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Before Moses.
Died. The Lord took him up into the mountain to view the.
Panorama of the inheritance of the children of Israel.
And you can think of he saw the whole land before him.
At Spiritual Inheritance and Brethren, I like to think of this chapter.
As what we have in contrast with what Moses saw, which was a portion of this earth.
Are as far supersedes. So what we have in chapter one is a panorama of spiritual blessings that belongs to us now.
Oh, we don't grasp it. But we need, like David was saying, to be reminded of it. I find again and again the tendency of this world is to occupy us with earthly things. Not that that's wrong.
But sometimes it occupies us to the point that we lose sight of what we are called to brethren.
What a tremendous heritage is ours. And so we have in verse three of this chapter. We've been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
You cannot ask for more blessings than you already have.
It's not a matter of how much we enjoy them. It's a matter of having them. We have them. If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus, you have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ.
Oh, what a tremendous thing it is to enjoy that brethren. And it's the enjoyment of these things that has a transforming effect on our lives the Lord help us to.
Enjoy it.
Just want to say before we get into this chapter that at the end of the chapter you have a prayer of the Apostle Paul.
From verse 15 down to the end of the chapter.
And he prays in verse 18 that the eyes of your understanding.
May be enlightened that you may know what is, and there's three things that he asked for #1 What is the hope of his calling?
They're calling the spiritual blessings of the believer. Perhaps we can say that's from verse 3 down through verse nine. And the second thing is.
What the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints?
And I say I suggest that that's verse 1011 and 12.
And then the third thing is, what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us? We're to believe according to the working of His mighty power.
And that's what we have in verses 1314.
Of this chapter, but I just suggest that's kind of an outline of the chapter.
And may the Lord help us to meditate on these things and to enjoy them.
Must say in my youth I remember taking up this chapter and governor at times at conferences.
And those dear older brother and that enjoyed these things so much and I don't remember.
Who it was It might have been Paul Wilson.
Said, you are not blessed more now than you will be in heaven. You will have you have the same blessings that you will have when you get to heaven.
Oh, brethren, do we really believe that?
That's the truth of this chapter. Lord, help us.
He begins the chapter by saying that he's an apostle, so he's showing some authority for us to be reminded of because often we find some letters he doesn't say he's an apostle becoming much softer. So we should give us some heed of warning that this is serious stuff here. And then he said that known as an apostle and he's an apostle by the will of God and is to who is? Who is he writing to?
Now I believe it's the same group of people, but in as if the two characteristics of those here he wrote to is to the sinks. How many of us consider ourselves to be Saints? Well really that's a trick question isn't it? If we are believers, we are Saints. It's not how well we walk with God, it's not how much we walk with God. All the redeem one are sinks. So here he's specifically addressed to which are in Ephesus. I believe we can apply it.
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To us as well.
And then just the sinks. No to the faithful in Christ Jesus. How many of us would like to be in those two categories? The first we don't have a choice. He put us in there that we are sayings before God faithful. Do we have the desire to walk in faith so that we could be considered as faithful? Then he can go on and say grace be to you and peace from God our Father.
And from our Lord Jesus Christ, and there you talk about God the Father, you talk about Christ, and the next verse talking about the spiritual blessings. So we find He's letting us know here that the whole Godhead is involved for yours and my blessings and the future that is not here but is heavenlies. And while that will find the phrase in heavenly places, which I believe should be translated to the heavenlies.
Is repeated throughout this book of Ephesians. It mentioned at least five times. We see that I mentioned twice in our chapter in the third verse and in the 20th verse. That's just to help us to keep our eyes gazed. Everything is heavenly, not about this earth.
It mentions in this first chapter the will of God, I think four times.
Verse one.
Verse 5.
Verse 9 and verse 11.
So in this chapter we have the will of God.
Man's will is not mentioned till Chapter 2.
And there we have the.
Will of man mentioned in the 1St 3 verses.
And it's fairly negative.
But the will of God is for blessing.
Wonderful. And I like to think you mentioned David.
Saints, that is every true believer.
And to the faithful, it really includes all the Saints. Faithful means those that have faith.
And if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus.
You have faith.
You are those of the faithful. I trust we can be faithful. Like you say, it's the result of enjoyment of these things that will make us faithful.
But it's beautiful to think that every believer is part of the Saints and faithful in Christ Jesus.
There's two mentioned grace, and they mentioned peace.
Raise We are exhausted to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. So that's every believer should and should do just that. To grow in grace. Well, how do you grow in grace? Well, I think the more we think of price, the more we think of what he has done for us. Then we will realize the grace that was bestowed upon us. And that should be a constant exercise in our heart to grow in grace. But then peace.
This is a little bit different piece because it's a topic in this world often that people have no peace, though we want peace. So peace is from different sense. There's peace from war, but then what about peace in our own hearts? That often is forgotten and we find when in a society that we may be financially very well off, but many people have no peace. It's common to hear somebody say I can't sleep, I have trouble sleeping. Now I know that even Christian.
Said that difficulties. But as a whole, why can't we sleep? Because there is no peace. But more so here is the peace of God that we have knowing what we're going to spend eternity. The peace of God letting us know that what happens tomorrow or what happened this afternoon is according to the will of God. This is something I believe among Christendom is getting more and more difficult to accept that we think we can control what's going on.
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I remember the first trip. I came back down here to a conference from Canada, and I was greeted by some brethren that I haven't seen in a while. And the first phrase is what happened to Canada? You're losing your freedom, Oh brethren, we don't lose our freedom.
Whatever it is, it is the will of God. Now how do we act accordingly? What if you did lose your freedom where you are?
Is it because things got so bad or is it because God that God appeased have put those circumstances into your life. This morning it would we were read the verse we're to pray for the authority to be well if you lose your freedom would you still pray that that government who put you in jail or whatever the circumstance be?
Would it be right to pray for that government? And I see in Canada, sometimes some would say, what I'm not praying for that president or the Prime Minister. I don't like him, but I don't believe that's the way the word of God have it. And the hardest thing I believe to learn, even though we mentioned it here, the will of God is the opposite and is do we trust in His will? Do we learn to say that thy will be done And when we learn that and we will learn.
To have the peace that we get from the peace of God, knowing that it is according to his will and his mind.
So we found the 1St 3 verses as if he laid the principle of what we how we should think, how we should act. It gave us that big picture. And then in verse four as if he expound a little bit more how precious to think that he has chosen.
Us this election, isn't it? In him, before the foundation of the world, he chose you and I for what you were chosen.
Before you were born, before this world even existed. He has chosen us before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy.
Oh, that's a word. We don't use much today, do we? Well, we need to be able to not offend people. We find our speech need to be so careful and often needs to be so-called politically correct and we're afraid to even mentioned what the word of God have to say. Or we inject our own opinions into something of what holiness is. Now I'm going to say something that may not be popular. I know at home one of the big, big thing among Christendom is they are so against homosexuality.
And now just let me clarify that I'm not supporting that, but yet I'm seeing Christians OK with people living in sin.
Is one that much worse than the other? Well, depending who's eyes, as if there is a different degree of sin. Well, to me, both. God said he's a horror with both. So why do we pick one over the other as it was better? We are to be holy, to be holy. No sin should be allowed in his presence.
So here we were, chosen that our life, our our walk should be holy and without blame before him. In love, you know, it's so easy. We find it especially in politics. When they want to discredit someone, what do they do? They dig up dirt, as if it were, and from that point forward.
Then it shows how bad a person is. We have to walk as if we're holding as the board is.
Dimension in verse three, that is blessings we have.
Are spiritual blessings.
In heavenly places in Christ.
It's in contrast with.
Israel. In the Old Testament, they were a people blessed by God. But if you go back to Deuteronomy 28, you see the character of their blessings.
Deuteronomy chapter 28. I'll read a few verses here. It shows the contrast of their blessings.
Shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently into the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all His commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set the unhigh above all the nations of the earth.
And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.
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Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle. Never increase of thy kind, and the flux of thy sheep bless it shalt thou be, shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in and and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. So there is blessings, but it's all connected with.
Material things. And that was true in the Old Testament.
Of God's earthly people today, there's quite a movement in Christendom to say that the church is just an extension of Israel.
Brethren, our blessings are not material, they are spiritual.
I'm going to ask John Kaiser.
Can you name one of your spiritual blessings to me, brother?
Eternal salvation, Eternal salvation. Can you show me it too, please? Can you show it to me, please?
No, because it's spiritual, isn't it?
Another one is the forgiveness of sins. Brother Ed, can you do you have the forgiveness of sins?
Please, I'll go into some kind, some kind of document you got to show that.
But it doesn't say that, Ayersman. You possess it by faith, don't you? And I think that's that's what it is. It's spiritual, something you do not possess in a material way, like the children of Israel did.
But it's spiritual blessings.
And the spiritual blessings are forever.
These material blessings that Israel was promised were on the condition of obedience.
Thankfully.
Our blessings, Brethren, are not conditional. They're unconditional.
They're based on the work of Christ and God's eternal purpose to bless us.
And it's so wonderful to get a hold of this. There's spiritual blessings, all spiritual blessings.
In heavenly places in Christ.
In Christ, in him.
Continues to be expressed through these verses. It's all in him, brother, and it's not in us, not depending on us. Wonderful these things to get a hold of them. So God has.
Two spheres of blessing. Remember when God promised to Abraham blessing, he said, Your descendants shall be like the stars of heaven and like the sand by the seashore. 2 Spheres, the heavenly and the earthly.
And we, the Church, are the heavenly sphere, brethren, and the heavenly sphere is spiritual blessings.
Sometimes people say when they have had a good crop.
Well, the Lord has really blessed me.
Well, I understand what they're talking about, but it's really not blessings, Brethren. Their mercies that the Lord puts into our hands for a time, He can take them away too if He wants to, but they're not spiritual blessings. These are mercies that we have temporarily to use for Him. So I think it's good to see the contrast between the two.
That right, Bruce.
They're not only spiritual blessings, but they're presently possessed.
If there were a A born again.
Israelite.
But Jews say.
Have not yet been brought into the saving knowledge of Christ. But he's reading the scriptures, and he would read through Isaiah or Jeremiah. It would make him sad because he would realize the the heavyweight of judgment that has fallen upon his his nation, his people. But he also he could be encouraged by seeing a coming time of blessing. But it's all in the future.
Secured by the 1St coming of Christ, but brought into reality when His Second Coming takes place, which hasn't happened yet. But for you and me, our blessings are presently possessed. I I I think that is good to to stress that there's one thing I lack and you lack. That is we're not glorified.
When the when the Lord Jesus descends from heaven.
Then even these bodies are going to be changed and we'll be like him. But we've been chosen, as we'll see in this chapter.
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We've been chosen for a certain destiny. As we'll see in this chapter, we've been called We've been Justified.
And in Romans 8, where it speaks of it speaks of it in our English Bible as something past tense he has glorified.
But it's a difficult tense in the Greek, and I don't understand Greek. But there's a tense we don't even have in our English Bible in our English language.
And it just speaks of the character of a thing without reference to time. And we are as good as glorified. But it hasn't taken place yet with respect to time. So I think it's good to enjoy the fact that our blessings.
Are presently possessed, every one of them. With that exception, maybe you can think of another, but that's the one that comes to mind that is yet future for you and me.
Because we have a God who speaks of things that are not as though they were, we have confidence that it belongs to us in that future.
I find it also very helpful to know that it's because we have the person and we have the person now. It says blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. As a man walking, perfect man walking on the earth, he enjoyed that perfect relationship with his God. Even on the cross in the middle of those hours of suffering for sin, he says my God, my God. He doesn't put any distance between himself and his God. He doesn't say God, God. He says my God, my God is the perfect enjoyed relationship.
As that man who walked this earth and the Father, he came to reveal the Father. He came to bring us into that relationship. And so he addresses him directly here. And then he goes into these verses that begin the chapter one after another of these blessings we're talking about. But they're all related to a person. They're all in him in whom? And so on. It's directly related to that person. And throughout this whole chapter, the Church hasn't even mentioned until verse 22.
It's individual at the beginning because we're brought to know that one and we know Him. Now, where is He? Is in heaven. So our blessings are heavenly, but we're enjoying them because we're in Him, we're chosen in Him, we're related to Him, we're brought into His relationship.
As holy and without blame before him in love. What's God? God is light and God is love. What are we? We're made like Him. We're brought into that same.
Work, and it's going to be in fullness later, but we're there now.
And we can enjoy them now. And what we have in heaven is a is a I don't know how to put it. Maybe a more purified version practically, but it's not different in character than what we have now.
The life that we have now will be in the element that's proper to it. I've heard it put that way, and I I think that's a way to consider it. We have, we are in present possession of eternal life, but when we are glorified with Christ, we're going to be in a sphere. We've never been there yet, but I believe when we get there, we're going to feel.
Immediately at home because we have a life.
To which that place is suited.
Comment was made that we can't see, we can't display any of these to the outside world, which is true. It's too hard to. It's too difficult to explain. Unless they have the light from the word of God, they're not going to see the Kingdom of God. However, as it was said, these are the things we have already, which means if you and I live in the enjoyment of it, often they will see the result of that.
Christian walk is very interesting. Other people notice when we walk with the Lord, you know, perhaps, perhaps I use a different example. Maybe it's the wrong season. But if this was summer, early summer, and perhaps Chicago is not a good example, you down to the coast by the seashore. Or suppose here too you can go down to the beach along Lake MI on a Sunday day and you seems to enjoy that you spend the day there. You come home.
Well, I think people would know that you were enjoying the sunshine on that beach because there were evidence on your face that is turning red. Well, depending on your skin tone, some would turn bright red, some would turn lobster red, and some would be tanned. But nevertheless, there is evidence that you were on the beach. You can't hide that. So when enjoy the Lord, people know when we walk with the Lord we became.
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A testimony to his word, I think. Steve, you mentioned light.
Well, we become now the light of this world. We reflect perhaps some of the light that was shone on us in this Dark World.
I must say, Brother David, that I've been challenged in my own soul to see.
People who are some of the poorer of this world that have the enjoyment of these spiritual realities.
Never forget the time I've mentioned this before, I'm sure, brethren, but Clem, Buchanan and I were in the Dominican Republic and we were invited to a brother's house for lunch.
And his brother was poor.
His house was just made of some sticks in the ground and leaves for roofing.
And we went in and the only place to sit was at the table where we were going to eat. So we sat down there.
At the meal wasn't ready yet, so my brother didn't have any nice house to show us or nice car up front.
But he got out his Bible.
Never forget, brethren, the joy that radiated from that blackface.
As he opened the Bible.
And I thought he was reading.
Afterwards, I understood. He didn't know how to read. He quoted it. But the joy.
That radiated.
From his face.
That was a moment I had to bow my head and said, Lord, please help me not to get so blinded by material things.
These are spiritual realities.
And when you contrast what is material with what is spiritual, brethren, it tells us in Second Corinthians chapter 4.
That which is material is temporal. That which is spiritual is eternal.
So, brethren, we have something that is eternal. It is our portion, here and now. How much are you and I living in the enjoyment of it?
If you don't know about it, you can't enjoy it. That's right and what it was mentioned. What a treasure we have.
The Bible study in Marengo.
Bernie Brecht, host.
Here recently something as simple as what we had here in those first verses that David was talking about.
Simply knowing that every child of God is the same and there were several ladies that are older.
In this Bible study. And that was a new discovery to them, that they were Saints.
And one of them in the beginning as we were talking about this subject, Oh no, you know, I'm not to that level, this idea that only Saints are super Christians of some kind and but as we begin to open up the scriptures and talk about it, the look on their faces that they were really sings.
And how God viewed them, That was a new discovery to them. Well, they began to enjoy it.
But they hadn't been able to before because they didn't know it. We know so much. We are so privileged with what we know, entering into the enjoyment of it.
A good admonition for us, but we can share those things with people. There's so much that's been kept from our brothers and sisters in Christ that are around us. They just don't know, and they can't enjoy the things they don't know. And it is a delight to see the look on someone's face as they you help them understand something that we may have known since a child.
Greater than the blessing.
Is the blesser.
That's what verse three begins with.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
More important, more significant than the blessings, is the blesser.
And when we're brought into the desired of God relationship with himself, it makes us worshippers.
And worshipping him for who he is, is greater than all the blessings that we have in spiritual in the heavenlies in Christ.
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And secondly, greater is the one through whom we get the blessing than the blessing itself.
The means of the blessing, that God's mean of bringing the chief blesser to us is through the sun, through Jesus Christ.
To illustrate it in a feeble way.
Everybody who's a parent, at least, can imagine.
Birthday for your child.
And when birthday day comes, there may be a set of presents.
And then this illustration there the blessings. And so you give the child.
The Blessing, the present.
And sometimes they open it. If it's wrapped, they look at it and they're immediately thrilled with it and they start to play with it.
And then mom or dad says thank your brother for it.
Thank your sister for it. Their object was in the the blessing itself and not the bless her.
And yet the opposite in the little example is when a child opens something up and looks at it and jumps up and gives brother or sister or mom or dad a hug and says thank you.
Because what they see draws their heart to the giver.
And nothing can I say so satisfies the heart of God when we enjoy a blessing when our mind immediately turns.
With grateful, Worshipful hearts, and we bless the blesser.
That's what's going to be our privilege and opportunity for eternity.
First, Timothy chapter 6, verse seven says for we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out. So thankfully, when we look at the list of blessings that there are from verses 4 through 14, none of them can, as it's been mentioned, be seen. None of them can be carried.
There's so often the thought that if we have a problem with our health, a blessing has been taken away is when if we have something that happens economically, it's been taken away.
And it's the confusion between understanding what God blesses us with is not something that's on loan. It's ours forever if we have something that's on loan.
She was a simple example.
When you lived here many years ago.
My boss, the president of the company I worked for, drove a nice Mercedes-Benz and twice a year, he said.
Would you mind exchanging it with me because he wanted the station wagon. I drove to go take his daughter to university in southern Illinois and he wanted his.
The station wagon at the end of the university year to go pick her up, it was the most uncomfortable weekend driving because it wasn't mine. It was something that was on loan. I didn't enjoy driving it. I thought if I have an accident, this is not going to be very good. And so if we understand that, the things that we have on loan, we're thankful to have them, but they're not ours. And so when he provides health, when he provides material things, when he provides whatever, it's on loan but it's not ours and it's not to be used for ourselves.
Just as an example, continue with what Bob said.
Week ago today I was sitting in a.
In an area, rural area.
Where only one person lived in a house that wasn't made out of mud walls.
Not a person owned a car.
The one person lived in the house that made out of mud walls was the only one who had electricity. It was because he had the money. You've gotten a solar paneling and a battery inside the house. I asked that brother how many people in this area of about 2000 are believers? He estimates that they're 85% of them. Who's blessed?
Who's rich? The world has a totally upside down view of what true riches are. That's what we have in Christ. It's what's for eternity and so often.
What to the world appears to be blessings, or things that actually get in the way of what's forever.
Like to turn to Romans chapter 8 for make a comment on several verses in connection with our chapter.
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Romans, chapter 8 verses 32. He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things, and in our chapter freely give us all spiritual blessings.
Who shall lay anything against the charge of God's elect?
It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died. Yeah, rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God who maketh intercession for us.
That is, who can come along and take the blessings away?
Who has the power to in temporal things, earthly things? Frequently they come and.
On loan is sad, but we lose them, something comes along and they're gone, but here, he says.
Verse 35.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Who's going to separate us from the love of the one who brings the blessing?
Will tribulation.
Distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword.
Are any of those things going to be able to separate us?
From that which.
Connects us with the blesser.
As he says.
And all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
For I am persuaded that neither death.
That's a pretty good separator.
The strongest separator you can have on Earth is death.
Nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature.
Shall be able to separate.
Us from the love of God the blesser.
The love of God which is communicated to us in Christ Jesus our Lord.
May we ever enjoy the connection we have with our blesser and enjoy the blessings which He gives to us with the realization.
That we can never be separated from Him who brings them to us and those spiritual ones we will have already have.
Cannot be taken from us.
We have it, as you already mentioned, can be taken from us, but sometimes the hindrances that stop us from enjoying the good of it. But what are those hindrances? Let's turn to 1St John chapter.
Chapter 2.
First John chapter.
Two just gave leave on diverse 15 First John 2 verse 15.
Love not the world.
Neither the things that are in the world, if any man love the world.
The love of the Father is not in him.
On the surface will go well. If you love the world, then the Father is not going to love you well. I don't think that's what he says here, is it? No. Things of this world have attractions. I know When we have conference like this, we ask him to walk and look and talk so brightly before the Lord. We know what it's like when we go home, when our friends are not with us, when we have to stand alone. There are many things, many attractions in this world.
Yes, persecutions could come. And as Christian we know, that's part of the path, part of the trials the Lord have for us. But temptations. The love of this world is great. I see young men here. How many of you would love to have a 56 Chevy or dress up? Oh, it's nice, isn't it? And I'm sure too. What young ladies? Well, I don't know what example to use, so we'll stay with that. There are things that would attract us.
Anything that takes us away from the enjoyment of Christ as the things of this world could be the lusts of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life when we are attracted by things in this world.
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Then the our exhibition of the love of the Father. In other words, we are not going to be a good light for this world. Now the Father's love does not cease to be with us, and we have to remember that and young people.
I tell you I still enjoy young people hymns. I was thinking, actually this is more of a children's hymn that goes somewhat like this, he said. Though I forget him and wander away and I'll tell you young people, that is not difficult to do.
Though I forget him and wander away, does he still love me?
Wherever I stray back to his dear loving arms, would I flee? When I remember that Jesus loves me, he's always there for you. The love of God is always there for you.
But when there are other things coming to life, the world, things of this world.
Would disrupt the communion and the enjoyment we have.
Verses four and five, we begin the numeration of some of the spiritual blessings, and I think you mentioned it already, Brother David. In verse four we have election.
Chosen He's chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.
The verse five is predestination. There are two separate things that go together.
When it's choosing, it's choosing persons. When it's predestinations, it's the place he has in mind to set us.
When He has chosen us, and so I think it is good to see the difference between those two blessings. He's chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, because our blessings, Brethren, have nothing to do with this earth. With that fact that we are here in this world is a brief moment of time.
But he began to think of us when there is no creation in existence at all.
Before the foundation of the world. Just want to show you a verse in Matthew chapter 25.
That speaks about those to inherit.
Earthly blessing. It's the judgment of the nations at the end of the great tribulation that's going to take place.
And notice what he says in verse 34.
To the ones on his right hand that are going to inherit earthly blessing, it says come.
Ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you.
From the foundation of the world, because their blessings are connected with this world.
But for us, we were chosen in him before the foundation of the world.
Brother Eric Smith used to talk about an Indian.
And where he started his works amongst the Indians in Bolivia. And he said he he explained verse 4 this way.
Before God ever dropped a stone in place, he was thinking about this Indian.
I enjoyed that.
That's chosen in him.
Before the foundation of the world.
That we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. This is position, brethren. It's not condition. Are we holy and without blame?
Well, in reality, there might be some things to blame.
In us. But this is the position in Christ. You have a position that no one can ever call in question.
Holy. Completely separate from everything that is outside the will of God.
That's the position you occupy and, oh brethren, to enjoy it.
Is what's going to give us power to walk in the truth of it?
Sometimes say.
If a young woman is going to get married and she has this beautiful wedding dress on.
00:45:07
Spotless white.
And she's going down, walking down the street to the place where she's going to her wedding ceremony.
Do you think she's going to be careful how she walks down that street? There's dirty cars, there's other dirty things. I think she's going to be mighty careful how she walk. Why is she so careful? Because of the beautiful dress that she has on. And, brethren, when we realize that you, before God, in Christ, are holy and without blame, it makes us want to be careful.
Not to attain this, but because we have it. I think it's so beautiful to see. That's the context.
Israel's sonship or adoption was national or corporate.
It was a particular blessing that that nation had that none of the other nations had.
He said to them. You only have I chosen.
But that was a national and a corporate election. It's not that way with the Church of God. Sometimes people get the impression that God chose to have a church and that one by one, through doings of ourselves, we work our way into getting a position in that church which he chose. That is not what Scripture teaches. As Steven said almost an hour ago, the blessings in this chapter are largely individual, especially in the first part.
And so it says, Individuals. We were chosen one by one. He chose us. He had you in mind before, as we read in Proverbs 8. Before he laid the foundations of the world, his delights were with the sons of men. So he chose you individually. He called you individually.
He works with you in your present.
Privileged place, as one of his sons to conform you to the image.
Of his son. So it's good to see that it's individual going back to Romans 8 again it says, in whom we have been predestinated.
Again, it's not in which if it were the church, it would be singular, but when you see it plural, it's a plurality of individuals.
And we have been chosen one by one. He had his mind on you. There was a brother in Palmyra in the early days.
Named Geo. We called him Geo. He was very challenged.
In his Physiology, he had extreme seizures.
And had to have medication to control the seizures. He was when I was saved and gathered. He was my peer, about my age, in his early 20s.
And he never could learn to read. When he stood up in the breaking of bread, somebody noticed his Bible was upside down as he read the scriptures. Beautiful passage and he would quote it from memory. But when I would visit in later years, he would.
Catch up with me in the parking lot and he would always say, Invariably say this to me. He would say, you know, brother, he said. I came to a point in my life where I realized if I was the only Sinner down here, he would have come from heavenly glory down here to save me.
Geo got laid hold of that.
Precious appreciation of the personal love.
Of God the Father, and of Christ for himself the Lord took him home.
Snowstorm and he's been with the Lord for some time, but I often think when I think of.
This beautiful passage chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. How personal.
How personal it is?
The last part of Galatians 220 proves that.
Even that those kinds of blessings, it's.
Sad. So many believers. They're kept at a distance in their systems.
They don't understand that they you were talking about appreciating the blesser.
What if you've been taught that you're at a distance from him and you don't know that there's that intimacy or that you feel that it is more of a corporate thing? Yeah, I know he died for all of us. And how does he pay attention to little old me while it's being brought? Those things brought before you like that? How can anyone say the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me and really think about that and not realize how personal that is?
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And that he does pay attention to us. And if you don't know those things, how can you enjoy them? And how can you draw close to somebody you've been taught is my heavenly father way off in the distance, way up there someplace. And you know it's a distance. And there's other people that kind of bring blessing into my life and that you're taught this distance between you, you don't know that well. When you discover those things, they be like little Nuggets of treasure.
So verse five then goes on to speak of predestination.
Which speaks of the position when he chose you, he had something in mind for you to occupy. And so we have it here predestinated us into the adoption of children. New Translation says Sonship by Jesus Christ to himself.
According to the good pleasure of his will.
So he has brought us into that place of intelligence in his presence. It makes me think of the prodigal son. When he came home, he had this prayer made-up that he was going to say to his father at the end of that prayer, he said, He said, make me as one of Thy hired servants.
The father wasn't interested in having more hired servants. He had enough.
What he wanted was a son to sit down at his table to enjoy fellowship with him. And that's what we have here in this verse five Brethren. It is that we are predestinated to this position of sonship.
Intelligence and fellowship with him that has chosen us and predestinated us to this position. How wonderful to enjoy that brethren.
It's far beyond what was ever known in the Old Testament, but now this is the portion that you and I.
Can enjoy it is ours.
Like you say though, brother, if we don't understand it, how can we enjoy it? And so it's important to go over these things and to challenge ourselves. Is this real? Is this true? You young people get a hold of it when you're young because it will affect your whole life development in spiritual things. This is reality.
It goes right down to the very basic thing, where you were born, where you've been placed, where you're the family, you're in the assembly you're in, all of those things. God had predetermined that. And it makes a difference if you believe that, if you know that's the truth, because you may feel that you don't like where you're at. And then if you realize that God had placed you someplace in your life and he has a purpose.
Maybe you ought to be thinking about what that might be.
It's not your will, it's the good pleasure of his will. And we live in a world, brethren, that is so.
Centered, centered on. You have your rights, You can do what you like in life.
We got to get beyond that. That's not going to help us in delaying hold of what we have here.
According to the good pleasure of his will, leave your own thoughts to one side.
Get your soul occupied with his thoughts about you.
Maybe we could look at what it is that hinders us.
From laying hold of these things, and you quoted that to us, Bob. It's in Second Corinthians chapter 4.
This is sometimes a difficult concept for us.
In Second Corinthians chapter 4.
So what you quoted was the 18th verse.
Which says.
While we look not at the things which are seen.
But at the things which are not seen.
So just take a look at that.
What that verse says is we look not at the things which are seen, but we look at the things which are not seen. How can you look at things not seen? That's exactly what the verse is saying. So then he says, for the things which are seen are temporal.
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But the things which are not seen.
Are eternal. I appreciated a comment that.
Hamilton Smith made.
He he made it. He was actually quoting.
A statement that Mister Darby said. I didn't read this in Mr. Darby's writing, but in rather in in Hamilton Smith's writings, but he he made this comment, he said.
For a believer.
Things that are not seen.
Are more real.
Than things seem because things seem bring with them a deception.
So everything we can see, it brings with it a deception.
And.
That's why it's difficult sometimes to be able to lay hold on the things that are not seen.
The and the enemy of our souls. He uses circumstances.
To to provide a fog for us, so we we just can't see, we can't see the things that are not seen. And so the what the verse is really saying here is.
While we look not at the things which are seen when he says at the things that are not seen, that's with spiritual eyesight.
So he's talking about two eyesights Here. The things that are seen, that's with our natural eyesight.
But the things that are not seen, they can only be seen with our spiritual eyesight. That's the only way to see them. And anything we look at can bring with it a deception that stops us from being able to lay hold on these very things that we've been talking about.