragrance to that Paul says it smells good to God. It smells good to us something attractive and lovely and it brings back memories and the sense of smell and The people who aren't saved they're not gonna like it and to them.
They think it smells like a trash can that's set there for all summer in the hot Sun and you open it up and there's nothing. But maggots and that smell. You just can't get out of your nose. You just remember I had to bury a cat one time and it was a neighbor's cat.
Took the cat out of this box thing that the the boy who had his father wasn't there and so I was trying to be a nice man and I Opened that lid and I thought I'm never going to forget that death smell of that rotten cat as long as I live.
And as we go preach to unbelievers, it doesn't smell good. But I know that no matter what their will will allow or won't allow. If God who doesn't have to wants to be merciful and compassionate and forgiving and loving God will save them.
It's amazing to me before salvation thinking that the cross preach the offense of the cross is a putrid death smell and The God of the universe who upholds all things with the word of his power Comes along to your mom or to your sister or to your friend or to your husband who said no to God for one year ten years fifty years eighty years and God because of his will can take an unbeliever and give them a new heart and a new mind and a new soul.
Even if they say God, I won't do it. Even if they say God I will kill you and your people even if they're like Paul the Apostle before he was the Apostle and he was Saul writing to Damascus with that stench in his nose where he hated the gospel and God comes along and says my will trumps your will.
Your will is a slave to itself to its own sin to the world to the system of the world and to Satan himself. And if it's not for the glorious trumpet of the Calvary and me being able to trump your will.
You're going to hell and even though you deserve it Paul times a hundred even Paul knew it later. He said I'm the chief of sinners God said because I want to show people how glorious I am and I have more attributes than just justice and wrath and righteousness.
I'm going to take this man who thinks my gospel stinks and I'm going to turn him into the Apostle that will turn the world upside down and Paul to his dying day. We'll take a deep long breath in and say as his head is getting chopped off.
Love that smell. And he'll be willing to die for it. Free will. No free will. I Don't care about if you really believe in free will or not. But I want you to believe that God's will is sovereign. God's will trumps all other wills.
God gets his work done and he doesn't do it with a bunch of people organizing only their circumstances. He organizes their circumstances and he says over their heart and will and mine. That is mine. And he did so to the people who killed Jesus and said you are that your your wills.
I'm still sovereign over it. But I don't have to exercise my mercy and you can just do what you would normally do. But I'll still make sure it happens and we don't have any problem with that. Because we are glad that God sovereignly decreed the death and crucifixion of Jesus.
When you want to evangelize. You are you looking for an E on someone's head? I don't know if they're elect or not. So I better not. We're not supposed to know matter of fact, I'm glad I don't know. We are to be like God who has mercy on the unbeliever.
He has grace on the unbeliever in the sense of common grace and God gives unbelievers rain and children and pleasure food shelter and we're to love them and I would I would say this to to you that the most loving thing you could ever do to someone is to tell them the gospel.
And tell them why it's such a sweet smell for Jesus Christ to die on the cross to God raise him from the dead and to how with salvation. The sinner who disposed to die and bear their sins throughout all eternity.
Can have those sins placed on Christ. Christ bears them even though he's not a sinner and then Christ perfects works all his righteousness. His his obedience to the law gets put into my spiritual bank account and God said well You don't have anything to pay for anymore because a Jesus has paid for it and be you'll just look like Jesus to me.
I Don't need to know if anybody is elect or not elect because the power of God and his will can save anybody. God pleases and he pleases to save the elect. That's certainly true, but I don't need to know it.
You say what about God? Introducing evil and God permitting evil. Can we talk that way? Does God approve evil? Does God ordain evil? What do we do with all those things. Well, I think we'll have to look at that next time Jesus Christ came to save sinners true.
Does Jesus always get his man our woman? Why would Jesus say I always save the ones whom I save and desire to save yet? I'm going to use Bethlehem Bible Church to preach that gospel to the people. If I was God, I would say forget that leader and forget that group because they're gonna mess it all up.
They don't know what to do. They're afraid. They're they're they they're they're not bold. God has given us the privilege to preach the gospel to unbelievers. I Encourage you I implore you To go preach that great smelling Savior this week to someone and say, you know, Jesus is a lovely Savior.
He's the fairest Lord Jesus. He forgives sins. Oh worship the King. And if God wants them to be saved guess what will happen? I don't have any more responsibility. I preached the gospel. What would you do if you preach the gospel and somebody went to hell and you knew they never believed in Christ?
Would you have to carry that the weight of your life? No, you have discharged your duty and it is not your will that they be saved. But it's God's will and God's will is for the church to preach the gospel because the gospel saves.
God doesn't believe for people. God doesn't repent for people. God says I'm gonna give you a new will and a new heart and that new will and heart that used to hate. God loves God. God didn't need to bust into the house of my heart and pull me out in 1989 by my hair.
Like a caveman would pull a cavewoman out if you believe in all the evolution caveman stuff. I need the illustration pull me out and say you're gonna worship me. Here's what God did. He broke into the doors of my heart and said Mike you have a heart that hates me.
You think you're really cool because you give me all kinds of lip service and you have self-righteousness. So that's even worse. And I'm gonna give you a new heart regeneration new heart. You know what a new heart does.
It loves the things that it used to hate and it hates the things that used to love and that new heart of its own Agency of its own determination with its own mind choosing says God. I love you God. I praise you God.
I can't wait till your son comes back God. I want to tell other people. Let's just pray and ask God to give us the opportunity this week to preach the gospel. We have so many people here that know the truth and can understand it and to preach it.
I'm ready for some more baptisms, aren't you? Not to send into the conference. But to send up the praise. The sweet praise to God saying God you save somebody else. Well, let's bow. Please Lord. These are heady concepts and Lord, we still haven't exhausted what your scriptures say about these things.
Lord, you've made yourself pleasing to us and pleasant to us. And what we used to not like Father now we find praiseworthy. And only you could do that. Lord. We can't talk people into it. We can't manipulate them.
We can't give them evidences that demand a verdict. Because you've told us they're dead and that you've told us that only your will saves. And Lord your will has also told us in the scriptures to preach the gospel to every creature and so Lord help us to do that.
Lord guard our church from being number-driven. Yet Lord give us many Opportunities to praise you as you bring in all kinds of people that need to be saved in this dark place. That's turning darker here in New England in Jesus name.
Amen.