WEBVTT 00:00:01.439 --> 00:00:08.960 This podcast is a ministry of Grand Parkway Baptist Church, helping people know, enjoy, and glorify God. 00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:14.000 For more information about Grand Parkway, visit Grandparkway.org. 00:00:15.919 --> 00:00:16.239 Amen. 00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:17.440 Let's pray together. 00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:23.760 Father, we can rest today because of the truth of the gospel, because you are sitting comfortably upon your throne. 00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:26.800 As we said earlier, you're not just sovereign, you are good. 00:00:26.960 --> 00:00:29.280 Sovereign means you're in charge, you're in control. 00:00:29.440 --> 00:00:33.679 So we don't have to labor under the illusion that we are or that any of this depends on us. 00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:39.840 We are the benefactors of something that you began a long time ago, and you will continue to the day of Christ Jesus. 00:00:40.079 --> 00:00:42.880 Holy Spirit, illuminate the word of God today. 00:00:43.280 --> 00:00:46.880 Cause it to come off the page and make sense in our head and in our heart. 00:00:47.039 --> 00:00:50.320 Provoke us to think uh in the right way. 00:00:50.479 --> 00:00:55.200 God, there's so much wrong thinking about the Bible and about God and Christianity today. 00:00:55.280 --> 00:00:59.359 And so, Lord, align our thoughts uh with the truth of your word today. 00:00:59.520 --> 00:01:06.239 We ask that you speak in a language that we understand, Lord, so we can get our heads around it and our hearts uh into it. 00:01:06.319 --> 00:01:10.480 So that we speak, we speak from an informed and an intimate posture. 00:01:10.640 --> 00:01:13.359 And so, Holy Spirit, make this our experience, we pray. 00:01:13.519 --> 00:01:17.359 We ask for this as your sons and daughters, and we ask for this in Jesus' name. 00:01:17.439 --> 00:01:19.359 And everyone said, Amen. 00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:20.239 You can have a seat. 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:24.319 If you've got a Bible, I invite you to take it, open it to John chapter 6. 00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:25.439 John chapter 6. 00:01:25.519 --> 00:01:29.680 If you don't have a Bible, if you forgot to bring yours, I'm on page 891 in your pew Bible. 00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:34.480 As I said earlier, I want to talk to you this morning about seeking Jesus and finding truth. 00:01:34.719 --> 00:01:36.879 Seeking Jesus and finding truth. 00:01:36.959 --> 00:01:46.000 Because a lot of people, when they when they start out looking for Jesus, they quickly realize or they should quickly realize that, hey, there's some non-negotiables about this whole thing. 00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:51.120 And there's a movement in the church nowadays that kind of says, hey, we should have soft edges and a firm center. 00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:52.159 And I'm great with that. 00:01:52.239 --> 00:01:57.680 This is a very gracious church, but let's be careful that we make sure that we we actually get to the center. 00:01:57.920 --> 00:02:14.159 Because a lot of people are saying, hey, let's don't, let's not be so uh uh so clear about what the Bible says about some of these hot button issues about sexuality uh and money and and all this kind of stuff and human identity and and and life and the origin of life and all this stuff. 00:02:14.240 --> 00:02:19.680 Let's just kind of let people bring all their divergent views, and then as we go along, we'll help them. 00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:24.240 You see, what's happening is that we're teaching people, quote unquote, how to be Christians. 00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:26.240 It's math, it's not music. 00:02:26.319 --> 00:02:29.520 And what you'll see in the Bible this morning is it's really music. 00:02:29.919 --> 00:02:30.560 It's music. 00:02:30.639 --> 00:02:34.479 When you hear it, your soul and your life and your body respond to it. 00:02:34.639 --> 00:02:37.599 What do I mean by seeking Jesus and finding truth? 00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:40.479 Well, uh, I'll start reading verse 22 in just a minute. 00:02:40.719 --> 00:02:42.560 But to give you the context, what happened? 00:02:42.639 --> 00:02:48.400 Uh, a couple weeks ago, we talked about how when Jesus fed the 5,000, uh, there was 5,000 men there. 00:02:48.479 --> 00:02:54.000 There were women and children, could have been been as many as 15 to 20,000, this throbbing mass of humanity. 00:02:54.159 --> 00:02:58.639 And Jesus leans over to one of his disciples and says, Hey, what how are we gonna feed all these people? 00:02:58.719 --> 00:03:01.280 And the disciples said, Hey man, there's not enough food here. 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:02.400 Let's send them somewhere else. 00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:08.000 If we had almost a year's wage, we had nine months worth of salary, we couldn't buy enough bread for these cats. 00:03:08.240 --> 00:03:09.120 Send them out of here. 00:03:09.199 --> 00:03:15.120 And the Bible says Jesus asked this question just to make a point, just to test him, because he already knew what he was going to do. 00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:19.840 And remember, we talked about there's no situation in which God does not know what he's going to do. 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:24.879 And so what Jesus does, they find this little boy and they say, Hey, this guy's got like five loaves and two fish. 00:03:25.039 --> 00:03:25.520 Good luck. 00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:27.680 And Jesus says, That'll do, give it to me. 00:03:27.919 --> 00:03:31.199 He thanks God, and then he breaks it, he blesses it and breaks it. 00:03:31.280 --> 00:03:35.840 They pass it out and they feed all these people, and there's 12 basketfuls left over. 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:37.919 And so this is a miraculous sign. 00:03:38.080 --> 00:03:41.599 So much so the people were so pumped, they wanted to make Jesus king by force. 00:03:41.680 --> 00:03:44.000 They were like, You're gonna be a right-in candidate, man. 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:45.919 We love bread, we like more bread. 00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:48.479 Keep providing us bread, give us stuff to eat. 00:03:48.639 --> 00:03:51.680 Take responsibility, Jesus, for meeting our physical needs. 00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:52.960 That's enough for us. 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:56.000 We pick up the story in John chapter 6, verse 22. 00:03:56.159 --> 00:04:08.400 Here's what the Bible says it says that on the next day, the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, and that his disciples had gone away alone. 00:04:08.560 --> 00:04:13.360 Other boats from Tiberius came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 00:04:13.520 --> 00:04:20.959 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum seeking Jesus. 00:04:21.120 --> 00:04:25.439 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, Rabbi, when did you come here? 00:04:25.759 --> 00:04:32.800 Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:42.959 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on him God the Father has set his seal. 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:44.160 Now look at me for a minute. 00:04:44.319 --> 00:04:55.040 What Jesus is saying to these people just straight up is hey, you're not looking at me, you're not looking for me because you want to believe in me, or you think you're looking for me because I fed you supper and now you're hungry for breakfast. 00:04:55.279 --> 00:04:56.879 That's what Jesus says to these people. 00:04:57.040 --> 00:05:03.360 And he says, Hey, you you you shouldn't be relating to me that way, but know this you shouldn't work for the bread that perishes. 00:05:03.519 --> 00:05:06.000 One of the questions we've got to ask ourselves is, what do I work for? 00:05:06.240 --> 00:05:15.199 Am I working just to get the next house up the food chain and the next vehicle and then this and the that and the food that perishes or the food that endures through eternal life? 00:05:15.360 --> 00:05:18.720 Jesus says, This, hey, upon me God has set his seal. 00:05:18.879 --> 00:05:24.240 A seal was something that was used to verify that this is what the owner says it is. 00:05:24.319 --> 00:05:27.439 And so Jesus says, God validates who I am. 00:05:27.680 --> 00:05:29.120 Okay, reading verse 28. 00:05:29.360 --> 00:05:32.720 Then they said to him, What must we do to be doing the works of God? 00:05:32.959 --> 00:05:37.360 Jesus answered them, This is the work of God, that you believe in him who he has sent. 00:05:37.519 --> 00:05:41.199 And so they said to him, Then what sign do you do that we may see and believe you? 00:05:41.360 --> 00:05:42.560 What work do you perform? 00:05:42.720 --> 00:05:47.040 Our fathers ate the man in the wilderness as it is written, he gave them bread from heaven. 00:05:47.199 --> 00:05:54.800 Jesus then said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my father gives you the true bread from heaven. 00:05:54.959 --> 00:05:59.040 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:01.920 And they said to him, Sir, give us this bread always. 00:06:02.160 --> 00:06:04.800 Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. 00:06:04.959 --> 00:06:08.959 Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 00:06:09.199 --> 00:06:12.959 But I said to you that you have seen me, and yet you do not believe. 00:06:13.199 --> 00:06:17.519 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:30.079 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me, and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing, uh I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 00:06:30.240 --> 00:06:38.160 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 00:06:38.399 --> 00:06:42.879 Now, we read a lot there, and I don't apologize for that, but I want you to get the flow of thought of what's happening. 00:06:43.120 --> 00:06:45.360 These people, Jesus fed them the night before. 00:06:45.439 --> 00:06:48.399 They woke up the next day, Jesus was gone, and they were like, Where's Jesus? 00:06:48.560 --> 00:06:50.959 We gotta find Jesus because we're time for breakfast. 00:06:51.120 --> 00:07:00.160 And so they find Jesus, and they're kind of like, Hey, uh, by the way, uh, when Jesus about the bread, and Jesus has said, Hey, I'm the true bread that came down from heaven. 00:07:00.240 --> 00:07:07.199 And then they had the audacity to question him and say, What sign can you can you perform to prove to us that you're really the Son of God? 00:07:07.439 --> 00:07:11.680 And Jesus is like, Hello, how about 5,000 of you just last night? 00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:14.319 You realize you have a short memory, don't you? 00:07:14.560 --> 00:07:18.560 You can forget, lickety split, how much God's done for you in a heartbeat. 00:07:18.639 --> 00:07:23.040 As a matter of fact, we can turn on God and be so mad at God if you're not careful. 00:07:23.199 --> 00:07:25.839 And so they're like, Well, well, what sign can you reform? 00:07:25.920 --> 00:07:28.000 And Jesus is like, I'm the bread that came down from heaven. 00:07:28.720 --> 00:07:32.319 Hey, by the way, Moses gave us bread in the wilderness. 00:07:32.480 --> 00:07:33.360 What are you gonna do? 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:35.759 Translation, dance, monkey, dance. 00:07:36.079 --> 00:07:38.480 Do more, Jesus, for us to believe in you. 00:07:38.639 --> 00:07:43.040 And Jesus is like, I, there's seven what's called I am statements in the book of John. 00:07:43.120 --> 00:07:44.079 And this is the first one. 00:07:44.240 --> 00:07:46.160 Jesus says, I am the bread of life. 00:07:46.399 --> 00:07:49.920 And then this little conversation takes a really deep turn, okay? 00:07:50.079 --> 00:07:52.079 And so I want us to think a little bit today. 00:07:52.160 --> 00:07:54.319 Here's the great thing about expository preaching. 00:07:54.480 --> 00:08:00.800 When you go through expository preaching, it's going through a book of the Bible verse by verse, is it it makes you think about things you wouldn't by nature think about. 00:08:00.959 --> 00:08:05.600 Because love to ourselves, we would all read the same 20 Bible passages to the day we die. 00:08:05.759 --> 00:08:08.480 We read for comfort, not understanding. 00:08:08.720 --> 00:08:14.160 And I think the more you trust what the Bible says, you will find comfort in your understanding. 00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:17.680 And so when I say seeking Jesus and finding truth, here's what I mean. 00:08:17.839 --> 00:08:23.360 There's basically three truths in the passage here, towards the end of the passage, that I want to point to that we need to embrace today. 00:08:23.439 --> 00:08:25.040 The first one is found in verse 37. 00:08:25.120 --> 00:08:28.720 It's simply this the capacity to believe is a gift from God. 00:08:28.959 --> 00:08:31.759 The capacity to believe is a gift from God. 00:08:31.920 --> 00:08:34.399 And look no further than verse 36 to see what I mean. 00:08:34.559 --> 00:08:35.120 Look at it. 00:08:35.679 --> 00:08:37.759 Jesus said to him, I'll start in verse 35. 00:08:37.919 --> 00:08:39.039 I am the bread of life. 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:42.879 Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 00:08:43.039 --> 00:08:46.480 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet you do not believe. 00:08:46.720 --> 00:08:49.600 How can these people see Jesus and not believe? 00:08:49.759 --> 00:08:51.360 He's the bread that came down from heaven. 00:08:51.519 --> 00:08:54.480 They've seen not only his personage, they've seen his power. 00:08:54.720 --> 00:09:01.200 He just fed more than 5,000 of them with this beautiful miracle, and there were basketfuls left over. 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:03.120 They see him and they don't believe. 00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:14.559 Now, when I say the capacity to believe is a gift from God, let me ask you this: have you ever shared the gospel with somebody, explained Christianity to somebody, and only to have them look at you and just kind of go, yeah, I don't believe that. 00:09:14.799 --> 00:09:19.679 And the tendency and the temptation is to get frustrated, like, what do you mean you don't believe? 00:09:19.840 --> 00:09:20.879 I explained it. 00:09:21.039 --> 00:09:22.799 It's not math, it's music. 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:24.399 That's a phrase I say a lot. 00:09:24.480 --> 00:09:27.120 And some of my friends get frustrated, like, what does that even mean? 00:09:27.279 --> 00:09:30.320 Like I remember taking a napkin and a Starbucks and drawing it out. 00:09:30.399 --> 00:09:31.840 It's called the bridge illustration. 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:36.639 Man is sinful over here, and there's a big gap between a sinful man and a holy God. 00:09:36.799 --> 00:09:41.120 We're all imperfect people, and we need an imperfect person to bridge the gap between all. 00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:42.879 And I had Bible verses and everything. 00:09:42.960 --> 00:09:45.039 And got to the end, and the guy went, Yeah, that's good. 00:09:45.120 --> 00:09:46.399 I'm glad that works for you. 00:09:46.639 --> 00:09:49.919 And I was like, You ungrateful weasel, what are you doing? 00:09:50.240 --> 00:09:51.440 No, I didn't say that. 00:09:51.519 --> 00:10:01.120 I just said, hey, maybe you want to take this with you so you can look at it and just kind of understand what it means how a person becomes a Christian in case God ever reveals that to you. 00:10:01.279 --> 00:10:02.639 And he goes, What do you mean? 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:07.600 And I said, The Bible teaches that man is not, we don't we this doesn't depend on you. 00:10:07.679 --> 00:10:08.480 I'm not mad at you. 00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:11.200 You're not a bad person because you're choosing not to believe right now. 00:10:11.440 --> 00:10:13.279 Matter of fact, this is how you were born. 00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:17.919 You were born spiritually dead, and your heart is hardened to the things of God. 00:10:18.080 --> 00:10:19.279 You're not a bad person. 00:10:19.440 --> 00:10:20.720 This is just your natural state. 00:10:20.879 --> 00:10:24.960 The only difference in me and you is that God revealed himself to me and I responded. 00:10:25.039 --> 00:10:27.519 And he's like, now wait a minute, talk more about that. 00:10:27.759 --> 00:10:30.960 And I'm like, you didn't care about my bridge illustration? 00:10:31.679 --> 00:10:40.080 Because he grew up in a church where he was told every Sunday they had long invitations, and he was told every Sunday, Jesus is standing at the door of your heart, and he's knocking. 00:10:40.159 --> 00:10:41.440 Do you want to let him in today? 00:10:41.600 --> 00:10:46.000 And he said, I just thought, hey, if that God can't get into my heart, he's not very powerful. 00:10:46.639 --> 00:10:51.759 Remember this bad theology gives lost people a confidence the Bible never does. 00:10:52.159 --> 00:10:52.960 It just does. 00:10:53.120 --> 00:10:56.639 And what that is, that that that's they're they're taking up a passage out of the Bible. 00:10:56.720 --> 00:11:03.200 It's Revelation chapter 3, verse 23, where God's writing to the church at Laodicea and saying, Hey, behold, I stand at the door and knock. 00:11:03.360 --> 00:11:06.320 If any man open the door, I'll come in and sup with him and he with me. 00:11:06.480 --> 00:11:10.399 That's written to the church, to a bunch of Christians who got so busy, they crowded Jesus out. 00:11:10.559 --> 00:11:11.120 You cannot. 00:11:11.200 --> 00:11:14.960 It's a bad hermeneutic principle, it's a biblical translation word. 00:11:15.120 --> 00:11:20.240 It's it's a bad, uh, uh bad idea to take that and apply it to lost people. 00:11:20.399 --> 00:11:24.159 It's like me taking what I say to my wife and applying it to all of you. 00:11:25.039 --> 00:11:27.200 Y'all are like, please stop right there. 00:11:27.519 --> 00:11:31.279 Yes, things like yesterday I said to my wife, hey, my coffee cup's empty. 00:11:31.360 --> 00:11:32.720 Can you do something about that? 00:11:33.120 --> 00:11:36.639 And my 14-year-old daughter's like, Dad, why does mom put up with that? 00:11:36.879 --> 00:11:39.840 Because she loves me and she thinks it's funny. 00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:43.279 And my wife walked in and said, No, I don't think it's funny, but I do love you. 00:11:43.360 --> 00:11:44.720 And came and filled my cup. 00:11:44.799 --> 00:11:48.080 Now, I would never say to any of you, I used to have a secretary that worked for me. 00:11:48.159 --> 00:11:48.960 My name was Lee Barron. 00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:51.120 I walked in one day and I said, Lee, make me some coffee. 00:11:51.279 --> 00:11:52.960 You make your own coffee. 00:11:54.000 --> 00:11:56.240 Oh, I'm not at home anymore. 00:11:56.480 --> 00:12:02.399 And so here's the principle you cannot take what applies to one people and apply it to everybody. 00:12:02.559 --> 00:12:06.320 Now, back to the point, the capacity to believe is a gift from God. 00:12:06.559 --> 00:12:08.879 You see, these people saw Jesus' power. 00:12:09.039 --> 00:12:13.759 They were looking at his personage, and Jesus says, You've seen me and yet you do not believe. 00:12:13.919 --> 00:12:14.480 Why? 00:12:14.720 --> 00:12:17.679 Well, uh, it depends on how you think about salvation. 00:12:17.840 --> 00:12:20.159 I said it a minute ago, is it math or is it music? 00:12:20.320 --> 00:12:22.159 Typically, people fall into two categories. 00:12:22.240 --> 00:12:24.240 A little church history lesson here for you, okay? 00:12:24.399 --> 00:12:25.919 Stay with me for the next four minutes. 00:12:26.159 --> 00:12:27.120 Church history lesson. 00:12:27.279 --> 00:12:36.559 People fall into two categories when it comes to how you think about a person who comes to faith in Christ or salvation or to get saved, whatever phrase, how they become a Christian, whatever phrase you you use. 00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:38.960 There's two categories represented by two men. 00:12:39.120 --> 00:12:40.960 The first man is a man named John Calvin. 00:12:41.120 --> 00:12:46.399 John Calvin, he he kind of summarized his belief in five points, and it's referred to as Calvinism. 00:12:46.480 --> 00:12:50.720 It's not a phrase that we use around here, but some of you use, some of you're familiar with. 00:12:50.879 --> 00:12:54.799 Calvinism is an attempt to summarize the doctrines emphasized by John Calvin. 00:12:54.879 --> 00:12:57.919 And the across that they use is the word tulip, and it stands for this. 00:12:58.159 --> 00:12:59.919 T is for the total depravity of man. 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:03.759 That means that man is incapable of doing anything to affect salvation. 00:13:03.919 --> 00:13:06.720 He's dead in his sins, like Ephesians 2 talks about. 00:13:06.879 --> 00:13:08.639 The U is for unconditional election. 00:13:08.799 --> 00:13:12.480 In other words, that God set his affection on you, having nothing to do with you. 00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:16.960 You didn't meet certain criteria or conditions, his choice of you is unconditional. 00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:18.799 The L is for limited atonement. 00:13:18.960 --> 00:13:23.200 This is where a lot of people, I've been in the room where people are arguing, screaming at each other. 00:13:23.279 --> 00:13:23.759 I'm like, really? 00:13:23.840 --> 00:13:24.799 Is this our best idea? 00:13:25.120 --> 00:13:26.399 L is for limited atonement. 00:13:26.480 --> 00:13:28.240 It means that Christ only died for the elect. 00:13:28.399 --> 00:13:29.679 And here's why they believe that. 00:13:29.840 --> 00:13:33.519 They say that if Jesus, your sins were atoned for on the cross. 00:13:33.679 --> 00:13:38.480 And so if Jesus died for the sins of everybody on the cross, then how does anybody go to hell? 00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:42.240 And he says, hey, that that just applies to those who come to faith. 00:13:42.399 --> 00:13:44.159 The Bible refers to them as the elect. 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:46.320 The I is for irresistible grace. 00:13:46.559 --> 00:13:50.799 Basically, it means that once God sets his grace upon you, you cannot say no. 00:13:51.039 --> 00:13:56.159 He is not a man's capacity to say, I know you want in, but you just I'm not gonna let you. 00:13:56.320 --> 00:13:58.320 The P is for perseverance of the saints. 00:13:58.559 --> 00:14:01.759 Basically, that all those who are converted will persevere. 00:14:01.919 --> 00:14:02.960 They'll have difficulty. 00:14:03.039 --> 00:14:09.200 There may be series of fruitlessness in their life, but it won't be fruitlessness will not be their life. 00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:12.960 And so that summarizes the teachings of John Calvin. 00:14:13.200 --> 00:14:16.879 On the other end of the scale is uh the uh is Arminianism. 00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:19.279 Uh it's the teachings of a man named Jacob Arminius. 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:20.480 Basically, he had five. 00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:21.120 Imagine that. 00:14:21.200 --> 00:14:22.080 Now let me say this. 00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:23.279 Stay with me. 00:14:23.759 --> 00:14:30.799 Do not get your doctrine of God in the Bible from a response to somebody else's beliefs. 00:14:31.039 --> 00:14:32.240 Does that make sense? 00:14:32.480 --> 00:14:34.159 Do not look and go, oh, they believe that? 00:14:34.240 --> 00:14:37.840 Well, I'm gonna come over here and believe this, which is what these two schools of thought did, okay? 00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:40.080 Here's what here's what our Arminians believe. 00:14:40.320 --> 00:14:44.320 Partial depravity means humanity is depraved but still able to seek God. 00:14:44.559 --> 00:14:48.480 Conditional election, God only chooses those who he knows will choose to believe. 00:14:48.559 --> 00:14:53.120 In other words, they say that God looked into the future and he chose those he knew would choose him. 00:14:53.600 --> 00:14:56.000 Uh the third point is unlimited atonement. 00:14:56.080 --> 00:14:59.360 They believe that Christ died for everyone, even those who will not believe. 00:14:59.519 --> 00:15:01.919 Uh, fourthly, they believe in resistible grace. 00:15:02.240 --> 00:15:06.000 That God's call to be saved can be resisted or outright rejected. 00:15:06.080 --> 00:15:08.960 Uh, the fifth statement they believe is conditional salvation. 00:15:09.200 --> 00:15:13.600 Christians can lose their salvation if they actively reject the Holy Spirit's influence in their life. 00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:16.080 Now, why am I telling you this? 00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:18.799 Because, look at me, I'm gonna apply this to where we live. 00:15:18.879 --> 00:15:28.879 Uh, depending on which one of those categories you fall into, uh, you relate to people uh when it comes to having spiritual conversations, sharing the gospel out of one of those two perspectives. 00:15:28.960 --> 00:15:30.960 Uh, and especially when it comes to our children. 00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:34.799 Uh, we want our children to hurry up and pray the prayer so we know that they feel good about it. 00:15:34.879 --> 00:15:44.320 And what happens if you're not careful is that either you harden your kids to the gospel or your kids say yes and go through the motions, but God's not really dealing with them. 00:15:44.720 --> 00:15:46.559 It's not the Holy Spirit at work in them. 00:15:46.720 --> 00:15:48.159 And so they I see it all the time. 00:15:48.320 --> 00:16:03.039 Kids, when they get to be, is I I'm not joking, I would never joke about this, but when they get old enough to understand what sin is, uh, and they get old enough to get into sin, they can begin to say, Hey, I I I I I prayed a prayer when I was like seven, but I didn't understand it back then. 00:16:03.120 --> 00:16:09.840 Uh the hardest thing to do is to trust the efficacy of the Holy Spirit that God's going to reveal Himself and deal with your kids. 00:16:09.919 --> 00:16:21.039 And especially if you've got an adult child who's not a believer, it's easy to kind of look and kind of go, if you're not careful, you send the message to your kid, your adult children, the best thing you could do is come to Christ. 00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:25.200 Well, if that depends on God, why put pressure on your adult children? 00:16:25.919 --> 00:16:32.799 Why not love them enough to say, son, daughter, I'd love to see you come to faith, but I believe God's got to reveal that to you, and I'm praying that He does. 00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:38.639 The Bible tells me in Ephesians 2 that God's rich in mercy, and I'm praying that God has mercy on you. 00:16:38.799 --> 00:16:44.799 Because again, our bad theology gives lost people a confidence that the Bible never gives them. 00:16:44.879 --> 00:16:45.919 And I'll use my own self. 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:47.120 I've got two older brothers. 00:16:47.279 --> 00:16:49.440 One's a Christian, one's not. 00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:56.720 I do not, when I have, when I'm around my brother, sign a believer, I don't try to persuade him or plead him to come to Christ. 00:16:56.960 --> 00:17:00.240 He he watches late-night TV preachers and he's like, You don't do that, do you? 00:17:00.399 --> 00:17:02.720 And I'm like, no, please don't ever accuse me of that again. 00:17:02.879 --> 00:17:03.600 We will fight. 00:17:03.759 --> 00:17:07.279 Uh uh, but I tell my brother, hey, God's got to reveal himself to you. 00:17:07.359 --> 00:17:10.400 And every once in a while, he's like, well, that may or may not be happening. 00:17:10.640 --> 00:17:11.680 May or may not be happening. 00:17:11.839 --> 00:17:13.200 Now, let me give you another category. 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:15.680 I told you there's Calvinists and there's Armin Arminius. 00:17:15.839 --> 00:17:17.279 Uh here's the third category. 00:17:17.440 --> 00:17:25.359 Because people always ask, well, what do you some of you come up to me and you call like, hey, you sound like this, and then some days you sound like a Calvinist, and some days you sound like an Arminius, blah, blah, blah. 00:17:25.519 --> 00:17:26.000 Here's why. 00:17:26.160 --> 00:17:27.119 Because I'm neither. 00:17:27.279 --> 00:17:31.119 I'm in a third category, and it's a great category because I came up with it. 00:17:32.240 --> 00:17:33.680 Can I just be that honest? 00:17:33.920 --> 00:17:35.839 Uh uh, here's the third category. 00:17:35.920 --> 00:17:37.359 It's what I call a biblicist. 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:45.119 Here's what a biblicist is: a biblicist is a willingness to simply believe everything the Bible teaches, even when it disagrees with my preferences. 00:17:45.759 --> 00:17:49.839 It's a willingness to believe everything the Bible teaches, even when it disagrees with my preferences. 00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:51.119 And here's a great example. 00:17:51.279 --> 00:17:53.440 It's John chapter 6, verse 37. 00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:54.559 Look at verse 37. 00:17:54.799 --> 00:17:55.759 The Bible says this. 00:17:55.920 --> 00:17:58.880 Jesus says, All that the Father gives me will come to me. 00:17:58.960 --> 00:17:59.920 That's the first half of it. 00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:00.880 Hear that again. 00:18:01.039 --> 00:18:03.039 All that the Father gives me will come to me. 00:18:03.119 --> 00:18:08.240 So when I share the gospel, I don't, like if you've been to this church, you realize we don't put a lot of pressure on you. 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:09.039 Have you noticed that? 00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:11.119 At the end of the service, we don't dim the lights. 00:18:11.200 --> 00:18:12.559 I don't tell scary stories. 00:18:12.720 --> 00:18:17.680 They were riding down the road, smoking marijuana, listening to deaf leopard and the Camaro. 00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:22.240 Because the few times I went to church as a kid, that's all it was. 00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:28.720 They really didn't preach the Bible, they just told horrifically emotional, manipulating stories about people. 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:31.519 Everybody that drank a beer died in the car wreck. 00:18:32.319 --> 00:18:34.880 I drank beer before and I hadn't died yet. 00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:42.400 I'm not being flippant, I'm just like, if you set that up, as that's the scenario, it's like your kids are gonna go, yeah, I drank, man died. 00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:43.759 I don't believe any of that. 00:18:44.000 --> 00:18:47.359 Because it makes Christianity this emotional, manipulative thing. 00:18:47.519 --> 00:18:49.920 In reality, it's the truth that sets you free. 00:18:50.400 --> 00:18:51.839 He said, Well, what do you mean? 00:18:51.920 --> 00:18:53.920 He says, All that the Father gives me will come to me. 00:18:54.079 --> 00:19:00.720 When I share my faith and I talk to people, and every once in a while happened just a couple weeks ago, right here in our city, and the guy's like, Hey, that's really interesting. 00:19:00.799 --> 00:19:01.599 I'll give that some thought. 00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:06.480 And I said, Hey, I didn't say, Hey, do you know that you know that you know if you died right now, you'd go to heaven? 00:19:06.640 --> 00:19:07.440 Don't put it off. 00:19:07.519 --> 00:19:08.240 Right now's the time. 00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:09.279 Would you like to pray a prayer? 00:19:09.359 --> 00:19:10.559 I can show you how to do. 00:19:11.359 --> 00:19:14.720 Jesus said this to the Pharisees who were very zealous for evangelism. 00:19:14.799 --> 00:19:20.319 He said, You travel across land and sea to make one convert, and when you do, you make them twice the son of hell as you are. 00:19:21.839 --> 00:19:24.079 You're they're just as lost as you are, Jesus said. 00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:24.640 Why? 00:19:24.799 --> 00:19:26.160 Because God's not dealing with them. 00:19:26.319 --> 00:19:26.960 There's what's good. 00:19:27.119 --> 00:19:29.119 Let me give you two phrases to remember. 00:19:29.279 --> 00:19:34.640 There's the external witness, which is me talking to somebody, I'm and then there's internal witness. 00:19:34.799 --> 00:19:38.160 I said to this guy who was very gracious, he said, Hey, I appreciate it. 00:19:38.319 --> 00:19:40.000 Uh let me think about these kind of things. 00:19:40.079 --> 00:19:44.319 I said, Yeah, I think the first thing the gospel does is make us think, so you absolutely think about it. 00:19:44.400 --> 00:19:46.079 And God will reveal the truth to you. 00:19:46.240 --> 00:19:47.759 And he went, That's it. 00:19:47.920 --> 00:19:49.039 And I said, Yeah. 00:19:49.680 --> 00:19:50.640 No boogeyman. 00:19:50.960 --> 00:19:53.519 Your car is probably not gonna blow up on the way home. 00:19:54.079 --> 00:19:55.519 I said, Thanks for letting me talk to you. 00:19:55.599 --> 00:19:56.319 I appreciate it. 00:19:56.559 --> 00:19:58.480 And he's like, That's refreshing. 00:19:59.359 --> 00:20:04.720 Jesus was very refreshing, and he said very life-altering things to people. 00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:08.319 See, see, when I say a Bible, it says, All that the Father gives me will come to me. 00:20:08.480 --> 00:20:10.640 I believe that there are people that God has chosen. 00:20:10.720 --> 00:20:11.519 I don't know who they are. 00:20:11.680 --> 00:20:17.759 My Calvinist friends go crazy because I tell them, I'm on the nominating committee, I nominate everybody, and I want God to elect them. 00:20:18.160 --> 00:20:20.160 Shut up, McLean, that ain't funny. 00:20:20.480 --> 00:20:21.920 I'm not trying to be funny. 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:24.960 I just, here's the thing: pick out who the elect are. 00:20:25.920 --> 00:20:28.160 Pick out all the people you know they're gonna come. 00:20:28.400 --> 00:20:29.279 I don't know. 00:20:29.440 --> 00:20:36.160 So I therefore I cannot usurp divine privilege and kind of go, I know who's gonna respond to the gospel who's not, and I'm just gonna talk to them. 00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:39.920 Therefore, the gospel's whosoever will, which is the second half of verse 37. 00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:40.400 Look at it. 00:20:40.559 --> 00:20:42.480 All that the Father gives to me will come to me. 00:20:42.640 --> 00:20:44.799 Jesus is referring to a specific people. 00:20:44.960 --> 00:20:48.640 And then look at the last part whoever comes to me, I will never cast out. 00:20:48.960 --> 00:20:50.799 Whoever comes to me, look at me. 00:20:50.960 --> 00:20:59.759 It's not like Jesus is standing there like the Matre D of a five-star restaurant, and you come up to the table, you come up to the desk and go, Yes, Smith, party one, I'd like to be saved. 00:20:59.839 --> 00:21:01.119 I'm sorry, you're not on the list. 00:21:01.279 --> 00:21:02.480 Go away, go to hell. 00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:14.720 Someone in this church that comes to the church said to me a while back, Hey, I'm not there yet, but I kind of feel like something's kind of stirring in me. 00:21:14.880 --> 00:21:16.480 And I said, Absolutely. 00:21:17.039 --> 00:21:17.759 What do you think that is? 00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:22.079 And I said, It's just sign, it's just evidence that God's beginning to speak to you. 00:21:22.240 --> 00:21:27.359 You just keep listening, and like a blind man, you walk in the direction that you hear his voice. 00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:29.680 And he's like, What? 00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:33.279 I mean, sometimes you say things I don't understand. 00:21:33.599 --> 00:21:36.160 I said, I gotta be tricky like that every once in a while. 00:21:36.480 --> 00:21:38.799 I said, How do you think blind people made their way to Jesus? 00:21:38.960 --> 00:21:42.880 When Jesus would say, Come here, they walked in the direction of his voice. 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:45.279 He said, Are you saying I'm a blind man? 00:21:45.519 --> 00:21:46.240 Absolutely. 00:21:46.799 --> 00:21:47.279 Absolutely. 00:21:47.519 --> 00:21:50.799 As a person that's not converted, you're blind to spiritual reality. 00:21:50.960 --> 00:21:55.759 But here's the deal evidence that God's working in you is he's letting you hear his voice. 00:21:56.079 --> 00:21:59.519 If you're in this room, see, this is why I don't fit in any of those two categories. 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:01.839 Because they sound like, oh, I got it all figured out. 00:22:02.079 --> 00:22:02.720 I got it figured out. 00:22:02.880 --> 00:22:04.559 No, I think the Bible's got it figured out. 00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:10.960 I believe all that the Father gives to me will come to me, and I believe whoever comes to me, I will never cast out. 00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:13.599 I shared the gospel of two prostitutes one time. 00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:15.599 I wasn't a customer. 00:22:16.480 --> 00:22:17.200 They were walking. 00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:19.519 You got awkward there for a minute, y'all look. 00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:23.359 Get the kids, honey, we're going. 00:22:24.960 --> 00:22:30.640 I just saw two prostitutes, and one of them had on a black rubber miniskirt and a pink fuzzy tube top. 00:22:30.960 --> 00:22:34.400 And Clear Isabel, I said the Lord said, Hey man, share the gospel with them. 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:36.720 They don't get the gospel. 00:22:36.960 --> 00:22:39.119 People don't talk to them about the gospel. 00:22:39.599 --> 00:22:40.079 All right. 00:22:40.160 --> 00:22:44.480 So I just walked over there and I said, hey, hey, I just meant 15 minutes. 00:22:44.720 --> 00:22:48.799 And both of them wept bitterly and thanked me. 00:22:48.960 --> 00:22:52.240 I didn't say, you skanks are out here, but no. 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:58.079 I just said, hey, I know in your profession you get to experience love, as they call it. 00:22:58.480 --> 00:23:00.160 But I don't think you've ever found real love. 00:23:00.240 --> 00:23:03.119 I just want to tell you, just briefly, ladies, about a God that loves you. 00:23:03.279 --> 00:23:04.960 And one of them said, Look at me. 00:23:05.200 --> 00:23:05.839 Look at me. 00:23:05.920 --> 00:23:06.640 You know what I am? 00:23:06.799 --> 00:23:07.680 I'm a prostitute. 00:23:07.839 --> 00:23:10.880 And I said, Yeah, yeah, he loves you just like you are. 00:23:12.559 --> 00:23:14.960 Why, why, on what basis can you say that? 00:23:15.200 --> 00:23:16.640 The latter part of verse 37. 00:23:16.880 --> 00:23:19.039 Whoever comes to me, I will never cast out. 00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:21.599 So I said to them, I said, Hey, I don't want to get you jammed up. 00:23:21.680 --> 00:23:22.480 I said, Y'all working? 00:23:22.559 --> 00:23:24.559