“That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:12-14).
You look at these verses and what you got is an equation. You got an outline of what took place.
It says, ‘that we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ.’ Now look what it says, ‘In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed.’
See how that worked? It’s really pretty simple. What happened? We are mouthpieces. We are witnesses. We give out the Gospel. They hear it. God says, ‘Okay, let us now reason together.’ They got a brain. They can reason. What do we reason about? The truth. The truth smites them. It cuts them. It pricks them in the heart. They hear that Gospel. The next thing you know they believe it. I don’t know about you, but when I got saved I always go back to that cross where the thief was hanging—because that was my experience—I know there is a lot of Catholicism involved in ‘The Passion of Christ,’ but, wow . . . something about that . . . and I can know that I can be negative about all of it scripturally, but he captured that thief, man. When I connected on that thief’s eyeballs on that cross in that movie—now I am not promoting Hollywood—but I’m just saying, man! Remember me when thou comest into Thy kingdom. Man!
Now how can somebody 2,000 years later be able to see Christ on the cross? Somebody that’s got God’s Spirit wooing them to Him. Somebody that finally heard the Gospel that they needed.
THEY HEARD . . . THEY BELIEVED . . . AND THEN THEY WERE SEALED.
They didn’t seal themselves, God did. Why? Because God saved them. That’s why you can’t lose it. And you can search every square inch of your body to see where God put Him in, you ain’t gonna find it. When God sealed you, He sealed you. The same way He mysteriously circumcised your flesh off your soul. Same way!
So, this Gospel drives us to know more about our new life, and to deliver us from the fears and doubts of this life.
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (II Timothy 1:7).
And then also to deliver others . . .
“Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus” (II Timothy 1:13).
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears” (II Timothy 4:3).
“Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers” (Titus 1:9).
Today, people are saying that they are against doctrine—doctrine divides—my Bible is constantly telling me to know doctrine. Christ is telling you to know doctrine. You have to learn doctrine. We are to dispute with others that have no doctrine but are religious.
The Apostle Paul is looking at that church in Corinth and hoping that they got some of the things that he taught, trying to keep in communication with them, even telling them that the same Spirit that is in me is in you.
They were growing, and they were getting victory over their flesh, but yet the religionists were messing with their head. It is the simplicity of Christ that you don’t want to lose sight of. If you are born again, you can see spiritually—what—evil days are upon us and the world. I mean, you can even talk to an unsaved person, they see that there is something going on. They don’t know what, they are just grasping. They are wanting to know. They are getting increasingly superstitious. People are getting into all kinds of things now, because they sense something is happening. That spirit of Antichrist is global—it’s getting out of control—that’s what’s going on. It’s accepted.
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (I John 3:1-3).
You got doctrine. You got this Bible. You know what makes you dirty, and you know what doesn’t make you dirty. It’s up to you to stop doing things that makes you dirty. How is that for simple? He tells you it’s us. We are the ones that have to do it. Why? Because He is coming back. We need to purify ourselves. We’ve got a reprieve a little, but my goodness, that may be for us all to get right with God so that we have less to face at the Judgment Seat of Jesus Christ. And maybe you are going to pray more because you know that the day is approaching. You are not going to miss church—you are going to want to be IN church. Why? You are going to occupy. People got to know where you are if you are occupying, and if you’re occupying—people know! If you don’t occupy, you are all mixed up, and messed up and blending with everybody. You fit right in with the world.
You don’t have to be stupid, just be biblical. The simple things. No, I’m not drinking. Why? Then tell them! You know, we’re kind of weak. ‘I don’t want to be an alcoholic.’ ‘My mother was an . . .’ I guess you can play the whole thing. But I’m telling you—it’s a whole lot better to just cut the stuff, man, just get right to the point. ‘I want to serve God, and I can’t serve Him if I don’t have a sober mind.’ ‘I want to please my Lord, I want to stay clean, so I don’t do this or that.’
Whatever causes you to be impure in your mind—you get control over it—I can’t tell you everything, write you a big list. I can give you parameters—I can give you the Book. You know, everybody that is saved knows what makes them dirty. If you are saved, you know exactly what it is. So, that’s what you work on. Isn’t that a blessing that God loves us unconditionally? And not only that, but He is giving you a little more time to get right! That’s good! Once you get raptured, that’s it! Judgment Seat of Christ next!
Wouldn’t it be neat if you looked at this and said, “Oh, God, Please! The Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ cleanse me from this!” It either does or don’t. I believe it does. Get that thing right, now! Whatever it is, man, get it right NOW! You’re going to go up there and say, ‘My goodness, wasn’t He merciful!’ He gave us time. He gives us more time on our knees too. You got a Book, and it keeps you from sinning. When you are looking up stuff like this, you aren’t looking up bad stuff. Isn’t that good? Amen!
“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (II Timothy 2:19).
“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work” (II Timothy 2:20-21).
Why isn’t America going in that direction? Well, maybe they are the ones on the shelf that don’t care about honor or dishonor. They’ve been captivated by whatever it is that they are doing—pornography, alcohol, drugs, whatever it is—they’ve been sucked in with that. That’s happening all over. But we may be talking to people today that don’t want to stay there or are maybe sitting there and want to get off of the shelf. And that’s God’s power that’s needed. And it is our humility that gets that into action. You got to admit that there is something wrong. But, you see, everyone—individually—has to stand before God.
He’s a good God.
The Gospel is simple, the results of it—it saves. And those that are saved should serve. The simplicity that is in Christ. Never forget that Gospel. And I’ll tell you this again. There are a lot of people that say we don’t have the Gospel. Then I say unto them, ‘Find the Gospel.’ I want to know about the Gospel. What is it that I am lacking about the death, burial and resurrection? What can you add to the death, burial and resurrection? ‘Well, that’s not the full Gospel.’ Well show me the full Gospel. Show it to me in Scripture.
Don’t go hither and yon and show me a verse over here and a verse over there. Did any of your ever argue with some of those people?
They go to the Book of Acts! I’m trying to help you people today. Religion is what is going to mess your head up!
You got people taking one thing from the Book of Acts when people did six different things to get the Holy Spirit. Anybody ever read the Book of Acts? Which one of the six are you going to choose? Right? Go through the Book of Acts? In one place, wonders, another laying on of hands, in the name of Jesus they received it. Which one? Go through the whole Book!
Did you ever read the whole Book of Acts? ‘Well, no.’ Go through and read the six accounts and why exactly do you choose that one? ‘Well, uhm, uhm.’ Yea, that’s what I thought! Let me show you the Gospel. And then I introduce them to Paul because apparently, they don’t know who he is. And I show him those scriptures in Corinthians. Now how can you add to that?
Same thing with the works ethic. What can I do to be saved? Hey, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved! Believe—period! –no works. That’s how you get in. You need to get in. I mean, you got to be saved to be eternally saved. You want to be secure get saved, if you’re saved, you’re secure. That is the ‘simplicity that is in Christ!’
And if you are secure, you’re supposed to serve. And if you’re not serving, you don’t feel good. Simple.
“Simplicity that is in Christ.”
You need to understand the power, and the simplicity, of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That’s what you need to find out from people—are you saved. Time is short. Time is really short. Think about yourself, Christian. How far are we away from God? We will always get from God better than we deserve. Maybe it’s time to really consider how much time we have left—who needs to be told about the Lord.