Salvation Is of the Lord

Bibles to the gospel of John chapter 1 we have been looking at the prologue of the gospel of John of the last several Wednesday nights we are coming tonight to verse 13 I will read that text and then we will read the verses leading up to it. Verse 13 breaking right into a thought says, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God course. The preceding verses need to be read in order to put all that in the context of that's were going to do just a moment, excuse me when to take another construct the start.

Let me say a few things by way of introduction before I read the preceding verses many of you are aware that in the book of Jonah. Jonah was in the belly of the whale and thought that his life was over he cried out to the Lord for mercy. He prayed, he repented he was in the belly of the well of course because of his sinful rebellion against God. You know that he got there because the sailors of the ship that he was on trying to flee in the opposite direction from where God told him to go had at his insistence, thrown them overboard because Jonah knew that he was responsible for that terrible storm that was threatening to capsize the vessel storm that even seasoned sailors were frightened of.

So they threw him overboard in his insistence they were reluctant to do that even these pagan sailors but they did and a whale swallowed them up and down he went. The belly of the whale down into the ocean. Of course being swallowed by the whale was actually God's provision for his protection and preservation would've looked like that. I'm sure the sailors who sought to their no doubt their amazement when they tossed them overboard and saw this huge quail, to the surface and gobble them up. As far as they were concerned he was gone forever. Somebody asked me just recently.

If Jonah died the belly of the whale and was resurrected by the power God and there are some who think so and I would say we really don't know but please keep in mind that he cried he prayed he cried to God for the belly of the whale for deliverance. And God answered that prayer so if he didn't die, was resurrected that he had to be resurrected before he prayed for deliverance, which to me though it's not impossible to think of it that way to me that seems a little strange.

It seems likely that he was kept alive in the belly of this fish was not digested did not become a meal for the whale that course is a miracle in itself, but was preserved in that location. And then when he cried out to God for mercy. God had the whale vomited them up spitting about on the shore on dry land and Jonah was saved and in the course of that.

Jonah said these words.

Salvation is of the Lord. He knew that he was in a desperate condition. He knew that there was no hope of escape, except by the intervening and sovereign power of God, and upon realizing his utter helplessness and crying out to God from total desperation. Jonah received mercy and was saved he was rescued from the belly of a whale by a miraculous delivery that could only come from God and so he said salvation is of the Lord. That phrase has become a descriptive phrase for those who understand the sovereignty of God in salvation Jonah salvation that he was speaking of the course was a physical deliverance, God saved his life. God's saved him for future ministry that was deliverance that was physical deliverance, physical salvation, which in his case was certainly of the Lord, but it has been taken up as a phrase to describe spiritual deliverance. The salvation of the soul, which is also of the Lord. That's were then look at tonight in John 113 text that drives us to sovereign mercy, for salvation. Men suppose that an emphasis upon God's sovereignty and salvation will discourage men and women from calling upon God from coming to Christ. But the opposite actually is true. It is as men become more aware of the total helplessness of their condition and their complete helplessness to do anything about it themselves that drives them to cast themselves as beggars upon the mercy of Christ where no one has ever yet been turned away, but it is precisely because few perceive themselves as totally, completely and helplessly lost that mandate who make professions of faith are not truly say you can't be saved until you see yourself as lost you Be saved until you are desperate for salvation that comes only from God is only when one comes to see that there is nothing that he can do it anyway. In any part to bring about his salvation that he is cast upon Christ and upon him alone. That is what we read in John 113 drives us away from every human refuge so that we are driven to the only rock of our salvation rock that is higher than I now in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God all things were made through him and without him nothing was made that was made in him was life and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all through him might believe he was not that light was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world and the world was made by him in the world did not know him. He came to his own and his own did not receive him, but as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in his name who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Thus far in these verses we have seen the nature of the Savior that he is eternal in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, we learned that he is God is equal with God and he is God. He was in the beginning with God and he was God is God, we learned that the Savior is the creator of everything without him was not anything made that was made. He is creator of all. Which of course can only be said of God, we learn that he is the source of life.

He was the life that brings light into the world and he is not only the source of life with the revealer of life. The light is the revelation of the life that is found in him and that he gives to those who cast themselves up on Kim. We also learned some things about human beings in this passage we learn that we are creatures we are created.

Unlike the Savior, who is uncreated was eternal. But beyond that, we learn that we are sinful light shines in the darkness, the darkness did not comprehend it.

We learn that we are blind got darkness did not comprehend the light that's a total blindness that cannot even perceive light. Some people are legally blind, but they have a little bit of site and they can tell the difference between light and darkness, but total blindness leaves a person unable to discern whether it's day or night with reason, darkness, or under a spotlight and spiritually speaking. That's where we are. We are blind we are blind to the light that comes from Jesus Christ and we are hostile to God, we he came into the world. The world was made through him, and the world did not know him. He came unto his own and his own did not receive. This is a description of the nature of humanity and yet there are those who escape from the condition that has been here described and they are revealed to us in verse 12 but as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in his name. There are those who are rescued out of this condition of sin and blindness and rebellion against God. There is no detectable human qualification for those who are thus rescued. They are simply described as by this phrase as many adults as many ads as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name as many as received him, were given the full authority to become children of God.

They are characterized by a reception of Christ, not a rejection of him. They trust in Christ, not a skepticism about him. They are characterized as being those who are yielded to Christ, not a rebellion to him. And as those who continually believe who believe we read in his name, verse 12, but that is a present tense participle literally is our believing continue to believe in his name.

Now the question is what makes the difference between those who are described as dead and blind and rebellious and hostile and retractors of all things spiritual, and those who receive who believe what makes the difference between those two categories is the difference good works, not according to this text is a difference the better sense of some to come to Christ when others have no such good sense. In other words, I had the wisdom to common others did not, so I can attribute salvation to myself, to my wisdom to be insured. Not smart enough savvy enough to come to Christ not the way this text reads is that my innate faith within me that caused me to come to Christ when others did not. As we siding at the beginning Herzog at the beginning of the congregation.

Why was I made to hear my voice and enter while there's room with thousands made a wretched choice and rather star than come. What makes the difference. And I can assure you that it's nothing within my there's nothing within us that we can both boast what's the excellent donation of this redeemed host and it is the verse that were looking at tonight reading verses 12 and 13 together, but as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe who our believing in his name who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Jonah said salvation is of these who received him more described in verse 12. These who were granted the right to become the sons of God. These who believe in our believing in his name were begotten by God were begotten is an interest passing that indicates something that took place in the past which has present results and what this is telling us is that what is described in verse 13, begotten of God took place prior to the believing of verse 12 as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become the children of God, to those who are believing in his name, who were born who work begotten prior to their believing on his name, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. It is a an heiress passive heiress indicates that which took place in the past but has continuing present results. The passing of indicates that this is something that was done by another who were begotten, not out of themselves, not of anything they did, but were born of the father born of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God and of course John is the one who talks about salvation in terms of the birth we can understand that much just by our experience with human birth. We know that none of us are responsible in any way for our own birth.

That was entirely in the hands of another was entirely accomplished by something that others did. And because of what they did. We showed up we were given life we were conceived. We were we were developed. We were first we came into this world as living creatures and we had nothing whatsoever to do with it. It was done for us. It was done to us. It was done by others and ourselves and that's what is described here, our spiritual birth was not of ourselves but is in fact of God. God acted upon those who came to faith in Christ God imported life to them and to make that very clear. John discard several possibilities that people sometimes look to and makes it clear that these are possibilities. They do not explain the new birth, who were born, not of blood or literally. It's plural, not of blunts.

This has to do with human dissent. This has to do with human heritage. The Jews in Christ day were often many of the most of them were under the delusion that they were the children of God by blood, by birth, by human dissent by parenting because they work in the line of Abraham because their parents were in the line of Abraham because they were born into this line to whom promises were made, they imagine that that therefore secure their position as sons of God, but John says no, those who are rescued out of sin and blindness in the eternal condemnation were not brought into that condition by blood has nothing to do with human dissent, nor we are told by in my Bible it says the will of the flesh. It could also be translated the desire of the flesh can come about because the desire of the flesh do something within us in our human flesh desired to be rescued because the Bible is clear our human flesh has no desire for spiritual things. Paul tells us in Corinthians, the natural man is who we all are, by our first birth. That's what produces our flesh natural man receives not the things of the spirit of God. They are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. We can have a desire for things that are beneficial to our flesh.

We can never desire for health. The desire for happiness.

Yes, even desire for heaven because we'd rather go to this happy place called heaven, then to the place of torment called hell. We can have a desire to avoid doom, pain, sorrow. But what we don't have is a desire for righteousness, but we don't have it as is a desire to be freed from our sin and separated from our sin, but we don't have is a desire for Christ. We don't have is a desire and a hunger for the word of God. We don't have that we can't produce that that doesn't come by the desire of the flesh, nor thirdly does it come about by the will of man by the exercise of his will.

Anyone's will, yours or anybody else know. Of course, can will salvation upon his child. No preacher can will salvation upon a member of his congregation.

No evangelist and will salvation upon anyone to whom he is preaching the gospel, it doesn't come about by the will of man, anyone else's, or yours, not by your will, rather by the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing about regeneration man's free will is not able to regenerate. Does man have a will, yes, does the exercises will yes does he make choices yes, but because of our condition. Our will does not make a choice in the direction of Christ in righteousness he does not he does not in this text. Therefore delivers the deathblow to the know say this deliberately, the idol of free will that many people hold onto.

It is an idol is a false doctrine. It is a fiction that free will is, in essence, our Savior, our free will to lay hold upon Christ.

Some put free will, upon the throne and ultimately they would say it this way, but ultimately God doesn't rule the universe. Man's free will does because man's free will makes the decisions and choices that ultimately decide what's going to happen in this universe, but that is not what the Bible teaches his men have a free will. Again, if you make any choose yes he can and he does he is freedom of choice, but if you mean is man's will morally neutral is man's will ask capable of righteous choices as it is of sinful ones in the answers no, I've already quoted one text makes it clear man does not have the ability to choose truth. Christ righteousness.

He doesn't have that in himself. He doesn't shoes that way. That's why Martin Luther the father really of the Protestant Reformation wrote a book I've got a copy of it. I read part of it, wrote a book entitled the bondage of the will to demonstrate that man's will is not free, its bow. It's in bondage. The bondage of the will you consider that in many ways to be the very heart of the Protestant Reformation, the very heart of the distinction between biblical salvation and the heirs of the Roman Catholic Church who championed the idea of man's free will. This is why Charles Spurgeon preached a famous sermon entitled free will, a slave got a copy of that also.

In my study in a little pamphlet for that. When I have read in total. It's been several years ago since I read it free will slave it's it's up. It's a paradox is there's one sense in which man's will is free but there is another sense in which it is slave because and here's the point if I can make this point will always chooses in accordance with desire does man have a will to choose what he desires.

Yes he's freight to choose whatever he desires railing in that sense he is a free will. What's the problem. Our desires are determined by our nature and what is the condition of man's nature, it is dead to spiritual things. It is blind to spiritual things. It has it hates the light men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. Man's nature will never, of itself, desire, light, truth, spiritual life, Christ righteousness and because man has no desire for those things. It's not within his fallen sinful nature. He will never choose those things he chooses. According to his desire and his desire is determined by his nature. Therefore man is going to choose Christ something must change his nature, and indeed that's what it's all about. If nature changes, desire changes, if there something that can change my antipathy toward Christ to a desire for Christ, then I will choose Christ my nature has changed my desires change I will choose Christ, I will choose righteousness, I will choose spiritual things. That's what I will shoes because that's what I desire, but I can only desire them. If first of all, my heart is changed my nature's strange something strange that gives me new desires.

So the question therefore is does God overcome man's will. Does God super close himself upon man's will and the answer is yes and no, he does. Thank God he does arose. There's no hope but were not aware of that would not conscious.

It's not like we want to go to hell.

But God forces us to go to heaven or the other way around to some people imagine it. I'd like to go to heaven. God is going to force me to choose help is not that way at all.

God so works within our nature to give us life to give us a change to give us new desires that the senses that this is what I desire, but the question is, what's the explanation for a person who is dead in trespasses and sins, who loves darkness because his deeds were evil. Who has no understanding nor desire for spiritual things. What's the explanation for how such a person. Why such a person will now desire the opposite of what is nature has all the long desired, the answer is, he has been changed. He has been born of God as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become the children of God, to those who are believing in his name who were born, not of blood nor the will of the flesh nor the will of man, but of God. When you understand that that shuts off all hope that is grounded in man and forces us to place all of our hope upon God in his mercy and his power. The sinner showed up to God alone evangelists to shut up to God alone. The parent is shut up to God alone for the salvation of his children. The petitioner is shut up to God alone, and what this does is make us beggars totally dependent upon God for salvation in this is where we must be for this is where salvation's mercy is found there is bread for beggars. There is mercy for those who understand their helplessness and appeal to God to help them to do for them what they cannot do for themselves, to save them from themselves all to be saved from myself. Dear Lord, O to be lost in the that's what John says. Later all that the father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. Shall we pray. Father, we want to pray for the Bixby family in France, and particularly for this dangerous bill that's being considered in France that could make the work of the gospel illegal in that country. Lord, we pray that, in your mercy will hold that back and a similar bill in the United States. Also, the equality act needs to be stopped in the Lord, we appeal to you to do the we pray for missionary Herb Taylor that you will continue to bless him. As he ministers so faithfully and effectively in the Hispanic community all across America. We pray for the Institute for creation research and the wonderful work they're doing that you will continue to sustain and strengthen and provide for them. We thank you for the good report from Paul and Tricia Snyder in the improvement of Paul's health and the prospect of returning to the field. We thank you for the good report from Ryan Kelly in his dissertation. We pray for member in prayer.

Prayer Mayor pro tem Jill auditory.

We continue to pray for our sister Drew Guthrie. She battles cancer and for Karen Bova. She's dealing with the death of a mother and a granddaughter.

What a deep loss.

We pray for Duane Craig's father.

And for those in Vanguard that are facing this armed aggression and hostility. Great danger to Christians into the gospel there. We pray for their protection. Pray for Laverne Waugh. She will continue to sustain her for Mike Webster and Francis he's battling cancer and we pray for David Moxley might give him a good report when he goes to the doctor in a few days.

Father, there are a host of others. Glad you know every need, were glad that you have appointed every trial.

Glad that you are in control of every trial. Glad that you are able to make all things work together for good to those who love you and who are the called according to your purpose.

We gladly yield ourselves into your sovereign and merciful care as we ask these things in Jesus name