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Basic Training 2: Free Will and Predestination Mount Pisgah Allen R. Hunt
Ephesians 1.3-6 3/4/07

I. Fred inherited a huge land grant – will said he could choose land in Peru or Brazil
Fred chose Brazil
Unhappily, had he chosen Peru, would have received land on which recently discovered uranium, gold and silver
But Fred chose Brazil
Arrived in Brazil – had to choose between inheritance in a coffee plantation or land with Brazil nut trees – chose the nut trees and immediately bottom fell out of nut market
Coffee futures on other hand went up $2 per pound
Government took control of nut farm for back taxes – Fred was left destitute

Fred pawned his watch for money needed to fly back to USA
Had enough money for ticket to Atlanta or Orlando
Fred chose Orlando
When plane for ATL taxied up – new super Concord, red carpets, full of beautiful people
After several hours delay, plane for Orlando taxied up – 1928 twin engine plane held together with bailing wire and filled with unattended crying babies

Over the mountains one of the engines fell off – frightened Fred, fearing for his life and scared by all his bad choices, asked for two parachutes
He jumped
As fell through the air – tried to make up his mind which cord to pull
Pulled one on left – nothing happened
Pulled one on right – broke
Desperation – cried out, “St. Francis, save me!”
Great hand from heaven reached down, seized him by wrist- left him dangling in mid-air
Gentle but inquisitive voice then asked, “St. Francis de Sales or St. Francis of Assisi?”

II. Lot of Christians and a lot of “spiritual” people in our culture believe “everything happens for a reason.”
Have to be honest and up front - that statement is my pet peeve
I do not believe that the bus accident on I 75 this week happened for a reason
Let me tell you why

Big questions today: Are we really free to make choices? Or does God already know everything we are going to do and when we are going to do it?
How can we be free to make choices and yet serve a God who is all-knowing?
Tough questions that folks have always wrestled with
Important to say up front that Christians differ on this – that is OK

I. The Great Debate: Christians through the ages
3 oversimplified positions
1) Pelagius: Adam was a bad example. It is all about our freedom
We have the capability to make choices – and in fact, God made us in His image, we are free, and we can be moral people without God’s help
Adam is just a bad example to help us stay on the right path

2) Calvin: Adam destroyed our freedom. It is all about God’s grace
John Calvin believed the problem far more serious than that
When Adam and Eve sinned and fell from grace, image of God in each of us is destroyed
We are not capable of being good at all – only good that can happen is grace of God
Salvation is purely God’s gift – you do nothing at all
God chooses whom He chooses – predetermines that – you and I are helpless to do anything because we are so sinful

3) Augustine: Adam sinned. It requires a lot of God’s grace and some of our freedom.
Adam and Eve sinned – and we all fell from grace
However, the image of God in us is no obliterated – it is soiled
God made each of us in His image – with dignity, ability to initiate and control actions
That is the nature of God’s love and His desire for us to achieve peace and joy
For us to use our freedom and will to choose Him – that is true love
Otherwise, to be born with no ability to make choices is for God to make automatons, robots – and we would have no choice – that is not love – that is coercion and pointless
We have some capacity to do good but we need a lot of help
We can cooperate with God – and we need His help
1 Cor. 3.9 – For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

We can choose to cooperate with God or to resist or ignore, even reject, Him
Our salvation is predestined but it is not predetermined
In same way, I met a family not long ago who lives here in Atlanta
Originally from Boston area
Asked them how they came to live in GA – Empire State of South
“Well, we were looking to move to warmer weather. Packed up and headed south. We were destined for Florida, probably Miami. Stopped in Atlanta, and we never left.”
They were destined for Florida but they arrived in Georgia
Likewise, God intends for you to go to heaven – destined you there
But you may decide to resist or reject Him – predestined but not predetermined

But the point is larger still – most of the work is God’s
We sinned – God saves
We sinned – Jesus came
We sinned – Jesus died
We sinned – God extended a hand and invitation of grace
We sinned – God left the door open
We sinned – God works to draw us to Him
We sinned – God saves – but He asks for our cooperation

Peyton shared in staff meeting not long ago about his daughter Kaylee
In college now – but when she was little, Peyton would come home from work each day
And they would do the same ritual
Kaylee would be peering out the front window looking for him
Upon seeing him, she would run off in a dither to hide
Peyton would do the same thing each day
Make his way in – begin searching, room by room, very loudly
“Is she in here?” “Is she in here?” – all the while hearing giggling in another room
Eventually make his way to master bedroom – look in bathroom, under toilet seat, under bed – hearing giggling – until finally Kaylee would start saying, “Closet, closet, closet.”
Finally, Peyton would enter closet – Kaylee would leap from behind clothes into his arms
“Daddy, I love it when you find me.”
Not a perfect analogy but you get the point
Father did the searching, took initiative, did the work – credit for finding belongs to him
But Kaylee cooperated – leapt into his arms and rejoiced

II. What We Struggle to Understand about God’s Sovereignty and Our Freedom: What does God know and when does He know it?
Now this is tough stuff – so I will linger here just long enough to get you thinking
Many struggle with how we can be truly free
Often bog down in question: If God is all-knowing, how can He not know and foreknow all our decisions before we make Him? Therefore we cannot be truly free

For a moment think CS Lewis with me
Timeline – Past, present, future – all based on our knowledge of time
But God is the whole page on which it is written – He is not on our timeline, not bound by our notion of past, present, and future
God is above the timeline – and to Him it is all happening at one glance
Because He is time-less
However, do not want you to miss the key points today

III. What We Need to Know:
1) God chose us more than we chose Him.
(Eph. 1.4; John 15.16; Acts 9; Rom. 2.9-11; 3.10-11; 1Tim. 1.12-16)
Often people will share their testimonies and their faith, and you will hear a lot of “I”
I found Jesus I was saved I gave my life to Christ I decided this or that
The passage is clear – He chose us before the creation of the world…He predestined us
Let’s not get confused as to Who is God and the Author of Salvation here
And more than details of eternity, amazing fact today is that God loves us so much
That we know with complete certainty

2) Our decisions matter. (Eph. 1.13; John 3.16; Acts 10.43; Romans 10.10-13; 1 Cor. 3.9)
We are not robots, automatons
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit…(Eph. 1.13)
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3.16)
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.” (Romans 10.10-11)

We are made with dignity – each one of us
With power to initiate and control our actions

3) God chose us with a high destiny: to be full children and heirs (Eph. 1.5; Romans 8.28-30; 2Tim. 1.8-10)
Last week, we imposed ashes – and little boy was seated by his dad
Saw everyone coming forward to be marked with ash cross – reminder that we are sinners, saved by grace of God
“Daddy, I want to go forward and get a tattoo too!”
No mere tattoo – sealed with Holy Spirit
Chosen by God – to be full heirs
Inherit the Kingdom of God

4) God chose us with a high purpose: to represent Him to our world.
(Eph. 1.14; 2Cor. 5.17-21; 1 Pet. 2.9-12)
Great news – you are not a robot
Great news – God loves you
Great news – you are perfectly free to choose Him
Great news – He wants you to be His representative in our world
Great news – you are free to do just that
News news – you will be held accountable for what you decide

Give you a step today – invite a friend next week
3rd in basic training – salvation and Jesus Christ
You can decide to be God’s representative today – He is knocking, will you answer?