Salvation is by grace, for by
grace are you saved through faith. And that's not of yourself, that's
grace. It's a gift of God. Grace means
gift. Grace means gift. It's not a
gift offered. We're going to look at these
verses and nowhere does it say the offered. Nowhere in the Bible
does it say He offers grace. Christ said, I give unto them. eternal life. The woman at the
well, if you knew who it was, the gift of God and who it is,
you would ask and he would give, bestow. Salvation is not an offer
of God, it's an act of God. It's a work of God, the work
of God the Father, the work of God the Son, the work of God
the Holy Spirit. Faith is not of yourself. Look
at verse 19, it says, those that believe. The exceeding greatness
of His power to us who believe according to the working of His
mighty power. It's the work of God, the grace
of God for someone to believe. Someone to love what they once
hated. Hate what they once loved. Salvation is by grace. Grace
is not an offer of God. It's an act of God. A work of
God. That's what this whole chapter
is about. That's what this whole book is
about. The grace of God that's in Jesus Christ. And it's all
to the praise. He said this two or three times. Verse 6. You'll notice we have
this on our sign out front, to the praise of the glory of His
grace. Because this is what salvation is, this is what we preach, and
it's all to the praise, verse 14, to the praise of His glory. Look at chapter 2, verse 7, that
in the ages to come, He might show the exceeding riches of
His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. This is going to be a very simple
message, just verse by verse. A couple of weeks ago, Sundays
ago, as you know, I preached in Adingas, West Virginia. I had a message all prepared
and woke up Sunday morning. We'd been talking about some
new people had been coming there. They were very encouraged. new
people, some sons and daughters and their children and all that,
and they're just thrilled. There's some new people coming.
But I woke up thinking, I'm just going to preach a simple message,
the message of God's saving grail. And where better to go to than
Ephesians 1? This is it. If someone's never
heard the truth, This is it. When I say salvation is by grace,
well, God says it. When I say it's not an offer,
it's an act of God. God doesn't offer life, He gives
it. Down through these verses, if
you notice while we're reading, it doesn't say anything anybody
does It's just talking about everything God did, everything
Christ did, and everything the Spirit of God did. It doesn't
say anything about us doing anything until verse 13. It says, "...in
whom ye also trusted after ye heard the word of truth." In
other words, you believed after the fact. After God, before the world began,
chose you and predestinated you, Christ came and all of this and
the Holy Spirit promised and sent of it, sends the gospel
through preaching after God, after the fact, you believe. It's just, it's certain. Now
let's look at it. Grace, God's grace. Paul, an
apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. to the saints, that's
right, Ephesus, to the faithful in Christ. Everything is by the
will of God. Everything. Verse 11 says in
the last line, it's him who worketh all things unto the counsel of
his own will. Anybody who talks about man having
a free will or man, anyone who thinks they of their own will
chose God. They don't know God, don't know
the God of the Bible. That's not ignorance, it's being
lost, dead. Turn with me to Daniel chapter
4, okay? Here's a couple of verses you
need to remember. Daniel chapter 4. All through
this book, or through this chapter anyway, Daniel, the Word of God,
talks about God's will. Verse 17, this matter, All matters is by the decree
of the watchers. This is talking about prophets,
angels, messengers of God. The creed is sent by God. And the demand by the word of
the Holy One to the intent that the living may know that the
Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men and giveth it to whomsoever
He will. Look at the next line, isn't
this relevant? And setteth up over it the basest of men. Who gets elected? Whom we choose?
No. Whom God chose. How much more
is the election unto salvation? It's not ours to make. It's God's. Look at verse 35. This evil,
ignorant king, Nebuchadnezzar, he came to this. God opened his
blind eyes. Verse 35. Write this down, people,
on the tables. May God write it on the tables
of our hearts. Daniel 4.35, all the inhabitants of the earth
are reputed as nothing. And He doeth according to His
will in the army of heaven among the inhabitants of the earth.
None can stay His hand or say unto them, what doest thou? God,
all things are by His will, according to His will, because He is God.
What do you think about that? This is part of revealing grace. Revealing grace. It says in verse
9, He's made known unto us the mystery of His will according
to His good pleasure. That is, He does what He hath
pleased. The purpose, His eternal purpose,
all things in Christ. Verse 11, He worketh all things
after the counsel of His own will. Keep quoting John 17, 3. Jennifer, it's everybody's memory
verse now. She learned that when she was,
how old? Eight or ten years old. She can
still quote it to this day. It's a good one to know. This
is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God.
Who is God? What's He like? What He does
according to His will. Paul didn't know Him. Saul of
Tarsus didn't know him, did he? And we're talking about God,
we're talking about Jesus Christ. Saul said, this is what I will
do. Saul of Tarsus, this is what
I'm going to do. I'm going to go put this Jesus out of business.
And the Lord struck him down. And then the first thing Saul
said was, what will you do with me? In our text, everything's by
the will of God. To the saints, that's the set-apart
ones, the sanctified ones. He did it. Sanctified by the
Spirit of God. Set apart by God. To the faithful in Christ Jesus,
grace be to you and peace from God our Father. Now all the way
down through here, he keeps talking about in Jesus Christ. Look at
verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places, or things in Christ. Look at
verse 6. To the praise of the glory of
His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved. Verse 7. In whom we have redemption
through His blood. Do you know what that means?
Here's the grace of God, it's to be found in Christ. Paul said
this in Philippians 3, he said, Oh, that I might be found in
Him, not having my own righteousness. Do you know what that means?
Do you? All of God's people do. Though
you may not be able to perfectly explain it or articulate it to
others, you know what it means. In very simple language, if you're
saved, if you are in God's heaven, it's going to be because of Jesus
Christ. All right, it says, to the faithful
in Christ Jesus, grace be to you and peace. And I may mention
Noah's Ark several times during the course of this message, okay? Because it's one of the best.
The first time the word grace is used. Genesis 6, Noah found grace in
the eyes of the Lord. It doesn't say Noah earned it, deserved
it. That's not grace. That's works. Noah found grace. Was Noah born
a sinner? Absolutely. But God. had mercy upon him. He found grace. The Lord revealed
himself to him. Alright? How do you know he found
grace in the eyes of the Lord? Hebrews 11 says, Noah, being
warned of God, moved with fear and prepared an ark to the condemnation
of the world and the saving of his household. Noah was in that
ark. How did he get in that ark? God
revealed the ark to him. God revealed himself to him.
And God, when it was finished, God said, Come thou into the
ark. And he went in. In all his house. Here's what it means to find
grace in the eyes of the Lord. You'll be found in Jesus Christ
in that day, like that ark. You'll be found. Everybody in
that ark was saved. Everybody outside. Very simple,
isn't it? Well, how do you get in? How did Noah get in? God drew him. No man cometh unto me, Christ
said, except the Father which hath sent me to draw him. Come thou into the heart. We have I seen righteous. Why? Faith. He's found in Christ. Noah was
in Christ. Grace be to you and peace from
God our Father. Peace from God our Father is
the grace of peace. Look at chapter 2. Do you know
why God is not angry with His people? God who is angry with
the wicked every day? Huh? You know? Do we make peace with
God? Can't do it. Look at verse 14
of chapter 2. Says He is our peace, Jesus Christ
is. The chastisement, Isaiah 53 says,
the chastisement of our peace was laid on Him. He took the
sin of God's people. He took the punishment. He took
the wrath of God. And we have peace with God through
Jesus Christ. We don't make peace. Do you know
that? Grace to you. Peace. Look at verse Three, blessed,
blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessing in heavenly places or
things in Christ. And again, we're not going to,
he's not going to speak of one material thing, food, raiment,
homes, family, any of that, spiritual blessing. Do you believe, really,
from your heart, right now, do you believe that what we're doing
right now, what we're hearing, is the greatest blessing there
is? The true blessing. Does this appeal to you? This
is the blessing. Is this the blessing you want?
You want God to bless you in Christ? That's what Paul said
in Philippians 3. Oh, he said, I might know Him,
win Him, be found in Him, not having my own righteousness of
the law, but that righteousness which is by the faith of the
Son of God. Oh, that I might be found in
Him. I want to know Him. I want to win Him. I want to
be found in Him that day. That's my great need, my great
desire. That's grace. If you have that knowledge, that
understanding, that need, that's grace. To realize that the blessing
of blessings. One of the ladies sent me a card. years ago with number six at
the end. You know how you write a scripture
verse that means a lot to you. And she sent me this and it blessed
me so, blessed me so, and I preached from it right afterward. The
Lord said, tell Aaron to tell the people this is the blessing.
The Lord bless thee. And keep thee. Make His face
shine upon thee. Be gracious unto thee. Lift up His countenance, not
be angry, upon thee, and give thee peace. Put my name on Him. Put my name on Him, and I will
bless thee." He didn't mention one earthly thing. Did you understand what He was
talking about? Make His face to shine? Some of your faces are shining
right now. You understand? God has blessed you. Spiritual
blessings are in Christ. Blessed means happy. People the
world over are looking for happiness and thanks. You're not going
to find it. Vanity is vanity. It's all vanity. It's fleeting.
It's deceitful. You're not going to find it. People want joy, want peace,
they want comfort. These are spiritual blessings
in Christ. Righteousness, peace, joy in
the Holy Spirit. If you understand those things,
you're so blessed. It's by grace. 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." That's
electing grace. Sovereign electing grace. Who
chose who? Who chose who? What's that say? He chose His people. He chose
His people. Is this your belief? Do you know this? All of God's
people do. Listen to this. You see your calling, brethren,
don't you? Not many wise men hath the flesh,
not many mighty, not many noble are called, but God hath chosen. Foolish thing. God hath chosen. Weak thing. Base thing. Things
that are not. Hath God chosen. And he goes
on to talk about being in Christ. Chosen to be in Christ. Because
it says in verse 30, of God. Are you in Christ? who of God
is made unto you. People say, make him Lord. You can't make God anything. Man, oh man, how ignorant. Oh,
what grace it is for God to open our blind eyes, our deaf ears,
and our ignorance and see that He is God. And He makes us to
know these things, to know Him. Of God are you in Christ, like
Noah and his people, who of God is made under wisdom, righteousness. I'm looking for some recognition.
Faces. People that know these things.
Spiritual blessings. Wisdom. If He's not, you're going
to fall for the foolishness of this world. Righteousness. If
He's not, you're going to try to establish one, you're going
to sow some fig leaves together, and He's going to cast you out
someday. Sanctification. If He's not, you're going to
try to make yourself better, and you can't do it. And redemption. If He's not,
you can't redeem yourself, you can't pay for anything you've
ever done. You have no redeeming qualities. But if He is, you know where
your glory? You know in whom you'll glory?
He that glorieth, he's going to glory in the Lord, His righteousness,
the Lord, His salvation, the Lord that chose me. Must you believe in election
to be saved? Yes. You want to show me a person
in the Bible who doesn't know that God chose them? I mean a
person that says, you want to show me one? Do you not know
that Abel knew that I believe him and my brother doesn't because
he chose me? Don't you know that Jacob knew
that I believe and Esau doesn't because he chose me, because
he loved me? Don't you know Abraham, a 75-year-old
idolater, knew I wouldn't believe it if he hadn't chosen me? Abraham. Isaac knew. Isaac had a brother
named Ishmael. God cast him out. Isaac knew
he must have chosen me. Jacob. I know better than Esau.
He must have chosen me. Jacob didn't choose him. He knew
that. Ask Simon Peter. Ask Andrew. Ask Philip. Ask James. Ask John. Ask the thief on the
cross. Hang in there. Guilty! And there's another man just
like him. All of a sudden, Lord! Why? God choosing. This is to the praise of the
glory of His electing grace. The whole thing of salvation
started with God choosing a people before the world began. All of
God's people know that. And the glory in His sovereign
election. And as I said before, This is
not a doctrine. You can know this in your head.
I knew it in my head when I was a child and I believed it, but
that's not salvation. It's to come to the point one
day where you realize God convicts you of your sin and like Jacob,
and he wrestles with you and he makes you realize, I chose
you, you sorry sinner. Mac, that's it, isn't it? One
day he grabs ahold of you, You're like a wild asses cult, aren't
you? But God, one day through the preaching of the gospel,
grabs hold of you and said, listen son, son, I've chosen you that
you might know me. That's Isaiah 43, isn't it? I
didn't choose everybody. He lays hold of you. John Davis,
you're mine. And John, how can you not know? How can you not know and believe
that? Huh? You're going the other way. I'm tired of arguing with people.
Must you believe this? Yes! What can you not believe that
God wrote and be a believer? Hmm? What can you argue with? Well, he loves the Lord, he just
doesn't believe in election. Then he doesn't love the Lord. Let
such as love thy salvation say, God be magnified. For what? For choosing me. Blessed be God according as He
hath chosen us. When did He do it? After you
believe. That would be Him taking credit
for something He didn't do. Before the foundation of the
world. Why? Why does God do anything? Because
it pleased Him. Because He would. Look at it,
verse 5, last line, according to the good pleasure of His will.
You see, our God sitteth in the heaven, and He hath done whatsoever
He hath pleased. That's God. And I'm so thankful
that it pleased God to make me See, far from arguing against
the truth, God's people... This is amazing grace, isn't
it? This is amazing grace. Why would He choose me? I have a brother. We are just
alike, aren't we, Mother? We're just alike. We're just alike. But God, you're looking at one man who
will never get over the fact that he chose me. I'm still hopeful. But if he hadn't chosen me, he'd
be just. I don't deserve it. But he did. Doctrine? Doctrine? Barnard used to say, this is
a person choosing persons. Whom would you choose? One time
when I was a young boy in the grade school, sixth grade, I
was captain of the basketball team and I was about three foot
two red. Not much taller than that now,
but I was fast. I was captain and popular and
all of that, namely because I had bigger brothers than the four
men. No one dares speak ill of me. I had two older brothers.
And anyway, I was chosen as the captain to choose upside and
play war ball or something on the playground. And you know who you choose,
don't you? The biggest, the strongest, the
most popular, that's who I chose. And I chose, I chose, I chose.
It came down, it haunts me to this day, it haunts me. It came down to one girl was
left and she was overweight and not real pretty and not very
popular. Leanne Ratcliffe, I know her name well. And I remember
to this day, kind of looking like, oh well,
okay, come on then. Brethren, you know who God chooses? I just read it to you. Not who
you choose. He chose things that are not.
And I told you that story before, that young girl, the Lord gave
her cancer and she died the next year of cancer. I kind of believe, and hope in
God's mercy, that she's one of God's chosen. And I finally came
to the realization that I'm a nothing, I'm a nobody, I'm less than the
least of all to say, I'm not worthy to be chosen by God by
anybody. But God, why would He choose
me? That we should be holy and without
blame before Him in love. Holy. The word means consecrated,
devoted for God. Devoted to God. Not holy. God is the one that makes us
holy without blame. Brothers and sisters, we've got sins. Past, present,
and we'll have them in the future. None of us are blameless. We
ought to be blamed. We've got all kinds of sin. How
in the world are we going to be blameless before God? He's going to have to make us
blameless. He's going to have to blot out all our transgressions.
He's going to have to cover them. He's going to have to pay for
them. He's going to have to undo what we've done. How did He do that?
Jesus Christ. That's how. And he did it in
love. Oh, the love of God. Who does
God love? Not for a good man some might
dare to die, for a righteous man, but God commendeth his love
toward his people and while they were yet sinners. He loves the
unlovely. He loves those that hate him.
He loves those that Well, He did it in love and causes us
to love. Here's predestinating grace,
verse 5. Predestinated under the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good
pleasure of His will. Predestination, adoption. This
is predestinating grace and adopting grace. What do you think about
adoption? There's a man in here that could
stand up right now and praise God to high heaven for adopting
grace. Edwin Berry. Edwin Berry, adopted. Now, in adoption, Ed, you know,
you didn't choose your father, did you? How ridiculous. That man set his love on you.
That man made you his choice, didn't he? And chose you taught
you, brought you up, gave you his name. He put his name on
you and you're his. He's your father and you're his
son. Oh! And let me go back a little further
than that though. You see, God predetermined that. God's the
one that had that man adopted you, Ed. God's the one that brought you
here to hear this, but bless me, his name, he adopted a people
before the world began. in Christ, predestinated us under
the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself for His own
purpose and pleasure. That's adopting grace. Get Brother
David Edmondson's message on adoption he preached here. If
you've forgotten it, hear it again. He was adopted. He loves
that man, his father Leo Edmondson. Oh, how he loves that man and
his mother for adopting him. To the praise of the glory of
his grace, verse 6, wherein he hath made us accepted in the
beloved. Accepted in the beloved. That's accepting grace. I am
totally unacceptable. Aren't you? To God. In ourselves. Accept it in the beloved. I know
I've told you this, maybe somebody hasn't heard it. It's still the
best illustration I can give, okay? And it means something
to me. But one time, I was about 16
years old, still living with my parents, and I answered the
doorbell and opened the front door, and there was a young man
that was pretty poor, dressed raggedly, down and out. And he said, is Brother Mahan
here? Reverend Mahan, he called him.
I said, yes, he is. Hold on. I got my dad, and dad
came to the door, and the young man said, I'm really down on
my luck, I think he said. I'm down and out, and I need
some help, need some food. And he said, would you help me? He said, I knew your son, Robbie. I was in Vietnam with him. See,
my brother died in Vietnam. And this boy said, I knew your
son, Robbie. I was with him in Vietnam. My
father's whole countenance changed. He lifted up his countenance.
He invoked that name that my father dearly loved, the son
who died. His whole countenance changed.
Come in, son." I remember to this day, that's what he called
him, son. Melody, he treated him like a son. Brought him in,
sat him at the table, mother fixed him some food, and I sat
there thinking, what? Just for calling my brother's
name. He's accepted. Is that good news? Accepted and abloving. That's
accepting grace. Oh, go on and on and on. I don't
have time. In whom we have redemption. Redeeming
grace through His blood. Forgiveness of sin. Brothers
and sisters, if you sinned against somebody and you're guilty and
you're sorry over it, forgiveness is the most wonderful thing you'll
ever hear. And by forgiveness, God's forgiveness means forgotten And if you're guilty, and you
know it ought to be cast out, and you hear that person you've
sinned against say, I forgive you, I love you, it's okay, just
forget about it. Unto him that's been forgiven
much, he'll love much. See, that's why we talk so much
about forgiveness of sins, isn't it? Oh, forgiveness of sins,
why? Through the blood of Jesus Christ,
according to the riches of His grace. A God ready, He's so rich
in His grace of forgiveness, He's just ready to pardon. Isaiah says, let the unrighteous
man forsake his ways and return unto the Lord. It says he'll
abundantly pardon, like the prodigal son. What did he deserve? Well,
you know what the father did? Bring the best robe, put a ring
on his hand, kill the fatted calf. Come on, everybody, let's
have a big gathering for him. That's what the worthless brothers
say. For that sorry son, yes! He's my son! Now this is the best news I've
ever heard. He's abounded toward us, abounding grace. Where sin
did abound, grace did much more abound. Wisdom and prudence. Oh, brethren. Go on. Let me get down here to verse
11. Predestinate us according to
the purpose of Him who works all things after the counsel
of His own will. Purpose, purpose, purpose. That
we should be to the praise of His glory who first trusted in
Christ. That's speaking of God first
trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trust. See, God
committed all things into the hands of His Son. He trusted
him to do this work of salvation, and he did it. And verse 13,
he gives his people that he chose this grace to trust him, this
faith, according to his working of his mighty power. After they
hear the word of truth, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation.
And they hear, and they believe, and they call, and they repent.
And verse 13, I'll end with this. After that, you're sealed. Sealed. With the spirit of promise. Sealed. Shut
in. Shut up. Sealed. Pardoned. Forgiven. Redeemed. Chosen. Inherited. Inheritance. Sure. Adopted. All over but the shadow. Sealed. That's sealing. We're
sealed by the Spirit of God who takes the things of Christ and
shows us the blood of Christ, the propitiation of Christ, the
atonement of Christ, like that pitch. Let me go back to where
I start. Noah, when God told him to build that ark, he said,
pitch it. Pitch it. The pitch is tar from
a tree. It's the blood that seeps from
a tree that's wounded. You want to tell me? Psalm 1. He said, pitch it within and
without. Just cover it all over on the
inside. You don't want that water to
get in, right? Not one drop of water. I've been
in a boat that leaks. If you're out on the ocean and
it's leaking, you want to get back to shore real fast. Brother
Cody and I were in Greg's boat and it was leaking like a sea,
like a spout. Greg said, we better get back
to dock. Had our feet on it. He was in that boat a year. Noah was in that ship a year.
Not one drop of water got in. Why? Pitch, all right? It's pitched
on the outside. When that says, the Lord shut
him in, the Lord shut that door. Well, somebody had to pitch the
joint of that outside door, didn't it? Who did it? I can hear the people in town
now. Who's that fella? I'm not trying to be cute here.
This happened. Who is that man pitching that door? Jesus Christ. It was Jesus Christ. Now, it's done. And he went back
to the glory. And the rain fell. And Noah was
saying, pitch, pitch. That's the blood of Jesus Christ.
I need to see it from the inside, but most of all, God sees it. And He said, when I see the blood,
when the overflowing scourge of my wrath comes through, it
will not come nigh thee. Pitching grace. Sealing grace. Grace. It's by grace, isn't it? Salvation is by grace. Oh, may
the Lord reveal His grace to somebody this morning. Okay,
let's sing a closing hymn. It's 236.