and him and their family. Turn
with me to the passage that Brother Darrell read, 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy
chapter 1. Scripture. 2 Timothy chapter
1. And I'd like to look especially
at that ninth verse. Paul the Apostle says in that ninth verse, "...who
have saved us and called us with an holy calling." Tonight, I mean this morning, I'd like to attempt to set forth
with clarity out of the Holy Scriptures the
truth of what God Almighty has to say concerning salvation. What is it? I want to preach
this morning on what does it mean to be saved. Saved. Now, let's be honest about
something. Right now, for the most part,
most of us are sitting here and we're in, as far as we know,
pretty good shape. Feel pretty good. You know, some
of us are getting on years and we think, well, I tell you, it's
harder to get up in the morning. I get tired quicker. I notice
aches and pains I didn't notice before. But as far as we know,
doing pretty good. I was reminded vividly here a couple
of days ago I heard that there was a young man that lives right
there next to us that was killed on a four-wheeler. And what it
caused me to think, the frailty of this life just gone right
now. Left and just sometimes, according
to God's Purpose, will, pleasure, I know. It's appointed unto man
once to die. Then the Scripture says the judgment. Right now, I'll bet you there's
not very many people sitting here this morning that got up
this morning, got ready, ate breakfast, got dressed, came
on, and thought today's the last day. I'm never going to be in
this world. Today's the day. Today's the
end. Well, I would imagine that those
that God Almighty has called out of this world probably didn't
think that either that day. But today very well could be
the last day. This could be it. This could
be the last time I ever preach. This could be the last time that
I ever set forth the gospel. There has been in my life, there's
been instances in my life when I preached one day, one morning, one evening,
and then realized later that was the last time that that person
ever heard me preach. And I wanted to go back and pick
up that tape and plug it in and listen to it. And you know, I
listened to it with a little bit different ear that day. I thought, what was it that I
said that that person heard for the last time? What did I say? How did I set it forth? This
morning, truthfully I pray, that I might, by God's grace, preach
things that He has taught me, yes, but oh, that the Spirit
of God might be pleased to bless this, to our hearing, to our
understanding, and realize this one thing. It doesn't matter. what you're, you know, as far
as this life is concerned. It doesn't matter what you're
going through. It doesn't matter what you think
is important. It doesn't matter what you think
is going to be that which is going to be your fulfillment
or something. I pray this morning that we all
might realize today may be it. This may be the last day. The
Lord said, in a day that you think not, that's it. whether it's this life that He
takes you out of, or whether He comes to receive His own.
I know this, that Almighty God is sovereign in all things. He's going to do that which He's
pleased to do. But I pray that this day, that whatever is set
forth might be to His honor, to His glory, according to His
Word, and that it might be to the good of His elect, His people,
in calling them out darkness, establishing, settling them on
Him. Salvation. Paul said, Who hath
saved us? What is that? What is salvation? I can tell you, first of all,
what I know it isn't. Salvation is not an event that
takes place when a man decides to allow God to so-called save
him by that man's acceptance of God's offer to be gracious. I know that that's not salvation.
I know it's not. Salvation is not a man's helping
God save him. Salvation is not an event. Turn with me to Luke chapter
2, Luke chapter 2 verse 25. Luke 2.25. The Scripture says, And behold,
there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and the
same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of
Israel. And the Holy Ghost was upon him,
and it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should
not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came
by the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought
in the child Jesus to do for him after the custom of the law,
Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord,
now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to
thy word. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
which thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light
to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people, Now,
I want you to notice exactly what he said. He said, Mine eyes
have seen thy salvation. He looked upon this little baby. Now, what was it about that baby? Was it a little halo glowed around
him that he saw and knew the Christ whom he held in his hand,
the mystery of godliness? that God was manifest, set forth
in the flesh. What was it that caused that
man to know that that was the Christ? The Scripture said it
had been revealed to him by the Holy Ghost that the Lord Jesus
Christ, God's salvation, that this man would not die, leave
this earth, or depart in peace. That's death as far as we know
it. as far as leaving this world
to a believer is a departure in peace. But he saw God's salvation. What is salvation? The first
thing I know about salvation is that it's not an event. That's
how men talk by nature. You know, I've been saved. It's
an event. That's what the Scripture says.
Salvation is a person. See, we have to learn to think
in the realm that Scripture sets forth. Salvation is a person. What did the Lord Jesus Christ
say in John 14.6? He said, I am the way. I am the truth and the life. I am the way. Hebrews 10.20 says,
a new and living way which He hath consecrated for us, that
means set apart, the Lord Jesus Christ, anointed by the Spirit
of God to the service of which God sent Him. He is the living
way which He has consecrated for us through the veil, that
is to say, through His flesh. Salvation is a person. It is the Lord Jesus Christ who
is the way, the truth, he said. John 8.32 says, And ye shall
know the truth. Now here's how we think. Truth
is something that we hear and something that we understand. The Scripture says that the truth
is a person. He says you shall know the truth
and the truth shall set you free." Someone
says, what I know sets me free. The Scripture says, no, who you
know sets you free. He said, this is life eternal. This is the Lord Jesus Christ
speaking. This is life eternal. That they, that is, as many as
the Father hath given Him, chose, might know Thee, the only true
God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent, this is life eternal,
that they might know thee." To know Him as the only Savior. To know Him. Now, what is it
to know Christ? Well, let me ask you this. What
think ye of Christ? What think ye of Christ? Is He
the One that makes salvation possible? Or is He God's salvation? Sovereign God in whom and by
whom God Almighty has delivered a chosen people to know Him. This is life eternal, that I
may know Him. That I may know Him as He is
revealed by the Spirit of God. Paul the Apostle says in Philippians
3.10, that I may know Him. Did Paul know Him? Effectually? Sure He did. What did He mean?
Oh, that I may know Him. That I may know Him more fully.
That I may know Him. That I may love Him more. I know
Him, but I want to know Him. I've heard of Him. I want to
hear of Him. I've seen Him with the eyes of faith. I want to
see Him again this morning. You that know Him, you want to
know who you want to hear of today? You want to hear of Him.
Tell me about Him. He said, I'm the way, I'm the
truth, I'm the life. When Martha said that she knew
that her brother Lazarus would rise again in the resurrection
on the last day, she was speaking of an event. The Lord told her
in John 11, 25, He said, Martha, I am the resurrection. I am the
life. He that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live, he that believeth." Believeth. What does that mean? Believeth.
You see, what happens is we throw these words out and everybody
says, well, I know that. Believe, save, the gospel. I've said before, I've asked
someone, do you believe the gospel? They say, oh, absolutely. I believe
the gospel. I said, good. Tell me, what is
it? You tell me what the gospel is.
You tell me what Scripture says about the gospel. All of a sudden,
you realize, you know, we don't know as much as we thought we
do. He that believeth, what is that? To believe is to be persuaded
by the Spirit of God and to trust by God-given faith the Lord Jesus
Christ. It is to be convinced by God's
grace of God's justification. Justification. We talked about
justification last week. What is justification? It is the declaration by Almighty
God, the Judge. It is to be declared just. based on the imputation of another's
righteousness, the Lord Jesus Christ. Imputation. This is the way that it is in
our little simple minds to understand. We talk about imputation. I'm
telling you, I consider that word imputation, and I think
to myself, that is something new. But simply speaking, the
judge who sits in judgment. If it were to be a judge in a
court today, and I'm accused, I talked about this last week,
I'm accused and I'm guilty. And the judge says, let me see
the record. Let me see his record. It is
to take the record of eternal salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ,
and to have His record. And the judge looks and looks
at his record and says, justified. No charge. Why? No sin. No record. His righteousness, imputed, are
placed for me before the judge, and for him, At Calvary, it is
my record. And the law looks at my record. Charged to him and says, legally
guilty. Imputation. It is the charge
of another's innocence to me and my guilt to him. Imputation. He that believeth though he were
dead, yet shall he live." Deliverance, salvation is of
the Lord. It's of the Lord. Triune God,
Father, Son, and Spirit. Father who chose the Son who
redeemed the Spirit of God, who quickens faith. Who has saved us, Paul said. Who has saved us back in 2 Timothy
1. Now, who has saved us? Now, let
me ask you this. Saved us from what? He has saved
us. Matthew 1.21 says, And she shall
bring forth a son. Speaking of Mary. And I shall
call His name Jesus. That means Savior. For He shall
save His people from their sins. Someone says, What have we been
saved from? Our sins. Sins. God's elect are going to be saved,
the Scripture says. Saved from sin that has been
imputed to them or charged to them from Adam. That imputation
I was talking about. In Adam's rebellion, Adam represented All mankind, everybody came out
of Him. Like produces like. When Adam
rebelled against God, mankind fell in Him. God viewed all men
in Adam to do just exactly what He would do. Their actual sins,
those that we do and those that we don't do because of the frailty
of our flesh, secret sins of the heart, open
sins of the lip and the life. He shall save His people, save
them from the guilt, the punishment, the damning power of it by His
suffering and death in their place. He shall save His people
from their sins. Now, you know, sin is something
that if we're really honest, we're going to have to admit
that we don't know anything about. No, we really don't. We think
we do. No, we don't. No. Man by nature,
all of us think nothing. I started to say, we think little
of. No, man by nature thinks nothing
of salvation by God's grace because he knows nothing of his plight.
That's the truth. Man doesn't know anything. We
think we do. We think we know something about
sin. Let's be honest. What do we really
know? We are just dead, spiritually
dead, ignorant creatures. That from which the elect are
saved is set forth in Scripture as sin. I thought on that. I thought, how do you describe
How do you explain sin? I don't know. It is an evil monarch. I know
this. I can tell you some things about
it. It's an evil monarch that demands allegiance. Romans 6,
16, No ye not, Paul says, to whom ye yield yourselves servants
to obey, His servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin
unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness." It's a monarch. It demands allegiance. I know
that where the power of sin reigns, death is certain. Ezekiel 18.20
says, "...the soul that sinneth, it shall die." Romans 6.23, for
the wages of sin is death. Romans 8.6 says to be carnally
minded is death. Sin is a prison from which a
man is helpless to release himself. Just helpless. I mean, you know,
we think by nature. I know what we think. We think
that we have the ability to just release ourselves just by an
act of our free will. We think that we can just speak
life into ourselves. We think we can. There is no
scripture in all of the Word of God that sets forth, no. Show me one scripture It sets
forth that man has the ability. Now you know we wouldn't have
a problem believing this. Put a man in prison behind bars
and lock the door. Most secure prison? Now I'm telling
you, you're talking about a secure prison? Sin. But think of the
most secure prison that there is in this world and tell a man,
now release yourself. You say you can't. Well, the bars are too, the prison
is too strong. You just can't. You just can't
do it. Why not? Well, it's just impossible. The Scripture says in 2 Peter
2, 19, While they promised them liberty, they themselves are
the servants of corruption, for whom a man is overcome of the
same is He brought into bondage. He's in bondage. He's in bondage.
He can't. He can't. How'd He get there? How did He get there? Sin's entry
into mankind came by way of the One who represented mankind,
Adam. How did sin get here? Romans 5.12 says, Wherefore,
as by one man, sin entered into the world. and death by sin. And so death passed upon all
men, for that all have sinned." You see, the reason we think
that we can get out is because we don't understand that we're
spiritually dead. We're helpless. Man believes
that death renders everything that a man could do, death renders
him incapable of doing anything. except when it comes to salvation.
He thinks somehow, how can a dead man do something? He can't. He can't. He can't. He just can't. I know. This thing of sin is
what we've been saved from. Sin. What is it? It is an evil
monster. that has plunged mankind into
spiritual death. And because of it, the eternal
Word was made flesh that He might redeem His people." I'm sure that no finite mind
can comprehend or explain this thing of sin and death, but I
know that from it, the Scripture says, I've been redeemed. I've
been redeemed. What does redeemed mean? It means
to buy back or purchase. Purchase. To what has the purchase
price been paid? You know, I walk into a store,
look at a shelf, I'm on the shelf here, and I find something. That's
what I'm looking for right there. Twelve dollars. What do I pay my money? Well,
I'm looking for a counter. You know, I'm looking for somebody
standing there. Once I see a cash register, I pretty well figure
that's where I pay. Okay, we've been redeemed. It
means to buy back. To what or to whom is the payment
made? It's made to God Almighty's justice. We've been redeemed from the
power of sin and we owed, what does the law say? The soul that
sinneth is going to die. Who said that? The law of God.
God's law. The law says do and live. The
law of God. God's justice. To what is that payment due? God Almighty. Sin is a thief. It is that principle or governing
power of rebellion before God that falls short or misses the
mark of the glory of Almighty God that has, by man's yielding,
brought mankind into bondage and death. John 10.10 says, ìThe
thief cometh not but to steal, to kill, to destroy. I am come
that you might have life, have it more abundantly.î What is
that thief? Thief, sin, death. Romans 6.6 speaks of sin as being
an organized power whose seat or place of existence is in man. Knowing this, Paul says that
our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might
be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin. dominates because that's what
we are. Now you can tell me certain things
you can do. You can tell me to get out of
your house. You can tell me I'm not going to talk to you anymore.
There's a lot of things you can do to me. But I can tell you
what you can't do to me. You can't change my nature. You can be upset with me, I understand.
But you still can't change my nature. It's what we are. Sin. We do what we do because of what
we are. 1 John 3 verse 4 says, Whosoever
committeth sin transgresseth also the law. Listen to this. Sin is... What is sin? Sin is a transgression of the
law. Oh, I understand. What is that? What is that? Sin is the transgression of the
law. That's an easy explanation as long as you don't make me
explain it. Sin is the transgression of the law. What does that mean?
Sin is any want or lack of conformity to the eternal law of God. Any conformity. It's the lack
of it. Sin. What is it? I can look at
a dog and say, that's a dog. How do you know it's a dog? Well,
it looks like a dog. It smells like a dog. It barks like a dog.
You know, it lounges around here like a dog. That's a dog. What
is sin? I can look at that and tell you
what is sin. Sin is any lack, any lack, any lack to the conformity
of the eternal law of God. A man plowing his field, hard-working
man, Out there, he got up early, 4 o'clock in the morning, got
his team out there, went out there, plowed all day, worked
hard, hard, hard, hard, hard. If that man did not, with a perfect
mind, perfect heart, perfect faith, perfect trust, perfect
obedience, as he plowed and worked hard all that day, If that man
at any point, at any point, and you know he did, was lacking
in perfect obedience and conformity to the law of God, he did nothing
but sin all day. Because that's what he is. Sin. We think of sin as just, you
know, I stole the color off of it. You know, told a little white
lie for a few minutes. From the crown of our head and
the sole of our foot, we are His putrefying source. Sin. From what have we been saved? We have been saved from the power
of sin, the dominion of sin, and soon as we depart from the
presence of sin. Who has saved us? What has He
saved us from? From sin. What is sin? It is the lack of complete conformity
to the Word, to the law of Almighty God. Thirdly, a scriptural revelation
of salvation. What does the scripture say salvation
is? For Almighty God to save a man. Now, you know this. Salvation
is a person. It's not an event. Salvation
is a person. For Almighty God to save a man,
two things have to take place. That man's sin debt must be paid
or satisfied. Would you agree with that? Secondly,
that man must possess a righteousness that is fit for heaven. If a king has a kingdom, And
he's got a rebel out there in his kingdom. Rebel hadn't been
conformant to what the king said. Brought before the king. And
that king pardons him. Pardoned him. Said, I forgive
you. Let me ask you this. Does that
automatically mean that that pardoned rebel now has the right
just come and go as He pleases into the kingdom, into the palace,
go through the king's refrigerator, you know, kind of sit up there
on the throne with the king and kind of, you know. Does that
pardon, does that forgiveness by that king make that traitor
a son? No. Something else has got to
take place. For that criminal to have freedom
to enter into the palace freely, come and go, he has to be adopted
to bear the name of the King. You see what I'm saying? Two
things had to take place. They had to forgive him and had
to make him something that he wasn't before. Turn with me to
Ephesians 1. 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, 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, 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."
Turn over now to Colossians 1. Colossians chapter 1. Colossians 1 verse 12. Colossians 1 verse 12. Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet our fate
to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in life. Now listen,
I told you a minute ago two things had to take place. I want you
to look at the two things that take place right here in verse
13. Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness? How did
He do that? He had to take our guilt to deliver
us from the power of darkness. God is a just God. He said, I'm
not going to clear the guilty. He delivered us from the power
of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear
Son. Two things for our understanding. I know salvation is all in Christ,
but for our understanding, what has God done? He's taken care
of our sin debt by charging our debt to the Lord Jesus Christ,
and He paid it. And then took the righteousness
of Christ, and that was executed before the Judge. And we are
looked at in the light of His righteousness, His record. is charged to us, and God Almighty
did that justly. Salvation. It's a divine exchange. I heard someone say one time,
salvation is where a man is like out in the ocean, and he's struggling,
and he doesn't have a life preserver. And the Lord throws forth and
that man grabs hold of it, and the Lord pulls him in. By grace,
God saved him. Boy, what an amazing thing! That's
not amazing to me. That's not amazing to me at all.
I could do that. I could do that. If a man's out
there, and he's out there, and I can do something, and I can
throw him something and pull him in, that's not amazing. I'll
tell you what's amazing. is that Almighty God, for that
man that's out there struggling, that God Almighty exchanged places
with him. Now that's amazing. That's salvation. Salvation is He took what I am
and He made me what He is and His Son. That's salvation. Salvation is not you helping
God. or God doing something to allow
you to help Him save you. Salvation is Almighty God who
took my place and made me to be what He is in His Son. That is amazing grace. Two marvelous
acts of His grace took place in the salvation of God's elect. Our guilt to Him, His righteousness.
2 Corinthians 5.21 says, "...for he hath made him sin for us who
knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God
in him." The Scripture says, "...who hath saved us." Salvation
is a truth. A person. Salvation has been entirely wrought
of Almighty God without any assistance from man. None. Not by works of righteousness. It is accomplished according
to God's purpose in grace and eternity and given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began. I want you to look, in closing,
2 Timothy The Scripture says, "...who has saved us and called
us." You say, well, I thought that He'd call us, then save
us. Well, the Scripture says, "...who
has saved us and called us." How is that? Well, first of all,
I know this, that we have been saved by the eternal purpose
and will of Almighty God. Turn with me to Romans 8. Romans
8. In God's purpose, God's will,
God's decree. Romans 8, 28. You ought to be
able to quote this. I know you can. that all things
work together for good to them that love God, to them who are
the called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He
also did predestinate." That means He determined the destination
beforehand. "...to be conformed to the image
of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. whom He did predestinate when
He predestinated them in His mind and purpose and will. Whom
He did predestinate, then He also called. Whom He called,
He justified. Whom He justified, He glorified. What shall we say then to these
things if God be for us? Who can be against us? He has saved us. The salvation
of God's elect was absolutely in the eternal purpose of Almighty
God. I could go back and read Scriptures.
You know, the Lord says, My will shall stand. Whatsoever I do,
it shall come to pass. If Almighty God, Almighty God,
Almighty God has determined that He is going to save a man. Let
me ask you this. What do you think the possibility
is that He is not going to be saved? None. None. The salvation of God's elect
was accomplished in eternity, first of all, by the eternal,
sovereign decree and unalterable purpose of God. In the mind and
purpose of God, those who were called were justified, glorified
before the world began. You say, and I don't know. I
don't know. Turn with me to Revelation, chapter
13. I'll ask you this while you're
turning there. Let me ask you this. When was Christ crucified?
When was He crucified? Someone says, well, about 2,000
years ago. Revelation 13, 8. All that dwell upon the earth,
Revelation 13, 8, shall worship Him whose names are not written
in the book of life of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of
the world." When was the Lord Jesus Christ slain? Someone says
2,000 years ago. In the eternal mind, will, and
purpose of Almighty God from the foundation of the world.
Done. And those that Almighty God had
chosen in His Son called them Justified them and glorified
them in eternity. Who has saved us? Let me ask you this. When were
the elect's names written in the book of life? Well, someone
says, well, when they believed there was a recording angel and
they wrote them down, wrote their names down right then. They believed
and there was that. Turn with me to Revelation 17. When were the names written?
Revelation 17, verse 8, "...the beast that thou sawest was and
is not, and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit and go
into perdition. And they that dwell on the earth
shall wonder whose names were not written in the book of life..."
When? "...from the foundation of the
world, when they behold the beast It was and is not and yet is. When did God Almighty write the
names of His elect in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Book of Life
from the foundation of the world? If they are in Christ, in the
mind and will and purpose of Almighty God, when did God Almighty
in His eternal counsel and will and purpose, we can say this,
He has saved us. Secondly, we've been saved by
the purchase of His blood. 1 Peter 1. 1 Peter 1.18 says
this, 1 Peter 1.18, for as much as you know that you were not
redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your
vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish,
and without spot, who verily was foreordained before the foundation
of the world, but was manifest in these last times to you."
Foreordained, accomplished before the foundation of the world.
He said He was manifest in time to you. That's when you knew
it. When was it? You were redeemed
with the precious blood of the Lamb foreordained from the foundation
of the world. The Lord Jesus Christ came to
seek and to save. That was lost. His life? He is the elect's representative.
Fully obeyed the law of God, and in His death, He fully paid
the debt of the broken law with the elect's sin charged to His
account. Two thousand years ago, in time,
in the eternal counsel of Almighty God from the foundation of the
world, but in time, He came into this world And what was his last
cry? It's finished. It's finished. What's finished? Well, obviously,
eternity shall reveal the fullness of what he meant, but I know
this, all was finished as to God's law's requirements. I know
that. All things that prophecy predicted
concerning him were finished. All that the Father required
of Him to do was finished. The ransom was paid. Justice
was satisfied. The sins of His elect were put
away. It is finished. Our sins, the guilt of them,
finished. Our atonement accomplished by
His blood. All that was required of our
deliverance finished. And lastly, we've been saved
by the power of His grace. We've been saved in God's eternal
purpose, in the redemption of the Lord Jesus Christ by His
blood. We've been saved by the power
of His grace. Ephesians 2, Ephesians 2, verse
1 says, You hath equipped them who were dead in trespasses and
sins, wherein in time past You walked according to the course
of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience,
among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in
the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and
of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as
others. But God, who is rich in mercy for His great love wherewith
He loved us even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened
us together with Christ. By grace are you saved. were
saved. Saved in the eternal counsel
and will and purpose of Almighty God. Saved when the Lord Jesus
Christ actually died on this earth. He said, it is finished. But in time, in time, you're
going to believe. You're going to believe. Here
we see the salvation of God's elect experientially. just like
everybody else, in the darkness of your mind. But when it pleased
God, something happened. The Lord Jesus Christ said you
must be born again in time. In time. We're going to behold
experientially that which Almighty God has eternally purposed. And
the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled in time by the actual shedding
of His blood God Almighty considered his crucifixion from the foundation
of the world, but he had to die. He had to die. Blood had to be
shed. God Almighty purposed, but I'll tell you this, you must
believe. You must believe. But faith that's
given is the gift of God. Scripture says all men have not
faith. Faith is the gift of God. You must be born again. But who
borned you again? Who borned you again? God said,
I removed the heart of stone. I gave my heart of flesh. I spoke
life to you. I did. Here is a work that is
surely accomplished by the proof of our salvation. Not the cause
of it. The proof of it. Faith is the
evidence of things that are not seen. Faith is the evidence of
it. Not the cause of it. The evidence
of it. Faith is the gift of God, and
it is effectually wrought in the heart of God's elect by the
power of the Spirit of God in regeneration. At God's appointed
time, the Holy Ghost gives life to dead sinners, those that are
dead in themselves, whom Christ died for, and they believe. Look at this Scripture. Acts
13. Acts 13, verse 46. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed
bold and said it was necessary that the word of God should first
have been spoken to you. But seeing you put it from you
and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn
to the Gentiles For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I
have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest
be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles
heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord.
And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed." As
many as were ordained to eternal life. In this life, there's going
to be an evidence of what Almighty God has purposed and the Lord
Jesus Christ secured. What is it? God's people are
going to believe. They're going to believe. My
sheep. They hear my voice. And they follow Me. They shall. All that the Father giveth Me. John 6.37 All that the Father
giveth Me shall come to Me. They shall. John 6.37 So Paul says in 2 Timothy 1,
verse 9, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling. It's a holy calling because he
who called is holy. It's a holy calling. Not a general
call that the best of the man can do, but it's a holy calling.
It's an effectual calling. A holy calling. Not according
to our work. but according to His own purpose
and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior,
Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death and hath brought life and
immortality to light through the gospel. for the glory of
His grace and our good. Amen.