Title: God’s Gift
Text: Rom 6: 23; 1 Jn 5: 11, 12
Date: January 9, 2014
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Eternal
life is a gift from God through (and in) Christ Jesus his Son. It is impossible
to read the scriptures without acknowledging that eternal life is a gift of
God.
Romans 6:23: For
the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
1 John 5: 11: And
this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in
his Son. 12: He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the
Son of God hath not life.
Eternal
life is a gift of God in (and through) Christ Jesus. We all understand “gift
giving.” A few weeks ago we all enjoyed
time with our families, giving and receiving gifts.
Proposition: God’s gift of eternal life is much like our gift giving.
Therefore, it should help us enter into how God gives eternal life by comparing
it to how we give gifts.
Divisions:
My outline is taken from an introduction I preached from one of our Ephesians
messages. I sent these points as one of
the daily readings this week. I want to use these points for my outline and
expound on them a bit tonight.
I. FIRST, WHEN WE GIVE A GIFT WE GIVE IT TO
WHOMSOEVER WE WILL. LIKEWISE, GOD GIVES ETERNAL LIFE TO WHOMSOEVER HE WILL.
John 17: 1: These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his
eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy
Son also may glorify thee: 2: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that
he should give eternal life to as many
as thou hast given him….9: I pray
for them: I pray not for the world, but
for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine….24: Father, I will
that they also, whom thou hast given me,
be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me:
for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
God Gives to His Choice
God
gives eternal life to those that God chose to give it to. Men are offended at
God’s right to give the gift of life to whosoever he will. Yet, when you give a gift you are not obligated
to give that gift to everyone. Neither
is God obligated to give eternal life to all men. That God would give eternal
life to anyone is solely of God’s grace—because there is nothing in man to
cause God to give it.
Romans 3: 23: For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God;
If
there was a cause in us then eternal life would not be a gift—we would have
earned it—it would be a wage earned. Sinners are offended at God’s sovereign, free
election of grace because: one, it declares men are sinners and therefore in no
way entitled or deserving of God’s gift of life—men think they are; two, it
makes the gift of salvation to be by God’s choice rather than man’s choice.
This is what offends man.
Application:
Suppose you gave a gift to someone you love
and strangers began to accuse you of being unjust because you did not give them
the same gift. You would think they were
absurd. They have no right to question
you or accuse you.
Romans 9: 14: What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 15: For he saith to Moses, I will have
mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have
compassion. 16: So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth,
but of God that sheweth mercy. 17: For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even
for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in
thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.18: Therefore
hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
19: Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath
resisted his will? 20: Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?
Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me
thus? 21: Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one
vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
So like
us, God gives his gift of eternal life to whomsoever he chooses to give it.
II. WHEN WE GIVE A GIFT, WE PURCHASE IT
OURSELVES. LIKEWISE, GOD SENT HIS SON WHO PAID THE PURCHASE PRICE TO GIVE HIS
PEOPLE ETERNAL LIFE.
The Price is Eternal Death
The
purchase price for eternal life is eternal death.—Romans 6: 23: The wages of
sin is death. The death we owe to
divine justice is an eternal death. That
debt will never be paid in full by any sinner in hell but will suffer
eternally. Hell will be a place
Mark 9: 44: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is
not quenched.
Isaiah 33: 14:…everlasting burnings
Matthew 25: 46:…everlasting punishment
Revelation 14: 11:…they have no rest day or night…20:
10:…but shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.
2 Thessalonians 1: 9: Who shall be punished with
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his
power;
The Price Was Paid By Christ
This is
the price that Christ had to pay to purchase eternal life for God’s people. God’s own Son, Christ Jesus, willingly,
volunteered to suffer that death to pay that debt and purchase his people—to
pay the ransom price—to redeem us from eternal destruction—those horrible
things is what Christ suffered in his soul on the cross while he bore that
death that never dies.
First
he who knew no sin—had to be made sin for his people. Then Christ suffered separation from the
presence of the LORD and from the power of his glory! That is what happened to Adam in the first
garden—it is how Adam was made sin in his own body after he transgressed Gods’
law. Christ never transgressed but he
suffered separation from God—he cried, “My God my God why hast thou forsaken
me!’
End of the Law for Righteousness
To put
our sins away required Christ Jesus to shed his blood unto death in perfect
fidelity to God.
Leviticus 17:11: For the life of the flesh is in the
blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your
souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
Hebrews 9:22: without
shedding of blood is no
remission.
Acts 20: 28:…feed the church of God, which he hath purchased
with his own blood.
The law
of God has a positive side—active fulfillment.
And it has a negative side—the fulfillment of justice for those who transgress.
On the cross, Christ fulfilled the positive side by his faithful obedience unto
that horrible, shameful, agonizing death.
At the same time, Christ fulfilled the negative side by bearing our
sins, by bearing the stroke of justice, by being separated from God until that
eternal death was satisfied. THEREFORE, CHRIST JESUS IS THE END OF THE LAW FOR
RIGHTEOUSNESS TO EVERYONE THAT BELIEVES. (Rom 10: 4)
Because
Christ is Man he could suffer that death and because he is God he satisfied
eternal justice. God sent his Son who
paid the purchase price which was his own blood to purchase eternal life for
his people. Christ not only purchased life, he purchased those given to him
from sin and death. This is why eternal
life is a gift. The ransom price has
been paid to ransom our soul from hell.
Job 33:24: Then he is gracious unto him, and saith,
Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.
Why We Preach Particular Redemption
It is
because Christ accomplished putting an end to sin and successfully obtained
eternal redemption that we emphasis that it was for a particular people; it is
because Christ successfully paid that debt for each child God gave him by his
one offering—they are “perfected forever by his one offering.” Justice is satisfied on their behalf. God will not cast those in hell for whom
Christ died because it would be unjust to do so.
We
preach particular redemption—the redemption of a particular elect
people—because this doctrine declares that Christ was successful. He did not die for all men else all would be
saved; he did not die for men who perish in hell; he did not die for men who
were already in hell. To say that is to say that Christ tried but failed.
Now,
because Christ purchased the gift successfully—paid in full—God shall freely
give all the benefits of this gift to his people.
Romans 8: 32: He that spared not his own Son, but
delivered him up for us all, [all God’s elect] how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
So you purchase the gift you give to those
you love. Likewise, God purchased the
gift he freely gives to those he loves.
III. LASTLY, WE GIVE THE GIFT WE HAVE
PURCHASED TO THE ONE FOR WHOM WE PURCHASED IT. LIKEWISE, GOD GIVES THE GIFT HE
HAS PURCHASED TO EACH ONE FOR WHOM HE PURCHASED IT.
You do
not purchase a gift for all men then sit on a shelf and hope someone will come
claim it as their own—you present the gift to the one for whom you bought it. So
does God. But here is a difference. When
we give a gift the person to whom we give it has the ability to receive our
gift. But each sinner to whom God shall give this free gift of eternal life does
not even have the ability to receive it.
So God even gives us life and faith and repentance to receive this gift
in his Son.
God shall give each one life by regenerating
us.
John 3: 5: Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God.
Justification and eternal is only through
faith in Christ.
Hebrews 11:6: But 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.
1 Peter 1:5: Who are kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Christ
never saved one sinner into eternal glory without first giving them life and
faith in Christ. He is sovereign to do
what pleases him. He is God.
John 6:53 Then
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh
of the Son of man, and [except ye] drink his blood, [expect ye believe on
Christ] ye have no life in you.
Therefore,
God shall give each one faith to believe on Christ.
Ephesians 2:8: For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Christ was raised that he his own self might
have the very glory of giving each of blood-bought children repentance. Do you want him
to have his glory?
Acts 5:31: Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be
a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of
sins.
God the Father receives glory for he shall
draw each lost elect child to Christ and teach them all in their hearts.
John 6: 44: No man can come to me, except the Father
which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. 45: It is
written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man
therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
God the Father
promised Christ in the covenant of redemption that he would do these things for
all those whom Christ would redeem and it was because of God the Father’s promise that Christ died for his people—He promised
Christ what he promised Abraham, “in thee shall nations be blessed.” (Gal 3:
16) Therefore, we read,
Galatians
4: 4: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made
of a woman, made under the law, 5: To redeem them that were under the law, that
we might receive the adoption of sons. 6: And because ye are sons, God hath
sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Then when God has made us willing in the day
of his power—giving us all these gifts—then through faith in Christ, we receive
this free gift of God.
John 10: 27: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and
they follow me: 28: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never
perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Did you see that, God even gives us
protection so that none ever takes this gift of life from us. That which God has promised to give God
shall give.
James 1:17: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from
above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning.
LET’S GO HOME THINKING ON THIS: When we
receive a gift we are thankful and express our gratitude to the giver. So we do
to Christ.
Application: What would you think of someone who received a gift from
you, which you paid a great sum to purchase, which you gave freely to them, who
then went about telling everyone that they earned that gift, or deserved that
gift, or worked for that gift—or that you are unjust not to give the same gift
to everyone?
Believers glory in the LORD, giving all the
praise only to God.
2 Corinthians 9:11: Being enriched in every thing to all
bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.
We tell others about this gift. Often, we go around telling everyone about the gift that
our loved one gave us. That is what these believers are doing here now for you
who do not know him—the reason they support this gospel is so you can hear of
this great gift our God has given us. It is
we tell anyone who will listen:
1 Chronicles 16:8: Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon
his name, make known his deeds among the people.
Often by the gifts given to us from others,
we have abundance to give to those in need.
Likewise, by God’s gift, he creates a heart which delights in mercy and he
gives us gifts to be able to give to others.
2 Corinthians 9: 8: And God is able to make all grace
abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may
abound to every good work: 9: (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he
hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. 10: Now he that
ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply
your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) 11 Being enriched in every thing to all
bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.
When we think of all these gifts—first and
foremost, we thank God for Christ.
2 Corinthians 9:15: Thanks be unto God for his
unspeakable gift.
God
gave his only begotten Son. What a
gift! Who can ever repay the debt we owe
to our God for giving us life in his Son?
There is one more gift which God shall give
us: the victory over death and the grave.
Then we will sing,
1 Corinthians 15:57: But thanks be to God, which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 John 5: 11: And this is the record, that
God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12: He that
hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not
life.
Amen!