Christ’s Ability (Part 2)
Eph. 3:20
Introduction
The Lord Jesus Christ is able to save us to the utmost. Only He can save us from eternal damnation and bring us to heaven where we can enjoy eternity with Him and with all our saved loved ones, friends, relatives, etc. We will continue our talks about Christ’s ability and I hope and pray that you will be blessed and encouraged.
I. He is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless ( Jude 24)
A. The word falling here is also “stumbling”
1. It means Christ can keep you from falling away completely.
2. This verse is not teaching about the possibility of the believer sinning and falling from God’s family.
3. True believers are “Preserved” according to Jude 1 and cannot be lost.
4. Once you are saved, you are saved forever, another word for “eternal security”.
5. Christ specifically told us in Jn. 10:28-29 that His sheep shall never perish, and no man can pluck them out from His hand, and on His Father’s hand.
6. We can never lose our salvation.
7. In our daily walk, if we disobey God, we may confess our sins and receive His forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
8. If we persist in sin and disobedience, He will chasten us in love (Heb. 12:5-11).
9. He will never permit one of His own to be lost.
Eternal security is a biblical truth that is often an issue that divides believers and Christian churches or denominations. The words “eternal security” are not found anywhere in the Bible, but other words that carry the same meaning are used frequently such as “preserved”, “eternal life”, “everlasting life”, “saved to the uttermost”. If you have received Christ as your personal Saviour, then you are saved, and will surely go to heaven. No one can take your salvation away from you.
B. He can present you faultless or unblameable (Jude 24)
1. This term tells us of God’s ability to produce the final goal of redemption.
2. Paul tells us in Eph. 5:27 that Christ wants to present a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle, holy and without blemish.
3. To be in the presence of the holy, immortal, invisible, and only wise God, faultless is very important.
4. Only Jesus can remove our guilt, keep us from temptation so we can avoid sin
5. Not only faultless or blameless but also with exceeding joy.
6. The joy will be exceeding when we meet Him in the air during the rapture and all eternity.
Nobody can present us faultless to God. Only our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us on the cross. His precious blood washed away our sins, and for that we have forgiveness. Now positionally we are righteous in God’s eyes, one way or another blameless, though practically we Christians still commits sin.
II. He is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: 2 Corinthians 9:8
A. This verse is full of words indicating inclusiveness in God’s enabling: all grace.
1. The abounding of the supply.
2. The scope is in all things, probably not all the times but in times of need.
3. He does not give the carnal desires as well as the capricious want of His people, but makes sure they will have what they really need in order to survive and serve.
4. The need may not always be financial. It may be physical, spiritual, or emotional, but the thing is His grace is sufficient to supply the lacking and exhausted child of God.
5. God is indeed sufficient! His “every” grace abounds so that believers can abound “in every good work.”
6. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. (Isa. 40:29).
God’s supply is inexhaustible. All we have to do is to ask Him. If what we ask is according to His will, there is no reason it would be denied. Matthew 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
Missionary statesman Hudson Taylor had complete trust in God’s faithfulness. In his journal he wrote:
Our heavenly Father is a very experienced One. He knows very well that His children wake up with a good appetite every morning… He sustained 3 million Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years. We do not expect He will send 3 million missionaries to China; but if He did, He would have ample means to sustain them all… Depend on it, God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.
III. He is able to deliver (Dan. 3:17)
A. To deliver means to rescue or save from danger or from any evil
1. The Lord can deliver us from all dangers (Dan. 3:17, 6:16-24)
2. The Lord can deliver us from all evil (Lk. 11:4, 2 Tim. 4:18)
3. The Lord can deliver us from all hardships (Gen. 45:7)
4. The Lord can deliver us from all temptation (2 Pet. 2:9).
There is no situation in which the Lord cannot save or deliver us. He can save us from all oppressions, persecutions, famine, pestilence, storms, fears, even death. There is nothing that the Lord cannot do. Let me tell you a true story before I end up this sermon.
John Paton was a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands. One night hostile natives surrounded the mission station, intent on burning out the Patons and killing them. Paton and his wife prayed during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see their attackers leave.
A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Christ. Remembering what had happened, Paton asked the chief what had kept him from burning down the house and killing them. The chief replied in surprise, “Who were all those men with you there?” Paton knew no men were present—but the chief said he was afraid to attack because he had seen hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords circling the mission station.
IV. Conclusion:
Christ can do everything. He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. No wonder He is called Wonderful. Come to Him and have eternal life. Tomorrow may be too late.
