The Five Solas (2017): Sola Gratia

So I just kind of want to go ahead and let you know that I'm extremely physically fatigued this morning.

Shorter breath.

Really tired.

And I think I might even would have passed this off to somebody else, but I thought I'll let Caleb do it.

! Wait a minute, Caleb's doing music. He can't do it.

So I was kind of just thinking I have to deal with it.

So I'm really tired, but I wonder why sometimes God allows me to be so driven down at a time like this.

Where I'm like, this is so important. This is so rich.

I want to feel good for it. I want to have energy for it.

But, and two brothers have quoted the same scripture to me on separate occasions this morning.

But, ultimately, it's so that I may not boast in my own strength that God's grace is sufficient.

And that His power has made perfect in weakness.

And so I've got nothing. I have nothing for you this morning.

Like, you're going to be, if you receive anything good this morning, it's going to be simply because of the grace of God and because of the power of His Word.

And so, throughout the service, just keep me in prayer.

And I pray that.

I was remembering Richard Baxter, who was a Puritan pastor.

He said, a man only preacheth well to others when he first preacheth to his own soul.

And so I've been trying to remind myself that this is not just a lecture on grace.

This is something that's life-giving, even to me, as I think about it, pray over it, read it.

And so, just join me in prayer one more time here.

Father, we gather this morning, not because of any other reason, but to celebrate Your greatness, to celebrate who You are and what You've done for us.

So, Lord, I ask this morning that You would give me just enough to make it through this time,

that Your Word would minister to people, that it would have its desired effect on people.

You would meet each one of us where we are.

You would convict us of sin.

You would break us down.

But then You would build us up and fill us with life because of Christ.

Heal the brokenhearted.

Set the captive free.

Lord, have Your way this morning.

In Christ's name, Amen.

So last week, we started a five-week series on the five solos of the Reformation.

And so, if you don't know, the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation is coming up on October 31st.

And I just kind of want to be clear about this.

It's not a movement that we worship.

It's not certain men that we worship.

It's about the God that worked in that time and brought about certain things for His glory during that time that we worship.

And so, we can learn from the past.

We can learn from those who went before us.

I think it's the height of arrogance, especially in our culture, that we don't need things from the past.

That we're much more advanced and smarter than a lot of the men and women who went before us.

But, you know, as a pastor, as someone who does find much encouragement from history,

I think you would be terrified if you could see the parallels between the modern evangelical church and the medieval church.

I think you would be really terrified.

There's so much that has come back.

And we have very much slipped back into medievalism in a lot of ways.

So, October 31st, 1517 is the day when the German Augustinian monk Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the All Saints Church in Wittenberg, Germany.

And it was a protest against the selling of indulgences by the Roman church.

The irony of it is that Luther actually thought that Rome was being misrepresented by the selling of indulgences.

He thought this was something that if the Pope knew that this was happening, he would not be okay with it.

So, the irony is he dedicated the 95 theses to Pope Leo.

Pretty funny.

So, then later on he came to find out that, like, wait a minute, this has actually got Rome's stamp of approval on it.

The selling of indulgences, a certified document from Rome that could absolve someone from their sins if they bought it, if they bought it with money.

And you could get yourself or a dead relative out of purgatory or out of hell to go to heaven.

With an indulgence.

And it started when a man named John Tetzel, who was like the number one seller of indulgences in the Holy Roman Empire at the time,

came to Luther's area and he started corrupting his people with the teaching of indulgences.

And it really ticked Luther off.

And so, he said, wait a minute, this is not Scripture.

This is not what grace is.

This is not what salvation is.

And so, he protested, again, to his horror, only to find out at the end of the day that Rome was behind this.

Rome was supporting it.

And so, instead of leaning into Luther's call for reformation, Rome, you know, bucked up against it and pushed against the need for reform.

But I think it's important to say that Luther was not the first reformer.

There were plenty of men who went before him who taught the same things, including people in England like John Wycliffe, which we talked about before.

A man named John Huss, who was a bohemian pastor, who taught that salvation was by grace alone, that the Scripture alone was our authority.

He taught in the language of the common people and not in Latin.

And for that, he was eventually burned at the stake by Rome, stripped him of all his preaching garments.

And supposedly, okay, John Huss said to the bishop who was setting him on fire,

in a hundred years, there's a man that's going to come, and you're not going to be able to stop him.

You're not going to be able to silence him like you're trying to silence me.

And so, almost to the day, a hundred years later, is when Luther came into being a monk.

And here's the irony.

He was actually ordained as a monk in the same cathedral where that bishop was buried.

Like, he was buried underneath where Luther was taking that oath.

And so, the joke goes that after John Huss said,

in a hundred years, someone's going to come and you won't be able to silence,

the bishop said, over my dead body.

So, really, that was a prophecy that came true.

And so, but I want you to be clear that Luther,

Swingley,

John Calvin,

John Huss,

none of these men were perfect men.

If you study them,

you will see that they were in just as much need of these doctrines as we were.

They were not perfect men.

And indeed, some of the things that they did would frighten you, I think.

So, we don't celebrate them.

We celebrate our God that they made much of, right?

And so, the five solas really were consolidated as doctrines,

maybe around the 20th century.

So, it wasn't like the Reformers got together and said,

hey, these are five things that we believe.

It was just things that were being taught.

And we brought them together probably around the 20th century.

And why is important?

Why is that important?

Because, well, first let me tell you what they are.

I apologize.

It means that Scripture alone is our authority.

The salvation is by God's grace alone,

through faith alone,

in Christ alone,

and all to the glory of God alone.

And why is that so important?

Well, if it's not alone,

then you're saying something has to be added.

Then you're saying the Scripture and something.

Grace and something.

Faith and something.

Christ and something.

And to the glory of God and something else.

So, that's why it has to be alone, right?

So, by stating these solas,

you were stating what's true,

and at the same time,

you're stating what was false.

So, the Reformers were saying,

Scripture is not only necessary,

it's sufficient.

Christ is not only necessary,

He's enough.

And that grace is not only necessary,

but God's grace alone is what saves.

So, those are just so important

to keep in our mind

that Rome taught these things,

but they didn't teach them alone.

They just thought that they were necessary and good.

So, today,

it brings us to sola gratia,

grace alone.

And there is so much about this.

I think part of my problem

was I had just a wealth of things

I was looking at this week

that I was just overwhelmed by it all.

So,

God's grace alone is what saves us.

It encompasses all our salvation.

And so,

just to start with this,

the Roman view of grace,

the Roman Catholic view of grace,

then,

and now,

is that grace,

in essence,

is God's merited favor

or divine assistance

that He dispenses

to those who seek to please Him.

Alright?

Grace,

in essence,

is God's merited favor,

which doesn't quite sound right.

So,

they were taught,

then and now,

taught that sinners are justified

by God's grace

plus some merit of their own,

and that the road of salvation

begins with the individual's efforts

aided by the grace of God.

So,

through keeping the commands of Christ,

regular confession,

penance,

taking of the sacraments,

God's grace is,

in fact,

infused into believers.

Like,

it's something that God dispenses

and strengthens you with.

Right?

So,

when enough merit

has been obtained,

then and only then

is it right for God

to justify you

and make you right

in His sight.

But Rome,

at this time,

taught that actually

no one could ever

merit enough

to have salvation.

No one.

Right?

And so,

that's why

purgatory exists.

So,

purgatory

is not a

biblical idea

at all.

But Rome taught,

again,

that no one

can merit enough

salvation,

merit enough

to achieve salvation.

So,

purgatory

is a safety net.

So,

if you can't work it out

in this life,

you fall down

to the next one

and you

are able to work it out

there

and then

later on

be admitted

to heaven.

But if I could,

I would,

many people

have summed up

Rome's teaching

on grace

just like this.

God helps those

who help

themselves.

Okay?

So,

that was a Roman idea.

And,

here's the shocking

thing though.

A study a few years ago

of evangelicals,

half of them

thought that that was

a direct

biblical quotation.

Eighty-four percent

of them believed

it was at least

a biblical idea.

And so,

it's not just

scary

to think that we are

again,

drifting back

into medievalism.

It is

very frightening

indeed.

In fact,

Benjamin Franklin

is the one

who penned that.

God helps those

who help themselves

in Paul Richard's

Almanac

in 1739.

But he really

was echoing

something that

the Roman church

taught

at the time

of the Reformation.

A very popular

phrase that Rome

taught

to the masses

was this phrase,

God will not

deny His grace

to those

who do

what they can.

So,

deep down,

right,

man's sinful

pride wants

to believe

that if we

cannot save

ourselves,

that we at

least can

contribute

something

to aid

in our

salvation.

So,

the Reformers

came along

and said,

no,

God is not,

grace is not

God's merited

favor.

Grace means

His unmerited

favor.

It's the very

opposite of

grace.

You can't have

grace and

merit.

You can either

have merit

or grace.

And so,

if you want a

definition of

God's grace,

here you go.

God's grace

means His

unmerited

favor and

goodness

towards those

who only

deserve

punishment.

God's grace

means His

unmerited

favor and

goodness

towards those

who only

deserve

punishment.

Romans 11,

6 says,

if it is by

grace,

then it is

no longer

on the

basis of

works.

Otherwise,

grace would

no longer

be grace.

So,

you can't

have both

together.

So,

the Reformers

were saying

grace is not

something God

just dispenses.

It's an

attribute He

possesses.

It's in His

nature to

be gracious.

It's His

kindness and

His grace

alone that

saves.

So,

as we look

at this,

we're going

to use

Ephesians 2

to walk

through this

idea of

grace.

And again,

this is a

scripture alone,

not on just

what people

say.

We're going

to do it in

the form of

questions like

I like to

do a lot

of the time.

So,

I'll read

the text

with you

and

we'll go

from there.

Chapter 2,

verse 1.

And you

were dead

in your

trespasses

and sins,

in which

you once

walked,

following the

course of

this world,

following the

prince of

the power

of the air,

the spirit

that is now

at work,

and the

sons of

disobedience,

among whom

we all

once

live in

the passions

of our

flesh,

carrying out

the desires

of the body

and the mind,

and by

nature,

children of

wrath like

the rest

of mankind.

But God,

being rich in

mercy,

because of the

great love

with which

he loved us,

even when we

were dead

and our

trespasses,

made us alive

together with

Christ,

by grace

you have

been saved,

and raised

us up with

him and

seated us

with him

in heavenly

places in

Christ Jesus,

so that in

the coming

ages he

might show

the immeasurable

riches of

his grace

and kindness

towards us

in Christ

Jesus.

For by grace

you have been

saved through

faith,

and this is

not your

undoing,

it is the

gift of

God,

not a result

of works,

so that no

one may

boast.

For we are

his workmanship,

created in

Christ Jesus

for good

works,

which God

prepared beforehand

that we

should walk

in them.

So that's

our text,

and there is

so much to

learn about

grace in

this text,

so much.

So,

the first

question we're

going to ask

is,

how great

is our

need for

God's

grace?

How great

is our

need for

God's

grace?

We see

this in

the first

three verses,

one through

three,

we see

that our

need is

very,

very great

for God's

grace.

We were

created in

the image

of God,

to walk

with him,

to know

him,

to live

in joyful

obedience

and relationship

with him,

and to honor

him in all

we do,

to reflect

his image

wherever we

go.

We had a

special standing

with God,

unlike anyone

else,

any other

thing in

all the

created

order.

Yet,

tragically,

we know

that each

one of

us have

completely

forfeited

our special

standing

with God

by rebelling

against him,

sinning

against him,

and turning

away from

him.

Isaiah 53,

6,

all we like

sheep have

gone astray.

We have

turned everyone

to his own

way.

We all

have done

this,

every one

of us.

we have

separated

ourselves

from God

and now

we are

alienated

from him

in our

lost,

fallen

state.

So,

that's the

testimony of

scripture.

It's the

testimony of

history.

If you

think that

man has

some goodness

in him,

you need

to open

your eyes

to your

own heart

and the

world around

you,

and you

will see

that it's

not there.

St. Augustine,

who was a

fourth-century

church father,

he was one

that a lot

of the

reformers

looked to

rediscover,

to pick back

up on

the gospel.

He said,

the whole

humility of

man consists

in the

knowledge of

himself.

So,

let's look at

this text so

we can gain

a better

idea of

that.

First off,

we see that

man is

dead in

his

trespasses

and sin.

So,

again,

many in

our

churches

today,

just like

in the

medieval

Roman

church,

we

believe

in a

lot of

ways.

If you

just go

around the

churches,

listen to

sermons,

listen to

what people

look for

in church,

we really

believe that

we're born

basically

good,

that we

need God

to help

us a little

bit and

give us

some moral

guidance on

how to

live a good

life,

but we

just need

some

encouragement.

And that

would be a

heresy

called

Pelagianism

because

we believe

that man

is born

basically

good.

Pelagianism.

Man is

not just

born

spiritually

sick.

Okay?

If you're

sick,

you just

need a

doctor to

give you

some medical

attention to

make you

better.

That's what

would be

called

semi-Pelagianism

or Arminianism.

You can

cooperate.

You just

have to have

somebody come

and help

you.

Like you're

sick,

you're

desperate for

some help

and all

you need

is someone

to come

and give

you some

attention.

But we

see that

man is

dead in

his

trespasses,

born in

sin and

by nature

spiritually

dead.

That word

means corpse.

So not

just spiritually

misguided,

are spiritually

sick,

but we're

spiritually

dead.

Meaning our

souls are

dead to

all that

God is and

that we have

no ability

to do

spiritual

good.

before God

or to

initiate

a relationship

with God.

We're born

dead in

sin.

It says

this in our

text.

This is what

he's trying

to say.

And he's

setting it

up for

something else

though.

Not only

are we

dead in

sin,

let's see

that our

spiritual

senses have

been darkened

by sin.

Men are

born blind

in death

to spiritual

truth.

That's what

the Bible

teaches.

Verse 3,

they live

in the

passions

of our

flesh,

carrying out

the desires

of the

body and

the mind.

Our minds

are darkened

by sin

and our

hearts

corrupted

by evil

and fallen

man cannot

even begin

to initiate

to initiate

something good

with God.

Paul wrote

later on

in the same

letter,

just turn

up a couple

chapters to

chapter 4

in Ephesians,

but verse

17,

chapter 4,

he says,

Now this I

say in

testifying

the Lord,

that you

must no

longer walk

as the

Gentiles do

in the

futility

of their

minds.

They are

darkened

in their

understanding,

alienated

from the

life of

God

because of

the ignorance

that is in

them due

to the

hardness

of heart,

their

hardness

of heart.

They have

become

callous

and have

even given

themselves

up to

sensuality,

greedy to

practice every

kind of

impurity.

So look at

those terms,

darkened

in understanding,

alienated

from God,

ignorant,

hardness

of heart,

callous.

That is a

description of

who we are

before Christ.

It's

terrifying.

Not only

this,

if we keep

reading back

in our text

in Ephesians

2, it says

that we

followed the

prince of

the power

of the

air.

That's

Satan,

the devil.

This is

terrifying.

Before we

are in

Christ,

scripture

says that

we are

children of

the devil,

under his

control,

enslaved to

sin.

Alright?

If you don't

agree with that,

just listen to

this.

Jesus was

talking in

John 8

with a large

group of

people who

refused to

believe that

he was the

son of

God.

And this

is what he

said to

them.

This is

not real

seeker friendly

at all.

He says,

you are of

your father,

the devil,

and you

want to

do the

will of

your father.

That's

scary.

Paul later

on prayed

that unbelievers

would escape

the snare

of the devil

after being

captured by

him to

do his

will.

2 Timothy

2.26

God.

So not

all belong

to God,

and that's

a frightening

thought.

It says

that we

are sons

of

disobedience

and our

end is

wrath.

That's what

we read

right here

in our

text.

By

nature,

we are

children

of

wrath

like the

rest

of

mankind.

So,

left in

our fallen

original

state,

we are

only objects

of God's

wrath

and

condemnation.

So,

not just

sick,

not just

misguided,

but desperately,

desperately

fallen.

We are

dead in

our

trespasses.

So,

why is this

so important,

right?

Well,

you will

minimize

the grace

of God

if you

hold too

high a

view of

yourself.

In the

Roman church

at this

time,

they had

pragmatic

theologians

and they

taught,

at least

in this

time,

right,

they judged

a doctrine

to be

true or

not,

if it

was useful

for

contemporary

life,

and if

it wasn't

hard to

grasp.

So,

Erasmus,

who was

one of

Luther's

opponents

later on,

Roman

Catholic

theologian,

Desiderius

Erasmus,

he basically

said,

look,

Luther,

even if

Scripture

does teach

that man

is so

fallen,

so

depraved,

so

helpless,

we

shouldn't

teach the

people

that,

because if

we do,

they're just

going to

despair,

and they're

not even

going to

want to

even try

to improve

their

condition.

That's

what they

taught.

Sound

familiar

today?

As where

the

reformers

and Luther

said,

no,

it's the

eternal

idea of

God's

truth that

matters,

not our

feelings,

or whether

or not

we think

something's

helpful or

not,

and you

will

diminish,

if you

diminish our

desperate

spiritual

condition,

you will

diminish the

glory of

God in

saving us.

That's what

they were

saying.

So it

doesn't matter

if it's

helpful in

our moment

or not,

in this

moment or

not.

So,

such a

desperate

spiritual

state leaves

us at

God's

mercy.

And it

goes to

question

number

two.

Go back

to Ephesians

two.

You see

this in

verses five

and six.

Okay,

the question

is,

how did

God provide

his grace

for us?

Verses

five and

six.

And we

see

beautifully

that he

did it

in Christ

by sending

his son.

this saving

grace that

we know,

this unmerited

favor of

the Father

came at

a great

cost.

It

was costly

grace because

it cost the

precious blood

of Christ,

the only

blood of

the Father.

Ephesians

one,

verse seven,

it says,

in him,

in Christ,

we have

redemption

through his

blood,

the forgiveness

of our

trespasses

according to

the riches

of his

grace,

which he

lavished on

us.

So,

we don't

have really

many places

to turn this

morning other

than Ephesians

two,

but my

classic text,

go to

Romans five,

Romans five

really quick.

I just

want you to

see this.

Romans five

and go to

verse six.

God

provided his

grace for

us and

he sent

Christ to

come and

die on

our behalf.

provided in

the Savior.

Okay.

Romans five

verse six.

For while

we were

still weak,

at the

right time

Christ died

for the

ungodly.

Okay,

now,

pause.

So,

God doesn't

help those

who help

themselves.

It says

that we

are weak

and helpless.

We cannot

help

ourselves.

Right?

We're not

in any

position.

At the

right time

Christ died

for the

ungodly.

For one

will scarcely

die for

a righteous

person,

though perhaps

for a good

person one

would even

dare to

die.

Listen to

this.

But God

chose his

love for

us and

that while

we were

still

sinners,

Christ

died for

us.

Since

therefore we

now have

been justified

by his

blood,

much more

shall I be

saved by

him from

the wrath

of God.

For if

we were

enemies,

we were

reconciled

to God

by the

death

of his

son.

Much

more,

now that

we are

reconciled,

shall we

be saved

by his

life.

So good.

Chew on

those verses

today when

you go

home.

But you

see these

phrases that

are used

of a lost

person?

Without

Christ,

they are

ungodly,

they are

weak,

they are

enemies,

they are

sinners,

and they are

separated.

That is

all scary

news,

right?

But we

see that

Christ died

for us,

reconciled us

to God,

and made

us right

with God.

Beautiful

picture.

Okay?

So,

this is a

picture of

the work,

how God

provided his

grace for

us,

that he

sent Christ

to die

for us.

So listen

to this,

if you can,

just pull

in,

take this

in.

again,

it's in

God's

nature

to be

gracious.

So God

is not

gracious

to us

because

Jesus

died for

us.

Jesus

died for

us because

God is

gracious to

us.

You

follow that?

God is

not gracious

to us

because Christ

died for

us,

but Christ

died for

us because

God is

gracious.

gracious.

So it

is the

grace of

the Father

who initiated

with us

and that

Jesus came

and died

in our

place.

He is

how we

have the

grace of

God.

So in a

sense,

the reformers

were saying

that grace

isn't some

thing that

God just

sort of

throws out

to us.

He sent

us Christ

and in

Christ is

all the

grace we

need.

In

Christ,

not outside

of Christ.

So,

they were

saying we

can distort

the character

of the

Father.

He is

just,

he is

righteous,

but he

is also

gracious

and loving.

Right?

And that's

how we see

in Romans,

right,

that God

remained

just by

punishing

Christ,

but in

through that

he became

the justifier

of the

one who

had faith

in Christ.

Brings us

to our

third

question.

What is

the means

of receiving

God's

grace?

Alright,

look at

verses 8

and 9.

For by

grace you

have been

saved

through

faith,

and this

is not

your own

doing,

it is

the gift

of God,

not of

the result

of works,

so that

no one

may boast.

So,

as fallen

human beings,

we all

have a

tendency,

every one

of you,

and me,

we have a

tendency to

want to seek

to earn

God's favor.

behavior.

This is

how the

world operates

around us,

every day,

right?

Kids try to

be on good

behavior to

earn their

parents'

favor.

Students

work really

hard to

make good

grazing class.

You work

really hard

to make a

sports team

and perform

well at work

to hopefully

get a

promotion.

Our whole

life is

saturated with

performance-based

acceptance.

acceptance.

So,

very easily

that drips

into our

relationship

with God.

So,

if you

struggle with

that,

just know

that's

affecting,

you know,

your

understanding

of the

nature of

God,

right?

And it's

something that

the other

religions and

cults of the

world have

picked up on.

You know,

work your

way,

earn your

way to

God,

appease

Him some

way,

and that's

not how it

is.

The reality

is that God's

salvation is by

grace alone.

And that's a

message that the

whole world needs

to hear.

So,

God doesn't even

want you to

contribute 1%

of your

salvation so

that you have

no grounds

to boast,

right?

So,

imagine if

someone committed

the most

atrocious crime

to you,

towards you,

and then they

tried to make

amends by giving

you just a little

bit of money

for it.

You know,

that makes no

sense at all.

And that's how

we kind of act

with God,

that,

you know,

we can

disapace His

justice if we

just do a

few,

quote,

good things.

And that's

not how His

justice works.

Remember,

God's grace

means that His

unmerited favor

and goodness

towards those

who deserve

only punishment.

None of us

deserve it.

Again,

otherwise,

grace would

not be

grace.

And He is

not under

obligation to

show us

grace.

You should

hear that.

God is not

obligated to

show us

grace.

Exodus 33,

19,

also quoted

in Romans

9,

Lord,

the Lord

said,

I will be

gracious to

whom I

will be

gracious,

and I

will show

mercy on

whom I

will show

mercy.

Yet,

astonishingly,

astonishingly,

shockingly,

God did

choose to

show us

His grace.

And it

was a

gift,

a gift

of God

that we

read,

right?

That means

like the

faith,

the faith

itself is

a gift

of God

towards you.

So,

one commentator

I read,

he said,

faith is

simply breathing

the breath

that God's

grace provides.

Faith is

breathing the

breath that

God's grace

provides.

So we

cannot be

good enough,

we cannot

do enough

good works

to make

ourselves

right with

God.

we cannot.

So,

the only

way to

receive it

again is

by faith.

And God's

grace provides

this.

Question

number four.

Thanks for

bearing with

me,

I'm

struggling

right now.

Question

number four.

Why,

this is

important,

why did

God choose

to show

us His

grace?

Why?

See this

in verses

four and

seven.

God being

rich in

mercy

because of

the great

love which

He loved

us.

And in

verse seven,

so that in

the coming

age He

might show

the immeasurable

riches of

His grace

and kindness

towards us

in Christ

Jesus.

So,

it could

be said

that the

first two

words of

that are

so beautiful,

but God,

right?

though we

were helplessly

lost,

enslaved to

sin,

children of

the devil,

held captive

to do

His will,

hearts darkened

by sin,

minds

corrupted by

evil,

though we

had done

nothing but

rebel against

Him,

but God.

So,

why did

God choose

us to

show us

His grace?

Not because

we were

worthy,

not because

we cleaned

ourselves up

enough to

make ourselves

acceptable to

God,

not because

we earned

His favor,

we earned

only death,

Romans 6,

the wages of

sin is death,

right?

only because

of the

riches of

His mercy

and grace.

So,

this word,

this word

rich right

here that

you see,

it means

overabounding

without measure

in mercy

towards us.

So,

that is

God's mercy,

His pardoning,

His forgiving.

So,

then we read

because of

the great

love with

which He

loved us,

agape,

my favorite,

one of my

favorite words,

agape,

the highest

form of

love and

existence.

So,

it's not like,

I think most

of us can't

get our heads

around this.

I think we

minimize like

how great

this idea

of love is.

It's not