Now would you turn with me to
John chapter 10. John the 10th chapter. We will
not be having services this evening. I believe that I've been impressed
of God to preach this message. It's been on my mind. I haven't
been able to get away from it. And I covet your prayers that
I will preach this message as it ought to be preached. In John 10, verse 15, the Lord said, As the Father
knoweth me. Even so, know I the Father, and
I lay down my life for the sheep." For whom did Christ die? The sheep. Is everybody a sheep? Look in
verse 24 of this passage of Scripture. Then came the Jews round about
him and said unto him, How long dost thou make us doubt? If thou
be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you,
and you believe not. The works that I do in my Father's
name, they bear witness of me. But you believe not, because
You are not of my sheep, as I said unto you." Obviously, not everybody
is a sheep. He said to these people, you
believe not because you are not of my sheep. Well, who are the
sheep? What he says in verse 27, My sheep hear My voice, and I
know them, and they follow Me, and I give unto them eternal
life. His sheep are the ones He gives
eternal life to, and they shall never perish, neither shall any
man pluck them out of My hand. My Father which gave them Me,
My Father which gave them Me, The sheep are those the Father
gave to him. The sheep are the elect, those
the Father gave to him. I have entitled this message
that I want to bring this morning, Why I Hate Universal Redemption. Why I hate Universal Redemption. Now, why would I give something
a title like that? That could almost seem inflammatory, isn't
that being a little bit strong and harsh, saying why I hate
Universal Redemption? Well, this message is a divisive
message. It is. Time to take sides. You know, the Lord said Think
not that I came to send peace on earth. I came not to send
peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man
at variance. A man's foes will be they of
his own household. So this is a divisive message,
but they're the gospel's divisive, isn't it? Not with God's people,
it's not, but it's divisive between God's people in the world. It
is, you know, the scripture says several times there was a division
because of him. And I pray that that's what's
going on right now, a division because of him, not because of
me or the way I am or you or the way, a division solely because
of him. Oh, may God enable that to be
the issue as we consider this thing of why I hate universal
redemption. In Ecclesiastes chapter three,
verse eight, we're told that there's a time to love and a
time to hate. There's a time to love and a
time to hate. Now, I believe the message of
universal redemption to be a false message, a wrong message, a deceitful
message, which is damning to the souls of men. If I really
believe What kind of person would I be if I did not in my heart
hate that message? If in fact it is damnable and
deceitful. In Psalm 97 verse 10, we read,
Ye that love the Lord hate evil. David said in Psalm 119 verse
104 and verse 128, I hate I hate every false way. In Proverbs 8, 13, we read the
fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Amos said in Amos 5, 15, love
the good and hate the evil. Now listen real carefully. Love
is a meaningless concept without hate. Now you chew on that. Love is
a meaningless concept without hate. If I love you, the one who hates you is my enemy.
If I love you, somebody hates you, that's my
enemy because I love you. David said in Psalm 139, Do not
I hate them that hate thee, I hate them with a perfect hatred. I count them mine enemies. As Charles Spurgeon said many
years ago, he that does not hate the false does not love the true. So the term hate and why I hate
universal redemption is not too strong a term if in fact it is
a false way which I believe it is. Now, what do I mean by universal
redemption when I say I hate universal redemption? I mean
that preaching, that teaching, that belief that says that God
loves all men. to ever live without any exception. He loves all men universally.
God wills the salvation of all men, without exception, universally. Christ died and paid for the
sins of all men, universally, without exception. And the Holy
Spirit calls all men universally, without exception. It's that
teaching that says that God loves all men the same. God wills the
salvation of all men the same. Judas. As well as Peter. Esau. As well as Jacob. Christ died for all men the same,
even those in hell. The Holy Spirit calls all men
equally. God loves everybody the same.
But. No one will be saved unless they,
of their will, allow God to save them. God wants to save everybody,
but He does not save anybody without them willing their own
salvation. Now, according to this view,
and it's what is preached probably in just about every pulpit in
Lexington, Kentucky this morning and throughout the world, according
to this view, God can love you and will your salvation. Christ
can actually pay your sin debt and pay for your sins. And the
Holy Spirit can call you, but you can still wind up in hell
if you do not do your part. I hate that. The gospel is how that Christ
died for our sins according to the scriptures. If I simply say
that Christ died for our sins, I've not preached the gospel.
The gospel is how that Christ died for our sins according to
the scriptures. Now, how did He die for our sins
according to Scripture? I could name so many different
Scriptures that refer to that, but what came to my mind is where
it says, by one offering, He, the Lord Jesus Christ, hath perfected
forever them that are sanctified. Who did He perfect forever? Them
that are sanctified. Now, I'm going to give you some
reasons why I hate and despise the message of universal redemption. I'm not speaking too strongly.
I hate and despise this message. Now why? Why? First, because
it's not true. It's just not true. It's not
what the scripture teaches. I know that God didn't love Esau. He said he hated him, didn't
he? I know that. The Scripture says, Thou hatest
all workers of iniquity. I know that he did not will the
salvation of Judas, because Judas was called a child of perdition
from the beginning. I know that Christ didn't die
for goats. He said, I lay down my life for
the sheep, and other sheep I have which are not of this foal. Them
also I must bring. I know God the Holy Spirit doesn't
call all men. He calls the elect. Them which
are called. Them which are called. Not everybody
is. We find that phrase over and over in the scriptures. Now,
this is a false way. That's why I hate it. It's a
false way. It's a lie. And David said, I
hate every false way. I hate universal redemption because
it places the burden of salvation upon the sinner. And that's a
burden I cannot bear. According to universal redemption,
salvation is not ultimately dependent upon what God does, what Christ
did, but what the sinner does. In reality, it's a message of
salvation by works. And that's all it is. Works is
any part of salvation being dependent upon me. That is salvation by
works, and that's a burden I cannot bear. Therefore, I hate it. I hate universal redemption because
it's a denial of the justice of God. If Christ can pay for
my sins and I have to pay for them again, God is not just. Now I want you to think about
that. If Jesus Christ the Lord can pay for my sins, and then
I have to pay for them again, God is not just. As a matter of fact, He's a monster. If He would punish His Son for
my sins, and then punish me all over again, if God would do that,
God is a monster. He's certainly not just. I hate
universal redemption. Not only does universal redemption
deny the justice of God, it denies the immutability of God. It says
God can intend to save somebody and his intentions are changed
and he decides to go ahead and send them to hell. That would
mean God's changing. That would mean God is mutable. He mutates. He loves them and
then he turns around and he sends them to hell. denies the immutability of God. Universal redemption makes the
love of God meaningless. I want you to think about that.
Universal redemption makes the love of God meaningless. Let me show you a passage of
scripture in Galatians, chapter two. Would you turn with me there?
Galatians, chapter two. Verse 20, Paul said, I'm crucified with
Christ. Nevertheless, I live, yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me
and gave himself for me. Now, what if I could say he loved
me? And he gave himself for me, and
I wind up in hell anyway, because it wouldn't be enough, would
it? It makes the love of God absolutely meaningless. When we read, nothing shall separate
us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Universal Redemption says, yes, you can be separated from the
love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. It makes the
love of God hyperbole and nothing more. Now, what if I saw somebody I loved, a little
kid, my daughter, when she was a child, playing out in the street,
and a car was coming at her, what if I said, I love you, but
I'm not going to violate your free will. Now, I think you ought
to get out of the street, but I'm not going to violate your
free will. And that car comes and runs over. What would happen
to me because of a love like that? They'd put me in jail over
a love like that. Universal redemption makes the
love of God meaningless. Universal redemption is a complete
denial of salvation by grace. You can't say it's all of grace
if you believe that somehow salvation is dependent upon what a man
does. God loves everybody, Christ died for everybody, wants to
save everybody, but you need to do something to make what
he did work for you. You need to accept it, you need to receive
it, all the different ways people have. Whereas the difference
is not God, the difference is you. That's a complete denial
of salvation by grace. If it's by works, It's no more
grace. Otherwise, work is no more of
works. But if it be of grace, it's no more works. Otherwise,
grace is no more grace. Romans 11, 6. Universal redemption
makes the Lord Jesus Christ a failure. Universal redemption makes the
Lord Jesus Christ a complete failure. If He intended to save
all men, and didn't do it, then he failed in his intentions. And that makes him a failure. Universal redemption limits the
power of his blood. Now, the atonement of Christ
and what he was doing on the cross is sometimes, I mean, it's
called particular redemption, definite atonement, sometimes
called limited atonement. And by that term, What folks
mean is it was limited in his intentions. He didn't intend
to save everybody. He only intended to save the
elect. That's what is meant by the word
limited. And people deride that term and say you're putting a
limit to the mercy and the grace of God. But really, all limited
atonement says is those whom Christ died for must be saved. They cannot not be saved. If
He died for me, I must be saved because my sins have been paid
for. I've been given perfect righteousness. I'm saved by the
grace of God. I must be saved. Now, the despicable doctrine
of universal redemption says the power of the blood is not
sufficient to save a man. He needs to do something in order
to make that blood work. You know, when God passed through
the land of Egypt and He said, when I see the blood, what's
the one thing God was looking for? The blood. When I see the blood, I will
pass over you. Universal Redemption says, no,
that's wrong. He's looking for something else. He's looking
for your decision. He's looking for your works. He's looking
for what you do. Thank God, he said, when I see
the blood. That's the only thing he was
looking for, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Universal
redemption negates all of that. Universal redemption makes man's
will sovereign over God's will. God does will the salvation of
all men. He wants you to be saved, but
his will is overrided by your will. Salvation is ultimately
dependent upon your will. God's will's frustrated. God's
will's thwarted. He wanted this to happen, but
it doesn't happen. That makes man's will sovereign
over God's will. In other words, it makes man
God when it comes right down to it. Universal redemption is a denial
of the satisfaction of Christ's blood. Well, that's a hideous
thing to think about, isn't it? Universal redemption is a denial
of the satisfaction of Christ's blood. It's not enough to satisfy
God. He can die for you. And that
doesn't necessarily mean that God is satisfied with what he
did. You might wind up in hell anyway. Now, our only hope is
the satisfaction of his blood that he rendered satisfaction
to God. And if he can die for somebody and they wind up in
hell anyway, you said his blood does not satisfy. Universal redemption robs Christ
of getting all the glory and salvation. If he died for Judas
and Peter, and Judas is saved, or Peter is saved and Judas is
lost, as we know he was, he's the child of perdition. If he
paid for the sins of Judas just as much as he did for the sins
of Peter, then If Peter's saved, he gets some of the glory in
that salvation. It doesn't all go to Christ.
Glory to Peter. Universal redemption denies Christ
getting all the glory and salvation. Now, can you see why I'm saying
I hate universal redemption? All these horrible implications
of that hideous doctrine. Universal redemption means we
have no gospel to preach to this world. You see, if I'm preaching
to men who are dead in sins, And I'm preaching universal redemption
in that sense. I don't have a message of gospel.
Because salvation is dependent upon what you do. And if salvation
is dependent upon what you do, you can't do it. You can't do
it. There's no gospel to preach.
None. I hate universal redemption because
no one is saved in this message of universal redemption. Now
listen to me real carefully. I don't know how to say this,
but to say it. If a man preaches universal redemption, he is a
false prophet. He's a servant of the devil.
If that's the message I believe, I will not be saved. I won't be. That's how serious
this thing is. Now, I've heard of people who
believe, they say, in election. I believe God elected a people,
but they also believe that Jesus Christ shed his blood for everybody. They're called four pointers.
And I like what one fella said, a four pointer is pointless.
He's pointless. You know, Something that foolish
the only reason someone would hold a position like that is
compromised trying to trying to make the flesh happy That's
the only motive for holding a position like that Now here's my main
reason Here's the reason that all those reasons I gave you
are good and important and true, but here's my main reason for
hating Universal Redemption and I and in my heart I hate it and
despise it, but here's the main reason I Because it takes away
the only hope that I have. The only hope that I have is
that Christ died for me. And if you tell me that He can
die for somebody and they wind up in hell anyway, you've taken
away the only hope that I have. That is why I, in my heart, hate
and despise universal redemption. It takes away the only hope that
I have, which is the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, there isn't any doubt in my mind
that the gospel is the gospel of the triune God. God the Father,
God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. The gospel is of the Father who
elects You can't preach a gospel and not preach election. It's
impossible. The gospel is the gospel of the Son who redeems.
He redeemed everybody he died for. The gospel is the gospel
of God, the Holy Spirit, who regenerates and gives life to
those the Father elected and those the Son redeemed. Now,
without doubt, without doubt, what I'm teaching, preaching,
whatever it is I'm doing, this is the teaching of the Scripture.
This is the teaching of Scripture. Now, here's the big thing that
I want to know. How can I know if I'm one of
the elect? How can I know if Christ died
for me? How can I know if God the Holy Spirit has given me
life? How can I No. He didn't die for everybody.
God doesn't love everybody. Christ never intended to save
everybody. That's just the facts. That's the truth. How can I know
if he's done something for me? Now, the first thing I want to
tell you, this is what we dealt with quite a bit in Vacation
Bible School this week. You don't need to worry about
whether or not you're one of the elect. You really don't. You shouldn't. You don't need
to worry about whether or not Christ died for you. That's not
the ground you come on. You don't come saying, I know
I'm one of the elect. I know that Christ died for me. Let
me give you three grounds. It's all the same, but I want
to give you three grounds upon which a sinner can approach God
through the Lord Jesus Christ. First turn to first Timothy,
chapter one, verse 15. Before I go on, I want to remind
you something. What I'm preaching doesn't keep
people from being saved. It doesn't. It's not like someone
said, oh, I want to be saved. No, you're not one of the elect.
You're not going to be. No, nothing like that ever happened. This
doesn't keep people from being saved. It brings people in who
would have been damned. That's what the gospel does.
The gospel doesn't hold people off, it brings people in. This
is good news. What I'm talking about is good
news, if. If what? Let's read this verse
of scripture. Verse 15, 1 Timothy chapter 1,
verse 15. This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptation. Everybody ought to embrace this
as the best news ever heard. And here it is, that Christ Jesus
came into the world to save who? Sinners. And I'm so thankful
that there's no adjective there. It doesn't say He came to save
repentant sinners, or understanding sinners, or believing sinners,
or I think the funniest one is a sensible sinner. That's what
the Puritans say. He came to save sensible sinners. Sinners
are stupid. They're not sensible. He came to save sinners. Are
you one of those? What do you mean by being a sinner?
What is that? A sinner is somebody who all
they do is sin. They cannot not sin. They can't
look down their nose at anybody. And they know that they have
no claims on God. That's a sinner. Are you one
of those? No? I can't tell you Christ died
for you. But if you're one of those, listen
to me, Jesus Christ died for you. Actually died for. He died for sinners. Can you fit yourself into that
group? Are you a sinner? Okay, here's the second ground
upon which I come. He said, the whole need not a
physician, but they that are sick. Luke 9-11 says, He healed
them that had need of healing. You know, we sing that song,
let not conscience make you linger, nor fitness fondly dream. The
only fitness He requires is to feel your need of Him. But let
me take it a little further than that. What about when you don't
feel? Sometimes you feel your need, sometimes you don't. I
think it would be better to say the only fitness He requires
is to have a need. of Him. And I do indeed have
a need of Him. Every aspect of the Gospel I
need. I need God to elect me. I need
Christ to die for me. I need God the Holy Spirit to
call me. I need Him to preserve me. I need Him to give me life.
I need Him to keep me all the way to the end. I need Now, if
you need the gospel I'm preaching, that's the only kind of gospel
that'll save you. The gospel where He does everything and
that all that He requires of you, He looks to His Son for.
Is that the gospel you need? Now, here's the third ground. First, I come as a sinner. If
I'm a sinner, Christ died for me. Need. If I had this need, the
Great Physician's for me. And here's the third ground upon
which I come. Whosoever. Romans chapter 10 verse 13 says,
Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Whosoever. Now I'm going to make a confession
I wish I didn't have to make. But I got on Google and guess
whose name I put in. Todd Daubert. I just wanted to
see. I shouldn't have done that, that's
vain, that's stupid, but I did it. And you know what I found
out? I found out there are a lot of Todd Nyberts. I'm not talking
about this one, I'm talking about all over the country, there's
a bunch of Todd Nyberts. I would have thought I was the
only one, but I'm not, there's a bunch. But here's the point. Whosoever
is a better word than Todd Nybert. If it said Todd Nybert, it might
not have meant this one. But I'm a whosoever. Whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Whosoever. I'm one of them. Whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord. I'm calling, Lord, save
me. I'm calling on Your name. That
doesn't simply mean using His name. I'm calling upon the person
behind the name. I'm calling on His power to save
me, Lord. I'm dead, weak. Save me by Your power, by an
act of Your sovereign will, by Your grace, by Your mercy, by
Your loving kindness, Lord. Save me. Now, listen to me. The doctrine of distinguishing,
discriminating grace, and that's what it is. Who makes you to
differ from another? God does. What do you have that
you didn't receive? Nothing. It all comes from Him. The truth of discriminating sovereign
grace doesn't keep anybody out of the Kingdom of Heaven. It
throws the door open. If you're a sinner, if you need,
if you're a whosoever, this is for you. Come and welcome. The Spirit and the Bride say,
Come. And let him that heareth say,
Come. And let him that's athirst, Come. And whosoever will, let him take
the water of life freely. You know, worldly men and women
say, well, that kind of preaching destroys missions and evangelism
and witnessing and so on. It does not. That's a lie. The door is open. You know, Christ. Is a door that. He said, I am
the door. The entrance into God. Let me
tell you something about a door. You can be too big to fit through
a door. So big-headed and conceited and
have such a high opinion of yourself, you can't get in the door like
that. But you can't be too little to come through the door. Sirs, what must I do to be saved? Believe. on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thou shalt be saved. Let's pray.