Sermon
The Atonement - Adult SS - Lesson 3: The Intention of the Atonement
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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Let me pray.
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Heavenly Father, we thank you for the cross of Christ.
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We thank you for our Saviour and all that he has done for us.
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! We thank you that he is our great high priest,
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the one who has made atonement for our sins.
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We thank you for the forgiveness that we have in him.
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And as we consider his cross today, as we consider the atonement,
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help us to understand these things that are far too deep for us.
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But by your Spirit, please give us some understanding of this,
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a greater appreciation of all that the Lord Jesus has done.
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And we ask this in his name. Amen.
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So if you're new or you're just jumping in to this series,
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this term, we're thinking about the atonement.
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So that's the title of this term, the atonement.
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And what the atonement means, we're thinking about what Christ was doing on the cross.
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Okay?
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What Christ was doing on the cross.
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And just a heads up, we're going to be doing it.
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Usually I do every Sunday School series in half terms.
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So usually we'd finish by this coming half term.
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I'm actually going to extend this over two half terms.
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This is going to be like a mega, mega series.
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So we're going to do all of this, this term, this half term and next.
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So there's lots more to come.
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And last session, we saw what the cross is all about.
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So the first one, we saw the need for the atonement.
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And then we saw what the cross was all about.
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What's happening on the cross.
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And we saw Christ's death is not just a random death.
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It's not just an unfortunate death.
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No, Christ's death is a sacrifice that makes us one with God.
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So just like the Old Testament priests would make sacrifices, in that same way, Christ was a sacrifice.
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So on the cross, all our sin and guilt and the debt all went on to Christ on the cross.
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So this is his people here.
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All the debt went on to Christ.
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And he substituted in for us.
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That's the little dotted line.
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So he substituted, swapped in for us and identified with our sin.
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And the sin of debt went on to him.
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And so he bore the wrath of God.
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The wrath of God that is rightly deserved, the penalty for our sin.
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That was all diverted and borne on to Christ.
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Christ, he paid the penalty that was deserved for our sins.
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And by doing so, he reconciled us to God.
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So that broken relationship because of the debt and the wrath, we weren't reconciled.
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And so we needed to be reconciled.
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And so on the cross, Christ was reconciling us back to God.
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And so he achieved three things.
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Redemption, meaning ransom.
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He paid for our debt.
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Propitiation, which means he appeased God's wrath.
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Ended God's wrath because it was diverted away from us.
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And he reconciled us.
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So these three things.
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And this is atonement.
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When we speak of atonement, it means at-one-ment.
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Making us at one with God.
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And what does that involve?
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That involves these three things.
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They're kind of the three ingredients to atonement, you could say.
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And this is what happened with the Old Testament sacrifices we saw last week.
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And this is what happened to Christ.
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The Old Testament kind of gives the shape of what Christ is doing.
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But today, I want us to ask an important question.
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If this is what Christ was doing, if this is what was happening on the cross, and this is what Christ was achieving,
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who was he doing it for?
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Who are these people here?
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I want us to answer the question today, who did Christ die for?
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Or if you want to be grammatically correct, for whom did Christ die?
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That's the correct term.
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That's kind of how people phrase it.
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I know whom is the correct term, but it feels weird saying it.
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Like, no one says whom.
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You're going to get laughed at if you say whom.
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Who did Christ die for?
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Okay?
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And you may not have thought about this question.
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Or maybe you think it's a bit of an odd question to even bring it up.
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But I want us to see that this is really important to understand the atonement.
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It's important to appreciate all that Christ has done on the cross.
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And so, who did Christ die for?
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I wanted to jump straight in.
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There are three major views.
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Okay?
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View one.
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You can see this at the top left of your page.
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View one.
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Christ died for everyone.
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Okay?
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So, Christ actually died for every single person.
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Actually paid for all their sins.
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And so, reconciled every single person on the planet, throughout history.
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Every single person.
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He reconciled back to God.
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And so, to jump to the conclusion of this.
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That means that there'll be no one in hell.
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That there's no judgment falling on absolutely anyone.
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And so, everyone will be in the new creation.
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Okay?
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And I'm going to just quickly dismiss this one.
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Because that is just unthinkable.
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Okay?
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Right?
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We have our doctrine of hell.
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We have our doctrine of judgment.
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We have our understanding of the need for the gospel.
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If everyone's going to the creation, there's no need for the gospel.
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Don't worry about it.
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Why would Christ tell anyone to preach the gospel?
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Okay?
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So, view one does make any sense at all.
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We can't think that.
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And so, we're not going to get into that today.
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Okay?
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You can ask me more afterwards if you want.
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But view two, we're going to consider a bit more.
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So, view two is that Christ died hypothetically for everyone.
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Okay?
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So, this says that Christ died generally for everyone.
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There was an intention that he generally died for everyone.
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He died to make salvation possible for everyone.
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He died to make humanity savable.
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But the cross is only made effective to the elect.
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To those whom God chooses.
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So, in this view, the cross is a bit like a medicine box.
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Right?
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So, when Christ died, he made this medicine box with, you know, a trillion pills.
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Right?
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I've made this for everyone.
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Christ died generally for everyone.
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But not everyone will actually get one of those pills.
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Okay?
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It's only those who receive it, who believe, who God has chosen.
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Okay?
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So, that's view two.
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But view three is that Christ died for his people.
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So, Christ died for a specific number of people.
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Not everyone.
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But his people.
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And all those people will be saved.
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There's not a question about it.
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And this view is often called limited atonement.
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Or definite atonement.
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I'm going to use the word definite atonement.
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I think that's a better term for...
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Well, we'll find out why that's a better term.
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And I want us to see today and be convinced of this third position.
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All right?
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Christ died for his people.
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Who are these people?
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Who are the people Christ died for?
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It is his chosen people.
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You could say it's the elect.
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But today, I also want to address why people might have issues with this position.
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And maybe you're coming with questions and maybe it's not sitting right at the moment.
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I want to address some of those issues.
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And the common issues are often...
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What about the all verses?
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Okay?
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So, 1 Timothy 2.
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Christ gave himself as a ransom for all.
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Romans 5.
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One act of righteousness leads to justification in life for all men.
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Okay?
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So, what about the all verses?
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What about the world verses?
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So, the famous one.
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1 John 2.
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He's the propitiation for our sins.
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And not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
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Huh.
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What's going on there?
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And another common objection is...
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What about evangelism?
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So, if Christ didn't die for all people...
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If that's not how we're going to say it...
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Then, how can we offer the gospel to all people?
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And another objection would be...
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Well, it's to do with the name limited atonement.
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Right?
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That's what it's often called.
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How can we say that Christ's cross is limited?
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Doesn't that say Christ's mercy is limited or his power is limited?
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And small in some way.
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And some people say, we don't want to limit the cross.
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So, we're not going to go with limited atonement.
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Well, how do we answer all this?
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Well, I want us to see why positively...
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First of all, positively...
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Why we must think of the atonement as this third position is definite atonement.
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And I want us to make a case for that.
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And then we can answer some of these questions.
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Like, what about the alls?
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What about the world?
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And I'll try to answer maybe the limited atonement question along the way.
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But I want us to jump in.
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And I want us to think about all this in the right way.
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And to do that, we need to see Christ went to the cross with two things on him.
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He went with two things on him.
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Christ went to the cross with a belt and a treasure chest.
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Okay?
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So, to understand definite atonement, to understand the cross, you need to understand that Christ died for his people.
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And to see that, you need to understand a belt and a treasure chest.
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So, the first point, Christ died for his people.
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So, two things I want us to see.
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The first is a belt.
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Christ went to the cross wearing a belt.
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I mean, metaphorically, right?
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He wasn't actually wearing a belt.
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So, if you cast your minds back to our Sunday school on covenants, on the two giants.
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Don't worry if you weren't there.
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But if you were, try to cast your mind back on the two giants, Adam and Christ.
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So, do you remember there are two giants of the Bible?
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Adam and Christ.
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And on the belt of these two giants, attached to these two giants, are people.
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So, you are either in Adam or you are in Christ.
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So, Romans 5.
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For as by the one man's disobedience, the many were made sinners.
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Adam's disobedience made many sinners.
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But the one man's obedience, the many will be made righteous.
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So, two people, two effects on two different people.
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So, 1 Corinthians 15.
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For as in Adam all die.
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Everyone attached to Adam will die.
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So, also in Christ shall all be made alive.
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And Thomas Goodwin, a theologian, he phrased it like this.
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This is a helpful way to picture it.
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In God's sight, there are two men.
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Adam and Jesus Christ.
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And these two men have all other men hanging from their girdle strings.
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Belt.
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Okay.
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Right.
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So, all of humanity across all time and space.
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They are split into two groups.
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And they're hanging from two different belts.
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Adam and Christ.
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And so, whatever happens to these two giants happens to everyone attached to them.
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So, if Adam falls, if the giant falls, everyone falls with them.
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If a giant stands, if Christ stands, everyone stands with them.
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And I want us to see being attached to these giants.
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This doesn't just mean at the end of time, everyone will eventually end up on these giants.
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No.
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I want us to see everything that Christ did in his ministry, he did with a specific people already attached to his belt.
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And that includes dying on the cross.
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And I want us to see that.
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We've got a big breakout section.
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So, look at the dotted box.
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Lots of questions.
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Lots of verses.
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Break out into groups.
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Answer these questions.
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And I want us to see this giant in action in the Bible.
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I'll give you five minutes for this.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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There we go.
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One more minute.
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it sounds like people are finished maybe we'll wrap up in a few seconds
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okay let's wrap it up there so first question i won't pick on anyone let's just think about this
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according to the new testament who has christ come to save that let's just look at the language
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it's quite specific isn't it he didn't come to save every single person in the world not everyone will
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enter the kingdom no jesus came to save his his specific people matthew 1 he came to save his
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church his bride his friends that's who he's laying his life down for and that is a specific known
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people and so so think about john 10 so he speaks of his sheep he says he knows his sheep right
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that's not every single person he has sheep that belong to him and he knows who they are
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it's the flock that he knows and it's and it's those he is laying his life down for
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and also it's a specific people known by the father too do you see that so the father has given jesus
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a people the father has said here is a people now go and save them right so that's the language that we
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see in the new testament and how does christ save these people so he's got people to save how does
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he save them it is through the cross so the bible is clear that the cross does something so the cross
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is how jesus saves his people and so if jesus came to save a specific people and the cross is how he
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saves them then there is a very specific intention to the cross and that's key it's the intention behind
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going to the cross right jesus says i am going to the cross to save my people the specific people that
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i know and that the father has given me they're the ones i'm going to the cross for because they
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are the ones i'm going to save and the cross is how i save them and this this isn't out of the blue
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this isn't us trying to kind of cram this onto the new testament's phrasing no this is the exact shape
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of the atonement in the old testament so according to the old testament when the priest made sacrifices
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who were they intended for intention what was the intention behind the sacrifices so look look back
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to the day of atonement leviticus 16 the high priest made atonement for the people for god's specific
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people and so notice it doesn't say that he uh it doesn't say he uh he doesn't kill the goats uh
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it doesn't say he kills the goat for israel and the philistines and the assyrians and the egyptians
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does it and he doesn't say this sacrifice is generally for all nations or just generally
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for anyone ambiguously um but really only israel are going to see it and know about it and therefore
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it'll apply to them no the priest doesn't even have the philistines in mind when he's doing this
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no the sacrifice is intended for a specific people god's people and so related to that whose sin did
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the sacrifice atone for right what was the effect um uh what did who did the sacrifice can um apply to
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in effect well even on the individual scale we see this here in in that verse when one person sins
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any atoning sacrifice that is made it covers their specific sin so the priest shall make atonement
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for him for his sin so it's not just a vague sacrifice that just covers sin in general
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and then he comes along and maybe the sinner trusts in it and then it covers his sin
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no that there was a specific intention it covers his specific sin or think of the day of atonement with
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the goat remember we thought about that last week so the priest lays his hands on a goat and confesses
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specific sins onto that goat that the goat doesn't just bear sin of the world generally around us no it
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doesn't just suffer in general it suffers for those specific sins of that specific people
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and so when the high priest made the sacrifices and then entered the holy place was he just acting for
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himself or just acting vaguely in general as a vague priest no he was carrying people with him
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so that the 12 tribes were written on his breastplate so you could say the people specific people were
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written on his heart and that people came in with the high priest and he sacrificed and made atonement
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for them that the people on him so not the philistines not the egyptians not generally all people
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are on his heart no god's people so so the priest represents a specific people
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so we can see here whenever a sacrifice is made it isn't just generally made and then it's up for
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grabs for whoever may or may not take it it's not like a medicine box with lots of pills
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where there it is just go and grab it maybe some will grab it maybe some won't no whenever a sacrifice
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is made it is always intended for a specific people
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and that is how we need to think about the cross christ died not just for a general people but
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carrying a specific particular definite number of people with him and so we can think of him wearing a
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belt so just like adam and christ you know the two giants wear belts think of christ wearing a belt on the
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cross metaphorical belt so just like the priests wore a breastplate making sacrifices and then entering
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into god's presence with god's people on him not the whole planet well christ on the cross he is like a
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giant wearing a belt on that cross carrying a people carrying his people his bride his church
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his flock and dying for them so on the cross he was wearing a belt
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so let's draw a belt here right that's a belt there are lots of hooks on that belt
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on that hook for all his people
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all his people that he's substituting him for
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and so you can think when you're in christ you can say you can think he was carrying you
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on his belt on the cross he was carrying me with him on the cross on his belt
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and everyone who will be in his kingdom was on that belt his people we can say he died for us
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for our sins and so yes christ is a substitute we thought about that last week he's a substitute
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for sinners but but on the cross he's even more than that he's a representative for his people he's
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not only substituting he's representing them and so think of a substitute in football so we thought
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about that last week so if you come off the pitch and someone else substitutes on for you and they play
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um that and let's say that person goes and scores a goal right uh and they win the game uh they win it
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for you don't they they're representing the whole team when they sub on and score the goal they're winning
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it for their team and not all teams not the other team right that they're subbing in and representing
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your team well that is just like christ he represents us and wins atonement for his people
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and this is what the confession articulates so have a look at westminster confession 11 4
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god did from all eternity decree to justify all the elect his people his flock and christ did
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in the fullness of time die for their sins whose sins the elect and rise again for their justification
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nevertheless they are not justified until the holy spirit doth in due time actually apply christ unto
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them think of last sunday school and the holy spirit and so i think you can see here that this is linked to
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election i know this might be opening up a whole nother topic um this is linked to to election and that's
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important god knows who he will save that the father already had a people to save and so he gives that
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people to christ to save now we don't have a list of who those people are that is a secret for god to
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know that that is in the mind of god hidden but god does know that and so he's chosen to save that people
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and this is why it's called limited atonement or sometimes called limited atonement not because
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it's limited in power or limited a limit of god's mercy like oh yeah god's not that merciful it's not
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limiting god's mercy he's not saying it's small but it's called limited atonement because the cross
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is limited limited to a specific number of people but there are not those who will never be in a new
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creation
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there are not these people also included it is limited to his people and that's why i think definite
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atonement is probably a better term uh um i think that yeah try to use that term uh definite it suggests
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that there is something definite and intentional about the cross and that's i think key to how to
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think about this it's the intention what is christ and god's intention going to the cross it's to save
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the people on his belt and so think of a belt but also and i'll stop for questions at the end
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uh also think of a treasure chest so uh you remember a sin debt hangs over our heads doesn't it
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and that debt that is what is owed to god that debt is our lives remember the soul that sins shall die
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and so what happened on the cross jesus paid that debt for us with his own life he redeemed us paid
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that debt by dying and so uh let's just keep thinking about that think of uh being in debt to a bank okay
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so let's say you owe a bank a trillion trillion pounds right just just infinite money and you just can
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never repay it this is this is the this is the parable jesus makes in matthew 18 and you can just
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never repay it uh well the cross is like jesus carrying a treasure chest full of wealth infinite
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wealth into that bank into your bank going to your bank account and just handing over that treasure chest
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and paying it all for you paying all that debt wiping it out and it's an infinitely valuable treasure
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chest because if you come back to the cross he is the treasure chest it's his life it's infinitely
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valuable and so the cross is like jesus going to the bank and actually paying your debt it's a payment
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and so the cross actually does something the cross doesn't just potentially save people it doesn't
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just potentially pay a debt it actually pays a debt it is the payment into uh into the account
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it intentionally saves people so look at revelation 5 for you were slain and by your blood you ransomed
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people for god ransomed redeemed redemption paying the debt mark 10 for even the son of man came not to
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be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom a payment a redemption for many and tied to
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christ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and so christ actually did something
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on that good friday he didn't just make us redeemable he didn't just potentially redeem us no he actually
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redeemed us something was handed over to god in on that day a payment was actually made and so if you
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think of a treasure chest a treasure chest christ was actually handed over on that good friday he didn't
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just pay a debt in general and say okay now it's up for grabs some people may have their debts wiped out
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maybe not take it or leave it no debt is always specific to sin and that's just like the old
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testament sacrifices it's linked to personal guilt right it's payment for specific sins of specific people
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so just like the one peter two he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree our personal sins were on
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there our personal debt whose sins ours his people the people on his belt jesus hands over the treasure
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chest of his life for the people on his belt and the confession again is summarizes this well look at
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8.5 the lord jesus christ by his perfect obedience and sacrifice of himself which he through the eternal
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spirit once offered up unto god hath fully satisfied the justice of his father fully satisfied debt ended
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and purchased not only reconciliation but an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven for all those
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whom the father who's whom the father hath given unto him so christ made a perfect and complete payment for us
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and that payment settled the debt the treasure chest and the treasure chest it was so valuable in fact
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do you see it purchased something so it not only settled the debt and it not only achieved reconciliation
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not only reconciliation but an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven for all those
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whom the father hath given unto him
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so do you see that there is a link between who christ died for
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and who will actually be saved the debt is paid for those who will be in the everlasting kingdom
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and if we're to say otherwise okay let's just zoom out and just maybe kind of put on the other hat all
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right let's say this isn't the case or let's say um someone believes this isn't the case
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it presents two really big problems because think about it let's say christ died for all people
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every single human being that will ever live and that's the way the father designed the cross
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even i'm not talking about saving absolutely i'm talking about hypothetically dying for all people
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and let's say that's the way the father designed the cross and christ goes to the cross and he's
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thinking i'm laying down my life for everyone ever i'm producing a medicine box for everyone with a
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with a trillion plus pills but it turns out not everyone will actually be saved by this
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it presents two really big problems that means first of all the cross isn't powerful enough
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he went to save them he had them in mind but they didn't get saved he redeemed them from sin
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but it didn't work because their sins then remain on them basically the treasure chest isn't valuable
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enough which is just unthinkable to say of christ's death so that's the first thing and the second
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problem is that if christ pays the debt for everyone so some something was actually happening on the cross
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not potentially it was actually happening and he actually paid the debt of everyone hypothetically
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right and then potentially everyone will um kind of come and accept that uh that payment of debt
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if christ pays that debt but some don't accept the payment and then they go to hell let's say like
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these type of people that means they also have to pay the debt for their sins and so uh think of it like this
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so let's say let's say christ died for everyone this is everyone this is everyone who lived in the past
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in the future absolutely everyone let's say christ in kind of went to the cross intentionally for them
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this is view number two and then all that debt went on to christ that that's what we've seen uh
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uh happened on the cross so all that debt went on to christ he substituted in for everyone and represented
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everyone but let's say someone because this is everyone someone doesn't accept that payment and they
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uh so they go to hell okay
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and so they go to hell that they face god's judgment what are they doing there in judgment
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that they are first of all
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receiving god's wrath
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okay this is just the teaching of hell
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and they're also
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in doing so in facing god's wrath in spending eternity in hell
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they are paying something they are paying for their sins
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they are paying their own treasure chest
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right and so have a look if that is the case so christ paid for them on the cross
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but then they step out of that don't accept the payment and then they have to pay it
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in hell how many payments will be made for their sins
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there's two how many treasure chests are there there's two
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his life christ's life and their life
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and that wouldn't be just if christ has satisfied god's justice
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but then they go to hell and have to pay again
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then christ hasn't satisfied god's justice on the cross
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because it's paid twice
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and so that would simply be unjust and couldn't square with god's character
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but that isn't what happened
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no something remarkable happened on the cross
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a treasure chest
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was handed over
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and every sin of his people
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was actually paid for
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so the cross doesn't potentially save
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it actually does all those attached to his belt
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and that is why with his last breath
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what does jesus cry
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it is finished
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the debt is over
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guilt ended no more payment no more punishment
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and so it is impossible for christ to die for someone
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and then for them to have to pay for their sins again
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it completely undermines the justice and the satisfaction
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and all that christ was doing on the cross
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we must say christ died for his people
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and this isn't just kind of a niche theological debate
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and i was trying to kind of like with the argument
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no
-
this is a huge confidence and comfort for us
-
this means we can look at the cross
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and we can say christ actually died for me
-
he went to the cross
-
with me written on his heart
-
and something actually happened with my sin on that day
-
christ redeemed me
-
he went to the cross for me
-
i was written on his heart
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and he was carrying me on his belt
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and so my redemption is certain
-
because he went to die for me
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and i want us to see
-
this is definite atonement
-
okay
-
this is it's biblical
-
and this is what is happening on the cross
-
okay
-
but what about the whatabouts
-
let's get on to that
-
let's just finish with that
-
i can't get on to every kind of single puzzling text
-
but i'll kind of give you a way to think about them
-
and i'll do some examples
-
so anything that includes all or every old world
-
i can't touch on everything
-
but i hope even before we get on to the the puzzling text
-
i hope what we can see already
-
should already kind of clarify what it can't mean
-
right so if we come across and
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christ died for all
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or um
-
god so loved the world
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we've got to be careful already
-
because we know how we kind of
-
we need to think
-
so we've got to realize what it can't mean
-
okay but let's see what they do mean
-
what about the all verses
-
so what about 1 timothy 2
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who christ gave himself as a ransom for all
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one act of righteousness leads to justification in life
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for all men
-
he who did not spare his own son
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but gave him up for us all
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how will he not also along with him
-
graciously give us all things
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well the first thing to say is
-
just because you see the word all
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it doesn't necessarily mean
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and automatically mean
-
all people
-
right
-
every single person ever
-
it doesn't necessarily mean that
-
and it just have a look at romans 8 32
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okay
-
so do you see
-
how will he not also
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so it says
-
gave him up for us all
-
okay
-
question mark
-
what does all mean
-
how will he not also
-
along with him
-
graciously give us
-
all things
-
now when he says all things
-
clearly he doesn't mean
-
literally all things
-
christ doesn't give us
-
every ferrari in the world
-
at every second
-
all the time does he
-
and he doesn't give us lightsabers
-
he doesn't give us infinite money
-
right
-
so it can't
-
already we've got to think
-
it can't mean
-
all
-
all
-
right
-
so we need to be careful with all
-
he means
-
all types of things
-
that we need
-
and so for one timothy
-
let's have a look at one timothy
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he's saying
-
christ gave himself
-
for all types of people
-
so jew
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gentile
-
rich
-
poor
-
male
-
female
-
in fact that this is his point
-
in one in one timothy two
-
he's saying pray for kings
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pray for the people in high
-
authority
-
because christ's salvation
-
is for all
-
types of people
-
like don't neglect
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even the kings
-
okay
-
uh
-
no it's for
-
uh
-
it's not for each and
-
every all person
-
it's for all types of people
-
and that's the same with world
-
okay
-
so what about world verses
-
so look at one john two
-
he is the propitiation
-
for our sins
-
and not for ours only
-
but also for the sins
-
of the whole world
-
i think this may be the one
-
that catches us most off guard
-
so john
-
let's think about the context
-
john is writing
-
as an apostle
-
and he's saying
-
propitiation
-
salvation
-
is not just for
-
us apostles
-
and not just for us jews
-
and not just for a special
-
sect of people
-
which is the problem
-
going on in one john
-
if you if you remember
-
in home groups
-
it's kind of a special
-
sect of people saying
-
this is true christianity
-
no he's not just saying
-
and not just apostles
-
not just jews
-
not just a special sect
-
of people
-
no christ's propitiation
-
is for all types of people
-
across the world
-
all types of people
-
everywhere
-
that's the same with
-
john 3 16
-
for god so loved
-
the world
-
god didn't set his love
-
on jupiter or pluto
-
or mars
-
no he set his love
-
on this world
-
this sinful world
-
and that includes
-
all types of people
-
whoever do you see
-
whoever believes
-
will have eternal life
-
uh
-
and so if you ever come
-
across all
-
or world
-
just think
-
not every single person
-
it's all types of people
-
uh
-
the people hanging on
-
christ belt
-
are
-
you can think
-
they are all types
-
of people aren't they
-
all sorts
-
we are all types
-
of people here
-
okay
-
but what about
-
preaching and evangelism
-
so a common objection
-
is to say
-
well if christ
-
didn't die
-
for all people
-
how can we offer
-
the gospel
-
to all people
-
well the first thing
-
to say is
-
it's just not our place
-
to know who the father
-
has chosen
-
okay
-
what we're saying here
-
isn't that we know
-
who these people are
-
and that we
-
therefore we don't need
-
to worry
-
or care
-
no
-
we are just called
-
to preach the gospel
-
we know god has a people
-
and we are
-
our duty is just
-
to preach the gospel
-
but actually
-
definite atonement
-
so believing that christ
-
died for his people
-
this actually gives us
-
even more confidence
-
to share the gospel
-
because definite
-
atonement says
-
we can present
-
a message that says
-
it is really
-
with christ
-
that's not looking
-
this is the wrong way
-
to think
-
it is really
-
with christ
-
on the cross
-
that is
-
that is where
-
you will find
-
atonement
-
there is no
-
evil
-
too great
-
no sin
-
too bad
-
that that treasure
-
chest cannot
-
perfectly pay for
-
because whoever
-
believes in him
-
you can really say
-
christ died for me
-
not generally
-
but for my specific sins
-
he was on the cross
-
for me
-
and so definite
-
atonement
-
it actually empowers
-
evangelism
-
it gives
-
confidence
-
it gives us
-
confidence
-
that the cross
-
actually does save
-
it's not just
-
hypothetically
-
maybe it saves
-
some people
-
no
-
when people believe
-
the gospel
-
their sins
-
really are atoned for
-
and so you can
-
kind of think of it
-
this way
-
it's like saying
-
trust in jesus
-
and you will find
-
you were on his
-
belt the whole time
-
we don't know
-
who's on there
-
but when you trust
-
in him
-
you realize
-
you were there
-
the whole time
-
and this is why
-
this isn't just
-
a random debate
-
this isn't
-
this isn't just
-
kind of a niche
-
thing to think about
-
no
-
this actually gets
-
to the heart
-
of the atonement
-
definite atonement
-
it gives real meaning
-
to the heart
-
of the gospel
-
message
-
that's been
-
passed down
-
to us
-
but what is
-
the heart
-
of the gospel
-
christ died
-
for our sins
-
according to
-
the scriptures
-
that's what we're
-
seeing
-
it's definite
-
atonement
-
let's
-
do one
-
or two
-
questions
-
you