The Word Of His Grace

Well, good morning, everyone. If you would open your Bibles with me to Philippians chapter 4. Philippians chapter 4. As you're turning, let me remind you about our conference this upcoming weekend. We'll have no service here on Wednesday night preparing for the conference.

Also, there's sign-up sheets for food and so forth. And to you ladies, I apologize, not getting it out sooner. Before we left on vacation, I thought I had an extra week between when we got home and when the conference was. So things are kind of looking like last minute because I just didn't have the time right in my head. Also, we have a Bible down here for our graduate this year, Lila.

And you all know the drill, make sure everybody signs that because she can't have it until you sign it. And a couple of our ladies get extra credit. They signed it this morning before I told anybody. If you haven't signed it, be sure to do that after the service today.

All right, Philippians chapter four, we'll read the first nine verses. Therefore, my brethren, dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. I beseech Iodias and beseech Syntyche that they be of the same mind in the Lord. And I entreat thee also, true yoke fellow, Help those women which labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow laborers whose names are in the book of life.

Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. Let your moderation, and the word means kindness or gentleness, let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, Let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, Think on those things, those things which ye have both learned and received and heard and seen in me do, and the God of peace shall be with you. All right, let's stand together as Chris leads us in singing our call to worship. Light up his house with glory, Lord, and glory all thy love. which calls and sings the church below, and make a hymn above. We rear no altar, thou hast died, no priestly shrine. What need have we of creature aid? The power to save is Thine. There's no rushing mighty wind to glory this place light. Grant us thy spirit, requiting light, a fresh supply of grace. On us thou hast bestowed thy grace. be to our children kind. Among thy sheep, give them a place, and leave no one behind.

All right, you can be seated now. And if you would take your hymnal and turn it to page 132. 132, he lives. I serve a risen Savior, He's in the world today. I know that He is living, whatever men may say. I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer. And just the time I need Him, He's always near. He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today. He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way. He lives, He lives, salvation to impart. You ask me how I know He lives.

He lives within my heart. In all the world around me, I see his loving care. And though my heart grows weary, I never will despair. I know that he is leading through all the stormy blasts. The day of His appearing will come at last. He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today. He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way. He lives, He lives, salvation to impart. You ask me how I know He lives. He lives within my heart.

Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian, lift up your voice and sing. Eternal hallelujah to Jesus Christ the King. The hope of all who seek him, the help of all who find. None other is so loving, so good and kind. He lives, he lives, Christ Jesus lives today. He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way. He lives, He lives, salvation to impart. You ask me how I know He lives. He lives within my heart. All right, if you would turn your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 2. We'll read all 16 verses.

And I, brethren, when I came to you, I came not with excellency of speech or wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.

And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect, yet not the wisdom of this world, nor the princes of this world, that come to naught. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory, which none of the princes of this world knew, for if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, I is not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his spirit.

For the spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what a man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him. even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God, which things also we speak not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. Let's pray.

Our Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you this morning for your word. It's a blessing, Lord, to read these words with an understanding, giving us the understanding in which we have of knowing Christ, knowing the simplicity of these things in which they mean. And we pray this morning, Lord, that you bless us. Bless us, Lord, in the way in which only you can bless, and that's through the Spirit.

Let that spirit dwell among us here and let us hear these words with here. Let us let us not grow stale in our hearing Lord of these words or let not our eyes grow dim in seeing the glory that lies in these words. But bless us Lord and keep us. Keep us by your restraint.

And all these things we pray not only for ourselves Lord, but we pray these things for our loved ones each and every one of them. We want them Lord also to know these things. And Lord, we pray also for those of whom are going through these very, very difficult times. We have so many, Lord, that is suffering the afflictions, the infirmities of this flesh, the trials and tribulations of this world, we know, Lord.

We pray that you help them, keep them, Lord. Keep them looking to Christ. All these things we ask in Christ's name, for his sake. Amen. That was a blessing. If you would open your Bibles now with me to Acts chapter 14. Acts 14, I've titled the message, The Word of His Grace. Our text is just three verses long, let me read it and then we'll come back and make some comments on it.

And it came to pass in Iconium that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews and so spake, that a great multitude, both of Jews and also of the Greeks, believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and made their minds evil affected against the brethren. Long time, therefore, abode they, speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony under the word of his grace and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands. Now, Paul and Barnabas had been preaching, and then they got run out of town, and they went to the next city. They went to Iconium, and they just kept doing the same thing.

They just kept preaching Christ, because that's what God's preachers do. They preach Christ. God's preachers are not social reformers. I feel sorry for your social reformers. What an undoable task. Yeah, but that's not God's preacher. God's preacher is not here to make you feel good about yourself. He's actually here to make you feel bad about yourself in that way. God's preachers exist, their job is to point sinners to Christ, to keep lifting Christ up and saying, look, look and live. And they came in Iconium and preached so powerfully that a multitude believed.

But anytime that happens, no matter how many people believe, whenever the gospel is preached, there's always a division. Some believed, some did not believe. And those who do not believe, invariably they'll attack the messenger because he's the only one they get their hands on because they hate the message that he preaches. And even though the Jews worked up these unbelieving Gentiles and made their minds evil affected against the brethren, It didn't affect Paul and Barnabas.

They just kept on preaching, and they stayed there for a long time, the word here says, for a long time, preaching to them, trying to show them the glory of Christ, the truth of this gospel. Verse three says they did it boldly. Now, that doesn't mean that they were cocky and arrogant in how they preached the gospel to folks.

The word means freely. They preached freely. with complete confidence. And I tell you, the only way anybody can preach boldly, freely, with complete confidence, is by saying the same thing God says in his word. I can't preach to you with any confidence my thoughts, but I can preach to you with complete confidence what God's word says.

And that's what Paul and Barnabas were doing. Now, I don't have their outline. They stayed there a long time. Sounds like they preached multiple messages. I don't have their outline, but the scripture does give us the subject of their preaching. Verse three says, they gave testimony under the word of his grace. And that's the message that sinners will believe when they hear it, the message of his grace, because that's what they need. The message of Christ and Him crucified. That is the gospel of grace.

Look over a few pages of Acts chapter 20. Verse 24. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy. And the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

The gospel of Christ is the gospel of the grace of God. It tells us how a holy God can be gracious to sinners, how he can show them grace. Now, grace is defined as God giving us what we do not deserve. And that's the message that sinners love to hear. Now, the self-righteous, They don't really love to hear that message because they don't think they need it. But sinners, they love this message of God's grace.

God demands of me a righteousness that I cannot earn. So God sent his son in the flesh to give me a righteousness, to be my righteousness. God demands that my sin be paid for. I cannot come into God's presence with this sin debt that I've created for myself. So the father sent the son to pay my sin debt with his precious blood.

I can't make myself believe on God. If you would be saved, you must believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, but I can't make myself do it. I can't do it. So God sends the Holy Spirit to give me faith in Christ so that I believe Christ and can never not believe him again. God says, if I would be saved, I must repent. I must turn to Christ. I must turn to Christ, turn away from my idols. But I can't do it.

I'm so in love with my idols. And I tell you, the nuts and bolts of idolatry is this. I worship myself. I mean, it can be a statue. It can be, you know, whatever you want to call it. But essentially, it's worshiping myself because I do these works to please my stone statue. And really, essentially, I'm working myself, worshiping myself, and I love myself. I can't turn away from myself. I can't turn away from trusting my works.

So God sends the Holy Spirit and he reaches his mighty hand down and he turns me. He turns me to Christ so that I see Christ. And once I see him, I'm not going back to my idols. I'm not like a dog going back to his vomit. If I see Christ, I'm going to Christ. If I would be saved, I must finish the course. And I can't keep myself.

So God keeps me. by the power of his grace. God requires that I love him with all my heart, souls, mind, and strength, and that I love my neighbors, myself, that I love you all. And I'm so in love with myself, I can't love anybody but me. So God gives me a heart of love. See, God gives his people everything that he requires. Now, that's the kind of grace that I need, where God gives me everything that he requires of me.

And like I said, I don't know the outline that Paul and Barnabas used to talk about and testify to this word of God's grace, but I looked this up in scripture and I found five. I found many more, but I've only got, I've got a limited amount of time, five distinguishing marks of God's grace. And we're just going to take them in the order in which they're presented in scripture. So first look back at Genesis chapter five, number one, God's grace. is delivering grace. Genesis chapter six, verse five.

And 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. And he repented the Lord that he'd made man on earth and it grieved him at his heart. 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 Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Now God's going to destroy the whole world with water. He's going to give every son and daughter of Adam exactly what they deserve because of their sin. He's going to give them death. His wrath is going to fall in the form of rain. But before God created, or before God destroyed all the sons of Adam that were on the face of the earth, it said, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. This is delivering grace. Noah was delivered from the wrath to come. And everyone that God saves, he gives his delivering grace to them.

First of all, we must be delivered. When most people think of being saved and being delivered, they think of being delivered from hell. And certainly I don't want to go to hell. I'm very thankful that none of God's people will ever go to hell. But first and foremost, more importantly, we must be delivered from God. God has to deliver us from God, from his wrath against our sins.

And that's what the ark that Noah built is a picture of. When the ark was finished, just like God promised, his wrath fell on the earth in the form of rain. His wrath fell on all of the sin of every son and daughter of Adam on the face of the earth at that time. God's wrath fell on Noah's sin too. The difference between Noah and his family and those eight souls and the rest of the world was this. The wrath against Noah's sin fell on a substitute.

It fell on the ark. And Noah was delivered from God's wrath because the ark took all of God's wrath until there was no more. You know why it stopped raining after 40 days? God's wrath was finished. God's wrath fell on everyone and his justice was satisfied. And Noah lived. because he was in the ark.

And at the cross, the Lord Jesus Christ took the sin of his people. He's our ark. All of his people are in him. And he took the sin of his people into his own body on the tree, and he suffered the penalty of that sin. He suffered the wrath and the anguish that that sin deserves. And you know when he finally gave up the ghost and died? Not until the debt was paid in full. Then he gave up the ghost and died.

And everyone who's in him is delivered from that wrath because Christ, our substitute, bore it for us. God delivered us from himself. He's delivered us from all punishment for our sin. He's delivered us from eternal death for our sin. He's delivered us from the controlling power of our sin.

We're still full of sin, even after God saves us and we're born again, we're regenerated, we're given faith in Christ, we know Christ, we love him. We love him, but we're still full of sin, aren't we? But that sin can no longer control you. It can't stop you from believing on Christ anymore. He delivered us from that controlling power of sin.

And we still all need to pray like what Gary prayed. Lord, don't let me become dull. Don't let me, don't let this just become so common to me that, and he won't. He won't. We may become dull at times, but he'll bring us back. Our eyes might get off on something else for a little bit, but he'll bring us back because sin can no longer control you because you're under grace. You're under grace.

And one day, God's gonna deliver his people from the very presence of sin. When we leave this world, we close our eyes in this world and open our eyes in glory, we've left sin behind forever. And then we're going to know a whole lot more about God's grace than we do now. We're going to see what God has delivered us from.

I love that song, How Much I Owe. Then, Lord, then, when I awaken your presence without sin, then, Lord, shall I fully know, but not till then, how much I owe, what a debt I owe to God's mercy and grace. And sinners love this message of delivering grace, because it's my only hope of being delivered, is that Almighty God will deliver me from God. from his wrath by his grace and give me a shelter. Give me a substitute, which I do not deserve.

God's grace is delivering grace. Number two, look at Exodus chapter 33. God's grace is sovereign grace. We're getting ready to come up on this passage in our study, Wednesday nights in Exodus. It's one of those passages I've been looking forward to since we began the study. We'll make a few comments on this now. Exodus 33 verse 18.

And he, Moses, said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. And God said, I'll make all my goodness pass before thee and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. Now God says his greatest glory, after all the miracles that Moses had seen, the plagues in Egypt, the manna that fell every day, the water from the rock, the enemies that had been defeated at the Red Sea, and all throughout their journey, after seeing all that, Moses says, show me your glory. Those were glorious things, but I want to see your glory. Your greatest glory. And God said, all right, here it is. It's my goodness. It's my goodness.

It's that I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. God chose a people out of Adam's race. They're fallen, they're dead in sin, they're without any hope. And God's gonna be gracious to some of them. And not all of them, some of them. Some of them. And on every son of Adam, he is going to execute justice. On his people, he executes justice in the person of his son. And he's gracious to them. On others, he will execute judgment, those who do not believe and condemn them to hell.

Now, God is gracious to some. Whoever it is he chooses, it's completely up to him. There's nothing I can do to get God to be gracious to me. I can't make God be gracious to me. Whoever he will, he'll be gracious to them, and the rest he passes by. Now don't mistake that and think, well, there's somebody that's begging God for mercy and grace, begging God for salvation on God's terms in Christ, but God passes them by and won't save them because, well, I didn't choose you, so no matter how bad you want to be saved, you can't be.

That will never happen. When God passes by a rebel, you know what he does? He gives them what they want. Oh, it's my constant prayer. God, don't give me what I want. Don't give me choices in this thing. Thy will be done. Thy will be done. Oh, if you'd be pleased to be gracious to me. And again, sinners love this message. They love the message of sovereign grace because If I know anything about myself, I see this, the only hope of salvation I have is sovereign grace.

I can't do anything to deserve God's favor, and I won't have God's favor unless he just decides he's gonna be gracious to me, even though I don't deserve it. I will never beg for mercy unless God is gracious to me first. Do you have any desire to beg God for mercy?

If you do, you know why you have that desire? God's already been gracious to you. I'm never gonna quit trusting in my works and trust in Christ until God's gracious to me. Do you have any desire to trust Christ and count your works as done? If you do, I'll tell you why. It's because God's already been gracious to you. I won't beg God for the forgiveness of my sin until God is gracious to me. If you beg God to forgive you your sin, you know why you do that? It's because God's already been gracious to you.

So I tell you one more time, come to Christ. Come to Christ begging God for mercy and grace. You come begging for grace. And I promise you this, you won't be turned away. If you come to God, begging God to forgive your sin, begging him to save you, begging him to wash you in the blood of his son. You know why you have that desire? God's already been gracious to you. He's already drawing you to himself.

And if you come to God, begging God for grace and mercy and forgiveness of your sin, you're gonna hear the very same thing the leper heard when the leper said, Lord, if you will, you make me whole. And you're gonna hear the Lord say, I will. You come begging the Lord to forgive you your sin for Christ's sake, the Lord will say to you, I will. Lord, would you be gracious to me just because you would? You're gonna hear the Lord say, I will. And after the Lord saves you, after he gives you faith in Christ, after you trust Christ, you know him, you love him, you trust him.

You still need to hear that message of sovereign grace as much as any unbeliever. We never quit needing God's sovereign grace. I'm thankful to read that God has a throne. He rules and reigns over all the earth. Everything he does, he does sovereignly. He's the king of all the earth. Yet scripture says he has a throne of grace.

You can come to it as long as you come in Christ. You can come to it any time you want. To seek mercy and grace to help in time of need. I never get past needing that sovereign grace. And I never get tired of hearing about it. Do you? Sovereign grace. You just can't get over.

God chose to be gracious to me. I promise you. I'm the least, least one that deserves that, but God did it anyway. Oh, I thank God for His sovereign grace. I thank God that His grace is not something I have to earn, but He gives it to me just because He will. I can tell you this, I trust God's will a whole lot more than I trust mine, don't you? Oh, thank God He will be gracious to His people. All right, third, look at Romans chapter three. God's grace is justifying grace. Romans chapter three. Verse 19.

Now we know that what things whoever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, And all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight.

For by the law is the knowledge of sin. Now, God gave the law to Moses, and it's recorded in scripture for us. And the only reason somebody would think, you know, I can keep that law well enough for God to be pleased with me, is they're dead. and they're blind and they don't see what the law sayeth. God gave the law, not so that we could keep it and justify ourselves, but so we'd see how sinful we are and run to Christ who does justify sinners. Read on, verse 21.

But now, the righteousness of God without the law, without our obedience to the law, is manifested. Be witness by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God. which is by the faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe, for there's no difference, for all have sinned that comes short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Now this word justified means to have no sin. It's not just as if you'd never sinned, it means really, you have never sinned, you have No sin. That's the only way God can accept any of us. God's holy, he cannot and will not and should not accept us into his holy presence in our sin as we are.

You know, the apostle Paul said that when Christ returns, his people who are still on earth will be changed in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye. You know why they must be changed? Because even though they're believers, they're in a body of sin. And if God takes us to heaven right now as we are, you and I would turn heaven into hell. We must be changed. We cannot come into God's presence in our sin. And we can't quit sinning. A sinner is someone who all they do is sin. They can't not sin. So we can't hope to be justified by any religious works that we do.

You know, if we try to keep the law, we do all these religious works and all these things that men think are so good, and we think that those things will commend us to God, all we've done is add to our sin debt. We haven't reduced it, we've added to it. There's no hope in the flesh. If God will ever teach us that, if God the Holy Spirit will ever teach us, there's no hope in our flesh. Then we'll see our need of Christ.

So Christ came, God knowing his people could never justify themselves, could never make themselves without sin, could never do anything that would allow them to come into his holy presence. The father sent his son in the flesh to justify his people. You know how God justifies his people? Certainly not by ignoring their sin, it's by taking their sin away from them. and charging their sin to his precious holy son at Calvary, making him sin for us.

And then Christ took that sin and he put it away by his bloody sacrifice. Here's what the scripture says. You and I have sinned against God. That's all we've ever done. But God sent his son into this world to pay our sin debt for us. Now brethren, if that's not grace, I don't know what is.

And I love to hear it. Don't you? I love to hear about his justifying grace that makes a sinner to be without sin so that we can come into God's presence. And if you really hear that message and you really believe this message of God's justifying grace, It's not going to puff your chest out and make you proud and make you look down your nose at all those free wheelers out there. God's justifying grace is humbling. Oh, it's so humbling.

The only reason I am not in some crazy, I can't, you can't call it religion cause it's not religion, but some crazy ceremony trying to, speaking tongues and trying to impress people and with just all that crazy stuff. The only reason I'm not running around in funny roles, making funny motions with my hand and throwing water on people and all that, the only reason I'm not doing that is God's justifying grace. I can't look down my nose at the end. The only difference between me and the end is God's grace.

And God's justifying grace makes me so thankful I feel silly trying to talk about how thankful we should be and the thrilling thought that the Lord Jesus Christ, the precious son of God, justified his people, justified a sinner like me by taking my sin away from me. Oh, I'm so thankful. The message of God's grace is humbling, it makes us thankful, and it makes us faithful. It makes us faithful to worship the Lord.

I mean, I can't wait until the next time that we can get together and hear about God's grace. I mean, I cannot wait until Friday night. Here is the pastor's chance to get to sit and listen, and I can't wait to sit and listen to hear somebody tell me who the Lord Jesus Christ is and what he's done for his people. I can't wait. And I know the story of grace as well as I know anything.

I can't wait to hear it again. It makes us faithful. It makes us faithful to hear of him. It makes us faithful to serve and help one another. Oh, thank God for his justifying grace that makes us without sin. And here's one I love. Look at Romans chapter five. God's grace is abounding grace. Romans 5, verse 17.

For if by one man's offense, death reigned by one, and death reigns over us, doesn't it? Death reigns over us. You can't stop death from coming. By one man's offense, death reigned by one because of Adam's disobedience. Much more, they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. If God's been gracious to you, you have life reigns and you cannot die.

Look down at verse 20. Moreover, the law entered that the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. God's grace is not just barely enough. God's grace is abundant. Abundant grace. You can't plumb the depths of it. You can't cross the length of it. It is abundant grace. God is so abundant in his grace. He has saved the whole multitude of God's elect. He's got plenty of grace, even for you.

Even for you. Don't let The abundance of your sin stop you from coming to Christ. You come to Christ because you have an abundance of sin. If you see your sin has abounded, let me promise you this, grace has much more abounded. You come to Christ because you're a sinner. You know what scripture says? Christ came to save sinners. Are you a sinner? Then come to Christ. He came to save sinners.

And after God has saved billions and billions, I reckon, of people over the course of the history of this world, don't think, well now I'm in the last days and the supply of God's grace is running short and he's got to ration it. God still has grace reserved for you. As long as you're a sinner. As long as you're a sinner. He has abundant grace.

And when God wraps this whole thing up, not a single person in hell can blame their damnation on the lack of God's grace. Well, God damned me because he didn't have enough grace to save me. Not one person will be able to say that. And every single person in heaven will say this, I'm here because of God's abundant grace, that his grace was greater than all of my sin.

It's abundant grace. You know, I don't want to sin more so that the abundance of God's grace will be glorified. I don't want to do that. But I'm thankful that where my sin abounds, even though I try not to sin, where my sin abounds, I'm so thankful to hear this. God's grace does much more abound. It gives me such confidence for myself and also to preach the gospel to you and call you to come to Christ because I know this, God has abundant grace. that's reserved, still yet, for sinners like us.

Then here's the last one. Look at Romans chapter 11. God's grace is electing grace. Now this is my last point, but this is where all of salvation begins, with God's electing grace. And like I said, I just took these in the order in which they appeared in scripture, so that's why this is the last one. Romans 11, verse one.

I say then, hath God cast away his people? God forbid, for I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people, which he foreknew? Watching not, don't you know what the scripture saith of Elias? How he maketh intercession to God against Israel?

Saying, Lord, they killed thy prophets, and they've digged down thine altars, and I'm left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer? of God unto him. I've reserved to myself 7,000 men who've not bowed the knee to the image of Baal." Just because you haven't seen them don't mean they don't exist. Even so then, at this present time also, there's a remnant according to what?

The election of grace. Now like I said, this is where all of salvation began. The election of grace. Whenever I talk about election, I always try to talk about it in these terms, God's electing love. God is not mean in choosing some and passing by others. He showed his love and grace when he chose some to save, even though they don't deserve it. It's electing grace.

And scripture's full of examples of this. This shouldn't be a surprise to anybody. What's the difference between Jacob and Esau? Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated. God chose one, he passed the other one by, and he gave him what he wanted. Esau became a wealthy, powerful man of this earth, because that's what he wanted. God gave him what he wanted. But God chose to be gracious to Jacob.

Moses and Pharaoh, what's the difference? They both had the same education, raised in the same, maybe the same house, or certainly the same kind of house. What's the difference between these two men? Pharaoh, I've raised thee up that I might show my glory in destroying you. Moses, I've raised you up to be example of my grace.

What's the difference between Israel and the Gentile world throughout the whole Old Testament scripture? Israel was just as sinful, just as idolatrous, just as wicked as every other nation on earth. And worse yet, they're the smallest one. I mean, they're just nothing. But God chose Israel. to make them his people just because he would.

What's the difference between Peter and Judas? Peter and Judas both with the Lord for the three and a half years of his earthly ministry, they both preached Christ, they both worked miracles, they both heard every word that came out of our Lord's mouth in those precious times when he would preach and when he would talk to his disciples alone, they both heard it. Judas betrayed the Lord, Peter denied him. What's the difference?

How come they're not both reprobate? Because Judas was appointed to it and the Lord chose Peter. And he was gracious to Peter and forgave Peter and drew him back to himself. It's God's electing grace. And the only reason any of us here this morning know and trust Christ is this, God's electing grace that he chose us by name before time began. I mean, you think about all the people that have ever lived, and I can't remember half the people that, you know, that I've known over the course of my life. I forget their names.

A few years ago, my high school class had a class reunion. I thought I ended up not being able to go, but I thought I was going to go. And man, we were tight. I mean, we were a tight group. And I thought I remember them people. And I got out my high school yearbook and covered up the names to see how many names I could remember. I mean, it's very embarrassing. I can't remember their name. God knew our name before time began, knew what we'd be and chose us anyway to put in his son, that his son would put away our sin by the sacrifice of himself. That's electing grace. where God chose the worst, the worst sinners.

You know why he did that? So he'd get all the glory. So that we'd see the glory of his grace. Now I tell you again, you come to Christ. I think this is true. I'm trying to think if I can think of a time that this was not true. I mention God's electing grace in every message I ever preach. I mean, I just unashamedly preach God's electing love. I mean, it's true. I love it. It's necessary. And you hear about election every service. And I'm trying to save you from something here, from heartache and trouble that I went through.

Don't do what I did. Don't think, well, if I can find out if I'm one of the elect, if I find out I'm one of the elect, then I'm going to believe. Don't do that because you're never going to figure out if you're one of God's elect or not until you come to Christ. Nowhere in this book does it say Christ came to save God's elect.

It says he came to save sinners. Are you a sinner? You come to Christ because you're a sinner. And you know what you're going to find out right quick? Oh, I came because God loved me before the foundation of the world. Therefore, with loving kindness, he's been drawing me to Christ all along. I have this desire to come to Christ because I'm a sinner, because God chose me, because God's drawing me to Christ. You come to Christ because you're a sinner. I promise you, you're gonna find out the truth of this right quick. God's electing grace, and you're gonna love it. the same way all of the rest of God's people do. That's the word of God's grace. All right, let's bow together.

Our Father, I thank you for this time that you've given us together to look into your word and to worship you together. And Father, I pray you'd bless your word as it's been preached. Bless your word to the hearts of each one here. Father, apply this word. planted in our hearts, that we might believe you, trust you, cling to you. Oh, how we pray for your grace, your grace on those that do not know you, and your continuing grace upon your people. Father, be gracious to us, we pray. It's in Christ's name, for his sake and his glory, we pray. Amen. All right, Chris. All right, if you would, take your hymnal. Turn it to 209 as we're standing, please.

209. Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt. yonder on Calvary's Mount outpoured, there where the blood of the Lamb was spilled. God's grace, grace that will pardon and clear within. Grace, grace, God's grace. Grace that is greater than all our sin. Sin and despair like the sea waves cold. Threaten the soul with infinite love. Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold, points to the refuge, the mighty Christ. Grace, grace, God's grace. Grace that will pardon and clear within. Grace, grace, God's grace. Great, that is greater than all our sin. Dark is a stain that we cannot hide. What can avail to wash it away? Look, there is flowing a crimson tide. Wider than snow you may be today.

Grace, grace, God's grace. Grace that will pardon and clear within. Grace, grace, God's grace. Grace that is greater than all our sins. Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace. Freely bestowed on all who believe. You that are longing to see his face, will you this moment his grace receive? Grace, grace. God's grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse within. Grace, grace, God's grace, grace that is greater than all our sin.

The Word Of His Grace

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The Word Of His Grace

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