WEBVTT 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:04.179 Well, did you notice that was a Norwegian melody? 00:00:05.919 --> 00:00:12.320 Not bad, huh? That was great. It's a wonderful 00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:20.820 hymn. A few weeks ago I mentioned to you an accident 00:00:20.820 --> 00:00:22.780 of a friend of mine who's a missionary in Mexico. 00:00:22.899 --> 00:00:25.399 His name is Bruce Bell. I want to bring you an 00:00:25.399 --> 00:00:27.920 update and let you know that Bruce is remarkably 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:32.219 recovering. He sustained severe brain trauma 00:00:32.219 --> 00:00:37.640 as a result of an accident. He is now in the 00:00:37.640 --> 00:00:41.200 Dallas Rehabilitation Center and will be there 00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:43.939 for a number of months, up to a year, in therapy. 00:00:44.820 --> 00:00:47.899 But the good news is that his speech is returning, 00:00:48.100 --> 00:00:53.299 bodily functions, abilities are returning, and 00:00:53.299 --> 00:00:55.479 the doctors figured that in that course of time 00:00:55.479 --> 00:00:59.270 he should be able to regain full use. of his 00:00:59.270 --> 00:01:01.530 faculties. And so we thank the Lord for that. 00:01:01.689 --> 00:01:04.049 It's a marvelous answer to prayer, and I encourage 00:01:04.049 --> 00:01:07.329 you to keep praying for him in the upcoming months. 00:01:11.469 --> 00:01:14.230 For the last two weeks, I have been on jury duty 00:01:14.230 --> 00:01:20.609 in Ramsey County, and that has been an experience. 00:01:21.989 --> 00:01:25.430 Every day we check in early in the morning and 00:01:25.430 --> 00:01:29.930 get out late in the afternoon. and I've learned 00:01:29.930 --> 00:01:31.750 an awful lot about our legal system, I assure 00:01:31.750 --> 00:01:34.569 you. I'll be sharing some of that in days ahead, 00:01:34.849 --> 00:01:37.329 but if I seem like I'm a little out of it this 00:01:37.329 --> 00:01:40.969 morning, it's because I am. And I've got to go 00:01:40.969 --> 00:01:42.849 back tomorrow, but I think tomorrow we'll get 00:01:42.849 --> 00:01:47.390 it finished up. I hope. Our text today is in 00:01:47.390 --> 00:01:52.250 Ephesians chapter 3, and we're looking at the 00:01:52.250 --> 00:01:56.230 subject of the mystery of Christ. We've already 00:01:56.230 --> 00:01:59.239 read part of our text, but I'd like to back up 00:01:59.239 --> 00:02:03.500 to verse 8. Would you join me, please? Follow 00:02:03.500 --> 00:02:05.760 along as I read the word of God in Ephesians 00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:08.800 3. To me, the very least of all saints, this 00:02:08.800 --> 00:02:12.759 grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the 00:02:12.759 --> 00:02:17.180 unfathomable riches of Christ and to bring to 00:02:17.180 --> 00:02:20.080 light what is the administration of the mystery 00:02:20.080 --> 00:02:24.159 which for ages has been hidden in God who created 00:02:24.159 --> 00:02:28.240 all things. in order that the manifold wisdom 00:02:28.240 --> 00:02:31.580 of God might now be made known through the Church 00:02:31.580 --> 00:02:35.099 to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly 00:02:35.099 --> 00:02:38.759 places. This was in accordance with the eternal 00:02:38.759 --> 00:02:41.780 purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus 00:02:41.780 --> 00:02:46.120 our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident 00:02:46.120 --> 00:02:50.020 access through faith in Him. Therefore I ask 00:02:50.020 --> 00:02:53.259 you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your 00:02:53.259 --> 00:02:56.469 behalf, for they are for They are, rather, your 00:02:56.469 --> 00:03:01.569 glory. We are told that people need three things 00:03:01.569 --> 00:03:06.650 to be happy in this life. One is someone to love, 00:03:06.729 --> 00:03:12.469 then something to do, and finally, something 00:03:12.469 --> 00:03:15.830 to hope for. Isn't it marvelous that in Jesus 00:03:15.830 --> 00:03:20.550 Christ, God has provided us all of those? In 00:03:20.550 --> 00:03:23.189 someone to love, we have preeminently our Savior. 00:03:24.080 --> 00:03:27.580 And then beyond that, other believers, and then 00:03:27.580 --> 00:03:30.460 the world itself for whom Christ died and whom 00:03:30.460 --> 00:03:34.120 God desires to save. As far as something to do 00:03:34.120 --> 00:03:37.219 is concerned, we have the knowledge of God's 00:03:37.219 --> 00:03:40.199 will. We have a purpose in our being here. And 00:03:40.199 --> 00:03:43.080 then something to hope for? Well, we anticipate 00:03:43.080 --> 00:03:45.759 the soon return of our Savior, the Lord Jesus 00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:48.800 Christ, and our being gathered together with 00:03:48.800 --> 00:03:52.439 other believers in glory. That's a lot to hope 00:03:52.439 --> 00:03:58.719 for. The Apostle Paul, likewise, enjoyed all 00:03:58.719 --> 00:04:03.360 three. Someone to love, he loved the Lord Jesus. 00:04:03.960 --> 00:04:06.580 And it was for that reason that he was a prisoner. 00:04:06.699 --> 00:04:08.960 Notice that he calls himself in verse 1, the 00:04:08.960 --> 00:04:12.939 prisoner of Christ Jesus. He was not a legal 00:04:12.939 --> 00:04:16.259 prisoner of Rome so much as he was a love prisoner 00:04:16.259 --> 00:04:19.839 of Jesus Christ. And as far as something to hope 00:04:19.839 --> 00:04:22.339 for? Well, the apostle is the one who writes 00:04:22.339 --> 00:04:24.920 to us about that coming of Christ that we anticipate. 00:04:26.180 --> 00:04:28.459 As far as something to do is concerned, that's 00:04:28.459 --> 00:04:30.639 what the apostle is talking to us about in these 00:04:30.639 --> 00:04:36.420 verses. Paul was God's specially chosen messenger 00:04:36.420 --> 00:04:42.300 to proclaim the mystery of Christ to the Gentiles. 00:04:43.379 --> 00:04:46.620 He says he is the prisoner of Jesus Christ for 00:04:46.620 --> 00:04:50.759 the sake of you Gentiles. And then in verse 2, 00:04:50.839 --> 00:04:52.920 if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of 00:04:52.920 --> 00:04:58.420 God's grace, which was given to me for you. And 00:04:58.420 --> 00:05:00.699 then in verse 8, he says that this grace was 00:05:00.699 --> 00:05:05.279 given to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable 00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:09.699 riches of Christ. So the Apostle Paul was God's 00:05:09.699 --> 00:05:14.180 specially chosen messenger to reveal particularly 00:05:14.180 --> 00:05:18.680 to the Gentiles This mystery of Christ that we 00:05:18.680 --> 00:05:20.660 have been looking at for the last few weeks, 00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:24.800 how we should appreciate this man of God who 00:05:24.800 --> 00:05:31.139 suffered personally in a great way so that the 00:05:31.139 --> 00:05:34.620 gospel of Christ and this mystery might be proclaimed. 00:05:35.420 --> 00:05:39.160 He endured a great deal so that people like our 00:05:39.160 --> 00:05:43.120 ancestors Those of us who are Gentiles might 00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:47.300 have this mystery proclaimed to them and to us 00:05:47.300 --> 00:05:49.779 today through the book that he has written to 00:05:49.779 --> 00:05:53.779 the Ephesians. We've examined something of the 00:05:53.779 --> 00:05:55.899 meaning of the mystery as it is summed up in 00:05:55.899 --> 00:05:58.680 verse 6 where it says that the believing Gentiles 00:05:58.680 --> 00:06:04.000 now share equally with believing Jews in the 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:08.379 unfathomable, the unsearchable riches of Christ. 00:06:09.199 --> 00:06:13.279 No longer is there any separation between Jew 00:06:13.279 --> 00:06:18.060 and Gentile. In Christ, the two are made one, 00:06:18.279 --> 00:06:24.100 one new body or entity. In fact, all earthly 00:06:24.100 --> 00:06:28.759 distinctions are abolished at the cross. Oneness 00:06:28.759 --> 00:06:32.079 in the body of Jesus Christ demands that there 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:36.339 be no prejudicial or divisive spirit among us. 00:06:38.029 --> 00:06:42.709 whether it be for cause of race, social standing, 00:06:43.089 --> 00:06:46.810 economic standing, whatever it be, there is no 00:06:46.810 --> 00:06:49.889 reason for any separation between believers, 00:06:50.009 --> 00:06:54.029 no biblical reason. That is why the unity of 00:06:54.029 --> 00:06:58.610 the Spirit in the bond of peace is to be guarded 00:06:58.610 --> 00:07:03.430 and preserved by us, according to chapter 4, 00:07:03.589 --> 00:07:11.209 verses 1 through 3. Did the church, this mystery, 00:07:11.449 --> 00:07:15.009 this unity that we're talking about, happen by 00:07:15.009 --> 00:07:20.009 accident? Was it a chance that it came into being? 00:07:20.110 --> 00:07:23.769 Or, on the other hand, is it possible that there 00:07:23.769 --> 00:07:28.550 is in the church a divine plan that is being 00:07:28.550 --> 00:07:32.790 carried out? Well, today we're going to examine 00:07:32.790 --> 00:07:36.449 something of the mission of the church. and discover 00:07:36.449 --> 00:07:40.689 that in fact there is in this age, in the calling 00:07:40.689 --> 00:07:43.490 out of Jew and Gentile alike to be a part of 00:07:43.490 --> 00:07:47.850 the church, a great plan of God that is being 00:07:47.850 --> 00:07:52.490 carried out in the world. Remember as we talk 00:07:52.490 --> 00:07:54.870 about this topic of the mission of the church, 00:07:55.089 --> 00:07:59.050 that we are talking about something that is related 00:07:59.050 --> 00:08:02.250 to you, if you're a believer in Jesus Christ. 00:08:02.629 --> 00:08:07.240 For you are part of the church. So as we talk 00:08:07.240 --> 00:08:11.459 about God's great plan for the church, this mystery, 00:08:11.800 --> 00:08:15.319 we're talking about God's great plan for you 00:08:15.319 --> 00:08:20.379 personally. Now as we look at the context today, 00:08:20.459 --> 00:08:23.180 there are at least four facts that come to us 00:08:23.180 --> 00:08:27.000 about the mission or the purpose of the church. 00:08:27.879 --> 00:08:31.899 In the first place, its purpose is rooted in 00:08:31.899 --> 00:08:36.019 eternity. That's fact number one. God's creation 00:08:36.019 --> 00:08:40.059 of the church was an eternal purpose of His. 00:08:41.539 --> 00:08:44.399 We live in a day when there are a number of other 00:08:44.399 --> 00:08:48.399 ideas that float around about the church. These 00:08:48.399 --> 00:08:51.980 ideas are either incomplete or totally incorrect. 00:08:53.559 --> 00:08:56.820 I will list three of them for you briefly. There 00:08:56.820 --> 00:08:59.840 are some, for example, who see the church as 00:08:59.840 --> 00:09:05.549 but a continuation of Old Testament Israel. To 00:09:05.549 --> 00:09:09.529 them, the church is not a new entity, but it 00:09:09.529 --> 00:09:12.909 is rather a sequence. It is a development or 00:09:12.909 --> 00:09:18.429 another stage of the divine plan of God for Israel. 00:09:20.769 --> 00:09:24.289 That is an incorrect definition of the church. 00:09:25.690 --> 00:09:28.769 They speak about the church in the Old Testament 00:09:28.769 --> 00:09:31.649 and the church in the New Testament to differentiate 00:09:31.649 --> 00:09:34.929 between the two bodies. But my friend, there 00:09:34.929 --> 00:09:39.970 was no church of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. 00:09:41.409 --> 00:09:45.210 If there were, then why would Paul underscore 00:09:45.210 --> 00:09:49.330 in this chapter that the church was hidden by 00:09:49.330 --> 00:09:54.490 God in the past? That it is now revealed, now 00:09:54.490 --> 00:09:59.330 made known to the apostles and prophets and to 00:09:59.330 --> 00:10:03.659 us through their writings. Such an idea that 00:10:03.659 --> 00:10:05.919 the church is but the continuation of Israel 00:10:05.919 --> 00:10:12.159 is incorrect. And then there are some, a few, 00:10:12.379 --> 00:10:17.299 who see the church as the body of Christ, but 00:10:17.299 --> 00:10:19.980 they say Israel is the bride of Christ. Have 00:10:19.980 --> 00:10:22.860 you ever heard that? That is the teaching of 00:10:22.860 --> 00:10:25.820 E .W. Bullinger. There are still what are called 00:10:25.820 --> 00:10:28.299 Bullingerites around today, although they have 00:10:28.299 --> 00:10:32.039 other names than that particular one. The Bollinger 00:10:32.039 --> 00:10:35.120 taught during his life that the church could 00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:38.980 not be the body of Christ and the bride of Christ 00:10:38.980 --> 00:10:41.919 at the same time. That did not make sense to 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:45.039 him. He changed his mind before he died, but 00:10:45.039 --> 00:10:47.519 some of his followers still carry on his early 00:10:47.519 --> 00:10:52.039 teaching. That is an inadequate view of the church. 00:10:54.059 --> 00:10:57.279 Then there are some who see the church as a backup 00:10:57.279 --> 00:11:04.009 plan of God. The idea is that somehow God failed 00:11:04.009 --> 00:11:08.730 with Israel, and Israel failed God. Therefore, 00:11:08.929 --> 00:11:12.889 God had to put into action a backup plan. He 00:11:12.889 --> 00:11:17.309 had to think up plan B, another plan for this 00:11:17.309 --> 00:11:20.929 age, when Israel failed because of unbelief. 00:11:21.370 --> 00:11:24.210 So you see, their idea is that the church is 00:11:24.210 --> 00:11:28.679 sort of a backup idea. That it was not God's 00:11:28.679 --> 00:11:30.919 original purpose, but he went to this because 00:11:30.919 --> 00:11:34.940 his first plan collapsed on him. That, again, 00:11:35.100 --> 00:11:39.080 is a woefully inadequate, if not incorrect, understanding 00:11:39.080 --> 00:11:43.059 of what the church is all about. Actually, the 00:11:43.059 --> 00:11:47.940 creation of the church was a part of God's eternal 00:11:47.940 --> 00:11:50.779 purpose. And that is important for you to get 00:11:50.779 --> 00:11:54.389 a hold of. In verse 11, it underscores that when 00:11:54.389 --> 00:11:56.750 it says that what he's talked about in these 00:11:56.750 --> 00:12:00.490 previous verses are in accordance with the eternal 00:12:00.490 --> 00:12:04.730 purpose which he carried out in Christ Jesus 00:12:04.730 --> 00:12:08.769 our Lord. That word purpose means a deliberate 00:12:08.769 --> 00:12:13.690 plan, a scheme. My point is this, that the church 00:12:13.690 --> 00:12:19.980 is not plan B. The church is not a continuation 00:12:19.980 --> 00:12:25.600 of Israel from the Old Testament. The church 00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:28.379 of the Lord Jesus Christ is a part of a divine 00:12:28.379 --> 00:12:35.100 plan which God ordered to come to be in time. 00:12:36.179 --> 00:12:39.779 A plan which he put together before the creation 00:12:39.779 --> 00:12:45.080 of the world. It's an eternal purpose. This is 00:12:45.080 --> 00:12:47.960 elaborated upon. from a little different viewpoint, 00:12:48.240 --> 00:12:53.100 but the same basic truth is in sight in Romans 00:12:53.100 --> 00:12:55.899 9, 10, and 11. I'd like you to turn back there 00:12:55.899 --> 00:12:59.379 with me if you would. We're just going to summarize 00:12:59.379 --> 00:13:01.500 each of these chapters so you can see what the 00:13:01.500 --> 00:13:04.980 Apostle is saying in this book. In Romans 9, 00:13:05.100 --> 00:13:09.279 he talks about Israel's election. Romans 10, 00:13:09.399 --> 00:13:14.919 Israel's rejection. And Romans 11, Israel's restoration. 00:13:16.169 --> 00:13:19.070 That's the progress of thought in these chapters 00:13:19.070 --> 00:13:24.950 that deal with the sovereignty of God. In chapter 00:13:24.950 --> 00:13:28.470 9, he talks about Israel's election. Israel was 00:13:28.470 --> 00:13:32.289 indeed God's chosen people. They had all of the 00:13:32.289 --> 00:13:35.350 benefits and privileges that are mentioned in 00:13:35.350 --> 00:13:39.370 verses 1 through 5. Now go down to verse 11. 00:13:39.429 --> 00:13:42.110 It says, For though the twins were not yet born, 00:13:43.500 --> 00:13:46.919 and had not done anything good or bad. Now the 00:13:46.919 --> 00:13:51.000 twins are, as they were later called, Jacob and 00:13:51.000 --> 00:13:55.720 Esau. They are now, as verse 11 speaks here, 00:13:55.799 --> 00:14:00.559 in the womb of Rebekah, their mother. They had 00:14:00.559 --> 00:14:05.059 not yet been born. In order that the God's purpose, 00:14:05.100 --> 00:14:08.870 according to his choice, might stand, Not because 00:14:08.870 --> 00:14:11.850 of works, but because of him who calls. It was 00:14:11.850 --> 00:14:15.389 said to her, the older will serve the younger. 00:14:15.490 --> 00:14:17.330 Just the opposite of the way it normally was. 00:14:20.090 --> 00:14:22.870 Before the boys were born, before they had done 00:14:22.870 --> 00:14:26.429 good or bad, so there were no works on their 00:14:26.429 --> 00:14:32.389 part involved, God made a choice. And God said, 00:14:32.470 --> 00:14:37.799 I choose this one who will be second born. talking 00:14:37.799 --> 00:14:41.840 about Jacob. And Esau will be in subjection to 00:14:41.840 --> 00:14:45.480 Jacob. And this is further confirmed just as 00:14:45.480 --> 00:14:49.820 it's written in Malachi, Jacob I loved, but Esau 00:14:49.820 --> 00:14:56.019 I hated. Now God did not emotionally have malice 00:14:56.019 --> 00:15:00.279 toward Esau. That's not the point here. Esau 00:15:00.279 --> 00:15:02.580 had done nothing wrong at this point. He was 00:15:02.580 --> 00:15:08.179 still in the womb of his mother. God loved Jacob 00:15:08.179 --> 00:15:11.200 in the sense that God chose him. It's the love 00:15:11.200 --> 00:15:18.539 of election. So that his choice might stand irrespective 00:15:18.539 --> 00:15:22.220 of their works. He chose before they were born. 00:15:22.519 --> 00:15:25.460 The second born is the one I choose, said God. 00:15:26.320 --> 00:15:29.740 And God hated Esau only in the sense that he 00:15:29.740 --> 00:15:33.580 overlooked Esau and did not choose him as the 00:15:33.580 --> 00:15:36.730 avenue of his redemptive purpose. for mankind. 00:15:37.909 --> 00:15:42.809 God chose Jacob and his descendants, the Jewish 00:15:42.809 --> 00:15:48.830 nation, as his means of bringing about the redemption 00:15:48.830 --> 00:15:52.389 of mankind. It was through those people that 00:15:52.389 --> 00:15:55.309 the Savior, the Christ, would come. That was 00:15:55.309 --> 00:16:00.370 God's sovereign choice. God chose Jacob. God 00:16:00.370 --> 00:16:04.909 chose the nation of Israel. Not because they 00:16:04.909 --> 00:16:07.370 were better than anybody else, but that was just 00:16:07.370 --> 00:16:11.970 his purpose and choice to do so. But Israel became 00:16:11.970 --> 00:16:16.929 proud. Rather than responding in faith and obedience 00:16:16.929 --> 00:16:20.970 to God, the nation eventually collapsed and failed. 00:16:21.769 --> 00:16:24.629 Because the nation of Israel went about to establish 00:16:24.629 --> 00:16:28.830 its own righteousness through its works. A law 00:16:28.830 --> 00:16:31.909 righteousness, a legal righteousness, which God 00:16:31.909 --> 00:16:35.759 could never accept. And they rejected the righteousness 00:16:35.759 --> 00:16:40.120 that God offered to them through faith. We come 00:16:40.120 --> 00:16:42.679 now to chapter 10 where it talks about the rejection 00:16:42.679 --> 00:16:47.139 of the nation. And it says in verse 3, for not 00:16:47.139 --> 00:16:49.740 knowing about God's righteousness. That doesn't 00:16:49.740 --> 00:16:52.360 mean that they were ignorant, that they'd never 00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:56.740 been told. But what it means is ignoring God's 00:16:56.740 --> 00:17:00.080 plan of salvation, overlooking God's righteousness. 00:17:01.710 --> 00:17:04.950 and seeking to establish their own. The word 00:17:04.950 --> 00:17:10.269 establish means to establish as a monument. They 00:17:10.269 --> 00:17:14.390 wish to establish as a monument their own personal 00:17:14.390 --> 00:17:18.269 righteousness. It says they did not subject themselves 00:17:18.269 --> 00:17:22.230 to the righteousness of God. And the result of 00:17:22.230 --> 00:17:25.529 that was that God rejected his chosen people. 00:17:25.750 --> 00:17:30.789 God set them aside. In verse 21, Here is God's 00:17:30.789 --> 00:17:33.809 attitude. As for Israel, he says, all the day 00:17:33.809 --> 00:17:38.049 long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient 00:17:38.049 --> 00:17:43.410 and obstinate people. That has been the history 00:17:43.410 --> 00:17:45.430 of the Jewish nation through this whole age. 00:17:46.190 --> 00:17:50.450 God has held out his hands to them. But the nation 00:17:50.450 --> 00:17:52.869 of Israel has rejected the righteousness of God. 00:17:52.930 --> 00:17:56.130 God therefore has rejected them during this time. 00:17:56.309 --> 00:18:00.650 But is God through with them? Is God finished 00:18:00.650 --> 00:18:03.789 with the Jewish people? Well, there are many 00:18:03.789 --> 00:18:07.430 who say yes. They say that the existence of the 00:18:07.430 --> 00:18:09.349 nation of Israel and the world today is just 00:18:09.349 --> 00:18:12.930 freakish, that it has no particular purpose. 00:18:15.009 --> 00:18:18.109 How is it that a nation can be subjected to other 00:18:18.109 --> 00:18:23.569 peoples for almost 2 ,000 years and then suddenly 00:18:23.569 --> 00:18:27.230 emerge as a political entity and to say that 00:18:27.230 --> 00:18:30.829 that's a chance? To say that there's no particular 00:18:30.829 --> 00:18:34.769 work of God in that, that's foolishness. God 00:18:34.769 --> 00:18:38.009 has preserved the Jewish people, and he's done 00:18:38.009 --> 00:18:42.029 it with purpose. Because, you see, God is going 00:18:42.029 --> 00:18:43.809 to restore the Jewish people, and that's what 00:18:43.809 --> 00:18:50.109 chapter 11 talks about. Verse 5. In the same 00:18:50.109 --> 00:18:54.250 way, then, there has also come to be at the present 00:18:54.250 --> 00:18:57.579 time, that is in this age of grace, a remnant 00:18:57.579 --> 00:19:00.079 according to God's gracious choice. That is, 00:19:00.099 --> 00:19:03.299 there are Jews who are saved in this age. Not 00:19:03.299 --> 00:19:07.660 all Jews are rejected. Those who come to faith 00:19:07.660 --> 00:19:10.019 in the Lord Jesus Christ are, of course, accepted, 00:19:10.220 --> 00:19:12.660 made a part of the body. It's a remnant, though. 00:19:12.720 --> 00:19:15.880 It's just a part of them. It says, if it is by 00:19:15.880 --> 00:19:18.160 grace, it is no longer on the basis of works. 00:19:18.380 --> 00:19:21.579 Otherwise, grace is no longer grace. What then? 00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:25.529 That which Israel is seeking for? What does that 00:19:25.529 --> 00:19:29.930 mean? Righteousness? It has not obtained. But 00:19:29.930 --> 00:19:32.109 those who were chosen obtained it. The rest were 00:19:32.109 --> 00:19:34.990 hardened. They were allowed to go in their own 00:19:34.990 --> 00:19:38.589 direction and hardened in heart. Now go on to 00:19:38.589 --> 00:19:42.869 verse 11. I say then, they, the Jews, national 00:19:42.869 --> 00:19:47.089 Israel, they did not stumble so as to fall, did 00:19:47.089 --> 00:19:51.309 they? He says, did they stumble never to rise 00:19:51.309 --> 00:19:55.000 again? He says, God forbid, may it never be. 00:19:55.680 --> 00:19:58.920 But by their transgression, that is their false 00:19:58.920 --> 00:20:02.019 step, their blunder, salvation has come to the 00:20:02.019 --> 00:20:06.980 Gentiles to make them, the Jews, jealous. You 00:20:06.980 --> 00:20:09.240 see, one of the reasons God is calling us out 00:20:09.240 --> 00:20:11.460 in this age is to make the Jewish people jealous. 00:20:13.660 --> 00:20:16.859 And it says in verse 12, Now if their transgression 00:20:16.859 --> 00:20:19.930 be riches for the world, and their failure be 00:20:19.930 --> 00:20:22.549 riches for the Gentiles, the riches of salvation, 00:20:22.890 --> 00:20:26.849 how much more will their fulfillment be? You 00:20:26.849 --> 00:20:29.269 see, there is a fulfillment coming for Israel. 00:20:29.569 --> 00:20:32.529 He says, But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles, 00:20:32.529 --> 00:20:34.950 and as much then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, 00:20:35.009 --> 00:20:38.390 I magnify my office, if somehow I might move 00:20:38.390 --> 00:20:42.109 to jealousy my fellow countrymen, the Jews, and 00:20:42.109 --> 00:20:45.809 save some of them. For if their rejection be 00:20:45.809 --> 00:20:48.740 the reconciliation of the world, What will their 00:20:48.740 --> 00:20:51.980 acceptance be but life from the dead? That's 00:20:51.980 --> 00:20:56.059 yet in the future. And if the first piece of 00:20:56.059 --> 00:20:58.359 dough be holy, the lump is also. And if the root 00:20:58.359 --> 00:21:01.660 be holy, the branches are too. The first piece 00:21:01.660 --> 00:21:04.660 mentioned here and the root refer to the patriarchs. 00:21:05.940 --> 00:21:08.619 Because the Jewish people today are the descendants 00:21:08.619 --> 00:21:13.539 of whom they are descendants of, Abraham, Isaac, 00:21:13.799 --> 00:21:17.269 and Jacob. Because they are part of that root, 00:21:17.410 --> 00:21:20.250 because they are part of that lump, they today 00:21:20.250 --> 00:21:23.349 still have purpose. God is going to fulfill his 00:21:23.349 --> 00:21:26.430 promises to those patriarchs. But if some of 00:21:26.430 --> 00:21:31.750 the branches were broken off, and you, Gentiles, 00:21:31.849 --> 00:21:35.309 being a wild olive, were grafted in among them 00:21:35.309 --> 00:21:38.109 and became partaker with them of the rich root 00:21:38.109 --> 00:21:41.089 of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward 00:21:41.089 --> 00:21:43.670 the branches. Now here's a warning to Gentiles. 00:21:45.519 --> 00:21:48.099 He says, if you are arrogant, remember that it 00:21:48.099 --> 00:21:50.579 is not you who supports the root, but the root 00:21:50.579 --> 00:21:53.839 supports you. How it is possible for a born -again 00:21:53.839 --> 00:21:57.000 Christian to be anti -Semitic, I do not know. 00:21:58.279 --> 00:22:01.680 Because you see, as born -again Christians, we 00:22:01.680 --> 00:22:05.339 are a part of God's promises to Abraham. We are 00:22:05.339 --> 00:22:09.420 a part of that root. We have, out of our wildness, 00:22:09.460 --> 00:22:13.740 been grafted into this cultivated olive tree. 00:22:14.789 --> 00:22:18.750 speaking about the promises to Abraham. He says 00:22:18.750 --> 00:22:21.950 the root supports us. He says you will say then 00:22:21.950 --> 00:22:24.750 branches are broken off so that I might be grafted 00:22:24.750 --> 00:22:28.150 in. Quite right. They were broken off for their 00:22:28.150 --> 00:22:32.150 unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not 00:22:32.150 --> 00:22:35.390 be conceited, but fear. For if God did not spare 00:22:35.390 --> 00:22:37.710 the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 00:22:38.630 --> 00:22:41.609 Behold then the kindness and severity of God 00:22:41.609 --> 00:22:47.000 to those who fell, But to you, God's kindness, 00:22:47.119 --> 00:22:50.039 if you continue in his kindness, otherwise you 00:22:50.039 --> 00:22:53.099 also will be cut off. And they also, if they 00:22:53.099 --> 00:22:55.599 do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted 00:22:55.599 --> 00:23:00.099 in. For God is able to graft them in again. For 00:23:00.099 --> 00:23:02.480 if you were cut off from what is by nature a 00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:05.519 wild olive tree and were grafted contrary to 00:23:05.519 --> 00:23:09.460 nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much 00:23:09.460 --> 00:23:12.140 more shall these who are the natural branches 00:23:12.730 --> 00:23:16.130 be grafted into their own olive tree. He's talking 00:23:16.130 --> 00:23:18.990 about those branches that have been cut off being 00:23:18.990 --> 00:23:22.869 grafted back in. In other words, God still has 00:23:22.869 --> 00:23:26.630 a future for the nation of Israel. God is not 00:23:26.630 --> 00:23:30.710 finished with them. He says, For I do not want 00:23:30.710 --> 00:23:34.049 you, brethren, to be uninformed of this, what? 00:23:35.150 --> 00:23:38.789 Mystery. A number of times in the New Testament 00:23:38.789 --> 00:23:43.019 you will find this word mystery. It always refers 00:23:43.019 --> 00:23:46.380 to the same basic definition, but the mystery 00:23:46.380 --> 00:23:50.180 in its fullness has different aspects. It's like 00:23:50.180 --> 00:23:56.460 links in a chain. They all fit together. They're 00:23:56.460 --> 00:23:59.460 not all precisely the same, but they fit together. 00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:03.880 These truths do. In Ephesians chapter 3, it is 00:24:03.880 --> 00:24:06.940 the mystery of the church composed of Jew and 00:24:06.940 --> 00:24:12.039 Gentile now equal in Jesus Christ. Here the aspect 00:24:12.039 --> 00:24:16.420 of the mystery that is exposed is that this occurred, 00:24:16.619 --> 00:24:20.140 the church occurred, because of Israel being 00:24:20.140 --> 00:24:24.220 set aside. Nowhere in the Old Testament do you 00:24:24.220 --> 00:24:27.880 see this truth revealed, that God was going to 00:24:27.880 --> 00:24:31.380 set aside Israel and graft in a group that is 00:24:31.380 --> 00:24:37.019 predominantly Gentile. It is a mystery. It has 00:24:37.019 --> 00:24:40.910 not been exposed before this. He says, don't 00:24:40.910 --> 00:24:43.470 be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise 00:24:43.470 --> 00:24:48.150 in your own estimation. He says a partial hardening 00:24:48.150 --> 00:24:52.089 has happened to Israel. It's partial in two ways. 00:24:52.930 --> 00:24:58.589 It's partial in terms of time. It is not for 00:24:58.589 --> 00:25:03.029 all time, but it's for this time. Even now there 00:25:03.029 --> 00:25:05.950 is a remnant of grace, as we saw earlier in the 00:25:05.950 --> 00:25:09.650 chapter in verse 5. But the nation of Israel 00:25:09.650 --> 00:25:12.910 has been set aside for a time. It's a partial 00:25:12.910 --> 00:25:16.369 hardening. And it's partial not only in time, 00:25:16.390 --> 00:25:19.009 but it's partial in numbers. As I said, there 00:25:19.009 --> 00:25:24.109 are some Jews who are saved. Now it goes on to 00:25:24.109 --> 00:25:27.750 say, A partial hardening has happened to Israel 00:25:27.750 --> 00:25:33.329 until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 00:25:34.089 --> 00:25:36.210 Now that is an interesting phrase. What does 00:25:36.210 --> 00:25:39.299 he mean by this? Well, he's talking about what 00:25:39.299 --> 00:25:42.099 God is doing right now. God is calling out a 00:25:42.099 --> 00:25:45.799 people for his name's sake, a people composed, 00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:48.880 as we've said over and over, primarily of Gentiles, 00:25:48.880 --> 00:25:53.420 but including some Jews. God is right now completing 00:25:53.420 --> 00:25:56.460 the body of Christ, the church, calling out a 00:25:56.460 --> 00:25:59.220 people that has been his purpose through this 00:25:59.220 --> 00:26:01.180 whole age of hundreds and hundreds of years, 00:26:01.279 --> 00:26:04.740 almost 2 ,000 years now. God is putting together 00:26:04.740 --> 00:26:09.119 a body of people. composed primarily of Gentiles. 00:26:09.740 --> 00:26:14.859 Now there is an elect number to this body. Those 00:26:14.859 --> 00:26:18.099 who compose the body of Christ, the number of 00:26:18.099 --> 00:26:20.759 them is not an accident. It is known to God. 00:26:23.839 --> 00:26:26.980 That is why in Ephesians chapter 1 it says that 00:26:26.980 --> 00:26:30.980 He chose you in Christ before the foundation 00:26:30.980 --> 00:26:34.259 of the world. Before the foundation of the world, 00:26:34.319 --> 00:26:37.579 God not only designed this whole plan of Israel, 00:26:37.599 --> 00:26:40.700 then the church, and Israel being restored, but 00:26:40.700 --> 00:26:44.420 he also chose every person who's a part of the 00:26:44.420 --> 00:26:49.339 church. It is no accident that you are born again. 00:26:49.839 --> 00:26:53.200 That's been God's eternal plan for you, to be 00:26:53.200 --> 00:26:56.079 saved when you've been saved, where you've been 00:26:56.079 --> 00:27:02.069 saved, and placed into the body of Christ. And 00:27:02.069 --> 00:27:08.190 one day, the elect number of Gentiles will be 00:27:08.190 --> 00:27:12.730 completed. And the fullness of the Gentiles will 00:27:12.730 --> 00:27:16.390 be done. It will come in. And when that occurs, 00:27:16.809 --> 00:27:20.549 it is my conviction, based upon the word of God, 00:27:20.589 --> 00:27:23.230 that the church, the visible church, will be 00:27:23.230 --> 00:27:27.230 taken out of the world to its heavenly destiny. 00:27:29.379 --> 00:27:31.819 Because when the church is completed, when the 00:27:31.819 --> 00:27:34.700 fullness of the Gentiles has come in, it goes 00:27:34.700 --> 00:27:38.019 on to say, then all Israel will be saved. The 00:27:38.019 --> 00:27:40.000 idea is that God is going to turn back to the 00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:42.700 nation of Israel and begin dealing with them 00:27:42.700 --> 00:27:45.920 once more. When it says all Israel will be saved, 00:27:45.980 --> 00:27:49.140 it doesn't mean every individual Jew, but it 00:27:49.140 --> 00:27:52.420 means as a nation, as a unit, they will be saved. 00:27:53.799 --> 00:27:56.079 He quotes from the Old Testament proving this, 00:27:56.119 --> 00:27:58.140 and then he says in verse 28, From the standpoint 00:27:58.140 --> 00:28:01.299 of the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. 00:28:02.740 --> 00:28:05.119 But from the standpoint of God's choice, they 00:28:05.119 --> 00:28:07.079 are beloved for the sake of the fathers, that 00:28:07.079 --> 00:28:09.599 is, the patriarchs. The gifts and calling of 00:28:09.599 --> 00:28:12.660 God are irrevocable. For just as you once were 00:28:12.660 --> 00:28:16.619 disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy 00:28:16.619 --> 00:28:20.220 because of their disobedience. So these also 00:28:20.220 --> 00:28:22.680 now have been disobedient in order that because 00:28:22.680 --> 00:28:25.640 of the mercy shown to you, they also may now 00:28:25.640 --> 00:28:29.599 be shown mercy. For God has shut up all in disobedience 00:28:29.599 --> 00:28:32.720 that he might show mercy to all. This is one 00:28:32.720 --> 00:28:35.019 of the greatest texts in the Bible for Jewish 00:28:35.019 --> 00:28:40.079 evangelism. They have been disobedient. They 00:28:40.079 --> 00:28:42.819 have fallen. They have stumbled as a nation. 00:28:44.259 --> 00:28:47.740 They have been rejected by God during this age. 00:28:48.440 --> 00:28:51.940 Because of their national unbelief, only a remnant 00:28:51.940 --> 00:28:58.559 of grace among the Jews have been saved. That's 00:28:58.559 --> 00:29:01.740 the mercy of God. And the mercy of God, because 00:29:01.740 --> 00:29:04.299 of their disobedience, has gone to your ancestors 00:29:04.299 --> 00:29:08.200 and mine, to Gentiles, people like us, who are 00:29:08.200 --> 00:29:10.099 cut off from the covenants of Abraham, Isaac, 00:29:10.180 --> 00:29:14.559 and Jacob. God's mercy has embraced us now and 00:29:14.559 --> 00:29:19.289 has implanted us into that root. of the promises 00:29:19.289 --> 00:29:23.650 to Abraham, the promises of salvation. We are 00:29:23.650 --> 00:29:26.109 now a part of that because of God's mercy and 00:29:26.109 --> 00:29:30.170 Israel's unbelief. However, God says now, you 00:29:30.170 --> 00:29:32.950 Gentiles, you show mercy to those who have been 00:29:32.950 --> 00:29:37.470 disobedient. You preach the gospel to them, even 00:29:37.470 --> 00:29:39.670 though many of them will reject. Indeed, most 00:29:39.670 --> 00:29:42.930 of them reject. Preach the gospel to them. Show 00:29:42.930 --> 00:29:47.029 them mercy. I am convinced that these are the 00:29:47.029 --> 00:29:49.089 greatest days for Jewish evangelism for this 00:29:49.089 --> 00:29:53.009 reason. Even though a Jewish person may not respond 00:29:53.009 --> 00:29:56.950 to the gospel now as he hears it, God is planting 00:29:56.950 --> 00:29:59.309 that gospel in his heart, and I believe personally 00:29:59.309 --> 00:30:02.630 the rapture of the church is so close that we 00:30:02.630 --> 00:30:04.650 are so soon going to be taken out of here that 00:30:04.650 --> 00:30:06.589 some of those Jewish people who hear the gospel 00:30:06.589 --> 00:30:10.089 now and reject it, after the church is taken 00:30:10.089 --> 00:30:14.650 out, will then believe it. We'll then believe 00:30:14.650 --> 00:30:18.630 it and become a part of the great core of evangelists, 00:30:18.650 --> 00:30:22.849 numbering 144 ,000 according to Revelation, who 00:30:22.849 --> 00:30:24.930 will go throughout the earth preaching the gospel 00:30:24.930 --> 00:30:29.430 in the tribulation period. It's exciting to think 00:30:29.430 --> 00:30:33.950 that now we are planting seed, maybe, which is 00:30:33.950 --> 00:30:37.009 going to bear fruit not just in this age, the 00:30:37.009 --> 00:30:41.170 church age, but after we're gone. God is going 00:30:41.170 --> 00:30:43.130 to bring some of those dear Jewish people to 00:30:43.130 --> 00:30:47.009 faith in their Messiah. They will come to him 00:30:47.009 --> 00:30:50.450 and then eventually be restored and God is going 00:30:50.450 --> 00:30:53.190 to set up the kingdom of our Savior. Here's my 00:30:53.190 --> 00:30:56.349 point in going through all this. It is this, 00:30:56.569 --> 00:30:59.710 that the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, far 00:30:59.710 --> 00:31:03.470 from being an afterthought, far from being plan 00:31:03.470 --> 00:31:07.210 B, has in fact been the centerpiece of God's 00:31:07.210 --> 00:31:12.200 eternal purpose of redemption. That means just 00:31:12.200 --> 00:31:15.599 what I said earlier, that you have been a part 00:31:15.599 --> 00:31:19.059 of God's centerpiece, God's master plan since 00:31:19.059 --> 00:31:22.519 before the foundation of the world. You are not 00:31:22.519 --> 00:31:24.960 born where you are of the parents that you were 00:31:24.960 --> 00:31:28.859 where you were by accident. God has designed 00:31:28.859 --> 00:31:31.960 all of that so that you might come to faith in 00:31:31.960 --> 00:31:34.200 his son and be a part of the church of the Lord 00:31:34.200 --> 00:31:38.160 Jesus Christ. You see, beloved, you are a part 00:31:38.160 --> 00:31:40.039 of something that is far bigger than you can 00:31:40.039 --> 00:31:44.440 possibly imagine today. There is no way for your 00:31:44.440 --> 00:31:49.859 mind or mine to get around these facts and encompass 00:31:49.859 --> 00:31:53.220 them and understand them fully. These things 00:31:53.220 --> 00:31:55.779 are part of a mystery that God has exposed to 00:31:55.779 --> 00:31:58.599 us, but we grapple with them, we wonder with 00:31:58.599 --> 00:32:02.619 them at the immensity of these truths. That was 00:32:02.619 --> 00:32:06.680 the second fact that I want you to see. The purpose 00:32:06.680 --> 00:32:13.579 of the church is intended to reveal God. God 00:32:13.579 --> 00:32:18.680 created all things. He likewise created the church. 00:32:19.759 --> 00:32:22.400 And the reason that he created the church is 00:32:22.400 --> 00:32:26.200 to reveal himself. Notice what it says here in 00:32:26.200 --> 00:32:29.740 verse 10. In order that the manifold wisdom of 00:32:29.740 --> 00:32:33.599 God might now be made known through the church. 00:32:34.190 --> 00:32:38.890 God is a God who desires to reveal himself to 00:32:38.890 --> 00:32:43.109 mankind. He does not want to remain unknown. 00:32:44.309 --> 00:32:47.190 He wants to be known for who he is. You see, 00:32:47.250 --> 00:32:50.890 God is a teacher. Those of you who are teachers 00:32:50.890 --> 00:32:53.430 are in a profession that is as much like what 00:32:53.430 --> 00:32:57.130 God is like as any profession can be. It is a 00:32:57.130 --> 00:33:01.029 wonderful and privileged profession to be a teacher. 00:33:01.500 --> 00:33:05.099 God is a teacher. God is an instructor. Now the 00:33:05.099 --> 00:33:08.420 lesson that God wants to teach right now is his 00:33:08.420 --> 00:33:13.220 wisdom. I would define his wisdom as God's skillful 00:33:13.220 --> 00:33:17.759 use of his knowledge, his intellect, his understanding, 00:33:18.119 --> 00:33:24.599 his prudence. God is not only omniscient, knowing 00:33:24.599 --> 00:33:28.519 all things, but he is omnisapient. He knows how 00:33:28.519 --> 00:33:31.970 to use what he knows. to accomplish his perfect 00:33:31.970 --> 00:33:35.769 purposes. His wisdom is here described as manifold. 00:33:36.069 --> 00:33:39.509 You see that word? It literally means multicolored. 00:33:39.789 --> 00:33:42.609 It was used in that day of embroidered cloth 00:33:42.609 --> 00:33:44.769 that was embroidered with different patterns 00:33:44.769 --> 00:33:49.589 of colors or fields of flowers, many colors involved. 00:33:50.170 --> 00:33:52.789 We might call it the many -splendored wisdom 00:33:52.789 --> 00:33:55.509 of God or the iridescent wisdom of God. It's 00:33:55.509 --> 00:33:58.940 like a rainbow. this wisdom of God that he desires 00:33:58.940 --> 00:34:03.099 to display. And notice that God, the great instructor, 00:34:03.500 --> 00:34:06.960 has an illustration of his wisdom. He has an 00:34:06.960 --> 00:34:10.099 object lesson that he uses, and that object lesson 00:34:10.099 --> 00:34:14.539 is the church. You see that in verse 10? God 00:34:14.539 --> 00:34:19.739 is making known his wisdom, himself, through 00:34:19.739 --> 00:34:27.420 the church. You and I, are God's illustration 00:34:27.420 --> 00:34:31.380 of his wisdom in the way that he saved us through 00:34:31.380 --> 00:34:35.860 the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is 00:34:35.860 --> 00:34:42.760 foolishness to the world. It's weakness and foolishness 00:34:42.760 --> 00:34:49.099 to talk about the world finding salvation through 00:34:49.099 --> 00:34:51.980 the death of one person in history 2 ,000 years 00:34:51.980 --> 00:34:55.800 ago. That is unreasonable and illogical to our 00:34:55.800 --> 00:34:58.880 world. But that foolishness of man is the wisdom 00:34:58.880 --> 00:35:03.219 of God. God has saved us through the cross. But 00:35:03.219 --> 00:35:06.639 also I believe that the wisdom of God is being 00:35:06.639 --> 00:35:10.300 evidenced in choosing people like you and me 00:35:10.300 --> 00:35:15.739 to proclaim that message. Because you see, we 00:35:15.739 --> 00:35:19.099 are not the people that would, humanly speaking, 00:35:19.320 --> 00:35:23.710 be chosen. to proclaim the message of the cross. 00:35:25.610 --> 00:35:27.750 Why, if you or I were planning this, we would 00:35:27.750 --> 00:35:31.409 select the powerful people of the world. We would 00:35:31.409 --> 00:35:33.710 select the kings and the presidents and the people 00:35:33.710 --> 00:35:36.530 who had a lot of money and those who could influence 00:35:36.530 --> 00:35:41.349 vast crowds of people. But according to 1 Corinthians 00:35:41.349 --> 00:35:47.429 1, God rather has chosen the base and the despised, 00:35:47.429 --> 00:35:50.659 the foolish and the weak. I'm sorry if that offends 00:35:50.659 --> 00:35:55.099 you, but that's how we are. God has purposely 00:35:55.099 --> 00:35:58.699 chosen most of his people among that strata. 00:35:58.739 --> 00:36:06.559 Why? Because that's his wisdom to do so. Now 00:36:06.559 --> 00:36:10.000 who are the students in God's classroom? Please 00:36:10.000 --> 00:36:14.239 notice that it's not us. We are the illustration. 00:36:16.570 --> 00:36:18.730 Amazingly, it says here that God is making known 00:36:18.730 --> 00:36:21.429 his wisdom to the rulers and the authorities 00:36:21.429 --> 00:36:25.070 in the heavenly places. In other words, the angels. 00:36:29.130 --> 00:36:32.530 You see, watching us every moment of every day 00:36:32.530 --> 00:36:37.690 are angels. Now, some people find this a little 00:36:37.690 --> 00:36:41.789 spooky. God doesn't intend it to be that way. 00:36:42.989 --> 00:36:47.690 But the facts are, that we are the objects of 00:36:47.690 --> 00:36:53.469 intense observation by spirit beings. When you 00:36:53.469 --> 00:36:59.909 and I think we're alone, we're not alone. For 00:36:59.909 --> 00:37:03.670 gazing upon us are multitudes of angelic creatures 00:37:03.670 --> 00:37:06.230 described here as the rulers and authorities 00:37:06.230 --> 00:37:09.750 in the heavenly places, the realm of spiritual 00:37:09.750 --> 00:37:15.539 things. The application is obvious. That you 00:37:15.539 --> 00:37:18.179 and I need to live so as to make God's lesson 00:37:18.179 --> 00:37:23.860 plain to the angels. This gives us a little insight 00:37:23.860 --> 00:37:26.539 into some other rather strange and mysterious 00:37:26.539 --> 00:37:28.840 phrases in the New Testament. Let me give you 00:37:28.840 --> 00:37:30.719 a couple of them. Go back to 1 Corinthians chapter 00:37:30.719 --> 00:37:41.039 4 and verse 9. 1 Corinthians 4, 9. Paul says, 00:37:41.099 --> 00:37:43.920 I think God has exhibited us apostles last of 00:37:43.920 --> 00:37:47.949 all. last in the line, coming at the end, as 00:37:47.949 --> 00:37:51.289 men condemned to death because we have become 00:37:51.289 --> 00:37:55.210 a spectacle to the world, both to angels and 00:37:55.210 --> 00:38:00.289 to men. Paul is saying that in this cosmos around 00:38:00.289 --> 00:38:05.329 us, in this order of things, there are two kinds 00:38:05.329 --> 00:38:10.090 of creatures, intelligent living creatures, mankind 00:38:10.090 --> 00:38:16.000 and angels. And he says, as apostles, that they 00:38:16.000 --> 00:38:21.900 were spectacles both to men and to angels. Now 00:38:21.900 --> 00:38:23.880 there's another phrase found in 1 Corinthians 00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:27.159 chapter 11. We don't have time to go into the 00:38:27.159 --> 00:38:30.199 context here. Somebody's going to ask me after 00:38:30.199 --> 00:38:31.920 the service, well, then are women supposed to 00:38:31.920 --> 00:38:35.780 wear hats? I don't believe so. The particular 00:38:35.780 --> 00:38:39.059 context here dealt with a situation that existed 00:38:39.059 --> 00:38:42.349 in that day. But there's a basic underlying principle, 00:38:42.530 --> 00:38:45.570 and it's the principle of submission. As the 00:38:45.570 --> 00:38:48.250 man is to be in submission to Christ, so the 00:38:48.250 --> 00:38:51.409 woman is to be in subjection to the man. And 00:38:51.409 --> 00:38:54.090 he says in verse 10, Therefore the woman ought 00:38:54.090 --> 00:38:57.809 to have a symbol of authority on her head because 00:38:57.809 --> 00:39:04.150 of the angels. Now there are other little passages 00:39:04.150 --> 00:39:08.849 like this. that remind us that we are being observed 00:39:08.849 --> 00:39:15.170 by extraterrestrial beings, the angels. And what 00:39:15.170 --> 00:39:17.989 they are learning by watching us is the wisdom 00:39:17.989 --> 00:39:22.409 of God. I am sure there are times they must scratch 00:39:22.409 --> 00:39:27.170 their heads. I am sure there are times when the 00:39:27.170 --> 00:39:30.269 lesson doesn't come through in my life like I 00:39:30.269 --> 00:39:34.369 wish it would. But the fact is that God is working 00:39:34.369 --> 00:39:40.389 in your circumstances and mine, using us as illustrations, 00:39:40.409 --> 00:39:44.789 as objects, to teach the angels about his wisdom. 00:39:44.829 --> 00:39:48.469 You see, angels don't know everything. They have 00:39:48.469 --> 00:39:51.590 to be taught, and God is teaching them through 00:39:51.590 --> 00:39:55.670 us. And so the second thing that we see here 00:39:55.670 --> 00:39:58.690 is that the purpose of the church is to reveal 00:39:58.690 --> 00:40:04.449 God. The purpose of the church, thirdly, is realized 00:40:04.449 --> 00:40:07.489 in Christ. That's an important fact to notice 00:40:07.489 --> 00:40:10.389 at the end of verse 11. He says this eternal 00:40:10.389 --> 00:40:13.989 purpose he carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:40:14.969 --> 00:40:17.650 Notice it's in a past tense as we would say it. 00:40:18.530 --> 00:40:21.489 The church of the Lord Jesus Christ came into 00:40:21.489 --> 00:40:25.849 being because of Christ Jesus our Lord. His work 00:40:25.849 --> 00:40:29.070 at the cross, the empty tomb. It all focuses 00:40:29.070 --> 00:40:33.099 back on that. The thing that has brought the 00:40:33.099 --> 00:40:37.880 church into existence is Him. The thing that 00:40:37.880 --> 00:40:42.940 causes all of God's promises, all of the fullness 00:40:42.940 --> 00:40:45.579 of God's purpose to be guaranteed to be fulfilled 00:40:45.579 --> 00:40:50.239 is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. All of 00:40:50.239 --> 00:40:54.679 God's eternal plans are fixed upon His Son. Therefore, 00:40:54.840 --> 00:40:59.619 how foolish of any of us to try to live independent 00:40:59.619 --> 00:41:06.389 of Him. To try to live ignoring Christ. One does 00:41:06.389 --> 00:41:14.489 that to the peril of his soul. And then fourthly 00:41:14.489 --> 00:41:17.570 and finally, the purpose of the church is filled 00:41:17.570 --> 00:41:22.469 with blessing. The reason that God has brought 00:41:22.469 --> 00:41:25.469 the church into existence is that he might bless 00:41:25.469 --> 00:41:30.860 people. In verse 12, we have boldness and confident 00:41:30.860 --> 00:41:36.380 access through faith in Him. You see, before 00:41:36.380 --> 00:41:40.039 Calvary, God had to distance Himself from sinful 00:41:40.039 --> 00:41:43.840 man. That separation was absolutely necessary 00:41:43.840 --> 00:41:47.599 because of His holiness. But now, through Christ 00:41:47.599 --> 00:41:51.840 Jesus, God has opened the way to Himself. The 00:41:51.840 --> 00:41:54.519 veil in the temple was rent as a picture of that. 00:41:55.119 --> 00:41:58.539 Whereas before God had to say, keep your distance, 00:41:58.860 --> 00:42:04.380 now God can say, come to me. And God reaches 00:42:04.380 --> 00:42:07.880 out to embrace us, to receive us to himself, 00:42:08.300 --> 00:42:14.699 to hug us, as it were, because he loves us. God 00:42:14.699 --> 00:42:19.760 has brought about the church so that he might 00:42:19.760 --> 00:42:25.000 bless mankind. so that he might receive us to 00:42:25.000 --> 00:42:27.539 himself and give us two rights. And notice what 00:42:27.539 --> 00:42:31.900 they are. The sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ 00:42:31.900 --> 00:42:34.800 has guaranteed two rights for the believer. Number 00:42:34.800 --> 00:42:38.260 one, the right of free speech. We have boldness, 00:42:38.320 --> 00:42:41.880 literally freedom of speech. You and I can come 00:42:41.880 --> 00:42:45.780 to God and directly talk with him. We do not 00:42:45.780 --> 00:42:49.039 need someone to go between us and God. We can 00:42:49.039 --> 00:42:53.409 directly call him Father. And besides the right 00:42:53.409 --> 00:42:55.590 of free speech, we have the right of confident 00:42:55.590 --> 00:42:59.590 access. Before, only that high priest could go 00:42:59.590 --> 00:43:01.769 into the Holy of Holies. Now all of us can go 00:43:01.769 --> 00:43:06.070 right in. God says, come on right into me. Why? 00:43:06.230 --> 00:43:09.530 Because the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ has 00:43:09.530 --> 00:43:15.190 been shed. These are wonderful purposes. To be 00:43:15.190 --> 00:43:17.469 happy, a person needs to have someone to love. 00:43:18.670 --> 00:43:23.690 We have Christ. We need to have a hope His soon 00:43:23.690 --> 00:43:26.769 return. And we need to know that there's purpose 00:43:26.769 --> 00:43:30.670 to our existence. And I hope that this passage 00:43:30.670 --> 00:43:34.230 today shows you that you have purpose, not just 00:43:34.230 --> 00:43:38.130 for time, but for eternity as a believer in the 00:43:38.130 --> 00:43:42.210 Lord Jesus Christ. God's grand plan in saving 00:43:42.210 --> 00:43:46.070 you is to glorify Himself by writing His message 00:43:46.070 --> 00:43:50.900 in your life. You see, you're a unique person. 00:43:50.940 --> 00:43:53.199 There's nobody else like you in all of history, 00:43:53.320 --> 00:43:58.719 and nobody else can ever be like you. God has 00:43:58.719 --> 00:44:02.980 saved you so that he might write into your life 00:44:02.980 --> 00:44:12.159 a unique stanza in his poem of redemption. Is 00:44:12.159 --> 00:44:14.239 God able to write in your life the way he wants 00:44:14.239 --> 00:44:24.980 to? Or is the paper dirty? Is the paper wrinkled 00:44:24.980 --> 00:44:32.139 and unfit? God has saved you that he might display 00:44:32.139 --> 00:44:36.360 you forever as an object of grace and use you 00:44:36.360 --> 00:44:41.320 to teach the angels about his wisdom. Is that 00:44:41.320 --> 00:44:44.360 lesson coming through in your life, the way you're 00:44:44.360 --> 00:44:50.409 living it? That's what God wants. God has saved 00:44:50.409 --> 00:44:56.849 you, my friend, for a purpose. Regardless of 00:44:56.849 --> 00:45:00.170 how important you may be in this world, no matter 00:45:00.170 --> 00:45:05.030 how much or how little money you ever make, no 00:45:05.030 --> 00:45:08.170 matter whether you're a success in the business 00:45:08.170 --> 00:45:12.750 world or whatever field you've taken up, putting 00:45:12.750 --> 00:45:17.679 all of those things aside, don't miss the purpose 00:45:17.679 --> 00:45:22.739 that God has for your being here. You can know 00:45:22.739 --> 00:45:26.860 that purpose and fulfill it by giving your heart 00:45:26.860 --> 00:45:30.519 to Jesus Christ and making him Lord of your life 00:45:30.519 --> 00:45:36.579 every day. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you that 00:45:36.579 --> 00:45:41.099 you've called us to be channels, instruments, 00:45:42.860 --> 00:45:49.739 Object lessons. Forgive us when our sins, our 00:45:49.739 --> 00:46:14.360 rebellion, our ignorance. from writing into our 00:46:14.360 --> 00:46:19.980 lives the message that you want. And we say to 00:46:19.980 --> 00:46:22.679 you as a people, and I hope each of us says individually, 00:46:23.400 --> 00:46:30.159 write in our lives that stanza of your poem that 00:46:30.159 --> 00:46:35.119 pleases you. We surrender ourselves to you as 00:46:35.119 --> 00:46:42.119 fully as we know how. Glorify yourself. And may 00:46:42.119 --> 00:46:45.199 your eternal purpose be realized in our existence. 00:46:48.840 --> 00:46:58.699 Channels only, blessed Master, but with all thy 00:46:58.699 --> 00:47:07.679 wondrous power flowing through us, thou canst 00:47:07.679 --> 00:47:20.420 use us. every day and every hour. Would you stand 00:47:20.420 --> 00:47:21.039 with me, please?