Judgement has begun with the house of God.

                As a result of recent discussions with a dear friend of an opposing belief system, I sought to do some research to see if I could find those influences that lead John Calvin to teach the Doctrines of Grace which years after his death became labeled “The Five Points of Calvinism.” I also set out to find what influenced Jacob Arminius in his opposing belief system which, after his death, became known as Arminianism.

                 In the process of my research, I came across a website which contained an article written in 1995 by a gentleman named Keith Drury.  The way he describes modern churches is exactly what our church forefathers warned us against.  

                The following is a part of his article entitled, “Triumph of Arminianism (and its dangers).”  So as not to mistakingly take his words out of context, I have not simply printed one or two quotes. I have given you entire paragraphs. Read the entire article to get the full context of what Mr. Drury is saying. If you desire to read the entire article you may find it at http://www.drurywriting.com/keith/triumph.htm. I have not altered or edited his text in any way.

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The Triumph of Arminianism

There is little doubt about it: Arminianism has triumphed in the pew, if not in the seminary. The average Christian is a practicing Arminian, even if he claims to be a Calvinist in theory. "Practical" modern church members are increasingly rejecting traditional "five-point Calvinism." While Arminianism has been a "minority view" for decades, today there is a major drift toward Arminianism in most Calvinist churches.

Why the switch?

I spent several years as a determined five-pointer as a young man before changing my mind to accept Arminianism. I made the switch purposefully and with quite a bit of painful study as a student at Princeton Seminary. But many Calvinists today are making the switch for purely pragmatic reasons. They have not become convinced the Bible really teaches the Arminian approach. Frankly, Arminianism is simply more palatable to a secular culture. It "fits in" to the mind-set of the people in their pews. Like it or not, the secular mind is naturally Arminian in its outlook. I've discovered this repeatedly myself by administering a theological questionnaire to secular students in an adult education program. These "unchurched Harrys" invariably register Arminian theologically.

Face it, Arminianism is simply more logical. It makes sense to the person on the street. And today's church is scrambling to make sense to unbelievers. We want to sound sensible, logical, rational, enlightened, fair. Arminianism is so much more appealing to worldly people.

Thus, many Calvinist churches customize worship services, communication styles, architecture, and music, to fit the worldly customers. But they also adapt their theology by quietly creeping away from the "right end" of the theological continuum and drifting over toward Arminianism. The truth of the matter is, they are embarrassed by Calvinistic theology. They have found it offensive to the "customers." The Arminian approach to theology is simply a more "seeker sensitive."

Keith Drury teaches courses in practical ministry at Indiana Wesleyan University.

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                Now that you’ve read the full paragraphs. I want to pull some quotes out and let them stand alone. See if you get the same feeling in your gut that I do…

“Frankly, Arminianism is simply more palatable to a secular culture.”

“Like it or not, the secular mind is naturally Arminian in its outlook.”

“Arminianism is so much more appealing to wordly people.”

                I would now like to show you part of two articles, one written in 1887 and one in 1891, by Charles Spurgeon. As with Mr. Drury’s writing, I have not altered or edited Spurgeon’s text in any way.

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Sovereign Grace Hated by the

Modern Religionist C. H. Spurgeon

    If anything is hated bitterly, it is the out and out gospel of the grace of God, especially if that hateful word "sovereignty" is mentioned with it. Dare to say "He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy, and he will have compassion on whom he will have compassion" (Romans 9:15), and furious critics will revile you without stint. The modern religionist not only hates the doctrine of sovereign grace, but he raves and rages at the mention of it. He would sooner hear you blaspheme than preach election by the Father, atonement by the Son, or regeneration by the Spirit. If you want to see a man worked up till the Satanic is clearly uppermost, let some of the new divines hear you preach a free grace sermon. A gospel which is after men will be welcomed by men; but it needs a divine operation upon the heart and mind to make a man willing to receive into his inmost soul this distasteful gospel of the grace of God.

    My dear brethren, do not try to make it tasteful to carnal minds. Hide not the offence of the cross, lest you make it of none effect. The angles and corners of the gospel are its strength: to pare them off is to deprive it of power. Toning down is not the increase of strength, but the death of it. Why, even among the sects, you must have noticed that their distinguishing points are the horns of their power; and when these are practically omitted, the sect is effete. Learn, then, that if you take Christ Out of Christianity, Christianity is dead. If you remove grace out of the gospel, the gospel is gone. If the people do not like the doctrine of grace, give them all the more of it. Whenever its enemies rail at a certain kind of gun, a wise military power will provide more of such artillery. A great general, going in before his king, stumbled over his own sword. "1 see," said the king, "your sword is in the way." The warrior answered, "Your majesty's enemies have often felt the same." That our gospel offends the King's enemies is no regret to us.

Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, 1891, page 49.

    I preach the doctrines of grace because I believe them to be true; because I see them in the Scriptures; because my experience endears them to me; and because I see the holy result of them in believers. I confess they are none the less dear to me because the advanced school despises them: I should never think it a recommendation of a doctrine that it was new. Those truths which have enlightened so many ages appear to me to be ordained to remain throughout eternity. The doctrine which I preach to you is that of the Puritans: it is the doctrine of Calvin, the doctrine of Augustine, the doctrine of Paul, the doctrine of the Holy Ghost. The Author and Finisher of our faith himself taught most blessed truth which well agreed with our text. (Ephesians 2:8). The doctrine of grace is the substance of the testimony of Jesus.

The Sword & The Trowel, January, 1887.

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                It would appear that Mr. Spurgeon agreed with Mr. Drury on this…secular and worldly people hate the Doctrines of Grace.  Therefore, today’s modern American churches have done what Spurgeon warned against and that is they have sought to take away the offensiveness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  They have made it tasteful to carnal minds and in doing so have deprived it of its power.

                Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To him it was the power of God unto salvation. Many churches today are ashamed of the offensive Gospel of Jesus Christ and have toned it down to make it acceptable to carnal men. The modern Gospel has no power. That’s why secular marketing, gimmicks, programs, and gymnasiums are necessary to draw people into the church.

                If this is true of many of our modern American churches as it seems, it would appear to me that our nation is under the judgment of God because scripture states that judgment begins with the house of God (1 Peter 4:17). He has given us our request and sent leanness to our souls. With the desire to have huge numbers on membership rolls and the willingness to compromise the preaching of the true Gospel, the majority of today's churches are filled with religious people who have been made two fold a child of the devil and on that dreadful day of the Lord will say , "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?" ...only to hear the Sovereign God say, "I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

Ezekiel 36...Salvation is of the LORD!

            In our recent studies we have looked at the ruined condition of the natural man. Sin has so affected man in every area of his mind, body and soul that he is totally depraved. We searched the scriptures and clearly showed this to be true. We saw how that because his heart is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9) that his affections are desperately wicked. If his affections are desperately wicked then it can only follow that his will is desperately wicked and he cannot and will not choose to seek God. This principle is clear in scripture.

Isaiah 64:6-7

6   But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

7   And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and has consumed us, because of our iniquities.

Psalm 14:2-3

2   The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

3   They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

                Since man cannot and will not seek God in his natural state (Psalm 10:4), how can he then be reconciled to God? There has to be a propitiation…an atoning sacrifice…a substitutionary sacrifice. We find this sacrifice in Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 1:15  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

Romans 3:24-25

24  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

25  Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.

                It’s time to think… If man, in his natural condition, is desperately wicked and his affections and will are desperately wicked and he will not seek God…

Psalm 10:4   The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

… then how can any one of us repent of their sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ?

Matthew 19:26   But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

                Man can only be justified or be declared to be right with God (he can only be saved) by His grace which is His divine influence on the heart and the reflection of it in the life.

                The word of God is plain in Jonah 2:9…Salvation is of the Lord and only of the Lord. It is not of the Lord and man working together to accomplish a common goal. Man has no part or say in his new birth, just as he had no part or say in his natural birth. 

Deuteronomy 32:39-40

39    See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.

40   For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live forever.

                It is God who makes the spiritually dead natural man alive.  It is God who quickens, or makes alive, his dead soul and draws him or causes him to come to God.

Ephesians 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Ephesians 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace are ye saved;)

Ephesians 2:8-9

8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9   Not of works, lest any man should boast.

                If our salvation was based on a decision we made to come to Christ, then we would have somewhat to boast of. It was God’s divine influence on our desperately wicked heart and Him doing for us something we could not do…drawing us to Himself.

John 6:44  No man can come to me, except the Father which sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Psalm 110:3  Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power,

                Christ quickens the soul that is dead in sins and trespasses. He then draws that soul to Himself, at which point that person is willing to come to Christ.

                This truth is beautifully shown to us in the book of Ezekiel in chapter 36. In this chapter we see the power of the Sovereign God revealed in the salvation of man. In studying this chapter, the first thing we have to realize is the context. The context of this chapter is that God is speaking to the nation of Israel through the prophet Ezekiel. Chapter 36 is for Israel. It is a prophecy of what will take place at some point in the future. Right now Israel has a veil over their eyes and they do not see that Jesus Christ is the Messiah they have been looking for.

                In Romans chapter 11, Paul the Apostle is clear that when the fullness of the Gentiles is complete, God will return to Israel, remove the veil from their eyes and will carry out what is prophesied in Ezekiel 36.  Just as the Gentiles are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, so too will the Jews be saved. Ezekiel 36 not only explains what will take place with the nation of Israel, but it also shows us the principle of salvation. Notice that it is God who does it all.

                In the first 23 verses God is telling Israel what He is going to do to those nations who have persecuted them. In these verses we see a type or picture of those who are not drawn to God; those who are left in their sins. They are the ones who persecute the church, the bride of Christ. Beginning in verse 24 we see redemption and salvation from God’s point of view.

Ezekiel 36:24-32

24   For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

                In context God is speaking to Israel and He began bringing it to pass in 1948. Though this is speaking of Israel, there is a principle application that can be made today. In this we see God will gather His chosen (the elect) people out from among the heathen (the non-elect). He calls us out from this world. In John 17, the prayer our Lord prayed before going to the garden of Gethsemane, Christ prays (John 17:6) for the men which were given to him out of the world. 

25   Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

                Look at the power and sovereignty of our God. HE WILL sprinkle clean water on us…that is a picture of the Holy Spirit.  He will clean us from our filthiness…our wretched sinfulness. HE WILL cleanse us.  Notice there are no conditions like, if we come to Him, if we ask Him to, if we invite Him into our hearts, or if we do anything. Notice it says, He will!

26   A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

                He says HE WILL give His elect a new heart and a new spirit. HE WILL do it! HE WILL take away the stony, unregenerate, deceitful and desperately wicked heart from us and HE WILL give us a new heart of flesh…the new man as Paul puts it.  If God does not do this, it will not be done. We cannot change our nature, nor can we change our heart. God does it all!

27   And I will put my spirit within you,  and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

                God says, I WILL put My Spirit within you. After He has quickened our dead spirits by the power of the Holy Spirit, He gives us a new heart and a new spirit.  Then He places the Holy Spirit within us. HE CAUSES us to walk in his ways…(Philippians 1:6 tells us, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.)

                Does that mean we never sin again?  No! Though we have a new nature ( a new heart and spirit) we still live in these bodies of flesh that were conceived in sin. These fleshly bodies are sinful and prone to sin. Yet, those who are Christ’s will follow Him. They will bear the fruit of a Christian.

28  And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

                We will be His people…HE  WILL be our God! Don’t you see? God didn’t make a way salvation and leave it up to men to choose whether or not they wanted it. Of His elect, chosen before the foundation of the world, He says they will be His people and HE WILL be their God.  He can say that because He is sovereign.

29   I will also save you from all your uncleanness: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.

                He continually is cleansing us.  As we sin, Holy Spirit conviction comes, we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). As He, which began the work of salvation in us, continually works in our lives shaping us into the image of His dear Son, He increases our repentance and faith. We continue to grow spiritually.

30   And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.

                Thou we may slip and fall, He does not leave us there to suffer reproach. We continue to grow in repentance and faith. He says HE WILL do this.

31   Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.

                When we realize that our salvation has nothing to do with us or any decision we made. When we see that it is only because of God, we are humbled and we see ourselves as we are…wretched, miserable, blind.  That is why Job said, “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5-6). That is why when Isaiah saw the vision of Jesus Christ in all His glory, he cried out “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5).

                The problem with many Christians today is they do not recognize that they are wretched, miserable and blind. They think there is something good in them because they chose to give their heart to Christ. They think they are out working mighty works for God, yet it’s mostly done in the flesh. Their pride is puffed up and they think they are rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that they art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked (Revelation 3:17).

                Now God makes a statement that to me is most interesting. Have you ever thought about why God would save a wretched, sinful person like yourself? Was it because He looked down through time and saw that you would choose to give your heart to Him? Was it because He saw you would one day be an awesome Christian that would be beneficial to the promotion of His kingdom? Was it for your own sake that He saved you…because He felt sorry for you?

32   Not for your sakes do I this, saith the LORD GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel.               

               

                It wasn’t for our sakes that God saved us!  Then why did He do it? Had we covered the first half of the chapter in detail, we would have seen why He saved us first. He starts off by telling us why, then He tells us how. Back up to verses 18 through 23.

Ezekiel 36:17-23

17   Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman.

18   Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it:

19   And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.

20   And when they entered unto the heathen, wither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth our of his land.

21   But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.

22   Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, wither ye went.

23   And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

                Every single thing God does, including the salvation of men, is for His names’ sake. Israel, God’s chosen nation, had profaned His name in the land He gave them. They rebelled against Him. He scattered them out among the other nations to judge them. While there, they continued to rebel and profane His holy name. It wasn’t for their sake He is going to redeem them. It is for His name’s sake.

                 God created a perfect world and a perfect man and woman. Adam and Eve (being the only humans to have a free will) chose to rebel against God’s authority and in doing so profaned His holy name among God’s creation. Sinful men daily profane the holy name of God. Why didn’t He just destroy us all? Why did He leave Noah and His family alive on the ark? Why didn’t He destroy all mankind? He should have. We all deserve His wrath. Yet, for reasons known only to Him, He has chosen to extend His mercy and grace to some of Adam’s fallen race. In doing so, God has revealed some of His attributes such as His mercy and grace. Why does God choose to save some and not all? That is a good question and one that only God can answer.

                The truth is that God is sovereign in every aspect of His creation. He is sovereign in creation and in salvation. Man has no part. That will not go over well with some, but it is the truth nonetheless. In the prophecy given to Ezekiel for the nation of Israel, God has revealed not only what He is doing with Israel, but He reveals to us how He saves individuals.

                Why do some Christians struggle so much with the sovereignty of God?! 

"So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." (Romans 9:16)

Salvation is of the LORD!

The more you know, the more Christ means.

                The following are quotes from sermons I have recently heard concerning the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These are not perfect or direct quotes, but the best I can remember. The first sermon was posted on YouTube under the title “The True Gospel” preached by Paul Washer. The other was entitled “The Curse Motif of the Atonement” preached by R.C. Sproul. Though I may not agree with everything these preachers believe, I can’t get away from the truths they have presented in these sermons.

“You have never lived one minute since you were a Christian when you loved God with all your heart, mind, body and soul as He should be loved…Christ never lived one minute when He didn’t.” ~Paul Washer

“Even on the cross, Christ was Holy and without sin.” ~Paul Washer

                Think about that…When Christ was on the cross His nature did not change. He did not sin. He did not become a sinner. The sins of His people were imputed to Christ, but He did not sin. Do you understand what that means?

                The word “imputed” is translated from the Greek word “logizomai” (pronounced: lo-gē'-zo-mī) which means a thing is reckoned as or to be something, i.e. as availing for or equivalent to something, as having the like force and weight.  My sins were imputed to Christ. Though Christ was sinless perfection, He was treated by God as though He had committed my sins. Christ was legally declared by God to be guilty of my sin. He stood in my “law place” as John Gill states it. In the same way, though I had committed sins and was guilty, Christ's righteousness was imputed upon me. I was legally declared to be righteous by God because Jesus Christ was cursed in my place.

                Because the sinless, perfect Lamb of God was cursed by God in my place, I have redemption through His blood. Think about that. You are either under the blood of Christ and He was cursed of God on your behalf or you will be cursed of God on your own behalf for eternity. What does it mean to be “cursed” of God?

                I know we live in a culture that loves the blessings of God, but has no thoughts about the curse of God. Modern American Christianity thinks lost men will not come to Christ if God is represented as One who curses sinners. Therefore, in an attempt to make the gospel more attractive, they speak only of the blessings of God and not the curse of God.  In doing so, modern American Christianity has shunned to declare the whole counsel of God. May God have mercy on us!

                In his sermon, “The Curse Motif of the Atonement,” R.C. Sproul explores two main texts. He uses Deuteronomy chapter 28 as well as Galatians 3:9-14. In Deuteronomy 28:1-14,God lays out in plain language the blessings that will result in a person paying diligent attention to the voice of the LORD in order to observe to do His commandments. In Deuteronomy 28:15-68, God lays out, in like manner, His curse that falls on those who do not observe to do His commandments.  Here the principle is set forth…God blesses obedience. God curses disobedience.

                Consider that we all were born dead in sins and trespasses. We all were born disobedient to the commandments of God. We all were born cursed of God…all have sinned and come short of the glory of God…there is none that doeth good, no, not one…we all, like sheep, have gone astray…we have turned to our own ways…there is not a just man on earth that does good instead of sinning. We were born cursed of God!

                Job’s friend, Bildad, asked a question in Job 25:4 that has been repeated by Biblical scholars ever since. He asked, “How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?”  There is only one way and that is through a propitiation. A propitiation is an expiatory sacrifice. Expiatory means to put an end to or extinguish the guilt incurred as a result of our sin. There is only One who had the power to make atonement or expiation. His name is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!

                The Bible tells us in Romans 3:25 that God set Jesus Christ forth, or in our modern terms, set him up like a billboard, to be a propitiation. God the Father imputed my sins to His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He was cursed in my place.

Based on Deuteronomy 28

1.   He was cursed in the city, on my account….I was blessed in the city on, His account.

2.  He was cursed in the field, on my account…I was blessed in the field, on His account.

3.  He was cursed when He went in and cursed when He went out, on my account…I am blessed when I go in and I am blessed when I go out, on His account.

4.  Because I had forsaken God, He sent upon Christ cursing and vexation, and rebuke until He was destroyed and perished quickly…all because of my wickedness.

5.   God made pestilence cleave to Christ and consume Him.

6.   God smote Christ with the most severe physical suffering…all because of me!

7.   The heaven that was over Christ’s head was hard like brass. The earth under His feet was like iron…and God crushed Him because of me.

                In imputing Christ’s righteousness on me, God has commanded His blessing upon me in all that I set my hand to do and has established me a holy person unto Himself and has promised never to leave me or forsake me all because of Jesus Christ.  I got what only He deserved! Christ got what we all deserve! Let that sink deep into your mind.

Galatians 3:9-14

  9   So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

10   For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written (Jeremiah 11:3), Cursed  is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

11    But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

12    And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

13    Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written (Deuteronomy 21:23), Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

14    That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.   

                Jesus Christ was made a curse for me and for the rest of His people!

“Every sin of every one of His people was imputed to Christ.” ~R.C. Sproul

                Consider another passage of Scripture to help burn into your mind the curse God placed on Christ because of my sin and because of yours.

                There is a passage of Scripture found in Numbers chapter 6 where God gives Moses a blessing for Aaron and the priests to place upon the children of Israel. It is one that I often like to close letters and emails out with. It is so beautiful.

                One of the greatest blessings imaginable would be to see the face of God. Remember in Exodus 33:18, Moses asked to see God’s face…His glory. God told Him no man can see God’s face and live, so God put Moses into the cleft of the rock and covered him, allowing him to see only His backside…even after seeing only God’s back, it says Moses face “shone” or glowed when he came down from the mountain. Keep that in mind.

Numbers 6:24-26

24   The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:

25   The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

26   The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

                               

                The opposite of the blessing is the curse. Because of having the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, we can enjoy those blessings.

                We enjoy those blessings only because Christ was cursed by God in this fashion...

“May the LORD curse you and abandon you!

  May the LORD keep you in darkness and give you only judgment without grace!

  May the LORD turn His back upon you and remove His peace from you forever!” ~R.C. Sproul

                If you remember back to our study on the Feasts of the LORD given to Israel, we looked at the Day of Atonement. It was only on this one day that the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice on the mercy seat. There were two goats. One was to be the blood sacrifice to atone for the sins of Israel. The other was to be the scapegoat upon whom the sins of Israel would be imputed…both were a picture of Jesus Christ, for His blood was poured out on the mercy seat…and it was upon Him that our sins were imputed and God forsook Him.

                Some professing Christians look forward to heaven because they want to see the streets of gold, where their mansion is located, and catch up with friends and family. I venture to say those who think that way haven’t grown much in Christ or they are only professors of Christ and not possessors of Christ.  I look forward to heaven for one reason only… because I will see the Lord Jesus Christ as He is, face to face. I will look upon the face of the One who suffered the curse of God in my place…and He did so for no other reason than it pleased Him to.  He drank every last drop of the cup of the wrath of God for the sins of His people.

                Thoughts change in the light of these Scriptures. What was once thought of as a little pet sin now becomes a most hideous monster. The more we see of Christ, the more we will be like Job…

“I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”  Job 42:5-6

…and like Isaiah, when he saw a vision of Christ in all His glory seated on the throne…

“Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”  Isaiah 6:5

                Those who will not come to Christ for salvation are already under the curse of God for their sin. When they step into eternity, they will suffer the fullness of the fierce wrath of God for their sins. Those who have come and those who will come to Christ will enjoy the fullness of the blessings of God in Christ Jesus because He was cursed in their place.

Repentance and the True Gospel

                I believe sufficient proof has been given that we all are sinners. Every one of us has sinned and God’s justice demands that sin be dealt with. The Bible says in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death;” The death being spoken of here is not simply a physical death. What Paul is referring to here is an eternal death which lies in a separation of the soul and body from God under His divine wrath in hell for all eternity.  

               

               That is the path we all are on unless something happens. What must happen? According to the Scriptures we must repent and believe the gospel to be saved from His fierce wrath. That is what Jesus Christ preached.

Mark 1:14-15

14  Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

15   And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye and believe the gospel.

                Repent and believe the gospel. What does “repent” mean? The English word “repent” in this passage is translated from the Greek word “metanoeō”  (pronounced:  me-tä-no-e'-ō) which means to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins.
               

                To be saved from the wrath of God for your sins, you must first repent. Let me ask you…after reading the previous post on the truth about sin and having a little better understanding of what it is,  has God so worked in your life that you now hate the sin you once loved? All those sinful things you used to revel in doing…how do you feel about them now?  Your boasting over sin, has it turned to shame? Are their seeds of a divine attitude, of hating sin as God hates it. Is God doing something?

                How do you now feel about God? Do you find that you no longer want to run from Him, rather you are wanting to run to Him? Is there any treasuring of Christ? Are you ashamed of the way that throughout the history of your life you have ignored Him, hated Him, been apathetic toward Him? Is there a new desire to follow Him, seek Him, know Him, delight in Him?

               
                If you still love your sin and don’t want to stop doing it…if you hate God then you do not have the seeds of repentance. If you loathe the sin you once practiced regularly and find yourself desiring to be with God and love Him, then you have the God-given seeds of repentance. Search your heart…is it still a heart of stone, hard and cold toward the things of God, or is it a heart of flesh, warm and beating in hatred for your sin and in love with God? What are your deepest desires?

                Many believe that repentance means you changing your ways…not so.  Remember, you can only do what is in your nature. You cannot change your nature, therefore you cannot change your ways and everything you do no matter how “good” it may look is sin in the eyes of God. Repentance is a change of mind. Has your mind changed toward your sin now that you know the truth about it and God’s hatred for it?

                Not only are you to repent, but you are also to believe the gospel. What is the gospel?  I’m glad you asked! The word “gospel” is translated from the Greek word “euaggelion” (pronounced: yü-än-ge'-lē-on) which means “good tidings” or “good news.”  What is the good news? The good news is this…

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” ~Paul the Apostle  (1 Timothy 1:15)

                Who is this Jesus Christ? Well allow me to introduce Him to you. To do so I have to take you back to before the world was ever created for it is there where He is. Before one thing was ever created the Triune God was there.

1  John 5:7  For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

                Can I explain what all that verse entails? No, but I believe it. Before creation God existed. He had no beginning, neither does He have an end. He is eternal. In the verse we just read notice that God the Son is referred to as “the Word.” That is translated from the Greek word “Logos” which means the living, spoken word. Jesus Christ is the living , spoken word of God.

John 1:1-3
1   In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2   The same was in the beginning with God.
3   All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.

Colossians 1:16-17 (…Speaking of the Son of God)
16   For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, wheter they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him;
17   And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 

                Jesus Christ, the Son of God, created all things. Prior to creating all things, it was purposed by God that Jesus Christ would give His life for the sins of His people.  Revelation 13:8 tells us that He is the “Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.”  We also see this truth in the following Scriptures.

1 Peter 1:18-20
18   Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19   But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20   Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.

                Before Christ created anything, it was determined that at the appointed time, He would give Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of His people…those, according to Ephesians 1:4, who were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world, both Jew and Gentile.
           
Hebrews 10:5  Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body thou hast prepared for me;

                When God’s timing was fulfilled, He gave Jesus a body. He became a man like we are.  You can read of this in Matthew chapter 1 and Luke chapter 2. His name was to be called Jesus which means “Jehovah is salvation.”

Matthew 1:21-23

21   And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

22   Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the LORD by the prophet, saying,

23   Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Isaiah 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

                Four hundred years before Christ came to this earth as a baby, Isaiah the prophet, under the direction of God, prophesied of His coming and He perfectly fulfilled that prophesy as well as all other prophecies concerning the Messiah.

                He grew up from birth, through youth and into adulthood without ever committing sin. He was the sinless, perfect Lamb of God. He was God in the flesh and could not sin.

Hebrews 4:15  (Speaking in reference to Jesus Christ) “…but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

1 Peter 2:22 (Speaking in reference to Jesus Christ) “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth;” 

                He lived 30 years before He began His earthly ministry preaching the gospel or the good news. Jesus Christ came to this earth to do the will of God the Father which was to save sinners.  How did He secure the salvation for sinners?

Romans 5:6-8

6   For when we were without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7   For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8   But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  

                In Isaiah 50:7 we have another prophecy of Jesus Christ. It tells us that He set His face like a flint. In other words, knowing that soon He was about to have the sins of His people imputed to Himself and suffer the full wrath of God for those sins, He was determined or resolved to go the the Cross of Calvary and secure the salvation of His people and prove once and for all that God is just.

Luke 9:51  And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.

John 12:23-33  

23   And Jesus answered then, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.

24   Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

25   He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

26   If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, ther shall also my servant be; if any man serve me, him will my Father honor.

27   Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

28   Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

29   The people therefore, that stood by, and heart it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake unto him.

30   Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.

31   Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

32   And I, if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men unto me.

33   This he said, signifying what death he should die.

                On the tenth day of the month Nisan on the Jewish calendar, Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem fulfilling yet another prophecy found in Zechariah 9:9.  For the next four days, Christ stood in the Temple teaching and preaching and being examined and questioned by all who would. He was found to be the Lamb of God without spot and without blemish.  On the fourteenth of Nisan, after having observed the Passover, Christ took His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane.

                It was here that Christ, being in agony, prayed alone to God the Father. In Luke 23:39-44 and in Matthew 26:36-46, Christ knew He was about to suffer the full, fierce, wrath of God for the sins of His people which He did not commit. He was in agony because, being God, only He could know the measure of the wrath of God for sin.

                He stated it thusly… “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”  Matthew 26:39

                The question has been raised, what was in the cup?  Was it the physical beating he was about to take? Was it the crown of thorns or the nails or the spear?  I do not believe He was sorrowful because of the physical torture He was about to endure. I believe He was exceedingly sorrowful because He knew He was about to be crushed by the full force of the wrath of Almighty God for the sins of His people and He knew He would, for the first time in all eternity, be separated from God the Father. He also knew it had to be in order for His people to be saved.

                The Lord Jesus Christ was taken captive by the religious Jews of the day. He was lied about, hit, spit on, tried and found guilty of blasphemy. He was turned over to the Romans who whipped him and beat him and at 9am on the 14^th of Nisan, He was crucified…nailed to a cross…set forth as it says in Romans 3:25. Christ was lifted up on the cross so that all men could see.

                His blood was shed…poured out for the remissions of the sins of His people. The Bible says in Hebrews 9:22 that “without shedding of blood is no remission.” The Bible tells us in Luke 23:44 that from 12:00pm (the 6^th hour) until 3:00pm (the ninth hour) there was a darkness over all the earth. It was during this time that God the Father forsook His only begotten Son, the Passover Lamb of God.

Matthew 27:46   And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?

                It was during this time that Jesus Christ the sinless, perfect, Son of God drank the cup of the wrath of God. All the fury and fierce wrath of  Holy God was poured out upon Christ and He was crushed for the sins of His people. When he drank every last drop in the cup he said…

John 19:30   …It is finished: and he bowed his head…

Luke 23:46  …Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

                At 3pm on the 14^th of Nisan, the very time the Passover lamb was to be slain, Jesus Christ died to atone for the sins of His people. In His death, He fulfilled the Passover…He was our Passover Lamb. He was the propitiation spoken of in Romans 3:25. He put an end to… He extinguished the wrath of God incurred as a result of our sin.

Isaiah 53:11  He shall see the travail of his soul, and be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

                The wrath and justice of God for the sins of His people were satisfied! Before sundown, the body of the Lord Jesus Christ was buried in the tomb of a rich man fulfilling yet another prophecy found in Isaiah 53:9.In His burial, He fulfilled the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for He was and is that sinless bread of heaven.

                What did Christ accomplish on Calvary? First, by fulfilling every prophecy of the Messiah, He proved without a doubt that He was and is the Son of God, the second person of the Godhead Trinity. Second, He redeemed His people with His own blood. Third, He vindicated God the Father, proving Him to be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus…according to Romans 3:26.

                Three days later, on the Feast of First Fruits, after fulfilling the sign of Jonah, the Lord Jesus Christ arose from the grave as seen in John 20, Luke 24, Mark 16, and Matthew 28. He was the First Fruit of the resurrection.  In His resurrection, He fulfilled the Feast of First Fruits and God the Father vindicated Christ’s sacrifice proving once and for all that Christ’s atoning death was sufficient to satisfy the wrath of God for sin. When Christ rose from the grave, He sealed the salvation of His people…all those who repent and believe the gospel. His righteousness has been imputed unto all those who repent and believe in Christ.

                That, my friend, is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is good news. It’s the best news you will ever hear! Again I have to ask… after reading the previous post on the truth about sin and having a little better understanding of what it is,  and after reading about the gospel of Jesus Christ, has God so worked in you r life that you now hate the sin you once loved? All those sinful things you used to revel in doing…how do you feel about them now?  Your boasting over sin, has it turned to shame? Are their seeds of a divine attitude, of hating sin as God hates it. Is God doing something?

                How do you now feel about God? Do you find that you no longer want to run from Him, rather you are wanting to run to Him? Is there any rejoicing because of Christ? Are you ashamed of the way that throughout the history of your life you have ignored Him, hated Him, been apathetic toward Him? Is there a new desire to follow Him, seek Him, know Him, delight in Him?

                How can a person be saved? There was an event that took place in the days of Moses that may help you understand what I’ve been writing about.

Numbers 21:4-9

And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it on a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

                When those people who had been bitten by the snakes realized what a desperate, fatal condition was flowing through their blood, Moses told them to look…look at the serpent. There is some unique, mysterious way that when looking into the understanding of an uplifted Jesus Christ, God opens the eyes of the lost and they see themselves as they really are before a Holy God. Has God opened your eyes to see your sinful condition?  What can the lost person do?  Look unto Jesus Christ and live.

John 3:14-15

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

                As Moses lifted the serpent up on a pole in the wilderness, so was Jesus Christ lifted up on a cross. Whosoever believes in Him and what He accomplished at Calvary, will not perish, but have eternal life.  When you realize your sin has affected every part of you and you have a fatal condition flowing through your entire being, do as the publican did. He recognized his condition before a Holy God. He confessed that he was a sinner and he cried out to God to have mercy on him. He didn’t try to do anything. He realized there was nothing he could do but to rely on God for his salvation.

Luke 18:13  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

                Justification (being in right standing with God) was not found in something the publican could do, but rather in something that someone else had done…and that someone was the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:15, This is a faithful saying and worthy to be accepted by all, that Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners of whom I am chief. If God can save the worst sinner, then He can save you too. Nothing is too hard for Him.

Isaiah 55:6-7

6   Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

7   Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let

him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for

he will abundantly pardon.

                Jesus welcomes such as the publican in Luke 18:9-14. He doesn’t say, “stay back and try to do better,” or “when you get your life straightened up, then you can go to church and start pleasing God.”  No!  Justification is not found in trying to get everything right so God will accept you. It is found in God bringing you to the place where you cannot be accepted in and of yourself, but only through the finished work of Jesus Christ who came to save sinners.

                Confess, which means to agree with God that you are a sinner. Repent...a change of mind toward sin.  Ask the Lord to forgive you of your sins, and forsake or turn from your sinful ways.

1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The Philippian jailer asked…

Acts 16:30-31

…Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…

                The publican believed God’s assessment of his true condition. He was sorrowful over his sinful condition. The sin he once loved, he now hated. The God he once hated, he now loved. He trusted in God for his salvation and went down to his house justified or in right standing with God. Only then was he able to obey God and please Him in his actions. The same is true for you…only when you see your sinfulness and need of a savior, turn from your wicked ways, cry out for mercy, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, will you be able to obey God and please Him.

“…and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” ~ Jesus Christ (John 6:37)