All right, if you take your Bibles
and turn with me to 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians chapter 1. 1 Corinthians chapter 1. And I've entitled this message,
The Mere Grace of God. The Mere Grace of God. And if you'll read with me, starting
in verse 29, it says, that no flesh should glory in His presence. The apostle here says, Christ
sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel. And He sent
me to preach the gospel which the world calls foolishness.
But we know this, that the preaching of the gospel is the power of
God unto salvation. And He says, God chose those
foolish things, the things that the world calls foolish. He chose
the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. Why? That no flesh should glory in
His presence. Verse 30, But of him are you
in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness
and sanctification and redemption, that according as it is written,
He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord. Now, the time and
place in which this was written was the city of Corinth. was
the center. This was the center of all Western
thought and philosophy. Men in this place abounded in
education and learning. This was very close to Athens.
This was a place, a hub of scholars such as Plato, Aristotle, and
Socrates. These men and their philosophy
are even being studied in universities among the elite in academia,
they study these men. Yet for all their learning, for
all their philosophy, the apostle here tells us that that learning,
that wisdom, that earthly wisdom, by that wisdom they could not
know God. Look at verse 21, he says, but
after the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom what? Knew not
God. But it pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. Therefore God has made
the wisdom of this world foolishness. He's made the wisdom of man vain
and empty and futile in this matter of understanding who God
is and what God requires. They cannot know God by earthly
wisdom. Now, they may No, there is a
God. Men may know that God is just. They know that God requires a
sacrifice for sin. But they cannot know Him. They
cannot see the extent of His holiness. They cannot see the
extent of their own depravity and deadness of nature. They
cannot know the things of God. They cannot know that their works
and sacrifice and religion cannot satisfy God. They don't understand
that their works cannot justify them before God. Now why is that? Well, verse
29 tells us that no flesh should glory in His presence. This is
why. That no flesh should glory. Why? The Scripture reveals that there
is none that seeketh after God. There is none righteous, no,
not one. Therefore, if any man will know
God, if any man will be saved, if any man will be pardoned,
justified, and accepted, you pay attention, it must be by
the mere grace of God. Now, what do I mean by mere? I don't mean small. That's one
word One way to describe mere, but that's not what I mean. By
the mere grace of God, I'm saying nothing more than what is specified. There is nothing more that is
specified by the gospel of God, by the word of God, to save sinners
except the grace of God. That is the only thing that saves
sinners. Saved by the grace of God. It is solely and only and there
is nothing better. Why? Because it's what's specified.
It's what is specified by God that saves men. You know, the
natural man can't understand that. And so, if any man claimed
to know God by his own will, If any man claimed to be saved
by the works of his flesh or some knowledge of academic study
of Scripture, you listen, that man doesn't know God. Why? Because it's not the mere grace
of God that saves him, it's grace plus something else. It's not
only grace that saves him, he says, grace plus my works, grace
plus my religion. And why is it that that man is
lost? Because no flesh should glory
in the presence of God. Salvation, listen, is either
by the mere grace of God, or it is by the work or will of
man. It cannot be of both. Isn't that
what the apostle said? He said, if it is of grace, it
is no more what? Work. Otherwise, grace is no
more grace. You lose the definition. They
cannot mix. Salvation is either solely, completely,
and absolutely by the grace of God, or it is solely, completely,
and absolutely by the work and merit of man. It can't be of
both. If you are to believe God's Word,
than any act of man that is applied to the salvation of God robs
God of His glory." Anything, anything that is added to the
grace of God through the work and merit of Jesus Christ robs God of His glory, robs God
of His glory. But all who are saved by grace
We confess this, that all the glory belongs to God. All the
glory belongs only to God. You see, all of our salvation
was purposed of God. All of our salvation was accomplished
by Christ. All of our salvation is applied
by the Spirit. All of our salvation is preserved
and kept by the power of God. And so what we ascribe is this,
our salvation is by the mere grace of God alone. By the grace
of God alone. That's what Paul said to Titus,
and he said, not by works of righteousness which we have done.
So whatever work you got, just throw it out, he said. Not by
any works of righteousness we have done. Why? We haven't done
any. But according to his mercy. He saved us. How? By the washing of regeneration,
by the renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He shed abundantly through
Christ Jesus our Savior, that being justified by grace we should
be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. We are
justified by what? Grace. By the mere grace of God. Only by the grace of God. Why? That's the only thing God specified
We should be justified by the grace of God. Therefore, let us see tonight
that salvation is of God. That's my whole point tonight.
I want you to see salvation is by God. I want you to see salvation
is by the grace of God and not by the will, the works, or merits
of man, but by the mere grace of God. Now, let's see this. First of all, salvation is by
the mere grace Listen, of God. Salvation is by the mere grace
of God. Salvation is of God. It's of
God. Look at your text, verse 30.
Chapter 1 there in 1 Corinthians, verse 30. But of Him. Who's Him? He's talking about
God. The previous verse specifies
His presence, and you go back in verse 27, he says, but God
hath chosen. And so the He, you follow it
down, no flesh and glory in God's presence, but of God are you
in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption. And we know this, man is truly
totally dependent on God for all things. All men are dependent
upon God for all things. Even Adam, in his holiest state,
in his first estate, he himself was still dependent upon God
to maintain that holiest state. He was dependent on God. In his
sinless image of God, still dependent. He depended on God to honor his
covenant of life. So as he was obedient, he trusted
God to maintain his part, that he should keep him alive. That Adam should live as long
as he did not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil. But you know what happened. Adam failed. Adam failed. Now man is fallen and depraved,
his whole race is fallen, unholy, unrighteous, and full of sin.
How much more now do you suppose we're dependent upon the long-suffering
of God? Man right now is dependent upon
the long-suffering of God and the mercy of God. Before we fell, we had some claim
to live, but Adam He had holiness by which God had promised that
he should live so long as he obeyed, but after he fell, what
kind of promise did he have? He had no promise. He had no
other promise except certain death. In the day thou eatest
up, thou shalt surely die. So when he heard God coming in
the cool of the day, this was the only promise he had. Death. Death. Why do you think he ran
and hid? Death was the promise. Death. He had no promise of life. God could have been just in displaying
no mercy. He could have treated Adam and
his race exactly as He treated the fallen angels who still to
this day and for eternity have no hope. What am I trying to say? I'm
saying this, man has no claim or right to demand salvation
of God. We have no right to demand salvation
of God. All of us are guilty of the crime
of treason against God and all we deserve is hell, eternal everlasting
justice. But I'm so thankful that God,
when He came to Adam, He came with a word of mercy, didn't
He? And I have a word of mercy tonight. I have a word of comfort,
a word, a gospel message. The Scripture says, we who were
dead in trespasses and sins, we deserve nothing but the justice
of God. But the Scripture tells us, but
God. I love those two words put together.
But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith
He loved us, even while we were dead in sins, hath quickened
us together with Christ." Now you listen to the specified cause
of all salvation. By grace are you saved. There is the specified motive
and power of all salvation is by grace, the mere grace of God. Hear the word of the living God
that salvation is alone by the mere sovereign grace of God.
He saves men according to the good pleasure of His will, and
there is nothing, no means in ourselves or others that could
ever move God to give us salvation. That flies in the face of every
religion in the world except for this one. Every religion
says if you do this, God then is obligated to do that. I'm
here to tell you God is not obligated to save anyone except those He
will save. You cannot do anything to move
God to save you. You see, you can be as religious
as you want. You can be as moral as you want. None of that moves
God. Why? Because the best deeds are filthy
rags. Our righteousnesses are as filthy
rags before God. Nothing can move God to save
man, except His own mere grace. Just as there was nothing in
Adam, but the mere grace of God that
saved him. Even so it is with us tonight.
This is so that for one purpose, that God receive all the glory
for salvation. that no flesh," and that's what
it says in your text. Why is it of God we are put in
Christ? Why is it God made Christ to be all of these things for
us? "...that no flesh should glory in his presence," that's
why. "...that all the glory belongs to God. So then all salvation
is of God, the triune God, of which each person in the blessed
Trinity takes a part." And you know what part man has? You know
what part you have? You don't have any. There is
no part for man in this. Why? Because if there was a part
for you, then there would be glory for you. There is no part
for you. It is only by the mere grace
of, but of God. Are you in Christ or not? Who
did? But of God. Are you in Christ? who of God is made in us wisdom
and righteousness, sanctification and redemption. Now then, salvation,
first of all, and let's see this, is of God the Father. It is of
God the Father. It was God the Father who chose
and elect people for Himself, for His own namesake, according
to His own sovereign grace and purpose, He willed to save them. He purposed to save them. How do we know that? Because
He alone put them in Christ. He alone put them in Christ before,
before the foundation of the world. Before man had done anything
good or evil. God put us in Christ Jesus. Paul said, We are bound to give
thanks to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation. To salvation. All friends, election
is rooted, the election of God is rooted solely in the grace
of God. in the grace of God. He is the
source and first cause of all things, and He chose some of
Adam's race to save them. And by a grace He purposed that
they should be made holy and without blame before Him." Isn't
that what it said in Ephesians chapter 1? Ephesians chapter
1. I know you know this very well.
Let's get in the right verse. Ephesians chapter 1, according
as He had chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the
world. For what purpose? That we should be holy and without
blame before Him. In love having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according
to the good pleasure of His will, according to the praise of the
glory of what? His mere grace. He put us in
Christ Jesus by grace. The Father chose us before we
had done anything good or evil. Why? That the glory might be
of God and not of man. That's what He gave us when He
told us that in Romans chapter 9 concerning Jacob and Esau.
He said, for the children not yet being born, neither having
done good or evil. When they were still in the womb, God appeared
to their mother, and He said, The elder shall serve the younger.
As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Why did He do that? That the purpose of God according
to election might stand not of works, but of Him that calleth. And every one that is chosen
of God and put into union with Christ, that is, what does that
mean to be in Christ? It means that God gave you to
His Son. In a covenant of eternal grace
and salvation, God gave you, put you into an intimate union
with His Son, and made Him to be surety for you. Made Him to
be surety. In other words, listen, He became
responsible But of God are you in Christ. That means that you
were given to Christ, and Christ became responsible for your salvation,
to merit your salvation, and to bring all those that the Father
gave Him to glory. Now, that was illustrated, of
course, when Judah... Judah, you remember, Joseph required
Benjamin to come back. And Jacob said, no, no. I can't
have my son to go. I've already lost a son. I can't
lose this son. He's too precious to me. And
he wouldn't let him go until when? Until Judah said, I'll
be surety for him. Of my hand shalt thou require
him, if I bring him not to thee, and set him before thee. You
listen. Let me bear the blame. Now that's what a surety is.
A surety guarantees. Guarantees the safety. of the
one He's responsible for. So then by the mere grace of
God the Father, by the purpose and will of God the Father, Christ
was made a surety, Paul said, of a better covenant. He was
made surety of a better covenant. So then Jesus was made to be
all the glory of our salvation because He took it willingly.
Isn't this the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ? That He gladly,
lovingly received us in Himself. Became responsible willingly
for us. He took willingly all the elect
of God and all their salvation so that none of them would be
lost. So then by the mere grace of
God the Father, He had chosen us from the beginning and made
Christ to be all our salvation. but of Him." Of God are you in
Christ Jesus. Who? Christ of God is made what? All our salvation. All our salvation. Now, as God purposed Christ to
be all our salvation, even so did Jesus come to fulfill all
our salvation. You see, God the Father, what
God the Father purposed, what God the Father made Christ to
be, Christ must of necessity become. He Himself must fulfill
the will of God. And so as we go through these
things that God made Christ to be for us, let's also see that
Christ was made these things for us. Literally, He became
these things. Wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
redemption. That's what God made Him to be,
and that's what Christ became. And listen, that's what the Holy
Spirit applies. Whatever God's purpose, whatever
Christ accomplished, the Holy Spirit will apply this, and it's
all by the mere grace of God. Let's see that together. First
of all, God made Christ to be our wisdom. But of Him are you
in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us. Here's the first
one. Wisdom. Wisdom. You see, man by his own
wisdom could not know God. But you see, when Christ came,
He came as the wisdom of God. He came as the light of the world. God says He's going to be the
light of the world. He's going to show men how it
is, that I am holy. He's going to manifest my holiness.
He's going to manifest my salvation. He's going to accomplish it. You see, in the face of Jesus
Christ alone is the knowledge of the glory of God revealed.
Our Lord says this in Matthew 11, He said, All things are delivered
to me of my Father. No man knoweth the Son, but the
Father. Neither knoweth any man the Father
save the Son, and to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him. Listen,
if you're ever going to know God, it's got to be in the face
of Jesus Christ. If you're ever going to know
the wisdom of salvation, you've got to see it in Christ. It's
the only way. He is the only way to God. This
is true wisdom. This is true wisdom. To the lost,
Christ is not wise at all. They think He's a good man. They
think He might have some power. Some believe He even helps them
to God. That's what most religions...
He's a help to God. You know, He helps me and I just
do the rest. No, that's not it. That's not
wisdom. That's not wisdom. But to God's elect, We know this. He alone is the wisdom of God. You see, because seeing Christ,
we can answer the most important question of all. How can God
be just and justify the ungodly? I remember reading an article.
A man had a t-shirt on and said, Ask God. And the pastor who knew
God said, Well, what would you ask Him? And he had all these
things he wanted to ask Him. And the pastor said, you know
what I would ask Him? How can God be just and justify
the ungodly? That's what I want to know. That's
wisdom. That's wisdom. If you understand
that, then you understand salvation. You have the wisdom of God. What's
the answer? Jesus Christ. He's the wisdom
that answers that question. Behold, believers in Christ,
and see that without His righteousness and blood, there is no hope of
acceptance with God. If God does not by grace give
us this wisdom, we surely would never have obtained it ourselves.
We'd be like those Jews, right? Paul said, I got a heart for
my kinsmen after the flesh, but they're ignorant of the righteousness
of God. How do you know if somebody's
ignorant of the righteousness of God? Because they go about
to establish their own righteousness. They don't have any spiritual
wisdom. If you're going about tonight
trying to establish your own righteousness, then you are ignorant
and you have no wisdom. But to us who are saved, this
is the wisdom of God. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone that believe it. Behold the glory,
the salvation of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And behold,
all who behold Him by faith know that we are justified by the
grace of God through Christ Jesus. He is the only high priest, He
is the only acceptable offering, and we believe on Him. You see,
He's my wisdom. So when you ask me questions
like, well, how will you know you'll be accepted of God? I
will be accepted of God because of Christ, because of His work,
and nothing of myself. Friends, that's spiritual wisdom. Do you have that wisdom tonight?
Do you know that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and
no man comes to God but by Him? Do you know that? Have you come
to God by Him? Then you have wisdom. Why? Because God made him to be wisdom. And listen, that wisdom is not
self-taught. It's not academic. You can't
get it by a good Christian education. You see, this is the work of
the Holy Spirit now. What God purposed him to be,
Christ was. And what Christ was, the Spirit
of God has to reveal that. And when the Spirit of God reveals
it, you know what? Christ my wisdom. He's all the
wisdom of God. He's how God could be just and
justify the ungodly. The second thing God has made
Christ is to be our righteousness. Of Him are you in Christ, who
of God has made in us wisdom and what? Righteousness. Righteousness. You know, God alone is the source
of all righteousness. John says, in Him is light. and no darkness at all. His eyes
are as a flame of fire." In other words, He sees through all of
the excuses of man and He looks directly on the heart of man.
And I know this, that this righteous God will judge all men according
to righteousness. Now what does that mean? If you're
righteous, God will give you life. And if you are a sinner,
God will damn you. That's what it means. Friend,
God does not desire man's best. He does not desire your best.
He does not desire you to lean on your vain philosophy that
believes that God will somehow overlook your sin. That God's
love will somehow overrule His justice. That's what most religions
believe. That God is some kindly old grandpa,
and He knows your sin, and His love is so great, He's just going
to overlook it. You pay attention to this very
important wisdom here. God will not have mercy at the
expense of His justice. He will not. How do you know
that? Look at the cross. When God found
sin in His Son, what did He do? He poured out hell on His Son.
And if He poured out hell on His Son, what would He do with
you? What would He do with you? If God purposed to save His elect,
listen to this, they must be made righteous. They cannot be
saved except they become as righteous as God. Now, because we are sinners,
we understand this, we have to be made something we're not.
We have to be made righteous because we are unrighteous. We are unrighteous. We could
never merit righteousness by our own works or obedience. Therefore,
how then should we be made righteous? By what merit, by what work should
you be made righteous? There's no work you can do to
be made righteous. The only way you're made righteous is by the
mere grace of God. By the grace of God. Therefore, by the mere grace
of God, He made Christ to be all are righteous. The Father
purposed Christ to be our righteousness. I just read that in Ephesians
chapter 1. That we should be made holy and
without blame before Him, in love, having predestinous, under
the adoption of the Son. How? By Jesus Christ. That's how we should be made
holy and righteous. Behold the glory of the grace
of God to merit our righteousness by the obedience of Christ. By
the obedience of Christ, He merited our righteousness. What does
God say about His righteousness? What does God say about Christ's
righteousness? Stop looking at yourself. What
does God say about Him? Isaiah 42, verse 21 says, God
is well pleased for His righteousness sake. He's well pleased. You see, God made Christ to be
your righteousness. And what did Christ do? He came
and earned righteousness. Merited righteousness. Isn't that what it says in Romans
chapter 3? I'm going to read it to you.
Romans chapter 3 and verse 22. Romans chapter 3 and verse 22. It says, even the righteousness
of God. Isn't that what we need? Isn't
that what God made Him to be? Purposed Him to be? The righteousness
of God, which is by the, what? Faith of Christ. That's how righteousness
is earned. By the faith of Christ. But see then, the Holy Spirit
has to take that righteousness and apply it, doesn't He? That's
what he says in that next part in Romans 3, verse 22. "...by the righteousness of God,
which is by the faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all
them that believe." See, that's the work of the Holy Spirit in
imputing and imparting that righteousness in the new nature. So then, how
are we made righteous? By the mere grace of God. God
purposed you to be righteous, God made Christ to be your righteousness,
Christ became your righteousness, and the Holy Spirit applied that
righteousness. All right, the third thing is
here, God by the mere grace has made Christ to be our sanctification. Because salvation is by the mere
grace of God, this means every part of salvation is by the grace
of God. And so then, what part of salvation
belongs to you? None. Including sanctification. Of God, Christ was made to be
our sanctification. Our sanctification. Everyone that was chosen of God,
He has made Christ to be our wisdom, our righteousness, and
our holiness, our holiness, our sanctification. God the Father
sanctified us in the election of grace. God the Son sanctified
us by being our surety. And God the Holy Spirit will
sanctify all of the elect by regeneration and faith in Christ. Now, this is a big deal in modern
religion. It is a huge deal, this matter
of sanctification. In the Reformed doctrine, they make sanctification to be
a conditional, progressive, personal holiness. A work of man. A work of man. Now listen, I
know this. God's people do grow in grace
and knowledge of Jesus Christ. We grow in faith. We grow in
love, we grow in zeal, we grow. Yes, no one denies growth, spiritual
growth. But we object to this doctrine
of progressive sanctification. Why? Because it's not in the
Word of God. It's not in the Word of God.
I challenge you to find one place in this Word where sanctification
is your work. That text that I'm reading tonight,
we see whose work it is. It is the work of God. It is
the work of God to make Christ your sanctification. It's not in the Word of God,
not even a hint that our sanctification depends upon us, or that we manage
through the diligence and discipline of personal graces. to make ourselves
less evil and more holy. You see, that holiness with which
no man should see the Lord, according to it, is Christ. That's the
holiness. That's holiness. According to
the Word of God, our sanctification is a threefold work of grace.
It was God who sanctified us in the election. Jude says that.
Jude, the servant of God. To them that are sanctified by
God the Father. Preserved by Christ and called. Election. God's elect are sanctified
by the blood of Jesus Christ. We're made, we're declared holy. When He died at Calvary and put
away our sins, the Scripture says in Hebrews 10, verse 10,
it says, by the witch will we are, what? Sanctified through
the offering. The offering of the body of Christ
once for all. Verse 14, that same chapter says,
"...for by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are
sanctified." And three, "...every chosen redeemed
sinner is sanctified by the Holy Spirit in the new birth." Peter
says this in 1 Peter 1, 2, "...the elect according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience
and sprinkling of the blood of Christ." Who's doing the sanctifying
here, friends? Who makes who holy? You or God? Is it by your work or is it by
the mere grace and power of God that we are sanctified, made
holy? The Scriptures are very clear.
It is a work of God. It is a work of God. We do not
sanctify ourselves. We are sanctified by the mere
grace of God in Christ. Christ is our sanctification.
That's exactly what our text says. If you're sanctified any
other way, you listen, you have no wisdom, you have no righteousness,
and you have no redemption. Why? You took glory to yourself. You robbed God of His glory. Why would you do that? Why would
anyone who understands themselves and the holiness of God try to
sanctify themselves? I'm so glad God, and by a mere
grace, sanctifies us. By His mere grace, He sanctifies
us. And the fourth thing is this,
it was by the mere grace of God that Christ is all our redemption. Redemption. Behold, the last
aspect of God's salvation gives us a measure of the greatness
of God's grace. Here's how you measure God's
grace, how you measure the greatness of it. This mere grace I'm talking
about is not small. It's deep, it's broad, it's wide,
and it is as infinite as God Himself. But how do you measure
that? The whole God made Christ, His
own Son, to be our redemption. How? Through the offering of
His blood. Jonathan Edwards said this, The
redeemed have all from the grace of God. Isn't that right? It
was by the mere grace of God that He gave His only begotten
Son. The grace is great. in proportion to the excellence
of that which is given. The gift was infinitely precious
because it was a person of infinite worth, a person of infinite glory,
a person of infinitely near to the heart of God. And also consider
the grace in bestowing this gift. Christ is great in proportion
to the unworthiness of those to whom it's given. You want to measure it? You see
how far it is? How wide it is? Behold the one
who was given. And then behold the one he was
given for. And you see how great this grace
is. John said this, in this, in the
gift, in the gift by the mere grace of God, the infinitely
precious Son of God, was given to suffer and to die and be afflicted
for our sins. In this was manifest the love
of God toward us, because He sent His only begotten Son into
the world that we might live through Him. Here in His love,
you want to know what love is? Here in His love. Not that we
love God. You see, look at the unworthy
objects. We didn't love God. But here's
the greatness. He loved us and sent his son
to be the propitiation, the offering for our sin. He was sent to be
the lamb. He was sent to be the sacrifice. He was sent to be
the offering for sin. What would move God to do that
but grace? seeing the objects were so unworthy. There's no more precious a gift,
no more infinite a gift and worth than the Son of God. To be sent
to die, to suffer the guilt and shame
of our sins, not because we were worthy, but by the grace of God,
He gave His Son to them that were infinitely unworthy. Behold and wonder then at the
mere grace of God how He should redeem us. The Scripture says God commandeth
His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners. The lowest. What did God do? He gave us the
greatest. He sent His Son to die for us. Christ, who was made to be our
redemption by the sovereign decree of God in a covenant of grace,
what did He do? God purposed Him to be our redemption.
What did He do? He accomplished our redemption. Read it with me, please. Hebrews
chapter 9. Look what it says. Hebrews chapter
9. See what He did. God purposed
Him to be our redemption. He came into the world, and what
did He do? Look at verse 12, "...neither by the blood of goats
and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy
place, having obtained eternal redemption." Eternal redemption. Eternal redemption. God made
Christ, by His mere grace, to be our Redeemer. And by the mere grace of Christ,
he actually accomplished that. The scriptures are very clear.
God had made him to be sin for us. I can't fathom. Because he knew
no sin, I can't fathom the suffering of being made sin. He was made sin who knew no sin,
who felt no sin, who thought no sin. What a mystery! You can't
reconcile the two. He was made sin, yet He was impeccably
holy. Both are true. Made sin. Why? That we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him. And when God found sin, what
happened? Awake, oh, sore. and smite the shepherd, the man
that is my equal, my fellow. By the grace of God, the Holy
Spirit, then what does He do with this redemption? He applies
it. He applies this redemption to us. In a great act of grace
and mercy, the Spirit of God causes us to see our need of
redemption, And then by the grace and power of God, we through
faith receive that redemption. We receive that Christ has accomplished
all our redemption. And the love of every believer
for God truly then is what? Of God. If you ever love God
and believe on Christ as all your redemption, who's that from? It's of God. Of God. Now I'll tell you this, our love
is directly proportional to our understanding of this redemption.
You understand this? Do you understand the mere grace
of God? How much do we love to see the
greatness of God's salvation? How often do we love to hear
of this? Do we love to hear this message? Our love will always be proportional
to our understanding of the sovereign grace of God that made Christ
to be our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification, and redemption. You remember that story in Luke
chapter 7. The Lord went to that Pharisee's
house, and that harlot was there, and she had that alabaster box
of one, and she poured out, and he said, if he was God, he'd
know who this woman was. And remember he put forth that
parable, he said, there's a man that owed a creditor one owed
five pence, the other owed 500, I forget the amount, but... And
he frankly forgave them both. And he asked that question, which
of them do you suppose would love the most? And he said, the
man whom the most was forgiving. He said, you said it right. He
said, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. You want to love God more? I
know that's in you. If you're a believer in Christ,
you do want to love Him more. How should you love Him more?
You should understand the greatness of His grace. If you understand
the mere grace of God, our love should expound and grow. And again, how is all of this
message that I've preached tonight, how in the world is this conveyed?
How in the world was this brought to you? In the same way God brings
this gospel to every one of His people through the preaching
of the Word, what I've done to you tonight, what I've given
you tonight, is God's means by which these things are applied. to the hearts of His people.
This is God's means of comforting you, of God strengthening you,
of God encouraging you. It's through the preaching of
what? The mere grace of God. That my salvation was totally
the work of God alone. And that should comfort you.
The burden should lift. The stone should roll off your
back. Why? Because it's all of God. Of Him, you believer, of Him
are you in Christ Jesus, who of God has made Him to be your
wisdom, Him to be your righteousness, Him to be your sanctification,
Him to be your redemption. So then if salvation is all on
Him, listen, even our faith is a gift of that mere grace, isn't
it? How long have you believed? Who then gets the glory for all
that faith? God does. For by grace, the mere
grace of God, you are saved through faith. Where? Faith in Christ.
Not in self. Not in religion. Not in the works.
Not in men. But in Christ. He gives that
faith. It is not of yourself. It is
a gift of the mere grace of God. Not of works. Why? Lest any man
should boast. Isn't this the whole reason?
Go back to your text and see the reason again why salvation
is totally, completely of the mere grace of God. Verse 31,
"...that according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory
in the Lord." Salvation is all of the mere grace of God so that
all the glory belongs to God and none to us. And I'm glad
to give it. Aren't you glad salvation is
by the mere grace of God? Listen, if you understand anything
of the gospel, you know that's true. You rejoice in that. You
rejoice in that. And you don't want to take any
one of those things to yourself. I don't want to take wisdom to
my... I don't want it to be of my wisdom. I don't want it to
be of my righteousness. I don't want it to be of my sanctification.
I don't want it to be of my work, my offerings for redemption.
All my hope is in you. If I ever see the face of God
smiling at me, it will be because of Christ. Oh, what a glorious day will
it be when we see His face. We see the hands of grace and
mercy. We see the scars. And we see His smile. And you know, we'll give Him
all the praise. My salvations are the mere grace
of God through Christ Jesus.