Dennis Tuuri

Please turn to the Gospel of John. I’ll read chapter 20 for the sermon text. John chapter 20. Please stand. John chapter 20. The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early when it was yet dark under the sepulcher, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulcher. Then she runth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away thy Lord, the Lord, out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid him.

Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulcher. So they ran both together, and the other disciple did outrun Peter and came first to the sepulcher. And he stooping down and looking in saw the linen clothes lying, yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulcher, and he saw and believed. For as yet he knew not the scripture that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. But Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping. And as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the sepulcher. And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain.

And they say unto her, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, “Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou hast borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus saith unto her, Mary.

She turned herself, and saith unto him, Raboni, which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your God. Mary Magdalene came, and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her. Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus, and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you, as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whosoever sins you remit, they are remitted unto them. And whosoever sins you retain, they are retained.

But Thomas, one of the twelve called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said unto them, “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” And after eight days again, and his disciples were within, and Thomas with them.

Then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. And then saith he to Thomas, “Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands, and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless, but believing.” Thomas answered and said unto him, “My Lord and my God.” Jesus said unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed. Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.

And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through his name. Let’s pray. Father, we thank you for your providence in causing these particular accounts to be written. We pray that we would understand them through the illumination of the Holy Spirit and so worship you and praise you. In Christ’s name we ask it. Amen.

Please be seated.

I’m doing something a little unusual at the beginning of the sermon today. I wish to read a fairly long quote from one Reverend James Smith of Cheltenham. I downloaded an article of his off the internet on effectual calling. He was apparently contemporary with Spurgeon and Spurgeon apparently had a conference that he was involved in putting together on the doctrines of grace or the five points of Calvinism. And he had apparently invited Cheltenham to speak on this particular topic. And I was so impressed with this article, I thought it’d be an excellent way to review what we’ve said so far about effectual calling these last couple of weeks.

You remember we said that, simply stated, effectual calling, or irresistible grace, is the means of man’s conversion—the fourth head of doctrine from the Canons of Dort. Simply stated, God effectually calls those whom he has foreknown from the beginning of the world and put his love on them, for whom he has made atonement through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he effectually calls them through the work of the Spirit.

So Father, Son, and Spirit are seen here as effectually calling men to him. And only those whom God calls will respond with this effectual calling. And everyone whom God chooses will indeed respond. So God’s grace is irresistible. Now, irresistible grace is a term that has a connotation that somehow we’re really resisting hard his calling. But as we understand the way God works, God does not violate the will. What God does is he recreates the will.

And so while it’s simply said that effectual calling is what the scriptures teach, we’ve talked about the work of the Holy Spirit and how that works. He gives us a new heart. He causes us to be regenerated. He gives us the gift of faith, not as an action, but as a quality. And then we respond because we’ve been born again. We’ve been given a new will. No longer a will in opposition, but a will created anew in righteousness, holiness, and knowledge.

This article from Cheltenham, this portion of his sermon, pictures this work of the Holy Spirit. And so I’d like to read it now. He takes up the work speaking of the conviction that is indeed produced by the Holy Spirit. And he says that this conviction is produced by the Holy Spirit, bringing the law into contact with the conscience, the gospel into contact with the heart.

In the sinner’s conscience, God erects a tribunal. In the sinner’s conscience, God sits as judge. And before the tribunal, before the just judge, man is summoned to appear. And in the heart, in the soul, in the nature of man, there is a miniature of the judgment that is to take place at the completion and winding up of the present dispensation. The man is arraigned as a sinner. The man is convicted as a culprit. The man is condemned as a criminal.

He stands before God and he has nothing to say. Every excuse has withered like the leaves of autumn. Every excuse is carried away like the chaff from the threshing floor. Every rag that the man boasted of is torn from him. Then he stands a naked sinner before a heart-searching God. The penetrating eye of the omniscient darts into the innermost recesses of his soul.

And the gentle fingers of the Spirit turn over one fold of the heart after the other. The process may be long or the operation may be quick, but sooner or later the man is brought to this: “In me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing.” He had once scoffed at the scriptural representation of man’s fallen and depraved nature. He had once wondered that from the lips of truth had proceeded the startling words: “From within, out of the heart proceed murders, adulteries, blasphemies, false witness, and abominable idolatries.” He never could have thought that evil so dreadful could exist. He never could have thought that sin so fearful could exist. He never could have thought that principles so diabolical could have been found in a nature like his.

But there they are, and he has nothing to object. But under the power of the deep conviction that is produced, he is filled with terrible alarm. If he casts his eye back, there are the crimes of his life. If he casts his eye forward, there is a tremendous judgment. If he lifts up his eyes to heaven, there is the pure and holy God that he has insulted. And if he turns his eyes within, all is dark and vain and wild.

He is filled with alarm—alarm that perhaps keeps him awake by night and haunts and harasses him by day—until he is prepared to do anything, prepared to go anywhere if he may but escape the just judgment of his God. He is by this discipline prepared to submit to God’s method of salvation. He is prepared to give up proposing conditions according to which he would be saved. He no longer goes about to work out a righteousness of his own, but he is ready to submit himself to the righteousness of God.

This is the work of the Holy Spirit that’s being described. Being therefore conscious of this criminality, burdened with his own guilt, trembling at the prospect of his destiny, he falls prostrate before the high throne of the Eternal, smites upon his breast and cries, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” As if no such sinner had ever appealed to God’s mercy. As if no such culprit had ever stood before God’s throne. Before God, he says, “If there can be mercy in thy heart sufficient to reach a case so dismal and so desperate, God be merciful to me.”

And after having pleaded with earnestness, after having supplicated with intense emotion, and after having perhaps become a little bold, he is startled at his own temerity, and receding as it were from the position that he had taken, he cries, “Depth of mercy. Can there be mercy in thy heart for me, O God of spotless purity?” And perhaps like David, he groans in his heart and mourns in his soul until his bones wax old through his roaring all the day long. But no relief, no help is found until at length he begins to make confession of his sin.

And as he confesses, the Spirit of God unveils and unfolds the gospel mystery. And as in the days of the law, when the victim was brought to the priest and the man placed his hand upon its head, between its horns, and pressed with his might, and confessed over it all his transgressions, all his iniquities, and all his sins, so the man lays his hand of faith upon the victim’s head, and there confesses his sin.

And as he confesses, a change takes place in his feelings. The burden begins to disperse. A little bright light in the cloud attracts his attention. And as he looks upward, he seems to catch the loving Father’s eye and feels an encouragement within him to approach unto God. And as he approaches, still confessing, still pleading, still deploring, still resting his hand upon the victim’s head and trusting in the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ and in that alone, he seems to hear strange music, delightful melody. And that music is the announcement of the sound of the trumpet of the Jubilee when the oppressed one is to go free.

And as he listens to the sound, the chains drop from his hands and the burden from his shoulders. The trouble is removed from his heart, and he lifts up his eyes, streaming perhaps with tears, to heaven, and says, “Oh Lord, I will praise thee. For though thou was angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me.” And looking around on those about him, in the language of wonder, astonishment, and gratitude, he says, “Behold, behold a mystery. Behold a miracle. Behold one of the greatest wonders of the universe. Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid. For Yah is my strength and my song. He also has become my salvation.”

He has now peace flowing into his heart like a river. He has now a consciousness that God has accepted him in the Beloved. And he now experimentally knows the truth, tastes the sweetness, and feels the power of the apostolic testimony: “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

He has now experienced the effectual call. It has been a call from darkness into marvelous light, from bondage into glorious liberty. Out of prison the man comes to reign. From the dunghill is lifted up to sit among the princes—even among the princes of God’s people. And now, as I must conclude, just observe the origin of this call. It is the free, the sovereign, the distinguishing grace of God.

It originates not in man’s will, nor in man’s disposition, nor in man’s station in society, but of his will, the Father’s will, and of his will alone, who is the great sovereign ruler of the universe. Is this change affected by his hand? No, man, it cannot be, for it includes a new creation, a resurrection, and the inhabitants of God.

Generally speaking, the instrumentality by which God works is the gospel. But in every instance, the agent that produces the change is the holy and eternal Spirit of God. He quickens the soul dead in trespasses and sins. He enlightens the understanding that was in the midnight darkness of nature. He disposes the will which before ran counter to the will of God. He teaches the understanding and was once averse to everything pure and holy. And then gently and lovingly and sweetly he leads the soul to the cross to gaze upon the wondrous sufferer.

He then leads the soul to the church to confess Christ and him crucified. And then leads it in the paths of righteousness for his own name’s sake. The calling is high, for it is from the high and holy One. It is heavenly, in contrast with the earthly calling of the descendants of Abraham of old. It is an evidence of distinguishing love and thanks—eternal thanks to God. It is irreversible. For the gifts and the callings of God are without repentance.

From death to life we pass. From darkness into light we come. Out of bondage into liberty we spring. From sin to the knowledge and enjoyment of holiness we are introduced. And then at last, from earth to heaven, into the grace of Christ we are called, and we stand in his favor. Into the fellowship of Christ we are called. And when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, we also shall appear with him in glory.

The Father draws, the Spirit quickens, the Son receives. And when locked in the arms of the Son of God, our effectual calling is realized and enjoyed. Its author is God, its subjects are the elect, its nature is holy, and its end is glorious.

I wish to speak today about the glorious nature of the effectual calling of God in Christ through the Holy Spirit. This is a glorious truth we contemplate today—one that is incomprehensible in its fullest sense, and yet one that should lead us to a sense of wonder and awe before the Almighty God who has surely brought it to pass.

Article 12 of the Canons of Dort, the third and fourth head of doctrine, says this: that the work that God affects in the believer, the means by which he converts them, is the regeneration, the new creation, the raising from the dead, and the making alive—so clearly proclaimed in the scriptures, which God works in us without our help.

But this certainly does not happen only by outward teaching, by moral persuasion, or by such a way of working that after God has done his work, it remains in man’s power whether or not to be reborn or converted. No, that’s not the way it is. Rather, it is an entirely supernatural work—one that is at the same time most powerful and yet most pleasing. A marvelous, hidden, and inexpressible work which is not lesser than or inferior in power to that of creation or of raising the dead, as scriptures inspired by the author of this work teaches.

And as a result, all those in whose hearts God works in this marvelous way are certainly and willingly and effectively reborn and actually believe. And then the will, now renewed, is not only activated and motivated by God, but in being activated by God is also itself active. For this reason, man himself, by that grace which he has received, is also rightly said to believe and to repent.

The largest, the greatest proof that the effectual calling is not on the basis of our choice is these references repeated throughout scripture of who we are and what our salvation is. We are dead in trespasses and sins. And our salvation, as the Church Fathers said, is not lesser than or inferior in power to that of creation or of raising from the dead.

The scriptures say that man is in blindness, that man has a stony heart, that man is impotent, that man is in enmity or hostility to God, that man has a complete moral inability, that man has deadness in and of himself. Our state, our fallen estate in Adam, is a picture that we can no more choose for God and cause ourselves to be born again than the creation could cause itself to be created, or a dead man could himself cause himself to be raised up, or that a child could cause itself to be born, being yet unborn.

Now the scriptures are clear on this. Ezekiel 11:19 says, “I will give them one heart. I will put a new spirit within you, and I will take out the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh, a new heart.” Ephesians 2:4 says, “God is rich in mercy. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ from deadness to newness of life.” Totally a supernatural work.

John 5:24 says, “I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believe on him that sent me hath everlasting life, and is passed from death into life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear, being called by God to hear, shall live.” Death to life. The resurrection of Christ is our resurrection in the effectual calling of the Holy Spirit.

Colossians 2:13 says, “You being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, has he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.” You were dead, dead, dead, and you’ve been quickened and raised from the dead by the effectual power of the Lord Jesus Christ through the calling of the Holy Spirit—through the Spirit doing that work of conviction of sin and of causing your heart to be open to God by giving you a new heart.

Ephesians 2:19 says that we will know the exceeding greatness of his power to us who believe according to the working of his mighty power, which power is that which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places. And Ephesians says that’s where we are—in the heavenly places.

John 3:3 says, Jesus says to him, “I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 1 John 5:4 says, “Whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world.” Titus 3:5 says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us by the washing of regeneration, new life.”

1 Peter 2:9 says, “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, that you should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 2 Corinthians 4:6 says, “God who had commanded the light to shine out of darkness have shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Now that’s creation language, folks. You know, when God created the world, it says at first the world was formless and it was void or empty, and there was darkness. And God said, “Let there be light”—the first day of creation, light. By the end of that scripture, by the end of the Bible in Revelation 21 and 22, we have become that beautiful city of God in which there’s no need for other lights because the Lord Jesus Christ is there. He is that light.

And the scriptures say that our conversion is to be compared to God saying, “Let there be light.” We were created. We were dead, and God creates us anew. Indeed, very directly, in 2 Corinthians 5:17 it says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away and behold, all things are become new.” It’s not metaphor. This is what it is. We’re a new creature.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Created in Christ Jesus. “Let there be light.” He brings us forth. Galatians 6:15 says, “In Christ Jesus, neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. As many as walk according to this rule, as walk according to this new creation that we have become in the Lord Jesus Christ—who says, ‘Let there be light through the Holy Spirit to our darkness’—as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy upon the Israel of God.”

Can the unborn say, “I will now be born”? Can the darkness say, “I will now be light”? Can the uncreated say, “I will now become created”? No. This is the asexual work of the Holy Spirit.

Now, it’s interesting. I talked last week a little bit about the seven letters to the seven churches. The beginning and end of those seven churches are references to creation. As we move to the conclusion of what God intends and what God brings to pass through the creation, or rather through the incarnation, the resurrection, and ascension of Christ, the book of Revelation says what happens in the world because of that.

And at the beginning and end of those letters to the seven churches, it speaks of creation. To the church at Ephesus, he says, “He who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands, walks in the midst of the churches.” God walked in the midst of the garden, and Jesus walks in the midst of the lampstands. They had left their first love the way that Adam had left his first love. And Jesus says that if they overcome, he will give to them to eat from the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

New creation is what this church is. And all these churches are bounded by these bookmarks of the first and last church. And to the last church, we read that “These things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.” Jesus is the beginning of the creation of God in the first creation and now has become the beginning of the creation of God with the church and the new creation that he has brought to bear through his work on the cross and his resurrection and ascension.

And to this last church in the seven letters to the churches, he says, “You think you’re rich, you’re poor. You think you’re garbed, you’re naked. You think you can see, you’re blind. And he says, ‘Buy from me white garments that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may be revealed, and anoint your eyes with salve that you may see.’”

He’s talking to Eve here. She looked, but she looked not aright, and she acted not aright. She recognized then in her sinful estate her nakedness. And Christ says, “We’re in that garden.” And he says to us, he gives us in the worship of him. He gives us salve for those old creation eyes because they’re now new creation eyes. We’ve been recreated and we have the garments of the Lord Jesus Christ upon us.

Jesus says that what we have here in a contemplation of his resurrection as it applied to our lives and our salvation is a new creation. And now turn back to John chapter 20. We have a wonderful picture here. It says many things happen. Let me look at verse 30 and 31. “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through his name.”

That you might know that you have come out of death to life, out of darkness into light, out of decreation and death into the new creation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, let’s contemplate a few of these things. It’s the first day of the week. The first day—”Let there be light. Let the creation begin.” And we see here in the context of this first day, men seeking after Jesus.

And what happens? Mary Magdalene hangs around for a little while. And Jesus comes to her. And what does she do? She’s looking for him. And Jesus says, “Who do you seek?” Verse 15. She supposed him to be the gardener. She says, “If you’ve taken his body away, tell me where it is.” And he says, “Mary.” And she says, “Master.”

What a wonderful thing! She’s in the garden here. She supposes Jesus to be the gardener. We have garden imagery going on here because God wants us to realize that on the resurrection Lord’s Day, the resurrection Sunday of all Sundays, that the Lord Jesus Christ is walking in the context of the garden. And Mary supposes him to be the gardener.

It’s interesting, you know. Mary isn’t hiding this time, not like Eve running away. She’s running toward him. She’s seeking him. You see how things have changed now? And he reveals himself to her by calling her by name, “Mary.” And she immediately responds, “Master.” What a wonderful picture, wonderful imagery.

The text goes on to say that Jesus, then on that same day, goes and meets with his disciples. And he says to them—he doesn’t say to them, as he’s going to be with his people, he doesn’t say, “Hey, you know, why are you hiding from me?” That’s interesting, too, because they’re hiding because of fear of the Jews. And what does he tell them?

The first thing he says to them: “Peace be to you.”

See, he’s ushered them into the new world. And in that new world, peace is upon the Israel of God, those who are called by God and who have been clothed and given the Isaac.

And what does he do then? Very clearly in verses 21 and 22. Look at this. “Then said Jesus to them again, saying, ‘Peace be unto you. As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said unto them, ‘Receive ye the Holy Ghost.’”

Now that immediately should draw into our minds the connection. The scriptures say, “God made man in his creation on the sixth day, and he breathed the breath of life into man.” Here is the gardener walking amongst his plants. Here is the God who has formed them up and who’s going to send them out to take dominion over this world.

And he says, “I’m going to send you out as my Father sent me.” And as he says this, he breathes upon them and says, “Receive the Holy Ghost.” Create creation—a new creation in the Lord Jesus Christ is who we are. Everything has changed.

Jesus wasn’t, you know, a big turning point to history. He was the complete coming of the new creation. He, in his coming, was predicted, not predicted, prophesied and called for by God. And the removal of the curse has now come, and he’s done it. And all of us who are in darkness and death and decreation, he forms us up and he breathes the breath of life into us. And the Holy Spirit begins to do its work in us.

The earth, the first creation, was formless and void and dark. And the Holy Spirit, as Christ breathes upon us at our creation—an effectual calling—brings us from darkness to light and forms us up as his people. And he sends us out that we might be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth that it not be void.

You see, this is us. The Savior has made a new creation in us. And he calls us to go forth preaching his word, to speak out that same word. The word is inspired, right? The scriptures are God breathed. It says that when he brings us together on the Lord’s day, he’s doing the same thing that he started in our creation.

Remember we said the last couple of weeks, why is it so important—effectual calling? Because that’s the model for our sanctification. The gospel is the way we’re sanctified as well. And God breathes on us every Lord’s day. The word is read. It is a God-breathed word—not my words, but the words of scripture. And the breath goes out, and the Holy Spirit uses that, and he transforms you and he makes you a little more like Jesus. He fills you with the Holy Spirit that you might go into the world, create a garden and a city in all of the world.

The imagery continues. Because Thomas wasn’t there and he didn’t believe it. And now eight days later—eight days, not six days, not seven days—eight days later. Why is that significant? Because the first day of the week is the eighth day of the week. Right? And it’s on the eighth day that the Savior resurrects from the dead and moves the whole creation into the new creation.

The first day of the new creation, you see—after the seventh day, the eighth day is important. Because in the Old Testament, it was on the eighth day that the animal was ready to be sacrificed. You could not sacrifice a seven-day-old animal. And the priest had to go through eight days of consecration and washings. He wasn’t ready on the seventh day. And if he waited till the ninth day, it was too late. He was ready at the end of the eighth day to do his work.

And the altar itself went through a series of consecrations after its construction for eight days. Everything comes together—priest, altar, and offering on the eighth day. That’s the Lord Jesus Christ. And here on the eighth day, then very significantly he comes. And now Thomas is there. And what does he tell Thomas?

He says, “Okay, get my hands. Put your finger in there. And here’s my side. Thrust your hand in there.” The Lord Jesus was telling Thomas—and he’s telling us—that we’re the new creation. We’re the bride. He’s Adam. He’s got that gaping hole in his side.

Adam was put into a deep sleep. The scriptures say a sleep that is associated with decreation—death in the scriptures. That’s what the word means. And in that deep sleep, God brings forth his bride out of his side, from a rib. The Lord Jesus Christ, on the cross, in his death, a spear chucked into his side. And out comes blood and water. We’re reborn in that blood and water. We’re now the bride of Christ.

And Thomas is called to understand that. Look at this hole in my side. Do you get it, Thomas? Do you understand who you are? You’re a new creation in me. You’re my bride now. You’re part of the church. You’re Mary. And I tell you, peace be unto you. And I’ve given you the Holy Spirit. You understand who you are, Thomas?

Thomas does. He gets it right away. He says, “My Lord and my God. My Lord and my God.” What a wonderful thing. This imagery of the day of Christ’s resurrection and then eight days following is to us today.

Okay, it brings us to the point that we have come to in this study of the Canons of Dort—to say that this is a work no less than a new creation, no less than a rebirth that God has done in each one of us.

The Lord Jesus talks to Mary individually. And yes, I think we can see there that she’s a representation of the bride of Christ in the whole church, but she’s Mary. And interestingly, it’s when he talks to her personally—”Mary”—that she responds.

The Spirit calls each of us individually to him and brings us into the new creation. And Christ talks to Thomas specifically, calling him to look upon his hands in which he suffered on the cross and his side by which he brought forth the new bride. And he reminds Thomas of who he is. And he tells us today the same thing—to each of us corporately.

He forms us up that we might go forth multiplying, receiving the breath of the Holy Spirit and the word of regeneration, that we might proceed the way we started. The Spirit doing his work, that we might fill this earth, that we might indeed fill the earth with this new generation, this new creation, this new humanity—not founded of flesh and blood, but who instead has as its head the second Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ.

That we might go forth in the power of that Adam, speaking that God-inspired word, that the Spirit might effectually call those to himself. And with that call, he might call the whole world to himself, that the world might usher up praise and thanksgiving to him as the new creation of God.

What a wonderful, wonderful picture of what God has accomplished for us in the Lord Jesus Christ. Does this have any cash value to us? Does this have any application to us today, this contemplation of this truth?

Well, you know, the first thing I want to tell you is that the biggest point of application is to have a sense of wonder and awe over what God did in your salvation and what he’s doing in the world. And what that first day of resurrection was all about wasn’t just some kind of band-aid put on the world. It was the creation of a whole new world. And you’re part of that.

You’ve been moved from darkness to light. God has said, “Let there be light in your heart by his Spirit.” And he’s brought you into the new creation. And the first thing you’re supposed to do is thank him and praise his holy name. You’re supposed to be a man as identified—not by your intellect but by your worship and adoration of the one who has accomplished these things.

These things are incomprehensible to us. We know a little bit of them. We know enough to say, to be filled with a sense of wonder at what God has done and a sense of thanksgiving for our new creation.

But you know, the other part of this cash value, the application, is that this is who we are. We’re the new creation in the Lord Jesus Christ. We should recognize that. And when we’re tempted to act like Adam, we should resist that temptation because it isn’t who we are in the sense of who we are now called to be in Christ. We’re a new creation.

We can learn a little bit about who we are by looking at that old Adam. You know, the old Adam was, as one commentator said, spiritually dead. We’re alive now. We don’t go back to deadness. We don’t go back to sluggishness because we’re alive now. We’ve been renovated and energized and quickened by the Holy Spirit.

Adam was a slave to and a child of and a follower of Satan. We’re not like that anymore. When Satan wants us to slander somebody else, we shouldn’t do it because that’s what we used to be in Adam. We were slaves to Satan then. We rebelled against God, and he turned us over to this taskmaster named Satan. And in our new creation, we shouldn’t do those things anymore. We should stop doing them.

And when we’re tempted to do things that are wicked and vile and that are satanic, we should say, “That’s not who we are. That’s the old Adam. I’m getting away from that right now because I’ve been recreated. I’m a new creation in the Lord Jesus Christ. We’re not like that. We’re followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

As in our Adamic nature, we dwelt in darkness, the scriptures say. And now we want to move into light. We don’t want to be fearful. We don’t want to be running away from the presence of God when he comes in Lord’s Day worship. And we don’t want to be running away from the people of God who bring his countenance.

I’m going to pronounce the benediction here in a little while. You know, that countenance is supposed to rest upon you. And you’re supposed to have that shiny face like Moses. And we don’t want to run away from each other anymore. We don’t want to go into the darkness of individuality and running away from each other. We’re individuals, yes, but we don’t want to go off and isolate ourselves. That’s Adam working.

The old man couldn’t understand spiritual truth. We want to say we can understand it. We don’t want to be intimidated by that Bible. The Spirit of God says he’s given us an unction by which we know all things. I’m going to read my Bible today, and I’m going to look for what it tells me. The Holy Spirit’s going to instruct me.

I don’t have to be afraid of this thing. It’s not complicated. No. God tells us—we can figure it out now. You’re a new creation. You’ve been given a new mind. You can figure it out. The Spirit will instruct you in what the word says.

The old man was in enmity or hatred toward God. We’re not anymore. We should draw close to God. Our old Adam is going to try to resist that. Our old nature is going to say, “Don’t get warm and fuzzy with God.” We’re going to say, “Yes, I am going to get warm and fuzzy with God. I’m not in hatred toward God anymore. I love God, my Creator. I have a new creation. He has that hole in his side by which he gave me birth. Praise God for him. He’s my Bridegroom. I’m the bride. I’m going to love him with all that I have and do.”

The old man thinks the gospel is foolishness. We’re prone to think that same thing. We don’t want to go preach to our neighbors—they might get something wrong, we might not be able to answer all their questions. But the simplicity of the gospel is foolishness to the old man. We’ve got to rethink what this is to us. It’s wisdom to us.

It’s what God has called us to do—to preach the simple gospel. And the Holy Spirit has promised that he will effectually call those who are his.

The old man was a slave to sin and had evil and corrupt hearts. Not us. We’ve been reformed. We’ve been rebirthed. The Lord Jesus Christ has worked in us as his plants. He’s the gardener. He’s formed us up. He’s breathed into us the breath of the Holy Spirit. And he’s told us that we have been birthed as his new bride.

Out of his side, through his death, he has given forth the new creation, which is his bride. And he has told us that he sends us into all the world. That spirit is doing its work. The Spirit moved in the context of the creation week, and the Spirit moves in the context of your life through the word of God preached, through the encouragement and exhortation of the people of God, and through the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit.

All life is dependent upon the Holy Spirit of God. And as the new creation of Christ, who share in his resurrection as a new creature, our lives are now hid in him. Our lives are absolutely to be sustained through the work of the Holy Spirit, who speaks through his word effectually to bring us step by step, image by image, closer and closer to a manifestation of the graces of Christ.

That’s who we are now in the new creation. Let’s praise him for that.

Father, we do thank you, Lord God, for the effectual call of the Spirit, that you have indeed made us a new creation. We thank you, Father, for the created order that Christ ushered in through his work on the cross and his resurrection and ascension. May we, Father, move in the context of that and be a fragrance of life to those that you have called effectually, that this whole earth might be reclaimed, might be called back.

This world that the scriptures we read earlier said had forgotten you might remember from whence it’s fallen. We thank you, Lord God, that this effectual call of new creation doesn’t reach just to us individually, but indeed to the whole world. And we pray that you might, in your work through the preaching of your word, smite those who are in opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ, remove them out of the land that your people might inhabit it, that they might be a people of praise and thanksgiving to you, living their lives in the new paradise of what you have brought to pass through our Lord Jesus Christ.

In his name we pray. Amen.

I don’t see a microphone. Oh yeah, it’s right there. Questions or comments about the sermon?