So this, I think, is the fourth week we've been in the book of Ephesians. We want to go on Sunday mornings through the book, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, and for four weeks now we've been delving into verses 1 through 12. And I think we'll round things out this morning because I was thinking about this passage we've already covered, the first 12 verses, and there's something that is profound There's a profound reality that undergirds everything in those first 12 verses. And that profound reality is this, the calling of God on a person's life. We don't see it mentioned by name that way, but it's undergirding and is behind everything that's in these first 12 verses, that God has called certain individuals to not only salvation and the forgiveness of sins, that they would be his children, but he's called them as his children to a certain and specific end. It's hard for the world to believe that. But that's what the scriptures teach, and those who have actually been called of God, they know it to be true. So let's take a look at the first 12 verses, just kind of skim it here, because I just want to show you that the concept, if we back up from the calling to the broader idea of predestination to salvation, God's election of certain people to be his peculiar people is just saturated in the whole text, right? In verse 3, we see, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath, past tense, blessed us Paul, writing to the Christians at the assembly in Ephesus, and as I said, he's not writing to the spiritually mature and wise and deep Christians, but ignoring maybe the more weak and struggling ones. As I've said, he's speaking to the good, the bad, and the ugly, right? All of them. He says to the believers at Ephesus that God has, past tense, already, no doubt at the moment of conversion, when God came and dwelt in those people, God hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings. We lack nothing. Everything we need to serve him, he has given us in conversion. Doesn't mean we're accessing it, but we already have it, brethren. You don't send men out into battle poorly equipped, and certainly God wouldn't do that. Maybe our illustrious leaders would, God's not one of them. We've been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, verse 4, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. So God has equipped his people with all spiritual blessings in accordance with the fact that he chose them. The world hates that idea, and most of Christianity today despises that idea. Oh, so God chose you? You must be full of arrogance and pride. And they don't understand election. No. If we've been chosen of God, we're the first one to say, but we were no different than anyone else. The Bible is very clear. He didn't choose us because we deserved it. or because we were better than other people. That's not what the Bible says. Most of religion is built on, well, you get right with God by trying to be a good guy. I'm religious. I go to church. I help old ladies cross the street, that kind of thing. And this is organized religion. That is not what the Bible teaches. It's God's grace in choosing certain people. And we know he didn't choose us because we deserved it or were better than others. We don't know why he chose this person and not that person. It is nowhere revealed in Scripture. It is a matter of faith to say God has reasons that he hasn't shared with us, and he expects us to receive his wisdom in doing such. Now, most people aren't going to settle for that. Well, you know what? They're not God's elect, because we're like children. When he adopts us and makes us his children, there's an innate trust we have for him, and there are reasons for that. But we've been chosen in him before the foundation of the world, before we ever created the world. God chose his people. He knew us by name. He knew the number of hairs on our head before he even created the world, before the universe existed, he had decided and ordained a certain people to achieve a certain end in this world. And you can't judge God's wisdom by looking at organized religion. Because most of it is not the work of God. Except maybe in His wrath, I don't know. According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be, and here's the end to which He's called us, yes, to save us from our sins, and to show mercy, and to bring us into His family. But then he expects something of us, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. Now, we all have faults, and even though we've received Christ as our Savior, we can still fall into sin. The Bible isn't teaching that once you become a Christian, you become perfect. But what it does teach is that it changes you. And you become a better person, not by pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. It's by the indwelling presence of God. And again, people don't believe that. They think you're just making it up. It is only going to ring true for those who have experienced it. That's why you don't really need to convince people of this. They have to find out on their own. It's just the way it is. So here we are, chosen, see, predestination. Verse 5, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself. So predestinated, our destiny was determined beforehand, pre, beforehand. Our destiny was determined beforehand by God, before he even created the world, as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. But in verse five, having predestinated us, well, what is our destiny? That we would become his adopted children, is what Paul says in verse five. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children. Well, how does God do that? Because we're sinners like everyone else, by Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ died for our sins. He bore our guilt. And the Father, in punishing Christ on the cross, was not punishing Christ. He was punishing us. And Christ was bearing it for us. He bore our sins, the scripture says, and carried our sorrows. We become the adopted children. Because God isn't just going to receive a bunch of sinners who care less and are selfish and greedy and prideful. God's holy. He isn't going to have that. So our sins have to be dealt with. He dealt with them through his Son, who acted on our behalf as a sacrifice for our sins. That's the teaching of Scripture. Now, none of us deserve that. There's nothing to boast about. It's the sheer mercy of God. In fact, it's so free and wonderful, I think a lot of people just can't believe it could be true. Well then, God's a liar. So you want to live with that? Go ahead. having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself. We've been predestined to be his peculiar people. We belong to him. And why did he choose us? According to the good pleasure of his will. Well, as you know, that's not maybe really an answer. I mean, it is an answer. He chose us because it pleased him to do it. Yeah, but why did he choose me and not that guy over there? All he's told us is he's done it according to the good pleasure of his will. So here we have predestination. Verse 4, we're chosen. Verse 5, predestinated. Verse 6, he's chosen us and predestinated us to the praise of his grace. And we made note when we were covering that verse, it doesn't say to the praise of his justice. Justice demands that he chooses Jim Gallagher because Jim Gallagher is a sort of nice guy. And if you give him the gospel, At least he'll say, you know what, that's really gracious, I think I'll receive Christ as my Savior. He'll do the right thing. But this other guy, I gave him the gospel, he hardens his heart, so I'm not going to choose him. No, that is not what the Bible teaches. He has predestined us, not according to his justice. Well, he chose and he saved the people who were good-hearted and perfect, but at least they were good-hearted. That is not what God did. He predestinated us according to his grace. meaning unmerited favor. We get no brownie points for that. Wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved, for Christ's sake. Verse 7, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace." See, it's our salvation is predestined, He chose us, and it's by His grace. Verse 6, it's by His grace. Verse 7, see, that idea of sovereign grace and the predestinating of His people is all throughout this passage. Verse 8, wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of His will. So God has revealed Himself to certain people in the mystery of His will. Why? according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself." No one advised him. No one counseled him. And if God has chosen me, it isn't because, well, when he looked down into the future, because he's able to do that, he sees what Jim Gallagher would do. You know, there's a spark of something in him, so I'm going to choose him. No. He did it according to the good pleasure which he had purpose in himself. There is no external force that moved God. Although God is not arbitrary, and he's not just, you know, randomly, we just don't know the reasons, and we have to live with that. Unless we want to fight against God and then pretend we're still followers of him, which is most of Christianity today, unfortunately. It's not the way it was when the pilgrims came. They would agree with what I'm saying, but times have changed that in the dispensation of the fullness 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. Maybe we ought to save that for another time. I think in verse 11, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance. He's saying the same thing in different ways. We've been chosen, we've been predestinated, it's by his grace. We've received an inheritance and that inheritance is forgiveness of sins, eternal life, sonship with God, the promises made to Abraham, eternal life, the gospel, the understanding of the word by the opening of the spirit. So all these things, salvation obviously included, in whom we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated, to that inheritance. Why? Once again, according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. You see, it's saturated throughout this. It drives a lot of professed Christians crazy because they don't like that doctrine, but there it is. In verse 12, he adds that we should be to the praise of his glory. Now, if God saved us because we were better than other people and we decided we want to live a moral life in the name of Jesus, And so God chose us because we had some sort of spark. Wouldn't that, to some degree, to be to the praise that he saved and chose us, wouldn't that be to the praise of our glory? You know, we had something that made God say, whoa, now that guy, hmm, we were a little bit impressive. It's not what the scripture says. It's to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. So our very lives, as Christians who have been chosen are ordained and destined to bring glory to God, because our salvation is from him. Now that predestination, our having been chosen from before the foundation of the world, when it says before the foundation of the world, that doesn't mean we were born Christians, okay? Doesn't mean we were Christians from the womb, because the Bible tells us that's not true, we're conceived in iniquity, we're born into sin, Infants, when they're very young, they begin to look to defy mom and dad in very mild ways compared to maybe some punky teenagers. But still, there's that first time where they're rebelling and they want their way. It comes right from the cradle. There's that, the fullness of a human being, what he is when he's 35 years old, he has that as an infant, but just in undeveloped form. All that raw material is there because he's a human being. And the Bible says we're born into sin, Man is utterly depraved. The scripture says, there's none righteous, no, not one. So what's all this organized religion about? We earn favor with God by being good people or religious people. It's not how it works. And think of the arrogance and pride you have to exhibit to say, that's how I know I'm a Christian. I'm good enough in the eyes of God. Really? I don't want to go to that church. Self-righteous phonies, you see? We can't think that way. Being a Christian is a humbling experience. Why would God do this for me? So you'd be left with that question unanswered, other than it has pleased Him to do it. One day we find out. But today is not the day. But there is a moment in time. So although we're chosen from before the foundation of the world, we're not born Christians. The scripture is very plain, we're born to sin, we're like everyone else, we have our problems and our faults, and we still need to be forgiven. But the scripture is very plain that there is a moment in time, there is a day and an hour when God in his sovereign wisdom calls us, not to every man, this is only for a remnant of human beings, according to the scripture. But God, those elect that He chose before the foundation of the world, there's a point in time in their life, some when they're young, some when they're in their middle age, some maybe not until they're old. But there's a point in time where He calls them and brings them from spiritual death. They just go on doing their own thing, living their lives, and one day they'll die. That's how most people live their lives. Make the best of it while you're here. If you stay busy enough, you don't have to contemplate about the meaning of life. But God brings us from spiritual death to spiritual life at a point in time, and it only happens because He comes and calls us. He calls us, there's an effectual call at a point in time that God gives to His people. And when He calls you on that day, at the effectual call, you will come. You will come. Look at John chapter 5. John 5 and verse 24, Jesus speaking. John 5, 24, Jesus said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, now lots of people can hear his word, but only a few are gonna really believe to salvation. He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, now look at this, but is passed from death, unto life. So for the elect, there's a point in time where they pass from death into life. So because we've been chosen before the foundation of the world, doesn't mean we're born Christians. We have to be saved. And look at verse 25. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is. when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. Now that's not talking about physical bodily resurrection. That comes down later when he says in verse 28, marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in which all that are in the grave shall hear his voice and shall come forth. They that have done good under the resurrection of life, they that have done evil under the resurrection of damnation. Okay, we're talking about resurrection from the dead there. But in verse 25, He says, the hour is coming, and now is. He doesn't say that in verse 28. In verse 28, he's talking about something that was future from when he was speaking. But in verse 25, he's talking about something that's already happening. This is a spiritual resurrection. When we leave where most people dwell in the world, in our lost condition, just, you know, reacting and living life and dying. He says, but the hour is coming, and now is when the dead, the spiritually dead, shall hear the voice of the Son of God. He will call them, and they that hear that voice and respond to it shall live, be given eternal life. So he talks about the spiritual resurrection from death into life, and then in verse 28 he talks about the bodily resurrection, which is the consummation of our inheritance. But you see, there's a point in time when a person comes to Christ. Now, it says that his voice, they shall hear the voice of the Son of God. Someone might ask, well, so you Christians, the ones he's talking about, like, are you hearing voices? Is there something audible? Because there's a lot of nutcase churches around now, and they hear all sorts of voices. And God's telling them this, and the Holy Spirit's telling them that, and God told me, and God told me, tell them to go away. You say, then you don't believe God speaks to you. Yes, I do. But it's not with an audible voice. Not that he can't do that. That's exactly what he did with the Apostle Paul, who was an audible voice. But that's not what we're talking about. And that's not what the Scripture in the main is talking about. God speaks to us when he calls us into his kingdom. It's not audible. It's an inner voice. It's an inner calling that, at the day of your salvation that God has appointed for you, there's a moment in which you realize, this is God dealing with me. And you might first argue, no, it's just, you know, emotional things, it's a persuasion from other people, but you know, people can talk and talk, but you have your own brain, you have your own heart. But there are some times when the Lord just removes all your arguments, and you know the Lord is dealing with you. And that happens at the moment of our effectual call. There's that still, small voice of the Spirit of God, which is an inner witness that I'm looking for you. You know what, I'm going to illustrate this, and you may, some may think I'm foolish to do it, but, you know, you got to deal with the whole package. But I want to go back to Kermit the Frog, if I may. You say, well, this is most inappropriate at this point in time. No, because I'm not really talking about Kermit the Frog. I'm talking about Paul Williams. And I use this to illustrate that even the non-elect those who haven't experienced the effectual call to salvation where God grants them repentance unto life, but yet they've experienced the call of God. They have at some point, and I'm going to judge sometime point in Paul Williams' past. Now, I would judge he's unconverted. I'm not God, but I'm just saying by looking at some interviews online and looking around, hearing some things he says, and then he's on a blog that he writes for, which is very spiritually minded, but not in a biblical way. And I would judge that the Lord has probably dealt with him in the past. Now, it doesn't seem to me, anyway, that he crawls from death unto life, but I think he knows something about the call of God, because many are called but few are chosen. So maybe he was called but not chosen, but there's a general call where the Lord speaks to the conscience and reveals himself, and there's that pull. And then the Lord says, and I'll leave you to your own devices, choose as you see fit. 100% of the time when the Lord does that, they will not choose him. It may be that Paul Williams, I say Paul Williams because he's the one who is the lyricist for the Rainbow Connection that we talked about before. And it may be, maybe he came close to the kingdom of God one day. You say, why do you say that? Well, for one thing, the blog he writes, if you ever look up his blog, you see the subject matter and it's It's secular, but it's almost as if he knew something. Now, this comes very plain in the Rainbow Connection. This is Kermit's song that starts the movie. I've never seen them up at movie, but it's the opening song. And I want you to consider the lyrics here for a minute, because this is an illustration that even the unconverted, I think, can be very familiar with the call of God. So the words read, why are there so many songs about rainbows, and what's on the other side? Rainbows are visions, but only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide. So we've been told, and some choose to believe it. I know they're wrong, wait and see. Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection. The lovers, the dreamers, and me. Well, the lovers and dreamers are probably his fellow traveling hippie friends. That's my guess. Maybe not. Think about this, though. Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what's on the other side? Paul William didn't invent the metaphor of the rainbow and something on the other side of the rainbow, but there's something, he's bringing this up, there's something on the other side of the rainbow that's bigger than ourselves. There's something on the other side of the rainbow, we're told in this fantasy, that's just wonderful. Maybe it's a pot of gold, and if we had a pot of gold, we'd be so happy, we'd live fulfilled lives, and there's something over there, something great, something wonderful, something that can bring us happiness on the other side of the rainbow. So he brings this up, And then the critics respond, rainbows are visions, but only illusions. And rainbows have nothing to hide, meaning there's nothing on the other side of the rainbow. Get smart, be rational. So there's the critics, right? There's nothing on the other side. And then he responds, now he, it's not Kermit, it's Paul Williams, because he wrote the words. So we've been told, in other words, there's nothing on the other side of the rainbow. So we've been told, and some choose to believe it. I know they're wrong. Wait and see. So he's responding to the skepticism of the world of this greater reality. Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection. The rainbow connection is happiness, the meaning of life. You say, no, wait a minute, Pastor, you're reading a lot into those words. Am I? So just the other day, I looked up, I had seen this interview, but it didn't strike me as it did yesterday when I looked up the quote. This is what Paul Williams said about writing the lyrics to this song. Kermit is like every frog. He's the Jimmy Stewart of frogs, he says. So how do we show that he's a thinking frog? See, he's trying to think of a song for Kermit to sing when it opens. How do we show that he's a thinking frog and that he has an introspective soul and all that good stuff? We look at his environment, and his environment is water and air and light. And it just seemed like it would be a place where he would see a rainbow. But we also wanted to show that he would be on this spiritual path, examining life and the meaning of life. Now, he's telling you straight out, this is what I'm writing about. Now, this isn't Kermit writing it. We realize he's make-believe. He's drawing from something he has some familiarity with. So this song is designed to show a spiritual struggle to understand the meaning to life. All right, let's look at the second verse. Who said that every wish would be heard and answered when wished on the morning star? He's drawing from Jiminy Cricket. Okay, I know, he's not writing a religious ode. But wait a minute, where's he getting these ideas? So who said every wish would be heard and answered. The skeptics would say, well, you pray to God, are all your prayers answered? He says, who said every wish would be heard and answered when wished on the morning star, right? Jiminy Cricket, when you wish upon a star. But isn't that very similar to praying to God in heaven and bringing your petitions and your wishes and your desires to God? They're wishing on the morning star in the heavens. He says, somebody thought of that and someone believed it. Look what it's done so far. In other words, you bring your prayers and petitions, you offer them up to the heavens. And some people say, well, you don't get everything you asked for. He says, but some have chosen to believe. And it's done wonders. So when you bring your petitions to the heavens, to the morning star, faith is the key to having access to this power that's in the stars, in the sky. Then he says, what's so amazing that keeps us stargazing, and what do we think we might see? Someday we'll find the rainbow connection. What do we think we might see? So they're looking for a higher purpose in the heavens amongst the stars. All right, let me get to the last verse, and that's really the one I'm interested in. But I wanted to show you, it's actually throughout. There's a little interlude here. All of us under its spell, we know that it's probably magic. Now, we would never apply magic to God, right? But he's not talking about God directly, but he's drawing from something. See, it's probably magic. So what he is saying is there's a higher power outside of that of the natural world and normal human existence that we're appealing to in the heavens. We bring our petitions, and it's going to bring us happiness and joy if we have faith. Now, does this sound familiar to Christians? Now, here's the last stanza. Have you been half asleep, and have you heard voices? I've heard them calling my name. Is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors? The voice might be one and the same. I've heard it too many times to ignore it. It's something that I'm supposed to be. Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers, and me. Now, I want you to think about that. Have you been half asleep and heard, have you heard voices? See, he knows, you know, not everybody has had this experience, so he's asking the question, have you heard these voices? I've heard them calling my name. Whatever this entity is in his little metaphor, that entity knows him individually and has called his name. He says, I've heard it too many times to ignore it, which means he did ignore it before. But there comes a point you can't ignore it. That's irresistible grace, the day of your effectual call. I've heard it too many times to ignore it. Now, this is the most important line. It's something that I'm supposed to be. Now, see, that movie, I haven't seen it, but I read the description of it, it's about, you know, the Muppets are just going to go out and seek adventure and go see the world and do stuff, right? So it's like the young sailor. He's called, a voice calls him, and he's just got to go see the world, make the most of your life, and have lots of life experiences, because you've got one short life, and do something and, you know, enjoy life, right? So that's what, that's all they're talking about in the movie. He says, I've heard that voice call my name too many times to ignore it. But if this is just about going out and taking advantage of the life you have and seeing the world and experiencing things, he would say, it's something I'm supposed to do. But Paul Williams said, it's something I'm supposed to be. Think about, there's a pretty big difference between the two. That sounds like it's gone beyond the Muppet movie. It's something I'm supposed to be. So there's this higher power that's in the heavens, that's amongst the stars, that has happiness and purpose that you can have if you find it. You can appeal to that power and it will grant your request if you exercise faith. That power intimately knows me, calls me my name, and he's telling me there's something I'm supposed to be that I'm not now. He's calling me to be something. Brethren, I can't help but to think that maybe someday in his past, the Lord was dealing with him, and it would seem he didn't respond to salvation, but he remembers the experience, and he employs it in his creative activities now. Because it's just too much like what I knew to be true when the Lord saved me. And it had nothing to do with rainbows. So the last line, someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection. And I would say to Paul Williams, Mr. Williams, I do believe there is a remnant that have found your rainbow connection. When I was nine years old, you know the story, and grew up in a Christian home, went to Sunday school, they taught me the Bible, my parents believed in Jesus, so I'm gonna believe in Jesus because my parents say so. which ends up being sometimes a burden to people, young people that grow up in Christian homes. Because they believe for their parents' sake, they respect their parents, and, you know, there's no reason for them to believe their parents would lie, and maybe they've been moved by hearing things from the Bible, and so they say, I believe too, and John 3.16 says, for God to love the world that he gave his only begotten son, whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life, and that's where I was at when I was nine years old. It wasn't audible. But all of a sudden, one day, I didn't hear the words, I didn't hear the formation of the words. It was the concept that came from within, and it felt like it was without. I'm nine years old. You're not one of them. I'm a Christian, John 3, 16. You believe and you're saved. You're not saved. I'm born again. You've never been born again. The minister gets up in the pulpit, and he just mentions the phrase, judgment day, and a lightning bolt goes down my gut, and it didn't three weeks ago. And like, yeah, you don't want to face that day. Like, what's going on here? Well, I struggled with that for like six months. I didn't keep a diary, I'm guessing, six months. until the day of my effectual call, where the Lord didn't just woo me and call me generally, but that effectual call, where he draws me to himself. And on that day, as you know, I've told the story, the day was so perfect, it was so sunny, and the sky was so blue. I was nine years old, I'm 59, I'm describing something 50 years ago. And I don't care what anybody says. If they think I'm making it up, I could care less, because I'm not making it up, and I remember it like it was yesterday. I'm laying on my bed, It's probably like, you know, 1030 in the morning, my brothers are outside, Jim, the windows open, Jim, come on, you gotta come out, we gotta play football. I'll be out in a bit. I'm laying on my bed, my bed's right beside the window, the window's open, and the air was warm, but it was crisp and cool, it had to be late spring, I didn't take the diary, had to be late spring, but the green was on all the trees, everything was deep green, but still crisp and cool and warm, t-shirt weather, but perfect t-shirt weather, and the sun was, and as beautiful as the day was, and we didn't have school that day, beautiful as the day was, it felt like the worst day of my life. All this worrying for six months came to a head. I'm like, what is wrong with me? No, and I'm having this argument. I couldn't go outside and play with my brothers. It was like a dagger. I knew the Lord was dealing with me. I knew that. I mean, I knew it when I was nine. I'm not looking back and saying that. I remember knowing that. So eventually, at the moment of my conversion, It's not that I heard the Lord say this, but it was like he said, stop arguing with me. Because that's what I've been doing the last six months. So I get down on my knees next to my bed. I said, Lord, I don't understand why I'm not saved. John 3.16 says, if we believe, we're saved. I'm not saying I believe, but don't. I mean, I do. But what's wrong with me? I didn't realize when I was nine years old, I had inherited my parents' faith, but the Lord had never dealt with me. And he was then, and so I said, Lord, I don't know why I'm not saved, but I believe what you're telling me. It has to be true, otherwise I wouldn't be going through all this. So Lord, I don't know why I'm not saved, but Lord, I need to be saved. I want you to forgive me of my sins. I believe that Christ died for my sins. Just give me the assurance I need, and I want to be a child of God. And from that day forward, I mean, God gave me that assurance, and it changed things. I hear people tell similar stories about something that happened when they were, you know, 42 years old. The voice of the Lord. Someone might say, well, why doesn't it happen, you know, some nine-year-old boy in a situation? So what? New Sages happens to a remnant. What good is it? Why doesn't God save the Donald Trumps of this world? Why doesn't he save the Vladimir Putins of this world? Why doesn't he save the Chairman Cheese of this world? Imagine if saving those three men, it would change the world. To have them all give up and give a testimony of how Christ saved them, those kind of men at the heads of these countries, it would change the world. God could do so much. You know what? He didn't do that. You say, well, why didn't he do it? We know the answer. It's in 1 Corinthians 1. 1 Corinthians 1. Why didn't he call the Donald Trumps of the world? Why didn't he call the Chairman Cheese? And why didn't he call the Vladimir Putins or the George Bushes or the, of course, all of our presidents to claim that they're Christians, we are right. George Bush or Bill Clinton carried the biggest Bible you ever seen in your life when he went into church, big phony. Wait a minute, 1 Corinthians 1. Why didn't he call the rich and powerful? God could do so much by working through them, we're told by Paul. Verse 26, For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world. Why did he do that? To confound the wise. And God hath chosen the weak things of the world. See, I qualify. Hey, I'm glad I qualify. But why did he do that? To confound the things which are mighty. And he chose the base, verse 28, the base things of the world and the things which are despised hath God chosen. Yea, and the things which are not, to bring to naught the things that are. And why does he do this? That no flesh should glory in his presence. If God saved Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Chairman Xi, you just say, well, these men got religion, and they're powerful, influential people, and it would look like a work of men. The Lord says, I will use the lowly, the weakest, and the humble to overthrow kingdoms, which history has proven He's done that. That no flesh would take the credit for God's sovereign working, but that the glory would go to God. That's the wisdom of God, brethren. So it's in a moment, a moment in time where God calls each and every one of his children at different times, in different ways, with different circumstances leading up to it. We're all individuals, but God calls each and every one of his children at a point in time to be his children, to forgive them, and to enter into service to him. And so he calls us and forgives us of our sins and makes us his children and empowers us with every spiritual blessing so that we might fulfill the call that he's given to us as his despised and weak and lowly remnant. And that calling is specific, it's in two individuals. He calls us by name. Even Paul William seems to know that. The number of hairs on our head, the scripture says, God knows it. And he calls us to repentance, to faith, and to the finished work of Christ. And it is God changing your heart that enables that to happen. He has to do that. There is none that seeketh God, Paul says, There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh God. They have all gone out of the way. They have together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good, no, not one. So God has to reach down to the stony, hot, selfish people that we are. We're not as bad as we could be, but we're bad enough compared to God. This is what the scripture says. And he has to change our hearts for us to even be able to receive him and repent of our sins. And that is a sovereign act of God's mercy. And he changes our will. so that we can see the truth of the gospel and he compels us to come in and at that moment when he's doing it, we know it's him doing it. Now people are going to say, I understand, I don't expect them to believe it. The only ones going to believe what I'm saying are the people who have experienced it or the people that God is calling and they're about to experience it or they soon will experience it. You know in Revelation 3, go to Revelation 3, The moment, see, God can call us and we can feel that pull of God and like, oh, maybe I should, there's something to this, I don't know, but I got some, I got some objections here, you know, this world came about by chance, the science has proved that, that's evolution, it's just, it's absolutely a given fact. No, it is not. My professor at Bryant College, Bryant University now, who taught biology, And taught, what was the class I had with him? Geology, I mean geology, you're at the root of Darwinism. And he taught it like it was fact, and then he'd say, do you know that the human body, I've told you this story, the human body is what, 33% oxygen, hydrogen, and water? And then he says, if you take all the Earth's elements and break them down to their three basic components, It's the same three components in the same proportion as it is in the human body. Then he'd take his glasses off. This guy's in his 60s. He says, how did Moses, in writing Genesis, know that men came from the earth and from the dirt? Because science shows that's exactly what's happened. He shrugged his shoulders and said, well, go on, teach evolution like it was fact. And he'd always drop these bombs once in a while. And I wish I had kept my notes. I didn't take all the notes. I was usually dumbstruck when he was saying things like that. But in Revelation chapter 3, you see, when the Lord does deal with you on the day that he has ordained for you to come to him, you know he's dealing with you. In Revelation chapter 3 and verse 20, Jesus says, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. He doesn't do that at every hot door. He does do it for some that are not elect, but he doesn't draw them to the door so they don't come and answer. He gives them all that they need. Oh, I should answer that door. He opens their eyes to much truth and then he waits and they never come. But for those that he has chosen, He causes them to come. Behold, I stand at the door on the knock. If any man hear my voice, well, lots of people will hear it and open the door. Well, I see that salvation. I will come into him and will sup with him and he with me. Look at John six, John six and verse 44, Jesus again speaking, no man can come to me. Right. He's knocking at the door. But over here, Jesus says, no man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me. Draw him, and I'll raise him up at the last day. So there are many people, Paul Williams may have heard the knock, but he didn't go to the door. There's lots of people like that. And not everybody really hears the knock. Although, because we've been created in the image of God, and he gave man a conscience, there is all men know. Romans 1 tells us that all men intuitively know that there is a God. The creation demands it. There's something intuitive in man. There's something out there. That's why people are looking at the other end of the rainbow. There's something more than we're just random chance, more evolved animals. No, that is not a full explanation of anything. So God has given us innate knowledge to seek him, but we're so lost in our sins and wanting to do what we want to do in life that we don't want the real God because he makes too many demands of us. And so we'd like to find some other compromised God that I can, you know, have my cake and eat it too. But in John 6, 44, Jesus says, no man can come to me except the father which had sent me draw him. God changes your heart. He changes your will. Like, we don't want that God. He makes too many demands. I don't want to give up my little pet scent over here and the Lord be all of my cake. No, I don't want that. Well, Paul said in Philippians 2, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. He's obviously not doing that with the majority of people. He's doing it with a remnant. It's God that worketh in you both to will. Yes, I will answer that door. That came from God's grace. And to do, open it. Go to Matthew 22. You don't have to go there. You know the verse. For many are called, but few are chosen. This is Jesus speaking. For many are called, but few are chosen. What does he mean by that? The Greek word for called there in that text, Matthew 2.14, is kleitoi. And if you look at your Strong's, it says that the meaning of that word is called, invited, summoned by God. So many have been called and invited and summoned to come to the banquet. But that doesn't mean they're going to come just because they were invited. Maybe Paul Williams is, to use an example, and I'm not God, but he's piecing things together, and I could be wrong, but maybe Paul Williams heard that knock, he's understood that call, and he felt that pull, but not that irresistible pull. He says, oh, I can't go in that direction. But it made an impression on him. See, called means invited, called, or summoned. chosen, many are called, but few are chosen. That means God's choosing you to salvation. So you will come to the door when he knocks at that appointed time. He may have knocked many times before, and you made up excuses you didn't go. But there's a time of your effectual call, that moment in time that God has ordained before the foundation of the world. And on that day, he takes out the stony heart and puts in the heart of flesh. And you come, and you believe. You answer the door. I've told you the story about my cousin. I got him to go to Christian campground one year. It was the only year he ever came. And after the evening service, I saw him outside on the ground crying his eyes out. I'm going to say he was 14 years old, maybe. And crying his eyes out, I thought, well, the Lord's really dealing with him. He was unconverted, that's why I wanted him to come. crying and crying. I thought, wow, the Lord's dealing with him. And a counselor or a personal worker was sitting next to him on a stump outside the building, obviously trying to say, well, you need to receive Christ as your Savior. The Lord's dealing with you. And I thought, this is the day my cousin gets saved. And then, so I didn't want to interject. I went off and did stuff with other people. All I could think about was him. And later on that night, I talked to him. He did not come to Christ. I couldn't believe it. Many are called, but few are chosen. See, he may be able to write his own rainbow connection, and it just stops there, like it did with Paul Williams. In Luke 14, and this is the last text we'll look at, because we're out of time. Luke 14, Jesus speaking again. Albert Einstein, unconverted Jew, but he said, if I were to believe any religion, There's something about Jesus, when you read the Gospels, it's different from everything else you read. That's Albert Einstein. When he stopped short, see, he was convicted, but he couldn't cross that line. Thou almost persuadest me to be a Christian. In Luke 14, we read a parable that Jesus taught, Luke 14, 16, Jesus speaking. Then said he unto him, a certain man made a great supper and bade many to come to his great feast. See, he's calling them to his wonderful feast. Sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were a bidden to them that were called now in this parable It's awfully obviously talking about the Jewish nation Christ was the Jewish Messiah He came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and he came to be their Messiah and establish his kingdom He's inviting them into the kingdom Those who were intended to come that were on the invitation list who were bidden who were called and Because the supper was now ready, verse 18, and they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it. I pray thee, have me excused. I just bought some land, I gotta check it out. It's a great feast, I'm sure you can. I'm sorry, it's okay, I just got something to do. I'm not coming. See, the door was being knocked, but this guy wouldn't come. Verse 19, another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them, make sure, you know, kick the tires of the oxen. I pray thee, have me excused. You understand, right? This guy's prepared a wonderful banquet. He went to Ephod, and he's on the invited guest list. Well, I would have loved to come normally, but see, please. Verse 20, and another said, I have married a wife, And therefore I cannot come." It's a huge problem. Obviously, the wife's not happy with him going there. So, I guess I can't. Sorry. Next time. So that servant came and showed his lord these things. Then the master of the house, who prepared this great banquet, being angry, said to his servant, like all the people he invited, the notables, the ones he's shown grace to, they were on the invitation list. All right, go out into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in hither the poor and the maimed and the halt and the blind, or to put it in Paul's terms, the weak, the despised, the debase. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou has commanded. And yet there is there is room, there's more room. Verse 23, the Lord said to the servant, go out into the highways and hedges. Now, this is where the riffraff dwells. This is the bottom of society. And compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. The Jewish nation turned from Christ. The Lord says to Paul, go to the Gentiles and compel them. That's how you're saved. No one's saved against their will, but God changes your heart and He changes your will by His grace. For I say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden, who were called, who are on the original list, shall taste of my supper. Let's bow our heads in prayer.