Have you ever meditated on “the will of God,” or as the Lord puts it here “the will of your Father in heaven”? I didn’t spend a lot of time on the subject this week, but I did come up with different areas to explore. There is the will of God – which we might equate to His commandments – our responsibilities. Then there are those things which we might do, if God permits – if it is His will. At the beginning of the Book of Romans and then at the end, Paul refers to this sort of thing. I have been “making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.” “That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.” There is the permissive will of God – that we might meet again. There is the command of God – it is God’s will that you pray without ceasing. And then there is the absolute will of God – the sovereign and unalterable will of our Father in Heaven. For example, Christ “gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father” – Galatians 1:6. First the incarnation, and then the sacrifice of Christ, were not open to debate – or defeat. This aspect of the will of God cannot be deterred. And what does Christ Jesus say in verse 14? – “Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.” I know that this is expressed negatively, but it is definitely a positive thing. “It IS the will of your Father which is in heaven, that none of these little ones perish.” What a glorious, wonderful, heartwarming scripture. Unlike the verses which precede it, and which we looked at this morning, this scripture DOES jump off the page toward us.
It seems to me that the direction of this chapter changes before our eyes. It seems to evolve from the mostly secular to the entirely spiritual. Verse 3 is not talking about salvation from sin. “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Christ takes up the theme permeating the minds of the disciples – the Millennial Kingdom. “Whosoever … shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” From that child, that possible son of Peter, the Lord moves on to “little ones which believe in me” – verse 6. It could very well be that the child whom Jesus set in their midst, was a child of God and Heaven, as much as he was a child of Capernaum. With that in mind the Lord said, “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.” The little ones to which the Lord referred were not the kids from the neighborhood. They were children of God, and some of them might have been as much as thirty years old – but they young in Christ. And they were “in Christ” because the Lord came “to seek and to save that which was lost.” Those whom the Saviour redeems, are kept by the power of God, because it is not the will of God that any of these little believers should perish.
I will not keep you long this afternoon. But I would like you to consider once again, the eternal security of the believer. Before we get to our scripture, I’d like to take you back to our historical vignette from this morning. Pastor A.V. Dimock reported that many of the Baptists in Nova Scotia formed an association so that they could have an united front against the heresy of “Antinomianism.” “Antinomianism” refers to “being without law.” The dictionary in my computer defines it as – “The doctrine or belief that the Gospel frees Christians from required obedience to any law, whether scriptural, civil, or moral, and that salvation is attained solely through faith and the gift of divine grace.” That is a pretty accurate assessment – as far as it goes..
Without a doubt salvation is by grace and not by our efforts at keeping the law – any law – including God’s. In that sense I am an antinomian. But that God’s law has been nullified, abrogated or removed is utter fabrication – it is a lie. The man who would say such a thing probably does so because he has wicked intentions. I can’t even imagine someone living a godly life, all the while saying that God has cancelled His law. A casual reading of the first part of this chapter shows us that the Lord’s laws are still IN effect, and they still HAVE affect. “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” There are rules in regard to entering the Lord’s kingdom. “Whosoever shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” There are rules regulating position in the Millennial kingdom. “Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” Are there no standards by which to judge what it is to offend? Of course there are – they are called “the law of God.” Salvation – which is totally by God’s grace – not only gives us a DESIRE to bring our lives into harmony with the Lord, but that grace also gives us the ABILITY to do so. But how can we possibly know how to please and worship the Lord, if the Lord’s will is not known to us? The law will continue to show us Who God is and what it is to please Him.
But once again, I vehemenently affirm that sinners are saved by grace and not by their obedience to law. “The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by (grace through) faith.” But the law remains as our means to understanding the nature of the Lord who saved us. And those whom the Lord saves, will be obedient, humble, serviceable people. “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life.” Matthew 18 may begin with legal matters, but it ends with grace.
God’s little ones – those who believe on him – are saved eternally because that was Christ’s purpose.
“For the Son of man is come to save that which is lost.” The word “lost” is one of those which has a proprietary Christian definition. It is a perfectly good word. And most Christians have no problem understanding the condition in which they used to be – lost. Christ Jesus illustrates it here with reference to a lost sheep – one which went “astray.” In English to be “astray.” is to wander away, but in the Koine Greek the word far more precise. Five times more often, the word is rendered “to be deceived.” It is “to be seduced.” This sheep was “lead astray” through the wickedness of others – it had been “offended.” It is dangerous for sheep to be separated from the flock and from the shepherd. No wonder our Great Shepherd – the bishop of our souls – is going out looking for us.
But the word “lost” takes this sheep into an entirely different realm. The Greek word is used about a hundred times in the Bible. About a third of the time it is translated “perish” – and another quarter of the time it is rendered “to destroy.”
The Son of God became incarnate in order to find and save His lost and dying sheep – His property. Lay aside to whatever the ninety and nine might refer. Apply it to the elect of Israel if you like, but that is not Christ’s point. Apply it to those whom the Lord has already saved if you like, but it doesn’t matter to the lost one. It was the purpose of the incarnation of Christ to rescue His lost sheep. “Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.” “The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” “God hath set forth (His Son) to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” “When we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son.” “Ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins.”
With these and other scriptures behind me, I am here to say that Christ has thoroughly accomplished His duty When He saves the lost, they aren’t POTENTIALLY saved – they are rescued and given eternal life. When Christ saves the lost, they aren’t made SAVABLE through their faith or their works – they are saved. When Christ saves the lost, it is not simply that Satan has been dismissed – they are saved. When Christ saves the lost, the life which is given is the life of Christ Himself – it is eternal life. “It is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.”
And let’s not forget the ministry of those SPECIAL ANGELS.
“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.” As you already know, I don’t fully understand what verse 10 is saying. I am not sure that anyone ever will as long as we remain in this world. But if I understand the English language, and as far as I understand Greek, Christ tells us that the “little ones” of God all have personal angelic representatives in Heaven. Do all of those who “believe in Christ” have at least one of these angelic ambassadors? That appears to be what this scripture says.
Does David, in Psalm 34, tell us to praise God for this angelic care? “O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” Was the angel who delivered the apostles from prison in Acts 5 sent especially for that task, or was it perhaps one of the angels who were always with them? And what about the angel of Acts 12 who delivered Peter? As Hebrews 1:14 says, “Are not (those angels) all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”
There is enough Biblical revelation to convince me that each one of God’s saints – His “little ones” – all have angels assigned to their protection detail. Not that God has need of someone to report to Him, but this says that we have angels who stand continually before the Lord on our behalf. And it appears that we also have ministering spirits watching over us, assisting us in ways about which we may never learn – no not even in Heaven. Certainly the intercession of angels, and the protection of angels, are not to be compared to the infinite protection of the omnipotent God, but still such details should remind us that…. “It is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.”
And this brings me to my last point for the day…
“It is the will of your Father which is in heaven, that you shall never perish.”
Of course this “perish” doesn’t refer to physical death. The saints of God have been dying for thousands of years. But their deaths have been nothing more than a passing, a graduation, a transformation. Yet, it could very well be that none of YOU will have to pass through that doorway of physical death. We have the promise that the Lord will come at some point in His time, and the generation of saints upon the earth at that moment will not die. Rather they will be instantly changed and prepared for eternity with Christ. I have that hope; I rejoice in that hope; I hope in that hope – of my translation and ascension to be with my Saviour. But there have been multiplied thousands who possessed that same hope, who have died nevertheless. No, this will of God is that none of His children shall die the second death.
And this will of God – this decree of God – is eternal. “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” The Book of First Peter begins with the words – “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” “It is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.”
I will close with one more well-known scripture – which uses the same illustration. Christ Jesus said in John 10, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one” With the combined resources of Christ, the Father and angelsl, the Lord’s “little ones” are eternally secure. “It is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.”
Praise God, from whom comes “every good gift and every perfect gift” and “with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”