Well, we are continuing in the third paragraph, I'm sorry, the third chapter, the third paragraph of God's decree. He is in the 1689 Confession of Faith. God is a God of means. Now, in this paragraph six, I said three, but in this paragraph six, and in paragraph seven, we are given warnings, or at least admonitions, I should say, concerning this mystery, this high mystery of predestination. Because it lends itself, it lends itself to being misunderstood, you see. Because there are people that want to approach this Philosophically, I was so disappointed when I heard about another reformed pastor who fell in immorality last week. And he is, in fact, the man I've told you about this wonderful commentary on the 1689 Confession of Faith written by James Renahan, a wonderful scholar who loves the Lord. In fact, you know he loves the Lord because at the end of his commentary on these, as he's quoting other people, he never ends any chapter of this confession without quoting a number of verses and giving some devotional thought concerning these things. Well, we need to pray for James because his son, Stephen, who was an excellent scholar in and of himself, a pastor, was exposed as participating for almost a year in adultery. So you see, you can embrace these things philosophically and never be moved by them. What a horrible thing to come to the truths of the word of God and truly be unmoved by them. I think sometimes we who embrace this wonderful gospel, We embrace it philosophically, and we kind of askew, or we embrace it, you know, mentally, and we askew emotion. But how could you consider such things as this? How can you consider the love of God and not be affected? And your emotion, to have your affections touched, I mean, if you can come to these great truths and be unmoved in your heart by them, you have come to them wrongly. This is about God. This is not just about knowing some things. This is just not about being able to pass a theology test or to win some Bible trivia contest. No, this is life. This is what we embrace. in our very being. And we're moved by these things. You see, not every emotional experience is spiritual, but every spiritual experience is emotion. It moves us in every way possible. These truths come, you know, as Watts says, as far as the curse is found, well, we don't have to look much further than ourselves to see what the curse is, you see. Every faculty of our being is cursed by sin. Every faculty of it. So therefore, every faculty of our being has to be touched by grace. And how could your heart be touched by grace and you remain unmoved by it? Or you are not brought to tears because of what Christ has done. For you, even as Bunyan wrote, it's of his own conversion, his hopeful came to Christ, my eyes were then filled with tears and my heart with joy. And so we're giving warnings, you see. And the sixth paragraph, we're giving the warning, understand that these things are by means This is God uses means, means and ends, right? He uses means. He uses the means of grace. And in fact, in my sermon, when I preach a sermon on revival, revival is not an extraordinary thing in the sense of something different. But what revival is and how I pray for revival for Bethlehem Baptist Church and how I pray for revival and Jones County, Mississippi, and Laurel, Mississippi, and in Mississippi, and in Louisiana, and in the South, in Texas, and in the United States of America, and in the world. But here's what revival is. It's not an extraordinary thing in the sense of extraordinary elements. But here is what revival is. Revival is the ordinary means of grace blessed by God extraordinarily, you see. Revival will have preaching in it, but it won't be dull and dry preaching to people who are unmoved, but it would be preaching that's alive and rich, preaching that would find its target in the hearts of men and bring men to conviction and to tears. It will chase them from their sin and chase them to the Savior. And in fact, it would be so much truth, so desired, that the preachers themselves would be exhausted, if not completely used up in the preaching. We wouldn't have time for these other things. We wouldn't have time to try to come up with gimmicks and games. because people would be standing outside the doors, the pews would be filled with those seeking the favor of God. How sweet and awful is the place with Christ within the doors, while everlasting love displays the choices of her stores. I long to see thy churches filled with all the chosen race, with one voice, one mind, one heart, singing your amazing grace. If this theology just excites your mind, you've not learned it rightly. Surely it does save the mind. I know this when I came to a full understanding of what the Bible teaches about salvation, about our Christ, about what God has done for us in Christ, about the spirit and the work of the church. When I came to a full understanding of that, my mind was saved. as well as my heart. So there is, there is a right touching of the mind, but it just cannot, it cannot just be the mind. It's spirit and truth. It's not just truth. It's spirit and truth. And when Jesus says to the woman at the well, God is looking for these, such ones, such ones to worship him, they that worship him in spirit and in truth. He wasn't talking about the Holy Spirit, though we do need the Holy Spirit, and surely that is taught us in many other places, but he's talking about your spirit. It's your spirit, and spirit and soul come together often in the scripture. It's your soul, it's your spirit. You must bring your spirit in here. This must be touched by, must be touching your spirit, you see. You must be moved by these things, moved to holiness. So many worship so many other things, but you see the difference between one who's simply a religionist and one who is a child of God. The child of God is captured by the glory of his God in the face of Jesus Christ. It is that glory that we are preaching. It is that glory that we are seeking. It is that glory we are defending, you see. And too often, we care about what men think. We'll offend no one. But in reality, here's what R.F. Gates said. We're offending no man, but we offend God. God help us. to offend everybody in the world before we offend Him. And it's not because we don't love people, we do love them. He that spareth the rod, you know, the world says this. The world messes up everything, right? Here's what the world says. He that spared the rod spoiled the child. Well, that may be so. There's nothing worse than a spoiled child. I mean, it looks cute when they're babies, but it gets un-cute quickly, right? But here's what the Bible says. He that spared the rod hated his child. If we can allow someone in the church To go on. And that which is wrong. That which is against the glory of our God. And don't correct them. We don't love them. We love ourselves. If you are afraid of offending someone, it's not because you love them. It's because you love you. Let us stand. because we can't help but stand for it's God and you both willing and doing of His good pleasure. And surely at this point of theology, and it is the point of theology, this point is what separates us from many others, is this point that God brought us to. And from this point, we have learned all the other theology concerning God and man and the church and the world and the end and heaven is from this point. You must get this point right or you'll miss it from here on out. But it's this point of great contention. Now you know it and I know it. that when you start talking about election and predestination, the religionist rises up, his hackles are risen, his fangs exposed. And so we have a tendency, those of us who embrace this magnificent truth have a tendency, you see, to only speak of it philosophically, unmoved really by it. So our forefathers knew that. Why did they know it? Because they went through the same thing. When someone usually comes to these understandings, we call it the cage stage. They should be locked in a cage until they know how to handle this thing before they go out there and do damage with it. I mean, I've known people that embrace this truth now, but because of the arrogance of the person that first mentioned it to them. In fact, I've got someone who said to me, if that was the only guy that I'd ever heard these things from, I would not believe them because of his arrogance. And I know the guy. He's right. So the Lord is telling us here. So I'm preaching to the church. When I'm in Africa, they refer to it. They'll come up and they'll say, good morning, church. You know, we don't do that. I've never done that, but good morning, church. And the church, they refer to them as the church. It's good occasionally to go somewhere and see how they do it. I'm really impressed and thrilled to sit in those worship services and how serious they are, and how serious the elders are, and it's a serious thing to be a member of a church there. And they have to, I was there, we were sitting at Reformation Bible Church, and that morning I was in there, they had to bring discipline to a young man before the congregation. And they did it weeping, but it had to be done. And I was so moved by the passion for the truth that these people held and the compassion for this young man who refused to listen to the advice of the elders and went ahead in his sin. Terrible thing. He was going to marry this girl, and they did get married. But they got things out of order. They aborted the child. And these pastors would not. countenance such. What pity. But you see, it had to be done. These great truths move us to great living and what good are they if they don't move you to holy living? Well, they're no good at all. So here it is in chapter three, paragraph six, understand it is means and in chapter three, Paragraph seven, they speak directly this doctrine or the doctrine of this high mystery. It's a mystery and it's not just any ordinary mystery. It's a high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence. So if you've got a special understanding of this special truth, then you must handle it with special prudence and care. that men, attending the will of God revealed in His Word, and yielding obedience thereunto, may, from the certainty of their effectual vocation, their effectual calling, be assured of their eternal election, so shall this doctrine afford a matter of praise. " When you learn this, when you learn this doctrine, I mean, at first I fought it. I tried to get around it. But it was too clearly revealed in the scripture, too God-honoring and too man-debasing not to be true. And when it gripped my heart, my mouth and heart was filled with praise. Why me? How sweet and awful is the place, Christ within the doors, while everlasting love displays the choices of her stores. And then the hymn writer says, why was I made a guest? Why was I made a guest and entered while there was room? while others made a wretched choice and would rather starve than come. It was the same grace that spread the feast that sweetly drew us in, sweetly forced us in, or else I would have refused and perished in my sin. God didn't let us do that, so we praise him. Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise, the glory of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace. But not only praise, but reverence, oh me, Who is this one with whom I'm dealing? This one who condescended to me, a man of unclean lips, dwelling among a people of unclean lips. Thank you. And we shall praise him. Even as the four and 24 elders stood up and fell before his throne praising him both day and night. And admiration and humility and diligence and abundance comfort. For if God be with you, if God be for you, who can be against you? Well, in paragraph six, it says he's appointed the elect unto glory. As he has done that, so hath he by the eternal and most free purpose of his will, foreordained all the means thereunto. Wherefore they are they who are elect, being fallen in Adam, or redeemed by Christ. All right, so now we see it. It's Adam. and it's Christ. Covenant of works, covenant of grace. All in Adam die. All in Christ made alive. That's not saying that every person that's ever lived, whoever will live, is in Christ. That's not what that truth is saying. That truth is saying in Adam, there's death. Everyone who is an Adam dies. You die. Someone will die an eternal death. Some of us will die to self in the process of being effectually called by the Spirit. All in Adam die. All in Christ, alive. If you're in Christ, you will be alive. The covenant of works, the covenant of grace. The covenant of grace was actually before the covenant of works, and we'll learn that. If you've not already learned it, you see. Because He's the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. Before the world was, we were given to Christ. And then creation came, and then Adam. sin, and we fell in Adam. Being fallen in Adam or redeemed by Christ. And now he begins to give us the process. And almost all of the rest of this confession will deal with these, the means of grace. What are the means of grace? Preaching, prayer, Will anyone come to Christ if the Word is not preached? No. Will anyone come to Christ without prayer? No. Prayer, we pray for them to come, they pray to receive means of grace, you see. Will people come to Christ without the church? No. Will people who come to Christ, will they come to the church? Yes. I remember talking with a young man, an arrogant young man filled with vim and vigor, talking with me at the back of the church, and he just learned some truths. just learned some truths that I've been living in for years, but he just learned them. And so he wanted to express how much he knew them. And so he was moved by a street preacher named Ray Comfort. And Ray Comfort does a lot of good things, let me say that. But Ray Comfort, he had learned, and I don't know if Ray Comfort said this, but he said he said this, that the greatest preaching is street preaching. Get in the street and preach. That's the greatest preaching. I said, oh really? Now look, if you begin to debate with me, if I use the term, oh really, prepare. I said, oh really? That's the greatest preaching, right? Well, first of all, the young man just insulted every Every preacher that preaches behind the pulpit on the Lord's day, right? Oh, my preaching's much greater than yours. Right. I said, well, let's just assume that's so, young man. Let's just assume that's so. Now, you go out there and you preach, and let's just assume that God would use your preaching, and some people would be converted under your preaching, and they are saved under your preaching. What you gonna do with them? Well, I'm gonna send them to you. Right. So what is the greatest preaching? Look, salvation's the beginning. It's not the end. That's the problem with the Arminian. That's the problem with most of the churches that we deal with down in the Bible Belt. They think that this thing is the end. All we gotta do is get them saved. No, no, that's the beginning. They're effectually called unto faith by His Spirit working in due season. They're justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept by His power through faith unto salvation. You see the means? You see what brings a man to Christ? What brings a person to Christ, you have to be effectually called. You don't just wake up one day and say, you know, I think I'll be a Christian. No, you'll never do that. I mean, you may become religionist and you may believe in something that you call Jesus, but it won't be this Jesus, it won't be salvation until you're effectually called by the power of the Spirit working at the right time. You must be justified. Where'd you get that? Where'd you get your justification? Well, he was delivered for your offense and he was raised for your justification, you see. And then adopted, or you're born into by this effectual call, by this effectual calling, you're born into Christ. but not only you're born into him, but you are adopted by God, your father. That's a legal right now. We're heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Sanctified, what does that mean? Well, we can't use the word holy because holified is not an English word. So they went to the Latin and they picked up the word sanctus and they said, you're sanctified. What does that mean? that you are being made holy and kept by the power, by his power, through faith unto salvation. And neither are any others redeemed by Christ or effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only. So I'm out of time, but here's the three things that this shows us. The first things it shows us is the eternal covenant of salvation. The Latin is pactum, a pact, Salutis, salvation, the covenant of salvation. As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so he hath by his eternal and most free purpose of his will foreordained all the means of this eternal covenant of salvation. The second thing is the history of salvation, or in Latin, historia salutis. Wherefore, they who are elect, being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ. Yes, yes, even the first fall was predestined. Oh, why? So they could be redeemed in Christ. And I know that causes heartburn for people. But whether, you know, you think God was just a bystander, you think God was just an onlooker in all of this? If you're saved from the foundation of the world, if you've given to Christ before the world was, there's gonna have to be something that made it necessary for you to be given to Christ. And then, This history is Adam Christ. That's all of his, all of his, all of history can be summed up in two names, Adam and Christ. And then thirdly, you see the order of salvation or dough order salutes. Effectually called. Why are you sitting here today as a believer? Because you're effectually called. You're effectually called unto faith in Christ. How? By His Spirit working in you at the right time. I know I've heard people, and I've said to myself, oh, how I wish that I had been saved earlier. I wish that I had come to these things quicker than I did. But no, no, the Spirit worked in you to get you here at the right time, due season. And something had to happen. You had to be justified, because you're a sinner, and God will not accept sinners in their sin. Something had to happen. Our sin had to be removed. The penalty of it, the power of it, and ultimately the presence of it. You have to be adopted. You have to be sanctified. How do you know that you're a child of God? Look at your sanctification. And you have to be kept. Because the moment our God would turn us over, we would run as quickly as we could, straight back to sin. That's where we'd go. My daddy used to have a say, you born wicked, raised wicked, you'll go back to wicked. Doesn't matter how far you move. Doesn't matter how high you get up. We've even seen preachers standing in the pulpits. I remember the preacher, Joel Gregory, the First Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas, the largest Southern Baptist Church in the world. He followed W.A. Christopher. Had a great voice. but it couldn't keep him out of the bed of a mistress. And I remember Brother Huey Moak preaching a sermon. You know what Joel Gregory had to wind up doing? Selling funeral insurance. It's a long way, a long way from the pulpit at First Baptist Church Dallas to selling funeral insurance. I have to be kept. Don't let me change my heart. Keep me set apart from all the plants they do pursue. And I don't mind the pain. I don't mind the driving rain. I know I will sustain. Because I believe in you. Kept by the power unto salvation. Unto redemption by Christ. Who will be in that position? And if today you're in that position, it's because you're elect. Let's pray.