He will destroy them
William MacDonald teaches that in the Christian life there is a vital partnership between God's sovereign power and human responsibility, where God accomplishes victory but believers must actively participate.
In this insightful sermon, William MacDonald explores the dynamic partnership between God's sovereign power and human responsibility in the Christian life. Drawing from Scripture, he illustrates how salvation, spiritual growth, and ministry all involve both divine action and human cooperation. MacDonald encourages believers to actively participate in their faith journey while trusting fully in God's power to bring about victory and holiness.
Text
“He will destroy them…so that you may drive them out and destroy them.” (Deut. 9:3 NASB)
In all of God’s dealings with mankind, there is a curious merging of the divine and the human.
Take the Bible, for example. There is the divine Author, and there are human authors, who wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
As far as salvation is concerned, it is of the Lord from start to finish. There is nothing a man can do to earn or deserve it. And yet he must receive it by faith. God clearly elects individuals to salvation, but they must enter in at the strait gate. And so Paul writes to Titus of “the faith of God’s elect (Tit. 1:1).
From the divine standpoint, we are “kept by the power of God.” Yet there is also the human side—“through faith” (1 Pet. 1:5). “Kept by the power of God through faith.”
Only God can make me holy. Yet He will not make me holy without my cooperation. I must add to my faith virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and love (2 Pet. 1:5-7). I must put on the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:13-18). I must put off the old man and put on the new man (Eph. 4:22-24). I must walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16).
You find the merging of the divine and the human in the whole area of Christian ministry. Paul plants, Apollos waters, but God gives the increase (1 Cor. 3:6).
When we come to leadership in the local church, we learn that only God can make a man an elder. Paul reminded the Ephesian elders that it was the Holy Spirit who had made them overseers (Acts 20:28). Yet a man’s own will is involved. He must desire to exercise oversight (1 Tim. 3:1 JND).
Finally, in the text with which we began, we see that it is God who destroys our enemies, but we must drive them out and destroy them (Deut. 9:3 NASB).
In order to be balanced Christians, we must recognize this merging of the divine and human. We must pray as if everything depended on God but work as if everything depended on us. Or to borrow the wartime exhortation, “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.” As someone suggested, we must pray for a good harvest but keep on hoeing.
Sermon Outline
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I. The Merging of Divine and Human
- God is the ultimate Author and Actor in salvation
- Human authors and believers participate through faith and obedience
- Examples of divine-human partnership in Scripture
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II. Salvation: Divine Election and Human Faith
- Salvation is of the Lord from start to finish
- Believers must receive salvation by faith
- The faith of God's elect as emphasized by Paul
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III. Spiritual Growth Requires Cooperation
- God makes us holy but we must add virtue and godliness
- Putting on the armor of God and walking in the Spirit
- The believer’s responsibility to actively pursue holiness
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IV. Ministry and Leadership: A Divine-Human Partnership
- God gives increase but believers plant and water
- Eldership is appointed by the Holy Spirit but requires desire
- Believers must work diligently while trusting God’s power
Key Quotes
“In all of God’s dealings with mankind, there is a curious merging of the divine and the human.” — William MacDonald
“We must pray as if everything depended on God but work as if everything depended on us.” — William MacDonald
“Only God can make me holy. Yet He will not make me holy without my cooperation.” — William MacDonald
Application Points
- Trust God’s power in your life but actively engage in spiritual disciplines and obedience.
- Recognize that salvation and growth require both God’s work and your faith-filled response.
- Balance prayer with diligent effort, working as though everything depends on you while relying on God.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 'He will destroy them' mean in the sermon?
It means that God is the ultimate one who defeats the enemies of His people, but believers are called to actively drive out and destroy those enemies.
How does the sermon describe the relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility?
The sermon explains that God's sovereign power and human effort work together; God accomplishes the victory, but believers must cooperate through faith and action.
What role does faith play according to the sermon?
Faith is the means by which believers receive salvation and are kept by God's power, highlighting the necessity of human response to divine grace.
Why is spiritual growth described as a cooperative process?
Because while only God can make a person holy, believers must actively add to their faith qualities like virtue, knowledge, and godliness.
How should Christians balance prayer and action?
Christians should pray as if everything depends on God but work as if everything depends on them, combining dependence on God with diligent effort.