John 13:18-30 (God's Purpose in Reprobation)

Predestination, Election, and the Difficulty of Reprobation

Thank you for subscribing to the Shepherds Church podcast. This is our Lord's Day Sermon. We pray that as we declare the Word of God that you would be encouraged Strengthened in your faith and that you would catch a greater vision of who Christ is.

May you be blessed in the hearing of God's Word and may the Lord be with you. One of the most divisive doctrines in the Christian Church. That divides more people along doctrinal lines if I had to guess would probably be the doctrine predestination or election that God in Infinity past has foreordained and chosen a people for himself a people that would Correspond to him a people that would be his family his church.

And many find that doctrine difficult. Now you ask yourself the question, why does that doctrine why is that doctrine so controversial. And I think the reason is that If God chooses some for salvation and he does not choose all for salvation.

Then that provokes within us a sort of primal fear that we will be among the unchosen. That we will be like the child at recess. The portly child maybe who didn't get picked for dodgeball. I've been there before so I'm talking about me.

That provokes us to pity. We think about that little child in her mind and we say salvation can't be like that. Can it and then we think about it? We say that's not fair and we think about the child who's disappointed.

Who's not gonna get into the club? There's not gonna be picked or chosen and that stirs up within us this sort of fairness. That how could God operate in such a way? We ask how could salvation be like that?

Now for the life of the church. We have consistently taught this doctrine not because it makes us feel good. Although as a Christian, I do believe that there's comfort in this doctrine. We have taught this doctrine because it's in the scriptures.

Because it's biblical. Because it's not about fairness. Because if God chose people on the basis of fairness None of us would have been chosen because all of us deserve to die for our sin. When you look at every human being that's ever existed.

There is one who deserves God's Grace. God's love. God's kindness and it's Christ alone. He's the only one who obeyed all the rest of us have disobeyed and therefore deserve his Wrath. When you think about the recess the boy at recess.

None of us are like that in our mind. We say that poor pitiful little child. Maybe you're imagining me as a little kid not getting picked for dodgeball. Whatever, but poor pitiful little child. He did his best.

None of us did our best. None of us sought God and didn't get chosen. None of us went looking for something and just ended up not finding it. All of us were rebels of God. Running from God. None of us were seeking after God.

We were haters of God and we all deserve a penalty. Again if it were up to fairness None of us would be saved. That means that if anybody is saved it's all grace. One of the coolest things I learned when it comes to this doctrine is that God Longs to reveal himself to us in his nature and who he is.

You think about it if God made us incapable of sin We would not get the whole picture of who God is if you thought about it that way. How can God be merciful to people who don't require mercy? How can God be gracious to people who never were in need of grace.

God allowed us to fall So that he could demonstrate the full gamut of his character to us that he is not only Righteous and full of justice, but he's also gracious and full of mercy. He is the one Who gets to determine who and you and I simply are not in the position to make those sorts of statements.

We're too limited we're too fallen we're too broken. If you assemble all of your knowledge. Every bit of it every single Connection in your mind that you know, it amounts to nothing in Comparison to all the things that could be known.

We are simply not in the position to be able to Understand how God chooses his people. You think about Job in the Old Testament Job? Spoke a lot of things and then there at the end the last thing that Job says as I have spoken about things that are Far too wonderful for me to understand.

I repent. God determines who are his and it's his prerogative to do. So the Bible tells us Jacob. I've loved Esau hated. This is a biblical doctrine. It says that Israel. I have loved and Pharaoh. I have hardened.

It says that God has chosen some for honorable use and some for dishonorable use. Jesus even says that no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him. Jesus doesn't say that we are the one who seek and and look after him.

Jesus says that he's the one who comes and seeks and saves the lost. Roman says that we are predestined Before the foundation of the world that's Ephesians 111 this Bible or this doctrine is all Over the scriptures and it's even talked about in the lens of God's sovereignty.

Psalm 115 3 our God is in the heavens. He does all that he pleases. Pleases him to choose his people. Job 42 2. I know that you can this is God you can do all things. No purpose of yours can be thwarted.

Proverbs 1921. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it's the purpose of the Lord that will stand Ephesians 111. We just quoted it in him. We have obtained an inheritance having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will if you believe that.

Predestination is not a biblical doctrine. Well, the word is right there in Ephesians 111 the question is Not whether it's a hard doctrine or not. The question is will we receive it? From the Lord. Many pastors are afraid to preach about this doctrine because they're afraid that this will afflict our soul.

Many men apologize for believing this doctrine, although it is certainly biblical. But I out of all the doctrines in Scripture. This one is one of the most attested doctrines that God is sovereign over his salvation and Again while it's a hard truth to believe for us mortals.

It is clearly represented in Scripture. Will we trust God? Do you know one of the? The very center verses of the Bible is is in the book of Jonah salvation belongs to the Lord. It's his to give. Now I'm not gonna say that that doctrine is not controversial in modern-day Christianity it is.

There's Arminians and Calvinists. There's there's people who believe in determination people who believe in Undetermined, I don't know what the other corresponding thing is. It's a hard doctrine, but it's not the hardest.

Today as Derek pastor Derek was telling us earlier We are going to deal with the scripture as they come to us. This is one of the benefits of preaching expositionally because I Don't get a choice in whether we preach this passage or not.

I have to because it's come up before us. It oftentimes if you go to a church where they don't preach verse by verse through the scripture sometimes the flesh of the pastor can get in the way and they can preach messages that are Uplifting that are encouraging that are this or that and maybe they never get to a passage like this or maybe they preach it in A different way.

I'm thankful to God that we have to deal with passages like this because it is hard. Because God not only chooses who are gonna be his he also chooses who are not. That's the doctrine. It's not just the doctrine of salvation.

It's the doctrine of reprobation. Which may be even more controversial and even a more difficult doctrine for us to consider this week. Now if you remember last week We talked about who would receive the blessings of God.

We talked about that his election Changes us it it creates new life in us. And if we will believe in Jesus and if we will obey Jesus Then we will get the blessings that his salvation orients us to him.

He is master. We are servant if we obey then we will receive the blessings. Obedience We talked about last week does not take from you. Obedience is a conduit by which God can pour into you his amazing blessings.

So that if you want to be more blessed Don't pray for cars and money and TVs and all of that ridiculous nonsense. If you want to be more blessed obey Jesus. Because it will open up his blessings for you in your life.

But the hard reality is is that those blessings do not apply to everyone. There will be many who come to me on that day and say Lord Lord didn't we do? This and that for you and he will say depart from me.

I never knew you. The question is not whether they knew Jesus. The question is whether did Jesus know them? There will be some who do not Love him in the way that Jesus demands. There will be some who are not his slaves and he is not their master.

There will be some who do not inherit his eternal pleasures and there will be some Who will be separated from God forever. Conceived in iniquity. Formed in sin born a sinner maturing into deeper expressions of rebellion until The final act of rebellion is committed.

Where death occurs without? Christ. Where they enter into the realm of never-ending? Curses and torment where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth. The Bible talks about this and we have to to. Again, we see in the Bible that Christ has chosen his own and he's also chosen those who are not and we will discover today.

One of the passages that talks about this and we will see six different aspects of this doctrine called Reprobation. The first thing we'll see is a phenomenon that it really is in Scripture. We'll see that it's a prophecy that Jesus alludes to in this passage.

We'll see that Jesus uses this doctrine to prepare his disciples will acknowledge the fact that this is a perplexed doctrine even perplexes Jesus and troubles him in his spirit. We'll see that there's power underneath this doctrine and then we'll see that there's purpose Underneath this doctrine.

So today If I make it through this Today we will look at this doctrine from six different angles and my hope in all of this. My hope is not that we would walk out of here today with a sense of smugness and pride.

Saying I'm on the winning team. I got picked. May it never be so. My prayer is that we would walk away from here loving God more. That he's revealed to us his character and that his character is good and holy and righteous and that it would cause us even this Doctrine would cause us to worship.

That's my prayer. So, let us pray and let us turn to John 13 18 through 30 Lord Jesus. Thank you so much for today. Thank you for your kindness that you've demonstrated to your people and Lord. Thank you for the fact That you are so sovereign That your providence knows no bounds such that.

That there is nothing that escapes your grasp. There is no one who accidentally ends up in hell. There's no one who accidentally ends up in heaven. There's no one who was smart enough to figure it out.

No one spiritual enough to pray a prayer. And no one powerful enough to overturn reprobation. Lord, I pray More than anything that that we in our hearts Would receive this Text and that we would rejoice in this text.

Lord you are good in every possible and imaginable way. We are the ones who struggle to see. Lord, would you would you clean the the windows of our eyes and the windows of our soul to be able to see Your truth and to rejoice in it it's in Christ's name we pray.

Amen. We're doing 20 no 12 verses still that's a lot for us. So let us begin. John 13 verses 18 through 30. Jesus says I do not speak of all of you. I Know the ones I have chosen. But it is that the scripture may be fulfilled.

He who eats my bread has lifted up his heel against me. From now on I'm telling you before it comes to pass so that when it does occur You may believe that I am he. Truly truly I say to you he who receives whomever I send receives me and he who receives me receives him who sent me.

When Jesus had said this he became troubled in spirit and testified and said truly truly I say to you that one of you will betray me. The disciples began looking at one another at a loss to know of which one he was speaking and There was reclining on Jesus's bosom one of his disciples whom Jesus loved.

So Simon Peter gestured to him and said tell us who it is whom he is speaking. He John leaning back on Jesus's bosom said to him Lord. Who is it? Jesus then answered that it is the one whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.

So when he had dipped the morsel of bread He took it and he gave it to Judas the son of Simon Iscariot and after the morsel Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him what you do do it quickly.

Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose That he had said this to them. For some were supposing because Judas had the money box that Jesus was saying to him buy the things that we need for the feast.

Or else that he should give something to the poor. So after receiving the morsel he went out immediately and it was night therefore when he had gone Jesus said now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him the Word of the Lord.

Now this phenomenon is in the scriptures. We've said here it is in this passage. It is not a made-up Calvinist trope or a reformed punching bag. This doctrine is here in the scriptures. Jesus says in verse 18.

I do not speak to of all of you. I know the ones that I have chosen and If we remember back in verse 17, we know that the ones who are chosen receive the blessings. It says if you know these things you are blessed if you do them.

Jesus is saying I know the ones that I have chosen and I know the ones that I have not which is a clear statement. Some he has chosen for life. Some he has chosen for not. Now we don't need to play word games here because I've seen that happen where some will say Jesus chose some for life and by By consequence of his decision some are passively thrown into hell.

No, Jesus is saying I know whom I've chosen and it's the context of the passage continues. It is clear that he has not only chosen his disciples For life, but he is set apart Judas for death and this is not just in John by the way.

Romans 9 18 says he has mercy on whom he desires and he hardens. It doesn't say that he allows to become hardened. It says that he hardens. Do we believe the words of Scripture. First Peter 2 8 for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word and to this doom they were also appointed.

It does not say that to this doom they stumbled into to this doom. They were appointed Jude chapter 1 verse 4. There's only one chapter. So Jude 4. For there are certain men Who crept in unaware who were before of old?

Ordained to this condemnation ungodly men turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. It says that they were ordained to condemnation Proverbs 16 for the Lord has made everything for its purpose even the wicked for the day of trouble.

No one Accidentally ends up separated from God. Even the wicked were created for the day of trouble. Now again, this is a hard statement. And I believe as we continue along in John that we're gonna see what the purpose of this is.

But we can't skip to the end. We have to bathe in this a little bit and understand that this is God's character that he is holy and he is righteous in His election whether it is election. It's a life or its election unto death.

He is righteous in both. This has been sort of the uniform View of much of the confessional church the Westminster Confession chapter 3 article 7. Those turn my group. Talk about a lesson in God's providence.

We just read this this week and here it is that we're talking about this in the sermon. God is so good. Westminster Confession says like this the rest of mankind. God was pleased according to the unsearchable counsel of his own will whereby he extendeth or withholdeth mercy as he pleaseth.

For the glory of his sovereign power over his creatures to pass by and to ordain them to dishonor and Wrath for their sin to the praise of his glorious justice. It's not just in the confessional documents Martin Luther and Calvin talked about it.

Here's what Martin Luther said this mightily offends our rational nature. Luther always says it like it is. He says that God should of his own mere unbiased will leave some men to themselves Harden them and condemn them.

But he gives abundant demonstration and does continually that this is really the case. Namely that the sole cause why some are saved and why others perish proceeds from his willing. The salvation of the former and the perdition of the latter.

According to that of st. Paul. He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy and upon whom he will he hardeneth. Thomas Boston, I think says probably the best shortest most concise statement. Thomas Boston was a Puritan in England despite his last name.

He said God decreed the futurition of sin. That his justice might be illustriously displayed and Glorified in the eternal damnation. Did you hear that? That his justice might be illustriously displayed and glorified in the eternal damnation of reprobate sinners for their own sins and abominations.

Sin being the cause of their damnation though, not the cause of their reprobation. Boston is hitting on a very important theme here. That human beings are accountable for their sin. We're not robots and Yet the cause of their reprobation is the election of God.

You think about in in the book of Genesis chapter 50? Where the Israelite or the the brothers sell Joseph into slavery and Joseph looks at them later in their life and he says you meant this for evil.

God meant this for good. Joseph is acknowledging to us that that one Action one reality can have human culpability. You meant it for evil. You're responsible and yet God had a plan in the midst of that evil and it was nothing about it deviated from his plan.

Peter says this in Acts chapter 2. This Jesus whom you crucified By the will of God. You're guilty For what you did, but it could not have been any other way because God willed it to be. So it's an unsettling doctrine.

It's unsettling if you've grown up in a church culture where sin is not preached hell is not preached holiness and wrath are never mentioned and everything is a. A Joel Osteen esque positive go make yourself a better person.

Mantra, I remember when I saw Joel Osteen came out with a new book and it said the power of I am. I thought he had repented. I Thought he was talking about Yahweh and the book is about the power of you saying I am special.

I am beautiful. I am this. I am that. If you grew up in that sort of toxic Christianity, there's no wonder you struggle with doctrines like this. Because people have poisoned your mind to think that God has to only give you what you want.

It's always meaningful when the door opens every time it's happened. It's been powerful, but dear brothers and sisters I want to encourage you that just because something is unsettling to us doesn't make it untrue.

Just because something afflicts our sin nature doesn't mean that it's not God's truth. There's many things that afflict our nature, right? When I'm afraid fear not afflicts my nature. Because that's not what I want to hear.

When I'm angry repent and sin no more. No, no that he didn't mean it that way. I get to continue to be angry. It afflicts my soul. When I desire things that are not mine and God says thou shalt not covet you think that doesn't afflict my soul and your soul.

There are many truths that are true and yet are hard to swallow. Because we are the problem not God being unsettled is a good thing in the Christian life. A Friend of mine said it to me the other day.

He said if I come into church and I walk away feeling like a worm. Then you've done your job because my flesh needs to repent and I said well brother while that is not my aim. Praise God that he uses all things for his glory.

Growth happens when we're shaken does it not you think about an analogy here. Where does growth happen? Does growth happen in the valleys or does growth happen on the mountaintops? You climb a mountain eventually.

I lived in the Rocky Mountain area for a couple years. You climb a mountain eventually you get to a point called the death line where nothing can grow. No trees. No moss. No grass. It's just death. The mountaintop experiences do not make you grow growth and life and Vibrancy happens in the valleys.

As much as we hate them this doctrine of election and reprobation are hard. But I believe good and I believe that they will cause us to worship Jesus all the more if we understand them and We can't run from them because they're in Scripture as we've pointed out.

It's a phenomenon in the Bible. That's the first thing I'd like us to understand is that it's there and we have to deal with it. The second thing is Jesus also alludes to a prophecy in this passage that condemns Judas necessarily Jesus says but it is that Scripture may be fulfilled.

That he who eats my bread has lifted up his hill against me. Jesus is saying and this is Psalm 41 that we read from earlier by the way Jesus is saying that 500 700 years however many years it was before Christ came and Judas was sitting in that moment.

That is when that passage Sealed Judas's fate and if you understand God's character, you know that it was even before that in the eternity past Judas didn't have a choice in this moment. Jesus says that the one Who eats his bread has lifted up his heel against me.

I'll give you a homework assignment. We can't do it now. Read Psalm 41 again and read it in light of its primary meaning is not David. Its primary meaning is Jesus and Judas read it again. It's unbelievable.

The resurrections in that passage the betrayal is in that passage. Even though it was written by a different author at a different time. It includes all of these truths, I'll read it again for you verses 4 through 13, I believe my enemies speak evil against me.

It's Jesus speaking about Judas. When when will he die in his name perish? And when he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood. His heart gathers wickedness to itself when he goes outside. He tells it all.

Who hate me whisper together against me against me. They devise my hurt saying a wicked thing is poured out upon him. That when he lies down he will not rise up again. Even my close friend in whom I trusted who ate my bread has lifted up his heel against me.

Jesus is saying that the one I hand the bread to is the one who's lifted up his heel against me. It was the one who's betrayed me the one who spoke evil against me the one who's responsible for my death and yet he's not Responsible ultimately because this was already ordained.

This Jesus whom you betrayed by the will of Almighty God this was determined beforehand so that when Judas grabs the bread and he partakes Satan enters into him and he leaves the room to go do his murderous deed.

Psalm 41 Confirms the reprobation that God had planned before Judas was even a thought. You can say that his communion caused him destruction. Which we will pick up on in a moment. Now one of the things I find so fascinating here is is the way that Judas is described in Psalm 41.

It doesn't say that the scoundrel is the one who betrayed him. It says that his best friend. Have you ever thought about Judas in that way that he was the best friend of Christ. I'd be honest. I've often thought about Judas as if he was.

Some kind of sort of tyrant or vile wretch. Maybe he's the goth kid. He was dressed in all black and everybody was afraid of. If you wear goth clothing, that's great. I'm I'm not saying anything about that.

I'm just. We've all thought about Judas as though he's the weird one. He's the misunderstood one. He's the Unabomber in the room and like, of course Judas is the one who did it like when someone betrays Jesus you got to imagine the disciples are like We knew it.

We knew we had our eye on him. It says that no one knew who Jesus was talking about. Jesus says my best friend is the one I hand the morsel to. This doesn't affect our salvation, but what a interesting Thing to consider that Judas was dear a friend to Christ.

This is a phenomenon that's in the scripture. It's a prophecy that was fulfilled in Holy Scripture that Judas would experience destruction. It's confirmed by these two things. The third thing that we'll look at is that Jesus prepares them for This reprobation.

Verse 19 Jesus says from now on I'm telling you before it comes to pass. So that when it does occur, you may believe that I am he's telling them before Judas does it. Because it's determined. Because it's not open for debate.

Can you imagine? Jesus saying I'm telling you about it before it happens and Judas had a change of heart. It couldn't have happened because it was already determined. Judas couldn't have the excuse the devil made me do it.

It was already pre ordained by God. That his best friend would betray him. Now that would be shocking To all of his disciples and it was shocking to all of his disciples. It caused them to scratch their heads.

It would cause us to scratch our heads, but Jesus used this doctrine the phenomenon of it being in scripture the prophecy that he alludes to to prepare them for what was going to happen because as we remember John's point in writing this gospel is that they would believe and that They would have a life in his name and Jesus is so loving and so kind and so gracious.

He announces to them I'm preparing you for this so that when it happens it will lead to your belief and your faith and your confidence and not your discouragement. Because I have everything under control.

Even Judas's betrayal is in my will and in my hands. Trust me. That's what he's saying. Fourth thing that we see in this scripture. Is that it's a perplexing thing for human beings to understand such things.

When Jesus has said this he became troubled in spirit and he testified truly truly I say to you that one of you will Betray me. The disciples began looking at one another at a loss to know which one that he was speaking of.

Jesus was perplexed by this. It's only the third time in the gospel and the last time in the gospel. This word is used this Perplexed and it's a it's a much richer term than just confusion. It means that he was stirred up like a hurricane inside of his body.

This is the word that is used when the Sea of Galilee comes into massive Torrent when when a windstorm comes upon it. Just like when Jesus was asleep on the boat and the sea was being whipped up into a frenzy.

That's the emotional makeup of what Jesus is going through right now. This is the word that's used in John chapter 5 of the pool of Siloam remember the the weak and the sick would lay there and they would say that when the water is stirred up if one of us would just jump in then the the myth The old wives tale is that will be healed.

The only other time it's used other than John 13 is John 12 when Jesus becomes angry. Furiously angry that his brother Lazarus has died and his soul is whipped up within him and he Screams at the top of his lungs.

Lazarus come out. So a third time. That this powerful emotion has come upon Jesus. It's the last time in the gospel of John and We have to understand that even Christ in All his divinity was still Fully man Fully God and fully man.

This is the man who who wept and sweat tears of blood. This is the man who cried out on the cross is the man who was thirsty. This is the man who was tired. This is the man who had all of the creaturely faculties that you and I have but and also being fully God.

So in his human mental capacity, this was difficult for him. And I think in that We can give ourself a lot of grace here that if it's difficult for us It's also difficult for Christ. It perplexed him.

Now it perplexed Jesus for a different reason than it is disciples. It perplexed Jesus and stirred up Jesus because he didn't know What was entailed? The disciple. The disciples Are stirred up for a different reason.

They're stirred up because they don't know What is going on? They're looking around at each other and they're saying none of them Understood who it was and this is a fascinating thing. Because it leads us to our next point.

They were left in a place of utter confusion. But they were getting ready to see that there's power in this doctrine and it's not what they were thinking. There's power in reprobation. What do I mean look at verse 23.

There was reclining on Jesus's bosom one of his disciples whom Jesus loved now. We got to do a little bit of scene work here. We got to look at what's going on in order to understand what I mean by there's power underneath this doctrine.

This they are at the Passover meal they're at a table and unlike us. They're not chairs that are lining the table. There are sofas or couches not like what we would think of a sofa or couch today. But enough like a bench almost that was put around the tables.

And this was the most formal way that you could do dining in ancient Israel. This was a this was a snazzy high-class fancy meal. Now there's 12 of them and typically you would have three men per couch.

So that means there's four couches. There's one on all four sides of the table and there was one couch that was designated as the head of the table. So that if you sat on that couch, then you were a part of the head of the group.

If you're in the middle of that couch, then you were the leader. If you're on the left or on the right, then you were the second and third in command. Why do you think James and John are arguing over who's gonna be second and third in the kingdom?

They want to be on Jesus's couch rolling with him. Now we know one of the disciples that's on the couch. It's John. John has this funny way. Of sort of sticking it to Peter. John's the one who outran Peter and got there first.

John's the one who is the disciple Jesus loved and Peter's the one who's the Disciple who puts his foot in his mouth. John says that the disciple that Jesus loved leaned back on to his chest. John's saying in a humble way.

He's not saying I John and the disciple Jesus loved. He's being humble. He said I was sitting there beside of Jesus now. We don't know if John was on his right or his left. There are paintings that make choices in that.

I guess you have to if you're gonna paint the scene. But we don't know if John was on his left or his right, but we know that there was one empty spot at that couch. Now who was in it? I? Think the natural Choice would be Peter.

Peter's the one who shows up in every single leadership. Listing in the Gospels Peter's the one who is the adult in the room. There's a fascinating study that has shown that Peter might have been the only adult in the disciples.

Because when Jesus pays taxes at the temple he pays taxes only for him and Peter not for him. Peter John James Bartholomew and the rest because you had to be over 18 to pay the taxes and maybe John and James Bartholomew Simon were teenagers.

But we look at these movies and we see these middle-aged men with beards, maybe it wasn't so. But Peter would have been a natural choice. He is the leader. He's the one who steps up onto the water and says I'll walk with Jesus just before crashing down.