1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,640 So we are in the second part of kind of sovereignty, the title law and grace for 2 00:00:09,640 --> 00:00:15,520 the sermon today. We ended last week on the idea of God's providence, right? 3 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:21,040 We were at Lord's Day 12 talking about how God made everything, including you and I, 4 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:28,680 and how he, as we talked about, sovereign Lord over everything. Just in control, 5 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:32,800 always. And whether we like that or not, it is true. Just because you're 6 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:36,720 uncomfortable with that doesn't make God less sovereign. So now we're going to 7 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:40,600 turn because there were a handful of prompts, and I knew that I knew that I 8 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:45,040 knew that this was going to happen when we kind of put this out. This idea of 9 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:51,880 being a good God. I remember as a pastor, even as a youth pastor when I was 10 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:56,760 younger, we would get these questions all the time. And it was even from people in 11 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:01,320 church. People that were in church all the time. I remember now I wasn't in 12 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:04,880 school then, but people, or I wasn't a youth pastor working in the church then, 13 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:08,840 but I remember like people would still come up to me and say, if God's so good, 14 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:15,320 then why did Katrina happen? And I'm like 22 years old looking at them like, what? 15 00:01:15,320 --> 00:01:20,800 What are you talking about? Katrina who? And they, and you know, and I remember 16 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:24,200 going to one of my mentors going, you didn't train us for that. When people 17 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:27,160 come and make those kind of claims, even people that have been in church all their 18 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:31,320 life, if God is so good, then why this? And I'll always remember Dave Sanders. 19 00:01:31,320 --> 00:01:34,160 Some of you have met him. They came, they stopped by a couple years ago, and I'm 20 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:41,680 sure you all remember. He said that God was in the church. That when times like 21 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:48,240 that happen, God shows up in God's people. That the church elevates. The church 22 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:51,720 should be more of a witness, even though we should be a witness all the time, but 23 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:57,840 when tragedy strikes, the church should act. The church should respond. And as 24 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:00,960 like a 22 year old, I'm like, okay, that's great. That's a good one to have in the 25 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:06,560 chamber, right? That, you know, that is, that's a great response. So I hope that 26 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:10,760 the next time someone comes in and, you know, Jim, if God is so good, then why 27 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:17,360 Katrina? God shows up in the church. And then I run away. No one's asked me since 28 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:21,840 that. Okay, so it was, I'm glad that I knew that, but we and a lot of you, well 29 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:28,160 actually four of you, that submitted prompts, this word good really, really 30 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:33,040 bugs you. And if I'm honest, it bugs me too because of all the junk that is in 31 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:37,720 the world. If God is so good, then why does, and then insert whatever here. 32 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:41,680 We're going to talk about that today. And I'm going to start with, I've only got 33 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:46,680 to meet him once, years and years ago. The Lord called him home six, seven years 34 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:50,240 ago now, but it was someone that though I never studied under him, I felt like he 35 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:55,560 was a professor of mine. His name was R.C. Sproul. Ligonier Ministries, he was a 36 00:02:55,560 --> 00:03:01,040 professor for years. He was a pastor. He writes this about God's providence, excuse 37 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:07,280 me, and God's goodness. One way in which the secular mindset has made inroads into 38 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:12,040 the Christian community is through the worldview that assumes that everything 39 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:18,320 happens according to a fixed natural causes and God, if he's actually there, is 40 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:25,120 above and beyond it all. He is just a spectator in heaven looking down, perhaps 41 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:31,040 cheering us on, but exercising no immediate control over what happens on 42 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:36,920 earth. Historically, however, Christians have had an acute sense that this is our 43 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:42,880 father's world, great song, and that the affairs of men and nations in the final 44 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:49,360 analysis are in his hands. That is what Paul is expressing in Romans 8 28, a sure 45 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:55,280 knowledge of divine providence. And we know that for those who love God, all 46 00:03:55,280 --> 00:04:00,160 things work together for good for those who are called to his purposes. Leave 47 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:07,240 that one up. We love that verse. Romans 8, I hear it all the time. We use it 48 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:11,760 sometimes as a trump card. We use it sometimes as like an escape clause to get 49 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:16,240 out of a conversation because we don't know the answers, but we love that verse. 50 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:23,160 But I think we love it when it's convenient. Let's talk about maybe times 51 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:27,320 that it's not convenient. I'm trying to look for it. She's right there. Sarah, 52 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:34,120 would you use this verse? You rooted for Against Michigan every game, and they went 53 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:37,880 15 and 0. They're national champions, by the way, to the point where you bought 54 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:43,040 t-shirts for every team that they faced, which now is wasted dollars. But would 55 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:47,240 you use this verse? That, you know, God is good for all those that have called to 56 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:50,760 his goodness. I don't think you would. I really don't think you would because she 57 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:56,360 plans on doing it next year as well. Or how about when you get a speeding ticket? 58 00:04:56,360 --> 00:05:01,680 When you're really in a hurry and you were only going like nine over and, you 59 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:06,680 know, the police officer cuts you that ticket? Do you say, thanks, officer. God 60 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:12,640 works all things together for good. I'll see you in court. No, we don't say that. 61 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:19,120 Or maybe even when it's harder or more awkward, when you go through the 62 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:23,080 funeral line, where's Bill? Bill's up there usually, right? Did anyone come to 63 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:27,640 you during the funeral and say, I'm sorry, God works all things out for good for 64 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:33,840 those who love him and call him to his purposes? I can't see you. No, they 65 00:05:33,840 --> 00:05:41,080 probably don't because it's not something we actually use when it's hard. 66 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:44,880 Or maybe you know someone that has gone through a divorce or something maybe like 67 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:50,200 a miscarriage or a stillbirth. I mean, when my sister died a couple years ago, 68 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,520 no one, thank God no one said it because I don't think it would have come off the 69 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:56,360 same way that they would have sit with me, give me a cup of coffee, put their 70 00:05:56,360 --> 00:05:59,520 arm around me and say, you know, God works all things out for good. Sorry about 71 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:06,320 your sister. We don't do that. We love to do it when good things happen. You get a 72 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:13,120 promotion, God works all things for good. Thank the Lord. I got that promotion. You 73 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:17,880 get engaged. You have a kid. Something. The good and positive things. We love 74 00:06:17,880 --> 00:06:27,080 this verse. But is it not true in the opposite? Is it not true through grief? Is 75 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:35,760 it not true through mourning? It's tough. But this verse is true no matter the 76 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:45,720 circumstance we find ourselves in. That God is always good. But that word good, if 77 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:52,920 we're being honest, we don't like it. God is good when it's negative 15 degrees 78 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:57,000 outside. I didn't feel that way this morning when Annie and I are running 79 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:03,160 around my neighborhood. That wind hurt, but God's still good. Yet we struggle 80 00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:08,440 with that. So let's kind of find this definition of good, right? This, this, this, 81 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:12,160 it's, we get uncomfortable with this word, but we're gonna throw a definition. Good 82 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:18,240 as an adjective, to be desired or approve of a good quality of life, having the 83 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:23,960 qualities required for a particular role. The schools here are good. Then we also 84 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:31,440 see good as a noun. That which is morally right. Righteousness, a mystery, a 85 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:35,980 mysterious balance of good and evil. Good is a benefit or an advantage to 86 00:07:35,980 --> 00:07:41,560 someone or something. He convinces his father to use his genius for the good of 87 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:49,440 mankind. That is my quote. No it's not. But we use that. We love that. We use good 88 00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:54,360 in the positive, but when it comes to the negative, we struggle is God still good? 89 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:58,520 So the conversation that we need to have today, mainly because four of you asked 90 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:04,120 for it, is the fact that God is good regardless of circumstances. And if a 91 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:12,520 sovereign and divine and providential God is good, then things in our perspective 92 00:08:12,520 --> 00:08:22,440 should be good. Even in the midst of struggle, there is goodness. But we 93 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:28,920 struggle with that. Dare I say we might think that God's not good, depending on 94 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:35,680 what we're going through. But we love this church saying, right, God is good. 95 00:08:35,680 --> 00:08:42,920 This side knows it. We'll work on this side. God is good all the time. But we 96 00:08:42,920 --> 00:08:48,600 don't believe that. We love to say it. 80% of you knew what I was doing, but we 97 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:55,040 don't really believe it all the time. But then the question really that I got is, 98 00:08:55,040 --> 00:09:02,080 if God is so good, then why is there sin? If God is so good, then why is there sin? 99 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:06,720 Why do bad things happen? Why are there bad people? Why do tragedies occur? All of 100 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:10,840 these things. Why do bad things happen? Why is there sin? Why can't the white 101 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:16,040 socks be good? All of these things that we throw out there, right, if God is good, 102 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:21,880 then in our estimation, in my lens of life, life should be good. But I don't 103 00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:26,800 experience that all the time. So there's a paradox. I could easily say, well, it 104 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:32,560 takes faith. But that doesn't always suffice. We don't always, we're not okay 105 00:09:32,560 --> 00:09:37,040 with that all the time. Let's go a step further. It's called the good news of the 106 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:42,040 gospel. We believe that about the gospel. We call that the good news. It's 107 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:46,920 attractive. We hope and pray that people around us that don't know Jesus want the 108 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:51,920 good news because it's good even in the midst of bad. It's good even in the midst 109 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:58,040 of evil. It's good even in the midst of sin, yours and mine. How attractive would 110 00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:05,320 it be if we shared the okay news of Jesus? Hey, Kyle, I want to share with you the 111 00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:12,760 mundane news of Christ. No one would want that. That doesn't mean anything 112 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:20,000 because we engage it then in ourselves. Jim, I've been hurt. I've been wronged. 113 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:24,160 I've been betrayed. There is sin. There is death. There's destruction. There's 114 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:32,920 evil in the world and in us. How is God good? And we just don't get it or we don't 115 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:38,560 want to get it or there are seasons that we get it and seasons that we don't. 116 00:10:38,560 --> 00:10:42,560 Rarely do I have people ask for a meeting or a cup of coffee when life is going 117 00:10:42,560 --> 00:10:49,800 very well. No to all of us. It's a great way to encourage your pastor is to talk 118 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:56,120 and give testimony to where God is good in your life always. But normal times I 119 00:10:56,120 --> 00:11:02,320 get the email, the text or the phone call, can we meet? I'm struggling with this. 120 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:07,440 My marriage is struggling with this. I have a wayward child and I need to talk 121 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:11,920 about it. I don't know what I'm doing with life. Who should I vote for? 122 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:16,520 All of those things I get. I will answer all, I will help with all of those but 123 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:23,840 the last one. It would be very easy but it might not be the best pastoral 124 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:30,200 counseling if in the midst of grief or hardship I say, but just know God's good. 125 00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:35,680 Figure it out. That's not very compassionate. That's not trying to work 126 00:11:35,680 --> 00:11:39,880 through it and walk along with you. One of the greatest aspects of my job is that 127 00:11:39,880 --> 00:11:46,240 I get to walk and hurt and work with you in these things and you do with me. 128 00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:50,120 I give testimony to it all the time. The summer that my sister died, it was an 129 00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:54,200 amazing summer to have all of you and I kind of walk through it together. 130 00:11:54,200 --> 00:12:00,320 You barely knew me. I was here maybe a year, not even. And it was amazing how you 131 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:06,440 uplifted me in a terrible time in such a beautiful way. But if we're going to 132 00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:12,600 build off last week and God is sovereign, God is good, God is Lord, God is D, all 133 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:23,080 the above, then the bad that we want to project on God, friends, it's not on God. 134 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:29,080 It's on us. Now I could have just said, God is good, you are bad. See you next 135 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:34,960 week. Though it's true and I would say I'm bad too, it's part of our depravity. 136 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:40,800 It is in our nature. And part of God's goodness, as we talked about last week, 137 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:49,200 God is sovereign and God is merciful. God doesn't enjoy hurt and pain. 138 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:53,560 God's not a masochist nor is God, as R.C. Sprouls put it, the way the world wants 139 00:12:53,560 --> 00:12:58,840 to see it. God's not just a giant jerk with a magnifying glass and worthy ants. 140 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:02,280 The world loves to see God that way because they can put God in this negative 141 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:06,960 box and do nothing with it and not want it in their life at all. But if we are 142 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:11,760 called to this, if we are called and recognize Jesus as Lord, that not only is 143 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:17,080 God good and God is sovereign, God is good and sovereign over your sin, over 144 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:24,760 my sin, that is very prevalent. But the struggle that was prompted is what do we 145 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:31,600 do and do we really believe this as believers when bad things happen that 146 00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:37,360 God is still good? When bad things happen or, maybe I'll give us the benefit of the 147 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:42,280 doubt, maybe kind of a series of bad things happen, I look out and I go, 148 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:45,360 I think we're strong enough and mature enough that if one bad thing happens, 149 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:50,640 we can probably rest on God's faithfulness, sing the song and be good. 150 00:13:50,640 --> 00:13:55,160 But what about when bad things happen like every other day for a week where it 151 00:13:55,160 --> 00:13:59,360 just seems like the world's piling on, the people around you are piling on you, 152 00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:03,840 your job, maybe your church, all of these things. You're looking out at nothing 153 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:11,160 good in the world, yet we are to say God is still good. You said it all the time 154 00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:18,360 and all the time God is good. So now we have to look at our sin then. 155 00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:22,400 And I think one of the reasons why I got these prompts is because we're 156 00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:27,040 uncomfortable with our sin because we love it so much. Yes, I said that the right 157 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:32,000 way. There are times we love our sin. This isn't the first time I said it. 158 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:36,040 It probably won't be the last because sin is attractive. More times than not, 159 00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:42,840 sin feels good because that's the tool of the devil. The tool of the devil wants 160 00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:47,200 you to sin obviously. He's the great tempter. He wants you to fall because 161 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:53,120 ultimately he's going to say, you do it enough, God's not going to love you. 162 00:14:53,120 --> 00:15:00,120 At some point, God's goodness on your life will run out and you'll be toast. 163 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:04,280 That's a tool of Satan all day, every day. He would love for us to believe that. 164 00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:08,800 But when we look at our sin, we get really uncomfortable and if we're being 165 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:15,920 honest, we love to look at other people's sin. It's real easy. Oh, I'll call sin out 166 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:20,360 all day on other people. Some people, they put it right there on their Facebook. 167 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:24,880 It's easy to point out sin. All I'm going to do is I'm going to put a mad emoji 168 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:33,280 face and there, I got them. They're now judged. We have to reconcile our sin. 169 00:15:33,280 --> 00:15:38,400 Right? Create in me a clean heart, oh God. Renewal right spirit within me. 170 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:43,120 Though we love to pray, Lord, create in them a clean heart, oh God, 171 00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:53,160 so they are more like me. That's judgmental. That's hypocritical. 172 00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:57,800 And there seems to be doubt that God is in control when we sin. 173 00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:00,400 But that is what we have to look at. That is what we have to work through. 174 00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:06,960 That is what we have to reconcile. Because here's the thing, God's not 175 00:16:06,960 --> 00:16:14,480 surprised by your sin. God doesn't wake up and roll the dice. All of a sudden, 176 00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:20,800 you fall, you sin. God doesn't go, oh, I didn't see that coming. 177 00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:27,280 And if we're honest, we should take comfort in that. I liken it to being a 178 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:32,160 parent. And maybe one day, I'll liken it to being a grandparent and a lot of you 179 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:34,800 that are grandparents, you can tell me those stories. But there are going to be 180 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:38,680 times and there are times where I'm watching my son do something and I know 181 00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:45,320 where it's going. Now, some would say, well, why aren't you going to intervene? 182 00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:49,880 And 50% of the times, I try to. Because sometimes they have to learn. 183 00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:53,320 Sometimes that is part of the ups and downs of life. Now, we're not talking 184 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:56,320 about anything like life threatening. They're not like on the roof going, 185 00:16:56,320 --> 00:17:02,040 I'm going to jump. But if you've seen our roof, that's not a fatal fall. 186 00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:07,480 Understand that there are times that we see that and we allow our children to go 187 00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:16,640 through stuff. And if I put that on God as Father, we don't like that at all. 188 00:17:16,640 --> 00:17:20,280 Because it's all good, all providential, all sovereign God, blah, blah, blah, 189 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:24,840 blah. He knows that I'm going to do this. He's not surprised by this. 190 00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:32,400 Then why doesn't God stop me from sinning? Let me turn that around. 191 00:17:32,400 --> 00:17:40,240 Do you want Him to? Well, maybe you can just shoot me an email. 192 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:45,560 Right? Maybe I don't want that direct correction from the Lord, though myself 193 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:53,800 and a lot of you have felt that, that God wants us to recognize Him in all things 194 00:17:53,800 --> 00:18:01,120 and cling to Him in all things. But He knows what you're going to do. 195 00:18:01,120 --> 00:18:05,680 But if God is so good, then why would He allow me to do bad things? 196 00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:10,080 Because in order to understand the good news of the gospel, not the okay news, 197 00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:16,320 not the mundane news, is you have to understand the bad news of your sin. 198 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:21,040 My good friend, Cam Scott, last week came and made his profession of faith with the 199 00:18:21,040 --> 00:18:26,680 elders. And when you come and make profession of faith, especially one that 200 00:18:26,680 --> 00:18:32,120 has grown up in the church, they're really good at pointing out the good news of 201 00:18:32,120 --> 00:18:36,240 Jesus. Cam was able to, he preached to the elders last Monday night about what 202 00:18:36,240 --> 00:18:41,280 Jesus meant to him and why he wants to live for Jesus and all of these things. 203 00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:47,600 But it's not a profession unless he knows the bad news of his sin. 204 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:51,880 And he was able to articulate that. Because in order to recognize Jesus as 205 00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:57,840 Lord, Jesus as Savior, you need to recognize what you're being saved from. 206 00:18:57,840 --> 00:19:01,560 And he did a fantastic job and we can't wait in a month or so for him to do it 207 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:05,960 publicly. It's the best night for elders is when someone comes and makes 208 00:19:05,960 --> 00:19:10,800 profession. But understanding the bad news of sin makes the good news of the 209 00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:17,520 gospel of salvation that much stronger, that much more impactful in our lives. 210 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:23,840 A profession is, I think Jesus died for my sin, but I don't know what kind of 211 00:19:23,840 --> 00:19:29,360 sinner I am. That's not a profession. That's a wondering. That's a thought. 212 00:19:29,360 --> 00:19:34,400 A profession is I am a sinner saved by grace by my Lord and Savior, Jesus 213 00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:43,640 Christ. John Piper writes this about Acts 4, 27 and 28. For truly in this 214 00:19:43,640 --> 00:19:47,760 city they were gathered together against your Holy Servant Jesus whom you 215 00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:52,120 anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate along with the Gentiles and the peoples 216 00:19:52,120 --> 00:19:58,360 of Israel to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 217 00:19:58,360 --> 00:20:02,540 This is one of the most controversial scriptures pretty much in all of the New 218 00:20:02,540 --> 00:20:07,800 Testament. And Piper goes on and says, so Herod did what God predestined to take 219 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:12,720 place. Pilate did what God predestined to take place. The shouting crowds 220 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:18,560 crucify him, crucify him, did what God predestined to take place. And the 221 00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:23,400 Gentile soldiers who drove the nails did what God had predestined to take place. 222 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:27,040 The sovereign will of God was accomplished at nine o'clock on Friday 223 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:33,760 morning and it was all sin. Pilate's expediency, Herod's mockery, the soldiers 224 00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:38,200 gambling for his clothes, the hatred of the mob stirred up by the Pharisees, 225 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:48,800 crucify him, that was all sin, all predestined by God. How does that sit 226 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:55,320 with you? I had to reread that. There was a part of me that's like, and John Piper 227 00:20:55,320 --> 00:21:00,760 was still a pastor after that? He did. This was years ago when he said it. I 228 00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:04,480 don't know if I've ever engaged it that way. I think because of John Piper I'm 229 00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:10,880 gonna look at Holy Week very, very different this week or this year. And he 230 00:21:10,880 --> 00:21:17,160 continues, so that's why in the text he writes that this is a light on the 231 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:22,920 theological jungle of problems. The idea of if God is good why do bad things 232 00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:27,440 happen. You are saying that God's sovereign will that always comes to 233 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:33,840 pass includes sin? Let me ask that question again. Or what John Piper is 234 00:21:33,840 --> 00:21:39,280 saying. You are saying that God's sovereign will that always comes to pass, 235 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:44,160 God never swings and misses, we still don't like that, that's another sermon, 236 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:52,200 includes sin? He emphatically says yes. If God cannot plan the murder of his son, 237 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:57,440 we could not be saved. It is not like Jesus just jumped up on the cross and 238 00:21:57,440 --> 00:22:02,080 died and God said, well I didn't know what was going on, but I will use it to 239 00:22:02,080 --> 00:22:09,240 save people, that's heresy. God planned it for you, God planned it for me, and it 240 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:15,240 could not happen without sin. You don't kill the Son of God without sin. So when 241 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:18,960 I say that the sovereign will of God means that God ordains all things that 242 00:22:18,960 --> 00:22:25,320 come to pass, I really mean that it includes everything. And there were at 243 00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:28,760 least three of you that are very uncomfortable with that statement and I 244 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:38,080 think I join you. That God predestines sin? Yeah. You look at the story of the 245 00:22:38,080 --> 00:22:43,160 Passion Week, so if God is sovereign over sin and salvation comes because of God's 246 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:51,160 use of sin, God himself never sins, God is holy, we are the sinners, then I think 247 00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:57,640 we need to really pay attention to our sin, not other people's sin. Yet we are 248 00:22:57,640 --> 00:23:02,080 not good at that. We love to judge other people's sin, we love to call it 249 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:07,520 rebuking or correcting, which believe me, the Bible does say to do that. He does, he 250 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:12,560 says the Bible is used for teaching, correcting, and rebuking, but there are a 251 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:18,720 lot of people who love the rebuking side. No wonder Jesus said make sure your eye 252 00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:24,280 is clean before you look at the speck in somebody else. And I'm not saying we're 253 00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:28,360 not called to rebuke, I'm not saying we're not called to correct, we are 254 00:23:28,360 --> 00:23:33,640 totally called to do that. Paul instructs Timothy for the church, but remember, 255 00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:39,760 this is the same Paul that a couple, actually probably 30 years prior, wrote 256 00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:46,960 to the city in Corinth that we must do this in love. And the world today 257 00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:55,240 believes that love means acceptance, it doesn't. But if somebody has air in their 258 00:23:55,240 --> 00:24:00,680 lungs and a heart that beats, I think Paul, and I'm gonna trump Paul, put Jesus, 259 00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:08,240 is calling us to love them, even in the midst of sin. Yet the church has really 260 00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:13,960 confused itself and said, well, if loving, that means I need to accept their life. 261 00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:22,840 Nope. But you still are called to love them. The woman caught in the act of 262 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:29,040 adultery, if it were me, those rocks would have hit. But that's not how the 263 00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:33,760 story goes. Jesus takes all of the recognition, puts it on himself, stands 264 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:39,480 up and says, those without sin cast the first stone. And notice, nobody throws a 265 00:24:39,480 --> 00:24:46,440 stone. We are all sinners saved by grace. We talked about this last week. While we 266 00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:50,720 were still sinning, Christ died for us. We've said it many times here at Munster 267 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:57,960 Church, a stance over somebody is not a stance of Christ. Yet we confuse 268 00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:04,040 ourselves and say, well then if I don't rebuke them, that means that I agree 269 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:09,360 with them. I have argued with a bunch of you. You don't believe that. I don't 270 00:25:09,360 --> 00:25:15,000 believe that. And just because you rebuke somebody doesn't mean they're any 271 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:22,600 different. That when Paul is talking to Timothy about rebuking, guess who he's 272 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:29,360 talking about? Timothy is a young pastor in a church. He is talking about rebuking 273 00:25:29,360 --> 00:25:35,440 fellow believers. Because I'm gonna put it in the scenario of the world like R.C. 274 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:41,040 Sprouls did. You know somebody who is not, they're not born again, right? They 275 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:44,880 do not recognize Jesus as Lord and they're living a life that the Bible 276 00:25:44,880 --> 00:25:49,480 might say is sinful, right? Or does say is sinful and we want to go, we want to 277 00:25:49,480 --> 00:25:53,120 whack them with the Bible. We want to throw the stones of rebuke. We want to 278 00:25:53,120 --> 00:26:01,120 correct. If they don't recognize Jesus as Lord and Savior, what does your 279 00:26:01,120 --> 00:26:08,880 correction mean to them? I hate to say it but next to nothing. Well, pastor, 280 00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:13,080 that's how I'm gonna evangelize. I'm gonna evangelize by throwing stones. I'm 281 00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:22,760 gonna evangelize by rebuking people who don't follow this book. Okay? Everything 282 00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:29,480 is permissible but not everything is beneficial. And just because you don't 283 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:33,880 rebuke them, you don't correct them in a way of standing of judgment, it doesn't 284 00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:37,880 mean you agree with them. It doesn't mean you affirm them. It doesn't mean that 285 00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:45,440 you go, how you're living is fine. No. That Christ has revealed himself to all 286 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:52,080 of us and we are to follow his word. We are to follow the call of walking 287 00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:58,000 alongside sinners. Because guess what? You are one too. I am one too. That we are 288 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:04,000 all working on this together. But if they don't claim Jesus Christ as Lord and 289 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:10,000 Savior, the correction kind of falls on deaf ears, doesn't it? And if you're gonna 290 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:16,640 say that by correcting and rebuking is the way that you're gonna share Christ, I 291 00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:21,600 don't, I struggle with that because I know the messages I'm gonna get this 292 00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:28,440 afternoon. Jesus says he will know that you're my disciples by how you punch 293 00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:37,320 people in the face. No. Okay. That was a little extreme. He will know that you are 294 00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:45,280 my disciples by how you judge their sin in private or with other people. Nope. So 295 00:27:45,280 --> 00:27:50,840 we're gonna miss. He will know that you are, the world will know that you are my 296 00:27:50,840 --> 00:28:00,200 disciples by your love for one another. Parents in the room, in the last month as 297 00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:15,240 one of your kids made you upset. Okay. How many of you stopped loving them? One. I 298 00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:24,520 have office hours on Tuesday. Is that not our response for the world? But I don't 299 00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:28,440 love the world the way that I love, I don't love people the way I love my kids. 300 00:28:28,440 --> 00:28:35,080 Fair. I get that. But are they not deserved of your love? Are they not 301 00:28:35,080 --> 00:28:41,040 deserved of your example? Are they deserved of your rebuke? I'm gonna say 302 00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:47,200 sure. Everything is permissible. You are, you are more than welcome to wear your 303 00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:52,680 sandwich board, ring your bell, go through downtown Chicago and say everybody that 304 00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:58,080 doesn't believe in Jesus is going to hell. Guess what? There are groups that do 305 00:28:58,080 --> 00:29:07,200 that. There's signage that does it. I-65 South, heaven or hell is real. Every time 306 00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:13,200 I drive by that I just shake my head and I go where's the conversation? Where's 307 00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:22,920 the relationship? Understanding it is not our job to condemn people to hell because 308 00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:32,920 if that was our job then it's our job to save them to heaven. I love doing the 309 00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:39,160 first one. I'm bad at doing the second one. And stop doing it altogether. Walking 310 00:29:39,160 --> 00:29:45,600 alongside people with the truth is the way that we're called to live. That is 311 00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:52,600 how God is sovereign over sin. Where is God in Katrina? He's in the church. Where 312 00:29:52,600 --> 00:29:58,580 is God when someone falls? He's in the church. Where is God when this pastor 313 00:29:58,580 --> 00:30:03,480 makes a mistake? He's in the church. Where is God when insert whatever you want? 314 00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:10,120 He's in the church. It's his bride. He has given us what our marching orders are 315 00:30:10,120 --> 00:30:17,960 supposed to be. Yet while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We 316 00:30:17,960 --> 00:30:24,200 understand that the wages of sin is death. But the way of life is the love of 317 00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:35,000 God and the love of people. Psalm 11, 5 and 6 says, the Lord tests the righteous 318 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:40,300 but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. Let him rain down 319 00:30:40,300 --> 00:30:45,440 coals on the wicked. Excuse me, fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the 320 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:56,200 portion of their cup. Leave that up. For some of us, for some of us we call this 321 00:30:56,200 --> 00:31:08,400 evangelism. It's not. This is a rebuke in the Psalms of what God thinks about sin. 322 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:13,200 This is what God thinks about the one who steals money to the one who is the 323 00:31:13,200 --> 00:31:19,120 abuser. This is the one who, this is what God thinks about the person that does the 324 00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:25,360 hit and run and the person that lied about getting out of whatever. There are 325 00:31:25,360 --> 00:31:33,400 some of you that struggle with the scale of sin. Come on. Is stealing candy in 326 00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:40,600 fourth grade the same as killing someone? It's not. Worldly, you're right. 327 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:47,360 Heavenly, it's all sin and sin is the absence of God. God is not with you in 328 00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:51,960 that moment of sin, right? Though he's with you always, he's not encouraging you 329 00:31:51,960 --> 00:31:55,920 for that just like he's not there with the murderer. That this is how God feels 330 00:31:55,920 --> 00:32:01,120 about sin and there are over 300 other verses about how God feels about sin and 331 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:09,360 how the sin of the sinners will be judged. But that doesn't sound good. Let 332 00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:13,800 him rain coals on the wicked. Fire and sulfur in the scorching wind shall be 333 00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:22,680 the portion of their cup. Thank God for his grace. Thank God he is sovereign. 334 00:32:22,680 --> 00:32:32,080 Thank God he will punish the wicked. The wicked will get theirs and we love that. 335 00:32:32,080 --> 00:32:40,680 Understand, you and I are wicked. Wickedness is in our DNA and there is the 336 00:32:40,680 --> 00:32:47,840 paradox. Well, pastor, I've been saved. I've made my profession of faith. Cam, 337 00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:53,960 where are you? Right there. Wasn't that... Thank you, Peyton. I know that that's him. 338 00:32:53,960 --> 00:32:58,160 Didn't you get encouraged by the elders last Monday? And wasn't there an elder 339 00:32:58,160 --> 00:33:01,640 that said there's somebody that doesn't like what's going on right now? And who 340 00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:06,880 was he referring to? Satan. It's one of the reasons why we pray a hedge of 341 00:33:06,880 --> 00:33:11,400 protection around anyone that comes and makes a profession of faith. Because Cam 342 00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:18,400 just made Satan and the world's job a lot harder. Friends, until we're in glory, 343 00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:24,400 there is always going to be that tension. You can be on the side of judgment. You 344 00:33:24,400 --> 00:33:29,720 can take God's job and you can throw the coals and you can throw the fire and you 345 00:33:29,720 --> 00:33:33,880 can throw the sulfur and you can blow the wind and you can throw a cup at 346 00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:37,200 everybody and that's how you can live out your life. And if you call it 347 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:46,760 evangelism, I will rebuke you because it's not. It's a recognition, I am wicked 348 00:33:46,760 --> 00:33:56,120 but God is good. I am a sinner but God is good. In my weakness, God is good. When 349 00:33:56,120 --> 00:34:01,000 life is going well, God is good. Though we blame God when life's going bad and we 350 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:05,280 love ourselves when life's going right. It doesn't work that way. And you know 351 00:34:05,280 --> 00:34:11,640 why it doesn't work that way? Because if God is sovereign, if God is good, then 352 00:34:11,640 --> 00:34:21,960 it's not about us because we are not our own then. That if God died for you and me, 353 00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:29,320 then it's not about me. It's not about us. It is about this and never forget that 354 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:40,480 we are not our own but we belong both body and soul in life and in death to our 355 00:34:40,480 --> 00:34:45,200 faithful Savior Jesus Christ. Friends, He has fully paid for your sins with His 356 00:34:45,200 --> 00:34:50,240 precious blood and my sins. He has set us free from the tyranny of the devil. He 357 00:34:50,240 --> 00:34:54,800 also watches over us in such a way that not a hair can fall from our head 358 00:34:54,800 --> 00:35:00,320 without the will of Him in heaven, our Father in heaven. In fact, all things 359 00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:07,720 must work together for our salvation. All things of Christ, not us. But here's the 360 00:35:07,720 --> 00:35:15,640 assurance and the faithfulness of God. But because we belong to Him, Christ by 361 00:35:15,640 --> 00:35:21,960 His Holy Spirit assures me, assures you of eternal life and makes us 362 00:35:21,960 --> 00:35:33,880 wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for Him. Jesus loves you. 363 00:35:33,880 --> 00:35:41,720 You have been given life from the life giver. And next week we're gonna talk 364 00:35:41,720 --> 00:35:49,160 about what that means. But until that time, let us be ever on our lips. Great is 365 00:35:49,160 --> 00:36:12,400 thy faithfulness.