VICARIOUS ATONEMENT (6)
For Whom? (2)
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GOOD NEWS FROM THE REDEEMER
March 18, 2007 MESSAGE #676
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IV. Christ's friends – as when Christ declares in John 15:13: "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends."
1. Christ identifies His friends in the context of the present text (vv.14, 12, 17): "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. ... This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ... These things I command you, that you love one another."
2. Christ's friends are distinguished from those who through friendship with the world prove themselves to be Christ's enemies (James 4:4): "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
V. Church of God – as in Acts 20:28: "the church of God ... He purchased with His own blood" (i.e., with the blood of God); also Ephesians 5:25: "Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her."
1. God's church identified and distinguished.
i. It is the "congregation of the righteous" with whom "the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment" (Psalm 1:5).
ii. It us distinguished from the congregation of unbelieving goats separated from the congregation of obedient sheep – "the congregation of the righteous" – at the final judgment (Matthew 25:31ff). (Compare the "synagogue of Satan" falsely claiming to be God's people in Revelation 2:9; 3:9.)
2. God's church blessed with atonement. This we see in the present texts and their contexts.
ii. It is loved by Christ (Ephesians 5:25): "Christ loved the church." (Excluded from God's church are those whom Christ in His justice must hate, as in Psalms 5:4-6; 11:5f.)
iii. It is saved in and by Christ (Ephesians 5:23): "Christ is ... the Savior of the body."
iv. It is sanctified and cleansed by Christ (Ephesians 5:26f): "He might [not possibly, but certainly] sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word."
v. It is preserved in holiness by Christ (Ephesians 5:27): "He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish."
vi. It is nourished and cherished by Christ (Ephesians 5:29): "the Lord nourishes and cherishes the church" (adapted).
vii. It is unified forever in Christ (Ephesians 5:31f): "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church."
VI. Christ's sheep – as in Jesus saying in John 10:11: "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."
1. Christ's sheep are identified in the context of the present text.
i. They are all who are known by Christ (v.14a): "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep" (cp. 2 Timothy 2:19).
-- Contrast Matthew 7:21-23: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'"
ii. They are all who know Christ (v.14b): "I ... am known by my own" (cp. 2 Timothy 1:12).
iii. They are all who hear Christ's voice - through the preaching of Christ (vv.16): "they will hear My voice" (cp. John 18:37b; Acts 22:7-10, 14).
iv. They are all who recognize Christ's voice (v.4): "And when he brings out His own sheep, He goes before them; and the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice" (cp. Solomon 5:2).
v. They are all who flee from strangers preaching a message contrary to Christ's (vv.5, 8): "Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. ... All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them" (cp. 2 John v.10).
vi. They are all who believe in Christ – thereby proving they are sheep and not goats (v.26): "But you [the goats] do not believe, because you are not of My sheep" (cp. Acts 13:48b).
vii. They are all who follow Christ (v.27): "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (cp. v.4).
viii. They are all who are given by Christ eternal life (v.28a): "And I give them eternal life" (cp. Revelation 20:6).
ix. They are all who will never perish in their sins (v.28b): "and they shall never perish."
x. They are all who are eternally secure in the hand of Christ and His Father (vv.28c-29): "neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. ... and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand."
xi. They are all who were given to Christ by His Father (v.29): "My Father ... has given them to Me" (cp. John 17: 2, 6a, 6b, 9, 11, 12, 24).
xii. They are all who recognize the essential unity of Christ with His Father (v.30): "I and My Father are one."
-- Contrast the goats (vv.31-33): "Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, 'Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?' The Jews answered Him, saying, 'For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.'"
2. Christ's sheep are distinguished from goats – those to whom He says, "But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep" (John 10:26).
i. Christ hereby teaches that He would not die in the place and stead of, nor waste a drop of His precious blood on, obstinate unbelieving and disobedient goats.
ii. Christ furthermore declares that all such goats will be separated from His sheep at the final judgment, and then throughout eternity (Matthew 25:31ff).
VII. People out of all peoples – as in Revelation 5:9: "You are worthy ...; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation."
1. This song proves Christ is "the Savior of the world", not of the Jews only (John 4:42; cp. 1:9, 29; 3:16f; also 2 Corinthians 5:14f, 19; 1 Timothy 2:4 6; 1 John 2:2; 4:14).
2. This song denies Christ died for all without exception – as aver universalists. Rather, it proves He died for all without distinction – for those whom He redeemed "out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation".
3. This song demonstrates that every one for whom Christ was slain will forever sing His praise for obtaining their redemption and atonement. Not one of them will perish unredeemed or at enmity against God. Their song praises His vicarious death that satisfied God's justice and obtained their atonement.
(To be continued)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~