For a scripture reading this morning, turn with me to the book of Ephesians. Paul's epistle to the Ephesians, chapter 2. He goes through in chapter 1 and lays out the work of God from eternity past to eternity future. tells us all about his person and work and how we're accepted in the blood, redeemed by his blood, called by his spirit, how that we, by an eternal union with Christ, being predestinated by the Father, have obtained an inheritance, God working all things after the counsel of his own will. talks about the earnest of our inheritance, the Holy Spirit of promise, puts that spirit in us.

And those promises and things become precious to us. They become necessary to us. I have to have them. Where would I be without them? What if God had not promised to save a people? We'd be doomed. We'd be like the angels bound in chains of darkness, waiting on that final day of judgment. And then in chapter 2, he says this, and you. Here he's talking about the church over here in chapter 1. But how do I know if I'm one in his church? How do I know if I'm one of his elect? Well, now he's going to get personal.

And you, Hathi Quick, and who were dead in trespasses and sins. Wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. Among whom also we all had our behavior in time past in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, don't you love that word?

But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved, and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

What's he talking about? He's talking about you here in the gospel, the way you've heard it this morning, and I hope we'll get to hear it again. For by grace are you saved through faith. And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For we're his workmanship.

Am I here this morning and believing in God? I'm his workmanship. Am I here this morning with a repentant heart? I'm his workmanship. Am I here this morning and love his people, find it a necessity to come here, and not only a necessity, but looking forward to it as a privilege to come here and gather and be fed? I'm his workmanship.

You can't do that. You can't muster that up. Where his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Now, I'm going to tell you something. God's going to have his way. You can insist on yours all you want to, but God's going to have his way. And now Paul says, now remember. Remember where God found you.

You was a heathen idolater. He's a Gentile. You called uncircumcision by them which are the circumcision, the Jews. That at that time you were without Christ. You didn't have Christ. You had poor little Jesus boy or some other concept in your head. You didn't have Christ. The Christ is eternal. It's an office appointed to Jesus. He's Jesus the Christ. That time you were without Christ. You were alienated, aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants, You had no hope without God in the world.

But now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. He's our peace who has made both one. And has broken down the middle wall of partition between us, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments, contained in ordinance for to make in himself of twain one new man. What man is that? That's Christ. All your hopes, all your future rests on him. Him.

And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby, and came and preached peace to you. Peace with God. You don't have any peace with men, but you have peace with God. Peace to you which were afar off and them that were nigh, for through him we both have access by one spirit unto the Father.

Now therefore you're no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye also are builted together for a habitation of God through his Spirit.

If you will turn with me back to Ephesians chapter 2, I want to concentrate on verses 8 through 10 on this subject, saving faith. There's all kinds of faith, but there's only one saving faith. There's only one biblical faith, and it's saving faith. Here's what he says in verse 8.

For by grace are ye saved, through faith. Now, if you look back up the page at what I read to you a while ago, let me get on the right page. He said, he raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ. And then the verse before that, even when we were dead in sin, quickened us together with Christ by grace, ye are saved. What's he talking about? Well, he's telling me that I was saved when God quickened me together with his covenant love before the foundation of the world, I was saved.

That is, I'm marked out for salvation, trusted to Christ to accomplish that salvation, set apart by Christ, sanctified by Christ once for all, that the Holy Spirit's gonna come now and apply those things, make me to know that this is my inheritance, the Holy Spirit of promise. And now he tells us down in verse eight, for by grace you are saved, that is in time, the grace of God is gonna come by the preaching of the gospel and those glorious work, that inward work of the Holy Ghost making these things real to me, making these things necessary to me, effectual to me, if you will. And you say it through faith, and that's not of yourselves.

You can't do that. You can listen to a thousand messages I have and have no effect on you whatsoever. But the worst bumbling, stumbling message you ever heard, if the Holy Ghost puts his stamp on that, you're going to hear. You're going to hear. And he said, when you do, you're going to know this.

It's not of yourselves. It's the gift of God. God gives it. It's not of works. How come? Because you brag on it for all eternity. Not of works, lest any man should boast. Oh, how many times have I heard men say, I ain't always done the right thing, but I can tell you this. And they'll go back and start talking about that experience, and how they did this, and how they did that. It's not of works, because we boast on it. Every opportunity we got, we boast. All right. And he said, we're his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works. And these good works, the prime of these good works is faith and repentance. Faith and repentance. I'm a subject this morning of saving faith.

Last week, I brought a message titled, What is the Gospel? Along about Wednesday, Yvonne told me, she said, I don't know if I was daydreaming or what, but I don't remember you ever giving an explanation of the gospel. And I said, well, that was one of my main points. I want you to understand that you can't, there is no one-liner explanation for the gospel.

It spans eternity, my soul. It takes in all the eternal purpose of God from before the foundation of the world clear into eternity future. Put that in a one-liner. Paul come close in Romans 1. He said, God separated me to the gospel of God. That's as close as you're going to get. The gospel of God. It's the sum and substance of the whole of this book, and having preached the gospel In their homes and to them publicly, Paul said, I'm free from the blood of all men.

I have not shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of God. Oh, how I used to hear men. I'd preach on election or something, and these Arminian preachers would tell me, well, you're not preaching the whole counsel of God. If you preach Christ, you preach the whole counsel of God. While there are several explanations that are true, but none really span the scope of God's everlasting purpose of grace.

I've got a series of messages I preached years ago down at the old church out of Genesis chapter 1, all the gospel in creation. The beginning before the beginning, the environment all the way through, all the way through creation, preaching the gospel to you.

In Genesis chapter 2, we talked about Adam and Eve and that marriage and that marriage union between us and Christ and so on. In Genesis chapter 3, the fall of man in the garden, the reconciliation of man by the substitute. clothed with His skin, that righteousness of Christ, the first beloved promise of Christ, the seed of woman. Genesis chapter 6, we talked about the flood, the ark, salvation in the ark, all these things. Back in Genesis 2, we talked about those rivers, rivers of God's purpose. One river, one purpose, flows into the garden, but it goes out with four heads, four heads. And that river of purpose flows into all the world, and everything in it is made to drink of that, drink of that water, water of God's purpose. And then there was the gospel in the bow in the sky, you remember that? And on and on through a man named Abraham and his son Isaac, and then Jacob, and then the tabernacle.

It's so big you're not going to do it in a one-line explanation or definition. And I said all that to say this, as this gospel is preached and the Holy Ghost attends the preaching of it, Faith is born in the hearer. What do I mean, born? Turn with me over to the Gospel of John, Chapter 1. Let me see if I can get down to the basics of what this thing of faith is and what it does, and what's the result of it, and who does it.

In John 1, verse 10, it says, he was in the world. Who was? Christ was. The creator, the eternal word. And the world was made by him. This is the work of his hands, and he's walking among them. Looks just like one of his creations. and he's walking among them, but the world knew him not. They didn't recognize him. And he came unto his own. Who's that? That's his elect, Israel. Those he set apart gave his name, gave his promises, gave his covenant.

He came unto his own, and his own received him not. Nobody was more adamant about rejecting Christ than the Jews. They hated him. They hated every part of him. They saw him as an imposter, a phony. Now watch this, verse 12. But as many as received him. Why in the world? The world wouldn't receive him. His own wouldn't receive him. Why did these receive him? Here's why.

To them gave he power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Who gave them that power? God did. Who made the difference? I mean, who put it on their heart to receive him? They weren't any different than anybody else. I'll be honest with you, Noah wasn't any different than anybody else.

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and that's what he's talking about here. To them gave he power to become sons of God. It's owing to the eternal purpose of God and such means as he's ordained to bring his people to saving faith in him. Now, if you will look down at the very next verse, having told us how faith is given, he tells you how you receive it, which we're born.

Huh? Not of blood. Israel wasn't. All Israel, not Israel. It's not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh. You don't have a free will. Your will's in bondage to sin. Not of the will of the flesh, and it's not of the will of man. A bunch of people get together and going to save you. Isn't that what they talk about doing? Saving, winning souls. Isn't that what they call it? It's not of the will of man. I don't care how bad you want it. They're born of God. Born of God. He doesn't work. Explain that. I can't. And you can't either.

You're born of God. Where his workmanship, that's what he's talking about over here in Ephesians, his workmanship. He does this. If any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. He's not the same as he was. He used to hate these things. He didn't want to hear these things. He didn't want to understand these things. He had no desire for them. I'd rather be playing football, or out on the lake, or whatever. And listen to this.

He said, were his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works. I'm going to tell you something. what our Lord told that rich young ruler, there's none good but God. So if you're talking about a good work, you're talking about God's work. That's the only way it can be good. God does that work and it's a good work. And so this work is of God or it's not a good work. This work is contrary to men's nature. It's foreign to his experience and it's alien to anything that he's ever known. It's a new creation in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. What's all that mean? That means that God has appointed Jesus Christ as the one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. He's the one into whose hands all things are trusted. God gave it all to him.

And you can read about this, if you want to, over in Revelation chapter 5. John was caught up in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and the Spirit carried John right up into heaven's door, and there was a door open, and he was allowed to look in. Look into this eternal work of God, and here's what he sees.

He sees a book in the hand of him that sat on the throne, a book sealed. Nobody could open it. Nobody could take it. Nobody could even look on it. And here's the book. All, everything, all God's counsels, all God's eternal purpose, counsel, in this book, sealed in his hand. Nobody, they began to weep. Nobody was worthy to take the book, but one was.

You remember what it said about him? The Lion of the tribe of Judah. He was worthy. Worthy to do what? To take the book and open the seals. This book's sealed. What's that talking about? That's talking about God's character, his perfections. Seal this book. It can't be opened contrary to the character of God. Everything that's opened in this book has to be in perfect harmony with the character of God. It's sealed. But Christ was worthy, and he took it and opened the seals and honored God in everything that he did. And what was the result of it? Oh, they all got together and worshiped him, didn't they? Sang his praise. Oh, the lamb slain.

Everything that comes to pass from that point to this is because of who he is and what he's doing. He has the book. God trusted him. He put all things into his hands. And God's people are chosen in him. They're made provision for in him. And when the fullness of the time has come, He was born of a woman, accomplishes their redemption, clothes us with a perfect righteousness, atones for our sins, and enters into heaven itself and obtains eternal redemption for us. And because he did, because he did these things, we're justified by his resurrection. That is declared just. And he said that he received power from the Father over all things, all flesh.

And he sits at God's right hand dispensing these blessings purposed of God. What blessings? Well, here's one, the Spirit of the living God. He said, if I don't go to the Father, the Spirit's not going to come. But if I go to the Father, the Father receives me.

I'm going to send the Spirit. to you, the comforter. And what's he going to do? He's going to reveal all these things. Everything that I've done, everything concerning me, he's going to show it to you. That's what the Spirit's going to do. And then think about this. Here's another blessing, the preaching of the gospel. How shall you hear without a preacher? Don't be too hard on these folks out here in the world. How are they going to hear without a preacher? They ain't got a preacher, they got a clown. They got an entertainer.

They got impostors, false prophets, merchandisers of men's souls, and you can go on and on with the definitions that God gives in the Word concerning these men. And here's another blessing, the working in the hearts of chosen sinners. What good would it do me to stand and preach if the Holy Spirit of God don't take these things and make them real in your soul? Anything I can talk you into, somebody else can talk you out of. You can talk yourself out of it. But not of God's presence.

When God writes his laws in your heart, they're there forever. Nobody's going to undo what God does. And then here's another blessing, faith and repentance. And yes, I got that in the right order. You ain't going to repent until you believe. And everybody that believes repents. John told them to go back, bring fruits and meat for repentance. Huh? What's he talking about? He's talking about they didn't believe. If they believed, they'd repent and show the fruits of that repentance. They wouldn't.

What about the gospel of reconciliation? reconciled us in the body of his flesh, reconciled us to God, made peace between God and me. And then he comes in the gospel and reconciles us to his reconciliation. That's what 2 Corinthians 5 is all about. Now listen to me, knowing what we know about man's fall and his nature and knowing something of the perfect holiness and righteousness of God, why would any man try to preach without some assurance that Christ was able to save him?

When is a man going to trust in Christ? When he sees that he's worthy. That's when he's going to sing his praise. That's when he's going to worship. That's when he's going to bow down and submit himself to him. when he sees who he is. Is he not worthy? He's the son of God. He's God that took on himself human flesh. He says, God, nobody else could.

He said to the one man sick of the palsy, they brought him to him, and he didn't look at that man. He looked at the men who brought him, saw their faith, and he said, son, thy sins be forgiven. Then that whole place went to pot, didn't it? Soon as he said, who is this man thinks he can forgive sins? You know what the Lord told him? He said, does it seem easier to you to cure this man's leprosy in an instant than to say thy sins be forgiven me? Which is easier. He said, if it'll make you happy, I'll say it.

Take up your bed and walk. Go home. But you ain't going home till your sins be forgiven you. That's why you had the palsy to start with. Oh, my soul. He's worthy. He's worthy. You can't even imagine in your mind the authority given to Christ, who now sits on the throne, who can save a man's soul or pass him by. He has that kind of authority. who can heal a man or leave him in his sickness. He's God. So what do we know about this saving faith? Well, I know it's the gift of God. I know it comes through preaching. I know it comes as I'm enabled of God to do it.

Look over here at Colossians chapter 1 verse 12. Paul's writing to these believers in Colossae. He's telling them something about their saving faith. And he says in verse 12, giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us, not just them, but us, he said, meet.

That is, given the ability to be partakers of the inheritance of saints in life. What is their inheritance? Faith. That's part of it, isn't it? The Holy Spirit of promise, that faith, I can believe. He enabled me to believe. And faith is not a perfect work, but it lays hold on him who is perfect. It's like the hands of a beggar reaching out to receive what's given him. That's faith.

It's like the hands of a polluted sinner, like that woman with the issue of blood pressing through through the mob trying to get over there, she said, if I can just touch his garment, I can be clean. Well, it wasn't a touch that made her clean. Scripture says, he felt virtue go out of him. Where did it come from? It come from him, not the touch.

Faith is that hand. It's a willing soul to come to Christ and rest in him. And faith is a miraculous work. It's a blind man seeing, a dead man living, a filthy leper cleansed, a demon-possessed man sitting clothed in his right mind. It's a lost man finding his way, a paralyzed man going home on his own two feet. Now watch this over in 1 John 5, it says this.

He said, I love these words he chooses for the sinner. Whatsoever is born of God. Huh? Whatsoever. That's a good name for us, isn't it? Whatever it is we are. Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world. That is its curse, its condemnation, its bondage, its limitations, its influence, its power. And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. So what does faith do?

Believe God. You say, well, I do that. Do you? Do we? We believe God? Then why do we fear death? Huh? He said we'll never die. If we believe that, if we believe that to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord, we'd rejoice about dying, wouldn't we?

Boy, I'm glad this is coming. What are you trying to say, preacher? I'm trying to show you that even Our faith is so weak. Lord, we believe. Help thou our unbelief. We're filled with unbelief. But thank God the victory doesn't depend on the strength of faith. It depends on the object of it. Christ, he's our strength.

And though your faith, he said, were like a grain of mustard seed. That's a good description of mine. Like a mustard seed, this tiny little thing. Thought it was like that. Yet it can say to this mountain, you move over there and that mountain moves. Tell that valley to be filled up and it'd be filled up.

This faith believes God. And Hebrews 11 gives a multitude of examples of what saving faith does. It receives warnings from God. Noah being warned of the wrath to come, he moved with fear, built an ark to the saving of his house. It means when faith comes to man, he does what God tells him to do.

What does God tell men to do? He tells them to believe. Tells them to believe. Tells them to love one another. Well, I believe. You don't if you don't obey God. Faith understands. We understand that the world's refrained by the Word of God. How do we understand that? Because He told us we believe Him. Faith walks with God.

Walks with him every day, just like Enoch. One day, Enoch, he was not. He couldn't find him. He'd gone. He walked right into glory. He walked with God. Faith allows a man to make good choices. Listen to this. Moses choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. He chose that. He had a choice, and he made it.

Faith made it. He esteemed the reproach of Christ's greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. And faith believes God concerning all things, but especially concerning salvation in Christ. And I'm telling you as clearly as I know how, you better chunk all that religious luggage that you carry in, because true saving faith has one object, Christ.

He's all. He's all. But we want something else, don't we? We're not going to get anything else. Christ is sufficient all by himself. He's sufficient. Actually, if you'll give it some study, when Christ told them Jews, he said, you carry this temple down. I'll build it back in three days. What did that temple mean to them? It meant everything. It meant everything. That's where the sacrifice was offered. That's where the atonement was made. That's where the priesthood. did their work, that temple meant everything. And what he's telling them was, when I'm risen from the grave, I'm all sufficient. You don't need a temple. You don't need a priesthood. You don't need any more animal sacrifices. I'm everything. That's what Christ is to the believer. He's all. Isn't that what Paul said? He's all and in all that believe. He's the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believe it.

We need divine satisfaction for our sins. He satisfied God. I heard a preacher say one time that Christ is God's eraser. No, he's not. He's God's propitiation. He doesn't erase our sins. He paid for them. He put them away. He bore them in His own body on the tree. He's our substitute.

He satisfied God's holy justice, exhausted His wrath. God exhausted His wrath on His Son. And so while mercy and grace is how we receive it. It's divine justice that declares us free from all condemnation. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifieth.

Who is he that condemneth? It's Christ that died, yea, rather that's risen again, who's even at the right hand of God. What else does a sinner need? He needs something to change his way of life, something to enable him to walk with God in the sinful flesh and in the sinful world.

Here's what he tells you. As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him. Walk in him. That is, walk every day realizing that you couldn't take a step without him. Not with God. I need everything that He is and everything that He's done and everything He will do. I need that constantly, every second. That's what faith does. Faith rests in Him. All my hope, all my eggs in one basket, all in Christ. All or nothing.

And I tell you, when you do that, you realize that He's sufficient. That's what Paul said, in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead, fullness of the Spirit, fullness of the Father, fullness of purpose, fullness of the Godhead bodily, and we're complete in Him. I have everything I need if I have Him. In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead, and you are complete in him who is the head of all principality and power.

And faith considers this two ways. First, concerning all power in heaven and earth. Everything is under the authority of Christ. Everything. Government, nations, right down to the least little guy in authority. He's the head of all principality and power. And secondly, he's got all power over all evil principalities and powers. The devils are his devils. They can do no more than what he allows them to do. Did you know that the demoniac, when God approached him, those devils said to him, what have you got to do with us?

Our time's not yet. You're going to cast them out. And they said, don't do that. Let us go into the swine. They asked him permission to go into those hogs. Don't just cast us out in the air. Let us go into those swine. And he gave them permission, and they did. When Satan decided he was going to tempt Job, he had to ask permission, didn't he? He asked permission. Listen to this.

John in the book of Revelations, he said, I saw an angel come down from heaven having a key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the old dragon, that old serpent. He laid hold of him. He took hold of him. Come here. He took hold of him. Put the chain on his neck.

That old dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. What's that? That's the gospel age. The whole of the gospel age. And they cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal on him that he should not deceive the nations anymore till the thousand years be fulfilled. After that, he's going to be loose for a little season. I'm not so sure we're not living in that time right now. Whole nations deceived by anti-Christ religion.

Can't find a sinner anywhere. I've been looking for 30 years. I ain't found one yet. Well, if I could find one, I got good news for you. Christ died for your sins. You can't find a sinner. Hell deserving, ill deserving sinner. And let me give you one more thing about this saving faith and I'll quit.

Romans chapter 8. Turn over there with me for just a minute. Talking about this great work of Christ. Talks about us over in Romans 8 being led by the Spirit of God. Not called again to fear. how we ought to fear him, and how we will in the experience of grace. He talks about all of creation groaning and travailing in pain together, waiting on the manifestation of the sons of God. All his creation is waiting on this crowning work, the manifestation of the sons of God. And then he gets down and starts talking about how the Holy Spirit makes intercession for for us because we don't know how to pray.

And then he tells us in verse 24, Romans 8, 24, look at this. For we are saved by hope. But hope that is seen is not hope. For what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it? What am I waiting for? I'm waiting for Christ's return.

I'm not Plum Saviour yet. I'm like Ezra and Cain, and those old occupants still live in my front yard. They're still camping out. But he's coming back. without sin. That is, he's not coming back again as a substitute. He's coming back as the king. He's not going to come back in humility like he did when he appeared in this world as a babe in Bethlehem's manger.

He's coming in all the glory of his father's house with all the holy angels. He's coming. You'll see him as far as the east, like lightning shining from the east to the west. You'll see it. He's not coming quietly. And he's not coming over a long, you're not going to hear the rumble of the horse's feet. When he comes, it's going to be instant. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.

And he said, the deity in Christ is going to rise first. And we which are alive and remain are going to be caught up with him, meet him in the air. Huh? Oh, and then what? Then we're going to see him as he is. We'll know him as we are known. We'll see him as he is. That work will be perfected in us. When I look back on myself coming out of religion and coming out of all that darkness, it seems like I've come a million miles. But when I look at my sin compared to what he's promising me to be, it seems like another million. But that's why we wait. With patience, we wait. We wait. We wait on God to feed us. We can't feed ourselves.

Lord, help that preacher. Help him to open to us the scriptures. Cause him, ascend your spirit and cause that man when he preaches to cause our hearts to burn within us as he opens to us the scriptures. Make these things real. Make these things necessary.

Oh, I tell you, I tell you when you know you're seeking God when things get necessary. Nothing else matters, does it? I got to be there. I got to hear. Could be today God's going to reveal his son in me. Might be. But I tell you this, if you're not here, his son ain't going to be revealed in you. It becomes necessary, don't it? Well, this is what this saving faith is all about. It's not of us. It's of God. It's the gift of God. Not of works. You can't drum it up. Faith cometh by hearing. and hearing by the word of God. May the Lord give us some understanding of His great and miraculous work in our day.