Grow With Pastor Joe

Coming into the final leg of the grand doctrinal, doxological, and devotional sentence that opens the door to the book of Ephesians we will see that all our riches in Christ are safe and secure. As a pastor I have the privilege of shepherding God’s people in the local church. I get to study the word, pray over the word (and people), and stand multiple times a week to preach Christ. Nothing is more exhilarating or exhausting. However, one crushing theme that I and countless other preachers experience is that so many that we preach to week in, and week out are living their Christian existence in deep spiritual turmoil. The average Christian knows little about the God who saved them. Because of the little knowledge of God that many believers have, I have found that so many Christians in the pew seem to have little assurance of their salvation. The run of the mill believer who is just happy that they’ve been saved from spending eternity in Hell has yet to grasp the wealth of what they have in Christ. Perhaps one of the most brilliant gleams in the diamond of our salvation in Christ is that we not only can have assurance but should have it. Assurance is just as much a gift of His grace as salvation is. The moment we are born again we not only have been given salvation but the assurance of it. God doesn’t give any gifts without a guarantee. When we don’t see our assurance as a part of our wealth in Christ then our walk will be negatively impacted. God didn’t save you to struggle to know if He saved you or not. Many fall into the trap of a performance based sanctification after their conversion. This is not to say that our faithful obedience doesn’t matter. Rather, this is to say that many believers today struggle with their assurance because they are now trying to “pay God back” for what they’ve been given in Christ. I believe today that many believers are living without the assurance of their salvation because they have been taught to look at the wrong things. The young Scottish preacher of the early 1800’s, Robert Murray M’Cheyne said, “For every look at yourself, take ten looks to Christ.” Modern Christians live unassured and unsettled in their walk with Christ because they look less at the infinite unchanging riches that we have in Christ and more at their emotions, their performance, or others around them. The point of our wealth and walk in Christ is for us to look Jesus Christ for everything. Salvation, sanctification, and our future glorification is all about looking away from self and to the Lord Jesus Christ who saved us.

Thus far in Ephesians we have dealt with the will of the Father in Eph. 1:3-6 and the work of the Son in Eph. 1:7-12. Now we are going to see the witness of the Spirit in our life. The Holy Spirit is a witness to the fact that we have been adopted by the Father through the work of the Son. Throughout all of eternity, the Triune Godhead (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) have worked by grace for our eternal good and the eternal glory of God. In our study, we have seen that the Father planned our redemption (V.3-6), the Son purchased our redemption (V.7-12), and today we will see that the Holy Spirit proves our redemption (V.13-14). Our wealth and walk in Christ are experienced by faith as we see that God sought us, saved us, and secured us eternally in Christ. Once our eyes learn to gaze upon the infinite riches of the glory of His grace in Christ, we can then grow in our walk with Him. The Holy Spirit is the “Receipt of the Redeemed” proving that we are eternally saved, sealed, and secured in Christ. Because of the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, I have proof that my redemption has been provided and the promises of God are eternally sure in my life. Our receipt of our redemption is not to allow us or the Lord to take back what He has already freely given in Christ. This receipt is to prove that the payment is complete. The transaction is over. No refunds. No returns. No exchanges. These are the riches of His grace. What unimaginable wealth we have been given to walk in.

Ephesians 1:13-14 says, “¹³ 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,¹⁴ Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” These verses show the beauty of our salvation and the proof of our assurance of the riches we have been given. We have been bought by grace through belief in the gospel so that we may behold His glory. Let us now behold His glory by diving into these two magnificently assuring verses.

The very first item on our receipt that the Holy Spirit provides is that we are eternally saved by grace through faith in the gospel of Christ. Upon reading Eph. 1:13, we immediately are reminded that we are dependent upon the grace in Christ for everything. From the beginning to the ending of our redemption, all things are in Christ and dependent upon Him. There is no redemption available outside of His word, work, and will for us, in us, and through us. Our salvation begins with the revelation of God’s grace through the Holy Spirit. If Ephesians 1 has taught us anything, it is that God has always been seeking out our eternal good through His eternal glory and grace. Before you trusted Christ it was God who sought you. You were lost. He wasn’t. You were dead. He wasn’t. You were blind. He wasn’t. He saw you. He sees you. He found you. He gave you life. Without the revealing of the Holy Spirit in preparing hearts for salvation (both to hear and believe) there would be none saved. Romans 3 makes it very clear that all are not only sinful but there are none that seek after God. The same Holy Spirit who prepared all things in Genesis 1:2 for the creation week is the same Spirit who prepares to make you and I new creations in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). It is the Holy Spirit paved the way for you to receive the provided redemption in Christ by grace through faith. The Holy Spirit revealed through the “word of truth, the gospel of your salvation” our sin and our savior. Through the proclaimed word, the Holy Spirit brought each believer to the place where we would see the reality of our sinful condition, the results of continuing in that condition, and as well as the reality of our Savior’s work for us to change our condition. God’s grace through the operation of the Holy Spirit and the Bible makes salvation available. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to prepare the herald in proclaiming the gospel as well as preparing the hearer’s heart to receive and respond to the gospel call. There is no faith without grace. If there was, then we would boast of it and faith would no longer be faith, but a work. Romans 3:23-25 and 5:1-2 show clearly that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. It is God’s grace through the Holy Spirit that reveals this to us. Notice as well in Eph. 1:13 that it is not only the Holy Spirit revealing this by grace but now we must respond by faith. It is not faith that saves you, it is Christ who saves you. Many believers struggle with their assurance because they look more at their faith, conversion experience, or feelings than the true object of saving faith which is Jesus Christ alone. This verse as well makes it clear that salvation is not only hearing the gospel but believing the gospel (see Romans 10:9-10, 14-17). There is no believing the gospel without hearing the gospel. Praise God, that by His revealing grace through the work of the Holy Spirit we can hear and believe on Him. Grace makes the gospel available, and faith sees it applied. Grace enables and empowers the key of faith to be employed to unlock the riches of Christ the moment we believe on Christ. Just as the Holy Spirit works through the Bible (God’s Word) to reveal Christ to us, it is God’s grace that is always at work with faith. Grace equips, enables, and empowers our faith. The two cannot nor should be separated. What is clearly seen in our eternally saved position is that our salvation requires divine action of grace and a decisive action of faith. Our salvation is simply that God the Father planned to provide through the Son and prove by the Holy Spirit that He decided to save us by grace through faith for our good and His glory. Praise God that the Holy Spirit proves to us that we are eternally saved.

Grow with me as we study the believer’s wealth and walk in Christ.

Grow deeper.

Grow higher.

Grow wider.