All right. 2 Timothy 1. Now you don't often find in one
single verse of scripture seven deliberate separate statements,
all having to do with the gospel. So I simply call it seven glories
of the gospel. And there's my whole outline
right there in that verse. Let me start at verse 9 so that
if I remember right, there's no period between verse 1 to
the end of verse 7, and there's a period, and then there's not
another period until we get to the end of verse 11. So I'm going
to read the whole sentence. Verse 8, be not you therefore
ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, and Paul is speaking, nor
of me his prisoner, but be you partaker of the afflictions of
the gospel. And there are afflictions of
the gospel. according to the power of God. So that's the subject. And here's
God's statement, as plain as words can say it. Who has saved
us, number one, when? In old eternity. Who has saved
us and called us with a holy calling. Not according to our works. Now here's a significant word. But. But. According to His own purpose. That's one point. And grace,
that's another point. Which was given us in Christ
Jesus. before the world began, but now
is made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who
has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light
through the gospel, whereunto I am appointed a preacher and
an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles." End of sentence. Now
let's see if we can work on these seven things. Number one, Paul
declares that God, the triune God, is the author of salvation. Not just the author, but the
finisher as well. The gospel's not just up for
grabs and whoever wants it, you know, reaches for it and it's
his. This is God's doing. It's God's gospel and it's the
gospel concerning His Son. If you remember in Ephesians
chapter 1, beginning at verse 3 and going to the end of verse
14, we have the gospel set forth in that chapter like nowhere
else in our Bibles. It is the triune God. The Father
is declared in verses 3 through 6. And the Lord Jesus is set
forth in verses 7 through 12. And the Holy Spirit is set forth
in verses 13 and 14. So it is the work of the Trinity. The triune God is the author
of this salvation. And in regard to our Lord Jesus
Christ and His redemptive work, the angel told Joseph before
he and Mary were married, he said, you shall call His name
Jesus. Why? Because the word Jesus means
Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jehovah is salvation. Call His name Jesus for or because
He shall save His people from their sin. What else do we need? How much
more do we need to know than this? And then in verses, hey,
if I'm away from home, I can get by with this tonight. If
you'll look at that Ephesians passage, there's one verse, one
statement there I've got to underline for you, and I want you to see
it. And if you don't want to turn, you don't have to do that.
I don't have any. authority over you or anything.
I'm having trouble finding Ephesians, no wonder I'm going left to Galatians
and that's wrong. All right, Ephesians chapter
1 verse 13. Here's the gospel in regard to
the work of God the Holy Spirit. In whom you also trusted. When? After that you heard the
word of truth, the gospel of your salvation." It was already
the gospel of our salvation before we ever heard it. And this is
the revelation of it by the Spirit of God. And it is a glorious
statement, in whom also, after that you believe, you were sealed
with that Holy Spirit of promise. So I want you to notice in regard
to this matter of the triune God being the author of salvation,
that it is indeed His work, His work. The Spirit of God's work
is in calling and regeneration. Note that this statement has
no condition attached to it. Who has saved us? That's all. Nothing else there,
just this. Secondly, note the order of it. This was Brother Todd's point,
I believe, that we're saved before we're called. We just don't know
it yet. And we find it out when we are
converted by God the Holy Spirit. It's not us do something first. It's not God has done almost
everything and when you do the rest you'll be saved. That's
not salvation. Never has been and is not now
and not ever will be. Thirdly, we are spoken here as
being called with unholy calling. So that's the first glory of
the gospel in this seven parts of this text of ours that I've
turned away from by mistake. So I'll return to it. There it
is. Here's the second thing. It is not according to our works. Now, everybody and his brother
tells you if you'll have faith, God will save you. And I tell
you, if you have faith, you can just walk your way right into
heaven. You don't need a savior. Because you obviously are not
a sinner. And God only saves sinners. Now
we know everybody's a sinner, but everybody doesn't know they're
a sinner. And we don't find this out until the grace of God begins
its work in our soul. Not according to our works. How
about turning to John chapter 3. Here's a statement about works
that, well, there's just an outside
possibility it might surprise you. John chapter 3, we'll begin at
verse 18 and read through verse 21. Now here's what we're talking
about, not according to our works. Here is the explanation of what
this means when it comes to Christ and the gospel. All right, verse
18, John chapter 3. He that believes on Him that
is on the Lord Jesus is not condemned. But he that believes not is condemned
already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten
Son of God. Now here's where it gets interesting.
And this is the condemnation. This is the condemnation that
we all once were under. This is the condemnation that
light is come into the world and men love darkness rather
than light. Why do we love darkness better
than light? Lest our deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth, now
there's an odd expression, he that does truth comes to the
light, now notice why, that his deeds may be made manifest that
they are worked in God. And if God doesn't work that
work in us, we ain't ever gonna have it. You can't make yourself holy
enough. You can't beat yourself hard
enough to make these works yours. They're God's and he gives them
to us. You remember this little statement
by Maurice Montgomery's favorite writer, I think was, I just lost
his name. Anyway, he wrote this statement. Whatever God requires of us,
He must give us. And God only accepts from us
what He gives us. And this can never change. It's
eternal. It's now and forevermore this
way. So we come to the light that
our deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God. For it is God who works in you
both in the willing and in the doing of His good pleasure. And
here's another text in Galatians chapter 2 and verse 16, Galatians 2.16. Now, I don't know how old you
are and It doesn't matter how old you are or how old I am,
but it hears a statement that knows no date. It is eternal. Verse 16, second chapter of Galatians. Knowing that a man is not justified
by the works of the law. Now you'd think that statements
like this must be missing in some people's Bibles. But I'll
tell you the truth, it was missing in mine for more years than I
care to admit. And I don't know how we read
our Bibles and missed it. It's like we just jumped over
it, you know, like it wasn't there. A man is not justified
by the works of the law, but by the faith of Christ. Not in Christ, but of Christ. If you got Hawker's Poor Man's
Commentary on the New Testament, you ought to give him a read
on this text. Not by the works of the law,
for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. None. Nobody. Not ever. Never has been, never will be. All right, the next thing, not
only is it not according to our works, but notice that word in
verse nine of 2 Timothy chapter one, but according to his own
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before
the world began, before it ever was made, before time ever was. You just, you can't, you cannot
possibly understand how far back this is talking about, because
there just, there ain't no such thing as a beginning. It just
keeps going. I don't know, I can't explain
it, I don't understand it, but I do believe it. But according
to his own purpose, his own purpose, Brother Mahan has made famous
Barnard's statement about purpose. But I still love to say it. Everything
God does, He does on purpose. Everything. From one eternity to the other. But it says His own purpose and
grace. So here is this glorious statement
that God's purpose is not founded on foreseen merit but upon grace
alone. And Isaiah 55 adds, it's without
money and without price. If it had a price, we couldn't
pay it, I assure you. But the price, the debt has been
paid. And that wonderful statement,
I forget who wrote it, payment God cannot twice demand, first
at my bleeding surety's hand and then again at mine. Now,
I've had the experience once upon a time. It was, and gas
wasn't through the roof either. It was cheap back in those days,
but I stopped at a gas station, my wife and me and another couple,
and I paid for the gas and, you know, got back on the road and
here comes a guy driving down the sidewalk. He's going to stop
me. And he does. I turn around. I go back to the
gas station. And they're in there waving me.
Just go ahead. We made a mistake. Go ahead.
Oh, no. I'm going into the head knocker.
And I'm going to say, I don't appreciate this. If this is how
you're going to run your business, you can do it without me. Something about paying a bill
twice galls you. You know it's not right. And
it shouldn't be. And that's what this is about.
If the debt's paid, the debt's paid. And we can't contribute
one penny to that debt. Just cannot do it. Oh, y'all got me so excited I
forgot where I am. Oh, I think I'm down to point
number five. I hope so. Let me check and see.
Yes, all right, number five. All that's contained in this
one verse of scripture, all the contents of 1 Timothy 1, 9 is
spoken of as a gift. It's the gift of God. Now gifts can't be purchased.
And they're not usually given because you deserve it even among
men. We just give gifts because we
want to give it. Or we love the person to whom
we're giving it. All the contents of 2 Timothy
1.9 is spoken of as a gift. Now what word in this text leads
us to this conclusion? It is according to His own purpose,
and here it is, and grace. Now if grace is not a gift, it's
not grace. If it can be merited or earned
or bought, it is not grace. It's something else. And if that
be true, we're all lost and undone forever. All right, the sixth
thing is this. This gift is given in such a
way as to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. God glorifies His Son. And this gospel certainly does
glorify Him. Paul said in Galatians 6.14,
God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ. This is the believers glorying. And then we're told at the end
of this verse, all of this is said to have taken place, you
need to see this in your own Bible if you're turning with
me, before the world began, before it ever started, before it ever
started. God gave us grace when? When? Before the world began. But I
wasn't here yet. But He was. This doesn't change anything.
The God who made us knew the time that we would be born. And
He not only knows that time, He knows the time when you'll
be born again. Look in Ezekiel chapter 16. Let me just read you a statement
out of that chapter. I'm a little bit slow, but I'll
get there. Ezekiel chapter 16. I well remember the first time
I actually understood what this chapter was about. I thought
I would come unglued. Look at verse 6. Verse 6. And when I pass by you, now this
is an infant discarded into an open field and already dead. And God passes by. And here's
what it says. Ephesians, not Ephesians, Ezekiel
16, verse six. And when I passed by you and
saw you polluted in your own blood, I said unto you, when
you were in your blood, live. Yea, I said unto you, when you
were in your blood, live. And that's exactly how it is
in grace. This is here to teach us this,
to cause us to understand that we were nothing, had nothing,
and could do nothing. And there ain't nothing we can
do from now on out to deserve anything. If we do anything,
it's His doings in and through us. He must give us what He requires
of us or it ain't going to happen. God gave us grace before the
world began. Well, why did God give us grace?
That it would be all of grace. Now, one more scripture, Romans
chapter 4. Now, I used to be able to quote
some scripture verses, but If my brain keeps going south,
I don't know what I'm going to do. Romans chapter 4. Why has God purposed for His
grace to be of the nature that it is. Why is it that the glory
cannot be shared, that we cannot claim part of this as our doing? And here's the reason. Verse 16, chapter 4 of Romans, Therefore
it is of faith that it might be by grace to the end that the
promise might be sure to all the seed so that none could be
left out and none missing. And indeed that is the case.
Not to that only which is of the law, but to that which is
of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. Grace makes no mistakes. It doesn't leave anybody out.
It accomplishes everything God's purpose to do. From time before
time, time and into eternity. Everything is moving at his command. Whatever he says. Must be. Must be. You've heard the song
will the circle be unbroken? I tell you no sir and no ma'am. If it is, God is failed. And
that simply cannot be. Cannot be. One more time, I'm
going to read you that verse again. God who has saved us and called
us with an holy calling. Not according to our works, but
according to His own purpose and grace which was given us
in Christ Jesus before the world began. Now I've got one more
little page of notes here and I'd like to mention, I'd like
to try to answer this question. What are the benefits of this
gospel? Now you know there ain't but
one gospel. All the other Gospels are false
Gospels. Why is this Gospel so beneficial
to a poor sinner? Because it makes the person who
receives it bold. I mean it gives a man backbone.
Preaching the gospel, believing the gospel, and confessing the
gospel ain't for sissies. You've got to really believe
what you're talking about or you'll throw it in the fire and
leave it off, and leave the gospel, and leave Christ, and leave grace. I'm telling you. I know. I've been kicked out of enough
places to have learned a little something along the way. only
to find out that none of those things were meaningful except
where I am now. Been there 31 years, the first
of November, but it wasn't all smooth sailing. We had three
votes to vacate the pulpit, and so I'd leave, and by the grace
of God, I'm still there. But I'm telling you, those other
times, mattered nothing. Well, why did the Lord have you
to go through those things? That's just training, that's
all it was. Getting ready for the real battle.
My soul, the first time I got kicked out of a Southern Baptist
church, all I knew about grace was that God was sovereign, and
I was stupid enough to preach it, and it didn't take long,
you know, for them to come to me and say, we don't want you
to go, but if you'll go back to preaching what you did when
you came here. But I said, I'm not interested. He said, well,
here's your check for two weeks of vacation. I said, I don't
want your check. Of course, if I'd have had any sense, I'd have
took it, but I was, you know, pretty cocky back then. I hope
I'd do the same thing today, but I wouldn't guarantee it. This gospel makes people willing
to pay the price. no matter what it is. The man who wrote these words
is a prime example. Second benefit of this gospel,
it gives us a gospel to believe with absolute confidence. We're
sure of it. Totally convinced that this is
God's gospel and there's not another one. There's not one for one generation
and another for the next one. This is it. This has always been
the gospel from Genesis 1-1 all the way to Revelation chapter
22 and up to this present hour and as long as this world stands.
There's not but one thing preventing our Lord from returning tonight.
In my estimation, which I don't claim to be anybody and or know
a whole lot of things, but I know this. When the last sheep is
brought to Christ, the purpose for this world is gone. And the
end, I believe, will come. When that is, I don't know and
I don't want to know. It doesn't matter to me if it's
tonight or a thousand years from now, or ten thousand for that
matter. All right, this gospel then is
given to the believer with great confidence. You've heard that
little ditty, if ands and buts were candies and nuts, we'd all
have a wonderful Christmas. Well, there ain't no ands and
buts in this. This gospel is made up of I will
and you shall. And that's not doubtful. That
is about as positive a thing as you could possibly say. Thirdly, and I'm so glad for
this, this gospel holds us, and then we hold the gospel. Somebody said, God said it, I
believe it, and that settles it. But that ain't it. God says
it, and that settles it. No other possibility. Fourthly,
this gospel, I know sometimes it doesn't look
like this is so, but this gospel overcomes all other non-gospels
that claim to be the gospel. There's only two religions in
this whole world. And that little track called
Do or Done by C. H. McIntosh is certainly to the
point. It's either do or it's done. And twice, in John 17 and again
in John 19 verse 30, our Lord said from the tree, it is finished. And finished it is. Redemption's
work is done. God's satisfied. The Lord Jesus
is glorified. And believers are happy. Number
five, this blessed gospel that is all grace because it's all
Christ makes a person look up and say, God has saved me, not
I got saved. That's no compliment to God whatsoever,
I got saved. No, you didn't get anything.
God gave you salvation. And he himself performed the
work of raising within your poor self a new man that Brother Todd
talked about just a little bit ago. I like those words in Jonah
2.9 and Todd took those out of my text too. Salvation is of
the Lord. Oh, I remember, I probably shouldn't tell you this,
but I'm going to. The last big showdown we had
at Bethel in, I can't remember a lot of things,
but this is etched in my memory, May the 15th of 1988. So that Sunday morning, the vote
was to be taken on Sunday night. It was a pretty big deal right
at that time. Looking back, it won't much to
it, but it was then. But I preached on Jonah 2-9 that
Sunday morning. That place was pretty full that
Sunday. And I said, this morning I'm trying to knock you off the
fence on the opposite side from me. And I preached an outline. I think I got it from Spurgeon
or somebody. On Jonah 2, 9, salvation is of
the Lord. Oh, my goodness. That's been
a while ago. This gospel makes us look down
on ourselves. We say that we're nothing, are
nothing, can do nothing. We're just nothing. We're like
Omephibosheth. when David sent and fetched him. What is your servant? A dead
dog that he could be seated at the king's table. Maurice Montgomery
is famous for saying a dead dog sinner. I love that term. I love
it. This gospel makes us say, God did it. And this gospel is full of comfort
to poor, helpless, ungodly sinners. Now I want to read you the words
of the hymn. I found this in the InterVarsity
Hymnal. And the guy that wrote the music
to this was a good friend of Farrell Griswold's. I think they
were in college together umpteen years ago now, a long time ago. I sought the Lord, and afterward
I knew. He moved my soul to seek Him
seeking me. It was not I that found, O Savior,
true. No, I was found of Thee. The only reason I found Him is
because He found me first. The second stanza says, Thou
didst reach forth Thy hand, and mine enfold. I walked and sank
not on the storm-vexed sea. It was not so much that I on
Thee took hold, as Thou, dear Lord, on me. I find, I walk, I love. But, O, the whole of love is
but my answer, Lord, to Thee. for thou work long beforehand
with my soul." You ready for this? Always, always thou lovest
me. That's how it works. Thank you.