This sermon uses the illustration of a high-quality watch to emphasize the concept of grace in salvation. Just as a valuable watch is given without cost or obligation, salvation through Jesus Christ is a gift from God that cannot be earned. The speaker highlights the importance of personal responsibility in working out one's salvation while acknowledging that it is ultimately God's grace that enables and empowers believers to live righteously. The sermon emphasizes the transformative power of grace, teaching that true salvation leads to a life of service and obedience to God.

They tell me that Bulova spent millions of dollars learning how to make and perfect that watch. That watch doesn't have any mainspring in it. It has a little motor. Just a little engine, I guess, that's what you call it. And it just got a little humming sound. Just hums all the time. You don't have to wind it. You don't have to shake it. It just runs, and it'll run for one year. And I mean, it'll never miss a second. I've never found one of these watches to miss not a half a minute in a year. I mean, that's an acatron. Now, I'm not advertising watches tonight. But this watch is an unusual watch. But I want to illustrate something. What'd he say? He said to him, worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of death. And so, my friend Brother Nichols said, Brother Olaf, I'd like to give you the finest watch that's made. And from the cost of it, that could be sold. But nevertheless, he said, I'd like to give you a watch. And I said, all right, what watch would you like to give me? He said, I'd like to give you the very best. Band and all. And so I said, all right, if it won't strain you too much. And he said, no. And he puts it on the arm. He said, now then, come back a year from now, and I'm going to put you another battery in that watch. I said, all right, I'll be back. But that was on July 1st. And on August 1st, I got one of them little looking glass letters from him. You know, one of those little things you see through? And I said, well, I was looking, you know, to get a little, he said, Akatron, 175 or 200, or, you know, whatever it is. And then paid in full by Brother Nichols. No, that wasn't it at all. It said, Bill to L.L. Roy, Akatron, one Akatron, $200. And I looked at that, and it seemed like my watch didn't sing as good as it did. And I said, that's strange. I thought he, huh? He really didn't give it to me, did he? Now, this is just an illustration, you see. All right. Same thing with salvation. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The wages of sin is death, but the G-I-F-T gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Now, if God said, I'm going to give you eternal life, am I going to get a bill for it? No. Oh, you'd say, what about the verse that says, work out your salvation? Sure does. Philippians chapter 2. Work out your salvation with Ben Thumblin. For it's God that worketh in you both the will and the do of his good pleasure. How can you work something out? I heard an old farmer talking, and he's trying to explain that. He said, you can't work your pedophiles out till you've got one. And you can't work your salvation out till you have it. But if you'd like to look at that verse, it's found over in Philippians, and it'll be chapter 2. Philippians chapter 2. Now, I left a little word out of there, and I've got to put it in, because you'll understand it better. Work out your salvation. That's not all of it. Work out your own salvation. Brother, it's a personal matter. Work it out, for it's God that worketh in you both the will and the do of his good pleasure. Would you turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 15? 1 Corinthians chapter 15, and we'll just stop and visit Brother Paul a moment. He's in a big meeting somewhere, and they just asked him to give his testimony. And so Brother Paul said, I'm delighted. In fact, just one time, you know, he said, I count myself happy to have the privilege of talking to all of you people. And here he's given his testimony, and in verse 10, and I think it'd be well to read verse 9, I'm the least of the apostles. I'm the smallest apostle there is. Not meek to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God, but I like this. Brother, he said, I still got a testimony. I feel like I'm the least of all the apostles, not even worthy to be called one, but by the grace of God, I am what I am. He didn't say, by my religion, I am what I am, but by the grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace, which was bestowed, that's given, upon me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all yet. Not I, but the grace of God, which was with me. Turn, please, to 2 Corinthians chapter 8. 2 Corinthians chapter 8. Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit our witness of the grace of God bestowed whereabouts on the churches of Macedonia. That's the reason I love the church. If it's the kind of church, there ought to be a heap of grace around there. Grace bestowed on the churches. Never fall wisdom on the churches. That's the reason I resent anybody in the world trying to run the church except God's people. They have no right to tell the church what to do because God gave the church the grace of God and the manifold wisdom of God. And any church that doesn't have it is living beneath its privileges. I'm so ashamed of these little old man-made churches. A preacher got up and said, What is your desire? What wilt thou have me to do? Well, that's not for him to ask the brethren. He ought to ask God that and then do it, whether they like it or don't like it. But I'll tell you something else. The spiritual people like it every time. They're hungry for it. And so the preacher is to tell the people. All right? Now then, verse 9, For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. Brother, that's coming from poverty to tremendous riches, even though he went from tremendous riches to tremendous poverty. Titus chapter 2. Titus chapter 2. Oh, if somehow we could get a hold of these verses right here. To me, this is the heart of living by grace through faith. Beginning at verse 11, Titus 2, 11, For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly, righteously, and godly. We're about in this present world looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity to find himself a peculiar people zealous of good works. These things speak in exhort and rebuke with all authority, let no man despise thee. Now get something straight. When you're saved by grace, grace is the teacher that tells you that you're not to live in sin anymore. You deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and you live soberly, you live righteously and grace is the only teacher and the only helper that can make you do that. Listen, salvation by grace is not a license to sin but a license to serve. Did you know nobody ever served the Lord until they're saved by grace? You can try all you want to and we're going to come to that bunch of crack doctors in a little bit. It's going to waste a lot of time and a lot of money. Let's turn now to Hebrews chapter 2. It'll be our last verse, I believe, and we'll have time for it.