Okay, today's message is brought
to you from the Word of God, by the Spirit of God's grace,
from Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2. And I've
entitled the message today, From verse 13, and the title is, nigh,
nigh, near, near to God, by, by the blood, by the blood, not
of bulls and goats. See what it says there in verse
13? By the blood of Christ. It's just not that blood was
shed Who died for our sin according to the Scripture? Oh, it makes
all the difference, doesn't it? Redemption by the blood of God. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, let's go back to verse 10 for just a moment by way of introduction. And we'll work our way down through
these verses. He says, for we are His workmanship. Those who are saved by grace.
Those who have been given faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We
are His workmanship. We are His creation. Created
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Made new creatures in Christ.
Created in Christ. Chosen in Him. Salvation is in
Him. And it's unto this one end here
as we live as believers in this life, unto the fruit of salvation,
which is manifested by good works." Good works. What is that? That's
obedience. That's submission to the will
of God. Submission to the gospel of Christ.
And all of this, notice verse 10, which God has before ordained. God has ordained this. God has
prepared this. You remember the scripture reading
from Acts chapter 13, as many as were ordained to eternal life
believed the gospel. It doesn't say as many as believed
were ordained. It says as many as were ordained
to eternal life, they believed the gospel. So faith is ordained
of God. Grace is ordained of God. Salvation
is ordained of God. Our submission to the will of
God, to the gospel of God, is also ordained of God. It's ordained
of God and prepared of God that we should walk in them. That is, we walk not
by the energy of the flesh. We walk not to approach God in
the energy and strength of the flesh. We walk by faith, looking
to the Lord Jesus Christ. And this too, this too, is ordained
of God, prepared of God, and given of God. Therefore, we come
to verse 11, and he brings us this reminder, Wherefore, remember,
Remember, remember, you who are believers in the true gospel
of God's saving grace, do you remember how miserable your life
was before God had mercy on you? Wallowing in religion? Wallowing
in the falsehood of man-centered religion? Wallowing in the cesspool
of your sin? Remember! Oh, what a dreadful
thing to remember! Remember that you... Now, he's
writing to these believers in Ephesus, but let's make it relative
to us. He's writing this to us. To you
who believe the gospel. When God found us in mercy, when
God found us in grace, where did He find us? Dead. Flesh. Without Christ. Without any justifying righteousness
in the filth and cesspool of our iniquity, He found us. Remember that you being in Time
passed. He uses this phrase often. Time
passed. Time passed. Look at verse 2. He said, Wherefore, Ephesians
2, 2, Wherefore, in time past ye walked according to the course
of the world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that now works in children of disobedience. Verse
3, Among whom also we all had our conversation in time past. Our conduct. Fulfilling the lust
of the flesh, desires of the mind, and were by nature children
of wrath even as others." Remember, remember, oh what a dreadful
past I had. What a dreadful past without
God, without Christ, without hope. Oh religious, religious
to the top of my head, but very lost, very ungodly. Very ungodly. Wherefore, remember
that you being in time past, Gentiles. Gentiles. Now, you know, that doesn't have
such a big significance to us today, does it? I mean, Gentiles. But I tell you, back in that
day, there was quite a significance. Because if you weren't considered
a Jew, born a Jew, You were just considered a dog. You were just
considered the outcast that the outcast cast out. But here's
a better word that I think that's given us in the text here. Remember
in time past, remember in time past, flesh. Flesh. Flesh. That's that old, fleshly,
rotten nature we were born with. Flesh. The Scripture describes
the flesh as grass. Worthless. The Scripture describes
the flesh as dust. The Lord knoweth our frame. He
knows that we are but dust. What is grass and dust? Wheat. Impotent. Worthless. Remember that you
being in time past nothing but flesh. Nothing but flesh. Dead spiritually. Nothing but
flesh. We have nothing but what Adam
gave us. We have nothing but as we were
born. Naked. Nothing but flesh before
God. This is sinful flesh. This is
decaying flesh. This is rotten flesh. Remember
that in time past you were nothing but born in the flesh. Who were called by the religious
crowd, uncircumcised. That means ungodly. And you know
who called us this? The religious crowd. Those who
were circumcised. Notice what it says here, which
are called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision,
now watch this, circumcision in the flesh made by hands. Because these old Jews had kept
that covenant of circumcision, they thought somehow that it
recommended them to God, recommended them to God for some special
designation of salvation or mercy. It was only a token of that which
was to come, which is Christ. These religious Jews, even though
they had the evidence in the flesh this circumcision of the
flesh, it carried no weight with God. Because our Lord says of
those Jews who thought they recommended themselves to God by keeping
certain rules, regulations, days, and ceremonies, our Lord said
of them, you or they would justify yourselves before me, but God
knows your hearts. That which is highly esteemed
among men is an abomination in the sight of God. So it does
not matter whether you are uncircumcised flesh or circumcised flesh. It all comes down and boils down
to this bottom line. We've all sinned and come short
of the glory of God. So it doesn't matter if you were
raised in religion. It doesn't matter if you were
raised with no religion. We're still born in the flesh. All flesh is sinful. All flesh and all men are guilty
before God. Remember that in time past. You ever got a hold of this?
What we are by nature? Flesh. Flesh. Flesh. But he goes on. He gives us some
particulars that at that time, when you were just nothing but
flesh, nothing but that nature fallen, ruined in Adam, that
fallen iniquity that's given to us, that old rotten nature,
nothing but flesh, we were without Christ. We were without Christ. Being aliens. Enemies to God. Aliens from the Israel of God. Strangers from the covenants
that promise having no hope without God in this world. Now this is
a real description of what we are in Adam. What we are in ourselves. And the Word of God repeatedly
repeats this lesson to us. We've had this before in the
first part of this chapter. Now, let's look at some of these things
here that we are given. In time past, he says here, without
Christ. Without Christ. Although God's
elect have always been in Him secretly in that eternal covenant
of grace, as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation
of the world, yet in my personal experience of salvation, in my
personal experience of life, born into this life without Christ, without any saving knowledge,
of the true Savior and God. Without any love for Him. For men left to themselves love
darkness, not light. Without any faith in Him. Or communion with Him. Think
about this. Without Christ. Without Christ. What are the implications of
being without Christ? All spiritual blessings are in
Him. Forgiveness? Redemption? Regeneration? Righteousness? All spiritual
blessings are in Him. So to be without Christ and in
the flesh. Oh, how dreadful. How dreadful
to be without Christ. It makes this sinner to cry out,
Lord, give me eyes to see Christ. Give me faith to see Christ.
Can you cry out from your heart, Lord, let me be found in Him. Let me count everything else
lost that I might win Christ and be found in Him. Remember
that in time past you were without Christ. Oh my soul, how dreadful,
how deadly. To be without Christ Jesus. Without
Christ. Without Christ, no access. Without
Christ, no entrance. Without Christ, He's the way.
He's the truth. He's the life. Without Christ,
there is no life. Without Christ, there is no truth.
Without Christ, there is no way. He is the way. You see the implications
here? Without Christ. Flesh. Flesh. Flesh. Then he goes on, he says this,
In Ephesians 2 verse 12, aliens, aliens, aliens. He uses another phrase over here
in chapter 4 of Ephesians verse 17 and 18. This I say therefore,
and testify in the Lord that you walk henceforth, walk not
as other Gentiles in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding
darkened, being alienated. from the life of God. Alienated
from God. Aliens from God. Ignorance. Alienated from the life of God
through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness.
Blindness of the heart. Flesh. Without. Aliens. Alienated from a true
and living God. Enemies. Enemies to God. The carnal mind is enmity against
God. Alienated from true salvation.
Alienated from true righteousness. Going about to establish the
righteousness of our own by the deeds of the hand. And then he
says, strangers. Flesh. Without Christ. Aliens. From the true Israel
of God. Strangers. To the covenants of
promise. All the promises of God are in
Christ Jesus. strangers from the covenant of
promise. Notice it's given here to us,
covenants, plural, and then promise, singular. You see, there's just
one promise of salvation. All the covenants given before,
the covenant made to Abraham, that God would bless a multitude
of people in Christ, even the promise of the covenant of the
law, the law was given to show us Christ, our schoolmaster to
bring us unto Christ. All these covenants give but
one promise. One promise of salvation. in one person, the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's why Peter stood up that
day and said, neither is there salvation in any other, for there
is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must
be saved but in Christ. There is that glorious promise
of salvation in Him, but apart from Him, there is no saving
mercy. He goes on to say this, in Ephesians
chapter 2, he says, having no hope. No hope. No hope. Now, let's see if we
can illustrate how desperate that is. No hope. No hope. You get sick one day. You start
feeling rather terrible. You seek out A physician, you
go to his office and said, yes, indeed, you do have a problem.
I think we need further tests to evaluate, to make the correct
diagnosis of the problem. You have tests run. The results
come back that you have cancer of the worst sort. That your
body is diseased and full of cancer of many sorts. Eaten up. And the prognosis is
no hope. No hope. I have a friend right
now who is going through this very thing. His body is stricken
with cancer. Sent home to die. And the doctors
have said, No hope. No hope. That's us by nature. That's us also spiritually before
God. In and of ourselves, there's
no hope. No hope that we can cure this
disease, this vile disease of sin. No hope of standing before
God justified in ourselves. No hope! By the deeds of the
law shall no flesh be justified. No hope of mercy. No hope of forgiveness. No hope. None. Not even a glimmer of hope. Not a real hope. Not a good hope.
No hope. Having no hope. Then he goes on. And he digs
a hole just a little bit bigger. He digs a hole just a little
bit deeper, and then starts throwing dirt on us. Not only flesh, uncircumcised,
ungodly. Not only without Christ. Not
only aliens. Not only strangers. No hope. That's a pretty big hole, isn't
it? He digs it a little bit deeper. And He throws dirt on top of
us and says, without God. Without God. That means godless. That means godless. No hope without
God in this world. Now it's interesting that the
two words here that are given in the original, without God,
is one word. It's given in two words here,
but the original word in the Greek is one word. And it's where
we get the word atheist. Atheist. Godless. Or really, anti-God. That is against God. Like Adam
did when he sinned in the garden, shook his fist in the face of
God. He said, you won't be God. I'm going to be God. I know better
than you. I'm going to make my own way. Without God. Without God. Every one of us by nature are
atheists. That's right. See how big this
hole is? How deep this hole is? And this
is a hole in which we are in, of which we cannot climb out. Buried in this hole, unless God
intervenes. Here's the good news. Verse 13. But. Something happened. But. God. Remember what He says
in verse 4 of Ephesians 2? But God. But God, who is rich
in mercy for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were
dead in sin, had quickened us together with Christ Jesus. And had we get out of that hole,
He raised us up together, made us sit together in the heavenly
places in Christ Jesus. You see what this text is reminding
us of? You who are believers and lovers
of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. You who are not, I pray
God would teach you the gospel of His grace. But now, verse
13, but now, but now, in Christ Jesus, you who sometimes were
far off, how far? I can't describe it. Far off,
are made near. That word nigh is near. Near. Near to God. Near to God. How near? In God. In Christ. For our life is hid
with Christ in God. You who were far off are made
near by. By something. Not by your works,
is it? Not by your righteousness, is
it? That's filthy rags. Not by the law, is it? By the
deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified. So ye who were
flesh, ungodly, with no hope, without Christ, without God,
now are made one with God in Christ Jesus. Only by one exact,
exact, particular, only one way. One way. Not many ways. Straight as a gate, narrow as
a way, that leads to life. Our Lord said, I am the way. He's not a way. He's the way.
Made nigh unto God, made nigh unto God by the blood of Christ. What does that mean? What is the blood? Notice, it's
not the blood of bulls and goats. For we're not redeemed with corruptible
things of silver and gold. Nor are we redeemed by the blood
of bulls and goats, but by the precious blood of Christ. He
obtained for us eternal redemption with His own blood, the blood
of Christ. Oh, that's special, isn't it? The sacrifice of the Lord Jesus
Christ is special. You know, it's God-given. It's
God-provided. It's God's Lamb. Made near by
the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. even though far off by Adam's
sin, far off by my own ignorance and guilt, even though godless,
hopeless, faithless, and full of sin, yet in Christ Jesus,
made near to God, one with God through His blood sacrifice,
reconciled unto God in Christ Jesus." I can't get over that. Well, the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Turn back to Romans chapter 5,
just a moment. Romans chapter 5. One old songwriter
said, So near, near, so near to God, nearer I cannot be, for
in the person of His Son I am as near as He in Christ Jesus. Look at Romans chapter 5. Verse 6. For when we were yet
without strength, without God, without hope, without Christ,
without life, without salvation, without, without, without, in
due time Christ died. Now who died? Christ died. Is that enough? At everything
God provided. Christ died for that substitution. For the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous
man will one die, yet for a venture for a good man some might even
dare to do it, dare to die. But God commendeth His love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died. The Lord
Jesus Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified
by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if
when we are enemies, there's that enemies, aliens, enemies,
we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more
being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life, by His righteousness. You see, my friend, our sin separated
us from God. That's right, isn't it? That's
true. But this is also true. Christ came to put away our sin,
the sin of His covenant people, by His glorious sacrifice. He
appeared once in the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice
of Himself. That's how sin is put away, through
the blood of Christ. Now in Christ and His redeeming
blood, the reason of separation is removed. Now, our sin has
separated us from God. The Lord Jesus Christ came and
put away sin. Therefore, the reason of separation
is gone. And you know what the fruit of
that blessed atonement is? No longer separation. We have
reconciliation in Christ Jesus. He reconciled us to himself. In Christ, His redeeming blood,
we have reconciliation. Now we draw nigh with boldness
and confidence and liberty, because the reason of separation has
been put away. Sin has been put away. Put away
by the blood of Christ. I want you to turn to a couple
of scriptures. Let's first of all turn to Hebrews chapter 10. You see, it's the blood of Christ.
The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that takes away all our sin. The blood of Christ. So much so, that it says here
in Hebrews 10 verse 14, Hebrews 10 verse 14, For the one offering
He hath perfected forever, them that are sanctified. He did this
for not all the sins of all men. That's not true. He did this
for the sin of His covenant people. By one offering, He perfected
forever them that are sanctified. Wherefore, the Holy Ghost is
also a witness to us. For after that he has said before,
this is a covenant that I will make with them after those days,
saith the Lord. I will put my laws into their
hearts, and in their minds will I write them. And their sin and
their iniquity will I remember no more. Now where remission
of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore,
brethren, boldness. to enter into the holiest by
the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn back to Hebrews chapter
4. Hebrews chapter 4. But now in Christ Jesus, you
who sometimes were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Made nigh. In Hebrews chapter
4, look at verse 14. Seeing then that we have a great
high priest, that is passed into the heavens. When he by himself
purged our sin, he sat down at the right hand of God. Jesus,
the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not
a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without
sin. Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy. Find grace
to help in time of need. Turn back to Hebrews chapter
1. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ put away our sin, the sin of
His covenant people, by His own sacrifice unto death. His obedience
unto death. Wherefore it says in Hebrews
1 verse 3, who being the brightness of His glory, To express image
of his person, upholding all things by the word of his power,
when he by himself purged our sin. Sat down on the right hand
of the majesty on high. That is the Lord Jesus Christ.
having put away our sin, having satisfied God's holy law, having
satisfied God's justice that was against us, that was contrary
to us, took it out of the way and nailed it to His cross. After
having buried the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, after having
been delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification,
the Lord Jesus Christ sits on the throne of glory Victorious. Victorious over sin, death, hell
and the grave. Therefore Paul says this, thanks
be unto God who has given us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ. Now back to the text. Ephesians
chapter 2 verse 13, But now in Christ Jesus, you who sometimes
were far off are made nigh, by the blood of Christ. Look at
verse 19 in the text. He says, Now therefore you are
no more strangers, foreigners, but fellow citizens with the
saints and the household of God. We're no more strangers. We're
no more foreigners. We're no more aliens and enemies.
We're fellow citizens with the saints. No longer alienated and
separated, we belong to the household of God. So, you see what He's given us
in Christ. But now, in Christ Jesus. He who sometimes were far off
are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Let's move on to verse
14. For He is our peace. Christ is
our peace. He is our peace. He is our peace. Turn to Colossians chapter 1.
He is our peace. Often we hear people say, in
religious denominations, make your peace with God, or
make peace with God. My friend, you can't satisfy
God's holy law and justice. Forget it. You can't make peace
with God. They often say, well, make Jesus
your Lord. You can't do that either. You
can't make peace and you can't make Him Lord. You can bow to
His Lordship by His grace, and you can look to the Lord Jesus
Christ alone who made peace for us with His own blood. Let's
read that. Colossians chapter 1, verse 18
says, verse 14 says, We have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of sins. All things are created by Him
and for Him. He is the for all things, by
Him all things consist. Now verse 18, He is the head
of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead, that in all things He might have the preeminence,
the first place, the rightful place, all glory and honor due
unto Him. For please the Father, that in
Him should all fullness dwell. Now look at verse 20 carefully.
Colossians chapter 1, verse 19 and 20. I hope you've got it
circled. Having made peace. For in Him, it pleased the Father
that in Him should all fullness dwell. The fullness of God. The fullness of eternality. The
fullness of salvation dwells in Him. Having made peace through
His blood. Having made peace through the
blood of His cross. Crucified for us. Wounded for
us. Bruised for us. God made Him
sin for us. By Him, there's this word, reconcile
all things unto Himself. By Him, I say, whether they be
things in earth or things in heaven. Now look at this carefully.
And you that were sometimes, here it is again, alienated,
remember in times past, you were alienated, you were enemies in
your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled. He did
it, didn't He? He did the reconciling. Reconciliation. He made peace. How did he do it? In the body
of his flesh through death, to present you holy, unblameable,
unapprovable in his sight. Since you continue in the faith,
grounded and settled, be not moved away from the hope of the
gospel which you have heard, which was preached to every creature
which is under heaven. Wherefore, I, Paul, am made a
minister. Would you dare even entertain,
you think for a moment, All those folks at Ephesus who had heard
the gospel, those pagans, who had brought their books to a
public place and burned all their idolatrous literature, who made
a public, open commitment to the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ, do you think any of them for a moment ever entertained
any idea of going back and bowing before Diana, a goddess of stone? They wouldn't even entertain
such a crazy notion. And I tell you, my friend, those
who are saved by God's glorious grace, they do persevere in faith. They do continue in faith, being
kept by the power of Almighty God. For He is our peace, who
hath made us one in Christ, having abolished, verse 15, having abolished
in his flesh the enmity when the law of commandments contained
it in ordinances, for to make of himself of the two one new
man, so making peace, that he might reconcile both under God
in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby." Now
let me ask you a question in closing. I won't quit, I've got
too much here. We'll come back and look at this
next week. Now, let me ask you a question.
If the Lord Jesus Christ honored and fulfilled the law of God
for us, and as it says in Galatians 3, verse 13, He has redeemed
us from the curse of the law, being made accursed for us, having
slain the enmity thereby, having honored God's law and justice
for us. Believers resting in Christ Jesus,
are they under the bondage and curse of that law? Absolutely
not. They are set free in Christ Jesus. I contend this. according to
what we read in God's Word. Stand fast therefore in the liberty
wherewith Christ has set us free. The believer's rule of life is
not ten commandments. Don't ever take that, as some
people have done, put those commandments on a sign and stick them in their
yard and say, I'm living under this as a rule of life. You know
what that's saying? That's saying you're under the
curse of God. Cursed is everyone that continues
not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them. Christ has set us free. What
is a believer's rule of life? Let's fess up now. Christ. Christ. I'm not under the law. What's your position on the law,
preacher? Dead. Dead. You are dead to the law
through the body of Christ. That's what the book says.