First Corinthians chapter 15. Mr. Spurgeon, I read this on
the cover of one of the volumes I have of his messages, his sermons,
when he pastored at New Park Street for six years, and then
it became the Metropolitan Tabernacle that was built. I think there's
a total of 66 of these volumes. But on this particular one, I
was reading a brief capsule history on the back of each cover. And on this one, it said that
Mr. Spurgeon, at this time of the
year, said in introducing his sermon one Sunday morning, he
spoke these words, we are coming to the most beautiful season
of the year, spring, when everything around us is shaking off the
chill, grey clothes of winter, and putting on the beautiful
array of a new life. And immediately I thought to
myself, that's a good description of God's grace. Is that not a
good illustration of what God does by His grace? He gives us
a new life, a new life, making us new creatures in Christ Jesus. He takes away the old dirty,
fading, fig leaves of our own self-righteousness, and puts
on us the never-fading robe of Christ-righteousness. We sang that a moment ago, didn't
we, in the hymn in our bulletin? I like what it said, don't you?
That's exactly what we sang. This spotless robe, the same
appears, When ruined nature sinks in years, no age, no age can
change its glorious hue. The robe of Christ is ever new. Always the same. Always looked upon by God the
Father as sufficient, enough. God finds pleasure in that righteousness
in which All his people are robed. He looks upon them with perfect
acceptance. He accepts them as he accepts
his son. Another hymn says, with his spotless
garments on, as holy as God's own son. Did the songwriter go
too far? Oh no. That's what the book says. That's what the Word of God says. When we read this morning earlier
of Saul's conversion, the man who wrote this epistle, wrote
so many, with that still hopefully fresh
in your mind, the record of his conversion, I want us to look
at verses 9 and 10 here in chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians. Here Paul puts in a nutshell,
so to speak, What happened to him that we read about in Acts? Here is the autobiography of
Saul of Tarsus. And really, it's the autobiography
of every believer. Of every believer. Because this
is a free grace testimony. A free grace testimony The title
of my message is Grace Never Fails. For by grace are you saved
through faith. If I'm saved, if I'm saved today,
if I'm preserved for whatever days I have for the remainder
of my life, if I'm saved to the very uttermost, brought from
here to glory, and brought into the presence of a holy and just
God who demands perfection and he sees me without spot or blemish
or any such thing, that requires grace. And God's grace never
fails. Isn't that good news? God's grace
never fails. That's what we read here. Verse
9, For I am the least of the apostles that am not meet, fit,
proper, to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church
of God. God forgave Paul, but Paul could
never forgive himself. Until he awoke in eternal life
looking at Christ and the tears were wiped away, Paul carried
this to his grave, this regret. Verse 10. But, but, by the grace
of God I am what I am. And His grace, God's grace, God's
grace, not Baptist grace or Catholic grace, God's 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." God's amazing grace. The Apostle Paul in verse 9,
as he often did, speaks of what he was before God's grace. And he doesn't try to whitewash
it. He doesn't try to deny it. We can find it in the acts of
apostles, when he would stand before kings, governors. We find it in all of his epistles.
He makes mention of what he was before God's grace, just like
he does here in verse 9. He says, this is true. This is
the reality. I won't deny it. But with this
little word in verse 10, but, but, but, he also admits, confesses,
that all changed. Yes, it's true. I was a rebel. I was self-righteous. I was a
Pharisee. I was lost. I was blind. That's all true. I won't deny
it. But I'll not deny this either. God's grace has made a difference.
God's grace changed me. God's grace is effectual. God's
grace is not in vain. Does that apply to just you,
Saul? Paul, I should say. Or is that true of every child
of God? Well, Paul said if any man be in Christ, any man be
in Christ, no exceptions. The Lord Jesus Christ has 100%
success rate. All those that are arrested by
His mighty grace, they bow to Him. They love Him. They're not
these oddball creatures that religion has produced for our
day by the multitudes, these folks that claim Christ as Savior
but have never bowed to His Lordship. That's utter nonsense. We can't
pick or choose, take parts of Christ. No. Paul says, but his
grace changed all that. With that little word he tells
us why he's no longer what he once was. The grace of God made
him to differ. The grace of God made him to
differ. That scriptural language made
him to differ, or he never would. The grace of God that commanded
the light to shine out of darkness shined in Paul's heart, revealing
Christ to him. And the grace of God made him
a new creature in Christ Jesus. Oh, but God, what wonderful words,
is why any helpless sinner is washed, sanctified, justified. But God. But God, his amazing
grace, his free favor. I never tire of reading Paul's
testimony. I never tire of hearing his sweet
song of grace. He seemed to strum on one string. Oh, but what a marvelous tune
it is. What sweet music it is. The theme of Paul's Ministry
was Jesus Christ and him crucified. His amazing grace. The grace
of God, by the grace of God, I am what I am. Is not that the
theme of all of our old best hymns? Is it not? For example,
we read, I'm only a sinner saved by grace. I'm only a sinner saved
by grace. This is my story. This was Paul's
story. To God be the glory. I'm only
a sinner saved by grace. And one of my favorites, one of my favorites that that
old captain, one-time captain of
a slave ship wrote. That one that had his cargo stacked in the
hull of a ship, and that cargo was human beings. And that man afterwards sat down
after, but God, but God did for him what he did for Saul of Tarsus,
and he wrote amazing. Amazing what, old Newton? Amazing
will? Your amazing worth? Your amazing
work? Oh, no, no. Amazing grace. Amazing grace. What a sweet,
sweet sound. It saved a wretch like me. It's amazing. I once was lost. Not anymore. Now I'm found. I once was blind. Not anymore. Now I see. Now I see. I was lost and now I'm found. Those who would rather hear of
man's goodness and not God's grace would not be comfortable
under Paul's preaching, would they? They weren't comfortable
under it. Grace all the works shall crown
through everlasting days. It lays in heaven the topmost
stone and well deserves the praise. Remember child of God. It was grace that taught my soul
to pray. Was it not? And that same grace,
that same grace that got me lost revealed Christ to me. Grace
taught my heart to fear. And grace, remember the fear. Remember that work? Oh, it's
tough. It's tough. That stripping before
you were clothed, that by God's grace being brought down, being made to know that you're
lost. Remember that? That's a painful
experience, but so necessary, so necessary. Oh, but that same
grace that performed that necessary work, that same grace relieved
my fears. Remember the fears? Remember
lying in your bed during those days thinking, how can God forgive
a rebel like me? I'm the sinner. I'm the sinner. I didn't know the words of Wesley's
old song, but the theme of it I knew. Depth of mercy, can there
be mercy still reserved for me? Can my God his wrath forbearing
me the chief of sinners spare? I don't see how. I don't see
how. And oh then, then that same grace my fears relieved. This God's unfailing grace was
Paul's only hope. Turn if you will to Acts chapter
20. Acts chapter 20. The apostle here is meeting with
the elders of the church of Ephesus and he tells them, I'm on my
way to Jerusalem and you'll never see me again. I'm going there and I don't know
the particulars but most likely bonds and afflictions abide me. God's told me that. Remember
what we read earlier? Ananias, I will show him what
great things he must suffer for my name's sake. And Paul tells
these that he loved and they loved him. He says, I won't be
coming back. They loved the faithful apostle
and he loved them. And he says, you'll never see
my face again. And they begin to cry. Look at verse 24. But none of
these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself,
that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which
I have received of the Lord Jesus, that testify the gospel of the
grace of God. Period. Period. Paul's only hope for himself
was but God. But God. And Paul's hope for
them was the same. The very same. What a comfort
it must have been for the Apostle Paul when he says, you'll never
see my face again. I'll not be back this way. And
he wasn't. He wasn't. He died. It was a few years. He went to
Jerusalem, he was arrested. You know the story. What a comfort it must have been
for this faithful man of God to know, and for them to whom
he spoke, that he wasn't leaving them alone. He was leaving them,
yes, but he was leaving them in good hands. Look at verse
32. And now, brethren, I commend
you to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build
you up. and to give you an inheritance
among all them which are sanctified." Paul says, don't look to me,
but look to Christ. He's the only object of faith.
Keep looking unto Jesus. Now the Lord willing, in a couple of days I intend
to drive up to Danville. That's what I intend to do, the
Lord willing. Brothers and sisters in Christ,
the truth is, the truth is, I may not come back this way. I intend
to, I want to, I'd love to. But like the Apostle Paul, I
may never see your face again. I don't know, as James said,
what a day may bring forth. Between here and Danville, God
may call me home. I don't know. When I come back,
perhaps he has called one of you home. Oh, but as Paul said,
I leave you in good hands. John, it's a comfort to me to
know that I commend you to God and the word of His grace which
is able, which is able. His grace is not in vain. He that had begun a good work
in you will perform it until the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says in verse 10 here in
1 Corinthians 15, but by the grace of God. Grace chose me. Grace chose me. It was an election
of grace, we read in Romans. God saves people on purpose. People must have an awfully warped
view of who God is if they deny that. God Almighty, all that
he does, he does on purpose. Could he act otherwise? Could
he act otherwise? When God saved Saul of Tarsus
that day on the Damascus road, it was because he was a chosen
vessel unto me, he told Ananias. Paul's election was an election
of grace. Grace chose Paul and grace found
him. But that's not all. Grace fetched
him. Grace brought him to the great
shepherd of the sheep, just as he said it would. Christ said,
all that the Father giveth me shall come to me in John 6. John 10, other sheep I have which
are not of this fold, them also I must bring. them also I must bring, and there
shall be one fold and one shepherd." Sounds certain, doesn't it? Peter
wrote, you were a sheep going astray, but are now returned
to the shepherd and the bishop of your souls. What a sweet,
sweet word. Believers have In the truth of the 23rd Psalm,
how sweet to lie down tonight and before you doze off to remember
the Lord is my shepherd. I'll sleep, but he that keeps
Israel never sleeps. He gives his beloved sleep, oh,
but the faithful shepherd always watching over his own. The Lord
is my shepherd. It's no wonder if that is so.
The Lord is my shepherd. The Lord, the Lord over all. The Lord lifted up. The great
eternal everlasting God. The eternal I am is my shepherd. That being the case, no wonder
David wrote, I shall not want. I shall not want. The Lord is
my shepherd, I shall not like. How can I like if he is my shepherd? Can I like anything needed to
bring me to glory? Whatever grace is necessary to
bring me to glory, my shepherd has it. He has sufficient grace
like the psalm you showed me earlier, Bob. His grace is sufficient. Children of God, looking by faith
to Christ. Looking by faith to Christ, full
of grace and truth, I know he shall not fail. I don't think
it'll come as a shock to anybody when I say there's a lot of things
I don't know. There's a lot of things I don't
understand. But I know this. I know whom. I had believed. And I'm persuaded that He's able
to keep me by His all-sufficient grace here and to bring me to
be with Him forever, beholding Him again upon His throne. I
ask myself, how could His grace be anything but successful, sufficient,
and never failing? How could it be? Behold Him. He's full of grace and glory.
Behold Him, complete, complete. Behold Him in whom dwells all
the fullness of God Almighty. Behold Him. How can I be anything
other than complete in Him? You remember what He told the
disciples that night just before He went to the garden and was
arrested. He said, I go to prepare a place for you. Now, I've heard
preachers trying to get people to make decisions or whatever. Tell stories, sad stories about
everybody's got a mansion in heaven, but some of them going
to be empty. Poor old mansion's going to be all dusty and everything
because they won't be occupied. There'll be those harps with
cobwebs on them because so-and-so didn't get there to play it.
Oh, no. No, no, no. No, that's nonsense. No. Christ said, I go to prepare
a place for you. And if I go, and he did, and
prepare a place for you, I'll come again. I'll come again. Because I prepared this place
for you and I'm going to take you to that place. Remember what
he said in that day? When all his sheep are ushered
before him and are into the joy, prepared for you on purpose before
the foundation of the world. Let me illustrate it like this.
Nearly five years ago, right after, a few months after
you asked me to be your pastor, most of you, most of you here
came up to Danville to the conference that September in 2011. Remember
that? And after the conference, you
came over to that little apartment that I was living in. And after we'd had snacks and
some refreshments, Pat and Debbie, I think Bobby, started looking
around. Can we go upstairs? Go ahead. And then they came down and they
looked at me sitting in my easy chair. And the thing was Debbie
said, you going to take that with you when you move? And I said, well, I would like
to. I intend to. You know what they were doing?
They were looking to make sure that before I moved here that
everything I would need would be in that house, everything.
And it was. John, it was. When I came here,
I think the only thing I used that I brought was my books and
bookshelves and the clothes I wore. Everything was there. Everything
I could need. And I thank you for that. I thank
you for that. Listen. You're looking at a sinner who
has everything he can possibly need, John. to stand before God
Almighty, accepted, accepted, lacking nothing. How can that
be? Will God lower His standard?
Oh, no, no, no, no, absolutely not. He demands perfection. He's God. He would have to change
who He is to change His demands of perfect satisfaction to his
law, the precept, his law must be satisfied. His broken law
must be atoned. And this sinner stands there
perfectly accepted. How? Because God has made him,
Christ, to be unto us righteousness and redemption and sanctification,
all that we need. Wisdom we have in him. Christ
has given his people a right. I like that. I like that. When
I first moved here, the golf course just over the hill was
a private club. They wouldn't let me in. I didn't
have a right to be there because I wasn't a member. Jesus Christ
has given me a right to enter in through the gates into the
city. I have a right to be there. Jesus
Christ has given it to me. I like what Bruce wrote in our
bulletin today, don't you? Or rather what I put in there
concerning him. He wrote this, I will say now
that I am never more content and confident to face life and
living and death and hell and the judgment to come and eternity
itself, then when I can face all with nothing but Jesus, if
He is all you have, He is enough. And Paul says that grace was
not in vain. Was not in vain. It never is. If God's grace is not reigning
grace, this statement by the apostle makes no sense at all,
does it? Makes no sense at all. As a matter
of fact, it wouldn't be true. What good is grace if it's not
reigning grace? What good is grace if it doesn't
get the job done? Paul says his grace is not in
vain. Never, never. One of the definitions
of vain, if you would look it up, and I did, is this, ineffectual,
futile, without avail, or to no purpose. Or to no purpose. My soul. That can never be said
of God's grace. Never. Paul says it's never in
vain. Look here in this same chapter
at verse 14, here in 1 Corinthians 15. If Christ be not risen, then
our preaching is vain. It's without purpose. It's useless. It's a waste of time. And your
faith is also vain. Because if the object of your
faith still lies in the tomb, it's empty, it's vain. Look what
he says down in verse 17. And if Christ be not raised,
your faith is vain. It's empty. It's futile. It's
without meaning or purpose. And ye are yet in your sins.
Oh, but thank God, it's not vain. It's not without purpose. It's
not futile. God's grace, God's reigning grace,
God's all-sufficient grace, can never be without purpose, can
never be without effect. The other evening I came home
and there was a tract stuck in my door. From those people called
themselves Jehovah's Witnesses. And it said, come to our kingdom
hall and we're going to answer the question, are you on the
road to eternal life? Brothers and sisters, children
of God are not on the road to eternal life. They have eternal
life right now. No, there is no highway of works
that will take you to eternal life. Salvation is not a road
of works but the bestowing of God's grace. How dishonoring
that is to Christ. And what a false hope it gives
to sinners. because they trust their decision,
their walk down the aisle, down the Romans road, but on that
road it says, it's not of him that willeth, nor of him that
runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Believers are not on the
road to eternal life, they possess eternal life. Is that not what
Christ said? I give my sheep eternal life,
and they shall never perish. Martha, Martha, did I not say
unto you just a moment ago, Martha, That he that liveth and believeth
in me shall never die. Shall never die. And remember
what he said to his disciples? Because I live, ye shall live
also. Christ's sheep are not waiting
for eternal life. They possess it. And listen to
this, brothers and sisters. I'll live as long as Jesus Christ
lives. He's the fountain. from which
this life comes and flows to every member of his body. And
every member of that body will live as long as the head lives. And he said, Behold, I am he
that liveth and was dead. Behold, I am alive forevermore. When a believer dies, he just
drops his robe of flesh. He just escapes from these bars
that hold him. and he flies unrestricted by
the flesh, he arises to be with Christ forever and then we shall
see him as he is and thank him as we should. For the grace that
he bestowed upon us, that grace which brought us to glory, which
then will be most evident, was not in vain. This, Peter wrote,
is the true grace of God wherein you stand. Let me just read a
couple of stanzas of a hymn from the bulletin that Darwin sent
me yesterday while I was preparing this message. Grace reigns to
pardon crimson sins, to melt the hardest hearts, and from
the work it once begins, it never once departs. The world and Satan
strive in vain against the chosen few, Secured by grace's conquering
reign, they all shall conquer too. It was grace that called
our souls at first. By grace thus far we've come.
And grace will bring us through the worst and lead us safely
home. Now I commend you to God and
to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and give
you an inheritance among all them that are sanctified. God bless you.