Well, it's good to see you all
out this evening. Turn, Will, in your Bibles to
1 Corinthians chapter 15. 1 Corinthians 15. Paul the Apostle, after setting
forth the fact that he declared the gospel to the Corinthians,
And as I studied these books in Corinth and after I've worked
on them for some time, I realized that for the greatest part of
these books, he was defending his apostleship and the fact
that he preached the gospel to these people freely. But he says
in verse 9, For I am the least of the apostles, and am not meet
to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God, By the grace of God, I am what
I am. And His grace, which was bestowed
upon me, was not in vain. But I labored more abundantly
than they all. Yet not I, but the grace of God,
which was with me. I forget the name of the preacher.
He was a famous preacher from England. He said, the gospel
puts all things in order. puts all things in their proper
place. This single phrase in verse 10, by the grace of God,
I am what I am, covers all the bases in the matter of my salvation
and my acceptance before a thrice holy God. This phrase strips
us bare, shuts us up, and every avenue of merit of pride on my
part is cast into the dust In the salvation of my soul and
the salvation of every one of the elect souls, in the keeping
of my person, in my eternal destiny, the accomplishment of it all
must be laid at the door of God's free and sovereign grace. God is the God of all grace. There is no grace outside of
Him. And if He has shown grace to you, that says something about
you. That says you're absolutely, totally, completely without merit. There's nothing about you, or
of you, or in you, or from you that could ever cause God to
be merciful to you. It's all by His unmerited favor. This is the testimony of every
child of God. This is the song of Zion. This
is the prose and the poetry and the lyric of the life in Jesus
Christ. Our text is the heartbeat of
every believer in the vein of free will works religion. These
are not words of a man who's trying to sound humble. Nor are
these the words of a religious catchphrase or the stinger as
the punctuation mark of some sanctimonious prattle. These
are the words of a man who, though he was in ignorance, yet obtained
mercy. These are the words of a man
who was one born out of season, who by his own declaration was
not fit to be called an apostle. He said He was less than the
least of saints. In another place, He said He
was the chief of sinners. And notice that the first word
of verse 10 is the word, but. I love that little conjunction
that is stuck in so many places in Scripture. For it turns everything
around and puts opposites against each other. Though all those
things declared in verses 8 and 9 about his inability, his weakness,
his frailty, his insuitability are true. He said, yet I am an
apostle. I am a saint. And it's all by
the grace of God. He said, I did not marry what
I am. I did not choose to be an apostle. I could never have
earned the right to be called an apostle. I do not deserve
to be an Apostle, but I am an Apostle by the grace of God. By pure and powerful and effectual
and unmerited favor, God made me what I am. The Apostle Paul
disallowed anything that smacked of human merit. He knew that
he did not even deserve to be accounted by God at all. He had
been before a blasphemer, a persecutor, an injurious, but he wrote in
another place, I obtain mercy. And the grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ was exceeding abundant. This redeemed sinner need no
Westminster or Philadelphia confession of faith or creed. There was
only one suitable credo concerning his own experience of salvation
and so it is with every child of God. And we can say it here
tonight if you're a child of God, by the grace of God, I am
what I am. If you have a motto that you
would like to repeat in your life, if you would like to have
a mantra that you would like to say it is what you say every
day sometime during the day, let it be this. Let us wake up
in the morning before we have our breakfast and say to ourselves,
I am what I am by the grace of God, by the grace of God. It is equally the singular testimony
of every sinner who has tasted the free and sweet and savory
sovereign grace of God. And as believers, all saved sinners
gladly attribute to you the entire work of their salvation and all
of it to the free grace of God. All my salvation I had nothing
to do with. This is what I believe the apostle
and the prophets were talking about when they were talking
about afflicting your own soul. The affliction of the soul is
the fact that I can't take credit for anything that's happened
to me in the matter of salvation. And my flesh is afflicted by
that thought. But my spirit rejoices in that
fact. By the grace of God, I am what
I am. If you are saved, you do not
owe your salvation to anything you have done. If you are saved,
you know this is so. If there are those here who are
not converted, if ever you are to be saved, it will not be because
of anything in you or anything that you do or any goodness in
you at all. But here's the good news, nor
will your vileness and your depravity and your God-hating heart prevent
the saving grace of God. You must unequivocally deny,
disown, and disallow our own empty emotions and notions of
merit. And if God saves us, that's what
we'll do. We'll practice those words. If
we've been made to trust the merits of Jesus Christ, we'll
trust no other merits but Jesus Christ. The source of God's goodness
to us resides altogether in His sovereign mercy. Christ alone
accomplished salvation. Everything concerning salvation
was accomplished for us and in us by the Lord Jesus Christ.
He chose us from the foundation of the world. He redeemed us
by His blood. He justified us by His blood
and His grace. And He called us by His gospel
to the obtaining of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
it is Christ alone who preserves us until eternal glory. We are
kept by the power of God. And if any sinner is lost and
goes to hell, he doesn't have anybody to blame but himself.
Nobody to blame but himself. You will have no one to blame.
But if anyone is saved, if anyone is saved, it will be the work
of God alone. We will have no one to thank. and have no one to thank but
God. By grace, by the grace of God,
I am what I am. Nothing else, nothing more, nothing
less. I am what I am by the grace of
God. And if by the grace of God I am what I am, what am I by
grace? Well, I'm a believing sinner. I'm a forgiven sinner. I'm a son of God. What a wonder! Behold, what manner of love is
this that we should be called the sons of God? That's what
it is to be what I am by the grace of God. I'm a saint. I'm
a man of righteousness. I'm a perfect and perfected man,
a blessed man. My iniquities have been forgiven.
My sins have been put away. by the blood of Jesus Christ,
I am what I am by the grace of God. I'm an heir of God and a
joint heir with Jesus Christ. Think of that. I am a stranger
and a pilgrim here, a soldier, a man at rest and liberated at
the same time, a new creation. For in Christ, you're a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold,
all things are become new. In Christ, you're complete. You
have need of nothing. In Him dwell the fullness of
the Godhead bodily and you are complete in Him. What does that
mean? Can't nothing be added to you?
And nothing to be taken away from you? You're complete. You're done. Stick a fork in
you. You're done. That is Me. How did that happen? By the grace of God. I am what
I am, not by my works, nor by my will, nor by my worth, but
by the grace of God. But, by the grace of God, I am
what I am. By grace. We sang two songs that
spoke of His grace. Two hymns that spoke of His grace.
By sovereign grace. That means grace that can't be
stopped, cannot be altered, and cannot be hindered. Sovereign
grace. Eternal grace. Grace that started
before the world was and will be still going on after the world
ends. Covenant grace. Grace that was
established between God and His Son in a covenant of grace called
the testimony of grace, called the testimony of the new covenant,
sealed and ratified by His blood so that you have received all
that He left for you in His will and testament. Grace upon grace. redeeming grace, bought back
off the slave market of sin, bought back, taken to Himself,
never to be put on the slave market again, free at last, redeemed
by the blood of the Lord, prevenient grace, effectual grace, immutable
grace, omnipotent grace, unconditional grace. This is my doctrine. This
is my doctrine. This is the thing I know beyond
any shadow of a doubt. I know this because I know something
by God's grace of what I am by nature. And what I am today is
a man who is both flesh and spirit. I know this. By the grace of
God, I am what I am. I know this. Not only this is
my beloved doctrine, it is my experience as well. By the grace
of God, I am what I am. I know something of the depravity
of my own heart. I haven't delved into the depths
of it and don't really want to. What I know of myself, I don't
like very much. But I've been made to know this
about myself by grace. I, with eyes washed with tears,
acknowledge that I am what I am by the grace of God. knowing
my horrible condition by nature, what I was and where I was when
the Lord interrupted my corrupt and hell-bound career, I am constantly
made to confess, by the grace of God, I am what I am. I am
a preacher of the gospel, by God's grace. And this place,
this pulpit, this what some used to call the sacred desk, the weeds of pride grow here,
taller, stronger, and faster than anywhere else. And I have to confess, I am what
I am by the grace of God. When I feel the power of lusts
within and temptations without, I'm compelled to confess, by
the grace of God, I am what I am. When I am preserved in the midst
of temptations to which my flesh so naturally is inclined, I am
compelled to confess, by the grace of God, I am what I am. When I am met with numerous trials
which I have seen others overcome, I have to confess, by the grace
of God, I am what I am. When I see others whom I esteem
highly for the gospel's sake fall and turn from faith, I have
to confess, by the grace of God, I am what I am. When after some
fall I am recovered and find in my heart a modicum of revival
and renewed interest in Jesus Christ, I am constrained to confess,
by the grace of God, I am what I am. When I am given pause to
rejoice in the fullness of God's blessings and consider the greatness
of His works, I can only say, by the grace of God, I am what
I am. When our Lord rolls up the sky and sets this old blue
orb aflame, when He makes all things new and at last I stand
before Him in glory, you know what my confession will be? It
will have to be this. I am what I am by the grace of
God. This is my singular source of
gratitude. By the grace of God, I am what
I am. Who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou
that thou hast not received? And if thou hast not received
it, why do you boast as if you have not received it? I am what I am by
the grace of God. Every believer realizes that
the only distinction between him and any other person is the
distinguishing grace of God. There is no difference between
me and the worst and the vilest of men. Now there are some people
that do things, I say, that person ought to be shot in the head.
You know, you feel that way too by some people when they do these
vile and awful things. That's me. That's me. Every lady here, wonderful
ladies, looking fine, pretty ladies, wonderful ladies. No
difference between you and the worst disease-infected harlot
walking some street in LA today. No difference at all except the
grace of God. Think on it. Think on it. Every believer realizes that.
When you peruse the midnight black catalog, the enumeration
of human sin and depravity, remember these words of Paul to the Corinthian
church. He said, and such were some of
you. Such were some of you. But now, but, there's that word
again, but now, by the grace of God, and only by the grace
of God, you are washed, you are justified, you are sanctified.
Coming to a verdict about what we are and having revealed to
us what God has done for us in Jesus Christ, what else can we
say? But by the grace of God I am
what I am. In our text in verse 10, Paul
says, But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace
which was bestowed upon me is not in vain. But I labored more
abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which
is in me. His grace was bestowed on me, he said. And it was not
in vain. How am I in possession of this
grace? It was bestowed upon me. It was
put upon me. And it was not in vain because
here I am by that wondrous grace. Read our condition in 1 Corinthians
chapter 1 and verse 26 through 31. He didn't call many mighty
or many noble. Who did He choose? Well, he chose
the finest and the best to come out of the theological seminary.
No, he didn't. No, he didn't. He chose the weak
and the foolish and the nothings. Why? To say to the strong and the
smart and the wise and the prudent and the somethings, And salvation
is by grace. So no flesh with glory in His
presence. We are here by grace. This whole
thing is for the glorification of His grace. This matter of
our saving of our soul is not about us, it's about His grace.
It's about the glory of His grace. In Ephesians chapter 1, that's
made very clear. In Ephesians chapter 1, if you'll
turn there. He says this in verse 3, Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as He has
chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before Him, in love having predestinated
us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according
to the good pleasure of His own will, to the praise of the glory
of His grace. That is why He did it. He is
great. Why did He save people like us?
Our Lord said the world is going to know it in John 17. The world
is going to know. The world is going to know that
God saved you. The world is going to know that
God loved you like He loved me. He loved me before the foundation
of the world. The world is going to know that because they can
see what we are by nature. And they say, how in the world
can that be? There is only one way. if it's done by unmerited
favor, that God showed us favor when we could not merit it. He
saved sinners to honor His grace, to glorify His grace. So when
the sinner says, by the grace of God, I am what I am, when
I feel that power, of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I know I understand
it and appreciate it because it's revealed to me, and I know
it's revealed to me by God's grace. Sometimes I get the idea that
I know something that other people don't know, and maybe that wretched
pride works up in my body, and I'm thinking, I'm somebody, but
I'm not. I am what I am by the grace of
God. Is this your testimony? Is this what you've experienced? Is this your experience? If it
is, then the grace of God is what made you so. If that's my
experience, I can walk before God in full assurance of faith,
because I didn't have anything to do with my salvation. He did
it all. This is not a matter of feeling,
but of faith, of believing God. My feelings and emotions can
never rise above the source of where they come, and they come
from a depraved, wicked man by nature. Faith has to do with
God and His eternal Word. Feelings have to do with me. Faith is a living link connecting
the heart that has faith with the God who has given faith.
My feelings and emotions, no matter how intense and real,
can never connect my soul with God. That's where religion is. Feelings and emotions and sentiments. Getting people worked up. I remember
many years ago, I was at a place where a fellow said he believed
in sovereign grace and he sang 10 songs. Kept singing songs. I was set up to preach. I'd been
working all week like a dog, helping him build a foundation
of a house and sang 10 songs. About the number 8 song, he said,
I feel like the Holy Spirit, I'm feeling His presence. And
number nine, I'm feeling it a little more. And finally, the tenth
song, He said, the Holy Spirit is here. That's the problem with
this thinking. They say the Holy Spirit has
to come down. Well, the Lord said the Holy
Spirit lives in us. He ain't got to come down from
nowhere, does He? He's in us and He takes the things of Christ
and reveals them unto us. That's the Holy Spirit of God.
It ain't about feelings. It's about believing. My feelings,
no matter how intense, can never connect me with God. My feelings
are neither divine nor eternal. They are human, deceptive and
fleeting. They are like Jonah's gourd which
sprang up in the night and perished in the night. Not so with faith. Feelings are occupied with self.
Faith is occupied with Christ. Feelings look inward. Faith looks
outward and upward. Feelings leave my soul in doubt.
Faith leaves my soul in peace. Feelings have to do with my fickle,
fluctuating condition. Faith has to do with Christ's
enduring sacrifice and God's eternal revealed truth. What should be the result of
the knowledge that by the grace of God I am what I am? One result
should be true humility. I have a problem with humility. It's one of those strange things
that just almost within reach you think, I think I understand
it and I don't. When I say things like, well,
I'm not humble, I really think that's an humble statement. It's a weird thing that you think.
But grace, if I believe in grace, If I really understand that I
am what I am by grace, I am humbled by that, knowing that I had nothing
to do with my salvation. It is all of grace. I am not
speaking about posture or countenance when I talk about humility or
downcast affectation. I speak of one who has been humbled
by the fact that by the grace of God I am what I am. Such knowledge
should result in a charitable charitable and liberal spirit
even to those who hate me. It should. I'm sad to confess
that it isn't always the case in my life. Such glorious truth
must create in me a heart of thanksgiving. You ever wonder
why the Lord said so often in Scripture to be thankful? Because
we're not. He never tells us to do something
or gives us an admonition unless there is a reason for it. And
one thing we hate in our own lives is ingratitude. And oh,
if we truly believed that God saved us by grace, how thankful
we would be. How thankful we would be. If
by the grace of God I am what I am, I should be a man consecrated
and devoted to the gospel of Jesus Christ, for that is the
declaration of God's grace. If by grace I am what I am, I
should never despair of the salvation of anyone I meet. Never. Because He saved me by grace. I reckon He can save you. I should never despair of my
children being saved. for those whom I'm privileged
to preach. Because it is true that by the
grace of God I am what I am. I can preach the gospel to you
with great confident joy and beseech you now by the mercies
of God with all speed. Fly to Jesus Christ. Be found
in Him. What God has done for me, He
is able to do for you. by the grace of God. I am.