Free Will
Notes
Transcript
Challenged
Challenged
this past couple of weeks I have been talking with someone about the subject of free will
this subject was asked of me when I was interviewing for the pastorship in Stacyville
our choices
Johnathan Edwards defines our will as
what our mind chooses, Our choices are determined by what we think is most desirable at any given moment.
this chair or that
coffee or tea
red shirt or orange
we make 1000s of choices every day
our choices follow our disposition
what are we inclined to
here in America we would never willingly chose to get rid of our furniture and sit on the floor.
I would probably be healthier, stronger, and more limber
a lion would starve to death given the same food as an antelope
but give the lion an antelope he will gorge himself
our disposition- what drives us
what are the motives that drive your decision making ?
maybe there was a traumatic experience you had as a child and this happened in a room with a wall that was painted purple so in your disposition a purple wall will always make you feel uncomfortable.
so when you have to paint your room the color purple would never be a color you choose
you have a free will but the color purple is out not even an option
during the medival times the knowledge went round that the tomato was poisonous today 100s of thousands of tomatoes are consumed weekly.
everyone through history has had a free will to eat tomatoes
what our mind chooses, Our choices are determined by what we think is most desirable at any given moment.
and what we desire is controlled by what is our disposition, what drives us
the ultimate question in free will is can someone choose to become a Christian?
this is what the interviewer was asking me knowing that I was a Calvanist.
or I prefer the term Doctrines of Grace
this is the question that I want to answer this morning
can someone choose Christ?
Read John 3 18-21
The Will
The Will
there are 1000s of pages written on this subject
many books
Martin Luther the bondage of the will
Freedom of the will by Johnathan Edwards
Treaties of grace and free will by Augustine
the bondage and liberation of the will by John Calvin
and others
the question is do we have free will toward God?
we seem to have free will toward everything else
the Christian church has given this decision to everyone
you need to decide today
you need to choose Jesus
will you accept Jesus as your savior?
will you pray this Prayer?
these are the the most popular ways to
all of these ways involve a free will decision to be on the side of Jesus
Les look at the condition of man
Man in the garden chose with his free will to eat of the tree that God said not to
when that happened he fell. spiritually he died
And you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience,
among whom we all also formerly conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
our desires and our nature was totally sinful
we was in bondage to the Spirit of satan
our lusts of the flesh controlled us
turn to Romans 1.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
we suppress the truth
the truth to an unbeliever is the purple wall
V 30-32
haters of God
2 V 5
stubborn unrepentant heart
3 10-18
none seek for God
6 V 17
slaves of sin
7 V 5-6
we have sinful passions
constrained by sin
and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.
held captive to do satans will
For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.
the salvation message is foolishness to the lost
but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,
the gospel is rubbish to those who are unsaved
Jesus says in John
and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.
you by your free will will not come to me
we have free will, but what does that free will do?
the will of satan
the will of sin that has us constrained
the will to suppress the truth
the will to do only what our desires are, to be sinful
“And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
“For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light lest his deeds be exposed.
the will of the unsaved is to love the darkness
Jesus is the light and as V 20 says they hate the light
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.
not only are we slaves of sin
but Jesus also says this about our heart
“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, adulteries,
coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.
the heart of the natural man will not freely turn to God
it is that purple wall that is totally out of the question
it is that purple wall that is detestable and a person will never ever free willingly say yes to
mans sin is so deep and awful that we just cant comprehend how repulsive we really are
so in order for someone to be saved
in order for someone to repent and believe there has to be a working of God the Holy Spirit in us
God Works In Us
God Works In Us
the Holy Spirit has to convict before anyone can be saved
remember our definition
Johnathan Edwards defines our will as
what our mind chooses, Our choices are determined by what we think is most desirable at any given moment.
that purple wall is detestable
The Holy Spirit changes our desires to make the purple wall the most desirable thing there is
changes our desires from sin to God
“And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;
the Holy Spirit has to change a persons
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
God puts that Good work of salvation into you
for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
changes your will
God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
we are called into fellowship with Jesus
so remember when we
Evangelize
Evangelize
this is the person we are telling the good news to
unless God does a work in their heart it will be foolishness to them
you give them the good news and rely on the Holy Spirit to work on them if He wants
