This morning for our Bible study,
I would invite you to turn to Galatians chapter 1. Galatians
chapter 1, and we'll begin reading at verse 1. Paul, an apostle,
not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father,
who raised him from the dead, and all the brethren which are
with me unto the churches of Galatia. Now verse 3 of Galatians
1. Get your Bible, follow along
with me. Grace be to you and peace from
God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Now what Paul is
going to do in these verses is describe the gospel of Christ
unto us. Grace be unto you and peace from
God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ who gave himself
for our sins that he might deliver us from this present evil world
according to the will of God and our Father, to whom be glory
forever and ever. Amen. Now in these verses, particularly
verses 3, 4, and 5 of Galatians 1, we see seven distinguishing
marks of the gospel of God's sovereign grace. The salvation
that is described throughout this Bible is clearly defined
in these verses here in Galatians chapter 1. We see seven distinguishing
marks. Now, I believe I can get through
all seven of these in the time that I have this morning. The
first one is this, the cause of salvation. The cause of salvation
of any sinner's salvation, the foundation first cause of everyone
who is saved by God Almighty has to be traced back to the
cause of salvation, which he says here, grace be to you. The cause of salvation is the
grace of God, the sovereign pleasure of God. It's another way of saying
that salvation is of the Lord. We see the grace of God in electing
sinners unto salvation in that eternal covenant of grace. God
has, from the beginning, chosen you to salvation. We see the
grace of God in justifying the guilty sinner. being justified
freely by His grace, Romans 3, 24, through the redeeming blood
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation, as it is described
in God's book we call the Bible, is all of grace. It's all attributed
to the grace of God. The wellhead and the spring and
the fountain of salvation flows from the eternal grace of God,
not of works. We say, preacher, the sinner
must believe. Well, that is true. Faith is
the gift of God. We say a sinner must repent.
That is also true. Our Lord says, except you repent,
you'll perish. But faith and repentance are
not born of the sinner's nature. that's fallen and ruined. Faith
and repentance are born of the sovereign grace of God. He's
exalted to give repentance, Acts 5 verse 31. And perseverance
also is the fruit of the grace of God. We contribute nothing
to our salvation. You heard me right. Now listen
to me, the sinner contributes nothing to salvation. All of our righteousnesses are
a filthy rag. Salvation is always determined,
dependent, and accomplished by the sovereign grace of God. So the cause of salvation is
what? Not of works, God's purpose and grace. Secondly, we see the
fruit of salvation or the results of salvation. He says grace to
you and then peace from God our Father. Grace is from God our
Father through Christ and peace. We have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ. Peace with God. Now, I've heard
a lot of people say, I'm trying to make peace with God. My friend,
that's impossible. A guilty, vile sinner cannot
satisfy a holy God. Well, tell me then, how is peace
made? Peace with God is made through the blood atonement of
Jesus Christ. There is no peace with God apart
from Christ, and there is no peace with God based upon my
performance. Salvation is always conditioned
upon the performance of Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ. So we
see the cause of salvation The result of salvation is peace,
reconciliation with God. Thirdly, we see Jesus Christ
himself is the heart of salvation. The essence of salvation is the
Lord Jesus Christ himself. He that believeth on the Son
hath life. Salvation is not in a church.
Now, it doesn't matter what church you're talking about, what denomination
you're talking about. Salvation is in the Lord Jesus
Christ himself. Salvation is in a person. The
essence of salvation is Christ himself. He said, I am the way,
the truth, the life. God's gospel is summed up in
Jesus Christ, his glorious person, who he is. Without controversy,
great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. The Lord Jesus Christ is God
Almighty. We certainly preach and believe
the deity of Christ. He is God. Come to save his people
from their sin. His glorious person. You see,
Jesus Christ himself is the heart of salvation. His glorious person
and his glorious redemptive work. When he had by himself urged
our sin, Hebrews 1, 3, he sat down at the right hand of God,
his glorious person, his glorious redemptive work, and his glorious
resurrection. He was delivered for our offenses,
raised again for our justification. The heart of salvation is Jesus
Christ himself. Look at the text again, Galatians
chapter 1, verse 4, who gave himself who gave himself for
our sins. Now that's my fourth point, the
means of salvation. He gave himself as a sacrifice
unto God for our sins. The Apostle said, I'm determined
to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He says again in Galatians 6
verse 14, I'm determined. Not only determined, but God
forbid, I should glory save only in the cross of the Lord Jesus
Christ." And he's talking here about Christ crucified as my
substitute. This is the means and the only
means that God has ordained to secure everlasting salvation
for his people. We call this the substitutionary
satisfying sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ crucified
is God's only provision for atonement and the forgiveness of sin. Here
in His love, we read in 1 John 14, here in His love, not that
we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be our
sacrifice for sin. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
only substitute the only Savior, no other name, under heaven,
given among men, whereby we must be saved, Acts 4.12, there's
only one Savior, there's only one substitute, There's only
one mediator between God and men, and that is the means of
salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ himself. He gave himself for
our sins. He said, no man takes my life
from me. I lay it down in myself. I have
power to lay it down. I have power to take it up again.
This commandment have I received of my father. This is a means
that God has ordained to secure the everlasting salvation for
his covenant people. Now something else we see here,
we see the character or the feature or the stamp or hallmark of God's
salvation. In the text here we read, And
the fifth point is this, he gave himself for our sin that he might
deliver us from this present evil world. Deliverance. The character of God's distinctive
gospel is deliverance that is successful. He redeemed his people
from the curse of the law. He gave his life a ransom for
many. In the book of Job we read, God
said, deliver them from going down to the pit. I have found
a ransom. This deliverance, the Lord Jesus
Christ, his death, his atonement, His atonement for sin was not
an attempt to put away sin. His atonement secured deliverance
for His people. Now, this word deliverance is
the same word and it means the same as redemption. We're redeemed
with the precious blood of Christ. He redeemed us unto God by His
blood. We have deliverance. We have
reconciliation. In Christ Jesus, God was in Christ
reconciling sinners unto himself. The Lord Jesus Christ came to
rescue his people. He came to restore all that Adam
lost. By one man's disobedience, many
were made sinners. So by the obedience of another,
the Lord Jesus, the many shall be made righteous. He came to
restore. Where sin abounded, grace did
much more abound. You see, the hallmark of this
distinctive gospel is deliverance. Deliverance from this present
evil world. He reconciled us. He redeemed
us. He rescued us. He restored us. We have remission of sin through
Christ, and we have blessed righteousness. Blessed is a man to whom God
would impute, give righteousness without work. Preacher, how can
that be? This is the distinctive mark
of God's gospel, imputed righteousness because of Christ. He is called
the Lord, our righteousness. Now, the sixth mark of this distinctive
gospel is this. All this is according, all his
salvation works according to the will of God. The source of
salvation is the will of God. All this gospel, this salvation
is according to the sovereign will of God. He works all things
after the counsel of God's own will. Salvation is by the sovereign,
eternal purpose and will of God. Salvation. Now listen to me carefully.
I know we hear a lot of preaching today about, well, God's done
all he can do, now it's left up to the sinner's free will.
The sinner is not free. His will is in bondage to his
ruined, rotten nature. The will of the sinner is like
free-running water. Free-running water always seeks
its lowest course. Free-running water is always
downhill. And the will of the depraved,
fallen sinner is always selfward and downward, never Godward and
upward. Salvation is always by the will
of God. Now here's a scripture that,
one of the scriptures of many that verify that, if his own
will begat he us with the word of truth, that's James 1.18,
and then John 6.44 and 45 says, Our Lord said, no man can come
to me except the Father which sent me draw him. And then in
Psalm 65 verse 4, blessed is the man whom thou choosest and
causes to approach unto him. In Isaiah 64 verses 6 through
8, the scriptures declare that all of our righteousnesses are
as filthy rags. We all do fade as a leap and
because of that, Our God declares, no man stirs up himself to seek
the Lord. Now what this scripture teaches,
if any man does bow to Christ and believe on Christ, it is
because of the will of God, the will of God. We're born by the
born of God, spiritually born from above by the sovereign will
of God. Now lastly, we see this. These
are the seven distinguishing marks of God's gospel. In Galatians
1 verse 5, all this works to this glorious end. And the grand
design of God in saving sinners to whom be glory forever and
ever. Amen. The purpose of God's salvation
in the whole bottom line is this, his glory. Now, who gets the
glory in saving sinners? Certainly not the sinner, because
salvation is dependent upon God. He says here, according to the
will of God. To whom? Who is worthy of the
glory? Well, none but God himself. If
you would carefully look at Ephesians chapter 1, verses 3 through verse
14, where it talks there about the sovereign electing will of
God, it's all to the praise of the glory of His grace, where
it talks about the particular redeeming work of the Lord Jesus
Christ, it's all to the praise of the glory of His grace, and
then in Ephesians 1 where it talks about the sovereign irresistible
work of the Holy Spirit in calling and quickening, it's all to the
praise of the glory of God's grace. You see, everything in
the scheme of God's salvation works to this one end, that is
the glory of God. Now, if you would like to listen
to this message again on the seven distinctive characteristics
of God's gospel, you can write to me at Zebulon Baptist Church,
6088 Zebulon Highway, Pikeville, Kentucky,