We're on paragraph two. 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 is that which would come to pass upon such conditions. So this is our second week looking at God's decree. Last week's basic point was that God has decreed all things. Then we went a little deeper to better understand the scope of what was what that means.

He has decreed all things in himself. God is not reliant upon sources outside of himself, not anyone nor anything. He relies upon His most wise and holy counsel freely and unchangeably. Yet He does this in a way that keeps Him from being the author of sin and from forcing His creatures to act outside of their free will or from preventing the use of second causes to achieve his purposes. This week we'll address a point that is raised regarding last week's beginning phrase, God hath decreed in himself.

The question is whether or not God is influenced by foresight. Does God establish his decree based on what he sees will happen in the future? Let's start with an example of a series of events. I found out a couple days ago that today would be Pastor Teague's last Sunday at the Methodist Church here and consequently they called and asked if we could delay our service so they could have one last fellowship with him and his family. Of course, we as grateful guests using their facilities said yes.

Now we can look at this from two perspectives. First, God decreed that another church would call Pastor Teague to come serve at their church. God decreed that he would accept. God decreed that at the last minute someone would have an idea to have a fellowship with him on his last Sunday to say goodbye. God decreed that they would call and ask me.

God decreed that we would agree to delay our service so all of this could happen. God decreed all of these events in himself. He alone decreed these events and did it before the world was even created. Now let's look at it from another perspective. God looking down through time sees that another church would need a pastor and would call Pastor Teague to their church and he would accept.

Thus he decreed this to take place. God would also see that the secretary would call me, ask us to delay and we would agree. Thus God decreed that someone would think of a fellowship. He decreed that the secretary would call and he decreed that we would delay our service. The second perspective bases God's decree on the fact that God sees what we will do beforehand.

So let me summarize that briefly. The first view, God decrees all things, period. The second view, God saw in the future what decisions and actions would take place and established His decree accordingly. Do you see the difference? Let me explain a couple of problems I have with this second view.

First, this attacks God's sovereignty directly. God is the Creator. He is self-sufficient. He doesn't depend or rely on anything outside of Himself or any of His creatures. Rather, they depend upon him for their existence.

We depend on him for our existence for everything. Our God is not truly sovereign if he has to look into the future to see how we, His creatures, decide upon anything to establish His divine decree. No, God decrees all things by His perfect wisdom and by His holy counsel and to at His great pleasure. The other issue is a misunderstanding of God. Let's remember that God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent.

This means He knows all things. He is all-powerful, and He is everywhere, all at the same time. I think we can all agree on this. Now, one of God's creation was time. You and I are bound by time.

In fact, our existence is linear. It has to be. We have a beginning and an end. Our thoughts and our understanding are influenced by our linear existence. But God has no beginning and God has no end.

He is outside of time and He's not constrained by time in any way. Peter tells us, with the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day, 2nd Peter 3, 8. And Matthew Henry suggests all the events of a thousand years, whether past or to come, are more present to the eternal mind than what was done in the last hour to us or is to us. This is where we trip up. The idea that God foresaw that he looks down through history, it comes from our limited conception of how God works.

He doesn't look down through history. He looks at history. He looks at history as a whole. He sees the beginning, the middle, and the end. He sees all of it, all at once.

We have trouble fully understanding this because we can't even begin to comprehend it. It's beyond us, so we try to put God into a box that we can understand, and this is dangerous. Dr. Sproul summarizes, God does not decree anything on the basis of his knowledge of future events or possibilities. Instead, he knows things in advance because he has decreed them in advance.

He knows what will happen tomorrow because he has decreed what will happen tomorrow. Scripture tells us, known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world, Acts 13, 18. Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth.

His understanding is beyond searching out. Isaiah 40 verse 28. Isaiah further reminds us who is in control, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done saying my counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure in Isaiah 46 10. The psalmist emphasizes this that our God is in the heavens. He does all that he pleases.

Psalm 115 three. God certainly does what he pleases. He is sovereign and he is completely self sufficient. There are no conditions that would act upon God or influence God or that God would react to his result of his foresight. God purposed it and he will do it.

Paul tells us of God's purpose with regards to Jacob. The elders shall serve the younger as it is written, Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated in Romans 9 12 through 13 in God's purpose with Pharaoh for the scripture saith unto Pharaoh even for this same purpose have I raised thee up that I might show my power in thee and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Romans 9 17. God will have mercy on who he will have mercy and God will harden the hearts of those whom he will harden so that his purposes will be accomplished. What shall we say then?

Is there unrighteousness with God? Paul says, God forbid in Romans 9, 14, what God purposed shall happen. In summary, God knows all that will come to pass. God ordains all that will happen. He is sovereign over all that was, is, and will be.

The circumstances don't determine what he ordains. What he first saw in the future does not dictate what he will do. God freely by himself without any influence upon him predetermines all that happens. He does this at his good pleasure, and he does this for his glory. In closing, This should bring us great comfort to know and truly believe that God is in control.

Life is not a random set of events, events that occur by chance or luck. This doesn't happen. Politics, wars, famines, life and death, all of it. God is in control. He has ordained all things by himself, again, at his good pleasure and for his glory.

Do you believe this? Do you really, really believe this? Do you believe it to the level that you're thankful for what He has done, what He has ordained, even if they're hard or painful? Amen.