Good morning again. It's good
to be with you all and appreciate y'all's hospitality taking us
in and making us just feel so at home. Really, really appreciate
y'all. I don't know that I ever come
out here, I told you I think about California, I think of
my grandpa, but also first time I ever came out here, Don Fortner. had called and he said, would
you would you consider going out and preaching on a Sunday
in San Diego? And of course it scared me to
death. Don Fortner even knew my phone
number and I got home and I told Abby and she said, how does Don
Fortner even know you? And I said, I don't know. I said,
I truly don't know. And I said, but he wants me to
go out to San Diego. And I said, I agreed to do that.
And she said, aren't you forgetting something? I said, well, I thought
probably, probably forgetting something. And she said, you're
scared to death to fly. And that was one of the first
times I had ever flown. And I said, you know, you're
right. I said, but I'm more afraid to
tell Don Fortner no than I am to fly. But again, it's good to be with
you all. I'm so thankful for your pastor,
Brother Kevin. He's just a dear friend and dear
brother and faithful preacher of God's Word. So thankful, so
thankful for him. I'd ask you to open your Bibles
to Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2. Last week, we were kind of getting
ready at the house and getting ready to leave to head to the
worship service. It was on a Wednesday night and
a fellow stopped by our house and he left a tract, kind of
with information about their church and inviting us to attend. You know, I kind of laid it on
the table a couple days, and I thought, I'm just going to
go back and read and just see what this... try to get an idea
of what they believe. And, you know, I looked it over
and I read the list of... they had their beliefs kind of
spelled out, and one of them was the following. It says, we
believe that the depraved sinner is saved wholly by grace through
faith in Jesus Christ." And I thought, well, I can go along with that. I believe that. I thought, that sounds pretty
accurate. But then they went on to list
two or three requirements that went along with being saved by
grace. I believe we would be hard-pressed. I'm not real familiar with this
area, but I know there's some other buildings around here. And I bet we would be hard-pressed
to find anyone who didn't say, I believe in the grace of God. And it would appear to me to
some degree that it's almost like trendy. Like it's almost
in fashion to say, I believe. I believe in the grace of God.
I was watching a movie the other day and they asked this fella
something about if he went to church and he said, well, no,
honestly, I don't. And she said, well, that's all
right, honey, because we're all saved by grace. And I just thought
about that. I thought just people have the
wrong idea. just completely the wrong idea
about grace of God. They say grace is an offer. They
say grace gives you a chance. What is grace? What is grace? It's unmerited. Undeserved. Unmerited and undeserved favor
with God. And it's not an offer. It's a gift. It's a gift. A free gift. I don't know that
I've ever turned down a gift. It's by His grace that we're
made accepted. Accepted in the Beloved. Accepted
in the sight of a holy God. What does God's Word say? about grace. I'm not really interested
in what man has to say. What does God's Word say? What distinguishes the grace
of God in His Word, in His Holy Scriptures? I want us to look
here this morning at four critical points of grace. Four critical points of grace.
And the first is this. What does it mean to be a sinner? I don't know that a man can know
anything about grace unless he knows what it means to be a sinner. I need to know I need Him. I need to know that I am in need.
Grace is for the guilty. They that are whole don't need
a physician. Most of us don't go to the doctor
just for the sake of going to the doctor. We go when we're
sick. We go when we're in need. Scripture
declares this. All, all have sinned. All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. For me to understand anything
about the grace of God, I need to know that not just you, not
just that all, I need to know that I, I am a sinner. I remember Brother Henry one
time, he told about, he was preaching a message on TV and he said,
he said, we're all sinners. He said, I'm a sinner. And then
he said he pointed out to the camera and he said, you're a
sinner. And it wasn't, but about three
or four days later, he got a letter in the mail from somebody that
said, listen, I don't care if you say you're a sinner, but
don't tell me I'm a sinner." But that's what we are, aren't
we? And that has to be revealed to us. We have to be brought
to know that I am a sinner. For me to know anything about
grace and my need of Him, I need to know that I am a sinner. Ephesians 2.1 reads similar to
what you just read. It says, You hath He quickened. That word, quickened. You hath
He quickened that were dead in trespasses and sin. You hath
He quickened. You hath He given life. That's our condition. We are dead. We're dead. There is no life in us. If you look back in the Old Testament,
remember that infant that was cast out into the open field
and just left there to die? Polluted. Polluted in her own
blood. And we'll lay right there in
that same condition until He pleases to cross our path and
speak life to us. Again, like Lazarus of old, he
lay there in the grave. They said his body had been there
so long it began to smell. And what happened? The Master. The Master comes and He speaks
life He calls his name, he says, Lazarus. How can a dead man hear? He can, till the Spirit of God
speaks. Lazarus, come forth, and he that
was dead, came forth. Turn to Romans 3. Romans 3. Look at verse 10. As it is written, there is none
righteous, By nature we hear that, and what
do we say? None? None? So He repeats Him. There is none
righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth.
There is none that seeketh after God. They are all going out of
the way. They are together become unprofitable. And in case we didn't get it
the first time through, there is none that doeth good, no not
one. And apart from Him giving life,
I have no power to desire or seek Him otherwise. He must give life. And as a sinner, we find ourselves
without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,
strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope, and
without God in this world, if we truly see our condition before
a holy God. Our Lord said this, No man can come unto me, except
the Father which hath sent me draw him." Second point. The love of God. The love of Almighty God is effectual,
it is particular, and it is eternal. Turn with me to a few scriptures.
Turn to Ephesians 3. Ephesians chapter 3. Look beginning with verse 1. The love of God is effectual. I love Brother Tom Harding's
definition of that. What's it mean, Tom, when you
say it's effectual? It gets the job done. It's effectual. Look at verse 1. For this cause
I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, if you've
heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given
to me to you, by revelation, He made known unto me the mystery,
as I wrote afore in few words, whereby when you read you may
understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other
ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it now revealed
unto his holy apostles and the prophets by the Spirit, that
the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body, partakers
of his promise, in Christ by the gospel, whereof I was made
a minister according to the gift of the grace of God, given unto
me by the effectual working of His power." It's of Him. It's effectual. It's particular. Look at Romans chapter 10. Romans chapter 10. Look beginning with verse 11. Romans chapter 10 verse 11. For the scripture saith, That's
what we're interested in, aren't we? What saith the Scripture?
For the Scripture saith, whosoever believeth on him shall not be
ashamed. There's no difference between
the Jew and the Greek. For the same Lord over all is
rich unto all that call upon his name. For whosoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall
they call upon him whom they've not believed? How shall they
believe in him whom they've not heard? and how shall they hear
without a preacher? And how shall they preach except
he be sent? As it is written, how beautiful
are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring
glad tidings of good things." We looked at that this morning. God sent Philip to that eunuch. You remember that? And that eunuch
sat there in his chariot reading, reading a portion of Scripture
from God's Word. I often wonder, how many chariots? You know, when we go out and
drive, we get stuck in traffic sometimes, and there's just cars
backed up all over the place. How many chariots were sitting
there that day? And yet, one, one that we read
of, God sent Philip to Him to preach the gospel to Him. And
even though that eunuch was sitting there reading, he didn't understand
one word that he was reading. I don't know how many people...
It seems like everybody's got a Bible, right? I mean, it's
readily available. You go into anybody's house and
they're, you know, you go into any store, back home with the
dollars, you can buy them for a dollar, right? I mean, they're
readily available. People have them on the dash of their car,
you find them everywhere. God sent His messenger to that
eunuch, to that one man. And he said, do you understand?
Do you understand what you're reading? What did that eunuch say? You
know, the self-righteous man says, of course I understand
what I'm reading. Huh? He's got to give us a teachable
spirit, doesn't he? He said, do you understand what
you're reading? That eunuch said, how can I? How can I except some
man should guide me? And Philip began, I just love
that passage, he began at the same scripture and he preached
unto him Christ. Christ from the Old Testament.
That one man. That one man was saved. And you
know that message, it upsets some. It upsets some. that the love
of God is particular. You know, in the book of Luke,
Luke chapter 4, the Lord was speaking to a group of people.
Turn over there, Luke chapter 4. This is This is the Lord speaking, okay? Luke chapter 4, verse 25. I tell you a truth. Now, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt
when the Lord says, I'll tell you a truth, It's true. There's no question about that.
He doesn't even have to say it's true. When he speaks it, it's
truth because he said it. He said, I tell you of a truth.
Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven
was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was
out throughout all the land, but one. You see that? But unto
none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta a city of Sidon
unto a woman who was a widow." He says this, and many lepers.
He said there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elias
the prophet, and none of them was cleansed, saving just one,
Naaman the Syrian. Now let me ask you this. Do you rejoice in that? Do you
rejoice in the fact that God has a people, a particular people,
that He chose to save? We rejoice in that. But not everybody
does. Not everybody does. Look at verse 28. And these are
religious folks All they in the synagogue, when
they heard these things, they were filled with wrath. And they rose up, and they thrust
him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill
whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down
headlong." They wanted to kill the Lord
for speaking the truth. They were literally fighting
mad. Does that make you mad? It doesn't
make God's people mad, does it? Those who are objects of His
particular love. That remnant whom the Lord shall
call. That remnant whom the Lord shall
deliver. We read of them throughout Scripture.
That woman with the issue of blood. That jailer. The Lord sent a couple men to
jail just to preach the gospel to a jailer. Zacchaeus, the woman
at the well. You just go throughout God's
Word. His remnant, His sheep, His elect. Deuteronomy, turn there with
me. I know it takes a little time
to read and turn to these scriptures, but it's important. It's important
we read them. Deuteronomy chapter 7. This particular love, was it
a result of something that we did? As man say, did God look
down through the telescope of time and see those that were
going to be good and those that were going to be bad? Look at
Deuteronomy chapter 7. Look at verse 7. The Lord did
not set His love upon you nor choose you because you were more
in number than any people for you were the fewest of all people.
Why'd He choose you? Why would God choose any of us? He said, Jacob have I loved,
Esau have I hated. And men get all stirred up about
that. Truly, if we know anything about
our sin, we'd ask the question, why would God show mercy to any? Why'd the Lord do it? But because
the Lord loved you. And because he would keep the
oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought
you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you out of the house
of the bondman from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt." Children
of Israel deserve His mercy. Listen, they murmured and complained
just... I'm not going to say worse than
anybody, but I'll say just like we do, just as we do. God has a people. That's what
His Word says. A particular people. And He's
set His love upon them, and they shall be saved in His Son. God's love. It's effectual. It's particular. It's eternal. It's an eternal love. In John
17, I'll read this. John 17, I pray for them. Again,
this is the Lord speaking. I pray for them. I pray not for
the world, but for them which thou hast given me. For they are thine. They're thine. They're God's. And all mine are
thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. And now
I'm no more in the world, but these are in the world. And I
come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine
own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one." Well, that's important, isn't
it? That they might be one. We scatter like sheep. that they might be one, one in
purpose, that they may be one as we are. While I was with them
in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest
me, I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of
perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled." What does it mean to be a sinner? The love of God is particular,
it's effectual, and it's eternal. Third, the redemption of Christ,
it's particular, and it is effectual. What did He do? What did the
Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, do? He redeemed us. He redeemed us. He gave His life
for the sheep. He said, I laid down my life
for the sheep. In Ephesians 5.25 we read that
Christ loved the church and He gave Himself for it. For the church. Let me ask you,
does that verse say Everybody. Don't take my word for it. Turn
to Ephesians 5.25. It'll just take us a minute. Husbands. love your wives as
Christ loved the church and gave himself for it." What would a husband's love for
his wife be like if he loved every woman in town? Huh? Nobody would go along with that,
would they? It's particular. And the Lord Jesus Christ, that's
exactly what this is saying. His love is for His church. It's for His bride. It is particular. And it's effectual. Neither by
the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood. He entered into the holy place,
and listen to this, Having obtained eternal redemption for us. Having obtained. It's done. Having obtained. Not hoping to
attain. Not someday going. Having obtained. It's done. It's finished. Turn
to another passage of Scripture with me. Turn to Colossians chapter
1. Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians,
Colossians chapter 1 beginning with verse 20. And having made peace through
the blood of His cross by Him to reconcile all things unto
Himself, by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, things
in heaven, and you, you that were sometime alienated and enemies
in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in
the body of His flesh through death." I'll get a hold of this. I'm a sinner. I'm dead in trespasses
and sin. And yet, He's going to present
me He's going to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable
in His sight. God who sees all things. The redemption of Christ, it
is particular and it is effectual. And then fourth, the work of
the Holy Spirit is irresistible. Turn with me to one more scripture. Turn to John chapter 1. John chapter 1. Verse 13. Look at verse 12. John 1 verse
12. But as many as received Him,
to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on His name, which were born." We're all born, aren't
we? Not of blood, not natural lineage, not by the
will of the flesh, not by the will of man, but how? Of God. Who will receive Him? Well, not
all. Not all. And I ask you this,
is believing on Christ left to chance? No. Is the success of His covenant
and His redemptive work, is it left to the fallen will of man? No. No, sir. This explains why and how a man
can receive and believe Christ. They're born of God. Not of blood. Again, not a matter
of heredity. Brady's got my eyes. He's got
a few of my other features. The one thing that we all have
that we get from our... is sin. Not heredity, not bloodline,
not family association. It's not by the will of the flesh. The will of the natural man is
enmity against God. We have no will toward God until
we are born of God. It's not of the will of man. People have good intentions. But this new birth is not brought
about by the efforts of friends and family and neighbors. It's not brought about by any
persuasive powers of a preacher or so-called soul winners. It's of God. It is of God. The new birth, it's a divine
work. And it's accomplished by the
will of God. I wish I could understand that.
I wish I could explain that. But all we can do is declare
it. Declare what God's Word says. And the Holy Spirit applies that
Word and breathes life into a dead sinner. mentioned Zacchaeus earlier.
Consider what happened. Zacchaeus was just looking to
see what was going on. He climbed up in that tree. What happened when the Lord said,
make haste and come down? He came down, didn't he? He couldn't
have got down any quicker if he'd have fallen out of that
tree. I'm just convinced of it. Remember Levi, remember that
publican Levi? He says after this, after these
things, he went forth and he saw a publican named Levi sitting
at the receipt of custom. He was there collecting taxes.
He was doing what he did every day. The Lord passed by and he
said unto him, follow me. What did he do? He didn't say,
let me think about this. Let me get back with you. No,
he left all. He left that table. I don't think
he took time to pick up the money. It says he left all and he followed
him. Left all and rose up and followed
him. Our Lord says this, He said,
My sheep hear My voice. I know them and they follow Me. The work of the Holy Spirit is
irresistible. And it results in a change of
mind, a change of masters, a change of manners, Listen to this. Know ye not that the unrighteous
shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived. He said
neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate,
nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous,
nor drunkards, nor revelers, nor extortioners shall inherit
the kingdom of God. I'm guessing, I'm guessing anyone
in this room could find themselves in one of those descriptions. What's he say here? Such were
some of you. But we don't remain there, do
we? Not if he's pleased. He says, you're washed. You're
sanctified. You're justified. How? In the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of Almighty
God. Who maketh these differ? And what do you have that you
did not receive? It's all of Him, isn't it? It's
all of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's all when He's pleased to
come to us where we are. The result of His work. The result
of His touch. I want to close with this poem. Maybe you've heard this before.
It says, "'Twas battered and scarred and the auctioneer thought
it hardly worth his while. To waste his time with an old
violin, but he held it up with a smile. What am I bid, good
people, he cried. Who start the bidding for me?
One dollar, one dollar, do I hear two? Two dollars? Who'll make
it three? Three dollars once, three dollars
twice, going for three, but no. No, from the room far back, a
gray-bearded man came forth and he picked up the bow. Then wiping
the dust from the old violin and tightening up the strings,
he played a melody, pure and sweet, sweet as the angel sings. And the music ceased, and the
auctioneer, with a voice that was quiet and low, said what
now in my bid for this old violin as he held it aloft with a bow.
One thousand, one thousand, do I hear two? Two thousand, who'll
make it three? Three thousand once, three thousand
twice, gone and gone, said he. The audience cheered and some
of them cried, we just don't understand, what changed its
worth? Swift came the reply, the touch
of the master's hand. And many a man with life out
of tune, all battered and bruised with hardship, is auctioned cheap
to a thoughtless crowd, much like that old violin. A mess
of pottage, a glass of wine, a game, and he travels on. He's
going once, he's going twice, he's gone. Almost gone. But the master comes. The Master
comes. And the foolish crowd can never
quite understand the worth of a soul and the change that is
wrought by the touch of the Master's hand. How are we saved? Truly, how is a sinner saved? It's by His grace. It's all of
Him. He saves by His grace. His work is effectual. It's particular. It's eternal. Christ's redemption is particular
and it's effectual. And that Spirit's work, the work
of the Spirit is irresistible. It's irresistible. All right,
let's go to our Lord in prayer.