1 00:00:00,750 --> 00:00:02,040 - All right, Amazing Grace. 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:04,930 We continue with our preaching series, Amazing Grace. 3 00:00:04,930 --> 00:00:07,153 Tonight's lesson, the true plan of salvation 4 00:00:07,153 --> 00:00:10,563 will be lesson number two in that particular series. 5 00:00:12,330 --> 00:00:15,050 There are several ways to explain the following statement. 6 00:00:15,050 --> 00:00:15,883 Listen. 7 00:00:17,450 --> 00:00:20,950 We are saved by grace through faith. 8 00:00:20,950 --> 00:00:22,220 How many times we heard that? 9 00:00:22,220 --> 00:00:25,840 We are saved by grace through faith. 10 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:29,010 Number one, we could say, well, because of God's grace, 11 00:00:29,010 --> 00:00:31,790 we are saved through a system of faith. 12 00:00:31,790 --> 00:00:35,150 We could translate it that way, explain it that way, 13 00:00:35,150 --> 00:00:38,500 or we could say, through God's kindness, we are forgiven 14 00:00:38,500 --> 00:00:40,300 through faith in Jesus Christ. 15 00:00:40,300 --> 00:00:42,860 We could say it like that. 16 00:00:42,860 --> 00:00:45,080 Or we can say, God is so merciful 17 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:48,600 that He offers us salvation based on our faith, 18 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:52,810 not based on our ability to be perfect. 19 00:00:52,810 --> 00:00:54,110 We could say it like that. 20 00:00:55,290 --> 00:00:59,444 We believe this basic teaching of the Christian religion, 21 00:00:59,444 --> 00:01:02,640 the idea that we are saved by grace through faith, 22 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:04,880 we believe this basic teaching, 23 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:08,983 but we often try to change it into something else. 24 00:01:09,970 --> 00:01:12,590 For example, we often try to change it 25 00:01:12,590 --> 00:01:17,590 to God provides the grace, we provide the faith. 26 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:20,900 I'll explain that in a minute. 27 00:01:20,900 --> 00:01:24,480 Or we try to change it to God's grace 28 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:29,050 is that He reveals what we must do in order to be saved. 29 00:01:29,050 --> 00:01:31,100 In other words, what is God's grace? 30 00:01:31,100 --> 00:01:33,310 Well, He's revealed to us the plan of salvation. 31 00:01:33,310 --> 00:01:37,300 Hear, believe, repent, be baptized, that's grace. 32 00:01:37,300 --> 00:01:42,300 Or we try to change it to God's grace is based on our faith. 33 00:01:44,046 --> 00:01:49,046 Now these ideas, they're very close, but not quite, 34 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:52,680 not quite we are saved by grace through faith. 35 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:54,850 Our problem with grace many times 36 00:01:54,850 --> 00:01:57,336 is that we have a hard time understanding 37 00:01:57,336 --> 00:02:02,336 such a godly concept, and as proud and sinful people, 38 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:07,800 we cannot bring ourselves to accept free love 39 00:02:07,930 --> 00:02:12,070 and complete mercy because we are not capable 40 00:02:12,070 --> 00:02:14,110 of free love and complete mercy. 41 00:02:14,110 --> 00:02:16,940 We can't do it, and it's very hard for us 42 00:02:16,940 --> 00:02:20,720 to get our minds wrapped around this idea. 43 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:24,110 Usually, what we end up doing is only paying lip service 44 00:02:24,110 --> 00:02:28,610 to the idea of grace, but then reducing this core teaching 45 00:02:28,610 --> 00:02:31,870 of the gospel into a kind of a law work system 46 00:02:31,870 --> 00:02:34,400 or some other concept, which is not biblical 47 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:36,680 or not biblically accurate. 48 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:41,430 For example, we turned the teaching about grace 49 00:02:41,430 --> 00:02:45,870 into God provides the grace and we provide the faith. 50 00:02:45,870 --> 00:02:49,110 I mean I've heard people actually say that from the pulpit. 51 00:02:49,110 --> 00:02:52,780 The idea here is that salvation is some kind of a prize 52 00:02:52,780 --> 00:02:56,410 inside of a safe, and God provides one of the numbers 53 00:02:56,410 --> 00:02:58,610 of the combination, which is grace, 54 00:02:58,610 --> 00:03:01,440 and we provide the other number of the combination, 55 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:06,440 which is faith, and God is, grace is God's responsibility, 56 00:03:06,670 --> 00:03:08,392 faith is man's responsibility, 57 00:03:08,392 --> 00:03:11,090 and each side contributes something 58 00:03:11,090 --> 00:03:13,223 to produce the final result. 59 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:17,730 A couple of problems with this kind of thinking. 60 00:03:17,730 --> 00:03:21,130 Number one, we have to understand that we contribute nothing 61 00:03:21,130 --> 00:03:24,470 to salvation, not a thing. 62 00:03:24,470 --> 00:03:26,210 There's nothing we can do. 63 00:03:26,210 --> 00:03:29,970 There's not even the act of believing that has any value 64 00:03:29,970 --> 00:03:33,530 in actually producing our salvation. 65 00:03:33,530 --> 00:03:36,740 If faith could, in some way, be counted as something 66 00:03:36,740 --> 00:03:40,480 we contributed or paid for or did to earn our forgiveness 67 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:42,890 and salvation, then the question would be, 68 00:03:42,890 --> 00:03:46,631 well, just how much faith do we need, 69 00:03:46,631 --> 00:03:50,716 or what quality does that faith have to have, 70 00:03:50,716 --> 00:03:54,560 or does that faith need to be in order to exchange it 71 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:56,263 for salvation, see what I mean? 72 00:03:57,484 --> 00:04:01,480 Faith is not something we give or exchange. 73 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:05,260 Faith is the way that we actually receive the free gift 74 00:04:05,260 --> 00:04:06,470 of salvation. 75 00:04:06,470 --> 00:04:10,300 God produced salvation through Jesus Christ, as Dayton said 76 00:04:10,300 --> 00:04:14,190 in his prayer, and he offers it absolutely free to those 77 00:04:14,190 --> 00:04:16,930 who receive or accept it by faith 78 00:04:16,930 --> 00:04:19,973 as opposed to receiving it by earning it, 79 00:04:23,150 --> 00:04:26,190 or as opposed to receiving it by working at it 80 00:04:26,190 --> 00:04:28,943 or knowing something that nobody else knows. 81 00:04:30,460 --> 00:04:32,360 You can't receive it by earning it, 82 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:34,790 you can't receive it by exchanging something, 83 00:04:34,790 --> 00:04:36,940 you can't receive it through a deserving it, 84 00:04:36,940 --> 00:04:39,820 you can't receive it through knowledge or culture or force 85 00:04:39,820 --> 00:04:42,100 or religiosity or magic. 86 00:04:42,100 --> 00:04:46,480 You can only receive it through faith in Jesus Christ. 87 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:48,350 That's how you receive. 88 00:04:48,350 --> 00:04:50,820 Another problem with the God provides the grace, 89 00:04:50,820 --> 00:04:52,463 we provide the faith idea, 90 00:04:53,500 --> 00:04:57,040 this takes the glory away from Christ. 91 00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:00,920 I mean, if in some way, we can provide something, 92 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:05,110 then the glory belongs to us, too, a certain portion of it 93 00:05:05,110 --> 00:05:07,160 because after all, we provided something. 94 00:05:08,370 --> 00:05:12,580 The whole point of God's saving man by grace through faith 95 00:05:12,580 --> 00:05:15,370 is to reveal the glory of Jesus Christ 96 00:05:15,370 --> 00:05:16,700 and the love of the Father. 97 00:05:16,700 --> 00:05:18,580 That's what John is talking about. 98 00:05:18,580 --> 00:05:23,303 John 3:16, or Jesus, for God so loved the world. 99 00:05:24,500 --> 00:05:28,000 Man's pride would love to take some of this glory 100 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:30,900 and also refuses to be totally helpless 101 00:05:30,900 --> 00:05:34,063 and in need of undeserved mercy. 102 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:38,930 Another inaccurate concept of grace. 103 00:05:38,930 --> 00:05:41,520 We talked about the idea, God provides the grace, 104 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:43,780 we provide the faith, inaccurate. 105 00:05:43,780 --> 00:05:46,400 Another inaccurate concept that we've talked about, 106 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:49,743 grace is the revelation of the plan of salvation. 107 00:05:50,660 --> 00:05:52,450 In other words, the substance of grace 108 00:05:52,450 --> 00:05:55,720 is that God lets you know what you needed to do 109 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:56,863 in order to be saved. 110 00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:01,020 The idea that God's grace is that He shows us 111 00:06:01,020 --> 00:06:04,140 how to be saved, that He reveals to us that you have to hear 112 00:06:04,140 --> 00:06:06,520 and believe and confess and repent and be baptized, 113 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:08,393 that people think that's grace. 114 00:06:09,630 --> 00:06:12,135 I've said before that the plan of salvation 115 00:06:12,135 --> 00:06:17,135 is that God chose to save mankind through a system of faith 116 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:20,220 rather than a system of law. 117 00:06:20,220 --> 00:06:22,163 That's the plan of salvation. 118 00:06:25,330 --> 00:06:28,500 The idea that God decided to save man through a system 119 00:06:28,500 --> 00:06:31,680 of grace rather than a system of law, 120 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:35,640 this is the things into which the angels long to look, 121 00:06:35,660 --> 00:06:37,060 (I Peter 1:12). 122 00:06:37,070 --> 00:06:39,120 That's what the angels wanted to think 123 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:43,410 or wanted to figure out, and the mystery 124 00:06:43,410 --> 00:06:45,930 which has been kept secret for long ages past, 125 00:06:45,930 --> 00:06:49,160 Romans 16:25, that we'd be saved through faith in Christ, 126 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:52,970 that's the mystery, that's the plan that God came up with 127 00:06:52,970 --> 00:06:55,253 from before the beginning of the world. 128 00:06:56,600 --> 00:06:59,810 And so the mystery, the secret, the plan of God 129 00:06:59,810 --> 00:07:03,190 was that man would be saved through faith in Jesus Christ, 130 00:07:03,190 --> 00:07:06,030 and of course, the work that Christ would do 131 00:07:06,030 --> 00:07:07,320 on man's behalf. 132 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:11,060 That was the mystery, the cross, that was the mystery, 133 00:07:11,060 --> 00:07:13,590 not the fact that you had to hear and repent and be, 134 00:07:13,590 --> 00:07:15,493 that wasn't the mystery. 135 00:07:15,493 --> 00:07:17,763 Maybe have been part of the mystery. 136 00:07:20,505 --> 00:07:23,600 When we preach the plan or the five steps, 137 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:29,660 when we preach that as the gospel, what we're doing 138 00:07:29,660 --> 00:07:32,733 is we're preaching salvation by knowledge. 139 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:35,630 You didn't know this, and now we're letting you know, 140 00:07:35,630 --> 00:07:38,730 so you're saved because you know, you now know. 141 00:07:38,730 --> 00:07:39,830 That's not the gospel. 142 00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:43,970 If you know and obey accurately the plan, you'll be saved. 143 00:07:43,970 --> 00:07:46,780 God's grace is that He reveals this plan to us. 144 00:07:46,780 --> 00:07:49,180 How many times have we heard people preach that? 145 00:07:50,530 --> 00:07:52,530 I repeat again, that's not the gospel message, 146 00:07:52,530 --> 00:07:53,893 that's not the good news. 147 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:57,170 The good news is that because God is kind, 148 00:07:57,170 --> 00:08:00,310 He sent Jesus to pay the price of death for our sins, 149 00:08:00,310 --> 00:08:03,960 and we can be forgiven of these by believing in Him, 150 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:05,913 that's the good news. 151 00:08:08,420 --> 00:08:10,870 And this good news, this grace, 152 00:08:10,870 --> 00:08:13,320 motivates one of two responses. 153 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:18,320 One, disbelief, and how do we express disbelief? 154 00:08:18,870 --> 00:08:22,210 Well, we express disbelief by rejecting the message 155 00:08:23,300 --> 00:08:25,753 and a continual pursuit in the world. 156 00:08:26,730 --> 00:08:29,943 And the other response to that message is belief, 157 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:33,120 which the gospel teaches is expressed 158 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:35,540 in a variety of recognizable ways, 159 00:08:35,540 --> 00:08:39,330 including confession of Christ, repentance of sin, 160 00:08:39,330 --> 00:08:40,493 baptism, and more. 161 00:08:43,650 --> 00:08:46,710 Repentance, confession, baptism, these are ways 162 00:08:46,710 --> 00:08:50,703 that the believer expresses his faith in Jesus Christ. 163 00:08:52,630 --> 00:08:54,340 It is not the plan of salvation, 164 00:08:54,340 --> 00:08:56,830 it is not an exchange for salvation, 165 00:08:56,830 --> 00:09:00,713 it is the way one received the salvation freely offered. 166 00:09:03,210 --> 00:09:06,890 Baptism, of course, does save us, why? 167 00:09:06,890 --> 00:09:11,070 Because it is an expression of our faith in Jesus Christ. 168 00:09:11,070 --> 00:09:14,980 As a matter of fact, it is the expression of faith required 169 00:09:14,980 --> 00:09:19,460 by God, written in the Bible, but don't get me wrong, 170 00:09:19,460 --> 00:09:20,833 it's not the gospel. 171 00:09:23,770 --> 00:09:27,000 If one truly believes in Jesus Christ, his savior, 172 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:30,900 the Bible, not the church of Christ, the Bible, says 173 00:09:30,900 --> 00:09:34,770 that this face, faith rather, will be evident 174 00:09:34,770 --> 00:09:38,940 in an open confession of that faith, a changed life, 175 00:09:38,940 --> 00:09:42,030 immersion in water for the forgiveness of sins. 176 00:09:42,030 --> 00:09:44,450 We have to remember to know the difference 177 00:09:44,450 --> 00:09:48,043 between the gospel and the response to the gospel. 178 00:09:49,070 --> 00:09:51,593 A more subtle misconception is the following. 179 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:55,170 God's grace is based on our faith. 180 00:09:55,170 --> 00:09:56,623 I've heard people say that. 181 00:09:57,540 --> 00:09:58,960 This is a tricky idea. 182 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:01,213 On the surface, it looks okay, 183 00:10:02,060 --> 00:10:03,960 but what does the sentence really say? 184 00:10:05,420 --> 00:10:09,890 This sentence suggests that our faith is in faith 185 00:10:09,890 --> 00:10:10,950 and not in Christ. 186 00:10:10,950 --> 00:10:13,770 In other words, I have confidence in my faith, 187 00:10:13,770 --> 00:10:17,253 I have confidence in its strength and in its accuracy. 188 00:10:19,350 --> 00:10:23,390 Again, God's grace is totally based in and on Jesus Christ, 189 00:10:23,390 --> 00:10:25,973 not the quality or quantity of our faith. 190 00:10:26,900 --> 00:10:29,620 Today, our society places a lot of importance 191 00:10:29,620 --> 00:10:31,780 on the act of believing, you've got to believe, 192 00:10:31,780 --> 00:10:35,500 you believe in yourself, believe everything will be okay. 193 00:10:35,500 --> 00:10:38,550 Today, faith is no more than just positive thinking 194 00:10:38,550 --> 00:10:41,640 or willpower, but I want to tell you something, 195 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:45,003 faith's power is in its object. 196 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:49,620 Faith is no better than what faith believes in. 197 00:10:49,620 --> 00:10:54,620 For example, if I believe that the tree outside, 198 00:10:55,230 --> 00:10:57,890 that big tree out in our yard, if I believe 199 00:10:57,890 --> 00:11:02,290 that that tree is God and I go and I offer praise 200 00:11:02,290 --> 00:11:05,830 to that tree and I sing to that tree and I'm on my knees 201 00:11:05,830 --> 00:11:07,887 in front of that tree, you know what, I even cut myself 202 00:11:07,887 --> 00:11:10,960 and I force blood to come out of my own body 203 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:14,113 and I smear it on the tree as an offering of my life, 204 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:17,470 I mean, would you say I'm kind of devoted? 205 00:11:17,470 --> 00:11:19,980 Would anybody question my devotion to that tree? 206 00:11:19,980 --> 00:11:24,980 No, but could that tree answer any of my prayers? 207 00:11:25,620 --> 00:11:27,100 No, why? 208 00:11:27,100 --> 00:11:30,540 Because that tree does not have the power to do anything 209 00:11:30,540 --> 00:11:33,296 for me, no matter how much or how devoted I am 210 00:11:33,296 --> 00:11:35,433 in worshiping the tree. 211 00:11:36,850 --> 00:11:41,330 You see, the power that saves us is Jesus Christ. 212 00:11:41,330 --> 00:11:44,670 He's the object of faith, he's the one who saves, 213 00:11:44,670 --> 00:11:49,170 he's the gift of grace, he accomplishes our salvation. 214 00:11:49,170 --> 00:11:50,940 It isn't the strength of my faith, 215 00:11:50,940 --> 00:11:54,373 it's the object of my faith that makes the difference. 216 00:11:55,520 --> 00:11:56,570 You don't believe me? 217 00:11:57,960 --> 00:12:00,270 Look at the examples I'll give you. 218 00:12:00,270 --> 00:12:03,230 Let's talk about Paul, right, the apostle. 219 00:12:03,230 --> 00:12:05,980 Paul had religious knowledge. 220 00:12:05,980 --> 00:12:10,950 He had a miraculous appearance by Jesus in preaching to him. 221 00:12:10,950 --> 00:12:14,340 He had the full gospel preached to him by Ananias, 222 00:12:14,340 --> 00:12:15,960 and he believed. 223 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:18,070 So strong was his faith 224 00:12:18,070 --> 00:12:21,290 that immediately after he was baptized, immediately after, 225 00:12:21,290 --> 00:12:22,630 he began preaching Christ. 226 00:12:22,630 --> 00:12:24,750 That's how powerful his faith was, 227 00:12:24,750 --> 00:12:27,200 how much knowledge he had. 228 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:29,200 All right, let's take another person who was saved. 229 00:12:29,200 --> 00:12:32,460 The thief on the cross, he saw a crucified Jesus 230 00:12:32,460 --> 00:12:36,140 forgive his enemies, so he asked for that same forgiveness. 231 00:12:36,140 --> 00:12:40,550 He saw no miracles, he had no visions, he was irreligious, 232 00:12:40,550 --> 00:12:43,040 no one explained the gospel to him in detail, 233 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:48,040 he simply believed in Jesus, and both of these men 234 00:12:48,252 --> 00:12:53,252 were equally saved, and both of them are in heaven with God. 235 00:12:55,860 --> 00:12:56,693 Why? 236 00:12:57,530 --> 00:13:00,230 Because despite the difference in the quality 237 00:13:00,230 --> 00:13:02,910 and the strength and the knowledge of their faith, 238 00:13:02,910 --> 00:13:06,763 they both believed in the same person. 239 00:13:07,700 --> 00:13:12,100 They both believed in Jesus Christ. 240 00:13:12,100 --> 00:13:15,860 The object of their faith was the same, 241 00:13:15,860 --> 00:13:20,480 and so the result of their faith was the same. 242 00:13:20,480 --> 00:13:22,820 In this world, many people believe, 243 00:13:22,820 --> 00:13:26,340 which simply means to accept something as true. 244 00:13:26,340 --> 00:13:29,050 The belief that leads to salvation, however, 245 00:13:29,050 --> 00:13:32,230 is the one where a person accepts as true the fact 246 00:13:32,230 --> 00:13:34,710 that Jesus Christ is the son of God. 247 00:13:34,710 --> 00:13:39,710 That's the object of faith that has some impact. 248 00:13:39,960 --> 00:13:44,760 That particular belief, expressed in repentance and baptism, 249 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:47,700 that's what saves the soul. 250 00:13:47,700 --> 00:13:50,480 Don't envy another person's faith or knowledge 251 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:53,640 or religiosity, don't be proud of your faith. 252 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:56,730 Remember that grace is extended to those 253 00:13:56,730 --> 00:13:59,000 who believe in Jesus Christ. 254 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:03,590 Our faith is equal and equally saves us if we are focused 255 00:14:03,590 --> 00:14:07,920 on the right object, and that is Jesus himself. 256 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:12,723 All right, let's talk about grace and faith plus, shall we? 257 00:14:13,990 --> 00:14:18,120 The elements of our salvation are God's grace and our faith, 258 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:22,133 but the Bible qualifies that these are not alone. 259 00:14:23,350 --> 00:14:25,130 Listen carefully. 260 00:14:25,130 --> 00:14:30,130 These are not alone, therefore, only by grace, 261 00:14:30,370 --> 00:14:33,390 but not grace alone. 262 00:14:33,390 --> 00:14:36,740 You see, God's grace is his kindness, his mercy, 263 00:14:36,740 --> 00:14:39,098 his generosity, and his love. 264 00:14:39,098 --> 00:14:41,900 Grace is God's character. 265 00:14:41,900 --> 00:14:46,240 It's his attitude, but it wasn't just his grace and attitude 266 00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:48,140 that saved us. 267 00:14:48,140 --> 00:14:53,140 This character and attitude motivated him to do something. 268 00:14:53,680 --> 00:14:58,220 Yes, it's God grace that saves us, but a grace that works 269 00:14:58,220 --> 00:15:00,893 to accomplish that salvation. 270 00:15:00,893 --> 00:15:04,450 For example, it was God's grace that was working 271 00:15:04,450 --> 00:15:06,470 to establish the Jewish nation. 272 00:15:06,470 --> 00:15:10,590 It was God's grace that was working to send Jesus his grace, 273 00:15:10,590 --> 00:15:12,810 working to send the Holy Spirit his grace, 274 00:15:12,810 --> 00:15:15,900 working to send out the apostles to preach his grace, 275 00:15:15,900 --> 00:15:18,270 working that established the church, 276 00:15:18,270 --> 00:15:21,080 his grace working that maintains the church 277 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:22,230 throughout history. 278 00:15:22,230 --> 00:15:25,093 His grace is always working. 279 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:29,960 Only grace could and would work in this way 280 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:32,000 to accomplish our salvation. 281 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:35,490 Pride wouldn't do it, law wouldn't do it or couldn't do it, 282 00:15:35,490 --> 00:15:37,560 built or self-interest wouldn't do it, 283 00:15:37,560 --> 00:15:39,250 compulsion wouldn't do it. 284 00:15:39,250 --> 00:15:42,760 Only grace would and could accomplish all the things 285 00:15:42,760 --> 00:15:44,760 that I've just talked about. 286 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:49,760 All right, well, in the same way, only faith, only faith, 287 00:15:50,230 --> 00:15:53,970 but not faith alone, see the difference? 288 00:15:53,970 --> 00:15:58,850 The only way man can be saved is to accept the gift 289 00:15:58,850 --> 00:16:02,550 of salvation from God by faith, that's the only way. 290 00:16:02,550 --> 00:16:05,606 You can't receive it by works, by law, by knowledge, 291 00:16:05,606 --> 00:16:08,760 by culture, by trying, by willpower, 292 00:16:08,760 --> 00:16:11,443 those ways don't work, only by faith. 293 00:16:13,890 --> 00:16:15,810 You can't earn it, you can't deserve it, 294 00:16:15,810 --> 00:16:17,810 you can't exchange for it, you can't know it, 295 00:16:17,810 --> 00:16:19,600 you can't serve God for it. 296 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:22,840 Faith is the only channel by which the gift of forgiveness 297 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:24,560 and eternal life is received. 298 00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:29,560 However, faith is a living thing, it's not just a concept, 299 00:16:31,640 --> 00:16:33,700 it's not just a thought. 300 00:16:33,700 --> 00:16:37,900 If grace had not acted, man would not be saved. 301 00:16:37,900 --> 00:16:40,700 Well, in the same way, if faith does not act, 302 00:16:40,700 --> 00:16:43,380 does not express itself, does not show itself 303 00:16:43,380 --> 00:16:47,073 to be true faith in Christ, it cannot receive salvation. 304 00:16:47,940 --> 00:16:51,733 The very nature of grace is that it must do something. 305 00:16:52,610 --> 00:16:56,150 The very nature of grace moves God to create, to bless, 306 00:16:56,150 --> 00:16:57,890 to save, and so on and so forth. 307 00:16:57,890 --> 00:17:00,930 If it doesn't, it's not grace. 308 00:17:00,930 --> 00:17:05,020 Well, the very nature of faith is that it must be tested. 309 00:17:05,020 --> 00:17:08,600 In other words, it must demonstrate its genuineness. 310 00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:11,060 It isn't biblical, saving faith 311 00:17:11,060 --> 00:17:15,070 unless it strives to show itself to be genuine, 312 00:17:15,070 --> 00:17:18,410 and the Bible describes the way that faith shows itself 313 00:17:18,410 --> 00:17:22,790 to be genuine and how genuine faith actually blossoms. 314 00:17:22,790 --> 00:17:26,620 Think of faith blossoming, like a flower. 315 00:17:26,620 --> 00:17:29,500 God does not demand or command 316 00:17:29,500 --> 00:17:32,283 that a rose seed become a rose. 317 00:17:33,260 --> 00:17:36,760 It's programmed for this once the seed is planted. 318 00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:40,220 Well, in the same way, if the seeds of Christian faith 319 00:17:40,220 --> 00:17:44,110 from the word of God are planted in a believing heart, 320 00:17:44,110 --> 00:17:46,170 they will grow, they will blossom, 321 00:17:46,170 --> 00:17:49,220 and they will produce repentance and an acknowledgement 322 00:17:49,220 --> 00:17:52,490 of Christ as Lord and the willingness to be baptized 323 00:17:52,490 --> 00:17:55,830 and an eagerness to follow Christ, and the hatred of sin 324 00:17:55,830 --> 00:17:58,610 and the longing for heaven, the love of the church, 325 00:17:58,610 --> 00:18:01,590 desire to know the word, desire to obey God, 326 00:18:01,590 --> 00:18:06,590 all those things are things that faith produces, 327 00:18:07,030 --> 00:18:09,113 that faith blossoms. 328 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:13,760 Faith produces all the things that I've just mentioned 329 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:17,470 and more, and it does it naturally. 330 00:18:17,470 --> 00:18:20,010 We are saved by grace, of course. 331 00:18:20,010 --> 00:18:23,600 A grace that works to accomplish our salvation, 332 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:27,800 and we're saved by grace through faith, of course. 333 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:31,120 A faith that demonstrates itself as genuine 334 00:18:31,120 --> 00:18:34,190 by what it produces, how it blossoms. 335 00:18:34,190 --> 00:18:38,589 Now, there are some in the Bible 336 00:18:38,589 --> 00:18:41,434 who had a problem with God's grace. 337 00:18:41,434 --> 00:18:44,260 There's a danger of certain individuals in the church 338 00:18:44,260 --> 00:18:47,922 refusing to accept grace on God's terms. 339 00:18:47,922 --> 00:18:51,240 There's also a danger of trying to accept Christ, 340 00:18:51,240 --> 00:18:55,410 but not the grace that he offers, and the Lord warns people 341 00:18:55,410 --> 00:18:59,190 about this particular phenomena in different lessons. 342 00:18:59,190 --> 00:19:01,650 Go to Luke, will you, chapter seven. 343 00:19:01,650 --> 00:19:03,730 I'll give you a couple of examples of people 344 00:19:03,730 --> 00:19:06,522 who had trouble with grace. 345 00:19:06,522 --> 00:19:10,220 The first one I want to talk about is Simon the Pharisee 346 00:19:10,220 --> 00:19:12,780 in Luke chapter seven. 347 00:19:12,780 --> 00:19:16,213 I won't read the whole story, just verse 36 to 39. 348 00:19:18,733 --> 00:19:22,850 Luke chapter seven, verse 36 to 39 says, 349 00:19:22,850 --> 00:19:25,440 now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine 350 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:27,770 with Him, and He entered the Pharisee's house 351 00:19:27,770 --> 00:19:29,150 and reclined at the table. 352 00:19:29,150 --> 00:19:31,500 And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner, 353 00:19:31,500 --> 00:19:34,070 and when she learned that he was reclining at the table 354 00:19:34,070 --> 00:19:37,000 in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster vial 355 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:40,630 of perfume, and standing behind Him at his feet, weeping, 356 00:19:40,630 --> 00:19:42,550 she began to wet His feet with her tears 357 00:19:42,550 --> 00:19:44,890 and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, 358 00:19:44,890 --> 00:19:48,140 and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. 359 00:19:48,140 --> 00:19:50,470 Now when the Pharisee who invited him saw this, 360 00:19:50,470 --> 00:19:52,847 he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, 361 00:19:52,847 --> 00:19:56,407 "He would know who and what sort of person this woman is 362 00:19:56,407 --> 00:19:59,850 "who is touching Him, that she is a sinner," 363 00:19:59,850 --> 00:20:01,610 and it goes on further than there. 364 00:20:01,610 --> 00:20:03,170 Jesus talks to him about this, 365 00:20:03,170 --> 00:20:05,120 but I just wanted to read that section. 366 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:09,300 What did this Pharisee want from Jesus? 367 00:20:09,300 --> 00:20:12,410 Well, he wanted to associate with him as a teacher, 368 00:20:12,410 --> 00:20:14,540 he wanted to hear him preach, 369 00:20:14,540 --> 00:20:18,590 he wanted to share Jesus' popularity, 370 00:20:18,590 --> 00:20:21,850 but what didn't the Pharisee want, 371 00:20:21,850 --> 00:20:24,460 and we read about this a little bit later. 372 00:20:24,460 --> 00:20:27,710 Well, he didn't want to give Jesus due respect, 373 00:20:27,710 --> 00:20:31,940 he didn't want to be in a position to need Jesus' mercy, 374 00:20:31,940 --> 00:20:36,643 and he certainly did not want to offer grace to the woman. 375 00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:41,600 The Pharisees, at that time, they waited for a time, 376 00:20:41,600 --> 00:20:44,470 at the beginning anyway, to include Jesus 377 00:20:44,470 --> 00:20:46,210 into their group of teachers. 378 00:20:46,210 --> 00:20:49,080 After all, he was a dynamic and popular teacher, 379 00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:51,383 maybe he'll be one of us, maybe. 380 00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:55,310 But what they didn't want was to need mercy 381 00:20:55,310 --> 00:20:58,140 or to be forced to offer mercy. 382 00:20:58,140 --> 00:21:00,960 If you need mercy, well, then you have to be prepared 383 00:21:00,960 --> 00:21:01,970 to offer mercy. 384 00:21:01,970 --> 00:21:03,873 See the problem there? 385 00:21:04,830 --> 00:21:07,080 Their hard hearts had become this way 386 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:09,540 because they didn't see the need for God's mercy 387 00:21:09,540 --> 00:21:12,750 for themselves, and they rarely had the impulse, 388 00:21:12,750 --> 00:21:16,450 that heart-softening impulse, to offer mercy 389 00:21:16,450 --> 00:21:19,300 to other people, and this is the great danger 390 00:21:19,300 --> 00:21:20,560 of self-righteousness. 391 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:22,300 See the point I'm getting to? 392 00:21:22,300 --> 00:21:25,810 If we never feel that we need mercy in any way, 393 00:21:25,810 --> 00:21:28,210 we're okay, we're good, I'm good, God, 394 00:21:28,210 --> 00:21:31,570 I don't need you, I'm good, I'm taking care of my business. 395 00:21:31,570 --> 00:21:34,540 If that's how we feel, that's usually how we feel 396 00:21:34,540 --> 00:21:35,820 towards other people, too. 397 00:21:35,820 --> 00:21:37,860 We're not ready to offer mercy to others. 398 00:21:37,860 --> 00:21:41,853 I got mine, I got mine, I'm okay. 399 00:21:43,260 --> 00:21:44,530 Why should I give you some? 400 00:21:44,530 --> 00:21:45,660 I'm taking care of my business. 401 00:21:45,660 --> 00:21:47,620 Why don't you take care of your business? 402 00:21:47,620 --> 00:21:48,890 So you see what I'm saying? 403 00:21:48,890 --> 00:21:52,110 If we can't recognize our actual need for God's mercy, 404 00:21:52,110 --> 00:21:56,150 we rarely feel the impulse to show mercy to someone else. 405 00:21:56,150 --> 00:21:57,160 Let's talk about Jonah. 406 00:21:57,160 --> 00:21:59,390 You won't have to go there, but we all know about Jonah, 407 00:21:59,390 --> 00:22:03,380 the great fish that swallowed him and so on and so forth. 408 00:22:03,380 --> 00:22:05,810 Now, the Jews of Jonah's time, 409 00:22:05,810 --> 00:22:07,640 they hated the Assyrians, right? 410 00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:09,990 And had good reason to hate the Assyrians. 411 00:22:09,990 --> 00:22:12,800 The Assyrians had attacked them numerous times, 412 00:22:12,800 --> 00:22:16,119 and they had to pay tribute, like a tax, 413 00:22:16,119 --> 00:22:18,490 an extortion tax to the Assyrians. 414 00:22:18,490 --> 00:22:20,180 It was very simple, you pay the tax, 415 00:22:20,180 --> 00:22:22,340 and if you don't pay the tax, we'll come in and kill you, 416 00:22:22,340 --> 00:22:24,400 so they paid the tax. 417 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:27,750 And they were also pagan idolaters on top of that, 418 00:22:27,750 --> 00:22:31,210 so Jonah, imagine, a good Jew is called by God 419 00:22:31,210 --> 00:22:33,270 to go and preach to the Ninevites. 420 00:22:33,270 --> 00:22:36,750 Those were, that was the capital city of Assyria. 421 00:22:36,750 --> 00:22:38,750 Now we know the story of his response 422 00:22:38,750 --> 00:22:43,030 and his effort to run away, but the true story 423 00:22:43,030 --> 00:22:47,030 behind his effort to flee and not do God's will was evident. 424 00:22:47,030 --> 00:22:52,030 He could not accept God's graciousness towards his enemies. 425 00:22:52,170 --> 00:22:56,670 God wanted to do something good for the Assyrians, 426 00:22:56,670 --> 00:22:59,173 and Jonah was not going to have any of it. 427 00:23:00,690 --> 00:23:04,410 The Pharisees, they saw no need for grace 428 00:23:04,410 --> 00:23:05,610 for themselves or others. 429 00:23:05,610 --> 00:23:07,280 You know the story I was telling you before 430 00:23:07,280 --> 00:23:08,300 about the Pharisees? 431 00:23:08,300 --> 00:23:12,800 Well, Jonah was happy to receive grace for himself, 432 00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:15,190 but he was not ready for God to extend it 433 00:23:15,190 --> 00:23:18,670 to someone else, and certainly, not his enemies. 434 00:23:18,670 --> 00:23:22,161 I mean, when he was first approached to go preach repentance 435 00:23:22,161 --> 00:23:27,130 to the Ninevites, he ran away in order not to do God's will. 436 00:23:27,130 --> 00:23:28,680 In chapter four verse two, 437 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:30,990 Jonah acknowledges why he did this. 438 00:23:30,990 --> 00:23:34,070 Not because of laziness or disbelief or fear. 439 00:23:34,070 --> 00:23:36,670 He ran away, he says, because of God's grace. 440 00:23:36,670 --> 00:23:39,243 I knew you were good, I knew you were merciful, 441 00:23:39,243 --> 00:23:41,720 I knew you'd do the right thing, but I didn't want you 442 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:44,033 to do the right thing for those guys. 443 00:23:45,020 --> 00:23:48,720 He knew that if they repented, God would forgive them, 444 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:51,320 and he did not want to be the instrument 445 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:55,393 through which God's grace was offered to his enemies. 446 00:23:56,960 --> 00:23:58,440 Have you ever thought about that? 447 00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:03,150 Have you ever refused to be the instrument of God's grace, 448 00:24:03,150 --> 00:24:06,943 God's kindness, God's generosity to somebody else? 449 00:24:09,670 --> 00:24:11,900 And so after he was swallowed by the fish 450 00:24:11,900 --> 00:24:14,040 and then released through God's mercy, 451 00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:15,633 remember, he should have died, 452 00:24:16,630 --> 00:24:18,723 but through God's mercy, he lived. 453 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:22,880 He finally went and he preached to the Ninevites, 454 00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:26,490 and when they repented, again, he was very angry, 455 00:24:26,490 --> 00:24:30,343 not at the Ninevites, he was angry with God. 456 00:24:30,343 --> 00:24:33,840 Think about it now, the Ninevites were forgiven, 457 00:24:33,840 --> 00:24:36,563 but the Ninevites, they didn't have to be circumcised, 458 00:24:37,630 --> 00:24:42,000 they didn't have to keep all the Jewish laws and worship, 459 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:44,240 procedures, and all that kind of stuff. 460 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:46,450 They didn't have to pay back all the money 461 00:24:46,450 --> 00:24:48,780 that they had taken from the Jews. 462 00:24:48,780 --> 00:24:51,070 They didn't have to make up for all the harm 463 00:24:51,070 --> 00:24:51,903 they had caused. 464 00:24:51,903 --> 00:24:53,750 God just forgave them. 465 00:24:53,750 --> 00:24:56,440 It's good, he said, we're good. 466 00:24:56,440 --> 00:25:01,086 God simply forgave them because they believed the message 467 00:25:01,086 --> 00:25:02,853 and they repented. 468 00:25:04,290 --> 00:25:09,290 Because of his grace, they received forgiveness 469 00:25:09,700 --> 00:25:13,890 through faith, and Jonah was so upset 470 00:25:13,890 --> 00:25:16,350 that in chapter four verse eight, he says, 471 00:25:16,350 --> 00:25:20,100 death is better to me than life. 472 00:25:20,100 --> 00:25:22,300 He'd rather die than see his enemies 473 00:25:22,300 --> 00:25:24,560 be treated right by God. 474 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:28,590 Jonah was angry because God was too good, too kind, 475 00:25:28,590 --> 00:25:33,260 too gracious, to Jonah's enemies. 476 00:25:33,260 --> 00:25:36,340 And then the third group I want to talk about. 477 00:25:36,340 --> 00:25:39,380 Go to Matthew, this time, I will read a little bit of this, 478 00:25:39,380 --> 00:25:41,670 and Matthew chapter 20, all right, 479 00:25:41,670 --> 00:25:43,430 let's go to Matthew chapter 20 480 00:25:45,664 --> 00:25:48,363 give you a chance to get there, Matthew chapter 20. 481 00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:52,313 Beginning in verse one. 482 00:25:53,760 --> 00:25:56,270 It says, for the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner 483 00:25:56,270 --> 00:25:58,590 who went out early in the morning to hire laborers 484 00:25:58,590 --> 00:25:59,640 for his vineyard. 485 00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:02,590 And when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius 486 00:26:02,590 --> 00:26:06,010 for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. 487 00:26:06,010 --> 00:26:07,710 And he went out about the third hour 488 00:26:07,710 --> 00:26:09,890 and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 489 00:26:09,890 --> 00:26:12,087 and to those, he said, "You also go into the vineyard 490 00:26:12,087 --> 00:26:13,830 "and whatever is right, I will give you." 491 00:26:13,830 --> 00:26:15,280 And so they went. 492 00:26:15,280 --> 00:26:17,930 Again, he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour 493 00:26:17,930 --> 00:26:19,250 and did the same thing. 494 00:26:19,250 --> 00:26:20,880 At the 11th hour, he went out 495 00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:23,597 and found others standing around, and he said to them, 496 00:26:23,597 --> 00:26:25,910 "Why have you been standing here idle all day long?" 497 00:26:25,910 --> 00:26:28,230 And they said to him, "Well, because no one hired us." 498 00:26:28,230 --> 00:26:31,540 And he said to them, "You go into the vineyard, too." 499 00:26:31,540 --> 00:26:34,070 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said 500 00:26:34,070 --> 00:26:37,837 to his foreman, "Call the laborers and pay them their wages, 501 00:26:37,837 --> 00:26:40,330 "beginning with the last group to the first." 502 00:26:40,330 --> 00:26:42,580 When those hired about the 11th hour came, 503 00:26:42,580 --> 00:26:44,530 each one received a denarius. 504 00:26:44,530 --> 00:26:46,410 When those hired first came, 505 00:26:46,410 --> 00:26:48,200 they thought that they would receive more, 506 00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:50,870 but each of them also received a denarius. 507 00:26:50,870 --> 00:26:53,380 When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, 508 00:26:53,380 --> 00:26:56,067 saying, "These last men have worked only one hour, 509 00:26:56,067 --> 00:26:57,677 "and you have made them equal to us 510 00:26:57,677 --> 00:26:58,777 "who have borne the burden 511 00:26:58,777 --> 00:27:00,880 "and the scorching heat of the day." 512 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:02,537 But he answered and said to one of them, 513 00:27:02,537 --> 00:27:04,667 "Friend, I am doing you no wrong. 514 00:27:04,667 --> 00:27:07,117 "Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 515 00:27:07,117 --> 00:27:08,797 "Take what is yours and go, 516 00:27:08,797 --> 00:27:11,997 "but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 517 00:27:11,997 --> 00:27:14,437 "Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish 518 00:27:14,437 --> 00:27:15,707 "with what is my own? 519 00:27:15,707 --> 00:27:18,660 "Or is your I envious because I am generous?" 520 00:27:18,660 --> 00:27:22,190 So the last shall be first and the first last. 521 00:27:22,190 --> 00:27:25,813 Now note that the all-day workers were all angry, why? 522 00:27:27,050 --> 00:27:30,570 Do you think that they had a valid reason to be so? 523 00:27:30,570 --> 00:27:34,560 Believe it or not, most people see this situation as unfair. 524 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:36,973 Even though we say, oh, God can do what he wants, 525 00:27:36,973 --> 00:27:39,750 and the landowner, he can do what he wants, 526 00:27:39,750 --> 00:27:40,900 but down deep inside, we're saying, 527 00:27:40,900 --> 00:27:42,633 man, I wouldn't want to be those guys that work 528 00:27:42,633 --> 00:27:47,260 from like 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and get paid one thing, 529 00:27:47,260 --> 00:27:49,580 and the guys who work from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. 530 00:27:49,580 --> 00:27:51,460 make the same money as me. 531 00:27:51,460 --> 00:27:53,393 I mean it's just human nature right? 532 00:27:54,760 --> 00:27:58,210 But nobody was cheated. 533 00:27:58,210 --> 00:28:02,390 Everybody received the wages that they were promised. 534 00:28:02,390 --> 00:28:05,501 I mean, the day workers received the agreed upon amount, 535 00:28:05,501 --> 00:28:07,940 it was no one's business or judgment, 536 00:28:07,940 --> 00:28:11,140 how the boss spent his money, that's true. 537 00:28:11,140 --> 00:28:13,310 In the beginning, the day workers were happy 538 00:28:13,310 --> 00:28:15,530 and they were eager to find work for a fair pay 539 00:28:15,530 --> 00:28:20,420 in the first place, so what were they really angry about? 540 00:28:20,420 --> 00:28:23,430 Well, they were angry about the boss's generosity. 541 00:28:23,430 --> 00:28:27,970 He seemed more generous to some than to others. 542 00:28:27,970 --> 00:28:31,220 They overlooked the fact that they had a generous boss 543 00:28:31,220 --> 00:28:33,600 who had been generous to them first 544 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:35,560 and then to the others afterwards, 545 00:28:35,560 --> 00:28:37,240 because he was generous to them. 546 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:41,360 They had no work and he gave them work. 547 00:28:41,360 --> 00:28:43,360 And he could have bargained with them, 548 00:28:43,360 --> 00:28:44,450 you know what I'm saying? 549 00:28:44,450 --> 00:28:46,360 Because they were in the inferior position. 550 00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:48,320 They had no job, they were out of work. 551 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:51,800 He could have said the normal pay is a denarius, 552 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:55,420 but you guys are out of work, you're looking for work, 553 00:28:55,420 --> 00:28:57,120 so I'll tell you what, I'll give you work, 554 00:28:57,120 --> 00:28:58,663 I'll pay you half a denarius. 555 00:28:59,730 --> 00:29:01,000 You think they would have taken the work? 556 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:02,960 Absolutely, they're out of work, they need the money, 557 00:29:02,960 --> 00:29:06,040 but no, even though they were in a bad way 558 00:29:06,040 --> 00:29:10,070 and they needed the work, he paid them the just wage. 559 00:29:10,070 --> 00:29:15,070 He was a just man, so giving them work at fair pay 560 00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:17,940 when they had no work, that was generous, 561 00:29:17,940 --> 00:29:20,250 and then giving others work at the last minute 562 00:29:20,250 --> 00:29:23,950 for the same pay, that was also generous. 563 00:29:23,950 --> 00:29:27,820 We can't accept the measure of generosity for ourselves 564 00:29:27,820 --> 00:29:31,610 and then complain if somebody else is also a benefactor 565 00:29:31,610 --> 00:29:34,193 of the same person's generosity. 566 00:29:35,500 --> 00:29:39,020 The day workers felt that they had earned their salary 567 00:29:39,020 --> 00:29:43,053 and they wanted everybody else to earn it as well. 568 00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:45,680 We worked hard for what we had, 569 00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:49,140 and we want everybody else to work hard for what they have. 570 00:29:49,140 --> 00:29:49,973 Well, you know what? 571 00:29:49,973 --> 00:29:51,760 Some Christians are like that, 572 00:29:51,760 --> 00:29:53,960 because they think they've earned their way 573 00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:56,130 into God's grace. 574 00:29:56,130 --> 00:29:58,300 The Jews thought that they had earned it 575 00:29:58,300 --> 00:30:00,518 as God's chosen people. 576 00:30:00,518 --> 00:30:04,140 The late workers did not trust in their work, 577 00:30:04,140 --> 00:30:06,850 they trusted in their boss to do the right thing 578 00:30:06,850 --> 00:30:11,363 and they were rewarded for their trust, not their work. 579 00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:15,993 The basis of grace, my friends, is trust. 580 00:30:17,110 --> 00:30:21,520 God offers it to those who trust him, not to those 581 00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:26,220 who think that they have somehow earned his grace. 582 00:30:26,220 --> 00:30:31,020 And then one more, one more passage, back in Luke this time, 583 00:30:31,020 --> 00:30:34,850 Luke chapter 18, beginning in verse nine. 584 00:30:34,850 --> 00:30:38,073 We'll just read a few of these verses. 585 00:30:40,010 --> 00:30:42,670 Luke chapter 18, beginning in verse nine, 586 00:30:42,670 --> 00:30:45,120 the Pharisee and the publican, of course. 587 00:30:45,120 --> 00:30:48,010 Something, a passage we're very familiar with. 588 00:30:48,010 --> 00:30:50,346 And Jesus also told this parable to some people 589 00:30:50,346 --> 00:30:53,270 who trusted in themselves that they were righteous 590 00:30:53,270 --> 00:30:55,680 and viewed others with contempt. 591 00:30:55,680 --> 00:30:58,410 And He said two men went up into the temple to pray, 592 00:30:58,410 --> 00:31:01,520 one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 593 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:04,577 The Pharisee stood and was praying to himself, 594 00:31:04,577 --> 00:31:07,717 "God, I thank you that I am not like other people, 595 00:31:07,717 --> 00:31:09,817 "swindlers, unjust, adulterers, 596 00:31:09,817 --> 00:31:11,447 "or even like this tax collector. 597 00:31:11,447 --> 00:31:15,170 "I fast twice a week, I pay tithes of all that I get." 598 00:31:15,170 --> 00:31:17,810 But the tax collector standing some distance away 599 00:31:17,810 --> 00:31:20,740 was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, 600 00:31:20,740 --> 00:31:22,337 but was beating his breast, saying, 601 00:31:22,337 --> 00:31:24,820 "God, be merciful to me, the sinner." 602 00:31:24,820 --> 00:31:27,640 I tell you, this man went to his house justified 603 00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:30,840 rather than the other, for everyone who exalts himself 604 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:35,840 will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted. 605 00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:38,883 So what was the difference between these two men? 606 00:31:40,340 --> 00:31:42,260 Well, when it comes to God's grace, 607 00:31:42,260 --> 00:31:44,923 the Pharisee thought he deserved it, 608 00:31:44,923 --> 00:31:48,273 and the publican realize he needed it. 609 00:31:49,510 --> 00:31:52,660 When it came to God's grace, the Pharisee didn't want 610 00:31:52,660 --> 00:31:57,113 to need, and the publican didn't want to die, 611 00:31:58,470 --> 00:32:02,550 and the Pharisee never really knew God, did he? 612 00:32:02,550 --> 00:32:07,490 And the public can found peace in the arms of God's grace. 613 00:32:07,490 --> 00:32:10,322 The Pharisee would have been upset 614 00:32:10,322 --> 00:32:13,310 if he could have known what God had done. 615 00:32:13,310 --> 00:32:15,820 Remember, imagine if the Pharisee, if God talked to him, 616 00:32:15,820 --> 00:32:18,980 said, okay, you get nothing, this guy behind you 617 00:32:18,980 --> 00:32:21,983 that you have contempt for, he's forgiven, 618 00:32:22,920 --> 00:32:26,363 he's a son of mine, he's a daughter of mine. 619 00:32:27,679 --> 00:32:29,583 Don't raise your hands now, 620 00:32:31,060 --> 00:32:33,760 but answer this only in your own minds to yourself. 621 00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:38,760 In all honesty, who are we most like many times, 622 00:32:39,660 --> 00:32:42,053 the publican or the Pharisee? 623 00:32:42,920 --> 00:32:45,280 The reality of the situation is that all of us 624 00:32:45,280 --> 00:32:47,130 are in the condition of the publican. 625 00:32:47,130 --> 00:32:50,180 Whether we realize it or not, that's us. 626 00:32:50,180 --> 00:32:53,920 All of us should be saying, God have mercy on me. 627 00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:56,230 God, I've just realized some of the things 628 00:32:56,230 --> 00:32:57,280 that I've been thinking. 629 00:32:57,280 --> 00:33:00,124 Oh, have you never been there? 630 00:33:00,124 --> 00:33:02,810 Have you never said to yourself, 631 00:33:02,810 --> 00:33:05,150 you're standing on the edge of the dark abyss 632 00:33:05,150 --> 00:33:06,330 and you're looking down, saying, 633 00:33:06,330 --> 00:33:09,593 how could I even think such a thing? 634 00:33:11,390 --> 00:33:15,070 Oh my God, how could I think such a, nevermind do it, 635 00:33:15,070 --> 00:33:16,693 how could I think it? 636 00:33:17,860 --> 00:33:20,270 How could anyone go through an experience like that 637 00:33:20,270 --> 00:33:24,350 and not realize they absolutely need God's mercy, 638 00:33:24,350 --> 00:33:29,350 not just that time, with every breath, we need his mercy. 639 00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:35,053 So we all have problems with grace from time to time. 640 00:33:36,160 --> 00:33:38,870 We either have trouble forgiving ourselves 641 00:33:38,870 --> 00:33:41,700 and we can't accept that God will forgive us. 642 00:33:41,700 --> 00:33:43,910 Even if we don't want to forgive ourselves, 643 00:33:43,910 --> 00:33:45,850 he still has forgiven us. 644 00:33:45,850 --> 00:33:48,703 Sometimes, that's the problem we have. 645 00:33:49,700 --> 00:33:52,417 And then other times, we're angry when others 646 00:33:52,417 --> 00:33:56,370 who have hurt us find forgiveness from God 647 00:33:56,370 --> 00:33:59,420 while we're still harboring resentment towards them. 648 00:33:59,420 --> 00:34:00,930 I'll give you a perfect example. 649 00:34:00,930 --> 00:34:04,340 There was a woman once in a class that I was teaching 650 00:34:04,340 --> 00:34:08,810 who was upset at the thought that her husband who left her 651 00:34:08,810 --> 00:34:13,650 could be forgiven and actually start a new life. 652 00:34:13,650 --> 00:34:17,360 And that really bothered her 'cause she was the victim. 653 00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:20,510 She was the victim, and she was upset with the thought 654 00:34:20,510 --> 00:34:23,780 that God could actually have mercy on that rotten guy 655 00:34:23,780 --> 00:34:25,223 who dumped her. 656 00:34:26,890 --> 00:34:30,263 She wanted him to suffer, not be forgiven. 657 00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:35,810 And sometimes we have trouble with those who claim 658 00:34:35,810 --> 00:34:38,490 to be Christian, but who may not agree with us 659 00:34:38,490 --> 00:34:41,550 on every point of doctrine, for example. 660 00:34:41,550 --> 00:34:44,450 Of course, some things in the Bible, we cannot compromise. 661 00:34:44,450 --> 00:34:47,063 We shouldn't compromise on anything in the Bible. 662 00:34:48,649 --> 00:34:51,440 You can't call a person a brother or sister in the Lord 663 00:34:51,440 --> 00:34:53,900 if they haven't been saved by God's grace through faith 664 00:34:53,900 --> 00:34:54,840 in Jesus Christ. 665 00:34:54,840 --> 00:34:57,470 I mean, that's pretty basic stuff, but sometimes, 666 00:34:57,470 --> 00:34:59,980 there are those who refuse to allow God's grace 667 00:34:59,980 --> 00:35:02,950 to reach those who may have a different view 668 00:35:02,950 --> 00:35:06,020 of how the end times are going to be, 669 00:35:06,020 --> 00:35:09,073 or believers who worship differently than we do. 670 00:35:10,032 --> 00:35:15,032 Maybe they only use one cup when they have communion, 671 00:35:16,010 --> 00:35:18,850 maybe they clap during their worship or hold their, 672 00:35:18,850 --> 00:35:21,750 you know what I'm saying, they just do things differently. 673 00:35:22,590 --> 00:35:24,250 Here's my question. 674 00:35:24,250 --> 00:35:27,860 My question is does grace cover moral failure only? 675 00:35:27,860 --> 00:35:29,760 What about failure in understanding 676 00:35:29,760 --> 00:35:33,060 or a legitimate and sincere difference of opinion? 677 00:35:33,060 --> 00:35:35,273 Isn't God's grace working there? 678 00:35:36,350 --> 00:35:39,340 I'm not saying we have to change what we believe is biblical 679 00:35:39,340 --> 00:35:41,260 in the areas of morality or worship. 680 00:35:41,260 --> 00:35:44,520 I'm simply saying God's grace is for all sinners 681 00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:48,260 and all sins, and all of us are sinners, 682 00:35:48,260 --> 00:35:53,260 including those who miss the mark on certain Bible ideas 683 00:35:53,530 --> 00:35:55,963 or ways of doing things in the church. 684 00:35:56,820 --> 00:35:59,940 The Pharisees, they were expert at discriminating 685 00:35:59,940 --> 00:36:01,650 against those who didn't understand 686 00:36:01,650 --> 00:36:04,400 or practice all the minutia of the law, 687 00:36:04,400 --> 00:36:07,363 and I'm saying, let's not be like that, please. 688 00:36:08,670 --> 00:36:10,940 We can accept those that God accepts 689 00:36:10,940 --> 00:36:12,893 without approving of their errors. 690 00:36:13,775 --> 00:36:16,550 How else will we ever love and teach others 691 00:36:16,550 --> 00:36:19,200 if we don't extend the same grace to other people 692 00:36:19,200 --> 00:36:24,200 as Christ has so kindly accepted or offered to us? 693 00:36:26,290 --> 00:36:29,710 I want you to remember something, every time we refuse 694 00:36:29,710 --> 00:36:34,024 to recognize and allow God's grace for somebody else, 695 00:36:34,024 --> 00:36:38,113 we automatically stop the flow of grace for ourselves. 696 00:36:39,310 --> 00:36:42,120 I look at grace like a shower coming, 697 00:36:42,120 --> 00:36:45,558 this big shower head, and wherever I go, God's grace, 698 00:36:45,558 --> 00:36:47,950 it's just flowing over me and cleansing me 699 00:36:47,950 --> 00:36:51,480 of sin and unacceptability and the filth 700 00:36:51,480 --> 00:36:53,080 and unrighteousness. 701 00:36:53,080 --> 00:36:56,470 Wherever I go, that shower of grace is cleansing me 702 00:36:56,470 --> 00:36:59,010 and keeping me clean, 'cause I'm falling in the mud 703 00:36:59,010 --> 00:37:01,430 and I'm dusty and I make mistakes 704 00:37:01,430 --> 00:37:03,353 and so on and so forth, right? 705 00:37:04,239 --> 00:37:06,590 But the day I turn around and I say, 706 00:37:06,590 --> 00:37:08,130 I don't know what's wrong with that guy. 707 00:37:08,130 --> 00:37:09,980 I don't think that guy deserves the grace. 708 00:37:09,980 --> 00:37:11,860 He's not living up to the standard 709 00:37:11,860 --> 00:37:13,770 that I think that guy ought to live up to. 710 00:37:13,770 --> 00:37:16,470 You know what, I think I'm going to turn off the tap 711 00:37:16,470 --> 00:37:19,093 of his shower of grace. 712 00:37:19,093 --> 00:37:20,910 I'm just going to go over there and turn that off 713 00:37:20,910 --> 00:37:22,670 'cause he doesn't deserve it, but you know what? 714 00:37:22,670 --> 00:37:25,360 When you're turning off his shower of grace, 715 00:37:25,360 --> 00:37:27,593 God's up there turning yours off, too. 716 00:37:29,300 --> 00:37:30,733 Just think about that. 717 00:37:33,180 --> 00:37:34,680 It's human nature to judge 718 00:37:34,680 --> 00:37:36,620 and it's human nature to be critical. 719 00:37:36,620 --> 00:37:37,550 I ought to know 'cause I'm human 720 00:37:37,550 --> 00:37:42,550 and I'm critical and judgmental, but just remember, 721 00:37:42,870 --> 00:37:44,900 before you give in to that impulse, 722 00:37:44,900 --> 00:37:49,680 just remember what actually is happening in the spirit 723 00:37:49,680 --> 00:37:51,723 when you do that. 724 00:37:53,240 --> 00:37:57,040 And let's also remember to preach the true plan of salvation 725 00:37:57,040 --> 00:38:00,430 so that we can encourage true and lasting conversions 726 00:38:00,430 --> 00:38:05,050 of those who are saved by grace through faith 727 00:38:05,050 --> 00:38:08,930 in Jesus Christ, not saved through works or perfectionism 728 00:38:08,930 --> 00:38:10,940 or knowledge or effort. 729 00:38:10,940 --> 00:38:14,860 And finally, let's realize that God's gracious offer 730 00:38:14,860 --> 00:38:17,740 of forgiveness and eternal life are offered 731 00:38:17,740 --> 00:38:20,533 every time Jesus is preached. 732 00:38:22,070 --> 00:38:23,990 That's why it's not a church of Christ thing, 733 00:38:23,990 --> 00:38:26,140 that the end of the sermon, Marty or myself 734 00:38:26,140 --> 00:38:29,983 or whoever is up here will offer an invitation. 735 00:38:30,890 --> 00:38:32,490 We do it not as a tradition, 736 00:38:32,490 --> 00:38:36,120 we do it because every time Christ is preached, 737 00:38:36,120 --> 00:38:39,463 the grace of God is being offered to those who are here. 738 00:38:40,310 --> 00:38:44,102 And so in the same way, if this grace is calling you 739 00:38:44,102 --> 00:38:46,910 to repent, to be baptized, in other words, 740 00:38:46,910 --> 00:38:49,050 to express your faith in Jesus Christ, 741 00:38:49,050 --> 00:38:52,330 if you have not done it, I say to you, don't fight it, 742 00:38:52,330 --> 00:38:53,930 why are you fighting it? 743 00:38:53,930 --> 00:38:55,343 Stop fighting it. 744 00:38:56,270 --> 00:38:58,680 Simply allow the faith that you have 745 00:38:58,680 --> 00:39:01,710 to blossom into obedience. 746 00:39:01,710 --> 00:39:03,140 If you need to do that now, 747 00:39:03,140 --> 00:39:05,860 then we encourage you to do that, 748 00:39:05,860 --> 00:39:09,743 as we stand and as we sing our song of encouragement.