The
Non Christian says: "I can’t believe in a
God that would send somebody to hell." "If
God is love then why does he send anyone to
hell. That’s not the kind of God I want to
follow." "I can’t accept a God like that."
But
the truth: You can’t define your own God,
you can’t define your own reality. There
is an absolute reality!
We
have and, will continue to run into many
many many things in the Bible that we wish
weren't there.
Review
1 Cor. 12:3
Therefore I
tell you that no one who is speaking by the
Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and
no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by
the Holy Spirit.
Man
cannot intentionally do spiritual
good on his own and there are no good men or
women. No one seeks God out on his own.
Ps 14:2
,Jer. 17:9, Rom. 3:10
Man
cannot change on his own
Jer. 13:23
And
finally, we see over and over again, when
there is a change in man, it is effected by
the conviction of the Holy Spirit. It is
intiated by God and not by man:
Jer. 24:7, Matt
16:17, John 6:44, Acts 16:14, Col. 2:13
Today's Verses
John 15:16
You did not choose me, but I chose
you and appointed you to go and bear fruit
--fruit that will last. Then the Father will
give you whatever you ask in my name.
Rom. 11:2
God did not reject his people, whom he
foreknew. Don't you know what the
Scripture says in the passage about Elijah
--how he appealed to God against Israel: 3
"Lord, they have killed your prophets and
torn down your altars; I am the only one
left, and they are trying to kill me" ? 4
And what was God's answer to him? "I have
reserved for myself seven thousand who
have not bowed the knee to Baal." 5 So too,
at the present time there is a remnant
chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then
it is no longer by works; if it were, grace
would no longer be grace. 7 What then? What
Israel sought so earnestly it did not
obtain, but the elect did. The others were
hardened, 8 as it is written: "God
gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so
that they could not see and ears so that
they could not hear, to this very day." 9
And David says: "May their table become a
snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a
retribution for them. 10 May their eyes be
darkened so they cannot see, and their backs
be bent forever."
Rom. 11:27
And this is my covenant with them when I
take away their sins." 28 As far as the
gospel is concerned, they are enemies on
your account; but as far as election
is concerned, they are loved on account of
the patriarchs, 29 for God's gifts and
his call are irrevocable.
1
Pet. 1:1
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To
God's elect, strangers in the world,
scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia,
Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have
been chosen according to the
foreknowledge of God the Father, through
the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for
obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by
his blood: Grace and peace be yours in
abundance.
Exod. 4:21
The LORD said to
Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that
you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I
have given you the power to do. But I
will harden his heart so that he will
not let the people go.
Exod 7:3
But I will
harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I
multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in
Egypt,
Exod. 14:4
And I will harden Pharaoh's heart,
and he will pursue them. But I will gain
glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his
army, and the Egyptians will know that I am
the LORD." So the Israelites did this.
Exod. 14:17 I will
harden the hearts of the Egyptians
so that they will
go in after them. And I will gain glory
through Pharaoh and all his army, through
his chariots and his horsemen.
Isa. 63:17
Why, O LORD, do
you make us wander from your ways and
harden our hearts so we do not revere
you? Return for the sake of your servants,
the tribes that are your inheritance.
1
Sam. 2:24
No, my sons; it is not a good report that I
hear spreading among the LORD's people.
25 If a man sins against another man,
God may mediate for him; but if a man sins
against the LORD, who will intercede for
him?" His sons, however, did not listen to
their father's rebuke, for it
was the LORD's will to put them to death.
Proverbs 16:4
(NASB) The Lord has made everything
for its own purpose,
even the wicked for
the day of destruction.
Matt. 22:12
`Friend,' he asked,
`how did you get in here without wedding
clothes?' The man was speechless. 13 "Then
the king told the attendants, `Tie him hand
and foot, and throw him outside, into the
darkness, where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.' 14 "For many are
invited, but few are chosen."
Matt. 24:22
If those days had not been cut short, no one
would survive, but for the sake of the
elect those days will be shortened. 23
At that time if anyone says to you, `Look,
here is the Christ!' or, `There he is!' do
not believe it. 24 For false Christs and
false prophets will appear and perform great
signs and miracles to deceive even the
elect --if that were possible.
Matt. 24:31
And he will send his
angels with a loud trumpet call, and they
will gather his elect from the four
winds, from one end of the heavens to the
other.
Mark 13:20
If the Lord had not cut short those days, no
one would survive. But for the sake of
the elect, whom he has chosen, he has
shortened them. 21 At that time if anyone
says to you, `Look, here is the Christ!' or,
`Look, there he is!' do not believe it. 22
For false Christs and false prophets will
appear and perform signs and miracles to
deceive the elect --if that were
possible.
Mark 13:27
And he will send his angels and gather
his elect from the four winds, from the
ends of the earth to the ends of the
heavens.
Eph. 1:4
For he chose us in him before the
creation of the world to be holy and
blameless in his sight. In love 5 he
predestined us to be adopted as his sons
through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his
pleasure and will-- 6 to the praise of his
glorious grace, which he has freely given us
in the One he loves.
Eph. 1:11
In him we were
also chosen, having been
predestined according to the plan of him
who works out everything in conformity with
the purpose of his will, 12 in order that
we, who were the first to hope in Christ,
might be for the praise of his glory.
Eph. 2:8
For it is by grace
you have been saved, through faith --and
this not from yourselves, it is the gift of
God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can
boast.
Col. 3:11
Here there is no
Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised,
barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but
Christ is all, and is in all. 12 Therefore,
as God's chosen people, holy and
dearly loved, clothe yourselves with
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness
and patience.
2Ths. 2:13
But we ought always to thank God for you,
brothers loved by the Lord, because from the
beginning God chose you to be saved
through the sanctifying work of the Spirit
and through belief in the truth. 14 He
called you to this through our gospel,
that you might share in the glory of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
James 1:17
Every good and
perfect gift is from above, coming down from
the Father of the heavenly lights, who does
not change like shifting shadows. 18 He
chose to give us birth through the word
of truth, that we might be a kind of
firstfruits of all he created.
Even the
Angels are chosen:
1Tim. 5:21
I charge
you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus
and the elect angels, to keep these
instructions without partiality, and to do
nothing out of favoritism.
Rom. 8:29
For those God foreknew he also
predestined to be conformed to the
likeness of his Son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those
he predestined, he also called;
those he called, he also justified;
those he justified, he also glorified. 31
What, then, shall we say in response to
this? If God is for us, who can be against
us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but
gave him up for us all --how will he not
also, along with him, graciously give us all
things? 33 Who will bring any charge against
those whom God has chosen? It is God
who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns?
Christ Jesus, who died --more than that, who
was raised to life --is at the right hand of
God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or
famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
Acts 13:48
When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad
and honored the word of the Lord;
and all who were
appointed for eternal life believed.
Are
we called because of something we did?
2
Tim. 1:8
So do not be ashamed to testify about our
Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But
join with me in suffering for the gospel, by
the power of God, 9 who has saved
us and called us to a holy life --not
because of anything we have done but because
of his own purpose and grace. This grace
was given us in Christ Jesus before the
beginning of time.
Grace
Romans 9:9
For this was how the
promise was stated: "At the appointed time I
will return, and Sarah will have a son."
10 Not only that, but Rebekah's children
had one and the same father, our father
Isaac. 11 Yet, before the twins were
born or had done anything good or bad --in
order that God's purpose in election might
stand: 12 not by works but by him who
calls --she was told, "The older will serve
the younger." 13 Just as it is
written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."
14 What then shall we say? Is God
unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to
Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have
mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I
have compassion." 16 It does not,
therefore, depend on man's desire or effort,
but on God's mercy. 17 For the
Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up
for this very purpose, that I might display
my power in you and that my name might be
proclaimed in all the earth." 18
Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to
have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to
harden. 19 One of you will say to me:
"Then why does God still blame us? For who
resists his will?" 20 But who are
you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what
is formed say to him who formed it, `Why did
you make me like this?'" 21 Does not
the potter have the right to make out of the
same lump of clay some pottery for noble
purposes and some for common use? 22
What if God, choosing to show his wrath and
make his power known, bore with great
patience the objects of his wrath --prepared
for destruction? 23 What if he did
this to make the riches of his glory known
to the objects of his mercy, whom he
prepared in advance for glory-- 24
even us, whom he also called, not only from
the Jews but also from the Gentiles?
When God sends a man to Hell, that's
Justice, because we all deserve Hell.
When God saves one of those men who deserve
Hell, that's Grace, because none of
us deserve to be saved.
When we understand that we can do no
less than to fall flat on our face and
worship Him.
That's Glory to God,
and that’s what we were created to do.
2_green.GIF)
