The Doctrine Of Foreknowledge by Pastor Dolapo Lawal: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

God Knows Everything, But Does Not Determine Everything

Blind Bartimaeus called out to Jesus — Mark 10 — and Jesus said, "What do you want me to do for you?" as though he did not know the man was blind. Many times, when Jesus calls, we ask for the wrong thing. The goal of this teaching is that as you pray, you ask for the right thing.

The doctrine of divine foreknowledge is not fatalism. Fatalism says God has scripted everybody and, like robots, we are carrying out what was written. The doctrine of biblical predestination is different.

God knows everything, but God does not determine everything that happens.

Consider this: if I have already watched a match and someone who has not is watching it with me, I can tell them the final score. My knowing does not mean I played the match. All I have is the knowledge. So because God knows what will happen does not mean he moved the players to play the way they played.

That is predestination. It is an appointment — not a determined thing. It is not fatalism.

Many Are Called, Few Are Chosen

Matthew 20:1 — the Greek word for predestination is proorizō. It means to ordain, to appoint, or to call. The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early to hire laborers.

Jesus called people to work. Some came early, some came late, but he gave the same wage. The last will be first and the first last — for many are called but few are chosen.

That "many are called" means many are appointed. What does it take for God to choose you? You have to respond to the call.

If I advertise an audition, I have called many. But who do I choose? The people who come to the audition. So "many are called, few are chosen" does not mean God randomly selects people. The chosen are those who respond.

Matthew 22:1–4 — the parable of the marriage feast. Some did not respond. Others responded and enjoyed the feast.

The "We" and the "You Also" in Ephesians

Ephesians 1:11 — "In him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will."

The person speaking is Paul — a Hebrew, an apostle to the Gentiles. When Paul says "we," he is talking about the Jews. And the next verse says, "That we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of his glory."

Who were the first people that believed the gospel? Jews. The twelve disciples were Jews. So the "we" that were predestined are the Jews.

Romans 1:16 — "The gospel is the power of God unto salvation, first to the Jews and then to the Greeks."

Then verse 13: "In him you also trusted." We see a "we" and a "you also." The Jews first, then the Greeks.

So why were the Jews predestined to receive the gospel first? Because Jesus came as a Jew. God appointed that they would hear the gospel first. Were all Jews saved? No. That is the point. God can predestinate something as an appointment and you can still disappoint.

God can design your life to go in a particular direction, and if you do not align, you will turn out another way.

God predestined the children of Israel to enter the promised land in days. They did not align. The moment they complained, God said, "It is what you are saying that I will do. Not what I said I would do."

The Written Word Is the Prophecy

The written word is the prophecy.

2 Peter 1:19–21 — "We have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place until the day and the morning star rises in your heart. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation. For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."

When Peter says prophecy here, he is talking about the word of God — Scripture itself.

Revelation 19:10 — "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." That testimony means witness or evidence. The Bible says he opened their understanding that they might see things that were written concerning him — Luke 24:44–45 — in the law of Moses, in the prophets, and in the Psalms. Jesus took them from Genesis to Malachi and showed them things written concerning him.

So when Isaiah was prophesying, when Ezekiel was prophesying, when Moses was prophesying, when David was prophesying, they were giving testimony to Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:4 — Christ died according to the Scriptures, was buried according to the Scriptures, and rose according to the Scriptures. The proof that he is the Christ is in the Scriptures. The Scriptures from Genesis to Malachi are literal prophecies — and what makes them powerful is that they are not prophecies you just hear. They are prophecies that are legally binding on God's side, because he wrote them. Writing something is an agreement.

1 Peter 1:10–12 — The prophets prophesied of the grace that would come to us, searching what manner of time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he testified beforehand of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that would follow. "To them it was revealed that not to themselves but to us they were ministering." The things reported by the Holy Spirit — which angels desire to look into.

Angels could not read it because it was sealed. The Scriptures were written, but sealed.

Psalm 139:16 — "Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in your book they are all written — the days fashioned for me."

Romans 15:4 — All that was written beforehand was written for our learning, so that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

So this means you can look at the life of David and see yourself.

Scriptures Announce What Will Happen Before It Does

Hebrews 10:5 — When Jesus came into the world, he said, "Sacrifice and offerings you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me... Behold, I come in the volume of the book. It is written of me to do your will, O God."

So there was a book that contained the life and person of Jesus.

Acts 15:18 — "Known to God from eternity are all his works."

Scriptures don't just record what happened. They announce what will happen before it does.

• Jesus's birth was prophesied in Micah 5:2, hundreds of years before Bethlehem. The census of Caesar Augustus was for the fulfillment of Scripture — so that Jesus could be born in Bethlehem.
• The killing of children in Matthew 2:18 was prophesied in Jeremiah 31:15.
• They spat on him to mock him — fulfilling Isaiah 50:6.
• They cast lots for his garments — fulfilling Psalm 22.

John 19:19–22 — Pilate wrote on the cross: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. In Hebrew, the initials formed the name YHWH. The chief priests said, "Do not write 'King of the Jews.'" But Pilate answered: "What has been written has been written."

In other words — this is scripted.

Jesus found himself in Isaiah 61:1–3. That is why in Luke 4 he said, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." John found himself in Isaiah 40:3. Peter is in Isaiah 22:22, which correlates with Matthew 16:19. The Virgin Mary is in Isaiah 7:14. Apostle Paul is in Isaiah 49:6, as seen in Acts 26:17–18.

Judas is in Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8. As confirmed in Acts 1:20 — "Let his days be few and let another take his office."

If Judas can be there, you must be there too. Jesus taught them to read the Scriptures and find themselves — and until you find yourself, the oil will not come upon you.

Revelation Comes Before Experience

In Matthew 16, Jesus asked who men said he was. Simon Peter said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Then in Matthew 17, Jesus took them to a high mountain and showed them the glory of the Father. God said, "This is my beloved Son."

The revelation came before the experience. You first catch the revelation, then God gives you the experience. If you do not have the revelation, you cannot have the experience.

Acts 1 before Acts 2. If you do not learn the Scriptures, when they start speaking in tongues and someone asks what you are doing, you will not be able to say, "This is what was written: 'I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh.'" If you cannot explain it, God will not allow you to experience it.

If you do not see you, the you that God designed will not manifest.

There Is a Book Written About You

There is a book written about you. Your days are written in that book. If you pray prayers not in line with what is written in that book, those are what people call unanswered prayers.

No matter how anointed you are, you cannot have answered prayer praying against his will.

How do you open that book?

Daniel 7:9–10 — "The court was seated and the books were opened." How were the books opened? They ministered before him.

Daniel 7:21–22 — The horn was making war against the saints and prevailing, until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High.

You need the Ancient of Days to sit. You need judgment. And the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.

How did they make the Ancient of Days sit? By ministering to him.

Isaiah 29:11–13 — "The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to the one who is literate, saying, 'Read this please,' and he says, 'I cannot, for it is sealed.'" Those who cannot read it are those who do not know how to minister to him — and that ministry is worship.

The Lord said, "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the commandments of men" — they do not love me, they want to use me.

Matthew 15:8 — "These people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In vain do they worship me."

If you are not a worshipper, you stand no chance of opening that book. People that miss worship and come only doing word stand no chance.

The people that had the book opened in the Bible used ministration — worship.

Acts 13:2 — As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Separate unto me Barnabas and Saul for the work I have called them to." If the Holy Spirit had not spoken, they would not have gone. If they had not gone, we would not be saved. Paul's fruitfulness was because the Holy Spirit opened the book for him.

Revelation 5:1–5, 8–10 — A strong angel proclaimed, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?" No one in heaven or earth was found worthy. John wept. But one of the elders said, "Do not weep. The Root of David has prevailed to open the scroll." What is David known as? The worshipper. What is the meaning of Judah? Praise.

When the Lamb took the scroll, the four living creatures and twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense — which are the prayers of the saints.

When you sing that the Lamb is worthy to take the book and open the scroll, he will take your scroll and open it for you — because you are not worthy to open it.

The only person worthy to open it is that Lamb and he is the Ancient of Days. The only way to get him to sit is by ministering to him. If you do not minister to him, he cannot give you that judgment, because only he is worthy to take that book.

Hebrews 13:15–16 — "Therefore, by him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God... But do not forget to do good and to share. For with such sacrifices God is well pleased."

Verse 16 is how Cornelius opened his own book — by doing good.

So the book opens when you get the Ancient of Days to sit. He inhabits the praises of his people. Through worship and praise, the Ancient of Days takes his seat. That is the only way — and he is the only one worthy to open the scroll.

Once he does that, the Holy Spirit begins to speak. That speaking means he is reading to you: "The next thing you are actually supposed to do is move to Africa. That is what is in your book."

You might wrestle with it. But you will keep noticing that everything is trying to move you in that direction. If you stay in disobedience, he cannot read the next line — because the next line is connected to your obedience in the previous one. Disobedience helps him close that book.

If this book is not opened, you will be misplaced. If God has prepared a spouse for you and tells you to move and you do not move — that is the delay.

You are praying about a job. But it is not just a job. There is also a community of people God has raised that you must disciple — and they are somewhere specific. In God's mercy, recruiters may call from that city. Check again. Is that book looking for you?

When you are in alignment with what was written, everything begins to fall into place. Even a Pilate will be responding to the script.

You can miss that book, and the mercy of God will reach out to you. But do not overestimate yourself. You might think you are Jonah — but you may be the young prophet. No second chance. Don't push your luck.

Get the judgment. Let him sit. Let him give you that thing and align. It might be chaotic, but once you know what you heard, nobody can move you out of it — because you know what you heard.

Father, we minister to you. We declare that the Lamb is worthy to take the scroll and open it. We come in the volume of the book as it is written about us. Let the Ancient of Days sit. Let that sealed thing be opened. Read to us what is written. We will obey. We will align. We will not harden our hearts. We will not be spectators of a move of God meant for us. In Jesus' name.

There are some people here receiving instructions. He has been telling you, but you were second-guessing. It is time. You came here because of the questions. The spirit of the Lord is speaking. Ordinations are happening. All it takes is your yes. Just your yes.