Thank you, Robin, for playing, John, leading the singing. Ephesians chapter one, now go with me to the book of Ephesians chapter one. Paul, who wrote Philippians and said, to write the same things to you is not grievous, but it's safe for you, salvation. And to preach the same things, though you know these things, though you've heard them a thousand times, It's not grievous to me, it's my salvation, it's your salvation.

The title, the subject, is in Christ, and Christ in you. Salvation. Eternal life is to be in Christ. That's what it means. Be in Christ, over and over and over. In Ephesians alone, 26 or 8 times, in Christ. In Colossians, 14 times or so, and other scriptures. In Christ, he begins nearly every epistle this way, 1 Corinthians, Romans, Ephesians, Philippians, to the church in Christ, in God.

What does that mean? What does that mean? Look at first of all, 1 John, I meant you to have you turn there first, 1 John chapter five, 1 John chapter five. In Christ, look at this, 1 John 5. He closes out his epistle with these words. You have it, 1 John 5, verse 11.

This is the record. This is what God has written that God hath given to us. He's talking about his people. Eternal life. And this life is in his son. He that hath the Son hath life, he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. Verse 20. And we know, God's people, that the Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding that we might know him, that is true, and we are in him, that is true, even in his Son.

Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. You see, that's what it... Salvation can be summed up in two words, in Christ. Or three words, Christ is all. And in all. So what does it mean to be in Christ? And then we're gonna look at Colossians 1 that says that Christ in you is hopeful. What does that mean?

All right, Ephesians 1, go back there now. And we'll just read and make a few comments, okay? We couldn't do anything better. Ephesians 1, verses one through four, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. And he speaks of the will of God three times in this first chapter. The will of God. By the will of God, everything is by the will of God.

To the saints which are at Ephesus, or Rocky Mountain, or wherever God's church is. And to the faithful in Christ Jesus. Or you don't. Grace to you, peace, those in Christ. From God, our Father, those in Christ, he's our Father. And from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us, those in Christ, with all spiritual blessing. And these are the true blessings.

In heavenly places are things, where are they? In Christ, verse four. According as he 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. Where is the love of God? Romans 8, 29, in Christ, in Christ. What is it to be in Christ? It's to be chosen in Him. It's to be blessed in Him. All spiritual blessings are in Christ. All the promises of God are where? In Christ. And are yea and amen to the glory of God by us, those in Christ. It's to be chosen in Christ. It's to be blessed in Him. He talked about grace and peace. To be without blame, holy and without blame, where is that? How are you holy and without blame before God? In Christ.

Look at verse five, having predestinated us on the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, predestinated, adopted in Christ. Christ, he is called the elect in Isaiah 42. Behold mine elect in whom I delight, my soul delight. And God's people are chosen in him. I'm going to develop that a little more in just a moment. All right. Predestinated under the adoption of children to be what? created in the image of Christ. As the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of whose will? His will. His will, not your will, not man's will. If after preaching this, you come to the conclusion that we have nothing to do with salvation, you're right.

And I hope we'll all at least come to that conclusion in our heads. But more importantly, in our hearts. When you find out that salvation's in Christ, and if you can find out, if you can have some assurance that you are in Christ, that's assurance. That's comfort. You're not save yourself and you don't keep yourself safe. If you're in Christ, you're saved. All right. Verse six, to the praise of the glory of his grace. Grace is not an offer people. It's an act of God. It's a work of God. Wherein he hath made us accepted. Who did what? Does it say you need to accept him? It does not say that. He hath made us accepted.

Where? In the beloved. Who's the beloved? This is my beloved son. In whom? I'm well pleased. You're going to be shocked how many times it says in him. This is my beloved son, God said. There's one thing to say to man. This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him. Hear ye him. So accepted in the beloved. We're not accepted because of anything in us. We're accepted completely because of everything that's in Jesus Christ.

It's his righteousness, not ours. That's what Paul said in Philippians three. I don't want to be found having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that righteousness of Christ in him, his righteousness, his holy sinless life, his keeping the law. If righteousness comes by us keeping the law, scripture says Christ died in vain. But it doesn't, thank God.

But it does come by someone keeping the law, that's Christ. He's our law keeper. He's our righteousness. So we're accepted in Christ. Look at verse seven. In whom we have redemption. You and I have no redeeming qualities, none. Scripture says there's none good, there's none righteous, not one.

Isn't that what it says? Well, how can we be redeemed then? By our own works, by corruptible things such as silver and gold, by our traditions, by our keeping? By the precious blood, through his blood, we have redemption, the forgiveness of sin, according to the riches of his grace. So redemption's in here. Colossians, I meant to have you turn to Colossians 1. Turn over there and hold Colossians 1, because we'll go back and forth.

We compare, you know, no scripture stands by itself. You cannot make a whole system of theology on one verse of scripture like religion does with John 3, 16. You can't do that. It cannot stand by itself. We compare, Paul said, spiritual things with spiritual things. Scriptures upon scriptures. He said the word of God to you was line upon line, precept upon precept. Here a little, there a little. Comparing the Old Testament, New Testament. These things go together, okay. My father used to say this. If you can put a scripture up on a pedestal, and take other scriptures and throw it at it.

If you can knock it off, it didn't mean what you thought it did. Because God doesn't contradict himself. Scripture is not confusing. We are by nature. We just don't have a full understanding but God Gives us an understanding how through his word comparing Scripture with Scripture Scripture with Scripture again and Paul writes the same things in Colossians 1 that he did Ephesians 1. Why?

At the mouth of two or three witnesses a thing is established Colossians 1, look at Colossians 1 verse 14. Verse 13. Verse 2. Look at verse 2. John and I were sitting there saying, when you read these scriptures, where do you stop? To the saints, that's sanctified one.

You don't sanctify yourself. were sanctified once by the offering of Christ. Both he that sanctified and they that are sanctified are all aware of one. Verse two, to the saints sanctified, faithful brethren in Christ, grace to you in Christ, peace from God our Father, the Father of those in Christ and the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, pray and always for you since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus.

Look at verse 14. In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sin. Redemption. Go back to, well, look at verse 19. Look at verse 19. For it pleased the Father that in him, Should all fullness dwell. Fullness of what? We sing that song, oh the fullness of redemption. That's redemption. We have no redeeming qualities. Christ does. He's our substitute.

Having made peace, verse 20, through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself, by him I said, Whether things in earth, things in heaven, that's God's people on earth or God's people in heaven. And you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled, where? In the body of his flesh, that is on the cross, to present you Holy and unblameable and unreprovable in His sight.

Is this important? You're not gonna be in heaven if Christ didn't make you holy and unblameable. No, you're not. And you don't, you're not saved if you don't know these things. If you believe salvation has anything to do with you, Anything to do with your decision or your choice or anything you quit doing or start doing and... You don't understand the gospel.

What it means to be in Christ. I'm going to, in a little while, talk about a child in the mother's womb. This is the new birth, okay? Did you put yourself in your mother's womb? And this is what Nicodemus, who came to Christ, said, how can these things be? How can a man who's grown enter his mother's womb? Our Lord said, you're a master in Israel and you don't know these things? No, he didn't know God. He didn't know Christ. He didn't know what it meant to be in Christ. He did later, after he was born again. Born from above. You don't get born again. You're born of God. How did you get in your mother's womb? How did you get in there? The Father put you in there.

And 1 Corinthians 1.30 says, of God are you, what?

In Him, in Christ. Who of God is made unto us. wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, that according as it is written, he that gloryeth, let him glory in the Lord. It's everywhere. Christ is all and in all, in all the scripture, and in all his people. I'm way ahead of myself, but that's fine. All right, go back to Ephesians 1.

And this wisdom he's given us, that is, fear of the Lord's beginning wisdom, Christ has made unto us wisdom, to know God, the knowledge, the wisdom. Verse eight, wherein God hath abounded toward us in all wisdom, where is all wisdom? In Colossians 2 it says, in whom, in Christ, are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Verse 9, he's made known unto us, who? Those in Christ.

The mystery of his will. See, man thinks it's man's will. No, no, no. He makes known to his people, it's not man's will. It's his will. It's God's will. Where is his will and his purpose? God's will is not a want to or a wish, it's an absolute purpose, ordered in all things and sure. Where is that? Look at verse nine. It's according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in himself. In himself. Look at chapter three of Ephesians. Chapter three, verse 11. You have it? This is all according to the eternal purpose which God purposed in Christ Jesus, our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confidence, access with confidence by faith of him.

It's really not your faith at all, is it? Whose faith is it? Christ had to live by faith. The just shall live by faith. How are you justified? By your faith. Romans 5 says, justified by faith. Well, the faith of God's elect is faith in the faith of Christ. You understand that? That's wisdom. It's not, well, now that you believe, you're a child of God. You're a child of God because God gave you this faith. It's not of yourselves. It's the gift of God. To whom? All those chosen in Christ. You say, what's the point? His glory. The whole point of creation, the whole point of salvation, the whole point of me preaching is His glory. And for you to look one place, to Him. All your salvation in Him. Don't look in. Don't look here. Don't look there. Don't look in on the Jesus.

The author and what? Finisher of our faith. It ain't up to you people. It was completely put in Jesus Christ before the world began. His people were given to Christ. God chose a people, gave them to Jesus Christ long before the world was created in a covenant of redemption. God purposed to have a kingdom of people for the glory of his son, for his own glory, and gave them to his son in a covenant. Christ, the second head, the second Adam that is, the head of the church, gave them to Jesus Christ in this covenant of redemption, said go down there son, be born of a woman, made under the law, keep the law, they broke it, none of them can keep it, keep the law for them, and then Take their sins in your body on the tree, be made sin, punished by me, the wrath of God poured out upon your head. and pay for their sins completely in full, and then come back and sit down at my right hand, and I'm gonna send the Holy Spirit and preach this gospel to every one of them I've given you to save, and they'll all believe that salvation is in you, and they will come to you, and they will believe you, and I'll receive them all, accepted in you, my beloved son.

That's exactly what happened. You and I weren't around when God purposed it. You and I weren't around when Jesus Christ accomplished it. You and I weren't asking for it. You and I weren't seeking it. I'm sought of them, I'm found of them that sought me not, he said in Isaiah 65. Salvation, I'm here to tell you. I say that all the time. But seriously, that's my only purpose for preaching is I'm here to tell you that salvation is in Jesus Christ. Look at verse 10 in Ephesians 1.

That's his purpose, in Christ. That in the dispensation of the fullness of time, when all time is finished, that he might gather together In one. All things in Christ. Both which are in heaven, which are on earth, and he says, if you didn't hear it the first time, hear it again. Even in him. John, he says it over in Romans, by him. By him, I say. In him. In him. In him.

You're redundant, preacher. Yes, I am. That's all I'm doing is repeating what Paul said and he repeats himself. Gathered together into his kingdom, look at Colossians 1. Did you keep that? Colossians 1, look at verse 13. Notice who does everything. Notice that he doesn't ask anybody to do anything, does he? No, no, no. He's declaring it. Look at verse 13.

Verse 12, giving thanks unto the father which had made us meet or fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. What's light? Christ is light. Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of his dear son in whom And on and on it goes. He's translated us into the kingdom of his dear son. Go with me to 2 Timothy 1. 2 Timothy 1. I'm not gonna be too much longer, okay?

But you couldn't hear a better message. I promise you. This is the scripture. It's not because I'm preaching it, but because we're just reading God's word over and over again. 2 Timothy 1, look at this. He says in verse eight to a young preacher named Timothy, be not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord nor of me, his prisoner, but be a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel. You'll be maligned and persecuted and hated and called narrow and bigoted if you preach this gospel. But it's the gospel and it's the power of God.

Who, verse nine, hath saved us and called us within holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us... I want you to just repeat every time you see that. Let's preach this together, shall we? All right, let's try it again. Who has saved us and called us within holy calling, not according to our work, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ.

When? before the foundation of the world. Whose names were written where? In the Lamb's book of life. When? Before the foundation of the world. What I'm trying to tell you, are you a preacher, you saying once in grace, always in grace? That's exactly what I'm saying. What is the grace of God? It ain't a what, it's who. Christ is the grace of God. He is our acceptance. He is our salvation. Once in Christ, always in Christ. Our Lord said that to the father in his prayer. He said, those whom thou hast given me, I've lost nothing. Call his name Jesus.

Why? He shall save, not try. He shall save, who? His people from their sin. He said, all that the Father giveth me shall come to him. And him that cometh to me, I will walk in no wise cast out. If you can cast Christ out of heaven, you can get Christ his people out of heaven. But they're in him. There's such a union there. Such a oneness of it.

All right, put in Christ before the world Before we were born, names written in the Lamb's Book of Life. But just as Christ had to come in the fullness of time and be made of a woman, made under the law to redeem them under the law, we have to be born in the flesh. We have to be born again by the Spirit of God. By the Word. How are you born again? How does God give birth?

Look at Ephesians 1, verse 13. You have it? Verse 12. I need to read every verse. Verse 12, that we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted where? In Christ. In whom ye also trusted when? After you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. In whom?

Also, after you believed, and we just quoted Ephesians 2.8, through faith not of yourselves, it's a gift of God. After you believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Sealed, what does that mean? You can't get out. Colossians 1, did you keep that? Same thing, Colossians 1.

The gospel is the power of God. What I'm doing, what the world calls foolishness, is the power of God unto salvation. This is how God gives new birth to those that were dead and trespassed in. Colossians 1 verse 2, it says, to the saints in Christ, And verse six, it says this gospel, verse five, the hope is laid up for you in heaven, whereof you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come unto you as in all the world and bringeth forth fruit as it doth also in you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth.

You have to hear the gospel, he said. So you see, so there you go, preacher, it's up to the person to accept it. Hold on now, where does it say that? Didn't we say, didn't we read in Ephesians 1 that you're accepted in the beloved? All that the Father gives me. Didn't we read that faith is not of yourself, it's the gift of God?

Yes, you must believe. You must believe. But it's the gift of God if you do. Because man hates the truth by nature. And nobody will believe this until God says, believe. And the shining example of that is Saul of Tarsus. Thought he knew God. Thought he was saved. Knew the scriptures, could quote it. Pharisee, keeping the law.

He didn't know God. He didn't know Jesus Christ. He didn't know himself. He didn't know what sin was. He heard of Jesus dying on the cross. So what? But then he met the Lord Jesus Christ, who put him in the dirt, showed him he's a nothing and a nobody, and everything he ever did was accounted for nothing, accounted for nothing. There's nothing we do that counts for anything, anything. It's not by works of righteousness. No, it's completely by the works of righteousness, Jesus Christ did.

Do you understand that? At least in your head. If you can get that, if the Lord can put that in your heart, he'll give you peace. Genesis seven, here's a good, here's, all right, I'm gonna, I preached a little while now, I'm gonna tell you something. A little girl said that about my dad's preaching one time, because he illustrated a lot, told stories. Our Lord did illustrate, parable. Little girl said, I love Brother Mahan's preaching, because he preaches a little while, then he'll tell you something, tell you a story.

You've heard the story of Noah's Ark, everybody has. Most people believe that's just a fable, just an old Jewish fable, just some kind of allegory. It really didn't happen. Most people believe Adam and Eve is just a fable, just a Jewish allegory. No, it's not either. It's the truth.

Our Lord spoke of Noah's Ark. He said, as in the days of Noah, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. And only those only saved are those that are gonna be in Christ, just like those in Noah's ark. All right, look at this story here in Genesis 7, verses one through nine. The Lord said to Noah, come thou and all thy house into the ark, for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

Noah is a picture of Jesus Christ. His name means rest. Who is our rest? Jesus Christ. Not a day, not a Sabbath day, but a person. He's the Lord of Sabbath. He's our rest. We rest in him. He's our salvation. Noah is our rest, and a picture of Christ I read, and the ark is a picture of Christ. He's everything. He's all and in all this story.

Okay, verse two. Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, male and his female. The beasts that are not clean by two. male and his female, of fowls also of the air by seven, male and female, to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. Why was there living creatures after the flood? Because of Noah and the ark.

In him we live and move and have our being. And in that sense, he's the savior of all mankind. He's a giver of life and everybody's breath is in the hands of Jesus Christ. That's why you live. That's right. He gives life, he takes life. Verse four. For yet seven days I will cause it to rain upon the earth, 40 days and 49, and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. Why? Does God destroy people he loves? Do you? Are you more righteous than he? God didn't love everybody, nor does He now. And He said the same heavens and earth are reserved unto fire. Right?

Know what this book said? Well, Noah did, verse 5, Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him. Who did what? Noah did. I said he represents Christ. That's the reason this story happened. He represents Jesus Christ who did all that God commanded him. Kept the law. It's commanded us to keep the law. This do and live. We don't, we can't, we won't. He did. Salvation's in him keeping the law. And Noah did.

And then God commanded Noah, with thee I've seen righteous, and you're gonna bring them all to yourself into the ark, and you're gonna save them all, Noah. You're gonna bring them in, and they're gonna be saved with you in the ark. Is that clear? Did the animals save themselves? No. How'd they get in the ark? Noah went and got them, called them into the ark, didn't he? And Noah did everything, verse seven, and Noah went in. and his sons and his wife and his son's wife with him into the ark. Verse 15, they went in unto Noah into the ark. Verse 16, they went in.

Male and female of all flesh as God has commanded him and the Lord shut him in. What does it mean when Paul says, we're shut up to faith? That means we're sealed in Christ. That He's given us this faith, and we're sealed, pitched, in Christ our righteousness, like Noah. Preacher of righteousness, and the one God saw righteous.

Now look down at verse 23. And every living substance was destroyed, which is upon the face of the ground. Both man and cattle and creeping thing, fowl of the heaven, they were destroyed from the earth and Noah only remained alive. And they that were with him in the ark. Should have read verse 17. The ark was born up and lifted up above the earth.

Christ said, if I be lifted up. So what does it mean to be saved? It means to be found in Christ, not having your own righteousness, which is of love, but that righteousness, which is of God, by the faith of Jesus Christ. And he puts you in Christ. Colossians 1, now go over there. What does it mean for Christ to be in you? Colossians 1, look at this. Colossians 1. If you're in Christ, Christ is in you. You understand? This is the new birth. That's what this is. If you're in Christ, we're chosen by God and put in Christ. then Christ is formed in you, a new birth, a new creature in Christ.

Verse 27, to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery. I've been preaching things too wonderful for me. A mystery, we know it a little bit. This mystery among the Gentile, that's you, which is Christ in you, the hope of Lord.

Christ in you, the hope of glory. Born again, a new creature in Christ, created in the image of Christ. That's what that meant, as I said earlier. You had nothing to do with your first birth and you have nothing to do with to be born again. It's all of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. God, the Father, whose seed he implants in the heart of a dead sinner. Which seed is who?

Jesus Christ, which is the gospel, okay. Christ, as it were, as a woman travailed in birth, Christ went to the cross. and prevailed in birth for all these people that God chose. And we were born out of that work that Christ did on the cross, just like a baby comes out of the womb when that woman prevails in birth.

What comes out of womb, blood and water? What came out of his side? Blood and water. His church came out of his side. You remember Adam in the garden where God opened his side and created Eve out of his side? That's the church when Christ was crucified. They were born of him. But they have to be born in time of flesh.

And how they're born again is this gospel of Christ crucified. preached mysteriously, miraculously, not asking anybody to do anything, declaring what Jesus Christ had done, who God is, what Christ had done. Just declaring that, like Peter did at Pentecost, and sit down and watch God move. Not asking anybody. Peter didn't ask anybody at Pentecost, ever. declared who Christ was, and God in power by the Holy Spirit, convicted of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Where's that? In Christ. And they all come, born again to Christian. How do you know Christ is in you?

Well, Joseph and Kara just had a baby boy. A baby boy. And when, you know, you all were planning that long before Sawyer was born, weren't you? Oh, yeah. What about God? Huh? This all just try this, try that. Oh, no, it's purpose for the world began to have people again. All right. When did you choose a name for that child? Before it was born? Alright, did you have the nursery ready for the baby? So you prepared a place for that baby. Alright, they purposed to have a child.

The child had nothing to do with this. And they came together in this union. The seed of the Father implanted in the womb, this conception, that child has nothing to do with that. They didn't ask Saul, would you please be born? No, no, no. It's a miracle of God's grace and power in it. Alright? That child is in the womb. When that child was in the womb, that child was alive, wasn't it? How do you know? It was born. Alright?

In that mother, could Kara have gone anywhere and somebody say, well, I accept you, but not your baby? Well, I love you, but I don't love your baby. Uh-uh, uh-uh, they're one. If you love that mother, you love that baby. If the mother comes in, baby does too. Whatever Kara did for nine months, that baby Sawyer did.

You understand? Her works were his works. That's what it means to be in Christ. You're in him. Does that make sense? That's about as good sense as we can make of it. And then, you know, that child in the womb, it's got to be born. It's got to come out of that womb. Is the child wanting to come out? Did he cooperate? It's pain, suffering, travailing. Who gave birth to who? Who did this work? Christ did it all. Alright, now that child is born. It's alive, it was in her and now it's born. How do you know it's alive? Wah.

Crying. What's he crying for? Not what? Who? Mother. Crying. Hungry. Thirsty. What's he going to eat? Milk. Why? Oh, his nutrition is there. And then he's been in a hot tub for nine months, naked in a hot tub for nine months, what a life. But then cast out into this cold, hard, cruel world of sin, okay. Crying, naked, cold, where is that child gonna get any comfort?

Not the doctor. Not the nurse. Mama or daddy. Where do you get comfort? One place. One place. Did you speak to anybody that's born? Did you speak to anybody? It's okay, buddy. It's okay. Were you speaking to other children? Uh-uh. You speak to your child. It's okay. I'm your father. I'm your mother. We love you. Is that oversimplifying it? No, it's not. That's what it means to be in Christ. Forever.

Do you love that child, Joseph? He went, ha. Stephen, do you love that child like yourself? Can a granddad love a grandson? Kara, you going to kick him out? You have to do everything for him. You're gonna have to do everything for him. That child won't make it without you, humanly speaking.

Are you willing? You might not be able, but God is able. You understand that? Now, where is salvation? In Christ. It ain't in you. It ain't in the preacher. It ain't in your decision. It ain't in you doing this, doing that, not doing this, none of it. It's in Christ.

And Christ in you means faith in Christ, love for Christ. You know, if you wanted to find Noah, where would you find Noah? In the ark. If you wanted to find Christ on earth, where would you find him? in his temple with his people. If Christ is in you, the church is in you. And you're in the church. You know that? Oh yeah, they're your family. They're your new family. They're your new family.

They're in you just like you can't be in Christ and not be in his church and not have his church in you. In love with him, you're in love with them. Christ won't have you if you don't love them. If you won't come to where they are, you have not come to Christ.

You will be cast out. Do you understand? They won. They won. You can't be in Christ and not be in His church, literally and spiritually. That's a fact. And I delight to see so many that have been here so long hearing this exact same message over and over again. There sits John in his 80s. You've heard this 10,000 times. And still rejoicing. And your confidence is in Christ dead and complete. And there you sit, wanting to hear this again. Good sign. Good sign. Okay, that's saying number 466.