Matthew 23:37-39

Jesus had come to his final week on earth. He was cheered as he entered the city. But then they tested and prodded him— attacking him on every level. It is obvious that the cheering only went so far.
I can imagine Jesus on the Mount of Olives looking over the city as he says those words. His heart is broken. He wanted to comfort them but they wouldn’t let him.
We are often like that aren’t we? God warns us of attitudes and behaviors that will cause us harm and we don’t listen. God speaks through His word and directly to our hearts, he nudges us and yet we will not listen and we go headlong into trouble— trouble he never intended for us.
There is a school of thought which has been with us since at least the 1500’s and is gaining in popularity, especially among college students. Those who hold these beliefs teach that everything that happens in the world was ordained by God. The basis for that assertion, they say comes from Scripture and as been stated definitively in the Westminster Confession:

God from all eternity did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass…. (3:1)

To me one of the most disturbing aspects of this doctrine is that God also chooses who will be saved and who will not. The choice is not based on God’s foreknowledge, but simply on God’s choice.

Here are some questions I have:
If God determines everything that happens:
– why are we here?
– what difference do our actions make?
– why should I pray?
– why do children starve to death?
– why are some young women brutally raped?
– why are so many children abused?
– why do so many people wind up in hell?
– why should we be held accountable for our sins?

In ministry you have ample opportunity to struggle with the implications of these ideas. I have stood at the grave side of young and old and asked the question, “Why?” I have asked that question about many things, and found no satisfying answers. In fact I have more than 10 books that deal with that subject.
I read and pondered, studied and prayed. I still do not have a definitive answer, but I do have some convictions that guide me through difficult times.

The Choices
In theology there have been basically two ways of looking at the problem. Now this explanation is very simplistic, but it will you and idea of how to approach the problem.

1. God is sovereign over every aspect of creation and determines everything that happens. Nothing happens without his divine decree or permission. Before God ever created anything he determined everything that happened.

2. God has sovereignly chosen to allow his creatures to have free will and is prepared to redemptively deal with the consequences of that freedom.

To be honest there are passages of scripture that support each of those two options, that is why the debate still continues. I have come to trust the second proposition and here’s why.

Scripture indicates some things God wanted to happen that didn’t.
– Adam and Eve to continue to fellowship with him, and grow as persons. That is why he warned them of the tree
– God wanted people to fill the earth, but instead they built the Tower of Bable
– God wanted Israel to trust him and depend on him but they wouldn’t and constantly went a stray
– God wanted Israel to repent at the preaching of the prophets and they refused to
– God wanted Judah to surrender to Babylon and quietly go into exile but they didn’t
– The Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…”
– All people to be saved, but they are not (2 Ti 2:4)

Scripture assumes that we have freedom of choice and therefore the possibility that we will do other than what God wants
– God tells Adam and Eve not to eat of the of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
– Cain was warned not to let sin overpower him. God said, “If you do well you will be accepted, if you don’t sin lies at the door.
– Israel was given the law, there was a expectation of obedience
– Joshua told Israel they had a choice, they should choose God.
– The Prophets continually told people, “Change what you are doing.”
– Jesus called for choices to be made, he told people to repent and believe the gospel.
– Paul called for choices to be made. He told people to put off the new man, put on the new man.
– In Revelation, Jesus told many of the churches to stop doing what they were doing and do things God’s way.

Our devotional life shows free will:
– We pray because we don’t think things are already determined
– We believe that our choices make a difference, so we learn more to make better choices

It is clear from both scripture and experience that there are many things God wants to happen that don’t and many things God doesn’t want to happen that do.

So what does all of this mean?
1. God has entrusted us with the gift of free will
2. Our choices are real, not just illusions
3. We are not powerless pawns, puppets in the hand of God
4. We can choose to yield to God’s grace or resist it
5. Much of our future is determined by our choices not by a divine plan
6. As we cooperate with God any situation can be redeemed

So what do we do?
1. We realize our place and our dignity and value
2. We realize the power of our choices and the power of God’s grace in our lives
3. We choose to yield to the power of God for God’s purposes

  • We can be the spouses, parents and students and employees we need to be
  • We are not doomed to failure by the events of our past
  • Through God’s grace we have the power to make the choices we need to make
  • Our lives can be different!

Our lives are not completely planned out. They are not set in stone. God does not predetermine every action. We are not victims of fate.
God has endowed us with the tremendous gift of free will and with that gift comes great responsibility. We are not puppets we are sons and daughter of God, created “a little lower than the angels” [Psalm 8].

We live in a world that is filled with ambiguities and questions. At times are prone to give in to apathy and cynicism. We may never know all the circumstances that lead any particular event. But we do know the intent of our heavenly Father.

God tells us “Don’t give in and give up, but step up.” Choose to yield to his Spirit, and draw upon his grace. There are many things God wants done, many of them will not be accomplished without you. Work with him to do his will on earth.

The most devastating aspect of this doctrine is that it says God chooses who will be saved and who will not. Your salvation this morning is dependent on two things. God drawing you and your response. Your destiny is not set in stone. If you walk out of here this morning without a relationship with God it will be your choice.