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Sermon #33 — Ephesians Sermons Title: Grace Alone Text: Ephesians
2:1-22 Subject:
Salvation by Grace Alone Date: Sunday
Evening — March 27, 2016 Readings: Larry Brown and Rex Bartley Introduction: The title of my message is Grace
Alone. I want us to read the 2nd chapter of
Ephesians together; and I want to show you from the Book of God that
salvation is by Grace Alone.
(Ephesians 2:1-22) ÒAnd you hath he quickened,
who were dead in trespasses and sins; (2) Wherein in time past ye walked according
to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (3) Among whom also we all had our
conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires
of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even
as others. (4) But God, who is
rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, (5) Even when we were dead in sins, hath
quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (6) And hath raised us up together,
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: (7) That in the ages to come he might shew
the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through
Christ Jesus. (8) For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.
(10) For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that
we should walk in them. (11) Wherefore remember, that
ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision
by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; (12) That at that time ye were without Christ,
being aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: (13) But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh
by the blood of Christ. (14) For he is our peace, who
hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between
us; (15) Having abolished in his flesh the
enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances;
for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; (16) And that he might reconcile both unto
God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: (17) And came and preached peace to you
which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. (18) For through him we both have access by one Spirit
unto the Father. (19) Now therefore ye are
no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of
the household of God; (20) And
are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ
himself being the chief corner stone; (21)
In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an
holy temple in the Lord: (22) In
whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the
Spirit.Ó Grace Alone — That is my subject. All that I was, my sin, my
guilt, My death was all mine own; All that I am, I owe to Thee, My gracious God, alone. The evil of my former state Was mine, and only mine; The good in which I now rejoice Is Thine, and only Thine. The darkness of my former
state, The bondage — all was
mine; The light of life in which I
walk, The liberty — is Thine. Thy grace that made me feel my
sin It taught me to believe; Then, in believing, peace I
found, And now, I live, I live! All that I am, even here on
earth, All that I hope to be, When Jesus comes, and glory
dawns, I owe it, Lord to Thee. Grace ÒGrace!Ó — What a wonderful word! The Greek word for grace is
beautifully meaningful. It is a word that the Greeks admired. It refers to that
indescribable something that causes one to love someone. It is
that which causes one personÕs attraction to another. It is very near the
word love. In some instances the Greeks would use the word grace to refer to
a burst of generosity
that would bestow a lavish gift, unmerited, without the thought of reward or
return of kindness. The Apostles took this word, beautiful as it was, and made it even
more so. They exalted it to heavenly use. They used the word of grace to
describe the love and mercy of God in Jesus Christ for his people. Grace originally referred to a gift. Then it referred to the forgiveness of
a debt. A man could not pay his debt; but the lender would freely forgive the
debtor, out of grace. Finally, grace came to refer to the mercy of God in forgiving us and
saving us. This is the way God saves sinners. — ÒNoah found grace in the eyes of the Lord!Ó
— ÒBy grace ye are saved!Ó
— All of us were perishing like the falling leaves of autumn; but God
in his goodness and mercy saved us. He did it by grace alone. — ÒBy grace ye are saved!Ó Because God is gracious, sinners are welcome at the Throne of Grace! Because God is abounding in
infinite love, he forgives us. His mercy endures forever. Therefore we are
not destroyed. It is because of GodÕs marvelous and majestic grace that we
are saved. Grace is in God. Paul insisted that salvation is altogether a
matter of grace throughout his writings. Above all other truths, he wanted
this truth to grasp our hearts. He stated it twice in this chapter. He stated
it both positively and negatively. — ÒBy grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it
is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.Ó Salvation is something God has
done for us by grace alone. It is delivered to us as a gift of
love and mercy. Criminal Doctrine Children of God, understand
this. — The criminal doctrine,
the damning heresy against which the church of God must contend in all ages,
especially in this day of antichrist darkness, is salvation by works.
The great opponent to the truth as it is in Jesus Christ is that pride of the
human heart which convinces man that he can, at least in part, be his own
savior. This error is the mother of
all heresies. It is the universal doctrine of Babylon. It is
through this falsehood that the pure stream of truth has been polluted. It is my firm conviction that ÒGrace
AloneÓ must be our relentless message to this generation.
— ÒBy grace ye are saved.Ó Departure
from this message is the root of all religious error, the cause of all heresy. In all times when this doctrine has been obscured, the church has
either become heretical or Laodician. She has either held some dangerous and damnable heresy,
or she has held the Gospel of God with such feeble hands that she has lost her
power and her enemies have prevailed over her like the Philistines over
Israel. The mightiest men of all ages
in the history of ChristÕs church, those who have done the most good for GodÕs
kingdom and the world at large, have been those who made this their message
— ÒGrace Alone!Ó In AugustineÕs day, there had been a
grievous falling away from the simplicity of the Gospel. God raised up this
man to preach the glorious truth of salvation by grace to his generation. If
men had heard his voice, the great heresy of Rome would have been stayed, at
least for a while. Popery would have been an impossibility. Later, when Romanism had
become very strong, the Lord raised up Martin Luther, who
taught this great central truth of Christianity, that sinners are justified
by faith rather than by works. After Luther came another distinguished
teacher of the doctrine of grace — John Calvin. Calvin was even more clearly instructed
in the Gospel of grace than Luther. He pushed the grand doctrine of the Gospel
to its proper consequences. Calvin preached this great
staple doctrine, the message of Ephesians, the message of this Book — ÒBy grace ye are saved.Ó It is common
in these days to call those preachers who dwell mainly on this doctrine ÒCalvinists.Ó
We accept that title gladly. It indicates that our message is the message of
grace. We assert again and again that the truth that Calvin preached was the
thunderous message of Augustine before him. More importantly, this is the message Paul preached and
the message our Lord Jesus preached. The Gospel of God is the
Gospel of Grace Alone! We desire to preach the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth. Therefore, we proclaim salvation by grace alone. — ÒBy grace ye are saved.Ó In doing so we keep the best of company.
John Knox thundered this message throughout Scotland. In England God had his
voices of truth as well. There was the mighty Dr. John Gill, Benjamin Keach,
John Rippon, John Bunyan, Philip Doddridge, Augustus Toplady, and Charles
Spurgeon. And in America, who can deny that God wrought wonders in his
kingdom as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield carried the message of grace
into our open fields? We are not the followers of mere men. Yet, we hold dearly those
doctrines revealed in Scripture that these men, and many others, have boldly
proclaimed.
Grace Alone was the grand message of the church in days of old. — ÒBy grace ye are saved.Ó And to this truth the church
must return, if we are to stem the tide of heresy and shake the earth again.
God give us men who will not be ashamed to declare to all men, rich and poor,
black and white, learned and unlearned — ÒBy grace ye are saved.Ó Proposition: Salvation is altogether a work
of GodÕs grace. That is the doctrine of this Book, the doctrine of this
Epistle, and the doctrine of this chapter. Grace Alone is the message of the Gospel.
Now I pray that God the Holy Spirit will open my mouth to proclaim this
message once again to you. Grace Alone I intend to drive this
nail until this hammer is worn out. God helping me, I will not change my
message. Like Jephthah of old, I have lifted my hand to God and I cannot go
back. — Salvation is by grace alone! — ÒSalvation is of the Lord!Ó — From start to
finish salvation is by the grace of God alone. There is no part of salvation
which is, even in the slightest degree, dependent upon or determined by the
will of man or the works of the flesh. ELECTION
is the free eternal choice of GodÕs sovereign grace to save some of AdamÕs
race, without any consideration of personal merit, potential merit, or
pre-known merit (Romans 9:11-13; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14). REDEMPTION
is the particular, effectual ransom of GodÕs elect out from under the curse
of the law by the death of Christ (Isaiah53:8; Galatians 3:13; Hebrews 9:12).
Man does nothing to make redemption complete, or effectual. JUSTIFICATION
is God making sinners redeemed by the blood of Christ the very righteousness
of God in him, without works (Romans 4:3-5). We are made the righteousness of
God without doing anything righteous, just as Christ was made sin for us,
without ever committing sin (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 5:19). REGENERATION
is the spiritual resurrection of dead sinners to life in Christ (John 5:25;
Revelation 20:6). The dead sinner does nothing to make himself live!
Repentance, faith, and conversion are the results of the new birth, not the
cause. SANCTIFICATION
is holiness imparted to the child of God in regeneration. The holy seed
implanted, the holy nature created, bears fruit unto God, not by the energy
of the flesh, but by the power of the Spirit (1 John 3:9-10). PERSEVERANCE
is the believerÕs continuation in grace. It is necessary. But it is not our
work. It is the work of Christ, who gives us eternal life, holds us in his
hand, and will not let us go (John 10:27-29). HEAVEN
is the reward of righteousness, bestowed only upon those who fully deserve
eternal glory. And it is ours, in all its blessed fulness, not by anything we
do, have done, or can do, but by the blood and righteousness of Christ freely
bestowed upon us in saving grace (Colossians 1:12). To make any part of salvation
dependent upon works is to deny the grace of God altogether and trample under
foot the precious blood of Christ (Galatians 5:1-4). Divisions: I want to raise several
questions and show you their answers from the Scripture. 1.
Why is God gracious to us? 2.
What does the Gospel of grace proclaim? 3.
What does grace mean, as it is used in the Scriptures? 4.
What inferences may we draw from the doctrine of grace? Why? 1st — Why is God gracious to us? — Our
text teaches us that God is gracious to sinners. But what is the cause of his
grace? Certainly, the cause is not to be found in us (Isaiah 1:2-6). (Isaiah 1:2-6) ÒHear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth:
for the LORD hath spoken, I have
nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. (3) The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass
his masterÕs crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not
consider. (4) Ah sinful nation, a people
laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they
have forsaken the LORD, they
have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
(5) Why should ye be stricken
anymore? Ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole
heart faint. (6) From the sole of the foot even
unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises,
and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound
up, neither mollified with ointment.Ó The very mention of the word grace destroys all supposed human merit. á There was no beauty in us. á There was no goodness in us. á There was no wisdom in us. á There was no power in us. á There was no inclination to
anything good in us. It is obvious to everyone who
reads his Bible that fallen man has nothing in him or about him to attract
GodÕs mercy and grace. Therefore, the cause of his grace must be something
outside of us. God is gracious to us because he loves us (Ephesians 2:4; Jeremiah 31:3). á God loved us eternally
(Ephesians 1:4). á God loved us particularly
(Romans 9:13). á God loved us perfectly. á God loved us freely. á God loved us graciously. á He gave us his Son because he
loved us (1 John 4:9-10; John 3:16). á He adopted us as his sons
because he loved us (1 John 3:1). á He gave us his grace because he
loved us (2 Timothy 1:9). á He gave us himself because he
loved us (1 John 3:16). God is gracious to us simply because he delights to show us grace (Romans 9:18). (Romans 9:11-18) Ò(For the children being not yet
born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according
to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) (12) It was said unto her, The elder shall
serve the younger. (13) As it is
written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. (14) What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? God forbid. (15) For
he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will
have compassion on whom I will have compassion. (16)
So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that
runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. (17) For
the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised
thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be
declared throughout all the earth. (18) Therefore
hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he
hardeneth.Ó Message of Grace 2nd — What does the Gospel of grace
proclaim? — What is the message of grace? You will
observe that Paul addresses certain people to whom he says, ÒYe are saved.Ó He does not say, ÒYe
shall be saved,Ó or ÒYe hope to be saved.Ó He speaks to them as people
already saved. Now, there are no people upon the face of the earth to whom it
can be said, ÒYe are saved,Ó unless
it can also be said of them, ÒYe are
saved by grace.Ó I see two things in this. First, the Apostle speaks of a present salvation. — The Gospel of grace proclaims a
present salvation to all who trust Christ. He speaks not of people who would
be saved when they died, or who hoped to be saved in some future state. Paul
addresses those who are saved — who had salvation in possession. á It does not honor Christ for
his people always to doubt their salvation. á A present salvation cannot
consistently be preached by those who hold to a system of salvation by works. á No works monger can claim a
present salvation. á The Arminian claims that he is
saved, but he does not know whether he will be saved tomorrow, or not. á A present salvation can be
proclaimed only by a Gospel which proclaims, ÒBy grace are ye saved.Ó The Gospel of grace proclaims
that salvation in all its fulness, all its riches, all its length and
breadth, depth and height is a present reality to be enjoyed now. á GodÕs law is now silenced. á My sins are now pardoned. á I am now justified. á I am now GodÕs son. The terrors of the law, and of
God, With me can have nothing to do; My SaviorÕs obedience and blood Hide all my transgressions from
view. My name from the palms of His
hands Eternity will not erase; Impressed on His heart it
remains In marks of indelible grace. Yes, I to the end shall endure, As sure as the earnest is
given; More happy, but not more
secure, The glorified spirits in heaven. Second, the Gospel of grace proclaims a perfect salvation (Hebrews
7:25). — We teach that the moment a man believes in Christ, he is
completely and perfectly saved. He is not put into a savable state. He is not
half saved. He is not in danger of being lost. He is saved, and saved
perfectly. I truly believe that though the saints in heaven have received the
ultimate crown of salvation, they are not more perfectly saved than the
poorest sinner on earth who believes in Christ. (Colossians 1:12) ÒGiving thanks unto the Father, which
hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.Ó (Colossians 2:9-10) ÒFor in him dwelleth all the fulness
of the Godhead bodily. (10) And
ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.Ó Our salvation was completely accomplished when our triumphant Savior
cried, ÒIt is finished!Ó á He finished a perfect obedience
to God for us. á He endured the penalty of the
law for us. á He washed away our sins. á He reconciled God to us. When a man receives Christ as Savior, God gives him a perfect
salvation. The good news of heaven is not ÒChrist can save.Ó It is ÒChrist
has saved.Ó á We are accepted in the Beloved. á We are made righteous. á We are secure (John 10:28-30;
4:14). á We are complete in Christ. Only the Gospel of grace can proclaim salvation as a present reality. á The legalist cannot make this
claim. á The ritualist cannot make this
claim. á The Roman Catholic cannot make
this claim. á The Arminian cannot make this
claim. á But the Gospel of grace enables
the child of God to claim with confidence, — ÒI know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to
keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.Ó Amazing grace! How sweet the
sound That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now IÕm
found – Was blind, but now I see. ÔTwas grace that taught my
heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace
appear, The hour I first believed! Through many dangers, toils,
and snares, I have already come; ÔTis grace hath brought me safe
thus far, And grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised good to
me, His Word my hope secures; He will my Shield and Portion
be, As long as life endures. And when this flesh and heart
shall fail, And mortal life shall cease; I shall possess within the
veil, A life of joy and peace. When weÕve been there ten
thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, WeÕve no less days to sing GodÕs
praise, Than when we first begun! Still, there is more. — The Gospel of God, the Gospel
of the grace of God, proclaims an eternal salvation, the
salvation proclaimed by the preaching of grace alone is salvation finished
from the foundation of the world (Hebrews 4:3; Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians
1:2-6; 2 Timothy 1:9-10). (Hebrews 4:3) ÒFor we which have believed do enter into
rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my
rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.Ó (Romans 8:28-30) ÒAnd we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according
to his purpose. (29) For
whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the
image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (30) Moreover whom he did predestinate, them
he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he
justified, them he also glorified.Ó (Ephesians 1:3-6) ÒBlessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly places in Christ: (4) 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: (5) Having predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure
of his will, (6) To the praise of
the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.Ó (2 Timothy 1:9-10) ÒWho hath saved us, and called us
with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
(10) But is now made manifest by
the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath
brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.Ó Meaning of Grace 3rd — What does grace mean as it is
used in the Scriptures? Quote: ÒWhen used in the Bible to set
forth the grace of God in the salvation of sinners, the word ÒgraceÓ
discloses not only the boundless goodness of God and his kindness toward man,
but reaches far beyond and indicates the supreme motive which actuated God in
the creation, preservation, and consummation of the universeÉIt is nothing
less than the unlimited love of God expressing itself in measureless grace.Ó
— Lewis Sperry Chafer Let me just give you a few
statements about the meaning of GodÕs grace. Grace is the good favor of God. — There is nothing in us
that could ever merit GodÕs esteem, or give him such delight as to lead him
to bestow upon us the blessings of eternal salvation. If we ask why any
individuals are rescued from the ruins of the fall, and enabled to believe in
Christ, the only answer is, ÒEven so
Father, for it seemed good in Thy sight.Ó á We were not saved because of
our talents. á We were not saved because of
our wealth. á We were not saved because of
our good character. á We were not saved because of
the excellence of our disposition. á There is much in us to repel
God, but nothing to attract him. Grace is the marvelous operation of God. á It was God who gave us our
first holy desire. á It was God who made us willing
to hear the Gospel. á It was God who gave us faith. á It was God who gave us
repentance. á It was God who gave us life. á I will go yet further and say
that if God brought us within one foot of the gates of heaven, and left it
for us to enter in, we would all surely perish. Someone may say, ÒIs it not manÕs
duty to repent and believe the Gospel.Ó I reply, yes, indeed it is. But I am
not talking about manÕs duty, but his ability. If the poor beggar owes the
local grocery store a thousand dollars, it is his duty to pay; but he doesnÕt
have the ability. So it is our duty to repent and believe, but we had no
power. And here is the glory of GodÕs
grace. — He gives us repentance and faith. á Grace alone preserves us to
life everlasting. á Grace alone gives us eternal
glory. Grace is the sovereign prerogative of God. — ÒI will be gracious to whom
I will be gracious!Ó Our sovÕreign God maintains His universal throne; In heavÕn, and earth, and hell He reigns, And makes His wonders known! His counsels and decrees, Firmer than mountains stand; He will perform whateÕer He please; And none can stay his hand! All things His will controls; And His all-wise decree Has fixed the destinies of all In matchless sovÕreignty. — Jacob by grace He saved, And gives no reason why; But EsauÕs heart He left depraved. — And who shall dare reply? What if the Potter takes Part of a lump of clay, And for Himself a vessel makes And casts the rest away? Who shall resist His will, or say, ÒWhat doest Thou?Ó Jehovah is the SovÕreign still; And all to Him must bow! My soul, bow and adore The Lord in all His ways; His sovÕreignty none can explore; But I will trust His grace! ÒFor
of Him and through Him And
to Him are all things: To
Whom be glory evermore! Amen!
Amen! Amen!Ó Inferences 4th — Let me
briefly answer this question. — What inferences may be drawn from the doctrine of grace? á If we are saved by grace, we
should be humble. á If we are saved by grace, we
should have great compassion on those who are not saved. John Newton wrote, ÒA Calvinist who gets angry with the ungodly is
inconsistent with his profession. He knows that no man can receive this
doctrine except by the grace of God; so, if God has not given these men the
grace to receive this doctrine, rather pray for them than get angry with
them, and ask that they may receive the truth in which your soul delights.Ó If we are saved by grace, then nothing should bring us discomfort. á Are you afflicted? You are
saved by grace. á Are you poor? You are saved by
grace. á Are you neglected and despised?
You are saved by grace. á Are you sick? You are saved by
grace. Children of the Heavenly King, As ye journey sweetly sing; Sing your SaviorÕs worthy
praise, Glorious in His works and ways. If we are saved by grace, we should be utterly devoted to him who
saved us by his grace. Application 1.
Some of you are not yet saved. Yet, there is hope for you, for
salvation is all of grace. 2.
Children of God, rejoice in this: — Salvation is by Grace
Alone! 3.
Carry this message throughout this little community of ours —
ÒSalvation is of the Lord!Ó — ÒBy grace ye are saved.Ó — Salvation
is by Grace
Alone! Grace! ÔTis a charming sound, Harmonious to mine ear, Heaven with the echo shall
resound, And all the earth shall hear. The headstone of GodÕs
spiritual temple shall be brought forth with shoutings, crying, ÒGrace, grace unto it!Ó Let us now
begin the heavenly shout! — ÒGrace,
grace unto it!Ó — ÒGrace,
grace unto it!Ó Amen. Don Fortner |
Pastor FortnerÕs |