Word of Salvation – Vol. 22 No.45 – August 1976
He Has Not Rewarded Us According To Our Iniquities
Sermon by Rev. K. McPhail on Luke 7:36-50
Scripture Reading: Luke 7:36-50
Psalter Hymnal: 324; 173.1,2 & 6; 128; 380
Beloved Congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ,
How wondrous is our God…! The more we meditate on His Word, the more we understand His goodness to us. And we see His goodness in His saving grace as brought to us in His Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. The very thought of this grace raises songs of praise in our hearts.
Let us come to our subject as though hearing of saving grace for the first time, and in expectation of good news.
WHAT IS SAVING GRACE?
Grace is the favour and goodwill of God, which alone makes a man acceptable in His sight.
None may earn it.
It is not the love of God put upon us because He foresaw that we would repent (for that would make it the reward of a spiritual good work foreseen by God).
It is a gift of God, and not a reward. A reward is in payment or recognition of work done.
Nor may we earn the benefits of grace, because Christ has done that for us, once for all on Calvary. Should any insist that he must contribute to his own salvation, let him begin by attempting to be crucified for his own sin, and rising again on the third day!
GRACE MAKES ITSELF KNOWN BY A DELIVERANCE FROM A STATE OF SIN AND GUILT, AND BY BRINGING US INTO A STATE OF RECONCILIATION AND PEACE WITH GOD.
By grace we know forgiveness from sin and freedom from its slavery, and freedom from its penalty.
When God’s grace works its way in our hearts, there is brought about a change of the whole person by the Spirit of God. This change prepares the believer for every good work in Christ Jesus. THERE IS A CHANGE OF HEART. This is known through the promises and assurances of Scripture and is confirmed by experience, as we observe the outworking of inward blessing. So says 2Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new.” It is a change of which the believer becomes aware. He is more and more moved by new motives. More and more he desires to worship God in all he does and thinks. He loves Him Who first loved us, and longs to declare that love to this poor world.
It is a change of consecration.
It is the change of heart which Paul describes to King Agrippa in Acts 26:18 “…to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified through faith in Me.”
THE GRACE OF GOD BRINGS not only a change of heart but ALSO A NEW LIFE. Paul, writing to the church in Galatia calls it “a new creation”. When he writes to the Church in Ephesus he explains that this new creation is having Christ dwelling in our hearts. God the Holy Spirit does not leave it there but says further that it is to have “Christ formed in you”.
THE CHANGE WHICH GRACE BRINGS AFFECTS PERSONAL DESIRES.
The affections change.
The delights of this world which we once loved, for all their attractiveness, have grown threadbare. Having tasted and found that the Lord is good, these one-time pleasures now leave us with nothing but a taste of bitterness. The good news of the kingdom which once we hardly heard, or even despised has become to us more precious than life itself. It IS life and health and peace. Were we able to heap together all the riches and pleasures of this world, we would see that they are nothing compared with our riches in Christ. They are mere rubbish, trash, refuse, garbage, compared with our inheritance in Christ.
Let a man labour to possess this world’s goods, and despite all his getting, he will leave all behind. But, beloved, the free gift of God’s grace is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. Free to us, because He paid the price of our sin’s debt on the cross. Yes, personal desires are related to our God-given values. What kind of reasoning is it which prefers a life of luxury and ease now, which will sell the soul for delights which perish? For what will a man give for his soul?
Is it not better that we fight the good fight here on earth because our spiritual vision is focussed on Christ and the place He has gone to prepare for us and for all who love Him?
To the Church in Philippi Paul wrote, “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I might gain Christ… in order that I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
THE CHANGE WHICH THE GRACE OF GOD WORKS IN A BELIEVER’S HEART PREPARES HIM TO SERVE THE LORD. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared be- forehand, that we should walk in them.” (Eph.2.10). God has not saved persons that He may collect them as a miser does his wealth. He has saved us to serve Him; to worship Him. Because we were made for that very work, therein is our greatest joy.
From the change which the grace of God brings about in us, there must be a change of deeds, of likes and dislikes, of longings and aspirations, all of which show evidence of the grace of God.
Beloved, is it so in your life?
If not, plead with the Lord to make it so. And in your prayer, be earnest, for God is not to be mocked.
We have been born again to a living hope in Christ Jesus. Let us do Christ-like works. We “are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the chief cornerstone a holy temple… a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” (Eph.2:19-22).
AN EXAMPLE OF SAVING GRACE
We take our example from our reading in Luke 7.
Who the woman in our narrative was, we are not told, except that she was one who had forsaken the way of righteousness in which she had been brought up. She had turned her back on God’s covenant.
She had sinned against God’s laws of moral purity. She had disregarded the commandments of the Lord…. she had fallen into that ditch of which it is written, “The abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein.”
Whatever was that sin to which she had given herself, it was serious and it was widely known. Like all sin, it began simply. Once she had sin – but at last the sin had her in its grip.
She repented of her sin. And all who repent of sin, hate that sin as something which kept them from the Saviour, and despise it as something which brought Him to the cross. But WHY DID GOD STOOP TO SAVE THIS WOMAN?
Was she a special case?
Beloved, are not all the redeemed special cases?
When you think of yourself and your sins, and of the love of the Lord, even for you, do you not see yourself as a special case? Did not Paul the apostle call himself the chief of sinners? Is not that the experience of everyone who draws near to the throne of grace?
“God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
In His grace, He chose this woman. He made her a new creation. Never let it be forgotten that the line of David includes the incest of Tamar, the harlotries of Rahab, the adultery of Bathsheba.
When our Lord walked the land of Judea, they thought to bring insults upon Him by calling Him “…the friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Ah! beloved, rejoice that it is true ― He is the sinners’ Friend!
GRACE KNOWS NOT THE DISTINCTION OF RICH OR POOR, BLACK OR WHITE. All who breathe this air are in need of grace, saving grace, for all are ruined by Adam’s sin.
And as though that were not enough, all are further condemned by their own sinful thoughts, words and actions.
But in order that He may show His great love, God has said, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So then it does not depend on the man who wills, or the man who runs, but on the Lord Who has mercy.” (Rom.9:15f).
Grace falls on men, spiritually dead, and makes them alive. It makes men restless till they find their rest in Jesus. To those who know God’s grace, it is seen for what it is, His wondrous gift.
Is there one here who says, “I don’t know this grace, but I know the grief and sorrow of sin!”
Let that one ask himself: How did I come to know my state of sin and misery?
The answer is, Grace! The Lord has awakened you to the seriousness of your situation that you might fly to Him and be saved.
“For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him should be saved.”
GOD SAVES SINFUL MEN.
That is the only kind there are to save!
Therefore He saves us, not because there is something worth saving in us, but because He chose to love us and because we could not help ourselves. We may truly say that the only thing we did in relation to our salvation was to commit that sin from which we needed to be saved.
WHY DID THIS WOMAN IN THE GOSPEL COME TO JESUS?
Love, sovereign love drew her. That same love which led the Lord Jesus Christ to die for your sin and mine, led her to Jesus. She came to Jesus as he reclined at table with the Pharisee and his dinner guests. There can be no doubt about the fact that this man was offended by the intrusion of this uninvited immoral woman and her attention towards Jesus. But God sought her out.
Could we possibly imagine that she was the only woman of her kind in Jerusalem? Why did God single her out for blessing? Because it pleased Him…! Is there one here who finds this too hard to accept?
Then why did the Lord bring you here to hear this word?
You may invent all kinds of reasons, and even convince yourself that they are true! Say what you will, but the Lord brought you here that the word of salvation might come to you, “And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom.10:14).
O marvellous mystery! The more a believer looks into himself, the more he knows that he deserves nothing but that the wrath of God should fall upon himself. But the more he looks to Jesus, the more he marvels at divine grace, He rejoices saying, Thank you Lord for saving even me!
Never has He brushed aside anyone who came to Him for mercy!
GRACE IS KNOWN ALSO BY WHAT IT PRODUCES.
It gives rise to increasing godliness, just as breathing out follows breathing in.
How many citizens of Jerusalem would have looked on the woman, a known sinner, as a child of God?
Grace brought an end to her former manner of life. There is evidence of this in the way that she had no regard for anyone except the Lord, to Whom she must go. Her pride was swallowed up in repentance.
She washed His feet with her tears, and wiped His feet with her hair. She kissed His feet, and anointed them with perfume.
She trusted Him for salvation.
For her there was none but Jesus, none but Him.
Ah! beloved, have you never stood where that woman stood? Will you go on living so as to let nothing keep you from Him? No, not the world, the opinions of men, nor anything else in all creation must be allowed to separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Nothing must stand between you and the Lover of your soul. GRACE WORKED IN THAT WOMAN’S HEART, SILENTLY.
Nothing was said till all was done.
Then Jesus said of her, “…..her sins which are many, have been forgiven…..!” “Your faith has saved you, go in peace.” Jesus’ love reached out to the seemingly unlovable. Grace brought its healing balm.
Beloved in the Lord, grace does not smuggle or sneak men into the Kingdom of God. It lifts men up and makes them fit for heaven. May this grace be seen in us all.
“Come you blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
Amen.