Now, in Matthew chapter 1, verse
18 through 21, you know that this is Matthew's account of
the incarnation or the virgin birth of Christ our Lord. Here is the record, Matthew 1,
18. Now, the birth of Christ was
on this wise. When, as his mother Mary was
a spouse to Joseph, before they came together she was found to
be with child, listen, of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph, her
husband, being a just 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 Spirit. And she shall bring forth a son,
thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people
from their sin. And verse 21 will eventually
be our text of the morning. I want to start by saying to
you or telling you, in some cases reminding you, that one of the
greatest treatises that has ever been written, one of the greatest
articles that God has ever enabled a mortal man to write, is by
one of the Puritan by the name of John Owen. And he gave it
the title the death of death in the death of Christ. That
is the title of the treatise of Owen, written in the 1600s. And I mention that because I
want to use some of his points to get us on our way this morning. Some of his premises being that
the death of Christ is effectually fully to accomplish all that
was intended to be accomplished by the dying of our Lord upon
the tree. Among his first two points in
that great treatise article, he raises two questions that
I want to raise and look at shortly. Now, number one, What is the
intention of God the Father in sending His Son to die for the
death of the cross? Think about that question for
our consideration. What had God in mind when He
ordained the Lord Jesus Christ to put on our flesh and die upon
the tree? Why did Christ die? Why was the holy innocent Son
of God, killed by cruel and wicked hands, and that in one of the
most shameful and painful way imaginable. Now, perhaps you
would answer, and you would be correct to the point, He died
to save sinners, or to die to save them from everlasting ruin. But then there are others who
would frame their answer another way by saying that Jesus died
upon the cross that all might have a chance to avail themselves
of his death and blood and to be saved. Perhaps somebody else
would say, well, the Lord died in order that he might make it
possible for all people to access the wonderful salvation of our
Lord. And others would say, and I've
heard them, he died to remove the obstacles that stand between
us and being saved by the grace of God. Because you see, all
Arminians contend that the death of Christ was meant to be universal. You'll find that is true of all
and every Arminian. They say that it is for all without
exception. Now, the second matter to consider
is another matter, and that is, the first one was, what did God
intend? And the second one is, what was
actually, literally accomplished by the death of Christ upon a
cross? So we ask, are all being saved? Will all be saved by and through
the death of our Lord? Is the blood of Christ in the
process of saving each and every sinner without exception? Now, while there are a few that
believe that ultimately all will be reconciled to God because
of the death of our Christ, yet most of the Arminian believe
that many will perish in their sins for whom Christ died upon
the cross, that their pardon is available, but they must accept
it or access it. Thus they see no great contradiction. that God and Christ intended
a universal atonement by the death of our Lord, but it is
not actually accomplished in that way. Thus, Arminianism is
left, as John Owen pointed out, with two conclusions, one of
which they must draw. Number one, They are left with
a conclusion that all will eventually be saved whether they are born
again or are converted in this life or not. Or secondly, will
they choose that the will of God in regard to saving sinners
is not done and is not being done? That the will and the design
of God is frustrated and is defeated. That God has failed to do what
he intended to do in the dying of his only son, and that is
to provide salvation for every child of Adam. without exception. And this is not the case, and
it has not been the case in any generation that we might look
at. So we're left to conclude, in
looking at it through the eye of the Arminian, that the Father
and the Son have failed in the fullness of their purpose that
they intended and designed to rescue fallen sinners by and
through the death of our Lord. Now, of course, the Arminian
will not consider the matter settled with that argument or
that rebuttal. They will not openly lay the
blame directly at the feet of Almighty God or at the feet of
Christ. They would protect, as they imagined,
the honor and the integrity of God by laying the blame at the
feet of sinners who refused the freely offered salvation for
not using their free wills aright and for not willing to accept
Christ and to be born again. Now, some take the blame even
further. No doubt you've heard it all
of your church-going life. That is that Armenians blaming
Christians and blaming the church for not being more aggressive
soul winners than they have been in the past. And blaming the
churches for not sending out more missionaries in each and
every corner of the world. that they might preach the gospel
of Christ. Now, Armenians make two arguments
as to why all are not saved. Number one, they say, because
of the sin of unbelief. That their unbelief is all that
stands between them and eternal everlasting life and happiness. And secondly, because their will
is resisting the will of God, the word of God, and the gospel,
and the offer of eternal life. We would answer them, as by the
way did Owen, is this unbelief a sin or is it not? Is unbelief a sin on the part
of an individual? And if Christ died for all of
their sins, Then, as Owen said, he died for their sin of unbelief
as surely as he died for their lust, or their drunkenness, or
their murder, or whatever other sins they might have committed. Also we'll ask, which will is
the greater? Is the more powerful? Is the
more sovereign? Which is the supreme will? The
will of God or the will of man? See how easily, how easily and
quickly God overcame the stubborn will of Saul. You can read it
in the 9th chapter of the book of Acts. With these questions
behind us, let us raise three questions working our way to
our text that give us a wide opening on the subject of salvation
in and through our Lord Jesus Christ. Here are three questions,
the three absurdities of Arminianism. Let's name them now. Number one. Can those perish that God loves? Let's ask ourselves that question.
Is it possible for those who are the objects of the love of
God to perish? We know from the scripture that
they put a strong and a great emphasis upon the love of God. It also is a favorite doctrine
of the Arminian. They assure all, all men without
exception, that they are the objects of the love of God. That even if they reject the
Lord and perish in their sin, yet are they the objects of the
love of God. So the question first is, can
those that God loves perish in their sin? Think that over in
our mind. Now the second question comes
even closer. Can sinners perish that Christ
has died for? that Christ died for them, is
it possible, is it likely that they will perish? Can those that
Christ has borne their sin and paid their debt, has borne in
their behalf the curse of the law and for them has been made
sin, can sinners notwithstanding these things yet fall into eternal
damnation. So you see that this question
is can some or even can many or for that matter can any that
Christ has died for perish be forever lost? Has Christ died
in vain for any person whatsoever? And the third question that is
an absurdity of some Arminians, but not all, is this. Can one for a time be a true
believer? Can one for a time be in a state
of grace and know the Lord and later perish in their sin. Is it possible to lose grace
after it has been in the soul? This is a very common belief
of a large segment of Arminianism flourishing today, who hold the
doctrine of being in grace and then falling from grace that
a one-time, true, genuine saint of God may sin and lose that
grace and be under condemnation again. Thus, there are many that
would quickly answer yes to every question that we have raised.
Yes, some can perish at God love. Yes, some can perish at Christ
died for. And yes, some can even perish
who were once in the grace of God. But then think, some even
holding, that one can become for a time a believer, be converted,
have grace in the soul, be in such a state then that if they
died, they would go into heaven, only later to fall away again
from grace and under the power of sin. Now, time permitting,
we will return to these issues later in our study, after we
consider the verse that is our text in the beginning. Matthew
1 and verse 21, look at it. This is a part of the instruction,
by the way, the necessary instruction of the angel of God unto Joseph. And it concerns the glorious
incarnation of the eternal Son of God because Verse 18 said,
The birth of Jesus was on this wise. When Joseph found that
Mary, his spouse and intended wife, was with child, and knowing
in his heart that he was not the father, and because the scripture
said that he was a good and a just man, He would put her away quietly
and without any great hubbub and privately because, you see,
he imagined that he had found some uncleanness in her. Don't go there now, but in Deuteronomy
chapter 24 and verse 1, you'll find this in the Mosaic Law. You'll find this provision, that
when a man had taken a wife and found some uncleanness in her,
that he could put her away. And this came into the mind of
Joseph. And the angel of the Lord interposed
with and to Joseph from doing so, assuring him, if you look
again at the 20th verse, that which is conceived or begotten
in her is of the Spirit of God. Now you know that we have two
main accounts of the conception of the humanity and the incarnation
of our Lord. One here in Matthew 1. Luke 18-25,
and the other in Luke 26-38. Luke's account is from the perspective
of Mary, while Matthew writes from the perspective of Joseph. Now the angel tells Joseph that
the Holy Spirit had given Mary conception. That's in verse 20.
That she would give birth to a son who would be named Jesus,
that's in verse 21, and that he would save his people from
their sin, that's also in verse 21. Furthermore, in verse 22
and 23, this would be the fulfillment of that great old prophecy of
Isaiah which declared of old that a virgin shall be with child
and shall give birth to a son and his name shall be called
Emmanuel, which literally means God with us. Now, this very bold
and wonderful and outstanding prophecy of Isaiah, predicting,
as he did, that a virgin, a woman, not even yet a wife, who has
never known man, shall get with, or be with child, and shall bring
forth a man-child. Not a common ordinary son, not
one in or after the image of Adam, but this one would be called
wonderful, God, almighty, and such like, and would be God manifest
in the flesh, I Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16. Now, we might
say here, and say it for emphasis, and for added effect. That this that we're discussing
this morning is a core doctrine of Christianity. This is a core,
this is a heart, this is a foundational doctrine of the Christian religion. Now, a much emphasized truth,
necessary truth of the Scripture, so that we add, if any there
be that reject them this, and we say to them what Peter said
to that man in Acts 8. Thou hast neither part nor lot
in this matter. To paraphrase Peter in Acts 8
and verse 21. Or to put it very, very bluntly,
they are no Christian who deny the incarnation of our blessed
Lord, that He was virgin born, and that He is and was without
sin. Now, our focus is on verse 21,
Matthew 1, and the words are directed again, I'll say, toward
Joseph, and they concern the one or the son that is betrothed
unto Mary to bear. There are three statements in
the verse. We take it apart. We have three
statements. We want to look at each one of
them. Number one, it is said, she shall
bear a son. Now, don't lose track of that
and underline the word shall in your mind, if not in the Bible. She shall bear a son, even though
she has not known man and is not yet a married woman. Secondly,
we see, you shall call his name Jesus. You will give to him that
name Jesus. This shall be His name. And then look at the word far.
Look at the word far. And then the third thing, he
shall save his people from their sin. Notice, put it together,
you will call his name Jesus for he shall save his people
from their sin. Now I want to point out again
that there are three shalls in this one verse of Scripture. She shall or she will. You shall
or you will. He shall or he will. There are three declarations
here. There are three things that are
of a positive nature because they are sure to come to pass. And they all concern the infinite
Christ. These things would shortly come
to pass, and they would do so in the exact order in which they
are set out in the text that we are upon. And though the third
point is our focus, let us consider the first two in working our
way toward the third. Number one, the angel tells Joseph
that Mary, his espouse, shall or literally will bring forth
a son. She was with child already, in
verse 20, and she would give birth to a son, a male child,
a man child, which she did. We read in Luke chapter 2, verse
5 through 7. First of all, in verse 5, she
became great with child. Then there in verse 6, it was
the time of her birth or delivery. In verse 7, she brought forth,
she delivered, she gave birth to her firstborn son. Secondly, he was to be given
the name of Jesus. Call him Jesus. Do not name him
after one of the good or of the famous prophets. Do not name
him Abraham, Moses, Isaac, or Jacob, but name him Jesus. And it was so in Matthew 1, 4
through verse 25. And Joseph did as the angel of
the Lord had bidden him And He called His name Jesus. I should have said verse 24 and
verse 25 of Matthew chapter 1. Now, our point, number three. He, that is Jesus, shall or will
save His people from their sin. As surely as Mary would bear
a son, as sure as they would give him the name of Jesus, so
surely would this one save his people from their sin. It was
not that Mary might or would try or would like to name her
son Jesus. It was not that they might call
him Jesus, but each was a definite, a settled, a sure matter according
to the Word of God. Let's look in verse 21 and look
at two small connecting words but they are forceful in thee
and the words are the words and, and far in verse 21. Let's look at them and trace
them out, especially the word far in the last part of the verse. And then look at the significance
of the name Jesus. You shall, you will call him
Jesus For, because, since, in view of the fact, he shall save
his people from their sin. Now you must make that connection. We read something interesting
in Luke chapter 2 and verse 21. That is, when on the eighth day
after His birth, the Holy Child Jesus was circumcised according
to the law and a part of the humiliation of our blessed Son
of God, and His name was then officially given. His name was
called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived
in the womb. Luke 1 and verse 31. The same as with John and with
Luke in John the Baptist in Luke 1 13. who was named by the angel
and before he was born. So now, from our text, why is
he called Jesus? Why has he this name? What's the significance of him
being known as Jesus? He's to have a special chosen
name assigned unto him by God. No other name will suit him. No other name will do. We realize
that all Bible names When you study them and trace them out,
they have meaning and they have significance. And each one of
them tells us something about the person or their calling or
the circumstances of their birth or their life or whatever it
might be. And so it is with Jesus. The word or the name Jesus means
what? It means Savior. It is very much
like the word Joshua in the Old Testament. You can see, for example,
in Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 8 where the names are interchanged,
which though translated in the King James Version as Jesus,
Yet, it has reference there to Joshua. Joseph and Mary are not
free to choose the name of their child. His heavenly Father has
given His Son the name Jesus before He was ever conceived
or born. His name is Jesus, and the name
is E-A. E-I-S-S-U-S is the name that
we're trying to say. J-O-S-H-I-W-A-Y. And Linsky says
that the name means Yahweh is helper. This is the name or the
meaning of the name. Yahweh saves. is the name that
is given unto the Lord. And if you'll notice, in Matthew
chapter 1 and verse 23, another name is used regarding our Lord,
and it is the name Emmanuel. Interpreted, it means God with
us. This one that has come is come
from God. By the incarnation, God was manifest
in the flesh. He was made flesh and dwelt among
us. And let me say, before we move
along, He is the only one worthy of this name, Jesus our Savior. But now, notice again why he
is given the name Jesus. For there is a reason why God
would have him to be called Jesus. And it is introduced again by
that little word for, or literally because, or since. Call his name
Jesus, our Savior, for because he shall save his people from
their sin. As Spurgeon put it, He is what
he is called. He is Savior. He does what his name implies. He saves for his work answers
to and agrees with his name. Number one, he saves. The word
save, saves in the plural, or saved in the past tense, appears
very frequently in the New Testament. It is used with some latitude. The word in Matthew 1 and verse
21 is sozo, meaning to deliver, to make safe, to protect to make
whole, to heal, to preserve, and at different times this word
is used both in a temporal and also in a spiritual sense. For example, when they were caught
in the great storm and the disciples thought that they would perish,
they cried out, Lord, save us! or we perish, and they meant
it in a temporal sense. But it is also used of spiritual
salvation and of the saving of the soul of the elect. Now the second thing that he
does, he saves from sin. Not only does he save, is he
a savior, but he is a savior from sin. He delivers from the
bondage of sin. He rescues from the enslaving,
condemning power of sin. Not from earthly afflictions
and troubles necessarily, or so much. Not from political oppression,
but from sin. And that in both its dominion
and in its curse. Then thirdly, look at who it
is that he will save from their sin. He saves from sin. Who are they? He shall save His
people from their sin. Now this is a clear and evident
statement. He shall save. not try to save,
not make it possible for them to be saved, not just open the
door for them to be saved, not to remove obstacles to their
being saved, but to really, literally, actually save them. And that
means to put away their sin, to deliver them from this present
evil world, as stated in Galatians 1 and verse 4, to bring many
sons to glory, as in Hebrews 2 and verse 10. And as surely as he would be
born, and as surely as he would be named Jesus, so surely would
he save his people from their sin. No more could the third
fail than the first or the second failed to become a reality. It is a trustworthy and reliable
saying that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,
1 Timothy 1 and 15. But then, going back to our text,
we must consider the question, who are meant by His people? He shall save His people from
their sin. And the question is, are they
His before or after they are saved? Are they His before or
after? Are they His to be saved or are
they His because they have been saved? Now the text puts it in
perspective. He shall save His people from
their sins. They are His before they are
saved. They are His to be saved by Him
and through His death. Again, who are these people?
this people, His people, to be saved from their sin? Well, first
of all, we ask, does it, could it, can it reply or refer unto
the Jew? Or again, does it refer to everyone
in the world? Clearly, not every Jew is being
saved, neither is everyone in the world. And I believe that
there is an intentional distinction that is made here. His people,
save His people. Such as 2 Timothy chapter 2 and
verse 19, the Lord knows those that are His. The foundation
of God stands sure. It has this foundation. The Lord
knows them that are hid. But listen to John 17 and verse
6. Jesus said, I have manifested
thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Thine they were, and you gave
them unto me. This is just another way of expressing
the doctrine of election. His people are one and same with
the election, chosen in Christ before the world began, and they
have been given to Christ in a double sense. Number one, by
way of charge. Number two, by way of reward. By way of charge, he is surety
for them that they might be brought to God and brought safely, for
he's the surety of the New Testament. by way of reward. They are those
that he died for. They are the travail and the
fruit of the travail of his soul. John 17 and 24, I will that they
also whom you have given me be with me where I am that they
may behold My glory. The Lord shall have them that
He died for. None of them that He died for
shall be lost. His sheep shall never perish.
Neither shall any man pluck them out of His hand. Because He is
able to save unto the uttermost them that come unto God by Him. Because His blood is shed as
a ransom for sin. Matthew 20 and verse 28. The
Son of Man came to give His life a ransom for many, to pay for
their deliverance, to buy them, to redeem, buy them out of the
servitude of sin. I think Isaiah makes the same
connection that Matthew makes. In Isaiah chapter 53 and verse
11, My righteous servant shall justify many for, again there's
that for, My righteous servant shall justify many for he shall
bear their iniquity, the definite connection between their being
justified and Him bearing their iniquity. We conclude all that
He bore their iniquity shall be saved or shall be justified. Now, our minions, as we know,
are not troubled by double jeopardy. that though Christ has once died
for the sins of all, that sinners may yet pay again in themselves,
and a debt may be required a second time of them. So back to our
questions, we don't have to leave them. Can those perish that God
loves? Can any perish that Christ has
died for? Can any be in grace at one time
and out in another? How odd that Arminians speak
so freely of the love of God and then say those that he loves
may perish. So there's no comfort then in
the love of God or the death of Christ or even in being in
grace if yet these may be lost who are in those circumstances. So the three absurdities of Arminianism
we see are corrected by the great text in Matthew chapter 1 verse
21.