If you would be turning with
me to Ephesians, Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse
8. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse
8. For by grace are ye saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. I want to read you something
here that I read that John Newton wrote after he preached a message
on 1 Chronicles 17, verses 16 and 17. This text, they say, at least
that's what they wrote online that I read, but this is where
he wrote Amazing Grace from, from this passage. But just listen
to what he says after he preached. He wrote this in his diary, so
I don't know that he intended for everybody to hear it, but
we have it now, so I just want to read this. I preached this
forenoon from 1 Chronicles 17, 16 and 17. Hope I was enabled to speak with
some liberty, but found my own heart sadly unaffected. That is someone who is being
honest. And we say this word grace and
sometimes we don't even think about what grace really is. We forget sometimes as Joe has
preached before, we forget. God remembers. But this world's
religion says grace in relation to religion as if it's a product
you purchase in a store. They say it as if it's some kind
of accessory that you wear. As has been said before, they
sing the hymn Amazing Grace and don't even know of the grace
they sing about. because they do not see themselves
as wretches, nor do they know what a wretch is. Grace is not
something any individual born of Adam can purchase. What Christ
did was to purchase us back so that he could shed his grace
on us, as we read here in our passage. Paul heard someone's
daughter telling her mother, Jesus Christ is not God. Jesus
Christ is just a man. To that I say, their Jesus is
not God. But the Jesus Christ of scripture
is God, and that to the fullest extent. Most of us have probably
heard the analogy of the boy who made a boat or a kite. The
boat at some point was lost. Then one day he was walking by
a store and saw his boat for sale in the window. The boy went
in and purchased the boat. He then said to the boat, now
I own you twice. I made you and I bought you. Jesus Christ created the world
and all things that are in it. He holds everything together
for those whom he chose. He purchased them back from their
lost estate. Those not chosen, those to whom
Jesus is not their God, He did not purchase them back. Their
God is themselves. We read here that we are saved
by grace. This implies at least two things. There are those who need saving,
and those who need saving will be saved by grace. We are told
where it comes from. It comes from God. In fact, everything
involved in salvation comes from God. The grace, the salvation,
and the faith. This salvation is done through
faith. So unless you have this faith
that comes from this God, you will not be saved. So let's look
at today, what is grace and the source of the grace? What is
faith and the source of that faith, and who is God? So number one, what is grace
and the source of grace? The word grace, as I've said
before, simply means favor. We know what it is to favor someone. We do things for those we favor
to help them. Now our favor or grace towards
someone does not do anything for a man or woman's soul. It
is certainly a good thing for us to be gracious to others.
I know I'm certainly bad at not being this way towards others,
but my graciousness will do nothing for an individual and their soul.
My graciousness might be there one minute and not there the
next. God does not change. So if he
favors someone, he will always favor them. No harm will come
to them as it concerns their soul. So the grace of God is
not for or towards everyone. But we are still looking at what
is grace. We read in John 1.14 that Jesus
Christ is full of grace and truth, John 1.14. And the word was made
flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory. The glory
is of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. But this is not all. Jesus Christ
is said to be grace itself. So Jesus Christ is the grace
of God, Titus 2 11. For the grace of God that bringeth
salvation hath appeared to all men. We know who it is that brought
salvation down to mankind. It was Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ
is full of grace and truth. That is, he is full of favor
from the Father. but he is also full of favor
to those whom he chose and loved. He came down. There were many
people who saw Jesus Christ physically, but yet they did not know who
he was. But Jesus Christ manifest his
love for his people by dying on that tree. So when it comes
right down to it, grace is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is grace. If you do not know Jesus Christ,
you do not know grace, because he is grace and he is full of
grace and truth. So this answers the question
of what is the, so next comes the question of what is the source
of grace, but this kind of answers that question. It's obvious,
not because I say it, but because God has said it. Grace is spoken
of by a lot of people as if it's something that makes their religious
worship fun. It makes their life more enjoyable.
But those who know Jesus Christ, and therefore know grace, know
that when grace is given, everything begins to get harder. Life begins
to be tougher. Not all know the grace of God. Some will never know the grace
of God. But had it not been for grace,
no one would have known grace. Romans 11 and 5 says, even so
then at this present time also there is a remnant according
to the election of grace. So election, that is choosing
by God, is totally of grace. and has nothing to do with what
man would do or not do. God chose us in Christ because
in Christ is where we see grace and truth. But the scripture
gives testimony of this. Romans 3.24 we read, being justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus. But those whom God chose began
to see they have a battle to deal with because of this flesh. What does Paul say in Romans,
Romans 7, 24 and 25? Oh, wretched man that I am, am,
that I am, not was. Oh, wretched man that I am, who
shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself
serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin. Those who are gods have been
shown who Jesus Christ is and what he had to do in order to
favor them, or that is show grace to them, realized by that grace. that they are wretched individuals. They began to see who the grace
of God is, and because of another gift, they began to believe what
he says. Grace given has faith. So now
we come to faith, and I won't be long here. What is faith and
the source of faith? Faith, as we read in our text,
is a gift of God. So no one is going to work up
faith. It has to be given by God, that
is Christ Jesus himself, or you will not know God. Faith given
comes from the source of grace, because Jesus Christ is also
the source of faith. He authored it and he perfected
it, Hebrews 12 too. Looking unto Jesus, the author
and finisher of faith, who for the joy that was set before him
endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at
the right hand of the throne of God. Because Jesus Christ does as
it pleases him, you will not have faith unless he wills to
give it to you. Faith is the fountain from which
flows belief. Belief is directed toward the
source of that faith because it is his faith. So Jesus Christ
is the object of faith. If you think that you have worked
up faith, then you do not have faith. God's people have been
taught of God through faith and by His Spirit, and they know
that without the gift given by God, they would do nothing but
have unbelief. God's people cry out continually,
Lord, I believe. Help thou mine unbelief. It is
faith given by God that enables us to see and know grace. That's
what we are told in Romans, Romans 5, 1 and 2, we read, therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into
this grace, wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory
of God. So we see right here, it tells
us that we, by faith, and that is faith given by Jesus Christ,
have access, and that is we can see and understand some of this
grace wherein we stand before God, having peace with God. What
does this mean, having peace with God? Grace and faith enable
us to believe the record God has given of his son. to the
extent that we lay down our arms against God and we agree with
God against ourselves. We agree that we are enemies
of God as we are born in nature and that he has loved us with
an everlasting love which was manifest in Jesus Christ dying
for us. So then we have peace with God. So that leads me to who is God? Jesus Christ is grace and Jesus
Christ is God. So it is God himself who had
to come down and hang on that tree. But yet we have men and
women who want to say Jesus Christ is not God, he's just a man. So let's see what God's word
says about that. Anyone listening doesn't have
to take my word for it. God tells us himself in his word
What do we read in John 5 8 58? Jesus said unto them Barely barely
truly truly. I say unto you before Abraham
was I am But this is not the only place. This is not the only
place Turn with me to John 18 John 18, I know you all know
of this, but John 18, let's turn to that. John 18 in verse four. John 18 in verse four. This is when they were in the
garden and the soldiers come to take Christ. And here we read. Jesus, therefore knowing all
things that should come upon him, went forth and said unto
them, whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am. And Judas also, which betrayed
him, stood with them. And as soon as he had said unto
them, I am, they went backward and fell to the ground. Jesus Christ in both of these
passages gives them the name of God, I Am. Jesus Christ is
the great I Am. This is the very thing that the
Jews, those Pharisees, wanted to kill him for. He made himself
equal with God. The reason that he did this is
because he is God. Yet all some can see him as is
just a man. He is both man and God at the
same time. This God-man is grace personified. He is full of grace and truth.
We know this I Am is the name of God. What are we told in scripture
that God told Moses? He told Moses this was his name. Exodus 3, verses 13 and 14 we
read, and Moses said unto God, Is this no doubt, we're talking
about God here. It's what it says, and Moses said unto God,
behold, when I come unto the children of Israel and shall
say unto them, the God of your fathers has sent me unto you
and they shall say to me, what is his name? What shall I say
unto them? And God said, so we're talking
about God. And God said unto Moses, I am
that I am. And he said, thus shalt thou
say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent me unto you. So Jesus Christ is God. And anyone who says different
does not know the God of scripture. They in fact don't even know
scripture. But it is not a wonder they have
not been given grace or they have not been given faith to
believe him. Maybe God will change their mind.
He changed mine. I was like this at one time as
well. I've not always believed. What was it that a lady told
Henry one time? She said, I've been a believer
all my life. And Henry said to her, that's
too long. We all come from this very same
place of unbelief, but God bethinked that he is pleased to those whom
he has loved to come to them in time and do for them what
they needed. He did this by coming down and
dying, but he also does this by coming to those individuals
in time and giving them faith by his plenteous grace. That not only possesses that
he possesses, but that he is. It is Jesus Christ that does
this. That is, it is God that does
this. We read in our text, Ephesians
2.8, for by grace are you saved through faith. And that, not
of yourselves, it is the gift of God. So we come full circle
back to our text now. Grace saves us. Paul was even
quick to let us know this in a previous verse in our chapter.
He says in verse five, even when we were dead in sins have quickened
us together with Christ. By grace are you saved. We are
saved by grace through faith, this coming from God himself.
Grace, faith, salvation is not of us. As we're born in Adam,
we know nothing of grace, faith, or salvation. As we have said
from scripture, we are nothing but enemies of God. But I thank
God he was pleased to give us this. Grace and faith and salvation,
which Jesus Christ personifies. They are both all His to give,
because this says it is the gift of God. Make no mistake about
it, Jesus Christ is God, and I like to say that over and over,
as Bruce Crabtree says, I like to say that. If you're going
to see God, it will be in the face of Jesus Christ, or you
will never see God. We see him now by faith, the
faith that he, that is Jesus Christ, has authored and perfected,
but also given. Because faith, if you have it,
comes from Jesus Christ. God has so purposed, and in saying
that, I mean to say that Christ has purposed that salvation will
come through faith. Faith, if you have it, this is
what faith does. Faith believes God. Faith believes
Jesus Christ. He is what faith believes. It believes Jesus Christ. It
believes who He is. Jesus Christ is God. It does
not believe that He is just a man. It believes the record God gave
of Him, and that record is that Jesus Christ is our God. He is
the great I Am. but faith also believes what
he has done. We are told the gospel is Christ
and him crucified. Faith believes that Jesus Christ
not only made us, but he purchased us by his shedding of blood on
that accursed tree. We are saved by grace and Jesus
Christ is the grace of God. So we are saved by Jesus Christ. This he does through faith. Jesus Christ is the author and
finisher of faith, so faith comes from Jesus Christ. When God sheds
his grace on you, you won't remain in a corner. As Earl used to
say, it will leak out on you. It causes his people to glorify
God Almighty. That is, it causes his people
to glorify Jesus Christ, and other people will recognize it.
Galatians 2, 9 we read, and when James, Cephas, and John, who
seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto
me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship
that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
Do you see that? We cannot and do not see the
heart, but God does allow us to see others who have had this
grace poured out on them. We know this grace if he has
been pleased to give it to us. And we recognize others who have
had this grace shed on them. It comes out on us. We talk about
it. We live it daily. It is always
on our mind and in our thoughts. All of our thoughts may not be
of him. We do still have this flesh,
but he is there for us daily, and we think about those things
constantly. But what are we told to do in
Hebrews, Hebrews 4, 16? Let us therefore come boldly,
boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and
find grace to help in time of need. Let's read Ephesians 2, 4 through
10 here in our text. Let's read this whole, I just
want to read all of this. Ephesians 2, 4 through 10. But God, who
is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us, even
when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ,
by grace are you saved, and hath raised us up together and made
us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. that in the
ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace
in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are
you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is
the gift of God. not of works, lest any man should
boast. For we are his workmanship created
in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained
that we should walk in them. Old that I might know him. Old
that I might know Jesus Christ, who is grace and who is faith.
Jesus Christ who is full of grace and full of faith. Jesus Christ
who wrought our total and complete salvation by his works and his
works alone. All these he gives to his people
because Jesus Christ is God. May we give all glory and honor
to him because it all belongs to him. amazing grace, that grace
which puts us in awe of Him, how sweet it sounds to us, because
it saved a wretch, a no-good, a no-account enemy of God, like
me. Christ is everything. He is all. Amen. Dear old God, thank you
for allowing us to speak words of your son today, dear Lord.
Apply these words to our hearts, dear Lord. Cause us to look to
you to see you always, dear Lord. We're all too often not thankful,
dear Lord, for things that you do to us and you do for us. We
often forget, we don't think on these things as we ought,
dear Lord. Help us, be with us, dear Lord.
It all comes from you, in Christ's name we pray, amen.