Join Dr. John Kyle as he delves into the powerful book of Ephesians and reveals the profound implications of salvation in our daily lives. This episode unveils the foundations laid by Apostle Paul and explores the deep doctrinal truths that are central to Christian faith. Through a vivid exposition, we explore themes of salvation, eternal life, and the warnings of eternal judgment, providing a comprehensive understanding of the gospel message.
Welcome to Expository Truths, where we exalt Christ by bringing clarity of truth through the scriptures with Dr. John Kyle, pastor of Faith Community Church in Vacaville. As Christians, we’re called to know the truth and be able to proclaim it. We can know truth when we know the Word of God, which is precise, without error, and powerful and effective for both salvation and spiritual growth. Enjoy digging deeply with Dr. Kyle as he takes us verse by verse through the powerful book of Ephesians, giving us a marvelous summary of the good news of Christ and its implications for our daily lives.
SPEAKER 02 :
Please turn in your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 1, verses 13 through 14. Ephesians 1, 13-14. The letter of Ephesians was written by the Apostle Paul to the faithful saints living in the city of Ephesus. Paul wrote this while he was under house arrest in Rome in about A.D. 62, and he wrote it to lay a proper doctrinal foundation for these believers so they could then live out those doctrines for the glory of God. We now find ourselves in the doctrinal section of this book that’s found in chapters 1 through 3. It’s very interesting because this doctrinal section begins with one single sentence that In the original language, the Greek, a sentence that consists of 202 words and a sentence that’s 12 verses long, verses 3 through 14. Some say that this is actually a song of praise, a hymn, which might have been the case. But more than anything else, this is an attempt to use a whole lot of words to praise God for what he’s so graciously done for us as children. Up to this point, Paul has praised God for choosing us for himself. for predestining us to adoption, for making us acceptable in the beloved, for redeeming us, for forgiving us of all our sin, for showering us with undeserved grace, for ensuring for us our eternal inheritance, for God’s sovereign care over us, and then for giving us a purpose and a reason for living His glory, which is indeed our greatest honor and our greatest privilege. And all these are some wonderful, some excellent reasons to praise God. But, there’s more. Verses 13 and 14, let’s look. “…in Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of His glory.” So again, this one sentence shows us many great reasons that we can and should bless our amazing God. And here we see yet another reason to do that. This, because in Christ we have salvation. Come on, right? I mean, that’s the best reason, right? In Christ, we have salvation. The word salvation means to be rescued or delivered from danger, from destruction, or from peril. And here, Paul’s talking about eternal destruction and peril. Then look, Christ is the one who rescues us from that eternal peril. Salvation. Is there a better word? Hey, we all need to be rescued. And Christ is the only one who can do it. Good news, He’s good at it. The picture here is of one of every human on a sinking ship where death is imminent. But just as a ship is about to go down, someone comes along, grabs our hand, and pulls us to safety. Who? Jesus. But even better than that, He’s not talking about physical rescue. He’s talking about eternal rescue. Rescue from what? Rescue from hell. In Mark 9… Jesus warns His disciples about hell. And He tells them that nothing in this world is so valuable that it’s worth going to hell over. So Jesus clearly believed in hell and His references to hell are very graphic. Three times in Mark 9, hell is described as a place where their worm never dies and the fire is not quenched. The picture there is of being stricken with an internal worm and with an external fire forever. What’s the warning? The warning is this, to avoid that place. At all costs, avoid that place. Now, biblically, hell is a very real place, the place of eternal judgment for the wicked who reject Christ. The word used for hell in Mark is the word Gehenna, which occurs 12 times in the New Testament. The word refers to the Valley of Hinnom, which was located in the south of Jerusalem. See, under the reigns of the wicked kings Ahaz and Manasseh, the Valley of Hinnom was a place where parents offered their children as sacrifices to the Ammonite god Molech. During the reign of Josiah, the practice of child sacrifice was ended, and the valley of Hinnom was then desecrated. This place eventually became a refuse pit for garbage, for the carcasses of dead animals, and for the bodies of executed criminals. It was a place of continuous fire and smoke, and it was infested with maggots, with worms, and with vermin. By the time of Christ, the word Gehenna was commonly used to describe the final place of punishment and torment for the wicked. A place of eternal death, pollution, defilement, and misery, hell. Biblically, there is indeed a real place called hell that is both terrible in suffering and eternal in duration. Many have said that hell is a place where God is not, but that’s not true. One said, it’s not the absence of God that makes hell a place of torment, but it’s the absence of His favorable presence. See, God is there because God is everywhere. The problem with hell, that God is there only in the fullness of His justice and wrath. See, here’s the horror of hell, that hell will be completely devoid of God and every aspect of His character except one, His unrelenting holy justice. So it’s in that sense that those in hell will be away from the presence of God. They’ll be away from the favorable presence of God. So look, biblically, hell is a place of indescribable suffering. That said, please understand that hell is in a place where the wicked are cruelly tortured, but where they suffer perfect justice for their sin. God is not cruel. God doesn’t gleefully torment His enemies. No. In fact, the Bible teaches that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, Ezekiel 18, 23 and 32. Instead, God is a God of holy justice. And hell is the place where that justice is dispensed and where the wicked will receive the exact measure of punishment that’s due them. Now one of the most terrifying truths about hell is that it’s eternal. See all who pass through its gates are without the hope of future redemption or restoration. Rather they are eternally condemned. Why? Because of the wretched nature of sin. Sin committed against an infinitely worthy God is indeed deserving of eternal punishment. Also, as Paul Washer says, the punishment of hell is eternal because throughout eternity, the wicked continue in their rebellion without repentance. Their hatred of God, hardness of heart, and shameless rebellion continues throughout eternity. They were cast into hell as haters of God, and haters of God they remain. Eternal rebellion demands eternal punishment. Now today, Some argue that the word destruction indicates a ceasing of existence, but the word eternal makes that interpretation impossible. And just as eternal life is true of every believer, so is eternal dying and punishment true for every Christ rejecter. Now, Scripture has some very vivid descriptions of hell, and none are good. Is hell a place of literal fire and darkness, brimstone and smoke? Or are these descriptions to be figurative in the sense that they are an attempt to describe something so terrifying that it goes beyond the capacity of the human mind to conceive and beyond the power of our human language to communicate? I believe these descriptions of hell in Scripture are written to show us that hell is simply going to be worse than anything that’s found on the earth. And while fire, darkness, brimstone, and smoke are horrible indeed, they’re feeble attempts to describe a reality far more terrifying than those words can convey. And just as in the same way that the glories of heaven can’t be comprehended by the human mind, so too are the terrors of hell beyond our comprehension and ability to describe. Fire. Fire. Fire. Throughout the Scriptures, the idea of fire is used to communicate the judgment and wrath of God revealed against sin and the sinner. It’s God’s holy and just reaction to all that contradicts His nature and will. And just as terrifying and intensely painful as literal fire is to a burning man, it can’t begin to describe the fire of God’s wrath that’s measured out against the wicked in hell. Eternal fire. The emphasis here is that the sufferings of the wicked in hell are forever. There’s no hope of redemption or restoration for those in hell. Unquenchable fire. The thought here is that the torments of hell will not only be eternal, but that they will be undiminished. There will never be any relief for the condemned. lake of fire, and brimstone. This description is given to communicate the immensity and power of hell. It’s not just a sprinkle or a small stream of torment. No, but as one said, the inhabitants of hell will be like those lost at sea in a massive churning ocean of God’s wrath, battered and cast to and fro by the violent and never-ending waves of God’s righteous indignation. like men drowning in a massive, churning cauldron of fire. Speaks of intensity. In a furnace, all the terrifying elements of fire are intensified. And here we find that the intensity of hell’s suffering will never be diminished. Outer darkness. Speaking of alienation and telling us that The inhabitants of hell are cast out and no place is found for them. They’re not only alienated from God, but from fellowship with others. See, hell is a place of absolute and unbearable isolation apart from the light and life of God. Doom and hopelessness are related to such darkness. Hell is also described as a second death. The thought that the wicked will live in a state of never-ending death. Yes, they will have conscious existence, but with none of the blessings, hopes, or joys of life. So, why say this? What’s the warning here? To avoid hell at all costs. That’s the warning. Of all the terrors that could ever come upon a man, hell is by far the worst. So, where’s the hope? Jesus Christ alone. See, hell is an avoidable place through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Amen? See, He can rescue you. He can deliver you. He can save you. He alone. And He’s right here in front of you. And that’s good news. Look, salvation includes the cleansing of our conscience from all past guilt. I love that. And the delivery of our soul from all wickedness and evil and from eternity in hell. I really love that. Salvation fully restores us from our fallen estate and it fixes our standing more secure than it was before we fell. Salvation finds us broken in pieces by sin, but then it heals our wounds, it removes our diseases, it takes away our curse, it puts our feet upon the rock of Christ, and then, after all that, it lifts our heads far above all principalities and powers to be crowned forever with Jesus Christ, the King of Heaven. See, you are blind, but He can make you see. You are lame, but He can make you leap. Worse than that, you are dead without Christ, but He can make you live. You’re in prison, but He can make you free forever. He, Christ alone, can save your soul. He can give you eternal salvation and eternal deliverance. Don’t you see? Your eternal salvation means everything. Everything. Nothing remotely comes close to this. And Christ is the one. Who gives it? How? How does a person get saved? First, he must hear the truth. He must, as Paul says, hear the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation. See, God’s word alone is truth. And the word of God is what tells us the truth about God, the truth about ourselves, the truth about eternal things in a world that’s full of lies. Look, the world lies to you. doesn’t it the world lies to you because the world lies under the sway of the wicked one and what does the wicked one want he wants your soul so he’s going to tell you that all is well with you when all isn’t well with you he’s going to tell you that you’re okay without christ when you’re not okay he’s going to tell you that your sin is no big deal when your sin is indeed a massive deal He’s going to tell you that hell isn’t real when it is real. He’s going to tell you that being a good person will get you into heaven when no one is good enough on their own to get them into heaven. He’s going to tell you that there are many paths that lead to God when there’s only one, Jesus Christ alone. And He’s going to tell you that you’re fine minding your own business, not really hurting anyone, when minding your own business and not really hurting anyone has nothing to do with you getting into heaven. See, Satan in this world lies to you. And listening to those lies and believing those lies won’t save you in the end. No, only Jesus can save you. God’s Word alone is truth. And God’s Word tells us that we’re all sinners and that we’ve all fallen short of the glory of God. Every one of us, we’re all in the same sinking boat. That’s a massive problem because sin not only separates us from holy God, and sin not only banishes us from heaven, but sin also has wages, death. Not only physical death, but eternal punishment in hell. See, since our sin is ultimately against God, and since God is an infinite and eternal being, the punishment for sin must also be infinite and eternal. And look, all sins must be punished, every single one of them. And so, either you surrender to Jesus in repentant faith, who paid for your sin in your stead, in full, on the cross, or else you reject Christ as Lord and Savior, and you will pay the wages of your own sin in hell. And it’s one or the other, and there’s no other option. It’s that simple. It’s one or the other. In verse 13, the word gospel is used, and that word means good news. And here, it speaks of the ultimate good news. The good news that surpasses all other good news. The good news that Jesus Christ alone gives. What is that? He can save you. He can rescue you. He can deliver you from sin and hell and wrath. Oh yeah, He can do it. See, Jesus is both God and man. 100% God, 100% man at the same time, and that makes all the difference. Look, Jesus, God the Son, left heaven, came here, took on human flesh, lived a sinless life so that we could never live, and because of that, he’s the only one who could die a substitutionary death for the sinner. Sin against an infinite God requires an infinite sacrifice. Therefore, either man who is finite must pay the penalty for his sin for an infinite length of time in hell, or else the infinite Christ must pay for it once and for all in the believer’s stead, which is exactly what he did on the cross. See, good news, Jesus went to the cross to pay the debt we owe to God for our sin, and the price was painful, and the price was costly, but he did it to save sinners like us. And so on the cross, the sin of every believer in all of history was placed onto Christ, and God punished Jesus for all that sin, and in return, God can now shower you, the believer, with mercy, forgiveness, grace, and eternal life. See, when you believe, you give Jesus all your sin, which He took and paid for in full. And in return, He gives you His perfect righteousness that covers you and fits you for heaven. And also, that ensures your safe arrival there. So Jesus died for all who believe. paying the penalty for our sin in His own body on the cross. And then three days later, He rose up from the dead, which proved that what He did on the cross was a reality, and also that He has power, true power, to conquer the sting of sin, death, and hell forever for all who believe. Good news? Right? Come on. All other news is bad news in comparison to this news. Nothing else matters in light of this news that Christ brings. Think about it. Jesus can save your soul. And may I say, never give up hope for a lost loved one. Never give up hope. He can do it. He’s good at it. Look around. He can do it. Jesus can wash away all your sin. Every single one of them. Jesus can take you to heaven when you die. And He will, as a believer. Jesus alone. That’s good news. And just as hell is wretchedly horrible, good news, heaven is resoundingly glorious. William Tyndale said that the gospel of Christ signifies good, merry, glad, and joyful tidings that make a man’s heart glad and makes him sing, dance, and leap for joy. That’s right. So after hearing of this good news about Christ and the salvation that He can give, what must I do? This, you must trust and believe in Christ. In Him, Paul says, you also trusted, in whom having also believed. So, He does all the work in securing our salvation, and our call then is to believe in Him, to put our faith in Him as Lord and Savior. Note that true belief in Christ isn’t just intellectual assent, no, but it’s believing on Jesus as revealed in the Scripture, in His person, and in His work. Biblical saving faith is trust in Jesus Christ as a living person for forgiveness of sin and for eternal life with God. It’s a personal trust in Jesus alone to save me from my sin that condemns me. Saving faith always includes repentance that turns away from the past way of sinful living and then to following after the Lord. We all sin. But repentance expresses a sorrow for sin, a battle against sin, and a heart that seeks to honor the Lord in the midst of battling sin. See, that’s what we do. We battle it, right? We keep battling it. Saving faith affects your life. And while a person is saved by faith alone, true saving faith will result in a lifestyle of loving obedience to the Lord who saved your soul. Many today seem to think that all you have to do to be saved is raise your hand one time, or walk up an aisle, or say a rote prayer, and then you’re in. So what happens? They raise that hand, they walk the aisle, they say that prayer, and then they go off living the same old way they lived before. But now they think they’re going to heaven instead of hell. The problem is that that’s not biblical saving faith if it’s not real. Why? Because true faith and saving belief in God, it… It has to be more than just raising a hand or walking an aisle or just saying a rote prayer. True saving faith has to impact the way you live. And just saying that you have true faith doesn’t make it so. No, your actions prove that your faith is real. And so the Christian is the one who’s heard the truth about himself, about Christ, and about the way of true salvation. And look, he believes that truth, and the person and work of Christ, head and heart, and he surrenders himself to Christ in true repentant faith that goes on to reveal itself in tangible ways. A lifestyle of love. See, God’s children love him. Anybody? Right? That’s who we are. We love Him. We want to please Him. We believe Him and who He is and what He did. We’re now saved from wrath and that reality changes everything. How could it not? In Christ, for all who believe, we have salvation. Eternal salvation from hell and wrath. That’s a great reason to bless and praise God today. The second reason from these verses and the last reason from this 12-verse sentence that we can bless and praise our amazing God is because when we became Christians, the Holy Spirit indwelt us. Look, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of His glory. So look, for all who believe… The Holy Spirit seals them. More on that in a second, but how does He do that? Well, He first comes and resides in every true believer, and the Word of God is very clear about that truth. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6.19, Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, talking to Christians, who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? That’s truly amazing. God, the Spirit, lives in you, the believer. That’s amazing because in the Old Testament, the Spirit would come intermittently upon the saints, empowering them for service, but not necessarily remaining with them. But things have changed after Jesus left, and it wasn’t until Pentecost that the Spirit began to indwell those who belonged to God through faith in Christ. And now… For every true Christian, the Holy Spirit, God himself, indwells us. He takes up permanent residence in us, which is truly a remarkable thing. So let’s note a couple of important facts as we look at this. First, please understand that the Holy Spirit is God. God, the spirit. Our doctrinal statement says, we believe, teach that there is but one living and true God, an infinite all-knowing spirit, perfect in all his attributes, one in essence, eternally existing in three persons, the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each equally deserving worship and obedience. That’s right. So we worship, according to the Bible, one God who eternally exists in three distinct persons. And the Bible’s clear about that. Hard to grasp, but the Bible is clear. Look, the Holy Spirit is not a force. He’s not an it. He’s God. He’s a person. We should love him because he’s doing a great work even now for us on our behalf. James Boyce said, if we think of the Holy Spirit as a mysterious power, our thought will continually be, how can I get more of the Holy Spirit? If we think of the Holy Spirit as a person, our thought will be, how can the Holy Spirit have more of me? The first thought is entirely pagan. The second is New Testament Christianity. He’s right. Look, the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit has an understanding. He has a mind. He has a will. He has emotion and He can be grieved. He creates and He gives life. He is credited with acts and with deeds. He strives with sinners. He reproves and comforts. He helps. He teaches. He guides. He can be tested. He regenerates souls and so on. The point again, the Holy Spirit is God. He’s a distinct person who is worthy of our worship, who is worthy of our praise. So what does He do? Well, in Acts 1.8, Jesus tells the disciples that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. And that’s what the Spirit gives to believers. Dunamis in the Greek, from which we get the English word dynamite, talking about… Divine power. Power to what? Power to live for the glory of God. Power to honor God. Power to bear witness for God. To fight sin. To be bold. To be strong. Power to arrive safely home in glory. There’s no way we could do that without His divine power. But with Him and with His divine power working in us, man, we can turn the world upside down, which the apostles did. After the Spirit came and indwelt them. Only after then. And look, every Christian has the same Spirit of God living inside of them.
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Thanks for joining us for today’s exposition from the book of Ephesians on Expository Truths with Dr. John Kyle. Continue on with us next week at this same time. And to find this sermon in its entirety as well as other sermons, visit vacavillefaith.org. Faith Community Church seeks to exalt Christ by bringing clarity of truth through the scriptures with a commitment to glorifying God through the pure, deep, and reaching message of the gospel through faithful exposition. Pastor John is the preaching pastor at Faith Community Church of Vacaville, a seminary professor and a trainer of preaching pastors overseas. Join Faith Community Church for worship Sundays at 9 and 1045 a.m. Located at 192 Bella Vista Road, Suite A in Vacaville. To learn more, visit vacavillefaith.org or call 707-451-2026. That’s vacavillefaith.org.
