1689 London Baptist Confession (part 34)

Our Father in heaven will come before you this morning Thankful Thankful that you are a

God who saves sinners who reaches Down to us as it were transforms us

Takes us shapes us Restores us

Brings us to new life grants us new hearts new thoughts new desires

And Lord, then you keep us You take up residence within us

You warn us against sin you lead us into righteousness father you

Change us you Conform us to the image of your son Lord today as we look to your word.

We just pray that you would grant us greater joy greatest greater understanding and a greater love

For you and for what you have done and are doing in Jesus name. We pray.

Amen Well, we've been talking about The London Baptist Confession of Faith for just a couple weeks

Talking about the preservation or the perseverance of the Saints What does that mean?

Well in part it means that no matter how badly you sin if you are saved

You cannot sin so badly as to be unsaved

So God preserves us we persevere We talked about the examples of Peter and Judas and about how

Though they each sinned grievously Peter denying The master after even after Jesus told him you're going to deny me three times before the cock crows

And he goes on it does it? but when he Recognizes what he's done.

He is grieved he Repents he I mean we see his

Repentance by virtue of his life afterwards and then on the other hand you have Judas Iscariot who betrays

Jesus and is so overwrought eventually by sorrow by guilt

That he commits suicide The difference between the two of course is that Judas Iscariot was never saved

Never came to saving knowledge of Christ, even though he was with Jesus for three and a half years, you know

So hey, you know just as an aside when people say and I say this often but just think about this for a moment

Judas Iscariot was with Jesus for three and a half years And at the end of it, he betrayed him so when an atheist so -called atheist says to you if God would just show himself to me.

I would believe him If I could just see God I would believe him. I Think Judas Iscariot is probably the greatest argument against that Judas Iscariot saw the miracles.

He heard the words of Jesus Christ up close and personal He was sitting right across the campfire from him or if Jesus was preaching.

He's probably sitting in the front row You know just kind of like oh, yeah, this is so good And at the end of three and a half years of living with Jesus he betrays him

Unbelievers don't believe because the hardness of their heart not because God hasn't revealed enough to them.

Okay, so we Ended last week.

We're talking about how Jesus intercedes How he you know we say?

Pastor Mike's been talking a lot about having a mediator, right? We need a mediator.

We need an intercessor Well, what does it mean that Jesus is a mediator that he's an intercessor on our behalf?

Who's he interceding with? Okay, he intercedes with the father. Thanks for coming in Cory Because otherwise it would have been absolute silence

He's like my Ed McMahon for those of you old enough to know who Ed McMahon is some of you are like isn't he the guy who did the

Like publishers clearing. No, that's not publishers clearinghouse wasn't it was him, but that's not what he was known for.

Okay interceding And we read last week

John 17 11 to 12 So just so that you guys I know that you probably stayed up last night reading it

And I'll tell you what I love about this right now. I print these notes at home. You know, I do that Two reasons number one is because I use better quality paper that we have here at the church number one number two is

I can print in color without feeling guilty because the the color printer here or the color

Copies cost a lot more and at home. They are all the same. So it doesn't it doesn't matter and I underlined this in 1711 17 chapter

John 17 verses 11 and 12 and I am no longer in the world But they are in the world talking about the disciples and I am coming to you.

He's praying to the father Here he is interceding listen Holy Father keep them in your name

Hold on to them Keep them, you know when you see something like and we're gonna see this later on in the sermon in your name in my name

What does that mean? Keep them in your name. I Feel like I should be doing charades

Two words first word, okay Keep them in your name

Any thoughts about that when we if I said For example, you know the the name of God is akin to his word or if I said the name of God is akin to if The son is praying to the father keep them in your name

Then he goes on to say well, we'll get back to that in a second Which you have given me that they may be one even as we are one

While I was with them. I kept them in your name, which you have given me

I have guarded them and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction Judas that the scripture might be fulfilled

Okay On your behalf or I think we might even go so far as to say this how about this for your

Glory Right that you might be praised that your name might be praised

And so when we see that keep them in your name, this is Jesus praying to the father

And we think okay now We talked about a mediator. We talked about an intercessor

Here's Jesus pleading with the father here. They are here the ones that you gave me from before the foundation of the world.

I Cared for them. I'm leaving now keep them. Does that sound like something that is going to happen?

When the son asked the father to do something does that sound like something that is going to happen? And I think the answer is yes

RC said this We persevere only because God in his grace and power preserves us right persevere preserve

In and of ourselves each one of us is capable of serious and radical I'm gonna

Fire my secretary was me because I misspelled serious. I don't know how you misspell serious, but Serious and radical falling sinning.

We're capable full and final falling if left to ourselves And what he's saying is if if it was up to us we could

Apostatize we could leave the faith we could Become unbelievers go from believers to unbelievers

He goes on to say but God does not leave his people to their own devices The Lord intercedes for us constantly

We have a mediator. We have an intercessor Jesus Christ who is constantly

Praying for us with the Father what keep them in your name

Constantly praying the Son to the Father Let's look at John 10 27 to 29

John 10 27 to 29 And would somebody read that please John 10 verses 27 to 29.

Yes. Go ahead mark. Okay, just focusing there on the end I mean obviously again another statement about the sovereignty of God and salvation

But look what he says at the end. No one is able No one has the power

No one has the capacity to snatch them out of the father's hand. No one can steal them.

No one can remove them Well, what does that mean? Back into verse 28.

I give them eternal life and they will never perish and No one will snatch them out of my hand.

The Son says no one will take them out of my hand The Son says no one will take them out of the father's hand it sounds like To go with the hymn writer, we're safe and secure from all alarm

We have the Father we have the Son protecting us keeping us guarding us

So get John 6 39 to 44 and what somebody read that please

John 6 39 to 44 Thank you. Well again, we see the sovereignty of God in salvation

Jesus says no one can come no one has same verb No one has the capacity.

No one has the power just as nobody had the power to take to remove the elect the sheep

Christians out of the father's hand or out of the son's hand. No one has the power to Come to Christ unless the father who sent

Jesus Draws him and then notice what he says there and I will raise him up who?

All those whom the father has drawn No one can come except for who the father draws and everyone that the father draws

Jesus says he will raise up on the last day There are no lost sheep

There are sheep who stray but there are no lost sheep all that the father draws

Jesus says he will raise on the last day Everyone looking back even further in the the passage there

Everyone who looks on the Sun and believes in him shall have eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day same

Group, who is it who looks on the Sun those who are drawn who believes in him those who are drawn

God goes first men respond and they are kept why?

By the power of God the power and the will of God the determination of God Thoughts or questions about that Anyone think they have the power to jump out of the father's hand.

I see a hand right here. Okay? What about that? Does Jesus draw all people to himself?

He says he will what does that mean? Okay? All the Trinity is involved in salvation the father draws the

Holy Spirit convicts And Jesus draws when he's lifted up, right?

What does it mean though that when it says that he draws all men or that he will draw all men to himself?

Does that mean that all men are going to be saved? I think we have to decide what all men means because if everybody's drawn to Jesus and then and that's

Is it salvific Lee are they all saved No are all men drawn to him, but some

Aren't drawn saving Lee. I Mean true or false some people really don't like Christianity.

Some people really don't like Jesus So what does he mean when he says all men will be drawn when

I am lifted up I will draw all men to myself I Think what he talks about being lifted up.

What does that usually refer to? crucifixion What are the authorized notes saying?

1232 MacArthur says Lifted up from the earth this refers to his crucifixion.

So we're all men drawn by the crucifixion. I think the answer is No, so I would

I would fall back to you know, just my my guess My uneducated ill -informed guess having not really studied that passage this morning.

I would say that it's all kinds of men Men from all different kinds of backgrounds and nationalities and everything else like what we're going to see in heaven men from all kindred tribes and tongues

Ultimately will be drawn But when

God the Father draws somebody he does it Irrevocably and we saw that in John 6 why because whom the

Father draws Jesus will raise up that drawing there are different kinds of You know what let's put it this way is there a general call and an effectual call yes,

I mean I When was Billy Graham's funeral was it Friday? I'm gonna try to restrain myself a little bit here

Franklin Graham did preach the gospel at that funeral

He did I was listening and he did and he spoke of sin and he spoke of hell and he spoke of The what

Jesus did and he also mentioned the crucifixion Which you know, you have to the resurrection you have to you have to get to the resurrection.

You don't have a gospel And then he did something and I thought little strange

Did anybody see it or hear it He said, you know, if you've just heard this message and you believe it and you want to believe, you know

You want to be saved from your sins? He goes right where you are. I Want you to you know, not audibly just in your mind and then he gives them the sinner's prayer and I thought

I It's the first time I'd actually seen I I'd seen a number of things at funerals

Sadly, but I think it was the first time I'd actually seen somebody Me was the first time in a sinner's prayer a silent sinner's prayer at a funeral

But here's my point when the gospel goes out Everybody who hears it

Theoretically has the capacity to respond Okay, that's a general call but the effectual call is

When God the Holy Spirit convicts of sin as pastor Bob said and people hear the gospel and it's as if they are hearing it for the first time and at that moment it is

Effectual to them it draws them it convicts them and the Word of God saves them

Causes them to be born again So when we see Jesus say something like I will draw all men to myself.

I think it is, you know that effectual call not the The General call meaning all men everywhere universally, so With that said any other questions or comments?

Okay London confession of faith The perseverance of the

Saints depends not upon their own free will but upon the immutability of the decree of election

Flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ and union with him the oath of God The abiding of his spirit and the seed of God within them and the nature of the covenants of grace

From all which ariseth also the uncertainty or I'm sorry the certainty and infallibility thereof

What does that mean I could put it this way your salvation doesn't depend on the man who runs or the man who wills but on God who has mercy that's

Romans 9 if You know if there's ever a difficult question in scripture just tell yourself

Romans 9. It doesn't depend on their own free will

Are you thankful that your salvation doesn't depend on your own free will I am?

I'm very thankful for that Because there are times where my will is not as strong as it should be

There are times where my choices are not what they ought to be there are times where my thinking is not good

Why is that? Okay, we still have

Remnants of our sin nature there still are What one theologian called a harm archaeological hangover the effects the noetic effects of sin

You know if you look at the Bible Right from the beginning to the

Nearly to the end if you if you read through the Old Testament you read about a lot of men who?

Had great experiences with God Maybe they had a theophany like Isaiah or Moses but something

All those men have in common is sin They all sinned they all stumbled and I know they're thankful that Their perseverance did not depend upon their own free will

I mean imagine that You know if you have the capacity to jump out of the hands of God you would do it

And you know people from time to time will say that they don't like the doctrine of election but the confession of faith says

That it our salvation or our perseverance depends not upon our own free will but upon the immutability that is to say the unchangeable nature of the decree of election

And then I love this flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the

Father is that how we think about election? well, that's true and That's what

Ephesians one says right before the foundations of the world in love he predestined us

Election is not some cruel arbitrary Choice It is

God for loving his people setting his affections upon them and once he does that as The confession says it's immutable.

It's unchangeable. It's irrevocable. It does not change and we should take a special comfort

That our perseverance does not depend on our free will I mean as I said even after Regeneration and sanctification we have enough sinful desire remaining to make a shipwreck of our souls when talking about the fact that people don't like election the doctrine of election the doctrine of God's free choice

RC said this he said it is really based upon this the character of God the doctrine of God's immutability is not just an

Abstract concept from which Logical deductions can be made it is part of the revelation of the

Word of God Which tells us who God is and what he is like? We could put it this way we could say

God is a God who chooses who elects and We could say it this way.

God is a God who loves We understand that God is love right?

Well, what's the nature of his love? Is it I mean we talked about this last week is

God's love? Emotional is it Something that ebbs and flows

No, it's steady. It's sure it has Even as RC says here

He has an eternal purpose in his love and he is executing his eternal purpose his plan of salvation for his people for the elect

RC says this he says having made that decree from all eternity in other words choosing people

He is not going to change his mind. He's not going to look at us and think oh, yes

From all eternity I chose you in my son in Christ But now

I realize I made a mistake and I'm going to unchoose you. That's not

God It's not what he does Our perseverance is also anchored in the free and unchangeable love of God the

Father Sproul says he will not change his mind his heart or his disposition because he is a loyal covenant

God God's love is firmly rooted in his character.

Let's look at first John chapter 3 verses 1 to 3 first John chapter 3 verses 1 to 3 and If somebody would read that please first John 3 1 2 3

Gary. Thank you Now let's just kind of rework verse 1 a little bit

Kind of putting ourselves in there See what kind of love? We have for the father

That we should be called children of God and so we are You know our love for the father is what makes us the children of God, you know, it's like the kids in the orphanage

Who choose a set of parents and that's how it goes that's not how it works at all, right?

The parents go to the orphanage and they choose the kids now I'm sure they like to choose them all but that's not how it works

Sproul says this is a love that will not let us go because it is a love that is eternally and Unchangeably loyal it is loyal Where as children?

Imagine if we if we think about Our own kids for those of you have kids you don't

No matter what they do. You don't say well, I don't love you anymore There might be difficulties.

There might be great difficulties with your kids. Let me tell you there might be great difficulties with their kids. I Remember one scene in in our household that I compared to Moses breaking the tablets, you know

And I got to play Moses in that scene. Thank you very much. There might be great difficulty, but you never stop loving your kids.

Why? Because they're your kids How much more when

God sets his affections on us? Does he then say you know what? That's just too much.

I Can't take that anymore No Why because it's not on our merits in the first place

It's because we are in Christ So the idea that God could somehow unchoose somebody or unloved somebody is to say this that God looks at us and It's so revolted by what he sees that he's gonna unchoose us.

Here's the problem when he looks at us. What does he see? Jesus Christ because we're in Christ so he's never gonna look at us and say that revolts me because he's not gonna turn away from the

Lord Jesus Christ Jesus is perfect and righteous and holy and we're wrapped in his robes

It's in him that we are the children of God If it was based on our own merits then sure

Eventually, you know no matter how good we were let's say for the first, you know, 18 20 years of my life I was perfect which

No, you know and then what at like age 25 God would go well, you know, you're doing really well here

Steve and I could really Attach myself to you emotionally and everything but now I can't

Because you've gone too far We would have no Sense of security whatsoever, but that's not the

God of the Bible He doesn't pick us on our own merit. He picks us on the merit of Christ and for his own glory

Yeah, I I really like that for another reason to you know, what Charlie was saying about God can't be shocked.

Everything that happens is in his decree and you know, it it doesn't surprise him or anything Well again the difference between us and God becomes apparent

Because as a parents where there times where my kids might do something that shocked me Yeah, you know,

I you know, I did I ever think they would do that? Well, no and I don't have an immutable decree from The foundations of the world either, right

So, yeah, that's an excellent point God has never taken a back by what we do he's never shocked at what we do

You know, certainly we could see that the Holy Spirit can be grieved by what we do But these are not things that catch him by surprise

Okay God's love Is firmly rooted in his promises

And I'm going to say that again. His love is rooted in his promises. Let's look at Romans 8 35 to 39

Familiar passage and I've highlighted just a few things because I can put them in red

You know when I when I print them at home and I like that Romans 8 verses 35 to 39 and if somebody would read that please

Romans 8 35 to 39. Yeah, go ahead Cory Amen, I mean comforting words indeed and they're just a couple things

I want to highlight because Paul goes on at great length and talked about how Nothing can separate us from the love of God and look how he says this who shall separate us from the love of Christ in verse 37

We are more than conquerors through him who loved us and again in verse 39

No one will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our

Lord the love of God is fixed Nothing can change that Again if we look at Ephesians 1 he did he said it upon us before the foundations of the world that does not change throughout all time

That's comforting Nobody loves me. I mean Facebook reads something like this most of the time to me.

Nobody loves me. Nobody cares about me Nobody who is loved by God should ever post that I might say, you know something like When life gets difficult,

I focus on this one fact the God who created the universe loves me

The God who created the universe set his affections upon me humbled himself came down to earth

Lived a perfect life died the death that I deserve and then was raised on the third day that comforts me

I can never be separated from the love of that God Ever nothing can never do that.

I don't read many Facebook posts like that. I'd like to Sproul says this the

Bible nowhere uses the expression Unconditional love there are preachers who announce indiscriminately to people

God loves you unconditionally Is that true? Here's a hint if the

Bible never says something. It's probably not true Because of God loves everybody on the planet unconditionally.

What does that mean? Everybody's going to heaven when we all get to heaven

I mean, we should just walk around all link arms and we're going does he love anyone unconditionally his son?

Gary Okay How can you say that?

Gary how can you say that those he's called? How can you say that? Because no one can pluck them out of hand here.

Let's just combine these two thoughts if he loves Jesus Christ unconditionally right

Then doesn't he love everyone who is in Christ Unconditionally and you know what if there were conditions

For us being in Christ and then God loving us. Well, then what would those conditions be? How would we meet those?

There'd be works They would be things that you know, Jesus Christ his perfection his death his resurrection

That's not enough. There's something else you have to do. Otherwise, I don't love you God says no, we're in Scripture Jesus did it all

Being in Christ is everything. I like what

Sproul says here. He says the last thing an Unbeliever needs to hear is that he does not need to meet any conditions to be right with God Why would that be the last thing an unbeliever needs to hear

Why won't you hear pastor Mike or any of the elders here get up on the pulpit and say God loves you unconditionally?

Charlie they have to feel the weight of the law before they have the deliverance of grace

They have to understand their sinfulness their need for Christ Before they get the good news the bad news before the good news

Sproul says when God saves us he saves us no matter what no matter how much

I let him down or how much I fail to persevere on my own He has given me a love that will not let me go

God's love for the elect is firmly rooted in his love for his son Sproul says this

I don't know why anyone who looks to Christ and understands what he has done for him would ever worry about losing

His or her salvation the only way we could lose our salvation would be if our Savior got lost somewhere or if he mislaid his

Righteousness or if he stopped loving us or if he decided to sleep in tomorrow morning rather than to pray for us

But those things will never happen they are totally foreign to the character of Christ Our salvation is sure because we have a sure mediator

It's his perfection his righteousness his work this is all his chosen ones need because the love of the

Father for the Son is perfect and Every saved person is in the Son Let's go ahead and look at it.

I've referred to it a number of times Let's look at Ephesians 1 and I put these I highlighted some things in blue this time

Because I don't want to you know burn out all my red ink Ephesians 1 verses 3 to 7 again.

This is familiar. I'm gonna go ahead and read these but familiar, but just listen to how

Paul emphasizes this truth Blessed be the

God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places

Even as he chose us in him that is to say in Christ Before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him in love

He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ According to the purpose of his will to the praise of his glorious grace with which he has blessed us in the beloved that is to say in Christ and Then again in verse 7 in him.

We have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of Our trespasses according to the riches of his grace

We could go on in chapter 1, but it's a it's enough to say this That our position in Christ is all we need that is

Enough For us to I'll just say it this way our merit is in Christ Our salvation is in Christ everything that we have and hope for is in Christ and our salvation is secure because of Jesus Christ our perseverance is also a work of the

Holy Spirit's R .c. Sproul says this we do believe that for all who are truly saved and are regenerate

There is an indelible mark the seal of the Holy Spirit by which we are sealed for eternity

And as I read that and I thought about it and that's also in Ephesians 1 by the way

I don't know if I I didn't use any fancy ink for that. I Think maybe is it verse 14

Is it 14 I? Heard a 14 could I hear for 13? Okay, we have that we have the seal of the

Holy Spirit, and I thought here let me ask you this Who supposes?

that any human being Can remove the seal of the

Spirit if we understand you know the seal in ancient days a

Monarch when he was going to stamp an official document or me when he was going to close a letter

And they would take some wax and they would you know How could you tell it was from the king because it had his royal seal on there?

And that's the idea we have that royal seal the seal of the Holy Spirit upon us now

Who do you suppose can remove that really? Do you think you could just kind of pry it off of yourself wherever it is or that someone else can remove it?

RC says this he says to overcome our weaknesses God not only gives us his word about our future

But backs that word up by giving us the earnest of the Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit is present in us and is given to us by the

Father in his promise to finish the work of redemption And he did this whole thing about you know earnest money.

What is earnest money anybody know what earnest money is? Larry Down payment, it's a it's a

But it's even more than a down payment because it kind of gives you the idea that I'm Serious about this

I mean sometimes I remember on one occasion at least that I put a down payment on something and then got my money back, but earnest money usually is

Yes, a down payment, but also with the idea that maybe you don't even get it back But when he's talking about the earnest of the

Spirit He just means this is our this is God's promise upon us that we are irrevocably his

Okay, good question It's interesting that you raise the word dispensation the

The question is what about the Old Testament Saints? Did they have the same operation of the

Holy Spirit as we had well? Let me ask you a question Having thought about this and studied it a little bit.

How do you suppose it is that someone like? Samson gets to be in heaven

Because we read in Judges 13 to 16 that the Holy Spirit rushed upon Samson, right?

But there's nothing in his life that indicates He loved

God I Mean you could read the whole thing four chapters. It didn't take that long and you will see

Sin after sin after sin after sin after sin after sin after sin nothing, but pride arrogance and sin in his whole life

Lots of lust But nothing redeeming So what is it about Samson's life that would suggest that he was

Indwelt by the Holy Spirit That the

Holy Spirit was it at work in him convicting him of sin everything else what about his life and I think the answer

I mean I listened to a reformed preacher one time say that Samson was backslidden

And I looked at him and I thought okay. I thought you were reformed. You know what's all because there's nothing in his life ever until In fact, let's just won't maybe close here, but this idea

The Holy Spirit it let me ask you this if the Holy Spirit Worked in a different way in the

Old Testament, then how would anybody? Grow with regard to righteousness.

I I think there is a difference in the In the

New Testament, we don't really have time to develop that There's a the main difference would be

Pentecost, but if you look at judges chapter 16

And I'm gonna start reading verse 25

Because Samson is at this point imprisoned and he's tied up and the Philistines have him and they're celebrating in front of Dagon their fish

God and in verse 25 they're having this great big party because they've they've got their number one enemy and there he is there's

Samson and He's miserable and they're happy Verse 25 and when their hearts were merry, they said call

Samson that he may entertain us So they called Samson out of the prison and he entertained them

They made him stand between the pillars and Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand

Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests that I may lean against them Now the house was full of men and women all the lords of the

Philistines were there and on the roof There were about 3 ,000 men and women who looked on while Samson entertained

Then Samson called the Lord called Yahweh and Said O Lord God, please remember me and strengthen me only this once Oh God That I may be avenged on the

Philistines for my two eyes and may I tell you I would challenge you go home and read

Judges 13 and 16 and you will see that this is the only time that there's any humility at all in Samson I think this is the moment when he gets saved and Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested and he leaned his weight against them

His right hand on the one and his left on the other and Samson said let me die with the

Philistines then he bowed with All his strength and the house fell upon the

Lord's and upon all the people who were in it So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed during his life

Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshter in The tomb of Manoah his father.

He had judged Israel 20 years and Here's the point again nothing

Redeemable about Samson Nothing good about Samson and yet he is in when and eventually pastor

Michael get here He is in Hebrews 11 in the Hall of Faith Celebrated why?

It's not because he lived a godly life it's because God is a great

Savior who does great things through fallible sinful men and women

Even men as sinful as Samson now did the Holy Spirit work the same in the

Old Testament as he does Now I mean there's more to say about that than could be said in less than about three hours

I my short answer is I think they're very similar

Operations if not the same so with that said we need to close

Father thank you for your word. Thank you for the preservation of the Saints. What a glorious truth

This is to know that You cannot Turn away from us

You cannot love us less and you cannot love us more. You love us fully

Not because of who we are But because of who Jesus is and because you have placed us in Jesus Lord we thank you for the

Holy Spirit and for his seal for the work of The Trinity Father Son and Holy Spirit in the lives of believers

What glorious truths these are and all again for your glory

You do these things you make these promises you tell us these things Not so that we can feel good, but so that we can worship

Fully and freely our great God and Savior Father. We praise you for this in Jesus name.