I once heard Ralph Barnard say
in a message, we ought to preach every now and then like everybody
we preach to is going to hell tonight. And I suppose that may
be just exactly how we ought to preach all the time. Presuming
nothing and realizing that men and women You who hear my voice,
like the one preaching to you, stands upon the brink of eternity,
and soon we must meet God in judgment. With that in mind,
I want us to return one more time to the subject of the manifold
wisdom of God as it's displayed in the redemption and salvation
of sinners by Christ Jesus. Turn with me to Ephesians chapter
3. Ephesians, the third chapter. I've got five things I want you
to see. That's the title of my message.
Five things I want you to see. Ephesians 3 verse 8. Unto me,
who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given,
that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches
of Christ, and to make all men see What is the fellowship of
the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in
God, who created all things by Jesus Christ? To the intent that
now, under the principalities and powers in heavenly places,
might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according
to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our
Lord. Knowing the goodness of God and
knowing the terror of the Lord, I want by God the Holy Spirit
to persuade you to hear my voice, to believe on the Son of God. I want you to know Christ. This is life eternal, that they
might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou
hast sent. I know that you are all moral,
upright men and women in the eyes of one another and in the
eyes of others. Most of you are members of this
assembly. My family, you regularly attend
the ministry of the word. But I want more for you, indescribably
more for you than a show of decency, respectability, and religious
devotion. I want you to know the son of
God. Don't be satisfied. God help
you. God help me. Don't be satisfied
with anything less. than knowing Jesus Christ yourself. Knowing him, whom to know or
write, is life eternal. The Apostle Paul, in the third
chapter of Philippians, expressed this desire. Now the one writing
is the Apostle Paul. He had been the instructor of
many, wrote the bulk of the New Testament. And he said, oh, that
I may know him. that I may know Him, know Him
in the power of His resurrection, know Him in the fellowship of
His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death. I want so to
know Him, and I want you to. If you know Christ, all is well. If you don't know Christ, nothing
is well. And your conscience will give
you no peace while you live. And your conscience will give
you no peace when you come to die, except you know him. And
yet I know. I know. But if God leaves you to yourself. If God leaves you alone, you
will never know Christ. Let babbling will worshipers
babble on all they will concerning man's power and ability and dignity,
concerning the power of man's will. Let men rant as much as
they please about their imaginary free will. The fact is no one
left to himself can or will believe on the son of God. Faith in Christ
does not lie within the realm of man's ability. Our Savior
said, no man can come to me except my father draw him. It is not
of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that
showeth mercy. You know I'm telling you the
truth. You can't believe because you're blind. and ignorant of
all things spiritual. You won't trust Christ because
you're proud, self-righteous, hardened against the gospel of
his grace. That's true of all who yet believe not. If you're
without faith in Christ, it is because you're blind and ignorant. It is because you're proud and
self-righteous and will not bow to God. All men and women by
nature, by nature, look upon the Lord Jesus and the gospel
of the grace of God as contemptible things. All men look upon these
as things unworthy of thought and attention, things to be despised. I don't suggest for a moment
that men and women by nature hate what they think religion
ought to be or hate what they think God ought to be or how
God ought to act or what God ought to do. Men love their concepts
of such things. Men despise God as he reveals
himself in this book. Men despise the Lord Jesus, the
crucified Son of God. We esteem him rightly stricken
and smitten of God. We esteem his death as something
deserved by him by nature. That's the nature of man. Man
by nature hates God. I don't have to prove that to
you. God has declared the carnal mind is enmity against God. Men and women are born with hearts
of enmity against God. Every child coming out of his
mother's womb is born with the nature of fallen Adam, hating
God by nature. To all men by nature, the things
of God, the preaching of the gospel is just so much foolishness. But I also know that if God is
pleased to speak to your heart this hour by the gospel that
I preached to you, If God is pleased to speak to
you, you will see and know and trust and come to Christ. If God is pleased to speak to
your heart by the gospel, by the power of his spirit this
hour, you will see and trust and come to Christ. If the gospel
is made effectual, to your soul by the power of God, the Holy
Ghost. If God's pleased to send his spirit into your heart by
the word, you will be saved this very hour. Oh, spirit of God. Come upon us. Exercise your mighty,
irresistible power and grace in our midst. Give us ability
as only you can to believe God. The manifold wisdom of God displayed
in the gospel ought to persuade all who hear it to trust Christ. The things plainly revealed in
this book would persuade you if you weren't dead in trespasses
and in sins. They would persuade you if you
weren't yet without life and faith to come to the Son of God. Oh, may God make his word, the
persuasive power of God to your soul. Let me show you these five
things. First, if you could just see
the glory of the gospel, you couldn't refuse to believe on
the son of God. Look at second Corinthians chapter
five, chapter four, second Corinthians chapter four. If our gospel be hid, verse three,
it is hid to them that are lost. Paul, like all faithful preachers
of the gospel, openly, publicly, plainly declared the doctrine
of God wherever he went. Faithful men do not speak in
secrecy. They do not speak in ambiguous
terms. When they speak, you know what
they've said. Paul said, if our gospel's hid,
it's not hid because we hid it. It's hid because you're lost.
In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them
which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,
who is the image of God, should shine unto them. lest the light
of the gospel of the glory of Christ, the image of God, should
shine to them. For we preach not ourselves,
but Christ Jesus, the Lord, and ourselves, your servants, for
Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts if we walk
in the light. We walk in the light because
God who commands the light to shine out of darkness, has shined
in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Some of you have seen that light. You know something of the gospel
of God's grace. Having seen the glory of God
in the face of Christ as he's revealed in the gospel, we believe. Our faith, we know. is the result
of God's gracious revelation. The gospel of Christ is indeed
the revelation of the glory of God, and it is itself so glorious,
so astonishing, such a mystery that the angels of God themselves
stand in awe of it. Though the angels knew that man
was to be redeemed, Long before Christ came, they announced when
he came that he had come to redeem and save his people. Yet they
were themselves astonished at that which the Lord Jesus has
accomplished for us. They didn't fully comprehend
it then and they don't now, but rather they visit assemblies
like this. Visit with God's saints when
we meet to worship God to learn from us the manifold wisdom of
God The angels had seen their fellow angels destroyed without
mercy Those who kept not their first estate who followed Lucifer
in his rebellion who were led astray by the dragon and were
kept in chains of darkness unto the day of judgment for everlasting
destruction. God showed them no mercy. Now
remember the angels are far superior beings to you and me, far superior
creatures. These angels who kept not their
first estate were given no mercy. How astonished then must the
angels of heaven been when God chose to have mercy and redeem
sinners like us. When he passed by the angels,
our Lord Jesus coming into the world took not on him the nature
of angels, but it took hold on the seed of Abraham to redeem
and save Abram's seed. The cherubs overshadowing the
mercy seat, constantly looking on the sacrifice of Christ display
the constant astonishment of the angels of God at this. And
the angels of God are yet contemplating this great mystery. If the angels
of God unceasingly are astonished at the wisdom, grace and power
of God revealed in redemption, how much more we ought to be.
This is such a glorious thing, the gospel of God's grace, that
nothing short of infinite wisdom could have devised the scheme
of redemption. Now, I know the wise acres and
philosophers, educators of this world will tell you that the
gospel we preach is nothing but the invention of men, something
man devised to satisfy his complex religious nature. Well, Hinduism
can be explained that way. Islam can be explained that way.
Other pagan religions can be explained that way. Just something
men have devised to satisfy their complex religious nature. But
the gospel of Christ is infinitely higher than the wisdom of man. Infinitely higher than man's
understanding of things. Man has no knowledge of that
which is honorable to God. Man would never have imagined
the necessity of God's law being honored and his justice being
satisfied. Man would never have imagined
a way to accomplish this. Who could have invented the Holy
Trinity? Who who would have thought that
up? There are three that by record in heaven, the father, the word
and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. But Larry said
to me this morning after Lindsay's message in the first part of
our services said But the man once said all of God we shall
ever see is Jesus Christ and He's right. That's an exactly
right statement. God is seen and known spoken
to and speaks by Jesus Christ alone the God man our Savior
that being the case I suggested we will Spend eternity still
contemplating and mystified by this thing. God, Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost. What man would have ever devised
such a thing? No man understands it. No man comprehends it. No
man could have devised it. What man would ever have thought
up a covenant, a covenant of grace made between the three
persons of the Holy Trinity for the saving of our souls? Who
would ever have dreamed of the gospel revelation of substitution? God took his son, his own darling
son, who knew no sin and did no sin. and had no sin and made
him sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him. Would you have ever thought of
God becoming a man to satisfy justice, to suffer the wrath
of God so that man could go free? If man could have dreamed up
such a thing, how would he have accomplished it? Who would have
thought of God becoming a man? Two natures in one person, the
God-man. Suppose for a moment that the
scoffers and skeptics are right. Just suppose for a moment that
these things are just the inventions of men. Tell me who might have
invented it. Not the Jews. They bitterly oppose
it. Not the Gentiles. They knew nothing
about it until the apostles came preaching the gospel. Not the
apostles themselves. They didn't fully comprehend
it until after the Lord was risen from the dead and walked with
the disciples and said, I told you this is what the scriptures
teach. And if you dare suppose that Christ was a mere man who
with great subtlety and craft invented these things, your blasphemy
is utterly unreasonable. Would a mere man Would a mere
man invent a system of religion that required his own death in
the most painful, ignominious, shameful manner possible, the
death of the cross? One more question. Who but God
himself could have or would have chosen such things as we are to be his
sons and daughters and his servants. Who but God would have chosen
you among all the peoples of the earth to be his own? Who
but God would have chosen thee of all the men walking on the
earth to preach his gospel? God's gospel is the revelation
of the glory of God. He reveals a glorious person,
our Redeemer, Glorious propitiation by his blood Christ our glorious
portion and a glorious provision For his saints forevermore as
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ Listen to the promise
of the gospel He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved
He that believeth not shall be damned Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and thou shalt be saved All right, second, I want you
to see something of the exceeding sinfulness of unbelief. You've heard the gospel. I preached it to you with simplicity
and clarity in the power of God for many years. I have seen to
it that you in this place have regularly heard the most gifted,
faithful men preaching the gospel walking on the earth today. You've
heard the gospel, but yet you remain, some of you, unmoved. When you are somehow moved to
repentance, you harden your heart in obstinate unbelief. Now hear
me. I weep for your soul. But if you perish without Christ,
I'm free from the blood of all men. Your obstinate unbelief,
your obstinate unbelief is the most horrible, shameful crime
committed against God in this world. For unbelief says that
God's a liar. Unbelief denies personal guilt
and sin. Unbelief goes about always to
establish righteousness for itself. Unbelief defies Christ and despises
his salvation. Unbelief will at last drag your
soul into the lowest hell. Turn to Proverbs chapter 1. Proverbs
chapter 1. Hear what wisdom says. Hear what the Son of God says. He speaks to men and women just
like you and me. He speaks here to you and me. Proverbs 1 verse 23. Turn you
at my reproof. Well, why should I do that? Behold,
I will pour out my spirit unto you. You turn to me, I'll pour
out my spirit unto you. Will make known my words to you
this book. That's so confusing to you now.
I'll make known my words to you Because I have called and you
refused I stretched out my hand and no man regarded But you've
said it not all my counsel and you would none of my reproof
You've taken my word and laid it over here and said I'll forget
about that You've taken my counsel and said I won't hear that Therefore
I also will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your fear cometh.
When your fear cometh as a desolation and your destruction cometh as
a whirlwind. When distress and anguish cometh
upon you, then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer. They shall seek me early, but
they shall not find me. For that they hated knowledge.
and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would none of
my counsel. They despised all my reproof.
Therefore, when you go to hell, you shall eat of the fruit of
your own way and be filled with your own devices. For the turning
away of the simple shall slay them and the prosperity of fools
shall destroy them. But Whoso hearkeneth unto me,
hear my word, believe my message, whosoever shall trust me shall
dwell safely and shall be quiet from the fear of evil. Yes. I weep for you. I pray for you. I plead with you as God's ambassador,
I beseech you to be reconciled to God, but I do not excuse man's
unbelief if you refuse to believe your unbelief is Altogether your
responsibility and no one to be blamed for it, but yourself
Not your environment not your mother your daddy not your son
your daughter you alone are responsible for your unbelief If you would
believe God God would receive you and God would save you for
Christ's sake Unbelief breeds more and greater unbelief. Solomon said, he that being often
reproved, hardened with his heart shall be suddenly cut off and
that without remedy. Third, I would persuade you to
come to Christ by showing you the misery of unbelievers. Turn to the second chapter of
the book of Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 2. You may think all is well, and
it may be that you feel no great misery in your soul. I'm not
talking about what you think or feel. I'm talking about reality. I'm talking about facts. If you're
without Christ, you're in a miserable condition. If you're without Christ, words
can't describe the miserable condition you're in. I know I've
been there. Ephesians chapter two, verse
11. Wherefore, remember, remember,
children of God, remember you who now believe that you being
in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision
by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands, that
at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise,
having no hope without God in the world. If you yet believe not, the guilt
of sin is upon you. The wrath of God is upon you. The sentence of death is in you
and the everlasting torments of hell are before you. You are
without Christ. Oh, how poor the soul without
Christ. You're aliens from the Commonwealth
of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise, so that
you have no claim upon any word from God, no claim upon any promise
from God, no claim upon any mercy from God. Having no hope. Having no hope. Doctor comes in after examining
someone who's been in a terrible accident. had a horrible heart
attack or has endured some terrible disease and says to the family,
there's no hope. We've done all we can do, there's
no hope. If you're without Christ, you're without hope. Without hope. How on earth can
a man sleep at night without hope? How can a woman go to bed
in peace without hope, without hope for you without God? Oh, may God enable you to see
and know the misery of your condition before him without Christ. Will
you hear me? God help you to hear him. Here's
the fourth thing. By way of contrast, let me show
you in the same second chapter of Ephesians, the blessedness
of faith in Christ. Look at verse 13. That's where you were, but now, Oh, what a word. But now in Christ
Jesus, you who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the
blood of Christ for he is our peace. who hath made both one
and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.
He's made Jew and Gentile one. He's made common foes one. We're
united in him and made us one with God. Having abolished in
his flesh the ignominy, even the law of commandments contained
in the ordinances, so making peace. Verse 16. and that he
might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having
slain the enmity thereby and came and preached peace to you
that were far off and to them that were nigh. This is what
happens when God saves a sinner. Christ comes by his spirit and
proclaims peace in your soul. Peace that only God can give.
Look back in chapter 1 of Ephesians, verse 3. Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as
he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before him, in love having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself according to the good pleasure of his will. to the
praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted
in the beloved. I hold before you these many
women who believe God. I hold before you your own husband
or wife, your own mother or father, your own son or daughter who
believe God, trophies of God's grace. I speak for them all when
I tell you they would like you to know the most precious possession
they have is faith in Christ. The most precious possession
they have is faith in Christ. We would sooner give up life
than give up faith in Christ the Lord. how blessed they are who believe
on the son of God. All the grace we need for time
and eternity is ours in Christ. Pardoning grace, justifying grace,
providential grace, preserving grace. We have in Christ access
to and communion with and peace from God as his son. We walk with God every day, all the time. You've been struggling
with some difficulties, Denise, physical difficulties, life-threatening
difficulties, and you walk with God. What would you give in exchange
for that? We who are here Walk with God being accepted
in Christ. Living in peace. And soon we
will die in hope. And we have the promise of everlasting
glory in Christ. Entrance into heaven at last.
Resurrection in the last day. And at last, perfect glorification. One last thing. Turn to Isaiah
chapter 55. I want you to hear the sweet
invitation of the gospel. The sweet invitation of God himself. I know there are folks who Preach
the gospel like they're scared to death. Some of the non-elect
might get in and they don't want you to think that the gospel
is an invitation. Well, it sounds a whole lot like
it to me here. Isaiah 55 verse one. Oh, everyone
that thirsted. Come you to the waters. And he
that hath no money, come ye buy and eat. Yea, come buy wine and
milk without money and without price. Wherefore do you spend
your money for that which is not bread and your labor for
that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me and
eat ye that which is good and let your soul delight itself
in fatness. Incline your ear and come unto
me here and your soul shall live and I will make an everlasting
covenant with you. Even the sure mercies of David. The very mercies by which David
died in peace. God said, believe me, come to
me, incline your ear, trust me, and I'll make God my covenant
that I made with David with you. Covenant where I promise to be
your God and promise you to be my son. A covenant wherein I
declare to you your sins and iniquities I will remember no
more. Read on, verse four. Behold,
I've given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander
to the people. Behold, thou shalt call a nation
that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run
unto thee because of the Lord thy God and for the Holy One
of Israel, for he hath glorified thee. Seek ye the Lord while
he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is
near. God said, I've stretched out
my hands. I've called, and you've refused. Seek him now while he
may be found. Call him while his hand is stretched
out. Call on him while he speaks and
calls by the gospel. Call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way. Not ways, way. Let the wicked forsake his way.
It's not just talking about let the wicked quit drinking and
carousing and fussing and fighting and cussing and all the stuff
that men think that are things that identify the wicked and
the absence of them identify the godly. Oh, no, no, no. By
all means, forsake those things. By all means, forsake, forsake
those things. But you're not talking about
ways, you're talking about way. The way of the wicked. is the
way of self-salvation. The way of the wicked is the
way of self-righteousness. The way of the wicked is the
way of self-attainment. The way of the wicked is the
tower of Babel. Let the wicked forsake his way. Read on. And the unrighteous
man, his thoughts. Every thought of making yourself
righteous and holy before God. and let him return unto the Lord,
return to the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him. And to our
God, for he will abundantly pardon. Now hear what God says about
that. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my
ways your ways, saith the Lord. This is our way. If you want
forgiveness for me, you're going to have to do something. If you want mercy for me, you're
going to have to show me you deserve mercy. If you if you
want me to receive you, you're going to have to do something
to make yourself acceptable to me. God's ways. Oh, thank God. God's ways are
infinitely higher than our ways. His thoughts infinitely higher
than our thoughts. His ways are the ways of free
grace, free salvation, free righteousness, free mercy, free forgiveness,
free life in Jesus Christ, the Lord. Oh, how gracious God is. He devised this wondrous plan
of redemption. He gave his dear son to die for
sinners. He accomplished salvation for
undeserving creatures. He left nothing for you and me
to do. He did it all himself. And now
he invites sinful men and women who have long despised his grace
to come to Christ and be saved freely. Today, salvation is brought
to your door. Christ himself leans against
the door and knocks and says, open to me, open to me. Oh, open to Him and He will come
into you and sup with you. And yet, you won't open the door. Unless He puts His hand in by
the hole of the lock and opens the door. And if you'll do that,
then you will arise and open to Him and seek Him. Oh, may
He graciously cause you to open to him. But open to him, you
must. Believe him, you must. God will receive and save every
sinner who trusts his son. And God the Holy Spirit is ready,
willing and able to convey all the benefits of redemption and
grace and salvation to all who believe. And Christ is ready
to receive. all who come to him. He says,
come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. What a magnificent way it would
be for you to begin this year. Come to Christ and live forever. God help you. as only he can
to come to Christ and live forever. Amen.