service to Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2. And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins and wherein in time past he 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, 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. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace ye are saved, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by 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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. And we're going to stop reading there this evening. The text to which I call your attention is Ephesians 2 verses 8 and 9. For by 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." Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, the text this evening was selected not only for preparatory, but because this past Thursday we commemorated, I hope you remembered, the Great Reformation. Reformation Day, which was 507 years ago now, was on that date in 1517 that the Roman Catholic monk, Martin Luther, with hopes of establishing a public debate nailed to the door in Wittenberg, Germany, a list of 95 doctrinal statements. And although entirely unintended by Luther, that event was the spark used by God, the Spirit of Truth, to ignite the great fire of the Reformation. as the Scriptures once again began to burn in the souls of God's people and church. And it's worth remembering, although there were many aspects of the doctrines that were brought to the fore by Luther in the Great Reformation, all of those doctrines were summarized by sole deo gloria. To God alone, glory. And to God alone, glory, as he reveals that glory in the salvation of his people in Christ. And so the text before us this evening emphasizes that other phrase which was one of the watchwords of the Great Reformation and that is this, by grace alone, by grace alone. As we consider this text, with that in mind, we find here a text rich in doctrine, packed with doctrine. In fact, it could be argued that there is no more important doctrinal statement anywhere in the Bible. But profoundly doctrinal as this text is, it is not a theoretical theological expression. The Apostle was not a professional theologian. He was a preacher. Now a preacher of course must be a theologian. If he is not, he cannot be a true preacher. But the Apostle's approach was not academic, was not theoretical. He was concerned to help the church at Ephesus live the Christian life to God's glory. And he knew that no person can live this Christian life unless he or she first has an understanding of what it is that makes us Christian and what it means that we are Christian. His prayer for them is found in the first chapter verses 18 and 19 that the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us who believe according to the working of His mighty power." You see that's often our trouble, the people of God. We don't realize the exceeding greatness of the power of God in us who believe. So under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul begins to unfold that greatness. And having stated it all in detail, it all comes down to this. By 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. He who makes a wrong turn at this point must necessarily have a wrong conception of Christian doctrine and Christian life. to take a wrong turn here involves one in a corruption of the scriptural truth concerning God and man, concerning sin and redemption, concerning Christ and the church. Moreover, the only lasting comfort in your life and mine is in knowing God as God alone, who is sure to save His church. So also with a view to the administration of the Lord's Supper next Sunday morning, God willing, I call your attention to this text under the theme, Saved by Sovereign Grace. And we notice, first of all, a wonderful salvation. Secondly, a sovereign work. And finally, a significant truth. To say that we are saved by sovereign grace expresses the wonderful truth that salvation is of the Lord. But when the apostle speaks of being saved, we do well to consider, first of all, what is meant by salvation? To be saved presupposes misery. Salvation is to be delivered from a miserable situation, to be made partaker of a pleasant situation. But this salvation of which Paul speaks is not the superficial salvation of what the world speaks. Salvation is not the same as reforming a criminal or building character. It mustn't be equated with overcoming bad habits or building self-esteem. Everyone, the world included, recognizes there are problems. deep-seated spiritual problems even in human society and culture, civilization. Our society, as well as societies and nations around the world, are fundamentally troubled with various problems. Deep-seated problems, what are often referred to as social disorders. And yet for all that, it's generally maintained that man himself is not inherently corrupt. Man is inherently good. And for this reformation that's needed, as well as the improvement of our social environment, the modern church of our day says we simply have to turn to Jesus as our example and apply his teachings for our program of reform in culture. That view of man is fundamentally the same view as that of Pelagius and the heresy of Pelagianism with which Augustine did battle in the early 5th century. And that view of Pelagianism was essentially no different from the erroneous view of man that the Apostle Paul faced when he wrote his epistle to the church at Rome. Scripture teaches us that the misery of man, your misery and mine, is far more serious. And when we examine ourselves, also in this coming week, in light of the Word of God, because this is the standard of our self-examination, we have to understand this reality. We only have to consider the context in the first verses of Ephesians 2. That dark presentation of the natural man is the presentation of all scripture. It is the judgment that comes from God himself, the sovereign judge of heaven and earth. We are children of wrath by nature. And not only by nature, that comes to expression in our conduct. by our behavior, by our whole attitude toward God. We live according to the course of this world. That's what we are like by nature. We are governed by the prince of the power of the air, the spirit of Satan. Good spirit continues to work in the children of disobedience. That's the sort of creature we are by nature. Dead in trespasses and sins. And you know when you think of death, we so readily think of death as it comes to expression in the casket. That's not death. I can tell you what death is. I've seen it. Death is the decaying instantly, the beginning decay of the body. And when the body dies, that body very soon begins to decay and to put off the most horrible stench. Rotting. When we think of being dead in trespasses and sins, that's not just lying in a casket. that's throwing off all the stench of death in the sins that rise out of that dead human nature. I submit to you there is no more appalling description of man than what the Apostle writes here in the opening verses of Ephesians 2. And you find that same description elsewhere in Scripture. Psalm 51, Job 14, Romans 5, to name just a few. In John 3, verse 3, Jesus said to Nicodemus, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Do such creatures have any right at all to the presence of and fellowship with God? Such creatures as we have no right to anything but retribution and strictest justice. That's a hard doctrine indeed. But we must receive the teachings of the scriptures and the very judgment of God on this matter. It's perfectly clear. The confusion arises because sinful men turn these statements of God's inspired apostle into matters of controversy. They insist on bringing in their own ideas. This teaching of God is so degrading to the natural man, proud man, that by nature we will not receive it. But we either receive the scriptures as our only foundation and humble ourselves before God, seeing our misery, or for us there's no salvation. If we will examine ourselves in the light of God's Word and search out what we are as we stand in the shadow and natures of our first fallen parents, we will find that as God judges, There is in us nothing but sin and iniquity and the wisdom that we imagine ourselves to possess is but sinful stupidity. And how else do you explain the actions of men in our day? And the fact is Again, as we stand by nature apart from Christ, the light that we think we have to discern good and evil is but rebellion and spite against God. By nature, apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit in us, we are totally depraved, corrupt, in all parts of our being unable to do any good in God's sight. We can only daily increase our guilt and damnation. When Jesus said Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. The meaning is that sinful man has no possibility of experiencing the fellowship of the holy and righteous God, except that man first die unto sin and be born again unto righteousness in Jesus Christ. And the purpose of this hard doctrine of man's depravity and misery is, as we see in the chapter before us, to exalt the grace and mercy of God and to show that where sinners deserve nothing but condemnation, God takes from them a church and showers upon them the exceeding riches of His grace. This work of salvation is so glorious, it's incomprehensible to my mind. On the occasions of the birth of a child, I've often turned with those parents to Psalm 139, which, Psalm, you remember, extols God for that wonderful creation of a child. I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are thy works. And you look at that newborn baby and you can't comprehend the wonder of God's work that formed that child and gave that child ongoing development in the womb of its mother. It's magnificent. From the time, from the moment of conception, God is forming that person according to His own counsel referred to in Scripture as His book. And yet, beloved, as magnificent as is that work of God in bringing forth His church through the act of marriage and conception and childbearing, that doesn't even begin to compare to His work in our salvation. Because in our salvation, God gives life to Him who was dead Actually more. He takes that sinner who is dead in sin, who's filled with enmity against God, cursing the Almighty, raising his fist in rebellion against God, walking in darkness and hating the light. And God makes of such a sinner a righteous and holy child of God. from the most obstinate and uncooperative being. God, Jehovah, forms with the irresistible word of His grace, one who is filled with love towards Him, who humbly asks God What would you have me do? How would you have me live? Who joins the choirs of angels in singing praise to God? He takes you and me in whom there was no hope. and works that wonder work of salvation. He unites us in living fellowship with the glorious company of the redeemed. So that together with all his saints in all places, chosen of him before the foundation of the world in Christ Jesus, built upon the foundation of the prophets and apostles, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, he gathers his church all to the praise of the glory of his grace. All that belongs to the mighty, wonderful work of God, which is called salvation, as is signified and sealed in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. The text tells us this wonderful salvation is by grace, grace alone. In the usage of Scripture, the concept grace has five or six different meanings. And we do well to remember, when we come before the concepts of the Bible, the concepts of Scripture often are like a multifaceted diamond. You can't just look at one definition of a concept, because scripture would have you look at it from many different perspectives to see the fullness of the glory of God's grace. And so with the concept grace, the fundamental meaning of that term grace is beauty. That's the fundamental meaning of the term grace. Beauty. And it refers to God himself in one of his glorious attributes. God is beautiful. Grace stands opposed to all that is ugly and crude. In Ephesians 4 verse 29, for example, it stands opposed to any corrupt communication that proceeded out of our mouths. But when grace is directed toward unworthy and sinful men, women, and children, it has especially two meanings in Scripture. It's used in two different ways. And in the first place, it is unmerited, undeserved favor. Favor which really has been forfeited by us. It stands as a gift opposed to obtaining something by payment of works, for example. In this sense, Paul spoke of it in Ephesians 1 verse 7, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. And in the second place, the scripture refers to grace directed toward the sinner as that redemptive power of God that makes a sinner beautiful in His sight. And although in the text before us we cannot ignore that meaning of undeserved or forfeited favor, the reference here is primarily to that power by which God makes us spiritually beautiful in His sight. Grace is that redemptive power of God which works His beauty in us who are so ugly. He imparts to us all spiritual blessing. How beautiful is the truth revealed here that God has saved us by grace alone. God stooped down, if you will, to ugly, miserable sinners who were walking down the broad way toward hell. And He made us beautiful as He is beautiful, saving us by bringing us to the highest good, to dwell in the blessed fellowship of His own covenant life in Christ Jesus. By grace are we saved through faith. And faith is also a gift of his grace. As the umbilical cord connects that unborn child to his mother, and as through that cord the child receives all the nutrients needed for life and growth, So faith is the living connection of the saved sinner to Christ, in whom is all our salvation. Faith is the divinely ordained instrument and means through which Christ, the God of our salvation, conveys to us consciously to all the graces of salvation, by grace are you saved through faith. The apostle never tires of saying this. What else could he say? As he looked back on his life, the blaspheming Saul of Tarsus, Pharisee of the Pharisees, rejecting the Lord of glory for a false gospel of salvation by works of the law? When he remembered what hatred he had toward Christ and his church, how he did his best to destroy Christianity, persecuting and killing God's people, as he looked back, and then looked at himself as he was now, as he writes this, what could he say but this? I am what I am by the grace of God. Sola gratia, by grace alone. The whole essence of our salvation, the whole glory of our salvation is that though we deserve nothing but punishment and banishment to everlasting hell, yet God, out of his own sovereign good pleasure, has granted us the blessedness of his fellowship, taken us into his family, given us the experience of his love and mercy And all this brings us face to face with the truth that our salvation is entirely, from beginning to end, God's sovereign work. It's a sovereign work. That truth, as you know, has been vehemently denied throughout history. What was seen in the Apostles' Day was also seen in the years of the Great Reformation. It was confronted not only by Augustine in the early church, it had to be confronted by Calvin and Beza and our Reformed and Presbyterian church fathers such as Hendrick de Kock and Herman Hoeksema and George Oppock. that error penetrated the church through the centuries. You know, the Reformation addressed the manifold errors in the Roman Catholic Church, didn't it? And some would like to say today, but the Roman Catholic Church has changed. Well, they might have changed in outward appearance from different perspectives. But I have studied many of the doctrinal statements of Vatican II in comparison with some of the old Roman Catholic catechism books based on the Council of Trent in the years following the Great Reformation. And I can tell you, Rome has not changed at all, doctrinally. all the emphasis in the Roman Catholic Church is placed upon meritorious works. But that error, which was only one of those lying at the foundation of the contention for the faith that became the Great Reformation, has continued through the years, not only in the Roman Catholic Church, but among a multitude of churches that have their roots in the Protestant Reformation. I dare say most Protestant churches today have fallen into the same error, which was one of the reasons for their coming out of Rome in the first place. They would make salvation dependent, in some sense of the word, upon the works of man. Oh no, they no longer maintain the law and obedience to the law as the way of salvation. The law hardly has a place anymore. They say God's done away with the law. He simply says to you, believe on the Lord Jesus and you'll be saved. In other words, they look at believing as man's work. That's to turn faith into works. And to say it's our action that saves us. The Apostle says, not of yourselves. not of yourself. Or, well-meaning Christians give their testimony and say, I decided for Christ on such and such a date. Well, we can discuss that, but notice that's not the apostles' language. The apostle was careful to put it in words of truth. We are God's workmanship. God's workmanship. That's the emphasis of salvation, sovereignly wrought by God alone. So when you must testify of your salvation, as you must, Then you say, I was dead in trespasses and sin. And God began His work of smashing me and molding me. He renewed me, gave me life. I'm His by the wonder work of His grace. How horrible, how God dishonoring is the doctrine that men can save themselves. That salvation depends upon a person, the human being. Would that men who who preach such corruption see how they rob God of His glory and how empty is the other gospel they preach. God will not have His name profaned. He will give His glory to none other. The Almighty will not have any person boast before Him. any individuals or churches that claim to stand in the line of the Great Reformation and still claim that man is saved by an act of his own will or on the basis of his works have never understood the basic truth of Scripture when it comes to salvation. Now, the reason for this denial of the fundamental truths of Scripture is easy to understand. That truth that salvation is all of grace, a sovereignly wrought work from beginning to end, leaves no room whatsoever for boasting. None whatsoever. If you understand this truth, then you don't look at people in other churches and think yourself better than they. This leaves no room for boasting. And for that reason, it's contrary to our proud, self-seeking, sinful flesh. Contrary to mine, Paul himself knew a great deal about boasting. Before he became a Christian and was given a clear understanding of this truth of salvation, there was never a more self-satisfied and self-assured person than Saul of Tarsus. He was proud of himself in every respect. Proud of his nationality. Proud of his particular tribe, the tribe of Benjamin. Proud of his religion and his place among the Pharisees. Proud at having sat at the feet of Gamaliel, that great professor among the Pharisees. That was proud Paul. And he speaks of his own attitude in that respect in Philippians chapter 3. But he came to see that one of the biggest differences in becoming a Christian was that all boasting in self was put out. Boasting is excluded. By grace are you saved. not of works lest any man should boast. And it's always in connection with what we do that we're most liable to boast. Nevertheless, Scripture's clear. The Gospel of salvation in Christ by faith alone always denounces reliance upon works and the pride of works. Why do you think the Pharisees so hated Jesus? It's because he would take away the merit of their works. The gospel strips us from any and everything that would give us reason to boast. Our good living, our good deeds, our religious observances, our worship, everything. That doesn't mean that there's no place for those things. If you are in Christ, you cannot help but do those things. But it's not a question of good works leading to salvation. It's a question of God saving us by His grace in order that we might live to His glory also in the doing of good works. Where's boasting? It's excluded. The positive teaching of Scripture is that we are Christians entirely and only as the result of God's sovereign work of grace. Scripture teaches us that God eternally willed to have a people that should be beautiful like He is. that should taste His grace and glorify His grace and reflect His grace. That's His sovereign work of divine election. In the language of Romans 8 verse 29, whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son. God has ordained a people that should be conformed to the image of his son and notice God had his people eternally before him in Ephesians 1 verses 4 through 6 the apostle put it this way according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved to that people whom God ordained to to glorify by tasting and reflecting His glory to those whom He beholds in His eternal counsel in Christ Jesus as perfectly beautiful in Christ. To them He's graciously inclined. But God willed to lead that people to the highest glory in the way of sin and grace, in order that they should know with a knowledge that could be theirs in no other way, that God is gracious. He's gracious. In addition, that redemption is a sovereign work of grace. God has given us to Christ. By His grace, God sent His only begotten Son into this world and poured out His holy and just wrath upon Him, redeeming His people. On the cross, Christ redeemed his people as an act of divine and particular grace. That's why with scripture we insist upon particular and definite redemption. The cross is no chance. At the cross Christ redeemed his people. By grace you are saved. And so we who are dead in sin and misery have become branches of the living vine who is Christ. And how is that done? Again, by grace we are saved. By God's sovereign work of grace. Salvation's no offer held out in a certain helpless desire that we accept the offer. Salvation is a powerful, effective, wonderful work of God. A work of His grace. By grace we are saved even to the end. So that this also must be added according to scripture, by grace we are preserved. Think of that. In all the uncertainty of this world in which we live, that divine wonder work of grace is such that God works in us the willingness to follow Him, the willingness to love Him, the willingness to live unto Him. A significant truth is this truth of salvation by sovereign grace. What is a Christian? Just a good person? You young people undoubtedly work with other peers, other young people who call themselves Christian. What is a Christian? You have to know it's not just a name. You have to know that for yourself. Is a Christian somebody who's just a little better than someone else? Not at all. He's like Christ. Like Christ. A Christian is one formed by God to the image of God's dear Son. How can a man who's dead in trespasses and sins raise himself to that? It's humanly impossible. We saw that this morning from Ezekiel 37. By grace you're saved through faith and that not of yourself. Let there be no boasting on our part. Our life as His people is God's work. God's work alone. What is a Christian? A Christian is one who has the life of Christ in him. And not as a mere example, but the power of Christ's resurrection life. And what is Christianity? It is Christ in you. The hope of glory. Thank God it's all of grace. If it were not of grace, we would all be without hope in the world under the wrath and condemnation of the holy God. But because it is all of divine grace, because I am God's work, I know that in spite of myself, in spite of the sin that still remains in me against my will, I shall be made perfect. And I am beautiful in God's sight. That work that He has once begun shall by His grace be fully done. Thank God salvation is not by works, by my works or yours. Let's join the Apostle in proclaiming, God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world by grace. sovereign grace through faith. And let's approach the Lord's table in that knowledge next Sunday morning, God willing. Amen. Our gracious and merciful Father in heaven, how glorious is thy work in the salvation thou hast wrought for us and in us through Jesus Christ thy Son, our Lord. When thou dost lay that gospel upon our hearts, our souls well up with rejoicing. For we know that blessed are all those whom thou dost choose to come and abide in thy courts. They shall be filled with the glory of thy presence now and forevermore to the praise of the glory of thy grace. Amen. We turn to Psalter number 426. Beautiful versification of Psalm 116. We sing the first two and the fifth stanzas. Thou, O Jehovah, in thy sovereign grace, hast saved my soul from death and woe appalling. 1, 2, and 5, 426. I am the Lord God of life and grace. In life, in death, my heart will sing. my deathless brethren. O Lord, I sow, I weep and sorrow within. I turn in my gifts as to God in praise. Cry all my tears, Savior, I've been confounded. Praise ye the Lord, ye hosts of love, in heaven and behind. And bless the Lord, ye saints below, who in his praise divine. His name be honored in the Lord. Let all heav'n-breathed praise unite to glorify The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace. Amen.