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people foreign uh tell your spirit breaks our night with the beams of Truth [Music] gloriously [Applause] [Music] open now our ears [Applause] [Music] our prayers and praises [Music] praise to you [Music] your word may trust and obtain truth [Applause] while we hear me though must wander till we sing your praises we'll go to our Lord in prayer Roger is unable to join us he's not feeling well and gives his greetings to everyone so we can pray for for him for others unwell and for our study this morning let's pray God we rejoice in your goodness to us we rejoice in your love and mercy and Grace your your loving kindness we thank you that you've once again called us to arise on the Lord's day where we can come into this place from out of the world to gather together as the Saints of Christ for worship of Father Son and Holy Spirit we pray for our brother Roger now that you would strengthen him in body and in spirit help him Lord God to recover well from his illness we pray for many others as well Lord God who suffer physically who do suffer spiritually as we all can from time to time we pray that you would uplift your people this day and give them a great rejoicing in father son and spirit and we pray that you bless our time now help us to have Minds focused upon your word focused upon the truth as you have revealed it to us help us to rejoice in that truth and to sing your praises and we pray in Christ's name amen you can turn in your confessions to chapter 20. does anyone need one are y'all set up and ready to go okay we're in chapter 20. and chapter 20 is of the gospel and of the extent of the grace thereof so we'll read this chapter and then we'll have a bit of an extended introduction just to uh just to talk about why this chapter is in here and to talk about some of the historical background related to its inclusion in the confession of Faith because it is absent from the Westminster Confession of Faith so we'll talk a little bit about that and then dive into the content proper so this is chapter 20 of the gospel and of the extent extent of the grace thereof the Covenant of Works being broken by sin and made unprofitable unto life God was pleased to give forth the promise of Christ the seed of the woman as the means of calling the elect and be getting in them faith and repentance in This Promise the gospel as to the substance of it was revealed and is there ineffectual for the conversion and salvation of sinners This Promise of Christ and salvation by him is revealed only by the word of God neither do the works of creation or Providence with the light of nature make discovery of Christ or of Grace by him so much as in a general or obscure way much less that men destitute of the revelation of him by the promise or gospel should be enabled thereby to attain saving Faith or repentance the revelation of the Gospel unto Sinners made in diverse times and by sundry Parts with the addition of promises and precepts for The Obedience required therein as to the Nations and persons to whom it is granted is merely of The Sovereign will and good pleasure of God not being annexed by virtue of any promise to the due Improvement of men's natural abilities by virtue of common light received without it which none ever did make or can do so and therefore in all ages the preaching of the Gospel has been granted unto persons and as to the extent or straightening of it in Great variety according to the Council of the will of God although the gospel be the only outward means of revealing Christ and saving grace and is as such abundantly sufficient thereunto yet that men who are dead in trespasses may be born again quickened or regenerated there is moreover necessary and effectual insuperable work of the Holy Spirit upon the whole soul for the producing in them a new spiritual life without which no other means will affect their conversion unto God so we have here a chapter as I mentioned just briefly is it's excluded from the Westminster Confession of Faith but included in the Savoy declaration so um you remember that the second London Confession of faith is in the tradition of the Westminster uh confession of faith it was in large part penned and framed that is the second London Confession to demonstrate a theological camaraderie or a theological harmony with the Presbyterians with those uh who held to the Westminster Confession of Faith so we have the the Westminster Confession of Faith uh 1647 I believe it is and then we have the Savoy Declaration of Faith which is 1658 and the Savoy Declaration of faith is in large part A duplication with some additions and some subtle changes of the Westminster Confession of Faith the Savoy Declaration of Faith inserted chapter 20 after chapter 9 19. so remember absent from the Westminster Confession but the Savoy declaration the congregationalists those of John Owen included this chapter in the confession of faith and then the London uh the Baptists included it in 1677. so they they saw its uh propriety and they shared in the contemporaneous historical milieu they shared in the same historical context as the as the congregationalists a little bit distanced from the Westminster assembly so just to give you a little bit of a background here this these are the words from the preface to the Savoy declaration talking about why they included chapter 20. first of all a general statement but then a specific statement regarding chapter 20. a few things we have added for obviating that means to to Stave off or to hold off so a few things we have added for holding off some erroneous opinions that have been more broadly and boldly hereoflate maintained by the asserters than in former times so I'll just pause there for a moment so they're saying that we've added a few things that weren't included so much in former times because of recent things that have Arisen so the stuff the stuff that caused the insertion in the Savoy wasn't really present for the uh the Westminster uh the Westminster reformed then in former times and made other editions and alterations in method here and there and some clearer explanations as we found occasion after the 19th Chapter of the law we have added a chapter of the Gospel it being a title that may not well be omitted in a confession of faith in which chapter what is dispersed and by intimation in the assembly's confession with some little addition is here brought together and more fully under one head so what they're saying in a sense is that this the stuff of chapter 2 20 is theologically included in other chapters in the Westminster assembly but the congregationalists brought these things together some uh some pieces of those doctrines together in this one chapter to combat certain errors that were being propagated at the time of the Savoy declaration so the London Baptists being not too long after that and actually being more oppressed with those those issues and we'll talk about what those issues were in a moment they included the chapter this chapter 20 in their confession of faith so these uh erroneous opinions maintained by asserters reflected most likely two things and then one thing a third thing perhaps into a smaller degree but two big things lie in the background for the inclusion of this chapter the first thing is what we could call an incipient deism uh incipient means something in the growing or beginning stages and deism was marked by some other things but with with the uh with this chapter and view deism was marked by a rejection of special Revelation so as we read this chapter and as we'll notice again as we go through it um the the the confessionalists here are trying to uphold the necessity of special Revelation for salvation for the conversion of Sinners and it's over and against these deists who rejected special Revelation and it and exalted the light of nature so they would say things like you know man is Man simply by the light of nature by creation man is able to arrive at things Divine by the exercise of his own natural reason and so as we work through you'll see why the Bible of course and why the confessionalists um would would strongly disagree so we have the the incipient deists who rejected the Bible uh almost the entirety of it perhaps with a few propositions in the New Testament that they liked but they re they essentially rejected the Bible and rejected any divine revelation and again exalted creation and the light of nature as that which is effectual also in view are the general Baptists so you've probably heard the term that you know we're reformed Baptists but we also can call ourselves particular Baptists and that's what uh what our forebears were referred to as particular Baptists well that was set against General Baptists and it was really at the point of the atonement and the efficacy of the atonement um you know the General Baptist believing in a general atonement a universalistic approach to the atonement that the salvation of Christ is uh is effectual and sufficient for every man without exception the particulars of course upholding the fact that the atonement was for the elect and it does not it does not air it was designed for all whom the father had given to Christ but the general Baptists had had something of an approach to the exaltation of the light of nature or the utility of the light of nature for the Salvation of Sinners this is Dr James renahan speaking about the general Baptists and the particulars he writes the Baptist positions may be summarized in two ways while both groups believed in Salvation by Christ the general Baptists acknowledged that people may receive that salvation via either General or special Revelation while the particular Baptists argued that salvation would only come by means of special Revelation so you see an important difference there he'll go on here in a second but remember General Revelation is the revelation of God in in nature just to speak very briefly as psalm 19 the heavens declare the glory of God the firmament shows his handiwork day after day utter speech night after night reveals knowledge God has revealed himself in creation and Providence and um and that sort of a thing special Revelation though is God's special Revelation that he has revealed himself his will and the gospel uh initially in times prior to the uh prior to the inscripturation of the Bible by various and Sundry means through prophets and and those sorts of things as chapter one paragraph one outlines but in the New Testament era that special revelation we have in the 66 books of the Old and New Testament so there's a there's a general Revelation where God reveals something of himself two men but special Revelation where he Reveals His will and specifically salvation by Jesus Christ so um renahan goes on he writes for the general Baptists Christ's atonement removed the stain of original sin and set man's will free to follow whatever light he received so you see that the gross error there is that somehow okay Christ died and Christ you know Christ affected atonement and then somehow that is efficacious and filtered through the light of Nature and whatever light men receive so we could think about it this way um you know some some um uh you know a band of uh of natives in South America Untouched by the world with the light that they have received no revelation of Christ anything like that but you know from whatever they receive by Nature they somehow do good deeds they help you know their neighbor whittle a basket and they you know they you know they don't do they don't murder and uh you know they don't uh commit adultery or something like that outwardly that's somehow salvific and the atoning work of Christ is filtered through that revelation of of light it's um it's uh it's Madness and it's just completely wrong as the chapter deals with so long as he followed that light God in Christ would provide him with salvation for the particulars the doctrine of total depravity precluded any sincere acts of Fallen men so very important in this Doctrine among other things is the doctrine of sin in this chapter is the doctrine of sin men cannot be saved by the light of nature because of the doctrine of sin total depravity man is uh man is wholly unable man is destitute of any power whereby he can affect himself unto Divine favor and somehow convert himself no one he closes here with could come to Christ apart from hearing the specific message of Christ as revealed in Holy Scripture so incipient deism John Henry Overton uh summarizes that as the Diaz thought any Revelation from God beyond that which has been given to us in nature unnecessary and is in particular they rejected all that God is supposed to have revealed in the Old Testament and almost all in the new and then the general Baptists upholding this reality that man can be saved by whatever light he received and faintly the sicinians could also be in view just very briefly uh turitan summarizes one of their doctrines as the rule of religion of things to be believed or rather that reason is the rule of religion of things to be believed and that those things are not to be believed which seem to the mind to be impossible other sicinians writing man is not bound to believe what reason dictates to be false if religion should be opposed to Reason by that very thing it would not be religion for religion is the highest reason yea even reason itself now we are to note that that that Christians uphold reason but you see the problem with the cecinians was the exaltation of Reason above divine revelation and that sort of a thing we acknowledge the wholesome utility of reason just not the exaltation of it as Arbiter over God and Truth um as the confession says we are created with reasonable and Immortal Souls that's in chapter four paragraph two reasonable creatures Duo obedience to God as their creator that's 7-1 the destruction of Reason by requiring blind obedience is referred to in 21 2 that's the next chapter on Christian conscience and then transubstantiation is repugnant not to scripture alone but even to Common Sense and reason Chapter 30 and paragraph six so let's get on to the the stuff of the actual confession of Faith here hopefully the uh the background is is somewhat clear and you understand a little bit of the reason as to why uh they wrote this chapter and you'll see that as we as we move through it so we just want to note four things as we briefly move through those four things are these and they comport with each paragraph the commencement first the commencement and exclusivity of the special revelation of the gospel of Christ for salvation secondly the necessity of special Revelation for making Christ known thirdly the sovereignty of God in the revelation of Christ and in the salvation of Sinners and fourthly the necessity of effectual Grace for salvation so so first with paragraph one the commencement and exclusivity of the special revelation of the gospel of Christ for salvation I know that's a a mouthful but uh there you have it first we want to note that the Baptist did not shy away from the language or doctrine of the Covenant of Works notice the first sentence here the Covenant of Works being broken by sin and made unprofitable unto life so the Baptist as we've noted before did not shy away from the language of nor the doctrine of the Covenant of Works we're often charged with that because there are some changes to the chapter on the Covenant chapter 7 as it relates to the Westminster as it's compared to the Westminster Confession of Faith but we didn't shy away from the doctrine at all not only is it implicit well we might even say explicit though the language isn't there but look at if we look back at chapter 19 you already saw uh there and it's it is previous to this but just one chapter back in paragraph one God gave to Adam a law of universal obedience written in his heart in a particular precept of not eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil by which he bound him in all his posterity Etc so the the Covenant of works is in the confession of faith and here specifically well and actually in chapter 19 as well in paragraph 6 it's referred to twice now the language there is referred to as a covenant of work so not maybe not specifically the Covenant of works but nevertheless the language and the idea is retained uh we have in paragraphs one two and three of chapter six that's of the fall and then paragraphs one two and three of chapter seven of the Covenant the doctrine is clearly stated in those uh in those particular chapters so and verses so the Baptist did not shy away from the language or the doctrine of the Covenant of Works second note that there is one grand Redemptive event that is the focus of special Revelation and that truly governs the whole of Redemptive history notice the language that we see here after this language regarding the Covenant of works we see God was pleased to give forth the promise of Christ the seed of the woman as the means of calling the elect and be getting in them faith and repentance in this God In This Promise the gospel as to the substance of it was revealed and is there ineffectual for the conversion and salvation of Sinners so we notice that there is one grand Redemptive event that is set forth immediately after the fall that's that means that there are there are there are not a number of different Redemptive epochs where people are saved by other means other than the saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ so the commencement of the Gospel if we were to ask the question when was the Gospel first revealed the answer to that is immediately upon the heels of the Fall that's what the that's what the Bible says and that's what the confession is here says the Covenant of Works being broken by sin God was pleased to give forth the promise of Christ so Contra a dispensationalist approach to Redemptive history the uh God deals and always deals and always appeals to Man by way of Covenant the Covenant of Works was broken and so the Covenant of Grace was inaugurated uh with the promise of Christ the seed of the woman and so we have the Blessed reality that God has always dealt with men post Fall by virtue of a living a bleeding a dying and a resurrected savior that's the that is the the grand Redemptive event that is the focus of special Revelation uh so from the outset of the Fall we have the Blessed promise of Christ given there are no Redemptive epics whereby Sinners were saved according to or by other means and the Bible Witnesses uh to this truth I mean we we have rehearsed many passages over the course of many years that speak to this but uh but a healthy repetition is not a bad thing you can turn with me to some passages in the New Testament first Luke 24 you'll remember on res on this in this Resurrection account the resurrected Christ speaks to the reality of special Revelation always having revealed salvation by Christ uh the disciples on the road the disciples on the road to Emmaus remember that they were downcast because they hadn't yet arrived at the fullness of the revelatory truth that Christ their Messiah really did rise again as he had said and so Christ is speaking with them and in verse 25 we read then he said to them o foolish ones and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken ought not the Christ who have suffered these things and to enter into his glory and beginning at Moses and all the prophets he expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself this language is repeated in the next sort of episode if you will where in verse 44 we read then he said to them these are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you that all things must be fulfilled which were in uh which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the son Psalms concerning me and he opened their understanding that they might comprehend the scriptures so we see here that divine revelation in its entirety the sum and substance of that divine revelation is Christ Jesus the Lord the promise of him and then the Revelation concerning the coming of that promised one in the New Testament and I it's always maybe you've done the same but I to me it's uh I think it's a sort of a we can wholesomely suspect that perhaps what Christ did was he went back to a passage like Genesis 3 15 when he's opening up the scripture scriptures to them we can't know his certainty where he went and and what he said to them but you know I think we can we can have this uh this wholesome imagination that he went to the promise of the seed of the woman and he expounded the the revelatory uh the revelatory um you know data the revelatory information that followed that that opened up that promise as our language of the confession uses the further parts that brought along that promise to the point of the New Testament where the promised seed did come where he did affect perfect salvation and where he does by that uh save a multitude that no man can number you know we could think of uh you know passages like Deuteronomy 18 a prophet that will come you will you will hear him you know we can think of Christ perhaps going to the the sacrifices the Washings the ceremonies the the typical system and and you know explicating that all of these things pointed forward to me the the promises of the prophets all of those sorts of things the point is is that from the fall the promise of the seed of the woman has governed human Redemptive history and that's the only event the only blessed event that ever has governed Redemptive history in so far as God's Divine Plan of Salvation And so there is one grand Redemptive event that is the focus of special revelation and it is the saving work of Christ you can turn to the Gospel of John as well Pastor Butler has has been in this very not too long ago um these passages speaking with regards to this very thing in John 5 for example in John 5 can turn to verse 39 this is a familiar passage if you've been at our church for any stretch of time because it stresses that special Revelation is about Jesus Christ and when we say that I mean at the time at this particular time it was only the Old Testament remember that language of Paul regarding Timothy that from childhood you have known the holy scriptures which are able which are able to to save you through Christ Jesus the Lord so the Old Testament is the special Revelation present at this particular time of course adding to that the special Revelation that Christ is bringing by virtue of his incarnate self but we have in verse 39 you search the scriptures Jesus speaking to the religious leaders the opponents you search the scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life and these are they which testify of me but you are not willing to come to me that you may have life in John on eight if you turn a few pages over we have similar language with regards to this particular point and in John 8 at verse 54 you read if I honor myself my honor is nothing it is my father who honors me of whom you say that he is your god yet you have not known him but I know him and if I say I do not know him I shall be a liar like you but I do know him and keep his word your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad so you know these these sorts of passages and we've got we have um just a couple more here bring out the fact that the purpose of divine revelation has always been Christ upon the cross working out the salvation of men and this chapter that's included in our confession of faith is designed to point that out in order to combat some notion that men can be saved outside of that Revelation or strangely by virtue of it yet without hearing of Christ which is which is uh which is no doubt very odd you can turn also to the book of Acts as we're moving forward in New Testament Revelation you can turn to Acts 3. Acts chapter 3. just one more text here that brings forth that brings forth this in Acts chapter 3 we can pick up reading at verse um well let's see here we'll pick up reading at verse 17. yet now Brethren I know that you did it in ignorance as did also your rulers but those things which God foretold by the mouth of All His prophets that the Christ would suffer he has thus fulfilled repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord and that he may send Jesus Christ who has preached to you before whom Heaven Must receive until the times of restoration of all things which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets prophets since the world began and he goes on to speak about Moses about Samuel and uh Etc so we see here the language of all the prophets Peter using this language of all the prophets having spoken in uh in Redemptive history concerning this coming Christ this Christ who has now come whom you have rejected and even put to death upon a cross so the point is and I think and I think you get it is that special Revelation has always been about Christ one thing we ought to bring out here is uh is the is the fact that or the emphasis regarding this particular chapter that man cannot be saved or let's say it positively first man is only saved by the revelation of Christ and that will and as we'll see in the the Final Chapter uh the the added necessity of effectual Grace for conversion but man cannot be saved by any sort of message or any sort of means outside of Christ and man cannot be saved yes by virtue of Christ but without never hearing of him availing only of the light that they have received somehow through creation and Providence so man is only saved by the revelation of Christ through effectual Grace secondly then the necessity of special Revelation for making Christ known notice the language of chapter 20 paragraph two This Promise of Christ and salvation by him is revealed only by the word of God so we have the positive statement being made first and it's shorter than the negative one and that's where that's for a particular reason but first off this promise of Christ and salvation by him is revealed only by the word of God that's such an important statement you see I I think and hope perhaps you can see it if your minds have sort of been turning a little bit with regards to the missionary Endeavor it's almost as if in these other schemes the deist scheme and even the General Baptist scheme that missionary work is unnecessary that's why the Calvin have always been strong emphasizing the necessity of missionary Endeavors that's because the promise of Christ and salvation by him is revealed only by the word of God man isn't going to be saved by the dictates of his own conscience man is not going to be saved by the light of nature man needs the special and peculiar and particular revelation of Jesus Christ joined by amazing and Victorious Grace in order to be saved and to Avail of the blessings of everlasting life and so it's all I mean it's almost as if General Baptists in in a missionary Endeavor can bring down the possibility of damnation in their theological scheme to uh to Nations afar off if nations are far off can be saved by the light of nature but then General Baptists come and in their theological scheme they Proclaim Jesus Christ to them and they reject Jesus Christ then that's damnation that's why the missionary Enterprises peculiarly linked um I think in in great measure and with great propriety to a proper theological system to biblical Fidelity and uh and to um uh obviously a Zeal for the doctrine of Christ to be shared among the Nations um so positively stated the necessity of special Revelation for making Christ known we see this clearly in the Book of Romans and you'll probably know where I'm going with Romans 10 but let's go there and and rehearse that language again because in Romans 10 we have this very language and it's not not only I don't know if that's the right way of saying it but it's not only with regards to the special revelation of Christ in the word of God but also the necessity of a Preacher bringing the proclamation of Christ uh by virtue of that special Revelation to an audience so we see here in Romans 10 beginning at verse 10 4 with the heart One Believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation for the scripture says whoever believes on him will not be put to shame for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek for the same Lord over all is Rich to all who call upon him for whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved that's an important statement there notice verse 14 how then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a preacher and how shall they preach unless they are sent as it is written how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace who bring Glad Tidings of good things it's always a beautiful statement that last one to to dwell upon maybe maybe you recall or you can recall the one who brought the gospel Messi message to you perhaps it was more than one person perhaps it was a particular context in a church a relative a friend whatever it may be but hopefully you can recollect fondly upon the one who brought by God's Providence the message of Christ to you how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of grace and notice the language that's built it's a proposition upon proposition a a logical link that the Apostle Paul is building here how then verse 14 shall they call on him in whom they have not believed and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard so we have the necessity of believing or the reality of believing and the necessity of hearing in order to believe the necessity of a preacher in order to hear and the necessity of those preachers being sent in order to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ so we see the necessity here of special Revelation and the importance of the Enterprise of the church whether it be la locally in in the regular the ordinary Ministry of the church or with sent missionaries abroad in order to bring uh the the message of Christ we see here the necessity of special Revelation for making Christ known and the negative statement then comes in this same paragraph and it's larger so we have this first positive statement glorious and very very vital that is this promise of Christ and salvation by him is revealed only by the word of God but then we have a negative statement here neither do the works of creation or Providence with the light of nature make discovery of Christ or of Grace by him notice so much as in a general or obscure way so the the idea here is and I think Contra the general Baptists is that the light of nature not only does it not bring the revelation of Christ specifically but neither in some sort of General vague or as the language here is obscure way so it's not as if okay Christ has affected atonement and then by virtue of some uh you know by virtue of some you know the light of nature bringing something whatever it is that light of nature is bringing that man can somehow grasp on generally or obscurely to something concerning Christ the the confession is um is jettisoning that as an idea that Christ can be somehow proclaimed without Christ being proclaimed much less the confession goes on to say that men destitute of the revelation of him by the promise or gospel should be enabled thereby to attain saving Faith or repentance so the confession is dealing with the absence of two things here one the absence of special Revelation and two the absence of effectual Grace race for conversion so the arguments the arguments from other camps would be that special Revelation isn't necessary neither is effectual Grace notice the language here that men men destitute of the revelation of him so men the the the opponents of uh of biblical truth would be saying that man destitute of any knowledge of Christ and absent of any effectual Grace can somehow be saved and uh and enjoy the Bliss of Heaven by virtue of the light of nature so the the the confession wants to be clear and emphasize the absolute Vitality or the the vital nature rather of special revelation of the word of God of the Bible for the proclamation of Christ and of Grace by him important here is the doctrine of sin um you see these other schemes the Diaz the deists the the general Baptists the cecinians they have a doctrine of sin um that really that really brings into the mud the doctrine of the grace of God and the doctrine of the finished work of Jesus Christ because if man can somehow be saved without special Revelation and without the amazing grace of God what does that say about Sin it's not as bad as we really think it is um it's it's not total depravity it's not total inability it's not all man's faculties his his will you know everything being affected his mind his heart all these things being affected by sin because he can somehow by Nature by you know by the the dictates of his own conscience arrive at Divine things and be saved outside of the saving grace of God it uh it rubs against the amazing grace of God and completely jettisoned the Bible as necessary for the proclamation of Christ so this this negatively stated the insufficiency of General General Revelation for gospel knowledge that's what the confessionalists here are saying that there is an insufficiency to General Revelation for gospel now knowledge now we might want to make a qualification here um it isn't the purpose of General Revelation it isn't the purpose of the light of nature to make Christ known one of the things if anybody noticed when when Jim and Mike were doing the Examination for uh for Ryan one of the questions had to do with Revelation and Pastor Mike asked the question is General Revelation infallible and the answer is yes General Revelation is infallible insofar as general Revelation is given for a particular purpose so we don't we wouldn't want to say the imperfection of General revelation we wouldn't want to say that the light of Nature and general General Revelation is fallible because it's not but the purpose of General Revelation in the light of nature isn't to make Christ known um special Revelation is sufficient for that not General Revelation so we have the insufficiency of General Revelation I think we have uh we have that in psalm 19. you're familiar with this very often as you know whenever uh Pastor Butler or anyone is speaking regarding Revelation and is delineating or distinguishing between General and special Revelation often this is very often and close to always this is a passage in the Bible where those two concepts are brought out and we see something here important with regards to the insufficiency of General Revelation for gospel knowledge we do see it sufficiency for some knowledge but insufficient for gospel knowledge notice at Psalm 19 at verse 1 to the chief musician a Psalm of David the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows his handiwork day on today utter speech and night unto night reveals knowledge it goes on to to speak more concerning the utility of General Revelation and what it does and what it does proclaim to man but notice the transition if we can call it that in verse 7 there's something of a of a transition there where it now gets to the law or we could say special Revelation the law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul so you see here the difference General Revelation the heavens declaration cannot convert the soul the speech of the day and the utterance of night cannot convert the soul the uh you know the coming and the going of the Sun and it's rising and it's setting those sorts of things can bring a knowledge of God but they do not convert the soul so against the Notions of the deists and against the Notions of the general Baptists um special Revelation is absolutely and exclusively necessary for the proclamation of Christ and for the revelation of him and for saving faith um we we could but you could just make a note and most of you are probably familiar with Romans 1 Romans 1 speaks with regards to the reality of General Revelation and making God known but it also speaks very importantly there to the reality of the reality of reigning sin and that man is destitute of the ability to bring himself to God and to be saved by General revelation of course because it doesn't really it doesn't reveal Christ but nevertheless it speaks concerning the condition of man before a God who reveals himself and then the the book would obviously go on to the necessity of Jesus Christ and as we get to to Romans 3 and we see the reality of the Gospel of Jesus Christ revealed the righteousness of God revealed in Christ and his propitiatory sacrifice so the insufficiency of General Revelation for gospel knowledge thirdly the sovereignty of God in the revelation of Christ and in the salvation of Sinners notice paragraph three it's a long one the revelation of the Gospel unto Sinners made in diverse times and by sundry Parts with the addition of promises and precepts for The Obedience required therein as to the Nations and persons to whom it is granted is merely of The Sovereign will and good pleasure of God so we see there an emphasis on the sovereignty of God in this particular point and against against the again the Notions of the deists who have a God who is absent from his creation there is really no Providence there is no special Revelation but rather God is is sort of an absentee Watcher and man is prime man is the Arbiter of his own faith man is the Arbiter of his own knowledge as he looks upon the world as he engages empirically in the the world that he that he navigates that sort of a thing so they want to emphasize the sovereignty of God and as it pertains to the general Baptists Maybe be even more specifically here they they want to uphold the sovereignty of God because it is by virtue of that sovereignty that men and women boys and girls wherever they are receive the revelation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ it's according to the will and to the plan and to the counsel of God now with regards to this well let's let me just continue reading and then just a a couple notes Here not being annexed by virgin so what they're saying here is perhaps not being not being joined by what follows or not being supplemented by what follows so we could we could say something like not being supplemented by virtue of any promise to the do Improvement of men's natural abilities by virtue of common light received without it so you know man cannot buy his natural abilities uh receive or attain light in the absence of the sovereignty of God and uh and the revelation of of God or well man can't at all and that's what the statement here makes which none ever did make or can do so man cannot arrive at Divine things man cannot be saved by light received and by his own natural abilities and so this statement has made this very important therefore statement and therefore in all ages the preaching of the Gospel has been granted unto persons and Nations as to the extent or straightening of it in Great variety according to the Council of the will of God this this is um this should be a statement that is very clear is very understandable and with the doctrine of God in view the only conclusion that one could draw with regards to the proclamation of Christ throughout the world now on on this uh on this truth on this blessed truth that this is merely of The Sovereign will and good pleasure of God and that the proclamation of Christ to the Nations is according to the Council of the will of God let's perhaps move from a few passages generally to more specifically that speak regarding this manner now we we would be here for um you know for eons if we were to go to the passages that speak about the sovereignty of God generally speaking and with regards to the Salvation of Sinners but just a quick survey of a few of them turn with me if you can in your Bibles to Psalm 115 so moving from some general statements regarding the sovereignty of God the the unrivaled unmitigated sovereignty of God generally speaking to that as it pertains specifically to gospel Proclamation so in Psalm 115 a passage that's very familiar to you verse 3 but our God is in heaven he does whatever he pleases and this statement is made in the context Against The Gods of the Nations the idols around uh around Israel those Nations that had other gods because it goes on to say they're Idols our God is in heaven he does whatever he pleases this goes against the deists our God is in heaven he does whatever he pleases I'm saying with regards to to our context flip over to Psalm 135 in Psalm 135 we have a very similar statement at verse 5 in Psalm 135 at verse 5 and 6. for I know that the Lord is great and our Lord is above all gods whatever the Lord pleases he does in heaven and in Earth in the seas and in all deep places so God's gen General sovereignty is his sovereignty ultimately and largely speaking declared quite plainly but then as we narrowed down not but then and and then as we narrow down with regards to the Salvation of Sinners you can turn to Matthew 11 with me it's a wonderful statement with regards to the unity of Father and Son um you know the the consubstantiality and equality of the father of the son with the father and in the context of the Declaration of it being the Divine will who receives gospel Revelation notice in Matthew 11 at verse 25 at that time Jesus answered and said I thank you Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that you have hidden these things gospel truths from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes even so father for so it seemed good in your sight so we see we see that the the revelation of Christ as the confession says here made to Nations made to countries made to people throughout all ages is according to this blessed truth even so father for so it seemed good in your sight we see that Christ goes on here 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 so we see the Primacy of the will of God here we see it in the context the father and the son this language of to whom the son Wills to reveal him so that's why the confession here can write that in all ages the preaching of the Gospel has been granted unto persons and Nations as to the extent or straightening of it in Great variety according to the Council of the will of God and that's that's why special Revelation that special gospel revelation of Christ is absolutely necessary for the Salvation of Sinners lastly then we have the necessity of effectual Grace for salvation a couple texts to note just on the previous point that we won't go through but acts 17 25 and 26 he gives to all life breath and all things and has determined their pre-appointed times in the boundaries of their dwellings that pertains more to Providence than it does to the special revelation of Christ but yet the principle is the same and and in the context there would be there is Gospel preaching but the principle is the same whoever receives the special revelation of Jesus Christ has received so by The Sovereign plan and Good Counsel of God so lastly we have the necessity of effectual Grace for salvation notice the paragraph the chapter closing with paragraph four although the gospel be the only outward means of revealing Christ and saving grace and is as such abundantly sufficient thereunto yet that men who are dead in trespasses may be born again quickened or regenerated there is moreover necessary and effectual in Super Bowl work of the Holy Spirit upon the whole soul for the producing in them a new spiritual life without which no other means will affect their conversion unto God so again this this goes against the opponents that are in the background of this chapter's inclusion the doctrine of sin is vital in the background on because men cannot be born again quickened or regenerated by anything other than the Holy Spirit working insuperably and effectual upon their hearts upon their souls and that only by virtue of uh being joined to the proclamation of Jesus Christ and Grace by him so the necessity of effectual Grace for salvation we could make a note here and we do have some time so turn back to chapter one for a moment as we close off in the last five minutes here chapter one that is of the confession of Faith notice this same language regarding the necessity of regeneration the necessity of the effectual call of God so paragraph five first off we may be moved and induced by the testimony I'm not going to read the whole thing so I'll tell you when we uh move down to uh to a particular line at the bottom we may be moved and induced by the testimony of the Church of God too and high in reverent esteem of the Holy scriptures and then near the bottom three lines up yet notwithstanding our full persuasion and Assurance of the infallible truth and divine Authority thereof is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing Witness by and with the word in our hearts the situation is man with is with man is such that this is absolutely necessary for his conversion and for his mind to operate a right paragraph six the whole Council of God concerning all things necessary for his own Glory man salvation faith in life is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture unto which nothing at any time is to be added whether by new revelation of the spirit or traditions of men so let's just pause there for a moment if we think of our chapter that we're dealing with that deals with special Revelation there the first portion of that chapter but remember there are two things necessary for the conversion of Sinners that is the special revelation of God and the effectual work of the holy spirit so we have the next portion of the paragraph nevertheless we acknowledge the inward illumination of the spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the word so if we could summarize this particular chapter we could say that the theme is twofold the necessity of special gospel Revelation and effectual Grace for salvation and just just a couple things in closing the um what does this chapter do first off it magnifies the love and grace and mercy of God in the sending of Christ in the disclosure of his person and work in the Holy scriptures and in regenerating Sinners by the insuperable work of the spirit it magnifies that any other scheme any other approach to Redemptive history any other approach to Salvation minimizes destroys and steals away the love the grace and the mercy of God in disclosing Christ in in such a way and in affecting the salvation of Sinners by his spirit and it is a cause for worship and for prayer today as as we engage in the worship of Father Son and Holy Spirit and as the word is read and as the word is preached before it is and as it is we we should be praying that God would do these two things that he would affect that he would impress upon the heart the special revelation of Christ and the holy scriptures the gospel and the grace of Christ and that he would send his Spirit in order to bring dead Sinners to life and this this chapter if it speaks to anything it speaks to that the special revelation of our glorious Christ and the need of the Holy Spirit to affect Saving Grace in The Soul well let's pray Heavenly Father we just thank you for this time together to study truth we thank you that you have revealed Christ to us we thank you Lord God that you have worked Upon Our Hearts by the effectual and insuperable work of the Holy Spirit we just rejoice in in your Amazing Grace in making Christ known to us and cherished by us and we pray as we go into worship that you would help us to worship that we would worship you in spirit and in truth and Lord that you would give Pastor Butler those things he needs to to speak well concerning Christ to preach your word to open it up and we pray that he would know your Aid in the pulpit and that you would this morning edify your Saints and save Sinners and we pray