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214.
Oh bless.
Yeah.
Let's ask the Lord's help.
Our loving God and Father, we have some together.
Of what we possess.
What we have?
And we thank thee for this.
And we thank thee that every exhortation in Thy precious word is based on what we already possess.
But now, as we open thy word.
We trust we will be taken up with what we do possess.
All those spiritual blessings which are ours in thy beloved Son.
Our Lord Jesus Christ.
And we freely confess our God, our inability in human language to convey.
Properly what thou has given us in thy precious words.
But we pray that thy Spirit might have that holy liberty to bring these things clearly before us.
They might encourage our hearts, lift us above this present world.
And give us that which will.
Help us in our Christian pathway too. We pray that the remarks may have a practical significance as well, and that there might be that which each one can understand.
00:05:06
So we ask this, our God and Father, and do so in expectation of thy health, through our Lord Jesus Christ and by thy Holy Spirit, for we ask it in his alone, worthy and precious name. Amen. Amen. Amen.
Reading in Ephesians 1.
Perhaps good to start with verse 7.
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 have been made known unto us. The mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He had purposed in Himself. That, and the dispensation of the fullness of times.
You 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, to work with 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 He heard the word of truth. Gospel of your salvation. In whom also after the E believed He were sealed.
Without Holy Spirit of promise, 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, and 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? Or who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised him from the dead, set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power, might and dominion.
And every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come, now put all the 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.
In the previous verse, verse six, we have the little expression, the glory of His grace, and it's the glory of His grace that has brought us into the position of sons and all that we've been Speaking of seated in heavenly places in Christ and so on. But in this verse, in connection with redemption, we have the expression the riches of His grace, because it's the riches of His grace, brethren, that has met us in all our need.
It's the riches of His grace that has provided redemption through the work of Calvary and based on the precious blood that was shed there so long ago. And brethren, as we have spoken of all the wonderful things that we have in Christ and the position we've been brought into, all that we have now as a present possession, all that is ahead for us in that day of glory, we want to never forget the bases of our blessing. And what is that?
It's the blood of Christ. It's through the blood of Christ that we have forgiveness and redemption. And we always want to come back to that because you and I have a wonderful position in Christ. We have a wonderful future ahead. But I don't believe for all eternity we're going to be able to forget the basis on which God has met us in our in our need, has brought us into this wonderful position. We're going to sing of the blood of Christ for all eternity. We're going to be occupied with a lamb freshly slain.
And so how good it is to go back in our souls again and again to the basis of our redemption, the basis on which God has been able to forgive us. It is nothing but the blood of Jesus.
00:10:00
That the thought in Hebrews chapter 13.
Verse 20 Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead, our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the eternal covenant or the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, so on. So it's an eternal covenant between the Father and the Son and within the Godhead, is it not? And as you mentioned, it's based on the blood of Christ.
That's why the remembrance of the Lord is so important for us, isn't it? That's why we should never let it go. We don't want to be critical. We don't want to point the finger, but it's well known that in many circles in Christendom, and we're part of Christendom, the remembrance of the Lord is relegated to a back seat. And what is for man's blessing and benefit as to.
Service and all the rest of it is taking a prominent place.
But we never want to forget that, do we? And that's why the remembrance of the Lord ought to occupy the first place in our hearts on Lords Day.
One of our older brethren in the 1800s made this remark. I never forgot it and it ties in with what we have here, he said. In a coming day when we are with Christ, all of us, he said even more precious than the glory, even more wonderful than the glory, will be the celebration of the grace that brought us there.
And how true that is. And that is what will occupy us even more than the glory. That's why it says in that hymn that I believe you gave it out yesterday, Brother Eric, I will not gaze at glory, but on my King of Grace. Why? Because it is his work on Calvary's cross and what he did there in the bloody **** that makes it all possible.
In my business, I go in and out of a lot of.
Big industrial facilities, and I don't even understand what they make in these facilities half the time. Chemical things and different ways to make power. But one thing is always common. If you look at the structural steel that holds all this superstructure up, you'll see a little piece of Weld or a little piece of steel and you'll see a short little piece of of copper cable that grounds the whole thing down into the deep foundation.
And of course, that's for stray electrical current or, or lightning or what have you. But it's, it always is there and it always has to go down to the deepest foundation. And I appreciate what you say about presenting ourselves at the Lords Table and participating at the Lords Supper, as Jim has put it, to be grounded to the work of Christ. It's interesting in Deuteronomy, I think it's a 26th chapter, where the Israelite in the land enjoying the riches and the wealth and the, and the natural blessings that he had.
Was to bring the first fruits of the land and give it to the priests, and the priests was to present it there.
And then he was to recite, if I remember properly and verbally go through his his collective history of the nation. He was to start by saying a Syrian ready to perish was my father. And he brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and go through this little history of, of, of what took place in Egypt and how the Lord bared his arm and all the way through. And now he's brought us into this land boom, right to the present day. And so there's that.
That that tie to that grounding work of redemption accomplished through the through the riches of His grace on Calvary's cross.
Redemption is the basis of all blessing, isn't it? It's important to see that. And that says we have it. We have redemption, brethren. This is present possession and it's the basis of all blessing. And in this verse.
One of the results of that redemption is the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace.
How can God be just and forgive the guilty Sinner? Because of the price that was paid at the cross. So redemption has in its meaning.
00:15:12
A price paid.
To be to set free it's not only a price paid, but it's to be set free to the children of Israel were saved by the blood of the Passover lamb in the land of Egypt, but they weren't completely free yet they were still on territory that where Pharaoh had authority and it wasn't until they crossed the Red Sea that they were completely free that's.
The thought in redemption and so redemption, there's many blessings that be that that come on that groundwork. My brother Bruce and his address the other day spoke of Romans chapter 3 and verse 24 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. So there's another blessing that goes really beyond forgiveness of sins.
But brethren, this is something we need to enjoy in our souls. Think of it, how many times have I sinned in my life? Who knows? No one knows, but He knows, and He's forgiven them all. We have redemption through His blood. And if you look carefully in the New Testament, you will find that in the Gospels the Lord taught his disciples to pray. Forgive us our sins.
As we forgive our debtors, but after the price of redemption is paid, you look in your Bibles from the book of the Acts on through the Epistles, it will never say again that we should ask for the forgiveness of our sins. The price has been paid and the offer is made to mankind in general. You can have the freely the forgiveness of all your sins because the price has been paid.
And you know, when I hear souls pray sometimes from other groups, and they often pray, forgive us our sins.
And it's because they don't understand the fullness of the blessing that we have here in this verse. I sometimes say to people, if I was offering you $100 bill, would you keep asking me for it?
If you keep asking me, you don't really understand my offer. I'm offering to give it to you. And God offers the forgiveness of sins because of the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Still remember in the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, one time speaking about this subject and there is an old man sitting in the back. I don't know what he was sitting there for, but he came up after the meeting and he said, all these years I've been asking for the forgiveness of my sins. Tonight I accept it and thank God for him. Brethren, it's a wonderful thing before a Christ, holy God.
We know we have the forgiveness of all our sins. What a precious thing to enjoy.
So as you say, all blessing for man depends on the work of Christ and the blood of Christ. And so in the Old Testament, it's important to realize that the blood of those sacrifices never put away sin. They offered the same sacrifice day by day and year by year. Every priest standeth daily, ministering and offering often time the same sacrifices that could never put away sin.
But they did atone for the moment because God was looking forward to the time when his Son would go to the altar, give his life, and shed his precious blood. How could God provide coats of skin for Adam and Eve? How could he provide the Passover lamb for the children of Israel? And.
All those other sacrifices that we have under the Levitical order of things, because those sacrifices and the shedding of their blood were just pale reflections and feeble foreshadows of what was really in the mind and heart of God. And so now we look back to Calvary and as our verse has says, and as we've been reminded, it's something that we have now. We have redemption. We have the forgiveness of sins, no question about it.
But we're going to find later on in this chapter that there's a far greater blessing and a far more reaching result of redemption, the work of Calvary, than just you and I being brought into blessing because there's a day of blessing for this world. And what is it based on? It's going, it's based on redemption.
00:20:18
It's the we're going to be and not to get ahead, but it's going to be the redemption of the purchase possession. He's purchased it, but he's going to redeem it and it's going to be on the basis of the fact that he gave his life and shed his blood. So there's we think of our blessing and what we're brought into wonderful as we've had tremendous will will never forget it for all eternity. But the work of Calvary and the blood of Christ is going to have a far, far greater effect than a far more reaching.
Sphere of things than just you and I being brought into blessing. You're referring to verse 14 right yes, and that's that's good to bring it into focus because the purchase possession is what the Lord bought back. He bought back the whole field. The whole of creation is going to be liberated from the ******* of corruption and brought into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
So that's what that refers to. So just to make it clear, purchase and redemption are two things as you have said. So to purchases, to buy something to redeem is not just to buy it, but to set it free. We have been both purchased and redeemed. Now that's our present position. But this world while it the inheritance which is all created things, well, it has been purchased. It is not redeemed yet.
That is for a future day and when we get to it we can develop that. But just to be clear, they are two very distinct things and the redemption of our body is still future too.
I like to add another step to that for us individually. I know it's not in our chapter here, but just to continue the thought. It is true that every man has been purchased, hasn't he? And all things have been purchased. The Lord paid for it with his with his blood. And then, as we mentioned, redemption is to purchase and set free. And that's a wonderful thing. But then our intelligence service is to turn around and consecrate ourselves to the one who has purchased us and set us free, isn't it?
That's the intelligent as we have in Romans chapter 12. That's the secret of true and Christian enjoyment and blessing is not only that we're purchased, not only that we're redeemed, but now to really get satisfaction in our souls as a believer is to turn back to the Lord Jesus and and.
Offer ourselves as that living sacrifice for what he is and what he's done.
I might also add what you said that brother, in regards to the practical effect of redemption in our lives. Maybe we could look at the Genesis chapter 14 and that Abram there.
Verse 18.
And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth.
Bread and wine, And he was the priest of the Most High God, and he blessed him and said, bless it, be Abraham of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth.
And he and blessed be the most High, which hath delivered thine enemies.
Into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. And the king of Sodom said to Abraham, Give me the souls or the persons, and take the goods to thyself.
And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hands unto the Lord, the most High God, the Possessor of heaven and earth.
At that.
I will not take from a thread even to a shoe latcher, and that I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou should say I have made Abram rich.
I.
00:25:00
Going on in our chapter we have another blessing in verse eight he has.
Abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence or intelligence.
You know there is a gift that God has given or the Christ is given to his church, a teacher to teach the Word. Not everyone has the gift of a teacher, but there is no special gift to learn the truth of God. He's abounded toward us. I like the Spanish translation says.
He's super abounded toward us in all wisdom and intelligence, and then that goes on into the following verses, having made known unto us the mystery of His will. We don't understand these things, brethren, who is at fault?
God has abounded toward us in all wisdom and intelligence. If I don't understand it, I'm afraid I'm the only one guilty to not understand it. He here, it is written out there for us to understand. We look at world events and we look at them in the light of Scripture, and we see the way they're going in the light of Scripture. Brethren, these things are written so that we can walk according to the light.
Of the councils, the purposes of God, he's shown them to us. I sometimes say it would be a tremendous thing if the president would appear at our door. President of the United States would appear our door and say, I've chosen you because I want to share with you all my purposes I have in government. That would be a great thing you'd say. What in the world is he doing that to me? Brother, we're not talking about the President of the United States. We're talking about the God of the universe.
And He's opened it up to us. Is there any interest in your part, young person, to understand it? Remember, there is no gift to learn these things. I sometimes find in my travels sisters that are far more alert than the brothers are. I don't know why that is, but brethren, it's for us all to enjoy.
He's abounded toward us in all wisdom.
And intelligence. Could somebody take the time to explain what mystery means? No, we have sometimes.
You know, we think of a mystery as something that can't be solved, or there's a mystery novel, or there's a mystery crime. But why does it call it a mystery and what does it mean for us?
Well, I think you know the answer, Brother Ed, but the real word should be, or at least the sense of the word is secret, isn't it? It's not something that is difficult to understand, but something that was not revealed previously, something that.
God kept in his own heart, in his own counsels from a past eternity. And so if you had asked someone in the Old Testament what the secret of God's will was as it's revealed here, they would have had to say, I don't know what you're talking about. I don't understand that. And so you and I are living in the most wonderful time in this world's history, aren't we?
When God has said now, and it was revealed through Paul, I am going to reveal everything concerning my councils in my beloved son from a past eternity to a coming eternity. And that's why what Bob was just saying is so important, because as he was saying, you and I have the ability now to look out on this world.
And at everything that is going on.
And we can put it all in a proper perspective, can't we?
Just a little bit of interest and I can remember, I suppose it was probably.
30 years ago now.
A title of a book caught my eye in a bookstore, and having always been a bit of a history buff, it looked interesting because the title of the book was simply 1999, which is long past now, but at that time it was quite a ways in the future.
00:30:11
And it was written by former U.S. President Richard Nixon. Now, whatever you might think of his.
Various shortcomings. He was a clever man, and he'd been in government most of his life. I thought this could be very interesting, so I bought it and read it, and it was giving his insight as to what he thought the United States ought to do and how they ought to approach things and the way things ought to be looked at.
With a view to the time when the century would just be about to turn in 1999.
It was very interesting reading.
But a very few years later, it didn't make any sense at all. Why? Because his whole outlook was predicated on the fact, or as he thought it was going to be, that the Soviet Union would remain intact.
And between the time he wrote the book in the year 1999, the Soviet Union fell apart and the whole picture of the world changed, and most of what he said was totally off base. That is what man tries to do with his insight, and he uses what he knows and what he perceives, and he uses his own mind. But oh, what a wonderful thing it is to have what God says in his precious word.
Everything laid out so that you and I can look at it and say these purposes are going to be carried out without fail and in the same way that God has laid them out. Maybe not all the details, but everything that God says is going to be carried out. And that's why, as we've often heard before, verse 10 is the real key to the understanding of the whole Bible and to the understanding of everything that God is doing.
With His beloved Son, and to have the mystery really unfolded to us in its various aspects, because it's taken up in various ways. Here's the mystery of His will and so on, because as we've been saying, it's in connection with His purposes for blessing, not only for a heavenly company, but for an earthly company, and to have Christ the center of everything. But to really have it unfolded to us, we must read Paul's ministry.
Because it's really in the ministry given to the apostle Paul that this is unfolded. And I believe, brethren, that many Christians today are confused as to all these things and are are calling and our position and our reaction to the world now and what we should be doing because they are for the most part neglecting the writings of the apostle Paul. It is in Paul's writings that we get the Church of God. It's calling it's.
It's it's heavenly calling all these things the counsels of God. Yes, we need the other New Testament writers as well, of course, but they don't unfold to us the mystery like the Apostle Pauls ministry. And I want to encourage you to read Pauls epistles.
If you want to understand our true position, if you want to enter into what Canaan speaks to us in type of as we've had before us in previous readings, If you want to understand what is yet future in connection with God's councils and purposes as to Christ.
In a future day, you have to go to Paul's ministry. But having said that, I'd like to read some verses in Psalm 119 to just go back to what Brother Bob said a few moments ago, because these verses have struck me in connection with our intelligence and understanding of what is going on in the world and our intelligence and understanding as to God's counsels and purposes. I know this is an Old Testament portion I'm about to read.
But I think we can apply it in regard to what we have been Speaking of.
Let, let, let me read from verse 97 of Psalm 119. Oh, how I love Thy law. It is my meditation all the day. Thou through Thy commandments has made me wiser than mine enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients because I I keep Thy precepts. I have refrained my feet from every evil way that I might keep Thy word.
00:35:07
I've often enjoyed these verses. Just a little personal experience. So often I am in the business lounges of the major airports around this world because I fly so much. They give me a card to these lounges and you're really rubbing shoulders with the top echelon of the political and corporate world. And I watch them. On one end of the lounge there's usually a large screen television with.
CNN or Fox News and depending what country you're in, maybe BBC or CBC on the other the other end. And I watch these men and women as they look at these newscasts and there's nothing good, of course. And I've seen them turn away and even have them say to me, where is it going to end? How can this, how can this be? Because they realize that they're they are dealing with an interplay today of economic and political and social forces.
That can't go on the Alas, it's not when is the last is the elastic going to snap? It's when is it going to be going to snap. The elastic is being stretched in every level of society today. But the psalmist here, he understood more than all the wise worldly statesman.
He understood more than all the philosophers. He understood more than the the leaders of of of countries. Brother Bill was talking about President Nixon. We can have more understanding than President Nixon or President Trump or Justin Trudeau in our country.
What? How? By reading the Word of God. As Brother Bill said, it doesn't fill in every detail for us, but this book gives us an outline of the purposes and councils of God.
Not just in connection with the blessing of the church, but in connection with the blessing of this world. What's going to unfold when we're gone? The tribulation, the millennial Kingdom on into the eternal state. It's all here, brethren. If we'll read it, if we'll take it and read it, you can have more understanding than the smartest person in your closet school. You can have more understanding than your professors. You can have more understanding than the leaders.
In high places today. But you must read the word of God and you must read and meditate on Pauls epistles that unfold the mystery to us. We said this is a part of sonship intelligence. God brings us into all of His counsel as sons.
Wonderful dimension to mystery. Not only is it a secret.
That's now revealed, but it's only revealed to those he has chosen, and it comes from in its roots, the Chaldean mysteries and their idolatrous worship that only the priesthood.
Were initiated into those mysteries. It was a select group. And so that's where the thoughts drawn from the Chaldean mysteries, it's the thought that these are secrets that are only revealed to a very select group, those who have been initiated. Who is that?
Those who were chosen in Christ from before the foundation of the world. But it will be displayed in the Millennium, won't it? And that's what we have. The mystery really has two parts in these following verses, doesn't it? The first part is the mystery regarding God's purpose for Christ. Verse 10 and then verses 11 and 12 is God's purpose for the church and that will be revealed in the Millennium. Often thought of. We've often been told that.
Our position is like that of Abraham before Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed, when the three men came and the Lord said, shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? So Abraham was at Hebrew in the place of communion. That's our place now. We can see where the world is going.
I might mention too, I've often enjoyed that in the Old Testament we speak about Canaan, but there's a parallel type to Canaan, and I believe that's in the Tabernacle.
The Tabernacle is parallel really to the journey from Egypt to Canaan. We have the great brazen altar that corresponds with Israel coming out of Egypt. We have the great labor which corresponds with the wilderness, and then we have the Tabernacle itself, and it's already been mentioned.
00:40:02
About those boards and the silver. Silver of course is redemption as we just add, but also there's a golden Candlestick there. And that's what we're speaking about, isn't it? It's pure gold. It's divine. And that's what God is teaching us. He's enlightening us and giving us that intelligence we have from a divine source. And it has those cups, which is they're filled with oil, which of course is a figure of the Spirit of God, our only part in that.
Is that there's Wicks and they need to be trimmed, don't they?
Wanted to mention in connection with the mystery in chapter 3, it expounds a little bit on what is meant and it's helpful to see what Paul says there. Ephesians 3 and verse 3.
Of that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery. So it's right has been said that it's to the apostle Paul these things were specially given.
As I run out of four in few words, whereby when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit, by the Spirit. In other words, those as Bill mentioned.
The Old Testament great men of God, Abraham, Moses, Daniel.
They knew nothing about this mystery, but it's made known now that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel. So that helps to understand the mystery.
I read a couple verses in Proverbs 25 that they shed some light on.
This perspective of our chapter, Proverbs chapter 25 and verse 2.
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing.
But the honor of kings is to search out a matter, the heaven for height and the earth for death. And the heart of kings is unsearchable.
It was God's glory for 4000 years, more or less, to conceal a thing, to conceal the mystery. It's according to His eternal purpose. But for His own purpose, His own reasons, that was not revealed.
And so it's the greater of God's glory to reveal a thing. And that's what we have is specifically in Ephesians 3, God has now revealed the thing that was hid secret. And then he says he speaks about as the heavens for height and the earth for that. The heart of kings is unsearchable.
And in that third chapter we have the unsearchable riches of Christ. So we.
May say and wrongly, so we could never understand it if it's unsearchable.
But that's not the point of it at all, is it? The point of it is it has to be revealed. A king may be diligent in seeking out, but he will never come and find it if it's not revealed. Let's say this too, that when it speaks of the mystery, it's unique to Christianity, isn't it?
Prophecy tells us of what's going to happen in the future.
The prophecy is not part of the mystery. For instance, there's plenty of Old Testament passages that deal deal with the tribulation. It's not part of the mystery, it's prophecy. That the King is going to reign in righteousness, that the Lord Jesus is going to reign over this world is not part of the mystery, part of prophecy.
But in our chapter, we find that it's the mystery of his will because it brings in, it brings in Christ as the head of all things, the administrator of all things, both in heaven and earth. And so when it comes to the mystery specifically, it's in reference to this present day or blessing that was not known before. I just say that because we, we don't want to speak of prophecy as being part of the mystery. You can find the prophecy prophecy all through the Old Testament, but we won't find the mystery.
It's how it's uniquely given and revealed by the Apostle Paul.
The only thing, if I could add to that, and I know you'd agree with it, Brother Bill, the understanding of prophecy can only be had through the understanding of the mystery. And I know it's not in Ephesians here, but it's helpful to read in Colossians if we could.
00:45:09
And I'd like to ask somebody, because I don't have mine with me, to read the Darby translation in Colossians 2 verses two and three, Colossians chapter 2 verses two and three. Would somebody read that in the JND translation?
You got it there, Jim? Yes.
To the Colossians 2 verse two and three to the end, that their hearts may be encouraged, being united together in love unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the full knowledge of the mystery of God, in which are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. There it is in the full knowledge or the acknowledgement of the mystery of God.
Are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that is, everything in God's Word comes into focus when we have an understanding of the mystery. Without the understanding of it, it's dark. Daniel at the end of his time he had to say, I heard, but I understood not. And what answer did he get? The answer he got was, go thy way, Daniel, for the book is sealed till the time of the end and so on. I'm not quoting that word for word, but.
The point is, he didn't get an answer because it wasn't God's time to bring that thing to light, as you were remarking, Bill. But now God has brought it to light, and all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in the acknowledgement and understanding of that mystery. Is this mystery though, the church? Isn't it just the mystery that Christ will reign or heaven and earth? You'll glorify himself and those two?
Spirit and the inheritance is not the church that's all individual. Then it's sonship and airship go together. Is that I'm I'm asking?
I think you have to take it all together though, don't you? You can't separate Christ union with the church in that context. But maybe it does focus on Him personally.
Depends how technical you want to be, Vern. Our older brethren used to tell us, and I don't want to split hairs, but they said properly speaking, the mystery of God is what we have in verse 10.
The mystery of Christ is what we have in verses 11 and 12 of our chapter. And so in Colossians where Christ is before us and his and God's purposes in him, it's the mystery of God. In Ephesians, the emphasis is more on the mystery of Christ because it's what Christ is to the church. But again, I agree with Bob, you can't really separate one from the other, but.
If you want to be a bit technical about it, I think you're right. In Colossians the emphasis is more on the mystery of God, which has to do with God's purposes in Him. And of course in that is what gives us the intelligence and all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Would be OK to read some verses in first grade Excuse.
Verse 7.
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, but stronger name before the world, before glory, and then Roman 16.
25.
Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel and preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began. And then Matthew 16.
Verse 13 when Jesus came into the post accessory of vilified, he asked his decision saying who's the man say that I am the son of man and he said some say that John after some say lives.
Others Jeremiah, the one of the prophets, he said unto him, But whom say ye that I am in? Simon Peter answered and says, Thou art the Christ, the Son of living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed our child, Simon, our children. For flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto me, but my Father, which is in heaven, and I stand to he say also unto thee, that thou art here upon this rock I will go to my church. And we gave to God also not prevail against it.
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No, give thee unto thee, kings of cheese of the Kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt find on earth, shall brown in heaven. What so thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loose in heaven, and live first, John.
Chapter 2.
Verse 20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, who you know all things.
So this tenth verse really looks on to the millennial day, not the eternal state, but it looks on to the millennial day when the Lord Jesus will have His rightful place and everything will be centered in Him. And I think it was alluded to the other day, but I'll repeat it. I don't believe the heart of God will ever be fully satisfied till His Son has his full exaltation and is completely vindicated here on planet earth.
The Lord Jesus is seated at the right hand of God this morning, crowned with a crown of glory and honor. But brethren, the days coming when he's going to come forth, crowned with many diadems, as it says in Revelation chapter 19, he's coming. Who's right? It is when he came to earth the first time, they cried away with him, crucify him, they said in messenger after him, saying we will not have this man to reign over us.
They questioned His right and title at that time, but when heaven opens up and the Lord Jesus comes back to establish His Kingdom, they will not question His right and title then. And I say God's heart will be satisfied and everything will be Christ centered, and I believe everything will be a reflection of Christ, even the Church of God. I want to read a verse in Second Thessalonians chapter 10 in connection with that time when the Lord Jesus comes back to have His rightful place.
In connection with the church or the people of God. And so in Second Thessalonians chapter one and verse 10.
When he shall come to be glorified in his Saints, and it be admired in all them that believe. I'll leave out the parenthesis in that day.
Little key when it says in that day, it's looking on to that day, that millennial glory. That's a little key to many Scriptures in the New Testament, in the word of God. And so this is looking on to the day when Christ comes back and he's going to come back with the church.
And it really thrills my soul, brethren, to think that there's a day coming when this world is going to look up and they're going to see the Lord Jesus coming back. Who's right? It is. It's going to be crowned with many diadems and is heaven, the heavenly companies with him, and every one of us are going to reflect Christ fully.
Is coming to be glorified in his Saints and that be admired in all them that are about him in that day we spoke about the practical having something of the practical side of things before us and I've thought of this brethren, because if you and I could just get ahold of this in our souls in some way, wouldn't it have an effect on our lives now you know we are to reflect something of Christ in our lives now and I believe every Christian, no matter how clouded the picture becomes.
Is going to, at some point in their life, reflect something of Christ. And in the measure in which we are occupied with Christ in glory today, we will be changed into the same image from glory to glory. We'll reflect something of Christ now. But brethren, in my own life, sometimes the reflection is pretty clouded, pretty dim, but there's a day coming when I'm going to reflect fully the glories of Christ and wherever they look up and wherever they look up.
They're going to see Christ, whether it's looking directly at him or reflected in his heavenly company in the church. Rather, this ought to have an impact on our lives now. And I say again, God is looking forward to that day. Christ is looking forward to that day. He does not have his rightful place now on earth.
He is not owned as King on earth yet, but in that time, in the dispensation of the fullness of time, God is going to make sure that His purposes and councils concerning Christ in the Church are brought to fruition. The last time they saw the Lord Jesus was hanging dead on a cross outside the city of Jerusalem. The next time they will see Him, He will be coming in power and glory.
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With His redeemed people, O brethren, I really believe that will be the most glorious event in all human history, of all times. That moment. And that's why it's so often referred to in Scripture. That day, Oh brethren, that's the day we're living for, not for anything down here. Things are so brief and passing.
People accumulate great quantities of wealth, but what is it for if it's just to have stored up for themselves? It has no meaning in view of that day, and we need to live in view of that coming day of glory when He is going to have all things in heaven and earth subjected to Him.
So prophecy, as Bill was saying a bit ago, concerns the earth. That was helpful to me as a young man to learn Brother Lundeen.
I was confused for a few moments. He said prophecy is concerning the earth. I thought it was about heaven too. But as Bill has capably put before us, it concerns the earth. And so we can read Old Testament scriptures and we can read prophecies about the coming reign of Christ over the earth.
As Son of David and his Son of Man. But the mystery, which was not revealed, as various passages we've read have shown, is that he's going to be head over all things in heaven and in earth. That's a glorious thing that has been revealed to you and me. And we are heavenly. We have a heavenly calling, a heavenly hope. Our citizenship is in heaven and everything for us is wrapped around him. And our expectation is, as you put it, for that man who's seated on the right hand to come again into this earth.
And he will head up all things in heaven and on earth. We know that now as part of the mystery. And as Jim put out, there's also that aspect where he is going to be admired in his church. And at the end of this chapter, it's almost too much for the mind to take in. The church is called the fullness of him that filleth All in all. And that mystery that that the woman is the glory of the man. And there are certain glories of Christ that are going to be displayed exclusively, if I can say this.
Only through his pride which is his body in that day. But you know, thinking about that which is future as you brothers have stirred our hearts by reminding us of it. There's also an aspect I if I'm not mistaken in Colossians chapter chapter one.
There's an aspect of this mystery and this display of glory which is present. And so if you turn to Colossians 1 just to pick it up for the sake of time, in verse 26, this mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His Saints to whom God would make known. What is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you? The hope of glory when we preach. And so there's an aspect now where the Lord Jesus who came here into this world be displayed fully.
In his.
All the fullness of the Godhead was displayed bodily in here.
He was the light in this Dark World, but now he's gone on high. But part of the mystery is that that glory is now displayed and it's humbling thing to even think of it.
In the lives of you and me in this Dark World, Christ in you, we that wants sinners and dogs of the Gentiles, God has selected and then fitted us to be used for the display of His glory in this world that hated him without a cause and where He has been rejected and cast out.
We are left here behind. Part of the mystery, too, is it not?
Very definitely, and you and I ought to be living witnesses of that mystery in this world, shouldn't we? Paul could say in Acts 22, the Ephesian elders, and of course we're reading in the book of Ephesians that he wrote to them subsequently. I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
You and I should be living witnesses that all the counsel of God is what animates us and characterizes our lives.
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Does it, does it do that? I ask my own heart? Do my neighbors, do the people with whom I rub shoulders see that everything that really is important to me is beyond this world, and that I'm looking for the day when my Savior will have His rightful place in heaven and on earth?
Challenge to us, isn't it?
And it's sorry, Steve. So in chapter one with the mystery, the secret was Messiah was not only going to reign on earth, he's going to reign in heaven. And God has purpose to glorify himself in two spheres, heaven and earth. And the man Christ Jesus, he doesn't have two purposes. Those who find fault with dispensational teaching say you've got a dichotomy of purposes. You make it out that God has two purposes, No.
Is one, it's in Christ. It's like a wagon wheel. There's a hub at the center and all the spokes radiate out and the whole structure depends on the center, that hub, and that's Christ. And God has purpose to glorify himself in the man Christ Jesus and heaven and earth.
Chapter 3, The mystery you and I have been brought in.
Chosen in Christ, called in time, quickened, saved and dwelled by the Holy Spirit, and united to that man in whom God's purposes are in the glory, his body.
And that was the secret as well, not revealed in the Old Testament. And so we have heart in that coming display because the Christ is the center of God's purpose and counsel. How precious then, if this is the very center of all that God is doing and planning and purposing, and He's opened it up in confidence.
Taking us into his confidence as his own sons, saying this is what I'm going to do. And we look to him, our father, and he looks to us, his sons, and he says, I want to tell you what I'm doing. And he brings us into this truth. And we find we're united to that man and the glorious members of his body as part of that mystery. And then he says.
No.
When you come together in assembly.
And you partake of that law.
You give expression to this truth that is the center of everything that I'm doing. That has been the secret of my heart from a past eternity. How precious is it to him to look down and see in this world an expression of the truth of that one body?
United to that man in the glory.
It's just an irrelevant character. It's in all weakness and how humbled we've been, but it's precious to him.
That that expression is here in this world, in the collective testimony being gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving expression to that truth as we partake of that one loaf together. And that is part of our testimony to the world. We show forth the Lord's death till he come. And I was thinking of what has been said, that it's a solemn thing, brethren, to realize.
That really all that this world is going to see of Christ and what we have been enjoying is really what's manifest or seen in the believers life today and especially in a day when they've closed the pages of God's Word. What light is this world going to see? Ye are the light of the world.
When the Lord Jesus was here, He was the light of the world, but He's left us here as a testimony to these things. Just say this too, in connection with what Steven has brought before us. I believe that this is the importance of holding dispensational teaching. Why is there so much confusion?
In Christian circles today as to what we've been Speaking of because they have wiped away dispensational guidelines. And we need to realize that God has not dealt with man in the same way in every age. And I'm not about to set certain lines. I know there's different thoughts as to different dispensations and their characters and so on, but we need to realize that God has not always dealt with man in the same way.
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Or blessed men in the same way. Why? Why is there so much confusion as to the Kingdom and the Lords coming and and all these things? Because we, if you wipe away dispensational guidelines or ignore them, you're really saying that all scripture in its strict application applies to the church and that is not true. All scriptures for us and we can make applications and we enjoy the Old Testament and so on.
It's not about us, it's about Israel. It's God's dealings with an earthly people. And if we don't understand that, no wonder there are so many real, true, pious believers who love the Lord, who think we're a moral force to usher in the Kingdom, who think we should be. This is the reigning time now.
I've had Christians tell me this is the reigning time. I I said to his a little aside, but I said to one brother who said that to me on more than one occasion. I finally said, if you say that this is the reigning time now, that is a slap in the face to the Lord Jesus to look at the condition of this world and say that Christ is reigning. Why? When Christ reigns in righteousness, it's going to be a wonderful day beyond anything that we can even even imagine.
But brethren, I say again, be careful not to give up dispensational teaching. I know some of you young people have Christian friends and they talk about covenants and all these this, this thing. But let's go back to what the early brethren taught and the outline of Scripture they gave us. It's very important if we're going to understand what is the hope of Our Calling and our position now while we're waiting for the Lord to come.
Like to make it what? Take what Jim said and just show you a practical example of how that's done and the need to have a sound, solid foundation and understanding of the scripture. Turn to Acts chapter 26.
I.
X-26.
In verse 22, Paul speaking, Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come.
What do you mean?
Pauls speaking about a mystery, some secret that was not revealed in the Old Testament. He says right here he didn't ever say anything except what was spoken in the law and the prophets. How can you say there's some mystery that was hid and not revealed and the scriptures are taken and they're twisted. All that's turned to Romans 16 where we brother Matt read to us.
Romans 16, verse 25.
Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secrets and thrilled began, but now is made manifest by the scriptures of the prophets according to the commandment of the everlasting God. Oh, you see, yes, it's, it's, it's brought to light now, but it was hidden there all along in the prophetic Scripture.
In the scriptures of the prophets, it was there, they prophesied about it, but now we've got a good understanding of it. And in that way they take and they make the church just an extension of Israel. They make it just an extension of all that was in the Old Testament. They say Paul didn't teach anything different than what was there in the Old Testament. The mystery was just hidden in the prophetic scriptures.
And the scriptures are twisted.
Paul didn't say anything that contradicted anything that was in the law or the prophets, but it doesn't mean he didn't say something in addition.
Don't let those things fool you. As to Romans 16, let me read it in the new translation. Here's the value of a good, solid, sound translation. Romans 16 Now to him that is able to establish you according to my glad tidings and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery as to which silence has been kept in the times of the ages, but which has now been made manifest, and by prophetic Scriptures.
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Not by the scriptures of the prophets, which would mean Old Testament, but by scriptures that have a prophetic character, New Testament prophetic writings.
Not the Old Testament prophets. When it says the Law, the prophets, the Psalms, it's referring to the Old Testament. The right translation is prophetic scriptures or writings. It's referring to New Testament prophetic revelations. How clever.
How clever these scripture twistings can be and overthrow our souls. We need a sound solid foundation in the Word of God as to these truths.
To turn again.
Six with the The worship is glory.
If you could turn again in First Timothy 2.
First Message 2, verse 6.
35.
For God is one and one in the interview God and men, the men Christ Jesus.
And this is the mystery here, who gave himself and ransom for all to be testified in due time.
Predestination election.
God Jesus gave himself.
For all.
So all the accept cries are in the plan.
And therefore.
Realize that they have.
All the treasure, all the spiritual shift, everything God is giving us.
So that is through Christ and all the glory of Christ.
Or else we accept, we're pushing, we're putting people outside of that.
All that believe in Jesus come into this election and through what Christ has done.
No extension.
Sing #31.
Crazy.
01:15:47
Last week.
Read a couple of verses in closing Deuteronomy chapter 26.
Every member of the body of Christ.
Is has a rightful claim to the verses that we've been taken up have the privilege of seeing the glory that will be the Lord Jesus in a in a coming day and our identification with him and and to to see that as sons that the Father has taken us into favor and have revealed these precious things to us. It belongs to every believer.
Now read these verses in Deuteronomy 26 verse one. And it came to pass, when thou art come in on to the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessed it, and dwelleth therein.
You know, every, every blood bought believer, the member of the body of Christ, they have this as an inheritance, don't they? And you know, this morning we've had the privilege of possessing it. We've had the privilege of looking into it, saying those things belong to us and they do. But there's a step further, isn't there? And that's dwelling there in.
You know, we're going to leave this place and, and you know, we may go back and we may look at this and we have the privilege, don't we have just being alone with the Lord our Father and to just sit in silence and meditate upon these things that are so true of us and we can dwell in them. We we can enjoy them in our soul. That's what the Father really wants.
He wants us not only to just read them and see that it's here in Scripture, but he wants us to dwell in it, to make it real to us. It changes our life. Now just I know I'm, I'm, I want to just go back to Romans 16 very quickly and just make one at the end of the verse verses that our brother was reading. And it says this here and.
At the end of verse 26, it says made known to all nations for the obedience of faith. That should be the response, isn't it? It should mold and form the character of our lives. It should change the way that we walk in this world. We talk about being a testimony. We really lived in the good of these things and they really had an effect on our life and we walked in separation in this world make a difference, wouldn't it?
Our God and our Father, we are thankful for this time and thy word. We thank thee for thy faithful love to us and we're thankful for the activity of the Spirit of God to be able to make these things good to us. We're thankful to have the Spirit of God that can make these things real and, and, and give us to realize how blessed we are and who we are. And we just pray our God that that would help us to to not only just possess it, but to.
To dwell in it, help it to be ours, make it real and fresh and joyful. We thank Thee for this time of fellowship. We're thankful for the ministry. Just commend ourselves to thee now and our Lord Jesus Christ, precious name, Amen.