To Him Who is Able

Q: What does the Bible say about God's ability to keep us from stumbling?

The Bible teaches that God is able to keep us from stumbling and present us faultless in His glory, as stated in Jude 1:24. In Jude 1:24, it is written, 'Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy.' This verse underscores the sovereign power and capability of God to preserve His people, highlighting that our salvation and security rest entirely in His hands. The assurance of being kept faultless reflects the belief that it is through God's will and grace that believers remain steadfast in their faith and are ultimately redeemed. In the context of a Reformed understanding of perseverance, this encapsulates the essence of our trust in God's unchanging nature and His ability to fulfill His promises toward those He has chosen.

Q: How do we know that grace does not give us a license to sin?

Paul emphasizes in Romans 6 that grace leads us to obedience, not sin, showing that true grace transforms our hearts and loyalties. In Romans 6, Paul directly addresses the question of whether grace provides a license to sin. He asserts, 'What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!' (Romans 6:15). This indicates that true grace, as understood in Reformed theology, does not merely overlook sin but transforms the heart, leading to a life of obedience and righteousness. The change in allegiance from being slaves to sin to being slaves to righteousness is key in understanding that grace empowers us to live according to God's will. This transformation is not something we do in our own strength but is a result of God's gracious work within us, aligning our desires with His.

Q: Why is the gospel important for Christians?

The gospel is essential for Christians as it reveals God’s righteousness and is the power of salvation for all who believe, according to Romans 1. The gospel holds paramount importance for Christians as articulated in Romans 1:16-17, where Paul states, 'For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith; as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”' This passage highlights that the gospel is not merely a message but a divine power that brings salvation to believers. It is through the gospel that we see God's perfect righteousness and how it is imputed to us, transforming our lives. The implications of the gospel extend to every aspect of a believer's life, offering not just initial salvation but ongoing sanctification as we live in light of God's truth.

Q: How does God demonstrate His wisdom in the plan of salvation?

God's wisdom is displayed in His eternal plan of salvation, which brings together both Jews and Gentiles as one body in Christ. God’s wisdom is intricately woven into His plan of salvation, which is revealed throughout Scripture. In Ephesians 3:6, Paul explains that 'the mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.' This mystery showcases God’s profound wisdom in unifying diverse peoples under the lordship of Christ, demonstrating that His sovereign plan is inclusive of all nations. Throughout biblical history, God’s wisdom is showcased through prophetic scriptures that foreshadow Christ's coming and the redemptive work He would accomplish. By orchestrating salvation in such a way, God reveals His sovereignty and purpose, confirming that His ways are higher than our understanding.

I'm going to have to write a three or four minute Father of the Bride speech, which will probably take me at least two weeks to write it. And then maybe, just maybe, I'll get through it when the time comes. So I've seen too many fathers kind of break down at that particular moment, and I kind of know that. Prayer, please.

So for this morning's study, I'm going to be doing something a little different than what I normally do. I don't get up here that often, so I do a lot of topical messages. I just pick a topic and go with it. But I've decided I want to kind of do a full-scale study on the Book of Romans. So this morning, we're going to look at that first little bit of the study.

But usually when I come up with a topic, something like that would pop into me, and I'd say, OK, that's what it's going to be. And that might still happen on occasion, and life has Life has detours at times, and I might still do that once in a while, but I'm hoping to focus on the Book of Romans here, at least for a while.

So this morning's message, as you might have concluded, will be coming out of Romans chapter 1, and we'll be starting with verse 1. And I've titled this message, To Him Who is Able. In this first chapter of Romans, kind of as an intro, has the first 17 verses as one section. And it starts with Paul's usual greeting or salutation to those he is addressing the epistle to.

In it, he expresses his thankfulness for the church and how it displays its faithfulness. And Paul claims that their reputation is known throughout the world. He goes on speaking. Was this recording wrong? Did you push? He goes on speaking to his preaching of the gospel and not being ashamed to do so because the gospel is the power of God unto salvation of all those who believe as it reveals the true righteousness from God.

Then the second section of Romans 1, starts there at verse 18 and through the end of the chapter, does not paint a very pretty picture. It speaks to all the ways that the natural man rejects God how even though they see all the evidence that's presented to them of God's existence, starting with creation itself, explaining how God has made his existence plain to them, in the end, leaving man without excuse. And then we see that because of their rejection of God, he turns them over to the sins of their desires. It shows the difference of man without Christ as to those who are led by the spirit of Christ that abides within God's people. It's easy to say we will likely be spending a lot more time in verses one through 17 than verses 18 to 32.

But let's begin by reading verses one through seven of chapter one. Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures regarding his son who as to his earthly life was a descendant of david and who through the spirit of holiness was appointed the son of god in power by his resurrection from the dead jesus christ our lord through him we receive grace and apostleship all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for His name's sake. And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, to all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be His holy people. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. There are several things to point out as we begin our study. looking here at the first verse, warranting some time for investigation.

First off, the authorship of Romans. Very easily answered because, as we know, all the scripture is authored by God himself. Beyond that, though, there are books in the Bible that some question who the human writer was. that was actually putting the words down on the parchment. Romans is not one of them.

Paul clearly identifies himself as the penman of this letter. He begins this letter by stating first that he is a servant of Christ. Then he goes on to declare his position as an apostle set apart for the gospel. And it's worth noting that Paul first identifies himself as a servant of Christ.

The word servant comes from the Greek word doulos, I hope that's the right pronunciation, a noun which can mean slave, servant, or one who is loyal to another. A part of the new birth is to be made a new creation with a new nature, a nature that is loyal to Christ and has a willingness to serve.

And in staying here in Romans, let's take a look at how the apostle further explains how this new nature is truly a change from the old. Turn, if you will, to Romans chapter six. Romans six is very much a chapter about who or what has our allegiance.

Are we continuing on in our life of debauchery and self-gratification, a slave to our old sinful nature? Is that where our allegiance lies? or are we of those who have been born again because of God's love and sovereign grace so that now our allegiance, our loyalties go to Christ who died for us, freeing us from our slavery to sin. So reading from Romans six, starting with verse 15, Romans six, starting with verse 15, What then, shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? By no means.

Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness. But thanks be to God that though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart, the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. You just really have to love verse 17, especially as it points out the freedom our new nature in Christ gives us as we are freed from slavery to sin. Again, but thanks be to God that though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern a teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. There's a real difference to the words that together say, you used to be, to now you have come to, meaning there has been a change in circumstances, a change here, in this case, a change in the heart. We used to be slaves to sin, but now we have become slaves to righteousness.

How many times have you heard the statement And if what we believe about this persevering and free grace is so true, so forgiving, why don't we just sin away? After all, that free grace, doesn't that give us a license to sin? We know, of course, that that is not where the new birth leads us. Our allegiance is no longer to sin. We are no longer slaves to that kind of thinking, that kind of bondage, because thanks be to God, we have been delivered from that body of death through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

We as servants are more likely those referred to in Matthew 25, where Christ spoke to those, as Jesus proclaims, fed him when he was hungry, visited him when he was sick, excuse me, when he was sick, clothed him when he had no clothes, and it goes on. They say, Lord, when did we do these things? And Jesus replies, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. That is what being a willing servant is.

I believe that's why Paul put being a servant of Christ Jesus before listing his major office of being an apostle for the gospel, which on his own is a major service to God. There are times, though, when Paul doesn't even mention his apostleship in greetings such as in Philippians, where he starts out his letter with Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ, and very similar in the first and second Thessalonians. Paul certainly recognized his servitude to Christ, given all the glory to God, knowing we, as those who have found favor, are crafted with skill and a purpose by God for his purposes. As he says in Ephesians 2, 9 and 10, not by works so that no one can boast, for we are God's handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do. With all that being said, and going back to verse one where he points out that he is an apostle for Christ Jesus, the verse ends with these words, call to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God. Paul clearly knew that his work, his service to God was what he was sent to do, and in history he did so willingly.

As I was coming up with the title for this, sermon initially it was going to be called the calling of an apostle because the first section of this deals so much with paul's apostleship and how he was called to be there what you'll see when we get to the second part of this study how why i changed it to to him who is able but we don't need much to understand what paul's saying here called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of god turn in your Bibles to Acts 26, where we will take a quick look at Paul's recalling of the experience he had on the road to Damascus. It was on that journey where he, by God's grace, had Christ the Son revealed to him. During that encounter, he was told by the Lord that he would be appointed a servant and a witness, and his service would be preaching Christ to the Gentiles. By that preaching of Christ, they, the Gentiles, would be turned from darkness to light. Praise God. By that preaching of Christ, they, the Gentiles, this will become an important bit later as we go through the study.

We know the story from earlier in Acts that begins with a bright light and a voice that came upon Saul, causing Saul to ask, who are you, Lord? And so we're gonna pick up his recounting of that story in Acts 26, starting at verse 15. Then I asked, who are you, Lord? I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, the Lord replied.

Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I'm sending you to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

So we can see by Paul's own words here, as he repeats what was told him on the road to Damascus, that two important parts of the process of becoming an apostle, or in today's world, a pastor, missionary, even one who testifies of Christ, as many occasions we get to do that. But we can see by Paul's own words that the two important parts of the process of becoming an apostle are fulfilled right there on the road. They are number one, Christ appoints him as a servant and a witness, in other words, an apostle. And then number two, Christ says he will send Paul as an apostle to the Gentiles. Paul didn't choose to do so. That would have never entered his mind. He didn't ask. He wasn't talked into it. He was appointed and then sent by the Lord.

Turn to Galatians chapter one, where we'll be looking at a couple of different places. In our reading of text in Romans one, Paul declares that he was called to be a servant and an apostle. The Greek word the apostle or apostle comes from the word that says to send, or one who is sent off, or one sent forth by another, often with a special commission to represent the sender. In Galatians, Paul spends a lot of time defending the gospel that he had preached to them at the Church of Galatia, but also finds himself having to defend his apostleship.

There he makes it clear it was Jesus that called or appointed him directly to that service, It was not a man or a group of men who appointed him or taught him. As we can see by Paul's own words when he reveals what was told him on the road, the two important parts of... Okay, I already did that. But number one, Christ appointed him, and then number two, he was sent as a servant and a willing servant. In other words, apostle and then number two Christ says he will be sent as an apostle to the Gentiles but reading here in Galatians 1 notice how God the Father says I am sending you and again the Greek word apostle comes from the meaning is to send we now have some background that gives us information we need to help us put everything in place historically and to show that Paul's apostleship was authentic as it was the Lord God himself who called him to be an apostle. It was not by any man or group of men. He was called by Jesus during that encounter with the Lord he described in our reading from Acts. In Galatians 1, we can read where Paul identifies himself as an authentic apostle sent by God.

Galatians 1.1, Paul, an apostle, sent not from men or by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead. And then we can drop down to verses 10 and 11 of Galatians 1. He backs up what he proclaims in verse one.

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings or of God, or am I trying to please people? If I was still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. That being said, clearly in defense of his apostleship. And then verse 11 reads, I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preach is not of human origin.

I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it. Rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. He, with the authority given him by God, goes on to declare he wasn't given the gospel that he has preached to them by man. No man or group taught him what he was declaring to them. He had received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. Just as this office of apostle came straight from Jesus Christ and God the Father, so too did the gospel that he had preached to them. And then to finish off here in Galatians 1, let's drop down to verse 15. through 17, where we get further into Paul's unique calling to be an apostle.

But when God, who set me from my father, set me, set me apart from my mother's womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, My immediate response was not to consult any human being.

I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but went into Arabia. Later, I returned to Damascus." So Paul lays out here that God beforehand determined that he would be his apostle to the Gentiles. Set apart in his mother's womb and called by his grace right there on the road to Damascus, All this while he was, as we are told in 1 Corinthians 15, 9, he was actively persecuting the church.

For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. He goes on to call himself the chiefest of sinners, but he truly knew it was by grace of God at that point in time, he revealed his son in him and then appointed him as an apostle to the Gentiles. Being an apostle was a prestigious yet critical role that had its rewards but also its many trials. A true apostle was called or sent forth by God with no GoFundMe accounts to raise money to be able to do it, no established missionary funding group of churches, but just a calling and then a sending by God.

Then as today, there are also many pretend apostles who would go around preaching a false gospel such as mixing law and grace, chasing out demons, fake faith healings, doing so just to make a name for themselves or to profit. Paul was dealing with a lot of those right here in Galatians. Another example would be Peter and John when they dealt with a money-hungry Simon the sorcerer. after he attempted to buy the ability to impart the Holy Spirit from them as we saw in Acts chapter 8 when Norm was going through there. But Christ will deal with them all when he says to them, depart from me, you workers of iniquity. They're still at it today, preaching the false gospel of freewillism, mixing law and grace, preaching a prosperity doctrine, chasing out demons, fake faith healings, doing so to make a name for themselves and to enrich themselves.

Many who say they are called to the mission field or to the church ministry aren't there to preach the gospel, but instead look for numbers, fame, and prosperity. But to those who are truly called by God, they want to preach the gospel while having no thoughts of earthly riches. as Paul states in his second letter to the Corinthians, and he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors as though God were making his appeal through us. That is the message Paul gladly preached, the message given to him by his creator. Now let's go back to Romans chapter one, and we're gonna move on to verse two. reading starting again at verse one, Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel God. And then verse two, the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures. Paul continues on to explain what the gospel's purpose is and just how long it's been around. It's been made clear to us that Paul was called to be an apostle. set apart for the preaching of the gospel, the gospel that God had promised beforehand.

Paul is making it clear the gospel isn't something new. It's not something that just came into being after the birth of the Messiah or just since the resurrection. No, this gospel was introduced to us through the prophets. And though Paul doesn't quote any examples here, we know from all of his writings that he is consistent in insisting that the Old Testament scriptures, which is all that they had at the time, were always pointing forward to the coming of the Messiah and salvation that came through Christ for both the Jewish people and the Gentiles.

As Revelation 19.10 proclaims, the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus. When Paul refers to the prophets, he's pointing out that the prophets of the old were ordained by God to reveal his will.

And it was done so in many ways. We talk about the many pictures of Christ, too many to mention them all, but some of the standouts include such things as creation itself. The cities of refuge that we've looked at, the rock that Moses struck, the temple and all its trimmings, they all point to Christ. And then there are the prophecies like Isaiah 53 that present the coming Messiah so plain to see for those who have been given the eyes to see. That then and even now, men are without an excuse. Now we have the New Testament apostle and apostles and Jesus himself teaching as to how all those Old Testament pictures and shadows were foretelling of he who was to come. Look at what Christ preached to the two on the road to Emmaus, as he, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself.

And as Brother Norm has said many times, what a wonderful sermon that would have been to hear, but we get to read it. Whenever we want, we can just pick up our Bible and read it. Turn now, if you will, to Titus chapter one. And let's look at what Paul wrote to Titus starting with verse one.

This will speak to how God has promised before the beginning of time the hope of eternal life that as his appointed time was brought to the light by the gospel entrusted to his servant Paul. So Titus chapter one and beginning at verse one, Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness, and the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and which now, at his appointed season, he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior. These three verses serve as an introduction to Paul's letter to Titus, where he identifies himself as a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, again, emphasizing his mission to further the faith of God's chosen people and teach them the truth leading to godliness, all centered on the hope of eternal life promised by God before time began. The end of the reading notes Paul's work was by the command of God, our Savior.

In other words, he was sent. In this phrase, we see that Paul served in obedience to God's command, here faithfully preaching the message of Christ and the knowledge that comes from knowing the truth that leads to godliness and the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised. When? Before the beginning of time.

In Romans 3, verse 21, Paul states this, but now apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been made known to which the law and the prophets testify. The law and the prophets have been appointing to God's righteousness all along, and this righteousness is the righteousness of Christ himself. In fact, it was always God's plan to arrive at this, but now, this departure from the Old Testament covenant law to the new covenant righteousness in Christ, his only begotten son. And it's by his righteousness apart from the law and his righteousness alone that his salvation is granted. Salvation is of the Lord.

Now let's turn over to a few chapters to Romans chapter 16. And we'll be reading verses 25 through 27. Paul concludes his message to the church at Rome with this doxology, which reveals again his faithfulness to the preaching of the gospel as he was appointed to do. This doxology focuses on God's ability to establish us, to keep us, to present us faultless before the Father, strengthened according to the gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, and then speaking to the revealing of a mystery kept secret since the founding of the world. So we begin reading at verse 25.

Now to him who was able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began, but now made manifest and by the prophetic scriptures made known to all nations according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith, to God alone, wise be glory through Jesus Christ forever, amen. This last long sentence of his letter to the church in Rome begins with the words, now to him who is able.

And then Paul adds to the thought with, to God alone, wise. at the end. God is shown to be wise by which he has made it possible for all nations of people to share in his glory through faith in Jesus forever. By God's design, he will be glorified, lifted up, praised, shown to be worthy forever through the Son. Paul describes this great truth of God being that through his wisdom, he made it possible for all nations, not just the nation of Israel, to share in the inheritance of God.

Up to this point in time, it had been a mystery hidden to the nations, but was revealed to Paul to share at the appointed time. Turn in your Bibles to Ephesians chapter three. Paul has a lot to say about this mystery in Ephesians. It was not something discovered or uncovered by himself or anyone else. Instead, it was revealed by God and when the time was right. Until then, It remained hidden for the ages, as generations came and went, until Christ was revealed as the Son of God in human form. Reading here in Ephesians chapter 3, starting at verse 1, For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus, for the sake of you Gentiles, surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you.

That is the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel, the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel. members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise of Christ Jesus. This is a bit of a rabbit trail, so I won't spend much time on it, but it does reveal that this mystery plan that had been kept secret for so long has been made manifest and made known to all nations as it is revealed right here by Paul, as he says, that is the mystery made known to me by revelation.

The mystery being that now, The Gentiles are also heirs together with Israel, made into one body in Christ, sharers together in the promise in Christ. Paul starts this conversation in Ephesians 2, starting at verse 14. If you'd like to turn back to there, Ephesians 2, verse 14. For he himself is our peace. who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in his flesh the enmity that is the law of commandments contained in ordinances. That was the wall of separation. so as to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, therefore putting to death the enmity." This is something that was not looked at all looked upon favorably by the Jewish people. They didn't want to walk with the Gentiles. They didn't want to talk with the Gentiles. They didn't want to eat with the Gentiles.

But it was God's plan from the beginning that Jew or Gentile in God's eye, when it came to the church, there was no difference. That he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. It was God's purpose that together, Jews and Gentiles, they are what make up the true Israel, which is the church of God of all his elect. And now, as Paul proclaims in verse 18 of chapter two, for through him we both have access by one spirit to the Father. This is God calling all of his elect together under one body, again the true church, the body of Christ, planned back in eternity before the creation of the world ever began and carried out at the time determined by the one we have been speaking of, to him who is able.

So now if you'd like to turn in your Bibles to the book of Jude, chapter one. I want to look, it's kind of funny when you look in Google and you try to call it Jude, if you don't put it in Jude one, it won't come up most of the time. So I guess we're supposed to say in chapter one. But now if you turn your Bibles to the book of Jude, I want to look just a bit more at the phrases, to him who is able and then to God alone wise.

Again, God has shown to be wise by which he has made it possible for all nations of people to share in his glory through faith in Jesus for his namesake. Paul writes to God, you get the glory forever. By God's design, he will be glorified, lifted up, praised, shown to be worthy forever through Christ. It also points to our creator who purposed all things and is the one and only omniscient entity that is ever and will ever exist. and all that he has purposed will be fulfilled because of what else is said in those few verses because of him who is able. Him who is able speaks to the omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence of God, assuring us that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. What true hope and assurance that brings to all God's people. These two very incredible phrases, him who is able and God only wise are repeated several places throughout scripture.

We have already looked at the doxology in Romans 16 Now I just have a couple more notable ones I thought we should spend some time looking at, and those are verses 24 and 25 of Jude. Jude, the penman of the book and an apostle in his own right, said to be the half-brother Jesus wrote to a very specific audience, as it's identified there in verse one, those called beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ. warning of a man who had crept in among them that meant warning them who had crept in that there were those that crept in among them that meant no good but instead they meant great harm to the gospel. Apostates who among many other things declared that the grace was a free license to live evil lives.

How Jude describes the fate of these false preachers should be the number one tool in your toolbox whenever someone would say to you, well, if I believed as you believe, I would live it up doing whatever and everything I wanted to do. Just suggest to them they might want to read the book of Jude, as it shows how the Lord would deal with those with that in their hearts. It might bring them to their senses, but only if God were to open their eyes and mind. But they wouldn't be able to say they weren't warned.

The good news, though, is found in what Jude gives us as he closes his letter with this beautiful doxology, now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before his presence of his glory with exceeding joy. To God, our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen. To him who is able. to keep you from stumbling. He truly is our perseverance. He keeps us from falling away, from stumbling, something we can never prevent on our own.

Paul writes in his second letter to Timothy about the hope eternal that springs within us, that despite all our inabilities, the work is done for us on our behalf. As the old hymn goes, Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow. We are secure in our salvation because we didn't provide it. We didn't choose it. The Lord, our Savior, provided it. The Lord, our Savior, did the choosing, and he accepted us in the beloved, both Jew and Gentile. we are made complete in Him.

We stand faultless before God in Christ's robe of righteousness, protected by the majesty, dominion, and power of our God and Savior, as it says, both now and forevermore. Now, one last scripture to look at, and again, we will be in Ephesians, where we will be reading again from chapter three, This is the last we will be looking at today and we will finish our look at the statements to him who is able and the only wise God. Ephesians chapter three and we will starting at verse 15 and going to the end of the chapter.

For this reason, I kneel before the father from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you with power through his spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the Lord's holy people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses the knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

I'm going to break in here just to point out something that I noticed as I looked at these verses while considering whether or not I would even include them in the study. There's so much in these six verses that they completely warrant a stand-alone study of them by themselves. But among the many other bits of wisdom we are given in these verses, one thing really stuck out to me. Verse 16. He may strengthen you with the power through his spirit. Verse 17, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And then verse 19, that you may be filled with the measure of all the fullness of God. What I noticed here was that all three parts of the Trinity are brought to be in this prayer by the apostle. And it shows each of the three separate yet working together to fulfill God's plan.

Separate but equal. I hear people say there's no place in the Bible that mentions the Trinity. Well, not by the name, but we know the concept is there. One God existing as three distinct persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And we have that right here in these few verses, all three dwelling within those that God the Father loves in Christ. with the love that surpasses all knowledge and enjoying the spiritual blessing of being strengthened by the Spirit. I see this as a real clear picture of the Trinity working together for us and in us. Now, finishing up our reading here in Ephesians 3, reading verses 20 and 21, now Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever, amen.

May we all ask as the Apostle Paul did, oh wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. The truth, he is the only one that is able. My hope is that all who hear this message know him as the only hope we have for escaping the wrath of God that our sins deserve. He's it. He's all there is. He's all we have. But the good news of the gospel, he's all that we need because it is him who is able. Thank you, people, for being with me on these two weeks. Brother Norm?

To Him Who is Able

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's ability to keep us from stumbling?

How do we know that grace does not give us a license to sin?

Why is the gospel important for Christians?

How does God demonstrate His wisdom in the plan of salvation?

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To Him Who is Able

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's ability to keep us from stumbling?

How do we know that grace does not give us a license to sin?

Why is the gospel important for Christians?

How does God demonstrate His wisdom in the plan of salvation?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

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