Sovereign Grace Chapel, located at 135 Annabel Lane in Beaver, West Virginia, invites you to listen to a gospel message concerning Jesus Christ our Lord. Okay, if you'd like to follow along I'm gonna be in the book of Ephesians chapter 2 And I'm not gonna preach on Ephesians 2 8 however, I might mention it you never know Ephesians chapter 2 I do want to begin in verse 1 and you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in time past ye 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 conversations in time past in the lust of the flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

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.

And I'm gonna stop right there, surprisingly. Can't help it. Arthur Pink once said, How blessed to know that when the world hates us, God loves us. That's the way of the world, folks. Seen it before, probably will see it again. Hopefully you don't, but it comes out in the oddest places and at the oddest times. Matter of fact, it can come out in a Sunday night church fellowship. did once some 40 years ago. I don't want to do that anymore either, but it's okay. But I will add this to what Arthur Pink said. How blessed to know that when we hate ourselves, God loves us. Because that's true too. Now, I like the book of Ephesians. If you really want, I was thinking about it the other day, I said, the book of Ephesians seems like concentrated theology.

There's a lot of stuff in this. It's not a big letter, you know? It's not a big letter, but there's a lot, a lot that the Holy Spirit gave to Paul to write down in one letter. The hard part with the book of Ephesians is narrowing down what you want to preach on. because there is so much. Nice thing though is there's no doubt as to who to preach.

I wanna speak today on this subject. And it comes from verse four, but God who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved us. And that's my title, Paul, his great love, his great love. I love verse four in this. It starts with those two words, but God, but God.

You understand, Paul's come, he's written verses one through seven, plus he's written chapter one, and specifically in this case, these first six verses he's written there, the first three, and it's not good. Do you know why it's not good? Because it's about us. It's about us.

You were dead in trespasses and sins. And not only that, you were happy in trespasses and sins. You were living your life, walking according to the course of this world. You were just like everybody else. And I was no different. I'm not blaming you, I'm blaming us. This is the way we are. We walked according to the prince of the power of the air.

And I still remember Earl telling me this years ago. There was an old preacher who was an Armenian and worthless as a $3 bill. His name was Harry Emerson Fosdick. I read one of his sermons in a book I had. That's how I knew him, because Earl was surprised I'd ever heard of him. But anyhow, I do remember the name. before that, but that's why I read it. And I spent a whole sermon saying absolutely nothing at all.

But Earl told me he used to have a radio broadcast and he was introduced on this radio broadcast as, here he is now, the prince in the power of the air, Harry Emerson Fosdick. And I'm thinking, that's not a good introduction. You walked according to the prince of the power of the air. Then Paul tells us what it is. The spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.

This is where we were. Among whom also we had our conversations in times past, in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were just like other people, the children of wrath. We were, thank God it says we were. Because this epistle is addressed to the saints which are at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus. But listen, remember the pit from which you are digged. This is where we were. This is where we were and Paul is very clear here, we were disobedient, we were rebels, we were ungodly sinners.

But God, but God. It's like that word nevertheless. Nevertheless, this is what you were. This is what I was. But God, but God. Oh my, I like that. But God usually comes after some pretty bad statements and these are about as bad as it can get. What'd he say? You were dead. You were dead. What's the cure for being dead? But God, but God, oh my. But God, because you were dead, you walked. But you walked badly, you walked badly. You walked in sin and trespass and here's the thing, you were okay with it.

I was okay with it, didn't care, didn't bother me. didn't know any better. Oh, I knew I probably shouldn't do some things. That didn't stop me from doing them. You know that whole saying about, yes, I feel ashamed, but I wasn't ashamed enough to stop.

That was the truth. Most people won't admit it, but that's the truth. You were just like the children of disobedience and wrath. By your very nature, that's where we were. Oh, but then those words, those gracious words. But God, but God. What about but God, who is what? Rich in mercy. Rich in mercy, oh my. But God, what? For his great love, Wherewith he loved us. Now Paul just spent three verses telling us we didn't love God. We didn't want God. We didn't know God. And we didn't want to.

But God, oh, what, oh, and he's rich in mercy for his great love. He loved us. Oh, I like that. Now again, who was the us? It's the saints which were at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus. We're in that. We're in that group, folks. This letter was written to us. This letter is written to every believer in Christ Jesus. These words are for every child of God in the world that's ever been in the world and that ever will be in the world. These words are applicable. They're appropriate. They're correct. Those chosen and given to Christ Jesus before the world began. That's in Ephesians chapter one.

I know a lot of people don't like that, but that's their problem. How though? In love, in love, oh my. For his great love in which he loved us. What does it say in verse four of chapter one? According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him In love, in love. In his great love, wherewith he loved us.

Oh yes, we were dead in trespasses and sin. Oh yes, we walked according to the world. Oh yes, we walked according to the prince and the power of the air. The spirit that thou works in the children of disobedience. And thank God you are not the children of disobedience.

But there's only one reason why. But God, that's it, but God. But God, his great love in which he loved us. This is the thing, his mercy is rich and his love is great. Oh, I like that. Now, I'm not gonna keep you too long here. But I do wanna tell you this, and this is the strangest thing to me when you stop and you think about it.

God loved us when we were dead. But it's not too strange when you think about what I just read in verse four of chapter one. He loved us before we ever were. We were chosen in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world in love, in love. I'm gonna tell you something. That saying in Acts keeps coming up in my mind. No none to God are all his works from the beginning. What's that? His love toward us. And what? Even you hath he quickened when you were dead. That's love, folks. That's great love. God loved us when we were dead, not injured, not sick, not bruised and mangled by the fall. No, you were dead by the fall.

Now, I know that's what they're meaning and it has to work so you can sing the song, but that's the thing. You were dead spiritually. walking your own way, walking my own way, and I'm, should I throw a grenade out now like Walter does? You are walking your own way in the full, complete will of God. Because he knew exactly where you were, and he knew exactly what you were doing. And, but God, with his great love, wherewith he loved us, what? Even while we were dead in sins, When we were, I mean, dead, that's what it means. You can look up the word. Dead means dead. No life, no light, dead.

What's he say? Hath quickened us together with Christ, with Christ. And I'll add two words on the end of that. In love, in love, his great love. Oh my, so what does this mean? Well, if you look at verse four, then you look at verse five, it says, God who's rich in mercy, God loved us, then what happened? God quickened us.

The dead are no longer dead when God quickens them. You understand? I know a lot of people, If you come up to the front, we'll give you an invitation, you come up to the front, you pray the sinner's prayer, God will give you life. No. No. God's gotta give you life while you're dead. And who shall call upon the name of the Lord? Not dead people. Only living. Those living call upon the name of the Lord.

Oh my. Those who what? Have heard. How'd they hear? They're dead. The hearing eye, excuse me, the hearing ear and the seeing eye, even both of them come from God, but God. Oh my, but God. You understand, God gave his people life. God gives his people life in his good time. He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. But we were out here walking in this world our own way. Until. Until what? But God. What? In his great love, wherewith he loved us, hath quickened us together with Christ. And I remember Earl saying this. Paul couldn't hold it in any longer. He put it in that little preface. By grace are you saved.

Know what that means? It's got nothing to do with you and everything to do with God. That's just the truth of it. It's got nothing to do with us. It has to do with God with his great love, wherewith he loved us. Oh, I like that stuff. Not in ourselves. Not because we made a decision for Jesus. Not because we chose. No, this was in his rich mercy and his great love that he loved us in Jesus Christ, in the Son.

Oh, that's the thing where Paul wrote it. By grace are ye saved. You wanna know why he wrote that there? Because there is no other way. You are dead. in trespasses and sins. I was dead in trespass. And here's the thing, folks. I was fat, dumb, and happy. Just like that. I shudder sometimes to think how ignorant I was of God at that time. Talking back when I was 22, 23 years old. My goodness, was I ignorant. I'm not proud of it, but it's the truth. But God, wherewith his great love, wherewith he loved us, what hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace are you saved. By grace you are saved. God saves us by grace, and here's the thing, it's his grace. His grace. Now I've heard all kind of preachers preach about grace, but they're not preaching his grace. Most of them are not. There are some, thank God there are some.

You understand, I heard Henry Mahan on the way up here talking about God's got a message for you. He always does, it's in his book all the time. And sometimes he has his men preach a message. And this message is for you, whether you're listening or not. Whether you understand it or not. Because you might still be with the children of disobedience today.

But God, with his great love, wherewith he loved us. What's he do? I'm gonna tell you something. If God loves you, he is going to quicken you. He is going to give you life. And I'm gonna tell you something, folks. It doesn't happen like that. And it does happen just like that. His part where he gives life is that.

Your part where you have life can be miserable at first. You understand? Because all of a sudden, it'll start to bother you that you're hanging out with the children of disobedience. That you're following what according to the prince and the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience. that you're walking according to the world. And here's the thing, folks. At first, you may not know why it bothers you. But you will. You will. God'll send you a message. God'll send you a message, his gospel. Because here's the thing.

The shepherd sought his lost sheep. Now, they were his sheep when they were lost. They were his sheep when they were found. And they will always be his sheep. They're his sheep when he brings them into the fold. Oh my, and how do those sheep get to the fold, that lost sheep? He picks it up, puts it on his shoulders, and he carries it in. It is the responsibility of the sheep to find the shepherd.

The problem is they lack the capacity. They can't do it. You understand? And the good shepherd is not the shepherd that's out there standing in the field whistling for his sheep, saying, here sheep, here sheep. He goes out and finds them. Why? Because they're his. And he wants that sheep in his fold with all his other sheep. and there's gonna be one flock, one fold, and one shepherd. Oh my. The other part of that parable, that woman had a lost coin. What'd she do? She sought it out. She sought it out.

What am I saying here? God, for his great love wherewith he loved us, hath quickened us together with Christ. And, By grace, you are saved. By grace, you are saved. Oh my, that woman found that lost coin. She kept looking until she found it. You know why? It was hers. It was hers, and she wanted it. Now listen, folks.

When God hath chosen you before the foundation of the world, in His Son, in love, you belong to Him. Wherever you are, You belong to God, and he's gonna find you in his great love. He's gonna look for you, he's gonna seek you, and he's gonna find you, and he is going to, what is it Christ said? Bringing in many sons unto glory.

Oh my, hath quickened us together, given life from the dead. You were dead in trespasses and in sins. And if you're a believer, you are no longer dead in trespasses and in sins. And it don't mean you don't have trespasses and sins now, because you do. We still sin. But we're not dead in trespasses and in sins. And I'll tell you this for a fact, folks. I don't believe you're happy in trespasses and in sins.

Happiness comes from Christ, because he is our happiness. He is our joy. Believers were quickened when dead, and I'm gonna tell you, that's a result of his great love. But he didn't stop there. Verse six, and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, the dead are raised together in Christ Jesus.

And it says like it's now. And you know why? Because it is now. Oh my, all believers are raised, what? You were dead and now you're alive in Christ Jesus. Quicken together in Christ Jesus, because here's the thing. There is no life without Christ Jesus. That's where we were chosen, and that's where we are called to. The resurrection of Jesus Christ secured the raising up of all of his people.

You see, I've been talking about it the past few weeks. The father gave a people to the son. It's this people here in Ephesians one and verse four. That he has chosen us before the foundation of the world that we should be holy without blame before him in love. Having what predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ. By Jesus Christ. To himself. According to the good pleasure of his will.

You understand why God loves us with his great love? Why God saves us by his great power? He wanted to. He wanted to. According to the good pleasure of his will. What's it say in Psalms? Our God is in the heavens. What's he doing? He does whatever he pleases. Whatsoever he pleaseth, that does he. I'm gonna tell you. Everywhere, everywhere. Oh my.

The Father gave us to the Son and he will not lose one, not one. He came to seek and to save the lost and the good shepherd shall not fail. not fail, but God, my, for his great love wherewith he loved us. You understand, the foundation of God stands sure. That's scripture too. Having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his. Whether they be dead or alive. The Lord knows, the Lord knows them that are his. And known unto God from the beginning are all his works.

Oh, I like that. We have been given by Christ Jesus, in Christ Jesus, we have been given everlasting life. hath quickened us together with Christ. Oh my. His people are loved by him. His people are sought by him. His people are found by him. His people are raised by him. and his people are kept by him.