Reading
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Reading Ephesians chapter one.
And verse 10.
MMM.
Ephesians chapter one and verse 10.
That in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in Him in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the council of His own will. That we should be to the praise of His glory. Who first trusted in Christ, 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 the Holy Spirit of promise.
Which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of His glory. Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the Saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling.
And what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints? And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us? Words, who believe according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when He raised him from the dead.
And set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. And have put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the Church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth All in all.
As we've mentioned yesterday.
The chapter unfolds the eternal purpose of God for.
Christ and the church, and we mentioned pointed out that the chapter really has two parts to it. We find the apostle blessing God and as we listen in, we learn how richly we have been blessed in God's purpose to glorify his Son. And then from verse 15 on to the end of the second part, we have the apostle praying to God. And so it's written in a very beautiful spirit of worship.
And both parts really have.
Both parts of the chapters have three parts to it might say subsections.
And we've mentioned that already yesterday as well, but I just pointed out again, we've had, uh, sonship with the Father in verses 4 through 7 and four through 6, and verses 7 through 12, we have the airship with Christ in the administration of the world to come. Then versus 13 and 14, we'll have the, the quickening ceiling and the earnest of the Spirit of God by which these things are made good in our souls.
So we have all three persons of the Godhead involved in this grand purpose to glorify Christ in the world to come.
I think it's interesting to see in the prayer of the apostle at the end of the chapter those 3.
Sections.
Mentioned notice in verse.
18 He prays that the eyes of their understanding their hearts with the enlightened, that you may know. And then here are three things that are mentioned #1 is what is the hope of his calling? So we get that in.
Versus 3 through six or seven there and then what is the?
Riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints. That's the section we're going to consider this morning. And then the third thing is what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us? We're to believe. That's what you get in verses 13 and 14, the Holy Spirit of God, and notice it says that works.
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To us word who believe in the third chapter.
That power works in verse 20.
In US.
But here it is towards us who believe. In other words, here he is as head, not exactly head of the church presented. That's what we have in chapter 4, but it's head over all things to the church. In other words, not only is he head of the Church, but he has head over every single situation right up to the highest powers.
Earthly powers.
He is head over all things to the church in that position. Wonderful to, to see that, uh, his present position for us.
But yesterday we were speaking in verse nine, that he's made known unto us the mystery of his will.
Mr. Aho used to call this verse 10 the key to the whole Bible, and I think it really is good to see that God's eternal purpose was to bring everything into direct subjection to the Lord Jesus Christ. And brethren, as we see things developing in the world today, moving, it seems to me, directly.
In that direction, things are getting more and more confused under man's government. This is man's day. When man has his way, democracy is.
Encouraged and human will is glorified. And what is the result?
Mass confusion. Everywhere you look it's moving in the direction.
In which God at last will say that's enough, and he will directly intervene in his judgments, and at the end of the time of judgment he will send his son back to this world.
And he will take control of the kingdoms of this world. We see it moving in that direction. It should thrill us, brethren, if we are.
Understanding of the mystery of His will that He has laid out in the scriptures for us. Do you understand?
And the understanding of this gives us the courage and the grace to go on in a world of confusion, not looking for equity and justice this side of the Kingdom. Men are trying to legislate and force equity and justice and righteousness today. But it's not working because we cannot expect righteousness in an unrighteous world. Not till God's man has his rightful place. He has that place in heaven today.
He's been crowned with a crown of glory and honor, as Hebrews tells us in heaven. But God's heart really will never be satisfied, brethren, till everything is brought into subjection, not just in heaven, but on earth. Everything is brought into subjection under the headship of His beloved Son. The Lord Jesus glorified God on the earth and finished the work that He gave Him to do, and not till He is vindicated and has His rightful place on this planet.
That cast him out and treated him. So will God's heart be satisfied? Very interesting that the spirit of Barabbas is very alive and well in the world today. You know, when the Lord Jesus was on trial, they chose a man over the Lord Jesus. That was characterized by three things. Now, you'll never get all three things in anyone gospel, but if you compare the different accounts, he was on trial for three things.
He was on trial for as a thief, as a robber, he was on trial as a murderer. But there was something else that we sometimes missed, and that is he was on trial for insurrection or sedition, which is rebellion against authority. And brethren, when they chose Barabbas over the Prince of Peace and the Sun of Righteousness, that's exactly what the world got. When was there ever a day when these three things have become as full blown as the day in which we live?
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Violence and corruption and rebellion against authority. But brethren, it ought to thrill our hearts and as I say, give us the grace to wait God's time in patience and to go on quietly now, not raining before the time, not taking things into our own hand, but realizing that God has a perfect timetable. As we said already in these meetings, His purposes will not be frustrated. Everything works according to God's schedule.
Are you and I willing and content by faith to wait for God's time, knowing that God's man is going to have his rightful place for the glory of God and the full exaltation of Christ?
Now it says here in verse 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of times or could read for the dispensation or administration of the fullness of times. That is God's great purpose as he mentions in verse nine is will have its culmination.
In the fullness of times, in the fullness of times is the world to come, otherwise known as the Millennium. God has purposed that there would be a time when Christ would be displayed in all his glory, and he's going to do it through his people, the Church. And so you this little expression, the fullness of times is the apostles way of speaking, giving us a term that would refer to the Millennium or the world to come.
And it's the administration of the fullness of times.
Is going to be gathered together should read headed up in one headed up in all things in the Christ. And so this tenth verse tells us that God has a plan to glorify his Son in two spheres in heaven and earth and he's going to do it through a specially formed vessel, the church, which is his body and bride, and she is going to display that glory of Christ.
Now you say, how do you get that out of verse 10? Well, it's seen in that little expression and you need Jan Darby's translation to see it. But in the little expression in the middle of the verse where it says that he would head up all things in the Christ, it says Christ in the King James Version, but should be the Christ. And that is an expression used many times in the epistle and elsewhere in Paul's writings that refers to the the union of Christ and the church, the head and the body together. And so.
He is going to be at the administ head of the world to come and the administration of everything under him.
Is going to be done in the Christ that is with Christ and his church. And when we get down to the end of the chapter, he'll explain a little bit more fully, but just enough to say that now that the this expression here is really referring to.
Christ ahead and the church as many bought as many members.
It's really important to keep in view that.
God has an earthly sphere of blessing, He has a heavenly sphere of blessing, and to distinguish those two is so important. Israel is not the Church, and the Church is not Israel.
Uh, covenant theology, uh, teaches that they're kind of meshed together and they don't distinguish the 2. And so I think they sincerely take up government matters. Christians do and the, and the day we live in thinking that it is their place to intervene in questions of morality.
But it is.
Created a backlash, brethren. And I think it is something that is the Lord has allowed so that we will wake up that Our Calling is heavenly and that nothing will be right until the Prince of priests puts it right and he is coming back to put it right. And I think it's so important to keep this in view. If you say that you're not involved in politics, they look at you cross eyed. I mean, they think you're not doing your Christian duty.
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Brethren, why do we? Why do they say that? It's because they've lost the hope.
Of the Lord's coming, the present hope of the Lord's coming, and our distinctive position as a heavenly people.
We we will be involved in setting this world right, but not today. And to force legislation on issues like homosexuality is creating a backlash and it's not the time. That time is coming.
We need to preach the gospel to those people that they would get saved and then there will be the basis of morality in their lives. But beyond that, brethren, we cannot go without forgetting our distinctive position as a heavenly people.
We don't want to ever give the impression that we're indifferent to the abuses of humanity and what we see around us. And I think sometimes people get the impression that we're indifferent to it because we don't get out and join some lobby group or Christian coalition or whatever it might be. And we don't want to give that impression. But we're not here to straighten things out in this time. And it's beautiful when you go to the end of Revelation.
Where you have the church there described, she's described as a city. Why is the church described as a city? Because cities denote administration, they denote government, and it shows there that we're going to have a part in the government in the coming day. We're going to have a very real place in the administration of the Kingdom. When I say the name of Ottawa or Washington DC or London or Paris, you think of the administration of the country from that, from that focal point.
From that city and so the church comes down out of heaven as the city to share in that millennial administration. But the Corinthians were trying to do it before the king Kingdom before the king Paul said would that you would reign because if you really were reigning, we'd be reigning with you. Can I just say this too, brethren, people that say that this is the reigning time now I, I, how can they when they look at the condition of things around us?
You know, I, I knew a brother, if I said his name, many would recognize his name. Many years ago he was at the Lord's table. And the last conversation I had with this brother, because he was a brother who got caught up in thinking this was the reigning time. Now I said to this brother, the last time I talked to him, I said, if you tell me that the rain, this is the raining time. Now that is a slap in the face to the Lord Jesus to look at the condition of things and say that this is the time. But brethren, there is a time. We're gonna have a part in it. It's all gonna be headed up under price and as we've been saying.
It takes grace, it takes patience, it takes wisdom. But are we willing to wait for his time? His time is the best.
That word, uh, dispensation should be translated administration. We mentioned that, but in the epistle we have two administrations. Turn over to chapter 3 and you'll see another one. Christ's two administrations are found in this epistle, chapter 3, verse 9. Paul is speaking about his double Commission and mystery in his ministry about.
Preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ. But then he goes on in verse 9.
To say and to enlighten all with the knowledge of the administration of the mystery.
The administration of the mystery.
And so on. So that's a different administration than what we have in our chapter.
What we have in chapter one is a future administration of the world to come, as we've been speaking, when Christ will take the governments of this world and order them according to the mind of God in perfection, with His Bride at His side. But in chapter 3 we have a present administration of Christ. He is presently at the head of the work of ordering all things and gathering the Church and forming it and bringing it to completion.
Whereby there will be this special vessel that will be used for his display in the coming day, he said in Matthew 16. I will build my church and today he is administering.
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That work, he's sending his evangelists out and they are going and gathering the material and they're preaching the gospel and he's ordering all things today to form the church and to bring it into.
Existence so it can be used for the display of Christ's glory. So let's not confuse the administration in chapter three with the administration in chapter one. I say it again that the chapter 3 is a present administration that Christ is now working, but chapter one and verse 10 is a future administration of the world to come. It might be helpful too, Bruce, just in connection with the comments that have been made previously to make this comment as well. And that is.
That even as far as the governments of this world today, God is in control. He, he sets up the basis of man in the kingdoms of men. You know, things may seem out of hand on the world stage and it is certainly man's day, but God is still behind the scenes. God is controlling everything and there is nothing allowed. Even in the governments of this world, there is nothing allowed that God doesn't allow.
He's still pulling the strings and whether these men in power recognize it or not, they are just puppets in God's hands, accomplishing God's purposes in in the end. And again, I think to realize that helps us to just stand back and to leave things as they are. And again, not to be indifferent, but to leave it real, realizing that it is in the go, the Lord's hands. And it says that the King's heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of water.
He turneth that whithersoever he will.
Remember that this has managed us to pray for kings and for all that I in authority. We cannot be directly involved in government as Christians, pilgrims and strangers, but this is what we can do. We can pray, you know, and that is our responsibility and duty. We might not approve of the person in government, but we have to recognize their authority and pray for them.
That is something we should do.
As Christian, we have managed to do that.
Toward the authorities. Go ahead.
And they lived under the authority of a self-serving wicked man named Nero.
And in the Second Thessalonians chapter 2, as has been said, we pray for the powers that be, and we're thankful for the powers that we're under today. We can meet like this unhindered, but in Second Thessalonians 2/5.
UH-26 And now you know what? Withhold it. What is an impersonal?
Verse seven is he that letteth or restraineth? That's the Spirit of God. I take the what in verse six to be government. God gives it to restrain evil and retain order.
And, uh, told the story in Los Angeles, uh, last year about the fellow that was on the run and the sheriff's were trying to catch him and I gave them a ride across the river in the boat.
And I told them that I pray for them because they stand between US and anarchy. We do pray for the powers that be in our thankful for them. You don't want to live in anarchy without government.
Bad government is better than no government at all. That's how desperate the human condition is. We need government.
What purpose did he serve in connection with the earthly people that they were in the land? Again, the Western powers realized that the Jews needed a homeland, and that came into existence after he had killed 6 million of them.
Half million gypsies, you know, the rest of the powers realize if that unleashed the homeland. So God allows these difficult circumstances for the Jews to bring about what Scripture has prophesied that they would be again in the land, you know, and there is a nation now, a nation of Israel.
In the promised Land, you know, and the Lord Jesus will come when he comes to reign there. He will bring in peace, not for only earthly people, for the world in general.
Is the print of peace.
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John speaks about, uh, himself. John the Apostle speaks of himself about, uh, in the Revelation chapter 19. I, John, who also am your brother and companion and tribulation. And here's a key phrase. And in the Kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. Well, that's our present position, isn't it? It's the Kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. Well, we might understand the Kingdom. The Lord is certainly in heaven.
Though he's hidden, but what about the patients? Well, the point is that he's patient. So we ought to be patient, shouldn't we? So we were saying, not involved, get involved in this worldwide. Well, Satan is the Prince and the God of this world. Do we wanna be involved in that world? No, the Lord Jesus is patient. He's waiting. Now as to the fact that, uh, God is working behind the scenes, it reminds me of a story that I've appreciated about Frederick the Great, uh, Prussia, who lived back in the 18th century about the time of, uh, Voltaire and so on. And he was a, he was a rationalist and infidel.
And he was quite pleased with himself, as they tend to be. And he had a general oppression general who was a Christian. And so, uh, they used to have discussions from time to time. And, uh, uh, the Prince would, uh, King, King Frederick would say to this general. Now tell me, you give me one reason why I should believe that the Bible is inspired. He says that's easy. He said, well, what is it? He said the Jew? Well, that was some several 100 years ago. But the fact that the Jews have been more scattered and persecuted than any people on the face of the earth.
And still existed proved to him that the word of God is inspired, because God says that they are his chosen earthly people.
What would he say today, brother, look at the Jew. Every day on the front page of the news, we have stories about the Mideast and about the Jews. Is there any question that God is behind the scenes, moving all the scenes? He is behind. But right now it's the Kingdom and patience of our Lord Jesus Christ. He's waiting. So we, we wait, but we know assuredly that he's behind all those scenes and he's be, and he's, uh, he, he's moving behind the scenes and behind all those scenes that he moves.
Connection with our our responsibility with the government.
As it is now in the earth set up of God, three things we're told in the New Testament we are to pray. Heinz has already mentioned that pay and obey is the three things to pray and to pay. That is where to pay our taxes and to be honorable in everything that they require of us and also to obey.
But we're not called to enter into the government now.
As we said we're if any Christians are doing that, they're a day too soon.
What about if they command you to do something that is directly contrary to the Scriptures? Do you obey them? No. I think that's important to think about, brethren, because we're living in a world. Here in the West we have a lot of liberty, but in other parts of the world that's not the case, and we have an expression in these.
Countries that is uh, civil disobedience. That is not the place for a believer in the Lord Jesus. We have an example in the book of Daniel of Daniels three friends. They were commanded to bow down.
To that image that Nebuchadnezzar set up.
What are they going to do?
They didn't bow down because they recognized a higher authority than Nebuchadnezzar, and that higher authority had told them distinctly not to bow down to any graven image. And when it came to being called an account by Nebuchadnezzar, they did not rebel. They allowed themselves to be bound and cast into the fire. And I think sometimes, brethren, that's where we get the tribulation. You mentioned the Kingdom and patience, but tribulation is connected with that too.
If we recognize someone in ultimate authority that is absent and was rejected by this world, we're going to have to experience tribulation and patience in the Kingdom.
And I think those are important words to keep together in connection with that. You cannot own his authority without.
Feeling resistance and tribulation and patience are very much a part of it. We have an example of what you say in the early church in Acts as well, because there came a point where they commanded them not to preach the gospel. They brought them up to the court and they said you're not to speak in the name of Christ.
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And why did Peter say we ought to obey God rather than man? Because they had a Commission from a higher authority. Peter appealed to a higher authority. They had been told to go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature, and no authority on earth could undermine the authority that was given to them by the Lord Jesus Himself. But we want to stress, as Bob said, that the only time we are justified.
In not vowing to authority on earth.
And that's in any sphere of authority is when it goes against the authority of the word of God. The lordship of Christ must be maintained in our lives at all times and the authority of the word of God. But brethren, if we do not have authority from the word of God, a direct command we need to bow. Why do many of our brethren and other countries continue to meet when it's illegal, when they, the authorities tell them not to, they have authority from the word of God. We're not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together.
And so on. But they do it because they have a higher authority.
So it's correct to say that we are always to obey. If an authority, an earthly authority, gives us a command that is in con in contradiction to God's authority, then we go to the highest authority and we are always to obey.
This driving guitar speed limit. I'm afraid we often break that law, don't we?
I'm afraid we do. You know about them. Even the authorities are gracious. You know, they don't give you a ticket when you go 5 miles over the limit. But as Christians, we ought to be exercised to keep the speed limit. John Krelos, remember that, you know, young girls too. Young ladies, you know, you better remember that we ought to obey the law. You know that isn't that difficult. You know, we can drive quite fast.
On the Interstate, uh, here in this part of the world.
Uh, obey the authorities. That's what the Skipton admonishes. So just to summarize a little bit now as to what we've had in the chapter in relation to the father, three things. He has chosen us, predestinated us and made us accept it in his son, in the beloved. But now we have 3 things, uh, in relation to the sun. He's redeemed this verse seven. He's re revealed the given us the revelation of the mysteries, what we're talking about now. But also we have been through him or in him, we have obtained an inheritance.
Verse 11 goes on to speak about the inheritance. Now what is this?
It's often been said that the inheritance in Ephesians is the material creations, every created thing.
It's a little bit different than what you get in Colossians and in Peter, where the inheritance is seen as being over our head in a spiritual portion of blessing.
It's reserved in heaven for us here. It is the material creation and it's important to see that the inheritance in this aspect is not numbered among our spiritual blessings because it is something material and not of the character of the spiritual blessings that we have in verse 3, isn't it? We haven't we haven't possessed that inheritance yet. It is future we're going to.
When the Lord Jesus takes his place to reign supreme in this world, it says in Psalm 2, ask of me, the Father says to the Son, and I will give thee the Kingdom for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. So the time is going to come when he's going to take it, and he's going to liberate it from the ******* of corruption, and then we will.
Reign with him. That's going to be our inheritance.
Park offset government, you know, but there's a difference in connection with the government. Not all will reign through the same extent, you know, according to faithfulness, there is a greater portion given to one than to another. So when it comes to the Kingdom.
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That is based on faithfulness and the portion that we will have to reign with Him there. But in heaven, none is going to be in heaven because of anything that they have done. You know, none of us will be there because of our righteousness. It's the Lord Jesus and His work that has secured out the place there. I hope everyone in the audience here knows the Lord Jesus their Savior. If you know Him, you reign with Him, you know.
But heaven will always be our portion, our home, Even when we come back with Him to reign over the earth in the Millennium, Heaven is gonna be our home. You know it will be heavily citizens for all eternity.
There are a couple of scriptures I'd like to have noticed in that connection. If we could just read a verse in John 17 to show the distinction of the Lord's work in this present day and that day, as Bob referenced, When he will say, Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. But John 17. We often speak of this, of the Lord's high priestly prayer, but notice verse 9.
As He intercedes for His own, I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine. What does that mean? Does that mean we should not pray for the powers that be? No, we've already had that before us. Does it mean we don't pray for the souls of men that are in this world? No, but here the thought is, He doesn't demand for the world, not at this time, as the Lord Jesus was going back to His Father. His present work is on our behalf, interceding for us. But there is a day He will demand the world.
He will ask and he will be given the heathen for an inheritance and the other most parts of the earth for a possession. And that's the millennial day. But if we could also go back to familiar type in the Old Testament, back in Genesis chapter.
40.
Time for me now 40.
41 Genesis 41 in reference to.
Joseph we know he was rejected by his brother and he was exalted in Egypt, a type of Christ in this present day, rejected but exalted. But in verse 45 and Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zafnaf Pania.
Savior of the world and the revealer of secrets. And he gave him to wife Asanath, the daughter of Potiphar, priest of Anne. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
Well, Joseph in his rejection now is exalted. He's given a bride. Asked Nath, whose name means beauty. It's a beautiful picture of the Church not seen.
And God reaching down in grace and saving by all sinners. But here as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it, that He might present it to himself. A glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Beauty that which has raptured His heart. And so in His rejection. But now it's all that He's given, a bride that she might reign with Him over all the land. And so that is our place, isn't it? It's in Him we have the inheritance as associated as united with Christ.
But we the object of his delight, the heart, his heart's delight, and of His joy but to reign with Him. And so that would take us to that millennial day. We're not the inheritance, but we share it with Him and in Him.
Is that the impact that you have in the 1St 11 where it says we, which would refer to, we choose who are believers If, if they had just been brought in under, uh, like in the Millennium in the coming day, they would have just been an inheritance.
But who are they? Well, they're not. They're not part of the inheritance, are they? They're going to have a part of the inheritance. So this must have been a tremendous thing for a Jewish believer to hear.
This wonderful truth, what impact it must have had on this?
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We need to enjoy it too, our brother, and I think the enjoyment of it will deliver us from the materialism of the world we are passing through.
Uh, the stream of having things is so heavy in the culture we live in that sometimes we are affected by it. But why are we going to kill ourselves to earn more money and get more things if we're going to inherit all things in him in a few short years? What's the sense of that Doesn't make sense. Remember being down in the Dominican Republic and there was a brother that was beginning to neglect the meetings and.
He showed us his.
His, uh, properties and he told us a little bit about his product, his, uh, purposes of expanding. And I said, brother, you know what, uh, we're going to inherit all things with Christ in the future day. Is there any need to be expanding dramatically like this at the expense of neglecting the assembly meetings?
And I think, brethren, if we really live in the enjoyment of it, these are realities, brother, and we're not talking about some vague doctrines and ideas. These are real things. And I must say, I was challenged.
I didn't know brother Harry hay hole in my youth. Remember him at a Walla Walla conference? I think I was 13 but.
I guess I probably listened to him more on the tapes that there are that that man lived in the enjoyment of the truth of the inheritance and I just, I know some of you have heard this story. At one time he was riding on a train in Ontario, I think it was.
And it was a later summer and outside the window of the train where the fields, the harvest that were, uh, coming to ripen. And a young man beside him, he said.
Isn't that beautiful, uh, countryside young man? He said. Yes. He said, uh, you know, that all belongs to my father.
Interesting, he said. Kept on going a few more hours and he said this Bardu is really beautiful isn't it? Yes, this belongs to my father too and I'm I'm an heir of it all. Young man looked at him and said who are you and who is your father?
Brethren, we we smile at that, but it's the truth of the matter. Why kill ourselves by earning so much things? Let's be about our Father's business down here. He'll give us sufficient to pass through this life, but oh, to live in the enjoyment of it. Scripture speaks quite a bit about the inheritance in the Old Testament, and we need to look those things up, search them out. It should interest us.
Because it's going to be our possession with Christ. Notice in Romans chapter 8 it speaks of this and I I think it is.
An interesting detail it gives here says in.
Verse 17 If children, then heirs, heirs of God.
And joint heirs with Christ.
In other words.
Joint air is one who inherits it all. It's not going to be like an earthly inheritance where a father, if he has four children, divides his inheritance into four different parts. One has one part and another another part, no?
We will inherit it all together. Oh, I think that is so beautiful to enjoy that dear brother. And I love to go through the Andes of South America, see those beautiful countryside, and say this is part of the inheritance we're going to enjoy in that millennial day.
The amount of transfiguration was a little preview of the coming glory and the coming Kingdom.
And one of the men that was seen there with the Lord Jesus was Moses. And I never realized until I had opportunity on more than one occasion to travel through Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula. Just the import of that, because when it talks about Moses forsaking Egypt and what he received in in place of it for time, there's it's a it gives a greater import to those verses in Hebrews 11.
00:45:31
Then we realized Egypt was a glorious nation in the days of Moses. And it's interesting, I know there's a little, that part of history, secular history is a little clouded, but many scholars feel that the Pharaoh that was in power at that time was perhaps a Pharaoh that had no sons himself. He had a number of daughters, but he had no sons. And he would have perhaps been willing to make his adopted grandson.
To the throne and Moses could have had the glory of the, of a Kingdom down here at a time when Egypt was one of the greatest nations, uh, and societies, uh, that ever, uh, existed in ancient time could have had a pyramid of perhaps erected to his memory. But there he was on the Mount of Transfiguration. He gave it up for, uh, to lead the people of God through the Sinai desert for 40 years.
And what did he get? Murmuring and complaining and blame and all kinds of things. Will it be worth it all when we, I'm waiting to speak to Moses and say, Moses, was it worth it all? I saw what you gave up and what you got in exchange. Oh, say not for one moment. The glory of what is ahead in the Kingdom, uh, will make it all worthwhile. Anything we give up down here, brethren, that we give up in light of building for eternity and laying up treasure in heaven.
Enjoying our spiritual blessings here. It's all going to be worth it when that day of the, of our glory comes and we're going to reign with Christ. Brethren, not only are we going to reign with Christ in that day, but we're going to be at his side as his bride, as the Lamb's wife. We're going to be joint heirs with Christ. We've got the best of both worlds. We've got a spiritual inheritance to enjoy now.
Now as present portion and we've got, we're, we're going to inherit all things with Christ as joint heirs with him. We can't lose brethren. We've got the best of it of both, uh, both worlds.
Yes.
Hold of them by faith, you know. Hopefully we have an exercise to lay hold of the things that are ours by the faith in Christ, you know. But we cannot have both.
You know, if we go after and our hearts are attached to the things of earth and the world, we cannot come to enjoy our spiritual blessings. You think so? Quote together, you know, you leave the one behind. Just like the children of Israel had to leave Egypt to go into the farmer's land. You know the farmer's land is spiritually Speaking of where our blessings are in heavenly places.
In Christ Jesus, we can lay hold of these things now.
Five feet, you'd have to wait until we get there physically.
So there's two parts to the inheritance, or I should, maybe we could say two ways of looking at it. The way in which, uh, Peter presented is that, uh, it reserved in heaven for you. And it's really the portion of our blessings that we, uh, enjoy, or at least should enjoy. But in Ephesians, it's, uh, it's the material creation. It's every created thing. Mr. Darby put it this way.
In Peter you have it over our heads, but in Ephesians it stretches out under our feet.
The material creation that we're going, it's the stage in which God is going to display the glory of his Son.
Someone asked me one time, how can you say that, uh, if every created thing is the inheritance and it stretches out under our feet. If I look up, I see the sun and the moon and the stars. That's over my head. That's not under my feet. And the answer we gave him was, but you have to look at these truths that we're looking at from the perspective on which the epistle sees you.
And Ephesians sees you as seated in heavenly places in Christ. And when you're seated in heaven, you look down to the creation, you look down to the sun and the moon and the stars, and away down to the earth. But you see in Peter, it's a wilderness epistle. The Saints are seen on earth and their portion of blessing is over their heads. It's in the heaven. And so we need to see it from the perspective in which it is being presented in its respective epistle. And if we bring 1 into the other, we're going to get confused.
00:50:32
So it's important to see that now in this verse two, we have two words that are used and I'd like to just fasten on that for a minute. And that is purpose. We're reading verse 11, purpose, and the other is counsel.
Purpose is the intention of God's will, but counsel is the wisdom that He takes in carrying it out. So what I'm saying is, in the eternity past, God has had one great purpose to glorify His Son, and then divine persons took counsel as to how they're going to do this.
How it's gonna be worked out in time so that in the fullness of time at, at that day of, uh, when all of the ways of God are culminated in the display of Christ's glory, how this would be accomplished. And in the council of God, he has sought fit that he would use the crookedest sticks of his creatures, Gentiles that have gone far from God in sin and picked them up by grace, redeemed them, bring them into a place of blessing and use them.
As an instrument to display the glory of Christ and what it does, of course, is magnify the grace of God before the world. So his counsel has taken, uh, is the wisdom that he takes in carrying out his purpose and the ways of God worked and run along that line so that all will be fulfilled in that coming day.
How important to live, brethren, in the enjoyment and the intelligence of these things, that as we pass through this world.
Hey, somebody mentioned to me some time ago, and I've really enjoyed it, that when the Lord Jesus came the first time, it was an agent of the Roman Empire who tried to kill him when he was a baby.
Period. And then it was another agent of the Roman Empire.
Uh, Pilot, who gave the sentence to have him crucified. Now we're getting close to the time when the Lord Jesus is going to come back the second time to this world. And what do we see rising up in Europe? That same Roman power. And it will be that power that will go to fight with him, to make war with him when he comes out of heaven the second time. So we see these things taking place moving in that direction.
It should thrill us in a way, but it should make us. It should activate us as to getting out with the gospel as well.
OK.
But that doesn't mean that we can, uh, keep the gospel to people, You know, a lot of people have been saved by getting a message from a brother who could not, or a sister who couldn't claim that they had to gift her an evangelism, you know. But what are we to you? And what will the Spirit of God use to bring soulty to blessing?
The word of God.
Put a commemorate so that the Spirit can bring it to your memory when you meet people and give them the right scripture at the right time. It's the word of God that the Spirit of God uses to bring souls into blessing, but he cannot use us if we don't know the Scriptures. So it's so important. And for the young people here, how wonderful that you grow up under the influence of Scripture. You go to Sunday's school and hopefully the Bible is read in the whole and.
You grow up under that influence, memorize the scriptures and uh, uh, then the Spirit of God can bring it to your memory at any given time. He will not always use the same word for blessing, you know, but the Spirit can give you the right word at the right time that the Spirit can use to bring souls into blessing. But it is the word of God, of course, back up.
00:55:14
By a godly life, people will not accept our thoughts.
If they see us living in sin or living.
Contrary to Christian teaching, So while the Lord is able to use people efforts on the part of any of us.
Now it says in verse 12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted or pre trusted in Christ that we there is the Jews that have believed the gospel have been called to share in this wonderful new thing that God has, uh, forming, which is the church. But then he goes on in verse 13 and he says, in whom ye also, uh, had trusted.
And he's talking there, of course, Gentiles. And so the work of God by the Spirit of God is to gather out of both Jew and Gentile believers that would form this new heavenly vessel. But it's beautiful to see here in verse 12 when he says that we should be to the praise of his glory. We might read that loosely or quickly and just think, well, we should praise his glory, praise him for what he's doing and what he's done. Well, that's certainly true. We should praise him. But what he's saying here is that in the purpose of God is that he would use.
Believers now who are part of the church for the purpose of getting praise from men in that coming day of display. When this world looks up and sees the the, the wisdom of God and the grace of God and saving sinners and bringing them into this place of favor that is higher than as we've been saying, it's a mountaintop that God himself couldn't go any higher. And bringing them into such a place as that in association with Christ, it's going to produce praise in the hearts of all in the millennial earth to God for such wisdom.
And such grace. And so he's going to use us.
To get praise for himself. When the world looks on and sees that, they'll just wonder and it'll bring praise and glory to God. So it's a wonderful thing to think that we've been brought into this place. It's true. We should praise the Lord, Yes, of course. But that's not this verse exactly.
Perhaps it is via help to go back to the days that our brother Bob was speaking about. There's four days in Scripture that have a dispensational meaning, aren't there? Perhaps there's more, but at least four come to mind. And what you're speaking about brings one to mind. Bob spoke earlier about man's day, and we have that in First Corinthians 4, don't we? I think it's first verse four, if I remember right. He didn't want to be judged by man's day. Today we live in man's day.
It's, uh, Satan is the God and Prince of this world, and man appears to have the upper hand. I say appears, but it is a world of which Satan is the God and Prince. But soon, when the Lord Jesus appears out of heaven in power and glory, the Scripture calls that the day of the Lord, or at least the beginning, I should say, of the day of the Lord. And that goes through the tribulation, the end of the tribulation, when he appears all the way through the Millennium, doesn't it? And I suppose to that great white throne.
When things will be finalized, but there's another day. And this is what uh, uh, I think we have in verse 12. That's the day of Christ, isn't it? When we're going to be displayed as belonging to Christ to the wonder of the whole world. It's not gonna be to our glory, is it? Notice it doesn't say our glory, but it's to the praise of his glory. Remember what Balaam said? Balaam was an unbeliever. There was no faith in Balaam. He spoke.
No more willingly than the donkey he rode. But God put words in his mouth that have meaning because they're God's words. And Balaam said, what hath God wrought? And so when the world sees us identified with Christ, uh, when we're to the praise of his glory, they'll say, what hath God wrought? That's the day of Christ, isn't it? The showing forth of the Lord Jesus in his glory. And then we know the final dispensational day is that day of God.
When, uh, everything is going to be brought to a conclusion, the, uh, uh, Satan is going to be cast into the lake of fire. Uh, evil is brought to an end. And I might just mention, uh, we have that of course referred to at least the, the principle in chapter 3. Uh, just look at that very quickly, perhaps because there's only four places in Scripture, if I recall right, where the eternal state is mentioned. And this is one.
01:00:18
Uh, chapter 321 Unto him the glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Well, in uh, Peter, he calls it the day of God.
Doesn't call it here that here, but I mentioned this, brethren, there's something that's very precious to my soul. Uh, we have in this verse, and that is our brother Bob mentioned yesterday that these, so many of our blessings are eternal blessings. If we look carefully at what scripture says about the eternal state, we find that there's no Israel in the eternal state. There's no Gentiles as such in the eternal state, at least distinct as Gentiles in Israel.
It's gone.
But there is the Church. We have a peculiar place, as it says there in chapter three of our book.
Unto him be glory in the church by Jesus Christ Jesus throughout all ages. World without end. That's eternity, brethren, the day of God. The church will go on in its peculiar position throughout all eternity. That's true of Israel, not true of the Gentiles as such. But the church has a peculiar place.
And it goes on throughout eternity.
That's the Tabernacle of God that is with men.
Isn't it? It's Christ in this church.
Forever united with men.
In that eternal day.
40 and the offending.