God’s Unchangeable Oath - Hebrews 6:16-18

Kootenai Church

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:00

Let's bow together before we begin. Lord, that is indeed our prayer, that you would speak through your word the unchanging truth and the eternal truth to our hearts.

00:10

May your word accomplish that which you have determined in the hearts of all who believe and in the hearts of those who do not believe.

00:17

We pray that you would accomplish your purposes for us and in us and that in all of our meditation and our thoughts that you would be honored and glorified through our time of study here as we look at your word.

00:28

Encourage us together and exhort us, rebuke us and confront us and make our hearts to delight in your truth that we may yield to you obedient and reverent and humble hearts that you may be glorified in and through your people and your church both now and forever we ask, amen.

00:46

We are in Hebrews chapter six, so if you're not there yet, please turn there in your Bibles. We're looking at the doctrine of the security of the believer here in Hebrews six and those are two concepts that usually don't go together, the security of the believer and Hebrews six because in most people's minds, when they think about Hebrews six, they're not thinking about the doctrine of the security of the believer.

01:07

They're thinking about a chapter that they think warns believers that they can lose their salvation and warns them against losing their salvation but in fact, as we're looking at the context, we're seeing that the author is encouraging the hearts of his readers to trust in something and namely at the end of the chapter you will see we are to trust in an anchor for the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one that enters within the veil and that anchor for our soul is nothing less than the

01:31

Lord Jesus Christ and his work for us as our high priest, one who is a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek and because of what that high priest has done and what he has secured on behalf of all who believe in him, we can rest and trust and take comfort and assurance in the security of our salvation and the author obviously has this intention.

01:52

As he gives the imagery of an anchor, he is describing something that is sure and steadfast and certain and immovable, something that is firmly, firmly hooked into something and that is the, that which we are hooked into is the very presence of God.

02:06

We are anchored behind the veil where Christ our high priest has gone as a forerunner for us. He has entered in there and there he stands for us and he is our anchor behind the veil.

02:16

Now that the author would use all of this language of an anchor and sure and steadfast that you see in verse 19, we have this hope and anchor for the soul, sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil.

02:28

That type of language is something that you would not associate with caution against losing your salvation.

02:34

That certainty of salvation, that certainty and assurance that we have, our security in Christ, that's what's being described at the end of Hebrews chapter six and with language like that in the book, it is surprising to me that anybody believes you can lose your salvation.

02:47

What kind of an anchor is it that the minute the storm comes up, it gives way and the rope breaks or the chain breaks?

02:54

What type of an anchor is it that's not sure and not steadfast and one that's not anchored somewhere to keep us safe and secure?

03:01

The author wants us to do two things. One is to reach out and apprehend and trust by faith in the work that Christ has done and the second thing he wants us to do is to rest in the security and the assurance that we are secure in that work that Christ has done.

03:20

He wants us to lay hold of it by faith and then to rest in it. That's why he uses language like rest in other parts of the, well, in fact, in the last warning chapter, it was the last warning passage that we looked at in chapter three and four, he uses that term, that imagery of resting in that salvation, of resting and trusting in Jesus Christ.

03:37

So yes, we are to lay hold by faith, we're encouraged to do that, but also to rest in it. How can we rest?

03:43

Because we have an anchor within the veil that holds us steadfast and secure. See, in the context of the warning passage, he is comforting the hearts of true believers with the assurance that they are safe and secure in Christ because of what he has done and it is not our continuance in the faith that makes us secure.

04:01

In other words, we don't, our security is not dependent on our continuance in the faith. Our continuance in the faith is the evidence of our salvation.

04:10

It is the evidence of our security because it is Christ himself who makes us secure. God did not leave our salvation up to our own power and ability.

04:19

God has not left our sanctification up to our own power and ability and God has not left our security up to our own power and ability.

04:26

We are saved, we are sanctified and we are secure because of our work, the work that was done by our high priest, the

04:32

Lord Jesus Christ, who has entered behind the veil. And so we are safe and secure in him because of what he has done.

04:38

That is the whole grounding, the whole foundation for the security of the believer is in the intentional, specific, purposeful, and particular work of the

04:45

Lord Jesus Christ in offering himself as an atonement for sinners and dying in their stead and then entering into heaven and interceding for him.

04:53

There is nothing of that work that we contributed to. There is nothing in that work that we can improve upon.

04:59

And so there is nothing in that work that we get credit for. All of that was done for our salvation and we are called to simply rest and trust in that.

05:07

So we're in these verses that come after the stern warning passage and here the emphasis is on the promises and purposes of God.

05:13

In verses 13 to 15, we saw that the emphasis is on the unfailing promises of God and we are to, well the warning passage ends with the encouragement that we be diligent and not sluggish, but be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

05:26

That's verse 12. And then he turns right around and gives us an example of one who through faith and patience inherited the promises.

05:32

And the example is Abraham. He is our faith forefather. And Abraham is given as the example in verses 13 to 15 because he is the perfect example of somebody who has promised something and then waited a long time to see the fulfillment of that promise.

05:45

And in fact, he waited so long that he died before those promises were fulfilled to him. There was one particular promise that was fulfilled to Abraham.

05:52

Do you remember what it was? Do you remember the things that God promised to Abraham? God promised him a land, a people to dwell in that land who would come from him and a seed or a king who would rule in a kingdom in that land.

06:04

I'm adding some New Testament context to that, but those are basically the three things that Abraham was promised. A land, a people to possess the land, and then a seed, one through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

06:14

And the example from Abraham's life is simple. God always keeps his promises. That is why he uses

06:20

Abraham as an example of that. What did Abraham see of all those promises? Did Abraham ever see the multitude of descendants that numbered like the stars of heaven, like the sands of the seashore?

06:29

Did he ever see that in his lifetime? He saw one descendant who was an heir of the promise,

06:36

Isaac. Abraham had other children, but nothing that you would call a multitude, nothing that you would compare to the stars of heaven or the sands of the seashore.

06:45

He had one son. Did Abraham ever see the land that God promised him? Oh, he walked through it, but he never possessed it, not in his lifetime, and neither did

06:53

Isaac or Jacob, but he didn't possess that. Did Abraham ever see the birth of the promised seed, the

06:59

Messiah through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed? He never saw that. He waited 25 years to see the answer to that one promise and that he died before he ever saw the answers to the other promises, the fulfillment of the other promise, and yet Abraham believed, even though God told him, your descendants are gonna go into a foreign land and they will be there for 400 years, and then

07:19

I will bring them out and give them this land. That's what God said to Abraham, and Abraham so believed

07:25

God that he knew that the passage of four centuries, that is roughly twice the amount of time that the

07:32

United States has been a country, the passage of four centuries could not stall, it could not thwart, it could not keep

07:38

God's promises from coming to pass. Abraham believed it, even though he knew he in his own lifetime would never see it, and now if God's promises are not enough, not only did

07:49

God promise, but the author of Hebrews says God has sworn an oath to uphold his promise and to keep his promise.

07:54

Now we looked last time at the unfailing promises of God in verses 13 to 15. Abraham is an example of trusting that God always keeps his word, and now in verses 16 to 18, we're looking today,

08:05

I was gonna say two things, we're actually looking at one thing and we're gonna continue it next week. We're looking at two things that are mentioned in verses 16 to 18.

08:12

Number one, the unchangeable oath that God makes, an unchangeable oath, and second, unchangeable purposes.

08:19

There are two things mentioned here that are said to be unchangeable, and actually there are three things in the context that are said to be unchangeable,

08:25

God's promise, God's oath, and God's purposes. So let's read together verses 16 through 18 and then we'll kind of break it down and I'll show you what we're gonna do today.

08:32

For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.

08:38

In the same way, God desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of his purposes, interposed with an oath so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.

08:56

There are two things here that the author points us to, God's unchangeable oath and God's unchangeable purpose.

09:02

God made an oath, that's in verse 16, he swore by an oath, he gave something as a confirmation of an oath.

09:08

In the same way, desiring even more, verse 17, to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of the purpose, of his purpose, he interposed with an oath.

09:16

So today we're looking at God's unchangeable oath, and next week we'll look at God's unchangeable purpose. Now these two things are connected.

09:23

Really God's oath, his promise, and the oath that he made to secure that promise, those are expressions of an unchangeable purpose.

09:31

And the fact that God's purposes are unchangeable, listen Christian, you can rest in that. And here's why, I'll give you just a glimpse,

09:37

I'm gonna spoil the ending of next week, but here's a glimpse of what's coming next week. If God has purpose to save you, his purpose cannot change, period.

09:47

It doesn't matter what happens in history, it doesn't matter what unfolds in the news, it doesn't matter what is established, what takes place in your life, if God has purposed to save you, full stop, period, end of discussion.

10:00

His purposes do not change. And, even better, his purposes cannot fail.

10:05

That's next week. Today, just the unchangeable oath. Just look at God's unchangeable oath. We're gonna be looking at verse 13, well we're gonna kind of work through looking at God's unchangeable oath, and then next week we'll look through dealing with the same passage, looking at God's unchangeable purpose.

10:19

Notice that verse 16 sort of picks up the point of verse 13. Look back up again at verse 13. For when

10:25

God made a promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself. That picks up the promise.

10:31

That's mentioned in verse 13. Now look down at verse 16. For men swear by one greater than themselves, so there's a connection here between these two things.

10:38

He's referring again to the oath that God made to Abraham in Genesis chapter 22. And this idea of swearing by one greater than yourself, which he mentions in verse 16, men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath is an end of every dispute.

10:50

That kind of refers to the human practice of taking an oath and swearing by one who is greater in authority or power or stature or position than you are.

10:58

And the idea was to show the solemnness, the seriousness, the trustworthiness of what was being spoken to or what was being sworn to.

11:06

In other words, you are invoking somebody who is greater in power and authority than you are for the purpose of saying if I don't keep my word, then

11:13

I will hold myself accountable to this one who has the power to discipline me or to scourge me or to enforce the terms of the contract.

11:20

But if God is going to make an oath, if he's going to swear by someone, to whom does he swear by? There is no one greater than he is, and that's what verse 16 says.

11:28

Men swear by one greater than themselves, but verse 13 says there's no one greater than God, so he couldn't swear by anyone greater than he.

11:34

There was no one, there was no throne in heaven or there's no throne on earth to which God can say, I swear by this one that I shall fulfill this, and so God swore by himself.

11:43

And that was intended to invoke a level of accountability among men, but with God, it actually indicates that by swearing by himself, there is nobody in heaven or on earth that can keep him from fulfilling that oath, and there's nobody that can call him to account if he doesn't keep that oath.

12:00

See, God is bound by nothing other than his word. And not only did he give his word to Abraham in terms of a promise, but then he swore an oath to secure that promise.

12:10

Now verse 17, sorry, verse 16 says among men, an oath is given as confirmation as an end of every dispute.

12:17

In other words, in a human court, if two people go together, go to court against each other and there is a dispute between them or there is some controversy between them, one man may give his testimony and say that this is what has unfolded and then he might swear by it.

12:32

He might swear according to the law and according to some higher power that this is in fact the truth of, that what he has stated is in fact true.

12:39

You and I do this when we sign our tax returns every April, April 14th, right, at midnight or April 15th at 11 .50.

12:47

When we sign that, our tax returns, what does it say down at the bottom? I promise that what

12:54

I have provided in this document is true and accurate according to the best of my knowledge and by signing that, you are swearing what is basically a legal affidavit.

13:03

And what you're doing is you are acknowledging under the law, which is greater than you and under the authority of the

13:10

IRS. It took me, I had to say that without, I wanted to say other things, but I won't. You're under the authority of the

13:15

IRS, you're swearing that what you have stated here is true and accurate to the best of your knowledge.

13:22

And you're acknowledging there is one who is higher than I in authority and ability and power that can come after me if what

13:28

I have said is false. So in the realm of human activity, we swear or we give a legal affidavit or a sworn testimony, when we give a legal affidavit or a sworn testimony, we are essentially saying

13:40

I am acknowledging that under the penalty of perjury, what I am saying is true. To whom does

13:47

God swear when he wants to take an oath? I can't look to anybody above him.

13:54

There's nobody greater in power or authority. So what does God say? Genesis chapter 22, I have sworn by myself, according to my own nature, my own testimony, my own word,

14:06

God says I have sworn by myself that I will do this, I will fulfill what it is that I have promised.

14:12

In the same way, it says in verse 17, in the same way that this takes place among men,

14:18

God has done this. Now, there's something that's not mentioned here that is true in the human realm and in human courts. And that is that one person can lie and then swear to their lie, right?

14:28

That's possible for men to do. It is possible for men to say, look, I have sworn that the above represented in this tax return is true and accurate and according to the best of my knowledge.

14:38

And maybe just so that we don't all fall into conviction, let's just do away with the whole tax return thing for just a moment. Let's just say that it's possible for men in a court of law to swear to something that is in fact false and that they know to be false because they intend to gain something from it.

14:53

It's possible for men to do that. But the author, almost as if he anticipates the possibility of this objection, reminds us in verse 18 that it is impossible for God to lie.

15:02

Whereas this might be possible for men to swear to a lie, God not only cannot swear to a lie, he cannot even lie.

15:09

He can speak no untruth or falsehood whatsoever. He cannot say anything that is in fact untrue and he cannot lie because his nature would keep him from lying.

15:18

He's bound by his nature which is absolute truth. Whereas men may lie, God cannot lie. So what does the author mean when he says in verse 17, in the same way?

15:28

In the same way as what? What is he describing there? Is he describing that God is taking an oath in order to show the truthfulness of what it is that he is promising?

15:38

Is that what he was trying to demonstrate? Was he trying to demonstrate that he is truthful and that he is reliable?

15:43

That there is nobody higher in authority than him? Is that what he was trying to do? Or what was he putting on display there?

15:50

The answer is in the text when it says in verse 17, he desired even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of his purpose.

16:00

You see, when God swore an oath, it was not to swear by one higher than him. It was simply to demonstrate and remind the heirs of the promise that his purpose is unchangeable.

16:11

What God had promised back in Genesis chapter 15, 12, 15, and 17, he would bring to pass.

16:16

And what is it that God had promised Abraham? We saw this last time when we did our rocket tour through the book of Genesis and looked at Genesis 12.

16:24

There's a promise that God gave Abraham. Remember those three things? A land, a seed, and a people. A land to possess, a people to possess that land, and a seed through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

16:33

Those are the three things that God promised to Abraham. He reiterated it in Genesis chapter 15. Then he reaffirmed the covenant again in Genesis chapter 17.

16:41

And then God fulfilled the terms of that covenant. And then when Isaac was old enough, God told Abraham to offer

16:46

Isaac on the altar and took him up onto Mount Moriah and prepared the sacrifice there. And God stopped him from sacrificing his son.

16:52

And then he said to Abraham, after Abraham demonstrated to himself the nature of his own saving faith, God said to him in Genesis chapter 22, verse 15,

17:00

God called, the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, by myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son.

17:09

Indeed, I will greatly bless you and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore.

17:15

And your seed shall possess the gates of their enemies. In your seed, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed my voice.

17:21

And there God repeated and reiterated the terms of the covenant. It was a covenant that God made with Abraham, a unilateral and unconditional covenant which

17:30

God himself made. And then God said, by myself I have sworn I will do this.

17:36

And that is the oath that is being described here in verse 16 and in verse 17 when it says that God desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise, the unchangeableness of purposes interposed with an oath.

17:48

Now God was demonstrating the unchangeableness of his purpose to whom? To the heirs of the promise. Well, who were the heirs of Abraham's promise?

17:56

The first one was Isaac, right? Abraham had two sons, Isaac and Ishmael. Ishmael was not the son of promise, he was not the son of the covenant, but Isaac was.

18:03

Isaac, born from Sarah in her old age, from Abraham's loins, Isaac was the son of the promise.

18:09

Well, did Isaac ever see the multitude of descendants? Did Isaac ever see the land? Did Isaac ever see the birth of the seed, the promised

18:16

Messiah? He didn't see any of that. But he was the heir of the promise. Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau.

18:22

Which one was the heir of the promise? It was Jacob, not Esau, right? Jacob I've loved,

18:28

Esau I've hated, God says several times in scripture. So Jacob was the child of promise. Did Jacob ever see a multitude of descendants?

18:34

We saw more descendants than I've seen so far. Right, 12 sons and a bunch of daughters and grandchildren,

18:40

Jacob saw all of that. He went into Egypt and saw Joseph and Joseph's descendants and a bunch of his descendants, several hundred people probably before Jacob died.

18:49

But did Jacob ever see anything that would be described as the sands of the seashore or the stars of the sky? Nothing like that.

18:55

Did Jacob ever see the land, his descendants take possession of land? He never saw that and never saw the birth of the

19:00

Messiah. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all died without ever seeing the fulfillment of the promise.

19:07

Now who are the descendants of that promise today? Physically speaking, we would say the nation of Israel. Physical Jews are the descendants of Abraham.

19:14

They have received and benefit from that promise. They're the physical heirs of the promise. But take a moment and look around you.

19:21

Believers in Jesus Christ, we also are heirs of that promise and this is what scripture says. Because we have believed upon God's promises just as Abraham has.

19:30

We are the spiritual descendants of Abraham. We're children of Abraham, not physically as it were, but spiritually in that he is our faith forefather.

19:38

He just, we are saved just as Abraham was saved by faith and now because we are believers in Jesus Christ and he is the seed through whom all the nations of the earth are blessed.

19:48

All those who have believed in Jesus Christ are brought into that promise. We now become those who are the heirs, spiritually speaking, of all that was given to Abraham.

19:59

And so we are among those descendants that we are the heirs of the promise through Jesus Christ and we will see a time when the children of Israel will possess the gates of their enemies.

20:09

And we have seen the birth of that seed. We have seen far more of the promise come to be fulfilled than any of Abraham's immediate descendants did.

20:17

But we still have a lot more of the promises that we have yet to see fulfilled. How can

20:22

I know, how can you know for certain that God will accomplish all that he has purposed for Abraham and for you who have believed in Jesus Christ and therefore sons of Abraham?

20:33

How can you know this? Because God has said I have sworn by myself I will fulfill the promise to Abraham.

20:41

All that God had promised to Abraham will come to pass and we by virtue of our faith in Jesus Christ, we have become heirs of that promise.

20:50

So it doesn't matter whether it's 400 years later or 2 ,000 years later when the children of Israel or when the birth of the

20:56

Messiah came or 4 ,000 years later as it is today, we can be absolutely certain that God himself because he has sworn he will accomplish his purposes.

21:04

And it says in verse 17 that he is interposed with an oath. That word interposed is kind of an interesting one and I think it's theologically significant so I'm gonna have to work this out for you and you try and, well not that you try and follow along, you'll follow along just fine.

21:17

It's not that technical but I'm asking you to pay attention now for just a second, okay? If you were dozing off before, time to wake up, come to because this

21:24

I think is important. The word that is used here, the translated interposed is only used one time in all the

21:29

New Testament and it's used here. It's the verb form. It's the verb form of this word and it is mesetuo,

21:37

I got it written in Greek so I translated it in my head. Mesetuo and it's the verb form and the verb means to bring about an agreement, to cause an agreement or to mediate.

21:47

It means to bring about an agreement between two or more parties. Who are the two or more parties that are described when

21:53

God just gave an oath to Abraham? It's God and Abraham. Well as one who stood between and mediated the terms of this agreement, this covenant,

22:03

God made an oath that did that. God's oath is the guarantor of that so though the verb form of this word is only used once in the

22:12

New Testament here and it's translated interposed and it means to stand between two parties as it were and to negotiate an agreement between them and to guarantee the nature of this agreement between these two parties.

22:24

The noun form, the mesetes, is used six times in the New Testament. It's used three times in the book of Hebrews, the noun form of the same word and in all three of the times that it is used in the book of Hebrews, it is translated mediator because that's what it means and all three times that it's used in the book of Hebrews where it's translated mediator, it's speaking of the

22:43

Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews 8 .6, he also is the mediator of a better covenant. Hebrews 9 .15, for this reason, he is the mediator of the new covenant and Hebrews 12 verse 24,

22:52

Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant so Jesus Christ is the mediator. Now I think this is significant for this reason.

22:58

In this very context, he is describing how Jesus Christ is our high priest according to the order of Melchizedek, our high priest forever.

23:05

What does a high priest do? Do you remember back in chapter five when we were talking about this, what a high priest does? He mediates between men and God.

23:12

He is a representative and he represents men to God and he represents God to men. So he is the perfect go between, the one who stands in between.

23:20

And so when this word is translated mediator, it has the idea of guaranteeing the certainty of agreement.

23:25

It describes one who stands in between and mediates between these two warring or at conflict factions and that's exactly what the

23:32

Lord Jesus Christ has done for us. We were enemies of God and in enmity against his law. We had violated his law and the holiness of his character and the nature of his justice demanded that a penalty be paid and that we be punished.

23:45

But one has stood in the middle as a mediator between an offended God and the offending party that is us and he is mediator or brokered an agreement.

23:55

And just as God's oath is unchangeable, so the Lord Jesus Christ does not change.

24:01

He is the same yesterday, today and forever. In fact, he is a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

24:08

His priesthood does not change. His purposes do not change. His intentions do not change.

24:14

His promises do not change. His nature does not change and he is the one that stands between us and the father mediating between the offending party and the offended party.

24:24

God is the one who is the offended party and Jesus Christ is God's oath for us.

24:30

How do I know and how do you know that God will accomplish his purposes in our salvation and ultimately in our glorification?

24:36

Because there is one who is our mediator. He interposes between God and us.

24:42

He is a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek and he does never change.

24:49

He cannot. See, that is where the security of the believer rests ultimately upon that foundational fundamental truth.

24:56

The security of the believer rests upon the fact that Christ does not change and he is the one who stands in between us.

25:02

He is the mediator. God has interposed in Christ for those under the new covenant. He interposed with an oath for those under the old covenant in Abraham and in both cases,

25:12

God has sworn by himself that he will fulfill the terms that he has promised to us. Now, what are the two unchangeable things?

25:19

In the same way desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of the purpose, verse 17, he interposed with an oath so that by two unchangeable things what are the two unchangeable things in the context?

25:32

Initially, I was gonna disagree with every commentator I read and say that I think that the two unchangeable things are the oath of God and the purpose because you'll notice in verse 17, it says that his purpose is unchangeable.

25:43

But there are two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie. And so then

25:49

I have to agree with all of the commentators and say that these two unchangeable things are the two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie when he says it.

25:58

That wouldn't describe a purpose but it would describe his promise and his oath. Just as it is impossible for God to lie when he makes a promise, so it is impossible for God to lie when he swears by himself that he will fulfill that promise.

26:12

So the two unchangeable things are the promise of God and the oath that he made when he said I swear by myself that I will fulfill this oath and that I will meet the terms of the agreement.

26:23

So he describes here two unchangeable things and then he also kind of throws in there's another unchangeable thing and it's the purpose of God.

26:29

But the two that he has in mind when he says the two unchangeable things are the promise of God and the oath of God. Now if God has promised to save you and God has sworn an oath that he will fulfill his promise, then there are two unchangeable things that he cannot, in which he cannot lie.

26:45

His promise and his oath. There are certain things that God cannot do.

26:52

When it says that God cannot lie, that describes one particular thing that God cannot do.

26:58

There are actually quite a few things that God cannot do. That shouldn't scare you, that shouldn't bother you because it doesn't, when we say that God cannot do something depending on what we're talking about, we're not describing some lack in God, some deficiency, we're actually describing something that relates to his perfections.

27:16

I remember sitting around in first year of Bible college talking about all the great philosophical questions that first year

27:22

Bible college students like to bring up. Like is it possible for God to make a rock so big he can't lift it?

27:28

Is it possible for God to, what was the other one? Make a rock so big he can't lift it?

27:34

Oh, can God make a square circle? Oh, you Christians say God can do anything, right? Is it possible that God can do anything?

27:40

There are a bunch of things that God cannot do. Now all of those questions sounded so brilliant and profound as we sat around gazing at our navels, discussing theology like that, first year of Bible college, and thought man, those are really good and profound questions.

27:52

Now I look back and I think man, those are really stupid questions. I don't know why we ever ask those questions because they are stupid questions.

27:58

Of course God can't make a square circle because that's a logical contradiction and God can't logically contradict himself. Of course God can't make a rock so big he can't lift it because these have nothing to do with power, they have to do with logical consistency.

28:08

And so of course God can't do that. There are a bunch of things that God cannot lie and all of these describe not a deficiency in God but actually his immutable perfections.

28:16

For instance, God cannot lie, he cannot deny himself, he cannot break his word, he can't forget something, he can't learn something, he can't divide his essence, he can't approve of sin, he can't fail in his purposes, he can't cease to exist, he can't become better or worse and he can do no injustice.

28:30

There's a lot of things that God cannot do. When we say that God cannot do something, we're actually describing his perfection. Because God is perfectly holy, he cannot sin and he cannot approve of sin.

28:41

And because God is perfectly true, he cannot lie. See, these are descriptions of his perfections. The fact that you and I can lie is not a description of our perfection, it's a description of our moral deficiency.

28:53

God is not morally deficient and therefore when we describe God being unable to do something that is morally deficient, we're actually describing his perfection.

29:00

It is his perfection that makes him unable to do something that is imperfect. And so because he is perfectly omniscient, he can't learn something and he can't forget anything.

29:09

And scripture repeatedly reminds us that God cannot lie. I'll give you a few references, Numbers 23 verse 19.

29:15

God is not a man that he should lie. By the way, what's assumed in that statement? That every man's a liar, right?

29:23

By our very nature. God is not a man that he should lie nor a son of man that he should repent. Has he said and will he not do it or has he spoken and he will not make it good?

29:33

See what Numbers 28 is saying? If God has said it, he must do it. Why, because he's not like men.

29:38

He can't say something and then repent of it. He can't lie about what his purposes and intentions are. First Samuel 15, 29, and the glory of Israel will not lie or change his mind for he is not a man that he should change his mind.

29:49

Second Timothy says if we're faithless, he remains faithful for he cannot deny himself. Titus 1, 2 says in the hope of eternal life which

29:55

God who cannot lie promised long ages ago. God promised long ages ago before creation that he would redeem a people for his own glory.

30:05

God cannot lie so therefore he will do that. Psalm 89, verse 14, righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.

30:11

Loving kindness and truth go before you. Psalm 117, verse two, for his loving kindness is great toward us and the truth of the

30:17

Lord is everlasting. Psalm 111, verse seven, the works of his hands are truth and justice and all his precepts are sure.

30:26

Just as I said several weeks ago that God can never do an unjust act, he can never be unjust because if he were to be unjust or do even one single injustice, the whole fabric of his rule and his being and his person would come undone because justice and truth and righteousness are the foundation of his throne.

30:41

The same is saying with truthfulness. If God were to tell one single lie, if he were to utter one falsehood or break one promise, the whole fabric of his rule and reign would be undone.

30:51

He could no longer be God. Can you rest in that? Man, you can. He can tell no, he can do no injustice and he can tell no lie.

31:02

Now, for men and women, for us, human beings, there are two things that will prevent somebody from keeping a promise, two things.

31:12

First, the person who makes it has no intention of keeping it and so they're lying but with God, is there anything that can, is there anything in him that would allow him to lie?

31:24

He cannot lie, cannot lie. So God can never keep, fail to keep his promise because he has said he is going to do something when he had no intention of doing it.

31:34

The second thing that can keep men from keeping their promises is that the person who makes it is intending to keep it but something comes up that is unforeseen or outside of their control that would keep them from keeping their promise.

31:47

We understand how this can happen, right? You say, I'm going to do something and then something happens that militantly keeps you from fulfilling your word.

31:54

You say, I make a promise to my kids, tonight we're gonna all go out for ice cream cones at the server burger, we're all going out for ice cream tonight,

32:02

I make this promise but on the way home today, I get in a car accident and it's a serious car accident and I'm put into a coma and I'm lying tonight in a hospital bed in ICU and all my children are gathered around my bedside, none of them are gonna say, you know, dad promised us he'd take us out for ice cream today but what a despicable human being that he's not actually taking us out for ice cream, none of them would say that.

32:22

Well, a couple of them wouldn't say that, a couple of them might say that. But normally we understand that if something happens outside of our control, outside of our power that dictates the terms of what is going on that we are sometimes unable to keep our promises.

32:35

Is God ever unable to keep his promises? Isaiah 46 verse 10 says, the

32:41

Lord declares the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done saying, my purpose will be established and I will accomplish all my good pleasure because God knows the first from the end, the beginning from the end and because he knows and has determined all things that come to pass, he knows every detail of human history from the moment that he spoke and brought into existence the very first molecules and atoms.

33:07

He knows from the very moment of that until all things are wrapped up and everything is revolving around his throne in the eternal state, everything that has come to pass he knows it and he knows it infallibly.

33:17

There is nothing unforeseen to him that can keep him from fulfilling his promises. He knows it all and so therefore he can say,

33:24

I will accomplish all my good pleasure. He is not a God who is doing his best to accomplish as much of his purposes as he possibly can and he'll let the rest fall where they may.

33:34

That is not our God. Our God sits in the heavens, Psalm 115 verse three says and he does whatever he pleases.

33:42

You rest on that. Our God sits in the heavens and he does whatever he pleases. Psalm 135 verse six, whatever the

33:49

Lord pleases he does in heaven and on earth and the sea and all the deeps. Nebuchadnezzar learned this lesson.

33:56

Daniel chapter four verse 35, all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing and he does according to his will in the hosts of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and no one can ward off his hand or say to him, what have you done?

34:09

There is no one who can call God to account or to keep him from fulfilling his word.

34:15

Why? Because our God sits in the heavens and whatever he pleases, he does. There is no power that can stop him and if there is no power that can stop him and if there is no one who can ward off his hand and if there is no one who can call him to account, then you can know for certain that every last thing that he has promised and every last purpose he has intended, he will fulfill.

34:37

Ephesians 111 says he has been predestined according to his purpose. We have been predestined according to his purpose who works all things after the counsel of his will.

34:45

God has a will and he is working everything to the accomplishment of his will and nothing that he has willed in the secret counsels of his will, nothing that he has willed concerning what he will accomplish with human history and what he will do in the lives of his people can be thwarted.

35:01

Nothing. Why? Because whatever he pleases, he does. Now that is a very simple statement. You either believe that or you don't.

35:07

You either believe that God is reacting to everything and he's asking permission and he's kind of sitting in heaven trying to do the best that he can do and sort of hold things together, do whatever he can with the cards that he has dealt or you believe in a sovereign

35:18

God who rules in the heavens, does what he pleases, accomplishes all of his purposes, knows the beginning from the end and he is working it out perfectly according to the counsel of his own will.

35:27

There are only two kinds of gods and ours is the latter. He does what he purposes.

35:33

He accomplishes all his good pleasure. Every last bit of it. Hebrews 1 verse three says that our

35:40

Lord Jesus Christ upholds all things by the work of his power and we saw what that word upholds means. It means to carry along to its appointed end according to the word of his power.

35:49

He is holding it all together and he is directing everything to the ordained end so that he can accomplish all his good pleasure.

35:57

There is no lack of power in God that he would be unable to do it. There is no lack of authority that he would have to ask permission to do something or that he would have to give an account for what he has done.

36:07

God has no lack of wisdom that he should halfway through his plan find a better way or see a better option and therefore change his purposes and change his promises.

36:16

There's no lack of perfection in him that he should ever change and there is no lack of knowledge that he would ever forget what he has promised or that he would learn a better way of doing it or that he would forget what he has purposed or that he would not foresee some contingency.

36:29

There's no lack of power, knowledge, or wisdom. And therefore our God does whatever he pleases.

36:36

That's a good thing because all that God pleases is good and wise and holy and right and just.

36:45

I am thankful that we serve a God who accomplishes all his good pleasure because his good pleasure is the best thing for everything that he has created.

36:53

And he does it for his own purposes and for his own glory. And what does this have to do with our security as believers?

37:00

I hope you can see what it has to do with it. If you're a believer and you've trusted in Jesus Christ, your salvation is a result of something that God has done in Christ as your high priest.

37:08

He has stepped in between you and the offended party and he has offered a substitute on your behalf and he has intended to save you.

37:16

He has commanded that if you trust him and believe his word and obey him that you will be saved. John chapter five, verse 24.

37:22

I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and does not come into judgment but is passed out of death and into life.

37:29

Jesus promised in John chapter six, all that the Father gives me will come to me. And the one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out for I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me and this is the will of him who sent me that of all that he has given me

37:42

I lose nothing. I will raise it up on the last day for this is the will of my father that everyone who beholds the son and believes in him will have eternal life and I myself will raise him up on the last day.

37:53

This is God's will that all who believe upon the son he will raise up on the last day. What can keep him from accomplishing that?

38:00

Nothing. John chapter 10, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give eternal life to them and they shall never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

38:08

My father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of the father's hand. I and my father are one.

38:15

John chapter 11, Jesus said I'm the resurrection and the life and he who believes in me will live even if he dies and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.

38:23

Do you believe this? If you believed upon that, you're saved. Why? Because God has promised to save you.

38:31

Not gonna break that promise. Not gonna lose you. He's not gonna forget you. Not gonna forget to raise you on the last day.

38:38

He has promised. If the father's purpose is to save you, what can keep that purpose from coming to pass? Nothing can keep that purpose from coming to pass.

38:46

His promises are unchangeable and the one who mediates this is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, our priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

38:55

He sits in the heavens and he upholds all things by the word of his power and he accomplishes all his good pleasure.

39:01

He does whatever he pleases. His purposes never change. That's your security, Christian.

39:07

That's what you rest in. That's the ground of your security. Not that you made a decision. Not that you walked an aisle.

39:13

Not that you were baptized or checked a mark on the back of a card. Your security doesn't rest in any of that. Your security rests in a

39:19

God who sits in the heavens and accomplishes his purposes concerning you. So for the Christian, you are secure.

39:26

But if you are an unbeliever, the fact that God's purpose has never changed and he has sworn with an oath, that should terrify you.

39:32

And it should terrify you because if God has promised to damn you everlastingly for your rebellion against him, he will keep that promise.

39:39

Just as certainly as he will keep the promise to save all who believe upon the son, he has promised and he will keep it to damn and to judge and punish all those who will not repent and will not believe and do not come to the son.

39:52

And it's not that God is just offering to, threatening to punish you so that you come to Christ. It is that God is giving to you what you deserve.

39:58

This is not a threat. This is a warning. Just as there is nothing, no power, no force, no event, no unforeseen contingency, which can keep

40:05

God from glorifying his own. So there is no force, no power and no unforeseen contingency or event that will keep

40:11

God from damning those who die in rebellion against him. That is his promise. And so he commands you this day to flee to the son, your only recourse, your only shelter from the wrath of God, the one who died in your stead and stands this day.

40:25

He will welcome you if you come to him. That is his promise. And if you will not come to him, he will judge you as you deserve.

40:31

That is his promise. His promises are unfailing, his purposes are unchanging and his oath is unchanging.

40:38

God has sworn with an oath to save all who trust in the son. Trust in him today and be saved. If you've trusted in him, you are saved and God has sworn with an oath.

40:46

He will keep you himself. There's nothing you need to fear. There is nothing that can happen that will keep him from fulfilling his promise to you.

40:54

Let's bow our heads. Our father, you are gracious and merciful and good and kind and we thank you that you are our sovereign

41:01

God. It is your sovereignty that we rest in and trust in. It's because of what Christ has done and he is our only hope of salvation.

41:09

He is our only certainty, our only absolute and perfect God who has offered a absolute and perfect sacrifice, sufficient and able to atone for all who will come to him in faith.

41:23

We thank you that your purpose is to save all who believe upon your son and we thank you that we can rest and trust in your unchangeable oath, your unchangeable promise and your unchangeable purposes.

41:36

We thank you, oh God, that you sit in the heavens and do as you please. We thank you that no purpose of yours can be thwarted and we thank you that you are, that as this

41:46

God, you have revealed yourself to us in the person of Christ. It is in his name that we pray. It is in his grace that we trust.

41:52

It is in his work that we have placed our faith, our only hope for salvation. We thank you for it in the name of Christ our

41:58

Lord, amen. What has been purchased for us in the death and dying of the

42:08

Lord Jesus Christ is nothing else than the full, complete and perfect salvation that we enjoy as God's people.

42:13

And our observance of the Lord's table of communion is intended to cast our minds and our hearts back upon that sacrifice in a way of making us to reflect upon it and think upon what

42:25

Christ has done to encourage our hearts together and trusting in that. And I would just warn you, if you are not a believer and you've never trusted

42:31

Jesus Christ for salvation, you've never repented, let the elements pass. If you are a believer and you have trusted in Christ, then please partake of communion.

42:39

God calls us to examine our hearts before him in faith and to confess our sins before we partake of communion.

42:46

Otherwise, we drink judgment to ourselves and we don't wanna do that. So if you, I would just warn you, if you are a Christian and you are living with a sin and you are not repenting of it you're not mortifying it and putting it to death, you're not confessing it, you're denying it, don't partake of communion.

43:01

This is not the time for that. You need to confess that sin and mortify it. If you are an unbeliever, don't partake of communion.

43:07

But for the rest of us, we must now examine our hearts. We will pray together silently. And then

43:13

I will pray after a time of silent prayer. At this time, I would ask the ushers to come forward and stand with me at the front before we serve communion.