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Great. >> It sounds like 80s7s district. It's all about you and me. And then you hear stuff like this, hilarious. >> Are you going to study it? Okay. >> Right. representing I think it's basically in line Well, let's stop here. I think you don't want to see All right. See you. Church on this stuff. All right. Why are we Why? Why car? I understand that the program said that we would break until 2:30. We're going to give our speaker a little extra a few extra minutes and then we will take the next break. It'll be a bit longer at 3:30, but we will get back here right at 400 p.m. So, I want to introduce our next speaker. The next topic is introducing of God's decree. Dr. Barcelos, again, I'll read the bio here. Dr. Richard C. Barcelos is the pastor of Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Palmdale, California, and serves as associate professor of exogetical Theology at the International Reformed Baptist Seminary. He holds a BS from California State University, Fresno, an MD from the Master's Seminary, and both a thm and PhD from Whitfield Theological Seminary. Dr. Barcelos is the author of several works, including Trinity and Creation, The Covenant of Works, and Getting the Garden Right. And I should say that Pastor Barcelos has taught me a lot. I realize we're going to sing a hymn in a moment, but uh I have known him for 35 years, and it's been a wild ride. Uh I bless God that he's here with us this week. It's good to have him and Pastor Charles in our home. And yeah, I just uh really thank the Lord for the influence of Rich in my life, for his mentorship, his friendship, his example to me, and just being there when I need him. I don't want to sound too feminine, but he has been that sort of a of a brother to me in our Lord Jesus Christ. So we'll sing in praise to God and then I'll pray and then our brother can come up. So the next hymn is actually Psalm 104 verses 8 to 11. You can stand and in this one the last verse we will do ac cappella. So we'll sing 8 n and 10 with accompaniment and then verse 11 ac cappella. How many are your wonders? Wisely you have made them all. Earth is full of all your creatures, living things both great and small. is a sea so vast and spacious fil with life there is there the sailing sh pass by all your creatures look to You are traing for the food they need. When you give your creatures gather from your hand. When you hide your face with trouble, lifeless to just go down. When you send your spirit, you create them and renew the ground. The glory of the Lord our God in eternally. May the Lord rejoice in all his mighty works and glorious deeds. Be the son of his all. ation causing earth to shake in fear. He makes all the mountain tremble, smokeen flames of fire appear. I will praise the Lord my God with all my life and all my voice. May my meditation please him for I in the Lord rejoice. Let all sinners be deolish. Let the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, my soul, praise him. Come my soul, and praise the Lord. Please be seated. Come on up. >> Yes, sir. >> Just got to get the rhythm down. Love you. Good to be here. and two children. And I gave him a copy of the Second London Confession. And he still has the very same copy I gave him in 1990. So that was great. It's great to be here. This is our eighth, ninth, 10th conference together, something like that. We have at least one or two more planned in the future. I don't know if that means you invite Dr. Renahan to clean up my mess or me to clean up his. When I got invited to speak at this conference, I said, "No." And then Pastor Butler said, "Shut up. You're coming." And I said, "I've written books on chapter 4, chapter 19, chapter 22. Nothing on chapter 3." He said, "You're coming." So I'm here. So if the lecture is good, thank the Lord for Dr. Renahan helping me understand the confession. If the lecture is bad, Pastor Butler is to blame. But in all seriousness, this is a very sobering topic. It's a revealed mystery, this decree of God. And so my lecture, my first lecture is called introducing God's decree. And my second lecture was appointed to me. Is God the author of sin? And if I have time, I'm going to also ask and answer the question, do my does my sin work out for my good in every single instance? And then the third one is actually a a sermon on Romans 11 um 36. Unless one of you guys are already doing that, I guess might have to change that. I'm not sure. But this first one's just introducing the doctrine we're going to be looking at. uh part of paragraph one of chapter 3 and I have to say this that while considering the subject matter assigned to me of God's decree I have trembled many times while preparing these lectures and I take these words from chapter 3 paragraph 7A very seriously the doctrine of this high mystery of predestination and I'll include the entire decree is to be handed handled with special prudence and care. God, the subject of God's decree, God's willing that something different from or other than God would be and would be the way it is, is a revealed mystery. We are able to discuss this doctrine because scripture teaches us, teaches a divine decree. God has revealed the doctrine to us in his word. We know that God has decreed all things because our Bibles tell us so. But that does not mean we will comprehend the decree or comprehend the decreeing God. Um, let me say this. I meant to say this. I'm going to be reading my notes because I worked really hard and carefully and I don't want to say anything dumb because there are like five theologians or trained guys training to be theologians in the room and I don't want to have to deal with your smack later. Only I can name them if you want to. Only God comprehends God and only God comprehends God's decree. Only God fully and perfectly knows God. And only God fully and perfectly knows God's works. We only know the edges of his ways among us. We can only know things about the decree to the degree that God has revealed them and to the degree that we accurately understand or apprehend them. We can know the subject matter of the decree either by God revealing it in his word or by God revealing it by virtue of his providence. For example, I now know that your presence at this conference was decreed by God. But I know this not by God revealing that content of his decree to me in scripture or apart from scripture except by his providence in bringing you here. So we can know the content of God's decree two ways. He can tell us and second we can watch as providence unfold. Providence is the execution of the divide decree. The second thing I'd like to discuss in light of the uh that was a general introduction to the introduction. Um I'm going to present three guiding principles for our study. I think it's going to these principles that he already kind of stated them but not in the way I am. But both the other lectures I think are going to use these principles whether consciously or not. It's going to be operating in their talks because we all believe the same thing. But uh I'm going to state these three gu guiding princ principles at the outset because I believe they are important to take with us during this time of studying God's decrees. Each of these principles need to be operating upon our minds as we contemplate God's decree to keep us within orthodox bounds. The first is this. God's decree is not our duty to obey. God's decree is not our duty to obey. Theologians often distinguish God's will of purpose and God's will of precept. Some say God's secret or hidden will and God's published or revealed will. His secret will, that which he has willed to be, is hidden in him and known perfectly by him. But he does not command us to know or obey his hidden will or purpose. You know, it's like the guy that says, "Show me that I'm elect and I'll believe." How many people here that have believed the gospel did so upon the premise that God revealed to you that you were predestined before the foundation of the world? You didn't do it that way, right? His revealed will of precept is found in the law of nature and scripture. Scripture being our only infallible norm or ground for Christian faith and practice. So let me repeat it. First principle, the decree of God is not our moral law or God's decree is not our duty to obey. Second, God's decree though revealed in scripture largely remains veiled in mystery to us. Though God has revealed in scripture that there is a divine decree, scripture does not reveal all that can be known about the divine decree. Since it is the divine decree, only God can and does know it comprehensively, perfectly, infinitely, eternally, and immutably. In fact, we will never know the decree in this manner simply because, if you haven't figured out yet, we are not divine. We know things in a creaturly manner. God knows in a divine manner. We know by bits and pieces as things around us impress themselves through our senses. And that which is impressed upon us is filtered through our intellects, which is the soul's power of knowing. Knowledge of the world comes to us bit by bit. We as creatures we gain our knowledge. We acquire knowledge. We draw from our previous experience of things to learn new things from other things. God however does not know what he knows the way we know what we know. That's actually good know good news. God's knowledge of the of the of things does not come to him by virtue of the things he knows. Our knowledge depends upon God. God's knowledge does not depend upon us in any sense. God's decree again second principle though revealed in scripture largely remains veiled in mystery to us. So, this should call us to humility, especially when tempted to ask an attempt to answer certain questions, and I'll get to that later. But simply because we can ask, you know, tough questions doesn't mean it's like a holy thing to do. So, um, we'll get to that. And the third principle is this. This is a simple one but it's very important. God is not like us. Okay, we have to keep remembering that as we study the divine decree. Any consideration of God's decree demands and therefore must assume and utilize a robust creator creature distinction throughout. Okay. So, we're going to I'm going to say all these three principles, the decree is not our duty. Number two, though it's revealed, we only know it in a creaturely way and we certainly aren't never going to exhaust it. And number three, we got to remind ourselves who we are and aren't and who God is and who God is not. God is not like us. So, we got to bring these things with us. This distinction, this creator creature distinction operating in our minds as we consider God's decree will remind us that God is not like us. I think it was James Doulal um in 2015. He might have said the same thing here last year. I'm not sure, but he's quoting somebody. It would indeed be strange if God were not strange to us. You know, if we studied this decree and we said, "Oh, this is how I think. This is how I plan." I'm going, "No, no, no, no. This is way different. God is not like us." Though God knows God and all things in relation to God, he knows these instantly without succession, without increase or decrease, and with no dependence upon us for him knowing what he knows. Though God knows and we know, God knows in a divine way of knowing and we know in a creaturly way of knowing. So let me say the last principle again. Any consideration of God's decree demands and therefore must assume and utilize a robust creator creature distinction throughout throughout God is not like us. So let me place the confession chapter 3 uh in a context. Dr. Ranahan kind of did this with a whole confession. Um, but I just want to put it in the doctrine of God. The doctrine of God is actually chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 4, and chapter 5. Um, chapter 2 is I think they have a section in here, paragraphs 1 and two. If you want to look at that, we'll be looking at at a portion of chapter 2 one and chapter 22. Chapter two of the confession is on of God and of the Holy Trinity. And it begins to address the doctrine of God um or God's being, God's oneness, God's attributes and God's triunity. And this is God in himself, God um primarily in himself without creatures or God largely considered as God without creation. Who is the same God with or without creation? Right? We don't say, "Well, once creation comes, God's changed." No. It is very important therefore to take our doctrine of chapter 2 with us uh as the subsequent chapters of the confession of unfold. Right? We read it horizontally. He used to say sideways. Did I correct you on that one? No, I didn't. Okay. Uh we we need to read it horizontally. So we take previous chapters with us. we allow previous chapters to have their interpretive um function in our understanding of subsequent chapters. Let me give two examples. One is at 21 it says working all things according to the council of his own immutable and most righteous will for his own glory. So here we have a statement prior to the chapter on God's decree which begins to illumine the doctrine and provides some theological guide rails for us. The working of all things divine providence is the execution of divine power according to a divine blueprint all for his own glory. You can hear echoes of scripture in that. Um second um illustration from chapter 2 is at paragraph 2. It says in his sight referring to divine knowledge for God does not have eyes properly speaking in his sight all things are open and manifest. His knowledge is infinite infallible and independent upon the creature. So as nothing is to him contingent or in uncertain notice in the reading of some of the other sections in the providence one I think there's two places second cause there's contingency with second causes but there's not contingency in the knowing of of the primary or first cause God's knowledge comprehends all things has no limits has no cracks in it and is not contingent upon what is what will happen to what is or what will be in the future. What is and what will be in terms of that which does not yet exist is what God knows because God has decreed all things that end up being whatsoever comes to pass because it was his mind and will to do so. Why are things the way they are? It's a good question. God would have them to be that way. Could things be different? Yes. Why aren't they? God did not will them to be different. Could God have willed them to be different? Could he have decreed me to be 65 and a half instead of 55 and a half? Yeah. There's no absolute necessity in my 5'5 and a halfess. And I know that in part and my wife can tell you because I used to be not 5'5 and a half. I was actually taller when I got married, but gravity won. Some theologians have distinguished what God knows into two categories. God's knowledge of simple intelligence and God's knowledge of vision. His knowledge of simple intelligence is defined by John Owen as follows. As for that knowledge we call simple intelligence, the object of it is possible. The measure of it is omnipotency. Okay? Because of God's power, he could have ordained that I would be taller and executed the divine power and creation providence to to make that happen. But he didn't. But he could have. It was possible the measure of its omnipotency. And by it he knows all he can do. You know, does God know that he could have created the earth smaller or larger? Well, yeah. God knows for example uh that he could have created the I should just read the notes huh that he could have made the earth larger. So that's God's uh simple intelligence. But then there's this distinction he makes between that and he's not the only one a lot do and God's knowledge of vision. And he defines it this way. That knowledge of God which hath for its object things past, present, and to come, whatever had, hath or will have actual being. The measure of this knowledge is his will, because the will and decree of God only make those things future which were but possible before. So this distinction is related to another distinction. God's absolute power and God's ordained power. God could have executed his power different from how he has executed it, but God ordained to execute his power the way he has executed it. He could have ordained it otherwise, but he didn't. In 2 London 2:2, it speaks to the matter of God's knowledge, what he knows, all things, and the manner in which God knows. He knows what he knows divinely. His knowledge is infinite, infallible. I hate these girly things. Real men put them right here. They just pin it right there. You never have that problem with with those deacons. Did you hear that? Um, okay. So second London speaks of the matter of God's knowledge what he knows all things and the manner in which God knows all things. He knows what he knows all things divinely in this in these in this language. His knowledge is infinite infallible and independent upon the creature not dependent upon the creature's being or moving. One time I heard an illustration about forno about election and predestination. God looked down the tunnel of time and he saw you start the Christian race and then he he watched you the whole time you're going around the the track of of the Christian race and you're coming to the finish line and soon as you finish he saw that you'd finish well. Boom. chosen in him before the foundation of the world. And I I literally I think I punched the dashboard. I was driving the car. I'm going, that's not helping anyone. God doesn't base his decree based on our actions. Our actions are actually based on his decree. We'll deal with how that works out. So God knows in a divine manner. Everything outside God is known by God openly, manifestly, infinitely, infallibly and independent upon the creature. So in chapter 2, we have doctrinal assertions which directly bear on chapter 3. That is the knowledge of God concerning all things not God is not contingent upon the existence of creatures and their actions. It is important to read the confession as a document which develops its later chapters by assuming assertions from earlier ones and this provides proper controls for us. The third through the fifth chapters of the confession take up that aspect of the doctrine of God which discusses his works. Chapter 3 covers God's decree. Chapter four, creation. And chapter five, providence. God's decree is God's work of decreeing. And we have to keep in mind that God was utterly and absolutely free to will or not to will what he has willed. There's nothing. We can't say what God decreed was absolutely necessary. And I I'll deal with that a little later. Um it didn't absolutely have to be. Once he decrees it, you know, given the decree, then it has to be, but that which is decreed doesn't absolutely have to be. But since it's decreed, it has to be and it will be. God could have God's decree is free. Could have been otherwise than it was. Creation and providence, however, are two of God's external works. Creation and providence are the execution of God's decree by virtue of the execution of divine power in accordance with the divine pre-temporal will. So we can say this creation and providence involve the production of everything not God and the conserving and moving of everything not God in accord with God's eternal decree. God's decree is God's work before time. Creation and providence are God's work with time and all other creatures. Creation and providence depend upon and are shaped by God's decree. God's decree depends upon God's good pleasure, God's choice or will. So neither creation nor its subsequent motions have to be. You don't have to be. The only absolutely necessary being is God. We are because he decreed us to be. By the way, does God owe being to any creature? No. Does God owe wellbeing to any creature? No, that should humble us. It says here, let me address more one more issue. Oh, here it is. Yes, I do need to say this uh before looking at the confession. What time do I finish? 4:30. Good. God does not absolutely or necessarily owe creatures their being. what I just said. Somebody might say, "But if God decreed me to be, God owes me to be." Right? If he decreed me to be, then he owes me to be. I'm going to say yes in one sense, but if God decreed you to be, there is nothing absolutely necessary for him to do so. God is free to determine or to decree what God decrees. So it is not absolutely necessary that God decreed in the first place. Nor is that which God decreed of absolute necessity. In other words, God could have decreed me to be taller or shorter. God does not absolutely or necessarily owe creatures their being. God does not even owe us well-being among the creatures that have been. I'll talk about that later. By the way, true or false? The only absolutely necessary being is God who is not decreed to be but just is. The answer is true. Okay. So I want to look at the portion of the first paragraph I think here where we have this confession usually gives like a general statement of the doctrine and then kind of a detailed elaboration I have here the scope of God's decree is my first point God hath decreed in himself from all eternity by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will freely ly and unchangeably all things whatsoever comes to pass. So the scope of God's decree is clearly asserted here. The simple proposition is that God has decreed whatsoever comes to pass. Nothing accepted everything included Dr. Ranahan read the sections including the first fall into sin and all the sinful acts of angels and creatures subsequent to the first fall into sin. I think the most mysterious thing to me in theology um as far as this side of the doctrine of God is the is the first sin and you'll see see that I think in the next section next lecture. So according to the confession I want you to squirm in your seats here. The decree of God is comprehensive. All things whatsoever comes to pass. We got to feel the way to that because it kind of sets up the next lecture. Is God therefore the author of sin? Which the confession itself deals with. So of the many texts which support such a radical statement about the comprehensive scope of the decree, the confession refers to Isaiah 4 46:10. He referred to it. We're going to refer to it in a second here. Ephesians 1:11. And I think the confession is like the Bible's use of the Bible. When a when a writer or a speaker in the Bible cites an Old Testament text or alludes to it, they don't want you to just to go to the, you know, Joel 2:28 and 29 in Acts chapter 2 and that's it. They're inviting you to a larger context. I think the confession does that. So I'm going to look at Ephesians 1:9 and 11 because I think it it helps. Hebrews 6:17 and Romans 9:15 and 18. So these texts clearly support this doctrinal formulation of the the scope of God's decree whatsoever comes to pass. For example, the Isaiah text describes God as one who declares the end from the beginning and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, "My counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure." God concludes verse 10 by saying, "My counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure." I think the first time I heard somebody preach on that, his name was Albert N. Martin, who is absent from the body and present with the Lord. And he was thundering. I think it was just a Sunday school class cuz I could hear the chalkboard going and he was thundering and pounding. And I used to listen to that thing on the way out to the prison to preach during seminary. And I think I've just preached his sermons probably over and over to those guys. But it was just like when God asks who can you know slap his hand kind of thing. Isn't that the book of Daniel or something? It's like and it was the first time it really gripped me. It's like this is this is pretty important. My counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure. So his decree Excuse me. God's God counsels his doing. God has a blueprint according to which God does or acts or operates. His decree counsels or determines his providence. Now, somebody might want to argue, but but this verse does not say that God does everything according to his counsel, just the things in the context of Isaiah's text. Okay, fair enough. But let's go to Ephesians 1:11. Uh, but we're going to read Ephesians 1:9 first because I think it's very important. Ephesians 1:9, having made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which this is Ephesians 1:9, New King James Version, which he purposed in himself. So, it sounds to me like Paul might have read a uh he um um Isaiah 46. The confession gets the language of God's pleasure from Isaiah 46:10 and Ephesians 1:9 and in himself from Ephesians 1:9. So, let's go to Ephesians 1:11 because that's the specific text they refer us to. Paul says that God works all things according to the counsel of his will. And in my version of the Bible over here, my New King James version, it has some reference um references there, cross references. And guess which cross text is cross referenced? Isaiah 46:10. By the way, chase down those cross references. You'll be fascinated how much scripture uses scripture or assumes scriptural language. So, God works everything. We're going to just put that under the two-fold rubric of creation and providence according to the council of his will. And the next question is, what does the all things signify? The all things of verse 11 signifies the same same thing that the all things of verse 10 signifies namely all created things. So that we can say God's works of creation and providence reflect the council of God's will. God's decree counelss his works of creation and providence. Now, I remember being a new believer and um I I can remember that long ago. 1984, April 1984 is when I think I was effectually called. I didn't call it being effectually called at the time. I called it something happened to me. Okay. in April of 1984. And I remember talking to other single guys, does does has God like decreed the our wives like who we're supposed to marry? They go, no, he doesn't decree those kind of things. Just the biggies. And I started reading the Bible and like in the Bible hairs fall off your head. Connected to the providence of God, which if providence is the execution of the divine decree, God decreed your boldness. Amen. >> Before the foundation of the world. And so that that didn't work. God only decrees the biggies. There are some things God doesn't operate as God tinker. He doesn't tinker with his creation when certain things are being done. Like when the gospel is being preached, God backs off. God turns his back. the the the first cause becomes no cause and you become the only cause and then when God sees the results he comes back in and does what God does. Our confession doesn't teach that there's no operation of the creature apart from the operation of the first cause or creator. We don't become um unmoved movers. There's only one unmoved mover, unchanged changer, and that's God. And as we're changing, God's doing the thing God does. And we're doing the things creatures do simultaneously. So the principle behind creation and providence is the divine decree or maybe better the decreeing God. That from which both creation and providence come is God's decree. God's decree finds its terminus. Uh it's that to which it tends in creation and providence. God's decree is an imminent work of God. Creation and providence are transitive works of God. The things that have being have their being because God purposed that they would have it. And the things that have being have their being because God purposed when they would have it. He purposed that they would have it. He purposed when they would have it. He purposed what it is that they would have. But things that have being due to God's purposing them to be do not have being simply because he purposed it. I'm going to say that again. Things that have being due to God's purposing them to be do not have being simply because he purposed it. Has God purposed the day of my death? Yes. Am I dead? No. But God decreed it. The decree as decree does not bring being into being that which it decre the decree as decree I need some coffee does not bring into being that which it decreed to be. You get it? God has decreed all things whatsoever comes to pass. Has everything that was decreed to come to pass come to pass? Nope. God must execute the decree, the transitive work, the work outside of um God himself in creation and in providence. God causes that which he decreed to be through creation and providence. God's decree does not give actual being to anything. You quoted John Norton, right? I there's a word Norton used and then I saw it all over the place. The decree gives futuristic to things. It says some things will be in the future, but the degree decree itself doesn't cause the things that will be in the future to be. That's God in the execution of divine power in the works of creation and providence. God's decree does not give actual being to anything. It is just God decreeing what will have being as he is pleased to endow it. So the decree in itself says what will be but that which will be is not until it is caused to be. I think I'm trying to reword John Norton there. I remember calling James Doulal about two three months ago and he says you're going up to Chilowak. What do you you guys are on of God's decree? I said he said how you doing? I said not well. He said don't you have anything on of God's decree? I said, "I' I think I've read everything I have on God's decree." "Have you read John Norton?" "Yes." I don't know if I had read him twice at the time. And he said, "Well, good luck." or something like that. There's deep deep waters uh in this, but Nort Norton was very helpful. The decree gives futuristic to things, but it doesn't in and of itself give being to things. What gives being to things? God as he executes his power in creation and providence. So the decree gives futuristic to what is decreed but not actual actual existence simply by the decree. For example, one may be decreed to be glorified yet not really in body and soul glorified until glorified. Right? Are are all the elect decreed to be glorified? Yes. In the ultimate esqueological sense, are any of the elect really and actually glorified? Well, if we want to call the mediator, the chosen, we could say, well, he is for us and for for our glorification. By the way, did you know that his glorification was for us and for our glorification? So you can be decreed to be glorified, not really in body and soul glorified until actually glorified. That's what I'm trying to get at. So God causes things decreed to be to be by executing divine power in the creation of things or the production of creatures. things can be in the divine mind without having actual being outside the divine mind. That's kind of basic but important and this has to be the case. This must be the case given divine omniscience, divine ideas. Some of you have probably read about that in this sense of divine knowledge of things to be. Divine ideas become products of the divine by the execution of divine power through the acts of creation and providence. Everything in the divine mind which is to have being ends up having being exactly as God willed it to have being. So the scripture is clear and I the confession asserts it. God has decreed whatsoever comes to pass. Now, a lot of questions come up when you just read that. You I remember the first time I read the Westminster Confession in seminary. I went to seminary in 1986 to ' 89 and somebody handed me the Westminster Confession of Faith. I think it was my second semester. Could have been the end of my first semester. And I read this part of it. I'm going I don't know about that. Uh, and then I started reading. Somebody said, "You need to read Thomas Watson, the body of divinity." So I devoured it between first and second semester. You need to read AW Pink Sovereignty of God, which I had already read and put all these no no in ink. I think I still have that copy cuz I read it like three months later and I'm crossing out the nose. I don't even know where that went. Is it up here? Is everybody getting ready to laugh at me or do you feel sorry for me or what? >> Both. It's a big statement. God has decreed whatsoever comes to pass. I've committed hundreds, thousands, probably millions of sins and so have you. Whatsoever comes to pass, how can it be? How can it be? God decreed this too. And even though I don't like it, he decreed you're laughing at me and scoffing me because of this security. >> Does Cam do security for you? >> Okay. So, a lot of questions, right? are sins. How is God not the author of sin if he decreed sin to be? By the way, what is sin? Is sin a thing? In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. God is the creator of all things, not God. Sin is not God. Did God create? Is sin an entity? Does sin take up space? Don't answer because you might say something heretical. I'm going to I'm going to deal with that I think in the next one in the next lecture. Um because we have to we have to address that issue. Is God the author of sin? And you know what the confession does? yet thereby God is not the author of sin or has fellowship with it or something like that. So we have a we have a comprehensive scope of the decree and then the next thing we have is qualifications concerning that comprehensive scope concerning God creatures and causes or something like that. I'll I'll deal with that next but you see see the difficulty there. The difficulty is God decreed all things whatsoever comes to pass. David Charles sins. Therefore, God decreed that David Charles would sin. How do how do we work that out? And what does that look like in the execution of creation and providence? What is the providence of God like? What is the unmoved mover doing when I'm being lustfully moved as a creature? Does God Does God were my friends right in Madera, California in 1984? Oh, God doesn't have anything to do with those little things in your life. Just the like a wife's a little thing. Um, God doesn't have anything to do with little things, just the big things. you know, he decreed like the world to be and Jesus to be the savior and but not which wife we choose and not which color of car we buy and you know all those kinds of things. And the more I thought of the more I thought, well, are we Christian theists or deists? Like God can create the world and then not tinker with the world and the world can just operate all on its own. We're going to see from Acts chapter 17 that's impossible because we have our life as it is now. We have our movement the changes in our life and we have our very being from God. God is operating constantly to uphold his creation. Our our view of providence is is meticulous comprehensive providence which by the way shouldn't on the one hand it can comfort you on the other hand you can say okay wait a minute so when the creature's operating when I'm committing my sin God's not absent I still have my life as it is and my movement ment and my very being because somehow someway God is causing me to be the agent that I'm presently being. He's doing the divine thing. Okay? And I'm doing my creaturely thing. That's kind of terrifying actually. But you know what the good news is? As lousy as Christians that we are, we got a great savior. I I said this a few months ago. I'm a horrible Christian, but I but Jesus is a wonderful savior. Yes, God upholds us while we're rebelling. And he has decreed to do that. And we're going to deal with, I think, God's effective will, which he has decreed, and God's permissive will. Have you heard theologians say that? I used to hate that. It's God's permissive will. What do you mean? Like God, all right, do whatever you're going to want you want to do. Tell me when you're over and then I'll come back. That's not what it means. But we have to deal with all these things. So, I'm just kind of mumbling. I'm finished. It's 30:09. Can we finish early? I I have a hunch my next lecture is actually going to be long and hopefully it'll actually be good. Look what I got. >> Here, Jim. >> Oh, you got one. >> I got one of these. Didn't you say that? That's what men have. >> All right, we're going to go ahead and break. There's a longer time uh that I understand. There is coffee now. will return though at 4 Yeah. Actually, I told Pete like I told my brother Pete about the conference and uh you should get down here. Got to go to Colona later on next week. Yes. >> Oh, yeah. We're in a ministerial. Schuman C. I'm in it and then I invited Mike from Siri. So it's get along and Schuman. We have I get along with Coupeman and Schuman very well. >> Yeah. Good friends. Yeah. >> Okay. Mother's here now. >> I know. I was talking. >> I figured I'd get her now versus right before dinner. >> Sorry for being a mut. >> No, I fine. Hey I don't know. Well, I mean, why not? This guy allowance awareness. Thank you. All right. I like Nice. Oh my god. She does comfortable talking. Good morning. That's everything. She has book and turn to hymn number 543. Fight the good fight. As we did last time, we'll do the last verse ac cappella. So 543 will stand as we sing together. Good with all my mind. Christ is my strength and Christ my life and it shall be my joy and proud eternal grace through God Good grace. Lift up my eyes and seek his face. Life with his way before. Christ is the Christ the Christ of my God. He and his mercy will proide. The end the trusting soul shall move. Christ is love and Christ is love. F not nor is near. He changes not and thou art dear. Only we believe and thou shall see that Christ is all to thee. Amen. No. And yes, let's eat. Is God the author of sin? No. And does my sin work out for my good if I'm a believer? Yes. So those are difficult questions. Um I was assigned this by Reverend James P. Von Butler Haven. It's a really good question and the the confession addresses this in chapter 3 paragraph 1B and we'll look at that in a second. Is God the author of sin? And does my sin work out for my good? I I think I'll be able to get to both questions, but in order to answer the first question, I want to go back to uh Second London 31. I I will go back to 31B. The A is the scope of God's decree. Whatsoever comes to pass. B is the qualification concerning God's decree in these words. Yet, so as thereby, so God has decreed whatsoever comes to pass. Yet, here's the qualification. So as thereby is God, neither the author of sin, nor hath fellowship with any therein, nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established. We'll try to work our way not through all the language there, but the major elements uh of that and some texts as well. So to answer the first question, we'll go there. And then to answer the second question, we'll go to Romans chapter 8 verse 28. But prior to that, I'd like to frame this lecture. Help me not put my glasses on because David's going to give me lip tonight about me push putting my glasses off and on. So I'm going to try not to use them. If you saw the font size I'm using, you're saying, "Why in the world are you putting your glasses on?" It's an 18 font. Jim uses an eight. Wow. So, prior to looking at these questions and the answers to them, I'd like to frame this lecture or contextualize it utilizing a quote from an article written by James Dzowl. This article is in the journal of of u international reformed baptist seminary 2019. It's on actually chapter 5. It was part of a lecture he delivered at our uh conference one year. He says this, I think it sets up the questions very well. If God is the one who immutably decrees the end from the beginning, accomplishing all his good pleasure and working all things after the council of his will, it would seem that one of two things results. Either rational creatures, angels or men, are not sufficiently free so as to establish their moral culpability. If they're not free in that sense, how can um God hold them accountable? How can they be guilty? Or God is somehow complicit complicit in the evil of fallen angels and humans. So either they're not free or God must be either the author of sin in some sense or have fellowship with those in sin. So first question is God the author of sin? No. But I have to work our way through that. So it's at this point after the scope of the decree is stated in 31A. God hath decreed in himself whatsoever comes to pass. It's at that point when you say things like that, people often object. Does not this make God the author of sin? does not make this does not this make God the doer of evil uh or are we you know puppets or robots you know nobody effectually called goes like this right you don't sit there going I am being effectually called therefore since I'm being effectually called I was predestined and if I was since I'm being effect called and as was therefore predestined I was therefore for fornown by God I know what's happening to God is executing his decree of effectual calling in my soul right now. We don't do that, right? We experience that work in us and it effects causes a change in us and we're made willing to come to Christ. But we're not puppets. Uh we are likened unto clay and is it maggots? man that maggot or is that just John Gersner? I think there's a text. Yeah. Yeah. So, um I got a story about John Gerser. One time he was lecturing on total depravity. He says, "Man, man is a vicious sinner. Man is horrible. Man is dark. Man is wicked. Man is evil. Man is, you know, whatever." And some lady during the Q&A says, "I I I I demand that you retract that statement." Uh oh. He said, "Man is like rat. Man, men men are like rats." And um the lady said, "I demand that you retract that statement. Men are not like rats. They're created in the image of God." He says, "Yes, but they're fallen." You're right. I retract it. They're worse than rats. Anyway, back to the lecture. Puppets. We're not puppets. Uh so what's the use in you know preaching the gospel or doing anything for that matter if God has already settled everything in this so-called comprehensive decree. So I want you to feel that. So sometimes this uh sensing this objection the confession makes a three-fold qualification to the scope the universal scope the comprehensive scope of the decree. It's a three-fold qualification. The this qualification concerns God first, man second, and second causes. And I'm not sure if we're going to get through all this, but the qualification concerning God is seen in these words. Yet so as thereby the decree, yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin, nor hath fellowship with any therein. So the confession clearly expl categorically explicitly denies that God is either the author of sin, we'll look at what that means in a moment, or has fellowship with sin and rightly so. Uh the Bible's pretty clear. God who cannot lie. Lying is a sin. Therefore, God cannot sin. The confession asserts that God is not the author of sin. So we have to ask the next question. What does the confession mean by the words the author of sin? So let's I'm going to look at sin first and then we'll look at author. I take sin here as a deformity. I understand sin to be a a privation, a lack of something good where some where good ought to be. Okay, so sin isn't a space extending thing created by God. I know it's weird. First time I heard that, I'm going, "What? Sin's a thing? Follow me around." You know, you'll see that it's a thing. Um, but I think it's better to say no, it's not a space extending entity or thing created because it'd have to be a creature and therefore the creator of it would have to be God. And that's kind of weird. uh if it's a privation uh if something good ought to be there and it's not there it's a privation it's a lack of something then we can we we'd have to call it because God created Adam and Eve perfect or mature in his image without sin we'd have to say a deformity came upon human nature by virtue of the violation of the covenant of works and that's what we confess right so a deformity came upon human nature. It was threatened by God that it would come upon Adam when he ate. By the way, um, who ate first? Adam or Eve? Don't we know the answer? >> Eve. Did deformity come upon Eve's human nature upon the taking eating of the tree of the the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil? No. Did deformity come upon Adam when he ate? Yes. Why? He was the federal head. And did deformity come upon Eve once Adam took? Yes. by virtue of God's threatening God's judgment in execution upon man for his sin. So he lacked something by virtue of the divine judgment that came upon him. By the way, did the fruit have medicinal power? like like he ate it and if you could see sin just started going down all the way to the bottom of his toes. Was it pharmaceutical? That's what Turan I think calls it calls that view. Um I no I don't think God gave the fruit some sort of creaturly power to alter the created state of man's soul. I think it was a divine judgment. God took something some sort of ability from Adam that he that's good and he ought to have it. But God said on the day that you eat from it, you shall surely die. So this is divine judgment. So I take sin to be a lack of something good where good ought to be. And I take author the author of sin is God the author of sin. I take author as an agent who acts according to its nature. An author of sin lacks something good. And an author of sin acts in a deformed state from a form of existence that has issues. I have has issues in quotes. You're deformed. Especially some of you. I'm deformed. So these things being so, defining sin as a privation, an author as a agent who acts according to its nature. These things being so, it becomes clearer, I think, that God cannot be the author of sin, nor can he have fellowship with any therein. God cannot be an agent who lacks something good and in that state acts, right? Because he wouldn't be God. God is um essentially good. That's just what he is. The good the goodest of beings. He can't lose some aspect of his goodness and still be immutable, right? He would have changed. So God cannot be an agent who lacks something good because he wouldn't be God and in that state acts. That's what it would take for God to be the author of sin. An acting agent acting out from a deformed nature. How many want to say that of God? Four, five, six, seven. Wow. Nobody said that. However, God can be and is the primary cause of the sinner's life, movement, and being. Remember I said Acts 17. This is Acts 17:28. I do have to put my glasses on because I wrote the text in here. For in him we live and move and have our being. So, this makes God the efficient cause of a sinner's action. God has to be causing the life, the movement, and being of the sinner while he's sinning. So God God can be the efficient cause of a sinner's action but not the formal cause of his action. So the formal cause of a sinner's sinful action is his deformed human nature. That sinner's act comes from God. How sinners act is in accord with their created and in this case fallen nature. Um, Dole again, by the way, anything Dozal says good, he he's depending on me for that. It's obvious. What did they say? That guy's stupid smart. He asked this question. How is God not the author of evil if he is the one from whom every moral agent derives its movement when it sins? Do you hear what I'm saying? This the this created cause creatures on a does something a fallen creature does acts from his nature and his nature being fallen is deformed. There ought to be goodness there. It was there from the beginning but it's not because of the sin of Adam and original sin and all that and imputation of all that. God upholds us as we're sinning. He's doing the divine things that the first cause does with his creatures and then we're doing the sinful things that the second causes do being upheld and our ability to move is ultimately coming from him not us. How is it then that God is not somehow someway the author of sin? Let me read the douls. I'll quote again. How is God not the author of evil if he is the one from whom every moral agent derives its movement when it sins? Its ability to make a choice. Let's say here's his answer. Um, and it's pretty good. I I was proud of James when I read this. More moral evil follows from the lack of a form of goodness in a subject's will where such good is morally expected of him or her. He continues, "And this lack of good form is precisely a lack in the creature and not in God who is goodness itself. It would only be a privation and so evil in God if God were under natural obligation to move the will of every creature to every good required of it. And then he closes with this. He is under no such obligation. Remember I said God doesn't owe us being and once we be he doesn't owe us well-being given the and we're talking about this side the fall into sin. I don't even want to begin to try to discuss how in the world with no privation did Adam sin. I don't know whoever is going to deal with that chapter can can dive into that one. I think that's a on the horizontal level that's the biggest mystery. But we're talking about us now. God is not the author of evil, evil outcomes because there's no lack of good in him. He does not do the evil thing. Excuse me. Due to deformity in him, I had to put my glasses on because I wrote a note in there and I couldn't see it. Dozel again. The creature's deformity alone provides the formal reason for the evil of any action. So we can say this that's unquote. If God does not determine to produce in a sinner the ability to act contrary to his in this case fallen nature in the words of Doulal there is nothing evil positively produced by God when he withholds any form of good from the creature's will or action. Could God have affected or caused affected my soul in such a way that I didn't sin last night or whatever? Yeah. Does he owe me that? No. So God is not the author of sin because he is not the personal deformed agent who does not do what it ought to do or does what it ought not to do. So we have to conclude something like this that God has no has so designed things that he can decree all things whatsoever comes to pass and yet not be held personally liable for the authoring of sin. No, I correct me if I'm wrong, Dr. Shider. Is that sorry fell off? I won't make any comments about that. Is that something like compatibilism? God has determined things to be in such a way as he as that there is a comprehensive decree and he's absolutely sovereign in what he has decreed. And yet man has liberty. Man is able to choose according to his nature. But we're dealing with fallen nature now. So I'm saying it's deformed. It's all messed up. And God doesn't owe us effective willing that changes us and gives us the ability to do and to will for his good pleasure. Philippians 2:13. He does that sometimes and it's wonderful. Uh, by the way, will there be a time when all we are doing is we are agents acting according to our natures that aren't deformed. What in the world's going to be like? You can't say it was like last Tuesday. You should have seen me. I was formally deformed but not experientially deformed. How are we going to make that distinction? I had a pretty good day. I was floating on the off the six inches off the ground. You could see my wings and my halo. That's over esquetologizing the interadvental period. We don't we're not sinless. We're we have remaining corruption. Our deformities are not all out of us. But you know what's going to happen someday? By virtue of the power that he is able to subject all things to himself, he's going to execute that power, terminating on our souls and bodies, bringing our souls and bodies back together in a non-deformed state. Actually, in a better state than the original state of Adam because we can't fall from it. That's pretty good news. Back to the argument here. What is it? If God does not determine to produce in a sinner the ability to act contrary to his in this case fallen nature in the words of Doel, there is nothing evil positively produced by God when he withholds any form of good from the creature's will or action." So God is not the author of sin because he is not the personal deformed agent who does does not do what it what he ought to do or does do what he ought not to do. So we have to conclude that God has so designed things here it is that he can decree all things whatsoever comes to pass and yet not be held personally liable for the authoring of sin. God has decreed all things whatsoever come to pass including sin. But God is not a personal agent committing sin. So this is where I think and if I'm wrong don't correct me publicly. Do it privately. I think this is where theologians often distinguish between something I mentioned before. God's effective will and God's permissive will. I remember the first time I read that. I think I said that in the first hour. I just didn't like that. I'm a I was a new Calvinist. It was probably in Burkoff or something because we used Burkoff as our systematic theology text at the Master Seminary in 1986. And we read Bob's Doctrine of God translated by William Hendrickson. It was all way over my head, but I was going Calvinism, Calvinism. By my second semester, I was a five-point Calvinist. I read this permissive will. Like, what is that? Are you a mullanist? Somebody text me, by the way, and called me a mullenist that was listening to the I'm kidding. They didn't do that. If you know what that means, you know I talked about it. If you don't know what it means, don't worry about it. Oh, worry about it, but worry about it later. God's effective will uh and God's permissive will. God has decreed to do certain things effectively that is caused directly by his divine power devoid of creaturely agencies or operations like the effectual call. That is the effective will of God in execution. We don't say, you know what, could you effectually call me? And neither do we say, I'm coming to Jesus even though I'm not effectually called. God causes something to happen to our souls and then we come most freely being made willing by his grace. Right? So creation exilo is God's effective will. Regeneration is another example of God's effective will. But what is this thing called the permissive will? The thing that I used to not like here's I think it's something like this that God does not personally effect all that he wills but he does permit creatures to do certain things as creatures to bring about his will. In other words, he can and does will things to be done but in distinct ways. God wills things to be done in distinct ways. God's God's willing to cause the effectual call to terminate on your soul is one thing and God's willing for instance in Acts 2:23 listen to this being delivered by the determined purpose and fornowledge of God and then it says taken by lawless hands crucified and put to death Acts 4:27-28 we read for truly your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed Both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together to do whatever your hand and your purpose determined before to be done. So they they killed the son of God incarnate according to whatever your hand and your purpose determined before to be done. So we could say this, the murder of Jesus is within the scope of God's decree. True. Yes. There were active creaturely agents who caused his death being upheld by God all the while. God didn't change their hearts so that they would not do that. He permitted them to do what they did. But their actions as creaturely agents were only possible because in God we live and move and have our being. So, uh, if if you ever thought of, um, basically what middle knowledge is is or what mullanism as I understand it, and I could be wrong about this, is that there are some things in our life that God really doesn't decree. He decrees, you know, big things like for the earth to be and for the sun to be and for the moon to be and all that stuff. But when it comes to your choice concerning Christ and the gospel, he he he just leaves that to you and he doesn't know which way you're going to go. Um but when you go he then he knows something like that. This we're saying no that's not what happens here. There's no there's no choice we we make where the primary cause God isn't doing God things. There's no choice we make where God is not being God, the God, the the the the agent of of providence. Um sometimes theologians call this concurrence. I remember my beloved systematic theology professor Mark Mueller. He says within the causal nexus of reality, there is concurrence between God, the first cause, and us creatures second causes. And I'm going, what in the world did what does that mean? You know, I didn't know what it meant to concurrence is two agents acting according to their nature simultaneously. Is it true that God is just doing God things while I'm doing man things? No. God doesn't do God things while I do man things. Then what does he do? You know he is the agent, divine agent who does what he does given creation and providence according to his decree while we're doing the creaturly things that he has decreed. So concurrence God and creatures act in the same events but not in the same ways in those events. The death of Jesus is a clear in the two texts I just referenced. Acts 2:23, Acts 4:27 and 28. And did somebody Dr. Renahan mentioned, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it, the evil act that they committed against Joseph for good." By the way, is Joseph somehow like Jesus a little there? I I think so. Is Joseph a type of the Lord Jesus? I think so. He had an evil act done to him by men. And yet God had determined the act, the death of Christ for the salvation of an innumerable host of sinners. Two operators are operating at the same time in the same event, though each acting according to their nature, doing the things they do by virtue of their natures. God therefore gives power for man to live, to move, and to be. He is concurrently acting in a divine manner during every evil act of man. Let that one sink in. Why aren't we in hell? Was that like Jim Butler? Oh, the first thing I should have done is take off my jacket, right? I'm a I'm not in your pulpit. I'll do it Sunday. But can't you hear Pastor Butler say, "Why aren't we in hell if God is upholding us when we in the very act of sin? He's doing the that which the primary cause does and I'm doing the thing that the secondary cause does." Um, God has decreed other things than just our sins. Like the remedy for our sin and being a better Christian is not the remedy for our sin. The remedy for our sin is way better than our sanctification. It's our savior. That's the remedy. So we could say that God gives power for man to live, to move, and to be. He is concurrently acting in a divine manner during every evil act of man. Uh this is similar to God knowing things and man knowing things. God knows after the divine manner of knowing and man knows after the creaturly manner of knowing. And we can even say this in the most evil acts God is there giving life, upholding life, moving life. But man is the deficient agent, not doing what he ought or doing what he ought not to do by virtue of his deformed nature. So is God the author of sin? I'm going to say no. There's another qualification not only concerning God after the statement of the scope of scripture. He decrees what the scope of um the decree. He decrees everything whatsoever comes to pass. It gives a qualification concerning God. He's not the author of sin. doesn't have fellowship therein. And then concerning man, nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor is violence offered to the will of the creature. So the second qualification that the confession has here concerns the will of man. God's decree does not violate the liberty of man's will. Um it actually establishes it. I think confession says that someplace. God's decree does not cancel man's liberty or freedom to act as he wills. So it might be helpful at this time to explore what is what I do and don't meant mean by liberty or freedom. If one means by liberty or freedom here the ability to do anything at any time this must be denied. Can God do anything at any time? No. God who cannot lie. So whatever liberty or freedom means for us, it can't mean some that everyone has limits. Does God have limits, Pastor Cam? That's a weird question, huh? Because you're going, "Well, he's infinite. He's there's no bounds." Um, if one means thy freedom, the ability to do good or evil at any given time since the fall into sin, we're going to have to say no, that's not what I mean. However, if one means by liberty of will or freedom of the will, the ability to do what one is inclined to do according to one's nature, then that's different, right? the ability to do according to the inclination of one's nature. Something like that. I think the first time I heard that was was by from RC Sproul and I think he was kind of repeating Jonathan Edwards. Freedom or liberty in the sense I intend here means to be free from external coercion or a force outside of us causing us to do what we do not want to do even well anyway we are not forced to will and do what we will and do against our better judgment. That's that's one of the problems with sin is that when we sin, what are we doing? What we want to do. So when you sin against your wife, oh that doesn't happen here. When you sin against your husband, let's go with the first one. When you sin against your wife, um when you apologize, do you say, "I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to say that. That doesn't work with my wife because I trained her." No, I meant to say it. I shouldn't have said it. I had a bad attitude. There was an evil inclination in my heart. That guy got provoked by the dumb thing you just did or said toward me, you know, justifying it. But I I I shouldn't have said that. I I meant it at the time, though. I was so captivated by my lustful inclination. There should have been good there. God required good of me at that time. But there's something wrong with me. I'm deformed. Honey, it's not my fault. It's Adam's, you know. I I don't do that. But um freedom or liberty to be means to be free from external coercion which I mean by that a force outside of us causing us to do what we do not want to do. We are not forced to will and do what we will and do against our better judgment. We do not act against our desires but in accordance with them and without external coercion to do so. So when we sin, we do what we want, God all the while upholding us while we are sinning. But if by the grace of God we do well, we are the ones doing it and we are doing exactly what we want to do. Though by God's effective grace within us, but God's effective grace in us does not do what we end up doing. We do it by the grace of God. God tinkers with our souls. God doesn't Well, in one sense, he does owe us the things he's promised, right? Does God owe us anything? Yes. Whatever he's promised. Has he promised that all justified sinners will be sanctified? Yes. Has he promised that all justified sinners will be sanctified and perfected in this life? No. He's promised that none of us will be perfected. uh are glorified in this life that comes at the coming of Christ or upon our death. Effective grace changes us and empowers us to do good. So God's decree does not work against our freedom or destroy our freedom. In fact, without God's decree, we not we not only would not possess the freedom we have. We would not exist without God's decreeing that we would be the type of creatures we are. We wouldn't have the type we wouldn't be the type of creatures we are. He has to decree that we're free creatures who choose according to the inclination of our natures. There's a quote here from aa Haj might help. The free actions of free agents constitute an eminently important and effective element in the system of things. If the plan of God did not determine events, If the plan of God did not determine events of this class, he could make nothing certain and his government of the world will be made contingent and dependent. Let me say it again. The free actions of of free agents con constitute an eminently important and effective element in the system of things. If the plan of God did not determine events of this class, how could we have what we call prophecy in the Old Testament or in the New Testament? So, the confession has a third um qualification concerning second co causes. Nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes. We were talking about this and we noted when you were reading um second causes have contingents. There's contingencies in relation to second causes. No contingencies in relation to the first cause though. Like God's knowledge of our contingent decisions doesn't make God contingent. Like God doesn't foresee our contingent acts and then based on seeing them decree. Or how about this way? God does not decree. God does not foresee what he decrees. God decrees. No, I forgot how I put it. Anyway, it was good on the plane up here and I checked with AI and it was it agreed. I just learned today that when you do a Google search, a little AI thing comes up there. I go, "Oh, that that's what that was. I didn't know." Uh anyway, unless God absolutely infallibly decrees future events to be what they end up being, God can't secure any promises for us. It just has to be that way. Anyway, um the third and final qualification refers to the use of means. And I'm going to um jump over that and just say this. Um, jump down to 32 where it says, "Although God knoweth whatsoever may or can come to pass upon all supposed conditions, yet hath he not decreed anything because he foresaw it as future or as that which would come to pass upon such conditions." So here the confession acknowledges very clearly that God's decree is not based on what he foresaw as future. One reason we must confess this is found in Acts 15:18. Listen to this because the confession has us go there. Known to God from eternity are all his works. Known to God from eternity are all his works. Here's John Gil. Um, you quote John Gil, right? You guys do. So, one time I'm preaching and I said, "Here's John Gil." And I read it and then I explained it a little and then I said, "Here's Gilligan." Everybody laughed. Here's John Gil on this text. All the things which God does in the church and in the world, they were all fornown and predetermined by him. Even all his works of creation, providence, and grace. Here's John Owen. Three things concerning his providence are considerable from this text. One, his decree or purpose, whereby he hath disposed all things in order, and appointed them for certain ends, which he hath for ordained. Two, his his his um precience, pre-science, his knowledge beforehand, whereby he certainly fornoeth all things that shall come to pass. and three, his temporal operation or working in time. That's John Owen. So if God's decree, creation and providence are divine works. And if creation and providence are the execution of God's decree, and if God's decree is eternal and independent of creatures, then God determined what would be before things had been and executes his decreed works according to what he decreed. Everybody repeat that. Now many in our day believe that God that what God foresees God decrees. Okay. However, the confession implies just the opposite. What God decrees God foresees. Um Robert Raymond says put it this way. The Bible teaches that God infallibly knows the future and this because he has decreed the future. Jonathan Edwards. Similarly, the fornowledge of God will necessarily infer a decree. For God could not forno that things would be unless he had decreed they should be. And that because things would not be future unless he had decreed they should be. Um, one more one more quotation. Uh, this is found in Robert Shaw's exposition of the Westminster Confession. Upon such a subject, no man should be ashamed to acknowledge his ignorance. Absolute comprehensive divine decree and sovereignty in the execution of that predetermined purpose in and pleasure of God and man's real responsibility, man's culpability, man's real guilt, man's freedom in whatever state he lives. liberty of freedom of the will in the first state of Adam before he's fallen in Adam's fallen state that which which we're in as well in a converted state we still have liberty and freedom all that stuff how do you how do you balance the two how do you how do you tie the two together you know how do you explain it he says upon such a subject no man should be ashamed to acknowledge his ignorance okay we may not know how both things can be True. I think I'm quoting somebody else. But that does not mean he does not know how. And what's most important here? God and what he thinks or you notice I didn't say me because I'm pretty important. He goes on, "We are not required to reconcile the divine decrees in human liberty. It is enough to know that God has decreed all things which come to pass and that men are answerable for their actions. Of both these truths, we are assured by the scriptures. The tie which connects the divine decrees and human liberty is invisible." I think that's a good statement. I tried to do what I could and what I've learned in in the agonizing study I've done for this conference to say enough to keep us from air, but I haven't said it all because I don't know it all. And these older writers say the sooner you get that way, even as a Calvinist, the better. God is incomprehensible. God's ways are incomprehensible to the creature. So, is God the author of sin? No. Okay, I got 10 minutes. Does Do my sins work out for good? Um, they better or else I'm going to hell. So, look at Romans 8:28. All things work together for good. So, note what Paul is not claiming. Not that some things work together for good, right? It's not what he says. Not that all things work together in order to make us feel good. You not that all good things work together for good. That's not what he says. Not that all things God controls work together for good as if some things were beyond God's control. Some events outside the sphere of divine providence. So note what he does mean. He's claiming this. Since all things were refers to anything and everything other than God, this working together for good includes everything in the life of a believer. But somebody might ask the question, what about my sins? So here's my answer. Do my sins work together for good? I'm going to quote Robert Haldane on this text. Even the sins of believers work for their good. He better explain himself, right? I got a lot of sins I've committed that I didn't think they didn't work for my good. Not from the nature of sin. Not that committing a sin is a good thing. It's a bad thing. But by the you know what he's going to do here, but by the goodness and power of him who brings light out of darkness. Everything in scripture we read of the great evil of sin. Everywhere we receive the most solemn warning against the commission. And everywhere we hear also of the chastisements it brings even upon those who are rescued from its finally condemning power. It is not sin then in itself that works the good, but God who overrules its effects to his children, shows them by means of it what is in their hearts. Before I was afflicted, I went astray. Then you afflicted me and I'm keeping your law now. I didn't realize I'm way worse than I'll ever know and you're way better than I'll ever exhaust as well as their entire dependence on him. And this is what he says God teaches us through our our sins and the necessity of walking with him more closely. Their falls lead them to humiliation, to the acknowledgment of their weakness and depravity, to prayer for the guidance and overpowering influence of the Holy Spirit, to vigilance and caution against all carnal security, and to reliance on that righteousness provided for their appearance before God. It is evident that the sin of Adam, which is the source of all their sins, has wrought for their good in raising them to a higher degree of glory. That one blew me away when I read it. Wait a minute. The sin of Adam is actually wrought worked for our good. Yeah, because by virtue of because of it and because of God's rescue mission, he's going to bring human nature, which was all messed up, to an exalted state, um, a better state of existence than Adam's created state. Before I mentioned this before, before I was afflicted, I went astray. I sinned. But now I keep your word. David also says, "It was good for me that I was afflicted." We may not know how something will work out for our good, but we may know that it will do so. So this working together has a goal for good. The goal is the good, the benefit, the well-being of the believer. This refers to both temporal and ultimate or eternal good. All things are working together being directed by God's providence to a goal that will benefit all believers. God will bring his plan uh to his plan to a glorious end or goal which is for the good of all believers. I think I mentioned this. Joseph is a good example that even the things in this life that are sinful in them in in in themselves are slowly but surely turned into means for good. There's that text again. in Genesis 50:20. As for you, Joseph's brothers, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. Now, watch this. In order to bring about this present result to preserve many people alive. So, you left me for dead and you lied to our father about me. Both of which are evil deeds. But God meant all of that stuff for good. As a result of the evil that came upon Joseph, much good came to many others due to it. As the result of Adam's fall, much good comes to us by the grace of God. It didn't have to. As the result of the death of Christ, the murder of the son of they killed the Lord of glory. As a result of that, we get heaped upon us much good. Sorry, Ed. By the way, I did that on purpose to Ed for a few times. You can say something real loud and Ed just gonna jump. It's weird. You know, you think of that, but some of us can think back and go, "Wow, I I sinned as a teenager and I, you know, I got my girlfriend pregnant." And there's probably people in here like that, right? Do you want to take your child and give it back to something or someone? No. And and in some cases that child grow up to be a believer and married a believer and they have your grandchildren and our sins somehow mysteriously actually worked ultimately for our good and we're going to be rejoicing with other people forever that sinned and somehow God turned a horrible situation around for their benefit. So this gives you a justification to sin, right? Um sin so that more good would come to you. That's not what I'm arguing. Okay? We don't need to do that. But when you do sin, realize that God's going to teach you something. You're going to learn from it. You're going to look back and you're going to say, "You know what? I'm glad the Lord afflicted me. I wasn't glad while it was happening, but it brought me more to the re a real realization that I am deformed. I'm getting reformed, but I'm not perfected yet. I depend on God, and I wasn't dependent on him, and I need to depend on him more. So, I am finished. And um I'm finished early. Isn't that great? Or what's greater? I finished early or I finished. Thank you. >> All right. Well, it's time for the dinner break. Uh I'll pray in just a moment and thank God for the the blessing that he has provided in terms of spiritual bread and the temporal bread that we will receive. Just a couple of announcements before we part from here to go to dinner. Uh those who purchased a dinner ticket are welcome to go to the gym for dinner. If you don't know whether that happened or not, you can look on the back of your name badge or your name tag and if it's in red, I think that's the indicator. >> They're all red. >> Says dinner at FRC. >> Dinner at F FRC. So that's the indicator that you're Okay. So there's some that don't have dinner at FRC. Okay. We won't look in their direction. Sorry. If you do go off site for food, there's lots of places around in Chilowak. Some really good places. If you're new to Chilowak, um just try and be back by 700 p.m. Uh we want to start right on time there. Uh seat uh sit wherever you'd like when we get over to the gym and then find your seat and when the caterers are ready, you can go uh up with your plate in hand in a table by table order. And yeah, once again, try and be back here at 7. And I'll go ahead and give thanks and then we'll go enjoy some food. Our gracious and our holy father, as we gather together tonight, as we consider this doctrine of the divine decree, I pray that as our brother has preached and taught and as we have received, that word would have its good effect upon our hearts. that we would be humbled, that we would see ourselves before a thrice holy God, a God that is good and who does good, and that these things would draw from us worship and praise as well. May we be encouraged in light of Romans 8:28. We confess the difficulty with that text. We confess even what we just heard from our brother from Haldane that even our sins ultimately are worked out by you for our good. God in heaven we give praise to you for your infinite wisdom and that you do that. We pray that you would give us that that that dis uh disdain for sin that we would not pursue those things that are displeasing in your sight. When we do sin, however, may we know as David says, there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared. May you indeed promote that in our hearts, in our lives. Give us a careful walk before you. And again, we rejoice in your loving kindness and mercy. We ask now that you would go with us as we partake in food and drink and fellowship. May we do so for your glory's sake. And we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Amen. I don't know. Heat. Heat. One more Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Oh yeah. Thank you. Boy, it really went quiet quickly. I want to confirm something that Pastor Barcelo said a little bit ago. I think it was at the beginning of his message. Um, that I commanded him to be here. Didn't you say that? >> You're right. I did command you to be here. So, I wanted to affirm that. And I think you'll understand why in just a few moments. So, can you put your phone away? Thank you. If I could ask the brothers to come up, you know who you are. You'll go first. But just a second. Rich, can you come up with a >> Come here. You're Don't make me come down there and get you. Actually, I'll give it to you in a minute. Dr. Renahan is going to say something and then David Charles and then I've got something to say. 10 years ago, Rich was part of a group who did this to me and took me totally off guard. It was deeply appreciated. Uh Rich, on behalf of the whole seminary community, we love you. We're deeply indebted to you. We thank God for the the gifts that you bring to our students, the way that you've taught them hermeneutics and biblical theology. And so it's it's a great delight to be part of this group to show you some honor this evening because you are deeply loved by many. I know what he's going through right now cuz I went through it 10 years ago. I don't think you know. He's wondering about a cell phone right now is what he >> um gonna say something about Rich in a minute. But these three men have been good friends of mine for over 30 years. >> And before we get to Dr. Barcelus, I'd like to talk about Jim. He he has exemplified I I've been there. sheriff had a front seat watching reformed Baptist churches where there were none before. And I've seen how uh you have exemplified true Christian character, humility as you've helped us to learn. >> This isn't about me. >> I know, but I'm get I'm getting there. And and and here's the thing about Richard. He he has learned well from Dr. Renhand and those things. He's rich. He's he's a he's he's fun. He's full of laughter. We like to laugh at Rich. But he's also very humble. And one things I can tell you, I remember back when you were writing, >> very >> He's very very humble. >> The humblest. >> Let him tell you how how humble. >> The humblest. >> Back when he was writing in defense of the Decalogue and every book since this is what I love about Richard. He writes to help others, not just to fill the world with books. He So with that, you were dealing with new covenant theology and you saw a real need and you recognized God had enabled you to do that. And every book that he's published since is because he he both has an interest, but more than anything, he he sees where he can help others. And I I see that in Doc Rahan. And I say that in in Richard and and and what he said, you know, I love you most of the time. >> No, you love me because God commands you to. You don't always you don't always like me. Like last night, >> Jim maybe not >> till 1 in the morning. >> Jim commanded me to love you. So, but this this all was very much a a labor of love. And as we called different men, wrote different men to ask them, all the men that contributed was an immediate yes because you are well loved because of of we we all sense something of our savior in your life. >> So I think I'm already miked up. Oh, you're miked up. Okay. >> So this is called faithful steward. But um we figured we'd we'd do it just like that. So hang on. I before you start looking for typos, let me just show it to you. A faithful steward and then the contributors are on the back. But I I just want to read two two excerpts. And the first is from the introduction. It's a footnote at the end and it's just acknowledgements. I want to acknowledge all the people that were involved in this >> who wrote the introduction. No, I did. The hardest part of all this was to keep it a secret from you. There were so many times I wanted to call you to say, "What do I do in this?" Cuz you're always the editor that I go like ask. So, if there are any typos, it's ultimately your fault because you aren't there to help me. So, anyways, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to the men who played key roles in bringing this work to completion. Pastor David Charles had the original idea for the fat shrift and took the initiative to launch the project. He launched it right into my lap. And I praise God that he did. >> Yeah. >> Pastor Michael Reahan brought a key editorial eye and has been outstanding in both the efficiency of his editing and the speed with which he accomplished his tasks. Pastor Cameron Porter served as the technical wizard behind all things formatting, ensuring everything looked just right. Pastor Scott Meadows carefully worked through the final draft, helping to improve clarity and accuracy. And then a special thanks as well to Darren Gilchrist and Broken Warf Publishers for agreeing to take on this project. Finally, thank you to all you who contributed whether through chapters or tributes. Rich is a man worthy of honor and you have all honored him well. John. >> Yep. >> What do I do? >> Well, let me read one more thing and thank these brothers afterward. So, this comes from the end of the introduction. The introduction was sort somewhat loosely based on 1 Corinthians 4:2. When I left when I left Palmdale to go to Chilowak, he charged me from 1 Corinthians 4:2. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. And I bless God for your exam example in that for your friendship along the way and just again being there for me. So I thought it fitting and appropriate to quote from John Gil on first Corinthians 4:2. >> How long is this >> the book or the quote? >> The quote >> not long. >> Dr. voluminous, you know, >> that a man that a man be found faithful to the trust reposed in him to his Lord and Master that has appointed him to his to this office and to the souls that are under his care. And then may a minister be said to be so and which is his greatest glory when he preaches the pure gospel of Christ without any human mixtures. The doctrines and inventions of men and the whole gospel declaring all the council of God keeping back nothing which may be profitable to souls when he seeks not to please men but God and not his own glory and the applause of men but the honor of Christ and the good of souls. And such a faithful steward was the apostle himself. And then I end it with Dr. Richard Barcelos is a man whose greatest glory is to handle accurately the word of truth and he has done so for decades for the benefit of the church and the academy. May the Lord be pleased to continue to prosper his ministry. May Rich be truly encouraged by this collection of essays in his honor. It's for you. And when you find the typos, and I know you will, feel free to text them all to me. Okay. I I do want to say something quick. >> Says, "Do you feel bad about everything you did and said to me last night?" No. >> Um, but um I haven't known these guys. I've known you longer than probably these guys, but I I met Jim in 1990 and I said this one time. Um, the student has become the mentor's at least peer if not mentor in some things. He's not old enough to be my son, but I kind of love him like a son or maybe a brother. And I'm so proud of him. He works his, you know what, off. and God has has blessed him uh amazingly. And then Jim Renan helped me with my hermeneutics by helping me learn how to read the confession properly and has had a deep influence on me not only theologically and methodologically but personally. Um I think you one of you guys said that and David we've known each other since like 1995 and he's just always there usually. I I appreciate it. always there. I have books that David pushed me before I thought about writing them. He pushed me on those issues. Like one time he said, you know, the Lord's supper is more than a memory. Right. >> Yeah. You were in your underwear. >> Wow. >> So, I want to do what Dr. Ranahan did. He says, "I knew something was up when people started walking by. And I knew something was up when he told me to shut up and sit down. And then these guys coming up here, I had no idea about this. And Jim, when he received the book, he just says, "I don't know what to say. Praise God. All right, you can turn in your books in just a moment to number 242. That's on page 19. Glory for creation. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Jesus Christ. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Yeah. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Yeah. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Yeah. Heat. I'll introduce Pastor Charles in just a moment. There's a balance of those books. There's about 20 copies available sent by Broken Warf. They will be available for sale tomorrow morning. Uh Arjun's going to put out a table honor system. Don't rip them. Don't rip off Rich's fetch rift. That'd be pretty cheesy. You're You've hit the bottom of the barrel if you steal that book. So, I just want to make that sort of preempt condemnation. So, don't do that. They'll be available in that room in the gym with information on how to acquire one. Uh, also John Mark from Broken Warf was in contact with me today asking when he can notify Kristen or Kristen wanted to know when they can make the book known because they suspect that people in the IRBs orbit are going to want that. So, so some are available for the contributors that are here with us tonight. Make sure you get your copy before you leave. Uh, I have a box with with yours set apart. So, yeah, I noticed something. If I can just say it. Rich, I'm sure you found this. Rich, can you look at me up here? When whenever you've edited, when you need something from the person, the editee, it takes a while for them to respond, and I'm not condemning any of the guys here, but when I said yesterday or the day before, the books are done. I sent this email to all the contributors and editors that couldn't be here. The books are the books are done. We're going to present it on Friday night. Here's the link. and um you know give me your address for it so I can mail it to you. those emails came, you know, right back. The the the immediacy with which they responded. >> Nice. >> Congratulations. >> Nice. Good. That's encouraging. I hope this is a a special night for you. Well, I want to introduce David Charles. As Pastor Barcelo said, he first met David in 95, probably 96 or 97 for me. Um, and then what has blossomed and developed into a very excellent friendship. I find great affinity with my brother. We are like-minded in a lot of ways. If I could grow my beard that long, I would probably not do it. But uh, but just a dear brother in the Lord. Uh, we kindred spirits. We talk, I wouldn't say often. We talk regularly and it's a blessing to know you, brother. I do want to read what is here. David Charles has served as the pastor of Providence Reformed Baptist Church for 27 years. He studied the Reformed Baptist School of Theology under Dr. Sam Waldron, deepening his commitment to sound doctrine and Christ-C centered ministry. David has been married to his beloved wife for 47 years. Together, they have raised five children and rejoice in the blessing of 12 grandchildren. His life and ministry reflect a steadfast devotion to the word of God, the local church, and the covenantal faithfulness of God across generations. One of the things that I've observed with David is that he really loves the people in his church. I think that's evident and obvious. And he really, really loves his wife. That is evident and obvious. So, brother, come and preach the word of God to us. Well, this has been a joyful day and I appreciate all the the folks have been doing the organization been very pleasant. I appreciate the the sweet spirit and again just being here and knowing that you're all here on a Friday night because you love the theology of the reformed faith because you love the Savior. And so it's it's a a real joy to to to be here this evening. Uh be before I get started my charge was different than than Doc Rahan, Dr. Barcelus. I'm to preach a sermon. Now, even as you heard Rich say, Doc Reahan has helped him understand the confession. Have you ever seen this clip? I've seen it several times. I don't know where it was from. RC Sproul and some other men and and John MacArthur like doing a Q&A and I I don't I don't know what the original question was but John MacArthur answered the the the the question and then they went to RC Sproul and RC Sproul clarified what MacArthur was saying and MacArthur said well that's what I meant and then RC Sproul said John why do Do I always have to tell you and explain to you what you believe? Now, I'm certainly not John MacArthur and RC Sproul is not a Dr. Renahan. Dr. Renahan, you are really a great blessing to all of us. And he is he's been that guy for me that has to explain to me what exactly we believe. Now, I say that to say this. If I say something and you're like, "What is he talking about?" direct your questions to Dr. Renahan. He'll clear up what I meant to say but failed to say. So, open up your Bible to Hebrews chapter 1. Now, my here's my goal tonight. I want you to be able to look back specifically to listen to what you already heard in the two previous's lectures and then look forward to this coming Lord's day and then even further to the great day of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. So, in in one sense, I want to leave you totally unsatisfied, longing for more from what you've heard already this evening. In particular, when Doc Renan as he's going through the confession, I've I've heard him do that before on other occasions. And every time, and I love our confession. I've been reading it since 85. And every time he goes through like what he did, I'm like, I forgot that that was there. and it's always so wonderful. So, please go back because some of what I'm saying was it it was there in his lecture. So, Hebrews chapter 1, we're going to look at this text real quick and then we're going to go to chapter 2. Then we're going to go to two other texts and I'm just trying to weave something together, one particular theme. But first, look at Hebrews chapter 1 verse one. God after he spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways. Now in other words, he said the whole Old Covenant scripture, which is Christian scripture before Christ came in these last days has spoken to us in his son whom he appointed heir of all things through him or through whom also he made the world. Mark that. It's very important language. Verse three. And he that is Jesus the eternal son of God is the radiance of his glory. Mark that and the exact repres representation of his nature and upholds all things by the word of his power. When he'd made purification of sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. Now Paul in writing to Timothy, he mirrors this, but he says after Jesus had accomplished redemption, preached onto the Gentiles, believed on the world, then he he closes the whole thing out by saying Jesus was received up into glory. Now, here's what's wonderful. Jesus is returning again, not to leave glory. He will bring glory with him. Now, over to chapter 2. Once again, I I I wish I had time to expound all that's here, particularly when you get to chapter 2, beginning verses 6 through8, where the the the I believe Hebrews was first a sermon, then committed to writing. And here we're we're getting a quote from Psalm 8 about the glories of creation. What is man? And he applies this to Jesus himself. So verse 7 talks about the man you have crowned him with glory and honor. Now verse nine but we but we well let me let me go back to verse eight. And in putting all things in subjection under his feet for in subjecting all things to him he left nothing that is not subjected to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him. But we do see him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, Jesus. Now, if you're looking at New American Standard, the the namely there is to to help with the English, but the way it is is we see Jesus because of the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God, he might taste death for everyone. Here's the passage. For it was fitting for him, that is God the antecedent back in verse 9. For it was fitting for him, for whom are all things and through whom are all things in bringing many sons to glory to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. Now, what I want your eyes to see here, and then I'm going to pray. We'll look at the confession. What I want you to see right here in verse 9, God suffering of Christ for this purpose to bring many sons to glory. Bringing many sons to glory. Let's join together in prayer. Our gracious father in heaven, we have heard great riches about you. That you've pulled back the veil that we might see your greatness and your sovereignty. and that we even when we go astray and we sin and we do great suffering to oursel and to others even there you're at work and we see here in this passage that it's all that we might share in your glory I would ask that you would help me weak fallible foolish man that I be to be faithful to your word so that your people would be edified. Oh, blessed Holy Spirit, we thank you for our Bibles. We thank you for the inspiration and now the preservation right down to today so that we might know as we hold our English Bibles in our laps, we have the very word of God. So help us, we pray in the name of our savior, the eternal son of God, Jesus Christ. Amen. >> Amen. So if you take your confession, look at chapter 2, paragraph 2. Now, once again, I'm I'm aiming I'm really aiming at one thing. And I and I want you to leave here wanting more of what you've heard tonight. Paragraph two of chapter 2. God having all life, glory, goodness, blessedness in and of himself is alone in is alone in and unto himself all sufficient, not standing in the need of any creature which he hath made, nor deriving any glory from them. God does not need you, but child of God, he loves you. So he's not standing in in need of us, nor deriving any glory from them, but only manifesting his his own glory in, by, and unto, and upon them. He is the alone fountain of all being. Of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things. Now, chapter 3, paragraph 5. those of mankind that are predestined to life. God before the foundation of the world was laid according to his eternal and immutable purpose and the secret counsel and good pleasure of his own will hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting glory. Paragraph six. As God has appointed the elect unto glory, so he hath by the eternal and most free purpose of his will for all of the means there unto. So God has decreed destined us for his praise for the dis display of of his greatness that we would share with Christ in glory unto everlasting glory. Paragraph six as God hath appointed the elect unto glory. So, you've heard wonderful things tonight and it touches upon your life. And if you listen to the tradition of Christianity, you were made ultimately through covenant and redemption to share with Christ in glory. That's that's how the decree. Now, there's a way we should talk about God's glory. There's the ultimate expression of that for God's glory. But the penultimate is that we would share in that glory. Now, looking back at Hebrews chapter 2, there are just four things. This I'm I'm when I'm here, I'm leaning much on Owen. And Owen took 36 pages to get through verse 10. And if you ever had the delight of reading Owen, you know he was pretty thorough. I'm not going to take 36 pages worth of time. There's just four things I want you to see. The source and goal of everything, God our father. For it's fitting for him. It was appropriate. It was right. Now, what about him? For whom are all things and through whom are all things? God is the source and the goal of everything. Now, why do I say that? Well, I think if if you just took some time and you were working with this verse, you'd like, "Oh, yeah, I get I see it. I say that because it's all for him, all things, and through him are all things." It's it's just like when Paul writes Romans and he goes through all that's involved in our redemption and he gets to the end of verse chapter 11 he pretty much says this for from him and through him and to him to all things be the glory. So secondly what is God's eternal purpose here? I mean certainly I've already said the ultimate purpose is his own glory. that we would see not that we add to his glory but we reflect it in our praise and our adoration us and all the angels I think are we going to hear about the angels at some point Richard you're going to talk about no but his eternal purpose is bringing many souls to glory thus is his eternal purpose now John Owen In looking at God's decree and predestination, he wonderfully he he distinguishes he talks about a double act of predestination that on the one hand child of God you are predestined before all things to grace. He he he said they are going to be the recipients of my grace and all that would be packed into that. We've heard some of it calling, regeneration, justification, the the the death, the resurrection of Christ. And he says there's also in that same act of predestination, we were predestined not only to grace but to glory. And that's exactly what we got here at Hebrews. Now, we're told something about God's chosen author. If you have the New American Standard, different translations are get trying to get at this word. Some have captain. The the the same word is used later in Hebrews where most translations have author. It just means he's the the one from where it came from, the one who leads us, directs us, that brings us. And this is what we're we're told. Look at look at look at your Bible. Hebrew 2:10. It was fitting. Owen would argue this is talking about the necessity of God's justice being displayed and satisfied. It was fitting for God for whom are all things and through whom are all things and bringing many sons to glory to perfect to complete. Now Owen will tell you that this has to do with the how priests in the old covenant were ordained. I'll let you conference with Owen on that. But either way, it was necessary in bringing us to glory that the author of their salvation, it would be accomplished through suffering. That's the necessary path for both Christ and for us is the suffering of Christ. The necessity of suffering to glory. And and again, when you when you encounter these things, don't just like, yeah, oh yeah, I know Jesus suffered. Think about how Jesus suffered. all that he experienced the reformed faith. We wonderfully again just make these distinctions that are helpful. So we'll talk about how Christ came and he was given a a a covenant that he had to keep from from the father going back to the covenant of redemption. But he kept the law. He actively obeyed God that we now might have his righteousness given to us in our justification. But he also allowed himself to be acted upon. So we call that his his uh active and his passive obedience and and all that's bound up in that. Not just simply what happened leading up to the cross, but from the moment that he left the virgin's womb, he's suffering the hatred and the hostility of his own kinsmen. Now, depending on how you read it, there's actually one point where Mary, and we do confess rightly, the mother of God, at one point, her and the the family are looking for Jesus because they think maybe he's something's wrong with him. And we know his brothers and then his disciples every time he's talking about how he's going to have to suffer and they're arguing about who's going to be the greatest in the kingdom. And I'm always like I read my Bible because I when I read my Bible I I try to be there. I want I want to I want to see it. I want to feel it. And I'm always like, why don't you fire these guys? Because he's suffering. And then he goes, and you know the story, the reality of the beatings, the brutality, the betrayal, and he suffered. and they nailed him to a cross. It's really interesting. We get more description about the suffering of Christ from Isaiah in the Old Testament because the the the gospel writers, they'll just say, "And they crucified him." It was so brutal and ugly. Check me out on this. I'm not really sure, but I as I recall, the only reason we know that there were nails is because of what Jesus says to Judas or no, Judas actually said, "Unless I put my finger in his hands where the nails were at because it was so brutal and so ugly." I remember darkness covered and that darkness we hear him. Why? You know where did he where was the accent in that? Why have you forsaken me? Or is it why have you forsaken me? And he doesn't say my father and my father. He says my my God. My God. He's there as the man. Why all that? Not to just like set us an example. It's right here. It was fitting for God. For whom are all things and through whom are all things and bringing you child of God sitting here tonight and bringing many sons to glory. It was good. It was right. It was necessary. And and we get this again. It's it's one of those things when you when you are are sensitive to scripture and you start looking and you realize this language is used repeatedly. Let me just read some passages to you. Colossians 3. When Christ who is our life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. Revelation has much of it packed in there. And in the book of Revelation is a revelation of what? Jesus. And speaking about this glory that away they will hunger no longer. I love rich, but he's always hungry. Nor thirst anymore, nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd and will guide them to springs of the water of life. and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. I'm not going to lie, as I've gotten older, I cry a lot. I hear about the brutality, the suffering, and the sorrow. I see it. I feel it. I hate it. The foolishness, God being dishonored. This is saying your tears in a way that it is it I don't know what it would look like, what it's going to, but it it wants us to think this way. God is going to take his fingers and he's wipe them across your cheek and the tears will be gone, which is saying no more sorrow. This word glory is really just a a part for the whole of everything that awaits us. No more sin, no more sorrow. I can't imagine no sin. You get I I get up every morning and I got to get into a fight. Everywhere I turn, I got to fight and struggle with the sin that remains within me. I can't imagine a sinless moment. How did Richard say it? We're there's coming a time we will sin no more. There will be no tears. In chapter 21 of Revelation, John the the Revelator, he said, "I saw the holy city coming down out of heaven from God having the glory of God. The church having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone as a stone of crystalclear jasper. In chapter 22, there will no longer be any curse, and the throne of God and of the lamb will be in it, and his bondervants will serve him, and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. what they think their whole soul we will enjoy God to God or face to face without any kind of the mediation that we have now there there will be no more sin as the old preacher would say and no more sermons about sin but we're not in glory yet Oh again, just listen to this. Paul says, "I for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. By the way, just so you you you get this, we're going to glory. Christ is going to bring us to glory and all that that means. But Paul is saying Christ had to suffer. Don't we say it? The cross before the crown. And Christian, you ha you will suffer. Philippians chapter 3. Our citizenship is in heaven from which also we eagerly wait for a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of his glory and when we see him we will be like him. First John. So Peter to the elders, he says, "As your fellow elder and the witness of the sufferings of Christ and partake partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed. So the the glory that's coming to us is is life. It's joy. It's rest. As I said, well, we'll see God face to face and and our mind will ju just like if if I were to I I were to hold this up, as soon as you saw this, you knew it was made of what? You just knew it. It's made of glass. In the same way, you you're you will apprehend God in every moment. You will enjoy God. Now, we're we're always going to be, right, Rich? We're always going to be temporal. Maybe I should ask Daniel. Where's Daniel at? We're always going to be temporal creatures. We're always going to be conscious of one moment to the next. We're not going to We cannot be eternal like God who live who exists. Now, can I Where's Daniel at? Because I want to know. Can I Yeah. Hi, Daniel. Can I say God has no future and God has no past? We do and we always will. But for us there one great moment of joy, glory, gladness, contentment will just give way to another moment. No sin, no sorrow, no struggle, no sense of bitterness and struggling with trying to forgive somebody who abused you. Now, I was I was this is going back some time ago. I was talking to my wife and it is true. I I do love my wife. Um and I I I just I'm driving. I said, "Hey babe, I'm going to I'm going to give you a bunch of words. I want you to just tell me your impression." She didn't know what I was, you know, she's a good wife. She submits to me. So I said, um, I said I said, uh, bright lightning like the sun and jasper and glass that's like gold. You know, I was going through. I go, "What what's your impression when you hear that?" And she said to me, "It's hard and it's harsh." And that's what I was hoping she would say because if you really think about it, that doesn't sound really inviting. If I go out in the sun, I'm wearing a ball cap and sunglasses, but I love the sun. And and it and and here's what I I hope to do now. Someday you'll have resurrected brain, eyes, whatever apparatus. So you'll have eyes will be able to accommodate all that. But what's his name? Philip, no Leland Reichen. He's uh works with the language. He calls this language of the brightness, the jewels, lightning. He calls this enameled imagery. And he says this is combines a supernatural brilliance of light and hardness of texture to symbolize the glory of permanence and of a transcendent place heaven and a person Christ. Now here's here's what I'd hope to do is how long do I get to go? Another hour. >> Okay. So, here's what I want. I I want to increase the hunger, desire, and and to to take that bright light, as it were, and run it through a prism. So, you see all this wonderful color that leaves you with a desire for more. So, with that, turn. We're going to go to two more texts and then we'll be done. 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Even though it's a glory that's yet outstanding and we have this this imagery that comes to us through scripture, the reality is greater. You know, when you read your Bibles, you you need to think there there there is symbolic language in the scripture, but like like okay, I hope I don't you can delete this or blank it out, right? So like hell is it literal fire? I don't know. But I wouldn't have a hard time believing darkness, nashing of teeth, the worm not dying, fire is is symbolic. But here's the thing in scripture, the reality is always greater than the symbol. So if fire is just a symbol, the reality is even greater. And that's true with glory and everything that we could read about glory in scripture. So there's more. No matter what we read, no matter what you John, he said it has not yet appeared what we will be. So as much as we can discover from scripture and I'll argue later from creation, the glory that's coming is even greater. I I I've always I've often wondered when Paul says that in the body, out of the body, I don't know. caught up to the third heaven here heard things. Remember what he said? I don't get to tell you. It's not lawful. If that wasn't really for our benefit. If I tell you, it would make this life all the much more miserable knowing what is waiting for us. So uh you know once again 2 Corinthians f chapter 4 chapter 3 he's he's talking about the superiority of the new covenant as opposed to the old covenant. The old covenant had glory but the new covenant has more glory. So he talks much about glory in the old covenant and how the unbelieving Jews then and now when they read the old covenant scriptures they don't see what they should see. And what should they see? They should see Jesus. Now look at verse three. He said, "Even if our gospel is veiled, it's veiled to those who are perishing." In whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God. Now the this language of God of this age it has an interesting history within the church. What do we mean by that? The Aryans actually appealed to this text. See, there's other lowercase G gods that Jesus is just one of these. And of course, the church rejected that. And I think it's just saying the devil's not a god by nature. It's rather he's the one who, and by the way, right now, everyone in here, you're either one or the other. You're either in Christ with the God, the true God, or you're being led by the God of this age. There is no middle ground. Or I can say it like this. You're either in Adam the first or the last Adam. That's what he's saying. But notice what he's talking about. Their eyes, they're blind. has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God. Now in this language light is very important. Those who've read your Bible, you just you just kind of instinctively think about the light here. Not so much like the light that's in this room, but you know, it's talking about something spiritual, right? You understand that? This is where the next passage where I want you to from now on I want you to kind of slow down and and don't immediately jump to that point but to start looking at the light itself the light that comes to these eyes because God is using the creature to say something about him as creator and that the creator creator creature language is very important right here in this passage. Look at verse six or verse five. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond servants for Jesus, Christ's sake. Why are you saying this, Paul? Verse six, for God who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness." Now, let me stop right there. When did God say that? Genesis chapter 1. when he created the world, he's saying that that God in the act of creation bringing light into darkness. So he's saying he's telling us right now the creation of the world helps us understand the creation, the new creation of grace. For God who said light shall shine out of darkness is the one who is shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. Now remember here's remember that that first chapter of Genesis and God created light and he goes through the and what's he say at the end of each day of creation and it was good and when he gets done he says it's very good. So the good God who doesn't possess goodness but is goodness itself creates the world and it reflects his own goodness and here it's using the word glory. Now again if when you go back and I hope you do go back and you listen to Dr. Renahan's first lecture, you're going to hear him talk about the importance of creation and God's decree and God's glory. And so for us who are children of God, seeing God in Christ and then God in Christ healing our hearts, we now have eyes to see God's glory. And you have if you're a Christian, we sing that hymn. I think most Christian churches sing and love that hymn. Did I disappear? No. Can you hear me? Can you hear me now? And how's it go? Amazing grace, how sweet to sound. I was once lost, but now I'm found. I was once blind and now I and what do you see in God's grace? You see the glory of God in the face of Christ. Now what is the face of Christ? Paul could say to the Galatians before whom very eyes Christ was portrayed as crucified. Now that's not because Paul is drawing pictures. He's saying we preached Christ as the reality of redemption and you saw it. Don't we say that sometimes you tell somebody a a story? We have technical difficulties. You hear me? So, I was once lost. I was and and we say to one another, we'll we'll tell them we tell them something and we'll ask them, "Do you see it?" And sometimes we'll say to each other, "I see what you mean. I perceive it. I get it. >> It was working fine for Doc Renan. >> Is it back? >> You can hear me? So when we go when we encounter Christ in the scriptures in the gospel and you think about all that took place in his life, his the life that he lived, the kind of man that he in his humiliation was, the the healings, the teaching, how he could You know, technically Jesus didn't do exorcisms because exorcisms would involve some ritual and this and that and the other. Jesus would just say, "Shut up and leave." And what would happen? They would leave. We see Christ as we've heard. I think we heard one of you mentioned Hebrews one. Maybe I I said it in my head. The the three-fold office of of Christ, which is why do we need a prophet? Because I'm ignorant. Why need a priest? Because I'm sinful. Why do I need a king to rule over me and to protect me? You know, Jesus exercised his king kingship right now. If if you're if you believe in Jesus, if you've come to grace, it's because King Jesus conquered you. He bound the devil and he plundered the strong man's goods. And when you heard the gospel, you saw the glory of God. You got it. It's like, I've never seen this. It's like marvelous. How could I not seen this before? And now I I told um Pastor Butler that I I have to resist the temptation to I go to conferences. I like conferences. This has been a wonderful con. Anytime I could see Dr. Renahan, it's a it's a good conference. And I like Rich, this is nothing like what happens every single Lord's Day in the gathering of the assembly of the saints. >> When you gather in two days, that gathering has a promise attached to it. No other no other gathering has. When they're gathered together in my name, he's there. I I don't have time, but later on this chapter quoting Psalm I say I don't have any time, but here I go. Psalm 22. I'll sing my praises. Sing praises amongst my brethren. You know why singing can be so powerful? When we're singing the word of God, we don't sing alone. But it's not it's Here's one of the things I love about our churches. I mean, here's the truth. We have some good preachers and whatever, but we don't have the personalities. You know what I mean? We don't have the the the people that's going to gather a large crowd, but we have men who are committed to preaching. And here's what we believe. When the word of God is preached, Christ is there. We hear Christ's voice. When the when the scriptures are read and when you come when you come to the sacrament of the Lord's supper or to baptism, Doc Renan has done some great work on baptism. And Hebrews talks about how we've had our bodies washed with pure water and we're told it's it's it's I love this when somebody said it re in this maybe was rich is that does that mean we get to sin? Right? You're talking about God makes use of even our sin to our good. Right? Well the answer Paul asked that question. Can we sin that grace may increase? No. Now, you might think he's going to say, "Haven't you listened to Moses coming down with the law?" What does he do when we see baptism? He We're seeing the gospel. And that's exactly what Paul does in Romans 6. Don't you know that you were baptized into Christ, raised to walk in newness of life? You know, because the sacraments are just visual words saying the same thing that you hear in the gospel. So when you come when you come to the bread, this is my body. Now, not of course it's foolishness to to say that it's real flesh. It doesn't need to be. It's there symbolically, but we hear the savior say, "Take, eat, live." That's the glory of God coming to us in Christ. the the cup. Your sins are forgiven. Whether you put money in the plate or you've said your prayers enough this week, whether or not you stayed awake during the sermon because of Jesus. Oh, if if if I were your pastor, I' plead with plead with you. Please never let those words be anything other than precious to you. The most important thing that you can hear from a holy God is your sins are forgiven. And every Lord's day through the sermon, if if if you have the supper that week, baptism, the means of grace, you're hearing God saying to you, I accept you and my son. And we get something. Look, look at it. It's right there in your Bibles. Verse six. The same God in create that created that same God has recreated to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. The children's catechism, the one that we use, I think it's the third and fourth question. I wonder if you know the answer. Who made you? All right, good. Now it's going to get harder. Why did God make you and all things for his own glory in Christ? He's going to sh not in the way that he receives glory, but he's bringing you to that glory. And if you listen to Christ, he says, "Blessed are the pure in heart." He pronounces there's happiness for those who's had their hearts cleansed of our idolatry. the glory of God in the face of Christ. And so what does Jesus say? Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. And it's a scene that's taking place now. This is what Paul's saying. Now, we're going to go to the last passage, but here's what's really important for you to understand before we get there. We can I was with stuff and if you ever spend any time with James Law it just don't say anything just listen to him. lectures at the church the next day and I'm I'm just sitting there at the end of the table and he's like typing and he every now and he's just talking talking and every now he look goes David I I really need to finish this I haven't said a word and he's like multitasking I went to a baseball game Mudhens he wanted to go see the Toledo Mud Hins he's like doing philosophy about baseball and I'm like I what's going on? But he said this. He said, "Christians are the only ones who can enjoy creation without becoming an idoltor." You understand what he's saying by that? Now that's not saying that we don't have to fight with our remaining sin, but we we now can approach this why I say go back to listen just listen closely when Dr. Brenan's going through a confession. How important creation is here. It says he is all sufficient, the fountain, having all life, glory, goodness in himself. So now here's what we're going to do. Turn to Psalm 36. We're not going to I'm not going to expound all this, but there's some things. Now, this is for the choir director of Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord. in 2 Corinthians 6. Look at verse one. How transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart. Now, now look how it talks about his eyes. There's no fear of God before his eyes. Now again, I don't have the time. I don't have the expertise to unpack all that's there except now he's saying look our eyes have been healed and we even see light differently. We see all the world differently. We can enjoy the creature. We can find delight and trace it back up to God. You s know Psalm 19 again, one of the men quoted it. If you know it, finish this. The heavens are declaring what? Go up. Look, the stars, the moon. I've seen some pictures. Some of you went up further north to see the Aurora Borealis. It's breathtaking. You did any of you catch the total of the eclipse. Was that two years ago? They're preaching a sermon to you. Psalm 19 goes on to say, you don't hear their voice, but their lions went out. Listen, if you got if you have ears to see, eyes ears to hear, eyes to see, they're telling you about God's glory. How about this? Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. The whole earth is filled. The whole earth is filled with his glory. John Calvin. I have some quotes. I know it's hard to listen to people reading quotes when it's Richard doing it. I'm just kidding. I'm kidding. This is my chance. I've never preached before you. This is my chance. Listen to this. God, though dwelling in inaccessible light, makes his glory plainly visible by clothing himself in the splendor of the created world. Therefore, we do not behold him by striving into his naked majesty, but by fixing our gaze upon the beautiful fabric in which he has willed to be seen. Romans 1, that which could be known about God, his invisible attributes is clearly seen in what he's created. The creature reveals the creator. Remember how Paul says that in Romans? Again, get the language. Stop reading your Bibles too fast and slow down and say, "What's going on here?" He says, "They worship and serve the creature rather than the creator who is what? Blessed in and of himself, glorious." And for those who have eyes to see, even now get to share in that beatitude. Not in its fullness. Creation still groans. Can I quote a poet? I know it's kind of three points in a poem. I I didn't do it that way on purpose. I promise. Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Robert Browning was her husband. She wrote a book. Aurora Lee. It's actually it's a it's a poetic book in the seventh chapter. Listen what she says. This is wonderful. Earth is crammed with heaven and every common bush a fire with God. But only he who sees takes off his shoes. The rest set around it and pluck blackberries. So we are meant to go to scripture as God uses things from scripture because the theological language again docuander will fix all this. All the creatures in some way they there's a an anal all god h god gives being and so that which has been has been because of the plentitude of God and all creatures in a way that imitate God participate in God not as God but always as creature that's why God can use this language analogically to talk about something about himself. And every good thing we just read, the pleasures of this world are meant to bring us to a greater love and appreciation for God now and to hunger for the glory yet to be seen. So like from Song of Solomon, my beloved, speaking of Christ, is like a gazelle and a young stag. Is he saying that we're supposed to study what's going on there in the animal life and reason back from them to something true about God? Yes. Goes on to say, "May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth." Is he saying that there's something in that kiss of our beloved that we're supposed to, as as Calvin said, see God? Every kiss, every bush. He goes on to say, she goes on to say, his love is better than wine. Or you could say grape juice if you're so inclined. You understand? You can't you can't get to what's going on there unless you understand the delight of a kiss, the taste of the wine. And since like Doz would say, our eyes have been healed. We can enjoy those things, but we don't stop at those things. Uh I'm just going to start saying, Dr. Butler, we were we were talking about these things. Don't I can't say Dr. Butler. You're come on. You know more than most PhDs. We were talking and and he brought up something. I hope I get this right. I didn't ask his permission, but he was talking about just seeing men and women who are skilled even I think you said collecting trash, whatever it is. and and it's it's there seeing something of of human ability and God likens himself to a craftsman as a creator. So, are you David, are you saying you're supposed to watch a trash man and his skill and reason up to how great God is? Calvin is saying that. The psalmist is saying that. Isaiah, the angels are the ones who actually said, "Holy, holy, holy." That's what they're seeing. We're looking at God. Not really. And and everything that everything that we encounter with God, the conclusion is the same. Holy. We look at the earth. His whole the whole earth is cramped with the glory of God. Why do we like seeing the aura of Borealis? There's something of God in there. Unless you're an idoltor. Am I out on time? Am I okay? All right. Listen to the reformer again. This is from his institutes. There was so much. One of the biggest challenges I had with this sermon is knowing what not to read, what to leave out. Men cannot open their eyes without being compelled to see God. Indeed, his essence is incomprehensible. Hence, his divinity far escapes all human perception. But upon his individual works, he has engraved unmistakable marks of his glory. This is what Paul is saying back in second Corinthians. We we've seen the light, the same God who created light out of darkness. You know, think about what happened there. There's darkness and out of the darkness is this blue ball crammed with life that came from the living God. All right. Are you guys okay with the quotes? Because I got there's one more that's really good. Uh I I this is because of Dr. Renie. I love Dr. Renie. If you knew Dr. Renie, you would love Dr. Renie too. And he pointed me in Bonaventure. And then I found this is actually in his second volume quotes Bonaventure. I added this a little bit to make it short. Listen what he says. So that we may truly praise and glorify God and actually grow in knowing him, we must take what belongs to the creatures and ascribe it to God. God's glory demands it. Because he is supremely worthy of praise and because our words are too few. Scripture teaches us to borrow the countless names found in creation and apply them to him. In this way, just as every creature glorifies God, so every creaturely name can be pressed into his praise. No single name can contain him. He surpasses them all because he is the uncaused cause. So because they all surpass him, he is fittingly honored them bonnered by them all. We come to know the creator through his creatures. And since created things display real excellencies and gives examples, lions for strength, lamb for meekness, rock for firmness, he says it's right that we carry these names upward to God, using them as stepping stones for understanding the one for whom all such perfections flow. Why is it fun to kiss your beloved? There's something of God in that. Why is wine good? Unless you make it bad by abusing it, being an idoltor. Why do we say? You know, I'll I'll torment my people sometimes. I'll ask them questions. Are you saved by keeping the law? No, pastor. Now, they know by Christ keeping the law. And I'll ask my people, "Is God a rock?" They're like, "I I don't trust you to ask questions anymore. Just answer it." Well, of course, God is not a rock. He's a spirit, eternal, infinite. But is God our rock? He's our rock. He's solid. Rock of ages cleft for me. Let me hide myself. not from thee, but in thee. And so the psalmist, and I'll end with this. Psalm 27, one thing I've asked from the Lord that I shall seek. What? What is it? What would you say if God said, "You get what you want. All you got to do is name it and claim it. What do you want? One thing I've asked of the Lord that I shall seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. Why? To behold the beauty of the Lord. Now, think about that. He's he's taking something that we use about creatures all the time, beauty. And so when you look at that thing that's beautiful, I like birds. I like other people's cats. And I do I I I my my wife and I one of the things I say to my wife all the time, I say, "Honey, I like you. I certainly love her. And I like looking at her. She's on my computer, my laptop, my flip phone. And and I would be an idoltor if I stopped there and didn't realize that the beauty is there to to make me go, that's just a small drip on the tongue of the one who is beauty itself, even God. Now you are decreed child of God to that glory and before you get there you're going to suffer. Paul said I do not consider the suffering of this world of this time of this age to be compared to the glory that will be ours. And that's ultimately pin ultimately of what the decree is all about. Thank God. Amen. Come quickly. Lord Jesus. James, you want me to pray? Almighty God and heavenly father, we would ask first that you would forgive our idolatrous hearts that too often just simply enjoy the creature without the gratitude of seeing the creator. You, father, son, and holy spirit. We do thank you that you and Christ have accepted us. That Christ by the spirit has healed our hearts so that now we have eyes to see your glory both in the works of creation and providence. Even as these are just partial sights, let them awaken in us a great hunger for the day when we will see you directly in Christ face to face. Hear us we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. Well, the books will be available. Arjun's going to have to fight people off for that new book in print. Um, been a wonderful day, wonderful time. Thank you the speakers that have blessed us with their messages. Make sure you take any phones or or Bibles or whatever you have that's that's laying around. Don't don't leave it behind. So, see you tomorrow morning.