Well, turn with me to our text
this week, which is Matthew chapter 20 and verse 28. Matthew chapter 20 and verse
28, where we read this, even as the son of man came not to
be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom
for many, to give his life a ransom for many. That's my text this
week. Last week we looked at redemption.
We looked at the purchasing of a people by the Lord Jesus Christ,
and we looked at the cause of redemption, the cost of redemption,
the consequences that flow from it, and the confidence that results
from it. And we saw that the cause of
redemption is sovereign grace. The love of God, this eternal
love of God for a specific people, unconditional love and sovereign
grace is the cause of redemption. And the cost, the price, is not
silver and gold or corruptible things, but precious blood. the
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and
without spot, the infinitely precious blood of Christ, to
pay the infinite price of the sins of His people. And the consequences
of redemption, having been redeemed, this was the message to Israel,
when they were redeemed, when the redemption price was paid,
that no plague should come upon them. No plague of judgment.
No plague of judgment at all. Nothing to carry into glory.
that, you know, in the picture of leprosy, that where the people
had to show themselves to the priest, the children of God will
carry no plague or trace of it into glory, where our great high
priest will find us wanting. and to be cast without the camp.
No, no plague of judgment, and the confidence that results for
the people of God is a hope of glory. Not, I hope that it might,
or I hope that it possibly will, but a confident expectation of
glory. It is well with my soul, when
my eyes close in death, then I will be immediately in his
presence. This is the confidence that results
from knowing, paid in full, The price has been paid in full.
Now what I want to do this week is to continue this theme and
ask this question. Who specifically are what the
scriptures call the redeemed of the Lord? Psalm 107 verse
2 says, let the redeemed of the Lord say so, let the redeemed
of the Lord praise him. Who are the redeemed of the Lord? You know, why is it important
that we know this? I used to have a friend many
years ago, I think he's still alive up in the north of England,
and he lived in a large family of so-called Christian believers,
and he had embraced the doctrines of sovereign grace and particular
redemption. But his relatives, on the whole,
hadn't. His relatives were absolutely
steeped in Arminian freewillism. Absolutely steeped in it. And
we used to talk about this, whether it mattered. And this guy's view
was that, well, in the end, it doesn't really matter anyway,
so long as they're all there. You know, it doesn't really matter.
So long as Jesus' blood availed for them, it doesn't really matter.
I tell you, it does matter. It matters enormously. If the
rock on which you are building for your salvation, I know there's
a bit of repetition from some of the study because some of
the thoughts of the sermon got into the study earlier on, I'm
afraid, so please bear with me. But if the rock on which some
are building for eternity turns out to be shifting sand, it's
not good. It's of no avail in eternity. If the currency they rely on
to pay their ransom turns out to be a counterfeit, worthless
check, you know like those Reader's Digest prizes, you've won £10,000,
all you have to do is pay so much to get the £10,000, or some
other sort of scam, and it turns out to be worthless, you can't do anything with it,
it's worthless. And so will their salvation appear. If the Christ they trust, oh
yes, they call him Christ, they call him Jesus Christ, they believe
he was a man that walked this earth 2,000 years ago, they believe
that he was born in a stable in Jerusalem, they believe all
of those things, but if the Christ that they worship is an idol
of their own imagination, an idol of their own imagination,
not the sovereign God who saves his people from their sins, that's
worthless. That is ineffectual. It doesn't work. The Holy Spirit
brings the true people of God, those who are truly his people,
to believe his truth, not a distorted version of it. I was once the
darkness of false religion, but God brought me to believe the
truth of his word. And so it is with you. He brings
you to believe the truth of his word, not to believe the rational
thinking of fallen human minds in terms of salvation. and there
are so many around us, read the article that I put in the bulletin,
you know that's true, that's very very sad a situation that
you know was very dear to us all and that's what's being preached
there, it's not clear and yet that was established on absolutely
clear principles of sovereign grace and particular redemption
and now open-ended Arminianism masquerading as Calvinism is
being preached there. No, there's a current downgrade
in reform baptist churches, in preaching, in churches that once
stood as pillars for the truth, in publishing organizations,
it's absolutely outrageous. How do we regard them? Do we
regard them as, oh well they're all brethren but they just happen
to take a different view on secondary matters? Or do we view them,
as I believe the scriptures view them, as peddlers of modern day
Baal religion? That's what I believe it is.
modern-day Baal religion. You know, all the worshippers
of Baal, you know, they would line up so much in thought, philosophy,
and practice with much that calls itself modern-day Christianity
in terms of the philosophy of man and of how to get right with
God. In all matters of doctrine, what's
our standard? It's the Bible, the Bible alone.
With Holy Spirit enlightenment, You know, many people study the
Bible without Holy Spirit Enlightenment, but the Bible with Holy Spirit
Enlightenment is our standard of doctrine. Nothing else. Sola
Scriptura, the Bible alone. Who exactly did Jesus redeem
at Calvary? Who did he pay the ransom price
for? I have found a ransom. Deliver
him from going down to the pit. I have found a ransom. The ransom
was the redemption price paid by the Son of God for the people
of God at Calvary. Who did he pay that price for? Now, I make no apology in this. I've been thinking about this
a lot. It's a theme that has been strongly on my mind for
several weeks now. And I've looked at various ways
of approaching this, but I make no apology for following the
line in Don Faulkner's book, Basic Bible Doctrine, on for
whom did Christ die. So if you read that book and
you think he got his points from there, well, I did. I own up
to it. But I think it's still good for
us to look at this. Did Christ die and pay the ransom
price. This is the question did he die
and pay the ransom price for every human being that ever lived?
Many who call themselves reformed Calvinistic true to scripture
believers say yes he did die for every person that ever lived
and they say but election makes it effective for just those who
believe when they believe. that's a funny odd view of election
but that's the sort of thing that they say they say it was
a wide open offer to make salvation possible for absolutely everybody
but election made some more inclined to exercise their ability to
believe it than others that's not what the scripture teaches
but yet it's rampant places where we never would have believed
it ten or fifteen years ago absolutely rampant there it's totally infiltrated
the publications of absolutely what were once rock-solid foundations
of true scriptural belief and practice many say that but what
does the scripture actually say? Did he die for all who ever lived? For whom is the redemption of
the Lord Jesus Christ effectual? Well, our text tells us, he gave
his life a ransom, doesn't say for all, it says for many. He gave his life a ransom for
many, but not for all. Second Thessalonians chapter
three and verse two says this, all men have not faith. I think
nobody could challenge that text of scripture. You look in the
world around you. All men have not faith. That
is evidently true. It seems as if the vast majority
have no faith whatsoever. The vast majority have no belief
or trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's think of some scriptures.
We read just earlier, Peter read for us, Acts chapter 13 and verse
48, where it says there, who believed when the gospel was
preached by Paul? He went from the Jews to the
Gentiles and the Jews were filled with envy in Acts chapter 13.
And the Gentiles wanted to hear the message of the gospel. And
they came the next Sunday and it was as if the whole city had
come. And the Jews were stirred up with anger. And they heard
the word of God preached by Paul on that Sabbath day. They heard
the word of God preached. and it says, as many as were
ordained to eternal life believed. They received the word gladly
and as many as were ordained to eternal life, who was it?
As many as were ordained to eternal, there is a many that were ordained
to eternal life. That's what the Scripture teaches.
They're the many for whom Christ gave his life, a ransom, a ransom
for many, as many as were ordained to eternal life in the eternal
counsels and purposes of Almighty God. Jesus himself tells us in
John chapter 6 verses 37 to 39 that all that the father gave
him meaning that there was some out of all of mankind that the
father gave to the son and by the same token there were some
that he passed by and didn't give to the son but all those
whom the father gave to the son will come to him And the one
who comes, not knowing whether he's amongst them or not, but
by faith pleading for mercy, he will in no wise cast out.
in Matthew 26 and verse 28, Jesus is instituting the Lord's Supper
and he says of the cup, the cup of remembrance, the cup of wine,
he says, when you drink this together in remembrance of me,
think of my blood. He wasn't saying this was his
blood, literally, he was saying symbolically, think of my blood.
This is my blood of the New Testament, of the New Covenant. shed for
many, not for all, shed for many, to give his life a ransom for
many. Romans 5 verse 19, It says, all
were made sinners, but by the doing and dying of the Lord Jesus
Christ, many were made righteous. Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 10,
in bringing many sons to glory, many sons, not all, not everybody
that ever lived. In Revelation 14 verses 3 and
4, a number is put upon it. It says, these are the 144,000
redeemed from among men. What does that mean literally?
No, of course not. The book of Revelation is a book
of symbology. But what does it mean? 144,000, think about it. 12 times
12 times 10 times 10 times 10. 12, the Old Testament church,
the Old Testament patriarchs. 12, the New Testament apostles,
speaking of the church of God throughout all ages. 10, God's
number of completeness. Ten times ten times ten. We live
in a three-dimensional universe. Ten times ten times... It's God's
church. It's his perfect number. That's
who he redeemed. A specific number. a multitude
which no man can number, but symbolically represented by 144,000,
meaning it's a specific number. Just like the valley of the dry
bones, when the Spirit of God came upon them, they stood upon
their feet a mighty army in their ranks. And you can see from their
ranks, you can see where one is missing, every one of them.
You could see where a building block was missing from the temple,
for the church of God is the temple of the living God, made
out of living stones, hewn from the quarry. and cut and shaped
and put in, and it's obvious if one's missing, a specific
number. A multitude that no man can number,
but known to God, a fixed and specific number. Titus 2 and
verse 14 speaks of the people of God as a peculiar people. Now I know the world calls the
true believers of Christ odd, strange, peculiar. And this is
a word that the King James Version uses of the people of God, and
I think the meaning of it has changed in modern parlance. It
doesn't mean quirky, bizarre, it means a specially chosen out
people, a peculiar people, peculiar to God, a peculiar people redeemed
from all iniquity. This is the people of God. It's
the us. Who are the many? It's the us.
of Scripture for whom Christ atone. How many times do you
read in the New Testament epistles, the epistles are written to groups
of believers, churches of believers, and he talks again and again
about he has saved us and called us with a holy calling. He's
redeemed us with his blood, the us of Scripture. If he died for
all, if he paid the ransom price for all to the justice of God,
for it's the justice of God that must be satisfied, if a man is
to be right with God and have that holiness without which no
man shall see God, then the justice of God must be satisfied, the
ransom price must be paid, if he died for all and thus everyone
who ever lived is amongst that all, then not one of them, not
one solitary person, can be accused on the day of judgment of any
violation of the law at the judgment seat of Christ. Irrespective
of what they've done, whether they've accepted him or not,
irrespective of that, if Christ died for all, he paid the law's
price to justify all for everyone for whom he died is justified
justified from eternity in the blood of the lamb who was slain
from the foundation of the world if that was the case but it evidently
isn't evidently not evidently not you see none would go to
hell if that was the case but Christ speaks so much about that So who are this many? Who are the many for whom Christ
gave his life a ransom? Who are the us according to scripture? Well here are eight things. This is how they're described
in eight ways in the book of God, in the word of God. First
of all, they are every sinner that was loved of God everlastingly. Every sinner loved of God. There
are some sinners who were loved of God everlastingly, from among
the rest who were not loved of God everlastingly. Every sinner
who was loved of God everlastingly. They comprised this many, for
whom Christ gave his life a ransom. God so loved the world, says
John 3.16, And we say, oh that opens it up. God so loved the
world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Remember
he was speaking to a Jew, a Pharisee, who thought that only Jews were
the objects of God's grace. And yet Jesus said to him, God
so loved a world of sinners. Not everybody in the world, but
a world of Jews and Gentiles. who were the objects of His grace.
Romans 5 verse 8 says this, God commends His love for us in that
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Who did Christ die
for? Those for whom God commends His
love, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Every sinner loved of God everlastingly. is the many for whom Christ gave
his life a ransom. To pay that ransom, I have found
a ransom, deliver him from going down to the pit. 1 John chapter
3 and verse 16, another 3.16, hereby perceive we the love of
God. How do we know that God loved
us? How do we know that God loved his people? How do we know that
he loved the many for whom he gave his life a ransom? We perceive
the love of God because He laid down His life for us. 1 John
chapter 4 and verse 10. Herein is love. Herein is true
love. Not that we loved God, but that
He loved us and sent His Son to be a propitiation for our
sins. You see, vast multitudes The
Son of God will not be a propitiation for their sins, but for the people
of God, for the many for whom He gave His life a ransom. God
sent His Son for those whom He loved to be a propitiation, a
turning away of anger, a satisfying of justice for our sins. Romans
9 verse 13, Echoing Malachi chapter 1 verses 2 and 3, Jacob have
I loved, says God, but Esau have I hated. Jacob have I loved? It's quite clear, isn't it? The
Scriptures make a clear distinction. I know you know these things,
but they need to be reinforced so that we're not in any doubt.
Because we live in days when this truth of sovereign grace
and particular redemption is being downgraded amongst those
who used to stand as pillars for the truth. Tragically, in
our day. It's all in the purposes of God,
but nevertheless, in the purposes of man, this is tragic. that
these things are being downgraded. In John 13 and verse 1, we read
there that having loved his own, Jesus having loved his own, his
own people, his own disciples, having loved his own, he loved
them to the end. He loved his people to the end.
Now, if it was all If it was all, how could he possibly say,
Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated? Isn't it surely
nonsense to suggest that Esau was among those who were his
own loved ones, having loved his own, he loved them to the
end? Who are the many for whom Christ
gave his life a ransom? Who are the many sons who he's
bringing to glory? Who is the many for whom he shed
the blood of the New Testament? Who are the many that he made
righteous? Who is the peculiar people? Those
who he loved everlastingly. Those who he loved as Jeremiah
says, Jeremiah 23, I have loved you with an everlasting love. These are the ones Oh, to be
loved of God. It doesn't matter what else happens
to you in life. Ups and downs, highs and lows,
benefits and losses, all of these things, but to know, I have loved
you, says God, with an everlasting love. Oh, what a privilege. How do you know it? You believe
Him. Secondly, they're called God's elect. in the Scriptures. Who are the many for whom Christ
gave his life a ransom? In the Scriptures they're called
God's elect. Turn with me to Romans chapter
8. Now I know these are very familiar verses but I just want
you to read them with me. Romans chapter 8 beginning at
verse 28. And let's read them with a little
bit of comment. Romans 8 verse 28. He's already said right at the
start, there is therefore now no condemnation. To whom? To
whom? To them which are in Christ Jesus,
not to anybody else, who walk not after the flesh but after
the spirit. And verse 28, and we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God. To them, and not to
the others, to them who are the called according to his purpose. There are some who are the called
according to his purpose and the implication is that there
are others who are not called according to his purpose. For
whom? Do you see how distinctive this
is? For whom? There are those he
did foreknow, that means he sovereignly chose. He also did predestinate,
ordered their steps. Why? That they might be conformed,
specifically a people, not generally, a specific people to the image
of his son. That he might be the firstborn
among many a number, a specific number, of brethren. Moreover,
whom he did predestinate, them he also called with the preaching
of the gospel and the call of the irresistible call of the
Holy Spirit. And whom he called, them he also
justified. He justified them from eternity.
And whom he justified, them he also glorified. We're not there
yet. Just like the lamb was slain from the foundation of the world,
so the glorification of his people here is as if it's already accomplished. Hence the hope is not a maybe,
possibly, perhaps, I wish that, but a definite, confident expectation. Them he also glorified. What
shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? Whatever force it might be, whatever
set of circumstances it might be, if God be for us, who can
be against us? What has he done for these people?
What has he done for them? He spared not his own son. He's
delivered up his son at a cost that I don't understand, you
don't understand, I wonder if we'll ever even in eternity fully
understand. I don't know. But he spared not
his own son, but delivered him up for us all. Does that mean
everybody? No, of course not. In the context,
it's those who are the called according to his purpose, who
he foreknew, who he did predestinate, whom he called, whom he justified. He is the one who is for those
people. He spared not his own son, but
delivered him up for us all. How shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? He's justified us. There's no
charge to lay against God's elect. God's justified His elect. You
know, I don't believe in the doctrine of election, I've heard
people say. Oh, I'm a Christian, but I can't cope with this doctrine
of election. Sorry. Do you believe the Scriptures? Read the Scriptures. The man
that we used to listen to preaching years ago in Lancaster used to
preach an evangelical gospel, but couldn't stand Romans 8 and
9 because it's there, you can't avoid it, can you? Look, who
shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? Absolutely clear. It is God that justifies. He's
done it. Who is He that condemns? Christ
died for those people, His elect. Yea, rather, that He's risen
again. You see, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's
elect, for Christ has died for His elect. A ransom for many. They are the ones for whom He
has died, who is even at the right hand of God. Who shall
separate us from the love of Christ? Who shall separate his
people from the love of Christ? My Father is greater than all. None shall pluck them out of
his hand. Shall tribulation, or we all experience trouble
of varying degrees and different types, or distress, or persecution,
or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword, as it is written, for
thy sake we are killed all the day long, we are accounted In
other words, we suffer the pains and aggravations and emotional
and physical upsets in this life just like everybody else. The
believers of God, the elect of God are in no way immune from
any of those things. But in all of these things, because
of what we know of what He has done for His people, we are more
than conquerors. More than conquerors. Oh, I'm
so weak. I'm so frail. I've got such a nervous disposition. I'm so uncertain. Are you one
of the elect of God? Do you believe Him? Do you trust
Him? Has He shown you that He's ransomed you? That He's redeemed
you? You're more than conqueror. through him who loved us. I'm
persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers of which there are many, nor things present, nor
things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus. He's chosen his people. This
is what it means, absolutely clearly. I have chosen you, you
have not chosen me. Ephesians 1-4, chosen in him
before the foundation of the world. Means, means, picked out
from among the non-chosen. What does it mean? You go picking,
you go looking for fruit on the supermarket stall and you want
to get a peach, and what do you do? You look at all the peaches
that are there. and you elect a peach to be your
peach, I'm going to have that one, and you pick it out from
all the rest. In the same way, God chose a people for himself. Who are they? They're those who
are written in the book of life, the Lamb's book of life, Revelation
20 verse 15. It talks about those subject
to judgment who are not written in the Lamb's Book of Life. It
says that in Revelation 21, 27, that entering into heaven, getting
into heaven, there shall in no wise enter anything that defiles
or works abominations or makes a lie, but only those will get
in who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Those who are the
elect of God, chosen in Christ from before the foundation of
the world, saved us and called us with a holy calling, redeemed
in Christ before the foundation of the world. Thirdly, the many,
who are the many for whom he gave his life for ransom? they
are those who are the objects of his suretyship. Right? A surety is one who stands as
a a guarantor. You may get to the stage, let's
say some of you go off to university or something like that and you
want to rent a flat or an apartment at some stage and there's a very
good chance that the landlord will say, I don't trust you,
you're too young, you don't know what to do with money yet, I
need somebody to stand as a guarantor for you. a surety for you. And so you'll have to go back
home to dad and get him to sign a piece of paper to say if he
fails to pay, okay, I'll pay it. I've done it before and it
will happen as the generations go on. A surety, a guarantor. In all sorts of situations, financial
situations, stand as a guarantor. An old poem of Wordsworth, it
was about an old shepherd called Michael up on the hills who who
worked very very faithfully and then in his old age when he was
getting frail he foolishly signed a form of guarantor for a very
wayward nephew you can read the poem Michael by Wordsworth and
it's the sorry tale about how that man had worked hard all
his life it was obviously a true story and Wordsworth knew the
news of it and he wrote a poem about it but that man stood surety
for his nephew who made waste of his position and Michael lost
everything that was his as a result of it and they had to sell their
smallholding. You see, that's the meaning of
the term. Christ stood surety, guarantor for this people, the
many for whom he gave his life a ransom. It says in Hebrews
7.22 effectively that it's by a divine oath, by a divine legal
binding promise was Jesus made a surety of a better testament
than the old covenant. He was made the guarantor of
a legal will to save a specific people. And you know, when you
write your last will and testament, specific people are named in
it. You know, a last will and testament doesn't say I give
all of my property to anybody who chooses to accept my property.
I don't know if some lawyer can find me a case in law where anybody
ever wrote a will that said I leave all my estate and all my worldly
goods to whoever wants to get it. Just imagine it. Can you
imagine it? It doesn't work, does it? you
write a will, you know, there are some of you here today that
are named in my will, and there are others of you, sorry, apologies
to you, but it's true, you're not in my will, that's the way
it is, and likewise with your wills towards me, I'm sure. Wills
are specific things, the will of God. in the Better Testament,
in the New Testament, in the legal will of the New Covenant,
was that Christ was surety for a specific people. My servant,
we read in Isaiah 43 earlier on, my servant whom I have chosen,
specifically one, chosen out of all the others, just as a
human will and testament is for specific objects, so it is. Fourthly, These people, these
many, for whom Christ gave his life a ransom, they're God's
people. Isaiah 53, I'm going to have
to hurry, aren't I? Isaiah 53 verse 8. For the transgression,
who did Christ die for? It's the chapter of the suffering
servant. suffering for his people, paying
the penalty for his people. He was stricken. He bore the
stripes of his people. With his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray. That chapter, Isaiah 53, and
it says, verse 8, for the transgression of my people was he stricken. God has a people Chosen in Christ
before the foundation of the world Call his name Jesus the
angel said to Joseph Matthew 1 21 Why for he shall save everybody
from their sins doesn't say that does it for he shall save his
people from their sins Revelation 5 verse 9 redeemed of the Lord
sing this, thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of
every kindred, tongue, people, and nation." The people of God,
a peculiar people, as Peter writes, a peculiar, his special people.
He shall save his people from their sins again and again. In
the Scriptures, in the Old Testament, God talks about His people, He
says, They shall be My people, and I will be their God. It's
so specific. You know, do we believe what
we would want to believe in the flesh, or do we believe what
God has revealed in His Word? Fifthly, these people, the many,
for whom He gave His life a ransom, are His sheep. His sheep. John
10, Verse 3, John chapter 10 and verse 3, he says, my sheep,
meaning that there are others who are not his sheep, my sheep
hear my voice. He calls his own sheep by name. He leads them out. Very specific,
isn't it? I've told you before, you know,
if you ever watch Countryfile on the BBC, and there's Adam
the farmer who is very proud of his rare breed sheep. Now,
you go along to him and say, I think I fancy one of your sheep.
I think you'll meet with some resistance because they are his
sheep. He values his sheep. I would
even go so far as to say that that farmer, he's not soft in
the head, but he loves his sheep. They're his sheep. They're his
special treasure, these rare breed sheep that he keeps. Christ
loves his sheep. they hear his voice they don't
follow a stranger they follow him Christ does this I don't
know whether Adam would go quite this far for his sheep John 10
verse 11 he's the good shepherd is our Lord Jesus Christ he gives
his life for the sheep he gave his life a ransom for many he
lays down his life for the sheep he says to those unbelieving
Pharisees he says you believe not because you are not of my
sheep, because all of his sheep are brought to believe him. Note
it doesn't go the other way round, he doesn't say you haven't become
my sheep because you haven't believed me, he says you don't
believe because you are not of my sheep. All of his sheep All
of his sheep are brought to believe him. They hear his voice. He
says, I know them, and they follow me. He says, I give them eternal
life. They never perish. In Revelation
14, verse 4, he says that his sheep follow the lamb, who is
the good shepherd, wherever he goes. His sheep follow him wherever
he goes. Sixthly, they're his children,
the children of God. Oh aren't we all children of
God? Well in a sense, in a creation sense, yes, we're all the result
of the creation of God. But his people, the ransom, the
many for whom he paid the ransom, for whom he gave his life a ransom,
They're his children specifically. Do you know that the high priest
Caiaphas prophesied, John 11 verse 52, he prophesied because
it was the office of the high priest to prophesy. And although
he was a lost man, and although he was plotting the downfall
of this man, Jesus of Nazareth, he was plotting the destruction
of this man, yet he prophesied truth. He said this, also that
he should gather together in one the children of God that
were scattered abroad. Gather together in one. The children
of God. God has his people scattered
throughout. What does it say in Revelation?
He's redeemed us out of every tribe and kindred and tongue
and nation and people. A people. He's gathered together.
Romans 9, 8. It says there of the Jews. The
children of the flesh These are not the children of God, not
by virtue of their physical descent, but the children of the promise,
the children of the promise to Abraham of justification in one
who would come. The children of promise are counted
for the seed. Number seven, they're called
believers. gave His life a ransom for many.
Who are the many? They're all of these things,
loved of God, the elect of God, the objects of His suretyship,
His people, His sheep, His children, but they're believers. They're
believers. How do you know that you're amongst
them? You believe Him. They're believers. They're not
idolaters. There are lots of people who
call themselves believers who are truly idolaters because they
don't believe the God of the Bible. They don't believe the
Christ of Scripture. says in John chapter 1 verses
12 and 13 it talks about them that believe on his name who
are born by the will of God they believe on his name they don't
believe a false message about him they don't believe in an
idol that they've carved out in their own minds about who
Jesus who the Christ really is and then eighthly eighthly The
many for whom He gave His life a ransom, the many is the Church,
the Church of God. The Church, the Ecclesia, Acts
20 verse 28, the Church of God which He, God, purchased with
His own, God's own blood. God, the Son of, in the person
of the Son of God, a body was prepared that God might have
a body with human blood that he might purchase the church
of God with the blood of God. That's what that text says. Paul
writes to the Ephesians, husbands, love your wives as Christ. Christ
loved the church and gave himself for every, no, for it. He gave
himself a ransom for the church In the Song of Solomon, chapter
6, that great love story of Christ and His church. That deep, deep
emotional Strong love story. He says in Song chapter 6 and
verses 8 and 9, there are many queens, there are many concubines,
there are many virgins, symbolically talking about the world of religion
and of humanity all around us. He says there are many there.
But, my dove, my undefiled is but one. One church. He gave himself for it. There
are not many denominations. There are not many brands and
varieties. Christ has one church. Oh, he
has little congregations. Little groups of believers, as
our friends in South London say, you know, Mephibosheth, just
limping along, leaning on their beloved. Not trusting in hierarchies,
ecclesiastical hierarchies and denominations, but the church
of the living God. the dove, the undefiled one of
the Lord Jesus Christ. These are the ones for whom he
gave his life a ransom. He didn't give his life a ransom
for those, as he says in Isaiah 27 verse 11, I will not have
mercy on them. I will show them no mercy. Romans
11 verse seven, the election hath obtained it and the rest
were blinded. You see how specific the scriptures
are. When Christ went to the cross,
This is the point to get from all of this. When Christ went
to the cross, he knew exactly, individually, every sinner for
whom he would die and pay the specific price of redemption.
And that's how we can be sure it was actually, specifically
paid. And the bill was stamped paid
in full. The sins were blotted out, to
use the language of the old office ledger and the ink, blotted out
so that there's no record of it ever being there. Their sins
were blotted out. Now, if you believe the true
Christ of Scripture with saving faith, you can know that the
ransom for your eternal soul has been paid in full. And the
result? Rejoice. Rejoice. Be glad. It is well with my soul.