Dust, Blood, Grace & Works

In this sermon the speaker begins by contrasting the narrow gate of Matthew 7 with the broad way that leads to destruction, then cites Jude’s warning about those who follow the “way of Cain.” He argues that throughout Scripture there has been a single, true path to God – the “Way” revealed in Christ – and that all religions ultimately reduce to a question of whether one is saved by grace or by works. Using the story of Cain and Abel, he illustrates that Cain’s offering of his own labor was rejected because it lacked faith and the shedding of blood, while Abel’s blood‑sacrifice was accepted. The preacher repeatedly emphasizes that salvation is a finished work of Christ, a free gift received by faith, and that any attempt to add human effort, opinion, or pride corrupts the gospel. The sermon then moves to contemporary examples, describing how people may claim ignorance or sincerity while refusing to accept the biblical way. He warns against “work‑based” salvation, noting that even well‑meaning believers can fall into the prideful mindset of Cain. The speaker calls listeners to a personal response, inviting anyone who has not yet trusted in Christ’s atoning blood to receive Him by faith, and affirms that the church welcomes all who come to the true way, regardless of denomination.

What is Houston's First Baptist Church?

Houston's First Baptist Church is a relevant biblical community where we gather our hearts, grow our souls and give our lives as we seek to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). This podcast provides weekly messages from Pastor Gregg Matte and others. Visit us at HoustonsFirst.org to learn more about HFBC, and visit us in person the next time you're in Houston!

Now, would you please turn, having read from the book of Genesis, over to Matthew as well, please. Matthew chapter 7, verses 13 and 14. And then I shall read one verse from the book of Jude, which you need not turn to. I would like for you to follow in Matthew chapter 7, verses 13 and 14. Enter ye in at the straight gate. For wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction. And many there be which go in thereat. Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life. And few there be that findeth. Now in the 11th verse of Jude, woe unto them, for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and are perished in the game saying of Corrie. Early in Christian history, the question was raised, which way to God? One man came one way, and was wrong. Another man came another, and was right. Obviously, not everybody is right. Some are wrong, and some are right. The age -old question, not of the best way, but of the only way that men can approach a righteous and holy living God, was first raised here in Genesis chapter 4. The word way means a path, or an avenue, or it may mean a style of doing things. The early disciples were not called Christians. The Christians were not called Christians until Antioch. And it was not really popularized until about 300 years after Christ, that Christianity began being referred to as Christianity. It was earlier called the way. The way. Jesus said, I am not one of many ways. I am the way. And the Old Testament was prophesying and foreshadowing and previewing the coming way in Christ. He, the Messiah, came and said, I am that way, that truth, that life. In other words, I am the way to true life, or the only true way to life. They were called followers of the way. All of religion, all of philosophy, all of theology boils down to one of two things. Is man saved by grace, or is he saved by work? Now there are those who tell us that man is saved by grace through work. It is by the grace of God that we are saved, but that it is by our own working that the vehicle of salvation comes from heaven down to us. Not say it's the word of God. The Bible says, by grace are ye saved through faith. Now, Jude's way was the wrong way, and it epitomizes every way that is not a way of faith. The wrong way. Conversely, to the revealed way, and the only way by which men now and forever have been able to approach the living God. Religion, salvation, Christianity, the right way is spelled D -O -N -E. The wrong way is spelled D -O. And all of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross was presented as a gift to mankind. All done up in one finished, neat little package, and he says, I have done it. You can add nothing to it. You dare take nothing from it. It is through. It is finished. It is complete. It is sufficient. It is done, were the words of Christ, through, sinning, completed. Now, men through the centuries have found this going cross -grained to their pride, and have tried to undo the package and redo it their way, doing, doing, doing. While our Lord has said, it is done. Cain's way is symbolized in the New Testament as the wrong way to God. Abel's, as the only right way to God. Now, I assume that any right -thinking individual wants to know how man can approach God. for therein lies all of the problems of all of our world. So, what was wrong with Cain's way? What was wrong with Cain's way? It had to be wrong. God rejected it. It was not the way to God. Number one, it was a way of willful ignorance. It was a way of willing ignorance. I really cannot believe that he did not know to go to God the right way. You, of course, remember that the heart of the whole thing was this. What he brought as an offering to God by which to establish himself and his relationship before his God was the product of his own work, the product of his own hand. It was the result of what he had done. But his brother Abel shed blood and brought an offering of sacrifice, of bloodshed, not what he had done, but of the shedding of blood. That was accepted. What he had done of himself was rejected. I cannot believe that he did not know the difference. I cannot believe that living on the very precipice of the Garden of Eden, he was not aware that there was a better way. You see, they were banished from the garden. They lived just outside the door of paradise. I cannot believe that seeing the cherub, seeing the flaming sword, he had not asked, what is in this? What meaneth these things? What is this judgment to represent? Why cannot we go in there? Why do we not dwell in the midst of paradise? Why are we out here? Surely from a child his mother and his father had taught him, I cannot believe that he did not know the difference. I cannot believe that the skin that protected his nakedness and the bloodshed that brought them into existence that was accepted before God and the significance thereof had not been explained repeatedly to this man, Cain. I think he knew. If he did not know, it was simply because he would not know. It was because he didn't want to know. It was because he refused to know. He had heard it, but he would not believe it. He had heard it, but in spite of it, he had rejected it. All across our city today, there are hundreds and thousands of people who say they do not know, but it is because they will not know. I cannot believe that in this great country, with preaching and singing and the gospel on every street corner, that people do not know the way of salvation. I pray that no one shall ever come to this church, very many friendlies, that they shall not know the right way to God. If he did not know, it was because he would not know. People say to me, what about the heathen, the heathen in Africa that have never heard? I know what I think the Bible teaches at that point, but let me raise a far more important question. What of you listening to the sound of the voice of this preacher who have heard 10 ,000 times? It is a willful ignorance. It was a willing rejection of the will of God. Earlier this week, I appeared on a local television program, and after it was over, a lady called our office and asked for spiritual help. A brother, Loring, and his wife went to their home, her home, to minister to her. Her mother and father were atheists. Her grandfather had been the archbishop over a large land and group of people, and she had questions for two and a half hours. One of the most confused, bewildered people in all of the world as to how to be saved. All confused about the simplicity of religion. I am happy to report to you that she accepted Jesus Christ as her first little savior. But I could not think that an unbelieving atheist mother and father who refused the word of God, who refused to believe, who were the cause of the bewilderment in the life of this girl were innocent before God. Their very own father had surely taught them from their childhood the way of salvation, the grace of God, the suffering of Christ on the cross. And if they did not know, it was because they refused to know. That's why the Bible says they are without excuse. Did you know the Bible says of all men, of all nations, of all backgrounds, they are without excuse. I believe simply that God is saying that through conscience, through nature, he finds some way to reveal himself to men. Ah, but you who have not only had the light of God, but who have had the word of God over and over and over, you too, by refusing to act upon what you know, are going in willful ignorance the way of Cain. Secondly, it was a way of mere human opinion. It was not the right way, but it was obviously his way. He believed it. It was his own thing. It was what satisfied him. Obviously, it was his own idea. You know that religion has never been more popular than it is in America today. Today, over 100 ,000 of our 190 ,000 -plus persons believe in some kind of religion and belong to some kind of church. It is popular. It is the thing to do. Society agrees that you ought to believe something. Just believe something. Have something that you believe. Now, it's not really important what you believe. The devil's biggest hope and biggest lie has been that. Just be sincere. Believe something. He was sincere in what he believed. It was his way. People say to me all the time, Well, I don't agree with what you believe. Someone said last week when I preached on the importance of the fact that it was only for the blood of Christ that men are saved. Well, he must think that everybody who disagrees with him is wrong. I certainly do. I certainly do. Because I agree with the book. I agree with what the Bible says. It says without the shedding of blood, there's no remission. And if you disagree with that, you are wrong. I certainly do believe that. I stake my life on that. That's what the Word of God says. And ladies and gentlemen, sincerity and mere human opinion, and no matter how sincerely you believe what you believe, if it is not what best says the Word of God, it is wrong. This was his opinion. He obviously thought it was right. He thought it was valid. He thought it was true. He believed it sufficiently that he takes it so long. But it was wrong. God rejected him. The Bible is a plain book. It records the sins as well as the successes of the things. It records the failures as well as the victory. It records that one man was right, but it is equally a damage in its pronouncement that one man was wrong. It was his opinion, but it was a wrong opinion. He was sincere, but he was sincerely wrong. Now, somebody, another lady this week asked me, why don't Baptists join up with all of the other churches in one great council of churches? I'll tell you why. When all of the other churches all get together and affirm that they believe that the Bible is the totally infallible, inspired Word of God, that all of the sinners, that Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, was born of the Virgin, died and rose again, bled vicariously and suffered for the sins of the world, bodily rose, is coming again. Salvation is through the blood of Christ and the grace of God. When they believe in the reality of heaven and hell and the Word of God and salvation by grace and the security of the believer and the coming of Christ, then all join us. But they don't. They don't. There's a hard spot. Everybody believes something different. Now, the Bible says some are right and some are wrong, and I cannot drive this home well enough. It is not merely enough to stand by as so many do and say, yes, I know what the Bible says, but, well, that may be so hard, but the Bible may teach that. But anyway, mere human opinion is not sufficient. His opinion was wrong. The way of Cain was a way of his own mere human opinion, the result of his thinking. But the Bible says God has chosen the foolish things to confound the wise. And in the sovereignty of God, he doesn't do things like we do things. Because unless there is shedding of blood, there is no remission. There was no blood shed. It was a good way. It was his way, but it wasn't God's way. And God rejected him. God rejected him. Number three. It was a way of sight. It was a way of sight. Now, in the role of call of the faithful, yonder in the book of Hebrews, we recall that the Bible says, By faith, by faith, Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice. Let's repeat that. By faith, Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice. Suggesting by negative inference, which is a intellectually acceptable grammatical tool, it is by negative inference stated that this man, the other man, the second man to the party, Cain, did not offer his in faith. Now, what kind of faith would it make to go out and kill an innocent little lamb and bring the shedding of blood before God as a sacrifice? I can imagine that this man, Cain, said, I just can't see that. There's a whole problem. He wasn't supposed to see it. Without faith, it is impossible to please him. I can rather imagine that there was no rationale, there was absolutely no logic behind what Abel did, except that Abel was doing what his parents had passed on to him that God of the garden told him they had to do. It just didn't make any kind of sense. There was no way you could see it. There was no way to explain it. And so, ignoring the way of faith, he had to figure it out. He had to come the way of faith. And so he plants so very carefully the seed and cultivates it and grows it and waters it and keeps it and weeds it and prunes it until carefully he has brought the product of the work of his own hands, what is logically right and logically makes sense to him, to commend himself to God. And God says, I'm sorry, son, you're wrong. You're addicted. Your way is not the right way. It was not done. It was not done in faith. People say to me, ah, there are hypocrites in the church. Oh, what a shame that by sight they can only see a hypocrite. And if a hypocrite is standing between you and God, he's closer to God than you are. So they can only see by sight that hypocrite and they do not look by faith a way to God. Men say to me, I don't feel it. I'll know when my time comes to be saved. I haven't got the feeling yet. And the Bible says you're saved by faith and not by faith. It is, it has been natural and innate and inherent in human nature through the foundation of the world, through the history of mankind. To figure it out, to picture it, to feel it, to rationally produce what the intellect suggests as the way to God. But the Bible says, without peace in the blood, it's the wrong way. It's the wrong way. It was the way of tight. The fourth word is this. It was the way of work. I don't know. God could have said, if he wanted to, that for everyone to be saved, he has to save $10 ,000, stand on his head three and a half days, and run backwards all the way down Main Street every Friday afternoon. And you know that that kind of a philosophy of religion would have had more double T's than this one. What religion will be choked on? He will get on that kind of a baggage, that kind of a baggage. That appeals to us. You will remember how the captain of the chariot's guard said in his pride when he was told to go jump in the lake, to go dip ten times. He said, are not all the rivers of Abana and far, far as greater than me. He said, surely I thought he would have come out to me. I think there is a suggestion of words from the idea of oblivion jailer when he says, what must I do to be saved? Surely, surely, surely there is something I can do. I cannot in these two similar Sunday morning sermons at the beginning of this foundational series on Genesis nail down sufficiently that all of religion, all of Protestantism and Judaism and Mohammedanism and all of the religions of the world boil down all the denominations of sects for cults for diversity. So one question, is a man saved by his health? Is he saved by work the product of his hands, or is he saved by the grace of God? That's where it all boils down. What it all boils down to is the way of work. A young colonel who was to become the president of the United States named Roosevelt, Mr. Clara Barton, been in the Spanish -American War, said, Ms. Barton, head of the American Red Cross, my troops have died. There is disease and poverty. We need food. We need medicine. Our men are sick and I'm poverty. Here I brought money. I have wealth to buy. Give me good. She said, sir, the United States Led Cross will not sell you one nickel's worth of food or clothing or medicine, but we will give you what you have. Just suppose that God were to come out with a full -page ad in the newsfeed of the month. And he'd get the post and the chronicle and say, I've got a brand new way of salvation. And you do all of these things and you'll get to heaven. Oh, they would be lined up throwing their money out of the bank to buy it by the month of his. If men could buy peace of mind, if they could buy freedom from worry, if they could buy composure, if they could buy an innocent pension, they would buy and work and work and buy all through their lives. But you can't buy one nickel's worth of it. It was a gift. It was a way of work. Fifthly, it was a way of pride. You know, I think sometimes that all of us really think that when we get to heaven, the first thing all of us are going to do is just go barreling up to Jesus and say, Who is right? Who is right? Tell him. Go ahead and tell him. Well, I don't know who's right. I won't have to do that. There are some who think we're really going to do that. But you know, here was a man who didn't have to get it from any preacher. He didn't have to read any books. He was talking to God. Now, look at it. And the Lord said, and the Lord came, and the Lord spoke. He was having a face -to -face conference with God. He was talking personally to the Lord in whatever form. The Lord was revealing himself. And the Lord told him, Son, you're wrong. That is not the way men approach God. It is through the shedding of blood. Your brother Abel is right. You are wrong. What did he do? He should have followed on his feet and said, Oh, God, thank you for a second. Thank you for telling me. I'll go out now and come back the right way. Thank you, Lord, for the good news. You know, he didn't. The Bible says his countenance fell, and he was wrong. And he got so mad that in a pit of anger, he went out and slew his own brother. He was mad. Why? Because he was all proud. It was his way. It was his idea. His mind had been put as a cross. There's always a picture of I crossed out in the red panic. Good God. Good God. You know something? It was a way of hatred. Now, follow closely. Works hates grace. Grace. I don't have any persecution complexes. But I am well aware of the fact that works, religions, hate, grace, religion. I have a cousin. He is a rather prominent preacher in a group that believes that one does this and does that. A thousand things besides salvation by the grace of God. Now, they're very subtle because they say, well, one is saved by grace, but one can be lost again. Therefore, he keeps himself saved by his works. Well, that depends on what you mean saved. If you mean I start out, if I buy a ticket to England, but I drop off somewhere in the middle of the ocean, and they just dump me over and I only go halfway. As far as I'm concerned, the ticket was no good. I mean, I want to get there all the way. And so they say, well, you are saved by grace, but you're not ultimately saved by grace. You start off that way, but you've got to keep working to keep yourself safe so you finally get to heaven. Well, that's not grace. That's grace and works, and grace and works is not grace. It's works. It doesn't mean you start and you end up in the middle of the ocean. It doesn't mean you lose and go to hell. It means you make it, friend. And so this cousin of mine, his father said to me, about five years ago, he said, John, actually, in confidence, let me say to you that I really wish that Bobby could have been a Baptist. Because he said, I must have more churches and more people, and there's more opportunity. We're a little tiny tiny denomination he said i really wish he could have been and i would have encouraged him to be quote if it were not for that damnable baptist doctrine unquote i know what he meant he meant once saved always saved he meant once saved always saved which is no license to sin but the greatest incentive to the world to the fidelity of christ that's all the reiterate greater reason in the world to serve the lord is because of his all -sufficient grace amazing grace amazing grace well you you put it down one reason baptists are really despised by lots of folks we don't have any persecution complexes but we're realistic is that it is by the finished work of christ it's done that's all and that all adamic proud human nature starts to boil up inside of a man when you tell him that that surely there's something like it you go down to mexico and at certain times of the years you will see people by the hundreds of thousands crawling miles over the rocks until their legs and knees are bloody trying to do something to work themselves up to himself now listen is it accidental that the spirit of grace has deposited this tremendous negative proof in the middle of ephesians 2 8 and 9 when he says by grace are you saved through faith that not of yourselves that is the gift of god not of works period oh no it doesn't say that it says not of works lest any man should boast does he not know what he's doing when he puts in something like that of course he does because the doctrine of works causes men to boast it feeds the ego it feeds the pride i want every baptist to remember that climactic verse in 10 that follows for we are his creation created in christ on two good works what god afforded ain't that we should walk in them we are saved freely by his grace so we can go to work but that work has no helping part in the finished work of christ on the cross oh but it sure does feed the pride and the ego that's why most of the world's religions are works religions and as pride is fed and self -satisfaction is fed that i i i i i the original i problem the original self problem of lucifer in heaven i above god adam in the garden i above the will of god is still so present from the cradle to the grave in human nature it is intrinsic in the personality of every one of us that we just must do something to commend ourselves to god and that's something that prides itself in what it does becomes a boastful proud way that puts down those who are depending on god and can actually lead to hatred and it did in the life of this man tonight and we have planned such a special beautiful service in the observance of the lord's supper tonight you must come tonight we will talk about that first murder how it foreshadowed the death of christ on the cross but it was a way of hatred he hated his brother i went to a filling station the other day and uh friday i got some gas port of oil the man said uh as i signed the got ready to sign the ticket he said would you like some free cokes well anybody would like some free cokes i said sure i pushed that little fancy button you know on the back end popped up and then went some cokes well i signed that he wrote something down i signed the thing drove home and i looked at my ticket about two blocks from home and it said gas uh 731 uh oil 65 cents uh bottle deposit 31 cents oh so that's that's what now that's legitimate that's fine but i i i assume he knew that i thought that but he really didn't tell me that you see the the pop is free but the bottles cost now when i'm going to get my bottles refunded and get my 31 cents back you know where i'm going to go well of course i'm going to go back in there again and so they got a pretty good thing going they're going to make problem gas by giving me free pop make me pay for the bottle but you know there are no hidden persuaders there is no fine print in the clause of the grace of god that you start out that the gospel is free but you have to pay for the bottle not that way not that way it's all by grace it's all by grace well the last word is this it was a way of opportunity a way of opportunity now let's look at something very carefully note it well verse 7, if thou doest well, look, here's what God's saying to this man, if thou doest well, shalt thou thou be accepted? He was giving him another chance. He said, why is your face falling? Why are you full of wrath? Why are you so mad? He said, if you do well, here's another chance. Here's another chance. You'll be accepted. And if thou doest not well, sin lies at the door, and unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. Now there are those who get all entangled up about the blacks who are supposed to be slaves to the white and say that here's where one man was supposed to rule over another. That's a bunch of baloney. No, no. The word, the expression him and unto him and he, his, these are not masculine terms. They're neither masculine nor feminine. They're just neuter. They're not referring to someone. He's not going to rule over his brother. His brother or him is referring to something. This him refers to sin. Look what he's saying. He says, sin doesn't have to win out here. Sin doesn't have to rule. You can rule over sin. If you do well, if you go back and get by faith under the blood like your brother did, he said, sin lies at the door, and unto thee shall be his desire. You see, he shall be in submission unto thee. Thou shalt rule over him. You can conquer sin. You can have conquest over sin. You can rule it. You can put it under feet. It doesn't have to master you. It need not rule you. You can win this thing. Here's the second chance. The way of Cain, thank God, God, was a way of opportunity. It is most difficult, is it not, in our fluency, in our tradition of 30 and 40 and 50 and 60 years of religiosity in this church and that church and this religion in that denomination to ultimately say, well, it may be all right, but this is what I believe. And when the chips are down for most of us who have not been born again, who have not had a religious background that teaches us the new birth and the blood of Christ and salvation by faith in his blood, a real experience in opposition to doing, doing, doing, when the offer is finally made, most of us do what Cain did. One degree, another little bit of pride comes up and we still say, well, I'll still do it my way. That may be all right, but I think the Bible may say that. However, I still believe, and we still, people say, I still think if you just do the best you can, one small problem. I challenge any of you to honestly say to me, I have ever spent one 24 -hour period in my life when I did the best I could. When I do the best we can. If you could, that might be all right for the moral, moral man, might be all right for the good and the clean and the righteous and the affluent, where does that leave the derelict? Where does that leave the woman on the street? Where does that leave that prostitute? Where does that leave that degenerate? Where does that leave that poor, struggling alcoholic? Oh, thank God, the grace of our God is all inclusive. In loving kindness, Jesus came, my soul and mercy to reclaim. And from the depths of sin and shame, through grace, he lifted me. From sinking sand, he lifted me. Do you want to think I'll sing? No, I don't. With tender hands, he lifted me. Oh, praise his name. Oh, praise his name. He lifted me. Now on a higher plane, I dwell. Now on a higher plane, I dwell. And with my soul, I know tis well. How or why I cannot tell. Through grace, through grace, he lifted me. Yes, I know. From sinking sand, he lifted me. With tender hands, he lifted me. From place shades of night to plains of light. Oh, praise his name. He lifted me. You cannot lift yourself up by your moral bootstraps, regardless of how sincerely you may believe so. That question was irrevocably solved and satisfied and made steadfast through the ages in the curtain when he said, son, you're wrong. Sincerely, you're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong. It's the blood way. It's not the work way. It's not the do way. It's the done way. It's not man's way. It's not the fight on way. It's the faith way. It's not the struggle way. It's the finished way. It's done. It's done. Great transaction's done. By faith. By faith. You can get offered your way, Cain's way, and come his way, the only way, the right way, through faith in his cleansing, forgiving blood and be made his child and be acceptable to God and began to live. You say you have to be a Baptist. You missed the whole point. It isn't a Baptist way. It's the book way. You don't have to join our church. Join something else. But, oh, whatever you do, join Jesus. Let him end your life. That's the way. Let's stand and pray together. Our Father, we love thee. We thank thee for thyself. We thank thee that you have pointed out once and for all in the foundation of Genesis the wrong way and the right way. And we can reason and rationalize and argue and explain in defense until we're blue. But, Lord, you've still said, son, that's wrong. And this way is the right way. Thank you, dear Lord, that you gave him another way. He didn't take it. But I pray and believe that there are many here who shall in Jesus' name. Heads are bowed. Eyes are closed. Those, if whatever your way is has not been a way of simple repentance, faith in Christ, a new birth, an experience where God comes in your life, would you come down this house this morning and say, Pastor, I want Jesus to come into my heart. I receive him as my personal Savior. By faith, I accept what he did in shedding his blood for my sins. And you'll be saved. You'll be justified. You'll be made righteous. You'll be made right with our God. You can do it. Oh, come on. Perhaps you already are a Christian. You know our Christ as Savior. You desire to join our church. We welcome you and invite you to come. By coming, you might help someone to give their heart to Christ who wants to come, who will be first to lead the way as we sing our hymn of invitation.