Sometime next week, the church
in New Jersey, where Clay Curtis pastors is going to have to have
a down payment for their building. So anything that you can give
to that, I know would be very much appreciated toward them.
And I think we can keep until next Sunday. And he's a, he's
a fine preacher and it's a great group of people. And I trust
the Lord will bless them in that Romans chapter 11. I've entitled this message, Grace,
Exclusive or Inclusive? Hope you know why I entitled
that by the end of this message. Now, there are only two religions, the religion of works, and the
religion of grace. There really are only two religions. Somebody thinks, well, there's
all kinds of religions. Well, they still fall under one of
these two heads. A religion that makes salvation
dependent upon you or a religion that makes salvation dependent
upon grace. Two religions. the religion of
works and the religion of grace. And these two religions are mutually
exclusive of one another. The belief of one negates the
belief of the other. Just like that verse of scripture
I just read, said in verse six of Romans chapter 11, and if
by grace, if salvation really is all of grace, then it's no
more of works. It has nothing to do with anything
you or I do. You believe that? Otherwise, grace is no more grace,
but if it be of works, if salvation is in any way dependent upon
works, it's not of grace. Otherwise, work is no more work. Now, I want you to pray for me.
as I deal with this subject of infinite importance. It's so
important that you and I understand this. Grace, exclusive or inclusive? Grace, does it keep people out
or does it bring people in? Now in the last verse of Romans
chapter 10, Paul said, God said to Israel, but to Israel, Old
Testament Israel, the chosen nation, he saith all day long
have I stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying
people. Now that word disobedient means
unpersuadable. Gain saying means contradictory. They contradict what they hear.
They object to what they hear. And God says all day long, I've
stretched forth my hands, come unto me. Come unto me. These are the people I've stretched
forth my hands to. Now, in light of that, Paul says
in verse one of chapter 11, I say then, hath God cast away his
people? He's talking about the children
of Abraham, physically, the Israelites. Remember, there's Jews and there's
Gentiles. There's Israel and there's the
rest of the world. Now, when he says, when God says,
I've stretched forth my hands to these Israelites who are nothing
but disobedient and gainsaying people, does that mean that God
hath cast away his people? Has he just given up on them?
Has he just brought them under judgment? God forbid, Paul says,
For I also am an Israelite. I'm of the seed of Abraham. I'm
of the tribe of Benjamin. I'm a Jew. He hadn't cast away
me. So obviously he hadn't cast away all his people. I'm a Jew.
Now look what he says in verse two. God hath not cast away his
people which he foreknew. Foreknowledge. God's foreknowledge
of his people is the very foundation of salvation. That's a big statement,
isn't it? Can I make it good from the scripture?
We'll look back in Romans chapter 8. This is the first link of the
great chain of salvation, verse 29, for whom he did foreknow. 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. Whom He justified, them He also
glorified. What shall we then say to these
things if God be for us? And where does He begin being
for us in foreknowledge? whom he did foreknow." Now, God's
foreknowledge of his people, the very first link in the golden
chain of salvation, God's foreknowledge is not about events. It's not
about God being able to foresee the future. You know, most people
think God's a time traveler. Because he's God, he can look
through into the future and he's going to see what's going to
happen. Now, did God know you'd be here this morning? Of course
he did. He's God. He knew you'd be here.
He could foresee the future. But the reason he foresees the
future is because he foreordains the future. If God foresaw you
would be here this morning, is there any way you wouldn't have
been here? No. But do you know that has
nothing to do with God's foreknowledge? It's not just God foreknowing
what's gonna happen because he determined it. That's not what
God's foreknowledge is. It's not what God foreknow, it's
who he foreknow. Now, that word know, Adam knew
his wife Eve. That's what the word means. It
doesn't simply mean he knows about you, It means he knows
you in an intimate way. That's what God's knowledge is. If he knows you, he knows you
in an intimate way. That means he loves you. That
means you're his. You belong to him and he knows
you. You remember that crowd in Matthew
chapter 7 verse 21 that said, Lord, Lord, have we not preached
in your name? And in your name, have we not
cast out devils? And in your name, have we not
done many wonderful works? And then shall I say unto them,
depart from me. Ye that work iniquity, I never
knew you. Well, that's a scary statement,
isn't it? He knew all about them. He knew
all about their works, but he says, I never knew you. I never knew you as one of mine. I never loved you, is what that
means. Adam knew his wife Eve. Joseph knew not Mary during this
time. That means he didn't enter into
this intimate relationship with her. If God foreknows you, that
means He foreloved you. That's the very foundation of
salvation, the foreknowledge of God, the forelove of God. Now, it's only the people who
He has foreknown that are not cast away. Let's go back to Romans
chapter 11. I say then, Hath God cast away
his people? God forbid, 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. Now he didn't
foreknow everybody, obviously. What ye not that the scripture
sayeth of Elias or Elijah, how he makes intercession to God
against Israel, saying, Lord, they've killed your prophets,
they've dug down your altars, and I'm left alone and they seek
my life. You know, Elijah thought he was the only believer alive.
He really believed that. He thought I'm the only one left. But what sayeth the answer of
God unto him? Verse four, 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's a remnant according to the election
of grace. Elijah believed himself to be
the only believer in all of Israel. He said, everybody's gone to
Baal worship. I'm the only one left. And God said, no, I have
preserved to myself, I have reserved to myself 7,000 men that have
not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. 7,000, seven being the number
of perfection, it's a big number, 7,000 men who have not bowed the knee
to the image of Baal. Elijah, you're not the only one. I've reserved to myself 7,000
which have not bowed their knee to the image of Baal." Now, why
did they not bow their knee to the image of Baal? What kept
them from doing it? The Lord said, I've reserved
them to myself. I've made sure they wouldn't
do this. Now, if you or I have not bowed the knee to the false
idols of false gospels, there is one reason and one reason
only. He's kept us from it. He's reserved
us to himself. He's preserved us. It's not because
of any moral superiority or moral strength on our part or integrity
of character. It's not because of any loyalty
that's deep in our bosom. It's because he kept us from
it. Don't you know that's true regarding
you? You know that if you've been preserved, it's because
he has preserved you. He's the only reason. Now, I like these words. The only thing that keeps me
from being like everybody else, if I'm not like everybody else,
as far as bowing the knee to false religion, is the distinguishing,
discriminating grace of God. Now those are bad words in our
days, but with regard to grace, it's a good word. Who made you
to differ from somebody else? And what do you have that you
did not receive? Now that is the word of scripture. Verse five, Paul says, even so,
at this present day, just like in Elijah's day, it is today,
there is a remnant. And that word remnant is always
a small number, a small number. The Lord did say, wide is the
gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many
there be that go in thereat, but straight is the gate, and
narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there be that
find it. Now, Paul said, like in Elijah's
day, so today there is a remnant, A small number according to,
and I love this word, according to the election of grace. I love that word. The election
of grace. The election is the G of the
word grace. If you take the G out, what are
you left with? Race. Race, where only the strongest
and the fittest win. But grace is different than race,
isn't it? Grace. Now, what is election? It's God's choice of his people
before the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1.4, according
as he hath chosen us. In Him. Don't miss that in Him. You wonder why would He chose
me? Well, it only has to do with
you being in Him. According as He has chosen us
in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before Him. Paul said to the Thessalonians,
we're bound to thank God always for you, brethren, beloved of
the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you unto
salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the
truth. I love how in the early church
it was woven into their very conversation. They greeted one
another as the elect of God. You don't hear much like that
today, do you? But when Peter wrote to the stranger scattered,
he opened his epistle by saying, elect according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father. And when he ended up that epistle. He said, the church of Babylon
elected together with you, salute you. What a way of conversation. I mean, this was in their everyday
conversation. When John wrote to that lady,
he said, the elder unto the elect lady. And he said, the children
of thy elect sister greet thee. I mean, that was in their conversation.
When Paul was writing to the church at Thessalonica, he said
in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 4, knowing, brethren beloved,
your election of God. If somebody would have said in
the early church, well, I don't believe in election, they'd say,
what? Where'd you come from? What do you mean by that? They
wouldn't have even understood that kind of language in the
early church. The Lord said, the angels will
gather his elect from the four winds. That's the Lord's language.
And he talked about when the false prophets would come, if
it were possible, they would deceive the very elect. But thank
God, it is not possible, is it? For the elect to be deceived.
Now, I love the way Paul calls this the election of grace. Now remember, election, it's
God's choice of his people before time began. The Lord said in
John chapter 15, 16 to his disciples, you did not choose me, but I
chose you. And that's just what we heard
in that beautiful song, "'Tis not that I did choose thee, Lord,
for Lord, that could not be. This heart would still refuse
thee, but thou has chosen me." Now, if a man rejects election,
that man rejects salvation by grace. You can't preach the gospel.
Now listen to me. Listen to this statement real carefully. I want
everybody to hear me. You can't preach the gospel and
not preach election. If a man does not preach election,
that man does not preach the gospel. It is a much as part of the gospel
as the work of Christ in redemption and the work of the Holy Spirit
in the new birth. This thing of election, it's
just as important as it's the work of the Father choosing,
the work of the Son redeeming, the work of the Holy Spirit regenerating.
If you take election out of the equation, you take salvation
out of the equation. Now, there are men who claim
to be preachers of the gospel who don't believe in election.
Well, they're not preachers of the gospel. What's worse, there
are men who believe in election, but are afraid to preach it,
or afraid to come out clear and straight on it, and they hide
it and couch it in language to where men can't understand. That's
worse. That's worse. That's being a
traitor to Christ. That's being more afraid of what
men think than what God thinks. Now, you can't even understand
what Christ was doing on the cross without some understanding
of election. You see, when Christ was dying
on the cross, he wasn't making salvation possible for men if
they do something. He was redeeming the elect. You
can't really understand the work of God the Holy Spirit apart
from election. God the Holy Spirit isn't knocking
on men's hearts hoping they'll open the door to Him. No. He
is saving everybody the Father chose and everybody the Son redeemed. And His work is invincible and
irresistible. How we love the election of grace. Let me tell you three things. Election states clearly. It says
God really is God. It's not an empty title, he's
running the show. He's in absolutely control and
we love it that way. Election says salvation really
is all of grace. Turn with me to Romans chapter
nine, back a few pages, verse 11. 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. Salvation really is all of grace,
and salvation by works is excluded. Now, remember the title of this
message? Grace. Exclusive or inclusive? Well, first of all, grace excludes
salvation by works in any form. Shuts it out. It excludes it. Paul said to the Ephesians in
Ephesians chapter 2, verses 8 and 9, by grace are you saved. You
say amen to that, you know you're only saved by the grace of God.
By grace are you saved. Through faith, and that not of
yourselves. It's the what? Gift of God, not
of works. Lest any man should boast. Now, grace is completely 100%
exclusive of salvation by works. Look what he says in verse 6,
and if by grace, then it's no more works. Romans 11, 6, if
by grace. He talked about the election
of grace. Now if this election is of grace, why did God choose
you? There's only one answer, grace.
not because of any goodness in you, not because of any merit
in you, because of grace. Now, if election really is all
of grace, it's no more of works. It has absolutely nothing to
do with your works, with what you do, good or bad. I wonder
if that's good news to you. Man, it's good news to me. I'm
so thankful if it was according to my works, it's over for me.
But thank God, salvation is of the Lord. Now, if you believe
in free will, if you believe God loves everybody, Christ died
for everybody, wants to save everybody, and it's up to you
as to whether or not you will accept him or reject him, an
act of your will, if you believe that, you have a grounds of boasting.
If you believe in somebody else dead, you get some of the credit.
If you believe you can make yourself holier through your works, you
have a ground of boasting. You did something somebody else
didn't do. If you believe you can earn a higher reward in heaven
because of your personal acts of obedience, you have a ground
of boasting, don't you? You can say, well, at least I did this
and that other fellow didn't do that. And that's what man's religion
is. It's always a comparison between
them and somebody else. I did this and they didn't do
that. Now, grace. You know, we call the doctrine
of grace. I love it. Total depravity, unconditional
election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, perseverance
of the saints. Somebody says, well, that's just
taking a logical system of man and forcing it on the Bible.
No, it's not. It's just giving what the Bible
teaches. Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is by grace. Now, somebody says, well, that'll
lead people to sin if they believe that it has nothing to do with
their works. Why, you're not giving us a motive for obedience.
That'll lead people to sin and fatalism and indifference and
they won't witness and they won't preach. Never did any believer
that way. hadn't happened one time. It might lead a goat to
do that, but they're going to do that anyway. It hadn't led
a believer to be that way. That's a slam against the truth.
As a matter of fact, all the great missionaries, every one
of them believed in election. That's why they went out. They
knew God had a people. They knew Christ was going to
have a people, and they went out to other countries, sacrificing everything
for that purpose. All the true missionaries were
grace believers, and that's why they went out. Now, grace is
utterly exclusive. It excludes all human boasting.
It utterly excludes salvation by works and the foul sewage
of human merit. It does exclude all that, doesn't
it? It's opposed. It's an enemy to
this do and live. The message of the scripture
is cast out the bondwoman and her son. And grace makes salvation
completely dependent upon what Christ has done. Works make salvation
dependent upon what you do. Grace makes salvation completely,
100% dependent upon what Christ has done. When He said, it is finished,
my salvation was finished. You know, every time I think
that, I feel tension leave my body. I mean, I can just feel
my shoulders drop down. I'm so glad it's that way. When
he said it is finished, all my salvation was accomplished by
what my Lord did for me on Calvary's tree. He did it all. It's completely 100% totally
dependent upon who he is and what he did. That's everything. Now let's go on reading. Verse 7. What then? Verse 7. What then? What are
we going to conclude from all this? Israel, the physical Jews,
hath not obtained what he seeketh for, a right standing before
God. He was seeking it by the works of the law. But the election
hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. They were blinded. And that word, if you look in
your marginal reading, is hardened. Where do we first read of people
being hardened? Well, how many times in the scripture
do we read where God hardened Pharaoh's heart so he would not
let the people go? I was thinking about this and
I was thinking about when Pharaoh said, who is the Lord that I
should obey him? I bet Moses thought you're fixing
to find out. God hardened. The elect obtained
it. The rest were hardened. Now what's
God got to do to harden your heart? What's God got to do to harden
my heart? All he has to do is leave us alone. That's all it takes. That sun that melts the ice,
that same sun hardens the clay. And all God has to do to harden
my heart is to leave me alone. And that's what he does. The
elect, I mean, Paul's using, somebody says, this just seems
so cut and dry. Well, I guess it is, but the
elect obtained it and the rest were hardened. Who hardened them? Well, God did. It says God hardened
Pharaoh's heart. Somebody says, well, it also
says a few times Pharaoh hardened his own heart. Yeah, it does,
but that's because God left him alone. But it was God who hardened
his heart. And this is talking about reprobation. This is talking
about those who reject the gospel. God says, I'm going to leave
them alone and their hearts will harden. Look in verse 8, according
as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes
that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear
unto this day. Who did it? God did, as an act
of His judgment. And David said, he quotes again,
Psalm 69, let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and
a stumbling block, and a recompense unto them. Let their eyes be
darkened that they may not see, and bow down their back always.
Now this is David, this is, Isaiah making intercession against Israel
at this time. Let God harden their heart. Now, is there any question about this
issue? Grace is utterly exclusive of
salvation by works. Is there any debate about that
anywhere? I mean, the Bible teaches this,
doesn't it? Now, I want to close with this
statement. The message of salvation by grace is inclusive of any and every sinner who cannot
be saved by their works. Are you in that group? Now it's
true, the message of grace, it excludes any attempt at salvation
by works. But the message of grace is wide
open. It's inclusive to any sinner
who cannot be saved by their works. Would that be you? Are you a sinner? Are you a lawbreaker? Are you an evil person? I think of when the Lord looked
at His disciples and He said, if you, He's talking to His disciples.
He's not talking about the unbeliever. He's talking about His disciples.
He said, if you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to
your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give
good gifts to them that seek Him? Would that be you? Are you somebody that puts something
before God? Are you somebody who has created
false ideas of God to make you more comfortable with yourself?
You lie to yourself? Are you somebody who has failed
to reverence Him? Are you somebody who's failed
to rest? Are you somebody that's failed
to honor authority? Are you someone who's murdered?
Who's committed sexual sin? Who's lied? Who's stole? Who's coveted? That's what a
sinner is. He's a lawbreaker. Would that
be you? Listen, my friend, the gospel
of grace is wide open to you. Listen to this scripture. Christ
Jesus, 1 Timothy 1.15, Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners. Paul said, of whom I am, The
chief. Romans 5, 6 says, for when we
were yet without strength. That means you don't have any. In due time, Christ died for
the ungodly. Now, because salvation really
is by grace, you cannot be too sinful to be saved. I don't care who you are. I don't
care how bad you are. I don't care how far you've fallen. You come to Christ, you will
be received. Christ does receive sinful men. And the songwriter said, even
me with all my sin. I was talking to Andy Davis before
the service and he said, he was in Florida Wednesday night listening
to Greg Elmquist preach. And he said, Greg Elmquist said,
how do we answer that person who when they hear of the grace
of God, they say, well, that'll lead to sin. What do we say to them? We just give them more grace.
Just preach grace all that much stronger and all that much clearer. You know, grace never led anybody
to sin. Never has happened. and that caricature against it,
what do we do? Do we try to couch grace and
try to put it in such a way to make it to where nobody will
misconstrue this? No, we preach grace all the more
free and all the more clear. Salvation is utterly and completely
holy and entirely by the grace of God for Christ's sake only,
only. Now, grace does exclude. You come to God in your own works,
dependent upon something you've done, and you can write this
down. You're going to be shut out.
God will meet you on the terms you come. You come in works,
you'll be excluded. You come pleading nothing but
the free grace of God and you're going to hear welcome from God
himself. Welcome. Come on in. I sure am glad the grace of God
excludes works that tells me where not to look. And I sure
am glad the grace of God is inclusive of everyone who cannot save themselves.