It is good to be in the house of God. For those of you who missed being in class tonight, you missed a good lesson. Brother Tim brought a great lesson tonight. I didn't say anything. I thought I'd wait till I get up here. The one thing that caught my attention, he was telling about the law, for those of you that wasn't here, and how that Moses for 40 days and nights was up on the mountain writing the law. And yet Israel, the people of God, was down in the valley, we might say, and they built a golden calf. And he asked the question, were they under the law? Then he said this. The Bible says, the Scripture says that death reigned from Adam to Moses. Now, this is not my sermon, okay? But if you recall, God made a garden and He placed some trees in there. We generally say Adam ate the apple. I don't know where we got that at. It only mentions two, the name of two trees. He called one of them the tree of life. He called the other the tree of good knowledge. What he actually was saying, one was the tree of life, the other the tree of death. For when Adam took of that fruit, he died. And that's the reason why death reigned from Adam to Moses. They were under the law of God. He said, don't eat of it, and they did anyway. Well, I've said all of that. Now then, let's get back to where we need to be, maybe. It's not odd, but I wonder about it, and that's how that we, as mortal men, we can be so confused on things, and yet we think that we know it all. Now, I'm going to call your attention to the book of Ephesians, Chapter 2. This I'm satisfied is very familiar with all of you. Ephesians chapter 2, and I'm not going to say that we've wore verse 8, 9 and 10 out, but we quote it quite often. But since the beginning, man has had a problem of understanding the source and the purpose of works. Why and for what reason are there works? Man wants to delegate works as such that it can produce life. If I work, I can have life as a result of it. What they don't, or what they fail to understand, we'll say is that all life comes from God. You take the Word and you look at the book of Genesis, that's called the book of creation. There was nothing at one But it says in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And it was void. So he began to create. He created the atmosphere as we know it, the sun, the moon, et cetera, stars. But then he began to put life into beings. He created animals, birds, fish, and human, and gave life to all of them. He is the source of life, not works. But as I said, man has had a problem. with that thinking that what they do will produce life. What man does produces death. Now within our verses, and I'm going to read the first ten verses of the book of Ephesians chapter 2, And you as the quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in time past you 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 time past in the loss 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 saved, and hath raised us up together, and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Now listen closely, 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. Let us pray. Father, we're thankful again today for the opportunity that we have, Heavenly Father, to come to the House of God that we might worship Thee, the true and the living God, and worship Heavenly Father together, pray together, sing together. We're so thankful for that, Father. We ask, O great God, that as we have read your word, that you might bless it. May it go forth, heavenly Father, and accomplish that for which it is sent. We pray, Father, should there be one among us that's lost, that the word might find a place in its heart and spring forth unto eternal life. We, heavenly Father, again pray for those requests that have been made. Father, you know each. Thy will be done No great God, we pray for the leaders of our country. Pray for the leaders of the world, Father. May their decisions govern Heaven and Father in a way that would please Thee. Forgive us, we pray, of our many sins. We'll give Thee the honor and the praise and glory. In Jesus' name we ask it. Amen. Now, as I said, as men, people, human beings, we have a problem of understanding works. Now, not everybody, but I can recall before I became a child of God through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that I was under the impression that what I could do would satisfy God to the extent that one day I'd go to heaven. Boy, was I ever fooled. Was I ever fooled. When we look at this passage of scripture that we've read, and when we think about works, There are four personalities that is mentioned in our script or text tonight that we want to look at in relation to works. And the first is this, the first personality is man. When we think about the man, we need to understand that the transgression that Adam brought death to all mankind, and the first thing that Adam did after he discovered that he had transgressed God's law and that he was going to suffer and did suffer death. The first thing he did was he began to cover up that sin. What did he do? Let's turn to Genesis and we'll see. In chapter 3, verses 7 through 10, And the eyes of them both, now this, what had happened was Eve saw that the tree was gonna make someone wise and all that it was good and what have ya. And they ate that and they become naked. So and the eyes of them both were opened. And they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam and said unto him, where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself. Now what they did was they covered themselves with fig leaves. They made themselves an apron to cover their nakedness. You see, in the eyes of God, they felt naked and they were. But if you'll remember what the scripture said, if you'll read prior to that, it says they were both naked and didn't know it. But when they transgressed the law of God, they realized that they were naked. And they sought, my friend, through what they could do to cover it up. And that's what the world is doing today, primarily. They're seeking, my friend, to cover up their sins. Many, many ways that they're trying to do it. the works of man, but I'm going to tell you, my friend, as it didn't work then in the Garden of Eden, it don't work today. Man, as the history of man unfolds today, we see the works of the second personality, Satan. What did it say in our text today? It said, wherein in times past, verse two, you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, that's Satan, that's the devil. The spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. I know that people don't want to hear it, but I'll tell you my friend, one day Jesus stood before a group of people and this he said, you are of your father the devil. And so it is. We say that today and we have people who wants to jumbo in us. Why you shouldn't say something like that? Brother Glenn has said that many, many times, I've heard him say it. I've heard others as well as that goes, but I think he was the first. To get saved, you got to get lost first. And my friends, cover up. You've heard me tell this before. Because I was like all men. I was under the impression when I was lost that I could take and do something and take care of my condition. I later found out that all I was doing was just adding coals on the fire. Am I right? That, my friend, is what man is doing today. They're adding coals on the fire one day. My friend, they're going to discover if they don't change their way, they're going to discover, my friend, that they'd made a mistake. and behold, what a mistake. Yes, the second personality, my friend, is Satan, the devil, Lucifer. You go to Isaiah 14, my friend, it describes There are three angels in heaven, or were, that were called archangels. Lucifer's name was one, Gabriel was one, and Michael was one. But something happened. And what happened, my friend, was Lucifer was cast out of Heaven, the devil. One day my friend was an archangel in the presence of God, but because, my friend, of what he did, God cast him out. Well, what'd he do? He sought, my friend, to become preeminent over God. He said, I will exalt my throne above the Most High. It didn't work. So God cast him out and many angels with him. And today, my friend, this person, this personality maybe I should say, he's not a person yet. One day he's going to come out as a person, but that's later. We won't get into that. But my friend, listen to me. He sought, my friend, to be above God. But you know what he did? He brought death to man. He seeks to destroy Israel today. Has since the beginning that God told Abraham, I'm gonna make you a nation. Satan has sought to destroy it. You look at Revelation chapter 20 and verse 10. You don't have to turn there if you don't want to, but I'm going to tell you, It brings an end to the second personality called Satan. Let me read it. It thrills my heart every time I read it. That sorry rascal caused my death. Yeah. but God is gonna make sure that I triumph over him. And what did it say? Verse 10, 28 chapter of Revelation. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are and they shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. one of these days that rascal is going to get what's coming to him. Yeah. That's sad when you think about it in a way, but he deserves every bit of it. Now then, the third personality in our text is God, God, man, Satan, God, the Father. Of all things God declares that life is not by works. He has from the day one, so to speak, From the beginning, my friend, he has taught that works is not life. Works brings death. All our works are as filthy rags. For by grace, or you're saved through faith. How much plainer could anything be? Huh? Wouldn't you really think about it? What else could be written to you, to me, to the world, that could be any more, my friend, what would be the word? Truth. Then that grace through faith is what brings life. But wait a minute, there's more to it than just that. Faith, repentance, grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. For thy grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of It is a gift of God. What did God give? He gave His Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Works is what we're talking about, but wait a minute, wait a minute. We've been condemning works. and rightfully so. But wait a minute. You see, God declares in our text that there's a good work. Huh? For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works. which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them. I think about the word ordained and what it's teaching here and I use a word that most people want to run from, predestination. Huh? And the reason why they want to run from it, because they misunderstand it. They don't understand because God KNOWS He can predestine, and that's what it is. God KNOWS what will happen and how it will happen, and as a result, He can predict, prophesy, predestine, whatever. Yes. God has taken and predestined that there's a good work. Now, let me say this. He also, God, also, my friend, requires qualifications for that work. You've got to be qualified. I retired from Tinker. Brother Glenn did too. I unfortunately retired as a supervisor. And I say that funny wise. But I would have to write every once in a while qualifications for certain jobs. And God did the same thing here. He wrote how to be qualified to do these good works. Now, the Bible says, the Word of God says, If any man strives for mastery, how can he do it without first being qualified for it. And what is the qualification? Huh? He said this, For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus, my friend in new We've been created, my friend, in Christ Jesus. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. But I again want to say this, those works don't get you to heaven. Huh? Those works will not get you to heaven, even though they're were in Christ Jesus, we become a new creature. Jesus told a governor one time, I think he was a governor, but anyway, his name was Nicodemus. He told him, he was a teacher, he said, you must be born again. Now, people listen to me. People are just as confused and don't understand today that any more than what Nicodemus did. They still don't know what you say when you say, I'm born again. Wife and I used to sing a song. Then I was born again. Born again, free from sin. That's what happens. Yeah. creation by grace through faith, that not of yourself, but you become qualified to do the good work. I've used this many times, and I'll use it again. In the day of judgment, there's going to be a group of people, the way the scripture reads, the way the Word of God reads, there's going to be several of them. going to say unto him, Lord, Lord, have not we prophesied in your name? Have we not done good works in your name? And you know what he's going to say? Depart from me, you workers of iniquity. I never knew you. Why? Because they're not qualified. They've not witnessed the new birth. They've not been created in Christ Jesus. Sad, but true. And I don't know the hearts of those that's here today, but this I do know this, if you're not saved, you need to be. And all the works that you can ever do, I don't care how good you are to the world, I don't care how good you are to your husband, your wife, your children, I don't care how good you are to your mother, your daddy, and what have you, don't make any difference. That don't cut the mustard with God. Now, one of these days God's going to prove, He don't have to, but He's going to prove to mankind that works will not give you life. All works, good and bad, ALL WORKS, GOOD AND BAD, IS GOING TO COME UNDER THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF GOD. ALL WORKS, MINE, YOURS, EVERYBODY, NOBODY WILL BE EXCLUDED. FROM ADAM TO THE LAST BORN, ALL WILL COME UNDER JUDGMENT. And the sad thing is this, many things, and many's waiting, even today, for that time to come for them to cast their works in front of Christ, the and think that that is what going to get them heavy. Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. Now let me tell you something. When man stands before the judge to be judged of the works, it has already been determined whether you're lost or saved. You're not going to be there to see if you're saved, you're going to be there, my friend, to receive the judgment of what you have done, good or bad, good or bad. How do I know that? Well, fortunately, God gives us some scripture. Revelations 20, I'm going to read verse 11 with verse 12, And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. And you feature that. earth and heaven gone. Huh? Where are we at? We're in the very presence of God. the judgments of God, said, And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead which were judged out of those things, which were written in the books according to their works. Huh? Whee! Now I've got to add this, and this is verse 15, the last verse of this chapter, And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. You see, when I found Christ as my Savior, when I got up from that, we called it Mourner's When I got up from that mortar's bench, my name had already been written in the Lamb Book of Life. I'm not waiting to be saved. I'm already saved. Yeah. And when I stand before Him, I'm not going to have to worry about, did I lose it? Uh-uh. I've got it. because of him. He died for my sins, not me. I don't know the hearts of those that's here this evening. If you're unsaved, why don't you come down? Why don't you become a child of God? You'll never regret it. Never regret it. Man, you'll get up every day and you'll go to bed every night praising God. Thank you, dear Jesus. Thank you, dear Jesus. Every night that I lay my head on my pillow, the first thing I do is I thank you, dear Jesus. Thank you, God, for saving me. Thank you, God, for giving me that woman for 71 years to walk through this life. Forgive me of my sins that I've committed. That's my prayer every night, every night. You see, I'm a sinner saved by grace. Huh? I'm going to ask the song leader and the pianist to come. May God richly bless your heart tonight. May you say to yourself, I'm going to go down. I'm going to get myself right with God. I'm going to become a child of his tonight.