If we are predestined; why struggle with religion or with God.
What ever will be – will be
- An Angel told Paul,
none of the men on the ship would be lost in the storm.
- All 276 men were
predestined
to be saved from the storm in the ship - IF… they did as they were told. However they all still had to go through
all the toil, stress, exhaustion and turmoil to be saved.
- The “decree” and the “struggle” go hand in hand.
We have the decree - we do what the Bible says - then we struggle -
then success.
Acts 27:22-44 – Stay with the word of God and you will be
saved
22 But now I urge you to
keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship
will be destroyed. ….Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay with the ship, you
cannot be saved.” We took such a violent battering from the storm that the
next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. ….On the third day, they
threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands..... Now I urge you to take some food. You need it
to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head… Altogether
there were 276 of us on board…. Once safely on shore, we found out that the
island was called Malta
- Joseph had a dream
that he would be a ruler.
- But he had to “struggle”
with the hatred of his brothers, thrown in a well, sold to a Ishmaelite
caravan, sold again to Potiphar, promoted, then thrown in prison, then
finally promoted again to second in charge of Egypt
- God’s Devine election,
His predestination was fulfilled, but not without the “struggle”.
Gen 37:5-36 – Stay with the dream
5 Joseph had a dream, and
when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more… "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you
actually rule us?"… Then he had another dream…What is this dream you had?
Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the
ground before you?... "Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of
these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what
comes of his dreams." … So when the Midianite merchants came by, his
brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of
silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt. … Meanwhile, the Midianites
sold Joseph in Egypt
THE CONDITION OF MAN
- Man is greatly wicked
and the heart of God is grieved
- He has said; I will
destroy wickedness.
Gen 6:5-7 – Man’s thoughts and heart is on evil all the
time
5 The LORD saw how great man's
wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the
thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.
6 The LORD was grieved
that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.
7 So the LORD said, "I
will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth--men and
animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air--for
I am grieved that I have made them." NIV
GOD’S
WILL
- It is God’s will that
ALL come to repentance for their sins and accept his Son Jesus the Christ
as their Messiah, their Savior.
- He takes no pleasure
in the destruction of the wicked.
2 Peter 3:9 – God’s will is that everyone receive eternal
life
9 The Lord is not slow in
keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not
wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. NIV
Ezek 33:11 – God takes no pleasure in the death of the
un-saved
11 Say to them, `As surely
as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of
the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn!
Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel
REJECTING THE HOLY SPIRIT
- To speak against the
Holy Spirit is rejecting God and is the unpardonable sin.
- When you receive the
mark of the beast, you are rejecting the Holy Spirit and God’s Son.
Matt 12:31-32 – The un-pardonable sin
31 And so I tell you,
every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the
Spirit will not be forgiven. NIV
32 Anyone who speaks a
word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against
the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age
to come. NIV
Rev 14:9-10 – The mark of the beast rejects the Holy
Spirit
9 A third angel followed
them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his
image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand,
10 he, too, will drink
of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup
of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the
holy angels and of the Lamb. NIV
THE
PLAN
- God has a plan and a
purpose for the life of the believer.
- It is a mystery to
us; we cannot comprehend God’s thoughts and ways.
- We are assured that
if God said it – it will happen.
Isa 55:9 – His ways and thoughts are higher that man’s
9 For as the heavens are
higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts
than your thoughts. KJV
Rom 11:33 – His ways are past finding out
33 O the depth of the
riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his
judgments, and his ways past finding out! KJV
Ps 119:89
89 Your word, O LORD, is
eternal it stands firm in the heavens. NIV
Isa 14:24 – God has a plan
24 The LORD Almighty has
sworn, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have
purposed, so it will stand. NIV
Isa 14:27 – He has a purpose
27 For the LORD
Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?
His hand is stretched out,
and who can turn it back? NIV
ASSURANCE
- We have the assurance
that when God says it…. The issue is settled.
Isa 40:8 – God’s word stands forever
8 The grass withers, the
flower fades: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. KJV
Ps 119:89- God’s word settles all issues.
89 For ever, O LORD, thy
word is settled in heaven. KJV
THE
SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD – A DIVINE MYSTERY
For those God foreknew
he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he
might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called;
those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
Rom 8:29-30 NIV – Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and
he hardens whom he wants to harden. Rom 9:18 NIV - Does not the potter
have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble
purposes and some for common use. Rom 11:21 NIV - Who has
understood the mind of the LORD, Isa 40:13 NIV - Oh the depth of the riches
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments,
and his ways past finding out! Rom 11:33 KJV
FLIP SIDE of
PREDESTINATION
Salvation is by faith
through GRACE alone
We can do nothing to save
ourselves.
God alone saves.
THE
MYSTERY – This
plan includes the Gentiles - us
- All
- All
- It is not all of
Eph 1:9-10 – The mystery of His will
9 And he made known to us the
mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,
10 to be put into effect when
the times will have reached their fulfillment NIV
Rom 11:25-27 – The Mystery of “All Israel
25 I do not want you to
be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel
26 And so all Israel Zion
27 And this is my covenant
with them when I take away their sins."
NIV
John 10:16 – I have sheep in another pasture.
16 I have other sheep
that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will
listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. NIV
PREDESTINATED
– His Will – His Purpose – His Plan
- God in His
sovereignty chose us while we were still “dead” in our sins - The Holy
Spirit gave us the “ability” to choose Him. - He predestined us to be a
part of His plan. – He did it all.
Eph 1:4-5 – We were chosen before the world was created
4 For he chose us in
him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
In love
5 he predestined us
to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his
pleasure and will- NIV
Eph 1:11 – A plan that conforms to His will.
11 In him we were also
chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who
works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, NIV
15 "The kingdom of
the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he WILL reign
for ever and ever." NIV
EVERYONE
IS PREDESTINED
- At the judgment,
every knee WILL bow before Christ and every tongue SHALL confess that
Jesus is Lord.
- Everyone will spend eternity
somewhere.
Heb 9:27 – Man is predestined to die and then the judgment.
27 Just as man is destined to die once,
and after that to face judgment, NIV
Phil 2:9-11 – Every knee shall bow – every tongue confess
9 Therefore God exalted
him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. NIV
PREDESTINATION:
The Believer – The Elect
- Who are the
predestined?
2 Thess 2:13 From the beginning He knows the truth in your heart
13 But we ought always to
thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning
God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through
belief in the truth.
Rom 8:14 – The true heart will be drawn by the Holy Spirit
14 For as many as are
led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. KJV
John 17:9 – We belong to God
9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the
world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. NIV
John 17:6 – We were given by God to Jesus
6 "I have revealed
you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you
gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. NIV
John 5:24 – Believers predestined to life
24 "I tell you the
truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will
not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. NIV
John 3:14-15 - Those that lift up the name of Jesus
14 Just as Moses lifted up
the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15 that everyone who
believes in him may have eternal life. NIV
John 17:2 – He gives us eternal life
2 For you granted him
authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those
you have given him. NIV
John 1:12 – Those who believe have the right
12 Yet to all who received
him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to
become children of God NIV
Acts 16:31 – Just believe
31 They replied,
"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved-you and your
household." NIV
I firmly believe that Jesus preached the good news for three
days to the dead in Abraham’s bosom. Even
the dead will have a chance to hear.
How, then, can they call on the one they have
not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have
not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And
how can they preach unless they are sent? Rom 10:14-15 NIV – God sent His Son to Hell.
ONCE
SAVED – ALWAYS SAVED (safe)
- There will be some
that take on the “clothing” of a Christian, but they are not actually
saved
- Once you are saved
you are safe
- No man, angel nor
demon can take you out of the hand of God.
- Nothing in the
present or future, nor powers, nor death can separate you from God.
1 John 2:19 – Some not really saved
19 They went out from us, but they did not
really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have
remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us NIV
2 Tim 1:12– We are persuaded that He is able
12 for I know whom I
have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I
have committed unto him against that day
Phil 1:6 – We can be confident
6 being confident
of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion
until the day of Christ Jesus. NIV
John 10:27 -28 – Cannot be removed from His hand.
27 My sheep hear my voice,
and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them
eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. KJV
Rom 8:38 -39 – Nothing can separate us from God’s love
38 For I am convinced that
neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the
future, nor any powers,
39 neither height nor
depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us
from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. NIV
Acts 13:48 – Those that believe have eternal life
48 And when the Gentiles
heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as
were ordained to eternal life believed. KJV
John 6:37- Once we are His, its forever.
37 All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast
out. KJV
PREDESTINATION: The
non-believer – Their will – Their choice
- The word of God is
just foolishness to the hard of heart.
- Man was made to have “free
will” – God has set a choice in front of him.
- God foreknew the
heart of the unbeliever before they were born and in His sovereignty, He
uses them to complete His purpose and His plan.
- He knew the heart of “Judas
Iscariot” and included him in His mystery, in His plan.
1 Cor 2:14 – God’s ways are foolishness to the un-saved
14 But the natural man
receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto
him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. KJV
John 17:12 – God used Judas; A Christian Outward; Not inward.
12 While I was with them, I protected them and
kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the
one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. NIV
PREDESTINED JUDGMENT
Heb 9:27
27 And as it is
appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: KJV
Acts 24:15
15 and I have the same
hope in God as these men, that there
will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. NIV
Dan 12:2
2 Multitudes who sleep in
the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. NIV
John 5:29
29 and come out-those who
have done good will rise to live, and those
who have done evil will rise to be condemned. NIV
23 I will strike her children dead. Then all
the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your
deeds. NIV
Rev 18:5-6
5 for her sins are piled
up to heaven, and God has remembered her
crimes.
6 Give back to her as she
has given; pay her back double for what
she has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup. NIV
13 The sea gave up the
dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them,
and each person was judged according to
what he had done. NIV
12 "Behold, I am
coming soon! My reward is with me, and I
will give to everyone according to what he has done NIV
Matt 13:42
42 And shall cast them
into a furnace of fire: there shall
be wailing and gnashing of teeth. KJV
Matt 25:41
41 Then shall he say also
unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the
devil and his angels: KJV
Matt 25:46
46 And these shall go away
into everlasting punishment: but the
righteous into life eternal. KJV
11 And the smoke of their torment ascends up for
ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and
his image, and whosoever receives the mark of his name KJV
Isa 66:24
24 "And they will go
out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and
they will be loathsome to all mankind." NIV
Rev 20:14-15
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake
of fire. The lake of fire is the second
death.
15 If anyone's name was not found written in the
book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. NIV
THE
INVITATION
- You are invited to freely come and
find rest for your soul.
- You can’t do anything to earn
Salvation. – It’s not by your works - It’s The Gift from God.
Eph 2:8-9 – It’s the gift from God
8 For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: KJV
9 Not of works,
lest any man should boast. KJV
Rev 22:17 – Take of the Lord’s gift freely
17 And the Spirit and the
bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is athirst
come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely KJV
Matt 11:28 -30- Come unto me
28 Come unto me, all ye
that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you,
and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest
unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy,
and my burden is light. KJV
Isa 55:1-7 – He will have mercy and abundantly pardon
1 "Come, all
you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy
and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
3 …I will make an everlasting
covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. NIV
6 Seek the LORD while
he may be found; call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake
his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will
have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
THE
CHOICE
- Set before us is a
choice of life or death; of eternity somewhere – Eternity in Heaven with Christ
or eternity in the
- God wants us to
choose life.
- To make no choice is
a choice to reject the Holy Spirit.
- It’s not what you
have done in the past – It’s what you do right now that counts.
Deut 30:19 – Man has free will –Man has a choice
19 This day I call heaven
and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death,
blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may
live NIV
1 Tim 2:14 – Adam’s choice - changed the life of ALL his children.
14 And Adam was not
deceived (HE MADE A CHOICE) but the woman being
deceived was in the transgression. KJV
Josh 24:15 – Choose to serve the Lord
15 But if serving the LORD
seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will
serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the
gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my
household, we will serve the LORD." NIV
Rom 10:9-10 – Confess and Believe Jesus is Lord and be
saved
9 That if you confess with your mouth,
"Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him
from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you
believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are
saved. NIV
Matt 10:32-33 – Confess Christ openly before men
32 "Whoever
acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in
heaven.
33 But whoever disowns me
before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. NIV
1 Kings 18:21 – Get off the fence
21 Elijah went before the
people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the
LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." NIV
Rom 10:13 – Make a choice - Call on God
13 for, "Everyone who
calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Gen 15:6 – Believe
6 Abram believed
the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. NIV
Luke 15:18 -24- Confess your sins, God will draw you back.
18 I will arise and go to
my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and
before thee… But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best
robe, and put it on him….For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he
was lost, and is found. KJV
- Sadly - some will
confess “Christianity” just to keep from going to hell – They will utter a
bunch of “Praise the Lord’s”. May
even be involved in charity and religious work, but will not have an
inward personal relationship with Christ; they think they have a “fire
escape”.
- He will say, “I never
knew you”.
Matt 7:22-23 – I never knew you
22 Many will say to me on
that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive
out demons and perform many miracles?'
23 Then I will tell them
plainly, `I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' NIV
DEVINE
ELECTION
- God elects to save
some and send others to hell. – What a heavy statement!
- Actually, we are
all damned to Hell – But some received Grace; the rest received
justice.
- The scriptures say
God is not “a respecter of persons”, All are treated the same, therefore
he does not predestine some to hell and some not. – That would be double
predestination since all are already damned to hell.
- No man can on his own
come to God. He must be “enabled” by the Holy
Spirit.
- Devine election was
extended to the Nation of Israel, but most did not accept His son.
- God’s grace is in Devine
Election to bless those He wants to.
It’s Man’s “Free Will” that gets him in on receiving the blessings as
the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
- Free
Will along
with Devine election, are both
taught in the scriptures and are not withheld from the un-believer.
Rom 11:5 – Devine Election – Chosen by grace
5 So too, at the present
time there is a remnant chosen by
grace.
Rom 9:10
10 Not only that, but Rebekah's
children had one and the same father, our father Isaac.
11 Yet, before the
twins were born or had done anything good or bad-in order that God's purpose in election might stand:
12 not by works but by him
who calls-she was told, "The older will serve the younger."
15 "I will have
mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion
on whom I have compassion."
18 Therefore God has mercy
on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay
some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use
NIV
It’s Grace – not works
Rom 2:6-11 –
6 And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would
no longer be grace.
7 To those who by
persistence in doing good seek
glory, honor and immortality, he will give
eternal life.
8 But for those who are
self-seeking and who reject the truth
and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.
9 There will be trouble
and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for
the Gentile;
10 but glory, honor and
peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
11 For God does not show favoritism. NIV
Rom 2:6
6 Who will render to
every man according to his deeds KJV
Rom 2:11
11 For there is no respect of persons with God. KJV
Rom 10:12-13
12 For there is no
difference between Jew and Gentile-the same Lord is Lord of all and richly
blesses all who call on him,
13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord will be saved." NIV
John 3:16
16 "For God so loved
the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Deut 30:19
19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses
against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and
curses. Now choose life, so that you
and your children may live NIV
It was God’s Devine
election, His love and good pleasure that he took delight in choosing to
bless the nation of Israel
They were to be a separated Holy nation belonging
to Him, a nation that He would use to bring forth Christ and salvation to those
that would believe.
They were His people, but they were not
saved, till they received His Son.
Eph 1:11 – Chosen –
predestined – the plan – the purpose – His will
11 In him we were also
chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him
who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
NIV
Eph 1:3-4 - Elected to be Holy
4 For he chose us in him
before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
In love NIV
2 Thess 2:13 – Chosen into salvation
13 But we ought always to
thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God
chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and
through belief in the truth.
Rom 8:28 – According to His purpose
28 And we know that in all
things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according
to his purpose. NIV
Rom 8:30 – To be justified and glorified
30 And those he
predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he
justified, he also glorified. NIV
Summary of Predestination
God foreordained and called ALL to salvation. ALL are free to accept or reject His call.
It is left up to the individual to decide. – It is
foreknown who will accept and meet the terms of the Gospel and become adopted
as the Sons of God, the “Elect; thus foreknown and predestined.
In America
We have the right to damn our
soul to hell.
Choose Life
In the multitude of counselors,
there is wisdom.
Prov 11:14
I am grateful for those
that went before me providing
concepts, ideas,
historical information and scripture verses.
A survey of the New
Testament – Gunry
All the Miracles of the
Bible - Herbert Lockyer
Baker Commentary on the
Bible - Ewell
Bible Commentary – F. B. Meyer
Compact Bible Dictionary - Zondervan
Complete Bible Handbook – Lawrence
Dake’s Annotated Bible – Dake`
Dictionary of Biblical
Literacy - Oliver Nelson
Double Predestination
Paper – Darryl Williams
Exposition of Genesis – H.C. Leupold
Halley’s Bible Handbook – H.H. Halley
KJV Bible
Mystery of the Ages – Herbert W. Armstrong
Mysteries of the Bible – Readers Digest
NIV Bible
International Thesaurus - Roget’s
The Apocrypha – Edgar J. Goodspeed
The Bible Almanac – Packer Tenney White
The Expositors Bible
Commentary – Frank E. Gaebelein
The Illustrated Bible
Dictionary – Tyndale
The Layman’s Overview of
the Bible – George W. Knight
The New International Dictionary of the Bible – J. D. Douglas
The Zondervan Pictorial
Encyclopedia of the Bible - Tenney
There were two Trees in
the Garden – Rick Joyner
Twelve Ordinary Men – John MacArthur
Vincent’s Word Studies of
the NT - Mac Donald
What the Bible is all
about – Henrietta C. Mears
What in the World is going
on? – David Jeremiah
Where to find it in the
Bible – Ken Anderson
Who’s who in the Bible – Paul D. Gardner
Wikipedia encyclopedia
Wycliff Bible Commentary,
The
No comments:
Post a Comment