Sermon Tone Analysis

Good evening.

•We are continuing our study of the Baptist Catechism.

•Specifically, we are using the edition found in the white catechism booklets that we give away here at the church.

•And this evening, we come to Question 11. 

•And this question has to do with God’s sovereignty.

•Our question is, “What are the decrees of God?”

This evening we come to consider a distinctive of Reformed theology: God’s foreordination of all things.

•And let me be explicitly clear: I mean ALL THINGS.

•Not some things.

Not most things.

Not the big things.

Not the small things.

BUT ALL THINGS.

•As our confession states in chapter 3 paragraph 1,

•“God hath decreed in Himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of His will, freely and unchangeably, all things whatsoever comes to pass; yet 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; in which appears His wisdom in disposing all things, and power and faithfulness in accomplishing His decree.”

•Amen and amen.

Our God IS God.

He is the sovereign King of all things.

Now, this doctrine is hated by many.

•Even by many whom we would call brothers and sisters in the Lord, sadly.

•Many kick against the goads of this truth and reject the plain teaching of the Word of God at this point.

•But they do so inconsistently.

•And praise God for their inconsistencies.

For it is precisely because they are inconsistent in their denial of God’s sovereignty that they do not run headlong into heresy and a denial of the Faith itself.

•And we pray for them that they would come to understand the glory of God’s sovereignty as we have.

But, unlike them, we glory in this truth.

•For all the difficulties it may conjure in our minds, and all the questions it may raise, nevertheless, we praise God for His complete sovereignty over all things.

•We praise Him that He foreordains all things and, therefore, all things are under His control for His glory and our ultimate good.

Absolute sovereignty is what we love to ascribe to God. 

•We love to say with the Psalmist, “Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases.”

(Psalm 113:5)

•We love to glory in the kingship of our Triune God.

And this evening, we will do exactly that.

•I will not spend time today teaching against the errors of Arminianism and it’s cousins.

•I would much prefer to declare the truth than to spend all evening refuting error.

•I find that often simply focusing on the truth clears the head and warms the heart more than presenting falsehood and knocking it down.

(Though, there is definitely a time and place for that in preaching.)

•So then, we will consider the plain, biblical truth that God has foreordained all things, whatsoever comes to pass.

And that He has done so in perfect holiness, righteousness, wisdom, and goodness.

And that He has done it all freely and for the glory of His Name.

So, brothers and sisters, we will first pray.

•Then we will consider the assertion of our catechism.

•After that, we will search the Scriptures to see if these things are so.

•And then I will answer a couple of questions that this doctrine may bring to mind.

•And, finally, we will consider some points of application to our hearts in light of the truth.

So then, let’s begin with prayer and seek God’s help as we turn to His Word.

(PRAY)

Our Great God and Father, 

Thank you for another Sabbath Day.

We hope we honored you in it.

And, if we haven’t, we ask that you would teach us how to keep the day holy.

But now we come to you asking for help to understand your Word.

Help us to gladly receive whatever you’ve revealed about yourself, your will, and your ways.

Give us faith to receive the pure Word of God.

And show us how the truth of your Word applies to us.

By your Spirit, seal the Word to our hearts and sanctify us.

Teach us to trust you, rest in you, and praise you.

Glorify yourself in us by your Word and Spirit.

We ask these things in Jesus’ Name and for His sake.

Amen.

Our question this evening.

I ask that you would read the answer with me.

Q.

What are the decrees of God?

A. The decrees of God are His eternal purpose, according to the counsel of His will, by which for His own glory, He has foreordained whatever comes to pass.

•(Let’s do that again.)

1.) Let’s begin by first considering what our catechism is saying.

•Another version of this answer says, “God’s decree is His eternal plan, whereby, according to His decretive will and for His glory, He foreordained everything that comes to pass.”

•But maybe there is even a simpler way to say it: God’s decree is what HE HAS SAID.

•To decree is, if nothing else, to SAY SOMETHING.

It is to say something with utter authority.

•And, for God to decree, for God to say something, is for Him to say it with all the power and authority of GOD. 

•So, what God says will be, WILL BE. 

•He speaks with the force of Law.

His word is EFFECTUAL.

He cannot be contradicted.

•But this decree that we’re considering this evening isn’t about commandments given to men.

It’s about WHAT WILL COME TO PASS.

So then, as our catechism says:

•“God’s decree is His eternal purpose, according to the counsel of His will, by which for His own glory, He has foreordained whatever comes to pass.”

•God’s decree is WHAT HE HAS SAID WILL HAPPEN.

•And it includes every person, every being, every action, every event, every everything.

Now, it may be the arrogance of youth, or a lack of understanding the intention of the wording of our catechism, but I don’t like it at a certain place.

•Our question asks “What are the decrees of God?” (Plural decrees.)

•I’m not a fan of that wording.

I prefer to speak of God’s decree in the SINGULAR.

One decree.

•And that’s because, properly speaking, God’s decrees are actually ONE decree.

They are “His eternal purpose” (singular purpose).

But I think I know why our catechism has it in the plural (decrees).

•We speak of a plurality of decrees because God has decreed ALL THINGS and, in order for us to talk about what God has decreed, we must break them into categories

•But, in reality, God has one decree that encompasses all things that will come to pass.

•He has ONE will and all things are contained in that singular will.

•And His since He is timeless, He doesn’t decree in a succession of moments.

So His decrees are one in Him. 

•NOTE: Notice once again that our God is incomprehensible.

Even when we talk of His decrees we have to break them into categories fit for human minds.

Truly, our God is high above us and holy.

So, as I’ve said already the decrees of God are His one eternal purpose for all things.

•And that comes to expression in His foreordaining all things that come to pass.