If you would open your Bibles
to the book of Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians
chapter 4. In the first three chapters of
Ephesians, Paul deals with the doctrines of the grace of God. He explains and establishes them
and headings on the top of my Bible do a good job of explaining
what he says. It says, concerning our election
and adoption of grace, the exaltation of Christ, We are saved by grace
and the salvation of the Gentiles revealed to Paul. And in these
chapters, Paul is talking to the saints at Ephesus and to
believers. He constantly uses the word us
or we and he's talking to a group of people. He's referring to
the chosen race, those who have been saved. And some phrases
that he uses are the backbone of what we believe. He says in
those chapters, 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, and
in whom we have obtained an inheritance. I enjoy and 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 a conference, I love it before it starts when everybody's
coming in and you get to see friends and people you haven't
seen in a long time and you catch up on family and how the kid's
doing and, oh my, look how much they've grown and things like
that. And that's wonderful. But the true great moment of
a conference or a time when a large group of believers get together
is the moment after someone's preached the gospel. And maybe
it's during the song and it's in a look, or maybe it's right
after and you get to embrace. But the moment where two believers
can look at each other and they know and they can understand
together what the Lord has done for those two sinners. That they
can fellowship together in realizing the truth about the Lord Jesus
Christ. And if you look at Ephesians chapter 4, we'll read the first
six verses. Ephesians 4 verse 1 says, I therefore,
the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the
vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness,
with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring
to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. There
is one body 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."
This says we are one body. We are one spirit. We are all
in one Lord and of one faith. And with all of that being said,
and I said earlier how much I enjoy and find comfort in being grouped
as believers, I want to look at God's grace from a bit of
an independent perspective. I want each of us to look at
these things the Lord has done in a selfish way. What did I
deserve? What was done for me? What did
I get? And in the preacher school that
Henry Mahan had 40 some years ago, he gave a bit of advice. He said, when you're preaching,
don't ever use the word I and me. It's not about you. You're
preaching to people. But I'm going to break that rule
this morning, and I'm going to use the word I and me a lot. And
in doing so, I want you to Go with me with that. When I say
I, I want you to understand and think of it talking about you,
okay? Each one of us, if we look in
verse 7 here, this verse says, but unto every one of us is given
grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Each one
of us, every child of God receives grace and we receive it as individuals. In Romans 3.24 it says, "...being
justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is
in Jesus Christ." And maybe I don't usually look at it this way because
I don't like looking at myself the guilty sinner. I like being
lumped in. It's okay if you say we're all
sinners because that makes me feel like I'm part of the group.
But it's hard to say I'm a sinner. That doesn't feel as good. Maybe
I think of those saved as a group because of certain verses. We
see in the Scriptures it says, a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, and it's always described
as a group. And maybe I don't do this often
because some of the terms used to describe us are Israel, Abraham's
seed. Everything in the Scripture,
and it's done the correct way and the perfect way, is all as
a group. Possibly, these New Testament
writers writing to believers, saints, and in some cases, friends,
they were just talking to large groups of people. They're very
inclusive in their writing. And because of that, I lump myself
in with the Ephesians, the Galatians, and these people. And this is
perfect, the way they've done that and the way they God-determined.
One thing I say often at dinner time when I'm sitting with my
kids, I've got four little kids, is I'll say something like, boy,
I love my family. And when I say that, I'm saying
it to my family. But I'm specifically saying it
to each one of the people sitting at that table. I'm saying it
to each one of them. And by these disciples and these
men saying things in groups, they're still saying it to us
as individuals. And I want to just take a few
moments and assess salvation as it pertains to me. And I want
you to think of it in the same way. The only thing that needs
to be said about me in salvation is that I'm a sinner. That's
what I bring to the table. I'm a sinner. That's why I need
grace. That's why I need the gift of
Christ. As a sinner, I deserve death. The only way that I can
escape spiritual death is to have a savior. I need someone
to get me out of this. What did the Savior have to do
to save me? In Isaiah 53, a great chapter,
it says so many different things about what our Lord went through.
And keep in mind that He had to do this all for me. He hath borne my griefs and carried
my sorrows. He was wounded for my iniquities. With His strikes I am healed. The Lord hath laid on Him the
iniquity of me. For my transgressions was he
stricken. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise
him. His soul shall make an offering for sin, for he shall bear my
iniquities. He bear the sin of many and made
intercession for me, for the transgressor." The Lord Jesus
Christ died on the cross as a man dying for the salvation of individual
women and men. That doesn't mean that there
are only a few. It says in the Scriptures, it
says, for this is my blood of the New Testament which is shed
for many for the remission of sin. We have things that say
10,000 times 10,000. We have statements such as the
sand of the seashore. It doesn't mean there are a few.
But for me to be justified, every single sin of mine must be punished. Every one. It's not enough that
the concept of sin or the idea of sin be dealt with. Our Lord
didn't go to Calvary knowing that I'd sinned a lot and that
His death would cover whatever sins there were. The Lord went
to His death with every single sin, every particular one that
I have ever committed placed on Him and He had to bear the
guilt and the shame of each one. You might say, why is that such
a big deal? Well, because the wages of sin
is death. And if he didn't take every single
sin of mine, every single one, then I'll face the just and holy
God as a sinner and guilty. And even one sin means eternal
death. But the child of God does not
have to worry about this. Because when our Lord said, it's
finished, he was telling each of his children, every single
one, I paid the debt for you. He paid it for each one. This
is the true gift of Christ. Look at the text in chapter four,
verse seven. But unto every one of us is given
grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. If the
gift of Christ is so wonderful, why do we struggle so much with
our faith and our obedience? Well, a couple of reasons are
obvious. We still have this flesh. We have this old nature, this
man. And despite what we have in the Lord, this flesh just
doubts and it just struggles so much. And another reason,
because grace is given according to the measure. Measure means
a specific or limited amount. Our God, in His wisdom, has given
and gives each one of us, each one of His children, the perfect
amount of grace. Never has ever, not one time
has one of a child of God ever not had enough grace for a particular
day or moment or trial. And likewise, as much as we are
sinners, we're never given grace too much grace that we can't
handle. Now that sounds odd, but what do we do in moments
where things go our way, where we find credit for ourselves?
The amount of grace that we have is a particular amount specific
for us in every moment. Turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter
13. 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 spoke 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." As sinful creatures, we are shielded and protected
from so much. We often think that we would
like to know more. We often say how, if I knew that,
I wouldn't have done this. The fact that we see through
a glass dimly is one of the greatest blessings our Lord gives us.
We think we want to see things, but what we actually don't see
is our true nature and our sin. We don't see the things that
are going around on us that our Lord is protecting us from. But
there will be a day when we shall see Him face to face, and in
that day we will understand the awesomeness of His glory, His
grace, and His work. And in our text, it's important
to note that grace is what is given in measure. There's no
measure or portioning of the gift of God. Salvation in the
Lord Jesus Christ is a package that comes fully assembled. There
are no instructions, there's no missing parts, there's no
work to be done later, there's no batteries that are needed,
nothing like that. Just because you didn't know
about it doesn't change that it was there before the foundation
of the earth as well. Now wait a second, didn't I just
say that The Lord paid for our sins on Calvary 2,000 years ago?
Well, that's right. But our God is so holy, our God
is so perfect, that when the choice was made for His children,
when salvation was declared before the foundation of the earth,
it's guaranteed to come true. It's guaranteed to come to pass. That is the place to put your
trust. Put it in the Lord. In Malachi it says, For I am
the Lord, I change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. So let's look at the last phrase
of that verse. The most important part, the
gift of Christ. In the book of Ephesians 1, we
get all that is included in the gift of Christ. Turn over to
Ephesians 1 there. Now, I quoted some of Isaiah
53, and I don't know about you, but it's pretty easy for me to
lump myself into that group. When I see all the things that
I did, all the things I need, I can relate to that. But when
we consider all the things that Christ has done, I have a real
hard time putting the me in that. When I see what the Lord did,
I find it easier to think that He did that for a group of people
and I'm in that group. It's harder for me to understand
why would He do that for me? The spiritual blessings, well
look at verse 3 here first, 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. These spiritual
blessings are more than common or temporal blessings. They are
mercy and grace through the eternal covenant. All the things that
are pertaining to our justification, the peace we have, the pardon
we need, the adoption, our sanctification, and our eternal life, all of
it is in Christ. In Him, God has purposed, decreed,
and given every spiritual blessing which heaven can bestow. It's
given us every blessing which heaven can require and everything
which is needed to enter and enjoy heaven's realm. Praise
God for all that I am, I have and ever shall be. It is His
gift through my head and representative, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now starting
in verse 4, we're going to look at these verses, the few verses
here, at the gift of Christ as it is purposed and decreed by
the Father, as it's purchased and accomplished by Christ and
applied by the Holy Spirit. So look at verse 4. 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." This says the Father
chose me. He chose me in Christ before
the foundation of the world. I find that so hard to believe.
In John 15 it says, 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 may give it to you. In 2 Timothy it's written, Who
hath saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according
to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which
was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began? It's
just hard to imagine that he chose me. I can better see him
as I got lumped in with my family or I got lumped in with this
group. There's enough good people that maybe it out balances some
things with me and maybe he chose. Now we know that's not true and
it's foolish to even think that way. But it's easier for me to
justify why he wouldn't choose me than it ever is to think about
why he would choose me. Salvation is not based off of
the object of salvation. We look too much at ourselves.
It's not based off me. Salvation is based off the one
who does the saving, off the Lord. God chose me. There's no mistakes in the choosing.
Despite my doubts, my... Fear that maybe that's not right.
There's no mistakes in the choosing. Just like there's no mistake
in the execution of salvation for who He has chosen. Look at
verse 5. 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. This is also hard. Maybe I can get around that he
chose me, but he wouldn't have chose me to be his son. He wouldn't
have chose me to be his child. Turn over to Romans, well actually
I'll just read this one to you. Romans 8, everybody knows this.
In Romans 8, 29 and 30, it says, "...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 justified, and whom He justified, them He also glorified."
And in Acts 13, it says, 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. You know, this
is exactly how we should look at this. What we do, or at least
what I do, when I think about the Lord choosing me and making
me an heir, His Son, I doubt it. I look at myself. I think,
why would He have done that? But we should do what the Gentiles
did here, and it says, They were glad and glorified the word of
the Lord. We should react in a way of jubilance
and glorify the Lord. Give Him the glory. Don't look
at ourselves in the doubt of why in the world would He choose
us. Look at verse 6. To the praise of the glory of
His grace wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved, the
Father accepted me in Christ. He looks upon me in Christ and
is well pleased." We already are seated with Christ in heavenly
places. In Ephesians 2 verse 6 across
the page it says, "...and hath raised us up together and made
us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Another thing
that seems unfathomable, that I could sit with the Lord. It
says that he accepted me in Christ. It's important to note that he
didn't accept me, he accepted me in Christ. There's a huge
difference in that. People love taking, false religion
loves taking the he accepted me and focusing on that part
of it. We're in the Lord Jesus Christ, and only the Lord Jesus
Christ has performed the work and died on the cross bearing
our sins, rose successfully on high, and that's where we have
to find our hope. We're in His breast, we're in
His pocket, we're in His hand, we're under His wing. All these
descriptions, all of them have one thing in common. We aren't
seen. It's all you can see is Him,
and that's who the Lord finds, that's who the Lord sees when
He sees us, the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at verse 7. 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, me of all people. 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." It's important it starts, "...for all have sinned." We're
all in the same place. We all came short of the glory
of God. But we were justified freely
by His grace through redemption that's in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The law of God is honored by Christ's obedience. And the justice
of God is satisfied by His death. And we have full and complete
forgiveness in Him. Look at verse 9. 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
of redemption. Growing up under the word and
growing up in a gospel church my whole life, this is something
I definitely take for granted. But the Lord Jesus Christ opened
my eyes and my heart to see the truth, to see Him. What a blessing
that is! There are so many people who
just can't see it. And you and I couldn't see it,
except that He enlightened us. We don't get any glory in this
either. All these things that I have a hard time understanding,
He would do them for me. It's the same thing. Why would
He show me His glory? Why would He show me how wonderful
and how great He is? But thank God He did. In Christ,
we see both the wisdom and the power of God in redemption. And
he reveals it when he pleases and to whom he pleases. Look
at 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 this rat race that we live
in, everyone's trying to find riches, whether that's money
or something else. But the true place of richness
is the Lord Jesus Christ enriches His children. In Christ, I was
made God's child, and I obtained the glorious inheritance of all
things. Romans 8 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. Every one of these
I go through, I feel like I'm escalating how much I can't believe
each one happens. This one definitely goes to the
top of the list. Me? A joint heir with Christ? You know, that just, maybe, maybe
I could justify me being the little runt, you know, the one
who didn't belong or something like that, and I might have a
portion, but it says I am a joint heir, equal share, I get everything
that the Lord Jesus Christ gets, everything. Look at verse 13. in whom ye also trusted, after
that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation,
in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy
Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until
the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of
His glory. I heard the gospel. We heard with the heart, the
understanding, and the faith. Many people have heard words
from this book, whether they read it, they heard it. But thankfully,
the Lord showed me. He showed us. He showed us the
gospel. We heard it. And that means more
than audibly with the ears. It means the understanding and
to have faith. Matthew 13, 16 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 these things which you see, and have not seen them, and to
hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. It says,
many prophets and righteous men. I can't compete with either of
those titles. And yet for some reason, he made me to hear it
and to believe it and to love it. All men hear words, but the
Holy Spirit quickens. The Holy Spirit regenerates and
gives spiritual life to God's elect." And then it also says
in there that I believe the gospel. Talk about something I wouldn't
do. My nature just puts my fists up and fights tooth and nail,
but I believe it. Look across the page, Ephesians
2, verse 8 and 9. For by grace are ye saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast." It says it twice. It first tells
us it wasn't you, you didn't do it, you were given the faith.
And then it doubles down there saying that if you did get any
credit, you'd just give yourself all the credit. You'd boast for
everything and you'd say you're the one who saved yourself. Faith
is the gift and the work of God in the soul. It also says back
there where we were reading, that I am sealed with the Holy
Spirit. Now that's a little over my head
to understand what it means that I am sealed with the Holy Spirit.
But in Romans 8, 14 it 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. The seal
or stamp of the eternal covenant, it's not circumcision, it's not
baptism, nor even our outward graces or our actions, but the
seal of the Holy Spirit is from the Spirit of God. The seal that
we get, look at verse 14. It says, Which is the earnest
of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession
unto the praise of His glory. Look at verse 12. That we should
be to the praise of His glory. And look at verse 6. To the praise
of the glory of His grace. It is so important to see that
there's not many things that are repeated this often in this
chapter, but it is so important that we see all of this is for
God's glory. That's the reason for our salvation.
And the reason why I find it so difficult to understand why
God did this, believe that he could do this, not his ability,
but that he would do this for me, how all this works, is because
I realize how much of a lost cause, how hopeless, how helpless,
how I've got, I mean, if somebody was choosing, I totally see how
they would just look at people and they'd say yes to everybody
and get to me and just kind of go right over it. I mean, I can
see those things, but I can't see the other. But it's so important
in all of this, and a punctuation of it, that God gets all the
glory. The reason we have no part in
salvation is not just because we can't do it, but it's also
because we would take the glory. And nothing happens with our
Lord where any person gets any glory. Our Savior gets all of
the glory. Now in closing, I want each of
us to dwell on these verses that I just read one more time. but
I'm gonna read them as Paul was writing them to you specifically. I've spent all this time saying
me, and I hope you were entering into it talking about yourselves,
but I'm gonna read these 14 verses, and I'm gonna read them to you
each one. Think of this as coming to you,
and maybe you can dwell and enter in to how amazing this is. So
listen to the gift of Christ that has been given to you. Verse
one. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
by the will of God, to the saints which are at San Diego, 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 our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession unto the praise of His glory." It is so hard to
believe that the Lord would do that for me or for you. But sinner, believe it. It's so clear. When He says,
we and us and you, He's talking to each one of the child, each
children of God. Every single one is an individual.
And to think that God would look at me or you singularly as one
person, as His child, that He looks as His son or daughter,
it's just hard to believe. But praise the Lord, it's true.
Alright.