Turning in our Bible to Ephesians,
the fourth chapter. Ephesians, the fourth chapter.
And we read repeatedly here in verse four, there is one body,
one spirit, even as you're called in one hope of your calling,
one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, the Father, the Father
of His covenant people. who is above all, through all,
and in you all, but unto every one of us is given, given, not
what we deserve, given grace, grace according to the measure
or according to the fullness of Christ. In Him dwells all
the fullness of the Godhead bodily and in Christ we stand complete,
the gift of God's grace. Now there is the blessed oneness
and unity between Christ and His people. Between Christ and
His people. And I mean by that, the church
universal is but one great whole. Now, there are many local assemblies
and local congregations, but there is one great church, which
is His body, of which Christ is the head. He's the head of
His body. Ephesians chapter 5, turn over
there for just a moment. Ephesians chapter 5, verse 23. For the husband is the head of
the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, and He is
the Savior of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject
unto Christ, so let the wives be their own husbands and everything.
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church
and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse
it with the washing of water by the Word, That's the gospel
that he might present it to himself, a glorious church, not having
any spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be
holy and without blame. No blemish, no spot, no defect. Every member of this body of
the Lord Jesus Christ is united to the head. just as our physical
body has many members, but all the members of our natural physical
body are all connected to the head. And every member of this
body of Christ is connected, vitally connected. My body is
vitally connected to my head. I'd hate to be without my head.
And every member in this body of Christ is vitally joined to
the head of the body, the head of the church, which is the Lord
Jesus Christ. And they're knit together in
love. These members of this one body, wherever you find them,
all over this world, and we're finding out that the Lord has
a people in all kindred, tribe, nation, and tongue, just as He
said that He did. They all have the same spiritual
interests. They all have the same objective
and goals, and they all have the same Father, adopted into
His family by the covenant of grace. They're chosen in Him,
as it says over here in Ephesians chapter 1, chosen of God in Him
before the foundation of the world that we should be holy.
He didn't choose us because we are holy. He hath chosen us in
Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy,
in love, without blame, before Him in love, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according
to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of
His grace." So we all have the same interests, goals, and desires.
We all have the same Father. He's the Father of all. adopted
by His sovereign love and sovereign grace. We all have the same interests
and goals, having the same Father, being redeemed by the blood of
the Lord Jesus Christ, the blood of the covenant, that great Shepherd
of the sheep who redeemed us with His own blood. Turn back
to Ephesians 1, verse 7. It says, "...in whom we have
redemption." You see that? We have redemption through His
blood, the forgiveness of sin, according to the riches of His
grace. These all knit together in one body have the same Father,
the same Redeemer, who effectually
bought them, with His own blood, who effectually rules and reigns
over them by His power. And they all have this in common,
they're all born regenerated by the Spirit of God. You hath
He quickened, as it said in chapter 2, verse 1 of Ephesians, and
you who were dead in sins, He quickened us. Verse 5, even when
we were dead in sins, had quickened us together with Christ by grace. Are you saved? And these who
are members of this one body, chosen by God, redeemed by Christ,
put into this one body by the work of the Spirit in regeneration,
these all have the same resume. Now, some of you have worked
on a resume. If you want to apply for a job,
you've got to have a resume. They want you to write a resume.
And all the time you're updating your resume and trying to fine-tune
the resume so that it might impress that person who would evaluate
you for employment. Believers all have the same resume,
and it goes like this. My position? Sinner, saved by
God's grace. By the grace of God, I am what
I am. My education? Those given to
Christ are all taught of God. taught of the Holy Spirit. The
natural man doesn't receive the things of God, neither can he
know them, because they are spiritually discerned. We have one position,
sinner, saved by grace. One education, taught of God. My standing, in Christ. But in him, how did you get in
Christ? 1 Corinthians 1 tells us, "...but of him are you in
Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption." We have in this resume, my spiritual
resume, my standing in Christ, my education taught of God, my
position saved by grace alone, my objective. What's the objective
of a believer's resume? Oh, that I might win Christ and
be found in Him. Oh, that I might be like Him. Beloved, now are we sons of God,
and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but when He appears,
we're going to be just like Him. That's what predestination is
all about. Predestinated to be conformed
to the image of Christ. My desire, as Paul said, to know
Him. to know Him, to be found in Him. I know whom I have believed and
I'm persuaded He's able to keep that which I've committed unto
Him against that day. My hope, it's one hope. What is the believer's one hope?
God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of the Lord
Jesus Christ. That's a pretty good resume.
You reckon if you turned that in to your employer that he'd
hire you, he'd probably think you somewhat strange. But this
is the believer's resume. Sinners saved by God's grace.
Therefore he says in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 1, I therefore
the prisoner of the Lord. Now Paul never considered himself.
This is one of his prison epistles written while he was in Rome
there for two years. But he never ceased preaching
the gospel. And he never ceased, as God gave
him what to write, to pen the words. But he never called himself
the prisoner of Rome. Did he? Or the prisoner of whoever
the emperor might be. The Caesar might be. But the
prisoner of the Lord. That's a good place to be. In
his prison. Serving the Lord. The prisoner
of the Lord. The captive of the Lord. Can you imagine being the
captive of the Lord, and chosen of God, adopted in His family,
and loved of God? And then he says, as he writes
to these believers, he says, I beg you, I beseech you that
you walk worthy. Walk in a way that's honoring
and glorifying to the Master. Walk in faith, in love. walk
worthy of this calling wherewith you are called." He has called
us. As believers, He's called us out of death and darkness
unto His marvelous light. Oh, what a calling! No wonder
the Apostle called it a heavenly calling, a holy calling, a high
calling. This is the effectually irresistible
call of God. He's called us. Therefore, because
He has called us, We desire to honor Him in our walk, in our
talk, in our conversation. Believers desire to honor Christ
by faith and conduct. And my pastor taught me well.
Brother Henry, he always said, faith and conduct cannot be separated. Where you find one, you find
the other. Just like faith and repentance
cannot be separated. To walk worthy of our calling. Now, he says this in chapter
4 of Ephesians. In verse 17, I say therefore
and testify in the Lord that you henceforth walk not as other
Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind. There's no need for
us to walk that way in vanity, having the understanding darkened,
being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance
that is in them because of the blindness in the heart. There's
no need for the believer. We've been called out of that
ignorance and blindness and deadness. So we're not walking that way.
How are we walking? Look at Ephesians chapter 5,
verse 1. Be ye therefore followers of
God as dear children, and walk in love, as Christ also loved
us, and hath given himself for us in offering and sacrifice
to God for a sweet-smelling savour unto God, a sacrifice satisfying
unto God. Now look again in this same chapter,
verse 8, for we, for you were sometimes darkness, but now are
you in the light. Now are you light in the Lord.
Walk as children of light. Walk this way, honoring to Christ,
honoring to the gospel. Look at verse 15 in chapter 5,
see then that you walk circumspectly. What does that mean? Walk in
wisdom, not as fools. But walk in wisdom as a wise
man, redeeming the time." Make good value of the time because
the days are short. Days are evil. Days are evil. Now look back at the text, Ephesians
4. So walk worthy of the vocation with which you are called. And
then look at verse 2. He gives us, I believe, five
attributes of this walk. The believer's walk, the believer's
attitude. with all lowliness, meekness,
long-suffering, forbearing one another, endeavoring to keep
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Five things he
mentions here, and I'll go through these rather quickly. Lowliness.
Walk in such a way, having low thoughts of self, better thoughts
of others, high thoughts toward God, right thoughts toward God. Now turn just over to Philippians
chapter 2. Philippians chapter 2. Look at verse 2. Fulfill you my joy,
Philippians 2.2, that you be like-minded, having the same
love, being of one accord, one mind. Let nothing be done through
strife and vainglory, but in lowliness of mind. Let each esteem
other better. than themselves. Look not every
man on his own things, but every man on the things of others.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ." Walk in
lowliness, thinking low thoughts of self and better thoughts of
others and right and high thoughts of God Almighty. And then back
to the text. Look back over here at Ephesians
4, 2. Walk in not only in lowliness, but walk in meekness. Meekness. And the word there is gentleness.
Gentleness. Walk in understanding. Considering the frailty of this
flesh, walk in a way of understanding and meekness. Turn back to Galatians
chapter 6. Galatians chapter 6 verse 1.
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault. He's talking here
about believers, considering other believers who have stumbled.
You which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of gentleness. You see that? Meekness. Considering
thyself, lest you also be tempted, bear ye one another's burdens,
and so fulfill the law of God. For if a man thinketh himself
to be something when he is nothing, he is deceiving himself. So restore such a one in the
spirit of meekness, considering the frailty of your own flesh.
And then back to the text again, the next thing he mentions here
in Ephesians 4, he says, walk in lowliness, walk in meekness,
and then he mentions long-suffering. Long-suffering is patience. Patience. The Lord is long-suffering to
us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should
come to repentance and faith in Christ Jesus. Long-suffering. This is patience. patience with
others as God has been patient and is patient with us and then
fourthly he mentions forbearing forbearing one another in love
forbearing one another in love look over here in Ephesians chapter
4 verse 32 be you kind one toward another tender-hearted forgiving
one another even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Forbearing
one another because of love. Now love, love, if you love someone,
love makes allowances for those whom you love. It does. How about your grandchildren? How about your children? Those
for whom you love, you make forbearance and you make allowances for those
whom you love. Let me give you this homely illustration.
Brother Mahan's first born son, Robbie, was killed in Vietnam
in 1969. Brother Henry's other son had
a son, Henry's first grandson, and they named him Robbie. And
when he was just a little tyke, two or three years old, he was
over in Henry and Doris' house playing. You know how little
kids play, especially little boys. They play kind of rough.
Someone had given Henry and Doris a special plate, one of those
plates you put on a stand and you look at, not one that you
eat out of, a special plate, you know, an anniversary plate
or something special. And they had it displayed there
on the coffee table and here come Robbie over one day just
playing and rambunctious and he got up against that plate
and just hit it and just it went everywhere. It went everywhere
and Doris, Henry was off in another room and Doris was a little bit
concerned Because that was a special gift, and Pastor Mahan walked
in and said, Who broke that plank? And Doris said, Robbie did. Oh,
that's okay. You see, love makes allowances. Love makes allowances. And that's
what he's saying here. We make allowances for one another
out of love and gratitude, just as the Lord has for us out of
love. and out of gratitude." And that's
what he's saying here, forbearing one another because you love
each other in Christ. And then he says, fifthly, keeping
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. The psalmist said,
oh, how good, how pleasant for the brethren to dwell together
in unity, striving to protect the harmony and oneness of believers
around the King of Peace who made peace for us with His own
blood. And this can be done. This endeavoring,
striving to keep the unity, the unity of the Spirit in the bond
of peace, this can be done without any compromise of the gospel
of God's grace. We don't have to compromise at
all to keep the unity, striving to keep the unity of the believers
in Christ Jesus, because they're united together around the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ, His person, His work. We don't dare
compromise any aspect of the gospel of God's grace. I'd rather
give my life at the compromise, and if you read Fox's Book of
Martyrs, that's what all those people did, who refused to do
rather, who were burned to the stake. All they had to do was
recant. Recant! And they went to glory
with their fingers on fire, clapping and giving thanks unto the Lord
that He gave them grace to die for the gospel without compromise. Without compromise. God give
us this unity. of the Spirit in the bond of
peace without compromise. Now, I said all that to get to
verse 4, 5, and 6. Valid reasons, I believe, are
given here. Why we are to walk worthy of
our calling. Why we are to strive together
to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Because
there is number one, and there's seven of them here, I believe.
Number one is there's one body. One body. One, one body. Now turn back to Ephesians chapter
1. He's talking here about one church. There's one body. Ephesians
chapter 1. Look what he says here, verse
19, What is the exceeding greatness of His power to us who believe,
according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought
in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at
His own right hand in heavenly places? Far above all principality,
power, and might, dominion, every name that is named, not only
in this world, but also in that which is to come, and put all
things under his feet, gave him to be head over all things, he
is all things to the church, which is his body, his body,
the fullness of him that filleth all in all." There's one church. One body of which the Lord Jesus
Christ is the head. Turn over a couple books to Colossians
chapter 1. He is the head of His body. Colossians
chapter 1, verse 17, He is before all things, by Him all things
consist. He is the head of the body, the
church, the church. You know what that word means?
Called out. He's the head of the church, His body, the called
out, who is the beginning, He's the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things He might have the preeminence. For it pleased
the Father that in Him should all foolish dwell in Him. He is the head of His body. Now,
there are many, there's one body, there's one church, there are
many local congregations, Ashland, Lexington, Danville, Here, Zebulun,
other places, there are many local congregations, but there's
one spiritual body, one spiritual kingdom called His Church, called
the Church of the Firstborn, whose names are written in heaven,
in heaven. And that's why we read in Revelation
5 and other places, out of every kindred, tongue, tribe, nation
and people under heaven. I was noticing last month's sermon
audio report, did you notice how those foreign countries had
increased? I think I counted 96 foreign countries to where
the gospel of God's grace has gone out into these different
places over the Internet. God has a people everywhere and
they're considered His body, His church. He died to secure
and purchase them and salvation by His blood. So there's one
body Look back at Ephesians chapter 4. Secondly, there's one, there's
one Spirit. One Spirit. One Spirit. Now I want you to find I Corinthians
12. One Spirit. And this is the Holy
Spirit. I Corinthians 12, look at verse
13. For by the one Spirit are we
all baptized into the one body. How do we get in that body? Work
of the Spirit. whether we be Jew or Gentile,
bond or free, have all been all made to drink into the one Spirit,
Christ, the water of life. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin. Our Lord said, when He, the Spirit
of truth has come, He will convict of sin, of righteousness, and
of judgment. The Holy Spirit does the work
of regenerating, the work of enlightening, the work of giving
us life in Christ Jesus. If you miss Holy Spirit conviction,
you'll miss repentance. If you miss repentance, you'll
miss faith. If you miss faith, you'll miss
Christ. If you miss Christ, you'll miss
salvation. The Holy Spirit not only convicts
of sin and regenerates, but the Holy Spirit also comforts believers. When He, the Spirit of truth,
has come, He will comfort you. He's called the Comforter when
the Comforters come. Now what does God the Holy Spirit
comfort believers with? Good feelings? Warm feelings? The Holy Spirit comforts God's
people with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus. He said in John 16,
He'll take the things of Christ and show them unto you and reveal
them unto you. He says over here in Ephesians
1, verse 13 and 14, that we're sealed with the Holy Spirit of
promise. Look what he says here in verse 13, "...in whom you
also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel
of your salvation, in whom also after that you believed, you
were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest
of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession
unto the praise of His glory were sealed with the Holy Spirit.
Now, this world's religion has got itself in a terrible mess. And I tell you why this world
of man-centered religion is in such a terrible mess is because
they've tried to do the work of the Holy Spirit instead of
simply preaching the gospel and leaving folks alone. preach the
truth and leave folks alone. And the Holy Spirit will convict
His people and bring them to Christ. And men have made great
error and mistake by trying to do the work of the Holy Spirit.
Trying to entice people and persuade people and buttonhole people
and badger people. That's not what we're about.
Preaching Christ. And I tell you what, The preaching
of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and the setting forth
of God's truth in the gospel will not be a hindrance or a
stumbling block to His people. He will call them in spite of
all the faults and frailties of the preacher. He will call
His people. They will hear His voice and
they will fall in love with Christ. And they will insist upon that
the preacher preach the gospel that honors and magnifies the
Lord Jesus. You see, look back at the text.
There's one body, one Spirit, Holy Spirit, quickens, calls,
convicts, regenerates, seals, teaches us the gospel, reveals
Christ into our heart. And then he says there, there
is one hope. You see that? There is one hope. One hope of your calling. What
is that hope? Christ in you. The hope of glory. It is a good hope through the
grace of God alone. This is the hope we have. It's
not a shot in the dark. It's not a wish. It's not a hope,
a hope, a hope. No, it's a good hope through
grace because Christ, He is our hope. All believers have the
same hope. They're all loved with the same
love, with an everlasting love. Therefore, He draws them with
love and kindness. They're all chosen in Christ their Head.
before the foundation of the world. They're all secured in
the same covenant of grace. They're all bought with the same
blood. They all have one hope. They're all justified with the
same justifying righteousness in Christ Jesus through the shedding
of His blood. God made Him to be sin for us
who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him. They're all made heirs of grace
in Christ Jesus. You see, we have one hope. One
hope of your calling. Fourthly, we see this in the
text here. There's one Lord. One Lord. One Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
absolute sovereign of all things. He prayed, Father, You've given
me power over all flesh that I should give eternal life to
as many as Thou hast given me. Peter put it this way, when he
preached in Acts chapter 2 that God had made that same Jesus
whom you crucified, God had made Him Lord? He's not Lord by something
we do. He's not Lord by some decision
we make. He's not Lord, people say, in
man-centered religion, we'll make Jesus your Lord. You can't
make Him Lord. You can bow to His Lordship and
submit to His Lordship, but you can't make Him Lord. God decreed
Him in His mediatorial character to be Lord of heaven and earth. As a matter of fact, he said
this, God has highly exalted him and given him a name above
every name, that at that name every knee is going to bow, every
tongue is going to confess that he is Lord to the glory of God
the Father. To this end, to this purpose, Romans 14.9, to this
end, to this purpose, God had made that he rose, he died, he
rose again. Turn to Romans chapter 14. This
end of this purpose, Christ died and rose and revived that He
might be Lord of the living and the dead. Romans 14, 9. First
sermon I've ever heard by Brother Scott Richardson was from this
text, Romans 14, 9. For to this end, this purpose,
Christ both died and rose and revived that He might be Lord
both of the dead and the living. We're going to answer and bow
to His Lordship and submit to His Lordship in Christ Jesus. There's one Lord. One Lord. When Brother Barnard, Roth Barnard,
first came preaching in Ashland back in 1950, he said this and
it shocked the folks. And this is the Southern Baptist,
Arminian Southern Baptist Church. And Brother Mahan was just a
young boy at that time, hadn't learned the Gospel, hadn't heard
the Gospel. And Brother Roth Barnard came preaching there
the Gospel of God's Sovereign Grace, and he said, don't tell
me who your Savior is, tell me who your Lord is. If He's not
your Lord, He's not your Savior. It's the Lord Jesus Christ that
saves. Jesus can't save a flea. It's
the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, you know, that shocked
that religious town in that day. And here it's been 50, 60 some
years, and that message and from the fruit of that ministry, that
man is still going forward. The Lordship of Christ. I believe
it, I preach it, I teach it, because that's what I read in
the book. And I'm glad that He is my Lord
and my King. The Revelation calls Him Lord
of Lords and King of Kings. He's the Lord with whom we have
to do, to whom we answer, whose servant I am, to whom we worship. There's one Lord. And that leads
us to number five, there's one faith. There's one faith. Now, most of you older folks
do this, I know you do. You read the obituaries, don't
you? Older folks do that. You young people aren't interested
in obituaries. But us older folks, We always
look at the obituary to see who died. And a lot of times when
you read obituaries, have you ever noticed it says, he was
of the Baptist faith, he was of the Methodist faith, he was
of this faith or that faith, as if to think or as if to say
there were many different kinds of faith. Well, there are many
different kinds of false faith, but there's only one saving faith,
And that's in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what Paul wrote
about when he wrote about the faith of God's elect that Paul
writes about over here in Ephesians chapter 2. For by grace are you
saved through faith, and that not of yourself, it's a gift
of God. And this faith that's God given is obtained. Turn to
II Peter chapter 1. This faith that's God given,
II Peter 1 verse 1, Simon Peter, a servant, and an apostle of
Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained," notice it doesn't
say, I attained, I obtained, like precious faith with us through
the righteousness of God. What is the righteousness of
God? He's not talking about His holiness. He's talking about
the righteousness of God in the Gospel. Notice, it's of God,
from Him, imputed freely by His grace. and our Savior Jesus Christ. This is a light, precious faith.
And this faith of God's elect, you know what it does? It acknowledges
the truth. This saving faith has one source. He's the author
and finisher of faith. Has one object looking unto Jesus,
who is the author and finisher, the Lord Jesus. Christ alone
is the object of faith. And this saving faith, you know
what it does? Find Romans chapter 4. This saving faith When it's
true and real and God-given, you know what it does? It honors
and magnifies and glorifies God. Romans chapter 4, look at this.
Romans 4, speaking of Abraham, verse 20, He staggered not at
the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith. What does it do? Strong in faith,
comma, giving glory to God. Being fully persuaded. Here's
my persuasion. Here's my faith. giving glory
to God. Here's my persuasion. I'm persuaded
that He, whatever He has promised, He's able to perform. One hope,
one Lord, one faith. Now watch this. Stay with me
here. Look at verse 5 in Ephesians
4. There's one baptism. One baptism. There's one way
to confess Hope and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and that's
identifying with his death burial and resurrection in believers
baptism This is the only biblical way of confessing publicly faith
in Christ now while water immersion water baptism believers baptism
under the gospel and it's not sprinkling its immersion When
you bury someone, you don't sprinkle dirt in their face. You bury
them. And that's what baptism is. It's
a burial in a watery grave. Well, although water baptism
is not essential to salvation, is it? Huh? No. But it certainly is essential
to obedience and submission to the Lord's command. Now, I want
you to stay with me now. Turn to Mark chapter 16. Mark chapter 16. A lot of folks
in our area put strong emphasis upon water. They have exalted
water baptism to the place of the Savior. They have. They actually
have. But look what it says here actually
in Mark 16. Look what it says in Mark 16,
15. He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach
the gospel to every creature. Preach what? Preach the gospel. That's the gospel of God concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ and honors and magnifies Him. He that believeth. Now, how does one believe? The
gift of God. The power of God and the salvation
and is baptized shall be saved. He that believeth not will be
damned. Now, I want you to look at these
Scriptures with me. Find I Peter 3. Oftentimes, these
people who my pastor said that he had a friend one time, he
said, I don't put any confidence in those people that emphasize
and make water baptism the Savior, he said, because they cannot
spell. What do you mean they cannot spell? He says, I cannot
put confidence in any man that spells B-L-O-O-D who spells blood
W-A-T-E-R. And I can't either. We're not
redeemed with water, we're redeemed with blood. Now look what it
says right here. Those people who emphasize water
salvation and those who emphasize that people are saved because
they've been immersed in water, they often read verses like this.
In 1 Peter 3, verse 21, they often read, "...baptism doth
also now save us." You see that? They say, well, that's what the
Word says, baptism must save us. Well, look what it says right
above that. Verse 18, For Christ also once
suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring
us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by
the Spirit, by which also he went and preached unto the spirits
in prison, which sometimes were disobedient. When once a long
suffering God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was preparing,
Noah preached the gospel for 120 years. He said salvation
is in that ark, and that's a picture of Christ. Wherein few, that
is, eight souls were saved from water. From what happened in
that day. That ark is a picture of the
death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. All that went into
that ark, that's a picture of a burial. That ark was baptized
with the waters, the wrath of God, and then it landed one day
on a mountain and they walked out. It's a picture of a resurrection.
And that's what that's all about. Look what it says here, the like
figure. You see? Where unto even baptism
doth also now save us by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
And then they leave out this part, not to put away the filth
of the flesh, There are some people who are so deluded to
think they have the proper authority and power to baptize people in
water and to wash away their sins. I've had them tell me that. Haven't you? But it says here,
not putting away the filth of the flesh, but as an answer of
a good conscience toward God. By the resurrection of Jesus
Christ, who has gone into heaven and is on the right hand of God,
Now, look at this here. Stay with me. Acts chapter 2.
Here's their other favorite verse. Acts 2.38. You all know it. Here's
what they say. These water people, we call them
sea of sea up our way. Sea of sea. Folks, I tell you, it's a sight
now. I could get on right here, but
I'm going to try to reserve myself here. When Peter preached the
gospel in Acts 2.37, when they heard this, they were pricked
in their heart. When they heard what? The Lordship
of Christ. When they heard the only remedy
for salvation is Christ, they were convicted in their heart.
And Peter said unto them, and the rest of the apostles, they
said to them, What shall we do? And Peter said, Repent! and be
baptized." Now here's the way they like to read it, repent
and be baptized for the remission of sin. Now look at that verse
right there. They say, the water baptism crowd,
they say, repent and be baptized for the remission of sin and
you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. What's missing
there? What's missing there? in the name of Jesus Christ for
the remission of sin. That looks back to, not baptism
and repentance, but it looks back to Christ. Our sin is only
remitted because of Jesus Christ and His blood atonement and His
sacrifice. For the promise, and they leave
this verse out, verse 39, for the promise is unto you and your
children and to all that are far off, even as many as the
Lord our God shall call. Now let me show you something
here, you stay with me, this will help you. John 19, now look
at this, John 19. Now often times, I've had these
birds, they've showed up on my front porch and tried to invite
themselves into my pulpit and wanted to argue with me, wanted
to have debate on the radio and debate in the newspaper. The
gospel is not up for debate. We're going to preach the gospel
and leave those, as our Lord said, leave them alone. They're
blind, leaders are blind, and they're all going to fall into
the ditch of eternal condemnation. But oftentimes, these people
who are of the church of water and works, instead of the church
of grace and truth, but the crowd of the water and works, they
say this. Often the argument, well, you know, that dying thief
rejoiced to see that fountain in his day. The Lord Jesus Christ
said to that repentant thief who has given faith in Christ,
made a new creature in Christ, and he cried out, ìLord, remember
me!î He acknowledges Lordship. Hereís a man who had one faith,
one Lord, and one hope, and one calling, and the Lord turned
and said to him, ìToday, youíre going to be with me in glory.î
And the people who are of the water and works, they say this,
ìOh,î he said, When you argue, well, that thief was saved, but
he wasn't baptized. And they often argue, well, you
know, the covenant wasn't in effect then. The Lord, they say,
the Lord, well, you know, He hadn't died yet. Wrong! I can
prove it. Look right here, John 19. John
19, verse 32. Then came the soldiers. It says
over here in verse 30, when Jesus had received the vinegar, He
said, it's finished, and He bowed His head, and He rendered up
His Spirit to the Father. He is dead. He's dead. And these
two thieves are still living. Because it says here, then came
the soldiers and break the legs of the first and the other, which
was crucified. And when they came to Jesus and
saw that he was dead already, they didn't break his legs. The
covenant was in effect. according to their argument,
but it's always been in effect from eternity, but this blows
them out of the water. They have no ground to stand
on. When the soldiers came to break
the legs of those thieves, you know why they did that? They
did that to hasten death. So you couldn't push yourself
up off that cross to get air in your lung when your legs would
break, you'd hang there and suffocate and die. You see, the Lord had
already died, and these men were living, so that blood covenant
is and was in effect, and the Lord took that man to glory based
upon justification in Christ alone. Not Christ and baptism. Christ alone. Christ alone. Now, back to the text. Oh, it's saved by grace or not
saved at all. And baptism is simply a confession
of our hope in Christ Jesus and a public identification with
the gospel of God's saving grace. It does not put you into the
body of Christ. It does not wash away your sin. It does not put you in the covenant
of grace. In my soul, it doesn't, as some
even go so far as to say that you're spiritually regenerated
when you're dunked in the pool. What nonsense! My soul. I tell you, and the problem is
not in the pew, it's in the pulpit of those birds that preach water
salvation. Now, look what it says. You read
on in our text. There's one body, one spirit,
one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God. One God. He's our Father. He's adopted us into the covenant.
He's above all, through all, and in you all. Righteous, holy,
sovereign God is our loving Father of the covenant people. And He's
above all, He is through all, He takes care of us by His providence,
and He's in us all. Verse 7, unto every one of us
is given grace according to this measure. Here's the rule. According
to this measure of the gift, the gift, salvation is a gift,
is it not? God so loved that He gave the
gift of Christ. The measure of gift. According
to the measure of the gift of Christ, and He gave all. Grace
is given according to the sovereign determination of God, according
to the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ.