Reformed Theology Pt 16 | Calvinism from a Covenantal Framework

Psalm 3 and a Covenantal Framework for Calvinism

A passage of scripture today is found in song. Chapter 3. Verse 8 song chapter 3 verse 8. Well, you are in control of all things. No, we just Cry out to you. Thank you for your sovereignty thanking you that you hold all things in your hand.

And that Lord we would not be Able to call upon your name. If you would have not chosen us before the foundation of the world. Help us to not be despaired by this wonderful doctrine, but to Glorify how wonderful you are.

This doctrine that you have revealed to us we love and praise you in the name of your beloved son. Amen. All right, so we are in part 16 of our sermon series dealing with reformed theology and as much as I love reformed theology.

Look if you have had a conversation with me, you know that I love reformed theology. I cannot wait to get back to the exposition. Having some clear study material in front of me to work through. It's great having to bounce around like I'm having to do now.

About this one. So today we'll be looking at the topic That I believe everyone is familiar with so we're not going to spend a lot of time here. We're going to do one message and walk away from it. And that is the topic of Calvinism the doctrines of grace.

By Calvinism, we're not saying that we hold to everything that John Calvin held to only dealing with soteriology. But where Calvin is right along with any other person in church history is right we want to agree with them.

Right. If they're right about something we want to be on the right side of what they're talking about. So look with me at our text Psalm chapter 3 verse 8. We're going to read the context. So there's eight verses and Psalm chapter 3 will begin in verse 1.

Oh Lord. How many are my foes. Many are rising against me. Many are. Many are saying of my soul. There is no salvation for him and God. But you are sure about my glory and my lifter of my head. I cry aloud to the Lord and he answered me from his Holy hill.

I Lay down and sleep. I woke again for the Lord. Set themselves against me all around. Arise. For you strike all the all my enemies on their cheek. You break the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the Lord your blessings be upon.

Total Depravity and the Need for Spiritual Salvation

Today we are going to examine Calvinism from a covenantal framework since we are leaving covenant theology. We want to examine Calvinism from that framework and here in our text We see that David is looking to God for his salvation and for God's blessing to be upon his people.

So in our outline We're dealing with the five points of Calvinism and there's an acronym that's people-friendly. To TULIP. There's five points. The first point is total depravity. Second point is Unconditional election.

The third point is limited atonement the fourth point is irresistible grace and the fifth point is the perseverance of the Saints and as we Transition our text is focused on an earthly salvation. Well today we will be looking for a spiritual salvation.

Yes, I know in verse two. It says many are saying of my soul. There is no salvation for him in God. David speaking of two things here a Physical and a spiritual and as you walk through it It leans more on the physical sense of salvation.

Remember I told you that salvation means rescue. I've given this analogy several times if you're The kids out in the middle of the road of cars bell and Adam and I run knocked him out of the way. In that instance I became their salvation.

I rescued them. And so when you look at right here, so verse three kind of hints towards a spiritual salvation. First two, excuse me a Spiritual salvation right here verses 7 and 8. It says arise. Oh Lord save me.

Oh my god, but you strike all enemies on the cheek. You break their the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the Lord your blessing be upon your people. It's speaking of a physical rescue a salvation.

Today we will be looking Past that to a spiritual rescue a spiritual salvation in our first point. Total depravity total depravity. States that a man by his own free volition is unable to come to God.

That we spoke about this in Sunday school that you do not wake up one day and decide be a Christian. Faith comes by hearing hearing of the Word of God. The gospel is not preached. Ye will not come to Christ the same dirt that the same Sun that hardens dirt melts ice.

In the same gospel that will open your heart to receive the message like God did with you important of our Ball your fist up tighter all the more cursing the name of the Lord. Let's turn in our Bibles to a passage that you probably are not familiar with on this topic.

That's Second the first Timothy Chapter 6. First Timothy chapter 6. Look at verses 12 through 16. As we walk through it. We'll see in verse 13. We have the word God fail. We go kind of emphasizing Trinity verse 13 and 14.

We have Jesus Christ verse 15 will see the only sovereign King of kings and Lord of lords. And verse 16 we have who alone has immortality. Who dwells an unapproachable life who no one has ever seen or can see?

Let's have that in mind as we walk through it. I'll kind of reveal what it's talking about. So let's begin in verse 12. Verse 12 says fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of eternal life. To which you were listen call.

And about which You were made you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. Verse 13 I charge you in the presence of God. Greek word thea. So it's not actually pointing to us. Which person Of the Godhead that it's speaking of this is the generic word Thea.

When I come to a text and if the context doesn't tell me who it's speaking about I just interpret this as God as in Trinity all three persons of God who gives life to all things and of Christ Jesus. Here it singles out Christ Who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession verse 14 to keep the commandments unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Which he Jesus Christ will display at the proper time he Christ Who is the blessed and only sovereign. That should raise questions is Jesus The up out of the Godhead. Is he the only one that's soft. Well, no, right that can't be right, but the context says.

Right here verse 15 which he the nearest and the seated is the Lord Jesus Christ will display at the proper time when he Jesus Christ who is the blessed and only sovereign king of kings and Lord of lords.

This is speaking about Jesus, but we know right as Trinitarian people who study theology who studied the doctrine of God theology 101 that This is not just speaking about Jesus. It's speaking about Theo God in Trinity.

Right here. It outlines Christ and then in verse 16 still speaking about him says who alone has immortality. Well, that should tell us right there. That is that it can't this can't just be singling out Christ Who dwells in?

Unapproachable light. Right here. Jesus is the only sovereign king of king Lord of lords who has who alone has immortality. Who dwells in? Unapproachable light. You cannot Listen approach him and right here.

There's another like 90 Who no one has ever seen. Nor can see when you go to first John. Let me see the gospel. John chapter 1 verse 18 says this no one has ever seen God. The only God who is at the right who's at the father's side has made him known.

We know that Jesus being the word the word was with God and the word was God at this Word became flesh. Verse 14 tells us that the word became flesh and dwelt among us that Jesus came to exegete to explain to us The father so right here where it says who no one has ever seen it's speaking about the father.

So I want to go to again. Let's go to to To John and try to flush this out. So John chapter 14 If you're able to turn there turn there so you can see it not. No worries, but Jesus speaking to his disciples says this.

Jesus said to him I am the way and the truth and The life. No one comes to the father. Except through me then you can't get to the father by Circumcisions. You can't get to the father by the sacrificial system.

The only way to get to the father is through Jesus Christ. You do not have the son. You do not have the father stated in the first John chapter 2. All right now let's go to chapter 6 44. Chapter 6 44 Says this no one can come to me Jesus speaking.

No one can come to me unless the father who sent me right here. You should be thinking the company of their redemption. No one can come to me Jesus speaking Unless the father who sent me. So God dwells in unapproachable light you cannot approach God.

No one can come to the father unless they come to Jesus and no one can come to Jesus unless they're drawn by the father. Ask yourself how. Right like something's going on here. So in the transition the question is why is this and the answer is because of the fall?

Because in Adam we have all died in Adam and dead people cannot just Make themselves live again. How shall these dead bones live. He cannot come to God he cannot Approach God he dwells in unapproachable light.

We cannot get to Jesus unless we're drawn by the father. We cannot get to the father unless we go through Jesus. Because we're in Adam. We are dead in Adam. Unconditional election point number two unconditional election is speaking of what takes place before the fall.

Unconditional Election in the Covenant of Redemption

This I believe it's referring to the purpose of the father in the covenant of redemption. And what's funny is is whenever you truly understand kind of theology and you You are and you hold to the doctrines of grace.

You can actually see the covenant of redemption in the tulip. It's in the UL I. Unconditional election limited atonement and irresistible grace is the covenant of redemption. The purpose of the father was to save a people.

Why? We can't get to him. He dwells in unapproachable light. No one can come to the son unless I'm drawn by the father. No one can go to the father unless the son. He does not Respond to us. We cannot respond to him because we're dead in Adam so even before Adam takes this fall God in eternity past makes a covenant himself.

Eternal covenant between the Godhead the father. So the father. The purpose of the father was to save the people the elect in and through his son. Look with me at John 6 37. Now this text shows the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man.

So if you're ever looking for a text that shows both The sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man is John 6 37 now we'll only read a piece of it. John 6 37 listen all that the father Gives me Will come to me.

Jesus speaking all that the father gives me will come to me. If you are given By the father even though in your own free volition, you cannot come to Christ you will Come to Christ. And some of you probably heard me give this analogy the same way that a door relies upon the hinges to open and shut you and I.

You and all you and I are coming to Christ relies upon our being given to the son By the father. So imagine a door open and shutting that door. You remember those hinges. Door doesn't do anything. Against the wall you try to open it.

It's gonna fall. The only way it operates correctly is because of the hinges. The only way anyone can come to Christ Is if they're given to him by the father. That's where verse 44 comes in no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him The straw and is being given to him.

Is that's being given to him. Point number three limited atonement. In limited atonement we see Christ accomplished the purpose. So what was the purpose? The father was going to save the people in Christ.

So in limited atonement, we see Christ accomplished the purpose of the father and That is to save the people. What people. The people that the father chose? The elect the church. Now the question how does to do this.

The answer is simple through the incarnation. God becoming a man in the person of Jesus Christ. God taken on flesh. Jesus Christ living a sinless and perfect life. Fully obeying the father. Christ dying a substitutionary atoning death for the sins of those who have violated the covenants.

We have died in Adam and by his resurrection. Now for a second, I want to take just a moment to talk about why this Doctrine of limited atonement is so important. I know a lot of people who claim Calvinism would say that they're a three-point or four-point.

We would just say no. That's Southern Baptists. We're not a Calvinist, right? If you don't hold to the five points just X the word. Like don't even put it in your vocabulary. This right here is the most important doctrine dealing with the superiority because If Christ only died for our sins That only leaves us neutral with God, you know what that does for us it puts us back in the garden.

Now keep these commandments and live if he only dies for our sins. We're neutral with God. Limited atonement has to do with more than him dying for our sins. He if that's all it is if Christ all he does is die for our sins.

Then we are neutral our sins are forgiven now keep the law and live. So let's just play with that for a second. Let's flesh that out. The Armenians would say and Christ died for the sins of everyone means that they're neutral with God.

Now they have to keep the law. This is why covenant theology is so important. If you remove the fact that Christ lived the life that we Could not live your theology is works base. As you're removing the fact that he lived the life that you could not live and then when you believe in him Not only is his death accounted to yours, but the life that he lived is counted to you which makes you justify before God.

This is why Dispensational Calvinism doesn't make any sense to me because they don't hold to covenant theology. That he lived the life that we could not live. And then my faith in him not only is his death counted to us, but the life that he lived is counted to us.

So that when you and I we put our faith in Jesus Christ. We have his active obedience and his passive obedience. Accounted to us and that is why we are safe Forgiven of our sins, but also are justified before him because of what Christ has done.

Three point or four point. Calvinist who denies unlimited atonement, that's what they're denying. When I said Christ died for everybody all he did was make us neutral to God. Back in the garden now, we have to keep seven.

I don't want that. I Can't do it. Can you can you keep can you keep the covenant? Can you walk before God blameless? That's what it takes. Without the righteousness of Christ without his life without the life that he lived applied to us.

That's what you get. Now it's coming to theology. As a Transition will bring two passages. Kind of going back to Christ not Christ dying. Matthew chapter 1 verse 21 says this the angel speaking to Mary, but the birth of Christ she will bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus for he will save Everyone from their sins.

No. His people. From their sins. I wonder who his people are. Let's look at it. Ephesians chapter 5 Verse 25. Husbands Love your wife as Christ loved the church don't miss this and gave himself up for her.

Christ loved the church. And he gave himself up for her. Jesus died for the church. We looked at Sunday school. It was the church the elect of God past present future. Loving lessons that I haven't studied.

Kind of go to a message, right? Gives me some meat, right? Point number four irresistible grace. Irresistible grace is the Holy Spirit. Applying the purpose. Those from the father purpose are the ones whom the son dies a substitutionary atoning death for.

And through the preaching of the gospel Life death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ the father irresistibly Draws them and gives them the Holy Spirit. He draws them to the preaching of the gospel.

When you and I we preach the gospel if they are the elect the father draws them to Jesus gives him to Christ and Gives them the Holy Spirit. Let's go back to John chapter 6. Again verse 44 no one Can come to me.

Jesus said? What's the father who sent me draws them? Now to our fifth point the Preservation perseverance of the Saints, which is also called the preservation of the Saints the perseverance of the Saints.

Perseverance, the New Covenant, and the Final Call to Repentance

Now when I say The present perseverance of the Saints I do not mean what most people mean when they say. You probably heard this doctrine taught by Calvinist, but that are not covenantal so a covenantal Calvinist which means something different than a dispensation of Calvinist.

When it comes to the present age of the perseverance of the Saints most people will look at it will take the understanding that the perseverance of the Saints is that the Saint perseveres through their obedience In following Jesus so we persevere through our obedience in following Jesus.

In my understanding from the confession and from Scripture is that not only is justification Monergistic meaning God is the one who is doing the work. But that sanctification is monergistic meaning that in our life as we live in our as we're living our life the Holy Spirit is in us it's God that's doing the work as.

In justification we believe and we repent. In sanctification we continue to believe and repent. But we do so because faith is the gift and repentance is granted even in sanctification. And this is key right here listen if this is not true What I just said right then it's not true.

Then there is no hope. If you are expected To grow yourself and holiness in the sanctification By obedience in your following Christ, there is no hope. To quote John MacArthur who is a dispensational Calvinist, but he says it best.

This is why I'm glad that they are inconsistent in their theology if you can lose your salvation. You will. If you can lose your salvation You will because you cannot Keep yourself saved. You cannot make you cannot Get yourself saved and you cannot keep yourself saved again.

Let's look at John chapter 6. We'll go back to verse 37 and let's read to verse 40 at the father gives me Will come to me and whoever comes to me. I will never Cast out check that in the Greek. That's what it says.

That's now where I've come down from heaven. Not to do my own will. But the will of him who sent me a covenant of redemption. And this is the will of him who sent me that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me.

But raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my father that everyone who looks on the Son of Man and believes in him should have Eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day. So the question is is Who is Jesus raising up on the last day?

And the answer is those that look to him in faith. Those that look to him in faith. Now when I say faith I'm not. I don't know if y 'all heard my podcast here recently, but I'm not talking about. You know like driving down the road and I'm coming to a red light and there's cars in front of me and I'm hitting my brakes.

There's faith that takes place when I'm pressing in on my brakes trusting that as I'm pressing in on my brakes. It's going to stop. Well, then when I sit down in a chair that the chair is not going to break that it's going to have.

There's a certain amount of faith given there, right? There's a certain amount of faith. What I'm talking about faith when it comes to this is I'm talking about faith in something that we cannot see. It would be like Jeff there's a chair right here.

I know you can't see it, but I need you to sit in it. Okay. We're telling people that a man Jesus of Nazareth who Proclaimed himself to be God died live a perfect life died for our sins and rose on the third day.

This is something that you can't explain scientifically people do not die. Be put into a ground and three days later come out the grave. Glorified like that does not happen and yet. The faith that I'm speaking about it's not sitting in a chair.

It's not hitting your brakes driving on the street. It's believing in something that is scientifically impossible something that you don't see take place. But those who look to him in the face. Believe that Jesus Christ has been risen from the dead that God has risen this Jesus Christ from the dead.

But this is not something that's inherent in us like we cannot draw this from ourselves. It's something that has to be given to us. Now I'm going to go back for a second to that point that I made about limited atonement.

If Christ only died for our sins. That makes us neutral with God. We have to keep the covenant and guess what you can lose your salvation. If Christ only died for your sins, of course, you can lose your salvation because it puts you a Ground zero you're neutral, but if in fact He lived the life that we could not live.

Ladies and gentlemen, you can't not lose your salvation. If you've been truly given faith. You cannot lose your salvation because the life that you live that's not counted to you. It's the life that Christ has lived that's counted to you.

He lived the life that you cannot live as does the king so goes the kingdom. When I stand before God, I'm not going to be clothed in dust. I'm going to be clothed in Christ. And I'm not going to be judged on my past present our future sins.

And I pray that God kills all those sins in me. I'm gonna be judged by the righteousness of Christ. Not because of what I have done, but because of what he has done. And the London Baptist confession of faith chapter 14 paragraph 2.

Paragraph 2 section 9 says this but the principal acts of saving faith. Focus directly on Christ. Accepting receiving and resting upon him for Justification sanctification and eternal life by virtue of the covenant of grace.

By virtue of what Jesus Christ has done. This is the blood of my covenant. Remember the Lord suffered this is my body which is broken for you. This is my blood which is poured out for me. Obedience is accepting receiving and resting upon him for our justification sanctification and eternal life.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the reformed position. So those out there that say that they're reformed if this isn't your position. Then you're not reformed. Loving neighbor and good works flow out of these things.

They are not the spout. Loving neighbor you loving neighbor and you doing good works. They flow from From these things they are not the spout. Your good works do not save you nor do they keep you safe.

Now, here's another controversy one particular Verse Christians love to use even the reformed Christians is found in Matthew chapter 24. Matthew chapter 24 verse 13 Says this. But the one who endures to the end Will be saved.

So as I say right there in order to be saved you have to endure to the end. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Ladies and gentlemen, the context has nothing to do with salvation salvific.

It has to do with surviving the coming judgment that was coming upon Jerusalem. Those who listen to the words of the Lord who endure persecution and Survive the judgment or say they They were saved look at.

Same chapter verse 15 Jesus warns them right after this first. So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken by the Prophet Daniel Standing in the holy place like the reader understand then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

He's telling them what to look for and what to do when you see it flee to the mountains and those. Let those who are in a housetop. Do not go down to take what is in the house and let the one who Is in the field not turn back to take his cloak.

Also in Luke chapter 21 It kind of tells you it gives you an understanding of what the abomination of desolation is. It says. But when you say Jerusalem Surrounded by armies. But when you say Jerusalem surrounded by armies Then know that it's desolation is near.

He tells them that when you say Jerusalem surrounded by armies leave. Get out of there. Those who endure to the end as persecution is about to come upon Jerusalem. You will be saved. A lot of so-called problem passages can easily be Worked out by just Understanding the context of the day.

So when in our in our in our main text today Psalm 3 a when David Wrote Psalm 3 a he was speaking about a salvation belonging to the Lord. He was speaking about it in the sense of rescuing his hide his backside.

Why? Because Psalm chapter 3 is a psalm of David when David was fleeing from Absalom his son Absalom his son raised an army up came after David because Absalom was the son of David. David did not want to strike.

This is still Had not yet been inaugurated the new covenant the heavenly kingdom the spiritual kingdom. We can just call it what the Bible does the kingdom of heaven. A lot of things that's going on in the church today, whether it's the dispensational versus the Covenant those are in the covenant.

Even those who hopes in the covenant have a fight between themselves between the Presbyterians and the Baptist. But then we all those that are outside of the faith who claim to be in church. It all boils down to understanding the earthly covenant versus the spiritual covenant.

Earthly people versus the spiritual people that God says things to the earthly people that he does not say or expect from the spiritual people. But there is a spirit. There's an earthly kingdom, which was Judea Jerusalem the Jews then there's the spiritual kingdom, which is the church the eschatological Israel earthly kingdom promised earthly blessings and curses.

Spiritual kingdom promises spiritual blessings and curses if you believe in Christ. You have eternal life. If you do not believe you will have eternal death. These are things that are not said in the Old Testament.

Oh Testament if you're circumcised and keep the commandments you live in the land. If you don't you remove from the land you remove from the people. Earthly blessings earthly curses spiritual blessings spiritual curses.

We are looking at things today in line of the new covenant the kingdom of heaven spiritual lessons and spiritual curses. Confusing and I hope that after going through covenant theology. You can now see Calvinism and better understand it in the covenant framework.

Again this is not how our dispensational Lordship salvation. Calvinistic friends understand Calvinism. Next week. We'll kind of we're dealing with the law in the gospel touch base on Lordship salvation and how that's not reformed.

Paul Spurgeon made the comment that Calvinism is shorthand for the gospel. Meaning a right understanding of Calvinism is a right understanding of God in Trinity. What God in Trinity has done to redeem the people and that's the covenant of redemption.

Before in the beginning God chose to save the people. And in doing so he sent his son to accomplish that purpose. It was a lot of death and resurrection. And that the Holy Spirit comes. He's sent by the Son and the Father and that through this message that we proclaim about what Christ has done.

That spirit is applied and that the church is built on earth. Spiritual pain. So what is the call of repentance and faith? It's found in Acts chapter 17. Acts 17 beginning in verse 30. This is Paul writing.

He's speaking to Some Greeks and Greek philosophers. He says this the time of ignorance. God overlooked the times of ignorance God overlooked. But now he commands all people Everywhere to repent so not just the Jews.

All people everywhere to do what? Repent. Turn from self-righteousness. Because he has fixed a day On which he will judge the world in righteousness. By a man whom he has appointed. And of this man he has given assurance to us all by raising him from the dead.

Call of repentance and faith is this is that God is going to judge this world. And he's not going to judge the world in love and he's not going to judge the world in mercy. He's going to judge the world in his justice.

And you do not want justice. You want mercy. Mercy can only be found in Jesus Christ. God has called all men to repent. Listen but only the elect Through the grace of God will be able to turn to God in Christ.

So what must we do to be safe. Listen to me. We must look to Christ and that's for you. For me, and that's for our children. That's for you. That's for me. And that's for our children. We must repent, turn from our selfishness and look to Christ.

I'm available for anyone who wants to talk. Pastor Carol Josh we are available to you. Let's pray. Father thank you. We love you. We ask that your blessings To remain upon us Lord as we continue to worship you as we fellowship with one another and Over the table.

Bless these elements. Lord. The body that was broken for us. And the blood that was shed for us Lord. That you will use this time To grow us in holiness. We also just pray Lord that our fellowship Around the table as we Eat our meals together Lord.

Bless us. Help us to grow closer to one another Lord. Help us to be. The church, the family that You have called us to be In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.