Cecil Hutson Sermon Archive

April 6, 2003 AM

SALVATION: AMAZING GRACE

ROM 3:23-26

INTRO: The best known hymn in the western world is probably Amazing Grace. It is a hymn which is heard from bagpipes to the country and western world. I have even heard a rendition of it from the Boston Pops Orchestra. As widely known and recognized as it may be, I am still wondering if the western world really has any understanding of and appreciation for Gods amazing grace. This hymn is used almost as a talisman which is waved over every sort of event, person or situation in a way which gives approval to events and lives which are lived totally outside of the realm of Gods will! Amazing Grace has become a human attempt to say that God will probably accept any and all comers in whatever condition they come before Him upon death.

I. SALVATION IS MOST ASSUREDLY BY AND BECAUSE OF GODS GRACE

A. Grace: the unmerited favor of God

1. there are no doubt numerous definitions of grace given

2. but this simply statement seems to cover the subject very well

B. What do we mean by unmerited?

1. just that ... humanity has not, cannot merit, earn the favor of God

2. the story of humanity is one of rebellion against God, of violation of Gods law and will, of unappreciativeness for Gods blessings - He owes us nothing!

C. While it is unmerited, grace is still conditional

1. the unmerited undergirds Gods decision to provide a plan for redeeming

2. the conditional underpins each individuals reception of redemption and sanctification

II. AN ILLUSTRATION OF THIS UNMERITED, CONDITIONAL GRACE - JOSH 6:1-5

A. At v. 2 - See, I have given into thine hand Jericho...

1. Jericho was a strong city - well fortified militarily

2. Israel was not accustomed to warfare, to conquest - weak by comparison

3. recall Deut 20:1-4 ... God was the key to any victories of Israel

4. Jericho was a gift from God to Israel

B. But look carefully vv. 3-5 - And ye shall compass the city...

1. Israel did not have the strength to militarily conquer Jericho - it was a gift

2. but the grace was conditional ... and it was God Who set the conditions

3. the conditions probably looked very strange to any observers

4. but they were the conditions God set for the reception of the gift - and the gift did not become theirs in fact until the conditions had been met (Josh 6:15,16)

C. Was Jericho any less a gift because the Giver made it conditional?

1. some would, I suppose, say that it was no longer a gift if conditional

2. however, that is simply not the case ... Israel could not have taken the city; Israel had done nothing to merit the city; the conditions did not earn the city

3. this is simply an illustration of Gods grace and mans faith meeting in obedience to the specified will of God

4. should we refuse a gift from God simply because we insist on no conditions?

III. SO, WHAT OF EPH 2:4-9?

A. Salvation is the gift of God

1. no human being on earth is deserving of it, merits it, earns it!

2. the unmerited favor of God has extended it to humanity

3. never, never would I suggest otherwise - I revel in this great gift

B. Salvation is by Gods grace through faith

1. if there was not another word in all of scripture on the subject, this passage clearly tells us that the individual reception of Gods gracious salvation is conditional

2. at v. 8 the condition of faith is explicit, inescapable

3. now, at Acts 6:7 something about faith is noted which we cannot overlook ... it is obedient faith (note, too, Rom 16:26)

C. Is there something here we need to see?

1. perhaps it would be helpful to read Mk 16:15,16

2. if salvation is the aim (and this passage clearly says it is), both faith and baptism (obedience to the faith) are personal conditions with which one must comply to receive the gift offered by God

3. this is certainly compatible to the circumstances of the Joshua passage

4. nothing has been merited; nothing has been earned ... but the conditional nature of Gods gracious salvation has been recognized and satisfied

CLOSE: I can only ask you to consider that Gods amazing grace calls for more from us that so many have been willing to recognize. To comply with Gods specific terms of the gift of salvation is Biblical and consistent with all of Gods dealings with humanity ... and reflects in no way on the gift.

Cecil A. Hutson

06 April 2003

God's Plan of Salvation

You Must Hear the Gospel

You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

You Must Believe

You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)

You Must Repent

You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)

You Must Confess

You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)

You Must Be Baptized for the Remission of Sins

Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!

You Must Be Faithful Unto Death

Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)

What is the church of Christ?

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus promised to build a church. In Acts 2:47, Luke tells us that people were being added to that church. Thus, we can conclude that Jesus built His church sometime between His promise in Matthew 16 and Luke’s statement in Acts 2. Indeed, a closer study of the events in Acts 2 reveals that the Lord’s church was established on that first day of Pentecost following the Lord’s resurrection when Peter preached the first gospel sermon. That church is the church of Christ.

A common misconception about the church of Christ is that “The Church of Christ” is its name. It is not. The “church of Christ” is its description. The church of Christ is the church that belongs to Christ, that was established by Christ, that was built by Christ, and that was bought by Christ. It is not our church; it is His church, the Lord’s church. We are not voted into the church by men, and we do not join a church the way some might join a country club. Instead, God adds us to His church when we obey His gospel.

Are those in the church of Christ the only people who are going to be saved? Of course they are! God adds people to His church when they are saved. If you are not in the Lord’s church, then you are not saved. If you are saved, then you are in the Lord’s church. To be saved outside of the church of Christ is to be saved outside of the body of Christ – and that can never happen. Jesus is not just a way to the Father; he is the way to the Father. As Jesus said in John 14:6, “ I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Thus, the real question is not what is the church of Christ, but is rather how do you become a part of the church of Christ? That question was asked in the first century as it is asked today, and the answer remains the same. We are saved and added to the Lord’s church when we obey the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like the Apostle Paul, we are saved when our sins are washed away at our baptism.

There is one church of Christ. If you are a member of something else or something more or something less, then you are not serving God according to His plan or according to His will. He wants you to be a Christian and only a Christian, wearing only the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, who is the head and the savior of the church, His body.

Want to know more? Here are 10 things everyone should understand about the church, here are some common misconceptions about the church, and here is how God views the church.

What Must I Do?

What must I do? That same question was asked in Acts 2:37 at the end of the very first gospel sermon ever preached. Before we look at Peter’s answer in verse 38, let’s look at some answers Peter did NOT give.

What must I do? John Calvin answers, “Nothing!” According to Calvin, there is nothing we must do and nothing we can do. Each of us has already been personally predestined to Heaven or Hell without regard to anything we do on Earth, and so, logically, according to Calvin, the only answer to the question in Acts 2:37 is “Nothing.” But that is NOT how Peter answered that question.

What must I do? Many preachers today answer, “You must make Jesus the Lord of your life.” But that answer makes absolutely no sense then or now! Peter had just said in Acts 2:36 that “God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Jesus was already Lord of their lives! Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings, which means he is your Lord and your King whether or not you obey him or believe him. We obey Jesus because he is Lord and King – not to make him Lord and King.

What must I do? Many preachers today answer, “You must pray the sinner’s prayer and invite the Lord Jesus into you heart.” But no one in the Bible was ever told to do that. In fact, Paul prayed after he saw Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), and yet Paul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always (Acts 10:2), and yet there remained something he still had to do after calling for Peter (Acts 10:6). If praying the sinner’s prayer was all that Paul and Cornelius needed to do, then why were Ananias and Peter needed?

What must I do? Listen as Peter answers that question: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38) That answer has not changed one bit in the intervening 2000 years. If your preacher is telling you something different, then you need a new preacher! “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” (Acts 22:16)

Want to know more? Here is God's Plan of Salvation.

Cecil Hutson

Baptism in the Bible

Matthew 28:19

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Mark 16:16

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Acts 2:38

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 8:36

And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

Acts 22:16

And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Romans 6:3

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Romans 6:4

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

1 Corinthians 12:13

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Galatians 3:27

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Ephesians 4:5

One Lord, one faith, one baptism.

Colossians 2:12

Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

1 Peter 3:21

The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Want to Know More?

Please read this lesson on baptism from our series of lessons on Thought Provoking Questions.

Gospel Sermons

We have many audio gospel sermons available in MP3 format. We also have a selection of articles on how to preach, and we have over 650 sermons by Cecil Hutson.

Bible Class Notes

On this web site, you will find 1000's of pages of detailed class notes and 100's of hours of audio lessons on a variety of Bible books and Bible subjects. Recent classes include 13 lessons on how to teach the Bible and 4 lessons on Matthew (all with video).

Our class on Revelation provides a detailed verse-by-verse treatment of that beautiful book in 25 lessons with audio. Is Revelation all about Heaven and the end of the world as so many believe? Revelation promises a blessing to those who read and heed what it says, which means that the book is meant to be understood and that it can be understood. But to understand Revelation we must read it through first century eyes, and we must study it in light of the Old Testament.

We have 38 lessons on the prophecies of Daniel with audio. How is Daniel related to Revelation? What are the 70 weeks? What is the abomination of desolation?

We have 28 lessons on the books of Ezra and Esther. What are the themes of those two books? Why is Esther such a strange book? What was the history of that time?

We have 25 lessons on the book of Isaiah with video. What can we learn about the Lord's church from the book of Isaiah? What was the history of that time? These lessons are also available in video format.

We also have 24 lessons on First Corinthians. In this epistle, Paul deals with many current issues facing the church both then and now: immorality, divorce and remarriage, the role of women, spiritual gifts, the importance of love, and the resurrection of the body.

We have 25 lessons on Second Corinthians. In this epistle, Paul continues to deal with problems facing the church in Corinth, which now include an influx of false apostles who are belittling Paul and demeaning his apostolic authority.

We have 13 lessons on the books of First & Second Peter. Were those books written by Peter? Was Peter the first pope? Why were those books written? Are false teachers still a problem today?

We also have 23 lessons on the book of Romans. These lessons take you on a verse by verse study of what many consider to be the most beautiful book in the Bible.

We have 25 lessons on the book of Ezekiel. These lessons take you on a verse by verse study of this fascinating but often neglected book from the Old Testament.

We have 11 lessons about Elijah and Elisha. These notes provide a verse by verse study of 1 Kings 16 through 2 Kings 13, as well as a lesson about the role of Elijah in the New Testament.

We have 13 lessons on James and Jude, the two letters written by the earthly (half)-brothers of Christ. They have much to tell us about the Christian life and how we are to contend for the faith in a godless world.

We have 25 lessons on Thought Provoking Questions with over 500 pages of detailed class notes and special handouts. Topics include: Marriage & Divorce, Baptism, The Role of Women in the Church, End Times, Mormonism, Social Drinking & Gambling, Instrumental Music, The Lord's Church, Evolution & Intelligent Design, Forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, the Afterlife, Secular Humanism, Premillennialism and the Rapture, The Restoration Movement, Alleged Contradictions in the Bible, The Christian and the Law, Time and Chance, The New Hermeneutic, God and Politics, Jehovah's Witnesses, Islam, and Muhammad.