Today I would like you to turn
in your Bible to John chapter 10. John chapter 10. I'll be speaking from verses
14 down to verse 18 in John chapter 10. Let's read these verses together.
Get your Bible and let's read from John chapter 10 beginning
at verse 14. Our Lord says, I am the good
shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the
Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father. I lay down my life
for the sheep, other sheep I have which are not of this fold. Them
also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall
be one fold and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love
me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No
man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power
to lay it down. And I have power to take it again,
this commandment have I received of my Father." I have a very
vital question to ask this morning, and I pray that you will give
me a hearing. A very vital question. Now, here's
the question. For whom did our Lord Jesus Christ
die? For whom did He die? To many,
this question may seem unnecessary and may be even foolish. Most
would say, well, didn't He die for everybody? Did you know that
the Bible does not teach that Jesus Christ died for all of
the sins of all men? That's right. But what about
the scripture? Someone might say, what about
the scriptures that say that he died for the sins of the world?
Example of that would be John 1, 29, where the scripture says,
Behold, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. The word world. is used in several different
senses in the Bible, but not once does it mean every single
individual that ever lived. John, who was writing to these
people, writing to these Jews, is saying that Jesus Christ did
not only die for the elect among the Jews, but also for the elect
of God living throughout the whole world. The whole world. He says in John 10, 16, "...other
sheep I have which are not of this fold," not of this nation.
He has an elect people among the Jewish nation, but he also
has the elect of God among the Gentile nation. "...other sheep
I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring,
they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one
shepherd." Our Lord said in Revelation chapter 5 verse 9, they sung
a new song saying that thou art worthy to take the book and to
open the seals thereof for thou was slain and has redeemed us
to God by thy blood out of every kindred, tongue, people and nation. So what's the scripture talking
about when it uses the word world? Well, it's talking about God
having a people among and throughout the whole world. Jew and Gentile,
scattered among the whole world. Now listen to me. There is not
one scripture that says that the Lord Jesus Christ died for
every man that ever lived. Not one. Not one scripture. Who then did Jesus Christ die
for? Well, that's a good question,
isn't it? Who then did the Lord Jesus Christ
die for as the sinner's substitute? Well, in John 10, verse 11, our
Lord declares, I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd giveth
his life for the sheep, for the sheep. Down in verse 15, as a
father knoweth me, even so I know the Father, I lay down my life
for the sheep. Christ died for his elect, for
his people. All men are not considered his
sheep. That's right. In the same chapter,
John 10, verse 26, listen to the Scripture. But ye believe
not, because ye are not My sheep, as I said unto you." You see,
all men are not considered to be sheep. Down in verse 29, He
identifies these sheep as those whom the Father gave Him. In
John 10, verse 29, the Father which gave them Me is greater
than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of My hand.
I and My Father are one. He identifies these people that
He calls His sheep as those whom the Father gave Him. In John
chapter 6, verse 35, He said, All that the Father giveth Me
shall come to Me. In John chapter 17, several times
He mentions, five or six times He mentions about the people
that God gave Him. In John 17, verse 2, it says,
As thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should
give, that Christ should give eternal life, salvation to as
many as the Father hath given Him. You see, He identifies these
people for whom He dies as those whom the Father gave Him. And
God gave the Lord Jesus Christ a people in that eternal covenant
of grace, and God elected and chose a people and gave them
to Christ. Jesus Christ died to secure everlasting salvation
for those chosen of God in that covenant of grace and given to
the Lord Jesus Christ." So then we can say scripturally that
the Lord Jesus Christ died for His people. He died for His sheep. Jesus Christ died to redeem God's
elect alone. The Son of God did not shed His
blood in vain, which would be true if any of these for whom
He died perish in hell. It was never our Lord's intention
to redeem and to save all men, only to redeem and to save His
people. Now listen to these Scriptures.
These Scriptures plainly declare for whom He died. In Acts 20,
28, it says that the Lord Jesus Christ purchased the church,
who? The church of God, the elect
of God with His own blood. In Isaiah 53, Verse 8, for the
transgression of my people was he stricken. Whom did he die
for? He calls them my people. He said,
all we like sheep have gone astray. And he said he died for his people.
In Ephesians chapter 5, verse 25, it says that Christ loved
the church. For whom did he love? He loved
the church. And he gave himself for who? He gave himself for
the church. In Matthew 1.21, The messenger
from glory said, Call his name Jesus, Savior, for he shall save
his people." Who did he save? He shall save his people from
their sins. In Hebrews 2, verse 17, we read
about our merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining
to God to make reconciliation, and that word there means atonement,
covering for sin for the sins of the people. There it is again. He talks about a specific people. In Hebrews 10, 14, again we read,
"...for by one offering He perfected forever them that are sanctified."
Now, is every man sanctified? No. Only those chosen in Christ
are set apart. These are just a few Scriptures
that plainly declare that Jesus Christ died for a particular
chosen people. Peter calls them in 1 Peter 2,
9, the chosen generation, the royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a peculiar, purchased people of God. So we can scripturally
say that the Lord Jesus Christ died not for all of the sins
of all men, but for all of the sin of some men. He died for
His people. He died for His chosen. Now secondly,
someone might say this, well, why bring this up? Why talk about
this? Well, I may offer two reasons.
The first one and most vital is this, because it's God's Word.
It's His truth. And as His people, as believers,
we are to declare the truth of God, and it is the truth that
sets sinners free. The second reason is this, because
of all the false teaching about His atonement and salvation that
so many people embrace. So many people embrace this common
idea that is preached in most churches. Now listen to me carefully.
Most people, and the common idea that's preached in most churches,
is that God loves everybody and that Jesus Christ died to try
to save everybody or to render them savable or put them in a
savable state. But my friend, both of these
ideas are wrong. Both of these ideas are lies. The love of God is in Christ. God doesn't love everybody. He
said, Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated. You see, the love
of God is in Christ. Therefore, God doesn't love everybody.
He loves His own in Christ. And we know that the Lord Jesus
Christ didn't die for everybody, because some perish in hell.
He died for His elect, for His chosen. The common notion of
universal love and universal atonement may sound nice, but
this is not the teaching of Scripture. Furthermore, the implications
of this teaching are disastrous. The teaching of universal love
and universal atonement, the implications are disastrous.
Let me give you two reasons. Here's the first one. Now, you
listen. Listen carefully. Don't tune me out. You listen
carefully. If Christ died for all of the
sins of all men, and yet some men end up in hell anyway, it
means that it's not his death, his atonement that saves. There
must be some work that we must perform to save us. Now, listen. If Christ died for the sins of
Judas just as much as He did for the sins of Peter, then it
was not the person and work and the blood of Christ that saved
Peter, but something that Peter did that Judas didn't do. Now, if that's the case, and
thank God it's not, but if that is the case, salvation is by
our works and not by God's grace, and the blood of Christ is not
sufficient to put away my sin. Thank God that salvation is all
of grace in all of mercy, not by works of righteousness which
we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us." And it's
by grace that you are saved through faith, and that, none of yourself,
it is the gift of God. One might say in argument, well,
Peter believed and Judas didn't. My friend, who made the difference?
If you say the difference was found in them, the difference
was in them, Peter, Judas, then again you have salvation by works
and not by faith alone. Christ died not that men should
be saved if they would believe, but He died for all the sins
of God's elect that they should believe. In Acts 13-48 we read,
as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. In John 10-26
again He says, you believe not. He is talking to those self-righteous
Pharisees. He said, you believe not because
you are not My sheep. As I said unto you, my sheep
hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me." My friend, the
cause of salvation is not faith. The cause of salvation is Christ,
His blood, His substitutionary death. One does not believe to
become a sheep. He believes because he is a sheep,
chosen of God in everlasting covenant mercies. Here's the
other. The other devastating implication
that if you preach universal love and universal atonement,
here's the other devastating implication is that Jesus Christ
failed to do what He intended. If you say that He died for all
of the sins of all men, and all men are not eternally saved,
that means He was a frustrated, miserable, defeated failure. Such teaching is horribly dishonoring
to Christ And again, it's not biblical. In Isaiah 42, we read,
He shall not fail, He shall not be discouraged. The Lord Jesus
Christ is not a failure. He's not frustrated. He atoned
for the sins of God's people. And if you say that He tried
to save all men everywhere, and yet some men aren't saved, the
implications are that Christ failed to do what He intended.
The Lord Jesus Christ died for His elect, my friend, and actually
accomplished their salvation. Everyone that He died for must
be saved because their sins are paid for. Now, they're paid for
with His blood, not our works. Hebrews 1 verse 3 declares, When
He had by Himself purged our sins, He sat down at the right
hand of God. None for whom the Lord Jesus
Christ stood as mediator, Representative shall ever perish." You listen
to this scripture carefully in John chapter 6, verse 37. He
says, "...all that the Father giveth me," there's those sheep,
there's the elect of God, "...shall come to me, and him that cometh
to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven
not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. And
this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which
he hath given me I should lose nothing, but raise it up again
at the last day." And this is the will of him that sent me,
that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may
have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
The sinner's only hope is that Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ,
died and that the Lord Jesus Christ did not fail to put away
the sin of God's people. My only hope of salvation is
not based upon something I have done or I have believed. It's
based upon the fact that what he did is enough to guarantee
my salvation. That's why Paul said, God forbid
I should glory save in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now,
if you would like a copy of today's message, you write to me. You
write to me and I'll see that you get one free of charge. My
address is this church, 6088 Zebulon Highway, Pikeville, Kentucky,
41501.