We're going to do a short Bible reading, Ephesians chapter 2.
We're going to read verses 1 to 10 and then immediately after
this, I'm going to invite our sister Brianna to come and she's
going to come and minister in Psalm 2 pieces, Ephesians
chapter 2. And we're reading from verses
one through to 10. Let's hear the word of God
reading, of course, from the King James Bible.
I said this morning I have a number of Bibles and we'll show
them to you some of these Lords days.
And if anybody would like a Bible, then you're free to
receive 1 Ephesians chapter 2 verse one.
Let's hear the word of God. And you hath He quickened, who
were dead in trespasses and sins, where 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 thou worketh in
the children of disobedience, among whom also we all had our
conversation. And time passed in the lust of
our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the
mind. And we're by nature the children
of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy
for His great love for what He loved us even when we were dead
in sins, as quickened us together with Christ by grace
are you see, and have 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 Kingdom toward us through Christ Jesus.
For by grace are you see it through faith, and not 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
had before ordained, that we should walk in there.
Amen. We know God will stamp with His
own approval and blessing this reading of His own precious and
infallible word. Now my text tonight is taken
from Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 8.
It reads as follows. For by grace are you saved
through faith and not, not of yourselves.
It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should
boast. And I want us to think this
evening of the subject that have entitled focusing on the faith
that saves. They're one of the great
buzzwords around today in the Christian community and about
the Christian life is the word faith.
And we meet many people and I've met some in Belfast recently and
they've asked me, despite having the clerical collar on, are you
a man of faith? And sometimes they've asked
others say for example, the woman, are you a, a woman of
faith? And if you start a conversation
with someone and you mentioned God, heaven and hell, Jesus
Christ, the Bible, then the response is, oh, I have my
faith. Now, they don't define faith and
they don't describe what that faith means to them
individually. So we asked the question
tonight, what is faith? What is the real genuine nature
of true saving faith? Why is it so important?
What is the true, genuine object of saving faith?
Do all men have faith? You see, these are questions
that all demand answers and sadly today there's a lot of
confusion and loads of misunderstanding.
Even misunderstanding that borders on ignorance when it
comes to this subject of faith. And sadly, some preachers,
ordained ministers of the gospel do not know what true saving
faith is. And when they speak about faith
or preach about faith, they end up clouding the issue rather
than make it clear and very concise.
You see, I believe that you have to be clear and concise.
Here's the Apostle Paul and if we asked him how could an
individual be see if they're right with God hears this answer
for by grace are you saved through faith and not not of
yourselves. It is the gift of God.
So what is faith, Paul, It's the gift of God.
Remember in Philippi when he was asked the question, a second
missionary journey there by the Philippian gaoler serves, What
must I do to be saved? That man got a very clear,
plain, straightforward answer. What was that?
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
Now let's think tonight of the following.
For the 20 minutes that we have, think of three things.
If we focus on the faith that sees the substance that is
revealed, Look at the text and underline the 2 words through
faith and will add the words and not not of yourselves.
It is the gift of God. So what is faith?
Here's the best answer. Here's the most clear and
precise answer that I could give.
Shorter Catechism question 86. What is faith?
Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace whereby we received
and rest upon Him alone for salvation as He is offered to us
in the Gospel. And remember what we read there
in the book of Hebrews. In Hebrews chapter 10 and in the
verse 39. We read these words, but we are
not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that
believe to the saving of the soul.
Over in John's gospel in John chapter one we read here in
verses one to three. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything
made. That was made Over in the book
of Philippians in Philippians chapter 3 and in the verse 9 we
read this statement. And they found in him, not
having my own righteousness which is of the law, but that
which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which
is of God by faith. In John 6 and 29, the Lord Jesus
answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that
you believe in him whom He have sent.
He added in verse 40, And this is the will of him that sent me,
that everyone which saith the Son and believeth on Him may
have everlasting life, and I will raise him up with the last
day. What a tremendous promise.
And then of course, we turn again to the book of Galatians,
And in Galatians chapter 2 and in the verse 16, we read knowing
that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the
faith of Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus
Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ
and not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law
shall no flesh be justified. Christ is the object of true
saving faith. Now, faith is not, as some
preachers like to say, the new birth, conviction of sin,
effectual calling, or trusting Jesus.
You see, what some preachers do is they Add all of those truths
together and make those truths from the new birth, the
conviction of sin, to effectual calling, to trusting in Jesus.
They make that the essence of faith, but that's not what the
Sinner is to rest on. That's not what he is to
receive. Other preachers want to exalt
the act of faith and they say, well, let's have confidence in
the fact that I've made a decision for Jesus, or I've
walked a Nile for Christ, or have signed a decision card.
I have prayed a prayer and the focus is on what they have done,
and they make what they have done the object of their faith,
and they're exulting in their mind and by their mouth what
they have done. And it's as if the exercise of
faith was a kind of reward for doing some good what they have
done. Other preachers, of course, go a
step further and they look for evidences of true faith.
They asked us, has the life changed?
So and so has professed Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Is there life changed and transformed?
Is there inward and outward graces marks of grace?
We talk talk and sadly they end up making the evidences the
object of their trust. Now I want to tell you listen to
me carefully. True saving faith is not adding
something to its essence. It's not something we do in an
offer sales, it's not exalting our decision or act of faith.
It's not something that we're glorying and saying I did this
and I did that. It's not centralised and rooted
in the outworking of the means of grace.
No, listen again to what the substance of true faith is.
Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace whereby we receive
and rest upon him alone for salvation as He's offered to us
in the Gospel. You see, there's four kinds of
faith. There's natural faith.
All men and women and young people have natural faith.
Let me prove it. They come into a house and
there's a chair sitting at the table, and they go and sit down.
The chair doesn't break. They go to the doctor.
They're sick. They ask the doctor for medicine
and they trust that that medicine, as they partake of it,
that that medicine is not going to poison them.
They go away in their holidays and they get on an aeroplane and
they they're trusting the pilot to take them safely to the
destination. They're trusting that the pilot
will not crash the plane. What about setting down at the
dinner table and partaking of the food that Mummy has made?
You come in, you wash your hands, you sit at the table, you
say thanks, thanks to mum, thanks to the Lord and you eat.
You see all of those actions sitting in the chair, driving
the car, at the getting on the aeroplane, sitting at the table,
eating food, going to the doctor and accepting the medication
that he gives. All of that action involves what
I'm calling natural faith and all men, including sinful men
display those natural acts of faith day and daily.
But that's not the faith that saves.
The second kind of faith that I want to mention is real, true
saving faith and that's a gift of God.
If you go back to our text, it says there in Ephesians chapter
2 and in the verse 8. If you look at it carefully for
by Gracie, you see it through faith.
Notice these words and not not of yourselves.
Faith is not of yourself. What is faith?
It is the gift of God. It is the gift of God-given in
the new birth. The Holy Ghost comes and awakens
the Sinner about his sin, quickens that individual, makes
them alive to all that God is, alive to the person work of
Christ, alive to their need of their soul salvation.
And in that new birth, the Holy Ghost deposits a most precious
gift, and that's the gift of saving faith.
See, the Bible says, But without faith it's impossible to please
Him. For he that cometh to God must
believe that He is, and his rewarder of them that diligently
seek Him. And how can a man or woman
believe? And how can there be those who
do not believe? All men have not faith.
What's the difference? The Holy Ghost has made the
difference because the Holy Ghost has deposited the gift of
faith into those that he's awakened to their need of
Christ. To those who have come to
Christ, you know, tonight there's a difference between a
dead, spurious, lifeless kind of faith.
And in contrast to that, there's a real, living, saving faith.
And that saving faith is the gift of God.
It's not of yourselves, notice the demonstrative here, and that
not of yourselves making it abundantly clear it's the gift
of God. So when we exercise that gift,
we're exercising a gift that's been given to us, planted within
us in the new birth. There's another kind of faith
called increasing faith. It's mentioned in the Gospel of
Luke. The disciples prayed.
Lord, increase our faith. Can faith be increased?
Yes. How?
Faith can be strengthened by reading and studying and
meditating upon the Word of God and standing in the promises.
Faith can be strengthened by prayer, waiting on the Lord.
Faith can be strengthened by attendance of the House of God.
Faith can be strengthened by the means of grace, participation in
the Lord's Supper, obedience to the waters of baptism.
Faith can be strengthened when we aim purposely to live a life
of holiness, when we're doggedly determined to say no to sin.
And of course, all of this is connected to the wonderful
doctrine not only of our adoption into God's family, but
the the doctrine of assurance of salvation.
And then of course, there's another kind of faith, the
demonstration of our faith because we're born of the Spirit
and because we've got a new nature.
Second, Peter 1 and 4, then the the Bible tells us, let the
redeemed of the Lord say so. See, the redeemed of the Lord
are going to face hardship and difficulty.
They're going to have trials and troubles in their life.
They're going to be held up to ridicule and to mockery.
And there's going to be loads of opposition.
There's going to be persecution. But despite what we face,
despite what we experience, here's the crux of the matter.
The just they shall live by faith, not just see it by it,
but the whole of the Christian life is a life of faith.
And they of course are amongst those that do not go back.
You see in the context of reading the book of Hebrews to
you it says in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 30, 8 neither just
shall live by faith, but if any man draw back by soul, shall
have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw
back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of
their soul. The only real faith is a faith
that saves in Christ, a faith that raises up to serve the
Lord, a faith that's steadfast, a faith that stands, a faith
that that perseveres, hears something that's important, the
substance that has revealed. Think of the word faith.
Now notice something else very quickly in the text.
The Saviour that is received. He would go back to our
definition. What is faith?
Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace whereby we receive
and rest upon Him alone for salvation as He's offered us in
the gospel. And what's Paul talking about in
verse 8? He's talking about salvation.
For by grace are you saved high through faith?
Faith's the instrumental cause and it's faith in Jesus Christ
and if you look at the context here, it, it talks here in verse
7 through Jesus Christ. For by grace you see it through
faith and that not of yourselves is the gift of God, not of
works. Does anyone should book?
For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus.
Do you see the the reference here to Christ Jesus?
See, can I tell you tonight that Jesus Christ is the most
suitable saviour? Why is Christ the most suitable
Saviour? Think of his person.
Who is he? Many people tell us he's a good
man. He is a gracious man,
tremendous. He's also a godly man.
But more than that, he's the God man.
Great as the mystery of godliness, God was manifested in
the flesh. And that's what many people
miss. That's what many professors and
preachers miss. They, they, they don't go as far
as saying he's the God man, that, that he's God Incarnate.
He, he's Emmanuel, God with us. We've already read there from
first John chapter 1 and I, I was really struck this week
thinking of the context here. In the beginning was the Word.
The word was with God and the word was God.
The same as in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him and without him was not anything
made that was made in him was life, and the life was the light
of men. That's a wonderful statement,
and yet that statement has been mangled by the Jew witnesses.
Jew witnesses are a false cult and they have inserted here.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was a God.
Now you, I want to tell you to insert the letter A has no basis
in the Greek language. It has no basis in the Greek
text out of the 5000 manuscription board that your
witnesses are guilty to adding to and corrupting the Word of
God to distort the true essential deity of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Because whatever the Bible says
in the beginning was the Word. You're talking about one who
predates the beginning, the one who is Co eternal, the one who's
Co equal for there's another person here in the beginning was
the word and the word was with God.
Two persons, another person here, person in the Godhead, and
he's not only Co equal and Co eternal, but he he Co exists
tremendous truth there. And then we we read further in
John's Gospel, it says in verse 14 And the word was made flesh
and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory.
The glory is of the only begotten of the Father, full of
grace and truth. He was manifest in a real true
flesh and blood body. And that's something that Paul
emphasised in the book of Hebrews.
Whenever he says in Hebrews chapter 2, Speaking of the Lord
Jesus, he says this. For as much then as children are
partakers of flesh and blood, He also himself likewise took part
of the seam that through death He might destroy him.
That had the power of death, that is the devil.
See, the Lord Jesus was the God man, and yet He was a real true
man. He was manifest in the real true
flesh and blood body. And that necessitated the
doctrine of the incarnation, necessitated the doctrine of the
virgin birth. Think not only of His passion as
a suitable sea, or His person as a suitable seaver.
Think of His passion. But this man, after he'd offered
one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of
God. Can you think of Christ coming
into this world in a mission of mercy, living his life in a real
flesh and blood body, never sinned and thought and word and
deed. In fact, the Bible says He do
knows He did no sin. He knew no sin in him is no sin.
He kept the law of God perfectly for us, and then He went all the
way to the cross. And then that human real body
that He had, he bled and died, and shed his blood.
Wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisement of our peace was upon him with a stripes.
We are healed, Peter says, who did no sin, neither was guile
found in his mouth. Who when he was reviled, reviled
not again when He suffered, He threatened not, but committed
himself to him. That judges righteously who His
own self bear our sins, and His own body in the tree, that we
being dead, the sins should live on the righteousness by whose
strikes you're healed. And again in the book of Hebrews
you read in Chapter 9 and in the verse 26.
For then must He often have suffered since the foundation of
the world, but now once in the end of the world have He
appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
Think of His power tonight. Do you know He is able and
willing to save? Again, quoting from the book of
Hebrews in Hebrews 7 and verse 25, read these tremendous words.
Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost had
come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession
for them. It's not wonderful.
Tonight He is able, He is willing.
Tonight Christ is alive, He's risen from the dead, He's
exalted to God's right hand. Not only he ascended, but he's
seated tonight at God's right hand, and he's there as a Prince
and he's there as a saviour. And that's why God raised him.
That's why God has exalted him. Think of us pardon we were
singing tonight. It's not tremendous.
Him, he that believeth on the Son tis true hath everlasting
life. You don't want to come to John 3
and 16. That word, whosoever a man by
the name of Richard Baxter, one of the old Puritans said that's
powerful. It's not wonderful.
It doesn't say RB because you know, if it said Richard Baxter
when I read it, I would think it probably means some other
Richard Baxter. It doesn't mean me, but it
doesn't say Richard Baxter. It said For God so loved the
world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life. You see, He's able to save.
There's none that he's unable to save.
None too hard, none too far away, none too old.
You've got to think of His pardon.
Whosoever includes everyone. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me, and him that cometh I will in no ways cast
out. Do you think of His promise?
Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are head the laden, and I
will give you a rest. And Isaiah 1 The children of
Israel were laden, full of guilt and sin, and yet the Father
stands, the Son stands, the Holy Spirit calls.
Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will
give you a rest quickly. He's not only a suitable
Saviour, but He's a sole Saviour.
Acts 4 and 12. Neither is there salvation in
any other, for there's no other name under heaven given among
men whereby we must be saved. John 14 and 6.
I am the way, the truth to life. No man comes unto the Father but
by me. Thousands tonight are trusting
in false religion, they're lost. False cults, whether it be
Mormons or jewel witnesses, they're trusting in that.
They're also lost. Thousands who are trusting in
the church, they're lost. Trusting in themselves, they're
lost. You see, you can't get to heaven
without Jesus Christ. There's none else.
No man comes unto the Father but by me.
And I hear it so often. But what about those that refuse
to hear and believe? What about those that didn't
have a preacher? What if no preacher can get to
them and preach the word of God? They're without excuse because
they have the law of God written in their heart, and the book of
nature preaches and screams to them that there is a God and
that God exists and that God is powerful and his eternal Godhead
has made known, and that voice has gone out through all the
earth. Jesus Christ is a soul Saviour
tonight tell you something very quickly.
He's a satisfying saviour. Think of all his blessings and
benefits. You've peace with God.
You've pardon for all your sins, full, free and forever.
You have a promise of eternal life.
It's already begun here and now. You have the prospect of a home
in heaven. You have the proof.
He's given you a deposit, down payment, the Spirit of God
indwelling, and you have power changed in your life.
Now through Christ I can do all the things.
Through Christ for strengthening me, you can face trials and
troubles. We were singing, Brianna was
singing, He walks with me and he talks with me.
We, we, we can, we can say no to sin, whether it be gambling or
drunkenness or dancing or whatever the chief sin is, we
can say no. We can overcome, we can have the
victory. Why?
Because the life has changed. If any man be in Christ is a new
creature, old things have passed away and all things have become
new very quickly as we finish the salvation that is realised
for by Graeus. Are you saved through faith?
Graeus is the spring of salvation, undeserved, unmerited
favour shown to lawbreakers and criminals, not just God's riches
at Christ's expense. You've got the subject of
salvation for by Gracie is saved.
Save from sin's penalty, save from sin's power.
He breaks the power of cancelled sin, sets the prisoner free save
from sin's pleasure. He takes the love of sinning out
of our heart, where changed in our mind, in our outlook, save
from sins presence. One day, see Matthew 121 says I
shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from
their sins. That's why He was born, for unto
he was born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is
Christ the Lord. Why did he come?
He come to save us, save us from what?
Save us from sin, sins, penalty and power and pleasure, and one
day from its presence and and all the consequences that flows
from sin. Dying without Christ, ending up
at a lost eternity in hell, in the place where the fire's not
quenched, and a place of outer darkness where there's weeping
and wailing, of gnashing of teeth.
And what's the source of the salvation?
How can we receive it? Here's the answer through faith
for seeking all. I trust Him for seeking all.
I take Him because feath in Jesus Christ is a saving grace
whereby we receive and rest in Him alone for salvation as He's
offered to us in the Gospel. It's the instrumental cause, not
a meritorious 'cause it's the empty hand.
If someone comes to you with a gift, regardless of the size of
that gift or the nature of it, what have you got to do?
We've got to reach out the hand and you've got the ticket.
You have a choice. The Lord Jesus comes and he says
I'm come that you might have life, you might have it more
abundantly. And he offers life, life to the
full, a full life now, an abundant life in him, eternal
life that can begin now and he offers it.
You have a choice to make. Will I take it, Will I receive
it or will I reject it? The salvation that was realised
and that faith is not of ourselves, it's the gift of God.
So there's nothing meritorious about it.
It's an instrument. Let me finish tonight with an
illustration that I gave and Wednesday night at the prayer
meeting. I was thinking the other day
about the trees of the Lord being planted.
Bible says in Psalm 104, the trees of the Lord are full of
SAP. Did you know that there's a tree
in California in Tullier County? It's called General Sherman.
It's the largest tree in the world.
It's 2100 years old. It's 270 feet tall, it's 100
feet wide, and it's roots cover one acre of ground and they're
spread out down into the soil and they're spread far and wide.
And I was thinking it's not a picture of the Christian who's
rooted in Christ. Remember, what did the psalmist
say about the godly man in Psalm one as we finish tonight, he
said this in Psalm one. Speaking of the the godly man,
having told us what the godly man is like, he made this
particular comment. And he shall be like a tree
planted by rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his
season. His leaf also shall not wither,
and whatsoever he doth shall prosper.
You see, those who are joined to Christ through faith are rooted
in Christ, and then they grow up in Christ.
They display something of the wonder and knowledge of Him as
Lord and Saviour, the salvation that is realised.
Do you know anything of this spring?
The grace of God? Do you know anything of this
subject You're testifying tonight?
I'm saved. Do you know the real source of
that salvation? It's through faith in Christ.
Faith in Jesus Christ. That's the object, that's the
true essence. That's all that we need.
That's what we realise and rest upon.
The Lord bless you tonight. Thank you for coming, and I pray
that the Lord will bless this gospel message to everyone that
heard it. We're going.