Turn with me, if you would, to Genesis chapter 6. Genesis chapter
6. We're going to look at the first eight
verses. Genesis chapter 6. starting in verse 1, And it came
to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and
daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the
daughters of men, that they were fair, and they took them, wives
of all which they chose. And the Lord said, My Spirit
shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh,
yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years. There were
giants in the earth in those days, and also after that, that
when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, that
they bear children to them. The same became mighty men, which
were old men of renown. 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 it
repented the Lord that he had made man on the 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 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. Grace, how sweet the sound. That's what we're going to look
at this morning. I suppose we could read, look
with me at verse 7, I suppose we could read it this way, and
the Lord said, I will destroy man, but not Noah. I will destroy man, about not
Noah and his family. But really, that's what verse
13 is saying. Look with me at verse 13. And
God said to Noah, the end of all flesh has come before Me,
for the earth is filled with violence through them, and behold,
I will destroy them with the earth. So that's what He's saying.
We don't have to guess what He's saying. That's what the Lord
God is saying. Verse 8 is what I'd like to concentrate
on in this word. found grace, found grace in the
eyes of the Lord. Grace, full, free, amazing, soul-cleansing,
washing, elective, and particular. Oh, that to those whom God bestows
it upon, grace upon, solely based upon God's covenant blessings
and Christ's shed blood and the Holy Spirit's total enabling,
Grace indeed. Grace indeed. John Newton wrote,
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. And I say, Mr. Newton,
how sweet the work of grace is, how sweet the truth of grace
is, and how sweet the power of it is to us who do not deserve
it. What I'd like to look at this
morning is what can we, or what does this book tell us about
this marvelous word in truth. Now, just statistically, the
word grace appears 170 times in the Bible. The word gracious,
31, and the word graciously, 4. Yet for today, I'm interested
in what it means as God bestowing it upon ruined and wrecked sinners. But Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. Noah, the only difference was
marked upon him was God's grace. He wasn't any better, any worse,
probably worse, who knows? He wasn't any different. It's
like we looked at last week or the week before, I guess it was
the week before the Exodus 11, that when the Israelites were
leaving The last plague, the dead, the first born were killed,
600,000 men and children. So there's a lot more than that.
We're leaving Egypt, and God said, not a dog is going to bark. Not a dog is going to move its
tongue. He said, therefore, the showing,
the distinction between you and the Egyptians. There is a distinction. And grace makes that distinction,
but we don't have a say in it. That's what's beautiful about
it. There are several qualities and characteristics, I think,
first of all, about grace. But Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. It's always because of, and it's
always in Christ Jesus, our Lord. He is the ultimate cause of this
free unmerited favor towards sinners. Grace is always because
of and found in Christ. John chapter 1. We're going to
look at several scriptures this morning. John chapter 1. John chapter 1 and verse 16 and
17. and of His fullness, God in Christ,
have we all received and grace for grace. For the law was given
by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." Acts chapter
18. Acts chapter 18. Starting in verse Acts 18, and
starting in verse 24, And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria,
an eloquent man, and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus.
This man was instructed in the way of the Lord, and being fervent
in the Spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the
Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak
boldly in the synagogue, whom, when Aquila and Priscilla had
heard, they took unto him and expanded unto him the way of
God more perfectly. And when he was disposed to pass
into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive
him, who when he was come, helped them much, which had believed
through grace." Had believed through grace. The only way a
person can truly believe is through grace. And the only way a person
gets grace is by Jesus Christ. Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians
chapter 1. Ephesians 1, we'll start in verse
3 and go to verse 7. 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 had
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 unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according
to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of
His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved, in
whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of
sins according to the riches of His grace." So grace is always
because of and always found in Christ. Secondly, grace when
it speaks of in the Scriptures, it's always free. It's always
free. Christ purchased it. with this
precious and pure blood sacrificed upon Calvary's tree, we can never
earn it, we cannot buy it, we cannot pay for it, or work towards
it." Acts chapter 20. Acts chapter 20. Grace is free. Acts chapter 20
and verse 28. Take heed therefore
unto yourselves and all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath
made you overseers, to feed the church of God which He, Christ,
hath purchased with His own blood." It's done. Christ has purchased
it. And it cannot be bought or paid
for any other way. Romans chapter 3. Romans chapter
3. Romans 3, verse 24. We can look
at verse 22, even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus
Christ. Verse 24, being justified freely
by His grace through the redemption That is in Christ Jesus. It's been paid for. It's not
anything that we can earn. And he says in 1 Peter, in the
first chapter, you don't have to turn there, in verse 18, we
are redeemed, not with corruptible things like silver and gold,
but the precious blood of Christ. It's free. It's free. It's paid for. When He sees the
blood, To use an Old Testament reference, He'll pass us by.
Not our blood, not even the blood of bulls and goats, that blood
that was shed on Calvary's tree by the Lord Jesus Christ. Thirdly,
this grace that we speak of and that we understand and this church
is named after perhaps, this grace is sovereign. Sovereign,
or what we mean by the term is, it is supreme, it is absolute,
and it is dominant. That is, it is owned by God and
He can dispense it to whomsoever He pleases. Romans chapter 5. Romans chapter 5. This grace is always in Christ. It's always free. and it's sovereign. Romans 5, verse 19, For as by
one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience
of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover, the law entered that
the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, grace did
much more abound. That as sin hath reign unto death,
even so might grace reign. reign through the righteousness
unto eternal life by Christ our Lord. Grace reigns. That's kind
of where it all came from. Sovereign, where is that? Grace
reigns through righteousness. Not our righteousness, Christ's
righteousness. Those who are the recipients
of this free favor unto salvation are not in the least deserving
of it, and as a matter of fact, They're not worthy to receive
it. He simply bestows it according to covenant blessings which He
and God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit, so to speak,
ratified before the world was even created. But it is of God, so He will
get all the glory. And I will say this, those countless
numbers who do trust alone in our Lord Jesus Christ are the
most thankful and grateful of people that ever walked this
earth and ever lived. I was reading somebody's bulletin,
Scott Richardson or somebody wrote, if a person ever gets
bored with the Gospel, they never knew the Gospel. If they ever
get bored, if you can get bored with the Lord Jesus Christ, constantly
thinking about what He's done and where He's at and who He's
done it for. That can't be. That can't be. Now, I'm not saying we don't
get tired, we don't get bored. That's just human nature. But
if you've ever found that illustration, if you've ever found that pearl
of great price, you will literally and figuratively and spiritually
get rid of everything. So everything that you may have
that, that one pearl of great price. And people say, well isn't
that a burden? He says, come unto me all you
that labor and are heavy laden and I'll give you rest and you'll
find peace and rest. Now it is a labor, it is a burden
But when we stand back and we see that His grace is free, His
grace is sovereign, His grace is found only in Christ, and
if we happen to have it, we don't deserve it, we're not worthy
of it, you can feed on that for months.
You can feed on that for months. And the Scripture says in Revelations,
we won't turn there, in several places, that these folks who
believe it are some from every kindred, every tribe, nation
and tongue. Lastly, grace is eternal. And I'm so thankful that it is.
Grace is eternal. It's not given and then taken
back. Grace is eternal. Grace was,
by God, determined to whom it was to be received through the
preaching of His Gospel before the world began. 2 Timothy 9 And I can't go to this verse
without thinking of John Sebaugh, who loved this verse. He absolutely
loved this verse. 2 Timothy 1 and verse 9. Who has saved us? We're speaking
in context, verse 8, power of God. Who has saved us and called
us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
His own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began." That verse right there almost was
my whole outline. It says right there, practically. This blood bought work of grace,
it will be heard, It will be believed upon, and it will have
its way with those whom He's chosen. Because it proceeds from
God Himself, and He says He shall not fail. And no, it gets discouraging. And we get concerned about our
neighbors, our children, our parents, or whoever. Just keep on keeping on. Just keep praying. Just keep
asking God for grace. And if it's His good pleasure, we'll see Him. We'll see Him.
Because it proceeds from God. His Word will not come back void. Hebrews 13. This grace is eternal.
Hebrews 13. And verse 20. Now the God of peace, that brought
again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that great Shepherd
of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working
in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ,
to whom be glory forever and ever. This gospel is eternal. And He says, everlasting, which
is eternal. It is sure to all the seed which
was before promised to Him, the Son, by His Father. Closing, let's turn to Acts chapter
15. Acts chapter 15. and verse 11. But we believe that through the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved, even as they. He's talking about circumcision
and the Gentiles. But we believe this. It's in
the Scriptures. that through the grace. There
is no salvation apart from Christ. There is no salvation apart from
grace. There is no salvation apart from faith, repentance.
These are all graces, gifts, sovereignly, absolutely, dominantly
bestowed upon those who believe. And they believe by grace. So I ask myself and I ask you,
do I believe upon Christ? Do I know the grace of God? Do I know Christ unto salvation?
We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we
shall be saved, even as they. And I know the parents tell their
kids this, Do what you can. Grow up. Be
what you can. All these different things. But
the most important thing is to know Christ. Is to understand
Christ. To believe Him. To believe His
Gospel. And it's all through grace. Can't
take any credit. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and
all that is within me. Bless His holy name. And I am
so thankful that He saves by Christ, and that's not of ourselves. It is the gift of God. Grace,
how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was
lost, but now I'm found. Matt, would you close this please? Thank you for such a clear message.