Today I'll be preaching from
a verse in Jonah chapter 2, one verse which will sum up the fact
that salvation is of the Lord. The name of the message is God's
salvation. Turn if you would to Jonah chapter
2 verse 9. We'll be going to some other
scriptures as well, and then I'll be giving you a bunch of
scriptures if you want to write them down for further reference. You
can, and look them up. This is wonderful. God's salvation. God's salvation. Jonah chapter
2, verse 9. But I will sacrifice unto thee
with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay that I have vowed
salvation is of the Lord. Ask yourself as you listen to
this message, can I say that salvation is all for the Lord.
Can I say that's true for me? Can you who are hearing this
message say with me, salvation's of the Lord? And if you can,
by God's grace, then let us rejoice together over the fact that salvation
is of the Lord. It's all Him. Jesus Christ died
for sinners, shed His blood for sinners, gave His life for sinners,
such as we. If you cannot say that salvation
is of the Lord, then I pray that God will show you this wonderful
truth and that God would grant you faith to believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ. for the saving of your souls,
because salvation is only in and through the Lord Jesus Christ
alone. There's no way to the Father,
there's no way to heaven, except through the Lord Jesus Christ.
And you must be born again. And that's a work of God the
Holy Spirit, sent by Christ to regenerate his people, and he
comes to those whom Christ has redeemed at Calvary's Cross.
It's wonderful. I don't know who they are, you
don't know who they are, so I preach the gospel to everyone. And say,
come to Christ. You need to come to Christ. Salvation
is only found in Christ and Him alone. Now here are some facts
from the Bible that salvation is of the Lord. This salvation
is a God-wrought salvation, meaning that it's not of man's works
at all. It's all because of God's free
grace and sovereign grace shown to sinners based upon his will
and purpose. And the salvation, which is of
the Lord, only comes to the sinner through the Lord Jesus Christ
in him alone. We cannot save ourselves. Sinners
can only be saved through the Lord Jesus Christ. The book of Isaiah, in chapter
26, verse 12, it says, Lord, that's Jehovah, thou will ordain
peace for us, for thou has wrought all our works in us. This wonderful
verse brings forth that God has ordained peace for his people,
for his born-again, blood-washed people, and that only comes through
the Lord Jesus Christ. And He's wrought it for us, and
He wrought it in us. We're born again by the power
of God, the Holy Spirit. Salvation's all of the Lord,
the Father in the planning, the Son in the executing and purchasing,
and the Holy Spirit in the application. It's all of the Lord. It's all
of Him. We run the Christ. Yes, we do.
But it's only because the Father draws us. Isn't that wonderful?
Oh, it's amazing. So He's ordained a people. And
do you know that he's ordained this people called the elect
in the Bible, do you know he's ordained them to salvation? Isn't that amazing? 1 Thessalonians
5, verses 9 and 10 says this, For God hath not appointed us
to wrath. Now Paul's writing to saints,
born-again, blood-washed believers in the city of Thessalonica.
And he says this to them, For God hath not appointed us to
wrath. but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. We can't obtain it by ourselves.
It can only be obtained through Christ and what He's done, who
died for us. You know, He died for the sins
of His people. He shed His blood. Whether we
wake or sleep, that means whether we're alive or dead, we should
live together with Him. Isn't that wonderful? Christ died for my sins. All
who trust Christ We trust him because he died for us. And he
draws us by the power of God, the Holy Spirit, to himself.
Isn't that amazing? Because you are sons, God has
sent forth the spirit of a son, whereby we now cry, I have a
father. It's just incredible. Salvation to the Lord. And the fact that he's not appointed
us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by and through our Lord Jesus
Christ, brings great joy and peace and comfort to God's people,
knowing that our salvation is all in Christ alone. The Father's ordained us, beloved.
Listen to that verse again, Isaiah 26, 12. Thou, or Lord, Lord,
thou will ordain peace for us. He's ordained peace for his people
through Christ. It's just tremendous. Now here
are some facts that show us from the Bible that salvation is of
the Lord. We'll be looking in the first
chapter of Ephesians. Let's turn there, Ephesians chapter
one. We'll be looking there. No matter what aspect of salvation
is under consideration, Jonah's words are applicable as salvation
from beginning to end is of the Lord. He's the alpha, he's the
author of our salvation, and he's the finisher, the omega
of our salvation. Oh my. So marvel, look at this,
Ephesians chapter one. Marvel that God the Father planned
and purposed the salvation of his elect before the world began.
None of us was around then. Isn't that amazing? Listen to
this, Ephesians chapter one, verses three to six. Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed
us. Look at that, it's past tense,
beloved. Isn't it wonderful? With all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. This is God's
people in Christ have all spiritual blessings. It's wonderful. According, as he has chosen us. That means to choose in the Greek.
That means to choose. Chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world. Before the foundation of the
world? Yeah, that's what the scripture says. That we should
be holy and without blame before him in love. My, oh, my. Having predestinated us unto
the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according,
look at this, oh, let this warm your heart, beloved of God, according
to the good pleasure of his will. People talk about will all the
time. My free will, all my free, our will is bound to our nature.
But this, salvation, is of the Lord, and it's all according
to his good pleasure. So if you're saved, It's according
to the good pleasure of God, according to His will. That's
just magnificent. And then what's it for? To the
praise of the glory of His grace. We praise Him here now. We're
going to praise Him forever in glory. Whereon He hath made us,
look at this, accepted in the Beloved. That's Christ, singular,
Beloved, Christ. Christ is the Beloved, and we
are only accepted in Christ. because he shed his blood to
redeem us, to purchase us at Calvary's cross. He satisfied
God's wrath that was against us. He quenched it. He fulfilled
the law for us in his life and in his death. It's amazing. And he did that as the great
substitute of his people. So let's go on. Let's marvel
at the fact that the son earned and purchased the salvation of
all who were predestinated to the adoption of sons by his holy life and
vicarious death as our representative and substitute. Look at Ephesians
chapter 1 verses 7 to 12. In whom, that's being Christ,
we have redemption saved from our sins, beloved. How? Through
his blood. He gave his life for us. He gave
his life. Greater love hath no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Oh! My,
the Son of God, God incarnated in the flesh, gave his life.
The believing sinner can say, for me! Oh my, this is amazing. And what do we have? The forgiveness
of sins according to the riches of his grace, all because of
God's grace. All because of God's grace. Having
made known unto us the mystery of his will according to his
good pleasure, which he had purposed in himself. that in the dispensation
of the fullness of times, he might gather together in one
all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on
earth, even in him, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance.
See, we can't obtain this inheritance by our works. Christ obtained
the inheritance for his people by his work, being predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things, look
at this, after the counsel of his own will. God works all things
after the counsel of his own will. Aren't you thankful it
was his will to save us, beloved? Oh, my. That we should be to
the praise of his glory who first trusted Christ. Now let us marvel
at the fact that God, the Holy Spirit, reveals God's salvation
through Christ. So we saw, we saw there the Father
planned and purposed. We saw there the Son obtained
it by the shedding of his blood. Now we're gonna see that the
Holy Ghost reveals it. Oh, every born-again, blood-washed,
chosen, redeemed sinner, God the Holy Spirit reveals Christ
to us. Oh, how? By His almighty, irresistible
grace. And you know, He seals us. You
know, we're already marked, beloved. He seals us. Oh my, He seals
us. He seals us. We're chosen, redeemed
sinners, all according to the everlasting covenant of God,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Look at this. Ephesians
chapter 1, verses 13 to 14. In whom also, in whom ye also
trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, that's the
gospel, the gospel of your salvation, it's my salvation, through Christ
and Him alone. This gospel saved me. Christ
saved my soul. Wow. So, look at this. And whom also after that ye believed,
see, you must be born again. And the only way we're going
to believe is to be born again. You were sealed with that Holy
Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until
the redemption, the purchase of possession, and the praise
of His glory. So in these verses, we've seen that salvation in
its planning, in its execution, its purchase, its performance,
its preservation, its perfection, And its application is all of
the Lord. We are saved by God's grace according
to the Father's will. Now here's some more references
if you want to write these down. And we see that every work is
all of God. Salvation's all of the Lord.
Isaiah 26, 12 again. Lord, thou will ordain peace
for us, for thou also has wrought all our works in us. Oh my. And in election was God's work
and everlasting love before the world was made. He chose the
people he would save. Listen to the words of the master
in John chapter 15 verse 16. You've not chosen me, but I've
chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth
fruit and that your fruit should remain that whatsoever you should
ask my father in my name, he may give it to you. Oh my, now
here's some more scriptures to show us that salvations of the
Lord. Predestination was God's work from eternity. Before ever
there was the earth was made, God predestinated all things
that ever came to pass. Romans chapter 8 verses 28 to
31. Regeneration, the new birth, is God's work. John chapter 3
verse 8, you must be born again. James chapter 118, it's all by
God. Conviction of sin is the work
of the Holy Spirit of God. John chapter 16 verses 8 to 14. Repentance is a gift of God.
Acts chapter 5 verse 31 and 2 Timothy 2.25. Faith in Christ is something
the sinner must exercise, yet we can only do so by the gift
and operation of God. For by grace are you saved through
faith, and not by yourselves. It's a gift of God. Ephesians
2.8. And it goes on to say, not of works, lest any man should
boast. Spiritual understanding is the work of God and the gift
of God. John chapter six, verse 44 and
45. Perseverance is God's work. Malachi 3.6 and 1 Peter 1.5. Sanctification is God's work
alone. Jude 1.1 and 1 Thessalonians
2.13 and 14. Good works, which every believer
is to maintain, are the results of God's grace in us. Ephesians
chapter two, verses eight to 10. Spiritual fruit, it's the
produce of God, the Holy Spirit. It's the fruit of the Spirit,
Galatians 5.22. And then the resurrection will
be God's work. Look at 1 Corinthians 15, verses
1 to 58. And you'll see, salvation's of
the Lord, it's all of Him. So marvel then, beloved of God,
as our salvation is a God-wrought salvation. Salvation's of the
Lord. If God did not work all our works
in us, then we'd perish in a heartbeat. We'd die and go to hell if it
wasn't for the grace and mercy of God. But remember, remember,
beloved. Oh, he's ordained us to obtain
salvation through Christ Jesus, our Lord. Isn't that wonderful?
Oh, God in his free grace has done for us what we could never
do for ourselves. And we gladly confess Salvation
is of the Lord. Lord, thou has brought all our
works in us, so that it is not of him that willeth, nor of him
that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Praise the name
of Jesus. Amen and amen.