The title of my message tonight
is Eternal Grace. Eternal Grace. The subject is
a matter of immense importance for the simple reason that grace
that is in any way dependent upon anything in time is not
the grace of God revealed in scripture. The grace of God in
all aspects of God's grace is eternal grace. We're told in
the book of Hebrews, chapter 4, the third verse, with regard
to our everlasting salvation in Christ, the works were finished
from the foundation of the world. That's exactly what the book
of God teaches universally. The works were finished from
the foundation of the world. Now, this fact is revealed in
considerable detail in three statements in the New Testament.
Let's look at all three passages. First Timothy, I'm sorry, Second
Timothy, Chapter 1. Second Timothy, Chapter 1. Here
the Holy Ghost tells us that God saved us and called us. That is, all who are saved in
time, all who have been called in time, were saved and called
before the world began by the grace of God. This grace was
given us in Christ in eternity and it is that which is brought
to light by the gospel. The grace was given to us in
Christ before the world began and it is brought to light in
our souls by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Second Timothy 1 verse
9. God hath saved us and called
us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according
to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began. So far do our works, so far is
it that our works have anything to do with our salvation. This
work was done before the world began, but is now made manifest,
now revealed to us by the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ,
who hath abolished death and brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel. What is the life that we now
have in Christ? It is the very life Jesus Christ
our mediator Christ who is our life he is our life from everlasting
and we have had being with him from everlasting as long as he
has had life life has been ours in him This life is manifest
and brought to light in the experience of God's grace when Christ comes
and reveals himself in us by the power of his grace, giving
life and immortality in the sweet experience of his grace. Turn
back now, if you will, to Romans chapter 8. Romans 8 chapter. Here we're told that we were
loved, justified, called, and glorified in God's eternal purpose
of grace. I never will forget, I don't
think, I hope not, the first time I heard a man preach from
this portion of Scripture. I was 19 years old. We were attending
Hillcrest Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Brother Daniel
Parks, Dad E.W. Parks was our pastor. And there's
a long, lanky fellow walked in the back door I'd never seen
before. And I heard Brother Parks ask him, said, Brother Harry,
would you preach for us tonight? And he said, well, sure. And
after we sang a few songs, he introduced Brother Harry Graham.
And Harry turned to Romans 8, 28, 29, and 30. And he said, I'm going to preach
to you tonight on the golden chain of grace, the golden chain
of grace that has five links that can never be broken. And
he gave us the links of the chain. God loved us, and God predestinated
us, and God called us, and God justified us, and God glorified
us, so that those who are loved of God are those who have been
glorified by God and shall be glorified by God. This is God's
purpose of grace. And we know, Romans 8, 28, we
know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are thee called according to His purpose. Billy McCormick and I were talking
yesterday and he said, I don't know how it is that everything
works together for our good, but I know it does. He said,
it looks to me like we do things, you throw a rock in and it just
makes ripples. But God's purpose, God's purpose
is sure. And God does everything good
because he does it for this purpose. He doesn't do everything to make
us feel good. He doesn't do everything to make
us enjoy life in this world. He doesn't do everything good
in the sense that we would think of it. Men look at catastrophes,
earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, starvation, war, the spiritual
darkness of this world. How's that for good? I don't
know how it all works together for good, but I have God's word
for it. But what is that good? The good
is God's purpose. The good is God's purpose. They work together for good according
to his purpose. Watch this. whom He did foreknow,
whom He loved from eternity. He also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn
among many brethren. Now watch what He did before
the world began. In God's providence, He's working
everything together to accomplish His purpose. His purpose is that
a people loved of God, as Brother Rex read to us in Jeremiah 31,
loved of God from eternity, shall at last be conformed exactly
to his darling Son. Now watch what he did. Watch
what he did. Moreover, moreover, this is not just something God's
going to do in days to come. whom he did predestinate, them
he also called. Past tense. This is not prophetic. This is a declaration of something
done from eternity. Whom he called, them he also
justified. Whom he justified, them he also
glorified. All done for us, in God's eternal
grace before the world began, so that those who in time experience
God's grace in the sweet call of His Spirit, those who in time
experience God's grace being justified by His grace in the
blessed, blessed gift of grace and faith in Christ Jesus, those
whom He glorifies in time giving us the glorious liberty of the
sons of God in the resurrection that He did for us and gave to
us in Christ before the world began. And nothing in time changes
any of it. Nothing in time makes any alteration
of any of it. Now look at our text this evening,
Ephesians chapter 1. Here is the third declaration
of this great revelation of grace, Ephesians 1 verse 3. Here the
Spirit of God tells us by the same apostle exactly how we were
saved by God's matchless grace in Christ long before the world's
foundations were laid. And it tells us that it was all
done in eternity to the praise of the glory of God's grace. Ephesians 1 verse 3, blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. God has at one time in the past
blessed all his people with all spiritual blessings. redemption
and calling and justification and glorification. He's blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in Christ before the world began.
Now watch this. According as He hath chosen us
in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before Him in love. In love, having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself according to the good pleasure of his will, to the
praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted
in the beloved. Three words tell us what God
did for us in eternal grace before the world began. predestinated,
accepted. Chosen, predestinated, accepted. These words ought to be as common
in the thoughts and upon the lips and in the songs and praises
of God's people as any words in the human language. Chosen,
predestinated, accepted. All right, the first work of
grace Paul mentions here as being performed by the great and gracious
God is his sovereign election of our souls in Jesus Christ. According as he hath chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world. Our election in
Christ was an act performed by God from eternity. all at one time chosen in Christ
the Redeemer. I want you to turn back, if you
will, to Matthew chapter 1. Put your mark in Ephesians 1,
turn back to Matthew 1. All God's blessings of grace
flow to sinners in time because he hath chosen us in him before
the foundation of the world. No grace comes but by election. All grace comes by election. Preachers everywhere talk about
the fact that Jesus Christ came into the world. Everybody talks
about the fact that Jesus Christ lived and died. Most who profess
to believe him even talk about the fact that he rose from the
dead. Very few, very few have any understanding why he came. Here in Matthew chapter 1 verse
21 the angel God sent to Joseph makes this declaration concerning
the birth of Christ. She shall bring forth a son and
thou shall call his name Jesus for he shall save his people
from their sins. The greatest wonder of in the
universe is the redemption of our souls by the sacrifice of
God's Son. And this wonder of God, this
wonder by which God reveals and displays His glory, is that which
Christ came to accomplish when He stepped into time in human
flesh. Christ came specifically an errand
of mercy as Jehovah's righteous servant to save His people from
their sins. Almost everybody presumes that
Christ came here to save everybody. Nothing could be further from
the truth. He came here to save a people who were His people
before He came to save them. It doesn't say He shall save
those who shall be His people. He shall save His people, the
people given to Him, united to Him in covenant mercy, in the
union of grace before the world began. Lost preachers everywhere
love to tell people those things that please them. They tell them
exactly what they're hired to tell them. God loves you. Jesus died for you. God believes
in you. God wants to save you, but the
decision's yours. It's really up to you. God's gracious, but his hands
are tied. Tied by your will. Thus making God subject to man
and making the omnipotent God impotent and the impotent man
omnipotent. giving to man attributes that
only God possesses. That's utter blasphemy. The scriptures
tell us that Christ Jesus came here to save a particular distinct
people, to redeem a particular people, a people loved and chosen
of God, His people from their sins. The notion of universal
redemption, I stated this morning, is utter blasphemy. It is damning
heresy. It is damning heresy. The notion
of salvation by your free will is damning heresy for this reason. If Christ died for all men, and
some yet perish under the wrath of God, where is the justice
of God? If Christ paid the price for
our sins, And yet some must pay the price for their sins for
which Christ has already suffered. Where is justice? Christ Jesus
died to satisfy justice for His people. If Jesus Christ died
for men, if He loves all men without exception, and some men
go to hell in spite of the fact that He loves them, where is
the love of God? That makes the love of God meaningless. That makes the love of God insignificant. It is not God's love that makes
the difference, not God's loving you that makes the difference,
but you deciding to love God that makes the difference. If
God wants to save all men, and Christ came here to redeem all
men, and yet some men perish in their sins, where is the immutability
of God? A.W. Tozer. The founder of the
Christian Missionary Alliance Church made this statement, altogether
consistent with his theology. He said, I believe that God loves
all men until he sends them to hell. And then God's anger and
wrath and fury is poured out upon men whom he once loved. That's good enough for you. And
that's good enough for me. That kind of love is good enough
for you and good enough for your neighbor. But it's not good enough
for God. God doesn't love today and hate
tomorrow. God doesn't love today and turn
against you tomorrow. Those who are loved of God from
everlasting are loved of God to everlasting. And nothing changes
Jehovah's love. The Lord Jesus Christ came here
to save His people from their sins and saved them, He did,
when He finished the work of redemption, when He had fulfilled
all righteousness by the sacrifice of Himself. Now look at the text
back here in Ephesians 1 again. According as He hath chosen us
in Him. In Him. We were chosen in Jesus
Christ. The Son of God as our mediator
and surety stood before the Father as the head and husband of His
church from everlasting. We were chosen to be a bride
for His Son, a help meet for Him, a help meet for Him. How can you and I, sinners like
us, possibly be a help meet for God the Son? How can that possibly
be so? I can think of only one means
by which we are a help meet for Him. The purpose of our existence
is the glory of God our Savior. And we being what we are by nature
supply to the Son of God an opportunity to show forth His grace to the
praise of His glory. God created us in time because
God chose us to be and help meet for His Son from eternity. He
chose the church as a bride for His darling Son to be His companion
to whom He might impart all grace here and all glory hereafter,
and that done, that we might be the fullness of Him that filleth
all in all. Now look at Ephesians 1 for again.
The Holy Ghost tells us that this was done before the foundation
of the world. The Gospel of Christ is the revelation
of things which have been kept secret foundation of the world. That's how our Lord introduced
His parables in Matthew 13. It's the revelation of things
that had been kept secret from the foundation of the world.
Christ is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Our names were written in the Book of Life of the Lamb before
the world began. Indeed, all God's works were
finished from eternity. John Gill stated it better than
I could imagine stating it. He said, no new will or act of
will can arise in God. No new will, no act of will that's
new can arise in God. God is eternal. God is eternal and all his will
and purpose eternal. How we rejoice then to hear our
Savior say, ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you. And we bow to Him and say Amen. If God chose me from eternity
and God said concerning me from eternity, As we read in Jeremiah
31, I will be his God and he shall be my child. If that's
what God did from eternity, nothing in time will alter anything in
that relationship. Nothing in time will drive a
wedge between me and God. Nothing in time will cause God
now to frown upon me. He chose us in Christ before
the world was that we should be holy and without blame before
Him. How can I give a brief explanation
of those words so full of meaning? Be sure you get this. has always beheld his own in
Christ. God has always beheld us in Christ. Only in Christ. Always in Christ. Fully in Christ. Perfectly in
Christ. One with Christ. I'm looking at Lindsey Campbell.
There he sits. And I see his face, and his eyes,
and his mouth, and his neck, and I see his shoulders, and
his arms. And when I see his eyes, and his nose, and his mouth,
and his neck, and his shoulders, and his arms, do you know what
I'm looking at? I'm looking at Lindsey Campbell. I can't behold those things about
him and not behold him. And I can't behold Him and not
behold those things that set Him forth in His physical character
and physical being. When God Almighty sees me, He
sees His Son. And when God Almighty sees His
Son, He sees me. That's the way it's always been.
that's the way it is now and that's the way it shall always
be no matter what no matter what yes God comes in his grace in
time and we experience that which he has done in eternity some
years ago some fellows got real upset with me I'm good at doing
that and I sent out letters so folks Brother Fortner doesn't
believe the death of Christ was necessary. Brother Fortner doesn't
believe the experience of God's grace is necessary. He believes
it's all done from eternity. I don't even believe it's necessary.
I know it's necessary because it was done from eternity. It
was done from eternity. That which God did for us in
eternity He brings to pass in time in the display of His grace
in the experience of His grace. So that this world is, as Shakespeare
put it, a stage. And we are all just on the stage
upon which God is working out the marvelous drama of redemption. Some years ago, I was taking
a theology class and one of the textbooks was the unfolding drama
of redemption. And I was right anxious to start
reading the book. The introduction messed it all up and I knew what
it was going to be because it wasn't much of a drama and there
was nothing unfolding about it. But this is what time is. Oh, sakes of God, hear this.
Everything in time is but the unfolding drama of redemption. It is just the unfolding of God's
purpose accomplished and given us in Christ before the world
began. When we sinned in our father
Adam, we became polluted just like all other people. And we
were born with Adam's fallen, depraved, corrupt nature, just
like all other people. But that which we experience
in time, in this present state, does not and cannot in any way
alter what God did for us in eternity. When God beheld us
in His Son, He beheld us holy and without blame before Him.
And He comes in His Son and accomplishes redemption for us, brings in
everlasting righteousness for us by His obedience unto death.
And He comes in His power by His grace in regeneration and
puts righteousness in us, gives us a holy, blameless nature,
that new man created in righteousness and in true holiness. Christ
in you, that new man that cannot sin. And yet we still live in
this body of flesh. But soon, soon, oh soon, The Lord God will
take us out of this body of flesh. And we will be all together holy
and without blame. But still this body lies in the
dust. Ah, but soon Christ is coming
again and these bodies, sown in corruption, shall be raised
in incorruption. This is just, it's just beyond
my imagination. It's just, it's just beyond my
imagination. Look here, look here. In that
day, when the whole drama of redemption is finished, Jesus
Christ shall present me and you in these bodies. these bodies holy and unblamable
and unreprovable in God's sight so that in the physical body
of flesh raised the spiritual body in immortality and glory
the purpose of God done for us and given to us in Christ before
the world began is experienced by us in with Christ in eternal
glory. This done in love, according
as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,
and then in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.
That's the doctrine of predestination stated exactly in the word of
God. Now, men cavil and carp and get
upset and fuss over predestination all the time. You don't believe
in predestination, do you? Well, of course, who doesn't?
Who doesn't? Anybody who believes this book
does. What? The book says in love having
predestinated us under the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself according to the good pleasure of his will. Predestination
is the sweet, sweet, sweet revelation of God's purpose of grace in
Jesus Christ the Lord. He's predestinated us to experience
His salvation in time. He's predestinated us to the
adoption of sons. Not that we, in time, become
the sons of God. No, no, no, no, no, no. We are
the sons of God from eternity in everlasting election. But,
bro, we know nothing about it until we come to experience His
grace. And the Lord God causes us to
know our sonship, giving us His Spirit so that we cry, Abba,
Father. Because we were adopted in eternity,
He sends His Spirit into our hearts in regeneration. And soon,
He will bring us into that which is described as the glorious
liberty of the children of God. Turn over to 1 John chapter 3.
Look at this again, 1 John chapter 3. Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons
of God. He called us His sons before
the world was. He has called us His sons, giving
us life and faith in His Son. Therefore the world knoweth us
not, because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the sons
of God. and it doth not yet appear what
we shall be. But we know that when he shall
appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Now, look at verse five again. Our Father has predestinated
us unto the adoption of children in Jesus Christ to himself. Those are weighty, precious words. He predestinated us not just
to happiness, not just to heaven, not just to the possession of
all worlds, but God predestinated us to himself. The Lord hath chosen Jacob unto
himself and Israel for his peculiar treasure. This people, the Lord
God says, have I formed for myself. And they shall show forth his
praise, my praise. Now all this was done according
to the good pleasure of his will. We weren't chosen according to
our will, but according to the good pleasure of His will. We
weren't accepted according to our will, but according to the
good pleasure of His will. Our whole gift of grace, our
entire salvation is according to the good pleasure of God's
will. In the light of that, we might
pray continually, do good. and thy good pleasure unto Zion. God, do your good pleasure. Lord, do what you will. Do what you will. Our Father,
which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done. What is it that you want? What
is it that you desire? My God, I want your will. I want you to do what you purpose
to do from eternity. And I want you to make it delightful
to me. I want you to accomplish your purpose. and I want you
to make it pleasant to me. I want you to do your good pleasure
to Zion. I want you to build the walls
of Jerusalem. May the Lord be pleased to fulfill
in you all the good pleasure of His goodness, to the praise
of His glory, to the praise of the glory His grace. And then the Apostle tells us
in verse 6, to the praise of the glory of
His grace wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved. Accepted. Accepted in Christ, one with
Christ from eternity, accepted as a people righteous and holy
and unblameable and unreprovable, justified, sanctified, glorified
in him, in Christ, before the world was. Now, that shouldn't
be difficult for anybody to grasp. Bobby Estes, if God accepts you
now, He only accepts you as one who's holy, righteous, justified,
sanctified, perfect, one with His Son. He only accepts you.
If God accepts you tomorrow, that's the only way He'll accept
you. And if God accepted you before the world was, it was
in Christ, righteous and holy and sanctified and justified.
That means that we were justified before we needed justifying.
We were forgiven before we sinned. We were restored before we went
astray. We were sanctified and made holy
before we were unholy and unclean. We were accepted in Christ before
we went astray from our God-speaking lives. We were accepted in Christ
before we fell in our father Adam. Accepted in the beloved. Now look at verse 7, we'll come
to this again. In whom we have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches
of His grace. That's talking about our present
possession, our present experience of grace. Paul says now, children
of God, praise God for what He's done for you. from everlasting. He's chosen you, predestinated
you, and accepted you in Christ, in whom you now possess redemption
through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches
of His grace. All this we experience in time
in the blessed work of God's grace in us, in the gift of faith
and life in His Son. because God did it for us in
eternal grace before the world was. I'm sure, as sure as I am of
my own existence, that whenever God the Holy Spirit awakens a
poor sinner by his grace and gives spiritual life to the redeemed,
Nothing will satisfy that poor sinner but a confident assurance
of his union with Christ. The most profound mystery in
this book is the believer's union with Christ. One with Him. One with Him. Chosen in Him. We had our being with Him from
eternity. Our life in Him from eternity. Our sanctification in Him from
eternity. The Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world by whom we were redeemed, justified, sanctified,
and glorified from eternity. And while He walked on this earth, we lived in perfect obedience
to God in Him. in perfect righteousness in Him. And when He died, we died in
Him. And when He arose from the dead,
we arose in Him, quickened together with Christ, and we took His
seat on the right hand of the majesty on high, we sat down
in Him, with Him, one with Him, our Redeemer. And He prays and his high priestly
prayer that Brother Lindsey had been dealing with now for several
months in John 17. He prays, Father, perform all
this grace, all this grace that you've given my people in me
before the world was. Perform all this grace in them. Call them and sanctify them and
keep them and do this that they may be one even as we are one. That they may be made perfect
in one as thou father art in me and I in thee. What? Soon. Soon. Soon. When God gets done with this
unfolding drama of redemption, all the host of God's elect will
in the everlasting experience of heavenly glory be made perfect
in one, in Christ. There won't be left in us a single
suspicious thought, a solitary point of envy, an ill will of any kind toward
any of God's elect, but made perfect in Christ. God give us to experience something
of that unity now, which we anticipate in eternity, because we are one
with Christ. One with Christ. One with Christ. Amen.