Undeserved Saving Grace

Take your Bibles if you would please and let's read Ephesians chapter 2, verses 4 to 12, on the subject of undeserved saving grace. Undeserved saving grace is the subject for today, the title. And I'd like to read to you verses 4 all the way to verse 12. And this is some information that is building, and building, and building. The Apostle Paul is not only reiterating sovereign grace from chapter 1, but he's also building upon it a theological treatise for life. And you will see this building your faith and grounding your faith, and you will have more and more confidence in an all-powerful God. He is sovereignly in control and it starts with Him glorifying Himself through revealing His attributes, especially the saving grace that He distributes. And so you must have a "but God" moment in your life in order to have been saved. God must interject into your life and He must intervene. And we see that in verse 4.

Verse 4 starts off with, "But God, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us." Get that? The direction? He loved us. Even when we were dead in our transgressions, He made us alive together with Christ. By grace you've been saved and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace and kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. "For by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works so that no one may boast, for we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Therefore, remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who were called uncircumcision by the so-called circumcision, which is performed in the flesh by human hands, remember that you were at that time without Christ, alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, without God in the world." Let's pause for prayer. Lord, thank You for this passage, and as these concepts continue to build and gain momentum, I pray, God, that You would grow our faith in like fashion. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

As we look at undeserved saving grace starting in verse 4, it comes from His richness. Look at the text in verse 4, "But God being rich in mercy," rich in mercy. This richness is coming from how He abounds toward us. It's an abundant supply that is unending, and it is based upon His mercy. His supplying of a benevolent need, meeting a need benevolently, is from His goodness. And so from His mercy, from His richness, He supplies out of His love a salvation. Now this is not just a regular love. In the text it says, "a great love," but God being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us. Primarily, holy, holy, holy — that's what's repeated in the Bible. But out of who He also is, one of His attributes is love: He loved us. And so the love is coming toward us, and in that it is a great love. And so this great love refers to the intensity and the extent, which is very long and unending. And so the intensity, this great intensity for which He loved us — believe me, it took that to love you before you were saved, right? It took that to love me before I was saved.

When we think of how wretched we once were, how steeped in sin we once were, as we remember those types of things, God loved us with a great love. It was a great extent for which He reached to pull us out of the mire. We were trapped. We were dead in our trespasses and sins. We were caught in bondage of the evil one. The evil one was our father. He changed our heart. He changed our destiny. He changed our eternity. He changed our motives. He changed us. He reached to the uttermost downward, and the farther He reaches displays the greatness of His love. And so for those who have been radically changed, does that not glorify God all the more. And so His great love, His agape love, is His affection in action. Agape love is affection in action. It's being displayed. It's being utilized. It's on display in such a way that it is effectual. And so it's contagious. It is actually getting in you. He chose to love you and He didn't try. He did. What He did was accomplished. He didn't whimsically try and say, "Okay, I'm going to try and love you." No, He actually reached down, chose you, and He loved you.

And this love is first from Him. In 1 John chapter 4 verse 10, it says, "Not that we loved God, but that He loved us." You get the direction, right? It's very easy to understand that God in the beginning created the heavens and the earth. He initiated. He started. Same thing with not only creating creation, but also creating a regenerate soul, with saving one. He initiates. He starts, because He is love, and with this great love, He loved us with an immense intensity and He brings us from death to life.

Look in verse 5, "Even when we were dead in our transgressions and sins." Now this is very clear that we were dead. Now there are many different theological camps out there that don't believe that you're completely dead. But it's not hard to do a word search on "dead" and find out that dead means dead.

It really does.

But the Pelagians, they do not think that dead means dead. Pelagianism has crept into our Western Christianity and has literally taken over. It makes you feel like there's something alive inside of you and that's good enough inside of you to where you can choose a good God, and you were not necessarily trapped in your sin. You were not completely dead. Pelagius lived from 355 AD to 425 AD and his writings still influence Christianity today, offering the goodness of human nature. Now if you just simply reflect upon yourself and say by nature, "What would I naturally do apart from the love of God, apart from Christ?" — you're a liar, a thief, a murderer at heart. You know that. And so simply by reflecting upon your own nature, even logically you know that this theology is heresy. But nevertheless, it sure does feel good to think there's something good inside of you. It sure does feel good to think that I can accomplish something so grand as salvation. It sure does feel good to think that I chose God. But that's not the truth of the text. Christianity is still today being affected and infected by this heresy called Pelagianism, and it denies original sin. It denies the fact that original sin permeated all of the mind and all of the soul. It permeated all of our nature. It tainted all of the water, not just some. So original sin tainted all of who we are, so that we're completely dead and dependent upon Christ to make us alive. This is so easily understood. Turn with me if you would to John chapter 11.

There are no theological writers, commentators, or anybody who do not think that John chapter 11 with Lazarus is an illustration of salvation. And so in John chapter 11, Lazarus — he's dead.

Yep. So look with me in John chapter 11 and verse 14.

And I believe he's dead because Jesus said he was dead. "So then Jesus said to them plainly, 'Lazarus is dead.'"

Done in the grave. Look with me in verse 43.

"And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come forth.'" And so Jesus resurrected a dead man. And everyone who reads John chapter 11 knows that this is an illustration of salvation. You're going from death to life. And so we see that even when we were dead in our transgressions — in verse 5, back to Ephesians chapter 2 — it is Christ who makes us alive. Not only are we dead in our sins, but we're also dead in our transgressions. Now in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1, it says, "And you were dead in your transgressions and sins." Two things there. Sin is a general term, but transgressions is a specific term. And so we see that we were dead in not only our sins, but our specific transgressions, that we will be held accountable for on the day of judgment when the Almighty Judge drops the gavel on us for eternity. If we are not covered by the blood of Christ, if we are not saved, redeemed, and removed from the wrath of God, if we have not been saved and removed out from underneath this eternal death and the transgressions for which we have committed — these offenses are against God. But when He makes you alive, He brings you out from underneath that death penalty and that eternal separation from Him.

In verse 5 it says, "Even when we were dead in our transgressions, He made us alive together with Christ, and by grace you have been saved." And this word grace means unmerited favor. In verse 6 it says, "And He raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in heavenly places." And so you see raised and seated: raised up with Him and seated us with Him in heavenly places. This word "raised" — the same power that raised Christ from the grave, that same power that raised Christ from the grave is the same power that raised you from the grave. You were dead in your transgressions and sins, and God raised you. He saved you. That means salvation — the same power that saves you also energizes you. Look with me in Romans chapter 6 if you would. Turn to Romans chapter 6, and I want you to see in verses 4 to 13 how we are raised. Romans chapter 6 and verse 4 says, "Therefore we were buried with Him" — okay, just simply identifying through baptism that you were dead and you are acknowledging that publicly — "therefore we are buried with Him through baptism into death." You agree that you were dead spiritually.

"So that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in the newness of life," this fresh existence, this new life. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 17 talks about a new creation. You've been raised, you've been made new, you've been brought out of death and into life in Christ. And in verse 5 it says, "For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection. Knowing this that our old man was crucified with Him in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin. For he who has died has been justified from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again. Death no longer has mastery over Him, for the death that He died, He died to sin once and for all. But the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace."

God's riches at Christ's expense, on display right here. You've been raised and sanctified. Do not continue to submit yourselves to the sinful ways from which you've been saved, but be alive in Christ, be raised. Now not only — back to Ephesians chapter 2 verse 6 — have you been raised up with Him, and does He energize you to be alive in Christ, which is beyond just saving grace, but living grace as well. He energizes and gives you the ability to live for His glory. He's raised you to a newness of life, and that same resurrection power has raised you not just to be alive and do nothing, but to be alive and to be sanctified and to be serving. But there is a further extent for which this verse helps us to understand what Christ does in your life. And it's amazing — this word "seated" in the text. Read with me again in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 6: "And raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." So if raised means saved, then seated means sharing. We are, those who have been saved, been seated and exalted

and put in a highly favored position with and in Christ, which is sharing in His glory.

You are a workmanship of God. You have been reworked and now you're on display. You've been raised, but also the position for which you have now been placed is illustrated by being seated at the right hand of the Father in Christ in glory. Obviously the physical manifestation of this verse, the physical living out of this verse, is still to come. We haven't reached that glorified state yet, but you have been already placed in Christ. Now glorify Christ in your life. Glorify Christ in the way that you work as unto Him. Glorify Christ in everything that you say and do. Glorify Christ, because you are in Christ. It simply is being who you are in Christ, living out Christianity to its extent — for which you are just simply an extension of what the Scriptures say you are to be, an extension of the fruits, an extension of making disciples in Christ. You are on display as a dynamic disciple. Be who you are. You are in Christ. You are a workmanship of God, and those areas for which you have been designed for

are energized by the Holy Spirit of God. You've been raised up not just to sit and be saved, but to be sanctified and to be about the work of God, because you're a workmanship of Him. Energized through these things. This is truly sharing in His glory now. You're a light, and as you work the works that Christ has given you to do, you're a light. You are brightening the light of Christ. You are illuminating the light of Christ. You're clarifying the light of Christ in your life and with your words and with your works and who you are, and obeying Christ and abiding in Him and living in and with Him. And so verse 6 is rather powerful. These actions of being raised and seated are a reversal of the fate from which you have come. The position that you used to be in — being spiritually dead and headed for an eternity in hell — these two actions in verse 6 reverse that fate and you're going in the other direction.

And there's something very interesting in this little part of the text as well. Three "with" statements, and I want you to know and look at these with me if you would. In verse 5, "Even when we were dead in our transgressions and sins, made alive together with Christ" — and so that's the first with statement. And then the second with statement: "By grace you have been saved." And verse 6, "And raised up with Him" — there's a second with statement. And then, "Seated with Him" — there's a third with statement — "in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." And so there are three action statements here, indicated by the word "with," where God makes someone alive with Christ, raised with Christ, and seated with Christ. Fascinating, huh? So these with statements with Christ typify our life in Christ.

And so Christ has already done these wonderful things. He's made us alive. He's resurrected us from the grave. He is also in person demonstrated this. He died on the cross and He went to the grave, right? And He has come up from the grave. He has been raised. And so He demonstrated that. And then also He's ascended to heaven. He demonstrated that. And He has been seated at the right hand of the Father. And so these with statements are simply falling in line with what Christ has already demonstrated. How beautiful is that? Simply to fall in with what Christ has already done. And so our participation with Christ is being made alive, being raised, and seated, and following in His steps. How glory-filled is that for us to follow in the steps of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Now, in regards to this sovereign plan of God, there are some applications and there are some implications. There are some results from sovereign salvation. I'd like to mention just a couple. By way of application, we need to realize that God saves sinners. Okay? People do not save themselves.

Very simple to say, but it's theologically deep. God saves sinners. People do not save themselves. That is an applicational thought from this text.

But by way of implication, you can just simply ask yourself the question: "What if I don't believe that?" Well, here's what happens to the inside of that person who does not believe in sovereign grace. There is a sense of instability in their soul because their salvation, to their estimation, is based upon their own works or their own decision or their own goodness. And they know that they were not good. They know that it contradicts. And so a lack of eternal security creeps in and makes them unstable. A lack of confidence in their salvation rocks them when they need to be stable. Right when circumstances in life rock their life, it is sovereign grace that will keep you grounded in Christ. It's sovereign grace, the fact that God saved you. He raised you. He made you alive. He seated you with Christ. He's the one who keeps you.

It's all about Christ. It's not about you and what you did. It's about Christ. And when Christ is your rock, He's there when you need Him the most. If you in your mind jump off the rock, it's like jumping into the raging seas in the middle of a storm — all of a sudden panic attacks, all of a sudden confusion, all of a sudden instability, irrational ability. All of these things are a result of not properly believing and applying sovereign grace. And so His grace is unmerited. His salvation is unmerited. We were not worthy of being saved. There was nothing good in us that merited God saving us, but from His great love, from which He loved us, He chose us and He saved us. He raised us. He made us alive. And beyond that, He's even placed us in His Son, in Christ, with Him, to glorify Him. All of this is about Him. It brings glory to Him. But when you displace the direction of sovereign grace — which is from God to us — and you reverse it, you think, "Oh, it's about me towards Him. I'm going to glorify Him. I'm going to do this. I'm going to choose Him." Aye, aye, aye.

The center of pride is I.

Pride is the greatest of sins. It produces inside of us, by way of result, an insecurity of our salvation. And we truly are not grounded and rooted in Christ when we do not truly believe it. There is a sense of instability, and it only gets worse, and worse, and worse. But it can get better. Jim Osman wrote a book called "God Doesn't Try." Oh, it's great. Some of the chapter headings are like this: God doesn't try to save His people. God doesn't try to sanctify His people. God doesn't try to speak to His people — He already has. God does not fail to provide for His children. God doesn't try to build His church. God doesn't try to organize His church. And so on and so on. It's a great book. I highly recommend it. And from the standpoint of the doctrines of grace, he writes beautifully on these beloved truths. And if you struggle in this area, that is my recommendation for you: to read that book from Jim Osman, "God Doesn't Try."

He does. He saves. He sanctifies. He glorifies. All of these theological concepts are connected inseparably. You cannot separate what God does because history has already been written. It's already been done. We simply fall in line and obey Him. Jim's point from the Scriptures is simply that the Scripture does not portray God as merely trying. He's not the watchmaker who wound something up and set it loose. He's not the one who is begging people to come to salvation. He simply says, "Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." That general call to come. And then those who come, He gives them sovereign grace. Rest in Him. And so God is sovereignly working all things to His glory, and He is working through individuals. He is working through the church. He's even working through the world.

In addition to that reference, I'd like to mention that Tom Nettles wrote a wonderful book called "Whomever He Wills." And it's great. This book displays sovereign grace through God's mercy. And the chapter titles are: Unconditional Election, which glorifies God. Definite Atonement, which glorifies God. Monergistic Salvation, which glorifies God. The Promise of Preservation, which is eternal security, which glorifies God. And the Scriptures' Foundation for Evangelism and Missions. There's such a misnomer out there that when you believe the strong doctrines of the Bible, for some reason there's no need to do missions or evangelism. Nothing could be farther from the truth. And so he's written wonderfully on this. And there's even a sermon insert from John Bunyan. And everybody knows and loves John Bunyan and how he wrote on sovereign grace and evangelism. These are wonderful truths, which if you would do due diligence to study, will further solidify your faith in Christ. This knowledge that we have of who God is grounds us and roots us in Him. When we know that we've been brought from the outside to the inside, from without, now to with Christ, we simply rest in Him. And it's a beautiful thing. I love these with statements found in the text.

You should know, however, that things get worse first before they get better later. Look with me in verse 7, in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 7: "So that in the ages to come" — uh-oh, now we're getting into some eschatological future-type language — "so that in the ages to come, He might show the surpassing riches of His grace and kindness toward us in Christ." These ages to come, or these epochs to come, or these eras to come, are also alluded to in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 21. In Ephesians chapter 1 verse 21, it says, "Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the age to come." And so Paul, eschatologically speaking or futuristically speaking, is helping us to see that there's a grand plan here. God's redeeming work is effectually transforming the wicked into worshippers. Is that glorious? Wicked people — whom we once were — into true, genuine worshippers. And look in Revelation with me: we will be on display for eternity. And this glorifies God. He absolutely loves taking us from the uttermost and placing us in His Son. The great love of God brings us filthy sinners out of the filth, cleans us up, redeems us, and places us in His Son, and then seats us at the right hand of Himself in glory, so that we in Christ can further glorify Him.

In Revelation chapter 7 verses 9 to 12 is the nations glorifying Christ. "After these things I looked and behold a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes and palm branches were in their hands." This rich imagery helps us to see that the bride has been made clean, because they have on white robes before Christ at the throne, and also they have palm branches in their hands, which is symbolic for victory in Jesus.

Verse 10 says, "And they cry out with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation belongs to our God'" — you see how everybody believes in sovereign grace once they get to heaven, it belongs to God — "'who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. And all the angels were standing around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, "Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen."'"

One theologian comments on this passage and says, "The ultimate purpose of God saving believers is that they would marvel at His grace and kindness, which will be made more and more realized in the future."

And as you more fully realize, when God illuminates these truths to us gradually over time as we study and rightly divide His Word, as we are glorified and placed beside Him in heaven, as we see these wonderful glories, we will then marvel at His grace. You think you're in awe of God now, wait till you get to heaven and you know more about Him. If you think you know enough to say "Wow" about God, wait till we get to heaven — and we will be in awe and shock at the goodness and the grace and the great love of God. One day we will fully know God in His glorious grace, and one day we will fully show, according to verse 7 back in Ephesians, His glory, His surpassing riches. We will make it manifest. We will be able to know and glorify Him more.

In verse 8 is a verse that is very commonly known to us. Perhaps those of you who have gone through any type of evangelism training have been trained in this and memorized Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." And so God's grace certainly is favor towards law-breaking fugitives.

He favors you. He reaches down and shows you His unmerited favor. And this — get this — "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this," this whole work of salvation. By the way, salvation is a word that encapsulates more than just the idea of being saved at the moment of your salvation, but you are to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. And so it is a completion of your sanctification and your glorification as you work out your salvation, as God is working in you a wonderful work, as you are His workmanship. "This" — that's what "this" is referring to in the text. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this" — okay, the salvation, the complete salvific work —

you can't do it. It's way beyond your intellect, mine, yours, ours — way beyond our ability.

It is truly not of yourselves.

Truly, it's a gift God gave. He decided to truly give. Now let's think about this. Not only does this refer to the whole idea of salvation in verse 8, this idea of faith — Paul is pointing out to these people this entire concept of salvation, and he is saying faith is the gift. So what is this faith?

It's activated by God's grace. But what is faith? Faith here is truly the faithfulness of Christ. Faith is the faithfulness of Christ. When Christ is imputed into you — not only His righteousness, but all of Him — when He is put inside of you, when He comes into your life and changes your life, it is the faithfulness of Christ that saves you. It's the faithfulness of Christ that raises you. It's the faithfulness of Christ that seats you. It's the faithfulness of Christ that sanctifies you. So this faith is being in alliance with Christ in you, and Him now, a commitment based upon what He has done in His faithfulness. Now interestingly, faith here in Ephesians chapter 2 teaches that Christians are saved by grace through the faithfulness of Christ. It's through the faithfulness of Christ that any of this happens. It's not of works, lest any man should boast. And so Christ, in a true understanding of salvation, is put up front as the centerpiece. He's put up front as the one who does it all. And Christ is put up front in the minds of the Ephesians, and they are reminded it is not yourselves. Salvation, the work of God, has not been accomplished through anything that they have done. And so this highlights the work of Christ in salvation.

"Not of works, so that no one may boast." You know that works can't save anyone, but everyone who is saved works. Amen? If you've been saved, then you are serving. God works in you so that you can work. Good works always accompany salvation. Titus chapter 2 verse 14. Good works always accompany salvation. James chapter 2 verse 20: "Faith without works is dead." And if your faith has been made alive, then you will have a working faith. "We were created in Christ Jesus," verse 10, "for good works." This is very obvious in the text, as we've been created by Christ as a workmanship for good works. So now after salvation, our works can be good. But before Christ, before you were saved, your good works can't be good. They don't amount to anything. But after Christ, your good works are good. It was the work of God inside of you that saves you. It's the work of God now through you that produces good works. And so there's ample evidence of good works in true believers. Those who are not truly converted, they don't have good works.

The chief end of man is to glorify God. And our works for God glorify Him. And as we work, as we serve, it's called fruit. And in John chapter 15 verse 8 it says, "My Father is glorified in this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove that you are disciples." And so bearing fruit is evidence of being a true believer. Good fruit, by the way — not fake fruit, not rotten fruit. There's all kinds of...

I'll just say it.

Robert Morris's fruit was not only fake but rotten, right? We've all been distraught by hearing the story, as of recently, from a long-time preacher and pastor who has been essentially a wolf in sheep's clothing. And it is tough to see. It's hard sometimes to discern whether or not someone is a true believer or a fake. And all of these years of ministry that Robert Morris has simply blown up because he was found out to have molested a 12-year-old girl when he was in his 20s. And now the 100,000 members supposedly in all of his satellite campuses and main campus there in Texas are left with, "What do we do now?" And so when you see fake fruit or you see rotten fruit, it is something like, "Whoa!" But Acts chapter 20 makes it clear that wolves will come not only from outside but from within as well. And you as true sheep are a target from the evil one to be not just disturbed but devoured, right? And Satan can do the most amount of damage when he allows a ministry to grow and grow and grow, and then bang.

Now I want us to pray for the believers there in Texas, that they would be made better through the battle and not bitter. I want you to pray for the believers who followed Robert Morris's ministry, and also Tony Evans's ministry, whom he recently fell from. And right here beside us, Ron Smith, who had been committing adultery and was found out again and committed suicide right up the road. This is happening all around us. And you see that in these latter days, people don't tolerate sound doctrine. They don't want all of this. They want what would tickle the ears and make them feel better. And Robert Morris has always preached a "you-centered message," as if God exists to bless and lift up you no matter what you do — God exists as a Santa Claus God, a gimme God to bless you. His book, to bless life now, to bless life or whatnot, sold around the globe. If it's a "you-centered message," it's not a Christ-centered message.

Do you see how important these doctrines are, to simply understand sound doctrine? What the Bible says: sound doctrine. But if you think that there's something good inside of you, then some preacher can activate that sinful thought and make you feel good in your sin, and he can just simply lull you into a spiritual sleep until eternity comes, and all of a sudden face-to-face with Christ and you never really truly knew Him. "Depart from me, you doers of iniquity, I never knew you." The saddest words in all the Bible. And so how do we identify these types of things? You know the truth. You know the truth. John 8:32: "The truth will set you free." And so in actuality, I hate what has happened to the victim, the abuse. But just like in the life of Joseph, God can use the terrible things for terrific ends, because all of these people now are face-to-face with finding out the truth, the true truth. They're face-to-face with it, and they can cling to Christ and come out from underneath the unsound doctrine and find out where the source, the problem is, and gain Christ, come closer to Christ. God can use this victim's testimony. It actually happened. Robert Morris confessed.

I don't believe, by the way, accusations of pastors.

I don't believe them. You cannot believe what you hear and see online. As soon as someone makes a false accusation, you can ruin a pastor's life and marriage and children. You can ruin the ministry. You can ruin the whole church. So you better not accuse a pastor unless there is ample evidence. 1 Timothy chapter 5, verses 20–21. So we're on there.

But he confessed, okay?

He's been indicted. He should go to prison. And so now what are we left with? You're left with — well, we've got to simply say to all of the believers out there that have loved this ministry — I've got cousins that go to the church — everybody who's ever followed the ministry online: we need to make sure that the preaching of the Word of God is not centered upon you to make you feel good, even if you sin. "Oh, God's still going to bless you." No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no — sound doctrine. God is first primarily holy, holy, holy, and He is working a workmanship in you. He is waking you up, making you alive, and bringing you in Christ. The holiness of God is non-negotiable. And so as He is working you, He is refining you. And if you hear preaching that doesn't convict you of the sin that you have in your life that is unconfessed, it is not true preaching.

You must be sitting underneath the preaching of the Word of God, the teaching of the Word of God, that is laying bare the text and giving God the voice through the text and laying down the emphasis. You truly are a workmanship of Christ and He is going to address sin first in your life. Unconfessed sin halts prayers — for the husband, if you didn't know that. Unconfessed sin halts the blessings of God.

Robert Morris's book, "The Blessed Life," should be read in reverse, because it's true that way.

He got it backwards. True believers can see this. So believers, we have zero grounds to boast about the work that has been done in us, because God has prepared these works in us from before the foundation of the world. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." And as these works have been prepared from before the foundation of the world, and you are abiding in Christ, you know that you did not originate these good ideas. You know that you are not the one who mustered up the energy to do it. Christ energized you to be able to serve Him, to be effective, and you give God the glory for anything that is made good from your hands and from your lips and from your life, because you know by way of remembrance what you once were.

Look with me in verse 11: "Therefore, remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who were called uncircumcision by the so-called circumcision, which is performed in the flesh by human hands, remember that you were at that time without Christ, alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise."

You must remember who you once were, and humility comes from remembering.

It's worth remembering that humility comes from remembering. When you remember who you once were, all of a sudden you're put in your place, right?

And you're like, "Oh, God is God and I'm not Him. I will continue to trust and obey." And so a very important reminder from time to time is that you were apart from God's grace, and you were dead, and you were wretched in your sin and transgressions. But appreciating God's grace — this comes when we remember what God has done for us.

Obviously, Jesus instituted the Lord's Table, communion, for us to regularly remember what Christ has done for us while we were yet sinners. And this whole idea of uncircumcision and circumcision — circumcision was the external sign of participation in the Abrahamic covenant, all the way back from Genesis 17. And this formerly was important, but now this circumcision that was made with hands has been done away with, and it's been dismissed in favor of a circumcision that is done without hands. Colossians 2:11: if you've been saved, you've been circumcised with a circumcision that has been done without hands. The heart — your heart has been cut, pruned back, and renewed. And so this is speaking to the Jews and the Gentiles, in that they alike can now through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be saved by faith. Jeremiah looked forward to this new covenant in Jeremiah 31:31. He projected and preached and looked forward to this grace through faith, not of ourselves. And so we who are saved are in covenant with Christ, no matter our nationality, no matter if we're a Jew or a Gentile, no matter where you're from. We were alienated from this citizenship, but now we are in Christ.

And in this sense of being alienated, the Gentiles were not God's people — who up until this point were national Israel, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — and were such from the promise of the covenants found in the Old Testament. These now, the Greco-Romans, the Gentiles, the Greeks, they had no hope. But now, "in Christ by grace through faith they can be saved. The impossible now has been made possible in Christ." Mark 10:27: "Things that are impossible with men are not impossible with God." Isaiah 57:19 is where Paul quotes from in this text.

And so as I conclude, I want you to know that our salvation has been unmerited. It's salvation by God's grace. It was paid for on the cross. The Holy Spirit convicted us. We were saved. We've been kept. We've been delivered. And now we're growing. And one of these days we will look back at how God preserved us through this wicked world, and we will give God glory for our salvation in a way that we are made to know all of His wonderful glory. And as we get the opportunity to worship Him in heaven for eternity and to continue to work for Him in glory forever, and ever, and ever, we will simply be truly not only in awe of God's great love for us, but privileged to know Him more, and more, and more.

If you think that this is a lot to learn, wait till we get to heaven.

I wonder what God has to say to us in addition to this to help us more fully understand all of who He is. Praise His wonderful name. Let's pray together. Lord, thank You, dear Jesus, for the time today that we've had. And I pray, Lord, that You would help us to continue to embrace these wonderful deep doctrines, these doctrines of grace. I pray, Lord, that You would help us in the areas that we are weak. Help us to grow in our faith and to see just how beautiful they are. God, help us identify the areas, by Your illumination of truth, for which we fall short. Help us, dear Jesus, to confess our faults as we commit them. God, I pray that You would help us to be humble before You always and be kind to everyone. Let no unwholesome word come from our mouths, dear God. Sanctify us and purify us, I pray. And God, I pray that You would continue to equip and energize these believers here to serve You and to worship You and to teach Your Word, to love on one another and have true and genuine fellowship, to continue to enjoy the Lord's Supper and ordinances of baptism for those who are saved. Pray, God, that You would continue to save by Your glorious grace here at Beulah Baptist Church. Lord, if anyone has not come unto You, I pray that Your general call for them to come would go out to all who would hear. Lord, I pray that You would grant them the ability — in the inner man, their inner selves — to bow before You and say, "Dear God, I see that I am a sinner. I understand. I perceive that I've fallen short. I perceive that I could do no work, no amount of giving, nothing to earn or deserve or achieve salvation. It is wholly Your work. I acknowledge that, dear Jesus, and I believe that You died on the cross and rose again for my sin. Please save me." God, I pray that You would grant sorrow to that person who needs to be saved. I pray that You would grant them repentance and faith in Christ, and help them to confess to the Lord. The Bible says very clearly, Lord, that if they would confess You as Lord, that You died on the cross and rose again, that they can be saved. I pray, dear Jesus, that You would grant the saving grace and that You would transform lives from the uttermost. Help us, dear Jesus, to see salvation here — genuine salvation — to be followed up in true baptism, belonging to this dear church, learning how to study the Bible, and then going forth to make disciples. I pray, God, that You would help people to come here to Beulah Baptist Church. Help us to invite people to be able to come and to learn of You, dear Jesus. I pray, Father, You would continue Your sanctifying and refining work in us as we serve You with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. May You be glorified today, dear Jesus, and may You be glorified in our lives in all that we say and do. And it's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen.