Does God really know the future?

(This is a condensed version of the sermon preached on March 2, 2025.)

God knows the future, and reveals the future, but doesn’t control your future

When you take a trip, there are two ways to do it: a tour, where everything is planned, or an adventure, where you decide as you go. Is the Christian life more like a tour or an adventure? Has God planned every step, or do we have freedom to choose?  

In today’s passage, John 13:18-30, Jesus and his disciples share a meal before his betrayal. Jesus washes their feet, teaching them humility and service. Then he reveals that one of them—Judas—will betray him. This passage highlights three key truths:  

1. God Knows the Future
Jesus knew Judas would betray him. Though we know this as history, it was still the future when Jesus spoke. Nothing takes God by surprise. Throughout the Bible, God reveals the future through prophecy. There are hundreds of prophecies about Jesus—his birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), his lineage from David (2 Samuel 7:12-13), and his rejection by his people (Psalm 69:8).  

Mathematician Peter Stoner calculated the probability of just eight prophecies being fulfilled in one person: 1 in 100 quadrillion. Jesus fulfilled at least 191. This is no coincidence—God knows the future.  

How? Revelation 1:8 says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come.” We experience time in sequence, but God exists outside of time. Like someone watching a parade from above, he sees the beginning, middle, and end all at once.  

2. God Reveals the Future
Jesus told his disciples, “One of you is going to betray me” (John 13:21). He revealed it so that when it happened, they would believe he is God (John 13:19).  

Only the true God knows the future. Isaiah 41:23 challenges false gods: “Tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods.” But idols are powerless.  

Jesus revealed many future events: finding a colt (Luke 19:30), meeting a man with water (Luke 22:10), Peter’s denial (Matthew 26:34), and his own resurrection (Matthew 16:21). Though events around his crucifixion seemed chaotic, everything was unfolding according to God’s plan.  

3. God Doesn’t Control Your Future
Judas’ betrayal raises a question: If God knows the future, do we have free will? When Judas took the bread, “Satan entered into him” (John 13:27). Did Satan control him? Did Jesus? No—Judas chose to betray Jesus.  

Knowing something isn’t the same as causing it. If I drop something, you know it will fall—but you didn’t make it fall. Similarly, God knowing our choices doesn’t mean he forces them.  

James 1:14 explains, “Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire.” Judas loved money. He allowed Satan to influence him, but he could have repented. If he had cried out for Jesus’ help, he would have received it. Instead, he chose betrayal.

Your Choice
God knows the future, reveals the future, but doesn’t control your future. You have the freedom to choose.  

How will you live? Will you continue in sin, or will you step into the good future God invites you to? The Christian life isn’t a tour—it’s an adventure.  

Jesus has prepared a future for you. Will you choose to follow him?