All Things Together For Good: Chap. 7 Pt. 2

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All Things Together For Good: Chap. 7 Pt. 3

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So, we started chapter 7 last week on effectual calling and tonight will be part 2, the second time we're going through it, continuing through.

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Last time we talked about a number of things regarding the calling. We talked about man's condition ahead of time, prior to the calling.

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We talked about the means of the effectual call by his word and by his spirit and that's where we left off.

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Now this week we'll start talking, we'll start by talking about the method that God uses in calling sinners.

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I feel like that's a echo there. Okay, the method

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God uses in calling of sinners. The Lord does not tie himself to a particular way or use the same order with all.

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He causes sometimes, he comes sometimes in a still small voice, such as have had godly parents and have sat under the warm sunshine of religious education, often do not know how or when they were called.

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The Lord did secretly and gradually instill grace into their hearts as the dew falls unnoticed. They know by the heavenly effects that they are called, but the time or manner they know not.

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The hand moves on the clock, but they do not perceive when it moves. Thus God deals with some.

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Others are more stubborn and naughty sinners and God comes to them in a rough wind.

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He uses more wedges of the law to break their hearts. He deeply humbles them and shows them they are damned without Christ.

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Then having plowed up the fallow ground of their hearts by humiliation, he sows the seed of consolation.

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He presents Christ and mercy to them and draws their wills, not only to accept Christ, but passionately to desire and faithfully to rest upon him.

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Thus he wrought upon Paul and called him from a persecutor to a preacher. This call, though it is more visible than the other, yet is not more real.

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God's method in calling sinners may vary, but the effect is still the same." Okay, so that's a little mouthful there of things to consider.

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So we talked about the means last time before we ended, about through the word, through the spirit, and yet the method, it's not always the same.

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You know, they have tracts out there, you know, are you a good person, or the four spiritual laws, but it's not like one size fits all.

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I'm sure if we went around the room and asked about, you know, when did you first turn to Christ, we'd hear a number of stories, each and every one unique and different, some more the first way he mentioned, sitting under godly parents, and I've heard this particularly with Presbyterians, because, you know, the assumption is that they're in the covenant because they're baptized as infants, and so they just kind of grow up loving

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God, which, praise God, you know, they don't seem to focus on, you know, when did you, as Baptists, you know, when did you pray the sinner's prayer, when did you ask

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Jesus into your heart? I mean, if you're part of this church, when did you hear the gospel, when did you get called to repentance?

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But particularly when you're younger, it's hard to know exactly, unless you had that moment where someone asked you the question, do you want to accept

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Jesus, or something to that effect. They just know,

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I always kind of grew up going to church and hearing the word and just being raised to love God, you know, and as they come aware of their salvation, there's times where they recognize they're in sin, there's times where they recognize they need to repent, and yet they couldn't probably put their finger on, that's the date

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I got saved. And then there's others who are older who go, oh yes, I remember that day, because it's the day everything changed.

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So that makes sense. The means are the same. It still comes about through His word, and it still comes about through His spirit, but the method is different depending on the person.

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God has different ways of applying the word and the spirit at different times and different places, sometimes gently, sometimes more rough.

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Does that make sense? That's probably very familiar territory you've heard, you know your own conversion story, you know others, so you know the difference there.

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Any questions or comments before we talk about the properties of this effectual call? No? The properties of this effectual calling.

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This call is a sweet call. I think you know what happened, I'm trying to remember, like why is there a number five there?

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Going through my notes here. Number four was the method, number three was the means, we're working our way down.

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We're talking about there's six different aspects of the effectual calling, six observations that Watson is making.

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So number five, the properties of this effectual calling. One, this call is a sweet call.

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God so calls as He allures. He does not force, but draw. The freedom of the will is not taken away, but the stubbornness of it is conquered.

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Your people shall be willing in the day of your power. After this call there are no more disputes, the soul readily obeys

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God's call as when Christ called Zacchaeus, He joyfully welcomed him into His heart and house.

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So, when we think of that word draw, I've heard people debate on, you know, we're talking about effectual calling, we're talking about the irresistible grace, right?

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And people have sometimes taken that word draw, you know, no one comes to the

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Father unless the Father draws him, and they say, well he compels, he woos. And Thomas Watson is kind of using that same language, right?

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Does anyone come kicking and screaming to the Lord? No? Yes.

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Everyone was talking before, now we're all quiet, right? Right.

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But the word draw that's used there by Jesus in John is the same word that they use when they talk about dragging

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Paul and Silas off to jail. It's the same Greek word, draw, compel.

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There's some force to it. I remember R .C. Sproul was talking about someone who was trying to debate him on the

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Greek meaning of the word, and it used in other Greek literature. And he goes, we found like some extra literature where it was talking about like taking it out of a well, like drawing the water out of the well.

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And R .C.'s like, well, that's great. He goes, who's ever gone over to a well and be like, here, water, water, water?

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Or do you go in there with the ladle and you bring that water up, right? So, but we don't feel as if we're being, violence is being done to our will, right?

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He does compel us. He actually frees us with the regeneration that we come willingly.

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We finally see the truth, and we have hearts that can respond. And it is a sweet call.

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When we understand our deplorable condition ahead of, before, it's a sweet call that God would have mercy on us and offer us the gospel.

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Mm -hm, yeah, yeah, absolutely.

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But it is a sweet call. So, another property of this calling.

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This call is a holy call. Who has called us with a holy calling? This call of God calls men out of their sins.

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By it, they are consecrated, set apart for God. The vessels of the tabernacle were taken from common use and set apart to a holy use.

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Just so, those who are effectually called are separated from sin and consecrated into God's service.

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The God whom we worship is holy. The work we are employed in is holy. The place we hope to arrive at is holy.

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All this calls for holiness. A Christian's heart is to be the presence chamber of the blessed trinity, and shall not holiness to the

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Lord be written upon it. Hm, what do you think about that?

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Man of unclean lips, I live among a people of unclean lips, yeah. I think this is sometimes forgotten, you know, in the seeker -sensitive movement of today, you know, everyone's trying to just be relevant and just to get you to come as you are, and unfortunately, well, coming as you are is all you can do, right?

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Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, recognizing their spiritual bankruptcy before God. You don't stay as you are, you become holy, and your life should be a life of holiness, because what you're called to is holiness.

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Just as it was in the Old Testament, it still is today. Paul tells Timothy, Peter quotes the

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Old Testament to his readers. You are to be holy as God is holy. So, here in 2

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Timothy, Paul is talking to Timothy, and if you read through Peter, he's quoting the

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Old Testament there. We are set apart, we are different. He has got some more to say here.

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Believers are children of God the Father, members of God the Son, and temples of God the

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Holy Spirit, and shall they not be holy? Holiness is the badge and livery of God's people, the people of your holiness.

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As chastity distinguishes a virtuous woman from a harlot, so holiness distinguishes the godly from the wicked.

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It is a holy calling. God has called us to be holy, not to live impure lives.

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Let not any man say he is called by God who lives in sin. Has God called you to be a swearer or to be a drunkard?

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Nay, let not the merely moral person say he is effectually called. What is civility without sanctity?

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It is but a dead carcass strewed with flowers. The king's picture stamped upon brass will not go current for gold.

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The merely moral man looks as if he had the king of heaven's image stamped upon him, but he is no better than counterfeit metal, which will not pass for current with God.

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Current, currency, current. Let's go back, okay.

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So we are to be set apart, we are to be different. What is he saying here about the moral person?

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What's he talking about there? I guess the person who just has an outward appearance of Godliness.

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They basically do the right things, but not always for the right reasons. Their heart's not regenerated.

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They're not doing it to go with by God. Yeah. Steve?

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Someone who's concerned about their reputation. Yeah? Alex?

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Right. Yeah, so in that first paragraph on here, as chastity distinguishes a virtuous woman from a harlot, they're both women, but they're known by their conduct, right?

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And so holiness distinguishes the godly from the wicked. It says, let not any man say he's called by God who lives in sin.

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The moral person, you know, so this can be, on the one hand, the person who's just outwardly wicked, you know, and there's a lot of that today.

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You know, there's a lot of people who say, well, I prayed the prayer. You know, my ticket was punished, that sort of thing. I mean, and I've heard that.

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I've heard people find encouragement in that. And particularly in Baptist circles, where you have, you know, even

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Baptists can have their altar call, some forms of them, right? Not that we would agree with that.

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But, you know, they come down the aisle. They pray their prayer. You know, they get a card or something.

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But there's no change. There's no life change. So he goes, don't say that they're called.

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And the merely moral person, you know, the person who by, you know, outward appearances does seem to be godly.

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I remember knowing some Jehovah Witnesses through work and stuff like that, who outwardly, very moral, you know.

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They don't curse. They don't talk about the, you know, the filthy things that the coworkers are talking about.

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They do act very different, right? But are they believing on Christ and, you know, for the forgiveness of their sins?

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Where is their salvation? Is it in their works? That's something we'll talk about later on in this book, in this chapter, actually.

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But you can have the king's image stamped on brass. That doesn't make it gold, right? It doesn't make it worth anything.

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And so this is a holy call, and holiness is in the heart, and it's given to us by God who sets us apart.

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Any questions or comments before I move on to the next property? John? They also think, because I've heard some people say, well, my sins have forgiven past, present, and future.

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So I think sometimes they think that that means they're allowed to keep sinning because they prayed the prayer.

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Well, Paul will say, may it never be, right? That kind of thinking is rightly condemned.

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You can't say, my sins are forgiven, so I have license to sin.

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That's someone who has totally misunderstood and twisted it. That's not a changed heart who's rightly understanding their calling.

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Okay, number three property, third property. This call is an irresistible call.

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When God calls a man by his grace, he cannot but come. You may resist the minister's call, but you cannot the spirit call.

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The finger of the blessed spirit can write upon a heart of stone, as once he wrote his laws upon tables of stone.

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God's words are creating words. When he said, let there be light, there was light. When he says, let there be faith, it shall be so.

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When God called Paul, he answered to the call. I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.

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God rides forth conquering the chariot of his gospel. He makes the blind eye see and the stony heart bleed.

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If God will call a man, nothing shall lie in the way to hinder. Difficulties shall be untied. The powers of hell shall disband.

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Who has resisted his will? God bends the iron sinew and cuts asunder the gates of brass.

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When the Lord touches a man's heart by his spirit, all proud imaginations are brought down and the fort royal of the will yields to God.

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The man that before was a raging sea of sin, foaming forth wickedness. Now he suddenly flies back and trembles.

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He falls down as a jailer. What shall I do to be saved? What has happened to this man?

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The Lord has effectually called him. God has been working powerfully by grace, and now his stubborn heart is conquered by a sweet violence.

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Pull back for a second there. So that irresistible call.

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There's a term we're familiar with, right? Questions about that? Comments about that?

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No comments? I just have a quick one. In terms of like when someone's called, right, at that point when they're called, right, they have a change of heart and mind towards Christ and the gospel.

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Is it equally so about his word as well? I mean like instantly? Or is that something that develops over time?

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I think that's something that develops over time. You know, when we talk about what it means to be saved, what's the requirement for salvation is to recognize that you need forgiveness of sins and Christ is the only one who can provide you.

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We recognize, you might not understand it right away, but when you're taught it, that it's a triune, it's a

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Trinitarian effort of God to change you. I mean, so we would say someone who doesn't believe in the Trinity is outside the

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Orthodox faith. But unfortunately, fully understanding his word to be infallible and inerrant does not always seem to be the case.

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It is a question if the person, if you're trying to teach them, how willingly they submit, but I wouldn't say it's necessarily a requirement of salvation or it's a definitive thing that's tied to it as well.

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Because you have Paul talking about different things in the, different things he's trying to explain to the church and teach the church, but if someone is being difficult because we have no other teaching, but it's recognizing that some people are going to struggle with certain aspects of it.

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I mean, if we were to say that, something's very wrong when we have all these different interpretations of doctrine.

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We don't want to say that if you don't believe what I believe, you're outside the faith. So it's a progressive sanctification that way.

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With the calling, the thing I'm thinking about is, I run into people who tend to think that God's talking to them regularly.

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Do you think that they're confusing that calling to think that they're supposed to hear something?

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They're supposed to get a, some way, somehow, a message from God to, you know, and I know one case

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I just found out in Florida, Well, this calling is talking about the effectual calling unto salvation, you know, and it's accomplished by his, the word, the word of God and the spirit of God.

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The word of God is what is given to everyone. When we go down to Port Jeff and we're proclaiming the gospel, that's the open call, you know, the free offer of the gospel to everyone.

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It's the outward call, but not everyone is changed by that.

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The spirit has to move in the person to draw them to God through the word unto salvation.

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As far as people thinking that they're hearing God calling because it's Wednesday or Tuesday or Friday or whatever, just because they're expecting that, well, that's something, again, where they have to go with the word and understand, does

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God promise to speak to us that way? Or does he tell us how he communicates to us through his word?

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You know, the gifts that he gives to the body, you know, teachers and other gifts.

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No one is told, you know, here and now, wait to hear audibly from God and he will speak to you.

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Everything has to be put against scripture to see. Does that make sense?

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Okay. Any other questions before we move on? No? This is somewhat familiar territory for a lot of you.

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Number four, fourth property of this effectual calling. It's a high calling. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God.

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It is a high calling because we are called to high exercises, exercises of piety to die in sin, to be crucified to the world, to live by faith, to have fellowship with the father.

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This is a high calling. Here is a work too high for men in a state of nature to perform.

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It is a high calling because we are called to high privileges. The justification and adoption to be made co -heirs with Christ.

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He who is effectually called is higher than any of the kings of the earth. A high calling.

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If he says men in a normal, well, he says men in a state of nature, the normal state of nature.

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It's too high for them to perform. What does that mean? Outside of the spirit of God, empowering us to walk in his ways.

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Those who are in the flesh cannot please God, right? They're not able to. So man in his normal state, and remember what the state of nature was that he talked about when we covered it last week, the deplorable condition of man outside of Christ.

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He can't please God. He can't attain to that high calling. The best he might be able to do is to put on a moral front

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Thomas Watson being a Puritan. Even then, they see the wickedness of men who have rejected

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God, and there's a clear contrast. But how many were there who lived outwardly moral lives, right?

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Because for the sake of your reputation, for the sake of just kind of fitting in with the rest of society, their sin nature was curbed a bit.

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And Watson talks about that again in this chapter earlier on, that the outward call of the gospel does curb man's sin.

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But if all they are is outside, a superficial morality that doesn't go to the heart, it's no better.

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It's just counterfeit. It's worthless. It won't gain you entrance to heaven.

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And so it is similar when he talks about the high calling and calling about a holy calling. But it's something that it is so high when it comes to the justification, the adoption.

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No one else can live up to that. Only those who have been called and enabled to.

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That's why we keep saying it's effectually. They're effectually called because they have been made new.

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Higher than the kings of the earth. We are co -heirs. We reign with Christ. We have more standing before God than the most powerful king on the planet.

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Amazing. How many of us go to our prayer closets with that kind of thinking?

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Look what this guy is doing over here. Lord, I'd like you to take care of that, please. And God is hearing your prayers and not his.

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It's amazing. It is a high calling. Number five. This call is a gracious call.

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It is the fruit and product of free grace that God should call some and not others, that some should be taken and others left, that one should be called who is more of a wicked disposition while another of a sweeter temper is rejected.

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Here is free grace that the poor should be rich in faith, heirs of a kingdom, and the nobles and great ones of the world for the most part rejected.

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Not many nobles are called. This is free and rich grace. Even so,

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Father, for so it seemed good in your sight that under the same sermon one should be effectually wrought upon while another is no more moved than a dead man with the sound of music.

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Puritans. That one should be softened and moistened with the influence of heaven while another, like Gideon's dry fleece, has no dew upon him.

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Behold here distinguishing sovereign grace. The same affliction which converts one hardens another.

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Affliction to one is as the bruising of spices which casts forth a fragrant smell. To the other it is as the crushing of weeds in a mortar which are more unsavory.

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What is the cause of this but the free grace of God? It is a gracious calling.

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It is all enameled and interwoven with free grace. Brothers, think of what you were when you were called.

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Not many of you were wise by human standards. Not many were influential. Not many were of noble birth.

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But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

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He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are so that no one may boast before him.

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Grace. Gracious calling. And if you ever need a little humility, you just turn to this passage and remind yourself, he didn't call me because I was the best, the most powerful, the influential.

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Nope. Not many noble. So, I think this is one of those fascinating things that hymn that we sing.

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What's the name of the hymn? You guys know it. Amazing Grace.

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There's a lot of them, Pastor Chris. You're going to have to be more specific. Well, no,

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I probably couldn't. Amazing Grace, I could. No, the one where we're talking about like we were invited to while so many others were not.

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How sweet and awful is the place. Yeah, exactly. I mean, when we think about that, why should we be the ones to hear?

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You know, he mentions here, near the top there, that one should be called who's more of a wicked disposition while another of a sweeter temper is rejected.

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You know, because we look at people on the outside and we think, well, they've got to be called, right?

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Look, they're practically godly already. And like the guy over here, like, oh, that guy will never get saved.

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I mean, how many times have we thought about that, about politicians or other celebrities, that that person is so wicked, so evil, there's no chance they could be saved.

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I wonder how many people said that about Paul. Don't bother giving him the gospel. He's just going to haul you off to jail and, you know, seek to have you put to death.

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It is amazing the different types that the Lord would take.

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Mr. Atina, Joe. Yeah, he doesn't shy away from it.

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You know, he's the least of all, right? The least of all the apostles, the greatest of sinners. But the grace that we have to recognize this effectual calling is just the free grace of God.

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It is not us. There are some well -meaning people who have talked about, like, oh,

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God saw something special in you and he saved you. Nope. He saw a sinner in you and he decided he was going to make you special.

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Yeah, especially evil. So, this call is a glorious call.

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In his kindness, God called you to his eternal glory. We are called to the enjoyment of the ever -blessed

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God. It is as if a man were called out of prison to sit upon a throne. Curtius writes of one who, while digging in his garden, was called to be king.

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Thus God calls us to glory and virtue. First to virtue, then to glory. At Athens, there were two temples, the

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Temple of Virtue and the Temple of Honor. And no man could go to the Temple of Honor but through the

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Temple of Virtue. Just so, God calls us first to virtue and then to glory. What is the glory among men which most so hunt after but a feather blown in the air?

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What is it compared to the weight of eternal glory? Is there not great reason we should follow

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God's call? He calls us to eternal glory. Can there be any loss or harm in this?

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God would have us part with nothing for him but that which will damn us if we keep it.

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He has no design upon us but to make us happy. He calls us to salvation. He calls us to a heavenly kingdom.

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Oh, how should we then, with Barnimus or Barnimaeus, throw off our ragged coat of sin and follow

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Christ when he calls? Thoughts on that.

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Calls us to be happy, right? Thomas Watson said it. We'll get there in a minute.

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What about this about Athens and the two temples? God calling us to virtue and then to glory.

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He's using, obviously, in Athens, those temples, those were not temples for God, temples for the false gods, but for the philosophers and those who held to that, they're still made in the image of God and they still understand that virtue should come before honor.

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You should not get honor apart from virtue. So we need to be virtuous and then honor or, more specifically, glory.

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So how do we do that? Trust and obey.

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Listening on Sunday, right? Perseverance, right? But how do we become virtuous, though?

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By doing what you're supposed to do. Just like Steve said, trusting and obeying. I think that was

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Anthony. That flows out of what you do, but what you do is based on where your heart is at.

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The character of your heart is what's going to force you to just out of admiration, out of respect, out of duty to God, there's probably some other words you could throw in there as well.

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Some other big Puritan words. You know what I mean. Setting aside, of course you're going to stumble and trip and fall and everything else.

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It's walking that walk that is going to bring about the glory and the honor.

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But the glory and honor isn't going to be yours. It's going to be his. And it's going to be you giving that to him because of the work he's done for you.

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Go ahead. I was going to add that I like his comments about the virtue that the world strives after, like a feather blowing in the wind.

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And we look at what our current days, what are the things that people think are virtuous.

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I mean, Thomas Watson would probably have much more detailed comments than a feather blowing in the wind.

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We call it virtuous. I think it's very apt though. Yeah, that's another point

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I was going to bring up. It's very good. To be virtuous, I would take just one step back.

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You're not wrong, you're right. But can you be virtuous on your own? You need to be effectually called.

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The holy calling, the high calling, this is what God is accomplishing in us.

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He makes us virtuous. He gives us the righteousness of Christ. But by saving us, regenerating us, now we're growing our sanctification to become formed to the image of Christ.

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And we are called to trust and obey. We are called to walk in obedience. We will earn rewards.

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And you see in that heavenly vision, casting our crowns before his feet because we get to share in his glory and yet we recognize it's all from him.

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So, absolutely correct. And this all happens through the calling.

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And it is, we have that contrast too that I was going to mention that Alex brought up, that glory among men.

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So many people hunt after to get that glory among men, to get that reputation, to get the fame.

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How many people can't get away from, you know, if they've had any sort of time in the spotlight, you know, politicians, celebrities, whatever, pro athletes, it's hard for them to come back from not being famous anymore, you know, not having that, that's all their, that's what fulfills them so they think.

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And then it's gone. Feather, moving on, right?

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But we're talking about the weight of eternal glory. Never ending. This should be what we should be striving after and thankful that he bestows it on us.

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And so, like Blind Bartimaeus, following after Christ. This is a rare call.

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But few are savingly called. Few are chosen. Few, not collectively, but comparatively.

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The word to call signifies to choose out some from among others. Many have the light brought to them, but few have their eyes anointed to see that light.

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You have a few names in Sardis who have not defiled their garments. How many millions sit in the region of darkness.

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And in those climates where the sun of righteousness does shine, there are many who receive the light of truth without the love of it.

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There are many formalists, but few believers. There is something that looks like faith, which is not.

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The Cyprian diamond sparkles like the true diamond, but it is not of the right kind. It will break with the hammer.

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Just so the hypocrite's faith will break with the hammer of persecution. But few are truly called.

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The number of precious stones is few compared to the number of pebble stones. Most men shape their religion according to the fashion of the time, for they are for the music and the idol.

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The serious thought of this should make us work out our salvation with fear and labor to be in the number of those few whom

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God has translated into a state of grace. Go back for a second.

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Anyone want to argue with this one? Hmm? What do we think?

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Nothing, huh? What direction is he going to go in? That's right. That depends on your eschatology.

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But, what's that? Narrow is the way, right? These are the words of Jesus. Many are called, few are chosen, right?

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And how many times do we see in history there seems to be only but a remnant, you know?

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When we look at, compared to the rest of mankind, you know, the righteous seed, from, well,

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Abel was murdered, and we see Seth, and the line of Seth, and we were just talking about, you know, with Noah, with Methuselah, and Lamech, and then

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Noah, and the last, you know, Methuselah dying right before the flood. No more righteous people on the face of the earth that God is going to wipe them all out with a flood.

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And how many times do we see all of the surrounding people, all of the surrounding nations, they're in darkness.

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And so, for a large part of history, this is the true scenario.

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There is only a remnant, you know? The light goes forward. People had the knowledge of God.

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You know, if you read through Job, and you read about him, he's a contemporary of Abraham.

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You know, he knows, he doesn't have the law codified, you know, on tablets of stone that was given to Israel at Mount Sinai, and yet he knows you should take care of the fatherless, you should take care of the widow, you should take care of the sojourner.

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He mentions that in defense of his righteousness, that he's done all those things. He says, I made a covenant with my eyes not to look on a woman, right?

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He understands what righteousness looks like. Why? Because God's truth has been made known to mankind.

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We're image bearers. We look at Romans, when he says the Gentiles who act in accordance with the law, even when they don't have the law, show that the works of the law is written on their heart.

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God's light is out there, and how many people reject it? How many people don't have the anointing of their eyes to see the light, and there's darkness?

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Now, many of us here have a more optimistic view for the future when it comes to eschatology, but for the most part, we do see this happening where many are called, but few are chosen.

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I wanted to say something about that. So, even now, when we're seeing, well,

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I'm talking about Revelation 20, right? Since we're going to talk about a smattering of eschatology here, just for a second, because I want to agree with Thomas Watson, but I want to give you some hope for the future, right?

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What do we see? The world is surrounded in darkness. During the time of Israel, Israel had the law.

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They had the temple. If you wanted to come and be reconciled to God, that was the place where you found out about the

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God of the heavens and the earth. You found out about what it was, what it took to be pleasing in His sight.

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But that was it. A little tiny postage stamp on the whole face of the planet. And Revelation 20 says that the dragon, he's cast into the pit, he's locked up for a thousand years.

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Why? That he might not deceive the nations. And what's happened during that time?

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The gospel has gone from Jerusalem, Judea, to the ends of the earth, right?

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All around the globe, people have heard the gospel, people are getting saved. While we do see the times of ebbing and flowing, you know, think how many people, you know, here in the early days of the nation expressed faith in Christ.

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We saw, not all of them may be believers, but certainly the country was more moral in many ways.

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Again, things have declined, but there's hope that all this can return again. And so that's what we look to for a positive thing.

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But for many, it's been a rare call. You know, we certainly feel like that nowadays. Lots of people professing as he talked about, but how many are counterfeits?

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How many are true? It is difficult. Questions or comments about that little...

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That'd be the most... I'll prod Watson off on that. Any questions or comments on that?

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No? Okay. Sure. Does that include...

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When it speaks of a remnant, does that include... Does that go by households or by individuals?

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In terms of... What do you mean? Like, I don't know.

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I'm just thinking, you know,

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God's going to save people from every tribe and population. Mm -hmm. Does that go by individual households or...

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Well, I mean, he saves individuals.

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Right? He calls each one by name. He knows your name and he calls you by name. And you are added to a people, to a body.

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You go from an individual, saved as an individual, but you are now a member of a body, member of a family, you know?

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And so when he says every tribe, nation, and tongue, I mean, we've seen the word of God has gone out.

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It's been translated into numerous, maybe countless languages, right, to reach all the peoples of the earth and to give them the word in their common tongue that they might hear the gospel.

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Yet people are saved out of families, nations. I mean,

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Jesus says, I think I'm going to bring peace, but a sword. And he goes, a man's household, his enemies will be members of his own family, you know, brother against brother, mother -in -law against daughter -in -law.

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There'll be, you know, there'll be strife. There'll be family conflict from that. When he says that he has a remnant,

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I don't know if he's saying specifically, you know, one in each family. I think what he just means is he's always going to have a people that are faithful.

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You know, when Elijah is over there complaining, everyone's forsaken you. I'm the only prophet left.

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I'm the only one, you know, who's serving you. He goes, I've reserved for myself 7 ,000.

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You know, he thinks he's the only one faithful in all of Israel. You know, who knows how many thousands or maybe even millions are populating

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Israel at that time. But God says, no, I've kept for myself a number. That's what I mean. There's always going to be the lights never going to go out completely.

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I have to agree that every tribe, tongue, and nation has been reached.

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I look at it also as being, let's take Pentecost. You had

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Jews being brought back from every tribe, nation, and their tongue had changed at that point.

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Some no longer even spoke Hebrew. And it was the reversal of Tower of Babel for that matter, okay?

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And when that economy happened, right, and the

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Holy Spirit came upon those people, that flame was a flame of judgment, but it didn't burn out, if you will, some of those people.

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It didn't disseminate, burn out some of those people.

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And then that flame went forth, right? And it was passed on, passed on, passed on.

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And I think that's what's being referred to. And yes, there is always going to be a remnant, but I think that we can't be, and I can't speak well about this, but we can't be fooled by what we necessarily see in front of our eyes right now.

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I believe there is a lot more believer, true believers there than we really understand, okay?

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And I believe there's going to be that much more. And I say this because, for instance, what

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I've read in Ezekiel, right? Where that river is going to grow, grow, grow, grow, grow. The trees with the leaves that are going to heal, right?

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So I have to believe that's happening now. Amen. Amen. Pastor Jensen.

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Whenever you're studying a topic in Scripture, you've got to make sure you're looking at all the Scripture.

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There's no question that the Lord says, has made it clear that even when things look obliquious, there's always going to be a remnant.

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But is that the way it's going to be forever? No, because he's the one who gave us the parable of the mustard seed.

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The mustard seed's very small. What happens to it? Does it stay small until the end of time?

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No, it grows to be the largest tree in the garden. Right. And the same thing with the river coming from the temple of Ezekiel.

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It starts off first. He's getting his feet wet. Right. It's a trickle. And the next thing you know, it's up to his shins, and then it's covering him, and he can't even cross it.

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He can't even swim across it. So, I mean, you have to look at growth. What you have to put in that also is

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God is looking at this outside of time. We look at it from inside of time.

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And what seems to be a long time to us isn't for God. You know? And so,

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I mean, there's such a thing as, I think they call it generational importance.

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Every generation that's on the planet thinks of them as being the most important generation.

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And yet it's not true. I mean, how many generations are going to be undeserved?

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What do we hear now, especially with the war in Ukraine? Another sign of the times. Christ going to return soon.

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Maybe not. Maybe not. Because I think back of the promise that he's going to reward the godly to the thousandth generation.

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How many years is that? And we hold to a young earth.

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We think that somewhere between 6 ,000 and 8 ,000 years is all New York has been there. Could it be another 40 ,000 years?

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It could. There's nothing in scripture to say that it couldn't. You know? And when you look at how

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God works, I think, from what

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I'm seeing, I think we're still a remnant. I don't think the trees, it's maybe budding and pushing above the ground a little bit, but I don't see that we're the largest tree in the garden yet.

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We might still be the early church. It's all about perspective. No, that's excellent.

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Excellent point. And so, yes, a rare call from one perspective, but yet we have promises for a tremendous future.

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We're a little past time, so if there's one more property of the effectual calling, and then we move on to something else.

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But we're just going to have to close here. I know you're all dying to know what that last one is. I'll be waiting next week.