Address—D. Rule
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Our heads Prayer.
Turn with me first to a verse in Acts chapter one.
I.
Acts chapter one.
And verse 9.
The Lord Jesus is here speaking to his disciples, and he says to them, or it says concerning him. And when he had spoken these things while they beheld, he was taken up.
And a cloud received him out of their sight and then over in the 7th chapter.
Chapter 7. Here we have Steven at the end of his discourse before the Scribes and the Pharisees.
And.
Verse 55 it says.
But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven.
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And saw the glory of God and Jesus Christ standing.
On the right hand of God.
And he said, Behold, I see the heavens opened.
And the Son of man, standing on the right hand of God.
I'd like to comment a little bit on what perhaps is too sacred.
For us to more than feel.
But.
Can you feel in your soul a little bit?
What it must have been.
What must have been taking place?
When those disciples.
Had the Lord Jesus before them, and He speaks to them there for the last time, face to face.
And then he goes up and it says the cloud received him.
Out of their sight.
What must have taken place?
On the other side of that cloud.
Can you thank dear brother and sister?
The reception of that blessed man.
As he was received home.
To the glory.
From where she came.
You know it says in Luke 15.
About the prodigal son.
That when he returns to his father.
The father runs, falls on his neck and kisses.
That was the love of the father for a prodigal son.
But I believe perhaps it's too sacred a scene to be revealed.
To us.
And yet I believe our hearts can be touched by it.
To just contemplate for a moment in our souls, in our hearts affections.
What it must have been for the father who sent the son.
To be the savior of the world. And the Son accomplishes that work that the Father had given him to do.
And now he's received.
Back.
Open arms, undoubtedly.
With the kiss, undoubtedly.
We see in Acts Chapter 7.
Stephen.
And now the heavens are opened, that moment of return has taken place.
And the sun is there at his proper place now as a man.
At the right hand of God.
One who has entered into His glory.
As he said to those two on the way of to Emmaus, ought not Christ to have suffered these things and entered into his glory? And so he enters there into his glory. He is given that greatest of all places.
At the right hand of God.
And the heavens are open.
And Steven looks up.
And beholds the glory of God.
And Jesus standing at his right hand.
That is your privilege and mine, and in measure that is something that we have been doing during these meetings, having our hearts occupied with that man in the glory and the place that God has given to him.
We've had that much before us and in the little time we have left, we're going to continue to meditate on that. So I'd like to turn over to Ephesians chapter one again.
And continue a little with the theme that the Lord has been bringing before us in our time together.
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Toward the end of the chapter, we have a prayer.
Of the Apostle Paul for the Ephesians Saints.
And surely it is a prayer that we can have for ourselves as well.
And so in this prayer.
He says verse 15 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.
That the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, or it's been translated, the eyes of your heart.
Being enlightened that she may know.
I'd like to read in the words of another.
That express far more succinctly and clearly and accurately than I can.
What's on my heart for you and myself?
The Bible in its object is a whole.
Which presents to us.
God coming forth from his essential fullness.
To manifest all that he is.
The Bible presents to us God coming forth.
From his essential fullness.
To manifest, to make known, to display.
All that he is.
And to bring back into the enjoyment of this fullness.
With himself.
Those who having been made partakers of his nature.
Have become capable of comprehending and loving himself and his counsels.
Going to read it again.
The Bible presents to us God coming forth.
From his essential fullness.
To manifest all that he is.
And to bring back into the enjoyment of this fullness with himself.
Those who have been made partakers of his nature.
Having become capable of comprehending.
And loving his counsels and himself.
God has been pleased.
To make himself known to us.
We see it in creation, and that's wonderful, and that's the beginning. And that's a testimony of himself that all men have always had in the earth.
But God has come forth.
To make himself known in the person.
Of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It tells us in First Timothy chapter 3.
God was manifest.
In flesh.
God has made himself known to us.
In the person of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The word was made flesh.
And dwelt among us.
And so God has come forth.
From his essential fullness.
And in Paul's prayer in the third chapter, he says that she may be filled with the fullness of God. This is the purpose.
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The grand purpose of God.
That he might come forth, make himself known to us, and then bring us.
To himself.
Giving us a nature.
This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.
God has so purposed that he might bring us to himself.
Giving us that life and nature that we may comprehend.
That we may enter in.
To his counsels.
And himself.
In love. In love if you leave the love out.
Everything is falsified, everything is wrong. We can occupy ourselves with all the grand truths of the Word of God.
But God is love as well as light, and it is essential.
For us, it is according to the heart and purpose of God for us that we may be brought into that enjoyment.
Loving himself.
And his counsels. And so in this prayer that we have in the first chapter here.
It says that the eyes of your heart be enlightened.
God desires that our affections be touched.
That we would respond to himself.
And that we would find our delight, our pleasure, our enjoyment in that in which he himself finds his delight, his pleasure, his enjoyment.
And we know what that is, don't we? It's Christ.
It's Christ, it's the Son. And so when the Lord Jesus was here on earth at the time of his baptism.
God opens heaven.
That he might declare this is my son.
And whom I have found my delight.
And now for us, as we await the moment when we shall see Him face to face and be brought into His blessed presence.
God opens heaven to our gaze.
That we may behold him.
At the right hand of God.
That our hearts affections might be drawn out to himself.
This chapter that we've enjoyed together.
Tells us tremendous blessing for us and we're we're to enjoy that.
But I hope our hearts go beyond that.
That we don't stop, as it were, simply in the enjoyment of what's for us and the blessing.
But what is it going to be when He is comes forth in the display of His glory?
When His Excellencies are put on display for all the world to see, and the world looks and they see us.
It's going to display himself in his glory.
As it were, they can say, oh.
God take such objects as that and display his love in such creatures.
As that and bring them into such association with himself.
And man is going to honor and praise him.
As they see us in association with Himself and the display of His glory.
His glory.
And that's the heart of God for you and for me, that desire that we too.
Might be brought into the enjoyment.
Of himself.
His counsels, his love.
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His purposes?
And so we have it here in this chapter.
What does it say in this prayer that we might have for ourselves?
It says the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, verse 18 that you may know.
What is the hope of his calling?
Oh, he says. I want you. I want you to enjoy what you've been called to.
God has received him to himself.
And what do you wait for? And what do I wait for?
That same reception.
That is, we wait for that moment when Christ will come to receive us.
To himself.
That he too might have us with himself.
For eternity.
That's our hope, isn't it? That's what we look forward to.
Desire that it might be this afternoon.
And so it says that you might know what is the hope of his calling.
And the riches of the glory of his inheritance and the Saints. It's wonderful.
It won't be time to do it this afternoon, but for your own meditation, notice the places in Ephesians where riches are mentioned.
The riches of His glory.
The riches or God is rich in mercy. Here it's the riches of the glory of his inheritance and the Saints.
God is rich.
And he doesn't talk about his riches as owning this creation.
But oh, the riches of his grace.
The riches of His glory.
The exceeding riches.
Of his grace.
It says in the Justice, looking down a little ahead in the second chapter.
We see what man is.
Says he's dead.
And trespasses and sins.
And then God comes in in verse four and it says but but God.
Who is rich in mercy?
And what does a God rich in mercy and full of love do for his great love wherewith he has loved us?
Even when we were dead in sins.
We're the objects in Ephesians one and two, we don't take any active part in what's take place here exactly, but rather where the objects of God's councils were the objects of his heart's affections, his love. And so it's God working and but God who is rich in mercy and for his great love. We're with heath loved us even when we were dead in sins.
God hath quickened us together with Christ.
Raised us up together, seated us in the heavenly places in Christ.
And then that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace.
In his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
All when that display takes place.
It'll be a display of his kindness toward us.
In Christ Jesus.
In Ephesians it's it's what we are in Christ.
And.
In Colossians it turns it around and it's Christ in US.
The mystery Christ in you, the hope of glory. And so we have Christ in us. We have had imparted to us life in Christ.
Our hope of glory and here in this chapter.
We have in this first chapter in this prayer, it says in verse 20 or verse 19, what is the exceeding riches of His power, of the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe?
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How great.
Is the power of God working for you to accomplish His purpose of bringing you into this place of eternal enjoyment of Himself and His counsels?
Well, it's wonderful, isn't it? You say. Is that how great is the power?
It's the power, verse 20, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead. It's the power of resurrection. It's that same power that raised Christ from the dead. That's the power that is at work this afternoon.
For you.
That's the power that is going to accomplish for you.
And for me the purpose.
Of Our Calling in Christ Jesus.
That power which has raised him.
Christ and now seated him at God's right hand in glory. It's his power for us in chapter 3. It's the working of that power in us that there might be that realization in our souls of that for which we have been called. Let's let's go over to chapter three. Look at it for a few moments.
The Lord prays here in chapter 3.
In verse 14 for this, 'cause I bow my knees unto the Father.
Of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.
That He would grant you according to the riches of His glory.
To be strengthened with might.
By his spirit in the inner man.
This is something that is a prayer for our present benefit.
That this might be true of us, dear brethren, as we leave this place shortly.
May this be our prayer for one another.
That we might be granted according to the riches of God's glory.
To be strengthened with might.
By his spirit in the inner man.
That Christ may dwell.
In our hearts.
By faith.
Oh, it's so important. May dwell in our hearts.
By faith, nothing less than that will satisfy the heart of God.
My son give me.
Thine heart.
He wants the response.
Of the heart. And he's going to have it. He's going to have it.
Perhaps very imperfectly now, but in the end he's going to have it.
But this is a desire for the present, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.
That ye being rooted.
And grounded in knowledge, in understanding, No.
That ye being rooted and grounded in love.
May be able to comprehend with all the Saints.
What is the breadth and length and depth and height? All he would have us enter into those things and all their fullness.
All that he purposes, all that is of himself.
And then verse 19 and beside that to know the love of Christ.
Which facet knowledge?
That she might be filled with all the fullness of God.
Truth enters by way of our consciences, but it needs to find its lodging.
In our hearts.
And our hearts need to be opened.
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Because our lives are.
Controlled in many ways.
By the heart.
And it's the.
Affections.
That are drawn out.
And it isn't that we try to know and love the Lord more than we do.
It's not the way it's presented to us.
But it is the responsive love, and so it is the occupation with himself.
That draws forth the heart.
Remember the two on the way to Emmaus?
There were two discouraged believers.
And they were leaving a place.
Without the instruction of the Lord to do so.
But they were discouraged and they were going.
Back to the little village of Emmaus.
And the Lord Jesus.
Attaches himself to them.
He's the Good Shepherd, the great shepherd.
There were 90 and nine in Jerusalem perhaps.
But he leaves them temporarily to go and restore these two.
And he goes after them.
And.
They're full of their burden, and he listens to it.
But then he starts to reach.
He said, Oh, fools and slow of heart to believe, ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
But.
What did they say?
After the Lord makes himself known to them and they recount it, it says, Did not our hearts burn within us?
Oh, may our hearts burn within us.
It isn't that our minds be filled. It isn't that our knowledge.
Although important, in its place increase.
But the understanding of our hearts.
The response to himself.
And that's what it called them back, isn't it?
That's what the burning of their hearts is, what drew them back to Jerusalem. And so here he says that she might know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.
That she might be filled with all the fullness of God.
Well, there's encouragement for us to go forth, isn't there? Here in verse 20. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.
According to the power that worketh.
In.
US unto him be glory in the church by Jesus Christ.
Throughout all ages, world without end.
Amen.
This is tremendous.
Encouragement for the soul to look up.
And have that certainty that this tremendous love is at work for us.
Toward us in chapter 5. Christ also loved the church.
And gave himself for it. And now Christ is nurturing it and bringing it to himself.
That it might be glorious.
And without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
The Brethren.
I believe it's also important for us to have our conscience is stirred.
And I want to.
Can I say look at our responsibility side of it for just a moment?
In Ephesians chapter 5.
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And verse one it says.
Be ye therefore followers of God.
As dear children and walk in love.
As Christ also loved us.
And hath given himself for us.
Be therefore followers or imitators of God.
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us.
And given himself for us.
I'll turn over to Revelation.
Chapter 2.
Revelation chapter 2.
Addressing the same Saints at Ephesus, verse one unto the Angel of the church at Ephesus, right?
And verse 4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left.
Thy first love.
The Church has a responsibility in the world.
And we as members.
Of the body of Christ as part of the Church.
Have an individual and a collective responsibility.
To manifest.
To this world.
The heart of God.
You and I have been the recipients.
Of all that we've meditated on.
All that we have enjoyed of our blessings in Christ.
And the responsibility that the Church has.
Is to manifest.
To this world, the heart of God.
We have been made children.
In the family of God we have been told that we are sons.
And we are, and that is to bring us into the intelligence of our Father's heart.
And ways and councils and purposes.
And now the responsibility is to display his heart.
To our fellow man.
Be imitators of God, His dear children, and walk in love.
As Christ also hath loved us and given himself for us.
The Lord.
In Revelation.
And his addresses to the seven churches.
Is an evaluator.
He has worked in grace.
He has displayed himself to them.
And as it's presented to us.
He properly looks for the response to the workings of His grace.
And that's the way He is in your life and mine. He works in tremendous grace in our lives and shows His favor and kindness to us. And he rightfully expects a response.
In Ephesians.
Where the sovereignty of God is at work.
Then the heart of Christ he nurtures and it's all His work and will have His perfect result. But as to their responsibility and emphasis, it was what was the response to such love?
He looked at them.
And he said.
Thou hast left.
Thy first love.
He saw that they were not displaying his heart to the world.
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They came short.
And nothing less than the proper display of the heart of God is sufficient.
And so he had to call them to repentance.
Lest their Candlestick be removed. And it's never changed, brethren, it's never changed.
It's true today as it was then.
I leave that with you.
Because I believe that we should go forth with hope and confidence in the love of the Lord Jesus.
But we should have very, very humble hearts.
In his presence.
I take comfort in my own soul.
Recently.
I've always enjoyed Peters.
Coming before the Lord Jesus and bowing before him and saying to the Lord, depart from me, for I'm a sinful man, oh Lord.
I received in my own soul fresh comfort noticing in Lukes gospel it would appear that when he said that to the Lord Jesus, they were both in a boat.
Apart from the shore.
Think of it. Here's Peter and the Lord Jesus and they're together in a little fishing boat.
And Peter says to the Lord, depart.
From me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
While Peter saw on himself failure, he also saw the heart of Christ, and he found comfort in that.
For his soul.
Could we close by standing and singing together #195?
Tell me.
A Christ.
No, no, no.
So.
I.
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Ignore.
We pray.