And again, good to be here together.
Always a great blessing to gather together with the Lord's people.
The name of the message today is The Mystery of the Gospel.
And our text will be found in Ephesians chapter 6. But we'll
look at a couple of scriptures before we turn to Ephesians chapter
6. So put your finger, though, in
Ephesians chapter 6. But first of all, let's go to
Colossians chapter 1. Now the Bible speaks of mystery
in several different places. In Colossians, Paul speaks of
the mystery which has been hid from ages and from generations,
but is now made manifest to God's saints. So think about that.
This mystery that Paul's going to speak to us about is being
hid from ages and generations. Generations of people had no
clue, no idea about this. Now think about it, I've been
thinking a lot about our society since I was little and to where
we are now and as I've talked to folks and got to know a few
people here in town too and got to know different people, I realized
that we have and I've mentioned this to a few people, that we
have a whole generation coming up that has no understanding
of who God is because their families didn't attend church and they
have no knowledge of, some of them have never even heard about
who Christ is. Now they probably heard Christmas,
of course, Jesus coming into, but in the sense of sitting down
and actually talking about who Christ is, They have no idea. I remember running into a guy
in Oregon when I lived out there and I talked to him and he was
in his 20s and I started talking to him about the gospel and about
Christ and he said, Wayne, I've never heard any of this. No one's
ever told me this stuff. No one. And his parents weren't
religious or weren't involved in any kind of church. He said,
I've never heard this. I've said I've used the Lord's name and
I've but I've never in vain, which we all did in our in our
shame and in our sin. But he said, I've never I never
knew who he was. I didn't know that he was God. So look at in light of that,
look at this here in Colossians chapter one, verses twenty five
to twenty eight. Wherefore I am made a minister,
so Paul's a preacher, according to the dispensation of God. Now,
lo, he's made a minister, he didn't seek it, he's made that
by God. And that's, every grace preacher
will tell you that's the truth. We didn't seek the ministry,
God puts us in the ministry. Made a minister according to
the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you to fulfill
the word of God. Look at this, even the mystery,
which has been hid from ages and from generations, hid, hid
from ages and from generations. but now is made manifest to his
saints. So that which was hid from ages
and generations, think of that. Before Christ, think of all the
people, ages and generations, who just perished in their sins, but is now made manifest to his
saints, to his people. Whom God would make known what
is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles,
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Whom we preach. This is who we preach. This is
who the gospel preacher proclaims. They don't preach themselves.
They preach Christ. I don't tell you what you gotta
do. I preach Christ. Right? And what happens to us
in our life? The love of Christ constrains
us from sin, doesn't it? Yeah. It does. We preach Christ. I don't have anything else to
preach but Christ. And you don't want to hear anything
but Christ. I know. And that's why we want
to hear about Christ. When I sit and listen to a message,
I want to hear about Christ. Tell me about Christ. Tell me
about what he's done. To whom God will make known what
is the riches and the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles,
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory, whom we preach. Worn
in every man. Worn in every man. If you don't have Christ, you're
perishing your sins. Warning every man and teaching
every man in all wisdom that we can present every man perfect
in Christ Jesus. Now turn over to Romans chapter
16. In 2 Thessalonians, we won't go there, but Paul writes about
the mystery of iniquity, which Gil brings up, is the spirit
of Antichrist. Now let's look at Romans 16,
though, at verses 25 and 27. And we'll see here, the same
mystery Paul spoke of to the Colossians, which is now manifest
to the saints, we are told, and what's kept secret, we are told
here, which was kept secret since the world began. But again, it's
manifested and revealed to the saints of God. How? By the preaching
of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. By the Holy Spirit illuminating
the scriptures and teaching us the things of Christ. We're regenerated,
born again by the Spirit of God. And it's all, do you know that
that's all according to the commandment of God? So bring that home. If you're
saved, it's according to the commandment of God. This is remarkable. This is wonderful news. Look
at this in Romans 16, verses 25 to 27. Now, to him that is
of power to establish you, according to my gospel and the preaching
of Jesus Christ. Now, note who has all power to
establish you in Christ. We don't have the power ourselves,
right? We know we have no power and no ability to come to Christ
on our own, but God can establish us in Christ, can't he? He gives
us the ability to come to Christ, we're made willing. According
to my gospel, Paul calls it my gospel because it's the gospel
of salvation through Christ and Christ alone and every believer
can call it that, my gospel because I'm saved through Christ and
Christ alone. And the preaching of Jesus Christ according to
the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the
world began. Note that, the mystery which
was kept secret since the world began. Now remember Paul? wrote
to the Colossians that this mystery is now manifested to his people. But now is made manifest and
by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment
of the everlasting God, again, according to the commandment
of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the
obedience of faith to God, only wise be glory through Jesus Christ
forever. Amen. Now I'll turn, if you would,
to 2 Timothy 3, where we see Christ's incarnation spoken of
as the mystery of godliness. The mystery of godliness. 1 Timothy
3. 1 Timothy 3, verse 16. And without controversy, great
is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. See, the Lord Jesus was not any
ordinary man. He was God manifested in the
flesh. That's what the scriptures declare.
And we who are born again. Leave that, don't we? We believe
that because that's what the Bible says. He was God, no matter
what anyone else says. We believe it because God says.
God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen
of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the
world, and received up into glory. And this is speaking of Christ.
Now in ancient times, religious sects and pagan idolaters had
mysterious ceremonies in which they were not able to tell others
what their secrets were or what they practiced until that person
became a member of their sect. And we looked at that in our
study in the book of Colossians. We looked at that a little more
in depth. And you had to be a member of
their sect in order to know the so-called mysteries. And this
still continues today in many sects. And it's just false, just false religion. Turn, if you would, to Ephesians
chapter six. Let's, with that in our minds,
turn to Ephesians six and read verses 18 to 20. where we see
Paul asking the saints to pray for him. So Paul's here gonna
ask the saints to pray for him. That utterance would be given
to him. That's basically that he could preach the gospel, that
he could just even talk to people about Christ, about Christ. The
utterance, the door of utterance would be opened up for him to
speak. The unspeakable things, the mystery
of the gospel, the unsearchable riches of Christ. and that he may boldly preach
it and proclaim it. Look at Ephesians chapter six
verses 18 to 19 or 18 to 20, praying always with all prayer
and supplication in the spirit and watching there on there unto
with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. And for me, that
utterance may be given unto me. Every preacher prays for this,
that that would be given utterance to be able to speak. to be able to speak about the
wonderful things, that I may open my mouth boldly to make
known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador
in bonds, that therein I may speak boldly as I ought to speak."
Now note here, Paul asked the saints to pray for him that he
may speak as he ought to speak, and that he may speak boldly.
That he may speak boldly of the mystery of the gospel. Pray this
for gospel preachers. We desire you to pray this for
us. That we would be given doors of utterance and that we would
be able to boldly proclaim Christ in this world. Because we're
ambassadors. Now, not only the preacher is
an ambassador either. Every believer is an ambassador
for Christ. So as the Lord opens the door
of utterance for you, speak about Christ. Pray the Holy Spirit
guides you and directs you, gives you the words to speak. And again,
what is speaking the mystery of the gospel? Telling people
the great things that Christ has done for you. Just tell them.
Just tell them. If the Lord opens the door, just
tell them. He saved my soul. He purchased me with his own
precious blood on Calvary's cross. He did. He did it all. I didn't
do nothing. I'm just a receiver of this this grace and mercy
in Christ Jesus. Salvations of the Lord and do
it for the glory of God and for God alone. But this is what Paul
desired. He was sent by God to preach
the gospel of salvation through Christ alone and redemption through
the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ alone. And we know it was all
for the glory of God alone. And he sought, he sought as a
representative and ambassador of the author of the gospel,
because remember, he's a representative and an ambassador of Christ,
isn't he? The author of the gospel, and he's a prisoner held in bonds
to this gospel. It has him captive, just as it
does every believer in Christ, and we rejoice in it, and we
seek and ask the Lord to give us utterance, so we can proclaim
the wondrous things that Christ has done for us. Now let's consider
seven mysteries of the gospel. It is a mystery because it's
only known by revelation. It's only known by revelation.
Turn to John 6. John 6. We see this truth proclaimed
very clearly from the lips of our Master. Very clearly. It must be revealed to you. John 6, we'll read verses 41
to 45. And then we jump over to Matthew
chapter 16. Look at this though. The Jews
then murmured at him because he said, I am the bread which
come down from heaven. He had just told them that he
was the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, is
not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?
And how is it then he saith, I come down from heaven? Jesus
therefore answered and said unto them, murmur not among yourselves.
No man can come to me except the father which has sent me.
Draw him and I'll raise him up at the last day. It is written
in the prophets and they shall be all what taught of God. It
must be revealed to you. The gospel must, you must be
taught of God or you'll never know who Christ is. You'll never
know. But if you're taught of God,
oh, you're rejoicing Christ. You rejoice in who He is. And they shall be all taught
of God, even God. Every man therefore that hath
heard, And he gives us hearing ears and hath learned in the
Father what cometh unto me, comes unto Christ. You must be taught
the gospel, the mystery of the gospel must be revealed. And
that's Christ, isn't it? He must be revealed to us. Now
turn, if you would, to Matthew chapter 16, Matthew 16. Tie this
in with what's proclaimed over in Matthew 16, verses 13 to 17. And look at this. Now, remember,
and they shall be all taught of God, right? He must reveal
himself to us or we'll never know him. Matthew 16, verses 13 to 17.
When Jesus came to the coast of Caesarea Philippi, he asked
his disciples, saying, whom do men say that I, the Son of Man,
am? And they said, some say that
thou art John the Baptist, some Eliza, and others Jeremiah, or
one of the prophets. He saith unto them, but whom
say ye that I am? Now remember in John it said,
right, and they shall all be taught of God. Right? And Simon Peter answered and
said, thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. And Jesus
answered unto him, blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh
and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father, which
is in heaven. Simon Peter's taught of God, just like you and I who
believe are taught of God. If we can say the same thing
as Peter, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God, and
know it and believe it, and rest in him, because we're born again
in the Holy Spirit of God, we're taught of God, aren't we? We're
taught of God. My. Now think of this, after
the fall of Adam, how could God and man be reconciled? And how
could man, who was born dead in trespasses and sins, and with
no knowledge of God and who he really is, and how he does things
according to his will, how could men know that God has a purpose
for a people called his elect? How could anyone know that? How
could even we, when we were dead in trespasses and sins, know
that? We didn't know that. We had no idea, did we? We had
no idea. How could man in a natural state
know that God would fulfill the purpose that he had planned for
eternity, to save a chosen people who would be redeemed by the
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, who would be saved from all their
sins, who would be regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God? How
could man who is dead in trespasses and sins know this? It must be
revealed. It must be revealed. Or we'll
never know it. Or we'll never know it. No one would ever know these
precious truths unless God reveals it. And we have proof of that
even today in our lives. Think, you who are born again.
You who love this gospel that's proclaimed week after week from
this pulpit. You who love the Lord Jesus Christ. Think of this. Think of how much you love to
hear the gospel. Think of how much you love the
Savior. While your family members, co-workers, friends, people who
you walk by in the grocery store have no care at all for who God
is or for Christ. Think of that. Just think of
that. Have you ever stopped and considered
how many people are in this world right now? How many people are
in this world right now? Think of how many people are
in that big city just down the road, Detroit. Think of how many people just
in the area here. And let's bring it home and think
upon this. Out of all those people, God
has revealed Christ to me. And pass by all those others
who are left dead in trespasses and sins. See, we need to think
upon these things. It's humbling for us, but it
also leaves us in awe. It leaves us in awe. He reveals
himself to his people. He, let's bring it home, he revealed
himself to me and passed by all those others. I'm the only one in my family
I know who the Lord's revealed himself to. Couple friends maybe I grew up
with, I believe the Lord revealed himself to them, but all the
rest just left in their sins. And I know you can think, examine
that, think of that in your life. It's incredible. Think about
the people you work with every day. Here you love the Lord and
you rejoice in his gospel and they have no care at all. No
care at all. See, it must be revealed. The
gospel must be revealed to us. And when we think about this,
When we think that He revealed Himself to us and passed by so
many, this leaves the believer absolutely speechless. Because
we know there's nothing in ourselves. We know this is just pure mercy,
isn't it? And grace. And truly, this mystery, the
mystery of the Gospel, must be revealed to us by the Holy Spirit
of God. And it's revealed to us by the
preaching of the Lord Jesus Christ and what He's done. And we saw
earlier, it's been kept secret since the world began. But now
it's manifested to His saints. And the believer says, and I'm
one of them. This is grace. Unmerited favor. Mercy upon mercy. Beloved, the Gospel is eternal
and man is temporal. The Gospel is infinite and man
is finite. The Gospel is divine and man
is human. The Gospel has power and man
is weak. The Gospel brings light, revealing
Christ to men who are in darkness. And the Gospel brings life to
men who are dead in trespasses and sins. The gospel brings liberty
and freedom to men who are bound up in the prison house of sin. The gospel is supernatural and
man is carnal and the gospel is all about the Lord Jesus Christ
and him alone and what he's done. He has obtained eternal redemption
for his people. His people are saved from their
sins by the shedding of the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And we are in awe who believe that this was revealed to us. That we are among the number
which it said that this is manifested to. Glory be to God. for his mercy and grace in Christ
Jesus towards us. The next point I'd like us to
consider about this mystery, the mystery of the gospel is
this, when the mystery is revealed, the truths of it exceed the grasp
of human understanding and reason. When it's revealed to us who
God really is, it exceeds the grasp of human understanding
and reason. Depth of mercy, can there be
mercy still reserved for me? Could my God His wrath forbear
and me, the chief of sinners, spare? In Christ, oh my, in Christ. Paul wrote of this truth when
he penned in 1 Timothy 1, verse 15, this is a faithful saying
worthy of all acceptation. That Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners of whom I am chief. And again, every
believer says, that's me. That's me. And think of the things
which are revealed to the believer, that past human understanding.
Think of the truth of the Trinity. God, the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit. Did you ever think of Him? God,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Did you ever think
of the Trinity before you were saved? Did you ever really sit
down and ponder it? No. No, we were too busy in our lives. We had no care about the things
of God. No understanding. Think about
the truth of the incarnation of Christ. The fact that He was
God incarnate in the flesh. Think of that. That's wondrous.
It goes beyond human understanding. We think about it and before
long we're off, aren't we? We're just in awe. We can't really
grasp it. But we believe it, don't we?
But we believe it because God said it's so. Because God said
it's so. Think about the truth of the
death of the Lord Jesus Christ and how He who was sinless died,
the sinner is substituted upon Calvary's cross to satisfy, to
fully satisfy, and I mean fully satisfy, that there can be therefore
now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, that
He so fully satisfied God's law and justice in the place of His
people, in the fact that He has obtained eternal salvation for
His blood-bought people. This goes beyond our understanding. But we believe it because God
said it. And it's wonderful. It's absolutely
wonderful. And think about the truth of
the sinlessness of Christ and how he, the sinless one, died
for sinners. The holy one died for the unholy.
The just one died for the unjust. Again, it goes beyond human comprehension,
but we believe it. Think about the truth of the
resurrection of Christ, that he rose from the dead on the
third day, just as he said he would. Just as he said he would. in the truth of knowing that
He was raised for our justification, for ours, to prove that God was
satisfied with the sacrifice of Christ, to show that He was
absolutely satisfied, that God is satisfied with the offering
of Christ as the payment for the sins of His people. And also
think about the truth of the ascension, how the Lord Jesus
Christ ascended to heaven. And he is right now, right now,
right this moment, seated at the right hand of God, interceding
for us, for his people, for those he purchased with his own precious
blood. He is the one true mediator between God and man. And think of how these truths
exceed the grasp of human understanding, when we really sit and ponder
them. Our reason can't understand the truths of God, but we believe
it, because that's what God says. Our senses can't understand it,
and our understanding can't understand it, but we still believe it.
We believe it because God said it. And we bow to the precious truths
of Scripture, don't we? Even if we don't understand them
all, we still bow to our need to them. We still bow our need
to them. Because we've been taught these precious truths by the
Holy Spirit of God. The third point I'd like us to
consider is a mystery in regards to the small number to whom it
is revealed. Turn if you would to Mark chapter
4. Mark chapter 4. Now we know there's many perversions
of the gospel, and people say this and that, and you have to
do this to be saved, and you have to do that to be saved,
and we know that that's nothing but a lie from the pit of hell,
because salvation's of the Lord, and in and through Christ alone,
and is being accomplished by Christ alone. But look at this in Mark chapter
four, verses 11 and 12. think in regards to the small
number to whom it's revealed. And he said unto them, unto you
is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but unto
them that are without, all these things are done in parables.
That seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they
may hear and not understand, lest at any time they should
be converted and their sins should be forgiven them. So there's many who are on the
broad road to destruction. Many. But be thankful, you who are
redeemed. Let we who are the redeemed thank
God that it is a few and not none. Not none. Because if God did not reveal
these truths to his people, then no one would be saved. If God
did not choose the people in eternity, then no one would be
saved. But praise God, he has purposed and planned from eternity
to save his people from their sins. And the believer says,
I'm of that number. And it's all according to the
mercy and grace of God. The fourth point I'd like us
to consider is that this mystery is revealed to what the world
calls, to whom the world calls foolish. foolish things. The good news of the gospel was
revealed, think of this, first to shepherds, tending their flocks
in the fields. And then some of the apostles
were common fishermen. Common fishermen. Turn, if you
would, to 1 Corinthians chapter 1. Whenever I think about the
fishermen, I think about my dear bride's dad. He's a fisherman.
He's just a common guy. Just a common, normal guy. God revealed Himself to just
common people. Just common people. Look at this over in 1 Corinthians
1, verses 23-29. But we preach Christ crucified
unto the Jews, a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness.
But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ,
the power of God, and the wisdom of God. To the Jews left in darkness,
Christ is a stumbling block, and to the Greeks, he's foolishness. But look at this. But unto them
which are called, and that's an effectual call by the Holy
Spirit of God, both Jews and Gentiles, because the body of
Christ is comprised of Jews and Gentiles, believe in Jews and
believe in Gentiles. Christ is the power of God and
the wisdom of God. He's everything to us, isn't
he? He's everything to us. Because the foolishness of God
is wiser than man, and the weakness of God is stronger than man.
For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise, not many,
some, but not many, wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not
many noble are called. But God hath chosen the foolish
things in the world. Now again, I've mentioned this
before. Brother Henry says that's just common. Common people. That's what I am. I'm just a
common guy. I'm the son of a trailer mechanic. Just a common guy. Lived in a
small town in Canada. We weren't wealthy at all. We
grew up, I was very sickly as a child. Just a common person. But God saved me by his grace. So when I read this, I see me.
That's me. That's me, beloved. God had chosen
the fullest things in the world to confound the wise. And God
hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things
which are mighty, and the base things of the world, and things
which are despised, hath God chosen yea, and things which
are not, to bring to naught things that are. Why? That no flesh
should glory in his presence. If it was our intellect or our
learning, then we'd boast in it, because we're humans, that's
what we do. But we who are the redeemed of the Lord, all we
can do is boast in Christ. Because He's done everything
for us. See, He's chosen these people
by His grace and mercy, that He would receive all the glory,
that no flesh should glory in His presence. Because we know,
we who are His blood-bought people know, that if He had left us
where we were, we would have perished in our sins. But He
had mercy on us, beloved. He had mercy on us because He's
loved us from eternity. What a great God. And now this
mystery is manifested, the believer says, to me. To his saints. To the foolish things of the
world. To confound the wise. Common. And the weak things of the world. And the things which are despised. Yay, hath God chosen? Yay, yes
he has, those. It's not like the lie that's
propagated out there, God looked down through time and saw who
would choose him, well that's based upon man then. No, God
looked down through time and saw again us all dead in trespasses
and sins with no hope, and he chose us by his grace and mercy,
beloved. That no flesh had glory in it.
And when we get to heaven, the anthem is worthy as the lamb. Worthy as the lamb that was slain. Because you know what? Because
we know what we've been saved from. We've been saved from all
our sins. We were redeemed and washed in
the precious blood of Christ. It's wonderful. Remember, Herod
wanted to see Christ out of curiosity, but the woman, well, she was
sought out by Christ. Pilate missed Christ as he sat
on the judgment seat, but the thief on the cross saw Christ. Now at first he was mocking with
the other thief, but after he was regenerated by the Holy Spirit
of God, he looked to Christ. He said, just remember me, Lord.
And the Lord said to him, today thou shalt be in paradise. And
remember, he said, remember he said of him and the other thief,
we're here justly. We're getting what we deserve.
You've not done nothing. Who revealed that to him, beloved?
The Holy Spirit of God. Who made him cry out and ask
the Lord just to remember him? The Holy Spirit of God. He was
regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God. Salvations of the Lord.
Think of this too, while our Lord was on this earth, he passed
by schools of learning. They had philosophers and even
the religious schools, he passed them all by, didn't he, Pilate?
He passed them all, organized religion, and he sought out the
weak and the foolish. The unlearned, fishermen. Common
people. And then where was our Lord?
As we read through the scriptures, where was our Lord? He was amongst
the publicans and sinners. Praise God he was, because that's
what I was. I'm a saved sinner now, but when
I read those about the publicans and sinners, that's me. That's
me. Is it you? Oh my. He was amongst the publicans
and sinners. Those who are his own. And think of this, it was
they who would carry the gospel worldwide. And it's still proclaimed. It's still proclaimed by his
people, isn't it? Even to this day. Salvation's of the Lord,
and of the Lord alone. The fifth point I'd like us to
consider is, it's a mystery in regards to the kind of knowledge
the saints themselves have of it. Now remember, even after
we're born again, our knowledge is in part, it's imperfect. Turn,
if you would, to 1 Corinthians chapter 13. 1 Corinthians chapter
13. Paul spoke of this over in 1
Corinthians chapter 13. And then we'll go to 1 Corinthians
3, right after that. But look at here in 1 Corinthians
3, 9, he says, For we know in part, and we prophesize in part. And then look at verse 12. It
says, For now we see through a glass darkly. but then face
to face. Now I know in part, but then
shall I know even also as I am knowing. Now think back of how
much you knew about God before he saved you. We didn't know
anything, did we? we may have cooked up who we thought God
was, I know I did, I cooked up who I thought God was, that he
would, I'd stand before him, and I'm gonna say it again, you've
heard it many times, but I thought that I'd stand before God and
he'd weigh me in the scales of his justice and in my self-righteousness. I thought, well, surely, my goods
are gonna outweigh my bad, oh my gosh. Not knowing what the
scripture says, because I'd never read it, I was a good Catholic,
never read the scriptures, just believed whatever the guy said
up front there. Not knowing that there's none good, no, not one.
Not knowing that there's none that seeketh after God. But think of how much we knew
about him before we saved him. We groped around in the dark,
didn't we? We had cooked up who we thought
God was, I had cooked up who I thought God was, but it was
not the God of the Bible. was not the God of the Bible.
Now think about how much was revealed to you when Christ saved
you, when you were a babe in Christ. Think of how much you
were just enamored with who he was, just enamored with the fact
that he saved you by the shedding of his own precious blood. We
didn't know a lot, did we? But we knew that Christ saved
us. And we trusted him. Now think
about how much you know about Christ even last year. last year, and think of what
you know about them today. See, we grow in the grace and
knowledge and truth of the Lord Jesus Christ. But we see in shadows, beloved.
We see in shadows. Look what Paul writes over in
1 Corinthians 3, verse 18. We only see in part, beloved.
And look at the warning here, though, because sometimes people
get puffed up by what they think they know, right? But see, we're
kept low all the time, aren't we, by the Lord? We are, He keeps
us low. He keeps us low because, look
at this, let no man deceive you, verse 18, let no man deceive
himself. If any man among you seemeth
to be wise in this world, let him become a fool that he may
be wise. So we don't, We're not to deceive
ourselves. Everything we know, we know everything
we know about Christ. We know because it's being revealed
to us. We can't glory in it. We can't glory in it. It's like
salvations of the Lord. We don't glory because we have
nothing to do with it. We're just receivers of the grace and
mercy of God and Christ. But then let's go back over the
first Corinthians 1312, and I'll read that verse again that I
read earlier. We just see through a glass darkly. For now, we see through a glass
darkly. When I was a kid, I used to put
a glass on the table with water in it. I don't know if you did
this, but I did. I used to put a glass, and I'd look at my parents through
the water, right? And everybody looks funny through
water or through a glass, right? We see through a glass darkly
right now. That's how it is. We have a limited understanding
of who God really is. We see through a glass darkly.
But then face to face, when we depart from this world, beloved,
we'll see him face to face. Then we'll join the anthem. Worthy
is the lamb that was slain. Worthy is he. Oh, what a day
that'll be. What a day that'll be. But now
I know in part. We only know what God reveals
to us, but then shall I know even as also I am knowing. Oh my. So we're now as one looking
through a glass. And then over in 2 Corinthians
3, verse 17 and 18. Let's turn there real quick.
2 Corinthians 3, verse 17 and 18. Paul proclaims that someday
we'll be changed from glory to glory. And that's the day when
we're in the presence of the Lord. Look at this, 2 Corinthians
3, verses 17 and 18. Now the Lord is that Spirit,
and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, there's
freedom. There's freedom. There's freedom in Christ. But
we all, with open face beholding as a glass the glory of the Lord,
are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as
by the Spirit of the Lord. Changed into the same image from
glory to glory. then we'll see him face to face. The little bit we know right
now, we rejoice in, don't we? We rejoice, we rejoice that he's
revealed himself to us. We rejoice in what he's done
for us. Oh, we rejoice. But oh, that day when we see
him upon his throne. face to face. What a day that'll
be. The sixth point I'd like us to
consider is a mystery, the different effects that this gospel has
upon the hearts of men. Now think upon this, you and
I who are the redeemed of the Lord, along with all the people
of this world are taken from the same lump of humanity. The
only difference between you and I, who are redeemed, and those
who are lost, is the grace of God. That's the only difference. We're all come from the same
lump. So therefore we can't, we can't look down on anybody
and we won't. I remember people saying, um,
um, when the Lord first saved me, they said, well, you all
think you're holier now. No, no, no, no, no, no. You don't
really understand where we, we, we know what we are. We know
we're just sinners saved by the grace of God. No, we know what
we are. And we also know that we're all
taken from the same lump and that if God hadn't made us to
differ, we'd still be where we were. No, we're we're all taken
from the same lump of humanity. We're all children of Adam and
sons and daughters of Adam. All of us. Now, think upon this,
the gospel comes to we who believe we're born again by the Holy
Spirit of God. It comes to us with power, power
regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God, and it's all by God's
decree. It's all by his decree. It's all by His decree. And our
hearts are softened. Our eyes are open to Christ. Our eyes are open to what He's
done for His people. We're given the ears to hear
the sweet message of the gospel of salvation in Christ alone. And we're made willing in the
day of His power, and we flee to Him alone for salvation. Now for others, the Gospel comes
in their hearts. It hardens them to the things
of Christ. They mock the Gospel. They mock those who believe.
They hate the Savior. They may not come right out and
say it, but their actions and their thoughts are ones against God. And oftentimes
their actions speak louder than their words. They have no interest
in hearing the gospel, no interest in reading the word of God, no
interest in Christ at all. And we were right there with
them at one time. We're taken out of the same lump,
beloved. Contrast that, though, with a
believer who longs to hear now about the things of Christ. Born again by the Holy Spirit
of God. Do you not long to hear about
Christ? Do you not long to come and sit and hear the wondrous
things that Christ has done? A dear sister of ours here said
she wishes she could just stay here. Just stay here through the week.
You know that we'd meet every night. We love the gospel. We love Christ. We read about him. And our love for him grows. We
fellowship with believers in Christ. And it's wonderful for
us. So we see here, turn if you would
to 2 Corinthians 2. We see here then that to one,
Christ is the saver and delight. And the others, it's a saver
unto death. Just as Paul wrote about over in Corinthians. Look
at this in 2 Corinthians 2, verses 14 and 16. And again, always
remember, keep this close to your heart. The only thing that's
made me to differ from others is Christ as God. The only one. The only one. Look at this, in 2 Corinthians
2, verses 14-16. Now thanks be unto God, which
always causes us to triumph in Christ, and make it manifest
the savour of His knowledge by us in every place. For we are
unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved and in
them that perish. To one we are a savour of death
unto death, and to the other the savour of life unto life.
and who is sufficient for these things. So the gospel comes and melts
the heart of God's chosen people, all by the power of God, and
others are hardened and left in their sin. And again, the
only one who made us to differ is God. The seventh point I'd
like us to consider is this, and the last point is a mystery
in regards to this rare and strange effect it has upon the godly,
those who are called believers in the scriptures. Think of this,
in light of the believer's judgment and practice, it is a mystery
of faith as the gospel comes to us with power, we believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, by His almighty
power, regenerates us, and we are enabled to believe that three
are one, that three are one, the Father, Son, and the Holy
Spirit. And we are enabled to believe the Father, who is not
older than the Son, and the Son, who is not inferior to His Father. And the Holy Spirit proceeds
from both of them, and yet they are all equal, and we believe
it. And we believe it. We are enabled to believe this
by God. The gospel teaches us that Christ
was born in time and yet he was from everlasting. And we believe it. Because we're
taught by God. Think of how strange this is
in light of how we were before the Lord saved us. We wanted
nothing to do with the Lord. Nothing to do with his gospel,
nothing to do with his people. We believe these precious things. Oh, what an effect the gospel
has on a believer in Christ. The gospel teaches the believer
that Christ was born sinless and yet died for the sins of
his people. And we believe it. We marvel that Christ was punished
for our sins. For our sins. And we believe
this, though. We believe that though he was
innocent and we were guilty, yet he gave his life for us to
purchase us, to redeem us with his precious blood. We marvel that he gave his life
to purchase our eternal souls. We believe these things. We didn't
believe that before, right? Because we had no idea who Christ
was. What an effect, again, the gospel has upon his people. Those to who the mystery of the
gospel has been revealed believe themselves to be great sinners,
and yet God sees them in Christ without spot and wrinkle. We
marvel over that truth, don't we? And we believe it, though, because
that's what the scriptures say. And think upon the effect of
this mystery, the mystery of the gospel and the effects it
has on the practice of a believer. It enables the believer to live
as a stranger in this world. And to believe. And to walk with
our great God and Savior. And the fact that He keeps us.
He keeps us. We live being guided by the Holy
Spirit of God. And we ask Him to guide and direct
us, don't we? All the time. Through this world, we pray that
he will order our steps, and he does. And he leads us in the
path of righteousness for his name's sake. And we also live by another strength,
don't we? We confess ourselves to be weak,
and we are. We are. We're frail. We're prone to unbelief. Yet in our weakness, beloved,
He's strong. He's strong. Not one of His people will perish.
Remember, He's long-suffering towards them. They'll all come
to repentance. And all who come to repentance,
all who are born again by the Holy Spirit of God, by His almighty
power, He will keep them. He will. And think of this. The effect
this gospel has had on us to whom it's manifested, we now
live according to His will. We now live according to His
will. And we now profess that we'll do something if the Lord
wills. You never would have caught us saying that before the Lord
sent us. We didn't have any idea about that, did we? And now we
say, Lord willin'. Lord willin'. Oh, if He wills. We seek to glorify God now in
our lives. We aim, as one older Greece preacher
said, at his glory. At his glory. And this makes the people of
God meek and gentle because they're born again to the Holy Spirit
of God and they seek the glory of God. They're not self-seeking
glory hounds, no. They seek to glorify God in their
lives. It's not all about us. That's
why often you hear me say, we're here for the furtherance of the
gospel. I've heard many grace preachers say that, it's so true.
This is why we're here, for the furtherance of the gospel. To
proclaim this wondrous news of salvation in Christ and Christ
alone. The truth that all your sins
are forgiven in Christ, it's wonderful. And then the believers, bold
and strong, they no longer fear death, do they, on account of
the fact that Christ has redeemed our eternal soul. And the fact that we have salvation
in and through Him. And this gospel makes God's people
humble. And they esteem each other. They
esteem others better than themselves. They lift up their brothers and
sisters. They don't tear them down. They
lift them up. They esteem them better than
themselves. Better than themselves. And what are they? They're thankful,
aren't they? God's people are thankful. This mystery, the effect
that it has upon God's people, the mystery of the gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ and salvation in and through him alone makes
God's people thankful. Thankful for the goodness and
the grace that God has given us. And we're thankful whether
we're in sickness or whether we're in health, aren't we? We're
thankful no matter what. We're thankful to our great God.
We're thankful that he's the bishop and shepherd of our souls. Turn, if you would, to 1 Corinthians
chapter 4. In light of these words, which
we've looked at today, let us consider the words of Paul here
in closing. And let the redeemed of the Lord
rejoice as we take communion today. Let us think about how
God has manifested this wondrous gospel in Christ to us as we
take communion. Think about that. That you are one of the ones
whom this truth has been manifested to, salvations of the Lord in
Christ and Christ alone. Think of that. God has revealed the mystery
of the gospel to us. And we know that this is in and
through the Lord Jesus Christ and Christ alone. So as we take
communion, think upon that. Wonder and awe, thank him. Because
remember, we're remembering what the Lord's done for us. We're
remembering His death upon the cross for us, how He's redeemed
us by His precious blood. Look at this in 1 Corinthians
4, verses 7 and 8. For who maketh thee to differ
from another? Here it is, right there. Who made you to differ? From one lump of clay, who made
the difference between one lump of clay and the other lump of
clay to make one a vessel of honor and to make one a vessel
of dishonor? Who made the difference? Well,
the potter made the difference, didn't he? And that potter is
God. So when we look at this, this
is a verse I have, I have this in my study, for who made you
to differ? Yeah, I want to be constantly reminded of that.
Who made you to differ, Wayne? God, and God alone. And every
believer, we look at that and say, who maketh thee to differ
from another? And each one of us can say, only God. Only God. For who maketh thee to differ
from another? And what is thou that thou didst not receive?
So even in any giftings that we have from the Lord, we can't
boast in those. Not at all. No matter what. Now, if thou didst receive it,
why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? Now ye
are full, now ye are rich. Ye have reigned as kings without
us, and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign
with you. Beloved, let these words sink
into our souls. Now you are full, now you are
rich. And that's only in Christ. That's
only in Christ. Gracious Heavenly Father, we
thank Thee for the time that we were able to spend together.
We pray that we would carry the truths away that we heard today
and that they would minister to our souls this week. Pray
that you would give Brother Ron travel mercies as he comes up
next week to preach the gospel to the dear saints here. And
pray that you give Vicki and I travel mercies as well. as we head to Missouri. We love
you. We praise thee. We pray that
you guide and direct us and watch over us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.