Well, let's get going, guys. I'm glad I was able to make it. It kind of was just sort of up in the air, to be honest.
I've been just, I felt pretty rough last night, yesterday, and this morning. But we'll see if I can make it through this.
We'll see. If I just fall over, just move me out of the way, and then somebody else just pick it back up.
How's that sound? Yeah. Let's just start in prayer, and we'll kick it off.
Lord, we're grateful for just the grace to be able to gather as the body, and we're thankful that you've allowed us to be here tonight,
to spend some time together looking at things that are found in your Word, and your intended purpose for those things,
and the impact they're supposed to have on our lives.
I pray you would just help me to teach clearly, humbly, boldly, and guard us all from error.
And I pray that the result of our time tonight would just be encouraging and convicting to our souls,
and we'd have a greater understanding of what you have done for us in the work of redemption and through your election, Lord.
And I just offer this time to you as an act of worship and our teaching and our discussion,
our listening and our obeying later. So, yeah. Yeah, in Christ's name, amen.
Yeah, hated to miss this morning. This was not really with the program, but really glad to be here tonight.
Tonight we're talking about election, and here's our schedule that we've sort of been following.
So last week we talked about just sort of the introduction of where we get the terms Reformed, Calvinism,
and as I kind of can call it, like the doctrines of amazing grace.
And we talked about the shattered image of God and what sin is and what depravity is.
I hope that that was like challenging and enlightening to you.
Like, oh, I thought I was bad. I knew I was bad. I didn't think I was that bad.
It was like we're really bad. Like it's worse than we ever could actually imagine bad.
And that kind of sets us up to talk about, well, wait a minute, another review.
If you're wanting this, we can talk about it later.
But we talked about just some of the historical debate behind some of these things with Augustine and Pelagius, Luther, Erasmus,
and the Calvinists and Arminians.
So, and this week we're going to dive into the next part of this, which is election.
And I really tried to condense this. I know this seems long, but if you look at it,
I've got like some extra references of other scriptures that are at the bottom in the footnotes.
But, yeah, we will just start walking through it.
But before we do, every week I'm trying to give you just one example of a faithful brother from the past,
someone in church history who we respect and look up to that believe these particular doctrines.
And last week, I think we talked about, well, two weeks ago we did Spurgeon.
If you remember that, he talked about how he reflected on the pursuit of God in his life
and how he just took observation that God was just chasing him down and saw his grace in election.
And this week I chose George Muir.
I think I read this quite possibly during one of the Romans 9 sermons.
But if you know him, he lived in Bristol, England and started orphanages
and did a lot of really gospel ministry, missionary.
But this is what he wrote when he was confronted with the idea of Calvinism or election.
But he wrote,
I was brought to examine these precious truths by the word of God,
being made willing to have no glory of my own in the conversion of sinners,
but to consider myself merely as an instrument and being made willing to receive what the scripture said.
I went to the Lord reading the New Testament from beginning with a particular reference to these truths.
So he's basically saying, I'm going to read the New Testament and think about the doctrines of grace
while I'm reading it and see how many times I see it as I read it.
And that was actually his habit with a lot of different topics.
He said,
So I just, you know, when I began learning these things a long time ago, it made me uncomfortable.
And it made me, I guess, in some way feel secure.
This has been something that's been taught for the entire history of the church
and a lot of people that we respect and look up to.
So in addition to, or just under the scripture, it's just good to have good reminders like that.
So, but a good challenge.
Yeah, read the New Testament with thinking about these things,
see how many times it actually comes up and you'll be surprised.
So, all right.
Let's jump into it.
So, just a quick definition here for you.
Just the word itself just simply means to select out of, to pick or choose out of a group.
Because I've seen some people just try to do word somersaults with this.
Like, it just means that you chose him and then he chose you.
It actually doesn't say that.
It says that he did the choosing.
God is the one who chose.
And, but really simply, this is just a definition from Wayne Grudem,
but he has said,
Election is an act of God before creation in which he chooses some to be saved,
not on account of any foreseen merit or faith in them,
but only because of sovereign good pleasure.
Here, we'll, you know, unpack that.
So, that's just a really simple definition.
What we see the Bible teaching on it.
But really quick, let's review.
Like, this is what we went over last time.
Because I've heard people say things like,
well, I'm a three-point Calvinist or I'm a four-pointer.
I'm like, well, really, they all connect together.
So, like, they're not like separate things.
They all tie in together.
And so, when you take what we learned from what the Scripture taught about our fallenness,
our spiritual condition before Christ,
you have to connect it,
that our condition, you have to connect to election.
So, if you remember, we talked about all this.
We had all the Scriptures and everything,
but born spiritually dead.
So, not an original sin idea.
Our minds are darkened by sin.
Our hearts are corrupted by evil.
Slaves to sin.
Children of the devil.
You know, we read a bunch of Scripture on that one.
None good or righteous.
And our will is in bondage to sin.
We talked about that a couple weeks ago.
And then we're unable to improve our condition,
meaning that everything that's in this list,
we just can't wake up one day and say,
you know what?
We're going to do better.
You know what?
We're going to reform ourselves.
We're going to just cowboy up and ask God for some help.
It just doesn't happen like that.
So, we're unable to do anything unless God comes first.
So, we have to carry this idea of our fallenness
into the conversation of election.
So, let's just start walking through this.
This is for you.
We're not going to read every single Scripture.
Obviously, we'll look at a couple,
but you can go back and look at more later.
But, why it's so important to understand depravity?
Remember, I said that depravity is a description of
our condition before Christ.
It's not who you are after Christ.
You're a new creation.
You're adopted into God's family.
You're no longer worthless and useless.
You're having the image of God restored in you
through sanctification.
And so, it's very different.
But, we apply that to our first principle here.
Right?
So, a lot of people,
my big objection,
or one of them,
when I was back in my early Christian life,
was this seems just unfair.
This seems like God is not doing the right thing here.
This just doesn't sound right,
doesn't feel right.
And I had to revamp my thinking.
And that's what we talked about in Romans 9, right?
It makes God unloving, unjust,
or it implies that He's acted without any kind of reason or purpose.
Remember, we did a whole part of Romans 9 on that.
But, just to help you get,
you have to do this.
I spent some of the time in the sermon on this,
but,
you have to get out of, like,
our Western,
democratic way of thinking.
And you have to think ancient.
You have to think medieval.
You have to go back to, like,
what happened in the context of the Scripture.
And,
so back then,
as I've said before,
a king,
an emperor,
they would also serve as a judge.
Just think about,
in the Scripture,
Solomon was the king.
But guess what?
He was the judge, too.
People came and brought cases to him.
And,
what would happen a lot of the time
when a king or emperor
was confronted,
like they,
you know,
you've seen the pictures in the movies or whatever,
like they drag a bunch of guys in chains in.
And they say,
hey,
these are the guys who rebelled against you.
These are the guys who committed,
you know,
murder,
rape,
and plunder.
That's all these guys did.
And they're all guilty.
We have,
you know,
witnesses,
evidence,
everything.
And,
so a lot of the times,
what would happen is a king or emperor would say,
hey,
look,
you're all guilty.
You all deserve to die.
Like,
that's what you deserve.
You deserve to die.
But,
because I am a merciful king,
and I desire for my people to know me as merciful,
I will pardon you and you.
But the rest of you,
you get the sword.
Because the rest,
because my people also need to understand
that I take this seriously,
that I'm not a pushover.
If you do this,
there will be consequences.
And what happens is,
in those single acts,
they invoke loyalty and love,
but also fear,
in like one act.
And so what happens is,
those guys that were chosen to be spared,
they have nothing to boast about.
They're just like,
why me?
Like,
why was I different than the guy next to me?
Well,
he wasn't.
He was the same.
He was guilty.
And so,
in that way,
the king glorified his mercy and his justice
in one single act.
And I think I showed you some examples of that
in the scripture,
which we can look at,
you know,
maybe later.
But,
but just imagine coming before the king
as a guilty person.
And that ties into our first point.
All are guilty,
right?
Here on our paper.
Because all mankind
has trampled,
mocked,
and spat upon
the infinite worth of almighty God,
all are worthy
of only divine wrath.
Okay?
None are innocent
or deserving
of God's goodness and love.
Like,
that has to be,
like,
drilled into our heads.
Like,
we don't deserve it.
Because when we
have those thoughts
of,
like,
this is wrong
or this is unfair,
it's basically saying,
like,
God owes us something.
Like,
we don't really deserve this.
We deserve to be set free,
to be let go.
And sin
is just taken
very seriously
by God.
So,
Ezekiel 18,
right there,
the soul that sins
shall die.
Then you get into Romans 1,
28-32,
and it talks about
God gave us over.
That was the judgment,
right?
God gave us over,
gave them up,
to a debased mind,
to do what ought not
to be done.
And then it gives you
this list of how sin
comes out,
how sin manifests.
But pick up on this,
verse 32.
Though they know
God's decree,
it says,
those who practice
such things
deserve to die.
Right?
So,
like,
that's the part
you've got to remember.
Like,
we don't deserve mercy.
We don't deserve
salvation.
And in fact,
I remember wrangling
with one of my friends
a long time ago
when I was still
on the other side of this.
Like,
it's just,
you know,
it's just not fair.
And he goes,
well,
fair would be we all die.
Fair would be like
no mercy.
We were just all treated
the same by God.
So,
it's a miracle
that he showed mercy
at all,
right?
And,
if you think about,
I think it's in
2 Peter,
remember this?
And it said
that he basically
just immediately
brought justice to them.
He didn't send
the angels any savior.
Can you pick up on that?
Like,
he sent,
when the angels
rebelled against God,
like,
he sent them no one
to redeem them.
They were just
immediately judged.
So,
the fact that
he even sent a savior
was just astounding
for us.
So,
yep,
wages of sin is death.
Like,
you just got to get that
in your head.
That,
that'll help you
face a lot of things
in life
when you feel entitled
by God.
Like,
I don't deserve
to be going through this
or I don't deserve
why things are so hard
for me right now.
It,
it humbles you.
So,
the next principle,
I'll stop periodically too
and to see if there's
any questions,
but kind of a balance
of that and just
moving,
moving forward.
Mercy or justice?
That's kind of what I just said.
Because all are guilty of sin,
God has the sovereign right
to have mercy on whom
he desires
and justice on whom
he desires.
if he decided
to destroy
the whole human race
because of their rebellion
against him.
And therefore,
there is no injustice
with God
if he grants mercy
to some
and justice
to others.
If you look on the back,
there's a few
scriptures for you
as well as there's some
reference in the bottom.
But,
kind of understand that.
Like,
God is not
obligated
to do anything
on our behalf.
And,
if you look at,
I mean,
this is just one of those
astounding verses
in Matthew 11.
Just,
never saw it before.
Just ignore the,
the first part of that.
That was like an accidental one.
I didn't mean to copy that over.
Just cross that.
Verse 14 out.
Look at verse 27.
It says,
All these things
have been handed over
to my Father,
Jesus said,
and no one knows the Son
except the Father,
and no one knows the Father.
except the Son,
and anyone
to whom the Son chooses
to reveal to Him.
Yeah.
Pretty,
pretty crazy.
And then,
as we looked at a few weeks ago
in Romans 9,
referring to the Exodus account,
what shall I say then?
Is there any injustice
on God's part?
By no means.
The strongest negative,
like in the Greek language.
For He says to Moses,
I will have mercy
on whom I will have mercy.
I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion.
So then,
it does not depend
on human will
or exertion,
but on God
who has mercy.
So,
pause for a couple minutes.
Like,
is there any thoughts so far
or questions so far
on the first two
little principles here
that all are guilty,
none are deserving,
God's obligated to do nothing,
and so He has the perfect right
to show mercy
to whom He wants
and to show justice
to whom He wants
and both bring Him honor.
So,
any questions
so far?
good.
All right.
Always free to come
talk to me later too.
All right.
So,
these are getting
to the Scripture
that points out
that God indeed
has a chosen people.
This is the next part
of this.
So,
there are general statements
throughout Scripture
that reveal
that God has
an elect people,
both Jews
and Gentiles,
and that He has
predestined them
unto salvation
and thus eternal life.
It is blatantly clear
that God
did the choosing
and not man.
All right.
So,
let me see.
Let me just pick
a couple out here.
Yeah,
I mean,
I'm trying to pick out
the ones that are
just sort of shockers.
Like,
wow,
I never saw that.
In Thessalonians,
there it says,
this is 1 Thessalonians,
sorry,
typo again.
It says,
for God has not
destined us for wrath,
but to obtain salvation
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
whom He died for us,
so that whenever
we are awake or asleep,
we might live with Him.
So,
there's one.
Yeah,
let's just pick one more.
Why not?
But,
yeah,
Peter,
you are,
speaking to the church,
the Christians,
you are a chosen race,
a royal priesthood,
a holy nation,
a people for His own possession,
that you may proclaim
the excellencies of Him
who called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light.
Once you were not a people,
but now you are God's people.
Once you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.
And then there's a lot of scriptures,
like in Titus here,
where it mentions God's elect,
God's people.
Actually,
you know,
in Matthew 24,
where it's talking about
the last days,
like the end,
it talks about how
if it wasn't for the sake
of the elect,
like,
those days would have
kind of continued.
But God cut them short
for the sake of the elect.
Which means that God's people
probably will be here
when stuff's happening.
Right?
So it's just everywhere.
This is just that general sense
that God has,
a chosen people there,
made of Jews and Gentiles.
So,
and then here's the big surprise,
right?
Before creation.
This happened before creation.
Before the foundation of the world,
God chose to show mercy
to certain individuals
for salvation.
And their names are written
in the book of life.
So here's the really famous,
you know,
Ephesians 1.
He chose us in Him
before the foundation
of the world
that we should be holy
and blameless before Him.
In love,
He predestined us
for adoption as sons
through Jesus Christ
according to the purpose
of His will,
to the praise
of His glorious grace.
Right?
So we see all that
in Ephesians 1 there.
Pick up on this.
It says,
in love,
He predestined us.
Like,
a lot of people
want to think about this
as an arbitrary,
you know,
harsh doctrine.
And that's what it says.
In love,
He did this.
And so,
I'm trying to,
this is probably
a really poor analogy.
It's just the one
coming to my head
right now.
If you
see your child
running towards the road
into oncoming traffic,
what do you do?
Say,
hey,
come back,
come back.
You know,
or do you like
rush out there
and impose your will
on them
and bring them back?
Like,
that's,
that's what election does.
It kind of like
grabs us.
God
choosing
to reach out
and pull us away
from the danger
that we were heading towards.
So,
just in love,
He predestined us
to adoption.
As I mentioned earlier
to some people,
adoption,
like we know
that a lot of people
in our church
have adopted,
it's the parents
who do the choosing.
It's usually not the kid.
Right?
It's,
the parents initiate it,
the parents pursue it,
and the parents say,
hey,
we want you
to be in our family.
So,
it kind of mirrors
God's electing grace
in that,
that way.
Um,
all right,
so there's
2 Thessalonians.
Yeah,
but look at
Revelation 13.
This one
blew my mind
a long time ago.
Uh,
Revelation 13,
8.
It says,
and all who dwell
on the earth
will worship
everyone whose name
has not been written
before the foundation
of the world
and the book of life
of the Lamb
who was slain.
What?
Uh,
I thought,
like there was like
an angel up in heaven
with a big scroll
and a feathered pen.
Like,
every time somebody
was saved,
he went,
yay!
You know,
like,
wrote her name down
every time.
Um,
so what does it say here?
It says,
that book has been written
before the foundation
of the world.
That's,
it enforces this idea
that this is something
that God had done
already.
Um,
never picked up on that.
It actually says it again,
Revelation,
later,
later on.
So,
that,
that choosing happened
before the foundation
of the world,
so he's not making it up
as he goes.
It's like a,
a part of his plan.
Um,
then,
next point,
this is all happening
by God's good pleasure.
So why is it happening?
Because he wants to.
That's just pretty much why.
Out of his grace,
out of his goodness.
So,
God's sovereign election
is not based.
This is where a lot of people
will split,
right?
This is like the,
the split here.
Um,
and,
because you can't get around it,
like,
even people who don't believe
what we would believe here,
mostly,
they,
they see the word election,
they see the word predestined,
they have to do something with it,
so they have to figure out
how to make it work.
And I,
I did this for a solid year.
It was like,
trying to nail a,
a brown peg
in a square hole.
This wasn't working.
But,
let's read this together.
God's sovereign election
is not based
upon foreseen faith
that man would have.
Saving faith
is the result
and evidence
of God's election
and not the determining factor
of his choice.
This saving faith
does not come from man,
but as a free gift.
All right.
So,
point is,
a lot of people say,
like,
God used his omniscience
and his,
his ability
to look down
in time,
his foresight,
put it that way.
And he goes,
ooh,
you know what?
One day,
I see,
Greg Girard,
he's going to be a good guy.
He's going to,
he's going to be messed up
like all people are
before I save them.
But you know what?
He's going to get his stuff together
and he's going to place
saving faith in me.
You know what?
Therefore,
I choose him.
See that?
Like,
that's the fit.
That's like what I tried to do.
And,
it doesn't say that
because,
the Bible explicitly teaches
that saving faith
is the result
of God's election.
Like,
it's something that God gives us.
And,
I mean,
look,
this is one of those
verses that will blow your minds
in Acts 13,
48.
Paul's preaching the gospel,
right?
So,
imagine that,
like you're preaching
to a crowd of people.
You're sinners against God.
Christ came to save you
from your sin.
Put your faith in him.
Repent and believe.
And this is what it says
in verse 48.
When the Gentiles heard this,
they began rejoicing
and glorifying
the word of the Lord.
And as many who were appointed
to eternal life believed.
Interesting.
So,
their belief was a result
of their appointment
of God choosing them
before the foundation
of the world.
And,
let me see,
Ephesians 2,
just trying to pick a few here.
Yeah,
the very famous Ephesians 2.
For by grace you have been saved
through faith.
And this is not of your doing,
it is the gift of God,
not as a result of works
that no one may boast.
And so,
what he really is trying to say here
is both the grace
and the faith
are from God.
Like God gave them
the ability.
This gets into next week
a little bit,
or the week after,
about how God
actually saves us,
how he actually regenerates us,
in the relationship
to faith.
Ephesians 1.39,
it has been granted to you
so that for the sake of Christ
you should not only believe in him,
but also suffer
for his sake.
So,
wow,
so not only believe in him,
we believe because God
granted us that belief.
God's choice is not based on any
foreseen merit residing in us,
right?
Nor any good works.
So that's just important.
And so,
when we're talking about works,
we're also talking about
just like spiritual things too.
Anything spiritually good
that we think
we could contribute
to make God want to save us.
Like it just doesn't work.
He's saying it's only,
only God
has done this.
And,
and let's pick a,
pick a verse here.
And let's just look at
2 Timothy 1.9 down there.
It says that
God saved us
and called us
with a holy calling,
not because of works,
but because of his own purpose
and grace,
which he gave us
in Christ Jesus.
There it is.
Before ages began.
It's crazy.
So,
pause.
Any
questions?
Any
comments?
Before we get to the next part.
Crazy.
Yeah.
Insane.
Oh,
yeah.
I get it.
Yep.
Love it.
for people who are listening
to this recording.
All one of you,
maybe,
in the future,
when I'm dead.
The question was,
like,
how should you pray
for somebody
and their salvation,
someone to be saved,
if God has already
chosen,
right?
If God has already
chosen.
Yeah.
I'll have a whole
night on that
when we get to,
like,
the saving act
of the Holy Spirit.
But,
I can tell you
what,
you're not praying.
You're not praying,
like,
God,
please just help them
to pull their lives
together.
Please just help them
just to use their free will
to become a better person
and choose you.
You're praying,
like,
Lord,
save them.
Like,
Lord,
open their eyes.
Like,
Lord,
soften their hearts.
Like,
God,
help them to believe.
Like,
show them grace.
That's like how we pray
for people.
We pray like we believe
what we're talking about.
We don't pray for them
to kind of,
like,
use their own ability.
We pray like,
God,
they don't have the ability.
Please help them.
That's like,
sort of,
it aligns with that.
But I guess,
really quickly,
like,
you know,
again,
I definitely want to get
into this more
in the future.
Like,
I,
what you see in the
Scripture,
thankfully,
is like God
hunting down people.
You see,
he's not a lonely
old man in the sky,
just like hoping
someone will be his buddy.
You know,
like,
he's like,
I'm after that person.
So,
that brings me
to great confidence.
So,
I have some family members
who are unbelievers,
and,
election
pushes me to pray
because I'm like,
Lord,
you know,
like,
just save them.
I know you can.
Like,
if they're,
you have the power
to completely deliver them,
like,
you can do it
if you want to.
Like,
please,
like,
just open their eyes.
Please help them to
believe.
Give them,
give them eyes to see
and ears to hear.
And,
again,
like,
but if I just felt like
it was just up to them,
it'd be kind of a sad prayer.
It'd be like,
Lord,
they're lost.
Like,
Lord,
they don't see it.
They don't have the ability
to do this.
Why is it that so many
smart people in the world
haven't quite figured
this out yet?
You know?
If it was up for smart people,
we would,
they would figure it out
and we wouldn't.
And it's really just like
praying that,
like,
to a God with confidence
that He has the ability
and when He's ready,
He'll do it.
Like,
I've told my brother before,
like,
you can run from Him
but you can't hide.
Like,
He's going to find you
and when He does,
like,
there's nothing you're going
to be able to do.
He's going to corner you.
He's going to kick down the door
and He's going to make you His.
Like,
I talk to my brother like that,
you know,
sometimes.
But again,
if their salvation
was tied to,
like,
their own ability
to,
like,
get it together,
that'd be a really sad prayer.
But if it's like,
no,
God's the one in charge
and God can do it,
you know?
So,
and God uses
the prayers
and intercessions
of His people
to accomplish His will.
So,
as you're praying that,
like,
that should actually
just give us confidence
that God is like,
He's hearing you,
you know?
And we're pleading
on their behalf.
So,
short answer to that,
I guess.
Anything else?
All right.
Now we get into
another controversial
part of this,
which is the question,
like,
if God has chosen
some for salvation,
that also means,
on the flip side,
that He's also chosen
not to save
other people.
And,
remember,
that the king,
I pardon you and you,
but you I don't.
It's the inevitable
other side of this.
And,
it's what's referred to
as reprobation.
And,
it's the opposite
of election,
if you look here.
It's the sovereign
decision of God
before creation
to pass over
some persons.
In sorrow,
deciding not
to save them
and to punish them
for their sins
and thereby manifest
His justice.
In other words,
God gives them over
to their already
sinful devices.
All right?
And,
let me just tell you
where we see this
in the scripture first
and then we'll talk
about it.
But,
the first scripture
I have here
is in Isaiah.
So,
remember,
unbelief
is
a judgment.
People
not able
to see and hear.
And,
it says this
in verse 9.
He said,
Go and say to those people,
this is after the great
commission of Isaiah,
right?
Keep on hearing,
but do not understand.
Keep on seeing,
but do not perceive.
Make the heart
of this people
dull and their eyes
heavy,
and blind their eyes,
lest they see
with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand
with their hearts
and turn and be healed.
That's like a sad
commission.
That's what he said
to Isaiah right after.
He said,
Here am I.
Send me.
So,
basically go and preach,
but they're not
going to hear.
And,
and reflecting on that
in John,
John 12,
it sucks,
you know,
talking about the Lord
here,
talking about Jesus
after he did these
miracles and things.
So,
though he had done
so many signs
before them,
they still did not
believe in him.
So that,
so,
so why didn't they
believe in him?
That's the question.
Why didn't they believe?
So that the word
spoken by the prophet
Isaiah might be
fulfilled.
Lord,
who has believed
what he heard from us
and to whom has the
arm of the Lord
been revealed?
They could not
believe.
For again,
Isaiah said,
he has blinded
their eyes
and hardened
their heart
unless they see
with their eyes
and understand
with their heart
and turn
and I would heal
them.
So,
wow,
like judgment.
And then,
we looked at this one.
We did Romans 9,
but very clearly.
But it talks about
Pharaoh.
God said to him,
for this very purpose
I've raised you up
that I might show
my power in you
that my name
might be proclaimed
in all the earth.
So then he has mercy
in whom he desires
and he hardens
whom he desires.
If you read
Exodus,
it talks about how
I think it's three times
that
that says
that the Lord
hardened Pharaoh's heart.
And then,
and then lastly,
you know,
you have 1 Peter there,
chapter 2.
The stone,
the builders rejected
to become the cornerstone,
a stumbling of,
a stone of stumbling,
a rock of offense.
They stumble
because they disobeyed
the word
and as they were
destined to do.
Like,
wow.
So,
I know those are
hard words,
but it just really
just means,
like,
so what does it mean
to harden somebody?
It's important
to understand this,
but it doesn't mean
like God
just zaps somebody
and,
and like,
evil comes out
of his finger
and it hits them
and they become bad
because that means
that evil,
God's the source,
is coming from him.
what it really means
is he just does this,
he just goes,
like,
okay.
Like,
that's what it says
in Romans 1,
he gave them over,
he gave them up
and it says that
three times,
I think,
in Romans 1.
It just means
that he leaves them
to their already
existing depravity.
right?
And,
it,
uh,
so what we would call
common grace,
there's these restraints
of God on man
that keep them
from becoming,
we talked about this
two weeks ago,
the difference between
utter depravity
and total depravity,
right?
Like,
if God removes
some of those things,
we become more evil,
like we,
our depravity gets worse,
and so we're already
sinful
on our own,
and any goodness
that we have in us
at all
is because of God's
grace in our lives.
What he does,
he just backs off,
he goes,
okay,
I'm abandoning,
abandoning you
to the consequences
of your sin.
So,
Jonathan Edwards here
wrote,
um,
about hardening
of the heart.
He said,
God is said
to harden men
in two ways.
First,
is by withholding
the powerful influences
of his Holy Spirit,
without which their hearts
remain hardened
and grow harder.
In this sense,
he hardens them
and leads them
to their hardness.
He does it also
by ordering those things
in his providence,
which through the abuse
of their corruption
become the occasion
of their hardening.
Thus,
God sends his word
and ordinances
to men,
which by their abuse
prove on occasion
of their hardening.
So,
does that make sense?
So,
so,
providentially,
God arranged the Exodus,
arranged the people
leaving Egypt,
and arranged the Red Sea
encounter
to be the circumstances
of Pharaoh's hardening.
So,
God knows what it takes
to put us
in that position.
another thing that
Jonathan Edwards wrote
that I don't have a quote
for here,
if this is helpful.
I found it helpful.
I want you to think
about the sun
and the earth.
People have already
heard this in the room.
but,
like the sun
and the earth.
The sun
just gives two things
to the earth,
right?
It gives light
and it gives heat.
And,
if you took away light
or if you took away heat,
you just,
everything would die here.
We would have no life.
So,
kind of follow me there.
So,
while the sun
is in its right place,
we have life.
We're getting light
and we're getting heat.
But,
if the sun just went,
like they were just,
certain things would happen
because of an absence
of the sun's presence.
And,
it's very similar with God.
Like,
when God is being gracious
to us,
we have life.
We have good things.
We have health,
et cetera.
And,
at very best,
salvation.
But,
if he was to,
like,
back away,
certain things happen
out of want
of his presence.
Does that make sense?
As,
as the idea of hardening
comes into play.
So,
anything on that
before we do some
closing things?
Anything else?
Yeah.
Can the
reprimand
ever be saved?
No.
Because,
that means
they would put them
in the category
of the elect
if they were
going to be saved.
So,
the question
that was from...
So,
don't hold me...
Answer that question.
Yeah.
But,
Nathan talked about
the mention of
the reprobate
in the passage.
When it says,
what then is there
fail to obtain
what he's seeking?
They left the weakness
of the rest of the heart.
And so,
he mentions that
those who were reprobate.
I guess my confusion
comes in
when
verse 11
says,
so I ask
that they stumble
in order that
they might fall
by no means.
Rather,
through their trespasses
they say,
salvation has come
to the Gentiles
so as to make
this a little
point.
All that means
some of Israel
who,
that it just says
was hardened
or broken off.
He also says,
maybe grab the back.
And later
in the first time.
I know what
he's talking about.
Like I,
preach the rest
of Romans 11
for us tonight.
Oh,
okay.
No.
We'll record it
and play it
next week.
No.
John,
we'll get into
that one next.
The,
uh,
from the place
he's standing
he's saying
what we're seeing
some place
may be right
but others not.
And he goes on
to say in Romans 11
but,
but they can,
right,
they can place
faith in Christ.
Sorry,
the one,
um,
yeah,
but I wouldn't
get yourself
wrapped into
the categories
because those
categories
would be
quietly confined
to the end
of all things.
Hmm.
Yeah.
I mean,
it's just basically
when you say
elected
or reprobate,
it's just another
way of saying
believer,
unbeliever,
saved,
unsaved.
but yeah,
like,
in that,
in that particular
text,
like,
if you get
stuck in a,
um,
the terms
themselves,
like,
yeah,
you'll get
kind of
confused there.
So,
yeah,
but,
yeah,
I mean,
that's what's
just crazy.
It's just
everywhere.
I just never
saw a lot
of this
so long ago.
I also just
didn't really
read my Bible
much either.
Um,
enough to,
like,
make people
happy.
But,
yep,
Romans 11.
You thought
we would get
out of that
in Romans 9,
but,
oh no,
there's more
to come.
Yeah.
Um,
like,
the,
let me think
here.
In the last,
like,
few years,
last couple
years particularly,
um,
I would,
I would
probably say
since Russia
invaded Ukraine,
Hamas
invaded Israel,
like,
we haven't
seen,
there's that
kind of stuff
that goes on
in the world,
but it's just
not for us
to see very
well.
And,
it's like
made us
wake up
like,
wow,
there's some
bad stuff
out there.
Like,
you mean
that not
everything's
just the way
it is in my
own little
world where
everybody's
mostly nice,
mostly polite.
Um,
I don't know
if it was a
mistake or
not.
Maybe it
wasn't,
but I,
I watched
some of the
videos that
Hamas made.
just brutal.
Anyway,
it tears you
up to
watch.
I'd actually
just recommend
that some
of you
don't.
If you,
but just
the blood,
the carnage,
the depravity
of what
man can
do to
other men.
and,
and even
if,
um,
Israel and
any other
allies,
like,
bring them
to justice
or,
or kill
them,
like,
the wickedness
of man,
when God
judges that
one day,
it'll be a
beautiful thing.
Like,
like,
my point is,
like,
he will be
magnified in
his justice.
Like,
it'll be
something that
we give him
great glory
for.
Like,
for being
a God
that,
like,
lets no
evil go
unpunished.
Like,
zero.
And he'll
do it
perfectly.
Like,
no injustice.
Not,
we all
will,
will see
him display
that.
And any
sin that
has,
that people
thought they
got away
with,
um,
he will
bring it
to perfect
justice.
And that's
why it says
that God
made everything
for a purpose,
even the
wicked,
for the
day of
evil.
Right?
Like,
he,
and,
and so,
while he's
destroying the
wicked,
you know,
and magnifying
his holiness
and his
righteousness,
simultaneously,
those of us
on the other
side will
just be going
like,
what?
You know,
why,
why aren't I
over there?
I,
I'm sinful.
Like,
I've rebelled
against God.
Why,
why has he
chosen
to save me?
And the
answer is like,
nothing,
there's no
reason.
Like,
there's no
reason that
in you
that he
did it.
So he
will
simultaneously
be bringing
glory to his
name by
sparing you
and showing
you mercy
and that
you are in
Christ
like Noah's
ark,
you know,
the,
you know,
you go out of the
nurseries with
kids and it's like
the little boat
with all the
animals on and
people going,
you know,
like in Noah's
ark.
I always,
I had to play the
jokes that if I
ever paint that in
my kids' room,
I'm going to paint
the people drowning
outside the boat
and to show them
that like,
yeah,
in Christ we're
saved,
but outside of
Christ we are
only going to be
destroyed,
you know.
And like,
so I just want you
to see that like
the,
it really is just
supposed to leave
you saying,
why me?
Like,
why have I
been spared?
And it kind
of leaves you
trembling a little
bit.
And it's only
because of God,
it's because of
his good pleasures,
because of what
he did.
And William
Carey,
who was a
missionary to
India,
Baptist,
founder of the
modern day
missions movement
in the late,
late 1700s,
believed deeply
in election,
believed in what
we're talking
about tonight.
And I think
he was asked,
like,
why is God
tarrying,
basically?
Why is God
waiting so long
to, like,
come and judge
the wicked?
And I'm
paraphrasing what
he said,
but he basically
said, like,
would it bring
God more glory
to wait,
or to come in
now?
Like,
come in when
evil is absolutely
at its worst,
at its strongest,
or just to come
in now?
And he basically
was saying,
well, you know,
he's going to
wait until it's
as bad as it
can be,
where he can
just come in
and just go,
just destroy it,
like,
just with the
word of his
mouth,
you know,
which is just
awesome to
think about.
You know,
like,
they're as ready
as they're going
to be,
like,
all right,
God,
we're ready.
What does it
say in Psalms 2?
He laughs at
them,
and he just
blows on them,
and that's it,
and they're done,
you know?
So,
but a lot of
people struggle
with that,
like,
how can God
do this,
you know?
Like,
how can he
pass over people
and judge them?
Well,
I mean,
again,
it magnifies
his justice,
it magnifies
his holiness,
and the only
reason you're
not on that
side of it
is because
of his grace,
and that's
it.
you're at
the throne room
of the king.
This is a quote
from a Baptist
pastor named
C.D.
Mallory in
1842,
and talking
about how
an election
can be rightly
understood,
but he says,
is it not a
doctrine that
strikes human
pride and
brings the
creature low
at the
footstool of
Jehovah?
It strips
him of all
boasting,
nourishes a
meek and
lowly sense
of dependence,
while still
tills the
soil with
adoring thoughts
of his
matchless,
sovereign,
eternal love
of God.
When the
believer reflects
that he has
been blessed
with all
spiritual blessings,
according to
God's eternal
purpose,
he exclaims,
melting into
tenderness and
grateful affection,
as he dwells
upon the
peculiar mercy
which has
rescued him
from death
and gave
him a
place at
the gospel
feast.
And he
exclaims,
why me?
That's
basically where
we kind of
find ourselves,
like how,
again,
that's the only
thing we can
really say,
we're just
sort of stunned
that God
would actually
choose to
save us.
So,
of course,
we all know
the hymn,
Amazing Grace,
this is what
he's writing
about in the
hymn,
but it's
grace that
saved us
and grace
is going to
carry us
and grace
is going to
eventually
bring us
home to
the Lord.
So,
yeah,
any other
questions?
Comments?
No,
I'd rather
not,
I'm just
kidding.
Yeah,
it's,
so basically
like what
do our
choices
and our
decisions,
like how
do they
relate?
Is that
what you're
kind of
saying?
I'm trying
to like
maybe be
more
specific.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
What responsibilities men have in His salvation at all?
Yeah.
Well, it kind of comes in the next few weeks,
because, like, we talk about, like,
this is what man does in response to these things, you know?
And we know that, I mean, a lot of that gets down to what we talk about.
I did a little bit two weeks ago.
We talk about the will of man and how, yeah, like, we make decisions.
We are held accountable for those decisions.
You see that everywhere in the Scripture.
Like, God holds people accountable for their actions.
Like, very clearly.
And, but, but basically, maybe this goes back to this question.
I think, I think maybe just, shoot, where's my, there it is.
I'm trying to get there.
Here it is.
So, is that sort of the objection?
Like, election implies that we're not actually free, but puppets?
Okay.
Got it.
Trying to, like, get my head around the language.
Okay.
So, that was a big problem I had.
Because I was, you know, taught, and I think rightfully so, that for love to truly be love,
it has to be freely offered by both parties.
Right?
The man has to love the woman.
The woman has to love the man.
And it can't be, like, forced on them.
It can't be imposed.
And, like, so, I said, I always joke, one of the very few people I respect that were, that are more than the Armenian camp.
There's not many, to be honest, to be frank.
Like, ones that just go off into great heresies all over the place.
But one I do respect would be C.S. Lewis, I guess.
And his whole argument, as he saw election as, is taking that away from man.
Like, man's actions, man's love is not real if God forces him, if God imposes it on him.
And so, therefore, like, this just can't be true, more or less.
And to which, I would say to him, if we were just chilling out in Belfast one day, and he said that to me,
and I would just say, hey, you know what?
I completely agree with you.
Like, 100%.
You're right.
Like, for love to be love, it has to be freely offered by both parties.
I agree with you.
And then I would say, but the problem is, fallen man has no ability to love God.
And he won't love God.
Unless God does something to give him that capacity again.
And that's what we would call regeneration.
Like, that's what we would call being born again.
Given a new nature.
Ezekiel, Jeremiah.
Removing the heart of stone.
Replacing it with the heart of flesh.
And giving us plenty, putting his spirit within us.
And then, our will is set free.
And no longer is in bondage to sin.
And we can freely love God.
Freely worship God.
Or freely choose to sin still, as believers.
Like in sanctification.
And so, our actions are real.
We are not like puppets on a string.
Like, we believe in providence, not fatalism.
Fatalism basically says whatever is, must be.
The Stoics, the Greek Stoics, the Norsemen, the Vikings.
They all believe in this idea of like fatalism.
Like your fate is fixed.
You know, kind of idea.
But there is no rhyme or reason.
There is no point.
Providence only implies purpose.
Providence implies design.
And like, the salvation that we have.
Like we will give God, like praise for it one day.
Like our love for what he has done for us will be real.
You know, it will be a capacity that he has given us.
That we didn't have before we were in Christ.
And so, and you know, I guess the bottom line is.
Like you could, you could look at a million different passages.
That just talk about how God does hold us accountable for your actions.
You know, and they don't have to be at odds with each other.
God's sovereignty and our responsibility.
Like God says, choose this day whom you will serve.
Right?
He says that in Deuteronomy.
So our, we are not, yeah, puppets at all.
But we need God to set us free if we're going to love and worship him.
Um, that's like what I would kind of briefly say to that.
You know, that wasn't, wasn't brief.
But, I don't know if that was helpful at all.
You know.
Anything else?
Okay.
Um, if there was something you wanted to ask, it's not far in our bio.
We'll be here.
But yeah, next round.
We'll talk about the saving work of the sun.
All right.
Uh, I'm pretty sure it'll be next Sunday.
I know there's some stuff going on next Sunday.
Is there anything going on here at the building next Sunday?
I think Isaac and Savannah have a wedding shower.
That's earlier in the day.
Um, okay.
Yeah, but this gets into, uh, what role did Jesus play in our redemption?
But in short, we're trying to say that the Father chose,
and the Son died for not every single individual walking the planet,
but died for the elect.
He died for those that the Father gave him to save.
A very, we would call either limited atonement or particular atonement.
Like he, um, Jesus died to save his people.
And he did.
And didn't lose any of them.
So that's like what we're kind of going next week.
And, uh, so.
All right.
Um, I'll pray for us.
And then, uh, we can break.
I'll be where we're at.
Um, I'll be where we're at.