Does the Bible Really Say That?

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Even the devil cannot go beyond the scope of God's sovereignty, and even the devil can only operate according to God's ultimate plan.

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And that's what we learn in the book of Job. God says you can do this, but not that.

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You can go this far, but no further. You can't take his life. I talked about the death of Jesus.

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Acts 2 says this. Jesus, Acts 2 23, was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God.

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You crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. Lawless men, responsible, but it's all according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God.

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Acts 4 27 28, the prayer of the early church. Were they mistaken?

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Did they misspeak when they prayed this? For truly in this city they were gathered together against your holy servant

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Jesus. All right, he's going to list those who are against Jesus. Whom you anointed, both

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Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel.

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Gentiles, the Romans, people of Israel, Jewish leaders, many of the people of Israel.

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All right, Herod, he's responsible. Pontius Pilate, he's responsible. The Gentiles, they're responsible.

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The people of Israel, they're responsible to do whatever your hand, that's

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God's hand, and your plan had predestined to take place. What took place at the cross was sinful and predestined.

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I still can't wrap my head around that, but if I'm a Bible believer, I have to believe it. That verse, verses 27 and 28, tell me that.

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They were against Jesus and they did it because that was

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God's plan that he predestined to take place. Not some general idea.

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Oh, there'd be a cross and I guess somebody's going to be involved. Not sure who. No, it's all predestined, and yet they're all responsible.

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It's the theological expression, concurrence, where man's responsibility and God's sovereignty concur.

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Happens at the same time, in the same event. What happened in the life of Joseph, in Genesis chapter 50, verse 22, do you remember what he said to the brothers?

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The brothers who had sinned against him grievously, sold him into slavery, and all the events of time that happened in Joseph's life, and then restoration occurred, and Joseph was able to say this, you, the brothers, meant it, all the events.

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It being all the events. You meant it for evil, but God meant it, the same events, the same sinful occurrences, for good.

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That's your Bible. It's Old Testament, it's New Testament. You meant it for evil, you're still responsible, and God is sovereign.

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God meant those same events for good, to save you and this people alive, to provide for the people of God.

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Isaiah 53 10, hear this, yet it was the will of the Lord, the will of Yahweh, to crush him.

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He has put him to grief. That's the cross of Jesus. Is he

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Lord over evil things? Is he Lord when disaster comes to a region, to a city?

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Amos 3 6, is a trumpet blown in a city and the people are not afraid?

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Does disaster come to a city unless the Lord has done it? Has done it?

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Question mark. Many will say, well no, he hasn't done it. It's just the devil.

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No, behind the scenes, God has his plan. He might use the devil, or he might just bring destruction without the devil.

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God didn't bring plagues on Egypt by enlisting the help of the devil.

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Think about that. That's the God of the Bible. He didn't say, well, I've got to get the devil to do bad stuff.

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Hmm, I'll hire him to bring death to the firstborn, to bring the locusts, and I'll just hire him.

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No, God did it. It was the hand of God. Hand of God. Isaiah 45 7.

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Do you see the light coming on, dispelling darkness? I form light,

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God says, and create darkness. I make well -being and create calamity.

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I am the Lord who does all these things. Isaiah 45 7.

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I do all these things. Job 1 21 22 chapter 2 verse 10.

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The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Oh, I hated those verses as a word of faith.

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The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the

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Lord. And then the commentary of God is, in all this,

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Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. Hear that. He wasn't getting it wrong.

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His theology wasn't wrong. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?

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And in all this, Job did not sin with his lips. When he said that, shall we not only receive good, but evil things too?

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Calamitous things too? And even in that, the Scripture is very clear.

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Job didn't sin with his lips. According to word of faith theology, he did.

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He accused God of bringing stuff. Well, doesn't the Bible say that it's the devil that did it?

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Yeah, and God was Lord over the devil. Only as far as God said.

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This far, no further. Is he Lord over everything, over all events, all things?

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Ephesians 1 11. God works all things according to the counsel of his will.

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Psalm 115 3. Our God is in the heavens. He does all that he pleases. That's Bible.

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You know what we don't find in the Bible? Man is on the earth. He does all that he pleases. No, never find that verse or that concept, because you're only going to live because God allows it.

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You're only going to go to that city because it's the will of the Lord. Do you remember

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God stopped Abraham from sinning? God stopped a king from sinning against Abraham with Sarah.

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Job 42 2. I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

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Is that your God? It's not the God of the word of faith. There was a king in the

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Old Testament, Nebuchadnezzar by name, and he got the

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Lord's Prayer slightly wrong. Just one word of it. Basically, although the

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Lord's Prayer wasn't yet penned and available, he basically prayed like this.

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Mine is the glory. Mine is the power. Mine. Mine.

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And God says, we'll see about this. How do you like your free will violated?

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Oh no, I couldn't do that. Oh no, no. I've got to get your agreement before I can do anything. Would you sign the documents?

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Because I'd like to make you insane for a while. In fact, you're going to be in the palace gardens looking like a cow, functioning like a cow, or like cattle.

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Look insane because you are going to be insane. But I've got to get your permission. He didn't need his permission.

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But God intervened after that declaration of Nebuchadnezzar and insanity came to the king.

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If you read Daniel chapter 4, I encourage you to read it. You see, when you have a

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Bible and you know you've got the truth, you're not scared of people looking at the Bible, especially in this context.

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God restored, graciously, sanity to the king.

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Nebuchadnezzar wanted everyone to know, with basically the first tract in human history, everyone under his rule, about the

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God of Israel, that he really does reign. Do you think he does? Or was

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Nebuchadnezzar wrong about that? No, I think he'd had the experience to realize he's the true king.

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He's the true sovereign. It's not me on the throne. It's God, the God of Israel.

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This is what he said. This is what he wrote. Daniel 435. All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing, and he,

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God, does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand or say to him, what have you done?

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Why does God save sinners? Oh, because he loves sinners. But the ultimate purpose is for his glory.

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When God redeemed Israel, God is very clear as to the reason why. Isaiah 48, verse 9.

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It's true regarding Israel. It's true regarding anyone God saves. For my name's sake

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I defer my anger. For the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off.

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Behold, I've refined you, but not as silver. I've tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake

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I do it. For how shall my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.

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These are the most God -centered verses in our

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Bibles, I think. It's not because of you. It's not because of your name that I'm doing this.

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It's to get myself glory. And because the glory of God is the most glorious thing in the universe,

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God lives for his glory and calls us to live for his glory. And he saves us for his glory.

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And Ephesians 1 spells this out. To the praise of the glory of his grace. Why did he redeem?

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Same as Isaiah has related to us for his glory. The praise of the glory of his grace.

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I love this God and I hope that God gives each one that listens to this and watches this a love for his truth.

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This is historic Christianity. This is not anything new. And if you've got an idea that's new, run from it.

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Because truth is old. The Holy Spirit has been with the people of God all through the ages, keeping them in the truth.

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The Holy Spirit leading the people of God into all truth. That was the promise of Jesus. The opposite of that is to say

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God was waiting for me to come before he revealed real truth. I'm not interested in coming up with a new idea, new concept of the

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Trinity. Could be that God was waiting for me to reveal the ultimate.

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I doubt it completely because God has been with his people through the ages.

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There's a theological snobbery to the word of faith. Looks down their nose.

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They look down their nose at people in church history because God is revealing something new and fresh and wonderful to us.

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These poor people in church history don't know what we know. It's pride. Behind every deception is pride.

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Again to quote Spurgeon, it seems odd that certain men who talk so much of what the Holy Spirit reveals to themselves should think so little of what he's revealed to others.

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God has given gifts to the church of Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers, Ephesians 4, 11 and 12.

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These are the people that God has anointed and given great insight in church history regarding the truth.

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And these are not just simply people in our own day, but people throughout the ages of the church.

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There's no humility. It's God revealed this to me. Really? I hope you're getting hold of this.

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God is God. We're not. As we end this, I do want to deal with the issue of the you are

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God's statement. I said I would and I want to make good on that promise. Are we gods and we can control what happens to us by our words?

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People build a skyscraper doctrine on a dime of real estate.

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The Mormons do this. They say that we are in the process of becoming gods.

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That's really what salvation is. They quote John 10 34. It's a heresy based on a misinterpretation of John 10 34.

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It's a lot like thinking all the New York people are cold. It suggests that men can become gods.

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And as I say, it's espoused by the LDS people and other cult groups.

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Let me quote from Dr. James White from his book, Is the Mormon my brother?

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I want to show the context and the true meaning of John 10 34.

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Now this is a bit lengthy, but that's okay. A lot of people just want soundbite answers.

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Sometimes it takes a bit of digging. Sometimes it takes a lot of a lot of digging. Sometimes it takes a lot of thinking.

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2nd Timothy 2 verse 7. Think. Think through it Timothy. The Lord will give you understanding.

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I hope you're open to this. Here's what Dr. White writes in Is the

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Mormon my brother? You're sitting comfortably. I'll begin. John chapter 10 is one of the most beautiful in all of Scripture for it speaks of the

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Lord Jesus' relationship to his people in the terms of the shepherd and his sheep. In the midst of talking about the glorious salvation that belongs to those who know and trust

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Christ, Jesus asserts that he and the Father are one in their bringing about the final and full salvation of all those who are given by the

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Father to the Son. That's verses 28 to 30. When the Lord says

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I and the Father are one, he offends the Jews who realize that such a claim implies deity.

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No mere creature can be fully one with the Father in bringing about redemption itself.

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This prompts the dialogue that concerns us here. I and the Father are one.

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The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, I showed you many good works from the

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Father for which of them are you stoning me? The Jews answered him, for a good work we do not stone you but for blasphemy and because you being a man make yourself out to be

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God. Jesus answered them, has it not been written in your law I said you are gods?

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If he called them gods to whom the word of God came and the Scripture cannot be broken, do you say of him whom the

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Father sanctified and sent into the world you are blaspheming? Because I said

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I am the Son of God. That's John chapter 10 verse 30 through 33.

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The use of this passage in LDS, that's Latter -day Saint Mormon literature, is widespread.

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I said you are gods, that phrase is used to substantiate the idea of a plurality of gods and men becoming gods.

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Yet even a brief review of the passage demonstrates that such is hardly a worthy interpretation and some of the leading

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LDS apologists today avoid trying to press the passage that far and for good reason.

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The unbelieving Jews seen in this passage with murder in their hearts are hardly good candidates for exaltation to Godhood.

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What is more, the Lord Jesus uses the present tense when he says you are gods.

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So obviously he's not identifying his attackers as divine beings worthy of worship by their eventual celestial offspring.

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What then is going on here? When we allow the text to speak for itself, the meaning comes across clearly.

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As usual, the context is determinative. The Jewish leaders were acting as Jesus' judges.

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They were accusing him of blasphemy, of breaking God's law. Their role as judges in this instance is determinative, for the

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Lord is going to cite a passage about judges from the Old Testament. The Jews make it plain that they understand

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Jesus' words to contain an implicit claim of equality with God. Look at verse 33.

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It is at this point that the Lord quotes from Psalm 82 verse 6, which contains the important words,

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I said you are gods. But when we go back to the passage from which this is taken, as surely the

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Jewish leaders would have known the context themselves, we find an important truth. God takes his stand in his own congregation.

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He judges in the midst of the rulers. How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?

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Vindicate the weak and fatherless. Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.

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Rescue the weak and needy. Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. They do not know, nor do they understand.

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They walk about in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said you are gods, and all of you are sons of the

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Most High. That's Psalm 82, 1 through 6. Here we have the key to the passage, for this is a psalm of judgment against the rulers of Israel.

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God takes his stand in his own congregation, that being his own people, Israel. He judges in the midst of the rulers.

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The Hebrew term here is Elohim, which could be translated gods. The NASB, however, recognizes that the context indicates who is being discussed.

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For the next verse reads, how long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?

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Who judges unjustly and shows partiality? Human judges, of course, human rulers among the people.

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Hence the NASB rendering of Elohim as rulers. It is important to recognize the use of the term

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Elohim in verse 1, for the very same term appears in verse 6 and is what lies behind Jesus' citation in John 10 34.

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Before moving on in the text, it should be noted that even at this point, recognizing that this passage is talking about unjust human rulers, removes this passage from the realm of possible passages to cite in support of a plurality of gods.

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And certainly Jesus was not, by citing this passage, calling his accusers true divine beings.

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When we get to verse 6, we find that God has placed the judges of Israel in a position of being gods among the people.

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They were entrusted with the application of God's law. God calls them to vindicate the weak and fatherless and to do justice to the afflicted and destitute.

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Verse 3, this is their task, their duty, but they are failing that duty.

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They are not acting as proper godly judges. Verse 6 then begins the pronouncement of judgment.

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Jesus only cites the beginning of the judgment, which was enough to make his point. But since many today do not immediately know the context the way the

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Jews did, we need to point it out. The rest of the phrase Jesus quotes is this, nevertheless you will die like men and fall like any one of the princes.

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Such is hardly the terminology one would use of divine and exalted beings.

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And this explains the use of the present tense verb, you are gods, in John 10 34.

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Jesus is saying his accusers are, right then, the judges condemned in Psalm 82.

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And what kind of judges were they? Unrighteous judges who were judging unjustly.

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Jesus was calling his accusers false judges and they well knew it.

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That this is the meaning of Jesus' use of the passage is seen by going back to John chapter 10.

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Jesus refers to these rulers as those to whom the Word of God came. Surely this is an apt description of the rulers who were set to judge in God's place.

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Once he has made his application and identified his accusers as false judges, he then asks, do you say of him whom the

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Father sanctified and sent into the world you are blaspheming because I said I am the

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Son of God? Here he points to their judgment of blasphemy and contrast their errant decision with the

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Father's sanctification and sending of the Divine Son. The folly of their false judgment is manifest to all.

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This is the meaning of the passage and pressing it to support the idea that men can, after eons and eons of evolution, become gods only shows how far removed the

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LDS position is from biblical Christianity. What applies to the

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LDS Church there applies to Word of Faith doctrine as well regarding the you are

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God's concept. There it is. That's the context. That's the context as if by analogy when we speak of all

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New Yorkers being cold, we're talking about temperature, not warmth in the heart or lack thereof.