WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.399 So this weekend on Church Center, I asked a question 00:00:03.399 --> 00:00:06.820 as I laid out a little bit of a tease about the 00:00:06.820 --> 00:00:09.039 message for this morning. What does it mean to 00:00:09.039 --> 00:00:15.539 be saved? What does it mean to be saved? Could 00:00:15.539 --> 00:00:17.679 you articulate the answer to that question? What 00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:21.280 are we saved from? We talk about being saved. 00:00:21.399 --> 00:00:24.320 What are we saved from? In the text we're studying 00:00:24.320 --> 00:00:26.620 today, we're going to encounter a Greek verb, 00:00:26.739 --> 00:00:32.429 sadzo. which means to keep safe, to keep safe, 00:00:32.509 --> 00:00:36.689 or to rescue from danger or destruction. Now, 00:00:36.729 --> 00:00:38.789 that term saved has become sort of an evangelical 00:00:38.789 --> 00:00:41.469 buzzword over the last 50 years, but it really 00:00:41.469 --> 00:00:44.509 should be understood in that way. To be saved 00:00:44.509 --> 00:00:49.149 is to be rescued from destruction. And that is 00:00:49.149 --> 00:00:51.750 the gist of Romans 5, 9, where it says of Jesus, 00:00:51.869 --> 00:00:54.810 having been justified by his blood, we shall 00:00:54.810 --> 00:00:57.880 be saved from the wrath of God. Through him. 00:00:59.060 --> 00:01:02.039 So to be saved is to be delivered from the ultimate 00:01:02.039 --> 00:01:04.879 calamity, the wrath of God. That means separation 00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:07.799 from God. That means spiritual death. That means 00:01:07.799 --> 00:01:11.040 eternal condemnation. And given that definition, 00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:14.140 it seems to me that understanding what it means 00:01:14.140 --> 00:01:16.819 to be saved has got to be the most important 00:01:16.819 --> 00:01:20.420 thing that any human being can possibly study 00:01:20.420 --> 00:01:24.519 and come to know about. Because his or her eternal 00:01:25.070 --> 00:01:27.769 Destiny is on the line. Now, follow -up question, 00:01:28.010 --> 00:01:31.790 how are we saved? So if we know what it means 00:01:31.790 --> 00:01:34.189 to be saved, we know what we're saved from, how 00:01:34.189 --> 00:01:38.150 are we saved? If you were to go to a coffee house 00:01:38.150 --> 00:01:41.870 this week and somebody saw you reading your Bible 00:01:41.870 --> 00:01:43.909 on your phone, an unbeliever, and they said, 00:01:43.969 --> 00:01:48.290 well, I hear about salvation. How are you saved? 00:01:49.290 --> 00:01:54.500 Could you explain it? Could you explain it? Among 00:01:54.500 --> 00:01:56.439 other things, the New Testament says regarding 00:01:56.439 --> 00:01:59.900 that question, I'll give you a slew of very quick 00:01:59.900 --> 00:02:02.459 statements. Jesus said to the woman who came, 00:02:02.519 --> 00:02:05.379 remember, poured this perfume on his feet and 00:02:05.379 --> 00:02:07.939 wiped his feet with her hair. He said to her, 00:02:08.039 --> 00:02:13.379 your faith has saved you. Go in peace. To the 00:02:13.379 --> 00:02:15.919 jailer in Philippi, it was said, believe in the 00:02:15.919 --> 00:02:21.169 Lord Jesus and you will be saved. Romans 10, 00:02:21.289 --> 00:02:23.389 if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord 00:02:23.389 --> 00:02:25.750 and believe in your heart that God raised him 00:02:25.750 --> 00:02:30.330 from the dead, you will be saved. Peter's Sermon 00:02:30.330 --> 00:02:32.409 of Pentecost, whoever will call on the name of 00:02:32.409 --> 00:02:36.090 the Lord will be saved. Paul to the Corinthians, 00:02:36.509 --> 00:02:38.710 the gospel which I preached to you, which you 00:02:38.710 --> 00:02:42.530 received, by which you are also saved, if you 00:02:42.530 --> 00:02:47.210 hold fast the word. And Jesus in the Olivet Discourse, 00:02:47.740 --> 00:02:49.979 says the one who endures to the end, he will 00:02:49.979 --> 00:02:55.280 be saved. So, just to recap, faith saves you, 00:02:55.400 --> 00:03:00.759 your belief saves you, confessing Jesus as Lord 00:03:00.759 --> 00:03:03.800 saves you, believing in your heart that God raised 00:03:03.800 --> 00:03:07.039 him from the dead saves you, calling on the name 00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:09.400 of the Lord saves you, holding fast the gospel 00:03:09.400 --> 00:03:13.199 that you receive saves you, and enduring in faith 00:03:13.199 --> 00:03:18.400 until the end saves you. Sound about right? Now, 00:03:18.419 --> 00:03:20.060 what if I told you that the text we're about 00:03:20.060 --> 00:03:23.340 to study today doesn't offer any of those ways 00:03:23.340 --> 00:03:27.020 that we're saved? Not faith, not belief, not 00:03:27.020 --> 00:03:30.000 confessing, not calling, not receiving, not holding 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:33.520 fast, not enduring. That today's text is going 00:03:33.520 --> 00:03:35.800 to point us to a completely different way that 00:03:35.800 --> 00:03:38.520 you and I are saved, totally apart from anything 00:03:38.520 --> 00:03:43.800 that we've done. Does this mean that we have 00:03:43.800 --> 00:03:48.099 contradictions in Scripture? We have some work 00:03:48.099 --> 00:03:51.280 to do, don't we? Grab your Bibles. We're going 00:03:51.280 --> 00:03:54.840 to Titus chapter 3. By the way, we don't have 00:03:54.840 --> 00:03:58.000 contradictions. I saw this anxiety that spread 00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:02.840 over some of your faces. We'll get there. You 00:04:02.840 --> 00:04:04.099 know what they say, never leave them hanging 00:04:04.099 --> 00:04:07.159 that much, right? Titus chapter 3, we're looking 00:04:07.159 --> 00:04:09.080 at verses 4 through 8 this morning, but let's 00:04:09.080 --> 00:04:10.919 go ahead and back up to verse 1. We'll read the 00:04:10.919 --> 00:04:14.659 entire passage in context. And as you're turning 00:04:14.659 --> 00:04:16.939 there, let me briefly recall where we've been 00:04:16.939 --> 00:04:19.379 in this. This really has been an amazing letter 00:04:19.379 --> 00:04:23.579 to study, hasn't it? Back in chapter 2, Paul 00:04:23.579 --> 00:04:25.959 spent a whole lot of time telling Titus how he 00:04:25.959 --> 00:04:29.120 should instruct these various types of believers 00:04:29.120 --> 00:04:31.680 in Crete about how they should relate to one 00:04:31.680 --> 00:04:34.600 another within the church family. And the goal 00:04:34.600 --> 00:04:37.680 of that was to put God's saving power on display 00:04:37.680 --> 00:04:40.860 for the world to see, to adorn the truth of the 00:04:40.860 --> 00:04:43.750 gospel. through their transformed lives and the 00:04:43.750 --> 00:04:46.509 way they live together. Really beautiful, right? 00:04:46.589 --> 00:04:48.670 That was chapter two. Then here in chapter three, 00:04:48.769 --> 00:04:51.790 Paul begins to instruct Titus to shift his focus 00:04:51.790 --> 00:04:56.029 from within the church to looking outside the 00:04:56.029 --> 00:04:58.889 walls of the church, to how believers now should 00:04:58.889 --> 00:05:01.709 relate to the pagan unbelieving culture that 00:05:01.709 --> 00:05:04.290 they live in. And he wrote beginning in verse 00:05:04.290 --> 00:05:06.970 one, remind them, that is remind the believers 00:05:06.970 --> 00:05:09.860 there in Crete. that they should be subject to 00:05:09.860 --> 00:05:13.180 rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be 00:05:13.180 --> 00:05:16.500 ready for every good deed, to malign no one, 00:05:16.579 --> 00:05:20.459 to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration 00:05:20.459 --> 00:05:24.699 for all men. And then in verse 3, he does something 00:05:24.699 --> 00:05:28.680 very important as a motivation to treat unbelievers 00:05:28.680 --> 00:05:32.800 with dignity and compassion and grace rather 00:05:32.800 --> 00:05:36.939 than with frustration and contempt. He reminds 00:05:36.939 --> 00:05:39.680 the Christians in Crete of who they used to be 00:05:39.680 --> 00:05:45.180 before they met Jesus. And we do this, right? 00:05:45.240 --> 00:05:46.839 We look around the culture, we get frustrated, 00:05:47.079 --> 00:05:49.779 and we begin to slip into this thing where we 00:05:49.779 --> 00:05:52.600 get angry and we hold people in contempt, forgetting 00:05:52.600 --> 00:05:55.860 that we were once just like them. And so Paul's 00:05:55.860 --> 00:05:57.620 reminding them, look, you were just like this. 00:05:57.660 --> 00:06:02.259 Verse 3 says, for we also once were foolish ourselves. 00:06:03.839 --> 00:06:07.649 Right? So don't be frustrated at them. Don't 00:06:07.649 --> 00:06:10.930 be angry. You were foolish too. We were once 00:06:10.930 --> 00:06:13.949 disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts 00:06:13.949 --> 00:06:16.569 and pleasures, spending our life in malice and 00:06:16.569 --> 00:06:20.189 envy, hateful, hating one another. And basically, 00:06:20.230 --> 00:06:23.230 Paul is giving us a general description of all 00:06:23.230 --> 00:06:27.230 human beings in their natural state. And he includes 00:06:27.230 --> 00:06:30.370 himself in this, right? He says we, meaning himself 00:06:30.370 --> 00:06:34.829 and Titus, all of us. Nobody's excluded. At one 00:06:34.829 --> 00:06:37.829 point in our lives, we were all marked by these 00:06:37.829 --> 00:06:41.589 types of sinful characteristics. Now, it's possible. 00:06:41.629 --> 00:06:44.149 We do this a lot when we read the Bibles. We're 00:06:44.149 --> 00:06:46.230 like, I'm not that bad. We look at the list and 00:06:46.230 --> 00:06:48.589 we go, well, come on. I mean, I wasn't that bad. 00:06:49.589 --> 00:06:52.069 And you know what? You might be right. And praise 00:06:52.069 --> 00:06:54.790 the Lord for his restraining influence. If you 00:06:54.790 --> 00:06:56.689 grew up in a good home and maybe you weren't 00:06:56.689 --> 00:06:59.990 as depraved as others around you, but Paul's 00:06:59.990 --> 00:07:03.490 point stands no matter who you are. Prior to 00:07:03.490 --> 00:07:06.509 trusting in Christ, we were all slaves to sin 00:07:06.509 --> 00:07:10.149 in our own particular way. Your sin was different 00:07:10.149 --> 00:07:13.290 than mine, different than his or hers, but in 00:07:13.290 --> 00:07:15.670 some particular way, we were all enslaved to 00:07:15.670 --> 00:07:19.290 sin. We were selfish, and we were rebellious, 00:07:19.290 --> 00:07:21.810 and we were greedy. We were pursuing ungodly 00:07:21.810 --> 00:07:24.649 desires, each of us fulfilling what Paul writes 00:07:24.649 --> 00:07:27.269 about in Romans 3, that there is none righteous. 00:07:28.410 --> 00:07:32.459 How many? None righteous, not even one. None 00:07:32.459 --> 00:07:37.300 who seeks after God. And it's important that 00:07:37.300 --> 00:07:40.860 we own that truth about our past. Acknowledge 00:07:40.860 --> 00:07:43.699 our past. Otherwise, we'll never come to appreciate 00:07:43.699 --> 00:07:46.279 the magnitude of grace that's been lavished upon 00:07:46.279 --> 00:07:49.139 us. As we always say, if you don't know the bad 00:07:49.139 --> 00:07:51.639 news, you can't fully appreciate the good news 00:07:51.639 --> 00:07:54.779 of the gospel. And if you don't understand how 00:07:54.779 --> 00:07:57.959 deep your sin was in your past, you're going 00:07:57.959 --> 00:08:01.860 to fall short on the thankfulness scale. The 00:08:01.860 --> 00:08:03.939 great Martin Lloyd -Jones once wrote this. He 00:08:03.939 --> 00:08:07.300 said, in order to measure the love of God, you 00:08:07.300 --> 00:08:11.920 have to first go down before you can go up. We 00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:14.639 have to be brought up from a dungeon, from a 00:08:14.639 --> 00:08:17.279 horrible pit, and unless you know something of 00:08:17.279 --> 00:08:20.620 the measure of that depth, you will only be measuring 00:08:20.620 --> 00:08:26.240 half the love of God. Those are wise words. So 00:08:26.240 --> 00:08:28.160 let's take a look at these six things that Paul 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:30.720 lists here in verse 3. Starting with number one, 00:08:30.740 --> 00:08:34.740 we were all once foolish. Now that word in the 00:08:34.740 --> 00:08:36.820 original Greek refers to a lack of understanding 00:08:36.820 --> 00:08:41.080 or an absence of knowledge or wisdom. Remember, 00:08:41.179 --> 00:08:45.139 what does the fool say in his heart? There is 00:08:45.139 --> 00:08:48.600 no God. There is no God. I can do as I please. 00:08:49.570 --> 00:08:51.929 And why would I need him anyway? I'm in control 00:08:51.929 --> 00:08:54.090 of my life. That's what the fool says. He has 00:08:54.090 --> 00:08:58.570 no understanding, no wisdom. In Ephesians 4, 00:08:58.649 --> 00:09:01.190 it says that in our natural state, human beings 00:09:01.190 --> 00:09:04.629 are darkened in their understanding, excluded 00:09:04.629 --> 00:09:06.649 from the life of God because of the ignorance 00:09:06.649 --> 00:09:10.470 that is in them. And why is that ignorance there? 00:09:10.549 --> 00:09:14.090 Because of the hardness of their hearts. We need 00:09:14.090 --> 00:09:16.549 to remember that Satan, the God of this world, 00:09:16.610 --> 00:09:18.649 has blinded their minds so that they will not 00:09:18.649 --> 00:09:22.190 and cannot, that's key, cannot understand the 00:09:22.190 --> 00:09:24.590 things of God. And by the way, this is not a 00:09:24.590 --> 00:09:26.350 matter of intelligence. It's not a matter of 00:09:26.350 --> 00:09:28.590 education. In fact, some of the smartest people 00:09:28.590 --> 00:09:31.490 in the world are the most spiritually blind. 00:09:32.909 --> 00:09:35.070 This is an issue of foolishness that's brought 00:09:35.070 --> 00:09:40.169 about by our natural condition in sin. Number 00:09:40.169 --> 00:09:42.909 two, we were all once disobedient. You see it 00:09:42.909 --> 00:09:46.139 there in verse three? This was built in the heart 00:09:46.139 --> 00:09:48.820 of every one of us because of the fall. We have 00:09:48.820 --> 00:09:52.879 a spirit of rebellion. Natural man doesn't acknowledge 00:09:52.879 --> 00:09:55.799 God because he doesn't want to. He has no desire 00:09:55.799 --> 00:09:58.820 to know God. He has no desire to read God's word. 00:09:58.919 --> 00:10:00.860 And so obviously he's not going to obey him. 00:10:00.980 --> 00:10:04.100 And why would he? Why would natural man ever 00:10:04.100 --> 00:10:08.159 willingly choose to give himself up in order 00:10:08.159 --> 00:10:11.179 to obey God? All he cares about in that sinful 00:10:11.179 --> 00:10:14.600 condition is pursuing whatever is going to further 00:10:14.600 --> 00:10:18.220 his selfish desires. That's who we all once were. 00:10:19.259 --> 00:10:21.519 Number three says we were all once deceived. 00:10:22.759 --> 00:10:25.720 This describes a person who has no spiritual 00:10:25.720 --> 00:10:29.000 or moral anchor. They simply wander the world 00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:31.899 in search of fulfilling their next desire. Whatever 00:10:31.899 --> 00:10:34.519 they want, whatever they desire, they just wander 00:10:34.519 --> 00:10:38.429 going from one impulse to the next. They're easily 00:10:38.429 --> 00:10:42.049 led away by the passions of their flesh because 00:10:42.049 --> 00:10:44.909 they're spiritually blind. They actually believe 00:10:44.909 --> 00:10:46.690 that they can do anything they want and there'll 00:10:46.690 --> 00:10:51.250 be no consequences. But they're deceived. Number 00:10:51.250 --> 00:10:53.690 four says we were all once enslaved to various 00:10:53.690 --> 00:10:56.250 lusts and pleasure. And for the natural man, 00:10:56.450 --> 00:11:00.350 this is the driving force of his life, fulfilling 00:11:00.350 --> 00:11:04.710 the lusts and pleasures of his flesh. And so 00:11:04.710 --> 00:11:06.529 there's so many we couldn't even name them. Pick 00:11:06.529 --> 00:11:12.899 your poison. Money, sex, power, comfort, attention, 00:11:13.379 --> 00:11:16.799 food and drink. The list is almost endless. All 00:11:16.799 --> 00:11:19.620 the lusts and pleasures. And it's important for 00:11:19.620 --> 00:11:21.320 us to look back and say, you know, I was once 00:11:21.320 --> 00:11:24.980 there. To identify, to own it. Which of those 00:11:24.980 --> 00:11:29.960 lusts of the flesh once had a grip on us? What 00:11:29.960 --> 00:11:31.720 we didn't realize at the time was this. None 00:11:31.720 --> 00:11:35.100 of it was ever going to bring satisfaction. We 00:11:35.100 --> 00:11:36.919 thought it would if we just found the next thing, 00:11:37.019 --> 00:11:38.679 but every time we got that, then we moved on 00:11:38.679 --> 00:11:40.940 to something else or just more of it, and we 00:11:40.940 --> 00:11:44.159 never found satisfaction. And the more that natural 00:11:44.159 --> 00:11:47.600 man searches for that satisfaction in vain, the 00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:50.919 more this sin gets a foothold in his life, it 00:11:50.919 --> 00:11:53.379 enslaves him, and it eventually leads to eternal 00:11:53.379 --> 00:11:56.899 destruction. And we were all on that path at 00:11:56.899 --> 00:12:01.549 one point before Christ saved us. Number five, 00:12:01.629 --> 00:12:04.850 we are all ones spending our life in malice and 00:12:04.850 --> 00:12:08.950 envy. Malice means having ill will towards others. 00:12:09.529 --> 00:12:12.769 And it's born out of self -centeredness. It's 00:12:12.769 --> 00:12:16.090 wanting what we want and grabbing it no matter 00:12:16.090 --> 00:12:19.370 what the cost is, even the cost of harming others. 00:12:20.870 --> 00:12:23.289 Once you're enslaved to lust and pleasures, you 00:12:23.289 --> 00:12:26.490 have to have them. And if you don't get them, 00:12:26.529 --> 00:12:28.970 you will envy others and you will do what it 00:12:28.970 --> 00:12:32.700 takes to do it. to get them. And finally, number 00:12:32.700 --> 00:12:35.799 six, we were all once hateful, hating one another. 00:12:35.980 --> 00:12:38.940 And so like a stone rolling downhill, this is 00:12:38.940 --> 00:12:41.139 the end result of all of those things piling 00:12:41.139 --> 00:12:45.379 up. At its core, hate is also rooted in self 00:12:45.379 --> 00:12:48.940 -centeredness. It pits us against God. It pits 00:12:48.940 --> 00:12:51.759 us against other human beings. And anybody who 00:12:51.759 --> 00:12:54.059 disagrees with us, anybody who stands in the 00:12:54.059 --> 00:12:57.519 way of us getting our needs met, they become 00:12:57.519 --> 00:13:00.720 the target of our personal wrath. We hate them. 00:13:01.379 --> 00:13:03.419 And by the way, that can include anyone. That 00:13:03.419 --> 00:13:06.480 can include a spouse. That can include your children, 00:13:06.620 --> 00:13:09.820 extended family, people at work, people who look 00:13:09.820 --> 00:13:12.519 different from you. All kinds of people fit this 00:13:12.519 --> 00:13:15.940 description. Anybody can become a target of our 00:13:15.940 --> 00:13:19.360 personal wrath. This kind of hater becomes completely 00:13:19.360 --> 00:13:22.100 indifferent to anyone else's feelings because 00:13:22.100 --> 00:13:27.259 nobody matters but him. Friends, this is what 00:13:27.259 --> 00:13:31.539 we once were. Now again, you may say, that doesn't 00:13:31.539 --> 00:13:33.679 perfectly describe me, but the point stands. 00:13:33.899 --> 00:13:37.080 This is the general description of natural man. 00:13:38.340 --> 00:13:40.200 Now before we move on, just a quick reminder 00:13:40.200 --> 00:13:42.200 from last Sunday, I gave you two reasons why 00:13:42.200 --> 00:13:45.240 I think Paul decided, under the inspiration of 00:13:45.240 --> 00:13:47.200 the Holy Spirit, to put verse three in here, 00:13:47.340 --> 00:13:49.639 because he could have just moved on to the positive 00:13:49.639 --> 00:13:51.779 stuff, right? But verse three is here, reason 00:13:51.779 --> 00:13:54.600 number one, so that you and I aren't surprised 00:13:55.320 --> 00:13:57.980 by the level of sin that we encounter out there 00:13:57.980 --> 00:14:00.740 in the world. We shouldn't be surprised, Paul 00:14:00.740 --> 00:14:03.419 says, because to some extent we were just like 00:14:03.419 --> 00:14:07.320 that. So why are we surprised when we see depravity, 00:14:07.340 --> 00:14:11.159 right? Second reason, remembering what we once 00:14:11.159 --> 00:14:14.519 were helps us to see unbelievers in a new light. 00:14:15.659 --> 00:14:19.580 Rather than us hating them, rather than us judging 00:14:19.580 --> 00:14:22.379 them, rather than us being frustrated or angry 00:14:22.379 --> 00:14:26.379 at them, Our own sordid past allows us to see 00:14:26.379 --> 00:14:29.600 them with compassion and grace because we now 00:14:29.600 --> 00:14:32.279 know why they act out and we know what they need. 00:14:33.019 --> 00:14:35.379 We know that they're spiritually blind and dead 00:14:35.379 --> 00:14:38.679 in their sins just like we once were. So as we 00:14:38.679 --> 00:14:41.419 look at them, we can say, I get it. I get it. 00:14:41.440 --> 00:14:45.059 That used to be me, but no more. And then we 00:14:45.059 --> 00:14:47.220 can proceed to share the gospel with them so 00:14:47.220 --> 00:14:49.840 that they might find the same thing that we found 00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:52.610 in Christ. Does that make sense? So verse three 00:14:52.610 --> 00:14:54.710 is really important to own before we move on 00:14:54.710 --> 00:14:57.389 to the good news of verse four. So let's take 00:14:57.389 --> 00:14:59.509 a look at our text, verses four through eight. 00:14:59.590 --> 00:15:01.429 By the way, this is one of the most doctrinally 00:15:01.429 --> 00:15:04.850 rich passages in the entire New Testament, but 00:15:04.850 --> 00:15:07.490 it all starts with this one little beautiful 00:15:07.490 --> 00:15:10.730 word, right? This one little contrast in the 00:15:10.730 --> 00:15:14.370 English language, the word is what? But, right? 00:15:14.970 --> 00:15:20.809 You and I were once foolish, right? disobedient, 00:15:20.809 --> 00:15:24.090 deceived, enslaved by sin, filled with malice, 00:15:24.090 --> 00:15:28.710 envy, and hate. But, verse 4, when the kindness 00:15:28.710 --> 00:15:31.090 of God, our Savior, and his love for mankind 00:15:31.090 --> 00:15:36.169 appeared, he saved us. Stop there. He saved us. 00:15:36.889 --> 00:15:39.750 Now, that word in the Greek for appeared is important, 00:15:40.049 --> 00:15:43.210 epiphano, and it refers to something that is 00:15:43.210 --> 00:15:47.200 revealed. It refers to something that is made 00:15:47.200 --> 00:15:50.259 visible. So obviously Paul is referring here 00:15:50.259 --> 00:15:53.100 to the coming of Jesus. We get, by the way, we 00:15:53.100 --> 00:15:55.559 get our English word epiphany from this. Something 00:15:55.559 --> 00:15:58.539 that is made manifest. So he's talking about 00:15:58.539 --> 00:16:01.139 the coming of the Messiah. And he's giving a 00:16:01.139 --> 00:16:03.960 nod here to the incarnation and to the life, 00:16:03.960 --> 00:16:07.700 death, and resurrection of Christ. And you see 00:16:07.700 --> 00:16:09.720 in this verse that his coming was rooted in two 00:16:09.720 --> 00:16:13.120 things. Look in there, two things. God's kindness. 00:16:13.820 --> 00:16:17.259 And God's love. Christates and philanthropia 00:16:17.259 --> 00:16:21.059 in the Greek. And friends, as we look at this, 00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:24.559 God's kindness and God's love, it should amaze 00:16:24.559 --> 00:16:27.960 us. Sometimes we get so used to hearing the gospel 00:16:27.960 --> 00:16:30.039 that we don't stand back long enough to really 00:16:30.039 --> 00:16:33.259 look at this. That the eternal creator of the 00:16:33.259 --> 00:16:36.039 universe, the one who holds the galaxies in place, 00:16:36.279 --> 00:16:39.460 cared enough to look down upon the creatures 00:16:39.460 --> 00:16:42.659 that he made in his image and show us kindness. 00:16:45.100 --> 00:16:47.519 Why is it that we just take that for granted? 00:16:48.879 --> 00:16:51.559 That he showed us kindness. In fact, so kind, 00:16:51.600 --> 00:16:55.100 so kind that he would lay aside his glory, that 00:16:55.100 --> 00:16:57.519 he would take on our nature as a man, that he 00:16:57.519 --> 00:17:00.759 would suffer and die in our place in order to 00:17:00.759 --> 00:17:03.519 rescue us from eternal destruction. That's how 00:17:03.519 --> 00:17:07.420 kind. That is amazing. That is the kindness beyond 00:17:07.420 --> 00:17:11.509 measure. The second word, philanthropia, is exactly 00:17:11.509 --> 00:17:14.250 what you might think. In English, when we talk 00:17:14.250 --> 00:17:18.069 about doing philanthropy, we're talking about 00:17:18.069 --> 00:17:22.069 showing love for humanity, right? Well, theologically, 00:17:22.230 --> 00:17:24.470 it's similar. This word refers to God's great 00:17:24.470 --> 00:17:27.509 love for humanity. And once again, a love that 00:17:27.509 --> 00:17:30.589 is so strong that he's willing to send his one 00:17:30.589 --> 00:17:33.130 and only son into the world to suffer and die, 00:17:33.250 --> 00:17:36.269 to identify with us, and to represent us both 00:17:36.269 --> 00:17:39.740 in life and in death. That is incredible love 00:17:39.740 --> 00:17:44.119 for humanity. So that is God's heart. That is 00:17:44.119 --> 00:17:46.519 what we learn here in this passage. God's heart 00:17:46.519 --> 00:17:48.640 is inclined toward the good of mankind. You might 00:17:48.640 --> 00:17:51.380 even say God is the greatest of all philanthropists 00:17:51.380 --> 00:17:54.920 that have ever lived. So if you're sitting here 00:17:54.920 --> 00:17:56.799 this morning having been saved from the penalty 00:17:56.799 --> 00:17:59.960 of sin, rescued from eternal destruction, it's 00:17:59.960 --> 00:18:02.660 because God willingly chose to make himself known, 00:18:02.819 --> 00:18:06.720 to reveal himself to you out of his kindness. 00:18:07.319 --> 00:18:12.039 And his love. And we can't just glide by that 00:18:12.039 --> 00:18:15.140 truth without stopping and marveling at it. His 00:18:15.140 --> 00:18:17.680 kindness and his love. Now back to verse 5. It 00:18:17.680 --> 00:18:22.160 says, he saved us. Who saved us? Well, God our 00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:26.420 Savior saved us. On what basis did he save us? 00:18:27.839 --> 00:18:30.180 Paul gives us both a negative and a positive 00:18:30.180 --> 00:18:35.100 answer. What's the basis for him saving us? negatively, 00:18:35.100 --> 00:18:39.099 not on the basis of deeds, which we've done in 00:18:39.099 --> 00:18:43.400 righteousness, and positively, according to his 00:18:43.400 --> 00:18:49.039 mercy. Got to know both of those. So, back to 00:18:49.039 --> 00:18:50.940 what I said earlier. Here's a description of 00:18:50.940 --> 00:18:56.400 how we're saved, right? What's missing? Any mention 00:18:56.400 --> 00:19:00.220 of our faith? Any mention of our belief, any 00:19:00.220 --> 00:19:02.700 mention of our calling on his name or our confessing 00:19:02.700 --> 00:19:06.779 Jesus as Lord. And if I can just add some fuel 00:19:06.779 --> 00:19:09.259 to the fire, there's no mention here of us praying 00:19:09.259 --> 00:19:13.299 a sinner's prayer. No mention of us responding 00:19:13.299 --> 00:19:16.880 to an altar call. No mention of us being baptized 00:19:16.880 --> 00:19:20.920 or participating in any religious ritual or ceremony. 00:19:21.279 --> 00:19:24.900 It simply says God saved us and nothing else 00:19:24.900 --> 00:19:30.950 appears to be involved. but God. Let's finish 00:19:30.950 --> 00:19:33.049 the passage, and then we'll try to answer what's 00:19:33.049 --> 00:19:35.349 happening here. Let's read through verse seven. 00:19:35.589 --> 00:19:38.609 It says, he saved us, again, according to his 00:19:38.609 --> 00:19:42.549 mercy, by what? By the washing of regeneration 00:19:42.549 --> 00:19:47.230 and renewing by the Holy Spirit, verse six, whom 00:19:47.230 --> 00:19:51.109 he poured out upon us richly or abundantly through 00:19:51.109 --> 00:19:54.829 Jesus Christ, our Savior, so that being justified 00:19:54.829 --> 00:19:58.380 by his grace, we would be made heirs according 00:19:58.380 --> 00:20:02.160 to the hope of eternal life. Now, most of that 00:20:02.160 --> 00:20:04.299 we're going to look at more carefully next Sunday. 00:20:04.359 --> 00:20:07.380 This is really part one of a two -part message. 00:20:07.839 --> 00:20:09.339 And we're going to look at the controversial 00:20:09.339 --> 00:20:12.779 reference there to washing. Because a whole bunch 00:20:12.779 --> 00:20:14.539 of people look at washing and what's the first 00:20:14.539 --> 00:20:18.869 thing they think about? Baptism. So we're gonna 00:20:18.869 --> 00:20:20.829 talk about that. We're gonna talk about, is that 00:20:20.829 --> 00:20:23.569 what's being talked about here? And what is the 00:20:23.569 --> 00:20:26.150 connection between baptism and salvation? So 00:20:26.150 --> 00:20:30.529 you gotta come back for part two. Got it? Good. 00:20:30.710 --> 00:20:33.829 Now, before we plow ahead, let's stop for a second, 00:20:33.869 --> 00:20:35.950 take a deep breath, and let's zoom out on this 00:20:35.950 --> 00:20:39.990 passage. And I want you to see if you can identify 00:20:39.990 --> 00:20:44.769 who is doing all the work in this passage. Let's 00:20:44.769 --> 00:20:47.549 see, out of his kindness and love, The Savior 00:20:47.549 --> 00:20:51.009 appeared, revealing himself to us. So that's 00:20:51.009 --> 00:20:54.930 God doing the work. Being motivated by his mercy, 00:20:55.109 --> 00:20:59.369 God saved us. That's God doing the work. He washed 00:20:59.369 --> 00:21:01.750 us through the regeneration of the heart. That's 00:21:01.750 --> 00:21:04.769 God. He poured out his spirit, renewing us. That's 00:21:04.769 --> 00:21:07.970 God. By his sovereign grace, he justified us. 00:21:08.049 --> 00:21:11.750 That's God. In doing so, he made us heirs in 00:21:11.750 --> 00:21:14.849 the life to come. That also is a work of God. 00:21:15.440 --> 00:21:20.279 So who's the author of salvation? Who's the initiator 00:21:20.279 --> 00:21:24.319 of salvation? Who's the accomplisher of salvation? 00:21:25.680 --> 00:21:30.940 Who's the finisher of salvation? Only God. He 00:21:30.940 --> 00:21:33.460 is the one who has rescued us from destruction. 00:21:34.779 --> 00:21:37.180 And again, that only gets enhanced by looking 00:21:37.180 --> 00:21:39.319 back at verse three and remembering who we once 00:21:39.319 --> 00:21:44.680 were. What kind of people did God save? Messed 00:21:44.680 --> 00:21:49.559 up people like you and me. What kind of people 00:21:49.559 --> 00:21:52.079 did God show mercy to? People who were foolish 00:21:52.079 --> 00:21:55.299 and disobedient and filled with malice and filled 00:21:55.299 --> 00:21:59.859 with envy and hate. We deserve condemnation and 00:21:59.859 --> 00:22:02.119 wrath and God would have been perfectly just 00:22:02.119 --> 00:22:06.480 to pass right by us and punish us eternally for 00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:10.000 all of the sins in our life. To pass us by. to 00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:12.720 let us continue rushing headlong into eternal 00:22:12.720 --> 00:22:19.180 judgment, but he didn't. He saved us. Are you 00:22:19.180 --> 00:22:22.660 getting the picture of how thankful we should 00:22:22.660 --> 00:22:27.799 be on this Sunday morning? He saved us. What 00:22:27.799 --> 00:22:30.460 verses four through seven is stressing is that 00:22:30.460 --> 00:22:33.220 our salvation didn't depend on anything in us, 00:22:33.339 --> 00:22:37.200 not any merit that we had earned before God. 00:22:37.930 --> 00:22:41.089 Not any inherent goodness in us. Not even our 00:22:41.089 --> 00:22:44.390 response to the offer of the gospel. None of 00:22:44.390 --> 00:22:47.150 it contributed to our salvation. Friends, listen, 00:22:47.250 --> 00:22:51.589 this is God changing in us what we couldn't change 00:22:51.589 --> 00:22:55.269 ourselves. That is so important to understand. 00:22:56.470 --> 00:22:58.789 Apart from his sovereign intervention in our 00:22:58.789 --> 00:23:01.650 lives, not one of us would have believed, not 00:23:01.650 --> 00:23:03.509 one of us would have even inclined ourselves 00:23:03.509 --> 00:23:06.410 towards God. And not one of us would have been 00:23:06.410 --> 00:23:10.190 saved. That's the point of this passage. Now, 00:23:10.210 --> 00:23:13.430 I am not discounting the fact that we need to 00:23:13.430 --> 00:23:17.170 put our faith in Christ or that we need to follow 00:23:17.170 --> 00:23:20.190 Jesus as Lord. We'll come back to that thought 00:23:20.190 --> 00:23:24.089 because that is true and that is real. But here 00:23:24.089 --> 00:23:26.890 in verse 5, make sure you see this. The basis 00:23:26.890 --> 00:23:30.690 for our salvation doesn't involve anything that 00:23:30.690 --> 00:23:34.109 we do. In fact, not even deeds done in righteousness. 00:23:34.589 --> 00:23:36.849 Did you see the language? That means even the 00:23:36.849 --> 00:23:39.349 best things that we do from a pure heart, not 00:23:39.349 --> 00:23:42.009 even those things contribute to our salvation. 00:23:42.750 --> 00:23:46.329 Not even our deeds done in righteousness. And 00:23:46.329 --> 00:23:47.750 by the way, that makes biblical Christianity 00:23:47.750 --> 00:23:50.289 unique among all world religions. You have to 00:23:50.289 --> 00:23:53.730 know this. Biblical Christianity is the only 00:23:53.730 --> 00:23:56.630 religion in this world that doesn't say obey 00:23:56.630 --> 00:23:59.849 a bunch of rules, a whole set of rules, add that 00:23:59.849 --> 00:24:02.440 to what? somebody else has done for you, and 00:24:02.440 --> 00:24:04.579 mix it all together, and that's how you're saved. 00:24:05.539 --> 00:24:08.660 Even certain branches of Christendom are going 00:24:08.660 --> 00:24:11.880 to tell you, well, Jesus' sacrifice gets you 00:24:11.880 --> 00:24:15.220 part of the way, but it's not sufficient. You've 00:24:15.220 --> 00:24:17.750 got to add a whole bunch of things to it. if 00:24:17.750 --> 00:24:19.690 you want to be saved. So you've got to belong 00:24:19.690 --> 00:24:22.730 to a particular church, and you've got to participate 00:24:22.730 --> 00:24:25.089 in these sacraments, and you've got to go through 00:24:25.089 --> 00:24:27.130 these rituals, you've got to say these prayers, 00:24:27.390 --> 00:24:29.769 you've got to help the poor and feed the homeless, 00:24:29.950 --> 00:24:33.650 et cetera, et cetera. And even if people do those 00:24:33.650 --> 00:24:35.410 things from a well -meaning heart, according 00:24:35.410 --> 00:24:38.450 to Scripture, they will not in any way add to 00:24:38.450 --> 00:24:43.910 the basis for your salvation. The basis will 00:24:43.910 --> 00:24:48.069 always remain the same. It's God's grace. His 00:24:48.069 --> 00:24:51.490 kindness, his love, and his mercy. And guys, 00:24:51.569 --> 00:24:54.630 Paul goes to great pains throughout the New Testament 00:24:54.630 --> 00:24:58.529 to tell us this. Titus 3 is just one example, 00:24:58.670 --> 00:25:01.329 but it's everywhere. I'm gonna give you a bunch 00:25:01.329 --> 00:25:03.069 of them. We've already looked at this passage 00:25:03.069 --> 00:25:06.349 from Romans 4, where Paul says, now to the one 00:25:06.349 --> 00:25:11.029 who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, 00:25:11.150 --> 00:25:16.450 but as what is due him. But to the one who does 00:25:16.450 --> 00:25:19.829 not work, but believes in him who justifies the 00:25:19.829 --> 00:25:24.029 ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. 00:25:25.150 --> 00:25:27.309 Talk about turning the religious world upside 00:25:27.309 --> 00:25:32.789 down. Look at that verse. Later in Romans 9, 00:25:32.849 --> 00:25:36.130 when speaking about Jacob and Esau, he says this, 00:25:36.269 --> 00:25:40.230 for though the twins were not yet born, had not 00:25:40.230 --> 00:25:44.369 done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose 00:25:44.369 --> 00:25:49.160 according to his would stand not because of works 00:25:49.160 --> 00:25:52.259 and because of him who calls. It was said to 00:25:52.259 --> 00:25:56.819 Rebecca, the older will serve the younger. Right? 00:25:57.339 --> 00:25:59.920 It's not according to works. It's according to 00:25:59.920 --> 00:26:03.160 what God has said. To Timothy, Paul writes this. 00:26:03.740 --> 00:26:07.619 God has saved us and called us with a holy calling, 00:26:07.720 --> 00:26:11.140 not according to our works, but according to 00:26:11.140 --> 00:26:14.410 his own purpose. And grace, which was granted 00:26:14.410 --> 00:26:17.950 us in Christ Jesus. When? From all eternity. 00:26:20.890 --> 00:26:24.849 Romans 3 says this. Where then is boasting? If 00:26:24.849 --> 00:26:27.309 our works don't add to it and it's all God, where 00:26:27.309 --> 00:26:30.750 is boasting? It's excluded. For we maintain that 00:26:30.750 --> 00:26:34.130 a man is justified by faith apart from the works 00:26:34.130 --> 00:26:38.890 of the law. And the passage that stands out the 00:26:38.890 --> 00:26:42.609 most. Again, Paul from Ephesians 2, for by grace 00:26:42.609 --> 00:26:46.829 you have been saved through faith and that not 00:26:46.829 --> 00:26:51.750 of yourselves, it's a gift of God, not as a result 00:26:51.750 --> 00:26:55.650 of works so that no one may boast. This is just 00:26:55.650 --> 00:26:58.329 a small sampling, you guys, of what is clear 00:26:58.329 --> 00:27:00.490 in the New Testament about the basis for our 00:27:00.490 --> 00:27:04.009 salvation. Now, in both of those last two passages, 00:27:04.049 --> 00:27:07.019 you see the issue of boasting. And this is a 00:27:07.019 --> 00:27:09.559 huge theme in the New Testament that we need 00:27:09.559 --> 00:27:12.119 to be aware of. Guys, we are not to be a boastful 00:27:12.119 --> 00:27:15.640 people. Not in front of other human beings, but 00:27:15.640 --> 00:27:19.880 definitely not before God. How dare we even try 00:27:19.880 --> 00:27:24.880 to boast before an all -perfect, almighty God? 00:27:25.799 --> 00:27:28.539 Remember, Paul asked the question, hey, what 00:27:28.539 --> 00:27:30.720 do you have that you didn't receive from God? 00:27:32.319 --> 00:27:35.859 And the answer is nothing. So how can we boast? 00:27:36.440 --> 00:27:39.119 Everything comes from his gracious hand. That 00:27:39.119 --> 00:27:43.900 includes salvation from beginning to end. And 00:27:43.900 --> 00:27:46.000 for that reason, when we see our Savior face 00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:48.900 to face someday, there will not be a millimeter 00:27:48.900 --> 00:27:53.220 of room for us to boast in his presence. Not 00:27:53.220 --> 00:27:57.079 a millimeter. So listen, when God saved you, 00:27:57.200 --> 00:28:00.619 he put his glory and his grace on display in 00:28:00.619 --> 00:28:03.319 your life. Don't you dare try to steal some of 00:28:03.319 --> 00:28:08.049 that glory from him. His saving work is meant 00:28:08.049 --> 00:28:10.890 to lead people to praise him and glorify him 00:28:10.890 --> 00:28:13.849 for his kindness, love, and mercy. Don't you 00:28:13.849 --> 00:28:19.589 dare try to divert attention to yourself. Understand 00:28:19.589 --> 00:28:22.549 how offensive that is, that you would boast in 00:28:22.549 --> 00:28:26.809 any way before God. And know this, the basis 00:28:26.809 --> 00:28:29.750 of our salvation is the very same basis on which 00:28:29.750 --> 00:28:33.769 we are commanded to treat others. Why do we love 00:28:33.769 --> 00:28:37.619 others sacrificially? Why do we exhibit kindness 00:28:37.619 --> 00:28:40.680 towards unbelievers? Why do we forgive people 00:28:40.680 --> 00:28:44.319 who don't deserve to be forgiven? Because we 00:28:44.319 --> 00:28:46.720 reflect the image of our God and our Savior when 00:28:46.720 --> 00:28:48.940 we do those things. Because that's what we've 00:28:48.940 --> 00:28:55.559 received from Him. Now, having established that, 00:28:55.700 --> 00:29:00.059 let's dig into the perceived problem that I've 00:29:00.059 --> 00:29:02.240 tried to raise here so far in this message. Back 00:29:02.240 --> 00:29:05.059 to the question, how are we saved? How are we 00:29:05.059 --> 00:29:09.140 saved? Okay, the problem I pointed out is that 00:29:09.140 --> 00:29:11.660 in Scripture we're given two very distinct pictures 00:29:11.660 --> 00:29:17.200 of how salvation comes to mankind. The one on 00:29:17.200 --> 00:29:23.119 the left, God's sovereignty, is eternal. It takes 00:29:23.119 --> 00:29:27.380 place before time and outside of time. The one 00:29:27.380 --> 00:29:30.339 on the right is what we refer to as man's responsibility 00:29:30.339 --> 00:29:34.400 to respond. That is temporal. That is a response 00:29:34.400 --> 00:29:36.880 to the truth of the gospel that occurs within 00:29:36.880 --> 00:29:41.319 time and space. Make sense? If we are ever going 00:29:41.319 --> 00:29:44.819 to understand how we're saved, what we call soteriology, 00:29:44.900 --> 00:29:47.779 which is the doctrine of salvation, we have got 00:29:47.779 --> 00:29:50.940 to put together the pieces to the puzzle to merge 00:29:50.940 --> 00:29:54.039 these two very distinct pictures of salvation 00:29:54.039 --> 00:29:59.740 into one coherent doctrine. That's the task before 00:29:59.740 --> 00:30:03.430 us in the rest of the time of this message. Now, 00:30:03.470 --> 00:30:05.670 I probably don't have to prove that first principle 00:30:05.670 --> 00:30:07.609 to you, that God is sovereign over all things, 00:30:07.750 --> 00:30:11.470 especially salvation, because it's written all 00:30:11.470 --> 00:30:14.130 over the Bible. We know that the Lord does as 00:30:14.130 --> 00:30:17.890 he pleases. The Lord does as he pleases according 00:30:17.890 --> 00:30:20.890 to his will. That is the very definition of sovereignty. 00:30:21.190 --> 00:30:24.470 When you can do anything you want, that is when 00:30:24.470 --> 00:30:27.089 you are sovereign. God is the only sovereign, 00:30:27.170 --> 00:30:29.759 non -contingent being that can do that. He is 00:30:29.759 --> 00:30:32.480 utterly sovereign over all things. Before creation 00:30:32.480 --> 00:30:35.640 came into being, he actively decreed all things 00:30:35.640 --> 00:30:39.579 that will come to pass. All things. The things 00:30:39.579 --> 00:30:41.940 that have come to pass in the past, the things 00:30:41.940 --> 00:30:44.400 that are coming to pass in the present, and all 00:30:44.400 --> 00:30:46.119 the things that will come to pass in the future. 00:30:46.440 --> 00:30:49.859 He's decreed all of it. Every aspect of his decree 00:30:49.859 --> 00:30:53.400 from eternity past is now unfolding in successive 00:30:53.400 --> 00:30:58.049 moments within chronological time. That's how 00:30:58.049 --> 00:31:01.269 in control he is. He's decreed a single plan 00:31:01.269 --> 00:31:04.569 for this world. There's no plan B. And it doesn't 00:31:04.569 --> 00:31:07.670 change. What that means is there's no accidents 00:31:07.670 --> 00:31:11.250 in this world and nothing surprises God. He knows 00:31:11.250 --> 00:31:13.430 every detail from the beginning to the end. In 00:31:13.430 --> 00:31:18.309 fact, he sees everything all at one time. As 00:31:18.309 --> 00:31:20.150 if it were in the present for him because he's 00:31:20.150 --> 00:31:23.460 outside of time. He sees it all. And, by the 00:31:23.460 --> 00:31:25.839 way, no purpose of his can be thwarted by any 00:31:25.839 --> 00:31:29.720 circumstance or any human being. That's how sovereign 00:31:29.720 --> 00:31:33.660 he is. His decree is rooted in his infinite wisdom 00:31:33.660 --> 00:31:36.960 and is designed in every detail to bring about 00:31:36.960 --> 00:31:39.200 the greatest good, which is the glorification 00:31:39.200 --> 00:31:43.259 of himself. That's who he is. And because he's 00:31:43.259 --> 00:31:45.940 omnipotent, he has the absolute power and authority 00:31:45.940 --> 00:31:48.500 to do it. So when God promises that something 00:31:48.500 --> 00:31:50.619 is going to happen, it's going to happen. In 00:31:50.619 --> 00:31:52.579 fact, have you ever wondered why is it we can 00:31:52.579 --> 00:31:55.519 always count the prophecy will be fulfilled? 00:31:56.339 --> 00:31:58.619 Because God's sovereign. If he weren't sovereign, 00:31:58.759 --> 00:32:00.839 we can't be sure that prophecy would take place 00:32:00.839 --> 00:32:03.819 because human beings are involved, but God is 00:32:03.819 --> 00:32:06.980 sovereign. Friends, that's what the Bible tells 00:32:06.980 --> 00:32:10.460 us. And even that, I think, is just scratching 00:32:10.460 --> 00:32:14.759 the surface. of how vast, how infinite, how sovereign 00:32:14.759 --> 00:32:17.859 God is. I mean, that's only the types of things 00:32:17.859 --> 00:32:19.759 that we can understand. But again, this is the 00:32:19.759 --> 00:32:23.799 being who creates galaxies out of nothing by 00:32:23.799 --> 00:32:30.099 speaking. Think about that. We're only scratching 00:32:30.099 --> 00:32:33.119 the surface. In the next life, I think we'll 00:32:33.119 --> 00:32:37.039 know more, right? I've got questions. I can't 00:32:37.039 --> 00:32:39.839 wait to get answers. All right. Now, concerning 00:32:39.839 --> 00:32:42.640 the topic for this morning, Guys, listen, the 00:32:42.640 --> 00:32:48.119 same overwhelming level of sovereignty also extends 00:32:48.119 --> 00:32:51.759 to our salvation. And there are many passages 00:32:51.759 --> 00:32:56.180 I could show you to reveal this. Titus 3 is just 00:32:56.180 --> 00:32:58.519 one of them. But for example, I could point to 00:32:58.519 --> 00:33:01.920 Ephesians 1. This filled with the language, he 00:33:01.920 --> 00:33:07.200 chose us. When? Before the foundation of the 00:33:07.200 --> 00:33:11.380 world. In love, he predestined us. to adoption 00:33:11.380 --> 00:33:14.140 as sons according to what? The kind intention 00:33:14.140 --> 00:33:17.740 of his will. He predestined us according to his 00:33:17.740 --> 00:33:21.339 purpose, who works how many things? All things 00:33:21.339 --> 00:33:24.599 after the counsel of his will, the Trinitarian 00:33:24.599 --> 00:33:28.220 counsel. All of that is sovereignty, friends. 00:33:29.339 --> 00:33:32.440 Or I could point to Romans 9, where God says, 00:33:32.500 --> 00:33:34.779 I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I 00:33:34.779 --> 00:33:37.160 will have compassion on whom I have compassion. 00:33:37.420 --> 00:33:41.220 So then, Salvation does not depend on the man 00:33:41.220 --> 00:33:46.099 who wills or the man who runs, but salvation 00:33:46.099 --> 00:33:50.940 depends on God who has mercy. And we could keep 00:33:50.940 --> 00:33:53.299 going on and on. There's so many passages like 00:33:53.299 --> 00:33:55.640 this. By the way, you see some of the same language 00:33:55.640 --> 00:33:57.960 in those two passages that you see in Titus 3. 00:33:58.059 --> 00:34:01.119 The kind intention of God's will in Ephesians 00:34:01.119 --> 00:34:04.349 1 and the mercy of God in Romans 9. The same 00:34:04.349 --> 00:34:07.750 concepts we see in Titus 3, consistent all the 00:34:07.750 --> 00:34:11.190 way across. We learn from Scripture that we were 00:34:11.190 --> 00:34:13.590 once all spiritually dead, that we were children 00:34:13.590 --> 00:34:16.849 of wrath, but then God intervened and saved us, 00:34:16.869 --> 00:34:19.690 raising us to life. He opened the blind eyes 00:34:19.690 --> 00:34:22.510 of our heart. He gave us the gift of faith, and 00:34:22.510 --> 00:34:25.110 we learn that God's sovereign grace did all of 00:34:25.110 --> 00:34:28.750 that work, all of it. What was impossible for 00:34:28.750 --> 00:34:32.949 you and I, God did for us. So we should be grateful. 00:34:34.090 --> 00:34:37.090 So that's one side of that ledger, sovereignty. 00:34:37.409 --> 00:34:39.269 Let's look at the other side of the salvation 00:34:39.269 --> 00:34:42.230 coin. Scripture also tells us that no one will 00:34:42.230 --> 00:34:45.349 be saved unless they willingly trust in Christ 00:34:45.349 --> 00:34:50.909 for the forgiveness of sins, right? Right? No 00:34:50.909 --> 00:34:52.969 one will be saved unless they trust in Christ 00:34:52.969 --> 00:34:55.750 for the forgiveness of sins. Otherwise, they 00:34:55.750 --> 00:35:01.250 are under the penalty of sin. Acts 16 tells us. 00:35:02.360 --> 00:35:04.679 Sirs, what must I do to be saved? It can't be 00:35:04.679 --> 00:35:06.920 more clear than this. Paul and Silas reply what? 00:35:07.840 --> 00:35:10.079 Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. 00:35:10.920 --> 00:35:14.559 Good. At the very end of John 3, Jesus himself 00:35:14.559 --> 00:35:17.699 says, he who believes in the Son has eternal 00:35:17.699 --> 00:35:21.420 life. Earlier in John 1, the apostle writes, 00:35:21.579 --> 00:35:24.380 as many as received him, to them he gave the 00:35:24.380 --> 00:35:26.619 right to become children of God, even to those 00:35:26.619 --> 00:35:30.519 who believe in his name. And again, we already 00:35:30.519 --> 00:35:32.739 looked at some verses earlier. Believe, believe, 00:35:32.880 --> 00:35:37.880 believe. We're given these action verbs, commanded, 00:35:38.019 --> 00:35:42.360 commanded to believe and to receive and to confess 00:35:42.360 --> 00:35:47.219 and to call upon and more. So alongside God's 00:35:47.219 --> 00:35:49.340 sovereignty over salvation, we're told that man 00:35:49.340 --> 00:35:52.820 has a responsibility to take action, to respond 00:35:52.820 --> 00:35:56.780 to the offer of the gospel. And man has a real 00:35:56.780 --> 00:36:01.739 choice to make. A very real choice to make. Believe 00:36:01.739 --> 00:36:05.699 in Jesus or reject him. Every man has that choice. 00:36:06.719 --> 00:36:09.079 It's a real choice made within time and space, 00:36:09.320 --> 00:36:12.019 and we are told that that choice has very real 00:36:12.019 --> 00:36:15.039 consequences, both in this life and in the life 00:36:15.039 --> 00:36:17.920 to come. So here's the bottom line, guys. We 00:36:17.920 --> 00:36:22.420 are not robots. When we talk about sovereignty, 00:36:22.519 --> 00:36:23.880 sometimes people go, well, then that must mean 00:36:23.880 --> 00:36:25.820 we're robots. That is not the way Scripture... 00:36:26.219 --> 00:36:28.480 describes it. We are not robots. We are responsible 00:36:28.480 --> 00:36:31.679 creatures who make moral choices each and every 00:36:31.679 --> 00:36:34.940 day, including decisions to either believe or 00:36:34.940 --> 00:36:38.639 disbelieve. And by the way, this is so interesting. 00:36:38.739 --> 00:36:41.079 There are times in scripture where both of these 00:36:41.079 --> 00:36:44.639 principles of sovereignty and human responsibility, 00:36:44.800 --> 00:36:50.619 they literally sit side by side. Here's sovereignty. 00:36:51.260 --> 00:36:53.659 Here's man's responsibility. And the authors 00:36:53.659 --> 00:36:55.739 of Scripture don't excuse it away. They don't 00:36:55.739 --> 00:36:58.079 try to explain it. They just say, these are two 00:36:58.079 --> 00:37:01.599 truths that you should believe. For example, 00:37:01.599 --> 00:37:05.539 in John 6, we have these statements. It says, 00:37:05.619 --> 00:37:07.739 this is the work of God, that you believe in 00:37:07.739 --> 00:37:12.239 him whom he has sent. Everyone who beholds the 00:37:12.239 --> 00:37:14.760 Son and believes in him will have eternal life. 00:37:15.099 --> 00:37:18.099 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has 00:37:18.099 --> 00:37:21.239 eternal life. All of those are about man's actions, 00:37:21.320 --> 00:37:24.639 but mixed into all those verses are also these 00:37:24.639 --> 00:37:28.519 verses. All that the Father gives me, Jesus says, 00:37:28.699 --> 00:37:33.820 will come to me, sovereignty. No one can come 00:37:33.820 --> 00:37:36.139 to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. 00:37:36.699 --> 00:37:39.039 No one can come to me unless it's been granted 00:37:39.039 --> 00:37:43.719 him from the Father. So they're literally interspersed 00:37:43.719 --> 00:37:46.219 in this very small section of John 6. We have 00:37:46.219 --> 00:37:50.119 both of those principles. It's fascinating. Perhaps 00:37:50.119 --> 00:37:53.079 the most obvious example of this comes from Philippians 00:37:53.079 --> 00:37:56.900 2, where both principles are literally tied together 00:37:56.900 --> 00:38:01.880 in the same sentence. Work out your salvation 00:38:01.880 --> 00:38:05.980 with fear and trembling. That's man's responsibility. 00:38:06.840 --> 00:38:10.699 For it's God who works in you both to will and 00:38:10.699 --> 00:38:15.980 to work for his good pleasure. That's his sovereignty. 00:38:18.730 --> 00:38:21.489 Now, here's the thing. Let's go back to this. 00:38:21.690 --> 00:38:24.369 When you look at those two things side by side, 00:38:24.469 --> 00:38:28.550 it's critical to know that we're looking at two 00:38:28.550 --> 00:38:33.230 things that are not equal in power. God's sovereign 00:38:33.230 --> 00:38:37.409 decree in eternity past and my choice within 00:38:37.409 --> 00:38:41.090 time and space do not carry the same weight or 00:38:41.090 --> 00:38:43.949 the same power, not even close. I'm not even 00:38:43.949 --> 00:38:46.980 in the ballpark. We'll come back to that in a 00:38:46.980 --> 00:38:49.079 second. But imagine for a moment if we get out 00:38:49.079 --> 00:38:52.000 of balance on these two principles. Imagine if 00:38:52.000 --> 00:38:54.760 I decide, well, I really want to prefer to focus 00:38:54.760 --> 00:38:57.820 on my choice as the reason I'm saved. And I'm 00:38:57.820 --> 00:39:00.099 just going to ignore all these grand statements 00:39:00.099 --> 00:39:02.719 about God's sovereignty. What do I end up with? 00:39:03.860 --> 00:39:08.739 A man -centered gospel. One where the choice 00:39:08.739 --> 00:39:12.929 of man is the decisive factor. And where we say, 00:39:12.929 --> 00:39:15.070 well, you know what God's role in that is? He 00:39:15.070 --> 00:39:20.389 just rubber stamps whatever choice I make. Right? 00:39:21.250 --> 00:39:23.809 And sadly, what that would mean is when we get 00:39:23.809 --> 00:39:26.110 to heaven, guess what? We have every reason to 00:39:26.110 --> 00:39:30.250 boast because my salvation depended on my choice. 00:39:30.349 --> 00:39:34.829 God just rubber stamped what I chose. So we violate 00:39:34.829 --> 00:39:37.110 this incredibly important principle that we're 00:39:37.110 --> 00:39:39.909 not to boast. We could boast. We could say, I 00:39:39.909 --> 00:39:42.750 was so spiritual that I made the decision to 00:39:42.750 --> 00:39:45.650 believe in Jesus. I was so smart. I was so wise. 00:39:45.750 --> 00:39:48.110 I made the right call and therefore I can spend 00:39:48.110 --> 00:39:50.889 the rest of eternity thanking Jesus that he just 00:39:50.889 --> 00:39:54.130 affirmed my choice. That doesn't sound right, 00:39:54.210 --> 00:39:58.349 does it? Does that not like go, nah, I don't 00:39:58.349 --> 00:40:01.030 like it. You shouldn't like it. That's heresy. 00:40:02.670 --> 00:40:04.409 Now, what about the other extreme? What if I 00:40:04.409 --> 00:40:07.110 choose to focus just on God's sovereignty and 00:40:07.110 --> 00:40:09.630 ignore all the passages that tell us that we 00:40:09.630 --> 00:40:12.090 need to respond to the call of the gospel? What 00:40:12.090 --> 00:40:15.510 then do I end up with? A deterministic gospel. 00:40:16.590 --> 00:40:19.769 One where we are pre -programmed robots who have 00:40:19.769 --> 00:40:22.610 no real choice at all. That is a gospel that 00:40:22.610 --> 00:40:26.869 is emptied of love and affection. So we don't 00:40:26.869 --> 00:40:28.750 want to err on either side of the ledger here. 00:40:28.829 --> 00:40:31.610 We want to affirm everything that Scripture teaches. 00:40:32.329 --> 00:40:34.690 And then what we want to do is sort of bring 00:40:34.690 --> 00:40:37.210 all of that together systematically and put the 00:40:37.210 --> 00:40:39.710 puzzle pieces together so that we can have a 00:40:39.710 --> 00:40:42.650 greater understanding of how God saves us. And 00:40:42.650 --> 00:40:45.090 by the way, this isn't the only thing in Scripture 00:40:45.090 --> 00:40:48.849 where we do this. We have the Trinity. Right? 00:40:48.889 --> 00:40:51.170 That isn't systematically explained to us, but 00:40:51.170 --> 00:40:53.289 what do we do? We go out and we find all these 00:40:53.289 --> 00:40:56.289 verses that talk about one God, but three persons 00:40:56.289 --> 00:40:58.710 who are called God, and we put the puzzle together, 00:40:58.849 --> 00:41:01.630 and we come up with a coherent doctrine of the 00:41:01.630 --> 00:41:03.849 Trinity. We do the same thing with the two natures 00:41:03.849 --> 00:41:07.590 of Christ. Very difficult to understand. But 00:41:07.590 --> 00:41:10.369 we need to be able to do this with this particular 00:41:10.369 --> 00:41:13.429 subject as well. We take all the verses that 00:41:13.429 --> 00:41:15.809 talk about salvation, we collate them into a 00:41:15.809 --> 00:41:18.889 systematic way, and we say this is how the puzzle 00:41:18.889 --> 00:41:21.969 fits together. So that's what we want to finish 00:41:21.969 --> 00:41:24.250 with today. How do those pieces fit together 00:41:24.250 --> 00:41:27.070 when it comes to salvation? Can we merge those 00:41:27.070 --> 00:41:31.130 two things into one coherent doctrine of soteriology? 00:41:31.849 --> 00:41:35.230 We can. Like the Trinity, we can. Like the natures 00:41:35.230 --> 00:41:37.769 of Christ, we can. But let me say this as well. 00:41:38.309 --> 00:41:41.289 Like the Trinity, we should leave some room for 00:41:41.289 --> 00:41:45.550 mystery because our thinking is so puny compared 00:41:45.550 --> 00:41:48.829 to the limitless mind of God. So we always have 00:41:48.829 --> 00:41:53.610 to be careful. We love certainty in the time 00:41:53.610 --> 00:41:55.750 and place we live in. We want everything to be 00:41:55.750 --> 00:41:58.570 certain. But here we have a mystery, how these 00:41:58.570 --> 00:42:01.750 things fit together. And frankly, our comprehension 00:42:01.750 --> 00:42:05.550 of, Concepts like, can you describe eternity 00:42:05.550 --> 00:42:10.329 past before anything was? Can you understand 00:42:10.329 --> 00:42:14.050 the space -time continuum, how God operates outside 00:42:14.050 --> 00:42:18.170 of time? Our brains aren't big enough to even 00:42:18.170 --> 00:42:20.789 grasp the fullness of this concept. So what we 00:42:20.789 --> 00:42:22.989 need to do is understand that these two truths 00:42:22.989 --> 00:42:26.869 are presented to us in Scripture as able to coexist 00:42:26.869 --> 00:42:31.449 with each other. They're able to coexist together. 00:42:32.000 --> 00:42:35.460 So both are true at the same time and that God 00:42:35.460 --> 00:42:39.300 knows how they co -inhere perfectly. Do you trust 00:42:39.300 --> 00:42:42.420 that? Because the logic is we start with the 00:42:42.420 --> 00:42:45.280 scriptures infallible, right? It's true. God 00:42:45.280 --> 00:42:49.300 presents two truths as truth. And then we have 00:42:49.300 --> 00:42:52.260 a choice now to say, I want it to be more certain 00:42:52.260 --> 00:42:54.920 than that. And he says, no, there's a mystery 00:42:54.920 --> 00:42:59.420 to this. There's a mystery to this. Yes, we can, 00:42:59.480 --> 00:43:02.590 we can, we can. discover some things. We can 00:43:02.590 --> 00:43:05.469 come to some conclusions, but there is mystery 00:43:05.469 --> 00:43:08.289 to this. So my advice is while we're on this 00:43:08.289 --> 00:43:11.010 side of heaven, the best approach to this subject 00:43:11.010 --> 00:43:14.090 is to just believe both principles and to hold 00:43:14.090 --> 00:43:17.230 them in tension and embrace the mystery. Can 00:43:17.230 --> 00:43:20.630 we do that? Now, let me come back to something 00:43:20.630 --> 00:43:23.309 I just mentioned. While we affirm both principles, 00:43:23.590 --> 00:43:27.590 the two are not equal things. Why do I say that? 00:43:27.949 --> 00:43:30.190 Because without God sovereignly moving upon us, 00:43:30.250 --> 00:43:34.949 we would not and could not respond. So his sovereignty 00:43:34.949 --> 00:43:38.750 is the controlling factor in our soteriology. 00:43:39.309 --> 00:43:43.650 It is logically prior to our response. And our 00:43:43.650 --> 00:43:46.530 response is 100 % dependent on the sovereignty 00:43:46.530 --> 00:43:49.449 piece. So they're not equal in power or authority. 00:43:49.630 --> 00:43:53.889 We have to know that. And that brings me to Professor 00:43:53.889 --> 00:43:57.909 Jeff's class for the morning. Because I'm going 00:43:57.909 --> 00:44:00.050 to share with you something that, again, you 00:44:00.050 --> 00:44:02.809 might want to take a picture of this, but this 00:44:02.809 --> 00:44:05.010 is something that you would get taught in a basic 00:44:05.010 --> 00:44:08.550 theology class in seminary so that you can understand 00:44:08.550 --> 00:44:11.449 the logical order of events when it comes to 00:44:11.449 --> 00:44:14.989 salvation. How are we saved? I'm going to show 00:44:14.989 --> 00:44:17.510 you what Reformed theologians have believed and 00:44:17.510 --> 00:44:20.750 taught for about 500 years in terms of the logical 00:44:20.750 --> 00:44:23.909 order of salvation. It's called the Ordo Salutis, 00:44:23.989 --> 00:44:28.559 Latin for the order of salvation. Are you ready? 00:44:29.440 --> 00:44:31.760 I feel like I need theme music for Professor 00:44:31.760 --> 00:44:35.639 Jeff's class. I won't go too much in detail on 00:44:35.639 --> 00:44:37.360 this, but you should understand what this means. 00:44:38.119 --> 00:44:41.360 It all starts in eternity past, right? Ephesians 00:44:41.360 --> 00:44:45.719 1 said it very clearly. Election. Election takes 00:44:45.719 --> 00:44:47.679 place in eternity past before the foundations 00:44:47.679 --> 00:44:54.099 of the world. God foreknew his elect. He foreloved 00:44:54.099 --> 00:44:57.500 them. He predestined them. to be conformed to 00:44:57.500 --> 00:45:00.460 the image of his son. Even before Genesis 1 -1, 00:45:00.559 --> 00:45:05.000 he did this. It starts there. Second, we have 00:45:05.000 --> 00:45:08.420 redemption. This is the appearing that we read 00:45:08.420 --> 00:45:11.679 about in Titus 3 -4, which take place in human 00:45:11.679 --> 00:45:15.239 history. Jesus comes to earth. He takes on flesh. 00:45:15.500 --> 00:45:18.860 He dies on the cross to pay the ransom for our 00:45:18.860 --> 00:45:22.260 sin. That is redemption. We are a redeemed people 00:45:22.260 --> 00:45:25.019 because of what Jesus did on the cross. Amen? 00:45:26.460 --> 00:45:29.860 Third, the universal gospel call. This is the 00:45:29.860 --> 00:45:31.900 gospel offer that goes out to the ends of the 00:45:31.900 --> 00:45:36.880 earth, available to everyone who hears. The universal 00:45:36.880 --> 00:45:39.579 call of the gospel. But then there is a sort 00:45:39.579 --> 00:45:42.260 of a subcategory to that we call the effectual 00:45:42.260 --> 00:45:46.699 gospel call. That is when the Spirit of God draws 00:45:46.699 --> 00:45:49.900 the attention of His elect toward the Savior. 00:45:49.960 --> 00:45:52.679 This is a work that is done in the heart of man. 00:45:53.239 --> 00:45:56.079 preparing him for what comes next. When we read 00:45:56.079 --> 00:46:00.820 in scripture about drawing or calling, it's the 00:46:00.820 --> 00:46:03.159 spirit of God beginning a work in the inner man 00:46:03.159 --> 00:46:07.380 to allow us to incline ourselves towards God 00:46:07.380 --> 00:46:11.420 and respond. Okay, the effectual gospel call. 00:46:11.559 --> 00:46:14.820 The next step is regeneration. This has to happen 00:46:14.820 --> 00:46:17.480 before we're saved. This is what brings a man 00:46:17.480 --> 00:46:20.079 from spiritual death to spiritual life. It's 00:46:20.079 --> 00:46:23.960 a very changing of our nature. It makes us alive. 00:46:24.039 --> 00:46:27.039 It brings with us new affections that now enable 00:46:27.039 --> 00:46:31.719 us to turn towards God and be saved. Our heart 00:46:31.719 --> 00:46:35.239 gets regenerated. We become alive, spiritual 00:46:35.239 --> 00:46:40.619 life, finally. Then comes where we fit in. Look, 00:46:40.659 --> 00:46:45.320 I even put stars next to it. Conversion. Here's 00:46:45.320 --> 00:46:47.579 where we fit in. This is our response to the 00:46:47.579 --> 00:46:51.500 gospel. This is where we... Repent of our sins 00:46:51.500 --> 00:46:56.039 and believe where we trust in Jesus Christ as 00:46:56.039 --> 00:47:01.239 Savior and Lord. More on that in a second. Next 00:47:01.239 --> 00:47:04.639 is justification. This is what we call the forensic 00:47:04.639 --> 00:47:07.139 or the legal declaration that God makes. You 00:47:07.139 --> 00:47:12.639 are righteous in my sight, he says, because Christ's 00:47:12.639 --> 00:47:15.719 righteousness has been imputed to us. God the 00:47:15.719 --> 00:47:18.840 Father sees us through his Son, and we are declared 00:47:18.840 --> 00:47:22.900 forever righteous. That's the exciting one, right? 00:47:23.159 --> 00:47:26.400 We're justified. Then we have adoption, which 00:47:26.400 --> 00:47:28.960 is sort of a subcategory of justification. We 00:47:28.960 --> 00:47:30.960 are instantly declared to be God's children, 00:47:31.119 --> 00:47:34.820 co -heirs with Christ. And then we have sanctification. 00:47:34.860 --> 00:47:37.730 This is where most of us are at. Even this morning, 00:47:37.750 --> 00:47:40.449 as children of God in the process of spiritual 00:47:40.449 --> 00:47:43.090 maturing during our years on the earth, we now 00:47:43.090 --> 00:47:45.570 cooperate with the work of the Holy Spirit within 00:47:45.570 --> 00:47:48.989 us, growing in grace, growing in spiritual matters, 00:47:49.130 --> 00:47:52.730 and growing in holiness. We're being sanctified. 00:47:53.070 --> 00:47:54.929 And finally, the last stage is glorification. 00:47:55.409 --> 00:47:58.909 The completion of God's promise to us. Remember, 00:47:59.070 --> 00:48:01.590 he said, I will complete the work I've started 00:48:01.590 --> 00:48:05.110 to conform you to the image of my son. Guess 00:48:05.110 --> 00:48:09.139 what? That is coming. He will someday absolutely 00:48:09.139 --> 00:48:13.380 perfect us, body and soul. I can't wait. I'm 00:48:13.380 --> 00:48:17.460 getting closer. My wife just laughed. That's 00:48:17.460 --> 00:48:19.679 great. But I'm getting closer. It's exciting. 00:48:20.920 --> 00:48:25.920 Now, notice every step in this logical order 00:48:25.920 --> 00:48:31.559 comes from God. Even the one piece where we do 00:48:31.559 --> 00:48:34.019 have an action step. It's a real action step. 00:48:35.019 --> 00:48:37.619 Our conversion, but according to scripture, even 00:48:37.619 --> 00:48:41.460 our ability to turn to God, our ability to repent, 00:48:41.800 --> 00:48:44.900 our ability to put our faith in him, it's all 00:48:44.900 --> 00:48:48.639 a gift that God gives us that would not have 00:48:48.639 --> 00:48:51.440 been possible if he didn't first make us alive. 00:48:51.699 --> 00:48:55.039 If he didn't first clear up our spiritual blindness, 00:48:55.300 --> 00:49:01.360 it all comes from him. Now, let me draw your 00:49:01.360 --> 00:49:04.090 attention back. to our call to worship passage 00:49:04.090 --> 00:49:07.070 from this morning in Romans 8. It is a condensed 00:49:07.070 --> 00:49:09.989 version of that. Let me put it on the screen. 00:49:10.349 --> 00:49:13.630 A condensed version. We know that God, what? 00:49:13.949 --> 00:49:17.210 Causes. He is the cause of all of it. He causes 00:49:17.210 --> 00:49:20.730 all things. How many things? All things to work 00:49:20.730 --> 00:49:23.550 together for good to those who love God, to those 00:49:23.550 --> 00:49:27.190 who are called according to what? His purpose 00:49:27.190 --> 00:49:30.429 or his decree. Do you see the sovereignty already? 00:49:32.199 --> 00:49:37.659 For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined. 00:49:38.300 --> 00:49:40.539 To what? To be conformed to the image of his 00:49:40.539 --> 00:49:44.239 son. That is election. So that he would be the 00:49:44.239 --> 00:49:46.500 firstborn among many brethren. We see adoption 00:49:46.500 --> 00:49:49.780 there. Those he predestined, he also called. 00:49:49.920 --> 00:49:53.159 That is the inward call of the gospel, the effectual 00:49:53.159 --> 00:49:56.400 call. And those that he called, he also justified. 00:49:57.420 --> 00:49:59.719 And those that he justified, he also glorified. 00:50:01.130 --> 00:50:03.570 So we literally have an ordo salutis condensed 00:50:03.570 --> 00:50:07.809 right there in Romans 8. And I want you to notice 00:50:07.809 --> 00:50:11.750 the absolute certainty in that passage. Do you 00:50:11.750 --> 00:50:16.610 see it? He causes all things to happen according 00:50:16.610 --> 00:50:19.489 to his plan and purpose. So it will happen. If 00:50:19.489 --> 00:50:22.340 he foreknows you. He will conform you to the 00:50:22.340 --> 00:50:25.380 image of a son. If he predestined you, he will 00:50:25.380 --> 00:50:28.179 effectually call you. If he called you, he will 00:50:28.179 --> 00:50:31.559 justify you. He will save you. And if he justifies 00:50:31.559 --> 00:50:34.059 you, someday he will ultimately glorify you. 00:50:34.139 --> 00:50:39.119 Guys, there's no question in that text of what 00:50:39.119 --> 00:50:42.559 will take place. It's not open. God has promised 00:50:42.559 --> 00:50:45.079 it. He will bring it to pass. This is one of 00:50:45.079 --> 00:50:47.579 the beauties of understanding a reformed view 00:50:47.579 --> 00:50:50.400 of salvation. If God has marked you out for salvation, 00:50:50.860 --> 00:50:53.820 if in time and space he has saved you, you cannot 00:50:53.820 --> 00:50:57.460 run away. You cannot be lost because he's already 00:50:57.460 --> 00:50:59.300 declared that you will be all of these things, 00:50:59.380 --> 00:51:02.119 ultimately glorified. So we have great assurance 00:51:02.119 --> 00:51:08.380 of salvation, amen? Whew, okay, end of class. 00:51:09.869 --> 00:51:11.769 I could say so much more about this, but I'm 00:51:11.769 --> 00:51:13.849 not going to. Let me finish with just a couple 00:51:13.849 --> 00:51:16.429 more things because I know you guys have been 00:51:16.429 --> 00:51:20.530 patient. Five benefits, real fast. Benefits of 00:51:20.530 --> 00:51:22.710 knowing everything we've talked about this for. 00:51:22.789 --> 00:51:25.170 Why should we care about how we're saved? Number 00:51:25.170 --> 00:51:28.150 one, it'll produce in you an overwhelming sense 00:51:28.150 --> 00:51:32.550 of thankfulness. It will. For all that God has 00:51:32.550 --> 00:51:35.469 done for you in Christ. Number two, it'll produce 00:51:35.469 --> 00:51:38.130 in you the appropriate amount of wonder and worship 00:51:38.130 --> 00:51:42.139 for the Lord. You will worship more passionately 00:51:42.139 --> 00:51:45.420 if you understand how you've been saved. Number 00:51:45.420 --> 00:51:48.320 three, it will motivate you to devote your life 00:51:48.320 --> 00:51:52.519 to Christ with more zeal because you'll see what 00:51:52.519 --> 00:51:54.480 he's done for you. You're gonna wanna serve him 00:51:54.480 --> 00:51:56.840 more and you're gonna wanna serve others who 00:51:56.840 --> 00:52:00.880 know him here in your church family. Number four, 00:52:00.880 --> 00:52:03.179 it'll cause you to refocus your energy and attention 00:52:03.179 --> 00:52:07.409 on evangelism because now you know. that he will 00:52:07.409 --> 00:52:10.889 decisively save when you go out there faithfully 00:52:10.889 --> 00:52:13.809 and share your testimony. He will do that work. 00:52:14.489 --> 00:52:17.110 Our evangelism is guaranteed. Did you know that? 00:52:17.230 --> 00:52:19.710 Not in every case, but it's guaranteed because 00:52:19.710 --> 00:52:23.170 God will save whom he will save. It doesn't even 00:52:23.170 --> 00:52:26.250 matter if you do a good job of sharing. God can 00:52:26.250 --> 00:52:29.050 still use you as a vessel to share the truth. 00:52:29.800 --> 00:52:32.960 And lastly, it'll remind you that you have a 00:52:32.960 --> 00:52:37.579 stunning, miraculous testimony to share. If you 00:52:37.579 --> 00:52:39.679 can understand how you were saved, if you can 00:52:39.679 --> 00:52:42.340 articulate that to people, I was once blind, 00:52:42.440 --> 00:52:46.500 but now I see. I was once dead, but then I was 00:52:46.500 --> 00:52:49.159 made alive. I was once disobedient, but now I 00:52:49.159 --> 00:52:51.960 live to please my Savior. If you can share how 00:52:51.960 --> 00:52:55.039 this happened in your life, you've got a miraculous 00:52:55.039 --> 00:53:00.219 testimony. Amen? Finally, look at verse 8 in 00:53:00.219 --> 00:53:03.340 Titus 3. We're going to come back and look more 00:53:03.340 --> 00:53:06.340 at this next week. But look, I want to get you 00:53:06.340 --> 00:53:09.440 back as we close into the flow of this letter. 00:53:10.300 --> 00:53:13.219 Paul finishes this beautiful doctrine about salvation. 00:53:13.420 --> 00:53:15.659 And then verse 8, he says, this is a trustworthy 00:53:15.659 --> 00:53:18.119 statement. Everything I've just told you about 00:53:18.119 --> 00:53:21.159 salvation is trustworthy. And he says, Titus, 00:53:21.159 --> 00:53:23.440 concerning these things, I want you to speak 00:53:23.440 --> 00:53:27.179 confidently. By extension, that is an instruction 00:53:27.179 --> 00:53:30.059 to us in the church today. I want you to insist 00:53:30.059 --> 00:53:33.539 on these things, Titus. Jeff, Adam, elders, I 00:53:33.539 --> 00:53:36.360 want you to keep teaching these things. Do it 00:53:36.360 --> 00:53:39.179 confidently. Whenever the church gathers, remind 00:53:39.179 --> 00:53:41.780 people of these things. Why do they need to hear 00:53:41.780 --> 00:53:44.840 it? Paul says, so that those who have believed 00:53:44.840 --> 00:53:47.739 will be careful to engage in good deeds. Now, 00:53:47.739 --> 00:53:49.960 isn't that interesting? Big discussion about 00:53:49.960 --> 00:53:52.679 faith now connected to going out and doing good 00:53:52.679 --> 00:53:57.190 deeds. Right? We've got both sides of this controversial 00:53:57.190 --> 00:54:00.289 topic about faith and works. He says, look, Paul's 00:54:00.289 --> 00:54:02.530 back to his concern that he had in chapter 2 00:54:02.530 --> 00:54:05.210 about the church's witness in a pagan culture. 00:54:05.869 --> 00:54:08.010 And he says, well, how can we build this platform 00:54:08.010 --> 00:54:10.590 so that we can preach and teach about the wonders 00:54:10.590 --> 00:54:13.349 of salvation? And the answer back then is the 00:54:13.349 --> 00:54:15.969 same answer as today, by seeking the good of 00:54:15.969 --> 00:54:18.510 others, by doing good works that benefit our 00:54:18.510 --> 00:54:20.989 community, benefit the culture that we live in, 00:54:21.010 --> 00:54:24.110 to show unbelievers the goodness and grace and 00:54:24.110 --> 00:54:27.210 transforming power of knowing Christ. That's 00:54:27.210 --> 00:54:30.889 how. So we don't study doctrines in a vacuum 00:54:30.889 --> 00:54:33.230 just to go, wow, what a doctrine. Now we don't 00:54:33.230 --> 00:54:35.150 have to, we can just sit there and stare at it. 00:54:35.659 --> 00:54:38.519 No, God says, it's a beautiful doctrine. Now, 00:54:38.739 --> 00:54:41.599 let it affect your life. Go out and do these 00:54:41.599 --> 00:54:45.260 things. Show God's glory. Show God's grace to 00:54:45.260 --> 00:54:47.699 the unbelievers in Santa Clarita. Because now 00:54:47.699 --> 00:54:51.559 you know how you've been saved. Are you understanding 00:54:51.559 --> 00:54:55.920 what I'm talking about here? In order to do that, 00:54:55.960 --> 00:54:58.780 friends, remember these two things. What were 00:54:58.780 --> 00:55:04.840 you once? What were you? And number two, what 00:55:04.840 --> 00:55:09.159 has God done to rescue you from that? That is 00:55:09.159 --> 00:55:12.059 your testimony. And then go out and say, you 00:55:12.059 --> 00:55:14.239 know what? Because I've experienced this, because 00:55:14.239 --> 00:55:16.500 I've been given this gift, I want others to have 00:55:16.500 --> 00:55:20.179 it. And if God is gracious, he will use you and 00:55:20.179 --> 00:55:23.539 I as vessels of mercy to bring others into the 00:55:23.539 --> 00:55:27.360 kingdom. What an amazing thing that God, that 00:55:27.360 --> 00:55:30.519 he invites us into that process. He not only 00:55:30.519 --> 00:55:32.380 saves us, but then he says, I want you to be 00:55:32.380 --> 00:55:35.920 a vessel of mercy to call my elect into the kingdom. 00:55:36.260 --> 00:55:42.940 You guys, don't let this just drift by. Take 00:55:42.940 --> 00:55:46.679 a serious look at this passage. This week, pray 00:55:46.679 --> 00:55:49.460 through it. Thank the Lord Jesus Christ for all 00:55:49.460 --> 00:55:52.139 he's done for you. Amen? I'll stop ranting now. 00:55:52.179 --> 00:56:05.019 Let's pray. Father, it's so overwhelming to step 00:56:05.019 --> 00:56:08.679 back and to see what you've done for us. It just, 00:56:08.760 --> 00:56:13.559 it jars our emotions to look carefully at what 00:56:13.559 --> 00:56:17.480 you've declared in scripture, how foolish we 00:56:17.480 --> 00:56:21.500 once were, how selfish, how greedy, how rebellious, 00:56:21.639 --> 00:56:25.699 and that you didn't love us because we were lovable. 00:56:25.780 --> 00:56:28.150 You loved us just because we were lovable. straight 00:56:28.150 --> 00:56:32.530 out of your kindness and mercy. Lord, maybe that's 00:56:32.530 --> 00:56:35.809 the one thing that we should all walk out of 00:56:35.809 --> 00:56:38.989 with here this morning is to recognize that simple 00:56:38.989 --> 00:56:42.829 truth, the grace that you've shown us, the kindness, 00:56:42.989 --> 00:56:47.469 the mercy, the love. And God, I'm grateful this 00:56:47.469 --> 00:56:49.789 morning that you've showed us how you saved us. 00:56:49.869 --> 00:56:51.789 You've showed us exactly how sovereign you are. 00:56:52.530 --> 00:56:57.909 You've also showed us our part in this. to take 00:56:57.909 --> 00:56:59.909 the gift of faith that you've given us and to 00:56:59.909 --> 00:57:02.809 repent and believe and to keep on believing, 00:57:02.969 --> 00:57:05.449 Lord, as you hold us in the palm of your hand. 00:57:06.050 --> 00:57:08.230 So, Lord, seal these truths in our hearts. Help 00:57:08.230 --> 00:57:11.650 us to grow more and more in our understanding 00:57:11.650 --> 00:57:14.449 of what you've done for us so that we might be 00:57:14.449 --> 00:57:16.590 more thankful, so that we might worship better. 00:57:18.400 --> 00:57:20.539 All of this, Lord, is because of you, because 00:57:20.539 --> 00:57:22.519 of your goodness, because of your grace. And 00:57:22.519 --> 00:57:24.699 so, Lord, be glorified in our hearts and minds 00:57:24.699 --> 00:57:27.340 this morning. Even now, as we respond in singing, 00:57:27.460 --> 00:57:31.039 be glorified in us. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for 00:57:31.039 --> 00:57:32.619 our time together this morning. It's in your 00:57:32.619 --> 00:57:33.119 name we pray.