God’s Grace in the Synoptics

Can you see what an extraordinary thing it is to be chosen by God, to be one of His?

Every one of us ought to be on our knees. Every one of us ought to be overwhelmed every moment of every day of our Christian life that God chose me for Himself. Reformed theology, the doctrines of grace, God's sovereignty and salvation, these topics have caused some Christians to respond negatively. And although we may disagree with Bible teachers or theologians, we must never disagree with the Bible and reject the words of Jesus.

Hi, I'm Nathan W. Bingham, and thank you for joining us today for Renewing Your Mind. Jesus said, Many are called, but few are chosen. What did He mean, and who are the chosen of God? To help us understand what can be a controversial subject, Ligonier teaching fellow Stephen Lawson continues his survey of Matthew's Gospel and the words of Jesus.

Here's Dr. Lawson. We want to step back into the Gospel of Matthew as we continue our look at the doctrines of grace as taught by the greatest teacher who ever lived, the one whom they called Rabbi, which means teacher. That would be the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who is the living Word of God. And in the Gospel of Matthew, as we saw last time, Jesus had much to say about the doctrine of total depravity.

He also has much to say about the doctrine of sovereign election. And if you'll come with me to Matthew chapter 22 and verse 14, we hear the words of our Lord speak directly, plainly, and clearly to this precious, wonderful doctrine. In Matthew chapter 22 and verse 14, Jesus said, For many are called, but few are chosen.

This requires some explanation. As you know in the Bible, there are two calls. There is the general call, and then there is the effectual call. The general call is the call of the preacher. The general call is the call of the parent or the Sunday school teacher who brings the Word of God and issues an invitation or a call to come to faith in Jesus Christ. But, I can only bring the Word of God to your ear.

I cannot go any further. God must take it from the ear to the heart, and that is the effectual call, the sovereign call of God. In this case, when He says, Many are called, the reference is to the general call, the outward call. Notice He says, Many are called.

Not all are called. There are many people who will live and die and never hear the name of Jesus Christ. There are many people who will never once in their lifetime hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are many people on the other side of the earth who have never heard the claims of Christ. There are many people in the United States of America who have never heard the purity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So we can only say, Many are called.

Not even all. This refers to the general call that can be rejected and is often resisted and refused. But then He says, But. And as Martin Lloyd-Jones has often said, Praise God for the buts in the Bible. Because if it was only the general call, no one would ever be saved. It takes sovereign grace to take the Word that comes to the ear and then bring it to the heart. And by the way, let me say this, no one will ever be saved without first hearing the general call. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ, Romans 10, 16 and 17. So this is necessary that it be brought to the ear. But that's only step one.

That's only first base. God must now take it deeper into the heart and into the soul. And that requires sovereign grace. And the last part of verse 14 addresses sovereign grace, electing grace, predestinating grace. And He says, But few are chosen. A couple of things stand out to me about this verse.

First of all, the difference between many and few. There are many who hear the gospel. There are many who will hear a sermon or a Bible lesson. But there is a smaller number inside that circle who will respond to the gospel, an inner concentric circle, the few inside the many. And these few are the elect of God. He says, But few, relatively few. Now, in heaven, there is this vast multitude that no man can number, myriads of myriads and ten thousands of ten thousands. It is an enormously large group in heaven that have been chosen.

But compared to those on the broad gate headed for destruction, they are few in comparison to the many that are on the broad path headed to destruction. Few are chosen. This word chosen, eklektos, means chosen out of many, chosen out of the larger number. Not all are chosen.

Do you see that? Not even many are chosen. Few are chosen in comparison to those that are passed over by the Lord. Can you see what an extraordinary thing it is to be chosen by God, to be one of His?

Every one of us ought to be on our knees. Every one of us ought to be overwhelmed every moment of every day of our Christian life that God chose me for Himself. And this also includes the other doctrines of sovereign grace implied in this. All those who are chosen, Christ has died for those who are chosen, and the Holy Spirit will call and draw and regenerate all those who are chosen and be preserved in grace. In Matthew chapter 24, Jesus again speaks of the elect of God.

In Matthew chapter 24 and verse 22, it's also found in Mark 1320, Jesus said, unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved, but for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short. The elect are those who are chosen out of the world by God to be given to the Lord Jesus Christ. And here, believers and the elect are synonymous terms.

If you're a believer, you are so because you are the elect of God from before the foundation of the world, and all of the elect will become believers, and these become interchangeable synonymous terms. Again, in Matthew chapter 24 and verse 31, Jesus continues to identify all true believers as the elect of God. And so in Matthew 24 and verse 31, and it's also in Mark 1327, Jesus said, and He, referring to Himself, will send forth His angels with a great trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds from one end to the sky to the other. Actually, referring to God will send forth His angels, and all believers are the elect of God.

Again, they are used interchangeably. And Jesus will also speak of definite atonement. And in Matthew 20 and verse 28, as Jesus speaks of Himself, we read, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve. You remember this is the account where the mother of James and John said, I want my two sons to sit on your right and on your left when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said, it's not mine to give but my Father, but you also don't know what you're asking for because are you ready to drink my cup and enter into the suffering that belongs to me?

And it speaks to the fact that for us to be recognized in heaven with unusual distinction and with great reward, it would require great suffering and great persecution to have such places of recognition. But He then adds, for just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, meaning James and John would have to serve greatly to receive such a place in the kingdom. And He says, and the Son of Man also came to give His life. That's a metaphorical expression for His death. And please note, His life would not be taken. He would give His life. And Jesus said in John 10 and verse 17, I have authority to lay my life down and I have authority to take it back up again.

This commandment I received from my Father. John 10 verse 18, Jesus, the Son of Man will give His life. His blood was not spilt, it was poured out. Jesus was not a victim. Jesus was the victor because He gave His life.

It was not a human accident. It was a divine appointment at the cross when He died. And He alludes to that with this metaphorical expression than to give His life.

He intentionally gave His life for you and me. A ransom, which is a price paid to free and redeem a slave. We were slaves of sin and slaves of Satan. And the Lord Jesus had to come into this world and to lay down His life in order to pay the price to ransom us out of the slave market of sin and being held by Satan. He says a ransom, which was the purchase price for who pay in the place of, on behalf of, many. It's possible to take the many to mean all, but I think the many here refers to not all, but to many.

A large number, but not all. These are our Lord's own words describing His own death that He would lay down His life and give His life a ransom for many, referring to all the elect. Also, in Matthew 26 and in verse 28, Jesus says something the same as He approaches the time of His death. This is also in Luke 14 and in Luke 22. But Matthew 26, verse 28, for this is My blood, for this is My blood, in Luke 14 and in Luke 22. But Matthew 26, verse 28, for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. This would have been a wonderful time for Jesus to clarify the matter if, in fact, He had laid down His life for everyone. But most correctly, He poured out His blood.

Please note again, it was not spilt accidentally. It was intentionally poured out by Jesus Christ Himself for many for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus will also speak to the doctrine of the irresistible call of God, the effectual call of God. And if you'll come with me to Matthew 11 and verse 25, and again, remember, I say we're going through Matthew's gospel five times, so that's why I take you through once and all of a sudden I've got to take you back to the beginning. We go through it at yet another time.

I just want you to know I haven't lost my way. We're thinking now of the effectual call of God, the sovereign regeneration by the Holy Spirit. In Matthew 11 and verses 25 to 27, this is a blockbuster passage of Scripture.

At that time Jesus said, I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. Whatever is about to follow is very high on Jesus' list of wonderful truth. And what He's about to say, Father, I praise you for this.

There's a certain excitement in His soul about this truth. Now notice what it is, and it may surprise you, that you have hidden these things. The these things refers to the truths of the kingdom, that you have hidden these things. And let me just tell you this, if God hides something, I promise you, you'll never find it.

Everything that God does is perfect, and what He hides will never be found. I praise you that you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent. And this is a sarcastic reference to the Pharisees who thought they knew it all. They are wise in their own eyes.

They are intelligent in their own self-estimation. He says, God has hidden it from the arrogant and the proud and the boastful and the bombastic. God has hidden it and now instead, notice how it continues to read, and have revealed them to infants. When He says infants here, He's referring to those in a humble state who are of total dependence upon the Father and refers to those who have been humbled by grace to come with an empty hand before God and to submit themselves under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is to these that God has chosen to reveal these truths.

How amazing this is. He hides it from the religious crowd and the religious leaders who thought they knew it all, and He has revealed it to mere infants and to mere babes. And then, if that were not enough, Jesus punctuates what He just said.

He doesn't back off. He actually advances the argument yet further, yes, Jesus is the Son of God. He is the Son of God, yes, Father, for this way was well pleasing in your sight. In other words, God took great delight in hiding it from some and revealing it to others. Now, there would be some Pharisees that would have it revealed to them, and that was by sovereign grace. Paul was a Pharisee. Nicodemus was a Pharisee. There would be some Pharisees who would have it revealed to them, but they were among the few.

Yes, Father, for this way was well pleasing in your sight. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Whoa, what Jesus is saying is, you'll never know the Father. And to never know God means you'll never enter into a saving relationship with God. You may know about God, but you'll never know God unless Jesus chooses to reveal the Father to that one. So it speaks to the sovereignty of God in salvation, does it not?

And you know what's amazing? The very next verse, verse 20, it says, Come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly and hardened. You shall find rest for your souls, for my burden is easy and my yoke is light. This evangelistic passage right next to, living next door to this text on sovereign grace and the sovereignty of God in salvation. So many passages in Scripture have these just side by side, and this is one of those. And you can't throw the baby out with the bathwater. You can't accept one and reject the other.

We have to receive them both. If you look in Matthew 13 and in verse 11, Matthew 13, verse 11, Jesus said to His disciples, and again we're thinking about the sovereign application of salvation by the effectual call of God. It says, To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.

Stop right there. You'll never know the truths of salvation unless it has been revealed to you. And the one who is the revealer is a capital R. It is none other than God Himself. To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them, referring to the crowd, it has not been granted. So why do you believe and the others do not believe?

Well, it's been granted to one and it has not been granted to the other. He then goes on to say, But blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear. Very clearly it is implied not all eyes see and not all ears hear. Why do you see what others in your family do not see? Why do you hear what your next door neighbor does not hear? Is it because you have a higher IQ? Is it because you're smarter? You can connect the dots?

No. The difference between you and them is God has chosen to reveal it to you and He has chosen not to reveal it to them. Salvation is for God to give or for God to pass over.

It is the sovereign right of the potter to do what he will with the lump of clay. Well, that's Matthew 13. Look at Matthew 16.

It's more the same. Matthew 16. In verse 16, Jesus in the previous verse said, Who do you say that I am? Because He had just asked and they said, Well, some say you're John the Baptist, some say you're Elijah, some say you're this or that. Jesus, remember I said great preaching gets to the you.

Jesus then said, Who do you say that I am? And Peter for once knocks it out of the park. Peter for once does not need an after foot mint.

Peter for once nails it. He gives the right answer. Notice what he says. You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you.

So, how did you come to know this? If a mere human teacher could not teach you this or your own intellect could not come to this conclusion. So, how do you know that I am the Christ, the Son of the living God? When others say, Well, He's John the Baptist, or others are saying, Well, He's just a carpenter from Nazareth. How do you know that I am the Son of God, the long-promised Messiah, the Christ?

And Jesus will give the answer, My Father who is in heaven has revealed this to you. This is an inside job and it is the result of sovereign grace. How could we be anything but humble, knowing this truth? How could we be anything but on our knees, whether we're standing on our feet or not, but within our heart and soul, on our knees, because God has singled us out. That doesn't make us proud.

That makes us humble. God has singled us out to reveal Himself to us and by the mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Finally, preserving grace. If you'll come to Matthew chapter 10 and verse 22, I'm going to have to do these rather quickly. Matthew chapter 10 verse 22, You will be hated by all because of my name, but it is the one who endured to the end who will be saved. Perseverance is the mark of the elect. Perseverance in pursuing the Lord, those who fall by the wayside, it can be said the faith that thistles before the finish had a flaw from the first. It was bogus belief.

It was a counterfeit conversion. But it's the one who presses on faithful to the end in pursuing and following the Lord. That's the mark of the one whom God has truly called to Himself. It's not a matter of us holding on to Him.

It's a matter of Him holding on to us. So, it's the one who endures to the end who will be saved. Matthew 24 and verse 22, Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved, but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. And they're cut short so that the elect will not suffer more than they can bear. And again in Matthew 24, 24, For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show many great signs and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.

Well, I want you to know it's not possible, if possible, but it's not. It's a literary device to provoke our thinking. No, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. And a thief and a robber and a false shepherd, Jesus said, they will not listen to Him. John 10, verse 5. And then finally, Matthew 24, 31, while you're right there in that section, And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect. Three times in Matthew 24, once, twice, three times, believers, true believers, those who are authentic believers are identified as the elect of God.

He will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. This is the teaching of Jesus. These are the words of our Lord. He has spoken very clearly on sovereign election, death and atonement, irresistible grace, preserving grace. This brings to consummation and conclusion our study of the Gospel of Matthew and these same verses, most of them are found also in Mark and in Luke. May God make this very clear to each one of us concerning this truth. To reject or misunderstand the words of Jesus here that God has chosen and called and redeemed a people for Himself should lead us to despair. We would all remain in our sin. But praise be to God.

He is the God who saves. And this truth is not merely found in the Gospel of Matthew, but is taught throughout the entire New Testament. What we heard today was just one message from Stephen Lawson's Foundations of Grace series. And we'll make the New Testament volume available to you for your donation of any amount. When you give your gift at renewingyourmind.org or by calling us at 800-435-4343, we'll send you this 24-part series on three DVDs. We'll give you digital access to all of those messages so you can listen in the free Ligonier app. And you'll also receive digital access to the study guide.

So give your gift today at renewingyourmind.org. Since many are called but few were chosen, what was going on on the cross? For whom did Jesus die? Well tomorrow Steve Lawson considers those questions as he turns to the Gospel of John here on Renewing Your Mind. .