THE FOURFOLD WILL OF THE SOVEREIGN GOD (Part Four)

By Bob Myhan

The circumstantial will of God is that which God desires of man, in the cir­cumstance of man having sinned. That is, man sinned, in violation of the ideal will of God that no man ever sin, so God desires his repentance. Since this is His desire, He has commanded man to repent (Acts 17:30-31). But He does not force him to do so because this would be a violation of man’s free will.

THE ULTIMATE WILL OF GOD

This is what God purposes to do, ulti­mately and eternally. It is God’s purpose to eternally bless the righteous and to eter­nally punish the wicked. But every person gets to decide which of the two he will be.

"Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth--those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of con­demnation." (John 5:28-29)

Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffer­ing, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in ac­cordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judg­ment of God, who "will render to each one according to his deeds": eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness--indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no parti­ality with God. (Romans 2:4-11)

"And these will go away into everlast­ing punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Matt. 25:46)

Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (2 Cor. 5:9-10)

Man cannot defeat the ultimate will of God. Otherwise he, rather than God, would be sovereign. Man can choose his actions, but he can­not choose the consequences of those ac­tions. God has not predetermined the former but He has predetermined the latter. He thereby remains sovereign.

(To be continued)

YOUR FUNERAL SERMON

By Clif Dennis

Someone will speak words about you at your funeral service, an event that you won't miss or cancel. "As it is ap­pointed for men to die once, and after that the judgment." (Hebrews 9:27) You can choose the words which you want said, in fact, you are selecting the very sentences to be uttered on that day. You are "preaching your own funeral" as the saying goes, by the life you live before God and man every day.

Will it be said that you were a faithful child of God and that you conducted your life in a way that brought honor and glory to the heavenly Father? Or must the speaker say that you were at best, a lukewarm Christian, or even more sadly, that you were once a faithful Christian, but had sometime in the past, become offended by some petty remark and had decided to just give up and forsake the faith? If you have given up and returned to the world, even though you might be living a good moral life, and death takes hold of you in a fallen condition, there are no words of comfort and assurance that any honest speaker can say to those who survive you and grieve for your departure. Be assured that there are preachers who would "preach you right into heaven and leave you there" but honest and Scripture savvy preachers would never give false hope such as this.

Notice your condition after forsaking the faith and returning to the world: 2 Peter 2:20-22,

"For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: A dog returns to his own vomit," and, "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire."

That is a very despicable and sickening position in which to be when one has to "say a few words" over you at the end. It is your legacy. It cannot be changed. No godly family member deserves this mem­ory of you, but will have it forced upon them by your refusal to submit to God's mercy and pardon. Not listening to the warnings from the Scriptures now while you yet have time, will find you in danger­ous circumstances in the Day of judg­ment. & (The Reminder, Vol. 5, No. 3)