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[Music] good morning to everyone welcome to free grace Baptist Church welcome back for all who have returned from traveling it's good good to have many of you back a pastor Butler is back in preaching this morning he and Rebecca have returned dawn and Joanne and in others so all is right at free grace Baptist Church when everyone's back just a few announcements before we begin worship the first is just a reminder that the Hutchings have applied for membership and we look forward to a welcome welcoming them into the membership here at free grace Baptist Church within the next couple of weeks so if you haven't spoken with them or you haven't met them yet they are our delightful American family sitting five pews back on the left-hand side Bible study will be back on this upcoming Wednesday night so that 7:30 p.m. again Bible study is back on this upcoming Wednesday 7:30 p.m. as well we can add a couple more expectant mothers to the list Melissa Fisher and Alexandra summer so we can rejoice in that news and and we can add them to the list of expecting mothers so praise God for these good gifts well let's turn in our Bibles then as we begin our worship if you'll turn with me to Psalm 96 Psalm 96 Psalm 96 beginning in verse 1 this is the word of the living and true God Oh sing to the Lord a new song sing to the Lord all the earth sing to the Lord bless his name proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day declare his glory among the nations his wonders among all peoples for the Lord is great and greatly to be praised he is to be feared above all gods for all the gods of the peoples are idols but the Lord made the heavens honor and Majesty are before him strength and beauty are in his sanctuary give to the Lord Oh families of the peoples give to the Lord glory and strength give to the Lord the glory due his name bring an offering and come into his courts a worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness tremble before him all the earth say among the nation's the Lord reigns the world also is firmly established it shall not be moved he shall judge the peoples righteously let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad let the sea roar and all its fullness let the field be joyful and all that is in it then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord for he is coming for he is coming to judge the earth he shall judge the world with righteousness and the people's with his truth amen let's stand and sing we're going to sing from the Red Trinity Psalter that's the thinner red book in front of you were going to sing Psalm 9 verses 1 to 10 let's stand together Psalm 9 [Music] [Applause] [Music] please be seated let's go to our God in prayer let us pray Heavenly Father we come to you now the name of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ and by the spirit of our God we come to you and ask that you would help us to worship your right in this place this morning we would once again pray that you would help us to hallow your name we pray that we would give you honor and praise and all glory and we would pray as well and again as we do each and every Lord's day that every single one of your churches gathering on this year Lord's Day would hallow your most high name they would sing your praises that they would rejoice and Father Son and Holy Spirit and Lord God that you would be the recipient of of honor and praise not only in this place this morning but around the globe that you're gathered rejoice in their God we thank you Lord God for the gospel of our savior the Lord Jesus Christ we rejoice in the fact that we have in him salvation from our sins and everlasting life we thank you that we have that blessed eternal salvation that you've given to us in Christ Jesus the Lord we know that we are not saved by deeds of righteousness which we have done but much rather according to your mercy you saved us and we know that this comes by way of the perfect life that efficacious death and the glorious resurrection of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ we thank you that you did send him into this world sinners to save that he lived a life of perfect obedience unto your law in the stead of all those who believe in his name and we rejoice in that work upon Calvary's cross wherein he did not render an atonement of maybe or perhaps but that cross is that place where our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ perfectly secured the salvation of a multitude that no man can number and we thank you for the his precious blood shed upon Calvary's cross knowing that by it and by it alone we have the forgiveness of sins we rejoice in his resurrection on the third day we thank you that he arose in power and in great victory and that all those to look at who looked to him in we'll have do have everlasting life we do pray that you would just cause us to rejoice in our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ and that our Our Blessed King would be exalted upon the praises of this Assembly and upon the multitude of assemblies that gathered together in the name in his name around the world today we rejoice in your grace we rejoice in the blest victorious grace that you've poured out upon your people we do pray for that again today that in this place sinners would be saved we pray Lord God whether young or old all who entered in these two doors outside of Christ would would leave singing the praises of our of our God Father Son and Holy Spirit would leave joyfully rehearsing those blessed things of the gospel of Jesus Christ we do just pray Lord that you would save that you would pour out your spirit in this place this morning and by that spirit working by your word in gospel many would leave singing the praises of our Christ we do pray Lord that you would just be with those in our midst who suffer with with disease and illness as we come to you each and every lord's day bringing these things before you we pray for all of those who are struggling with illness with disease with injury recovering from surgery and medical procedures and in all of these things Lord perhaps they're looking at upcoming procedures surgeries and those things we do just pray that you'd comfort hearts we pray that you would strengthen your people we pray that you attend to the wounds of the physical man and that just cause each and every one of these to know health to know strength and to know reprieves from pain and all of those things and we do just pray Lord God that in the midst of suffering and in the midst of physical affliction in the midst of all these things we pray that you'd uplift them in spirit and it just caused them to reflect with great joy upon their God upon the promises of the word and upon the glories of Jesus Christ we would ask that you would be with all those who are with child we rejoice in these these new names we can add to the list of Prayer for those who are pregnant lord we do just pray that you'd bless each and every one that for all mothers who are pregnant Lord that you watch over them that you'd strengthen them daily that you attend to those babies in their wombs cause them to know daily nourishment and growth and we do just pray Lord God that in due time these would be brought forth with without issue with strength with health and Lord God that mothers that fathers would rejoice that we as a church would rejoice and these good gifts that you give and we do pray Lord for all of these young ones and including those now in our midst we do just pray that in due time you would bring them forth by your grace by your gospel unto salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord we long to see our young ones owning the name of our God and rejoicing in our Redeemer and we do just pray it pray for your grace unto that end we would ask Lord God that you'd be once again with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world who suffer persecution for the cause of the gospel we would ask that you attend to each and every one we know that you are a God who is near and we do pray that you'd be with them and cause them to know your presence to know your comfort to know the courage that only the triune God can afford his persecuted Saints and we do just pray that you'd strengthen them in the midst of tyranny and opposition and violence and anger and all of these things Lord we do just pray that you would cause them to be able to look with eyes of faith upon the risen King and in him find comfort and and much strength for day to day we do pray that you would deal with those who do persecute them as we do pray often Lord and each and every Lord's day we would ask that you would save many who are now your enemies that you would bring them forth from the darkness and the madness of their idolatry and being dead in their trespasses and in their sins Lord God that by victorious grace you would raise them up that you would bring them from darkness to light you would bring them from deadness to life in Christ and cause them to sing the praises of the triune God and to rejoice in Christ we pray that many would turn from their idols and would turn unto the Living God find in him their all in all we do pray as there will be those who would remain in opposition in the hardness of their hearts Lord we do pray that you would bring temporal judgment upon them you would take them out of the way so that they may no longer bring violence upon our precious brothers and sisters we do just pray that you would vindicate your name in all the earth Lord that the gospel would be victorious that your your divine might and your divine power and your grace would be extended to the uttermost parts of the earth and that many would come to a knowledge of our blessed Jesus we do pray God that you would be with those who rule over us and we once again pray for kings and all who are in authority that you would cause them Lord God to exercise their rule after righteousness after virtue and after a proper justice and we do pray Lord God that you would cause those to stumble like drunken men who would seek to propagate wickedness who would seek to uphold abominations in the land we do pray Lord God we knowing that the the princes the hearts of princes and kings are in the hands of Yahweh and we do just pray that you would guy that you would direct that you would cast down and that you would raise up and Lord God that this would all be for your glory sake and for the good of your people and for the progress of your glorious gospel and so we do pray Lord God that you would now be with us we pray that you would strengthen this church that you would unify us that you would help us to worship you now in spirit and in truth we also think Lord God of the South Surrey Bible study we do thank you that this is ongoing we rejoice in this work and we look with expectant hearts towards a church plant Lord we do just pray that you would guide this work that you would strengthen all those involved that you would be with the people who presently attend and Lord God by your grace and for your glorious sake and for the growth of your church you would bring many to these studies that we would have a church plant in due time and that we would have another Church in the Lower Mainland singing the praises of your grace in that area we do pray then Lord that you'd be with us in worship we know that we require the Holy Spirit and we pray for that you would pour out your spirit upon us this morning that we would be lifted up to a place of high worship and high praise for the the triune God of heaven and earth we do pray that you would help us as we sing as we pray as we read the scriptures as we engage in the preaching of the word that we would be attentive that we would rejoice and that we would be found in earnest and we do pray Lord God that you would be with Pastor Butler as he preaches your word do help him we thank you for returning him home safely and Rebecca home safely from their trip down south we do just pray that for pastor Butler and this Paul but he would know your aid he would know divine strength and you would help him to proclaim richly the things of your word we do pray for Saints in this place this morning all of your Christians gathered here that you'd strengthen them by spirit and word and Lord God that you would once again save this morning bring forth those dead and sin to life in Christ and we do pray because it is only possible with you Lord God that each and every mouth would see would leave this church singing hallelujah what a savior we do pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Redeemer amen let's stand and sing again as a church this time we're going to sing in the larger Trinity hymnal hymn number 56 let's stand and sing that together 56 [Music] you [Music] concerning your Bibles to the Gospel of Mark mark chapter 7 we continue to read through the New Testament in our morning services that's where we're at mark 7 beginning in verse 1 and once again this is the Word of God March 7 verse 1 then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to him having come from Jerusalem now when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with eat bread excuse me now when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled that is with unwashed hands they found fault for the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way holding the tradition of the elders when they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash and there are many other things which they have received and hold like the washing of cups pitchers copper vessels and couches then the Pharisees and scribes asked him why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders but eat bread with unwashed hands he answered and said to them well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites as it is written this people honors me with their lips but their heart is far from me and in vain they worship Me teaching as doctrines the commandments of men for laying aside the commandment of God you hold the tradition of men the washing of pitchers and cups and many other such things you do he said to them all too well you reject the commandment of God that you may keep your tradition for Moses said honor your father and your mother and he who curses father or mother let him be put to death but you say if a man says to his father or mother whatever profit you might have received from me is Corbin that is a gift to God then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother making the Word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down oan and many such things you do when he had called all the multitude to himself he said to them hear me everyone and understand there is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him but the things which come out of him those are the things that defile a man if anyone has ears to hear let him hear when he had entered a house away from the crowd his disciples asked him concerning the parable so he said to them are you thus without understanding also do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him because it does not enter his heart but his stomach and is eliminated thus purifying all foods and he said what comes out of a man that defiles a man for from within out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts adulteries fornications murders thefts covetousness wickedness deceit lewdness and evil eye blasphemy pride foolishness all these evil things come from within and defile a man amen well Jesus Christ is a champion of the destruction of self-righteousness and a legalistic spirit this particular time these were perverting truth perverting the law and exalting the tradition of elders such that the law of God has nullified the law of God is cast down and truly the law of God is transgressed by these who liked to think that they were upholding the very law of God and it's absolutely delightful to see our Savior our Christ come against these irreligious men these supposedly religious men and destroy and shatter their world of self-righteousness and self exaltation our Savior was a champion of truth a champion of the law a champion of the gospel and here we see him coming with great apologetic vigor against these who would seek to pervert God's truth and we ought to follow likewise not keeping to ourselves all of traditions and customs that that might even beer isn't reasonable but we exalt them to the position of law and indict others for not following after us in God's truth and in his truth and in his law only are those things those precepts those statutes which we are to observe not unto salvation of course because it is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone but let us not be such as our self righteous and legalistic who would exalt traditions of elders over and above the very word in the very law and the very truth of God let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you for your revelation to men we rejoice in this account of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ our champion of truth yay even truth itself and we thank you for what you have given to us in the Holy Scriptures knowing that chapter after chapter a page after page we see Christ upon the cross working out the salvation of men and we do pray that you'd help us as we continue now in worship to think fondly and rightly of your truth to think very highly and heavily a Father Son and Holy Spirit and to rejoice in the gospel of saving grace we pray in the name of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ amen our final him before the preaching if you'll stand one more time again with me it's 393 in the larger Trinity hymnal that's 393 [Music] you [Music] Oh you [Applause] [Music] well please turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 11 the Lord willing we'll return to Matthew 26 26 next Sunday morning but this morning we're going to remind ourselves of the foundation of gospel rest and we see that in Matthew chapter 11 specifically verses 25 to 30 but I do want to begin reading in verse 16 just to set the larger context Matthew chapter 11 beginning in verse 16 but to what shall I liken this generation it is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions and saying we played the flute for you and you did not dance we mourn to you and you did not lament for John came neither eating nor drinking and they say he has a demon the Son of man came eating and drinking and they say look a glutton and a wine-bibber a friend of tax collectors and sinners but wisdom is justified by her children then he began to rebuke the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done because they did not repent woe to you corazon woe to you bethsaida for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in tyre and Sidon they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes but I say to you it will be more tolerable for tyre and sidon in the day of judgment than for you and you Capernaum who are exalted to heaven will be brought down to Hades for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom it would have remained until this day but I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the Day of Judgment than for you at that time jesus answered and said I thank you Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes even so father for so it seemed good in your sight all things have been delivered to me by my father and no one knows the son except the father nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and the one to whom the son wills to reveal him come to me all you who labor and are heavy-laden and I will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light a man will let us pray father in heaven we thank you for your written word we thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit who gave us the word and we pray that even now he would guide us and lead us and direct us as we look to this passage of Scripture we pray that we would see the glory and the majesty and the excellency in the power of our Lord Jesus Christ as the Apostle says he is able to save to the uttermost all who draw nigh unto God through him we pray that today would be the day of salvation for sinners in this place we pray it open their eyes and their hearts to behold their own burden for sin heavy laden estat sin brings and show them the glory in the majesty of Jesus Christ and his ability to save we ask that you would look with favor upon us we ask that you would look with favor upon other churches here in Chilliwack and throughout Canada and to the uttermost parts of the earth we pray your word would be proclaimed that it would run swiftly and be glorified and that a great multitude would come unto you by your grace and for your glory and Lord God do forgive us now for our sins and our transgressions wash us in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ cleanse us and purify us and grant us ears to hear and hearts to receive the word of truth itself and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well as we look at this particular section in Matthew's Gospel it's been some time since we were in Chapter 11 but here in chapters 11 and 12 specifically we're finding various herbs responses to the Lord Jesus Christ varying responses to his life his work and his ministry and here specifically we see how he condemns that generation the first century in verses 16 to 20 I'm sorry 16 to 19 he says to what shall I liken this generation it is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions he's essentially saying that you are a fickle John the Baptist come and came and you didn't receive him Jesus Christ comes and you don't receive him and then in verses 20 to 24 he pronounces specific condemnation upon those cities in Galilee that had seen his mighty deeds and had not repented and then in verses 25 to 30 he in prayer reflects on the reality of these varying responses in other words why do some come under the Lord Jesus Christ and others reject him and resist him and refuse him that's the context that we find here specifically in verses 25 to 30 we see the truth concealed and the truth revealed and I want to consider three things from our text this morning first we ought to appreciate the sovereign will of the Father in verses 25 to 26 that's often discussed in Christianity sovereignty God is sovereign do we really reflect upon that and do we really respond in light of that reality I will suggest this morning that if we believe in the sovereignty of God we ought to echo the Lord Jesus he praises the father for it he thanks the father for it he revels in it he delights in it he rejoices in it so the sovereign will of the father is in verses 25 to 26 secondly the mediatorial office of the son and a mediator kids is simply one who stands between a mediator between men and God is the Lord Jesus Christ the Bible is clear God is holy holy holy the Bible sets before us the throne room of God in Isaiah the prophet chapter 6 and the Prophet says I saw the Lord High and exalted the Train of his robe filled the temple and the angels cry out to him holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts the whole earth is filled with his glory but if you read about those angels they are equipped with six wings with two of the wings they fly with two of the wings they cover their feet and with two of the wings they cover their face because God is holy and man creature rather is unholy in the same way and in that observation the angels actually are holy and yet they have to cover their faces before the holiness of God so if we translate that from holy angels to sinful man the teaching of Scripture is we will never stand before that holy God without a mediator without a go-between without one who brings peace and reconciliation who heals the breach and and heals the chasm and brings these two warring parties together so we see the mediatorial office of the son and then thirdly and finally this morning the gracious declaration of the Savior in verses 28 to 30 but note in the first place the sovereign will of the Father in verses 25 and 26 again the context the people in the first generation had rejected Jesus Christ John summarizes in John 1 in the prologue Jesus came to his own and his own received him not he was the mediator between God and man he was the go-between he was the Messiah he was the Christ and yet Israel rejected him Israel refused him Israel resisted him and we see the same sort of thing here the son of man came eating and drinking and they say look a glutton and a wine-bibber a friend of tax collectors and sinners now I think that's far more diabolical than we often reflect upon it is far more wretched than we often reflect upon it's not just the reality that there was a difference between sort of the austere Elijah like persona of John the Baptist who lived out in the wilderness and he ate locusts and wild honey and the Lord Jesus who was to be found at a wedding feast in Cana of Galilee the Lord Jesus who did eat and I think there's something more diabolical to their accusation of him being a glutton and a wine-bibber if you look at the book of Deuteronomy in chapter 21 if a son was incorrigible in other words he was a rebel against his parents and he was a wine-bibber and a glutton this is how we know it's an adult son parents when you read Deuteronomy 21 do not conclude that your two-year-old needs to be delivered up to the elders of the city to be executed him not eating his Peas is not in the same category as what we find there in the book of Deuteronomy he's an adult rebel son he is a wine-bibber he is a glutton he is a drunkard and the parents have borne long with him but the mandate is capital punishment so first century Israel in making this assessment of our Lord Jesus is essentially saying he is worthy of execution he's a wine-bibber and a glutton he's the incorrigible son of Deuteronomy 21 this is our studied opinion as the rabbi's in Israel that this one professing to be the Messiah ought to be delivered up to death and and suffering so this is what is going on in the rejection of our Lord Jesus these cities that saw his mighty deeds and his miracles you see miracles will not make you a Christian you need the sovereign grace of God you need to be born again you need to look unto the Lord Jesus Christ and live you'll hear that among atheists at times well if I were to see her witness a miracle well then I believe in God no you wouldn't your heart needs to be changed your heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked you need to be born again you need to believe the gospel do not suggest to me this morning that you know if God will just put in a personal appearance or if God would just do a mighty thing well then I stopped sinning this sin and I'd come to the Lord Jesus Christ no this is precisely the condemnation we find with reference to the cities and Galilee that refused our Lord but notice in verse 25 Christ says I thank you Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes so the incorrigible children in verses 16 to 19 the Galilean cities in verses 20 to 24 our Lord reflects upon this resistance to his ministry this rejection of his ministry and he comes into the presence of his father and he thanks him he praises him he delights in him he revels in him brethren Calvinism or what is called reformed theology or an appreciation of the sovereignty of God isn't in the first place a point of polemics not in the first place a big club to go out and beat people up but those who understand the sovereignty of God those who understand the supremacy of God the solitariness of God ought to be thankful ought to be praisers ought to be worshipers ought to be glorify hers this is the posture of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 1 he says blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ and then he gets several reasons for this blessing of God because God chose us in him before the foundation of the world if your embrace of reformed theology is making you a jerk for Jesus you are not like Paul and you are not like Christ if we embrace reform theology it ought to be fleshed out in our prayer closets it ought to be fleshed out in our corporate prayer meetings it ought to be fleshed out in the way we sang Psalm 9 this morning the way we sang him 56 the way we identify with Ambrose Amman in its hem 56 and in the way that we sang ja with Joseph Hart number 393 brethren does your practical or your appropriation of the the doctrines of grace lead you to be that that pain in the neck that nobody wants to be around to be that irritant to be that guy that takes Romans 9 and beats people up with it I'm not suggesting we do not use Romans nine polemically but brethren if we are not praising the Lord if we are not thanking the Lord we have missed Christ's appropriation or Christ sort of a reception of these truths and Paul's I thank you Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes know Christ praises the father here now this is going to be a bit difficult for you this morning not because it's hard to understand but it's hard for us to get our minds around in terms of grasping it delightfully the way Jesus does he praises the Father for what is called reprobation that is precisely what's happening here I thank you Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that you have hidden these things and in the context these things are the mysteries of the kingdom the gospel of our salvation and Christ says that the father hid these things from the wise and the prudent now before you start to rise up and say well that doesn't seem fair you Christians always maintained that God is loving God is good god is gracious God is kind why would he ever hide gospel truth from from people well he's hiding it from the wise and the prudent that doesn't mean you know the guys who did well at school or got an a on their philosophy test the wise and prudent in contacts is probably men like the scribes and the Pharisees these men that are wise and prudent in their own eyes these men that are wise and prudent in the way that they conduct themselves the way that they function the way that they teach the way that they engage apart from the Lord Jesus Christ and before it rises up in you to suggest that that somehow this isn't fair because this isn't this ultimately the resistance against what is called reformed theology it just doesn't seem fair does it that God would hide and God would reveal according to God's will why doesn't that seem fair to us because in the first place we like our will more than we like God's will I suggest that that's probably the issue but consider further with reference to the hiding of gospel truth God is not dealing with innocent men God is not dealing with perfect people God is dealing with sinners and for God to hide gospel truth not only is it not the case that it's not fair but it is an act of justice you see that God is loving kind good merciful gracious is a God of holiness a God of righteousness of God of justice and for God to hide gospel truth from these cities and Galilee and from this first century context that would reject both the Messiah and his forerunner John the Baptist it's not not it's not the case that it's unfair it's justice brethren it's a good day and in this Christ rejoices and thanks the father but he doesn't stop there neither does chapters 11 and 12 I said there were varying responses to Christ we have seen some of the rejection we have seen some of the resistance we have seen some of the refusal but there are also those who are coming to the Lord Jesus Christ there are also those specifically we see at the end of Matthew chapter 12 whom Jesus describes as his brothers and his mother and his sisters they are those who do the will of his father they are his disciples so it's not the case that everybody is rejecting and resisting the truth but notice that Christ says you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes now babes is it metaphor I don't think it means that Jesus walked around finding babies and mothers arms and just spoke gospel truth to that know the difference between the wise and prudent in their own eyes and the babes the lowly ones Paul deals with this in 1st Corinthians says not many wise not many noble are called God chooses the base to manifest and magnify his glory His grace and his excellence but here specifically our Lord Jesus highlights that those who have have comm to him it has been revealed by the father as two babes that beautiful you see why you and I ought to take this doctrine of sovereign grace and praise God if you are here this morning safely folded in the arms of Christ it's because of God it's not because of you not because you raised your hand when every eye was closed and every head was bowed it's not because you're a better person than your next-door neighbor it's not because you decided no we see a beautiful illustration of this later on in Matthew's Gospel specifically in chapter 16 Jesus Christ says to his disciples who do men say that I the Son of Man am and theirs off they offer up many responses concerning the prevailing opinions outside the disciple community but then Jesus not content in that respect don't mean he's discontent or anything like that but he he moves further in he says but who do you say that I am and what does Peter say Peter says thou art the Christ the Son of the Living God notice what Jesus does not do blessed are you simon barjona for you've exercised your freewill better than everybody else blessed city is simon barjona because you've studied hard and you have proven that you have figured out the Old Testament blessed are you simon barjona because you were created with a degree of wisdom above your peers now blessed are You Simon bar Jonah for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you but my father who is in heaven brethren you see why sovereignty reformed theology ought to promote thankfulness ought to promote gratitude why the third movement in the Heidelberg catechism is gratitude we go from guilt to grace to gratitude why because we were opposed to God we rejected the Lord Jesus Christ we were undone in our sins we looked at the Ten Commandments not as the law of the Living God but as something for our amusement to destroy the dance on to transgress and yet God in His mercy and grace has brought us here this morning to sing with Joseph's heart come ISA nurse isn't that beautiful why do Paul and Jesus thank God why do Paul and Jesus praise God why do Paul and Jesus do this because this is the fitting response this is what we ought to be about and notice price grounds it specifically in the sovereignty of his father's will in verse 26 even so father for so it seemed good in your sight the NES has it for thus it was well pleasing to you see brethren in all discussions theological we ought to remember theology so it appears to be unfair to man is when we occupy a position that excludes God the most important person in the Bible is not us the most important thing in the scriptures is not our happiness it's not our blessing it's not our beatitude the most important thing in the Bible is the glory of God the manifestation of his of his excellence and his power in His Majesty from Genesis to Revelation you have a god-centered book it's when we neglect that and we put man in the center and we see that God's purpose is to serve us that we mess it all up but Christ praises his father for his sovereign will now notice secondly in terms of how even now this comes to pass that sinners come in other words he's acknowledged the sovereign will of God but how now do sinners get from sin to the Father and Christ highlights his mediatorial ruler honey seven all things have been delivered to me by my father and no one knows the son except the father nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and the one to whom the son wills to reveal him galvan says having formal it formerly asserted that the church proceeds from the secret source of God's free election he now shows in what manner the grace of salvation comes to men so you see the issue God hides gospel truth from the wise and the prudent but he reveals gospel truth to the eggs when that gospel truth is revealed how do they now ascend to the Father it's through the mediation of the son it is through him as prophet priest and King it is through Christ who has this position of intimacy with the father notice what he says he says all things have been delivered to me by my father and no one knows the son except the father what's the point if you want to know the father you have to come through the son if you want to know the father there's only one way of access one route of approach there's only one means by which we draw near to the Father you see we have to appreciate brethren that it's not Christians that are prejudicial it's not Christians that are bigoted it's not Christians that are narrow its Christ by that I don't mean you don't like black people it doesn't like Canadians he doesn't like this ethnic group there is a prejudice in the Bible against false religion you see when Elijah goes to Mount Carmel he doesn't suggest to those prophets of bail well you know just add a bit of Yahweh ISM to your bail ISM and then everything will be alright no the Prophet says how long will you limp between two options if Bale is God then serve him but if Yahweh is God then serve him you see Christ highlights his exclusive agency as the mediator between God and men this is where the Apostle says in 1st Timothy two five and six for there is one God and one mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus who gave himself for all on the context there in 1st Timothy 2 it's all kinds of man kings those who are in authority men from this tribe this tongue this people this nation doesn't meet men without distinction or without exception rather the Bible doesn't teach a universalism but Jesus highlights the reality that when this gospel truth is revealed that's the pathway that we must go we try harder do we get better do we add a little religion to our resume no he says all things have been delivered to me by my father and no one knows the son except the father no does anyone know the Father except the Son and the one to whom the son wills to reveal him he highlights his own sovereignty in the matter of salvation with reference to the sin to sinners now let's move on thirdly and longer lead to the third point couldn't figure out the word there in a longer way verses 28 to 30 notice the gracious declaration of the Savior and just by a preliminary remark you've sometimes heard of what's called hyper-calvinism that doesn't mean excited Calvinists when our kids were little and we went over to one of our brothers house one time our kid was a little bit excitable and that man's son said oh he's a hyper-calvinist that that's not what hyper Calvinism is it's taking the doctrine of sovereignty to a place the Bible doesn't authorize it acknowledges the sovereignty of God in hiding gospel truth and in revealing gospel truth and then in concluding well if that is the way things are we'll just leave them be because if in the wisdom of God this person will discover gospel truth then that's a good thing that's not what Jesus does here he affirms again Calvinism to Monica to an identifier it's a label he's identifying the sovereignty of God with respect to the to the hiding of gospel truth and the revelation of the revealing of gospel truth and in light of that Jesus nevertheless says come you see if our embrace of the doctrines of grace do not lead us to preach the truth of Christ and him crucified and to call on sinners to come then we haven't appropriate it appropriated it the way Jesus does it's not qualified he says come on the basis of this sovereign expression lords if we do actually appreciate the sovereignty of God if we do actually understand what reformed theology is this is the basis upon which we preach the gospel I have met that that that objection several times in my life well if you believe God is sovereign why do you preach the gospel it is precisely because God is sovereign that we preach the gospel why do we get out of our miserable beds on a Sunday morning in the hope that God is going to save a sinner because it's in the hope that God is going to save a sinner it's not that the sinner is going to save himself the sinner is going to decide the sinners when every eye is closed when every hat is bowed is going to shoot up his hand into the air no brethren we come because God is sovereign we come because God has elected we come because God has purposed we come because God has predestined and chosen it is on this basis or foundation that all gospel preaching ought to proceed you see it's man that says well because God is sovereign we're not going to preach the gospel the Bible says because God is sovereign therefore preach the gospel how do you appeal to sinners to be saved without a sovereign God it works great Arminianism doesn't it well you know you got your freewill and you've got you know all the resources you could ever need now you know just shoot up that hand and decide for Jesus the Bible is not in our minion document brethren it's about God for of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever amen you see the Bible is conspicuously sovereignty or sovereign presents the sovereignty of God but notice back to our Lord's gracious declaration the exhortation stated in verse 28 a says come to me notice what he does not say you say come to me with your works come to me with your accomplishments come to me with your merits come to me with your religious observation sending persons all over the earth are doing this very thing well I've got a you know fix up my and then I can come to Jesus Jesus doesn't say fix up your act and then come to me because Jesus knows you can't fix up your act Christ is in the business if I can use the language still of fixing up your act the declaration of Yahweh to rebellious Israel and Jeremiah three we turn II backsliding sinners and I will heal your backsliding it's not beautiful God doesn't say go fix yourself and then cop neither does Christ go fix yourself and then come how many of you are trying to fix yourself before you'll come listen to the declaration of our Savior he says come come to me not come to church though church is very important come to me not come to your parents though your parents are very important come to me not your elders though hopefully your elders are very important come to me Christ says because he has that position of intimacy with the father he is the exclusive agent of salvation he is that mediator between a holy God and man so it ought to be obvious why he would say come to me based on the sovereignty of God the mediatorial office of Christ this gracious declaration of the Savior makes absolute sense come to me he says not come do for me work with me add me to your religious resume the sovereign grace of the Father in election which is mediated through the exclusive agency of the son does not come to the man who does the man who works and the man who merits such grace for there is no such animal there is no such being out there the emphasis of our Lord is come to me it is Christ alone who is the mediator between God and men it is Christ alone who occupies the position of intimacy between God and man or with the Father let me just try and illustrate that let's say you young man not young eight but young ish twenty you're interested in a particular young woman in the church you ought to learn that the best way to pursue that one is to pursue her father show up on a Saturday morning and wash his car show up on a Monday afternoon and shine his shoes court the father why because there's a position of intimacy between the father and his daughter you're not going to go to the daughter apart from the father now I know that's a bad analogy but this is the point the way to the father is through the son this is his purpose this is his role this is his function this is why he is the mediator and the mediatorial office is C or the function of Christ as mediator as seen as prophet priest and King you need that priestly office you need to have in so that you can access the father it is Christ alone who brings men out of darkness into marvelous light it is Christ alone who saves to the uttermost all of draw nigh unto God and come to him or come through him now note very specifically in verse 28 he says come to me was that mean well in the 1st century context it could have certainly meant that somebody who was hearing Jesus could have walked over and said okay I'm here never gone to a conference and you've heard your favorite preacher or speaker and you wait for a time and then you get to come to him you get to get close to him and you perhaps maybe give them a book and have him sign it which to me is a wretched thing to do but if you do that I'm not going to condemn you you draw near so in this context it would be easy to say what come to me means but what about now 21st century Christ is locally present at the right hand of the Father Christ means believe doesn't he Christ means belief John 6:44 no one comes to the Father no one comes to the Father except the father draw him Hebrews 11 and the one who comes to God must believe that he is and he is reward of those who have faith the calm in the context of verse 28 means belief again did in Christ just acknowledged the absolute sovereignty of God didn't he just praise the father for reprobation didn't he just praise the father for election and yet 28 he says believe on me it's an amazing thing isn't it it's an incredible display of what we ought to do in our churches with reference to the preaching of the gospel we don't hide predestination we don't hide election we don't hide reprobation but rather we proclaim it we use the special prudence and wisdom that our confession enjoins upon us but we don't try and pretend that it isn't there but if we understand what Christ is doing here in 25 to 30 this is the foundation upon which he now bid sinners to come listen to John Gill as he explains the significance of come in this passage Jesus kindly invites and encourages souls to come unto him but it is to be understood of believing in Christ the going of the soul to him in the exercise of grace on him of desire after him love to him faith and hope in him believing in Christ and coming to him our terms synonymous are confession but the principle acts of saving faith have immediate relation to Christ accepting receiving and resting upon him alone for justification sanctification and eternal life by virtue of the covenant of grace you see this is why Jesus says come to me believe on me because your works are not good because your efforts are not good because your accomplishments are not good you see you must cast yourself by the grace of God upon him Mei Chen I think these are some gold quotes from Mei Chen I want you to please take heed I think he says it a lot better than I can says the true reason why faith has given such an exclusive place by the New Testament so far as the attainment of ovation is concerned over against love and over against everything else in man except things that can be regarded as mere aspects of faith okay what he's saying is this the emphasis is on faith in the scripture the New Testament on the way to attain salvation by grace in Christ it's not love some works not efforts it's faith he says is that faith means receiving something not doing something or even being something you see this is the emphasis brethren faith is a means of reception don't know that we really get this concept I have to do something in order to be saved I have to contribute the moment you think that you have violated the very New Testament documents that hold out to you come to the Lord Jesus Christ you might say well I need to change and amend my ways and fix things up a bit believe on Jesus and he'll accept that old package what's Paul's declaration in Galatians 2:20 1 I do not nullify the grace of God I don't set aside the grace of God for if righteousness comes through the law and in the context of Galatians it is not my righteousness alone it's my faith in Jesus plus my righteousness it's my faith in Jesus as Messiah plus my circumcision it's my faith in Jesus plus my attachment or involvement to the ceremonial law Paul says I do not set aside the grace of God for if righteousness comes through the law again a mingling of law and works and and merit with grace and faith a mingling together for if righteousness comes through the law then Christ died in vain that's Paul's point you can't you will never you don't have it in you the best of your works are wretched the best of your efforts are terrible accept the testimony of Scripture you are as bad as God says but accept the testimony of Scripture come to Christ and he will not cast you out it's beautiful thing isn't it matron goes on to say the center of the Bible and the center of Christianity is found in the grace of God and the necessary corollary of the grace of God is salvation through faith alone you see you cannot read say for instance the Old Testament and conclude it's a celebration of man's achievements can you join the Wednesday night Bible studies brethren you know we learn up there there's one hero in the Bible and it ain't David it ain't Samson it ain't Jaffa it ain't any of those great heroes of the faith it's Jesus when you read through the Old Testament the New Testament as well a lot of narrative sections though in the Old Testament which sort of flesh out the life of faith and in Israel's history you cannot respond with wow what a resounding report concerning the achievements of man its failure after failure after failure after failure failure on the part of the heroes failure on the part of David I mean the author must have grieved when he had to write second Samuel 11 and 12 must have pained him to the heart of hearts I have to write and record that the hero of Israel the type of the Messiah committed adultery and murder the best in Israel had to offer commits the most heinous sins to gratify his own carnal lusts take any hero in the Old Testament it's not a celebration of his achievement it's a celebration of the grace of God you see when you see David fall and Yahweh forgive him who gets the praise who gets the glory who gets the honor its Yahweh isn't it when you see ASA make a treaty with no respect to God most high and nevertheless the endorsement of the author as he did as his father David had done and that's a report of good things we don't sell it aisa we celebrate yahweh you get that right matrons spot-on and in his most excellent little book what is faith that's where these quotes have come he ends with this statement concerning faith because we're trying to develop or define or explain what it means calm perhaps you kids have thought through this you've heard matthew 11:28 it says calm the man you say well if i was in the first century i could have walked over to jesus and I could have seen him could a Dutch tip could held them you know the 21st century I know that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father so what does it mean to come it means to believe the gospel means to believe the entirety of the Bible is the truth of God but the principle acts of saving faith is to rest and receive cry or to receive and rest upon Christ for salvation but in his great little book what is faith machen ends with this statement weak faith will not move mountains it won't will it doesn't Jesus say that if you're we if your faith is you know greater the mustard seed you'll be able to say to this mountain jump into the sea now I don't think Jesus talking geographically in that particular topic reflect topographically in that section it has to do with kingdoms probably Israel and that sort of thing but nevertheless it's a powerful statement but maintian commenting there says weak faith will not remove mountains but there is one thing at least it will do well my favorite things J Gresham machen ever wrote and I'm a big fan of J Gresham machen a nation I love that brother I look forward to meeting him after Jesus and Paul and the rest of the brethren in heaven weak faith will not remove mountains but there is one thing at least it will do it will bring a sinner into peace with God it's not beautiful weak faith calm with all your heart soul mind and strength calm if you just fall over on his side he will not cast you out weak faith will not remove mountains but there is one thing at least it will do it will bring a sinner into peace with God our salvation does not depend upon the strength of our faith see we think that my faith is not like his so my faith must not be real faith in the Savior the point is the object of our faith you hear that sometimes well you know he has great faith he believes in a rock he believes in a totem pole or he believes in himself but the issue is he has faith no the issue is the object of that faith faith and Christianity is the instrument by which we come into saving contact with our Lord Jesus Christ machen says our salvation does not depend upon the strength of our faith saving faith is a channel not a force if you are once really committed to Christ and despite your subsequent doubts and fears you are his for ever beautiful beautiful note the persons addressed by our Lord come to me all you who labor and are heavy-laden all you who are a labor and are heavy-laden now the rest and view is soul rest if you look at verse 29 notice and you will find rest for your soul so we must conclude that the heavy the the labor and the heavy laden doesn't mean the trials the afflictions the difficulties and the hardships of your life in other words Jesus is not saying you this morning wow you had a 70 or 80 hour work week and your wife was mean to you and your kids are terrible come to me and I'll give you some rest Jesus not setting him forth setting himself forth as a bed the rest in view is soul rest and probably in the context it has to do with the false religion of the scribes and the Pharisees those who labor and are heavy-laden those who are under the sorts of things that the scribes and Pharisees have taught they took a beautiful thing like the Sabbath and messed it up they take beautiful things which incidentally will be the next area of battle in chapter 12 the concept of rest that Christ gives to those who come to him is translated into chapter 12 under the auspices of Sabbath in Christ will show the Pharisees and the scribes mess that up you get angry at a person because they got healed on the Sabbath day you've missed the point to see the heavy or the labor and the heavy laden this has to do with sin primarily I think there are a few tax that ought to come to mind when we consider this the Psalter Psalm 38 4 to 6 the psalmist says for my iniquities have gone over my head I've always wondered if that was the place that Bunyan drew his inspiration for Christian remember Christian before he gets to the cross what does he have he's got this heavy burden on his back this hapless soul wandering the countryside he got this massive burden on his back we the reader know what that means because we know Matthew 11 not because he had a tough week at work it's not because his you know life is just difficult it's because he's got this burden of sin and we the reader know that it's when he comes to the cross that rest is found the psalmist said my iniquities have gone over my head like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me my wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness I am troubled I am bowed down greatly I go mourning all the day long verse 18 and Psalm 38 he says for I will declare my iniquity I will be in anguish over my slant of course Psalm 131 - 3 out of the depths I have cried to you O Lord O Lord or Lord hear my voice let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications if you Lord should mark iniquities O Lord who could stand that's the context that we're dealing with here what's the psalmist go on to say if you should mark iniquities O Lord who can stand but there is forgiveness with thee that's Matthew 11:28 come to me all who all you who labor and are heavy-laden now there's a doctrine out there that says something like this that labor and that heavy laden nests needs to be measurable by a certain period of time in other words you can't just hear preaching be convicted of your sin and come to the Savior why do you really have to spend a year going over how sinful you are you actually think that going through your sins for a year will even give you a remote understanding of how bad sin really is do you think any man on the face on this side of heaven will ever truly accurately assess the wretchedness of SID there's no quantifiable time here come to me all you who labor and are heavy-laden for two years and after that two years period is completed then com no some of you might say well you know I've never heard this before praise God Almighty from whom all blessings flow but if you have heard it it's not accurate back in Matthew 9 when our Lord calls Matthew himself to follow me what does Matthew do gets up that wasn't very loud click gets up still wasn't allowed click gets up and follows well Lord I got to spend some time with my sins before I know that I'm fit to come to you are you one who Labor's under the bondage of sin you heavy laden with sin even if you don't fully understand every sin you've ever committed against God what you will never fully understand Jesus says come it's an amazing thing Jesus says common we find a million reasons why not - well I have to study my condition before God Jesus says calm well I have to read books on what it is to believe believe I've been taught that it's not that easy I don't care what you've been taught listen to the language of our blessed Savior he says come to me his want to hear your 15 reasons why you're not going to why you can't why in this tradition it's discouraged Christ says calm those who labor those who are heavy laden now notice there's a blessed promised that our Lord holds forth I will give you rest you see nothing you try and do to alleviate your sinfulness before God will produce rest I've used the illustration before that sin is something like that whack-a-mole game you pound one of the moles and another mole pops up you stop smoking crack cocaine and you think everything is good now between me and my god and then you're addicted to porn you clean up the porn addiction and then you're addicted to gambling but probably that's not most of our problems let's let's bring it home you know it's easy to sort of condemn the the crack dealers out there but what about the self righteous ones about us well I'll put on this era of humility let's ratchet I think Gerstner was right the thing between us and God isn't so much our sins it's our damnable good works who gets better treatment in the New Testament the religious ones or the harlots and tax collectors the wise and prudent or the babes the Pharisee who prayed thus with himself I thank you God that I'm not like other men especially like this publican or the public in who said God be merciful to me the sinner couldn't even look up into heaven Jesus says I tell you he went to his home justified you see brethren the rest comes not by our trying to deal with our sin but the rest comes by grace through faith in Jesus I will give you rest now and in the age to come I will give you rest now from that labor and the heavy laden ax subset you may still have a rotten life you may still have worked 80 hours your wife still may be a shrew your children may still be wretches but you know what you can do at night when you pillow your head you can ponder the reality that your right with God - right with God through Jesus Christ our Lord that Romans 5:1 will become your chief delight therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with God that's rest and of course rest in the age to come how does the scripture define or declare describe the condition of the wicked there's no rest for the wicked there's no rest for the wicked but how is salvation pictured in the new heavens and the new earth rest it's that beautiful it's not what we all want perhaps the attachment to weekends in our society something innate we want to rest we love to lay down and take a nap naps are wasted on the youth at 5:00 they don't want to take naps at 55 you're craving a nap she can't do it anymore he's got to work we want rest and the desire for rest isn't necessarily sinful we image God you know what happens after the creation account God enters this Sabbath enthronement this is where we're heading we're heading to rest Matthew 12 and the idea of Sabbath and the rest doesn't mean laying on the couch in that regard is to rest in God means to delight in Jesus means to find our sufficiency and all in all in him so the promise of our Lord Jesus is come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest notice I just want to quickly run through these last few things because I didn't want to neglect it but with reference to this rest Jesus then says there is a commander there's there's a necessity to submit here see were justified freely by His grace we we come to Christ we we come in faith to him and what happens when we come in faith to him what happens when we believe is gospel that that burden of of sin is is gone if you've read pilgrims progress and Christian is haplessly roaming about the countryside he gets direction from the Evangelist to the wicked gate he finds himself at the cross you see that of the burden coming off of his back he has received rest - what brethren there is another burden imposed upon the people of God it's called discipleship it's not a burden in the sense that that sin is a discipleship following Jesus we come freely by His grace in justification but when we come to him we believe in him we are forgiven of our sins we have the imputed righteousness of Christ given to us what happens he says take my yoke upon you in other words follow me be a disciple that the faith that the faith alone by which we are saved is is not alone but it's accompanied with all other saving graces CC we ought to see here specifically what we see everywhere in Paul some people say Jesus and Paul teaching two different things they're teaching the exact same thing and so is James salvation by grace through faith in Christ that saving faith is accompanied with all other saving races it's no dead faith but rather it worketh by love and that is precisely what we find here Jesus says take my yoke upon you and learn from me the word yoke came to be a metaphor for obedience subordination servitude the Lord Jesus uses it to speak of discipleship you see the movement here you come to Christ you're forgiven of your sin you receive the imputed righteousness of Christ but now as a disciple of Christ you take his yoke upon you you know the yoke is it was to be placed on the oxen so that you could control that funny thing Jesus doesn't save us so we can go out and continue in our sin it doesn't go you know save us so that we can continue to engage in the sorts of wickedness that he saved us from now there will be remaining corruption the Galatians 5:17 battle is a reality but those things that characterized us when we were lost or not to characterize us when we were found that's the emphasis of our Lord take my yoke upon you notice he goes on to say for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your soul I think what he is doing here is enticing us you know an enticement is if I were to say to you children next Saturday come over to our house because we're going to have a get-together and there's going to be chocolate cake and you frown because you don't like chocolate I say there's also going to be vanilla cake all right these are enticements not to get you over to my house that sounds weird in our context you understand the point an enticement in other words you are laboring and heavy-laden under the burden of sin you may think it's fun you may think it's enjoyable you may think it's pleasing but according to John a it is slavery it is bondage it is like being in Egypt as a child of Israel notice take my yoke upon you learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light you see discipleship isn't the problem it's so hard to be a Christian no it's so hard to be a sinner so difficult to go to that church because they actually think you should obey God no Jesus is contrasting he says the burden the difficulty the hardship associated with life is not discipleship if we as God's people think that we have not read the Bible properly John tells us in his first epistle the commandments of God are not Grievous they're not burdensome Jesus here enticing sinners to come to him says take my yoke upon you learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light he's addressing those heavy laden with sin and he is propping himself up as the one whose burden is light whose yoke is easy you can never say well you know I'm going to stay in my sin because that religion of Christianity is so hard so difficult it's such a nightmare said before yeah God what a what a nightmare ish God he gives us the Sabbath what a nightmarish God he gives us the forgiveness of sins and imputes to us a perfect righteousness what a terrible thing sometimes among Christians you get that vibe you know like it's difficult for you to follow Jesus it's hard for me to follow Jesus now I know there's remaining corruption I know there's that whole emphasis you know the alarm clock goes off I should jump jump out of bed read my Bible singing an amazing race and sometimes I straw I get all that but if the general overarching tenor of your Christian life is that it's miserable it's difficult and it's hard then I would wonder if you've come to the Savior because the Savior describes himself in these terms for I am gentle and lowly in heart you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my my burden is light to put it in theological language this is what Frances turret and says concerning us coming to Christ he says before it the law was an instrument of the spirit of bondage to throw down in bruges man but afterwards it becomes the instrument of the spirit of adoption to promote sanctification thus the law leads to Christ and Christ leads us back to the law it leads to Christ as the Redeemer and Christ leads to the law as the leader and director of life a bad thing when Christ points us back to the law it's not because he's mean or he's vicious or his horror he doesn't want us to have fun true Liberty is to be found in doing what God commands isn't it you mean with Christians today the whole idea of a remaining fourth commandment are you guys nuts what do you mean I can't do whatever I want on Sunday I'm not going to be your conscious politte conscience police but the fourth commandment is an abiding moral law of God and how horrific it's a command to rest what are we thinking today what is with us why do we have such struggles with God's law perhaps it's because we haven't to Jesus I think when we come to Jesus when we believe the gospel when we are forgiven of our sins and we receive the imputed righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ and and we take his yoke upon us and and we learn from him we learned that he upheld the law we learned that he loved the law we learn that he esteemed the law we learned that he goes to the cross yes to save us from our sins but to maintain the justice of his father so that God may be both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus Christ you see this whole idea of Christian discipleship necessarily follows our coming to the Lord Jesus Christ well brethren in conclusion it's just not the way I should come back is keeping everybody late it's been gone for two weeks and we haven't gone past 12:30 he comes back and we go past well thirty boy oh boy he should have extended that vacation just a couple of thoughts in conclusion first we ought to appreciate not just in terms of theory not just in terms of doctrine but there ought to be a practical appreciation of the sovereignty of God in election and in reprobation Jesus said I thank you Father that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes see the Bible sets forth the truthfulness of God's sovereignty it's one of those discussions or debates that really ought not to be ight argue about God's sovereignty that's like arguing that you know this is would like arguing that we need breath God by definition must be sovereign isn't that the case God to be God must know the end from the beginning God to be God must purpose everything that takes place I mean what kind of a God do we think there is up in the heavens a god like us a God the same sort of chain of being he's just man writ large he's just a better version of us God by definition must be sovereign the truthfulness of it is everywhere throughout scripture I mean how do you make it at the end of the the book of Genesis when when Joseph said you meant this for evil but God overruled it for good what are you doing the Psalms when when David extols God who is in the heavens and he does whatever he pleases what do you do at Nebuchadnezzar in the prophet Daniel what do you do with the various man in the history of scripture revelation redemptive history that confess the absolute sovereignty of God what do you do with the Apostle Paul who says it doesn't depend upon him who wills or upon a morons but upon him or upon God who shows mercy what do you do with that there's a sense brethren where every effort to debate God's sovereignty whether it be in person or on Facebook is kind of an exercise in futility now I'm not saying don't do it but it's like debating whether we need breath do you need food to live let's debate that do you need water to live let's debate there's certain things we just don't debate and the Christians haven't just seen thought of sovereign really shows us that there's some blinders on our hearts isn't there the truthfulness is everywhere declared we see the graciousness of God in election that any of us miserable wretches will ever stand before God is an evidence of his grace twas grace that taught my heart to fear we also see the Justice of God in the doctrine of reprobation you can write down in your notes of your taking notes Romans 9:22 224 that buttresses these two observations the grace of God in the revelation of gospel truth to babes and the Justice of God in the hiding of gospel truth from the wise and prudent the response and the part of the believer ought to be Thanksgiving and praise John Murray said if the only begotten Son the Lord of glory drew consolation from the sovereign good pleasure of God the Father and made it the occasion for such Thanksgiving so let it also be with you in other words when we come to sing and we're singing of God's grace I hope your minds are here we get you know one shot a week at this thing we call worship now maybe you're singing Amazing Grace every day in your home praise God let that be practice for you to focus and concentrate when we gather here to worship God you see it's not just forms and externals well we go in there they open up with a few announcements they read us all they pray we sing a song sing a hymn or a song then we pray then we sang then we read then we pray or sing and then we pray you're supposed to engage the mind you're supposed to take the structure or the form and appropriated in your mind and heart and respond to God in a spirit of thanksgiving and praise see Israel's problem in Old Covenant religion wasn't the structure it wasn't the form it was that they utilized it without the heart when Malachi upbraids the nation of Israel he's not condemning the sacrificial system imposed by God through Moses he's imposing the thought that these people instead of coming to God with a sacrifice brought the very worst from their flock or stole one from their neighbor's flock that was the problem structures and forms aren't bad but if you don't engage the mind in the heart you don't focus on the content you don't make it your own and sing it to God into the brethren see we're supposed to engage in the worship of God and to express our Thanksgiving and praise we have seen the foundation of gospel rest is this the doctrine of God's absolute sovereignty Spurgeon says come unto me is thus a divine prescription curing our ills by the pardon of sin through our Lord's sacrifice and causing us the greatest piece by sanctifying us to his servant a service and then just one more thing the exclusive Christ alone for salvation see when you read Matthew 11:25 430 cannot conclude that all religions lead to God we live in a society today that is like that pluralism we are being told the islam is another way to god we have been told for many years that Mormonism java's witnesses their their the way to God or a way to God we cannot miss the intolerance of our Lord Jesus Christ now I believe that Christ would be thrown out of any university today he'd certainly be thrown out of a lot of churches today because he was intolerant listen to matron concerning this reality the Christian religion is intolerant to the core there lies the whole offense of the cross and also the whole power of it always the gospel would have been received with favor by the world if it had been presented merely as one way of salvation you see when the early church was persecuted in the book of Acts it was because they were the ones that were exclusively insisting upon Jesus alone there was a pantheon you could have your choice of gods in that situation just like you could have in Canaan in the old covenant era what was the offense of the early church there is one name given under heaven by which we must be saved the early church insisted that John 14:6 was accurate where our Lord said I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the Father except through me matron says the offence came because it was presented as the only way and because it made relentless war upon all other ways if you haven't learned anything else this morning then learned this come to Christ believe on Christ he is the only hope he is the only source of blessing he is the only place wherein you will find rest for your souls let us pray our God in heaven we thank you for the Lord Jesus and we thank you for this gracious declaration of the savior in Matthew 11:28 and I pray that sinners all over the earth today would come to him that they would believe the gospel that they would see him in his glory and his beauty and his excellence and in his ability to save to the uttermost God be merciful here and cause us as those who have come to happily take that yoke to happily learn from him to realize that is his burden is light as yoke is easy and may we truly love the truth of God's holy law go with us now we pray and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord amen we'll close with a brief time of meditation and then be dismissed you