(Christ--the Way God Makes Man Righteous) 15. the Consummation of Salvation — Denny Kenaston

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These messages are offered to all without charge by the free will offerings of God's people. A special thank you to all who support this ministry. My 15th sermon on salvation. Let's bow for prayer. Father in heaven, we do bless you, we praise you, we thank you for your loving kindness unto us, God.

We get to be here. We have heard all these things with our ears. We have seen with the eyes of our heart, deeper into the truth of salvation. Thank you, Father. God, we pray now again this morning that you will open our eyes and help us to see, O Lord, yes, Father, beyond the now and into eternity.

Because that's what salvation is all about. It's not now. It's eternal. We ask this all in Jesus' name. Alright, the title of the lesson this morning, and I'm going to fill in a couple of things, so I'm breaking all the rules that you've been hearing.

Because there's a couple of holes that I feel I need to fill in. But the title of the message is, The Consummation of Salvation. Or the completeness. Or the bringing to perfection of salvation. In our last session, we finished with these words.

Walking in the Spirit and Producing Spiritual Fruit

Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. We finished with these words. Walk in the Spirit and you will produce the fruits of the Spirit in your life. I continually marvel how the Scriptures can be so simple, so concise, and yet be deeply profound all at the same time.

But I mean, if you think about it, those statements say it all, doesn't it? Real simple, not complicated. To the surrendered heart. To the heart who doth long to do what is right. Those statements say it all.

Walk in the Spirit. Continue therein until the day of Jesus Christ. And you shall be rewarded far, far, far beyond your highest imagination. You shall be rewarded. God is crowding you, dear young men, God is crowding you into this narrow relationship with Himself.

The Narrow Way That Leads to Life

That's what He is after. He is crowding you into a narrow relationship. Jesus is the straight gate. And the Lord Jesus Christ is the narrow way that leadeth unto life. Just like He said, I am the way, I am the truth, and I am the life.

No man cometh unto the Father but by Me. And so God, in His loving kindness, is crowding you into this narrow relationship which leadeth unto life. I hope you see His loving hand in it all. Have you figured this one out yet?

The trials, the setbacks, the moral laws, the parental laws. God uses all of this to bring you to a surrender and crowd you to the place where all you want is God. How well I do remember my dear son coming home from Africa at nineteen years old.

Not a bad boy, a good boy, but a boy. Came back from Africa. He met God over there. He met God over there. He met God in the joys of winning souls and the thrill of being in the service of God. And he met God laying on his back for six weeks with hepatitis.

Hardly able to eat anything for six weeks. He met God over there. And when he came home, all he wanted, that's all he wanted. I thought, who is this boy that I know? I thought these thoughts. He doesn't need his father anymore.

You know what he thought? I need my father more than I ever did. Isn't that interesting how those two came together at the same time? I thought, this boy doesn't need me anymore. He has been crowded into Christ.

And all he wants to do is walk with God. But he was thinking, oh, I need my father. How I need my father. Have you figured out where God is taking you, young felon? They say these days, I'm not under law.

Under Grace Does Not Mean Lawlessness

That's what they say. This statement left by itself is heresy. It is a doctrine of devils designed to destroy spiritual life and lead to worldliness and flesh. This statement, not rightly divided, not rightly balanced, will lead to lawlessness, not holiness.

Though it is stated very spiritually, the reality is, when God gets you to that place where you can say, and it is a scriptural term, I'm not under law, I'm under grace. Your heart will be just like the heart of my son when he came home from Africa.

But, oh, the foolishness of saying that in the flesh with a will and a desire to live my own life. To make that statement is a dangerous theology. It leads to lawlessness, not holiness. And I'll give you a few million examples to prove my point.

They say, I'm under grace. But what does that mean? I am under grace. It means I'm under God's favor and His powerful influence upon my life that brings me to this Christ-centered, surrendered life that we spoke about yesterday.

That's what it means. When Paul said, shall we continue in sin because we are not under the law but under grace? God forbid! Why would he say that? Because he knew what under grace was all about. He knew the powerful light that it would produce.

He knew the beautiful things that would happen in the light who's living underneath God's unmerited favor and all the power and blessing that flows with it. That's why Paul would say, God forbid! There in Romans chapter 8.

They say, I'm free from the law. Then take license to live in the flesh. This is not what the Scripture teaches. Not under law is not referring to God's moral law, by the way. It never changes just like God never changes.

God's moral law is simply a revelation of God and who He is. It's a revelation of His character. That doesn't change. I am the Lord. I change not. That's who God is. That doesn't change. Not under law.

I'm not under law to live a dying life in Christ all the rest of my days. A life of dying to my own will and yielding to the Spirit's will and God's call on my life every day. See, we have to put those two together.

They say, I'm not under the bondage of the laws and rules anymore. But what do they mean by this statement? This does not mean that you are free from the obligations of the commandments of God which are revealed in His Word.

I'm free from laws and rules. Oh, that sounds real spiritual. But what do you mean by that? The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free. Empowered me to keep His commandments and they are not grievous anymore.

Glory hallelujah! That's what it means. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free and empowered me. I now have the liberty to live a righteous life. Blessed be God for that. Paul said, I am not without law to God but under the law to Christ.

You'll find it there in 1 Corinthians 9 .21 as he's talking about becoming all things to all men that by all means I might save some. So he says, with them that are without law I become as one without law.

But a wise theologian that he was, he said, yet not without law to God but yet under the law of Christ. Thank you Paul. I'm sure someone wished that you had never said those words. But he did. And we understand what the law of Christ is all about by now, don't we?

We all know now how that Christ raised the moral law to new heights and made the way to fulfill it as well. Hallelujah! He clearly has defined to us what it means to love God with all of your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.

I mean he has raised those things so much higher than what it was in the Old Testament. And given us the life and the power and the grace to do it. Blessed be his name. As I have pondered this whole subject of law and grace.

This is my conclusion. Taken from an old man talking to young men. If you refuse to be guided into this narrow way of a spirit-filled life. If you are stumbling around trying to find your way into this stable walk that we looked at yesterday.

You need some laws and rules to guide you, son. You need some. You need a schoolmaster. You need tutors. And governors. Until you come in true reality to this solid relationship in Christ. You need them.

You need your dad. You need your ministers. You need to know what they think. You need their watchful eye over your life. You need that. By the way, you'll need that even afterwards. But you really need it.

And if you are sincere, you will seek them out to help you find your way. And I thought about it this morning, you know, in a way, this whole Bible school. It was designed to be a schoolmaster to bring you to a sweet, steady, stable relationship with Jesus Christ.

Now, we may not have gotten that full design finished or done. But I guarantee you, you fellas know. You know what it is. There's no doubt about that. You have tasted. It's been a blessing. You have found stability.

You have found strength. You have found grace in Christ. You are accountable. You will not stumble so easily after you leave this place. I know that of a truth. So again, I say, if you refuse to be guided into this narrow way of a spear-filled life, or if you're just stumbling around, you need a schoolmaster.

I don't know how that sets with you, you know. But you need one. Desperately. Paul said it this way in Colossians chapter 2, verse 6 and 7. He said, As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye, what's the next two words?

In Him. Did you get that? Whoa, that means something new today, doesn't it? So walk ye in Him. But the question this morning is, How did you receive Christ Jesus the Lord? Say, So walk ye in Him, rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

He goes on a couple of verses later in the same chapter of Colossians 2, For in Him, in Christ, dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power.

Those are simple statements, but powerful truths. Ye are complete in Him. So stay there. Stay there. As ye received, so walk. How did ye receive? Just a few points to reflect this morning. You received in poverty of spirit with mourning over your needy life.

Didn't you? So walk ye in Him the same. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Theirs is the kingdom. How did ye receive? In repentance with a turning from sin and a turning to Christ.

That's how ye receive. So walk ye in Him the same way. In repentance. Repentance is not something that happened back there. Repentance is a lifestyle of the sincere child of God who desires to walk after the promptings of the Spirit of God.

Repentance as an Ongoing Way of Life

I thought about it, you know, last week as I was pondering this subject of repentance. And I grabbed it and held it and stuck it away to bring it back up today instead of giving it when I was giving repentance.

But repentance is ongoing, isn't it? You know, if I'm sitting in my car in Los Angeles, California and I want to go to New York City, I cannot just simply point my car in the direction of east and start driving and think that I'm going to get there.

There is going to be turns and changes and redirections and all those things all along the way. If I want to get to New York City, I better be alert. I better keep moving forward. I better keep my eyes on the goal.

And I better make all the adjustments that need to be made if I want to get there. And a few times in that trip, I may lose my way completely and have to stop, get out the map, figure out where I am, repent of where I am, and go back to where I was and get back on the road and keep on going.

If I want to get to New York City, I better do that or I'll never make it. And I'm telling you, brethren, it's a lifestyle. And sometimes you may lose your way. You know, there's a lot of difficulties that come.

Life can roll them out, you know. You can have church difficulties and take an offense for somebody and lose your way. But when you realize, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait, wait, wait. Where's him?

Where's him? Who my soul loveth? I've lost my way. I'm not sure if I'm going to New York City anymore. I'm not sure if I'm going to make it there. Stop. Get out the map. Evaluate. Repent with whatever you need to repent.

Get back on the road and keep on going. And you'll make it to New York City. As you received, how did you receive? In faith, you came to God believing in His saving word of salvation. And in faith, you will continue to come to God believing His saving word of salvation for your own heart and life.

As you receive, so walk ye in Him. Same way. Principles don't change. The next one. As you received, how did you receive? You stood justified. I mean, God wiped your slate clean. And you stood there in the righteousness of Christ, holy and unblameable in His sight.

Well, so walk ye in Him the same way. I don't care how holy you become in this life. You're always going to need to be justified by faith in what Christ did. Always. But remember, that justification only opens a flood gate to all the life of Christ from that moment forward.

You stood justified. Oh, the joy and the gratitude of that. Well, brethren, you stand justified today also. And when you stand before God someday, even there you will shout, worthy is the Lamb that was slain.

Even there it will be worthy is the Lamb that was slain. You'll have nothing that you can say or hold on to. The next one. As you received, so walk ye in Him, you stood rejoicing in your salvation that is in Christ Jesus.

Never get over the wonder of it all. Though the days turn into months and the months turn into years, never get over the wonder of it all that God had mercy on you and saved your soul. But you stand in the joy and the rejoicing of your heart all the days of your life.

Remember what Paul said? Hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing firm all the way to the end. So walk ye in Him that way. And lastly, and there's probably some more, but lastly, that day when you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, you were filled with assurance.

You were filled with assurance. Assurance of faith. My name is written in heaven. There's peace in my heart. I can lay my head down on my pillow tonight and have not a worry. That's assurance. Walk in that.

Walk in it. That inner witness. That lively hope. That knowing that God is able to keep that which you've committed unto Him against that day. That's assurance. And I just want to let you know this morning, brothers, I believe in assurance.

I believe in the assurance of salvation. I enjoy the assurance of salvation every day. I don't walk through my life being worried and fretting about whether I'm going to make it or not. He is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless.

Before the throne of His glory. I believe that.

Now, I do believe that it's our responsibility to continue in the faith all the way to the end. But this is not some haphazard thing. This is not some flip-flop thing. God is a mighty and a powerful God.

And His salvation which He wrought in Christ Jesus is powerful. It's magnetic. It's able to keep you. So, it's not, you know, some people have this idea, you know, save loss, save loss, save loss. That's nonsense.

You know, I'm saved and then I make one sin. Oh, now I'm lost. I have to go get saved again. That's nonsense. Grace does cover unless you just willfully spit in God's face and go your own way. Grace doesn't cover that.

In fact, you do that. There remaineth no more sacrifice for sin. God is not going to send His Son again to die for you since He already died for you once. And if you throw that away, He's not going to do it again.

So, it's nothing to play around with. But, it's full assurance. I mean, it's the joy and the rejoicing of the heart. Praise God! My name's written in heaven. As you have received, so walk ye in Him. In that kind of assurance.

And Paul even says, establish in the faith as you have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. That just sounds like joy and rejoicing and thanksgiving. And that's the way it's supposed to be.

Okay. That's just a couple things that I wanted to get off my heart. Fill in a few holes. Now, let's look at the end. The consummation. The completeness of your salvation. The Spirit-filled life that God is calling you to is only the down payment.

The Holy Spirit as the Down Payment of Salvation

Only the down payment. Paul said it this way in Ephesians chapter 1, verse 13 and 14. He said, in whom... He's speaking about Christ. In Christ, ye also trusted. After that, ye heard the word of truth.

There's that saving word that they heard through Paul and the other twelve that were there in Acts chapter 19. 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. Sealed with the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of promise. Remember the witness, the assurance. The witness of the Spirit within the heart.

The Spirit of God bears witness with our spirit that we are a child of God. That's the Holy Spirit of promise. Which is, this Holy Spirit of promise is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession under the praise of His glory.

Now basically, what he's saying here is he's using buying and selling terms. You know, if you want to buy a piece of land or you go to an auction and you bid on a piece of land, they do that around here a lot, you know, and you bid and you find that you end up being the final bidder, you must put ten percent earnest money down the day of the sale.

Earnest money. Ten percent. That earnest money is a promise to the owner that there's ninety percent more coming. See? And the owner will bank on that. Which, by the way, if you don't give the other ninety percent, he'll keep the ten.

So that's kind of an extra motivation to pay him. But he banks on that. He takes that earnest money and says, my property is sold. That's exactly the illustration that Paul is using. Most of what we've been talking about here for three weeks is only the ten percent.

Hallelujah! It's only the ten percent. Now, God doesn't spend chapters and chapters and chapters in the Bible to explain the other ninety percent. Because He wants us to live by faith and hope. But I'm telling you what, what He does say about the other ninety percent is thrilling, motivating, energizing, and inspiring.

But I just want you to know, that which God has deposited in you is just the earnest of your inheritance. Until the full redemption of the purchased possession. You are the purchased possession. It doth not yet appear what we shall be.

But we are the purchased possession that Christ purchased with His own blood. Oh, that's beautiful to think about. 1 Peter 1 says it this way. It says that God hath begotten us again unto a lively hope to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you.

Now live by faith. Now live for me. Now love me. Now walk with me. It's reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith ready to be revealed in that day. So, what is this inheritance?

The Inheritance of the Children of God

That's really what we're talking about. What is this inheritance? Back to Romans 8. In verse 16, Paul says these words, The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.

We have this witness within ourselves, this spirit bearing witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. And if children... Oh, by the way, that's pretty powerful. If we are children, then we are heirs.

Because children are heirs. If we are children, then we are heirs. Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. If so be that we suffer with Him that we may be also glorified together. You say, no. What does he mean by that?

Is God saying that if I don't suffer, I won't go to heaven? That sounds like a work. I have to suffer or I can't go to heaven. No, that's not what he's saying. Remember what we said yesterday. It was the verses just before these.

We're talking about a walk. We're talking about a life of surrender. We're talking about an obedience to the Spirit of God. We're talking about walking with God. We're talking about denying ourselves.

We're talking about forsaking all that we might walk in this narrow way of a life in Christ. And in light of that, I would say to every one of you, Amen! If you will not suffer, you will not be with Him.

But it has to be given in the context, in the flow of those verses. It's the fullness of our salvation. And then Paul goes on to say this, and oh my, how could he say it? Giving the way that he lived his life and how he suffered.

But he says, for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. God's going to do so much in you. God's going to do so much for you.

God's going to give you such glorious things that it will make these little sufferings here on this earth look like nothing. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

Now these next two or three verses, they're a little bit hard to understand. And the reason why they're hard to understand, the same Greek word for creature and creation is found here. But it's the same Greek word.

Sometimes it's translated creature, and sometimes it's translated creation. And some of the newer translations have it creation all the way through. But some of the older commentators say that this is the earnest expectation of the creature, the in Christ creature, which by the way, has an earnest expectation.

I'm not sure how much the creation has an earnest expectation. I don't know how much the animal creation lives in hope. But either way, something glorious is coming. For the earnest expectation of the creature or creation waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him who has subjected the same in hope.

Now either way you want to look at that.

Whether you look at the creation and say they've been subject to vanity, or whether you look at us and say we have also been subject to vanity,.

It has been done by God.

Just like Paul said, we have this treasure which was deposited in us, we have it in an earthen vessel that the glory will be of God and not of us. God has put you, left you, in a body of corruption, on purpose, brothers, on purpose.

And He had very, very good reasons for doing it. You say, are you sure all the trouble, all the temptations, the trials, the sufferings I go through, the groanings at times as I desire to want to walk with God and I fail.

Are you sure? I'm sure. God left you in this body of corruption on purpose with very clear designs in mind. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him who has subjected the same in hope.

Apply it either way, the creation or us. Because the creature itself also, now it seems like He might be turning, shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

That's good things to come. That's some of that inheritance, some of that joint heirs with Jesus Christ that is to come. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

And not only they, the creation, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, the earnest, the down payment, which have the first fruits of the Spirit. Even we ourselves groan within ourselves.

Can you relate to that? Huh? We can relate to that, can't we? If you can't, I'm troubled about that. If there's no groaning in your life, oh, no longing. No longing for a full deliverance. Even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of our body.

Waiting for the adoption? Yes. He has put the spirit of adoption in us whereby we cry, That's a couple of verses ahead of where we're reading here today in Romans 8. He has put the spirit of adoption within us whereby we cry,.

But that spirit of adoption is going to wit the redemption of this body someday. Like we mentioned yesterday, He shall quicken our mortal bodies through the Spirit that dwelleth within us. He's going to quicken our mortal bodies.

Our vile bodies. Paul said in Philippians 3, and one other translation said, Our bodies of humiliation. I thought, would you? Thank you. That's right. This body of humiliation. For we are saved by hope.

But hope that is seen is not hope. See, God didn't give it all to you all at once. Why? He wants you to walk by faith. He wants you to love Him. He wants you to choose. He wants you to walk with Him. He wants you to avail yourself of all the grace that is available to you in Christ Jesus.

You are saved by hope. God did all of that. Saved by hope. For what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. And that's what God wants us to do.

That's exactly what He wants us to do. Look at some of the verses in 1 Corinthians 15, where Paul addresses this so beautifully, as he is challenging some of their theology, because some of them there don't believe in the resurrection, or are saying the resurrection is already past.

And Paul is saying, this is no little thing that you're taking out of the hearts of God's people. That there's no resurrection. But he says words like this in 1 Corinthians 15, verse 22 and 23,. For as in Adam all die, we can say amen to that, can't we?

In Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. Now, we know what in Christ means now, don't we? We know. Even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order, Christ the firstfruits, afterwards they that are Christ's at His coming.

Notice the possessiveness of that phrase. They that are Christ's at His coming. Over the page there a little bit to verse 42 and following. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It, speaking about our body, is sown in corruption, but it is raised in incorruption.

It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It's talking about our inheritance. The final consummation of salvation. Salvation brought to the full. It is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness. It is raised in power.

It is sown a natural body. It is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body. Verse 49, he goes on and says, and as we have born the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

That's what is yet to come. And he goes on to say there in chapter 15, we shall all be changed. In a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, we shall all be changed. Our salvation is being worked out in our heart, in our lives.

Right now, our salvation is dwelling within us. But someday, that salvation which is dwelling within us will wit the redemption of our body. And we shall be changed. We'll be changed. We read the verses yesterday there in Philippians, or some verses in Philippians 3, but I'd like to look at the last couple of verses in Philippians 3 as Paul was addressing them, you know, his love for Christ and how he wants to live for Christ and all that.

And he finishes his discussion there warning them about those who walk as enemies of the cross. Their end is destruction. Very different end than ours. Their God is their belly. They glory in their shame.

They mind earthly things. Mind earthly things. Then he begins to say these words in verse 20 of chapter 3. For our conversation. Now that word conversation doesn't mean our talk. Although, it's a good application, amen?

Heavenly Citizenship and the Coming Transformation

Our talk is in heaven. It's not John Deere tractors. It's not the latest car. It's not the latest color of the car. It's not the latest music. It's not the latest CD. It's not the latest thing that's happened on the political front.

Our conversation is in heaven, amen? Whoa, where'd that come from? That's not in the notes. But that word conversation means more than talk. It's talking about our life, our heart, where we are. He says, hey, I'm living in heaven, even though I'm walking on the earth.

Our conversation is in heaven. From whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. I mean, if you really come to grips with what is going to happen to us when He comes, you will be looking from whence comes the Savior.

Who, verse 21, shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working, or the dunamis, the power, whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself.

He's going to give us a new body. And that new body is going to be like His body. It's going to be like this one. Not this body of corruption. Not this vile body. Not this body of humiliation. It's going to be like unto His glorious body.

I mean, we will be delivered from the presence of sin when that takes place. Righteousness? Yes, righteousness. Like unto His glorious body. Like unto His glorious body. Like unto His glorious body when He walked on the earth after the resurrection.

Like unto His glorious body. Like Peter, James, and John saw on the Mount of Transfiguration. Like unto His glorious body will make us righteous. He will make us righteous. Turn over to Ephesians 5. I talked to you a little bit about marriage this morning.

The Consummation of Salvation as Marriage to Christ

In Ephesians 5 and verse 30, Paul says these words, and I believe this is where the author of that book that I had you reading got his title. But he says in Ephesians 5 and verse 30,. For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.

And then look what he does. I mean, it's like he's going back and forth in this text. He's addressing marriage. Then he's addressing our marriage to Christ. And then marriage. And then the church's marriage to Christ.

And then back to marriage. And he goes back and forth. And back and forth. But the point I want to make today is, the end result is a marriage. A marriage. For we are members of His body, and of His flesh, and of His bones.

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they too shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery. But I speak concerning Christ and the church. And I would say to you, there's two great mysteries there.