Paul in Ephesians 1 in verse
3 tells us what God has done for us, what he's done for all
his people. That he's blessed us with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Then he tells us in verses
4 through 6 how God did it. And included in that, verse 6,
which is our text, he had made us accepted in to be loved. Notice that Paul writes that
in the past tense. We were accepted in Christ by
God the Father from eternity. God has always looked upon us
as in the Beloved. That's why when Adam sinned,
he wasn't destroyed then and there, because Christ had stood
as our substitute before that. As you've often heard said, before
there was a sinner, there was a Savior. He's the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world, accepted in Christ. justified
in his righteousness, holy in his spotless innocence, perfect
in his perfection, lovely in his loveliness. There is one
verse, I think, that describes all those things in Ezekiel chapter
16. I love this verse of Scripture. After the Lord has come in grace
and mercy, saved that dying infant that was cast out into the field,
That's a picture of what we were by nature, helpless, hopeless,
but God. Then he closes, and in verse
14, the prophet sort of sums up the result of God's glorious
work of salvation and grace. And thy renown, that is, the
believer, the church, God's people, thy renown went forth among the
heathen for thy beauty. For it was perfect. For it was
perfect. Through my comeliness. Oh, we
must add that. How in the world could anything
about us be considered perfect except for this? And remember,
considered perfect by God himself. God hath made us accepted in
to be loved. And God said it must be perfect
to be accepted. The heathen for thy beauty, for
it was perfect through my comeliness, which I have put upon thee. I've
dressed you in my perfect robe of righteousness. Everything
I have is yours. Everything that God Almighty
requires is yours. You have it in me, and therefore,
it's perfect. You're complete. You don't lack
anything in God's dear Son, saith the Lord God. John wrote, as he is, that is
Christ, so are we in this present world. Notice our acceptance
is not our work, is it? It doesn't say anything about
it being artwork. It says that He, that is God,
has made us accepted in the beloved. It's not done by us in time,
but it was done by God from eternity. Before the first Adam fell, the
second Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ stood. stood. When I say stood,
I mean he became responsible for all that was owed by his
church, by his elect, by his chosen. He took the debt of their
sin upon himself and he promised. He promised God the Father in
that covenant of grace. That's another one of those blessed,
blessed truths, doctrines. teachings of God's Word that
you don't hear much about in today's religious world. But
there is such a thing, thank God, as the everlasting covenant
of grace, where God purposed the salvation of His people.
And involved in that, the Holy Trinity, God the Son, promised
to come in the fullness of time. God's time and do everything
that's necessary to secure the salvation of all of His people. All those that God the Father
entrusted into His hands, He became responsible for. And since
that time, God doesn't look to us for any satisfaction. No,
He looks to His Son who promised to do all that was necessary
on the behalf of His people. I hear men talk about their part
in salvation. Now, just what might that be?
Their part in salvation. But the book of God, God's Word,
only speaks of God's part. Salvation, this Word teaches
us, from beginning to end, is all of the Lord. Our text says,
He, He, that is, God, not you, not me, but God, hath made us
We're the recipients of this great blessing. Had made us,
it's God's doing, and he has made us accepted. Accepted by
God himself. God himself, in the beloved,
that is, in Christ. One old hymn writer expressed
it in these words, and I think they're good. He wrote, "'Twixt
Jesus and the chosen race subsists the bond of sovereign grace,
that hell with its infernal train shall never dissolve nor rend
entwine. What God hath joined together,
let no man put asunder.'" You remember, turn back if you will
for a moment to Genesis chapter 2. You remember The Lord God
said concerning the man Adam that he had created and placed
in the garden, he said, it's not good that he should be alone. I'll make him a helpmeet. And
he created the animals and let them pass before Adam. Well,
let's read of it in Genesis 2, verse 18. And the Lord God said,
it is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a helpmeet
for him. And out of the ground the Lord
God formed every beast of the field and every fowl of the air,
and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them.
And whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the
name thereof. And Adam gave names to all the
cattle and to the fowl of the air. and to every beast of the
field, but for Adam there was not found at help meet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep
sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept. And he took one of
his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof, and of the rib,
and the rib which the Lord had taken from man, made he a woman. and brought her unto the man.
Adam said, this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman because
she was taken out of man. And even so it was with Christ. We were chosen in him, we read
it a moment ago, before the foundation of the world. As Eve was in Adam
before she was actually brought forth, we were in Christ, chosen
in Him before the world began and called to Him by His mighty
grace in time. Flesh of His flesh and bone of
His bone. In chapter 5 of Ephesians, Paul
even mentions that and he applies that That union that exists between
a husband and wife is that union that exists between Christ and
His Church. Eve sinned. Eve disobeyed God. She ate the forbidden fruit.
Now, I don't know whether it was a moment, a day, but there
was a time. There was some space of time
How long, how brief, I don't know, but Eve had fallen and
Adam hadn't fallen, and they were separated by sin. And it's
my opinion that Adam, for that reason, yes, he acted in disobedience
and he was responsible for it, and God held him accountable
for it, but because of his love for Eve, he couldn't be with
her. In her fallen state, he likewise took that forbidden
fruit. Paul says in Romans 5, through
that act, that act of disobedience, many were made sinners. But through
Christ the second Adam, by his gracious act of obedience, many
shall be made righteous. And Christ did the same for you
and I. God made him to be what he never
was. God made him to be sin. Man couldn't
do that. By God's permission, by Christ
giving himself to man, they can mock him, they can ridicule him,
they can beat him, they can spit in his face, they can nail him
to a cross, but man could never do this. It took a holy Lord
God to do this. Make him to be sin. He took the
forbidden fruit because his bride was fallen. She could not reach
up to Him, so He comes down to her, made of a woman, made under
the law, bone of our bones and flesh of our flesh. Paul said,
this is a great mystery, and indeed it is, but he said, I
speak concerning Christ and His church. And God made Him to be
sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the very
righteousness of God in Him. Remember when they came to John
the Baptist and said, are you the Christ? Who are you? Are
you the Messiah? Are you the promised one? He
said, no, no, no. I've told you before, he that
has the bride, he's the bridegroom. The bride, the church, that belongs
to Christ. God gave us to Christ before
the foundation of the world and he's married to us. He's our
husband. We're one with him. that he might
be the firstborn among many brethren. Remember what he said in John
12, speaking of himself and the necessity of his death. He said,
except the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides
alone, speaking of himself. But if it die, it bringeth forth
much fruit. Bless God, there'll be a multitude
of redeemed in glory. John saw them and he said a multitude
that none can number. One in the tomb, one when he
rose. One when he triumphed over his
foes. One when in heaven he took his
seat while seraphs sang all hell's defeat. Let's look at this blessed
verse of scripture for just a moment and consider a few things. He
has made us accepted in the beloved. First, the one in whom we're
accepted. Oh, let's not fail to see this
as the sweetest morsel on the plate, is it not? Christ himself. The beauty of our faith is the
one in whom we believe. The beauty of Christianity is
Christ himself. He gives beauty to all the blessed
truths of God's Word, the Beloved. That sums it all up, does it
not? Jesus Christ himself, having him. Having Him, we have everything. It said it pleased God that in
Him should all fullness dwell. Ponder that, and then consider
this. If that be so, then if I have
Him, I'm complete in Him. If in He, or rather in Him, all
fullness dwells, and I'm in Him, I'm a partaker of all the fullness. The Beloved, Christ Himself. One old hymn writer said this,
this sacred tie, this union, This eternal everlasting union,
this sacred tie, forbids our fears. For all he is and has
is ours. With Christ our head, we stand
or fall. Now I find that comforting. With
Christ our head, we stand or fall, our life, our surety, our
all. God's love for his Son, who can
imagine that? This is my beloved Son in whom
I am well pleased. In the covenant of grace, as
Paul tells us here in verse 3, In this covenant of grace, all
the blessings of grace were given into his hands. Paul, in writing
to Timothy, said, God who has saved us and called us with the
holy calling, not according to our works, then according to
what? His own purpose and grace, which
was what? Given us in Christ Jesus before
the world began. That pretty much takes it out
of our hands, does it not? All of his chosen and called
love him too. His love is effectual. But we
love Him because He first loved us. We have great reason, great
cause to love Him. Oh, but He loved us freely. Freely. That means without a
cause. without a cause. I am his and
he is mine. Is that not a precious thought?
Is that not comforting? If you go home tonight and you
lay down, think of that. May God bring that to your heart
and mind. I'm his. I'm his. He that keepeth Israel, his church,
his people, shall neither slumber nor sleep. Oh, and I lay down
the night knowing, knowing that I'm in His hand. In His hand,
and none can pluck me out. I don't know when I wake up tomorrow
what might happen. Don't have a clue what the day
might bring forth, but I know this. Regardless of what changes
may come my way, regardless of whether they be good or bad,
I know this. He that sits upon the throne
of eternal glory and absolute sovereignty, I'm still in his
hand and there's nothing can pluck me out. Oh, how comforting. What an everlasting union we
have. And that's our second thought.
This union, of being accepted and to be loved. It's an everlasting
union. We've never been considered otherwise. Think of that. I know these are
beyond our puny little brains, but 14 times in these verses
that I read, Paul uses that expression, in Christ, or words very much
to the same effect, in Christ, or near the same. Our relationship
to God has always existed because of Him. Everything Paul mentions
here. He has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places. How? Where? In Christ. He chose us in Christ. He accepts
us in Christ. He calls us in Christ. He keeps
us in Christ. We'll be brought back to glory
and stand before the throne of God robed in the perfect righteousness
of Jesus Christ. Our relationship to God has always
been because of Him. It rests solely upon Him. No wonder we sing with that thought
in mind. That's a solid rock. On Christ
the solid rock I stand. Nothing can sweep me off. Nothing
can take me away from that. Christ himself said, I build
my church upon this blessed truth of my own person, who I am, my
own worth, my own merit. And because of that, because
of that, the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Peter
in his first epistle. exhorted God's people to always
be ready to give an answer to anyone that should ask you the
reason of the hope that's in you. Now, it's a sight, the answers,
the various answers that people give to that question. What's
your hope of entering glory? Ask the average person today.
What's your hope of standing before God and hearing Him say,
and are into the joy prepared for you from the foundation of
the world. What's your hope? Do you have
a foundation, a basis for a good hope? And people say, well, I'm
a pretty good person. I've always been a good moral
man. I've always tried to live by the golden rule. And I've
always tried to do what's right. The only good hope that the Word
of God holds out for any sinner is Jesus Christ Himself and nothing
else. Thank God we can answer that
question. Anyone ask me, what's the reason
of my hope? Why do I feel like I'm accepted
before God? What's my hope of glory? What's
my hope when I close my eyes to this world to open them and
behold the King in His beauty? My soul what a glorious prospect.
What's my hope for such a work as that? And it's nothing in
myself, it's this, Jesus Christ, period. Put a great big period
on the end of that, because plus nothing and minus nothing, Jesus
Christ himself and nothing else. Perhaps you've read the article
in the bulletin this morning, but included in that article
is a story about an old preacher in Scotland who was dying. And
he was visited by another preacher, a friend of his, and as he entered
his room where this dear man lay dying, he asked him, what
are you doing now, brother? What are you doing? And he raised
up a little and said, what am I doing? I'll tell you what I'm
doing. I'm gathering up every sermon
I ever preached. Every prayer I ever prayed, every
good deed and every bad deed, and I'm taking them all together
and throwing them overboard, and I'm selling the glory on
the plank of God's free grace. Jesus only is our plea. Jesus only is our hope, period. Nothing else. We're complete
in Him. Turn if you will to Galatians,
Galatians chapter 1. Paul tells us here why we are
accepted and to be loved, why we have reason for a good hope. In chapter 1, verse 12, look
what Paul says here. Giving thanks unto the Father,
as Paul said in Ephesians 1 and 6, made us accepted and to be
loved. Here he says, giving thanks unto the Father, Galatians 1
and 12, which have made us meet. Notice that word meet. It means
fit. It means fit. It means worthy. My soul, think of that. Has made
us meet or fit? proper to be partakers of the
inheritance of the saints in light, who had delivered us from
the power of darkness and had translated us into the kingdom
of his dearest Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood,
even the forgiveness of sins." And Paul, once he mentions Christ,
he's gone. His favorite subject. And he
just goes on talking about Christ. He mentions what we have, what
God has given us, and he says it's in Christ. Let's talk about
Him. Who is the image of the invisible
God? The firstborn of every creature,
for by Him are all things created. that are in heaven and that are
in earth, visible, invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers, all things were created by Him
and for Him, and He is before all things. And by Him, all things
consist. He's our hope. We're complete
in Him, complete righteousness, complete acceptance. Why would
God not accept us? If He's made us acceptable in
His Son, before He would reject one of His own, wouldn't He have
to reject His Son? And that can never be. He said,
I'm well pleased in Him. All that He does, all that He
is, I find complete satisfaction in Him and with us in His Son. God has made Him to be unto us
wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
everything that God demands. This union with Christ, it's
a living union. He said, because I live, ye shall
live also. Our relationship to Christ is
not based upon a list of do's and don'ts. That's what religion
throws out. No, our union with Christ is
a living union. We know whom we have believed. Bless God, our Redeemer liveth,
Job says. We have a living Savior. It's
a loving union. Love with an everlasting love. And it's a lasting union. This
union began and existed long before we were aware of it. Oh,
what a joy it is. when God in time makes us aware
of it. As we read just a moment ago,
when he and his grace and mercy calls us out of that darkness
that engulfed us and translate us into the kingdom of his dear
son and we become aware that we're his. And then we know love
with an everlasting love and what a blessing it is. But our
awareness of it is not when it began. Oh no, we were chosen
as we read in Ephesians 1 before the foundation of the world.
One with Him in eternal election. Salvation began with a choice.
Oh yeah, yeah. Salvation begins with a choice.
God's choice, not man's. but God's. He chose us in his
son. Thou art my first elect, God
said. And then chose us in Christ our
head. The Lamb's Book of Life. The
Lamb's Book of Life. Our Lord told his disciples,
those 70. that were sent out to preach the gospel and to heal
the sick and to cast out devils. They came back rejoicing. He
said in this, rejoice not. Rejoice rather that your book,
that your names rather are written in heaven. It's His book. The Lamb's book. And His name
tops the front page. His name heads the list and then
all of His chosen under His. And until His name is removed,
Ours will never be removed. Isn't that sweet assurance? Our
assurance, our peace is derived from this, not what we are. It's no wonder when folks get
their eyes off Christ and begin to examine themselves, it's no
wonder they take a nosedive. No wonder they're discouraged.
But the basis of our assurance is not in our merit, but His. Not in our worth, but His. Not in our value, but His. Oh, there's the great difference.
This union also is a legal union. He became responsible for all
his people owed, as we mentioned this morning. And since then,
God looks for satisfaction, not to us, but to Christ. Aren't
you thankful that so? Christ and his people being one
in a legal sense, John Gill said, He wrote, Christ and his people
being one, their sins become his. They actually became his. He was made sin. Our sins were
born away by him. And his righteousness, likewise,
in the same sense, become ours for real. Adam represented all
men. And when he fell, we fell in
him. When he died spiritually, we
died in him. The curse fell upon us as it
did him because he didn't act alone. He acted as the representative
of all mankind. Likewise, Christ represented
all of his own. He acted for them in everything
he did. And all that he did, he puts
on the account of his people. Now, thirdly, accepted in to
be loved. Look at the position that we
occupy. What a glorious place to be.
Accepted in to be loved. Translated. The word means, the
word here from which the accepted is translated from means highly
favored. Praiseworthy. Now don't let that
go by real quick. God's people is favored. Praise worthy. Our acceptance
with god in the beloved is complete. It's perfect. It's absolute. Justified from all things. All things. My soul, how that
poor publican must have been rejoicing when he left the temple. When the lord of Justified. God Almighty. In the court of heaven, there's
no record against that man. In the court of heaven, he's
been pronounced not guilty. Justified. Justified. Freed from
all sin. Turn, if you will, to Zephaniah.
Zephaniah. Zephaniah. chapter three. There's only three chapters but
in the last chapter of Zephaniah, there's a precious verse of scripture
here concerning our relationship with the triune God. What God
has done and has promised to do. Verse seventeen, the Lord thy
God in the midst of thee, that is his church, is mighty. He
will save He will save. I can't help but point out when
we read verses like that, so contrary to what we hear. God's
trying to save her. He wants to save her if you'll
help him save. No, no, no. He will save. And
he will rejoice over thee with joy. Imagine that. He will rejoice over thee with
joy. Now, I don't know that it's so
or not. But I recall reading, I think,
a sermon by Mr. Spurgeon in which he used the
illustration, it's like, I believe he said, a meadowlark, a bird. She has little ones in her nest
and she flies above them and looks down and just sings with
joy, finding satisfaction in her little ones. And he said,
this is the picture here. God will rejoice over thee with
joy. He will rest in his love. He
will joy over thee with singing. Isn't that amazing? He will rest
in his love. What does that mean? What does
that mean? Oh, I think it means he'll be
satisfied. in his blessed purchase, in his
people. He labored in love for the joy
that was set before him. He endured the cross. He endured the wrath of God. He trod the winepress alone. Oh, but now, now that's over. Now He rests in His love. He
rests in the fruit of it, the outcome of it. He sees the joy
that was set before Him that He endured the cross for. When
He had by Himself purged our sins, what did He do? What did
he do? He sat down, Louis. The job was
done. He was complete. So he sits down,
and now he rests in his love. The prophet said, He shall see
a travail of his soul, and he'll be satisfied by his knowledge. Shall my righteous servant justify
many? For he shall bear their iniquity. Satisfied. Why? He rests in His
love. Why? Rejoices over us. Why? Because in Him we don't
have a spot or a blemish. No wonder we're told that we're
accepted and beloved. Why would God not accept us?
Our acceptance? is as immutable, as unchanging
as God himself. It does not depend on us. It never has. It never has. And knowing something about us,
knowing what we are, O wretched man that I am, I am so thankful
that my acceptance before the Lord God is not dependent upon
me. And the only people that have
a problem with that blessed truth are the self-righteous. Those
who are building a foundation upon something else instead of
the Lord Jesus Christ. But all for a needy sinner, that's
good news to their ears, accepted in the beloved. People hear that
and say, oh, that's terrible. You ought not preach that. That'll
lead people to sin. No, it won't. No, it won't. John
said, Behold, what matter of love the Father hath bestowed
upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. And every man
that has this hope runs out in sins. John says, no, every man
that has this hope, every true believer, every child of God
with the nature of Christ within them purges himself, purifies
himself even as he is pure. My soul through many changes
goes. His love, no variation knows. The fourth thing and the last
thing. This is a divine work. This is a divine work. This is
a work worthy of God. This is God's work. He had made
us accepted in the beloved. We are His workmanship. And this was done before there
was anybody else around. How can man take credit? God
did this before man was actually created. Our faith in time is
the fruit of our acceptance from eternity and the assurance of
our acceptance. Praise God, we say. and rightly
so. The psalmist said, Psalm 115,
not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory
for thy truth and for thy mercy's sake. Praise God from whom all
blessings flow. Praise him, all creatures here
below. Praise him above ye heavenly hosts. Praise father, son, and
holy ghost. In 2 Samuel chapter 7, Nathan comes to David who wanted
to build a temple, a house of worship in honor of his God. But God wouldn't allow him to
do it. But He did send Nathan to him with this promise. When
you're gone, I'll give your son Solomon that honor. And when
David heard that news, well, that's in 2 Samuel 7, verse 12. 2 Samuel 7, verse 12. And when thy days, this is Nathan
speaking to David. And when thy days be fulfilled,
and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seat
over thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will
establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for not
my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I think he speaks of someone
other than Solomon here too, don't you? Look down at verse
15. But my mercy shall not depart
away from him. as I took it from Saul, whom
I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom
shall be established forever before thee. Thy throne shall
be established forever." When David hears this news, he goes
in in verse 18. Oh, this is the proper response
to a sinner like me, saved by God's matchless grace. How could
it be anything less than this? Then went King David in and sat
before the Lord and he said, Who am I? Who am I? Oh Lord God. and what is my house that thou
hast bought me hitherto? Verse 21. For thy word's sake,
and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great
things to make thy servant know them. Wherefore thou art great,
O Lord God, for there is none like thee, neither is there any
god beside thee, according to all that he hath heard, or rather,
according to all that we have heard with our ears. Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable
gift.