And they recorded what God taught
them. And eventually it found its place
in this canon of scriptures, which is given by the inspiration
of God. That expression is, ye were without
Christ, in verse 12. And these four words describe
the state and the condition of the Ephesians before they became
believers and followers of God's blessed Son. describes their state, their
condition. But that's not all. It does not
only describe the condition of the Ephesian believers before
they became believers in the Son of God and followers of the
Son of God. It also describes the state of
every man and every woman on the face of the earth who is
yet an unbeliever. The expression is that at that
time, that is, before they became believers, ye were without Christ. So not only describes them, but
it describes everybody who is alive at any given time who is
not yet converted to God. Those who are not converted unto
God, who are alive on this planet Earth at this minute, without
Christ. That's the state and condition
of mothers and fathers, sons and daughters of Adam's human
race. They're without Christ. This
is the way the Bible describes it. We are without Christ. If
you were to meet a friend on the street, a good friend or
lukewarm friend, or a passerby, and struck up a conversation, you asked him if he had been
converted to God, and he said no. Well, then you could justly
tell him that he was without Christ. And if he was without
Christ, he was without hope in this world. And there are multiplied thousands
of people, men and women and boys and girls, from Maine to
Florida and Florida to California and California to Oregon. and to all the other countries
in the world that are without Christ, are not converted unto
God, and they're strangers to God. And if they die in that state,
they will not fare well at the judgment, be without Christ. I said you remember now that
it's not one of my inventions. It was not first said by me. I've been here these many years,
and I doubt if there's anything that I've ever said that wasn't
second-hand. They've all been quotes from
other men or the Bible. I've invented no expressions. I haven't even invented some
cuss words. They've already been said before
I said them. These words were not first said
by me. Paul reminds these Ephesians
what their former condition was. See, he said, then at that time,
prior to being converted to God. At that time you were without
Christ. You were aliens. You didn't have
citizenship papers. When they came to this country
from Ireland and Scotland, and Italy and Czechoslovakia,
Poland, to work in the mines on the railroads here in the United States. When
they came, they were aliens. They were not citizens of this
country. And eventually they became citizens. They became good citizens of
the United States. They were aliens, aliens from
the United States of America. And these that Paul describes
here being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel. They weren't Jews.
And strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope and
without God. in the world. That's what Paul is describing
here. At that time you were this, aliens
without God in this world, strangers from the covenant of promise,
no hope and without God in this world. He reminds these Ephesians
what their former condition was before they heard the gospel. And before they believed and
received the gospel, they were buried in idolatry, these Ephesians,
idolatry and heathenism. They were worshippers of the
false goddess Diana. That's what they were at that
time, prior to the grace of God. being brought to their souls,
giving them a clear understanding of who God is and who the Lord
Jesus Christ is and what the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished
here on this earth on their behalf before they found this out. They were strangers. What does
the expression mean? It means that a man without Christ
is when he has no knowledge of it. A man without Christ has
no knowledge of Christ. And you can, you know, just think
about it a little bit and just try to remember what your conversation
is during the day, various people that you come in contact with,
sometimes you have a conversation with them, sometimes it's not
even a how do you do, it's just goodbye. Most of those that you
come in contact with, most of them, there's millions and billions
of them, they have no knowledge. of the
Lord Jesus Christ at all, none whatsoever. So what does this expression
mean? A man is without Christ when
he has no knowledge of Christ. Now, some can, and especially at this
particular time. At this time of the existence of the country and
the situation that's going on in high places. Millions, no doubt, are in this
condition. They know not who he is or what
he has done or what he has taught. They can tell you no more of
Christ than they can about Mohammed. I can't tell you anything about
Mohammed. I don't know much about Mohammed.
Mohammed is not my God. He is not my Savior. He's no
deity. Mohammed, most people know more
about him than they know about God's Christ. They say, some
do, as a matter of fact, most do, when you talk about the Christ
of God, they can tell you that all men or all mankind eventually
will have a part, an interest in Christ whether they know him
or not. Now that's the theory and philosophy
of the majority of people at any given time, at any given
place on this earth. They believe and will tell you
if you talk to them about Christ, They know nothing about Christ,
no clear, intelligent understanding of who he is and what he's done.
They'll tell you in response to what you've said, they'll
say, well, now all of mankind eventually will have a part and
interest in the Lord Jesus Christ. They say all men and women, however
ignorant they are while they live, will go to heaven when
they die. Go to heaven without Christ?
Go to heaven without knowing God? Go to heaven without knowing
Christ? That cannot be. Listen, over
here in the book of John, is the verse I want to read to you
in light of this, John chapter 17. They say, as I've said, that
all men and women, however ignorant they may live, that somehow by
the mercy of God that they'll go to heaven when they die. And
listen to this in John chapter 3, or John chapter 17, verse
3. It says this, and this. Now this is John who was banished
on the Isle of Patamos as a martyr. This is one who laid his head
upon the breast of the Lord Jesus Christ, John. Not John the Baptist, that
great prophet. This is John, the beloved of
God. John the apostle, John the disciple,
John the follower, John the believer. And this is what God inspired
him to say. He says, And this is life eternal,
that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom thou hast sent." To be without God is to be without
Christ. To be without Christ is an end so bad that even in
my human nature I cannot describe it. Men say that they'll go to
heaven when they die without an interest in the Lord Jesus
Christ, whether they know him or not. They say we believe that
God somehow will show mercy before we die. This is life eternal,
that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom Thou hast sent. That's very plain, isn't it?
Now, over in II Thessalonians chapter 1, 2 Thessalonians. I know it's here. 2 Thessalonians chapter
1 and verse 8. Listen to this. Verse 7 says of that first chapter,
Paul said, And to you who are troubled... Who are troubled? He could be speaking to all of
us, I guess, because we're all... A man that's born a woman is
full of trouble as the sparks fly upward. You've all got trouble. If you haven't got any trouble,
it's just because you've just got out of trouble. If you haven't
got it now, look forward to it because it's coming your way.
So to you who are in trouble, rest with us. This will bring
you some rest. When the Lord Jesus Christ shall
be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, now listen
to this, in flaming fire, taking vengeance
on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Now, does that sound like men
and women who live in total rebellion against God and His Christ and
are strangers to God and to Christ, that they will in the end somehow
go to heaven when they die? No, sir, it does not sound that
way to me. It says, In flaming fire, taking
vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory
of his power. Well, eternal life then is that
they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom
thou hast sent. To be ignorant of Christ is to
be without Christ, and to be without Christ is to be without
God. Now, I know that there's many,
at any given time, they can tell you that Christ was born of a
virgin, that he suffered under Pontius Pilate and was crucified
dead and buried. They can say that because they
learned that at school. They have it stuck fast to their
memories. They'll never forget that. But
they do not make use of the knowledge that they have. They have no
heart thing. We are saved by the grace of
God through faith. in the Lord Jesus Christ. Not
of words of righteousness that we have done, but according to
his mercy have he saved us. They have no real, no real intelligent
confidence in his person, in his blood, and in his righteousness. All are alike. They are without
Christ. without Christ and without hope
and without God in this world. Without Christ, the Ephesians
at that time were without Christ, ignorant, didn't know who he
was, what he'd done. Well, there are some folks who
will tell you, and whether their intent, as
good or not, I don't know. But they'll tell you that if
a man is baptized, that assures him of a place in heaven. They say that all members of
the Lord Jesus Christ are members by virtue of their baptism, and
certainly I believe in that holy ordinance of baptism, I believe
that a man ought to obey the command. Man, woman, boy or girl
that has been converted to God and the follower of Jesus, he
ought to follow his Lord. Go ye therefore into all the
world and preach the gospel to every creature, our Lord said,
And them that believe, baptize them in the name of the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And I believe that. I believe
in baptism. But baptism does not save you. Baptism is a picture of him who
did save you. His death, his burial, and his
resurrection. That's what that is. But most
think that all who are baptized whether they're baptized, so-called,
as babies or growing up, that they are, by virtue of that baptism,
a member of God's family and that they have a good home. Well,
let me read something here in the book of Acts. The book of
Acts, chapter 8. Acts chapter 8. We have one here
that says different. Here in this 8th chapter, it
says that there was a certain man in verse
9 of chapter 8 called Simeon, or Simeon, any way you want to
pronounce it. a certain man, which before time
in the same city used sorcery and bewitched the people of Samaria,
giving out that himself was some great one." He said that he was
a great fellow. He had some power. I don't know,
I think maybe he was a magician. to whom they all gave heed. They
all listened to this fellow, from the least to the greatest.
And they said this certain man called Simon, who used sorcery,
they said this man is the great power of God, is what they said. And to him they had regard. They took him into consideration.
and revered his name and revered his person because that of a
long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. But when they
believed Philip's preaching the good things concerning the kingdom
of God and the name of Jesus Christ, when they heard Philip
preaching who God was and who the Lord Jesus Christ was, and
what the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished. They were baptized, both men
and women. They said, Why? He's our Lord,
our Savior, and our Redeemer, and we're going to put on His
uniform. We're going to be baptized like He was baptized. Now, it
says Simon, he had a fictitional experience. It says, Simon himself
believed also. And when he was baptized, this
sorcerer, he continued with Philip, wondered and behold the miracles
and signs which were done by Philip. And when the apostles which were
at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word of God,
they sent unto the Samaritans Peter and John. And when Peter
and John came, who when they were calmed down, prayed for
them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet he
was fallen upon none of them, only they were baptized in the
name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands upon
them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Now here's old Simon
again. And when Simon saw that laying
on of the apostles' hands, the Holy Ghost was given, he offered
them money. He said, I'm going to buy some
of this. I'm going to buy some of it if
I can. Saying, give me also this power, that whomsoever I lay
hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost." Now Peter came to the
forefront, and Peter said unto him, he said, Your money perish
with you, because thou hast thought that the gift of God, the gift
of God's eternal life, because thou hast thought that the gift
of God may be purchased with money. Now you remember, he was
baptized. Simon was baptized with the rest
of them. It says now in verse 21, it says,
Simon, you have neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy
heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this
thy wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of thine
heart may be forgiven thee." And Peter told him, he said,
I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the
bond of iniquity. He said, well, if you're baptized,
here's a fellow that was baptized and he wasn't saved, was he? He's still in the gall of bitterness.
He wasn't saved. To be without Christ. Well, the
Bible says that He... Well, let me read it to you,
John 3 and 36. John chapter 3, verse 36. I think it says, He that believeth
not. Chapter 3 and verse 36, the last
verse of the chapter. Verse 35 says, The Father loveth
the Son, and hath given all things into his hand, and hath turned
over unto him all flesh. Now in this 36th verse, here
is the verse, He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life. What is it to be without Christ?
is to have no hope. Well, how do we get to know Him? He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall
not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. Well, that's what it says. Man's got to have a real intelligent
confidence in the Son of God that the Son stood in his place,
took his place, paid his debt, stands for him now, and will
stand for him in the time of judgment. And everybody else
that has not this confidence is without Christ. and without
God and without hope in this world. And men are not saved in virtue
of the baptism. Simon Magus was baptized, yet
we are told that he had no part or lot in this business of salvation. Hidden knowledge is no proof
that we are joined to the Lord Jesus Christ. The devil knows
well enough. The devil has head knowledge,
and the Bible says the devil believes God and he trembles. So head knowledge has nothing
to do with it if it's not applied by faith. God knows all of his
people from eternity, but man knows nothing of anyone's justification
until he first believes in the Lord Jesus Christ with an intelligent
comprehension of who he is and what he does. The question then
is this. Do I believe? Do you believe? Am I a follower? Are you a follower? to know Christ is eternal life. And them without Christ know
not God or know not Christ. The Bible says, He that believeth
not the Son. He that believeth not the Son.
The Ephesians had not yet believed in the Son at that time, and
He described their state. And John describes it here and
says that he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but
the wrath of God abideth in him. It's imperative to believe the
Son, the gospel, the blessed good news that Christ died for
my sins, paid the debt that my sins owe, paid that debt, suffered
the penalty due me in His own body on the tree. He did that
for me to believe that. To believe it makes me a follower
of Him. I want to follow Him wherever
He goes, wherever He leads. That's the evidence. That's the
evidence that I believe that I want to follow Him. I want
to be baptized. Not to save me, God's already
saved me by the gospel. I want to identify with him.
I want to keep his command. Ah, to be without Christ is to
be without God. How can such a world, as a man,
have such low ideas of God and then at the same time believe
that he can approach God? and God will hear him when he
prays. Man in his natural state prior
to the good news falling upon his ears and penetrating his
heart and his conscience, he has low ideas of God. He cannot perceive or conceive
the pure, holy, holy Lord God Almighty cannot look upon evil,
and yet he thinks with this low esteem that he could come to
God and talk to God without a mediator. We have one, the Lord Jesus,
who is our Savior and our Lord, who died and was buried and rose
again and is seated on the right hand of God to do what? To be
our mediator. to intercede in our behalf. Without
Him, we have nothing. Pray all you want to, but if
you don't have a Mediator, if you've got a Mediator, you've
got Christ. But if you don't have Christ,
you have no Mediator. You have no one to plead for
you. Surely you're not going to go to court, you who are ignorant
of the law, ignorant of what the law demands, You're going
to go defend yourself? You're putting yourself in the
hands of a fool. Get you a good lawyer who knows
something about the law and something about your case and let him plead
before the judge. Oh, there's one barren glory,
a man like I'm a man, yet a sinless man, a man who'd never sinned,
a man who was tempted. in the same points that we are
tempted, but yet never yielded. Man without sin, there He is,
was crucified and buried and rose again. There, that pure
man lives on the right hand of God. And when I pray, when I
pray, He interprets my prayers and gives my prayers understanding,
makes my plea and desire known to God the Father. To be without
Him is to be a pauper. I'd rather be a pauper on the
street and have no place to lay my head, no place to go for shelter,
than to be without Christ. Oh, no, friends. How can anyone talk of God's
mercy and God's love separate and independent? of the Lord
Jesus Christ. That just doesn't make sense.
It's foolishness. God out of Christ, the Bible
says in Hebrews 12 and 29, says God out of Christ. God apart
from Christ is what? He is a consuming fire. You cannot separate God and Christ. the love of God and the love
of Christ. God's merciful, beyond question, rich in mercy. Plenty of mercy has God, but
His mercy must run, must flow like a river through Christ,
the appointed channel, or it cannot flow at all. If it does
not come through him, it will not come at all. Listen to what
it says in the Scriptures. He that honoreth not the Son
honoreth not the Father that sent him. That's what the Scriptures
say. There can only be peace in a
man's conscience when the blood and the righteousness of the
Lord Jesus Christ has been applied to his soul. When a man's conscience
wakes up, men without Christ have a dead
conscience. But when God and his dealings
with a man awakes his And he begins to think about his past
sins and his present sins, and he begins to think about a judgment
to come, and he then begins to search and listen. And when the gospel falls upon
his knees, that satisfies his guilty conscience and he flees
to God's Christ and has the blood and the righteousness sprinkled
on his foul soul. A man with a good conscience
is a man that has, I'll quit after I say this, A man with a good conscience,
a man that knows God and knows Christ as his sin-bearer, as
his debt-payer, as his righteousness before God. He has a clear understanding
that his life and his death and his righteousness is and was
an actual payment for the debt that he owes. He understands
that. He has an understanding of it,
that when Christ died and was buried and rose again, he was
paying my actual debt. that person. So I'm not trusting
in a scheme. I'm not trusting in a creed. I'm trusting in a person. I believe
in a person. And that person is the Lamb of
God who took my place. I don't deserve it. I never deserved
it. If I deserved it, it wouldn't
be mercy, it wouldn't be grace. There's not a thing in me, not
one, not a spot in me that you could put your finger on that's
worthy of the least consideration of God and His Christ. It was by His grace, His grace. His grace was given me in Him. Amazing grace. That's what we're
saying. How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. Let's stand and meet again for
a few minutes this evening.