We've all heard folks say things
like, I don't know much about the Bible, but I know what I
believe. Now, if what a person believes
is not according to the scripture, then what they believe has no
spiritual or eternal value at all. What they believe is really
worthless. Paul said, for I delivered, I
preached unto you first of all that which I also received How? That Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures. And that He was buried and that
He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. Now it's the
Word of God, the Scriptures, the Bible, that generates and
creates eternal life in us. And when our Lord was tempted
by Satan in the wilderness, over and over again, with each temptation,
He said, It is written, it is written. What was he talking
about? What's written in this book.
He said, it's written that man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God. That's
what's recorded in this book that you hold this morning. The
Lord Jesus said, lo, I come in the volume of the book. It's
written to me, this book. Over 300 times in the Old and
in the New Testament, the words it is written appear on the pages
of Scripture. So, my question to you this morning
is a simple one. Very few people know the answer
to it though. And that is, what is truth? Maybe more correctly
asked would be, who is truth? John the Baptist bore witness
of the truth, the scripture says in John 5.33. John's witness
was this, behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin
of the world. The word of God says the truth
will make you free, John 8.32. We know that it's Christ who
frees and delivers us from the bondage of sin by the sacrifice
of himself. No man comes to God, but by the
truth, John 14, six. The Lord said, I am the way,
the truth and the life. And no man comes to the father,
but by me. We've said these things over
and over and over again, but these are the words of eternal
life. Paul said, I say the truth in
Christ. That's where the truth is. He
is the truth. Christ, who is the word. In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. Christ, who is the Word, prayed,
sanctify them, speaking of his people, through thy truth. And
then he said, thy Word is truth. Jesus Christ is the only one
who can sanctify us. The Lord Jesus said, but when
the Comforter has come, whom I will send unto you from the
Father, even the Spirit of truth. the Holy Spirit of truth, which
proceeded from the Father, he shall testify of me." Who is
the truth? And in John 16, 13, the Lord
said, how be it when he, the Spirit of truth has come, he
will guide you into what? All truth. For he shall not speak
of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak.
Moses wrote of God and he said this, he is the rock. His work is perfect for all his
ways are judgment, a God of truth and without iniquity, just and
right is he. Deuteronomy 32, four. God the
father is a God of truth. God the son is the way, the truth
and the life. No man comes to God, but by him.
God the Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth. What is true? God is true. Christ is true. Pilate asked that question. Truth
is who God the Father is. Truth is who God the Son is.
And truth is who God the Holy Spirit is. Now this morning,
I want to endeavor to show you from the word of God, the singleness
of the gospel. I think you've already seen that
to some degree in just the words of introduction. The singleness
of salvation. That's what I want you to see.
The singleness of God's mercy and God's grace. So turn with
me, if you would, to the book of Ephesians chapter four. Ephesians
chapter four. While you're turning, let me
say that in a day when there are multitudes of churches, multitudes
of denominations, beliefs, religions, there's only one that can be
true. Just one. And that's the one
that's according to this book. Now, if you don't believe that
this book, the Bible, is the Word of God, then what you believe
is absolutely of no eternal value to you. It's worthless when it
comes to obtaining eternal life. And as I just read to you a moment
ago, Christ did say to his father, thy word is true. This book declares
the only way a sinner can be saved. There's not many ways
you can be saved. Just one way, one way. Ephesians
chapter four. Let me show you that best I can.
Look at verse four. It says that there is one body. How many? One. and one Spirit,
even as ye are called in one hope of your calling, one Lord,
one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is above
all and through all and in you all." Meaning in every chosen
believer. Verse seven, but unto every one
of us, speaking again to believers. That's who this letter's written
to. It's not written to the world, none of the epistles were. It's
written to believers. He said, unto every one of us
is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Wherefore he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity
captive and gave gifts unto men. Now that he ascended, what is
it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of
the earth? He that descended is the same
also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might feel
all things. One is very singular. Matter
of fact, the definition of one is a single person or thing. One as opposed to any more. One as opposed to none at all.
The word one denotes a particular item, a particular occasion,
a particular person, a particular period of time. The word one
denotes a single solitary thing. The word one designates and indicates
only, only one. There's only one body, Paul said,
and that is the church, the body of Christ. There's only one church,
those who trust in Christ. There's only one spirit, that's
the Holy Spirit, the spirit of truth. There's only one hope.
I've got one hope, just one. And that is in the one Spirit
that called us to Christ. There's only one Lord, the Lord
Jesus Christ. He's the Lord of Lords. He's
the King of Kings. There's only one faith. That's
faith found in the one Lord Jesus Christ. This is so singular,
so particular. There's only one baptism that's
being immersed into Christ's death and Christ's burial and
Christ's resurrection, represented by water baptism. One baptism. There's only one God. Father
of all the elect, the God who is above all. There's only one
gospel. Just one. There's not another
gospel. Paul said there's another gospel,
which is not another. It's not another. There's only
one gospel. There's only one message that
can save sinners from their sin. Just one. Just one. Now I struggled, I've told you
this before, but I struggled in school with math. I really
did. But I do understand one. I know what one is. There's only
one truth, and Jesus Christ is the truth. Now we see from verse
nine who Jesus Christ is. He's God. Only Christ, only God
the Son could ascend up on high and lead captivity, that means
a multitude of captives, Captive. It's due to the conquest of Christ
and His triumph over sin, Satan, and the world, death, and the
grave. And in that sense, every believer
is now captive in the hand from which no one can pluck us. He
led captivity captive. Thank God I'm His captive. He
that ascended is he who descended, verse 10. And he who descended
is the same but also ascended. You see, there's only one who
fits that description, and that is God the Son. Only God came
down from heaven and only God can ascend back under heaven.
Verse 11, and he, Christ, he gave some apostles and some prophets
and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers. Now, why
did he give them? Verse 12 tells us, for the perfecting,
that word means maturing, for the maturing of the saints, for
the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. And that word perfecting means
complete furnishing. When I looked that up in the
Greek dictionary, I was thrilled that that's what it meant. Complete
furnishing, not just a furnishing, but a complete furnishing. Christ
finished and he furnished everything the same sinner needs to be reconciled
to God. He completely furnished. That's
why He said it's finished, because it's completely furnished. It's
not by works of righteousness that we've done, but according
to His mercy, He saved us. It's not what we do, but what
Christ has done, and His perfecting of us is His complete furnishing. Verse 13, till we all come in
the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God
unto a perfect, there's that word again, it means completely
furnished, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature
of the what? The fullness of Christ. Did you notice the wording there
too? We come into the unity of the faith. That word unity means
the same thing. Singleness, oneness, something
agreed upon by all involved. That's what believers have in
common. We have one faith in the one
Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says, until we come into
the unity, that being the same faith of the knowledge of the
Son of God, which makes us perfect, completely furnished by the fullness
of Christ, being filled up with Christ. I wanna be filled up
with Christ. I want you to be filled up with
Christ. This fullness comes in knowing who Christ is. You cannot
grow in grace, dear friends, without growing in the knowledge
of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why Peter grouped those
two things together. Peter said, but grow in grace
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You
see, growing in grace and growing in the knowledge of Christ is
synonymous. One doesn't happen without the
other. If you grow in grace, it's because you grow in the
knowledge of Christ. And the more you learn of Christ,
the more you grow in grace, the more grace you have, the more
faith you have. And that's why verse 14 says
this, that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro
and carried about with every wind of doctrine. Now, when Paul
talks here about being children, he's not talking about being
the children of men, because grace does not do away with natural
relations. I was the son of Leo and Sally
Edmondson. I'm still their son, even though
they're not here anymore. It didn't change that. My being
a child of God didn't change that. And he's not speaking here
of being the children of God, because that's an honor and a
privilege that continues forever. He's talking about the believer
state when he was first converted, when they were first converted,
man or woman, as being newborn babes. Paul's talking about us
being little children in the faith. The believer doesn't stay
in that newborn adolescent state. No, they grow in grace as they
grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. And this is
through the sincere milk of what? The Word of God. They grow up. They learn something. They grow
in grace. They grow in the knowledge of
Christ. They don't remain ignorant. They're no longer tossed to and
fro. They're not carried about with
every light and empty doctrine. The false doctrine and teaching
that comes by the slight of men, Paul says here, and their cunning
craftiness whereby they lie and wait to deceive. We need to be
on guard. There are men who, by their slightness
and their cunning craftiness, lie in wait to deceive you. How
does the child of God avoid the slight, the deception, the deceit
of men's cunning craftiness? Verse 15 tells us, by speaking
the truth in love, that we may grow up into Him in all things,
which is the head, even Christ. Believers are instructed in the
things of Christ. That's why you're here this morning.
You want to hear more of Christ. You want to hear more of what
he's done for sinners. Every child of God does. Tell
me more of that heavenly husband who loved me and gave himself
for me. Tell me more of him who presents
me spotless and blameless before his father in heaven's glory. Tell me more about him. Oh, that's
what it is to grow in grace in the knowledge of Him, Christ
our head. Thank God that we do. According
to verse 16, in doing so, we as the body of Christ fitting
jointly together. Christ making us fit. Verse 17, this I say therefore
and testify in the Lord that ye henceforth walk no more as
the Gentiles walk. Well, how did Gentiles walk?
Have you ever stopped and think about what is the difference
that God makes between us and others? Why do we not walk as
they do? Why do you not walk as an unbeliever
does? Well, in verse 18, the apostle
shows us four ways in which unbelievers are identified. First, unbelievers
walk in the vanity of their mind. You see that? Every natural man
and woman walks in a vain show. The mind of man is vain. Man
in his best state is altogether vanity. Psalm 39, five. By nature, men and women are
destitute of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. They're without
God, without hope in this world, without Christ. They have no
knowledge of God and His provided Savior. They have no love and
no faith in Christ. The human mind is unstable. That's what James said in all
his way. It's always changing. Mankind's fallen state, the mind
is vain and the thoughts and the imaginations of his heart
are what? Only evil and only evil continually. Secondly, unbelievers have their
understanding darkened. They have no light or life. God
has not revealed himself to them. They're without sight. They're
without God, without Christ, without hope, unless God is pleased
to divinely intervene. And that's the only difference
between us and the unbeliever, is God divinely interrupting,
divinely intervening in our life. This is the condemnation that
men love darkness. Lights come into the world, but
men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were
evil. And then thirdly, the unbeliever
is alienated from the life of God. Alienated. And this is the
alienation. It's through the ignorance that
is in them. For they being ignorant, now listen, Paul said in Romans
10 three, they being ignorant of God's righteousness. And many,
many are. How do we know? Because they
go about to establish their own righteousness. You show me a
man or a woman that's trying to work their way to heaven.
And I'll show you a man or woman who's ignorant of the righteousness
of God. Ignorant, it doesn't mean they're
stupid. It means they have lack of learning, lack of knowledge
in that particular subject. Those who go about to establish
their own righteousness are ignorant of God's righteousness. Why?
Because they're trying to establish their own. Anything that God
would accept has to be perfect to be accepted. We cannot provide
that perfection that God requires. There's not a week, not a service
goes by that we don't say that. God help us to believe it. Stop
working and start trusting. Start looking at what you do
and look at what Christ has done. We cannot provide a perfect,
acceptable righteousness. Only Christ can provide it for
us. And then the fourth thing that we see here is that the
unbeliever is blind Blind because they're dead. Dead in trespasses
and sin. By nature, men and women's minds
and hearts are blind. A dead sinner cannot see. For years, I couldn't see it.
Why? Because I was blind. I was dead.
My understanding was darkened. After they're born of God, we
see through a glass darkly. We looked at that a few weeks
back. If they're not born of God, they can't see at all. They're
blind. They're spiritually blind. They're
spiritually dead. And Paul says here at the end
of verse 18, because of the blindness of their heart. Verse 19 says
that these believers are past feeling. You know, I've read
that several times and never really thought about it much.
Past feeling. You might say to someone who's
very hardened, well, they're past feeling. That's what an
unbeliever is. Past feeling, which means being
past grieving, which means being void of feeling, free from passion,
wholly hardened in sin. Past feeling. A dead man or woman
has no feelings. No matter what you say to them,
you can't hurt their feelings and you can't stroke their ego.
Why? They're dead. Dead. Verse 19, who being past
feeling have given themselves over to lasciviousness to work
all uncleanness with greediness. And these things come natural
to an unbeliever. These things in general are the
things that make unbelievers past having feelings. Three things,
lasciviousness, uncleanness, and greediness. Lasciviousness
means sensuality and lust. Uncleanness is impurity. You
know what, when something's unclean, what it is, it's filthy. Both
physical and moral uncleanness. Greediness. The love of money
is the root of all evil, not money itself, the love of money.
These are folks that Paul describes in Romans chapter one as those
whom God has given up to uncleanness through the lust of their own
heart. Now look at verse 20. This is the encouragement that
the apostle Paul gives every believer. And it's the encouragement
that I want to give you this morning. I want to encourage
you. I really do. That's what preaching
is. The Lord said, comfort ye, comfort ye my people. Child of
God, I want to comfort you. Look what he says here in verse
20. But you have not so learned Christ. Meaning, it's not so with you.
It's not so with you who know the Lord Jesus. With you, it's
not so, for you have learned Christ. God has revealed Christ
to you. He didn't have to, but He did. God has made you to differ from
others. Who made thee to differ from
another? What do you have that you didn't receive? And if you
received it, why do you glory in it? That's a good question.
This is the first reason that God has made us to differ. He
has revealed Christ to us, and we've learned some things. Haven't
you learned some things since the Lord opened your eyes and
gave you life? Sure you have. You've grown in
the grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. You've learned
something. In verse 21, through the teaching of Paul, we're given
two reasons as to how we learn. Verse 21, if so be that you have
heard Him." God has taught us the truth that is in Christ Jesus.
That's what the Lord said in John chapter six, verse 45. He said, it's written in the
prophets, and they shall be all taught of God. It's God that
does the teaching. All taught of God. Every man therefore that hath
heard, hath learned of the Father. That's who come to me. learned,
taught, and heard. Learned, taught, and heard. It's all the doing of God for
us. All of that. This is the point that I've been
endeavoring to make. What is truth? Who is truth? Well, whatever it is, it's found
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ the Word was made flesh
and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. The glory is of the
only begotten of the Father, full of grace and what? Truth. Truth. For the law was given
by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. The truth
is in Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ is the truth. So
we see that we've learned of Christ, how? If so be that we've
heard Him, God. If so be that we've been taught
by Him. Taught what? The truth that is
in Christ Jesus. In Luke chapter 24, while on
the road to Emmaus, the Lord told those two disciples that
He walked with, He said, oh fools and slow of heart to believe
all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered
these things and enter into his glory? Well, when did these prophets
speak? Their teachings are found in
the Old Testament, according to the Scriptures. We don't have
two Bibles. A lot of people think we do.
A lot of people think there's two Bibles, the Old Bible and
the New Bible. No, no, we just have one Bible
with two Testaments. The Old Testament is the New
Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament
revealed. The Lord Jesus told the Pharisees,
He said, search the scriptures in them, you think that you have
eternal life, but they are they which testify of me. They're
about me. From Genesis to Revelation, this
book is about Jesus Christ, who is truth. The Old Testament asks
some very hard questions. These questions that are asked
in the Old Testament are concealed, but then in the New Testament,
they're revealed. The Old Testament foretells us that one is coming. One is coming who is going to
save his people from their sin. And the New Testament reveals
that that one has come. 1 Kings 8, Solomon, the wisest
man that ever lived, apart from the Lord Jesus himself, asked
this question. He said, but will God indeed
dwell on the earth? That's a question that we need
to have answered. Heaven of heavens cannot contain
him, Solomon said, how much less this house that I built him?
God doesn't dwell in temples made with man's hand. The answer
is revealed though in the New Testament. The Holy Ghost overshadowed
a virgin and she conceived. And in Matthew 1, Verse 21, we're
told, and she shall bring forth a son, and thou shall call his
name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sin. Bible
goes on to say, now all this was done that it might be fulfilled,
which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, behold,
a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son,
and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted
is God with us. Galatians 4. Verses four and
five, you know the passage well. But when the fullness of time
was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, of a virgin,
made under the law. Why? To redeem them that were
under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons
and daughters. What did Paul tell Timothy? He
said, this is a faithful saint and worthy of all acceptation
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Will God
dwell on the earth? That's what Solomon asked. Will
God dwell on the earth? In Christ he will. The truth
is in Jesus Christ. That's where it's found. Job
asked this question. He said, how should man be just
with God? Walk an aisle? Join the church? Be baptized? Give His tithes? The answer's revealed in the
New Testament. Being justified freely by His grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus. To declare, I say at this
time, His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier
of him which believe it in Jesus. You see, the truth is in Jesus
Christ. How can a man be just with God?
Only in Jesus Christ. The truth is in him. Job asked,
what is man that he should be clean? And he, which is born
of woman, that he should be righteous. In other words, what can a man
or a woman do to be saved? David asked this question. He
said, what is man that thou art mindful of him? And the son of
man that thou visitest him? And the answer again is revealed
in the scriptures. In the New Testament, man is
nothing, man has nothing, and man can do nothing, with an emphasis
on nothing. Our Lord said, no man can come
to me except the Father which sent me draw him, and I'll raise
him up at the last day. He said a few verses later, no
man can come unto me except it be given unto him of my father."
Can a man save himself? With men, it's impossible, but
not with God. For with God, all things are
possible. Matthew 10, 27. The things which
are impossible with men are possible with God. That's what this book
reveals. Our Lord said, I'm the vine,
you are the branches. He that abideth in me and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. For without me, you
can do nothing. Nothing means nothing. Can a
man make himself clean? Can a man make himself righteous? No. It's absolutely, positively
impossible. It can only be accomplished in
Christ. You see, dear friends, the truth
is in Christ Jesus. Isn't that what our text says?
The truth is in Jesus. Nowhere else. Oh, may God enable
you and I to learn of Christ. It's impossible with us, but
it's not with God. May He enable us to hear with
the heart. May He teach us by the Spirit
of truth. The truth is in Jesus Christ,
and it's only in Him. Nowhere else. You won't find
it anywhere else. Christ is the one, the singular,
and the only way that we can be brought to God for salvation.
That's what He said. We must believe Him. No man comes
to the Father. but by me." That's pretty singular,
isn't it? That's pretty particular. He,
Christ, suffered the just for the unjust that he might bring
us to God. That's the only way. That's pretty
particular. That's pretty singular. How are
sinners like you and I saved? I know this much. The truth is
found in Jesus Christ. What is true? It's found in Him,
and it is Him. The only way a sinner can be
saved is for Christ's sake. Look at verse 32. And be ye kind
one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as
God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. Now that, my friends,
is the truth. Jesus Christ is that truth. May
God be pleased to make it so. May we truly be able to learn
this. We can only learn it if we've
heard it from Him and been taught it by Him. But may God be pleased
to make it so for His own glory, the child of God's good, and
for Christ's sake.