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 for the message. I started last week
teaching and preaching through the book of Ephesians, in your
Bibles, Ephesians chapter two, on this subject, the quickening
of God's grace. The quickening of God's grace.
Last week is part one, this is part two. And I'm pretty much
just going through Ephesians two, one of my favorite chapters
of the Bible. And certainly one that is a very, very full chapter
concerning the gospel of God's grace, how salvation is by grace. I quote all the time, and maybe
many of you do, Ephesians 2.8, for by grace are you saved through
faith, that not of yourself. It's the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. But today I'm talking about the
quickening of God's grace. This is part two. And it comes
from, the title comes from verse one, but we're gonna look at
some other verses. It says, and you hath he quickened, who were
dead in trespasses and sins. And that quickening means to
make alive, give life. And what he's talking about there
is the new birth. What some theologians call regeneration
and conversion. I mentioned last week in John
chapter 3 and verse 3 where Christ told Nicodemus, you must be born
again. You must be born again or you
cannot see the kingdom of God, the new birth. And the reason
that sinners have to be quickened is because by nature we're born
spiritually dead. We fell in Adam. The Bible speaks
of us being ruined by the fall. our fallen Adam, Adam being the
representative of the whole human race and therefore when Adam
fell we all fell in him we fell into sin and death and as a result
of that we're born spiritually dead and you hath he quickened
who were dead in trespasses and sins this is one of the realms
or aspects of salvation which is the spiritual realm which
is the new birth the quickening Now, if you don't believe that
by nature you and all of us born of Adam are spiritually dead,
then you don't believe we have to be quickened. You don't believe
we have to be born again. Why do we have to be born again?
Christ said, except you be born again. You cannot see. That's
because we don't have spiritual eyes. We have physical eyes.
We have a natural understanding minds, affections, but we're
dead spiritually. And dead is everything that dead
means. It's not partially dead. It's
not dead with a spark of life or dead with a spark of goodness.
You know, a lot of people today believe that man still retains,
he fell in Adam and he's under the influence of sin, but he's
not so fallen and depraved that he doesn't retain a spark of
goodness and all we have to do is get him into a revival meeting
and some dynamic preacher fan the flame to get it going. That's
not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that spiritually
speaking now, we're just like Lazarus in the tomb. dead, stinking,
wrapped in the grave clothes. And it takes the Spirit of God,
in the truth of Christ, to say, Lazarus, come forth. He didn't
say, Lazarus, come forth and make your decision, or Lazarus,
if you'll just cooperate with me, or Lazarus, come part of
the way, no, Lazarus, come forth, and Lazarus came forth. When
the Spirit of Christ calls in this quickening, then you will
come to Christ. It's an invincible call, and
I'm gonna talk about that today a little bit. But let's read
these first three verses, and I'm gonna go on through the chapter.
I dealt with these first three last week. Verse one, you hath
he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein
in time past you walked according to the course of this world,
worldliness, that is before I was born again, that's what I, I
was a religious person. I was in a seminary, but I hadn't
been quickened. I didn't see the reality of the
gospel of God's grace in Christ. I was like the Pharisees in Romans
chapter 10. I was ignorant of and not submitted
to the righteousness of God in Christ. I thought I was saved
because I'd made a decision or I'd walked an aisle. I got baptized. I dedicated my life. I did all
these. No, that's not why God saves
sinners. Salvation is by grace through
the Lord Jesus Christ based upon what He accomplished on the cross
in bringing forth an everlasting righteousness whereby God could
be just and justifier. You see, that's what you need
to be saved. That's what I need to be saved, righteousness. And
I don't have it. I cannot work it. And before
I was quickened, I didn't want it God's way. I wanted it my
way. I was like Cain, bringing my
works, my efforts, my decisions, rather than just falling at the
feet of Jesus Christ and saying, Lord, be merciful to me, the
sinner. You see, his righteousness imputed
is the only ground of salvation. I didn't see that until I was
quickened. So I walked according to the course of this world,
in my case, the religious world, according to the prince of the
power of the air, deceived by Satan, the spirit that now worketh
in the children of disobedience, that's unbelievers, that's people
who have not been quickened, not been born again. Verse three,
among whom we all had our conversation, our conduct. in times past in
the lust of the flesh, that's any unlawful desire, even unlawful
religious desires, fulfilling the desires or the wills of the
flesh and of the mind. In other words, what I desired
before I was quickened was not glorifying to God and honoring
to Christ. And then he says, and were by
nature the children of wrath even as others. Now, what does
that mean? Well, by nature means how we
are naturally born. Now, remember what I've said
before. We have been ruined by the fall. What does it take to
save a sinner? Well, that sinner first has to
be chosen of God. That's what the scripture says.
Ephesians 1 talks about that. Over in Ephesians 1 and verse
4, Listen to this. According as he, that is God,
hath chosen us in him, in Christ, before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before him
in love. So chosen of God. And then we
must be redeemed by the blood of Christ. Ruined by the fall,
redeemed by the blood. And that redemption is the payment
price to the justice of God for the sins that I have committed,
both my sin in Adam and my own personal sins. God is a holy
God and He must be just when He justifies. He must be just
when He has mercy or shows love or has grace. He must be just
when He forgives sin. He cannot forgive sin just on
a notion. Sin has to be paid for. The debt
has to be paid. Who paid it? Jesus Christ did
on the cross. God must be righteous just when
He justifies me. What is it to be justified before
God? It means to be not guilty. It means to be righteous before
Him. How can I, a sinner, be righteous before God? There's
only one way, and that is through the blood of Christ, based on
His righteousness, charged, accounted, imputed, reckoned to me. That's how. And so, having been
ruined by the fall, redeemed by the blood, and because we're
born dead in trespasses and sins, we are by nature, as we are naturally
born, we are no different, we who are saved now. We who are
God's chosen people, redeemed by the blood, and eventually
regenerated by the Spirit, but before we're quickened, we are
no different than the children of wrath. By nature, children
of wrath, even as others. Who are those children of wrath?
That's the non-elect. He speaks of them in Romans chapter
9. Vessels of wrath, fitted for
destruction. And the thing about it is, There
is no reason in any of God's people, God's chosen people,
for Him to save them. They're no different. We're all
sinners. If God saves a sinner, it's because of God's sovereign,
free grace. You know, people talk about,
well, here's what, I had a man tell me one time, he said, I
believe about God's elect, that God looked down through a telescope
of time, and he foresaw who would believe and who wouldn't. My
friend, that is not the God of the Bible. The Bible doesn't
teach that. It says here, as we read earlier, verse four of
chapter one, according as he hath chosen us in Christ. It's the election of grace. But
we don't, if we're saved, We didn't deserve salvation. We
didn't earn it. It's totally by God's grace.
The children of wrath, think about this. The true chosen people
of God have never been under his wrath. What is his wrath?
It's his punishment for sin. Why have I not been under God's
wrath? Because Christ took the wrath
of God in my place. He's my surety and he's my substitute. So before this quickening, you
see this quickening is necessary. Now this quickening is not by
the works or the will of man. Now remember last week we read
John 3 and verse 3 where Christ said you must be born again or
you cannot see the kingdom of heaven. Look at John chapter
1. Now this is an important verse
and it puts things in the proper light. He's talking about Christ
here in John chapter 1 as the embodiment of the Word of God,
the Eternal Logos. That's what that word is. Verse
1, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. The same, verse 2, was in the
beginning with God. That's Christ the Word. And then
he speaks of how Christ, the Son of God, the second person
of the Trinity, how Christ came into the world as the true light. He is the light. Well, look at
John 1 and verse 11. It says here that he, that is
Christ, came unto his own. Now, some commentators in their
commentary on this verse they add the word nation, that's not
in the original. He came into his own nation,
talking about the Jewish nation. And that could be true, that's
included. He says, and his own received him not. Now that's
a picture of man by nature. Somebody asked me one time to
define the doctrine of election. And I said, we'll begin this
way. if the whole human race fell in Adam and it did we did
let's say after the fall God came to earth and he stood on
a mountain and he gathered the whole fallen human race and announced
that I will save you if you will do this that or the other or
decide this that or the other how many people out of that fallen
human race do you think would cooperate and agree with God. And if we read the Bible and
go by the Bible, the answer is zero, not one. The psalmist wrote that twice,
how God looked down from heaven to see if there was any who did
seek Him. And there was none. There was
none. Man on his own will not seek the Lord. Now he'll seek
religion, he'll seek salvation, he'll seek heaven, he'll seek
eternal life, but he will insist on doing it his way. And this
is what I'm telling you. If you don't believe this gospel
of God's free and sovereign grace through the blood and righteousness
of Christ, and you're religious, Well, all you're doing is showing
your rebellion and depravity and spiritual death. You haven't
seen the kingdom of God yet. You haven't been quickened. So
he says, he came unto his own, verse 11, and his own received
him not. But now look at verse 12. John 1. But as many as received
him, now there were some who received him. You can read about
him as you go through the book of John here. but as many as
received him, verse 12. To them gave he power to become
the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Now
that word power in John 1 and verse 12 does not mean ability. Now, in this quickening, by the
Holy Spirit. God makes His people willing
in the day of His power. Psalm 110 says that. That's what
God the Holy Spirit does in this new birth. He imparts spiritual
life and knowledge and He convinces, convicts of sin and of righteousness
and of judgment and He makes God's people willing to come
to God, God's way. That's what happened to Abel.
But it didn't happen to Cain. Cain was left to himself. Cain
insisted on it his way. But Abel was made willing to
come God's way. If you're quickened by the Spirit,
with the life of Jesus Christ, some theologians call it the
resurrection life of Christ, you will be made willing to come
to God, God's way. So that word power there though
in John 1.12 does not mean ability. It means the right or the privilege
to be called the sons of God. Even them that believe on His
name. His name identifies and distinguishes Him. So here's
what I'm saying. If I claim to be saved, if I
claim to be quickened, born again, If I claim to be a child of God,
a Christian, what right do I have to make that claim? That's what
he's talking about. Well, do I believe on His name? What is His name? Matthew 1.21,
His name shall be called Jesus, for He shall save His people
from their sins. Matthew 1.23, his name shall
be called Emmanuel. It's being interpreted God with
us. What did he accomplish? Righteousness. Romans 10.4, for Christ is the
end, the fulfillment, the completion, the perfection, the finishing
of the law for righteousness to everyone that believe it.
But now look at John 1.13. He came unto His own, His own
received Him not, but as many as received Him, He gave them
the right to be called the sons of God. What's the evidence of
that? They believe on His name. If
you've been quickened by the Spirit, you believe in Christ,
you rest in Christ, you trust Christ, you submit to His righteousness,
and you forsake all your own. Like Paul in Philippians chapter
3, I counted all but lost, but dung that I may win Christ. and
be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of
the law that which is through the faith of Christ look at verse
13 now those who receive him they were born verse 13 which
were born well not of blood alright he's not talking about their
first natural birth not of blood that's that's the natural birth
and he's saying here that this This quickening power that brought
them to receive Christ was not by physical birth. Now that's
important because many of the unbelieving Jews claim to be
children of God because they were physical descendants of
Abraham. We be Abraham's seed children. I remember in Matthew chapter
three, old John the Baptist, boy, he said, don't think to
say that, that won't do you any good. Being a physical descendant
of Abraham, he was saying, and Christ said this in John chapter
eight too, eight, all through John eight, being a physical
Jew does not give you any right or privilege to be called a child
of God. And I'll say this to the people
that listen to me on this program. Going to church, being born in
the South, reading a Bible, making a decision, walking an aisle,
being baptized does not give you any right or me any right
to be called children of God. What gives us that right or that
privilege? Believing on His name. That's His name as He's identified
in this book. Not as you think Him to be. Not
as many of these preachers today tell you that He is. Most of
these preachers today, they have a weak Jesus. Who's trying to
save you if you'll just let Him. Oh no, that's not His name. He's
the sovereign King of Kings. Who saved His people and He will
have them. He said, my sheep, hear my voice,
I know them, they follow me. He said, no one will pluck them
out of my hand. He said, this is the will of
the Father, that of all which he has given me, I should lose
nothing, but raise it up again at the last day. So he says in
verse 13, which were born, not of blood, so it's not a physical
birth, nor of the will of the flesh, That's the works of the
flesh. This quickening, this new birth
is not of the works of the flesh. And then he says, nor of the
will of man. It's not by your will that you're
born again. Years ago, a famous preacher
wrote a book on how to be born again. And here's basically what
he said. He says what most preachers say
today. Well, then you make your decision for Christ, you believe,
and then you're born again. That's not what the Bible teaches.
It's not of the will of the flesh nor the will of man, but born,
look at it, verse 13, born of God. That's how sinners are born again.
It's by the will of God. Over in the book of James, chapter
1, in verse 17, listen to this. He says, every good gift and
every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father
of lights, that's the true and living God, with whom is no variableness,
no change, neither shadow of turning. In verse 18, of His
own will. Begat he us, that begat is the
new birth, with the word of truth that we should be a kind of first
fruits of his creatures. We're not born by our own will,
we're born by the will, if we're born, we're born by the will
of God. And that's the key. Now go back
to Ephesians chapter two and listen to this. So Paul writes,
you hath he quick, He's given spiritual life. You didn't earn
it. You didn't deserve it. It's not
that you moved towards him and then he responded, no, born of
God. But look at verse four of Ephesians
two. He says, but God, now here's a sinner, fallen in Adam, ruined,
spiritually dead. with no desires towards the true
and living God and His way of salvation by grace in Christ.
But it says in verse four, but God who is rich in mercy for
His great love wherewith He loved us. Now who's He talking about
here? He's not talking about everybody without exception.
He's talking about those who He's quickened. And this love,
this is the unconditional love of God towards His people in
the Lord Jesus Christ. My friend, there is no love of
God for sinners apart from Christ. There's only wrath and even hatred. And I know people don't like
to hear that. Oh, God doesn't hate anybody. Well, the Bible
says He does. Psalm 2, Romans 9, and other
places. But God's hatred is not sinful. It's not God throwing a tantrum. It's not like our hatred. Our
hatred is sinful. That's why we're not to hate
anybody. Because we're so selfish and prejudiced. Our hatred is
based upon our pride and our empty fleshly desires. But God's hatred is simply His
justice. His wrath against sin. It's right for God. to hate all
workers of iniquity. Now how in the world could God
love me? There's only one way. That's
through Christ. First John 4.10, herein is love. Not that we love God, because
we don't by nature, but that he loved us and sent his Son
to be the propitiation, the sin-bearing sacrifice that satisfied justice
for our sins. And that's what he's talking
about here. This great love is the unconditional love of God
for His elect, proven by His sending Christ into the world
to satisfy justice and bring forth righteousness for them.
And here's the proof of it. Now listen, verse 5. Even when
we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace you are saved. Now, in verse one, the quickening
there is the new birth. In verse five, the quickening
here is the believers standing in Christ on the cross. Look
at it. Verse five again. Even when we
were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, and
then by grace you are saved, verse six and hath raised us
up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus now he's talking about a time
here when all the elect of God all those who, even though ruined
by the fall, all those who are redeemed by the blood and eventually
will be regenerated by the Spirit. This is a time when they all
collectively together as a body were quickened with Christ. Now,
when did that happen? That happened on the cross. You
see, just as Adam was the representative of the whole human race when
He fell in the garden. Jesus Christ is the representative
of the whole election of grace on the cross. When He died, I
died. When He was buried, I was. When
He arose again, I rose again. Now I'll talk more about that
in the next message. I hope you'll join us 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.