1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:04,100 And this morning I'm interested in speaking a 2 00:00:04,100 --> 00:00:07,039 little bit about grace, the subject of grace. 3 00:00:08,380 --> 00:00:10,940 So we're going to notice a number of 4 00:00:10,940 --> 00:00:14,820 verses in the Bible and I guess the 5 00:00:14,820 --> 00:00:18,640 first aspect that I want to really think 6 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:24,120 about is really defining grace and one of 7 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:25,920 the things that I was kind of startled 8 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:28,600 to discover when I started doing this study 9 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:32,080 was that very often when the word grace 10 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:34,760 is introduced, it's introduced with a but. 11 00:00:36,180 --> 00:00:40,320 And so that shows that grace comes into 12 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:45,180 a context and it's a contrasting context. 13 00:00:46,100 --> 00:00:47,300 So we're going to notice, first of all, 14 00:00:47,340 --> 00:00:51,500 in Genesis chapter six and we have the 15 00:00:51,500 --> 00:00:54,780 first mention, I think, of grace in the 16 00:00:54,780 --> 00:00:55,080 Bible. 17 00:01:09,690 --> 00:01:11,810 Genesis chapter six and verse five. 18 00:01:13,390 --> 00:01:16,170 And God saw that the wickedness of man 19 00:01:16,170 --> 00:01:18,070 was great in the earth and that every 20 00:01:18,070 --> 00:01:20,690 imagination of the thoughts of his heart was 21 00:01:20,690 --> 00:01:22,430 only evil continually. 22 00:01:23,470 --> 00:01:25,410 And it repented the Lord that he had 23 00:01:25,410 --> 00:01:27,810 made man on the earth and it grieved 24 00:01:27,810 --> 00:01:28,610 him at his heart. 25 00:01:29,330 --> 00:01:33,370 And the Lord said, I will destroy man 26 00:01:33,370 --> 00:01:35,790 whom I have created from the face of 27 00:01:35,790 --> 00:01:38,810 the earth, both man and beast and creeping 28 00:01:38,810 --> 00:01:41,230 thing and fowl of the air, for it 29 00:01:41,230 --> 00:01:43,470 repenteth me that I have made them. 30 00:01:44,210 --> 00:01:50,010 But Noah found grace in the eyes of 31 00:01:50,010 --> 00:01:50,470 the Lord. 32 00:01:51,370 --> 00:01:53,230 These are the generations of Noah. 33 00:01:53,610 --> 00:01:55,950 Noah was a just man and perfect in 34 00:01:55,950 --> 00:01:56,650 his generations. 35 00:01:57,710 --> 00:02:01,850 And Noah walked with God. 36 00:02:04,670 --> 00:02:08,509 Now, when we think of grace, the word 37 00:02:08,509 --> 00:02:18,210 itself suggests loving kindness, goodwill that is arising 38 00:02:18,210 --> 00:02:20,930 from the heart of the one showing grace. 39 00:02:21,950 --> 00:02:27,010 And we nearly always use the definition undeserved 40 00:02:27,010 --> 00:02:27,730 kindness. 41 00:02:28,890 --> 00:02:31,290 That seems to be a character of grace 42 00:02:31,290 --> 00:02:32,750 that is very, very prominent. 43 00:02:33,530 --> 00:02:36,110 It's something that flows out of the goodness 44 00:02:36,110 --> 00:02:40,270 of God rather than our deserving of his 45 00:02:40,270 --> 00:02:41,330 kindness or favor. 46 00:02:42,670 --> 00:02:45,710 So it's kind of startling when looking at 47 00:02:45,710 --> 00:02:47,610 it and seeing that the very first reference 48 00:02:47,610 --> 00:02:51,110 to grace is in an almost opposite meaning 49 00:02:51,110 --> 00:02:55,590 in the sense that it's not just that 50 00:02:55,590 --> 00:02:59,190 God had pity on Noah, but that Noah 51 00:02:59,190 --> 00:03:02,110 found grace in his eyes. 52 00:03:02,570 --> 00:03:06,550 And this is actually almost an opposite idea 53 00:03:06,550 --> 00:03:09,590 in the sense that it is that God 54 00:03:09,590 --> 00:03:16,270 saw something good, something that brought favor in 55 00:03:16,270 --> 00:03:16,990 his eyes. 56 00:03:17,490 --> 00:03:19,070 So really the emphasis that I want to 57 00:03:19,070 --> 00:03:21,070 notice here is divine favor. 58 00:03:23,310 --> 00:03:26,430 And I don't think there's any question in 59 00:03:26,430 --> 00:03:29,610 our minds today that we are in a 60 00:03:29,610 --> 00:03:33,950 very parallel set of circumstances to Noah's day. 61 00:03:35,310 --> 00:03:37,810 God must be pretty well fed up. 62 00:03:39,930 --> 00:03:43,090 He sees wickedness overflowing today. 63 00:03:44,570 --> 00:03:45,970 No restraint. 64 00:03:47,330 --> 00:03:50,850 There is such an overflowing of evil and 65 00:03:50,850 --> 00:03:54,250 it's evil continually, nonstop. 66 00:03:55,450 --> 00:03:57,330 And so I want to just encourage you, 67 00:03:57,670 --> 00:03:59,630 if you're a believer in the Lord Jesus 68 00:03:59,630 --> 00:04:04,840 this morning, to realize that you could be 69 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:07,280 and can be, and I trust you are, 70 00:04:07,540 --> 00:04:10,140 for God a bright spot. 71 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:14,580 And that you might be one of the 72 00:04:14,580 --> 00:04:19,339 reasons why God hasn't blotted out man from 73 00:04:19,339 --> 00:04:21,280 the face of the earth in our day. 74 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:25,620 Because God in his character is long-suffering 75 00:04:25,620 --> 00:04:28,760 and he wants to manifest his grace. 76 00:04:29,820 --> 00:04:32,620 And sometimes he looks for an excuse to 77 00:04:32,620 --> 00:04:33,420 be able to show it. 78 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:38,520 And Noah was for God this reason to 79 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:39,200 show mercy. 80 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:45,140 And through Noah and his righteousness and his 81 00:04:45,140 --> 00:04:49,860 walking with God, God spared a little, little 82 00:04:49,860 --> 00:04:55,800 remnant of humanity and has endured how many 83 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:59,500 thousands of years more of human sin. 84 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:05,700 He spared the world from absolute judgment, although 85 00:05:05,700 --> 00:05:08,660 he brought almost total judgment upon the earth. 86 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:11,480 But Noah found grace in the eyes of 87 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:11,900 the Lord. 88 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:13,960 And so I want you to think of 89 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:15,900 another couple of examples. 90 00:05:16,360 --> 00:05:17,720 And I'm just going to refer to this 91 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:21,460 one in Exodus where Moses, in a somewhat 92 00:05:21,460 --> 00:05:27,120 similar context, when Israel had failed and they 93 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:31,200 had worshiped the golden calf at the bottom 94 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:31,740 of the mountain. 95 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:37,220 And in Exodus 33, you have Moses interceding 96 00:05:37,220 --> 00:05:38,660 with God for the people. 97 00:05:39,460 --> 00:05:43,120 And Moses says, you have said that you 98 00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:44,700 have found favor in my sight. 99 00:05:45,340 --> 00:05:48,440 And the Lord responds and he says, yes, 100 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:50,580 you have found favor in my sight. 101 00:05:51,340 --> 00:05:54,740 And I will spare the people for your 102 00:05:54,740 --> 00:05:55,060 sake. 103 00:05:55,660 --> 00:05:57,960 I will bring them to the land of 104 00:05:57,960 --> 00:05:58,420 promise. 105 00:05:58,840 --> 00:06:01,300 So again, you have, you might say, the 106 00:06:01,300 --> 00:06:06,840 fate of a nation hanging on the favor 107 00:06:06,840 --> 00:06:09,320 that one man has with God. 108 00:06:10,180 --> 00:06:12,340 Now, let's go to Ephesians chapter one, where 109 00:06:12,340 --> 00:06:16,840 we we see where we fit in in 110 00:06:16,840 --> 00:06:20,600 the place of favor that we have graciously 111 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:22,080 received through the Lord Jesus. 112 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:24,260 And of course, he's the ultimate example of 113 00:06:24,260 --> 00:06:30,640 this, of God showing favor to others because 114 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:31,780 of one man. 115 00:06:33,100 --> 00:06:36,740 Ephesians chapter one, we have the wonderful expression 116 00:06:36,740 --> 00:06:38,060 of God's blessing to us. 117 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:40,800 Verse three, blessed be the God and father 118 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:42,880 of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed 119 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:46,780 us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places 120 00:06:46,780 --> 00:06:49,580 in Christ, according as he has chosen us 121 00:06:49,580 --> 00:06:52,380 in him before the foundation of the world, 122 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:55,320 that we should be holy and without blame 123 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:59,960 before him in love, having predestinated us unto 124 00:06:59,960 --> 00:07:05,640 adoption of children or sonship by Jesus Christ 125 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:06,700 to himself. 126 00:07:06,880 --> 00:07:09,020 You notice how it's all in Christ, by 127 00:07:09,020 --> 00:07:12,800 Christ, according to the good pleasure of his 128 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:15,560 will, to the praise of the glory of 129 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:20,680 his grace, wherein he has made us accepted 130 00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:25,580 in the beloved, in whom we have redemption 131 00:07:25,580 --> 00:07:28,180 through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according 132 00:07:28,180 --> 00:07:31,180 to the riches of his grace. 133 00:07:32,540 --> 00:07:34,440 Now, when we look at this expression, to 134 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:36,280 the praise of the glory of his grace, 135 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:39,520 wherein he has made us accepted in the 136 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:43,540 beloved, this again is that idea of favor. 137 00:07:43,740 --> 00:07:46,960 In fact, the word or the expression made 138 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:50,440 us accepted is actually the word grace as 139 00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:50,900 a verb. 140 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:55,840 He has graced us in the beloved. 141 00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:00,640 The very same word, I believe, is found 142 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:03,020 in Luke chapter one in reference to Mary 143 00:08:03,020 --> 00:08:05,760 when the angel Gabriel comes with the message 144 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:10,640 and he says, Fear not, thou art highly 145 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:11,320 favored. 146 00:08:12,340 --> 00:08:15,100 So here we have the idea of being 147 00:08:15,100 --> 00:08:20,260 highly favored of God, brought into a place 148 00:08:20,260 --> 00:08:25,300 of love and nearness, and we can readily 149 00:08:25,300 --> 00:08:29,840 appreciate that we come into this blessing because 150 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:32,700 of the Lord Jesus and that he has 151 00:08:32,700 --> 00:08:35,039 brought such pleasure to God. 152 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:38,500 It's in him that we have a place 153 00:08:38,500 --> 00:08:39,580 of favor. 154 00:08:40,159 --> 00:08:44,480 And of course, it is forgiveness, it is 155 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:48,240 being made as sons of God, it is 156 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:51,600 inheriting everything that God has, and all of 157 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:55,200 that is in the beloved one. 158 00:08:57,780 --> 00:09:01,060 So do we appreciate that we actually hold 159 00:09:01,060 --> 00:09:04,860 the favor of God today, but not just 160 00:09:04,860 --> 00:09:09,360 on our own goodness, but upon what Christ 161 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:11,180 is for God. 162 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:15,280 And so divine favor and acceptance is the 163 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:18,600 first emphasis that I enjoy in thinking about 164 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:20,620 the reality of God's grace. 165 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:24,420 Coming over to John chapter one, and I'm 166 00:09:24,420 --> 00:09:27,300 just going to be looking at these and 167 00:09:27,300 --> 00:09:29,300 making a few comments on each one as 168 00:09:29,300 --> 00:09:30,120 we go through it. 169 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:33,960 John chapter one, we have another interesting connection 170 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:35,940 back to that incident with Moses. 171 00:09:37,560 --> 00:09:40,520 But in John one, and we'll start at 172 00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:46,260 verse 16, John the Baptist is born witness 173 00:09:46,260 --> 00:09:46,820 of him. 174 00:09:47,140 --> 00:09:49,880 In verse 15, and then we have this 175 00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:54,780 testimony concerning Christ and of his fullness, have 176 00:09:54,780 --> 00:09:58,580 all we received and grace for grace. 177 00:09:59,500 --> 00:10:02,860 For the law was given by Moses, but 178 00:10:02,860 --> 00:10:07,060 grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 179 00:10:07,380 --> 00:10:09,160 No man has seen God at any time. 180 00:10:09,820 --> 00:10:11,860 The only begotten son who is in the 181 00:10:11,860 --> 00:10:15,860 bosom of the father, he has declared him. 182 00:10:16,560 --> 00:10:19,060 So what we have here is what we 183 00:10:19,060 --> 00:10:23,340 call what I would label as divine fullness 184 00:10:23,340 --> 00:10:24,680 revealed. 185 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:27,160 He's placing a contrast. 186 00:10:27,460 --> 00:10:31,760 The law was given by Moses, but grace 187 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:35,200 and truth came by Jesus Christ. 188 00:10:35,680 --> 00:10:40,220 And this is the fullness of God being 189 00:10:40,220 --> 00:10:41,960 made known to us. 190 00:10:42,580 --> 00:10:43,460 God's fullness. 191 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:48,160 Thinking back to Moses, I've already referred to 192 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:51,900 him as one who actually became a beautiful 193 00:10:51,900 --> 00:10:55,860 foreshadowing of Christ in that incident at Mount 194 00:10:55,860 --> 00:10:56,300 Sinai. 195 00:10:56,960 --> 00:10:58,900 God was going to blot out the nation. 196 00:10:59,780 --> 00:11:02,540 And God said, I'll make of you a 197 00:11:02,540 --> 00:11:03,160 great nation. 198 00:11:04,300 --> 00:11:08,400 But Moses, instead of accepting that honor of 199 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:11,100 God starting all over with him as being 200 00:11:11,100 --> 00:11:13,620 the foundation stone of it, he says, Oh 201 00:11:13,620 --> 00:11:14,820 no, Lord, you can't do that. 202 00:11:15,420 --> 00:11:17,020 He says, Lord, you made a promise. 203 00:11:17,560 --> 00:11:20,240 You made a promise to Abraham, to Isaac, 204 00:11:20,340 --> 00:11:20,940 and to Jacob. 205 00:11:21,560 --> 00:11:23,960 And now you're fulfilling that promise by bringing 206 00:11:23,960 --> 00:11:26,680 the people of Israel into their inheritance. 207 00:11:27,320 --> 00:11:28,780 You've got to keep your word to them. 208 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:34,620 And so he appeals to God's faithfulness, to 209 00:11:34,620 --> 00:11:35,260 his promise. 210 00:11:36,020 --> 00:11:41,040 And then he presents himself as one willing 211 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:42,980 to accept the judgment of God. 212 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:45,220 He says, please forgive them. 213 00:11:45,380 --> 00:11:47,740 But if not, blot me, I pray thee, 214 00:11:47,940 --> 00:11:48,780 out of thy book. 215 00:11:48,780 --> 00:11:52,320 And so Moses becomes a wonderful foreshadowing of 216 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:55,440 what the Lord Jesus would actually accomplish in 217 00:11:55,440 --> 00:11:59,680 intervening between us and God and giving his 218 00:11:59,680 --> 00:12:03,000 life, bearing the curse of God in judgment. 219 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:07,930 And God blessed Moses. 220 00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:13,000 And God revealed himself in grace to Moses 221 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:14,320 personally up on the mount. 222 00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:17,040 But when Moses came down from the mountain 223 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:19,360 the second time, he still brought the same 224 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:23,580 set of laws, the same covenant. 225 00:12:23,580 --> 00:12:27,600 He was not able, even though he rose, 226 00:12:27,700 --> 00:12:31,420 you might say, morally to that character of 227 00:12:31,420 --> 00:12:34,220 being the mediator and the redeemer. 228 00:12:34,400 --> 00:12:37,000 He couldn't be that because he himself was 229 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:37,780 yet a sinner. 230 00:12:38,420 --> 00:12:41,860 So we have that God in all his 231 00:12:41,860 --> 00:12:45,820 greatness longs to make himself known to us. 232 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:48,680 And now he has a perfect channel through 233 00:12:48,680 --> 00:12:51,600 which he can reveal himself to us. 234 00:12:52,260 --> 00:12:56,680 Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 235 00:12:56,680 --> 00:13:00,020 And that is in the character of being 236 00:13:00,020 --> 00:13:01,080 God's son. 237 00:13:02,680 --> 00:13:06,680 As eternally in the bosom of the Father, 238 00:13:07,460 --> 00:13:10,000 the Lord Jesus Christ, coming from the presence 239 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:12,740 of God, is able to tell us in 240 00:13:12,740 --> 00:13:17,700 completeness, in fullness, what God is like. 241 00:13:17,700 --> 00:13:21,560 And so grace and truth then is the 242 00:13:21,560 --> 00:13:25,920 complete revelation of the character of God and 243 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:28,660 the bestowal of blessing to us. 244 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:33,540 Now I'm going to take a little glimpse 245 00:13:33,540 --> 00:13:36,820 in Romans chapter 5 where we have the 246 00:13:36,820 --> 00:13:39,560 emphasis on the undeserved gift. 247 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:45,400 And that's what we so often associate with 248 00:13:45,400 --> 00:13:47,740 the idea of grace, the undeserved gift. 249 00:13:48,550 --> 00:13:50,900 Romans 5 and 15 says, But not as 250 00:13:50,900 --> 00:13:54,460 the offense, so also is the free gift. 251 00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:57,120 For if through the offense of one many 252 00:13:57,120 --> 00:13:59,580 be dead, much more the grace of God 253 00:13:59,580 --> 00:14:02,160 and the gift by grace which is by 254 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:05,900 one man, Jesus Christ, has abounded unto many. 255 00:14:05,900 --> 00:14:07,220 And then at the end of the chapter, 256 00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:10,220 verse 20 says, Moreover, the law entered that 257 00:14:10,220 --> 00:14:13,420 the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, 258 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:17,240 grace did much more abound. 259 00:14:17,660 --> 00:14:20,000 That as sin has reigned unto death, even 260 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:23,720 so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal 261 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:26,900 life by Jesus Christ our Lord. 262 00:14:26,900 --> 00:14:30,780 So we are introduced to this reality that 263 00:14:30,780 --> 00:14:34,860 there is sin against God, there is offenses 264 00:14:34,860 --> 00:14:43,060 that abound in their rebelliousness and wickedness before 265 00:14:43,060 --> 00:14:44,060 the face of God. 266 00:14:44,060 --> 00:14:48,820 And yet his grace flows out and overflows 267 00:14:48,820 --> 00:14:52,620 all of that wickedness and he still shows 268 00:14:52,620 --> 00:14:56,980 his love, his goodness, instead of dealing with 269 00:14:56,980 --> 00:15:00,220 humanity according to sin. 270 00:15:01,340 --> 00:15:05,860 So we have grace reigning, an undeserved gift. 271 00:15:05,860 --> 00:15:08,600 Now in Ephesians chapter 2, I'm just going 272 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:10,400 to make a very brief reference to this 273 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:14,000 because the focus of this is again more 274 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:16,040 in the gospel and I want to show 275 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:22,710 that the grace of God means salvation to 276 00:15:22,710 --> 00:15:27,640 the sinner, but then it also means strength 277 00:15:27,640 --> 00:15:28,340 to the saint. 278 00:15:28,900 --> 00:15:32,180 We have the grace of God, God moving 279 00:15:32,180 --> 00:15:35,460 toward us in his power and his love. 280 00:15:36,020 --> 00:15:38,360 And that's what is emphasized at this point 281 00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:39,060 in Ephesians. 282 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:41,440 At the end of chapter 1, it has 283 00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:45,620 made reference to the exceeding greatness of his 284 00:15:45,620 --> 00:15:47,420 power in verse 19. 285 00:15:47,600 --> 00:15:51,140 To usward who believe according to the working 286 00:15:51,140 --> 00:15:52,880 of his mighty power which he wrought in 287 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:54,460 Christ when he raised him from the dead 288 00:15:54,460 --> 00:15:55,920 and set him at his own right hand. 289 00:15:55,920 --> 00:15:58,880 And then in chapter 2, it's related to 290 00:15:58,880 --> 00:15:59,280 us. 291 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:04,040 And in God reaching us to save us, 292 00:16:04,580 --> 00:16:06,400 it says in you, verse 1, has he 293 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:10,720 quickened, made alive who were dead in trespasses 294 00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:13,760 and sins wherein in time past you walked 295 00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:16,860 according to the course of this world, according 296 00:16:16,860 --> 00:16:18,560 to the prince of the power of the 297 00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:20,560 air, the spirit that now works in the 298 00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:21,680 children of disobedience. 299 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:25,500 Among whom also we all had our conversation 300 00:16:25,500 --> 00:16:28,520 or behavior in times past in the lust 301 00:16:28,520 --> 00:16:30,680 of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the 302 00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:33,540 flesh and of the mind and whereby nature, 303 00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:39,720 children of wrath, even as others, but God. 304 00:16:43,450 --> 00:16:46,050 As I mentioned, I'm sort of giving you 305 00:16:46,050 --> 00:16:49,690 a very, very extended definition of grace by 306 00:16:49,690 --> 00:16:51,570 covering these different expressions. 307 00:16:51,570 --> 00:16:55,670 This might be the best definition that there 308 00:16:55,670 --> 00:17:02,730 is for grace, but God, you have a 309 00:17:02,730 --> 00:17:08,089 portrayal of an abject hopelessness of condition. 310 00:17:08,089 --> 00:17:17,329 People whose lives are alienated from God and 311 00:17:17,329 --> 00:17:22,589 they can't come to God and make the 312 00:17:22,589 --> 00:17:23,810 connection on their own. 313 00:17:24,050 --> 00:17:26,829 They can't overcome the condition that they are 314 00:17:26,829 --> 00:17:27,050 in. 315 00:17:27,650 --> 00:17:30,590 They are dominated by a spirit power that 316 00:17:30,590 --> 00:17:33,170 is just leading them down to destruction. 317 00:17:34,110 --> 00:17:36,330 They're following the course of life that the 318 00:17:36,330 --> 00:17:37,610 rest of the world is going. 319 00:17:37,610 --> 00:17:41,550 And we've already made reference to that course. 320 00:17:41,690 --> 00:17:44,330 It's like a flood of wickedness and it 321 00:17:44,330 --> 00:17:49,530 carries people along a pathway towards more and 322 00:17:49,530 --> 00:17:50,730 more disobedience. 323 00:17:51,530 --> 00:17:52,370 And what are we doing? 324 00:17:53,050 --> 00:17:58,230 Well, within ourselves defiled, following our own desires, 325 00:17:58,790 --> 00:18:01,630 our own independence, our own disobedience. 326 00:18:02,150 --> 00:18:03,750 It looks pretty hopeless. 327 00:18:04,850 --> 00:18:06,210 But God. 328 00:18:07,890 --> 00:18:10,770 And this is the wonder of God's salvation 329 00:18:10,770 --> 00:18:12,750 and the wonder of the grace of God 330 00:18:12,750 --> 00:18:14,990 in his moving toward us. 331 00:18:15,450 --> 00:18:19,750 We have God in his power doing what 332 00:18:19,750 --> 00:18:22,270 is needed for us to come into blessing. 333 00:18:22,990 --> 00:18:26,430 God in his love, in his mercy, overcoming 334 00:18:26,430 --> 00:18:30,690 all the enmity, the hatred that is within 335 00:18:30,690 --> 00:18:31,030 us. 336 00:18:31,030 --> 00:18:33,510 And it says, but God, who is rich 337 00:18:33,510 --> 00:18:36,250 in mercy because of his great love wherewith 338 00:18:36,250 --> 00:18:38,450 he loved us, even when we were dead 339 00:18:38,450 --> 00:18:40,670 in sins, has made us alive together with 340 00:18:40,670 --> 00:18:41,090 Christ. 341 00:18:41,610 --> 00:18:43,610 And then the little phrase that explains it 342 00:18:43,610 --> 00:18:47,090 all, by grace you are saved. 343 00:18:47,510 --> 00:18:49,890 And you go further to the rest of 344 00:18:49,890 --> 00:18:53,490 those verses, you have God's intent is that 345 00:18:53,490 --> 00:18:55,950 it might be in the ages to come 346 00:18:55,950 --> 00:18:58,190 that he will pour out upon us the 347 00:18:58,190 --> 00:19:02,550 exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness 348 00:19:02,550 --> 00:19:06,010 toward us through or in Christ Jesus. 349 00:19:09,310 --> 00:19:11,490 So, so far we've been looking at really 350 00:19:11,490 --> 00:19:16,450 the grace of God moving towards mankind despite 351 00:19:16,450 --> 00:19:17,730 what we are. 352 00:19:18,590 --> 00:19:21,130 But now we want to focus on the 353 00:19:21,130 --> 00:19:24,670 idea of his grace that has entered into 354 00:19:24,670 --> 00:19:29,310 our beings, his power within us, his life 355 00:19:29,310 --> 00:19:31,610 within us, the grace of God at work 356 00:19:31,610 --> 00:19:33,390 in the saint. 357 00:19:33,870 --> 00:19:39,230 Now let's notice Galatians chapter 1 and there's 358 00:19:39,230 --> 00:19:41,610 several references I want to draw attention to 359 00:19:41,610 --> 00:19:44,490 of the divine sovereignty and strength. 360 00:19:45,750 --> 00:19:49,530 Paul refers to his own behavior, his life 361 00:19:49,530 --> 00:19:53,210 before from verse 13 and 14, about being 362 00:19:53,210 --> 00:19:55,890 a zealous Pharisee and persecuting the church of 363 00:19:55,890 --> 00:19:56,990 God and wasting it. 364 00:19:57,970 --> 00:20:01,690 Verse 15 says, but when it pleased God 365 00:20:01,690 --> 00:20:04,410 who separated me from my mother's womb and 366 00:20:04,410 --> 00:20:08,830 called me by his grace to reveal his 367 00:20:08,830 --> 00:20:12,590 son in me that I might preach him 368 00:20:12,590 --> 00:20:14,290 among the heathen. 369 00:20:15,470 --> 00:20:18,810 It has been acknowledged that the conversion of 370 00:20:18,810 --> 00:20:21,970 Saul of Tarsus is one of the most 371 00:20:21,970 --> 00:20:25,070 powerful evidences for Christianity. 372 00:20:26,230 --> 00:20:31,750 For the supernatural aspect of life that there 373 00:20:31,750 --> 00:20:33,930 is in the message of Christ. 374 00:20:33,930 --> 00:20:37,490 Because here is a man who was absolutely 375 00:20:37,490 --> 00:20:40,250 determined to blot out the name of Christ, 376 00:20:40,530 --> 00:20:45,010 to oppose, to destroy that which represented Christ. 377 00:20:45,330 --> 00:20:48,890 And yet God, when it pleased God, God 378 00:20:48,890 --> 00:20:49,390 moved. 379 00:20:50,230 --> 00:20:52,230 And so you have the sovereign working of 380 00:20:52,230 --> 00:20:55,090 God intervening in a life. 381 00:20:55,930 --> 00:20:58,850 Every one of us who are saved have 382 00:20:58,850 --> 00:21:01,950 experienced God sovereignly moving. 383 00:21:03,050 --> 00:21:06,950 Ours may have been very undramatic, but it 384 00:21:06,950 --> 00:21:11,290 was still a work of divine sovereign grace. 385 00:21:12,690 --> 00:21:16,130 Working towards us in the circumstances of our 386 00:21:16,130 --> 00:21:20,150 life until there was that connection made when 387 00:21:20,150 --> 00:21:22,790 he revealed Christ to us. 388 00:21:23,450 --> 00:21:25,090 And then you notice that it is also 389 00:21:25,090 --> 00:21:27,290 not only to reveal his son to me, 390 00:21:27,650 --> 00:21:30,530 but to reveal his son in me. 391 00:21:31,230 --> 00:21:33,310 This is the purpose of our life. 392 00:21:34,090 --> 00:21:36,770 That the Lord Jesus Christ might not only 393 00:21:36,770 --> 00:21:38,750 be revealed to us and that we would 394 00:21:38,750 --> 00:21:41,910 embrace him as our Savior, but that he 395 00:21:41,910 --> 00:21:43,310 would be revealed in us. 396 00:21:44,370 --> 00:21:46,290 And the very life of the Lord Jesus 397 00:21:46,290 --> 00:21:48,650 would be reproduced in our lives. 398 00:21:49,230 --> 00:21:53,730 And that we would become gospel messengers by 399 00:21:53,730 --> 00:21:55,590 life as well as by testimony. 400 00:21:57,850 --> 00:22:01,590 Now over in 2 Timothy chapter 1, you 401 00:22:01,590 --> 00:22:06,130 have a similar idea where Paul is emphasizing 402 00:22:06,130 --> 00:22:09,910 to Timothy to not be ashamed. 403 00:22:11,230 --> 00:22:13,370 Verse 8, Be not thou therefore ashamed of 404 00:22:13,370 --> 00:22:15,770 the testimony of our Lord, nor of me 405 00:22:15,770 --> 00:22:16,410 his prisoner. 406 00:22:17,570 --> 00:22:19,650 That's 2 Timothy 1 and 8. 407 00:22:20,470 --> 00:22:25,590 And then 9, Be not thou therefore ashamed 408 00:22:25,590 --> 00:22:27,370 of the testimony of our Lord, nor of 409 00:22:27,370 --> 00:22:29,690 me his prisoner, but be thou partaker of 410 00:22:29,690 --> 00:22:32,590 the afflictions of the gospel according to the 411 00:22:32,590 --> 00:22:36,370 power of God, who has saved us and 412 00:22:36,370 --> 00:22:39,310 called us with a holy calling, not according 413 00:22:39,310 --> 00:22:41,850 to our works, but according to his own 414 00:22:41,850 --> 00:22:44,270 purpose and grace which was given us in 415 00:22:44,270 --> 00:22:47,090 Christ Jesus before the world began, but is 416 00:22:47,090 --> 00:22:49,930 now made manifest by the appearing of our 417 00:22:49,930 --> 00:22:52,530 Savior Jesus Christ and so on. 418 00:22:54,190 --> 00:22:56,850 Again, we have the emphasis of the sovereign 419 00:22:56,850 --> 00:23:00,470 call of God, the sovereign purpose of God, 420 00:23:00,890 --> 00:23:07,820 which was from before the world began, according 421 00:23:07,820 --> 00:23:10,240 to his own purpose and grace. 422 00:23:10,240 --> 00:23:12,640 Now, maybe we can take a quick look 423 00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:17,820 at 1 Corinthians chapter 15, where Paul refers 424 00:23:17,820 --> 00:23:20,660 to that grace working in his life. 425 00:23:25,430 --> 00:23:33,490 1 Corinthians 15, he speaks about the testimony 426 00:23:33,490 --> 00:23:35,550 of the resurrection of Christ. 427 00:23:36,930 --> 00:23:43,040 And he speaks about the fact that the 428 00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:47,620 Lord Jesus was seen by different ones who 429 00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:52,020 were witnesses of the Lord Jesus risen from 430 00:23:52,020 --> 00:23:52,520 the dead. 431 00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:58,020 And so in 1 Corinthians 15, verse 8, 432 00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:01,640 Paul says, And last of all he was 433 00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:06,080 seen of me also, as of one born 434 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:07,180 out of due time. 435 00:24:09,410 --> 00:24:11,290 For I am the least of the apostles, 436 00:24:11,990 --> 00:24:14,490 and am not meet or not worthy to 437 00:24:14,490 --> 00:24:18,190 be called an apostle, because I persecuted the 438 00:24:18,190 --> 00:24:21,950 church of God, but by the grace of 439 00:24:21,950 --> 00:24:24,010 God I am what I am. 440 00:24:24,010 --> 00:24:28,810 And his grace which was bestowed upon me 441 00:24:28,810 --> 00:24:31,750 was not in vain, but I labored more 442 00:24:31,750 --> 00:24:34,730 abundantly than they all, yet not I, but 443 00:24:34,730 --> 00:24:37,450 the grace of God which was with me. 444 00:24:38,050 --> 00:24:39,850 Therefore, whether it were I or they, so 445 00:24:39,850 --> 00:24:42,510 we preach, and so you believed. 446 00:24:44,290 --> 00:24:45,630 What is Paul getting at here? 447 00:24:45,690 --> 00:24:49,590 He's talking about the reality that the gospel 448 00:24:49,590 --> 00:24:54,270 that he preached included the resurrection of Christ, 449 00:24:54,270 --> 00:24:57,070 and that it was an essential part of 450 00:24:57,070 --> 00:24:59,930 the gospel message and its power. 451 00:25:00,570 --> 00:25:03,110 Christ died for our sins, he was buried, 452 00:25:04,310 --> 00:25:07,210 he was raised again the third day according 453 00:25:07,210 --> 00:25:08,350 to the scriptures. 454 00:25:09,350 --> 00:25:11,310 As he speaks about the grace of God 455 00:25:11,310 --> 00:25:13,890 which was bestowed upon him who had been 456 00:25:13,890 --> 00:25:16,630 a hater of Christ, a persecutor of the 457 00:25:16,630 --> 00:25:20,450 church, but the grace of God was shown 458 00:25:20,450 --> 00:25:20,950 to him. 459 00:25:23,050 --> 00:25:25,650 And now he's referring to the reality of 460 00:25:25,650 --> 00:25:29,050 that grace having worked in his life as 461 00:25:29,050 --> 00:25:29,530 a Christian. 462 00:25:30,270 --> 00:25:33,830 And he says his grace was not in 463 00:25:33,830 --> 00:25:34,190 vain. 464 00:25:35,030 --> 00:25:36,590 Now notice what it says in verse 10, 465 00:25:36,910 --> 00:25:41,050 but by the grace of God I am 466 00:25:41,050 --> 00:25:42,750 what I am. 467 00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:50,180 Now could you say today that you are 468 00:25:50,180 --> 00:25:54,420 what you are by the grace of God? 469 00:25:59,700 --> 00:26:02,560 That what you are in your life today 470 00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:07,060 is the fruit of, the product of the 471 00:26:07,060 --> 00:26:09,760 grace of God at work. 472 00:26:13,340 --> 00:26:15,880 And what I gather from this is that 473 00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:20,120 even though it's good to be able to 474 00:26:20,120 --> 00:26:23,420 understand the character of grace and to know 475 00:26:23,420 --> 00:26:25,600 to be able to define grace in some 476 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:29,500 fashion, it's an even better thing to be 477 00:26:29,500 --> 00:26:31,300 defined by grace. 478 00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:38,080 That what you are in your life is 479 00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:39,480 the grace of God at work. 480 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:43,520 Because there's a day coming when every Christian 481 00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:47,460 is going to be perfect, is going to 482 00:26:47,460 --> 00:26:50,140 be in the presence of God in the 483 00:26:50,140 --> 00:26:53,180 ages upon ages to come in the mercy 484 00:26:53,180 --> 00:26:53,860 of God. 485 00:26:53,860 --> 00:26:56,620 And what we are going to be then 486 00:26:56,620 --> 00:27:00,460 is not what our mother or father made 487 00:27:00,460 --> 00:27:03,720 us, or the influence of those around us, 488 00:27:04,020 --> 00:27:07,540 or even what we tried to do in 489 00:27:07,540 --> 00:27:12,340 our individual lives, but rather what God has 490 00:27:12,340 --> 00:27:14,480 accomplished, the workmanship of God. 491 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:17,580 Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing even now 492 00:27:17,580 --> 00:27:19,820 to be able to say, as Paul did, 493 00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:23,820 by the grace of God I am what 494 00:27:23,820 --> 00:27:24,440 I am. 495 00:27:25,620 --> 00:27:30,100 That my life would be defined and would 496 00:27:30,100 --> 00:27:31,580 be a definition of grace. 497 00:27:34,420 --> 00:27:36,180 And you notice then he talks about the 498 00:27:36,180 --> 00:27:39,640 fact that he labored more than the rest 499 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:40,260 of the apostles. 500 00:27:41,040 --> 00:27:44,500 He gave his life to serve God fully. 501 00:27:44,500 --> 00:27:48,540 But he won't even take credit for that 502 00:27:48,540 --> 00:27:52,440 as arising from his own goodness, but by 503 00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:54,520 the grace of God. 504 00:27:56,020 --> 00:27:58,720 He says, yet not I, but the grace 505 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:00,940 of God which was with me. 506 00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:06,960 Now turn over to 2 Corinthians chapter 1. 507 00:28:07,650 --> 00:28:10,620 And again, this would express what I call 508 00:28:10,620 --> 00:28:14,740 divine simplicity and sincerity in the grace of 509 00:28:14,740 --> 00:28:15,120 God. 510 00:28:15,460 --> 00:28:20,990 2 Corinthians 1 and verse 12, he says, 511 00:28:21,110 --> 00:28:24,230 For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of 512 00:28:24,230 --> 00:28:30,190 our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, 513 00:28:30,930 --> 00:28:35,730 not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace 514 00:28:35,730 --> 00:28:40,330 of God, we have had our conversation, and 515 00:28:40,330 --> 00:28:43,290 of course that's Old English for our behavior, 516 00:28:43,690 --> 00:28:44,570 our way of life. 517 00:28:45,710 --> 00:28:48,510 By the grace of God, we have had 518 00:28:48,510 --> 00:28:53,230 our behavior in the world and more abundantly 519 00:28:53,230 --> 00:28:54,370 to you, Lord. 520 00:28:56,310 --> 00:28:59,930 Here's Paul as an older Christian who has 521 00:28:59,930 --> 00:29:03,630 served God and preached the gospel to these 522 00:29:03,630 --> 00:29:05,470 people at a previous time. 523 00:29:05,470 --> 00:29:09,130 And now he's writing to these Christians and 524 00:29:09,130 --> 00:29:12,070 he is saying that the testimony of my 525 00:29:12,070 --> 00:29:16,530 own conscience is that I have lived according 526 00:29:16,530 --> 00:29:18,770 to the grace of God. 527 00:29:20,230 --> 00:29:26,010 And so this gives us another element of 528 00:29:26,010 --> 00:29:27,630 the character of the grace of God. 529 00:29:27,690 --> 00:29:30,610 And that is what we could call transparency 530 00:29:30,610 --> 00:29:31,990 in goodness. 531 00:29:33,050 --> 00:29:34,550 God is good. 532 00:29:35,990 --> 00:29:37,890 God is all good. 533 00:29:39,570 --> 00:29:41,430 There is no corruptedness. 534 00:29:42,110 --> 00:29:46,330 There is no evil contaminating the purity of 535 00:29:46,330 --> 00:29:47,690 the goodness of God. 536 00:29:48,490 --> 00:29:50,390 And it's a beautiful thing when the life 537 00:29:50,390 --> 00:29:55,750 of a Christian expresses that transparency, that simplicity, 538 00:29:56,410 --> 00:29:57,690 as he says here. 539 00:29:57,690 --> 00:30:02,210 You know, if you're honest and you live 540 00:30:02,210 --> 00:30:06,310 your life honestly, transparently, you don't have to 541 00:30:06,310 --> 00:30:08,410 worry about the stories you tell. 542 00:30:09,530 --> 00:30:12,050 And you don't have to remember if what 543 00:30:12,050 --> 00:30:13,610 you said to this person is the same 544 00:30:13,610 --> 00:30:15,090 as what you say to that person. 545 00:30:15,850 --> 00:30:19,070 But if you're trying to create impressions and 546 00:30:19,070 --> 00:30:22,730 you're trying to manipulate people and trying to 547 00:30:22,730 --> 00:30:26,470 use people and so on, well then you're 548 00:30:26,470 --> 00:30:29,030 always trying to cover up and you've got 549 00:30:29,030 --> 00:30:31,970 hidden motivations that you keep hidden from other 550 00:30:31,970 --> 00:30:32,310 people. 551 00:30:33,170 --> 00:30:34,390 He says, that's not the way I have 552 00:30:34,390 --> 00:30:34,810 lived. 553 00:30:36,010 --> 00:30:40,210 I have lived in absolute genuineness and transparency 554 00:30:40,210 --> 00:30:42,270 in the grace of God. 555 00:30:42,510 --> 00:30:44,890 In other words, my love for you has 556 00:30:44,890 --> 00:30:45,690 been genuine. 557 00:30:46,190 --> 00:30:47,430 It's been sincere. 558 00:30:47,870 --> 00:30:48,610 It's been true. 559 00:30:49,550 --> 00:30:51,870 And if you know the context of the 560 00:30:51,870 --> 00:30:55,470 letter, it's because some of these believers who 561 00:30:55,470 --> 00:30:59,710 should have had such an appreciation for all 562 00:30:59,710 --> 00:31:03,590 the goodness and all the care that Paul 563 00:31:03,590 --> 00:31:05,950 the Apostle had had for them, some of 564 00:31:05,950 --> 00:31:08,210 them were disdaining him. 565 00:31:08,930 --> 00:31:10,950 Some of them were questioning his motivations. 566 00:31:11,810 --> 00:31:14,250 And his heart is broken as he thinks 567 00:31:14,250 --> 00:31:16,370 of these people that he has so cared 568 00:31:16,370 --> 00:31:17,090 about and loved. 569 00:31:17,090 --> 00:31:20,050 But here he is trying to open up 570 00:31:20,050 --> 00:31:21,490 his heart to them and help them to 571 00:31:21,490 --> 00:31:25,610 understand that the very character of God in 572 00:31:25,610 --> 00:31:28,510 the grace of God is what has ruled 573 00:31:28,510 --> 00:31:30,190 in his life. 574 00:31:31,450 --> 00:31:34,970 Not with fleshly wisdom, but in the grace 575 00:31:34,970 --> 00:31:35,630 of God. 576 00:31:36,130 --> 00:31:38,870 We've had our behavior in the world and 577 00:31:38,870 --> 00:31:40,410 more abundantly to you. 578 00:31:40,410 --> 00:31:44,770 Now, my time is gone, so I'll close 579 00:31:44,770 --> 00:31:45,210 in prayer. 580 00:31:48,130 --> 00:31:51,310 Our Father, we thank Thee for the wonders 581 00:31:51,310 --> 00:31:52,210 of Thy grace. 582 00:31:53,530 --> 00:31:56,930 That love that has flowed out toward us 583 00:31:56,930 --> 00:32:00,550 in such mercy, despite our sinfulness. 584 00:32:01,450 --> 00:32:05,310 We thank Thee that Thy grace is abundant. 585 00:32:06,230 --> 00:32:10,030 That it overflows our greatest evil and our 586 00:32:10,030 --> 00:32:11,090 greatest need. 587 00:32:11,730 --> 00:32:13,530 And we would look to Thee today that 588 00:32:13,530 --> 00:32:16,870 Thou would bless both in the preaching of 589 00:32:16,870 --> 00:32:19,630 the Gospel and in the encouraging of Thy 590 00:32:19,630 --> 00:32:23,390 people that we might rejoice in the grace 591 00:32:23,390 --> 00:32:24,570 of God. 592 00:32:24,570 --> 00:32:26,430 And we thank Thee that it comes to 593 00:32:26,430 --> 00:32:30,210 us through the Lord Jesus, who has manifested 594 00:32:30,210 --> 00:32:32,890 Thy love in such a complete way by 595 00:32:32,890 --> 00:32:34,810 giving His very life for us at the 596 00:32:34,810 --> 00:32:35,210 cross. 597 00:32:35,790 --> 00:32:37,270 And we thank Thee that there is for 598 00:32:37,270 --> 00:32:40,270 us the gift of eternal life through Him. 599 00:32:40,750 --> 00:32:43,810 And we acknowledge Him in Thy presence and 600 00:32:43,810 --> 00:32:46,150 bless Thee for Him in His worthy and 601 00:32:46,150 --> 00:32:46,890 precious name. 602 00:32:47,390 --> 00:32:47,670 Amen.