I'd like very much for you to
take your Bibles and open them there in front of the television
while I preach this morning. Open them to Ephesians chapter
1. I'm going to read as my text
verse 7. Now you listen to this verse.
Verse 7 of Ephesians chapter 1. In whom we have redemption,
we have, present tense, present possession, redemption. To be
redeemed is to be justified, It is to be without blame. It
is to be accepted of God. We are redeemed through His blood,
even the forgiveness of sins. We have redemption. We have the
forgiveness of sin according to the riches of His grace, its
free grace. Now, are you interested in that?
That is what I am going to speak about today, the way made plain,
the way made plain. Now, I want you to open your
Bibles to Ephesians 1 because I am going to refer back to the
Scriptures prior to verse 7 and those that follow verse 7. But
let me make a few introductory remarks. First of all, first
of all, those who truly preach the gospel, those who are interested
in the glory of God, those who are called, anointed, and sent
of God to preach the gospel, the first thing about them, now
they're aware of several things, but here's the first thing of
which they're aware. We are not equal to this task. When I say I'm going to preach
on the way made plain, I'm going to preach the way as plain as
I can make it. Now, that's what I'm saying,
as plain as I can. I'm not equal to this past. Paul said two or
three times, who is sufficient for these things? We're dealing
with the things of God Almighty. We're dealing with eternal matters.
We're dealing with mystery. We're dealing with the gospel.
We're dealing with heavenly things. Now, there's nobody equal. I
see a lot of so-called self-confident, cocky preachers, but let me say
this, Paul wasn't. He said, I'm not worthy to be
an apostle. I'm not an apostle because I'm
worthy to be one or equal to the task or sufficient for these
things. I'm an apostle because God made me one. God put me in
the ministry. God sent me with this message.
Richard Baxter said it as well or better than anybody. He said,
I preach as one who may never preach again. I'm not indispensable. I preach as a dying man to dying
men. I preach as a sinner to sinners.
I preach as a man who needs mercy to those who need mercy. about
him who gives mercy. Paul said, I'm the less than
the least of all the saints. That's the great apostle who
said he wasn't one whip behind the chief apostle, yet he was
nothing. We don't hear much of that anymore, do we? He said
Christ came to the world to save sinners of whom I'm the chief.
Very few preachers would confess to being the chief of sinners
today. They claim to be the chief Pharisee, occupy the chief seat,
to have the chief office. But Paul said, I'm the chief
of sinners. Now, those who truly preach the gospel are aware,
first of all, they're not equal to their task. They're not equal. Secondly, they're aware of this,
that the power of salvation, the power of the gospel, is not
of us, it is of God. Now, that's so. The power is
not of us, it is of God. All of God's mercies are in Christ. All of God's mercies are in Jesus
Christ, and they become mine and yours, not through a union
with the church, not through a union with the preacher, not
from the preacher's hand, or his blessings on you, or the
water sprinkled on you. All of these blessings are in
Christ, and they come to you through a vital union with Christ,
not with the waters of baptism, not with the wafer and wine at
the sacrament, and not with your joining the Church. These blessings
and mercies from God come to you by a union with Christ. We
are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. In whom we have
redemption, you see, it's in Christ. The forgiveness of sin. And this union with Christ comes
through personal faith. You believe. I can't believe,
pardon you. I can't bestow salvation on you. The church can't. The
priest can't. Nobody else can. You believe. That's what the Scripture says.
He that believeth on the Son, he hath life. He that believeth
not shall not see life. This union with Christ comes
by personal faith. And this faith comes through
the Word. So you're hearing the Word. Faith comes by hearing
and hearing by the Word of God. And the Word of God is preached
and understood as the Holy Spirit reveals Christ in the Word. So you see what I'm saying? We
realize several things. We realize we're not equal to
this task. And we realize, secondly, the
powers of God are not of us. We just preach the Word. The
Holy Spirit has to make it effectual to your heart. He has to quicken
faith in your heart, conviction in your heart. The Holy Spirit
takes the things of Christ and shows them to you and brings
you to the place of repentance toward God and faith in Christ.
We don't lead men to Christ. The Holy Spirit leads men to
Christ. We might be standing around close when the Holy Spirit
leads one to Christ. We might have preached the Word
and God used the Word as the instrument and the means to bring
a person to repentance and faith, but you don't lead men to Christ. The Holy Spirit does. You don't
win souls to Christ, the Holy Spirit does. You preach the Word
and pray for them and witness to them, but Jesus Christ is
revealed by the Spirit. The Spirit is the agent in the
new birth, and the Word of God is the seed. You just stand back
and preach it. We're nothing but ministers by
whom you heard the Word. That's so. The power is not of
us, it is of God. No preacher has any power in
his hands to bestow upon anybody. The flesh profiteth nothing.
It is the Spirit that quickeneth and giveth life. Third thing
all true ministers know, and that is that all men will not
believe the gospel. No, they won't. They will not.
Christ said, My sheep hear my voice, and they follow me. And
I give them eternal life, and they shall not perish. But the
majority of the world, the majority of the world will not receive
the gospel. Isaiah said, To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
Who hath believed thy report? Paul says the preaching of the
gospel is foolishness to them that perish, not to those that
believe it's the power of God. But most men are not going to
hear the gospel. They're not going to believe
it. The disciples asked the Lord, why do you teach the multitude
in parables? He said, because they have ears
but they can't hear, eyes but they can't see, hearts but they
can't understand. And then in John 12, verse 37,
though he had done so many miracles before them, right in their presence,
Yet they believe not on him. They believe not. The gospel
addresses all men as sinners, and this offends man's dignity.
He will not hear it. We be not sinners. We're not
perfect, but we're not sinners. Oh, we're not saints. We're not
angels, but we're not sinners. Yes, all have sinned and come
short of God's glory, and the gospel addresses all men as sinners,
and that offends their dignity. That's the reason they hate free
grace. And then the gospel comes by revelation, not by human wisdom,
and that offends man's wisdom. And the gospel is good news of
a work complete, not of work that we do or anything we contribute,
but finished, completed, sufficient in Christ. And that offends man's
pride. He wants to make some contribution
to the salvation of his soul. He wants God obligated to him
in some way. And then when we say that the
gospel demands submission, submission, surrender, to Christ's Lordship,
that offends man's love of self. We will not have this man reign
over us. We just won't have it. We'll
take his mercies and his healing and his miracles and we'll even
let him feed us, but he's not going to reign over us. Well,
I'll tell you this, where Jesus Christ is not Lord at all, he's
not Lord at all. Now, that's right. We'll bow
to Christ, we'll submit and surrender. Now, so all every true preacher
knows, he knows he's not equal to the task. He knows that the
power is of God and not of himself. And he knows that all men are
not going to believe his message. Christ said, the world will hate
you. It hated me before it hated you. But it's not you they hate,
it's Christ. It's pre-grace. It's offensive. Paul called it the offense of
the cross. It is sheer nonsense to them who do not believe. It's
a scandal. It's a scandal. It's a stumbling
block. They're not going to have it.
Yet, we preach the gospel. We continue to preach the gospel.
We do it for the glory of God. We preach it for the glory of
God. We know that this gospel is the only power of God. It's
the power only of God. And it's the power of God only
to them that believe. This gospel is. It's the power
of God to everyone that believes it. For therein is the righteousness
of God revealed in the gospel. If you're going to learn anything
about righteousness, without which no man will see the Lord,
If you're going to learn anything about acceptance, if you're going
to learn anything about pardon and redemption, in whom we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sin, well,
I'm telling you this, you'll learn it in the gospel. You're
not going to learn a stunning prophecy. You're not going to
learn it trying to find out where King got his wife. You're not
going to learn it trying to find out how many hairs in the horse's
tail in the revelation. You're not going to learn it
trying to find out how wide and how long the Holy City is, or
whether it's going to be Baptists in the Bride or Presbyterians
in the Bride. It's just one way you're going to learn something
about righteousness without which no man will see the Lord, and
that is to hear and to study and to understand and to preach
this gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, that ought to be a warning
note heeded by every person. And it may seem to some of you
that I labor this point too much, but I don't believe you can.
Because I believe this is the very theme of the Scripture.
How can man be just with God? I believe that's the theme of
Scripture. How can God be just, holy and righteous, and justify
the ungodliness? How can he be clean that's born
of a woman? That's us. And who can stand
in your sight? He that hath clean hands and
a pure heart. Well, how can he be clean that's
born of a woman? Behold the moon that shineth
not the stars are not clean in God's sight. How much more abominable
and filthy is man who drinks iniquity like the water? That
is the theme of the Scripture. How can man be right with God? How can man be just with God?
How can he be clean that's born of a woman? How can God be just
and justify the ungodly? That's the theme of Scripture.
I can't labor it too much. It's labored from Genesis to
Revelation. And Satan is so subtle and crafty
and so smart and intelligent, so much more than we are, that
he sidetracked some of the preachers and got them doing everything
in the world but preaching the gospel. And got the church members
following everything in the world but the gospel. I read recently
about a church in Georgia that had 68 basketball teams. One
church. Sixty-two softball teams. a karate
gym, arts and crafts classes, sewing circles, everything under
the sun except the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now this is sad. The Bible talks about God's essential
holiness. Be ye holy as God is holy. The
Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent.
Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty. The Bible talks about His holiness
and His righteousness. The Bible talks continually about
our sinfulness. our sinfulness and absence of
true holiness in men. But none good. God looked down
from heaven to see if there were any that did do good. He found
they all together become unprofitable. Man at his best state is altogether
vanity. He remembereth our frame that
were dust. What are we going to do about
this? The Bible continually talks about the righteousness of God,
the righteousness of God, not his essential holiness, but the
righteousness of God provided by the Father, accomplished by
the Son, and applied by the Holy Spirit. That's the righteousness.
And our Lord said to his disciples, unless your righteousness, your
holiness, exceeds that of the best man on this earth, the Pharisee,
you'll never enter the kingdom of God. I don't labor this point
too much. This is a charge that Paul brought
against Israel in Romans 10. Why, he said, my heart's desire
and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved.
I bear them record. They have a zeal for God. They're
so zealous and enthusiastic and religious. They've got a zeal
for God. That's 1982. We've got more religion per square
inch than this world's ever seen before. We've got churches on
every corner, I mean of every brand and sect and cult and denomination
under heaven that you could think of. We've got more different
recipes for revival and ways of salvation, a salvation that
doesn't save and revivals that don't revive. We've got everything
that man's ever heard of in the name of religion on this earth
today. We're in the greatest religious
revival the world's ever seen. That's zeal, that's enthusiasm.
But listen to what Paul said, they got a zeal for God, but
not according to knowledge, for they're ignorant of God's righteousness,
ignorant of God's righteousness, God's provided righteousness,
God's holy righteousness, ignorant of that righteousness secured
by the obedience and sacrifice of the Son, the passive and active
obedience of the Son. And they're going about much
ado about nothing. They're going about to establish
their own righteousness. What's he saying? He's saying
that these people have a zeal for God, just like 1982, religious
to the core, moral, clean outwardly, going about their rituals and
ceremonies and duties and tithing and all these different things,
trying to establish some kind of righteousness before God,
trying to find some place to stand. so that God will accept
them because of what they've done, because of what they've
given. And he's not going to do it because
it's imperfect. The best thing we've ever done
is imperfect in God's sight. The best prayer we've ever prayed
is full of sin. The best gift we've ever given
is full of selfishness. The best thought we've ever thought
is full of iniquity. Our righteousness is a filthy
rag in God's sight. In the flesh dwelleth no good,
in the flesh no man can please God. There is no perfect faith,
no perfect love, and God can't have anything except perfection,
perfect faith and perfect love. He says they're ignorant of God's
righteousness and they're going about to establish their own
righteousness. They're not saved, they don't
know God. And they will not submit themselves
unto the righteousness of God. Now listen to verse 4, Romans
10. is the end of the law. That word end is goal, objective,
consummation. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone that believe it. Yes, there is
a righteousness. It's manifested in the Word of
God. It's revealed by the Spirit of
God. It's accomplished by the Son of God. It's without the
law. It's without my obedience to the law. I can't keep it,
not perfectly, but Christ did. And he's that righteousness.
That's what I'm saying. I'm not laboring the point. I'm
simply saying this is our problem today. Same problem that these
people faced in the day of Paul. The same thing that he fought
against. And that is your righteousness
as opposed to God's righteousness. And man today is ignorant of
God's righteousness. He's ignorant of Christ's active
and passive obedience. He's ignorant of God's only way
of salvation. He's ignorant of the way that
God receives sinners. He's ignorant of God's justice
and holiness. He's putting forth every effort
to find acceptance with God by his works, by his deeds, by his
self-righteousness, by his ceremony, by his rituals, and by all forms
of religious nonsense. He's trying to find acceptance
with God and refusing to come to God the one way that God set
forth for us to come. I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me. Our Lord said
this, I am the door, by me if any man enter in, he shall be
saved, and go in and out and find pasture. I am the bread,
he that eateth shall never hunger. I am the water of life, he that
drinketh shall never thirst. Yet he said, you will not come
to me, but you might have life. This is no new thing. Who hath
believed our report? Isaiah said it hundreds and hundreds
and hundreds of years ago. Paul said it too. They won't
believe. They just won't believe. And I say it again today. They
will not believe. All right, let me once again
sound this clear note. Let the way be made clear. Paul
said, I do not confuse, frustrate the grace of God. If righteousness
come by the law, Christ died in vain. That's pretty serious,
isn't it? If righteousness come by the
law, Christ died in vain. You give me something to do.
law, deed, ceremony, religion, to find acceptance with God.
And God looks upon it and accepts it. Christ died in vain. That's
so. That's confusing the grace of
God. All right, let's look at Ephesians 1 again. Now, the way
of life is God's way of life. He purposed it. He planned it. He accomplished it. He applied
it. He sustains it. He'll perfect it. Salvation is
of the Lord. It's not of him that will it. It's not of him
that run it, it's of God that showeth mercy. We're born not
of heritage, not of natural generation, not of the will of the flesh,
not of the will of man, but of God. And this is what Paul is
saying as he begins this letter to the Ephesians. In verse 3,
he said, Bless God. Bless God. Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. In other words, here's
what he's saying. God is the fountain of all mercies.
God has blessed us. God has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings. What's he talking about? Wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. It's all complete
in Christ. I am sanctified in Christ. I
am redeemed in Christ. I'm righteous in Christ. And
to understand the wisdom of God, that's only understood in Christ.
These blessings are the gift of God. Paul starts where he
is. He says, God has blessed us.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who
has blessed us with all that we need, all that's required,
all that's demanded. Now watch the next verse, verse
4. According as he chose us in Christ. Paul takes one step back. Now what I'm saying is the way
of life. I'm making it plain this morning. The way of life
proceeds from God. That's where it begins. That's
where it starts. He's the alpha, the beginning. He's the author
of our faith. He chose us. Now, you didn't
choose God. He chose you. That's what our
Lord said to his disciples. You didn't choose me. I chose
you. You didn't love me first. I loved you first. You didn't
seek me first. I sought you. We have these blessings
because God Almighty chose to give them to us. All right? He
backs up another step, having predestinated us to the adoption
of children. A lot of people are scared to
death of that word. I don't know why. It's in the Bible, New Testament,
four times, possibly five, if you count over in Peter. And
every time it deals with one thing. I hear people say, well,
I don't believe in predestination. I say, well, what is it? They
say, well, God predestinates some to heaven and some to hell.
That's not predestination. It doesn't say that anywhere
in the Bible. God doesn't have to predestinate a man to hell.
He's on his way to hell anyway. That's right. God Almighty doesn't
have to blind a man. He's already blinded, blinded
by sin. God doesn't have to condemn man,
he's already condemned. The scripture says that. Christ
didn't come to condemn the world. The world was already condemned.
But the word predestination is predetermined. God determined
beforehand that every one of his people would be like Christ.
Read it in Romans 8, read it in Ephesians 1. He predestinated
us unto the adoption of children. He says all my children are going
to be alike. They're all going to be like
Christ. We're going to see him and be like him. That's what
predestination has to do with. It has to do with what we're
going to be. You see, God's blessed us. Paul starts where he is.
He said, God bless me. I have peace and rest and assurance
and joy and salvation. I have forgiveness. I have redemption
in Christ. Why do I have it? How did I get
it? He chose me. He chose me. I don't know why. according to
the good pleasure of his own will. I don't know why he passed
by this one and that one, chose me, I can't tell you. Even so
far it didn't seem good in my sight, but I know he did. I didn't
choose him, he chose me. I love him because he first loved
me. That's how come I got these blessings
is he chose me. And you see, and he takes one
step back and he says, I tell you the reason he chose me because
he predestinated or predetermined that he was going to have a people.
Heaven was going to be populated. Heaven was going to be inhabited
and be inhabited by people just like Christ. And he predetermined
that everybody whom he chooses and saves is going to be like
Christ. That's what he said. Predetermined, predestinated
that everybody whom he saves will be like Christ. You can't
fight that. You're foolish to fight that.
I asked a man one time, he said, I don't believe in predestination.
I said, don't you want to be like Christ? He said, well, yeah.
I said, well, you believe in predestination. That's what it's
all about. Predestination is the goal. Now,
election, God chooses people. Then he goes back a step in that
verse and he says he did it according to the good pleasure of his own
will. You see, God willed it. Now, if you start with what you
have, God's blessed me. And the reason I have it is not
because I earned it, or merited it, or worked for it, or deserve
it, or am worthy of it, or did more than somebody else, or God
saw what I would do. I have these blessings because
God chose me to them. And He chose me to them because
He said, I'm going to have a people like Christ. And He said I'm
going to have a people like Christ because that was His will. Now
if you go back and start in the eternal counsels with God before
the world began, before the morning stars sang together, before there
was anything but God, you start with his will. I'm going to have
a people. They're going to be like Christ.
They'll never come to me. They'll be fallen. I choose them.
He chose them and he blessed them. In Christ he blessed them. He says it's deep. No, it's just
so. by your Bible, read it. It's up there in Ephesians 1,
3, 4, 5, 6, 7. And he accepted us in the Beloved.
He accepted us in Christ. You're not accepted in yourself,
in Christ, nor in the ministry, but in Christ. Nor in your law,
nor in your rules and regulations, nor in your standards, where
all these churches got a standard. They ain't got much gospel, but
they got a standard. We're accepted in Christ, in
the Beloved. Now, what's the second thing? The way of life
is in Christ. It's by the work of Christ. The father purposed
it, but the son purchased it. The father willed it, but the
son worked it out. The father fought it, but the
son bought it. That's what it says in verse 7, in whom we have
redemption through his blood, through his blood. The forgiveness
of sin according to the riches of his grace. Romans 5 verse
6 says, when we were yet without strength in due time, Christ
died for the ungodly. God commended his love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
That's my claim to glory. That's my title to that mansion,
is the blood of Christ, the death of Christ, the obedience of Christ,
the sacrifice of Christ. The Lord demanded obedience,
he obeyed it. Justice demanded death, he died. We cease from our labors and
our works and enter into his rest. Tis done, the great transaction's
done. I am my Lord's and he's mine.
He drew me and I followed, charmed to confess that voice divine. The way of life is in Christ.
Now the third thing, in closing, look at verse 13. The way of
life is revealed by the Holy Spirit and it's received by his
sheep. He says in verse 13, he talks
about the Father's work in redemption, the Son's work in redemption,
the Holy Spirit illuminates us and the Holy Spirit calls us.
And then he said, in whom you trusted. After you've heard the
word of truth, we're going to have to quit entertaining sinners
and start preaching the gospel. I don't know who's going to start
it, but somebody's going to have to, or this generation is going
to perish without any hope. This generation is going to hell,
resting on their feelings and experiences and their tithing
and their giving and their building all these buildings and whoop-de-doo
religion. Somebody's going to have to understand
who Jesus Christ is. and why he came into this world,
and what he did on that cross, and why he did it. Reconciliation,
regeneration, justification, sanctification, imputed righteousness,
imputed guilt, these are things that somebody is going to have
to start talking about, or this generation is going to perish
without hope, without knowledge, and without warning. Now, that's
so. Where there's an election, there's
a calling. Where there's a purpose, there's a fulfillment. Where
there's a redemption, there's somebody going to be redeemed.
Where there's an invitation, there's a response. And where
there's a bridegroom, there's a bride. I want in on it. You
heard, you trusted, you believed the word of truth. Have you heard
the gospel? And have you received it?