We'd like to continue our study
of the great acronym TULIP. Tonight we've had a message from
this series, Total Depravity, the T. We've also had a message
on Unconditional Election, the U. And tonight we'd like to go
to the middle one of these great truths. The old church fathers
called it Limited Atonement. I am more in preference to call
it Particular Redemption. So we're going to look at that
for a few minutes tonight. And if I could direct your attention
to the book of Matthew, Matthew chapter 1, and I'd like to begin
reading with verse 19 of this wonderful passage of scripture.
Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus,
the woman that was chosen before the foundation of the world to
be the woman that would carry this wonderful seed, the Messiah,
the Savior of His people. When Joseph realized that she
was with child, he was greatly concerned, and yet it tells us
that he was a just man. Verse 19, and Joseph, her husband,
Matthew chapter 1, verse 19, and Joseph, her husband, being
a just man and not willing to make her a public example, was
minded to put her away privately. But while he thought on these
things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in
a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take
unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her
is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son,
and thou shalt call his name Jesus. for he shall save his
people from their sins. From this passage of scripture,
we have the wonderful declaration made by the angel of the Lord,
recorded here in the word of God for our benefit today, that
the Lord Jesus, when he came, he would have a specific name
given to him, which means Savior, but this one, this Savior, would
save his people from their sins. and he would actually save them
from his sins. That is the heart and core of
this subject that we'd like to look at tonight, a particular
redemption or limited atonement as it was called for so long.
We find in this subject as we back up into the scriptures and
we look at the Old Testament types and shadows and pictures
that when we look at the first sacrifice that was made in the
scriptures in the book of Genesis, and that was by Abel. Now I realize
that Adam and Eve were covered by the skins of animals by the
God Almighty there in the garden after Adam had sinned, had taken
his whole family, his wife and he, into sin and death. and that would pass on to all
generations in the future. We are the inheritors of that.
It's been imputed to us. I realized that there was that
sacrifice, but when Abel grew up and God worked a work of grace
in his heart when he was blessed by hearing the gospel of God's
free grace in Christ Jesus. When he was passed from death
into life, when he was given the great light of life, the
Lord Jesus, that he declaring to his generation, to his brother,
and also to his mom and dad. He took of the firstling of the
flock a lamb without spot or blemish and he offered that sacrifice
which was a type and a shadow and a picture of the Lord Jesus
Christ, the Savior of His people. We have Him doing that, but that
offering did not cover Cain. It was an offering that was for
Abel. The Lord Jesus shall save His
people from their sins. Many years later, we find that
Abraham's offering did not involve Ishmael. Isaac is called Abraham's
son is thine only son so that offering was there and Isaac
became a true picture of the Lord Jesus as he was bound and
placed in the place of an offering and then we find that Abraham
was stopped and there was a ram caught by his horns and a thicket
and That was used and a picture of the substitute, the Lord Jesus.
But as we move through the scriptures, we find the Passover was instituted
in the book of Acts chapter 12, and the Passover lamb was not
made known to Egypt. It was made known unto Israel,
and it was the blood of that lamb that was applied to the
doorposts Lentils of the house of Israel by the householders
as it was described the Lord would pass through the land and
when I see the blood I will pass over you all the scriptures that
the sacrifices that were offered at the Tabernacle were not offered
for any of Egypt or any of the inhabitants of Palestine but
it was specifically for Israel. Now picture Israel as the church,
the sacrifices are for the church, and we find that as we move through
these verses of scripture in our lesson tonight, we find that
the completion is found in the New Testament about those Old
Testament types and shadows. In the book of Matthew, chapter
20, again, in the book of Matthew, chapter 20, and we find there
in verse 28, The Lord Jesus spoke, as we find it recorded in our
Bibles, even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto,
but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. There
are ample opportunities for the Lord to share with us that if
he was actually going to die for everybody in the world, there
was ample opportunity for him to share that information with
us, but we never find the Lord Jesus ever sharing that kind
of information. In fact, just the opposite, that
he would give his life a ransom for many. one verse of scripture
that is so taken out of context, and that's John 3.16, and so
many people rush right to that to say that Jesus died for everybody,
and never look at what that passage of scripture is containing or
what it's about. We're in that passage where we
see the Lord Jesus dealing with a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews,
his name is Nicodemus, and among the people. we find that there
was no room for anybody outside of national Israel ever to be
saved, and the Lord Jesus Christ comes up and says, for God so
loved the world. Now he did not say that he loved
the world so much that he was gonna die for everybody, but
some people out of every nation, kindred, people, and tongue,
God would make sure that they would hear the gospel because
their names were written down in the Lamb's Book of Life. He's
bringing something to Nicodemus that he was not able to comprehend. In fact, many of the folks, the
religious folks during the time of the Lord Jesus upon this earth
and afterwards when the apostles were writing, Paul and the rest
of the New Testament was being written, we find that most Jews
could not comprehend that the Gentiles had any part Any of
the Gentiles at any part in the covenant of grace, but we find
that throughout the Old Testament They were just hidden from them.
They couldn't see it So that one verse of scripture is just
taken out of context and we find the Lord Jesus when he speaks
for himself He continuously brings up the point that he's going
to lay down his life a ransom for many Tonight as we discuss
and declare and preach particular redemption, we are dealing with
a teaching, we're dealing with a doctrine concerned about original
purpose, original plan and original design of God sending Christ
into the world to die on the cross. Was it the Father's intent
to send the Son to die on the cross to make salvation possible
for everyone? but with the possibility that
his death would be effective for no one. And we find God forbid
that is not the purpose that God sent his son into the world,
but is so declared that way by the religious world today. That
is, did God simply send Christ to the cross to make possible,
or did God from all eternity have a plan of salvation by which
according to the riches of his grace and his eternal election
he designed the atonement to ensure that the salvation of
his people was the atonement particular or is in its original
design and it is we're going to find that from the scriptures
now it is something to note that christianity alone has an atonement
But most parts that call themselves Christians have a sacrifice or
an atonement described in Malachi chapter 1 and verse 8. Would
you turn there with me? Back to the book of Malachi chapter
1 and verse 8. This is the description of the
atonement by the majority of those who call themselves Christian. It is so that only in Christianity
is Is there an atonement ever mentioned? But most parts that
call themselves Christian have a sacrifice. They have an atonement
that is described here, Malachi chapter 1 verse 8. And if you
offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if you offer
the lame and sick, is it not evil? If you have an atonement
that isn't atonement, if you have a sacrifice that really
did no good, had no benefit in it, if you have a salvation where
nobody actually is ever saved unless they move upon it, is
that not described here in the book of Malachi chapter 1 and
verse 8? Offer it now unto thy governor.
Would you do this? Would you offer this pitiful,
pitiful sacrifice, this animal to your governor and expect to
have taxes paid as a result of it? Will he be pleased with thee,
or accept thy persons, saith the Lord of hosts?" And so it's
brought up here by the prophet Malachi, the last prophet of
the Old Testament, to come up to this, to suggest, to bring
to the point that Israel has been practicing this. practicing
bringing the halt the lame the maimed when God said it must
be a lamb without blemish it must be a an animal without blemish
and without spot and that there should be no outside appearance
of evil in this animal as a type and a shadow and a picture of
the Lamb of God who was without wrinkle without spot without
any problems without seeing So, as we look at this, we find that
the world has a different view, the Christian world has a different
view than what we find in the scriptures. By Christ's death,
he infallibly secured salvation of a multitude that no man can
number, who through Christ's death not only may be saved,
but are saved, must be saved, and cannot by any possibility
run the hazard of being anything but saved. The Bible teaches
that the sufferings and death of Christ were a real atonement,
that in making it Christ became the substitute of those whom
he came to save, that as much As such, he bore the penalty
of their transgressions, that in so doing he made ample satisfaction
of the law and to the justice of God. that an actual reconciliation
has been made between them and God, and all this was planned
and purposed apart from anything those he died for did. It's not works of righteousness
which we have done that cause God to do anything. In fact,
those things those works of righteousness which we are done are nothing
more, as we find in the scriptures, than filthy rags as dung. In
the book of Romans, chapter 9, and we've read this passage a
number of times in these studies, in the book of Romans, chapter
9, we find the Holy Spirit moved upon Saul of Tarsus saved and
became Paul the Apostle, Romans 9, 11, for the children being
not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but
of him that calleth. It was said unto her, The elder
shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved. but Esau have I hated." The scriptures
are filled with passages that share with us the actuality of
Christ's death on the cross and what it covered. More appropriately,
who it covered. If you'll turn with me to the
book of John. John chapter 6. and verse 37, John chapter six
and verse 37. We find these words that the
Lord spoke when he is speaking here in this wonderful passage
of John chapter six and verse 37, all that the father giveth
me shall come to me and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise
cast out. There's one thing, certainly,
we can see that there is not one person in hell that God ever
gave to the Son to die for, to give his life a ransom for, that
ever came to Christ. They will not come, they shall
not come unless they're moved upon by God. And here we have,
all that the Father giveth me shall come to me. and him that
cometh, I will, and no wise cast out. In verse 39 of that same
chapter, chapter six of the book of John, and this is the Father's
will which hath sent me, that of all which he gave me, or hath
given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again
in the last day. So everyone that was given to
the Son by the Father, he has promised that in that day he
will raise them from the grave, he will raise them in time also
spiritually, and that his work of grace will be in their heart.
John chapter 6 and verse 44, no man can come to me except
the father which has sent me draw him, and I'll raise him
up at the last day. It is written in the prophets,
and they shall be taught of God, every man therefore that hath
heard and hath learned of the father cometh unto me. Not that
any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God. He hath
seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
he that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am the bread
of life. And as we mentioned over there
at the very beginning in the book of Matthew chapter one,
verse 21, he shall save his people from their sins. Jesus shall
call his name Jesus. And when he was born, He was
called Jesus, the Savior, for He shall do something, He shall
accomplish something, He shall go against the tide of religion,
but He shall save His people from their sins. In the book
of John chapter 15, John chapter 15, we have these wonderful words
written for us as we look at this subject. the subject of
who did Christ make atonement for, who did Christ redeem, who
did Christ save when he went to the cross. Here in the book
of John chapter 15 verse 13, greater love hath no man than
this that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are
my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call
you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth,
but I call you friends. For all things that I have heard
of my father, I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen
me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should
go forth and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain
and that whatsoever ye shall ask of my father in my name,
he shall give it you. These things I command you that
you love one another. So we have the The Lord Jesus, the man no greater
love had, the man that laid down his life for his friends. And
though we, by nature, are not friendly toward Him, He has always
been the friend of His people. that moved in Him to do what
He did as He chose the people that were without hope. He chose
the people that were dead in trespasses and sin. And even
before Adam fell in the Garden of Eden, He chose them. Oh, what
love it is that even while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. There was the purpose that He
would die for us. And He's the Lamb slain from
the foundation for a people that had no esteem for him, had no
care for him, had no love for him. They looked upon him and
they saw nothing that would attract them. They were enmity with him
and yet in his marvelous work of grace, he comes with the rich
sweetness of the gospel and the Holy Spirit brings it in such
a manner that he raises us from the dead, gives us the new birth
and We are in love with Him who loved us. We love Him because
He first loved us. In the book of Acts chapter 20,
Acts chapter 20, the book of Acts chapter 20 and there in
verse 28 we read these words about the amount the number the group, the people
that Jesus purchased with his own blood. Take heed, Acts chapter
20 verse 28, take heed therefore unto yourselves and to the flock
over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the
church of God. Now this last phrase is so important,
it gives the reason for the rest, which He, which He, which the Lord, which
the Lord Jesus Christ, which God, hath purchased with his
own blood." He purchased the church and the problem was so
significant that the only redemptive price that could be paid to pull
them out of such a great pit was the blood of the Son of God. It was so serious that nobody
could offer any offering that would clear the guilty. The offering
that Abel brought only declared in a picture, but that offering
did not take care of any of his sins or anybody else's, and all
the offerings offered in the Old Testament, the sacrifices
that were made in the Old Testament, and even though they were ordained
of God to be practiced and performed, there was not anything in them
that saved anybody. It was not the blood of bulls
and goats that could take away sin, and it's not the blood of
another human being. the natural descendant of Adam.
It's the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man, Emmanuel,
God with us, that can redeem us, that can purchase us. So,
the blood of Jesus Christ hath purchased the church. which he
hath purchased with his own blood. So it is a known assembly. It's
a known group. It's a people of God. It's a people that God chose
in Christ before the foundation of the world. As we find over
here in the book of Ephesians. The book of Ephesians chapter
1. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 4.
It says, according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
Him in love. He hath chosen us in Him. There
was a choice made by God. Now, let me put it this way.
If God had not been involved in the redemption of His people,
nobody would ever be saved. Fall is so serious, and the mind
and the heart of mankind is so depraved, so sinful, so dead
in trespasses and sins, so darkened, so everything, that there's not
one piece that would ever turn to God. Now, in religion we turn
to a God. But we don't turn to the God.
It takes the quickening of the Holy Spirit. It takes the work
of God. He is the very author and finisher
of all of salvation. He's the author and finisher
of our faith. We have none less given to us,
and we have to have a quickening. We have to have a resurrection
before we'll ever believe God. We'll ever trust him. He has
to make us alive in order to do that We we don't trust him
and then he saves us. He saves us and then we trust
him According as he has chosen us in him and then in the same
book in the book of Ephesians chapter 5 Ephesians chapter 5
and verse 25 Let's read that husbands love your wives even
as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it and that
he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of the water
by the word, that he might present it himself a glorious church,
not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should
be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives
as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth
himself. And we notice in here in the
very verse 25 of our reading, and gave himself for it. Husbands
love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave
himself for it. How this directs the husband
in his love for, or the need for his love for his wife. So
much time is spent on so much counseling, and yet the gospel
is the best counseling. Christ is our best counselor.
And it just shares with us, this is the kind of love we should
have for our wife. And it can't even, it pales,
even the best pales compared to the love that the Lord Jesus
had for the church, and he gave himself for it. He gave his life
for it. He shed his blood for it. He
came to this earth for it. He walked the path that was directed
from the Council Halls of Eternity for it. He gave his life a ransom
for the church, for the many. By nature, we just cannot allow
God to be the author and finisher of our faith. We need to be involved,
and that's the sin that we have. in religion before we're saved. We just can't stand that God
would take care of it on his own. He needs us, we say. We may not say it with our mouths,
but we imply it when we attempt to work a work of our own righteousness
and expect God to appreciate it and accept it. when He alone
will only accept the sacrifice of His Son. The blood of the
Son is the only thing that will make an atonement for His people. And this atonement was promised
and taken care of before the foundation of the world And Jesus,
when He came, He knew exactly who He would lay down His life
for, and He knew exactly who He would die for. Their names
are graven on the palms of His hands. They are there. He is
mindful of them. He has them on His heart and
on His mind as He goes to the cross. It is they that God imputed
their sins. Not the sins of the whole world,
but the sins of His people were imputed to Him. It was they that
he became sin for, and it was they that he laid down his life
for. And so it was the imputed sin
of the church that was laid on him, and the sacrifice was acceptable
unto God. He saw the travail of his soul
and was satisfied. We are so interested in providing
something, and it's only God that can Raises from the spiritual
dead and causes to see that it has all been taken care of He
is our rest. He's our Sabbath in God's salvation
He is all our salvation. He is every bit of it. Would
you turn with me back to the book of? 2 Samuel. We find that the opening
of this passage of Scripture is called the last words of David,
and there would be no greater words than you and I could utter
in our closing days, in our closing moment, in the Moment that God
calls us home in the last words we give to those around our bed
or the last Words we give to those out in the field if we
die there or wherever we are that we have this Word that David
gives us it it says in verse 1 of 2nd Samuel chapter 23 now
these be the last words of David and then in verse 5 although
my house be not so with God and That's true with all of our homes,
all of our houses, all of our families. There's just a plethora
of them that don't know the first thing about salvation. They're
very religious, no doubt. Have all kinds of righteousness
that they attempt to offer. But here we have that the righteousness
of Christ is the only righteousness that God will accept, and it
is only His sacrifice that He will accept, and it is only His
work. He's the author and finisher of our faith. And here it says,
God hath made Yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant."
It's what a blessing it is to realize that the everlasting
covenant made between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
before the foundation of the world, when it was done on our
behalf, we're the blessed beneficiaries of that wonderful covenant. But
we are not the participants in that covenant. We have no participation. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit in covenant agreement. They're the ones that
have this covenant. And it's on the behalf of a people
that could not even hold up one thought towards God that was
positive before they're saved. They have made with me an everlasting
covenant. Oh, to know that, that God, before
the world began, was in covenant mercy towards His people. Ordered
in all things. That's one thing about the purpose
of God in redemption. It is so orderly. It just flows
with such grace from the throne of grace down to us. So orderly
God has purposed it so orderly. He has said oh I will send my
Gospel to every part of this earth wherever there is a lost
sheep That's been written in the Lamb's Book of Life and there
they shall hear and I will work this work of grace I will give
them what he talked to Nicodemus about I will give them the new
birth He said it's in it sure is so sure, there is no variableness
with it, because there's no shadow or variableness with God, there's
such a surety in this covenant of grace, there's such a surety
in this redemption, there's such a surety in the blood of Jesus
Christ, there's such a surety in the surety. And then he goes
on to say, for this is all my salvation. God has performed
it. He has given it to me. It is
all. There is nothing else. I cannot
do a thing to add to it. In fact, if I do, I've totally
ruined it. So, He is all my salvation and
all my desire. I just want to know Christ. I just want to know the Gospel.
I just want to know to grow in grace and in the knowledge of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To know that it is the gospel
to the church is new every day. Christ is new every day. The
blessings of Christ, the redemptive work of Christ is just such a
blessing to God's people every day. It doesn't tire or wear
out. We're not looking for something
deeper. We find out that's the depths.
We cannot comprehend the depths, but we relish and delight in
the depths of salvation. And then he says, it's all my
salvation and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.
There's a whole bunch of my folks, my family, my children. It's
not apparent to them. may never be apparent to them.
I was taught in religion that if you didn't have your kids
saved by age six, you were a poor, poor father and a poor, poor
pastor. It wasn't until the Lord saved
me and I got acquainted with preachers of the sovereign grace
of God that I realized they would say, I have several children
and most of them don't know the Lord. It wasn't their business
to get them to say the words or to pray the prayer or to get
them to move. They didn't spend their time
at the close of a service and sing Just As I Am until it was
wore out. They didn't spend their time
trying to prod them into a decision for Jesus or a profession of
faith. They realized that people are
saved just like they've always been saved. Salvation is of the
Lord. And if He be pleased, it's our
wonderful privilege to have our children before the gospel, to
have them hear the gospel. Well, once they leave home, we
pray for them, we ask God to be merciful to them. But salvation
is for His people and He will do it exactly as He's purposed
to do it, and He will save exactly whom He has purposed to save.
And there will be no change of mind with God He has an everlasting
covenant. It is ordered in all things and
sure, and this is all my salvation. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. All that the Father gave to the
Lord Jesus are exactly the ones He made atonement for. He had
a particular redemption in mind, and that was only for the church.
He did not lay down his life a ransom for all those that are
without God in hell. He never had a purpose in doing
that. He's going to accomplish his
eternal purpose, and as we mentioned in the very beginning of this
lesson, it is, it was, and it shall ever be the intent of the
Father to send his son to die on the cross to make salvation
sure, not possible. He has sent his son to go beyond
the possibility that his death would not be effective to one,
but he has made sure that his death His burial and his resurrection
were made for the elect, made for those that he knew before
the foundation of the world. So this is a wonderful truth. And in it, we find there is a
Redeemer that actually redeems. There is a ransomer that actually
pays the ransom price. There is a salvation that is
from a Savior that actually is a Savior. And there is no right
hand or left hand in this. It's just He has shared with
us the truth about His very purpose. And He will accomplish it according
to His purpose. And we can rest in that, that
He will save His people from their sins. God put us in the
right place to preach the gospel to the right people. He moves
in mysterious ways to do this, and He will move people so they
can hear the truth of the gospel, or He will move a preacher somewhere
so that these people can hear the truth of the gospel. There
is no hope. in a gospel that is dependent
upon man to get accomplished. There's only hope in a gospel
that has been accomplished in the Lord Jesus Christ. As Jonah
said from the great fish's belly, salvation is of the Lord. God bless you and I trust you'll
have a good week.