Now, if you will, take your Bibles
and turn with me to Ephesians chapter 1. Last week we looked
at the doctrine of predestination. I'll never forget the first time I read my Bible. Been going to
church all my life. Read little bits and pieces here
and there, but most of the time it just didn't make any sense.
said things that was way over my head. I just couldn't make
any sense out of it. And I know now why, because it
was being applied in a totally different direction from how
it was to be declared. It was twisted and distorted.
But I'll never forget, I began to read my Bible and read it
through. just to get the content of it. And I came to Ephesians
chapter 1 and came upon that word predestination. I'd never
heard that word mentioned in 17 years of going to church.
I'd never heard that word ever mentioned. Predestination. Now whatever it means, you're
going to have to agree that it's in the Word of God and that it's
profitable because that's what He tells us. It's profitable. Now, to deny it altogether is
just to deny the Word of God. But we look into this thing of
predestination. And this morning I want to show
you that God's predestination is owing entirely, entirely to
His free and sovereign grace. And there are six things in this
predestination that manifest the grace of God, the free grace
of God. in God's eternal election of
a people. He said it's an election of grace,
didn't He? It's an election of grace. And
then secondly, in the objects of this adoption. We're predestinated
unto the adoption of children, and in these objects of adoption,
God chose men over angels. Go figure. He chose men over
angels. That's what Satan could not stand. He just would not swallow that. He could not see the purpose
of God in that. Here he was, this glorious angel,
this glorious being, and on the throne of God in God's eternal
predestination sits a man. And he said, that can't be. I'm
going to sit in that seat. set upon that throne. So I see the grace of God in
God's choice of men over angels. And then thirdly, I see it in
the election of some of our race and not all of it. God chose
certain. Jacob have I loved, Esau have
I hated. Do you not see the grace of God
in that? Why'd God choose me? There's
thousands more worthy than me. Why'd He choose me? There's no
other answer except the grace of God, according to the good
pleasure of His will. And then, fourthly, I see this.
God chose sinners over the righteous. Now, the Pharisees had a problem
with that. He came to them and he said, the well need not a
physician, but the sick. He said, I didn't come into the
world to save the righteous, but call sinners to repentance.
You know nothing about that, he said. Now, I see God's election
of grace in that. He chose sinners. And then think
about this. Here's the next thing. Of all the thousands of years
that He declared these things and showed these things and manifested
these things to the Jews, in the end, He calls the Gentiles. Did you not see the grace of
God in that? The Pharisees just couldn't take
that in. They just couldn't fathom that.
He turned to the Gentiles. Turned to the Gentiles. And then,
sixthly, in that it was completely owing to the Son of God. Nothing
we could do, nothing we could say, nothing we could be to be
redeemed of God, but totally by the grace of God in Christ. And it's grace that gave us our
being in Christ and which has made provision in His predestination,
everything to accomplish that design and to make us blessed
of God and grateful for the blessings. All in Christ. And there's nothing
of purpose and design and means or compliance that is left to
chance. Chance has nothing to do with
this. I'm telling you, if you read your Bible, You'll find
out very quick that God is the God of purpose, and everything
he does, he does on purpose. There are no accidents with God.
Now, we have things that we can't explain. We call them accidents.
But God doesn't call them accidents. He calls those things his determinate
counsel and foreknowledge. Nothing's left to chance. Every
detail of our salvation is owing to the free and sovereign grace
of God and glorifies that grace in everything that's done. Everything
that's done of God. And the primary attribute of
God in salvation is grace. It's grace. That's why we have
that name out on the sign. Grace, that's the primary attribute
of God. Now justice, God is just. And
just is satisfied, and God is just, and He'll have all His
elect. And at judgment, even all men and devils to see Him
as just and justifier. But when He declares His free
justification of believers in Romans 3, verse 24, He said they're
justified freely by His grace. Isn't that how He describes His
justification? A gracious justification. And
God's wrath. I think most men don't have any
understanding of this whatsoever, God's wrath. But the Bible has
a lot to say about it. And there's an awful retribution
declared against sin. Any and all sin must be punished
until God's wrath against it is fully satisfied. That's why
the punishment of sinners at the judgment of God will be everlasting
punishment, because they can never satisfy that wrath and
satisfy that justice. He that believeth not shall not
see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. Sin entered in
by one man, and thereby death came in. And death passed upon
all men, for that all had sinned. And we were by nature, Paul said,
the children of wrath, even as others. But when he talks about
sin not very far on its heels, he says this, where sin abounded,
grace did much more abound. You see that? That's His primary
attribute. Election, called in the Scriptures,
an election of grace. And if it works, then it's no
more grace. Otherwise, grace is no more grace.
Faith? What about faith? By grace are
you saved through faith. Ain't that what it says? Of all the great and glorious
things purposed in Christ, the Apostle John, is inspired to
mention only two at the coming of Christ into this world, grace
and truth. And when he describes all that
was purposed of God in Christ, who is the eternal Word, who
was in the beginning with God, the terms that he uses for this
is grace and truth. And then he said, and of all
His fullness have we received, and grace for grace. Ain't that
what he says? Grace for grace. Grace before
grace, and grace electing, and grace making provision, grace
being promised, and grace being preached. Grace before grace. It's just been grace after grace
after grace. That's how we come to understand
something about God Almighty. And that's how we come to understand
something about this salvation and these predestinated sons
of glory. Predestination as inclusive of
all the purpose and means and methods of God to save sinners
is according, he says here in Ephesians chapter 1, according
to the good pleasure of His will. His will. Brother, I turn on
my radio every now and then and I turn on my TV to see what men
are saying. I can't go around here and tell
you what each of these individual churches are preaching because
I don't know. I don't know. But I do know this. I do know
this. This thing of predestination
and God's will is not being preached. I'm not hearing it at all. The
only thing I'm hearing about is man's will. Are you willing? Are you willing? in this gracious predestination,
and according to this election of grace, He's made us accepted
in the blood." You know, predestination, it's inclusive of all these things.
This is God declaring what He's going to do from the beginning.
Predestination. That predestination, the end
of it, is to be conformed to the image of Christ. That's what
He tells us in Romans chapter 8. But that predestination to
accomplish that goal is inclusive of everything. everything, all
the workings of providence. You go back and read the Old
Testament, and we're going to get into that here in just a
little while. But you get into the Old Testament and you begin
to read these things. These men knew more about that
than we do. David talked about, he said,
the answer of the tongue and the thoughts of the heart was
of the Lord. You think about that. The preparations
of the heart in man and the answer of the tongue is of the Lord. Predestination. All His fullness have we received
grace for grace. And He tells us here that in
this gracious predestination and according to His election
of grace, He has made us accepted in the beloved. And that's where
I want to go this morning. I want to show you that we're
accepted in Christ. All of that grace and all of
that predestination and all of these things is trusted to Him.
It's all in Him. You won't find that word predestination
apart from Him. You won't find it. All three
places where it's mentioned, Christ is preeminent. And this
acceptance, I'm not talking about being accepted as tolerated.
He tolerates the devils and demons. Our time is not yet. That's what
the demons cried to. They knew they were being tolerated.
He tolerates the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction, and he
tolerates false teachers and preachers. But he's not talking
here about an acceptance of being tolerated, but an acceptance
in the Son of God as sons. That's what he's talking about.
I'm accepted into the family of God as an adopted son in Christ. And if a son, then an heir. And
if an heir, then based on Christ, I'm a joint heir with Him. I'm
a joint heir with Him. Our election is unto salvation,
and our predestination is unto adoption. And salvation is accomplished
by the eternal power of God's grace. And it's according to
the sovereign purpose and decree of God through the person and
work of Jesus Christ. And it's nowhere in the Scriptures.
I want you to hear me. It's nowhere in the Scriptures
called or even hinted at as the work of a man or according to
the will of man. Nowhere. It's not even hinted
at. Nobody can take this passage and say, well, now that's talking
there about man's will. No, it's not even any of that.
In fact, he tells us in two places, and I want you to turn with me
and look at both of them. He tells us in two places that
it's not according to man's will. Turn with me to John chapter
1. John chapter 1. Now he tells us here in John
chapter 1 that he came into the world. The world was made by
him. That he was in the world and the world knew him not. Didn't
know him. Didn't know who he was. And he
came unto his own. He separated a people. Called
them by his name. Gave Him His law. Gave Him the
ceremonies. Gave Him the pictures. Gave Him
the types. Gave Him all these things. He came unto His own.
And His own received Him not. But to as many as received Him.
You see it there? To as many as received Him. To them gave He the power to
do what? Become sons of God. Even to them
that believe on His name which were born. Now watch it. Not
of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of
man, but of God. You see that? Not of the will
of the flesh. It's not of the will of man or
mankind. Not the will of mankind as a
whole. Not the will of mankind as in
the person of Adam. Not of blood, but of God. God. It's God's will. Well, does that mean that man's
saved against His will? Absolutely. Absolutely. Does it mean he's unwilling?
Not at all. What that means is he's made
willing in the power of God's irresistible Spirit and by His
grace. He's made willing in the day
of His power. The right and privilege to become
sons of God is according to the will of God, what God determined
before to be done. In Romans chapter 9, here's the
second one, Paul talks about the purpose of God according
to election being established or manifested in Jacob. He said,
I've set this thing down as a basis for election. I'm going to establish
the purpose of God according to election in Jacob." And he
said, the elder is going to serve the younger as it's written,
Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated. Before they were born,
before either done any good or evil, that the purpose of God
according to election might stand, it was said unto their mother.
These things. God passed by one and chose the
other. What does all that mean? Look
at verse 16. So then. Ain't that what Paul
said? So then, based on that, it's
not of him that willeth. Now, brethren, I don't want to
hear nothing about free will. Just don't come trying to sell
that mess to me. I don't believe it. I don't believe
it because it's not in my experience. My will was to will not. You
will not come unto me that you might have life. That's exactly
what describes me to a T. You will not give me the praise.
No, you won't. You praise yourself. You walk
down an aisle, you'll sing that praise the rest of your life.
You shake that man's hand, join the church, be baptized, whatever
it is you did and attributed salvation to it, you'll glorify
yourself till you die. You'll hang on to that experience
and hang on to that walk and hang on to that work until you
die. And then in judgment, you'll try to plead that to God. That's
right. A bunch of them there telling
God, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. We've done many
wonderful works in thy name. He said, I never knew you. Well, we cast out devils in thy
name. Judas did. He said, I never knew you. Huh? I preached in your name. So did
Demas. So did Judas. You can go on and
on and on. It's not of him that willeth.
That ought to end all arguments right there, shouldn't it? It's not of him that runneth.
It's of God. Ain't that what that says? Salvation is according to God's
eternal purpose of grace. It's the deliberate, willful
act of God. God saves men. Salvation is of
the Lord. The Old Testament saints knew
that. He saves men on purpose. And
that purpose, design, decree, and all the means make up the
predestination of God. At the very core, at the very
heart of this predestination is God's dear Son. were predestinated
unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according
to the good pleasure of his will and to the praise of the glory
of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the blood." Accepted as sons and heirs and
joint heirs with Christ. Accepted through his mediatorial
work Everything I understand concerning the eternal will and
predestination of God, I know by God's mediator, Christ. I
don't know anything at all about it except for that. He alone
mediates the saving will of God to men. Secondly, we're accepted
in his surety ship. Talking about being accepted
in the blood. We're accepted in his surety
ship. Our God is a covenant God. And the triune God made with
Himself an everlasting covenant of grace and appointed Christ
as the surety of it. That everlasting covenant of
grace, David said in his dying words, was all his hope and all
his desire, even if it didn't grow in his family, even if God
didn't save some of his sons. Still, he said, it's all my hope
and all my desire. God's everlasting covenant of
grace. It's a covenant agreement between
the Trinity from the beginning to save a people for the glory
of God's name. And David hoped in it. And it's
sure because of its surety. And it's sure because Christ
is the guarantor of the covenant. And that's what it says in Hebrews
chapter 9. He's the guarantor. He's the
testator of God's will. It's ordained in all things.
Everything required, everything demanded everything that could
be desired by needy sinners. And it's just as sure as the
surety. When you can prove to me that
somehow Christ has failed or come short of the glory of God
as all we did, then I doubt His suretyship. Until then, that's
my hope. That's my hope. This covenant
is sure because of the surety. You want assurance? Assurance
is in Him. Study Him. Don't study you. There's no assurance in you.
You're looking into a black, empty hole when you look inside
yourself. Look to Him. He is the express
image of God. In Him is the brightness of the
Father's glory, the express image of His. You want assurance? Look
to Him. He's the surety. Accepted through His right as
the firstborn. He is the firstborn of every
creature, and to whom all things owe their existence. So is He
the first begotten from the dead, the firstborn among many brethren. Listen to James when he writes
this. He said, Of His own will begat He us through the word
of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. He was the firstborn. He was
the firstfruit. And as He is the head and heir
over all sons, we're sons in Him, chosen and predestinated
unto this adoption. And we're accepted through His
representation, His representative righteousness imputed to us through
faith. I've got no righteousness except
that righteous obedience of Christ. What have I ever done that I
want? Have you done anything in your lifetime that you want
to bring up, cradle up, bring it up before God and say, now
look at this? Put your thumbs in your lapels. Now look at that. What do you think about that?
You think you're going to impress God with that? Isaiah said, when God revealed
himself to me, he said, woe is me. He said, I'm a man of unclean
lips and I dwell among a people of unclean lips. You read Isaiah
chapter 5, before he said that, he was woeing everything in heaven
and earth. Woe is this, woe is that, woe
is this, woe is the smoker, woe is the drinker, woe is the adulterer.
He was woeing everything coming and going. And then he saw the
Lord and he said, woe is me. And then a little bit later on
he said, we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses
are as filthy rags. Oh, I tell you, you got something
you want to bring up before God and say, look at this, huh? Look
at this. I tell you, our best prayers
have to be made acceptable to God. Accepted through His representative
righteousness. Justified, judged in Him. All
my sins laid to His charge. All of His righteousness imputed
to me. For God hath made Him to be sin
for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. Accepted in His substitutionary
work. Accepted in the beloved. Oh, think about that. Accepted
in His glorious person. In Him is life eternal. Back
yonder before man, before creation, before the beast, before the
the clouds and the moon and the stars, back there when there
was nothing but God, there was life. In Him was life. Isn't
that what it says? I want to know something about
life, I better study Him because that's where it originated. In Him is life eternal. In Him
is promised glory. In Him is peace. In Him is rest. In Him is assurance. It's all
in Him. We're accepted in Him. You see
that? And it says in Ephesians 1, look
at this, "...in whom we have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace."
My friend, this is where grace abounds. Redemption. Redemption. Redemption has a
broad meaning. It means to buy. That's the first
thing it means, to buy. In Acts chapter 20, verse 28,
he said, we as pastors are commanded to feed the church of God which
He has purchased. He bought it with His own blood. And then secondly, it means to
be bought out of. We're bought out of God's offended
justice. Justice has a hold on us. It
ain't going to turn you low. until the price has been paid.
What is that price? The blood of Christ. We're bought
out of God's offended justice. It means to buy back what is
under debt. In Matthew chapter 20, verse
28, it says, he came to give his life a ransom for many. to buy back. And then thirdly,
it means to set free or to loose. It's like a slave or a prisoner
set free. In the Old Testament, it was
customary under those old types of government that you could
sell yourself into slavery for a debt. You owed a debt. You
couldn't pay the debt. There was no welfare. You sell
yourself to that man. If he was willing to do that,
you sell yourself to him into slavery. And you served him until
the debt was paid. Remember how long that was? The death of Christ and His righteous
obedience satisfy divine justice, and all those for whom He died
are set free. Listen to this. He stood up that
day. We delivered Him the book of
Isaiah. He turned over there to the exact
passage where it was written. And here's one of the things
that He said. God has sent me to preach deliverance to the
captives, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Now, this acceptable
year of the Lord is in reference to the year of Jubilee. And in
the year of Jubilee, that's the year that all debts were forgiven
and all property restored in that 50th year. You can read about that over
in Leviticus chapter 25. But I just want you to understand
this morning what he's talking about when he's talking about
redemption. He's talking about a complete, total restoration. He's talking about you being
bought out from under the justice and wrath of God. You've been
bought. Bought. He owns you. That's what he's
telling us here. In whom we have redemption. Bought of God. Bought out of
offended justice. Bought out of slavery and bondage.
given back and restored all the blessings of God just as though
nothing had ever happened. Completely restored. In whom
we have redemption. Seated with Him in covenant union
even now at the right hand of God. Now faith doesn't declare
something new. Stand up here this morning and
I'm going to preach to you. And you're commanded by the Word
of God to believe. To believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ. But faith is not the declaration of something new.
Listen to this. I'm just going to read you something
out of Ephesians, chapter 2. He talks about us being dead,
going after the course of this world. And according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the
children of disobedience, among whom at one time we all had our
conversation. We were by nature the children
of wrath, even as others. But God, verse 5, but God who
is rich in mercy for His great love wherewith He loved us, even
when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ.
By grace ye are saved. That's past tense. And hath raised
us up together and made us to sit together in heavenly places
in Christ Jesus. Seated with Him, John. That,
see that? That little word, G-H-A-T, ought
to jump off the page at you. That. Here's why He did that. In order that in ages to come
He might show the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are you saved through
faith and that not of yourselves, it's the gift of God. It's because
of our Redeemer's success that preachers are sent to preach,
and providence calls men to hear, and the Holy Ghost gives hearing
ears. It's because we're seated with Him in glory. And that's
the purpose of God accomplished in His life and in His death.
In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of
sins according to the riches of His grace. I'm going to tell
you something, and I'm not talking about every Reformed church in
the country, okay? I'm talking about what I know
about the Reformed church by their minutes and by their doctrine
and by their church covenant that they publish. But I'm telling
you this, don't you get sucked down that Reformed doctrine,
that rat hole of being justified by faith. And I know exactly
what I'm telling you. Faith is not the justifier, it
is God that justifies. Not faith. God that justifies. How did God justify us? He delivered
His Son for our offenses and raised Him again for what? Our
justification. That's right. We have redemption. That's what Paul tells them.
In whom we have redemption. It's already done. It's already
accomplished. And we're as good as raised up
and seated with Him in heavenly places in Christ. Nobody is going
to be raised up there unless they are justified, are they?
So we are justified actually in the purpose of God, in the
predestinating purpose of God before the foundation of the
world. And we were justified when God raised His Son from
the dead and seated Him at His own right hand. And He declares
that justification to you when He creates faith in your heart.
And that is the justification by faith that Romans deals with.
Don't you ever get that? Your faith didn't die for you.
Christ died for you. That's right. He didn't raise
your faith up from the grave. He raised His Son up. What faith
is, is when God comes to you and establishes that and takes
that blood of Christ and by the Holy Spirit applies it to your
conscience and shows you that you are justified. I know Christ
justified all for whom He died, but am I one for whom He died?
If I believe, now you understand what justification is about?
Don't get sucked down that red hole. Don't do it. I'm telling you,
it's all in Christ. All this predestinated work,
all this glorious purpose of God, all of these things are
in Christ. All in Christ. That's my hope.
All in Him. What am I telling you? I'll tell
you this morning the same thing Paul told them. Believe on Him. Embrace Him. Love Him. Walk in
Him. As you have received Christ Jesus
the Lord, so walk in Him. You're complete in Him because
in Him is all the fullness of the Godhead. So why would we
want to get out? I ain't worried about getting
out, I'm worried about being in, ain't you? I want in, because
that's where the adoption is, that's where the purpose is,
that's where the glory is. May God give us some understanding
of that.