Welcome to Reign of Grace. This
program is brought to you by Reign of Grace Media Ministries,
an outreach ministry of Eager Avenue Grace Church in Albany,
Georgia. It is our pleasure and privilege
to present to you the gospel message of the sovereign grace
and glory of God in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that today's program
will be a blessing to you. Thank you for listening and now
for today's program. Welcome to our program today.
I'm glad you could join us. Now today I'm going to be preaching
from a passage that I've been preaching on in the last few
weeks. Ephesians, the book of Ephesians chapter one. If you'd like to turn in your
Bibles and follow along and I'm talking about this subject, the
gospel of your salvation, the gospel of your salvation. And
I started this last week, but I'm gonna finish it up today
concerning what is the gospel that I claim to have been saved
under? That's really what we're dealing
with here. In Ephesians chapter one, in verse 13, it speaks of
those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now understand now that
trusting in Christ is not just simply trusting in some elusive
idea of Jesus Christ. You say, well, we all believe
in Jesus. There are counterfeit Christ. The Bible teaches that. Am I trusting in the true Christ? The word Christ means Messiah,
the salvation of his people. And Christ, the true Christ,
is identified and distinguished in the Bible, in this book. So
if my ideas, for example, I mentioned last week that Christ in his
person is both God and man without sin. He's God-man. Now, if I
trust Christ who is not God, then I'm trusting a false Christ.
Or if I'm trusting Christ who is not man without sin, then
I'm trusting a false Christ. You understand that, you see.
Paul dealt with that, for example, in passages like 2 Corinthians
11, where he talked about those who come preaching another Jesus
by another spirit. The Lord himself spoke of that
in the last days. They'll come saying, here's Christ
and there's Christ. We preach Christ. Well, do you? Well, I have to test it by the
word of God, if you're preaching the true Christ. So it concerns
the person of Christ, and that's what the gospel is. If you preach
a false Christ, you preach another gospel, a false gospel. And then
secondly, the gospel, the good news of salvation, concerns the
finished. Now mark this down and study
it. It concerns the finished work
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the gospel is not any declaration
of God's intentions to say, or his attempts rather, to save
people if people will let him. That's not what the gospel is.
The gospel is a revelation of the righteousness of God. Now
let's read in Ephesians chapter one. He talks about those who
trust in Christ, verse 13, in whom you also trusted, after
that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.
That's the word of truth that he's talking about. The good
news of how God saves sinners by his grace through the shed
blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ, the righteousness of
God. We read that last week over in Romans 1, 16 and 17, how the
gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believe
it. To the Jew first and the Greek also, verse 17 of Romans
1 says, for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith, as it is written, the just or the justified shall live
by faith. What is that righteousness of
God? It's the righteousness of Christ who is God in human flesh. It's the merits of his obedience
unto death as he is the surety and the substitute of his people
when under the wrath of his father, the wrath of God on the cross.
Remember he cried out, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me? What a thought. God forsaking
God. Well, what is that? Well, the
Lord Jesus Christ went under his father's wrath, the wrath
of God, justly based on the sins of his people, God's elect, his
sheep, his church, his brethren, imputed, charged, accounted to
him. He was made guilty not because
he was a sinner or became a sinner or was made a sinner. He became
guilty because he took the debt that his people owed to God's
law and justice and said, put it on my account. He took it
to himself. He did it willingly because of
the love of his father and the love of his people and the glory
of his father and the salvation of his people. That's substitution. Christ was made sin. Literally. How? By God the Father
imputing, charging, accounting, reckoning the sins of His elect
to Christ. And Christ went under the wrath
of God and He suffered. He bled. He died. He was buried. But He didn't stay in the grave,
did He? Oh no. You see, in his death, there
was a satisfaction to the justice of God, a righteousness established
that demanded that he come out of the grave. And so he was declared
to be the son of God by the Holy Spirit in the resurrection of
the dead. Why did he die? Because of sin
imputed to him. to redeem his people from their
sins, to pay their debt to God's law and justice. Why was he resurrected? Because righteousness was established. That's the finished work of Christ.
Remember on the cross, John 19 30, he said, it is finished. Salvation is based on a finished
work. And that's the work of Christ.
It's not the work of you or me. We don't finish his work by our
believing. He finished it and all for whom
he finished it will believe. They'll seek the Lord. They will
believe. That's why you're commanded and
I'm commanded to seek the Lord and to believe the gospel. because
everyone whom he died for will do so, and they will be saved. Well, look here, he says, in
verse 13, in whom you trusted, after that you heard the word
of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after
that you believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.
That sealing has to do with an identification And the people
of God are identified as they are sinners saved by grace, identified
by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and repentance of dead works.
Paul dealt with that in the book of Galatians here, just one page
back. In Galatians chapter six and
verse 14. Listen to this, he said, but
God forbid that I should glory. Now the glory there means to
boast. It means to have confidence in something. And he says, but
God forbid that I should glory. This is Galatians 6, 14. But
God forbid that I should glory, save or accept in the cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the finished work of Christ, the God-man,
the righteousness of God. by whom the world is crucified
unto me, and I unto the world. In other words, because of this
finished work of Christ in which I glory and have confidence in
and boast in, I boast in Christ and what he accomplished. Then
I look upon the world, the unbelieving world as being cursed. But the
world looks upon me that way too. But look at verse 15 of
Galatians 6. He says, for in Christ Jesus,
neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision,
but a new creature or a new creation. In other words, physical circumcision
has absolutely nothing to do with salvation. Nothing. Now, we could say the same thing
today about, for example, water baptism. We could say it about
anything that we do. It avails nothing. You cannot
be saved by being baptized. That is in water, the ordinance
of baptism. Spiritually, all believers are
baptized into Christ. You cannot be saved by going
to church. You cannot be saved by giving
your tithe. You cannot be saved by doing
good works. Salvation is by grace. Those
things avail nothing. But here's what matters, a new
creature. a new creation. Now what is that?
We'll come back here in just a minute, but this is what he's
talking about in Ephesians chapter 1. You're sealed by the Holy
Spirit of promise, verse 14 of Ephesians 1, which is the earnest,
the down payment of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchase
possession under the praise of His glory. Now what he's talking
about there is the new birth under the preaching of the gospel.
The gospel of your salvation. You see, the new birth does not,
now listen to him, the new birth does not come under the preaching
of a false gospel. You see, the Holy Spirit, who
is the sovereign agent of the new birth, born again by the
Spirit, you must be born again. The new birth, the Holy Spirit,
who is the sovereign agent of the new birth, is the Spirit
of truth, not a lie. And I know a lot of preachers
and a lot of people, they believe, well, he can work around all
the lies and get to, no, he uses the truth, the gospel of your
salvation. If the gospel you claim to have
been saved under was or is a false gospel, then you're just lying
to yourself. Now, I know that makes a lot
of people mad, but I'm sorry, that's just what the word says.
The Bible says the gospel, the one true gospel, concerning the
person and finished work of Christ, the righteousness of God, His
righteousness imputed, His shed blood as the finished work, His
death, burial and resurrection, that's what that means, that
the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Not a false gospel. That's what Christ meant in the
Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7, when he talks about an evil
tree cannot produce good fruit. He's talking about false gospels
there. He's not talking about the fruit
of the Spirit, which comes later, comes in believers. He's talking
about those who preach and lead sinners on the broad road that
lead to destruction, as opposed to true preachers who point sinners
to the narrow way that leads to life, that's Christ. If I
point you to yourself, to your will, to your works, you see,
to your goodness for salvation, I'm leading you on the way of
death. And that evil tree cannot produce
good fruit. You see, it's only under the
preaching of the gospel. And so the spirit is the down
payment of our inheritance. In other words, the work of the
spirit in us as evidenced by the gospel and believing the
gospel, you see, until we're finally glorified. Now I want
you to go back up to Galatians chapter six. It's just right
up the page there in most Bibles. And remember there, Paul said
in verse 14, God forbid that I should glory saving the cross
of our Lord Jesus Christ. I don't boast in anything, but
Christ crucified and risen from the dead. I don't boast in my
experience. I don't brag or have confidence
in my confessions, in my works. I boast, I have confidence, I
look to Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And he says in verse
16 of Galatians 6, now listen to this. And as many as walk
according to this rule, this doctrine, this gospel, what rule? God forbid that I should glory,
save in the cross of Christ. He said, if you walk according
to that rule, if that's your gospel, peace be on them and
mercy. and upon the Israel of God. That's
spiritual Israel. That's the church. That's those
who have been circumcised in heart and ears. Those who have
been, remember Paul wrote in Romans 2.28, he is not a Jew
which is one outwardly, but he is a Jew which is one inwardly
and circumcision is that of the heart and not of the flesh. That's
the new birth. How do you know you've been born
again? Well, what is the gospel of your salvation? Now let's
go back to Ephesians 1. In verse 15, he says, wherefore
I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,
and love unto all the saints, faith in Christ, and that Christian
love that binds believers together in the truth. You see, that's
the love unto all, that's godly love. Everybody knows that Greek
word, agape. Well, that's that agape love.
It's Christian love. It's not love of feeling. It's
not love of personality. It's not love of social likes
and dislikes. It's not even love of earthly
family. We have those kinds of love,
but this is the love that nobody has until they're born again.
And it binds people together on one ground and one basis,
and that's the truth. Now we hope they all get along
and they like each other and all that, but listen to, that's
not what this love is. This is love that binds us together.
in the truth. He says in verse 16, I cease
not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.
Verse 17, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation
in the knowledge of Him. God's wisdom comes by revelation
that is revealed truth in the gospel that gives you knowledge
of God, how he can be both a just God and a savior, how he can
justify the ungodly, and how can he do that? Through the Lord
Jesus Christ, crucified and risen again, based on his righteousness,
imputed. And he says in verse 18, the
eyes of your understanding being enlightened. See, there's those
spiritual eyes. I mentioned that last week. We're born, we fell
in Adam. The Bible talks about how we're
ruined by the fall. We fell in Adam. And we're born
dead in trespasses and sins, spiritually dead, not physically,
but spiritually. We don't have spiritual eyes
to see the things of God the way we ought to see them and
hear them the way we ought to hear them in faith. And so having
been ruined by the fall, we must be redeemed by the blood. If
I'm going to be saved, I have to be redeemed, not by my works
or my efforts or my believing, but I'm redeemed by the blood.
You see, God forbid that I should glory save in the cross. That's
the blood. That's the righteousness of Christ.
His blood shed for the payment of my sins and His righteousness
imputed to me that justifies me before God and brings me to
life and saving faith. And having been redeemed by the
blood, if I was redeemed at the cross, then I will be regenerated
by the Spirit. And that's what he's talking
about here, that the eyes of your understanding being enlightened,
that starts out in the new birth when we're brought under the
gospel and brought to faith in Christ, where the righteousness
of God is revealed to us, that's Christ the God-man and his finished
work. And we're continually having
our eyes, believers, eyes of our understanding being enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope of his calling. and what
the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints." Now,
what is the hope of his calling? Well, it's the hope of all of
salvation, all of forgiveness, all justification, all sanctification,
all glory based upon the glorious person and finished work of Christ. His glory, who? My salvation. Depends not upon who I am. I'm
a sinner. I deserve nothing but death and
condemnation That's all I deserve even at my best My salvation
doesn't depend upon who I am or what I do. It depends upon
who he is and what he did That's what it's taught. That's the
hope of my calling. That's the calling of the gospel of my salvation
And that's how he calls the elect. You know, people say, well, you
believe in the elect. Well, I do, because the Bible
says it. But all of his elect people are
gonna be called under the preaching of the gospel. Now you hear it
and listen to it. Seek it, strive to enter in. Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved. And the only way you're gonna
call upon the name of the Lord for salvation is under the gospel,
the true gospel. Well, look at verse 19. of Ephesians
1. He said, we know the hope of
His calling, we know the riches of the glory of His inheritance
in the saints, and we know what is the exceeding greatness of
His power to usward who believe according to the working of His
mighty power. You see, this is all about God's
power, not about our power. It's all about God's goodness,
not about our goodness. We have none. It's all about
God's grace. and mercy in Christ. And this
power, verse 20, which he wrought or worked in Christ when he raised
him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the
heavenly places, verse 21, far above all principality and power
and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only
in this world, but also in that which is to come. Verse 22, and
hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be head
over all things to the church. That's the called out ones, that's
what the word church means. You've heard of the book of Ecclesiastes,
that means the congregation, the called out ones. The church,
that's his bride, that's his elect. They are those who were
ruined by the fall, redeemed by the blood, and have been and
will be regenerated by the Spirit. And verse 23, which is His body,
the fullness of Him that filleth all in all. Now you know what
that's saying? This is an amazing thing. That's
saying that the very same power by which Christ was raised from
the dead is the same power by which dead sinners are regenerated
and raised from the dead. Do you know what that, that's
what the new birth is? The new birth is literally a resurrection
from the dead. Now, how do you know that? Well,
look at verse one of chapter two. Now, I'm gonna go into this
chapter next, start in this chapter next week, but just read this
verse. Verse one of Ephesians two, and
you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. Now that quickening is the power
of the Holy Spirit in what is called regeneration, the giving
of spiritual life. It's what Christ was talking
about to Nicodemus in John chapter three, when he says, you must
be born again. or you cannot see the kingdom
of God, the kingdom of heaven. You may hear about it, you may
read about it, but you won't really see the glory of it, the
beauty of it, the joy of it, apart from the resurrection power
of Christ by the Holy Spirit in the new birth. You've got
to be quickened. I know there have been books
written on how to be born again and all that. Those books should
have never been written. There is no manual given on how
to be born again. That's what Christ told Nicodemus.
He said the Spirit listeth where it will and you don't know where
it comes from, where it's going. All you do is you know by its
effects. And somebody says, well, if I can't get a manual on how
to be born again, then why do it? Let me tell you something.
Here's what the command of God to you and me and all who hear
his word is. Seek the Lord. You seek the Lord. You've got no other hope. I've
got no other hope except for the gospel of my salvation. How can God, for example, you
think about this, how can a holy and just and righteous God be
true to himself, his justice, and he has to be, and still save
and accept and bless a sinner like me? How can he do that and
not be an abomination to himself? God must be just. He must do
what is right. It's right because He does it.
In order for God to save a sinner, He will not suspend or ignore
or deny His justice, His holiness, His truth, His righteousness.
That's the question of questions. The gospel of my salvation must
answer that question. How can God do that? Well, there's
not but one way. Romans 5.21 says it, as sin hath
reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. It is through the righteousness
of Christ, the righteousness of God, because He is God in
human flesh. He kept the law, He suffered
unto death, the obedience unto death, in order to satisfy God's
justice for His church, His people, the saints, and He brought forth
an everlasting, perfect righteousness by His obedience unto death,
His blood, in order to justify them before God. God is just
to save me. to look at me as not guilty,
not pretending now, not some kind of a fake legal issue, this
is real, this is a real legal issue. God looks at me as being
not guilty and righteous in His sight, not in myself and not
based upon my works, but as I stand in Christ. That's what He does. And as a result of that, He sends
forth His Spirit to bring his people under the preaching of
the gospel, to seek him and to find him, he gives them life,
life from the dead. And that's all happens under
the gospel of their salvation, not under a false gospel. Lies
will not save you. Only the truth shall make you
free. Hope you'll join us next week
for another message from God's Word. We are glad you could join us
for another edition of Reign of Grace. This program is brought
to you by Reign of Grace Media Ministries, an outreach ministry
of Eager Avenue Grace Church in Albany, Georgia. To receive
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today and may the Lord be with you.