Sovereign Grace Chapel, located
at 135 Annabel Lane in Beaver, West Virginia, invites you to
listen to a gospel message concerning Jesus Christ our Lord. All right, if you wish to follow
along, turn to Romans chapter one. Romans chapter one. I will be in verse 16 and 17
again. Of course, last week I was not here,
but the two weeks prior to that I dealt with this verse. We'll
try to deal with this verse again today. And I will certainly not
exhaust all that's in these two verses. Paul wrote these words, Romans
1 verse 16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ. For it is the power of God and
the salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and
also to the Greek. For therein, that is in the gospel,
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith. As it is written, the just shall
live by faith. Briefly as introduction, because
I will not deal in detail with this phrase, to the Jew first
and also to the Greek. Do not think of this in the sense
of the Jew was superior and the Gentile inferior, therefore the
Jew deserved the gospel first. It had nothing to do with it.
This is simply about God's sovereign design. God's sovereign design,
and that's about all I'm going to say about that. Let me get
into this in earnest. Paul makes clear in this short
passage, Paul makes clear that the gospel is limited in scope,
intention, and purpose. The gospel is not limited in
power, but it is limited in scope, in intention, and purpose. For he makes this statement about
the gospel, for therein is the righteousness of God revealed
from faith to faith. Now I realize that if you or
I were to take up various commentaries, however many commentaries we
were to read, we would probably get about that many different
explanations of this phrase from faith to faith. I understand
that. And I don't mean by what I'm
going to say this morning to be critical. But this phrase from faith to
faith lets us know this. For therein is the righteousness
of God revealed in the gospel. So this righteousness is revealed
from faith. That's a faith that proceeds, accompanies, and continues after
the gospel. But it's too, not a different
faith, but a different, and this is where a different aspect,
a different facet, There is but one faith. But it's revealed,
that is the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel. Therein is the righteousness
of God revealed from faith to faith. Now I will not stand here
this morning and try to pick apart what I believe some have
wrote or said that does not actually explain this phrase. So, as I
said, so far from these two verses, three weeks ago we talked about
the gospel of Christ. And the gospel is the gospel
of God concerning his son. If you leave the person and work
of Christ, you've left the gospel. I mean, it's that simple. It's
not about Though, and I know this could be misunderstood,
it's not about do I believe that God, through sovereign fiat,
spoke the world into existence. That is absolutely true. And
if you believe this book, you'll believe that is true. But that
in and of itself is not the gospel. Satan believes that his God created
this world with his own words. Satan knows God created him. And Satan, I said this at a funeral
one time, the guy automatically knew I was a Calvinist. Satan
can't spit unless God gives him say so. He can't spit. The gospel is about Christ. Two
weeks ago, we looked at the gospel defined. Paul does not define
the gospel here. He mentions its power. and that
therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, to everyone that
believeth, but he doesn't deal with the details. I tried to
define those details somewhat a couple weeks ago. Today, I
want to look at this, this is not my title, gospel recipients. In other words, here's my title,
here's my subject. Who truly benefits from the gospel? Who truly benefits from the gospel? This book is clear. Reality makes it clear. The book makes it clear. Reality
makes it clear. Not all do benefit from the gospel. Is that not a reality? Has everyone
who's ever heard the gospel preached benefited from the gospel? No. As a matter of fact, you know
the passage, don't turn to it. Peter says there's some people,
it'd have been better for them not to have heard the way of
truth. That after they've turned, or after they've heard it, to
turn from that holy commandment which was delivered unto them.
So again I say, Paul makes it clear that the gospel is limited
in scope and intention, in purpose, for therein is the righteousness
of God revealed from faith to faith. Now, rather than me bungling
this, you hear what I said? Rather than me bungling this
with many words, I just have three passages that I wanna give
you that show us this truth. Only some benefit from the gospel.
Others do not benefit from the gospel. Now let me just stop, turn to
Hebrews chapter four. Hebrews chapter four. You remember
the subject, my title, my subject, it's all this. Who truly benefits
from the gospel? Hebrews four verse one, the writer
says, let us therefore fear, lest a promise be left us of
entering into his rest, and that rest is The Christ of God. I don't have time to go into
it, but it's the Christ of God. Of entering into his rest, any
of you should seem to come short of it. Do not ever take this
thing for granted. Don't ever take it for granted.
Somebody said, I believed this all my life. You're a liar. You
ain't believed this all your life. As one lady told Henry
Mahan, or may have been a man, I don't remember right off, she
said, well, I've been a believer all my life. He said, that's
impossible. That's impossible. Hebrew says,
for, here's why we should fear. Take this thing seriously. Do
not be flippant or presumptuous about this matter. For unto us
was the gospel preached as well unto them. The context is those
Jews in the wilderness. Those whose carcasses fell in
the wilderness because of unbelief. For unto us was the, now notice
it doesn't say, we had a gospel preached to us just like they
had a gospel preached to them. That's not what he says, is it?
For unto us was the gospel preached as well as the gospel was preached
unto them. The same gospel. Now maybe more
detail now. And Joe, now we know his name.
It is Jesus of Nazareth, the Lord. We know his actual human
name, Jesus of Nazareth. For unto us was the gospel preached
as well as unto them, but the word preached, that's the gospel
now, but the word preached did not profit them. Is that what
it says? Did not profit them, why? Not
being mixed, and that word, if you translate it, you can say
commingle, like this. Not being mixed with faith in
them that heard it. There is a from faith to faith.
Now, let me rephrase that. This is an illustration of a
lack of from faith to faith. It defines to us what from faith
to faith is. When the faith of the gospel,
that is the truth of the person and work of Jesus Christ is preached,
it must fall upon ground that is ground that is a good heart,
a heart that God has bestowed life within and faith within. And then we hear this truth. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing
by the word of God. Now as I've said before, it does
not state faith comes into existence by hearing. Because faith is
eternal. Because faith is a fruit of God. And a fruit of God only. And listen to me, I've said it
before but I was wrong. God don't create faith in his
elect when he regenerates and converts them. He gives them. faith when he regenerates them
and he gives them faith that is then manifested when they
hear the gospel from faith to faith. They believe. They believe. Now someone says, well, then
men or women are lost because God don't give them faith. Wrong. Wrong. Men and women are lost
because of unbelief. And unbelief is not a lack of
faith. because I am persuaded I have faith right now. But I
also know, I also know I have unbelief right now. So faith
is not the absence of unbelief. Unbelief is not the absence of
faith. Unbelief is positive disbelief in God. Men do not profit from
the gospel unless God gives them faith. But men perish because
of their unbelief. Now, I have to drop that, right,
because the more I try to explain that, the more I say, well, I
will fog the issue. But folks, that is the truth. Here's another passage, 2 Corinthians
chapter two. 2 Corinthians chapter two. Now, this is nothing new, but
I was just trying to emphasize. Who? truly benefits from the
gospel. Not all benefit. Those old Jews
back there in the wilderness, not all of them benefited, did
they? They perished in the wilderness because of what? Unbelief. Because
faith, the faith that's preached in the gospel must be co-mingled
with faith inside an individual. Second Corinthians chapter two,
verse 14, Paul writes, now thanks be unto God, which always causes
us to triumph in Christ. and maketh manifest the savor
of his knowledge by us in every place. Now, this doesn't mean
that the apostle or a prophet or a missionary or a pastor,
teacher, or a believer is going to triumph in everything they
do. That is not what he's talking
about here. But it don't matter who you are, if you're a believer,
apostle, prophet, Missionary, evangelist, it calls it in the
KJV, a pastor, teacher, or a believer who's witnessing to someone else
of the truth of Christ. When we testify to the truth
of the person and work of Christ, it always triumphs. But does
that mean everybody that hears it always believes? No. I mean, reality proves that to
us, does it not? But look, for we are For we are
unto God a sweet saver of Christ, in them that are saved and in
them that perish. To the one we're a saver of death
unto death. You see, for an unregenerate
individual, when they hear the gospel, it is nothing to them
but death. It is not good news to them.
though it is good news. It is death unto death, and to
the other, the savor of life unto life. And of course the
question comes up, and who is sufficient for these things? Is it because of the preacher?
Has nothing to do with the preacher. You have three men that preach
to you almost every Sunday. We have one missing today, preaching
somewhere else. And our styles and manners and
delivery is all three different. All three different. But salvation
doesn't depend upon the deliverer who's preaching the message.
It depends upon the power of God. Now God will use live preaching. Some may be listening to me live
over electronic devices. Some may hear this not live,
but hear it recorded later, Joe. Or some may, because we're not
putting this in writing, may read a message written out of
men that preached years ago when they didn't even have recording
devices. Still the gospel. And you can read that, and if
God Almighty accompanies that in power, and it's the gospel,
It'll be life in the life. But no matter how true it is,
how eloquently delivered or how uneloquently delivered the deliverer
gives the message, if that person is dead and trespasses and sins,
it will be a message of death unto them. But it's a sweet savor
to God in Christ nonetheless. For we are not as many which
corrupt the word of God, but as of sincerity, but as of God
in the sight of God, so speak we in Christ. First Peter chapter
two. Is there any question? Is there any question to the
reality? Does the gospel benefit everyone? No. No. As a matter of fact, the gospel
only adds to some men's condemnation. And I quoted that from Peter.
It'd been better for them not to. Does that mean they wouldn't
have went to hell? Wouldn't have perished? No, sir. But when a
man or a woman hears the truth and then disbelieves God, it
adds to their condemnation. Now, Mac, what that means in
the judgment and in hell, lake, or fire, I don't know. But I
know God said so. It'd be more tolerable for Sodom
and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for some people that Christ
preached to and they rejected him. Their problem wasn't they
didn't have faith, their problem was they disbelieved God. But
the only way the gospel will profit you or I is God gives
us faith. First Peter chapter two. Now
let's look at, start in verse six. Wherefore also, it is contained
in the scripture, behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone,
elect, precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be
confounded. What's that mean? Have you ever
been confounded, confused when you read the Bible? Yeah, I have. If you're telling me this morning
you ain't, I'm gonna call you a liar right now. That's just
the way it is. What it's all about, you will
not be ashamed or offended in Jesus Christ. That's what it's
talking about. It doesn't mean you're gonna
understand all this book. No, you won't understand all
this book. And do you therefore which believe he is, what? Precious,
and that's the whole thing. I mean, I cannot tell absolutely,
but I can tell, at least in some quasi manner, whether Christ
is really precious to a person or not. And we'll look at that
here in a moment. and to you therefore which believe,
he is precious. But unto them which be disobedient. So see, it's not just the absence
of believing. It's not the absence of believing,
it is being disobedient that is their problem. That's the
problem. God doesn't send men to the lake
of fire simply because God was pleased to damn some people.
Men and women are damned, they're judged because of their sin,
and sins against God. Unto you therefore which believe
he is precious, but unto them which be disobedient. The stone
which the builders disallowed, and that's what men do when they're
in unbelief concerning Christ, they disallow him. Oh, they have
a spurt of emotion for a little bit, but it don't last. The only time they usually have
a spurt of emotion is when somebody else is talking to them about
the gospel. We're gonna look at, I'm talking about a time
when you're by yourself and ain't nobody but you and God around.
And God's got you hedged in so that you can't turn up or down
or left or right or forward or backward. That's what I'm talking
about. Disobedient the stone which the
builders disallowed the same is made the head of the corner
and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense Unto them which
stumble at the word being disobedient Wherein to also they were appointed
But there's a group of people that that's not true about but
Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and holy nation,
a peculiar people. How did we get that way? Through
an act of God in Christ Jesus. That ye should show forth the
praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his
marvelous light. At one time you were no people,
but now you've attained what? Mercy. Mercy. Now three things. I'll give you these three things.
I have one passage for each of these three things. I will make
some comments from those passages, and then we will close this thing
out. Turn to Mark chapter 16. Mark chapter 16. This is my first
point. Mark chapter 16. Remember, who
truly benefits from the gospel? My first point, are you there?
Mark 16. All are to have the gospel preached
unto them. You hear me? All are to have the gospel preached
unto them. Someone says, well, and they
try to rationalize these things. The natural mind tries to, well,
if it's not for all people, why do we preach it to all people?
Because we don't know who God's elect people are. We don't know,
they don't have a mark on their outside somewhere. They don't
wear certain kinds of clothes. There's one in the neck, I'll
preach to them. Look at what our Lord told the disciples.
In Mark chapter 16, just two verses. And he said unto them,
this is Christ speaking, go ye into all the world and preach
the gospel to every creature. Now I ask you, does that mean
we go preach to dogs and cats and lizards? And snakes? Of course
not. That's not what that's talking
about. This is talking about humankind. Trees are creatures. Now they may not be sentient
creatures as we claim we are. I've heard that phrase before.
But they're a created thing. You don't go preach to the trees.
Look. Go into all the world, preach
the gospel to every creature. Again, the natural mind, the
unregenerate mind, the unbelieving minds as well. It must be them
because God wants to save every creature. Isn't that a natural conclusion?
Yes. It is a natural conclusion. But
I'm gonna tell you something. These disciples right at this
time still didn't get the magnitude of what Christ was saying to
them. Of course, when Peter had that vision, remember? That sheep
come down, all them polliwogs, as Earl used to say, and gophers,
and frogs, and catfish. And God said, slay and eat. And
Peter said, not so, Lord. I ain't nothing ever unclean
under these lips. God wasn't talking about those
creatures. He was talking about humankind creatures. Now what's
the point I'm trying to make? In the Old Testament, it is prophesied
that God's people will be scattered throughout all the world. And
God would gather them into Christ, out from all the world. Never
ever did God ever declare or preach, never has he preached
or declared in this book that he wants to save all humankind
without exception, never. Even John 3.16 lets us know that. For God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish. So therefore it's only for who?
Believers. Believers. And I can say it this
way, Christ died for believers. And nobody else. Now he died
for those believers before they were believers, but he died only
for believers. And they'll all come to believe
and believe what? And he that believeth, believeth
what? Anything? Everything? Some things, deep things, shallow
things, believes Christ. I know it don't say that there,
but it says that there. Now you hear what I'm saying?
Because you either believe Christ or you'll perish. He that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved. Don't you shrug that off. Don't
you shrug that off. Because if you truly believe
Christ, you are going into the waters of baptism. You will submit
to his command. That's right. He that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not. And that's all it takes. It's
not he that is baptized not. He that believeth not, what does
it say? Shall be damned. So Christ is actually telling
us here, actually was telling the disciples, this is not a
command for me to go into all the world, I can't do that. This
is not even a command for this local assembly only to go into
all the world. We can't do that. I guess in an extent, though,
we maybe are now, aren't we? With the electron, there are
people maybe in Zimbabwe today listening to me preach, I don't
know. Amazing. But yet, what does he say? Some
people's not gonna believe. Now what he says here? And they
shall be what? Damned. And justly so. It's not a sad consequence from
God's perspective. It might be mine if I'm an unbeliever,
but God purposed it so. So all are to be preached to,
but it's not because God's trying to save everybody. It's because
God has his children scattered throughout all the world. Even
Ananias preached that and didn't know he was preaching that. when
he said, it is expedient that this man die, not only for this
nation, but for the whole world, for everybody. He was saying,
this man needs to be dead and gone. He's causing too much trouble. But the book tells us, he being
the high priest that year, spake by the power of the Spirit of
God. He didn't know what he was saying, but he was saying that all the children
of God should be scattered from all around. That's what it's
about. Here's the second thing. but all preached to will not
benefit. Acts chapter 13. This was prophesied
in the Old Testament. Paul preaching in Acts 13, we're
recorded this, now therefore. Wait a minute, I'm in the wrong
chapter. Acts chapter 13. Be it known, verse 38, be it
known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this
man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. Not that
you can have forgiveness of sins, but that forgiveness of sins
is wrought by this man. It's preached to you, not offered
to you. It's preached to you. And by him all that believe are
justified from all things by which he could not be justified
by the law of Moses. Beware therefore lest that come
upon you which is spoken in the prophets. Some people gonna hear
this and will not ever be able to believe. Now I paraphrase
that, but you read it for yourself. Is that what it says? Here's
the third thing. Who really benefits? Turn to
1 Thessalonians. Now this, my time is about up
as far as time for a TV broadcast. So those who made us here on
TV, if you wanna hear the rest of it, you'll just have to go
back. This will all be recorded, God willing. But I'm gonna park
here for just the last few minutes. Who really benefits from the
gospel? First Thessalonians one.