WEBVTT 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:18.519 Our text today is going to be primarily an exposition 00:00:18.519 --> 00:00:24.600 of verse 27, which reads as follows. For I did 00:00:24.600 --> 00:00:31.820 not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose 00:00:31.820 --> 00:00:39.299 of God. If you think about the world and the 00:00:39.299 --> 00:00:45.539 culture and society in which we live, secularism 00:00:45.539 --> 00:00:52.000 and an atheistic worldview, which teaches that 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:56.159 men and women and young people are primates, 00:00:56.159 --> 00:01:00.179 essentially, that they are not born in the image 00:01:00.179 --> 00:01:06.069 of God, and that ultimately, There's no purpose. 00:01:06.370 --> 00:01:13.469 There's no aim. It's just chaotic matter and 00:01:13.469 --> 00:01:24.030 mass. That worldview offers no direction. That 00:01:24.030 --> 00:01:29.290 worldview offers no significance. That worldview 00:01:29.290 --> 00:01:36.090 offers no purpose. For a person's life. But then 00:01:36.090 --> 00:01:41.269 you take the Christian message. The Christian 00:01:41.269 --> 00:01:46.450 truth. You take the gospel of Jesus Christ. And 00:01:46.450 --> 00:01:51.750 the Christian message proposes and declares authoritatively. 00:01:52.549 --> 00:01:59.129 That there is a purpose for the world. That there 00:01:59.129 --> 00:02:04.290 is a purpose for all things. There always has 00:02:04.290 --> 00:02:11.110 been. And there always will be. That the world 00:02:11.110 --> 00:02:18.129 was created on purpose. God created all things 00:02:18.129 --> 00:02:25.270 with an end in mind. A goal. Working towards 00:02:25.270 --> 00:02:28.469 something. To bring something about. And it's 00:02:28.469 --> 00:02:33.550 only ever been one purpose. The Christian worldview 00:02:33.550 --> 00:02:38.990 declares that God has always had a sovereign 00:02:38.990 --> 00:02:46.490 purpose for all things, for his people, for this 00:02:46.490 --> 00:02:52.270 world, for our lives, and it's all bound up in 00:02:52.270 --> 00:02:56.849 the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:02:57.370 --> 00:03:02.319 The Christian worldview alone. gives eternal 00:03:02.319 --> 00:03:08.120 purpose to men and women. And the only way that 00:03:08.120 --> 00:03:11.780 a person will ever discover and know that eternal 00:03:11.780 --> 00:03:18.280 purpose is by knowing Jesus Christ by faith and 00:03:18.280 --> 00:03:23.939 repentance. And the Scriptures reveal this clearly. 00:03:24.599 --> 00:03:30.870 The Scripture declares clearly. That God's purpose 00:03:30.870 --> 00:03:35.189 is found in Christ and that he is working towards 00:03:35.189 --> 00:03:44.310 a goal. In this text, Paul describes the nature 00:03:44.310 --> 00:03:47.949 of the message that he has been proclaiming. 00:03:48.789 --> 00:03:53.430 He says that the reason he can depart from the 00:03:53.430 --> 00:03:56.069 Ephesians and from the Ephesian elders and from 00:03:56.069 --> 00:03:59.870 the Ephesian church With a clean conscience. 00:04:00.610 --> 00:04:03.889 Is because he has declared. He has made known. 00:04:04.050 --> 00:04:10.270 He has proclaimed. The whole purpose of God. 00:04:11.090 --> 00:04:16.009 So what we have to do today is consider. The 00:04:16.009 --> 00:04:22.629 whole purpose of God. And what this message that 00:04:22.629 --> 00:04:28.360 the apostle preached was. We'll do this by considering 00:04:28.360 --> 00:04:34.259 the message itself that Paul preached, the offense 00:04:34.259 --> 00:04:38.920 of the message that he preached, and then lastly, 00:04:39.100 --> 00:04:45.980 we have to consider why. This must be the church's 00:04:45.980 --> 00:04:51.920 message, now and forevermore. We have to consider 00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:56.060 why the church must... Continue preaching this 00:04:56.060 --> 00:05:00.420 message. And must perpetually proclaim these 00:05:00.420 --> 00:05:05.660 truths. So first the message the apostle proclaimed. 00:05:05.899 --> 00:05:13.879 The whole purpose of God. Now first notice. That 00:05:13.879 --> 00:05:18.740 when Paul says this. It is a comprehensive message. 00:05:19.319 --> 00:05:24.800 It's big. It's broad. It's got a wide scope. 00:05:24.860 --> 00:05:32.220 He says, the whole purpose of God. It was a comprehensive 00:05:32.220 --> 00:05:36.980 message concerning God's redemptive purposes 00:05:36.980 --> 00:05:42.439 and plans in Christ for all things that would 00:05:42.439 --> 00:05:47.519 inevitably bring praise and glory to Him. It's 00:05:47.519 --> 00:05:55.019 a resolute plan or decree. or will, or purpose. 00:05:55.060 --> 00:06:00.779 It's a settled plan or purpose. An unshakable, 00:06:00.860 --> 00:06:06.980 unchanging, invincible purpose that is of divine 00:06:06.980 --> 00:06:12.180 origin. That's what he's speaking about. We see 00:06:12.180 --> 00:06:15.319 this same word used in several other instances 00:06:15.319 --> 00:06:18.459 in the book of Acts. We'll go ahead and look 00:06:18.459 --> 00:06:23.519 at those. We'll turn to Acts chapter 2. Verse 00:06:23.519 --> 00:06:32.060 38. Where the purpose of God is referenced. We 00:06:32.060 --> 00:06:38.100 read this. In Acts 2 .23. I apologize. We'll 00:06:38.100 --> 00:06:43.379 start reading in verse 22. Men of Israel. Listen 00:06:43.379 --> 00:06:48.850 to these words. Jesus the Nazarene. A man attested 00:06:48.850 --> 00:06:53.209 to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs 00:06:53.209 --> 00:06:57.310 which God performed through him in your midst. 00:06:57.410 --> 00:07:02.509 Just as you yourselves know, this man delivered 00:07:02.509 --> 00:07:08.550 over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge 00:07:08.550 --> 00:07:15.689 of God. You nailed him to a cross. by the hands 00:07:15.689 --> 00:07:21.550 of godless men and put him to death. The predetermined 00:07:21.550 --> 00:07:26.550 plan, the predetermined purpose, the settled 00:07:26.550 --> 00:07:33.430 purpose of God. So why did Christ suffer and 00:07:33.430 --> 00:07:38.509 die on the cross at the hands of evil, wicked, 00:07:38.810 --> 00:07:43.439 unbelieving men? Was it because of the will of 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:48.379 men? Was it because of the evil intent and the 00:07:48.379 --> 00:07:51.720 malicious minds and hearts of unbelieving men? 00:07:52.740 --> 00:07:57.959 No, sir. Jesus Christ went to the cross because 00:07:57.959 --> 00:08:06.720 of the purpose of God. The will of God. The unchanging 00:08:06.720 --> 00:08:11.139 purpose of the living God. Put Christ on the 00:08:11.139 --> 00:08:16.180 cross. Christ went to the cross. To progress 00:08:16.180 --> 00:08:20.660 and bring about. The further purposes. The further 00:08:20.660 --> 00:08:28.360 ends. Of his father. Of the sovereign God. We 00:08:28.360 --> 00:08:34.340 can look at Acts chapter 4. Verse 28. Here we 00:08:34.340 --> 00:08:38.799 find the disciples. Praying. And here's what 00:08:38.799 --> 00:08:44.960 we read. Starting in verse 27. For truly in this 00:08:44.960 --> 00:08:48.200 city there were gathered together against your 00:08:48.200 --> 00:08:51.779 holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed both Herod 00:08:51.779 --> 00:08:55.679 and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and 00:08:55.679 --> 00:09:00.399 the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand 00:09:00.399 --> 00:09:05.899 and your purpose predestined to occur. Again, 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:11.889 the purpose of God brought about these events 00:09:11.889 --> 00:09:17.490 and these realities. It's an unshakable plan 00:09:17.490 --> 00:09:22.429 that God has established and ordained and set 00:09:22.429 --> 00:09:27.029 out to bring about from before the world began, 00:09:27.269 --> 00:09:31.350 from before the foundation of the world, before 00:09:31.350 --> 00:09:36.889 the existence of men. God settled this purpose 00:09:36.889 --> 00:09:40.720 and determined to... bring it about, and to accomplish 00:09:40.720 --> 00:09:44.259 it. We can look in Acts chapter 5, verse 38. 00:09:45.799 --> 00:09:51.159 Here we find a prophetic word from the wise Gamaliel, 00:09:51.320 --> 00:09:58.019 the Jewish leader. Listen to what he says. So 00:09:58.019 --> 00:10:01.360 in the present case, I say to you, stay away 00:10:01.360 --> 00:10:06.570 from these men and let them alone. this plan 00:10:06.570 --> 00:10:11.529 or action is of men, it will be overthrown. But 00:10:11.529 --> 00:10:15.529 if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow 00:10:15.529 --> 00:10:19.649 them, or else you may even be found fighting 00:10:19.649 --> 00:10:25.950 against God. Meaning, Gamaliel recognizes the 00:10:25.950 --> 00:10:30.149 difference between a human plan and a divine 00:10:30.149 --> 00:10:34.149 plan, a divine purpose, and he knows that the 00:10:34.149 --> 00:10:38.929 divine purposes cannot be thwarted. The divine 00:10:38.929 --> 00:10:42.350 purposes cannot be undone. And you don't want 00:10:42.350 --> 00:10:45.809 to be on the wrong side of the divine will of 00:10:45.809 --> 00:10:50.529 God. Because he says they can't be stopped. It 00:10:50.529 --> 00:10:53.350 will persevere, it will continue, and it will 00:10:53.350 --> 00:10:58.570 succeed no matter what. There's other references 00:10:58.570 --> 00:11:02.990 throughout the book of Acts. This is God's divine 00:11:02.990 --> 00:11:08.110 will. that he is determined to bring about. And 00:11:08.110 --> 00:11:11.610 this is what Paul proclaimed and preached. Now, 00:11:11.629 --> 00:11:15.690 there's an important element to the divine purpose 00:11:15.690 --> 00:11:22.350 of God. It centers on the person and the work 00:11:22.350 --> 00:11:27.110 of the Lord Jesus Christ. Redemption, which he 00:11:27.110 --> 00:11:30.389 has accomplished. Let's go ahead and turn to 00:11:30.389 --> 00:11:35.679 the book of Ephesians. In Ephesians 1, we see 00:11:35.679 --> 00:11:39.299 this really clearly. And we see throughout the 00:11:39.299 --> 00:11:42.399 book of Ephesians that Paul kind of peels back 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:47.700 the layers of God's plan and God's purpose for 00:11:47.700 --> 00:11:52.139 the entire world, for the whole cosmos, for everything 00:11:52.139 --> 00:11:57.419 in existence. We read, starting in verse 9, He 00:11:57.419 --> 00:12:01.299 made known to us the mystery of His will. according 00:12:01.299 --> 00:12:05.639 to his kind intention, which he purposed in him, 00:12:05.799 --> 00:12:10.240 with a view to an administration suitable to 00:12:10.240 --> 00:12:13.279 the fullness of the times, that is, the summing 00:12:13.279 --> 00:12:17.980 up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens 00:12:17.980 --> 00:12:22.340 and things on the earth. In him also we have 00:12:22.340 --> 00:12:26.139 obtained an inheritance, having been predestined 00:12:26.139 --> 00:12:32.629 according to his what? Purpose, who works all 00:12:32.629 --> 00:12:38.629 things after the counsel of his will. Brothers 00:12:38.629 --> 00:12:42.330 and sisters, the person in the work of Christ 00:12:42.330 --> 00:12:46.389 is that which serves. He is the one, him and 00:12:46.389 --> 00:12:49.149 his work is that which secures and brings about 00:12:49.149 --> 00:12:54.610 the purpose of the world and all that is in it. 00:12:55.470 --> 00:13:01.279 And the Christian message declares, That believers 00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:06.559 are predestined according to God's eternal and 00:13:06.559 --> 00:13:11.799 sovereign, unchangeable purposes. So there's 00:13:11.799 --> 00:13:16.539 a place for God's people in these purposes, in 00:13:16.539 --> 00:13:19.659 these plans, but it's all bound up and wrapped 00:13:19.659 --> 00:13:23.080 up and intertwined with the person and the work 00:13:23.080 --> 00:13:27.240 of the Lord Jesus Christ. We could read in Ephesians 00:13:27.240 --> 00:13:30.240 3, 1 -11, where Paul talks about, how it's been 00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:34.440 given to him to proclaim the manifold wisdom 00:13:34.440 --> 00:13:39.879 of God. That the Gentiles are now being brought 00:13:39.879 --> 00:13:43.860 in as fellow heirs with the Jews to take part 00:13:43.860 --> 00:13:47.860 in the gospel blessings. That Jew and Gentile 00:13:47.860 --> 00:13:53.539 are being built up into a temple. The house of 00:13:53.539 --> 00:13:57.590 the living God where he dwells. And that all 00:13:57.590 --> 00:14:02.409 of this serves the purpose of displaying the 00:14:02.409 --> 00:14:05.850 manifold wisdom of God to rulers and authorities 00:14:05.850 --> 00:14:10.610 that are looking on at the theater of redemption. 00:14:11.509 --> 00:14:14.789 There's this grand picture, this grand scheme, 00:14:15.090 --> 00:14:18.529 but it's all brought about and it's all accomplished 00:14:18.529 --> 00:14:22.629 in the person and the work of the Lord Jesus 00:14:22.629 --> 00:14:26.210 Christ. So when we think about the whole purpose 00:14:26.210 --> 00:14:31.870 of God, or the whole counsel of God, Paul proclaimed 00:14:31.870 --> 00:14:34.529 the message that was far and wide, brothers and 00:14:34.529 --> 00:14:40.409 sisters, the beginning to the end, the start 00:14:40.409 --> 00:14:46.250 and the purpose of all things, but it was all 00:14:46.250 --> 00:14:50.470 in light and connected to the person and the 00:14:50.470 --> 00:14:55.559 work of Christ. We cannot understand the whole 00:14:55.559 --> 00:15:00.940 counsel of God if we do not understand the gospel 00:15:00.940 --> 00:15:05.980 of Jesus Christ. So there's a broadness, there's 00:15:05.980 --> 00:15:09.399 a breadth to Paul's message, but there's also 00:15:09.399 --> 00:15:14.899 a narrowness to Paul's message, the gospel of 00:15:14.899 --> 00:15:20.090 the Lord Jesus. So what exactly... Does this 00:15:20.090 --> 00:15:24.029 entail? Does this include? Well, it includes 00:15:24.029 --> 00:15:29.529 everything that God has ever made known in the 00:15:29.529 --> 00:15:36.009 Word of God. So, the whole purpose of God is 00:15:36.009 --> 00:15:42.289 revealed in Scripture. It was revealed in apostolic 00:15:42.289 --> 00:15:45.759 doctrine, and that was inscripturated. And we 00:15:45.759 --> 00:15:48.120 have it in the rule of faith, in the word of 00:15:48.120 --> 00:15:52.960 God, in the holy scriptures. So the scriptures 00:15:52.960 --> 00:16:00.419 contain the entire purpose and plan of the living 00:16:00.419 --> 00:16:04.259 God. So if Paul proclaimed the whole purpose 00:16:04.259 --> 00:16:07.519 of God, what does that mean he did, brothers 00:16:07.519 --> 00:16:13.240 and sisters? He taught every doctrine from start 00:16:13.240 --> 00:16:17.590 to end. He taught the creation of the world, 00:16:17.669 --> 00:16:21.309 but he also taught the consummation of all things. 00:16:22.389 --> 00:16:25.750 He taught, brothers and sisters, election and 00:16:25.750 --> 00:16:30.690 predestination, but he taught faith and repentance. 00:16:31.169 --> 00:16:34.809 He taught the reality of the individual sinner 00:16:34.809 --> 00:16:37.629 repenting and believing and being adopted into 00:16:37.629 --> 00:16:40.950 the church, into the family of the living God, 00:16:41.029 --> 00:16:44.269 but he taught the corporate nature of the church 00:16:44.269 --> 00:16:47.529 as well. He taught everything, start to end, 00:16:47.649 --> 00:16:54.870 and everything in between. It's revealed in the 00:16:54.870 --> 00:16:58.250 Scriptures, and if we are to proclaim the whole 00:16:58.250 --> 00:17:02.309 counsel of God, as Paul proclaimed the whole 00:17:02.309 --> 00:17:07.029 counsel of God, that requires that we preach 00:17:07.029 --> 00:17:13.130 the entire Bible, not just parts and pieces. 00:17:14.140 --> 00:17:18.240 Not just the fun, enjoyable, preferential aspects 00:17:18.240 --> 00:17:24.680 of Scripture, but every single part. We have 00:17:24.680 --> 00:17:27.259 to preach the Old Testament and the New Testament. 00:17:27.380 --> 00:17:30.819 The epistles and the narratives. We have to preach 00:17:30.819 --> 00:17:33.900 the history and the chronicles, but we have to 00:17:33.900 --> 00:17:38.819 preach the poetry as well. We have to preach 00:17:38.819 --> 00:17:42.789 all. Of the word of God. Because it's all been 00:17:42.789 --> 00:17:48.410 revealed. And it all shows us. Christ. And God's 00:17:48.410 --> 00:17:55.690 purpose. In Christ. This demands. That the focus. 00:17:55.730 --> 00:18:02.210 Of the church's teaching. And preaching. Be well. 00:18:02.769 --> 00:18:08.059 Rounded. Brothers and sisters. that it's not 00:18:08.059 --> 00:18:13.240 lopsided or imbalanced, but that it's well -rounded 00:18:13.240 --> 00:18:19.079 and it has pillars in the entire counsel of God. 00:18:21.339 --> 00:18:26.400 And it must never be disconnected or unrelated 00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:30.880 to the person of the Lord Jesus and His work. 00:18:31.259 --> 00:18:36.839 This helps us understand a few things with regards 00:18:36.839 --> 00:18:40.880 to what it means to preach in a Christ -centered 00:18:40.880 --> 00:18:46.500 or Christocentric way. I think there's misunderstanding 00:18:46.500 --> 00:18:51.740 about that sometimes. I think that some believe 00:18:51.740 --> 00:18:54.779 to preach in a Christ -centered way means that 00:18:54.779 --> 00:18:57.579 you get up to the pulpit, you stand in the pulpit, 00:18:57.599 --> 00:19:00.539 and you preach, Jesus lived, He was born, He 00:19:00.539 --> 00:19:04.250 lived. He died. He rose. He ascended. He's returning. 00:19:04.789 --> 00:19:10.450 There's the gospel. The simple gospel of Christ 00:19:10.450 --> 00:19:13.869 and His work and preaching Christ explicitly 00:19:13.869 --> 00:19:19.950 in every instance and in every way all the time. 00:19:21.250 --> 00:19:29.069 But the church must proclaim not just the simple 00:19:29.069 --> 00:19:34.119 gospel. The church must proclaim all the counsel 00:19:34.119 --> 00:19:40.759 of God. All its doctrines. All its truths. But 00:19:40.759 --> 00:19:44.799 those truths must be proclaimed as they are connected 00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:49.500 and as they are related to the person and the 00:19:49.500 --> 00:19:54.140 work of the Lord Jesus Christ. This helps us 00:19:54.140 --> 00:19:58.160 understand the priority of the proclaimed word. 00:19:59.150 --> 00:20:04.309 And not just hearing or looking for that which 00:20:04.309 --> 00:20:08.529 we want or that which we long for at the moment. 00:20:09.890 --> 00:20:13.910 We need all of it, brothers and sisters. God 00:20:13.910 --> 00:20:19.390 has given it to us. Therefore, we need all of 00:20:19.390 --> 00:20:26.450 it. You need all of God's revelation. I need. 00:20:27.150 --> 00:20:32.390 All of God's revelation. To be a healthy, well 00:20:32.390 --> 00:20:36.569 -rounded, vibrant believer in Jesus Christ. And 00:20:36.569 --> 00:20:40.569 churches need all the counsel of God if they 00:20:40.569 --> 00:20:46.369 are to be well -rounded, vibrant churches that 00:20:46.369 --> 00:20:50.509 honor and bring glory to Christ and His name. 00:20:51.309 --> 00:20:55.150 Now, we think about this message. And we think, 00:20:56.589 --> 00:21:02.009 That is the most glorious reality. The fact that 00:21:02.009 --> 00:21:06.410 Christ died on a cross for sinners when they 00:21:06.410 --> 00:21:10.329 don't deserve it. This message of grace, this 00:21:10.329 --> 00:21:14.029 message of mercy, this message that God can transform 00:21:14.029 --> 00:21:17.930 the worst of sinners, that God will give eternal 00:21:17.930 --> 00:21:20.950 life to the worst of men, to the worst of women, 00:21:21.069 --> 00:21:23.869 not based on their own merit, not based on any 00:21:23.869 --> 00:21:26.410 goodness in themselves, but based wholly and 00:21:26.410 --> 00:21:29.170 completely on the person and the work of the 00:21:29.170 --> 00:21:32.829 Lord Jesus. What a glorious, what a grand, what 00:21:32.829 --> 00:21:38.730 a beautiful message that is. But we find, brothers 00:21:38.730 --> 00:21:44.390 and sisters, that that message contains a great 00:21:44.390 --> 00:21:51.789 deal of offense for sinners. Why is that? This 00:21:51.789 --> 00:21:54.440 is the second thing. We have to consider this 00:21:54.440 --> 00:22:00.980 morning the offense of this whole council, Christ 00:22:00.980 --> 00:22:06.339 -centered message that Paul proclaimed. Now, 00:22:06.359 --> 00:22:13.460 think about the Jews. Why were the Jews so vehemently 00:22:13.460 --> 00:22:19.119 trying to stop Paul? Why did they want to literally 00:22:19.119 --> 00:22:24.309 end his life, end his ministry? To stop him from 00:22:24.309 --> 00:22:29.029 doing what he was doing. Because he was proclaiming 00:22:29.029 --> 00:22:38.349 that the Messiah was crucified. That he was proclaiming 00:22:38.349 --> 00:22:43.069 that the Messiah rose from the dead and ascended 00:22:43.069 --> 00:22:45.549 to the Father's right hand. Because he was preaching 00:22:45.549 --> 00:22:50.390 the kingdom of God. And he was not preaching 00:22:50.390 --> 00:22:53.680 and teaching. That the Messiah would immediately 00:22:53.680 --> 00:22:58.220 set up a national kingdom and overthrow Rome 00:22:58.220 --> 00:23:01.619 at that moment. But that it was a spiritual kingdom. 00:23:02.019 --> 00:23:06.680 And that works righteousness had no place whatsoever 00:23:06.680 --> 00:23:13.200 in entering into this glorious kingdom. They 00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:17.470 hated this message. They hated the fact. That 00:23:17.470 --> 00:23:19.970 they were being told that they were unacceptable 00:23:19.970 --> 00:23:23.369 in the sight of a holy God. That their law keeping 00:23:23.369 --> 00:23:28.470 was no good whatsoever. They despised it. And 00:23:28.470 --> 00:23:31.809 fury was bubbling up within their soul. And they 00:23:31.809 --> 00:23:37.170 sought to kill him time and time again. Why did 00:23:37.170 --> 00:23:42.289 the Gentiles and the pagans so regularly oppose 00:23:42.289 --> 00:23:50.640 the Apostle Paul? suppressed the truth in unrighteousness. 00:23:51.279 --> 00:23:56.119 They loved their sin. And they didn't want to 00:23:56.119 --> 00:24:01.039 give up their sin. And they knew that this Apostle 00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:05.619 Paul was proclaiming that if you were to be a 00:24:05.619 --> 00:24:09.619 part of the way, you had to forsake all of these 00:24:09.619 --> 00:24:13.509 things. That if you wanted to be... A part of 00:24:13.509 --> 00:24:16.210 the way, if you wanted to be in Christ, if you 00:24:16.210 --> 00:24:18.349 wanted to have salvation, you had to give up 00:24:18.349 --> 00:24:22.390 your sexual immorality. You had to give up your 00:24:22.390 --> 00:24:25.750 adultery. You had to give up your covetousness 00:24:25.750 --> 00:24:28.329 and your hatred and your murder and your violence 00:24:28.329 --> 00:24:32.849 and your old life cycle, your old life. The old 00:24:32.849 --> 00:24:38.710 man had to die if you were to be in Christ. Repentance 00:24:38.710 --> 00:24:44.559 was an essential part. Of Paul's gospel. So why. 00:24:46.359 --> 00:24:51.380 Is this glorious gospel. Contains so much. Offense. 00:24:52.380 --> 00:24:58.359 Because it is all. Of free grace. Because the 00:24:58.359 --> 00:25:02.039 message. That Paul proclaimed. The message that 00:25:02.039 --> 00:25:06.259 he preached. Brothers and sisters. It was about 00:25:06.259 --> 00:25:14.220 grace. Alone. Not grace. And works. Men are fine. 00:25:15.180 --> 00:25:20.660 If you talk about grace. But. The difficulty 00:25:20.660 --> 00:25:27.339 comes. The anger. Rises. The difficulty. Comes 00:25:27.339 --> 00:25:32.180 into play when you say. Grace alone. And no works 00:25:32.180 --> 00:25:37.160 righteousness. Nothing else. It's entirely of 00:25:37.160 --> 00:25:41.430 God. It's entirely the righteousness of Christ. 00:25:42.369 --> 00:25:46.029 Nothing to be added to. You can't bring anything 00:25:46.029 --> 00:25:51.589 to the table. It's purely and solely by faith 00:25:51.589 --> 00:25:56.769 in Christ. That's where the trouble comes. It 00:25:56.769 --> 00:25:59.089 was offensive because Paul proclaimed a holy 00:25:59.089 --> 00:26:05.549 God that hates sin. A holy God that judges sin, 00:26:05.630 --> 00:26:09.549 that will pour out His wrath on sinners and their 00:26:09.549 --> 00:26:15.049 transgressions. Sinners don't like hearing about 00:26:15.049 --> 00:26:18.049 a holy and a righteous God when they are living 00:26:18.049 --> 00:26:23.910 unholy and unrighteous lives, and they know they 00:26:23.910 --> 00:26:26.650 are living unholy and unrighteous lives, yet 00:26:26.650 --> 00:26:32.609 they still cling to their sin anyways. They volitionally 00:26:32.609 --> 00:26:36.430 and they willingly reject the living God and 00:26:36.430 --> 00:26:41.250 cling to their sin. That's why they oppose the 00:26:41.250 --> 00:26:47.869 message. Because they love pleasure. They love 00:26:47.869 --> 00:26:52.230 the deeds of the flesh. They love clinging to 00:26:52.230 --> 00:26:55.269 their carnal hope and their carnal pride, whatever 00:26:55.269 --> 00:27:00.009 it may be. They love these things more than they... 00:27:00.359 --> 00:27:05.160 want or long for the gospel. Therefore, it offends 00:27:05.160 --> 00:27:08.160 them and it makes them angry and it makes them 00:27:08.160 --> 00:27:13.839 oppose these realities. Men are offended. The 00:27:13.839 --> 00:27:16.359 Jews and the Gentiles, the pagans, were offended 00:27:16.359 --> 00:27:21.740 because Paul preached the exclusivity of Christ. 00:27:23.400 --> 00:27:28.000 It offended their pluralistic sensibilities. 00:27:29.000 --> 00:27:33.759 You can't tell me that I'm worshipping demons. 00:27:36.079 --> 00:27:38.839 Nobody else in the world says there's only one 00:27:38.839 --> 00:27:42.119 God and that He took on flesh. Everybody else 00:27:42.119 --> 00:27:48.119 believes that there's a plethora of gods. I believe 00:27:48.119 --> 00:27:52.440 in so on and so on and so on and so on. You can't 00:27:52.440 --> 00:27:57.339 tell me that there's only one way, that there's 00:27:57.339 --> 00:28:00.259 only one truth. That there's only one message. 00:28:00.599 --> 00:28:03.720 You're saying you're right and I'm wrong and 00:28:03.720 --> 00:28:06.079 everybody else is wrong. How arrogant and how 00:28:06.079 --> 00:28:10.500 prideful can you be? It makes unbelievers angry. 00:28:11.160 --> 00:28:13.880 It offends them in their hearts and their minds 00:28:13.880 --> 00:28:17.500 because of the corruption that has dominion within 00:28:17.500 --> 00:28:21.500 them, brothers and sisters. Paul preached the 00:28:21.500 --> 00:28:26.769 gospel of repentance. He preached a gospel that 00:28:26.769 --> 00:28:31.470 required men forsake their sin and turn to Christ. 00:28:31.869 --> 00:28:35.269 No repentance? Then you don't have real faith. 00:28:36.049 --> 00:28:40.430 This is why he preaches. This is why we read 00:28:40.430 --> 00:28:44.210 in verse 21 that he says, solemnly testifying 00:28:44.210 --> 00:28:47.470 to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward 00:28:47.470 --> 00:28:54.309 God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Men don't 00:28:54.309 --> 00:28:57.369 like being told to give up their immorality. 00:28:58.390 --> 00:29:03.849 It's theirs. Whose business is it of yours to 00:29:03.849 --> 00:29:09.690 tell me to stop doing this? Paul preached the 00:29:09.690 --> 00:29:13.289 message of the gospel and the full counsel of 00:29:13.289 --> 00:29:23.039 God at face value. With all its offense, And 00:29:23.039 --> 00:29:27.000 with all the offense that came with it. In many 00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:33.039 ways, I believe that Paul cleared the way for 00:29:33.039 --> 00:29:36.779 the offense of the gospel. We read about how 00:29:36.779 --> 00:29:43.160 Paul became all things to all men. Many read 00:29:43.160 --> 00:29:45.799 that and they think, well, he's just trying to 00:29:45.799 --> 00:29:48.539 contextualize everything so that he can reach 00:29:48.539 --> 00:29:50.900 more people. And there's a degree of truth to 00:29:50.900 --> 00:29:56.299 that. Paul is seeking to ensure that the offense 00:29:56.299 --> 00:29:59.720 that men and women experience when the gospel 00:29:59.720 --> 00:30:03.920 is preached is purely from and finds its source 00:30:03.920 --> 00:30:09.700 in the gospel and the truth and not in him. He's 00:30:09.700 --> 00:30:13.000 clearing the way so that the gospel can have 00:30:13.000 --> 00:30:19.099 the full effect upon their souls. So that it 00:30:19.099 --> 00:30:23.640 can fully offend the unbeliever. So that it can 00:30:23.640 --> 00:30:28.339 prepare the way for hope in the gospel. So that 00:30:28.339 --> 00:30:32.200 it can prepare the way for faith and repentance. 00:30:36.920 --> 00:30:43.940 Paul preached the gospel in its entirety. At 00:30:43.940 --> 00:30:50.559 face value. The untarnished gospel. The unrevised. 00:30:51.659 --> 00:30:57.460 The unedited. The unchanged. He wasn't a revisionist 00:30:57.460 --> 00:31:01.180 preacher, brothers and sisters. He loved the 00:31:01.180 --> 00:31:05.619 original. He loved the original gospel. The original 00:31:05.619 --> 00:31:08.500 truth. That truth which was handed down to him 00:31:08.500 --> 00:31:11.259 and taught to him by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. 00:31:12.259 --> 00:31:14.700 And that's the truth he preserved and that's 00:31:14.700 --> 00:31:19.059 the truth that he preached. The responsibility. 00:31:20.680 --> 00:31:23.740 Of the church and its ministers brothers and 00:31:23.740 --> 00:31:30.640 sisters. Is to know and embrace and teach. The 00:31:30.640 --> 00:31:37.720 full counsel of God. In Christ. As it relates 00:31:37.720 --> 00:31:44.839 to the Lord Jesus. We think about this. And that 00:31:44.839 --> 00:31:48.099 means that every doctrine. Regardless of whether 00:31:48.099 --> 00:31:54.980 or not. It sits well with men. Must be proclaimed. 00:31:55.579 --> 00:31:59.980 Why is there a degree of hesitation within my 00:31:59.980 --> 00:32:05.460 soul when I say the word election out loud? Why 00:32:05.460 --> 00:32:08.779 is there a degree of hesitation within my mind 00:32:08.779 --> 00:32:12.220 when I say the word predestination verbally out 00:32:12.220 --> 00:32:14.740 loud at the pulpit except for the fact that the 00:32:14.740 --> 00:32:17.920 word of God clearly and plainly proclaims it? 00:32:20.359 --> 00:32:23.859 Because the offense of the gospel brings pressure 00:32:23.859 --> 00:32:26.660 to bear upon those who proclaim it, brothers 00:32:26.660 --> 00:32:31.359 and sisters. And it requires boldness and courage 00:32:31.359 --> 00:32:34.059 in those that would proclaim it. And they must 00:32:34.059 --> 00:32:38.500 proclaim it in its full face value with all its 00:32:38.500 --> 00:32:44.259 teeth. You see, there's a way that you can have 00:32:44.259 --> 00:32:46.660 a well -rounded ministry, brothers and sisters. 00:32:46.720 --> 00:32:48.579 A well -rounded teaching and preaching ministry. 00:32:49.049 --> 00:32:53.089 But you yank all the teeth out of the gospel 00:32:53.089 --> 00:32:57.109 so that it no longer has its offense, but you're 00:32:57.109 --> 00:33:00.849 still teaching the whole counsel of God. It's 00:33:00.849 --> 00:33:09.109 like you're declying a cat. That cat used to 00:33:09.109 --> 00:33:12.150 be able to run freely outside and climb trees 00:33:12.150 --> 00:33:15.829 and grab mice and jump up and grab birds. It 00:33:15.829 --> 00:33:19.309 would run wild. It had teeth. It could grab hold. 00:33:19.430 --> 00:33:22.109 It was a hunter. And cats can be fierce, brothers 00:33:22.109 --> 00:33:26.609 and sisters. Their claws are sharp. But what 00:33:26.609 --> 00:33:32.569 happens when you declaw a cat? Well, now you 00:33:32.569 --> 00:33:38.000 can play with it. It's not going to cut you. 00:33:38.619 --> 00:33:40.759 It's not going to hurt you. It's not going to 00:33:40.759 --> 00:33:43.079 inflict pain on you anymore, especially if you 00:33:43.079 --> 00:33:48.799 take its teeth out. That cat is meant to be played 00:33:48.799 --> 00:33:54.160 with, and that is it. Men do that to the gospel 00:33:54.160 --> 00:34:00.059 all the time. Men declaw, and they remove the 00:34:00.059 --> 00:34:05.680 teeth. On the true gospel, do you know why? Because 00:34:05.680 --> 00:34:10.340 they don't want it to hurt. Because they don't 00:34:10.340 --> 00:34:14.719 want the gospel to cut. They don't want the gospel 00:34:14.719 --> 00:34:17.519 to slice. They don't want the gospel to be painful. 00:34:17.699 --> 00:34:20.639 They don't want the offense of the truth because 00:34:20.639 --> 00:34:24.860 they feel the pressure. And Paul tells us here 00:34:24.860 --> 00:34:26.900 in this text that if you are to proclaim the 00:34:26.900 --> 00:34:30.159 truth, you must do so with the gospel in its 00:34:30.159 --> 00:34:35.230 mouth full of teeth. And that's the way that 00:34:35.230 --> 00:34:41.469 it ought to be proclaimed. The church is responsible 00:34:41.469 --> 00:34:48.969 and its ministers are responsible for embracing 00:34:48.969 --> 00:34:56.869 the whole counsel of God. We're quick to say 00:34:56.869 --> 00:35:01.289 ministers are responsible for embracing, knowing, 00:35:01.409 --> 00:35:07.880 and proclaiming the whole counsel. We are. Especially 00:35:07.880 --> 00:35:12.139 in Reformed circles, we're quick to proclaim 00:35:12.139 --> 00:35:17.519 that. But let us not forget that the church is 00:35:17.519 --> 00:35:24.639 responsible for embracing and receiving the whole 00:35:24.639 --> 00:35:30.519 counsel of God as well. God hasn't just given 00:35:30.519 --> 00:35:34.230 this truth. to ministers, brothers and sisters. 00:35:35.250 --> 00:35:39.269 He has given the whole purpose of God to be declared 00:35:39.269 --> 00:35:46.650 by ministers to whom? The people of God. The 00:35:46.650 --> 00:35:51.750 church must embrace the hardest, the most difficult, 00:35:51.969 --> 00:35:56.230 the most offensive doctrines which are true and 00:35:56.230 --> 00:36:03.110 biblical. Every single one. Of them. Now that's 00:36:03.110 --> 00:36:05.429 not always easy. Is it brothers and sisters? 00:36:07.050 --> 00:36:11.010 Because this message. Does in fact contain. And 00:36:11.010 --> 00:36:17.030 bring offense. So this requires. That when you 00:36:17.030 --> 00:36:19.289 come to the truth. And it's clear and it's plain. 00:36:21.090 --> 00:36:25.130 That you set your sensibilities. And your sentiments 00:36:25.130 --> 00:36:30.559 aside. And you say Lord. I may not fully understand. 00:36:30.619 --> 00:36:35.559 I may not fully grasp this truth. I may not fully 00:36:35.559 --> 00:36:38.760 understand this doctrine. I may not fully understand 00:36:38.760 --> 00:36:41.699 everything that you do and how you do it. And 00:36:41.699 --> 00:36:44.860 nobody ever will. But you come to that truth 00:36:44.860 --> 00:36:46.699 and you say, Lord, I believe that this is what 00:36:46.699 --> 00:36:53.880 it's teaching, so I submit to it. I give my soul 00:36:53.880 --> 00:36:56.650 to it, Lord. I embrace it. even though I don't 00:36:56.650 --> 00:36:59.789 fully understand it. It's what the Word teaches. 00:37:02.769 --> 00:37:08.750 Christians must do that. Because the truth offends 00:37:08.750 --> 00:37:12.949 Christians. Because we have remaining corruption 00:37:12.949 --> 00:37:19.349 within us. The believer must continually set 00:37:19.349 --> 00:37:23.130 aside their carnal pride, their carnal intellect, 00:37:23.880 --> 00:37:27.980 their carnal minds, and submit over and over 00:37:27.980 --> 00:37:32.380 and over and over, time and time again, to the 00:37:32.380 --> 00:37:38.159 truth of God's Word. That's what we do. Wake 00:37:38.159 --> 00:37:42.360 in and wake out. That's how we suppress the flesh, 00:37:42.539 --> 00:37:46.239 brothers and sisters. That's how we mortify sin. 00:37:48.159 --> 00:37:52.340 By suppressing this, not giving it an opportunity, 00:37:53.289 --> 00:37:57.250 And embracing this, supplanting this with this. 00:37:59.570 --> 00:38:03.010 The Christian does it over and over and over. 00:38:04.929 --> 00:38:07.309 Now the last thing we have to consider is why. 00:38:08.190 --> 00:38:15.289 This must be the message of the church. We already 00:38:15.289 --> 00:38:19.389 have a few good ideas. And it's already been 00:38:19.389 --> 00:38:24.190 intimated briefly as to why. This must be the 00:38:24.190 --> 00:38:26.789 message of the church, and it must remain the 00:38:26.789 --> 00:38:30.349 message of the church. But let me give you two 00:38:30.349 --> 00:38:38.809 specific reasons. The first is because only this 00:38:38.809 --> 00:38:45.090 message saves sinners from sin, death, and hell. 00:38:46.650 --> 00:38:52.309 There is no other message that saves... Unregenerate 00:38:52.309 --> 00:38:55.849 men from the wrath of God, brothers and sisters. 00:38:57.090 --> 00:39:00.510 There is no other truth in this world besides 00:39:00.510 --> 00:39:05.289 the Christian gospel and the word of God that 00:39:05.289 --> 00:39:11.469 saves sinners from the depths of hell. Only the 00:39:11.469 --> 00:39:15.469 gospel of Jesus Christ. and the full -orbed gospel 00:39:15.469 --> 00:39:19.510 with Christ at the very center delivers men from 00:39:19.510 --> 00:39:22.130 transgressions and the power of sin and from 00:39:22.130 --> 00:39:25.090 hell and judgment and wrath and gives them eternal 00:39:25.090 --> 00:39:29.230 life. If we neglect this message, men's souls 00:39:29.230 --> 00:39:35.320 are in peril. If the church deviates from the 00:39:35.320 --> 00:39:38.380 truth of Scripture, which Paul proclaimed, brothers 00:39:38.380 --> 00:39:41.260 and sisters, men and women and children will 00:39:41.260 --> 00:39:44.340 die and suffer under wrath of God for all eternity. 00:39:47.099 --> 00:39:51.940 If we do not remain faithful to this message, 00:39:52.039 --> 00:39:58.440 our children, our loved ones, our family members, 00:39:58.679 --> 00:40:02.059 our friends, they will die in their sins and 00:40:02.059 --> 00:40:07.260 suffer the wrath of God. The church must remain 00:40:07.260 --> 00:40:11.159 faithful to the proclamation of the whole counsel 00:40:11.159 --> 00:40:19.059 of God with Christ at the very center of that. 00:40:20.000 --> 00:40:26.070 We must. These are the means. That God brings 00:40:26.070 --> 00:40:29.329 about further steps in his purpose in this world. 00:40:30.550 --> 00:40:35.329 God advances his divine purpose in this world. 00:40:35.949 --> 00:40:41.090 His kingdom. How? Through the proclamation of 00:40:41.090 --> 00:40:45.030 his word. Through the proclamation of the whole 00:40:45.030 --> 00:40:51.849 counsel of God. That's the first reason. This 00:40:51.849 --> 00:40:57.030 is why Paul proclaimed it. He clearly preached 00:40:57.030 --> 00:41:01.449 conversion. We see that in verse 21, solemnly 00:41:01.449 --> 00:41:03.809 testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance 00:41:03.809 --> 00:41:07.010 toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:41:07.530 --> 00:41:12.309 But also we see in verse 24 that part of Paul's 00:41:12.309 --> 00:41:16.829 whole council preaching involves the gospel of 00:41:16.829 --> 00:41:23.150 the grace of God. We must continue to faithfully 00:41:23.150 --> 00:41:27.349 proclaim the gospel and repentance and faith, 00:41:27.530 --> 00:41:31.730 that men and women might be saved, brothers and 00:41:31.730 --> 00:41:36.329 sisters. Now, the second reason that this must 00:41:36.329 --> 00:41:41.449 be the church's message is that because this 00:41:41.449 --> 00:41:47.030 message, that is because this message sanctifies 00:41:47.030 --> 00:41:51.989 and builds up the church. It grows the church 00:41:51.989 --> 00:41:56.250 in maturity. Brothers and sisters. Listen to 00:41:56.250 --> 00:42:00.590 what Paul says in verse 32. And now I commend 00:42:00.590 --> 00:42:06.550 you to God. And to the word of his grace. Which 00:42:06.550 --> 00:42:10.090 is able to build you up. And to give you the 00:42:10.090 --> 00:42:13.150 inheritance among all those. Who are sanctified. 00:42:13.949 --> 00:42:17.510 What about. This where he says this in verse 00:42:17.510 --> 00:42:21.510 20. How I did not shrink from declaring to you. 00:42:21.980 --> 00:42:28.480 Anything that was profitable. Good for you spiritually. 00:42:29.239 --> 00:42:32.639 Edifying, upbuilding that which is beneficial 00:42:32.639 --> 00:42:39.820 for the believer. The gospel and the whole counsel 00:42:39.820 --> 00:42:43.019 of God must be proclaimed. Because that is the 00:42:43.019 --> 00:42:46.639 means that God has committed himself to. To work 00:42:46.639 --> 00:42:51.250 through. To strengthen and build up. and mature 00:42:51.250 --> 00:42:56.230 the Christian church in this world. And the individual 00:42:56.230 --> 00:43:00.530 believer in the church, brothers and sisters. 00:43:00.849 --> 00:43:05.090 Why must we proclaim this truth? Because this 00:43:05.090 --> 00:43:08.849 is the truth we need, brothers and sisters. This 00:43:08.849 --> 00:43:13.050 is the truth that our souls require. God has 00:43:13.050 --> 00:43:15.929 not said that He's going to work through the 00:43:15.929 --> 00:43:20.920 newspaper to edify your soul. God has not said 00:43:20.920 --> 00:43:24.019 that he's going to work through Twitter and Facebook 00:43:24.019 --> 00:43:29.039 to bring about sanctification in your life. God 00:43:29.039 --> 00:43:32.059 has committed himself to the ministry of his 00:43:32.059 --> 00:43:35.519 holy word, brothers and sisters, to build up 00:43:35.519 --> 00:43:37.920 and strengthen and edify and grow the church 00:43:37.920 --> 00:43:41.260 and bring it into maturity. Now, does that mean 00:43:41.260 --> 00:43:45.119 that those resources are not useful and they 00:43:45.119 --> 00:43:50.449 can't be edifying? Yes, they can. But we're showing 00:43:50.449 --> 00:43:55.030 the emphasis and the importance of the ministry 00:43:55.030 --> 00:43:59.250 of the word and the life of the church. It must 00:43:59.250 --> 00:44:05.230 be prioritized, brothers and sisters. Do you 00:44:05.230 --> 00:44:10.670 know why there's so many lopsided and imbalanced 00:44:10.670 --> 00:44:16.159 Christians and churches? Do you know why there 00:44:16.159 --> 00:44:18.079 are so many Christians walking around with a 00:44:18.079 --> 00:44:23.719 hobble, spiritually? Why they're walking around 00:44:23.719 --> 00:44:29.159 as a gimp, with no power, no blessing, no life, 00:44:29.400 --> 00:44:37.400 no maturity, no doctrinal understanding, no growth, 00:44:37.559 --> 00:44:42.670 no vitality in their soul, living in dull, cold, 00:44:42.690 --> 00:44:46.309 indifference in their life and their soul? Do 00:44:46.309 --> 00:44:52.929 you know why? Because men in churches have deviated 00:44:52.929 --> 00:45:04.389 from the truth of God. Men in churches have deprioritized 00:45:04.389 --> 00:45:10.440 the Scriptures and elevated and prioritized any 00:45:10.440 --> 00:45:21.840 number of other things in its place. All the 00:45:21.840 --> 00:45:26.320 more reason that the church of the living God 00:45:26.320 --> 00:45:34.239 must keep and preach and maintain the whole counsel 00:45:34.239 --> 00:45:38.800 of God with Christ at the center.