The Heart of the Gospel - Pt 19

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:28-30 ESV).

Our reading today brings us to the most often quoted passage in Romans. It may be the most important text of all in relation to the teaching of this part of the Gospel called unconditional election. Focus for a moment on the fact that all whom God calls he also justifies; however, this calling is not given to all people. The reason we know it’s not is that all those who are called are also justified. There is an infallible connection between called and justified. This calling is not the general call to repentance that preachers give or that God gives through the glory of nature. Everybody receives that call. This call (v. 30) is given only to those whom God predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son (v. 29). And, it is a call that leads necessarily to justification. Therefore, what this magnificent text teaches is that God really accomplishes the complete redemption of his people from start to finish. He foreknows (that is, elects) a people for himself before the foundation of the world, he predestines this people to be conformed to the image of his Son, he calls them to himself in faith, he justifies them through that faith alone, and he finally glorifies them. And nothing can separate them from the love of God in Christ forever and ever (v. 39). If you are a believer in Christ, you have been loved by God from all eternity. He set his favor on you before the creation of the world. He chose you when he considered you in your helpless condition. He chose you for himself unconditionally. We may not boast in our election. When we had done nothing to commend ourselves to God in any way, he set his favor on us freely. It was with us the way it was with the election of Israel: “It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you . . . but it is because the LORD loves you” (Deuteronomy 7:7-8). Read that carefully. He loves you because he loves you. He chose to do that in eternity. And because his love for you never had a beginning, it can have no end. It takes your breath away! It turns you more toward peace and joy than anything else. I hope you may be taken by this gracious, merciful deeper and deeper into the experience of this amazing sovereign grace!

The Heart of the Gospel - Pt 18

What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. (Romans 9:14-16 ESV). In Romans 9, Paul stresses the unconditional nature of election, he describes the principle God used in the choice of Jacob over Esau (cf. Romans 9:11-12). He is showing us that God’s election is preserved in its unconditional nature because it is transacted before we are born or have done any good or evil. I know that some interpreters say that Romans 9 has nothing to do with the election of individuals to their eternal destinies, but only deals with corporate peoples in their historical roles. I think this is a mistake mainly because it simply does not come to terms with the problem Paul is addressing in the chapter. What is clear is that something has made it look as though God’s promises have failed.

The deepest issue Paul is addressing is not why Israel as a nation has this or that historical role, but that individuals within Israel are accursed and cut off from Christ. In other words, individual eternal destinies are indeed at stake. And the nature of Paul’s argument confirms this. Then he moves on to show how God’s unconditional election was at work within Israel. Our reading is very specific at the point of this unconditional nature of God’s electing grace. It depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. The very nature of the mercy we need is will-awakening, will-transforming mercy. Our only hope is sovereign mercy, irresistible mercy. We are in no position to merit mercy or elicit mercy. If we are to receive mercy, it will be at God’s free choice. Fortunately this is not the only passage that points us to this truth. Paul underlines again the individual nature of election within Israel when he writes, “Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened” (Romans 11:7). Throughout Romans 9–11 Paul assumes that election deals with individuals and with eternal destinies, and that it is unconditional. There is, I believe, a divine covenantal commitment to corporate Israel, but that does not contradict or annul the individual, eternal thrust of Romans 9. God elects this way so that “though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad, in order that God’s purpose of election might continue” (v. 11). Unconditional election does not mean that there will be people in heaven who do not want to be there, nor will there be people in hell who wanted to be saved but could not be because they were not elect. Unconditional election properly recognizes that, apart from God’s supernatural work in the life of a sinner, men will always choose to reject God and rebel against Him. What unconditional election does correctly recognize is that God intervenes in the lives of the elect and works in their lives through the Holy Spirit so that they willingly respond in faith to Him. That produces such relief in the heart of the understanding believer that we then are free to truly love Him in return. Nothing he asks me to do is now a burden; it is always a blessing!

The Heart of the Gospel - Pt 17

At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. (John 10:22-26 ESV).

When does that “new” puppy become your puppy? If you have ever been to pick out your new puppy you know that all of them want to go home with you. They simply want out of where they are at the moment. However, when you choose one and take it home, you give it a new name and begin to treat it as your own. You have chosen it over all the others. It isn’t long until that puppy has believed in you as they caregiver and owner. In a similar way we have been chosen by God and then become faithful. This is the root of our fourth principle in the study of the Heart of the Gospel. It is best known as “Unconditional Election.” If all of us are so depraved that we cannot come to God without being born again by the irresistible grace of God, and if this particular grace is purchased by Christ on the cross, then it is clear that the salvation of any of us is owing to God’s election. He chose those to whom he would show such irresistible grace, and for whom he would purchase it. Election refers to God’s choosing whom to save. It is unconditional in that there is no condition man must meet before God chooses to save him. Man is dead in trespasses and sins. So there is no condition he can meet before God chooses to save him from his deadness. This does not mean that final salvation is unconditional. It is not. We must meet the condition of faith in Christ in order to inherit eternal life. But faith is not a condition for election. It is just the reverse. Election is a condition for faith. It is because God chose us before the foundation of the world that he purchases our redemption at the cross, and then gives us spiritual life through irresistible grace, and brings us to faith. This is the point at which many become uncomfortable. However, as our reading today makes the point, belief in Christ only comes to those who are “among His sheep.” We don’t join the flock; He chooses us and places us in it. We’re going to see later why this is so essential. Today let me simply say that it is the foundation for our peace and joy in the midst of every circumstance of life, good or bad (cf. Romans 8:31-39). This is the basis for our confidence that nothing can separate us from God’s love. That has been important to me on more than one occasion. Usually it’s when I feel most vulnerable after some specific failure or difficulty. That’s when it most important for me to know that nothing I do or don’t do is the basis for God’s love and forgiveness.

The Heart of the Gospel - Pt 16

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. (Romans8:31-34 ESV).

Now we come to the end of our examination of “limited atonement.” Some truth leaves us almost speechless. This is our case here. But it is the foundation of one of the greatest of all promises in the Scripture. The Apostle Paul declares that “all things work for our good (Romans 8:28); and then he breaks into this declaration of praise in our reading today. God sees to this good because he foreknew you, predestined you to glory with Christ, called you when you were dead in trespasses and sins, justified you freely by his grace through faith alone, and is now glorifying you little by little until the day of his coming when it will be consummated with a body like Christ’s glorious resurrection body. This leaves Paul almost speechless — almost. He says, “What then shall we say to these things?” I hear two things in those words for Paul and for us. I hear, “It is hard to find words for these great things.” And I hear, “We must find words for these great things.” I think when Paul says, “What then shall we say to these things?” his answer is: We must say it again another way. We must find different words and say it again. That’s what he does with the words, “If God is for us, who is against us?” That’s what he has been saying all along. But he must say it another way. Think of it: God is FOR us! And, therefore no one can be against us. God foreknew us in love, predestined us to be his children, called us from death, declared us righteous, and is working in us from one degree of glory to another until the great and glad day of Christ. These are the wonderful words of the Gospel. We live forever with God against us or with God for us. And all who are in Christ may say with almost unspeakable joy, “God is for us.” He is on our side. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (cf. Romans 8:1). God is entirely for us, and never against us. None of our sicknesses is a judgment from a condemning judge. None of our broken cars or failed relationships is a punishment from God. None of our lost jobs is a penalty for sin. None of our wayward children is a crack of the whip of God’s retribution. If we are in Christ, God is for us, not against us. He is for us in and through all things, good or bad, ease or pain! Now, that’s Good News! That’s the heart of the Gospel!

The Heart of the Gospel - Pt 15

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. (Hebrews 9:11-15 ESV).

What we find when we come to the New Testament is that Jesus is the Mediator of this new covenant and that he secured it by his own blood. This is the connection between the atonement and the new covenant: Jesus’ blood is the blood of the covenant. At the Last Supper, Jesus took the cup after they had eaten and said, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20). Therefore all the promises of the new covenant are blood bought promises. When they come true for us they come true because Jesus died to make them come true. This means that the particular promises of the new covenant to create a people of God and keep a people of God are what Jesus died for. The point I am making is that not all the promises of the new covenant depend on the condition of faith. Rather, one of the promises made in the new covenant is that the condition of faith itself will be given by God. That’s why I say that the new covenant people are created and preserved by God. “I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me” (Jeremiah 32:40). God puts the fear of God in us in the first place. And God keeps us from turning away. He creates his new people and keeps his new people. And he does this by the blood of the covenant, which Jesus said was his own blood. In the death of Christ, God secures a definite group of unworthy sinners as his own people by purchasing and guaranteeing the conditions they must meet to be part of his people. The blood of the covenant — Christ’s blood — purchases and guarantees the new heart of faith and repentance. And since he did it through Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd, who laid down his life for the sheep, we say, “to [him] be glory forever and ever” (Hebrews 13:21). This is the joy of being the child of God. When life crashes in on us, we can now have the assurance that nothing is so bad that it can take away that blood-bought eternal life Jesus has secured for us! Now, we have rest for our souls!

The Heart of the Gospel - Pt 14

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:35-37; 44 ESV).

Well, now we come to the most difficult of the foundational truths necessary to understand the principle truth of the Gospel. It has been called “limited atonement” since the Reformation. It addresses questions like “For whom did Christ do all this?”, or “For whom did he die?”, or “Whose sin did he atone for?”, and “For whom did he purchase all the benefits of salvation?” Each of these is vital to us; however, we must understand that behind these questions of the extent of the atonement lies the equally important question about the nature of the atonement. What did Christ actually achieve on the cross for those for whom he died? That question will lead to a more accurate answer to the others. If you say that he died for every human being in the same way, then you have to define the nature of the atonement very differently than you would if you believed that Christ, in some particular way, died for those who actually do believe. In the first case, you would believe that the death of Christ did not decisively secure the salvation of anyone; it only made all men savable so that something else would be decisive in saving them, namely their choice. In that case, the death of Christ did not actually remove the sentence of death and did not actually guarantee new life for anyone. Rather it only created possibilities of salvation which could be actualized by people who provide the decisive cause, namely, their faith. In this understanding of the atonement, faith and repentance are not blood-bought gifts of God for particular sinners, but are rather the acts of some sinners that make the blood work for them. This is not what Paul teaches (cf. Ephesians 2:8-10). This leaves the danger of misunderstanding the work of Christ which leads to a belief that all are saved. If we believe that Christ died for all men in the same way, then the benefits of the cross cannot include the mercy by which we are brought to faith, because then all men would be brought to faith, but they aren’t. But if the mercy by which we are brought to faith is not part of what Christ purchased on the cross, then we are left to obtain our deliverance from death and sin another way. That leads us to the errors of universalism or legalism. Neither of these can be a part of the Gospel. There is no grace in either. And, further, there is nothing “amazing” about those beliefs. We are amazed because God showed his unfailing mercy to those whom he has chosen when there was absolutely no reason to chose beyond his incredible mercy (cf. Romans 5:1-8). And, that cause me to simply stand stricken with the majestic goodness of God. It drives me to a love and acceptance that is so great I cannot fully comprehend it all! For that, I cannot help but praise and serve Him! There’s you peace and joy. Rest in that belief completely!

The Heart of the Gospel - Pt 13

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26 ESV).

Today we begin the third principle at the heart of the Gospel: Limited Atonement. It is both essential and extremely difficult. It has been the root of an intense wrestling with the Scripture for me through the years. However, once I came to both understand it better and accept it as the truth of Scripture I found an incredible source of strength and peace. Let’s start with a definition. The “atonement” is the work of God in Christ on the cross in which he completed the work of his perfectly righteous life, canceled the debt of our sin, appeased his holy wrath against us, and won for us all the benefits of salvation. The death of Christ was necessary because God would not show a just regard for his glory if he swept sins under the rug with no recompense. That’s the point of our reading today. Read it again: God put [Christ] forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (vv. 25-26). You can see from the emphasized words that the death of Christ was necessary to vindicate the righteousness of God in justifying the ungodly by faith. This had to be the case since it would be unrighteous to acquit sinners as though their sin was insignificant, when in fact sin is an insult against the value of God’s glory. And since the value of God’s glory is infinite, the offense is infinitely outrageous. Therefore Jesus bears the curse, which was due to our sin, so that we can be justified and the righteousness of God can be vindicated. I know this principle cuts across the grain of our natural logic; however, by denying limited atonement, Christ does not actually save us. He only makes salvation possible. I have come to understand and believe that I need Christ as my actual Savior, not as my potential Savior! My hope of eternal life depends completely on Him. Apart from Christ, I have no hope of salvation. Now I can rejoice and be at peace about my eternal destiny! We’ll see more evidence from the scripture in the coming days. Today, rejoice in His work of grace!

The Heart of the Gospel - Pt 12

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. (Ephesians 2:1-5 ESV).

If you are near Arlington, Texas, today I will be preaching from the passage that is a part of our reading. I will be at Gospel City Church of Arlington. We have two services, 9:30 am and 11 am. I would encourage you to come to the early service and stay for a special teaching time at the later hour led by my son, Kyle. As we have been going through Ephesians at our church, he has been expanding the teaching following the earlier service. Today, I am going to focus on the concept of New Birth. It is from start to finish an act of sovereign creation. In other words, it is necessary to receive Christ in order to become a child of God, but the birth that brings one into the family of God is not possible by the will of man. Only God can do it. Our reading says that we are dead in trespasses and sins (v. 1). We cannot make ourselves new, or create new life in our own strength. We must be born of God. Then, with the new nature of God, we see Christ for who he really is, and freely receive Christ for all that he is. The two acts (new birth and faith) are so closely connected that in experience we cannot distinguish them. God begets us anew and the first glimmer of life in the newborn child is faith. Thus new birth is the effect of irresistible grace, because it is an act of sovereign creation, “not of the will of man but of God.” We began the devotionals looking at irresistible grace by saying that most Christians know intuitively that God’s grace has been decisive in bringing about our conversion. We look at those who resist the gospel and say with trembling, “But for the grace of God, there go I.” I hope it is now clearer why that is. God really did overcome out resistance. He really did draw us to himself. He really did grant us repentance. He really did cause us to be born again so that we received Christ. He really did shine in our hearts to give the light of the glory of Christ. It is not surprising then, that all true Christians, even before we have been taught these things, know intuitively that grace was decisive in bringing us to Christ. Often the heart precedes the head into the truth. My prayer is that because of this you will go even deeper in your experience of the grace of God. May you worship God and love people as never before. That is what a profound experience of sovereign grace does.

The Heart of the Gospel - Pt 11

When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” (John 6:60-65 ESV).

Again we return to the question of how we can be redeemed. Our natural inclination is to wonder what we have to do in order to receive this gift of God. So, today we will consider repentance. Our reading today says that coming to Jesus was “granted” by the Father. Notice, he is not saying merely that salvation is a gift of God. He is saying that the requirements for salvation are also a gift. When a person hears a preacher say, “Repent, and come to Christ,” he can choose to resist that call. He can disobey. He can say, “No, I will not repent.” But if God gives him repentance, he cannot resist because the very meaning of the gift of repentance is that God has changed our heart and made it willing to repent. In other words the gift of repentance is the overcoming of resistance to repentance. This is why we call this work of God “irresistible grace.” Resistance to repentance is replaced by the gift of repentance. That is how all of us came to repent. Thousands of truly repentant people do not know this. They have been taught the wrong concepts about how they were converted, and therefore they are stunted in their worship and love. Perhaps you have been one of them. If that is true, don’t be angry at your teachers; instead go to Paul’s second letter to Timothy and rejoice: God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. (2 Timothy 2:25-26 ESV). Let your heart overflow with thankfulness and brokenhearted joy at the new awareness at how amazing your repentance is. It is an absolutely free gift of God’s grace. This means God loves you more particularly than you may have ever thought. When the world seems to be crashing around you, rest in the knowledge that God has already given you the greatest of gifts. The pain of life, whether of your doing or not, cannot take your eternal home away from you. In fact, that very pain only gets you ready for it. I urge you to practice the philosophy of “one day closer.” For me, even in the midst of pain and difficulty, I can lay down at night having had a rough day and simply rest in knowing that I am merely one day closer to home!

The Heart of the Gospel - Pt 10

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 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. (Epheisians 1:3-6 ESV).

The Apostle Paul is very clear in our reading today; however, in order to fully understand irresistible grace we must look into the Gospel of John as well. Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44). There is no doubt that this drawing is the sovereign work of grace without which none of us will be saved from our rebellion against God. However, some may object, “He draws all men, not just some.” Then they may quote from the twelfth chapter of John, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32). But there are several serious problems with this objection. One is that the word translated “all people” is simply “all” (Greek pantas). There is no word for “people” in this text. Jesus simply says: “When I am lifted up, I will draw all to myself.” When we see that we have to ask from similar contexts in John what this “all” probably refers to. One similar context is in the previous chapter. Caiaphas the high priest is speaking more truly than he knows, John says, “Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish” (John 11:50). These last words describe the scope of Jesus’ death as John presents it in this Gospel. Jesus died not just for one ethnic group, but “to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad” — all of them. This is a reference to Gentiles whom God will effectively draw to himself when they hear the gospel. They are called “children of God” because God has chosen them to be adopted. Then the all is not all human beings, but “all the children of God.” Or you could say, “I will draw all of my sheep,” because Jesus says, “I lay down my life for the sheep” — all of them (John 10:15). There are many other passages that underscore this approach to interpreting the unfortunate English translation adding “people” as the object of the modifier “all.” However, we must get back to the impact of this truth. It is so easy to simply say “so what?” Well, if it is a work rooted in our will then we have no assurance that we can maintain this position in redemption. That’s terrifying to me. I am much more assured and hopeful when I realize that it is God who holds me, not the reverse. Rest in that truth!

The Heart of the Gospel - Pt 9

You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? (Romans 9:19-24 ESV).

Irresistible grace speaks of the work of God alone in bringing us to faith. This may be one of the most difficult principles found in the Scripture. The Apostle Paul deals with it extensively in chapter nine of the letter to the Romans. Our reading today is a part of that passage. Earlier he called attention to the complete work of God from start to finish in man’s redemption and it caused his opponents to say, “Why then does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” (v. 14). Paul’s answer is our reading today. So, to be more specific, irresistible grace refers to the sovereign work of God to overcome the rebellion of our heart and bring us to faith in Christ so that we can be saved. If the doctrine of total depravity, as we have unfolded it in previous devotionals is true, there can be no salvation without the reality of irresistible grace. If we are dead in our sins, and unable to submit to God because of our rebellious nature, then we will never believe in Christ unless God overcomes our rebellion. There are those who argue that while it is true that the Holy Spirit must draw us to God, we can use our freedom to resist or accept that drawing. However, that is not what the Bible teaches. Except for the continual exertion of saving grace, we will always use our freedom to resist God. That is what it means to be “unable to submit to God.” “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:7-8). If a person becomes humble enough to submit to God, it is because God has given that person a new, humble nature. If a person remains too hard-hearted and proud to submit to God, it is because that person has not been given such a willing spirit. This is the difference between “vessels of wrath” and “vessels of mercy.” We’ll look more closely at the Scripture in the coming days concerning this truth. Today, focus on this great gift God has given you. Let it encourage and strengthen you in your journey.

The Heart of the Gospel - Pt 8

Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” (Romans 10:20-21 ESV).

Some of you may be familiar with the acronym “TULIP.” Each of these letters are the beginning of a word or phrase describing the five basic principles of the Gospel we are considering. They are also used to describe the basis of reformed theology. We have considered the “T” of Total Depravity. If we were following the traditional order, we would now consider “Unconditional Election.” We will get to that; however, we should move next to “Irresistible Grace.” I am putting it second because my experience has been that most Christians have a conscious, personal experience of irresistible grace, even if they have never called it that. I rarely meet Christians who want to take credit for their conversion. There is something about true grace in the believer’s heart that makes us want to give all the glory to God. Most of us feel instinctively that we should glorify God’s grace by saying: “There but for the grace of God go I.” In other words, we know intuitively that God’s grace was decisive in our conversion. That is what we mean by irresistible grace. The doctrine of irresistible grace does not mean that every influence of the Holy Spirit cannot be resisted. It means that the Holy Spirit, whenever he chooses, can overcome all resistance and make his influence irresistible. The bible is replete with examples of this truth. Stephen says to the Jewish leaders, “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you” (Acts 7:51). And, Paul speaks of grieving and quenching the Holy Spirit (cf. Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19). God gives many entreaties and promptings which are resisted. In fact, the whole history of Israel in the Old Testament is one protracted story of human resistance to God’s commands and promises. This resistance does not contradict God’s sovereignty. God allows it, and overcomes it whenever he chooses. The doctrine of irresistible grace means that God is sovereign and can conquer all resistance when he wills. As we will see over the next few days, this truth should bring us great comfort. Since my redemption is not dependent on my fickly and unreliable will, I have no fear of ever losing what I have been given. God has given me this great gift that I can never lose nor reject. He brought me and He keeps me. That should allow us to move through every failure and sin with the knowledge of forgiveness and restoration. That’s good news!

The Heart of the Gospel - Pt 7

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:1-7 ESV).

This Sunday I will be preaching at Gospel City Church in Arlington, Texas. I am continuing in the series begun by the pastor, Mark Mangrem, several weeks ago. He is preaching through the book of Ephesians. As the schedule dictated, I am using the first ten verses of chapter two for my text. Given the restriction of time and the abundance of material in these verses I will only deal with verses 8-10 Sunday morning. However, today I have the opportunity to deal with the first seven as we consider the fourth part of this basic truth that man is completely depraved: our rebellion is so complete that we are totally deserving of eternal punishment. Verse three of our reading goes on to say that in our deadness we were “children of wrath.” That is, we were under God’s wrath because of the corruption of our hearts that made us as good as dead before God. The reality of hell is God’s clear indictment of the infiniteness of our guilt. If our corruption were not deserving of an eternal punishment, God would be unjust to threaten us with a punishment so severe as eternal torment. But the Scriptures teach that God is just in condemning unbelievers to eternal hell (cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9); so, to that extent must we think of ourselves as totally at fault apart from the saving grace of God. In summary, we can say that total depravity means that our rebellion against God is complete; it is “total.” Everything we do in this rebellion is sinful, our inability to submit to God or reform ourselves is total, and we are therefore totally deserving of eternal punishment. It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of admitting how bad our condition is. If we think of ourselves as basically good, our grasp of the work of God in redemption will be ineffective. But if we humble ourselves under this terrible truth of our total depravity, we will be in a position to see and appreciate the glory and wonder of the work of God. That will allow us to fully experience this great gift of God. Knowing the seriousness of our disease will make us all the more amazed at the greatness of our Healer. My hope is that knowing the extent of our deep-seated rebellion will amaze us as we consider the long-suffering grace and patience of God toward us. That is the heart of the Gospel!

The Heart of the Gospel - Pt 6

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:5-8 ESV).

Yesterday I mentioned the “flesh.” That brings us to this third foundational truth about our total depravity. We simply are unable to submit to God and do good. Man apart from the grace of God is totally enslaved to rebellion (vv. 7-8). We have come to a place in the modern church where we excuse sin in favor of our “weakness.” It is true that sin is rooted in our spiritual weakness; however, what we have done is to develop a philosophy that declares we can just “get better.” If we read more of the Bible; if we pray more; if we work harder; if we commit ourselves more deeply to a lifestyle of holiness and resist the temptations to sin, then surely we will be able to overcome these weaknesses. Well, that’s simply wrong. We cannot get better apart from Christ. The “mind that is set on the flesh” (literally, “mind of the flesh”) is the mind of man apart from the indwelling Spirit of God (v. 9). The natural man has a mindset that does not and cannot submit to God. Man cannot reform himself. This is the heart of TOTAL depravity. The Apostle Paul says that we Christians were all once “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). The point of deadness is that we were incapable of any spiritual life with God. We had physical life, but our hearts were like a stone toward God (cf. Ephesians 4:18; Ezekiel 36:26). Our hearts were blind and incapable of seeing the glory of God in Christ (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:4-6). We were totally unable to reform ourselves. Understanding and accepting this truth gives us the way to avoid the failure of “doing better.” If we wake up and simply desire to be better, we destine ourselves to failure. We do not have the power of being better within our flesh. It is dead! Knowing that brings us to the only solution. His name if Jesus. Countless thousands have come through the church and heard the message of self-help so often passed as the Gospel and experienced such utter failure that they have given up on God. Our failed efforts to help ourselves never had anything to do with God. God’s solution is a life altering, transformative redemptive experience in His Son, Jesus. No wonder Jesus taught the disciples to pray by saying, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13). Of course it requires our cooperation with the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. But it does not begin with our will. Our will is evil; our flesh is wicked. It begins with the will and work of Christ within us. That brings successful living to us. That wins the battle we are engaged in!

The Heart of the Gospel - Pt 5

So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. (Romans 7:17-20 ESV).

One more thing we ought to process is that in our total rebellion everything we do is sin. So, if all men are in total rebellion, everything they do is the product of rebellion and cannot be an honor to God. It is merely a part of our sinful rebellion. Of course many of these acts which flow from inward unbelief conform outwardly to the revealed will of God (for example, obeying parents or telling the truth). But they do not conform to God’s perfect will because of that mere outward conformity. God does not look at what we do, but what we believe. Our rebellion is a matter of faith, not works. Works first is backward thinking. Our reading shows clearly that there is “no good thing” in our flesh. This is a radical confession of the truth that in our rebellion nothing we think or feel is good. It is all part of our rebellion. The fact that Paul qualifies his depravity with the words, “that is, in my flesh,” shows that he is willing to affirm the good of anything that the Spirit of God produces in him (cf. Romans 15:18). “Flesh” refers to man in his natural state apart from the work of God’s Spirit. So, what Paul is saying is that apart from the work of God’s Spirit all we think and feel and do is not good. We ought to recognize that the word “good” has a broad range of meanings. We will have to use it in a restricted sense to refer to many actions of fallen people which in relation are in fact not good. For example, we will have to say that it is good that most unbelievers do not kill and that many unbelievers perform acts of benevolence. What we mean when we call such actions good is that they more or less conform to the external pattern of life that God has commanded in Scripture. However, such outward conformity to the revealed will of God is not righteousness in relation to God. It is not done out of reliance on him or for his glory. He is not trusted for the resources, though he gives them all. Nor is his honor exalted, even though that’s his will in all things (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:31). Therefore even these “good” acts are part of our rebellion and are not “good” in the sense that really counts in the end in relation to God. This truth provides the foundation for a complete transformation in Christ. It answers those nagging questions about the “good” people do and why those things are not sufficient to redeem. It is the heart of man that needs redemption, not his behavior. Employ this truth to motivate yourself to complete surrender and devotion to Jesus. That’s where you will find your greatest satisfaction and freedom from the bondage of sin and death!

The Heart of the Gospel - Pt 4

What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:9-12 ESV).

Total Depravity can be seen in at least four ways. Each brings our understanding of our need of God’s grace closer to our mind. The first is that our rebellion against God is total. Apart from the grace of God, there is no delight in the holiness of God, and there is no surrender to the sovereign authority of God. Of course, totally depraved men can be very religious and very philanthropic. When Jesus condemned the Pharisees as they prayed, gave alms, and fasted (cf. Matthew 6:1-18), he was making the point that “doing” religion is not enough. Even their religion was rebellion against the rights of God. It did not come from a childlike heart of trust in the free grace of God. In fact, religion is one of the chief ways that man conceals his unwillingness to forsake self-reliance and put all his hopes on the unmerited mercy of God. Our reading today shows the totality of our rebellion. Any seeking of God that honors God is a gift of God. It is not owing to our native goodness. It is an illustration of God mercifully overcoming our native resistance to God. It is a myth that man in his natural state is genuinely seeking God. Men do seek God; however, they do not seek him for who he is. We only seek him when we need something. When we are afraid of death or want to better our position, we go to God as if he is some cosmic vending machine. Apart from being born again, no one comes to the light of God. We should visit another passage. The Scripture says some do come to the light: For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:20-21 ESV). There are those who come to the light; namely, those whose deeds are the work of God. “Carried out in (or by) God” means worked by God. Apart from this gracious work of God all men hate the light of God and will not come to him lest their evil be exposed. This is total rebellion. “No one seeks for God. There is no fear of God before their eyes!” The picture is bleak. And, it should be. We cannot get redemption on our own. It is from beginning to end a work of God. But that is the good news. The Gospel is so good simply because God paid the debt we could never pay and died the death we could never die! Do you see… whatever we face, we do not face it alone. As the children of God, we face it in Him who has already determined our fate. We are destined for good!

The Heart of the Gospel - Pt 3

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. (Romans 3:21-25 ESV). Today we begin with the five principles of the Gospel. I must remind you that they have been often debated. Many deep divisions have been the result of these debates. As we go through them in the coming days, please remember that my prayer and hope is that these will not divide, but encourage and strengthen each of us in these days of trial and difficulty.

I have decided to begin with the concept of “total depravity.” While not the easiest to accept, it is the beginning of truly understanding grace. When we speak of man’s depravity, we mean man’s natural condition apart from any grace exerted by God to restrain or transform man. The totality of that depravity is clearly not that man does as much evil as he could do. There is no doubt that man could perform more evil acts toward his fellow man than he does. But if he is restrained from performing more evil acts by motives that are not owing to his submission to God, then even his “virtue” is evil in the sight of God. Man simply has no virtue that emanates from himself (cf. Romans 14:23). This tenet is a radical indictment of all natural “virtue” that does not flow from a heart humbly relying on God’s grace. Let me draw an example that might make this first principle clearer. Suppose you’re the father of a teenage son. You remind him to wash the car before he uses it to take his friends to the basketball game. He had earlier agreed to do that. He gets angry and says he doesn’t want to. You gently but firmly remind him of his promise and say that’s what you expect. He resists. You say, “Well, if you are going to use the car tonight, that’s what you agreed to do.” He storms out of the room angry. Later you see him washing the car. But he is not doing it out of love for you or out of a Christ-honoring desire to honor you as his father. He wants to go to the game with his friends. That is what constrains his “obedience.” I put “obedience” in quotes because it is only external. His heart is wrong. This is what I mean when I say that all human “virtue” is depraved if it is not from a heart of love to the heavenly Father. The terrible condition of man’s heart will never be recognized by people who assess it only in relation to other men. Your son will drive his friends to the ballgame. That is “kindness,” and they will experience it as a benefit. So the evil of our actions can never be measured merely by the harm they do to other humans. Depravity is our condition in relation to God primarily and only secondarily in relation to man. Unless we start here, we will never grasp the totality of our natural depravity. However, this only makes the grace of God greater (cf. Romans 5:6-8). God’s love for us is greater than our natural condition. That is the good news!

The Heart of the Gospel - Pt 2

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:12-13 ESV).

My own struggle makes me more patient with others who are on the way. And in one sense, we are all on the way. However, we must remember that even when we know things Biblically and truly, we still see through a “mirror dimly” (v. 12). There can be many tears as we seek to put our ideas through the testing fires of God’s word. But all the wrestling to understand what the Bible teaches about God is worth it. God is a rock of strength in a world of quicksand. To know him in his sovereignty is to become like an oak tree in the wind of adversity and confusion. And along with strength is courage. To begin, we need a bit of history; however, before I get in the middle of that history, I pray you will be strengthened and encouraged. Please don’t feel that you have to read these short devotionals in any particular order. It may be that you will skip a few days and then go back and forth through them. There is an intentional order to the series, but feel free to start and stop wherever it looks most urgent for you. If you get help, then you will be drawn back to the rest of it. I hope that because of our short time together in these writings you will move into a deep and satisfying experience of God’s grace. Let’s begin at the beginning. John Calvin, the famous theologian and pastor of Geneva, died in 1564. Along with Martin Luther in Germany, he was the most influential force of the Protestant Reformation. His commentaries and Institutes of the Christian Religion are still exerting tremendous influence on the Christian church worldwide. The controversy began between Arminianism and Calvinism in Holland in the early 1600s. Jacob Arminius (1560–1609) studied in Geneva under Theodore Beza, and became a professor of theology at the University of Leyden in 1603. Gradually Arminius came to reject certain Calvinist teachings. The controversy spread all over Holland, where the Reformed Church was the overwhelming majority. The Arminians drew up their creed in Five Articles, and laid them before the state authorities of Holland in 1610 under the name Remonstrance, signed by forty-six ministers. The official Calvinistic response came from the Synod of Dort which was held November 13, 1618, to May 9, 1619, to consider the Five Articles. They wrote the Five Points of Calvinism in response to the Five Articles of the Arminian Remonstrants. These so-called Five Points were not chosen by the Calvinists as a summary of their teaching. They emerged as a response to the Arminians who chose these five points to disagree with. These five points are still at the heart of biblical theology. They are not unimportant. Where we stand on these things deeply affects our view of God, man, salvation, the atonement, regeneration, assurance, worship, and missions. They will then form the “points” of our coming study. Today, concentrate on the undeniable love and compassion God has shown toward us in Christ. That is our strength!

The Heart of the Gospel - Pt 1

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. (Psalm 43:5 ESV).

Today we begin a new series. It will be rooted in the Gospel; however, my focus will not be academic, but practical. It is essential to our peace and joy that we understand the great truths of Scripture. In doing this we find the foundation for our encouragement. Of course, the principle declaration as Christians is our love God. He is our great Treasure, and nothing can compare with him. The Westminster Shorter Catechism, “God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.” There is no doubt that all believers can agree and hold to this truth. God is the One we love. We love the whole panorama of his perfections. To know him, and be loved by him, and become like him is the end of our soul’s quest. Because He is infinite that answers our longing for completeness. Because He is eternal that answers our longing for permanence. Because He is unchangeable that answers our longing for stability and security. There is none like God. Nothing can compare with him. The more you know him, the more you want to know him. That’s the way Jesus prays for us to his Father: “That the love with which you have loved me may be in them” (John 17:26). That is what we long for: the very love the Father has for the Son filling us, enabling us to love the Son with the magnitude and purity of the love of the Father. Then the frustrations of inadequate love will be over. The great old catechism asks, “What is the chief end of man?” and answers, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Enjoying God is the way to glorify God, because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. But to enjoy him we must know him. So, it becomes clear that a knowledge of God from the Bible is the fuel that sustains our affection for God. And probably the most crucial kind of knowledge is the knowledge of what God is like in salvation. We call that “the Gospel.” To know that we must understand the power and sovereignty of God in general and his power and sovereignty in the way he saves people. Through our series we will examine what are called the doctrines of grace. To experience God fully, we need to know not just how he acts in general, but specifically how he saves us. It will appear at first glance that this series deals with the defense of Calvinism. I will not defend a system. There is no power for a transformed life in a system. However, over the years I have deepened in my conviction that the teachings on the five points basic points of Calvinism are biblical and therefore true, and therefore a precious pathway into deeper experiences of God’s grace. That’s where we must end! The gospel is the story of the grace of God; and, that sustains us! Today, merely “hope in God!” (Psalm 43:5).

Seven Miracles - Pt 30

When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” (John 11:43-44 ESV).

We come to a close of the miracles with today’s devotional. I will list five brief applications I see in this last miracle. Each of the others point us to this incredible moment when Jesus simply commands, “Lazarus, come out” (v. 43). And, without any other prompt, he does! 1. First, be strong in the face of hard times and seeming defeat, because God is not simply watching and waiting to turn it all for good. He is in it from the beginning planning it for your good. You will see the outside. It will look hostile and destructive. Inside God is at work for your good. Don’t judge by appearances. Trust the sovereign planning of God for your good. He gets many victories through apparent defeats. 2. Second, in the face of your own ongoing sinfulness, take comfort that the very heart of Christianity is substitution. When Satan and your own conscience condemn you, nothing will have more true power to comfort than this truth: God condemned your sin in his Son (cf. Romans 8:3). 3. Third, the amazing existence of the Jewish people today, and the certainty of their salvation in the future, is a sign in the 21st century that God exists and keeps his covenant. And if he does this with Israel, will he not with you who trust his Son, the Messiah? Don’t take this lightly. There would be no Israel, if there were no God. 4. Fourth, if we love the substitution that saved us, we should love what the substitution bought, a church of global diversity. 5. Fifth, the design of God in the death of Christ to convert and gather his scattered chosen ones should have two great effects on us. It should give us a rock- solid confidence in the invincible success of the cross. And, this design of the death of Jesus should give us an intense and personal sense that we are loved particularly, personally, especially. If you have trusted Christ, he gathered you to himself. He chose you, he bought you in particular. You see, He didn’t just offer us love. He pursued us with love. He conquered us with love. He awakened us with love. He satisfied us with love. And now we live, trembling and joyful, on the love God!

Seven Miracles - Pt 29

So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. (John 11:47-53 ESV).

The fifth truth is that inside the universal offer of salvation, God has a particular design in the death of Christ to convert the elect, the scattered children of God, and bring them to himself. John says that Jesus died “to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad” (v. 52). In other words, God has a people chosen for himself all over this world (cf. Ephesians 1:4-5). Jesus said to Paul in a vision when he came to Corinth, “I have many in this city who are my people” (Acts 18:10). John says Jesus died to gather them. This is so much more than a mere offer. When Jesus died, one of the designs of his death, one of the particular purposes, was to infallibly bring those people to himself. We must not limit the purpose and the power of the death of Jesus to simply providing a way for all people to be saved. It is that! However, it is so much more than that! It is gloriously more than that! It is also the power and purpose to overcome the rebellion of God’s elect and bring them to faith. It is to gather the children of God. So many times the pivotal and much memorized verse that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16) has been misinterpreted. Christ died not only to offer the world salvation, but He also died to overcome the rebellion of the elect children of God and gather them omnipotently to himself. Amen and hallelujah for the true and universal offer of salvation to all who believe. But he did more. He called them and enabled them to believe. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead and defeated death forever is that which enables everyone who has been called to be saved. Not one will be lost. It is not a matter of ancestry; it is not a matter of religion; it is not a matter of geography; it is not a matter of creed or orthodoxy. It is all begun and completed in the power and purpose of God. This gives us the only hope worth having! We are saved because of the competed work of grace through Christ!

Seven Miracles - Pt 28

So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. (John 11:47-53 ESV).

The fourth truth is found in the fact that, while we cannot deny the inclusion of Israel from the final Church, we must also see that the blood of Jesus purchases a racially and ethnically diverse church. Look at our reading again: “He prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.” (vv. 51-52). The meaning here is that Christ died to gather gentiles scattered around the world whom God has chosen to be his children. This is important for several reasons. One reason is found in the parallel in John 10:16: “I have other sheep that are not of this fold [that is, this Jewish fold]. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock.” So here he says Christ lays down his life to gather other sheep that are not of the Jewish fold. The aim is the same in both texts: there the aim is to gather them into one flock; here the aim is to gather them “into one” (verse 52). Another reason to see this verse as the gathering of diverse Gentiles is that John unpacks the effect of Jesus’ death with just this kind of Gentile ethnic diversity: “By your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom” (cf. Revelation 5:9-10). These are the children of God ransomed by the blood of Christ. They have been gathered from the all the races and ethnicities into one kingdom. So the point here is that the death of Christ has effects far beyond the ransom of Israel, but including Israel along with all the nations. Same blood, same body. The one blood-bought people will one day include ethnic Israel and people from every race and ethnicity. The encouraging news here is that we can be a part of that new people! God is not looking at our ancestry; he is looking for our connection to Christ by faith.

Seven Miracles - Pt 27

So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. (John 11:47-53 ESV).

The third essential truth for us to understand is that there is a future for the people of Israel as a redeemed ethnic nation and as part of the single, blood-bought body of Christ. This is very controversial, and I won’t take time to give a long defense. I have often preached about it when dealing with Romans 11 (those sermons are available from the web site at www.gracerestoration.org). I do mention it here so that you may have some foundation for the remainder of the insights we’ll look at through the last sign of John’s Gospel. In our reading John says that Caiaphas “prophesied” (v. 51), that is, God spoke, saying “that Jesus would die for the nation.” The “nation,” the “ethnos,” is not just individual Jews only, but eventually the nation as a whole. The death of Jesus will someday result in a collective turning of the Jewish people to himself, so that the world will know that Israel as a people, as a nation, have been turned to Christ, her Messiah, and become part of the Christian church. I know this is a bit controversial and provocative. You may have heard or read me as I have asserted that no one can be saved unless they become a Jew. When we understand that everyone must believe on Jesus the Messiah and so be united to him we also come to the truth that each of these believers becomes the offspring of Abraham and thus inherit the promises made to the world through Abraham. I hope you have also hear or read me say that the Jewish nation cannot be saved unless it becomes part of the Christian church. That is to say only in Jesus Christ is there salvation, and those who are in him are one body, the church (cf. Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18). As I read the Old Testament and the book of Romans, I can’t escape the truth that God’s covenant with ethnic Israel is irrevocable and will not be satisfied in its fullness until some future generation of ethnic Israel as a whole is saved through Jesus Christ. Their stumbling brings salvation to the Gentiles, and the salvation of the Gentiles will eventually bring Israel to Messiah. God’s promises will all be kept!

Seven Miracles - Pt 26

So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. (John 11:47-53 ESV).

Today we come to the second truth of this passage: Substitution is at the heart of the Christian faith. I hear people from time to time mention the concept of “karma.” “Karma” means action, work or deed; it also refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual influence the future of that individual. This is entirely foreign to the Christian faith. We don’t get what we deserve; Jesus got it on our behalf! Look at our reading again. Caiaphas said, “It is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish” (v. 50). Then John tells us he was really speaking the words of God: “He prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation” (v. 51). In the mind of Caiaphas, the substitution was they would kill Jesus so the Romans wouldn’t kill them. He wanted to substitute Jesus for themselves. In the mind of God, the substitution was this: I will kill my Son so I don’t have to kill you. God substitutes Jesus for his enemies. The truth is that God killed Jesus? I know it sounds harsh to speak of God killing Jesus. Killing so easily connotes sinning and callous cruelty. God never sins. And he is never callous. But this is the truth of Scripture. Even Isaiah uses this harsh language: “We esteemed him stricken, smitten by God. The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all. It was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief.” Isaiah 53:4,6,10). God “smote” him. God “crushed” him. This is the very center of our Christian faith: God substituted Jesus for us. The encouragement we draw from this is that this is the depth of God’s love for us. The impact of this truth is the erasing of our fear. If God could love us so deeply and sacrificially, how could anything harm us? This takes away the greatest of fears. Death no longer has any power over us. Jesus took that penalty as his own and conquered it on our behalf forever!

Seven Miracles - Pt 25

So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. (John 11:47-53 ESV).

The last miracle of Jesus in the Gospel of John is the pivot point in Jesus’ earthly ministry. It is always a little amazing how easily the religious leaders missed the incredible message of Jesus. I believe the reason they did is rooted in the same error we often make. We simply cannot find a way to see the temporary nature of this life. What we have now is not the end. This truth brings us to the first of the five principles and applications I mentioned earlier: God did not just turn this national crisis for Israel’s good and our good, he was in it from the start planning it for good. Notice carefully what John says about Caiaphas’s words in our reading today. Caiaphas says, “It is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish” (v. 50). And, then John says something amazing, “He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied” (v. 51). He prophesied. In other words, God brought these words to his mind. God put them there. And God has a meaning. At one level, these are Caiaphas’s words with his meaning. And at another level, these are God’s words with his meaning. And the point I am making here is that these are the words that sealed Jesus’ death. Caiaphas wanted Jesus dead, and out of the way, and so he spoke these words. God wanted Jesus dead and risen and reigning forever, and so he spoke these words. Caiaphas prophesied, that is, he spoke God’s words, and God said: “It is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” God said that. “Better that Jesus die.” Better. It was better than any other plan in the universe. Therefore, the death of Jesus was not mainly a tragic set of events which God turned for our good. It was a loving set of events which God planned for our good. He did not just predict it. He unleashed it. This word of prophecy tracked Jesus down into Gethsemane and put him under arrest. There was no escape. This was the word of God. “It is better that he die.” This is the good that God was working on our behalf! That kind of love is unimaginable; and, it is ours! Hold on! God knows what he is doing!

Seven Miracles - Pt 24

Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our lace and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. (John 11:38-44 ESV).

The underlying circumstance is very important to understand before we get too deep into the applications. Lazarus has been raised from the dead by the omnipotent word of Jesus (v. 44). Many people witnessed this first hand. Some believe in Jesus; some run off to tell the Pharisees what he had done. What happens next shows the fear that finally brought Jesus to his execution (vv. 47–48).The “Council,” or the Sanhedrin, was the equivalent of our Supreme Court. This is no longer mere mob violence as we saw in earlier chapters, where they were about to stone Jesus. What’s at stake is not the truth. The goal of this council is survival. They saw Jesus as a direct and immediate threat to their survival as a nation. Jesus has now become one to be feared as a destroyer, not one who came to save them. In response to this threat Caiaphas, the high priest, pronounces the judgment. Little did he know he was merely another tool in God’s hands to accomplish the ultimate purpose of Jesus (cf. vv. 49¬–50. Though the others wanted to go slowly and watch how things unfolded, Caiaphas rebukes them and then says, Here’s the solution: kill him. Better that one die so the nation won’t. We kill him so that the Romans won’t kill us. Substitute Jesus for us. This is the key of substitutionary atonement. He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. This becomes the basis for our strength in hard times, for our comfort in the face of our own sin, and, for our confidence that God keeps his promises. It sets the course for our large-heartedness when you are tempted to be narrow and self-centered; and, for our joy in the very personal and particular love that God has for us in Jesus. That’s why we can sing “Amazing Grace”!

Seven Miracles - Pt 22

Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” (John 11:38-44 ESV).

We have reached the final miracle in John’s Gospel, the raising of Lazarus form the dead. It may take us a while to get through this sign. However, we will begin today with the shortest verse in the Bible. It is found just before the actual account of the miracle. Jesus seemed composed as he approached the town. The sister of his dead friend met him outside. He consoled her with truth and grace. But then he saw the other sister, manifestly more emotional. And he began to weep. These two words, Jesus wept. (cf. John 11:35) carry a world of significance. While it is the shortest verse in all of the Bible, it is also one of its most powerful, and insightful. Here we find a remarkable glimpse into the glory of the Lord of the universe. It does show us the truth of Isaiah’s prophecy that Jesus would be “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). However, we cannot miss that this sorrow was not his own. Because his love is great, he made our pains his own. Isaiah went on to write, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4). It should of great comfort to have a sovereign who not only knows our frame and what is in us, but also shares in our flesh and blood. God himself has taken on our humanity in this man. With this humanity he also shares our emotions, even our sorrows. We are finite and frail. God gave us these emotions. We celebrate. We grieve. We rejoice. We weep. And we do so with Jesus as one of us. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus clearly manifests human emotions. When he heard the centurion’s words of faith, “he marveled” (Matthew 8:10). And he says in Gethsemane that his “soul is very sorrowful, even to death” (Matthew 26:38). No one shows us the truly human emotions of Christ like his beloved disciple John. That he loved dead Lazarus and his two sisters could not be any clearer than in this sign. Even the witnesses saw it and remarked, “See how he loved him!” Jesus did not weep because he lacked faith, but because he was full of love. In love, he weeps with those who weep. “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled” (v. 33). This is our message today. If you are weeping, you have the great God and Savior, Jesus, who weeps with you. And, he has the power and mind to do something about it!

Seven Miracles - Pt 23

Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” (John 11:38-44 ESV).

Just yesterday, after Mary read the devotional for the day, asked, “How many miracles are you going to do!” My reply was somewhat deadpan. I said, “There are only seven in John.” Here reply was classic “Mary.” She simply said, “Well, you’re on twenty-two.” Actually we have taken our time and unpacked each of the miracles a bit more than usual. And, as we come to the close of our series with the raising of Lazarus from the dead, we will need to spend a few more mornings in examination of the application of this climactic act of Jesus. There are actually five applications of this text that I want to bring to your attention in the hope that you will be both encouraged and challenged. I hope you will be encouraged in your own difficulties and trials; and, I hope you will be challenged to recognize the greatness of God’s gift of grace through Jesus’ work on our behalf. Here are the five applications in brief form: The first application has to do with the unstoppable purpose of God not just to turn bad circumstances for your good, but to be in them perfectly and sovereignly from the start for your good. The second application has to do with a critical piece of Christian theology. It is the concept of substitution. It is that belief that God took the life of his own Son, so that he would not have to take ours. The third application has to do with the existence and the future of the Jewish people as we see in our world today. It will both point to God’s existence and his covenant keeping faithfulness. The fourth application has to do with the blood-bought diversity of the global church and our gladness in the greatness of God’s heart. The fifth application has to do with the particular design of God inside the universal offer of the salvation to unfailingly save His the children, no matter where they may be scattered throughout the world. Today, merely meditate on the power and grace of Jesus in this sign. Everything indicated there was nothing that could be done to “save” Lazarus. Jesus merely had to speak and Lazarus came out of the tomb!