Alright, so last week we looked at number five which was encouraging about how God is righteous and wise and gracious even in allowing us into temptation and sinfulness because all that he uses in purposes to teach us more dependence on him and to also teach us caution in future circumstances, that teaches us wisdom, how to maybe forsake sin in the future and turn from it, run from it, those kind of things. And that last sentence, all things or whatever happens to any of his elect happens by his appointment for his glory and for their good. It's a great encouragement. So basically, just another way to see that God's sovereignty uh works in all of our circumstances and works through them works them out and he is behind them he's the first cause um and he is sovereign over the first cause and he uh he is the first cause and he's sovereign over the second causes right and we've looked at that uh even when we talked about the decrees and then we come to number six And it's the same thing. We see his same operation of wisdom and righteousness and justice, but it's in a different direction. And this one is kind of hard to swallow, and we have to really stop and think through these things and discuss them sometimes. We've discussed them before. But it says, God is the righteous judge, sometimes blinds and hardens wicked and ungodly people because of their sins. He withholds His grace from them by which they could have been enlightened in their understanding and had their hearts renewed. Not only that, but sometimes He also takes away the gifts they already had and exposes them to situations that their corrupt natures turn into opportunities for sin. Moreover, He gives them over to their own lusts, the temptations of the world, and the power of Satan. so that they harden themselves in response to the same influences that God uses to soften others. Now, as always, writers of this confession really, and this is a revised version from the King's English, but they use the English language very well, and it's very descriptive. And I don't think there's any way to read that passage, I mean that chapter, section right there and say, now I wonder what they're trying to say, because it's pretty clear what they're saying, right? I mean, and as I said, this really goes back to does God double predestinate people, right? We had that discussion in talking about the decrees, but we believe in rather divine really where God just divinely passes over some, right? And He doesn't make them sin. He doesn't make them not choose Him. He doesn't make them forsake Him and hate Him. The truth is, what the Bible teaches, that's the way we all come in this world because of the sinful nature that we've inherited. So what has to happen is a work of grace for us to believe, right? I don't know that we need to sit around and try to discern, you know, I think God's using, I think God's passed over this person, and they're obviously never gonna do anything but sin, so they must not be chosen, they're never gonna be enlightened, but I think it does help us at some point to be able to sit back and understand that this is how condemnation works. That God has not got his hands off the wheel, right? So we don't get to say, well, people go to heaven because they choose, but they go to hell. I mean, they go to heaven because God chooses them, but they go to hell because they choose that. I mean, in essence, that's true. But we don't go to heaven just because we choose. I mean, you know, that's where it really gets backwards. All this is up to God. And I think it's important that we're able to see that. But again, that doesn't give, it doesn't give me, this doesn't give me any kind of license or authority to sit around and decide and determine who's been enlightened and who's never gonna be enlightened, right? Because I really believe that we ought to, with all of our hearts and intention, believe and trust and try that every human being, until their breath is gone from their body, God can save them. And they have the opportunity to hear and be saved. I mean, I think that's the proper and only way, because God's ordained the means, and the only thing we get to do is take the means and take it to the people. And I think we won't fully grasp this and understand this until eternity, right? When we see what happens in Revelation where everybody around God's throne is happy, even rejoicing over those who have been rightfully and justly condemned. And we can't wrap our brains around that. But there's no way of denying, I think it's listed in our passages here one of the greatest examples of this whole section would be what can you think of a person in the Bible that wouldn't you can say oh I can see that happening oh really for how is that that's not what I had mine so I'm oh they're thrown liberally hmm some of them take Yeah, I'm thinking of a person that's an example of okay, Judas would be one but certainly Pharaoh because we see that God says I will harden his heart, but then we see He hardened his own heart because He withholded God withheld grace and by which they could have been enlightened, but at the same time, he gave them over to his own lust and temptations, right? Because that's what Pharaoh wanted. Pharaoh didn't want to... And you're right. I thought I heard somebody yell, but I'm looking at Samson. You know, Samson was... But God was with him all the way through that. And I think it's important to look at what these people are doing, what's going on in their life. I don't think that you ever should say no, they're condemned beyond help. But you should at least know that God is dealing with based on the circumstances in their life and the direction they're headed. I think that's important to be aware of. And the reason that five and six, I say, go together is because the same grace and the same gifts and the same words that soften some harden others, right? Some people would hear what Moses said to Pharaoh and be changed and do what They're told, right? Like David, eventually, when he heard the words of the prophet, he finally was softened by those words and repented. Pharaoh heard those words. Huh? Yeah. Yeah. Well, he was just about cursing God. He's in the next sentence. Yeah, he's railing them. And there's no, I mean, again, two men, one Christ in the middle, they're hearing the same thing. Everything's the same for both of them. And I think that's the great mystery. You know, when I said earlier, we don't have authority to sit around and try to pick those things out. I think, like you say, sometimes you can see it because you're like, why is this person hearing this and others aren't? And why is it at this point do they hear it and sometimes others don't? And I remember one time when I was preaching years ago when I was in Yellowstone Park. And I preached there all summer and I've talked to a lot of these people and we talked about a lot of different stuff. And this one person that was there After I was finished when I came up, I was just weeping about her faith in Christ and believing the gospel. And she said, I've been in church my whole life. I've listened to preachers. I've heard everything. And she said, I don't even know what changed tonight, but I believe that Christ is my Savior, and He saved me. And it was a crazy thing because, I mean, you know, you hear those kind of testimonies a lot, but then when you hear it for yourself and you're like, you know, what was different tonight than all the rest of this summer? And there was nothing different. There was nothing, and probably nothing different than what she'd heard. I mean, that's why we don't, We don't reach for gimmicks, and we don't have to try to make a new show every week. It's just the gospel, and you just keep telling it, and you keep doing it, and you keep reciting it, and you just know that this is true. Those gifts and that grace and that gospel is what God uses, and He will use it in His own timing, and there's nothing else. So we can't resort to anything else. You know, Moses could have tried something else. Well, maybe Pharaoh didn't listen that well, I'm gonna try some a different angle. No, you go say tell him, let my people go in the story. And if you don't want to do this, and he did it. And all I did was continued, you know, like I said, the same gifts that could have, um, softened somebody's heart in Pharaoh. And I mean, we see it in this world. I mean, you know, the gospel that's changed most of us, that we love, and you can see much in the world that hates it. and despises it and don't want to hear it. And, you know, claims that Christianity is a religion of hate. We all hate because you all say this is sin and that's sin. But those of us who've been changed by the gospel, we know. I mean, I might have hated that at once, but I don't hate it anymore, you know, because we've been changed by it. There's an interesting part right here that I learned in reading some of these commentaries that I didn't think of before. You may have. But when it says, not only that, but right after footnote 18, not only that, but sometimes he also takes away the gifts they already had and exposes them to situations that their corrupt natures turn into opportunities for sin. But that one little phrase, he takes away the gifts that they already had, Now it references, I think it references Matthew 13 about the one who has, more will be given but to him who, and for the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away from him, you know that passage? But I think it was Renahan that was saying to the Puritan mind, which these guys writing this of course were in that Puritan mindset, for God to take away the gifts would have been specifically the gift of the church. So the gifts of the church is the preachers and the gospel preachers. So for them to say this right here, that sometimes what God does, it's not so much, I see that, I think, oh, he takes away stuff like Job. Job was softened by it, but some people, oh, well, I lost my car and my home. But no, they're saying, no, what God will do is that he'll take away the gospel preachers. Like the verse that says, don't cast your pearls before swine. Yes. Yeah. And I thought it was interesting, and he referenced Revelation 1 and 20 about the stars and the lampstand being the church and the stars are the messengers of the church and how that And I started thinking about that. I was like, well, you know, if you think about, that's what, that's really what God took away from Pharaoh. You had Moses, the prophet. Jesus is a prophet like Moses. And he took him. So not only did, it wasn't like Pharaoh had, God didn't take little presents away from him. He took away the prophet. Yeah. And the influence of all the Jews. Jewish nation was taken from them. They were just left with their idols. Well, and he went on to say in his commentary talking about how many denominations are we seeing that God has taken away the gift. That is, there's no gospel preacher in their pulpits. There's no gospel teaching in their churches. And so there being the same It's causing them to be given over to their own lust and temptation of the world. Think about these churches that have got men dressed like women. They're celebrating trans this and trans that and waving flags in these so-called churches. And all it's doing is further hardening them and condemning them. because the gift of the gospel has been taken away and the gift of the preaching of it has been gone. And the sad part is, for those who are being condemned, the gift of being gone, they'll either A, never notice it, or they'll B, never care. They ain't going to go out and run for it and ask for it back. You know, Pharaoh wasn't chasing Moses saying, I wish you'd come back. He was chasing him to kill him. Like, you leave me, I'm going to kill you and all the people with you. And I don't know if that's a good connection, but I was just thinking through that, like, well, you know, the prophet was there and he's gone. And, you know, you think that'd be a sad thing. And it makes me concerned more for people who at one time are Gathering for worship and hearing the gospel and then for whatever reason they quit and they never go back to it And they never miss it and they never long for it Yeah All these former church buildings that are just empty and now they're like art museums Oh, yeah. Well, we're just talking about the United Methodist Church. I mean, it's happening in droves. And that's why that one. I mean, you know, I know that most of us wouldn't agree with most Methodist theology. But I know from at least my dad, when he was a kid in that church, I mean, he said, you know, people came here and preached the gospel and preached about hell and repent from your sin and believe in Jesus. And I'm sure that, because even Wesley, I mean, Wesley wasn't a heretic, you know, I mean, he preached the gospel and called people to Christ. And now it's, you know, those messengers have been taken away from those churches. They've had to be, they're not allowed in them. You can't go into Well, you could go in some Methodist church and preach that. Some of the people there, I think, are longing for it, but most of them, it's been, it's a bygone thing. And certainly, I think I saw something that, and probably within the next 10 years, there will be no more, the Episcopalian church will be totally gone. It's pretty much gone now. In line with what you were saying that Ranahan pointed out, when you were saying that immediately, I was thinking the same thing kind of applies to when it talks about like spouses, unbelieving spouses and children. And you remember how it said basically that they're sanctified through the believing spouse? Yeah. I mean, it kind of makes sense when you put it in that way that even though they themselves are not saved, There is the hope of the gospel still being there. I haven't even thought about that passage because a lot of people make a lot of stuff out of that passage, you know, in baptizing infants and all kind of things, but I think you're right that there again there's that gospel influence that in the gift because there is no greater gift than that. And some would argue that's the reason America's been so successful in past histories because of the presence of freedom of the gospel and stuff. It's consistent with Scripture. That tends to be a very self-focused, human-focused thought and idea. But when you kind of turn it on its head and you're like, no, it's about God's Word. God takes His Word seriously. When it goes back to where, you know, the culture trying to tell us what we're supposed to be doing. Y'all should be doing these things. Okay, we might should be doing those things, but the main thing we have to do is preach the gospel and guard it. It is a stewardship that's been given to us, and we have to guard it, and we need people that will preach it and teach it. If that ever disappears, I mean, I think absolutely. I think if America ever fully just went, turned apostate, and there was nothing left here, I don't think we'd last any time. Not that... Yeah, I mean, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah, and you know, you look back over, I mean, used to all the, you know, the Welch and all that there was a there was a wealth of gospel preaching. And it just, I mean, you have to say how, where did they go? Well, God had to take them. I mean, because nobody else is powerful enough to do that. It started to drift away, like, not be as prevalent when the persecution stopped in England. Yeah. and once the persecution stopped, I mean, because suffering really divides, and God grows in the middle of suffering. Yeah, absolutely. So when the suffering stopped, I can't remember which kingdom it was, but that was a big reason. Cromwell was behind it. Between kingdoms, and Cromwell was... Yeah. But even after that, I mean, Spurgeon in the mid-1800s, but then you had the downgrade. Yeah, I'm not saying that they just disappeared, but... Yeah, yeah, it started diminishing, yeah. Around the world, where there's major Christian persecution, that's where Christianity is growing the most. Yeah. Well, it always has. I mean, Acts, that's exactly what happened. If you look at America, we're not persecuted. Yeah. Yeah, not really. You have to figure out if we're male or female. What do you find in women? I may not be able to define it scientifically, but I know when I see it. I know when I see a woman. Most of the time. Yeah. Well, usually. Sometimes you have to work real hard. Sometimes you have to work real hard. Sometimes you have to work real hard. I have to work real hard. Sometimes you have to work real hard. Sometimes you have to work real hard. Sometimes you have to work real hard. Sometimes you have to work real hard. Sometimes you have to work real hard. Sometimes you have to work real hard. Sometimes you have to work real hard. Sometimes you have to work real hard. Sometimes you have to work real hard. Sometimes you have to work real hard. Sometimes you have to work real hard. Sometimes you have to work real hard. Sometimes you have to work real hard. Sometimes you have to work real hard. Sometimes you have to work real hard. Sometimes you have to work real hard. Sometimes you have to work real hard. Sometimes you have to work real hard. Sometimes you have to work real hard. Sometimes you have to I've had to try to be careful now like especially traveling a lot restaurant stores Because I'm bad say yes, sir. Thanks, sir. Thank you, man. I've tried to quit doing that because sometimes I'm like, okay. Thank you You look at the name I got mad because it wasn't treating me very nice. I was like, can I talk to your boss by this person's name? And he was like, listen, I'm that person. Let me read this last essay, because this kind of sums it all up. The providence of God in a general way does include all creatures, but in a special way, it takes care of His church and arranges all things to its good. And I think that's just, again, a great confidence and encouragement. I meant to bring a Sam Waldron quote I had, and I left the book, where he basically says, you know, hey, think about that. God's special favor It's not on Israel, it's not on Jerusalem, it's on His church. And that gives us courage to know that we just keep doing what we do. And if we preach the gospel, then God's going to bless that, unless He wants us taken out, and He'll do that too. But if not, His purpose is the church. It always has been, and I think that's what we see all through the Old Testament. In public, it's real clear in Ephesians 2, that very thing, too. Yeah. It talks about the Jews and the Gentiles and who was called to preach to the Jews and the Gentiles. That's the church. Right. It's right there. Well, in this passage in 1 Timothy 4, I think it's great. For to this end, we toil and strive because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, but especially of those who believe. So we can preach Him as the Savior of the whole world, because He's the only Savior, but He is the Savior of those who believe, especially, because they're the only ones who are going to understand that. That's who He died for, you know. What angels say, you shall call His name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sin. So, well, All these things have been interesting. I'm still trying to decide what I'm going to keep moving forward or do something different. But if we do move forward, chapter 6 is fall and sin and punishment. Oh, a fun one. So we'll get Naomi to bring us some of our games in here. Yeah. I don't know if we if we get Sean in a twister game we might not be able to we'd have to hold our ears. Well, we'll be here Sunday and like I said, if you think about it and pass the word, if you know anybody that needs some help, I'd love to be able to help my family, several families. We can do a pretty good bit, so anything you know of. I used to hear a lot of stuff and now I don't hear it like I used to. What about First Baptists used to tell you stuff? Okay, that'd be awesome. Yeah. And I mean, there's a lot of stuff out there. Toys for Tots is huge. And there's a some people just have people around them. That's why I'm saying maybe know somebody personally that you know, could use something and yeah.