Let me read a few passages of
scripture found in the book of Genesis, chapter 6. Genesis, chapter 6, verse 5. Genesis 6, verse 5. that the wickedness of man was
great in the earth, and that every imagination of
the thoughts of his heart was only evil every day continually. And it repented the Lord that
he had made man on the earth And it grieved him at his heart,
and the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from
the face of the earth, both man and beast and the creeping thing
and the fowls of the air, for it repented me that I have made
them. But Noah found grace. in the eyes of the Lord. The
whole world lay in a sea of corruption, no deeper nor darker than the
sea of corruption in which our world lives today. But Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. Every imagination, God said every
thought, every imagination of every thought in the heart of
man was only evil, continuous, selfish, lustful, hateful, blasphemous. Every imagination of his heart
was evil, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And
the wrath of God hung like a cloud over all the earth. He said,
it repenteth me that I've made man, and I will destroy man and
beast and creeping thing and fowl. I'll destroy everything
on the earth. But Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. Oh, grace, grace, grace, it is
a charming sound. Harmonious to the ear, heaven
with the echo will resound and all the earth shall hear. Grace
first planned the way to save rebellious man. All God's attributes
are on display in that eternal plan. Grace first inscribed my
name in God's eternal book. It was grace that sent the blessed
Lamb who all my sorrows took. Grace taught my heart to pray,
and grace made my eyes overflow. It's grace that keeps me to this
day, and grace will not let me go. It was grace that taught
my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved. Oh, how precious
did that grace appear the hour I first believed. Like Noah,
I found grace in the eyes of the Lord. In a world that is buried in
a sea, in a cesspool, in a mire of iniquity, you and I have found
grace in the eyes of the Lord. Among a people whose every imagination,
every imagination of our hearts, of our thoughts are covetous,
greed, evil, continually, never lets up. But we found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. And God's judgment, the wrath
of God, hangs like a cloud over this world, just waiting to empty his judgment upon every flesh,
all flesh. But here and there and yonder,
there are some Noah's that have found grace in the eyes of the
Lord. And God will, not by water, but by fire, destroy this world.
But there's some folks who have found grace in the eyes of the
Lord. Now, if there's just one word, one word of all words,
if there's just one word that can sum up the character and
the attributes of the living God, one word, think, one word
that would sum up God's character, God's attributes, the living
God. One word. It'd be the word holy. Holy. If you think of any other
word, you're wrong. It's the word holy. God is love, but it's a holy
love. God is angry, but it's a holy wrath. God is just, it's
a holy justice. not a biased justice, it's a
holy justice. God's in his holy temple. When
Isaiah saw the Lord, the song of heaven from the seraphims
was what? Holy, holy, holy. God is holy. Holy and reverent is his name. I said one word. If there's one
word that can sum up the nature and character of all people,
of all people, of everybody, you and me included,
in the flesh, by nature. It's not the word good. It's
the word evil. I'm tired of hearing good. He's a good man. She's a good
girl. He's a good boy. We're so far
away from the word of God, it's pitiful. Every imagination of
the thought of his heart is what? Good. Evil. Evil. That's the word. God is holy,
and we're evil. God looked down from heaven to
see if there were any of it that do good, and he said they're
all together gone out of the way. They're all together become
unprofitable. There's none that do us good,
not one. Evil. By one man, evil entered the
world. If there's one word only one
word that I could give to sum up redemption, redemption, redemption
and salvation from eternity past to eternity future, the covenant,
everlasting covenant of mercy to the fulfillment of the same.
There's one word that shall be, that shall fill heaven and earth,
one name that shall be praised It's Christ. It's Christ. There's none other name, none
other name unto heaven given among men whereby we must be
saved. In him, in Christ dwelleth all
the fullness of the Godhead body. The Father loves Christ and hath
given all things into his hand. It is the name of Christ every
knee shall bow. But if there's one word that can sum up our gospel, that can sum up our message for
this day in October 1985, one word that can sum up our ministry
to whomever and wherever and whenever God is pleased to give
us a hearing ear. If there's one word that can
sum up what we have to say in reference to God dealing with
men, it's the word grace. Grace. Grace. Far back. Grace. Are you saved
through faith and that not of yourselves? It's the gift of
God. Not of words, lest any man should boast. Acts chapter 20.
Acts chapter 20, the Apostle Paul was about to depart from
his friends. He said, you'll never see me
again. You'll never see me again. You'll never hear me preach again.
I'll never speak to you again. And they knew it. They knew he
was leaving for the last time, that they were hearing him for
the last time, that he was going to suffer and die. And he said
in verse 22 of Acts 20, Acts 20, 22, And now, behold, I go,
I go bound in the Spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall
befall me there, except that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in
every city, saying that chains, imprisonment, afflictions abide
or await me. But none of these things move
me. Neither can I my life dear unto myself, so that I may finish
my course with joy in the ministry which I have received of the
Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." That's
my message, he said. What I would give in this day of what I would give for ministry for preachers who stand, who
dare to stand and open this book and speak to congregations whether
in person or over the radio or television or wherever who have no other motive, who have no other objective,
no other intention, no other concern, no other care, than to preach the gospel of
the grace of God, what it would mean to our generation. Just not interested in how many
to preach to, or who's there, or how they react to it, or whether they get to say another
word, or whether they get to pastor that place another Sunday,
or whether they live in a holiday inn or a house or a prison, or whether they drive a car or
hitchhike. or whether they have a nice $400 suit or a pair of
overalls. Just don't give a hoot. But they're going to come to
hell or high water and preach the gospel. Boy, wouldn't that
be something. I'd love to be sitting around
when folks start doing that. Man, I'd like to be present.
Because I'd get right beside him and dare anybody to touch
him. Yeah, I would. A man that'd tell
me the truth, I'd back him, wouldn't you? Man, I'd stand for him. Marvelous, great. Paul said,
these things don't move me. I'm leaving, going to Jerusalem. Whatever, I don't know what awaits
me there, but the Holy Ghost said it. And he seldom wronged. He said that I'm going to jail.
and afflictions and persecution, but that doesn't bother me. I
don't count my life dear unto myself. I want to do one thing.
I want to finish my course with joy in this ministry to which
God has committed to my hands and which I have received to
testify the gospel and the grace of God. Marvelous grace of our
loving Lord. that exceed our sin and our guilt,
yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured, there where the blood of the
Lamb was spilled, grace, oh grace, God's grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse
within, where these evil imaginations originate, the place where God
looks, not cleansing the outward flesh in this water, Not dressing
up the flesh and appearing pious to people, but grace that will
pardon and cleanse within. Grace, grace, God's grace, grace
greater than our sins. I tell you this, like a golden
thread, like a golden thread, unbroken. The grace of God, the
free, unmerited, undeserved grace of God runs through the believer's
whole history. Did you know that? The grace
of God from our election in eternity past, our election in eternity
past, when God, according to the good pleasure of his own
will, set his love upon us and chose us out of Adam's race.
people for his name, whom he gave to his Son. Grace from that
day until the day we stand before God by his grace, perfectly conformed
to the image of his blessed Son, there's no point in our experience
or in our existence where I cannot say, I am what I am by the grace
of God. I know what I know by the grace
of God. I have what I have by the grace
of God. At no point from eternity past
to eternity future, in the experience or existence or history of a
redeemed person, a believer, at no point is there a time when
I cannot say, right this minute, I am what I am by the grace of
God. Without which, I'd be a devil. That's right. Without which,
Almighty God would have to send me to hell. Grace. Grace. I tell you, our election
to life is by his grace. Listen to it. Romans 11 verse
5 says, Even so, even so, at this present time there's a remnant
according to the election of grace. My friends, I'm not ashamed of
this doctrine. I don't know why. I do, too,
because of the evil nature of the creature. But men hate that
which is their only hope. I told my Sunday school class
this morning, I despise the doctrine of salvation
by works. You know why? You know why I
despise it? It has nothing for me. It's not
good news to me. You tell me that God will save
me if I do something? That's bad news, because I don't
have anything to do or to give. God, my righteousness is a filthy
rag. I hate a gospel that requires
anything of me because I have nothing to give. I love grace,
free grace. That's the gospel I love, because
it's the only gospel that gives me any hope. I didn't choose
God, he chose me. I chose evil. And if left to
myself, that's exactly what I'd choose now. Salvation by works
has nothing for an honest man. The only person that can believe
in salvation by works is a crook. He's a liar. He's a crook. Any man who says that he's good
enough to go to God's presence is a crook. I'm not good enough. I need grace. I didn't love him. He loved me. Herein is love,
not that we love God. He loved us and gave himself
for us. Election doesn't shut anybody out of the kingdom of
God. It's the door by which men enter the kingdom of God. Election's
not bad news. Works is bad news. Human choice
is bad news. If God waits around for me to
choose Him, I'll never choose Him. Election's good news. It's good
news. Oh, it's good news. And then
our call is by grace. Paul said, when it pleased God,
who separated me from my mother's womb, called me by His grace.
He called me! Oh, Noah, he was a part of the
human race. He was a part of this cesspool.
You say, well, he's a little better than the rest of them.
Yeah, but a little better than the rest of them won't get it. All had seen it, but Noah was
a part of it, and God, he found grace. And God's wrath came upon
the earth, and Noah found grace. God sent a flood and Noah found
grace. That's where I want to be right
there. I want to be where Noah was. I want to find grace. Abraham
prayed that way. He said, Lord, if I found grace
in your sight. Moses prayed that way. Lord,
if I found grace in thy sight. Everybody with any understanding
of God prays that way too. Our justification is by grace
being freely justified by his grace. through the redemption
that's in Christ Jesus. Oh, Paul said, you know the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ? Do you know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ? That though he were rich, yet
for your sake he became poor, that was his grace. Our daily
strength in trials is found well in grace. Paul said, Lord, I
can't, this thorn's too much. Three times, too much, too much,
too much! God said, my grace is sufficient. Our prayers ascend to a throne
of grace. We grow in grace and in the knowledge
of Christ. And Paul summed it up. I want
you to turn to this, 1 Corinthians 15. Paul, I like the way he sums
things up. He said, therefore we conclude,
we conclude, and here in 1 Corinthians 15, he says in verse 9, listen
to it, here he lays the whole thing down. And I was sitting
there yesterday reading this, and I thought, oh my, to be able
to say this without hypocrisy, without pretence, without pretension,
openly, candidly before God. Verse 9, I am the least of the
apostles. I am the least. Oh, he said,
I am the least. That's kind of hard to say and
mean, isn't it? We're the chief, we're the leader,
we're the instructor. Paul said, I'm the least. And
not only that, but I'm not meat, I'm not fit. That's the word,
fit. Meat is fit or worthy. I'm not
fit to be even called an apostle. And thirdly, I persecuted the
Church of God. But I'll tell you this, brethren,
I'll tell the whole world, and I'll scream it to heaven and
to the lowest recesses of hell, by the grace of God I am what
I am. That's where it is, right there. That's where it is. By
the grace of God, that sums up our ministry, our message, our
gospel, our hope. Hail sovereign love that first
began this scheme to rescue fallen man. Hail matchless, free, eternal
grace that gave my soul a hiding place. A few more rolling suns
at most. will land me safe on Canaan's
coast, where I shall sing the songs of grace, and praise forever
Christ my hiding place." That's the sum and substance of my whole
hope, message, gospel, instructions to you. Salvation is by the grace
of God. And I don't mean cooperative,
I don't mean part of it, I don't mean Most of it, I mean all of
it, the gift of God's grace. Now, I want, for just a few minutes,
every believer in Christ, I'm going to take four passages of
Scripture, and I want every believer in Christ to listen carefully,
every true, honest, God-honoring, Bible-believing, Christ-trusting
child of God to listen. And I believe this will help
you. to be grounded and to rejoice in God's free grace, to be comforted,
to be given the assurance of his unfailing grace. Isaiah said,
Comfort ye. The Lord speaking to Isaiah said,
Comfort my people. Give them a place to stand. Give
them a place to lie down and rest. Don't keep them all the
time uncertain and in doubt and fear. But give them a place. Tell them their sins are forgiven.
Tell them their iniquities pardoned. Tell them that they've received
from the Lord double for all their iniquities. Tell them to
rest. Just sit under the shady tree and rest. Find delight in
Christ. Tell them that. Because this
thing's about grace. And then I want every person
here who has no assurance of your interest in Christ, in the
mercy of God, to listen to these four scriptures and be encouraged
to call on the name of the Lord. If Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord, why not me? Why not? Why not? If God's going
to save a no-count worthless bum like you, David, why wouldn't
he save me? That's right. If God's going to reach down
and Detroit and save a Yankee like you, Mike, why not me? That's
right, isn't it? You first want to say amen. What'd
you bring? Nothing. What'd you bring? What'd
you give? Well, what are you doing? Well,
how are you saved? By grace. That's right. Well, if it don't
cost nothing, then I can come in and give. That's what I mean,
if it doesn't cost anything. If it doesn't cost anything,
then I can come. If you don't have to bring anything,
then don't bring nothing but an appetite, then I can eat,
can't I? He said, come for all things
are ready. Why not you? No, you keep reaching to find
out what you're going to bring, how much you're going to pay,
what you're going to do. Well, I don't want to be baptized just
yet. Who said you had to be? Well, I just don't, wife and
I just can't afford pies right now. Who said you had to? Well, you know, we don't live
where there's a church and we're just not able to go. There's
no salvation within the church. I'll tell you what you're doing.
You're waiting to fix up your robe so you can come sit down
and get cast out for wearing the wrong robe. You're just getting
fixed up so you can come in. The king will walk in and say,
how'd you get in here? Cast him out. See, everybody that comes,
comes freely. In my hands, no price I raise.
By grace! Grace! That's what it is. Free
grace. All right, watch this now. Four
scriptures, and I'll quit. 2 Timothy 1.9. 2 Timothy 1.9. Now, you take your Bible, and
look at this, 2 Timothy 1.9. And there are four words that
define this grace of God. The first one is eternal. The
second one is sovereign. The third one is free. And the
fourth one is in Christ. Can you remember those four words?
There are four words that define the grace of God and salvation. Eternal, sovereign, free in Christ. All right, watch this, in 2 Timothy
1.9, "...he hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to his own purpose
and grace which was given us in Christ before the world began."
How was saved? Eternal grace, before the world
began, you know what I'm saying? Sovereign grace, according to
his own purpose. free grace, not according to
our works. Where is it? In Christ. That's
grace. You see those four things? God's grace is eternal, before
the world began. God's grace is sovereign, according
to his own purpose. God's grace is free, not according
to your works, then or now. and it's in Christ, all right? Turn to 2 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians
2, 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 13, you have it, 2 Thessalonians
2.13, grace, all right? But, 2 Thessalonians 2.13, we're bound
to give thanks Always to God for you brethren
beloved of the Lord Because God has from the beginning chosen
you to salvation Through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the
truth where unto he called you by our gospel To the obtaining
of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ What kind of grace is
it eternal from the beginning God has from the beginning chosen
you salvation? What kind of grace is it? Sovereign.
He chose you. It's free. Beloved of the Lord. Brethren, beloved of the Lord.
You didn't love Him. He loved you. And verse 14 says,
it's in Christ. He called you by our gospel to
the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I'll
tell you something else. This grace, this free grace,
sovereign grace, eternal grace, always is given to us through
the gospel. Every time, you watch it, every
time you read a verse of scripture having to do with, go back to
that one in 2 Timothy, let me show you this, 2 Timothy 1, 9. You remember I showed you verse
9, he saved us and called us with a holy calling, eternal,
free, sovereign in Christ. Look at verse 10, the next verse,
but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who hath abolished death and brought life and immortality
to life through the gospel, whereunto I am appointed a preacher." See
that, David? Not without it. You are not saved
because God elected you. God elected you into salvation.
You are saved because Christ died for you. And that salvation
becomes a reality when you believe it by hearing the gospel. Look
back at 2 Thessalonians 2. 13. We are bound to give thanks always
to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath
from the beginning chosen you to salvation, how? Through sanctification
of the Spirit, that's the Holy Spirit, quickening, regenerating,
calling, and belief of the truth, whereunto, that's not the end
of the sentence, there's a colon there, whereunto he called you
by our gospel. See that there, he called, that's
the reason we must preach the gospel. That's the reason you
must hear the gospel. The gospel of Christ. Christ,
you see, He was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the
world, in the mind and purpose of God. But He had to die. And
I was chosen to salvation in the mind and purpose of God.
But I had to be brought to Him. I had to be born. I had to be
born. All right, here's the third scripture,
quickly. Galatians 1. Galatians 1, 15. Listen to Paul here now. Hear
those four words. Galatians 1.15, listen to it. But, Galatians 1.15, when it
pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called
me by his grace to reveal his Son in me. For the four words,
eternal, from my mother's womb, before I was conceived, sovereign,
it pleased God. it pleased God, three, he called
me by his grace in Christ to reveal his Son, not to me, in
me, in me. And what's the next line? To
reveal his Son in me that I might preach him among the heathen.
Always, see, election usually is coupled with two or three
things. One, it's always coupled with praise. Our Lord said, I
thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you hid these
things from the wise and fruitful. I thank you. Ephesians 1, Paul
talks about election. He says, Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings according as he chose them. In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul
said, I give thanks to God for you, brethren and beloved of
the Lord. But it's also coupled with preaching. Always. Belief of the truth. The eighth
time he talks about, he called it a priest, the priest, the
priest, this gospel. The last one, Ephesians 1, 3.
Ephesians 1, 3. Now watch for these four words,
you figure them out yourself now. It's eternal, it's sovereign,
it's free, it's in Christ. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ. who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in the heavenly in Christ, according as he chose
us, sovereign, queen, eternal, 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 himself, according to the good pleasure of his own
will. to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he made
us accepted in the beloved. Now then, I say this in closing,
whether it's you or me or whomever or whatever or whenever, there's a holy God with a holy
law and a holy justice. And the creatures of this earth
are evil, born in evil, conceived, shaped, and brought forth in
evil. You see it that separated you and your God. But there's
a way back to God. There's a way of redemption.
There's a way of acceptance. There's a way of reconciliation.
There's a way of atonement. But everybody says that they
have a way, but the ways are so different. that are being
preached. And I have a way that I'm preaching. I have preached
for 35 years now. And the way I'm preaching is
the way of grace. Not the way of works, not the way of religion,
not the way of do's and don'ts, not the way of communion, or
baptism, or tithing, or giving, or going, or keeping Sabbath
days. The way I'm preaching is the
way of grace. Not anything we produce or send
up, everything comes down from him. It originates with him,
purposed by him, given from him, of him, and to him in the sense
that it enables him to be just and justified, reconciles his
law, satisfies his justice, and honors his righteousness. And
he sent down here into this world a representative, a federal head,
a covenant head, a redeemer. who became identified with me,
bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, even Jesus Christ his
son. It was his grace that gave him.
It was his grace that gave him to me, his grace that loved me
in him, his grace that revealed him to me, and his grace that
enabled me to believe on him and to look to him to trust him.
And I say that's the way to God. If you can be done with all your
works and all your tradition and all your religion and all
your counted all but dumb, like Saul of Tarsus, and be led to
look only to God in Christ, to do business with God in Christ,
to receive God in Christ, to rest before God in Christ, and
to leave your salvation holy in the arms and hands of Jesus
Christ, I believe God will receive you. Because that's what he said,
we're accepted in the beloved. I believe he will. I believe
that's the way. I don't believe there's another way. I think
that's the way. Our Father, the very fact we can call thee
our Father, because by nature you're not our Father. We're
of our Father the devil. But because Christ loved us and
gave himself for us and has given to us the spirit of adoption,
by your grace we cry, Abba, Father. And this way into your presence
is the new and living way, opened by the blood of Christ. Thy throne
of justice is by the blood of Christ, the throne of grace.
And we have nothing to bring in the flesh no man can please
thee. You said you'd take these stony
hearts away and give us a heart of flesh, take our sins away
and give us a righteousness. We don't have anything to bring.
But we come ourselves. as centers before thy throne
of grace, O God. And like the publican of old,
we cry, let thy blood be propitiation for me on the mercy seat. Be
merciful unto me. Save me for Christ's sake. Give
me a heart to love Christ, to love Christ, and to rest in him,
and all here in this congregation. Oh, to grace, how great a debtor! Daily I am constrained to be.
Let thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee. In the name of Christ I pray,
amen.