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Messengers of Christmas

For My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation (Luke 2:22-38)

Messengers of Christmas

I Bring You Good News of Great Joy - (Luke 2:1-21)

Messengers of Christmas

You Have Found Favor with God (Luke 1:26-38)

Messengers of Christmas: Good News of Great Joy  

Your Prayer Has Been Heard (Luke 1:5-25) 

https://youtu.be/MWXkzU4FSgw 

ANTICIPATION

At a minimum, the story of Christmas is that God has remembered His people. And that’s what we’re looking at this morning as we turn to the beginning of Luke’s gospel. 

Now, Luke is a masterful writer. Many claim that his writing is the best Greek of the New Testament. But more than that, led by the Holy Spirit, Luke has organized his material and constructed the narrative in such a way, not to merely retell the events, but to draw out the theology and wonder of what God has done to bring salvation to His people.

Even in this single opening narrative of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the text is bursting with anticipation. Here, in just a few short verses, several Old Testament threads converge. And we’ll get to some of them as we work our way through the text. So, I need to put a disclosure up front. I’m going to refer to many other places in Scripture this morning. And likely too quickly for you to turn to each one. But if you have a pen, you can make a little note of the references on your bulletin, so that you can be a good Berean and look at them later.

400 YEARS OF SILENCE

It’s been 400 years of silence. 400 years without a word from the Lord. 400 years since the last prophet Malachi. 

So many prayers, from generation to generation, it must have seemed at times that perhaps, those prayers would go forever unanswered. That just maybe, God had forgotten. But those prayers haven’t fallen on deaf ears. And they are about to be answered — God’s promises fulfilled. That’s what’s taking place in the Christmas story. That’s the point of Luke 1 and 2.

Which takes us to the setting Luke has wonderfully provided for us. Recall, Luke’s purpose was to write an orderly account so that every “lover of God” — that’s what Theophilus means — might have certainty in this most glorious of all messages, the gospel, the Good News of Great Joy that the Savior is finally come.

VERSE 5: In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

To warn you on the front end, I’m going to spend more time here on verse 5 than any other verse, with the possible exception of verse 13. Why? Because we are so familiar with the Christmas story, yet so unfamiliar with many of the details. I don’t mean culturally, like contexts you might draw from extrabiblical sources. I’m mean the details that are in the Bible itself. This single introductory verse is loaded with anticipation that convey far more than the mere names of the participants. 

KING HEROD

First, the fact that Herod is named king of Judea serves as a reminder of Israel and Judah’s failure and current situation. Having recently come out of Jeremiah, we’re reminded of the exile, and how foreigners still reign over God’s people, even after many have returned to the land of promise.

That Herod is on the throne means a king of the lineage of David is not. Herod is not even of the tribe of Judah, or Israel for that matter. Herod is an Idumean, or Edomite. This serves as a reminder that Israel is still awaiting her promised King.

ZECHARIAH:

And then we have Zechariah. Now, the meaning and use of every name is not equally important. But some are extremely important. The name Zechariah means: The Lord has remembered, or Yahweh remembers. And that’s exactly what’s about to be disclosed to this somewhat obscure priest, who just so happened to be chosen by lot to burn incense in the temple. 

Zechariah’s name also recalls the prophet by the same name. It’s the prophet Zechariah who gives us the famous prophecy of the coming Branch, the servant of the Lord, whom Joshua the high priest prefigures. Zechariah prophesies that Joshua the high priest and his companions with him are signs for things to come that will be fulfilled in God’s coming servant. And of course, Joshua is the Hebrew form of Jesus. 

ABIJAH

But we’re not just given Zechariah’s name. He’s a priest of the division of Abijah. King David had divided the sons of Aaron, the descendants of Eleazar and Ithamar, into 24 separate divisions for the priestly temple service. With the coming of the temple that David’s son, Solomon, was to build, David took pains to ensure that, even though he wasn’t allowed to build this house for the Lord, that every preparation would be made for his son. 

In 1 Chronicles 24, Abijah happens to be the 8thdivision out of 24. Now for those familiar with the priesthood and its divisions, as the priests most certainly would have been, they would have been well acquainted with the division that immediately followed Abijah, Zechariah’s division. (And I’m sure, most of your, being the studious Bible scholars your are, know too. In fact, I had a couple individuals who took delight in stumping me with some Bible trivia Wednesday evening, as to what’s the shortest verse in the Old Testament. Well, this answer is also in 1 Chronicles.) The division that immediately followed Abijah is the division of Jeshua, also an earlier form of the name Jesus.

So, Zechariah points to Jesus, the promised Messiah. And Abijah, which means, Yahweh is my Father, also point to Jesus.

ELIZABETH

And then we have Elizabeth, Zechariah’s wife from the daughters of Aaron. 

Now, Luke’s masterful writing is meant to clue us in on something. He could have simply listed Elizabeth’s name, but instead, he makes a point to tell us she is of the daughters of Aaron. Now, Elizabeth might be a popular Bible name to us, thanks to Luke’s narrative. But it’s not a common name in Scripture. Think of the name Mary, which can be traced back to Aaron’s sister, Miriam. I mean, at the cross alone John records 3 different Marys. But, in the whole of Scripture, there are only 2 Elizabeths. That’s the one here in Luke who is introduced as a daughter of Aaron. The other is not a daughter of Aaron, but Aaron’s wife, Elisheba, the Hebrew equivalent.

Someone might say. Alright. Big deal. So she’s named after Aaron’s wife. Many are named after their ancestors, especially the more famous ones. So what?

Well, first, Elizabeth’s name, as I pointed out, is not common at all. Second, Elizabeth’s name literally means: My God Sevens, which is the Hebrew way of saying, My God completes. Or we might say, My God keeps oath.

PRIESTLY AND KINGLY LINEAGES

Furthermore, Aaron’s wife’s genealogy ties the priestly and kingly lineages together. Now, even apart from digging into the Old Testament we somewhat know that. John the Baptist is the son of a priest, Zechariah. And John is also a cousin or relative of Jesus. Remember, Mary will visit her cousin Elizabeth after her personal visit with the angel Gabriel.

In addition, Aaron is the first high priest of Israel, which is by no means insignificant. And his wife, Elisheba is from the tribe of … can you guess it? Judah. Exodus 6:23 records that Aaron took as his wife, Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon. 

I just happened to be in Ruth last weekend for my morning quiet time, which put this on my radar. And at the end of Ruth 4 we read about the Lord not leaving Naomi without a Redeemer. And the women of Bethlehem name this child, who is to be renowned in Israel, Obed. And we’re given the generations of Perez who fathered Hezron, who fathered Ram, who fathered, you guessed it, Amminadab, Elisheba’s father, who fathered Nahshon, Elisheba’s brother, who fathered Boaz, who fathered Obed, who fathered Jesse, who fathered King David, from whom the Messiah would come. 

All of this is anticipatory, because the Messiah will be both a kingly and a priestly figure. 

CONCEPTION

One last connection, since this took us to Ruth. We’re reminded at the end of Ruth, that it’s the Lord who opens wombs and gives conception (Ruth 4:13). And that is exactly what the Lord is about to do for Elizabeth and Zechariah. So, no, these connections are not incidental, but are intended to prepare the reader for something truly wonderful, that the Lord Remembers and that this God keeps His oaths — His promises He’s made to His people.

VERSE 6-7:  And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

RIGHTEOUS AND BLAMELESS

Now, that Zechariah and Elizabeth are referred to as righteous and blameless does not mean they are without sin. In fact, we’ll see Zechariah himself wrestle with unbelief. So, they are in need of salvation just like the rest of humanity. The apostle Paul will likewise describe himself as blameless in his observance of the law, and yet wore the name tag, “chief of sinners.” 

Now, without negating human responsibility, let’s not forget that we just finished looking at the Doctrine of Total or Pervasive Depravity. Zechariah and Elizabeth were not immune from the effects of the Fall on their own hearts. We need to acknowledge that their righteousness is part of God’s grace in their lives.

RECONCILING BARRENNESS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS

But they had no child… This challenges the whole prosperity gospel. But even more than that, it raises the question, does righteousness necessarily equate to material blessedness? Because barrenness is anything but material blessing. The book of Job hits this false idea that the wicked always suffer and never prosper, and the righteous always prosper and never suffer, what might be referred to as the retribution principle. But God’s justice can’t be contained in such simple formulas. It’s true that ultimately, in the overall scheme of things, the wicked will indeed suffer and the righteous will prosper. But that hope is not a guarantee for how things will play out in history in this fallen age. We need to look no further than the sinless Savior to know that suffering meets even the most righteous of all.

Righteousness is not immune to suffering and affliction. One’s righteousness exempts no one from trials. God’s goodness does not mean that He keeps His loved ones from experiencing any sort of suffering. Rather, He keeps His chosen through the suffering.

While our current culture looks on children often as an inconvenience or burden, for most of history, childlessness was one of the greatest curses and burdens one would bear. Today, so many elderly people finish off their years to die alone because they prized independence over family. 

THE SUFFERING OF GOD’S CHOSEN

Well, such was not the case with Zechariah and Elizabeth. Their childlessness was not their own doing. It was the Lord’s — the God who opens and closes wombs. And He does so purposefully and for good. Because for this righteous blameless couple, the Lord had chosen them for something huge. And being chosen by no means entails ease. Consider the Apostle Paul. When Ananias was sent to lay hands on him, he questioned the Lord’s purpose. But what was the Lord’s response? He is my chosen instrument to take My name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. But that’s not all. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name. 

Well, that’s what’s going on with our elderly couple here. They were chosen to suffer for the sake of the Lord’s name. But listen loved ones. It would be worth it! And whatever trial and suffering the Lord may have laid on you, I assure you, in Christ, it will be worth it.

VERSE 8-9: Now while [Zechariah] was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 

CHOSEN BY LOT

To the world, being chosen by lot sounds random, as if Zechariah received the luck of the draw. But for those of us who believe God’s Word, we know that the lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord (Proverbs 16:33). Nothing rest outside the jurisdiction of God’s sovereignty. 

This same Zechariah chosen by lot to burn incense before the Lord is the same Zechariah, whom he and his wife were chosen by the Lord to endure decades of childlessness. For that was part of God’s lot for them. 

Before you grow envious of another person’s blessings, it may be helpful to remind ourselves that we are not at all envious of their trials. Let me say it again. Being chosen by God is hard … but worth it. 

VERSE 10-13: And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.”

FEAR OF THE HOLY

You’ve likely heard countless times over regarding the first thing an angel says is “fear not” because they are so terrifying. And all of that’s nice. And it often leads to some good chuckles. And we completely miss the point. So, let me ask. What makes these angelic beings, these messengers of God, so terrifying? Or better, what makes them so terrifying to us? Is it simply because they are so different? Because they are other worldly? Because we know so little about them? Perhaps each of these have a small part to play in our fear. But each of those is far from the biblical answer. 

Angels are terrifying to humanity because they stand in the presence of the Holy God, worshiping Him without ceasing. Now, that alone isn’t sufficient for them to strike fear in us. The reason they are such a terror to us is not simply because they stand in the presence of the Holy God and therefore they exude holiness. But we, due to our sin, do not. The issue is that we aren’t holy, as we should be — as we were created to be. So, when we are confronted with holiness — even a reflection of the holiness of God — it strikes terror in us. 

YOUR PRAYER HAS BEEN HEARD

This messenger, that’s what the word angel means, this messenger of the Lord has come to tell Zechariah, “Your prayer has been heard.”

What prayer? Well, many will suggest that it was Zechariah’s prayer for a child. Where do they get that? Well, the answer to Zechariah’s prayer is a son. But given his incredulity regarding Gabriel’s message, it’s doubtful that such a prayer was currently on Zechariah’s lips. Yet, there certainly would have been a long season, decades even, when Zechariah and Elizabeth were praying for just that. And that prayer too has been heard. 

Because of the countless parallels between this account and that of Daniel’s when Gabriel visits him, I think we can glean something of what Zechariah’s prayer would have been. In Daniel chapter 9, Daniel is pleading on behalf of his people, confessing his people’s sin and pleading for mercy. In fact, let me read a bit of Daniel’s prayer, beginning at 9:16.

DANIEL’S PRAYER

O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. Now, therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake. O Lord, make your face shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

This is a prayer of restoration. A prayer for the removal of the reproach God’s people have born due to their sin. A prayer for God’s presence to once again dwell among His people. And something along those lines would have most likely been Zechariah’s prayer. 

It’s not accidental that Gabriel visited Daniel when he was praying at the time of the evening sacrifice. Now, we’re not told for certain, but it’s very likely that Zechariah was burning incense for the evening sacrifice.

It was because of Daniel’s prayer that Gabriel was sent. “O Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved.”

Well, once again, Gabriel is sent in answer to a righteous man’s prayer for his people, to let him know, your prayer has been heard.

For centuries, the faithful in Israel have been awaiting the promises. In fact, the Old Testament ends with the promise of Elijah to come prepare the way of the Lord who will come into His temple. They have been awaiting their Messiah to restore them, to conquer their enemies, to set the captives free, to ease the burdens of the oppressed. 

NOT ALL ALIKE WAITING

Of course, not all Israel alike were hopefully awaiting these promises. We see that in Matthew 2 and the apathy of many in Jerusalem. And even in our passage, Luke records, many were praying outside at the hour of incense. But we’re told that it was upright Zechariah whose prayer had been heard. The “your” in “your prayer has been heard” is singular, not plural. Your prayer, Zechariah, has been heard. 

My family is working through Proverbs in the evenings. This is from Proverbs 15:8. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him. Zechariah is presented as upright and blameless. Whereas, throughout Luke’s gospel, we’ll find that many of the religious leaders and priest prayed but were far from being upright. And that may perhaps have included some of this multitude currently outside praying. 

I don’t want to read too much into this other than to say, it’s not those going through religious motions whose prayers are heard, but those who are righteous. Isaiah 59:1-2. Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

But God always listens to the prayers of the righteous. But who are the righteous? Well, biblically speaking, the righteous are those of faith, those genuinely hoping in God’s promised redemption, which is nothing less than full restoration to God Himself that we might enjoy communion with Him. Yet, filling many pews this morning, there are those whose primary prayer is something utterly detached from such restoration and communion. But it’s the Zechariahs of this world, whose prayers are heard. Not those seeking God’s goods apart from God Himself.

PROMISE OF A SON

And yes, the answer to Zechariah’s prayer is indeed a son. Why? Because, even now, after such a long delay, a long seeming silence from God concerning their barrenness, Zechariah, that prayer too has not been overlooked. Your prayer for a son is answered also. O to wait so long, but at last, the time has come. 

VERSE 13b-17: And you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the father to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.

YOUR SHALL CALL HIS NAME JOHN

And you shall call his name John. Like the other names in this narrative, John is such a fitting name for this son of promise, this answer to prayer. John too is of Hebrew origin. It means Yahweh has shown favor, or we might say, the Lord is gracious. (Don’t confuse John with Johnathan which means, the Lord gives.) Anyway…

The two Hebrew terms that make up this name are, first, the word for Yahweh, the Lord, and the second is the verb meaning “to be gracious.” But I think it’s helpful to understand this second term we typically translate “gracious.” Properly, it means to bend or stoop in kindness to one who is inferior. Which is exactly what the grace of God is. God stoops and bestows His kindness upon His people who are unable to help themselves.

This is precisely why the proud are unable to receive this grace in any meaningfully acknowledged capacity. Because they detest the idea of one having to stoop down to help them or show them kindness. And so long as they are shackled by their own pride, they cannot rightly receive the grace the Almighty showers upon the just and unjust. O they enjoy the benefits of God’s grace every day. But they refuse to receive it for the grace that it is. 

NAZARITE VOW

Not only is this child’s name significant, but he is to be set apart as a Nazarite. Nazarite simply means devoted. Now, the combination of this child’s name meaning “the Lord is gracious,” along with the fact that he is to be set apart as a Nazarite, is not accidental. For the end of this beautiful vow of devotion to the Lord (in Numbers 6) we receive the priestly blessing with which Aaron and the priesthood was to bless God’s people: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. Gracious … that’s the word that makes up John’s name. 

I hope you are seeing how all these names come together, from Zechariah’s, to Elizabeth’s, to the coming son, John. The Lord remembers, the Lord keeps His oath, and the Lord has stooped and shown kindness to His people. This is how Luke begins his gospel.

FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT

Furthermore, rather than being filled with wine or strong drink, this child is to be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb. For how else could he fulfill such a mission as turning the children of Israel to the Lord their God, making ready for the Lord a people prepared?

Gabriel quotes, in part, the final verses of Malachi, which Jeremy read for us, where this child will be a new Elijah, the forerunner of the Lord.

Now, we don’t have time to compare the ministries of John the Baptist and Elijah, but both are filled with the Spirit, both turned many of Israel back to the Lord, and both were met with hostility. 

In quoting the final lines of the Old Testament, Luke picks up where the Old Testament left off. [What we have here in Luke’s narrative regarding Zechariah and Elizabeth precedes Matthew’s narrative. In fact, the only gospel that goes back further is John’s prologue and the eternal Word.]

Such good news after 400 years of waithing. How excited Zechariah must have been. Well, let’s see.

VERSE 18-20: And Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.

FEAR DOES NOT CONSTITUTE BELIEF

Fear does not always entail belief. Zechariah stood in fear of the holy angelic messenger, who stood in the very presence of God Almighty. But such fear didn’t in itself constitute perfect faith. Remember, the demons shudder in fear, but they’re belief was not one of faith. They don’t trust God or His Word, always suspect of His goodness and love.

Just as Israel demanded signs, from Gideon’s fleece to the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, righteous Zechariah is not all that different. In other words, the plague of unbelief is spread far and wide.

ASTONISHED AT UNBELIEF

Now, we don’t want to be too hard on Zechariah, because apart from God’s grace, we undoubtedly would have responded the same in his situation. At the same time, we don’t want to excuse his unbelief. Rather, we should be astonished. And this is why we should be astonished.

First, Zechariah would have known his people’s history. He would certainly recall the birth of Isaac from elderly Sarah and Abraham. He would recall Hannah’s prayer and the birth of Samuel. He would recall Manoah and his wife being visited by an angel and the promise of Samson’s birth, who likewise was to be set apart as a Nazarite.

The fact that Gabriel quoted the last words of prophecy, and that there had been 400 years of silence, and that Zechariah had been praying for this day to come … raises the question: In what way did Zechariah expect God to save His people? By natural means? The condition of God’s people due to sin was anything but natural. If anything, we might say their condition was sub-natural. So, of course, this rescue plan, this deliverance, couldn’t be through natural means. Everything about the gospel is supernatural. 

And then there’s Zechariah trembling before this angelic messenger sent from God. Surely Zechariah had a bigger view of God than to doubt Gabriel’s words. What’s more, the sign Zechariah sought was standing before his eyes! 

THE PROBLEM WITH UNBELIEF

Here’s the problem with unbelief. And I’m not referring to how God does or doesn’t regularly operate in the here and now, but rather the unbelief in what God is capable of doing. If God is unable to deliver on this good news delivered to Zechariah, how can He deliver His people out of bondage? If God is unable to give life to a dead womb, how is He supposed to give life to a dead people who are dead in their trespasses and sins. If God can’t bring forth life from a couple who is way beyond the age of childbearing, then forget any notion of resurrection! 

Listen loved ones. Unbelief is a plague. And it’s a plague that must be eradicated — eradicated in our lives and eradicated from God’s people. 

UNTHWARTED

But even with Zecahariah’s unbelief, grace meets us where we fall short. O there are consequences for unbelief. But God’s plan is never thwarted due to us.

Zechariah, this good news is going to take place despite your unbelief. And to prevent any further questions of objections, you will be silenced until these things take place, which will be fulfilled in their time. 

FULFILLED IN ITS TIME

It’s difficult to enumerate the parallels between Luke 1 and the second half of Daniel. Like Zechariah, Daniel was visited by the angel Gabriel as an answer to prayer. Both are met with fear and trembling. Daniel, upon hearing the message, even fell silent, although his wasn’t due to unbelief. And the final word to both Daniel and Zechariah is that the word would indeed be fulfilled in its time. 

Now, if you recall, Gabriel was sent to Daniel as he was praying concerning the conclusion of the seventy years as prophesied by Jeremiah the prophet. But Gabriel comes and gives a new timeframe for something far greater than a physical return from exile — a greater exodus awaited, a prince was coming, and the time decreed was not seventy years but seventy weeks. 

490 YEARS OR 490 DAYS

Now, most often, when we think of Daniel’s seventy weeks, we have been taught to think of them as seventy weeks of years, meaning approximately 490 years from Daniel’s day until the coming of the Messiah. Now, Scripture doesn’t exactly put it that way, but I think that’s right. 

Still, how amazing it is that this same Gabriel who brought the news of seventy weeks to Daniel, shows up approximately seventy literal weeks before the Messiah is presented at the temple. It will be six months into Elizabeth’s pregnancy when Gabriel is sent to a young virgin in Nazareth to announce that she too will bear a son. Do the math. Six months plus nine months is 450 days. And when is Jesus presented at the temple? Luke 2:22. When the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses. How long was that? Well, Leviticus 12, for a male child, it was 40 days, for a total of 490 days.

Perhaps is just one of the coincidences from the God who orchestrates all of history. Seventy weeks of years from the time Gabriel visited Daniel, and seventy weeks from his visit with Zechariah.

Last few verses.
VERSE 21-25: And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
 After these days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

UNABLE TO SHARE THE NEWS

Decades of infertility, how hard that must have been. Now, due to his disbelief, Zechariah will have to endure 9 months unable to speak to anyone about this unbelievably good news. God’s holiness doesn’t mean He doesn’t have a sense of pure good humor.

But Zechariah would speak again, singing the praise of God Most High and His Annointed.

REPROACH REMOVED

And his wife Elizabeth, all those decades of reproach taken away. O Elizabeth will hide herself for 5 months. But it’s doubtful that such is due to any unbelief on her part. Can you imagine those awkward conversations that would have taken place if she hadn’t hidden herself for a few months until it was obvious she was pregnant? “Zechariah, your wife sure is putting on some weight!” And just think how much more spectacular the praise when her neighbors finally saw her, versus the doubt that would have pervaded their minds as they wondered. God works all things perfectly to bring about the greatest praise.

But what Elizabeth … and Zechariah were both about to find out, is that the fullness of their reproach would be taken away, not through this son John, but through the Son who comes after him. As Zechariah will sing: And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins.

You see. We bear reproach, due to our sin. But God sent His Son, so that the reproach of our sin would fall on Him. 

AUDIENCE WITH THE SON

And Elizabeth would enjoy a special audience with the Son who truly takes away her reproach. Six months later, the son in her womb will leap for joy at the presence of the Lord in utero. 

O thank God that He stoops to hear our prayers and show such kindness to us.

A SON, EVERY PRAYER’S ULTIMATE ANSWER

The answer to Zechariah’s prayer was indeed a son. 1) A son for him and Elizabeth. But it’s also 2) a Son for God’s people — God’s own Son. 

I’m not particularly a fan of the so-called sinners prayer — that you say this prayer, confessing you’re a sinner, and then ask Jesus into your heart, and now you’re a Christian — as if there is a precise method or formula to becoming a Christian. If we’re good Bereans, we should be suspect of cultural practices, even among churches, that we don’t find in Scripture. 

But this I can tell you. For many of you are a believer, it’s because somewhere along the way you had come to the end of yourself, the end of your autonomy, the end of your resources. And you realized your utter hopelessness and helplessness if left to yourself. And you cried out — maybe audibly, maybe not — you might not even use the term prayer to describe what took place. But you cried out for help, and the Lord answered. (Now, we just finished our series on the Doctrines of Grace. So we know that even such a cry is wrought by the Spirit, that such prayer is a work of God’s grace in your life too.)

Even now, if you’re a believer, you realize you’re insufficiency. Hence, Spirit wrought prayer is a regular part of your life. 

And like Zechariah and Elizabeth, your prayer has been heard. And the answer to that prayer is a Son. And that’s true, even if you grew up in a Christian household and can’t nail down a precise point of conversion. You know how I know that’s true. Because every prayer of the regenerated heart — both at the beginning of your walk and even now however far along the journey — the answer to all of those prayers is that of a Son. I hope you understand that. 

Now that might seem generic and simple. But think about it. The gift of God’s Son is the answer to every trial in this fallen world. He’s also the answer for every hope in the future. And this Son, Jesus Christ, will continue to be the center of our prayers in the New Creation as we seek to know, trust, and honor God more fully.

Whatever reproach you might bear during this age, whatever barrenness, whatever dark season or valley of the shadow of death you might endure … as believers, our every hope and the answer to all our prayers is a Son, Jesus Christ. He is the answer to our every prayer. And if we lose sight of that, we lose sight of the gospel — this good news of great joy delivered by God’s messengers.

CONCLUSION

Zechariah’s being chosen by lot was not a mere random happenstance. So, when we consider the priesthood of believers, each one specifically chosen by the Lord to offer fragrant offerings to the Lord. That’s what prayer is. In Revelation, those bowls of incense are the prayers of the saints. And God always hears the prayers of His saints. And He acts on those prayers.

When grace breaks in: the barren bear fruit, darkness becomes light, silence shouts with jubilation, the wayward return, good news pierces lamentation, reproach is rolled away, 

The Lord Remembers. He has heard your prayer. And He has given the gift of a son, His Son, as the answer to those prayers and to take away your reproach.

Well, with the coming of the new Elijah anticipates the greater Elisha — God is salvation, which is very similar to Yeshua, the Lord is salvation. To the announcement of his birth we turn next week.

   Preservation of the Saints: Kept by His Love (Ephesians 4:30)

https://youtu.be/BuVrHpROBw4 

The doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints is intended to be a source of comfort and joy, spurring believers on to greater diligence in finishing the race amid forces of hostility. But such is only the case when this doctrine is understood rightly. So, like the other doctrines of grace, we need to press into this one as well, seeing just what Scripture actually says and doesn’t say regarding the perseverance of the saints.

FINISHING THE RACE

It’s actually easier to finish the race when you know you’re going to finish the race. But when it seems like you’re not going to finish, it’s actually easier to give up. That’s why this doctrine is so important. It’s the assurance that the saints will actually finish, while at the same time, reminding them that they are responsible to finish. 

If you’ve ever ran a marathon or half marathon, there’s a point along the way where those only running the half break off from those crazy enough to commit to running the whole thing. 

It’s been several years since I ran the half marathon. And I remember somewhere around the eleven-mile marker I was about at the end of myself. And then I came to the split. And I remember thinking at the time, that if I had to run another 15 miles, I’d probably give up right there at the eleven-mile marker. But just two more miles, well just maybe, I can press on to finish that much.

Jesus warns of the great struggle and deception in store for the days ahead. That if the Lord had not cut those days short, none would be saved, not even the elect. But for the sake of the elect, the Lord has cut short those days. In other words, there are times it might seem that the elect aren’t going to finish the race. But the Lord brings the end of the race forward to ensure that they do. 

This is but one of the promises we have in the doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints. The race isn’t promised to be easy, rather the reverse. But in the midst of seemingly insurmountable adversity, the Lord ensures that His chosen ones will indeed finish. 

As important as your running is, your finishing the race depends far more on the God who upholds you than in your feeble strength to hold on to Him. And knowing this is meant to strengthen you to cling to Him all the more and not let go. 

READ:

Ephesians 4:30. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 

CONCLUDING THE SERIES

Today we’re concluding our brief series on the Doctrines of Grace, and it looks like we’ve persevered to the end! Yes, we’re on the “P” of our TULIP — PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS. Or we might nuance the doctrine with preservation instead of perseverance. THE PRESERVATION OF THE SAINTS. And both aspects, preservation and perseverance are true and important. The Canons of Dort uses both. 

FIFTH MAIN POINT

To summarize this Fifth Main Point of the Canons of Dort: Those who God chose in Christ, He also preserves in faith so that they by faith persevere to the end.

This morning, we’re not going to look at the individual articles. But so you know, the Canons of Dort is an easy and beneficial read, and it’s accessible online. For those of you who might be a little resistant to the Doctrines of Grace, and what is often referred to as “Calvinism”, Dort will likely surprise you in just how nuanced and careful they were in articulating these sensitive doctrines. 

DORT’S DEFENSE OF THE GOSPEL

With that said, I feel it’s important to express my stance on these doctrines, that what’s expressed in these 5 points is nothing short of the gospel itself. The Arminian revision took one biblical truth — human responsibility — and used it to cancel out other biblical truths, thus gutting the gospel of any effectiveness, which, in light of our sin nature, is no gospel at all. Indeed, what the Arminians did was remove actual grace from the gospel.

Now, you might not like some of the terms, especially some of the short-hand phrasing, but when understood rightly, what Dort sought to defend was the very gospel every true believer has put their hope and trust in.

A GOSPEL FLOWER

To trace the gospel through the order of T-U-L-I-P: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints.

Humanity, all of humanity, was dead in their sins and trespasses. Sin had pervaded the whole of mankind to where man was helpless to save himself without a supernatural act of God. 

But out of love, God mercifully chose, in Christ, to save some — specific persons — these are the elect. God didn’t have to chose to save any. But in mercy He did. 

And for those He chose to save; He sent His Son to atone specifically and definitely for their sins in particular. While Jesus’ payment was sufficient for all, this payment was made efficient for the elect, guaranteeing their salvation.

As such, those chosen in Christ, were effectually called and made alive in Christ, by the Spirit, through the Word, and sealed by that same Holy Spirit who guarantees their perseverance to the end, so that they do indeed obtain the fullness of their salvation.

That’s the Gospel! Remove any of these, either there’s no need for the gospel or the gospel is turned into an achievable offer that none can attain to, which is no gospel at all. 

EPHESIANS AND ASSURANCE

Now, we’ve walked through this series using Paul’s letter to the Ephesians as our main text. But as we have seen, these doctrines of grace show up throughout Scripture in far more than Ephesians. We could have just as easily chosen one of the gospels or another epistle.

Since we’re in Ephesians, I selected a single verse. Ephesians 4:30. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  

Now, we could have chosen many other texts from Ephesians to help capture this doctrine of perseverance, or better, the promise of God’s preservation of His elect.

EPHESIANS 1:13-14

If you turn back to chapter 1, verse 13 also speaks of believers being sealed with the Holy Spirit, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed.The Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it. 

The Spirit is not somewhat a guarantee or a temporary guarantee, or only a guarantee so long as He believes in you, that you’re actually going to reach the end and acquire possession of it. But if it looks like, hey, I’m not so sure Jeremy’s going to make it … well, then the Spirit might let go, and all guarantees are off. Well, if that’s the case, it’s not much of a guarantee. 

Now, someone might argue that the word guarantee is more like a pledge or deposit given as security. And you know, many make deposits on this or that and never follow through with the full purchase. Well, that might be true from a human perspective. But here, we’re talking about the all-knowing, all-powerful God. With God, such a pledge is certain. It’s a guarantee.

EPHESIANS 1:4-5

Furthermore, the entire doctrine of election assumes preservation and perseverance. If we back up to verse 4 of chapter 1, God chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless. And verse 5, He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ. 

Surely Paul doesn’t have in mind that sonship is some temporary status, and that those adopted as sons might one day be orphaned again. Nor should we think those chosen to be holy and blameless would become the exact opposite.

EPHESIANS 2

Or our text from last week. Ephesians 2:4. In love, God made us alive in Christ, raised us with Christ, and seated us with Christ. The picture here is that the fullness of our salvation is as good as complete in the mind and plan of God, which cannot be thwarted. This is Ephesians version of the unbreakable chain found in Romans 8. Those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified.(Romans 8:30).

In Ephesians 2, this unbreakable chain is: those whom God made alive in Christ, He also raised with Christ, and those whom He raised with Christ, He also seated with Christ.

Further down, starting at Ephesians 2:19, those once strangers are now citizens, verse 22, built into God’s dwelling, chapter 3 verse 6, heirs. Each of these are true now, and yet the fullness is assumed as well.

EPHESIANS 4:11

In chapter 4, verse 11, we’re given a list of offices given by the Lord. Paul lists: apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers. What’s the purpose of these offices? Well, 1, to equip the saints for the work of ministry. But even that is added to the ultimate goal, verse 13, to ensure that all attain to the unity of the faith, and grow to maturity in Christ. In other words, so that they reach the fullness of what they are called to be in Christ. 

EPHESIANS 5:27

Chapter 5:27. We looked at this when we looked at Limited Atonement. The Bridegroom intends to present His Bride to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle. Surely, we don’t believe Jesus would ever fail at His mission, do we? 

Or verse 31. Speaking of Christ and the church, Jesus cleaves to His Bride. And when the eternal Son of God cleaves, no one can snatch her from Him.

EPHESIANS 6:18

Finally, chapter 6. We’re given this armor and instructed to wear it precisely so that we will persevere. 

My point is that the seeds of perseverance and preservation run throughout this letter to the Ephesians, and not just this one, but throughout the New Testament.

HAPPY TO AFFIRM

Now, I don’t have to convince most of you regarding this doctrine of perseverance. Of all the doctrines of grace, this is the one most are happy to affirm. What’s utterly surprising is how many want to cling to this doctrine and yet reject one or more of the other four. 

But the doctrine of perseverance is rooted in the other 4. It’s because of our depravity we need God not only to save us but to keep us. It’s because God eternally chose us in Christ, that He will guarantee we won’t only be saved but will finish the race to dwell with Christ forever. The costly price Jesus paid to atone for our sin also secures the fullness of our salvation including our preservation. And the same Holy Spirit that regenerated us and made us alive is the same Spirit that will continue to dwell in us and work in us until that work is complete.

INCONSISTENCY OF HOLDING TO 1 OUT OF 5

The perseverance of the saints is the logical conclusion of the other 4. But do away with the other 4, any doctrine of perseverance is on a pretty flimsy foundation. 

CARICATURES

Where the other doctrines of grace tend to be fraught with distortions and mischaracterizations, the doctrine of perseverance is no different. Part of my role is to push back against misconceptions. In the other 4 points, we sought to marshal the Scriptures against unbelief, showing how Scripture itself affirmed these beautiful truths. 

In this doctrine, we need to push back against the idea of easy believism, that all those who have professed faith will be saved regardless of how they live. But that is not at all the doctrine of perseverance. That’s the doctrine of negligence and licentiousness. Dort wants no part in such distortions. Perseverance means that the saints will persevere. They will not be neglectful of the calling to which they were called, but be diligent in finishing the race.

DANGER OF COMMON SAYINGS: ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED. 

This is why I’m not a fan of the popular sayings: once saved always saved. Or questions like: Can I lose my salvation? That’s not even the right question. 

What does that even mean? Listen, I can’t count how many people who have told me about their son or daughter, their husband or wife, or some other significant somebody in their life who is not currently following Jesus, but they insist that they are saved. What are you basing that on? Well, they used to go to church. They used to sing the songs. They said the sinner’s prayer. They raised their hand, walked the aisle. Well, whoever equated such with being saved. The Bible sure doesn’t. 

And why do I make a big deal about this? Well, I hope you don’t think I’m simply making a big deal about it. This false assurance angers me. And I hope it angers many of you. Because this false assurance suggests to them that their loved ones aren’t in desperate need of the gospel. That they aren’t in desperate need for the Spirit to awaken them to the truth that they may be saved. So long as you think they are saved, you will fail to be a witness to them, and worse, you will fail to pray for their salvation.

Listen, if they aren’t bearing the fruit of salvation, you have no grounds for believing they are saved. None! If they aren’t following Jesus right now, then what they need is the gospel. What they need is for God to grant them repentance. What they need is to be saved.

The question: Can one lose their salvation? Distorts the nature of the doctrine. Rather, the question is: Can one whom the Spirit has worked true faith, ever lose that faith? Can a true believer fail to persevere? 

You see, the one line of questioning provides false assurance and promotes loose living; the other provides true gospel assurance and promotes diligence in living a life representative of the gospel.

REFERS TO TRUE BELIEVERS

The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is that the saints will persevere, not walk away from the faith. This doctrine refers to TRUE BELIEVERS. 

To quote Anthony Hoekema: The doctrine of perseverance does not mean that every churchgoer or even every church member is certain to persevere to the end in his or her faith, or that everyone who has made a public profession of faith is eternally secure, or that all who seem to us to be true believers will never fall away from the faith. Neither does the doctrine mean that everyone who has been incorporated into the covenant of grace as it reveals itself in history is eternally secure, since the Bible clearly teaches that there may be covenant breakers. 

So, what does this doctrine entail? Those who have true faith will neither totally or finally lose that faith. 

PRESERVATION AND PERSEVERANCE – BOTH

Now, it’s important to stress that this doctrine deals with both preservation and perseverance. Dort affirms both. And it’s important that we hold on to both. God preserves, to be sure. But He preserves us to persevere. In other words, God will not permit those to whom He has granted true faith, to ultimately fall away from that faith, but rather preserves their faith so that they endure to the end. They may sadly fall into grievous sin, but their faith will not ultimately fail. (We’ll come back to this.)

RESOLUTE AND REALISTIC

So, back to our text. There’s a resoluteness and a realism involved in this doctrine. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, acknowledges that true believers do at times sin, and sin grievously. Paul doesn’t sugar coat the struggle. The struggle is real, and our failures are real. 

At the same time, true believers are sealed by the Spirit for the day of redemption. It’s true that true believers fall into sin and temptation, but they won’t ultimately fall away. 

Note the resoluteness of God’s unwavering grace, while at the same time the realness that those who have been showered with such grace still at times take that grace for granted and fall into grave sin — grave lapses of faith, lapses of gratitude, lapses of affection for this God who called them out of darkness into His marvelous light, out of bondage to sin to be adopted sons and daughters ­— and thus truly grieve the Holy Spirit.

SEALED FOR THE DAY OF REDEMPTION

So, what does it mean to be sealed by the Spirit? Well, throughout Scripture, we see the idea of a seal used for a variety of things: from letters, to tombs, to individuals. At a minimum, the seal represented identification of ownership or authorization, as well as authenticity, and security. A letter might be sealed with the king’s signet, indicating the authenticity of the letter, that it was indeed from or authorized by the king, and it offered security, knowing so long as the seal was unbroken, it hadn’t been tampered with. 

As believers, we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, indicating the authenticity of our salvation, that our salvation has been authorized by the King Himself, that we belong to Him. And the King’s seal, indicates that we are secure in the King’s decree, that such cannot be tampered with.

Now, it is very possible for a sealed letter to have that seal broken and tampered with. But this isn’t any ordinary signet, this is God’s signet. Who’s going to break this seal?

REVELATION: THE 144,000 SEALED AND THE 7 SEALS

The scroll in Revelation 5 gives us a glimpse as to just how unbreakable this seal is, sealed with a perfect seven seals. A mighty angel proclaimed with a loud voice: Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?

Well, we know the answer. No one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was found worthy … but one. The Lion of the tribe of Judah, who was slain like a lamb. 

Now, we don’t have time to go into what all might or might not be written on this scroll. But in between the breaking of the 6th and 7th seal, we’re given an interlude — the sealing of the 144,000, which as you’re likely aware is the symbolic number for the multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language that no one could count. 

Now, it’s not accidental that both the scroll and the 144,000 are sealed. But the idea behind both is the same. At the very least, what’s represented in that scroll is the Lamb’s book of life where the names of this multitude are recorded. And they have been recorded there from before the foundation of the world. But although the names have been sealed on the scroll, the individuals had yet to be sealed in history. That’s why we’re given the portrait in Revelation 7. 

Both the names on the list and the individuals themselves are sealed so that there can be no tampering until the end of the age when all is disclosed, and Jesus himself breaks the seal. And upon opening the 7thseal, every mouth will be stopped, and all of creation will hold its breath in silence.

Let me ask. Will your name be found there? There’s only one way to be sure. Do you have true faith? IF you do, it will display itself in your following Jesus — not for what you can get from Him, but for who He is. (More on that in a minute.)

THOSE WHO BELIEVE ALREADY HAVE ETERNAL LIFE

The whole epistle of 1 John is written so that true believers might have assurance. John says, I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. Not, so that you may know, one day you will have eternal life. Those who truly believe have eternal life now. They already have eternal life. Now, let me ask. How does one lose eternal life? It’s not eternal if you can lose it. How do you know you have eternal life? You truly believe, and that belief will be evidenced in your life.

TRINITARIAN GRASP

When we consider the unbreakable seal of the Spirit, I hope you realize just how unbreakable the trinitarian grasp is on God’s elect. 

Referring to his sheep, Jesus says, I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. That’s the Son’s hold on us.

Then, we have the Father’s hold: My Father, Jesus says, who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

And then we add to it the unbreakable seal of the Spirit, which no one can break but God alone. Now that’s security!

GRIEVING THE SPIRIT

Yet, even with all this security, this Scripture is clear, and so we affirm, that believers can and do at times fall into grievous sin. Just think of David and Peter as two examples. 

I mentioned last week regarding application that application only comes after doctrine, otherwise, what are we basing our application on. Well, it’s in chapter 4 where Paul begins to give application and exhortation. And this grieving the Spirit falls in the middle of a list of sins that would grieve the Spirit: falsehood, failure to reconcile with your brother, theft, refusing to do honest work that you might have something to share with anyone in need, corrupt and unwholesome talk, bitterness, rage, anger, uproar, slander, and malice. 

These things grieve the Spirit. Such behavior wounds the Spirit who dwells in us as His temple. And such grieving is all the more reprehensible because it is the same Spirit who seals us for the day of redemption!

SERIOUS SIN

Now, I think it’s important to continue with Paul into the beginning of chapter 5. Paul warns against sexual immorality, impurity, covetousness, filthiness, foolish talk, crude joking. Now, with this list, Paul says, such people who practice these have no inheritance in the kingdom. Don’t be deceived by empty words. It’s because of these things that the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience.

Now, I think Paul’s point here is that these sins go beyond just grieving the Spirit, and instead bring into question any assurance that such a person even has the Spirit. Such things shouldn’t even be named among you, Paul says. That’s strong! 

Now, let’s back up. What I’m not saying, and what Paul is not saying is that if you’ve committed sins in this second list, you aren’t saved. But it’s a strong warning against living a life with such a disconnect. What you need is for God to grant you repentance and to restore you to Himself. Not some mantra: once saved always saved. So long as you remain in such grievous sin, your fellowship with the Lord is broken, and the joy of your salvation is anything but joy.

Dort reminds us that such monstrous sins greatly offend God, deserve the sentence of death, grieve the Holy Spirit, suspend the exercise of faith, severely wound the conscience, and sometimes, lose the awareness of grace for a time, until after they have returned to the way by genuine repentance, God’s fatherly face shines upon them once again. 

THE TRUE BELIEVERS’ REACTION TO SUCH SIN

It’s because one of the faithful, the man after God’s own heart, King David fell into serious sin, that we have Psalm 51, perhaps the most beautiful Psalm of repentance. O there’s nothing beautiful about David’s sin — or any sin — but there’s everything beautiful about repentance!

David recognized that his sin was foremost against God. Against you and you alone have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. And David recognized that the worst part of his sin was that it harmed his sweet fellowship with the Lord. Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit.

HELPS KEEP US FROM SIN

You want to know something that will help you fight sin? Knowing that our sin grieves the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. Yes, we know God is omnipresent, but His presence isn’t always as manifest in our day to day lives. And Jesus, well, he’s seated in heaven. So, there can be this tendency to think that no one’s around when there’s no one around. But if you’re a true believer, the Holy Spirit is not only always around, He’s always in you. 

Think about that when you click on that website or turn on that movie, when you fudge your taxes, when you take advantage of your neighbor or sibling, when you tell that half-truth, when you cling to bitterness, when you put yourself first …

The same Spirit who seals you and keeps you for redemption, He doesn’t check out when you want to live according to the flesh. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

In the same way that we wouldn’t want to grieve a loved one, how much more so this triune God who so loves us! This alone should give rise to perseverance because rather than grieve, our desire should be to please Him.

SYNERGISM

Now, out of these 5 doctrines we’ve looked at, this is the only one that can rightly be referred to as synergistic, meaning both God works and we work. The other 4 are monergistic, meaning one alone works. You see, it is God alone who elects; it is God alone who atones; it is God alone who regenerates. 

Okay, but what about Total Depravity. Well, that’s monergistic too. We alone did that; we alone fell. God didn’t make us fall. 

Now, I affirm that in God’s sovereignty He ordained the Fall, and that He meant if for good. But that’s not the same as saying that God worked the Fall. Rather, He sovereignly permitted mankind to fall of man’s own volition.

But perseverance and preservation is a synergistic doctrine, where God works in us to persevere. But we must be active (that is, work) in this perseverance ourselves. If you fail to persevere you won’t be saved. It’s that simple. Instead, your failure to persevere will only prove to show you were never saved.

APPLICATION: MEANS THROUGH WHICH WE PERSEVERE

As such, we make good use of the means God has given us to persevere. One such means is what we do in here Sunday by Sunday. Remember that list of offices at the beginning of Ephesians 4. And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers … They are all Word ministries. The Holy Spirit works through the Word, applying the Word to our lives. Even the faithful believers who walk beside us to encourage and admonish us do so according to and through the Word. 

Now, being immersed in the Word is no guarantee that you will finish the race. But I assure you that there will be no finishing the race if you neglect this Word. The primary means God uses to preserve you and me is His Word. In fact, what sort of faith does one have who doesn’t hold to God’s Word? Certainly not a faith in the One who exalts His name and His Word above all things. Such is not a faith that believes or trusts God. 

God’s Word with its promises and warnings is the primary means He has enlisted for your perseverance. And if you fail to make use of the means He has given you, you will not persevere. And those who fail to persevere are lost — eternally lost. Jesus is clear. It is the one who endures to the end who will be saved. Not the one who began to follow.

THOSE WHO FALL AWAY – 

So, were those who fell away, true believers? Scripture answers that for us as well. 1 John 2:19. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, so that it might become plain that they are not of us.

Scripture records many who begin and turn back. Demas, in love with the world has deserted me. Judas followed Jesus for a time … before he betrayed him. And there were large crowds, who welcomed Jesus, were excited about Jesus, worshiped Jesus for a time, but soon fell away. Why? Well, I would argue, that in every instance, people fall away because they have no taste for God’s Word, even when it comes from the lips of the Incarnate Word. Jesus himself pointed out the reason many were hostile or indifferent to him: it’s because my word finds no place in you.

You see, the sober reality is that many indeed fall away. After feeding the 5,000, John chapter 6 records that those who ate their fill, tracked Jesus down to follow him. But Jesus knew their hearts. They only followed because they ate their fill In other words, the followed Jesus for what He could give them, not for who He was. So, instead of physical food, he offers himself to them. The bread I have for you is my flesh. The drink I have for you is my blood. In other words, I offer you myself. 

And the people received Jesus’ words as a hard saying. And after this, many of his disciples turned back. Many of his disciples. Not many who had an encounter, Many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

Now, if many of Jesus’ disciples fell away and turned back from following Jesus while he walked the earth, while he performed signs and wonders, when they could hear his teaching from his very lips … If many fell away then, we shouldn’t be surprised that many do in our day. Nor should such falling away shake your faith or cause discouragement was we continue to run the race.

TRUE BELIEVERS VS. COUNTERFEITS (NOT OF US)

O the world will take hold of the story of the individuals who have made shipwreck of their faith, as if such provides them an excuse for not believing. But what a folly that is. That’s like saying the existence of counterfeit gold and gems is proof that the genuine doesn’t exist.

But so long as this present age continues, there will be counterfeit Christians in the church. Such should cause us to be all the more diligent to confirm our calling and election, and to strive to finish the race.

TO WHOM WOULD WE GO

And while it’s a sad reality that many fall away, by God’s grace, not all do. The genuine remain; they persevere. 

After many turned back from following Jesus, Jesus asked the twelve; “do you want to go as well?” Simon Peter answered (and I love this!) “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” And Jesus reminds them, Did I not choose you.And if you believe, if Peter’s words are your words, the same is true for you. 

While some fail to persevere, those of true faith, recognize Jesus is the only way. They’ve been made alive to the truth. There is no turning back. O there are times of discouragement along the path. Following Jesus, while simple, it’s hard. And there are times, you might find yourself questioning, “I’m not sure I can finish the race.” And the same God who made you alive to the truth will have you saying with Peter, Lord, to whom shall we go … 

This is one of my swords I pull out regularly, because this race … it’s hard. But where else would we go. The world has nothing to offer … nothing lasting … nothing sure. But Jesus … he is life itself.

PRAYING FOR PETERS (LUKE 22:31-32): FAITH MIGHT NOT ECLIPSE (ἐκλείπω)

But we also know, that Peter, who made this confession, that his walk was far from perfect. If left to himself, he would not have finished the race; and neither would we. (History records Peter’s finishing the race crucified upside down.)

But there was a time, it seemed Peter’s walk with the Lord was over, when he denied his Lord. O but Jesus. I have prayed for you Peter, that your faith may not fail. (That word “fail” is where we get the word, “eclipse.” That your faith may not be eclipsed, that it might not fully disappear.) And when you turned back, strengthen your brothers.

THICKNESS OF THE ICE

But our security is not in our ability to run, but on the God who upholds us and prays for us. 

My wife and I spent a Valentines Day years ago on one of the New York Finger Lakes, Skaneateles Lake. I never experienced such a winter. People were out in the middle of this large lake, walking, ice skating, and even ice fishing. They cut a hole through that thick ice and dropped their line in the water. I don’t know if anyone caught anything or not. If I remember correctly, they even had fires on the lake. Not sure I’d be warming myself by a fire on the ice I’m standing on. Of course, it was something like 20 below zero.

But here’s the thing. It wasn’t our faith in the ice that held us up. It was the thickness of the ice that kept us from plunging into the icy abyss. The same is true of Jesus. It’s not our faith in Jesus that upholds us, it’s Jesus himself, his mighty hand, his powerful word, his efficacious prayers.

JESUS THE BETTER ADAM

You know, it was in the Garden that Adam failed to persevere in righteousness and faith. Instead, his failure to keep the faith, and keep his wife brought the downfall of the entire human race. And ever since, all of humanity has followed in Adam’s step.

PERSEVERED IN THE GARDEN (STRENGTHENED BY AN ANGEL LUKE 22:43)

Well, it was in the Garden where Jesus’ displayed perfect perseverance. You see, it was in the Garden where Jesus’ resolve was ultimately tested. We might ask, what was Jesus’ biggest trial, his greatest temptation? And it was the cross to be sure. But it was an aspect of the cross that took place, not just at Golgotha, but in the Garden. This was the decisive moment with the highest stakes. This is where perseverance met its match.

ULTIMATE TEMPTATION: BETWEEN TWO GODLY DESIRES

Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done. I don’t know if we realize the temptation Jesus was enduring at that moment. We have never faced such a trial, such a temptation. Do you realize that for Jesus not to feel this away about not wanting to drink the cup of His Father’s wrath, that would have been sin for Him. It would have been sin for Jesus to be okay with His Father’s smiling face not shining on him. It would have been sin for Jesus to not grieve the idea of the sweet fellowship he had with His Father to be put on hold. It would have been sin for Jesus to be fine with the separation between him and his Father that was about to take place. Remove this cup, Father. Please. But I trust you. I love you. So, not my will, but yours be done.

Jesus was caught between the two godliest choices possible. And such was unbearable. And yet he bore it. In fact, Luke records how an angel strengthened him, so that Jesus might persevere in prayer more earnestly, with his sweat becoming like great drops of blood. And with that, he arose and went to the cross.

And Jesus’ resolve in the Garden is the same resolve He has in keeping us to the end. And if we are to grow in conformity to Christ, we must grow in our resolve to persevere, taking up our cross and following our persevering Savior, recognizing that this race is indeed a marathon, but a marathon in which our great God and Savior brings the end toward us to ensure that we finish.

And we can be sure of this, for all those in Christ, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion on at the day of Christ Jesus. You see, He who began a good work in you is not like the man in Luke 14 who began to build and wasn’t able to finish because he failed to count the cost. No. Our God had counted the extreme cost of salvation, that it would take nothing less than the gruesome bloody death of His only Son in our place, and He willingly paid that cost in full on the cross.

Now, surely God’s not going to pay such a cost, and then fail to finish the work. Which is why we have confidence in the unbreakable chain of salvation. Because precisely what follows that beautiful chain: And those whom he predestined, he also called; and those whom he called, he also justified; and those whom he justified, he also glorified. The assurance that follows this beautiful chain is nothing less than: He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all. That’s the iron clad guarantee that God will finish this work. 

And like Father, like Son. What the Father begins, the Father finishes. In the same way, Jesus set his face like flint to go to Jerusalem and to the cross. 

The doctrine of perseverance, when understood biblically, far from producing pride or sloth or neglect, produces humility, fervor, diligence, gratitude, and adoration, so that this race, like keeping the Lord’s commands, is no longer burdensome but a delight.

For the joy set before him, Jesus endured the cross. For our joy, we will too. We are kept, not by our feeble hold on him, but by his loving hold on us. And that, loved ones, should cause us to cling to him all the more in love.

  Effectual Grace: Effectual Love (Ephesians 2:4-10) 

INTRODUCTION

Basketball season is underway. Now, I’ve never been good at sports especially not those that involved any sort of ball. You put me out there on the court, there’s one thing I can guarantee that won’t happen. I’m not going to slam dunk the ball.

At 5’ 8”, I’m not even going to reach the net, much less the rim. You can toss me all the alley-oops you want. It’s not gonna happen. I have what’s called a physical inability that prevents me from even coming close.

Well, humanity is not out there on some ball court as if life is but a game of little consequence. All of mankind stands before the court of God’s justice, and the verdict before us is death.

Our issue is by no means physical, as if we are to be judged due to some inability God Himself crafted in us, such as not being able to put the ball through the hoop. 

Our issue is a moral and spiritual. We possess every physical ability to perform according to God’s prescribed standard. We all fall short of the glory of God, not because some of us are only 5’ 8” or due to some other physical condition. We fall short of the glory of God simply because we refuse to play or live to His glory.

As such, no alley-oop or assist will suffice in our scoring points or favor before God. As we saw last week, our issue is that we are dead. So dead is our condition, we need, not an assist, but a sovereignly administered resurrection from the dead. 

Which takes us to our text this morning in Ephesians chapter 2, and the doctrine of Effectual Grace. Perhaps, the main point of our passage could be summarized as follows: It is God who makes us alive; it is God who raises us from the dead; it is God who seats us in the heavenly places … in Christ, all on account of His rich mercy, great love, and abundant grace. 

With that said, would you stand with me in honor of God’s Word as I read from Ephesians chapter 2.

TEXT

READ: (Ephesians 2:1-10)

BUT GOD

There are few words as precious to believers than these first two words of verse 4. But God. The significance of these two words cannot be overstated. We were helpless, hopeless, enslaved to sin, followers of the evil one, children of wrath, indeed, we were dead … but God. 

Why does this matter? Because God alone can change our current condition. God alone can reverse the curse. God alone can make us a New Creation, which is exactly what happened when He made us who were dead now alive in Christ. 

RICH IN MERCY

And as beautiful as those two precious words are, far more important than what God did is why God it! Because this God — who indeed is a God of justice — is also a God of mercy. 

I may be wrong, but to the best of my recollection, I don’t recall Scripture ever speaking of God being abundant in justice or rich in justice. O all of God’s ways are just. His justice is perfect. But here, Paul speaks of God’s mercy as overflowing abundance. God’s justice isn’t described in such terms. But His mercy, now that’s something! That’s something that Paul almost seems to sing about. Especially in light of the preceding verses. God is rich in mercy. He’s not lacking in mercy in the least. And this mercy overflows towards His elect. Why? Well, it only gets better.

GREAT LOVE

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us! Like mercy, God’s love is expressed in terms of abundance. In fact, the word “rich” used to describe God’s mercy is built off the word here used to describe the greatness of God’s love. Here, the apostle leaves not doubt that the foundation of our salvation is God’s love for His elect. 

We saw in verse 4 of chapter 1 that love was the foundation for God’s choosing, predestining, electing us. And here in verse 4 of chapter 2, we see this same love is the foundation for His effective grace that makes us alive with Christ. There’s no obligation on God’s part to love us. He loves because it is in His nature to love. And He loves His elect simply because He chooses to.

BECAUSE

The entire gospel flows out of this electing love. God doesn’t love you because Jesus died for you as if the Son now somehow twists the Father’s arm — Father, you see what I did? You have no choice now but to love them. That’s to distort the unity within the Trinity and get the entire gospel wrong. It is because God loves His elect that the Father sent His Son to the cross. The cross was the Father’s plan. And it was planned out of love.

Furthermore, God doesn’t love you because you responded to the gospel. That’s to get the whole story backwards. We were dead in our trespasses and sins. You want to know why you responded to the gospel at all? It’s because God first loved you, and therefore He made us alive together with Christ so that we would respond to the gospel.

Because God loves us, He has united us in His Son. 

EVEN WHILE

And listen, if you’re a believer in here today, (verse 5) He loved you even while you were His enemy, even while you still hated Him, even while we were in hostile rebellion. 

The contrast here is intended to highlight the magnificence of God’s mercy, and love, and finally in verse 7, His grace.

IMMEASURABLE GRACE

Just as mercy and love are spoken of in terms of abundance, here God’s grace is given not just one adjective but two, the immeasurable riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 

This word immeasurable has a literal etymology of throwing something beyond. The riches of God’s grace go beyond anything we are able to measure. 

WHY THE EMPHASIS

Now, why did I take time to emphasize these three extraordinary dispositions of God toward His elect on the front end? We’re looking at Irresistible Grace. And if we’re not careful, our theology can undercut these incredible precious terms and rob them of their richness. 

Because it is these three terms that underscore the great work of God in salvation: verse 5, making us alive in Christ, raising us up with Christ, and seating us with Christ in the heavenly places. 

TULIP

Which brings us to our “I” in TULIP. Irresistible grace, or to be a bit more nuanced, effectual grace. What’s the connection here between our text and the Doctrines of Grace? Well, this whole passage is a work that God must decisively do Himself.

Tracing this flower, we were at one time, totally depraved because of the Fall and our sinful nature. But because God, unconditionally chose a people in Christ, those who sins His Son would atone for on the cross, we are now at the point where this atonement and election must be applied to us in history. 

Where, due to the Fall, we all were at one time, as we looked at last week, dead in our trespasses and sins, and hence, unable to return to God on our own. Effectual grace is the work God must do in us if we are to be saved. In other words, it’s not enough for God to elect or choose us for salvation, nor is it enough for Jesus to die for our sins, if we are going to continue in hostility towards Him. We need God to do the decisive work to overcome our hard hearts, so that we who were once rebellious now genuinely seek to serve Him.

DORT

Dort refers to this as the divine work of conversion or regeneration. Since we’re following the Canons of Dort in this series, you’ll notice that Dort tied the Third and Fourth Main Points together, that of Corruption and Conversion. The reason is because the argument for both of these, that of our corruption or Pervasive Depravity and that of our conversion which will take nothing less than the effectual grace of God, overlap to such an extent that it’s difficult to talk about God’s work in conversion apart from acknowledgment of our corruption. 

THE ARTICLES
And so to summarize the articles, beginning with articles 1-3 from last week: The Fall had corrupted the whole of humanity at the core of our being to where, as spiritually dead men and women, we are unable to return to God on our own. Hence, we need more than divine assistance or cooperating grace. We need a sovereignly administered resurrection from the dead. And so, 

INADEQUACY 

Articles 4 and 5: the light of nature and the law are both inadequate.
Article 4: The light of nature, that is, the truth that can be known about God through creation, makes everyone without excuse, but in our deadness, it is insufficient to bring us to a saving knowledge of God. Rather, we distort the truth.

Article 5: the Law, likewise is just as inadequate, even though the Law is holy, and righteous, and good. The Law, at best, increases our guilt before God, but it provides no remedy for our fallen condition. Rather, because it is weakened by our flesh, it leaves us under the curse. 

THE GOSPEL CALL

Articles 6-9 deal with the call of the gospel.
Article 6: What neither the light of nature nor the law can do, God accomplishes by the power of the Holy Spirit through the message of the gospel. 

Article 7: expresses God’s freedom in revealing the gospel as He sees fit. This is not on the basis of one people being more deserving of hearing the gospel than others, but according to the free good pleasure and undeserved love of God.

Article 8: All who are called through the gospel are called earnestly. The “whosoever” is a sincere invitation, that all who come to Christ will find rest for their souls.

Article 9: Man alone is responsible for his rejection of the gospel. That many do not come is not due to God as if God restrains them from coming. But man is restrained from responding favorably to the gospel because of his sin. Failure to be converted must not be blamed on God or the gospel, but on man.

Articles 10 and 11: Conversion
Article 10: Conversion as the Work God. That some do respond favorably to the gospel must not be credited to human effort as though one distinguishes oneself by free choice from others who received equal or sufficient grace to do the same. Rather, conversion is credited to God alone who effectively calls and grants faith and repentance.

Article 11: The Holy Spirit’s Work in Conversion. Not only does the Spirit ensure that the gospel is proclaimed to the elect and that the darkened minds are enlightened, but the Spirit penetrates the inmost being, opening the closed heart, softening the hard heart, and circumcises the heart that was uncircumcised. God infuses new qualities into the will, making the dead will alive, the evil will good, the unwilling willing, and the stubborn compliant. 

Articles 12 and 13: Regeneration
Article 12: Regeneration is the entirely supernatural work, which the Scriptures refer to as the new creation, the raising from the dead, and making alive, in which God works in us without our help. In other words, this supernatural work is on par with that of creation and resurrection.

Article 13: The way the Spirit works this regeneration cannot be fully understood, but believers rest in knowing that by God’s grace, they do believe with their heart and truly love their Savior.

Last four:
Article 14: The Way God Gives Faith. Faith is a gift from God, not in the sense that it is offered for people to accept, but a gift that is bestowed on them and breathed into them. It is a gift in the sense that God produces in the elect both the will to believe and the belief itself.

Article 15: Responses to God’s Grace. God does not owe grace to anyone. Therefore, those who receive such grace owe and give eternal thanks to God alone, taking no credit in their response to His grace. Those who do not receive this grace, either don’t care or are self-satisfied in their condition. 

Article 16: Regeneration’s Effect:Regeneration does not act in people as if they were anything less than persons. It does not abolish the will nor coerce a reluctant will by force. Rather, regeneration spiritually revives, heals, reforms the will to a ready and sincere obedience. 

Lastly,
Article 17: God’s Use of Means in Regeneration. That regeneration is a supernatural work, such does not rule out the use of the gospel, which God in His great wisdom appointed to be the seed of regeneration and the food for the soul.  

CONCERNS

Where the other Doctrines of Grace have their objections, Irresistible Grace is no different.

Where Unconditional Election is the doctrine most likely to garner the response, “that’s not fair,” and Limited Atonement is the doctrine most frowned upon, as if it somehow diminishes the love of God, and Total Depravity is the most unpopular of these doctrines to discuss, because, well, who enjoys talking about our sin nature. 

And as a side note, I hope you realize that we don’t discuss sin because it’s a pleasure to discuss sin. We bring up the subject of sin every week because it’s necessary. There’s not a book in Scripture that does not address the issue of sin. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a chapter that doesn’t deal with the issue from Gensis 3 on. 

THREE OBJECTIONS

Irresistible Grace is the doctrine most likely to be considered unnecessary. There are a few reasons many reject this doctrine.

OBJECTION 1:

One is that we think humanity, and especially ourselves included, have a little more ability to respond positively to the gospel than we actually have, or more importantly, than Scripture describes us as having. 

Now, in saying that, Scripture does make clear that man is completely responsible for rejecting the gospel. It’s also true that the gospel is genuinely offered as something that people can acquiesce to. But neither of those realities negate what Scripture says regarding man’s need for God to decisively do something to the inner person before one will actually believe the gospel in any saving capacity.

MORAL INABILITY

It’s not that we are physically incapable. Our inability is a moral refusal. It’s not like that of demanding one who is 5’ 8” to slam dunk when he’s physically incapable of doing so. It’s more like Lebron James who can easily place the all in the bucket refusing to do so simply because God asks him to do it, not for Lebron’s glory but God’s.

OBJECTION 2: 

A second objection is that throughout Scripture, we actually see many who resist the grace of God. So, there seems to be a contradiction in terms. Either grace is irresistible or it’s not. 

It’s true that God’s grace is often resisted. This is why Irresistible Graceperhaps isn’t the best phrase, and I prefer Effectual Grace. Or Dutch Reformed Theologian Herman Bavinick prefers invincible orunconquerable grace. In other words, for the elect, to say God’s grace in unconquerable means that His grace won’t ultimately be resisted. 

CONVERSION OF PAUL

Consider the Apostle Paul. There was a time that Paul resisted God’s grace. In Acts 7, just before he is stoned to death, Stephen closes his speech with these words: You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. And such was their resistance to the message of grace that the hearers even stopped their ears! 

And just before their stoning, Luke makes it a point to tell us of a young man who was there that day. Acts 7:58. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul (whom we know as Paul). And as they were stoning Stephen to death, he called out in a load voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

Now, amazingly, Stephen’s prayer is a lot like Jesus’ prayer from the cross. We shouldn’t be surprised then that just as Jesus’ prayer was answered (on the Day of Pentecost when many of those who called out for Jesus’ crucifixion were saved), that Stephen’s prayer was also answered, at the very least, in the conversion of Saul of Tarsus.

The Lord Jesus met Paul on the road to Damascus. Do you remember Jesus’ words to Paul? Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.And it was true. Paul could only resist for so long. What Paul deserved for who knows how many believers he persecuted was not at all what he received. Instead, he received grace. The blinding brightness of the glory of the Son of God conquered the church’s most hostile human opponent, Saul of Tarsus. 

OBJECTION 3:

The third major objection is perhaps the biggest objection of all. If God’s grace is irresistible doesn’t that make us more like robots than persons? Doesn’t such a view rob man of his own free will? In other words, to avoid compromising man’s free will, this grace should be seen as nothing more than a gentle persuasion rather than anything truly irresistible.

Well, first, it must be said that both Scripture and Dort’s understanding of Scripture is that human beings are indeed persons and not inanimate objects. Because Dort didn’t have robots available as an illustration, in article 16, they made clear that divine grace didn’t act in people as if they were blocks or stones, but as humans.

That said, human beings are not only persons, they are also creatures. In other words, we are both at the same time completely dependent on God and able to make responsible decisions. We are not robots. But neither are we little autonomous gods. 

MONERGISM AND SYNERGISM

Now, I’m going to use two technical terms, but I think it’s important for us to walk through this. The terms are monergistic and synergistic. Or monergism and synergism. Both are built off the Greek word “ergo” to work. Mono means one or alone. So, monergism means that God works alone. Synergism adds the prefix that means together. So, synergism means that both God and man work together.

TWO ERRORS

Now, to avoid two different errors, we believe both. And the Bible teaches both. Both God and believers (not the word believers), both God and believers are involved in the process of salvation. But both are not involved in the whole process of salvation. What parts are both involved in? Faith, repentance, sanctification, perseverance (which we’ll look at next week). In each of these, both God works, and we work. 

But because, in our fallen state, not only would we never respond to the gospel, we’re morally and spiritually incapable of responding, then God Himself must do the decisive first work. 

While we are dead, deaf, blind, we are helpless to participate or contribute. But once the Spirit breathes new resurrected life into us, we are then able to respond in faith. We’re then able to repent of our sin and waywardness. We are able to grow in grace and holiness. We are able to make every effort to strive and finish the race. Of course, we don’t do any of these on our own. But we do — once we are made spiritually alive — actively participate in the process. 

So, the first error is to suggest that when we speak of monergism, that God alone works, that God alone is involved in the whole process of salvation. But that’s not at all what is meant.

SECOND ERROR: THE EXTENT OF SYNERGISM

The second error is that we need something less than effectual grace. Something less than an effectual wake up call. (I think of my mom waking us up for school. It was like an alarm that try as you may, you just couldn’t turn off.) (The call of Lazarus.)

The Arminian position wants to suggest that we are involved in the entire process of salvation, that there is no monergistic work on God’s part, but that the whole process is synergistic. We must cooperate with God for our salvation. 

But how on earth can a dead person participate in making himself alive. Consider Lzararus. What could Lazarus do to raise himself? Well, that was our condition! It’s only after we are made alive that we begin to be involved in the rest of the process. 

DECISIVE FACTOR

So, in light of our fallen condition, who would you say was the decisive person regarding your salvation? Scripture’s answer for this is clear. It wasn’t you. What could you do? 

The decisive factor in your salvation was God alone. God alone worked in you, making you alive (verse 5); applying the promise of the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31); giving us a new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36); indeed, breathing new life into dead dry bones (as Eli read for us from Ezekiel 37). 

Or as Jesus says to Nicodemus in John 3: unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Now, let me ask: how much involvement did you have in your first birth? In the same way, we are unable to contribute to our new birth.

WHOSE FREE WILL

You see, the problem with most people’s rejection of Reformed Theology, which I would simply argue is biblical theology … and the theology of Paul … and the theology of Jesus … Anyway, the rejection most people have with Reformed Theology is that it, in their mind, is an attack on free will. So, they would rather argue for an unbiblical view of man’s free will at the expense of God’s free will. 

Do you see the issue? Salvation is indeed an act of free will. But not ours! It’s God’s free will. Ours is in bondage due to the Fall … due to our sin. We forfeited our free will when we chose to but into the lie of the snake and exchanged the glory of God for the creature. And outside of Christ, in our fallen nature, we despise God’s free sovereign will, and fight tooth and nail for our own precious autonomy.

DRAWING

But isn’t God’s grace described merely as drawing people to Himself? John 6:44. Jesus says, no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And John 12:32. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. 

Many commentators like to suggest that this word draw is merely an attractional wooing. Kind of like my wife knows how to draw my attention. Or when you call a cat, here kitty kitty. But this word draw is much more forceful than a mere wooing. If it’s a wooing, it’s an effectual wooing. It’s a term used for the unsheathing of a sword. You don’t woo a sword from its sheath, you effectively draw it out. It’s also used at the end of John for Peter hauling in the large catch of fish. I assure you, there was no wooing of those fish. If anything, those fish were not cooperating with Peter. They wanted out.

Or a bucket from the well …
The Spirit takes hold of us and drags us out of our watery grave of death — out of the pit — with resurrection power, filling us with resurrection life. 

That’s what the Spirit works in us in baptism. Which is why the primary emphasis in the New Testament regarding baptism is not the physical act but the spiritual. Effectual Grace is a spiritual work accomplished without our help, in which the Spirit makes us who were already dead, placing our death in Christ’s death, and makes us alive in Him.

THE NEED FOR EFFECTUAL GRACE

What you believe in regards to effectual grace will often be determined by what you believe about the state of mankind after the fall. 

If you believe that man, for the most part, is morally and spiritually neutral, then you won’t even feel the need for effectual grace. 

If you believe man is simply morally and spiritually sick, then there’s no need for effectual grace. 

If you hold to the Arminian view, that God gives sufficient prevenient grace to all, and that all man needs is to cooperate with this grace, you won’t feel a need for effectual grace. 

But if what Paul says at the beginning of chapter 2 is true, that mankind isn’t just spiritually or morally sick but dead, and hence unable to respond favorably to the gospel unless God in His sovereignty changes our hearts so that we are spiritually alive, then you will have no problem affirming the need for effectual grace. 

BECAUSE YOU PRAY

And you know how I know that every genuine believer believes the doctrine of Irresistible Grace? Because of how you pray, and specifically, how you pray for the salvation of loved ones. You don’t pray that God would bring them to the point at which they can save themselves. Nor do you pray that God would merely provide them with an opportunity to respond to the gospel, but by no means compromise their free will so that they might be the decisive factor in their salvation. You don’t even pray that God would simply help them believe. If that’s the extent of your prayers, either they are grounded in a rather low view of God or a deficient love for whoever it is you’re praying for. 

When you pray, you pray that God would decisively save them, that He work in them everything necessary, from opening blind eyes, softening hard hearts, making the dead alive. 

J. I. Packer is helpful. When you pray for the unconverted, you pray on the assumption that it is in God’s power and God’s power alone to bring them to faith.

GENESIS 2:5-8

If you’ll turn to Genesis 2, perhaps you’ll see the connection between God’s breathing life into the first man, and God breathing life into our dead condition.

Read Genesis 2:5-8

In Genesis 2, it took a supernatural work for a lump of clay, regardless of how exquisitely shaped, to live … to breathe. 

LIVING CLAY

My family used to do a lot of Sculpey Clay. We’d form and fashion the various colors of polymer clay into Christmas decorations and even chess sets. We even tried Claymation, you know, the stop-motion animation, where you take hundreds of pictures to create a little movie scene, moving the little figurines just the teeniest amount for each shot. 

And while we could move the clay figures and position them how we liked, we could never get the clay to move itself. We could never cause the clay to become animated. Try as we may, we couldn’t make the clay live. 

And yet, here we are, fashioned from the clay of the earth. But we aren’t inanimate clay objects. When the Lord breathed his breath of life into man’s nostrils, we came alive.

Of course, we ate, and so we died. Now, the average person on the street wouldn’t refer to our current status apart from Christ as that of being dead. But that’s exactly how Scripture portrays us. 

EZEKIEL 37

We’re not, as Miricale Max in The Princess Bride would say, “mostly dead.” No. We’re what the Hebrew refers to as dead, dead. On the day you eat to die you will die.

So, we need God to do in us a work every bit as miraculous as when Adam took his first breath and came alive. And that’s exactly what God said He was going to do in Ezekiel 36 and 37. He fills us with His very Spirit, breathing breath into dry dead bones.

MIRACLES

When you think of the greatest miracles in Scripture, what comes to your mind?
Sparing a remnant through God’s worldwide flood of judgment?
Parting the Red Sea in the Exodus, so that God’s people could escape bondage?
Opening the eyes of the blind?
The cleansing of diseases of the flesh, like leprosy?
Casting out demons?
Making the paralytic walk?
Raising Lazarus?
Creation out of nothing?
The Resurrection? (Of course, the real miracle is not so much that God would rise, but that God could die!)

Well, all of these are the miracle of regeneration, the new birth … and each aspect is a work that God alone could do.
It was God who brought us who were children of wrath through the Flood of His just judgment.
It was God who parted those waters and brought us out of bondage to sin.
It was God who opened our blind eyes to see the light of His glory in the face of Jesus Christ.
It is God who cleanses us of our disease of the flesh, namely sin.
It is God who cast out the demons in our life, who we once followed.
It is God who makes us who were once paralyzed and lame under the weight of sin, to now walk in His ways.
It was God who called us out of the tomb and made us alive together with Christ.
It is God who makes us a new creation.

The church today puts such an emphasis on Spiritual gifts, and the miraculously phenomenal, and we end up being unimpressed with the far greater miracle of New Creation. Listen. If you want to see miracles, come to church on Sunday morning. You’ll see those who were once dead, now alive. 

This work of regeneration is no less a miracle as that of raising the dead, or fashioning man out of lifeless clay, or speaking into existence things that had not existed. You want to see the miraculous, look around the room!

PARALYTIC

I know I brought up the paralytic last week, but I had Josiah read the passage for us this morning because I think it helps capture our inability as concerns regeneration. 

The paralytic could no more bring himself to God than he could walk to Jesus. He could no more restore himself to God than he could restore his own paralyzed legs. He could no more return to the Lord than he could turn over on his mat.

He didn’t bring himself to Jesus. Others did. But even his friends were compelled by something, moved by something outside themselves. They had heard rumors of this gracious miracle worker who not only could heal, but was willing to. They were also moved by love for their friend.

Which is easier to say? Son, your sins are forgiven or rise, take up your mat and go home? Well, we’d probably say the first. It’s certainly easier to announce forgiveness, in the sense that who’s going to prove whether such actually happened or not. 

But in reality, because Jesus isn’t mere talk, I believe the point Jesus is making is that it’s far easier for a paralyzed man to walk than for him to be restored to God by having his sins forgiven.

PRODIGAL

The same was the case with the prodigal. Yes, feeding the pigs, he came to himself. But what moved him to return home? Something compelled him. What? If you pay attention to the account you’ll notice it was his remembrance of his father’s kindness and generosity. And returning, he still had no expectation or intention of being restored as a son. And yet, that’s exactly what his father showered him with … overwhelming grace.

It's easier to return as a hired hand than to be restored as a son. And o how many seek to restore themselves to God as nothing more than hired hands. But God has called you as sons and daughters. He doesn’t need servants. He isn’t served by human hands as if He needed anything. 

ZACCHAEUS

And what about Zaccheaus? He wanted to see Jesus, what all the fuss was about. But it was Jesus who called Zacchaeus down from the tree. 

It’s far easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for rich Zacchaeus to be received into the kingdom. But God! But Jesus! 

It wasn’t so much that Zaccheaus climbed a tree to find Jesus, but that Jesus climbed the tree to find Zaccheaus. As Jesus himself says, For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost. 

In fact, Jesus calls Zaccheus down from the tree that the sinless Son might go up the tree in Zacchaeus’ place … in my place … in your place. It was Zacchaeus’ death Jesus died in order to bring about new life in Zacchaeus. And the same is true for you and me.

NEW CREATION

As believers, we aren’t just saved, we are New. And we’re not new in the sense that we’ve gotten a new hairdo or a new style of dress. We don’t in any way recreate ourselves. We are new because of something done in us … something that were entirely unable to contribute to. We are, verse 10, His workmanship.

APPLICATION

So, what’s the application in all of these doctrines? The church at large tends to be far more concerned with practical application, just tell me what to do, than that of doctrine. And so, we have a lot off people who are 1) outwardly doing and going through the motions of the Christian life with little to no heart transformation. Or 2) just as problematic, we’re teaching people to do what they are utterly incapable of doing outside of Christ and failing to proclaim to them the doctrinal power of the gospel that makes them alive to do so.

But if you’ll notice, that’s not at all the approach of the New Testament. But it has certainly become the standard fare of most church diets.

So “what are we to do?” Well, that’s not even the right question here. It’s, what are we to be? Be the New Creation, the New Workmanship God has created you to be in Christ Jesus. But this is something you and I are incapable of in ourselves. 

But God, rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved, through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. That’s the message that will transform your entire being. And as His workmanship, then, and only then can we work that which is pleasing to Him.

https://youtu.be/sv1WJp007Mo

  Pervasive Depravity and the Sinless Savior (Ephesians 2:1-3)

What’s wrong with the world? And more importantly, what’s wrong with us? This is what the Third Main Point in the Canons of Dort seeks to address. And as unpopular as the subject might be, it shows forth the glory of the gospel most vividly. Join me as we delve into the doctrine of Pervasive Depravity and the Sinless Savior.

HUMANITY’S GREATEST THREAT

If you were to go out these doors after service and walk in whatever direction until you ran into someone and asked them what’s humanity’s greatest threat? Or what’s the biggest problem in the world right now? Whether at the park, or the grocery store, you could even ask online. How many answers do you think you’d get? Here’s a brief list of some of the most popular:

Government, current leadership (they may even mention an individual’s name), war, healthcare, fitness, diet, world hunger, water supply, economy, climate change, communicable and noncommunicable diseases, global poverty, inequality, disinformation, religion, widespread debt crisis, pandemic, deforestation, employment, pollution, supply chain collapse, aging population, and the one I found most interesting, alien invasion. 

Is there anything you might add to this list? Well, I would agree with this entire list. And we could add many more to it. What’s our greatest problem? The government. Absolutely. But not Democrats or Republicans. It’s that we’ve rejected the governance of God and have sought to do what is right in our own eyes. It’s the current leadership, but not anyone who might be in public office. It’s the current leadership of the prince of the power of the air whom the whole world follows. And just to put the blame where it rightly belongs, if we want to put a name to it, it’s that supposedly autonomous individual you look at in the mirror.

Humanity’s greatest threat is war. Not in Ukraine, or the Middle East, or in Sudan. It’s the war we’ve waged against the omnipotent Creator.

What’s our greatest problem? It’s healthcare; we’re spiritually unwell. It’s fitness; we focus more on bodily training than on godliness. It’s our diets; we feast on everything but the Bread of Life. It’s world hunger; the whole world is spiritually starved because there’s a famine of the Word of God. And there’s a water crisis; we’ve hewed out broken cisterns for ourselves and have forsaken the fount of Living Water. 

Our greatest problem is financial; we’ve valued that which is of little value and devalued the One of infinite worth. We have an unemployment problem; mankind refuses to employ himself in service to his Creator. It’s the worldwide economy that has brought about global poverty; the whole world is spiritually bankrupt. We have a widespread debt crisis; each of us owe a debt none of us can afford.

What threatens humanity? Communicable and noncommunicable diseases; our disease of sin is both infectious and genetic. We’re in a global pandemic, the most severe longest lasting pandemic in history. 

Disinformation: fake news has infected us since the Garden. There’s a supply chain collapse; the supply chain of wisdom has been cut off by our own doing. And we could even through A.I. into the mix, though perhaps it’s not so much artificial intelligence as it is superficial, for we have forsaken true wisdom in forsaking the fear of the Lord.

You don’t think climate change poses a threat to humanity? Listen, we’ve grown cold towards the God who is love. And Paul states that the love of many will continue to grow cold.

And what about alien invasion: we’ve become foreign to our Maker. 

And there’s death. Death didn’t actually make the list. I even typed in death as the greatest problem, and Google wanted to inform me that death is not a problem but a natural part of the human experience. But that’s not at all true. Death is an unnatural part of human experience. There’s nothing natural about death. 

Now, I’m sure you are all wise enough to figure out what I just did. You see, I would lump the whole of this list together as one and the same problem. Now Google wanted to inform me that there is not one single biggest problem in the world. There is not one single greatest threat to humanity. 

But if you’re in here, you know exactly what it is. It’s sin.
And if you’re out there, wherever you are in the world, everyone knows that’s our biggest problem.

DOCTRINES OF GRACE

We’re continuing our series on the Doctrines of Grace, and following the Canons of Dort, we’re on the 3rd main point. You’ll notice that Dort placed the 3rd and 4th main points together and for good reason (which we’ll look at next week). Today we’re focusing on the 3rdmain point, what Dort refers to as Human Corruption. 

To trace where we’ve been so far following the order of Dort:
It all begins with God’s sovereign election in eternity past, choosing a people for His own possession to live holy and blameless before Him in love.
… with the climax of God’s plan being the definite redemption of His elect, sinners saved by the blood of the eternal Son of God who rescues and redeems His bride so that she might be holy without spot or blemish — indeed, a pure virgin bride.

But this glorious plan of God’s, which we call the gospel, comes to us in history, in a corrupted condition that is anything but holy and blameless, anything but spotless and without blemish, anything but pure. Indeed, we were as far from God as we could possibly be … o not physically … but spiritually. So far were we from God that Scripture’s verdict is that we were dead … dead to God, dead to the true and living God.

Perhaps this sounds like an exaggeration to most. I come across individuals all the time who tell me, “I’ve always believed in God.” Well, I’m not denying that they mean something by that, and we’ll address this precise issue in a moment. 

ARTICLES 1-3

But first, I want to summarize the first 3 articles in Dort’s 3rd Main Point. 

Article 1: The Effect of the Fall on Human Nature
Man was originally created in the image and likeness of God — holy and upright — with a true and right knowledge of his Creator. But at the Serpent’s instigation, and by his own free will, man deprived himself of this beautiful gift, most importantly, true and right knowledge of God. And hence, man had plunged himself into spiritual darkness, affecting his every faculty.

Article 2: The Spread of Corruption
Man, then, brought forth children of the same corrupt nature as himself.

Article 3: Total Inability
As such, all are conceived in sin and under wrath, incapable of any saving good, so that apart from the grace of the regenerating Holy Spirit, we are neither willing nor able to return to the God who made us.

TULIP

This condition is what’s often referred to as Total Depravity. It’s the “T” in TULIP: Or to be a little more nuanced, Pervasive Depravity, because this depraved nature pervades the whole of our being.

UNPOPULAR

While Unconditional Election is the point most likely to garner the response, “That’s not fair,” and Limited Atonement is the most frowned upon and rejected of the 5 points, the most unpopular is this one, our Total Depravity. Do you see what we’re up against in trying to articulate these Biblical themes? In the fallen mind, as we trace these doctrines in the Canons of Dort, we go from unfair to frowned upon, to outright unpopular.

No one wants to hear about our sin nature and how utterly pervasive it is. And sadly, because of that, it is the least addressed doctrine in the modern church. And why is this a problem? Well, 1) it is one of the most prominent and highlighted doctrines in all of Scripture. In fact, it is the problem the whole of Scripture seeks to address and resolve. 2) only in understanding our fallen condition will we acquiesce to our need for a Savior and see the gospel for the glorious plan that it is. 

SALVATION FROM WHAT

O how often the entire gospel is gutted because it is promoted merely as an addition to an otherwise decent life. There are pastors who seek to avoid the topic of sin at all costs. My question for them is this: what good news could you possibly have to share with your congregation? The gospel is good news only because it deals with our greatest problem, indeed, the greatest threat to all humanity. Every other problem we might list stems from this and this alone. 

D. A. Carson is helpful: There can be no agreement on what salvation is unless there is agreement as to what salvation rescues us from. 

Listen. when we remove or minimize the doctrine of sin, the only salvation we have to offer is something infinitely inferior to the salvation Jesus came to bring. How can we even begin to make sense of the cross if we remove or minimize our sinful condition — that it took the suffering and death of the eternal Son of God on a bloody gruesome cross to rescue us. 

So, with that, let’s delve into our text and see just what our condition was that required such a rescue.

READ: Ephesians 2:1-3
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience — among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

TO SAINTS, NOT TO THE WORLD

The first thing that needs to be addressed as we look at this doctrine of Total Depravity, and especially as concerns our text, is that, if you turn back a page to chapter 1, you’ll see that Paul is writing to the saints, specifically, to the saints who are in Ephesus. Of course, we can certainly apply that to the church universal. But the point is, Paul isn’t writing to the world; he isn’t writing to unbelievers; he’s writing to the elect, those chosen and predestined by God for adoption to be holy. That’s what the word “saints” means: those who are holy.

Why does this matter? Because the condition Paul is describing in verse 1 of chapter 2 is not so much a description of the world, although it is. But Paul’s point is to describe your condition … my condition … that we were dead in our trespasses and sins. Yes, end of verse 3, this is the state of the rest of mankind. But more importantly, this was us. This is the state we were rescued from.

KNOWING OURSELVES RIGHTLY

It's important that we don’t lose sight of where we came from … who we once were … or the gospel will quickly lose any effective transforming power in your life. The gospel will lose its abundant sweetness that leads us to live to the praise of the glory of His grace (1:12).

I mentioned this book before, by Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say I Do. And one of the first points Harvey seeks to drive home is our awareness of our fallen condition from which we were rescued, and that we haven’t arrived at full sanctification just yet. 

INHERENTLY GOOD?

So many professing Christians are deceived in thinking they are inherently good people. But Scripture says the opposite. And so long as you think you are inherently good, you will be a slave to your own self-righteousness. You’ll never know freedom in Christ apart from knowing and being honest about your fallen condition. Indeed, you can’t truly know Christ. You might know things about him, but so long as you are in denial of who you are apart from Him, you don’t know Him. 

1 John 1 makes this clear. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us… If we say we have not sinned, we make God out to be a liar, and His word is not in us. 

DEAD

So, just how bad was our condition? Verse 1. You and I were dead. Dead, how? Dead to God. Look down at Ephesians 2 verse 12. Remember that you wee at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, [now listen] having no hope and without God in the world.

We were dead in the sense that we were without God. 

PRACTICAL ATHEISM

Now, while I believe Scripture is clear that there is no genuine atheist, in the sense that everyone knows; that’s Romans 1 — there’s also a sense in which everyone, every unbeliever prior to the Spirit awakening them and making them alive to God, every human being is an atheist in a practical sense, living as if there were no God, at least not the true Creator to whom they will give an account. Instead, they merely know gods of their own making … that are no gods at all.

Because I assure you, every time you and I sin, we are living as if the God who is isn’t. And this would include our every sinful thoughts and desires, not just our outward actions.

PSALM 14

In other words, we were all the fool of Psalm 14, living as if there was no God. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” But the psalmist doesn’t stop there. He makes clear that this is a universal condition. They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They all have turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

ALWAYS BELIEVED IN GOD

So back to the issue for those who would say, “I’ve always believed in God.” Most would claim to have always believed in God in a general sense. But believing in God in a general sense is 1) not actually believing in the one true God at all, 2) it is unable to benefit anyone in the arenas of life that matter most, and 3) it makes one no better than the demons or perhaps even worse, because they at least believe and tremble.

NO DESIRE FOR COMMUNION

The issue is not so much belief in an intellectual sense, but belief in a moral and spiritual sense. 

Everyone knows! But the fact that we tend to live as practical atheists shows the issue is that we have no taste for God, no desire for communion with God. We see that clearly in Psalm 14:2. There are none who genuinely seek after God. 

Fallen man prefers everything over God … preferring the gifts over the Giver … delighting more in the things created than in the Creator.

DISORDERED AFFECTIONS

How did these disordered affections come about? (Because they very much are disordered affections.)

Well, not to go back to the Garden for the Garden’s sake, but because it’s the event that makes sense of our entire fallen human condition.

To put it simply, we were deceived. That’s what took place in the Garden. The serpent tempted the woman and the man who was with her, leading them to question the goodness of God.

Remember article 1. Man was originally endowed with a true and right knowledge of God, including a knowledge of God’s goodness. Well, the Fall corrupted that true and right knowledge. I mean, how can God be good if He withholds good gifts?

Hence, what has become desirable is no longer this Good God who has given the man and woman every good thing, who is Himself the perfection of good. But what has become desirable are the supposedly good gifts He has withheld. And ever since, mankind has been filled with disordered affections. Do you see how crafty and subtle the serpent is?

The unspoken logic goes like this: If God’s design is such and such, and God has proven Himself unfit as regards goodness because He has withheld good things, then obviously His design can’t be all that good either, and must therefore be modified according to what we deem is right.

CULTURAL EXAMPLES

Our culture demonstrates this well. What do you mean marriage is intended to be only between one man and one woman for a lifetime? If such is God’s design, He must obviously be doing the same thing He did in the Garden … withholding something good from us.

Or, I’m a woman trapped in a man’s body. So, we’ll scream, “Oppression!” How dare God and those who follow Him deny me of what I know to be good and right for me.

Why is there such an emphasis on sexual sin? Because it so clearly exposes these disordered affections. That’s why Paul uses it Romans 1.

But this disordering and distortion of God’s good design has been taking place since the Fall. There’s nothing entirely new under the sun. The very next chapter of Genesis after the Fall records how Lamech took two wives. Why? Because God’s design of cleaving to one wasn’t good enough in his eyes. 

And so rings the cadence: I’m unhappy with my marriage, so I’ll end it. I’m unhappy with my body, so I’ll change it. I’m unhappy with my provisions, so I’ll take what isn’t mine. I’m unhappy with what so and so said or did, so I’ll take his life. I’m unhappy that someone else’s circumstances seem better than mine, so I’ll advocate for us all to have it the same. Which of course we know ultimately leads to bringing everyone down, not lifting anyone up. 

EVERYTHING NECESSARY

Our disordered affections demand more, better, and different than what God has given. But here’s the thing. God has given everyone, every physical good they need in order to do what they were created for, and that is to glorify Him. 

Everyone has the physical ability to glorify God. What we lack is the moral ability (that’s article 3). Or to put it more clearly, fallen humanity lacks the desire to glorify God.

THREE DEFINITIONS

Scripture uses three primary terms to describe the sinful nature of our fallen bent: transgression, iniquity, and sin. In fact, all three of these terms can be found in King David’s psalm of repentance, Psalm 51:1-2. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 

These 3 terms get to the root of our condition, as they deal with authority, reality, and glory, touching upon humanity’s 3-fold office of prophet-priest-king.

So what do each of these terms mean exactly? 

The Iniquity of False Prophets

Dealing with the office of prophet: Iniquity has to do with reality; it is the twisting, bending, distortion, and perversion of truth. Partaking of the fruit distorted the truth of God’s goodness. It also perverted the truth of their identity as image-bearers, that they could somehow become more like God than they already were. All sin is iniquity in that it bends and twists the truth. Or as Romans 1 say, mankind exchanged the truth about God for a lie and has become a false prophet.

The Sin of Unholy Priests

Dealing with the office of priesthood: Sin has to do with glory; it is missing the mark. It’s one thing to be fashioned in the image of God; it’s an entirely different thing to actually image God. In heeding those voices that were opposed to God, Adam failed to image God. He missed the mark. So, we, when we sin, we are missing the mark, we are falling short of what we were created to be. Romans 3. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, making us unholy priests.

The Transgression of Rebellious Kings

Dealing with the office of kingship: Transgression has to do with authority; it is the crossing of an imposed boundary. When Adam and Eve ate, they transgressed God’s command and rejected His authority. All sin is a transgressing of God’s rightful authority. No one is going to tell me what is off limits. Humanity has become rebellious kings.

IMAGING THE BEAST

Instead of imaging God, God’s image-bearers now image the beast, the serpent. 

Hold on Josh, don’t you think that’s a bit extreme. You don’t really mean to say that we image Satan, do you? Listen. Outside of Christ, that’s exactly what we do! Just as the unholy trinity will come on the scene in Revelation as a pseudo-prophet-priest-king, so has man become a false prophet, and unholy priest, and a rebellious tyrant king.

FOLLOWING THE PRINCE OF THE AIR

Back to our text. Ephesians 2:2. You want to know how you once walked … you want to know how the rest of mankind walks: we followed the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. 

Now, my point this morning is not so much to expound the book of Ephesians, as helpful as that would be. But let me say just a few things about the whole — prince of the power of the air. 

WHO IS THIS PRINCE?

First, who is this prince? Paul is describing Satan. Now, this might seem a strange way to describe the ancient serpent but think about it like this. 

1) Satan is a spirit; he’s not flesh and blood. And at the end of this letter, Paul will point out exactly that. Ephesians 6:12. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

2) Satan’s work is spiritual; he fills the air with his lies. In other words, we don’t physically see the serpent any more than we physically see his actions. And yet, his works fill this fallen creation, not in an omnipresent sense, but in that his deception is worldwide. So long as we are under heaven, we are vulnerable to his flaming darts of deceit and accusations that soar through the air. Hence, we need to take up the shield of faith as defense against his schemes.

3) Satan is a ruler, not inherently so, but because of two reasons: 

First, Satan has authority because he has followers — the sons of disobedience, which at one time included the whole of mankind. Don’t miss that connection at the end of verse 3. All of mankind once followed the snake, including us. In which you once walked, Paul says. Among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh. 

Second, God has granted Satan a degree of authority for a time, for His own good purposes. Don’t ever think Satan acts outside of God’s sovereign rule. There’s but one ultimate authority, and it’s not the snake, regardless of how powerful he may seem to be. 

LIKE THE BEAST

Back to the ways in our depraved state we are like the serpent, whom we all once followed.
Psalm 58:3. The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies. They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ears.
Psalm 140:3. They make their tongue sharp as a serpent’s, and under their lips is the venom of asps.
John 8:44. Jesus will make clear that those who murder, those who do not hold to the truth, those who lie are children of the serpent.
We even see this idea in Genesis 3. The serpent has offspring. Who are the serpent’s offspring? Well, one way Scripture portrays offspring is that they bear their father’s resemblance. 

NATURAL BENT

Since the Fall, this has been the whole of mankind’s natural bent — not natural because mankind was created with such a bent, but natural by corruption. Verse 3. We all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and mind, and were by naturechildren of wrath. 

We didn’t begin corrupt. God made man upright, but man corrupted himself. Ecclesiastes 7:29. God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.

UNIVERSAL

And this natural bent toward sin, toward evil is a universal condition. Like the rest of mankind. Genesis 6:5. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. That was before the flood. What about after. Genesis 8:21 makes clear that man’s corrupted nature hadn’t changed. And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, even though the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth.

And despite God’s kindness, and forbearance, and patience, which was intended to lead man to repentance, instead, the wickedness of man only increased. Ecclesiastes 8:11. Because the sentence against evil works is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil.

ONE CORRUPT HEART

The heart in these passages is singular, even though it’s speaking of the whole of mankind. The Puritan theologian Stephen Charnock is helpful. It’s as if there were but one common heartbeat in all mankind, one common bent, one pulse, one joint consent towards wickedness, without any sense of God’s authority on earth. It’s as if one corrupt heart acted in every man in the world.

THE SPREAD

Now, we get it. Adam and Eve sinned, so their nature was corrupted. But what does that have to do with ours? Why is our nature like theirs after the Fall, rather than before the Fall? Well, I don’t think God gives us Genesis 1 only to demonstrate that He is the Creator, which of course it does. But Genesis 1 is packed with theology. Recall what is said regarding things that reproduce, whether plants or birds or fish or beasts. They all reproduced according to kind. Genesis 1:12. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And we see the same with God’s other creatures. 

So, when we turn to Genesis 5 we read that Adam fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. Or as article 2 of the Canons of Dort puts it. Mankind brought forth children of the same nature as themselves, that is, being corrupt, they brought forth corrupt children … not by way of imitation, but by way of propagation of their perverted nature.

DESPCRIPTORS OF SIN

Of course, there are many other descriptors of our depraved condition other than the terms sin, transgression, and iniquity: mankind is described as wicked, evil, rebellious, unfaithful, adulteress, ignorant, wandering, foreign, unclean, defiled, impure, unrighteous, lawless, disobedient, trespassers, who have breached the covenant and been disloyal to his Creator. 

On top of this, the examples in Scripture abound. Don’t fall into the word-concept fallacy that just because one of these descriptors aren’t used that Scripture isn’t teaching us about man’s fallen corrupted nature.

TOTAL DEPRAVITY

When we speak of total depravity, however, the point is not that mankind is as corrupt as he could possibly be. Rather, this corruption has spread to every facet of our lives, our nature, it’s pervasive, leaving no area of our being untouched. In other words, this doctrine of Total Depravity is not so much about sin’s intensiveness as it is its extensiveness. 

It may seem a bit shocking, but Hitler could have been more corrupt than he was. He could have committed more atrocities than he did. It’s by God’s grace that his evil was restrained to the degree it was.

But the same is also true for you and me. It is only by God’s gracious loving restraint that we have not committed more evil than we have.

It’s equally true that sinners do many things that we would rightly call good in a worldly sense. You don’t have to be a believer to mow your neighbor’s yard when he’s out of town, or to speak kindly, or to seek another’s welfare, or to give good gifts. Jesus makes this point. If you then who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

WORSHIP

But here’s the thing. And here’s why the Bible can in one sense call such acts from unbelievers as good, and at the same time make it clear that outside of Christ no one does good, not even one. Why? Because the unbeliever does none of those so-called good deeds as an act of worship to the one true God. 

All of life flows from worship. We’ve covered this before. Everything you and I do is an act of worship. Don’t ever think Sunday morning service is supposed to be worship, but after you leave here, you’re just moving on with the rest of your unworshipful life. O you might no longer be worshiping the Lord, but you’re worshiping something. 

And that’s our greatest problem. The problem of sin, our greatest evil is not what we do, it’s whom we love and serve. So, Paul says in Romans 1, we have chosen to worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator. 

THE HEART

You see, the issue is not that we are sinners because we sin, but that we sin because we are sinners. And our sin nature flows from the core of our being — our hearts. 

Turn with me to Mark 7. Sherif already read this passage for us at the beginning of service. Mark 7:15. Jesus says, “There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” And his disciples ask Jesus to explain this to them, and he does so with a slight rebuke on the front end. Are you also without understanding?In other words, this is something they should understand. In fact, I would argue, from Scripture’s perspective, this is something everyone should understand, and everyone inherently knows, but suppresses.

Verse 18. Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him since it enters not his heart but his stomach and is expelled. But … what comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.

Did you see what Jesus did? What goes in cannot defile anyone because it is expelled through the stomach as excrement. It’s what comes out of the heart that’s the problem. Why? Because it’s more polluted and unclean than excrement. 

REALITY OF HELL

And if you’re not yet convinced of how bad our condition of sin is, all we need to consider is the reality of hell. And I’ll just quote John Piper because he says it so well. 

“The reality of hell is God’s clear indictment of the infiniteness of our guilt. If our corruption were not deserving of an eternal punishment, God would be unjust to threaten us with a punishment so severe as eternal torment.” 

WELLBEING

And guess what. Jesus spoke about the judgment of hell more than anyone. Compassionate Jesus, meek and mild, warned about the reality of hell a lot. And he did so, so that people needn’t go there. He spoke like that often because he cares about people’s eternal wellbeing. 

That’s why he announces to the paralytic, your sins are forgiven, before he restores the paralytic’s ability to walk. Because if he’s not going to walk in paths of righteousness, if his feet are going to allow him to wander even further from the Lord in his affections and service, he’s better off never walking again. 

If your eye wanders gouge it out! If your hand strays cut it off! You’re better off without them if they draw your affections further from the Lord.

But there’s one thing Jesus cares about more than my wellbeing or your wellbeing, and that’s the honor of his Father. And for many, that alone rubs them wrong. They despise Jesus for putting his Father’s honor above their wellbeing. Well, loved ones, that alone makes the point. Our problem, our condition, is that we are so self-centered that we have no taste for this holy, holy, holy God.

SINLESS SAVIOR

That’s our condition. And that’s the environment our sinless Savior entered in order to rescue us from this awful condition.

Because of our sin, every one of us, every person who has ever walked this earth, was under the condemnation of death … all but one … Jesus. Why? Because Jesus was the only human ever to be without sin. 

This matters immensely to our understanding of what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross. 

How pervasive was our sin issue? Well, Genesis 5, where we’re given the list of Adam’s offspring, we read: and then he died, and then he died, and then he died. Or Romans 5. All men died. Death came to all men, because all sinned. But not Jesus!

NO CLAIM ON ME

Remember what Jesus says at the end of John 14 in the middle of the upper room discourse. Jesus is getting ready to head out to the Garden. And he tells his disciples, I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. 

The prince of this world was coming. The prince of the power of the air, Satan himself, was coming. Coming for what? To have Jesus betrayed by one of his own. To have Jesus condemned by his own people. To have Jesus publicly shamed and humiliated on the cross. To have Jesus put to death.

But Jesus very clearly says that Satan has no claim on him. What does that mean? Well, we know that as the divine Son of God, that the true authority in this scene is not the snake but Jesus. As God Himself, Satan answers to the Son, not the Son to the serpent. But is that the fullness of what Jesus means?

POWER OF DEATH

Even as a man, Satan has no power over Jesus. Why? Because Jesus is free of sin. Hebrews 2:14 tells us that Jesus partook of flesh and blood, in other words, came as a man, so that through death, he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.

What does it mean that the devil had the power of death? Satan had the power of death not in an authoritative sense, and certainly not in a divine sense. But in tempting mankind to sin, his evil scheme placed all of humanity under the judicial sentence of death. How? Because God cannot lie. God must be faithful to His decrees. “On the day you eat you shall surely die.” Death ensued that day … spiritual death for sure, but also the guarantee of physical death. And because all sin, all are under this same condemnation of death.

And Satan continued to have power in the sense of accusation, because it’s true, all of humanity, according to God’s edict, deserves death. Hear the serpent before the Judge in his accusatory tone: God, I’m just calling you to uphold your justice.

THE ONE UNJUST DEATH

But Jesus never sinned. For Jesus to be put to death, to die an unjust death, he removed the power of death from the devil’s hand. Satan had no power over Jesus as a man because Jesus was sinless and undeserving of death. Satan had no accusation he could throw at Jesus. And yet, he still had Jesus betrayed and condemned and put to death on false charges and false accusations. And by Jesus dying a death that wasn’t his to die, he removed the power of death from the serpent’s hand.

3 DEFINITIONS REVISTED

Remember our 3 definitions: transgression: that of crossing a boundary; iniquity: bending or twisting; and sin: missing the mark? You know how Jesus conquered the one who held the power of death? The Son of God crossed the impossibleboundary, taking on flesh and blood in order that God could do the impossible — die. Our King was mocked as a fraud as he bore a phony crown of twistedthorns, a symbol of our twisted kingship. And for the first time in history, death had missed its mark in the death of the one sinless man to ever walk this earth.

THE THIEF

Or as the thief on the cross would say. I’m rightly condemned to die. Me and the rest of humanity are merely getting what we deserve. But this man, Jesus, has done nothing wrong.

THE BAPTISM

Why was John the Baptist hesitant to baptize Jesus. Because you can’t baptize someone with a baptism of repentance if they have nothing to repent of. But that’s exactly why God had John baptizing people in the Jordan. Listen, the portrait wouldn’t work if John was sprinkling people on the riverbank.

The gospels record that all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going to John to be baptized by him in the Jordan. They came to him in droves. And they entered that water with the filth of their sins, to have them, at least in a symbolic sense, washed off into the Jordan. 

So, when Jesus enters the this sin-polluted river, without any sin of his own to be cleansed from, it’s as though the whole of the world’s sins have washed over sinless Jesus ­— the sinless Son of God immersed into our sin-filled atmosphere.

And he goes and carries them to the cross. Throughout his ministry, he touched the unclean, and the sinner, and even the dead. Taking all their sin and uncleanness and deadness upon himself in order to carry it all to the cross, to die a death that wasn’t his to die. It was our death he died.

THE CHARACTER OF GOD

You want to taste and see that the Lord is good. This is where you do it — you do so here at the cross. 

O there are so many beautiful gifts God has given us. But realize, not everybody’s circumstances are even remotely the same. But this one — this one here — is available to all. O the wonderful cross.

You see, God truly withholds no good thing. If the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was good for man to eat from, He would not have withheld it from Adam and Eve. But it wasn’t good for them. 

So, if you ever question God’s goodness, just go to what is my absolute favorite verse in the whole of Scripture — o there are many that compete, but this one tops the chart. It’s Romans 8:32. He who did not spare His own Son but gave him up for us all, how we He not also with him graciously give us all things. 

WITHHOLDS NO GOOD THING

He gives us every good thing. He’s given us the greatest good imaginable in giving us His Son. What good would He possibly withhold if He’s given us this! If it hasn’t been given to you at this time, it’s not what you need most right now. He’s a good and loving Father. And so the cross dispels any question of God’s goodness, His goodness toward us, that He Himself is our greatest good. And that’s exactly what He gave us when He gave us His Son.

He withheld the tree. But He didn’t withhold His Son on the tree. O taste and see just how good He is. This alone is the only freedom from our bondage to sin, because it’s the only thing that will correct our distorted view of God’s good character … for us. 

O our condition is that we are still sinners. But we are sinners redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb. 

When Satan tempts me to despair, and tells me of the guilt within,
upward I look and see Him there, who made an end to all my sin.
because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free,
for God the just is satisfied, to look on Him and pardon me.

Now, the enemy who had no claim on the sinless Savior, has no claim on you or me. Jesus died our death. Now we need Him to make us who were dead alive. That’s next week. Let us pray.

     Definite Atonement: The Saving Efficacy of Christ’s Death (Ephesians 5:25-27) 

INTRODUCTION: https://youtu.be/Wdf3ikssdVk 

It all starts with election. God’s sovereign decree … His plan … His choosing. But God's decree of election actually includes not only who He would save … but how He would effectively save them.

Last week, we began walking through the Doctrines of Grace, commonly known as Calvinism or TULIP.
And for those of you who might not be as familiar, I probably went way too fast on some of these.
So, as a refresher, TULIP stands for:
T-total depravity, U-unconditional election, L-limited atonement,
I-irresistible grace, P-perseverance of the saints.

This week we’re on the “L” – limited atonement.
But as mentioned last week, the terms in TULIP are prone to misunderstanding and distortion.

So, I prefer the terms on the right: Pervasive Depravity, Sovereign Election, Definite Atonement, Effectual Grace, Preservation of the Saints
It doesn’t sound as nice as TULIP, but the nuance is helpful. 

AFFIRMING TULIP

Now, while I don’t prefer TULIP, let me be clear, if understood in their original intent, I affirm all of them, including this “L” which is where most people get hung up. Many will happily affirm the other four points. But if there’s a place people are going to exit the train, it’s here … with the idea that the infinite value of Jesus’ Atonement for sin could somehow be limited. 

EVERYONE LIMITS ATONEMENT

But here’s the thing. Unless you’re a universalist, meaning you believe every human being will be saved without exception, that everybody is going to heaven regardless of what they believe, regardless of how good or evil they might have been, everybody believes in limited atonement. Every evangelical limits the atonement of Christ in some way. The question is whether they seek to limit Christ’s death to its effectiveness or its intent. 

The Arminian position limits the effectiveness of Christ’s death to actually save in that it merely provides an opportunity of salvation for all, but actually secures salvation for no one. 

The Calvinist sees the atonement as limited in its intent but not limited in its effectiveness. In other words, Jesus’ death on the cross actually accomplishes the salvation of the elect for whom He died.

If I lost you. Don’t worry. We’ll be coming back to this train station again, so that if you are one of those who have hopped off, by the end, hopefully you’ll be more inclined to hop back on.

DORDRECHT AND GOUDA

Last week, we began with Sovereign Election. Today, we’re looking at Definite Atonement. And I know. Some of you are thinking, "That’s not the order at all." (Haley – slide.) But it was the order that those who defended these doctrines used at the Synod of Dort. 

And I know, Dort’s such a weird name. Well, that’s not the half of it. Dort is short for Dordrecht. Thank you, whoever shortened that. But at least it wasn’t Gouda, where the Remonstrance — the opponents of Reformed theology — held their gathering to debate these issues. The whole thing seems a bit cheesy to me. But I guess all man-centered theology is. There’s nothing Gouda about it.

ELECTION AS THE FOUNTAINHEAD

The order here is important. Sovereign Election is the fountainhead. God chooses a people in Christ to be holy and blameless before Him. The idea here is not simply image bearers but perfected image bearers … perfected in Christ. That was the plan from the beginning.  But the second logical step is, how?

Now, when I say, “second,” I’m not at all detaching the First Main Point from the Second. These go hand in hand as part of a unified single plan and decision in the mind of God. But it’s a little difficult to begin with Definite Atonement if there’s no one for whom Jesus was to die. You see the connection. 

GLORY OF GLORIES

At the same time, we shouldn’t think of God’s electing a people, apart from how. He intended to make them holy and blameless. Jesus was always at the center of God’s plan of redemption. 

And this second point – The Saving Efficacy of Christ’s Death – is the most amazing of all five doctrines. Of course, the other five serve to underpin just how amazing this doctrine is. But let me assure you, this is the glory of glories.

READ: (Ephesians 5:25-27)
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

AT EASE

Now to set you, husbands, at ease … this morning … this isn’t a message particular to how we as husbands are to love our wives. We can address that another time. What I want to focus on is Jesus’ love for the church … a love which he acted upon by laying down his life … specifically for her as for a Bride.

GARDEN

At the center of salvation is union … union with Christ. Union is marriage talk that goes all the way back to Genesis 2 and the Garden. It’s helpful if we recognize Adam as a type of “son of God.” I get that from Luke 3:38.

One of the things the historical account of the first man and woman is intended to convey is that it is God, the Father, who gives the woman to the man as a gift. And a beautiful gift at that.

But while Adam delighted in the woman, he certainly didn’t seek to win her in any way. Rather, he took God’s gift of her for granted and let another suitor creep in and defile her by robbing her affection from the One who gave her life.

HOSEA

Jesus, the true Son, won’t just be given a Bride. He himself will be sent to secure her affections by paying for her redemption … or to borrow from Hosea, redeeming her from her waywardness. 

Hosea 2:19. And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and justice, in steadfast love and mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord. 

(Remember, to know, often when used in Scripture, carries an intimacy in the meaning. So, when the Lord speaks of betrothal, we are to hear the intimate connotations in the words, and you shall know the Lord.)

GOD LOVES EVERYONE THE SAME?

Now, I recall years ago, early in my walk, I was in a class where it was taught that God loves everyone the same. And I questioned whether that is truly the case. Not that God doesn’t have a beneficent will toward all His image bearers, but that there is a special love that God has, that Jesus has for His Bride that he does not have for others. 

Well, it sent the class into an uproar. What an outrageous thing to say. That God has a special love for some that He doesn’t have for others. And I used this text as what I thought and still think to be the prime example.

ISSUE FOR HUSBANDS

Husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Now, if Jesus loves everyone the same, then we as husbands have some serious issues to work through. And I assure you, our wives aren’t going to be okay with us trying to work this out practically. 

As a husband and follower of Christ, I’m to have a general love, a beneficent love for all women. But I have a special love for my Bride that will necessarily work itself out differently.

If a husband goes out and shows the same love to other women as he does his Bride, we call that adultery. And Jesus Christ is no adulterer. I hope you see how important it is that we get these doctrines right, which is why we’re taking time to look at each one specifically. 

THEOLOGICAL GROUNDINGS

You see how absurd our theological understandings can become when we stop grounding our doctrine in Scripture. 

Yet today, this is the common understanding within much of the church. Certainly, on the surface, it sounds more godly to say that Jesus loves everyone the same. But the first question we need to ask ourselves: “Is it biblical?” And I assure you, if it’s not biblical, it’s definitely not more godly. 

These ideas arise from men and women who seek to be more righteous than God, but it’s simply a righteousness in their own eyes. And if we’re not careful, it will taint how we read the Bible, if people are even reading their Bibles.

TO SANCTIFY HER

Verse 26. Jesus loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her … that is, make her holy. Or verse 27. So that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 

Do you see how this ties into what we looked at last week in chapter 1, verse 4. God elected a people in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. Christ died for the church that she might be holy and without blemish.

Sovereign Election and Definite Atonement go hand in hand. We were elected, chosen in Christ to be holy, not because we were holy. Christ loved and gave himself up for the church that he might sanctify her, make her holy. He didn’t die for her because she was holy, any more than God elected a people because they were holy. 

INDISCRIMINATE BRIDEGROOM?

Now consider a husband choosing a wife. It’s not that the Bridegroom stretches out his arms and calls out, “whoever would be my Bride, come.” Now, certainly, that’s the offer of salvation. The offer is completely indiscriminate to all. 

But get this. The offer of salvation is not the entirety of salvation, nor is it the whole of what Jesus came to do. He also came to secure a Bride.

MARRY ME

When I asked Jenny to marry me after a month of dating, it wasn’t an indiscriminate offer to any who would be willing to marry me. I set my affections upon her. I wanted her. I chose her. And … she initially refused … to give me an answer either way … for a full seven days.

Now, I didn’t simply throw in the towel and seek another bride. I pursued her. I wanted her. I wanted to win her affections. (Now, there’s more to that story … but not less.)

PURPOSE OF MARRIAGE

When speaking of the marriage union, we know that from the beginning, all the way back in Genesis 2, that the purpose of marriage was to point to something more glorious than the physical reality of marriage between a man and his wife. 

We know that’s the case because it’s right here in Ephesians 5. Verse 31. Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound, and Paul says, I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

Jesus came to offer salvation to whosoever. But it’s equally true that he came to redeem his Bride … a particular Bride. And he determined to win her affections, not merely offer her a possible hand in marriage, and then move on to the next, should she not accept.

HOUSEKEEPING

At this point, it's helpful if we do a little theological housekeeping, in seeing what exactly is being expressed by this idea of limited or definite atonement, and what is not.

For that, I want to summarize Dort’s articles on this 2nd main point. 

SUMMARY OF ARTICLES

Article 1: The Punishment Which God's Justice Requires

God’s justice requires that the sins we’ve committed against God’s infinite majesty must be punished accordingly.

The first thing we must note, and this is where Dort begins, is what justice actually is. One reason for so much pushback against the Doctrines of Grace is that we have exalted mercy to the thing that’s required and demanded rather than justice, which is deemed to be optional. 

This backwards view of justice and mercy is so prevalent in our society, and if we’re not careful, it can taint our theology.

But here’s the first thing we need to grasp if we are to understand this doctrine of atonement. God could have chosen to save absolutely no one, and He would have been perfectly just and righteous in doing so. 

And yet, our fallen flesh finds such a God to be abhorrent, as if He owes us — His creatures He created for His purposes, for His glory — as if He owes us mercy. Mercy is optional. Justice is absolutely necessary.

Article 2: The Satisfaction Made by Christ

While justice demands our sins be punished, in His mercy, of His own free choosing, God chose to save some by satisfying justice's demands in His own Son, who was made to be sin and a curse for us, in our place, that he might give satisfaction for us.

Article 3: The Infinite Value of Christ's Death

The death of God’s Son is of infinite value and worth, more than sufficient to atone for the sins of the whole world. I hope you got that. It’s not that Jesus’ sacrifice is in any way deficient. His death is more than sufficient for the sins of the whole world … even if those sins and the number of sinners were to be multiplied exponentially. 

The question concerning the limited nature of the atonement is not due to any insufficiency in Christ and His sacrifice.

Article 4: Reasons for This Infinite Value

Dort makes clear that this infinite value and worth of Christ’s satisfaction for sin is wrapped up in both his being a true and perfectly holy man and in his being the only begotten Son of God, of the same eternal and infinite essence with the Father and the Spirit. Jesus had to be both truly God and truly man.

Another reason Christ’s death is of infinite value in atoning for sin is that his death was accompanied by the full experience of God’s anger and cursewhich we by our sins had fully deserved. 

Jesus received no less penalty because he was righteous or because he was God’s only Son. In order to sufficiently pay for our sins, Jesus had to suffer the fullness of his Father’s wrath that we deserve.

Article 5: The Mandate to Proclaim the Gospel to All

Note that Dort wants to make clear that the limited or particular nature of the atonement does not negate the mandate to proclaim the gospel to all without differentiation or discrimination, to all nations and people to whom God in his good pleasure sends the gospel.

Article 6: Unbelief as Man's Responsibility

That many are called through gospel proclamation and do not repent or believe is not because Christ’s sacrifice was in any way deficient or insufficient, but because the individuals themselves are at fault.

Article 7: Faith as God's Gift

But all who genuinely believe and thus saved receive this favor from God’s grace alone ­— which he owes no one — given to them in Christ from eternity.

Article 8: The Saving Effectiveness of Christ's Death

Now for the meat. And these next two were our Tenets of the Gospel this morning. The question addressed here is not regarding the atoning sufficiency of Jesus’ death, but God’s intention. 

It was God’s will, His intention, that Christ’s sacrifice should effectively redeem from every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those and only those who were chosen from eternity to salvation and given to him by the Father. Justifying faith, like all other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, was acquired by Jesus’ death.

In other words, Jesus’ sacrifice didn’t merely provide a possibility of salvation; it ensured the salvation of those chosen before the foundation of the world. 

Article 9: The Fulfillment of God's Plan

Lastly, article 9, grounds this plan in God’s eternal love … not for every individual, but for His chosen ones, whom though chosen in eternity, are gathered into one, all in their own time, that they might steadfastly love, persistently worship — both here and in all eternity — praises her Savior who laid down his life as a bridegroom for a bride.

In other words, this doctrine of definite atonement, in that Jesus doesn’t merely secure the possibility of atonement for an undetermined people but definitely secures actual atonement for the elect — His Bride — should lead to doxology. 

SUSPICION OF GOD’S CHARACTER

What it should not do is lead to suspicion of God’s character (as if to suggest that God could be more righteous or more merciful than He already perfectly is). 

ANGST

It shouldn’t lead to angst, causing you to worry whether you’re one of the elect or not. The “whosoever” is not negated by this doctrine but upheld. If you genuinely repent and believe, then this should be a glorious anchor for your soul, that Christ’s death not only paid for your sins, he secured your entire redemption, including your faith, your good works, and your perseverance. 

HOSTILITY

And it certainly shouldn’t cause hostility … at least not among believers. O many of the Jews grumbled and refused to believe. But Jesus made clear, John 10:26, that such was because they were not among his sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 

You want to know if you’re among Christ’s sheep. It’s simple. Do you listen to his voice? Do you follow him? If so, you can be confident that he laid down his life for you.

UNIVERSAL TEXTS

But someone might respond: What about all those texts that say Jesus died for all? Well, there are certainly many that seem to express not only the universal offer of salvation but also that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world.

TENSION REMAINS

So, does this doctrine of definite atonement contradict these Scriptures? Well, to circle back to a point I tried to make in passing last week, this is where we want to affirm all that the Bible says, without removing tension for tension’s sake. So, when Scripture says, in 1 John 2:2, that Jesus is the propitiation — or atoning sacrifice — for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world, we better affirm that, right alongside the texts that say Jesus laid down his life for the sheep. Even if we can’t work out all the details, we must affirm both and understand that there is no contradiction between these.

NO THEOLOGICAL CONTRADICTIONS

But I would ask, exegetically, what is meant by each text? Is Jesus an atoning sacrifice for both in the same way? Is that a necessary conclusion? Many will pit James and Paul against each other concerning whether we are justified by faith alone or by faith plus works. We’re not going to work that out this morning, but if you know the context, you know that James and Paul are not contradicting each other. They are both addressing different issues.

1 JOHN 2:2

So, we'd better be slow in quickly negating one Scripture for another. Does 1 John 2:2, in its use of the whole world, mean every individual without exception? It might. But it might also mean that John is writing to a particular group or community, or even to multiple churches. Stating that Jesus is the propitiation, the atoning sacrifice not just for our sins, that is, the recipients of his letter, but also for the sins of the whole world, could just as easily entail that John is referring to the elect, not only near but far. 

This certainly coincides with Acts 2:39. The promise of all the benefits of salvation is for you and for your children and for all who are far off. All who are far off could just as easily carry the same universalism. But Peter immediately qualifies the "you, and your children, and all who are far off" with this statement: everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.

So, it’s not a stretch to read 1 John 2:2 in that same sense.

2 PETER 3:9

Let’s look at one more. 2 Peter 3:9. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Now, this could simply be expressing God’s beneficent will to all of mankind, every individual without exception. And I have no problem with that translation. But that’s not necessarily what the text is saying. Rather, God is patient with whom? To you, to those Peter is writing to, not wishing any should perish. Any of whom? Well, exegetically, based on the context, the nearest antecedent is — you — those Peter is writing to. Not wishing any of you should perish, but that all … all of who? … all of you should reach repentance.

UNIVERSAL OFFER, SPECIFIC INTENT

So, while there is a universal offer of the gospel, I’m not convinced that there’s a text that in any way contradicts that Jesus came and laid down his life as a Bridegroom for his Bride (Ephesians 5), as a Shepherd for his sheep (John 10), as a Master for his friends (John 15), to save his people from their sins (Matthew 1), and we could go on. 

Here’s what it comes down to: Christ saves a specific particular people who had no claim on his love, his mercy, his grace, but were equally deserving of God’s just wrath. They come to faith, not because they manufactured such in themselves, but because it was a gift purchased by the same precious blood that covers their sin. 

If you’ve responded favorably to the gospel, praise God! Don’t pat yourself on the back. (O, the services I’ve attended that have been so man-centered and self-congratulating.) Every good thing, including faith, is a gift bought by Jesus’ blood.

OFFICES OF CHRIST

Jesus purchased more than the opportunity for you to be saved. He purchased the elect — the fullness of them. Let’s not separate Christ as sacrifice from his role as our Great High Priest who mediates a better covenant, the Prophet who washes us with the water of His Word, and the King who is sovereign over even the hearts of men and women.

If Moses’ intercession (or King David's or Abraham’s) can turn God’s temporal wrath away, how much more can the eternal Son turn away God’s eternal wrath?

But one might ask: Why not all? We'd best ask: Why any?

GOD MOST GLORIFIED

God is not most glorified in simply making salvation a possibility, but in actually achieving and securing salvation for his elect. To reduce the atonement to merely providing a way is to 1) gut God’s glory to truly save, and 2) to steal a slice of that glory for those who of themselves made use of God’s merely provided means. 

But get this. We don’t praise God for providing us with an opportunity. We praise him for truly rescuing and redeeming. 

BELITTLING THE TRINITY

In fact, I would argue that God is not glorified when the Son of God’s death is reduced to a mere opportunity. That belittles the work and person of Christ. 

And it’s helpful to see that the whole Godhead is involved. To reduce salvation to merely potential or hypothetical actually belittles the entire Godhead.

INTERCESSION

Turn to Romans 8.

Romans 8:27. The Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Do you think that it’s even remotely possible that the Holy Spirit’s intercession isn’t entirely effectual?

What about the Son’s intercession? Romans 8:34. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Can you imagine the Father hearing the Son’s prayers for the elect, and the Father saying, “No.”

And just who is the Son interceding for? Verse 33. God’s elect. You see, between the Spirit’s perfect intercession according to the will of God in verse 27 and the Son’s perfect intercession in verse 34, we have the Father’s expressed will. Verse 32. He who did not spare His own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 

What are all things? Every aspect of our salvation, from beginning to end. And just to be clear, who is the “all” that the Father gave His Son for? Verse 31, those whom God is for. Well, who’s that? Verse 30. Those He predestined — chosen.

ONE ACCORD

Do you see the challenge here? The entire Trinity is of one accord, working to the same end. The Son intercedes according to the Father’s will, and the Spirit intercedes according to the Father’s and the Son’s will. 

And you know what the Father’s will was? It was to crush the Son. Isaiah 53. It was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief. He shall make many righteous because he shall bear their iniquities. He bore the sin of many and makes intercession for the transgressors. 

TO THE UTTERMOST

For Jesus to die as a substitution for all necessarily entails salvation for all. Otherwise, if not all are saved, then we have a contradiction. Why? Because Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant, the new covenant. He is the Great High Priest who doesn’t simply make salvation a possibility. Hebrews 7:25 says, He is able (or better, He is mighty) to save to the uttermost those who come near to God through him.

LIMITING THE EFFECTIVENESS

Limiting the atonement’s effectiveness by making it extend indiscriminately to all in the same way makes the atonement, at best, a hypothetical possibility, in that some might be saved, or worse, if left to us to finish the work by our own mustered faith, none might be saved.

God forbid that Jesus’ infinite payment could hypothetically secure nothing at all — that the sinless eternal Son would step down from His glorious abode where he dwelt in perfect unstained bliss with His Father and enter our sin-drenched world to die a gruesome death on a tree which He Himself fashioned at the hands of those He created — and effectively secure nothing.

God forbid that the Father would send His only Son into that and effectively accomplish salvation for no one but merely present such rebels with the potential to be saved.

God forbid that the Spirit would lead the Son into all temptation and suffer knowing that it could possibly secure salvation for no one at all. 

Listen, while they’d never own such as their position, that’s what’s at stake. And that is precisely what Dort rejected — the idea that God the Father appointed His Son to death on the cross without a fixed and definite plan to save anyone by name. Because the conclusion of such man-centered theology, where the human will is the decisive factor, is that it was therefore possible that all, or even none, might be saved.

DOOR OF OPPORTUNITY?

Jesus isn’t merely a door of opportunity through which sheep and goats alike might enter. Jesus is the door of the sheep. But he is also the shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep, not for the goats. And he goes out and finds and brings back every last one so that not a single sheep from his flock is missing. 

NO KEEP OUT SIGN

This doesn’t negate the free offer of salvation to all. Whosoever — arms fully extended for all who will come — and no one who truly desires to come will ever be held back by God’s hand. Sinners, of their own volition, keep themselves back. So rather than any suggestion that God stiff-arms people from coming, it’s man who stiff-arms God. No, Thank You!

EFFECASIOUSLY DRAWN

But many do come. And those who come do so because the cross didn’t merely open a door but efficaciously drew us up and through that door — overwhelming us by the infinitely precious blood that was smeared upon the post and lintel — that provided refuge from the destruction we of ourselves had earned. O, what mercy and grace. O what a Savior.

He died as King for His people. He was the head that bore a crown of thorns for the redemption of His body. He bore the curse of Adam, coming as the last Adam for a new humanity. And yes, He came as a Husband who paid for our adulteries, the adulteries of the faithless Bride to restore her purity. 

MARRIAGE

The story of history begins with marriage. And it ends with marriage. How foundational. Jesus’ atonement for the sins of His Bride, washing her in His blood, makes her a new, pure virgin Bride. Because the Atonement does more than simply pay for sins. It makes her a new creation, where the two can truly be naked and unashamed, not naked in a physical sense, but naked in that theirs nothing to hide, because all her sin has been covered. Now, true and perfect intimacy, union, indeed communion can take place.

CONCLUSION

As much as some push against the idea of limited atonement, there’s really no such thing as unlimited atonement. On the premise that some do indeed eternally perish, we are stuck with one of two alternatives: Either Jesus’ atonement is limited in its effectiveness, meaning Jesus didn’t actually purchase a Bride, so much as He made it hypothetically possible for her to have her sins forgiven, and then we can discuss marriage. Or the atonement is limited in its intention, in that Jesus died to actually redeem His Bride, which he does. We know he does, because we have the end of the story.

   Sovereign Election: The Loving Choice of a Personal God (Ephesians 1:3-14)  

https://youtu.be/WHNatOxNKfI

INTRODUCTION: Ephesians 1:3-14

Okay. We’re starting a new series on the doctrines of grace.
Why this series? What happened to Romans?

Initially planned on one message to coincide with Reformation Day. But that’s a lot to squeeze in a single message … even a long one … and would likely leave far more questions than answers.

Also, with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, last year we didn’t exactly do a Christmas series. So, I didn’t want to get through the first half of chapter 1 of Romans and stop.

Besides, what better Thanksgiving series than praise and thanks for the doctrines that sit at the core of our salvation.

So, as of now, we’re planning to begin Romans the first of January. And what we cover in this short series is going to come up everywhere in Romans. This will allow us to trace these 5 major doctrines ahead of time, so that when we get to Romans, we can focus more on the specific text and not have to cover these doctrines in as much detail, but in summary form.

Now, there’s a chance that more than a few of us in here have struggled with these doctrines we’re about to cover, and some of you might have a few hangups or misunderstandings even now. My hope is to clear up some confusion as to what these doctrines entail and what they don’t. It’s also to challenge us, challenge our hearts, as we are all still in need of greater sanctification — me probably more than most. Lastly, these doctrines are intended as an encouragement for the church. 

In fact, I would argue, these doctrines of grace strike at the heart of the gospel, that salvation is from God from first to last.

These messages will be slightly different from our normal exposition of the text. Although we will look directly at the text, we will really be focusing on the doctrines themselves.

READ: Ephesians 1:3-14

SOVEREIGN ELECTION

This morning, we’re specifically looking at the doctrine of sovereign election or predestination, or by its more familiar name due to the acronym TULIP, unconditional election. 

Why start here? 

TULIP

Well, TULIP (hence the slide for this series), for those of you who might not be familiar, stands for: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints. 

While the acronym TULIP is helpful as a memory device, it didn’t come about until the 20thcentury, with the earliest known use in 1913, but it wasn’t popularized until the 1960s. I prefer other titles for each of these doctrines, because the ones in TULIP are prone to mischaracterizations and distortions. The titles I prefer, which you’ll find in Wednesday’s upcoming bulletin for our Reformation Celebration are:
Pervasive Depravity
Sovereign Election
Definite Atonement
Effectual Grace
and Preservation of the Saints.

But that doesn’t make for a very memorable acronym. In fact, I can’t even pronounce it: PSDEP. An extra vowel would be nice. 

ORDER IN TIME

Nevertheless, this order — whether TULIP or PSDEP — depravity, election, atonement, grace, and preservation, it captures the order of salvation in time. In fact, I would argue, these doctrines of grace are one of the best ways to define the gospel.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO TULIP

In our fallen state, mankind had become so pervasively depraved, corrupt in all his ways that he wanted nothing to do with the God who created him. 

Yet God, in His mercy, sovereignly elected to save a specific people for Himself due to nothing found in the individuals themselves, but according to His own sovereign choice.

He saved them, not merely by offering a potential payment for the sins so that we might become redeemable, but  by actually redeeming His elect, atoning for our sin with the infinitely precious blood of His only Son, Jesus Christ. 

Because no one would ever choose this Holy God, God triumphs over our resisting hearts by His effectual grace, by setting before us something infinitely more desirable than the fleeting pleasures of sin, the glories of His grace to us in Jesus Christ.

But a salvation that only gets us part of the way is not much of a salvation, especially because so long as we reside in our fallen flesh, we would never reach the end. Therefore, God doesn’t just provide the means for our salvation, or get us going on the road to salvation, He saves His people completely, from beginning to end by preserving and sustaining us every step of the way.

Anything less, doesn’t make for much of a gospel. We remove anyone of these elements, we have merely an offer of salvation that is either unnecessary or worse, unobtainable, which is no gospel at all.

But glance down to verse 11. This mercy isn’t merely unobtainable; it has been obtained for us in Christ. How? In our having been predestined.

CALVINISM

Now, these Doctrines of Grace, also known as Calvinism, although I don’t overly use that term, while they are some of the most beautiful doctrines in all of Scripture, they are not cherished by all. If there’s any doctrine that people associate with Calvinism, it’s this doctrine of predestination, which is simply divine election.

PREDESTINATION

There are few doctrines and themes as unpopular among unbelievers and professing Christians both as that of predestination. But we’ve got to address it. It’s in the Bible. We just saw it in verse 11. And it’s in verse 5. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons. That adoption is one of many aspects of our salvation. In other words, God’s predestining some as sons, means God has predestined some for salvation.

Now, the Greek word simply means “to determine beforehand” or “predetermine.” Determine before what? Well, if we back up a verse to verse 4, it says God predetermined before the foundation of the world. 

Now, what was happening before the foundation of the world? Not us. We weren’t happening. We were doing nothing either good or bad. We were doing nothing at all. And yet, even then, God predetermined to choose us in Christ. It’s very important to realize that the word doesn’t mean post-determined. It’s not post-destination. But that’s what opponents will argue. It’s only after God foresees one’s response to the gospel that He determines anything regarding them. That’s not what the text says. But we’ll get to that.

REJECTION

Many reject these doctrines. And in large measure, that’s due primarily to two things:
1) a misunderstanding or caricature view of the doctrines
2) a rejection of God’s sovereignty in exchange for human autonomy.

Now, some will ague against these doctrines of grace, and in particularly, this doctrine of election, as a theodicy, that is, seeking to defend God, and in particularly His goodness. Because if God chooses some, and not others, based solely from His divine prerogative as God and not based on anything in the individual, then that makes God a moral monster. The argument is that for God to be good, He must offer the exact same grace to all and leave it up to the free choices of men and women to receive that grace. 

But here’s the dilemma. No one, not one person in all of history would receive God’s grace on that basis. In other words, if God left it up to man, no one would be saved.

MY EXPERIENCE

Now, like baptism, I have revisited this issue often, especially early on as a believer. And honestly, it was the hardest doctrine for me to come to terms with. O how my prideful flesh despised this doctrine. 

But thankfully, the Lord humbled me to submit, not to my own finite rationalization and wisdom, or even the best philosophical arguments of men, but to His inerrant Word.

SCRIPTURE VERSUS PHILOSOPHY

You see, everyone who is educated on this issue knows that Scripture is on the side of the Calvinist. The theme of God’s absolute sovereignty and His divine providence pervades all of Scripture. It’s difficult to find a chapter where if it’s not explicitly expressed, it’s at least assumed. 

Only through philosophical reasoning, not that Arminians (we’ll get to that) don’t have their proof texts — but only through philosophical reasoning can opponents reach the conclusion that man’s will trumps God’s sovereignty. It is impossible to glean that from Scripture alone. And as Sherif has so helpfully taught, even this morning, our authority isn’t in the finite fallible interpretations of men, but in Scripture alone.

Yes, man has a will, and that will is not forced on him. But understand, it is God who sovereignly gives man over to his fallen will, permitting man to continue in his fallen ways. And in His immense kindness and mercy, it is this same sovereign God who restrains our corruption, and even better, renews our very hearts and our ways. 

Now, you don’t have to agree with these doctrines necessarily to be saved. None of us are saved by our doctrine and having it all figured out. Praise the Lord. But I assure you, if you are saved, you are saved solely by God’s sovereign grace alone. The only thing you and I bring to the table is our own sin.

CANONS OF DORT

So, why start here? Why start with sovereign election and not total or pervasive depravity?

Well, for one, we just came out of a two-year long series in Jeremiah, if you haven’t picked up on the fact that humanity is depraved, either I have utterly failed you over these past two years, or you’ve been sleeping during service! But don’t worry. We’ll get there!

But more importantly, we start here because this is where the Canons of Dort start. And they do so for a reason.

To give you a brief background, all of our creeds and confessions have come about primarily to address and ward off errors and heresies that have arisen within the church. And we see that example in Scripture itself. 

Many of the epistles were originally written for the same reason, because some error or heresy had arisen within the church. Unless you are circumcised, you cannot be save. That’s a heresy that’s addressed in the letters of Paul. 

What about Jesus’ humanity? Many were teaching that Jesus wasn’t truly man. Well, we have some letters that address that. In fact, so strong were the condemnation of these heresies that John, in his second epistle, says that anyone who brings such a heresy denying that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, don’t even receive such a person into your house or give him any greeting for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.

Well, the Canons of Dort are no different. They didn’t seek to lay out TULIP or give us the Five Points of Calvinism. 

ARMINIUS

What happened is that a student of Calvin’s successor, named Jacob Arminius came to question some of the teachings of Calvin and reformed theology, and specifically Article 16 of the Belgic Confession on the doctrine of election. 

Let me read this article of the reformed confession that Arminius so disagreed with:
 We believe that — all Adam’s descendants having thus fallen into perdition and ruin by the sin of the first man — God showed himself to be as he is: merciful and just.
 He is merciful in withdrawing and saving from this ruin those whom he, in his eternal and unchangeable counsel, has elected and chosen in Jesus Christ our Lord by his pure goodness, without any consideration of their works.
 He is just in leaving others in their ruin and fall into which they plunged themselves. 

JUSTICE AND GRACE

Now, notice something about the way this is stated. God never unjustly condemns the ungodly. Rather, He leaves them in their ruin and fall (now listen) into which they plunged themselves. We call that justice.

But notice, those chosen were worthy of the same condemnation, but in His own eternal and unchangeable counsel, God chose to save some. They did absolutely nothing to merit this salvation. It was a free gift of God. We call that grace.

What’s amazing is not that God left some in their own ruin and misery. What’s amazing is that He chose to save any! To get that wrong is to get grace wrong.

FIVE POINTS OF DISAGREEMENT

Well, Arminius and his followers, the Arminians (see the connection), rejected this sovereign election and they set forth 5 points, five articles of their rejection, which begin … you guessed it … with election. The other four build off this main disagreement, where they suggested that God doesn’t elect particular persons but specifically those who will believe and persevere. In other words, election is not based on God’s choice but on man’s belief and perseverance. I hope you see how vast the gulf is between these two positions.

In other words, the only thing they suggest predestined is meant to convey is what might happen in history not due to any sovereign choice on God’s part, but that God simply makes salvation possible. You know what this proposes don’t you. Man is the ultimate determiners, the sovereign of his own destiny. But do you realize what you’re claiming at that point? That the reason you’re in here this morning worshiping Jesus, and not out there sleeping in or doing whatever else is because you were somehow wiser or more worthy. There was something about you, that they lacked. Talk about promoting pride.

CHOSEN TO BE

But we see the exact opposite in our text. For example, verse 4. He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love. The text doesn’t say God chose us because He foresaw that you would be holy and blameless. It says that God’s calling, God’s choosing is what brings about our holiness and blamelessness, not that our holiness brings about God’s choice. 

The only reason why we have the five points of Calvinism is because they are a response to those who rejected God’s Sovereign Election. 

So the Canons of Dort also begin with Election. 

ELECTION AT THE CENTER

Which brings us, again to the question: Why start here? When covering the Doctrines of Grace, why begin with Election? Why did Dort begin with Election?

Well, in part, as a response, yes. But more importantly, election is the central issue. It’s here at election, that God’s absolute sovereignty over all things, including the hearts and wills of men, is set forth and shown forth ­— and it excites praise in the hearts of those who have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). And it arouses hostility in all fallen flesh that is bent inward on itself. 

THE FIRST SIN

In fact, that’s the very first sin. It’s always helpful to go back to the Garden to understand what happened, what took place. You do realize what happened in the Garden. The Fall was a rejection of God’s sovereignty, and specifically God’s sovereign choice to set one tree among all the others as off limits.

When the Serpent deceived the woman, it was an undermining of God’s sovereignty. 

When the woman ate, it was a declaration that she’d be the sovereign of her own life, determining good and evil for herself. 

And when Adam accepted the fruit from his wife’s hand, he decided he could determine what voices were authoritative in his life — he could listen to the voice of the Sovereign Lord or the voice of his wife. He chose to listen to the creature rather than the Creator, a creature who was just like him, created … created to display the glory of God.

REJECTING GOD’S SOVEREIGN CHOICE

In other words, there’s a sense in which all three of these creatures, the Serpent, the woman, and the man rejected God’s sovereign choice as KING to declare this one tree off limits — this tree of the knowledge of good and evil — this one tree that served to express just who was the ultimate sovereign of this Garden. 

And by partaking of the fruit they were instructed not to partake of, they declared that God is not worthy to choose. We reject God’s sovereign choice — we reject God’s sovereign decree. What a monster and oppressor to rule over us in such a way. We’ll choose. We’ll be the ultimate decision makers in our life. And that’s the dispassion, the disease, the depravity that had infected all of humanity.

AFTER SIN

And yet, even after such rejection … grace abounded. Adam and Eve didn’t die that day. They were clothed. Their sin was covered. It’s a portrait of atonement, which literally means covering. O it was an insufficient covering to reconcile them to the one they had betrayed and rejected. But it was a picture of a better atonement to come. 

But what took place in that Garden, that depravity now pervades every son and daughter of Adam. God’s sovereign right to chose is the one thing our sin nature hates more than everything else. 

BEGININNG OF A PLAN

There’s another reason why we start with election. Not only does it get to the heart of the issue, not only is it the central doctrine that fallen man has rejected for millennia, it is also the beginning of God’s plan of salvation.

While TULIP traces the order of salvation in time, the Canons of Dort trace the logical order of salvation. Election – Atonement – Depravity – Grace – Perseverance.

BEFORE CREATION

This takes us back, not to the Garden, but before creation. It takes us back to God’s eternal plan and purpose to create a people as His own treasured possession and for Him to be theirs. God’s eternal decree of election is a decree of love. 

Look at Ephesians 1:3-6 again. (Now, before I read these verses, it’s helpful to know that verses 3-14 are one long sentence for that apostle Paul. I’m often accused of long sentences. And in my academic papers, my average sentence is upwards of 30 words. Now, before I began writing anything academically, I had been reading my Bible for almost 7 years. I really believe part of my writing style comes from spending a lot of time in the Apostle Paul. I know, some of you are thinking, you should have spent more time with John! I’m trying! Well, this single sentence of Paul is over 200 words in the Greek!)

Verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him (WHEN?) before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love. Many translations begin a new sentence with “in love.” And that’s a perfectly good translation. But what’s important to grasp is that there is no break. 

Backing up to verse 4, let me try and capture the flow. Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him, in love, having predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

IN LOVE

Now, that little phrase “in love” can go either at the end of verse 4, that we should be holy and blameless before Him in love — in that the perfection of believers consists in love, in love towards God. You want to know what holiness and blamelessness looks like, it’s the one who loves the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Every good work will flow from that and that alone. This is Calvin’s preferred placement of the phrase. 

At the same time, Calvin, along with others, recognize that it could also go just as well with the beginning of verse 5 — that it was “in love” that God predestined us for adoption as sons. 

A GOD WHO IS PERSONAL

Now, while God is absolutely sovereign and has the right and prerogative to do as He sees fit with that which is His, meaning all of creation, including us, it’s important to note that God is not some impersonal deity. 

Remember, this God Himself is a community, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But more than that! While God works all things according to the counsel of His will (verse 11), we must remember that this God also stoops and reaches His hands into the dust and into the womb forming and fashioning humanity in His likeness, breathing his own very breath into humanity’s nostrils. 

He numbers the hairs on our head, and writes down every day he has formed for us in His book. He knows our every need before we even think to ask. 

Do you still think the doctrine of election is impersonal and cold? This personal Creator gives us life and being. He is the only entity that can satisfy our soul. He is the source of full joy and lasting pleasure. 

Therefore, this God stands in opposition to any who would hinder the ultimate good of his creatures, causing them to stumble. And defamation of His name and distortion of His decrees is the ultimate hinderance and cause of stumbling because it blinds the heart from seeing the truth of that which is most precious. 

None of these things would matter to an impersonal God.

ETERNAL ROOTS OF LOVE

So, while God has predestined some who were once enemies of God to love Him, God himself also elects, chooses, predestines us for adoption in love to be brought into this family as sons and daughters — children of God.

And when did this love begin? Well, verse 4, before the foundation of the world. Election has eternal roots.

In fact, there’s a word that comes up that is helpful for this conversation, and that’s the word “foreknow” or “foreknew.” Romans 8:29. And those He foreknew He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. 

Foreknew means to know beforehand. But in what sense? Does it mean that God looked down the corridors of time and saw what would happen? While God does know the end from the beginning, that’s not the meaning of this word, especially in this context. 

This is why I prefer more literal word-for-word translations because they help you understand how the same words are used elsewhere. The word know shows up very early in Scripture. It is used concerning the intimacy between a husband and a wife. Adam knew Eve. 

Perhaps even more helpful is Amos 3:2. Speaking of Israel, the Lord says, You only have I known of all the families of the earth. Now does that mean God was ignorant of the other families and nations which He created? Not at all. But there was an intimacy, and affection in His knowledge of Israel.

So what does foreknew mean in the biblical sense? It means God set His affections on His people beforehand.

TO THE PRAISE OF THE GLORY OF HIS GRACE

This divine election has its roots in eternity past in God’s loving eternal decree, and its goal, its end, is the praise of the glory of His grace. The counsel of God’s own will is the beginning. The praise of His glory is the end.

Notice 3 times, this phrase, to the praise of His glory. First in verse 6. To the praise of His glorious grace, or better, to the praise of the glory of His grace. Then we have a shorter version in verse 12 and 14 which simply read, to the praise of His glory. 

Now I don’t believe grace is intended to be excluded, but rather Paul is writing in a sort of short hand. He doesn’t need to spell out the entire phrase each time he brings it up. The reader knows exactly what the praise is for. It’s for the glory of God’s grace. It’s all grace. None of it earned or merited. And therefore God alone receives the glory.

THE END

Verse 4. The glory of God is the final end of our sanctification. Verse 5. The glory of God is the final end of our adoption. Verse 6. The glory of God is the final end of all the blessings we enjoy in Christ. Verse7. The glory of God is the final end of our redemption and forgiveness of sins. Verse 11. The glory of God is the final end of our obtaining an inheritance, which is none other than Christ. And the glory of God is the final end of our being sealed by the Holy Spirit. 

The glory of God is the final end of the gospel, why the Spirit enlightened the eyes of our hearts to hear and believe the gospel. (Verse 13 and 17).

PRAISE

Now, notice, however, that it doesn’t simply say to the glory of God, but to the praise of His glory. Why does that matter? Well, of course, God is worthy of our praise. But get this. He doesn’t need our praise. Our praise does nothing for Him. It’s for us. Praise is one of God’s good gifts to the worshiper. Because only in praise is our joy complete. And this loving God delights in our ultimate joy. 

As C. S. Lewis so helpfully points out: praise is the consummation of joy. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.

Of course God delights in our praise, because its only in our praise of Him for the glory of His grace that our joy reaches its consummation.

UNFAIR

The only reason I can think of as to why anyone would read their Bibles and then reject this doctrine that is so plainly spelled out in Ephesians, and John’s gospel, and the rest of Scripture, is either, 1) they have loved ones who are far from Christ or they themselves are far from Christ, and they know it. And this doctrine smacks hard. Because it’s much easier to accuse this doctrine as unfair …

That God must be unfair if this is the case, because we’d rather see God as impotent to save than in His divine judgment passing over certain people leaving them in their sins. Because when God determines to save someone, there is no thwarting His plan. (Job 42:2). 

And that’s Job after enduring such suffering, questioning God’s purposes to the point that he feels he needs to argue his case before the Judge of all the earth, even while he recognizes God’s sovereign hand is ultimately behind his suffering. 

What’s behind this concern, and I get it, follows a reasoning that neither the Canons of Dort or any or our Reformed Confessions expresses, nor does Scripture, and that is in predestining some for salvation, then God must also be predestining some specifically for hell. 

This is where careful nuance is important, with Dort took very seriously, because this is where most hangups take place. God never chooses a particular people to condemnation in the way He chooses people to salvation. He chooses to save some rather than rescuing none. 

THIEVES OF GLORY

The other reason many tend to reject predestination is to rob some of the glory, some of the praise that is due God alone. We so often have way too high a view of man, and too low a view of God.

FATALISM

Now, let’s avoid a couple of errors. This doctrine doesn’t teach fatalism. If this doctrine causes you to respond, “well, I guess it doesn’t matter how I live then, everything’s already determined. I might as well live it up and not concern myself with any of it.” 

If that’s you, let me warn you that such a response will only prove yourself not to be among the elect. Working through John Bunyan’s Grace Abounding for the Chief of Sinners, that was Bunyan’s initial reaction. I’m already condemned. God’s chosen those He will. If I’m condemned already, it might as well not be for a few small trivial sins. 

HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY

Listen, the doctrine of election is not a rejection of human responsibility. Human responsibility is not at odds with God’s sovereignty. And just because in your finite mind you can’t work it out, don’t think God hasn’t.   

We're going to look at that closely when we get to the doctrine of human depravity. But for now, understand. God's stiff arms no one out of his Kingdom. God's stiff arms, no one from coming to him. In fact, He does just the reverse. He stretched out his arms … on a gnarly piece of splintery wood, inviting anyone who would ... to come. Whosoever.

The sad reality is that unless God does something in our dead hearts, no one will. So, in His abundant mercy, He efficaciously draws some. But never think for a moment that God coerces fallen man against his will. God compels no one to continue in their sin.

PASS BY

The Canons of Dort capture this well. God doesn’t force sin upon man, He leaves them in it by passing them by, on the basis of His entirely free, most just, irreproachable, and unchangeable good pleasure. He chooses to leave them in the misery of their sin, which by their own fault, they have plunged themselves into. 

Or think about it like this. God elects some to salvation on the basis of His eternal grace. He condemns others on the basis of the works they have done in the body. In other words, there’s an asymmetry built into the doctrine of election. God predestines some to mercy. Others He simply leaves under judgment.

WHY NOT SAVE ALL

We recoil at this, because we fail to see grace as just that, grace. But God owes us sinners nothing but condemnation. He certainly doesn’t owe us mercy. Rather than being appalled that God doesn’t choose to save everyone, though He certainly could, we should be in awe and praise that He should choose to save any at all, and all the more so when this salvation involved the death of His own Son to make such redemption even possible. And I do mean that exactly that, that the death of the Son of God was absolutely necessary to save the likes of any of us. (But that’s next week.)

EMPOWERMENT

So, the doctrine of election, rather than one of fatalism, is a doctrine of empowerment. 2 Peter, chapter 1. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence … Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election.

We’ll confirm one or the other. Either we’ll confirm our rejection of God’s grace and sovereignty, or we’ll confirm our election, that God graciously chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. In both God will be glorified. But listen loved ones. Only one will benefit you and me.

CHRIST

One last point before we wrap up. Our election should never be considered apart from Christ. God’s sovereign election was never contemplated apart from the person and work of Christ. God’s Son stands in the middle of each of these Doctrines of Grace. We see this plainly in our text:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
He has blessed us in Christ … with every spiritual blessing
In love he predestined us for adoptions to himself as sons through Jesus Christ
We have redemption and forgiveness through the blood of Christ
He lavishes upon us the riches of his grace only in our union with Christ
made known the mystery of his will which was set forth in Christ
unites all things in Christ
we obtain an inheritance in Christ

Our hope in Christ is to be to the praise of His glory
 

SALVATION BEGINS

So, why begin with election? Because it’s where salvation begins. It’s where our salvation began.

Salvation began in eternity past, in the personal all-wise counsel of the Sovereign Lord who chose us in Christ …
 and He chose to purchase us definitively by securing oru redemption at the highest possible price, the blood of His Son …
 And He chose to exalt us from the lowest possible place, the depths of our depravity where we were utterly helpless, indeed, we were dead in our trespasses and sin…
 So, he chose to save us who could not in anyway save ourselves, which required a supernatural work, a supernatural call, making us who were dead, alive through grace…
 And what God has chosen and determined to do, He will see to it that it is indeed accomplished.

He who began a good work in you will most certainly bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

This is where every person who has been or will ever be saved, it’s where their salvation began … in the eternal will of the Triune God — the Father choosing and predestinating, the Son redeeming and securing, and the Spirit sealing and guaranteeing … our salvation … all to the praise of the glory of His grace. 

In fact, I would argue, that’s the main point … the ultimate end of each of the five Doctrines of Grace: the praise of the glory of His grace given to us in Christ. We still have much more to cover … Let us pray.

https://youtu.be/WHNatOxNKfI

   Through the Waters: The Relationship between Baptism and Faith (Galatians 3:26-29) 

(The case for a covenantal view of believer's baptism)

MEANING OF BAPTISM

Last week we looked at how the fundamental meaning of baptism is that of one’s union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection. We saw that clearly in Romans 6:3-4. All of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death. We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

In other words, baptism is meant to convey one’s dying with Christ, or we might say, dying to self, and in turn living to Christ.

COMMUNICATES MORE

Baptism, however, communicates something more than this dying to self and living to Christ, as important as that is. It is meant to communicate something of the glory and worth of Christ. 

So, while baptism is first a spiritual act — a work that God Himself does in us — regenerating us to see the worth and beauty of Christ in the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:6), one’s participation in the physical act of water baptism is a proclamation of the grace wrought in the new believer, (this infant in Christ as it were) and his or her commitment to die with Christ in order to walk in Him. Colossians 2:6, Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.

What greater exaltation of Christ can a believer make? Only one. Living out the truth of what this physical act of baptism represents.

This morning, we’re going to look at the relationship between baptism and faith which is vital to this proclamation.

GOAL OF THIS CONVERSATION

Now, I’ve come back to this topic for a deep dive many times over. And the Lord’s been kind every time I revisit these major doctrines in which there are competing views among the faithful. He has never allowed that study and meditation to come up fruitless. 

Each time, whether it’s the End Times, or Spiritual Gifts, or the Doctrines of Grace, or Baptism, in that time of study and reflection, the Lord reveals to me areas in my walk where I still need to grow, causing me to lean in more and more to His grace. But He also, each time, allows me to see Christ a bit more vividly than I saw Him before.

That, loved ones, regardless of whether I persuade you to agree with me or not, is my goal.

1) That we’d see we all still have much to learn and need to grow in humility. 

2) That we’d see an increasing need for God’s grace and new morning mercies.

3) That you’d see Jesus a bit more vividly — more glorious than you’ve seen Him to date — and that such would forever increase as you study His Word.

READ: Galatians 3:26-29

For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male an female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

PROBLEM

Now, having gone over the covenant view of infant baptism again and again, and in my opinion, it’s not only their strongest argument, but the only argument. Infant baptism stands or falls based on how one understands the continuity and discontinuity between the Testaments.

And let me say, there is a lot of merit to the Presbyterian argument for infant baptism. But as attractive as it is, I have one major hang up that I haven’t been able to get past … that is, the New Testament.

Now, that might sound over simplified, but I haven’t been able to get past this idea that every baptism recorded in the New Testament, that we’re given any detail about, is always in response to a message, receiving the good news through faith. 

Even the household baptisms demonstrate that the entire household believed the message and rejoiced with the covenant head, with the exception of Lydia’s account which is silent on the issue, likely due to narrative compression. Why? Because the pattern of faith had been established.

Besides, there’s not a single example of an infant being baptized in the New Testament. Now, my Presbyterian friends will say that’s an argument from silence, but it’s a loud silence, in which, based on the covenantal view, they will argue the burden of proof is on the credobaptists, those who argue for the baptism of believers only. So, we’re pretty much at a stalemate, right? Perhaps.

COVENANTAL VIEW

Now, I would caution anyone from being prematurely dismissive of the covenantal view on baptism, that the children of believers should receive baptism as the sign of the New Covenant, in the same way children of believers received the sign of the covenant in the Old Testament. Let’s not throw this Presbyterian covenantal understanding of baptism out with the baptismal waters as if it’s not worthy of our consideration. Besides,  I’m going to argue for a covenantal view of baptism myself, but with an important nuance. 

And honestly, if we didn’t have such a gifted teacher in Sherif, on the paedo side, I would not have dug as deeply into this issue as I have. So, thank you, Sherif, for your research, your teaching, and the resources you have shared.

AFFIRMING INFANT BAPTISM

Now, I mentioned last week how every paedobaptist also affirms believer’s baptism. But there’s also a sense in which I affirm, and every credobaptist should affirm … infant baptism. The question is, which infants? Who are the infants? Are you ready? Every newborn infant in Christ should bear the sign of the reality that has taken place within them upon receiving new birth. In other words, every new believer, every newborn infant in Christ, should be baptized upon their hearing the gospel and being born again.

GENESIS 17

Before we move to our text in Galatians, let’s back up to Genesis 17, which is sort of the fulcrum point in the Old Testament in the case for infant baptism. Jeremy already read the first 14 verses, so I’m just going to summarize the text. 

Genesis 17. Abraham is called to walk blameless before God that He may make His covenant with Abraham. Then the promises are reiterated to Abraham, and the Lord establishes His covenant with Abraham and his offspring … throughout their generations. 

Verse 11 is the sign of the covenant: circumcision. Who is to receive the covenant sign? Abraham himself, as well as every male who is eight days old, whether born in his house or bought with his money from any foreigner who is not of his offspring.

Verse 13. So shall my covenant be in your flesh. Now this is likely speaking of marking Abraham’s flesh in two ways. 1) Abraham’s own physical flesh, as well as his descendants bearing their own physical mark. 2) It’s equally important to see Abraham’s descendants as his very own flesh. By their being circumcised, Abraham’s flesh bears the mark of promise until the promised Offspring comes. Hold on to that, because we’ll see that in Galatians.)

CONSISTENCY?

Now, for some silly consistency. If we are to apply the covenant sign of circumcision to baptism, as most paedobaptists do, what would a consistent application of this look like … of course, allowing for the explicit discontinuities that both sexes now receive the sign of baptism.
1) All infants would be baptized on the 8th day. That's important and I affirm that everyone should be baptized on the day of new creation, on the day of their new creation when God recreates them in Christ. That’s what the 8th day represents, and that's when everybody should be baptized.
2) Offspring would not apply only to immediate descendants, but to all who are in the line of descent from a believer, both those far off and those near. Which means grandchildren and great-grandchildren are to receive the sign regardless of their parents’ faith.
3) There is no age of accountability that suggests that one is now required to respond in faith to be baptized. Merely being descendants of a believer qualifies one to receive the sign. If the head of the household responds in faith, the entire household is required to be baptized regardless of age or faith, including unbelieving spouses, as well as unbelieving children.
4) Slaves and live-in servants would also be required to be baptized regardless of faith and age.

BORN IN YOUR HOUSE

Now, we often think of household as a nuclear family. But such was far from the case in ancient times. We can use Abraham as a prime example. Genesis 14:14. When Abram sets out to rescue his nephew Lot, he leads forth an army of 318 men who were … guess what? Born in his house. Furthermore, not a single one of them were Abraham’s offspring. He was still childless!

This is certainly in view when the Lord gives the covenant sign of circumcision to Abraham, commanding him to circumcise every male who is eight days old, whether born in your house or bought with your money.

Now a question: Do we believe the New Testament promotes forced baptisms, such as slaveholders baptizing their slaves apart from a confession of faith?

Now it’s true there have been accounts of forced baptisms in church history, but few would ever condone such a practice. 

I’ve laid out this somewhat silly example, not to set up any kind of strawman, but to point out that there’s a lot more discontinuity between circumcision and baptism than we sometime admit. 

GALATIANS 3

Which brings us to Galatians 3 and the Offspring of Abraham. To offer a summary statement for Paul’s argument in Galatians 3: We are incorporated into Christ and His promises through faith alone. Let’s trace the argument.

First, verse 1. Through the preaching of the gospel, Jesus was graphicly portrayed as being crucified. 

Verse 2. It was upon hearing with faith that they received the seal of the Spirit.

Verse 6. Paul connects their hearing with faith to that of Abraham’s faith, who believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.

Verses 7-8. Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham … the man of faith.

Move down to verse 16. Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring (singular) … who is Christ. In other words, by fulfilling His promise to Jesus, God has been faithful to His covenant with Abraham. If we fail to grasp this, we fail to grasp the WHO of the New Covenant. Jesus is the heir of all the promises. And only in Christ, only in our union with Christ by being baptized into Him, immersed or plunged into Him to the degree that we are united with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection, do we partake of the promises.

So, Paul continues this argument. Verse 19. The law was added because of transgression… and it was given until the offspring should come. Which offspring? The one to whom the promises had been made. Again, the focus is on a single offspring, Jesus Christ, to whom all the promises of the covenants fall.

But verse 22 incorporates others into this promise with Christ. The promise is given also to those who believe. How? Through faith in Jesus Christ.

Verse 26. Because in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. How? Because as many as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 

In our baptism into Christ, we are so united with Christ that we are said to have put Christ on. And in our union with Christ, we receive the blessings of Christ, verse 28, regardless of our former background. 

Finally, verse 29. In Christ, we are Abraham’s offspring, the singular heir — and yet we are many — heirs according to promise. In our union with Christ, we too receive the promises, the inheritance that is Christ’s.

ROMANS

Now, this idea is not just in Galatians. It’s a major topic in Romans, which sits at the heart of the gospel. We receive the fullness of salvation not by works but through faith. In Romans 4:16, Paul argues that the promise depends on faith that it may rest on grace, not works, and thus be guaranteed to all of Abraham’s offspring. Who are Abraham’s offspring? Those who share the faith of Abraham, who is father of us all, including those of faith from among the gentiles. Us!

Romans 8, the Holy Spirit bears witness to this adoption, our being children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. That glorification is shorthand to express our receiving all the promises of Christ. But did you catch the whole, “provided we suffer with him.” What’s that all about. 

Well, as we looked at last week, which Paul argued 2 chapters earlier, in Romans 6: All who have been baptized into Christ were baptized into his death. I’m not going to rehash last week’s message. But if you don’t die with Christ, if you aren’t crucified with Christ, dying to your old self, you will see none of the inheritance, because it’s proof that you aren’t truly in Christ. 

EPHESIANS

What about Ephesians? Ephesians 1:13-14. In [Christ], you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it! 

When does this happen? When one hears and believes … responds with faith. Now, it’s true, water baptism is not mentioned in those verses, but this verse has everything to do with baptism. This is the spiritual reality of baptism. And Paul will tie the one Spirit and the one baptism together in chapter 4.

SPIRIT AND WATER

If we had time, we could walk through the Old Testament like we did last week and show how often the Spirit and the waters, and in particularly the waters of baptism coincide. They are both present at Creation and at the Red Sea. 

EZEKIEL 36

We’ll look at one more. Ezekiel 36:25-27. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 

Now, many credobaptists wouldn’t affirm Ezekiel 36 as a type of baptism, but it most certainly is. We can get hung up over the mode and do a disservice the richness of God’s Word. Where immersion portrays death, burial, and resurrection, sprinkling and pouring portray new life being poured into the once dead sinner. 

JOHN 3

Which takes us to John 3, which Steve read. Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. This refers, not so much to the physical act of water baptism, but all the portraits of baptism that show up in the Old Testament, especially Ezekiel 36. But neither is water baptism, or what we might call Christian baptism absent. The physical act of water baptism is meant to convey this Spiritual reality. Here, Jesus Himself, ties being born again, born from above to the spiritual reality of baptism. In other words, the new birth is a product of the spiritual reality of baptism, that is portrayed by the water and by the Spirit, just as the water and the Spirit were present at Jesus’ baptism.

BAPTISM AND CIRCUMCISION

A fundamental argument for infant baptism is that baptism replaces circumcision. Therefore, we need to apply baptism in continuity with Old Testament prescriptions. Now, if Paul thought baptism replaced circumcision in an outright sense, he most certainly would have drawn attention to this in his letter to the Galatians as he confronted the Judaizers who insisted on the need to be circumcised in order to be saved. And the same would have been the case at the Jerusalem council in Acts 15 where they dealt with the same issue. 

The whole problem could have been solved right there and then by saying something to the effect: Listen guys. You’re hung up on circumcision. But baptism is the new circumcision. Baptism has replaced circumcision.
But we never see that anywhere in the New Testament.

To read a one for one replacement misses the point. Baptism and circumcision are certainly related and point to a similar need. But to define baptism by circumcision is to interpret Scripture backwards. That’s akin to building a new physical temple and offering the prescribed sacrifices once again. 

Yes, we read the Old Testament context into the New in order to understand just what the New Testament accomplishes and how the magnificent story of redemption unfolds. But it’s not so much that the old defines the New as it is the New fulfills or rather fills up the fullness of the Old. 

COLOSSIANS 2

Nevertheless, we do want to look at how circumcision points to baptism. And Paul has related these in Colossians 2. I’m going to begin at verse 6, but verses 11-12 are where we’re going. 

Verse 6. Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him. Notice, Paul is referring to those who have received Christ, not those who might possibly one day grow into receiving Christ. How does one receive Christ? Through faith. 

Then Paul addresses what walking in Christ looks like, being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. The opposite of this is being taken captive by worldly philosophies and human traditions. In other words, dying with Christ means we walk a new in faith to God, and die to the old philosophies and traditions of the world.

Verse 11. In him also, you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 

Now to argue from Colossians 2 that baptism replaces circumcision requires us to at least recognize that if this is so, it is the spiritual dimension that is replaced. 

LIMITS OF THE PHYSICAL

Physical baptism in water is unable to perform the spiritual circumcision of the heart that we in our fallen condition so desperately need. Both the circumcision and the baptism here are expressly spiritual in nature. 

Moreover, baptism, as all New Testament counterparts do, goes further than circumcision. Where circumcision is a mere putting off, baptism is a putting on. Where circumcision is a cutting off or we might say, a dying, baptism is a dying and a rising. 

Furthermore, when is this said to have taken place? And this is perhaps most foundational to our discussion.
1) God Himself accomplishes this. It’s a circumcision made without hands.
2) The conduit for receiving this is faith. 

Now my paedobaptist friends love to quote Colossians 2, verse 11 and the first half of verse 12. But often, as with other passages, they steer away from the second half of verse 12, with faith. We saw this relationship between baptism and faith in Galatians, and Romans, and Ephesians and now here in Colossians.

ACTS 2:39-41

In fact, it’s really hard to find a passage in the New Testament where faith is absent from the baptism discussion … and not someone else’s faith, but those who are baptized. 

For example, Acts 2:39, is an often-cited text for infant baptism. For the promise is for you and for your children. And my Presbyterian friends will often stop there as if they’ve done any kind of justice to the text. First of all, the promise isn’t baptism, it’s salvation and the gift of the Spirit. Second, the promise is for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself. 

To be consistent in our hermeneutic, if we’re saying it requires us to baptize infants, then we are required to baptize all those who are far off. But both of these are qualified with the phrase, everyone who the Lord God calls to himself. The promise is for our children … for many of them … but not for all our children without exception, any more than the promise is for all those who are far off without exception. It’s for those the Lord calls to Himself. 

And how does one know the Lord has called them? They respond in faith. 

In fact, we see this 2 verses later in verse 41. Who is baptized and added to the church? Those who favorably received Peter’s word. In other words, they responded in faith. Following this precedent, our children and thosefar off are baptized and added to the church when they favorably receive the message of the gospel.

LIGON DUNCAN

Now, a great Presbyterian minister and theologian, Ligon Duncan, whom I have been so helped by in his teaching and preaching, he summarizes the infant baptism argument like this: “In the Old Testament, God made promises to believers and their children and gave a sign of those promises that was to be given to believers and their children… In the New Testament, He reiterated those same promises to believers and their children. Therefore, the signs of those promises should be given to believers and their children.”

Now, I think that captures the essence of the paedobaptist argument quite well. Sherif? That’s pretty good, right? Not only that, I think it’s very persuasive. And those of us who hold to believer’s baptism only, need to be slow in dismissing the point Duncan makes. 

NEWNESS OF THE NEW

I’m going to nuance his argument in just a minute. But before I do, it’s important that we recognize something extraordinarily different about the New Covenant in comparison to the preceding covenants. That word “new” matters. Now, we need to take care not to overstate this newness in a way that makes it somehow detached from the previous covenants that the new fulfills. But we best not diminish the categorical and qualitative differences either. 

PHYSICAL FULFILLMENT

Each of the Old Covenants had a somewhat immediate and physical fulfillment of the covenant promise. Abraham begat Isaac. David begat Solomon who sat on his throne. Israel became a nation and settled in the promised land of Canaan. And to drive the point home, Joshua claims that all of God’s promises had been kept. Not a word of those promises had fallen or failed.

SPIRITUAL IN NATURE

But even with these somewhat immediate and physical fulfillments, there was also an expectation of greater fulfillment to come. The New Covenant, while certainly enjoying and awaiting many physical aspects, in large part is spiritual in nature.

Now, it’s true that the promises God made to Abraham, He passed down through Isaac and Jacob, and similarly those promises to David through Solomon, and the promises to Israel and their descendants. 

At the same time, Jesus is the heir and fulfillment of each of these. He is the promised offspring of Abraham, as we saw in Galatians 3. Jesus is the true Son of David who sits on the throne. And Jesus is the true Israel. Every promise to Israel is satisfied in and only in Jesus the true Israel. And I believe almost every covenant theologian would agree with this assessment so far. 

COVENANT HEADS

And because of that, I would nuance Duncan’s quote by explicitly stating those covenant heads. Why? Well, it’s not true entirely true that the sign was administered to children of believers, unless we trace that believer to the covenant heads. The faith of a Hebrew child’s parents had no bearing the child’s right to circumcision; it was the child being born into the family of Abraham. And we can make a similar argument for God’s covenant with Israel and with David.

So, I would nuance Duncan’s quote as follows:

In the Old Testament, God made promises, not simply to believers but, to Abraham and his offspring and gave a sign of those promises that was to be given to Abraham and his offspring. 

Who are Abraham’s offspring? Well, Galatians 3, Paul makes clear, the promised offspring was Jesus. And those of faith, who bear the family resemblance of faith are also Abraham’s offspring. 

So, who is the sign of the promise given to in the New Covenant? The true offspring, the true children of Abraham. When are they brought into the family? Upon hearing with faith. Those of faith, upon hearing with faith, receive the Spirit of adoption and become the true sons of Abraham, the spiritual offspring of Abraham. 

PHYSICAL VERSUS SPIRITUAL

In other words, in the Old Testament the sign of the covenant—circumcision—was given to Abraham’s physical descendants. In the New Testament, with the coming of Christ, the sign of the covenant—baptism—is given to Abraham’s spiritual descendants. 

I mean, you do realize that circumcision was a visible mark (hopefully it was often kept undercover, but it was visible and physical nonetheless), hence this sign was given to physical offspring. Baptism, however, while water baptism is a physical act, there is no physical mark; it’s a spiritual mark. Why? Because those who receive it are members of a spiritual household, a spiritual family.

This is what we see in Galatians 3 and Colossians 2 and Romans 6, and throughout the New Testament. It is the spiritual sons of Abraham who are to receive the spiritual sign. 

When are they to receive the sign? As soon as they are born into the family, through faith, and not before.

You want to argue for infant baptism, this is it. Those just starting out in their walk in Christ, who receive Christ like a little child. That’s the point Jesus makes in Luke 18:17. Those who are to enter the kingdom of God must receive it like a little child.

In fact, in Luke 10, after the 72 return from preaching the good news — the 72 representing a New Table of Nations — Jesus rejoices, praising his Father. “Father, I thank you that you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and have revealed them instead to LITTLE CHILDREN for such was your gracious will. 

Now, in speaking of little children, is Jesus referring to short people? No. He’s speaking of babes in the faith, those with child-like faith regardless of physical age.

This does justice to the covenantal view of the family, as it is the spiritual family of Abraham who are to wear the spiritual sign, the covenant sign. It also does justice to the New Testament’s emphasis in relating baptism to faith.

MOSES AND THE RED SEA

Okay, Josh, you dealt with Abraham as a covenant head, but what about Moses. You know, 1 Corinthians 10, all of Israel was baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. I’m quite certain, with over 600,000 people, some of those mammas would have been carrying little ones.

I agree. But the same principle applies. Who was baptized in the Sea? Physical Israel, with whom most of them God was not pleased. But the New Testament is pretty clear, as we just saw in Galatians, likewise in Romans, and many other New Testament texts, there is a stark difference between physical Israel and True Israel, just as there is a difference between physical Jerusalem and heavenly Jerusalem, or the physical offspring of Abraham and the spiritual offspring of Abraham. 

In the New Covenant, all True Israel, regardless of age, are to be baptized. But the question is when does one become a member of True Israel? When is one grafted into the Olive Tree? When does one become a branch one the True Vine? When one is grafted into Christ through faith. As soon as faith becomes a reality, they are to be baptized. 

FOLLOWING THE CLOUD OR FOLLOWING THE CROSS

Israel was baptized into Moses, and all received the sign of such. And they followed Moses and the cloud, but in location only. And such was insufficient to save. Most never made it to the promised land. 

But those baptized into Jesus follow Jesus. Now, we can’t very much follow Jesus in location, unless you go to Jerusalem and take one of those tours: Walk Where Jesus Walked. But even then, that’s not following Jesus. No. We follow Jesus spiritually. We follow Jesus with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We follow His ways. Taking up our cross as He took up His. 

Are you following the cloud or following the cross? Are you going through the motions of baptism or bearing the reality? 

Well, one way any one of us can answer that is: Are you following Jesus now?

Now, if you’ve become like a little child, responding in faith to the message of the gospel, so that you trustingly take up your cross and follow Jesus, then hold fast that confession. Which takes us to Hebrews 10.

HEBREWS 10

In Hebrews 10, believers are exhorted to hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. That’s Hebrews 10:23. But the author of Hebrews ties this to one’s baptism experience. Now, most of our translations unfortunately placed a period between verse 22 and 23. If anything, the period should come halfway through verse 22. But to avoid getting to technical in the grammar, the argument goes like this:

Therefore brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus … (verse 22)let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. (STOP. Notice the assurance of faith. Next sentence. Halfway through 22.) Having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water (that’s portraying one’s confession made when they were baptized) let us hold fast this confession of hope. 

In other words, baptism serves as one’s confession when they believed on the Lord Jesus. Remember your confession of faith … and remember it by remembering your baptism, unless you just went down into the water all willy-nilly, whether giving into peer pressure or because others were doing it, or because it might gain you some standing with your parents.

But your baptism cannot be your confession of faith if you were unresponsive in the act. 

REMEMBER YOUR BAPTISM

Now, Martin Luther makes a big deal about remembering one’s baptism. I think this is helpful. Luther says, “We must regard baptism and put it to use in such a way that we may draw strength and comfort from it when our sins or conscience oppress us and say: ‘But I am baptized! And if I have been baptized, I have the promise that I shall be saved and have eternal life, both soul and body’”

Now, how do we apply that to countless millions who have gotten wet as a baby as a supposed sign of baptism and yet want absolutely nothing to do with Christ or His church? As helpful as Luther’s words are, they have no appeal except for those who are of the faith, those who have been baptized in to Christ, who have union with Christ. But the Bible is clear on at least this: There is no union with Christ apart from the conduit of faith. 

Also of importance: It’s much easier to remember your baptism if one is actually able to remember it. It’s difficult to apply Hebrews 10 or Luther’s quote to infants who have no knowledge or recollection of any such baptism. 

ONE’S TESTIMONY OF GOD’S WORK

While spiritual baptism is a work of God alone, submitting oneself to the waters of baptism is the called for response. Repent and be baptized. 

To baptize those unable to submit to such themselves robs them of the testimony in which they themselves proclaim that they have died with Christ — that Jesus is Lord, Lord of all nations, Lord of all creation, indeed, Lord of this new creation He has wrought in me. 

A BAPTISM TO REMEMBER

While recalling our baptism is a helpful reminder of the confession we have made, the baptism we need to remember is the one Jesus endured for us … which, in response to his Father’s will, he submitted himself to. Not my will, Father, but your will be done.

The cup Jesus drinks and the baptism he undergoes is one and the same. 

Our Lord, in his human nature, responded to his Father’s will with child-like faith, submitting himself, entrusting himself to his Father’s loving care. And in doing so, Micah 7:19, he has cast all our sin into the depths of the sea. How? Because in giving himself over to this baptism, which was nothing less than the cross, Jesus bore the flood waters of God’s wrath in our place. That’s how our sin has been dealt with. But that payment is your only in receiving the fullness of what baptism entails by faith. Your faithful response matters.

And just as in the Lord’s Supper we remember and proclaim Christ’s death, when we recall our baptism and when we submit ourselves to baptism, we remember and proclaim our Lord’s death and our confession of faith that we have died with Him.

But we proclaim more than that … that our old self is buried with Christ. 

And we proclaim more than that … we proclaim Jesus’ resurrection, and that in dying with Christ, we will also rise with Him.

https://youtu.be/4_TAmh-YBRA

  Romans 6:3-4 - Through the Waters: The Meaning of Baptism

INTRODUCTION:

Through the waters: the meaning of baptism. Today, our focus will be on the spiritual reality, next week, the physical sign.

TECHNICAL TERMS

Before we even begin, we need to get into the weeds a bit. Or rather, keeping with the theme of baptism, we need to immerse ourselves into some technical terms. Why? Because they will come up a lot over the next couple weeks, and I will likely use and refer to them without further explanation, and if you don’t know them, you’ll have no clue what I’m referring to. 

The first what we call credobaptism or believer’s baptism. It is the practice of baptizing those who are said to believe. Credo means believe. Credobaptists are those who understand the data of the New Testament as baptizing only those presumed to have believed, that is those who have responded positively to the message given, specifically the message of the gospel. 

The second term is paedobaptism which is the baptism of children, including infants. Now, it’s important to note that Paedobaptists also believe in baptizing those who believe. In other words, they too believe in credobaptism. But they believe that such baptism doesn’t end with the believer but also extends to his or her children. As such, Paedobaptists practice baptizing believers and their children.

CREDO PERSPECTIVE

Now, I’m going to approach this from a credobaptist perspective. But I want you to know on the front end, I am very sympathetic to the paedobaptist or infant-baptist view. Why? Because I believe our Presbyterian brethren have much to consider that is helpful for the church.

As mentioned, all paedobaptists affirm credobaptism as well. That doesn’t tend to be the case with credobaptists. But, as a teaser, as a credobaptist, I also believe in paedobaptism … but not in the way paedobaptists do. I’ll let you ponder that for now. But we won’t get to that in detail until next week when we get to the physical sign and the who of baptism.

UNITY

Next, it must be stated that baptism is not a doctrine that should divide. In fact, almost every place the apostle Paul brings up the topic of baptism, unity is at the very least inferred. Writing to the church in Ephesus, Paul tells the church to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. And then he lists the following as an expression of our unity: There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call — one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

SIGN OVER REALITY

My concern is that the greatest amount of tension and conflict takes place over our tendency to exalt the sign over the reality. Both sides are guilty of this. Today, my focus is going to be on the reality, or specifically, the spiritual reality of baptism, which matters significantly more than the physical sign administered to any individual regardless of mode, or age, or profession of faith.

HIDDEN TO FIND

As I’ve been considering this topic over the past several weeks, I’ve pondered, why this is a point of debate? Why isn’t the New Testament clearer on this issue? God wasn’t unaware of the issues that would arise throughout church history over whether or not to baptize babies. He could have very simply addressed it directly, and the matter would have been laid to rest, at least by Bible-believing Christians (as if there’s another kind of Christian.)

Well, for our family reading last night, we were in Psalm 111. And in verse 2, the psalmist records: Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. I believe the NIV reads, pondered by all who delight in them. Or to offer you Chloe’s version, the NIRV, The Lord has done great things. All who take delight in those things think deeply about them.

It’s not that the Lord longs to hide things from us so that we can’t find them. Rather, He hides things, in a sense, so that we seek, and ponder, and meditate, and wonder. We don’t tend to do that with didactic precepts that are plainly stated. O because of our sin nature we need those. But I don’t think too many people pondered you shall not murder and you shall not commit adultery all that much until Jesus’ sermon on the mount. 

If the New Testament simply said: this is how you baptize: you take the little child, on their 8th day, and you put them in a little fountain, and you take 3 tablespoons of water, and you sprinkle it over her head, each tablespoon in the name of the Triune God, then not only would we be having this discussion, we wouldn’t take the time to ponder baptism as we have for the past 2 millennia. And yes, baptism has been pondered and pondered over. 

HISTORICAL RECORD

And the historical record of the church shows the church’s understanding of baptism to be quite varied over the centuries. Anyone who suggests that church history has been clear on infant baptism either hasn’t studied church history on this issue, or they are being intellectually dishonest. The history and view of baptism has been very complex, and it lends itself to the credobaptists argument just as much as it does for paedobaptists.

JOY IN DISCOVERY

But because the Bible never comes right out and stresses in detail the practice of baptism, the church has had to wrestle with this in a way that I believe brings greater glory to God and greater joy for the believer as we meditate on the whole of His Word.

Just think of the increase of joy the woman who lost one of her ten coins enjoyed after sweeping her entire house trying to find it — searching every nook and cranny, uncovering this, looking under that. And when she finally found it, o the joy. So overwhelming was the joy, she called her neighbors and relatives. I found my lost coin. Such celebration would have never taken place if the coin remained in plain sight. I believe the same is true with our study, our pondering, our thinking deeply over the issue of baptism. 

For today’s message, I want to begin with the reality of baptism, that is, what the sign and shadows were always intended to point to. Which takes us to our text for this morning: Romans 6:3-4. We’ll read the first 4 verses of Romans 6.

READ: Romans 6:1-4

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 

MOST FUNDAMENTAL MEANING

What is the meaning of baptism? I would argue, and I believe most reformed theologians would agree, the most fundamental meaning of baptism is union with Christ, specifically, union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection.

Every other concept or meaning or effect or blessing of baptism is grounded in this. Whether cleansing from sin, forgiveness of sin, salvation from sin, purification, new birth, new creation, public proclamation, and even identifying with Christ, each of these entail some form of death, burial, and resurrection. 

J. I. PACKER

J. I. Packer, who by the way is a paedobaptist, is helpful.

“Christian baptism … is a sign from God that signifies inward cleansing and remission of sins, Spirit-wrought regeneration and new life, and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit as God’s seal testifying and guaranteeing that one will be kept safe in Christ forever. 

Baptism carries these meanings because first and fundamentally it signifies union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection; and this union with Christ is the source of every element in our salvation.

Receiving the sign in faith assures the person baptized that God’s gift of new life in Christ is freely given to them.”

DYING TO THE OLD

In baptism, one is presumed to have died to the old … to such an extent that the old is buried and is no more. And in turn, what is raised is something altogether new that wasn’t before.

Now, before we go further, let’s trace the major portraits of baptism in the Old Testament. And just so you know, baptism need not involve water at all. In fact, Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire. But to help us see the picture of baptism more readily, Scripture regularly uses water to portray this theological concept.

WATER OPTIONAL

First, creation. The first portrait of baptism given to us is in Genesis 1, the creation account, which Peter portrays as a type of baptism, connecting it with the Flood, which he explicitly ties to baptism. 2 Peter 3:5. The heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the Word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word, the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 

There are 3 different types of baptism in those two verses: the creation account, the Flood, and final judgment. Creation was baptized through water. But the final baptism will be that of fire. In other words, water is unnecessary. Nevertheless, it more readily helps convey to us the idea.

CREATION

What I want to focus on briefly is that of creation. Genesis 1:1-2. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit was hovering over the face of the waters. 

Now, I mentioned that every idea of baptism entails some form of death, burial, and resurrection. Well, where do we get death and burial from in the creation account? Creation didn’t die! You’re right. It was already dead. It was non-existent. It was an empty void. And it was raised up out of a watery grave to receive life. 

God didn’t need to form the earth out of water. But He did. And one of the reasons He did so was to give us a portrait of baptism and the new creation to come. New Creation was brought through the chaotic waters of death and life. 

NOAH AND THE FLOOD

So, when we move to Noah and the Flood, we see another portrait of baptism also leading to new creation, but this baptism is a much needed baptism due to sin. Because sin had multiplied on the earth, God washed the earth clean in the flood waters of judgment. There was death, burial, and resurrection. Who enjoyed resurrection? Noah and those with him on the ark, eight in all, were raised above the flood waters of judgment. They found refuge from the flood of God’s judgment in a wooden vessel, the ark.

Now, in a sense, they too died. They died to the old world which was buried in the water. All they knew, their former lives were gone. 

The Haley’s mentioned just yesterday, after our workday, how they lost everything in a flood. Their former lives were in a very real sense gone. They had to start over. If anyone can relate to the Flood narrative, they can. Well, that’s the picture here with Noah and his family.

Noah and his family were supposed to have died to the former creation. That was also their death. But as we quickly see, water isn’t sufficient for one to die to their former life. Sin immediately picks back up where it left off.

BAPTISM OF MOSES

If the Flood portrayed baptism, which according to the New Testament, it does, then Moses being placed in the Nile as a baby, also portrays baptism. Here, you go, a clear example of infant baptism, and that at the faith of his mother! (Just a teaser for all of you. Which we won’t get to until next week.) 

Scripture expects us to see the link between Moses and Noah by using an fairly uncommon word, תֵּבָה , which shows up only in these two narratives. We translate it ark in the Flood narrative and basket in Moses’ infancy narrative. 

The Nile was the place of death where the Hebrew baby boys were to be cast so that they’d drown at the edict of a ruthless ruler. Moses, like Isaac on Mount Moriah, died that day. And just as Scripture records Abraham receiving his son back from the dead (Heb 11:19), Moses’ mother receives her son back from the dead, as he is lifted up out of the watery grave of the Nile, kept safe by the little wooden basket of the ark. 

EXODUS THROUGH THE RED SEA

Then we have Israel and the Exodus, specifically, their going through the waters of the Red Sea. Like Noah and the Flood, we know that Israel’s passage through the Red Sea is intended as a type of baptism. How? Because the New Testament explicitly refers to it as such.

There’s a further connection that I believe we should see, which links these plotlines together, and that’s the number 8. In the Flood, eight persons were saved to the New Creation. The Hebrew boys were circumcised on the eighth day, which is the day of New Creation. Well, it’s in Moses’ eightieth year, eight decades after his own baptism, that he leads the people of Israel through theirs, so that they might enjoy New Creation Life.

While Pharaoh and his army died in the Red Sea, Israel was brought safely through the waters. There forerunner, Moses, who experienced his own baptism eighty years earlier, would lead his brothers through theirs. Moses’ wooden staff would be lifted up as he leads his people through the watery grave out the other side.

But Israel’s going through the waters was to be a sort of death for them. They were supposed to have died to Egypt. With their old lives buried in those waters, they were to come out onto dry land to not only partake in a new creation; they were to be a new creation. The problem was, Israel didn’t actually die to Egypt. They were as bitter about their new lives following the Lord as the waters they first came to for drink. They proved that they needed yet a greater baptism. And it’s not accidental that Exodus 15:25 ties the bitter waters to the wood that heals, which I believe links baptism to the cross.

NEW GENERATION CROSSES THE JORDAN

Israel’s hearts kept turning back to Egypt, longing for the old rather than fixing their sights with gratitude on the new. Hence, that entire first generation of Israel that came out of Egypt, with the exception of two, were swallowed up by God’s judgment in the wilderness and were buried there, never to enter the promised land. Which brings us to the crossing of the Jordan River. 

When the new generation crosses the Jordan, just like the first generation, they were to die to their old life. They were now entering something new, they were entering the Lord’s promise. So new, the manna they had fed on for the past 40 years ceased and was no more. They’d enjoy even a new diet. 

Now, how did Israel cross the raging Jordan, which we are told was at flood stage (reminding us of Noah and the flood). Only by the priests entering the waters first. The priests, carrying a wooden box overlaid with gold, the ark of the covenant, bearing it on their shoulders by long wooden poles also overlaid with gold, first stepped into the raging stream, and immediately, the waters rose up in a heap to allow the Israelites to cross safely through to the promised land.

We looked at Jonah last week, and we’ve been in Jeremiah, so we won’t look at the portraits of baptisms in the prophets today. But they are worth tracing out as well. I’m focusing on the most obvious portraits involving water because they are not only the easiest to see, but because the also clearly illustrate the picture of death, burial, and resurrection. But as a reminder, water isn’t necessary to convey the reality.

NAAMAN'S BAPTISM

I want to look at one more portrait of baptism in the Old Testament, and that is the account of Naaman, the Syrian commander, in 2 Kings 5. I want us to look at Naaman specifically because the Septuagint uses the word βαπτίζω , which is where we get the word baptism, or to baptize from, to describe Naaman’s washing himself clean of his leprosy in the Jordan.

Now, Chase already read this passage for us, but just to remind us, a little Israelite girl was carried off in one of the Syrian raids, and she was placed in the service of Naaman’s wife. On finding out about her master’s leprosy, she says to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 

Well, Naaman, bearing a letter from his king, takes ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing, and asks to be cured of his leprosy.

Elisha, through a messenger, tells Naaman to Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean. Now, Naaman is furious. The prophet never came out and welcomed him or pronounced healing over him, but instead tells him to go wash, as if Naaman hadn’t washed many times before, and in much cleaner waters than the filthy Jordan. But his servants urged him saying, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash and be clean’?”

Verse 14. So, Naaman went down and dipped or baptized himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

I mentioned that every portrait of baptism carries the idea of death, burial, and resurrection. But here Naaman is simply cleansed. There’s no death, burial, and resurrection in this account. Or is there? Well, we might consider the disease of leprosy as not only something unclean, but like our sin, it’s something dead. In other words, leprosy, like all diseases, is the opposite of life and health. At the very least, Naaman’s dead skin died and was buried in the Jordan, and his skin was restored or resurrected to new life. 

NAAMAN'S TRANSFORMATION

But that is far from the death, burial, and resurrection that matters most in this picture. Rather, what happens to the leprosy is a portrait of what happens to Naaman himself.

The once hostile pagan military commander, who with all the money he carried with him, couldn’t purchase healing, he carried ten changes of clothes but couldn’t clothe his flesh with new skin, returns to the man of God and proclaims, Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel. 

The Naaman who scoffed at being baptized in the filthy Jordan is not the same Naaman who rose up out of those waters. The former Naaman had died and was buried. And a new Naaman now lived. Such was the transformation that Naaman requests two mule loads of earth so that he might take a piece of Israel with him in order to offer burnt offerings and sacrifices to the God of Israel alone. In other words, those two mule loads of dirt are a piece of the promised land, a piece of new creation, upon which Naaman will worship the God who healed him … and that freely. Elisha wouldn’t accept a gift from Naaman. Naaman had left his former idols behind in those waters. They were dead to him. Now, he was able to walk in newness of life.

Naaman’s theology wasn’t fully developed just yet. He was but a newborn babe through faith. But it’s undeniable that there was a start to him knowing and communing with the one true God.

REALITY MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN THE SIGN

And that is the very meaning of baptism. That’s what takes place in everyone who receives the reality of baptism … not everyone who goes through the motions of getting wet. The realities of baptism matter infinitely more than the sign or symbol. The former is nothing less than salvation itself — from death to life. The latter, the sign, doesn’t save, nor does it transact salvation. But let’s not discount it too much. The sign is intended to communicate the reality.

TRANSLITERATE VERSUS TRANSLATE

When we come to the New Testament, one of the reasons for so much divide over the issue of baptism, I believe, is because we have chosen to transliterate the word βαπτίζω and βάπτισμα instead of translating the terms. As we just read from 2 Kings 5:14, our English translations read, So, Naaman went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan. There, we translated the term to dip. Not even the King James reads that Naaman baptized himself in the Jordan.

But as soon as we turn the page to the New Testament, we no longer read dip, immerse, plunge, except for one time, it’s translated as wash. Now, I think transliterating rather than translating was the right step. Why? Because the meaning of a word comes from the context, and baptism is used very much as a technical term in Scripture. Still, it’s helpful and important to read Matthew 28 as being immersed or plunged into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

But not every use of the term baptize, especially not in the Old Testament, mean to immerse in the sense of fully submerging something. Regardless of what side of the baptism debate you fall on, it’s not okay to set up straw men. That helps no one. When we do that, we are seeking simply to win an argument, rather than win someone to the truth. And you don’t win someone to the truth by promoting a lie. The goal is for all of us to come to the knowledge of the truth, which will never happen by distorting the evidence.

DOWN INTO THE WATER

Nevertheless, it does appear that the baptisms in the New Testament, when we’re given any sort of detail concerning how they took place, were that of going down into the water and coming back up. Of course, coming back up is important. 

When John the Baptist comes on the scene baptizing people with water for repentance, and later Jesus’ disciples begin baptizing people, they weren’t drowning folks. And yet, the picture of drowning might be helpful. Why? Because the one who goes down into the waters is meant to have died. That person isn’t supposed to come up. What comes up is supposed to be something new … someone new … at least if the repentance was real.

Baptism is meant to be, not merely a picture of washing, but a washing away of that which is dead, that which needs to die. The cleansing we need requires more than soap and water could ever scrub away. It requires death. 

Which is why the baptism pictures we looked at in the Old Testament communicated something of death. But not only death, but also new life. And that’s what true repentance resembles.

ARE WE TO CONTINUE IN SIN

So, when in Romans 6, Paul raises the question, Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? The answer is obvious, No! You’ve died with Christ. Your old self is no more. He’s been buried with Christ. You live a new life now … a new life in Christ. That is what the reality is to be. 

Many had received the sign of baptism. Many people had gone down into the waters and come back up. But from reading Paul’s epistles, there were many who hadn’t died with Christ. There was nothing new about them. They supposedly bore the sign, but the spiritual reality was absent.

Now, we often like to compare circumcision to baptism, and rightfully so. But Paul makes a point that physical circumcision is only of value for one who keeps the law, showing themselves to bear the reality of what the sign pointed to. The physical sign merely pointed to a greater reality that had to take place. What mattered was not whether one was physically circumcised or not. What mattered is whether they were circumcised of heart. 

Romans 2:28. For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

BY THE SPIRIT

True baptism is by the Spirit, not by the letter of the law going through some formal practice of getting wet, regardless the amount of water used or the words pronounced over the individual.

This takes us back to why not a lot of detailed precepts regarding baptism: because we tend to do things by the letter, focusing so much on the outward and the physical that we miss the reality.

Physical baptism, whether as a child or an adult, matters not, if the spiritual reality of baptism is absent. If you haven’t died with Christ, your old self buried, then you simply got wet. There is no new resurrection life without the dying. And yet, we will try and find anyway possible to have the promise of resurrection without the dying that must take place. Listen. If you don’t die, what are you hoping for God to raise?

DIE DAILY, DIE DECISIVELY

Jesus is quite clear about this. Luke 9:23. If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Follow Jesus where? In his death and resurrection. But did you catch that the dying we are called to is a daily dying.

For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. Let the old self die, and you will save your life, not that you save your life, but in letting your old self die, you are dying with Christ. And when you die with Christ, and your old self is buried with Christ, you — a new you to be sure — will also be raised with Christ. That should be obvious now. And it will be perfected when the last of your old self is actually in the grave.

This taking up of one’s cross, is no less a picture of baptism than going under the water. How do we know? Because Jesus, referring to his baptism, was referring to the cross. And Paul himself makes this point. Romans 6:5. For if we have been united with Christ in a death like his [this is Paul continuing his discussion on being baptized into Christ’s death], we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 

Now, here is the taking up one’s cross. Verse 6. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

This is what baptism represents. The one who dies to self by being united with Christ in his death and burial, will also be raised to new life, as a new creation. 

BAPTISM OF CHRIST

In fact, each of the Old Testament portraits of baptism point to Christ’s work accomplished in his own baptism — the cross — or specifically, those things Paul refers to as being of first importance.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. 

CREATION

So, first, creation. Just as creation came out of an empty formless void, an empty tomb as it were, Jesus was buried and left the empty tomb behind to be raised in a new glorified body. His former body that was in the likeness of our sinful flesh was put away. He’s now forever risen in a glorified physical body.

In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul draws attention to our union with Christ making us a new creation. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold, the new has come.

FLOOD

The Flood. Noah and his family were spared judgment, brought through judgment by finding refuge in the wooden vessel of the ark, the blueprint of which was provided by God Himself. The cross is the blueprint for our salvation. And we find our refuge, our salvation from judgment hidden behind the wooden cross of Christ, indeed hidden within Christ himself.

MOSES

Similarly, Moses’ salvation from a ruthless ruler in a wooden basket.

But just as Moses was himself baptized in the Nile before he could lead his people out of bondage through their own baptism in the waters of the Sea, Jesus must first endure his own baptism before he can deliver us from bondage. 

And as Moses lifted the wooden staff in order for the flood waters of judgment to part from before the people that they might pass through the waters, Jesus is lifted up on a wooden cross in order for us to pass through the waters of judgment.

JORDAN

Crossing the Jordan. Like the priests bearing the wooden ark on wooden posts first had to step into the raging stream of the Jordan in order for the people to cross over into the promised land, Jesus our great High Priest who is himself the true mercy seat of the ark had to first step into the stream of God’s wrath in order for us to pass over to the promised land. But Jesus doesn’t bear the ark on poles overlaid with gold, but with the bare splintery wood upon his back.

NAAMAN

And last, Naaman’s cleansing. We are healed of our disease of the flesh, our sin nature, only by Jesus being immersed into our sin saturated condition. 

This is one of the reasons why the sinless Son of God was baptized in the Jordan. Where everyone else needed to be washed of their sin in a baptism of repentance, Jesus had no sin from which to repent. Instead, Jesus went down into the waters not merely to identify with his people but to take their sins upon himself … and thus carry them to the cross.

CONCLUSION

So, let’s wrap up. Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Carmen, a new idiom for you — the point at which the truth of baptism is put to a practical test.

As I’ve tried to hammer home, the fundamental meaning of baptism is union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection. 

PUBLIC DECLARATION

Well, the sign of baptism is intended to point to this reality. In other words, water baptism is a going public, a public profession meant to communicate something. This public profession is far more profound than asking Jesus into your heart (which you won’t find in Scripture). No, this public profession is meant to convey that one has died with Christ. I have died to my old self. The old Josh has been buried. And I have been regenerated as a new person. I have risen out of those waters of judgment to live my life, no longer for my self but through Christ, and to Christ, and for Christ. My life is no longer my own. 

HE MUST INCREASE

In other words, I have decided to follow Jesus, as beautiful as those words might sound, come up way short of what baptism is meant to express. 

No. my baptism and your baptism are meant to convey the same reality we find on the lips of John the Baptist, the one who had the unique privilege of baptizing the one sinless man who baptizes us with His very Spirit. He must increase; I must decrease.

He must increase … increase in my life, increase in every aspect until it is obvious to all, including God above, that it is no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me.

I must decrease … by dying to myself more and more each day.

The question is: Can a newborn babe convey this reality? We’ll answer that next week. 

https://youtu.be/dlpTvzxgNJ8

   Jeremiah 52:1-34 Transfer of Kingship 

READ JEREMIAH 52:1-34

INTRODUCTION:

I mentioned last week that chapters 50 and 51 were something like a finale for the Book of Jeremiah. There are few endings more climatic than the ending we’re given in Jeremiah 51.

Jeremiah 51:63. When you finish reading this book, tie a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, and say, “Thus shall Babylon sink to rise no more, because of the disaster that I am bringing upon her.

We know that this serves as an ending, because we’re told, Thus far are the words of Jeremiah. 

And yet, here we are in chapter 52. Now, most theologians, and I believe rightly so, don’t attribute chapter 52 to Jeremiah. That doesn’t make this chapter any less inspired Scripture. But the final editor of this work, some suggest Baruch, Jeremiah’s amanuensis, wanted to make sure we didn’t confuse the Word the came through Jeremiah the prophet with this epilogue.

What’s more, this chapter is nearly identical to that of the end of 2 Kings beginning at 2 Kings 24:18 to the end, giving further credence for our accepting this as the infallible Word of God.

So, what’s the point of this epilogue? Well, as we discussed over the last 3 weeks looking at Babylon’s future and the promised return from exile, all of that is future — a lifetime away. Jeremiah 52 brings us back to the current reality of the time and space in which the exiles lived. 

It’s one thing to be mesmerized by the fireworks, or to get caught up in the final act of an opera. But when it’s all over, you make your way to the car, and all that excitement is muted by the smell of the parking garage, horns honking, drivers cutting one another off, as the slow painful exit brings us back to present-day reality. 

Except here, in chapter 52, it isn’t a line of smelly cars, but a line of smelly captives, jostled along the way on their long slow march to Babylon. 

In other words, reality comes back into focus rather quickly. See, we look forward to the overthrow of Babylon; we look forward to the final day of vindication and salvation; but that day isn’t just yet. We still reside, for the time being, under the domains of Nebuchadnezzars and Evil-Merodachs. 

Jeremiah 52 brings us back to the historical reality of the Fall of Jerusalem, which in a sense, should bring us all back to the historical reality of the Fall of mankind. This is where you and I currently dwell. O it’s not where our citizenship is, and it’s not our promised future. But we best not lose sight of this present reality.

Hence Jeremiah 52.

I. THE FAILURE OF JERUSALEM’S FINAL KING:

Where most of Jeremiah is written in prophetic prose and poetry, here we have what seems little more than an emotionless historical accounting — a matter-of-fact-ness of what took place, absent any expression of the emotion that filled so much of Jeremiah. If you want the emotional accounting of these events, turn the page to Lamentations. How lonely sits the city that was full of people! 

Here in verse 1, the historian gives us Zedekiah’s age when he began to reign: 21; how long he reigned: 11 years; and the name of his mother in order to let us know that he was the full brother of King Jehoahaz son of Josiah, and half-brother of Jehoiakim son of Josiah. 

In one sentence we have the verdict on Zedekiah’s life: He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord according to all the Jehoiakim had done. Zedekiah’s life is compared to his half-brother who reigned a mere 3 months.

At the end of your days, your life will be summed up by a single sentence too. Either “Well done good and faithful servant,” or “And so-and-so did evil in the sight of the Lord.”

And again, matter-of-factly, because of the Lord’s anger, it came to the point that He cast them out of His presence. 

Where chapters 50 and 51 were the promised vindication of God’s people, chapter 52 is the vindication of God and His prophet. The people had been warned time and again. Now God would make good on His word of warning.

The Lord is indeed slow to anger. But it would be a mistake to assume that God will never exhaust His wrath and carry out much needed justice. It’s a reminder and a warning not to presume on the riches and kindness and forbearance and patience of God, for such kindness is meant to lead you to repentance, not to leave you in rebellion.

REBELLION:

But for those who rebel against God, we really shouldn’t be surprised that rebellion marks other aspects of their life. Second half of verse 3. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. Unfaithfulness towards God leads to unfaithfulness in general. Here, such unfaithfulness is expressed against the king who set Zedekiah on the throne. 

Zedekiah owed his position, his throne to the king of Babylon. Zedekiah unfaithfulness to Nebuchadnezzar, however, is merely a portrait of our unfaithfulness to God that we could trace all the way back to the Garden. We don’t often think of Adam as a king, but I think it’s pretty clear that Adam had a kingly role in the Garden. But Adam’s kingship was not outside the rule of the King who set him on that throne. 

In the same way Zedekiah rebelled against the king who set him on the throne, Adam rebelled against the Great King and thus lost his seat. And the same was true of us. 

Our rebellion had forfeited our dominion, because what the world needs are righteous vice-regents, righteous princes, righteous rulers who image and reflect the likeness of God’s righteous rule because they submit to his rule. What the world doesn’t need is a bunch of usurpers who commit treason, rebelling against the One True King.

You see, Zedekiah’s failure is a picture of Israel’s failure, which is a picture of Adam’s failure in the Garden, which is no less a picture of our failure to be faithful to the work and service the Lord created us for when He fashioned us in His likeness.

And because of such, Zedekiah and Jerusalem shall fall like the rest of mankind, to face the terror of a foreign king. 

II. THE FEAR OF A FOREIGN KING:

What follows, from verse 4 to the final paragraph, is the historians recording of Nebuchadnezzar’s methodical removal of everything of value — through siege, seizing and sentencing, scorching and shattering, stripping bare, snuffing out, and subjecting to servitude all but a few of those deemed undesirable.

a. Siege:

Verses 4-6. Eighteen months of siege and all its agony are reduced to three short verses. Verse 6 simply tells us that the famine was so severe due to the siege that there was no food for the people of the land. 

Other passages express just how horrific this siege was. Lamentations offers a poetic retelling of the famine. All her people groan as they search for bread; they trade their treasures for food to revive their strength… The tongue of the nursing infant sticks to the roof of its mouth for thirst; the children beg for food, but no one gives to them… We get our bread at the peril of our lives because of the sword in the wilderness. 

Here, the historian simply records how long the siege was and when the food ran out. 

One day, God’s patient forbearance will come to an end. Once the full number of the redeemed are accounted for, the kingdom of this world will experience a siege like no other, a famine, not merely of food, but of all the goodness of God — mankind’s true sustenance. 

Hell will be nothing less than a comprehensive famine where the souls who wanted nothing to do with God will find themselves starved for eternity for the least little ray of light from His radiant face. 

b. Seized and Sentenced:

The Babylonian siege didn’t last forever. Verse 7. A breach was eventually made in the city, and all the men of war fled and went out of from the city by night by way of the gate between the two walls by the king’s garden. Zedekiah and his army abandoned ship, abandoned their post, just as Adam abandoned his position to keep and work the Garden. 

Adam quit his assigned position in the Garden before he was removed from the Garden. He feared for himself, so he failed to sacrifice himself for Eve. 

Zedekiah refused to heed the Word of Lord and surrender to Babylon because he feared what might happen to him in Babylon. But he also refused to stay to the end to defend the city for the same reason. Zedekiah and his fighting men put themselves first, rather than those they were to defend. 

And just as Adam was caught hiding behind fig leaves, and sentence was passed on him, so Zedekiah will be caught and sentence passed. But unlike Adam’s sentencing, Zedekiah’s sentence won’t be pronounced by a merciful king, but a fearful foreign king. 

What was Zedekiah’s sentence? Verse 10. Those he loved, his very sons were slaughtered before his eyes. As well as his all of his officials, those to whom he entrusted a stewardship of the kingdom.

You know what it will take to save such a corrupt race? Jesus Christ will receive the sentence you and I deserve. 

The Father will watch His only Son slaughtered before His eyes. And the Lord Jesus will watch those to whom he entrusted a stewardship of the kingdom — many of them will be slaughtered before his eyes. 

Think of Stephen in Acts 7. Remember just before Stephen was stoned to death, he saw the heavens opened and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Jesus has endured more than simply his own death. He’s also watched countless martyrs who have been put to death simply because they followed Him. 

c. Scorched and Shattered:

Now that Zedekiah has been sentenced and removed from the throne —verse 12 — our text makes clear who it is who now reigns over Jerusalem and Judah. We went from dating the events according to the reign of the kings of Judah to dating the events according to the reign of the kings of Babylon.

And this king isn’t interested in rebuilding Jerusalem as much as tearing it down. Nebuzaradan enters Jerusalem, burns the house of the Lord, and the king’s palace, and all the great houses in the city. And his army breaks down the entire wall that encircled Jerusalem. 

d. Stripped:

But it’s not enough to ruin the city. It needs to be stripped — stripped of its population and stripped of its articles of value. 

POPULATION:

First, the population. Verses 15. Those left in the city, from the poorest of contributors to the most skilled artisans are carried away captive. But, verse 16, some of the poorest are left to be vinedressers and plowmen. (We’ll return to this at the end.)

[*** Gardeners and Soil Breakers ***]

ARTICLES AND VESSELS:

Now the stripping of the articles and vessels. Verse 17 begins the long accounting of the precious metals … specifically, that which was taken from the house of the Lord. Once again in the matter-of-fact language, the historian recounts in painful detail the plundering of the temple. 

Much of the bronze is broken due to its sheer size in order for it to be carted off. The bronze was beyond weight (verse 20). And verse 19. What was of gold the captain of the guard took away as gold, and what was of silver, as silver. 

As beautiful as the temple was, there was nothing beautiful about a people who rejected their God. The destruction and plundering of the temple, the palace, and the city simply made them look the part … resembling the reality of the people who dwelt there.

Jeremiah prophesied about the removal of these items in chapter 27:21. Thus says the Lord … concerning the vessels that are left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem: They shall be carried to Babylon. 

Now, Hananiah accused Jeremiah of being a false prophet and declared that no other items would be removed, and the items previously taken would be returned within two years. 

Why is this painful careful accounting important? It not only vindicates Jeremiah from being deemed a false prophet, it also prepares the reader for the rest of Jeremiah’s prophecy. 27:22. 

These items — the vessels of the Lord’s house — that would be carried away to Babylon would eventually be restored to their place. Not within two years as Hananiah prophesied. But in a lifetime … 70 years … when the Lord would visit them. The careful accounting of what goes into exile prepares the way for all to be accounted for when it’s restored.

*** You and I aren’t precious metals. In the King of Kings eyes, we’re more precious than any metal, even though we are fashion from ordinary clay. What makes us precious is the treasure we hold. 

1) Being fashioned in the likeness of God. 2) His Spirit has taken up residence within us … that is, if you are in Christ. Our restoration to the Lord’s house in the New Jerusalem awaits. But understand … it’s a lifetime away, but only a lifetime away. 

Some of us are closer to that restoration than others. You are gold that has been refined … prepared for the Lord’s temple. Your exile is almost over, and you will soon be returned to the house of the Lord.

e. Snuffed:

Having plundered the precious vessels of the temple, those who seemed pillars in Jerusalem will receive no such valuation. Where Zedekiah and his officials were sentenced and slaughtered, Nebuzaradan will seek to snuff out any hopes for a rebellion. These leading men will suffer a similar judgment as their king they followed. They likewise will be brought before the king of Babylon and put to death at Riblah. 

How might we apply this? Everyone will receive a similar sentence as that of the king they follow. Those who follow the Prince of the Power of the Air, the Lord of Lies, the deceiving Serpent, will share his fate. They will be cast into the lake of fire to be tormented day and night forever and ever.

But those who follow King Jesus, being crucified with Him, dying with Him now!!! will also be raised with Him to enjoy eternal resurrected life with Him. 

f. Subjected:

Finally, verses 28-30, we have the numbers of those carried away captive. While these numbers are very specific, they don’t accord with any other records we have in Scripture. At the time of Jehoiachin’s surrender, Nebuchadnezzar carried 10,000 into exile. The numbers here are significantly smaller.

Two ways we might reconcile this: 1) the numbers reflect heads of households or adult fighting men. 2) this could be a particular accounting of 3 specific occasions in which exiles were carried off. 

At the very least, we should notice that the number taken into exile represented a mere remnant. When we consider that there were some 1,300,000 men who drew the sword at the end of King David’s reign, those fortunate enough to go into exile rather than meet the sword were but an extremely small remnant … but this remnant, taken into exile, would be regarded by the Lord as good figs, whom the Lord would set His eyes on for good and bring them back.

The land was ruined. Everything of value was either ravaged or removed. Such is merely the effects of sin.

On our way back from our little family retreat, we made a detour through a portion of Clarksville that was, to put it kindly, run down. It wasn’t the slums of Haiti. Still, there was nothing lovely or beautiful about it. And I mentioned to Jenny on our drive. This is the effects of sin in the world. We won’t see the likes of this in heaven or the New Creation. 

But, I continued, we’re heading back to Mount Juliet, a suburb filled with some really nice homes, and of course you have Providence Marketplace with all its glitz and wares. It certainly looks like a major upgrade to the area of Clarksville we drove through. And you know what? That too is the effects of sin in the world. Both are due to the effects of sin. 

So, she turned to me and shared her application from her morning reading which just so happened to be from Mark 7. Some of the effects of sin are outward and obvious, like the Syrophoenician’s daughter who had an unclean spirit. But we also have those who appear righteous on the outside, like the Pharisees, who made sure to wash their hands. They merely possessed an outward obedience to certain aspects of the Law.

You see, what happens to Jerusalem is due to sin. But Babylon, where the exiles were headed, while it will be filled with lavished abundance, that too is due to the effects of sin. To our fallen flesh, Babylon is where many of us would choose to live … not in the rundown portion of Clarksville … and definitely not in war-torn Jerusalem after the siege and everything is burned to the ground and broken.

We need to take care how we think through these things, because we can easily fall into the temptation of believing that when things seem to be going well, we have food to eat, beautiful ornate structures standing, a thriving population, obviously we as individuals or as a society must be doing something right. 

There was a time that description fit Jerusalem. In Solomon’s day, the city was at its height. But it wasn’t because they were somehow rewarded for their righteousness. God was immensely patient until it came to the point where in His anger, the Lord cast His people from His presence. 

You see, the greatest blessing in the world is to be in God’s presence! Not in Clarksville, or Mount Juliet, or Babylon, or even Jerusalem. Jerusalem was only the place to be so long as God’s presence was there. 

Dwelling in God’s presence was the greatest blessing. Which meant, being cast from God’s presence is the greatest curse. And that’s precisely what hell is. O it’s described in many ways. But ultimately, it’s being cast away from any presence of God.

And that’s what Jesus endured to restore us to Him. Jesus endured a moment when he was, cast from the Father’s presence. That was the greatest pain of the cross … not the nails or the gasping for breath, but bearing the ultimate penalty for sin, separation from God, separated from His Father. The Eternal Triune Godhead was severed for a moment in history. That was the cost!

III. THE FAVOR OF A FOREIGN KING:

Thankfully, not all of our exile is under the Nebuchadnezzars of this fallen world. In His kindness, God has also appointed Ewil-Merodachs.

In the four short verses that close out the Book of Jeremiah, we see the favor of a foreign king who releases Jehoiachin from prison, seats him above every other king, gives him a seat at the king’s table, and provides for his needs. 

Jeremiah’s ministry has been filled with warning upon warning. Nebuchadnezzar was the Lord making good on His word. But this final scene of Jehoichin’s release is also the Lord making good on His word. His mercy truly does endure forever … even when things are at their bleakest. 

a. Freed:

After 37 years in prison, Jehoiachin is released from prison. Recall that Jehoiachin only reigned 3 months before surrendering himself to Nebuchadnezzar. 

One commentator highlighted not only the disproportion between 3 months and 37 years, but the injustice of such a system. But that’s to equate one’s prison sentence with the amount of time one spent carrying out the crime. That’s like suggesting that the murderer who takes one second to pull the trigger should be sentenced based on the length of time it took to pull the trigger. 

Adam’s rebellion in the Garden took but a moment, but his exile was the rest of his life, likely some 900 plus years. One sin against the Almighty is sufficient grounds to sentence any of us to an eternity in hell. 

Now, it’s true that the punishment must fit the crime, but the crime isn’t based as much on duration as it is damage and harm.

Here’s the thing. We can grumble over the sentence served, making for a bitter release. Or we can be thankful for the release. I’m pretty confident that Jehoichin, after 37 years, was thankful to be released.

[TIMEOUT CORNER — At our house, have what we call the timeout corner in our kitchen. It’s a tiny cove that leads to the garage. Unless you’re on that side of the kitchen, it’s completely hidden from view. We have used it as a timeout corner ever since Cheyenne was little, so close to nineteen years. Every so often, and I believe it has happened to all of our kids with perhaps Cheyenne being the one exception … she’ll let me know if I’m wrong … that … well, I put them in timeout … and I forget they’re in timeout. 

Now, here’s the thing. When they’re in timeout, there’s a peace that the rest of the house enjoys for a few minutes. I mean, no one else wants to join whoever’s in timeout. I get caught up in that peace and return to whatever I was working on. 

And someone will ask, “Did you forget about so-and-so.” Now, rarely is that individual thankful to come out of timeout. Often, they will be cold and bitter, so that while they might have been released, they’re now imprisoned by bitterness. They can’t enjoy their freedom.

Now, I’m not letting myself off the hook. It’s not okay for me to forget. And I’ve had to make a lot of apologies.]

But here’s the thing. Jehoiachin could have grumbled over the length of his stay in prison. Or he could enjoy the freedom he’s been mercifully granted. Many will grumble and scoff at the idea of hell. I sinned for a lifetime, and God’s going to punish me for eternity. That’s not … fair. 

You see, we fail to recognize mercy and grace for what it is. Our sin nature is so self-focused, we feel we are entitled to infinite chances with the smallest of consequences. 

We often think of the prophets, especially that of Jeremiah, as delivering nothing but bad news … all judgment and no hope. But such is far from the case. Judgment actually is good news! Why? Because it shows God to be just. Nothing could be worse news than for the Judge of all the earth to be unjust. 

Yet the reason judgment is often received as bad news is because of our sin. We are law breakers. Thus, the bad news isn’t so much God’s righteous judgment as it is our treason against the King of the Universe. The bad news isn’t that God’s righteous but that we’re unrighteous. 

And yet, there’s better news than God being just. God is merciful in such a way that His justice isn’t compromised. And that, loved ones, is the gospel. 

b. Fixed:

Like Jehoiachin, we have been released from our sentence of condemnation. But more than that, we are seated above all other rulers who dwell in Babylon, all the rulers of this world. 

How? Because, Colossians 3, we are seated with Christ, who is seated at the right hand of God. Oh, the fullness of that reality is in the future … or we might say, it’s already but not yet. But our King has released us and has stationed us above all earthly rulers.

c. Fellowship:

More than that, we are invited to dine at the King’s table … regularly. Now, it’s true, we are awaiting the marriage supper of the Lamb. But listen loved ones. In just a moment we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper together. We dine with the King now. The table is a picture of fellowship. The Lord’s Supper portrays many things, not the least of which is true fellowship … or communion … with the Lord of all nations.

d.  Furnished:

And lastly, our King furnishes us with a daily allowance. Give us this day our daily bread. That’s part of it. But it’s more. He supplies us with everything we need to carry out our mission and glorify Him. He provides us not just with physical bread for bodily nourishment, but with the Bread of Life, Himself, for our spiritual nourishment. He feeds us with His Word and fills us with a portion of His Spirit. 

IV. THE FORETASTE OF A FUTURE KING:

Now, we started to drift back into that grand finale excitement, looking off into the future again. But the final words brings us back to the parking garage, but to present day, historical reality.

Jehoiachin enjoyed these acts of grace, verse 34, until the day of his death, as long as he lived. Jehoiachin died. As promising as this picture is, Jehoiachin still died. Death still reigned. 

The good news is that the line of David has not been completely cut off. But reality is that the promised One is yet to come. Jehoiachin’s release was but a foretaste, a foreshadowing of a King to come. The Lord won’t leave His people in exile forever … under foreign kings and kingdoms forever. The King is coming. He has come. And He will come again. 

Just as the Fall of Jerusalem attested to the truthfulness of God’s words of judgment, Jehoiachin’s release attests to the truthfulness of God’s promise of future grace. 

King Jesus reigns even now, as Lord of all Nations. We await the fullness of that reality … in and out of the parking garages of Babylon. 

As I mention often, we need to keep our gaze fixed on Jesus. But that doesn’t mean continuously gazing up in heaven. If you recall, Acts 1, the disciples were admonished for staring up in heaven. Why? Because there’s work to do here. 

But that admonishment didn’t mean not to gaze on the Lord Jesus. Rather, I believe, it was a call to live out the earthly ministry of Jesus. Which means, we gaze upon the Christ who descended from His throne in heaven to the filth of our sin, the filth of our sin filled parking garages, in order to bear our sin and make a way for us to enter into something far more glorious than can be expressed in words and visions — His glorious presence for all eternity.

While we still dwell in exile in Babylon, we’ve been freed from our bondage to sin. It’s time to remove those old prison garments and enjoy the seat King Jesus has provided us at His table, and to use His gracious daily provision of grace to finish the work to which we were called.

Which takes us back to verse 16. We’ll end with this. The king left some of the poorest to be vinedressers and plowmen. King Jesus has left us, those who were poor in spirit, to be just that, vinedressers and plowmen — or we might say, gardeners and soil breakers.

Like Adam, we’re still called to work and keep the Garden. But in this sin-hardened world, it will take no less than breaking up the hardened fallow ground that surrounds unbelieving hearts. That’s what the gospel did for our hearts. And that’s the work we’re called to participate in, by proclaiming and living out that good news of the gospel, inviting other prisoners to sin, to surrender and serve our King, the Lord of all nations. 

https://youtu.be/XvwHJwmMrPg