Good morning. If you would, open
your Bibles to John chapter 15. We will make our way over to
Hebrews 8 where Jared read in a bit. I want to start off the message
with a story. A story of when I was 12 years
old. I, along with six or seven of
my friends, were staying overnight at one of my buddies' house.
And we were having a good time and just typically just trying
to get into mischief, doing whatever we could. And someone had the
great idea about midnight, you know, we should sneak out. Well,
I knew we weren't allowed to sneak out. Whether it was his
parents who'd said that, or my parents, or whoever, I knew that
that was gonna be a bad choice. But it got late, and someone
went first, and I made the choice to follow them. So we all went
outside, middle of the night, and I stayed right in front of
the house. But it was really cool being
outside. I was doing something I wasn't
supposed to do. But the others started walking down the street,
and I thought, well, maybe I won't go that far. So I stayed. Well, after a few minutes, it
kind of got old, and we all went back inside. Well, I don't know
if it was the next morning or the next one after that, but
it was the summer, and I was going about doing what I wanted.
And I went to the swimming pool one day and came back home, and
my mom was there waiting for me. And she said, well, actually
she came to pick me up and brought me home. And it was really quiet
the whole way home. And when we got there, she said, Luke,
is there anything you want to tell me? Well, I didn't have
anything I wanted to tell her, but the moment she said that,
I knew exactly what she was talking about. Well, I just said, well,
the other night when we were at Justin's house, we all snuck
out. And so she asked me more questions
and we went on about it. And as soon as we finished, she
said, well, tonight we've got to go somewhere. And I said,
where? She said, well, you'll find out.
Well, the next few hours were awful, because I didn't know
what it meant. Well, we went over back to Justin's house,
and when we pulled up in front of the house, there were a lot
of cars there, of all of my friends that were there the other night.
So we walked in, and we sat, the kids all sat, the boys all
sat on these couches, just standing there waiting, or sitting there
waiting. And our parents were all around us standing up, but
no one was in front of the couches. Well, all of a sudden, in walks
two police officers. And for a 12-year-old, that was
a pretty scary sight. They walked and stood in front
of us, and they talked for a minute, asked what happened and everything.
And then the thing I remember the most about the whole thing
was this police officer, towards the end, said, now boys, life
is all about choices. He said, every choice you make
matters, and you need to make better choices. Well, that stuck
with me. And I realized that there were
a couple different choices I made that night. If I just would have
made one choice better, I would not have been in trouble. Because
there was one boy that was there, and he made the choice not to
go outside. Well, he wasn't in trouble. But I made the choice
to go outside, so I was in trouble. Now, I tell you this story because
of that part that that policeman told me, where he said, life
is a bunch of choices, and the choices you make will determine
where you end up. Now, humanly speaking, that is
a true statement. Kids, it's important. Every single
choice that you make matters. It may not seem like it matters,
and it may not seem like this one little inconsequential choice,
such as just walking out the door or not, but all of them
define where we go. I'm not gonna give you a moral
lesson or teach you things because that's not what we do here, okay?
We preach salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. And if you hear
enough messages about that, you won't ever have to have a question
about the way you should act or what you should do. So you
say, well then why did you tell us this big long story about
your life is determined on choices and the choices you make show
where you go? Well, I told you the story because, unfortunately,
there are some people that think that motto for life is the motto
for salvation as well. And I don't know about you guys,
but anytime I'm ever having a conversation with someone about religion,
and the word choice comes into play, it just gives me this,
the word we use is heebie-jeebies. It makes me just shake, like
just, oh, we're gonna go here. And I don't know if it's because
I'm frustrated, because that's what the person believes, or
because someone told them that. I don't know why I feel that
way. But I almost always know what's coming, and it's difficult
to listen to. And someone's gonna say something
along the lines of, You know, you have to make good choices.
You have to choose God, or you have to choose Him. He's gone
part way, you have to make the choice to go the rest, all those
different things. So I wanted to look up the word choice in
the Bible, or choices, and I looked it up. It's in there 21 times. And do you know not one single
time is the word choice used in the Bible have anything to
do with salvation. Not one time does it have anything
to do with that. So, maybe I'm using the wrong
form of the word. Maybe there's something else
to it. Well, let me tell you the title of my message first.
And when I started this, there's no way in the world I would have
thought this is the title I would have ended up with. But the title
for my message is, The Choices That Make Salvation. Okay, The
Choices That Make Salvation. All right, here in John 15, Look at verse 16. Ye have not chosen me, but I
have chosen you. The first choice that was made
for our salvation was God chose a people. Okay, now let's continue
with that, verse 16. You have not chosen me, but I
have chosen you and ordained you that ye should go and bring
forth fruit and that your fruit should remain that whatsoever
ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
These things I command you that ye love one another. If the world
hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you
were of the world, the world would love his own, but because
you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the
world, therefore the world hateth you. A couple pages back, let
me read a verse to you. I speak not of you all, when
it pertains to salvation, I know whom I have chosen. So I just told you the word choice
wasn't in the scriptures, but yet you're trying to tell me
that choices are what made salvation? Well, the reason the word choice
is never used when it pertains to salvation is because the word
that's always used is chose. It's a past tense word. Anyone
who reads this book should not make the mistake to think that
when it says chose, that it's something you should do, okay?
If I told you that I chose something, would you then think in your
mind, well, I need to choose for him? No, if I chose it, it's
too late, right? I made the decision, I did it,
you can't change that now. Well, that's how salvation is.
Okay, turn with me to 2 Thessalonians 2. Our pastor went through this
not that long ago, 2 Thessalonians 2, and look at verse 13. So why
do we use the past term here? Why do we use the past tense
of choice? We use chose or chosen. Look at 2 Thessalonians 2 verse
13. But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you,
brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning
chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit
and belief of the truth. It says chosen, and that's a
past tense thing. Well, how far back do we go?
Like, I mean, was this chosen just a little while ago, or was
it chosen when I still had a chance to make a choice and I just missed
it? No, in Ephesians 1 it says this, 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, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according
to the good pleasure of His will. He made a choice according to
the good pleasure of His will to select a people. Now, the
second choice, the first choice was God chose a people. The second
choice is the Lord Jesus Christ chose to live for those people
that were chosen. Turn with me to John 1. John
1. And look at verse six. There was a man sent from God
whose name was John. The same came for a witness to
bear witness of the light that all men through him might believe.
He was not that light, John was not that light, but was sent
to bear witness of that light. That was the true light which
lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the
world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him
not. He came into His own, and His
own received Him not. But as many as received Him,
to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on His name, which were born, not of blood, nor
of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
Now turn with me to Hebrews chapter 2. The Lord Jesus Christ chose,
He made the choice to become a man. Hebrews chapter 2. And let me read out of Philippians
here, another portion that tells us this. Let this mind be in
you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who Christ Jesus, who
being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with
God, but he made himself of no reputation and took upon him
the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men.
found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore, God also
hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above
every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the
earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Anyone who hears
the gospel enough, I think that we somehow take it for granted
that the Lord Jesus Christ, that God became a man for the salvation
of his children. This is something that's much
greater than we can really even understand. The depth that it
took from him to become, from God to become a man is such a
great divide. Now here in Hebrews 2 verse 1, Therefore, we ought to give the
more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at
any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels
was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just
recompense of reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great
salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord,
and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him? God also
bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with diverse
miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his own will.
For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to
come, therefore we speak. But one in a certain place testified,
saying, What is man that thou art mindful of him, or the son
of man that thou visiteth him? Thou madest him a little lower
than the angels. Thou crownest him with glory
and honor, and did set him over the works of thy hands. Thou
hast put all things in subjection under his feet, For in that He
put all in subjection under Him, He left nothing that is not put
under Him. But now we see not yet all things put under Him,
but we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels
for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that He,
by the grace of God, should taste death for every man." The Lord
Jesus Christ lived perfectly as a man, and that was a must
because the next choice was that not only did the Lord Jesus Christ
become a man, but he also chose to die for the chosen, for the
elect. Look over at John 18. John 18, verse one. When Jesus had spoken these words,
he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where
was a garden into the which he entered and his disciples. The
Lord is the one who wanted to go to this place. And Judas also,
which betrayed him, knew the place, for Jesus oft times resorted
thither with his disciples. Judas then, having received a
band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees,
cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus
therefore, knowing all things that should come upon them, went
forth and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus
of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed
him, stood with them. And as soon then as he had said
unto them, I am, they went backward and fell to the ground. Then
asked he them, whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus answered, I have told you that I am him. If therefore ye
seek me, let these go their way, that the saying might be fulfilled
which he spake of them which thou gavest me, have I lost none. The Lord Jesus Christ willingly
went with these men. It's said in verse 12, the Jews
took Jesus and bound Him. Now we know, based off Him saying,
I am, and everyone fell backwards, that they were not taking Him
by force, that He was willingly going. don't turn to it. In 2 Peter it says, "...the Lord
is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness,
but is longsuffering towards usward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance." In the end
of this part in John 18 it says in verse 10, "...then Simon Peter,
having a sword, drew it, and smote the high priest's servant,
and cut off his right ear." The servant's name was Malchus. Then
said Jesus unto Peter, put up thy sword into the sheath. The
cup which my father hath given me, shall I not drink it? And
that's a question saying to Peter, I must go. He said, I have to
do this. And then the fourth thing, the
fourth decision or choice is one that follows in hand with
what we just saw. And these things with the Lord
becoming a man and dying on the cross, and then this next one,
all go hand in hand. The Lord Jesus Christ chose not
to save himself, but to save us. In Luke chapter 22, we see
this clear. Luke 22, verse 42. Saying, father, this is when
he's on the cross, if thou be willing, remove this cup from
me. Nevertheless, not my will, but
thine be done. And turn over one page to Luke
23 and verse 35. And this is important because
we need to realize that the Lord Jesus Christ willingly gave up
his life. As a sacrifice, it wasn't someone
that was forced to do so. He willingly gave up his life.
And at no point did he not have the power to end this. When he told those soldiers,
they fell back. He was always strong enough, he's God. that
he could at any point have done something about this. Look in
Luke 23, verse 35, or verse 34. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do. And they parted his
raiment and cast lots. And the people stood beholding,
and the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved
others, let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of
God. These phrases summarize salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ saved others,
but he didn't save himself. He couldn't save himself in order
to save his children. Now, I've given all of those
things that God chose a people, that the Lord Jesus Christ became
a man, he lived perfectly, then he died and he did not save himself
so that he could save his children. And I said all of that so that
we could get back to Hebrews 8 and we can look at one more
choice that was made. Tony, And his message said how
Hebrews can be summed up with better. Chapter 8 talks about a covenant,
two covenants. And the first covenant is one
that God made with Israel, the nation of Israel. And it was
delivered by Moses, and it was a covenant of the Levitical priesthood,
of all the priests. And in that covenant, there were
many sacrifices, there were many ceremonies and things that the
people had to do and the priests had to do. But this was a typical
covenant. And it was deficient, meaning
it wasn't good enough because it was a type, okay? It was a
picture of something else. The ways that it was a type was
the people with whom the covenant was made, they were a type of
spiritual Israel, the people that were chosen. The blessings
that were promised in this covenant were shadows of the good things
to come that would come from the Lord Jesus Christ. The sacrifices
in this covenant were all pictures of the sacrifice the Lord Jesus
Christ would make. And the mediators, or the priests
in this, were all types of Christ, our High Priest. Now, the weaknesses
of that are that the priests were sinful men. The men who
performed these, they were sinners. And the sacrifices were animals.
It was animal's blood which cannot save. The offerings couldn't
remove sin. And so, if this covenant could
have redeemed or saved, there would have been no reason for
the Lord Jesus Christ to come. So, look here in Hebrews 8 verse
6. But now hath he obtained a more
excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a
better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if
that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place
have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them,
he saith, Behold the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make
a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house
of Judah. This covenant that is spoken
of here, the second covenant, the new covenant, it isn't one
that just came about. This covenant, the second one,
the new one, is much older than the first covenant. When it says
it's a new covenant, that's because it's newly revealed. So when
these people heard about it, or when we read about it, it
seems new to us. It's something we didn't know.
which is revealed second was made first." The original covenant,
when God chose a people, that's when this covenant was made.
It's called new because it's always new to the believer. It
will never be old and it will never give away to another covenant.
It's also new because it gives a new heart, a new nature, and
a new spirit, all three. Now, In verse 9-12 here it tells
us that this is a new covenant that God or the Lord Jesus Christ
will make with them after those days. Now after those days means
after the Lord Jesus Christ has come, after His sacrifice. And
we can learn a few things here where in the middle of verse
10 it says, I will put My laws into their
mind." Okay, we're going to see just a few things here that this
New Covenant does. All these things that I said,
these choices that make salvation, these choices that were done,
all of those things were done to fulfill this New Covenant.
Everything that we've talked about is for this covenant. Now,
we're going to get a few things here that the sinner, the child
of God, those chosen by that first choice I talked about,
that they get in this New Covenant. It says there in middle verse
10, I will put my laws in their mind.
Okay, what do we get from that? The laws being in our mind. When
I said earlier about the moral law, the moral law of God, which
is summed up in two things, or can be summed up, thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thou shalt love
thy neighbor as thyself. We also see that the commandments
of our Lord with respect to repentance, faith, godliness, we learn these
things through the law. And then we also see that the
whole Word of God, this whole book, everything that's written
in here, which the believer loves and cherishes, these are written
not on the tablets of stone that Moses had. They're not those
types of laws. but instead on the heart and
mind of the believer. These are things that are put
in the believer so that the believer thinks on them, not just thinking
but also loving them. Now, what else do we get from
this covenant? Look at verse 10, the end of verse 10. I will
be to them a God and they shall be to me a people. The people
of God. Now this is not as He is the
God of all creation, or as He is the God of all people, because
He created man. He's the God over nature. He's
the God over everything. But this is, He is their God
as He is the God and the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, because
we have that in Him. They shall be my people. Not in the sense that all mankind,
every person, but as sons of God whom God loved in a special
way and chose in Christ. Now look at the end of verse
11. For all shall know me from the least to the greatest. How
wonderful it will be to be known of the Lord. And if we look at
Hebrews 1.1, well don't turn to it, but we can see from what
Tony said this morning, it said that, God who at sundry times
in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets. There was a time when everyone
didn't have this book and no one knew the things that were
written in it unless they went to a prophet or someone who was
given the word of God through the spirit. Because of that,
they had to go to the priests and they were dependent upon
these things. And if you wanted to know anything, that was the
only place to go. If you wanted to offer a sacrifice,
you had to go to the priest. And there are people today who
would probably like to keep us in this same place. But thankfully,
because of what it says here, every believer is now a son. Every believer is now a student
of the Word. Every believer is a priest to
offer sacrifices of prayers and praise. Every single believer
has the Spirit of God dwelling in him. That's what we get in
this covenant. That's what we get in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Look at verse 12. For I will
be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins, And their iniquities
will I remember no more. All unrighteousness is sin. And
this phrase tells us that God will forgive our sins. It's not based off our choices.
We can't choose to stop sinning. And even if we could choose to
stop doing some of the things we don't want to, it's still
not good enough because we've already sinned. Their sins and
iniquities will I remember no more, all sins of all kinds,
every single sin, original sin, actual sin, before conversion,
after conversion, whatever you want to describe a sin as. He
remembers them no more. They are cast into the depths
of the sea. They're cast behind his back.
You may look for them, but you can't find them. And then in
verse 13 it says, in that he saith a new covenant, he hath
made the first old, now that which decayeth and waxeth old
is ready to vanish away. It's important to know that with
this new covenant, or this first covenant, the old covenant is
irrelevant now. There's no need for it, there's
no use for it, it's gone, it can be dismissed. Turn with me
to Hebrews 13, a couple pages over here. And we'll close. In Romans 11 it tells us, for
this is my covenant unto them whom I shall take away their
sins. Peter tells us, you are a chosen generation. In Revelations
it says, they that are with him, with the Lord Jesus Christ, they
are called, they are chosen, and they are faithful. These
choices that I've talked about, I've done this in a way that
may seem like it's a cute way to put all this together, but
I say it in a serious manner that we all realize that our
choice, our choices, what we've chosen in the past, what we will
choose, all of those things have no bearing on salvation. The
Lord Jesus Christ, what He has done, what He chose to do, and
what He finished, those are the choices that make salvation. Now, anything that we do, all
our choices, we're sinners. That's what our choices are,
it's just full of sin. Unless God puts His hand upon
us and gives us the strength, the grace to make one single
choice, maybe, that would be one that would fit His will.
Now, look here in Hebrews 13, and we'll close with this, verse
20. Now the God of peace that brought
again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of
the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
make you perfect in every good work to do his will. working
in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Christ Jesus. To him, to whom Lord Jesus Christ
be glory forever and ever. Amen. We'll stop there.