Turn with me back to 1 Peter
chapter 3. 1 Peter 3, this one verse is our
text. Verse 15. says, but sanctify the Lord God
in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man
that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness
and fear. In the time that I've been here
in Kingsport, just going about life. And my life doesn't go
very far, back and forth to the study. But if I go somewhere
else or we meet people, it doesn't take people long to find out
I'm a pastor. What do you do for a living? I pastor a church. And their
first question is always, what is the name of your church? So I tell them, Kingsport Sovereign
Grace Church. I've never heard of that. And then usually they say, are
you Baptist? Are you Methodist? I had a lady
last week ask me, are you Catholic? Are you all Catholic over there? I say, no. No, we're none of
those things. What they're asking is, what
do you all cling to over there? That's what they're asking. What
is the reason of your hope? That's what they're asking. Because
if I said, well, we're Catholic, then they would know, okay, all
right. I understand. You have confession. And you have a big word called
transubstantiation. Which means they believe that
that wafer that goes in their mouth turns into the actual physical
body of Jesus Christ. And it doesn't. That is a lie. But they would know, okay, well
that's the reason for your hope. All you've got to do is say,
I'm Catholic. Gotcha. If I would have said, well, we're
Baptist, they would say, oh, okay, well you all have baptism.
And you have confessions of faith. So that's the reason for your
hope. I got you. If I would have said Pentecostal,
they would have said, Oh, well, you all have tongues and you
have tambourines. And that's the reason for your
hope. But sovereign grace, I've never
heard of that. I never heard of that. Why sovereign grace? The reason every form of religion
exists is because, to some degree, man acknowledges his own sin. To some degree. Not to the degree
he does when God opens his eyes to the truth. But the reason
Catholics go to confession is because they acknowledge, I have
sinned. Right? The reason Baptists are
baptized is because they acknowledge of sin. Most people to some degree can
acknowledge sin. You won't get an argument out
of that. Where the difference comes in,
wherein we differ, is the remedy. That's where we differ. That's
why we don't say, yes, we're Baptist, or yes, we're whatever. Why sovereign grace? Why is that
on our sign? Why is that the answer we give
to every man, or we try to? It's hard to. Wherein really do we differ?
Really? We differ on who God is. And this is why I moved to Kingsport. This is why I didn't stay in
Rocky Mount, Virginia. And this is why you're not meeting
at the church right over there. Okay? It's because we differ, first
of all, on who God is. We differ on what He has done. And we differ on where He is
now. Turn with me over to Hebrews
chapter 1. Hebrews 1 verse 1 says, God, who at sundry times and
in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by Son."
Do you notice that the word His is in italics? That means the
translators added it and it's more easily understood to take
it out. hath in these last days spoken
unto us by Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things,
by whom also he made the worlds." Most people say God is the Father
of Jesus Christ. That's who God is. And God the
Father is God. Yes, He is. But listen to what
he said. Don't turn. Just listen to what
he said in John 5, 23. He said, "...all men should honor
the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not
the Son, honoreth not the Father which hath sent him." Look right
here at Hebrews 1, verse 3. who being the brightness," this
is talking about God the Son, "...who being the brightness
of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding
all things by the word of His power." That's God the Son. The Scripture
says, Jesus Christ is equal with His Father, making him God. Most people say Jesus Christ
made salvation possible. He took the first step, and all
you've got to do is take the second. He opened the door, and
all you've got to do is walk through. But the Scripture says
that you and I are dead. Dead, dead, dead. The scripture says with man salvation
is absolutely impossible. The scripture says man can't
come, man won't come. So, the scripture says, right
here in Hebrews 1 verse 3, when He had by Himself purged
our sins. By Himself. That's what Christ did. He purged
our sins by Himself. That's a big difference from
what most people say. Many people say, He's standing
at your heart's door knocking. That's where He is now. Standing
at your heart's door knocking. Won't you let Him in? Poor thing,
He's just standing there. Not according to the Scripture.
Look right here in Hebrews 1 verse 3. When He by Himself purged
our sins, He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on
high. He is not standing at anybody's
heart's door. David said, Our God is in the
heavens, and He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased. That is why
we preach sovereignty. We preach who God really is as
He's declared Himself to be in His Word. The title of this message
is, Why Sovereign Grace? For a split second, I thought
about calling this message, The Gospel According to Webster's
Dictionary, but we're not going to do that. Why sovereign grace? Listen to
what Webster's Dictionary says is the definition of sovereign.
Okay? See if this doesn't describe
Jesus Christ our God. It gave four definitions. Chief,
supreme, independent, monarch. That's who Jesus Christ is. Those are good definitions. Then
Webster's Dictionary said about each one of those, chief means
the greatest in authority and power. That's the chief. Turn
with me over to Mark chapter 1. Mark chapter 1 verse 21, and when they went into Capernaum,
and straightway on the Sabbath day, he entered into the synagogue
and taught. And they were astonished at his
doctrine, for he taught them as one that had authority, not
as the scribes. And there was in their synagogue
a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, saying, Let
us alone. What have we to do with thee,
thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us?
I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked
him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when
the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice,
he came out of him. And they were all amazed insomuch
that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? What new doctrine is this? For
with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and
they do obey him." That's our God. Every single thing He does is
with authority. Every single thing that exists
obeys Him. That is the reason for the hope
that is in me. I get so confident every time
I see just how much authority He has. All authority and power has been
put into His hand. And none can stay His hand or
say unto Him, What doest thou? That's why we preach sovereign
grace. Here's the next definition. It's supreme. And that word means
above all others. Go to Philippians 2. Philippians 2 verse 5 says, Let
this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being
in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with
God, equal with God. But God, who is rich in mercy,
left his throne. And he came down here to where
we sinners were. Verse 7 right here says, "...and
made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of
a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found
in fashion as a man, he humbled himself." He brought himself
down, down, down. It says, "...and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross. The sinless one became
what he was not. The sinless one waged war with
death, and the sinless one won the war." Verse 9 says, "...wherefore,
God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which
is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things
under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." A name above
every name. That's why we preach sovereign
grace. Our hope is in our chief, the
one who is supreme. That's where our hope is. What's
the reason of your hope? My God is God. That's the reason for the hope
that's in me. Here's the next definition of
sovereign. It's independent. And that means needing nothing,
wishing nothing, getting no help from others, acting, working,
and voting alone. Is that not our sovereign God?
Independent means not resulting from another thing. didn't come from anything. And
it means not controlled or influenced by something else. Turn with
me to Isaiah 40. Isaiah 40 verse 13 says, "'Who
hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counselor
hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and
who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment,
and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are as a
drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance. Behold, he taketh up the isles
as a very little thing." All the islands that are on this
globe, the one we live on. Verse 16, and Lebanon is not
sufficient to burn. You're proud of those trees over
there? They're not even sufficient to be kindling. nor the beast
thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations before
Him are as nothing, and they are counted to Him less than
nothing in vanity. To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare
unto Him?" Go with me over to Isaiah 46. Verse 5 says, To whom will you liken me, and
make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike? They lavish
gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire
a goldsmith, and he maketh it a god. They fall down, yea, they
worship. They bear him upon the shoulder,
they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth. From his place shall he not remove. Yea, one shall cry unto him,
yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble. Remember
this, and show yourselves men. Bring it again to mind, O ye
transgressors. Remember the former things of
old, for I am God and there is none else. I am God and there
is none like me. Declaring the end from the beginning. And from ancient times the things
that are not yet done. Saying my counsel shall stand
and I will do all my pleasure. calling a ravenous bird from
the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country. Yea, I have spoken it, I will
also bring it to pass. I have purposed it, I will also
do it." God is not trying to do anything. God is not trying
to save anybody. We preach sovereign grace. Go to Romans 9 with me. Romans 9 verse 10 says, and not
only this, but when Rebekah also had conceived by one, even by
our father Isaac, For the children being not yet born, neither having
done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election
might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth, it was said
unto her, the elder shall serve the younger. As it is written,
Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say
then? Is there unrighteousness with
God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.
For the scripture 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."
Do you know what you call that? Sovereign. The last definition that Webster's
Dictionary gave us was monarch. A monarch is a hereditary ruler. That means the Father passes
everything down to the Son. Everything. Go over to John chapter
3. John chapter 3 verse 35 says,
The Father loveth the Son. and hath given all things into
his hand." All things. You can just listen to Acts chapter
2 verse 36. It says, Therefore, let all the house
of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus,
whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ." No one can
make Him Lord. No one can make Him King. No
one can let Jesus reign in their hearts. Nobody can do that. The reason is because He alone
is sovereign. He does all things. He does all
the choosing. He does all the working. He alone
is sovereign. God the Father has already said
to God the Son, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. And He's
right now seated on that throne. doing what He will with whom
He will. That's the truth. That's why
we preach Him sovereignly. That's why we preach Him as the
sovereign. It's because it's the truth.
We tell people the truth. Why is that on your sign? It's
because we're telling you the truth. We're not telling you
the tradition that was passed down from grandfather to grandfather
to grandfather. Now it's us and we're going,
oh, is it in the Bible? No. We're telling people the
truth. Now there's another word that
we witness here. Grace. Grace means gift. And it means favor. A gift is
a present that requires no payment. That's a gift. For by grace are
you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is
the gift of God. What a gift. When our Lord humbled
himself and he came all the way down even to the death of the
cross, that blood that he spilt on that cross was the unspeakable
gift. We call it grace. Grace, the
unspeakable gift that saved his elect. Oh to grace, how great
a debtor. His gift is the reason for the
hope that's in us. What do you believe over there?
We believe grace. We believe grace. It's a gift. And grace also means favor. This
is what favor means. It's an act of kindness. The
condition of being, I love this, liked, accepted, and approved. That's favor. Go with me to Luke
chapter 1. Luke chapter 1, verse 26 says, And in the sixth month, the angel
Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
to a virgin, espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the
house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel
came in unto her and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored. My margin right there says, graciously
accepted. The Lord is with thee, blessed
art thou among women. We preach grace because it's
good news. That's why we preach grace. I
love preaching grace. It's good news. to the praise
of the glory of His grace wherein He hath made us accepted in the
Beloved." It is sovereign grace. He gives this good news to whoever
He will. This gift is to whoever He sovereignly
chooses. But whoever He does choose, it
is good news. It's good news. I want to close
with Romans 5. I want to tell one more time
what is the reason for the hope that is in us. Romans 5. Romans 5 verse 20 says, Moreover,
the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin did
abound, Grace did much more abound. That is the reason for the hope
that is in us. Verse 21 says that, "...as sin
hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign." Sovereign. "...might grace reign through
righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." That's
our hope. That's our only hope. That grace
might reign. Sovereign grace. I love it. I pray the Lord would reveal
it to more people. I really do. Save men's souls.
Show them the truth and show them the good news. I pray the
Lord will bless His Word. Let's stand together.