WEBVTT 00:00:02.820 --> 00:00:07.299 It is a good thing that you approve in the budget 00:00:07.299 --> 00:00:10.939 each year and allowing the staff to get away 00:00:10.939 --> 00:00:13.619 for this time of retreat in Chicago at the Bible 00:00:13.619 --> 00:00:19.800 Conference. It does something special to us and 00:00:19.800 --> 00:00:24.859 our wives in unifying us, refreshing us in the 00:00:24.859 --> 00:00:26.820 things of the Lord as we are preached to together. 00:00:28.140 --> 00:00:32.159 This last week we were privileged to hear such 00:00:32.159 --> 00:00:36.859 men as Dr. Howard Hendricks, Dr. David Jeremiah, 00:00:37.299 --> 00:00:44.240 Dr. Joseph Stoll, Dr. Ron Blue, Dr. Donald Baker. 00:00:46.679 --> 00:00:49.320 These men were the instruments of God in our 00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:51.560 lives. We thank the Lord for the opportunity 00:00:51.560 --> 00:00:55.439 to be there and to hear them and to come back 00:00:55.439 --> 00:01:03.009 refreshed. I don't know about you, but I like 00:01:03.009 --> 00:01:05.670 daffy -nitions. Do you know what I mean by that? 00:01:07.930 --> 00:01:10.510 When I was a kid, I think it was Parade magazine 00:01:10.510 --> 00:01:12.969 that used to have those with some regularity. 00:01:13.230 --> 00:01:16.689 I always got a chuckle out of the words which 00:01:16.689 --> 00:01:21.870 were defined in such a manner. I came across 00:01:21.870 --> 00:01:23.750 some this last week that I thought were pretty 00:01:23.750 --> 00:01:28.709 good. You know what a diner is? A choo -choo 00:01:28.709 --> 00:01:39.579 car. They get better. Do you know what a hypocrite 00:01:39.579 --> 00:01:43.420 is? A definition for a hypocrite is someone who 00:01:43.420 --> 00:01:46.579 prays to God on Sunday and prays on people the 00:01:46.579 --> 00:01:49.579 rest of the week. That's more painful than funny. 00:01:50.340 --> 00:01:58.040 A church nursery. A ballroom. Marriage is defined 00:01:58.040 --> 00:02:00.980 as the ways and means committee. She directs 00:02:00.980 --> 00:02:08.139 the ways, he furnishes the means. An alarm clock, 00:02:08.360 --> 00:02:10.780 a mechanism used to scare the daylights into 00:02:10.780 --> 00:02:17.180 you. An antique, a piece of furniture that's 00:02:17.180 --> 00:02:24.729 paid for. Being of some Irish extract, I appreciate 00:02:24.729 --> 00:02:28.669 this definition of blarney. It's simply bologna 00:02:28.669 --> 00:02:33.729 coated with an Irish smile. A honeymoon, the 00:02:33.729 --> 00:02:40.650 period between I do and you'd better. A pedestrian 00:02:40.650 --> 00:02:43.090 is a husband who didn't think the family needed 00:02:43.090 --> 00:02:54.289 two cars. And here's a wife's definition of retirement, 00:02:54.750 --> 00:02:58.050 twice as much husband on half as much income. 00:03:01.210 --> 00:03:04.009 Well, I enjoy definitions, but definitions are 00:03:04.009 --> 00:03:05.689 more practical for us, and today we're going 00:03:05.689 --> 00:03:09.889 to look at some definitions. We're particularly 00:03:09.889 --> 00:03:12.830 interested in defining the term the mystery of 00:03:12.830 --> 00:03:15.189 Christ, which has been the focus of our study 00:03:15.189 --> 00:03:18.770 in Ephesians chapter 3, verses 1 through 13. 00:03:19.949 --> 00:03:24.270 Webster defines a mystery as, quote, something 00:03:24.270 --> 00:03:29.870 unexplained, anything or event that remains so 00:03:29.870 --> 00:03:34.490 secret or obscure as to excite curiosity. In 00:03:34.490 --> 00:03:38.389 theology, any assumed truth that cannot be comprehended 00:03:38.389 --> 00:03:41.689 by the human mind but must be accepted by faith, 00:03:41.909 --> 00:03:46.110 close quote. Well, while those definitions are 00:03:46.110 --> 00:03:49.680 certainly correct in certain situations, This 00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:52.580 term that we're looking at today, the mystery 00:03:52.580 --> 00:03:57.800 of Christ, cannot be defined in those terms. 00:03:59.000 --> 00:04:02.259 Last week we looked at the messenger of the mystery 00:04:02.259 --> 00:04:04.919 of Christ, and of course that is the beloved 00:04:04.919 --> 00:04:08.900 apostle Paul. Today we want to look at the meaning 00:04:08.900 --> 00:04:14.819 of the mystery of Christ. It is important for 00:04:14.819 --> 00:04:18.149 you and me to grasp the significance. of the 00:04:18.149 --> 00:04:23.189 meaning of this term. Without the grasp of the 00:04:23.189 --> 00:04:26.730 meaning of the mystery of Christ, one will be 00:04:26.730 --> 00:04:30.230 confused in his interpretation of the New Testament. 00:04:31.529 --> 00:04:34.250 By the way, nearly as critical as the doctrine 00:04:34.250 --> 00:04:37.970 of inspiration is the doctrine of interpretation. 00:04:39.430 --> 00:04:44.509 How do we know what the Bible means? It is called 00:04:44.509 --> 00:04:48.569 in theology hermeneutics. Herman who? Hermeneutics. 00:04:49.730 --> 00:04:53.290 It is the science and art of biblical interpretation. 00:04:55.110 --> 00:04:58.069 I repeat, I believe that nearly as important 00:04:58.069 --> 00:05:02.290 as the doctrine of inspiration is the doctrine 00:05:02.290 --> 00:05:06.730 of how one interprets the Bible. We as a church 00:05:06.730 --> 00:05:08.670 are committed to what is called the literal, 00:05:08.889 --> 00:05:13.050 or perhaps better, the normal interpretation 00:05:13.050 --> 00:05:17.259 of the Scriptures. That means that we interpret 00:05:17.259 --> 00:05:20.660 the Bible as it normally would seem to be interpreted 00:05:20.660 --> 00:05:25.680 in its context. That's not hard to do once one 00:05:25.680 --> 00:05:29.220 has the idea. That's the way that we read the 00:05:29.220 --> 00:05:32.680 newspaper, for example. We read the front page, 00:05:32.779 --> 00:05:36.540 the hard news, from a certain perspective. We 00:05:36.540 --> 00:05:39.579 interpret it that way. We turn further in and 00:05:39.579 --> 00:05:43.279 we see an advertisement. It claims to be a going 00:05:43.279 --> 00:05:45.500 -out -of -business sale at this furniture store. 00:05:45.620 --> 00:05:48.139 Well, we interpret that in a certain context. 00:05:49.379 --> 00:05:51.360 Then we turn a little farther to the editorial 00:05:51.360 --> 00:05:55.060 page, and we know that these are opinions, and 00:05:55.060 --> 00:05:58.060 so we interpret those in that way. And then we 00:05:58.060 --> 00:06:01.319 go back to the comic strips, and we read those 00:06:01.319 --> 00:06:03.879 and interpret them a different way. You see, 00:06:03.939 --> 00:06:06.660 that's simply applied normal interpretation. 00:06:08.060 --> 00:06:11.240 And we simply use the same procedure when we 00:06:11.240 --> 00:06:14.379 come to the Bible. We interpret it in a literal 00:06:14.379 --> 00:06:17.220 way, which means that we interpret it as it normally 00:06:17.220 --> 00:06:21.139 should be interpreted in that context. Now one 00:06:21.139 --> 00:06:24.439 important principle of normal interpretation 00:06:24.439 --> 00:06:28.800 is this. Before deciding what a passage means, 00:06:29.019 --> 00:06:33.000 be sure that you have properly understood or 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:37.259 defined the words and phrases in that verse. 00:06:38.480 --> 00:06:41.540 As you come to our text today in Ephesians 3, 00:06:41.759 --> 00:06:46.399 you must first understand what the mystery of 00:06:46.399 --> 00:06:50.220 Christ is before you can properly interpret this 00:06:50.220 --> 00:06:55.220 passage. Let's talk first about a definition, 00:06:55.540 --> 00:07:00.480 particularly of the term mystery. We see a definition 00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:03.920 written for us in verse 5, but I would like you 00:07:03.920 --> 00:07:10.100 to turn to two other additional words regarding 00:07:10.100 --> 00:07:13.980 the definition of the word mystery in the New 00:07:13.980 --> 00:07:17.220 Testament. First, go back with me to the book 00:07:17.220 --> 00:07:22.120 of Romans, to the 16th chapter. We'll look at 00:07:22.120 --> 00:07:28.920 verses 25 and 26. Romans chapter 16, verse 25. 00:07:32.319 --> 00:07:35.100 Not him who is able to establish you according 00:07:35.100 --> 00:07:38.399 to my gospel. and the preaching of Jesus Christ, 00:07:38.759 --> 00:07:44.420 according to the revelation of the mystery, which 00:07:44.420 --> 00:07:49.000 has been kept secret for long ages past, but 00:07:49.000 --> 00:07:52.540 now is manifested, and by the scriptures of the 00:07:52.540 --> 00:07:54.519 prophets, according to the commandment of the 00:07:54.519 --> 00:07:58.759 eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, 00:07:58.819 --> 00:08:03.759 leading to obedience of faith. Now keeping in 00:08:03.759 --> 00:08:06.279 mind what it says there, would you turn into 00:08:06.279 --> 00:08:08.980 the New Testament to the book of Colossians and 00:08:08.980 --> 00:08:12.660 the first chapter and see another verse that 00:08:12.660 --> 00:08:16.720 defines for us what the word mystery means in 00:08:16.720 --> 00:08:22.199 the Bible. Paul is speaking about the gospel 00:08:22.199 --> 00:08:25.660 again, and he says in verse 26 of Colossians 00:08:25.660 --> 00:08:30.839 1, that is, the mystery which has been hidden 00:08:30.839 --> 00:08:35.679 from the past ages and generations. but has now 00:08:35.679 --> 00:08:40.600 been manifested to his saints. You will notice 00:08:40.600 --> 00:08:43.279 similar phrases in the two texts that we've just 00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:46.500 read. Let's go back to Ephesians, where we're 00:08:46.500 --> 00:08:49.559 going to focus our attention today and see if 00:08:49.559 --> 00:08:54.139 we don't find some very similar wording. In Ephesians 00:08:54.139 --> 00:08:57.860 3, verse 4, and by referring to this, when you 00:08:57.860 --> 00:09:00.759 read, you can understand my insight into the 00:09:00.759 --> 00:09:05.090 mystery of Christ. which in other generations 00:09:05.090 --> 00:09:09.210 was not made known to the sons of men, as it 00:09:09.210 --> 00:09:11.950 has now been revealed to his holy apostles and 00:09:11.950 --> 00:09:17.429 prophets in the Spirit. To be specific, that 00:09:17.429 --> 00:09:19.769 the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members 00:09:19.769 --> 00:09:22.429 of the body and fellow partakers of the promise 00:09:22.429 --> 00:09:27.889 in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Now, as long 00:09:27.889 --> 00:09:29.789 as we're talking about a definition for this 00:09:29.789 --> 00:09:31.950 phrase, the mystery of Christ, I want you to 00:09:31.950 --> 00:09:35.350 notice first, that it's called the mystery of 00:09:35.350 --> 00:09:40.950 Christ. That tells us at least two things. First 00:09:40.950 --> 00:09:44.669 of all, the source of this mystery is Christ. 00:09:45.490 --> 00:09:52.269 That is, it is something from him to us. Secondly, 00:09:52.389 --> 00:09:56.529 the mystery of Christ tells us that he is also 00:09:56.529 --> 00:10:02.740 the substance of the mystery. In other words, 00:10:02.740 --> 00:10:04.840 the mystery that we're going to talk about is 00:10:04.840 --> 00:10:08.659 something not only from him, but it is something 00:10:08.659 --> 00:10:13.580 about him. There was a great deal revealed in 00:10:13.580 --> 00:10:16.799 the Old Testament about the Christ, the anointed 00:10:16.799 --> 00:10:20.500 of God, but now something more is about to be 00:10:20.500 --> 00:10:27.059 unveiled. This additional truth was, as it says 00:10:27.059 --> 00:10:32.820 here in verse 5, not made known. to the sons 00:10:32.820 --> 00:10:37.159 of men in other generations. This additional 00:10:37.159 --> 00:10:41.460 truth was unknown in previous generations. It 00:10:41.460 --> 00:10:45.919 was veiled, perhaps, in some references, but 00:10:45.919 --> 00:10:49.519 even the writers of those Old Testament texts 00:10:49.519 --> 00:10:53.419 did not understand the fullness of what they 00:10:53.419 --> 00:10:58.559 were writing. In 1 Peter 1, verses 10 through 00:10:58.559 --> 00:11:03.679 12, Peter tells us that those holy men of old 00:11:03.679 --> 00:11:08.740 diligently sought to know the meaning of their 00:11:08.740 --> 00:11:12.860 own words, and yet were not given the privilege 00:11:12.860 --> 00:11:17.620 of understanding them with full insight. And 00:11:17.620 --> 00:11:20.500 so some of these things incorporated in the mystery 00:11:20.500 --> 00:11:26.120 may have been in a veiled way spoken about in 00:11:26.120 --> 00:11:28.659 the Old Testament, but not in a way that even 00:11:28.659 --> 00:11:32.620 the writers could comprehend. Now with the light, 00:11:32.720 --> 00:11:35.679 the spotlight of the New Testament, we can go 00:11:35.679 --> 00:11:39.600 back to the Old Testament and study texts that 00:11:39.600 --> 00:11:44.679 come to life. Truth pops out at us because of 00:11:44.679 --> 00:11:48.139 the additional light that we have that even that 00:11:48.139 --> 00:11:53.120 author back then did not possess. We are told 00:11:53.120 --> 00:11:58.830 here that the mystery in its fullness was not 00:11:58.830 --> 00:12:02.710 known in other generations previously, but it 00:12:02.710 --> 00:12:07.250 goes on to say it has now been revealed. In other 00:12:07.250 --> 00:12:11.070 words, God has chosen to unveil the fullness 00:12:11.070 --> 00:12:15.129 of the mystery. And notice that he has done it 00:12:15.129 --> 00:12:20.190 now, it says, N -O -W, a key word, because that 00:12:20.190 --> 00:12:24.769 word reminds us that God does not continuously 00:12:24.769 --> 00:12:30.980 reveal truth. God gives a little bit here, a 00:12:30.980 --> 00:12:33.159 little bit there through this writer and that 00:12:33.159 --> 00:12:38.139 one in the Old Testament. And then for 400 years 00:12:38.139 --> 00:12:42.980 there is silence, no revelation from God until 00:12:42.980 --> 00:12:48.399 the light dawns and the Lord Jesus Christ is 00:12:48.399 --> 00:12:52.860 born. And then revelation is once more given 00:12:52.860 --> 00:12:56.279 to man in that first century. But by the end 00:12:56.279 --> 00:12:58.980 of the first century, once more, the door was 00:12:58.980 --> 00:13:03.379 shut on revelation. God had said, God had unveiled, 00:13:03.679 --> 00:13:07.659 God had exposed all that he intended to unveil. 00:13:08.100 --> 00:13:11.059 So that when the last of the inspired books was 00:13:11.059 --> 00:13:16.899 penned by John the Apostle, nearly in 100 A .D., 00:13:16.899 --> 00:13:20.120 many years after the death and resurrection of 00:13:20.120 --> 00:13:23.309 Christ, There is a warning given at the end of 00:13:23.309 --> 00:13:26.610 that book not to add to or to take away from 00:13:26.610 --> 00:13:29.970 the things that were written in that book. And 00:13:29.970 --> 00:13:32.009 not just in that book, but because of its unique 00:13:32.009 --> 00:13:34.529 place, we believe it applies to the whole Bible. 00:13:35.870 --> 00:13:39.129 In other words, God at that time, in that generation, 00:13:39.169 --> 00:13:41.850 as Paul was writing contemporaneously, saying, 00:13:41.990 --> 00:13:47.250 now God is revealing. But beloved, today God 00:13:47.250 --> 00:13:51.929 is not revealing new truth. God is illuminating 00:13:51.929 --> 00:13:55.610 us. God is giving us new light. God is giving 00:13:55.610 --> 00:14:01.509 us understanding. God is teaching us. But he 00:14:01.509 --> 00:14:05.429 is not unveiling brand new truths. That was done 00:14:05.429 --> 00:14:09.950 through the writers of this book. And our job 00:14:09.950 --> 00:14:12.309 today is to study this book. That's why we make 00:14:12.309 --> 00:14:15.370 such an emphasis on this here in Grace Church. 00:14:16.809 --> 00:14:19.149 Now Paul, as he was writing, says God has now 00:14:19.149 --> 00:14:21.610 revealed it. Notice to whom. Who are the recipients? 00:14:22.429 --> 00:14:25.309 Well, he says it's to the holy apostles and prophets. 00:14:26.289 --> 00:14:28.549 That is, those who are part of the foundation 00:14:28.549 --> 00:14:35.470 stage of the church. Generally speaking, we can 00:14:35.470 --> 00:14:38.529 say the apostles received from God the doctrine. 00:14:40.169 --> 00:14:42.909 And those prophets in those early days received 00:14:42.909 --> 00:14:46.539 from God practical instructions. They did not 00:14:46.539 --> 00:14:51.360 have the written New Testament books. They were 00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:56.039 still being penned. And so God gave to them practical 00:14:56.039 --> 00:14:58.620 understanding. What do you do in this emergency? 00:14:58.860 --> 00:15:01.700 How do you handle that situation? What do you 00:15:01.700 --> 00:15:04.039 say to a group of people like this over there? 00:15:04.879 --> 00:15:08.600 God gave to the prophets direct revelation as 00:15:08.600 --> 00:15:10.740 to how to handle those things, how to cover those 00:15:10.740 --> 00:15:13.759 situations, what to say to those people. Those 00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:17.059 were the prophets. It was direct revelation. 00:15:17.340 --> 00:15:21.019 God gave it to them. And notice that he gave 00:15:21.019 --> 00:15:24.940 it to them, as it says here, in the Spirit. Here 00:15:24.940 --> 00:15:29.360 we have the identity of the revealer. The Holy 00:15:29.360 --> 00:15:32.720 Spirit throughout the Bible is the agent of revelation. 00:15:33.779 --> 00:15:39.080 As Peter says in 2 Peter 1 .21, regarding the 00:15:39.080 --> 00:15:41.200 Old Testament writers, but applying to the New 00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:43.919 as well. He says that they were born along, they 00:15:43.919 --> 00:15:48.980 were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Jesus 00:15:48.980 --> 00:15:52.399 said to the apostles, when the Spirit of truth 00:15:52.399 --> 00:15:55.379 has come, He will bring to your minds these things 00:15:55.379 --> 00:15:58.720 that I have said to you. The Spirit of God is 00:15:58.720 --> 00:16:03.960 the agent of revelation. He is the one who enabled 00:16:03.960 --> 00:16:07.990 these men to write so that what they wrote were 00:16:07.990 --> 00:16:10.789 words beyond their own. They came out of the 00:16:10.789 --> 00:16:14.929 vocabulary of those men. But as they wrote, what 00:16:14.929 --> 00:16:18.169 they wrote was the very thought. They were the 00:16:18.169 --> 00:16:23.769 very words of God. There's a marvelous miracle 00:16:23.769 --> 00:16:26.269 in this book that we have that we call the Bible. 00:16:26.350 --> 00:16:30.850 It is the revelation of God. Well, in this revelation, 00:16:30.970 --> 00:16:36.070 we have exposed to us the mystery. It is truth. 00:16:36.840 --> 00:16:42.120 that was previously hidden, but has now been 00:16:42.120 --> 00:16:48.600 made known by revelation from God. The Greek 00:16:48.600 --> 00:16:52.000 word here is the word musterion. It is the root 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:56.580 word for our word, mystery. The word musterion 00:16:56.580 --> 00:16:59.940 is similar to terms in pagan religions of that 00:16:59.940 --> 00:17:07.900 day. These cultic groups had secrets which were 00:17:07.900 --> 00:17:12.460 given to their initiates, not unlike some of 00:17:12.460 --> 00:17:15.779 the lodges today who claim to have certain secrets 00:17:15.779 --> 00:17:20.279 that are passed on only to their members. Well, 00:17:20.339 --> 00:17:22.980 that procedure is rooted all the way back into 00:17:22.980 --> 00:17:28.900 paganism. Those mystery religions, as they were 00:17:28.900 --> 00:17:33.900 called, had certain mysteries, certain secrets, 00:17:34.619 --> 00:17:37.700 that were passed on to the people who came in 00:17:37.700 --> 00:17:39.720 to their particular group. For example, those 00:17:39.720 --> 00:17:44.299 who worshiped Isis and Osiris. And if you recognize 00:17:44.299 --> 00:17:47.720 those terms, they are names of cartoon figures 00:17:47.720 --> 00:17:50.079 that some of your children are watching on Saturday 00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:53.579 morning. Some of these cartoons are absolutely 00:17:53.579 --> 00:17:57.180 pagan in their origin. They go back to the gods 00:17:57.180 --> 00:17:59.720 and goddesses of Greek and Roman mythology. Did 00:17:59.720 --> 00:18:03.059 you know that? There were people who worshipped 00:18:03.059 --> 00:18:05.940 Isis and Osiris. It was a very serious religion 00:18:05.940 --> 00:18:10.500 back in the days of the Apostle Paul. Well, the 00:18:10.500 --> 00:18:12.380 people who were converted to the worship of these 00:18:12.380 --> 00:18:17.940 figures were given certain mysteries. Now, there's 00:18:17.940 --> 00:18:20.680 a contrast between the word mystery in the New 00:18:20.680 --> 00:18:25.500 Testament and those mysteries. Those mysteries 00:18:25.500 --> 00:18:28.019 in pagan religion, and it was a very similar 00:18:28.019 --> 00:18:31.140 term, two or three of them that were used. Those 00:18:31.140 --> 00:18:35.859 mysteries were intended for concealment. But 00:18:35.859 --> 00:18:39.039 the term musterion or mystery in the New Testament 00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:43.200 is for revealment. It's to expose, not to hide. 00:18:45.059 --> 00:18:48.019 Likewise, there are some liberal scholars who 00:18:48.019 --> 00:18:51.400 tell us that Paul borrowed some of his ideas 00:18:51.400 --> 00:18:56.200 from these mystery religions. They say, for example, 00:18:56.279 --> 00:19:00.279 that Paul got the idea of baptism. and of the 00:19:00.279 --> 00:19:04.240 Lord's Supper from the mystery religions of his 00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:06.680 day. Someone else has said that Paul got the 00:19:06.680 --> 00:19:10.240 idea of the resurrection from the mystery religions 00:19:10.240 --> 00:19:15.799 of his day. That is absolutely false. These ideas 00:19:15.799 --> 00:19:19.279 and teachings, these commandments, were given 00:19:19.279 --> 00:19:22.599 to us by revelation from God. Paul did not borrow 00:19:22.599 --> 00:19:25.220 them from the mystery religions. While there 00:19:25.220 --> 00:19:29.500 may be similar terms that are used, Entirely 00:19:29.500 --> 00:19:31.859 different meanings are given to these similar 00:19:31.859 --> 00:19:37.480 words. A mystery, in the New Testament sense, 00:19:37.640 --> 00:19:41.920 by definition, is something that God allowed 00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:45.640 to remain hidden in the past, but which He has 00:19:45.640 --> 00:19:50.480 now been pleased to reveal to us in this age. 00:19:52.180 --> 00:19:55.559 Now let's talk about the description of this 00:19:55.559 --> 00:19:59.700 mystery that we have defined in brief. A fuller 00:19:59.700 --> 00:20:03.119 description is given to us in verse 6, where 00:20:03.119 --> 00:20:07.339 he says, to be specific, that the Gentiles are 00:20:07.339 --> 00:20:10.519 fellow heirs, fellow members, and fellow partakers. 00:20:11.579 --> 00:20:14.500 Here we have another statement regarding the 00:20:14.500 --> 00:20:19.660 unification of Jew and Gentile. The church, which 00:20:19.660 --> 00:20:25.240 began as only Jewish, now embraces Gentiles as 00:20:25.240 --> 00:20:29.839 well. Indeed, a new identity is given to both 00:20:29.839 --> 00:20:33.339 the Jew and the Gentile who believes on Christ. 00:20:33.799 --> 00:20:37.420 No longer is he Jew. No longer is he Gentile. 00:20:37.420 --> 00:20:40.940 But now he is in Christ Jesus, a new person, 00:20:41.099 --> 00:20:45.160 a new creation. As it says back in chapter 2 00:20:45.160 --> 00:20:52.380 and verse 15, He made the two into one new man. 00:20:54.029 --> 00:20:57.230 The church of the Lord Jesus Christ cannot be 00:20:57.230 --> 00:21:00.390 found in the Old Testament. It did not exist 00:21:00.390 --> 00:21:05.450 then. The truth of the church did not exist in 00:21:05.450 --> 00:21:08.130 the Old Testament, in the revelation of God. 00:21:08.269 --> 00:21:12.269 It existed in the mind of God, but it was not 00:21:12.269 --> 00:21:14.869 until the times of the apostles and prophets, 00:21:15.029 --> 00:21:17.789 and specifically and especially through Paul, 00:21:18.170 --> 00:21:21.730 that God exposed to us the doctrines regarding 00:21:21.730 --> 00:21:27.400 the church. What we see here is not an alliance 00:21:27.400 --> 00:21:32.200 between Jew and Gentile. This is not an agreement 00:21:32.200 --> 00:21:35.720 between them to get along. But what we have here 00:21:35.720 --> 00:21:40.559 is rather an amalgamation of both Jew and Gentile 00:21:40.559 --> 00:21:45.099 who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. It is so 00:21:45.099 --> 00:21:47.839 difficult for you and me today to understand 00:21:47.839 --> 00:21:51.420 what this meant to the first generation church. 00:21:53.710 --> 00:21:58.549 The inbred discrimination, the deep hatred between 00:21:58.549 --> 00:22:04.269 Jew and Gentile was so real in that day. Now 00:22:04.269 --> 00:22:08.769 it is in part of our world today as well. But 00:22:08.769 --> 00:22:12.250 it was everywhere in that day. The Jew arrogantly 00:22:12.250 --> 00:22:17.849 despised the Gentile. The pagan Gentile looked 00:22:17.849 --> 00:22:20.809 with disgust upon the Jews who thought they were 00:22:20.809 --> 00:22:24.680 better than everybody else. You see, the Lord 00:22:24.680 --> 00:22:28.319 Jesus Christ came and took away the barrier of 00:22:28.319 --> 00:22:32.880 the dividing wall and united Jew and Gentile 00:22:32.880 --> 00:22:37.319 through faith in himself. So that today there 00:22:37.319 --> 00:22:39.940 is not a Gentile church and a Jewish church. 00:22:40.380 --> 00:22:44.240 That is not the plan of God. I know that there 00:22:44.240 --> 00:22:47.440 are some people who believe in what is called 00:22:47.440 --> 00:22:50.880 messianic churches. That is, converted Jews. 00:22:52.200 --> 00:22:55.059 who worship together. Their idea is that they 00:22:55.059 --> 00:22:56.880 should worship together and let the Gentiles 00:22:56.880 --> 00:23:00.180 worship over here. There are some fine men in 00:23:00.180 --> 00:23:02.619 America today who believe that. It is absolutely 00:23:02.619 --> 00:23:08.859 unbiblical. That is not the plan of God. The 00:23:08.859 --> 00:23:14.799 Lord Jesus Christ has removed these human and 00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:19.559 earthly bases for discrimination and separation 00:23:19.559 --> 00:23:24.779 among people. Another example is found back in 00:23:24.779 --> 00:23:27.000 Galatians chapter 3. Would you turn there with 00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:33.900 me? And look at verses 26 to 29. Paul says to 00:23:33.900 --> 00:23:37.720 them, You are all sons of God through faith in 00:23:37.720 --> 00:23:43.180 Christ Jesus. For all of you who are baptized 00:23:43.180 --> 00:23:46.359 into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 00:23:47.400 --> 00:23:50.180 There is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither 00:23:50.180 --> 00:23:53.420 slave nor free man. There is neither male nor 00:23:53.420 --> 00:23:58.039 female. You are all one in Christ Jesus. And 00:23:58.039 --> 00:24:00.920 if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's 00:24:00.920 --> 00:24:06.000 offspring and heirs according to promise. You 00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:08.359 see, there is not room in the church of the Lord 00:24:08.359 --> 00:24:11.700 Jesus Christ for a fellowship for the rich over 00:24:11.700 --> 00:24:16.329 here and for the poor over there. It is not the 00:24:16.329 --> 00:24:18.710 plan of God in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ 00:24:18.710 --> 00:24:21.349 for the men to sit here and for the women to 00:24:21.349 --> 00:24:23.289 be around the perimeter as it was in the Jewish 00:24:23.289 --> 00:24:28.730 synagogues. It is not the plan of God for there 00:24:28.730 --> 00:24:31.750 to be a Gentile church here on this corner and 00:24:31.750 --> 00:24:36.230 a Jewish church on that corner. I'll go further. 00:24:37.109 --> 00:24:39.710 It is not the plan of God for there to be a white 00:24:39.710 --> 00:24:44.670 church here and a black church there. And that 00:24:44.670 --> 00:24:48.309 is true whether it be St. Paul, Minnesota, Forsyth 00:24:48.309 --> 00:24:50.970 County, Georgia, or Johannesburg, South Africa. 00:24:53.210 --> 00:24:57.049 Those kinds of separations do not exist in the 00:24:57.049 --> 00:25:01.670 church of the Lord Jesus Christ. These differences 00:25:01.670 --> 00:25:05.789 rooted in human prejudice and discrimination 00:25:05.789 --> 00:25:10.970 have no place among those who are believers in 00:25:10.970 --> 00:25:16.670 the Lord Jesus Christ. For we are all one in 00:25:16.670 --> 00:25:23.490 Christ. Now the Old Testament did reveal some 00:25:23.490 --> 00:25:26.230 things about the relationship between God and 00:25:26.230 --> 00:25:29.789 Gentiles. Let me just review a couple of them 00:25:29.789 --> 00:25:32.650 with you. First of all, in the Old Testament, 00:25:32.829 --> 00:25:39.490 God promised that the Gentiles, non -Jews, that 00:25:39.490 --> 00:25:42.710 the Gentiles would be recipients of blessing, 00:25:43.240 --> 00:25:46.519 through the Abrahamic covenant. In Genesis chapter 00:25:46.519 --> 00:25:51.619 12, verse 3. Genesis 18, 18. Genesis 22, verse 00:25:51.619 --> 00:25:55.440 18. In all of these verses, you will read that 00:25:55.440 --> 00:25:59.880 God planned to bless the Gentiles as a result 00:25:59.880 --> 00:26:04.940 of his covenant with faithful Abraham. And you 00:26:04.940 --> 00:26:06.960 can also read in the Old Testament, particularly 00:26:06.960 --> 00:26:11.380 in the book of Isaiah, That God's plan was, even 00:26:11.380 --> 00:26:16.900 then, to save Gentiles. In Isaiah chapter 42, 00:26:17.059 --> 00:26:20.579 verse 1, again in verse 6, Isaiah 49, verse 6, 00:26:20.619 --> 00:26:24.880 Isaiah 60, verse 3, just three or four examples 00:26:24.880 --> 00:26:28.519 of many verses that tell us even back then in 00:26:28.519 --> 00:26:31.920 the Old Testament, God explained that he was 00:26:31.920 --> 00:26:34.559 going to save Gentile people. But the concept 00:26:34.559 --> 00:26:38.650 now, listen now, the concept in those days, was 00:26:38.650 --> 00:26:41.890 that God would save them by converting to Judaism. 00:26:44.009 --> 00:26:47.049 God would bring blessing to the nations, to the 00:26:47.049 --> 00:26:55.329 Gentiles, through Israel. But the mystery that 00:26:55.329 --> 00:26:59.089 was not known then, and was only known after 00:26:59.089 --> 00:27:01.349 the apostles, and I say again, especially the 00:27:01.349 --> 00:27:05.329 apostle Paul, is this truth that Jew and Gentile 00:27:05.329 --> 00:27:10.509 would become equal. That they would become one 00:27:10.509 --> 00:27:15.029 in the Lord Jesus Christ. It was not that God 00:27:15.029 --> 00:27:17.349 was going to bless the Gentiles through the Jews. 00:27:18.630 --> 00:27:21.910 But now at the cross, Jew and Gentile are on 00:27:21.910 --> 00:27:27.450 equal ground. And they come by faith in the Lord 00:27:27.450 --> 00:27:32.130 Jesus Christ into the church. This new identity, 00:27:32.470 --> 00:27:36.349 this new entity, this new humanity that God is 00:27:36.349 --> 00:27:40.740 putting together. in this age. That unique relationship 00:27:40.740 --> 00:27:43.920 was revealed through the Apostle Paul. It was 00:27:43.920 --> 00:27:46.400 not known in the Old Testament. And that, my 00:27:46.400 --> 00:27:50.740 friend, is what the mystery of Christ is. There 00:27:50.740 --> 00:27:52.539 are other aspects to it, but that's the heart 00:27:52.539 --> 00:27:55.599 of it. Now, there are three terms that are used 00:27:55.599 --> 00:27:58.039 in verse 6 to elaborate on this unity. First, 00:27:58.119 --> 00:28:01.420 fellow heirs. That has to do with the legality 00:28:01.420 --> 00:28:05.440 of our relationship. It has to do with inheritance. 00:28:07.279 --> 00:28:09.720 What he's saying here is that Gentiles share 00:28:09.720 --> 00:28:13.599 equally with Jews as both believe on the Lord 00:28:13.599 --> 00:28:18.660 Jesus Christ. Gentiles will share in the covenant 00:28:18.660 --> 00:28:22.519 of Abraham by faith, Galatians 3, verses 6 through 00:28:22.519 --> 00:28:29.960 9. Gentiles and Jews who come in faith to the 00:28:29.960 --> 00:28:32.900 Lord Jesus Christ become the spiritual descendants 00:28:32.900 --> 00:28:39.250 of Abraham. The promises, the material national 00:28:39.250 --> 00:28:42.049 promises given to Abraham and the Jewish people 00:28:42.049 --> 00:28:44.730 are fulfilled spiritually in the church. That's 00:28:44.730 --> 00:28:47.930 not what I mean. Those promises will literally, 00:28:48.210 --> 00:28:53.369 materially, on earth, be fulfilled in the kingdom 00:28:53.369 --> 00:28:55.890 age, the millennium of Christ, which is to come. 00:28:58.029 --> 00:29:01.049 But there's a very real sense, says the apostle 00:29:01.049 --> 00:29:04.069 in Galatians, in which we Gentiles now become 00:29:04.069 --> 00:29:08.880 fellow heirs. And so it has to do with our legality 00:29:08.880 --> 00:29:13.000 in our relationship. Then fellow members deals 00:29:13.000 --> 00:29:18.000 with life. It has to do with our being fellow 00:29:18.000 --> 00:29:20.339 members in the body. We share the same life. 00:29:21.059 --> 00:29:25.720 You see, my ear shares the same life principle 00:29:25.720 --> 00:29:29.579 with my big toe. They're about six feet or a 00:29:29.579 --> 00:29:33.000 little less than that apart. But there's the 00:29:33.000 --> 00:29:37.319 same life supporting them, you see. My tongue, 00:29:37.359 --> 00:29:39.660 which I just about bit off during breakfast this 00:29:39.660 --> 00:29:44.619 morning, shares the same life principle with 00:29:44.619 --> 00:29:51.259 my thumb. What's the point? The point is this, 00:29:51.299 --> 00:29:53.240 that when you and I believe on the Lord Jesus 00:29:53.240 --> 00:29:55.720 Christ, we are added to the body of Christ by 00:29:55.720 --> 00:29:59.059 the baptism of the Holy Spirit. That's the biblical 00:29:59.059 --> 00:30:03.299 definition of that, baptism. We are placed into 00:30:03.299 --> 00:30:05.599 the body of Christ, 1 Corinthians chapter 12. 00:30:05.819 --> 00:30:08.660 And as we are placed into that body, we are made 00:30:08.660 --> 00:30:14.920 members of the body. We have a use, we have a 00:30:14.920 --> 00:30:17.799 function in the body, and God gifts us to fulfill 00:30:17.799 --> 00:30:22.779 that function. We share the same life in Jesus 00:30:22.779 --> 00:30:24.740 Christ. We're part of the same body, you see. 00:30:25.359 --> 00:30:28.720 We are fellow members. And then we are fellow 00:30:28.720 --> 00:30:30.960 partakers. This is not terribly different than 00:30:30.960 --> 00:30:33.250 the other two. but it seems to deal with the 00:30:33.250 --> 00:30:38.150 idea of liberty here. The first deals with legality. 00:30:38.250 --> 00:30:40.789 We are fellow heirs of the inheritance in Christ 00:30:40.789 --> 00:30:45.430 Jesus. The second has to do with life. We are 00:30:45.430 --> 00:30:48.049 fellow members of the body. The third has to 00:30:48.049 --> 00:30:51.950 do with liberty. We are fellow partakers of the 00:30:51.950 --> 00:30:56.009 promise. This term, fellow partakers, was used 00:30:56.009 --> 00:30:58.890 in that day. It is discovered in some of the 00:30:58.890 --> 00:31:01.390 papyri that has been found by archaeologists. 00:31:01.930 --> 00:31:06.750 of the co -owners of a house. What did it mean? 00:31:06.849 --> 00:31:08.869 Well, it meant that those who owned the house 00:31:08.869 --> 00:31:11.710 had the same liberty in the house. It belonged 00:31:11.710 --> 00:31:16.009 to them equally. We are said to be co -owners 00:31:16.009 --> 00:31:19.650 of the promise, explaining that no longer are 00:31:19.650 --> 00:31:22.430 we excluded from these promises, no longer excluded 00:31:22.430 --> 00:31:25.670 from the nation of Israel. Now we are part of 00:31:25.670 --> 00:31:29.029 that. We are fellow partners, fellow partakers 00:31:29.029 --> 00:31:32.279 of the promise. We have wonderful liberty in 00:31:32.279 --> 00:31:35.480 the Lord Jesus Christ. No longer are we Gentiles 00:31:35.480 --> 00:31:39.859 outside. But God has opened the way for Gentiles 00:31:39.859 --> 00:31:42.839 and Jews to be a part of this, to share the same 00:31:42.839 --> 00:31:48.099 liberty in Christ Jesus. You see, this mystery, 00:31:48.259 --> 00:31:54.480 this unity, which is revealed here, is the unity 00:31:54.480 --> 00:31:58.019 that Jesus prayed for in John chapter 17, when 00:31:58.019 --> 00:32:01.299 he prayed that we all may be one. just as he 00:32:01.299 --> 00:32:04.539 is one with the Father. There are some very sincere 00:32:04.539 --> 00:32:06.779 and well -meaning people who use that prayer 00:32:06.779 --> 00:32:12.740 today to try to accomplish denominational ecumenism, 00:32:12.779 --> 00:32:17.259 bringing everybody together under one roof. I 00:32:17.259 --> 00:32:19.099 want you to know that that is not what Jesus 00:32:19.099 --> 00:32:24.000 prayed for. If that is what Jesus prayed for 00:32:24.000 --> 00:32:26.599 in John chapter 17, then his prayer has never 00:32:26.599 --> 00:32:32.119 been answered. What did Jesus pray for when he 00:32:32.119 --> 00:32:37.920 said, Father, I pray that they may be one, just 00:32:37.920 --> 00:32:44.400 as we are one. He was praying for our essential 00:32:44.400 --> 00:32:49.980 unity, not denominational unity. That won't happen 00:32:49.980 --> 00:32:53.740 on this earth with our imperfections, our own 00:32:53.740 --> 00:32:57.400 convictions and ideas. But he was praying for 00:32:57.400 --> 00:33:00.509 essential unity. which occurred, by the way, 00:33:00.549 --> 00:33:04.849 on the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit of God 00:33:04.849 --> 00:33:11.029 came and began this new body, this new entity 00:33:11.029 --> 00:33:14.289 called the Church. And every time someone believes 00:33:14.289 --> 00:33:17.490 on Christ and is added as a member to the body, 00:33:17.650 --> 00:33:21.309 that prayer is answered all over again, unity, 00:33:21.450 --> 00:33:26.589 that they may be one as we are one. Now unity 00:33:26.589 --> 00:33:29.769 is very special. It is the unity of the Godhead 00:33:29.769 --> 00:33:33.549 itself. It is a unity that is indivisible, and 00:33:33.549 --> 00:33:35.930 that is why Paul says so strongly in chapter 00:33:35.930 --> 00:33:42.089 4, look you people, he says, guard the unity 00:33:42.089 --> 00:33:46.049 which the Spirit has produced in your midst. 00:33:47.329 --> 00:33:49.970 Because you see, the unity of a church is its 00:33:49.970 --> 00:33:56.230 glory. The unity of a church is its witness to 00:33:56.230 --> 00:34:01.230 a watching world. So Paul says to guard it. Well, 00:34:01.250 --> 00:34:04.670 let me close with the determination. We've talked 00:34:04.670 --> 00:34:08.250 about a definition of the mystery of Christ, 00:34:08.349 --> 00:34:10.829 a description of the mystery of Christ, its unity. 00:34:12.389 --> 00:34:15.570 And now let's talk about a determination. There 00:34:15.570 --> 00:34:17.250 are two things I want to say about that flow 00:34:17.250 --> 00:34:20.949 out of the end of verse 6. First of all, participation 00:34:20.949 --> 00:34:27.530 of Jew or Gentile is limited. It is only for 00:34:27.530 --> 00:34:32.409 those who are in Christ Jesus, as it says there. 00:34:34.389 --> 00:34:37.510 It is only for those who are in Christ Jesus. 00:34:37.650 --> 00:34:41.230 You see, eternal destiny is determined by one's 00:34:41.230 --> 00:34:45.750 essential unity and identity. One who is identified 00:34:45.750 --> 00:34:50.250 with the world, will have the destiny of the 00:34:50.250 --> 00:34:54.230 world, which is judgment. One who is identified 00:34:54.230 --> 00:34:58.670 with the Lord Jesus Christ will share the destiny 00:34:58.670 --> 00:35:01.590 of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is eternal glory. 00:35:04.969 --> 00:35:08.090 Every one of us today is identified either with 00:35:08.090 --> 00:35:10.909 the world and with sin, or we are identified 00:35:10.909 --> 00:35:14.449 with the Lord Jesus Christ. Participation of 00:35:14.449 --> 00:35:18.639 Jew and Gentile is limited. Not every Jew, Not 00:35:18.639 --> 00:35:21.420 every Gentile is a part of what we're talking 00:35:21.420 --> 00:35:26.780 about today. It is only that Jew and that Gentile 00:35:26.780 --> 00:35:32.000 who trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ and is thereby 00:35:32.000 --> 00:35:36.800 in Christ Jesus. You say, how do you get to that 00:35:36.800 --> 00:35:41.039 position? I'm over here. I'm identified with 00:35:41.039 --> 00:35:44.079 sin. I'm identified with the world, and I know 00:35:44.079 --> 00:35:47.070 I'm lost. How do I get identified over here with 00:35:47.070 --> 00:35:50.250 Christ? How do I get plugged in? Well, the answer 00:35:50.250 --> 00:35:53.329 is, and the second thing that we notice, participation 00:35:53.329 --> 00:35:59.309 of Jew or Gentile is available. Available to 00:35:59.309 --> 00:36:04.349 anyone through the gospel. The last three words 00:36:04.349 --> 00:36:08.250 of verse 6. Through the death, the burial, and 00:36:08.250 --> 00:36:10.690 resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ for our 00:36:10.690 --> 00:36:18.050 sins. Participation by Jew or Gentile is available 00:36:18.050 --> 00:36:24.530 to all. All one has to do is to believe, to receive 00:36:24.530 --> 00:36:30.489 the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. The gospel is 00:36:30.489 --> 00:36:33.449 a precious and personal love message from God 00:36:33.449 --> 00:36:38.889 to Jew and to Gentile. When the Lord Jesus Christ 00:36:38.889 --> 00:36:43.469 died on the cross, he died for Jew and for Gentile. 00:36:44.969 --> 00:36:48.429 And now since the Jew and the Gentile are on 00:36:48.429 --> 00:36:54.590 the same level, anyone, whether Jew or Gentile, 00:36:54.590 --> 00:36:59.949 may come to Christ and be saved. Anyone can appropriate 00:36:59.949 --> 00:37:04.829 by faith the gospel, the good news, that Christ 00:37:04.829 --> 00:37:09.710 died for our sins and rose again. Our friend, 00:37:09.789 --> 00:37:14.280 he died for your sins. And the way has been opened 00:37:14.280 --> 00:37:21.099 for you to come to him. This last week we had 00:37:21.099 --> 00:37:24.820 the opportunity as a staff to visit the Billy 00:37:24.820 --> 00:37:28.960 Graham Center in Wheaton. If you have not been 00:37:28.960 --> 00:37:32.179 there, I would urge you to go sometime to see 00:37:32.179 --> 00:37:37.460 the museum. In one wing they have what is called 00:37:37.460 --> 00:37:43.179 a walk through the gospel. As you enter that 00:37:43.179 --> 00:37:47.599 wing, there is a sign on the wall inscribing 00:37:47.599 --> 00:37:52.139 for all to read John 3 .16. For God so loved 00:37:52.139 --> 00:37:54.480 the world that he gave his only begotten Son 00:37:54.480 --> 00:37:56.800 that whosoever believes in him should not perish 00:37:56.800 --> 00:38:00.920 but have eternal life. And as you turn from that 00:38:00.920 --> 00:38:04.860 sign and proceed, you immediately are confronted 00:38:04.860 --> 00:38:10.250 by the cross. And as you approach the cross, 00:38:10.349 --> 00:38:14.469 you enter through a door in the shape of a cross. 00:38:16.269 --> 00:38:20.670 How beautifully that depicts the gospel. How 00:38:20.670 --> 00:38:23.449 is it that we participate in the mystery of Christ? 00:38:23.769 --> 00:38:27.030 How is it that we become in Christ? It is through 00:38:27.030 --> 00:38:30.090 the gospel. It's by coming through that door 00:38:30.090 --> 00:38:33.809 that Jesus Christ has opened through his work 00:38:33.809 --> 00:38:38.500 at the cross. Anyone may appropriate that. by 00:38:38.500 --> 00:38:42.539 faith. In the first service this morning, we 00:38:42.539 --> 00:38:46.219 had a married man, a young married man in his 00:38:46.219 --> 00:38:50.579 20s, who's attended church for some time, but 00:38:50.579 --> 00:38:54.039 who today, for the first time, received the Lord 00:38:54.039 --> 00:38:58.340 Jesus Christ by faith. I can't help but believe 00:38:58.340 --> 00:39:01.300 in this congregation at this hour that there's 00:39:01.300 --> 00:39:07.750 someone, some person, who understands what it 00:39:07.750 --> 00:39:10.469 is to be saved, and you're ready this morning 00:39:10.469 --> 00:39:15.309 to make that same decision. Participation is 00:39:15.309 --> 00:39:20.590 limited, but it's also available to anyone who 00:39:20.590 --> 00:39:24.670 will come to Christ in faith. Let's bow together. 00:39:29.630 --> 00:39:35.679 With our heads bowed and eyes closed, I wonder, 00:39:35.719 --> 00:39:38.159 my friend, if the Spirit of God may be working 00:39:38.159 --> 00:39:44.059 in your heart at this moment. You've been in 00:39:44.059 --> 00:39:50.559 church. You've heard the gospel. You know the 00:39:50.559 --> 00:39:52.920 story of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. 00:39:54.440 --> 00:39:57.780 But up to this point, up to this point in your 00:39:57.780 --> 00:40:00.000 life, there's not been that personal commitment 00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:06.360 to the Lord Jesus. There hasn't been that personal 00:40:06.360 --> 00:40:11.739 appropriation by faith of the gospel. Dear friend, 00:40:11.780 --> 00:40:14.199 will you understand that that's God's only means 00:40:14.199 --> 00:40:23.119 to save you? But it is his means. And he makes 00:40:23.119 --> 00:40:25.480 it available to you right now. Will you, in the 00:40:25.480 --> 00:40:27.440 quietness of your own heart, right where you're 00:40:27.440 --> 00:40:33.909 seated, pray to the Lord Jesus? Will you acknowledge 00:40:33.909 --> 00:40:40.630 to him your personal sins? For all have sinned 00:40:40.630 --> 00:40:45.210 and come short of the glory of God. Will you 00:40:45.210 --> 00:40:48.789 tell him that that includes you? And will you 00:40:48.789 --> 00:40:51.730 tell him also that you understand that he came 00:40:51.730 --> 00:40:58.570 into the world and died for your sins? That you 00:40:58.570 --> 00:41:01.070 believe what the Bible says, that he rose from 00:41:01.070 --> 00:41:07.119 the dead? And you are personally, at this moment, 00:41:07.159 --> 00:41:14.079 committing your eternal destiny to the act of 00:41:14.079 --> 00:41:27.619 receiving him as your Savior. My friend, if that 00:41:27.619 --> 00:41:29.679 has been the prayer of your heart, and God knows 00:41:29.679 --> 00:41:33.179 your heart, The words are not so important as 00:41:33.179 --> 00:41:40.219 the spirit of your heart. If that has been your 00:41:40.219 --> 00:41:44.099 prayer in these moments, with heads bowed and 00:41:44.099 --> 00:41:47.440 eyes closed, would you lift your hand to let 00:41:47.440 --> 00:41:51.000 me know that? As that young man did earlier this 00:41:51.000 --> 00:41:54.519 morning, would you say by the uplifted hand, 00:41:54.599 --> 00:41:58.099 Pastor, today, for the first time in my life, 00:41:59.119 --> 00:42:02.800 I have received the Lord Jesus. I've prayed and 00:42:02.800 --> 00:42:08.940 asked him to save me from my sin. Would you lift 00:42:08.940 --> 00:42:10.639 your hand and then put it down? I'm not going 00:42:10.639 --> 00:42:13.739 to come back and grab you or embarrass you, but 00:42:13.739 --> 00:42:15.719 I would like to be able to pray for you. Is there 00:42:15.719 --> 00:42:20.940 one? Yes, today I believe. Today I receive the 00:42:20.940 --> 00:42:31.860 Lord Jesus Christ as my own. Father, we bless 00:42:31.860 --> 00:42:35.139 you for the mystery of Christ, for the fact that 00:42:35.139 --> 00:42:38.480 you have revealed to us this wonderful truth 00:42:38.480 --> 00:42:44.300 that we are fellow heirs and fellow partakers 00:42:44.300 --> 00:42:51.139 of the promise in Christ Jesus. We rejoice in 00:42:51.139 --> 00:42:55.699 this message, and at the same time we recognize 00:42:55.699 --> 00:42:58.139 that it's not for us only, but it's for the world. 00:42:59.719 --> 00:43:03.219 I pray that you will make us adequate conveyors 00:43:03.219 --> 00:43:06.920 of this message, faithful proclaimers of it, 00:43:06.960 --> 00:43:12.900 not only in our community, but personally and 00:43:12.900 --> 00:43:18.400 through our missionaries around the world. Thank 00:43:18.400 --> 00:43:21.179 you, Father, that you have exposed to us this 00:43:21.179 --> 00:43:23.639 truth that has been hidden in previous generations 00:43:23.639 --> 00:43:28.139 and by which we are related to you in this age. 00:43:29.099 --> 00:43:33.460 In the church, the body of Christ. In Jesus' 00:43:33.579 --> 00:43:37.840 name, amen. Let's stand together. Would you sing 00:43:37.840 --> 00:43:41.000 with me without accompaniment? Everyone standing. 00:43:41.780 --> 00:43:42.380 Amazing.