Transcription downloaded from https://sermons.heritagesermons.org/sermons/67412/bur-where-sin-abounded-grace-did-much-more-abound-quality-very-good/.

Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions.
Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt.


[0:00] As the Lord shall be pleased to help me, I shall call your attention to a subject you will find in the Epistle to the Romans, chapter 5, and the second half of the twentieth verse.

[0:23] But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.

[0:36] Chapter 5, the Epistle to the Romans, and the second half of the twentieth verse.

[0:53] This is a tremendous subject to contemplate, as help is afforded to do it.

[1:09] The subject brings before us two extremes. One is sin abounding, and that is terrible to contemplate.

[1:29] The other is grace abounding, and that does encourage us in contemplating it.

[1:40] In approaching the subject, I think of Ezekiel the prophet when he tells in his book of Ezekiel of a river.

[1:54] And it flowed from the throne of God. And Ezekiel saw a man with a measuring rod.

[2:09] And the first measurement of it was that the river was to the ankles. And then it was to the knees.

[2:23] And then to the loins. And after that, a river to swim in. And now, therefore, our subject is sovereign grace or sin abounding.

[2:41] And that is the essence of the gospel. The gospel is termed, it is a beautiful wording. The gospel of the grace of God.

[2:54] And now, first of all, as the Lord shall help me, I want to say something about sin abounding.

[3:09] It is a great deed when you begin to think about sin, and to set forth what the word of God declares about it.

[3:24] Sin entered into the world. Where did it come from? Where did it come from to enter into the world?

[3:40] And now, the word of God does not tell us about that, and you must not argue about it or reason over it. But there is no doubt whatever, it came from hell itself.

[3:51] Sin entered into the world. And death by sin. And so death has passed upon all men.

[4:05] For that, all have sinned. You see the evidence of how sin abounds in as much as every one of us coming into the world is just born to die.

[4:23] And as regards our mortality, it will be said over all of us sooner or later, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, and dust to dust.

[4:37] And I want you dear young people to remember that it is the word of God alone that will give you the explanation of death.

[4:48] You can ask all your scripture teachers in the colleges and grammar schools who dispute the word of God as to its divine authority, ask them to shut the word of God up and give you an explanation of death outside it.

[5:06] And there is no man on the earth who can do it. You must open the word of God and turn the pages over and there you find the explanation.

[5:21] Sin digs every grave that is digged. Sin has abounded in the Adam fall. We are bound to talk about the Adam fall because in defining the malady we have a background to set forth what is the remedy for sin which is grace abounding over it.

[5:51] And now the Adam fall took place and down through the ages sin has been abounding so that you see the world at the present time like it is.

[6:12] The wicked doing wickedly. And what is the prospect as regards the wicked? Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse.

[6:29] There is only one thing sin can do and that is to keep abounding. And it has abounded to earth's remotest extent so that you see the world is full of wickedness.

[6:47] Hell itself is let loose in it. Sin has abounded because the Adam fall has taken place and all mankind are the subjects of it so that every one of us comes into the world a sinner.

[7:12] So that is one viewpoint of where sin abounded. First of all in the Adam fall and then it abounds in the world and the more the world becomes populated and the more Satan is doing all the mischief he can working overtime to do it the more sin is abounding in the world and the world can afford no remedy for it.

[7:57] The remedy for it is that which a man cannot receive except it be given him from heaven but where sin abounded and in the world's long sinful history it has never abounded so much as it does nowadays because there is one evidence of that the Savior said it would come men's hearts everywhere are failing them for fear as they survey the things which are coming on the earth and there the Savior does not mean just godly people with their hearts filled with fears at what they survey but the world at large and not knowing what to do in regard to it but where sin abounded there is another place alas where sin abounds in the church of Christ professing mark the wording professing it does abound too in the church of Christ possessing but not in the same way that it does in the church of Christ professing where people belong who are either sprinkled baptized or confirmed to be members of the church of Christ professing so that you look upon that church nowadays and see it just honeycombed with heresy and hypocrisy sin abounds it abounds in the pulpits in many a thousand of them alas where men preach a gospel that is not the gospel of the grace of God where the word of God is not accepted as the word of God in its divine authority where Jesus

[10:16] Christ is not believed to be who he is verily God verily man solemn is that word that dropped from the lips of Jesus if ye believe not that I am he ye should die in your sins and now thinking of sin abounding in the church of Christ professing go back in your minds to the days of Pentecost and they were great days the church of Christ then was in as pure a state as it ever could be in in the world at large the word of God tells us that great grace was upon them all and there were great additions to it so that the church was being built up by thousands for in the church of

[11:23] Christ in Judea there was a membership of over 8,000 and wherever the apostles went preaching the gospel of the grace of God there were such signs following that the church of Christ was mightily increasing and how did it increase and the Lord added unto the church daily such as should be saved and now that was a beautiful picture to look on and it is a beautiful picture to look back upon but what happened as the church of Christ presented such a blessed picture and the kingdom of God was triumphing in the world at large the devil stirred up persecution so that many were persecuted for righteousness sake and even then a sin abounded in that persecution yet grace still much more did abound according to eternal purposes for we read then they which were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the gospel the Lord working with them and confirming his word by signs following and now that persecution lasted for quite a few years but it did not produce the fruits that the devil desired to see therefore being that cunning foe that he is he changed his methods and what did he do he became as it were as an angel of light in his workings so that you find although the church of Christ in the days of Pentecost and afterwards presented such a beautiful picture of prosperity and the blessing of the Lord upon it yet the devil injected error into some of the churches and sin began to abound from that viewpoint and did much more mischief than the persecution could do those who were persecuted for righteousness sake found grace abounding and they laid down their lives willingly loved not their lives unto the death but the error came in oh so how shall

[14:33] I put it subtly and the mischief was being raw so that if you take the trouble and it will do you good to do it if you take the trouble to read the epistles of Paul you will find every one of them was written to one church or another to put right that which ought not to be in that church some error which began to abound some evil which had arisen and the apostle Paul was inspired by the spirit of God to write the epistles to the churches and you and I have them in the new testament for our instruction and help so that sin abounded in the church of Christ professing and it abounds in the church of Christ professing nowadays archbishops bishops and so called religious leaders are just travesties of what they really ought to be according to what they profess to be think of an archbishop think of a bishop think of other religious leaders in the national church putting their hand on their breast when they were ordained and declaring that they were moved by the holy ghost to take upon them the office of a priest and then the same men to stand in the pulpits and undermine the word of

[16:12] God and seek to cut it to pieces and bring their own reasoning faculties to bear as to what they will believe or not believe very very solemn it is so that sin does abound in the church of Christ professing but then this word tells us but where sin abounded and now it is very solemn to see how sin has abounded in the world at large through the Adam fall and its dire effects the hymn writer says oh thou hideous monster sin what a curse hast thou brought in all creation groans through thee pregnant cause of misery you see it in the world at large you see it in the church of Christ professing but would you see it where it abounds yet more and now if you would see where sin abounded you must as grace is given may the grace be given you must

[17:33] I say be found before Calvary cross and there you will see what fastened the saviour to the cross was not just rude iron not just nails no no it was sin that fastened him there sin abounding in the fullest extent on behalf of that vast host god god had ordained to life eternal what says is is all we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and the lord hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all there at Calvary's cross you see where sin abounded oh the mighty load of it one him writer says how huge the heavy load of all sins only minds so great there you see

[18:51] Jesus Christ dying in the stead of poor sinners like you and me and you see sin abounding so that it abounded until at length the saviour declared it is finished cried the lord in his dying minute holy ghost repeat the word full salvation in it do you ask the lord to help you think on these things and ponder them in your heart you know what your life is like I know what my life is like as you look back over it and see sins of omission sins of commission sins in thought word and deed that testify against us but the saviour bore the heavy load of all a number which no man can number sin abounded at

[19:54] Calvary's cross but when the saviour said it is finished oh that was a wonderful declaration to afford poor sinners throughout the ages help in God hope in God and that where sin abounded grace should much more abound and now when you are a sinner born again you were made aware about sin abounding you might have been in a cause of truth from baby days on you might have been brought up very carefully and thank God if you were you might have been sheltered under the home roof of a godly father and mother therefore kept from much ill and evil abroad in the world at large but when the lord began to deal with you you found then while your outside life was moral upright consistent as much as it could be when

[21:18] God began to lead you into his truth then you found how sad our state by nature is then you began to understand some words in the word of God which you had looked at and not got down into the meaning of them from the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it but wounds and bruises putrefying sores the whole head is sick the whole heart faint and you had to feel the leprosy lies deep within you see when you were born again which you know every man the plague of his own heart sin is made to abound within us as though it were a disease a threat in leprosy so that you are sure that all that you are all that you do is contaminated by it and therefore there is nothing whatever that you can bring before

[22:35] God as an appeal to the majesty of heaven for him to regard you no no you have to tell him all the truth as to what you are black eye to the fountain fly wash me savior or I die sin abounds within us then contaminates us all together and sin is therefore mixed with all that we do so that in all our worship we have to conclude it like this all that has been amiss forgive and let thy truth within us live because even in our worship sin will abound what you are by nature will sometimes contaminate it when you were brought in guilty before

[23:36] God not only so sin not only abounded in our nature contaminating it as I have said but it abounds in our understanding so that the word of God says our understanding is darkened so that man as he is born cannot begin to enter into the things of God with any understanding thereof he may have great ability he may be much gifted but he cannot by dint of any intellectual study enter into the things of God to have an understanding thereof the thing is impossible because the word of God tells us what is the outcome of sin abounding as you read in the

[24:39] Corinthians epistle where we are told that I hath not seen nor hear heard neither hath entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him you dear young people think what the eye can see nowadays that the eyes of our forefathers never saw or dreamed of what the ear can hear nowadays from the other ends of the earth over the radio and things like that which our forefathers knew nothing whatever about neither have entered into the heart of man look at what man's heart has done in regard to inventions and some the outcome of the wickedness of man's heart for the destruction of mankind all these things have entered in to the heart of man with the wisdom which he has whereby he is born but when it comes to the things of

[25:51] God his understanding is altogether darkened in darkness born I went astray yes the hymn writer says and wandered from the gospel way and since the saviour gave me sight I cannot see without his light but not only did sin abound as regards the heart being deceitful above all things and desperately wicked and the understanding being darkened but the will was warped and vitiated so that you will not find any man who remains as he is born but what if you say to him what think ye of Christ he will give you one answer and that is the only answer he can give because sin abounds in his will and it is warped as I said and vitiated we will not have this man to reign over us there you see how sin does abound abounds as a disease as an overrunning flood abounds in the understanding abounds in the will abounds in sinful affection so that man as he is born has only got one concern to live after the flesh the things of the flesh but now that is one of the extremes but now let us look at what you might feel more encouraging to listen to at the other extreme but where sin abounded grace did much more abound and now where did this grace abound first of all

[28:02] I said that sin abounded at Calvary's cross when Jesus Christ oh to see that scene of matchless grace is Jesus in the sinner's place but when that word went forth it is finished vengeance when the saviour died quitted the believer justice cried I am satisfied now henceforth and ever and now you see grace abounding much more abounding over sin the Lord has laid upon him the iniquity of us all and now you are gathered together to hear the gospel and what is the gospel when all is said and done through this man on whom sin abounded on Calvary's cross and he bore the tremendous load of it our sins are hell procured and he that hell endured and now through this man in the gospel there is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins

[29:21] Jesus blood through earth and skies mercy eternal mercy cries yes where sin abounded grace did much more abound and grace blessed be God does abound it can only do that it can only abound it must ever dominate it must ever triumph wherever it is found in a sinner's breast because that is the nature of it where sin abounded grace did much more abound yes it abounded then at Calvary's cross and if you and I have the mercy to be called by grace if you can say by the grace of God

[30:24] I am what I am it is through what was done for you when Jesus died in your stead on Calvary's cross and now how will that be evidenced grace will abound in you as a sinner born again and how it will begin like this a new heart will I give you a new spirit will I put within you I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh I will give you a heart of flesh and that will be the main spring and there you want grace to abound so that through that grace you will often be saying let your consciences tell you if you are saying it create in me a clean heart oh God renew a right spirit within me let thy good spirit rule my heart govern all my words and ways let grace abound in every part teach my tongue to speak thy praise their grace begins to abound when a sinner is born again and now how is he living he is not now living as he was born after the flesh the things of the flesh no no he is on the other side of the line of demarcation and desires to be living after the spirit the things of the spirit and now the apostle

[32:21] Paul speaks about the understanding being enlightened when it was just sin abounding the understanding was darkened there was no understanding of the ways of God or his dealings but now grace abounding over all that you are by nature with that enlightened understanding you can see the why and wherefore of the dealings of God with you not only so when sin abounded you stood firm we will not have this man to reign over us but now with grace abounding over all that you are by nature it is your great concern reign over me as king accomplish thy will and powerfully bring me forth from all ill till falling before thee we lord thy love name ascribe in all glory to God and the lamb where sin abounded grace did much more abound and now

[33:42] I will show you how you see sin abounding under the law and grace abounding under the gospel this is a very simple illustration which you can lodge in your minds and now under the law every man who was guilty of murder or adultery or blasphemy must be put to death there was no alternative such and one must die and now go back in your minds to when there came a very black page in the chapters of godly David's life when he fell into evil in the matter of Uriah and Uriah's wife there you find he was guilty not only of murder in the spirit of it and adultery too but the prophet went to him and preached the gospel to him and he fell under the rebuke and David said

[35:02] I have sinned and it was not just words out of the abundance of the heart the mouth was speaking and Nathan said the lord hath put away thy sin and now that could not be done under the law unless there was a ransom found a remedy one to die in the sinner's stead suffer what the lord demanded and that is what Jesus did on Calvary's cross and now you find that under the gospel that grace can so much abound over sin that when men have been guilty of murder or adultery or blasphemy which is punishable by death under the law under the gospel there is forgiveness

[36:08] Jesus blood through earth and skies mercy eternal mercy cries and in that viewpoint where sin abounded grace does much more abound and what I want you to remember and think about it when you get home and think about it tomorrow and the tomorrow's yet to be that grace still abounds you must not look at this as a piece of past history recorded in the word of God but whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort in the scriptures might have hope and I told you at the outset the gospel is called the gospel of the grace of God and now look at it from that viewpoint where sin abounded grace did much more abound it can abound in poor sinners to the joy and rejoicing of their hearts in clearing the guilty there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared and it might be well to look at one or two illustrations of it in the word of

[37:34] God and you might think about the apostle Paul himself who penned this epistle to the Romans and what does he say when he pens an epistle to Timothy he speaks like this I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who hath enabled me for that he counted me faithful putting me into the ministry listen who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief and the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom

[38:38] I am chief listen how be it for this cause I obtain mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long suffering for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting as though the apostle Paul should say as one in writer does who of mercy needs despair since I have mercy found where sin abounded grace does much more abound and now you see it abounding to Manasseh one of Judas kings and his life here he was made manifest as a sinner born again and talked to pray was an exceptionally wicked life oh when when you read oh when you read

[39:43] Jerusalem streets to run with rivers of blood in persecuting oh the awful wickedness of such a life and if you and I had lived then and known of it we should have thought that Manasseh was just fit fuel for hell itself and it would be as well deserved abound no no this word is to be made manifest where sin abounded grace did much more abound and when he was taken captive the word of God tells us in his affliction he called upon the Lord is God and wonder of wonders he was heard by the God of all grace and he found this word a wonderful reality where sin abounded grace did much more abound and it reached

[40:58] Manasseh as it reached Saul of Tarsus as it reached Mary Magdalene but I think it may be I say this with great reverence the outstanding instance of where sin abounded grace does much more abound is to be seen in the dying thief who was wrought upon in life's latest hours have you ever sat down as it were and contemplated that mighty miracle of grace that was wrought then the dear saviour was hung on the center cross and on one side was this dying thief who when first of all was hung there joined this fellow thief and they both railed upon him wagging their heads and then something happened to the dying thief and he was wrought on by the spirit of god and think of what he had to look at

[42:06] I say this with great reverence take your shoes from off your feet for the place whereon you stand is holy ground all he could see concerning Jesus was a poor man in the direst distress possible and set it north by the great majority of the people round about Calvary's cross and that dying thief rebukes his fellow thief and he says this man on the center cross he has done nothing amiss and then he turns to him again and says Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom the dear saviour as verily man was dying and yet that dying thief had his eyes opened and grace superabounded over all that he was by nature and he could see that Jesus

[43:10] Christ had got a kingdom and the dying thief wanted to be a subject of it Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom oh that is an illustration where sin abounded grace does much more abound yes dear friends grace does abound in the forgiveness of sins if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness all manner of sin shall be forgiven or sins unnumbered as the sand and like the mountains for their size the seas of sovereign grace expand the seas of sovereign grace arise not only so grace can much more abound to restore you when you may be in a backsliding state when you may have been like the prodigal and far off from God in your soul's feelings and now in want and realizing your utter helplessness in things divine but where sin abounded grace did much more abound and grace declares to poor sinners in a backsliding state return unto me says the

[44:55] God of all grace I will return unto you only acknowledge thy iniquity your sins and your iniquities I will remember no more I will be merciful to your unrighteousness and I just add this grace can much more abound over what you feel in your soul when you are low in a low place as it were earth bound and needing floods upon the dry ground to help you to feel as you want to feel and now grace can so abound over all that you are by nature that those floods should be known and felt in your soul's experience yes and grace can super abound over all that you are by nature so that you can as you journey on through life overcome the world in which you live and move and now you dear young people as you have to fight the good fight of faith some of you and labor to earn the bread which perisheth and others older still you were brought into spots and places in your everyday life where you need grace to super abound over all that you are by nature else you will fall a prey to some ill or evil you may yield to your own spirit and bring guilt upon your conscience thereby

[46:45] После glory with yourikeln and emotions embrace cocked 그런 closed out of I have overcome the world.

[47:08] And sometimes, grace can much more abound over all that you are by nature. I'm not fitting any caps on. But what you are by nature may be that you would like if you could have it as much of this world's goods as you could get and line your nest well, thereby.

[47:28] But when grace much more abounds over all that you are by nature, then you will be able to look at the world and all its emoluments, all it has to offer, and appeal to God with whom you have to do.

[47:46] Let others stretch their arms like seas and grasp in all the shore. Grant me the visits of thy face and I desire no more.

[47:58] But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. And now, sometimes, you may prove how this is made a reality in the dealings of God with you in regard to your circumstances.

[48:22] Your circumstances may be very complicated. When you look this way and that and you can see no way whereby you can better your circumstances.

[48:37] And because of your inability to do it, you may fall a prey to a rebellious spirit. And you might even be like Jonah when he said, I do well to be angry.

[48:52] Because there is this and that in my life which has come upon me, things which I look not for. And now, this word still gives you hope.

[49:05] Hope in God. Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. And if your circumstances should be complicated, what do you read in the word of God?

[49:20] Moses, and a greater than Moses is set forth thereby, said to Israel of old, and the case that is too hard for thee, bring it unto me and I will hear it.

[49:34] And you will find that the naughtiest problems can be solved at Jesus' feet. if any lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and afraid it not, and it shall be given him.

[49:57] But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. And I keep you a minute just to tell you one thing that has just come to my mind.

[50:08] you will never feel that grace is abounding as you would like to. This is the word of the Lord and it will not fail you.

[50:22] Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. But you may say, my trouble is this regarding grace, I hope I do possess grace, but I seem sometimes to have so little grace, and sometimes I have been afraid none at all.

[50:41] Yes, but then you have got to learn how grace does abound. It does not mean you shall be able to feel you are just filled with grace and have got some to spare.

[50:55] No. Look you, dear friends, it just means this, my grace is sufficient for thee, my strength is made perfect, in weakness, every moment be receiving strength, and yet be always weak.

[51:15] So will you have made manifest grace abounding in your life, sufficient whereby you shall live right, and at the last sufficient whereby you should die right.

[51:31]  Amen.