A trouble roll across my peaceful
rest. Across my peaceful rest. Across my peaceful rest. And not a wave of trouble roll
across my peaceful rest. I'm going to try to pay attention
to the time today. I really do apologize for going
so long. To those in here who believe
they have been called and saved by the sovereign mercy and grace
of our God, And to you who claim that, I ask you, what passage
of Scripture might be especially dear to you? What passage of
Scripture may be your favorite? I don't think there's anything
wrong with saying that. It's a favorite of mine, something
that God has really blessed you with. Oh, God's Word is wonderful. But all of them are beloved. But
perhaps this one that we're going to look at this morning is quite
special. I did not put it in the bulletin because I didn't want you to
know until it was time. But this passage has been so
used by God for so many years, perhaps one that you the Lord first used upon you. Ephesians chapter 2. Maybe that might be one of your
favorites. One of them anyway. Way up there. Ephesians chapter
2. What made me want to deal with
this was our brother Nyberg just briefly quoted a verse or two
out of this. And as he was reading it and
I was looking at it with him, it just struck me. Ephesians 2 verse 6 is the text
and the title. Speaking of God, "...hath raised
us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus." Sitting together in heavenly places. That's the
title. in the subject and that should
greatly interest you who want to sit there. Sitting together, he hath raised
us up. Now, who's the us? Who's he talking about? He's
raised us up together. Who is us? To whom is this written?
Old Brother Scott Richardson once wisely made this statement.
He said, you can't claim the promise unless you fit the character
described in the promise. Did you hear that? He said you
can't claim the promise. This promise has raised us up,
made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ. But you can't
claim that. unless you fit the character
described in a promise. Well, who's the us? Who are these
that he's raised up? I gave you a little hint when
we read 1 Samuel 2. Where did he raise them from?
The dunghill. And this is how this chapter
begins, and you. Hath he quickened? who were dead. Dead. Barnard used to say, graveyard
dead. That's dead, isn't it? Stinking
dead. That's what it means to be really
dead. They said it about Lazarus. Lord, he's been dead four days.
He stinketh. He really is dead. He stinketh.
Nothing pleasant about it. He's dead. He's D-E-A-D. Dead. Dead means just that. Blind. A dead person has no senses
at all. Doesn't do it. Blind. Deaf. Dumb. Unfeeling. You can pinch them. No pain. You can say anything you want
to them. They're not going to respond. dead in trespasses and sin. I don't know if the word trespass
is exactly the way we use it, but it's a good way to think
of it. Trespassers. See, the earth is
the Lord's and the fullness thereof. The world and the inhabitants
thereof. Everything belongs to the Lord, does it not? It's God's
land. Unless we ask permission to use
it. You know, when we pray to our
God, that's what we're doing, isn't it, Lord? Forgive us our
impudence and imprudence and taking it, but may we use these
things you've given us. And then giving him thanks for
them, isn't it? That's what prayer is, giving
him thanks And someone who does not acknowledge God and does
not thank God and does not ask God for things and does not thank
Him for the privilege of using things is a trespasser. Right? What would you do if somebody
just came on your property and just set up a tent and just hooked up a hose to
your spigot? And just came in your house and
got your food and never asked you. Huh? Trespasser. It's a good way to
think of it. We live years upon God's earth
without giving God thought. Without asking him permission.
Romans 1 says they weren't thankful. They weren't thankful. Dead in
trespasses and sins. Dead, dead to God, dead to holiness, but very much alive to the world
and to sin, to the light in it. Dead to God, dead in sin. Verse 2 says, wherein, that is
in sin, we walked according to the course of this world. I hope
everyone is paying attention, especially young people. most
especially of the young people, because you have a lot more years,
Lord willing, to walk through this world. What course are you
going to take? The course of this world, the
world's course, is opposite from God Almighty. God says, in Jeremiah, He said,
Seek ye search, and find the old paths wherein is the good
way. Old paths being paths of righteousness. The old paths wherein is the
good way, and you'll find rest. It will be well with you, both
here and especially through eternity. And walk in them. And they said,
We will not walk in them. The other way. Opposite. The
world of course, the course of this world, the path, the direction
that this world takes is completely opposite of what God said. The
course of this world. And we all walked it. Some are
still walking it. We all walked it. And the Scripture
says there is a way that seems right. to men, that means young
men and young women, and old. There's a way that seems right.
This is the way I think of it. It's that the end is destruction,
meaning God will destroy them. They destroy themselves here,
and then God will destroy them out of his sight. And that's the way we all walk.
Didn't it? Some still do. And it's a miserable
way. The way of the transgressor is
hard. You know what? It's a hard way.
God says, my yoke, take my yoke upon you and learn of me. My
yoke is easy. It's really easy to be told what
to do. Especially if it's the right
way. Huh? It's not easy doing things your
own way. Oh. He goes on to say, We walked
according to the course of this world, according to the One who
runs this world, the Prince of the power of the air, the Spirit
that now worketh. Are you looking at it, young
people? I want you to look at your Bible. The prince of the power of the
air, the spirit that now, right now, is working in the children
of disobedience. He's the one. And we all walk this way, thought
we were free spirits. I grew up in the sixties, you
know. Some of you did too. Free spirits. I'm not free at all. Scripture
says we're held captive by Satan at his will. Isn't that what
he says? Now, look, Paul told young Timothy,
he said, you preach this gospel that maybe God will deliver them
who are held captive by Satan at his will, those that oppose
themselves. He said, maybe God perpetually
will deliver them that oppose themselves, that are destroying
themselves. That was me. Was it you? Oh,
yeah. It's every one of you who have
been saved by the grace of God. And you. Who's the others? It's you who were dead. Walked
the court and the courts. Held captive. We think we're
free spirits. Young people think they're free
spirits, but they're held captive to the fashion of this world. What would everybody think if
you didn't look like everybody else? You know, in Roanoke at a fast
food restaurant now walked about six young girls and you absolutely
could not tell one bit of difference between any of them. They all
looked exactly alike, like clones. Oh, I'm my own person. Yeah,
right. Captives to fashion. Somebody
says, this is what we should wear, and you'll wear it. Captive
to modern opinion, this is what the world, everybody thinks we
ought to do, and you'll do it. Captive to peer pressure, absolutely
captive to what people think about you, no matter what it is, no matter
what it is. Even if it means destroying yourself,
you don't want to be thought to be different or uncool. That's captivity. That's total
captivity. Total captivity. You listening?
Children, he said, of disobedience. See that? Verse 2. Children of
disobedience. Would you turn back with me to
Matthew 15? Matthew 15. You know what God says to do
with disobedient children? Matthew 15. You know what God
says to do with disobedient children? Look at verse 4. This is Jesus
Christ speaking. God commanded, saying, Honor
thy father and mother. He that curseth father or mother,
let him die a death. Is that what he read? Kill him. And that was us. Kill them. And back in our text
it says, among whom, verse 3, we also, we all had our life
in time. We all. Now some of us in here were open
rebels. Open rebels. against God, against
our parents, against society. Open rebels. Rebels. Children of wrath. Children of
disobedience. It says, among whom we all—are
you with me now? All. Some were open rebels. Others were closet rebels. My sister and I were two radically,
outwardly different young children growing up. I was a rebel. I'm ashamed of
that. But she was a model daughter. And yet God revealed to her,
by His grace, that she too was a rebel. He had to. Though she was a model daughter,
an obedient daughter, a model citizen and all that, a daughter
of the American Revolution, so on and so forth, yet she was
a sinner against God. Didn't know God, didn't love
God, didn't care about God. Endangered the judgment. And
God had to reveal that to her. I was obvious. She was not. Both
rebels. Is that you? all of us. If this hadn't been you, then
you hadn't been quickened. We all had our conversation.
Now, what did we do all that time? Verse 3 says, We fulfilled
the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and
the mind, fulfilling the lusts Lust to the flesh. Lust to the
flesh. Lust means insatiable desire. And that doesn't mean
just sexual lust. It means whatever. The flesh
desire. What we were interested in is
what we could get. That's all we were interested
in. Right? That's it. Lust to the flesh. Fulfilling, that is. And lust
is an insatiable thing. Lust can never get enough. And when it doesn't get enough
or doesn't get what it wants, it complains about it. Right? Complains about it. Fulfilling
the desires of the flesh and of the mind. If it feels good,
do it. If it looks good, go after it.
Everything and everyone but God. Isn't that you? All of us. All of us. Children
of wrath. Look at this with me. Everybody
look at it. were by nature the children of wrath, even as others."
You see them out there, don't you, others? Children of wrath,
angry. They say of a young man, he's
an angry young man. Well, who's he angry at? She's
an angry young girl. Who's she angry at? Let me ask you something. Why
are young people mad at anybody or anything. What have they got to complain
about? Why would a young person be mad at anybody for any reason
ever? Huh? I think about myself, you know.
What are they angry with? Who are they angry with? The
Fed? Somebody feeds them. Somebody clothes them. Somebody
houses them. Somebody waters them. When they
get sick, somebody nurses them. Somebody gives, gives, gives,
gives, gives, gives, gives, gives, gives, gives, gives, gives, and
keeps giving for eighteen to so how many years? Just keeps
giving. What did they do to earn that? And now let me ask you, and I'm
thinking of myself. What do they do for anybody else? You adults, we're all children. What did you do for your parents? What did you do to earn anything? What did you do to deserve anything? What did you do for other people?
Were you thinking about other people? This is why people are
angry and mad and so forth. They're selfish. I'm not getting
what I want. I'm not getting what I need.
I'm not getting what—everybody's not treating me like I ought
to be treated. My parents don't—God says you're going to have to
die to self. God's going to have to kill that
old self. Let me ask everybody, young and
old, What do we do for anybody? Who are you mad at? Why? What
right have you got to be mad at anybody for anything? And what it is is you're mad
at God. See, when we're young, or when
we're unconverted, You can be old and stupid. When we're young or unconverted
or unregenerate, we're too dumb to know where to go. We're too
dumb to know where to go, where not to go, and who not to go
there with. Ain't that right? and won't listen to those who've
been there. Somebody's already been there
and knows the dangers and made those mistakes, such as your
parents or God's Word, and tells us this is bad and keeps us,
prevents us, and we get mad. We'd rather kill ourselves. I
saw a dog yesterday. I meant to look and see if his
body was laying on the side of the road today. But there was
a dog right out in the middle of the highway yesterday as I
was pulling out of the study. There was a dog standing right
out in the middle of the highway. There was something on the road,
dead stuff, that it was real interested in. Isn't that a good
picture? Something dead in the middle
of the road that it was interested in. And it was totally oblivious.
to traffic and they're totally oblivious, that dog. And a car came by and honked
the horn at it and it moved a little bit and it got right back in
the middle of the road. And I thought, that thing, it's going to kill
itself. It's killing itself. How could you be so stupid? That
dumb dog. And until God gives us a mind,
or some sweet experience, We just don't know. We're dumb. And then we get mad at those
who try to keep us from killing ourselves. And this is exactly what God
Almighty says to all of us. This is exactly what He said
in Isaiah chapter 1. Let me read it to you. He said,
Here, O heavens, and give ear, O earth. The Lord has spoken.
I've nourished and brought up children, and they've rebelled
against me. The ox knows his owner, the ass
knows his master's crib, Israel doesn't know, they don't even
consider. Like a dog in the middle of the road. A sinful nation
of people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil doers, children
that are corrupt or that have forsaken the Lord, among whom we all had our conversation
and were by nature children of wrath. Was this Usain Park? Absolutely. Back in our day, children of
wrath, even as others. But God... Man, we've been looking at this
together for years now, haven't we? And every time I say those
two words, I see you do this. God forbid that it should ever
lose its amazement. But God, who is rich in mercy. Can you
quote this from the heart? Is this your favorite verse?
Not only that. But God, is this your salvation? It is if you were dead and trespasses
anywhere by nature and walk according to the course of this world,
a rebel against God, against man, children of disobedience
even as other children of wrath, but God. Rich in mercy. Rich in mercy. That means full
of mercy. That means he delights to show mercy. It means he has
a lot of it. Mercy means sparing the guilty. Mercy means sparing
the guilty. Mercy means saving sinners. Mercy
means pardoning rebels. Pardoning rebels. And you. A rebel against God,
but God. For His great, look at this,
for His great love wherewith He loved us. You know that old saying, He
has a face only a mother could love. You know, God These rebels, every sinner, chief
of sinners, is the one that only God could love. Now, he's a sinner that only
God could love. Nobody else does. For his great
love, that's what that love means, great love. Great love. Oh, how He loves. Oh, who He
loves. That's what that means. Oh, who He loves. Talks about
so great salvation. Talks about so great a Savior.
Talks about so great a love. How He loves and who He loves.
That's why it's so great. So great. He loves unlovely. We love those that love us, don't
we? We love those that love us. God loves those that They hated
him. That's love beyond comprehension,
isn't it? God loves those who spit in his
face. That's beyond comprehension, isn't it? God loves the worst. This great love and great mercy,
it says, the great love wherewith he loved us even, verse 5, when
we were dead in trespasses. You see, that's God, when it
says up there, Vicki, when it says there are children of wrath,
even as others, that doesn't mean the wrath of God. God's children were never under
His wrath. As incredible as that seems,
this is what this great love means. God's children were never
under His wrath. We preach to all men the wrath
of God, not knowing who He loves. But once we find out, once these rebels are brought
into submission, once these rebels against God are, the enmity is
broken down and they're reconciled. They are reconciled to God. They're
made friendly to God. Then we say, oh, God always did
love you. That's why this is happening. He loved you with an everlasting
love before the foundation of the world loved you, even when
you were dead and trespassing in sin. Now, do you see why this
is called so great a love? Even when dead, a center that only God could love.
And it goes on to say, look at this, I've got to hurry. Even
when we were dead in sin, has quickened us together with Christ. Quickened us. Raised us up. That's by grace you say. Paul writes as if to say, when
we were dead in sin, he's quickened us together with Christ. Oh yeah,
it's by grace you say. And raised us up together. Quickened
us. giving us life from the dead,
eyes to see. See, that dog, if that dog somehow
could be brought to itself, that dog that was tenant, what am
I doing? I'm going to die. It's my fault. Get out of the way. Get out of the way. What am I
doing? I'm eating dead stuff. Maybe he's got a master at home
that he's run off from, huh? What am I doing eating this dead
stuff? Got a bowl of food at home. Why would that attract
me? Why would I go there? Why would
I endanger myself? Ears to hear porn blowing. Get
out of the way! What's wrong with you? Get home! ears to hear. Feet quickened. I don't know. What a dumb dog I've been. That's us, isn't it? The Word
of God. The incorruptible seed is what?
The life-giving seed. And liveth in Him. That's what
quickens us. What was it my parents couldn't do? The Word of God.
This is why teachers keep, just keep Keep nailing the Word. Just
keep nailing the nails. Keep nailing those nails. Your
logic, your words, parents, bring them here. We're going to keep
nailing this nail. We're going to keep nailing this
nail until God nails their hearts. This is what happened to me.
Nails their hearts. Nailing a sure place. And their
eyes are going to open. And their ears are going to open.
And their hearts are going to break. And their eyes are going
to start gushing. And their mouth will gush. Mama,
I'm sorry. God, I'm sorry. The only thing
that's going to do it is every time we leave in Portland. Quickened us. Quickened us. Made us alive. Lied to God. And
that quickening goes the other way, too. Starts making you dead
to the world. And it goes on saying, Raised
us up together. Raised us up. They elevated us. That's what raised up means.
Promoted us. Elevated us. Boy, here I am. I'm really cool. Where are you?
on the dung heap. Look at me. Ain't I something
for this manure all over me? Prodigal sons. Oh, he was something,
didn't he? Down in the hog pen. Oh, was he ever raised up to
sit in heavenly places. You see why he says that? To
sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. He did all this
in Christ. He did all this because of Christ.
He did all this by Christ, through Christ, to Christ, for Christ. Do you want these? Are these
the people you want, son? Yeah. Are these the heathen? Do you want the heathen for inheritance?
Are these the ones you want? That one? Yeah. He's a bad apple. Yeah. We'll get glory from him. That's the one I want. That's
the one I choose. And I do too. In Christ, by Christ, all in
heavenly places he's made us to sit. And I thought of this.
Hannah prayed that prayer. He lifted up the beggar from
the dunghill to sit among princes. All my old cronies are either
dead or in jail. I'm telling the truth. I've been
married five times. I'm telling you the truth. Oh,
I sure was concerned to have what they thought of me. I was. We were just alike. But God. What's the difference
between them and me? But God. And you'd get, but God. You'd just like, but God. Sit among princes. I used to sit in the seat of
the scornful. Used to walk in the way of, stand in the way
of sinners like Psalm 1 said, but God, Sammy, we're sitting
among princes. I'll take these people any day
over. Cool dudes. As I've said before, God has
a very hot place for those who want to be, think themselves
cool. It's just another word for pride. Isn't it funny how
things come back around? Cool used to be the word I used,
believe it or not, 40 years ago. That's cool. And now it's back
again. Cool is just another word for
pride. David said this of Mephibosheth. This is what it means to be set,
taken from the donkey and set among princes, taken from children
of wrath and set among princes. David said about Mephibosheth,
as for him, he's going to sit at the king's table from now
on, as one of the king's sons, from now on. Don't anybody say
anything about it. No, sir. He's going to sit right
there from now on, among princes. with his feet, his lame feet
covered. As Sheba observed, when Sheba
came to see Solomon, it says she observed the sitting of his
servants. She thought, I'd like to be just
one of them. I thought I was a queen, but now I want to be,
I thought I was a queen, queen of Sheba, till I saw him. And I saw his people, and she
said, oh, they're happy. Aren't they happy? Blessed of
God to sit where they're sitting. It could. Be. All. As the Lord sat at meat, the
scripture says, he sat at meat in his house. Many publicans
and senators sat together with him. And those self-righteous
Pharisees were out there. They weren't sitting there. Look at him. Oh yeah, look at
him. Look sitting there with him. Matthias and Mary Magdalene. Look at them. They sure seem happy, don't they? And as the Lord said in the end,
he said, I say unto you that many shall come from the east
and from the west and shall sit down with Abraham. Ellen Frahlin is sitting with
Abraham. There sits Abraham. You all know
Abraham, don't you? And there sits Ellen Frahlin.
Who knows her? God does. Abraham does. And Isaac, which Isaac? It doesn't
say which Isaac. It might be that Isaac. I believe
it will be. We'll save it for some point. Isaac and Jacob. Happy is he
that hath the God of Jacob for his help. People sitting with
them, sitting together. Where are they sitting? At the
feet of Christ, around a big table. Just happy as I can be. Can you imagine a lot of people
sitting there? Sure you can. That's where they're sitting
right now. And Hannah, bless God, we are too. Our table's just right down here
in the middle of our enemies. God has delivered them from their
enemy. He's fed them a table, and they never have to leave
it. And we're just going to get up from this table and go to
that heavenly place. sitting together. Why did he do all this? Verse
7 says, that in the ages to come, throughout all eternity, for
the next how many years, he's going to show the exceeding riches of his grace. That's about all he did for it. You see, the older you get, and
especially if you become a parent, You start appreciating your parents. And you just can't believe what
all they put up with in you. You can't believe what all they
did for you. And you think, I'll never, ever be able to repay
them. Never. No way. They don't live long
enough for you to repay them, do they? When you finally get
some sense, then they're dead in a few years. And you don't
know. Right, Brother Ron? You had some more time to try
to repay their kindness. To thank them one more time for
being so mean to you. For restraining you. We're going to have all eternity
to thank God. He's going to show us. You remember
when I wouldn't let you go over here and you got some ads? Look right down the road there. Oh, Lord, thank You. Huh? Lord, exceeding riches of
His grace and His kindness, kindness to us. Where is it? In Christ
Jesus. Oh, it's by Grace, isn't it?
It's by Grace. We sing that song so much. Stand with me. We sing that song
so much to a certain tune that perhaps it's lost its true meaning. If we sing it to a different
tune, maybe it'll mean something to you. Amazing Grace, how sweet
the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but
now I'm found, was blind, but now I see. Was grace that taught my heart
to fear And grace my fears relieved How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come. His grace hath brought me safe
thus far, and grace will lead me home. When we've been there
ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing the
praises which we've heard Jesus