My text is Romans chapter five,
verses 20 and 21, but I'd like to read a verse of scripture
first from Matthew chapter 13, if you would turn there. Verse
22 of Matthew chapter 13. Excuse me, verse 23. But he that
received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word and
understandeth. He hears and he understands. I want to attempt to bring a
message on understanding sovereign grace. Wouldn't it be a blessing
if we leave this place with some spiritual understanding where
God has taught us understanding sovereign grace. Romans chapter 5, I'd like to
read verses 20 and 21. Moreover, the law entered that
the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, Grace
did much more abound that as sin hath reigned unto death,
even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life
by Jesus Christ, our Lord. A couple of years ago, Lynn and
Aubrey and I went to the Grand Canyon, something I always wanted
to do. And we flew into Phoenix, Arizona,
and we were going to be there over the weekend. And I wanted
to see if I could find a Sovereign Grace Church. So I Googled Sovereign
Grace Phoenix, and lo and behold, in Phoenix, Arizona, there was
a Sovereign Grace Church. I was very excited about going
to church there. And I googled this and I got
on the website. I looked at it on the website
and it was a charismatic church. It was a tongue speaking charismatic
church. And I found out at that time
that what they meant by Sovereign Grace and what I meant were two
totally different things. The term sovereign grace is actually
becoming more popular. There was an article in Time
Magazine recently entitled, The New Calvinism. Now when something
becomes popular, you can be assured it has become corrupted. The
offense has been removed. It's become easier to accept
and easier to receive. What does sovereign grace mean? Sovereign means supreme power,
absolute control. God is sovereign. He does as He pleases. He does only as He pleases. And he does always as he pleases. Whatsoever the Lord pleased,
that did he. You cannot believe God is sovereign
and believe that man has a free will. Amen. What do I mean by free will?
Now we do what we want to do, don't we? We do what we want to do. Everything
you do, you do because that's what you want to do. Same with
me. We will to do what we want to
do. That being true, it's also true that God exercises absolute
sovereignty over man's will. God's will is sovereign. Yes, we do what we want to do,
but that belief that man has a free will, that God loves everybody,
Christ died for everybody and wants to save everybody, but
it's up to your will as to whether or not you'll be saved. You don't
believe in God if you believe that. You don't believe in a
sovereign God. Grace. Grace is God's unmerited favor
to sinful men. Now, if there's anything that
I can do, that will move God to do something for me, that
is a denial of grace. That makes salvation by works. Now, to call grace sovereign
grace is really kind of, I don't know, you know, I mean, grace.
Grace. If it's grace, it's sovereign.
It has to be sovereign if it's grace. It's kind of redundant.
You know, kind of like calling it free grace. Well, of course,
it's free grace if it's grace at all. But sovereign grace. Now, how would the Bible define
this term sovereign grace? Well, somebody says, well, the
word sovereign is not in the Bible. That's true. Neither is the word
trinity. But they're both taught on every
page, aren't they? Now in Romans chapter 5 verses 20 and 21, we
have what I believe is a very simple definition of sovereign
grace. And if I want to understand sovereign
grace, I'm going to have to have some understanding of what is
said in these two verses of scripture. And I've got six points to this
message. To understand sovereign grace,
first of all, I'm going to have to have some understanding of
the purpose of God's law. the law entered. And secondly,
to understand sovereign grace, I'm going to have to have some
understanding of the place where sin abounds. And thirdly, for me to understand
sovereign grace, I'm going to have to have some spiritual understanding
of how that grace abounds. And fourthly, to understand sovereign
grace, I'm gonna have to have some understanding of this word
righteousness. And fifth, to understand sovereign
grace, I'm gonna have to have some understanding of eternal
life, what it is. And last, to understand sovereign
grace, I'm gonna have to have some understanding that it is
by our Lord Jesus Christ. understanding sovereign grace.
Now look in verse 20. Moreover, the law entered that
the offense might abound. Now, by the law, Paul is referring
to Exodus chapters 20 through 23, when God gave Moses the law
on Mount Sinai. The Ten Commandments, thou shalt
have no other gods before me. The commandment against idolatry
and taking his name in vain. And the commandment regarding
the Sabbath and the commandment regarding honoring your father
and mother and all authority, the commandment concerning thou
shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not
steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet,
the law. Now what is the purpose of the
law? Well, first of all, the law gives
us some idea of the character of God. He is absolutely just
and holy. He hates sin and there's no three
strikes you're out, it's one strike and you're out. That is
the law of God. Absolute justice. Absolute holiness. The law of
God tells us something about the character of man. You see,
I don't become a liar when I lie. I lie because I'm a liar. I don't
become a thief When I steal, I steal because
I'm already a thief in my heart. The law exposes character. The law was not made for a righteous
man. If you need to be under law, all you say by that is I'm
a monster. That's it. In reality, in reality,
the law was not made for a righteous man. That's what Paul said to
Timothy, but for sinners and ungodly for the You're familiar
with that passage of scripture. And for me to have some understanding
of the purpose of the law, I need to see, look back in our text
at verse 20, moreover the law entered that the offense might
abound. Now we think of the law as restraining
sin, don't we? That's what we think of. And
I'm thankful for the laws of our land that do restrain sin,
aren't you? I mean, if we didn't have laws in this land, we couldn't
go outside Something horrible happened. I'm thankful for laws
in that sense, but the strength of sin is the law. God's law does not restrain sin. It just stirs it up and it exposes
us to be what we are. Now, if I can look at God's law
and fail to see that I've not kept one commandment one time,
I am in darkness. I have no understanding of the
law. All the law does is expose me
as a lawbreaker. Nothing else. That is the purpose
of God's law. And here's the second point.
For me to understand something about sovereign grace, I am going
to have to understand something about the place where sin abounds. Moreover, the law entered that
the offense might abound, but where? The place where sin abounded. Where's that? Where's that? Where sin abounded. Where the offense abounds, where
it overflows. Now, where sin abounds, that
means that all that's there is sin. Nothing else. Cut it open and what do you see?
Nothing but sin. where sin abounds, where sin
overflows. Now, if you and I ever get some
understanding of what God's law is actually saying, we're going
to see that we are the place where sin abound. Sin rules human nature. Paul put it this way, the law
is spiritual but I am carnal, sold under sin. The Lord said, whosoever committeth
sin is the servant, is the slave of sin. In Genesis chapter 6
verse 5, and God saw that the wickedness of man was great upon
the earth and that every imagination, every one of them, of the thoughts
of his heart was only evil continually. The place where sin abounds. You know, if you have a free
will, you could choose to be holy, couldn't you? You could choose to be good.
Try it. I hope I'm saying this Really believe in it. Sin abounds in me. I'm the chief of sinners and
I'm going to get mad at you if you agree with me. That's how
bad I am. All I do is sin. I cannot not I cannot look down my nose at
anybody. And all my sin is all my fault. I'm not a victim. I'm not a victim
to the sovereignty of God. It's not my upbringing's fault.
All my sin is all my fault. And if God saves everybody in
this room but me, he's just and holy and perfect. You believe that about yourself?
The place where sin abounds. Moreover, the law entered that
the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, everywhere
where you find a place where sin abounds, you know what? Grace
does much more abound. No exceptions. Now, how is it
that grace abounds? Well, let's go on reading. Moreover,
the law entered that the offense might abound, but where sin abounded,
grace did much more abound, that as sin hath reigned unto death,
even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life
by Jesus Christ our Lord. Now, where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound. Grace is God's unmerited favor
given, not offered, not offered. God never offers grace. God gives
grace. God saves by his grace. Wherever
sin abounds, grace does much more abound without it being
earned in any way. God's grace is in no way dependent
upon human works, worth, or will. You said that last night. It
depends solely on God's will and cannot be earned by merit
nor lost by guilt. Grace is absolutely free of any
human influence. If human influence is involved
in any way, it ceases to be grace. Now, notice Paul said that as
sin hath reigned unto death. How much power, how much ability
do you have to stop death? Is there anything you can do
to keep death from taking place? No. This is how much reign sin
has. You're going to die and there's
nothing you can do about it. The wages of sin is death. And we have no control. Now in
the same manner, just as sin reigns unto death, so that death
has power over you. You can't stop it. You can't
prevent it. In the same way that sin reigns
unto death, grace reigns. Grace is unstoppable. It's invincible. It's irresistible. It can't be held down. It can't
be prevented. Now, sin is described as a tyrannical
king in its reign, the one who controls, the one whose will
is done. But here's the gospel. Just as you cannot prevent the
reign of sin, you cannot prevent the reign of grace. Grace is
portrayed as a ruling king whose will must be done. sovereign, invincible grace that
will not take no for an answer. Wherever sin abounds, are you
that place? Are you a place where sin abounds?
In that very place, grace does much more abound. How grace reigns. How grace reigned in eternal
election. when God, as an act of His own
free and sovereign will, by His grace, chose a people in Christ. 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. Grace reigns in justification,
being justified freely by His grace. When Christ died, all my sin
was put away. I had no guilt. I'm perfectly righteous before
God. How grace reigns in that. God's justifying the sinner. Grace reigns in the sin payment,
being justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus. Oh, how His grace reigns that
He would give His Son What in you, what in me, could merit
God giving His Son? God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should
not perish, but have eternal life. How grace reigns in forgiveness,
in whom we have redemption. Through His blood even the forgiveness
of sins, his forgiveness is full, free, everlasting, and irreversible. It's not like ours. Narrow, difficult,
half-hearted with strings attached. Their sins and iniquities will
I remember no more. Now you listen to me real carefully
regarding this thing of forgiveness. False religion makes forgiveness
the end. If you do this, if you do that,
if you start doing this and stop doing that, if you turn things
around, you'll have the forgiveness of sins. False religion makes
forgiveness the end. The gospel begins, begins with the full, free, frank
forgiveness of sins. How grace reigns in calling. Lazarus, come forth. Could Lazarus say no? How grace reigns in preservation,
Jude 24, now unto him that is able to keep you from falsehood
and to present you faultless before his presence with exceeding
joy. And I'll tell you what, I'm going
to understand something about the reign of grace. I mean, you
know, our understanding is very small, isn't it? I mean, it's
very I'm thankful for what understanding we have. But when I stand before
the judgment throne and hear him say to me, well done, thou
good and faithful servant. When I hear the heavenly choir,
who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? I'm going
to understand something about the reign of grace. To understand
sovereign grace, I have to have some understanding of righteousness. Moreover, the law entered that
the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, grace did
much more abound. That as sin hath reigned unto
death, even so might grace reign through righteousness. Now understand
this about God's grace. God's grace is righteous grace. It does not make sin okay. It does not excuse sin. It puts
away sin. Psalm 71, 16, David said, I've
made mention of thy righteousness, even thine only. Now, why is that? Because His
righteousness is the only righteousness. And I'm saved by the very righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ. My sin became His. He became
guilty of my sin. He experienced everything there
is in sin, with the exception of the commission of it. He knew
all the guilt and the shame and the degradation and the humiliation
of my sin. And His righteousness becomes
mine. And grace reigns through righteousness. This is righteous grace. It doesn't
make sin okay. It doesn't sweep sin under the
cover. Grace reigns through righteousness. And thirdly, or fifthly, sorry,
grace reigns unto eternal life. Now, what I'm talking about is
where eternal life comes from. The life of God in the soul. There is no eternal life without
the reign of God's grace. And then, to understand sovereign
grace, I'm going to have to understand something about it being by our
Lord Jesus Christ. He's the author of this. He's
the finisher of this. The law was given by Moses, but
grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. He is the grace of God
embodied. Now, I'd like to close by looking
at the passage of Scripture in Hebrews chapter 4. And I'm going
to show you, I hope the Lord shows me and shows you, the key
to understanding sovereign grace. Hebrews chapter 4. Verse 16. Let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace, grace
reigning from a throne, sovereign grace. Let us come boldly unto
the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to
help in time of need. Now, here's the first question.
Who's he talking about when he says let us come boldly to the
throne of grace? Am I in this group? Who's he
talking to? I mean, that's a big thing. Come boldly to the throne of
grace, come on. Who's he talking to? Who's the us? Well, let us
therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain
mercy and find grace to help in time of need. It's people
who need to obtain mercy. And it's people who need to find
grace to help in time of need. Anybody like that, come on. Let us come boldly. Boldly to the throne of grace.
I come because it's a throne of grace. Complete unmerited
favor. There's nothing holding you back.
If you need grace, if you need mercy, come on boldly. Don't
hold back. This is a command. Let us come. You know when the Lord said,
come unto me, all ye that labor and heavy laden, I'll give you
rest. I love that. I know it's called the great
invitation. It is, but it's more than that. It's a command. It's
a command. Let us come boldly to the throne
of grace. Why? to obtain mercy and find
grace to help win in time of need. Now here is the key to
having a spiritual understanding of sovereign grace. I need sovereign grace. I need God to let me Alexa is
absolutely necessary. I will not be saved if God doesn't
choose me. I need the Lord Jesus Christ
to effectually pay for my sins and put them away where there
is no more. Because if he doesn't, it's over
for me. I need his effectual redemption. I need irresistible grace because
I resisted if I don't have irresistible grace. I need that. I need Him. I need to be preserved. I need sovereign grace, God's
grace, or I won't be saved. I need sovereign grace, and I
need to hear sovereign grace preached. And if you need sovereign grace,
you need to hear the truth preached. Amen.