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Please turn with me in your Bible 
second Timothy chapter one. Second Timothy chapter one this 
morning we considered the comfort and encouragement that God's 
people have tonight. We're going to look at the plan 
of salvation. The reason we have that comfort and that encouragement 
is because God has graciously saved us. He has called us out 
of darkness into marvelous light. He has given us so great a salvation. So I thought we'd look at this 
this evening so that we can indeed rejoice in what our Lord has 
done in making us members of Zion, in having saved us by His 
grace and for His glory. Our primary focus this evening 
will be on 2 Timothy 1, verses 8 and 9. But I do want to read 
the chapter so we can see it in its context. This is the last 
letter that the apostle Paul wrote prior to his death. He speaks of his death in chapter 
four, verse six. He says, I am already being poured 
out as a drink offering and the time of my departure is at hand. 
I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have 
kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for 
me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous 
judge, will give to me on that day. And not to me only, but 
also to all who have loved his appearing. So this is the letter 
written in Paul's 11th hour. We ought to give attention to 
and heed to the word that he speaks in this particular epistle 
to his young companion, Timothy. I'll just pick up reading in 
Second Timothy, chapter one at verse one. Paul, an apostle of 
Jesus Christ, by the will of God, according to the promise 
of life which is in Christ Jesus. To Timothy, a beloved son, Grace, 
mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God whom I serve with 
a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember 
you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, 
being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy 
when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, 
which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice. 
and I am persuaded is in you also. Therefore, I remind you 
to stir up the gift of God, which is in you through the laying 
on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit 
of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore, 
do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner, 
but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the 
power of God. who has saved us and called us 
with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to 
his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus 
before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing 
of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought 
life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which 
I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the 
Gentiles. For this reason, I also suffer 
these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed, 
for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able 
to keep what I have committed to him until that day. Hold fast 
the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me in faith 
and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which 
was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in 
us. This you know, that all those 
in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and 
Hermogenes. The Lord grant mercy to the household 
of Anesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed 
of my chain. But when he arrived in Rome, 
he sought me out very zealously and found me. The Lord grant 
to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that day. And 
you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus. Amen. Well, let us pray. Blessed 
God, we thank you for your Word. We thank you for the plan of 
salvation. We know and acknowledge, Lord God, it was not us who saved 
ourselves. We didn't help you, Lord. You 
saved us, as the text so clearly indicates, and you called us 
with a holy calling. We give you praise and glory 
for the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We give you praise and 
glory for the power and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. And we praise 
you, Father, for your sovereign grace and for election and predestination 
and all these things the Bible so clearly sets forth. May they 
encourage us and may they cause us to reflect on the various 
reasons for our comfort that we have in you. We just pray 
now that you would forgive us for all of our sins. We pray 
that you would continually set before us the glory and the majesty 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. And it's in his name that we 
pray. Amen. Well, here specifically, Paul 
instructs Timothy not to be ashamed, but to share with him, rather, 
in the sufferings associated with the gospel. He also gives 
this wonderful summary statement of the gospel in verses 9 and 
10, which we will be studying, and then indicates that this 
is why he was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of 
the Gentiles. Again, his life is coming to 
a close. It's as if he is rehearsing or 
recounting, rather, where he has been, what he is doing, and 
he is exhorting Timothy to take up the mantle, as it were, to 
take up the baton and to continue to run with it. So there's a 
threefold purpose for him in this particular portion of Scripture. 
It is to encourage Timothy. It is to remind Timothy. And 
it is to, in fact, state the glory of the gospel of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Well, as we hone in now specifically 
on verses 9 and 10, I want to make five observations with reference 
to the plan of salvation. five truths concerning the plan 
of salvation that I hope, again, will serve to encourage us and 
remind us that the God of Psalm 46 is the God who has called 
us and brought us into saving union with Jesus Christ. The 
first observation is that the blessing is stated initially. He says in verse 9, who has saved 
us? All glory, all power, all praise, 
all honor in the plan of salvation goes not to us. It goes to God. God saved us. He initiated the 
plan. He executes the plan. He carries 
out the plan. And so, as Paul begins to open 
up this plan, he references the power of God in verse 8, and 
then he highlights the saving efficacy of God in verse 9. He has saved us. He has saved us from sin. Matthew 
1 and verse 21, you should call his name Jesus for he will save 
his people from their sin. He saves us from the curse of 
the law in Galatians chapter 3. Christ has become a curse 
for us so that he might redeem those who are under the curse. Christ, the Father, saves us 
from spiritual death. Remember in Ephesians 2, and 
you being dead in your trespasses and sins, He made us alive together 
with Him. The Bible sets forth a monergistic 
view of salvation. That means God alone working. God alone saving. He has saved 
us, is what the Apostle says. He saves us from alienation. Remember, we considered that 
a couple of weeks ago. We've moved from alienation to 
reconciliation, according to Colossians chapter 1, verses 
21 and 22. We were alienated by God. We were alienated from God. We 
considered him our enemy, and he likewise considered us his 
enemy. But through the gospel, through 
his saving purpose, through the fact that he has saved us, he 
has brought us nigh by the blood of Jesus Christ. He has saved 
us from the devil himself. The text or the various places 
in scripture highlight this reality. We ought to realize that the 
devil roams about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. But he is not omnipotent. He 
is not omniscient. He is not able to trip us up. Colossians 2.15 says that Jesus 
has disarmed principalities and powers. He made a public spectacle 
of them, triumphing over them in it. At the cross, Jesus bound 
the devil. In Hebrews chapter 2, setting 
that forth in verse 14, inasmuch then as the children have partaken 
of flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared in the same, 
that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, 
that is, the devil. and release those who through 
fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. So he has saved us from sin. He has saved us from the curse 
of the law. He saves us from spiritual death. He saves us 
from alienation. He saves us from the devil. And 
he saves us from damnation or everlasting condemnation or the 
punishment that is due sinners as a result of their transgression 
against God. You remember that blessed portion 
in Romans 8. He says, Therefore, there is 
now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Is that 
a blessed thought, a blessed reality? We can say with the 
Apostle, O death, where is your sting? Grave, where is your victory? He that believes on the Son has 
everlasting life. He that does not believe the 
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. But for those who are in the 
Son, those who have been saved by God's grace, no more wrath. No more curse, no more condemnation, 
no more judgment. When we stand before the throne 
on that day of judgment, we will hear that blessed verdict rendered, 
not guilty. Again, not because of ourselves 
as we move through this plan, but solely and alone founded 
upon and grounded in the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. In summary, what Paul says here 
in verse 9, who has saved us, jives with the prophets before 
him and the apostles throughout the text of Scripture, as Jonah 
says in Jonah 2.9, salvation is of the Lord. You get to the 
book of Revelation and you see that church triumphant assembled 
before the throne of God and the Lamb who sits on the throne. 
What is their refrain? What is their cry? What is their 
reason for praise? They say salvation belongs to 
our God and to the Lamb who sits on the throne. I often muse that 
in heaven there is no more Arminianism. I'm not saying there's not Arminians. God is gracious. God is merciful. God is kind. We are saved by 
grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Someone once 
asked George Whitefield, do you think when you get to heaven 
you'll see John Wesley? And he said, no, I don't think 
that I will. So the person thought, ooh, you must not believe that 
Arminians go to heaven. He said, John Wesley's going 
to be so close to the throne, I won't be able to see him because 
of the radiance of the light. But in heaven, doctrinally, there's 
no Arminianism. Doctrinally, there's no semi-Pelagianism. No one in heaven is patting themselves 
on the back and seeking praise for having contributed to their 
own salvation. In heaven, the doctrine is consistently 
Reformed theology. The doctrine is consistently, 
God is the one who has saved us. Salvation belongs to our 
God and to the Lamb who sits on the throne. That's the first 
observation. The blessing stated, He has saved 
us. Notice, secondly, the calling 
employed. Verse 9, Who has saved us and 
called us with a holy calling. This may be a holy calling because 
the God who is holy calls us, or it is a call unto holiness. Not because of, we are saved 
by grace alone, through faith alone, in order to pursue holiness. But the emphasis, the stress, 
the accent falls on this idea of having been called. What does 
Paul refer to in this particular section? The means highlighted 
here is what we call the effectual call of God. The Bible makes 
this distinction. If the theological jargon isn't 
there, the doctrine most certainly is. The gospel is to be preached 
to every creature indiscriminately. Jesus says, go and preach the 
gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized 
will be saved. Whoever does not believe will 
not be saved. That is the general call. We 
go out and we publish the truth concerning Christ. We set forth 
the reality that He lived, that He died, that He rose again. 
That, incidentally, is the gospel. The gospel is not the effect 
in your life. The gospel is not your holiness. 
The gospel is not your conformity to Jesus. The Gospel is the record, 
the historical revealed truth, the propositions concerning Jesus 
Christ and Him crucified. We publish that. We preach it. 
We proclaim it. We write. We witness. We evangelize. We testify. We pray that the 
Gospel would run swiftly and be glorified. We call all men 
indiscriminately to believe that truth. That Gospel call goes 
out generally, but there is an effectual call. It is when the 
Spirit attends. It is when the Spirit moves the 
heart. It is when the Spirit constrains belief. Remember that 
heart song we just sang. Joseph Hart says, all he requires 
is that you feel your need for him. Then what does he say? This he gives you. This he gives you. This he gives you. Sinners dead 
in their trespasses and sins do not feel their need for a 
Savior. God must make you alive. God 
must regenerate. God must breathe new life into 
you before any of these spiritual verities begin to make sense 
in your life. Paul highlights here the effectual 
call of God. Yes, we pray for the spread of 
the gospel. We pray for the general call. 
We ought to pray for the effectual call. God, send your spirit and 
bring the blessing down from heaven to save sinners from their 
sins. Look at Romans chapter 8 for 
just a moment. Romans chapter 8, just to highlight 
this effectual calling from God. This incidentally explains why 
two people can grow up in the same house, hear the same sermons, 
read the same books. And one ultimately is a Jacob, 
and the other is an Esau. One ultimately is an Isaac, and 
the other is an Ishmael. It is because of God's effectual 
call. It is because God regenerates. It is because God gives ears 
to hear, and eyes to see, and raises dead men from the grave 
according to His sovereign purposes, which He purposed in Christ Jesus 
before the foundation of the world. Notice in Romans 8.28, 
We know that all things work together for good. To those who 
love God, to those who are, notice, the called according to his purpose. The effectually called. Those 
who have by God's grace been saved. They are the called according 
to his purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also 
predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He 
might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom 
He predestined, these He also called. Whom He called, these 
He also justified. And whom He justified, these 
He also glorified." We know He's not dealing with the general 
call. Not every man that hears the gospel, not every man that 
hears the truth about Christ is effectually called. They're 
not all justified. They're not all glorified. Paul 
is speaking here specifically of that efficacious grace where 
God lays hold of the sinner. I mean, just think back in your 
own experience. You were dead in your trespasses 
and sins. You probably heard sermons. You 
probably heard preaching. You probably read scripture. 
You probably clicked on sermon audio at one point in your life, 
and it was like a dead letter to you. Why all of a sudden in 
time and space did it make sense? Why all of a sudden did it seem 
real? Why all of a sudden did it seem 
like a living word from the living God spoken definitively to your 
heart? It's the power of God. It's the 
effectual call. It's a blessing. It's a good 
thing. We ought to pray to God that 
he would call sinners by his grace and for his glory. In Romans 9, verse 10, and not 
only this, but when Rebekah also had conceived by one man, even 
by our father Isaac, for the children not yet being born, 
nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God, according 
to election, might stand, not of works, but him who calls. Again, the effectual calling 
of God. Verse 24, even us whom he called, 
not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. 1 Corinthians chapter 1. 1 Corinthians 
1, verse 9, God is faithful by whom you were called into the 
fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Galatians 1, 
verse 6, the Apostle marvels, verse 6, that you are turning 
away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ to 
a different gospel which is not another. You have to appreciate 
this theological construct. The general call is published 
to all men. The effectual call is for the 
elect. God calls his people out of darkness 
into marvelous light. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 and 
verse 24. It's highlighting this effectual 
calling of God. He who calls you is faithful, 
who also will do it. And then in Ephesians, I'm sorry, 
in 1 Timothy chapter 6, this is a great one to observe. 1 
Timothy chapter 6, notice at verse 11. Let you, O man of God, 
flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, 
love, patience, gentleness. The man of God should be fleeing, 
following, fighting, and faithful. Those four F's ought to characterize 
the man of God. And the notice in verse 12, fight 
the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life to which 
you were also called and have confessed the good confession 
in the presence of many witnesses. Is that a beautiful statement? 
Timothy was effectually called. And it was as amazing and as 
glorious and as magnificent as if Timothy had gone astray in 
a wicked sort of way. What does Paul say? Timothy was 
brought up in a religious setting, wasn't he? He had a godly mother. 
He had a godly grandmother. That didn't ensure salvation. 
He needed the effectual call of God. You see, it wasn't just 
nurture. It certainly wasn't nature. It's 
sovereign grace. He was called. We see that call 
highlighted when a man is in the depths of depravity, at least 
as far as we ascertain. You know, when we look at that 
prodigal out, you know, squandering his father's money, wasting everything 
on prodigal living, finally lusting after the food that pigs are 
eating. I mean, just think about that story in light of the Jews 
and pigs. I mean, come on. Here's this 
guy coveting what pigs are eating. It's unclean animal. The effectual 
call is obvious in that particular instance. It's not always as 
obvious when a child is raised in a godly context, when he's 
hearing the scripture, when he's being taught the truth, and he 
makes that pass from death unto life. It's almost imperceptible, 
but it's the same effectual calling. It's the same grace, the same 
glory, the same power, the same excellence that God the Lord 
uses to arrest prodigals and bring them back to the fold. 
The holy calling of God is the means employed in bringing us 
out of darkness into marvelous light. So we've seen the blessing, 
the calling. Thirdly, notice the basis for 
our salvation. Paul continues in verse 9, who 
has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according 
to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which 
was given to us in Christ Jesus. Not according to our works, but 
according to his own purpose and grace. You all know the text, 
I hope. I hope. I wish we could, you 
know, just say, OK, let's shut the live audio stream off, give 
everybody a piece of paper and a pencil, number two pencil, 
and write down those texts which highlight that salvation is not 
according to our works. I really hope everybody would 
have a few right off the bat. You know, have a couple in your 
shotgun ready to go. You should be thinking Ephesians 
2. Think about Romans 3. Therefore, 
by the deeds of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. No flesh whatsoever by the deeds 
of the law, by our doing, by our performance, by our working. You should be thinking Galatians 
chapter 2 and verse 16. You should be thinking Titus 
chapter 3. Hopefully you're thinking 2 Timothy chapter 1. Not according 
to our works. You see, the Bible highlights 
this reality, this fact, from beginning to end, that man is 
totally depraved and man is completely unable to merit God's favor. We cannot save ourselves. Incidentally, 
that was a soteriological argument that Athanasius leveled for the 
deity of Jesus Christ. Remember, Athanasius was the 
strong contender for the deity of Christ, the godhood of Christ. 
He was a strong contender for the doctrine of the Trinity against 
Arius. Arius denied the deity of Jesus. He said there was a time when 
the Son was not. There was a time when the Son 
was not, and God called him into being. Modern-day Arians are 
Jehovah's Witnesses. They teach this very heresy. 
Well, one of Athanasius' arguments, other than exegetical, because 
the Bible sets it forth clearly, there was a soteriological argument. He said only God himself could 
save fallen humanity. You see, if Jesus isn't God, 
then ultimately a man alone saved his people from their sin. Jesus 
Christ saves us. Jesus Christ does not do it based 
on our works, based on our ability, for we are depraved, we're unable 
to merit God's favor. The basis of our salvation, not 
according to our works, just in case you missed all those 
other passages, but according to his own purpose and grace. 
I'm excited in our studies in Deuteronomy on Wednesday night. We're going to get to chapter 
7 and chapter 9. God is going to tell the nation of Israel 
very specifically, don't think I chose you because you are more 
numerous than other nations. Don't think I chose you because 
you are more mighty than other nations. Don't think I chose 
you because you are more righteous than other nations. The point 
is God chose them according to his purpose and according to 
his grace. He made a covenant. He initiated 
this with Abraham. In Abraham, all the nations, 
all the families of the earth would be blessed. It is God's 
prerogative to save whom He'll save. Salvation is of the Lord. The Bible stresses God's purpose, 
God's plan, God's result, God's will in the saving of sinners. In Ephesians chapter 1, highlighting 
the saving work of the triune God, the Father chooses, the 
Son redeems, the Spirit guarantees and seals. In the midst of this, 
he says in verse 11 of Ephesians 1, in Him also we have obtained 
an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him 
who works all things according to the counsel of His will. God's 
will reigns supreme in the matter of salvation. As Paul said in 
Romans 9, 16, it does not depend upon him who wills or upon him 
who runs, but on God who shows mercy. Praise the Lord. Though we are depraved, though 
we are unable, God has purpose to save a great multitude that 
no man can number. That is the basis for our salvation, 
not according to our words, but according to his own purpose 
and grace. You will not stand on the day of judgment and say, 
I made a better decision. I signed a card. I walked forward. I sent in my $10. I got my name 
written on this particular church roster. I went to Sunday school. There's a lot of people that 
think that sort of thing. Just going door to door, passing 
out tracts in life, you'll see this. You'll meet people that 
are hinging their everlasting soul on some pretty shaky ground. 
Oh, yeah, I'm doing OK because my dad taught Sunday school. That's not right. Your dad taught 
Sunday school and somehow that's going to keep you from the wrath 
of God for your sin. You might even say, I taught 
Sunday school. Teaching Sunday school does not 
alleviate the problem. The chasm created between God 
and us as a result of our sin, our rebellion, our transgression, 
our want of conformity unto and transgression of the law of God. There is no alleviation of that 
issue except through the work of the Lord Jesus. He is the 
blessed peacemaker. He reconciles sinners unto God, 
and he is the one who saves us by his grace and for his glory. 
Notice, fourthly, the origin of the plan of salvation. The 
origin, notice in verse 9, not according to our works, but according 
to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ 
Jesus before time began. Before time began. This is not an afterthought in 
the mind of God. God did not create this world, 
cease and introduce. panic, react, and then set a 
plan in motion. Before time began, God orchestrated 
exactly what He was going to carry out. Now, I know that at 
this point, people begin to get a little freaked out. They get 
a little bit of shake. They get a little bit of, what 
does that mean in terms of implications? God, by definition, brethren, 
decrees, orders, carries out, executes, manifests His glory, 
and does His good pleasure. This ought not to scare us. It 
ought to encourage us. We're not an afterthought in 
the mind of God. Before time began, He chose us 
in Him. In Ephesians 1-4, Paul says the 
very same thing. He chose us in Him before the 
foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless. 
You cannot deny Sovereign grace. You cannot deny election. You 
cannot deny predestination. You can try to twist it. You 
can try to manipulate it. You can try to say things like 
I just read a man debating James White said. Not all scripture 
says what it appears to say. Well, if not all scripture says 
what it appears to say, how do we ever interpret it? If it appears 
to say God is sovereign, why doesn't it mean that? If it appears 
to say Jesus died on the cross for our sins, why doesn't it 
mean that? You see, once you open the door 
on that sort of thinking, you might as well throw the Bible 
away. This is why people don't look at the Bible as infallible 
and inerrant and trustworthy and all that it affirms concerning 
history and science and doctrine and ethics and religious practice 
or any other topic. We begin to introduce doubt. 
We begin to listen to the devil, who introduced us in the garden 
to Eve. Has God truly said, or has God 
indeed said? We begin to give space to that, 
and then we come up with statements like, well, it doesn't mean what 
it appears to say. Can't interpret the scripture 
that way. You can't make heads or tails out of anything. The 
origin of the plan of salvation, which grace was given to us in 
Christ Jesus before time began. The sphere is in Christ. All 
spiritual blessing comes in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. 
Trace through Ephesians 1 sometime and notice that phrase over and 
over and over again. In Christ He chose us. predestinated 
us unto adoption as sons in Christ. Everything is in Christ. We don't 
stand apart from Christ. We are saved. We have refuge. 
We have protection. We have solace in Christ and 
in him alone. The time before the foundation 
of the world. Let's just look at a few passages 
to further illustrate this. John 17 and verse 24, Jesus' 
high priestly prayer, Father, I desire that they also, whom 
you gave me, may be with me where I am, that they may behold my 
glory which you have given me, for you love me before the foundation 
of the world. Romans, chapter 16. Romans, chapter 
16. It's all part of what we call 
the pactum salutis, or the covenant of redemption, or the counsel 
of peace. The fact that the Father gave 
a people to the Son to save them from their sins. Romans 16, now 
to him who is able to establish you, according to my gospel and 
the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of 
the mystery, kept secret since the world began, but now made 
manifest, and by the prophetic scriptures made known to all 
nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience 
to the faith, to God alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ 
forever. Amen. The Father gave a people 
to the Son. The Son, in time and history, 
comes to redeem them. The Son does His work in accordance 
with that blessed pact made with the Father in history past. And then notice, fifthly, the 
execution of the plan. But now has been revealed. See, 
that's the ordo salutis. Actum salutis refers to the eternal 
covenant or the council or the covenant of redemption. The ordo 
salutis, you've probably heard that before, the order of salvation. You might call that the historia 
salutis, how it's fleshed out. You see, God makes a decree to 
save a people from their sins. God purposes in terms of election 
and sovereign grace and predestination. God has purpose. Again, it's 
not something willy-nilly. This isn't an afterthought. This 
isn't plan B. God doesn't panic. He doesn't 
react. He doesn't say, what am I going to do now? God, before 
time began, selected a people to save them from their sins, 
ordained Jesus Christ as the covenant head and mediator to 
come and rescue them. And that initiates that blessed 
reality, the application of salvation. Notice, before time began, verse 
9, and now verse 10, but has now been revealed by the appearing 
of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought 
life and immortality to light through the gospel. It is the 
life, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension which has secured 
the salvation of all those whom the Father chose and called. It is the work of Christ. It is the execution of His mission 
and His ministry in His doing and dying and rising, which brings 
those promises of God to bear upon the elect of God. It's a 
great plan, isn't it? It's an amazing plan, a beautiful 
plan. I don't know why anybody has 
a problem with this plan. I've often wondered practically, why 
are there Arminians? Why are there Pelagians? I mean, 
why won't you love this? Why don't you care to see how 
just beautifully orchestrated this whole thing is? There's 
no margin for error. It's triune. It's God the Father 
electing. It's God the Son redeeming. It's 
God the Spirit applying. There's no margin for error. 
It's foolproof, we might say. We can't even mess it up. We 
can't even mess it up. God executes His decree. The 
works of creation and providence. Creation and providence serve 
the greater redemptive purposes of God to save His people from 
their sins. The redemptive plan of God is 
hinged upon and accomplished in the doing, dying, and rising. of Jesus Christ, our Lord. So in two brief verses, Paul 
sets forth for us the plan of salvation, the glory of the gospel. This is why Psalm 46 is a reality 
for you and I. It's not because of our works, 
not because of our ingenuity, not because we placed ourselves 
in this scheme, but because God called us with a holy calling, 
because Jesus came into this world to live and die and rise 
again. It is based on that fact, based on that fact alone, that 
we can say God is our refuge. God is a present help in times 
of trouble. God is there in the midst of 
the fire for his people because he has purposed to save them 
from their sins. Well, in this short span, we 
see first the supremacy of God in salvation. It's not you. You didn't save yourself. When 
you come to sing hymns on Sunday, it's not because of your accomplishments. 
Notice the hymns are designed to bring glory to God, not you. You don't sing in these hymns, 
Oh, thank you, Father, that I saved myself. Thank you, Father, that 
I put myself under the holy calling. Thank you, Father, that I placed 
myself in your divine prerogative. No, we give praise to God. We 
imitate the church triumphant who says salvation belongs to 
our God and to the land that sits on the throne. We see, secondly, 
the glory of Christ in accomplishment. the glory of Christ and accomplishment, 
but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior, 
Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality 
to light through the gospel. You have life, you have immortality, 
you have blessed privilege, you have the security of heaven for 
you based on the doing and the dying and the rising of Jesus 
Christ. Never forget that. The glory of Christ is manifest 
in the gospel. Thirdly, we see the power of 
the Spirit in securing these things. See that a bit more fully 
in Ephesians chapter 1. You may turn there for just a 
moment. Again, after Paul celebrates 
the work of the Father in salvation, the Son in salvation, he then 
turns his attention to the Spirit. We already read verse eleven, 
let's just read it again. In him also we have obtained 
an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of him 
who works all things according to the counsel of his will, that 
we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of his 
glory. In him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, 
the gospel of your salvation, in whom also, having believed, 
you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. A beautiful 
thing. He feels that it is the spirit 
himself who seals us. And then he goes on to say, who 
is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased 
possession to the praise of his glory. The spirit is the guarantee. The spirit secures us. The spirit 
keeps us. The spirit does not allow us 
to perish. Father, son and Holy Spirit working 
to save his people from their sins. One man wrote an introduction 
to John Owen's famous work, The Death of Death and the Death 
of Christ. It's a work on particular atonement, which that man who 
wrote the preface or the introductory essay says no one's answered 
it to this day. I mean, it's been in existence 
for 400 years. Let the Armenians destroy Owen's 
argument. They haven't. They can't. They haven't. But in this introductory 
essay, the author says, He's using what Spurgeon called a 
nickname for the gospel, Calvinism. This man uses that term. He says, 
for of Calvinism, there is really only one point to be made in 
the field of soteriology. You've traditionally heard of 
the five points of Calvinism, total depravity, unconditional 
election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, perseverance 
of the saints, preservation by God. We might throw a P in there. 
Give it two Ps there. Perseverance and preservation. We persevere because God preserves. That's right. Five points of 
Calvinism. But this man is just sort of 
honing in and making this statement. For up Calvinism, there is really 
only one point to be made in the field of soteriology. Doctrine 
of salvation. The point that God saves sinners. That's what we need to know, 
right? He says, God, the triune Jehovah, father, son and spirit, 
three persons working together in sovereign wisdom, power and 
love to achieve the salvation of a chosen people. The father 
electing the son, fulfilling the father's will by redeeming 
the spirit, executing the purpose of father and son by renewing 
saves. does everything, first to last, 
that is involved in bringing man from death in sin to life 
in glory, plans, achieves and communicates redemption, calls 
and keeps, justifies, sanctifies, glorifies sinners, men as God 
finds them, guilty, vile, helpless, powerless, blind, unable to lift 
a finger to do God's will or better their spiritual lives. 
And I ask the question, why would anybody choose Arminianism or 
Pelagianism? Do you want a gospel where God 
saves sinners? Not sinners save sinners. We 
mess everything up. Sometimes it's hard to get out 
of bed on time, isn't it? Sometimes you might forget to 
carry the one and mess your whole checkbook up. Sometimes you forget 
your PIN number at the store. Do you really want to be responsible 
for your eternal salvation? Who wouldn't want that basic 
proposition to be true? God says sinners. Isn't this essentially what the 
apostle says in Romans five, eight, God demonstrates his own 
love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died 
for us. Salvation from first to last. is of the Lord. nor height, nor depth, nor any 
other created thing shall be able to separate us from the 
love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we give you praise and glory that you save sinners. We give 
you praise and glory that the prophet Jonah said, salvation 
is of the Lord. We give you praise and glory 
that you have included us in this wondrous plan. And God, 
for those in this room that do not know you, we pray that they 
would believe the gospel, they would believe concerning Christ 
and Him crucified and Him resurrected, that they would look unto Him 
and know the joy of everlasting life. We pray this gospel would 
be proclaimed, that it would be published to every creature 
under heaven, and that, God, you would be well pleased to 
save a great multitude which no man can number, men from every 
tribe and tongue and people and nation. God, truly, get glory 
in the salvation of souls. And Lord, please watch over us 
in this coming week. Continue to cause us to reflect 
upon Psalm 46 and on 2 Timothy 1. May these things encourage 
us. May they build us up. May they strengthen us for the 
tasks that you have ahead for us in this coming week. We just 
pray these things now in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
Amen.