So let all that is in me adore
Thee, All that hath life and breath from now with praises
before Thee. Let me amidst several great people
of His gladly proclaim Thee adored King. Thank you, John. Thank you, Sherry. Thank you, John. Go back now
to Ephesians 1. Ephesians 1. Salvation. What is it? Well, it's by grace. That's what this book says. Ephesians 2, verse 8. By grace,
ye are saved. There's much said about grace,
isn't there? Much said about salvation. I'll
tell you this much about it as we look into this. This grace
that saves us is not an offer of God. It's an act of God, a
work of God. It's not a cooperation between
man and God. It's an operation. I've got. It's not something that we must
do something with, but it's something God does for us. Something God
does to us. The word saved means somebody
else did it, doesn't it? It means you're lost. Have you ever been lost? I mean
lost. You can't not find your way.
You don't even know the way. That's what it means to be lost.
Our Lord Jesus Christ said, I am come to seek and to save that
which is lost. Lost. Saved means someone else
did it by grace. Now the word grace
means gift. It means a gift. A gift is something that is unearned. You don't work for it. If it
was something you contributed to, it wouldn't be a gift, would
it? It's unearned. Grace, this grace of God, this
gift of God, is sovereignly bestowed. That is, He gives it to whom
He will. Don't you? You have a gift. Don't you determine who gets
it? Just lay the gift out there and
said, whoever wants it can have it? Never. Especially if it costs
you something. And this gift of God, salvation,
is to whom he will. It's undeserved. Undeserved. We don't deserve it. Deserve
it. This is what's wrong with all that's being said today.
It's that they've given men and women the notion that God just
wants so badly to do this and that for men, and needs man,
and nothing could be further from the truth. Nothing could be further from
the truth. And these gifts, everything mentioned here in this chapter,
are spiritual. Unseen things. Things that are
eternal. And they're given by God to whom
He will, and given in Jesus Christ. Let's look at it, all right?
It begins Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ. Paul doesn't use
a fancy title in front of his name, Dr. Paul, Reverend Paul,
Pope Paul. He doesn't use that, neither
does any true preacher. There is one who deserves the
title and recognition. Psalm 111 verse 9 says, Holy
and reverend is his name. Man ought to be revered as something
high and lofty. Paul, an apostle of Jesus, cried,
By the will of God, as everything is. In verse 11 it says, He works
all things, God worketh all things after the counsel of His own
will. That's what God's Word said.
That's the way it is, by the will of God. James one time wrote,
he said, you that say tomorrow we're going to do this, I will
do this, I will do that. He said, you ought to say, if
the Lord will, I will. Man fancies himself to have some
kind of free will, that he can go where he will and do what
he will. Try it. Say, I will breathe. a moment from now. Can you say
that? Can you know with absolute certainty
that you will, of your own volition, your own power, 60 seconds from
now, I will bring? You might drop dead. And God said, I'm the one that
does that. I kill. I make the law. It's Him that
declared at the end from the beginning, saying, My counsel
shall stand. I will do it. God said, My good
pleasure. Here's where Paul went on to
say, to the saints, Ephesus, faithful in Christ Jesus, grace
to you, peace. It is not, as preachers are telling
everybody all over the world, God loves you and has a wonderful
plan for your life. That is a lie. It doesn't say
that in this book anywhere. It doesn't say it. It says God is angry with the
wicked every day. But God. The next chapter. But God. He said, and such were
some of you. Every one of us. Children of
wrath, even as others. Walked the course of this world.
Didn't care for God. Didn't believe in God. They weren't
thankful, even as others. But God. Rich in mercy. Mercy means not getting what
we deserve. Mercy means sparing someone who
deserves mercy. God, rich in mercy. Grace to
you, grace to some, many, amen, and peace. There is no peace,
our Lord said, to the wicked. Why don't men and women have
any peace? Because they're at war with God. No matter what we do. No matter what we do, we can't
obtain that lasting peace because God said, you're not going to
have it as long as you reject your Creator, God in whose hands
your breath is, and all your ways, and just thankful. Just
thankful. What are we doing here today?
Play church? No. Thank God for breathing. Thank God for the
food we eat. Thank God for everything. Thank
God, more than anything, for Jesus Christ, who is the salvation
of God and the mercy of God. God has to reveal him. I've got
to go on. This is what he does for his
people. It's from our Father. God's not the Father of all mankind,
but he is the Father of a people. Down in verse 5, it says they've
received the spirit of adoption. Adopted. Adopted. There's a couple in
here, I don't know if there's anyone else been adopted, but
the Barry's brother, Ed Barry, was adopted. Now, did he choose
his parents? I know, of course not. They chose
him. They came and there was a group
of kids or however many, and I'll give you a better illustration.
There are something like a million babies born in China every year
or more. And many of them, especially
females, are atrocious things. Well, a couple that we know in
Kingsport paid a vast sum of money, $50,000, and went all
the way to China. You know how many babies are
born? And chose one of those children. And brought it home. And now that child sits under
the gospel, under the truth of millions that want chosen. And such were some of you. Such
were some of you. So he goes on to say, Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, We have blessed
us with all spiritual blessings and heavenly things in Christ. Now here it is, first thing,
the grace of God. I'm talking about the gift of
God, the sovereign bestowal of this gift of God. He said, it's
according as He hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation
of the world. I'm talking about God's election. of a people before the world
began. That's what this says. According
as He hath chosen us. Not everybody, but a people. A people before the world began. Before the world began. He chose
them. This is electing grace. That's
what this is. Now, I don't have any problem with
this. You know why? And you don't either, because
you know if God hadn't chosen you, you would never have chosen
Him. I had someone talking to me the
other day, arguing with me, if you will, about my religion.
And she said, you just believe what you believe because your
parents believe. I said, that's not true. I rejected it. When the 60s came around, I was
a child of the 60s, I rejected everything. that my parents taught. I rejected it. I'm smarter than
that. I'm an enlightened one. I was
born, you know, I was raised in the 60s. Everybody's enlightened. That's what I told them. I said,
no, no, no. I rejected it thumbs down. I told a friend of mine,
I can disprove everything that my father preached. I just cringe
when I think about saying that. But I told him that. I can disprove
everything he prayed. I found a little book on Hinduism
or some kind of Parish, and boy, I found it out then. And I said,
no, I don't believe it because they believe it. I rejected it.
But, God, one day, I sat in here, and not in here,
but in another place, just like this, as he preached the same
thing that I heard and rejected. I wouldn't have believed this
if God didn't say, you will believe. I'm talking about a real person
here, God, who chose a people. I don't have any problem with
this, do you? I am so thankful. that God chose a people. Spurgeon
used to say, I know He chose me before I was born because
if He waited until afterward, He sure wouldn't have chosen
me then. For the foundation of the world.
Why? That we should be holy and without
blame before Him in love. We're born wretched, blind, miserable,
naked. That's what the Scripture says.
Man is born speaking lies and grows up and unless something
is done for him, he's a devil. You know it so by experience.
You know it so. And God in His electing grace,
why'd He choose me? Why'd He choose you? You believe
He chose you? Why? Isn't that what you're amazed
at? Why? Of all people. I have a brother.
I hope he's one of God's elect. I hope someday. He will come
to know the truth, but right now he doesn't seem to. Well,
why me? I'm no different. We grew up the exact same way.
Jacob and Esau. Cain and Abel. The exact same
way. Why me? I'm not better than him. I'm not smarter than him. He's
smarter than me. Wow. Someone gave this. This is good. He said, Do you
believe God saved you? Here's three questions from the
Word of God. Did you choose him or did he
choose you? From the Word of God, don't give
what you think. What does the Word of God say? Verse 4, according
as he hath chosen us. When? When did he choose you? After you believed? That's what
religion said then. No. When? Before the foundation
of the world. Why? Why? Saw some good in you? No,
there's none good. Verse 6, to the praise of the
glory of his grace. Verse 5, according to the good
pleasure of his will. That's electing grace. Verse
5, it says, having predestinated us under the adoption of children.
Most people just despise the very sound of that word, predestination.
It's four times in the scriptures, two here and two in Romans 8. It's God's Word. I'll tell you
who doesn't despise it. God's people. Predestination. Predestined. It's what it sounds like. Predestined. Let me ask you something. Do
you really want to be in charge of your destiny? Anybody? Brother Gabe said it recently,
didn't he? He said, I have trashed my life
up to this point. I don't want in charge of this.
My hope is that everything, even evil, that's come about in my
life, God has predetermined it. It's going to work. For my good
and His glory. That's what Romans 8, 28, most
people quote it and don't understand it and don't believe it. But
we know, we know, don't we? God's people know that all things
work together. Why? Because we know who's working
them together. A man can't tell it. He's looking
at the whole creation and all that like the back of a tapestry. You look at the back of a tapestry,
you can't see rhyme or reason in it, can you? It looks like
a bunch of unjoined, tangled mess of nothing, doesn't it?
And that's what men can't see the forest from the trees, so
to speak. If you turn it over, you'll see a picture. You'll
see a purpose in all those seemingly wild threads. And someday, Scripture
says, we're going to know even if we don't. God predetermined
it all. And we're going to praise Him. I didn't understand. But God
in the Scripture says in Job, he does not give an account of
his matters to anybody. And if we could understand him,
he wouldn't be God, would he? I don't understand how this and
how that. Of course you can't. My two-year-old granddaughter
doesn't have a clue what I'm doing or where I'm going. And
if I tried to explain it to her, she still wouldn't understand.
How much less man? He doesn't give an account of
his matter. Here's what he does, though. reveals himself to his
people, I am God, trust me. And slowly, through this, begins
to open their understanding and see clearly. Not see everything,
not know everything, not understand everything, but all we need to
know. Read on. It says, adopted to be children By Jesus Christ to himself, God
has one, Scripture says, begotten son in his image, one bodily
manifestation of God who is invisible. His name is Jesus Christ. And although he came as a man,
Scripture says, he is eternal. Explain that, Preacher. I can't.
I just said it. You can't explain God. And here's
the whole thing. The world is arguing against
God. And that one who came to this
earth, this book says, and he said, and we know he's God. That can't be. He's a man. We
see. Well, he is. How do you know? Well, he died. And he said, Nobody killed me. He said, no man taketh my life
from me. I lay it down. I said. And he even said that
the father did it to him for a reason. And then he laid in
the grave and he's told it before he died, he said, three days,
you destroy this temple. And three days later, I'm going
to walk out of the grave. Man can't do that. God can. God did. God meant it. Jesus
Christ. Look at verse 6. It says, It
is to the praise, this adoption, this predestination, this election
of a people, is to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein
He hath made us accepted in the Beloved. This is electing grace,
predestinating grace, glorious grace. For His glory. For our Lord said that we might
see His glory. When He came, Scripture says
there is no beauty in Him that we should desire. No. But salvation is for Him to create
a desire in you to see His glory and see it. To the praise of
the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the
Beloved. You hear preachers say this all
the time, accept Jesus as your personal Savior. And it just
doesn't say that in this book anyway. They've made man into
a God and God into a man. They've put God on the auction
block or on the place where man must decide for him. It's opposite. Opposite is true. God's not on
trial. We are. God's not the one that
we must accept. We've already rejected. God's
not the one we must accept. We're the ones he must accept. He's the creator. We're the creature. This is the living and true God.
And it's to the praise of the glory of His grace, and in Jesus
Christ He hath made some of these unacceptable human beings acceptable. God looked down, Psalm 14 says,
upon the children of men to see if there were any, any that did
understand, any that did seek after God. He said they're all
together unprofitable. None that doeth good. Not one.
None but one. The Lord Jesus Christ can it.
The God-man. Okay, God out loud said, I'm
well pleased. This is my beloved son in whom
I'm well pleased. Only time he spoke out loud said
that. Accepted. I accept him. And God,
though in mercy, accepts those in him, in Christ. Accepts what
Jesus Christ did for them. He didn't come to show us how
to live. He came to do it for His people.
He didn't come to live and then be a martyr so we'd feel sorry
for Him. He came to be a substitute. That's what this book says. Pay
for the sins of God's people. And He did it. And God accepted
that for His people. All that He did. That's what
it says in verse 7. In whom? This is redeeming grace. We have redemption. Do you have any redeeming qualities?
We use that term, don't we? Well, he has some redeeming qualities.
Do you? Would you be honest? Has anything about your life
been such that God ought to Spare you that you're of some worth
and value. Not me. Not me. Even Paul's the one that said,
I'm less than the least. I'm the chief of sinners, Paul
said. Well, here's redeeming grace. This is redeeming grace that
he actually redeems, buys, pays for. Here's a good illustration. The other day, I purchased 2,000
worms. I'm now a worm farmer. I heard
that worms are good for your garden. My soil is bad. It needs
some things. And I heard that worms are good
for your soil. And so I ordered off the Internet
2,000 worms. Worms, mind you, and I had to
pay $49.95. You do the math, whatever they
are. I paid money for worms. Can you imagine that? You know
that's what the Scripture calls us? You know that's what the
Scripture calls us? You know what a worm is? Earth. Made dirt. That's all it is.
What's it live on? What's it return to? Dirt. And he says, though, he called
Jacob and his people worms. He said, Fear not thou worm,
Jacob. God's people don't mind being
called a worm. They know that's what they are.
Groveling here below. Groveling. Try to, you know,
be a butterfly or whatever. You can't. Well, anyway, I bought those
worms. I paid good money for worms. Got them in a package,
in a mail, and opened them up, and you, just a ball of worms. Ever seen a ball of 2,000 worms? It's despicable looking. If you
would look down, God would open the lids of the houses in this
world and let us look down. It would repulse us. This is what man really is and
looks like. He's not worth, he's really not
worth anything. Is one worm better than another
worm? Huh? Oh brother, it's a worm. I'll tell you what I did. You
know what I did? I took all those worms and fixed a bed for them
and fed them and you know, a house, a big house, worms. I made a house for them and put
them all in that nice bed, you know. And I started to throw
the sack away and I looked down and there was one worm in there. I got them all out but one. It was just a worm. I got 1,999
of them. Throw that bag away. No. I paid money for all of them. And I reached down in that sack
to one worthless worm, because I paid for it, and pulled him
out. I said, I'm not going to lose
you. Join your buddies. Put him in
there. And you know, I went to bed.
Kelly, I woke up worried about those worms. Worms! I haven't exaggerated the difference
between God Almighty and mankind. I have not one bit. We just don't
know. He says, in Isaiah 55, he says,
My thoughts and ways are higher than you, and the heavens are
above the earth. He said, Thou thoughtest. Here's man's problem. Psalm 50, he said, Thou thoughtest
I was altogether one such as yourself. Not. And I'm glad. I'm glad God is
God and not a man. I'm glad we're not God. I'm glad. And known unto God
are all his works from the beginning of the world, and here's what
he did in glory to the praise of the glory of his grace, he
purchased worms. And he said whoever he purchased
by Jesus Christ's blood, he's not going to lose one of them.
Oh, my, that gives me hope, doesn't it? And if you're a worm, there's
hope for you. I'm not that bad." Well then,
go on. This is not for you. Oh, it's
to the praise of the great redeemed us. Forgiveness of sin. You see
that in verse 7? In whom? This is the glorious
grace of forgiveness. Forgiveness. Oh, man. Oh, forgiveness. You know, psychologists
and preachers and people are telling you what you need. Here's
what you need. You need to forgive yourself. That's the whole problem.
You just forgive yourself. I've done that all my life. But
my conscience still bothers me. I can't get any peace because
God said there won't be any peace unless He forgives you. Unless He forgives you. And the
only way he does that is through Jesus Christ. He said, you come
to my son. You believe him. God accept you. Accept him, mind you. Bow to
him. Ask him for mercy. Ask him. Plead with him like every person
in Scripture that came to him. The woman, the harlot. Our Lord
said, that he came for harlots and publicans, the worst of the
worst. And they all came to him, publicans and harlots. Sinners
were drawn to him, not the self-righteous, not the Pharisees, not the religious.
They hated him because he exposed their hypocrisy. He exposed them
for what they really were. But now sinners came naked and
open and guilty and said, Lord, I'm a harlot. He said, no, you're
not. Forgiven. Wiped out. Completely
erased. My peace I give unto you. Your
sins are gone. Brother Scott used to say the
only way that your conscience can be at peace is if God is
at peace with you. And God is at peace because Jesus
Christ made peace by the blood of His cross for everyone that
God gave to Him. How do I know that
I'm one of thee? You need him? You need him? If you need him,
he gave you that need. In whom we have the forgiveness
of sins. It's a gift. Forgiveness. According to the riches of his
grace. Verse 8, and I've got to hurry. Wherein this grace
he hath abounded toward us. Scripture says, where sin did
abound, grace did much more abound. Somebody says, you just don't
know how bad I am. No, and you don't know how bad
I am. And I'm glad we don't. I'm glad we don't. We might not
have anything. No, we do know how bad each other is. That's
why we're here. I'd like to put a sign on this
building, No Good People Allowed. This place is for sinners. This
is for needy, poor, needy, wretched, miserable, poor, blind, naked,
worms. This is for worms. I've got good news for worms.
Anybody else don't have a thing for you? I have a thing for you. Oh, He's abounded toward us in
all wisdom and prudence. Do you see the wisdom in God's
salvation? Not left up to you. We've already
messed it up. Not left up to us. We don't keep
ourselves. Aren't you glad? He abounded toward us in all
wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of
his will. We can't figure this thing out. There are intelligent
people, educated people that don't have a clue about God.
Don't even believe there is one. How foolish can you get? How
foolish, utterly foolish can you be to think that this whole
complex, amazing creation just came out of a slime? What kind
of idiot would believe that? I'll tell you who. One that God
has blinded because they reject Him. That's one. And it's only
His mercy and grace that He would open their eyes. I know somebody, I have a friend
that you've never met before. Okay? And what if I told him
that you didn't believe he existed? And Steve Parks says he doesn't
believe you. I go to my friend. He doesn't
believe you. He doesn't even think you exist. What do you think he'd say, Steve?
Well, who cares? Is he going to come run and say,
I ain't bleeding, would you believe me? Why should he? How much less God? Worms. They don't believe you. You're lost. Not mine. Doesn't need worms. But rich
in mercy and grace and love and abounding. Why would he do this? Because he's God, that's why.
Because he's good. Because he's merciful. Because
he's not us. And it comes down and says, now
listen, you've been an utter fool. The very breath you breathe,
I gave it to you. Everything you've ever eaten.
This is what he said in Isaiah. He said, I've girded you, though
you don't know me. Now, I am. And you say, for the
first time in your life, you are. And I am worthless, no good,
ungrateful, undeserving. Thank you for revealing yourself
to me. He doesn't have to do that. It's
by grace. He made known unto us this mystery. And He did it. Oh my, I have
so many things here I want you to look at. Go down to verse 12, that we should be to
the praise of His glory. See, it's all about Him. It's
all about His glory. In fact, if you made something,
you'd demand the glory and the credit for it, wouldn't you?
He did it all for the praise of his glory. Who first trusted
in Christ, verse 13, in whom ye trusted, who after you heard
the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, that is how
somebody saved you, not you can save yourself, somebody did it.
And after you believe, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit of
promise. This is believing grace is what
this is. Believing grace. Receiving grace.
Hearing grace. You heard it. I sat under this
preaching right here, this very same preaching, for years. I've
heard more preaching. I'm a preacher's kid. I heard
so much more preaching than I wanted to. But I didn't hear a thing. Didn't hear a thing. Couldn't
wait. Oh, I did make a false profession
as a young boy, but couldn't wait, you know, to get out in
the world and be my own man and just like that prodigal. Get
out from under my parents and not be forced to go to church.
Not be forced to listen to this. Some of you have children just
like that. I didn't hear a thing. He said,
I heard, I heard, I heard. So many... The world is full
of religion that's not hearing this. Not hearing this. Men that
don't preach from this. Right? There are a few. I was greatly blessed to be under
a man who actually just opened God's Word and said, here's what
it says. Not what he thought. Not what another man thought.
But what God said. How blessed. How greatly blessed. But I still didn't hear it. I
didn't hear it. And Christ said, why is it that
you don't understand my word? Because you cannot. But he that
is of God heareth God's word. And he said, he has to give ears
to hear. Having ears to hear, they don't
hear. Having eyes to see, they don't
see. I don't see it that way. But God, in His good time, according
to His own pleasure, opens ears. You hear what you
could not, would not hear. He's talking to me. That's what you told me, Joseph.
You came and said, I hear. I hear. Well, you grew up here. You've
heard as many messages as I did. But then there was a day, you
said, I hear. You're talking to me. And that's the way I was. You? I hear. I hear. That's grace. That's God's grace. We won't hear it. We won't receive
it. We won't believe it. Most people hear this message
and go away mad. I don't like that. I won't have
that. This is the truth. And all of God's chosen people
hear it. They don't want to receive it.
They love it. They don't go away mad. They
go away glad. What's the difference? The glory
of His grace. Alright, that's the best I can
do. I wasn't told. John, if you'll
come up. Let's sing number 236. Only one
hymn to sing after that, I guess. 236. John Newton's great old
hymn. And John Newton, who wrote this, was a slave trader. A slave trader. He actually went
to Africa. and got slaves and sold them. And he himself became a slave.
He became so poor after a while that he was an indentured servant
of someone, a slave himself. But God did a great work of grace
in that slave trader. And he's the one who wrote this
hymn, Amazing Grace. Let's stand and sing the first
and last verses.