<TITLE>11. Par 84-87</TITLE>L-84 The grace of God reached over in Noah's time. Noah, just an ordinary man, he and his family, but because Noah feared God, he believed God. You can't fear God without believing. How can you fear something you don't believe? You've got to fear God. Solomon said, "The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom." Now, just to fear God, you're beginning to have wisdom. And the fear of God, Noah feared the Lord, and he believed the Lord. And that's what God honors, is your faith in Him. That's right. Then when the fear of God come upon Noah, God called him by grace, and saved him and his house, because it was grace that did it. Not because Noah was a great big handsomer man than all the rest of them, not because Noah went to the best church there was in the country, not because he belonged to the best in organization, not because he could dress better, not because he had more money, not because he was some special person; but because of the grace of God, God saved Noah. Grace saved Noah (not his works, but His grace) and also saved his family.

L-85 We'll call another character where God's grace was extended, many of them; we'll just speak of a few. Abraham. Abraham, no special man, come down from the tower of Babel, perhaps come out of a idolater bunch (his father), come down in the land of Shinar down there to dwell in the city of Ur. And while he was there, God spoke to him by grace: not because he was different, not because he was a better man, but by grace God called him. The Bible clearly makes that known.
Oh, Abraham, how Abraham tested God's patience. Told him, said, "Abraham, stay in this land; don't you go out of it." But as soon as a famine come, Abraham run.

L-86 Abraham spoke of us. God take--God took Abraham by grace and saved him. And that's how He takes you: by grace. And how do we test His patience? Today we're up; tomorrow we're down. One day we believe; the next day we're wondering. Today we're a Methodist; tomorrow we're a Baptist. Today we believe in Divine healing; tomorrow the tummy ache comes and we don't know whether we believe it or not. But yet in the midst of all of that, God wants us to stay put. But He saves us anyhow. If it wasn't the grace of God, we'd all be gone. Sure. God saves us by His grace.

L-87 Abraham was supposed to stay in that land, but be went down into the Chaldeans, or, not Chaldeans, but the Philistines; went down there to sojourn, to get out of the famine. Things was a little hard up in his country, so he went down there to journey down there with them, done exactly what God told him not to do; but yet the grace of God appeared to him and kept Pharaoh from taking--or the--or the king from taking his wife. Grace of God... When Abraham said, "It's my sister," lied about it, but yet the grace of God held him, because he repented. He was willing to repent.
And anybody that's willing to repent, the grace of God still goes for you. The grace of God is searching for you. So that goes for you backsliders this morning; the grace of God is still looking for you. If you'll just repent, God's grace is sufficient.
How He took good old Abraham, brought him back. And remember, Abraham was not saved by his works; he was saved by grace. Abraham was saved by faith, which is grace. And God saved Abraham because of His grace, not because of his behavior. He saved him because of His grace. Oh, how good. He was saved by grace.


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