WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.639 Morning everyone. If you'd like to grab your Bibles, have them ready. We're going to be 00:00:05.639 --> 00:00:11.019 jumping all over the place this morning. So if you get a chance, stick your finger in Ephesians, 00:00:11.099 --> 00:00:15.200 we'll be there in a little while. Matthew and a bunch of other passages as well. 00:00:16.760 --> 00:00:24.400 Let's pray. Father God, I pray that you would again amaze us by your grace, a truth that 00:00:24.399 --> 00:00:35.960 potentially we have taken for granted, maybe do not live by. Father, we just pray that you would 00:00:35.960 --> 00:00:43.679 delve into the depths of our hearts to see ourselves and to see our deep need for you and again 00:00:43.679 --> 00:00:49.340 astound us by your movement towards us in the Lord Jesus, a movement of love. 00:00:49.739 --> 00:00:52.519 And we thank you for it in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:00:54.399 --> 00:01:04.359 Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. We sing it. We've sung grace this 00:01:04.359 --> 00:01:09.780 morning. We preach grace. We talk about grace. We pray about grace. We suggest that some people need 00:01:09.780 --> 00:01:16.700 to grow in grace. We encourage others to be gracious. Grace is often not far from our lips 00:01:16.700 --> 00:01:23.420 in the Christian church. And that is because that the message of Christianity is that we are saved by 00:01:23.420 --> 00:01:30.579 grace. Of all the religions in the world, it is only Christianity that dares to speak of God's love 00:01:30.579 --> 00:01:38.379 being unconditional. We don't earn it. It's not ours by right. We don't deserve it. Grace is a personal 00:01:38.379 --> 00:01:44.540 activity. It is God operating in love towards people. The word for grace in the Greek New Testament, 00:01:44.760 --> 00:01:52.719 charis, is holy Christian word. That is, it was unknown before Christianity in Greek or Roman ethics and 00:01:52.719 --> 00:01:58.620 theology. And the stable diet of Sunday school classes is that grace means God's riches at Christ's 00:01:58.620 --> 00:02:05.159 expense. And so why do I need to spend three weeks looking at the foundational truth of God's grace? 00:02:06.439 --> 00:02:15.960 Well, because I need it. We all need it. And why? Why do it? Again, in the lead up to Christmas? 00:02:15.960 --> 00:02:23.659 Because as Jim Packer says in his classic book, Knowing God, there do not seem to be many in our 00:02:23.659 --> 00:02:33.060 churches who believe in grace. Now, that's a pretty bold statement. In fact, I think he even suggested 00:02:33.060 --> 00:02:39.540 that many might not appreciate the statement coming from him. But when one of the most respected 00:02:39.539 --> 00:02:46.479 theologians of the past 100 years says it, I think we do well to listen to it. And he gives four reasons, 00:02:46.879 --> 00:02:52.659 and I'll go through them very quickly, four reasons why so many in our churches do not believe in grace. 00:02:53.259 --> 00:03:00.819 The first reason is he gives is what he calls the moral ill desert of man. That is, people have a high 00:03:00.819 --> 00:03:07.639 view of themselves. We tend to treat small virtues as compensation for great vices. 00:03:08.459 --> 00:03:14.180 We tend to think that we are basically good. We tend to play down the suggestion that we are fallen 00:03:14.180 --> 00:03:21.379 from God's image, rebels against God's rule, guilty and unclean in God's sight, and fit only for God's 00:03:21.379 --> 00:03:26.900 condemnation. You only need to receive a bit of criticism from someone, and you automatically think, 00:03:26.900 --> 00:03:35.120 no, I'm not, I'm not like that. That's because we have a high view of ourselves. The second reason 00:03:35.120 --> 00:03:41.460 he suggests is we don't believe grace is what he calls the retributive justice of God. We have a 00:03:41.460 --> 00:03:48.620 tendency to turn a blind eye to all wrongdoing that we can. Willingness to tolerate and indulge evil up 00:03:48.620 --> 00:03:56.520 to a point is in fact seen as a virtue. And so we make excuses after excuse for our sin. We even justify 00:03:56.520 --> 00:04:03.360 it. Well, I was provoked, you see. Or have you seen how evil they are? They have had a bad life. It's just 00:04:03.360 --> 00:04:11.800 the way they are. We just got used to that sort of behavior around here. We even conclude that God 00:04:11.800 --> 00:04:21.560 is the same towards us. And that God's grace, in fact, becomes a doctrine of leniency. 00:04:21.560 --> 00:04:29.860 Divine retribution against all level of sin is not taken seriously. We tend to have a hierarchy of 00:04:29.860 --> 00:04:35.019 the really serious ones, and the rest, which we all will just tolerate amongst us. 00:04:36.319 --> 00:04:43.180 The third reason why we struggle to believe grace is what he calls the spiritual impotence of people. 00:04:43.740 --> 00:04:49.720 That is the belief that we are actually in a position to be able to repair our own relationship 00:04:49.720 --> 00:04:54.760 with God. And while we might conclude that we are not perfect, we all do that, 00:04:55.240 --> 00:05:00.580 we still have no doubt that our respectability will account for something. 00:05:02.240 --> 00:05:09.580 The fourth reason he gives is the ancient notion that God, in fact, needs us. He actually needs my 00:05:09.580 --> 00:05:17.540 worship. That is, he's relying upon our worship for his good. And so God is gracious to us in order 00:05:17.540 --> 00:05:26.340 to buy that worship. I think of everything that I've read recently about grace, it is just so 00:05:26.340 --> 00:05:34.180 against every way that we think and we operate. And so therefore, it is a truth that we need to keep 00:05:34.180 --> 00:05:37.720 coming back to. So let's do an exercise. Everyone stand. 00:05:37.720 --> 00:05:49.920 This is a university class. I'm your lecturer. You can call me professor if you like. 00:05:51.420 --> 00:05:59.240 The university class is the short life expectancy of feral pigs. And we are about to have an exam. 00:05:59.620 --> 00:06:04.780 And in fact, we've just had the exam. I want you to grade yourself now, depending on what sort of a 00:06:04.779 --> 00:06:09.919 student you are. You're either a conscientious student or you're not a conscientious student. 00:06:10.419 --> 00:06:14.779 So if you are a conscientious student, I want you to stand over this side of the building. 00:06:15.299 --> 00:06:19.379 If you are not a conscientious student, I want you to stand on this side of the building. 00:06:19.779 --> 00:06:23.259 So if you're not sure about, I don't care about life expectancy of feral pigs, 00:06:23.579 --> 00:06:29.419 think about your own student life. Okay? So over here, you are shooting for 100%. 00:06:29.420 --> 00:06:36.400 You are gunning for it. I'm studying for it. I'm working hard to get the best result in this course. 00:06:36.740 --> 00:06:41.360 Over here, it's like, well, this course is really a dead end. It's for credits, really. 00:06:41.840 --> 00:06:46.939 And so 50%, if I get 51%, in fact, I've worked just a little bit too hard. 00:06:47.460 --> 00:06:51.460 And so I've got a life to live. There's parties to be had. There's people to fellowship with, 00:06:51.480 --> 00:06:55.180 all that sort of stuff. So away you go. I'll give you two minutes to place yourself in the building. 00:06:55.180 --> 00:06:57.800 Conscientious, not conscientious. 00:07:25.180 --> 00:07:38.720 Okay. So there's a lot of people in the middle. 00:07:39.819 --> 00:07:45.639 It's because we don't want to be down there and we don't want to be down here with these sinful people either. 00:07:45.639 --> 00:07:56.279 Let me tell you, my general principle is that pass is a pass. And so I'm certainly down this end of the area. 00:07:56.899 --> 00:08:00.699 So, okay. So here we go. I'm the lecturer. You've just done your exam. 00:08:00.979 --> 00:08:03.979 And I've just posted the results up here on the wall for your auto lookout. 00:08:04.199 --> 00:08:06.319 And I've given everyone in the room an A+. 00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:09.259 How do you feel, Candida? 00:08:09.719 --> 00:08:12.139 Yeah. Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo! 00:08:12.139 --> 00:08:14.419 How do you feel over this end? 00:08:15.639 --> 00:08:16.879 Not fair. 00:08:17.159 --> 00:08:21.839 Not fair. Not fair. How dare you do that to us? 00:08:23.860 --> 00:08:27.079 You've learned as much as you can. Okay. All right. 00:08:27.199 --> 00:08:27.959 Feral pigs. 00:08:28.199 --> 00:08:28.500 Sorry? 00:08:29.199 --> 00:08:30.659 It's only feral pigs. 00:08:30.919 --> 00:08:33.120 Okay. It's only feral pigs. Exactly. 00:08:33.519 --> 00:08:38.200 I knew I was going to get it anyway. I didn't have to work hard. Anyway. Okay. So back to your seats. 00:08:38.200 --> 00:08:38.980 Oh, no. 00:08:42.139 --> 00:08:46.340 I'll come back to that in a minute. 00:08:46.340 --> 00:08:46.399 Okay. 00:08:46.399 --> 00:09:12.980 So let's begin on unpacking some of Packer's reasons why we so miss grace. 00:09:12.980 --> 00:09:21.240 If you go to a doctor, you want an accurate diagnosis so you can embark on the right treatment 00:09:21.240 --> 00:09:22.480 for the illness. 00:09:23.560 --> 00:09:30.680 When I, 2003, I think it was, when I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and diabetes, 00:09:31.620 --> 00:09:35.279 I wanted the doctor to give me a correct diagnosis. 00:09:35.279 --> 00:09:42.459 Of course, for 18 months up to that point, I hadn't had a correct diagnosis and it was antibiotics, 00:09:43.220 --> 00:09:46.179 Panadol, take a rest, go on a holiday. 00:09:47.059 --> 00:09:48.459 And the problems are still there. 00:09:48.559 --> 00:09:51.639 You need an accurate diagnosis if you're going to get the right treatment. 00:09:52.120 --> 00:09:55.399 And that is the same as we approach this doctor to grace. 00:09:55.399 --> 00:09:58.879 So let's deal with the negative, the right diagnosis. 00:09:59.340 --> 00:10:02.860 First of all, Ephesians chapter 2, if you'd like to turn to there. 00:10:04.059 --> 00:10:05.720 This is the human condition. 00:10:05.720 --> 00:10:11.519 You don't need to look anywhere further than yourself. 00:10:12.480 --> 00:10:14.960 So don't think, ah, yes, I know who this is referring to. 00:10:16.860 --> 00:10:23.860 As for you, you, me, speaking to me, first person here, you were dead in your transgressions 00:10:23.860 --> 00:10:28.879 and sins in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the 00:10:28.879 --> 00:10:32.960 ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 00:10:32.960 --> 00:10:40.379 All of us, all of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our 00:10:40.379 --> 00:10:42.600 sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. 00:10:43.019 --> 00:10:46.740 And like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 00:10:46.940 --> 00:10:48.400 That is God's anger. 00:10:49.120 --> 00:10:52.840 And we also see the diagnosis in Romans chapter 3, verse 10 to 12. 00:10:52.960 --> 00:10:56.139 There is no one righteous, not even one. 00:10:56.480 --> 00:10:59.300 There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 00:10:59.420 --> 00:11:00.500 All have turned away. 00:11:00.500 --> 00:11:03.039 They have together become worthless. 00:11:03.559 --> 00:11:06.240 There is no one who does good, not even one. 00:11:06.559 --> 00:11:09.039 No one righteous, no one who seeks God. 00:11:09.220 --> 00:11:10.139 Worthless, dead. 00:11:10.580 --> 00:11:11.960 And left to our own devices. 00:11:12.240 --> 00:11:14.240 That is the human condition. 00:11:14.500 --> 00:11:16.779 We are dead in our sins. 00:11:16.879 --> 00:11:18.820 We are spiritually dead. 00:11:18.820 --> 00:11:25.200 So the core of our nature is not that we are basically good. 00:11:26.340 --> 00:11:28.300 It is fundamentally bad. 00:11:28.420 --> 00:11:30.640 We are spiritually bankrupt. 00:11:33.560 --> 00:11:40.520 Even in our morally lapsed society, the aura of bankruptcy which is attached to a person 00:11:40.520 --> 00:11:43.740 is still a very negative aura. 00:11:43.740 --> 00:11:48.700 And here we are saying we are spiritually bankrupt. 00:11:48.940 --> 00:11:50.100 We are spiritually dead. 00:11:50.200 --> 00:11:53.180 We cannot buy our way out of this scenario. 00:11:53.340 --> 00:11:55.220 We cannot trade our way out of it. 00:11:55.500 --> 00:11:56.720 In fact, we are dead. 00:11:56.860 --> 00:11:58.879 And dead people don't do anything. 00:12:01.560 --> 00:12:02.919 They don't have any power. 00:12:04.259 --> 00:12:05.419 No capability. 00:12:05.419 --> 00:12:13.379 Now this is not that we are all as bad as that we can be, but that sin has totally marred 00:12:13.379 --> 00:12:15.159 every aspect of our being. 00:12:15.459 --> 00:12:21.599 And the only reason we are not as bad as we are, can be, is because God has still got 00:12:21.599 --> 00:12:24.779 his gracious hand on us, restraining evil. 00:12:24.779 --> 00:12:33.519 Unfortunately, however, some people understand grace as God making up the difference between 00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:37.480 our good and the amount of good that he requires. 00:12:38.600 --> 00:12:42.159 It's like, you know, we've all got different amounts of good. 00:12:42.579 --> 00:12:47.500 A nice middle class person living in Chatswood does a little bit more than a convicted criminal. 00:12:47.500 --> 00:12:55.159 And then what God does is he makes up the differences of our good, of what he requires. 00:12:55.379 --> 00:12:59.779 So imagine I buy a car that costs $100,000, but I've only got $50,000. 00:13:00.259 --> 00:13:05.159 And so this view of grace is that what God does is he chips in the extra 50 to make up the 00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:05.419 100. 00:13:08.799 --> 00:13:14.940 And so the difference between people is the amount of moral credit that we have in our 00:13:14.940 --> 00:13:15.519 accounts. 00:13:17.500 --> 00:13:20.320 And God has to chip in more for some than he does for others. 00:13:22.700 --> 00:13:32.559 It sounds nice, but it is a grave misunderstanding, both of grace and of our righteousness. 00:13:36.039 --> 00:13:39.220 We've got nothing to offer, nothing to contribute. 00:13:39.700 --> 00:13:45.419 Not only do we not have righteousness in our account, we've actually got debt. 00:13:45.419 --> 00:13:49.779 And so we need God's grace not to make up for our deficiencies. 00:13:49.779 --> 00:13:55.600 We need his grace to provide a remedy for our guilt and our rebellion, our pollution and 00:13:55.600 --> 00:13:57.399 our sin and our offenses against God. 00:13:57.559 --> 00:14:05.799 We need his grace to provide a satisfaction of his justice to cancel a debt that we cannot 00:14:05.799 --> 00:14:06.319 pay. 00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:13.720 It is absolutely crucial that we understand our plight before God if we are going to understand 00:14:13.720 --> 00:14:16.760 grace, let alone be amazed by grace. 00:14:17.700 --> 00:14:25.720 Because those who have been forgiven little, that is forgiven little in their minds, actually 00:14:25.720 --> 00:14:28.640 don't love God or love others much. 00:14:28.639 --> 00:14:30.960 This is how one person has put it. 00:14:30.960 --> 00:14:39.059 The first and possibly most fundamental characteristic of divine grace is that it presupposes sin and 00:14:39.059 --> 00:14:39.439 guilt. 00:14:40.159 --> 00:14:48.120 Grace has meaning only when people are seen as fallen, unworthy of salvation and liable to 00:14:48.120 --> 00:14:49.059 eternal wrath. 00:14:49.059 --> 00:14:56.719 Grace does not contemplate sinners merely as undeserving, but as ill-deserving. 00:14:57.339 --> 00:15:03.659 It is not simply that we do not deserve grace, but that we actually do deserve hell. 00:15:06.439 --> 00:15:10.659 And that is the bleak pronouncement of our natural state before God. 00:15:10.919 --> 00:15:16.959 But it's the very next verse in Ephesians where we have the hope of grace in verses 4 and 5 of 00:15:16.959 --> 00:15:17.619 Ephesians 2. 00:15:17.620 --> 00:15:24.120 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ 00:15:24.120 --> 00:15:26.940 even when we were dead in transgressions. 00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:29.700 It is by grace that you have been saved. 00:15:30.240 --> 00:15:33.320 We were dead in transgressions, but God intervened. 00:15:33.399 --> 00:15:35.980 We were in bondage to sin, but God intervened. 00:15:36.060 --> 00:15:38.399 We were objects of wrath, but God intervened. 00:15:38.799 --> 00:15:41.600 God, who is rich in mercy, intervened. 00:15:41.639 --> 00:15:45.879 And our condition was hopeless, but he intervenes in grace. 00:15:45.879 --> 00:15:55.200 And the grace of God is love freely shown towards guilty sinners contrary to their merit and, 00:15:55.200 --> 00:15:59.039 in fact, in defiance of their demerit. 00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:01.879 Let me say that again. 00:16:01.960 --> 00:16:07.600 The grace of God is love freely shown towards guilty sinners contrary to their merit and, 00:16:07.820 --> 00:16:10.379 in fact, in defiance of their demerit. 00:16:10.379 --> 00:16:20.419 So, we get a wonderful glimpse of the way God treats us in that parable that Adam read out to us in Matthew chapter 20 of the workers in the vineyard. 00:16:20.480 --> 00:16:21.200 Let's have a look there. 00:16:21.259 --> 00:16:22.139 Matthew chapter 20. 00:16:22.139 --> 00:16:25.519 This is not a story about Jewish agribusiness. 00:16:27.039 --> 00:16:31.059 Having a farming background and having read my Bible for many years before I became a Christian, 00:16:31.620 --> 00:16:32.939 I thought, this is nuts. 00:16:33.419 --> 00:16:34.720 Who'd run a farm like that? 00:16:35.199 --> 00:16:36.600 You'd go broke in no time. 00:16:37.259 --> 00:16:38.960 Of course, it wasn't about farming. 00:16:39.039 --> 00:16:39.980 I didn't know it at the time. 00:16:40.819 --> 00:16:42.279 It's about God's grace. 00:16:42.279 --> 00:16:53.439 The background to Matthew 20 is Jesus telling the story about his encounter with the rich young ruler in Matthew 19. 00:16:54.299 --> 00:16:58.039 You might remember this man comes up to Jesus with a very important question. 00:16:58.159 --> 00:16:59.959 What must I do to inherit eternal life? 00:17:00.539 --> 00:17:04.059 It's a good question, but as we know, he's coming at it from the wrong angle. 00:17:04.579 --> 00:17:08.220 Notice the word consistently in that encounter, the word I, I, I. 00:17:08.619 --> 00:17:10.920 What must I do to inherit eternal life? 00:17:10.920 --> 00:17:14.080 It's all about him, his effort to get eternal life. 00:17:14.620 --> 00:17:18.420 And as you read the encounter, it seems that he thinks that maybe he's done enough already. 00:17:19.340 --> 00:17:22.860 Jesus rattles off a few commandments and he's ticking the box in his mind thinking, 00:17:22.960 --> 00:17:24.060 yeah, I don't stack up too badly. 00:17:24.220 --> 00:17:25.000 Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. 00:17:25.820 --> 00:17:28.160 Jesus says to him, but he needs to do just one more thing. 00:17:28.240 --> 00:17:28.660 That's all. 00:17:28.820 --> 00:17:29.800 Sell up and follow me. 00:17:30.320 --> 00:17:34.740 It's a call to trust Jesus, to stop being reliant upon himself and to put his trust in Jesus. 00:17:35.560 --> 00:17:38.180 Unfortunately, he's unwilling to sell everything and follow Jesus. 00:17:38.360 --> 00:17:40.240 And so he walks away sad. 00:17:40.920 --> 00:17:45.080 And as that encounter's happening, Peter, James, John and the boys are standing there around. 00:17:45.200 --> 00:17:45.820 They're watching it. 00:17:46.140 --> 00:17:47.100 They're listening to it. 00:17:48.440 --> 00:17:53.080 And Peter chimes in, as he often does, and says, who then can be saved? 00:17:53.079 --> 00:17:56.799 And Jesus says, with man, this is impossible. 00:17:57.519 --> 00:18:00.019 But with God, all things are possible. 00:18:01.099 --> 00:18:02.039 You get the point? 00:18:04.339 --> 00:18:07.480 That man is incapable of saving himself. 00:18:08.899 --> 00:18:10.279 Salvation comes from God. 00:18:10.779 --> 00:18:14.019 But notice the very next question that Peter asked. 00:18:14.019 --> 00:18:30.000 Do you notice the very sort of strong whiff of merit-based thinking in that question? 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:36.059 He's pointing out to Jesus that we're not like that guy, Jesus, who's just walked away. 00:18:36.160 --> 00:18:38.359 He did not leave everything and follow you. 00:18:38.799 --> 00:18:40.259 But we've done that. 00:18:40.819 --> 00:18:42.819 We left our fishing nets and our family. 00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:45.299 We've come and followed you, just like you told. 00:18:45.299 --> 00:18:51.399 And so, do we get it? 00:18:52.379 --> 00:18:53.599 Eternal life, that is. 00:18:56.519 --> 00:18:58.319 Have we done enough to be saved? 00:19:00.599 --> 00:19:04.359 Jesus offers a very gentle response and he follows it up with this parable. 00:19:04.599 --> 00:19:06.000 That's the context of this parable. 00:19:06.000 --> 00:19:08.339 It's pretty straightforward. 00:19:08.460 --> 00:19:10.500 A farmer hires men at different times during the day. 00:19:10.619 --> 00:19:13.900 We're told he hired them early in the morning, the third hour, the sixth hour, the ninth hour, 00:19:14.200 --> 00:19:15.720 and right at the eleventh hour. 00:19:16.539 --> 00:19:22.099 Those who began work early in the morning agreed to do a day's work for denarius. 00:19:23.119 --> 00:19:29.019 And a denarius was considered what was needed to provide well for a family. 00:19:30.079 --> 00:19:30.779 Notice that. 00:19:30.779 --> 00:19:41.859 They all received not what they had earned, but what they needed to provide for their family. 00:19:42.680 --> 00:19:48.879 That is, they were paid according to grace, not according to debt. 00:19:50.700 --> 00:19:55.619 The twist comes at the end of the day when the owner lines them all up and pays them all the same. 00:19:56.160 --> 00:19:58.160 He gives them all an A+. 00:19:58.160 --> 00:20:01.880 So to speak. 00:20:03.140 --> 00:20:07.279 And the ones who had worked the longest and the hardest, who had been the most diligent, 00:20:08.440 --> 00:20:09.420 started to grumble. 00:20:10.740 --> 00:20:11.700 This isn't fair. 00:20:13.820 --> 00:20:16.840 They're the ones who want to talk about what is fair and what isn't fair. 00:20:17.400 --> 00:20:19.560 I deserve more because I've done more. 00:20:19.559 --> 00:20:31.000 You see, the natural human tendency is not to like everyone getting an A grade regardless of effort. 00:20:32.579 --> 00:20:35.980 Unless, of course, you place yourself right down the end of that line. 00:20:35.980 --> 00:20:43.599 And that is why we struggle so much with grace. 00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:47.019 And this is the point that Jim Packer's making. 00:20:47.019 --> 00:20:58.019 Our natural moral default position is to count ourselves amongst the 12-hour workers. 00:20:58.019 --> 00:21:06.559 We all have a higher view of ourselves morally than what God does. 00:21:07.160 --> 00:21:11.000 And so we always place ourselves at that end of the line. 00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:23.940 And we always can look down the line and find someone who is more wicked, less moral, less diligent than I am. 00:21:23.940 --> 00:21:31.660 And it doesn't matter where you are in society, that will be the case. 00:21:33.160 --> 00:21:39.240 I know a guy who was serving two consecutive life sentences in Long Bay Jail for the murder of a mother and her baby. 00:21:41.140 --> 00:21:51.360 In the early days of his imprisonment, he was put in the wing, the same wing as the Milpera Bikie Massacre guys. 00:21:51.359 --> 00:21:53.240 They beat him up. 00:21:53.579 --> 00:21:55.399 They poured boiling water all over him. 00:21:55.699 --> 00:21:56.000 Why? 00:21:56.799 --> 00:21:59.579 Because he was so wicked to kill a baby. 00:22:01.279 --> 00:22:07.119 Of course, the ones themselves convicted of killing a seven-year-old, but you killed a baby. 00:22:08.439 --> 00:22:10.339 And that's worse than what we've done. 00:22:11.899 --> 00:22:18.199 It doesn't matter where you are in society, you can always find someone less than you. 00:22:18.200 --> 00:22:24.940 And so, in a sense, in fact, in reality, this parable is about God's grace. 00:22:25.080 --> 00:22:26.200 He's exceeding generosity. 00:22:27.100 --> 00:22:30.460 Every worker got what he needed to provide well for his family. 00:22:31.559 --> 00:22:33.500 And in a sense, they were right. 00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:36.640 It's not fair about what this boss is doing. 00:22:37.440 --> 00:22:39.840 But that is the point. 00:22:40.680 --> 00:22:43.539 Grace isn't about being fair. 00:22:43.539 --> 00:22:49.420 It's about God giving us what we don't deserve and saving us from what we do deserve. 00:22:50.659 --> 00:22:55.039 The Bible speaks about the amazing extent of God's grace in a number of ways. 00:22:55.359 --> 00:22:57.680 There's wonderful images right throughout the Bible. 00:22:58.079 --> 00:23:05.079 Psalm 103.12 says that our transgressions against God have been removed as far as the east is from the west. 00:23:05.279 --> 00:23:06.960 That is a glorious picture. 00:23:06.960 --> 00:23:13.740 You see, if you were to start here right now and you headed north, you would eventually reach the North Pole. 00:23:15.319 --> 00:23:16.799 Sometime, you'd reach the North Pole. 00:23:17.000 --> 00:23:22.220 And at every point from there, you would then start moving in a place called south. 00:23:22.940 --> 00:23:23.880 You'd be heading south. 00:23:24.460 --> 00:23:31.220 But if we get in a plane and we headed west, we would always head west and we would never meet east. 00:23:31.819 --> 00:23:33.799 That is the point of this parable. 00:23:33.799 --> 00:23:39.740 God has removed our sins an infinite distance, an immeasurable distance from us. 00:23:40.839 --> 00:23:44.119 Isaiah 38.17, the prophet Isaiah says of God, 00:23:44.240 --> 00:23:48.059 You have put all my sins behind your back. 00:23:48.379 --> 00:23:50.379 They are out of sight for the Christian. 00:23:50.839 --> 00:23:56.079 God no longer sees our deliberate disobedience or our marred performance. 00:23:56.639 --> 00:24:00.759 An emphasis on the completeness of God's forgiveness occurs in Micah 7.19. 00:24:00.759 --> 00:24:09.740 Micah says of God, You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl our iniquities into the depths of the sea. 00:24:10.039 --> 00:24:12.079 They haven't been lost overboard. 00:24:12.779 --> 00:24:19.000 They have been thrown into the depths of the sea where little submarines can't go. 00:24:19.700 --> 00:24:21.160 They are gone, forgotten. 00:24:21.299 --> 00:24:22.579 They cannot be dredged up. 00:24:22.680 --> 00:24:25.799 You cannot get a rope down there and pull them back up again. 00:24:25.799 --> 00:24:29.980 Again, Isaiah 43.25 emphasizes the completeness of God's forgiveness. 00:24:30.480 --> 00:24:37.099 I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake and remembers your sins no more. 00:24:37.299 --> 00:24:42.940 God not only blots out our sins, he remembers them no more. 00:24:43.500 --> 00:24:48.299 It's not that God has somehow forgotten them like we might have forgotten where I put my car keys. 00:24:48.299 --> 00:24:54.779 He actively chooses not to remember the sins that we have sinned against him. 00:24:55.200 --> 00:25:00.399 That is, he has decided never again to bring up those offenses in the future. 00:25:00.799 --> 00:25:04.139 And so the blotting them out is in fact a legal act. 00:25:04.500 --> 00:25:08.240 It is an official pardon from the Supreme Governor. 00:25:08.700 --> 00:25:12.559 And the remembering no more of the sins is a relational act. 00:25:12.559 --> 00:25:27.879 It is where the injured party, God, in this case, it is where the injured party has no sense of wanting to bring up being wronged again. 00:25:31.059 --> 00:25:33.759 It is both a legal and a relational act. 00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:41.500 And so the outcome of God's gracious action towards us is in Colossians chapter 1, where it says that we are free from accusation. 00:25:41.960 --> 00:25:45.460 The evil one and other people want to put you in the dock and persecute you. 00:25:48.200 --> 00:25:55.799 And when the prosecution comes out, brings out the files, opens the filing cabinet, there is no evidence. 00:25:57.099 --> 00:25:58.619 It cannot be found. 00:25:59.240 --> 00:26:01.319 It's as far as the east is from the west. 00:26:01.319 --> 00:26:02.639 It's in the depths of the sea. 00:26:02.759 --> 00:26:04.379 And God goes, I don't remember. 00:26:09.779 --> 00:26:14.740 God's astounding grace is not just the truth that applies when you become a Christian. 00:26:16.339 --> 00:26:18.419 Christianity is not just about getting saved. 00:26:18.539 --> 00:26:21.919 It's the very foundation of how Jesus deals with us day by day. 00:26:23.659 --> 00:26:28.419 God wants us to renounce all confidence in our moral or religious efforts. 00:26:28.420 --> 00:26:34.440 He wants us not only to be saved by grace, but to live day by day in grace as well. 00:26:35.960 --> 00:26:42.380 Earlier I mentioned an inadequate, I would suggest, even fatal view of grace. 00:26:42.820 --> 00:26:46.220 It is where God makes up the deficiency of our efforts. 00:26:47.240 --> 00:26:50.860 And I suspect that many of us would have said, well, I don't believe that. 00:26:51.300 --> 00:26:52.160 I know that's wrong. 00:26:52.160 --> 00:26:54.080 That's not grace. 00:26:55.120 --> 00:26:58.700 And yet, I want to push a little further. 00:27:00.300 --> 00:27:04.640 It is how many Christians actually live the Christian life. 00:27:05.660 --> 00:27:11.800 We act as if God's grace only makes up what our good works lack. 00:27:11.799 --> 00:27:25.119 We at least have a subconscious belief that God's blessings are at least partially earned by our obedience and spiritual disciplines. 00:27:29.259 --> 00:27:35.619 Take, for instance, the good works of reformed evangelicalism, Bible reading and prayer. 00:27:35.619 --> 00:27:50.619 When you don't do your Bible reading and prayer and something bad happens, do you go, oh, my devotional life's been rubbish lately. 00:27:53.079 --> 00:27:54.219 Maybe that's it. 00:27:54.220 --> 00:28:24.200 Maybe that's it. 00:28:24.220 --> 00:28:25.220 Maybe that's it. 00:28:25.680 --> 00:28:26.220 I don't. 00:28:26.860 --> 00:28:28.920 We all need the same grace. 00:28:29.079 --> 00:28:36.180 The sinner doesn't need more grace than the saint, nor does the immature and undisciplined believer need more than the godly, zealous missionary. 00:28:37.180 --> 00:28:44.079 We all need the same amount of grace because the currency of our good works is worthless before God. 00:28:44.980 --> 00:28:50.779 Neither our merits nor our demerits determine how much grace we need 00:28:50.779 --> 00:28:55.420 because grace does not supplement merits or make up for demerits. 00:28:56.920 --> 00:29:01.519 Grace doesn't take into account merits or demerits at all. 00:29:02.200 --> 00:29:05.039 Grace considers all people totally undeserving 00:29:05.039 --> 00:29:08.059 and unable to do anything to earn the blessing of God. 00:29:08.779 --> 00:29:10.019 As one author has written, 00:29:10.579 --> 00:29:14.079 grace ceases to be grace if God is compelled to bestow it 00:29:14.079 --> 00:29:15.619 in the presence of human merit. 00:29:16.859 --> 00:29:20.059 Grace ceases to be grace if God is compelled to withdraw it 00:29:20.059 --> 00:29:22.819 in the presence of human demerit. 00:29:23.659 --> 00:29:28.159 Grace is treating the person without the slightest reference to desert whatsoever, 00:29:28.740 --> 00:29:31.319 but solely according to the infinite goodness 00:29:31.319 --> 00:29:33.819 and the sovereign purposes of God. 00:29:35.700 --> 00:29:39.339 If you sometimes feel that you deserve an answer to a prayer 00:29:39.339 --> 00:29:42.639 or a blessing from God because of your diligence, 00:29:42.819 --> 00:29:44.759 hard work or longevity as a Christian, 00:29:45.759 --> 00:29:48.940 then you are living by works and not by grace. 00:29:50.059 --> 00:29:56.579 But it is just as true that if you sometimes despair of experiencing God's blessing 00:29:56.579 --> 00:29:58.859 because of your demerits, 00:29:59.240 --> 00:30:02.419 you are also casting aside the grace of God. 00:30:02.420 --> 00:30:09.380 John Newton, the low-life slave trader, 00:30:10.600 --> 00:30:16.580 wrote the hymn Amazing Grace after his conversion. 00:30:17.980 --> 00:30:20.779 And having read a book on Newton recently, 00:30:20.779 --> 00:30:26.899 it struck me that he never tired of contemplating with awe and amazement 00:30:26.899 --> 00:30:31.359 the wonder of grace that would extend even to him. 00:30:32.339 --> 00:30:36.799 And what is astounding is that how much that grace 00:30:36.799 --> 00:30:42.960 and appreciation of that grace transformed his relationships with people. 00:30:42.960 --> 00:30:49.039 Not everyone, but certainly transformed his relationships with people. 00:30:50.480 --> 00:30:53.299 It was the sign that he'd actually understood grace 00:30:53.299 --> 00:30:57.220 because grace was worked out in his relationships with others. 00:30:57.220 --> 00:31:03.259 But the person who grew up in a godly Christian family, 00:31:03.259 --> 00:31:05.539 who trusted Christ at a very early age, 00:31:05.740 --> 00:31:09.360 and who has never indulged in the so-called big bad sins, 00:31:10.640 --> 00:31:13.620 needs grace just as much as John Newton, 00:31:13.779 --> 00:31:16.660 the absolute debauched low-life needed. 00:31:16.660 --> 00:31:25.680 And should be just as amazed that God and grace extends to even them. 00:31:28.279 --> 00:31:31.900 To the extent that we are clinging to any self-righteousness 00:31:31.900 --> 00:31:35.400 or are putting any confidence in our own spiritual attainments, 00:31:35.960 --> 00:31:40.040 to that degree, we are not living by grace. 00:31:40.039 --> 00:31:47.019 And so, friends, may we believe and live what we sing. 00:31:48.920 --> 00:31:51.859 Guilty, vile, and helpless we. 00:31:53.079 --> 00:31:55.399 Spotless Lamb of God was he. 00:31:56.399 --> 00:31:57.440 Full atonement. 00:31:58.319 --> 00:31:59.159 Can it be? 00:32:00.240 --> 00:32:01.700 Hallelujah. What a saviour. 00:32:02.759 --> 00:32:04.639 Or nothing in my hand I bring. 00:32:05.200 --> 00:32:07.440 Only to the cross I cling. 00:32:07.440 --> 00:32:13.000 Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. 00:32:13.700 --> 00:32:16.799 We deserve nothing, we were owed nothing, 00:32:17.539 --> 00:32:20.400 and yet we have it all through Christ. 00:32:20.940 --> 00:32:21.900 Let's stand and sing.