WEBVTT 00:00:21.070 --> 00:00:23.230 Let's bow together and pray. Would you join me, 00:00:23.250 --> 00:00:28.109 please? Father, my prayer is that you would show 00:00:28.109 --> 00:00:30.309 us the truth of the words that we have sung. 00:00:32.689 --> 00:00:35.590 We understand those words, and yet we don't understand 00:00:35.590 --> 00:00:41.509 them. Show us today, in a fresh new way, the 00:00:41.509 --> 00:00:46.869 depth of your grace and its meaning. Remind us 00:00:46.869 --> 00:00:51.759 that we are dying people. And that the only hope 00:00:51.759 --> 00:00:58.700 that we have is the grace of God. In Jesus' name 00:00:58.700 --> 00:01:07.200 we pray. Amen. I'm reminded this morning of standing 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:14.159 on a high point near a place in the Switzerland 00:01:14.159 --> 00:01:20.099 and looking out to the out, to the south. viewing 00:01:20.099 --> 00:01:24.000 them in their snow -capped splendor, and then 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:26.739 seeing the swift mountains and hills and valleys 00:01:26.739 --> 00:01:30.140 roll all the way back to the point on which I 00:01:30.140 --> 00:01:33.959 was standing. The cowbells were echoing in the 00:01:33.959 --> 00:01:38.260 valley all around in stereo. At that moment, 00:01:38.299 --> 00:01:43.560 I felt like Julie Andrews. I thought I could 00:01:43.560 --> 00:01:46.400 go flying down the mountain singing. The hills 00:01:46.400 --> 00:01:50.459 are alive with the sound of music. There is a 00:01:50.459 --> 00:01:53.819 beautiful scene. I could not help but exclaim 00:01:53.819 --> 00:01:57.219 the praise of the Lord for his creative power 00:01:57.219 --> 00:02:01.260 and intelligence. Likewise, as we come today 00:02:01.260 --> 00:02:04.920 to our text in Ephesians chapter 1, the Apostle 00:02:04.920 --> 00:02:10.819 Paul stands on a peak of revelation, overviewing 00:02:10.819 --> 00:02:16.150 God's great plan for the ages. He cannot help 00:02:16.150 --> 00:02:20.389 but burst out with a song of praise, a doxology 00:02:20.389 --> 00:02:25.169 of blessing to the Lord. He says, Blessed be 00:02:25.169 --> 00:02:28.009 the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 00:02:28.349 --> 00:02:32.830 who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing 00:02:32.830 --> 00:02:37.430 in the heavenly places in Christ, just as he 00:02:37.430 --> 00:02:41.210 chose us in him before the foundation of the 00:02:41.210 --> 00:02:45.060 world, that we should be holy. and blameless 00:02:45.060 --> 00:02:53.419 before him. The Apostle Paul blesses God. When 00:02:53.419 --> 00:02:56.099 he uses that term of God, he is using it the 00:02:56.099 --> 00:03:00.099 only way that is used in the New Testament. Blessed 00:03:00.099 --> 00:03:03.879 is found eight times and is always used of the 00:03:03.879 --> 00:03:09.340 Lord. Dr. Lewis Ferry Schaefer said, it is an 00:03:09.340 --> 00:03:14.319 ascription of supreme worship. in which all devotion 00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:18.099 and adoration that the human heart can give is 00:03:18.099 --> 00:03:21.879 ascribed to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus 00:03:21.879 --> 00:03:26.539 Christ. To bless someone means to speak well 00:03:26.539 --> 00:03:32.699 of them. Our English word eulogy comes from the 00:03:32.699 --> 00:03:37.500 Greek word here. It means that we speak well 00:03:37.500 --> 00:03:42.379 of God, that we say God is good. that God is 00:03:42.379 --> 00:03:46.159 worthy of blessing because of his goodness to 00:03:46.159 --> 00:03:52.000 us. He further identifies God as the Father of 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:55.699 our Lord Jesus Christ. I think it is worthy, 00:03:55.800 --> 00:03:58.439 as long as we're passing by that phrase, to note 00:03:58.439 --> 00:04:02.139 that it does describe the eternal relationship 00:04:02.139 --> 00:04:07.560 between the first two persons of the Godhead, 00:04:07.759 --> 00:04:12.110 the Father and the Son. are titles that describe 00:04:12.110 --> 00:04:16.550 their relationship from all of eternity. Theologians 00:04:16.550 --> 00:04:19.750 call this the eternal generation of the Son. 00:04:20.470 --> 00:04:24.209 That means that he did not become the Son to 00:04:24.209 --> 00:04:27.990 the Father at some point, for example, his incarnation 00:04:27.990 --> 00:04:32.209 or birth of Bethlehem, nor even in his resurrection 00:04:32.209 --> 00:04:36.149 did he become the Son, but from all of eternity 00:04:36.149 --> 00:04:42.740 past he has been God the Son. Again, I say, Dr. 00:04:42.839 --> 00:04:46.779 Schaefer, the relation of the second person to 00:04:46.779 --> 00:04:50.699 the first person has from all eternity been that 00:04:50.699 --> 00:04:55.040 of a son. And like all else related to the Godhead 00:04:55.040 --> 00:04:59.920 is not only eternal, but is unchangeable. He 00:04:59.920 --> 00:05:02.819 did not become a son of the Father by his incarnation 00:05:02.819 --> 00:05:06.740 or by his resurrection, nor is he a son by mere 00:05:06.740 --> 00:05:10.759 title, nor is he temporarily assuming. such a 00:05:10.759 --> 00:05:14.420 relationship that he may execute his part in 00:05:14.420 --> 00:05:18.079 the covenant of redemption. Here's what I'm going 00:05:18.079 --> 00:05:20.399 to say. He was the only begotten of the Father 00:05:20.399 --> 00:05:24.980 from all eternity, having no other relation to 00:05:24.980 --> 00:05:28.040 time and creation than that he is the creator 00:05:28.040 --> 00:05:31.560 of them. It is evident that the Father and Son 00:05:31.560 --> 00:05:35.180 relationship sets forth not only the features 00:05:35.180 --> 00:05:39.240 of emanation and manifestation, and does not 00:05:39.240 --> 00:05:44.240 include the usual conception of derivation, inferiority, 00:05:44.279 --> 00:05:48.620 or distinction as to the time of beginning. In 00:05:48.620 --> 00:05:51.420 other words, normally we think of the son of 00:05:51.420 --> 00:05:58.160 someone as being later in time, or being inferior 00:05:58.160 --> 00:06:02.139 to, perhaps, or deriving his existence from a 00:06:02.139 --> 00:06:06.519 father. The priest goes on to say the Son being 00:06:06.519 --> 00:06:10.839 their God is eternal on an absolute equality 00:06:10.839 --> 00:06:14.800 with the Father. And that is worth pointing out 00:06:14.800 --> 00:06:19.439 because there are some who like to cause our 00:06:19.439 --> 00:06:23.579 Lord Jesus Christ to be inferior because of this 00:06:23.579 --> 00:06:27.740 title of Son and of God being called his Father. 00:06:28.139 --> 00:06:32.000 But that is not the case at all. Paul blesses 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:35.259 the God and Father. of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:06:36.980 --> 00:06:40.040 Whatever our circumstances, and here I remind 00:06:40.040 --> 00:06:44.199 you that Paul's circumstances were prison, we 00:06:44.199 --> 00:06:49.439 are taught to bless God. He is our Father because 00:06:49.439 --> 00:06:54.319 he has caused us to be born again. We are regenerated 00:06:54.319 --> 00:06:58.819 by him. He has imparted life to us as well as 00:06:58.819 --> 00:07:02.860 family likeness. Because of that, we call him 00:07:02.860 --> 00:07:06.920 our father. We are reminded by James that all 00:07:06.920 --> 00:07:10.639 good and perfect things come down from the father 00:07:10.639 --> 00:07:15.040 of life, with whom there is no variableness, 00:07:15.300 --> 00:07:20.019 neither shadow of turning. We bless God because 00:07:20.019 --> 00:07:23.160 all good and perfect gifts come down from him. 00:07:24.120 --> 00:07:27.319 And even those bad experiences that we have in 00:07:27.319 --> 00:07:30.879 life, Our God is able to cause to come out for 00:07:30.879 --> 00:07:36.620 good, Romans 8 .28. I remind you of the outline 00:07:36.620 --> 00:07:40.060 of the Ephesians that we have discussed. In the 00:07:40.060 --> 00:07:42.079 first three chapters, the apostle is talking 00:07:42.079 --> 00:07:47.639 about our calling in Christ Jesus. He wants us 00:07:47.639 --> 00:07:51.459 to understand that for which God has summoned 00:07:51.459 --> 00:07:55.879 us and destined us by our calling in Christ. 00:07:56.540 --> 00:07:59.279 He wants us to understand something of the riches 00:07:59.279 --> 00:08:04.800 that are ours in our Savior. So he begins by 00:08:04.800 --> 00:08:07.500 pointing out the blessedness of God. He says 00:08:07.500 --> 00:08:12.300 we bless God for what he has done. Then he begins 00:08:12.300 --> 00:08:16.019 to enumerate what God has done. He mentions in 00:08:16.019 --> 00:08:20.959 verse 3 that he has blessed us. Notice the objects 00:08:20.959 --> 00:08:26.230 that are in view here, us. Of whom does Paul 00:08:26.230 --> 00:08:29.389 speak? Well, the answer is found in verse 1. 00:08:29.990 --> 00:08:32.509 The same ones that he calls there the saints. 00:08:33.490 --> 00:08:35.889 And then further describes them as the believing 00:08:35.889 --> 00:08:38.409 ones. In other words, Paul is talking about all 00:08:38.409 --> 00:08:42.549 of us who are saved. We are the objects of God's 00:08:42.549 --> 00:08:45.950 blessings. I would have you notice the action. 00:08:46.289 --> 00:08:51.509 He has blessed us. It's the same root word as 00:08:51.509 --> 00:08:56.750 blessed. Blessed be God who has blessed us. Remember 00:08:56.750 --> 00:08:59.330 the Apostle John says we love him because he 00:08:59.330 --> 00:09:02.070 first loved us. We might say we bless him because 00:09:02.070 --> 00:09:07.090 he first blessed us. God has spoken well. He 00:09:07.090 --> 00:09:11.289 has spoken good to us, resulting in our eternal 00:09:11.289 --> 00:09:15.769 benefit. He has undertaken by his grace to provide 00:09:15.769 --> 00:09:19.230 for us something that we could not otherwise 00:09:19.230 --> 00:09:28.429 possess. We have become endowed by God. Colleges 00:09:28.429 --> 00:09:33.370 and universities seek to build their endowments. 00:09:35.049 --> 00:09:37.889 Endowments are sums of money that are set aside 00:09:37.889 --> 00:09:43.210 by that institution to underwrite certain aspects 00:09:43.210 --> 00:09:47.909 of their program. The endowment is not touched 00:09:47.909 --> 00:09:50.970 itself normally, only the interest is drawn from 00:09:50.970 --> 00:09:54.519 that. And usually an endowment fund is a large 00:09:54.519 --> 00:09:58.059 fund. There's one university in the east, I believe 00:09:58.059 --> 00:10:01.179 it is Harvard, which has an endowment fund, a 00:10:01.179 --> 00:10:04.059 fund they never touch, it's only invested, of 00:10:04.059 --> 00:10:09.179 over a billion dollars. A billion dollars. Well, 00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:11.039 I can assure you that most Christian colleges 00:10:11.039 --> 00:10:14.679 have a little bit less than that. Some of them 00:10:14.679 --> 00:10:17.500 don't even have endowments at this point. Endowments 00:10:17.500 --> 00:10:22.500 refer to benefits. That is there for the good 00:10:22.500 --> 00:10:27.200 of the institution. We have received an endowment 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:30.500 by God. We are blessed by God. And notice the 00:10:30.500 --> 00:10:35.320 content of the endowment. He says he has blessed 00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:40.559 us with every spiritual blessing. I think it 00:10:40.559 --> 00:10:43.120 would be good to say that Paul is not talking 00:10:43.120 --> 00:10:46.379 here about the popular theology today called 00:10:46.379 --> 00:10:50.759 prosperity theology. God is not here promising 00:10:50.759 --> 00:10:53.519 that every Christian is going to be wealthy and 00:10:53.519 --> 00:10:57.840 healthy. Indeed, that kind of a gospel is actually 00:10:57.840 --> 00:11:01.000 a perversion of what the New Testament teaches. 00:11:01.960 --> 00:11:05.019 Notice that God has blessed us with every spiritual 00:11:05.019 --> 00:11:08.679 blessing. That is, these blessings are in the 00:11:08.679 --> 00:11:13.080 realm of the Spirit. We have received blessings 00:11:13.080 --> 00:11:18.179 from the Spirit without limit, without measure. 00:11:18.750 --> 00:11:22.289 Every spiritual blessing is ours in Christ Jesus. 00:11:22.710 --> 00:11:27.450 Everything that we need has been dispensed to 00:11:27.450 --> 00:11:31.850 us already. There is no need for us to have a 00:11:31.850 --> 00:11:35.190 second blessing or some additional work of grace, 00:11:35.289 --> 00:11:39.570 as some people speak. For already we are complete 00:11:39.570 --> 00:11:42.970 in Christ Jesus, according to Colossians chapter 00:11:42.970 --> 00:11:46.509 2. And here we see that we have already been 00:11:46.509 --> 00:11:50.000 blessed by God. with every spiritual blessing. 00:11:50.320 --> 00:11:52.799 Now, it may be that we're not appropriating those 00:11:52.799 --> 00:11:56.460 blessings. We may not be experiencing them in 00:11:56.460 --> 00:12:00.259 our lives. But the point that is made here by 00:12:00.259 --> 00:12:03.659 the Holy Spirit in these words is that God nonetheless 00:12:03.659 --> 00:12:08.080 has given us already everything we need in Christ 00:12:08.080 --> 00:12:11.940 Jesus. Every spiritual blessing is already ours. 00:12:12.679 --> 00:12:16.820 Peter reiterates this in 2 Peter 1, 3. And he 00:12:16.820 --> 00:12:22.139 says that God has granted to us everything pertaining 00:12:22.139 --> 00:12:26.799 to life and godliness through the knowledge of 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:32.700 him. So there's nothing that we lack. There are 00:12:32.700 --> 00:12:38.159 some systems of belief. When you hear them taught 00:12:38.159 --> 00:12:41.059 and preached, you come away saying, what am I 00:12:41.059 --> 00:12:46.940 lacking? I'm missing something. God must have 00:12:46.940 --> 00:12:51.720 something I haven't received yet. And so it causes 00:12:51.720 --> 00:12:55.360 you to look out there for something more, some 00:12:55.360 --> 00:12:59.320 additional thing that God might do for you. But 00:12:59.320 --> 00:13:02.120 the Word of God tells us that God has already 00:13:02.120 --> 00:13:05.220 blessed us, endowed us with every possible thing 00:13:05.220 --> 00:13:09.559 that we could ever need in this life. Therefore, 00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:13.000 Paul says in Philippians 4 .13, I can do all 00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:18.039 things. through Christ who strengthens me. Now 00:13:18.039 --> 00:13:22.519 notice the realm of these blessings. Every spiritual 00:13:22.519 --> 00:13:27.460 blessing in the heavenly. Some translations say 00:13:27.460 --> 00:13:30.659 in the heavenly places, but literally it says 00:13:30.659 --> 00:13:34.740 in the heavenly. The realm of the heavenly. That 00:13:34.740 --> 00:13:40.559 is not exactly heaven, where God is in a local 00:13:40.559 --> 00:13:43.559 sense, although he is, of course, on my presence. 00:13:44.809 --> 00:13:48.889 that heaven is said to be his throne. But this 00:13:48.889 --> 00:13:52.850 is not exactly equal to that. It's included, 00:13:53.090 --> 00:13:56.850 but it's a broader term than that. It is not 00:13:56.850 --> 00:14:01.389 an easy term, frankly, to get a hold of. It's 00:14:01.389 --> 00:14:03.269 one of those terms you have to think about. You 00:14:03.269 --> 00:14:05.549 have to chew on it and roll it around in your 00:14:05.549 --> 00:14:08.009 spiritual mouth for a while so you can get some 00:14:08.009 --> 00:14:11.809 flavor out of it. And then hopefully after a 00:14:11.809 --> 00:14:13.990 while you can begin to digest what it means. 00:14:15.019 --> 00:14:17.879 We have been blessed by God with every spiritual 00:14:17.879 --> 00:14:21.860 blessing in the heavenly. I think we might describe 00:14:21.860 --> 00:14:25.740 that, as one attempt anyway, as the realm of 00:14:25.740 --> 00:14:30.600 the supernatural. It is that other dimension 00:14:30.600 --> 00:14:35.860 that is invisible to us, but is here. And not 00:14:35.860 --> 00:14:38.600 just here, but everywhere in God's creation. 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:43.419 It is the realm beyond the natural that we know. 00:14:44.620 --> 00:14:47.039 Some people say it this way, that it's the domain 00:14:47.039 --> 00:14:51.019 of God. I think that's a little weak, but it 00:14:51.019 --> 00:14:54.419 gets some idea across. There's a phrase that 00:14:54.419 --> 00:14:56.559 is very significant in the book of Ephesians. 00:14:56.860 --> 00:14:59.600 It is found only in this book, for one thing. 00:15:00.240 --> 00:15:03.740 But it's found several times in it. For example, 00:15:03.740 --> 00:15:08.200 look in verse 20 of this same chapter. And we 00:15:08.200 --> 00:15:11.220 find something else about the heavenly. It says, 00:15:11.259 --> 00:15:14.320 which he brought about in Christ, that is the 00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:19.039 working of his might, when he, God, raised him 00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:22.399 from the dead and seated him at his right hand 00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:27.759 in the heavenly. In other words, the heavenly 00:15:27.759 --> 00:15:32.500 is the realm of Christ's present seat of authority. 00:15:33.500 --> 00:15:36.860 It says here that he has been seated, he has 00:15:36.860 --> 00:15:40.830 been enthroned at the right hand of God. in the 00:15:40.830 --> 00:15:44.210 heavenly, in that realm of the supernatural. 00:15:46.350 --> 00:15:49.470 Again, in chapter 2 and verse 6, it says regarding 00:15:49.470 --> 00:15:53.450 us that we have been, he has raised us up with 00:15:53.450 --> 00:15:58.929 him, with Christ, and seated us with him in the 00:15:58.929 --> 00:16:02.250 heavenly, in Christ Jesus. And so it is also 00:16:02.250 --> 00:16:06.169 the realm of our own enthronement with the Lord 00:16:06.169 --> 00:16:11.340 Jesus Christ. The heavenly is the sphere of reality 00:16:11.340 --> 00:16:14.700 that has to do with our spiritual possessions 00:16:14.700 --> 00:16:19.960 in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the sphere of 00:16:19.960 --> 00:16:23.620 the blessings which are related to the spirit. 00:16:24.500 --> 00:16:27.320 There's a linguistic key to the Greek New Testament. 00:16:28.080 --> 00:16:31.559 It is found again in chapter 3, verse 10. And 00:16:31.559 --> 00:16:33.600 you may want to underline these in your Bible. 00:16:35.299 --> 00:16:41.279 He speaks again of God. and his amazing grace 00:16:41.279 --> 00:16:45.840 and work, what he's done, verse 10, in order 00:16:45.840 --> 00:16:50.019 that the manifold wisdom of God might now be 00:16:50.019 --> 00:16:53.360 made known through the church to the rulers and 00:16:53.360 --> 00:16:57.620 the authorities in the heavenly. He is not talking 00:16:57.620 --> 00:17:01.720 here about President Reagan, Prime Minister Foster, 00:17:02.039 --> 00:17:07.970 or Mr. Gaddafi. Those are not the... principalities 00:17:07.970 --> 00:17:10.130 and authorities the rulers that he's talking 00:17:10.130 --> 00:17:13.650 about he's talking here about heavenly authority 00:17:13.650 --> 00:17:17.450 he's talking about those authorities and rulers 00:17:17.450 --> 00:17:22.589 in the supernatural realm he is talking primarily 00:17:22.589 --> 00:17:28.150 here about the holy angels and we will come to 00:17:28.150 --> 00:17:31.250 this at some point in the future but what he's 00:17:31.250 --> 00:17:35.950 saying is that god right now is teaching them 00:17:35.950 --> 00:17:42.569 in that realm about his wisdom as they watch 00:17:42.569 --> 00:17:48.029 us in this realm. Through the church and what 00:17:48.029 --> 00:17:50.690 God is doing in the world now, calling us out, 00:17:50.809 --> 00:17:54.450 he is instructing the angels as to his wisdom. 00:17:54.829 --> 00:17:57.589 And he says those angels are in the heavenlies, 00:17:57.609 --> 00:18:00.849 in that supernatural realm. And then it is found 00:18:00.849 --> 00:18:11.480 once more in chapter 6, verse 12. He says, for 00:18:11.480 --> 00:18:14.119 our struggle is not against flesh and blood, 00:18:14.359 --> 00:18:18.559 but against the rulers, against the powers, against 00:18:18.559 --> 00:18:24.640 the world forces of this darkness, against the 00:18:24.640 --> 00:18:28.119 spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly. 00:18:28.660 --> 00:18:32.039 And so he introduces a new thought here. He says, 00:18:32.119 --> 00:18:35.079 not only is the heavenly this realm where our 00:18:35.079 --> 00:18:38.539 possessions are, the place where Jesus is enthroned 00:18:38.539 --> 00:18:43.019 and where we are enthroned in him, not only is 00:18:43.019 --> 00:18:45.380 it the place where the holy angels are being 00:18:45.380 --> 00:18:49.119 instructed by God, but it is also the realm or 00:18:49.119 --> 00:18:53.839 the dimension where demons work. It is that invisible 00:18:53.839 --> 00:19:00.240 realm of reality where the forces of Satan, where 00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:05.980 wicked spirits are in spiritual warfare. against 00:19:05.980 --> 00:19:10.420 the purpose and the plan of God. And so we have 00:19:10.420 --> 00:19:12.380 a lot in the book of Ephesians to learn about 00:19:12.380 --> 00:19:16.019 the heavenly. We can certainly say this, that 00:19:16.019 --> 00:19:21.460 you and I live in a tension between two realities. 00:19:23.160 --> 00:19:25.599 We are quite aware of the reality of earthly 00:19:25.599 --> 00:19:30.779 things. We are born into this in our senses. 00:19:31.630 --> 00:19:34.250 that we receive, the five senses that we have, 00:19:34.289 --> 00:19:38.609 related to the natural realm. And we have certain 00:19:38.609 --> 00:19:43.289 tensions in that realm of things. But we need 00:19:43.289 --> 00:19:46.190 to be aware that there is another tension in 00:19:46.190 --> 00:19:48.910 our lives as well that is related to the supernatural. 00:19:51.450 --> 00:19:55.269 We'll be learning more about this. But there 00:19:55.269 --> 00:19:58.190 is another realm, a heavenly realm, the heavenly. 00:19:59.500 --> 00:20:02.819 So we have relationship. Our citizenship is in 00:20:02.819 --> 00:20:07.220 heaven, so it's called. So while we are sojourners 00:20:07.220 --> 00:20:10.319 and pilgrims on the earth, we are citizens, that 00:20:10.319 --> 00:20:14.900 is permanent residents, of heaven. And since 00:20:14.900 --> 00:20:18.339 we are related also to that realm, we live in 00:20:18.339 --> 00:20:22.339 a tension. Tension in this world and tension 00:20:22.339 --> 00:20:27.640 in relation to that world also. It is in that 00:20:27.640 --> 00:20:31.539 realm that our spiritual blessings are. In the 00:20:31.539 --> 00:20:36.960 Old Testament, God gave primarily physical blessings 00:20:36.960 --> 00:20:41.000 to his people of Israel. They were not more important 00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:43.119 than the spiritual blessings, but his blessings 00:20:43.119 --> 00:20:46.859 to Israel relate primarily to this earth. But 00:20:46.859 --> 00:20:48.940 the blessings that you and I have received in 00:20:48.940 --> 00:20:52.259 Christ Jesus are not primarily related to this 00:20:52.259 --> 00:20:55.930 earth. It doesn't ignore the earth. that our 00:20:55.930 --> 00:21:00.430 blessings are said to be in the heavenly, related 00:21:00.430 --> 00:21:04.009 to that realm of the spirit, and that is far 00:21:04.009 --> 00:21:08.750 eternally more important than the blessings that 00:21:08.750 --> 00:21:13.109 might be upon the earth. Whoever would want a 00:21:13.109 --> 00:21:17.009 health and wealth prosperity theology compared 00:21:17.009 --> 00:21:20.150 to the heavenly theology that the New Testament 00:21:20.150 --> 00:21:24.410 really teaches? What is those blessings? That 00:21:24.410 --> 00:21:27.309 really counts. And we'll be getting into more 00:21:27.309 --> 00:21:30.069 of them. And I hope we get to one of them yet 00:21:30.069 --> 00:21:34.009 this morning. Now he says, going back to our 00:21:34.009 --> 00:21:37.549 text, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord 00:21:37.549 --> 00:21:41.410 Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual 00:21:41.410 --> 00:21:48.089 blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. We 00:21:48.089 --> 00:21:50.089 don't want to overlook those last two words because 00:21:50.089 --> 00:21:52.930 they point out to us the source of our blessing. 00:21:54.859 --> 00:21:58.819 These blessings are ours not because we are somebody, 00:21:59.160 --> 00:22:03.579 but because of who Jesus is and who we are in 00:22:03.579 --> 00:22:07.519 him. It is because of our union with the Lord 00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:11.839 Jesus Christ that these blessings are ours. They 00:22:11.839 --> 00:22:15.599 are not ours independent of him. They are not 00:22:15.599 --> 00:22:19.619 ours separated from him. They are ours in Christ. 00:22:21.319 --> 00:22:25.000 1 Corinthians 6 .17 says, The one who joins himself 00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:32.660 to the Lord is one spirit with him. That is an 00:22:32.660 --> 00:22:37.440 amazing statement. I cannot probe that. It does 00:22:37.440 --> 00:22:41.240 not mean that we become God, that we in some 00:22:41.240 --> 00:22:44.319 way become deities now or ever in the future. 00:22:45.599 --> 00:22:48.779 But it does say that there is some very literal, 00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:53.640 organic sense. in which we become one spirit 00:22:53.640 --> 00:22:58.500 with the Lord Jesus Christ in this union that 00:22:58.500 --> 00:23:02.579 we have with him. That is why the apostle in 00:23:02.579 --> 00:23:06.500 the book of Romans says, He can separate us from 00:23:06.500 --> 00:23:10.180 the love of Christ because we're one with him. 00:23:12.019 --> 00:23:15.460 If we're going to lose out on salvation and ultimately 00:23:15.460 --> 00:23:19.910 undergo condemnation and judgment, And so is 00:23:19.910 --> 00:23:23.609 the Lord Jesus Christ, because we are now one 00:23:23.609 --> 00:23:27.549 spirit with him, having joined ourselves to him 00:23:27.549 --> 00:23:30.849 by faith. Again, in Romans chapter 8, he says 00:23:30.849 --> 00:23:33.029 that we are children of God, and then he says 00:23:33.029 --> 00:23:38.069 joint heirs with Jesus Christ. Amazing truth, 00:23:38.230 --> 00:23:41.690 that we are in Christ, united with him, in union 00:23:41.690 --> 00:23:44.970 with him, identified with him, so that these 00:23:44.970 --> 00:23:48.890 spiritual blessings that are ours are ours. because 00:23:48.890 --> 00:23:53.049 they are in him, and we are in him. Again, and 00:23:53.049 --> 00:23:54.849 for the final time this morning, I want to quote 00:23:54.849 --> 00:23:58.470 Schaeffer, who says, As the entire unregenerate 00:23:58.470 --> 00:24:03.210 race is in Adam and constituted sinners by his 00:24:03.210 --> 00:24:07.109 one act of disobedience, so the entire regenerate 00:24:07.109 --> 00:24:10.910 group are in Christ and are constituted righteous 00:24:10.910 --> 00:24:14.890 by his one act of obedience. Likewise, because 00:24:14.890 --> 00:24:18.039 of... its relation to Adam, the first creation, 00:24:18.339 --> 00:24:23.000 became subject to death. So also, he says, the 00:24:23.000 --> 00:24:25.720 new creation, because of its relation to Christ, 00:24:25.880 --> 00:24:29.240 has received the gift of God, which is eternal 00:24:29.240 --> 00:24:33.720 life, and added to this all heavenly blessings, 00:24:33.819 --> 00:24:37.940 which are in Christ Jesus. It may be said of 00:24:37.940 --> 00:24:42.519 the least of the children of God that he not 00:24:42.519 --> 00:24:45.740 only possesses the indwelling Christ, who is 00:24:45.740 --> 00:24:50.339 his eternal life, but he is insured in Christ 00:24:50.339 --> 00:24:55.740 and thus enriched with all that Christ is and 00:24:55.740 --> 00:25:00.079 all that Christ has received. To conclude by 00:25:00.079 --> 00:25:04.039 saying these riches are beyond comprehension. 00:25:07.119 --> 00:25:13.779 There are only two spheres of spiritual identification 00:25:13.779 --> 00:25:20.960 in the world. Adam and Jesus Christ. The unregenerate 00:25:20.960 --> 00:25:24.640 are identified with Adam. If you were to see 00:25:24.640 --> 00:25:26.460 their names written down, it would be in the 00:25:26.460 --> 00:25:29.200 circle of Adam. That's where they are. That's 00:25:29.200 --> 00:25:33.559 how God sees them. When you and I are saved, 00:25:33.900 --> 00:25:38.000 when we trust the Lord Jesus Christ, God works 00:25:38.000 --> 00:25:40.799 that miracle of regeneration in our lives, then 00:25:40.799 --> 00:25:44.279 we are changed. to the second circle. And our 00:25:44.279 --> 00:25:47.359 names are now written down in Jesus Christ. We 00:25:47.359 --> 00:25:52.779 have a new identity before God. Now Paul emphasizes 00:25:52.779 --> 00:25:57.160 this over and over and over again. It is important 00:25:57.160 --> 00:26:00.980 for us to grasp that. If we don't grasp that, 00:26:01.039 --> 00:26:04.619 we'll not understand, really, what our riches 00:26:04.619 --> 00:26:09.799 are. Now I want you to notice with me, we'll 00:26:09.799 --> 00:26:11.599 at least get started in the second blessing. 00:26:13.859 --> 00:26:16.319 Blessed be God because what he's done for us, 00:26:16.359 --> 00:26:18.740 the first one is that he's blessed us with all 00:26:18.740 --> 00:26:22.559 spiritual blessings. Now there are some people 00:26:22.559 --> 00:26:25.339 who say that verse 4 is the enumeration of blessing 00:26:25.339 --> 00:26:27.740 number 1, and that's one possible way to understand 00:26:27.740 --> 00:26:30.619 it. But in my outline, I'm going to do it this 00:26:30.619 --> 00:26:32.940 way. What has God done for us? Well, in the first 00:26:32.940 --> 00:26:35.579 place, he's blessed us. Secondly, he has chosen 00:26:35.579 --> 00:26:42.390 us. And notice again the object, us. Verse 4, 00:26:42.490 --> 00:26:49.410 just as he chose us, that is those who were unholy 00:26:49.410 --> 00:26:54.289 and vile by nature, the likes of you and me, 00:26:54.529 --> 00:27:00.950 sinners, God has chosen us. Notice God has not 00:27:00.950 --> 00:27:07.460 chosen everyone. God has chosen us. It says. 00:27:09.579 --> 00:27:12.059 Having noticed the objects, I want you to notice 00:27:12.059 --> 00:27:17.079 the action that's involved. He's chosen. Selection 00:27:17.079 --> 00:27:22.259 is in view here. The verb means to take out for 00:27:22.259 --> 00:27:28.980 oneself. It's not a complex word at all. You 00:27:28.980 --> 00:27:33.099 have a can of cookies. You reach in there and 00:27:33.099 --> 00:27:36.400 you pull out. some for yourself. You're choosing 00:27:36.400 --> 00:27:41.240 them. It's a very simple concept. But is it ever 00:27:41.240 --> 00:27:46.180 profound theologically? What it says here is 00:27:46.180 --> 00:27:50.980 that God has chosen us. This is what the Bible 00:27:50.980 --> 00:27:59.059 terms the doctrine of election. When God chose 00:27:59.059 --> 00:28:02.359 us, there was no one else involved. It was not 00:28:02.359 --> 00:28:07.759 God and... It was not God and the devil fighting 00:28:07.759 --> 00:28:13.319 over us. It was simply a sovereign act of God. 00:28:13.539 --> 00:28:21.140 He chose us. Now there's a paradox that is involved 00:28:21.140 --> 00:28:23.980 here because there is a human side to this whole 00:28:23.980 --> 00:28:27.700 thing as well. Someone responds by saying, yes, 00:28:27.759 --> 00:28:30.279 I know it says that, but what about free will? 00:28:31.660 --> 00:28:36.759 What about free will of man? I think it's important 00:28:36.759 --> 00:28:39.099 to point out, at least in passing, that never 00:28:39.099 --> 00:28:41.319 in the Bible do you find the term free will. 00:28:43.140 --> 00:28:45.960 The term free will is not a biblical phrase. 00:28:47.720 --> 00:28:52.039 Now, man does indeed have a will. The Bible makes 00:28:52.039 --> 00:28:56.200 that clear. The unregenerate has a will. The 00:28:56.200 --> 00:29:00.539 regenerate man has a will. But the will of the 00:29:00.539 --> 00:29:04.680 unregenerate, the unsaved man, is not free by 00:29:04.680 --> 00:29:09.420 any stretch of the imagination. The will of the 00:29:09.420 --> 00:29:15.519 unsaved man is enslaved to evil. He does not 00:29:15.519 --> 00:29:19.619 have the capacity in him to choose good and to 00:29:19.619 --> 00:29:24.000 choose God. You say, yes, but I know of unsaved 00:29:24.000 --> 00:29:26.420 people who do good things, and that is absolutely 00:29:26.420 --> 00:29:33.049 true. That's not the point here. The point is 00:29:33.049 --> 00:29:36.930 that an unsaved man cannot and will not, of his 00:29:36.930 --> 00:29:42.329 own volition, choose God. He will follow evil. 00:29:42.609 --> 00:29:46.910 There is none, says God, who seeks after him 00:29:46.910 --> 00:29:51.950 as himself. Perhaps a better phrase than the 00:29:51.950 --> 00:29:54.849 free will of man would be the term human responsibility. 00:29:57.099 --> 00:30:00.339 The Bible certainly does teach that man has a 00:30:00.339 --> 00:30:03.480 responsibility before God. Jesus said, for example, 00:30:03.539 --> 00:30:09.680 in Matthew 11, 28, Come unto me, all ye that 00:30:09.680 --> 00:30:14.680 labor and are heavy laden. The flipping jailer 00:30:14.680 --> 00:30:17.640 cried out, What must I do to be saved? Paul responded, 00:30:17.660 --> 00:30:22.460 Acts 16, 31, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:30:22.579 --> 00:30:27.589 and you will be saved. And so there is a responsibility 00:30:27.589 --> 00:30:32.029 on the part of man to believe or to come to the 00:30:32.029 --> 00:30:38.730 Lord. That is human responsibility. I think that 00:30:38.730 --> 00:30:40.950 John MacArthur makes a helpful statement about 00:30:40.950 --> 00:30:43.529 the paradox involved here. He says the only way 00:30:43.529 --> 00:30:49.829 the paradox of God's sovereign election and man's 00:30:49.829 --> 00:30:53.250 choice can be resolved is in the mind of God. 00:30:54.279 --> 00:30:57.720 You see, God understands things that we can't. 00:30:58.380 --> 00:31:01.920 And MacArthur says that's fine. Because if we 00:31:01.920 --> 00:31:05.619 understood everything, we'd be God. So this paradox 00:31:05.619 --> 00:31:08.119 doesn't have to be resolved. But whatever you 00:31:08.119 --> 00:31:12.380 do, don't take God's sovereignty and man's choice 00:31:12.380 --> 00:31:16.460 and try to find some middle ground. Or you'll 00:31:16.460 --> 00:31:19.940 destroy them both. Leave them alone and let the 00:31:19.940 --> 00:31:22.819 tension be there. Let God be sovereign and don't 00:31:22.819 --> 00:31:26.980 worry. about how he harmonizes that with people 00:31:26.980 --> 00:31:30.019 coming to Christ. That's his problem, not ours. 00:31:31.299 --> 00:31:34.640 That's a helpful statement. Because you see, 00:31:34.680 --> 00:31:37.619 man does have a responsibility to obey the word 00:31:37.619 --> 00:31:40.900 of God, to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:31:41.059 --> 00:31:46.240 to come to him. On the other hand, in God's perspective, 00:31:46.400 --> 00:31:51.099 it says that he has chosen those who will respond 00:31:51.099 --> 00:31:56.339 before the foundation. of the world you see these 00:31:56.339 --> 00:32:00.740 two truths work together in harmony macarthur 00:32:00.740 --> 00:32:04.140 is correcting saying don't try to chop eastern 00:32:04.140 --> 00:32:07.059 down and compromise them and find middle ground 00:32:07.059 --> 00:32:11.779 in doing that one compromises what the bible 00:32:11.779 --> 00:32:16.779 says on the one hand it says that god chose us 00:32:16.779 --> 00:32:20.779 on the other hand it says that we believe on 00:32:20.779 --> 00:32:26.309 the lord jesus christ And thus we're saved. These 00:32:26.309 --> 00:32:28.630 two truths work together, and I want to show 00:32:28.630 --> 00:32:30.990 you at least one passage this morning where they 00:32:30.990 --> 00:32:35.049 do. This passage is quoting the Lord Jesus Christ 00:32:35.049 --> 00:32:38.630 himself. Turn with me to the Gospel of John in 00:32:38.630 --> 00:32:49.230 the sixth chapter. Now in one sentence, Jesus 00:32:49.230 --> 00:32:53.390 includes both of these profound truths. He doesn't 00:32:53.390 --> 00:32:57.670 try to resolve them. He simply states that both 00:32:57.670 --> 00:33:02.529 of these things are true. John 6, 37, All that 00:33:02.529 --> 00:33:10.730 the Father gives me shall come to me. Now notice 00:33:10.730 --> 00:33:13.809 that God the Father is giving to the Lord Jesus 00:33:13.809 --> 00:33:21.589 Christ, his Son, a people. And Jesus says all. 00:33:23.529 --> 00:33:27.390 With no exception, all that the Father gives 00:33:27.390 --> 00:33:31.730 to me, and those are all that he's chosen, all 00:33:31.730 --> 00:33:34.569 that the Father gives to me shall come to me. 00:33:36.150 --> 00:33:38.829 There will not be one of them who will fail to 00:33:38.829 --> 00:33:43.650 believe. They will come to him. But then he goes 00:33:43.650 --> 00:33:50.769 on to say, and the one who comes to me, I will 00:33:50.769 --> 00:33:55.470 certainly not cast out. And so in the same sentence, 00:33:55.509 --> 00:33:59.049 he speaks to the responsibility of the individual. 00:33:59.569 --> 00:34:06.329 He says, the one who comes to me, I will not 00:34:06.329 --> 00:34:10.570 cast out. So you see that there is in this verse 00:34:10.570 --> 00:34:14.590 no resolution of the paradox, but there's an 00:34:14.590 --> 00:34:20.170 equal statement of them. It may be helpful to 00:34:20.170 --> 00:34:23.699 notice these two. work together in one other 00:34:23.699 --> 00:34:27.420 passage in the book of Luke, here not in the 00:34:27.420 --> 00:34:31.460 context of salvation at all, but actually in 00:34:31.460 --> 00:34:42.000 Judith, Luke 22 and verse 22. Here once more 00:34:42.000 --> 00:34:46.239 we see the sovereignty of God. What God has determined 00:34:46.239 --> 00:34:51.159 will take place. And we see a man's responsibility, 00:34:51.400 --> 00:34:54.900 not his free will, but his responsibility. Therefore, 00:34:54.940 --> 00:35:00.039 indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been 00:35:00.039 --> 00:35:04.940 determined. Notice that. Jesus says, what has 00:35:04.940 --> 00:35:08.860 been determined, I am now going out to do. What 00:35:08.860 --> 00:35:11.619 is that? Well, to be betrayed in the garden, 00:35:11.760 --> 00:35:15.239 be crucified and raised from the dead. And then 00:35:15.239 --> 00:35:20.750 he says, but woe to that man, by whom he is betrayed. 00:35:21.409 --> 00:35:24.690 In other words, Jesus squarely laid on Judas 00:35:24.690 --> 00:35:31.449 responsibility for his own actions. Judas was 00:35:31.449 --> 00:35:34.590 absolutely not a victim of God's sovereignty. 00:35:36.309 --> 00:35:42.150 Judas did what he desired to do of himself. That 00:35:42.150 --> 00:35:46.090 is the human side of it. Judas was responsible 00:35:46.090 --> 00:35:51.630 for his betrayal of the Lord Jesus Christ. But 00:35:51.630 --> 00:35:55.690 the divine side of it, an equal truth, standing 00:35:55.690 --> 00:35:59.989 over against its intention that only God understands, 00:36:00.170 --> 00:36:05.349 is the fact that it was predetermined that one 00:36:05.349 --> 00:36:09.789 of the twelve, and Judas in particular, would 00:36:09.789 --> 00:36:15.329 betray him. And so we see God's sovereignty a 00:36:15.329 --> 00:36:19.730 man's responsibility. These two crews are like 00:36:19.730 --> 00:36:28.170 the two rails of a railroad track. The rails 00:36:28.170 --> 00:36:32.409 run parallel to each other. They never meet. 00:36:36.469 --> 00:36:39.610 A locomotive sitting on the track has to have 00:36:39.610 --> 00:36:43.519 both of those rails to operate. If it does not 00:36:43.519 --> 00:36:46.599 have both of those rails, if one of them is missing 00:36:46.599 --> 00:36:49.039 for some reason, there will be a terrible crash. 00:36:51.559 --> 00:36:56.280 I like to think of that as God's sovereignty 00:36:56.280 --> 00:37:01.199 and man's responsibility. On those tracks runs 00:37:01.199 --> 00:37:07.019 the locomotive of God's salvation. Both of them 00:37:07.019 --> 00:37:12.070 are essential. Both of them are a part of God's 00:37:12.070 --> 00:37:16.409 salvation. Without one or the other, there would 00:37:16.409 --> 00:37:21.849 not be salvation. You can't take away man's responsibility. 00:37:22.070 --> 00:37:26.730 You can't take away God's sovereignty. They both 00:37:26.730 --> 00:37:31.050 are there. And because they are there, the locomotive 00:37:31.050 --> 00:37:37.050 of God's salvation goes on. We have to beware, 00:37:37.050 --> 00:37:42.969 beloved, of extremes. of trying to say that everything 00:37:42.969 --> 00:37:46.489 is God's sovereignty and that man has no will. 00:37:46.929 --> 00:37:51.429 That is absolutely not true. That is an extreme 00:37:51.429 --> 00:37:56.409 position that leads one, ultimately, to theological 00:37:56.409 --> 00:38:01.389 error. Nor can one say that man is free to do 00:38:01.389 --> 00:38:03.730 whatever he wants and that God has only chosen 00:38:03.730 --> 00:38:06.610 man on the basis of the fact that he saw that 00:38:06.610 --> 00:38:09.559 man someday would believe. Therefore, God chose 00:38:09.559 --> 00:38:17.619 that person. That is not true. God's sovereignty, 00:38:17.840 --> 00:38:24.219 man's responsibility. We cannot resolve them. 00:38:24.280 --> 00:38:28.239 Don't try to. You see, God has kept some secrets 00:38:28.239 --> 00:38:33.280 to himself. He has that right, doesn't he? The 00:38:33.280 --> 00:38:35.780 secret things belong to the Lord. How these two 00:38:35.780 --> 00:38:38.570 work together? If you try to understand that, 00:38:38.610 --> 00:38:43.809 you'll lose your mind. You really will. If you 00:38:43.809 --> 00:38:46.030 try to compromise it or go to one extreme or 00:38:46.030 --> 00:38:50.210 another, you'll go into theological error. Simply 00:38:50.210 --> 00:38:52.929 accept what the Word of God tells us, that both 00:38:52.929 --> 00:38:56.389 things are true and that God knows how they relate. 00:38:58.909 --> 00:39:03.690 He has chosen us. What a wonderful truth that 00:39:03.690 --> 00:39:05.889 is. But you know there cannot be one person here 00:39:05.889 --> 00:39:08.949 this morning who would say in going out, well, 00:39:08.989 --> 00:39:11.730 I am not trusting Jesus Christ because God has 00:39:11.730 --> 00:39:19.030 not chosen me. You cannot say that. You cannot 00:39:19.030 --> 00:39:22.369 use that as an excuse for your denial of Jesus 00:39:22.369 --> 00:39:25.230 Christ's lordship in your life. In fact, God 00:39:25.230 --> 00:39:28.929 has not chosen you. Because God has said to you 00:39:28.929 --> 00:39:35.800 that if you will, you may come to him. If you 00:39:35.800 --> 00:39:38.440 wish to, you may believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 00:39:38.440 --> 00:39:42.460 and be saved. And you are responsible for that 00:39:42.460 --> 00:39:46.000 decision. Irrespective of what it says here regarding 00:39:46.000 --> 00:39:49.260 the fact he's chosen his own, you are responsible 00:39:49.260 --> 00:39:53.420 today for your decision to receive or to reject 00:39:53.420 --> 00:39:57.519 the Lord Jesus Christ. And I remind you that 00:39:57.519 --> 00:40:02.980 your eternal welfare, the destiny of your soul 00:40:02.980 --> 00:40:07.139 in heaven or hell, depends upon whether you will 00:40:07.139 --> 00:40:11.800 believe on him today or will not. If you have 00:40:11.800 --> 00:40:13.599 not trusted him, will you do it this morning? 00:40:14.360 --> 00:40:18.920 May God give you grace to do that. Let's bow 00:40:18.920 --> 00:40:24.940 together in prayer. Father, as we begin to dip 00:40:24.940 --> 00:40:28.019 into the blessings and riches that are ours in 00:40:28.019 --> 00:40:30.880 Christ, we stand back with our minds amazed, 00:40:31.159 --> 00:40:37.019 maybe even a little bit boggled, We confess that 00:40:37.019 --> 00:40:40.480 we of ourselves cannot comprehend these things. 00:40:42.179 --> 00:40:45.019 And thus we pray that the Spirit of God would 00:40:45.019 --> 00:40:50.800 be our teacher. Lord, show us the blessing that 00:40:50.800 --> 00:40:56.000 salvation is, that we may in turn then say, Blessed 00:40:56.000 --> 00:41:01.260 be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:41:04.039 --> 00:41:06.179 And Father, if there be some sinner here today 00:41:06.179 --> 00:41:08.960 who has not yet opened his heart to receive Christ, 00:41:09.380 --> 00:41:12.880 I pray that you would awaken him today to that 00:41:12.880 --> 00:41:18.599 truth. Enable him to respond in faith and repent 00:41:18.599 --> 00:41:25.179 of his sins and be saved. We pray this in Jesus' 00:41:25.340 --> 00:41:31.659 name. I'd like us to close by singing a couple 00:41:31.659 --> 00:41:37.340 of verses of 545, a hymn by Charles Gabriel which 00:41:37.340 --> 00:41:41.440 speaks to the grace of God. And as we sing this, 00:41:41.519 --> 00:41:46.719 I want to extend an invitation. There is no greater 00:41:46.719 --> 00:41:50.179 nor masterful preacher of the truths that we've 00:41:50.179 --> 00:41:53.159 talked about this morning than Charles Spurgeon 00:41:53.159 --> 00:41:55.059 in London, England, a hundred years ago right 00:41:55.059 --> 00:41:59.079 now. But inevitably, he would give an opportunity 00:41:59.079 --> 00:42:02.260 for people to respond to the grace of God. And 00:42:02.260 --> 00:42:05.159 he was right in doing so. And today we invite 00:42:05.159 --> 00:42:08.800 you to respond. If God has worked in your heart 00:42:08.800 --> 00:42:11.019 and today you want to trust in the Savior, will 00:42:11.019 --> 00:42:13.739 you come? I'll be standing here at the front. 00:42:13.820 --> 00:42:17.420 We invite you to respond to him by coming. Now, 00:42:17.420 --> 00:42:19.559 in coming itself, that doesn't save you. Understand 00:42:19.559 --> 00:42:22.579 that. It's your heart's condition before God. 00:42:22.659 --> 00:42:24.900 But we invite you to make a public response to 00:42:24.900 --> 00:42:29.119 that. 545, in loving kindness, Jesus came. He 00:42:29.119 --> 00:42:32.260 came for you. Stand please with me as we sing. 00:42:32.719 --> 00:43:39.130 Will you come right now? i want you to sing with 00:43:39.130 --> 00:43:42.570 me the second verse and notice the words and 00:43:42.570 --> 00:43:44.690 how they might relate to the message this morning 00:43:44.690 --> 00:44:47.400 as you sing he called me What a great truth that 00:44:47.400 --> 00:44:52.539 is, that our Savior stepped into this world and 00:44:52.539 --> 00:44:56.800 called us to himself and lifted us from the sinking 00:44:56.800 --> 00:45:05.280 sands of our sins. Oh, Savior, thank you. Father, 00:45:05.340 --> 00:45:11.019 thank you for the grace that sent the Son that 00:45:11.019 --> 00:45:15.480 he might accomplish on our behalf. what we could 00:45:15.480 --> 00:45:18.860 never do of ourselves. Thank you for awakening 00:45:18.860 --> 00:45:22.860 us to that truth, for by your Spirit bringing 00:45:22.860 --> 00:45:28.139 us under conviction and bringing us by new life 00:45:28.139 --> 00:45:31.699 to an understanding of what Christ had done for 00:45:31.699 --> 00:45:37.420 us and giving us to believe on the Savior. I 00:45:37.420 --> 00:45:40.880 pray today that we might rejoice. You would send 00:45:40.880 --> 00:45:44.969 us on our way blessing you. because of what you've 00:45:44.969 --> 00:45:51.170 done for the likes of us. In Jesus' name.