Ephesians, Eternal Security & Spiritual Growth

So this is the end of Ephesians, everyone. We've been at this for nine months now. A pregnancy come to completion and the baby's ready to be delivered here. In fact, that's a bit of good news. Kristen is pregnant. So I'm going to be a grandfather, grandmother for the first time. Peter's going to be an uncle for the first time. So yeah, that's really good news at the ECHO.

That was the best Christmas gift we could get. When is the due date? July. So we're really excited about that. So three young ladies all married with a cumulative marriage experience of almost 30 years, now number one. So this is a praise out of the day. All right. Amazing. Looks like Brad's ready to come in. We're going to go ahead and start. So today is...

The title of today's class and remember what we've been doing the last kind of few weeks is kind of dealing topically with various aspects of the book of Ephesians. Having finished the book in terms of more intense study verse by verse, back in the late fall, like early October. So we've been dealing topically with the highlights of Ephesians. And the final topic today is eternal security and spiritual growth. Boy, Randy and I were kind of teasing about this, Roger, the other night. Eternal security and spiritual growth in 45 minutes?

I mean, what is this? So again, I've kind of arbitrarily divided this in a way you'll see in a second. So I've got a couple of basic questions for us today. First is, how does the Epistle of the Ephesians address this issue? And when I say this issue, I'm talking about both the issue of eternal security and spiritual growth. Secondly, why is this topic so important to each of us who are saved? And thirdly, how is spiritual growth measured?

And my question to all of us always is, how are you doing here? the topics before us, and we're going to begin with Christianity 101. So bear with me, everybody. You all know this, but we're going to kind of set the stage for what follows. Eternal security, what does it mean first to be saved? I mean, to have eternal security must be built on a firm foundation, correct? And boy, you know, as we walk this world and we're the light unto darkness for people around us, boy, if we're not firmly founded in what salvation is all about, we're really in trouble because we can't adequately share what God has done in each one of us and is continuing to do in each one of us that ultimately impacts those around us. We're going to be very, very verse-oriented here in the next five to ten minutes. So bear with me here a little bit in terms of things you know well, but we're going to set the stage for really, I think, more discussion to follow.

Romans 3.10, as it is written, there is none righteous, no not one. That's where we all start. Like it or not, everybody, there is none righteous, no not one. And that's firmly established in the Old Testament. So Romans really, if you will, is a condensation of a series of books both historical and prophetic in the Old Testament, that there's none saved, no not one, none righteous, no not one.

Romans 3.23, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Fact number two, ties nicely into 3.10, which precedes it. Number three, this is Jesus' response to Nicodemus. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. So, none righteous, all have sinned and fallen short, and to see the kingdom of God, you've got to be born again.

Very kind of Christianity, basic Christianity 101, right? This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I'm chief. I think a view that each one of us should have as we grow by the spirit of the Lord is we are chief among sinners. I mean, that's Paul's view, and to think of Paul and the outstanding example he was of what a walk in Christ is all about, he's considering himself chief of sinners. Goodness, where are we? And keep in mind, when we're going to come back to spiritual growth, that's graduate work. We're going to deal with this, how do we measure spiritual growth? And that's really something we really ask day in, day out.

Next verse, 2 Corinthians, I love this, 521, one of my favorite verses personally, for he made him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Oh, wow. It doesn't say, well, he had him forgive our sins, so our sins might be forgiven. This is so, so much stronger that it relates man to God, doesn't it? For he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us. I mean, sin, this is the principle of sin. This is the Adam nature, crucified so that we might be made righteous as he is righteous.

That's just not sins being forgiven, everybody. This is co-crucifixion. and death, and burial, and co-resurrection, which is not covered in this particular verse. Although the fact that He rose, Him being made sin for us, without the resurrection there's no truth in terms of the process and work of salvation. Now to Ephesians.

That's the book we're summing up here, right? But God, who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us even when we were dead, Remember, everything we listed preceding this, dead and trespasses, none righteous, none not one, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Dead and trespasses, He has made us alive together with Christ, for by grace you are saved. Okay, foundation reasonably well set here. All right. So anybody have any questions about getting saved? All right. All right, good. So we're all on the same page.

I think there's one thing that's important that wasn't in there, and that is that our righteousness is a filthy rag. It's not just transgressions. It's anything that we do without God is I mean, it doesn't even have to be a bad thing. It's just independent and acceptable.

Carol, you're so right. You know, I could have extended this list probably threefold, but you're absolutely right. You could read all of Romans 1 through 3. It's the legal condemnation of man. It really is. So thank you for bringing that up. But our righteousness is filthy rags and of course there's non-righteousness. But the point is I tried to capture with a few verses anyway this principle of dead before God and trespasses and sin and being made alive by not only our sins being forgiven but being co-crucified. So thank you for that point. All right, next question.

Why is eternal security so very important? We're still Christianity 101 here, everybody. Well, let's begin by saying because it's founded on the principle of grace, not works. I mean, we're saved by grace through faith, not of works, lest any man should boast, correct? Eternal security is equally as based on grace, not works. Because if our eternal security were based on works, then our salvation would stop short.

And this principle, this perfect passive principle of being saved, i.e. I was saved, I'm continuing to be saved, and will be saved, is changing its foundation from grace to works. So once we're saved, if we're going to lose our salvation, then God's a liar.

He really has not effectively. Yes, Roger. That's such a critical point because there's such a large body of believers out there that they may have your first 101 right, but the internal security part, they'll kind of waffle on it and say, well, it's presumptuous of me to think that I have internal security. And they put pride into that when God never intended that.

He intended that to show that He is the one that saves. Man doesn't save. God saves. And so when He saves you, It's a forever thing. But they'll waffle on that and say, well, you know, you're presumptuous. You're a once saved, always saved kind of person. And they'll go down that path, which is sad. And if people approach us with that issue, how do we respond to them? What's our response to someone who questions eternal security? Yeah, Brett. Brad, it's about the ministry the Lord has for you. We're going to be changing the nature of our prayer. Back to Genesis on government, right? No, really, what's our response?

Somebody doubts the security of their salvation. I mean, I think there are two possibilities. What are the two possibilities? Man's pride takes over if you're going to get into this trap. That was complicated, Tom. Simplify that comment, could you? It's all too easy to say, well, because I have to monitor this continually, if I'm doing a good job, then I'll stay safe. And that way, I can just say, yeah, I'm OK. It's only because I kept my eye on it instead of trusting and resting in God and doing it instead.

I think I'm understanding what you're saying, but are you basically saying that this is a person who's inadequately educated in the Word of Truth? Yeah. Okay, so this person is really saved, but he or she just hasn't really sufficiently founded themselves in the truth of the Word of God. It's not that we're arrogant and have a corner on the truth.

This is unequivocally true that we have eternal security. What's the other possibility? Okay, not where I was going, Jack, but that's a good point. Where else am I? What's the other possibility? Someone doesn't have eternal security. They're not really safe. I mean, it's hard to have eternal security in something you're not biblically certain about.

So salvation, by the Spirit, we're lifted up. Is there anybody in this room? I mean, we know what salvation is. We can state it, what it's based on. And that's why we went through these very simple principles of how we get to be saved. Yeah. Oh, I'm sorry, Carol. Yeah. It's based on God. Exactly. Not me. Exactly. Amen. And I am not totally stable in all things. But He is stable. And He has the Word. Amen. and that's what counts. So let me welcome Kristen and Wade and Elizabeth. Kristen's in from California. She's the one that's going to be a mother in July. And Wade, her husband, is with her. And Elizabeth is Henry. Henry's not with us. So you're right. What's faith? Define faith for me. Believing what God has revealed. Thank you, honey. Believing what God has revealed is all faith is. Do we believe what he's revealed?

We can go to Hebrews 11.1 and state that.

I think Hebrews 11.1 is kind of difficult actually, but faith is very simply believing what God has revealed. By the way, that principle has been in place since Adam through Abraham. through Joshua, through Isaac. I mean all down the path from Genesis on, believing what God has revealed.

All right, Titus 3.5, not by works of righteousness. So again, what we're doing is founding ourselves in Christianity 101, eternal security. And so what we did is go through the principles of understanding our salvation, and now we're talking about eternal security.

Titus 3.5, not by works of righteousness which you have done, but according to his mercy he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. Back to Ephesians, for by grace you have been saved through faith and not of yourselves.

It's the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Because it's grace, not works, and God never changes, eternity must be secured and assured. You can't ever lose your salvation if the principle is grace. If it's works, we're all in jeopardy. But if it's grace, God's word is true. We're saved by grace. And because the salvation is an ongoing part of our life in Christ, ultimately, God would be a liar if, in fact, there were any other path. We must feel secure about our salvation.

The exceptions are always made, but what about someone who goes astray and he or she seems to have a life that's not filled with quote good works unquote. How do we deal with that? They just have lost fellowship personally, but the Lord still sees them in Christ because they're saved.

Back to the assumptions again. The assumptions are two. One is that they were once saved and have gone astray. Secondly, they may not have truly been saved. That's always the issue that comes up. Ultimately, it's not our position to pass final judgment.

In the book of Galatians, we're going to be very much dealing with how we relate to brethren in our own body. When people go far astray, what's the job of the elders? What's the job of the body to lift those people up and encourage them back into fellowship and into faith?

John 3.36, he who believes in the Son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. Boy, hard to interpret this in any other way than what's clearly stated.

Romans 6.23, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. Eternal life doesn't say life for a while things are going well. It says eternal life 1st John 513 love this verse these things have I written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God That you may know that you have eternal life and that you may believe in the name of the Son of God Doesn't say you know life for a while If you do good things, you're gonna hang in there.

We're gonna see you sometime later in heaven and Hebrews 10.10 and 14, by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all, for by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

Not a lot of room for discussion here, is there? Eternal security. Alright, is everyone ready to move into graduate coursework? We're going now from Christianity 101, a basis of our salvation and eternal security to spiritual growth. Everybody ready? Everybody's ready. Okay, let's get going.

How does eternal security provide the needed foundation for our spiritual growth? That's the question before all this. It's written as a question, although I have an explanation point behind it, which means let's emphatically state it as a topic of great emphasis. Well, in terms of spiritual growth, the book of Ephesians unequivocally sets the stage.

It's all based on position. Right? Everybody okay with that? It's the beginning of graduate work, 401. Ephesians 1.3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Ball game's over. Right? I mean, we're eternally blessed to begin with. positional truth.

Ephesians 2.10, For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 4.1, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. Okay, so we're positioned and now we're really his workmanship, being called to walk worthy of the calling. Now, again, remember the stage we set for becoming saved. Is there anything about the sinful nature of the old man that's capable of walking worthy of the workmanship that he's called us to?

All right, so let's go put our head on the pillow of position and rest before we start trying to please God to working out our salvation with our own power and strength. Is this walking worthy of the calling on any different grounds than that by which we first believed?

Is the principle of grace altered in terms of what the Christian life is all about? I don't think so. Roger, you too? Remember the being saved in Ephesians 2 8 is perfect passive and a participle Completed in the past for or upon us but having existing and ongoing results So the salvation July 14th for me 1978 I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ in my life and from that point forward God's grace hasn't changed one iota and The grace to save is the grace to sustain, and it's the grace to provide the eternal security we all must have to feel that we're in to the truth of what the Word of God really represents. But to each one of us, grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Ephesians 4, 14 and 15, that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every whim and doctrine by the trickery of men in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but speaking the truth in love, we may all grow up into things into him who is head Christ, may grow up in all things unto him who is the head Christ.

So this is a life, isn't it? Again, let me clarify this. Christianity is not a choice. It's a life. Let me be sure everyone understands. When I say it's not a choice, I mean we all have wills. But when that will is enacted by our faith, by the great grace God has provided, that's a life lived out. It's nothing we enumerate along the path. It's a life lived by the power of the Spirit, positionally founded, and worked out day in and day out.

All right. Before you go on. Yeah, it's going to get tough right now. They worked out. What's that? They explain worked out before you go on. Well, that's what you're... We're here. What does this walk look like? Okay, what's the life look like? So you're perfect. The timing of your question is perfect. The Spirit must have directed you and me to the same place at the same time in terms of this lesson. Let's take a look.

Ephesians 4, 17 through 32 is really a very descriptive section. We're not going to look at that entirely today. But this is, if you will, this balance between the human existence on this earth, a worldly system, ultimately responded to by us many times in our own power, our own strength, and ultimate failure, to that that really relates to the Christ life lived out by the power of the Spirit. I'm going to describe this section very briefly in the following outline. Ephesians 4, 17 through 36 says it's not in the vanity of your mind. What's the vanity of our mind in terms of the walk? What's vanity? Pride. Pride. Futility. What's that? Futility. Futility. Emptiness. Void.

All right. And what about our mind? Has the mind become vain? we think that we're the judge of all things. Okay. The concept of humanism has been brought up. What else? The vanity of our mind. Well, I was going to say, you know, education. I mean, we all have enough knowledge out of books or whatever that we're above Yeah. The issue of social engineering is that we have insufficient education among many people. If they were only better educated or provided for, ultimately the sin nature would no longer be there. Society would be a wonderful place.

Isn't that vanity of the human mind played out? It is. Some of the most educated people have done terrible, terrible things. Well educated doesn't control the sin nature one bit. Actually, it might be a hindrance. That's true. That was criminal punishment for me. I thought he was so educated and knew all the philosophy, thought he'd put in the money to be the superman, and it didn't work out well. Good point. That's a good example.

All right, next in this section of scripture, it's not an ignorance because of blindness in your heart. What's that imply? What does the walk look like? The scripture says it's not an ignorance because of blindness in your heart. on what God's Word says to your heart. It is futile. It kind of ties into the vanity of your mind, doesn't it? What's the ignorance of here, though? What's the ignorance of?

We're talking to the believer here. This is Ephesians 4. The position has been established. It's the ignorance of what the bottom line is in terms of living the Christian life. And we're going to get to that. Here it is. I'll never forget this, and I'm not going to repeat it, but it occurred at another church I was at where this verse I felt was so critically important. Ephesians 4, 17-32 is effectively the walk of a believer in the new man.

And the bottom line of this walking in the flesh and failing before God and not being lifted up positionally to allow our condition to be conformed is not learning Christ. Paul said to the Ephesians, but you have not so learned Christ. And that was the reason, the explanation that deals with the ignorance because of the blindness of their heart. We can ultimately be convinced that in our own power, our own strength and through education and intellectual pursuit, that we can walk the Christian life because we're better informed in the ways of the world. Wrong. The ignorance is in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, begins in position. All right.

What does learning Christ mean to you? Is it more facts about the prophecy related to him? Is it more facts about his walk on this earth and the gospel accounts? Is it more related to the prophecy of the book of Revelation in terms of the future? What does learning Christ mean to you? relationship. Alright, and what's that all about?

The more we know Christ, the more we're intimately related. I mean, we understand that. Three Greek terms for know. What type of knowledge are we talking about here? That would be experiential knowledge. Right, at least Gnosis, right? If not Epic Gnosis, right? This is not head knowledge or what, iota, or whatever that is, the Greek term for head knowledge, which means the end of Holly here at Evans there's a traffic light. That's head knowledge. This is not the kind of knowledge we need of the Lord Jesus Christ, although we have some of that too. What does knowing Christ experientially mean? Allowing the Spirit to reveal Him to you. All right. And so how do we learn Christ? I mean, that's the challenge Paul provided the church at Ephesus. You haven't learned Christ. That's why you're wallowing around in the flesh and failing. That's why you're still stealing. That's why you're still having fornication. That's why all these things are happening. Because you haven't learned Christ.

We have a manual here. All right. Like the manual on learning Christ and his character. and who he is and they didn't have that they had letters and they had Paul they had people to teach them but we have this book that is a way and then we have prayer we have becoming more intimate with him it's the same thing that we have here on this earth with relationships if you don't hang out with someone and you don't communicate with them learn who they are, you don't know them intimately. All right, let's continue.

As part of this text in Ephesians, the old man's been put off. And so I think part of learning Christ is to realize again, before God, we're perfectly righteous. Again, we have two natures. But the old man before God is crucified. We have the power of the sinful nature still in our lives, but before God, that's worthless. So learning Christ is ultimately being seen as accepted fully in him. And that's where position begins this whole process. If you're not firmly established in position, then your walk is in the power of the flesh.

Because you think you need to please God in some way by your performance. Roger. I'll just basically carry that on. You're constantly looking for ways. I did better today because I did XYZ and that made me more pleasing to God. You already start the day as pleasing to God as you'll ever be, and it's realizing that. It actually is a freedom. It's a freedom because you're free to focus on Christ and not to focus on, well, how am I going to get better today than I was yesterday? You don't have to worry about that. And Christ said, when I will set you free, you will be free indeed. And what is that freedom for? How does it accomplish something in our life? What's the freedom of? We've been freed from the penalty and the power of sin in our life.

And by the way, I think when you're lifted up positionally, ultimately the life gets lived by a power that is not by working at it, it's by faith that that new life gets lived at. And I've seen examples from some of the kids home at Christmas about that life being seen as being transformed, not that I'm the judge, but I'm being lifted up by my children. And the way their lives are changing, and their priorities changing, simply because it's a life lived by faith. not by works.

Renewed... Yes, Carol? Renewed? Oh, I just should hush. Carol, here, why don't you come... I think you ought to teach this class. Either she's looking at the notes, or the Spirit's perfectly alive and well, or we're both at error here, right? It says in this text, and by the way, I'm just kind of lifting out certain aspects to outline this section. It's being renewed in the spirit of your mind. And of course, the mind, is the mind sinful? What's the mind? Is that kind of a neutral turf here? No. No. Who said no? Carol. I'm trying to ignore her. So the mind is bad? Is the mind bad? I kind of look at the mind kind of like I look at personality. It's neither right or wrong.

It's just who we are. And our mind can be influenced by the Spirit. We're told to have the mind of Christ. It seems like that's something that can be influenced by God's Word and by the Holy Spirit. And what do you think when we're renewed by the Spirit in the mind? I mean, what is that? Is that not an uplifted life by faith? faith within us. The spirit of the mind is what motivates us to faith.

It does. Because that's how the will is played out. The will is played out by the spirit of the mind lifting us up positionally and conditionally to walk the new walk and the power of the spirit in the new man. Putting on the new man is learning Christ. And that's a spirit constantly renewing our mind.

We're created in righteousness and holiness. God sees, doesn't see our sin. God fully accepts us in his son. And so this putting on the new man is beginning to see ourselves as he sees us. And then when we're renewed in the spirit of our mind, we're lifted up and that walk takes place. That doesn't mean we don't fall short. That sinful nature is still there. But when we begin from above, it's by faith that that walk is created.

Remember, Romans 6.11, so important. Likewise, you also reckon yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Notice, it's our reckoning that is an act of faith that ultimately makes this life show up. It's not that it didn't happen. It's that we need to reckon on this truth. So important. It's the Christ life.

One of my favorites, Philippians 1.21, for me to live as Christ and die as game. The way I conclude this verse is either way you win. There's no loss. This is a win-win situation. Okay, now Carol, to extend your question a little bit further. Morning, April. To extend your question, what's the process by this?

We've kind of set the foundation of Ephesians 4.17 that learning Christ is ultimately the way we're going to do this, but how does this happen? Well, it's funny. Every time I teach, the morning of the lesson, there's something in None But the Hungry Heart series that shows up that ultimately, I think, is very appropriate to the class that we're having.

So today's December 27th devotional is, all of his servants, and the words stand before us as vivid illustrations of the value and necessity of broken material. You didn't want to hear that, did you? all had to be broken to be made whole, to be emptied in order to be filled, to learn that of themselves they could do nothing in order to be ready in the Lord Jesus' strength of anything and everything. So the process of growth is ultimately that process of being broken.

And what gets broken? Is it our position? Is it our condition? And our condition often falls short, doesn't it, because we're putting our faith in ourselves by worldly system processes and ultimately trying to in some way outperform our fellow man. So being broken is ultimately God's process for growth. just one section of today's devotion, which you can look at, but many people don't like this, this idea that through death and through defeat and through disappointment and despondency and all these things, ultimately that's where the growth path occurs, but that really is uniformly the process by which God grows us in grace.

He tells us over and over again that you're going to have trials and tribulations. Don't be surprised when all kinds of trials and tribulations come to my life, brethren. Actually, we're to be joyful, which is a hard mindset to have. It really is. But that's what the Lord says.

And how do we respond to these acts of the flesh that make us despondent? William R. Knuth said it beautifully, to be disappointed with yourself is to have trusted yourself. I mean, isn't that so true? So what should be our response when we're disappointed with ourselves or despondent over life circumstances that are in our path? What's the next step? Oh, God, help me?

Sure, we all kind of respond that way, but there's, I think, a better way to kind of view this. For me, it's always reminding myself where my citizenship is, and that's position. We've got to return to our position. to allow spiritual growth to occur because if we keep hanging out down here with our condition trying to improve it, it's a lost ballgame.

There's no sense playing the last six or seven innings. You're already down 12 to nothing in the third. You can bring in relief pitcher and relief pitcher or pinch hitter after pinch hitter. You're not going to make up that deficit. You've got to return to your position.

And that's who I am in Christ. And that's where it begins. Because by faith we respond to our position. And ultimately God, through time, breaks that old man increasingly in us. Although he sees us as crucified, we've got to see ourselves crucified. And their growth starts to occur and will increase over time.

2 Corinthians 12.9. My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in your weakness. And by the way, your weakness is not a little bit of strength. I'm going to pray for God's help. This weakness in the Greek is a very strong term. It's impotency, which means no strength. Zero strength is where God's strength shows up when we have none. It's not a matter of a little bit of us and some of him. This is entirely his strength and our weakness.

So how do we measure this spiritual growth? I mean I'm looking around here and wondering about Randy's spiritual growth here. Let's see, I'm kind of figuring out how you're doing here, Randy. This has been a very spiritual growth oriented week. Month, year. Would you like to share for the audience? I've got a speeding ticket this week. Back to Ephesians 4 with you. I went to the web for this, it's kind of fun.

According to Christian Top 1000 and Baptist Top 1000 website it's a list of books under each of the fine topics. And here we are, here's how we measure spiritual growth. And that was what I asked the web. How do we measure spiritual growth? Well, it's worship, discipleship, ministry, evangelism, and fellowship. How you doing at all this stuff? Now, I think we can say that these things are all relevant for the believer, are they not? Worship, how do we define worship and what's the metric to measure the amount of worship that we're demonstrating as believers? Brad, what's the metric on worship?

How are you doing there? worship is so funny because in the Christian pop culture we take it as the music that happens on Sunday morning. Exactly. It's my personal opinion as a musician that if your life hasn't been filled with worship up to Sunday morning, chances of that all spinning on a dime at 10 o'clock on Sunday morning are pretty minimal. I mean, the reality that worship comes out of, like you said, a position, just like all the true worship, but what the world's definition of worship is.

Okay, discipleship, how many people have you witnessed to in the last 10 days? Are you keeping your list? Does anybody think we need to be keeping lists of people we're witnessing to? Now, does that mean that discipleship isn't important? No, it doesn't mean it's not important. It's just that when we measure spiritual growth by human metrics, we're always going to fall short, because have you done enough?

The Spirit-led life is a light into darkness. When we walk by the power of the Spirit and the renewed man, we show the world something different. And we may not ever know the fruit of that walk. And by the way, as believers, we're all going to fail because that sin nature shows up and we fall back and rely on it. What happens when that occurs? I think one of the greatest witnesses to an unsaved person Our body is when we admit our faults openly before them. And they recognize that there's not something phony about you Christians. Yeah, you have a sin nature just like they do. It's just our relationship to God has been entirely changed by grace.

After feeding the multitudes, Jesus walked on the water and the people came on boats from Tiberias to Capernaum and asked, and Margaret and I just had the great, great privilege of being in Tiberias, seeing the Sea of Galilee, and going to Capernaum. So we can actually put a visual on this, and that was very, very special. So when we read this section of the Gospel account, we in fact have been there. We haven't walked on the water, but we have been there.

And in John 28, the people asked him, by the way, the people followed Christ over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, to Capernaum, and they said, what shall we do then that we may work the works of God? And Jesus answered and said to them, this is the work of God that you believe in him who he sent. And if we remind ourselves constantly of this incredibly important biblical truth, that the work of God is believing on him and learning him, then it's all going to fall into place.

And there's no human metric that can measure the performance of a Christian life. Everybody okay with that? It's not a set of works. It's a life. What does the Christ life look like? It's like a fragrance. Scripture really gives us this lovely smell of that rose that comes up in the spring.

2 Corinthians 2.14, Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ and through us diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place. It's a sweet smell.

Secondly, in 2 Corinthians 2.16, it says to the one we are the aroma of death leading to death. and the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for all these things? It's the Lord Jesus Christ. So when we walk by faith, by God's great grace, ultimately we're a sweet aroma. By the way, aroma to death unto those who are died. I mean, that's not an act of pride here, it's an act of biblical truth. I mean, to those who want no part of the gospel and who are really very antagonistic, it's not a sweet smell. It's a different kind of an aroma.

It's highly irritating to them. Yeah, irritating is correct from their perception, but we don't want to be irritants, right? I mean, but you're right, to them it can be irritating. But I think sometimes we, through the power of the old man with a works mindset, do irritate non-believers in the way we carry ourselves. Well, they think we're so weak. Well, weak and we're kind of arrogant and cocky. And that's where hypocrisy plays out, does it not? I mean, when we're kind of arrogant and cocky about our walk and they sense that, they feel intimidated by that. Ultimately, that's a bad message.

Or if we're self-righteous. And then they're waiting for the Christians to do something wrong so they can point it out. It doesn't take too long. It's the next second. You know, along what Margaret was saying, if you think where Christ probably, I'm going to paraphrase this and forgive me a bit, when Christ really was angry and lost his temper more than anything, it was with the self-righteousness of the Pharisees, wasn't it?

I mean, wasn't that a major deal to him? that they thought they were so, so good. Alright, let's be clothed with his armor. Back to Ephesians. So Ephesians 6, 11 through 20 shows what that walk of faith is all about. And when we're clothed with his armor and we walk by faith, ultimately let God be the judge of our spiritual growth. There's no human metric we're going to put on spiritual growth. But when we walk with his armor, And through the power of the Spirit by faith, ultimately God will be the judge. And by the way, working for rewards, when I think about working for rewards, that's all the power of the old man in my opinion. Because you think of red ribbons and blue ribbons and white ribbons. gold footballs and silver footballs and whatever. It's just not what spiritual growth is all about.

Ephesians 2.10 says, For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained, and that we should walk in them.

And we walk in them by faith. And what's faith again? Believing what God has revealed. And God says he's created us unto his workmanship. and that walk is won by faith. Let's quit working at our spiritual growth and rest. Rest in who we are in Christ and thereby walk in faith that he's fully capable of his promises, working out that life in each and every one of us.

It's a whole different message than most churches will be promoting today. It seems like the criticism would come as this is this let go, let God theology. What's wrong with that statement? Let go, let God. What's wrong with that from our perspective here? We don't let go. Good. Let go is like I have no responsibility. God's got to zap me. I become a robot to live the Christian life. Wrong. What's wrong with that? What's it take to allow these truths to be evident in our lives?

Faith. Thanks, Jack. It's truly faith that God's about his business working this out. It's the same faith that saves. that allows us in Christianity 101 to know what salvation really means. By the way, back to this. Christianity 101 is knowing you're saved and having the eternal security that you're saved. Graduate work is how that salvation plays out in the Christian life. This is a 401 level class. This is one that I think everyone here is probably ready for this kind of graduate work.

Let's quit working at this, rest, walk by faith, and he's fully capable of his promises in working that life out in us. And here's the bottom line, and I think this really reflects the book of Ephesians. I can't think of any better way to sum up the book of Ephesians. Keep looking down.

Peter, you and I were talking about that the other day, just in terms of when we pray, We're always kind of praying up, God my situation, these trials, these afflictions, these tribulations in my path, help me. Nothing wrong with a prayer except it doesn't claim our position before the Lord Jesus Christ where we're heirs and sons and Abba Father. It's hanging out with someone who's created a relationship. that goes so far beyond our circumstances.

Remember, where's your citizenship? We're citizens of a different kingdom, not here. As your mother, Kristen, Peter, used to say, with that sign on the refrigerator, heaven's my home and earth is just my business address. Remember, this is our business address, not our home. This process by which we're broken material increasingly conformed to his image is really God's will. Remember, God's will for our life is to be conformed to the image of his Son.

Brad, we're going to miss you dearly, and we wish you in April the very, very best in the steps that God has prepared for you. And I'm going to ask you to close in prayer, if you would. And by the way, after you close in prayer, tell us a little bit about the ministry that God's going to be having for you. There, go ahead. that you've saved us by your grace, by your doing, that you keep us by your grace, by your doing, that you grow us by your grace and by your doing, Lord.

Praise you for that. Lord, thank you for that pillow, that we can rest on your wonderful blessings. We can rest on your wonderful work, and we can rest in the fact that you will conform us to the image of your Son, Lord. Thank you for this This place, this class, Lord, your book of Ephesians, what a joyful thing it's been to spend the last months beholding your son through that book. And Lord, as we move on to Galatians in this class, and the ministry continues at Holly Hills, Lord, I just, I praise you that there's voices out there that are going to be heard.

I praise you that there's voices out there that are spreading the gospel, the great news, and what grace really is all about. or in a world that understands it, is not open. We praise you for all these things and thank you for our time of fellowship and our time of teaching. In Jesus' name, Amen.