Is not that I did choose thee? Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Nyberg. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com.
Now here's our pastor, Todd Nyberg. I'm going to be speaking this
morning from Romans chapter 11, and I've entitled this message,
Grace, Exclusive or Inclusive? Which is it? Grace, does it exclude
me or does it include me? Does it exclude you or does it
include you? Now there are only two religions,
the religion of works, and the religion of grace. The religion of grace makes salvation
completely dependent upon what God does for you. The religion
of works means salvation is ultimately dependent upon something that
you do. Now, these two religions, the
religion of works and the religion of grace, are mutually exclusive. In Romans 11, verse six, we read,
and if by grace, salvation, if by grace, then it's no more of
works. Otherwise, grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it's
no more grace. Otherwise work is no more work. Now in verse 21 of Romans chapter
10, right before we get into chapter 11, Paul says this about
Israel. He quotes Isaiah and says, but
to Israel he saith all day long, have I stretched forth mine hands
unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. Now this is the description
of the unbelieving Jews, unpersuadable and gainsaying, contradictory
in what they said. And then Paul says in chapter
11 verse 1, I say then, hath God cast away his people? God forbid. The Jews were his
people and they remained obstinate and opposed to the gospel. Does
that mean that God has cast away his people? Paul says, God forbid. You know, Paul was a Jew. And
then he says in verse one, for I also am an Israelite of the
seed of Abraham of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast
away his people, which he foreknew. Foreknowledge. God's foreknowledge
of his people is the very foundation of salvation. Romans 8, 29 says,
For whom he did foreknow, them he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn
among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate,
them He also called. Whom He called, them He also
justified. And whom He justified, them He
also glorified. There's God's great chain of
salvation beginning with His foreknowledge and ending up with
the final glorification of His people. Now, what is God's foreknowledge? It's not His knowledge of what's
going to take place in the future. Now did God know that you would
be listening to this message this morning? Of course He did. He's God. And the reason you're
listening to this message is because it's all a part of God's
eternal plan. God is God. He's sovereign. He's
in control of everything. But foreknowledge is not God's
knowledge of future events. God's foreknowledge is his foreknowledge
of his people, whom he did foreknow, not what he foreknew, but whom
he did foreknow. Now that word, know, Adam knew
his wife Eve. It speaks of an intimate relationship
of love. When the scripture speaks of
God's foreknowing somebody, that's talking about His love of them
beforehand. Before they had any physical
existence, He loved them. He said to Jeremiah, before I
formed thee in the belly, I knew thee. What about that crowd in
Matthew chapter seven, where he says, depart from me, ye that
work iniquity, I never knew you. Now, he knew all about them,
but he never knew them. He never loved them. He never
knew them to be his. He never knew them to call upon
his name. He never knew them. Now, God
has not cast away his people which he foreknew. Now, he goes on to say, In verse
2, what ye not, what the scripture saith of Elijah, how he made
intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed
thy prophets, and dig down thine altars, and I am left alone,
and they seek my life. Elijah believed himself at that
time to be the only believer in the world. And what does God
say to him? Verse 4, But what saith the answer
of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven
thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Now God preserved God reserved
7,000 men to himself. Seven, the number of perfection.
There were 7,000 who refused to worship this false god, and
they were reserved by God. They were preserved by God. The
reason they didn't bow the knee to Baal is God preserved them
from it. Now, if you and I have not bowed
to the idols of false Christianity, and false religion and the false
ideas of God and the false gospels, if we haven't bowed the knee
to those images, there is only one reason. And you know what
it is? It's not because of any moral strength or moral character
on our part. It's not because of any goodness
in us. Paul put it this way in 1 Corinthians
4, 7, for who maketh thee to differ from another? And what
do you have? that you didn't receive. You
see, the only reason, if I haven't bowed the knee to a false god
and if you haven't bowed the knee to a false god, the only
reason is the grace of God. The distinguishing, discriminating
grace of God. Where is boasting then? It's
excluded, the scripture says. It's excluded. Now let's go on
reading. Verse five, Paul says, even so then at this present
time, There is a remnant, a small number of believing Jews, according
to the election of grace. God has not cast away his people,
which he foreknew. Because even right now, Paul
says, at this present time, there's a remnant, a small number according
to the election of grace. Paul's saying, I'm one of them.
I'm a Jew who has been foreknown and preserved. of this election
of grace. Now, election is the G of grace. If you take out the G of grace,
you're left with the word race, where only the strongest and
the swiftest win. Now, what is election? It's a
Bible word. It's a blessed Bible word. It's
a glorious Bible word. It glorifies God. Election is
God's choice of his people before the foundation of the world. Now I hope you'll listen to me
real carefully because I wanna talk some about the election
of grace and we're gonna find out whether grace excludes people
or includes people. Like some people think of election
as excluding people. Well, what is election? In Ephesians
chapter 1 verse 4, Paul said that he chose us in Christ before
the foundation of the world. If I'm one of God's elect, that
means God chose me in Christ to be saved before the foundation
of the world. Second Thessalonians 2.13 says,
but we're bound to thank God always for you, brethren, beloved
of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you
to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the
truth. In Romans 9 and 11, we read these words for the children,
talking about Jacob and Esau 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. It was said
unto her, the elder shall serve the younger, as it's written,
Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated. Now, election,
the doctrine of election was in the early church's everyday,
ordinary conversation. When Peter wrote to the strangers
scattered throughout those different countries he mentioned, he said,
elect according to the foreknowledge of God. And when he ended that
epistle, he said, the church that's at Babylon, elected together
with you, salutes you. When John wrote, he wrote the
elder unto the elect lady. And he said, the children of
thy elect sister greet thee. When Paul wrote the Thessalonians,
this was shortly after he had been there. He said, knowing,
brethren beloved, your election of God. Christ spoke of the angels
that would gather his elect from the four winds of the earth.
And he said, false Christ would come. And if it would be possible,
they would deceive the very elect. Thank God that's not possible.
Now, I love the way Paul calls this the election of grace. I can't possibly believe that
salvation is by grace and not believe election. Now once you
hear what I said, I want to repeat it. This is true of you, this
is true of me. We cannot possibly really believe
that salvation is by grace and not believe in election that
God chose as an act of His own free will. as an act of his own
sovereignty that he chose who he would save before time began. There's people he passed by and
there's people that he chose. Now, if I reject election, I
reject salvation by grace. If I do not preach election,
I do not preach grace. It's as much a part of the gospel
as Christ's atonement. It's as much a part of the gospel
as the work of God the Holy Spirit in regeneration. There are men
who claim to be preachers who don't believe in election, and
all they prove by that, they're not God's preachers. God never
called them to preach. They put themselves in the ministry,
and it's not God's ministry. What's even worse than that,
there are people who do believe in election, but they won't preach
it, because they fear that it'll cost them something, and that
is even worse. Such are not servants of Christ,
but they're controlled by the fear of man, and they, won't be faithful to God. Now,
you can't understand the gospel. You can't understand what Christ
was doing on the cross without some understanding of election.
When Christ was dying on the cross, he wasn't making salvation
available for men if they do their part. He was actually redeeming
those the Father gave him. He said, I came down from heaven
not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. And
this is the Father's will which has sent me, that of all which
he hath given me, I should lose nothing, but raise it up again
at the last day. I can't really understand regeneration
or the new birth without understanding election. It's being born of
God. He comes down by His Spirit to those He's elected and those
Christ has died for, and He gives them life. He births them from
above. It's not Him offering life, it's
Him giving life, creating life where there was nothing but deadness
in sins. Let me tell you three things
that election states very clearly. Election tells us that God is
God. He's in absolute sovereign control
of everything, and your destiny is in His hands. My destiny is
in His hands. Salvation's not up to you. It's
up to God. All election does is say that
God is God, and it tells us that salvation really is all of grace. It's the election of grace. It has absolutely nothing to
do with a man's works, good or bad. It's God's sovereign choice
of his people, his gracious choice, and salvation by works. This
is what election says. Salvation by works is utterly
and completely excluded. Your good works can't recommend
you, and thank God your bad works can't keep you from being elected.
It's God's sovereign choice of His people. Now, Paul says in
Romans 11, verse 5, even so then, there's at this present time
a remnant according to the election of grace, and if by grace, then
it's no more of works. Otherwise, grace is no more grace.
But if it be of works, then it's no more grace. Otherwise, work
is no more work. Now, do you remember the title
to this message? Grace, exclusive or inclusive? Does election keep
men out of the kingdom of heaven? Or does it bring men in to the
kingdom of heaven? Grace, exclusive or inclusive? Now, grace completely excludes and
shuts out any attempt at salvation by works. That's what it does. If you try to come into God's
presence on the footing of your own works, you're shut out. God
won't have you. By grace, Paul said in Ephesians
chapter 2 verse 8 and 9, by grace are you saved. Through faith,
and that not of yourselves, that faith is not of yourselves, it's
not the product of your own free will. It's the gift of God, not
of works, lest any man should boast. God's not going to have
any boasting. And if I try to come into his
presence on the ground of my own works, my experience, my
decision, my religion, my straightening up, my stop doing this and start
doing that, I will be excluded. Anyone who comes in on the footing
of anything that they've done, they will be excluded. You see, if you even believe,
or if I even believe in free will, we think we have grounds
of boasting. At least I used my will the way
somebody else didn't. There are those who believe in
progressive sanctification. They think you can become more
and more holy by your works, and less and less sinful by your
works. Well, if you believe that, you have a ground of boasting
for what you've done. There are those who believe that you can
earn a higher reward in heaven by the things that you do. Well,
if that's the case, there's a ground of boasting there. The Bible
teaches what has been called the doctrines of grace or the
doctrine of grace. It's what the Bible teaches.
Now, these doctrines of grace or the doctrine of grace, whatever
you want to call it, it can be remembered by the acrostic TULIP. I don't know if you've ever heard
this. TULIP says that all men are totally depraved, unable
to save themselves. It says election is unconditional. God doesn't look for a reason
in you to choose you. He does it because He's gracious.
The atonement of Christ is limited. Not limited by our ability, but
limited in the sense that God intended only to save the elect.
Christ died only for the elect and accomplished their salvation.
The I is irresistible grace. God's grace cannot be resisted.
And perseverance is all of those that the Father elected and the
Son redeemed and God the Holy Spirit gives life to. They're
gonna persevere. They're gonna continue. They're
never gonna fall away. They're going to endure to the
end. Now that is salvation by grace.
Grace. And this is the teaching of the
Bible. It's not some logical system
imposed upon the Bible. It's the very teaching of the
scriptures, that salvation is altogether by grace. Now, it's true, grace is utterly
exclusive. It excludes all human boasting. It utterly excludes salvation
by works and the foul sewage of human merit. It's opposed,
it's an enemy to salvation by works. It excludes. You see, God's grace makes salvation
completely dependent upon what Jesus Christ has done. Now here's
my hope. Here's the hope of every believer.
It is finished. Christ's last words, it is finished. Now he's not just saying my suffering
is over. He's saying what I came to do
has been accomplished. My salvation, my complete salvation
was finished when Christ said, it is finished. Now that means salvation has
absolutely nothing to do with what I do. It has wholly to do
with what Christ has done for me. That's called grace, salvation
by grace. Now, Paul says in verse 7 of
our text in Romans chapter 11, what then? What can we say in
light of this? Israel hath not obtained that
which he seeketh for. Israel seeking to be saved by
works, they were not saved, they were excluded. But the election
hath obtained it. All of God's elect are saved,
and the rest were blinded, were hardened is what the word means.
All God's gotta do is leave me or you alone, and we'll be as
hard as a rock. We won't hear, we won't love,
we won't see any glory in the gospel. That's all he's gotta
do is leave us alone. That's how bad we are by nature.
All God's gotta do is leave me to myself, and I'll be hardened.
Verse 8, according as it is written, God hath given them the spirit
of slumber. This is the judicial act of God.
God hath given them the spirit of slumber. Eyes that they should
not see and ears that they should not hear unto this day. That's
why they're in unbelief. Their hearts have hardened. God
has given them the spirit of slumber. Verse 9, And David said, Let their table
be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a
recompense unto them, that which should have been for their profit,
let it be a snare to them. Let their eyes be darkened, that
they may not see, and bow down their back always. Now, this
is God's judgment against those who do not believe. Now, if I
am not saved, It's not because that God didn't elect me and
Christ didn't die for me. If I'm not saved, it's because
of my sin. It's because of my rejection
of the gospel. It's because of my hard heart.
All God's got to do is leave me alone and I'll be hardened
toward the gospel. And I will not believe. I won't
want to have anything to do with God. That's what It's the truth
regarding me and that's what is the truth regarding you too.
If I'm not saved, it's not because I'm not elect. Understand this,
election does not keep people from being saved who otherwise
would have been saved. Election causes people to be
saved who otherwise wouldn't have been saved. You see, election
does exclude salvation by works. It does, it excludes that altogether. But salvation, election includes
the salvation of everybody who needs to be saved by his grace. Now you listen carefully. Remember,
I'm asking the question, grace, exclusive or inclusive? Yes, indeed, grace excludes all
attempts at salvation by works. But the salvation of God, salvation
by grace, is inclusive of any and every sinner who cannot be
saved by their works. Now, would that be you? Are you someone? You're a lawbreaker. You're a sinful individual. You're
evil and you know it. You're wicked and you know it.
You really believe God would be just if he passed you by.
You believe you're a sinner. You believe that all you do is
sin. And you believe that you cannot
not sin. You really believe that you can't
sit in moral judgment and a ground of moral superiority over anybody. You can't look down upon anybody
for anything they do because you know that you're worse, in
and of your heart. You see in your heart, you know
you're worse. You can't look down your nose at anybody. And
you know that you have no claims on God. If God passes you by
and sends you to hell, you'll be getting exactly what you deserve,
and you really believe that from the depths of your heart. You
know you are a sinner. Do you know that? Now, if you
don't know it, then you've deceived yourself. You're not being honest
with yourself. You want to find out how bad
you are, look to the cross. Don't look within your heart.
You look to the cross, and there you find out how bad you are.
You're so bad that the only way you can be saved is by the death
of the Son of God. That's where sin is truly seen
for what it is. But listen to this. If you're
so sinful, you can't save yourself, and you believe that. Grace includes
you. You see, there is grace for sinners. Paul put it this way in 1 Timothy
1.15. This is a faithful saying, and it's worthy of all acceptation
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. If you're a sinner, that means
He came to save you. Romans 5, 6 says, For when we
were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the
ungodly. Now, if you're without strength,
without spiritual strength, and if you're ungodly, listen to
this. Christ died for you. You're not excluded. You're included. Christ says, look unto me and
be ye saved. You're called upon to believe
on Christ. You're called upon by God himself
to trust Christ as all you need to make you perfectly accepted
before God. You see, grace is inclusive of
any every and all sinners. And not everybody believes themselves
to be a sinner. Not everybody believes this description
that God gives of the sinner. The lawbreaker, they say, well,
I'm not that bad. There's some things I can do.
Well, okay, but you shoot yourself in the foot. You exclude yourself
from grace. But if you, as an empty-handed
sinner, know that you can't save yourself,
and the only hope you have is Christ doing something for you.
Listen to me. Christ died for you. He put away
your sin. That sin you feel that troubles
you so greatly, it's gone. It's separated from you as far
as the east is from the west. You say, well, how can I know
that's true? If you believe on Christ, you'll know. You'll know
that all of, that God requires of you, He looks to His Son for. And just as all God requires
of you that He looks to His Son for, you look to His Son for
all that God requires of you. And you look to Him only and
you look nowhere else. You don't look to yourself, you
don't look at others, you look to Him. You believe on Him. You come to Him. You rest in
Him. You rest in who He is and what He did is all that's needed
to make you perfectly acceptable before God. And you're gonna
find out grace has included you. It hadn't excluded you. It hadn't
held you off. It's included you. You see, because
salvation really is by grace, you cannot be too sinful to be
saved. I don't care who you are, how
bad you are, or how far you've fallen. You come to Christ and
he will receive you. He said, him that cometh to me,
I will in no wise cast out. Now we have this message on DVD
and CD. If you call the church, write
or email, we'll send you a copy. This is Todd Diver praying that
God will be pleased to make himself known to you. That's our prayer.
To request a copy of the sermon you have just heard, send your
request to messages at todsroadgracechurch.com. Or you may write or call the
church at the information provided on the screen.