In the sermon titled 'SLBC 1689 Of Christ the mediator,' Eric Bechler explores the role of Christ as the mediator who applies eternal redemption to his chosen people. The sermon outlines six aspects of Christ's mediating role, including intercession, uniting believers through the Spirit, revealing salvation, persuading belief and obedience, governing hearts, and overcoming enemies. Bechler emphasizes the necessity of Christ's dual nature, human and divine, for mediation. The doctrine of limited atonement is discussed, highlighting that Christ's atonement is intended for the elect, as part of Reformed theology's TULIP principles. The Trinitarian work of salvation, involving the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is explained, emphasizing that salvation is a result of God's design and intervention. The sermon challenges universalism by underscoring that Christ's sacrifice is for the elect, and God's righteous judgment is for the non-elect. Bechler uses the analogy of a groom choosing a bride to illustrate the specific and personal nature of Christ's atonement. The sermon concludes by encouraging believers to find assurance in Christ's love and redeeming work, rather than in their own efforts.

To all those for whom Christ hath ordained eternal redemption, he doth certainly and effectually apply and communicate the same, making intercession for them, uniting them to himself by his Spirit, revealing unto them in and by His word, the mystery of salvation, persuading them to believe and obey, governing their hearts by His word and spirit, and overcoming all their enemies by His almighty power and wisdom. In such manner and ways as are most consonant to his wonderful and unsearchable dispensation and all a free and absolute grace without any condition foreseen in them to procure it. We continue with our focus on Christ the mediator. Again, why do we need a mediator or a go-between? Again, the New England primer tells us in Adam's fall, we send all.

Because of Adam's disobedience, we, each of us, have his sinful nature and are separated from God. We need a mediator to reconcile us to God. But this cannot be just anyone. Last week we really we focused really on on how necessary Christ's two natures, human and divine, how necessary they are in his being the only possible mediator between God and man. Our paragraph today lists out six aspects of how Christ the mediator saves his chosen people.

First, he intercedes for them. It is Christ who died and furthermore is also risen, who is given at the right hand of God who also makes intercession for us. Romans 834. Second, he unites them to himself by his spirit. 1st John 4 13, by this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit.

Third, He reveals the mystery of salvation to us through His Holy Spirit from John 16 13 through 14. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth he will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. Fourth he persuades us to believe and obey For those who the Spirit convicts of sin and brings to faith, it is more than just persuasion, it's an effective calling. From Ezekiel 36, 27, and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. Fifth, he governs our hearts by his word and spirit.

The Lord says, I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people. Hebrews 8 10. And I will pray the Father and He will give you another helper that He may abide in you with you forever, John 14-16. And finally, He overcomes all our enemies by his almighty power and wisdom from 1st Corinthians 15, 25, and 26, for he must reign till he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

Having said all that, I'd like to to focus today on how our paragraph begins. To all those for whom Christ hath obtained eternal redemption. This points to one of the more controversial doctrines of Reformed theology, limited atonement. This is the L in tulip. Tulip again is an acrostic to help us remember five points of Calvinism, total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the Saints.

Dr. Sproul tells us the point of limited atonement is that salvation is entirely of the Lord. It comes from God's design, from His plan, and from His intervention, and it comes through the work of Christ on behalf of his people. Christ's work is applied to the elect by the Holy Spirit. The Father designs it, the Son carries it out, and the Holy Ghost applies it to the elect by quickening us, awakening us from spiritual death and creating faith in our hearts so that we come to Christ.

It is a Trinitarian work and everyone whom God intends to be saved receives the benefits of Christ because God the Holy Spirit makes sure that those benefits are realized in us. Now this does not mean that the value or worth of Christ's work on the cross was limited or insufficient to save all sinners. The sacrifice of Christ derived infinite value from the dignity of His person. If God had chosen all to be saved, Christ's death on the cross would have provided all the necessary merit and righteousness required to satisfy the wrath and justice of God for all the sins by all people of all time. Universalism in fact holds this viewpoint that everyone will be saved.

I would ask then who is going to hell? They explain hell not as a place of eternal torment but as a temporal purgatorial or rehabilitative state designed to purify souls and reconcile them to God. They argue that a loving God would never condemn human beings to infinite punishment for finite sins, making hell a restorative process rather than a final destination. But Daniel 12 2 tells us something different. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Sending against an infinite God requires an infinite punishment, one that we cannot pay. But again, If Christ died for all, wouldn't it be unjust for God to punish anyone? Since Christ has already paid the penalty for their sins, there would be no need for a judgment. And this contradicts much of what we find in scripture. There is another camp who believes that Christ's atonement paid for the sins of all people, unless they reject Him in unbelief.

But that would mean Christ died for all sins, but the sin for unbelief. And this undermines the value of Christ's atonement. In contrast, we hold that only some people will be saved, only the elect, only those whom the Father has chosen, Ephesians 1, 4. This position is tied to unconditional election, another one of the tulip points, which holds that God from eternity past will save His people, not all, just those whom he has chosen, the elect. These two drachrans go hand in hand and as part of his plan of redemption, he will send his son to save those he had chosen only.

Thus it follows that Christ died for the elect, not for all people. Jesus said, I lay down my life for the sheep. My sheep hear my voice. John 10, 15 and 27. He lays down his life not for all sheep, but for His sheep, for those whom the Father has given Him.

John in 639 tells us that I shall lose none of those He has given me, but raise them up at the last day. Actually Jesus's words recorded in John. The elect are saved. They received God's mercy and grace. But what about the not elect?

They receive God's perfect, holy, and righteous judgment. Neither are treated unfairly or unjustly. And in both ways, God's glory is revealed. So for the kids, what have I been talking about? What is this limited atonement that we've been discussing?

Have you ever been to a wedding? The groom, that's the guy, doesn't come to the church to marry just anybody. He's coming to marry a specific woman, a special woman, a precious woman, his bride. She's the one he loves and would even die for. It is he, it is she, that he wants to marry.

Just like that, Jesus didn't die on the cross for just anyone, but only for those whom the Father gave him. We call them the elect, his precious bride, who he loves and who he would die for. In fact, Jesus did suffer and die to pay for the sins of His people, not for everyone, but only for His people. The atonement is not just for a faceless general humanity. It is a personal sacrifice for his sheep, for his friends, for his bride.

If you look, you'll find in the middle of the word atonement the word me. It's there to remind us that Jesus did this for me. The son of God loves me and even gave himself for me Galatians 2 20 that's amazing. It's truly amazing If you are having a bad day Everything's gone wrong. You feel like you can't do anything right, your world is turning upside down.

Remember that Christ died for you. He did this not because you deserved it or that you did something special but because He loves you. Grab a hold of that and take assurance in Christ's redeeming work, not in any effort in your part. It is in Christ alone that our hope is found. We just sang these words.

What heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are still, when striving cease. My comforter, my all in all, here in the love of Christ I stand. That's where we need to be. We need to be standing in the love of Christ. Amen.