Good evening. If you would, open
your Bibles back to Ephesians 1. Ephesians chapter 1. The first three chapters of Ephesians,
Paul deals with the doctrines of grace, of the grace of God,
explaining and establishing them. The headings at the top of the
pages here, and I use the headings sometimes, usually when I'm searching
for things. I go through a book and I'm trying
to figure out where was that story, and you can see stuff on the
top. But above these first couple pages of Ephesians, look at what
it says, or listen. Concerning our election and adoption
by grace, the exaltation of Christ, we are saved by grace the salvation
of the Gentiles revealed to Paul. These things give me comfort.
And in these chapters, Paul is talking to the saints at Ephesus,
to believers. And he constantly uses the words
us and we when he talks to them. He's referring to the chosen
race, to those who have been saved. And some of the phrases
in this first chapter are the backbone of what we believe.
God hath blessed us. He hath chosen us in Him, having
predestinated us. He hath made us accepted in the
Beloved, in whom we have redemption, having made known unto us, in
whom we have obtained an inheritance for a few. I enjoy and I find
comfort in being grouped as believers. Having fellowship with one another
around the gospel is the best thing that we have on this earth.
During the conference last month, I saw a whole lot of friends
from all over the place that I hadn't seen in a while. It
was great to give them a hug, talk for a bit, catch up on life
and family and see how things are going. But do you know what
the best moment I had with one of those friends at the conference?
It was a moment right after a man had preached the gospel, after
he had declared the truth about our Lord, and we caught our eyes
immediately after, we gave each other a hug, and in that hug
nothing was really said, but we could feel that we knew that
it was two believers who were cherishing the fact that two
undeserving sinners had found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
That's the kind of fellowship that we enjoy with other believers. Now turn to Ephesians chapter
4. And let's read the first six
verses of Ephesians 4. I therefore, the prisoner of
the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith
ye are called, with all loneliness and meekness, with longsuffering,
forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace, there is one body, 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. This says that
we are all one body. We're all one Spirit. We are
all in the Lord, and one faith. Now with all of that being said
and everything I've said here, as much comfort as I find in
it, as being in this group, I want to look at God's grace from an
independent perspective. I want each of us to look at
things a little selfishly tonight. I want us to ask the question,
what did I deserve? What was done for me? What did
I get? I'm gonna try and use the word
I and me a lot tonight. So just put yourself in the perspective
as if you're hearing the same thing, okay? I'm taking out the
us and the we as much as possible. Now look in verse seven, and
this is the verse I want to address tonight, and you'll see why I'm
saying what I'm saying. But unto every one of us is given
grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Each one
of us, each one of us is given grace. Every child of God receives
grace and we receive it as an individual. being justified freely by His
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. We receive
grace. Now, maybe I don't like looking
at myself, the guilty sinner, and instead find comfort in a
group. I find comfort that maybe I can
deflect or I can pass blame and things don't fall upon me. Maybe
I have trouble with the group and I think of those saved as
a group and not myself because certain verses that we see in
the scripture, such as Cody's text this morning that says a
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people,
all groups of people. Maybe it's because some of the
terms used to describe us as Israel, as a nation, as Abraham's
seed. Possibly it's due to most of
these writers in the New Testament are writing letters and they're
writing to people they know and to believers. So they use the
word we and us and it's very inclusive. Now, that's the way
it was supposed to be written and that's the way it is. But
when I'm sitting at the dinner table with my family, with my
wife and children, and I like to say the phrase, and it's kind
of a thing that we all say together, is I look at everybody, or one
of the kids, and I say, I love my family. And I say that, and
we all laugh and smile, and usually it follows with other things,
and one of the kids will say it, and we'll all say it. Now,
when I say the phrase, I love my family, doesn't that include
each individual? In saying that, of course I'm
saying I love my wife. I'm saying I love my son. I love
my daughter. And it even says I love my son
that isn't born yet. All of that included in the us
and the we as individuals. Now, I just need to take a few
minutes and assess salvation as it pertains to me. And when
I say that, I want you to do the same thing. We need to assess
salvation as it pertains to me. The only thing that needs to
be said about me in salvation is that I'm a sinner. That's
why I need grace. That's why I need, in verse 7,
where it says, every one of us is given grace. And I also need
the gift of Christ. The only way that I can escape
spiritual death, because as a sinner, that's what I deserve. I have
death coming to me. The only way I can escape that
is if I have a Savior. And what did the Savior have
to do to save me? Turn over to Isaiah chapter 53. In this chapter, what I want
us to see is we're looking here and trying to keep in mind all
the things that our Savior had to do to save me. Not all his people. What did
he have to do to save me? And in these verses, we'll start
in verse one, realize how many times and how many things it
continues. He says he did this. He did that. Look at all these things. And
remember, every single thing that's said in this chapter is
something He had to do or had to be done in order for me as
an individual to be saved. Verse 1 of chapter 53, Who hath
believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant and as a root
out of a dry ground. He hath no form nor comeliness,
and when we shall see Him there is no beauty that we should desire
Him. He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief, and we hid as it were our faces from
him. He was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne
our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes
we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray.
We have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord hath laid
on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the
slaughter and as a sheep before her shears is done, so he opened
not his mouth. He was taken from prison and
from judgment. and who shall declare his generation?
For he was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression
of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the
wicked, and with the rich in his death, because he had done
no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased
the Lord to bruise him, he hath put him to grief. When thou shalt
make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed. He shall prolong his days, and
the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall
see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. By his
knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he
shall bear their iniquities. Therefore, will I divide him
a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with
the strong, because he hath poured out his soul unto death, and
he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bare the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors." The Lord Jesus
Christ died on the cross as a man dying for the salvation of individual
men and women. This doesn't mean that there
were only a few. It says in the scripture, for this is my blood
of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission
of sins. We have verses of 10,000 times
10,000 and sand of the seashore. It's not limiting His grace and
His accomplishment on the cross. By saying that He died for individual
men and women, it only magnifies how great the sacrifice and how
great what had to be done. But for me to be justified, that
every single sin of mine must be paid for. He had to pay for
every sin of mine. They all had to be punished,
every single one. It's not enough that the concept
of sin or the idea of sin was dealt with. Our Lord didn't go
to Calvary knowing that Luke Coffey had sinned a lot and his
death would cover whatever sins there were. The Lord went to
his death with every single particular sin that I have ever committed
or will commit placed on him and he would bear the guilt and
the shame of every single one of those. Now multiply that by
all his children. I don't know if you've ever heard
of someone who committed a crime and they get multiple death sentences. Well, every single sin that I
committed is worthy of a death sentence. So I don't know how
many millions of death sentences the Lord had to take for me alone. Now you might say, why is this
such a big deal? Because the wages of sin is death. And if he didn't take every single
sin of mine, then I will have to face the just and holy God
as a sinner, as guilty, And even one sin means I'm dead. But the
child of God doesn't have to worry about this. Because when
our Lord said on the cross, from the cross, it's finished. He
was telling each one of His children, every single one that's read
that verse, He was speaking to you, to me, individually, saying,
I've paid the debt for you, for you specifically. This is that
true gift of Christ that's speaking of in our text. Go back to our
text here. If this gift of Christ that I've
mentioned a couple times here is so wonderful, and this grace
is so wonderful, why do we struggle so much with faith and obedience? Well, a couple reasons I can
think of right off. First, we still have this flesh. We still have this old man. We
still have this sin. And that clouds everything we
do. And secondly, it's also said in this verse, because grace
is given according to the measure. Look in verse 7 of chapter 4.
But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure
of the gift of Christ. Measure means a specific or a
limited amount. Our God in His wisdom has given
and gives each of his children the perfect amount of grace in
the perfect time. Never has one of his children
ever not had enough grace for a particular trial, for a particular
day, or a particular hour. That doesn't mean we don't feel
like we want more grace or need more grace, but in the moment,
the perfect amount of grace is always given. And likewise, we
are never given grace above and beyond what we can handle and
what we need. And absolutely, we need to be
protected from too much of things. Turn to 1 Corinthians 13. Why do we have this grace partially? Why do we only have a measure
of it? Look at verse 9 of 1 Corinthians 13. For we know in part, and
we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect is come,
then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child,
I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child,
but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now
we see through a glass darkly, but then, face to face, now I
know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known. In verse 10 there it says, but
when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part
shall be done away with." This veil we have will be done away
with when Christ returns or when we go to see Him because we'll
be able to handle the grace. We'll be able to see Him and
that is grace. As sinful creatures we are shielded and protected
from so much. I don't think we have even a
part of what actually is happening around us, and that's for our
own good. We're protected from the things
around us. Our eyes are veiled, but there will be a day when
we see him face to face, and as that veil is taken away, we
will finally see and understand the awesomeness, and that word
is used way too much, but the awesomeness. We will be awestruck
at his glory and his work that he did for his children. Now,
it's important to note in our text that grace is what is given
in measure, okay? Turn back there real quick and
look at verse 7 one more time. This text says, but unto every
one of us is given grace according to the measure. The grace is
what is measured. The grace is what is controlled
how much. There is no measure and there is no portion of the
gift of Christ. Salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ
is a package that comes fully assembled. There is no instructions,
there's no missing parts, there's no work to be done, none of that. And just because you didn't know
that that package was there doesn't mean that it hasn't been there
forever. Now, you might say, but you just told us a minute
ago that Christ died on the cross 2,000 years ago. So how was this
salvation done before time? Well, our God is so holy and
so perfect that the mere choice of his children before time began,
that declaration is enough to guarantee the outcome that will
happen. That is the place to put your
trust. Put it in the Lord. Malachi says, For I am the Lord,
I change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. The
only place and the only way not to be consumed is to be in the
Lord. Now let's look at the last phrase of our text for the most
important part, the gift of Christ. Now turn one page back to Ephesians
1. And in this portion that was read to us before, this gives
us what all's included in that phrase, gift of Christ. And as
I say things of the I and the me, it's much easier through
the Isaiah 53 parts and the things he suffered and the things that
had to be done for me, the sinner. But as I say these things, these
things that are listed here, I'm going to say them as they're
to me and I, as the sinner. And I want you to consider yourself
and all that Christ has done for you in these points. So look
at verse 3 of Ephesians 1. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ. These spiritual blessings, they
are not common and temporal blessings. They're more than that. They
are the mercy and grace through the eternal covenant. All things
pertaining to justification, peace, pardon, through the adoption,
sanctification, eternal life. These are the gifts. The ones
that will be listed here in the next verses. And all of this
is in Christ. In Him, God has purposed, He
has decreed, and He has given every spiritual blessing which
heaven can bestow, which heaven can require, and which is needed
to enter and enjoy heaven's realm. Praise God for all that I am,
that I have, and that I ever shall be. It is His gift through
Christ, the head and representative. Okay, look at verse four. according
as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. He chose us. He chose me in Christ before
the foundation of the world. John 15, 16, you have not chosen
me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that whatsoever
ye shall ask of the father in my name, he will give it to you.
In Timothy, it says, who has saved us and called us with a
holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his
own purpose and grace, which has given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began. It's hard to imagine him choosing
me. I can better see him getting
a big group, looking at a certain area and saying, I'll take all
of you and I was ducked down and I wasn't seen in there and
I got scooped up in that group. It's easier for me to think that
maybe he took me with my family. He took me because of how great
someone in my family was. But it's really hard to think
of me as an individual, of him pointing to me, picking me specifically. But that's how it is. Salvation
is not based off the object of salvation, but it is based off
of the one who is doing the saving. God chose me. There was not a
mistake. There are not mistakes in the
choosing, just like there's no mistake by our Lord in the execution
of saving them. Verse five, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according
to the good pleasure of his will. The father predestinated me to
be adopted as his own child through Jesus Christ. Turn to Romans
8. Romans 8.29. Romans 8.29. For whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called, and whom he called, them he also justified,
and whom he justified, them he also glorified." When the Gentiles
heard this, they were glad, and they glorified. The word of the
Lord, and as many as were ordained to eternal life, believed. This
is how I should react. When I hear these verses, I should
react as the Gentiles, and I should react jubilantly, and so glad
that the Lord has saved a people. Look at verse six, back in our
text. Ephesians 1.6. To the praise of the glory of
His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved. The
Father, the Heavenly, our Heavenly Father accepted me in Christ. He looks upon me in Christ and
He's well pleased. We are already seated with Christ,
or I should say I am already seated with Christ. in heavenly
places." That is so hard to say out loud. Ephesians 2.6 across
the page says, "...and hath raised us up together, and made us sit
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." All of this God
the Father did for the eternal praise and His glorious grace. Look at Ephesians 2.7, "...that
in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of
His grace and His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Remember
what we're talking about when that measure of grace is removed
and we get to see the full grace of our Lord? That in the ages
to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus. We think we have an idea of how
great it was for what He did for us. We have no idea. In Ephesians
1 verse 7 and 8, In whom we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace, wherein
he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence. Christ
redeemed me by his blood. Romans 3 says, For all have sinned
and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by
His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. The
law of God is honored by Christ's obedience, and the justice of
God is satisfied by Christ's death. And we have full and complete
forgiveness in Him because of this. Look at verse 9 and 10.
Having made known unto us the mystery of His will according
to His good pleasure, which He hath purposed in Himself, that
in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together
in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and
which are on earth, even in Him. Christ enlightened me as to the
mystery of His gospel and redemption. He taught me. Turn to 1 Corinthians
2. Just to repeat this, what I've
said so far, the Father chose me in Christ before the foundation
of the world. The Father predestinated me to
be adopted as his own child. The Father accepted me in Christ. Christ redeemed me by his blood. Christ enlightened me as to the
mystery of his gospel. 1 Corinthians 2 verse 7-10, But
we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom
which God ordained before the world unto our glory, which none
of the princes of this world knew. For had they known it,
they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it
is written, I have not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered
into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them
that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto
us by His Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth all
things, yea, the deep things of God." In Christ, we see both
the wisdom and the power of God in redemption. And He reveals
it when He is pleased and to whom He is pleased. Go back to
our text, Ephesians 1, verse 11. in whom also we have obtained
an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. Christ enriches me. In Christ, I am made God's child,
and I obtain that glorious inheritance of all things in him. In Romans
it says, the spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that
we are the children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs
of God, and joint heirs with Christ. If so, be that we suffer
with him, that we may be also glorified together. You and me,
joint heirs with Christ. That's so hard to say. I believe
it, it's just hard for me to say it. It's a lot easier for
me to say we are joint heirs with Christ than it is to say
I am. Now verse 13 and 14 in Ephesians 1, In whom, in Christ,
ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that ye believed. You were sealed with that Holy
Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until
the redemption of the purchased possession under the praise of
His glory." I heard the gospel. I heard with the heart, with
the understanding, and with faith. And what can that be only done
in is the Spirit, the Holy Spirit. Matthew 13 says, But blessed
are your eyes, for they see. and your ears for they hear. For verily I say unto you that
many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things
which you see and have not seen them, and to hear those things
which you hear and have not heard them. All men hear words, but
the Holy Spirit is who quickens. He regenerates and gives spiritual
life to God's elect. The Holy Spirit I believed the
gospel in the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 2, 8 and 9 across the
page says, For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that
not of yourself. It is the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. It's not me. It's not us. We're
not the ones who believed apart from the Holy Spirit. We didn't
want to believe. We didn't care about any of this
stuff. But the Holy Spirit opened up the eyes and the heart of
His children. Faith is the gift and the work
of God in the soul. And lastly, I am sealed with
the Holy Spirit. Romans 8 says, Therefore, brethren,
we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For
as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God. Those who are led by the Spirit
of God, they are the sons of God. The seal or stamp of the
eternal covenant is not in circumcision, in baptism, or any other ceremony
or thing that we value. It's not in our outward graces
or works, but the seal or the stamp of the eternal covenant
is the Spirit of God. Now, look in these verses, look
at the end of verse 6, or the beginning of verse 6, I'm sorry,
verse 14 first. The end of that says, unto the
praise of His glory. And verse 12, that we should
be to the praise of His glory. And verse six says, to the praise
of the glory of His grace. Why did He do all of this? Why
did He do everything for me and for you that we just read about?
All of it was for the praise of the glory of His grace. Now,
in closing, I want each of us to dwell on these verses one
more time. And this time I'm going to read
them as if Paul was writing them to you specifically. And I mean
you as an individual specifically. So listen to the gift of Christ
that has been given to every child of God. Listen to the gift
of Christ that has been given to you. Start in verse 1 of Ephesians
1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
by the will of God, to the saint which is in Kingsport, and to
the faithful in Christ Jesus. Grace be to you and peace from
God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed you
with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
according as he hath chosen you in him, before the foundation
of the world, that you should be holy and without blame before
him in love, having predestinated you 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
you accepted in the beloved. in whom you have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches
of His grace. wherein he hath abounded toward
you in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto you the
mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he
hath purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness
of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him.
in whom also you have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will, that you should be to the praise
of his glory who first trusted in Christ. in whom you also trusted
after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation, in whom also after that you believed, you were sealed
with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of your
inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto
the praise of His glory." It is difficult to do, but we need
to remember If we believe the Word of God, if we believe salvation
is in Christ, and we believe that we fit into this group that
we call the chosen, the children of God, we have to accept that
Christ did all of these things for us specifically, individually,
and that's part of the reason why we glory so much in Him.
And with this thought, we need to be so thankful and so committed
to what He has done. And I pray that the Holy Spirit
would give us grace and faith that we might fulfill partially
what He deserves.