We've got the outline on the first page, and you'll see it's four paragraphs in this chapter. This is dealing with the subject of effectual calling. Now we're more familiar, probably some of us, with the phrase irresistible grace. In the so-called five points of Calvinism, or in the doctrines of grace, we have five main doctrines that are taught. under the acrostic of the tulip we have total depravity or inability, we have unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace and perseverance of the saints. The fourth one is irresistible grace and this is just another title for the same doctrine, effectual calling. The point is that when God has chosen a person to salvation from all eternity there comes a point where he calls that person into experiential fellowship practical fellowship and this is what effectual calling is we have many pictures of it in the bible Jesus walking by the fishing boats and he says to Peter and to Andrew and to John and to James come follow me and immediately they leave their boats And humanly speaking, I often looked at that in the early days as being a Christian and didn't quite understand it. But the only way we can understand that is with this doctrine. That when Jesus said, come follow me, there wasn't just words there. There was an effectual call. There was something more than words. There was a spiritual calling as well as an outward calling. Now the Bible teaches two callings. There is the outward call of the Gospel, which anybody that hears with their physical ears can hear, elect or non-elect alike. But Jesus on some occasions in the Word of God on different occasions uses the phrase, he who has ears that hear. Now everybody in their presence had physical ears, that's not what was meant. What was meant was, he who has spiritual ears. In other words, he who has been given that gift of faith that God gives to those who are effectually calling. And the word effectual, this calling cannot be resisted. That's the point. It's an effectual calling. The outward call of the Gospel is not necessarily effectual. It is just a general call. But this spiritual call through the Holy Spirit is effectual. In other words, it has an effect. Now there's two extreme views against this view. There's the Arminian view, which basically denies this doctrine on one hand, and then there's the hyper-Calvinist view which says that effectual calling is not something that's directly connected to faith. Now that's just as erroneous as the Arminian view. Some Calvinists teach, wrongly, that somebody can receive the effectual call years before they ever have faith. Where the Bible clearly teaches that once somebody is effectually called, faith is immediate. There will be faith. Once that call happens, they will come to faith. Now that's important for a number of reasons, and especially because of one of the paragraphs in this chapter which we will look at in a few minutes. You will see in your outline there two general divisions or two general breakdowns of the four paragraphs. The first paragraph is the general overview of effectual calling and in paragraphs two to four are the specific issues about effectual calling. So in paragraph one, we have the recipients, we have the author, the occasion, the efficacy, the means, the transition, and the operation. The recipients of the effectual call are only those whom God has predestinated unto life. Its author is God the Father. God is the one, God himself is the one who calls, is the one who chooses people and then calls them into this relationship with him and with his son. the occasion, his own appointed and accepted plan. We don't know when it happens. We can't choose the plan. We can't decide when someone should be saved. It's only God who decides that. Then it's efficacy. In other words, it does actually work, to put it in layman's language. The means by his word and his spirit. That's very important. They are the only means. Dan goes fishing. When Dan goes fishing, he doesn't drop into a McDonald's and say, can I have a milkshake to put at the end of my fishing rod to catch the mackerel. Because if he did that, you know, the mackerel might sort of look wild and say, oh that's interesting, and keep on swimming. You know, there are certain things that will catch a mackerel. And the only two things that will catch God's people, if you like, are the only two things that God uses to catch His people are His Word and His Spirit. That's why Jesus said the words, My sheep hear My voice. They will not listen to another. They hear My voice and they follow Me and I give unto them eternal life. Then under it's transition, the change that it makes in us, it brings us out of that state of sin and death in which we were by nature and to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ. Then it's operation, enlightening, taking away, renewing, yet so as they come most freely. So turn over the page and we'll look at some of these in a bit more detail. So the first part of, and I might be asking some people just to read some of these verses. The first part of the 2nd page when you are on or at least page 1 on the main thing. You will notice the part in the boxes are the actual confession of faith itself and those in italics are actually scripture references just to make that clear. So we have here the first part of the first paragraph. Those whom God hath predestinated unto life He is pleased and appointed an accepted time effectually to call by His word. Then we have in Romans 8 verse 30 and Joe if you will read that for us. Then what we are going to do is maybe Catherine you can read Romans 11 and Rita do you want to read? No it's ok. Ok then Benny if you can read Ephesians 1 10-11 and Liam then 2 Thessalonians 2. So thanks. Romans chapter 13, Moreover whom he that predestineth them he also called, and whom he called them he also justified, and whom he justified them he also glorified. So just stop there for a moment again and then we want the next one. This is often being called, and I preached on this recently or a few months ago, it's often being called the golden chain of salvation. And what Romans 8.30 says really, in effect, is everyone who is predestinated is called. Now, that's helpful, isn't it? Because there's many people who hear the outward gospel who never get saved. So this calling here must be something different. That's why theologians have come up with this distinction between the outward call and the inner call. Because everyone who is predestinated receives this calling, which is not the outward call of the Gospel, but the inner call of the Spirit and the Word. So, whom He did predestinate, He called them, and whom He called, then He also justified. So everyone that is called is justified, and everyone who is justified will be glorified. And there can be no one left out. In other words, there can be no break in the chain. You can't have someone predestinated who never gets called. Everyone who gets predestinated will be glorified. That's the statement of verse 30. And that blows out of the water the whole idea of salvation is in the will of man or salvation is in the work of man. Because from eternity past to eternity future and he glorifies then Romans 11 verse 7 very dramatic statement Romans 11 verse 7 it can't be misunderstood the election has obtained this calling and the rest were blinded the active calling of God and the reprobation of God in this verse. Then Ephesians 1 verses 10-11. Now the one thing the Bible never, thanks plenty for that, The one thing that the Bible never does for us, it never answers the question, why did God choose me? Do you ever think about that? I think about that all the time. I talk about it today. That's true. But I often wonder, why did God choose me? Because, you know, we all know our own hearts. And I often see how badly I've felt, even today, and how cold I am sometimes towards the Lord. Now the answer is given in this verse. The question is answered. That's true, that is true. I suppose you could look in John chapter 1, it says the flesh gives birth to the flesh. So in the human term, when you are out fighting with your parents or whatever, you say, well I didn't ask you about it. In the fleshly terms, you didn't ask. The same as in verse 11. You see the answer though in verse 11, or in the second part of that section. Thanks Liam for that. and whom also we have obtained in inheritance, being predestinated according to what? The purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will." So, the one thing we can be convinced of, according to the Word of God, is that God doesn't make any mistakes. Now I find that hard to believe, because I see so many other people He could have chosen, that He could have predestinated, that He could have called And yet the Word of God tells us that God's work is perfect. And He works everything after the counsel of His own will. And the whole point of this doctrine is meant to leave us in a place of saying, wow, isn't God amazing? That's why I believe the devil wants to make this doctrine a point of division, of debate, of argument. It was never meant to be that. This doctrine was always meant to humble man. It was always meant to leave man in a place of nothing left to do but to worship. Nothing left to do but to adore God. That God has done all this and has done it perfectly. Then 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verses 13-14. We are all bound to give thanks always to God for you. Now one of the arguments that those who hold to Arminian theology will say to the likes of ourselves that when it comes to the issue of election and being chosen and predestinated it's always to do with national Israel or it might be to service or it might be to some work. But they would argue that it's never election to salvation. I think we've mentioned this last week as well or maybe the week before. These are probably the clearest verses in the Bible and I've probably said that as well the last time. But it's worth saying it again. Because these verses in 2 Thessalonians 2 make it clear what our election is to. Notice what it says. God has from the beginning chosen you not to serve us but to what? To what? To salvation. Through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. So God chose us to believe in the truth. So our faith is a gift of God. That's the point that Paul is making here to the Thessalonians. And then he says, where unto he called you by our gospel. Notice, not we called you by our gospel, but he called you. Again, the effectual call was more than what the Apostle Paul could give. Then the second section, out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ. The tremendous difference that the effectual call makes. Remember one point where the Lord said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. I think this is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. His disciples said to him, I think that was the occasion where the disciples said to him, Lord then who can be saved? The Lord gives an interesting answer to that doesn't he? If salvation had something to do with us making a decision, Jesus would have said, well all they have to do is to receive me into their hearts. But that's not what he says. Jesus says, with men it is impossible to be saved, but with God all things are possible. And this is where the whole importance of this doctrine comes in. That this translates us from the nature and state we are in, to give us all the glory and blessings of the gospel. Now we'll continue on. Dan, would you mind doing the next, between the two, on the next page here? And you, like a quicken, who are dead in the chest of houses, and the saints, praying in front of us, we walk according to the cause of this world, according to the principles of the law of the air, the spirit were by nature the children of God who is rich in mercy, great love for which he loved us even when we were dead in sin. Stay with us, sit together in heaven. Now I read a book a couple of years, thanks for that Dan. I read a book by Mr Hunt, Dave Hunt, a couple of years ago on, I don't know if you're familiar with it, and it was against Calvinism. It was entitled What Love Is This? Calvinism's misrepresentation of God or something. It was a subtitle. And I remember one of his arguments in the book was that when the Bible says we were dead, it doesn't really mean we were dead. I'm reading this going, wow, that's amazing logic. So when the Bible says we were dead, it doesn't really mean we were dead. And the conclusion he comes to was that this is only an analogy to say that God needed to come and help us but we shouldn't take this too far. Well, you know, I have a very simple view that God is not the author of confusion. And if God says before we were converted, before we were born again, we were dead, that means we were dead. Now, he's not saying we were physically dead. We were spiritually dead. And just in the same way as a corpse, You remember in one point where the Lord raised the girl from the dead. He says, now give her some food. Could you imagine if the Lord had said five minutes before He raised her from the dead, give her some food? No. He raised her from the dead first. Now give her some food. It was impossible. Nothing could have helped her when she was dead. And this is the whole point. Paul is stressing this. I mean, you read Ephesians 2 and he's stressing this whole point again and again and again in this passage. convincing us. And then day upon comes along and says, well no, actually Paul was mistaken. And this is the importance of this subject of the effectual call because that's our condition in which we were in. Now it means we were dead to God. We weren't dead to sin. In fact, we were alive to sin. We were totally immersed in sin and we wanted to sin. We were under the ruler, the devil who held us in his grasp. But then, we have this tremendous book, Book of God. Absolutely, the great book. Book of God, who was rich in mercy, for his great love, for which he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, had quickened us together with Christ. Then the next phrase, enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly, to understand the things of God. That's what grace is. Grace in the Bible is, do you remember the time, we all remember don't we, at least those of us who were converted at a mature age. We remember the time when the light went on. Do you remember that? Do you remember the moment when you opened the Bible and you said, wow, this makes sense. I actually Now I'm not saying we understood everything. We still don't understand everything. But there was a dramatic change. We were talking last week, remember, I think some of us, about what it must be like for somebody who was born blind. Because you can do this now with some people who were born physically blind. And they can do an operation now to give them their sight. What an amazing moment that must be. You know, they might have lived for the first, I don't know, 15, 20, 25 years, whatever, of their lives blind. And then suddenly the light goes on. And that's what God does for us. He helps us to understand. Or, not helps us, but gives us understanding. Who's next to read? Charlotte, is it? Acts 26, verse 18. And then, Michaela, do you want to read? Now we talked about this last week, didn't we, in the context of prayer. Wouldn't it be amazing if Paul turned around and said, well, you know, you have the ability to believe yourself. you know, you have the ability to understand. That's not what he says in Ephesians 1, 17 and later. Paul's prayer was, and he knew, that unless the Father of Glory gave them the spirit of wisdom and revelation and knowledge of him, they would remain in ignorance. Unless God gave them the eyes of understanding and enlightened them that they would know what the hope of his calling and what of the riches of the glory of his inheritance and the saints. If God didn't give that to them. And the whole point is, and this is the whole stress of the book of Ephesians. That we were something by nature. I remember Bill Jackson I think made the point. What God does in salvation is, it's like we were dogs. And the difference between a dog and a human being, it's only an illustration. And God comes to the dog and transforms the dog into a human being. And I'm going to give him a very funny illustration. He says, could you imagine if the dog, before he was translated into a human being, if he went and buried the bone. He went and buried this bone. And you know, he dug the hole up, put the bone in, covered it as they do, covered the bone over. And then someone comes, or God comes along, changes him into a human being. Could you imagine then the human being going back and digging the bone up and eating it? And if that was a lovely illustration, pretty simple. But see that's the difference God has made in us. We were like the dog. We were a different creature. We were a different being altogether in one sense. And God has transformed us. And God has made us so much better and given us so much more. He's opened our eyes. So the bone in the ground now to us is disgusting. Leave it in the ground. Before we were converted, the bone was ugly. It was delicious. I'm leaving that for later. I'm going to feed on that bone later on. I'm going to get every little bit of meat out in between the muck and chew it up. But now, we've been changed. And we look at the ungodly and we see for where we were. And we see what God has done. Our eyes have been enlightened. Our eyes have been opened. And we see, as John Newton says in that hymn, once I was blind. But now I can see. And you try and go back to the blind person, you try to explain to them what it's like and they say, what are you talking about? You're mad. But it's only if then Paul has, that's what Paul is saying in Ephesians 1, 7, 8. I pray that God would give you this. Because only God can give you this. I can't give it to you. Taking away their heart of stone and giving unto them a heart of flesh. Renewing their will. Who's next to read? Marie, or Lon, is it? Do you want to read? No. Marie, would you mind? I promise with a new covenant that God will take out their heart of stone. and by his almighty power determining them to that which is good and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ. Would you mind reading? And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart and the heart of thine own soul as thou griest now. And Ezekiel 36, 27 and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you shall know the difference I will put my spirit within you and cause you again this is the idea of being effective God is not saying here I will encourage you I will try and sort of coach you I will woo you that's not what he's saying I will cause you to walk in my statutes so grace does something effectual in us. The devil often tries, and I think this is where it becomes very practical and encouraging for us. The devil will constantly tell us we're no different. Won't he? It's like, you haven't really changed. You know, you're still the same old person. Listen, the Word of God tells you this night, this is very important. The Word of God tells us this night, you are not the same person. God has made an eternal difference in your very soul. You are no longer the person you were. Now, we're not the person we will be, that's true. We will be perfect in heaven. But we'll never be the person we were. And I believe this doctrine is the most practical and the most inspiring doctrine for sanctification. that when I realise that God has made such a difference and that the one who has begun a good work in me will perform it onto the day of Jesus Christ. That's the inspiration to keep going. Because if I think it's all down to me, if I think it's all down to my strength, well then I won't do it. I won't keep going. But when I know God is doing in me, that's why Ephesians 1.19 says, Alex, Ephesians 1.19. and it was the exceeding greatness of his power to us. according to the working of his mighty power. You see it almost not fair there Paul. You almost see him bubbling over. Almost erupting in his soul as he's writing those words. And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us who are to believe according to the working of his mighty power. The same God who said let there be light. The same God who has brought the light of the glory of his Son into our very hearts. God has begun this work. God has brought this work into our hearts. And God will finish this work. Now, very important, the last quote of the first paragraph. Nowhere does the Bible say that God is pushing us. Right? That's not the emphasis. Quite often people will criticise our belief by saying, oh well you're saying that God is dragging you or something. Now there is an element to which that word is used. But that's not the sense in which the Bible uses it. Because the Bible also teaches that when we do come to Christ, we want to come. It's not that I don't want to come to Christ. Yes, I don't want to come by nature. But God makes us willing. By changing us. Absolutely. He changes our wills. So that our wills want to come. Yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by His grace. Who's next to read, Joe? Sam, who's next? Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, and the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning thou hast to view of thy youth. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. Tremendous verse. Tremendous verse. And then, Son of Solomon, chapter 1, verse 4. Catch him. Now we go on to the next paragraph, first clause. This effectual call is of God's free and special grace alone. Not from anything at all foreseeing a man. There is a temptation, isn't there? God has chosen me. there must have been something in me. This is what Arminianism says, that really what predestination is, is that God looked into the future, saw that I would believe, and therefore He chose me. That's not what the Bible teaches. We were no different. If God chose me because there was some little spark of faith, or some little inclination, to come to God, well then there's some percentage of my salvation that's attributed to me, isn't that true? If God saw even that much, even a mustard seed of something in me that was the cause of Him choosing me, well then, something is down to me. That's an argument to use, because it was true, God looked forward through time and saw the right destiny or whatever at that moment in time. and he started reading a book. Yeah. Right? Yeah. They state that he died for all. Yeah. Well, his death was a tremendous problem. No effective reason, probably. Yeah. So he didn't die for all. Yeah. Even using their heritage. Absolutely. He didn't die for all. Yes. Yes. Yeah, very good point. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, because I remember someone making a similar point to that is that Both Calvinists and Arminians limit the death of Christ. But they limit it in a worse way. They limit the power of it. We limit the intent of it. We say the intent of the cross. But we don't limit the power of it. They actually limit the power of it. They say that Jesus died for somebody who is going to hell. I think it's not us getting there. I think it's Scripture. Yes, true. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Exactly. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. That's a good point. Yes. Absolutely. So, the disaffectual cause of God's free grace And special grace alone, not from anything at all foreseen of man. 2 Timothy 1 verse 9. And Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8. It's only when we understand that even the faith we have is a gift from God. That is the cringing point, isn't it? That this very faith we have is a gift. Because if we hold the view that well, you know, This faith had it's beginning in me. I'm adding something. But this faith itself that I have is a gift. I believe that's the most humbling thing. But the only reason I believe today is because God has granted me the gift of faith. Some Christians believe that they have to faith and then you'll regain it. God put the fear of God in us, meaning that God took the fear of God out of us. It didn't come in him. It was somebody in us. If you're a Christian, tell your family you're a Christian. Which is wrong teaching. When you give birth to another saint, it doesn't automatically say it's saved. That has to go to the understanding of Christ. It has to be regenerated as the Lord. It's the sovereignty of God that must be... But the standard is from Sunday to Sunday morning. You can't be late for speaking the Lord. Then the next clause... nor from any power or agency in the creature co-working with his special grace. In other words, it's not just working with God, you know, cooperating with God. The creature being wholly passive, in other words, we're the subjects, or I'm sorry, the object, we're the object of his grace, being dead in sin and trespasses until being quickened and renewed by his Holy Spirit. The greatest illustration of this, I believe, is Lazarus. Lazarus is dead, Lazarus is dead 4 days in the tomb. Has no hope of coming out of that tomb. He is going to rot. He is going to decay. He is going to turn into dust over a period of time. The Lord Jesus comes and Lazarus comes forth. Does Lazarus have anything to do with that? No. Everything in that is of Christ. Everything of that is of Christ's will, Christ's power. Lazarus, come forth. And that's the great picture of salvation. We would have stayed there. We would have been in eternity in the pit. Unless Christ would have come and said, Dan, Liam, Benny, read it. Everyone in this room, come forth, come to me. That's the dependency we have on the grace of God. 1 Corinthians 2 verse 14. Lame, I think, is it? Yeah, go ahead. Just someone go ahead. Tremendous argument from the Apostle Paul. How can we receive? Mr Hund in his book says, this doesn't include the Gospel. Tremendous statement of logic. So the only logical conclusion we can come to then is that the Spirit of God has nothing to do with the Gospel. Because Paul says, the natural man receives not the King, but the Spirit of God. Now does the Spirit of God have nothing to do with the Gospel? Does the Gospel not belong to the Spirit? Does the Lord Jesus not say that when the Spirit comes, But you see, you have to use these foolish arguments to try and get out of these verses. The only way you can escape this verse is by saying that the gospel is not included in this verse. Of course the gospel is included in this verse. And then, we've already read Ephesians 2 verse 5. John chapter 5 verse 25 please. I've read the essay a few years coming and now it's Okay, now for the sake of time, just on the next page, we're going to finish with the next reference because we're going to leave Paragraphs 3 and 4 for next week because there's an issue about Paragraph 3 that will take us time to consider. Okay, so we'll finish this with the next clause. He is thereby enabled to answer this call and to embrace the grace offered and conveyed in it and that by no less power than that which raised up Christ from the dead. This is a powerful statement here. That the same power that calls us from the spiritual grace is the same power that raised Christ from the dead. No less power. You see, the problem with the free will gospel is that it makes God's power almost redundant. The power of God is redundant in the free will gospel. The gospel of the Bible, the power of God is everything. Ephesians 1, and I'll read this myself, Ephesians 1 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to whisper to the believers according to the workings of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead, and set him in his own right hand? in the heavenly places. Do you see? That's what the verses are saying there. The same power that's working in us is the same power that raised Christ from the dead. And in fact, the scripture says that we were raised with Him. When Christ died, we died. When Christ was buried, we were buried. And when Christ rose from the dead, we rose with Him. Well, Christ could rise Himself because He's divine anyway. Well, John chapter 2 tells us that. destroy this temple and in 3 days I will raise it again. So we will leave it there because again we have 2 more paragraphs in this chapter to get through and then we will look at those next week.