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#141.
Ephesians chapter one and verse 6.
Through the praise of the glory of His Grace, wherein He has made us accepted in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace, where any other bounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to the good pleasure which He had purposed in Himself.
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 He also trusted. After that He heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. In whom also after that He believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.
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Which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession under 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 ye 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 word, 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 to 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.
That expression accepted in the beloved.
Has a depth of meaning that.
For myself, I wonder if I really understand it.
We're not only accepted.
On the ground of the finished work of Christ. But it's a revelation that Paul got from a risen Christ in glory.
One of the precious revelations that only he got that the believer now is in Christ.
Peter, John, others that preach before Paul came on the scene.
They didn't teach that. They preached the forgiveness of sins.
Be it known unto you, therefore it says, men and brethren, that's Acts 13, that through this man is preached under you the forgiveness of sins. That's what Peter and John and others preached. But then Paul comes along and adds this to it, and it should read in him all that believe are justified from all things, and so on.
The believer today is in Christ. That is, we could not be more fit for the presence of God, more fit for heaven.
More highly blessed than Christ himself.
But we're not merely accepted in him.
Were not merely accepted in Christ, although that is blessedly true.
We're accepted in the beloved.
That is not merely as God's, if we could say it reverently, God's sense of justice involved.
His love is involved, isn't it? We're accepted in the beloved because Christ is beloved.
And as we sometimes sing in one of our hymns, the love we're with, He loves the Son. Such is his love to me. So what a wealth of preciousness is in that little phrase, accepted in the beloved. Something not merely to be known as truth in our heads, but something to be.
Enjoyed in the heart, isn't it?
In the beloved, that's the why, the way God looks at us in a position of unchanging favor. It's it's amazingly wonderful, and we need to let it sink into our souls.
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God looks at you with unchanging favor.
And that's why.
When we get willful and out of the way.
He will discipline us. Why? Because we occupy a place of unchanging favor. He loves us too much to let us go our own way. And so I know I have a father that if I get out of the out of bounds, he's going to deal with me. It's it's something that is so amazingly precious taken into favor in the beloved.
The same way he looks at his own beloved son, he looks at you and me. That's the position you and I occupies. Not pleased sometimes with our actions, but because of this position we occupy, he looks at us in unchanging favor.
Where's Beloved? And Mr. Darby is capitalized showing us exactly who it refers to. So it's one of his names or titles. And there's two things in the 6th and 7th verse that are so beautifully brought together. Brother Bill has alluded to it, but I want to just mention them and then use an Old Testament illustration that I think brings it out so beautifully in the sixth verse. We're accepted in the Beloved, as we've said, we're we're seen in all the perfection of Christ. Stand in all that favor before God.
As seen in Christ and then in the seventh verse, we have redemption because it's based on the work of redemption and the blood of Christ that was shed on Calvary's cross, and we have the forgiveness of sins. And I thought of it, and it may be a bit of a feeble illustration, but I trust it will be helpful. I thought of it in connection with the boards of the Tabernacle, these two things, because you remember those boards of the Tabernacle. Well, they went to make up the collectively the dwelling place of God amongst His people in the wilderness.
Yet individually, I believe those boards represent individual believers in in figure in their standing before God. And there were two things that characterized them. One was that they stood in two sockets of silver and silver, as we well know. I suppose invariably in Scripture is a picture of redemption, and that's the seventh verse. And Peter brings that out. We're not redeemed with silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.
And in the Old Testament there was the redemption money and so on. It's the our standing as far as redemption. And it was two sockets of silver. And there are applications we could make, but there was something else that characterized those boards, and that is that they were covered completely with pure gold.
And I believe that would represent to us in application at least, the fact that we have been made the righteousness of God in him. In other words, when the eye of God rested on the those boards, what did he see? It wasn't to see the rough cut lumber that was underneath, but it was to see that which spoke to the heart of God of divine righteousness. And you and I have been brought into that position, accepted in the Beloved where we are seen, as I say.
We've been made the righteousness of God. In Him we have more than just redemption and more than just the forgiveness of sins.
As wonderful as that is, it's more than that. I'm more than a forgiven Sinner. I am a forgiven Sinner, but I stand in all the favor of God, accepted in the beloved. Just like those boards were covered with pure gold as they stood in those sockets of silver.
Redemption is the basis of all blessing, isn't it?
And the result of that, it's interesting, it says we have redemption, present possession, brethren.
But as a result of that redemption, we have the forgiveness of sins.
According to the riches of his grace.
Go back to Romans chapter 3.
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You'll find something else that.
Bill mentioned that we have because of that redemption.
Romans 3 and verse.
24.
Being justified freely by His grace.
Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, there's the redemption mentioned again.
But here it is more than forgiveness, it is justification. You know, it's wonderful to be forgiven, amazingly wonderful to think that before a holy God we have the forgiveness of our sins.
But justification is going beyond that. It is declaring to be righteous. It is not only being a forgiving Sinner, but being put in a position before God of complete righteousness. Like Jim was mentioning the boards covered with gold. That is the righteousness of God in Christ. Wonderful realities, these are brethren.
That I find and justice mention it that so many people I hear praying at times, not so much those gathered the Lord's name, but other otherwise you hear them ask the Lord for the forgiveness of sins.
And you know that was proper before the Lord went to the cross. The Lord taught his disciples to pray.
In what is called sometimes the Lord's Prayer, it's really the disciples prayer to forgive us our sins as we forgive our debtors that was given to them before the Lord paid the price of redemption.
After the price of redemption was paid from the book of the the Gospels and in the book of the Acts and the Epistles, you can look everywhere and never again does it say that we have to ask for the forgiveness of sins. It has been freely offered and it is solely for a person that is not a believer if he hears the message to accept.
The forgiveness that is offered to him to ask when it's being offered is really not understanding.
That the price has been paid and you can have it as a free gift.
I can still remember in a penitentiary one time speaking about this.
And there was an older man in the back of the crowd of the convicts there and we spoke about this. You don't need to ask for it. All you have to do is to accept it and thank God for it. He came up after the meeting and said, all these years I've been asking God for the forgiveness of my sins. Today I accept it, Thank God for it. Oh, the wonder of it, brethren, to know that we have it.
Present Possession.
Isn't that wonderful, to be able to look up into the heavens and realize before a holy God, I have the forgiveness of all my sins, don't you?
Acts 10 and verse.
It's a knit very interesting chapter.
Peter verse 34 says he opened his mouth.
And he says, Of a truth I perceive, God is no respecter of persons.
But in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him.
So he begins to say, well, read on the word which God sent under the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all that word I say ye know, which was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with him.
Where we are witnesses of all things, which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they slew and hanged on a tree. Him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly, not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us who did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead. And He commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is He which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness that through His name.
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Whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
Well, Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on them which heard the word, and they of the circumcision, we believe were astonished as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also has poured out the gifts of the Holy Ghost.
They, it doesn't say they ask for forgiveness of sins. And it's interesting that they, Peter declares we are witnesses. We are witnesses of his resurrection. You know all the story of his life. But it comes down to this faith in the person.
They believe that they will see you. That's right.
Just notice to what Bill mentioned already, but I'd like to.
Give it to you, for especially young people get it before you. What Paul preached in chapter 13 goes that step further that we were mentioning. Notice it Acts 1338 and 39. Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that believe are justified from all things.
From which he could not be justified by the law of Moses.
There's justification.
And that goes beyond rather than it's hard to explain the wonder of it really. I remember a story that was told and it helped to for me to understand justification story was told of a young boy that was extremely disobedient to his father and his father was at his wits end to know how to get through to his boy. And so he had in the backyard a post that was.
In the ground. And he said, every time you disobey me, I'm going to drive a nail into that post. And it wasn't too long till that post looked like a porcupine. It was all full of nails.
And one day the boy looked at the post and said wow, I'm that bad?
And he felt it. And he.
Acknowledged that he had been very disobedient and his father seen that there was a change of heart in his son said I'm going to forgive you I'm going to pull all those nails out and he pulled them out and when he had pulled them all out his son said but dad the nail holes are still there and that's what justification does it not only forgives us our sins but it completely.
Brings us before God.
As righteous, wonderful, wonderful reality.
We would never really be comfortable in the presence of God or the presence of the Lord Jesus. We'd always just feel like forgiven sinners. And I know you, and I've used the illustration before, Bob, but let me repeat it, if you will. Let's suppose I break into your house tonight after these meetings and I steal some valuables and I get down the road and the you've called the police and they arrest me. You don't know who it is.
But they call you and they say, Mr. Tony, come on down to the police station and we've caught your thief and he's got the goods on him and come on down and press charges and get your goods back. And so you come down and as you're about to approach the counter, you look over on the bench and you see me handcuffed to the bench. And you come over and you sit down and you say, now, Jim.
What you did was absolutely wrong, but I'm going to forgive you. And not only am I going to forgive you and not press charges, but tomorrow night after the conference is over, I'd like you to come over and have dinner with with my wife and I and we'll just, we'll just go on like nothing's happened. Would I really be comfortable to come over to your house and have dinner? I might come over to your house and have dinner, but there would always be in the back of my mind and on my conscience that you remember what I had done. I never really would be truly comfortable in your presence again.
Even though you assure me that you've forgiven me. My grandmother had an expression, I've forgiven, forget, but I always remember. And isn't that what human nature is? But you know, it's beautiful that it says in Hebrews by sins and iniquities, not I'll forget. That's human weakness. God doesn't forget, but he says I will not remember. I will remember no more. Only a divine person can choose not to remember. I remember the things I want to forget and I forget the things I should remember.
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But God, while he doesn't forget that human weakness, I say there are things he chooses not to remember. And one of those things is my sins when they're taken care of by the work of Christ. But we're brought into this position, as you say, so we can be perfectly comfortable now, accepted, not just washed in the blood of Christ, not just forgiven sinners, but accepted in him, seen in all the righteousness of Christ before God.
Beautiful beyond what we can really take in, isn't it?
That's it.
In whom we have redemption through his blood. He paid the price to redeem us. That price was His blood, His life. He gave that to to to save us. And when we're saved, it's good for us to know that when we're saved, we only need one application of the blood. The blood was shed. I believe the blood takes my sins away. The blood has done its work. When we get to to 1St John 17, it says.
The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin, and so my sin is gone. But then we come to verse nine and you say, brother Bob, that we don't, we don't confess our sins. Well, we don't confess our sins for salvation. We confess our sins after we're saved and we fall into sin. Then it says if we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We don't have to get saved over and over again. We don't have to have the work of the blood over and over again. The blood is done once, but then the Lord shed his blood and water. The water would speak perhaps of the word of God. And if we if we find that we've examined ourselves and we find sin in our life, we need to confess that sin, not to get saved, but to restore the fellowship with God that's been broken by that sin.
And so the Lord Jesus, he's willing to forgive us. How can he forgive us after we've already been saved? And he, well, he's, he can forgive us because we are accepted in the beloved, because what the Lord has done, he paid the price with his blood. Not only does he forgive us, but he cleanses us, us from all unrighteousness. And I like to think of that as part of being justified. That takes our guilt away, not just the sin, but the guilt of the sin. And so maybe you have some sin in your life that you've confessed, but you're still feeling.
Terrible about it. You can accept the forgiveness of God. You can accept that God says you are forgiven and you can accept that and you can have peace that that is not going to be brought up again. You're not going to have to stand before God for that sin. It's gone. It's gone because the Lord Jesus has taken that for you.
First Tim, first John 19 and it needs to be explained and you've done good job. It's a confession that is needed. Doesn't say if we ask for the forgiveness of our sins. No, we already have that. Says if we confess and confess goes deeper to ask for the forgiveness of sins. I'm not really thinking of the bad thing I did. I'm thinking about the disposition of the person I've sinned against.
But what I need to do in this case, like you say, it's a question of restoration. First, John 19 is to confess. And to confess I have to recognize the bad thing I've done and to say so to God. And when we do, He's faithful and just to forgive and to cleanse, and that's not.
Judicial forgiveness there, that's governmental forgiveness in the family of God. I think that's helpful to see that. I trust that's clear.
We let someone in that is wrong and very often we try to justify it. We try to pretend it's not what it is. And so in the first John 19 is I confess, I admit that it's sin. I admit that it's wrong. You might say it puts me into agreement with God, puts me on the same page and that's what the Christian man is. God says that I am accepted in his Son, cleansed from sin. If I do living in sin, I'm denying that truth. On the other hand, if I refuse to really accept the grace of God and if I think I'm on some kind of probation, then once again, I'm not on the same page of God. So here's the all important thing is the work of God that we've done for us in Christ. We accept that by the work of the Holy Spirit in us now we are in agreement with God now we're on the same page with God now our life should walk in dream again now.
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I think it was Brother Quinn Buchanan that used to say, be what you are. What's the Christian life?
Put in the verse remember the pit from whence you were dig.
I don't think it's wrong for us to remember that it keeps us.
In our proper place of humility. But God has, like Jim said, has promised never to remember it again. And actually, the 2nd chapter of this epistle we're taking up is a reminder to the Ephesians Saints of what they once were and the work of God, the grace of God and the work to bring them from what they were because He wanted them never to forget. And I believe that in the measure in which we realize what we were, then in that measure we'll have a sense of His grace.
And the power that brought us from what we were to what we are by grace.
Just a practical comment before we pass on from the subject of the blood. I just want to say, especially to those who are younger, as we have opportunity to present the gospel, whether it's in a public way or whether it's with your interact, in your interactions with your fellow students or coworkers at work, your neighbors, whoever the Lord gives you opportunity with, always bring in the blood.
It's the basis of everything without the shedding of blood is no remission. I grew up under the preaching of an evangelist by the name of Ernie Wakefield and Ernie Wakefield used to often tell us when you present the gospel, present Christ and make much of the blood that was that stuck with me. And so I don't believe really any gospel message is complete without the stressing of the importance of the of the blood of Christ.
It's the blood of Christ that cleanses from sin. It's the blood of Christ in whom we have redemption. It's the blood of Christ that is the basis of our justification. We're sanctified by the blood of Christ. As we get in the end of Hebrews, we're washed in the blood of Christ. So I just want to encourage you, always make much of the blood. Bring it in because it is the only remedy that God has for sin.
Without the blood, we would have nothing. That's it.
Well, God has done much more than that for us, hasn't He?
Not that that isn't wonderful, I don't mean to take away from it, but it says in verse 8 wherein that is referring to the riches of his grace He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, or perhaps more accurately, intelligent.
And what a precious thing that is, to have divine intelligence.
Man in this world knows by nature that there is more than what this life has. He has a God conscious part to his being. And I suppose it's no profound statement to say that much of man's literature, his poetry, his artwork, his music and so on, is a celebration, or perhaps lack of it, of what he has lost through the fall.
He realizes that. He realizes that there is something to be grasped at. He wants intelligence as to what What is more?
To you and me as believers, God has abounded toward us in all wisdom and intelligence.
The infinite God who has sent his beloved Son to die for us says.
Now I want to bring you out of your sins, identify you with my beloved son, justify you all the things we've been talking about.
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But more than that, I want to outline to you everything that I have in my purposes, in my plans.
Concerning my beloved son, I want you to know that I want you to understand that I want you to live in the good of it.
What a precious thing that is to us. Do I enjoy it? I speak to my own heart? Or are these just words that I read over because.
I think we all realize that the life that is lived today, especially in Western Europe and North America, is very, very busy and getting busier. And if we're not careful, our lives, our focus tends to be down here, doesn't it? All the things, necessary things in many cases. But that takes up so much of my time and my outlook.
The Lord says I've got eternal realities concerning my beloved Son, concerning.
All that I'm going to do with him, and I want you to know all about it.
Beautiful.
So verse eight goes with verse 9, doesn't it? Having made known unto us the mystery of His will.
According to his good pleasure which he had purposed in himself. And it goes on to verse 10. But it is amazing to think that God has opened to us the mystery of His will.
And.
Hard to know how to illustrate it so we can get a proper evaluation of it. But supposing some morning the you get a knock at the door and you find it's the president of the United States at your door. And he comes in and he says, I have chosen you because I want to share with you all the plans I have for this country. Well, that would be a tremendous thing. Say, why in the world did he choose me?
But we're not talking about the president of the United States. We're talking about the God of the universe.
His eternal purposes he has over abounded. It's interesting in the Spanish translation at verse eight, He is super abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of his will, He's laid it out for us. And I sometimes say, rather like Bill was saying earlier in this day, there is a gift.
For teaching the word Scripture clearly shows that.
There is no special gift for learning the Word that is for all of us. This is one of the spiritual blessings. And if I don't understand God's eternal purposes, who's at fault, me or Him? It's my fault. I didn't have the desire to really understand these things. And I've been amazed, brethren, sometimes in different parts of Latin America, that.
There are sisters in our meetings that don't take part naturally in public meetings, but they are listening and they are reading the scriptures and they OFT times understand, sometimes more than the brothers. It is not a special gift to learn these things. It is a special gift to give it out. But may the Lord give us the desire to understand properly.
As He wants us to. That's why He's given us His Holy Spirit to help us to understand these things and to live in the enjoyment of them.
In that connection, we might make a remark that has often been made before, and that is the word mystery is not used here in the sense of something that only a few can get into and understand. It's a secret. That's the force of the word mystery in Scripture, a secret that is revealed that was not revealed before. And so in the Old Testament, if you had asked.
Godly men like Moses or Abraham or David or any of them.
What is God going to do in the future? What is the secret of God's purpose? For the ages? They would have had to say, we don't know. All we know is that what we are called to do is be faithful to the Law and to what Moses gave us, and then we can expect earthly blessings. And they had an idea that down the road there was one coming, the Messiah. But beyond that they did not know. But now.
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You and I live in the time when God has revealed it all. The mystery, the secret of His will, it's all there for us, and it's in His Word.
You and I have nothing to do but simply enjoy the fact that we are the recipients of it. What a what a difference that makes to our outlook in our lives in this world. When I realize where it's all going. Reminds me about a dear brother back in the 1800s who made a comment something like this. He said do not be concerned about all the purposes and movements of man. They will only accomplish gods in the end anyhow.
I say it kindly, but how many dear believers are taken up with the movements of man and what's happening here and what this country is doing and what the president of the United States is doing and what Congress has decided and what awful choices the Supreme Court might be making and all these kinds of things? Yes, we can expect to see those things happen. But let's remember that nothing is going to hinder the secret of God's will.
That we have revealed here because God's purpose to in Himself. When God purposes something in Himself, all the forces of man and of Satan are not going to change it, are they?
And the Christian that's reading their Bible is more intelligent about what's going on in the world stage today than all the wise, intelligent politicians and statesman who are trying to figure things out by natural intelligence.
Lining up with allies and and accumulating armaments and peace pacts and negotiations and summits. And while we can be aware of what's going on, we're not isolationists. I want to be aware of what's going on. The difference is we don't need to be overwhelmed because on the one hand, we know that God is in full control, and on the other hand, we know that has been said. Whatever man does is only accomplishing God's purposes.
I like that scripture in the 76th Psalm that says the wrath of man shall praise thee, and the remainder of wrath thou shalt restrain. We see it in the book of Esther. God is not mentioned by name. But you read the book of Esther and as you come to the end, is there any doubt of who is in control of the government and the circumstances? Is there any doubt of who put God's man on the throne next to the king by the end of that story?
No, it was God Himself that was in control. And this is a day, brethren, when men's hearts are failing them for fear.
Because they do not understand, they know that they're dealing with an interplay of economic, political and social forces that are beyond their control. And it's not if the elastic is going to snap, it's when what they, you know, I watch these men from the corporate world and the, the politicians, I see them in the business lounges of the airport every week. They on one end of the, the business lounge, there's a flat screen with a, a newscast from 11 Country.
On the other end, a continual newscast from the from another country. It's disheartening to say the least. And I see men and I've learned and women and I've learned to watch them. These are men and women in high places. They turn away. You see the fear in their eyes. They they'll comment, where is it going to end? What is going to happen? They don't understand, but they are afraid because they know something's got to snap. But we can be aware without being overwhelmed. Isn't that wonderful? We don't have to be overwhelmed.
By the events that we see going on on the world stage, as Brother Bill has already said, we can be aware, but not overwhelmed because there's one who's going to bring it all to fruition. And what is the fruition of everything? That Christ is going to have his full exaltation, not just in heaven. He has that today. He has been crowned with glory and seated at the right hand of God. He has his rightful place in heaven, but he's going to have it universally. And brethren, the heart of God will never be satisfied.
Till His Son has his full vindication and is glorified and recognized universally and is the center of everything, is anything going to frustrate that? Anything that man could do, any failure in the church? No, not for one moment. In the dispensation of the fullness of time. It's all going to come to fruition according to God's purposes concerning His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
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You're talking about verse 10, aren't you?
That in the dispensation of the fullness of times, that's.
That word dispensation is administration in the new translation.
That's the last of the dispensations, the millennial day. He Christ might gather together in one, that God might gather together in one all things in Christ, but which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him, that all things are going to be brought directly under the authority of the Lord Jesus.
And I just like to, you mentioned it a bit, brother Bill about dispensational teaching and the opposite, which is covenant theology. And I, I think it is helpful to understand what we're talking about. I myself have to say I was not aware of the conflict that there is between those two positions. Could you say some more on that bit of the bill?
Well, I'm not an expert on it, but covenant theology, as most are aware, also termed Reconstructionism, basically says that the Church and Israel are. They don't say they're one and the same, but they say the Church takes the place of Israel on the earth and that we as believers are responsible to get this world into proper shape in order that the coming Kingdom can come about.
And so.
It essentially takes away the heavenly calling of the Church.
And there are different stripes of covenant theologists so that you can't.
Put everything into one system of beliefs, but basically their attitude is that when we get the.
World into proper shape for the Lord to come and put everything in a position where Christ can set up his Kingdom then he'll come and set up the Kingdom and then the most of them will say after that then the Lord will come and supposedly take us home to heaven. But again there are variations on that and the difficulty is of course that if you embrace covenant theology then.
You lose the heavenly calling of the Church.
And that Satan's aim, you lose the fact that the believer is expecting the Lord to come at any moment. You lose the fact that he is not to be building this world up, but rather recognizing that only through judgment will it be brought into a place where Christ's Kingdom can be set up. When the judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. And so it's sweeping christened them today.
I didn't realize either, Bob, how widespread it was for a for a long time, but it's sweeping Christendom today and I have been.
Surprised in speaking to dear believers that I knew to find out how that the imminent return of the Lord Jesus and the expectation of His coming has been totally lost sight of in the efforts to put things together down here, of course.
I'll say a couple of things more because.
Some will say well.
How is it all going to workout? You say that there isn't a second chance for those that don't believe the gospel of the grace of God. And yet on the other hand, you say there's going to be a gospel of the Kingdom preached. And where are they going to come from that are going to preach the gospel of the Kingdom? And how are they going to appear so suddenly? And there are some unanswered questions that only the Lord knows how to work out in His own time and place.
But.
All of God's precious promises concerning Israel in the Old Testament, they'll come to pass.
All the glorious prospects that they looked for in a coming Kingdom, they're going to realize them in the Millennium in an earthly way. But thank God, you and I as the church are going to enjoy that which is far better. We're going to enjoy the Kingdom in the heavenly sense of the word. We're going to enjoy the heavenly side of it.
00:50:09
Covenant theology basically says that the Church has taken the place of Israel and God has no more place for Israel. It does not recognize two distinct peoples in the scriptures.
Earthly people and a heavenly people. Remember when God gave the promise of blessing to Abraham, He said it would be his descendants would be like the stars of heaven.
And like the sand up on the seashore, 2 spheres of blessing. And that will be forever rather than because even in Revelation 21, when we have the heavenly city in the eternal day, there is the heaven and the earth, there are the two spheres of blessing. And the church is part of the heavenly scene, not the earthly. And so if you don't distinguish those two.
You can understand why so many dear believers, and let's be careful.
Our spirit towards them, sometimes we get critical of them, but when they don't have the proper teaching, you can understand if there is no difference between Israel and the church, why they say a Christian should get involved in politics. Wasn't Daniel high up in the Kingdom of Babylon? Wasn't Josephi up in Egypt?
Why shouldn't a Christian get involved in the political thing to influence things for God?
And it makes sense if you're going to reason from that basis. The point is that Scriptures clearly teach us that there is a heavenly people and that there is an earthly people, a distinct people. And if you understand that, then you understand our proper position as believers in the Lord Jesus. We're part of the heavenly scene. And as we said before, in this world, here we are. But we are ambassadors for Christ, not to get involved.
In the political process, but to represent the Lord Jesus here in this world.
Question, Bob, sorry.
But Daniel was a captain.
And Joseph was a slave.
That's not brought out when they use that argument.
Question. Then tell us why.
Covenant theology is so popular. Why? Why is it sweeping Christendom today? What is there about it that has such an appeal to the believer? Wouldn't he rather have the heavenly calling?
Go ahead and answer it. Bear the bill.
I have thought about that a lot and I my only I just this what I suppose is that embracing covenant theology, you can embrace a broader spectrum of Christendom in their teaching, which is not right. That's that's the only thing I can come up with.
And I don't pretend to have the whole answer, and we don't need to spend a lot of time on it. But sometimes these things, it's helpful to try and see why it is. And to me, covenant theology appeals to the natural man and gives him a place of respectability in this world many, many years ago, probably 150 years ago, when the truth of the heavenly calling was.
Becoming widely known and when it was being brought out in the meetings and if we could say it, by those whom God raised up back in the 1800s.
The question was raised in a reading meeting once.
What if other believers don't want to listen to the precious truth of the Church?
And the answer came from a very godly man whose name you would all recognize if I named him, He said They will probably listen to you until you want to take them to heaven.
No, he didn't mean at the end of the pathway. That's not what he was talking about. He meant the heavenly calling because the heavenly calling.
Takes me out of this world and gives me no place in this world, no respectability, nothing. I if I could say it bluntly, I'm following a man who.
00:55:13
Was cast out of this world on a cross. And I say that's the one with whom I identify. He's now in heaven. All my hopes, all my aspirations, all my blessings are up there. And that's what I'm living for. That runs totally contrary to the whole current of this world. And it's not very popular and it's not new either. It's not some new teaching. It's really what the reformers.
Believed and taught they felt that they were a moral force to usher in the Kingdom and that's why when you read and God used them in a mighty way because light was being recovered. But that is why they felt they should fight state churches and governments and they would go into the cathedrals of Zurich and so on and smash the images of the Saints and the Virgin Mary. John Knox would go in and reason with Queen Mary till she all she wanted to see was his head role in the tower and and so on.
But they felt that they were a moral force to usher in the Kingdom. But God used them because light was being recovered at that time. And thank God, God raised up men later that brought out these precious things that we've been enjoying in connection with the fact that our goals and aspirations are not connected with the betterment of this world. This world is under judgment. But just another comment about distance, why it's important to hold dispensational teaching. We've talked a lot about the folly of covenant theology.
But now we might say, well, what is so important about dispensational teaching, brethren, if we wipe away dispensational guidelines or ignore them as they don't, as if they don't exist? What you're really saying is that all Scripture in its strict application applies to us now, and that's not true. All Scripture is for us, and it has an application, but it's not all about us. And in its strict application it is doesn't all apply to us.
As Bob has been saying, there's much of it. In fact, most of it applies in connection with God's earthly people, His dealings with them, and what is yet to be his dealings with them in in the Kingdom.
The translators of the King James Bible didn't understand this and that's why some of the headings in the Old Testament that they put at the top of the page.
Which are not inspired. They were added by the translators. They're a little bit misleading. Look in the book of Isaiah, sometimes it'll say the church such and such is going through such and such. It's not true. It's Israel. We can make a present application and enjoy those scriptures. But I believe when you take it up in the light of dispensational guidelines, you find that, as has already been said, God didn't deal with people the same at at at every time in their history.
And I believe what is helpful to understand is that at the beginning of a dispensation or administration, God gave light and responsibility to man to act on the light that was given at the end of the age. He brought in judgment because of man's failure and then introduced something brand new. He didn't just build. I know there's a sense in which things continue sometimes, but He introduced something brand new. And so at the end of the law, what happened? Christ came.
And Christ went to the cross, and he bore the penalty for sin. What's going to happen at the end of the dispensation of the grace of God? God is going to bring in judgment and introduce a new dispensation, a new administration of things called the Millennium. And that's a principle with God that I think is very helpful. The covenanters will say, well, God, just when man failed under one covenant, God just built on that and added to it, and so on.
We want to be very careful. That is not really how God has operated. So again, He gives light at the beginning. Man has a responsibility. Man always fails. God brings in judgment at the end and then introduces something brand new. And what a day it's going to be when the new administration of things is introduced, the Millennium. And then at the end of it all, there's going to be a scene, the eternal state where sin will never penetrate again.
Go back to the beginning, Genesis 11 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth shows us God was thinking about Israel and the church right from the beginning. He created the heaven for his heavenly people, the church. He created the earth for his earthly people, Israel. And then you come to Ephesians chapter one, verse 10 at the dispensation, the fullness of times, you might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven.
01:00:22
And which are on earth. There we have God's heavenly people, God's earthly people. Then you get to Revelation 21. In the eternal state you find a new heaven, a new earth. God's thinking about the church. He's thinking about Israel all through eternity.
Will be a heavenly and an earthly company. Even in the eternal state. We do not meld together as one, as one mass. It will remain distinct. I would just say.
In connection with heaven, there is a heaven that is not created, and that's the 3rd heaven. That's the eternal dwelling place of God.
It's so easy, isn't it brethren, to think of what things mean to us now. I trust that the work of Christ and what is ahead in glory means everything to us. But I believe, as has already been said, it's it's good to get the focus off us.
And to get the focus on Christ and God's purposes for his Son and his full glorification and and vindication.
Yes, we're going to be associated with Christ in that day. Yes, we're going to be with him. We're going to be like him. We're going to have a part in the administration of the Kingdom. But brethren, what is God really looking forward to? What is Christ thinking about as he sits at the right hand of God? You know, Hebrews 10 tells gives us a little idea of what Christ is thinking about right now.
Henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. And so to see it from God's perspective and Christ's perspective, I believe, brethren, this will detach us practically from the things of this world and the goals and aspirations that we might have otherwise. Like nothing else. Not so much to be thinking about what it's going to, what it all means to us and what we're part. We're going to have that. That's all part of it. I don't want to discredit that, but brethren, to think of it in relationship to the fact that Christ is going to be the center of everything in that day.
Where dispensation is also used in chapter 3 and I'd just like to mention it to it's talking about the present time period or administration. In verse two it says if you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you word that my revelation he made known unto me the mystery as I wrote a four and few words whereby when you read you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in.
Other ages. The Old Testament times was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed, and to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body.
And particulars of the promise of his promise in Christ by the gospel, verse nine, to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hit, doesn't say in the Old Testament, but hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ. So but the other bill was mentioned. If you would ask Abraham or David or Moses, those Old Testament worthies, if they knew anything about the church, they have absolutely nothing about that.
Was a mystery that is revealed to the holy apostles and prophets in this present age that the Gentiles would be united to Jews in one body in Christ. And that's the truth of the church. And so it's it's helpful to see that we're dispensation used and that's what is being formed in this present day in which we live.
And there's an order here too, isn't there? And it's been alluded to.
The 10th verse is Christ. The 11Th verse is you and I.
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It's helpful if we remember that when we're preaching the gospel. It's a wonderful thing to preach the gospel and bring man's need before him.
But I suggest that it's a wonderful thing. Even more so perhaps.
To bring before lost souls even the purposes of God in Christ. Oh, you say they can't understand it when they're lost in sins? Perhaps not. But they can understand that right from the get go. The gospel is not primarily about them, it's about Christ.
You find Paul preaches the gospel that way. The book of Romans doesn't start out with man's need, it starts out with the gospel of God.
Concerning what concerning his Son Jesus Christ and so on. And so here we have the what we could say are the two parts of the mystery or the secret, haven't we in verses 10 and 11, God's side is in Christ that God has in his purposes to.
Raise up Christ from the dead, and to make him the head over all things, both in heaven and which are on earth.
But then he also includes you and me in it, and that's the second part of it. Christ isn't going to take that position all alone. He wants you and me to be with him. And God wants you and me perfectly conformed to the image of His Son so that we can share that with him. That place, that inheritance, that wonderful position for all eternity. Well, it's really beyond our understanding, isn't it?
Really way beyond it, but.
It's important to recognize that it's about Christ first and foremost. I say that because there is a danger in Christianity. And I say this again very kindly because I have been guilty of it myself, in looking at God as a wonderful philanthropist who first of all was there to send his Son to die on the cross, to forgive my sins. And now He is up there so that I can go to Him with every need that I have down here.
Every problem, every difficulty, and he will be the answer to it. He'll hear me, He loves me and he'll help me.
All that is blessedly true, but it falls short, doesn't it? It falls far short of what we can enjoy if Christ has his rightful place. And if I'm lifted outside of myself to see things from God's standpoint, I see everything that He has in Christ.
It doesn't shortchange me at all, does it? I'm not shortchanged by seeing it from God's sight. I'm more blessed because I see all that God is doing and at the same time, everything that I need is provided for too, isn't it? So the order is important here.
300 and 13313.
Sun Righteousness.
Shrub.
Already.
Congressman.
Jesus.
Came all.
If I can fall.
Oh my God.
He.
Proved everything.