Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 6. 2 Corinthians 6. There's two great truths set
forth in the scriptures concerning men for women coming to Christ. Now, you know, we speak of coming
to the Lord, and coming to the Lord is a heart issue. It's a movement, a desire, an
action of the heart. I used to think it was coming
down an aisle. And like I said, the only difference
between you and me right here is just a few feet between me
or a few extra feet. Coming to Christ is an issue
of a heart. I want to, I want to. And coming to Christ is going
to be one of two ways. It's either going to be that
a man or a woman comes to the Lord in their heart because the
Spirit of God has given them a new heart to want to do that,
made willing in the day of His power. It's either that way or
it's that someone comes because they exercised their own will
And it can't be that because the scripture says that in John
chapter 1, I know it can't be that because John chapter 1 says
in verse 13, which were born, talking about people that come,
which were born, not of blood. It wasn't because they were born
with blood to come. nor of the will of the flesh,
and that's what that's talking about right there, the will of
the flesh, flesh dead. It's not by, nor the will of
man, but of God. God's got to do something for
somebody. Now that glorious truth is set
forth. But there's one other thing that's
set forth. If someone does not come, They
go through this life and they don't want to come. They never
come. The reason that they don't come is because they don't want
to. That's the only reason. They either come because God
gives them a new heart or they're going to come by their free will
and I know that's not right. I know that's not right. I know
that's not right because the scripture says it's not right.
That we're dead. And if you're dead, you just
can't do anything. But if I don't come, it's because
I don't want to come. Now, with that thought in mind,
I want us to look at 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 2. It says, now the last time we
considered this passage of Scripture, we looked at verse 1, and the
last part of verse 1 says, receive not the grace of God in vain. What does that mean? Receive
not the grace of God in vain. Here's what it says. Don't hear
the truth of God's grace to sinners and treat it with no respect. Don't do that. Don't take An empty attitude, that's another
word that we don't receive in vain. Don't take an empty attitude
toward that grace and just push away, shove off. God's salvation and grace in
Christ. Now, I want us to consider what
God Almighty has to say about why. We're not to receive the
grace of God in vain. Now this is what he's talking
about. Don't take an indifferent attitude toward God's word. First thing we've got to do is
find out what is God saying? What did he really say? Not what
men say. He's saying, I want to see it
mark in the scriptures. You show me in the word of God.
If I'm going to base my eternal soul on something, listen, I've
told you this before, I'm going to die. I'm going to die. And I'm going to stand before
God. I know that. And I don't want to stand before
God in ignorance. I pray that the Lord teach me
something. Teach me who I am, teach me who
you are. Teach me concerning salvation.
I want to know. Don't lie to me. Eternity is
a long time. The scripture says, in this second
verse, I want to just read verse 2. It just said, We then as workers
together with Him beseech you always that you receive not the
grace of God in vain. For He saith, I have heard thee
in a time accepted, in the day of salvation have I succored
thee, behold now is the accepted time, behold now is the day of
salvation. Now, that word now, behold now,
how long has that time frame. When it says now, I mean, you
know, we're talking about now. Right now. How long has that
now been, how long will it be? How long is now? Well, I can
tell you it's from the creation to the second coming of Christ. That's the only time frame that
we're going to be able to be saying anything about now. So,
I want to look at this for just a few minutes, and let's consider
what the Spirit of God has to say. And may the Lord give us
great grace to bow to this, bow to it. His Word is not going
to pass away. Mine is. Mine ain't going to
hold water. Heaven and earth is going to
pass away, but His Word, His Word will never. So, Lord help
me here, for He saith, That's how verse 2 starts. For he said... Now, these are not the words
of the Apostle Paul. These are the words of God the
Father to the Lord Jesus Christ, the mediator between God and
men. And here's the truth that's been
given as the reason. And this is what verse 2 is all
about. The scripture said in verse 1 of chapter 6, Receive
not the grace of God in vain. Verse 2 tells us why. So I want
to look, here's the truth. While we're not to receive the
grace of God in vain, to think of it in a light or vain way. Now, for he saith. Now, when did he say this? All
right, hold your place. Turn to Isaiah 49. And let's
hear. Let's just hear what the Lord
has to say. Isaiah 49. Verse 5 to 9. This is where the Apostle Paul,
under the inspiration of God's Spirit, was quoting. This is
what he was quoting. Isaiah 49.5. And now saith Jehovah,
the Lord, that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to
bring Jacob again to him, though Israel be not gathered, yet shall
I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be
my strength. And he said, it is a light thing
that thou shouldest be My servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the preserve of Israel, I will also give thee
for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation
unto the end of the earth. Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer
of Israel and His Holy One, to whom To him whom man despiseth,
to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, kings
shall see and arise, princes also shall worship because of
the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he
shall choose thee. Thus saith the Lord in an accepted
time, have I heard thee? in a day of salvation have I
helped thee and I will preserve thee and give thee for a covenant
of the people to establish the earth to cause to inherit the
desolate heritages that thou mayest say to the prisoners go
forth to them that are in darkness show yourselves they shall feed
in the ways and their pastures shall be in all high places.
Now the scripture is setting forth that that God the Father
is speaking to the Lord Jesus Christ and is concerning His
work of redemption at Calvary. Now, back in, I turned away and
I shouldn't have, Isaiah 49, he says in that second verse,
first verse, verse 5, And now saith the Lord that formed me
from the womb to be a servant to bring Jacob to Him, Where
it says, though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious
in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength. Now, if you have a margin there,
and I looked this up to find out, because somebody put something
in a margin. It was put there by the translators
to be a help, but I looked it up. And this is the literal of
what it says. It says in our Bible, though
Israel be not gathered, but in the margin, which is correct,
it says, that Israel may be gathered to him, and I may be glorious
in his sight. So actually what he's saying
is, and now saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be
his servant, that Israel may be gathered unto him, and I may
be glorious in his sight. So the Lord is speaking. And
he's got a people. He said, the Lord Jehovah that
formed me. Now the Lord Jesus Christ is
the one that's speaking of being formed in the womb. How was the
Lord formed in the womb? By the Spirit of God. That which
is conceived within thee is of the Holy Ghost. It wasn't by
natural conception as we think of it was by the Spirit of God.
And here's the Lord speaking to his Father, the Lord Jesus.
He says, I'm the one that you formed from the womb to be your
servant to bring Jacob. Again, who is Jacob? Well, you
know who Jacob is. Jacob, the Lord speaking and
he spoke of two brothers. Two brothers. Jacob and Esau. Now what did he say about these
two boys? We see this in Malachi. Jacob have I loved, and Esau
have I hated. Now, what did the Lord say concerning
these two boys? He said, I'm gonna show mercy
to this one, and I'm gonna leave this one to himself. Jacob have
I loved, Esau have I hated. Now, Romans chapter nine. Let's
just turn there. I can't do this. I ain't gonna quote it, Neil.
Let's read it. Romans chapter nine. Romans nine. Look at verse 13. Romans nine,
13. As it is written. Where is that
written? Malachi one, verses two and three. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved, but Esau have I hated." Now verse 14 says, now what shall
we say then? Is there unrighteousness with
God? God forbid. Now, here's what
he's saying. Is God unrighteous because he
said, Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated? He says in
verse 14, for he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I'll
have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I'll have compassion.
So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth,
but of God that showeth mercy. For the Scriptures saith unto
Pharaoh, even for this same purpose, have I raised thee up that I
might show my power in thee and that my name might be declared
throughout all the earth. Therefore, hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy and whom he will, he hardeneth. And thou, you know, and here's
a, you know, here's the spirit of God anticipating. what somebody
like me who by nature is going to say. Now this is what I'm
talking about all of us by nature. We're going to rear up our head
and our pious face and we're going to say, thou wilt say then
unto me, why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted
his will? And the Spirit of God moved Paul
to say, Nay, but, O man, who art thou that replies against
God? Shall the thing formed say to
him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over
the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and
another unto dishonor? The Scriptures is bearing something
out here. God Almighty is God. He's God. And we're not. Almighty God is
who He says He is. And He rules in the army of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth. So here back in Isaiah
49 verse 5, And now saith the Lord that formed
me from the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob again to Him. These Jacobs that
the Lord has declared are the objects, the vessels of his affection. I asked someone one time when
they questioned me concerning this, I told him, I said, first
of all, I said, let me say this. I said, I didn't say this, God
said it. God said it. And if I deny it, Fred, is he
gonna change the word of God? No, God's just gonna deal with
me. That's what he's gonna do, he's
gonna deal with me. The Lord is the Lord. Here's
the Lord Jesus Christ. Then he says in verse six of
Isaiah 49, he said, is it a light thing that thou shouldest be
my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserve
of Israel? I will also give thee for a light
to the Gentiles that thou mayest be my salvation under the end
of the earth. when the scripture says, is it
a light thing? He wasn't asking if Christ's
death was an insignificant thing, but he was declaring the substitutionary
death of the Lord Jesus Christ carried the weight, the ability,
the power, not only save the Jacob's Jerusalem of Jews, but
the Jacob's of the Gentiles too. There's Jacob founded Jews and
Gentiles. God's got Jacob's in every nation,
kindred, tribe, and tongue. God's got His people and He's
going to save them. He's going to call them out.
So the reason that we first of all don't receive the grace of
God in vain is because of what? was accomplished for sinners
found all over the world. Sinners of God's choosing. But
not only what He accomplished in the redemption of His people,
those given to Him in Christ before the foundation of the
world, but who accomplished it. Think of who accomplished this
grace that we're not to receive in vain. Back in, here again,
Isaiah 49, 5. Listen, the one who accomplished
our salvation, the one that was formed from the womb, is the
servant of Jehovah. This is God's servant, the Lord
Jesus Christ. The one that the Lord said, this
is my beloved son. in whom I'm well pleased. Here
again, Isaiah 49, five, look at the wording. And now saith
the Lord, Jehovah, that formed me, the Lord Jesus Christ, from
the womb to be his servant. And look here, to bring Jacob
again to him. Do you know that if the Lord
didn't in regenerating grace and power come to a vessel of
God's mercy, and arrest him, like you did old Saul of Tarsus.
Was Saul of Tarsus looking for Christ? No. Does any man of himself seek
after God? Nope. That's what scripture says.
No man seeks after God. Somebody said, if you'll just
seek the Lord, listen, unless God gives me a new heart and
gives me, in regenerating grace, and gives me faith to believe,
I'm not gonna seek him. Why? Because I don't want to. I don't
want to. I have no heart to. I don't want
to come. But if He gives me a new heart
I do to bring Jacob. So who accomplished this salvation? Who accomplished this glorious
Exhibition, can I say it like that, of God's grace. Don't receive
this in vain. Don't receive that Almighty God
has chosen a people in Christ and Christ has redeemed them.
And Christ is calling them out. Don't receive that in vain. Don't
push that away. Don't hold on to this fickle
thinking that salvation is in my hands to accomplish it, that
God's wanting to give it to me if I'll just take it. Don't put
it in my hands because it's not there. Don't receive this in
vain. Don't resist this in vain. Who
accomplished the salvation of God's elect? Who accomplished
it? The servant. The servant. Salvation is of
the Lord. That's what Jonah said. Salvation
is of the Lord. Who said it is finished? The
Lord. And how does he call them out?
He calls them out under the sound of this gospel that gives God
Almighty all the glory and honor and praise. And the Spirit of
God blesses this message. The servant, God's servant, who
raises up the tribes of Jacob who establishes and confirms
God's elect in the true worship of him and restores the preserved
of Israel, God who kept them. I'm so thankful. When I think
about, and I know many of you, you can relate to, I've said
this before, that's okay. I'll say it again. When I think
about the years and years and years that I went I've been in
religion a long time, a long time. When I think about God
keeping me in the midst of my arrogant rebellion,
didn't even know what I was doing. Here again, I was in religion,
but I was so ignorant. If Almighty God would have let
me die in that sin and rebellion, Oh, but for the grace of God,
where would I be? It kept me. Oh, receive not the grace of
God in vain because of the One who has wrought our salvation.
The One that the Scripture says in verse 7, the Redeemer of Israel,
His Holy One, to Him whom man despises, to Him whom the nation
abhorreth. I know, I can understand, I do
know why. I understand why man by nature
hates this message of sovereign grace. I understand it. I get
it. I really do. I can understand
it in my mind because there was a time that I hated this message.
Don't take away, don't try to take away my free will. Don't
try to take away my choice. Don't try to take that away.
Because when you take that away, you're taking away my God. You tell me that God loves me
and He wants to save me if I'll let Him. That's what man by nature
wants to hear. That's why this is the Redeemer
of Israel and His Holy One to whom man despises. Man by nature hates God Almighty because God does
as He will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of
earth. And so here's the Lord. Look at verse 8 of Isaiah 49. Thus saith the Lord, in an acceptable
time have I heard thee. Now this is God the Father still
speaking to the Son. In that acceptable time I have
heard thee. The Father has always heard the
Son. Do you think the Father eternally
heard according to that covenant of grace, that eternal covenant
of God's grace? Do you think God the Father heard
the Lord Jesus Christ who answered the call according to God's sovereign
grace? God the Father is the one said
to be the one, the electing God. Ephesians 1 verse 4 bears that
out. God the Father, Ephesians 1,4. Chosen people. God the Son is
the Redeemer. I will answer. You think He heard
that? You think He heard the answer? I will. I will answer. I will. My meat is to do the will of
Him that sent me. That's what He said in time. The Lord said
that. That's what He said to His disciples You remember the
woman at the well in Sychar and they went to get some meat and
he came back and he was talking and he told them, he said, they
told him, he said, we've got something to eat. He said, my
meat is to do the will of Him that sent me. Now he said that
in time, but God never changes. You think He's always said that?
You think the Father heard it? I've heard thee in time except.
You think He heard him in the garden of Gethsemane? When he
was sweating, as it were, great drops of blood, and he cried
out, he knew he was gonna be made sin. He knew that. He had made me,
he was gonna be made sin. That's what 2 Corinthians 5.21
says. And he sweat, as it were, great
drops of blood. Not that he was gonna die. That
wasn't that burden of his heart. Here is the Lord of glory in
anguish, greatly, greatly in anguish, sweating as it were,
great drops of blood. And he says, Father, this prayer
just amazes me. He said, if it be any other way,
but this way. but not my will, but Thine be
done." That just amazes me. That here's the Lord of Glory
saying if it could be any other way, nevertheless. He was going
to be made sin. You think the Father heard that?
If there would have been any other way for Him to redeem His
people other than Him being made what we are, sin. Somebody said, well, he wasn't
really made sin. My friend, if he wasn't made
sin, then why did God Almighty pour
out His wrath upon him? He bore our sin in His own body. That's what He was made to be.
He was made sin and bearing all of the guilt of His people. I
lay down my life for the sheep and bearing all the guilt of
His people. God Almighty forsook Him and killed Him justly. Somebody said, well,
I don't know. I said, if He didn't kill Him
justly, then God did an unjust thing. And that ain't so. He
died under the judgment of God's law. The soul that sinneth, he
knew no sin, but he was made sin. And he died. I've heard
thee in an acceptable time. In a day of salvation have I
helped thee. In that time. All right, now
let's go back and I'll wrap this up. Back to 2 Corinthians chapter
6. 2 Corinthians chapter 6. I wanted
to give us the foundation of what was being said right here.
2 Corinthians 6, 2, for he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted. In the time of God's favor and
grace in Christ. When is that time? Now listen.
Let's listen. And in the day of salvation have
I succored thee. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Now, the day of salvation, that
day of salvation that as far as we are concerned is today. But let me tell you concerning
God's will and God's purpose, that day of salvation, God saw
it when the Lamb was slain from before the foundation of the
world. That's what Revelation says. God saw it when Christ
was made sin. He saw it in time. In that day
that the scripture says, I succored thee. Now he's still, he's talking
about Christ when he died on the cross in his human flesh
while he by himself wrought out salvation of his people by his
obedient sufferings and death. He was sustained. He was kept. I'll prove it. Hold your place
in 2 Corinthians. I'm going to come and wrap this
up, I promise. Isaiah, Isaiah 50, Isaiah 50, verse 5. Listen to the obedient servant
that was helped, that was suckered, that was sustained. It was God
Almighty, God who is just. God Almighty who could not but
forsake it because of the people. that he was redeeming, bearing
their guilt, and God sustained him. And let me tell you about
the one that was being sustained, what he did. Isaiah 50, starting here in verse 5. The
Lord God hath opened mine ear. What did he mean by that? Let
me just read it to you right quickly. Exodus 21 the Lord God
has opened mine ear. What's he talking about? Exodus
21 verse 2 to 6 it says if thou by a Hebrew servant six years
He shall serve and in the seventh. He shall go out free from nothing
If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself. If he
were married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master
have given him a wife, she hath born him sons or daughters. The
wife and her children shall be her masters, and he shall go
out by himself. If the servant shall plainly
say, I love my master, my wife, my children, I will not go out
free. Then his master shall bring him
unto the judges, he shall also bring him to the door or unto
the doorpost, and his master shall bore his ear through with
an awl, and he shall serve him forever. Now what does the Lord
Jesus Christ say in Isaiah 50? He says, the Lord God hath opened
mine ear. What's he saying? I'm going to
serve you. I'm going to serve you. I'm not
going to leave. Here was the suffering servant
of Jehovah. This is the reason. Don't receive
this grace in vain. Why? Because of his submission
in the accomplishment of it. I gave my back. to the smiters,
my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face
from shame and spitting, for the Lord God will help me. Therefore
shall I not be confounded. Therefore have I set my face
like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed." 2 Corinthians
6, 2, for he saith, I've heard thee in a time accepted in a
day of salvation, have I succored thee, I've sustained you. Then
he says, Give me your attention. Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. Just as there was an accepted
time for the accomplishment of the salvation of the church and
the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, listen to me. Listen
to me. I'm talking to all of us right
now. And let's just be honest. We don't have tomorrow. Yesterday's
gone. You will not speak to somebody
that believes more the truth set forth concerning God's sovereignty. I believe this. I may not be
able to preach it as well as some, but I believe it. But I'm
telling you, I know this. Almighty God's going to call
His sheep. He's going to call them. All that the Father, John
6, 37, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me. And him
that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. That's a truth. That's God's truth. That's God's
sovereignty. And if God Almighty leaves a man to himself, what's
that man going to do? He's not going to come. But I
have to, according to these scriptures, I have to be honest with you.
I'm going to tell you right now. Today, today is a day of salvation. Today. Well, I'm going to come
back to it. Well, you might not. You might
not. Remember that king just told
Paul, he said, I tell you what, I'll hear this matter a little
later. In a more convenient time, I'll listen to what you have
to say. Never came. Never came. I wonder how many times Neil,
that guy, remembers that right now. Now, there's an accepted
time. This is the time that we're living
in right now. The only reason that we're sitting
here this morning, not in hell, if we don't know him, is because
this is the day of God's grace. And that day, when that trump
sounds, it's over. It's over. All the explaining,
all of the, you know, it's not going to matter. It won't matter.
I'm not, you know, people say, well, do y'all give an invitation? I just did. I'm telling you, God's gonna
save His people. I can tell you this, the Lord
Jesus Christ has paid the debt of His elect. He's put away their
sin, and there is now therefore no condemnation to them that
be in Christ Jesus. I can tell you this. And when
God Almighty calls His sheep, they're coming, they're coming.
But I'm telling you, today is the day of salvation. I pray
God bless this to His glory and our good. Amen.