Mark chapter 10, I want to continue
our study on what men call the doctrines of grace. We started
two, two times ago, not two Sundays ago, but two times ago, we started
a study on what men call the doctrines of grace. I say what
men call the doctrines of grace because that term is not in the
Bible. As a matter of fact, every time
the word doctrine is used in a plural sense, doctrines, every
time in scripture that it's plural, it's referring to false religion
every single time. It speaks of the doctrines of
men. Doctrine means teaching. It means
words. It speaks of the doctrines of devils. It speaks of strange
doctrines. Every time it's spoken of in
truth in regard to the Lord Jesus Christ, it is singular doctrine. It's referred to as His doctrine. There's one teaching. There's
one word. The doctrine of Christ. That's what the scripture says.
The doctrine of Christ. But with that being said, the
doctrine is made up of different truths, and we're looking at
five of them in this study. First, we looked at total depravity. Total depravity. Man's complete
and total ruin in sin. Total corruption. Total means
all of it. Total wickedness. Total death. Total depravity. Then we looked
at unconditional election. Unconditional on our part. The condition on God's part was
Christ. We were chosen in Him, but it
was His choosing who He would save of His own will and His
own decision without our influence at all. Unconditional election. Now we're gonna look at limited
atonement. And another way of saying that
is particular redemption. And this is what that means.
Look at Mark 10, verse 45. Mark 10, verse 45, it says, for
even the son of man came not to be ministered unto,
but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. We just mentioned the word atonement,
limited atonement. And we mentioned the word redemption,
particular redemption. This says ransom. A ransom is a payment. A redemption is a payment. An atonement is a covering. It's an appeasement by way of
an exchange, a payment. That's what it is. This is talking
about a payment. Christ made a payment for sin. I'm a sinner. You're a sinner. And Christ made a payment for
sin. Christ made a payment to cover sin. He made a payment
to appease God for sin that was committed against him. The payment
was his own death. That was the payment. Without
the shedding of blood, there was no remission for sins. The
wages of sin was death. The payment owed was death. So
that's the payment that Christ made. And here is the truth regarding
his payment, all right? Verse 45 says, for even the son
of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to
give his life a ransom for many, many. Turn with me if you would
to Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53 verse 10 says, Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise
Christ. He hath put him to grief. When
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed,
he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall
prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of
his soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore
will I divide him a portion with the great and he shall divide
the spoil with the strong because he hath poured out his soul unto
death And he was numbered with the transgressors and he bared
the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors. Do you
notice the word many? Do you notice that it does not
say all? Everybody, it does not say everybody.
Now here is the truth that all of us must face. Here is the
truth that every soul on this earth must face. Either Christ died for everybody
or he didn't. It's one or the other. It's just
one or the other. Either Christ died for everybody
or he didn't. And according to the scripture,
he didn't. He did not. That's what is meant
in saying limited atonement. Limited does not mean limited
in power or ability, which is what is preached in pulpits all
over this world, that he is limited in power, limited in ability,
He has no hands but your hands. He needs for you to give him
permission. Limited, that's not what it means, not at all. It
does not mean that the price that he paid was limited and
you're good as long as you don't go over the price he paid. You
better not sin more than he paid for, because it's limited. That's
not what it means. The value and the power and the
accomplishment of his redemption payment was limitless. It has no limit. It was limitless
to every soul that he made the payment for. He did not make the payment for
everybody. He made the payment for every
totally depraved sinner that God the Father unconditionally
elected and gave to him to make that payment for. That's who
he made the payment for. Christ's payment was limited
to the elect. only for the elect. His redemption
payment of his own death and his own blood, it was for a specific
people, a particular people. It was a particular redemption. And here's what that means. He
knew exactly who he was dying for. That blesses my heart. He knew every single soul that
he was dying for. How could he possibly know that?
A number no man can number. Out of every tribe, nation, kindred,
and tongue on this earth. According to his word, every
generation. How could he know that? Well,
he's God. That was the God man. And he
did. He knew exactly who he was dying
for. His death was not an offer to
anybody. His redemption payment was not
an offer and it is not an offer to anybody. The death of Jesus
Christ and the blood of Jesus Christ is not an offer to anybody. It was a transaction between
God the Son and God the Father. It was a payment in full from
God the Son to God the Father for an exact known people. The payment was made on the cross
of Calvary. From the cross, the Lord Jesus
Christ cried, it is finished. And what he was saying in that
was, the atonement has been made. That's what he was saying. The
atonement has been made. The redemption is complete. My people are bought with a price. And that payment will forever
stand in glory on their behalf, forever. The glory of the gospel
and the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ is He came into this world
to make a sin-redeeming payment for His chosen people, and He
did it. He did it. He was successful
in making that payment, and it's done. And to deny the success
of that payment, to deny the accomplishment of that payment
and the finished work of that payment, That is an offense to
God. That's an offense to God. And that is blasphemy against
the Lord Jesus Christ. To say that Christ made a general
payment, again, this is what natural mankind believes, that
Christ made a general payment for sin. And to say that He did
that, you know, for men and women to just take it or leave it as
they choose, to say that His payment is on the table, but
it won't be applied to the debt unless you lay hold of it and
apply it to your debt. To say that He loves you and
He wants to save you, He really truly wants to make that payment
for you, but He can't unless you let Him. That is a lie on God. That's
a lie on God. And that's a lie on the redemption
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here are the two greatest lies
that have ever been told. I'm gonna tell you this, every
man and woman on this earth is a liar. Every man and woman in
this room is a liar. Let God be true and every man
a liar, okay? We have all lied, all have lied. And I'll tell you the two greatest
that have ever been told. Number one, it's that God loves
everybody. And number two, it's that Christ
died for everybody. God loves everybody and Christ
died for everybody. If God loves somebody and wants
to save that person but can't, then number one, he's not God. If God wants to save a soul,
loves that soul, wants that soul to be with him where he is and
can't do it, number one, he's not God. And number two, what
does his love have to do with anything? What would it have
to do with anything? What would we need God's love
for if he can't save us? Thank God it can save us and
it did save us. The payment that Jesus Christ
made on the cross of Calvary, it saved every single one of
his elect people from their sins. Every one of them. He knew exactly
who he was dying for. Every single drop of his blood
was shed for them specifically. Not one drop of his blood was
wasted. Not one drop. Not one drop was
shed in vain. He knew his own and having loved
his own, he loved him to the end. Now let's take just a minute
here and prove all of this, all right? I've said some big statements. Let's prove it with scripture.
Turn with me to Luke 5. Luke 5 verse 32, our Lord said,
I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. He said, there's a particular
group of people that I did not come for. And there's a particular
group of people that I did come for. And he said, those who see
themselves as being righteous in the flesh before God. That
means those who see themselves as being worthy and ready to
go to heaven. Yes, I'm going to heaven. If anybody's going to heaven,
I'm going to heaven. It's because I've done good enough. I've lived well enough. Any person who sees himself or
herself to be in that condition, the Lord Jesus Christ said, I
did not come for that person. I really do want to warn everybody.
Humble down. Get honest with your own self
and get honest with God concerning your sin, because me and you
are sinners. Let's not try to pull a fast
one on God. Any person who says, yeah, yeah,
I'm a church goer. Yep. Mm-hmm. I don't cuss and
I don't chew and run with women who do. Be careful. Be careful. He said, I didn't come for them.
I didn't come to save them. I didn't come to call them to
myself. He said, there's a particular
group of people who I came for, and it's those who see themselves
in the flesh as being sinners. Sinners. I can't wait to not
be a sinner. Let me just... I'll just speak for myself. This
is my own mind, my own heart. I'm looking so forward to not
being a sinner. I can't wait. But it's gonna
take glory to make that happen. Until that moment, I can't help it. I just can't
help it. And neither can you. But he said,
that's who I came for. Look at Luke 19 with me. Luke 19 verse 10 says, For the
Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost,
specifically. His own property that was lost.
Lost. What was his property that was
lost? Look at Luke 15. Back a few pages
to Luke 15 verse 3. He spake this parable unto them,
saying, What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one
of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness and
go after that which is lost until he find it? And when he hath
found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when
he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying
unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep, which
was lost. My sheep, Christ Jesus came into
the world specifically for his lost sheep. He died specifically
for his lost sheep. Look at John 10. John 10, our Lord gave a parable
right here, and it's important that we understand the parable
to understand what he's saying. Verse one, verily, verily, I
say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold,
but climbeth up some other way, the same as a thief and a robber,
but he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
To him the porter openeth and the sheep hear his voice and
he calleth his own sheep by name and leadeth them out. And what
he's saying is all of these shepherds had all these sheep that they
would watch by day. And at night when it was time
for the shepherds to go to sleep, they would bring them all to
this huge walled fold And all the shepherds would put
their sheep in one fold and there was one door and it was kept
by a doorkeeper, a porter. And he would watch them all night
and keep them safe. And then the next morning, one
by one, the shepherds would walk through that door and each shepherd
would call their sheep, full of sheep, all sheep. But not all the sheep belonged
to that shepherd. And that shepherd would call,
and those sheep would hear his voice, and know, that's my shepherd.
And those sheep only would come to him, and he would lead them
out. Verse 4, and when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth
before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him,
for they know not the voice of strangers. Verse 14, he said,
I am the good shepherd and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even
so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. That's
who I died for. Specifically, verse 24, then
came the Jews round about him and said unto him, How long does
thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us
plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you
and you believed not. The works that I do in my Father's
name, they bear witness of me, but you believe not because you
are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. He didn't say you're
not my sheep because you don't believe. He said you don't believe
because you're not my sheep. Faith was not given to you to
believe. Verse 27, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and
they follow me and I give unto them eternal life and they shall
never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
He's speaking of a specific people that he particularly redeemed. Turn to John 17. John 17 verse 1. These words
spake Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father,
the hour is come. Glorify thy son, that thy son
also may glorify thee, as thou hast given him power over all
flesh, that he should give eternal life to everybody. All flesh. Is that what he said? To as many as thou hast given
him. That's who he came to give eternal
life to. That's who Christ came and died
for. Every soul his father gave to
him. Verse six, I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou
gavest me out of the world. Thine they were and thou gavest
them me. And they've kept thy word. In
Christ, he kept it for him. Verse nine, I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but
for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine. Verse
11, and now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world,
and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine
own name those whom thou hast given me, the ones you gave to
me, that they may be one. as we are. Verse 24, Father,
I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where
I am, that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given
me, for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world.
O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee, but I have
known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me And I
have declared unto them thy name and will declare it that the
love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them. This redemption was particular.
We see that? It was particular. The atonement
of Christ's blood, it was limited to every soul that the Father
chose to give to Christ. And every soul that the Father
gave to Christ will come to see that. Every one of them. John 6, 45 says, every soul that
the Father draws to Christ will be taught of God to see that. Let me close with Romans 5. Go
to Romans 5 and I'm done. Romans 5 verse 6. For when we were yet without
strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. I would love to just go around
sometime and poll people. Just get a notepad and a pen
and poll people. Just ask them yes or no. Are
you ungodly? And just see what they say. No. Verse six, when we were yet without
strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. I'll confess to you, that's what
I am in my flesh. Verse seven, for scarcely for
a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man,
some would even dare to die. But God commended his love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than being now justified
by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if,
when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death
of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved
by His life. And not only so, but we also
joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received
the atonement. The atonement because of Christ,
because of his payment, God's people are redeemed. God is appeased. God's justice is satisfied and
his people are safe. His people are safe. Okay. How
can I know if I'm one of them? It was a particular people, not
everybody. How can I know if I'm one of
them? Here's how we can know. God's spirit will come to us
and he will give us faith by way of irresistible grace. It'll be a gift. that no matter
how wicked and sinful we are, it will overpower us, it will
overrun us, it will flatten us on our backs, and cause us to
believe every single word he has written in this book. And
we will say amen. Whatever it says, we'll say amen.
And Lord willing, we'll look at that next time. All right,
you're dismissed.