Ephesians chapter 1. If someone
were to ask you this morning this question, what is a Christian? What is a Christian? How would
you answer that? Most people today, sadly, believe
that a Christian is someone who goes to church, kind of on a
regular basis. And it doesn't really matter
where they go. Because people who believe that's what makes
a Christian, just someone who goes to church, also believe
it doesn't matter where you go because most churches are basically
the same after all. Have you ever been told that? Or others believe that A Christian
is someone who, sometime in their life, made a profession of faith. The popular term is a decision
for Jesus. It didn't affect their life afterwards
whatsoever, but they rest secure in that decision they made somewhere,
sometime, in response to the plea of the evangelist to come
forward and repeat a prayer. They do it, then they go out
unchanged, unconcerned, but they'll say, I'm a Christian. Why? Because I made a decision. But what is a believer, a Christian,
according to God's word? Now, that's the answer I'm interested
in, aren't you, Lord? Not what modern-day religion
has to say, not what a preacher may have told me, but what does
God's Word say? How does it define a believer? They are called various things
in God's Word, and they all apply to his people, as we read here
in Ephesians chapter 1. In verse seven, they're called
the redeemed, redeemed of the Lord. Before that, in verse four,
they're described as chosen, chosen in him. These are all
distinguishing marks. What I mean by that, they don't
apply to everybody. They don't apply to everybody. carries with it that God chose
some, not all. And those very same ones, as
we read in this chapter and throughout the Word of God, those very same
ones that God, in his purpose of grace, chose to salvation
before the world began, are the very same ones that Christ came
to this world for in order to redeem. The very same ones. Turn, if you will, for a moment
to Revelation chapter 14. We see a picture of this in Revelation
chapter 14 in just a few verses. The chosen, the redeemed, these
are, as we said, distinguishing marks not true of all men, as
is stated very plainly here in Revelation chapter 14 verse 3.
These 144,000 represent God's elect, the redeemed in glory. They're all there, a particular
number. And they sing, as it were, a
new song before the throne and before the four beasts. Well,
I declare, it's not hard to understand why they would be singing, is
it? They're before the throne of God. They see the king and
his beauty. They bask in the countenance
of his eternal delight upon them. He's well-pleased in them, and
they're well-pleased in him. No wonder they sing. And before
the four beasts and the elders, and no man could learn that song
except the hundred and forty and four thousand which were
redeemed, notice now, which were redeemed from the earth. not with the earth. If Christ
redeemed all men on earth, they would all be here before the
throne. If not, he failed, brother-in-law,
but he didn't. He didn't. He didn't fail. because
our great high priest, when he entered in one time into the
holy place, obtained eternal redemption for us. That's the
language of Scripture. He didn't attempt to do it. He
did it. And that's why he cried. It is
finished. Perfect. Complete. Verse 4. These are they which are not
defiled with women, for they are virgins, spiritually pure. These are they which follow the
Lamb, whithersoever he goeth." Wherever he goes, they follow. These were redeemed from among
men. There you have it again in even
plainer language. These were redeemed not with
all men, but from among men, being the firstfruits unto God
and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found
no guile, for they are without fault. I had that highlighted
in my Bible. For they are without fault. Imagine
that. Without fault before the throne
of God. How can that be? How can that
be? We read it in Ephesians chapter
1. Because they are accepted in
the beloved. He's without fault. They're without
fault in him. Not only are believers described,
identified as elect, chosen, and they're redeemed, but they're
also called, often in scriptures, the called. The called. The called of the Lord. Notice
what Paul says in verse 15 of Ephesians 1 again. In verse 15 he says, Wherefore,
I also after have heard of your faith. Heard of your faith. Was it genuine faith? James speaks
of a false faith. Oh, but we know this is genuine
faith, because look what Paul says. After I heard of your faith
in the Lord Jesus. That identifies it as the real
McCoy. That's the real thing. Their
faith is in the only object There is for true faith and that's
the Lord Jesus. Behold, the Lamb of God. And until I behold him, everything
else I know, think I know, everything else I've experienced amounts
to nothing. Until I behold the Lamb of God,
I have no clue. I cannot know that I'm one of
his chosen. I can never know whether he redeemed
me, not until by the grace of God, the effectual call of God's
Holy Spirit, he brings me to behold the Lamb of God. That's faith. That's faith. How do I know it's genuine? Does
it rest upon the Lord Jesus Christ? Does it see him the only substitute
for sinners? Then it's the real thing. And
notice what Paul prays for. Notice what he prays for in verse
16. He says, I cease not to give
thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. He says, I pray for you. You're
saved. I know you are. I know you're
God's chosen. I know you're redeemed. I know
this because God called you. I know this is so because when
I came to Ephesus and preached the gospel, you didn't receive
it as the word of a man, but as it is indeed in truth, the
very word of God, and you believed. You believed. What now, Paul? Since they're true believers,
what will you tell them? Sit down, take your ease, eat,
drink, and be merry? No. No, Paul doesn't say that. Notice what he says. He prays
in verse 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation
in the knowledge of him. Paul says, I pray for you that
God will give you a deeper further revelation of Christ in the knowledge
of him. Paul knew they would always stand
in need of that. They would always be the best
thing he could pray to God on their behalf, that they would
know more of him. The old hymn says, oh, more about
Jesus. More about Jesus. More of His
fullness. More of His grace. More of His
glory. The more I see of Him, the better
off I am. Is it not so? Is it not so, believer? Is that not always the case with
you? Or when the storms of life are
raging, what comforts your heart? Hmm? What comforts your heart? To know and to perceive and to
believe by faith that He stands by me. To hear Him come walking
up on the storms of life and speak to you as only He can and
say, It is I. It is I. Be not afraid. Oh, more about Jesus would I
know. And notice further what Paul
prayed for in verse 18. The eyes of your understanding
being enlightened that ye may know. He mentions three things
in verses 18 and 19. Three what's. That ye may know
what is the hope of his calling. and what the riches of the glory
of his inheritance in the saints. And the third one, and what is
the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe,
according to the working of his mighty power. We want to just
consider one, the first one that Paul said, he prayed for them
to know, the hope of his calling. the hope of his calling. They'd
already been called, but Paul wants them to know the value
of that call, the worth of that call, the blessedness of being
called by God's mighty grace, the hope of it. And first of
all, notice who does the calling. Who does the calling? The hope
rests right here. Here's the very essence of the
hope. This is what makes it a hope
after all. It's God's calling. God's calling. Turn, if you will, to 1 Thessalonians
1. And, of course, what Paul speaks
of here is not the external call. What I mean by that, and we'll
read of that here in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, there's an external
call wherever the gospel is preached. To everyone to whom it is preached,
there's an outward call. Behold the Lamb of God. Come
to Christ. Believe on Him. But that call
itself and by itself is never effectual. It's the means that
God uses, yes. But unless it is accompanied
by God's Holy Spirit with what we refer to as the internal call,
the inward call, it'll never produce faith. Paul speaks of
this in 1 Thessalonians 1, verse 4. Knowing, brethren beloved,
your election of God, How could they know that? How could they
know that? How can any man know that he's
one of God's elect? Paul tells us plainly in verse
5. For our gospel came not unto
you in word only, but also in power. In word only, that's just
an outward call. Oh, but when it comes in power,
the power of God's Holy Spirit, but also in power, and in the
Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as ye know what manner of men
we were among you for your sake, and ye became followers of us
and of the Lord. and of the Lord. Oh, yes, this
is the call of God. And until this is known, until
this call is experienced personally, we can know nothing about election,
for example. It cannot possibly be known. Only by those who are called.
Turn back a few pages to Romans, Romans chapter 1. We want to
look at a few scriptures that tell us plainly of what Paul
speaks of in Ephesians 1, this call of God, the hope of such
a calling. Look what Paul says in Romans
1, verses 6 and 7. Among whom are ye also the called
of Jesus Christ. The called of Jesus Christ. All that be in Rome, beloved
of God, called to be saints. Grace to you and peace from God
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn over to Romans chapter
8. You probably thought, suspected
that we would be going here, didn't you? Romans chapter 8.
In between God's foreknowledge, God's foreloving, loving beforehand,
and His predestinating, and Christ redeeming, there comes the call. Between those is the call of
God's grace. Verse 28, and we know that all
things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are thee called. thee called according to his
purpose. For whom he did foreknow, them
he also did predestinate, to be conformed to the image of
his son, that he, that is his son, might be the firstborn among
many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called. called. They must be called by
God's grace. It's as important, as essential,
as necessary to salvation as election. Election by itself
doesn't save anyone. It's God's purpose to save. It's
the springboard of God's salvation certainly, but that's not all. It doesn't stop there. It didn't
make void redemption, did it? It didn't make unnecessary Christ
coming into this world, did it? Oh no. It includes that. Those
God chose must also be redeemed. And even that. by itself doesn't
save. Unless this also is included,
the calling, the calling out of darkness, the calling from
death to life, that's also essential. And Paul speaks of that here
in the verses that we read. Without this calling by God to
grace, there's no reason to feel that I've been chosen by God's
grace. This is as essential as redemption. One more. Turn, if you will,
to 2 Peter. 2 Peter chapter 1. 2 Peter 1 verses 10 and 11. There's
no bypassing calling. The call of grace, the experience
of grace in the heart of every true child of God. It's essential
to salvation as well. You can't get around it. The
other day, Thursday, as I was driving back from North Carolina,
I went right through Atlanta. That's a mess, Joe. Abby, you
sure you want to go there? Man, I don't know if it was rush
hour or not, but I would want to be there if it wasn't. Just
eight lanes, zip, zip, zip, zip. I thought, man, I wish I could
have bypassed this mess, but I couldn't. That's the route
I was directed to take. And there's no bypassing God's
calling between election and glory, redemption, but also this
calling. And look what Peter says in verse
10 of 2 Peter chapter 1. Wherefore, the rather, Brethren,
give diligence to make your calling and election sure. For if you
do these things, you shall never fall. For an entrance shall be
ministered unto you abundantly and to the everlasting kingdom
of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. God's call, not the preacher's
call, not mama's call, Not the soul winner's call, but God's
call, this call that Paul speaks of here, this hope of God's calling,
it's always, and I like this, it's always effectual. Always. What does that mean?
It always works. It always accomplishes its purpose. When God calls a sinner to Christ,
you know what happens. Every time, without exception,
that sinner will come to Christ. You say, but they're not willing.
Oh, they'll become willing. included in that call of grace. And it's not a, pretty please,
will you let me do something for you. God doesn't talk that
way. We may talk that way, but God
doesn't. When God's Holy Spirit in powerful
effectual grace comes to a sinner and calls him, you know what
that sinner does, he comes. When God says, come down sinner,
you know what happens. That sinner comes down. Why? Because God's will is stronger
than his will. And God's will overcomes his
will. Aren't you glad that's true?
Aren't you glad that's true? Poor ignorant blind people say,
oh no, I don't like the sound of that. God's going to interfere
with my will if he doesn't. If he doesn't, you'll go to hell. You'll go to hell. If God Almighty
doesn't come to where you're at and call you as what Paul
describes here, with this hope of His calling, until you experience
that, you'll never come to Him. Turn, if you will, to 2 Timothy.
Let's look at another verse. 2 Timothy 1. Paul speaks of it
here throughout the Word of God, this call. In 2 Timothy 1, verse
8. Paul knows shortly he'll be leaving
this world. He already hears the footsteps
of the executioner at the door. And he says, Timothy, verse 8,
Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord,
nor of me, his prisoner. But be thou partaker of the afflictions
of the gospel according to the power of God, who hath saved
us and called us with a holy calling. Not according to our
works. Read that again. Read that again. Not according to our works. If
you'll take the first step, God will take the rest. Not according
to our works. God's done all He can do now,
it's up to you, not according to our works, who have saved
us and called us, not according to our works, but according to
His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ before
the world began. I know that the custom and practice
in our day is to convince people, and it's... Sad to say. Sad to say. I would to God that
it wasn't so. But it's going on all around
us now. All around us. Men are standing
just as I am at this same time. They say they're speaking for
God, but they're doing everything they can to convince sinners
that this thing called salvation is easy. It's easy. There's nothing to it. Is that
not so? Is that not so? To try to convince
people what God's Word never says. Never. Not one time. There's not a hint, John, in
God's Word any place that salvation is easy. That it's simple. Oh, no. No, on the contrary,
on the contrary, our Lord's answer to this question that was put
before Him by His disciples, who then can be saved? Now, could words be plainer than
that? Who then can be saved? How can any sinner be saved? How is it that every sinner that
is saved are saved? Who then can be saved? And men
say, well, times have changed. You know, times have changed.
We've got to change our technique. We've got to change our message. No, no, no. God hasn't changed. God Almighty hasn't changed. And my state before him, being
born in sin, hasn't changed. I'm still dead in sin. And if I'm raised to life, something
outside of me will have to do it. I cannot raise myself. I cannot give myself life. That which is born of the flesh,
our Lord told Nicodemus, is flesh. And it'll always be flesh. Always, Louis. and everything
that it does will always be the works of the flesh and nothing
that it does will ever recommend it to God, will ever bring it
out of the grave of its spiritual death unless God Almighty comes
to him. in this calling that Paul speaks
of in our text, and calls Him by His grace. Who then can be
saved? Will you hear me? Will you hear
me? Who then can be saved? Are you
interested in that? Are you interested in the answer
to that? Who then can be saved? God's Word never says, well,
it's easy. It's easy. All you need do is
trot up an aisle somewhere. and repeat after that preacher.
If you don't know the prayer, he'll teach it to you. And then
he'll give you an assurance verse and you go on your way. No. No. That's not how our Lord answered
the question. And his answer then is his answer today. Who then can be saved? And he
said this, with men, that's you, and that's me. With men, it is
impossible. It is impossible. Do you hear
that? With men, it is impossible. How can a sinner be saved? With men, it's impossible. But he went on to say, but not
with God. With God, all things are possible. Impossible with man because man
is not able to do what's needed. He's not able to do, whether
he be a preacher or a priest, he's not able to do what's required. Look what Paul says again in
our text, or in chapter 1, verse 19. He says that you may know
what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us who believe. Who believe? And how did we come
to believe? How is it that a man One hour,
dead in sin, he can't believe, didn't you try? Man, I tried
to believe. I tried to believe. Oh, I reached
down and mustered up all the so-called free will I had, and
I tried to believe, believe, believe, believe, and I couldn't
believe. I couldn't believe. I tried to come to Christ, and
I couldn't come to Christ. And then, then, Something happened. The very thing Paul speaks of
here, this is what's necessary. The same power that gives us
sinner life, the same power that grants him faith, Paul says is
the same power that God used when he raised his son from the
dead. My soul, you mean to tell me
the power of God Almighty that came to that tomb that morning
and raised His Son from the dead is the same power necessary to
give a sinner life and faith in Christ? That's exactly right. That's exactly right. Do you
see now? Are you beginning to feel in
your heart, oh I pray that it's so, how salvation must be of
the Lord? Are you beginning to see now
how necessary, how essential it is, if I'm ever saved, God's
got to come to me. God's got to do something for
me and in me. It's not what I do, it's what
He must do. in order to save a sinner. Verse
20 of Ephesians 1, Paul says, which he wrought in Christ when
he raised him from the dead. Paul says that's why you believe,
by that same mighty power of a sovereign God. My only hope
for you, my only hope for myself is this, that you'll be called
by God himself. If that doesn't happen, If that
doesn't happen, you remain right where you are, meaning you may
sit right here. You can sit here, but you'll
never be in Christ. You'll never be in Christ. You'll hear my voice, but if
you never hear His, you'll not believe. The only hope for any
sinner is this, and this is such good news. This is the gospel. Salvation is of the Lord. If God calls you to Christ, and
oh, I pray that he will. I pray that he will. If he does,
you'll not need me to tell you that it's happened. You won't have to come and ask
me. Oh, no, no, no. I mean, if I can talk you into
it, somebody else can talk you out of it. That's why I've never,
I've never, and I never will, try to talk my children into
a profession of faith. No, no, no. I pray that God,
that God will call them, that they'll hear not Daddy's voice,
but they'll hear the voice of God. And you know what'll happen
if that happens? They'll come. They'll come. Those stubborn sons that have
the nature of their daddy, they'll bow down before Him and cry,
Lord, have mercy on me. That's the call that Paul speaks
of. One old hymn writer expressed
it this way. Not all the outward forms on
earth, nor rights that God has given, nor will of man, nor blood,
nor birth can raise a soul to heaven. The sovereign will of
God alone creates us heirs of grace, born in the image of his
Son, a new, peculiar race. What does God's calling do? What
takes place when a sinner is called by God? In 1 Corinthians
1, Paul says, oh, it's the power of God. The preaching of the
gospel is the power of God unto salvation. To those who don't
believe, it's foolishness. Oh, but to us, what did Paul
say? To us who are called, us who
are called, it's the power of God. It's the power of God that
raises dead sinners to life. This is what Paul says in chapter
2 of this book, does he not? Verse 1, you hath he quickened,
made alive, That's what's necessary. Who were dead in trespasses and
sins. It does spiritually what was
done physically at the tomb of Lazarus. Come forth. Come forth. And Lazarus came forth. Look
what Paul says in verse 10 of chapter 2 in Ephesians. We are
his workmanship. We're not the product of our
own making. We're His workmanship. The word is His masterpieces. His creation. Created in Christ
Jesus. Created in Christ Jesus. God views all that are in Christ
Jesus. Oh, brothers and sisters in Christ,
isn't this sweet? No wonder he spoke of the glory
of God's grace. His masterpieces. Oh my soul,
look what grace hath wrought. Look what God's mighty, effectual,
sovereign grace has done. He chose us in Christ. We were
redeemed by Christ. And in time, we're called to
Christ. And we're in Christ. And God
looks at us. Exactly. Listen now. He looks at the believer in Christ
with the same satisfaction, the same acceptance, the same love
as he looks at his son. That's my masterpiece. Isn't that amazing? Isn't that
amazing? I look into Mary Jo and I say, Do this, do that, this, that,
and then, pfft, what's the use? Oh, but God looks. God looks
at this sinner. God looks at this sinner in Christ,
in Christ, accepted and to be loved forever. And it's not dependent
upon what I do, what I don't do. It's not dependent upon anything
I do, good or bad. It's dependent upon what Christ
has already done. Only grace does that. If any
man be in Christ, he's a new man. creature, a new creation. It's a life-giving call. In Hebrews chapter 3, Paul said,
Holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, only this,
the call of God, can give life to sinners. Are you listening,
unbeliever? Are you listening? Does this
sound strange? Oh, but it's the truth of God's
Word. I know it runs right into the face of what you've heard
all your life perhaps about it being so easy and up to you and
blah, blah, blah. And what has that produced? What
has that done for you? Thinking that it's all up to
you? There's no alarm in that, is there? There's no fear in
that. You don't have any concern. Well,
if it's all up to me, then I'll live like I want to and then
before I die, I'll take the first step. No, no, no. The truth is, our Lord said,
you've given me power, Father, over all flesh. All flesh. Everybody here this morning is
in the hand of Jesus Christ. The saved, oh, but the lost too.
You've given me power over all flesh. There you are, unbeliever. There you are. You're in His
hands. And He says that He can give
eternal life to as many as thou has given Him. It's up to Him. Whether you're saved or not is
up to Him. Whether you're in heaven or not
is up to Him. Whether you go to hell or not
is entirely up to Him. It's not up to you. It's not
of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, it's of God that
showeth mercy. Oh, cry to Him. Cry to Him like
blind Bartimaeus did. Paul, or rather Peter said, he
had called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. We
were once blind to God, blind to ourselves. Blind to our need. What happened, child of God?
What happened? Why are you here this morning?
Louie, why are you here this morning? Why aren't you out?
Why aren't you home nursing the hangover like you used to do
on Sunday morning? After being out all night acting
like a nut. Why aren't you doing that now,
Louie? What happened to you, man? Did you just roll out of
bed one morning and say, well, I think I'll turn over a new
leaf? Maybe you did. Didn't amount to much, did it?
Now, what happened? God. God. you who commanded the
light to shine out of darkness, have shined in our hearts to
give the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ. That's what happened. God turned
the light on. And I pray that God turns the
light into your darkened soul. Like he did Paul on the Damascus
Road in Acts 9, we read that there was a light shined around
Paul that day. But there was also a light that
shined inside Paul that day, didn't it? What happened, Paul?
Oh, the scales fell from my eyes. And when it pleased God, He called
me. He called me by His grace. Paul never got over that wonder.
He never got over it. Did he? Read his last words.
He never got over it. Timothy, I obtained mercy. And now he could sing with old
Newton, that old slave trader. I was lost, but now I'm found.
I was blind, but now I see. Listen, unbeliever. Jesus of
Nazareth is pleased through the preaching of the gospel to pass
by sinners just like he did that day when he came to Jericho. And there sat that beggar. that poor, blind beggar. That's a picture of Larry Criss.
There I sat, blind, spiritually bankrupt. I had nothing. I could do nothing. But I heard,
Jesus is passing by. He came there on purpose for
me. Have mercy. Oh, have mercy! If you don't have mercy, I'm
going to hell! Have mercy on me! Lo and behold,
he's on his way to Jerusalem. He's on his way there for the
last time to lay down his life for sinners. He's on His way
there to take away sin. He's on His way there to be made
sin. He's on His way to accomplish
eternal redemption, the greatest feat that ever was. But He hears
the cry of one poor sinner like me, and He stops dead in His
tracks. Glory to His name! Glory to His
name! How can I get over that? How
can I get over that? He called me by His grace. Thank you, lord. Thank you. Last of all, let me wrap this
up and ask you this question and I pray god I pray god's holy spirit will ask you the question. Make
you ask Have I been called? Perhaps you're
thinking, well, I've done other things. Oh, but have I been called? This hope of his calling that
Paul speaks of, do I know what that is? Have I experienced that?
Did he call me from life to death? Has He called me out of darkness
to light? Can I now say from my heart,
in genuine faith, I know whom I have believed? Have I been
called to Christ? He said, all that the Father
giveth me shall come to me. Not to anything else. Not to
anybody else. That won't satisfy Him. That
won't do. No, they'll come to me. This
is an urgent call. Today, if you hear his voice,
harden not your heart. Harden not your heart. May God be gracious this morning. Oh, and all that have experienced
this call of his blessed special grace will also hear this call
one day. Very soon, Lester. Very soon. Very so. In a few more days, in a few more days, the Master
will come and calleth for thee. Isaiah, we read these words in
chapter 43. to the child of God, but now
does saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed
thee, O Israel, fear not, fear not, for I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name,
thou art mine. Thou art mine. I am his, and he is mine. Forever. Forever. God bless you.