Open your Bible, please, to 1
Corinthians chapter 15. David made reference to this
passage this morning in the Sunday school
hour. If you miss Sunday school lessons,
just come for church. You miss a very good time of
worship, meditation, instruction. Good time to be here. He puts
a lot of effort into preparing those studies. I urge you to
come in here. It's profitable. I want to talk to you this morning,
if it don't offend you. And if it does offend you, I'll
talk to you anyway about God's amazing grace. I'm getting older. Like the Apostle
Peter, I'm thinking about the time when I cut off this old
tabernacle and reached the end of my faith, that is, the salvation
of my soul, go out to meet the Lord. And I have a lot of thoughts
about times past, where I grew up and how I grew up, my dear
parents, and I didn't have anything to do with that. It's just God's
amazing mercy and grace that I was born where I was, when
I was, all these things. David said, I have a salvation. It's a covenant salvation, ordered
in all things, and it is absolutely certain. That's the kind of salvation
I have. It's a salvation ordered of the
Lord, from the greatest to the lowest, meanest and smallest
detail, ordered of the Lord. from the first time I had a thought
of death and judgment ordered of the Lord. I want to talk to you about God's
amazing grace. Let me read you a few verses.
1 Corinthians 15, verse 1, Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you
the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received,
and wherein ye stand, by which also ye are saved, if ye keep
in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed
in vain. For I delivered unto you, first
of all, that which I also received, how that Christ died for our
sins according to the that he was buried and that he rose again
the third day according to the Scriptures. That is so important,
according to the Scriptures. I don't know anyone that has
any interest in religion at all that wouldn't say that Christ
died for our sins, but that's not the gospel. The gospel is
how he died for our sins, according to the Scriptures. lived and
died and rose again according to the Scriptures. That he was seen of Cephas, then
of the twelve. He was seen of above five hundred
brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain unto this
day, this present. But some have died, fallen asleep. After that he was seen of James,
then of all the apostles. And last of all, he was seen
of me also as of one born out of due season. For I am the least of the apostles. I
am not fit to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church
of God. You know, I just happen to think
these famous radio preachers, I never have heard one of them
talk like that. Not fit to be a preacher, not
fit to be named with God's preachers. Paul said, not fit to be a saint. Chief of sinners. I am the least of the apostles.
I am not meet to be called an apostle because I persecuted
the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am
what I am. And His grace which was bestowed
upon me was not in vain. It never is and never will be. The word which he sends forth
will not return unto him void ever, ever. But I labored more
abundantly than they all, yet it wasn't really me, but it was
the grace of God which was with me. Therefore, whether it were
I or they, so we preach, and so you have believed, and it's
all by the grace of God. My subject today, as I announced,
is God's amazing grace. Infinite, divine, amazing, incomprehensible
grace that's given us in Christ Jesus. That means divine favor. Divine favor. When I was a young
man, I didn't realize it until I'd gone over a few days on my
insurance payment and I went by the office And I asked them,
I told them, I hope you all didn't cancel this, oh no, you have
30 days grace. And that's the way most people
think about grace. It's just something you don't deserve,
you know, it's a day of grace. But grace is much more than that.
Grace is effectual. Divine favor bestowed upon sinners. Not just offered, bestowed. Behold
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we
should be called the sons of God. He never just offered it
to us. He could have offered it to us
from the time we were born until we died. It wouldn't have done
any good. It has to be bestowed upon us. It has to be given us
effectually. And that's exactly what grace
does. Divine favor, undeserved favor. It cannot be earned. It cannot be merited. It cannot
be deserved in any way. You cannot do anything to cause
God to move in your behalf. You don't have anything to offer.
You're dead, as David said, dead in trespasses and in sins. That's
the key to the great controversy in our day. We preach here that
what the Bible said was dead, without strength, We don't have
anything to offer to God. We're in death up to our ears
and we have nothing to pay. Dead. And most of religion talks
about being crippled a little bit. But we're dead. Plumb, smack dab, dead. Spiritually. We're alive physically. Live to the things of the world.
Live to the riches and glamours of the world. Dead to God. Dead to God, the spiritual thing.
Nothing can be done by us to qualify us to receive God's grace. God's grace is undeserved. It
is absolutely free. He gives it to whom He pleases.
It is absolutely always effectual. It never returns unto Him void. Sovereign grace. Sovereign grace,
that's the way we speak of it, because that's the only kind
there is. God's grace is sovereign grace. It's effectual grace. And I might add, it's eternal
grace, purposed and given us in Christ before the foundation
of the world. Always effectual. We have nothing
to offer, nothing to do. What is man that thou art mindful
of him, and the Son of man that thou visitest him? Nothing. God's enemy. A stench in the
nostrils of God by nature. That's what we are. Nothing to
cause God to move in our direction, but everything in us to cause
Him to be repulsed by us. We are odious and despicable
by nature in the sight of God. I think David mentioned that
this morning too in Isaiah chapter 1. wounds and bruises and putrefying
sores. Brothers and sisters, there's
an old hymn that people sing around the world. Even the people
that don't have much concern for religion at all, they sing
it. Where I went to college, they didn't understand it, but
they sung it. Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound. You know
what they used to call that? The Baptist theme song. That's
the Baptist theme song. What? It's written by a man who
was a member of the Church of England. And they wouldn't let
him, they wouldn't even spit where he'd been. They were landmarkers. It wasn't anything to do with
them. I asked about it. I said, if
this man, John Newton, if he were here today, would you let
him preach? No. If Spurgeon were here today,
I had an hour show down there one time, a presentation from Texas, a publication
of Spurgeon's sermons. And they tell all about him,
you know, and sell them to the students. On the way downstairs,
I asked one of the professors, I said, if Spurgeon were here
today, would you let him preach? Oh, absolutely not. Yet promoting
his books. They called him a rebel against
God, stealing from the church. He didn't have authority to preach. We'll find out one day. That old hymn, Amazing Grace,
is one of the best known hymns ever written by John Newton. And it is almost universally
sung throughout the United States and the world by those who meddle
in religion. But I make the declaration, the
assertion today, it is presently almost universally
misunderstood. It doesn't say anything about
an offer. It talks about grace that's saved
a wretch like me. Grace that saves. Grace is much more than an offer.
But while men today and women and churches and preachers sing
the words of this God-honoring hymn, most of them still call
God's grace a free offer. That's all it is, a free offer.
The gospel call, the gospel message in itself is not just an offer.
It comes from a mandate from heaven, believe or perish, believe
or die, bow or perish. It's preached, Paul said in Romans,
the last chapter, unto all nature and for the obedience, obedience
of faith. And the Bible talks about the
judgment falling upon those in 2 Corinthians 2 Thessalonians
chapter 1. Judgment one day falling upon
those who obey not the gospel. It is preached for our obedience.
It is not just given for your vote. It comes with a mandate
from God. Bow down and believe it or die
in your sins. A mandate from God. Much more than
an offer. If God's grace, now listen to
this carefully, I wrote it down. If God's grace was no more than
an offer, an offer of salvation, then never a soul would ever
be saved. Never. Men won't choose that which they
don't understand and can't receive and don't love, don't see the
beauty of it. We see the beauty and attraction
of earthly things all around us, material things, but we don't
have that capacity, that nature to receive and see and understand
and desire the beauty of the things of the Lord. We don't
have it. We must have a new nature. We must have a new nature. Amazing grace, how sweet the
sound. I would suspect that most people
today, if it's sweet to them at all, it's sweet because They
found, they suppose, a fire escape from hell. But it says, Amazing Grace how
sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. Saved me. Saved me. I once was lost, but it found me. The shepherd
came after that lost sheep, found him, picked him up, put him on
his shoulders, carried him back into the fold. I once was blind, but somebody gave me sight, now
I see. That's what God's grace does.
You know, if what I teach and preach about human nature, fallen
nature, were not true, the first time you ever heard the Gospel,
you'd say, oh, my soul, that's what I love. But you don't do
that. You can't see the beauty and
the glory and the preciousness of it. God must do something
to you first. Give you eyes to see. Ears to
hear, heart to perceive. And that's what He does to His
people by His almighty effectual grace. Free grace. Sovereign
grace. That's what He does. Listen here. T'was grace that taught my heart
to fear. Can you identify with that? You
know what it is to fear the Lord because of sin? thoughts of death and judgment,
hell. If you do, grace taught you.
Taught you. They shall all be taught of the
Lord. All of his children. Taught. And it was grace my fears relieved. I remember that part well, too.
I was overseas, all alone, in my room, reading the Scriptures. And a Scripture came to my mind
that I'd heard preached when I was a little boy, and it was
in 1 Peter, Chapter 2. He bore our sins in his own body. on the tree. And God gave me
a little light to see. And I had some peace for the
first time in years. Peace with God. Grace, my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed. I sat down with pencil and paper
and wrote home to the pastor, my father and mother, and the
pastor They sent a missionary over there from Japan to baptize
me in the East China Sea. All grace. You know how many people lived
in the barracks where I was? Now I don't either, but there's
a whole bunch. And I was the only one I know of that wrote
back and asked for baptism. suffering, discriminating, effectual
grace of God. God did it. Through many dangers, toils and
snares, I say today, I've already come. Already come. And I'll tell you, it was grace
that's brought me safe thus far. And grace will take me home,
lead me home. And when we've been there ten
thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days
to sing God's grace than when we first begun. Eternity with
God. Eternity with God. God's grace,
now I wrote this down too, you can write it in your heart if
you can. God's grace saves sinners, saves sinners, fully, completely,
entirely, forever. Always does. When the angel came
and announced to Joseph, Don't be afraid to marry this woman,
identify with this woman, for that which is conceived in her
is of the Holy Ghost. And he said, she's going to bring
forth a child. Now she'll call his name Jesus,
for he shall save his people from their sins. Do you hear
the angel singing on the night of his birth to the shepherds?
Behold unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,
Christ the Lord. Not a would-be Saviour, not a
hoped-to-be Saviour, a Saviour, a real Saviour, able to save
to the uttermost, determined to save His people from their
sins. The Apostle Paul here in the
context of what we read, he is saying, speak plain English,
he is saying, God made me, grace made me to be what I am. Grace
took me from where I was and brought me to where I am. Grace
did it. It is all free grace. I did not
deserve anything. I could not do anything. God
did it. God did it. God's grace made
the Apostle Paul to be what he is. He came from a religious,
self-righteous, pompous, Christ-hating fantasy to an obedient, loyal,
faithful, devoted servant of the same Christ. He said, the love of Christ is
what constrains me in all that I do. He said, for me to live, It's Christ is my life. For me
to live is Christ. And to die, oh, what gain. Oh,
what gain. Grace did that. Not a preacher,
not a church. Grace. God's grace. Amazing grace. He said, I'm not only ready to
suffer and to be imprisoned The Holy Spirit teaches that these
things lie ahead of me. But He said, these things don't
move me. Neither can I my life dear unto myself that I might
finish my course with joy and testify of the gospel of the
grace of God. That's all that matters to me.
That's all that matters. Preaching that gospel of the
grace of God. Look at 2 Timothy just a moment. And verse 9, chapter 1, verse
9. 2 Timothy, chapter 1, verse 9. Who hath saved us? and called
us with an holy calling, not according to our works. We
didn't have any, except bad works. But according to His own purpose,
His purpose of grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before
He ever made the world. 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 hath
chosen us in him before he ever made this world. That's when
grace was given us, all spiritual blessings. God's grace is not waiting upon
what the sinner does. Rather, the grace of God brings
salvation. The grace of God brings and applies
salvation to the souls of men. Ephesians 2, all by the eternal
purpose of God, His purpose of grace. Ephesians 2, verses 8-10,
For by grace are you saved through faith. And that faith is not
of yourselves. It's a gift of God. It's a gift
of God. Boy, if you have faith this morning,
I mean saving faith, God on purpose gave it to you as an individual
through the preaching of His Word. Not of works, lest any
man should boast, for we are his workmanship. Created in Christ
Jesus unto good works, which God hath before day, that we
walk in them, and we will, all according to God's purpose of
grace, all according to God's plan. Look at Acts 18. Let me read you three or four
places, two or three places anyway. Acts chapter 18. Verse 27, And when Paul was disposed to
pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples
to receive him, when he was come, who, when he was come, kept them
much which had, what does that say, believed through grace. That's the only way we can ever
believe. By the grace of God. The gift of God's grace. God's
effectual grace. That's the only way we can believe.
Only way. Let me show you another place.
Look at Philippians chapter 1. Verse 29, David said, This covenant
salvation is ordered in all things and sure unto you. It is given, it is ordered in behalf of Christ. Not only to believe on Him, but
to suffer for His sake. Ordered in all things, ensure
your faith, your repentance, your sufferings, your perseverance,
grace of God, ordered in all things, ensure. Philippians chapter
one and verse six, Paul said, I'm confident of this one thing.
If I don't know anything else, I know this, that He which hath
begun a good work in you will perform it till the day of Jesus
Christ. He lays His almighty hand on
you in saving grace. He'll never take it off till
you're perfectly conformed to the image of His only begotten
Son. I'm convinced of that. I'm persuaded of that. Be confident
of this one day. And then in chapter 2, verses
12 and 13, we find something like this. Work out your own
salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God that worketh in
you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Philippians
2, 12, 13. You can't work out what God hasn't
worked in. We are dependent upon God and
his amazing, free, wonderful, sovereign, amazing grace. Psalm 110, verse 3, Thy people
shall be willing in the day of thy power. He comes to them. They're so dead. Don't care about the beauty and
the glory and the preciousness of God. He opens her eyes, makes them willing to bow down, turn to Christ, give themselves
to Him. They do it willingly because
of His power and grace. His power and grace. Look at Titus, just a moment.
A little book of Titus, and I'm done. Titus, chapter 2, verse 11, For the grace of God that bringeth Salvation. It brings salvation. Hath appeared to all men, teaching us. It brings salvation. And in bringing that salvation,
teaches us that denying ungodliness and worldly We should live soberly,
righteously, and godly in this present world, looking for that
blessed hope, the end of our faith, the salvation of our soul.
Grace of God teaches that when it brings salvation to us. That's
part of the glorious package of salvation. That's part of
it. Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing
of our Lord, great God, and our Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave
himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity,
purifying to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."
These things, just keep on preaching until Christ comes. Keep on preaching. Keep on preaching. Then in the
third chapter, he says, you continue to preach these things, who man
is, where God found him, what he was by nature, and what God
made him to be, not according to his words. but according to
God's own purpose of grace, His own mercy. And they that have
believed in God, they'll be careful to maintain good works. That's
what it says, chapter 3, verse 8. Now, I want to show you one
other place. If you turn back with me to 2
Timothy, chapter 3, And this is where we live today. You can be a member of a Baptist
church, or most any church, and be just completely ungodly. Ungodly. You don't care what
God says. You don't care about doing what
God says. You love everything else more
than God. But the grace of God that bringeth
salvation teaches us that that's not right. It won't let you do
that. But listen here. This know also, verse 1 of chapter
3, 2 Timothy. This know also, that in the last
days, and boy we're there, perilous times, troublesome, terrible
times shall come. For men, you know what makes
this bad? These are all religious folks.
These all talk about Christ, how much they loved Him, how
much He loved them. Men shall be lovers of their own selves,
covetous, never satisfied, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient
to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers,
false accusers, incontinent, no self-control, fierce, despised
of those that are good, traitors, head in high minded, lovers of
pleasure, more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness,
but denying the power thereof. From such, stay away from them.
And that's our world today. Baptist churches, Episcopalians
and Presbyterians and Catholics. That's our churches today. And they all wear the name of
Jesus, and probably most of them have a cross around their neck. From such turn away. They're ever learning, but never
able to come to a knowledge of the truth. God's amazing grace, oh, how
sweet the sound. That old man was a slave trader. He got so bad off with his drunkenness
that he sold himself into slavery to a black woman in Africa and was there for a number of
years. And finally, one day, he was
able to escape and swim out to a ship. catch his way back to
England. From there to one of the most well-known
and respected preachers in the Church of England. I've been
to his church, stood in his pulpit, been to his house. Amazing grace. How sweet the
sound that saved a wretch like me. For I was from lost, but
now I'm found. I was so blind, but now I see. I was so dead, now I have life,
eternal life. May God bless these words to
each of our hearts. May we marvel at His amazing,
amazing, amazing grace.