Unfailing Grace of God

Q: What does the Bible say about the grace of God?

The Bible teaches that God's grace is unfailing and is central to salvation, as conveyed in Ephesians 2:8-9. The Bible emphasizes that God's grace is unfailing and fundamental to our salvation. In Ephesians 2:8-9, it's stated, 'For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.' This passage highlights that our salvation is entirely a result of God's unmerited favor, which we receive through faith, rather than through our own efforts. Recognizing God's grace reveals the depth of our depravity, allowing us to appreciate His mercy even more.

Q: How do we know God's grace is true?

God's grace is true and evident through the fulfillment of His redemptive plan in Christ, as affirmed in Romans 8:1. The truth of God's grace is demonstrated through His redemptive plan as revealed in scripture. Romans 8:1 declares, 'There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.' This assurance comes from the completed work of Christ, who took upon Himself the sins of His people and satisfied divine justice. The consistency of God's promises throughout scripture, particularly evident in the New Testament, affirms that grace is not merely a theological concept but a reality experienced by believers. The continual saving acts of God towards His people serve to underscore the truth of His grace.

Q: Why is understanding depravity important for Christians?

Understanding depravity helps us appreciate the depth of God's grace and our need for salvation. Recognizing the biblical understanding of depravity is crucial for grasping the fullness of God's grace. As described in Ephesians 2:1, we were 'dead in trespasses and sins,' highlighting our complete inability to save ourselves. This stark realization leads us to a deeper appreciation of God's grace, which offers salvation despite our sinful nature. When we understand that there is nothing good in us apart from God's intervention, we recognize that all glory for our salvation belongs to Him. This understanding anchors our faith, ensuring we rely not on our works but solely on the grace of God throughout our Christian lives.

Q: What is the significance of 'but God' in Ephesians?

'But God' signifies the transformative work of God’s grace intervening in our hopeless state. The phrase 'but God' serves as a pivotal transition in Ephesians 2, highlighting God's gracious intervention in our dire circumstances. After detailing our spiritual death and depravity, Paul states, 'But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ.' This 'but God' indicates that despite our complete inability and wretchedness, God's mercy steps in to bring life and hope. It illustrates the profound grace that moves us from death to life and from condemnation to acceptance. Recognizing this transformation is essential for believers, reinforcing the assurance that our salvation rests completely in God's hands.

Q: How does God's grace relate to election?

God's grace is directly linked to His sovereign election of individuals for salvation. The doctrine of election is intricately connected to the concept of grace in scripture. Romans 11:5 states, 'Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.' This means that God's choice is not based on human merit but solely on His grace. Election signifies that God, in His sovereignty, chooses certain individuals to be recipients of His grace, ensuring that their salvation is secured. This underscores not only God's authority but also the unconditional nature of His love. Understanding election through the lens of grace provides assurance that our salvation is firmly established in God's sovereign will, affirming that 'by grace ye are saved.'

I want to speak this morning,
God willing, on the subject, the unfailing, the unfailing
grace of God. I meditated somewhat upon this,
have thought about this message, and tried to put it together
for a number of weeks, and it seems that the Lord enabled me
to finish it up this last week, and I'm thankful to be able to
be here this morning and to be able to bring these thoughts
to you, and I hope that God has prepared your heart to receive
his word. Now, of course, one of the greatest
texts in all the Bible on the subject of God's grace is here
in Ephesians chapter 2. And I believe it's true that
we're not able to fully appreciate the grace of God unless we see
that grace against the black background of our depravity,
the background of our sin. And so Paul opens this chapter
by talking about our death, our spiritual death, That we have
been quickened those who were dead those who were dead in trespasses
and sins Here we have I believe set forth in this passage of
scripture that we've read to you this morning the biblical
view of man's condition and as he stands before God. Now most
people do not think that we are as bad off as the Bible sets
us forth as being. Most people feel that we're just
simply not as bad as Bible preachers, as those who expound the Word
of God teach us that the Bible says we are. Now, there are three
things about the scriptural description of man that I'd like to give
you at the outset here this morning of my message. Number one, it
is realistic. It's realistic. Now, regardless
of what anybody has to say concerning the sinfulness of man, the Bible
comes to us with stark realism and tells us here in Ephesians
2 and verse 1 that we're dead in trespasses and in sin. Now it tells us that no matter
how much we may impress others with our so-called goodness and
righteousness, that there is none that doeth good, no not
one, Romans 3 and verse 12. Again the Bible says that man
in his best state is altogether vanity. Now in Psalms 39 and
5 we find those very words. Now, I'm saying these things
in order that you might be able to appreciate with me this morning
what I have to say about the grace of God, about the unfailing
grace of God. Now, I know that most preachers
are trying to boost your morale. They're trying to boost your
morale and build up yourself, confidence, and they tell you
that you ought to believe in yourself. That you ought to have
more confidence in yourself. Now if we get into any kind of
trouble, they tell us that we ought to always blame it on our
parents or blame it on society or anyone else except ourselves. because the motto of the day
is that we're as good, just as good as the next person, and
really we're not too bad. Now the only problem with all
of this is that nobody, according to what the Word of God teaches,
nobody is good at all. There isn't anyone that's good.
There's none good, said the Lord Jesus, none good save one, and
that is God. But now contrary to this psychological
approach, the Bible is very realistic and it describes us as we really
are, as we really are before God. Now number two, I'd like
to say that what the Bible teaches about the depravity of man and
about our condition before God, it is radical. It is radical
indeed. Now the Word of God gets to the
very depth of our difficulties and the real problem with you
and me And everyone else is that we are sinful people. We were
born with a nature that is contrary to God. We are born with a depraved
and sinful nature. Now Paul sets this forth here
when he describes our true condition in Ephesians 1 here verses 1
through 3. And I'd like for you to listen
as I read this radical statement one more time. And it is indeed
a radical statement. Now we just read verse 1, so
notice verse 2 and 3. Wherein in time past ye walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the
children of disobedience. among whom also we all had our
behavior in times past in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling
the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature,
were by nature, we were born that way, were the nature, the
children of wrath, even as others. Children that were deserving
of the wrath of God, even as others that are living in the
world. Now then, beloved, when you look
at this radical statement here of the Apostle Paul, it will
enable you to appreciate a little more the grace of God that is
further mentioned here in this chapter. Now, number three, I'd
like to say that the biblical view of man's condition is pessimistic,
and yet it is optimistic. Now notice what I'm saying here.
In and of ourselves, there is no possibility of recovery. You and I, we cannot recover
ourselves. No man can assist us. No man
can help us. The Bible says in Jeremiah 17
and verse 9 that the heart is desperately, incurably wicked. It is absolutely impossible for
a sinner to make himself in any way, for him to clean himself
up, for him to wash himself with full of soap, for him to in any
way improve himself so that he will be acceptable unto God. But there is cause for optimism
because the scripture says here in the fourth verse, you'll take
note here of these two words, but God Now, beloved, there is
cause for optimism and joy, for after Paul gives this terrible
description of us, here in verses 1 through 3, he says, but God,
and with those two words comes the introduction of the gospel
of God's grace, of God's free grace. Now, the gospel tells
us what God has done in order to rescue us when we were in
the condition that Paul has described that we were in, in a state of
nature. What God has done in order to
save His people and to deliver them from their ungodliness and
from the wages of sin, which is eternal death. It tells us
of His intervention on our behalf, but God. Now, in these next several
verses, the wondrous, the amazing, the astonishing, the unfailing
grace of God toward elect sinners is set forth. And the only avenue,
and let me make this crystal clear, through which salvation
comes to sinners is through the grace of God. There can be no
possibility that you can escape the damnation that is do your
sin except through the grace of God, the wonderful, amazing,
unfailing grace of God. Now let us look a little bit
at this grace. There was a man by the name of
B.B. Caldwell, he once said, made this statement. Now this
man was a contemporary of Rock Barnard and preached alongside
the evangelist Rock Barnard, whom some of us have been acquainted
with through some of his tapes and so on. He made this statement,
he said, the gospel is first and must be first bad news before
it becomes good news. Now in order to understand somewhat
of the mystery of the grace of God, I believe it's necessary
to point these things out to you. Before the gospel of God's
free grace becomes good news to your soul, it will be bad
news to you first. Now let me explain. Now most
people would not understand that statement because they do not
understand the workings of God's mysterious grace. But this faithful
servant of God spoke the truth and here's why we know what this
statement means. Now listen to this. Grace, first
of all, brings a sinner to realize that he is indeed a sinner before
it saves him. Now this does not mean simply
that we acknowledge that we're just like everybody else in the
world. No, but we're made to see our
own hearts to be wicked and full of iniquity before God by God's
grace. We're made to see this. We're
made to feel this. We're made to have a loathsomeness
in our own hearts and made to mourn over the fact that we ourselves
have a wicked and sinful heart before the Lord. We learn that
sin is exceedingly sinful and that we're guilty to the point
of hopelessness before God. Yes, the grace of God must strip
us before it clothes us. Before it can clothe us upon
with the garments of salvation, it must become bad news. Yes,
it must strip us away. All of our comeliness of the
flesh must wither. We must wither like the flower
of the field under the hot and heat of the sun, and we must
be stripped before God. We see our nakedness like Adam,
and that regardless of how we may try to cover ourselves, we
still stand in a state of nakedness before God. Yes, grace brings
us down before it lifts us up. We're made to realize that God
only receives the humble and that the sacrifice of God is
a humble and broken spirit, a humble and contrite spirit. And we deplore
ourselves and our sin and we feel ourselves to be vile and
unworthy of the grace of God and unworthy of the life that's
in Christ, worthy only of the condemnation which is due our
sin. The degree of this work varies
in us all, I suppose, but the person void of this work is most
certainly void of the grace of God. Again, I believe grace kills
before it makes alive. Our vain hopes must die. Our
foolish efforts to make ourselves acceptable before God must be
put to death. Grace slays that old giant of
human pride and makes us ready and willing to submit ourselves
to the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, it is grace which kills
the love of self and gives birth to the love of Christ in our
souls. Notice again, grace empties before
it fills us. Our worldly treasures become
but dung and loss in view of the precious Lord Jesus Christ. The things that once filled us
with joy and pride now prove to be a misery to us. Our form
of fullness has become rottenness to our bones. We now long for
the bread of heaven and the water of life. And our mouth is open
wide to the fullness that only Christ can give. And Paul says,
but God who is rich who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith
he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us
together with Christ. By grace ye are saved. By grace ye are saved. Well what is this fullness of
grace? Well, I believe that this fullness of grace, very important
for us to see this. It's very important for every
child of God, every trembling sinner, every sinner who's been
brought by the way that we've just explained, as the grace
of God has mysteriously brought you to see the badness of your
heart, the badness of your sin, and to see your hopelessness
before God. I believe it's very important
that any preacher that would try to comfort any of the children
of God, any of those poor struggling children of God dealing with
their sinfulness and their wretchedness, that it's our business to point
out this glorious message concerning the fullness of grace and it
is a fourfold message. Let me give it to you here this
morning. It's a joy in my own soul to
be able to speak of these things because, beloved, these are the
things that are required before God and thanks be unto God when
we cannot produce them and we cannot that God is so mercifully
through his rich mercy and grace that God has provided these things
for us. Number one, what we have in the
fullness of the message of grace for undone and unclean and unworthy
sinners is, number one, a perfect atonement. We have a perfect
atonement. The Lord Jesus Christ took our
sins upon himself and he paid for them completely, satisfying
the just demands of God's holy law and forever. put our sins
away. Now redemption, I'd like to announce
it this morning to any sinner here that is dreading facing
God with their sins upon their conscience, dreading meeting
a holy, a thrash holy God at the judgment. I'd like to tell
you this morning that if you're in that state of fear, that if
you're in that state of trembling, and if you feel the guilt and
and God has brought by His Spirit conviction upon your heart. I'd
like to tell you this morning that redemption is accomplished. That it is accomplished. That
it's not something that we're working on and the churches are
working on, preachers are working on. It's something that has been
accomplished. We are redeemed by the blood
of Christ. The children of God are redeemed. Redemption is accomplished. Galatians 3 and 13 says, Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse
for us. For it is written, cursed is
everyone that hangeth on a tree. And Hebrews 9 and verse 12 says,
neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood
he entered once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us. And so my friend, what I'm telling
you is that the Lord, through the richness of His grace, through
His unfailing grace, has met the great need of our soul and
provided in Christ perfect atonement for our sin. Now the next thing
I would suggest, I said the message was fourfold. Listen, He has
provided that which He demanded of us. He has provided perfect
righteousness. Perfect righteousness. Now, it's
not enough for the sinner to be washed. It's not enough for
the sinner to be simply pardoned. We are required to have law righteousness. We are required to keep the law
of God. Cursed is he that continueth
not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them. Galatians 3 and 10 says, and this too Christ has done
for us as the elect people of God. The Lord Jesus Christ has
endured the curse and he has provided for us. a perfect righteousness. Now by his faithful obedience
to the law of God, as our representative, he has brought in everlasting
righteousness for us. Romans 5 and verse 19 says, for
as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by
the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. And so the
people of God have a perfect righteousness in and through
the rich unfailing grace of God. They are righteous before God.
They have been given this righteousness by which they stand before God. and which they are accepted before
God. Now number three, and this is
very important, and this is the very merit, this is the very
heart of the gospel. You listen now. Number three,
we have a perfect imputation. Christ has given us life, light,
and understanding by the gospel, enabling us to receive understand
and receive the imputation of His righteousness to us by faith
in Him. And I'd like you to turn in your
Bibles, if you will, to the book of Romans chapter 1 and listen
to what these verses say. First of all, I'd like to read
verse 16 and verse 17. Listen to it. For I am not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation
to every one that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to
the Greek. For therein is the righteousness
of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, The
just shall live by faith. And then turn to the fourth chapter
of the book of Romans, and listen to verses three through eight.
For what saith the scripture, Abraham believed God, and it
was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the
reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly,
his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also declareth
the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness
without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. Now then, I want you to look
at verse 20 and 25 of the same chapter. He, that is Abraham,
staggered not the promise of God through unbelief, but was
strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded
that what he had promised he was able also to perform, and
therefore it was imputed to him. for righteousness now was not
written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but for
us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised
up Jesus our Lord from the dead. I'm talking about a perfect imputation. I'm talking about how that the
Lord Jesus Christ had our sin charged to Him, all of our sins
charged to Him, and then all that He was in all of His righteousness
and in all of His obedience, all of His submission to God,
all of His honor of the law, all of it was charged or imputed,
reckoned to our account. And that's how we have perfect
right standing before God, cannot be improved upon. And this is
very important. This imputed righteousness is
received by faith. Righteousness is imputed to us
without works, and it is an unconditional, irrevocable imputation. Romans 4, 6 through 8 that we
read makes this crystal clear that God does not impute sin
any longer to his elect people and that he has imputed his son's
obedience and righteousness unto them and they stand in his righteousness
and they're perfect before God, accepted before God. Now that's
a tremendous message, my friend, unto those sinners who tremble
knowing what they are in the flesh, knowing what they are
in nature, facing the wrath and judgment of God forever and ever.
These people who fear and hear at times the great iron gates
of eternity closing and slamming in their ears, knowing their
souls will be lost forever, to know that there's a righteousness
that can be and is imputed unto those who are in Jesus Christ,
those who are chosen in Him. This, my friend, is the message
of God's grace that God has provided all in the way of righteousness
that we have need of. A perfect righteousness and a
perfect imputation. Complete, absolute imputation. Now then, that's how God saves
sinners. Number four, and the last statement
of this fourfold message, I say that we have perfect liberty.
Now since justice has been satisfied, the law having been honored and
righteousness having been imputed to us, God's elect are completely
freed from all possibility of condemnation. Romans 8, 1, so
clearly, teaches that there is therefore now no condemnation
awaiting them which are in Christ Jesus. Because judgments already
fell on Christ, our condemnation became His. He was condemned
and He died with the transgressor, was numbered with Him in order
that we might be counted righteous in Him and be freed from the
judgment. Where there is no debt, there
is no liability. Where there is no sin, there
is no further curse. Where there is no guilt, there
need be no fear. And if God will not impute sin,
my brother, to you, then you need not be full of fear that
you shall stand unprepared before God, or in some way come up short
before God, because where there is no guilt, there's no fear,
and where there's no fear, there is perfect liberty. perfect liberty. Isn't it marvelous to be able
to open your mouth and sing the glorious hymns of the faith knowing
that there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus?
Make no difference about your stumblings and your failings
and your faults. To be able to praise God from
your heart knowing that the amazing unfailing grace of God has done
all that was necessary to do in order that His elect that
they be preserved and saved, standing before Him completely
and righteous. Well, for whom has He done this? For whom did the unfailing grace
of God, for whom was it planned and purposed? For whom did this
grace? Why was God so willing to do
all of this? And for whom was he willing to
do it? Well, certainly it was for his people. But let me explain
this in a clear way if I can this morning. I knew of a store
back east where the business was in remnants. Remnants. Now this particular
storekeeper that I remember, he brought remnants from factories
at bargain prices because they were useless to the factories.
They could not use them and he would sell them also at bargain
prices. Now with men, a remnant is something
left over for which there is no plan, no purpose, or use. That's what a remnant is. Remnants
are a nuisance which must be disposed of in some way. But
this store that I'm speaking of only dealt in remnants. Now this man was always looking
for remnants. Remnants was his treasure. His business, I say remnants
was his treasure. To him that was his business. And the Lord's very much like
him and he seeks a remnant. God only deals with a remnant. He builds his house with a remnant. His treasure is a remnant. Now, I want you to follow me,
if you will, this morning. These things are blessed to me.
I believe that God, through his unfailing grace, has been pleased
to choose and save a remnant out from among the fallen sons
of Adam. And I'd like just to point out
some things to you this morning that would help you to see what
it is that God has done in doing, all through grace, for this remnant,
what he's done, what he's purposed to do, what it's all about, and
it should make you to appreciate the unfailing grace of God more. Notice, if you will, five things
about this remnant, and we will be through this morning. Number
one this is a remnant according to the election of grace And
this is found in romans 11 5 now in romans chapter 11 And if you
want to turn there in your bibles, you can look at this verse or
just listen as I read it I believe that i'll begin up here in a
little further up in the chapter here uh in verse 2 god hath not
cast away his people which he foreknew What ye not what the
scripture saith of Elias, how he maketh intercession to God
against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy people,
Romans 11, 2 and 3. They have killed thy prophets
and dig down thine altars, and I am left alone, and they seek
my life. But what saith the answer of
God unto him? I have reserved to myself 7,000
men who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so,
then, at this present time also, there is a remnant according
to the election of grace. Now, what does this mean? Well,
it means that God has not chosen to save all men, but there is
a remnant chosen from among the ruins of Adam's fallen race who
must be saved. And this remnant will be saved. There remains, even at this very
moment, a remnant according to the election of grace. God has
some people. Now they're from out from among
the whirlings and from among the sinners of the world. the
fallen sons of Adam, but God has chosen, set His love upon
a certain number of these men and women, boys and girls in
the world. And in Ephesians 1, in verse
4, 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 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 there is a remnant according
to the election of grace, and it is this remnant that God has
been pleased to save. Now listen to me. Number two,
everything God does, he does for his remnant. Everything he
does. Now I recognize that may sound
like we're a little narrow-minded. It may sound like God's narrow-minded. But my friend, everything that
God does, he does for his remnant. So all that we've been talking
about when we gave you the fourfold message of God's grace, when
we talked about perfect atonement, perfect righteousness, perfect
imputation and perfect liberty, God done all of this for this
remnant of grace. Now all men benefit from God's
goodness to his remnant, I will admit that, his benevolence.
His rain, His sunshine, His peace, His pestilence, the drought,
darkness and war comes upon all men alike, but they come for
and belong to the remnant. And if you had eyes to see it,
my friend, you would see that everything that happens in God's
world, it all happens and falls out eventually to the benefit
of the remnant. Now listen to what those scriptures
teach in 1 Corinthians chapter 3. Therefore, in verse 21, let
no man glory in men, for all things are yours. Whether Paul
or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present
or things to come, all are yours. Paul said to the church at Corinth,
All ye, he said, and ye are Christ, and Christ is God's. And I like
that verse there where it said that the world, life, death,
things present, things to come, all are yours. Even death is
yours. It's a child of God. Well, let
me say in the third place that God is long-suffering with all
men for the sake of this remnant. Now in 2 Peter 3 and 9 it says
the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count
slackness, but is longsuffering to usward toward God's chosen,
not willing that any of them should perish, but that all should
come to repentance. The Armenians use that verse
to try to teach that God is something less than sovereign in the purpose
of salvation, but it doesn't teach anything of the sort. It tells us simply that God is
not slack concerning his promises, some men count it, but his long-suffering
to us worth, to his elect, to the remnant. that he would not
allow. Now were it not, and if it were
not for God's elect remnant, I believe that he would have
destroyed the world in his wrath long ago like Sodom and Gomorrah. If it hadn't have been for the
remnant, God would have already brought his judgment and brought
fire and rain to hell out of heaven and destroyed this earth
if it hadn't have been for this remnant. according to the election
of grace. God's elect are truly the salt,
the preserve of the earth. And as God spared Adam for Abel's
sake and Sodom for Lot's sake, God spares the world today for
the elect's sake that they all might finally come to the experience
of grace and be saved. And the only reason why God hadn't
brought this whole thing to a halt is because there's some of his
elect children in the world that has not yet experienced in reality
by the working of the Spirit of God, regeneration. And they've
not come yet to appreciate the fourfold message of God's grace
and been able to believe in a perfect atonement, perfect righteousness,
perfect imputation, and perfect liberty. And therefore God is
sparing the world until the last one of his chosen sheep come
into the fold. Now, fourthly, God's remnant
in this world is always small and feeble. It's always small
and feeble. In Isaiah 16, verse 14b, it says,
And the remnant shall be very small and feeble. Now, in the end, they will be
great. There will be a great multitude which no man can number.
But in this world, God's people are always very, very small minority. in this world. Doesn't seem like
that the people of God are very many. There are few that be saved,
the Lord Jesus said. And certainly as we look out
into the world we see the people of God not in strength. We see the people of God Needing,
needing, Mike let us in the hymn, I need thee every hour. The people
of God are needy, tried, tested people. People of God are a people
who lean not on their own wisdom. They're like the Lord Jesus,
their master who was a root out of dry ground. The people of
God are the same. We are, we're not recognized
here. Men do not know us to be children
of the King. They do not know that the royal
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ has washed us from our sin and
that we're God's children. They do not know that. But my
friend, the people of God now are a very small band and a feeble
band. But nevertheless, God's remnant
is the remnant which the Lord has purposed to do all things.
And that brings me to the fifth thing, and that is that God will
save this elect remnant. All he has done in grace is to
that end. Everything that he's done by
grace. Ephesians 2 in verse 5, the last
phrase of the verse, by grace ye are saved. not you're made savable. And
if you will, if you will some way or another, if you'll some way or another
cooperate with God, you will finally be saved. Didn't say
that, it says ye are saved. Ye are saved. Not a matter of
cooperating with God, it's a matter of God having purposed your salvation
and he saves people by grace. By grace, ye are saved. That's what it says. All right? God will save his people. Romans
9, 27 says, Isaiah also crieth concerning Israel, though the
number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a
remnant shall be saved. They shall be saved. No question
about it. It cannot fail. It must come
to pass. Because God has purposed it.
A remnant shall be saved. Romans 11 and 26. And so all
Israel shall be saved. That's the spiritual seed of
Israel. As it is written, there shall come out of Zion the deliverer
and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. All Israel shall
be saved. That is, as we pointed out, all
of those who are the seed of Christ. All of those who have
been given to Christ, all of those who are the covenant children,
the love gift to Christ before the foundation of the world,
they all shall be saved. This is the unfailing grace of
God, not one of that great remnant for whom God made, whom God rules
and disposes of this world shall be lost. Everything is geared
around that. God will save them all. He'll
save all of his people. Now, you say, well, I don't know
whether I'm saved or not, preacher. Well, it may leave us all out.
It may leave some of us out. I don't know. But I'm not about
to change the message of God just because some of us may not
feel that we're under or that we're in. I'm here this morning
to preach the word of God to you, the truth of God. I'm talking
about the unfailing grace of God. I'm not talking about a
plan or a purpose that in all that, you know, like men talk,
Armenians, they say, well, God planned to save everybody, but
he wasn't able to do it. What a fool would an all-wise,
supposedly all-wise God be to purpose to save everybody when
He knew at the time He did it that He couldn't do it and men
wouldn't cooperate with Him. Well, what a fool this God would
be. The God of the Bible is a God
whose grace is unfailing, is a God whose purpose will not
be thwarted, but God will save all of this great remnant because
He made rules and disposals of this world to that end. And none
of His people shall be lost. All of them shall be saved. God the Father loved these people.
God the Son died to redeem these people, this remnant, and God
the Spirit calls this remnant. And God, by His great, amazing
and unfailing grace, will preserve them unto life everlasting. He will do it without question,
without fail. All right, now I close with this
poem. Listen to these words. Hail sovereign
grace, so rich and free, that first devised the plan to save
a sinful wretch like me, and carried out the plan, effectual
grace, effectual blood, grace that can never fail. I praise
you, my great saving God, for grace that cannot fail. Well, if we have the ability
by the Spirit of God to understand these things, certainly, as the
Lord's dear children, we will praise Him, we'll give thanks
unto God, and we'll rejoice in a redemption that is complete,
a redemption that is sure, a grace that is unfailing. And I hope
this morning that I'm speaking to the Lord's dear family, and
that you are one of those for whom God has done all of this
and that he has redeemed your soul now if you are one who are
conscious of your sin and you feel the weight of it don't feel
that that excludes you because if you remember in the second
part of our message this morning we talked about the mysterious
ways that grace works how it kills, how it empties, how it
just simply brings us to see what we are by nature, and only
those who are brought in this way will be those who appreciate
this unfailing grace of God. And so as we said earlier at
the very outset, against the blackness of our depravity and
sin, we're able to see clearly this unfailing grace of God.
May the Lord bless these truths to all of our hearts, and may
the message bear fruit to the glory and honor and praise of
our God. Well, let's have a hymn, Mike,
in closing this morning. Let's sing 332, Amazing Grace. Let's all stand and sing, please. 332. Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound that saved
a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind, but now I see. Was grace that taught my heart
to fear, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Unfailing Grace of God

What does the Bible say about the grace of God?

How do we know God's grace is true?

Why is understanding depravity important for Christians?

What is the significance of 'but God' in Ephesians?

How does God's grace relate to election?

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Unfailing Grace of God

What does the Bible say about the grace of God?

How do we know God's grace is true?

Why is understanding depravity important for Christians?

What is the significance of 'but God' in Ephesians?

How does God's grace relate to election?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

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