Turn in your Bibles with me to
the book of Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1. And this
is the fourth message on the subject of blessed union
with Christ. That's an amazing thing to consider. That we who have been brought
by God to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, that we are in
union with Him. And that union is described and
portrayed right here in this first chapter of the book of
Ephesians. And this, as I said, this is
the fourth message on this because it speaks of our union with Christ
in the purpose and work of God the Father, God the Son, and
today we're gonna talk about God the Holy Spirit. From verses
three to verse six in this first chapter, we see the purpose,
the work of God the Father, and that speaks of our eternal union
with Christ. That's something that we need
to understand because it's so comforting. It tells us that
our salvation is not an afterthought with God. It's not God's plan
B or a backup plan. Some people sort of indicate,
well, God created the world, he put Adam here, Adam fell,
kind of took him by surprise, so he come up with another plan.
No. This salvation is a salvation that God gave to his chosen people
in Christ before the world began. Now that's what the Bible teaches.
A lot of people who claim to be Christian don't believe that,
but it's what the Bible teaches. An eternal union, God chose us
in Christ, adopted us in Christ, and justified us in Christ in
his mind. It is God that justified, made
Christ to be our surety, and Christ willingly took that office
on. That's what makes it so great.
Christ did this willingly. He wasn't forced. He offered
himself without spot unto the Father, willingly. And he said
that in, I believe it's John chapter six, he said, or John
chapter 10, nobody takes my life from me, I give it. And Christ
is the gift of God from the Father in our eternal union with Him.
And then from verses seven through 12, we have the work of God the
Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior, And that speaks of our
legal and redemptive union with Christ. As Christ came as our
surety, he substituted himself in the place of his sheep, God's
elect, and he redeemed us from our sins by the price of his
blood, established the justice of God, the righteousness of
God upon which God justifies all of his people. Our sins are
forgiven. by the blood of Jesus Christ.
What can wash away my sins? When I was preaching to the folks
in Malawi, Brother James Muali was interpreting, and I was talking
about two of my favorite hymns, as you know, the solid rock and
then nothing but the blood. And I started quoting in him,
and Brother James started singing it. And I just started singing
along with him, you know. We just had a good time, you
know. What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Well, that blood is his death, which issued forth in the righteousness,
just as satisfied that God has imputed, charged, accounted to
his people. And that's the ground of our
salvation. Now today we're gonna look at verses 13 and 14 mainly,
which speaks of the work of God the Holy Spirit in the new birth. You must be born again, that's
what Brother David read. As you said, we talked a lot
about that in the 10 o'clock hour, and Ezekiel preaching to
the dry bones. Can these bones live? God knows. So this is the, the spiritual
union with Christ. You understand that? There's
a spiritual union that takes place in the hearts of God's
people by the power of the Spirit as sent forth from Christ. You
see, this righteousness that God has imputed to us, the righteousness
of God in Christ, is the ground of our justification, but it's
also the source of our regeneration, our new birth, the source of
life. As John put it in 1 John 2.20, we have an unction from
the Holy One. We have an anointing that comes
forth from the risen Christ. He died, he was buried, he arose
again. And so as God's elect have been
eternally united to Christ in the everlasting covenant of grace,
we can ask, and legally and redemptively united to Christ in his death
on the cross, we can ask this question. Now think about this.
All these questions. How can I know if God the Father
chose me before the foundation of the world? How can I know
that? I wasn't there. How can I know that he did choose
me? He talks about those whom he chose as their names are written
in the Lamb's Book of Life. Now how can I know that my name's
there? That my name's written there?
And again, I tell you, I don't believe that's a literal book
and God took pen and ink, but it's in his sovereign mind and
he never changes and never forgets. So how can I know that? How can
I know that God marked me out? That's sanctification. Separated
me out as a vessel of mercy. And didn't leave me as a child
of wrath. How can I know I'm a vessel of
mercy, afore prepared unto that glory? How can I know this, that
God loved me with an everlasting love? Brother David read it,
for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son
that whosoever believeth might have everlasting life. That's
not talking about everybody without exception. It's talking about
God's elect all over this world, Jew and Gentile. Well, how can
I know that he loved me with an everlasting love? And that
means a love that never changes. How can I know, he speaks of
adoption here in Ephesians 1, where he had adopted us in Christ. That means made us his children.
Well, how can I know that he made me an adopted child of his
grace in Christ and justified me based upon what Christ came
in time to accomplish on the cross by his death and resurrection,
the very righteousness of God? How can I know those things?
Well, God's elect have been chosen of God, illegally and redemptively
united to Christ in his death and resurrection. How can I know
that God the Son incarnate, the Lord Jesus Christ, took me upon
His shoulders as my surety, having my sins charged to Him, and having
all of my salvation conditioned on Him, that He came in the fullness
of the time and died on the cross for me? For me. How can you know? For you. That
He now, and think about this, how can I know that Christ is
now, right now, interceding for me at the right hand of the Father? Now here's the point. The assured
fruit and result of our eternal and legal and redemptive union
with God in Christ is this. At God's appointed time, for
each one of His people, each one of His sheep, each member
of his church, we will be spiritually united to him in the new birth
and experience spiritual life and God-given faith in Christ
and true repentance of dead works and idolatry. We will experience
that at some point in time in our lives. And it's different
for all of us. And that's the point we need
to make. If you're a born-again person, evidence by belief in
Christ, God-given faith, at some point in time you were born again.
Most of us can't point to the time. I know preachers talk about
your spiritual birthday and all that. I don't know the day that
I was born again. I know about the time frame because
I know, first of all, I know when I first began to hear the
true gospel and not a false gospel. But how do we know that we've
been united to Christ in that way? We're going to experience
faith in Christ. Well, look at this. Now let's
begin reading at verse seven, then we'll get to our text and
see how it all fits together. He's speaking of Christ in whom
we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,
God forgave us our sins by the blood of Christ, According to
the riches of His grace, it was unconditional towards us, Christ
fulfilled the conditions, wherein He hath abounded toward us in
all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery
of His will. What is that? It's according
to His good pleasure, which He hath purposed in Himself. God's
purpose to glorify Himself in the salvation of sinners by His
grace through Christ. that in the dispensation of the
fullness of times that he might gather together in one all things
in Christ. You see, eternal union with Christ
does not deny that things must take place in time, but they
are appointed by God. And he says, both which are in
heaven, which are on earth, even in him, in whom also, verse 11,
we have obtained an inheritance. That's what we have in inheritance.
That means we didn't earn it, we didn't deserve it, we didn't
work for it. Christ did. Being predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will, that we should be to the praise
of his glory who first trusted in Christ. Now what he's saying
there is he's talking about the first ones whom God brought to
trust in Christ in the new covenant church. and they were Jewish
believers. Now, not all of them were Jews.
At Pentecost, for example, there were different nations there.
Remember the Bible says that every man and woman heard the
gospel in their own language. It was a miracle of God. That's
what Joel, the prophet Joel prophesied of, the spirit poured out. And
then he says in verse 13, in whom you also trusted. Now, he's
talking about the Gentiles here at Ephesus and other Gentiles. They came later. And you can
study the history of that in the book of Acts. How it all
came together in Jerusalem, and how the persecution came, of
which the Pharisee named Paul was a big part of that persecution,
and how the Lord began to scatter them away out through the Gentile
world, and he even saved Paul, and made him an apostle. and
used him to write probably at least half, if not more, of the
New Testament. So he says in verse 13, in whom
you also trusted. Now, this trust is God-given
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's the work of the Holy Spirit
in our salvation, our spiritual union with Christ. And this trusting
is God-given, Holy Spirit-wrought or worked faith, knowledge. You remember the Bible says in
Romans 1 and verse 16, for I'm not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone
that believe it, to the Jew first and the Greek also. Verse 17
says, for therein is the righteousness of God revealed. Now this being
brought to faith is the product of God's revelation. not man's
reasoning. Man's reasoning will get you
nowhere except on the road to condemnation. We don't reason
from the ground up. Salvation is revealed from heaven
down. And so it's by the revelation
of the righteousness of God from faith to faith. What does that
mean? From God's truth and knowledge
revealed to God's truth and knowledge received. And that's what this
trusting is. I trust Christ for my whole salvation. That's a miracle. Don't ever
take that for granted and don't ever boast as if it came out
of your goodness or your decision. That's a miracle. If you're a
believer, If I'm a believer, we're miracles of God. And we
say, God forbid that I should glory, should boast, save in
the cross of Christ. It's a gift. And so it's a gift
of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the one and only savior of
sinners, his people, as revealed by God in his holy word, the
gospel, the good news. This trusting, this faith is
not natural to us. Because by nature, what are we?
Spiritually dead and depraved. Over in Ephesians 2, 1, across
the page in verse 1, it says, and you hath he quickened who
were dead in trespasses and sin. That means God gave us life from
above. You must be born again, he told
Nicodemus. or you cannot see the kingdom
of God. You can't understand it. You
can't even view it. You can't know it. You must be
born again. You have to have eyes to see.
You have to have ears to hear. Christ told the disciples, blessed
are your eyes, for they see. Blessed are your ears, for they
hear. The Pharisees heard the same
words that Christ spoke, but they didn't believe them. Why? Because God sovereignly left
them in their own way. Natural man receiveth not the
things of the Spirit of God. So we must be born again. And
what was it that Christ told Nicodemus? We've got to be born
again from above. It's not a natural birth. It's
not a birth that man works his way into or decides his way into. It's from God. And over in John
111 that I read at the opening of the service, when he talked
about those who received him not, that's the natural man,
that's all of us by nature. If left to ourselves, we will
not receive him, we will not believe in him. But as many as
received him, to them gave he power, that's the word right
or privilege, to become the sons of God. How do I know I'm a child
of God? See? even to them that believe
on His name." Do you believe on His name? Now that's more
than just saying, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. It's more than just saying,
Lord, Lord. What did Christ say in Matthew
7, verse 21? There'll be many who say, Lord, Lord, who are
not His children at all. Not everyone who says, Lord,
Lord. He said, some will come and say, Lord, haven't we done
great works in your name? He said, I'll profess to them,
I never knew you. Depart from me. So this believing
in his name is more than just saying words. These are words that have meaning.
This is Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, as he is identified
and as he is distinguished in the word of God. Who is Christ? God manifest in the flesh. What
did he come into the world to do? To save his people from their
sins. What did he accomplish? Every condition, every requirement
that was necessary to ensure the salvation of every sinner
for whom he lived, died, was buried, and arose again the third
day. And he said, all that the Father giveth me shall come to
me. And him that cometh me, I will
in no wise cast out. He said, this is the will of
the Father which hath given me, that of all which he hath given
me, I should lose nothing, but raise it up again at the last
day. And how's all that come about? Verse 13 of John 1. Not by blood. What does that
mean? It's not by physical birth. Nor
the will of the flesh. What does that mean? I believe
that's talking about the works of the flesh. It's not by the works
of the flesh, nor the will of man. It doesn't come about by
the will of man, but it comes about by the sovereign, irresistible,
invincible power of God. That's it, but of God. Back over
here in Ephesians 1, this new birth, he says, in whom you also
trusted, verse 13. Notice the next line. After that
you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. The sovereign agent in this new
birth, in this life-giving process, is the Holy Spirit sent forth
from Christ to apply the life that he earned and worked to
his people. And the instrument by which he
does it is the gospel. After that you heard the word
of truth. Now he doesn't say after you heard a lie. Because
the Holy Spirit does not do his work under the preaching of a
false gospel. He's the spirit of truth. Again,
the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Look at Romans
chapter six with me. And look at verse 17. Paul writes here, by inspiration
of the Spirit, he says, but God be thanked that you were the
servants of sin. Now, we're all sinners. You're
either a sinner lost in your sins or a sinner saved by grace.
But a servant of sin, a slave to sin, is an unbeliever who's
still in that natural way of life, the natural man. And Paul's
saying to these believers, you were unbelievers, you were unregenerate. But you have obeyed from the
heart, he said, that form of doctrine, that form of teaching,
which was delivered you, literally, which you were delivered to. What happened? The Holy Spirit
brings God's sheep, God's elect, Christ's sheep, under the preaching
of the truth. And he says in verse 18, being
then made free from sin, that's liberation. How am I liberated
from sin? I see the reality of my sinfulness
and I see the glory of God in Christ and I look to him for
salvation. That's liberation, folks. And
you became the servants of righteousness. You became servants of Christ,
believers. Now you still struggle with sin,
I do too. We have the flesh and the spirit
within us. But my friend, the spirit will always keep our eyes
and our minds and our hearts ultimately focused on Jesus Christ,
the Lord our righteousness. We run this race of grace, and
it is a race of grace because it's by the grace and power and
goodness of God, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher
of our faith. Faith cometh by hearing. And
who gives the hearing? God does. And hearing by the
word of God. So it's by the preaching of the
gospel that the Holy Spirit brings us to conviction of sin, of righteousness,
of judgment. You see, you cannot know the
reality of sin without knowing the reality of God as revealed
in Christ. The Bible says that which is
highly esteemed among men is an abomination unto God. Well,
what's highly esteemed among men? Religion? Sincerity? Works? You say, well, those aren't
bad things, not in and of themselves, but if you think that they save
you or make you righteous before God, they're an abomination to
God. And when the Holy Spirit comes
in the new birth and changes our hearts and our minds, we
agree with God. That which is highly esteemed
among men is an abomination to us. And that which is an abomination
to men is highly esteemed among us, the work of Christ, the person
of Christ. So when he says this in verse
13 of chapter one, 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 the Holy Spirit of
promise. Think about it. This speaks of the sovereign,
effectual, invincible calling which nobody can resist. Men
left to themselves will resist. Stephen learned that, we read
that over in our 10 o'clock message, how Stephen said, you stiff-necked,
this is in Acts 7, 51, you stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and
ears, you do resist the Holy Ghost. You see, as long as we're
stiff-necked, that means proud and unbending, and uncircumcised
in heart and ears, that means unregenerate, will resist the
Holy Ghost in the preaching of the gospel. But when he comes
in his sovereign power, one old preacher that I used to know,
he said it this way, he said, he'll make you lay your shotgun
down in the dust and bow. He'll bring you to bow, to submit. He'll make you meek. That's what
meekness is, it's not weakness, it's submission. Lord, your way
is the right way. Every other way is the wrong
way. Lord, your glory is what this is all about. It's not about
me, it's about Christ and the glory of his grace. Those who
are born again and brought into the spiritual union with Christ
are not born of their own works or their own will, but of God. And then he says you're sealed
with the Holy Spirit of promise. Notice he talks about hearing.
That means you got ears to hear. He talks about believing. That
means you have God-given faith. Look over Ephesians 2.8. For
by grace are you saved through faith, that not of yourselves,
it's the gift of God. Not of works lest any man should
boast. So if you believe, that's God-given faith. And this sealing,
you know what that means? He said you're sealed with the
Holy Spirit of promise. It means you are marked indelibly. You're marked out, identified
as a true, genuine child of God. You're sealed. Look at Galatians. Galatians chapter three, back
a few pages. That's what we are. Stamped with
a seal. And we have the right to claim
to be children of God. Well, where does that right come
from? Does it come from the fact that I've tried to do the best
I can? Or that I made a decision? Or
I got baptized? No! It comes from Christ. Believing in Him. Look at verse
26 of Galatians chapter 3. He's talking to believers here,
born again people. For you are all the children
of God by faith in Christ Jesus. That's that spiritual union that
we're talking about. God adopted you and chose you
from before the foundation of the world and gave you to Christ.
Christ died for you on the cross, but you have the right and the
privilege to call yourself a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Do you believe in him? Do you
repent of your dead works and idolatry? Verse 27, for as many
of you as have been baptized into Christ, now that baptism
there doesn't mean water baptism. To be baptized into Christ is
to be in union, placed into Christ, in union with him. And if you've
been in union with Christ, baptized into Christ, you've put on Christ. How have you put him on? by believing
in him, God-given faith. That's what the scripture means
by putting him on, wearing him like a robe. Now that's not,
that's a metaphor. And what it means is I plead
his blood. I plead his righteousness. My
hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
That's what it is to put him on. I dare not trust the sweetest
frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ the solid rock
I stand. And all other ground is sinking
sand. That's putting him on by faith. Now verse 28 says, in
Galatians 3, there's neither Jew nor Greek, there's neither
bond nor free, there's neither male nor female. These distinctions
mean nothing in the kingdom of God, for you are all one equally. Equally saved, equally forgiven,
equally rewarded, equally righteous in Christ Jesus. And if you be Christ, if you
belong to him, then are you Abraham's seed and heirs according to the
promise. You're a child of God by the
grace of God. And so this ceiling is an identifying
mark. Our doctrine as it comes by revelation
in God's Word, the glorious person in the finished work of Christ.
Look at verse 14, and I'll hurry, which is the earnest or the down
payment of our inheritance, the blessings of God mentioned in
verse three, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ who have blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus, that's the inheritance, everything.
The benefits and blessings of salvation that I have, I didn't
earn any of those. It's all in Christ. So, until
the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of
his glory. This great work of the Holy Spirit
in our new birth, which includes his eternal presence and the
word of God within us, is a pledge or a down payment of an inheritance
that's incorruptible and cannot be taken away. This is a pledge
and a down payment that God has sealed in our hearts and our
minds until the redemption of the purchased possession. This
is the elect of God already purchased by the blood of Christ. But this
is a future redemption that means a deliverance from this present
existence. and sin in this world. It means
our final glory. So we have the work of the Son
in redemption, that's the ground. We have the work of the Spirit
in the application of redemption accomplished by the Lord Jesus
Christ, that's the fruit. And the first resurrection, that's
our new birth. The last resurrection, that's
our final glory. You know, Paul over in Ephesians
4, he made this statement to the believers, And I'll get to
that as we go through the book of Ephesians. He said, grieve
not the Holy Spirit of God whereby you are sealed until the day
of redemption. You're safe. You can never perish. God cannot charge you with sin.
We're the children of God, the sheep of Christ, the great shepherd,
the good shepherd, the chief shepherd. And it's all as he
says in verse 14, unto the praise of his glory. Glorify God. The bottom line
is this. What we have in salvation, we
can take no credit for. None of it. It all goes to the
Lord God in Christ. Praise God for his grace and
his glory. Okay.