Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #14903 - The Doctrine of Predestination - Ephesians 1:5

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#14903 - The Doctrine of Predestination - Ephesians 1:5 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the study of God's Word with pastor and author Ed
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Taylor, recorded live at Calvary Church in Aurora, Co.
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To learn more about the many resources available through
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Abounding Grace Media or to tune into our live stream services,
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visit us online at Calvary Co dot Church or download our free
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Calvary Church app. Now.
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Here's Pastor Ed to take us into our study.
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Amen. Amen.
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Open your Bibles. Ephesians chapter 1 is where we
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are and we are pausing in one verse.
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Actually, we're pausing to just study one word today in verse 5.
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And there will be those times and effort in Ephesians where we
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pause on a word because it is so important.
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And this word is very important. And in our last study in
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Ephesians, we covered the few verses, especially verse 4,
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where we learned just as He chose us in Him before the
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foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame
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before Him in love. And we learned about the
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doctrine of God choosing us, and we were very encouraged.
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We didn't go too in depth with it because I knew we would get
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to verse 5. And in verse 5, it says that
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having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ
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to himself according to the good pleasure of his will, today we
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want to pause on this doctrine of predestination.
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So there are a lot of things that come with predestination,
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like election choosing, predestination, free will.
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They're all kind of packaged together under this doctrine,
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which is important for us to understand.
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Now, I have to say this doctrine of predestination is a
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controversial one for some, and that's just unfortunate.
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It shouldn't be. But let's learn what the Bible
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has to say about it. And I believe by the end of our
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Bible study today, you'll have a greater understanding, not only
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a predestination, but where we stand as a church family.
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So first of all, let's define the word, the Greek word there,
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predestination. It means this to be to determine
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beforehand or marking out and appointing.
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It's used six times this Greek word in the New Testament.
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It's used in Acts chapter 4 verse 28 where it's translated
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determined before. It's used in Romans chapter 8
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verses 29 and 30 where it's translated predestined.
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It's used in First Corinthians chapter 2 verse 7, where it's
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translated ordained, and here in chapter 1 verse 5, and again
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notice in chapter 1 verse 11, in whom also we have obtained an
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inheritance, bring being predestined according to the
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purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel
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of his will, predestination. In other words, God in advance
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independent of you, but knowing you chose you, which is a pretty
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amazing thing. God independent of you in
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advance, but knowing you, still chose you.
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The Lord has predetermined the destiny of every person who will
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believe in Him. We learn that in Romans chapter
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8 verse 29 and 30. Here in Ephesians chapter 1
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verses 5:00 and 11:00, and also first Peter chapter one verse 20
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speaks of the foreordained work from the foundation of the world
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that manifests Christ in the world and in our lives.
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He chose you believer, and He called you, but for what?
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That's a good question. For what?
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Well, to be conformed into the image of his Son.
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This is the ongoing work of sanctification in your life that
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you and I are becoming more and more in the image of Jesus
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Christ. Again, jot it down in first
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Peter chapter one, verse one. Peter says this.
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Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ to the pilgrims of the
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dispersion in Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia,
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elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father
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in sanctification of the Spirit for obedience and the sprinkling
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of the blood of Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace be
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multiplied. God's predestination is based
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upon His foreknowledge. We learned that here in Peter.
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God, who knows all things in advance, has chosen those who
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will choose Him. Predestination teaches us from
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the Bible that God looked ahead in time and saw who would accept
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Him and are and those who are the ones He chose, elected,
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called, and predestined. Now it's important to pause here
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and let me say, be careful not to let the enormity of this
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glorious truth trip you up and baffle you because it falls
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under the category of a tremendous mystery of God.
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Here's something to learn when we're reading the Bible, even
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the things that we have a better understanding of or we can wrap
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our minds around it, and that's this.
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God is God and you, well, you are not.
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God is infinite. You and I are finite.
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So to think that you and I, as finite human beings creating the
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image of God, are going to be able to understand the infinite
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is a wrong course to take. It's not possible.
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That's not to say we will not grow an understanding of God.
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We will. And it's not to say that we
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might get a greater insight in the character and nature of God.
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We will as we study the Scriptures, but there will be
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things about God that He will not reveal to you.
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Let's let's step back even one step further.
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If you and I could understand all there is about God, then we
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would be, by definition, God. We would be in a level playing
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field with Him if we knew everything.
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If we knew everything that He knew, then we would be in a
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similar position of Him being omniscient.
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So in the enormity of this doctrine, be careful.
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God alone knows the end from the beginning.
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This is known as the doctrine of omniscience.
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God knows all things. He knows all things.
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There isn't one thing. Listen, there isn't one thing
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God doesn't know or needs to learn.
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God knows the whole story before it's written.
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So in his foreknowledge, he sees the future as it is.
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Today. He sees the future as if it's
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today. Theologically, we get a very
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technical definition of this. Let me give you the theological
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technical definition of God's omniscience and his
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foreknowledge. God knows all things, both
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actual and possible, past, present, and future, completely,
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perfectly, simultaneously, and eternally.
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All aspects of the eternal purpose of God are equally
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timeless. So God knows all things and
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makes His decisions with that knowledge.
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We do not know all things. That is not how we live our
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lives. It's impossible to live our
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lives that way. So let's take something so
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enormous as the sovereignty of God, the omniscience of God, the
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all knowingness of God, and let's bring it down to an
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illustration that might help us understand it a little bit more.
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And understand whenever we're using human illustrations, they
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really fall short completely of an accurate representation, but
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they do help us understand. So let me take you to Pasadena,
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CA, January 1st, 2026. Why?
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Because that was a very special day in my life as a child.
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I have wanted to go my entire life to the Rose Parade in
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Pasadena and I want to see it with my own eyes and watch the
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parade. And every year I haven't been
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able to go except Christmas. Last year my daughter surprised
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me with a special gift of tickets to the Rose Parade and
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we went and watched the Rose Parade with our own eyes right
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on the street there on Colorado Blvd. in the rain.
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It never rains but it rained on us and we enjoyed it.
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As we sat in the the stands there watching the parade, this
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is how we saw it. We saw right was in front of us
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the the float coming by. We saw the float.
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We could look to where we were sitting this the parade started
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around the corner so we could peek to the left and kind of see
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what was next and wait for it to come by.
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And as it came by we can see it would take off right past us for
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the next 5 miles of the parade. That's how we saw the parade.
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That's how we see life. We see life 1 moment at a time
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right in front of us. Sometimes we can see what's
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coming up. We kind of get a glimpse of it.
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A lot of times we know what has passed, but we experienced life
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on the linear plane, one float at a time, one day at a time.
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However, there is a different way to see the parade.
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I used to use the illustration. Of a blimp, but that's not so
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popular anymore. Let's just say we go down and we
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buy a drone and we take the drone a couple 100 feet up in
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the air and from a different vantage point.
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Guess what? I have more knowledge now.
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I can see more with the drone. I can go around and I can see,
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actually if I go high enough, I can see the whole parade from
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beginning to end. I can see the first float and I
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can see all the way to the last float and everything in between.
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So that if I'm sitting next to my daughter and going what's
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next? What's next?
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All she can tell me is what she sees over here.
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But if I call the guy that's flying the the drone and say,
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hey, what's next? He can tell me every single
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float as before it ever comes because he knows all things.
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He can see everything in the parade.
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Wouldn't you make different decisions?
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Like if you had to use the restroom sitting in the parade
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and you don't want to miss anything because it's going to
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buy really fast and you find out you know some lane float is
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coming up but you don't know it and you got to go and you're not
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sure. But then you call up and go,
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hey, when's the lane float coming?
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They go, well, it's going to be right there, so just wait.
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And then you can run while the lane floats going by you.
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Wouldn't you wait? If you had more knowledge,
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wouldn't you make different decisions?
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Yes or no? Of course you would.
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God has more knowledge, therefore He makes decisions
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differently than you and I are even capable.
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Of making flip over to your bibles would you to 1st
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thessalonians chapter 4 because in this incredible doctrine we
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have to include the ability of man to make decisions often
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that. Is referred to as a free will
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choice. And as we'll see in a moment,
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there have been many layers added to this, many different
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aspects of it. And and I want to explain it in
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its most simplest form. But before we get there, I want
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you to see just one example. But there are many of where the
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doctrine of the sovereignty of God and the free will choice of
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man are actually mentioned together because they are
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complementary doctrines, complementary truths.
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So notice with me chapter one, First Thessalonians.
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Notice with me verse 4, Knowing, beloved brethren, your election
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by God, you could say your choice, your election, the
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predestination of God upon your life.
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You know your election by God, because our gospel did not come
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to you in Word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit,
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and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were
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among you for your sake, and you became.
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Followers of us. And of the Lord, having received
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the word, in much affliction with the joy.
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Of the Holy. Spirit, so don't miss this
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because it's easy to overlook. You have both the election of
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God and the receiving of the word in the same in the same
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couple of verses because they complement one another.
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We're always going to see these hand in hand, the sovereignty of
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God, the free will choice of man.
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There is God's choice, there is your choice, there is God's
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action, there is our action, and God's choice goes with your
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believing in Him. Now, the doctrine of
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predestination has become somewhat of a battlefield in the
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church today, and truly, it's unfortunate.
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People have staked. Their claim.
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And because they've staked their claim on a particular doctrine,
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they're they're going to fight for their claim.
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They put their flag down and this is where I am and it's
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become very contentious and very argumentative.
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And there are basically 3 errors that are made when trying to
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reconcile or trying to to receive the doctrine of the
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sovereignty of God, predestination, and the free
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will of man. 3 errors, if you're jotting them down here is error
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#1 I think it's the biggest error and that is this trying to
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reconcile them. There's nowhere in the
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scriptures that requires you to understand.
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How they work together. But there are men that have
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devoted their entire lives to try to get rid of the tension
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that exists when we think, well how can God and how can we?
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And I just don't see how that and trying to reconcile them
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will drive you mad. Unless you adopt A man made
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doctrine that answers all the questions, then you won't be so
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mad. Because you just go to the
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doctrine. But when you take the Bible that
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predates any doctrine, a man. When you take the Bible and you
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say, OK, here's what it says, God chose me.
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What do I do with the verse like that?
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I accept it. God chose me well and then it
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says he predestined me. What do I do with the verse like
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that? I accept it when I read John
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chapter 3 verse 16, when it says that God so loved the world that
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he gave his only begotten Son, That and I memorize in the old
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King James that whosoever will, whoever believes, whosoever
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believes will have eternal life and not perish.
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Well, I accept it. I'm a whosoever God predestines,
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God elects, God chooses, but I also get to believe of my own
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free. Will I get to choose to follow
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Christ? Now, there are two doctrinal
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extremes. Now, that's important to
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recognize when it comes to this doctrine #1 which really number
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one, but also number 2, so #2 on our list of three is the extreme
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of Calvinism. The extreme of Calvinism
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Calvinism is a doctrine based on the teachings of a man by the
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name of John Calvin. It actually predates Calvin.
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It goes back to a man by the name of Augustine.
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But Calvin codified what we know today as Calvinism and his
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assistant Beza. Actually took a little bit
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farther. But he was one of the reformers
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in the time of Martin Luther. And there are five basic points
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related to Calvinism to summarize their belief system.
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And they summarize it this way. And they would have you to
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memorize this word as an acronym so you can remember it.
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And it's the word. Tulip.
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Tulip just like the flower. And out of those five points you
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can get a basic understanding, a really elementary understanding
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of Calvinism. The T stands for Total
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Depravity. EU stands for unconditional
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election. The L stands for Limited
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Atonement, the I Irresistible Grace, and the P Perseverance of
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the Saints. And it is one system.
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You're unable to pull out one or the other without either losing
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the system or keeping it. So you all five of these are
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necessary so that you can't really say you're a three-point
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or a four point. There's no such thing.
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It's all the same. They all build A1 upon one
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another, especially the Calvinistic definition of total
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Depravity. Very important.
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The most troubling extreme within Calvinism, though,
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because it goes even farther, is this teaching known as double
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predestination. Double predestination, and this
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is the belief in the teaching that God is predestined, some to
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be saved, which we can see scripturally, God predestined to
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be saved and some to be damned, and you have no choice in the
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matter. That's just the way it is.
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If your predestined, great. If you're not too bad and you
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just have to deal with it, there is no hope.
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There is this strict idea that God has chosen some and not
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others. And to those that may believe
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and hold to a double predestination, I actually
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believe you're treating Calvinism with an with a view of
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integrity because if you follow in Calvinism and it's how it's
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taught, you have to conclude that that's the pathway that I
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actually agree. I agree with your integrity and
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following the system. I just don't agree with that
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theology. I don't believe it's biblical.
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What Calvinism does is elevate and the sovereignty of God while
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taking away a portion of man's free will.
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Not completely, because a. Calvinist will say, well, yeah,
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man has free will. He can make any kind of choice.
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He wants to to sin, but he can't make any choice toward God.
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He's dead to God and alive to sin is what they would say.
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And I disagree. And I'll show you in a moment.
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We just don't see. And let me be very clear.
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You do not see double predestination in the Bible.
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It is a doctrine of man. You don't see it in the Bible.
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Now I know. There are a couple places we
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studied in Romans in depth. That's one of the advantages.
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By the way, if you're new to this Church of being in a church
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that goes verse by verse, I've answered those questions.
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When it comes to Romans, we went in depth.
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So if there are questions, well, you know, I think.
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It says God loves. Jacob and hates Esau.
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Yeah, we explain that. That's not predestination.
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That's not double predestination.
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That's a whole different thing God is dealing with in Romans.
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However, as you grasp the understanding of God, we're
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like, OK, I see, does man really have free will is the question.
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So let's go back, let's go back to the Garden of Eden.
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Let's go back to Adam and Eve, and let's ask a very simple
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question of Adam and Eve. Did Adam have a real freedom of
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choice? Yes or no?
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I believe yes. I believe not only did Adam have
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a ability to have a free will choice before sin, he also had a
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free will choice after he sent same choice.
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We're not. Told how long Adam and Eve lived
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in the garden, We're not told. I think it was a long time.
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So let's just say a very long time where they made millions of
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decisions in their life and of those millions of decisions
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along the way, they chose not to eat, of the fruit not to eat of
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the fruit, not to eat. They heeded the warning of God,
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enjoyed fellowship with God. They chose not to eat, chose not
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to eat, chose not to eat, chose not to eat.
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Boom. They're tempted at just the
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right time. Eve chooses Adam.
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Chooses and Adam is held responsible for sin, entering
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into the human race because of his choice.
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His choice after he send. Did he also make free will
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choices after sin? Yes.
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He chose to run away from God, He chose to try to cover
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himself, and he also chose to listen to God.
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Who was pursuing him and respond and God says no, no you don't.
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Don't cover yourself with fig leaves.
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I'll take care of that. And you know the story in the
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book about and the book of Genesis of true story of Adam
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and Eve, because there will be those that try to change and go,
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well, you know, we have a different free will before sin
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and after sin. I just don't see it.
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I think it's another layer to try to explain away the reality
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that you are held responsible for your own choices.
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God will not be responsible for your sin ever.
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I mean if everything in the garden was already predestined.
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That Adam would eat and die. Then why even include that in
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the story? Why include the broken
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fellowship? Why include the reality of how
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sweet of a time they had enjoying God?
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And again, why is Adam and Eve important?
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Because they are the prototypical humans for all of
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us. That they are the ones that all
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the way up into leading to Christ, become the model of how
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God deals with people. If Adam was predestined to
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commit sin, then he could have turned around and blamed God for
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his decision. And just like God, why do you
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hold me responsible? You didn't give me a choice in
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the matter. I did exactly what you told me
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to do, what you predestined me to do, what you created me to
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do. But that's not how he lived
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life. He lived life in a way where
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there was much of that time. He did not make that choice.
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So to summarize that thought, I want you to understand very
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simply. Sin is not God's fault.
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Never. He does not tempt you to sin.
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He is not responsible for your sinful choices.
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God created a perfect world, and Adam and Eve had a real bona
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fide choice. Adam could choose to eat or not
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eat. They could choose to relate to
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the Father before and after sin, and since then man has had a
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choice to relate to God or not relate to God, to accept or
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reject Jesus as the Lamb of God. That takes away the sins of the
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world. Very important, and I believe
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Calvinism is an extreme in trying to address these.
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Issues. So think about extremes this
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way, like a pendulum. So one side, the pendulum
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singing this side to emphasize the sovereignty of God, which
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the Bible clearly teaches. Then the pendulum swings all the
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way over here to the other side to the Third Point of the errors
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that people make, often the common errors that people make.
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And by the way, when it comes to Calvinism, you will hear of
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Calvinism or Augustinian type of theology in Roman Catholicism,
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in Lutheranism, in Presbyterianism and also.
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In churches that call themselves Reformed, it is Reformed
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theology coming to us from the thought of the Reformation.
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So those are the type of churches that would take a
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Calvinist. And even within Calvinism
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there's all kinds of points of view.
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There's all kinds of strict and light and all kinds of variety
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there. There are five point Calvinists,
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which would be the five points, but there are also those that
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would consider themselves 7 points, including pre double
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predestination. So it's a big deal.
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It's out there and I believe the Bible came before Calvinism, so
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I want to come back to the Bible.
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And let it answer the question for us.
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OK, pendulum swings on this other side.
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The third error that people make, or the second theological
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error or something known as Arminianism.
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Arminianism. Arminianism is a doctrine based
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on the teachings of a man by the name of Jacobus.
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Arminius. He taught that man made all
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their choices apart from God completely.
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And the most troubling extreme for Arminianism is that since
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man chooses Jesus, he must continue to choose Jesus every
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moment of every day in order to stay saved.
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And the thought process behind this theology is that you're
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saved, you lose your salvation, you're saved, you lose your
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salvation, you're saved, you lose your salvation depending on
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what kind of day you had. So for example, the way
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Arminianism would be applied is that you need to continue.
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It's really a theology of works, and it emphasizes man's choice.
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So therefore, you're saved because of your works.
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And if you want to stay saved, then you need to stay in a place
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where you're continuing that sanctification process with the
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works you offer to God. And the idea behind this is that
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it creates in you a dependence upon self and.
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Deep, deep condemnation. Because nobody can live that.
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Way. Did you hear me?
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Nobody can live that way. We're not saved by works, but
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we're saved by the finished work of Christ.
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So for example, you know, if you, some of you might say,
24:55
well, you know, I had a good month.
24:56
So I feel really good, but I had a bad month.
24:58
I feel really bad. I had a good month and you go
25:00
month to month, some of you not month to month, some of you are
25:03
week to week, had a good week. Oh, I had a bad week.
25:06
I'm saved this week. I'm lost next week.
25:08
Some of you it's not even a week, it's a day had a good.
25:11
Day I'm saved, had a bad day, I'm not saved.
25:14
I don't know. And you beat yourself up.
25:16
For some of you, it's not a month, it's not a week, it's not
25:19
a day, It's a second. Had a good second, I had a bad
25:23
second. And you're just so constantly
25:25
focused on yourself that you've emphasized the free will of man
25:30
at the expense of the sovereignty of God.
25:33
So listen to both extremes. On one side there's the emphasis
25:36
upon the sovereignty of God to the exclusion of the free and
25:40
the diminishing of the free will of man, the responsibility of
25:43
man. And then on the other side,
25:45
there's an emphasis of the responsibility of man to the
25:47
diminishing of the sovereignty of God.
25:50
And neither one is accurate. I believe the answer to the
25:54
dilemma of how to reconcile them, which again is a mistake
25:58
that we make trying to, but I believe that the truth between
26:01
the extremes is somewhere in the middle.
26:05
It's somewhere in the middle. The Bible doesn't pigeonhole
26:07
itself and fit into a nice little package.
26:13
After our study last week, I got a few emails because people were
26:18
concerned that we're Calvinistic at this church and they were
26:21
really concerned and and I answered them.
26:24
Of course we're not. If you, if you ever want to know
26:26
what we believe here on our website or is our doctrinal
26:30
statement in our packages and all the paperwork, our doctrinal
26:33
statement is front and center. And next to our doctrinal
26:36
statement on the website on the app is also a list of our
26:40
culture statements or our philosophy of ministry.
26:43
And so for the technical terms, if you ever want to know what
26:46
our orthodoxy is, the beliefs that we have, we have the
26:49
statement of faith. If you ever wonder what our
26:52
orthopraxy is, how we practice our faith, then our culture
26:55
statements and our philosophy and ministry are there.
26:58
And so if you ever have those kind of questions go to the
27:00
statement of faith, Most likely it will answer, this is so
27:04
significant, this issue of Calvinism, Arminianism.
27:07
By the way, Arminianism is not so popular today, but you will
27:12
find it in Methodist churches, in Wesleyan churches, and some
27:16
of the Pentecostal churches today pick up on Arminianism.
27:19
Charismatic Pentecostal type churches kind of move in that
27:23
realm, emphasizing the choice and works diminishing to some
27:27
degree. The sovereignty of God.
27:28
So let me read to you from our doctrinal statement #9 this has
27:34
been there almost from the beginning of our church when we
27:36
started our doctrinal statement of proved by the elders.
27:39
I'm going to read to you #9 on our doctrinal statements, so
27:44
that if you just choose to send me an e-mail on this one, don't
27:47
send it. And if you choose to send an
27:49
e-mail or just complaining about the sermon, send it to Ian.
27:53
He loves those. He loves reading them and
27:55
enjoying them. But again, we're not going to
27:58
argue. About such things, this is our
28:00
belief and we're not going to argue about it #9 we are neither
28:05
5 point Calvinists nor are we Armenians.
28:09
Is that clear enough? Yes.
28:12
No. So when it comes to these
28:14
extremes, we're neither. We're neither.
28:17
We adhere firmly to the biblical teaching of God's sovereignty,
28:22
and we also adhere to God's teaching of man's
28:25
responsibility. We avoid any theological systems
28:30
of belief that go beyond the written word.
28:33
And therefore divide the body of Christ.
28:38
That is our simple statement on the matter.
28:41
I just shared in 20 the whole Bible study I just shared with
28:44
in 20 seconds. And you're like, Ed, why can't
28:46
you do that more often Now I need to explain it.
28:49
You know, you have a number 9 there when you have when we have
28:52
statements like that, there are foundational truths that support
28:56
them. And we're looking at a little
28:57
bit of that in this doctrine of predestination today.
29:01
But we are neither extreme and we choose purposely.
29:05
Because those that may hold to that extreme and they're just
29:07
going to put their flag down, this may not be the best church
29:10
for them. It just may not be where they
29:12
need to be. We're not going to get into
29:14
that. Neither are we going to allow
29:16
that type of teaching to take over.
29:19
We're going to point people to the word.
29:20
We're going to. Accept what the Bible says.
29:22
And some of the things we don't understand, we're just going to
29:25
allow the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us until He gives us
29:29
understanding or just inspires. Us to worship.
29:32
So how the free will of man cooperates with the sovereignty
29:36
of God is a mystery. It falls under the category of a
29:41
mystery. And mysteries are revealed by
29:44
God, sovereignly He. Reveals what he wants to reveal.
29:48
But as infinite men and women we will not fully understand.
29:52
As finite men and women, we will not fully understand the
29:54
infinite God. It isn't going to happen.
29:57
Now you might be able to understand a doctrine of man,
30:00
you might be able to grasp it. Even as I'm putting the Bible
30:03
study together and I'm taking, I'm thinking of a very strong
30:06
flow. I mean, you, you're like, I
30:07
don't know, maybe that'll build. Maybe that won't be trying to
30:10
bring this. Broad.
30:12
Perspective so that you're not even dependent upon a Bible
30:15
study, but at the end of this. Bible.
30:16
So you go back to the Word. And set aside.
30:20
Set aside. The things you may have been
30:22
taught or grow, including from me and go.
30:24
Back to the word. There are times when somebody
30:27
will share something with me and I'll hear what they're saying
30:29
and I'll I'll say right away, you didn't get that reading the
30:32
Bible, did you? You read a book or you saw a
30:35
video because you would never come to that conclusion.
30:38
You would never come to that conclusion.
30:40
If you're just reading your Bible now, you may come up with
30:42
some interesting questions, but the conclusions will be
30:46
carefully along the lines of God's character and nature.
30:52
And God sent Jesus Christ to die for you, so that by faith in him
30:58
you won't perish but have everlasting life.
31:01
And when I say you, I mean all of you, every single person
31:04
listening to me. I don't exactly know how the
31:07
free will man cooperates with the sovereignty of God.
31:10
I just know what it does. And I also know that doctrines
31:14
like this, which are amazing, actually cause us to argue.
31:19
The church is really good at arguing.
31:21
The church is really good at fighting.
31:23
The church is really good at digging in their heels.
31:25
Instead of being at awe of a God that would choose you, can you
31:31
just step back for a second and consider of all these beautiful
31:35
words, election to be elected, to be chosen.
31:39
I mean, what about those of us that were always chosen last on
31:42
the kickball field? And you know, I'm being chosen.
31:46
I remember standing back on that fence with the older kids and
31:50
we're all against the fence and everybody's getting picked and
31:53
and now, OK, you know, me and a girl are on the on the fence and
31:58
they pick the girl. It's like it's good to be
32:02
chosen. It's good to be elected.
32:05
It's good to be known by the coach.
32:06
It's good. These are all good things, not
32:09
things to argue about and say, oh, you weren't chosen.
32:12
Ha ha. You'll never be chosen.
32:15
You'll never. I'm like, wow, that's that
32:18
doesn't sound like the gospel to me.
32:22
It doesn't sound like the good news.
32:23
That's not good news. You will never be chosen.
32:26
Well, thanks bro, Appreciate it. Let's look instead of
32:32
identifying yourself by these theological views, because
32:36
people do do this. You know, who are you?
32:38
I'm a Calvinist. All right.
32:41
Well, I'm an Arminiist. I'm five points.
32:43
I'm three points. I'm 2.
32:45
Let's listen after much thought and study.
32:48
Over many, many years, here's my conclusion.
32:51
If you ask me, this is what I will say to you and I hope you
32:54
adopted in your own life. What are you, Ed?
32:57
I'm a Christian and I follow Jesus as close as I can and I
33:01
want to grow in that grace and knowledge of Him.
33:04
I want to preach the good news of Jesus.
33:06
I want to be a light in a dark place.
33:08
I want to love God with all my heart, soul and mind and love my
33:11
neighbor as myself. That's what I want to do.
33:14
I'm not going to deny that there are heady doctrines and
33:17
teachings I'm going to study to show myself approved.
33:20
But when it comes down to it, I'm a Christian.
33:23
I love God. I'm going to serve him with my
33:25
life and I'm going to watch him use me.
33:28
And that's what I suggest to you because we live in this, this
33:30
culture that I know it. It's it's kind of like that
33:33
proverbial frog in the kettle. You know, they did that
33:36
experiment and they, they had boiling water and they, they
33:41
have a frog over it and the frog.
33:42
Says no way man, I don't want anything to do with that.
33:44
But they put that same frog in a pot of water and then slowly
33:49
turn up the heat and it. Boils to death.
33:52
And this is what's happening in our culture, especially in our
33:55
day and age with the advent of social media and algorithms and
33:59
now AI answering and thinking for everyone this and what's
34:02
happening. You got to understand what's
34:04
happening. You are being conditioned to go
34:07
away from depending upon the Lord and depending on someone
34:11
else's opinion because you hear an opinion and guess what
34:14
happens? Well, I have.
34:14
An opinion on that? OK, I didn't actually ask for
34:17
it, but thank you for your opinion and I.
34:20
Disagree with you, and I disagree with that.
34:22
And then they're now on social media.
34:23
I mean, it's not just now, but they have all these bots.
34:26
They're just computers you're arguing with.
34:28
You're arguing with a computer. What happened to us?
34:34
We wandered away from the simplicity of the gospel, and
34:38
we've been conditioned and conditioned and conditioned what
34:41
to think, what to like, what to buy.
34:44
And more and more thoughts aren't even going to be ours.
34:48
And we're not going to be able to tell what's right or wrong.
34:50
We're not going to be able to tell what's true or false
34:53
because of the world is blurring.
34:55
Why? Well, because the Bible says.
34:57
That we're coming to a day where the Antichrist will stand and he
35:00
will be worshipped as God. Then that the antichrists that
35:04
are in the world. The Bible says are already here
35:06
turning everyone, turning so many people, including
35:09
believers, including the Bible says even the elect will be
35:13
ripped off. Even the elect will be ripped
35:16
off. And I know there's so many
35:18
things in the Bible I don't understand.
35:21
Not just this. I mean, there's hurt in my life.
35:24
I don't understand it. I don't know why there's grief
35:28
and pain and unresolved issues and difficult.
35:30
I don't understand. Yeah.
35:32
You know, we get to that place. I don't know if you've ever been
35:34
here, but I could hear a lie. It's like, well, if I was God,
35:36
I'd probably do it differently, to which I hear from heaven.
35:40
You're not God, you know, trust me.
35:42
And they're really just situations to build my trust in
35:45
him. That's really what they are.
35:46
But I don't understand them. I ask these why questions just
35:49
like you do. I don't have the answer.
35:51
I I can give you a feel. I can give you a Bible answer.
35:54
I could find that. That's not a problem.
35:56
But even sometimes Bible answers don't satisfy the soul.
36:00
I can give you the theology, but but I don't know why you
36:05
experienced a divorce. I don't know why your parents
36:09
treat. I don't, I don't know.
36:10
I don't know why someone passed away so early or didn't recover
36:15
from that disease. I I don't, I mean, I got the
36:18
theology sin. I know it's because of sin.
36:20
But even that answer doesn't like soothe the soul.
36:23
But I'll tell you what, I know the God who does, and I trust
36:27
him with my life because I trust him in the good times and I
36:31
trust him in the bad or in the ones I don't understand.
36:34
God is so much bigger than me and it causes me to cry out to
36:38
Him and lean on Him more. Don't let the predestination
36:42
trip you up, but let it inspire you how God condescends to man's
36:48
level and cooperates with our free will.
36:51
You go, wait a minute. God is God, He always, He
36:53
condescended and God never condescended.
36:55
No, no, no, that's not true. How could you hold the view that
36:59
God doesn't condescend to the level of man and still see Jesus
37:04
God in human flesh? God does condescend to our level
37:09
without losing his identity or his deity.
37:12
He doesn't lose his nature. When Jesus came and became a
37:15
man, he took on another nature without losing his deity and
37:18
divinity. I would say God the eternal Son,
37:22
coming from heaven, leaving glory of heaven, and coming to
37:25
live as a human being to be torturously, brutally murdered
37:29
on a cross. Is God condescending to your
37:31
level in mind? Why?
37:33
Because he loves you and he's drawing you into his presence.
37:38
Because he cares for you and he's fulfilling the gospel
37:41
predicted in the Old Testament of sending Messiah.
37:45
When I think of predestination, what really what really draws in
37:50
me, I was really having to think about this in my own life.
37:53
But what what really surprises me or shocks me about the
37:57
doctrine of predestination and man's free will isn't the fact
38:00
that I can't reconcile them. I'm over that.
38:02
That was the early days. That was a big deal.
38:05
As a new believer, I'm over that now.
38:08
But you know, when I'm not over, what I'm not over is how God
38:12
would choose me, period. Just me.
38:16
Ed Taylor because I have a story.
38:18
I know I lived it. And I think back as I have my
38:21
reunions coming up and I think back of some of the people I'm
38:24
going to, to go back to. Don't tell anybody, but I've got
38:27
a 40 year reunion coming up. I was in high school at 2 years
38:31
old, by the way. So I'm starting to think about
38:36
going back and seeing some of these folks perhaps and, and
38:39
just thinking, you know, I grew up with a lot of guys.
38:41
We partied together, did a lot of bad things together and only
38:44
a couple of us are saved and we've been watching recently and
38:49
it's probably why it's all there.
38:51
My oldest son, before he passed away, was a police officer.
38:54
And as a child, I don't know why we did this, but as a child, as
38:57
a young guy, we let him watch the television show Cops.
39:00
You guys know that show Cops? Like now we're looking at a guy,
39:04
can't believe we let him watch this, but it inspired him to be
39:07
a police officer himself like in And so we found some old
39:10
episodes. We've been watching the old
39:12
episodes, My wife and I and my daughter.
39:14
We just been watching them and, and it's stirring up these
39:17
memories because I see myself in a lot of those arrests like
39:21
flashbacks and things. And I'm telling you every single
39:26
episode, every single person, the arrest, I don't care what
39:31
crime they committed is drug related.
39:35
Now I know they cut it that way and I know that they edit that
39:37
way. That's not what I'm saying.
39:39
I'm just saying I've been watching the show and every
39:42
single episode, every single person, male, female, young or
39:48
old has had their lives or is having their lives ripped off
39:53
with drugs and alcohol. That's the banner of my life.
39:58
That's the life I lived. And there are a couple people on
40:01
the episodes of like that that sounded and look like me right
40:03
there. Different name, different
40:05
person. I was talking to a mom last
40:07
night. Her son is in prison right now
40:11
and he's going to be there a very, very long time.
40:13
He worshipped here for a while. I met him in and out of jail
40:16
praying with them. Got a lot of issues, but
40:19
whatever. The last thing he did landed him
40:20
in jail a long time. And I haven't seen his mom in a
40:22
while, so I'm like, oh. It's so good to see you.
40:25
She's given me the update on his life.
40:26
He's really turning his life around behind bars.
40:29
And I'm like so excited, so encouraged so.
40:31
And we were talking about how this whole message talking about
40:35
how God chose me. Just.
40:38
Before I, I crossed the line now I wouldn't have known that, but
40:42
I remember on a couple of occasions being introduced to
40:45
crack cocaine in my life. I remember on a couple of
40:49
occasions it was introduced to me and offered to me and I said
40:52
no. And I've done a lot of things up
40:55
to that point. But the first time I said no and
40:59
the second time I said no and then.
41:01
Out of the. Blue my buddy shows back up in
41:04
my life who just got saved. I believe that had I said yes
41:10
that would have completely taken me.
41:11
I would have crossed the line because I know how I am with
41:13
those. I know how I was.
41:15
It would have completely ruined my life. 100% no recovery
41:20
because of my all in personality but God prevented.
41:23
It. And also my free will choice.
41:26
I don't know how it all works, I just know I said no.
41:30
And in that my buddy shows up, he invites me to church.
41:33
And you know, when I went to church after my buddy Jack
41:35
invited me, Do you know how it happened?
41:38
Do you know how it happened? I'll tell you how it happened
41:40
because you probably don't know you weren't there.
41:42
This is how it happened. I jumped in the car, I turned it
41:46
on, and I purposely chose myself to drive to church.
41:52
I think that was a pretty good moral decision, don't you?
41:55
Nobody did it for me. Jesus didn't jump and take the
41:57
wheel. Jesus take the wheel.
41:59
He didn't. Take the wheel.
42:00
You like that song? That was good.
42:02
I'm not a country music person, but it all fits.
42:05
It got to get. Laughing because this is heavy
42:07
stuff. So I I drove myself.
42:09
I made the choice. Nobody made me do anything.
42:12
I wasn't forced to go to church. I wasn't forced to listen to the
42:16
gospel. That decision wasn't made for
42:18
me. And they were very good
42:20
decisions because there is that teaching.
42:21
Well, you can make decisions, but you can't make moral
42:24
decisions or righteous decisions or holy decisions.
42:26
Listen, you can do a lot of things.
42:29
You can do a lot of good things and not be.
42:32
Saved a lot of benevolent, lot of good things.
42:36
I know you're not doing it for the honor of God, but you can
42:38
make a lot of good decisions that God's not making you do.
42:44
When I heard the gospel, I responded to it.
42:47
Nobody came and forced me. I responded to the work.
42:50
It was God's work then my response.
42:53
God's work, my response, God's work, my response.
42:57
It's the same for you. The free will of man, the
43:00
sovereignty of God are two truths in the Bible held in
43:03
tension. And when you try to take the
43:06
tension away, you're going to lose 1 or both of them in the
43:10
glory of what God is taught. Somebody once described it like
43:14
the Golden Gate Bridge. You got those big pillars down
43:17
into the bedrock of the below, the water there.
43:21
And then the span of the bridge is held in tension so that if
43:27
you cut the tension, you lose the bridge.
43:30
The tensions important and so many things in life.
43:34
And as we follow Jesus, we have to keep the tension.
43:37
I know it's uncomfortable and I know it's hard, but in order to
43:41
keep the tension, you trust God because the free will choice of
43:46
man is very evident. Jesus said in John Chapter 7 and
43:50
verse 37, if anyone thirsts anyone was his audience of the
43:57
day, even those that had rejected him.
44:01
Revelation 2217 Whoever desires the Bible says.
44:06
John 316 Whoever believes in him, the door is open to
44:11
whosoever in the world. So that means the door is open
44:14
for you to believe or not. Believe.
44:17
Listen. If the doctrine of double
44:20
predestination is true, then it makes every proclamation of the
44:24
gospel a lie. You go ahead.
44:27
What do you mean? Well, if I really believe that,
44:29
that there are people here today that have no chance whatsoever
44:34
ever in a million years to believe because you've already
44:36
been predestined to go to hell, then for me to tell you to
44:40
believe in the I would have to share the gospel.
44:42
This way everyone that wants to believe in the gospel except for
44:45
you guys that are going to hell and you have no choice.
44:48
Which isn't the gospel. That's a man's version of the
44:52
gospel, trying to explain or explain away the tension between
44:59
the sovereignty of God and the free will of man.
45:03
It's OK to live with the stress of it, to accept both parts,
45:08
because the gospel, the blood of Jesus Christ, is not limited in
45:14
its availability. It's available to all.
45:18
It's only experienced by some. The blood of Jesus Christ is
45:23
sufficient for all the world. He gave himself a ransom for
45:28
all. For Timothy 2.
45:30
That's not the doctrine of universalism where everybody
45:33
gets saved, but rather it's available to all, only
45:36
experienced by some. And God sees you right now, and
45:40
he knows whether you will have accepted Jesus or not for the
45:43
forgiveness of your sins, and therefore has predestined you
45:46
according to his foreknowledge. Again, first Peter chapter one,
45:50
verse 2. The Bible never teaches God
45:53
chooses some to be damned. God does not allow man to blame
45:58
Him for going to hell. We have to have a free will in
46:03
order to have fellowship and relationship.
46:05
Just again, let's step back into the realm and use an
46:08
illustration. You don't have a real friendship
46:11
with someone if you're forced to be a friend.
46:13
For example, you know somebody comes to church here, they kind
46:15
of scope you out. They come up to you or down at
46:17
the res and they go. You.
46:19
Are my friend whether you like it or not, you're the one that I
46:23
have appointed to be my friend and you're like, bro, you're the
46:26
last guy I want to be a friend with like that ain't going to
46:29
happen. That's not going to happen or I
46:31
was a singles pastor for many years and how many times that we
46:34
had guys rolling through singles ministry going to the women.
46:37
God has said you are my wife and the guy was like.
46:40
Bro you are the last guy in the world I will ever marry.
46:43
Like relationships don't work that way.
46:46
They require agreement and cooperation.
46:49
You you you aren't. If you're forced to do
46:52
something, then it's not real. It's coerced and manipulated.
47:01
It is not truly a relationship when you are forced.
47:05
It only becomes a beautiful relationship when you get to
47:09
choose. Isn't that the beauty?
47:10
I mean, again, I can always. I can even apply that in my
47:13
marriage to think. Wow, of all the people that
47:15
Marie. Could have chosen, she chose me.
47:18
I mean, she got a raw deal, but she still chose me nonetheless
47:22
and I chose her. That's a that's something
47:24
special. That's a special thing to think
47:26
about. It's like, man, there's like
47:28
billions of people and God, he as well has the ability to
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choose and so do you. You're not controlled by fate.
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You're not a robot. I love you.
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You are my friend, good friend. You're not a robot.
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Even though they're going to be very popular and you see what's
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happening, you just open your eyes.
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People are trying to have relationships with AI.
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This is so are you. Are we out of our minds?
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Yes. Apart from Christ, you're out of
47:58
your mind. You're not thinking straight.
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You can't see the truth. Yes, but that's happening in our
48:05
own culture today. The question is, have you
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responded? The whole truth of
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predestination, election, sovereignty is for our comfort
48:14
and our encouragement. And if you're a believer today,
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you can look back and say with confidence, I'm saved, I'm
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chosen, I was elected, God foreknew me, predestined me,
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accepts me, I'm a whosoever I will, I come, I enjoy Jesus.
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And what a joy that is to know that you're saved and that he
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keeps you by his power and you abide in him and he abides in
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you all because he wants to. And I want to, and it's a
48:45
beautiful thing. And when I don't want to, even
48:48
when I'm away, I want to. And I come back, and the Lord
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pursues me because he loves me. Just like the Garden of Eden,
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one day a Garden of Eden is going to be restored.
48:58
Paradise, a beautiful, pure relationship with many of our
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loved ones are experiencing that right now in the presence of
49:05
God. They're experiencing the purity
49:08
of a relationship that we all long for.
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So church, I'm just asking you set aside all the arguments and
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all of the things that you've read and studied and you just
49:17
set them aside and get back to the gospel.
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I know you may be very well versed in Armenianism or
49:22
Calvinism. I I applaud you for studying,
49:25
but when's the last time you led someone to Jesus Christ?
49:28
Are you good at that? When's the last time you helped
49:30
someone in the name of Jesus? When's the last time you had a
49:33
devotions with your kids, grown or young?
49:37
When's the last time you reached out to your neighbor?
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When's the last time you helped your boss?
49:41
When's the last time you can see your life can be filled with so
49:44
much productive things that are eternal, rather than arguing
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about things that you're never going to come to the right
49:49
conclusion anyway except to accept what the Bible says and
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receive it. Amen.
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Amen. Lord, thank you for the word
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today and the power of your scriptures and teaching us.
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Lord, I recognize that not everybody is, you know, going
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to, you know, receive the simplicity.
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But I pray you just take him one more step, God that bring him
50:14
back. You know, before when we got
50:16
saved, we didn't know anything. About this stuff, all we knew
50:20
was you. And then somehow over time we
50:23
started adopting theologies and doctrines.
50:26
And not all of them wrong, of course.
50:29
I mean, anything we believe about you is a theology, but
50:34
this stuff is just Hanford and hindered the progress of the
50:38
gospel for so many years. Lord, so help us to be the men
50:43
and women you want us to be. And today, as I think of all the
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whosoever's that are here, all those that are listening from
50:50
afar that have yet to receive you and respond to the
50:56
conviction of your Holy Spirit, the leading like nobody comes to
51:00
the Father and thus you lead them.
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Yeah, well, here we are. And I pray for those that need
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to decide and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ today that
51:11
they would do so. They would repent of their sins
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and accept the Lord Jesus Christ into their lives.
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And for now, if that's you in this room, I want to invite you.
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You. You can respond publicly.
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Would you just stand to your feet?
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I want to pray with you to help you with this choice you're
51:29
making to follow Christ. And it can be as simple as that.
51:34
There's examples in the Bible where Jesus will roll up on
51:37
someone. He'll look at him and say you
51:38
get up and follow me. And you know what they did?
51:41
They got up and followed him. This is kind of a modern day
51:45
equivalent of Jesus through the voice of a pastor saying, do you
51:48
want to follow him? Then get up and follow him.
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So today, if you respond to the invitation of Jesus and the work
51:57
of God in your life to receive salvation in the forgiveness of
52:02
your sins, would you just stand to your feet?
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I want to pray with you and that includes you guys downstairs.
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God bless you here and God bless you.
52:10
God bless you in the back and over here as well.
52:13
You guys downstairs in the Agape room down in the Cafe, just like
52:18
a holy hush right now that the Lord is speaking to you on the
52:21
radio or online, God is inviting you.
52:25
He knows you. Of course, here in the room, we
52:27
get to experience it. We get to receive and be a part
52:32
of it with you. Who else would say that's me?
52:36
Like this is a beautiful time and here's what's happening.
52:39
People are coming up next to you.
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That's what's happening. Pastors, men and women on our
52:44
our leadership team, they're coming up alongside of you.
52:46
So you know that there's an immediate follow up.
52:49
With you. You're not going to get lost in
52:51
the crowd here. These men and women have been
52:54
trained to come alongside and help you with the next steps in
52:56
your walk. So that's what's.
52:57
Happening if you're wondering. They're already set up to look
53:01
for you. Anyone else that would say
53:04
that's me, today is the day, now is the time.
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It's pretty heady to think that God would choose you, but he
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has. And right here on my pulpit,
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every person that stands here, every time I'm here, I'm
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reminded that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus,
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and you believe in your heart, God raised him from the dead,
53:31
you will be saved. God bless you.
53:35
I see you back there over here on the side.
53:44
Alisa, can you check on them real quick just to see if
53:46
they're responding? Just ask them.
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So those of you that are responding, pray with me and
53:54
you're not praying to me, you're talking to God.
53:56
And you could say something like God forgive me.
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I believe you sent Jesus to die for me and I choose to follow
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you today for the rest of my life.
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I receive the forgiveness of my sins and turn away from my
54:16
sinful past. Thank you for eternal life in
54:22
Jesus name, Amen. We pray that you've been
54:26
encouraged by this Bible study delivered live from the
54:29
Sanctuary of Calvary Church. For prayer, call us at 87730
54:35
Grace that's 877-304-7223. To listen to this message in its
54:42
integrity or to join us for our live stream services, visit us
54:46
online at Calvary Co dot Church or download our free Calvary
54:51
Church app. Be blessed as you worship Jesus
54:54
this week.