Our subject this morning is entitled,
The Foundation of All Grace. Now the scripture is Ephesians
4, verse 32, in which the Apostle Paul writes, Let all bitterness
and wrath and anger and quarreling and evil speaking be put away
from among you, along with all malice And be ye kind one to
another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for
Christ's sake, hath forgiven you." I want, first of all, to
focus your attention on three words, for Christ's sake. You've heard people say that
often, frequently. When I was in the Navy, I heard
it quite often. Here are three words. For Christ's
sake. Often, more than not, they are
spoken in wrath and blasphemy. For Christ's sake. For Christ's
sake. You've heard it so often. But
my friends, never, never were three more precious, powerful,
and meaningful words spoken by human lips. For Christ's sake. I don't care how a man speaks
it. They're precious words. They're meaningful words. They're
powerful words. For Christ's sake. These words
are the foundation of the gospel. That's right. God, for Christ's
sake, has forgiven you. That's the foundation of the
gospel. Christ is the gospel. The gospel is concerning his
son and his son's work and his son's intercession, his son's
priestly work, for Christ's sake. That's the foundation of the
gospel. And then those are the most important words in prayer.
Prayer is nothing without Christ. He said, Whatsoever you ask in
my name. It shall be done. We pray for
Christ's sake. We'll have no answer on any other
foundation or any other basis for Christ's sake. So these are
the most important words in prayer. And then these words are the
key to understanding the scripture. It's for Christ's sake. That's
right, to Him give all the prophets witness. Our Lord said to the
religious leaders of His day, you search the scriptures, in
them you think you have life, there they that testify of me.
And he took his disciples back through the Old Testament, through
Moses and the Psalms and the prophets, and showed them how
that these scriptures concerned him and his death. They're for
Christ's sake. And then these words bring healing. When Peter, James, and John stood
at the gate and healed the man who had been lame from birth,
they said, we don't have anything to give you. But in the name
of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk, for Christ's sake." And
that man rose up and walked. And these words are the passport
to the throne of grace, seeing that we have a high priest, the
Lord Jesus Christ, who's passed into the heavens, let us come
boldly before the throne of grace that we may find mercy and grace
to help in time of need. So there are no more precious,
meaningful, and powerful words that have ever fallen from human
lips than these three words, for Christ's sake. If I were
to die tonight, and there's a good possibility that I might, or
certainly some of you who are older than I am, if we were to
die tonight and stand before God, this very evening we stand
before God and we hear God say, now listen, we hear God say,
just tell me why that I should open the doors of heaven for
you." That's a good question, and just tell me why that I should
open the doors of heaven and admit you. Well, I'll tell you
this, I would not plead my works. Some did in Matthew 7. They said,
well, Lord, we have preached in your name and cast out devils
and done many wonderful works. And he says, depart from me,
I never knew you. That's not a reason for Almighty
God receiving you into His kingdom, into His glory, to share His
glory, to be a joint heir with His Son. Well, I wouldn't plead
my righteousness because I know, like Isaiah, that even my righteousnesses
are filthy rags in God's sight. That the best I've ever done
is not good enough. The best I've ever given falls
short of the glory of God. God cannot accept anything but
perfection. And I have no perfection. So
even my righteousness is a filthy rag. And at my best state, I'm
altogether vanity. So I won't plead that. I wouldn't
dare plead it. And then I'm certainly not going
to plead my church membership, my baptism. People have had these
things and perished. Well, what shall I say? When
God says, why should I open the doors of glory to you? Well,
I believe these three words would be sufficient for Christ's sake.
For Christ's sake. I lay claim, I lay claim only
to one thing. Christ died for my sins. And
I believe that will open the gates of heaven. He loved me
and gave himself for me. And you take away this foundation
You take away this foundation and the whole house of hope comes
tumbling down. Because clearly the Word of God
teaches that all that God has for sinners, and all that God
Almighty does for sinners, and all that God Almighty gives to
sinners is for Christ's sake. The first Corinthians 1.30 says,
But of God are you in Christ Jesus. who of God is made unto
us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption." Everything's
in those four things. Everything I need is in those
four things. Wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption. And all of it is in Christ. All
that God has for me, does for me, and gives to me is in Jesus
Christ. And the Scripture says, "...in
him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." Everything
is in Christ. All the fullness of God. All
the riches of God, all the glory of God, all the mercy of God,
all the fullness of God is in Christ. He's the fountain of
mercy. He's the source of all grace. And you're complete in
Him. For Christ's sake. I want us
to look at three things together in this message. First of all,
and I'm going to divide this message into these three parts.
I hope you can remember them. I'll remind you of them as we
go along. But number one, for Christ's sake. That's what this
is all about. foundation of all grace is found in these three
words, for Christ's sake. Now, for Christ's sake is the
reason for mercy on the part of God. For Christ's sake is
the motive for service on the part of the believer. And for
Christ's sake is the foundation of all divine grace, and it's
also the foundation for all human love. Want to listen to that
a little while? Are you interested? Well, listen,
if you will. First of all, the reason, the
reason for God's grace and God's mercy to sinners, to the chief
of sinners, the reason is not found in us. It's found in Christ. It certainly is. It's found in
Christ. For Christ's sake, even, listen to the text again, be
ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God
For Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. God, for Christ's sake,
hath forgiven you. Why? Why was the Father moved
to choose a people to begin with? And He did. There's no question
about that. He chose us. It says that all the way through
the Scriptures. He chose us. Why was God moved to choose a
people in the first place? Why was God Almighty choosed
to... Why was He pleased to make a covenant of grace in the first
place? There is a covenant of grace. An eternal, everlasting
covenant of grace. David talked about it. The last
words David spoke were these. Although it be not so with my
house, God hath made with me an everlasting covenant. And
the blood of Christ is the blood of an everlasting covenant. And
he's the surety of an everlasting covenant. Now, why was God moved
to make a covenant, an everlasting covenant, to start with? Covenant
of grace. Why was the Father moved to send
his Son into this world? Why was the Father moved to accept
sinners as holy and redeemed and forgiven? Why? Well, I think
the answer is found in these three words, for Christ's sake.
For Christ's sake. When we do something special
for the sake of another, there's got to be reasons, and I'm going
to give you some of those reasons. First of all, God shows mercy
for Christ's sake. That's established. That's the
reason for His mercy. Well, why? Well, first of all,
because of the glory of his person. The glory of his person. Because
of who he is. My friends, over two million
people followed Moses out of the land of Egypt and across
the desert. Because of the greatness and
excellence of his character, of his person. Over thousands
of men followed David into exile, fleeing fleeing from his son
Absalom, out there to suffer in mountain caves and live on
scarce rations because of the excellence and glory of the person
of David. Three hundred gallant men followed
Gideon against overwhelming odds because of the excellence and
glory of his person. There was something special about
these men, something great about these men. But how then shall
we describe the glory and excellence of the Lord Jesus Christ, who
far outshines all men and all angels and all creatures put
together. The Father shows mercy for Christ's
sake because of the glory of his person, the excellence of
his person. Isaiah speaks of that glory when
he says, Under us a child is born, under us a son is given,
his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God. the everlasting Father, the Prince
of Peace. The Father has exalted Him and
given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name
of Jesus every knee should bow, that in all things He might have
preeminence. So God shows mercy to sinners
for Christ's sake because of who He is, the excellence and
greatness of His name. Whosoever shall call on the name
of the Lord, His name is so great. His name brings forth all that
heaven has just by calling on His name. Then secondly, God
shows mercy for Christ's sake because of His relationship to
the Father. The Father kept saying to the
people of this world, this is my Son. This is my beloved Son
in whom I'm well pleased. This is my Son. Hear ye Him. God will show mercy for Christ's
sake because of the excellence of His person and because of
the relationship that He bears with the Father. He's God's well-beloved,
only begotten Son. His Son. My wife and I had a
son killed in the war in Vietnam twelve years ago, 1969. Suppose the following months
or year I was sitting in the den at my home, and the doorbell
rang. And I went to the door and opened
it, and there stood a young man in a soldier's uniform. And he
would say, you, Mr. Mahan, yes, sir. Did you have
a son named Robert? Yes, sir. Killed in the war?
Yes, sir. Well, he said, I was his best
friend. I was with him when he was killed. And I talked with him before
he died, and he said, if you're ever in Ashland, Kentucky, look
up my father. If you ever have any need, I
know he'll help you if you just tell him that you were my friend.
Well, I tell you, my home would belong to that boy. Anything
I had would be given to him. Now, here the Lord Jesus Christ,
God shows mercy to me. I may not even know that young
man. I may not have ever seen him before. But the very name
of my Son would open the door to my heart, my home, and my
possessions to Him. For the name of God's only begotten
Son opens all of God's heart and God's home and God's possession
to those who come in the name of Christ. Now that's right,
to relate for Christ's sake. That's the reason for mercy,
for Christ's sake. God does it for Christ's sake.
That's the name. That's the name which is above
every name. That's the name upon whom which you call, and God
hears. That's the name. Jesus, thou
Son of David, have mercy on me. And Christ stood still. Christ
stood still. God shows mercy for Christ's
sake because of the greatness of His work. Not only because
of the excellence of His name. Not only because of the relationship
which He bears with the Father. But because of the greatness
of His work. What did He do? What hath He
done? What hath he done? What hath
he done, you ask? Jesus Christ came down here to
this earth. He condescended to become a man,
to take upon himself, upon his glory, upon his person, the likeness
of my flesh. He was bone of my bone and flesh
of my flesh. The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us. God became a man. I don't understand
that. I just know it's so. How can
God become a man? Well, how can God create a world
out of nothing? How can God speak in the sunshine?
How can God speak and the planets move in their given orbit? How
can God speak and the water and dry land separate? How can God
speak and a man receive life out of dust? How can God speak
and a woman be made from a rib? How can God anything? Because
He's God. And God became a man. And in
the flesh, as a man, He met and obeyed every jot and tittle of
God's righteous holy law." Boy, you say, that law is too much
for me. It's been too much for any man, but it's not too much
for Christ. Christ, in the flesh, as a man,
obeyed every jot and tittle of God's holy law. The law of the
home, the law of the city, the law of the nation, the Levitical
law, the ceremonial law, the moral law, and every other law.
And not only that, but he was numbered with the transgressors
and poured out his soul unto death, and in his death satisfied
God's justice for every believer of every generation and every
tribe, kindred, nation, and tongue unto heaven. He paid it all,
all the debt we owed. Sin left a crimson stain. He
washed it white as snow. This brings me back to my first
point. You say, how can one man die for millions because of who
he is? Because He's the Father's beloved
Son. He's the great and excellent
Jesus Christ, the beloved Son of God. That's the reason His
work's effectual. That's the reason His work's
sufficient. That's the reason His work is plentiful. That's
the reason His grace is so completely abundant, is because of who He
is. And he did it perfectly. He obeyed
the law. He satisfied God's justice. He
was buried and rose again. As the surety of God's everlasting
covenant, he fulfilled all requirements in one life and one death that
all of the sons of Adam could not satisfy and could not meet
in billions of lives and billions of deaths and billions of years
in eternal misery because of who he is. Can you get hold of
that? He's not sweet little Jesus boy
either. He's not the superstar. That
always amazed me that men will call their large brothers most
worshipful master and their God the man upstairs. That's blasphemy. They'll call their large brothers
most high and lifted up potentate. You've heard all that junk. That
most worshipful potentate. And then they'll talk about Jesus
the superstar. or somebody up there likes me,
or the old man upstairs, or the good Lord, that's blasphemy.
You've got more respect for human flesh than you have God Almighty.
And that's the reason you don't know God, nor His Son. When you
come to know Him, you bow before Him, you worship Him, you fear
Him, you stand in awe and reverence of Him, you carry His name carefully
on your lips and on your heart. O Lord God of heaven, be merciful
to us poor sinners. The name, the name which is above
every name, the greatness and worthiness, he arose victorious
and he ascended to the Father's right hand where he intercedes
for all believers and throughout heaven, throughout heaven's years,
eons of eternity, they're going to sing unto him, unto him, unto
him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own precious
blood unto him be honor and glory both now and forever." God shows
mercy for Christ's sake because of the worthiness, the excellence
of his name, the relationship with the Father, and because
of the greatness of his work he had completed. He cried on
that cross, it is finished. It is finished. All that's required
of all believers of all ages is finished. All that the holy,
matchless, pure Lord God demands of men is finished. All that
the justice of God requires at the hands of evil men is finished. All that God Almighty's holiness
and righteousness and justice demands of all who would enter
glory by faith is finished. Finished. Not on an installment
plan. He didn't make a down payment.
He finished it. He finished it. And then God shows mercy for
Christ's sake because of the eternal promises made to Him. God keeps His Word. God is faithful. He cannot lie. When He promises
His Son something, He gives it. He gives it. He said, Ask of
Me, and I'll give you the heathen for your inheritance. Ask of
Me, and I'll give you the heathen for your inheritance. There is
an everlasting covenant of grace. Call it what you will. Call it
what you will, but the Father gave the Son of people." The
eternal, everlasting covenant of grace made between Father
and Son and Holy Spirit in which the Father gave to the Son of
people. That's all the way through the Bible. Read John 17. This
is the great priestly prayer of Christ, John 17. The beginning
of it is, Christ lifted his eyes to heaven and prayed. Father,
glorify thy Son, that thy Son may glorify thee. As thou hast
given me authority over all flesh, that I should give eternal life
to as many as thou hast given me. And this is life eternal,
that they might know thee, the only true God in Jesus Christ,
whom thou hast sent." And six times in these verses, in John
17, our Lord identifies those people with these words, those
whom the Father hath given me. those whom the Father hath given
me. And then in John 6, 37, he says,
All that my Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from
heaven, not to do my will, but the will of him that sent me.
And this is the will of him that sent me, that of all which he
hath given me I will lose nothing, but raise it up again at the
last day. For Christ's sake, his blood
is the blood of that everlasting covenant. He is the surety of
that everlasting covenant. So the Father shows mercy for
Christ's sake. He shows mercy to sinners for
Christ's sake. Because of the excellence of
His name, the glory of His person, because of the relationship which
He bears to the Father, He is the Son. And because of the greatness
and worthiness of His work, He has accomplished all that was
required. He has paid the price. And because
of the promises which the Father has made to him, which shall
not fail, he will keep his promise." He'll keep his promise. Now listen
to me. I know we've got a song, he'll keep his promise to me.
That's right. But indirectly, his promise was
made first to Christ. And to you in Christ. That's
right now. All of God's mercy is in Christ.
His grace is in Christ. His love is in Christ. His promise
is to Christ. And the promise is to you because
of his promise to Christ. He's going to keep his promise
to his son. Now, for Christ's sake, let's go back to those
three words again. I said it's the foundation of all grace.
Secondly, for Christ's sake ought to be, and I believe will be,
our motive for all that we do in God's kingdom and for his
glory. And we're not to be motivated
by covetousness for money and covetousness for fame and recognition. and for possessions. I tell you,
reward is a mighty sorry motive for service, a mighty sorry motive. Wages are a sorry motive for
service. Love is a much better motive.
And for Christ's sake, ought to be my motive. You know, I
was thinking the other day, it's astounding, astounding what men
have been impressed to do for different reasons. For example,
for discovery's sake, I just think what men have done for
discovery's sake. They have climbed in old wooden
ships with cloth sails, and they have sailed uncharted seas, not
knowing what was ahead. They fought disease, loneliness,
pagans, wild jungles to find a new world, or to find a new
land. What have men done for country's
sake? They've gone to war. They've separated themselves
from their families. They have suffered, bled, and died to preserve
a government, a constitution, or a way of life. That's for
country's sake. What have men done for science's
sake? They have given their lives. They've studied. They've burned
the midnight oil. They've given their time, their
wealth, their health to discover cures and causes of diseases. They've even injected themselves
with diseases to see how it works on their own flesh. Now, that's
astounding what men will do for science's sake. For false religion's
sake, for false religion, men have thrown their children into
the fires. They have sacrificed young virgins
to heathen gods. They've punished their bodies.
They've cut their flesh. They've lived in caves and dens
as hermits. And then I ask this question.
What are we willing to do and to give for Christ's sake? For
Christ's sake. Listen to this scripture. or
this song, see from his head, his hands, his feet, sorrow and
love flow, mingle down. Did e'er such love and sorrow
meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown? Were the whole realm
of nature mine, that were present, far too small. Love so amazing,
so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all. What am I willing
to give, what am I willing to suffer? What am I willing to
endure for Christ's sake? I read of a missionary, Moravian
missionary, who sold himself into slavery so that he could
preach to the slaves. Well, you say, why would a man
do that for Christ's sake out of a deep love for Jesus Christ? I read about some missionaries,
Moravian missionaries, who had themselves confined to leper
colonies so that they could preach to the lepers. He said, I don't
understand that. I know we don't understand that.
We've got this health and wealth religion. We've got this cash
and carry religion. We've got this you give 10% and
God will bless you. We've got this walk down now
and shake the hand and kiss God goodbye and see him in glory
religion. We've got everything in the world but the right true
religion. And that's a vital, living, personal
union with Christ, born of love for Christ, that motivates and
constrains us to serve Him and to glorify Him. Missionaries,
with no weapon but the Bible, have landed among cannibals and
heathens and barbarians, with no hope of gain except to make
Christ known. They buried their wives and their
children. They passed through the furnace
of suffering and poverty just to make Christ known. You say,
why would a man do that? For Christ's sake. For Christ's
sake. Now, that's the motive and should
be the model of my behavior toward others. But that's what he's
saying in our text. God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven
you. Now, you be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving
one another. Even as God, for Christ's sake,
hath forgiven you. God, for Christ's sake, hath
forgiven you. I have two messages on this cassette
tape. This is a small cassette tape
that we prepare with these messages. The one I preached last Sunday
is the heart of true religion. And this message, of course,
is the foundation of all grace. Both messages on one tape. If you want the tape right, we'll
send it to you. The cost is $2. You join us next
Sunday at this same time over this station. Until then, God
bless you, everyone.