Article 6 - Grace

Sovereign Grace Family Church

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Our Father in God, again, we come to you and we do not want to neglect Anytime we open your word to come to you and ask you to Be pleased to bless us to open our minds and our hearts and our lives That you would take your word and make it real to us Lord.

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We confess too often.

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We we we read your word, but Because of so many different things though.

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We don't truly comprehend The weight of it so be with us tonight Holy Spirit be with us in a way that That what we consider will will transform us into the image of Christ the one who was the living word The word that dwelt among us so bless our time and bless our thoughts and may this All that we say and do be done and to glorify you we ask it in Christ's name.

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Amen Okay, so Article 6 is grace and what I'd like to do as I did last week We'll read the article and then again If you look in the confession after the article on grace It also references the appendix and remember what I said that the appendix What was written by Benjamin Cox and one of the main reasons why he wrote that appendix was to to give some Some more clarity to the articles themselves Although the articles are great and they stand alone the appendix does Fill in some of the gaps.

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So I want to read both the article 6 in the confession itself and then The appendix on that so article 6 grace All the elect being loved of God with an everlasting love are redeemed quickened and saved Not by themselves nor by their own works lest any man should boast but only and wholly by God of Its free grace and mercy through Jesus Christ who's made unto us by God wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption and All in all that he that rejoiced it might rejoice in the Lord.

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Okay now page 40 The appendix that goes along with that article is this as We mind that our whole salvation is given unto us of the father by Jesus Christ and for his sake so we likewise Mind that the father's giving Jesus Christ for us and to us and so saving us in him and for his sake is The acting and manifesting of that free love of his towards us Which was in himself from all eternity And so there you have both the articles the article itself that the brethren Set forth as well as the appendix.

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So Let me start it this way.

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I find it interesting If you were to just remember last week When we considered the fall as well as Providence that in the end of the discussion on Providence they reference the brethren reference the elect and I find it interesting that as they speak about grace and by the way grace Is mentioned here and yet they include the elect see how it starts it says all the elect being loved of God and honestly the article on Election is not the article 21.

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So I thought it was interesting and I and I wanted to highlight that a little bit You get the password You can open So I wanted to reference that in the beginning that it's interesting how they with no hesitation And I think this is important brothers sisters with no hesitation that they when they begin to talk about grace, they begin to put it in the framework of Sovereign grace and and and that's why the elect are brought into it.

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And I think there's a good reason for it and again, as I said election is not specifically dealt with to a lot of code 21, but There are two things in this article, I think are worth our attention one is that the elect are brought immediately into focus and also That the love of God is brought immediately into focus now.

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It's not just As I show you in just a moment.

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It's not just grace that they're speaking of its sovereign grace And it's not just love that they're speaking of its sovereign love and as you remember when When brother Keith did the introduction at the very beginning and gave us a little bit of the history of What precipitated or what what was behind this confession if you remember? In the opening of it they say that they were falsely called what Anabaptists, okay.

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I think one of the reasons why they come right straight out with the idea of Sovereign grace and also of sovereign love is because they are Keenly aware if you will of what they have been charged with by many others in that they've been Falsely called Anabaptists and one of the one of the areas of the Anabaptists among others was that in many of them there was this Arminian view of the work of God in the work of salvation and I do believe that's one of the reasons why they Come right out in the very beginning of a statement of grace and talk about it in the in the in the parameters of the elect and in the prime and parameters of sovereign grace you remember that they had If you will they had to in a sense defend themselves against some of the accusations of the Puritans and one of the accusations of the Puritans had to do with them being falsely accused as Anabaptists and again Partially because of that Arminian view that was held by the Anabaptists and again We have talked about that, but I wanted to mention that because it does seem interesting to me That when they talk about grace the opening word all the elect Please the also Not only the Anabaptists were they separating from but the general Baptists who held to a general view of atonement This confession is particular Baptist, which is specifically related to the doctrine of the atonement So yeah, yeah, they were they were very correct They're separating themselves not only from the Anabaptists Right and that's why we purchased the confessions from the particular Baptist press But Again, they were so I guess what I'm trying to say is there's reasons behind Not only what they say But why they said it and the time in which they said it and to me it makes it all the more essential that we We consider that and that we consider ourselves because I would suggest Try to get through this in my time, but I would suggest that We are more in the minority among so-called Baptist thinking than the majority because I believe the majority of Baptist thinking would be more along the lines of an Arminian view or of a general View in which the atonement is to me very poorly handled So so again, if you think about that We are we are saying this is our statement of faith and not only for what it says But in a sense because of the same argument that they still went through in that we believe in in the sovereignty of God and that it that that has to be the The foundation for all our thinking so I didn't want to mention That I'll also find it interesting and we'll get to some verses I'm gonna ask you to turn in one passage and then if we have time, we'll look at some more scriptures But but here's another thing.

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I wanted us to think about in the realm of what they are stating here as they say that the As they speak about grace This is a couple of key words that I think I've underlined in in in my little copy of the confession just to help me And it's this first they say as far as grace and as far as the quickening of God it is only and Holy by God Right.

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That's a key phrase, isn't it? In other words, they are excluding what? They're excluding anything that man could contribute to the salvation again because they are setting forth sovereign grace and it's in distinction to What I will ask us to think about it a minute common grace, but not only does is that one of the key words but if you look at it says only and holy by God and then it says of his free grace and If you remember what I just read to you in the appendix The word that Benjamin Cox used was God's free and sovereign love So it's important to understand that that that as these brothers set this forth not only were they thinking of God's Sovereign grace and God's sovereign election, but they were thinking about God's sovereign love And that is his distinction and we suffer for that even today if you think about it, especially when we begin to have conversations Around the thought of all doesn't God love everyone and the answer to that would be what? Does God love everyone? Okay, I'm gonna wait.

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I got a couple minutes, but somebody's gonna answer you before I go on.

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Does God love everyone? I Was hoping I'd hear a yes and a no Does God love everyone well brother Andy you got to define what you mean by that, don't you? Does God love everyone? Yes, he does in what way he loves him as his creation, right? Isn't that what common grace is and that's again That's what I'm trying to draw us to the understanding that they focus in on sovereign grace Versus common grace because common grace is in the most simplest terms exactly what it sounds like it's common grace It's given to all right the rain falls on who? The just and the unjust the way it doesn't just rain on the houses of the elect Then God is good to his creation.

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So in that sense God loves his creation and God blesses his creation But that can never be misconstrued as far as how God works salvation because that is an act of Sovereign love that is an act of sovereign grace not merely common grace or in that sense not merely in a general term of the love of God, although That is very essential so I Think that's important for us to understand brother says because that's what we are.

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That's what we believe at least I hope that's what we believe right, we are we are a Reformed body of believers and and one of the great tenets of being of reformed body of believers is that we believe in a sovereign God and that they're not only sovereign over the stars and the and the Kings and and the affairs of life, but over the very Salvation that is wrought by the Spirit of God.

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So again, it's very important for us to understand how they Almost bypass common grace here in my understanding Almost by totally ignore common grace, although it's picked up in other areas It's certainly picked up in areas of the province of God because God is again He blesses the the just and the unjust but their focus is Sovereign grace sovereign love and I trust that that is our That is that is our main reference point so I Also will say this I can't explain Sovereign love and an election in its totality and if any of you can I'm here to tell you you can You can you could declare it You can explain it from the scriptures, but to comprehend That reality of God's sovereign election to me is beyond comprehension and The reason why I say that it is and I want to show you in this passage the only passage that perhaps will Look at together, but I want you to turn to Deuteronomy for a minute And I want to focus on this passage in Deuteronomy because I think this passage in Deuteronomy chapter 7 Has many many teachings in it, but I want to focus in the context of what we're talking about tonight, and I think it's very important for us to understand this passage and certainly, I'm not going to deal with it in terms of It's setting in the Old Testament versus the New Testament of the Old Covenant versus the New Covenant But it is certainly important to mention.

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So let me just read with you Deuteronomy chapter 7 and verses 1 through 8 And focus on this God's sovereign grace Towards Israel and God's love towards Israel which was distinct from love to other nations, okay when the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to possess and Has cast out many nations before you the Hittites and the Gershwites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites Seven nations greater and mightier than you when the Lord your God delivers them over to you You shall conquer them and utterly destroy them.

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You shall make no covenant with them Nor show mercy on them nor shall you make marriages with them You shall not give you a daughter to their son or take their daughter for your son But they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods And so the anger of the Lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly But thus you shall deal with them You shall destroy their altars and break down their sacred pillars and cut down their wooden images and burn their carved images with fire For you are a holy people to the Lord your God the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for himself a special treasure Above all the peoples on the face of the earth now again, we could spend a lot of time on that one statement but my focus for us tonight is God Distinguished his love and his blessing and his calling on this nation versus the other nations And and as we just read he not only Distinct had distinct love for the nation of Israel, but it was to the exclusion of all the other nations, right? It's God says you go in there and you destroy them Then he says this in verse 7 The Lord did not set his love on you nor choose you because you were more a number than any other people For you were the least of the people of all peoples, but because the Lord loves you Because he would keep the oath which he swore to your fathers.

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The Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand Redeem you from the house of bondage and from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt now there again That is a very important passage both in an Old Testament or an old covenant context as Well as it being an understanding for us as new covenant Israel or is the true is I will say it's the true Israel and certainly we go to First Peter remember what Peter says in in first Peter.

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He says we And he's talking about do Gentiles talking about the believer.

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We are a special treasure to God Yet God had the nation of Israel special treasure and it was by grace and it was by a very specific In that sense sovereign work of God.

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So that's why again I've asked us to look at that Now let's think about it this way And I want to preface what I'm gonna say by saying this If we do not have a proper understanding as I said last week when we consider the fall If you and I do not have a proper understanding of the condition of man after the fall Then I think we are going to have great problems understanding sovereign grace sovereign election in other words if we do not understand Depravity as it ought to be understood that man is totally depraved alienated from God separated from God Then I'm not sure we can ever fully come to a right understanding of what election Really means that people who say if what you're saying is true that God chooses one and not another If we do not understand the condition of man Then I believe they almost have a good argument.

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I Really do because in their understanding they are then saying it's not fair because It just doesn't seem right that God would would just be so discriminant or indiscriminate in his choice Again, the real issue is we need to understand we are dead And for God to have mercy on one and not another is God's prerogative, right? But again, if we do not believe that we are inherently evil Then it becomes hard to work through the issues certainly it makes the atonement a very difficult issue Wouldn't you agree if we do not understand the condition of man? So as you reach a passage like this, even in this Old Testament context We see the grace of God don't we certainly saw it as brother Keith was talking about Noah Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, right? God didn't find grace in the eyes of Noah Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord and the same could be true as we as Brother Keith starts to talk about Abraham.

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Why did God call Abraham? Because God called Abraham Was Abraham a righteous man His father was an idol.

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He lived in an idolatrous land Did not God have Sovereign grace on Abraham would go right through the scriptures.

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Did he not have sovereign grace on Paul? Did he not was not God's working in your heart an act of sovereign grace? Not just common grace sovereign grace, right? Something to think about.

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Okay.

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I just have another minute or so.

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So here's what I did as I was thinking about grace and again understanding that what we're talking about is Grace being Unmerited favor, okay That we deserve nothing yet.

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God gives That we actually deserve Punishment and yet God gives grace, right? So that's what what I'm saying.

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We mean by grace And so here's what I did.

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I thought about it and I said hmm, I Wonder how many times grace is used in the Bible I I I like doing that for me.

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I like Following words through the Bible and try to understand it So here's what I did.

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I did a little bit study and I did using the New King James The word grace or this word that's used for grace Carice or however, you want to pronounce it is used a hundred and thirty seven times in the Bible okay, and if you think I'm wrong and You do the work and then I'll repent Of Those hundred and thirty seven times It's only used 18 times in the Old Testament And I thought that was interesting and It's the remainder of those times.

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It's used in the New Testament of those remaining times Paul uses the word grace 50 times and the rest of it is Scattered out through the New Testament, right? So I started to think well, why is that and then I said, wait a minute You know, what came to my mind was John 1 17 the law came by Moses the grace and truth came by Jesus Christ and I thought about how the New Testament is really the the reality or the fulfillment of what is Hidden somewhat in the Old Testament of grace.

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And so when we see the Lord Jesus Christ, there is living Word of God and there is in that sense sovereign grace in the flesh right, and so I thought that that was important to think about that we ought to see more of the use of grace in the New Testament because we have the witness of Jesus and that even though Jesus came in the fullness of time.

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It's still there Even as I just read to you in Deuteronomy still there in the Old Testament is there are many other places but 18 times out of 137 and yet Paul After his conversion, he can't get away from it Right, and the reason why he can't get away from it because he was a recipient of sovereign grace You want to know who's the most I think many times most willing to speak about sovereign grace is that people? who truly know That if it were not for sovereign grace, they're still dead in their sense And I always think of what Jesus said to who much is forgiven the same loves much and and I Just think this whole thought of grace and how the brothers do this in the confession and and in that sense go right to the sovereign grace of God and Election and it's going to carry right through the whole confession.

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And if you think about it We always talk about sovereignty, don't we? In every area whether it doesn't always have to be just merely in the tulip But but we we talk about living in light of what of a sovereign God we talk we talk about worship in light of what a sovereign God of Sovereign grace not just so happens.

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We the church is named sovereign grace.

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Imagine that Because that's our focus isn't it and so again I We shall never And this is my own opinion.

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I believe I can back it up.

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I scream we shall never fully comprehend God's sovereign grace Because we will never fully I don't believe we'll ever fully comprehend The the immensity of what God has done for you and for me In that he has rescued us and That he has saved us and that he has redeemed us and that he has made us his own And again, I'll say it and I'll say it and I'll say it behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us that we Should be called the children of God If that doesn't puzzle your mind and cause your soul to praise God then then then you need a soul exam And I don't have time.

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I wanted to go.

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I'm gonna give you some scriptures.

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You want to write them down? You want to look at them? That's fine.

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And but I was gonna ask you to go to Jeremiah 31 verses 1 & 2 You can go to Zechariah chapter 12 verse 10 Certainly, you can read and you should read Ephesians, right? If he's in chapter 1 if he's in chapter 2 You can go to Titus chapter 3 where it talks about the mercy and grace of God Giving us life you read Romans Start a chapter 1 in Romans and when you get done with chapter 16, I think that should be enough But anyway, so those are some thoughts on grace brothers and sisters and much more could and should be said but Really thankful that in Almost 400 years ago that these brothers wrestled with the same things Not only from without but from within that we wrestled today Because in a sense we still have those that are with outside the camp of Christ that are in many ways are opposed to us and honestly as reformed people And maybe you've only been in a reformed circle all your Christian life and praise God if that's the case, but I haven't And I know many of you haven't sometimes some of the biggest battles over Proclaiming sovereign grace comes from within the camp of Christ from those who who? Have a number of reasons why they resist that truth, but I Hope it helps.

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I hope going for this confession helps.

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It certainly helps me brothers and sisters, and I hope it helps you Okay, I am to the second on time tonight I Mean say I have 20 seconds left.