Message 6 - By Leroy Surface
True Grace
By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto
you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this
is the true grace of God wherein ye
stand.
I Peter 5:12
Consider the words, “True
Grace!,” for a moment. When
a thing is designated by the word “true,”
it follows that there is also a “false,” or
an “imitation.” In John 15:1 where Jesus says, “I am the true vine;” it is certain,
that there is also a “false vine.”
The false vine can be found in Revelation
14:19, and is called the “vine of the
earth,” which will be cast into the winepress of the wrath of God. In John
10:11, Jesus says, “I am the good
shepherd.” It follows then, that there are also “bad” shepherds. Jesus calls
them “hirelings.” They tend the sheep
only for a salary; not out of love for the sheep. In our text, however, Peter closes his first
epistle to the churches by reminding them of the purpose of his letter: “I have written briefly, exhorting, and
testifying that this is the true
grace of God wherein we stand.” We can know by his words that Peter
was aware of a “false grace” that was
being taught, by false teachers, in the churches of his day.
Jude began his very brief letter by exhorting the people to “earnestly contend for the faith that was
once delivered to the saints.” The gospel of Jesus Christ that the apostles
Peter, Paul, and John had preached was not to be turned away from. As Paul had told the Galatians, “Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach
any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be
accursed” (Galatians 1:8). Thus were they to contend for that gospel
faith of Jesus Christ. Jude clearly told what it was that false teachers
were come into the churches to do: they were “turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness.” We know that
lasciviousness is something that is “wanton,”
or “unclean” of itself. The Greek word translated “lasciviousness” actually meant “licentiousness.” Jude said they were
turning the “grace of God” into a “license” to continue in sin. We know what “license” is. We must have a
driver’s license to drive a car. The license gives its holder “permission” to drive. The hunter
must have a hunter’s license, the fisherman, a fishing license, etc. So
many activities in the world today are legal only if you have the proper “license.” The person doing these things
without the proper license are to be arrested and punished, but the one with
the license enjoys the “privilege” of
doing what others cannot do. The false teachers were giving the people a “sin license;” they called it “the grace of God.”
Paul encountered those people who believed they had a sin
license. “Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more
abound.” Being totally void of understanding the gospel truth, they
respond to Paul as related in Romans 6:1,
“What shall we say then? Shall we
continue in sin, that grace may abound?” Paul’s answer in Romans 6:2 leaves no room for doubt of
the truth of the gospel he preached: “God
forbid. How shall we, that are dead to
sin, live any longer therein?” According to Paul’s gospel, everyone
who is “born of God” is also “dead to sin” (Romans 6:11; Colossians
3:1-3; I Peter 2:24; II Corinthians 5:14). Do
you believe that you are a “sinner”
whose sins are “covered” by “grace?” Do you believe that you will
sin every day for as long as you live in this earthly body, yet go to heaven at
the end because of grace? If this is the “hope” of your salvation, then you have believed that “grace” is a license to sin: that the
more you sin, the more grace God gives to you.
God forbid! I will seek in this message to reveal just what it is
the apostle Peter called “true grace.”
Meet the God of Mercy, Grace, and Forgiveness
And the LORD passed by before him, and
proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful
and gracious, longsuffering, and
abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy
for thousands, forgiving iniquity and
transgression and sin….
Exodus 34:6-7
First we need to understand that God has always been a loving,
forgiving God. He revealed His great name to Moses as “merciful, gracious, longsuffering, full of
goodness and truth, and forgiving.” All too often people think of the
“God of the Old Testament” as a “tyrant,” a “God of wrath” that was impossible for any man to please.
Jesus said that He is “…kind unto the
unthankful and to the evil” (Luke
6:35). Forty one times in the Old Testament we
are told that God’s mercy “endureth for
ever.” Twenty five times we are told that He is “gracious.” Hundreds of verses in the Psalms alone tell of His “loving kindness,” His “goodness,” His “great mercy,” His “longsuffering,”
and His “forgiveness.” In Malachi 3:6, God said, “I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” It
was because of His love, His longsuffering, His mercy, His forgiveness, His
promise, and His covenant that He did not absolutely destroy Israel for their
backsliding. He is the immutable,
unchanging God. He is nothing today that
He has not always been. Is He a God of
love and mercy today? He was a God of love and mercy throughout the Old
Testament. Did He execute judgment and
wrath against ungodly nations and sinners in the Old Testament? He will do the
same today. Jesus’ death on the cross
did not change anything about God. It
didn’t even change the mind of God. He
has forever done all things based upon His own eternal purpose. That purpose, being eternal, has never
changed.
It was over fifteen hundred years before Calvary that God stood on
the mountain with Moses and declared His great name: “merciful, gracious, longsuffering… forgiving iniquity, transgression
and sin.” Obviously Jesus did not suffer and die to “do” what God had always “done.”
The Old Testament record is filled with examples of God’s longsuffering,
mercy, and grace toward man. One most incredible example is the record of
King Ahab of Israel. Ahab was a very wicked king in the days of Elijah
the prophet. Ahab and his wife Jezebel filled the land of Israel with
altars to Baal and other strange gods. Of Ahab, it was written, “But there was none like unto Ahab, which
did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his
wife stirred up” (I King 21:25). The anger of God became so great against Ahab
that He sent Elijah to speak destruction against him. Yet, in the day of God’s anger against Ahab,
he humbled himself before God, and God forgave him. When wicked king Ahab repented, God said to
His prophet Elijah, “Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth
himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days
will I bring the evil upon his house” (I
Kings 21:29). Many like
incredible examples of God’s mercy and grace were given throughout the
thousands of years of time before Jesus suffered on the cross for our sin. Why then did Jesus die? He didn’t have
to die to “graciously” forgive us, or
to show mercy upon us. Calvary, the
sufferings and death of Jesus Christ on the cross, is about “salvation from sin,” and “grace” and “glory” to man.
Salvation
Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who
prophesied of the grace that should
come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ
which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
I Peter 1:10-11
You will notice there are four things I have italicized in this
text. They are as follows:
1. “Salvation,”
2. “Grace,”
3. “The
sufferings of Christ,” and
4. “The
glory that should (would) follow.”
I believe we would all agree that “salvation” is by “grace.” It
is necessary, however, to define both salvation and grace to see exactly what
is meant by the term “salvation by
grace.” Some time before Jesus was born to Mary, the angel Gabriel came to
Joseph to reassure him that the unborn child was indeed the Son of God. Gabriel told Joseph in Matthew 1:21, “Thou shalt
call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.” Salvation is not to be “saved from hell,” as so many teach and believe today. Neither did Jesus suffer and die to save the
people “in” their sins. The only correct definition of Christian
salvation is “saved from sin.”
Most “Christians” are
confused on the issue of true salvation because of the almost universal
teaching that Jesus died to take the “penalty”
of our sins. These would teach that we are saved from the “power” of sin to damn us. This teaching leaves the people in their
sins, but there is no “penalty”
because, in their theology, Jesus took their penalty. Again, such teaching, even though it is
thought by multitudes to be “orthodox
Christianity,” is also erroneous.
Jesus did not suffer and die to take the penalty of sin. John the
Baptist introduced Jesus to Israel, saying, “Behold
the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” John never
mentioned the “penalty of sin,” but
it was sin itself that Jesus died to take away, thus it is not the “power” of sin,
but the “presence” of sin we are
saved from. Finally, there are those who
teach that Jesus suffered and died to give us “power over sin.” Again, this is error. Jesus suffered the
death of the cross to give us “freedom
from sin.” Notice Romans 6:7, “…freed from sin.” Romans 6:18, “Being then made
free from sin…” Romans 6:22, “But now being made free from sin….”
Hardly then can we come to any other definition for salvation. The work
of salvation is “saved from sin.” It
is a work that is finished at the cross.
The result of salvation is “free
from sin.” It is the presence of sin that drags people down to hell, but
Jesus “saves his people from their sins.”
Hundreds of years before Christ, the prophets of God began to see
and speak of something wonderful that was to come. The words most
commonly used in describing what they saw were “salvation” and “righteousness.”
The book of Psalms speaks of “salvation”
sixty three times and “righteousness”
seventy one times. The prophet Isaiah spoke of salvation twenty eight
times and righteousness fifty two times. Concerning this wonderful “salvation,” Peter said the prophets “inquired and searched diligently.”
They caught a glimpse of something the world had never seen.
Abraham had sought for a city “whose
builder and maker is God” (Hebrews
11:10). Isaiah prophesied of such a city. He called it “The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 60:14). Isaiah speaks further of that city in Isaiah 60:18-21, “Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction
within thy borders; but thou shalt call
thy walls Salvation, and thy gates
Praise. The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for
brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no
more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be
thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy
people also shall be all righteous:
they shall inherit the land for ever, the
branch of my planting (John
15:1-5), the work of my hands, that I may be
glorified.” The world had never seen such a city whose “walls” would be salvation, whose “light” would be the LORD, and whose “people” would be “all righteous.” In Isaiah
62:1-2, Isaiah, overcome with the glorious things he was seeing, cries, “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go
forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.
And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which
the mouth of the LORD shall name.” At the time, Isaiah had no way of
knowing that he was seeing the “Church of
Jesus Christ” which Jesus would
“purchase” with His own blood.
Isaiah loved the city of Jerusalem, and longed to see these wonderful
things fulfilled in his day, saying, “I
will not rest until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the
salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.” But it was not to be in His
day. Isaiah, like so many other of the
prophets and patriarchs, “died in faith,
not having received the promises,” (Hebrews
11:13) “…God having provided some
better thing for us…” (Hebrews 11:40). Peter
said that God revealed to these prophets that it was “not unto themselves, but unto
us they did minister these things…” (I Peter 1:12).
Peter summed up this wonderful “salvation”
the prophets had foreseen, calling it “the
grace that should come unto to you (the church).” In the next verse, Peter speaks of the “Spirit of Christ” that was in the prophets testifying beforehand
the “sufferings of Christ, and the glory
that should follow.” The grace of God and this wonderful salvation are
revealed both in “the sufferings” and
“the glory.” Keep in mind that Peter
wrote this letter to the churches to “exhort
and to testify that this is the true grace of God wherein you (and
we)
stand” (I Peter 5:12).
The “Sufferings of Christ”
Many of the prophets and patriarchs of the Old Testament prophesied
of the sufferings of Christ. Most of
them saw only bits and pieces, but some like Isaiah and David stagger our minds
with the clarity with which they describe the sacrifice at Calvary. Did they clearly understand the things they
saw? No, but they saw and wrote enough that we could clearly understand.
Among the first to receive a glimpse of Calvary was Abraham. Jesus told the Jews in John 8:56, “Your father Abraham
rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.” Jesus spoke of the
day God provided a “substitute sacrifice”
to die in the place of Isaac (Genesis
22:9-14). Abraham “rejoiced” as he offered the “ram” instead of his own son. He named that sacrifice altar “Jehovah-jireh,” meaning, “The LORD will provide.” It was a
prophecy of the day the Son of God would suffer as a substitute sacrifice on
that very mountain. He prophesied of Calvary. Hundreds of year’s later, pilgrims visiting
that same altar would say, “In the Mount
of the Lord, it shall be seen.” They looked for a redeemer.
David prophesied very clearly of the sufferings of Jesus in the
twenty-second chapter of Psalms. He
began with the same words Jesus cried out as He suffered on the cross, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me.”
A thousand years before the fact, David gave us the very words of the
mockers that mocked Jesus as he hung on the cross. He told of the soldiers dividing the clothes
and gambling for the cloak of Jesus. Speaking
in the first person, for it was the Spirit of Christ that was in him, David
said, “They pierced my hands and my
feet.” Before the prophecy ends, however, David tells us that the “kingdom” belongs to the one that
suffered. He spoke clearly of a “seed,”
the children of God, born of the Spirit of God that would “serve Him.” David had never seen such a people as this “seed.” It was a “new creation,” with “new”
men and women re-created in the image of God. They were a people such as
the world had never seen. David saw the “sufferings of Christ.” He also saw the “glory that would follow.”
Isaiah prophesied of the “servant
of the Lord (Messiah).” But who
could believe the things Isaiah spoke of? He saw His face, “marred more that any man, and His form more
than the sons of men” (Isaiah 52:14).
Notice Isaiah’s next words, “So shall He
sprinkle many nations.” He saw a cleansing from sin for the nations of the
world in the “marred” face and “scarred” body of the Son of God. “Who hath believed my report?” Isaiah
cries. He continues, “To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry
ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no
beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah
53:1-2). How is it possible that Isaiah is
speaking of Israel’s promised redeemer? No “form or comeliness… no beauty that we should desire Him.” His
attraction would not be a great “physique,
charming personality,” or “handsome
face.” Yet, there were those who saw Jesus “as He is,” and in His face they saw the “glory of God.” John said, “And
we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of
grace and truth.” These were those who said with the apostle John, “For the life was manifested, and we have
seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with
the Father, and was manifested unto us” (I John 1:2). They never told us of his “form” or “features.” We know nothing from them of the color of His eyes,
hair, height, weight, or any of the things the world uses to judge
beauty. For they could not see beyond the life, the glory, the beauty and
the grace that is Jesus Christ.
He is despised and rejected of men; a
man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from
him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did
esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isaiah 53:3-4
An ancient manuscript translates the fourth verse as follows; “Verily our sickness He took and our sorrows
He bore, and we held Him as leprous and smitten of God, and meeked
(beaten into submission).” It is no wonder Isaiah wrote, “and we hid as it were our faces from Him.”
So much more than just physical health or healing, Jesus bore the “leprosy of our sin” upon that
cross. He bore all that fallen man is,
and we “hid as it were our faces from
Him.” We could not look upon what we
are as it hung on the cross. Isaiah continues in verse five:
But he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our
peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53: 5
The world looked upon Jesus as He suffered the cruel death of the
cross, and saw Him not only as a man condemned to death as a blasphemer, but
they saw Him as one cursed by God Himself, because Moses had said, “Cursed is everyone that hangeth upon a
tree.” Isaiah saw all these things Messiah would suffer, but he saw more
than that. He saw that it was because of us that He suffered. “…He
was wounded for our transgressions….”
The “grace that should come
unto us” was first manifested in the sufferings of Christ. No one can
deny the grace of God that was shown at Calvary. John begins his gospel with the words, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. The
same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and
without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3). John continues in the verse fourteen, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt
among us….” This identifies the eternal “Word”
as being Jesus Christ. “All things
were made by Him….” The creator of heaven and earth was made flesh and
dwelt among us. There was only one
purpose for His incarnation: He came to suffer the horrible death of the cross
for the redemption of His creation. We were not worthy of such a thing. As Isaiah had prophesied, “All we had gone astray, everyone to his own
way….” No wonder the apostle John marvels, “What manner of love is this… (I
John 3:1)?” It is grace: The
grace of God… and of our Lord Jesus Christ, that He would suffer and die for
sinners, the ungodly, even the enemies of God. Undeserved, unmerited,
Christ died for sinners. The prophets prophesied of it, but could never
comprehend it. They questioned, “what, or what manner of time” is
this? Isaiah begins his message of the sufferings of the Messiah with “Who hath believed our report?” No one
could believe such a thing. For what purpose would Christ come in the “likeness of sinful flesh?” (Romans 8:3). There could be only one purpose; “…to condemn sin in the flesh.” He would gladly lay down His life to save
His people from their sin. Was this for Israel only? No! Jesus was
not only the Messiah of Israel, He was the creator of every man. The
creator of every man came to save “His
people” of every nation, tribe, race and color. Jesus died for
all. This is the grace that came unto us
through His sufferings.
The “Glory that Follows”
The great mystery, of everything the prophets saw of the sufferings
of the Messiah, was that there was always the “glory that followed.” I do not hesitate to tell you that they were
seeing the “glorious church of Jesus
Christ,” which is “without spot, or
wrinkle, or any such thing, but holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27). Isaiah prophesies, “Thy people shall be all righteous” (Isaiah
60:21). And again, “…they shall
call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou
shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken” (Isaiah 62:12). The prophets could
understand but little of the things they were seeing; yet they saw so
much. God told Isaiah, “Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth:
and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye
glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create
Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of
weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying” (Isaiah 65:17-19). We also, as did Peter, “look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (II Peter 3:13). But at the same time we
must know that God has already created a “new
creation,” and a “new man” in
Christ “wherein dwelleth
righteousness.” He has already created “Jerusalem a praise and her people a joy.” It is this “New Jerusalem” that Paul says is “the mother of us all” (Galatians 4:26). Everything God has created
in this “new creation” is that “wherein dwelleth righteousness,” for
the new creation is a “kingdom of
righteousness.”
None of these glorious things the prophets prophesied of could come
before Christ suffered the cross. These
things of necessity issue out of Christ’s sufferings, and are the “grace of God” to us just as surely as
His sufferings are. They are inseparable.
Did Christ suffer? Glory must follow.
The night before suffering the cross, Jesus prayed to the Father, saying,
“…now, O Father, glorify thou me with
thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was” (John 17:5). When Jesus says “…before the world was,” He speaks of
the state of man, with God, before Adam transgressed and sin entered. The
“world” began, with the entrance of
sin. Therefore, Jesus tells the Father
in this last public prayer (at least, that we have record of), that He will
gladly drink the cup of suffering, and be baptized with the baptism of death,
if that is the price of restoring the glory of a sinless man(kind); a man(kind)
without sin, a man(kind) created in the image and likeness of Christ.
These thing are what Jesus died for; and are the “glory that should (would) follow”
the sufferings of Christ (I Peter
1:11). If there is no “new
creation,” Christ died in vain. If
there is no true righteousness, Christ died in vain. If there are none that are holy, Christ died
in vain. If we are yet sinners who must continue to sin as long as we
live in this human body, then Jesus Christ died in vain. If these things
are true, then nothing happened at Calvary.
The “Righteousness of Christ”
For I say unto you, That except your
righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye
shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:20
I took this text at a morning session with a group of young men and
women at a Bible college. I began by asking them the question, “What is the righteousness that exceeds the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees?” Almost instantly and
unanimously they answered, “The Righteousness of Christ.” They were
absolutely correct in their answer. Then I told them a story, a fable
that has lasted for hundreds of years called “The King’s New Clothes.”
The vain little king had been deceived by a couple of crooks
pretending to be magical tailors. These
deceivers pretended to weave magical cloth out of solid gold, and to make the
most beautiful suit of clothes with the magical quality which only the “pure in heart” could see. The king decided he must have such a unique
suit of clothes. His fame would greatly
increase and he would be the envy of all kings if he possessed such
clothing. He agreed to deliver the gold of the kingdom to these “tailors” to weave the magical
cloth. Occasion arose that he sent his general to inspect the progress of
the suit. The general could not see the
suit, but he knew his heart was not pure, so he pretended to see it. Later the king sent his governor to inspect
the suit with the same results. The governor did not see a suit, but he
also knew his heart was not clean, so he also pretended. Both of these
gave the king glowing reports of the amazing beauty of his new suit. The
day came that the “suit” was
finished, and the king would be dressed in his new suit. When the “tailors”
pretended to bring the suit out, obviously the king could not see it, but
he also knew his heart was not pure, so he also pretended. He, like the general and the governor before
him, did not want anyone to know his heart was impure, so he gushed out praises
of the beauty of the suit, even giving a bonus to the tailors for doing such a
magnificent job. Word of the kings beautiful suit of clothes spread
throughout the kingdom. It was decided
that such beauty should not be withheld from the masses of people in the
kingdom. There would be a parade, with
brass bands, and all the dignitaries of the kingdom leading the way. The king would march the length of
main-street wearing his magical suit.
The day came and the procession began. Finally, the little king
marched out of the palace doors and strutted down Main Street, dressed in
nothing more than his underwear. The
entire kingdom had heard of the magical nature of the king’s suit, that only
the “pure in heart” could see. Everyone knew their own heart was not pure,
but they did not want their friends to know it, so everyone pretended. They raved; they rejoiced; they shouted with
joy, praising their little king for his beautiful suit of clothes. Finally a little child tugged at him mother’s
skirt. “Mommie, mommie!”
“Hush child, look at the king’s beautiful clothes.” “But mommie,
the king doesn’t have any clothes.” Word spread through the crowds of
people that innocent little children had said the king was naked. The sad
truth struck home to the multitudes, and finally to the little king himself,
that the king had no clothes, but walked naked for all to see.
I told them this story and asked a second question; “Is this the righteousness of Christ?” There
was absolute silence for a time. Finally
one brave young person answered, “No!”
Why was there such caution in answering? Why could not everyone present
instantly answer with a resounding “No!
That is not the righteousness of Christ?” Sadly, this generation has been
taught that the “righteousness of Christ”
is a suit of clothing for the believer that only God can see. These deceitful “tailors” have been taking the gold of the kingdom and dressing the
church in invisible clothing for a full generation, and we have become a church
full of pretenders. Consider these words
from the apostles of our Lord:
If so be that being clothed we shall
not be found naked.
II Corinthians 5:3
Neither is there any creature that is
not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of
him with whom we have to do.
Hebrews 4:13
Revelation 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods,
and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and
miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Behold, I come as a thief.
Blessed is he
that watcheth, and keepeth
his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Revelation 16:15
The Righteousness That Exceeds
Jesus left no doubt in His “Sermon
on the Mount” as to what the “righteousness”
is that “exceeds the righteousness of the
scribes and Pharisees.” He gave five examples in the fifth chapter of Matthew alone that cannot be impugned by
man. I will give three of these.
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou
shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is
angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and
whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca,
Matthew 5:21-22
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou
shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto
you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed
adultery with her already in his heart.
Matthew 5:27-28
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy
neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them
which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of
your Father which is in heaven….
Matthew 5:43-45
The “righteousness that
exceeds the righteous of the scribes and Pharisees” is the righteousness of
a pure heart. It is not a righteousness that can be produced by the
working of “man’s righteousness (thou
shalt not kill… thou shalt not commit adultery); it is a “gift of righteousness” received by “grace” through “faith.” Hear
the words of Paul to the Romans, “…much
more they which receive abundance of
grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus
Christ” (Romans 5:17). It is the “gift” of a “new heart”
and a “new spirit” that Ezekiel
prophesied of in Ezekiel 36:25-27. It is a “pure
heart” in which there is no murder, adultery, hatred, or any other thing
that defiles the man. It is true
righteousness that all may see without pretence. It is the righteousness
without which Jesus said, “Ye shall in no
case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” It is the “gift by grace” Paul spoke of in Romans 5:15.
How True Righteousness is Received
I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I
now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and
gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then
Christ is dead in vain.
Galatians 2:20-21
Let us first establish that “righteousness
does not come by the law.” The “law”
was in place over sixteen hundred years before Jesus suffered and died on the
cross. If righteousness came by the law,
there was no reason for Jesus to die. If Jesus must suffer and die before
righteousness can come, then it follows that righteousness comes only by the
sufferings and death of Jesus Christ.
Nothing that preceded Calvary can be the source of true righteousness,
and nothing that came after Calvary can be that source. Apply Paul’s
statement to any or every other thing men may trust in and you must come to the
same conclusion, “then Christ is dead in
vain.” For example, “If righteousness
come by the Psalms of David, then Christ is dead in vain.” Or, “If righteousness come by the Proverbs of
Solomon, then Christ is dead in vain.” Insert tens of thousands of other
things men may trust in, from the “Ten
Commandments,” or the “principles of
life” unto any of thousands of other gods and religions or philosophies of
this world, and the conclusion will be the same. If any of these bring true righteousness, “Christ is dead in vain.” Nothing but
the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, brings true righteousness. Sadly, few in the church, among those that
are “called by His name,” have
discovered this truth.
How is it that the death of Jesus brings true righteousness to the
believer? Paul answered that question in the first verse of our text, Galatians 2:20. “I am
crucified with Christ.” The power of the death of Jesus Christ is, as
Paul said in Romans 6:6, “our old man is crucified with Him….” Is
that what Paul believed? No! That’s what Paul “knew.” He began Romans 6:6
with these words, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him….” There
are some things you must know, and
this is chief among them.
When I was a young preacher, my favorite text seemed to be “I know by experience….” Of course that text is not in the Bible, nor
is it the word of God, but I had no problem convincing people of that which I “knew by experience” because it was
their experience also. By our “experience” we knew that we had the
truth. It was “proven” by our “experience.” We knew that the “Christian life” was hard, that it was
a struggle. It was a life of divided
affections, and continual struggle with our “old
man.” We “knew” and “proved” these things “by experience.” Years later I came to
a time in life and ministry that I was desperate for answers for the sin
problem that was in the heart of man. I
had told God that if there were no answer given, I would close my bible and not
preach again. About that same period of time, I was preaching, I thought under
a heavy anointing, when I heard that “favorite
text” come out of my mouth; “I know
by experience ….” The Holy Ghost sharply reproved me on the spot. I heard His voice saying to me, “You
know nothing by experience. You only
know by my word.” This “reproof” brought a quick end to my
message that night. Later, alone with
the Lord in heart searching prayer the Spirit again spoke to me. “If you seek to establish the truth of God
by your experience, you will always believe a lie.” I came to understand what He was telling me. We must establish what is truth by the word
of God and believe it even when our “experience”
denies it. Only then does our experience change. People will struggle with sin continually,
obeying every principle, Proverb, Psalm, commandment, and ordinance, seeking
through some means to attain unto righteousness. They can do it for a lifetime and still be
lost and damned when they stand before God. They may plead for “grace” before God; but He will answer, “I gave grace to make you free, but you
would not believe it.”
Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer
to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according
to knowledge. For they being ignorant of
God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the
righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness to every one that believeth.
Romans 10:1-4
Multitudes in the church today are so much like Israel was, even
after Jesus suffered and died to take away their sin. They are “ignorant of God’s righteousness.” They “go about to establish their own
righteousness,” and they “have not
submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.”
God’s righteousness is Christ crucified. It is the Son of God, suffering at the hands
of sinners, shedding His life’s blood, and dying the cursed death of the cross
for us. That is the “righteousness of God.” Paul told us in Romans 3:25 that God set forth Jesus “to be a propitiation (sacrifice victim) through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the
remission of sins that are past….” Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, giving Himself for a sin sacrifice, that is the
“righteousness of God” to man. That
is grace!
Paul said, “being ignorant of God's righteousness, and
going about to establish their own righteousness….” Israel continued to trust in all things
they had trusted in for hundreds of years; things that had never and could
never make them righteous. Multitudes
today seek to “establish their own
righteousness” through life principles, through the wisdom of Solomon,
through obedience to ordinances, through things that may seem “good,” but things that can never give
life or righteousness. It has produced a
dead letter of religion, with no life, but only the promise of continual
struggle and failure. They are “ignorant
of God’s righteousness.”
As long as they hope in other things for righteousness, they will
never “submit” to the “righteousness of
God.” What is the righteousness of God they will not submit to? I
have seen them submit to hundreds, even thousands of “life principles.” Some of the largest ministries in the
world today are totally committed to teaching these “principles” which can never give life, and only a “form” of righteousness. All such righteousness is that which Isaiah
called “filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6),” because it is the
product of man’s ability. They are condemned to wander forever in the
wilderness of the seventh chapter of Romans even as their teachers in whom they
trust tell them that this is the normal and true experience of the children of
God. These teachers damn their own
students as they continually encourage them with another “principle” to solve the problems caused by the last
principle. If the “law” or “principles” they
trust in do their proper job they will bring that person to total despair of
even being saved. Their teachers will do all to keep them from arriving
to that place, forever hoping in the newest things to produce some good
result. When Romans 7:9-23 has
finished its work, you will hear the cry of despair of the twenty fourth verse,
“O wretched man that I am! Who shall
deliver me from the body of this death?” The same answer will always come
to such a wretched man, “I thank God
through our Lord Jesus Christ,” or, more perfectly translated, “The
grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The righteousness of God must be submitted to. However, none but the one in total despair of
establishing their own righteousness will ever submit to it. The righteousness of God is not only “Christ crucified,” but it is also “us,
crucified with Christ.” Fallen man can only be saved through death and
resurrection “with” Jesus
Christ. Submitting to God’s righteousness is to submit to His death. Listen closely to Paul in Romans 6:6-7. “Knowing
this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be
destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.”
Paul speaks in this sixth verse of an “old
man crucified,” “a body of sin destroyed,” and, of a man that “does not serve sin.” He summarizes and
concludes the thought in the seventh verse, “For
(or because) he that is dead
(crucified with Christ) is freed from
sin.” Sin no longer reigns in the members of such a one. For we do not “crucify ourselves.” Crucifixion must be “with (in union with)
Christ.” Self-crucifixion is a long process that can never succeed. Crucifixion with Christ is finished at
Calvary, but it must be “submitted
to.” We do not receive “power
over sin,” we are “made free from sin,” the entire “body of sin” being “destroyed (nailed to the cross of Christ).” And in the seventh verse, the translators have, “For he that is dead is freed from sin,”
which is a great truth of the gospel, but it is not exactly what Paul
said. Paul said, “For he that is dead is justified
from sin.” He gives the only scriptural definition of “justification” to be found. Man says that God “justifies” a person and nothing is changed. Man then leads
that “justified” person who is still
a sinner into the “process” of
sanctification, where they wander forever in the wilderness of struggle and
failure in sin. God’s definition of justification is, “He that is dead (‘crucified with
Christ’) is justified.” Everything
is changed. Even the Greek word “dikaioo,” translated
as “justified” throughout the New
Testament, means, “rendered just.” The
English word “render” means “to return,” or “to restore.” The person who is
“crucified with Christ” is “justified.” They have been “restored to righteousness” through the
death of Jesus Christ. That is true righteousness, the righteousness that
Israel and multitudes in the church today refuse to submit to as they continue
to struggle to establish their own righteousness. But Jesus yet speaks to all of these, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Abundance of Grace
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand….
Romans 5:1-2
Those who trust in a “false
grace” to cover their sinfulness would believe it to be the “great sinner”
who would receive “abundance of
grace.” Not so! Clearly it is those who are “justified (restored to
righteousness)” that have access by faith into what Paul calls “this grace wherein we stand.” This is
the second manifestation of grace which the prophets prophesied of when they
spoke of “the grace that should come unto you (I Peter 1:10),” the first being the “sufferings of Christ,” and the second, “the glory that follows.”
It is in the results of Calvary; in this wonderful salvation itself that God “gives more grace” (James 4:6). Grace
“multiplies” (II Peter 1:2),” “…through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus
our Lord.” We are to “grow in grace” (II Peter 3:18).
God gives grace to “serve God acceptably…;”
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which
cannot be moved, let us have grace,
whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
Hebrews 12:28
and to “labour more
abundantly.”
But by the grace of God I am what I
am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they
all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
I Corinthians 15:10
God gives grace to “preach
the unsearchable riches of Christ….”
Unto me, who am less than the least of
all saints, is this grace given, that I
should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
Ephesians 3:8
God “gives grace” that
those riches of Christ might be “seen”
in the believer.
And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery….
Ephesians 3:9
Fullness of Grace
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt
among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the
Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
Notice that the “glory” which
the apostles saw in the only begotten Son of God was that He is “full of grace and truth.” Two verses later John gives us this
precious jewel, “And of his fulness have all
we received, and grace for grace” (John
1:16). Every child of God has, by new birth,
received a “portion” of all that Jesus is full of. That is, grace. John said we have received
“grace for grace.” There is no “grace” in Jesus, of which we did not
receive a corresponding portion.
There is no such thing as a child of God without love, joy, peace, etc.
These are the fruit of the spirit. Need more love? Seek more grace! Need more long suffering?
Seek more grace! We have
nothing of God beyond the measure of grace which we have received, because all
that He is grace. We receive
nothing… we have nothing, apart from Christ.
All fullness is in Him, and
we are partakers of that fullness by
grace. He “giveth more grace.” He
resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.
There is a saying in the economic world that “A rising tide lifts all boats, whether large or small.” To the
economist this simply says that in truly prosperous times both the rich and the
poor are blessed. In the economy of
Christ’s kingdom this is certainly true.
The “tide” is grace. The “boats”
are all spiritual values from the fruit of the Spirit to the work of the
ministry. When the “tide” of
grace is low, Christ is not seen in His people, love, joy, peace, etc are not
manifest, and souls are not born into the kingdom. As grace increases, there is “grace wherein we stand and rejoice” (Romans 5:2). Let grace continue to
rise, and there is “grace whereby we
serve God acceptably” (Hebrews 12:28), and “grace to labour more abundantly” (I Corinthians 15:10). Grace multiplies until there is “grace to preach the unsearchable riches of
Christ, and to make all men see…” (Ephesians
3:8-9). Finally, the apostle
dares to speak the ultimate grace, “that
ye might be filled with all the fullness
of God” (Ephesians 3:19).
This “fullness” is the “fullness of grace.” This person “reigns in life through Jesus
Christ” (Romans 5:17).
And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the
Lord Jesus: and GREAT GRACE was upon
them all.
Acts 4:33
There were two things that were called “great” about the church in the book of Acts. Those two
things were “great power,” and “great grace.” The Holy Ghost came upon
them and they were clothed with power. The grace of God came upon them
and they were clothed with Christ. The world around them could see
both. Some loved and received them, others hated and rejected them, but
none could deny either the “great power”
or the “great grace.” With these two,
they turned the world upside down in their generation. When these two come together in the church of
this last day, we also will turn the world upside down. Our greatest lack
in this generation is “great grace.”
We have seen healings and miracles of every order. In our own ministry we have seen incredible
miracles, the greatest of all within the past four years, yet “great power” alone has not brought the
harvest that must come. How desperately we need great grace. Grace is the area of our increase. No one
gets “more of the Holy Ghost,” or “more of Jesus.” God does not give
Himself or His Spirit to man by measure. If you have been born again, you
have Jesus Christ. If you have been
filled with the Holy Ghost, you have the Holy Ghost. You didn’t receive “just a little” of either. Only grace comes by measure to the
children of God. It is only grace that God gives more of. Only
grace will grow, and multiply until we have “abundance of grace” and even a “fullness
of grace.” All other things of God seem to increase with the increase
of grace, but nothing of God increases without the increase of grace. Our great need is for grace. More grace. Grace multiplied, until it
becomes abundance of grace. Only when “great
grace” meets with “great power,”
will we reap the “great harvest” which
is set before us.
Message 6 - By Leroy Surface - True Grace
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