Sovereign Grace

Q: What does the Bible say about grace?

The Bible teaches that grace is God's unmerited favor toward sinners, granting redemption and salvation through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:6 declares that God did all things to the praise of the glory of His grace. This grace is not based on our worth or actions; rather, it is given freely to those whom God chooses. It is through this grace that we are accepted in the Beloved and experience redemption. Understanding grace is crucial for Christians as it highlights our dependence on God's mercy and the work of Christ rather than our own righteousness. Paul, in his letters, consistently emphasizes that salvation is by grace through faith, underscoring that our good deeds cannot earn God's favor or eternal life.

Q: How do we know election is true?

The truth of election is grounded in scripture, particularly in passages like Ephesians 1, which affirms that God chooses individuals before the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1:4 states that God has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, demonstrating the biblical basis for the doctrine of election. This idea is further reinforced when Paul writes in Romans 9:11, which speaks about God's purpose according to election, affirming that not all descended from Israel are truly part of Israel. Election serves to highlight God's sovereign will in salvation, emphasizing that it is not based on human effort or desire, but on God's purposes and grace. Therefore, the doctrine of election reassures believers of their security in Christ and reveals the depth of God’s mercy and sovereignty.

Q: Why is understanding predestination important for Christians?

Understanding predestination is important as it reveals God's sovereignty in salvation and assures believers of their security in Christ. Predestination is foundational to the Christian faith. Ephesians 1:5 explains that God predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ, highlighting His initiative in our salvation. This means that before creation, God had a plan to bring certain individuals into a relationship with Him. Recognizing this truth allows Christians to appreciate the grace and mercy bestowed upon them, acknowledging that it is not by their own actions that they are saved, but through God's divine purpose. This assurance empowers believers to live in gratitude and humility, fully trusting in God's plan rather than their own abilities.

Q: What is the role of faith in salvation?

Faith is the means through which believers receive God's grace and salvation, trusting entirely in Christ's work. Faith is integral to salvation, acting as the channel through which God's grace is received. Ephesians 1:13 states that after hearing the gospel and believing it, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. This illustrates that true faith is not merely intellectual assent but involves trust in the truth of the gospel. It is essential for Christians to understand that faith itself is a gift from God, awakening one’s heart to respond to the gospel. As seen in John 1:12, those who believe in Christ become children of God, showcasing that genuine faith results in a transformative relationship with Him.

the more difficult it becomes.
Because the more you realize the seriousness of the things
with which you're dealing, the awful, awful, awesome mysteries of the gospel. Isn't that right, men? You fellas
been... That's right. The longer you
try to preach, the more helpless you feel. The more you want to
glorify God, the more you want to be a blessing to the people,
and the more ignorant you realize you are in yourself. If God doesn't
speak, we might as well go home. Now, first statement here in
Ephesians 1 says Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, an
apostle. There won't be 12 of them. That's all, in all the history
of this world, twelve apostles. An apostle of Jesus Christ by
the will of God. God chose him to be an apostle. Writing to the saints, which
are in Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus, grace be to
you, and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the things that I enjoy,
I just flat enjoy, one of the things in life I enjoy
is to sit and listen to people talk who know what they're talking
about. I really do. I love to sit and
listen to a man or a woman who is experienced in a certain field
job or occupation or vocation or whatever, been in it a long
time. And I just like to sit and listen to them talk about
what they do and what they know. Don't you? I do. Take you back
over their experience. They know what they're talking
about. And you don't need to doubt that the information they're
giving you is correct. And that's the reason I like
to sit at the feet of the Apostle Paul. Paul in every area knew
what he was talking about. First of all, Paul was a Pharisee,
Saul of Tarsus. I don't think all of us realize
just how up in religion he was. He was steeped in religion, steeped
in legalism, ritualism, and self-righteousness. Saul of Tarsus. He was a Pharisee
of Pharisees. He was a member of the Sanhedrin.
He was a man who had sat at the feet of the very best, most outstanding
teacher of his day. He was a religious man. He was
a legalist. Let me show you that. Turn to
the book of Philippians, right over two or three pages. Philippians
chapter 3. And listen to what he says. Philippians
chapter 3, verse 4. He says, though I might also
have confidence in the flesh. And you know what flesh he's
talking about? His religious flesh. That's what he was talking
about. Though I might have confidence
in religious flesh, in my doings, in my duties, in my sacrifice,
in my righteousness and morality. If any other man thinks that
he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, trust in an experience
or religious duties or training or heritage, I more. Why, he
said, I was circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel of
the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, as touching the law
of Pharisee concerning zeal, persecuting the as touching the
righteousness which is in the law blameless. That's the reason
over in Romans 10, when he talked to Israel, he said, my heart's
desire and prayer to God for Israel is, they might be saying,
I bear them record. There's nobody knows them like
I know them. Because I've worn up. He said they have a zeal
for God. An enthusiasm for God. When some of you were in religion,
I was in religion once without Christ. Tom, when you were in
Mormonism, sincere, zealous? Some of you in Catholicism, Church
of Christ? Weren't you zealous? Sincere? He said, they have a zeal for
God, but it's not according to knowledge. They're ignorant of
God's righteousness. and going about on the basis
of their duties and their works and their laws to establish a
righteousness of their own and would not submit to the righteousness
of God. This man knew religion, steeped in religion. So when
he talks about a false profession and a false religion, I listen
to him. And then here is the sinner.
Oh, this man talking here knows what it means to be a sinner.
broken on the road to Damascus. God literally, and there's no
sinner more defiled than a religious sinner. You know, most of the
time when we think about a sinner, most of the time when we think
about a sinner, we think about a drunk lying in the gutter mistreating
his wife and children. And that is bad. Or we think
about a thief, a man that goes into people's houses and steals
their property and takes it down and sells it and buys drugs. Or we think about a harlot selling
her body. Or we think about a rapist. Or
we think about a child molester. We think about a kidnapper. We
think about a traitor to his country. And those things are
horrible and bad. But let me tell you something,
my friend. You listen to me. The man who stands before God
in his own goodness and morality, so-called, his own self-righteousness,
in the eyes of Almighty God is more abominable and wretched
and corrupt than any murderer ever thought to be. Is that a little hard to take?
But that's so. at the judgment when all men
are brought together and stand before God and are judged. Honestly,
from my heart, I speak the truth. I'd lots rather stand before
God, my hands stained with the blood of one of my brothers,
than to stand there wrapped in the robes of religious righteousness. I'd lots rather You see, the
self-righteous say that Christ died in vain. The self-righteous
say there's no need of the love and mercy of God. The self-righteous
deny God's cheap glory, and that is His mercy. I don't need mercy. That's right. It wasn't the drunks
that nailed Him to a cross. It wasn't the harlots. They were
His friends. It was the religious people that
hated the Son of God. And this man, Paul, people talk
about a good life and a moral life. He was one of the most
wretched, despicable, abominable, corruptible sons of Adam that
ever walked on the face of God's earth. He hated the grace of
God. That's right. And I'm telling
you, I heard a preacher just say it last night on television.
or this morning was, he said, I know some of your good people
and you live good lives. The man that's resting in his
self-righteous religious rags is not good. He's the most corrupt
sinner walking on the topside of God's green earth. And the man's a whole lot better
off who's a thief and steals men's property. than the man
who steals God's glory and takes it to himself. Believe me, I'm
telling you the truth. I'm telling you the truth. And
that's the reason Paul said this, I obtained mercy. I was a blasphemer. I was injurious. I'm the chief
of sinners. This man, Saul of Tarsus, was
never drunk. He never stole a dime. He went
to the synagogue every Sabbath day. He tithed his income. He was raised in, steeped in,
brought up in the strictest, staunchest, moral life. But then he comes to Christ and
discovers he's the chief of sinners. None like me, he said. None like
me. None like me. I'm less than the
least of all the saints. Have you ever experienced that?
Well, God helped you to do it. This man knows religion, and
this man knows the grace of God. This man knows the grace of God.
You won't listen to somebody who knows the grace of God. Listen
to Solitaire. He knows the grace of God. I
obtained mercy. He says it over, I am what I
am by the grace of God. Our Lord said this in Luke 16. He said, you, talking to the
religious folks, brought up in religion, raised in a religious
home, sent to a religious school, they did the same thing then
that we are doing today. The same blessed thing. They
took Sire of Tarsus, his mama was a Hebrew and his daddy was
a Hebrew, he was a Jew of Jews. Tribal Benjamin brought up in
a so-called religious God-fearing home. He was protected from all
outside influence and sent to religious school all his life
to protect him from ever discovering he was a sinner. That's right. and assumed that
he knew God. Assumed that he knew God. But
he didn't know God until he met God and God stripped him and
blinded him and broke him and humbled him and shamed him and
put that old proud religious Pharisee in the dust. And made him beg for mercy. That's
right. That's right. I tell you this, You can put a hedge around your
children, and there's a certain hedge ought to be put there,
certain rules and regulations, you know what I'm talking about.
But you can protect them and shield them from this world and
never let them discover the world in which they live. And you might have on your hands
a person that will never know what it means to experience the
grace of God. Walter and Betty Gruber took five children, all
under the age of seven, to Mexico. And I'm talking about, that ain't
no Sunday school picnic down there. They took them to Mexico,
land of liberty. I mean licentious liberty. Land
of, well, you name it. Sent them to public schools in
Mexico. Brought them up there among Mexicans,
among You can just imagine the heathenism, the Catholicism,
the wickedness of that whole country and raised them, preached
the gospel of God's grace to them. And all five of them loved
the Son of God and are believing believers successful in every
way. So it ain't you, it's God. It's not you, it's God. I'm not
saying turn them loose. You know, what I'm talking about
is this. This man knew religion. This man knew religion and the
false refuge of religion. And he said, when God's law came,
I died. And I'll tell you this, if God
ever saves you, he'll save you the same way he saved the worst
thief that ever walked. If you ever meet God, you'll
meet him on the same foundation as the worst murderer that ever
walked. You won't bring anything with you either. That's right.
Here's another thing about this man. He was a chosen vessel.
A chosen vessel to bear the name of Christ to the Gentiles. When
he sat down there and God sent his preacher to him, his preacher
came to him and he said, He said, the Lord our God hath
chosen thee. The Lord our God hath chosen
thee. I hear people say, don't preach
election to sinners. That's the first thing out of
the mouth of Ananias when he spoke to Saul. First thing he
said, he walked up and said, God chose you. That you should
know his will, that you should see the just one, and that you
should bear witness to his name among the Gentiles. God chose
you to be a preacher. And you know something? He went
into Arabia. He didn't go see Peter and ask
Peter what to preach. He didn't go see James and John
and ask them what to preach. He said, brethren, the gospel
which was preached of me is not after man. I didn't receive it
from a man. I wasn't taught it by a man.
I was taught it by the revelation of Jesus Christ. That's who I
want to listen to. A man that God has taught. A
man that God has taught. He's a chosen vessel. He writes
under divine inspiration. So this man we're reading after
tonight, he knows religion, he knows the grace of God, he knows
the gospel. He knows the gospel. And then
another thing about him before I get into the main heart of
this thing. Here's an old warrior. An old
warrior. He's at the end of the road.
At the end of the road. He's in prison. And he writes this book we're
looking at tonight from prison. He's about to close out his ministry
and close out his life on earth and go to be with his Lord. He
said, the time of my departure is at hand, he told Timothy.
in another epistle from this same place. I'm winding it up. But here in this Ephesians 1,
from the prison cell, he writes to his good friends at Ephesus
for the last time. This is the last letter, the
last epistle to the book to the church at Ephesus. And what does
he talk about? He talks about He talks about
the grace of God in Christ Jesus. So here's an old warrior about
to wind it up, and he not only knows religion and the grace
of God and the gospel, but he knows, Jim, our only hope, our
only rock, our only salvation. So let's look at it. Chapter
1 of Ephesians, verse 3. Now, this is a doxology of praise. Doxology of praise. Remember
who's writing that. Remember his background. And
remember this, he knows what he's talking about. Knows what
he's talking about. He's speaking under divine inspiration. And here he gives a doxology,
verse 3 through 14. And this must be noted because
it must be read this way. There are just three sentences.
That's all. The first sentence, he praises
the Father. The second sentence, he praises
the Son. The third sentence, he praises
the Holy Spirit. Let me show you, verse 3 through
6. Now notice, this is one sentence. And it must be read this way.
It must be preached this way. Verse 3. Blessed be the God and
Father. Now notice while we're reading
this, no periods. He doesn't come to the end of
the sentence Last word of verse 6. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ, that's not the end,
colon, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love. That's not the end of it. having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ himself
according to the good pleasure of his will, comma, to the praise
of the glory of his grace wherein he made us accepted in the beloved,
period. That's the sentence. That's the only way you can read
it. That's the only way you can honestly preach it. It's one
sentence. One, praise the Father. Listen
to it again, verse 3. Bless God. Bless God because
He is God. Bless God because He is God.
Secondly, bless God because He is the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. He sent Christ. My Father sent me, He said. Jesus
Christ didn't come into this world to get God in a notion
of saving us. He came because God purposed
to save us. Jesus Christ didn't come into
this world to get God in the notion of loving us. He came
because God did love us. For God so loved the world, He
gave His Son. He's the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. And then what's this? Bless God
because He's blessed us. Jim stood up here a moment ago
and talked about how we've been blessed here. Oh, how we've been
blessed. He's blessed us materially. I
acknowledge that we My, how he's met our needs in every way, as
a church, as individuals, as families. I tell you, God's blessed
us, hasn't he? Oh, how he's blessed us. I'm
not talking about materially, though. He's blessed us that
way, and thank him for it. But here's the main thing. He
has blessed us with spiritual blessings, and these spiritual
blessings are in the heavenlies. What are we talking about? Spiritual
blessings. And they're in Christ. But these spiritual blessings,
he's revealed the gospel to us. He's not left us in religious
darkness. He's not left us in religious
tradition. My friends, this is a free pulpit. My dear brother-in-law was up
here visiting one time, my sister's husband, the only time he's ever
been in this town, the only time he's ever been in this church,
a few months ago. Sat right down there one Wednesday
night and I preached the word of God and we went home from
the church. And he knows something about religion, he lives a long
ways from here and we sat down to have a cup of coffee and he
said, uh, how do you get away with saying
the things you say? I said, I don't understand what
you mean. He said, do the Baptists let you say those things? He
said preachers down where I live couldn't get away with talking
like you do and saying what you say, that fire them. I said to
him, I said, how? I can't be fired. I'm God's servant. We don't belong
to the Baptist denomination. We don't belong to anybody but
God. This is a free fulfillment. Isn't it good? Free! Like old
Martin Luther King says, Thank God I'm free of lies! That's right. Some of you know
what I'm talking about. Free. If I want to preach on
election, I'll preach on election. If I want to preach on limits
of the tongue, I'll preach on limits of the tongue. If I want
to preach on holiness, I'll preach on holiness. That's right. This is a free
pulpit. A free congregation. Free from the shackles of religion. That God's blessed us. He's blessed us with justification.
We're redeemed. He's blessed us with sanctification.
We're sanctified in Christ. Blessed us with that robe of
righteousness. That's what Joe read about tonight
in the study, that robe of his righteousness. That's that heavenly
blessing. We're seated with Christ in the
heavenlies. He's blessed us. Look at the
next verse. End of the sentence now, he goes
on in that doxology praising God. He said, according or depending
upon the fact or even as he chose us in Christ before the foundation
of the world. They just sang about that before
the world began. God loved me. At that verse you
sang that. He chose us in Christ. And what's
this doxology? Everything he says that we have
is where? In Christ. Not in the church,
not in the denomination, not in our profession, not in us,
not in the law. He blessed us in Christ, he chose
us in Christ before the foundation of the world, listen, not because
we were holy, not because we were without blame, not because
he saw something good in us, not because he looked down from
eternity and saw that we would believe, but he chose us that
we should be holy. And the only one who can make
us holy is Christ Jesus. For he has made us holy, unblameable,
unreprovable, in him, having predestinated us. You see, God's
purpose preceded God's choice. I don't know how to get these
things in any proper order, whether they're like repentance and faith.
You can't have one without the other. That's what Spurgeon said
one time. Somebody asked him, which comes
first, repentance or faith? He said, I don't know, they're
inseparable. He said, repentance and faith are like a sheet of
paper. It's impossible to have a sheet of paper without two
sides. Isn't that right? And repentance and faith, it's
impossible to turn to Christ unless you turn from the isles.
And if you really turn from the isles, there ain't but one place
to turn, and that's to Christ. Isn't that right, Bob? So, which comes first, life or
faith? Well, if man has life, faith
will be hanging around somewhere. That's right. The Holy Spirit
takes the Word, who is Christ, the seed of the Word, who is
Christ, He begets His life, is Christ. I don't know, but I just
know that God predestinated us, listen, unto the adoption of
sons by Jesus Christ. His purpose preceded His choice. Because he chose us to be like
Christ. He purposed that he's going to
have a kingdom someday inhabited by a people like Christ. Every
one of them. They're going to like what he
likes, love what he loves, enjoy what he enjoys, desire what he
desires. They're all going to be just
like him, conformed to his image. And God will save all whom he
can wisely save. And God will make every one of
them just like Christ. And that, listen, verse 5, according
to the good pleasure of his will. Now don't get that old will business
in the way of God's glory. Now don't confuse the gospel defending
the human will. You're on the wrong side if you
do. Because it's not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth,
it's of God that shows mercy. We're born not of the will of
the flesh, not of the will of man, we're born of God. Of his
own will begat he us. There was a day when I didn't
want to be like Christ. There was a day when I didn't
will to be like Christ. But God willed it for me. And
he made me willing. And his will preceded my will. And he made me willing in the
day of his power. And he brought me to himself
with full consent. That's right. And verse 6, and
he did it all to the praise of the glory of his grace. Not that
some preacher should count me as a statistic. Not that some
soul winner should write in his little book that he won me to
the Lord. Not that some congregation should make me a member and say
it's one more title. Everything God did for me from
eternity to eternity was that he might get all the glory to
the praise of the glory of his grace when he accepted me. I didn't accept him, he accepted
me. I guess the title of preachers is begging sinners. Won't you
accept Jesus as your personal Savior? I don't say that. I say to sinners,
bow to the Lord Jesus Christ. Bow. Come down. Come down. Bow. And it may be God will show mercy
to you. He doesn't have to. He's not
obligated. He doesn't owe you anything.
But you don't accept Him. He accepts you. That's exactly
right. We've got this thing all twisted
up. He accepts you. And that's the reason Paul I'll
tell you something now, do what you want to, but like I said, if I was going to drill a well,
I'd go talk to Paul Williams. Ain't another man in here I'd
talk to. And when I sat down and listened to him, I'd say,
Paul, I want to drill a well. And I'd keep my mouth shut and
listen to him. Wouldn't you, Bob? And I'd go put windows in my
house, I'd go to Richard Penning. Man's made more windows, enough
to put windows in every house in Ashland. If I was going to
build a building, I'd go to Ed Stevens, and I'd sit there and
say, all right, Ed, I'm going to build a building. Tell me what to do.
Those men know what they're talking about. Experience. And those old gray hairs on their
head don't mean that they don't know anything. They've been around.
And I'm telling you, I'm going to sit at the feet of the Apostle
Paul. He knows religion. He knows the grace of God. He
knows the gospel, and he's sitting here about ready to get his head
cut off for the gospel sake, and he's telling me the truth.
And I'm going to listen to him. That's just right. That fellow
ought to use some sense, shouldn't he? And then he comes along here
in the next verse. You see, it was God's grace that
made Christ our surety. It's God's grace that sent the
Savior. It's God's grace that calls me,
accepts me, and keeps me. Now look at verse 7. Here's another
sentence. One sentence. In whom. Now all the way through
here. Chose us in Christ. Chose us
in Christ. Accepted us in Christ. Now verse
7. In whom we have redemption. Through
his blood. the forgiveness of sins according
to the riches of his grace, no period, semicolon, wherein he
hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, semicolon,
having made known unto us the mystery of his will according
to his good pleasure which is purposed in himself, colon. That in the dispensation of the
fullness of time, he might gather together in one all things in
Christ, both which are in heaven, which are on earth, even in Christ,
no period, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance. being
predestinated according to the purpose of God, who worketh all
things after the counsel of his own will, still no period, that
we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted
in Christ." The end of the sentence. Isn't that beautiful? He praises
the Father and then he praises the Son. He said in verse 7,
in Christ we have redemption. In Christ. And in Christ we have
the forgiveness of sins. And in Christ we have a revelation
of the mystery of God. Verse 9, Jesus Christ made known
unto us the mystery of God's will. The disciples said, show
us the Father. He said, if you've seen me, you've
seen the Father. I speak not of myself, but I speak the words
of him that sent me, the works that I do, not my works, the
works of him that sent me. God sent me. And everything that
Christ Jesus did and all the work that Christ performed in
his perfect obedience and his death and burial and resurrection
was the will and purpose of God in the glorious mystery of redemption. You know how you'll know that? Know Christ. He said, you come
to me and I'll give you rest. And then you sit down and shut
up and learn of me and you'll find rest. The more we learn,
having made known to us the mystery. But in this day of religion,
a fellow comes to church and gets religion and joins the church
to make him a Sunday school teacher. The second Sunday is that. He
doesn't know enough to teach anybody. We've got to learn. Learn. He makes known unto us. Makes known unto us. And let
me tell you something. After you've been at his feet
fifty years, you're still just a baby learning. That's right. more of His glory, more of His
beauty. And in the dispensation, look
at verse 10, in the dispensation when this thing is all wound
up, all completed in the fullness of time, in the fullness of time
God sent His Son, in the fullness of time Christ was crucified,
in the fullness of time God is going to wrap it up. Come to the end of a television
broadcast and that fellow counts down, Three, two, one. And that means close the book. Because we're shutting you off.
We're pulling the switch. You said all you're going to
say. Wrap it up. And that's what he's saying. When God brings his last sheep
home, he's going to wrap it up. And then listen, verse 10. He's
going to gather together in one. All things in the church. Nope.
All things in religion. Nope. All things in Christ. And
in this case, the church and Christ are one. Both which are
in heaven, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and those which are on
earth, even in him. Because in him, verse 11, we
have obtained the inheritance. He's the testator. being predestinated
according to the purpose of Him who works everything. He works
after the counsel of His own will. And all of this that we
should be to the praise of His glory. We're not going to get
any credit, but we don't want any. We don't deserve any. And I have people talk about
rewards in heaven. I don't believe that a man that
really understands who he is, what he is, and what God's done
for him will ever even think or talk about any additional
praise for himself in glory on any basis. I do not. I do not. All of it to his glory. All of it to his praise. Whatever
I am, I am by the grace of God. But you know, God said to Abraham,
I'm your reward. I'm your reward. Is anything
better in Christ? Can you think of anything better
in Christ? And then here's the last sentence. I've gone too
long, but let me show you this sentence here. Verse 13-14, one
sentence, and he talks about bless the Father, bless the Son,
now bless the Holy Spirit. In whom? We trusted in Christ. In whom? In Christ. You also
trusted. We apostles trusted and you trusted
in Him. When did you trust in Him? When
did you trust Him? When did you really trust Him?
Oh, I know when we made our profession, and I know when we walked the
aisle as children, I know when you were sprinkled, or baptized,
or made your profession, or joined the church, or were confirmed
to catechize. I know all that. When daddy said to, or mama said
to, or the sow winner said to, or the preacher said to, or somebody
else said to. But when did you really trust
Him? Really trust Him. Not it. not the feeling, not the experience,
not the information. But when did you really just
lie down in his arms and trust him, cast yourself on him, rest
in him, receive him, believe him? When did you trust him?
Listen. After you heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation, That's when you trusted him.
That's when you trusted him. Now, when you heard the ritualism
of religion or some high-pressure evangelist who swept through
town seeking his own glory, but when
you, by the grace of God, like the Ethiopian eunuch, like the
Philippian jailer, like Lydia, when Paul crossed her path, when
did you trust him? After you heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation, in whom, watch it now, in whom
after you believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit
of promise. A man in religion is not sealed
in Christ. A man in the church is not sealed
in Christ. A man in the pulpit is not sealed
in Christ. A man who has trusted, who has
heard the truth, heard the gospel and personally believed it by
the grace of God is sealed. S-E-A-L-E-D, sealed. And that seal will never be broken.
That's right. He's sealed in Christ like mama's
beans when she cans them. Screws the lid on. Sits over
there and hears them pop. They're sealed. They ain't gonna
spoil. They're sealed. And you're not gonna spoil. He
won't let you. You don't want to anyway. You're sealed. Watch it now. You're sealed with
the Holy Spirit of God Almighty. The Holy Spirit of promise. Which,
or who, is the earnest of our inheritance? What's the word
earnest? Token? Pledge? of our inheritance. He's our
comforter, he's our teacher, he's our indwelling spirit, and
he's going to be our comforter and our teacher until the redemption
of the purchased possession. All of it to the praise of his
glory. End of the sentence. Three sentences
from a man who knows what he's talking about, and it wouldn't
hurt to read it. every day to the praise of his
glory. Isn't that good? I had one of
the men here come by me this morning after I finished preaching
that message on the gospel, and he said that was so assuring,
such words of assurance. And to the believer, the gospel
is always a word of assurance. And this right here, just makes me so comfortable
when I just leave it all to Him. I've trusted Him. I've trusted
Him. And so have you. And He will
not fail. All right, Mike, come lead us
in a song, and we have... We're going to baptize Cynthia
McLean tonight. We're going to confess Christ
in baptism. She's already trusted Him, received
Him, believed Him, but she wants to publicly declare her identification
with Christ Jesus in believer's baptism. What number, Mike? 464.
464. 464.

Sovereign Grace

What does the Bible say about grace?

How do we know election is true?

Why is understanding predestination important for Christians?

What is the role of faith in salvation?

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Sovereign Grace

What does the Bible say about grace?

How do we know election is true?

Why is understanding predestination important for Christians?

What is the role of faith in salvation?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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