Unconditional Election: a Helper

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Pastor Mike has an unique “take” on helping people understand predestination, election and sovereign choice.

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Welcome to No Compromise Radio Ministry. I'm trying to set down my iPad without making a noise, but it doesn't work.
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It doesn't work out so well. You can write me, Mike, at nocompromiseradio .com.
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I went to some ratings on iTunes for fun on No Compromise Radio Ministry.
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Six years ago, painful, not provocative, two stars. Low quality biblical talk show with a host who's basically talking to himself.
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Doesn't go much below the surface and the randomness of the discussion is frustrating. Definitely not provocative.
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The second star is for Jesus. A note to Groob Doe O, Groob Doe Zero.
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I am talking to myself. There's not another person in this room. Sometimes I'll interview people.
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Sometimes Pastor Steve will be here. I've got to get him back. He's been busy. Sending him and his wife on a cruise.
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He's been here 20 years and off on a cruise they go. Assuming Florida still exists today in real time,
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September 27th, Friday, I think there's a huge hurricane. I also found this review eight years ago from Des Nudo.
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Good content, poorly presented. The content of the podcast seems to be biblically sound, but after three episodes, the presentation is so off -putting that it is a chore to get through them.
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From frequently laughing at his own inside jokes that others won't get, to having little if any editing done to take out the extraneous noise, there are many factors that detract from the presentation and undermine the presenter.
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All right, well, you have to take your lick somehow. That wraps up the show.
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Thanks for calling. It's been a crazy week in evangelicalism where everybody's got their mind on one topic, seemingly.
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I haven't said anything about it publicly, no post, no Twitter, no anything to the point that now on Twitter, I think the only thing
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I'm doing so far is posting a show, no co -show, description and the link.
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Maybe I'll retweet something, the Pactom conference coming up in October at Omaha Bible Church with Pat Abendroth, Vandrunen and Fesco and myself, or like Nahum is sick with cancer and he said something and I retweeted it, that type of thing.
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For quotes, for hot takes, I guess I'm not consistent because I'm doing a radio show, but why would anyone in the world on social media care what
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I think? Why would they need to know what I think? Why would I need to do podcasts about topics that are in the news now, blogs, open blogs, news, when people don't even know all the details and it's just speculation on many people's parts and I don't know, shock and sadness can certainly be there and prayer, but the whole thing's just kind of bugging me.
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So anyway, that's why I'm obliquely only talking about it, which detracts from the presenter and the presentation and he's laughing at his own inside jokes and he seems like he's talking to himself in a room.
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Well, after 4 ,000 shows, you have to talk to somebody, so might as well, like a crazy man, talk to yourself.
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Today on No Compromise Radio, duplex gratia radio, of course, you know we like to talk about the
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Lord Jesus. I'd like you to consider the choice,
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Jesus's choice of the apostles and I'd like to have you consider that God's sovereign choice of apostles can help you with God's sovereign choice in who goes to heaven.
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Now, most of you who will listen, except the two detractors there, by the way, if you want to give me a good rating on iTunes, you don't have to because I don't think it does anything at all.
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I think I pretty much have the same audience that I've always had, right? It's Justin, it's
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Jim B., not Jim B., but Jim B., Florida. It's Kofi, it's
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Christian Harris. I think those are the only four people that listen. Oh, some people at church listen.
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They say they're listening. So, thank you, Bethlehem Bible Church. You're required to do that. Actually, in membership class, you're required to serve, you're required to participate in the life of the church, worship on Sunday morning, if possible, and listen to No Compromise Radio and stream.
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Every one of you has had to go through the tap out phase, the saying uncle phase, when it comes to sovereign election, predestination.
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You've had to finally come to grips with the fact that Romans 9 is in the Bible. Second Thessalonians 1 is in the
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Bible. First Thessalonians 2 is in the Bible. John 15 is in the
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Bible. And Exodus 33 is in the Bible. And you had to say uncle finally.
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But there are probably some people that you know, some Arminians, Charismatics, seeker -sensitive kind of folks that are real
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Christians, and they're just trying to work through it. We all have to work through it unless you grow up getting catechized with the
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Heidelberg Catechism or Westminster Shorter or Longer or Spurgeon's Catechism or a
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Baptist Catechism, John Owen's Catechism, and more. The template is
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God chooses. So, just to remind you, in Luke chapter 6, the day came, he called, he,
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Jesus, called his disciples and chose from them twelve whom he named apostles. And then the list is given.
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Simon, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, the son of Alpheus, Simon, who is called the zealot,
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Judas, son of James, and Judas, who became a traitor. And we could talk a long time about how
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God chooses, and there are no Pharisees in the list, no Sadducees, no Herodians, and scribes, and big shots, and how
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Simon the zealot probably hated people who were doing Roman occupations, and he did.
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And now you've got Matthew, who would work for the Romans to take money from the Jews, and they're all working together.
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And what Jesus is doing is he's choosing the disciples for help in ministry. Conflict is ratcheting up, and eventually
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Jesus knows he's going to die, and the work is going to need continuing. And he takes out of the disciples that are following him, he chooses some of those.
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So, back to verse 13 of chapter 6 again, he calls his disciples and chose from them twelve.
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So, now you have Jesus calling his disciples and then summoning them,
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Mark says, choosing them, eclego. So, you summon, excuse me, you call, and then you choose, or you summon, or you choose for yourself,
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Mark, with the emphatic personal pronoun himself. And he's going to need these men.
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Need, meaning not like it's not constitutionally needed, but he will use these men, maybe that's a better way to put it, to represent him.
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And they will be the sent out ones, they'll be his delegates, they'll be the ones who will work for the
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Lord Jesus. Probably mostly
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Galileans, with a couple exceptions. Okay, so let's use that as a template to help with sovereign election.
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Not many people I know think this was wrong for Jesus to do. Not many people
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I know or have ever heard of think this is improper. It rubs them the wrong way. They don't like it.
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How can God be fair? Most everyone thinks that Jesus, out of all the disciples, could twelve choose.
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I'm learning Latin, so I'll blame it on that. My Duolingo, I think I'm up to 690 days or something like that.
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Latin, I do about every other day. Greek, every other day. Spanish, every day. And Hebrew, once a week.
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Because it's just so hard. The other languages seem to be easier for me. Jesus calls them.
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He chooses or summons, depending on Luke's language or Mark's language. And this is not, hey, who wants to come?
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This is not, hey, it's a volunteer, sign up sheet at church, pretty please. This is more a warrant or a summons.
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God choosing. John 15, you did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the
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Father in my name, he may give you. Jesus, the Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Yahweh, Kurios, he rules over all.
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Now, we could talk about how Israel was chosen, how angels were chosen, Levitical priests were chosen,
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Jeremiah the prophet was chosen. We could talk about how at the very essence of God, when
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Moses wanted to see the glory of God, God said, I'll make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name, the
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Lord. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
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God in Exodus 33 and 34 showing Moses his sovereignty. Now, I've got four questions to ask today on No Compromise Radio that will help you if you're struggling with sovereignty, or if you're not struggling with it, you can help others.
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Okay? And you could probably use this with Israel. You could use this with a Levitical priest. You could use it with Jeremiah, any kind of choosing in the
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Bible. You could use this for works for all realms of sovereignty. Most people have no problem with, you know, weather and gender and race and all that other stuff.
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But today we have learned that Jesus chose out of a group of men, 12 apostles.
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And just to show you how sovereign he is, he named some of them, right? Gave some of them different names.
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And now I'm going to ask four questions to help you understand the sheer gravity, nature of sovereign choice.
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All right, you ready to go? Number one. I know, I know.
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We haven't even started yet and they're clapping before we've even started. The next thing you know, you're going to begin to laugh at your own jokes, your own inside jokes.
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Number one, did the apostles earn or merit being chosen by Christ?
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So, Jesus says, well, you can be my disciple because Peter and Andrew, you're fishermen, you caught a lot of fish.
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James and John, you caught a lot of fish too. Matthew, you've done an extremely good job of collecting taxes.
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And since you're so proficient at it, I think I'll choose you. By the way,
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Simon the Zealot, I appreciate how vehemently you attack
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Rome and its infrastructure with jealous zealots courage.
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See what I did there? Well, of course, none of that happened.
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Well, maybe it was like this. Jesus voted for the 12. Satan voted against the 12.
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And the apostles cast the deciding vote. I want you to know in similar fashion, the ground of this election to salvation is the good pleasure of God.
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No merit. Let's fast forward. We get to heaven and we ask the question,
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Peter, why'd God choose you to be an apostle? Well, he would say grace.
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He would say God's kindness, God's mercy, God's love.
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He wouldn't say I deserved it. He wouldn't say I'm better than someone else.
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I'm better than those other disciples. He would say, well, it just seemed like it was the good pleasure of God to choose me.
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John Calvin said when God elects us to salvation, it's not because we are handsome. I mean, depravity is depravity.
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And children of wrath, the doom that goes along with it, dead in trespasses and sins, born in our transgressions.
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Therefore, when we read Ephesians 1 verse 5, he predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the kind intention of his will.
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It's all about God. And therefore, we have no problem with Jesus choosing disciples based on his own sovereign good pleasure.
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They didn't deserve to be disciples. I mean, you know, apostles. So, when it comes to God choosing other people, the same principles apply.
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It's the same God. Question number two. Similar to question number one.
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Mike Abenroth, No Compromise Radio Ministry. Today, we're looking at the similarities between God choosing disciples slash apostles and choosing people to go to heaven.
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Did Christ foresee the disciples' obedience and then pick them?
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Did he look down the quarters of time and see Peter doing a great job? Did he see
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Thaddeus do a wonderful job? Well, of course, the key to understanding anything when it comes to election is, as I mentioned earlier, depravity.
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God has to be the initiator. Dead men don't respond spiritually. Men follow the desires of their own heart.
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They're slaves to sin. How could our faith be foreseen? I mean, God sees everything, but that's not the basis of choice.
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Second Timothy 1, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.
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That is to say, some people believe that God chooses those who will go to heaven based on looking down the quarters of time, seeing that they made the choice of God, and then he confirms that.
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But that's really A, post -destination, and B, it's not grace, and it would be according to works.
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The proper order is found in Acts 13, 48. And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the
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Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believe. God didn't look down the quarter of time and see that Peter did a good job.
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Therefore, Jesus chose Peter. I think, matter of fact, sometimes it was get thee behind me,
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Satan, later down the quarter of time. Number three, the third question that can help us see the similarities, not completely symmetrical, but some similarities.
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Sovereign choice of salvation, sovereign choice choosing apostles.
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Did Christ have the right to choose these 12? I mean, there's a bunch of other ones. It says disciples, and he purposely didn't choose them.
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I pretty much know what affirmative action would say. I know what DEI would say. Does God have free will?
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Can God choose whomever he wants? Does God claim the right to choose people, predestine them, elect them?
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Did he create them? Romans 9, 21, or does not the potter have a right over the clay to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?
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I mean, the potter can use clay to make a wonderful pot to eat out of and a pot to use in the restroom.
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Does he have that right? Is God just in all he does? Is God right in everything he does?
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Shall not the judge of all the earth deal justly? Genesis 18, Deuteronomy 32, verse four, the rock, his work is perfect for all his ways are just.
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A God of faithfulness without injustice, righteous and upright is he. Does that include sovereign election?
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Does that include unconditional election? Well, you know the answer to those questions. Election harms no one.
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Did it harm the non -12 when Jesus didn't choose some of the others? Was any harm done to them?
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Of course not. But you're saying, yeah, but that's just an earthly thing. This is a heavenly thing, a health thing.
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Of course, we know that you look at the bulk of evidence in the New Testament and what sends people to hell is not the non -election.
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It's their sin. People sin by Adam's federal headship and by nature, by practice.
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Second Thessalonians 2 .10, and with all the deception and wickedness for those who perish because they did not receive the love of truth so as to be saved.
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I mean, people say, well, it's not fair. Well, you don't want to go that direction for what's fair because fairs all go to hell.
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Everybody deserves it except the Lord Jesus. Jesus said in Matthew 20, verse 15, is it not lawful for me to do what
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I wish with what is my own? So then when you read Romans 9, 13 and 14, just as it is written,
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Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. There's a response that Paul is intercepting.
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What shall we say then? Well, what you're going to say is there's injustice with God. But Paul says there's no injustice with God.
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May it never be. It's out of the question. And my last question for today to help you with sovereignty, because God's sovereign in all areas, not just weather, not just your parents, not just choosing
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Israel, not just choosing the apostles, not just choosing Jeremiah, not just choosing the Levitical priest to serve him, not just choosing out of the priest, one priest to be the high priest, all of these kinds of things.
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He's sovereign over who goes to heaven. It's his heaven. And only people get, the people only get there by grace.
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Fourth question, was the choice of the 12 an act of love? Did Jesus love those 12?
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Well, we know the answer because John 13 says, having loved his own who are in the world, he loved them to the end. People get mad when
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God chooses, when it's an act of love. Ephesians 1 again, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love, he predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the kind intention of his will.
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And so when it comes to God's sovereignty, submission, acceptance, saying theologically uncle or tapping out theologically is the best thing to do.
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It is not supposed to make you mad. If you get mad with this, the problem is on you, not with God.
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And you ought to re examine your own heart and understand who you are created.
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Understand who God is infinite, simple, I'll say of himself, the right response to sovereignty for the 12.
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What about the 12? I hope they would be in awe. He chose me.
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Oh, the depths and riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and how unfathomable his ways.
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I think if you were Peter, you'd say, thanks, right? And the same thing when you're elected unto heaven times a hundred, thank you.
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Second Thessalonians two, but we should always give thanks to you for God. Sorry, thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the
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Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the spirit and faith in the truth.
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And when you receive kindness from God and love from God, grace from God, you want to tell others.
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And that's exactly why these apostles were chosen. And that's exactly how we should respond.
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Wanting to go evangelize. My name is Mike Gabenroth. This is
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No Compromise Radio Ministry. And today we're talking about sovereign election. And I guess what
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I was trying to do to repeat myself is I was trying to help you if you're new to Christianity or new to theology and you can't quite stomach
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Romans nine and Ephesians one, that God unconditionally chooses.
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The only reason we find for God choosing anyone is found in God's own will, right?
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So I'm now gonna turn my Bible to, well, I turned it to judges, but what
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I'm looking for is a passage in Deuteronomy that helps me understand why would
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God choose Israel? What's going on with Israel that she would be so great that God would choose her?
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And we know the answer to that question has nothing to do with Israel. Probably gonna get criticized for turning the
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Bible to certain pages in the middle of the show, but that's all right. I wanna say it's
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Deuteronomy 7, 9. Let's see if I am right. Close.
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Let me back up to verse six. Deuteronomy 7, verse six. God says, For you are a people holy to the
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Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
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It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you.
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For you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers that the
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Lord brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.
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Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations and repays to their face, those who hate him by destroying them.
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Deuteronomy chapter seven, same reasons we find good for God choosing the apostles, same reasons for God choosing us, same reason
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God choosing Israel. The reason why God chooses people, chooses people, it's not because of what's in the
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Bible, it's because of what's in them. It wasn't because what was in Peter, James, John, it wasn't because of what's in us.
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It's because of God's good pleasure. And that's the way God likes it. And most of the time he chooses the weak and the frail and the insignificant.
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Sometimes he chooses the mighty and the wise. That's why in first Corinthians, it says not many.
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It doesn't say not any because there were some rich people and Abraham and others, and there've been some rich Christians and are some rich Christians.
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First Corinthians chapter one, for consider your calling brothers. Not many of you are wise according to worldly standards.
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Not many were powerful. Not many were of noble birth, but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise.
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That gives us some insight, doesn't it? God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world, even the things that are not to bring to nothing things that are.
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What's the reason? So that no man, no flesh, no human might boast in the presence of God.
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And because of him, you are in Christ Jesus who became to us wisdom from God that is righteousness and sanctification and redemption.
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So that as it is written, let the one who boast, boast in the Lord. So today on No Compromise Radio Ministry, we learned about sovereign election and whether it's choosing the 12 or choosing people to go to heaven in eternity past,
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God has the right to do that. He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Don't forget the
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Pactum Conference coming up, not, but in just a few days, when this post it's going to be a few days and there's still some spots open.
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I think about, I don't know, 50 spots are still open, Pat said. Many people I know are going to be flying there.
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It's hard to get to Omaha, but that's all right. By the way, if you go there, they've got a good zoo. You want to eat La Casa pizza and better have a
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Runza. You might as well go have a Runza, a fast food Runza drive up. I think La Casa has three locations, maybe two.
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My daughter and my son and my other daughter, I think we'll be there in Omaha. So that will be good. We can sit on the
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Pactum couch with Pat Ebenroth. And I was going to pack a sweatshirt, but Pat always gives me free swag.