Sunday, February 17, 2008
HE’S EVERYTHING TO ME
[As you will notice, these are not the full notes you normally find on this blog. At about 3:00 Sunday morning I had a wonderful time with the Lord. The message I shared later Sunday morning came out of that time. Here you will find the outline and the scriptures used. If you desire to listen to the MP3 version, go to www.laluzchurch.org]
Lam. 3:22-26
My Redeemer
Psalm 130 Ps. 19:14 I Cor. 6:19-20
Job 19:25 I Pet. 1:13-19
My Salvation
Ps. 62:1-6 Eph. 2:8-9 Ps. 86:1-13
Matt. 1:21 Tit. 3:1-7
My Shepherd
Psalm 23
John 10:1-18, 24-30
John 6:47-58 (A hard saying for some of them, vs. 60, but our privilege to keep on
feeding on His flesh and drinking His blood).
I Pet. 2:24-25
My Life
Col. 3:1-4 (Hid with Christ in God)
Eph. 2:1,4-5
John 20:30-31
My Glory
Psalm 3 (esp. vs. 3) I Cor. 2:1-5
Psalm 121 Gal. 6:14
Conclusion
Ps. 142:7
Ps. 85:1-6
Ps. 63:1-8
Therefore, FEAR NOT! Is. 41:10
Sang Together: How Firm a Foundation
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said—
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.
When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all-sufficient shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not, desert to his foes.
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
The Glory of God's Creation -- 2/10/08
Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008
THE GLORY OF GOD’S CREATION
Gen. 1:1-2
[Call for a couple of young volunteers. Ask them to make a tower of 25 quarters. Don’t provide any quarters for them…]
When Jesus concluded the Sermon on the Mount, He emphasized the importance of building on a good foundation. That principle runs throughout life. Genesis 1-11 is the foundation of the truth we find in God’s Word. For some this section of the Bible proves to be controversial. Is it history? Or, is it allegory? Can we trust a writing that claims to know what went on before man existed? Facing these kinds of questions, many who call themselves biblical scholars have concluded that Genesis 1-11 is not historical. In other words, Adam and Eve weren’t real people. Rather, the story is just a figurative way of saying that God was somehow behind the formation of mankind.
I’m glad we don’t have to spend our time dealing with such questions and conclusions. Not only are the first 11 chapters of Genesis true history and absolutely trustworthy, but they give us the foundation of almost everything we can think of. Where do we find the beginning of the universe, the beginning of mankind, the beginning of sin, the beginning of redemption, the beginning of marriage, and on and on? We find it all in these early chapters of the Bible.
Lord willing, we are going to spend some time here. My prayer is that we will not find this study to be just review and routine. But as we study this vital part of God’s Word, may our hearts rejoice. May we be stirred to give glory to the faithful Creator.
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). As you know very well, those are the first ten words of the Bible. Those ten words speak volumes. They answer some very important questions concisely and completely. What happened? The creation of the heavens (that is plural in the Hebrew) and the earth. Who did it? God. When did He do it? In the beginning. That is certainly concise, but I also said that these ten words answer those questions completely. Indeed they do. Perhaps they don’t answer as completely as we would like, but they answer as completely as God desires and therefore as completely as is necessary for us.
This morning let’s take time to dwell on the truth taught by these ten words. I would like to entitle our study “The Glory of God’s Creation.” While we will look a bit at the following verses, our focus will be verses 1 and 2. Right now let’s go ahead and read Gen. 1:1-5…
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of
the waters. 3. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
I. God
Our starting place is God Himself. Notice that the Bible assumes the existence of God. “In the beginning God…” We might expect the biblical record to begin with some proofs of God’s existence, but that isn’t the case. As a matter of fact, you can search the scriptures from beginning to end, and you will never find a section on the proofs or evidences of God’s existence. The Bible assumes the existence of God.
That is not to say that the scripture doesn’t provide evidence of God’s existence, but God doesn’t feel a burden to defend His own existence. Why should He? Do you ever feel like you have to prove your existence? If I asked you to prove that you exist, you might let it pass the first time, but if I persisted, you would probably begin to wonder about my sanity. Anyone in his right mind knows that you exist. So it is with God. Why should the God who created everything feel a need to prove that He is. Any right-thinking person knows that God exists, and it is this truth that the Bible affirms. The burden for God’s existence is not upon God, but upon us. God has never questioned His own existence, but a messed-up man sometimes does. Both the 14th and 53rd Psalms begin with these words, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.”
Why is a person a fool if he contends that there is no God? Because to do so, he must deny the witness that God has put within every person. In Romans 1:18 Paul speaks of those who hold back (suppress) the truth in unrighteousness. He further explains in 1:19, “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them.” It is the fool who denies this inner witness that God puts within every man. Not only has God given us a witness within, but His creation screams out, “Look at me! God made me!” We read of this in the very next verse, Rom. 1:20, "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse…" The creation – the mountains, the sunset, the moonrise, and all the rest – testify to the fact that God exists and that He is the eternal and powerful God. We read of this same powerful testimony in Ps. 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork.” This witness is so unmistakable that those who deny it are without excuse, “because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things” (Rom. 1:21-23). Paul says that they knew; they knew who God was, but they refused to give Him the glory due Him and to simply give Him thanks. And when a person responds in that way, everything is downhill from there.
To the witness of the conscience and the creation, add the simple testimony of scripture. To deny the existence of God, a person must reject the truth of God’s Word. While God does not undertake to prove His existence in any formal manner, His Word affirms His existence thousands and thousands of times. And it beings with the first four words of the Bible, “In the beginning God…”
While we may wholeheartedly receive this truth, that doesn’t mean that we never have any questions. How many millions of children have asked in humility and simplicity, “Where did God from?” And how many adults have scratched their heads, when asked that question. While the Bible contains statements about how we can know that God exists, it never seeks to answer the question, “Where did God come from?” Why not? Because there is no answer. God has always been. He had no beginning. In the beginning He is. So why is it so natural to ask the question, “Where did God come from?” Because of our experience in God’s world. Everything we see has an origin. We can trace everything back to its beginning. Suppose we go out here and cross the bridge west of La Luz. Our child sees the water running down the creek bed and asks, “Where does that water come from?” He asks because he intuitively knows from experience that everything has an origin. Though it may not be easy, we can check it out. I suspect that the water currently in the creek comes from melting snow up above or from some springs. I don’t know the exact origin of that water, but if I needed to, I could find out.
It’s different with God. We cannot trace His origin. Since the beginning of time, God is. Did time have a beginning? Yes. It was God who brought time into existence. God Himself stands outside of time. Go back as far as you want to, and God is there. In our minds, we conclude that everything has a cause behind it, but God has no cause. That is why when Moses asked about His name, the LORD simply said. “I am that I am” (Ex. 3:14). I love the truth of Ps. 90:2, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.”
This week let those words echo in your heart and mind: “In the beginning God…”
II. Creator of the Heavens and the Earth
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” In the King James, it is “heaven.” Every single time the word “heaven” (NIV translates it “sky” throughout Gen. 1, except here in the first verse) is used here in Genesis 1 it is in the plural. That is not vitally important, except to note that here in verse 1, “the heavens and the earth” designate everything there is outside of God Himself. In our day, it would be accurate to say, “In the beginning God created the entire universe.” Whatever terms you want to use, understand that God created everything there is.
That is a very powerful statement. There is no cause for God, but God is the cause for everything else in existence, and there are no exceptions, not a single one. God is not only Creator, but He is the one and only Creator.
Now comes the question that must be asked? Where did God get the materials to make it all? Every creator has to go out and get the raw materials for whatever it is he is going to create. Consider the four presidential faces that loom so large in South Dakota. That work of sculpture is amazing. But where did the sculptor get his raw materials? His raw material was Mount Rushmore. The sculptor carved it right out of the mountain. What about my young volunteers and their stack of quarters. They couldn’t create a stack of quarters, because I wouldn’t give them any raw materials. If they couldn’t create a few quarters, then how could God create the entire universe?
The answer is simple and yet absolutely amazing. God made it all out of nothing. He had no raw materials to work with. “In the beginning God…” There was nothing else. Down through the years a Latin term has been used to describe this miraculous work of God. God created the universe ex niholo. Those words simply mean “out of nothing.” We find this great truth emphasized in Heb. 11:3, "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." In others words, everything in existence was created by God out of nothing. The things we can see and the things we can’t see, such as bacteria and cells in the body – they were all created by God out of nothing. Who is like unto the Lord our God, who made everything out of nothing?
The phrase “heaven and earth” is used 31 times in the Bible. It is used again and again as a designation for the entire universe, sometimes with the additional words “and the sea, and all that in them is” (Ex. 20:11 and five other occurrences). Not only is this phrase used to designate the entire universe, but it is also used as a way to identify the Creator as the great and majestic Lord of all. 2 Kings 19:15, "And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth." Ps. 121:2, “My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.” Ps. 124:8, "Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth." Ps. 146:5-6, "Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: 6. Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:" And then the Lord Himself speaks, saying, "Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD" (Jer 23:24). Upon the release of Peter and John, who were threatened and told not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus, the disciples began their prayer with this quotation of scripture: Acts 4:24, "And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is…" The Psalmist is saying basically the same thing in Psalm 96, calling to mind this same creation by simply using the word “heavens.” Ps. 96:4-5, "For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. 5. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens."
This brings up another question: How did God create the universe and everything in it? After all, that’s a pretty tall order. That kind of feat requires tremendous power. When God made the mountains, He had no heavy equipment. When he put together the human body with all its complexity, there was no consultant with whom God could confer. So how did He do it all?
This is not a difficult question to answer, for the scripture answers it with clarity and simplicity. Let’s read down through all of chapter 1. As we do, please allow me to emphasize the phrase that occurs over and over… (Gen. 1:1-31)
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. 6. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. 9. And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. 11. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 13. And the evening and the morning were the third day. 14. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15. And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18. And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. 20. And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 21. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 22. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. 23. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 24. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 25. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 26. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 29. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. 31. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
There it is. God created everything by simply speaking a word. Over and over we read, “And God said, “Let there be light… Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters,” etc. God’s spoken words were His means of creating the entire universe and everything in it. Scripture confirms what we read hear in Genesis 1. Ps. 33:6-9…
By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. 7. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. 8. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 9. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.
As we read this scripture passages, don’t miss the truth that they are intended to stir within the heart great fear of God and great praise for His name. Let’s see that in Ps. 148:1-5…
Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights. 2. Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. 3. Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. 4. Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. 5. Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.
So we see the plan of God. Let’s come back now and focus again on the God who was in the beginning.
III. The Triune God
Let’s read again Gen. 1:1-2, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." So in the beginning God… And then in verse 2 we read about the Spirit of God moving (hovering) over the face of the waters. Then come down to verse 26, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” Why did God say, “Let us…”?
Before we answer that question, we need to look for a moment at the initial creation of God. We are told that the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. The Hebrew words translated “without form” and “void” (tohu and bohu) are very interesting. The first refers to a wilderness, a waste land. The second basically means “empty.”
It is helpful to look at another passage where these two words occur together, even as they do here. Come to Jeremiah 4. Because of the sins of God’s people, the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah is looming large on the horizon. Now listen to Jer. 4:19-22…
My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. 20. Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment. 21. How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? 22. For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
Jeremiah was absolutely heartsick because of what was happening. Now listen to what he says in 23, "I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light." There are those same Hebrew words, tohu and bohu = without form and void. Jeremiah was so overtaken that he borrowed the language of Genesis 1 to describe the great devastation that was coming. With these two little words the prophet describes a wasted and devastated place without inhabitants, a place which has lost its form and beauty.
The same phrase is used in Isaiah 34:11, where the context speaks of God’s judgment coming upon the nations. And because of that coming judgment, devastation is about to fall on the nations of the world. Now 34:11, "But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness." “Devastation” and “emptiness” are the words tohu and bohu. The New American Standard Version renders the last part of the verse: “And he will stretch over it the line of desolation and the plumb line of emptiness.” It will be a waste place without anybody dwelling there.
So these words “without form and void” picture for us a place without shape and without inhabitant. When God created the universe, that’s what it was like. The raw materials were there – matter, space, and time – but it was unformed and unpopulated. God had spoken the world into existence, but these raw materials had not yet been differentiated and organized. It was a creation of God, but it was unfinished and unpopulated.
But now come to the end of verse 2, “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Yes, darkness was upon the face of the deep, but the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. In the scriptures, “deep” is sometimes used as a synonym for “sea” (for example, Is. 51:10). So up to this point the creation is a waste place, uninhabited and engulfed by darkness, but now the Spirit of God is literally hovering over the face of the waters. We can see that at this time the waters covered everything, as confirmed by Ps. 104:5-6, "Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever. 6. Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains." The creation was without form and void; darkness was over the face of the deep. But don’t despair, because the Spirit of God was moving upon the face of the waters. We see here very clearly that the Spirit of God was vitally involved in the creation. It is the Spirit of God who provides the power to shape this creation into a beautiful and inhabitable world.
I mentioned a few minutes ago the words of verse 26, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” Some will say that “us” is simply the editorial “us.” In other words, it is just a manner of speaking. However, the scripture itself gives us a much better explanation of why God said “us.” We have already seen that the Spirit of God was present there at the creation, but He isn’t the only one there with Almighty God. Let’s read John 1:1-3, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2. The same was in the beginning with God. 3. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” Literally, “All things were made through him.” Through whom? Through the Word. And who is this Word? John 1:14 makes it very clear: “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us…” The Word is none other than Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus didn’t come into being 2,000 years ago. “In the beginning was the Word.” He has always been, though He didn’t always have the name “Jesus.” He was there at the creation, because we are told that all things were created through Him.
So from the very beginning we see the Almighty God (the One we call Father); we see the Spirit of God; we see the Word, the Son of God, the One who would come to earth and be named Jesus, Savior. While there are many who will dispute the doctrine of the trinity because that exact term is not used in the Bible, its truth confronts us from the very beginning, from the first chapter of Genesis. Though we don’t have perfect understanding of this truth, we rejoice that God is indeed, Father, Son, and Spirit.
Conclusion -- The New Creation
That’s as far as we will go this morning, but there is one other thing we should consider. In order to do that, let us be reminded of the greatness of God’s creation. Really, when we talk about the wonder of creation, we are speaking about the greatness of our God. Behind the glory of creation is the glory of the Creator! Remember that He made it all out of nothing. As we continue through the first chapter of Genesis, we will repeatedly find this comment: “And God saw that it was good.” And when it was all done, including the creation of man, we read in verse 31, “And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” If God said it was very good, then it was indeed very good!
So that was the end of creation. Since that time, God has been lovingly watching over His creation. Well, that’s true, but it’s not the whole truth. There is another creation we must not forget. Paul describes it in Eph. 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Notice the word “we.” That includes Paul, the Ephesian believers, and all those who have been saved by grace through faith (2:8-9). This new creation was crafted by God in Christ Jesus unto good works. The origin of this creation is in God the Father; the agent and sphere of this new creation is Christ Jesus; the purpose is that we might do the good works God has appointed for us to do.
Now let me give us a warning. Our tendency is to interpret most all of scripture individualistically. In other words, “I am a new creation in Jesus Christ.” We sang that little song just two weeks ago – “I’m a new creation; I’m a brand new man…” And so we are told in II Cor. 5:17, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature [creation]…” While that truth must not be overlooked, here in Eph. 2:10 is Paul not emphasizing the fact that we are a new creation in Christ? While we might construe verses 1-9 as pertaining primarily to a group of individuals, verses 11-22 not only speak of the corporate body of Christ, but there Paul goes to great lengths to emphasize that truth.
You might point to Eph. 4:24, which speaks of the creation of the new man. Let’s read 4:24, “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Doesn’t he use the singular term “man” to speak of this new creation? But let’s go back and read Eph. 2:13-18…
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16. And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17. And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Where Paul speaks of “one new man” the whole emphasis is upon how all believers, both Jews and Gentiles, make up that one new man. The focus is clearly upon all believers having access by one Spirit unto the one God and Father. Altogether, we who are in Christ Jesus have been created. Together we are the workmanship of God, created in Christ Jesus.
Can we praise God for creation this morning! Can we think of the creation of the universe without also considering this new creation in Christ? We were without form and void and darkness totally covered us. We were enemies of God and under His wrath. We had absolutely no hope and were without God in the world. BUT GOD, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, made us alive together with Christ and raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ. Yes, He saved us by grace through faith. It wasn’t our works, but His grace, so that no one can ever boast. To sum it all up, “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,” which God has appointed beforehand that we might walk in them (Eph. 2:4-10).
Praise be to God!
THE GLORY OF GOD’S CREATION
Gen. 1:1-2
[Call for a couple of young volunteers. Ask them to make a tower of 25 quarters. Don’t provide any quarters for them…]
When Jesus concluded the Sermon on the Mount, He emphasized the importance of building on a good foundation. That principle runs throughout life. Genesis 1-11 is the foundation of the truth we find in God’s Word. For some this section of the Bible proves to be controversial. Is it history? Or, is it allegory? Can we trust a writing that claims to know what went on before man existed? Facing these kinds of questions, many who call themselves biblical scholars have concluded that Genesis 1-11 is not historical. In other words, Adam and Eve weren’t real people. Rather, the story is just a figurative way of saying that God was somehow behind the formation of mankind.
I’m glad we don’t have to spend our time dealing with such questions and conclusions. Not only are the first 11 chapters of Genesis true history and absolutely trustworthy, but they give us the foundation of almost everything we can think of. Where do we find the beginning of the universe, the beginning of mankind, the beginning of sin, the beginning of redemption, the beginning of marriage, and on and on? We find it all in these early chapters of the Bible.
Lord willing, we are going to spend some time here. My prayer is that we will not find this study to be just review and routine. But as we study this vital part of God’s Word, may our hearts rejoice. May we be stirred to give glory to the faithful Creator.
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). As you know very well, those are the first ten words of the Bible. Those ten words speak volumes. They answer some very important questions concisely and completely. What happened? The creation of the heavens (that is plural in the Hebrew) and the earth. Who did it? God. When did He do it? In the beginning. That is certainly concise, but I also said that these ten words answer those questions completely. Indeed they do. Perhaps they don’t answer as completely as we would like, but they answer as completely as God desires and therefore as completely as is necessary for us.
This morning let’s take time to dwell on the truth taught by these ten words. I would like to entitle our study “The Glory of God’s Creation.” While we will look a bit at the following verses, our focus will be verses 1 and 2. Right now let’s go ahead and read Gen. 1:1-5…
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of
the waters. 3. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
I. God
Our starting place is God Himself. Notice that the Bible assumes the existence of God. “In the beginning God…” We might expect the biblical record to begin with some proofs of God’s existence, but that isn’t the case. As a matter of fact, you can search the scriptures from beginning to end, and you will never find a section on the proofs or evidences of God’s existence. The Bible assumes the existence of God.
That is not to say that the scripture doesn’t provide evidence of God’s existence, but God doesn’t feel a burden to defend His own existence. Why should He? Do you ever feel like you have to prove your existence? If I asked you to prove that you exist, you might let it pass the first time, but if I persisted, you would probably begin to wonder about my sanity. Anyone in his right mind knows that you exist. So it is with God. Why should the God who created everything feel a need to prove that He is. Any right-thinking person knows that God exists, and it is this truth that the Bible affirms. The burden for God’s existence is not upon God, but upon us. God has never questioned His own existence, but a messed-up man sometimes does. Both the 14th and 53rd Psalms begin with these words, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.”
Why is a person a fool if he contends that there is no God? Because to do so, he must deny the witness that God has put within every person. In Romans 1:18 Paul speaks of those who hold back (suppress) the truth in unrighteousness. He further explains in 1:19, “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them.” It is the fool who denies this inner witness that God puts within every man. Not only has God given us a witness within, but His creation screams out, “Look at me! God made me!” We read of this in the very next verse, Rom. 1:20, "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse…" The creation – the mountains, the sunset, the moonrise, and all the rest – testify to the fact that God exists and that He is the eternal and powerful God. We read of this same powerful testimony in Ps. 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork.” This witness is so unmistakable that those who deny it are without excuse, “because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things” (Rom. 1:21-23). Paul says that they knew; they knew who God was, but they refused to give Him the glory due Him and to simply give Him thanks. And when a person responds in that way, everything is downhill from there.
To the witness of the conscience and the creation, add the simple testimony of scripture. To deny the existence of God, a person must reject the truth of God’s Word. While God does not undertake to prove His existence in any formal manner, His Word affirms His existence thousands and thousands of times. And it beings with the first four words of the Bible, “In the beginning God…”
While we may wholeheartedly receive this truth, that doesn’t mean that we never have any questions. How many millions of children have asked in humility and simplicity, “Where did God from?” And how many adults have scratched their heads, when asked that question. While the Bible contains statements about how we can know that God exists, it never seeks to answer the question, “Where did God come from?” Why not? Because there is no answer. God has always been. He had no beginning. In the beginning He is. So why is it so natural to ask the question, “Where did God come from?” Because of our experience in God’s world. Everything we see has an origin. We can trace everything back to its beginning. Suppose we go out here and cross the bridge west of La Luz. Our child sees the water running down the creek bed and asks, “Where does that water come from?” He asks because he intuitively knows from experience that everything has an origin. Though it may not be easy, we can check it out. I suspect that the water currently in the creek comes from melting snow up above or from some springs. I don’t know the exact origin of that water, but if I needed to, I could find out.
It’s different with God. We cannot trace His origin. Since the beginning of time, God is. Did time have a beginning? Yes. It was God who brought time into existence. God Himself stands outside of time. Go back as far as you want to, and God is there. In our minds, we conclude that everything has a cause behind it, but God has no cause. That is why when Moses asked about His name, the LORD simply said. “I am that I am” (Ex. 3:14). I love the truth of Ps. 90:2, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.”
This week let those words echo in your heart and mind: “In the beginning God…”
II. Creator of the Heavens and the Earth
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” In the King James, it is “heaven.” Every single time the word “heaven” (NIV translates it “sky” throughout Gen. 1, except here in the first verse) is used here in Genesis 1 it is in the plural. That is not vitally important, except to note that here in verse 1, “the heavens and the earth” designate everything there is outside of God Himself. In our day, it would be accurate to say, “In the beginning God created the entire universe.” Whatever terms you want to use, understand that God created everything there is.
That is a very powerful statement. There is no cause for God, but God is the cause for everything else in existence, and there are no exceptions, not a single one. God is not only Creator, but He is the one and only Creator.
Now comes the question that must be asked? Where did God get the materials to make it all? Every creator has to go out and get the raw materials for whatever it is he is going to create. Consider the four presidential faces that loom so large in South Dakota. That work of sculpture is amazing. But where did the sculptor get his raw materials? His raw material was Mount Rushmore. The sculptor carved it right out of the mountain. What about my young volunteers and their stack of quarters. They couldn’t create a stack of quarters, because I wouldn’t give them any raw materials. If they couldn’t create a few quarters, then how could God create the entire universe?
The answer is simple and yet absolutely amazing. God made it all out of nothing. He had no raw materials to work with. “In the beginning God…” There was nothing else. Down through the years a Latin term has been used to describe this miraculous work of God. God created the universe ex niholo. Those words simply mean “out of nothing.” We find this great truth emphasized in Heb. 11:3, "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." In others words, everything in existence was created by God out of nothing. The things we can see and the things we can’t see, such as bacteria and cells in the body – they were all created by God out of nothing. Who is like unto the Lord our God, who made everything out of nothing?
The phrase “heaven and earth” is used 31 times in the Bible. It is used again and again as a designation for the entire universe, sometimes with the additional words “and the sea, and all that in them is” (Ex. 20:11 and five other occurrences). Not only is this phrase used to designate the entire universe, but it is also used as a way to identify the Creator as the great and majestic Lord of all. 2 Kings 19:15, "And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth." Ps. 121:2, “My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.” Ps. 124:8, "Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth." Ps. 146:5-6, "Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: 6. Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:" And then the Lord Himself speaks, saying, "Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD" (Jer 23:24). Upon the release of Peter and John, who were threatened and told not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus, the disciples began their prayer with this quotation of scripture: Acts 4:24, "And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is…" The Psalmist is saying basically the same thing in Psalm 96, calling to mind this same creation by simply using the word “heavens.” Ps. 96:4-5, "For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. 5. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens."
This brings up another question: How did God create the universe and everything in it? After all, that’s a pretty tall order. That kind of feat requires tremendous power. When God made the mountains, He had no heavy equipment. When he put together the human body with all its complexity, there was no consultant with whom God could confer. So how did He do it all?
This is not a difficult question to answer, for the scripture answers it with clarity and simplicity. Let’s read down through all of chapter 1. As we do, please allow me to emphasize the phrase that occurs over and over… (Gen. 1:1-31)
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. 6. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. 9. And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. 11. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 13. And the evening and the morning were the third day. 14. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15. And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18. And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. 20. And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 21. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 22. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. 23. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 24. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 25. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 26. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 29. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. 31. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
There it is. God created everything by simply speaking a word. Over and over we read, “And God said, “Let there be light… Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters,” etc. God’s spoken words were His means of creating the entire universe and everything in it. Scripture confirms what we read hear in Genesis 1. Ps. 33:6-9…
By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. 7. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. 8. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 9. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.
As we read this scripture passages, don’t miss the truth that they are intended to stir within the heart great fear of God and great praise for His name. Let’s see that in Ps. 148:1-5…
Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights. 2. Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. 3. Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. 4. Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. 5. Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.
So we see the plan of God. Let’s come back now and focus again on the God who was in the beginning.
III. The Triune God
Let’s read again Gen. 1:1-2, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." So in the beginning God… And then in verse 2 we read about the Spirit of God moving (hovering) over the face of the waters. Then come down to verse 26, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” Why did God say, “Let us…”?
Before we answer that question, we need to look for a moment at the initial creation of God. We are told that the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. The Hebrew words translated “without form” and “void” (tohu and bohu) are very interesting. The first refers to a wilderness, a waste land. The second basically means “empty.”
It is helpful to look at another passage where these two words occur together, even as they do here. Come to Jeremiah 4. Because of the sins of God’s people, the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah is looming large on the horizon. Now listen to Jer. 4:19-22…
My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. 20. Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment. 21. How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? 22. For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
Jeremiah was absolutely heartsick because of what was happening. Now listen to what he says in 23, "I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light." There are those same Hebrew words, tohu and bohu = without form and void. Jeremiah was so overtaken that he borrowed the language of Genesis 1 to describe the great devastation that was coming. With these two little words the prophet describes a wasted and devastated place without inhabitants, a place which has lost its form and beauty.
The same phrase is used in Isaiah 34:11, where the context speaks of God’s judgment coming upon the nations. And because of that coming judgment, devastation is about to fall on the nations of the world. Now 34:11, "But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness." “Devastation” and “emptiness” are the words tohu and bohu. The New American Standard Version renders the last part of the verse: “And he will stretch over it the line of desolation and the plumb line of emptiness.” It will be a waste place without anybody dwelling there.
So these words “without form and void” picture for us a place without shape and without inhabitant. When God created the universe, that’s what it was like. The raw materials were there – matter, space, and time – but it was unformed and unpopulated. God had spoken the world into existence, but these raw materials had not yet been differentiated and organized. It was a creation of God, but it was unfinished and unpopulated.
But now come to the end of verse 2, “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Yes, darkness was upon the face of the deep, but the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. In the scriptures, “deep” is sometimes used as a synonym for “sea” (for example, Is. 51:10). So up to this point the creation is a waste place, uninhabited and engulfed by darkness, but now the Spirit of God is literally hovering over the face of the waters. We can see that at this time the waters covered everything, as confirmed by Ps. 104:5-6, "Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever. 6. Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains." The creation was without form and void; darkness was over the face of the deep. But don’t despair, because the Spirit of God was moving upon the face of the waters. We see here very clearly that the Spirit of God was vitally involved in the creation. It is the Spirit of God who provides the power to shape this creation into a beautiful and inhabitable world.
I mentioned a few minutes ago the words of verse 26, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” Some will say that “us” is simply the editorial “us.” In other words, it is just a manner of speaking. However, the scripture itself gives us a much better explanation of why God said “us.” We have already seen that the Spirit of God was present there at the creation, but He isn’t the only one there with Almighty God. Let’s read John 1:1-3, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2. The same was in the beginning with God. 3. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” Literally, “All things were made through him.” Through whom? Through the Word. And who is this Word? John 1:14 makes it very clear: “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us…” The Word is none other than Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus didn’t come into being 2,000 years ago. “In the beginning was the Word.” He has always been, though He didn’t always have the name “Jesus.” He was there at the creation, because we are told that all things were created through Him.
So from the very beginning we see the Almighty God (the One we call Father); we see the Spirit of God; we see the Word, the Son of God, the One who would come to earth and be named Jesus, Savior. While there are many who will dispute the doctrine of the trinity because that exact term is not used in the Bible, its truth confronts us from the very beginning, from the first chapter of Genesis. Though we don’t have perfect understanding of this truth, we rejoice that God is indeed, Father, Son, and Spirit.
Conclusion -- The New Creation
That’s as far as we will go this morning, but there is one other thing we should consider. In order to do that, let us be reminded of the greatness of God’s creation. Really, when we talk about the wonder of creation, we are speaking about the greatness of our God. Behind the glory of creation is the glory of the Creator! Remember that He made it all out of nothing. As we continue through the first chapter of Genesis, we will repeatedly find this comment: “And God saw that it was good.” And when it was all done, including the creation of man, we read in verse 31, “And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” If God said it was very good, then it was indeed very good!
So that was the end of creation. Since that time, God has been lovingly watching over His creation. Well, that’s true, but it’s not the whole truth. There is another creation we must not forget. Paul describes it in Eph. 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Notice the word “we.” That includes Paul, the Ephesian believers, and all those who have been saved by grace through faith (2:8-9). This new creation was crafted by God in Christ Jesus unto good works. The origin of this creation is in God the Father; the agent and sphere of this new creation is Christ Jesus; the purpose is that we might do the good works God has appointed for us to do.
Now let me give us a warning. Our tendency is to interpret most all of scripture individualistically. In other words, “I am a new creation in Jesus Christ.” We sang that little song just two weeks ago – “I’m a new creation; I’m a brand new man…” And so we are told in II Cor. 5:17, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature [creation]…” While that truth must not be overlooked, here in Eph. 2:10 is Paul not emphasizing the fact that we are a new creation in Christ? While we might construe verses 1-9 as pertaining primarily to a group of individuals, verses 11-22 not only speak of the corporate body of Christ, but there Paul goes to great lengths to emphasize that truth.
You might point to Eph. 4:24, which speaks of the creation of the new man. Let’s read 4:24, “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Doesn’t he use the singular term “man” to speak of this new creation? But let’s go back and read Eph. 2:13-18…
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16. And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17. And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Where Paul speaks of “one new man” the whole emphasis is upon how all believers, both Jews and Gentiles, make up that one new man. The focus is clearly upon all believers having access by one Spirit unto the one God and Father. Altogether, we who are in Christ Jesus have been created. Together we are the workmanship of God, created in Christ Jesus.
Can we praise God for creation this morning! Can we think of the creation of the universe without also considering this new creation in Christ? We were without form and void and darkness totally covered us. We were enemies of God and under His wrath. We had absolutely no hope and were without God in the world. BUT GOD, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, made us alive together with Christ and raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ. Yes, He saved us by grace through faith. It wasn’t our works, but His grace, so that no one can ever boast. To sum it all up, “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,” which God has appointed beforehand that we might walk in them (Eph. 2:4-10).
Praise be to God!
Sunday, February 3, 2008
"Saved By Grace" -- 2/3/08
Sunday, February 3, 2007
SAVED BY GRACE
Eph. 2:1-10
I. Let Us Not Forget that We Are Saved by Grace
During the past year I have emphasized again and again the danger of an empty profession of Christ. I have labored to make it clear that no one should feel secure in Christ because he once made a profession, walked down an aisle, said a prayer, was baptized, or joined a church. Jesus said, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matt. 7:21-23). I am not apologizing for this emphasis, because it is greatly needed; I am only acknowledging that I am very much aware of the fact.
This morning we will look at the other side of the coin. We will balance the scales with another aspect of the truth. That truth can be summed up by a passage that we know very well. Please turn with me to Ephesians 2. Now let’s read Eph. 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast."
Saved by grace through faith. Is there anything of which we are more sure? This is one of those bedrock foundations that runs deep. We have been saved by grace through faith. To see this truth in a little more depth, let’s go back and read all of Eph. 2:1-10…
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: 2. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6. And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7. That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
But now I have a simple little question: What does that mean? What does it mean to say that we are saved by grace? Someone might say, “We are saved, even though we don’t deserve it. ‘Grace’ means ‘unmerited favor.’” That is certainly true. Who can deny that God has not given us what we deserve, and that He has given us what we do not deserve? That is, we all deserve to be separated from God forever in hell. There are no exceptions. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way…” (Is. 53:6). Even our righteous deeds are like filthy rags (Is. 64:6). “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). “For the wages of sin is death…” (Rom. 6:23). But instead of giving us what we deserve, God has given us the privilege of being His sons and daughters and enjoying Him forever and ever. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). None of us deserve that. These things are certainly true. Yes, God has given us what we don’t deserve. Salvation is a gift from Him, even though we can lay no claim to it of ourselvers.
But while that is true, it doesn’t fully answer my question: What does it mean to say that we are saved by grace? We don’t deserve salvation, but how does God give it to us? By grace? And what does that mean? Let’s suppose I say that by grace I am going to give _______ ten million dollars. You could say, “________ certainly didn’t do anything to deserve that ten million dollars, but you are going to give it to him anyway.” While that statement is true, it doesn’t explain how I am going to give him that large sum. How will I do it? By grace, but what does that mean? So I want us to think about salvation by grace this morning.
II. The Meaning of Grace
Let’s take a look at the meaning of grace in the New Testament. In doing so, we will focus both on the meaning of the word itself and also on the way the word “grace” is used. We won’t even begin to look at all the usages of “grace” in the New Testament, but you can find the many occurrences of the word by simply using a concordance and looking them up.
First of all, I want us to note that grace is power. Because many of us have grown up with the definition “undeserved favor,” it is easy for us to miss this truth, but we mustn’t. It is extremely important that we not lose this aspect of God’s grace. Perhaps one of the best places to see this is in II Cor. 12. You will recall that Paul had a thorn in the flesh, some type of infirmity that plagued him. Now let’s read the account in II Cor. 12:8-10…
For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
We can easily see that here it wasn’t God’s favor that would sustain Paul, but it was God’s power. God and God alone would give Paul the ability to endure this thorn in the flesh. Not only would he endure it, but God would enable him to turn it into a cause for rejoicing. Grace is God’s enabling strength.
We can see the same truth right here in Eph. 2, the passage we read just a few minutes ago. What was our state before God did a miracle in us? We were dead in our trespasses and sins. If a dead man is going to be raised to life, what will be required? It will require far more than the favor of God; it will require great power, the same kind of power that raised Jesus from the dead (as we read about in chapter 1). After further describing this condition, Paul says this in 2:4-6, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved), 6. And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Where did the power come from that made us alive with Christ and raised us up to sit in the heavenly places with Him? “By grace ye are saved.” Grace is power. It was the grace of God that made dead men and women live. Praise God! If we had only been severely ill, we might have been saved some other way, perhaps by good advice or by trying harder. But we were dead, and nothing but the powerful grace of God could save us.
Not only is grace power, but grace is love and divine favor. This is at the heart of the meaning of the Greek word translated “grace.” Grace is power, but it is not raw power operating without direction. No, it is God’s power directed by love. When this word is used in association with God, it always expresses the concept of good will, kindness, favor, and love. Power can be destructive, but the grace of God always blesses, because it is love, the very favor of God.
We see this aspect of grace right here in Eph. 2:1-10. Let’s read again verses 4-7…
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6. And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7. That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Notice the mercy and love mentioned in verse 4. While great power is required to raise us from the dead, it is the mercy and love that motivates God to exercise great power. “By grace are ye saved” – both the power and the love are a part of His grace. Then verse 7, “That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” “His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” further defines this grace of God. It is His divine favor.
Go back to chapter 1. Let’s read 1:7, “In whom [Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” I believe the aspect of grace that is most emphasized here is God’s divine favor, His love, His blessing. Isn’t forgiveness a wonderful thing? God has sent away our sins. “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us” (Ps. 103:12). So when God redeemed us through the death of His Son Jesus, He removed the debt of sin that was against us. Now notice that it is according to the riches of His grace. When He provided this redemption and forgiveness, it was in perfect accord with His grace, with His loving favor. How He has blessed us!
Now we come to the third aspect of this grace. Not only is grace power and loving favor, but it is also something else. In more theological terms, grace is gratuitous. That is, it is unearned. Some might say that its free, but that can be misleading, because it cost a great deal. But it is unearned. It is given without expectation of payment on our part. This is that idea of “unmerited favor.”
We find this aspect of grace emphasized in 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast." This salvation that is by grace is a gift of God. It has nothing to do with our works. Why not? Because if it did, we could boast about it. Because this salvation by grace through faith is totally unearned, we cannot take any credit to ourselves. I can never say that I am a Christian because of something I did. I can’t say that I was wise enough choose Christ, because Jesus Himself said: “You have not choosen me, but I have chosen you” (Jn. 15:16). It is all of grace.
We find the same truth emphasized in Paul’s letter to the Romans. Although we can find this concept in other parts of Romans, let’s come to the fourth chapter. Rom. 4:1-5…
What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2. For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Do you see it? If you work for it, then it’s no longer grace, because what comes by grace is totally unearned. But when a man doesn’t rely on his own works, but trusts the One who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned to him as righteousness, even the righteousness of God. That’s grace!
So we see that the concept of grace includes all three of these truths…
1. Grace is power.
2. Grace is love, divine favor.
3. Grace is totally unearned/undeserved.
While one aspect may be emphasized more that the other two in a particular usage, as we have seen, all three are always operating in grace. Let’s consider a verse where it is easy to see all three aspects of grace. 2 Cor. 8:9, "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." Consider the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Grace is power. Was power required for Jesus to become poor, that we might become rich? Absolutely, because Jesus’ becoming poor meant dying on the cross for us, and that required the power of grace. We see this in Heb. 2:9, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man." By the grace of God, Jesus tasted death for every man. In order to do that, He needed the grace of God; He needed God’s power.
Grace is loving favor. We see that here in II Cor. 8:9. What divine blessing that Christ would make us rich. And when Paul says “rich,” he is talking about treasures this world has never seen. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things that God hath prepared for them that love him” (I Cor. 2:9). These riches are ours because of what Jesus did for us. Grace is totally unearned. We didn’t deserve these great riches that Christ has secured for us.
III. Gaining Perspective through Grace
So now let’s put some of this in perspective. It is certainly true that in our day there is much deception. It would almost seem that Jesus spoke the words of Matthew 7 especially for our day. There are many who profess Christ but who are walking on the broad way, and that is the way that leads to destruction. To many who call Him Lord, Jesus will say, “I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” BUT let’s never forget that our God has not changed. Though we might say with the Psalmist, “For the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men,” (Ps. 12:1), the character of our God has not changed. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). God is still Redeemer and Savior. “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save…” (Is. 59:1). God is capable of saving the vilest sinner on this earth. “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Rom. 5:20).
And when God saves, it is by pure grace. No man will ever be saved because of what he does, for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight (Rom. 3:20; Gal. 2:16). “I do not frustrate the grace of God; for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain” (Gal. 2:19). A person is not saved because he walks on the narrow way. Rather, he walks on the narrow way because he has been saved by the grace of God. A dead man cannot make Himself alive; only the grace of God can raise us to everlasting life. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).
Let’s look at what Paul says in I Cor. 1:26-31…
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28. And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29. That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31. That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
In short, God has not called anyone because He found something good in him or her. If that were the case, the one called could point to some merit in himself that caused God to choose him. But notice the key statement in this passage. It’s in verse 29, “That no flesh should glory in his presence.” God has done things this way -- choosing the foolish, the weak, the things which are despised – so that no man can rob him of his glory. All the glory must go to God, because He alone is worthy. It is this truth that is behind salvation by grace. Only God has the power to save us; only God could pour out such favor on such vile creatures as we; only God could give salvation to people who have done absolutely nothing to earn it. “For by grace you have been saved.”
Hundreds of years before Jesus hung on the cross God gave David an appreciation for this truth. Listen to David’s words from Psalm 32:1-2, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” If God doesn’t impute iniquity, if He doesn’t place iniquity on our account, then when does He reckon to us? In Romans 4, Paul quoted these words of David from Psalm 32. In that context Paul reminds us of what God said about Abraham in Gen. 15:6, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Rom. 4:3). When God wipes away our sin by putting it on Christ, He also puts righteousness on our account, the very righteousness of Christ Himself. II Cor. 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Down through the centuries, this has been referred to as double imputation. Our sin was put on Christ, and His righteousness was put on us.
After elaborating on these great truths again and again in his letter to the Romans, Paul finally comes to the end of the doctrinal section and cries out: Rom, 11:33-36…
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34. For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35. Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36. For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Can you say “Amen” to that? Who taught God such wisdom and knowledge? Who was it that gave God this plan and God has repaid him? No, no one has been God’s counselor, for of God and through God and to God are all things, to whom be glory forever!
IV. Grace in the Present Tense
When we read in Eph. 2 that we are saved by grace through faith, we are reading about an event in the past. Literally, it reads, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” The sense is this: it happened in the past, but it extends into the present and the future. And so it is with this great salvation. It is very legitimate to say, “I was saved,” or “I have been saved,” but don’t think for a moment that we can restrict God’s grace to the past. No, grace is a present asset. We find this truth all through the New Testament, such as in Rom. 5:1-2, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Did you catch that? We stand in this grace now.
Now come to Rom.6:14, "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." Paul says to believers, “Sin shall not rule over you; sin will not be your master.” Why not? Because you are not under the law, but under grace.” Obviously, this is not past tense, but present tense. Because we are presently under grace rather than law, sin will not be able to rule over us. Again, think about the nature of grace. Is this not great divine favor? God is so good that He not only delivers us from the penalty of sin by forgiving us, but He also liberates us from the power of sin. Do we deserve such a blessing? No way. We have done nothing to earn such a rich blessing. But the focus of this verse is on the truth that grace is power. If we were under the law, sin would rule us. Why is that? Because the law has no power to deal with sin. The law can tell us what’s wrong, but it cannot give us the power to obey. But grace is power. God’s grace enables us to obey the law, so that Paul can write in Rom. 8:3-4…
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Conclusion: Praise God for His Grace
Praise God for His marvelous grace. We have been saved by grace. Again, "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich" (II Cor. 8:9). And because of the outpouring of His grace, we are indeed rich. Eph. 1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:" Those blessings are ours because the grace of our Lord.
Surely it is fitting that we conclude this morning with those great passages of praise from Revelation 4 and 5. Rev. 4:8-11…
And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. 9. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, 10. The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
And Rev. 5:7-14…
And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. 8. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. 9. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. 11. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12. Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 13. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 14. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
SAVED BY GRACE
Eph. 2:1-10
I. Let Us Not Forget that We Are Saved by Grace
During the past year I have emphasized again and again the danger of an empty profession of Christ. I have labored to make it clear that no one should feel secure in Christ because he once made a profession, walked down an aisle, said a prayer, was baptized, or joined a church. Jesus said, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matt. 7:21-23). I am not apologizing for this emphasis, because it is greatly needed; I am only acknowledging that I am very much aware of the fact.
This morning we will look at the other side of the coin. We will balance the scales with another aspect of the truth. That truth can be summed up by a passage that we know very well. Please turn with me to Ephesians 2. Now let’s read Eph. 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast."
Saved by grace through faith. Is there anything of which we are more sure? This is one of those bedrock foundations that runs deep. We have been saved by grace through faith. To see this truth in a little more depth, let’s go back and read all of Eph. 2:1-10…
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: 2. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6. And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7. That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
But now I have a simple little question: What does that mean? What does it mean to say that we are saved by grace? Someone might say, “We are saved, even though we don’t deserve it. ‘Grace’ means ‘unmerited favor.’” That is certainly true. Who can deny that God has not given us what we deserve, and that He has given us what we do not deserve? That is, we all deserve to be separated from God forever in hell. There are no exceptions. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way…” (Is. 53:6). Even our righteous deeds are like filthy rags (Is. 64:6). “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). “For the wages of sin is death…” (Rom. 6:23). But instead of giving us what we deserve, God has given us the privilege of being His sons and daughters and enjoying Him forever and ever. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). None of us deserve that. These things are certainly true. Yes, God has given us what we don’t deserve. Salvation is a gift from Him, even though we can lay no claim to it of ourselvers.
But while that is true, it doesn’t fully answer my question: What does it mean to say that we are saved by grace? We don’t deserve salvation, but how does God give it to us? By grace? And what does that mean? Let’s suppose I say that by grace I am going to give _______ ten million dollars. You could say, “________ certainly didn’t do anything to deserve that ten million dollars, but you are going to give it to him anyway.” While that statement is true, it doesn’t explain how I am going to give him that large sum. How will I do it? By grace, but what does that mean? So I want us to think about salvation by grace this morning.
II. The Meaning of Grace
Let’s take a look at the meaning of grace in the New Testament. In doing so, we will focus both on the meaning of the word itself and also on the way the word “grace” is used. We won’t even begin to look at all the usages of “grace” in the New Testament, but you can find the many occurrences of the word by simply using a concordance and looking them up.
First of all, I want us to note that grace is power. Because many of us have grown up with the definition “undeserved favor,” it is easy for us to miss this truth, but we mustn’t. It is extremely important that we not lose this aspect of God’s grace. Perhaps one of the best places to see this is in II Cor. 12. You will recall that Paul had a thorn in the flesh, some type of infirmity that plagued him. Now let’s read the account in II Cor. 12:8-10…
For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
We can easily see that here it wasn’t God’s favor that would sustain Paul, but it was God’s power. God and God alone would give Paul the ability to endure this thorn in the flesh. Not only would he endure it, but God would enable him to turn it into a cause for rejoicing. Grace is God’s enabling strength.
We can see the same truth right here in Eph. 2, the passage we read just a few minutes ago. What was our state before God did a miracle in us? We were dead in our trespasses and sins. If a dead man is going to be raised to life, what will be required? It will require far more than the favor of God; it will require great power, the same kind of power that raised Jesus from the dead (as we read about in chapter 1). After further describing this condition, Paul says this in 2:4-6, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved), 6. And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Where did the power come from that made us alive with Christ and raised us up to sit in the heavenly places with Him? “By grace ye are saved.” Grace is power. It was the grace of God that made dead men and women live. Praise God! If we had only been severely ill, we might have been saved some other way, perhaps by good advice or by trying harder. But we were dead, and nothing but the powerful grace of God could save us.
Not only is grace power, but grace is love and divine favor. This is at the heart of the meaning of the Greek word translated “grace.” Grace is power, but it is not raw power operating without direction. No, it is God’s power directed by love. When this word is used in association with God, it always expresses the concept of good will, kindness, favor, and love. Power can be destructive, but the grace of God always blesses, because it is love, the very favor of God.
We see this aspect of grace right here in Eph. 2:1-10. Let’s read again verses 4-7…
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6. And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7. That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Notice the mercy and love mentioned in verse 4. While great power is required to raise us from the dead, it is the mercy and love that motivates God to exercise great power. “By grace are ye saved” – both the power and the love are a part of His grace. Then verse 7, “That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” “His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” further defines this grace of God. It is His divine favor.
Go back to chapter 1. Let’s read 1:7, “In whom [Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” I believe the aspect of grace that is most emphasized here is God’s divine favor, His love, His blessing. Isn’t forgiveness a wonderful thing? God has sent away our sins. “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us” (Ps. 103:12). So when God redeemed us through the death of His Son Jesus, He removed the debt of sin that was against us. Now notice that it is according to the riches of His grace. When He provided this redemption and forgiveness, it was in perfect accord with His grace, with His loving favor. How He has blessed us!
Now we come to the third aspect of this grace. Not only is grace power and loving favor, but it is also something else. In more theological terms, grace is gratuitous. That is, it is unearned. Some might say that its free, but that can be misleading, because it cost a great deal. But it is unearned. It is given without expectation of payment on our part. This is that idea of “unmerited favor.”
We find this aspect of grace emphasized in 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast." This salvation that is by grace is a gift of God. It has nothing to do with our works. Why not? Because if it did, we could boast about it. Because this salvation by grace through faith is totally unearned, we cannot take any credit to ourselves. I can never say that I am a Christian because of something I did. I can’t say that I was wise enough choose Christ, because Jesus Himself said: “You have not choosen me, but I have chosen you” (Jn. 15:16). It is all of grace.
We find the same truth emphasized in Paul’s letter to the Romans. Although we can find this concept in other parts of Romans, let’s come to the fourth chapter. Rom. 4:1-5…
What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2. For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Do you see it? If you work for it, then it’s no longer grace, because what comes by grace is totally unearned. But when a man doesn’t rely on his own works, but trusts the One who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned to him as righteousness, even the righteousness of God. That’s grace!
So we see that the concept of grace includes all three of these truths…
1. Grace is power.
2. Grace is love, divine favor.
3. Grace is totally unearned/undeserved.
While one aspect may be emphasized more that the other two in a particular usage, as we have seen, all three are always operating in grace. Let’s consider a verse where it is easy to see all three aspects of grace. 2 Cor. 8:9, "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." Consider the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Grace is power. Was power required for Jesus to become poor, that we might become rich? Absolutely, because Jesus’ becoming poor meant dying on the cross for us, and that required the power of grace. We see this in Heb. 2:9, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man." By the grace of God, Jesus tasted death for every man. In order to do that, He needed the grace of God; He needed God’s power.
Grace is loving favor. We see that here in II Cor. 8:9. What divine blessing that Christ would make us rich. And when Paul says “rich,” he is talking about treasures this world has never seen. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things that God hath prepared for them that love him” (I Cor. 2:9). These riches are ours because of what Jesus did for us. Grace is totally unearned. We didn’t deserve these great riches that Christ has secured for us.
III. Gaining Perspective through Grace
So now let’s put some of this in perspective. It is certainly true that in our day there is much deception. It would almost seem that Jesus spoke the words of Matthew 7 especially for our day. There are many who profess Christ but who are walking on the broad way, and that is the way that leads to destruction. To many who call Him Lord, Jesus will say, “I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” BUT let’s never forget that our God has not changed. Though we might say with the Psalmist, “For the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men,” (Ps. 12:1), the character of our God has not changed. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). God is still Redeemer and Savior. “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save…” (Is. 59:1). God is capable of saving the vilest sinner on this earth. “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Rom. 5:20).
And when God saves, it is by pure grace. No man will ever be saved because of what he does, for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight (Rom. 3:20; Gal. 2:16). “I do not frustrate the grace of God; for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain” (Gal. 2:19). A person is not saved because he walks on the narrow way. Rather, he walks on the narrow way because he has been saved by the grace of God. A dead man cannot make Himself alive; only the grace of God can raise us to everlasting life. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).
Let’s look at what Paul says in I Cor. 1:26-31…
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28. And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29. That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31. That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
In short, God has not called anyone because He found something good in him or her. If that were the case, the one called could point to some merit in himself that caused God to choose him. But notice the key statement in this passage. It’s in verse 29, “That no flesh should glory in his presence.” God has done things this way -- choosing the foolish, the weak, the things which are despised – so that no man can rob him of his glory. All the glory must go to God, because He alone is worthy. It is this truth that is behind salvation by grace. Only God has the power to save us; only God could pour out such favor on such vile creatures as we; only God could give salvation to people who have done absolutely nothing to earn it. “For by grace you have been saved.”
Hundreds of years before Jesus hung on the cross God gave David an appreciation for this truth. Listen to David’s words from Psalm 32:1-2, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” If God doesn’t impute iniquity, if He doesn’t place iniquity on our account, then when does He reckon to us? In Romans 4, Paul quoted these words of David from Psalm 32. In that context Paul reminds us of what God said about Abraham in Gen. 15:6, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Rom. 4:3). When God wipes away our sin by putting it on Christ, He also puts righteousness on our account, the very righteousness of Christ Himself. II Cor. 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Down through the centuries, this has been referred to as double imputation. Our sin was put on Christ, and His righteousness was put on us.
After elaborating on these great truths again and again in his letter to the Romans, Paul finally comes to the end of the doctrinal section and cries out: Rom, 11:33-36…
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34. For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35. Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36. For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Can you say “Amen” to that? Who taught God such wisdom and knowledge? Who was it that gave God this plan and God has repaid him? No, no one has been God’s counselor, for of God and through God and to God are all things, to whom be glory forever!
IV. Grace in the Present Tense
When we read in Eph. 2 that we are saved by grace through faith, we are reading about an event in the past. Literally, it reads, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” The sense is this: it happened in the past, but it extends into the present and the future. And so it is with this great salvation. It is very legitimate to say, “I was saved,” or “I have been saved,” but don’t think for a moment that we can restrict God’s grace to the past. No, grace is a present asset. We find this truth all through the New Testament, such as in Rom. 5:1-2, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Did you catch that? We stand in this grace now.
Now come to Rom.6:14, "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." Paul says to believers, “Sin shall not rule over you; sin will not be your master.” Why not? Because you are not under the law, but under grace.” Obviously, this is not past tense, but present tense. Because we are presently under grace rather than law, sin will not be able to rule over us. Again, think about the nature of grace. Is this not great divine favor? God is so good that He not only delivers us from the penalty of sin by forgiving us, but He also liberates us from the power of sin. Do we deserve such a blessing? No way. We have done nothing to earn such a rich blessing. But the focus of this verse is on the truth that grace is power. If we were under the law, sin would rule us. Why is that? Because the law has no power to deal with sin. The law can tell us what’s wrong, but it cannot give us the power to obey. But grace is power. God’s grace enables us to obey the law, so that Paul can write in Rom. 8:3-4…
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Conclusion: Praise God for His Grace
Praise God for His marvelous grace. We have been saved by grace. Again, "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich" (II Cor. 8:9). And because of the outpouring of His grace, we are indeed rich. Eph. 1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:" Those blessings are ours because the grace of our Lord.
Surely it is fitting that we conclude this morning with those great passages of praise from Revelation 4 and 5. Rev. 4:8-11…
And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. 9. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, 10. The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
And Rev. 5:7-14…
And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. 8. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. 9. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. 11. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12. Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 13. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 14. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
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