You will turn with me to the book of Ephesians, chapter 4. It's one of my favorite of Paul's epistles, is the book of Ephesians. So plain, so simple in his explanations and definitions and applications. In chapter 4, he begins saying, I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord. He was a prisoner in Rome when he wrote this epistle, this letter. He was a prisoner, put in prison wrongfully for preaching the gospel. But he would never say, I'm a prisoner of Rome. He said, I'm a prisoner of the Lord Jesus Christ.

My Lord put me here in this place and put me here on purpose. I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you're called. If you're called of God, you're called to a vocation. That vocation is the ministry of Christ. That's why we're left in this world. And we're to do this with all lowliness and meekness and long-suffering forbearing. That means putting up with one another in love. Endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.

Now, he's got eight things that he's going to tell us here. that there's just one of. I brought a message a while back called The Simplicity of Christ. And that simplicity just means oneness. That's what it means. And that's what Paul's telling us here. There's a oneness. There's a unity of the Spirit in believers. They believe the same thing. And here's what they believe. There's one body. That's the church.

There's one body and one spirit, even as you're called in one hope of your calling. Christ in you, that's the hope of glory. There's just one hope. There's one Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all. but unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Wherefore he saith, when he ascendeth up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men." It's a gift just to be a believer in it. As believers, our vocation is to support the ministry. That's what we do. We do whatever needs to be done, if it's sweep the floor, or wash the dishes, or mow the grass, or whatever it is. It's a gift, and we're to receive it that way. Faith is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.

He led captivity captive, and he gave gifts unto men. Now that he ascended, what is it but that he that descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended, that is, Christ was made flesh and dwelt among us. He came down from heaven. He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens that he might fill all things.

I heard a message one time. I wish I still had it on tape, but it wouldn't make any difference because it's the spirit of God that moves in a meeting. You have to be here to enjoy that. And this man preached, there's a man in glory. I'll never forget it. And that's what he's saying here, the same one who descended is the same one who ascended. He went back up. And there's a man sitting on the throne of God.

And these gifts he gave some apostles. These are big gifts. And some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. That's not two offices there at the end. That's one. They're pastor-teachers. And he gave them for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the body of Christ, until we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."

Salvation is when we can see our union with Christ, our oneness with him. and be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie and wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that whichever joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, making increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. In other words, God's doing everything that it takes to make us one with him.

That's what all of that, all those words mean. This I say, therefore, in testifying, the Lord that you walk henceforth that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding dark and being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that's in them because of the blindness of their heart."

They all say, I know God. They all say, we worship God. They all say, I'm saved, don't they? Ask anybody. If you stop by any church on this road, I don't care what the name is outside, ask them if they know God. Ask them if they're saved. They'll tell you yes.

Well, how can a man do that? He walks in the vanity of his mind. He believes a vain thing. And that's what Paul's saying here. Don't walk that way anymore. Their past feeling, they've given themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness.

But you've not so learned Christ, it be that you've heard Him, you've been taught by Him as the truth is in Him. That salvation is to know God in Christ. That's eternal life. If you're looking for something else, you're looking for something that's not here. Our hope's in a person. And that person is the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Lord bless the reading of his word. I invite you to turn back with me now to Ephesians chapter 4.

I promised a young man the other day that I'd bring a couple of messages concerning the believer's confession of faith in baptism. I brought the first of those messages last week, out of the Book of Colossians. And primarily, that message had to do with the hearer, what he hears, how he hears, and what happens when he hears. This morning, I want to go a little more in depth and talk a little bit about who he hears and what he hears, how that reflects on that message that he hears. what that hearing is all about.

Ephesians chapter 4 is dealing with the Christ who has come, who has accomplished the will of his Father, finished the work of redemption and righteousness, and then ascended back into glory and sat down at the right hand of God. The Christ that we worship, the Christ that I preach to men, is a sitting King, a sitting sovereign.

Why do we talk about sovereign grace? Because it's the grace of a sovereign. Christ is sovereign. He's King of kings, Lord of lords. There is no authority, but he is, and whatever that he administers through men. We're told that all the governments, there's no power but that of God. And the powers that be are of God.

How come? Well, he administers that power to men to make this place livable. What would we do? I mean, you've seen movies of the old west. They just call somebody out, and they walk out in the middle of the street. And whoever's fastest wins, the other one dies.

This world would be worse than that without government. He uses government, God does, the heart of the kings and the hand of the Lord, he turns it. And he turns it to preserve and make this place livable. I can't imagine what it would be without any law, can you?

Our Lord sits on the throne. He's the faithful testator. He's dispensing the inheritance of the saints to men who were ordained of God. He's delving, I guess is the proper word, he's delving out their inheritance. He is the testator. He's going to be sure that everybody for whom God purposed this inheritance is going to get it. Yvonne and I were looking at this verse. If you will, turn with me over to the book of Ecclesiastes. Our God is eternal. He's almighty. He's unchangeable. He's all wise. Everything that happens in time is the result of God's sovereign will. And God has purposed to save a people in Christ and manifest the glory of his name. And the Bible says that our calling and receiving of this inheritance is according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.

And I can't explain, and I'm not required to explain God's absolute predestination and man's accountability except to say that both are true. I cannot explain how men seek after God and his mercy and grace, and yet the means and the power and the providence is ordered in such a fashion that he cannot miss it. Though he were a fool, he cannot err therein. I can't explain that, but it's so.

And I cannot explain how the truth is recorded in a book by divine inspiration, and the ways and means are written in the simplest of words and expressions, and yet men must hear the gospel preached to be saved. How shall you hear? That's what the Holy Ghost inspired the apostle Paul to write. How shall you hear without a preacher?

But the fact of the matter is, we're just men. We're not God. Everything I know is a result of God's revelation to me by his spirit through his gospel. And we saw this in a picture in the book of Judges last week. Now, look at this verse here in Ecclesiastes chapter 3.

He says in Ecclesiastes 3.14, I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever. Nothing iffy about it, nothing to doubt about it. If God does it, it's forever. Nothing can be put to it, nor anything be taken from it. And God doeth it that men should fear before him.

Now watch this. That which hath been is now. And that which is to be hath already been. And God requireth that which is past. What in the world are you talking about? What God has ordained in the past, he requires. Now men tell me I can't preach. eternal justification because that takes away the reason for Christ to come. No, it don't. It establishes the reason. God requires that which is fact. He didn't destroy this world based on the coming Redeemer. Is that right? So he requires that, don't he? Yes, he does. I must go. There Christ said, and I must be judged and I must die on the cross. I must do that. God requires it. Now, if you read the verses above what I just read to you, they set the context telling us there's a time to every purpose under heaven.

And with an eye to God's eternal design and purpose, what has been is now, right now. It's accomplished in God's mind from the very beginning. And Jesus Christ, he said, is the lamb slain before the foundation of the world, though he wasn't slain for a long time after God created the earth and created man. And that which is to be has already been.

God allowed this world to have a continuance because Christ was ordained to come and die as our substitute. God saved us, Paul told Timothy, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. God requires that which is fast.

So what in the world's all this got to do with baptism? Well, baptism is a confession of faith. Baptism is not about baptism. Baptism is about faith. Baptism is about the accomplished work of Jesus Christ. It's not just a ceremony. It's not just something, well, we have to do this because God said we had to do it. No. That's not it. It's the confession of your faith. If you don't believe what I've been preaching to you, this is the last place you want to be. But if you believe what I'm preaching, this is where you have to be. Why? Because God commanded it. He doesn't suggest that we be baptized. He commands it. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. He that believeth not shall be damned.

Ain't that what it says? That's what's up. Well, men make all these remarks, I think, because they're not sure about their own experience of grace. And they start making all these remarks. Well, a man ain't saved by baptism. That's kind of what that old king thought about the river, wasn't it? We got clean rivers in our country.

I'll wait till I get home and get baptized. No, you're going to be baptized in Jordan or go to hell as a left Whichever you prefer. Your sins are not washed away in this tank, but I tell you this, if God lays it on your heart and commands you in your heart to be baptized, he'll send you to hell over.

I guarantee you will. There's not going to be an issue between you and God. There's not going to be. He nearly killed Moses because he wouldn't circumcise that little boy because his wife didn't like him. almost killed him over it. Would he kill a man over baptism? I guarantee it. I guarantee it.

All right, let's go back to our text here. In our text, Paul tells us that we're to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called, with all lowliness and weakness and long-suffering, forbearing, that is, putting up with one another in love. Why? Because we're endeavoring. That word means struggling, putting forth all effort, doing one's utmost. That's another phrase that you can put in there, endeavoring. going to great pains to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Believers are bonded together in Christ, held together by the unity of the Spirit who reveals in us that common work.

The Spirit, when He's come, He won't speak of Himself. You've got a religion that's always talking about the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit. That's not the Holy Spirit. He won't speak of himself. When he's come, he's going to take the things of mine, Christ said, and show them unto you. That's how you know it's the Holy Spirit. Examine the spirits, John wrote, whether they be of God. Well, how do I know if they're spirits of God? Because he's pointing me to Christ. He's showing me in the scriptures that Christ is all. That's the Holy Ghost. Speaking in tongues is not an evidence of the Holy Ghost. That's an evidence of another spirit and another gospel. But we're struggling hard. We're going to great pains endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in a bond of peace. So why is this so important? Why don't we just let everybody have their little petty arguments and go on and just ignore it? Well, I'll tell you why. And this is so important, so I hope you listen to me. Let me give you seven reasons.

Because first of all, there's only one body. And that body is his church. That's his people. There's one body. Not two bodies. There's not 50 bodies. 2,000 bodies, there's just one body. The local church is but a picture of that larger picture, which is his body. And secondly, there's just one spirit. Just one spirit. Paul said to beware, because they'll come preaching another gospel Another Jesus, now listen, by another spirit. All spirits are not of God. And don't you think for one second that that false spirit can't make you feel good.

You go home dancing. I've been there and done that. Left that thing, went home and talked about, oh, the spirit of God was there last night, wasn't he? No, he wasn't 50 miles from that place. But I thought he was. Why? Because I felt so good. That's what they do. They make men feel good. They lie and wait to deceive. The spirit is called the spirit of Antichrist. Why? Because everything they preach and teach, everything that spirit reveals to you is contrary to Christ. Huh? That's right.

It's the spirit of Antichrist, the spirit, he said, that now worketh in the children of disobedience. And they have nothing in common with the spirit of Christ. The ministry of the Holy Ghost is that of the comforter. He's going to comfort you. Why do you need to be comforted? Because he's disturbed you. He showed you what you are. You're a sinner. All you can do is sin. All you can think is sin. You can't do anything. I can't even help myself. Well, how's the comforter going to help me? He's going to show me my substitute.

He's going to show me how God saves sinners for the glory of his name. He points me to Christ. He points me to Christ. Oh, that's the spirit of God. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul deals with the church and this unity of the spirit as he works in these various members of the church. In verse 3, he tells us, wherefore I give you to understand that no man speaking by the spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed. Like the Pharisees did.

They said, we are of God. But then they called him a curse. They said he cast out devils by the spirit of Beelzebub. They called him a curse. You can't do that in the spirit of God. You can't do that. That's what Paul's telling these people. You're giving these guys the benefit of the doubt because they say in their sin of God, you're giving them the benefit of the doubt. But they're doing stuff contrary to the spirit of God. They're calling Jesus a curse. And no man, watch this, and no man can say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

Now there's people out here crying, Lord, Lord, and our Lord said this, just because they're saying Lord, Lord, don't mean they're going to enter into the kingdom of God. Those who obey the will of my Father That's who's calling me Lord. If you call him Lord and he's not your Lord, then he's not Lord to you. He's not. And you can't call him Lord but by the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the only one can make a man submissive to Christ. And he does it because he shows you he's worthy and he shows you his honor and his glory. There's no putting on true obedience.

It's the work of God in you. There's one body. There's one spirit. Now watch this. There's one hope of your calling. Christ in you, the hope of glory. What's that mean? That means all my hope is in Christ. It's not in my obedience. I tell you, you want to get miserable? Start judging yourself by your own obedience. You'll be miserable. I don't give enough. I don't pray enough. I don't read enough. Knowing you never will. Not in this world. My comfort in Christ, He's everything to me. He's my righteousness. Oh, I shouldn't talk the way I talk. No, you shouldn't. But that's not my hope. My hope's in Christ.

He talked the way he should talk, and he talked in my stead. He's my righteousness. Christ in you, the hope of glory. Believers all hope in him, only in him, all in him. He's everything. And then fourthly, why do we struggle to maintain this unity? Because there's just one Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord. He's Lord of the dead and Lord of the living. He's the Lord of creation, providence, and salvation. And Paul tells us in Colossians 118 that in all things, he has the preeminence. God the Father gave him preeminence.

Now, I'm going to tell you something. When he said he's Lord of the dead, he talked about spiritually dead, too. He's not just Lord over life and death, but he's Lord over the spiritually dead. And his judgment, you say, well, his judgment's not active. Sure it is.

He gives them over to strong delusion to believe a lie and be damned. Read about it in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Why would he do such a thing? Because they receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved. He exercises judgment on men, and they don't even know they're being judged. Well, that just won't have anything to do with that congregation. Well, where'd that come from, huh? Oh, my. In Biblia, it says there's just one faith. Everything men confess as faith is not faith.

Faith is the gift of God. It's not of works lest any man should Both faith cometh by hearing, hearing by the word of God. Faith has an understanding. Faith has the mind of Christ. David talked about the believers, and he said this, they're all willing in the day of his power. How come they were willing and nobody else was?

His power, and what's his power? preaching of the Gospels, the power of God and salvation in it. Faith is the evidence of a new birth. Peter said, purifying our souls and obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, being born again. Those who received him were given power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on their name which was born. One faith, and watch this, and one baptism. This one baptism is described in Colossians chapter two as being buried with him and risen with him through the faith of the operation of God.

Is it real? Is faith just something we say or is it a real work in the hearts of men? The Bible said it's a real work. It's a real work. They actually repent. They actually believe. They actually walk. They actually love. He that loveth not knoweth not God. And I'll tell you something else about faith. It's not just saying, well, I believe what that man preaches. What you believe is how you walk. It's how your whole life is ordered by what you really believe. Did you know that? Everything you do. based on what you really believe. It's based on facts. Can I breathe this air? Yes. Yes.

But boy, when it comes to things you can't see, how hard is that? That's where faith takes over in it. I've risen with him through the faith of the operation of God. And water baptism is only Our confession of this work. It's our confession. Has God really done a work in me? Do I really repent? Do I really believe? Then I want to confess that.

He said, if you don't confess me before me, then I'm not going to confess you to the Father. Well, I don't want to get in that tank. It looks ridiculous. I don't care if I look ridiculous, do you? Man, how ridiculous was I before God as a sinner? Huh?

The whole world he repudeth is nothing. Nothing. Just a bunch of maggots. Just a bunch of worms. Grasshoppers is what he called them. Like a bunch of grasshoppers. When grasshoppers get thick, do you really watch not to step on one, or you just walk like you always walk? God said the whole world to him like a bunch of grasshoppers.

Water baptism is a confession of this work in us. And then number seven, we do all that we can do to maintain this unity of spirit and a bond of peace because there's one God and Father of all. We call God our Father because he's the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's the only way we can call him father. He's not a universal father of all men. He's the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ and therefore our father in him. He doesn't act as our father except in Christ. Man, try to take that judgment of God and apply that as a father to his children. You can't do it.

Father makes preparation for those children. He loves them. He makes provision for them. He sees to it that they're kept. And God is our spiritual father as he has prepared us as his children. He said he predestinated our adoption in Christ before the world was. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children, by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will. And when this adoption comes, he said, when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his son. made of a woman, made under the law to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption. And therefore, he sends his spirit. And when the spirit comes into a man's heart, now he calls him father. He knows what he's talking about. He's my father. He made provision for me. And we cry, Abba, Father.

Now listen to me, to bring all these things to pass, our ascending Lord gave to his church four offices, apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor teachers. The apostles and prophets were inspired by the Spirit of God to pen this book that we have before us. There was a day when apostles and prophets ruled. in the church. But their work is done. They were inspired. They wrote the book.

We have the full canon of God. And there are no prophets. The Catholic Church have what they call the Pope. And the Pope is an apostle to them. He's an apostle. He has the right to change the word of God, to change definitions and meanings and so on. There are no apostles. That work's done.

And these men, unlike the pope, were given miracles and wonders and signs and gifts of the Holy Ghost to confirm that office. They were doing something really special. They're writing the word of God. They were overseeing the beginning of these local churches and the ministry, the gospel aid, and God gave them signs and wonders and things that they did that nobody else could do. I mean, they brought out their children with incurable diseases and laid them on the ground lest the shadow of an apostle walking by would heal them. Just a shadow. Gifts, signs.

You can't doubt that man's ministry. He raised the dead. But we don't need that now. We have the full canon. And now, there's only two officers left, evangelists, who go into new lands and new places with the gospel and establish local churches. And then you've got pastor teachers who are over those local churches, wherever they are. and evangelists and teachers are used in our day along with the word of God.

I don't have anything to say contrary to the word of God. I still refer to the apostles. That's what I'm preaching from this morning is the word of an apostle. And Paul says this, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him, God also bearing them witnesses with signs and wonders and so on. So where do these pastors come from and how are they known to others?

Listen to this, 2 Timothy 2.2. And the things that thou hast heard of me Among many witnesses is Paul writing to Timothy. The same commit to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. Where do these pastors come from? They come up out of these local churches. How are they trained? They're listening to their pastors.

Isn't that what that verse just said? You take these things and you teach it to them. And if God's in it, they're going to have the talents and the gifts to communicate it to others. And several other qualifications he gives. I've heard men talk about advantages of seminaries my whole life.

It's just not so. It's just a bunch of religious garbage that they have to get rid of. That's all it is. It takes away from the ministry of several pastors that I've had experience hearing. It takes away from the ministry. It doesn't add a thing to it.

And Paul lists all these means before of all of his hope. He was a fully trained Pharisee. He was next in line to be another Billy Graham in his age, Paul the Apostle. He's going to be another Gamaliel. He sat under Gamaliel, one of the greatest teachers the Jews ever had. So what did Paul say about all those advantages that he had? He took them out and threw them on the dung heap. That's what he did with it.

Salvation by faith is being raised from spiritual death unto life. Old things are passed away, and behold, all things are become new. One more thing, and I'll quit. I'm not trying to tell you that you have to be a theologian to be saved. You have to believe exactly enough to rest your soul on Christ. Whatever amount of truth that is, that's how much you have to have. And when God gives a man faith, he can be taught. He can be reasoned with. He can learn. Until that point, we're just blown about, aren't we? Blown all over the place. Man, I don't recall my days in religion. One day this, and the next day that, and something else. Just blown all over the place.

But baptism is confessing our hope in Christ. He said in Romans 6, 4, therefore we are buried with him in baptism, now watch this, into death. Into death, that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of God the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life. that burden of sin lifted, that full justification of God pronounced, and the door of our acceptance opened wide open, a sinner saved by grace. That's what it means to be baptized.

Brother John, if you will, just go ahead and get ready. What an ordinance, this ordinance of baptism. It's not just somebody getting down in the water. You go under that water as a sinner, and you're going to be raised as a sinner. But if God's raised you from the dead, that's what you're confessing. You know, when Christ died, he said, into thy hands I commit my spirit.

That's what he told his father. His father laid him down into death, and he raised him up again. He had power to raise himself, and he did. He didn't. God raised him, and that's what he said. God raised him from the dead. And that's what we're showing here. Our union with Christ, we're being laid into death by another and raised from that death by the power of another.