In Ephesians chapter 2, I'd like
to read the first 10 verses in this chapter. Ephesians chapter
2. And you hath he quickened, who
were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in times past ye walked
according to the course of this world. You were like everybody
else. according to the prince of the
power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children
of disobedience, among whom also we all had our conversation,
the word means the matter of life, how we live, in times past,
in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and
of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as
others. But God, who is rich in mercy,
for his great love were with, he loved us, even when we were
dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace
ye are saved, and hath raised us up together and made us set
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. that in the ages
to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through
faith. This verses 8 and 9 are an explanation
of what Paul has already said, especially in verse 7. The reason
God would display us as trophies of his divine grace throughout
eternity to his own glory is because it deserves to be so.
He did it all, and Paul tells us that, for or because. He'll
do this because by grace are ye saved through faith. He should
receive all the glory because from him we received all the
grace. For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves. What's he talking about there
when he says not of yourselves? Is he speaking of the grace,
the salvation, or the faith? All three. All three. None of
the three are of ourselves. It is the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained,
that we should walk in them. The title of my message is, Grace
That Is Greater. My text is verses 8 and 9. Very
familiar passage of scripture. It speaks of the triumph of God's
grace. As I said, verses 8 and 9 of
Ephesians 2 perhaps are almost as familiar to folks as John
3, 16. Perhaps not quite as familiar
as that, but I would dare say almost. And most churches, most
preachers, When this verse is read, or they read it, they'll
say, Amen, we believe that. Yes, sir, we agree with that,
that's so. But I've learned, I've learned
a few things over the years. And I've learned this, that though
men may use the same words, and even read it from God's word,
they don't always mean the same thing in their minds. When they
speak of grace and salvation, mercy, they have a different
definition of it than how God's word describes it and defines
it. Let me give you an example of
that. I noticed this last night. I hadn't before, but in my Bible,
of course, the King James Version. But each book of the Bible by
the publisher has a brief introduction to it at the heading of the first
chapter of each book. And this is what they wrote as
they introduced the book of Ephesians. They said, Paul begins this letter
with blessings to those who have accepted Christ as their Savior. I didn't see that, did you? He
didn't begin with man and what man did and therefore God does. No, he began with God. He said, God from the beginning
chose you. God chose you in Christ. God
called you. Christ redeemed you. The Spirit
is the earnest of your inheritance. Paul in this epistle and in all
his writings and the entire Word of God, we're taught concerning
salvation that it's of the Lord, as Jonah. Salvation in its entirety
is of the Lord. And then in the second sentence
of this introduction, they go on to say, Paul then describes
salvation by grace. Paul then discusses salvation
by grace. Oh no, no, from the very first
sentence Paul speaks of salvation by grace. Paul begins with that
as his theme and tells us where that salvation is, in Christ. in Christ. Don't you love those
words? Oh, there's a depth of wonder
and comfort for God's people in those two words, in Christ. In Him. In Him. Oh, how secure. How acceptable
before God. I couldn't be accepted upon any
other grounds. I couldn't be accepted upon anything
I've done or ever shall do, good or bad. Oh, but I'm accepted
in Christ. That one, that one of whom we
read, is the same yesterday and today and forever. If I'm accepted in Christ, I'm
always accepted in Christ. Nothing, nothing in time. Nothing
even in eternity shall ever change that. The old hymn writer said,
change and decay all around I see. I see that weekly every time
I look in the mirror. Oh, but thou who changes not,
thou who changes not, he abides with me. He's my hope before
the God of my salvation. Yes, the first thing Paul speaks
of is God's grace and throughout God's word. Salvation, not according
to Baptist doctrine, or Catholic doctrine, or Calvinistic doctrine,
or Arminian doctrine, but what is salvation described by God
himself? Look again at our text and we
have the answer. For by grace are ye saved through
faith. What's the meaning of that word
saved? What does the Bible mean when
it describes men as being saved? Well, I think the best idea The
best place to learn the meaning of that is when we consider what
the mission of Jesus Christ was in coming into this world. If
we believe him to be God, John, If he's God, if we believe what
we read earlier in chapter 1, that God has given him a name
above every name, that he has dominion and power over everything
and everybody. If we believe what he said himself,
that everything Everything, everybody is in his hand, that he has power
over all flesh, that he's very God of very God. If we believe
that about him, then we must believe and we rejoice to believe
that whatever he intends to do, he does. Whatever his purpose
was, Lord, in coming into this world, it must be realized. Tell me why it wouldn't be. Tell
me why it wouldn't be. And if the only answer you can
give is because man prevents him, you don't know the Christ
of Scripture. Oh, no, no. The Christ of Scripture
declares he has his way in the whirlwind. Aren't you glad that
he does? And the clouds are but the dust
of his feet. He has his way in the armies
of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay
his hand or say unto him, what doest thou? And we're told what
his purpose was in coming into this world before he was ever
born. Just after he was conceived by
the Holy Ghost, The angel Gabriel comes to Joseph and says, call
his name Jesus. Jesus. That name means something. It means the salvation of the
Lord. And it's with good reason he's
given that name. Because he shall save his people
from their sins. Now, what does it say the people
have done? Nothing. What does it say the people will
contribute? Nothing. He, our Savior, our
Redeemer, shall save His people, all of His people, every one
of His people, from their sins. The word salvation means deliverance. Deliverance. Deliverance from
sin. And he shall do that. Our Redeemer
has done and shall continue to do. He has saved us. He is saving
us. And he will yet save us. That's
the scriptural teaching concerning salvation. From the deliverance
of sin, from its curse, the soul that sinneth it shall die. And as my substitute, he died,
and I died in him. Therefore, the law has no curse
for God's people, no condemnation. There's no reason for it. He
condemned Christ. Deliverance from its curse? Deliverance
from the consequences of sin? Deliverance from the dominion
of sin? How so? Because where sin abounded. What? What? What overcomes that? What overrules that? What reigns
over that? What is powerful enough to do
that? Grace doth much more abound. You're not under the dominion
of sin. You're under grace, grace, the mighty grace of God. And
one day, one day, we'll be delivered from the very existence of sin. The very existence of sin. In that day, there'll be no sin. No sin around us? Oh, but more
than that. We'll be in that city whose builder
and maker is God wherein dwelleth always righteousness. But not only there, here. Here, Todd. Here. I can only find a quiet place
and sit down and adore and wonder about that. My soul, what will
that be? No sin. He shall save his people
from their sins. Salvation is not just being saved
from hell and going to heaven. Most tracts that people stick
in your hand today you find laying around in the hospital lobby
or so forth, or most messages conclude with something like
this. Would you like to know how to
be sure you'll go to heaven when you die? Am I making that up? No. I mean, you're all familiar
with that. You see it everywhere. Would
you like to know how to be sure you will go to heaven when you
die? I've got a simple recipe. And
just in case it might come in handy for you sometime, let me
tell you. Let me tell you. It's like a
little four-leaf clover. It's a rabbit's foot. You stick
it in your pocket. It might be useful sometime.
Before you die, you just follow this simple little recipe and
you're as sure for heaven as if you're already there. Let
me tell you something. That's not the issue. That's
not the issue. That is actually sidestepping
the issue. The issue is sin. Sin's got to
be dealt with. Sin's got to be answered for
by someone. That's the issue. And that so-called
good news sidesteps the real issue. No. My sin law must be
dealt with first. Call his name Jesus. He's bringing
a little simple, silly, God-dishonoring, soul-deceiving recipe that you'll
know how you'll go to heaven when you die. No! Call his name
Jesus because he's coming for this reason and this reason alone
to save his people from their sins. That's the issue. Joseph Hart, I quote it regularly,
but I can't think of a better way to express what I'm trying
to say. He wrote an old hymn, and a part
of it says this. What comfort can a Savior bring
to those who never felt their woe? A sinner is a sacred thing. The Holy Ghost hath made him
so. New life from him we must receive
before for sin we rightly grieve. Until the Holy Spirit comes,
Not some soul winner with a tract in his hand and sticks in your
hand. Oh, no, that's not it. Until the Holy Spirit comes and
strips me, I never know I'm lost. I won't know I'm lost. Until
he comes and shows me my need, I'll never seek mercy. I'll never
call upon God until I know I'm a sinner. And no preacher can
convince me that I'm a sinner. but God's Holy Spirit can. Oh,
glory to his name. And aren't you thankful he did?
Aren't you thankful as old Barnard said, he got you lost? You may
have been sitting in a pew and may have been singing a hymn.
Just as lost, as old Donnie Bell says, as a goose in a snowstorm
and thinking everything was right. And then one day, somehow, by
God's grace, he turns the light on and it suddenly dawns on you,
I'm lost. I'm lost. My soul, I'm lost. And you never had a clue what
that meant before. And you realize what I've been
told and what I've been trusting, this little four-leaf clover,
this little rabbit-foot God is not enough. I'm a great sinner. I'm a great sinner. and it's
going to take more than me signing on the dotted line of a track.
It's going to take more than me trotting up an aisle and repeating
the sinner's prayer. It's going to take God's great
grace to save this sinner. And this is what Paul speaks
of, God's great grace. We read in one of the Gospels
that our Lord healed those that had need of healing. We're told that this salvation
that Paul speaks of is by grace alone. For by grace are ye saved. Now don't look back. Don't leave
it in the past. Oh yes, by grace you were saved
when he first granted you faith in his son and you embraced him
like Simeon and says, now I see thy salvation, he's mine. And
I'm His all. But He's saving me today. Every
day since then. And every day that He's pleased
to leave me here, He'll save me to the uttermost. He'll save
me as much as I need saving. By grace, ye are saved. From eternity to eternity. This is what grace does. Grace
is unmerited. Do you hear that? That's good
news, isn't it? Grace is unmerited. It's undeserved. And it's unattracted. It's unattracted
by anything in. Now, this is good news to needy
sinners. The Pharisee, he would stuff
his nose at this. That Pharisee that looked down
at the public and said, God, I'm so grateful to you, I'm not
like him, and walked out in his self-righteousness, he would
hear this and say, I won't hear it. Oh, but for
needy sinners to hear of grace that's unmerited, undeserved,
unattracted by anything in or from or by the objects on which
it is bestowed, oh, that's good news. That's good news. Because that suits this sinner,
Todd. I'm helpless and hopeless. Oh,
but His grace, His grace is able. to come to where I am and left
me out of that dungeon, that pit of my depravity. This is what Hart wrote about. And when a sinner learns that,
you know what our Lord said. You remember what he said in
John 6. He said, everyone that has learned of the Father does
what? Everyone that God's Holy Spirit
gets lost, strips them. What does he do? Our Lord said,
He comes to me. Everyone that's learned of the
Father does what? He comes to the church. He comes
to the front. Oh, no. Everyone that's learned
of the Father cometh unto me. And just prior to that, he said,
all that the Father giveth me. He gives them to him in eternity,
and he gives them to him in time. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. Oh, my soul. Isn't that good
news? Isn't that encouraging? The Lord's
gospel is not contingent upon. a hope so or a perchance or if
I say things just right and if I strike while the iron's hot
and all those other things. Oh, no, no, no. All that the
Father giveth me shall come to me. Oh, but no, no, they shall
come to me. What if? Oh, no, they shall come
to me. What if? No ifs. No ifs. Glory to his
name. They shall come to me. This is
the true grace of God that our text speaks of. Grace that doesn't
offer to save. Grace that doesn't offer to save. I don't see that there. But actually
saves. The old hymn writers knew this
well. The old hymns speak of God's
grace and God's glory. Not like the modern songs about
man's dessert all this. No, their theme was God's glory
and God's grace. Like that one, we sing, grace
that is greater than all my sin. It better be. It better be. Grace that is greater than all
my sin. If it's not, I won't be saved
otherwise. Or this other great old hymn
at Calvary? Oh, the love that drew salvation's
plan. Oh, the grace that brought it
down to man. Oh, the mighty gulf that God
did span. That gulf I was far away and
then I'm brought nigh. I'm as near as he. Oh, what a
mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary. Mercy there was great
and grace was free. Or that one? Perhaps my favorite. That old slave trader sat down. That one that made a living selling
his fellow man. That God-hater, Christ rejecter. That captain of slave ships sat down after God's amazing grace came to him. And he dipped his quill in ink. And he said, I once was lost, but now I'm
found. I was blind, but now I see. That's amazing. Newton said, that is amazing. And I'll tell you what, Mr. Newton
was no different than Mary Christ. God helped me never to forget
his great mercy and grace. Look what Paul says in verse
11 of Ephesians 2. He exhorts them and us, wherefore
remember, remember what you were in times past, what we were without
Christ and what we now are by his grace. Nothing is more conducive
to keep us humble and thankful than this. Oh, to grace, how
great a debtor. Remember that and be hopeful
because grace reaches in both directions from eternity past
to eternity to come. And this salvation, listen, this
salvation never has depended on you, child of God, and never
will. When I was making that note last
night, I rejoiced. This salvation never has depended
on you and never will. Oh, that's good news. That is
such good news. That's a good hope through grace. Briefly, three things from verses
8 and 9 about God's grace. The fact of it, the need of it,
and the experience of it. By grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves, it's the gift of God, lest any
man should boast. The fact of it. All that are
saved are saved by God's grace. No exceptions. Paul wrote to
the church at Ephesus, but he speaks to every believer. They're
not the product of their own making or their own doing. Not unto us, O Lord. Not unto
us, but unto thy name give glory for thy mercy and thy truth's
sake. Look at just a couple of verses
in Romans. Turning, if you will, back to
Romans, and we run across this blessed theme. The only good
news for needy sinners over and over again. In Romans chapter
3, look what Paul writes at verse 24. And there's that word again,
freely, without cause in us, without cost from us. being justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through
faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission
of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God. To declare,
I say at this time, his righteousness, that he might be just and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It's excluded. It's excluded. It's booted out. By what law? Of works? Nay, but by the law
of faith. Therefore, we conclude that a
man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Look at
chapter 4, verse 16, still in Romans. 4 and 16. Therefore it is of faith
that it might be by grace to the end the promise might be
sure to all the seed. It could not be sure on any other
ground except grace. Not to that only which is of
the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who
is the father of us all. Now in Romans chapter 9, Turn
to Romans chapter 9. This is that chapter that those
people that want to drag folks down the Romans road always seem
to take a detour on when they come to it. Romans chapter 9,
look what Paul says in verse 15. For he said to Moses, I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. Sound like it's not up to the
sinner, but it's up to God. So then, Paul says, it is not
of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that
showeth mercy. One more verse. Galatians. Turn,
if you will, to Galatians chapter 2. And look what Paul says here. In Galatians chapter 2, verse
21. if there were no other verse
in scripture. to teach God's salvation being by pure grace
alone, this would be enough. Verse 21, I do not frustrate
the grace of God, for if righteousness came by the law, Christ is dead
in vain. Those are powerful words. Christ
is dead in vain. You mean he died for nothing?
If a man could be saved any other way apart from God's free grace,
then yes, Christ died in vain. Oh, no. Thank God he did not
die in vain, and his grace is never in vain. He shall save
his people from their sins. Ask the apostle Paul. More than
once we read in Scripture, Paul tells us what he was. He never
forgot. I was a blasphemer and a persecutor. above all my brethren. I held
the tradition of my fathers. I lived after the strictest sect
of Pharisee. Oh, but God... But God, what happened, Saul? What happened? Did you just wake
up one day and say, well, I think I'll make a decision for Jesus? No. What happened to you, Paul? You're now preaching that gospel
that you tried to destroy, and everybody else that believed
it. You thought Jesus of Nazareth was a deceiver and an imposter,
and now you're saying you don't want to hear nothing else, or
know nothing else. What happened to you, Paul? But
God, but God, who was rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith
he loved us, but God, He called me by his grace to reveal his
son in me. That's the salvation spoken of.
That's the grace that accomplishes it. It's grace that gets the
job done. Notice what Paul said, by grace
are ye saved. He's not asking a question. He's
telling us, child of God, we're saved by God's grace and always
shall be. Whatever that involves, Paul
says grace shall accomplish it. Now, the need of grace, the need is ours, not God's.
And we read it together, didn't we, in the first three verses?
You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. This is the description of what
we were by nature. Dead. Dead. Can you think of
anything that pictures helplessness more than that? Dead. Dead. Dead in trespasses and sins,
meaning without spiritual life. Ezekiel, God said. took him to
that valley of dry bones, just a bundle of dry bones. And God said, Ezekiel, can these
bones live? Can you just imagine some soul
winner coming up to Ezekiel and saying, yeah, tell him that's
easy. Tell him, yeah, that's easy as ABC. Oh, no. Can these bones live? Only if
God. Only with God. And listen, you
that are here without Christ, that's the condition that you're
in. You're dead in sin. And unless he comes to the tomb
of your dead soul and speaks life to you, you'll remain dead. This is what Paul said. You have
he quickened, given life to, that were dead in trespasses
and sins. Our Lord said, with men. With
men, it's impossible, but not with God. Verses 2 and 3 of Ephesians
tells us what we did. to demonstrate and prove that
we were dead in sin, we lived like it. We walked like it. Our thoughts, our actions, our
attitude, our very being was just proof of our spiritual death. Look at that mass of fallen humanity,
that valley of dead, dry bones, and Paul tells us, there we were. There we were. We were right
there with them. Living without God, without Christ,
without hope, and love and darkness. Love and darkness rather than
light. Paul says, no different. Children of wrath, even as others. Oh, yes. A spiritually dead man
can act religious. That doesn't require a miracle. Doesn't require a life from God.
But something happened, Paul tells us, that changed all that.
Lester, something changed me. People tried to change me by
telling me to do outward things. Come up here and repeat after
me. Sign this. Get you a Bible. Remember our scripture. Get a
haircut. clean up your act. That didn't address the problem
at all. The problem was right here. He reached down to where
the problem was. And he's the only one who could
do that. the captain of my salvation,
Jesus, that shall save his people from their sins. He changed my
course, the way I lived and thought. How did he do that? He gave me
a new nature. He came to where I was. Look
at verse 4. But God, that's the answer. He came to where I was and said,
live. Live. And this is grace. This is mercy. It's free. He
didn't have to do that. That's what was needed and nothing
less than that would do. And Paul says, wherefore remember. Larry Criss, don't you ever forget
it. God help me to never forget it.
And even as I say that to you, I'm thinking, most of the time
I do. Most of the time, my mind and
thoughts are older. One hymn writer said, once my
soul was astray from the heavenly way and I was wretched and poor
as can be, but my Savior in love gave me peace from above when
he reached down his hand for me. Remember? Remember? How does it go? I was near to despair when he
came to me there. Despair. Despair. That was it. If one
word described me, it was despair. I was stripped. It was grace
that taught my heart to fear. I didn't know it was grace at
the time. But I thought, I'm going to hell. I'm going to hell. I'm going to live a few more
years. in this useless existence and then I'm going to go to hell?
There's nothing I can do. I was near to despair when he
came to me there and he told me that I could be free. How can I know I've got to wrap
this up? How can I know I was chosen by
God the Father, redeemed by the Son? Look again at the text.
Regenerated, made alive by God's Holy Spirit. Look what Paul says.
For by grace are you saved through faith. That's the channel. That's the channel. He that believeth
that Jesus is the Christ, John wrote, is born of God. His faith
is evidence of it. Remember, we're dead in sin and
God must come and not offer you life, he must raise you up from
the dead by a powerful operation of his grace. Paul says, are
ye saved? It's not a question. An everlasting
salvation, look at verse 7. that in the ages to come he might
show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward
us through Christ Jesus. Throughout eternity, we shall
be displayed as the trophies of God's great grace. Angels
and multitude of redeemed sinners will say, look what grace has
done. When Paul first went to Ephesus,
the church to whom he wrote this epistle, They worshiped at the temple
of the great goddess Diana. Oh, they tell us that that was
a great, great structure, one of the wonders of the world.
Here's a much greater wonder. God's marvelous grace, that in
that adulterous city, God Almighty in Ephesus chose a people. from
among those idol worshippers. And Christ redeemed those people. And the Spirit came to them and
gave them life. That's the wonder. This work
of the triune God, where his workmanship, Paul says, and perhaps
Paul was thinking of that temple of Diana when he wrote these
words at verse 19. Now, therefore, ye are no more
strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints
in the household of God. And Paul says, here's the real
wonderful structure, the structure of God's grace and are built
upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief cornerstone, in whom all the building fitly
framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord, in
whom also, in whom ye also are builded together for inhabitation
of God through the Spirit." The temple of Diana couldn't match
that, could it? When Paul was on his way to Jerusalem,
he called the elders of the church at Ephesus to meet him. They met him at Miletus. And
he told them, I'm going to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall
befall me there. And he said, I won't see you
again. And they cried, they wept, because
Paul said, I won't see you again. This is the last time we'll see
each other face to face. And Paul said, But I commend
you to God. I'll end this message with how
Paul ended his words to the Athesian elders. I commend you to God
and the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to
give you an inheritance among them that are sanctified. God bless you. Thank you for
your attention.