Turn back to James 1 with me. James chapter 1. And I just want to look at one
verse. James 1 is such a wonderful chapter.
There are so many things in it. But I just want to look at one
amazing, wonderful verse. I absolutely love this verse.
It's verse 18. It says, Of His own will begat
He us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits
of His creatures. I have four quick, easy points. I like simple. Who, what, how, and why. The gospel is who, what, how,
and why. Let's read it one more time.
Of His own will, begat he us with the word of truth, that
we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. The
gospel means good news. We have gathered together to
hear some good news, haven't we? We need good news. The world is full of bad news.
Turn on the news. The news ought to just be called
bad news. Channel 10, bad news. It's all
bad news. We're here for some good news.
We're here for the gospel. The gospel means good news. If
people are hearing the gospel, they're hearing good news. And
what is the good news? It's how a sinner can be justified
with God. How hell-deserving sinners can
be accepted in heaven. That's good news. Here's the
truth. We come to hear the truth. The
truth is, in Adam, in our flesh, all die. It's the truth. I have no idea how many funeral
homes are in Kingsport, but they're full. They're plumb full. How often does somebody die and
you see a huge crowd of people pull up and a huge, how often
do you need to pull over on the side of the road and let a funeral
procession by? The truth is, In this flesh,
we're gonna die. In Adam, all die. In Adam, all people perish. Everybody. Every man born into this world,
born in Adam, has sinned. That's the truth. It says, all
have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That's the
truth, the cold hard truth. That's in Adam. But in the Lord
Jesus Christ, all live. I didn't need that anyway. All live. In Christ, All are saved. Nobody perishes in Christ. In Christ, all are justified. All are justified. Now here's
the question. There's one of two places to
be. In Adam or in Christ. Here's the question. Who decides
whether a person is in Adam or in the Lord Jesus Christ? You know, don't raise your hand,
but you could ask to raise your hand. Who would like to go to
hell? Who decides whether a person
is in Adam, dead, perishing or in Christ. Is it man? Do we decide? Does man choose
God? Because man puts on the side
of his building. I've seen it. They had a manufacturing
company make the letters and they screwed it to the brick
wall. It says, Free Will Baptist Church. And what they mean by
that is, I decide. It's my will. I decide where
I go. Is that what the Word of God
says? No. No, it's not. Verse 18 says,
of His own will. Those places would be wise to
change their name. Go get some new letters. To His
will, Baptist Church. That's the place I want to attend.
If a man or woman lives, if a person who's about to perish is saved, If the sinner is justified, cleared,
who did that? The answer is God did it. God
did it. Who made the decision? He made
it. When did He make the decision?
Scripture says He made it before the foundation of the world. Salvation is of His own will. Salvation belongs to our God. He said, I am Alpha. I'm the
beginning. I'm the author. And I'm Omega. I'm the end. I'm the finisher. He's the first and the last and
everything in between. And what that means is Christ
is all. Christ is all. Our hope of glory. I hope to be in glory with the
Lord. I personally do. I live my days
hoping that God will save me and that I will live eternally
with Him. And our hope of glory is only
in the will of Jesus Christ. That's it. Our hope of inheriting
glory is only in the will of Jesus Christ. And what that means
is, if He wills, then I will be saved. Now somebody's going to hear
that and say, I don't believe that. I just don't believe that. Why don't you prove that? If
you're going to say it, prove it. Okay, you ready? James 1
verse 18 says, Of His own will. Begat he us with the word of
truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
To say it once. If he says it once, it's bound
in eternity forever. But let's look at another one.
Let's go to another one. One more. John 15. Go with me to John chapter 15. John chapter 15, look at verse
16. This is Jesus Christ speaking.
You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained
you that you should go and bring forth fruit. You have not chosen
me. Well, let's see, heaven or hell?
I choose God. Can't do it. Why not? Because the scripture says so. There's a billboard in Rocky
Mount, Virginia. I see it every time I'm driving
up 220, headed up to 81 to go anywhere. It's right out of town,
and you guys might have them here. They got them all over
the place. Heaven or hell? Which do you decide? Something
like that, 1-800-something, who knows what. Who decides? Whose choice? Who is doing the
choosing? Well that says, you didn't choose
me, and I chose you. Now the most amazing part of
salvation to me, I've said this before to you, and I hope I say
it for the rest of my life, The most amazing part of salvation
to me is that He actually wanted to save me. That is amazing to
me. I can't believe sometimes that
He actually wanted to save me. To say it of His own will means
He wanted to. He actually wanted to. Now why
is that so amazing? Here's why, verse 18 in James
1, our text says, of His own will, He begat us. He begat us. He made us. He created us. I want you to
go with me to Genesis chapter 1. Genesis chapter 1 and look at
verse 26. Genesis 1 26 says, And God said,
Let us make man in our image after our likeness. Verse 27
says, So God created man in His own image. In the image of God,
created He Him, male and female, created He them. He created us. He made me. He formed me. And He warned us in chapter 2
verse 16, it says, The Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of
every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of
it. For in the day that thou eatest
thereof thou shalt surely die. He lovingly warned us. But in chapter 3 verse 6, When
the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was
pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise,
she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto
her husband with her, and he did eat, and we died. That's why it's so amazing to
me that He wanted to save me. He made us. and we sinned against
Him, we rebelled against Him, and we died, spiritually dead,
we died. Now, because of this, it is appointed
unto man once to die. Had this sin never taken place,
Adam would have never died. But because of this, now it is
appointed unto man once to die. And here's what a lot of people
say to that. That's not fair. It's not fair. I didn't eat that
fruit. I wasn't there. Why should I be punished for
something he did? I didn't do it. Yes, we did. Yes, we did. Every person born into this world,
has on their own, by themselves, sinned against God. You know,
I think about the fact that a person born into this world has every
chance that anybody would have to not sin. And every single person fails.
from the mother's womb, crying, angry, feed me now. Sin, rebellion. Every single person fails, every
single person falls. Why does this happen? It's because
sin is what we are. We're conceived in sin. And this
flesh is enmity against God. This body is the enemy of God
by nature. That's what the scripture says.
Enemy of God. But bless the Lord God, all praise
unto Him, in spite of that, in spite of me, of His own will. He did something. He did something. He did it for some. He didn't
do it for all, but He did something for some. Let's see this in Genesis
6. Turn to Genesis chapter 6. Genesis 6 verse 5 says, God saw that the wickedness of
man was great in the earth. And that every imagination of
the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Now let's get honest. Let's just
get honest. I'm not pointing at you. I'm
pointing at me. I'm saying get honest. I'm up
here in a suit and I got a tie on and I got a haircut that's
too short and I'm spiked like a rooster right now. And I'm
no good. I'm preaching. I'm a preacher. I'm a sinner. I'm no good. If you knew my heart, you'd be
shocked. You'd be shocked. His heart was
only evil continually. Verse 6 says, It repented the
LORD, that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him
at his heart. Can I even explain that verse? The answer is no. I just read
it. Verse 7, And the LORD said, I
will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the
earth, both man and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls
of the air, for it repenteth me that I have made them. But
this man Noah, he found grace in the eyes of the LORD. There's
something called grace. And it's so important, you stuck
it on your sign out there. Grace. Grace. Now let me ask this. Did Noah
deserve to find grace? The answer is no. Noah is a sinner
just like me. Was Noah any different or any
better than anyone else? The answer is no. Why did Noah find grace? Why Noah? Why was it Noah as
opposed to somebody else? Why did Noah find grace? That is a mystery. Ephesians 1 calls it a mystery
of His will. Why did Noah find grace? God chose to give grace to Noah.
That's it. Noah was no different than any
other man, but the Lord did something to Noah. He did something. The
Lord did cause him to differ. He was no different, but the
Lord did cause him to differ. What did the Lord do to Noah?
He did the same exact thing that He does to each person whom He
chooses of His own will. Our text in James 1 says, of
His own will begat He us. Now what does that mean? We just
saw the first time in Adam, He created us. God said, let us
make man and God made man, God created us. And we sinned against
Him. And that's why it's so amazing
that of His own will, He begat us a second time. Now, in my
Bible, next to BEGAD HE US, I have a little A, and I have a center
margin, and it says 1 Peter 1.23. Don't turn there. I'm going to
read it to you. Turn to John chapter 3. I'm going to read
to you 1 Peter 1.23, but turn to John chapter 3. Now this is what 1 Peter 1.23
says, this is the reference to beget he us. Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but
of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth
forever. It has something to do, everything
to do with being born again. Everybody says, I'm a born again
Christian. What does that mean? What does
that mean? John chapter 3. John chapter
3 verse 1 says, There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus,
a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by night
and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher
come from God, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest,
except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto
him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him,
How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second
time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water, and of
the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. That which
is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee,
You must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth,
and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whits it cometh,
or whither it goeth. So is every one that is born
of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto
him, How can these things be? When you say born again, are
you telling me that a grown man is going to enter his mother's
womb a second time? What are you talking about? Of his own will, we're born again. Nicodemus is asking, how is this
possible? What does it mean to be born
again? The Lord said, flesh is flesh. You must be born of water and born of the Spirit to enter
into the Kingdom of God. You must be born again, the second
time, again. How is this possible? Who of
His own will? What begat he us? How? How are we born again? This is
how. The Lord answers this in John. Our text says, with the word
of truth. That's how it happens, with the
word of truth. Now right here in John chapter 3, look at verse
14. As Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal
life." What he's saying is, he told Nicodemus, as Moses took
the very thing that was killing the people, there were deadly
snakes all over the ground. And these snakes were biting
the people and they were dying. And Moses made an image of this
snake and he put it on a pole and he lifted it up. He took
the serpent, the very thing that was killing the people, and he
lifted it up. And he says, as Moses took the
very thing that was killing the people and he put it on a pole
and lifted it up, even so must the Son of Man become the very
thing that is killing us. The thing that was killing the
people were those snakes. And a snake went on the pole.
And as Moses lifted that up, even so must the Son of Man be
put on a pole and become the very same thing that's killing
us, our sin. How does this happen? With the
Word of Truth. The same Word that was in the
beginning with God and was God. The same Word that was made flesh
and came down here and dwelt among us. He's the one who did
something. He begat us. He became sin. The one who knew no sin, the
one who did no sin became sin. But He did not just become sin. That's not where it stops. He became my sin. Not just sin
in general. Do you know those things that
will haunt us for the rest of our lives? You know what I'm
talking about. You know, we don't confess our
sins to each other. We confess our sins to God. But
we do confess our faults. And I'm a sinful man. And there
are things that are going to haunt me for the rest of my life. He became that sin. He took that sin. This is not
a general sin. He became my sin. He took my sin. He put it on
Himself. And He became my substitute. And He died being Me. Gabe Stoniker was on that pole. He died being me. It is given unto man once to
die. He died being me. Therefore,
I died in him. Gabe Stoniker was on that pole.
And I died. for every person whom He chose
to save of His own will. When He died on that cross, that's
where they died. He's appointed unto man who wants
to die. And that's where I died. Nevertheless,
they live. When He arose from the dead on
the third day, they all arose with Him. They died in Him. And then three days later, they
arose alive again. Born again. Second time. In the Spirit. And they all say,
I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which
I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me of His own will. And He gave Himself for me. We're born the first time dead
in trespasses and sins, but we're born the second time alive in
the Lord Jesus Christ. And 1 Corinthians 6 says, such
were some of you. Such were some of you. But you're
washed, you're sanctified, you're justified in the name of the
Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. We're redeemed, bought
with a price. Now I want to give you an illustration.
I'm pretty sure I've given it to you before. But I don't have
many illustrations, and I like this one, so I'm gonna tell it
again. This is a true story. Brother Walter Groover is the
one who told us this, and now everybody's
told this story. I love this story. There was
a little boy down in Mexico. If you don't know Brother Walter
Groover, he's a missionary to Mexico. He's been down there
for decades and decades. There was a little boy down in
Mexico and he asked his dad if he would buy him a kite. And his dad, they work very hard
for their money and they don't make much money and he didn't
have the money to buy a kite. So he said, why don't we make
a kite? I got something better. Let's
me and you make a kite. So they went out and they found
three pretty straight sticks, whittled them up. Tied them together
in an A-frame and they took some paper or cloth or something and
they wrapped that thing up and they put a long tail on it. They
attached it to a string and they got the thing up and it actually
flew. And the kid was just so happy
and it just went higher and higher and higher until finally, string
broke. And it blew over into the village,
the town, the little Pueblo. And that boy was just crushed,
just crushed. He finally got a kite and he
flew it one time and it's gone. The next day that little boy
was in the village walking down the street and he looks over
in this shop and on the shelf is his kite. And he ran inside
there and he said, Mr. that is my kite. And he said,
no, son, that is my kite. He said, but you don't understand.
My father and I just made that kite yesterday. That's my kite. And he said, no, son, you don't
understand. I found this kite. And if you
want this kite, it's going to cost you two pesos. So that kid
ran home and told his dad, I found our kite. And the guy will sell
it to me. It's in a store for two pesos."
So his dad reached in his pocket and he handed him two pesos.
That kid ran back into town and he walked into the store and
he put his money on the counter and he said, two pesos. And the
guy took the money and handed that boy his kite. And the store
owner said he hugged that kite. And he said, You're mine. You're
mine. He said, You're twice mine. I
made you and I bought you. The truth comes to a person when
they hear the Lord say, You're mine. You're my property. You belong
to me. You are not your own to do what
you please as you think you are. The gospel comes to a person
when they hear the Lord Jesus Christ say directly to their
heart, you're twice mine. I made you and I bought you. The last point is, the last question
is, Why? Why would He do this for us?
Our text in James 1.18 says that we should be a kind of first
fruits of His creatures. When the Lord made us, God said
in Genesis 1.26, we saw it, let us make man in our image. And
in Genesis 1.31, God saw everything that he had made, and behold,
it was very good, including man. Man was very good. Very good. But when we fell,
when we died spiritually, That's when man became to look upon,
the scripture says, as filthy rags and putrefying sores. When we fell in the garden spiritually,
that's when man became a stench in the nostrils of God. And now
God says, none is good. At first He said, it's all very
good. God says, now there is none good
but God. He's it. He said, only my beloved
Son, only the firstborn, the only begotten, only in Him am
I well pleased. He's it. Everything else is gone. And the Lord Jesus Christ, of
His own will, for the joy set before Him, said, Father, this
is my will. This is what I want. I will that
where I am, they may be also. So I will make a covenant with
you concerning them. I will take their place. I will die in their stead. All of the sins that they've
committed against you, Father, can be charged to my account.
And by the shedding of my blood, which is the remission of their
sins, I will, of my own free will, by myself, clear the guilty. And God the Father said, I accept
your covenant. And I will accept any sinner
that approaches me in your covenant. For they will be restored back
into our image. Man had it. Man lost it. Christ did something about it.
And He said, in that covenant, I'll accept them. They'll be
restored back into our image. They'll be renewed. They'll be
regenerated back into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
the Scripture says, brethren, now are we the sons of God. If
He chose us. a kind of first fruits of His
creatures, just like they were in the beginning. Just like the
first fruit, the firstborn, the only begotten. Like Him, as He
is, so are we. Why did He do that? It's because
of this covenant of mercy we keep talking about. Covenant
of mercy. Here's the good news. His mercy
endureth forever. It's forever. Of His own will
begat He us with the word of truth that we should be a kind
of first fruits of His creatures. I love that verse. I pray the
Lord will bless that. Let's stand together and be dismissed.