1689 London Baptist Confession (part 36)

Father in heaven we do thank you for this day. We thank you for the opportunity to gather together to learn about you learn more about the gospel what it means to be assured of salvation. To see how you have provided us all the proof and evidence we will ever need in your word.

Or we thank you for being a loving God who would condescend to save rebels to save your enemies to send the Lord Jesus Christ to live the perfect life that we should live and don't to die the death that we have earned and then to be raised on the third day.

What a glorious truth as we approach the celebration of that father bless each one here we pray in Jesus name Amen. Well we started talking about the assurance of grace and of salvation last week and we talked about four groups of people.

Four groups of people who concerning their position with regard to the assurance of salvation to briefly recap. People who are saved or actually people who are not saved and know it. Those would be atheists or people who know that they're outside of Christianity outside of belief and don't care.

The second group is people who are saved and yet have no assurance. People who are saved but they are not sure that they're saved. They're not sure of where they're going. Third group people who are saved and have assurance.

And the fourth group people who are not saved but think they are. And really we focused a little bit on that we're going to on the fourth one we're going to develop that a little bit more as we think about how we can know that we are saved.

And I mentioned RC Sproul jr. last week five-year-old RC jr. and his dad says to him you know are you going to if you died. Are you going to get to heaven. Yes. Okay. So if God asks you little RC why should I let you into my heaven.

What would you say. And little RC said because I'm dead. Bad answer. Really bad answer. Then we were talking. We were talking about the fact that that really is ultimately universalism which brings us to this morning the most prevalent false teaching system in in the United States is justification by works.

That is to say that why should God let you into heaven. Because you are a good person. As one of the reasons why Ray Comfort and other people have utilized the are you a good person test. Right. Because people presume that they're a good person.

We think about yourselves before you got saved. Here was my thinking before I got saved because I remember it. Well it seems like it was only yesterday. It wasn't. But it seems like it because I just remember thinking I know there has to be God.

Why. There has to be a God. Because there are really really bad people in the world. There are pedophiles there are rapists or murderers. There are thieves. Those people need to get ultimate justice and only God can give that ultimate justice.

Now as for me I don't fall in any of those categories. Therefore if there wasn't a God I'd be okay. Right. When I started understanding the gap that existed between I was gonna say I'll just say it between me and God.

Right. Between Steve and the thrice holy God. That's when I first you know felt like the Prophet Isaiah undone. But most people think that they're pretty good people and that giving to the church doing other good things is enough to get them into heaven.

And I think we read Matthew 7 last week. Let's go ahead and turn there. Because it really is helpful in understanding. You know it's funny I have a lot of odd relationships in this world. My uncle posted something and I decided this is really interesting because he said now think about this for a minute.

He said Jesus was not a theologian. He basically wanted people to love other people. Right. He said Paul was the theologian. What do you think of that. There are people who say that Paul invented Christianity.

Right. And this is kind of along those lines. Jesus was just you know he may have been the Son of God. He may have been this he may have been that. But it was kind of Paul who crystallized all of this and made it into a religion.

Jesus just wanted people to love one another. Cory. Okay he talked more about Jesus talked more about hell. That he did about heaven. True. What is the word. Let's just focus on the word theology for a minute.

What is theology. Study of God. So when Jesus says essentially I am God is that a theological statement. That's a big theological statement. Right. And why did they put Jesus to death. Because he said he was God.

So this whole idea that Jesus didn't teach theology and that somehow it was up to Paul to come along later and sort of you know pick things out and sort of systematize them and throw them together. Maybe in the book of Romans and other books.

And that's why we have theology. And that Jesus wasn't a theological teacher. That is to be polite rubbish. Scoob along. However you say that when Matthew 7 verses 21 to 23 and we're gonna get into some theology taught by Jesus on the Sermon of the Mount.

And if you don't think he taught theology read through Matthew 5 through 7. You're gonna find a lot of theology there. But would somebody read verses 21 to 23 of Matthew chapter 7. Please. What are some theological principles we can draw out of this out of the out of those few verses.

Yes. Okay people think they can be good enough to go to heaven. Great great point. I mean these are these are extraordinary things. Right. Did we not prophesy in your name. Did we not cast out demons in your name and notice that they're all things that they did in his name do many mighty works in your name.

But back up a second to verse 21 at the second half of it. But the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven those are the people that will enter the kingdom of heaven. So does that suggest.

I don't know. Maybe obedience is important. I think it does. What's an even greater theological truth that's present in these three verses. Charlie. Okay there's a faith that doesn't save a professed faith.

Didn't we say Lord Lord. And they're emphasizing again their closeness that that they believe that they have with Jesus. But there's a really profound theological truth that's implied here in these verses.

Yes Janet God has to know me. That is a great point. Right. It's not enough to say I know God. The question is you know it's like Pastor Michael say it's not enough to say I accept Jesus. But does Jesus accept me.

Right. Charlie. Okay these things that they're doing that appear to be ministerial even dare I say pastoral in nature are actually opposite to the will of God. But there's one that's just alluding us here that is just so huge.

I can't believe we're not getting there. Larry. Okay they think they're in. Okay. Okay there is a will of God to be discovered. Yes that is definitely theology. Let me just kind of make it easier for you.

What does it mean when people go before Jesus and they start talking about why they should get into heaven. And he says I never knew you depart from me. You workers of lawlessness. There's a judgment.

And who's the judge. Jesus is saying I'm the judge. I'm the judge depart from me. I didn't know you. You said you knew me. I didn't know you. Jesus is saying right here a theological truth. He is our judge.

Now if I'm sitting there listening I'd be like I think he just claimed to be God. Didn't he. I think. So now again a little the minutiae here RC says when they say Lord Lord they're they're bragging about the closeness the intimacy of the relationship they have with Jesus.

They really want to be associated with greatness. It is like when many years ago I was on a trip to Toronto was a fairly miserable trip that I don't remember much about other than I started it by spending the night at LAX on the benches there.

But I went to where's the place they play baseball there. Or they used to the dome there. The dome stadium the Blue Jay Dome. Oh Sky Dome. Yeah that's where it was. Well there was. There's a there was a restaurant in that facility and I went there and I had lunch because I happen to be walking by.

I went there and I had lunch and lo and behold a few tables away was Wayne Gretzky who was having lunch there. Because I think the Canadian national hockey team was in town or whatever they were practicing or whatever.

So after that they said well what happened on your trip to Toronto. What did I say. I had lunch with Wayne Gretzky. Right. That was that was my takeaway. Right. Why. Because I wanted to be associated with greatness.

I wanted somebody to know that something great happened. And what they're saying when they say Lord Lord is that they that they're really tight with Jesus. But his response is pretty terrifying. He says you guys thought you had this false assurance and I'm telling you to get lost.

You don't have that relationship with me. A false assurance of salvation. What do you think that comes from. Why would somebody think that they're saved when they're not okay. Well no that's right. Their assurance is based on their works and they have a very poor theological grasp.

Right. They don't understand what it means to be a Christian. And that really is the heart of the issue when people have a wrong understanding of how someone is justified. And how is someone justified.

Okay. By the finished work of Christ. Yes. I mean it's because they're in Christ. But you know what's the Reformation kind of what's the word. I'm looking for equation for justification. Okay justification is by grace alone.

Yeah through faith. Or it's by faith alone through grace alone in Christ alone etc. I'm mangling that. But anyway that's the end here. No there it's so well known that I just mangled it. But how many times have you heard you know have you been talking with a Christian a professing Christian and have them say something like I don't care about theology I don't care about doctrine.

All I know is I love Jesus. Jesus died for my sins. And that's all I need to know something along those lines. You ever heard that. I can't even tell you how many times I've heard that. And usually I'm not talking to anybody in this room.

But usually who are the sorts of people who say those things. I find that that's true. People who don't go to church. They presume that it's enough to know Jesus is God. Jesus died for my sins. I believe that.

Therefore I'm going to heaven now. Can that be true. Yes. Can it be false. Yes. Because if the Holy Spirit is at work in you you know it would be like this. It would be like bringing a baby home from the hospital.

Right. And maybe on the second day after the baby's rested a little bit from being born saying now son I want you to go outside mow the lawn. Right. That would be insane. But somehow people think from the moment they're saved that that's all there is to it and that they can function as this little baby.

Well what's the problem with that. The problem is there's a natural just as there's a natural progression for a baby. You know you wouldn't expect your baby to be able to mow the lawn for at least a couple weeks.

Don't be silly. Right. There is also a natural progression a supernatural progression for a Christian. If you are saved let's say the the young age and I say it's young age because I was not saved at this age of 25 and you're now 45.

Should you still be that baby in Christ. The answer is no. And if you are still a baby in Christ then there are one or two things that are true. Either you're not a baby in Christ at all or you've not done what scripture tells you which is long for the pure milk of the word.

Right. The reason. There's a reason you're not growing. There's a reason for your fail to thrive syndrome as it were something is amiss either the Holy Spirit's not at work at you or you are not sufficiently feeding yourself.

But here's the question. I'm asking a lot of questions. How is it that somebody can be a Christian and not know who Jesus Christ is. The answer is they can't. But as soon as I ask you baby Christian please tell me who Jesus is.

When you give me that answer what have you just done. You've entered that dark scary world that we call theology. Right. You you've stepped out on the high wire. You can't be a Christian and have no grasp whatsoever of theology.

That is a study and knowledge of God. If you say I know that Jesus was truly human and truly God. You've just made a theological statement. If you say I know Jesus came down from heaven took on a human body lived a perfect life and died for my sins.

You've just made a theological statement. If you say that I know Jesus rose from the grave on the third day. You've just made a theological statement. There is no faith. There is no Christianity apart from theology.

Zero. Nobody is going to get into heaven and just kind of shrug their shoulders going. I have no idea why should I let you into heaven. I don't know. No. Because I believed and trusted fully in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Your son. If you can't at least say that. If you don't have any concept of what the gospel is then you have an issue now. Is it true that doctrine or proper theology saves you. No. No. I mean think about it.

James says you believe that God is one you do. Well then what does he say. The demons believe in tremble or shudder. The Satan have better theology than you do. Yes. I think he does. Does that help him.

No. So a person can have a right understanding of justification. They can have a right understanding of the gospel. They can have a right knowledge of who Jesus is and yet not be saved. Now can you have a wrong view of justification and be saved.

I'm waiting for somebody to fall into that trap. The answer says mr. Bob. You know it's yes. How many are in agreement. Mr. Bob. You know show of hands. I went to the gym yesterday so I can't really lift my arm.

Okay. Yes. Yes. Somebody suggested this week you know that there I think it's bizarre how people want to defend certain people. I don't even understand this. What's the get Matt Walsh. How many of you follow Matt Walsh.

Worship with Matt Walsh. Love Matt Walsh. Do you know he is. Ah thank you thank you. Thank you for back alluding that. Yes he's a Roman Catholic. So somebody posted something by him and I said well that's great you know.

Except he's kind of Roman Catholic. How do you know he's Roman Catholic. So here's what I did. I I mean I spent no you know I spared no effort. I felt like Jurassic Park. You know the designer spared no effort no expense.

I went to I don't use Google anymore. I use duck duck go. But I went there and you know Matt Walsh Catholic and it comes up and on his own Facebook page he says I'm a Roman Catholic. And you know bubba the person comes back and says yes.

But that was 2015. Do you have anything current. So I called Matt Walsh. I went back to my search engine and I went a little further and he had appeared in February at a church I think somewhere in the Midwest a Roman Catholic Church.

And before you know the whole line of events for the evening is lined up and they had you know like mass and did it. And then Matt Walsh and I'm like I don't know that seemed that seems like a pretty good indication to me that you know from February that he's still Roman Catholic.

And I mean much like you know I think I mean obviously sometimes I think too highly of myself probably all the time but I but I just thought okay let's say it was me because it was me I came out of I'll call Rome a cat a cult.

I came out of a cult and I got saved. And did I you know was I then defending Mormonism. Was I you know quiet about it. Did I not want to you know ruffle any feathers. No in fact I send a letter to the bishop saying you know you need to remove my name from the rolls of the church.

I no longer believe in the Mormon Church you know and I was hoping I was gonna get put on trial for being a heretic. That didn't happen. But you know you want to you want to distance yourself from the false teaching and I was like let's say between 2015 you know way back way back in 2015 and now Matt Walsh got saved.

Do you think there'd be some kind of public statement from him. And I think the answer is yes. But people want to what. Why do they want to make Matt Walsh a Christian. Because he's on their side. Right.

It's pretty simple. Now somebody then says well can't he be a Christian just because his church has a false view of justification which is where I'm going took too long to get there. But just because the church has a wrong view of justification which is to say they mix justification and sanctification so that you're never really justified until well actually till well after you're dead.

Right. Because you have to go through purgatory and everything else because they just because the church does that doesn't mean that Matt Walsh agrees with that. Except here's the problem. It'd be like saying well maybe there are Mormons who are saved in the Mormon Church.

I don't see how at speaking as an ex-mormon Roman Catholic Church is a little bit different because it is Trinitarian. They do have some other things that you know maybe so here's the question. Could somebody be in the pew of a Roman Catholic Church and be a Christian.

I'd say it's possible. Could somebody be someone who speaks at a Roman Catholic Church is a professing Roman Catholic who even makes pronouncements about the Pope generally you know where he disagrees or whatever but he basically comes under the Pope.

Could that sort of person be saved. I don't think so. But back to the question. Is it possible to have a wrong understanding of justification and be saved. Yes. Why. Because most of us get saved as synergists which is to say that most of us when we get saved we think that we had something to do with our salvation even if it was just cooperating with God.

Wasn't it great for God to give me a hand up and save me it is there an irreducible what. What is the least you can know. Right. What is it. You know if say if we're gonna play limbo you kind of theological limbo.

How low can you go. What's the lowest somebody can go on justification to be saved. I can't go very low. I remember Luke it seemed like Luke Avendroth a couple years ago was like all but like touching the ground with his back hand and I'm like how do you in the back of his neck.

How do you do that. I don't know. Strengthen limberness or whatever that word is. Oh agility. How low can you go. Okay. I mean I agree with that. But does somebody think that there's if they think that there's something something they can do.

They can't do it all. But there's okay. The basic kernel of the gospel has to be in there even if there's some admix you know some extra rubbish thrown in. Yes. Yeah. I think you have to fundamentally understand the truth even if you're confused about some things.

Yes. Well here's a I I don't want to mix Lordship in with I. I think there's knowledge and assent. Right. You have to not just know the truth but it has to have some sort of in you. Right. You you have to have.

You have to have ownership. I guess would be the trendy thing to say about it now. Lordship. Well Lordship obedience. You know. Is that part of it. Yes. You know do people have to fully understand that to be saved.

I think the answer is no. I think if you deny the Lordship of Jesus you know utterly denied in other words say I'm saved and I may do what I like. Well then there's quite a bit of reason to wonder about your salvation.

But you know again I think to suggest or to say that somebody has to have a fully honed fully shaped understanding of Lordship would would not be right. Other thoughts or questions about that. Yes. Not a lot.

What are the thief on the cross. No not. Not a whole lot. He just knew that who Jesus was and what he said and he believed him. So you know what was his doctrinal statement. Probably very short. Well and and I think implicit in that is an understanding of who he was.

Right. So yeah we might not have everything that the thief had to say. But well he did have fruit in that. He had a confession. You know. And we could see the change in his thinking towards Jesus you know.

Okay. Okay. Yeah like this RC relates how when he gets saved. And I and you know as I read this I just thought this is kind of similar to how the Lord worked in my life. Not that I'm RC Sproul but he goes he can remember being on his knees next to his bed just crying his eyes out and saying God forgive me.

He says he didn't understand justification by faith alone. Not at all. He knew that he was a sinner that Jesus was the Savior that God was holy and that he was in trouble. And I'm like that's right. Right.

We understand that we're a sinner that we have nothing that we can offer to God to make us right. And when we grasp that the answer is the Lord Jesus Christ then you know we are where we need to be. An immature faith is still saving faith because it is given by God.

Nobody decides to choose on their own. Faith is a gift and God is going to perfect that faith even if it's not in this lifetime then in heaven. In other words once God takes up God the Holy Spirit takes up resonance in you.

He doesn't leave you alone. Now again getting back to this idea of false assurance. Is it possible for a person to delude themselves. And the answer obviously is yes. We see that in Matthew 7. So what should people do if they think they're saved.

What ought they to do to get assurance. Ultimately what are some things that we do to get assurance of our salvation. Excellent. Instead of the word. And basically we study the word. And we studied the word.

I mean because everything that comes out of the word teaches us to grow. Like for example you know somebody might say well I examine my life. Well why would you examine your life. Because the Bible tells me to right.

RC says the mark of true Christians is genuine faith. For they really believe in Christ. And then he goes back to the statement of faith or the confession. For they really believe in Christ and love him in sincerity endeavoring to walk in all good conscience before him.

This is not about perfection but working to follow him. Take up your cross and follow him to keep one's conscience clear by confessing sin by putting off sin and by putting on righteousness. What do we call that sanctification.

Right. As we grow in Christ our assurance will grow. And here's an amazing thing from the confession of faith we can certainly be assured in this life we can have assurance. Now why is that so amazing.

And why do you suppose it's in the confession of faith. What did Rome teach. What does Rome teach about assurance of salvation. You can't have it. It is the sin of presumption. And it is in fact anathema.

It condemns you. If you say I know that I know that I know that I know. Well you stand condemned by Rome. And yet what does John say in the gospel of John. These things are written that that you may know what.

It's funny that John under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit would be encouraging people to participate in the sin of presumption. But I digress now the word the word here's a here's one left for you to write down and share with your kids today.

Epistemology. What does it mean. By the way it has nothing to do with pistols. Study of truth. Okay. Okay how do we know. Right. How do we know what we know. Well how do we know things. Let's look at Romans 119 and 20 for a moment.

And while we're turning there I'm just gonna say when we look at the world around us. Because that's what we're going to. We look at around the world or the world around us. How do we. How do we measure the world.

How do we understand the world. How do we comprehend the world. What is it that we use to do that. Our senses. We look we see we hear we smell we touch we taste. There was the other one and for some of you you have that sixth sense which isn't really a sense at all.

But these senses are helpful in understanding who we are what we like and don't like. And even more importantly they tell us something about God. Let's look at Romans 1 if somebody would read verses 19 and 20.

Okay so what are some of the things that we just by using our senses and examining creation. What are some of the things that we can learn about God. Joanie he's a god of order. I love that one. I mean it drives the atheist nuts.

And I'm like well okay think about it. You know you could talk about mutations and all these other things. What we don't see is you know if your dog gets pregnant you can be pretty sure you're not going to get cows out of your out of your dog.

Right. Well why is that. Because we live in an orderly not a chaotic universe. I'm not going to have little you know flesh-eating aliens coming out of my my dog. That's just not gonna happen. Except for in a bad science fiction movie.

What else. Well it is simple right. I mean time is a fairly simple concept until we understand that there are seconds that have to be adjusted. There's a leap year. There are all these different things.

And you know it was Brian Bartlett who posted this thing. You know this little video that was fun to watch on Facebook. I spent hours. No I didn't really spend. But you can you can watch. You know our solar system.

The you know what was the model. I think the model I learned in school which was everything rotates around the earth. I went I went school a while ago but but then then scientists got a little smarter and put the you know the Sun in the center of the universe.

I think by the time I was in grad school they had that. But that's not the whole story right. And this video shows the whole solar system moving through the universe the Sun just like a giant comet. I think it says you know dragging the planets through.

But what's remarkable is when you think about the precision and I mean I didn't memorize everything and I didn't even look at it. But you know how the the earth has to be tilted just so so that we get just the amount of right of Sun you know so that we don't freeze.

And the rotation and all these things everything that has to take place just so that life can be maintained. You look at all those kind of things. You just go boy aren't we lucky. Whoo. I mean you know it's like you pick up just a mountain of dice and you roll them out and they all land on one.

You know. And you just go wow what are the what are the odds of. Yeah yeah. What are the odds. Well the odds are zero. The odds are zero. It absolutely could not happen by chance. There's a creator and a sustainer.

When we look out at everything that takes place and the more science digs into it the more convinced I certainly become not like I needed more convincing. But when the Bible says in Colossians 1 that Jesus Christ is upholding all things by his power we get an idea of just how complicated that is.

It's massively complicated. And yet our Creator is intricately woven everything together keeps everything the way it needs to be sustains it all. And the Bible would also tells us and in Isaiah 40 that he absolutely never is diminished in power he never gets tired.

I mean people talk you know they I think they misapply that passage. But the point is God is an inexhaustible source as it were a power. He's powerful he's creative. He's all these things. I mean we could live in a world that was utterly flat colorless boring.

You know there are two kinds of animals maybe a couple of detention ponds somewhere you know. No rivers no Falls no mountains. Right. Yeah we could be living everything could be just like the BBC property.

But that's not who God is. Think about all the different foods the smells all the things that go on in this world. And we just get kind of the tip of the iceberg of how wonderful how vast how omniscient how omnipotent how glorious God is.

And general revelation which is the created universe tells us something about God but it's not enough to save us. He had to give us specific revelation. And I have some really bad news for you. We're not going to talk anymore about this for two weeks.

So we'll close now. Next week is a resurrection Sunday also known as Easter Sunday for those of us who refer to such things as Easter like my grandkids. But anyway so we won't be meeting next week and we'll meet the week after that.

Let's close in prayer. Father what a glorious God you are when we contemplate the things that that you've just given us in terms of general revelation and what they tell us about you how in awe we ought to be.

Ultimately our assurance. The assurance of our salvation comes from knowing who you are. And some of that we get from general revelation. Father what you have said what you've revealed to us in specific revelation and preserved for us.

This gives us our greatest hope in that it tells us about the Lord Jesus Christ about how he died for our sins and rose on the third day. Father what glorious truth is this. That we could be in Christ have all of our sins removed as far as East is from the West because of his finished work.

Father we thank you and praise you in Jesus name Amen.