The Glory of His Grace

Ephesians chapter 1. There's a phrase that Paul uses. It just sticks out. That didn't stick out before, until before this week. And then it's like, it's just right there. So, I looked it over and looked at what a few folks had to say and then came up with this.

And I pray that the Lord uses this to honor His His name and His presence would be among us. This phrase is uttered in Ephesians 1 and verse 6, but let's read the first six verses in Ephesians. Chapter 1, the first six verses in Ephesians. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints, which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus, Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed. be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.

According as he, Christ, hath chosen us, or God the Father hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him So people that say, yeah, if you believe in election, you just do whatever you want to do. No, that's not the case. That's not the case.

He chose us before we were even born. That's election, that's selection, that's distinctive grace that we should be holding without blame before him in love. So we say we believe these doctrines, we need to live of the doctrines. having predestinated, oh there's another bad word, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will. Whose will's gonna be done?

You can argue about man's free will all you want. He doesn't have one because it's captive. Spurgeon has an article which we've got back there, talks about this thing free will, it's bound. God is the only one that has free will and his will will be done because he does things according to the good pleasure of his will.

To the praise of the glory of his grace. That's the phrase we're going to look at. To the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. Everything's, again, if you look at Ephesians 1, it keeps talking about in Christ. Everything God has for the sinner is in Christ. Well, let's look at this phrase that Paul turns by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the glory of his grace. It's the first part of verse 6. The glory of His grace, that phrase right in the kind of the upper center, the glory of His grace. What is exactly, what is that? What does it mean? He uses it often in other places. What does that mean?

The glory of God's grace to sinners such as we are. Well, we sang about it in two hymns. Another way of saying this, that word glory is dignity. which means worthy of honor. The dignity of God's grace, that's his glory. But what is it? What does it all mean? Well, let's take a little bit of a deep dive into this, and I've got several points, but you can't exhaust the topic of the glory of God's grace.

First, the glory or dignity of grace is that it's free. It's freeness. It's freeness. That means it cannot be purchased or merited by ourselves. Can't be done. You can be in religion your whole life. You can memorize the catechisms. You can memorize, we had a guy that he memorized all of Ephesians. Big deal.

If he doesn't know what grace is, he knows nothing. So, it cannot be purchased. It's totally free. You cannot merit. No, it's quite out of the sinner's reach. Turn to Isaiah 55. Isaiah 55. It's out of our reach. And yet, it can be had. It can be had. Isaiah 55 verses 1 through 5. This is how free grace is. This is how free salvation is. This is how free redemption is. When I say grace, it's inclusive of those terms as well. Ho, everyone that thirsts. Are you thirsty this morning?

Have you come here just because it's the right thing to do? Have you come here because it's expected of you? Now, if you're the children under your parents' tutelage, you need to be here. You don't need to be running around until graduation and then move on to that sadness that goes with it. But what a blessing it is, is when you get set free, so to speak, and you come back. You come back. That's wonderful.

But anyway, ho everyone that thirsts. These people are thirsty. He says, come to the waters, and he that has no money, come and buy and eat. Now, that doesn't make any sense in this economy, in this society. Now, there is welfare, but you feel like you've got to pay a little bit. There's just something in human nature. You feel like you've got to work or earn. You've got to do something for a living. He that hath no money, come and buy and eat, yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and you labor for that which satisfies not?

Hearken diligently unto me, says the preacher, says Isaiah, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, come unto me, hear, and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

Behold, I have given him, Christ, for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that you knew not, and nations that knew thee not shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, for the Holy One of Israel, for he hath glorified thee, the Son.

That's why we come. You're talking about Christ. He's the sum and substance of the gospel, which is the glory of his grace. So it's the glory, the dignity of God's grace is it's free. It fixes upon objects or persons most unworthy. See, we think of it backwards. We have this thing called employment by merit. You do well, you get better, and that's work. That's why it's called work. It's not called, I'm going to grace. No, you go to work. But God's mercy and God's grace is not based on merit. I do have an exception. It's based on the merit of Christ. So, but this freeness, this freeness in this gospel, in this grace, it fixes upon its object our persons most unworthy. It bestows upon them the richest blessings. It raises them to the king's table. You remember that story in 2 Samuel 9, that old boy named Mephibosheth. He was lame on both feet. But the last verse in that chapter, it says, but he did eat at the king's table continually, freely, freely promises us the greatest happiness and enlightenment and all for God in Christ for his glory.

Nothing can be or is as free as this grace. To the glory of His grace, there can nothing be as free as this grace. Oh, may we stand and wonder, redeemed sinners and wayward ones. It fetched us. It's fetching grace. Secondly, the glory and dignity of grace is its power. Its power. Once initiated, it cannot be resisted or turned away. And I'm so thankful for that. Matter of fact, he says in Psalm 110, verse three, he'll make his people willing in the day of his power. I used to think years ago, you know, save somebody kicking and screaming. No, no, he subdues your will and makes us acquiesce or agree.

Can two walk together, says Amos 3.3, unless they be agreed? No, can't do it. You can't walk. If you got differences of opinion, It's going to be hard to have good fellowship, but if you have your agreement, and that's as a can to walk together, can we walk together with God, with Christ, with the Holy Spirit?

Unless we agree with about what he says in this word about himself and about ourselves and about redemption. So the glory and the dignity of grace is its power. Once it's initiated, as I said, it can't be resisted. It conquers the most stubborn sinner. That's why there's hope for everybody in this room. It conquers the most stubborn sinner. It subdues the hardest heart. It breaks off the strongest fetters and inevitably defeats and overpowers its objects. its objects. This grace of God is as God is. God, one of His attributes is He's omnipotent, all-powerful. So is His grace.

And you can think about this in Acts chapter 9, you don't have to turn there, it's starting in verses, I think it's 5 and 6, Paul, he's going out to kill the Christians. And who does he meet with? The Lord Jesus Christ knocks him off his horse. And he said, well, I'm going to turn there because I like that story. Acts chapter 9, if you want to look at it with me, it's just a couple of verses.

Old Saul, this is his name was Saul. Verse 1, Saul, before he had his name changed to Paul, yet breeding out threatenings and slaughters against the disciples of the Lord. And verse three, and as he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven, and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And Saul said, who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the bricks. And Saul, trembling and astonished, said, Lord, what will you have me to do?

Hmm. Who's will won there? Amazing. This dignity of the, as with Paul talks, the glory of his grace is its power. It's power. And we don't even have to turn there, but I, I've got, I've got it written down and read it. Daniel chapter four. You remember Nebuchadnezzar, the king, he's the king now. He's not just anybody.

And it could have been perhaps one of the largest kingdoms at that time. He walks out and he says, looks around and, oh, Babylon, look at the, he said, my kingdom, the glory of my kingdom. And then right when the words were in his mouth, the Lord said, I'm gonna make you crawl like an animal. And he did that right then. That's because God's got power. That's the glory of his grace.

And at the whole, at the last couple of verses in that chapter, Nebuchadnezzar said, well, not my reason returned. So really people who are lost, they're the crazy one. Now they call us crazy, but lost people are the crazy ones because Nebuchadnezzar, he thought he was something and he was humanly, but then He says, when my reasoning came back to me, I extolled and honored the God of the Most High. That's the glory and dignity of His grace.

Thirdly, the glory and dignity of grace is its benevolence or its kindness. God, through Christ, through the preaching of the gospel, has delivered thousands, and none were the worst for it. Oh, you Christians, you're always Some years ago, some guy was giving money and his brother said, oh, you Christians are all the same.

You think you're this or that. He said, I can go into Africa and I can do more, more good than your money can do in 10 years. Not if it's the truth. Not if it's the gospel. That's why we support Lance Heller and Papa New Guinea and Jean-Claude and the French-speaking Africa. That's why we do that.

So the word would go out because the dignity and the glory of the grace of God is its kindness. its kindness. It is supported, kept, and conducted and thus glorified thousands. It has supplied the inexhaustible fullness of God to his church, his people, his remnant. And John chapter 1 says of his fullness we've all received. Who can outspend, who can outthink, who can out kindness, or have more benevolence than God. Because the believer knows down deep that we have not been given what we truly deserve.

So poor? Maybe. But that doesn't matter. These are worldly terms. This is how the world judges. Are you successful? And I pray that as you kids grow up in the world that you would be successful. But if you're not, and if you have Christ That's the most important thing. That's the most important thing.

It opens the treasuries of heaven and fills the longing, sinful, wretched soul with fat things, he says in the scriptures, with good and profitable things far surpassing this world's leeks and garlics. It's innumerable and its grace is unmeasurable. This glory and dignity of the grace of God is very kind. And to be honest with you, grace gives away all it has. Is there anything that Christ left on the cross that needed to be done? No, because he said it is finished. So grace gives all it has, reserving nothing for itself.

And that's how it's not like us. We have a little nest egg. Well, what if the Lord takes that? What if this country just goes belly up economically? What are we going to do? It gets real simple. And I don't want it to happen, because I have grandchildren. I don't want these things to happen, but if it happens, what happens?

As Bruce Crabtree and I were talking, things get real simple. You walk day by day by faith, and not by the checking account, not by the gas prices, not by the party line, none of that stuff. Things get real simple with the believer. To live is Christ and to die is gain. He's got us hemmed in and we want it that way. Grace gives, as I said, it gives all it has, it reserves nothing for itself, but only praise and adoration and worship of the God who dispenses it. Fourthly, the grace of God is, I'm sorry, the glory of the grace of God is sovereign. Sovereign.

Romans chapter nine, turn there with me if you want. Romans chapter nine. I hope that was the president, it's okay otherwise. Romans chapter nine. Now the religionists hates this chapter. Of course you gotta, you know, it's inspired by God. Romans chapter nine.

Verse nine, for this is the word of promise. At this time I will come and Sarah, speaking of Abraham and Sarah, shall have a son. And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceded by one, even by our father Isaac, verse 11, for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand not of works but of him that calleth it was said unto her the elder shall serve the younger as it is written jacob have i loved esau have i hated what shall we say then is there unrighteousness with god god forbid this is in the bible and we need to deal with it that's basically saying that this glory and dignity of the grace of God, it's dispensed to whomsoever he dispenses it. I didn't say that, that's what he says. Keep on reading. Verse, it was called, verse 12, the elder shall serve the younger, as it is written, Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated, what shall we say then?

Is there unrighteousness with God? According to how we look at righteousness, it is, but not according to God. God forbid, for God said to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then, this is out of John chapter one, it is not of him that wills the sinner, nor of the sinner that runs, but God that shows mercy to the glory of his grace. It's not First of all, it's not complicated to understand. If anybody, a third grader could read this and say, it's pretty well what he's saying. It's just that our religion gets in the way, and our prejudices get in the way, and our denominations get in the way, and our this's and that's.

God will have mercy on whom he'll mercy. And the fact that he has mercy, the fact that he selected anybody, means there's going to be a multitude saved. If he had not selected, there would be no salvation. There would be no salvation. So the glory of the grace of God is its sovereignty.

We could look at John chapter 1, we could look at Ephesians chapter 1, verses which we read, 2 through 5, which is Exodus 33. He said the same thing in the Old Testament. God is God, whether we like it or not. And the thing is, is we didn't, there's none of us that liked it. We were born in trespasses and sins. We were born hating God. And then He, through the preaching of the truth, reading of the truth, preaching of the truth, hearing of the truth, changed our will, made us willing, made us in agreement with Him, and we submit. We submit.

And lastly, but only for this message, the glory, the grace of God is its uniqueness. There's nothing like it. You talk to any believer, and I mean of the grace of God. I'm not talking about any church, because most of the churches, they don't understand the gospel. They go on to end time things, and this is what you're saying. We understand it, but this is basic doctrine. Paul said, I'm determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Well, what about marriage? What about the union? It's Christ and His church. Well, what about, you know, what about the authority? Submit to the authority as you submit to Christ. It all comes back to Christ. It's not about when will Christ return and all these charts and all this super-lapsarianism and all this nonsense. The Bible speaks of Christ.

And that's a good thing for me because I'm not real smart. But, you know, this one thing, it's kind of like What was it, Jacob when he wrestled? And the Lord took his, he's just hanging on, he says, I'm going to hang on until you bless me. And then the Lord took his, the thigh, the hip bone, and he walked differently, which shows how the believer walks. Doesn't mean we understand everything. But if more preachers would just stick to the truth, because it's the gospel that says, it's not my understanding or my interpretation, it's the truth. Read it. Speak it.

So the glory of the grace of God is its uniqueness. That is its distinctiveness to God. God owns it. It's one of a kind. The grace of God is one of a kind. It's one of a kind. It belongs to God only. It's singular singularness, original, originality. It's unlike anything in man's vocabulary or character or ability. That's why in the Bible, this grace of God, this gospel is styled the pearl, the, what's that mean?

And I've told this story many times, my stepfather, Lord had to take me out, and then Melinda left Melinda there. And she kept saying thee. And my stepfather, he understood grammar. He was smart. He was a smart man. He said, the interrupter said, you keep saying thee like it's singular. He said, that's exactly it. And years ago, KFES 12, there's three other news channels here. There's Channel 3 and Channel 6. But KFES used to say, The news authority. What they were saying is that you don't listen to these other guys, you listen to us.

So, the gospel, this grace of God, this glory of the grace of God, the dignity of the grace of God, it's styled the pearl. And what does a person do when they find it? In the scriptures, sell everything. They order their life around this gospel. Other things can wait. You can tell other things people know, but I need to hear the gospel. Well, you hear it, you understand. He uses the gospel to grow us in the grace and the knowledge of Christ. That's why we gather together. That's why there's this thing called the local church. That's why we need one another.

It's called the pearl of great price. He styles it to rubies, ruby, and he calls it the precious ointment poured forth. This gospel, the grace and the glory of God, is distinctive. It's unique. Nothing in human thought or imagination or action like grace, let alone its glory, purpose, and accomplishments. But I have this last thought, conclusion, tie it all together. Jesus Christ is this grace, personified. Without Christ, this is nothing. It's just words. This Bible, one old writer said, it's crystal centric. What's that mean? It means if you're going to look at Psalms, if you're going to look at Kings, first or second, Romans, it's all about Christ. It's all about Christ.

It is he and he alone that brings all of God's attributes and qualities of this grace to ruin sinners like you and I. So if you're going to church and you're hearing about, you know, Mother's Day, being a great mother, Father's Day, a great father, and you don't hear about it, it's not doing you any good. It's not doing you any good. Just like if the Holy Spirit does not anoint this, these words, and reveal them to us, it's been a waste of time.

This Lord Jesus Christ, he takes all these attributes and qualities of God and puts them together. In Christ, our dearest Lord, we can behold by the eye of faith all of these beauties and excellencies and the lovelinesses of this said grace. Sweet, saving, keeping, nourishing, all-encompassing glory to his grace. May our Lord glorify this free, powerful, kind, sovereign, and unique grace in each one of us here today. If we want grace, go to the Son. And I can say this, in Him, you will have it. You will have it. He has never turned down a genuine cry for mercy. Bruce, would you close this, please?

The Glory of His Grace

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The Glory of His Grace

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