Okay. I want you to turn to Psalm
69. Psalm 69. And I want to look
at the fifth verse this morning. I want to look at a lot else,
but I want to center our thoughts around this fifth verse of Psalm
69, which says, Oh God, you know my foolishness or my guiltiness
and my sins are not hid from you. The fact is that the God of the
universe is infinitely great and holy. Scripture describes
the indescribable in saying that he's one who lives in unapproachable
light, whose name is holy. His thoughts are higher than
our thoughts and his ways than our ways. He is the awesome,
majestic, holy, Source of all life and goodness. He is the
God of the universe. He is all-powerful. He is all-holy. He knows all things. Nothing
is hidden from Him. We can't hide anything in our
deepest thoughts. We can hide from one another
so easily. But this God sees everything. He is infinitely holy and pure. And yet we, we know from the
scriptures and from our experience and from the state of everything
around us that we're sinners. We're sinners by nature. We're
born sinners. It's in our genes. It's in our
makeup. We're born those who are rebels
against this God of the universe. We sin in thought, in word, in
deed every day. As long as we're in this flesh,
we sin. And our God is holy and He is
a judge. And our God will hold all to
account. It's clear from His Word that
there is a day of judgment coming in which He will judge on the
basis of what we've done. And he says, the soul that sins,
it shall die. And this is an awesome, dreadful
situation. For the soul that's coming under
the conviction of sin, this is an awful, dreadful realization. That I am a mortal being, and
like all of the rest of mankind, I must leave this life at some
stage. three score years and ten maybe
some years less maybe some years more maybe by strength some live
to a hundred or more but all all of us must face our maker
we must all meet him and must all give an account and he says
this the soul that sins it shall die shall be separated from him
from all eternity but praise God in this book is the gospel
the good news of salvation from sin of peace with God of reconciliation
with an offended God that we might be His people and He might
be our God that we might be reconciled unto Him and this gospel, this
good news is the power of God unto salvation and that's why
we declare it and we say to all those who pass by and are around
us why will you die when there is a way of salvation you're
lost as you are but in the Lord Jesus Christ there's a gospel
of salvation now you know that You've heard me and others say
it so many times. But we come to this point, we're
thinking in the autumn, we're planning to go out to this area
with leaflets, with the gospel, seeking to draw some in and to
bring them under the sound of it. What is the gospel that we
preach? You see, I very much believe
that the vast majority of people in the world today who say they
preach the Christian gospel preach no such thing. They do not preach
what it says in this book. To the law and to the testimony,
they do not speak according to this word. Because they've adapted
it and they've twisted it and they've bent it into a shape
that they think will be acceptable to what mankind thinks is an
acceptable gospel. And it's therefore not the gospel
of scripture. The gospel we preach is this.
It's a gospel of particular redemption. You've heard me say that a few
times. in recent weeks and months, particular redemption. What do
I mean by that? Let me give you a quick summary.
It's this, that before the beginning of time, this is what this book
declares, before the beginning of time, before there ever was
a world, before there were ever any of us, God the Father chose
a people from all mankind that would exist in the Lord Jesus
Christ, a multitude known to Him, every single one. But to
mankind, no man can number them. They're as innumerable as the
sand on the seashore is innumerable. And he gave them to Christ. And
Christ covenanted, Christ the Son covenanted with the Father
to come in time as a man and to be the representative. Just
as Adam, the first man, was the representative of all the human
race, Christ said, I will come and be the second Adam and will
represent them and will obey the law perfectly on their behalf
and then I will take their sins and I will pay for them on the
cross of Calvary that they might be forgiven that they might be
counted in me and this is what was done and then in time God
the Holy Spirit that Holy Spirit of God comes and a sinner who
is dead in trespasses and sins and is hell-bound with no thought
for God he comes and he wakens him up and makes him alive and
shows him the truth of the gospel and reveals to him that Christ
has done all for that people. Now, this is it. This truth of
which the Scriptures speak again and again is that Christ actually
accomplished salvation for every one of those people. When He
came to earth, He represented those people so that all those
people are holy in Him. When He died on the cross, He
didn't die for all sins of all time. He died for the sins of
His people whom the Father had given to Him before the beginning
of time. That is the gospel. It's contrary
to the wisdom of the world. If you read in 1 Corinthians
1, no need to look it up now, verses 18 and 19, it talks about
the wisdom of this world. The wisdom of this world being
in such opposition to the wisdom of God. So different to the religious
person. This gospel of particular redemption
that Christ should come to absolutely clear the debts of a particular
people is unfair. It's unjust. It's not right.
It's a stumbling block to them. Don't we get right with God by
the things that we do? Don't we get right with God,
as Islam says, by making sure that by the end of our lives
the balance is more than 50-50 in favor of the good things we've
done and therefore we get into heaven? No, it doesn't. It says
we're judged in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's foolishness to the
natural man around us. What a silly thing to think of,
that there's a judgment to come. It's foolishness, but God says,
it's a marvelous work. A marvelous work. He says, wisdom
doesn't understand it. Just look at Isaiah 29. No need
to go there if you can't find it quickly, I'll read it out
to you. Therefore, this is God speaking through the prophet.
Therefore behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among
this people. This gospel of particular redemption
is a marvellous work. It's God's marvellous work. Even
a marvellous work and a wonder. For the wisdom of their wise
men shall perish. Human wisdom will not understand
it. And the understanding of their
prudent men shall be hid. It's echoing what Paul says in
1 Corinthians chapter 1 about the wisdom of this world. This
gospel of God is a marvellous work and the whole of the scripture
attests to its truth. all of it. You think about it. Israel, why this particular nation? It's picturing the fact that
God saves his people from their sins, particularly. He deals
with everything that they need before his holy law and Christ
comes speaking of the kingdom of God and what it is to be in
that kingdom and how he represents all those that are in that kingdom.
And all of the parables as we've seen in recent weeks speak of
this, the kingdom of God is like, the kingdom of God is like. And
why he spoke in parables that those who were of that kingdom
would have this mystery revealed to them. This is the center of
all our hope. Some wishy-washy gospel that
depends on what you do and what you decide leaves you constantly. Do you know I remember, like
so many people, like most people, I first heard a Christian gospel
in Arminian circles. So many of us did. And I remember
so many times thinking that I hadn't asked Jesus into my heart sufficiently
well and reverently and sincerely. And the number of times I asked
Jesus into my heart to try and make up for that shortfall was
just incredible. I never had any peace because
it depended on me. Had I believed? And then I used
to think, hold on, this doesn't make sense. You mean the difference
between me being ripe for eternity and not is the fact that I just
stripped out some words? No, the difference is this. Did
Christ represent me? Was I in Christ when He walked
this earth? Was I crucified with Him on the cross of Calvary?
Were the sins that He died for my sins? Because that's what
I need to know when I get to the day of judgment. This is
the basis of all our hope. If we believe this, this is the
basis of our eternal hope. No dependence on me. I am judged
and I am rewarded in the Lord Jesus Christ. Absolutely from
beginning to end. And so we need to know why did
Christ come? Why did he live? Why did he die?
For whom did he do it? With what effect? What does the
Bible teach? This is our standard. To the
law and to the testimony. Even if it's foolishness to the
natural man. Even if it's a stumbling block to the religious man. What
does this book say? oh how we need understanding
you know when the risen Christ was with the disciples at the
end of Luke's gospel we have the Emmaus road account and then
you go on a little bit further and he's with some more of them
and it says in verse 45 of chapter 24 of Luke then he opened their
understanding that they might understand the scriptures oh
that he would open our understanding that we might understand the
scriptures that we might know what's being said here give us
scriptural understanding Give us that scriptural understanding
of the truth of particular redemption because this is the spring of
all of our hope and it's the spring of all true sanctification. So this Psalm 69, how are we
meant to read it? What is it about? Who is speaking
in this Psalm? Well, it says right at the start,
if you look, to the chief musician upon Shoahanim, a psalm of David
so definitely it's David speaking it's a psalm of David and he
wrote it but you know there's a the question in the catechism
the children's catechism about the scriptures holy men spoke
what is the scriptures holy men spoke as they were born along
by the spirit of God and this man David yes it's got his character
all over it the words of David the emotions of David, the feelings
of David, the experiences of David. But yet, miraculously,
the Holy Spirit was speaking through him and has preserved
it. And these are the words of Christ. The whole of the Scripture
is the Word of Christ. For Christ is the Word. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word is
the expression of the mind of God to his people. That's who's
speaking here. And what is he saying? He's saying,
he's testifying to what he was doing when he bore his people's
sins. When he bore the guilt of his
people's sins. When he bore the consequences
of his people's sins. Just look down these verses with
me. You see in verse 1 to 4, we read it earlier so we won't
read it again, but we have a plea in distress. He's distressed. Save me for the waters are coming
to my soul. They hate me without a cause.
It's a plea in distress. And then in verse 5, there's
a confession. There's a confession. Oh God,
you know my guiltiness, my foolishness, and my sins are not hidden from
you. It's a confession. and then he goes on to talk about
his shame let them not wait on thee O Lord of hosts be ashamed
for my sake he's talking about shame and alienation right the
way down there to verse 8 and then in verse 9 we see that echo
you'll find it in John's gospel chapter 2 verse 17 where Jesus
went into the temple, the man Jesus went into the temple and
turned out the money changers and those that were using the
temple of God as a den of financial iniquity. And it says there,
they remembered, the disciples remembered that it was written
of him, the zeal of your house has eaten me up. You see, the
disciples realized that these words were the words of Christ.
The zeal of your house has eaten me up. And then he goes on further,
more reproach. I wept my soul with fasting. I made sackcloth to be my garment
and so on. And then there's a prayer, verses
13 down to about 19 or so. A prayer, a plea for salvation
from that situation. Don't leave me here. It's like
the cry of Christ from the cross. Oh, my God, my God, why have
you forsaken me? And then in verse 20, he says
what he's experiencing. reproach has broken my heart
it's put this way in the paraphrase in Handel's Messiah thy rebuke
has broken his heart he is full of heaviness he looked for some
to have pity on him but there was no man and for comforters
but he found none and then verse 21 is this not Christ on the
cross they gave me also gall for my meat and in my thirst
They gave me vinegar to drink." They put vinegar on a sponge
and put it up to Him on the cross. And then it goes on with the
outcome of this. And there's a clear division
between those who are in Christ and those who are out of Christ.
And those who are out of Christ, there's a terrible judgment.
But in summary, right down in verse 35, for God will save Zion. God will save His people. He
saves on the basis of this pleasing sacrifice you see in verse 31
this sacrifice of his son of the Messiah shall please the
Lord better than an ox or a bullock that has horns and hoofs is that
not what Isaiah 53 verse 10 says better sacrifice than those things
Psalm 40 verse 6 sacrifice and offering he did not desire but
a body you have prepared for him Hebrews 10.4 says the same
thing. Who is speaking here? It reminds
me of a question that was asked by the Ethiopian eunuch. Do you
remember when Philip in Acts chapter 8 came alongside the
Ethiopian's chariot and he's bought or acquired a scroll of
the prophet Isaiah and he's reading, it wasn't marked out chapter
53 then, but he's reading what we know to be chapter 53 today
and he's reading chapter 53 and he's reading about the lamb being
led as a lamb to the slaughter and he asks Philip, when Philip
comes alongside and says, do you know what you're reading?
Do you understand what you're reading? And he says, how can
I? Unless some man come up and explain it to me. So Philip got
up alongside him and then he says, of whom is he speaking? Who is the prophet speaking of?
Is it himself or some other man? Now just turn up Acts chapter
8 You must see this because you see, this is our scriptural warrant
for interpreting the scriptures as we do. I know many today would say to
Philip, oh no, you can't do that, you're going too far, you're
over-spiritualizing the scripture. Sorry, this was the days of the
apostles. This was under divine guidance.
Look, the eunuch answered Philip and said, I pray you, of whom
speaks the prophet this? Of himself or some other man?
Verse 35, then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same
scripture in Isaiah and preached unto him, Jesus. Jesus. Who's this verse speaking of?
Oh God, you know my foolishness and my sins are not hid from
you. This is Christ on the cross who
calls the sins of his people his own sins. Who calls the foolishness
or the guiltiness of those sins his own. foolishness and guiltiness. It's the cry of Christ bearing
the sins of His people. Who are they? Those whom the
Father gave to Him before the beginning of time. Those whom
the Spirit makes willing to believe Him when they hear the gospel
preached. Was Christ a sinner? Never. He
was never a sinner. He was without spot, without
blemish, but He was made sin, says the scripture. He was made
sin. He bore our sins in His own body on the cross, on the
tree. He bore their guilt and He paid their price. And that
is why God poured out His holy wrath upon Him. Think of it. God the Father poured out His
wrath on God the Son. So that God the Son, our Lord
Jesus Christ, hung there and cried out, My God, My God, why
have you forsaken in the garden the night before when they went
out from the upper room and he went out to pray. Why was he
in such anguish? He was to be made sin for his
people. He who knew no sin, he who was the perfect spotless
Lamb of God, he who had known nothing other than perfect holy
union with his Father, knew that he had to come to that hour.
If a people was to be saved, he must establish justice. And
if justice must be established, he must bear the sins, every
sin. My sin, oh, the bliss. We're
going to sing it at the end. My sin, oh, the bliss of this
glorious thought. My sin, not in part, but the
whole. The sins that you're going to
commit later today and in years ahead, however long we're given
to live, he bore them all in his body. on that cross. He took
responsibility for them. He was made sin. I don't understand
it, but this is what the scripture clearly teaches. You see, God
couldn't punish him if he was innocent. If Christ hanging on
the cross had no sin, God couldn't punish him. And he says, you
know my foolishness, my guiltiness. my sins are not hid from you
because there on the cross he bore our sins and it was for
those sins which he made his own that he was punished and
suffered the just wrath and penalty of Almighty God. If you read
again and again in the book of Deuteronomy just as God cannot
turn a blind eye to sin the soul that sins it shall die absolutely
strict justice No sweeping it under the carpet. No turning
a blind eye to it. Absolutely strictly in exactly
the same way God says again and again in the book of Deuteronomy
how evil it is that the innocent be punished. What a terrible
evil it is. In fact in our balance of justice
we often get upset but it's better this way. It is better that the
guilty go free than that the innocent man be punished. If
that's the price of justice, it is better that there's a risk
that the guilty go free than that the innocent be wrongly
punished. That's in the law of God. That's
true. And so Christ could not be punished
unless he was bearing sin. God the Father could not turn
his face away from his well-beloved Son unless his well-beloved Son
was bearing sin. And this is what I want you to
see. If you're in Christ this morning, if you've trusted Him,
you've trusted Him because He did this for you. And in doing
this for you, your sins, He nailed it to His cross. You see, in
the affairs of men, if I go and commit some motoring offense,
and I'm found out, the camera snaps me, and I'm doing 60 miles
an hour through Wolmer Green, and the camera gets me, and I
get the letter, and I'm guilty. I'm guilty. It's me that's guilty.
I did it. You know, I broke the law and I did it. But Stephen's
feeling very generous and he says, Don't worry, Dad. I'll
pay the £60 fine for you. He deals with the consequences
of my offense, but the guilt of it he cannot take away. His
license wouldn't get the three points on it. It would be my
license. I would bear the guilt of it. Somebody else might pay
the fine, but I would always bear the guilt, but not so with
Christ. I don't understand why, but this is what the Scripture
teaches. Christ was made sin for his people. We read this
again and again. Look at Exodus chapter 29, the
transfer of sin to Christ. You see, it wasn't just that
Christ died to deal with the consequences
of sins. This is an error that he's taught.
It wasn't that he died to deal with the consequences of sins.
He died because he was made sin. he was made the sins of his people
and it's pictured throughout the Old Testament sacrifices
Exodus 29 and verses 10 and 11 these are the instructions for
the animal sacrifices we could look in many other places and
you shall cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle
of the congregation and Aaron and his sons shall put their
hands upon the head of the bullock and you shall kill the bullock
before the Lord by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation."
The thing I want you to note is that put the hands on the
head of the bullock. What was happening? Symbolically
the transfer of the sins to the bullock so that the bullock was
made the sins of the people and therefore the bullock suffered
the penalty for the sins of the people. Symbolical of that which
Christ would do. Look over at Leviticus 16 where
we have the account of the scapegoat this is even more graphic Leviticus
16 verse 20 and when he has made an end of
reconciling the holy place and the tabernacle of the congregation
and the altar he shall bring the live goat and Aaron shall
lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat and I'll note
this and confess over him all the iniquities of everybody that
ever lived, no, of the children of Israel and all their transgressions
in all their sins putting them, putting those sins upon the head
of the goat and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man,
like that, it's old language, by the hand of a fit man into
the wilderness and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities
into a land not inhabited. You see, their sins were put
on the goat and taken away into the wilderness. My sin, oh the
bliss of this glorious thought, my sin not in part but the whole
laid on him, taken away. You know these verses that God
has made him who knew no sin to be made sin for us that we
might be made the righteousness of God in him. Look at 1 Peter
chapter 2 again. Write it in your heart and in
your mind. Look at it there. Verse 24. 1
Peter chapter 2 verse 24. Who his own self, speaking of
Christ, bore our sins in his own body on the tree. He bore
our sins in his body on the tree. He was judged as bearing them. He was found guilty of them and
he was punished to the full extent of the law's requirements for
them. Oh that we might have a sight of the love of God displayed
in this. Do you know what really alarms
me and concerns me about my own heart is the relative coldness
of it even when I speak of these things and I read them here.
that the God of the universe should pour out his wrath on
the son of his love who was bearing my sins in my place. What a tremendous
cost. We tend not to think that it
cost God anything because Christ rose from the dead and that it
was a short blip. That's just our fallen human
reasoning. Oh, that we might see something
of what it cost the father to sacrifice his son. to give up
his son to bear the sins of his people he spared not his only
beloved son for his people and if he's brought you to believe
in him he did it for you and he did it for me so what are
the consequences of this that Christ bore the sins of his people
well you know numbers 23 and verse 21 that's the words of
a false prophet but nevertheless in God's wisdom He couldn't but
speak the truth of it. Numbers 23, 21, the words of
Balaam when he's trying for money to prophesy against Israel and
this is what he comes out with. He, that is God, has not beheld
iniquity in Jacob. Jacob, remember, is the symbolic
name of God's people, the sinners. Jacob, the twister, the cheat,
God's people that the sinners and yet he has not beheld iniquity
in Jacob neither has he seen perverseness in Israel in those
who have been made princes with God why not because Christ has
borne it away he's borne it all away he's nailed it to his cross
as Colossians 2 14 says and so the consequence is Romans 6 look
at Romans 6 When you come back to read these
passages, read them with this light shining upon them. Romans
chapter 6 and verse 7. For he that is dead,
he that is dead is freed from sin. Are you dead? If you died
with Christ you are. In Him, when He died on that
cross, bearing your sins, He died and you died in Him. And
as a result, You're freed from sin. You're free from sin. In
Christ, I have no sin. When He died, I died in Him. Yet we're still sinners. As long
as we're in this flesh, we're still sinners. And if we say
we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But
in Christ, in Christ, we are free from sin. We are free from
its guilt. We are free from its consequences.
And that's why we sing the words that we've been singing in those
hymns. Because the wrath fell upon Him. Look at an example. David. You know the account in
2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12. But if you just turn to chapter
12, you know it was the time when kings went out to war. And David's kingdom was prospering
in chapter 11. And he didn't go out to war.
He stayed at home. And he's got time on his hands.
And he's got pleasure on his hands. He commits adultery with
Bathsheba. And then to try and cover it
up, he murders her husband, Uriah the Hittite. He murders him by
the sword of Ammon. He murders him. This is David,
the sweet psalmist of Israel. And you remember he tried to
hide it, but Nathan the prophet came to him and told him a story
about a rich man and a poor man and how the rich man had exploited
the poor man. and it's picturing David the
rich man and Uriah the Hittite the poor man and his little lamb
and all that he had and David's anger was kindled against the
man and he said as the Lord lives the man that has done this thing
shall surely die and you know what Nathan said to David in
verse 7 of chapter 12 you are the man you are the man thus
says the Lord God of Israel I anointed you king over Israel and I delivered
you out of the hand of Saul and he committed such a terrible,
terrible crime. And he wrote Psalm 51, this cry
of penitence in Psalm 51, Have mercy upon me, O God, according
to your loving kindness, according to the multitude of your tender
mercies, blot out my transgressions. And he says in verse 9, Hide
your face from my sins and blot out my iniquities. And in verse
14, Deliver me from blood guiltiness. Oh God, thou God of my salvation,
deliver me from blood guiltiness. It seems as if it wasn't so much
the threat of punishment that tore David's heart apart, but
the guilt, the guilt, the bearing the consequences of that sin.
It was the blood guiltiness and he wanted it to be put away.
And look at verse 13. I'm back in 2 Samuel chapter
12 now. David said to Nathan, I have
sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David, listen
to these words. These are glorious words. The
Lord also has put away your sin. You shall not die. He's put away
even that sin, David. You shall not die. Oh, you'll
bear great consequences in this life. But in eternity, you shall
not die. The Lord has put away your sin.
He has delivered you from blood guiltiness. How has He done it?
by the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ in your place for
Christ on the cross was made that sin and he bore its consequences
he bore its guilt the guiltiness was delivered from off David
and so in Psalm 32 verse 1 and it's echoed in Romans 4 verse
7 we read blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven whose
sins are covered to whom the Lord will not impute credit,
account, sin The gospel is preached, Acts 10.43, for the remission
of sins, the putting away, not just dealing with the consequences,
but the actual putting away of the sins of his people. The blood
of the new covenant, says Jesus in the upper room, Matthew 26.28,
this is the blood of the new covenant which he shed for many,
for the remission of sins. They're blotted out, our sins
are blotted out in the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you remember a chorus? Some of you might remember this,
and I used to think for many, many years that it was a very
fickle, trivial chorus. But we used to sing it, and I
was thinking of the words, and I can't find a solitary thing
wrong with the words. we used to sing gone gone gone
gone yes my sins are gone now my soul is free and in my heart's
a song buried in the deepest sea yes that's good enough for
me I will live eternally praise God my sins are gone that's not
a trivial chorus that's the deepest theology that you will ever get
your head around praise God my sins gone, not just the consequences,
not just the punishment, the guilt of them, the actuality
of them, because He bore them. He who knew no sin was made sin
for us. We can read it in Isaiah 43,
again you don't have to keep up with me turning to these things,
but 25, I even I, this is God speaking, am He that blots out
your transgressions for my own sake, note that, He does it for
His own sake, and will not remember your sins. Chapter 44 verse 22,
I have blotted out as a thick cloud your transgressions and
as a cloud your sins. Return to me for I have redeemed
you. I have brought you back. Do you
know what this is like? This is like you owe an enormous
debt and you get taken down to the bank where you owe that debt
and the papers are got out and it's blotted out. It's gone. It's dealt with. It's paid. It's
cancelled. It no longer stands against you. So who can bring any charge against
God's elect that will stick? This is what Paul says in Romans
8, 33 and 34. Who can bring any charge? Who
can bring any accusation? Christ has died. God has justified
His people in Christ and so therefore we come boldly to the throne
of grace. We're able to approach the God
who would consume us for our God is a consuming fire and we
come in the full assurance of faith. He didn't just make it
possible so long as I would believe Him. He did it. He accomplished
it. He finished the work on behalf
of His people. How could Christ on that cross
have cried, it is finished, if it depended on His people doing
this, that or the other and believing on Him? And His Spirit will bring
all whose sins He bore to believe and trust Him for all eternity.
So then, what do we do? Do we sin? You know, this seems,
this is what people say, this seems too good to be true. This
is a license to go and do what you like because Christ has paid
for all of your sins. So you don't need to bother in
the slightest. Look at Romans 6 and verse 22. Romans 6 verse 22 says this,
But now being made free from sin, and the whole of the chapter
is about what I've just been saying. Now being made free from
sin, and become servants to God you have your fruit unto holiness
and the end everlasting life because you see this doctrine
this truth this central core truth that Christ bore every
sin of his people not in part but the whole and paid for it
and dealt with it and bore its guilt there is no greater spring
to true holiness The law will not produce holiness in the people
of God, but this knowledge will. This will cause fruit to be born.
This will. This will slay a man in his arrogance
and a woman in her pride. This doctrine will. This will
bring us down. This will bring us to bear the
fruit of the Spirit in Him. So this is our message. As I
said at the start, I believe we face a pernicious error in
our day. It's so subtle. It's so deceitful. There are men who say they believe
the truth, but really, they don't like this doctrine of particular
redemption. They say they believe reformed
Calvinistic doctrines, but really, in their heart of hearts, they
find it a bit harsh. They accuse people who believe
particular redemption of being hyper-Calvinist, and so they
invent a lie. I'm not making this up. This
is true. There was a man who lived, he
was alive 200 years ago, Andrew Fuller, who was greatly revered
in lots of circles. In fact, would you believe, even
an organization like the Banner of Truth has just republished
significant parts of his works because they think they're so
good. And yet the writings of Andrew Fuller are absolutely
full of this pernicious error. He did not believe that Christ
actually bore the sins of his people. And it's a gospel which
is impotent. It's a gospel which doesn't save.
It's a gospel which leaves the decision with man. And what I
would say is this, we've got no time for ecumenical associations
at all. We'll have fellowship and work
with anybody who preaches this truth and lines up with this
truth. We know some in this country,
unfortunately, I don't say unfortunately, I mean, the fact is that the
majority of the people that we hold dear and close to us in
these things are in the United States of America. But we're
not gonna go out of our way seeking ecumenical associations to try
and come up with a gospel that people will find acceptable when
in actual fact, it utterly rips the heart out of the power of
that gospel of which Paul spoke, not ashamed of it, It is the
power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. Amen. Right.