We end with a reading from Ephesians this morning, Ephesians chapter 1. As we continue to study the doctrine of predestination or the doctrine or the decrees of God, we’ll be focused on the doctrine of predestination. Ephesians chapter 1, I’ll begin at verse 3.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.
In love, he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us and the beloved. In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven, and things on earth. In him, we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be to the praise of his glory. In him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory.
Amen. Would you pray with me? Our Father in heaven, what a glorious passage this is. It’s so full. We ask that as we continue to study your decrees this morning, that you would help us even open this passage. Guide and direct our hearts now. Wake us up, Lord, with your word, with your truths. Work on our hearts now. We ask this in Jesus’s name. Amen. All right, now, who can tell me what chapter we’re in in the Westminster Confession? Chapter 3. Very good. So we’ve already done a portion of this slide presentation. And I’m just going to ask, really, if there are any questions.
We didn’t read Romans. We read Ephesians this morning. We’ve learned about scripture. We’ve learned about God. And now we’re jumping into the decrees of God. We learned that God has ordained and decreed everything, that God is not the author of sin, and that he establishes liberty.
Those were the points we went through last Sunday. And those were all contained in the first paragraph of the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 3, which is on the decrees of God. And there was a lot there. We had a good discussion about God being the one who has decreed all things. Whatever comes to pass, he’s decreed it.
And yet, he’s not the author of sin. We are. And he doesn’t offer violence to us, to our wills. He doesn’t force us to do anything. We make those choices. Indeed, here in Deuteronomy, therefore, choose life. We are tempted, and when we are lured and enticed by our own desire, then that desire conceives and gives way to sin. So that’s where we stopped, and that’s why we read Ephesians 1 this morning. So any questions? Let me begin with that. Any questions on the first paragraph of the Westminster Confession, on God being the one who has ordained all things? He’s not the author of sin, and he’s established our liberty. Good.
All right, so are the decrees of God conditioned? two of, or excuse me, paragraph two of this third chapter. What does it mean to be conditioned? This is from Webster’s, containing or depending on a condition or conditions, it’s difficult to use that word in a definition, but they do, made with limitations, not absolute. So there’s something that affects the decision that’s going to be made. There are certain terms which affect the plan, the purpose. That’s what it means for something to be conditional.
So here’s an example. If it’s raining in the morning, I will cancel the picnic. So there’s the condition, rain in the morning, and then I will determine to cancel the picnic if it rains. If it’s sunny, I’m not going to cancel it. We’re going to have it. But if the condition comes to pass, if it’s raining, I’m going to decide to cancel the picnic. It’s conditional. My decision is conditional. Are God’s decrees conditional? Are they conditioned on anything outside of him? Okay, there’s the answer. We’ll see if he’s right.
Paragraph two, although God knows whatsoever may or can come to pass on all supposed conditions, yet He has not decreed anything because he foresaw it as future or as that which would come to pass upon such conditions. So those who wrote this paragraph have concluded that scripture teaches that God doesn’t decree anything because of something outside of him. God’s decrees are not conditional. That’s what they came to the conclusion of. And at least one of us agrees with that. But let’s dig into scripture and see if that’s the case. Are God’s decrees conditioned on anything outside of himself?
Yes, sir. I think you’re right. I think the first paragraph usually in the Westminster Confession is a broad overview, and then the subsequent paragraphs, if there are any, will open that up. So I think you’re right. Yes. I think that the phrase, outside of himself, is key there. Yes. Because he cannot decree everything that God decrees is good. Yes, of course.
Yes, and so he takes counsel with himself, right? We serve a triune God. He’s self-sufficient. And so his decrees are within that counsel, right? but not outside of himself. And we’re trying to open that up and see, oh, that’s what they thought. Let’s see if they’re right.
Hebrews 4, 13, and no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account. God knows everything. Right? And so one could say, well, because God knows everything, he looks down the halls of time and makes decisions, makes his decrees based upon what he sees in the halls of time. He knows everything. No creature is hidden from his sight. All are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account. He knows everything.
Beaky and Smalley write this, I’ve got a few quotations from their reformed systematic theology. We should never grow so familiar with the doctrine of the knowledge, of the foreknowledge of God, that we fail to be astonished that God knows the future before it exists. Why are we talking about this? Well, I’ve got to go back.
Although God knows whatsoever may or can come to pass on all supposed conditions. He knows everything. That’s where they begin in this paragraph. God knows everything. What is God that he knows the end from the beginning? Arthur Pink said, how far exalted above the wisest man is the Lord? None of us knows what a day may bring forth. But all futurity, that’s a hard word to say, and I don’t say it very often. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever said it. Futurity is open to his omniscient gaze.
And so is that what God is doing? I mean, they acknowledge that God knows everything, not only the past, not only the present, but also the future. They’re acknowledging that. And so, is that what God does? Does he look down the halls of time, because he’s able to, he knows, and then he decrees based upon what he sees is going to happen in the future? No, okay, no. It’s not reactive, okay, good, good. Even though he can see, even though he knows, right?
But we should never grow so familiar with the doctrine of the foreknowledge that we fail to be astonished that God knows the future before it exists. So Beaky and Smaller are just saying, hey, just meditate upon that for a moment. God knows everything, even the future things. 1 Samuel 23, God knows everything.
This is as David is being pursued by Saul. Why was Saul pursuing David? Yeah. Saul knew that David’s been anointed king. I want to keep the crown. So how do I do that? Kill David. So he’s trying to kill David. And so this is in 1 Samuel 23 as David is being pursued by Saul. And so he’s praying to the Lord, O Lord, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Calah. Now that’s where David is right now. He’s hiding.
To destroy the city on my account, will the men of Calah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down?” So David’s asking that question. Is that going to happen in the future? As your servant has heard, O Lord, the God of Israel, please tell your servant. And the Lord said he will come down. Now, did Saul come down?
Well, he actually didn’t come down to Calah because David left. David communes with God. God tells him that this is going to happen if he stays there. And so David leaves. Saul doesn’t come down to Calah. The men of Calah don’t turn David over to Saul because David leaves.
So God knows everything. Some would, I don’t really know. I hesitate getting into this, so I’m going to do it very briefly. Someone called this middle knowledge, that this is an evidence of God’s middle knowledge, that he knows everything upon all supposed conditions. Beaky and Smalley don’t like to use that term. They don’t like that concept.
They say, well, this is just an indication of how wicked Saul is. And that’s all that God was portraying to David. This is how wicked men are. Because David had just delivered Caleb. He just helped them. And now they’re going to turn him over to Saul. This is how wicked men are. This is how wicked Saul is. That’s how they would take this. as opposed to seeing that God has this middle knowledge. So that’s it for middle knowledge.
Yes? Go ahead. I was thinking of Paul in the end of Acts in the shipwreck. Yes. If the men leave, it was not the same. But God already told them everybody would not die. Yes. But they’ve got to stay on the ship, right? Yeah, got it. Yes, good. OK, so God knows everything. Does he look down the halls of time and then Condition his decrees upon that. No. Decrees are unconditioned. Isaiah 46. I’m God and there is no other. I am God and there is none like me.
Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done. Saying my counsel shall stand and I will accomplish my purpose. Calling a bird of prey from the east. Man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, I will bring it to pass. I have purposed, I will do it. God does his will. It’s not conditioned. We don’t see anything within this that says, well, I’ll do my will, but my will is going to be conditioned upon something that happens in the future. I’m not quite sure what it is yet. We’ll see. No, no, no, no. God’s decrees are unconditional.
Psalm 115, our God is in the heavens. He does all that he pleases. Everything that God pleases, he does. His decrees are unconditioned on anything outside of him. In him we have obtained, this is from Ephesians, we’ve read this this morning, an inheritance having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. Now this is forming a foundation for the doctrine of predestination, okay? See, they’re building upon these truths to get to the doctrine of predestination, which is part of God’s decree. His decrees are unconditioned.
So Romans 9, we read this last week, when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, what is Paul saying? Well, same mother, same father, two children in the womb. though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad, in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works, you could say not because of conditions outside of God, not because of what these two would do, not because one of these two would come to faith, the other one wouldn’t, not because of works, but because of him who calls.
She was told, the older will sow the younger, as it is written, Jacob I love, but Esau I hated. You see a choice here? You see a choice that’s conditioned upon who these men would become? No. You see a choice conditioned on their works? No. His decrees are unconditioned.
He determined to love Jacob and hate Esau. a little bit of a rabbit trail when you run into people who would say, and I think I read something on our Google page for this church, where someone left a comment, and they were very displeased with Calvinism.
And part of the comment was, God loves everybody. So Calvinism is false, it’s wrong. If you believe in Calvinism, you’re not saved. But her point was God loves everybody. So whenever anybody makes that statement, God loves everyone, you just point to this verse, say, well, you’ve got a problem because God hated Esau. So God doesn’t love everybody. God makes a choice. The question this morning is what’s that choice conditioned on?
And right now the answer is his decrees, his choices are not conditioned. From Beacon and Smalley, God’s decree is unconditional. So they agree. This follows from the sovereignty, inability, and immutability of the decree from before time began. As the decree of the Lord, there is no cause of God’s will outside of itself, meaning outside of the will of God. There’s no cause. Nothing influencing God’s will outside of himself.
It’s good. Maybe not. Maybe I typed it wrong. It’s a good question. I’m not quite sure. I get the sovereignty and immutability, unchangeability. I get that. Inability. I’m gonna have to check it. Okay, good catch. Let me see. I don’t have an answer for you. It’s probably an error on my part. It could be infallibility. It could be, it could be. Yes, yes Yes It’s a good point, and I’ll flip it up. You’re probably right infallibility.
I spoke this into this computer and sometimes I Know you know what I’m I am fallible I Good catch. Again, from Beacon Small, a conditional antecedent decree adjusted by foreknowledge creates serious problems. You see what they’re saying? If God’s will is kind of affected by, oh, I saw this was going to happen, and now I’m going to change what I was going to do. Whoa.
Serious problems for our view of God. It presents him as a subject. whose will depends on others, instead of the king who reveals his sovereign for ordination of men’s lives. Ultimately, it implies that he is not God. You can’t have a sovereign God who is now so affected and controlled by things outside of himself. He’s no longer sovereign.
Right, because that implies that we have some control. Yes. Over God. Right. I’m going to do it this way. You better change. Okay. So questions? Any questions on that paragraph? Again, they’re building to the decree of predestination. God’s decrees include a lot. One of the major decrees is predestination, but they’ve been setting the stage for all decrees, and now they’re going to drill down into predestination. So questions on, because this forms the foundation. All right, let me continue.
3.3, Doctrine of Predestination. By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, that’s really important. Some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others are ordained to everlasting death. That’s a really short statement of predestination. But do you see how it flows from what they set forth in paragraphs one and two? Okay. Is that right? Is that in the Bible somewhere? Okay.
Webster’s predestination, the act of decreeing or foreordaining events. The decree of God by which he hath from eternity unchangeably appointed or determined whatever comes to pass. Now they’re taking predestination, they’re like expanding it to the decrees of God. It is used particularly in theology to denote the preordination of men to everlasting happiness or misery. Now they drill down into what we consider to be the doctrine of predestination.
Predestination is part of the unchangeable plan of the divine government, or in other words, the unchangeable purpose of an unchangeable God. Hm. Webster’s is so good. Speaking in small, the crown jewel of the doctrine of God’s sovereignty is his election of those whom he will save by grace. Do you think of it that way, the crown jewel? They do.
At the same time, election is a theological battlefield. Unedifying fierce and sometimes ugly debate rages about this teaching. However, avoiding election does not serve the church well, for the Bible is full of this teaching. The election of Abraham and his seed out of all nations was a central part of Israel’s history. That’s just kind of some background, how important this doctrine is, at least Beaky and Smalley think it’s important. Have you ever heard of arguments and debates on predestination? Just a couple? OK.
Abraham, Terah took Abraham, his son, and Lot, son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai, his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife. And they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there. The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran.
Now the Lord said to Abram, go from your country and your kindred. and your father’s house. Who’s called out? Abram, why not Tara? It’s God’s choice. He elected Abram. That’s that’s kind of a important passage for predestination. Abram was chosen by God. Matthew 25, when the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.
Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. A choice has been made. And this is the doctrine of election, the doctrine of predestination. There will be two groups that all the nations will be separated into, sheep and the goats. And God has determined before time who will be in the group of the sheep and who will be in the group of the goats. And there are only two groups. And Jesus is going to return and recognize and know who the sheep are and who the goats are. And he will separate based upon God’s choice from before time. That’s the doctrine of predestination.
1 Thessalonians, we’ve been in this letter. For we know, brothers, loved by God, that he has chosen you. Paul doesn’t write, we know, brothers, loved by God, because you’re good people, because you’ve done good things, because you were really smart and came to the conclusion that you needed to be trusting in Jesus Christ. No, who does he give glory to? Who does he mention first? Brothers, loved by God, that he has chosen you, he has elected you, he’s set you apart.
That’s the doctrine of predestination. Comments on it? Questions? I usually don’t ask for comments. Yes. Yes. There’s also that aspect of, because I’m a son or daughter of Adam, I want the credit for being smart or intelligent or just a good person that has brought me into glory, that will bring me into the favor of God. I want the credit. Because I’m autonomous. I’m not dependent upon anyone or anything. And I’m going to get to heaven. I’m going to get to glory on my own.
Well, predestination says no. That’s not how you earn the favor of God, because you can’t earn the favor of God. You will never earn the favor of God. There’s only one who’s earned the favor of God, and that’s Jesus Christ. And the only way that you’re going to believe upon him, have faith in him, is if God changes your heart. Because as you’re born in Adam, you are never going to follow Christ. You’re never going to want to be in his presence. God has got to do the work. And in order for God to do that work, he’s got to choose you. He’s got to set his love upon you. It’s his choice. Yes, ma’am.
Well, I think, and I don’t know what it’s like in far distant nations, but at least in this country, we are consumed with things being fair. Fair is good. And I was just thinking about what we’re reading, you know, this past week about that man went out and hired all the workers for a certain amount, and then he kept going out and getting more, and he paid the ones that just worked like an hour, he paid them all the same, which wasn’t fair. And the man who has that, whatever he has, can do what he wants to with what he pays and everything. But we are consumed with fairness being good. And this is not fair in our eyes. It’s incredible mercy. And if we got what was fair, it wouldn’t be good.
But I think that’s what people like. Yes. That is another aspect. Thank you for bringing that out. Yes. Other comments, questions? Yeah, well, the Armenians really are leaning into, I can do it myself. Right? They’re leaning into that. And this doctrine says, no, you can’t. You can’t. Yes, ma’am? Just the, you know, you’ve heard the, and you’ve touched on this, like, God looks down the corridors of time and sees, oh, you believe, so I’ll save you. Yes. And like you say, you don’t, We can’t do anything. And if we could, we would take the board. Yes, we certainly want that.
All right, paragraph four. These angels and men, okay, we’re talking about, we’re referencing back to paragraph three. These angels and men, thus predestinated and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed And they’re numbers so certain and definite that it cannot be either increased or diminished. An unchangeable number.
Questions on that? What does that hearken back to? Can that be changed? Okay. Yes. God’s an unchangeable God. Chris has already pointed that out. And that works in his decrees, right? The one on whom he has determined to set his love will not change. His love won’t change for that person. Was Jacob a good man? No. He was a sinner like me, right?
Deceiving, right, even his brother. Joining with his mom to deceive his dad. Wow. And then running away from his father-in-law without letting him know. He was a deceiver. And yet, through that, God still loved him. What about Peter? Denying Jesus Christ three times. Was that enough to cause Jesus to say, that’s it, Peter. I’m done with you. You’re going into the goat category. No. Peter was unchangeably saved by God, decreed by God, predestinated by God for eternal life. Couldn’t change. Yes, sir? Can I go back to paragraph three?
Another thing that hit me in this is this doctrine is for his own glory. That’s impressive, obviously. we praise God, we glorify God with this doctrine. And in one sense, we glorify God because of the remarkable offer of Christ to us, to those who are predestined unto glory, that where we as hardened sinners in Adam had no chance, but through God’s work and his predestinating love, he saves us. That brings glory, right? We glorify, we atone, right? We glorify.
And then, again, on those that are left in Adam, those who go to everlasting death, we glorify God because of that. Because God is a God of justice and righteousness and wrath, and he will not let rebellion and sin go unpunished. So there’s two sides of that glory that I never really thought of until I read this, that we glorify God through this doctrine. That’s orthopraxy, as Jim Hobbs says, in terms of this.
Yeah, good. Thank you. 3.4. We already did this, yes? Where did this slide come from? I’m confused. Anyway, let me read this. John 13. I’m not speaking of all of you. I know whom I have chosen. What’s happening here? This is the upper room discourse. Jesus has washed the feet of his disciples. And he tells them that they’ve been cleansed. I’m not speaking of all of you. I know whom I have chosen. Jesus Christ knows those who have been saved. I know whom I have chosen. This is the father speaking through his son, Jesus. I know whom I have chosen.
Unchangeable number. Ephesians 1, we read this again this morning. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world. Unchangeable. You’ve already mentioned that. Chris has mentioned that. Before the foundation of the world. Is this a problem? You’ve been chosen. It can’t be changed. You’ve written in the book of life. Can’t be changed, won’t be changed.
Does this truth lead to neglect, lackadaisical, antinomian, lawless Christian living? That was the argument of the Roman Catholics. Justification by faith alone which predestination certainly is the umbrella. Justification by faith alone would come underneath it in a sense. The argument was this is going to lead to negligent Christian living. Like you’re not going to care about the law anymore. You’re going to live lackadaisically, negligently, not following God. That was the argument.
The election does not teach us that we can bypass hearing the gospel and placing our faith in Christ. Somebody could say, well, this doctrine of predestination means that I don’t even have to come to faith. I’m saved. He’s chosen me. And so I don’t need to do anything. I don’t even need to come to faith because I’m saved. My name is written in the book of life.
Well, actually, it’s not, if you are actually thinking that way. Election does not teach us that we can bypass hearing the gospel and placing our faith in Christ. Rather, whenever the gospel has been preached, as many as were ordained to eternal life, believed Acts chapter 13. The word goes out. God uses to change hearts. And those whom he has chosen will believe. Unchangeable. It doesn’t teach negligence, it doesn’t teach just sit back. I got to that slide, but I don’t know, something strange happened. Okay, moving on.
Predestination is not conditioned. So we saw the decrees weren’t conditioned. Now we take and apply that truth to predestination. Those of mankind, paragraph five, that are predestinated unto life God before the foundation of the world was laid according to His eternal and immutable purpose and the secret counsel and good pleasure of His will has chosen in Christ unto everlasting glory and out of His mere free grace and love, that’s important, Without any foresight of faith, or good works, or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature as conditions, or causes, moving him thereunto, and all to the praise of his glorious grace.” Now, do you see how the doctrine of the decree being unconditioned now moves into predestination, and it’s so opened up? Much fuller than what we’ve already seen in the past.
Without any foresight of faith, or good works, or perseverance, nothing outside of God affects his choice of whom he will love or whom he will hate. From Romans chapter three, for there’s no distinction for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift.
You give a gift to someone not because they’re good, I don’t think so, because it’s just from your heart, right? You desire to give somebody something. It’s unconditional, should be. Not even expecting a thanks in return, just I want you to have this. That’s that’s a description of God’s grace. It’s undeserved. You haven’t earned salvation. You can’t. Jesus did. Not for himself, but he earned it for you. That’s grace. Justified by his grace as a gift. Romans 9, going back to that really, really important passage.
When Rebecca had conceived children by one man, though they were not yet born, done nothing either good or bad, in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works, but because of him who calls. When did God decree? Before the foundation of the world. Before the foundation of the world. Beacon Smalley write, the eternity of election, this is what Chris was talking about a moment ago. The eternity of election shows that it was utterly free and based upon nothing in us. Well, why? If it’s not conditioned upon who we are, that we will come to faith, that we do good stuff, if it’s not conditioned upon that, anything within us, then why? Why did God choose Jacob and not Esau?
Deuteronomy chapter 7, for you are people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession. So we see the choice here in Deuteronomy. Obviously, we saw it in Genesis with regard to Abram. But now, as Moses is writing to the nation just before they’re going to enter into the promised land, he speaks of being chosen. Your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession. Out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth, just the Israelites, one nation.
It was not because you were more in number. So he’s wiping that out. Hey, don’t think it’s because you are so numerous. How many people left Egypt? We don’t actually know. 600,000 men, but women and children in addition to that. But it wasn’t because you were more in number. That’s not why God chose you. Well, what else? It’s not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart. Wasn’t that either. So why? Why does he choose one and not another?
If you are a people holy to the Lord your God, Lord your God has not chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, excuse me, has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth, it is not because you are more numerous, more number, for you are fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers.
That’s it. You think the Israelites were surprised? When they opened up this last book from Moses, wait a minute, we thought it was because we were pretty good. We thought it was because the Egyptians were really bad and we were really good. No, it’s because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that covenant.
Speaking in small, election is an act of superlative divine love. The Lord of election is the God who so richly has blessed his people that he is gladly blessed by them in return. We read that Ephesians 1, 3. He chose them in love. The God of predestination is not stingy or cruel, but the father who aims at the adoption of children into his family.
You have that picture of the father and the adoptive children coming into the family, the love of the father. That’s it. Is it surprising to anyone? Well, I’m lovable, right? You all are laughing. You don’t think so. I’m not. I’m not lovable. That is a great mystery, isn’t it? Why God would love us.
But he does. That’s part of predestination. That’s why it is this crown jewel spoken of by Beacon Small. He’s predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. And this is what Chris was pointing to, to the praise of his glorious grace. Everything is for the glory of God.
Especially if we think of it in terms of, oh, this more than another. Well, maybe not, but predestination is all to his glory. having been predestined, and Paul couldn’t leave it at once. He had to say this twice. So that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. All right, questions on that?
I’m working at a very base level, because I got very little sleep, so my brain’s a little bit down there. I was thinking about sheep and goats. And of course, somewhere it says that God chooses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, which I’ve always considered myself one of the foolish things of the world. And so I looked up what if sheep or if goats were smarter than sheep.
And they’re a lot smarter. Really? And they’re better at problem solving and all kinds of stuff. OK. It’s not no oh yes, oh, it’s yeah, it’s not a You’re not being built up by being in that category in terms of that analogy Good good point Three six We’re gonna try to get through the rest of this. Oh, maybe not. It’s actually 940 Why don’t you guys say something? OK, we’ll have to stop here.
It is a glorious doctrine, and it is all to God’s glory. Let’s pray. Father in heaven, what a wonderful and amazing truth this is. Lord, we cannot point to anything within ourselves that would cause you to set your love upon us. And so we thank you for this truth. We thank you for this doctrine. And Father, help us to keep before us that this is all to your glory. Now prepare us to worship you. Glorious God, glorious triune God, mold and shape our hearts that we would come before you this morning in spirit and in truth to bring you that worship that only you deserve. We ask this in Jesus’ name.