God Gave His Son | Sermon 12/19/2021

Grace Alone and the Meaning of *Sola Gratia*

Sola gratia means grace alone. And so We will be doing that in Romans chapter 8. So if you want to turn to Romans chapter 8 in your Bible. That's where we're gonna be parked at all service today. Romans 8 this sermon is called God gave his son God gave his son.

I Think what you're gonna find in this In sola gratia is it's so connected with sola fide by by faith alone. You really don't have one without the other faith alone grace alone. They come so much Connected together.

So you'll find some similarities between our justification by faith sermons these past two Sundays. But I also think you're gonna find some new things and I pray that the Lord You know shines a light there for you as you continue to learn more of God's Word.

So Romans chapter 8 verses 28 through 34. Here now the words of living in true God and we know that God causes all things to work together for good. To those who love God to those who are called according to his purpose.

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. So that he would be the firstborn among many brethren. And these whom he predestined He also called and these whom he called he also justified and these whom he justified.

He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things if God is for us who is against us? He who did not spare his own son, but also with him freely. How will he not freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect.

God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns Christ Jesus. Is he who died? Yes rather who was raised? Who's at the right hand of God who also intercedes for us? Thus ending the reading of God's holy and inspired word.

Let's pray father. Please bless the message speak through me today now Lord God help us to Help us Lord to not just be so jaded to these terms and to these truths. Help us Lord to always be in wonder.

Help us always to Marvel at what you've done through Christ. Lord, please illuminate the scriptures now help help your people Lord help me to further understand This great and wonderful grace that you've given us.

And as always Lord I pray that you would help me to speak in a way that is helpful and It would be clear and it would be true pray this all in Christ's name. Amen. So again sola gratia. Grace alone. We are saved by grace alone.

The Nature of Grace and Mercy

But what is grace? What is grace in? The New Testament the Greek word is caris caris and the Greek English lexicon in the New Testament says grace is a Beneficent disposition towards someone that which one grants to another the action of one who?

Volunteers. Volunteers to do something to someone else not otherwise obligatory. It's it's not something you're forced to do. You give to someone something out of your own volition. In the case of the Bible it is not just regular grace.

It is divine grace. Divine grace. Grace from God is so much more than grace that we can extend to one another as creatures. Some Catechisms call it unmerited favor. Unmerited meaning you can't work for it.

No, you can't you can't do anything to work for it to earn it this benevolence of God and beyond that there is Nothing in this recipient whereas they contain for instance a set of qualities or character that is worthy of a bestowal of grace from God.

Meaning there's there's nothing in you That God finds just so wonderful that he desires to give you his grace. That is not what the Bible shows. In fact, we've been learning. It's quite the opposite That what all mankind truly deserves is God's Just wrath and holy justice due to our sin and his incorruptible nature.

Mercy then is not giving to someone what they deserve. You can you can picture a criminal groveling towards the judge a Man who deserves the worst the system has to offer and the judge Does not give him the sentence worthy of his crime that's mercy.

Not giving him something he deserves grace. However is Giving something good to someone who doesn't deserve it. Grace is going beyond mercy and the judge not only removes the penalty but gives a reward to an Undeserving criminal.

And when we start to understand who we truly are before a holy God We will then recognize that all of this life is grace. All of this life is grace. It is grace that God Creates this world and then allows us to live in it.

He could have done none of that He but he has shown us his goodness through the act of creation. One of those profound acts of grace God displayed to mankind Was first seen in the garden. We've talked about it a lot over the past couple weeks.

God could have required the lives of Adam and Eve for their transgression but he gave grace to them he didn't kill them and as we know in Genesis 3 15 The proto evangelium the first gospel the promise of a coming Messiah.

Who will usher in the most gracious act? Humanity will ever and has ever seen that is promised there. God's grace continued it continued throughout history and calling out Abram Abram from a polytheistic land of Ur Right and calling him to a place where he'll he will have an inheritance.

He will have innumerable innumerable descendants, excuse me God's grace had shown on Israel in the exodus from slavery in Egypt and entrance into the promised land and throughout the era of judges and kings and exiled God preserved a remnant for himself by his grace.

But then grace became incarnate. It took on flesh in the person of Jesus Christ in the gospel of John. In chapter 1 we are told of the deity of Christ and the Word made flesh. It says then in chapter 1 of the gospel of John it says for from Christ's fullness.

We have all received grace upon grace. For grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. In our sola fide sermon in Romans 4 the text spoke about one who earns a wage. Opposed to the one who doesn't work but receives Justification by God and it's credited as a favor.

There is economic language there. So that with respect to the Lord we are Debtors who cannot pay. That's what we see. We are debtors who cannot pay. Think of think for instance of the parable of the unforgiving servant or the ungrateful slave.

A King who wished to settle accounts with his servants came to one who owed him 10 ,000 talents. Do you know how much that is. A Talent was in that time worth 6 ,000 denarii or what or what would have taken 20 years of daily work of a six-day workweek.

That that's just one talent. One talent would have taken 20 years to work off so the 10 ,000 talents would be 60 million denarii and Don't think 60 million dollars. That's not what we're talking about here.

It would have been much much more than that and possibly into the far end of the trillions if we considered money in our day. To work off that debt to work off 10 ,000 talents would take a man 200 ,000 years of working every day for for a six-day workweek and That's and that's really not even the point that Jesus is is trying to make for us to reach this year count or or a money.

Figure that's not the point Jesus is using Metaphorical language so as to say it it's a debt that you could never pay it could never ever be repaid and It is That amount of eternal value that Christ bought you with.

According to 1st Corinthians 6 20 when he says you were bought with a price. You were bought with a price that is of eternal value more than anyone could ever purchase. That's grace. It's freely given in the famous epic By Puritan John Bunyan called the pilgrims progress.

Christian the main character enters into the house of the interpreter. I Recommend you get the pilgrims progress read it to your children. It's wonderful. It says this in another place. There was a fire burning against a wall and one continually throwing water on the fire.

But the fire still blazed higher and hotter. What is the purpose of that asked Christian? The interpreter begins the person throwing water on the fire is the devil. Still you see the fire burns brighter.

Come around the wall here and you will see why. On the other side of the wall was a person secretly pouring oil on the fire. Interpreter says this shows you why is it is hard for the tempted to understand how God's grace is maintained in the soul.

This is the way Christ continues to supply grace in the soul of the believer through all the cold showers of the world and the temptations of the devil. So the devil the devil wishes he could add to your debt that's been paid.

He wants to add to your debt that's been paid already. He wishes he could throw water on the fire of grace. But Christ pours the oil of his sacrifice and resurrection on that fire and it burns brighter still.

That's the image. That's a glorious image. Our passage in Romans 8 today will give us a deeper look into how that grace was administered and applied to us. We will see how our redemption was ordered. In fact in this passage is what's called the golden chain of redemption and We'll take a look at that a chain that God has fashioned and cannot be broken in the life of a believer.

From start to finish we see God as the initiator and Simultaneously the one who accomplishes these salvific components. So in our sola gratia sermon. It is my desire that you all see the work of God in redeeming you and your total inability to accomplish these things yourself.

Then you will fully understand grace. So let's begin that now verse 28 It says and we know that God Causes all things to work together for good to those who love God to those who are called according to his purpose.

God's Sovereignty in All Things

So God causes God initiates he decrees. Isaiah 46 makes the definitive Statement as such when the Lord says for I am God and there is no other. He says I am God and there is none like me who did. Who declares the end from the beginning.

He declares it this whole thing. This whole creation is God's operation it's God's prerogative as The creator he has the rights over his creation. What right do we have except for the ones afforded us?

We've talked about the Almighty speaking things into existence much like this world. He declares the end from the beginning. What you've read in the past. What you see today with your own eyes and what will occur in the future is God's very plan.

Every Christian in a way is a functioning Calvinist, even if they don't claim that title. We all pray that his kingdom will come that his will will be done. We we want his will to be done over ours. Right.

What about what about my free will you know? We'll get into that. We we say Lord save my sister Lord. Stop this calamity Lord. Please do this in the future. We all want his sovereignty, but then act like it's not good enough and As opposed to our so-called autonomy.

Our God isn't the God of deism that says he creates everything. Okay, he sets the world in motion. He pulls the cord on the back of the earth and. And it makes it come alive and he walks away. That's the God of deism.

He is a Impersonal God doesn't interact with his creation in any way. He is away from his creation. That's deism. He is impotent to sovereignly impact anything for the sake of his own goals and desires.

Essentially, it's on autopilot. It's on autopilot. That's what that's what that's what they would say, but that's not our God. That's not our God. That's not the God of the Bible who creates and is so far above everything and everyone and yet.

Knows every star by name. Knows the number of hairs on your head. The God who doesn't even let the falling of a sparrow from a nest escape his attention. He is an intimate and personal God who is equally sovereign above all.

Understanding God's grace begins with an understanding of his sovereignty over Everything and everyone. What does he cause? He causes all things. To work together for good the word is sinner ghetto for Work together where you kind of hear that that uh, that buzzword synergy sinner ghetto.

Is work together for good? He he takes what we believe to be the good and the bad and he works them together. All together in a way that will only Result in good. It will only result in good. How is that possible?

It is mysterious in a sense in God's magnificence. He takes it all and makes a good result. And he doesn't he doesn't do that do all of that Irrespective of his creatures. He does this working out for someone.

It says he causes all things to work together for good to those Who love God those who love God and are called? This is not a calling in us. Right like a calling to do something. That's not what it's saying here.

This is an action that God performs. You could even say the called-out ones. This is an effectual calling to salvation and They are one in the same for those who love God and those who are called. So this promise is for those who are born again Redeemed and justified by God those capable of loving God who have a new heart.

What does this verse mean for us though? The providence of God in his decrees set forth in creation are working in such a way for our ultimate good. Because here's the reality about this promise for the believer.

There's not one thing in your life that won't work together for your good. There's not one thing. Do you realize the grace that's wrapped up in this promise? He says it was all things all things that that means things like past past abuse.

Inflicted the the broken home you grew up in when your mom and dad divorced. When you're when you lost your dad or mom as A young child and they died. The chronic illness you walk through. The diseases you've inherited.

Due to the fall old addictions old scars. The anxiety that plagues you so often. The loneliness you feel. The depression. You don't get why you have the anger problem. The children. You've lost the barren or closed womb.

The evil mankind commits all around us. The persecution. You endured and the tyranny of malicious men. All of it all of it. All of it God will work together for good. Because the wealth is of the wicked is stored up for the righteous.

We see that that principle in the Word of God the wicked won't inherit the land. But the righteous will stay in it. The we see these promises throughout Scripture that Even things evil things that occur are going to impact God's people in a positive way.

Ultimately in the end he says according to his purpose. To those who are called according to his purpose it's back To his plan and decree. He has a purpose for what you're walking through. There's purpose for what you're walking through.

Now, he calls you to keep trusting to keep walking. We go, how's it gonna look though? He says it's gonna look good. How's it gonna feel though? It's gonna it's gonna feel good. It's gonna be really good.

This isn't just a verse a minister reads at funerals. This verse is not for the dead, but for the living. Those in Christ who are dead are experiencing the good and it's only gonna get better. He took honestly if you think about he took the worst thing the death of his only son and made it the best thing.

He took what what would be perceived as the worst thing the death of the Son of God and he made it the best thing. That is grace brothers and sisters. Verse 29. For those those whom he foreknew he also predestined To become conformed to the image of his son so that he would be the firstborn among many brethren.

Foreknowledge, Predestination, and the Image of Christ

Excuse me for new. We typically read this word in a way to make it say prior knowledge. But for knowledge flows out of his sovereign decree towards those whom he elected to salvation. What do I mean? We aren't saying that God simply foresees events.

For no is an action from God. It is not a passive receiving or collecting of knowledge as Things unfold right or as maybe he looks through the corridors of time as some say. Listen when it says God foreknew.

He foreknew people. For those whom he foreknew he foreknew people not events. Not actions. It was people whom he foreknew. Why is this important? Because God's foreknowledge in this way is Explicitly his intimate relationship with those he predestined salvation.

That is what foreknew is before you even existed God had intimate relationship with you and Again that's not to say you were a spirit at some point. The Bible makes it clear you when when you were when you were conceived you came into being then.

But God somehow foreknew you. You know before I formed you in your mother's womb. I knew you. I consecrated you. He tells that to Jeremiah, right? It is this foreknew this foreknowledge this intimate relationship with those whom he elected to salvation.

Think about the Old Testament times when it says a man then knew his wife. Oftentimes to know someone in the Old Testament was to know them in an intimate way a sexual way. Of course, I'm not saying this is the way that God knows us, but it connotes that sense of intimacy right an intimate knowing.

Dr. James White says in reference to this word. It is it is God's choosing to enter into a loving relationship with the elect. Prior to their even coming into existence that is from eternity past. Prognosco that's the word foreknew and that word is also in first Peter chapter 1 verse 20.

It says that Christ was foreknown before the foundations of the world by the Father. So if we take the way that some people look at foreknowledge and it's like, okay wait the Father Looked through the future and knew he'd have a son and he loved that would that would undermine and ruin all of The gospel and all of Scripture that is not what for no means.

The Father has always been an intimate relationship with the Son before the world was. Ephesians 1 4 says God chose us in Christ before the foundations of the world. In fact Ephesians 1 is just so rich.

I would read it read that after this sermon, honestly in Romans 11 verse 2, it says that God will not reject those whom he foreknew and Verse 5 gives it gives us the reason why it says because they were chosen by grace.

Listen if God has to look through time to see what we would do. Number one, he'd no longer be sovereign Independent and autonomous and number two, it would require he learned something. You get what I'm saying?

He must he must learn to see what you will do. He'll look through time and I'll see what you will do, but this goes against God's very nature. God doesn't need to learn anything. He is self-sufficient.

It says he is omniscient. He is that is to say all-knowing all-knowing He for news. He I'm sorry. He foreknows in an intimate relational way and Those whom he had this intimate relationship with he also predestined to be conformed to the image of a son it says.

Predestination is an important doctrine and must be handled with a lot of care. No doubt. Every church has a view of predestination in some way and You know when when you come face to face with it it can it can be hard to sometimes Fathom there's so much.

There's so much in the Bible regarding predestination. But at the very basic level. Predestination as shown in the Bible means that our final destination in this life Heaven or hell is decided by God.

That's what the scriptures show. We could look at it after this even more closely together and it's it's not decided while we live our lives. It's not decided before we get to heaven or hell. Right. It is decided before we even come into existence before we've even done anything.

And in man's broken free will we choose what we desire due to us our nature we choose sin. That's what the Bible says. We choose sin every time apart from Christ. Without the intervention of God, no one would choose him and all would perish in hell.

That is what the Bible shows. So that from eternity past God decided to make known his glory and grace. By saving some and passing over others. Some receive everlasting life in the presence of their God and some receive what they want.

They receive their sin and therefore they receive hell. To say it plainly if not for election if not for the Sovereign choosing of some by the intervention of God then all would perish in hell. If there was no election.

All would go in hell all would go to hell. It's a hard truth. The fact is God is not obligated To act at all. He is not obligated to give mercy in any way, but he decides to. The elect get mercy and grace while the non-elect receive justice.

The elect receive mercy and grace on the basis of christ. Receiving the justice that the elect should have the punishment that they should have. We don't know. We don't know perfectly the answer as to why God did not elect every single person to ever live to salvation.

We we can only see some key scriptures to understand why? Romans 9 read Romans 9 right after this sermon as well. Romans 9 points to how. How much more glory he will receive because of this decision, okay.

We must trust trust the judge of the earth will do right. That his ways are higher than our ways. The question we should be asking ourselves isn't Why he didn't save everyone? That's not what we need to be asking.

Why didn't you say everyone save everyone god the question. If we rightly understood who we are. And how holy god is the question we'd be asking is why god would you save any? Why would you save any? The way that we've rebelled against you.

And that's predestination. We'll get more into that as we continue to Go through books of the bible. If you have questions about that, let me know these predetermined ones. Now able to love god will be conformed it says to the image of christ.

You see in genesis 1 it says we were made in the image and likeness of god the imago de image of god. But our sin tries to distort the image of god in us and in others. Jesus now restores that for the saints.

The power of sin has lost in your life because of christ. So the image of god is renewed in you by being conformed to the image of christ. I like to think of it in the functions of justification and sanctification.

That is to say when god sees us He sees the perfection of his son. That is justification. That is a new image. And now by the power of the spirit we can perform Good works that god has prepared beforehand.

We can attain holiness and godliness. As we are conformed to the image of the sun that's sanctification. That's the process we're all in now after christ has rescued us. Becoming more and more like him as our christian walk progresses.

Is That's not to say today today. We had lds outreach. And we mentioned eternal progression to uh to a mormon and he said yeah, i'm co-heirs with christ. I'm gonna I'm gonna have a universe of my own i'm gonna be a god.

That's not what that that's not what i'm. That's not what being conformed to the image of of the sun is okay. The bible never says we will take on christ nature or deity. Okay. That I just need to mention that considering the context we live in.

That's something he promises to do to the predestined ones, right? He promises he'll conform them to the image of christ. And what this leads to is to adoption into the heavenly family. John chapter 1 going back to john 1 verses 12 through 13 says but as many as received him jesus.

To them he gave the right to become children of god. Even to those who believe in his name who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh. Nor of the will of man, but of god. Again mormons will say we're all sons and daughters of god.

And other religions too. I'm not trying to pick on just them. But that's not true. We're not all sons and daughters of god. We are not all children of god. It says here that he gave them the right To become children of god those who believe in him.

You must believe in god by faith and then you become a child of the living god. That's what it says here. That's adoption my friends so if your family despises you because of your gospel witness or. Or or maybe you have a deadbeat dad.

You now have a family and you have a father, right? You have an elder brother who earned all of this for you that is jesus christ the firstborn that's what it says. The first so that he would be the firstborn among many brethren.

That word is prototikos in the greek prototikos. It is not a familial label. It is not a family label, but it is a title of status. Firstborn is status. He is preeminent. He has high rank. It doesn't literally mean firstborn.

Israel was called god's firstborn david. Although the youngest brother was called the firstborn christ is the preeminent high ranking firstborn he receives All the inheritance and all the dominion all that the father would give him.

That's what that title means. It does not mean that he was created or or born first or anything like that. It is a title of preeminence. Verse 30. And these whom he predestined he also called and these whom he called he also justified.

The Golden Chain of Redemption

And these whom he justified he also glorified. This my friends is the golden chain of redemption. Even though it's not repeated here. I think it's clear. For new in verse 29 is at the beginning of this order of redemption.

And and if anyone wanted to expand it upon these words in this verse it could be read like this. Those whom god had intimate relationship with before their existence. He predestined them before the foundations of the world to salvation.

And he called them to himself through the regeneration of the holy spirit. He justified them by applying the righteousness of christ to their account as they believed. By faith given to them from god and he glorified them.

Glorified them that they have an eternal abode with the living god. And so you cannot remove a single link from this chain without it being completely affected and rendered useless. Do you notice here the called are also justified.

This isn't a general call of the gospel. But this is an effectual call inwardly completed by the holy spirit. All the times it says these these whom he predestined these these these. These are all in the same group.

Okay. They aren't in different camps. There's not some who are predestined. And not glorified if that makes sense. There's not going to be some whom he foreknew and had an intimate relationship with who won't be glorified or justified.

When these these links in this chain are all people who are one of the same thing. Okay. And uh, it shows that god Is the one who does it. Notice they each begin with he god begins each action. God did this he did this he did this he did this.

Not the recipient. God predestined god calls god justifies god glorifies. He is the initiator. He is not just the catalyst but the substance of these actions. He performs them. This is a and this is a good translation.

Too because it adequately portrays the greek. These verbs are all in the past tense. See that last verse. They're all in the past tense. That is called the heiress past tense in greek. This indicates an action that has already happened.

That is to say it is fact it is done. It is fact the heiress past tense. That leaves us with the question about glorification though, right it says glorified. Why would paul use the aorist form of the verb for glorified?

The inspired apostle is trying to emphasize. The whole of our salvation is as good as done. It is completed. Predestined called justified glorified done done completed by god by giving Glorified this this form which will be a future event for us.

Which would have been a future event for the roman church as well. He is insinuating the certainty of the accomplishment. It's certain. Have you believed on christ today? You are justified now by god.

And don't have any doubts. Just as he justified you he will also glorify you. I think this points to of course many things but Glorified probably uh in some ways points to an incorruptible body in an incorruptible domain with an incorruptible god for certain.

Uh ff bruce makes a compelling point about glorification and sanctification. In the tyndale commentary it reads this. Why does paul move directly here from justification to glorification? Everyone's kind of like hey, where's sanctification in there?

Where is that? Did did paul miss a step? Because we're being sanctified right now people have asked this question. And it says without saying anything about the christian's present experience of sanctification by the power of the spirit, why does he Go from one to the other partly no doubt because.

The coming glory has been in the forefront of paul's mind. The apostle knew he was going to be with the lord one day, but even more. Because the difference between sanctification and glory is one of degree only not one of kind.

What does he mean? He says? Sanctification is progressive conformity. To the mind or image of christ here and now here and now glory glorified. Glorification is perfect conformity to the image of christ.

There and then right. Sanctification is glory begun. Glory or glorification is sanctification. Consummated done completed. Paul looks forward to the consummation of the work of grace the consummation guaranteed by its inception.

He who began a good work and you will complete it into the day of christ jesus amen. I look at this passage. And think how could anyone? Believe that we can lose our salvation, right? You have a lot of people go man, those.

Those guys they believe in eternal security. They're just they're just crazy and they they call us mad and and uh, No, I understand. There's some hard passages that deal with those things. But but when you look at the fact.

Even thinking back to our our high priest sermon Christ took his own blood and he shook it on the mercy sea. It is completed. It is it is done. You look at these promises in romans 8 and and it's like how could anyone lose what god has given?

Everything is in past tense for those whom he foreknew those who he predestined called justified glorified it is done. That's why this process shows not to be what's called synergistic which means we work with god.

That you've decided to partner with god together and you guys you and god will accomplish those chains in that link. I don't think that's what scripture shows. I don't think we make an agreement with god to together accomplish this chain of redemption.

I don't I don't see that it is what's called a monergistic work. It is the work of god only. That's what and that's what guarantees it. Because if it was up to us if we if we had to uphold part of this chain it would break but it is god's chain.

He upholds it. He secures it. I once had someone tell me years ago they said. We were we were talking about calvinism and reform doctrine and he said well look I like four of them points I don't like one of them and he said let me ask you something and he and he thought he thought he had such a.

He thought he had such a zinger a gotcha and he said let me let me give something to you. How do you answer this? And he said when someone wants to give a gift to you. You have to hold out your hand and you have to receive it and take that gift and put it in your pocket.

You're doing something there. You have your hand out. You're standing there you receive the gift. I said, yeah, that would make sense if the bible didn't show that we were dead in our trespasses and sin.

We were dead as dead and we can't stand we can't open our hands. We can't receive anything and put it away in our pockets because the bible says we are dead. We need a resurrection. We need what jesus did to lazarus.

To come alive to to to receive these things, right? So and so with that said it's all the work of god. Does the person whose heart stopped? On the hospital bed grab the defibrillator paddles and and help the doctor, you know pump himself, you know, he can't he's.

He's he's out. He he's his heart stopped. So that anyway, I just thought of that Verse 31 if you want to go to the next slide. What then shall we say to these things if god is for us who is against us?

Sometimes this verse makes me think of that chris tomlin song. You know, and if our god is for us nothing could ever stop us. Yeah, you guys know it, you know. Man they really need to get new singers up here.

That's what you guys been thinking for weeks. Um. Look i'm not beating up on this song, right? Uh. Who could ever stop us? I just think of that though. That's. You know, it's interesting. Um. This isn't like a verse.

And I don't think chris tomlin's saying that but i'm sure people have some people have probably used this verse. Just like they've used in philippians. I can do all things through christ who strengthens me.

They they use it in the in the football game or whatever like that when paul is talking about like nearly dying and and. And you know going through so much persecution and suffering and he says i've gone through.

Through so many things i've hungered i've had plenty i've I I I can do all things through christ who strengthens me and we're like I can play football tonight and uh. You know, that's I just don't see that people have used this same thing.