The Purpose of Salvation

When there was only God he chose us before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless where before him. Another way of saying that is in his presence. God chose us before the foundation of the world to make us absolutely holy and blameless in his presence. That is to say, chose to bring us right there.

The fact that we are unworthy helps us understand why the miracle of salvation is so great what's the reason behind that gracious act.

Why would God who sees all of our sin and knows how undeserving we are. Why would he save us. Today's message on Grace to you will help answer that, as John MacArthur continues his study from Romans eight looking at what you can expect to find true of a person who is held securely in the grip of God, and now here's John MacArthur we're going to the eighth chapter of Romans Romans 828 to 30 where it says and we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose for whom he foreknew he also predestined to become conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren and whom he predestined, these he also called and whom he called these he also justified, in whom he justified, these he also glorified. Now this is very familiar in a very important portion of Scripture that we have already been discussing. In fact, we've pretty well marched our way through verse 28 now and look at verses 29 to 30.

That's gonna take us into a discussion of foreknowledge and predestination, primarily, and as we approached this subject. I have to confess to you that the this is going to take us deeper than we can really go and I'm the first to admit that as we try to understand this vast, limitless, infinite truth with our puny minds were going to have some problems. Problems which are resolved not by reason problems which are resolved not by further information but problems which are resolved by faith, trust, we are embarking on a journey into divine infinity and no higher pursuit exists another. A lot of things like that that you can pursue and find yourself hopelessly wandering around in a state of confusion.

For example, just think for a while about the fact that God always existed and you're likely if you do it too long to find yourself under the bed, saying the Greek alphabet. Even if you don't know it to try to conceive of something that has no beginning, someone that has no beginning, is beyond us and then if you want another exercise in the delineating the futility of your finite mind. Just begin to think about the fact that you will live forever because you have no conception no capability of conceiving in your mind something that doesn't have a beginning and an end and that that's just the very initial concepts about God that is that he always was and always will be, and we can hardly handle those. Why would we think that we could somehow wrap our puny brains around infinity at the point of God's sovereign unfolding purpose. We can't and so we have to at the beginning admit we face great immense limitations and the temptations listen carefully the temptations are going to be to think they are God's limitations, not ours because we are so prone to pride and so prone to define all things in terms of our own abilities. We tend to think the problem must be with God.

Somehow he's not fair or he's not just store these two fatalistic or he's left us out of it. Or, on the other hand, he is just and he is loving and therefore he's given all the responsibility to us and he cannot determine all of this on his own. It is by the way, sacrilegious. If you don't resist that temptation. The limitation is not on God.

It's on us to question the wisdom of God to question the justice of God to question the love of God to question God's defining man as responsible to question the punishment of God on man or exercising his choice to reject the gospel to question God for any of those things is merely a manifestation of your ridiculously feeble and proud mind.

Now try not to make too many conclusions along the way. I'll try to give you a balanced perspective within the sense of our limitations, and present as much Scripture as is available to us no less and no more.

We can't ultimately reconcile this great truth in our puny minds because we cannot grasp the infinite mind of God. Only faith can give us peace with this okay. Only faith can give us peace with this. Now the general truth is this the general truth given by the Holy Spirit is that God causes all things okay.

It's what it says and he causes all things to work together for our eternal good are good being eternal glory.

Why, because that is his purpose and if God causes that it's going to happen. Why verse 31. If God is for us who in the universe could possibly be against us successfully. No one since God is superior, so we are secure, eternally in the purpose of God is the purpose of God to save us eternally. This is not just taught in the eighth chapter of Romans. It is taught as well in Ephesians chapter 1 in verse five. Verse four. Let's start there. Both start in verse three were not because this is where it all begins. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, the source of all blessing is God. He blesses us and they start to unfold those blessings he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him.

That is a monumental state before the foundation of the world. That means before there was a creation before Genesis 11 before anything was created before space existed before time existed before matter existed, when there was only God before angels existed when there was only God he chose us before the foundation of the world that we should be saved from sin no that we should be holy and blameless where before him.

Another way of saying that is in his presence. God chose us before the foundation of the world to make us absolutely wholly and completely blameless in his presence. That is to say, he chose to bring us to glory. He didn't choose and you must remember this, he didn't choose the beginning of our salvation.

He purpose the end of it. I don't understand why people miss this in a fair understanding of Scripture leaves it so clear. Verse five he predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the kind intention of his will. Again we read the same idea. It was his well it was his purpose to predestined us, which is another way of saying he chose us in him before the foundation of the world and he chose to make us his sons through Jesus Christ and then verse six says to bring us to the praise of the glory of his grace. In other words, he chose to bring us to salvation and to the praise of the glory of his grace. That means you had to bring us all the way to glory if we got lost along the way people would say his grace was not sufficient when if God has the kind of saving grace comes and goes and comes and goes and is gained and lost captured and forfeited in back and forth that's something short of a securing kind of grace is not in terms of praiseworthy character, so he has chosen us. He has predestined us and he has chosen us all the way to holiness and blamelessness in his presence and he has predestined us all the way to the praise of the glory of his grace. Verse seven we have in him redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses. That means total and complete forgiveness of all our sins according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us. In other words, he has poured out a lavish kind of grace and in that lavish grace is consummate and complete forgiveness of all sins, which guarantees our eternal glory because of all our sins are forgiven and that secures our eternal glory. That's why we can say in Romans 828 all things work together for good. Even our sin activates God's grace produces forgiveness and ends in our eternal glory. And then in verse eight is wisdom and insight verse nine he made known to us the mystery of his well what is the mystery of his, well, well, the mystery of his will is again. Here's the same idea. It's according to his kind intention, which he purposed in Christ, here we are back to God's will, God's purpose God's kind intention and what was it. To sum up, verse 10, middle verse sum up all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to his purpose who works all things after the counsel of his will to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of his glory is just repeating the same thing over and over again. He saved us, gave us an inheritance that inherence an inheritance involves a predestination again. According to his purpose and according to that purpose. He works all things after the counsel of his well so that he might bring us to be the praise of his glory year 14 verse he is given us the Holy Spirit as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession to the praise of his glory. He will bring us to glory. He will redeem us fully in the Holy Spirit is given to us as a guarantee, a pledge I mean you cannot get around this great truth. God has a purpose. God has a will. God has a plan verse five. God has a kind intention again. Verse nine. According to his kind intention, which he purposed verse 11. According to his purpose. Verse 14 pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession of the praise was more the purpose of God is to bring us to glory and you cannot escape that it is everywhere in the New Testament teaching about salvation and faculty. Chapter 2 for a moment and we are familiar with verses eight and nine, by grace you been saved through faith that not of yourselves as a gift of God not of works is an immense boast, but verse seven tells us why he saved us in order that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus you know I saved us so that he could bring you to glory, which is the ages to come and pour out all the surpassing riches of his grace in his kindness on you.

You weren't saved just to help you bump along temporarily in this life. If you could hang onto it. You were saved in order that you might be brought into the surpassing riches of his grace in his kindness in the ages to come.

And since it isn't a matter of works to get saved is not a matter works to stay saved right.

It was grace that Savior's grace that keeps you and grace that brings you to glory. In fact, I think it's fair to say that salvation is not based on what man or woman does and I ready for this. It's not even based on what a man or woman decides the purest sense. John 112 as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name.

Listen to this, who were born that speaking of their new birth, their salvation, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but what of God of God. The reason we are confident in our eternal salvation is because that is the plan that is the plan. I mean, the natural man in first Corinthians 214 can understand the things of God.

So we certainly can't save himself. He is really hopeless in making any effort to do that since he is blind and ignorant and willfully rebellious and hopelessly iniquitous. Jesus said in John 843 to those around them. He said why do you not understand what I'm saying is, because you can't hear my word because you are of your father the devil man as long as you were dead in trespasses and sin as long as you are blind as long as your of your father the devil you cannot understand the truth.

It's not just a matter of you being smart enough to make the right choice has to be a mighty work of God's not of the will of man, it's the will of God and that is repeated over and over, but only look at John six for just a moment. This is a very familiar text but just to read person briefly. John 637 I think sums it up so well all that the father gives me shall come to me at that statement somewhere to be locked into every one's mind all that the father gives me shall come to me. Another words the whole matter of salvation is initiated by the father's will. All that the father gives me scummy good on verse 44 no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him a look at this. Nobody comes in was the father sent me draws him and I will do my best to hang on to him till the end. That was it. No, I will what raise him up at the last day nobody gets lost in the meantime the whole matter of the security of the believer is clearly identified right here they are, by the will of God drawn to Christ who keeps them all and raises them up at the last day back in verse 39 and this is the will of him who sent me that of all that he has given me. I lose none but raise them up on the last day for this is the will of my father that everyone who beholds the son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I myself will raise him up on the last day God's will is that whom he draws Christ receives whom Christ receives.

He keeps and whom he keeps he raises to eternal glory. That's is what remember that most notable section of the 17th chapter of John.

And I remind you of it because it's one of the most magnificent insights into this Jesus was so conscious of his responsibility to hold onto believers that when he was going toward the cross, he realized there was going to be a problem because there was going to be a time on the cross. Remember what he said my God my God why you forsaken me, there's gonna be a time on the cross, when he was going to be spiritually somehow alienated from God and he could not hold on to his own. That was a concern to him so he prays to the father in John 17 and in verse 11. This is what he said he's anticipating the time on the cross. I'm no more in the world and yet they themselves are in the world and I come to the holy father, look at this keep them in thy name. You know he's really saying to the father. Father, there's gonna be a time when not going to be able to hold onto them. Would you please take over. During that time and keep them for me.

Verse 12 while I was with them I was keeping them in thy name, which thou gavest me I held onto them. That was your will that was your purpose.

That's what you said that's what you wanted and that's what I've done.

I guarded them and not one of them perished, but the one who was supposed to perish who never was a true child a true believer in Scripture might be fulfilled, referring to Judas. Jesus is saying.

I Them father, but there's gonna be a time when I can't keep the Met time of sin bearing on the cross and you've got to keep them for me. What a tremendous insight verse 15. He defines what he means any also realizes going back to glory, and he's not gonna be there, be present in care for them and he says I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.

When he asked the father to keep them. He means keep them from Satan. In what sense would say what Satan wants to do. Satan wants to do this he wants to destroy saving faith.

You need understand that that's the whole message of the book of Job, remember that the whole point of the book of Job is not a man suffering in a man and his counselors and a man loses everything and gets more back the story of the book of Job is this story is the story of the inability of Satan to destroy saving faith. Satan comes before the throne of God in the first couple chapters, he says to God. The only reason anybody ever stays faithful to you. God is because you bless them all the time and if you quit blessing them and life was tough enough. They'd curse you, and guts is okay will take Job do whatever you want to and will see an Satan assaults the life of Job in in the most devastating ways imaginable. He loses everything. I mean literally everything but his cantankerous wife gave him bad advice like all the rest of the people around you loses all his children. They're all killed loses all of his crops. He loses his fortune. He loses his health everything but his life and he would've perhaps like to of lost that to get out of the absolute misery. He went from from wealth to poverty went from having a family to having absolutely none went from being a man of the of health to a man who was so full of Boylston scabs were scraping them off of the broken piece of pottery in total pain and agony, but through it all he never lost his faith in God and the whole point is at the end of the book he says it's for stronger than it's ever been. I've heard of the with a hearing in my ear now I see the and I repent in dust and ashes.

What happened was through all of the suffering.

His his faith didn't fail.

In fact, the one point he said, though he slay me, yet will I trust them through all of the suffering is faith didn't fail, it was strengthened and God was proving the point.

Saving faith cannot be destroyed. The severe the trial the stronger the fate you see that's why James had counted all joy when you fall into various trials because that kind of experience has a positive effect doesn't produce as patients and patient patients has perfect work, but Satan wants to destroy saving faith. That's what he wants to do the father's plan is not to allow them to do and the father says I will never allow you to be tempted above that you are what able, but I'll always make a way of escape, so that you may be able to bear the Lord will never allow you to go through something you can't endure in the midst of it will always make a way of escape, the Lord will always provide the strength of the interceding Holy Spirit.

The strength of the interceding son to make sure that no matter what goes on. You are kept by the father's power because that's his purpose. That's his plan matter what Satan wants to do. So we see in John 1715 Jesus saying just protect them from the evil one. Your secure beloved because that's the father's purpose, but your secure because the sun and the spirit are making sure that the father's purpose is fulfilled, and that the spirit is constantly relentlessly unceasingly interceding for you from Earth as he dwells within you and the sun is relentlessly and interceding for you in the presence of God at the right hand of the throne between the two of them. Your secure why verse 24 John 17. Father, I desire. They also, whom thou was given me, be with me where I am.

I want to bring the glory you want to bring the glory I want to bring him to glory the Holy Spirit is groaning for their glory. We saw that in Romans eight how that that the whole creation is groaning and secondly we're groaning for the redemption of our bodies.

The whole creation, groaning for the glorious millennial earth we're groaning for our glorified bodies in the Holy Spirit is groaning.

Also, for our eternal glory. The spirit wanted the sun wants it. The father wants it.

I want to bring to glory, to be where I am, in order that they may behold my glory, which thou was given me. I want I want them to come the glory so they can see my glory. That's the plan.

Remember I told this in the past. Salvation is all about God wanting to create and redeem a humanity, a group of human beings who could go to heaven for the purpose of glorifying the sun right now. He says I want the plan to come to pass. I want to see them come all the way to glory so they can behold my glory, the glory which you've given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world before the foundation of the world. Remember, the father because of his love for the sun set on going to give you a redeemed humanity, and will bring them all the way to glory the gonna come the glory for the express purpose of praising and glorifying your great name. That was the way the father expresses love to the son by giving him a redeemed humanity in the father's plan was to choose who they would be to save them and then the sun was to provide sacrifice for that salvation in the sun and the spirit in intercessory work by which they keep those people secure and bring them all the way to glory in Jesus did his part is doing his part as is the spirit and the purpose of God will stand and that's grace to you with John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us today study titled the grip of God highlights the blessing of knowing that if God has saved you. He will never let you go John, your text today was Romans eight your subject the sovereignty of God, and I noticed that you spent a lot of time in the sermon.

Going beyond Romans eight and I want you to talk about that strategy studying multiple passages in order to understand one particular portion of Scripture is that a technique that is best left to pastors and Bible scholars, or should we all be stuck with that is that that is the only way to study the Bible you have one author God, and the Scripture is consistent. It doesn't contradict at any point because God is the single author every word is true in the spirit of God is inspired every word the original autographs and that's been protected by the spirit of God down to the translations we have today. The only way to really understand Scripture is to understand it in in the full dimension of the the Revelation. In other words, what you begin to see in the book of Genesis or in the Pentateuch or in the Old Testament is going to be consistent in terms of doctrine all the way to the end when you get to the book of Revelation. So being able to connect this Scripture is critical and in order to do that you have to take whatever text you're looking at whatever verse you're looking at and find out where else in the Bible is this being discussed so that I can get the big picture of a way to say it is this. The Bible is its own best interpreter may say that again the Bible is its own best interpreter. The Bible interprets itself by its consistency as you begin to understand what is being taught all across Scripture nice it will. How can I acquire that ability.

Well, you can just make it simple get a MacArthur study Bible and the footnotes will do it for you.

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Letters Jide TY.now for John MacArthur and the entire staff. I'm Phil Johnson reminding you to watch grace to you television this Sunday on DirecTV channel 378 or check your local listings were channeling times and then be here every day next week when John continues his study grip of God, with another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on grace to you