00:00
00:00
00:01
ប្រតិចារិក
1/0
Let's bow together and ask the Lord's blessing on the ministry of the word this afternoon. Father in heaven, we thank you for the holy scriptures. We thank you for the way in which they reveal the truth to us, the truth concerning who you are, the truth concerning how you made us, the truth concerning our condition now that we are fallen into sin, and also the truth of the gospel. We thank you for the Holy Scriptures, for the clarity that they bring concerning these things and much more. And we also thank you for this catechism that we have received from our spiritual forefathers. which does systematize these great truths for us in such an orderly way. I pray that you would give us understanding as we consider your word. I pray that we would believe these truths. I pray that young and old would receive these truths and live according to them, especially help our young people to grasp the truths of the Christian faith that they would live according to them all the days of their life. Help us now we pray, in Christ's name and all of God's people say, Amen. Today we come to Baptist Catechism number 23, which asks, did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery? The answer is good news. God, having out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer." Let me read that again. God, having out of His mere good pleasure from all eternity elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer. Our Scripture reading for this afternoon will come from Ephesians 1, 3-10. Here the Apostle Paul breaks out in praise and blesses God, saying, In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth." This is now the reading of God's most holy word. May He bless the preaching of it this afternoon. Brothers and sisters, the catechism has been all bad news from questions 16 through 22. In those questions and answers, we learned all about Adam's sin and its terrible effects upon the whole human race. But here in question 23, we hear good news. Again, the question, did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery? Now before we go to the answer, I think it should be acknowledged that God would have been right to leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery. In other words, God would not have been wrong to leave all mankind in this state. If the answer to this question were yes, God would still be just. What did our sin What did the sin of Adam and our sin in him deserve except judgment? The wages of sin is death. God would have not been wrong to leave us in that state of being. I think that needs to be acknowledged. But we have good news here in the answer to this question. Notice that the first word in the answer to our question is God. God is the first word in the answer to question number 23. And I think this is significant. If mercy and grace were to be shown to man, if salvation were to be provided, which it has been provided, it is God who must take the initiative. And God has taken the initiative. God had to act. In other words, man in sin, Adam and Eve and all who have descended from them, is helpless and hopeless in the state of sin and misery. You understand this, right? And so the very first word in the answer to the question, did God leave mankind to perish in this state of sin and misery, is God. God took the initiative to show mercy and grace. That is what we are going to learn. Next, our catechism says, having. God having. You'll notice that having is past tense. So we are about to learn about something that God did before Adam fell into sin. And I say before, knowing that this is not a completely accurate way of speaking about God's determination to offer grace to fallen man, for God is not bound by time in the way we are. When I say before, I speak in a creaturely way. God is not bound by time. He is outside of time. God exists in eternity where there is no succession of moments or events. Go ahead and try to figure that out and to wrap your head around it. You will not be able to. But we are talking about something that happened before Adam fell into sin. And in fact, a more precise way of speaking is to say that God did this thing that we are about to consider in eternity, in eternity. Our catechism will actually put it that way in just a moment. Now back to our answer, God having, past tense, out of His mere good pleasure, our catechism says. The words, out of His mere good pleasure, speak to what motivated God to show mercy and grace and to provide a way of salvation for sinners. What motivated God to do what He did, to show mercy and grace to sinners and to provide a Savior for them? Our catechism is right to say that God did this out of His mere good pleasure. I might ask you the question, What motivated God to show grace to sinners? Was it something deserving within man? Did God look down from heaven on earth and say, you know, I really don't want to, but because there is this thing that is deserving within man, I must therefore show mercy and grace to man and provide salvation for them? No. Did someone outside of God convince or pressure him to show grace? Again, we say no. Instead, we must confess that God determined to show grace to fallen man from within himself, that is to say, out of his mere good pleasure. What motivated God to be gracious to man? Well, something within himself moved him, if I may speak in that way. The most famous of all Bible verses, John 3, 16, actually speaks to this when it says, for God so loved the world. that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." What motivated God to provide a Savior for humanity? What moved Him, if I may speak in that way? What moved the Father to send the Son to accomplish redemption? It is the perfection of His love which moved Him to provide a Savior. In other words, it was not something outside of God that moved Him, but something from within Him, namely the perfection of His love. This is contrary to the way that many think. today concerning the grace of God, concerning the salvation that He has provided. I think many assume that God was obligated to do this, and that it was something within us that moved God to send a Savior. God must love me. He's obligated to do so, and why would He not? After all, I'm so good. I think this is the way that humanity thinks, but quite to the contrary, God was not obligated to show grace to us or to provide a Savior for us. And there was nothing within us that would merit our salvation or that would necessitate that God provide a Savior. Instead, it was God acting out of His mere good pleasure. Our catechism is right to use this language. And then we might ask, when did God determine to show grace to fallen man? And here it is stated with great precision in our catechism, from all eternity. That is the language. from all eternity. This truth that God determined to save sinners before Adam sinned and from all eternity is found in many places in the scriptures. In my mind, the clearest of these texts are the ones that contain the phrase, before the foundation of the world. Have you ever encountered that phrase in the Holy Scriptures before? I know that you have. Before the foundation of the world, the Bible says, and clearly these texts are speaking about something that happened before the heavens and earth and even time itself were made. This is when God determined to save. Listen to Ephesians 1.4. There we learn that God chose those who believe in Christ, here it is, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. When did God choose? to save sinners in Christ? Did he do it right after Adam sinned as if God were caught off guard by the sin of Adam? Did he all of a sudden shift gears to plan B when he saw that Adam fell? No, Ephesians 1.4 says quite clearly that God chose Those who will believe, those who believe in Christ before the foundation of the world. There is that phrase. It's speaking to a decision made prior to the creation of the heavens and earth. In 1 Peter 1.20, we read that Christ was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you. So when did God determine to send the Christ? When was Christ known to God? It was before the foundation of the world. In John 17, 24, we hear the prayer of Jesus himself. He cries out to the Father and says, I desire that they also whom you have given me may be with me where I am to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. There it is again. So here Christ is praying to the Father, and He's praying that God would bless and keep those given to Him by the Father. And these were given to Him before the foundation of the world. Lastly, in Revelation 13, 8, we hear about the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. And when was this book written, this book of life, when was it written? When were the names written down in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain? Revelation 13, 8 says that this book was written before the foundation of the world. I could argue this point from other scripture texts too, but this phrase, before the foundation of the world, is very instructive. All of these texts clearly teach that God determined to show grace to sinners and to bring them to salvation through a Redeemer, Christ the Lord, before the world was made, before man fell into sin, and in eternity. So what, in particular, did God do in eternity? What did He decide to do? What was His decree? Our catechism is right to say that He elected some to everlasting life. This is the doctrine of election or predestination, which is so clearly taught in Holy Scripture. Again, in Ephesians 1-4, we read that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In verses 5 and 6 we go on to learn that He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace with which He has blessed us in the Beloved. This is what God did in eternity. He chose, or elected, or predestinated some to be adopted in Christ, to be saved in Christ Jesus. There are many other places where this doctrine is taught. In John 17, Jesus speaks of those given to Him by the Father in eternity. In Colossians 3.12, those in Christ are called chosen ones. Romans 8.33, 9.11, 11.7, 2 Timothy 2.10, Titus 1.1, 1 Peter 1.1, and 2 Peter 1.10 all use the language of election to refer to the believer. The meaning is this, those who are united to Christ by faith, they are called the elect. They are the ones who have been elected by God or chosen This is another way of saying that those who placed their faith in Christ in time were first chosen by God in eternity. Those who placed their faith in Christ in time were first chosen by God in eternity past, if you will. And I suppose that now would be a good time. to remind you of what motivated God to choose, elect, or predestinate some, and to leave others in their sin. It was not something deserving in the creature, but it was out of God's mere good pleasure. In other words, this election was by the grace of God alone. It was not merited. It was not earned by the creature. There was nothing in us that caused God to choose us. Have you ever heard the criticism that those who believe in the doctrine of election are puffed up with pride? Oh, you call yourselves the chosen ones. You think that you have been elected of God, predestinated by God. Well, then you are prideful, therefore. No, I think you've missed the point entirely. The Scriptures are so very clear that those who are chosen by God or who are elected or predestinated, whatever term you wish to use, they are chosen by God not because of something good within them but according to God's mere good pleasure. It is by the grace of God alone. In fact, the Scriptures say quite the opposite, that it is those who are weak and foolish often, those who are poor, those who are nothing in terms of the eyes of the world, it is they whom the Lord has determined to bring to salvation oftentimes. You know that Paul spoke in his letters in this way to Christians. There is no room for boasting, brothers and sisters. And that is what Paul says so famously in Ephesians 2, 8, and 9. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing. It's not something you have done. It is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. There's no room for boasting because you haven't done anything. It's God who has done the work. It is God who is determined to save you. That is what the scriptures so clearly teach. What is the gift of God, according to Ephesians 2, 8, 9? The gift of God is faith. The gift of God is the ability to believe unto the salvation of our souls. All of this is by grace, and what is grace except a gift? It's not something that we have earned in any way, but it is something that God has freely given to us. It is the plain and clear teaching of Holy Scripture that in eternity past, God has elected some to bring them to everlasting life through a Redeemer. So we have learned about what God did in eternity. This is what He did in eternity. Our catechism has taught us well. Now we will learn about what God has done in time. Again, hear the answer. God, having, out of His mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life. When did that happen? If we may speak in this way, before Adam fell into sin. Now listen to what our catechism says. Did enter into a covenant of grace to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer. When and with whom was this covenant of grace made? We must confess that it was not within God in eternity, but between God and man in time. Between God and man in time. That is when this covenant of grace was transacted. If we wish to be more precise, which is in fact very important here, we must say that this covenant of grace was ratified when Jesus Christ lived, died, rose again, and ascended to the Father. That is when the covenant of grace was made. But we must also admit that the saving power of this covenant was present in the world before Christ's death and resurrection. Indeed, the saving power of this covenant of grace was present in the world even in the days of Adam. Shortly after Adam fell into sin, a promise was made that God would provide a Savior who would in the fullness of time arise from the offspring of the woman to crush the serpent's head. So in time, God did enter into a covenant of grace with man to bring them to salvation through a Redeemer. When was that covenant ratified? When was it brought into full force? It was when Jesus was on earth and He said, this is my body and this covenant in My blood, do this in remembrance of Me." He then went to the cross, He went to the grave, from there He was raised and He ascended to the right hand of the Father. The New Covenant, which is the covenant of grace, was put into full force in that moment. But this covenant through which all men and women have been saved, who have ever been saved, was also present within the world, not actually but in the form of promise before that. Who had the promises concerning this covenant of grace? Adam did. So did Abraham, so did Moses, so did David, and so did everyone who lived in their time in proximity to the promises of the gospel. The covenant of grace is the new covenant of which Jeremiah 31, 31 spoke. The covenant of grace is the one mediated by Christ. It is the one that was instituted on the night when he was betrayed, saying, Take, eat, this is my body, and take ye a cup. And having given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. It is this covenant, the new covenant, that is the covenant of grace. This covenant alone provides for the forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ, the mediator of this covenant, who atoned for the sins. of his elect through the shedding of his blood." We have already learned about covenants, brothers and sisters. Remember that a covenant of works was made with Adam in the garden. It is called a covenant of works because Adam had to work or obey to obtain the blessing of that covenant, namely life eternal. Why then is the new covenant called the covenant of grace? Why is it called the covenant of grace? It is because in this covenant, The work has been done for us by Christ, the second Adam. The work of this covenant has been done for us by Jesus Christ, the Messiah. The only thing for us to do in this covenant to receive its blessings is to believe. We must believe. And we have already heard, in Ephesians 2.8, that the ability to believe is itself a gift from God. That is why the New Covenant is called the covenant of grace. It is through this covenant, the New Covenant, with Christ as mediator, that the grace of God, the saving grace of God, is distributed to all of God's elect, namely all who will believe from Adam's day on to the end of time. It is through this covenant, the new covenant, the covenant of grace with Christ as mediator, Christ who shed His blood for us, who atoned for sins. It is through this covenant that all men and women who have ever been saved or ever will be saved are saved. It is through this one, the new covenant, the covenant of grace. This covenant, the covenant of grace, is not a covenant of works for us. It is a covenant of grace. In this covenant, God has promised, now listen to our to deliver His elect out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer." What has God determined to do through this covenant, the covenant of grace? Again, I say He is determined to deliver His elect out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer. So please allow me to make just a few remarks about the phrase, to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer. One, notice the language of estate again. We've encountered this before in our catechism. Man was created in an estate of innocence. When man sinned, he fell into an estate of sin and misery. But those who have faith in the promised Messiah are brought into another state of being. They are transferred from the estate of sin and misery into an estate of salvation. Notice that all along the way, we are image bearers of God. We are truly human. We have the ability to think and to reason and to make free choices. None of that has changed. What has changed? It is this. Our state of being has changed. Adam and Eve were in a state of innocence. They fell into sin and misery, a new state of being. And now those who are drawn to faith in Christ are transferred into an estate of salvation. Our confession of faith calls this estate the state of grace. So it goes by a different name, but it's talking about the same thing. And I want you to listen to the way that the Second Lenten Confession of Faith, Chapter 9, Paragraph 4, describes this state of being. It says, when God converts a sinner, there you have it again, this is the work of God, brothers and sisters, when God converts a sinner and translates him into the state of grace, or what our catechism calls the state of salvation, what does he do? He frees him from his natural bondage under sin, and by his grace alone enables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good. Yet, so as that by reason of his remaining corruptions, he does not perfectly nor only do that which is good, but does also will that which is evil." This state of being should sound familiar to you because it's what you experience. When you came to faith in Christ, you know that you were freed from bondage to sin. Your blind eyes were opened. Your stopped ears were unstopped. You saw Christ as glorious. You believed upon Him. And you have been washed. You've been cleansed. You've been renewed. That is all true. You've experienced this. But corruptions remain, don't they? You know they remain. They remain for me, they remain for you. The process of sanctification is not complete. And so we find ourselves not only doing that which is good, but also that which is evil as we sojourn in this world. This is the estate that we are in, the state of salvation or the state of grace, whichever term you prefer. Two, our catechism does not only talk about the estate that the elect are brought into when they believe upon Christ, but also the estate from which they are freed, namely the estate of sin and misery. We were born into the world, children of wrath, into the estate of sin and misery. We were in bondage there. And here's what I simply want you to recognize, brothers and sisters, you've been freed from that. In the covenant of grace, God promises to deliver His elect out of the estate of sin and misery and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer. Thanks be to God. You are no longer in bondage to sin. You are no longer in bondage to darkness and to that kingdom of darkness. You are no longer enslaved to these things. Those bonds have been broken in Christ Jesus in the new covenant, which is the covenant of grace. You've been freed from something and you've been freed to something. You've been freed from the estate of sin and misery and all of its consequences. You've been freed to the estate of salvation. Notice, thirdly, that this salvation is obtained, not by works, but through faith in a Redeemer, Christ Jesus the Lord. All of this is accomplished by a Redeemer, and we know His name, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He is the Messiah. All of this is accomplished through Christ, through faith in Him. So here is the good news, finally good news. Though man fell into sin, and was hopelessly lost in an estate of sin and misery, having lost communion with God, being under His wrath and curse, and being made liable to all the miseries of this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever. God, having out of His mere good pleasure from all eternity elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation. by a Redeemer. The Redeemer, again I say, is Christ the Lord. Whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." That is John 3.16-18. Let us bow for a word of prayer. Father in heaven, we thank you for this good news, that you have been merciful, you have been gracious to fallen humanity. You have determined to save a people for yourself from every tongue, tribe, and nation. This work of salvation is not ours, but yours. You have accomplished it. You have accomplished it through Christ, and you are administering the salvation. You are applying it even now by the power of your Holy Spirit. God, we give thanks to you for your mercy and for your grace. God, I pray that you would move us to stand in awe of your mercy and grace. Increase our gratitude, O Lord. Draw us ever closer to Christ. Move us to serve you ever more faithfully in this world, for we are yours. You have redeemed us. You have rescued us. You have freed us. You have adopted us as your own, so that we might cry out to you, saying, Abba, Father, how wonderful is your love for us. We give you thanks in Christ's name and all of God's people say, Amen.
109 - Catechesis - Baptist Catechism #23
ស៊េរី Catechesis
លេខសម្គាល់សេចក្ដីអធិប្បាយ | 627221850271742 |
រយៈពេល | 27:47 |
កាលបរិច្ឆេទ | |
ប្រភេទ | ល្ងាចថ្ងៃអាទិត្យ |
អត្ថបទព្រះគម្ពីរ | អេភេសូរ 1:3-10 |
ភាសា | អង់គ្លេស |
បន្ថែមមតិយោបល់
មតិយោបល់
គ្មានយោបល់
© រក្សាសិទ្ធិ
2025 SermonAudio.