Sermon #1493 Miscellaneous Sermons
Title: The Questions of a Young Preacher
Text: 2 Timothy 2:7
Subject:
Date: Sunday
Morning -- 2001
Tape # W-86a
Introduction:
The title of my message
today is – The Questions of a Young
Preacher. My text will be 2 Timothy 2:7-9. I am admonished in 2 Timothy
2:2 to teach other faithful men the gospel God has so graciously taught me by
many faithful witnesses, so that they may “be able to teach others also.”
Let’s read verses 7-9.
(2
Timothy 2:7-9) "Consider what I
say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all
things. 8 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised
from the dead according to my gospel (The
Gospel is One. The Doctrine is one.): 9 Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto
bonds; but the word of God is not bound."
My reasons for using this as
the text for my message will become apparent in a minute or two.
I
am always delighted to run across anyone who is interested in learning the
things of God, who is seeking to understand the gospel of God’s free and
sovereign grace in Christ. I spend many, many hours every week answering
questions from people who seem to be sincerely seeking instruction. I have no
time for religious curiosity, the quibbles of Pharisees, or the debates that
rage between men about theological nuances. But I gladly spend hours helping
folks who need and want someone to guide them in the light of Holy Scripture.
What can be more joyful than taking hungry souls by the hand and leading them
to Christ, the Bread of Life?
But I cannot tell you how
excited I get, how thankful I am, and how hopeful when the Lord begins to stir
the heart of a preacher and allows him to cross my path. I can’t tell you what
a weight of responsibility I feel when a preacher, confused by religious
tradition, asks me to help him to understand the gospel and the glorious
doctrines of the grace of God. I take the matter seriously.
Two weeks ago, I received
first one letter and then a second letter from a young preacher in
After sitting on them for
almost two weeks, I spent most of the day Thursday answering this preacher’s
questions. As I did, I quickly realized that I was answering questions that
trouble some, if not many, of you. So today, I am going tell
you what I wrote to those young preachers on Thursday.—“Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee
understanding in all things.”
I will not read all that
this young man wrote to me. That would take too much time and have no bearing
on my message. Let me give you just the questions.
Predestination
His letter began by
expressing his confusion regarding divine predestination.—“I have often
wondered about the words ‘predestined’ and ‘elect’ and ‘called’ in the Bible
but have always had trouble with the concept, always understanding that God
desires that none should perish and so loved the entire world that He sent His
Son to die and that what we must do on our behalf is accept that gift and
believe in Him. I am afraid I don't understand predestination as it comes
across in your writings and would really like to know more about it.”
I began my letter to him with a word of warning.—
You need to be aware, my friend, that should you begin to preach the gospel of
God's free and sovereign grace in Christ, those who now support you,
financially and otherwise, will turn upon you in fury. Nothing riles lost religious men like free grace.
The gospel of Christ stirs the fury of hell. Any man who preaches this gospel
must be prepared to swim against the tide as long as he lives. He must have the
heart of a lion, the hide of a rhinoceros, and a backbone of steel.
Regarding
God's love, I wrote:— God’s love for the
world must be understood in the context in which it is stated. God loves all
sorts of men, black, white, red, learned, unlearned, etc., in all ranks of
society; but God clearly states that he does not love all men and shows it. He
hated Esau (Rom.
·
Read Isaiah 43:1-5.
He has
sent multitudes to hell in his wrath. Never can we imagine that the Holy Lord
God is fickle like us, loving today and hating tomorrow (Mal. 3:6).
If God loved all
men alike and all are not saved (as is clearly the case), what does the love of
God have to do with salvation? -- Nothing. -- What kind of love would that be
that has the ability to save its object but does not?
This young preacher also
said, “I am afraid I don't understand predestination.” Few do! Yet, predestination is not at all difficult to
understand. It simply means, "determine
before." Divine predestination is God’s sovereign, eternal determination
and purpose to do all that is done in time for the salvation of his own elect
(Eph. 1:3-6, 11; Rom. 8:28-30).
(Romans
8:28-30) "And we know that all
things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called
according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also
did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might
be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did
predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified:
and whom he justified, them he also glorified."
(Ephesians
1:3-6) "Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath
chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure
of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath
made us accepted in the beloved."
(Ephesians
1:11) "In whom also we have
obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:"
2 Peter 3:9
Then I began where he did, in 2 Peter 3:9. Let’s look at that passage.
(2
Peter 3:9) "The Lord is not slack
concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward,
not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance."
The
key word here is “us-ward.” God’s long suffering is toward his elect. He
is not willing that any of his elect perish. He tolerates and uses the rest of
the world; but God is long suffering toward his elect. This is obviously the
intended meaning of the Holy Spirit in this passage, because he tells us to
account that the long suffering of our God is our salvation (v. 15).
(2
Peter 3:15) "And account that the
longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul
also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;"
In other words, Christ will
come and the world shall end, when the last of God’s elect, the last of
Christ’s redeemed ones has been saved.
After acknowledging his
confusion about predestination, my friend asked me to answer these eight
questions. I will give them in the order in which they were asked and answer
them as we move along.
1. Why would God create some
people to purposely go to hell?
I do not know of any place in the Scriptures where
it is stated that God created some people to go to hell. Certainly, I have
never stated such, orally or in writing. This is something gospel preachers are
often accused of teaching, but I do not know of any do; and I know a few.
2. How is
predestination/election reconciled with God desiring none to perish?
Nowhere do the Scriptures state, or imply that God
does not desire or want any to perish. People go to hell because God Almighty
sends them to hell. The Scriptures do declare that God has no pleasure in the
death of the wicked. That is to say, God does not find satisfaction in the
death of sinners. That is why hell is eternal. God’s justice was and is
satisfied only with the sacrifice of Christ as the sinner’s Substitute.
(Isaiah
53:8-11) "He was taken from prison
and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for
he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my
people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done
no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it
pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou
shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall
prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his
hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be
satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he
shall bear their iniquities."
3. What about the verses where
Jesus says we must believe unto him?
God has ordained the means as well as the end. He
saves chosen, redeemed sinners by faith, faith given to and created in his
people by the effectual operations of the Holy Spirit in the new birth and
effectual calling, through the preaching of the gospel (1 Pet. 1:23-25; Rom.
10:10-17).
(Romans
10:10-17) "For with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever
believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference
between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that
call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not
believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom
they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a
preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be
sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of
them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias
saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
(1
Peter 1:23-25) "Being born again,
not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth
and abideth for ever. 24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the
glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower
thereof falleth away: 25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And
this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."
4. Where is the urgency for
someone to believe or even share the Gospel if God has already willed certain
to come and His will is not going to be thwarted?
The urgency is the
will and command of God.
Every sinner is entirely responsible for his own soul. If a person is saved, it
is all God's fault, God's work, and for God's glory (2 Tim. 1:9; Ps. 115:1). If
anyone is lost and goes to hell, it is altogether his own fault and he alone
bears the blame (Pro.
(Psalms
115:1) "Not unto us, O LORD, not
unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy
truth's sake."
(2
Timothy 1:9) "Who hath saved us,
and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began,"
(Romans
6:23) "For the wages of sin is death;
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
(Proverbs
1:23-33) "Turn you at my reproof:
behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto
you. 24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my
hand, and no man regarded; 25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel,
and would none of my reproof: 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I
will mock when your fear cometh; 27 When your fear cometh as desolation,
and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh
upon you. 28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they
shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29 For
that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: 30 They
would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. 31 Therefore
shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own
devices. 32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the
prosperity of fools shall destroy them. 33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me
shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil."
The urgency is in the need of the sinner.
Illustration:
“They’re your eyes.”
5. What role does free will
have, if any, in our lives, then, if we are already pre-called to our eternal
fate?
I have yet to find any reference in the Book of God
to man's imaginary "free will." There is no such thing as free will.
Our will is bound, governed, ruled, and in bondage to our nature. Man neither
"will" nor "can" (John
(John
5:40) "And ye will not come to me,
that ye might have life."
(John
6:37-40) "All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast
out. 38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the
will of him that sent me. 39 And this is the Father's will which hath
sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should
raise it up again at the last day. 40 And this is the will of him that
sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have
everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."
Even God's will is not free in an absolute sense.
God cannot lie, because he is holy. God cannot do wrong, because he is
righteous. God cannot change, because he is immutable. Even if it could be
conceded that man has a "free will," man's will is not in any way or
to any degree, at any point, the determining factor in salvation, according to
the plain statements Holy Scripture (John 1:11-13; Rom. 9:16). Salvation is
not, at all, conditioned upon what a man does (Eph. 2:8-9).
(John
1:11-13) "He came unto his own, and
his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave
he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his
name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man, but of God."
(Romans
9:16) "So then it is not of
him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy."
(Ephesians
2:8-9) "For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not
of works, lest any man should boast."
(2
Timothy 1:9-10) "Who hath saved us,
and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works (Will Works—Hand Works!), but according to
his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began, 10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus
Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to
light through the gospel:"
6. What is man's role and what
is God's and where does the Bible give us these answers?
Man's role in
salvation does not exist. Salvation is the work of the triune God alone (Jonah
2:9; Ps. 115:1; Isa. 45:20-25; Rom. 3:19-28; 9:16; Eph. 1:3-14; 2:8-9; 2 Tim.
1:9-10; Tit. 3:4-6; 2 Thess. 2:13-14; Rev. 5:9-11).
(Psalms
115:1) "Not unto us, O LORD, not
unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy
truth's sake."
(Isaiah
45:20-25) "Assemble yourselves and
come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have
no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that
cannot save. 21 Tell ye, and bring them near;
yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and
there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none
beside me. 22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth:
for I am God, and there is none else. 23 I have sworn by
myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not
return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every
tongue shall swear. 24 Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I
righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all
that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. 25 In the LORD shall all
the seed of
(Jonah
2:9) "But I will sacrifice unto
thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed.
Salvation is of the LORD."
(Romans
3:19-28) "Now we know that what
things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every
mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become
guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no
flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being
witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which
is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for
there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a
propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the
remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To
declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just,
and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. 27 Where is boasting
then? It is excluded. By what law? of
works? Nay: but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man
is justified by faith without the deeds of the law."
(Romans
9:16) "So then it is not of
him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy."
(Ephesians
1:3-14) "Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath
chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure
of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath
made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through
his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8 Wherein
he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9 Having made
known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he
hath purposed in himself: 10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of
times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in
heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 11 In whom also we
have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of
him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12 That we
should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13 In
whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel
of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with
that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the
earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession,
unto the praise of his glory."
(Ephesians
2:8-9) "For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not
of works, lest any man should boast."
(2
Thessalonians 2:13-14) "But we are
bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord,
because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through
sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of
the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."
(2
Timothy 1:9-10) "Who hath saved us,
and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began, 10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of
our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and
immortality to light through the gospel:"
(Titus
3:4-6) "But after that the kindness
and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5 Not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by
the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he
shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;"
(Revelation
5:9-11) "And they sung a new song,
saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for
thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred,
and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God
kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. 11 And I beheld, and
I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the
elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and
thousands of thousands."
7. If God has elected some and
his will cannot be thwarted, then will they not eventually come to him no
matter what?
That election is
a Bible doctrine is beyond dispute (John
(John
15:16) "Ye have not chosen me, but
I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit,
and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the
Father in my name, he may give it you."
(Romans
8:28-30) "And we know that all
things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called
according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also
did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might
be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did
predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified:
and whom he justified, them he also glorified."
(Ephesians
1:3-6) "Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath
chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure
of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath
made us accepted in the beloved."
(1
Thessalonians 1:4) "Knowing,
brethren beloved, your election of God."
(2
Thessalonians 2:13-14) "But we are
bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord,
because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through
sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of
the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."
(2
Timothy 1:9-10) "Who hath saved us,
and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began, 10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of
our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and
immortality to light through the gospel:"
(1
Peter 1:1-2) "Peter, an apostle of
Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia,
Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 Elect according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and
sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be
multiplied."
This, too, is a matter of
indisputable fact.—The will of God, the Almighty,
cannot be thwarted. This is beyond
even the possibility of question. God declares, "I
will do all my pleasure.” He
who is God does exactly what he will, when he will, in all things, with all
people, all creatures, all things, in all places, at all times. Either that, or
there is no God at all, only the imaginary conjectures and inventions of men
that are called gods, which are nothing more than idolatrous "good
luck" charms.—The god of this age is nothing but a rabbit foot
god!
(Psalms
115:3) "But our God is in
the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased."
(Psalms
135:6) "Whatsoever the LORD
pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth,
in the seas, and all deep places."
Again, God has ordained both the end and all the means by which he
accomplishes his determined end. He saves
chosen, redeemed sinners by faith in Christ, faith given to and created in his
people by the effectual operations of the Holy Spirit in the new birth and
effectual calling, through the preaching of the gospel (1 Pet. 1:23-25; Rom.
10:10-17).
8. If we are lost as a result
of what we do, then that means to me that God chose not to elect us because of
what we would do, therefore wouldn't the argument be that he elected those he
foreknew would choose him?
Not
according to the Scriptures. Divine foreknowledge, according to Scripture (Rom.
We must look to the Bible alone to tell us
what to believe; and we must believe what it teaches, no matter how
contradictory the revelation of God in Holy Scripture may appear to be to our
puny brains. We must not
subject the Word of God to our reason. We must subject our reason to the Word
of God. If one point of Divine Revelation appears to contradict another, we
must bow to both, realizing that the contradiction is in us, not in God's Word.
God sends
people to hell because of the record of what they have done (Rev. 20:11-15),
because he is just. None are damned arbitrarily. Damnation is a matter of
justice. He saves his elect and brings them into glory by grace, because of
what Christ has done for us as our Substitute, according to the record of
Divine election in the Lamb's book of life written before the world began (Rev.
13:8; 17:8;
Here are the final remarks
in this young preacher’s correspondence. In closing, at the core of the
whole thing, it is just really hard for my wife and I
to believe that some are special to God and others aren't.
Why is
this difficult? Has not the Lord both stated it and proved it throughout
history? He chose some angels and not others. He chose Abel, not Cain. He chose
Noah, not the rest of the world. He chose Abraham, and no one else in
He said, “We tell our
youth that they are all special to God and that He lovingly created each and
loves them all. It would be hard to call a God just and loving who only thinks
some are special and others aren't.”
Where, in the
Book of God, do we ever find a command given to tell unbelieving rebels that
God loves them? Where do we find anyone assured of God's loves in the Bible,
except those who trust his Son?
It is our
business to declare to rebels that they fully deserve the wrath of God, persuading
them that their only hope is to sue for mercy through the merits of Christ the
sinners' only Substitute, at the throne of grace.
It is
abhorrently evil to convince lost rebels that God loves them. The Book only
declares that God hates all workers of iniquity. The only way God can, will, or
does love anyone is in His Son, made righteous by his obedience and blood, by
Divine imputation.
To teach
unbelieving rebels that God loves them is to convince them either that God's
love is useless, meaningless, and utterly irrelevant (If he loved all those who
go to hell, is that not the case?), or that everything is all right, they are
sure to be saved, no matter whether they believe or don't, no matter whether
they bow to Christ or don't. After all, God certainly would not send someone to
hell that he loves. Would he?
Then, this young preacher
asked, “What am I missing?” Here is my response to that final
question.
What you're missing is this.—None of Adam's fallen race are
special. We are all fallen sinners, God hating rebels,
trying just as hard as we can to get rid of God forever, deserving to be cast
into hell yesterday.
Christ is the only special human being who ever
lived since the fall of Adam. Christ alone is special,
well pleasing to God. And the only way sinners are special is because
they are in him. -- In Him by Divine Choice from
Eternity. -- In Him as a Federal Head and Representative. -- In Him by the
Blessed
The justice of God has no more to do with the love
of God than the justice of a judge sitting on the judicial
bench, passing sentence on a guilty mass murderer, rapist, and beastly
terrorist has to do with his love.
It was God's justice that demanded the
sacrifice of his Son for the salvation of his people. Justice must be
satisfied. It was the love of God for his people that made him willing to make the
sacrifice.