And I tell you, Mark, I'm not
sure I'm adequate to do that. When I chose this, the Lord gave
me this passage to teach, I didn't realize
how great a subject grace is. You know, we talk about it, we
sing about it, and we live by grace, but we could preach forever
and never exhaust this great subject of grace, so I'm going
this morning to lead our thoughts for a moment or two in a couple
of things from John chapter 1 in verse 14 through 18, and I've
entitled this message Grace for Grace, and you'll see why in
a moment. In Genesis chapter 7 in verse
1, Moses, as he was moved by the Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost,
recorded these words, And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou
and all thy house into the ark, For thee have I seen righteous
before me in this generation. And the verb tense there, thee
have I seen, is in the past. It's a completed thing. It always
has been. In Genesis chapter six and verse
eight, Moses again was moved by the Holy Spirit to write these
words. It repented me. In verse 6, before
that, the Lord said that I made man, I will destroy him off the
face of the earth. But Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. What does that mean to find grace
in the eyes of the Lord? I think it simply means this,
that God, the Holy Spirit revealed to him through the eyes of the
Lord, he was enabled to see all of his salvation conditioned
on Christ, the antitype of the ark that he had just built. and
he was unable to see all of his salvation conditions on that
person. Christ's righteousness imputed. And you remember Jesus
told his disciples one time, blessed are your eyes for they
see, and your ears for they hear. Seeing and hearing are evidences
of grace. It's not the cause of grace.
It's not the source of grace. It's not what Noah did for God,
but it's what God declared of Noah. And what did God declare? Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. What God said of Noah is true
of every elect son and daughter in Christ. Every one of God's
elect, God has declared righteous, holy. And by his grace, we have
been shut up to Christ in that everlasting covenant of grace.
Christ, who is our antitype of the ark of which Noah was shut
up in. This is the reality of every
sinner who's been redeemed, justified, glorified, or will be glorified
by the Lord, who stands unchangeably and eternally justified in Christ. Christ is the Lamb slain, the
scripture says, from the foundation of the world and was eternally
appointed to be our substitute, our surety, and our representative.
And as surety of his people, our sins were laid on him. Many scriptures attest to this.
Isaiah, the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. When Adam fell, we fell in him,
and we broke fellowship with God. But our relationship didn't
change. In Jeremiah chapter 31, we see
this, that God says, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness
have I drawn thee. That's God's declaration and
his demonstration toward all the recipients of grace. His
grace truly is irresistible and irrevocable. The accomplishment
of our surety, the Lord Jesus Christ, was so sure and certain
to take place in time that God could declare Noah and all the
elect of God justified before time. James wrote about this
in James chapter 2 and verse 23, and he's quoting an Old Testament
verse here. Listen to what he said. And the
scripture was fulfilled, which said, Abraham believed God, and
it was imputed to him for righteousness or unto righteousness, and he
was called the friend of God. God did not just one day discover
that Noah and Abraham were righteous. They were always righteous in
his sight. He's always viewed them as children of God. And
there's a lot of debate today about eternal justification. And the question is, how could
God declare a sinner righteous and just before Christ died,
was buried, rose again, and established that righteousness? And I say
God could do it the same way he declared me a sinner. and
forgave me my sins before I committed them personally. And surely he
did this for Christ died before I was born and put away my sins
that I had not even committed then and them that I will even
commit today and tomorrow. My sins were put, I hope they
were, I'm sure they were, otherwise there's no hope. There's no other
sacrifice and Christ has made the only sacrifice for sins that
would be made. So if God and Christ didn't put
away my sins, at the cross, and I wasn't even born then, then
I have no hope. But my hope is in that he did
put them away. And all those that would contend
with this scripture will have to contend with the God who decreed
it and defends it himself. So what exactly did Noah find
when he found grace in the eyes of the Lord? Well, let's look
at John chapter 1 and verse 14 and see if we can answer this
question. John chapter 1 verse 14 reads,
and the word was made flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld
his glory. The glory is of the only begotten
of the father, full of grace and truth. John bear witness
of him. This is John the Baptist and
cried saying, this was he of whom I spake. He that cometh
after me is preferred before me for he was before me. And
of his fullness have all we received and grace for grace. Here's where
I got the idea for the title of my message, Grace for Grace.
And we're going to look at that extensively in this message. For the law was given by Moses,
but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. And we're going to see
that the issue today is, as it's always been, works or grace,
the law or the gospel. The law was given by Moses, but
grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. And then he says in verse
18, no man has seen God at any time. The only begotten son,
which is in the bosom of the father, he hath declared him. So let's look for a few moments
this morning at this grace for grace. Well, much has been said
and written about grace. And most of what's been said
and written has been done so by those who have not experienced
true grace. They think they have, Most folks
can't give you the correct answer to the question, what is the
grace of God? The Lord is good to all, and
his tender mercies are over all his works, wrote the psalmist
in Psalm 145 in verse 9. The writer of Lamentations said
this in chapter 3 in verse 22. It is of the Lord's mercies that
we are not consumed. Jesus said this of his own father.
He causes it to rain on the just and the unjust. What these scriptures
are saying is that God has mercy on all. Every creature, even
the creatures, receive mercy from the Lord in temporal things. But only the elect have and will
experience the grace of God. In other words, only the elect
will be given eyes to see and behold the full of their salvation
resting totally in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
what God, they will be unable to see what God in Christ has
already done for us and waiting to show us those things that
he's already done for us. That's the subject of this book,
really, from Genesis to Revelation, what God has already done for
his people and what he will do in the days to come. You know,
one of Satan's greatest deceptions is in the area of grace. in religion
today. Grace is nothing more than a
cleverly disguised system of works. The prevailing belief
in false religion has been that to the finished work of Christ,
who established righteousness and imputed it, that to that
work of Christ, the addition of the center of responsibility
and free will is needful to finish the deal by whatever Condition
you put on it walk in an aisle confessing Christ preaching a
Sermon or whatever condition you the center puts on it that
in addition to the What Christ has done there's something left
for the center to do? Well, we know that that's not
worse. I mean, that's not grace That's that's worse and the wisest
of men are trapped. They're fooled by this deception
Prevenient grace is a theological concept rooted in Augustinian
theology, and I think I can illustrate my point with this. Prevenient
means to proceed or to go before. So prevenient grace is that which
precedes human decision and human action. And the Arminian theology
believed that prevenient grace enabled sinners to engage their
God-given free will and accept or reject Christ at their own
will. They see God and Satan locked
together in mortal combat for the souls of men. And God will
win some, Satan will win some, but the ultimate outcome is at
the choice of the sinner's decision, which side he determines to vote
on, to be on. And I see several fallacies in
this view, and I count it an unacceptable view. because it
leads to worse. It is worse, religion. First
of all, the all-knowing and all-powerful God has no control over who will
be in heaven and who will not. He doesn't know until the sinner
makes a decision. Secondly, it denies the doctrine
of divine election and promotes free choice against such clear
scriptures that plainly state that sinners by nature cannot
come to God. Jesus said, you cannot come to
me. You will not come to me that you might have life. And verses
like, thy people shall be willing, but only in the day of thy power.
So it denies the doctrine of divine election. Thirdly, it
pits the creature against the creator, with the creature holding
the advantage. God would save you, they say,
but you won't let him. The truth is that at the time
of the alleged vote, Man was too young to vote, wasn't even
born. Satan was not registered to vote,
and the only qualified vote was already cast by God himself.
He did the choosing. God has already chosen from eternity
past, his people, his elect. Christ has already assumed responsibility
for their sins. The Holy Ghost has already sealed
them, and he will in time make each one of them willing in the
day of his power to receive Christ. That's prevenient grace. That's
irresistible grace. Noah Webster, no doubt, was a
smart man. Anybody that could write a dictionary
must have a lot of intelligence. Well, here's his definition of
grace. The unmerited divine assistance given human beings by God to
their salvation. Well, by definition, Webster
destroys the properties of grace. Any assistance from God to sinners
is contrary to the nature of grace. God does not assist man
in regeneration or conversion, nor will he accept any assistance
from man, from the sinner, toward that end. Salvation is of the
Lord from beginning to end. He's the Alpha and Omega, the
first and the last. Think about this. One act by
or any merit in the sinner cancels grace. Nothing of human merit
can earn any part of grace, nor can any unworthiness in the sinner
circumvent grace in its application. Grace excludes any contribution
from the sinner, and grace is no respecter of persons. It embraces
the vilest of sinners. Paul wrote to the Romans in chapter
11 in verse 5 and 6 these words. Even so then, at this present
time also, there is a remnant according to the election of
grace. What is the election of grace? It's simply a people out
of every kindred, tongue, tribe, and nation chosen by God in eternity
past without any consideration of or contribution from their
person as to gaining or the maintaining of any part of their salvation.
God simply chose a people. before there was a people. So
there's no possibility that we had anything to do with it. He says, even so, then at this
present time also there is a remnant according to the election of
grace. And if by grace, then it's no more works. Otherwise,
grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it's
no more of grace. Otherwise, work is no more work. What he's simply saying here
is we either say by grace or works. and God saves his people
by grace. There is no salvation in words.
Paul wrote this in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8, for by grace
are you saved through faith. For by grace, having been saved,
you are being saved by faith. That is through the gospel preached. And that grace is not of works,
lest any man should boast. Verse 10, for we are his workmanship. We don't work it, he's the workman. And we are his workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works. What are those good works? Faith,
repentance, perseverance, love of the brethren, love of the
gospel, support of the preaching of the gospel. And God has ordained
this, that we should walk in them. So any work. Before regeneration and conversion,
no matter how noble, no matter how charitable, no matter how
zealous and sincere, it's nothing but dead works and fruit unto
death because they're performed by a person who is that enmity
with God and his motive is legal or mercenary. That simply means
that he's fearing God or he's looking to God for a mercenary
reward for choosing God. My best work before regeneration
and conversion, and really my work after regeneration and conversion,
is so contaminated with sin that God cannot use one of my works
to form any part of my salvation or ground of justification before
him. Even my works after regeneration,
which are motivated by grace and gratitude, add nothing to
my salvation. They only are evidences of my
salvation. So what is grace? It is the absolute, eternal,
and free favor of God toward the ungodly, the unworthy, who
have no claim on grace, and who by nature hate grace and refuse
it. It is the free gift of those
made willing in the day of God's power. It is to these alone that
receive of His fullness and grace for grace. Look at John chapter
1, verse 16 again. and of His fullness have all
we received, and grace for grace. What exactly is it we receive
from Christ? Well, in John chapter 1 verse
14 it says we receive the fullness of grace. And the word was made
flesh and dwelt among us, verse 14, and we beheld His glory,
the glories of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. and that's what God's people
received from Christ, grace and truth, truth about the law, truth
about the gospel of God. And he gives us this illustration
here in John 117, he says, for the law was given by Moses. The law of God has a claim on
every sinner, which must be satisfied, either in our person or in the
person of a suitable substitute, all by nature, including God's
elect, seek to be justified and satisfied, satisfy that claim
in their person by their own work. They do that because they're
ignorant of Christ's finished work already. I remember in false
religion, I was going about seeking to establish my own righteousness,
ignorant of that righteousness already established, ignorant
of the fact that God had already redeemed me. I was a rebel child
and didn't know it. but I was seeking by works to
appease God. Well, I didn't know what I was
doing because the law of God is a harsh taskmaster. It sets
a demanding standard of perfect righteousness to which sinners
must measure up. It demands nothing less than
perfect continual obedience from the cradle to the grave or eternal
death for the smallest transgression by the most sincere, dedicated,
servant can render. Do and live, disobey
and die is the law's mantra. It can say no more. Contrary
to most religions, God does not grade on the curve. Do and live,
disobey is what the law says and that's what the law exacts.
God's a just God. Moses was the mediator of the
old covenant and he was highly esteemed by the Jews and it was
he who delivered the law. to the nation Israel. And this
law had one design, though Israel missed it. They thought the design
of it was to encourage them to obey it, to please God by their
obedience to the law. And all the time, the law was
given simply as a schoolmaster to point sinners to Christ. It
was to, Moses delivered it, this law that was designed to show
them the impossibility of being justified before God based on
their law keeping. In 2 Corinthians chapter 3 and
verse 7, Paul called the law administration of death. Look
at that, look at that with me in 2 Corinthians 3 and verse
7. But if the administration of
death, and what is that? That's the law. In romans 3 paul
said for what the law could not do what is it the law cannot
do it cannot pronounce a sinner Righteous and holy and justified
before god based on anything proceeding from that center.
The law cannot do that He said but if the ministration of death
the law written on him Engraved in stone, which is the ten commandments
that moses received you remember when he came down off the mount
His face shone with the glory of god. So they had to put a
veil over so the people couldn't stand to look at him. But he
says, this law which was written and engraved in stones was glorious,
so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold
the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance, which glory
was to be done away. And when was that to be done
away? With the fulfillment and satisfaction to the law. How
shall not the ministration of the spirit, the gospel, be rather
glorious? In other words, Paul is saying
that the law was fulfilled and is done away with. And a more
glorious covenant is given. That's the
covenant of grace in the gospel. Grace is preferable over the
law or works. That's what he's saying. Moses
was the mediator of the Mosaic covenant. He was the lawgiver.
Christ is the mediator of the everlasting covenant of grace.
He's the law satisfied. And the gospel spelled out the
terms of that everlasting covenant of grace through mine through
the Lord Jesus Christ. So in order for God to be both
a just God and a savior, his law must be honored. Perfect
continual obedience or satisfaction in precept and penalty is required. Again, the wages of sin is death. And the dilemma for sinners is
this, an eternity of suffering in hell cannot satisfy the law
of God against any sinner. An eternity of suffering would
not atone one iota for his sin. It would bring him no closer
to satisfaction than when he began. And even if he did keep
the law perfectly, he would have only done that which was required
of him. That's what Christ taught in Luke chapter 17, that the law says, do and live, obey
and live or disobey and die. And man cannot redeem himself
because he's a sinner and God's law must pronounce him a sinner
and as a sinner, Pronouncing curse it look at Galatians 3
in verse 10 Paul writing to the church of Galatia says for as
many as of the works of the law Many who as many are trying to
be saved by their obedience to the law or under the curse of
the law For it is written Cursed is everyone that continues not
at all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them God's law cannot pronounce a sinner just and righteous based
on that sinners obedience The law can only demand obedience
and dispense justice. It is a minister of death. That's
what Paul called it in the letter to the church at Corinth. If
left to ourselves, we would die in our self-righteousness, trying
to satisfy the law. We know this for sure, that Israel
sought through the law to attain what only Christ could give them.
Sinners today still seek to be justified by their works when
there's only one way to be justified before God, and that's through
Christ and the work that he has already accomplished and finished.
By nature, sinners think the law of God requires only the
best we can do. The law says otherwise. Do and
live, disobey and die. The law of God shows us our sinfulness
and our deservingness of condemnation. but it offers no solution to
the sinner's need for salvation. It ministers condemnation to
all who seek to be justified by obedience to it. Look at Hebrews
7, 9. For the law made nothing perfect. In other words, it cannot pronounce
me righteous before God based on my character and conduct.
But the bringing in of a better hope, the gospel did. by the which we draw nigh by
grace to God. So the law was given by Moses,
but John 1 verse 17, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Notice the order here, grace
and then truth. Until grace is given, no truth
can be known. Well, Christ is the embodiment
of grace. He's full of grace. He's the
fountain of grace. He's the only source. of grace.
What we receive from him is grace without measure, because he has
grace without measure. There's no chance, no possibility
that the source of grace can be exhausted. He is also, the
scripture says, the way, the truth, and the life. He is the
embodiment of truth. Moses gave the law. Christ brought
the gospel, the truth. Why? Look at John 1.18. What's the purpose for it? No
man has seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which
is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. The gospel
is the good news of how God stays centered and remains just in
so doing. Grace from the Father sent his
only begotten Son to satisfy by his obedience, suffering,
and death the laws demands against the election of grace. As our
substitute and surety, Christ bore our sins in his body on
the tree. He was delivered up for our transgressions
and was raised again because of our justification in order
that God might be both just and justifier. He was made a curse
for us. For it is written, cursed is
everyone that hangeth on the tree. Grace chose us in Christ. Grace appointed Christ to be
our representative. Grace made us one with Christ
in the view of God's law and justice. Grace sent him to the
cross to bear our sins in his own body on the tree, to make
satisfaction to law and justice for us. All this from him who
had the Father's glory foremost in his mind, who thought it not
robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation,
and took upon him the form of a servant, and was found in the
likeness of man, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled
himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross." Why? In order to declare God to his
people. To declare the Father to his
elect. His death satisfied the debt owed by the church and established
the only righteousness whereby A just and holy God can remain
just and justify his people. His death met the standard of
righteousness required of me from God and from you who believe
this gospel. That standard whereby every sinner
will be judged. Grace and truth declare this
to be so. And it says in 117, of his fullness
have we received grace. We have received salvation based
on his finished work alone. a salvation which by nature we
are ignorant of and go about seeking to establish our own
righteousness. But grace will not leave us in
ignorance. God's people shall know the truth, Jesus said, and
that truth shall make you free. And he says here in verse 16,
and of his fullness have all we received grace from power. Grace to grace. All of God's
elect. shall be saved. Christ will not
lose one sheep because he satisfied law and justice for them and
the holy God must set them free. So the God of grace, by grace,
conditioned all our salvation on him who is full of grace and
truth and sent him to meet every obstacle to our salvation. He
satisfied every demand He obeyed, suffered, and died the death
of his elect, and established for him that righteousness which
the Father freely imputed to all for whom he died. Grace for
grace is that grace which reveals to the prodigal sons and daughters
of God what he in Christ has already accomplished for them.
Of his fullness, the scripture says, have all we received, and
grace for grace. He gave us grace to see and embrace
what in grace Christ has already obtained for us. To this provenient
grace, as they used to call it, is added irresistible grace,
to see, to hear, to believe, and to hold dear the truth of
this gospel. That's God's gift to all the
heirs of grace. Well, Noah found grace in the
eyes of the Lord. Have you received of His fullness
and grace for grace? Have you found grace in the eyes
of the Lord? Or does your faith frustrate
grace? Paul wrote in Galatians 2.21,
I do not frustrate grace, for if righteousness come by the
law, then Christ died in vain. Frustrate grace simply means
to view as nothing what Christ accomplished. Paul said, I don't frustrate
grace for if righteousness is done by the law, then Christ
died in vain. Look with me at one more verse,
2 Timothy 1.9. God who has saved us by the work
of Christ's grace and then called us with unholy calling, grace
for grace, not according to our works, but according to his own
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before
the world began. Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. That's where I found mine. I recommend you look there
for yours also. If you do, then you can join
the church redeemed who were described in this little poem
here. Blind we wandered on the way that seemeth right to men. With every step since darkness
veiled the bondage we were in. Content with our own righteousness,
we saw no need of one required of God the Father and wrought
by God the Son, who, with his death, has satisfied for sinners
great and small God's law and justice and redeemed a remnant
from the fall. For we found grace, nay, grace
found us, and darkness took its flight when eyes that once were
blind to sin were made to see the light. Now we behold His
glory in our blessed Savior's face and stand forever in the
love of His amazing grace.