It's good to see you. It's good
to see you this evening. And once again, even the Lord
sends the rain, sends the sunshine, giving us this blessed opportunity
to go ahead and meet together this evening. Let's take our
Bibles and turn with me to the book of Ephesians. Book of Ephesians. I'd like to look at verses 21
through 23. The Scripture says concerning the
Lord Jesus Christ, that He has been placed far above all principality
and power and might and dominion in every name that is named,
not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. And
hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the
head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness
of him that filleth all in all. Let's pray together. Our Father, we thank you this
evening for the blessed privilege that we have to meet together.
And Lord, we know that if you bless the Word, it's blessed
to our hearts, and we ask you to bless it. Forgive us where
we failed. Keep us according to your good
pleasure for Christ's sake. Amen. Last time we were in Ephesians,
we considered verse 19, the exceeding greatness of His power to usward
who believe. That is the exceeding greatness
of His power to regenerate a sinner. Almighty God creates a new man. And it takes the power of God
Almighty to make a new creation. The same power, the scripture
says, verse 20, which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him
from the dead and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly
places. Now remember, according to God's
Word, it takes the power of God to create a new creature, to
birth a man, a woman from above. To create a new thing that was
not there. It's not a reworking of the old
man. It's nothing added to the old
man. There is nothing changed in the
old man. The nature that every person
is born with, that fallen nature in Adam, does not change. The scripture says, John 1, that
which is of the flesh is flesh. That which is of the spirit is
spirit. These are contrary. They don't
mix. An old man is nothing but one
ruined in the fall. The new man is a new creature
created in righteousness. A new nature, a new man that
does not sin. That's what 1 John says, doesn't
sin. That which is born of God sinneth
not. And the same power that raised
Christ from the dead. The same power that ascended
him into heaven, the same power that seats him at the right hand
of the majesty on high is the same power that it takes to regenerate
a sinner, to make a new man. You let men talk about the Simple
plan of salvation. I've heard that phrase, you know,
it's just a simple plan of salvation. You speak of salvation as if
it's something just easily accomplished. Just walk down an aisle. All that means is you can walk.
Be baptized and water saves you. No. Baptism is the outward manifestation. It's the confession of our faith
in what Christ has done for us. Baptism doesn't save. Water does
not save. We're saved by grace through
faith. That's how we know it. We're saved by the power and
grace of God. So walking down an aisle, being
baptized, praying through, that doesn't do it. God Almighty,
the exceeding greatness of His power to us who believe. God Almighty must save a sinner.
God Almighty keeps a sinner. kept by the power of God. Now,
the scripture declares that Almighty God who raised the Lord Jesus
Christ from the dead and set him at his own right hand, verse
21 says, and this is where he's sitting, far above all principality
and power and might and dominion and every name that is named
not only in this world but also in that which is to come. The Lord Jesus Christ is above, inconceivably above,
any rank, any authority, Because He alone has all authority. Everything that the Lord Jesus
Christ has delegated as being authority in this world is below
Him. Because all power in heaven and
earth is given unto the Son. Romans 13.1 says, Be subject unto the higher powers,
for there is no power but of God. The powers that be are ordained
of God. Every person in authority, any
authority. You've got to have law. You've
got to have order. And whether it's magistrates
that know nothing of the grace of God, whoever it is, whoever
is placed in authority, God Almighty put them there. The Lord placed
them there. And we're instructed, according
to the scriptures, to be subject to principalities and powers,
to obey magistrates. But there's a limit. Not above
being obedient to Almighty God. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
back in Daniel chapter 3, I love the answer that these men gave
to Nebuchadnezzar, he made a statue and he said in Daniel chapter
3 in verse 15 to 18, he'd given this instruction that when all
the music started playing, everybody's going to bow down, going to worship. Daniel chapter 3 verse 15, he
says now, if you be ready, because they
had not bowed. They had had a couple of choruses
there in the music and these three men didn't bow. Someone
came and told the king, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego didn't bow
down. And the king told him, he said,
OK, I'm going to give you another chance and here's where we are.
Now if you be ready, that at what time you hear the sound
of the cornet, the flute, the harp, the sackbut, psaltery,
dulcimer, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the
image which I've made well. But if you worship not, you shall
be cast the same hour into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. And who is that God that shall
deliver you out of my hands? And Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we're not careful
to answer thee in this matter. I love that. They said, we don't
have to think this one through. If it be so. Our God whom we
serve is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace, and
He will deliver us out of thine hand, O King. But if not, be
it known unto thee, O King, that we will not serve thy gods, nor
worship the golden image which thou hast set up." And you know
the rest of the story. They didn't bow down. And they
did throw them into the fiery furnace. And the Lord delivered
them. They came out without even a
smell of smoke. Almighty God has established
order in this world. All power is given unto the Lord
Jesus Christ and He is far above all principality, power, might,
dominion, every name that is named, not only in this world
but also in that which is to come. Every name He is above
every name. Every name. Even the name of
Mary, He's above every name. There is no name above the Lord
Jesus Christ. Every name that is named. No
creature in this world today or in the world to come is above
Him. There's one mediator between
God and men, and it is the man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians
chapter 1. Colossians 1 verses 16 to 18. This is what the scripture has
to say concerning Him, that God is highly exalted. For by Him
were all things created that are in heaven, that are in earth,
visible, invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities
or powers, all things were created by Him and for Him. And He is above all things, and
by Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body,
the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things He might have the preeminence. The Lord Jesus
Christ is highly exalted. He is the reason for our salvation
and the reason that it is eternal, because being in Him who is the
eternal God, we are eternally secure. Now, verses 22 and 23.
I want to deal with them together, I'll read them together, but
this is the heart of what is being set forth this evening
concerning the Lord Jesus Christ being highly exalted. God Almighty
hath put all things under His feet and gave Him to be the head
over all things to the church, which is His body. the fullness
of Him that filleth all in all." The first part of that 22nd verse
is actually a quote from Psalm 8 6, Thou madest Him to have
dominion over the works of Thy hands, Thou has put all things
under His feet. Now, though all things in this
world are not willingly subject to him, not willingly subject. Man by nature is not willing
to come to the Lord. Leave a man to himself and that
man will always resist God. The scripture says in Psalm 14,
no man seeketh after God. No man born in Adam is willing
to come, willing to love, willing to bow to the Lord Jesus Christ. We must be made willing in the
day of His power. So all men are not willingly
subject to the Lord Jesus Christ, but the scripture reveals he
hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head
over all things to the church. Now listen to me, all things
not willingly subject to him are still subject to him. All
things are under His feet and all things are going to give
honor to the Lord Jesus Christ. The fowl of the air, the animals
that scurry around, the fish in the sea, these things that
seem to be so insignificant, the wind, You remember the story
when the Lord Jesus Christ was in the boat, the disciples were
in the boat, there was a storm and He was asleep. And the disciples called to Him
and said, Lord, don't you care that we perish? You know, what a question. Don't
you care? And He said this, O ye of little
faith. And He stood up and the wind
that was under his feet, he said to the wind, to the waves, he
said, be still. And it said it was calm. I just, I bet there wasn't a
ripple. Peace. Be still. And when he said be still, The
wind, those disciples says, what manner of man is this that even
the wind and the waves obey Him? The Scripture says that He hath
put all things under His feet. Even the unregenerate, God Almighty,
has all things under His feet, and the one that dies in unbelief,
Almighty God is going to be praised for His justice. When God Almighty puts a man
or a woman in hell because of their rebellion, God Almighty
will do that which is right. Those are under His feet. and
shall give Him praise. The Scripture says, He put all
things under His feet and gave Him to be the head over all things
to the church. Now, you think about the head.
I'm going to end this in a moment concerning the church. That's
where I'm coming to, which is His body, the church which is
His body. The Scripture says that the Lord God has put all
things under His feet and gave Him to be the head over all things
to the church. The Scripture says that the head
of the woman is the man, the authority, the one that oversees,
rules in loving kindness, tenderness. Husbands love your wife. You're
the one that's to oversee her. It's a picture of Christ. But
I want you to think of the head of the church, where his body,
Scripture says, He's the head. Now here's the head of the church. Number one, He is God Almighty. He's God Almighty. And He's one
made like unto us. In the men's meeting this Saturday,
Lord willing, I'm going to be dealing with how man was created. He was created in the likeness
of God, in the form, in the similitude, in the image of God. When Adam was made, he was made
in God's image. But I'll wait for Saturday. I'll
try to. Almighty God has made the Lord
Jesus Christ the head of the church. He's God and He's man
in likeness of our flesh. Made in
the likeness of sinful flesh. This is our head. God Almighty,
who is one, made like unto us. The Word was with God and the
Word was made flesh. He is the head of the body. We're the body. Almighty God
appointed Him, made Him to be the head of His church. And as
the head of His church, He has all things under His feet for
the sake of His body. for the glory of His name, for
the sake of His body. Now, as I said a minute ago,
everything is under His feet. All of His elect are going to
be saved. They're going to be redeemed.
And it's going to be the honor and praise, the glory of His
grace and mercy. But to everyone left to himself,
Almighty God in justice is going to deal with every unbeliever.
all of the wrath that's going on. I think about this world. It is the most disheartening
thing. I start with myself. To see me, to see the rebellion
in my life. But I hear of all of the disrespect
that goes on in this world today against God Almighty. Here's
what God says concerning the wrath of man. Psalm 76 10, Surely
the wrath of man shall praise thee. Almighty God is going to
take all things All things that He's put under His feet, and
they're going to praise the Lord Jesus Christ. All the wrath of
man shall praise Him, and the remainder of wrath, God's going
to restrain. He's going to allow everything
that pleases Him. He's going to do all things,
allowing men to do just exactly what they want to do, and when
it's enough, He'll restrain the rest of it. It's under His feet. It's to His praise. He may be
pleased to allow the wrath of this world to buffet his people. He allowed Nebuchadnezzar to
do what he did to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He allowed men
during the days of the Lord Jesus Christ to take him and put a
crown of thorns upon him and nail him to the cross. But I'm
telling you, the wrath of man is going to praise him, going
to honor him. For our good and for His glory,
all things are under His feet and He's the head over all things
to the church, which is His body. Verse 23, the fullness of Him
that filleth all in all. Now, the church. There's two things spoken of
in the scripture concerning the church. Number one, this is a
local body. This is a church. And the scriptures
speaks of a local church. There was a church at Ephesus,
a church at Corinth, a church at Thyatira, the church at Katy,
a church at Cottageville, Todd's Road. Individual local churches
of body. This is a church. And within
this church, there are believers. The second way the church is
spoken of is the universal church. A lot of debate on whether or
not the church is universal. There's no doubt about it. The
church is the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now let me tell
you the big difference between the two. In every local assembly,
there is made up of two different kinds of people in every local
assembly, tares and wheat. You remember the story of the
Lord gave a parable about the man that went out and he sowed
the seed in his field and it was wheat. He sowed wheat in
his field. And then someone came while all
the men slept and he sowed tares in the wheat. And then they both
started coming up together and the servant saw and they asked
the master, didn't you sow wheat? Where did these tares come from?
And he gave the explanation of the parable later and he told
me, he said, Satan comes and he sows tares. Every local body
has within the body, it's got tares and wheat. And we don't
know, we don't know who they are. We don't know who they are.
I remember the service asked the master, he said, would you
like for us to go in and start jerking out the tares? He said, no. Leave
them alone. And in the time of harvest, He
said, the tares will be gathered and the wheat will be gathered,
the tares will be thrown out, the wheat will be taken in, leave
them alone. In every local body, there are
two kinds, tares and wheat. But in the universal church,
in the body of Christ, Every person in the body of Christ
is spoken of as being redeemed by the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Every one of them. The Lord Jesus Christ prays for
every one of them. He knows every one of them. Every one of His sheep in the
church universal Every person that the Father gave Him, every
one of them is in His church. This is the one that He loved
and gave Himself for. Every one in the church of the
Lord Jesus Christ, His body, every person, in that body loves
each other. They all love each other. Every
one of them loves each other. Every one of them defends one
another, loves one another, seeks the good of one another, and
fellowships with one another. Every one of them. They all do.
Every one of them do. This is the body of the Lord
Jesus Christ. We are His body. Whenever we
come together, this is a body. This is a body right here. And
this is how the Lord ordained that we would worship. We come
together. This is the body of Christ. Those that are His, He knows. Every person in the body of the
Lord Jesus Christ has the Lord Jesus Christ as his head. Every
regenerated sinner that was eternally chosen in Christ, into his church,
into his body, every one of them in regeneration believes the
same thing. Every one of them, taught of
God, believes that God Almighty chose them from before the foundation
of the world. They believe that. Why? Because
they're all taught of God. They're all taught of God. They're
taught the same thing. They all believe that the Lord
Jesus Christ died for His sheep. They all believe that. You find
a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and if he's in this assembly,
or if he's over the other side of the world, and God Almighty
has called him out of darkness, they believe the same thing.
They believe the gospel of God's grace. And you meet a believer,
and you hear what he has to say concerning the glory of the Lord
Jesus Christ, and I'm telling you, you love him. You're my
brother. You're my sister. We're of the same body. We believe
the same thing. The Spirit of God calls out God's
elect. He calls them out. Why? The Lord
Jesus Christ said, All that the Father giveth me shall come to
me. You're not going to find a believer
that believes that a man has a free will. Why? Because the
Scripture declares that he doesn't. They were born. How? Well, they
weren't born in by blood. Just because my mom and daddy
was a believer doesn't mean that I was going to be a believer.
Not of blood. Not of the will of man. Not of the will of man. Not of the will of the flesh.
I've said before, I want my kids to be saved, but I don't have
the power to impart life. Every believer believes the gospel
of God's grace. They believe, as Paul the Apostle
said in Galatians 1, verse 8, if we are an angel from heaven,
preach any other gospel than that which we've preached unto
you, let him be accursed. Let him be accursed. He hath
put all things unto his feet, and gave him to be the head over
all things to the church. The church. This is a precious,
precious body. This is the body, that's what
the scripture says, which is his body. God forbid that I should do anything
but be praying for you. That's what Samuel said, the
prophet. Samuel said, God forbid that
I should sin against the Lord by not praying for you, calling
your name. Why? Because Christ died for
you. God Almighty that He has eternally
loved you. If you're part of His body, the
church, and that's the body I want to be part of. I'm so thankful
that God put me at Katie Baptist Church. I'm so thankful. Thankful
for God's people. But I'm going to tell you something.
The body that I want to be associated with eternally is the church. His church. His body. His beloved,
the one He loved, the one He died for, the one the scripture
Acts 2.28 says that the church of God, that God by His own blood
has redeemed. God Almighty has a people. And Almighty God has given the
people to the Lord Jesus Christ. They are His body and He's the
head. And the Lord said, by this, every
man's gonna know you're my disciple. You love each other. That's how
you know it. There's a sign. By this, every
man's gonna know you love each other. Pray for one another. Pray for each other. Lift each
other up. Be kind one to another. Tenderhearted. forgiving one another as God,
for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. This assembly right here,
Lord willing, first this next year, it's going to be the 60th
anniversary of this assembly. God Almighty has raised up a
local assembly And within this local assembly, there's those
that are part of the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank
God for his mercy to allow the gospel to be preached here and
for raising up a portion of his body. God made him the head over
his body and called him out, gave him a heart for him. He
loved him. Love one another, for Christ's
sake.