Well, as we often think, because
we have fellowship together, two, three groups of people,
believers, separated by some distance, a big metropolis in
the way, for one thing, which takes quite a bit of getting
through. But when we come together, we enjoy unity in the gospel
of grace, and we also sense isolation from so many others who call
themselves christians who say they proclaim the true gospel
you see what we believe and what we preach seems to stand distinct
from all other religions whether called christian or not we harry
and i were speaking earlier about those around who seem to say
things so often that sound very very close to the truth and they
do They do. They do. You look and you think,
oh, that's good. Why are we bothering doing what
we're doing on our own? Why don't we just go up the road
there? Because what they said this week sounds so good. But
you dig deeper, and you look closer, and you will see how
it departs from the true gospel as declared in the scriptures.
Oh, that God would keep us faithful to the true gospel, the true
gospel of His grace. You see, even those who sound
as though they're doctrinally close to where we are, they consciously,
have you noticed, they consciously keep their distance because of
some matter of practice, whatever that might be. whether it be
I mean in our particular case here it's our rejection of the
free offer of the gospel that makes some people who sound very
close to the truth say that they can have no fellowship with us
because we reject the free offer of the gospel. or is it our practice
of open communion because when we come together and we have
communion if there are believers here we just say it's on your
conscience it's down to you whoever wants to come you can share communion
with us we don't we don't we don't have a spanish inquisition
about who is allowed to take communion or not because we don't
feel qualified to do it god says let a man examine himself let
a man examine himself address style some some say that there
is only one way to dress and other ways not to dress and i
look around the room and i see you ladies you know it's entirely
a matter of personal choice whether you put a head covering on or
not as far as we're concerned here but others will separate
from us because of that is it our liberty from legal bondage
whatever else it is there is a distinction made and people
keep their distance from us some who as Paul said to the Philippians,
he said, some preach Christ of strife and envy. They make secondary
matters points of division. Now then, what prompted this
message was a little piece I saw written by Clay Curtis. Do you
remember Clay? He came to the conference last year when it
was at Datchworth, the last one we had at Datchworth. And I saw
a piece that he'd written a few weeks ago and I thought, hmm,
I'll mull that over. The question was this, he said
a lady had asked him a question. What is it about your religion,
your Christianity, that is so different to all the other religions
and Christianities as they call themselves? And Clay said, what
a good question. So he sat down to try and summarize
it in just a few sentences. And he did. What is it that marks
us out as different from all the rest? What is it that marks
out the gospel that we believe and seek to preach as different
from every other one? I'll put it in a nutshell. God
does it all. God does it all. What you mean all apart from?
No, I mean all apart from nothing. God does it all. But you mean, don't you mean
God gets us so far and then, you know, he's given us a leg
up and then it's for us to go on and make ourselves holy enough
to go to heaven. No, God does it all. That's the distinguishing
mark of the true gospel. Saving sinners from eternal condemnation,
leaving them with nothing that needs to be done to secure their
place in heaven. That is what Christ has accomplished. Let me say it again. He saved
sinners from eternal condemnation, leaving them with nothing, and
I mean nothing, that needs to be done to secure their place
in heaven. every other brand of so-called
Christianity, or whatever other religion it might be, whether
it be Islam or one of the mystical Eastern religions, whatever it
might be, it specifies something that the sinner needs to do.
It specifies something that the sinner needs to do. But surely,
you say, surely, and this is how the inquisitive world might
react. Surely sinners need to do something. I mean, come on, let's look at
your scriptures, you believers. What about the account of the
Philippian jailer? He asked Paul and Silas, he said,
what must I do to be saved? Surely there's something I must
do. And Paul and Silas said to him, believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and you shall be saved. Believe, believe, that's all.
Oh, is that the work that we have to do then? Is believing
the work that we have to do? It's not a work at all, not at
all, no. Listen, John 6, 28 and 29. Then said they unto him, unto
Jesus, what shall we do? This is the Pharisees, the religious
leaders. What shall we do that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto
them, this is the work of God. Let me say it again, this is
the work of God. Even this is God's work, that
you believe on him whom he has sent. Your believing is the work
of God. Even that, your believing is
the work of God. Even belief is really God's work. You see, you are not saved because
you have done this work of believing which God counts to you for righteousness.
God doesn't count your believing for righteousness. He counts
what you believe in for righteousness. It's not Abraham believed God
and it was his believing that was counted for righteousness.
It's what Abraham believed in. One who would come. That's what
was counted for righteousness. What is it? It's the faith of
Jesus Christ. in which our righteousness and
our salvation stands. It's what he has done when he
came to this earth, to work the work of God in accomplishing
salvation. As it says in Romans 9 verse
16, so then, it is not of him that willeth. Oh go on, let's
persuade you to accept God's offer. They've had a campaign
up the road recently and it was their life mission and they say
come and hear about the life that God offers to all and it
puts an obligation on you to accept that offer, and what makes
the difference is you who accept versus the others of you who
do not accept. No, it's not of him that willeth,
says the scripture, nor of him that runneth. What is it of then?
But of God that showeth mercy. But of God who shows mercy. Oh,
the rebellious human heart says, I don't like that, that's not
fair. You mean it's all down to God? God is God. God is the God of the universe.
God is the God of salvation. God is the one who has put all
of these things in place and sets them all in motion and sustains
all of them and accomplishes all of his purposes according
to his own sovereign will. and we bow before the throne
of God and we say I don't understand everything there are questions
that I cannot fully answer there are all sorts of implications
of this that I do not understand in my flesh here and now but
this is the gift of faith that the Holy Spirit brings and gives
to the believer that I don't understand but I trust that the
God of all the earth the judge of all the earth shall indeed
do right How is it then that God does everything in salvation? Remember, what is it that distinguishes
what we believe and preach and the basis of our fellowship together?
What is it that distinguishes it from all the others that seem
to sound so close at times? Well, firstly, God the Father
chose. In salvation, God the Father
chose. Christ said to his disciples,
you did not choose me, I chose you. Sovereign grace. Think about it. You know, what's
the question that you will ask in glory? Why me? Why me? Why did he show his mercy to
someone like me? I'm no better than anybody else,
but God chose to show mercy to me. How do I know? sanctification
of the Spirit, and belief of the truth. That's the only evidence
that Paul looked for. That you believe the truth, that
you believe God. You didn't choose me, I chose
you, said Jesus. In fact, everything to do with
salvation is of the Lord. Salvation belongs to God. You read that in Genesis 49 verse
18. Salvation belongs to God. the very idea of salvation, the
very accomplishment of salvation, everything to do with it from
the beginning to the end of it. is all of God. It's all the possession
of God. He delegates none of it to anybody
else or anything else. It's all of the Lord. The Bible
talks about thy salvation, God's salvation. It says in Exodus
14 and verse 13, as they're about in fear and trembling to cross
the Red Sea, and Moses says to them when they're saying, we
never should have come out of Egypt, and Moses says to them, stand
still. What are you to do? Stand still. Stand still and see the salvation
of the Lord. You don't do anything, Israelites. Stand still and see the salvation
that God has accomplished, that God will show you that he has
accomplished. Hannah, in 1 Samuel, she rejoiced
in God's salvation. She said, I rejoice in God's
salvation. Psalm 3 verse 8, salvation belongeth
unto the Lord, thy blessing is upon thy people. Salvation belongs,
it's His salvation. Isaiah 12 verse 2, behold God
is my salvation. Jeremiah 3 verse 23, truly in
the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel. Jonah chapter 2 verse
9, salvation is of the Lord. it's his from start to finish
if anyone if anyone of us if anyone else gets to heaven it
is only the Lord's doing that accomplishes it I think I've
already quoted this verse but I'll quote it again as Paul wrote
to the Thessalonians we are bound to give thanks always to God
for you brethren Beloved of the Lord, because how do I know you're
beloved of the Lord? God has from the beginning chosen
you to salvation. How do I know that God has chosen
you from the beginning? Through the sanctification of
the Spirit. It's evident that you're set about by the Spirit
of God, and the main evidence I see is that you believe the
truth. you believe the truth. Peter,
writing to the scattered believers, 1 Peter 2 verse 9, he calls them
a chosen generation, because God the Father chose them before
the beginning of time, before the beginning of time, chosen
in Christ You know, oh, I'm not sure, you know, you hear people
who say, well, you know, there's lots of things about Christianity
I like, but I'm not sure I can go along with your doctrine of
election. I tell you, if you want to take
election out of Christianity, there won't be much of your Bible
left in truth when you get to the end of it. What's the Old
Testament about? God choosing Israel. Oh, we don't
like that. Sorry, God chose Israel. Why
did he choose Israel? Because they were bigger and
better and brighter than the rest? No. No. They were the smallest
and the least significant of the nations. Why did he choose
them? He tells us why he chose them. He tells us. Because I
loved you. Because I loved you. That's it.
God, in sovereign grace, he loved his people and chose them. You
are a chosen generation. In Revelation 19, in verse 1,
John the Apostle is taken up to heaven and he sees much people
in heaven. I find that such a comforting
thing. We get so much with our feet
in the clay on this earth and in the round of everyday life.
But you know what's coming, child of God? Much people in heaven. God is accomplishing his purposes. And in that situation there,
those that are there, what is their complete and utter focus? It is this, that all credit for
salvation goes to God. All credit to Him. He alone has
accomplished it all. He alone is sovereign. It is
God, and not man, that has accomplished salvation. He has chosen a people. The redemption is not a free
offer to all, it is a particular accomplishment. You say, aren't
you splitting hairs with this free offer thing? The idea of
the free offer suggests that it is something available to
everybody if only they will believe. That is not what the Word of
God declares. And it is a fallacy, it is a
fraud to declare to all without exception a duty upon them to
do that which many, many have absolutely no capability of doing.
God has chosen sovereignly to save a people. He has, in the
Lord Jesus Christ, redeemed that people. He has paid for the sins
of that people, and nobody else. I first heard the error 40 years
or more ago when a minister at a church not very far from here
said, what's the extent of the redemption that Christ accomplished?
And he said, the extent of it is this, it's sufficient for
the salvation of the entire world if only the world would believe.
Oh, doesn't that sound so attractive? I'm telling you that's not what
the scriptures teach. The salvation that Christ accomplished, the
redemption, the purchase price that he paid was for the sins
of his people. For the transgression of my people
was he stripped. Not everybody in general, for
the transgression of my people. You shall call his name Jesus. Why? For he shall save his people. He shall save his people from
their sins. He won't make salvation possible
to be offered out to those who will choose and do him the favour
of accepting it. No. It's illustrated throughout
the scripture, a people. Why did God choose Abraham and
cause him to come out of Ur of the Chaldees? There were plenty
of others, but God chose Abraham. God spoke to Abraham in sovereign
grace. Why was it that Abraham tried
to do things his way? He was promised a seed that would
come and from that seed, that seed as in small s, would come
the seed that God had promised to Eve in the Garden of Eden.
After the fall, the seed will come of the woman that will crush
the serpent's head. And Abraham and Sarah, they thought,
well, God's wasting his time here, it's not progressing things. So Abraham had a child, Ishmael,
with Hagar, the servant woman. No, not that one, no. In Isaac
shall your seed be called. Do you see, what we're saying
is not radical, it's just on every page of scripture. In Isaac
shall the seed be called. And then from Isaac, twins, Esau
and Jacob, the older and the younger. that the older shall
serve the younger for God said this Jacob have I loved and Esau
have I hated what does he mean Esau have I left to himself that's
what he means Esau have I in sovereign outworking left to
himself but Jacob the cheat have I loved and I've saved him his
church is exactly the same the church whenever you read in the
Old Testament about looking for the sins of Jacob and of Israel
and them not being found you can substitute the church because
Jacob is the people of God and the church is the people of God
That those, as Acts 13, 48 says, those ordained to eternal life. Because what did the apostles
do? When we come to the free offer, what did the apostles
do? They went everywhere fulfilling the Great Commission. Because
Christ had said, go into all the world and preach the gospel
to all without distinction. Without distinction of race or
tongue or background or class or whatever it might be. Go and
preach to any and all who will listen without distinction. And
then it says, and those ordained to eternal life believed. Why? Because we preach to any,
we put it out on the internet. We put it out on the internet
and any, any without distinction who will listen, any, we trust
the spirit of God to move and to quicken and to make alive.
It's grace. It's entirely without qualification.
But even those who say they're reformed, they say they're Calvinistic,
they make salvation an offer to all without exception, and
they press a duty on all sinners without exception to exercise
faith, which, as I've already said, many, many, many have no
capability of doing. They can't do it. The natural
man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God. They're
foolishness to him. So how on earth can you argue
with him? Declare. What is it God says? It pleased
God by the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. That's
how it pleased God. Declare the gospel. It's a declaration. It isn't an offer. It's a declaration. So, in this free offer situation,
some become marked out by their obedient action in accepting
the offer and thereby The lie of Arminian free willism masquerades
as orthodox truth. Why is it a lie? Because it contradicts
what God says. As the scripture said, let God
be true and every man a liar. And you say, well, aren't you
being particularly divisive unnecessarily? Now, how does it manifest itself?
I'll tell you, it manifests itself in the practices of gimmicky
marketing to try to get people to accept this offer. So you
do all sorts of things to try and persuade them, you know,
to come and have a beef burger, or come and do this, that or
the other, or any other thing other than just hear the truth
of the Gospel of Grace proclaimed. God the Father chose God the
Father chose. You'll notice I've said nothing
about any of the objects of God's grace having to do anything so
far. The Son, the Son of God, for
there are three that bear witness in heaven, 1 John 5 verse 9,
the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. And these three agree
in one, the triune God. Let us make man in our image,
he said in the beginning. Let us make man, the triune God. One God, one God, but three persons
in the one God. God the Father chose, but God
the Son came to redeem his people. He who was in the beginning with
God, who thought it not robbery to be equal with God, made himself
of no reputation, and laid aside that glory, and took upon him
the form of a servant, and became obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross. Even the shameful death of the
cross is what it means. Even the reviled and cursed name
of the cross, for cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree. He came
to redeem his people for people who are sinners, for his church,
for his people who are sinners, justly condemned by the law and
the justice of God, by the very nature of God. Do you have any
concept of what it is to be a sinner? I know you do. I know some of
you do. To be a sinner before the justice, the person, the
nature of the infinite God. You know when he says in Isaiah,
my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are my ways your ways. My
thoughts are higher than your thoughts, my ways are higher
than your ways. He is altogether different from the realm of flesh
and thinking that we are. And we, by nature, by that which
we've inherited from Adam in his fall, we are sinners. Do
you know what it is to come under conviction of sin? The people
of God do. I quote this so often, that verse
of that hymn. A sinner is a sacred thing. The
Holy Ghost has made him so. If you know what it is to be
a sinner, it's because the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit, has revealed
it in your heart and in your mind what you are to be justly
condemned by the law and justice of God that when you know that
it is appointed to man to die once and then the judgment you
would stand there with nothing to pay with no means to pay with
nothing to make satisfaction to the law of God that would
save you from the just penalty of your sin. You see, satisfaction
must be made. The law makes demands. The law
makes this demand. The soul that sins, it shall
die. Says that again and again. The
soul that sins, it shall die. This is the law's demand. For
God to vicariously pay and discharge his people's sin debt. I mean,
when I say vicariously, I mean in a living way, in the place
of his people, really, actually, positively. For him to do that,
he must be united with his people and stand for them. He must be
completely united with his people and stand for them. Hebrews 2.14,
for as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood. This is the people, the church,
his people. The children are partakers of
flesh and blood. He also himself likewise took
part of the same flesh and blood. He, God, infinite God, who dwells
in unapproachable light, had to lay his glory aside. Being
in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with
God, but laid it aside and became obedient, obedient unto death,
that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death,
that is the devil. Because in his death, he took
away the accusation that the devil was able to bring against
the people of God. you read that in Revelation it's
so graphic where the devil who is making war with Michael over
the saints of the Old Testament saints who are in heaven and
he's saying they shouldn't be there because they're sinners
and they shouldn't be there and Christ coming has disarmed the
devil for now we read who shall lay anything to the charge of
God's elect Christ has died Christ has died. The law's got no demands
to make. Christ has died. Hebrews 10,
five to seven, wherefore, when he cometh into the world, he
saith, sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not. Not those
Old Testament pictures. They were just pictures. They
were just a blueprint. They were no more the real thing
than a design on a piece of paper is the real thing. You know,
you can look and you say, oh, I see how they're gonna build
this. It's not the real thing, is it? It's not a house you can
live in. It's just drawings on a piece of, that's the Old Testament
types and pictures. They were just types and pictures,
the sacrifice and the offerings. Thou wouldest not. Didn't want
them anymore. But a body hast thou prepared me. A body for
the Son of God, for the second person of the Godhead to come
and inhabit as a man. In burnt offerings and sacrifices
for sin thou hadst no pleasure. Thou hadst no pleasure. God's
justice was not satisfied by animal blood. Only what it pointed
to and what it pictured could satisfy that. Then said I, this
is Christ speaking, Lo, I come, in the volume of the book it
is written of me, to do thy will, O God. What is the will of God?
the Jews asked Jesus what was the will of God John 6 39 this
is the will of him that sent me said Jesus this is the will
of him that sent me of those that he has given me I should
lose nothing that's the will of God that Christ should save
every one of the people that he gave to his son before the
beginning of time in covenant grace every single one of them
that I should lose none that he should come and pay the debt
for their sin particularly for their sin fully for the transgression
of my people was he stricken his sacrifice was specific not
for the whole world should it choose and that would be its
own work should it choose to believe he lived sinless why
did Christ live a sinless life to make us holy I don't believe
so. He lived a sinless life to prove
that he was the fitting Lamb of God, that he was the Passover
sacrifice. Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed
for us. Do you remember what they did
with the Passover lamb? They were to keep it for 14 days
before the Passover. and examine it to see if there'd
be any spot or blemish in it and if there was it was not to
be the lamb to be sacrificed he had to be perfect Christ lived
perfect before the law of God to show that he was the Passover
lamb for his people but as the Passover lamb his death is what
made satisfaction to the law of God it's his death that did
it what does it say in Galatians chapter 2 and verse 21 it says
if righteousness come by the works of the law doesn't specify
yours by Christ's works of the law. If righteousness come by
the works of the law, Christ is dead in vain. But he isn't
dead in vain. His death satisfied the law of
God for his people, full and finished. He said in John 17,
I've finished the work that you gave me to do. He cried out on
the cross, it is finished. Not I am finished, It, the work
of salvation, is finished. It's accomplished. So that the
salvation that he's accomplished is, as Hebrews 7.25 tells us,
to the uttermost. He's able to save to the uttermost. The uttermost. The uttermost. There is nothing left that will
in any way keep you from any aspect of the glory of eternity
and of heaven because of what he has done. Romans 7. read the whole chapter for yourself
when you have time to do it but you know that towards the end
of it Paul is describing his experience as a believer in the
flesh, and how he says that the good that I would do, I don't
do, and that which I don't want to do, I keep doing, and what
a terrible thing it is that I am in this flesh, and he says, O
wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this
death? And immediately the answer, I
thank God. through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Jesus Christ our Lord, what He has done and what I am as a believer
in Him, united with Him, has delivered me from the body of
this death. And then thirdly, the Holy Spirit
regenerates. The Holy Spirit regenerates.
Ephesians two and verse one, you who were dead in trespasses
and sins, he has quickened together with him. He's made you alive
where you were dead in trespasses and sins and without any inclination
towards him. He has made you willing in the
day of his power. Psalm 110 verse three, he's given
you faith for by grace. Are you saved through faith?
Ah, that's mine, isn't it? No, no, no, no. And that, not
of yourselves. It is the gift of God. No, the
Holy Spirit comes and He reproves, as John 16, 8 says, He reproves
the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. He is the one
who comes with convicting power. And He comes and He reveals Christ
and divine truth to the people of God. And He gives new life
He is the one that gives that conviction of sin. He is the
one who grants repentance as he granted repentance to the
Gentiles. He is the one who makes alive
those that are ordained to eternal life. He is the one who gives
discernment of the things of the truth of God, which the natural
man doesn't have. Neither can he know them, for
they're spiritually discerned. How does he do it? God? who said
let light shine out of the darkness in the beginning when God said
let there be light and there was light and God saw that it
was good and that was a picture of spiritual light which he gives
he says God who shined light out of the darkness has shined
in our hearts believing hearts to give the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God You see, knowing God is the highest thing
to which you can aspire in this life. Knowing God, the light
of the knowledge of the glory of God. But where do you see
it? In mystical writings? No. Only one place. The face
of Jesus Christ. The light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. This is all
the work of God. And God keeps each one to the
very end. you see there's an end game in
our Sunday morning services we've been looking at the song of Solomon
we finished this morning in chapter eight but we've been seeing throughout
that it's a love story here and now between believers and their
Lord Jesus Christ but there's an end game this isn't it if
in this life only we have hope in Christ Jesus we're of all
men most miserable said Paul but it isn't for there's an end
game which is to be taken to glory and God keeps each one
of his people to the end John 10 28 to 30 I give them eternal
life this is Jesus speaking I give my people my church eternal life
and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out
of my hand My Father which gave them me is greater than all.
You see the doctrine that we believe, the doctrine of sovereign
grace and particular redemption, it isn't some obscure doctrine
is it? It's everywhere. There it is in John's Gospel.
The Father which gave the people to me is greater than all and
no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. Well,
who are you? I and my father are one. So therefore, therefore, 1 Corinthians
1 31 says this, let him that, that's the verse after the one
that says in Christ Jesus, he is made unto us wisdom from God
and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. He's everything
that we need. Therefore, he that glories, let him glory in the
Lord. this is it Jeremiah 9 23 and
24 thus saith the Lord let not the wise man glory in his wisdom
neither let the mighty man glory in his might let not the rich
man glory in his riches but let him that gloryeth glory in this
that he understandeth and knoweth me that's it to know the Living
God. You see, all other religion makes
belief a work. It imposes legal burdens. It
gives you a rule of life that you must live by. It tells you
a style of dress to which you must conform. It gives you a
Sabbath day that you must keep according to a particular pattern
that is a modern pattern that isn't the pattern of the Old
Testament. Because nobody does that anymore. Nobody can do that.
As Peter said to the other apostles, why are we putting burdens on
them? That we know ourselves we never kept, nor can we keep.
In truth. They put burdens of progressive
sanctification and they judge as to how well you've kept it.
They keep record of your levels of attendance and the degree
of your tithing, etc, etc, etc. It's all things that you must
do. They measure progression in doctrinal knowledge. They
hold inquisitions into fitness for membership and ordinances.
I love the story of Happy Jack. You've heard it many times. You
know him. Was he fit to be a member of the church? And all he kept
saying, what doctrine do you know? He said, all I know is
this, I'm a poor sinner and nothing at all, but Jesus Christ is my
all in all. Well, you must know a bit more than that. No, no,
that's all I know. And you know something, that's 10 out of 10.
That really is. Jesus Christ is my all in all. We seek to stand where the apostles
did. The apostles wrote that letter
to the believers in Acts 15 at the Council of Jerusalem. What
burdens did they put upon them? Basically, I'll put it in a nutshell.
There's some touchy people around, all around you. There are those
that believe, have Moses preached in the law. There are some touchy
people around. Do your best not to offend them.
But other burdens, they didn't put any burden on them whatsoever.
Because in the gospel of God's grace in Christ, we stand fast
in the liberty that we have in Christ Jesus. Salvation is entirely
of the Lord. As far as the rest is concerned,
try not to cause offense in the eyes of those around you. Amen.