Let's go to Romans 8. I guess we'll go to Romans 8 and I guess we'll just stop when we need to stop. We're going to the book of Romans anyway, right? What's it hurt? All right, so where did I leave off here? Okay, Romans 8. So this morning, we basically, it was last week we talked about verse 28, and this morning we're just trying to talk about the first part of verse 29, the meaning of foreknowing. Because in verse 29, Paul says, see we're right back, we're on the same subject really, we're still talking about the sovereignty of God in salvation. Whether it be for Carrie's mom, or this gentleman from Texas, or me when I was a nine year old, Same subject. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son. Well, that's not predestination, as I said this morning. That's not predestination, they say, to salvation. They say it's predestination to service, right? Well, here it says predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. So predestined them to walk in a godly way. Now, wait a minute. As I said this morning, no one is conformed to the image of his Son. without regeneration in the new birth. It's the end of the story, okay? So we know we're talking about predestination to salvation. The only ones that are predestined to salvation are those whom he foreknew. And then they say, the predestination deniers, just to remind ourselves of the context here of what we're talking about, the predestination deniers say, well, yeah, but what you're not saying, pastor, well, I'm not saying it because it's not in the text, okay? But what you're not saying, pastor, is, He predestined them because he had foreknowledge. I did say that. Yeah, but what you didn't say is what they foresaw is, and they begin to tell a story, which is not in the text. And they desperately don't want it to be in the text. They want it to be in the text. And they say, God's sovereign. He can see in the future. He knows all things. The past, the future, like the past, the past, everything is like it's right before his eyes. So God foresaw. that that person, if they got the gospel, wouldn't believe. Not going to predestinate him. He doesn't have the heart for it. He saw that guy, won't believe. No matter what I do, won't believe. No matter what I do. And finally, you come across this person. Now, see, they're as bad as everyone else. You know, the Arminians will admit that. But if this guy, I give the gospel under certain circumstances, Leave him to his free will, and don't force the issue. But just kind of make him feel a little guilty about his sins, and maybe just try and grease the wheels, as I say. But if he hears that, he'll do the right thing, because there's something in him these other people don't have, and he'll trust and put his faith in my son and repent of his sins. I'm a God of love, and if he's willing to do that, I'm going to predestine him to salvation. That's how almost all Christians nowadays think of it. Well, you talk about reading something into the text. All it says is, from whom he did foreknow, he also did predestine. And what I've been saying is, The only ones he's predestinated to salvation are those whom he foreknew, those that he foreknew. But foreknowledge does not just mean he knows about them because he can see in the future. That's all they want it to mean. But if that's true, like I said, everyone would be saved because God foreknows everyone. It's not like God looked into the future and says, oh, there's some fella, Joseph Stalin, I can't quite see that far. That guy is a little blurry. I don't really know him. So I can't predestinate him. Because he predestinates to salvation those whom he foreknows. But a foreknowing only means God can see into the future. Only God can see into the future. Then everyone will be saved. That's universal salvation. So as we said, I think as Christians, even the Arminians would admit, okay, there's no universal salvation. And if that's true, and God does foreknow in that basic simple definition, all men, their hairs are numbered, then yeah, we all can agree on that, the Armenians and the Calvinists. Then if that simple definition, then you have universal salvation, because he's going to predestinate to salvation those who he foreknows, and he foreknows everyone. So obviously the foreknowledge, divine foreknowledge, has a more particular, narrow, and more powerful meaning, because this is God's foreknowledge. And so we said what it is is God's covenantal love, God's covenantal knowledge, because he chose these men before the foundation of the world, whoever they are, not just Jacob and Esau, but he chose Jacob over Esau before either Jacob or Esau had done right or wrong. So his choosing Jacob or Esau has nothing to do with Jacob having that little special spark of something that caused him to merit God's choosing him. I say, I'll do the right thing if you, If you give the gospel to me, no, because then Paul would be making no sense. He's saying that election is not based on any good or evil done in either of them. Then he repeats that just like a sentence later. It might still be the same sentence. It's only over a page, right? "...for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil." Well, then why did he choose him if it isn't based on something special in Jacob? "...but the purpose of God, according to election might stand." That's why he chose him. It was God's purpose to do it. Okay, but that doesn't... God doesn't explain himself, right? Okay, now let's just go through this again. It's not of works. That's what he just said. It had nothing to do with anyone doing good or evil. Well, you won't take that. It's just according to God's purpose. That's not good enough. It's not of works. He has to say it again. Well, then what is his choice based on? And he repeats himself again. It's of him that calleth. God chose to do it. That's the end of the story. Like we saw in Deuteronomy 7. God chose Israel because he chose to put his love on them. Well, but why did he choose his love? He chose them because he chose to put his love on them. There's nothing supplied. Oh, everybody wants to supply something so they can have their merit badges in heaven. Yes, I would do the right thing if every people looked at my example, you'd be saved too. You wouldn't talk that way in God's presence for two seconds. Once you're face to face, whatever that means with God. So they're reading into the text, the sites of Jesus. The truth is, even if we take their written assumption as truth, which we don't, it's impossible. they still wouldn't gain their point, even by believing, well, God foreseeing that person has something in them that would cause them to believe and repent, so therefore He predestines them. Even if you accept that as the way that it is, they're not gaining their point. You say, well, how can that be? Here's how it can be. Because the faith that they got, so God foresees that they will exercise faith, therefore, based on their free will decision of their own volition without God pushing the matter or making it happen. They have to do that on their own. They have it in here as dead men, spiritually. Therefore, God foresees they have that faith that they'll exercise it. Therefore, He predestines them based on seeing that faith. Here's the problem. Faith comes from God. So God's foreseeing, hey, they have that faith that I sovereignly gave to that person, but not to that person. They have that faith that I sovereignly gave them. So based on seeing that faith that I gave them, I'm going to predestine, well, what are we talking about? You're talking about your insane circular reasoning. It makes no sense, brethren. It's hogwash. It's hollyswoggle. Poppycock. I don't know what you call it. Whatever these words mean. I hope none of them mean something nasty. Faith is a gift from God and it isn't given to all men. If that's not unconditional election, then we can't make sense of any words. But this is stated over and over again. So let's just look at a few texts about that, okay? Look at John chapter 3. John chapter three. I don't know what you're going to entitle this one for the, a bunch of stuff. You could name it a bunch of stuff. It's like, oh, that's not my problem. I wash my hands of it. Usually you guys can figure it out. John three and, well, such a well-known portion of scripture. But starting at verse three, Jesus answered and said unto him, Nicodemus, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. I gotta make a note to myself. Excuse me for a second. I gotta finish my series. Oh, every eye shall see him. Okay, this is just an example. Throw this in. He shall not see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Now, people can argue about what it means to be born of water, and many will say, well, you know, water baptism is required for salvation. And others say, no, no, it's not talking about—that's just talking about, you know, birth. You have to be born—well, I guess you have to be born before you can be born again. I suppose that's true. It doesn't really matter here for our purposes this evening. He must be born again. Can you enter your mother's womb a second time? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he has to be born of the Holy Ghost. No man comes to me except they're drawn by the Heavenly Father. How does the Heavenly Father draw them? By giving them the Holy Ghost, who changes their hearts, which enables them to repent, believe. So that salvation is of the Lord and it's not of works, lest any man should both. It's not of him that willeth or him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy." See what all it is. They all agree with each other. Just don't fight it. Don't fight it. Don't fight it. Agree with it. Decide to be happy about it, and you'll find yourself being happy about it. As long as you fight it to save your rep, get rid of your rep. Your rep isn't worth anything. As long as you disagree with God, your reputation is garbage. So just change it quick. That's how we all learn. We have to change. We have to change our minds. I'm just going to line up with God. That doesn't mean we become fickle and every new doctrine that comes down the pike, oh yeah, I'm going to believe that now because it's something new and God must be showing it to me. No, not necessarily. So it's a slow transition because you have to try the spirits. And sometimes that takes a while. Sometimes it takes years. if you're serious about it. Except a man, verse five, be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit, that which is born of the Holy Spirit coming into a man and changing him. That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again. For the wind bloweth. Now how are we saved? By the Spirit. Who sends the Spirit? The Lord. We don't send the Spirit. Do we call him? You know, I think I'm in the mood to be saved today. Come Holy Spirit and convict me. No, it doesn't work that way. It has nothing to do with you. It has nothing to do with me. And what's he mean? The wind bloweth where it lifteth. You don't control the wind. It blows where it wants to go. No man understands the wind. He can't predict the wind. It shifts. It blows where it wants to blow. You have no control over it. The wind, now, it's representing the Holy Spirit who saves. The wind bloweth where it listeth. And thou hearest the sound thereof, but can't not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth. The wind's coming this way. Good, okay, now I'll make some plans until it shifts. You made plans over here, now shift that way. I'm flying my kite this way, then the wind goes whoop, drops down. Kind of a juvenile example, but you can't control the wind. It's like it has a mind of its own, and you're completely out of the process. Isn't that the point? The wind bloweth where it lifteth, and thou hearest the sound thereof. And when the Spirit's dealing with you, you know it. Sally, have you received Christ as your Savior yet? Billy, have you received Christ as your Savior yet? And here I am at the end, no, no, don't come to me, don't come to me. Oh, and she's gonna hit everybody, I can tell. Then finally, and the person next to me, oh, Lord, what am I gonna say? I've been struggling with this question for months and months and months. I keep telling you, I am saved, leave me alone, but you won't leave me alone. I don't know what I'm supposed to say. Jim, have you received Christ as your Savior? I open my mouth. And as my mouth is open, I'm not exaggerating. I have no idea what I'm going to say. I've been saying, I'll say yes. No, I'll say no. I'll say yes. I'll say no. Not to deceive and try and think, I don't know the answer. Jim, have you received Christ as your Savior? I said, yes. And I was saying to the gentleman from Texas, I told him that story because it related to him. I said, it's almost, you know, maybe I'm exaggerating, but I'm not really exaggerating. It's almost before I said Y and E, but before I could pronounce the S. It's like while I was saying this, while I was saying yes, the Lord let me know. You're lying. You're lying to your Sunday school teacher. Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Ghost. You're lying about your eternal condition. The teacher I gave you to ask... that question to you, and you've been bothered by this for months." I said, yes, you're lying! And I kept my face straight, my composure, no one knew, there was total torment going inside. I was playing, oh, that's nice, and well, you know, you know my parents, and they're Christians, I've been coming here a lot, so I've heard the gospel, I believe Jesus, and I said something that was true, I believe Jesus died for my sins. She goes, that's wonderful, and then she moved on to the last person, one more person after me. The wind bloweth where it lifteth. You can't control it. One day, I could hear about hell, Judgment Day. Not a problem. I'm a Christian. I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins. Not a problem. Without anyone challenging me, all of a sudden, every time something like that was said, it was a massive problem. I kept a straight face. I kept thinking, when the minister said something, was he looking at me? Was he looking at me? He's talking about me. He wasn't talking about me. He didn't know anything that was going on. And that made me insult because I was hiding it. I was hiding it. I was just, I'm trying to work this out on my own. I go to some adult. They say, well, receive Jesus Christ, your savior. And I'll just go through some routine I'm supposed to. I said, I got to find out what God's saying to me because I know he's bugging me about this. He's just, I don't mean bugging. That isn't the right word, but it was, he was beating me down and it hurt. I knew the Lord was dealing with me, but I didn't want to admit it to myself. I mean, I have to admit, I did think to myself, well, if I receive Christ as my Savior now, people are going to say, well, we thought he'd been a Christian a long time. So he's been faking it? So he's been living a lie? And I wasn't faking it, living a lie. I thought it was true. But I've come into awareness it wasn't true. God's showing me love. He's not being mean. Why am I so stupid? He wasn't being mean to me. He was showing me love. I'm going to tell you something you don't know. You're not right with me. But I'm telling you that because I want you to be right with me. I was just fighting it. It came, brethren, out of nowhere, exactly as this said. And I believe there's all sorts of people that need to know Christ as their Savior, and they're rock solid in their deceived self-assurance. I was. The gentleman from Texas was, until it started bothering him a few years ago, and he didn't know why. I said, well, that sounds familiar. It doesn't matter if you're 50 or you're 9. And I'm not saying all of our circumstances are going to line up perfectly. Some people, they don't have a struggle. They don't ever give it a thought and the Lord starts to deal with them. And like all in one day, they hear the gospel the first time, and I never thought about it, and they receive Christ as their Savior. And they think, boy, what was he? He must have been real some stubborn jerk or something. Maybe I am, you know? But it happens different ways, different people. But in the end, when you get to the really the very common denominator, I'm not talking about bringing the algebra problem from this big to this big. I'm saying when you solve for Rex, they're all exactly the same. Always. So, I read this, I say, well, yeah. The wind bloweth where it lifteth in verse eight. Thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth. And so it is, everyone that is born of the confession of the facts of Jesus' death. No, this is true for everyone that is born of the Spirit. The Lord just starts dealing with you. For some, it's more traumatic. I think the longer you fight, the trauma gets bigger, like I speak from experience. But, you know, I've never been one of those people that heard the gospel the first time, they got convicted, and maybe they got very emotional, but it was like all in one day, so, and then you further get from it, you know, it grows a little distance, but when it dragged on, like for me, it was like a torture chamber for like half a year or whatever, how long it was. You don't forget it. It was my secret. But I just felt like, I told that to Pastor Cugini, because Pastor Cugini would teach, you know, in the Bible, people had birthing mothers. You know, people led them to Christ, and they heard the gospel. How can they hear without a preacher? You don't see someone just being alone in the woods and receiving Christ as Savior. We don't have that. There's always someone, you know, what must I do to be saved? What am I reading over here in Isaiah 53? I don't know what this word is. Show me what this means. There's preaching, and then people get convicted on the day of Pentecost. There's always a birthing mother. I said, Pastor Cugino, you say that, and you know, you say that, but you know, that's not how it was for me. I said, and I told him what happened. He just looks at me. He says, well, you're different. You're different. Well, probably a lot of people might agree with that. Verse seven, marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again. For the wind bloweth where it listeth, verse eight, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth. So is everyone that is born of the Spirit. There's only one thing that means, that's the nature of salvation. It's all of a sudden, the Lord pursues you. He begins to call you. He wasn't calling you yesterday, the day before, the week before, the year before. Sometimes He begins to minister to you, and you have a little conviction, then He leaves you alone, and you can go for months, maybe a few years, and another thing happens, and the Lord strikes, and He can build it up that way. He can start laying a foundation. But there's a day of an effectual call where there's no more arguing. And all the arguments are like the rubble of needless books on your table that are just confusing you. And I always like to say the Lord just takes his arm and sweeps them all off the table. There's no more arguments. I'm the judge, this is the court, what say ye? Merciful to me a sinner is what you say, something like that. Okay, so we see that faith has to be a gift from God. because it comes from the Spirit, and no one has control of that. See how simple that is? That's just like, should I give one more example? I'll give one more example. I've got five of them here, and that's not the end of the sermon, see? What am I doing? Let's look at one more. Well, John 6, it's obvious. John 6, in verse 44, I've already been quoting it. No man can come to me. It doesn't say will. Don't cross out can and put will because that's what the free will is. The people that deny election, that's what they want to say. Well, no one will come. Unless the Lord draws them. So the Lord does draw them like He softens their heart. He opens their heart a little bit to the gospel. Their heart was kind of closed. You can tell them about Jesus' sufferings and they don't really care. But now the Lord somehow begins to work. So He does work. They know He has to draw. Even the people that deny predestination, they have to admit this verse. So what they're really thinking is, no man will come to me except my father draw them then they will decide when he kind of like just greases the wheels and and makes it okay and takes down their defenses and then he lets them choose and then they choose him Where others won't, if God does all those same preparatory works and then just leaves it to them, that's what they think, brethren. But this does not say, no man will come to me except they're drawn by the heavenly Father. No, no man can come to me except the Father which has sent me draw him. It's impossible. And I'll raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, and they shall all be taught of God. You didn't sign up for that school. You were walking by on your way to sin. The Lord came out the front door of that little church schoolhouse and grabbed you by the neck and dragged you inside. He taught you a lesson. That's our conversion. He does it in different ways. But that's what it amounts to. Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh to me. Every single one. The only ones that come to them are those that are taught by the Father. Now if the Father's gonna go out of his way and teach you, if the Lord's going fishing, he's gonna catch fish. He won't waste his time because he knows and he's God. And if you jump down to verse 65. And he said, therefore said I unto you that no man can, he's sticking with that because it's true. No man can come unto me except it were given unto him. See, he said it a little differently then. It was given unto him of my father. See, the man does choose to follow Christ. but it was given unto him to do it. Faith is a gift from God. And if faith is a gift from God, then that means salvation, predestination to salvation, is a gift from God. Which means it's not of works, lest any man should boast. Which means it's not of him that willeth, It's not how it happens. So you're saying people are saved against their will? No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying it's not of the man who of his own will chooses God. They won't do it. They'll choose the God that's very similar, but not the real one. And there's lots of churches that will give very similar Jesus's and God's. Sovereign, holy, Christ died for your sins. But he's not gonna say this to you, because that's sort of legalistic, and I know you don't like that. And he's not going to inquire this of you, because I know, you know, that's asking too much in our modern day. And no, he doesn't want you. And so the churches accommodate. Matthew 7 believers who prophesy in Jesus' name and cast out devils in Jesus' name, and Jesus say, I never knew you. You weren't foreknown of me, although I've known every single thing about you. Yeah, foreknowledge does not mean what they say it means. Divine foreknowledge is covenantal foreordination. Every single person, as I said this morning, will not receive Christ, will not bow to the true God as He's revealed Himself. How many people want to believe 1st century Pharisee? What's the big deal? Just, you know, He said it, let's go with it. No, I won't do it. I won't do it. What's the problem? Faith. Well, if I believe that, the whole Bible is going to fall apart. So you're going to believe these verses and reject all those. And you say the Bible is the inspired and inerrant word of God. You've already got a contradiction. So why don't you just stop believing both and say, the Lord will show me in the course of time how they fit together. No, that's too scary. My Christian friends will say I'm a heretic and I don't want that to happen. They're more important than God. No, of course not. But inside they're saying, yeah, I guess that is what I'm saying. I'm telling you, there are real spiritual battles that are taking place in people's hearts. And you and I don't know what's happening. My parents had no clue when I was struggling with my salvation. No clue. My pastor, my Sunday school, no one knew one thing. And it was the most traumatic time of my life. And I think people do that. That's what they do. It's too personal. It really hits home so raw. God deals with raw truth. That's the nature of God. We're all stripped bare before him. But if you learn to, if you just trust him and love him to be stripped bare before him, well, the Lord will take care of everything. I mean, that's the only way we can prosper is that way. So there's no reason to not believe and to argue with Romans 8. There's just no reason. We've got more reasons to talk about, but we're out of time. So let's bow our heads in prayer. Heavenly Father, we marvel at your wisdom and our own ignorance and selfishness and haughtiness. in resisting your plain truth. Father, break down the barriers that keep people from humbling themselves to this gracious, the most gracious form of the gospel there ever could be. If we truly believe this, Lord, it doesn't leave any room for pride at all. It demands total humility. And we really don't see that. And we just pray, Father, that many will be able to receive that gospel, because it'd be so healthy, so good for the balance of our lives and the rest of this. In our spiritual battles and walking with the Lord, we need to have that mindset of utter trust and faith in Thee. We look at the world. We turn to the news now, and we see what's going on. Lord, you know my own heart. My natural inclination is, well, let's grab a gun and go. That's not what I'm going to do. Lord, I know all these things are in your hands, and we will do what is right in the moment when you call us to do it. We just want to be prepared for those moments, because we are in very dangerous, evil times. So make us, before everything, a spiritual people. And as a spiritual people, we'll find that we'll be a contented people. And as a contented people, in the midst of the storms of life, We'll find ourselves a happy people, even if we have to engage in battle. We don't know how to do that naturally, and the truth is we can't, Lord. So, Father, save many, separate some, and do a good work for all. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.