Lord willing, tonight I'm going
to be speaking upon this subject. Help for the tempted. Help. For the tempted. And we're also going to have
a baptism tonight. Charles Rose is going to confess
Christ and believers baptism. And if anyone else would like
to be baptized, let me know and you can be baptized tonight.
Kay Sly, at this time, is very ill. Steve called me last night. He didn't think she would make
it through the night. He thinks she'll probably die today or within
the next 24 hours. He said she won't reach consciousness
again. And most of you know, she's been associated with this
church pretty much since the beginning. She's been in a rest
home for six or seven years. So remember the Sly's at this
time. I've entitled this message, What
Does Grace Look Like? Interesting. What does grace
look like? When you see it, what is it that
you see? We're going to look at 2 Corinthians
8, but first I'd like you to turn to Acts chapter 11. Acts,
the 11th chapter. I believe this to be a very important
message. I request that you pray for me,
that the Lord will enable me to preach his word and pray for
yourself that he'll give you hearing ears. I hope every message
I preach is an important message, but I feel especially burdened
about this message, that the Lord would bless it to our hearts.
What does grace look like? Look in verse 21. of Acts chapter
11, and the hand of the Lord was
with them, and a great number believed and turned unto the
Lord. The entidings of these things
came into the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem, and they
sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch,
who, when he came and had seen the grace of God. There's something
that he saw when he had seen the grace of
God. He was glad and exhorted them
all that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. What does grace look like? Barnabas saw something, and it
says he saw the grace of God. What does grace look like? In 2 Corinthians 8, verse 1, Paul says, Moreover, brethren,
we do you to wit, we want you to know of the grace of God bestowed
on the churches of Macedonia. Now, if you go on reading in
this passage of Scripture, he doesn't give a formal definition
of grace. He doesn't say, I want you to
know about the grace of God bestowed upon the churches of Macedonia
because this is what they believed. He doesn't say that. He speaks
of something else. Now, before I can see what grace
looks like. I must first know what it is
I'm looking for. You know, it takes grace to see
grace. The only way you're going to see the grace of God and somebody
else or yourself is if he gives you the grace of God to see it. But I must first know what it
is I'm looking for. And actually, the definition
of grace is found in this first verse. Notice what it says. Moreover, brethren, I want you
to know I do you the wit of the grace of God. Look at this next
word bestowed. Bestowed. Freely given. To the churches of Macedonia. Now, language means something. And this word is stated in a
way to show that they didn't do anything to get it. They were passive, even in the
reception of it. It was a work of God given to
them, bestowed upon them. It was not given to them in response
to anything they did or anything they asked for or anything they
promised they would do. It was simply bestowed upon them. Now, listen real carefully. Grace. is never offered. Now, do you hear that? Grace
is never offered. It's only given. The grace of
God is not offered to you. And then you're given the choice
as to whether or not you'll accept it or reject it. That's not grace
at all. Grace is not offered. Grace is
given. Grace is bestowed. Turn to Ephesians chapter two
for just a moment. Verse one. And you have he quickened. Who were dead in trespasses and
sins? wherein in times past you walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, you were under the dominion and control
of the devil, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience, Among whom also we all had our conversation in
times past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires
of the flesh and of the mind. And we were by nature the children
of wrath, even as others. But God offered you grace, and
you turned it around and accepted it, and you were saved. Doesn't say that at all, does
it? But God, whom 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. By grace
are you saved." If grace is ever presented as
an offer, all that is is salvation by works.
Now you can just write that down. Somebody who presents the grace
of God as an offer. God is offering you grace. It's
up to you to accept it or reject it. He wants to save you. He's
offering you this grace. The salvation is in your hands.
If you take it, He'll save you. If not, you'll be damned. That's
not grace at all. Grace offered is not grace. Grace
is only given. Grace is not something you use.
Grace is something that uses you. Grace is given, bestowed
freely upon the churches of Macedonia. By grace are you saved. Look
in verse 8 of Ephesians chapter 2. For by grace are you saved
through faith. And that, that faith, it's not
of yourselves. It didn't come to you because
you decided to believe. That faith is the gift of God,
not of works. Lest any man should boast. Grace means not of works, in
any measure, to any degree. Not of works. Romans 9, 11 says
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. That's God's purpose. 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,
but Esau have I hated. Now, every aspect of salvation
from the beginning to the end is by grace. That's what we mean
by grace. That's what the Bible means by
grace. You talk about election, God's choice of his people before
time began. It's called the election of grace.
Justification. Being declared by God not guilty,
that's a gift of grace. Where my sin became Christ's
sin and his righteousness becomes mine. And God says, you're not
guilty. God looks me over and says, not
guilty, nothing to condemn him for. That's a grace. Being justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus.
Redemption. Oh, that's a grace. I'm God didn't
say, well, I'm going to redeem him because I see he's got he
deserves it in some way or even because he asked. No, it's a
work of his grace. The forgiveness of sins. I love
this. I need to say this every time
I preach. Salvation doesn't end with the forgiveness of sins,
it begins with the full, free forgiveness of sins for Christ's
sake. You see, forgiveness is my grace. God doesn't forgive
me because I asked him to or because I said I'd Turned my
life around her because I turned my life around. He does it for
Christ's sake. Ephesians 4, 32, Be kind, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven
you. Regeneration, being born again,
is by grace. You hath he quickened, you hath
he given life to who are dead in trespasses and sins. Calling
is by grace. He calls me and he calls me by
his grace. Preservation is by grace. Jude
24 says, Now unto him the table to keep you from falling and
to present you faultless before his presence with exceeding joy. Certainly, glorification is of
his grace. You know, it even takes grace to receive grace.
Don't you think about that? You won't even receive grace.
You won't believe grace unless he gives you the grace to receive
it. Every aspect of salvation is by grace. Amen. You know, the good works of the
believer are his workmanship. Ephesians 2, 10, for we're his
workmanship. Created in Christ Jesus unto
good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk
in them. Now, this grace of God was bestowed,
not offered, but bestowed upon the churches of Macedonia, which
is Philippi and Thessalonica. What does this grace look like?
It looks like something. What does it look like? And as
I've already said, you won't see it unless you're enabled
by the grace of God. But if God gives you grace, you
will see. Now turn to 2 Corinthians chapter
8. This is what grace looks like. Verse 1. Moreover, brethren, we do you
the wit, we want you to know about the grace of God bestowed
on the churches of Macedonia, how that in a great trial of
affliction, the abundance of their joy and
their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record,
yea, and beyond their power, they were willing of themselves. They didn't have to be prompted. They didn't have to be coerced.
They didn't have to be manipulated. They were willing of themselves,
praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift
and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering of the saints.
And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own
selves to the Lord and unto us by the will of God. Now, in those
verses, I see six things that are seen when you see the grace
of God. Here's the first thing. Notice,
he says in verse two, how that in a great trial test of affliction. Now the first thing that's seen
when you see the grace of God, you see somebody who passes the
test. They pass the test. Now understand,
you and I will be tested. We will be tried. The scripture says God did tempt. Abraham. You and I will be tried. Tried with persecution. Tried
with temptation. Tried with adversity. Tried with
prosperity. Tried with failure. Tried with
success. You will be tried continually. You will be tried. I told a preacher
recently, he was a young man, and I said, You know, when the
Lord puts a man into the ministry, I don't know why 10 years comes
to my mind, but I think there will be 10 years of not having
any fruit, any success. And the Lord will try you to
see if you'll keep preaching the gospel without reference
to results. You see, I've seen many people.
Tried in that way, they start out preaching the gospel and
they don't see things happening the way they thought it ought
to happen. So they'll change a little bit,
change the method. And when you change the method,
you end up changing the message all the time. But there will
be a try. There's going to be a trying
of your faith. The Lord is going to let you be tried. He's going
to in circumstances. He's going to let you be tried
in your marriage, in finances, in persecution for Christ's sake.
I mean, there's going to be one trial of sickness, trial of loneliness,
trial of on and on. You're going to be tried. And
it's only that person who endures to the end that should be saved.
That's the trial. Turn with me for a moment to
Mark, chapter four. Mark, chapter four. Now, these Macedonians, they
were tried with great affliction. Look at verse 16 of Mark, chapter
4. Now, these are people who heard the gospel. Verse 14, the
sower soweth the word, and these are they by the wayside where
the word is sown. But when they have heard, Satan
comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their
hearts. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground.
They heard the gospel. who, when they have heard the
word, immediately receive it with gladness. This is the best
stuff I've ever heard. I like this. But they have no
root in themselves and so endure but for a time. Afterward, when
affliction, trials and troubles, I thought if I was a Christian,
I wouldn't have troubles like this or persecution arises for
the word's sake. Immediately they are offended. And these are they which are
sown among thorns, such as hear the word. And they're tried with
the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches and the
loss of other things entering in, choke the word, it becomes
unfruitful. They fail the test. And these
are they which are sown on good ground, such as hear the word
and receive it and bring forth fruit, some 30, some 60 and some
100 fold. Now, with regard to everybody
who makes a profession. I'm encouraged. I'm thankful. I'm taking your word. But I'm
also thinking, let's see, in five years. Let's see in 10 years. Let's see in 30 years. You see,
where there's real grace, all the trouble and the trial that's
dumped on you, you continue making your way and looking to Christ
only. You won't quit. You'll persevere
all the way to the end. It's only He that endures to
the end that shall be saved. The first thing we see in grace,
if we see somebody, is we see someone who continues with all
the trials and afflictions that are going to be brought their
way. They're going to continue looking to Christ. Somebody who
in a trial, they fall away, it's because they never really knew
Christ. They never really had His grace. Someone who continues is someone
who truly has the grace of God. I turn back to 2 Corinthians
8, verse 2. How that in a great trial of
affliction, look at the next word, the abundance of their
joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality,
their abundance of joy. You cannot be saved by the grace
of God and not rejoice in that grace. Now you can just write
that down. You cannot be saved by the grace
of God and not rejoice in that grace. Joy is the fruit of the
Spirit, isn't it? Romans chapter 14, verse 17,
Paul said, The kingdom of God is not meat and drink. It's not
rules and regulations. It's not what you eat and what
you don't eat and what you drink and what you don't drink. Kingdom
of God is not meat and drink. It's righteousness. and peace
and joy in the Holy Ghost. Paul spoke in Romans 15, 13 of
the joy and the peace of believing. Now, I've watched people over
the years who would agree with what I was preaching. Yeah, I
agree with that. I see that's what the Bible teaches.
I give assent to that. But it doesn't seem to be something
that They rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. You see, when
you hear the gospel. You'll hear the gospel with joy. Rejoice in the Lord. Again, I say rejoice. Now, can you be elected and chosen
by God and not rejoice in that? I mean, you're humble to the
duster. He chose me. He could have passed me by, but
He chose me. What a reason to rejoice. Can
you be justified where God says you're not guilty and you're
really not guilty and not be happy about it? Can you have
your sins forgiven and blotted out and not rejoice in that? It's impossible. The abundance of joy. Seeing
Christ as your salvation, you rejoice. I love what David said,
the Lord has done great things for us. Well, we're glad. We're
glad. We're plumb happy that he's done
these things. Every aspect, everything the
Lord's done for you, you're happy, you rejoice. Now, that doesn't
mean you're happy all the time. You still have this sinful flesh.
You still are burdened down by the weight of your sin. That
being said, it's still true. The joy of the Lord is your strength. And even in the midst of my trials,
I rejoice in Him. Finally, my brethren, rejoice
in the Lord. Where there is grace, there is
joy. And if I don't joy in the grace
of God, I know nothing of the grace of God. This is true every
time. There's abundance of joy in grace. Now, doesn't it make
you happy? I'm appealing to every believer. Aren't you glad that
salvation's all together by grace? And it doesn't have anything
to do with any worthiness or merit or works you performed,
but it's wholly a work of His grace. That makes me happy. Thirdly, verse two, How that in a great trial of
affliction, the abundance of joy and their deep poverty, and
he's talking about financial poverty, abounded unto the riches
of their liberality. Now, this is something you see
when you see grace. They were in deep poverty, but
oh, how generous they were. What he says in verse 3, For
to their power I bear record, yea, and beyond their power,
they were willing of themselves, praying thus with much entreaty,
that we receive the gift. Now Paul said they were so poor,
I didn't want to take what they wanted to give somebody. I didn't
want to give this much. I felt awkward taking it. It was too
much. But they prayed us, they begged us to take it out of their
deep poverty. It abounded to the abundance
of their liberality. Now that word liberality, It's
the same word translated in Second Corinthians, Chapter 11. Would
you turn with me there? Verse three, but I feel as by
any means as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, through
his deceit, so your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity. That word of liberality is the
same word simplicity. Now, we're going to get to why
he talks about that as generosity. In 2 Corinthians 8, he calls
it simplicity here, but the word means the singleness. The simplicity, the wholeness
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Simple as opposed to double or
complex. Now, the simplicity of Christ.
I have a very simple cause of my salvation. Only one cause. Grace. Grace. I have a very simple reason for
the forgiveness of my sins. Only one reason. Because Christ
died for me. That's the only reason. Very
simple. Very simple. I'm not adding anything
to this. I'm not putting two things together. I have a very
simple righteousness. His righteousness only. His righteousness, that righteousness
that he worked out when he obeyed God's law perfectly, that is
my righteousness before God. I have a very simple faith. Christ
only is the object of my faith, not Christ and anything. I have
a very simple motive. His glory is the only proper
motive. No other motive is a good motive.
I have a very simple rule. The Bible is our only rule of
faith and practice. Simplicity. I have a simple salvation
in this sense. It's glorious, it's high and
deep, but it's very simple. Christ only. He's all I have. And He's all I want. Simplicity. And Paul was afraid
for the Corinthians. I'm afraid your mind will be
corrupted from the simplicity that's in Christ Jesus. Now,
where you have this simplicity that's in Christ Jesus, he also
calls it liberality. You know why? Because if Christ
is all to you, everything you have is His. And you really believe
that. And giving comes first. When Christ is all to you, giving
comes first. What does love do? How do you
define love? God so loved the world that He
gave. Look what it says in verses 7
and 8 of 2 Corinthians 8. Therefore, as you abound in everything
in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all diligence and in your
love to us, see that you abound in this grace also, this grace
of giving. I speak not by commandment, but
by occasion of the forwardness of others and to prove the sincerity
of your love. You see that when love is sincere,
what does love do? What do you like to do for people
that you love? You love to give to them. It's it's a privilege. It's a blessing of grace. That's
what you love to do. And that's where this word liberality
comes from, where there's simplicity. There's liberality. Verse three of Second Corinthians
eight, here's the next thing I see when I see grace. To their power, I bear record,
yea, and beyond their power, they were willing of themselves. Now, we didn't have to coerce
them. We didn't have to prompt them. We didn't have to manipulate
them. What they did was spontaneous. They were willing of themselves.
They did what they wanted to do. Now, preachers. Prompt, coerce, manipulate, try
to get people to do things. You know why they do that? Because
they know nothing of the grace of God. I don't need to do that. And if you need to be prompted,
if you need to be coerced, if you need to be manipulated to
cause you to do what you're supposed to do, you know why? It's because
you don't have the grace of God. When God's grace is operative
in an individual's heart, you know what? They're willy. You
become a whosoever will. That's what you do. That's what
happens to you. You become a whosoever will. If any man will do his
will. That's what you, your desire
is to do his will. That's what you want to do. Now,
when God saves somebody, they become willing. They don't have
to be prompted. They don't have to be beat up.
They don't have to be manipulated. They're willing of themselves
because God's done something for them. Psalm 1103 says, thy
people shall be what? Willing in the day of thy power. Philippians 2, 12 and 13 says,
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it's
God which worketh in you, both to will and to do his good pleasure. And where there's not this willingness
to do his good pleasure, his grace is not operating. Now,
whenever God's grace operates, changes the will. Changes the
will, and you do what you want to do. You know, like regarding
this thing of giving, I'm not going to get somebody in the
mouth to give. Give what you want to. Give what you want to. That's the rule of giving. Give
what you want to. You don't want to give? Don't give. Don't give
a nickel if you don't want to give. You don't want to take up your
cross and deny yourself and follow Christ? Don't do it. You see,
believers, their want to has been changed. Their will has
been changed. This is what they want to do.
They were willing of themselves. They didn't have to be prompted.
So wherever there's grace. You see, the very notion of free
will. It's ridiculous. The will, by
nature, is chained to sin. It sins. It does what it wants
to. It sins. But when God saves somebody,
he gives them a new heart. a new will, a new desire, so
believers do what they want to do. Bill Clark said this, and
it has to be qualified, I realize this, but it's still a good statement.
Here's a rule of a believer's life. Trust Christ and do what
you want to. Trust Christ and do what you
want to. What do you want to do? Someone says, if I believe that,
why sin all I want? A believer won't respond that
way. No, what we want to do is follow
the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what we want to do. So
where grace is, we have this willing of themselves. Look what
it says in verse four. praying us with much entreaty
that we would receive the gift and take upon us the fellowship
within the partnership of the ministering of being a servant
to the saints. Where grace is, there is a desire
to be involved in the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. Now, God's people are saints.
I love to call myself Saint Todd. You're looking at St. Todd. I'm
St. Todd. I'm looking at a bunch of saints. Every believer is
a saint. It's not some kind of glorified
position reached after so much. No, if you're in Christ, you're
a saint, sanctified one, sanctified in Christ Jesus. Every believer
is a saint. That makes every believer special, doesn't it?
Every believer is special, precious to God. What a privilege to be
called into this thing of the ministering of the saints. Turn with me for a moment to
Matthew chapter 20. Where there is grace, there is
a desire to be a servant to the saints. And if that desire is
not there, God's grace is not there. Matthew chapter 20. Then came
to him the mother of Zebedee's children with their sons, worshiping
him and desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her,
What wilt thou? She says unto him, grant that
these my two sons may sit the one on thy right hand and the
other on my left in thy kingdom. Now I have no doubt that my mom
would wish the same thing for me. She would say, Sherry knows
it, she would say, make him the top dog, make him sit at your
right hand, make him the, yep, that's what she's doing. Verse 22. But Jesus answered and said,
You know not what you ask. Are you able to drink of the
cup that I shall drink of and to be baptized with the baptism
that I shall be baptized with? They said unto him, We're able. Now, that seems on the surface,
very arrogant, doesn't it? You're able to do what I'm going
to. Yeah, we're able. That seems very arrogant. But
look what the Lord says to them. And he says unto them, you shall
drink indeed of my cup and be baptized with the baptized that
I'm baptized with. Why is that? Because you're united
to me. When I die, you'll die. You're going to drink of the
cup. Everything that happens to me is going to happen to you. You
indeed will do this. But to sit on my right hand and
on my left is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them
for whom it's prepared of my father. And when the ten heard. They were moved with indignation
against the two brethren. How dare them desire something
like this? How dare them to try to promote
themselves above me? That's what they mean. Verse 25, But Jesus called them
unto him and said, You know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise
dominion over them and they that are great exercise authority
upon them. This is the way of the Gentiles.
Everybody wants to be one up on everybody else and everybody
wants to have everybody under their thumb, but it shall not
be so among you. But whosoever will be great among
you, let him be your servant. There's only one thing it takes
to be great. It's to be a servant. If you're a servant, a minister,
a servant, that's greatness. Verse 27, And whosoever will
be chief among you, let him be your servant, even as the Son
of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to
give his life. a ransom for many. Now, the way of the flesh is
to be the top dog. The way of grace is to be a servant. Where grace is, there is a servant. Now, back to our text. 2 Corinthians chapter 8, verse
5. And this they did. Not as we
hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord. Now, when
God bestows grace, this is what's going to happen. They first gave
their own selves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. Where there is grace, there is
a giving of yourself, body and soul. to him. I'm not my own. I've been bought with a price. And by His grace, I give myself
to Him. Whatever He does with me is His
business. It really doesn't matter. It
doesn't matter whether I'm a... I love that thing about John
Newton. And I really mean this. I don't care what he does with
me as long as I'm His. I am my Beloved's. and he is mine. I've given myself to him, he's
given himself to me, so that I am my beloved's and he is mine,
and I don't care what he does with me as long as I'm his. If
God commissioned two angels, one to rule an empire and the
other to sweep a street, They would do whatever he gave them
to do with equal zeal, not caring which responsibility was given
to them. And you'll believe or feel so.
I've given myself to him and whatever he does with me, that's
fine. But I've given myself to him.
And then Paul said to us, by the will of God. Now, like Phoebe,
the servant of the church. That's what he means when he
says, us, unto us by the will of God, like Phoebe, the servant
of the church. Now, grace looks like this. Now,
remember what grace is. Grace is saving grace. It's not
an offer. It's saving grace. It's electing
grace. It's redeeming grace. It's justifying
grace. It's regenerating grace. If that's
not preached, grace isn't preached. Somebody doesn't believe election.
Hear me, please. Somebody that doesn't believe
in election does not believe grace. Somebody that doesn't
preach election does not preach grace. That's a part of the gospel.
Grace, grace, grace. Now, wherever this grace is bestowed,
here's what it'll look like. It'll pass the test. There will
be true joy in the grace of God. There will be liberality. There
will be willingness. There will be a desire to be
a minister, a servant to the saints. And there will be a giving
of self to Christ. And if it doesn't look like that,
it's not the grace of God. Let's pray.