In this chapter, this first chapter
of Paul's epistle to the Ephesians, he uses the word, the phrase,
in Christ, or words much like that, fourteen times. Fourteen times in these, what
was it, twenty-two verses, I think? Twenty-three verses. Fourteen
times. That's important. He means, God
means, for us to understand, as we read this chapter, that
all grace, all grace, all salvation, all blessedness is in Christ. It's nowhere else. It's not in
the church. It's not in baptism. It's not
in the doctrine. It's in the person of a living
Savior. the Lord Jesus Christ. All that
the triune God does for sinners, all that He gives to sinners,
all that He requires of sinners is in Christ Jesus. Therefore
you won't be surprised to hear that the title of my message
is exactly that, In Christ Jesus. Doesn't that have a sweet ring
to it? Those three words, oh, they're
just full, aren't they? In Christ Jesus. I'm sure that
you, like myself, have seen on the news during the past week,
as has been for the last several months, this uncertainty about
the virus. It depends on who you listen
to, how bad it is. Well, it appears to be bad. And
don't know where it's going to go. But here's something that
the virus hasn't touched. Can't change this. Can't affect
this, can't alter this. There'll be in Christ Jesus,
once where he is, the hymn writer wrote. Once where he is, where
he is forever. Nothing from his love can sever
it. Nothing, nothing. Look at verse
three, look at verse three. Paul wrote, blessed, blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed
us with all, all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Blessed be the God, Paul says,
that is this, that means praised be God. Our Father which art
in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Let us exalt the name of our
great God. Give Him all honor, all glory,
and all praise. That's just right. That's just
the right thing to do. To give all the glory from that
One from whom we have received all the grace. It's just right. This is what David said in Psalm
89 verse 7. God is greatly to be feared in
the assembly of the saints and to be had in reverence of all
them that are about him. Man's not to be revered. Oh no, he's not to be called
revered. I tell you what, people sometimes
have asked me, folks that I've just met, well what should I
call you? My name's Larry, John, call me Larry. My mom named me
Larry. But please, please don't, please
don't call me Reverend. Only God is Reverend. Not unto
us, O Lord, again David writing, not unto us, but unto thy name
give glory for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake, for thy
mercy, thy grace, thy great salvation. Paul calls on us to bless God
and to praise God because he, notice again what we read in
verse three, he's the God, the God. There's not another, there's
none beside him. And not only that, he's the father
of our Lord Jesus Christ. And he had blessed us, Paul says. Is that not sufficient reasons
to praise God? Will that not take a lifetime? Will that not take eternity?
Are these not grounds on which to glory our great God and Savior? All that God, I repeat, all that
God has for guilty sinners is in Christ Jesus. What like I yet, the rich young
ruler asked the master, not thinking that he liked anything. And the
Lord said, one thing you like, one thing you like, you like
the one thing neither. You lack the one thing necessary.
You don't know me. You don't know the Christ of
God. This is what John said in chapter 3 of his gospel. The Father loveth the Son and
hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the
Son hath everlasting life. And he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life. Well, what does he have? What
can he claim? But the wrath of God abideth
on him. Colossians chapter 2 verse 9. For in him, that is Christ, dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And you are complete
in him, which is the head of all principality and power. The love of God, as Paul said
in Romans 8. The love of God, where is it?
It's in Christ. The mercy of God is in Christ. The grace of God is in Jesus
Christ. Without Christ, there's no mercy
to experience, no grace to taste, no love, but only wrath and judgment
and condemnation. Outside of Jesus Christ, that's
all we can lay claim to. That's all we have to look forward
to outside of Jesus Christ. Remember when the flood came
in Noah's day. There was no mercy, no deliverance
anywhere. Anywhere except one place. It was in the ark. Only one place
and that was in the ark. Jesus Christ is that ark. He's that refuge when the man
slayer fled from the avenger of blood. He found no safety
until he entered the city of refuge. And the city of refuge
again is the Lord Jesus Christ. All these things are simply types,
pictures of him that was to come. God said to Israel, I will meet
with you. There is one place I'll meet
with you. It's upon the mercy seat, the place of propitiation. I'll meet with you there. Between
the two cherubims, and Christ again is our mercy seat, God
meets with sinners in the way of mercy and grace nowhere else,
in no other way, except in Christ Jesus. You see why I say, doesn't
that have a sweet ring to it? Oh, in Christ Jesus. When the manslayer fled for refuge,
he found no place of safety until he entered the city. He might
know a lot about the city, He might tell you about the size
of the city of refuge, the gates, its walls, its beauty, but he
wasn't safe until he got in, got in that city of refuge. Once
he got in there, the manslayer couldn't touch him. The avenger
rather couldn't touch him. He was safe. Likewise, one can
know much about Christ intellectually. His person, His work, His doctrine. But no blessing of grace is ours
until we are found by faith in Jesus Christ. Oh, let me flee
to Him. Let me be in Christ Jesus. If
I'm in Christ Jesus, the wrath of God will never touch me like
Noah's ark. It absorbed God's wrath. The
wrath of God fell upon the ark, and Jesus Christ was made sin
for me. My sin, God's wrath against my
sin, already fell, and it fell upon my ark, the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, there's no condemnation. There can't be unless God ceases
to be just, and that can never be. No condemnation to those
who are in Christ Jesus. Let's look at a few of these
blessings that are in Christ. Look at verse 4, if you will.
We're told that God hath chosen us in him, that is, in Christ,
before the foundation of the world. Salvation must begin with
a choice. It begins with a choice, Billy.
Now, today's religion says it begins with man's choice. That
man's choice determines the accomplishment of what God has purposed. That
if man doesn't choose to accept it, then it's all in vain. It's all useless. It's all pointless. Oh, but the Bible, the Word of
God declares, God Himself declares that it's not man's choice, but
God's choice. God has chosen you to salvation. Isn't that something? Have you
gotten over that yet? God had chosen you. Oh, the world
drives by. There's those few poor people. There's just a little flock there. They're at Fairmont Grace Church. Take no notice of us. Oh, but
God, God chose us. God took notice of us, isn't
that something? Before he ever created the world.
Before he sets the stars in the heavens. He chose us in Christ
Jesus. Yes, God chooses those whom he
saves. Everything God does, he does
on purpose. How else could he do it? He's
God. Is he like me? Does he have to
back up and punt? Does he make a mistake and have
to start over? You may have noticed in today's
bulletin the hymn selections were the same as they were from
last Sunday. Because your pastor made a mistake. Overlooked it. But God doesn't
make mistakes. God saves his people on purpose. Our great God. Our great God. The God of glory. The only true
and living God is the God of purpose. Absolute, unchangeable
purpose. I like that, don't you? In His
everlasting, eternal purpose of grace, our God has determined. God's determined. Oh, well that
makes it sure, doesn't it? That makes it certain. God has
determined to save a people for the glory of his own great name.
And he sovereignly, constantly rules the entire universe to
accomplish this purpose of grace. This is exactly what Paul wrote
to Timothy in his second epistle, verse 9 of chapter 1. God who
has saved us and called us with the holy calling How? Not according to our works. Not
according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace
which was given us in Christ, in Christ Jesus before the world
began. That pretty much takes us out
of the equation, doesn't it? God chose us in Him. There's no election outside of
Jesus Christ. Our election and our Savior's
election stand and fall together. That's right. The Lamb's Book
of Life, that begins with the inscription of His name. His
name heads the register and our names are below His. Until the
pin of hell can scratch out His name, it can never scratch out
our name. Oh no. Christ is my first elect,
God said, and then chose us. Christ our head. This is exactly what the Lord
said in John 16 John 15 rather verse 16. You've not chosen me
But I've chosen you 2nd Corinthians 2nd Thessalonians, I'm sorry
chapter 2. We are bound to give thanks always
to God for you brethren Beloved of the Lord because God had from
the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the
Spirit and belief of the truth. Notice that all the blessings
of grace was given to chosen sinners according as he had chosen
us in him. Is it any wonder that the psalmist,
the sweet singer in Israel, David, penned these words, blessed,
blessed, happy, happy. Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest. The world pays you no mind. because
God's chosen the weak things, the foolish things, the base
things, to confound the things which are mighty. Oh, he's chosen
you. God is, blessed is the man whom
thou choosest and calls us to approach unto thee. Wow, wow. If God chooses a sinner to salvation,
he's gonna bring that sinner to the Savior. Oh, Christ said,
everyone that has learned of the Father comes to me. No man can come except God draws
him to me. Oh, but by his mighty, omnipotent,
reigning grace, nothing less than that'll do the job. He'll
draw every chosen sinner to his son, chosen to salvation. All the blessings of grace were
given to chosen sinners according as he had chosen us in him. God chose us before the world
began. That's what the verse says. God chose us in Christ. God chose us to make us holy
and without blame before him. God chose us in love. And God's
choice of us was not a mistake. It wasn't a mistake. He'll never
change his mind. A man by the name of Josiah Condor
wrote a hymn years ago. You may have heard it. He wrote,
it is not that I did choose thee, Lord, for that could not be.
This heart would still refuse thee had thou not chosen me.
Thou from the sin that stained me has cleansed and set me free.
Of old thou has ordained me that I should live with thee. Look at verse six. Here's another
one of those blessings that God has given to us in Christ Jesus.
Look at verse 6. To the praise of the glory of
His grace wherein He hath made us, that is God, hath made us
accepted. Another good word. Accepted in
the beloved. He didn't make us acceptable,
but accepted. Our acceptance with God does
not in any way to any degree at any time depend on us. How do you like that? Aren't
you glad to hear that? Aren't you glad that your acceptance
before a holy God in no way at any time depends on you? Your goodness, your merit, oh,
throw in the towel, forget about it. Oh, but our acceptance is
in Him, the Lord Jesus Christ. It's everlasting, unchangeable. Bless God, our acceptance doesn't
depend on us. It didn't begin with us. It's
not been maintained by us, and it can't be changed by us. When
we failed, as we did in our father Adam, listen, we were still accepted
and to be loved. Because Christ stood for us before
Adam failed. Though we came forth from our
mother's womb speaking lies, we were still accepted and to
be loved. Though we spent our days from
our youth up in rebellion against God, we were still accepted in
to be loved. And though even after God has
called us by His grace, after we have experienced His great
salvation, after we come to know the Lamb of God, we still fall
a thousand times a day. That's right. You know it's true.
But yet, we're still accepted in the beloved. Notice what we
read. God has made us accepted. God
put us in Christ. God put us in Christ. And nobody
can take us out. Oh, that's a sweet word, isn't
it? Accepted. Accepted. To be accepted
by friends. To be accepted by family. I remember
when I was about seven years old how unaccepted I remember
feeling when the coal mines where my daddy worked back in the mountains
of West Virginia shut down, and he went to Ohio and found a job.
Youngstown, Ohio. I'd never been in a city of any
size, John. But shortly after that, he moved
us up there. Man, I never did feel like I
belonged in that place. Remember when school started,
the kids made fun of how I talked. They sounded odd to me. They
all laughed at how I talked. I was never happy there. I was
never more happy when I learned that we were moving back to the
mountains, going back to West Virginia. Oh, to be accepted. But to be accepted by God. To
be accepted by God. Never to be rejected. Never to
be refused. How could we be if we're accepted
in Christ? Before God rejects one that's
in Christ, wouldn't He have to reject His Son first? Wouldn't
He have to reject those in whom we are first before He rejects
us? One can't be done without the
other. And glory to God, that He will never do. He said, this
is my beloved son in whom, not with him. This is my beloved
son in whom I am well pleased. And he's well pleased with everyone
that's in his son. One hymn writer put it this way,
in the beloved. In the beloved accepted am I,
risen, ascended, and seated on high, saved from all sin through
his infinite grace, with the redeemed ones, Accorded the place
in the Beloved how safe my retreat In Christ. Oh, what a refuge
come into the ark God told Noah and Noah was saved in the Beloved
how safe my retreat in the Beloved accounted complete Who can condemn
me in him? I'm free Savior and Keeper forever
is He. In the Beloved, God's marvelous
grace caused me to dwell in this wonderful place. God sees my
Savior and then He sees me. In the Beloved, accepted and
free. Accepted in Christ Jesus. Here's a third thing, a third
lesson of being in Christ Jesus. Verse 7. In whom? That is, in Christ. In whom we
have redemption. In whom we have redemption. Please
note that redemption is not in what. Not in what, but in whom. Jesus Christ. What could not
redeem us? Peter said you're not redeemed
with what's. You're not redeemed with silver
and gold. That's not the price of your
redemption. That wasn't the ransom. No, we
could never satisfy God's justice with what's. No amount of what's
could ever wash away my sins, asked the Pharisee. He had a
long list of what's. Listen to this, God. Aren't you
impressed? I'm not like other men. I blah,
blah, blah, blah, blah. He didn't go home justified.
But that sinner, that publican that had nothing to pay, that
poor publican that wouldn't even lift his eyes to the direction
of heaven, all he could say, Lord, be propitious. Be merciful
to me. Be merciful to me through a sacrifice. And Jesus Christ said, he's going
home justified. I just love that passage of scripture. He's going home justified. in the sight of heaven itself
through his blood. You remember what God told Moses? You tell the children of Israel
to apply the blood of that lamb without spot or blemish. And
when I pass through Egypt at midnight and they hear the cries,
the mournful cries, because there won't be a house that death's
not entered, You tell him, don't be afraid. Don't you be afraid. You tell him, when I see the
blood, I'll pass over them. Oh, when God in judgment and wrath passes upon this world, when
he shakes this world, this religious world and everything and everybody,
that's not in Christ Jesus going to fall out. Oh, God said, oh,
but when I see the blood, I'll pass over. Oh, precious is the
flow. That makes me white as snow.
Oh, no other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus. Glorious
redemption, neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his
own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained
eternal Redemption for us. Redemption is in Christ. Redemption
is through the blood. Redemption means forgiveness
of sins. Redemption is according to the
riches of God's grace. And Paul says redemption is ours.
Now, he said unto me, these are they which came out of great
tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in
the blood of the land. But his obedience to God is our
substitute. The Lord Jesus Christ has earned
some things. He merits them. He deserves them
for his people, which God in justice cannot withhold. It would
be wrong to withhold from any of the Lord's people that which
Christ purchased. That's why, again in verse 7,
this must follow redemption, the forgiveness of sins. The
forgiveness of sins. Oh, redemption demands it. Demands
it. There will not be a sinner who
sins the Lord bore upon the cross that will not experience the
forgiveness of sins. All of them. All of them. Anything this side of heaven
more precious than that. The forgiveness of sins. Not
to a real sinner. Not to a real sinner. not to
a real sinner like that poor outcast leper pictures. Lord,
would you have mercy on me? I'm an outcast. I'm unclean.
I'm undone. I can't go home. I'm an outcast. I can't mix with
any company. I'm an outcast. I can't go to
the temple. I'm an outcast. Lord, if you
will, you can make me clean. Can you just picture the Lord
Jesus Christ as he reached forth his hand and touched him? I will. I will. Oh, what music that must
have been to that leopard's ears. I will be thou clean. Or how
about that poor blind beggar sitting by the wayside? Jesus
of Nazareth, have mercy on me. Your moment of hope. Your moment
of hope. If you pass me by, I'll remain
in darkness. Have mercy on me. And we read
these glorious words. In response to that beggar's
call, we read that Jesus Christ stood still. I was listening
to David Coleman on a CD on the way to church, Bobby. I am so
glad, David was singing, I am so glad that God saves old sinners. I'm surprised and amazed how
he sets them free. But the biggest surprise in God
saving old sinners, that He would save an old sinner like me. Jesus, don't pass me by. Lord, have mercy on me. You don't
have to. You don't have to. Oh, have mercy
on me. And Jesus Christ stood still. Isn't that something? We read
in Revelation 14, these were redeemed from among men. being the firstfruits of God,
and unto the Lamb. And in their mouth was found
no gout, for they are without fault, wow, they are without
fault before the throne of God. The prophet Jeremiah wrote, In
those days and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity
of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none. You
can't find what doesn't exist. There shall be none in the sins
of Judah, and they shall not be found, for I will pardon them
whom I have reserved." Look at verse 10. We have the promise
of a gathering, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might,
that is God, might gather together in one all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him. Oh, what a glorious family reunion
that will be. All believers will be gathered
together with Jesus Christ, the church on earth and the church
in heaven. Mr. Toplady says when a believer
dies, he goes from the church below to the church above. That's where a child of God goes
when he leaves this world, to be with Christ. Then you talked
about that, I think, last week, didn't we, at the service building.
To be absent from the body, to be absent from the body is to
be present with the Lord. Imagine, John, I sometimes try
to imagine, but my imagination just won't reach that high, what
that first look is going to be like. Imagine that first look. at Jesus Christ, because now,
at the very best, we see through a glass darkly. Oh, but not then.
Then it'll be face to face. I've told you the story, I'm
sure, before, about Fannie Crosby, who wrote so many, so many of
our good hymns, blind, as you know. One day a preacher was
visiting her home, and he said, I think it's a shame that God
in His Mercy didn't grant you sight so that you could see. And she said, you know what?
You know what? It must have shocked that preacher.
If I had been granted one request, it would be that I'd have been
blind, been born blind. Preacher was just surprised.
He said, what? Why? Why would you say such a
thing? She said, because when my eyes are finally open, The
first sight I'm going to see is the face of my Redeemer. She wrote, some day the silver
cord will break and I know more as now shall seem, but all the
joy when I awake within the palace of the King and I shall see. Face to face. Makes you want
to go, don't it? I shall see him face to face
and tell the story saved by grace. Oh, I shall see him face to face
and tell the story saved by grace. As you know, a few weeks ago,
I attended a family reunion. But not everybody was there.
There were two brothers that didn't make it. Well, there won't
be anybody absent when Jesus Christ gathers his family. his
children to be with him forever. They'll all be there. They'll
all be there. There won't be none absent. Father,
I will that they, all of them, also whom thou hast given me,
be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory. Oh, my, what a reunion. A multitude
that no man can number. John saw them. John saw them.
And he said, they all were waving the palm leaf of victory. giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. They're all dressed
in immaculate, perfect robes. The righteousness of Jesus Christ.
And they all sing the same song. Glory, glory to the Lamb that
setteth upon the throne. Look at verse 11. It speaks of
an inheritance. An inheritance. Verse 11, we'll
bring this to a close. In whom also, that is in Christ,
in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will." We have obtained an inheritance.
We're joint heirs with Christ. This inheritance is ours because
of our relationship with Him. We're with Him. Remember what
Peter wrote in his first epistle, chapter 1? Peter, an apostle,
of Jesus Christ to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus,
and Galatia, and Cappadocia, and Asia, and Bithynia, elect
according to the foreknowledge of God, through sanctification
of the Spirit, and unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus Christ. Grace unto you and peace be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy
have begotten us again into a lively hope. by the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible
and undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for
you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation,
ready to be revealed in the last time. An inheritance that will
never fade away, can never be lost, can never be stolen. We
must inherit that. You know why? Because our testator
liveth. He liveth. Can you imagine if
at the reading of someone's last will and testament, if the one
who wrote it was present? There would be no argument, there
wouldn't be any uncertainty, there wouldn't be any disputes.
Our testator liveth. In Hebrews chapter 9 verse 15
through 17, and for this cause Christ is the mediator of the
New Testament. that by the means of death, for
the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament,
they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the
death of the testator. For a testament is a force after
men are dead. Otherwise, it is of no strength
at all while the testator liveth. Our testator died, but he lives
forever now. He rose again. And I believe
you'll see to it that all that He wills will be carried out. It'll be carried out. God, give
us grace to trust our faithful Savior. He will do all things
well. He will fulfill everything according
to His will and testament. Let us sing with David when he
was about to leave this world and said, although my house be
not so with God, yet He had made with me an everlasting covenant.
It's ordered in all things insure. And this is all my salvation
and all my desire, although he make it not to grow. Let me close
with these words from verse 13 here in Ephesians 1, in whom
he also trusted. Trusted. Oh, why shouldn't we? Has he ever give us reason not
to trust him? Oh, how sweet to trust in Jesus. How secure, how accepted, how
loved, how blessed. There's a brief article in your
bulletin, a story about William Guthrie. He was a preacher and
he was visiting a lady who was dying, an unbeliever. He presented
the gospel to her and God saved her. God gave her faith. And
when he got home, he told his family, I've seen some strange
things today. He said, a woman whom I found
in a state of nature that is lost, I saw in a state of grace
saved, and I lived in a state of glory. Isn't that something? Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Amen. God bless you. God bless
Egypt.