Welcome to Reign of Grace. This
program is brought to you by Reign of Grace Media Ministries,
an outreach ministry of Eager Avenue Grace Church in Albany,
Georgia. It is our pleasure and privilege
to present to you the gospel message of the sovereign grace
and glory of God in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that today's program
will be a blessing to you. Thank you for listening and now
for today's program. Welcome to our program today.
I'm glad you could join us. Now, today's message is part
of a series of messages. This is the fourth part of a
series that is intended to accompany a new book that we're offering.
The title of the book and the title of this whole series is,
What is a Christian? A Biblical Study of the One True
Faith. And what I'm doing in this book
and in this series of messages that you can have on CD or DVD
is I'm going through the scripture with various parts of the scripture.
And this is what the book and the DVD and CD series is intended
to be, to guide you into the various definitions and descriptions
of what the Bible calls a true Christian. Now, do you claim
to be a Christian? Well, this is intended to help
you in the process of what the Bible calls self-examination. Put your claim to the test of
the Bible. And in this message, this fourth
message that accompanies the book, I've entitled a whole chapter
of the book in this way. Christians are sinners saved
by the grace of God. Christians are sinners saved
by the grace of God. We sing a hymn called, Only a
sinner saved by grace. Only a sinner saved by grace.
This is my story. To God be the glory. I'm only
a sinner saved by grace. And I wanna show in this message,
and the book goes into much more detail and has many more scripture
references for you to study, to guide you through the scriptures.
is this, that true Christians are sinners saved to the uttermost,
not partially, but to the uttermost solely by the grace of God through
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, this salvation
by God's grace in Christ Jesus shines through and in every aspect
of salvation both in eternity and in time. And so we understand,
we see these words in scripture. You know, a lot of times we read
words like grace. You know, grace means a lot of
different things to a lot of different people. To so many,
and I know I used to believe this way, that grace means that
God kind of helps you, or gives you a chance, or gives you the
opportunity to be saved, but it's all up to you really, your
decision, your will. That's not what grace is at all.
The salvation that God freely provides His people is by grace. That means it is unconditional
towards the sinner and grace in the scripture teaches that
all of salvation is conditioned on the Lord Jesus Christ who
by Himself as the surety and substitute of God's elect which
by the way are called the election of grace, that all that he accomplished
as their surety and substance, he fulfilled every condition
to ensure and demand the salvation of all whom the Father gave him.
So let's put it this way. A true Christian is a sinner,
first of all, chosen by God unto salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ
before the foundation of the world. Now think about that. This scripture talks about salvation
as that which is eternal and set up, as Paul wrote to Timothy
in 2 Timothy chapter 1, that which is given his people in
Christ Jesus before the world began. Do you know that salvation
by grace is older than creation itself? But read the book of
Ephesians chapter one. We'll reference that in many
places and I have it in the book quite a bit. How that God predestinated
his people to be conformed to the image of Christ before the
foundation of the world, electing grace. I know people don't like
to talk about election and I'll tell you why they don't like
to talk about it. Because if God's the one doing the electing,
they don't like it. They want themselves to be the
one doing the electing. But the Bible speaks of God's
elect. That's what a true Christian,
that's one of the titles of a true Christian. The elect of God. Peter told his hearers, his readers,
he said, give diligence to make your calling and election sure.
How can I do that? Or am I looking to Jesus Christ
as my only hope and ground of salvation? Am I pleading his
blood alone? Am I pleading his righteousness
alone? But either way you cut it, a
true Christian is a sinner chosen by God, not based upon some foreseen
obedience or faith. You know, there are those people
who say, well God, that means God looked down through the telescope
of time. And he foresaw what you would
do, whether by way of just believing or obedience or whatever, and
he chose you on that basis. My friend, number one, that is
not in the Bible. The Bible doesn't teach that.
That's a concoction of the pride and self-righteousness of man. Men and women who think that
they are saved because they rose above the mass of humanity and
chose a better way? No, sir. The Bible says if left
to ourselves, we would never choose God, the things that glorify
God. Now we can choose morality. We
can choose religion. We can choose sincerity. We can
choose a lot of things. We're free moral agents, but
our wills are in bondage to sin so that we will not choose that
which glorifies God. Man by nature wants salvation,
but he doesn't want it God's way. He wants it his own way.
There is a way that seems right under man. It's the way of death. You see, God's way of salvation
by grace, true grace, leaves me with no room to brag or to
boast. But now man's way leaves man
room to boast, and that's what man wants. That's what, you may
be still in that mass of humanity, but if God leaves us to ourselves,
we won't choose him. God's election of grace was never
based upon any foreseen faith or any foreseen obedience. If
that's the case, it's not the election of grace. It's the election
of works. So a true Christian is a sinner
chosen by God unto salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ before
the foundation of the world. And that choice was always based
upon the fact that Christ would come into the world and by his
obedience unto death establish righteousness whereby God could
be both a just God and a Savior. That brings me to the second
thing here. A true Christian is a sinner whom Jesus Christ
as surety and substitute redeemed by his blood on the cross. Redeemed
by the blood of the crucified one. Now, first of all, What
is a surety? A surety is one who takes full
responsibility and accountability for the debt of another. Well,
before the foundation of the world, God chose a people and
gave them to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And His Son, the
second person of the Trinity, the Son of God, willingly agreed
to take their penalty, their debt upon Himself. and He promised
to come into the world and as God-man pay that debt on the
cross. He's a surety who substituted
Himself to pay the redemption price by His blood on the cross. Now, a true Christian, therefore,
is legally and objectively righteous as he stands in Christ. In other
words, that means this, he cannot be charged with sin. He's a sinner,
sinner saved by grace, but he cannot be charged with sin. You
want me to prove that to you? Well, look at the book of Romans
chapter eight and verse 33, where the apostle Paul writes this.
He says, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? Did you see that? Now who's he
talking about? He's not talking about the physical
nation Israel there. He's talking about true Christians. He's talking about sinners saved
by the grace of God. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect, it is God that justifies. It's God
who declared them not guilty. It's God who declared them righteous
in His sight. How could God do that? and still
be God. How can he be a righteous judge
and do what's right and judge according to truth and not do
that? There's not but one way. Look at verse 34. Who is he that
condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather
that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. That's how God could be just
and still declare them righteous and not guilty. It's only by
the blood and the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. You
see, God doesn't justify a sinner based on that sinner's faith.
I hear preachers and some of the old writers, they talk about
being justified by faith. Well, what does that mean? Well,
in the Bible it means this, that we who are saved, sinners saved
by grace, we're declared not guilty and righteous before God
based upon the merits, the goodness of the obedience unto death of
the Lord Jesus Christ. We receive Him by faith. But
you see, that's what happens by the grace of God, not by the
power of man, not by the will of man. And so a true Christian
is a sinner who's been adopted into God's family by the adoption
of grace. I'm an adopted son of God. But my adoption wasn't because
I was worthy. It wasn't because I earned it
or deserved it. It's of grace. In the book of
Galatians, chapter four, beginning at verse four, listen to this.
Talking about the coming of Christ into the world. And he says,
but when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth
his son made of a woman. That's his son being Jesus Christ,
the son of God, the second person of the Holy Trinity. And he was
made of a woman. That's his holy sinless humanity. Remember he was conceived in
the womb of the virgin by the Holy Spirit. His name shall be
called Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins. His
name shall be called Emmanuel. interpreted God with us, made
of a woman, made under the law. Now being made under the law
means that all the salvation of His people was conditioned
upon Him. It was put upon His shoulder.
Their sins were imputed to Him, charged to Him, accounted to
Him. He became accountable, responsible to satisfy the law, the justice
of God in their place. And verse 5, it says, to redeem
them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption
of sons. Now, when we think about Christianity,
true Christians, we have to think about that objective legal union
that we have in Christ. am forgiven of all my sins."
How? It wasn't baptism that did it
for me. It wasn't walking in an aisle.
It wasn't my tears of remorse. It's the blood of Jesus Christ
alone that cleanses me from all sin. And I'm righteous before
God. I have a perfect righteousness
that cannot be contaminated and cannot be taken away. It's the
righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed. charged, accounted to
me. And as a result of what Christ
accomplished on Calvary, what happens? A sinner who by nature
is dead spiritually, dead in trespasses and sin, is born again
by the Spirit. He's made alive, he's regenerated,
he's quickened by the Spirit. Romans 8.10 says that if Christ
is in us, It says the body is dead here, this physical body,
because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
The Holy Spirit imparts spiritual life based on what? Based upon
the fact that Christ accomplished righteousness on Calvary. Out
of His death, burial, and resurrection comes life. Now a person does
not become a Christian until that person is born again by
the Spirit. He's chosen from the foundation
of the world before the foundation of the world, before He's even
born, before the world was ever created. He's redeemed by the
blood of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary a little over
2,000 years ago. But in the process of time, according
to the will and power of God and the providence of God, He's
brought under the preaching of the gospel, and the Holy Spirit
in power makes that gospel the power of God unto salvation to
everyone that believeth. You see, true Christians begin
their lives here on earth as fallen, sinful, lost sheep. Over in the Old Testament, for
example, the prophet Isaiah speaking prophetically of the coming Messiah.
who is the suffering substitute and servant, came to save his
people whom he identifies as sheep. And he says in Isaiah
53 and verse six, he says, all we like sheep have gone astray.
We've turned everyone to his own way. And the Lord hath laid
on him the iniquity of us all, all of his sheep. Remember Christ
said in John chapter 10, the good shepherd gives his life
for the sheep. So having been chosen, God before
the foundation of the world having been redeemed by the blood of
Christ on Calvary Then Christ sends his spirit to do what to
give them life It's life from the dead. That's what the new
birth is. Oh, we're back over in Galatians chapter 4 He talked
about that we might receive the adoption of sons, talking about
Christians, sinners saved by the grace of God. He says in
verse six of Galatians 4, and because you are sons, God hath
sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying,
Abba, Father. The heart there is the new heart,
the regenerated heart. that brings a sinner to Christ.
Christ said in John 6 and verse 37, He said, All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out. He says, For I came down from
heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent
me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that
of all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should
raise it up again at the last day. And listen to verse 40.
He says, And this is the will of Him that sent me, that every
one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting
life. And Christ says, I will raise
him up at the last day. That's a true Christian. You
see, a true Christian is a sinner who has been born again by the
Holy Spirit and brought to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and
brought to repentance of dead works and idolatry." I love reading
in the Old Testament those descriptions of the true people of God who
are literally true Christians. And one of those passages is
Ezekiel chapter 36 beginning at verse 25 when the prophet
Ezekiel, speaking of the glorious future, in the coming of the
Messiah and the great work that he would do to save his people. And he says in Ezekiel 36, 25,
he says, Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you
shall be clean from all your filthiness, and from all your
idols will I cleanse you. Now what is it that the Bible
tells us cleanses a sinner from his sins? It's not literal water
like taking a bath. It's not even the waters of baptism.
Baptism is a confession of Christ. But the Bible tells us that the
blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. His blood is
His death. His blood is the same way of
speaking of His righteousness. You see, His blood means that
He died under the justice of God to fulfill all righteousness
on behalf of his people. So if you're a true Christian,
you stand before God in his righteousness, and that's a glorious thing.
But Ezekiel wrote there, he prophesied in Ezekiel 36, verse 26, he said,
now from there, he says, a new heart also will I give you. and a new spirit. Now he's talking
about spiritual life, a new heart, a new mind, a new affections,
a new will. He said, well, I put within you
and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh. That's
the unbending, unpliable, unrepentant heart. And he said, I'll give
you a heart of flesh. Now flesh there doesn't mean
sin. It means something that is humble and pliable. He says in verse 27, I will put
my spirit within you, I will cause you to walk in my statutes,
and you shall keep my judgments and do them, following Christ. And you shall dwell in the land
that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and
I will be your God. You see this? This is how God
brings a true Christian to faith in Christ. And it's all of grace. A true Christian is a sinner
saved by grace. A true Christian's God-given
faith involves believing God's Word as it reveals all things
in light of the glorious person and finished work of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Over in the book of Romans, chapter
1, verse 16, Paul wrote, For I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone
that believeth. In other words, if you believe
the gospel, that's the evidence that the Holy Spirit has made
it the power of God unto salvation to you. The power there, that
word power, we get our English word dynamite from it. The gospel
of Christ. It's the power of God unto salvation.
But to whom is it the power of God unto salvation? To everyone
that believes it. He says in verse 17, for therein
is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is
written, the just shall live by faith. The justified, sinners
saved by grace, they live by looking unto Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith. So the promise of salvation is
only to those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as He's
identified and distinguished in the gospel of God's grace.
Bible says in Romans chapter 10 and verse 13, it says, whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now here's what you have to understand.
First of all, what is his name? Listen to what it says. Whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. True Christians,
sinners saved by grace, are those who have called upon the name
of the Lord and they're saved. Well, what is his name? Well,
his name is not just a label. It's not just going around saying,
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. It's not just looking up in the
sky and saying, Lord, Lord. You remember in Matthew chapter
seven and verse 21, the Lord said, Lord himself said, not
everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom
of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my father, which
is in heaven. His name is that which identifies and distinguishes
him from all counterfeits. Who is Jesus Christ? We've talked
about it. He's God in human flesh. He's
the word made flesh and dwelt among us. And His name is that
which identifies Him and distinguishes Him, not only in His person as
God in human flesh, God manifest with us, but that which He accomplished. You see His reputation, His honor,
His glory is on the line. What did Jesus Christ accomplish
in the salvation of His people? Did He come down here and try
to save you if you'd let Him? If that's the name you're calling
on, that's a counterfeit. Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory,
actually redeemed His people from their sins. And by the righteousness
which He accomplished on Calvary, He secured their salvation unto
glory. That's who He is. And all of
it's based upon His work on the cross. You know, the first time
that the phrase calling upon the name of the Lord is used
is back in the book of Genesis when Abraham called upon the
name of the Lord. Now, Abraham was not the first
example or illustration of a sinner calling upon the name of the
Lord. Well, you can go back further, go back to Abel. Abel came with
the blood of a lamb. He was calling upon the name
of the Lord, but the phrase is not used back there in Genesis
4. It's used in Genesis, I think chapter 12 and maybe chapter
15. But Abraham called upon the name of the Lord. But do you
know what he did before he called upon the name of the Lord? He
built an altar and sacrificed. Now that altar and that sacrifice
was a picture of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ,
to whom Abraham looked by faith into the future. And the Lord
himself in John chapter eight made this statement. He said,
Abraham rejoiced to see my day. And he saw it and was glad. My
friend, my point is this. A Christian calls upon the name
of the Lord. A Christian is a sinner saved
by the grace of God. And he sees that grace as the
assurance of salvation from his sins, the assurance of being
justified before God, the assurance of eternal glory in heaven, all
based upon the glorious person and finished work of Christ.
That's what it is to call upon his name. And so a sinner saved
by the grace of God. For by grace are you saved, through
faith, That not of yourselves, it's 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. That's Ephesians chapter two,
verses eight through 10. And so, true Christians see and
acknowledge that salvation is of the Lord. Salvation's not
of you, It's not of me. It's not of my decision. Do we
make decisions all the time? Do we make wrong decisions? Yes.
Do we make good decisions? Yes. But my friend, until the
Holy Spirit shows you the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,
you will never decide for Christ. And when you decide for Christ,
you'll find out from the Bible, as you examine yourselves to
see whether you be in the faith, that even that decision, which
is an act of faith, is of the Lord. It's the gift of God, not
of works, lest you or me should both. Salvation. A true Christian,
he's a sinner, she's a sinner, saved by the grace of God. And that's it. There's no other
way. No other place to go. No other one to turn to. but
Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, calling upon His name for salvation. Learn His name. In this process
of self-examination, ask the Lord to reveal to you the name
of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Hope you'll join us next week
for another message from God's Word. We are glad you could join us
for another edition of Reign of Grace. This program is brought
to you by Reign of Grace Media Ministries, an outreach ministry
of Eager Avenue Grace Church in Albany, Georgia. To receive
a copy of today's program or to learn more about Reign of
Grace Media Ministries or Eager Avenue Grace Church, write us
at 1102 Eager Drive, Albany, Georgia, 317-07. Contact us by
phone at 229-432-6969 or email us through our website at www.theletterofgrace.com. Thank you again for listening
today and may the Lord be with you.