Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Ephesians chapter 1, verse 10. Ephesians 1, 10. Ephesians 1,
10 says this, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He
might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which
are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him. Let's pray
together. Our Father, we thank you for
this blessed time. And Lord, we ask would you bless
your word Oh, may the gospel run well this evening. Bless
it to our hearts. Forgive us where we failed you.
For Christ's sake, amen. We've been going through this
first chapter of the book of Ephesians. And oh, how thankful
I am that which the Spirit of God has been pleased to teach
us. The Scripture reveals in verse 3 that God Almighty has
blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ. Now here's the first one that
was mentioned, verse 4. Here's the spiritual blessing
in heavenly places. He chose us in Him before the foundation of the
world. that we should be holy and without blame before Him
in love. God has a people. God has an elect that He has
chosen to show mercy to. And here's the second blessing,
verse 5. He predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according to
the good pleasure of His will. Almighty God was pleased to make
a people, born in Adam but eternally chosen in Christ, to make them
His children, to adopt them, that they would be sons of God. And He did this, verse 6, to
the praise of the glory of His grace wherein He hath made us
accepted. Not acceptable, though we are
in Christ, but that's not what He says. He hath made us accepted. Aren't you glad that it wasn't
left up to you? Accepted in the Beloved. He has abounded toward us in
all wisdom and prudence. The scripture says, having made
known unto us the mystery of His will according to His good
pleasure, which He hath purposed in Himself." Now what I want
to deal with for a few minutes tonight is this great mystery
of His will, according to His good pleasure, which He purposed
in Himself. And here's the mystery. Here's
the mystery revealed. What we just read, that in the
dispensation of the fullness of times, He might gather together
in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and
which are on earth, even in him." Now, to understand what the Spirit
of God is talking about, we're going to step back just a little
bit and come right up to this verse right here. The Scripture
sets forth that Almighty God purposed to show mercy. Now, whenever the Lord made the
heaven and the earth, the heavens and the earth, go back and read
Genesis chapter 1, we could read all the creation. Here's what
the scripture says concerning what God made, summed up in verse
31 of chapter 1 of Genesis, and here's what it says, and God
saw that it was very good. It was very good. John 1.3 says concerning the
Lord Jesus, all things, all varieties were made, were caused by Him
and without Him was not anything or not one thing was made that
was made. This was the creation. Colossians
1.16 says, For by Him were all things created that are in heaven,
that is, wherein dwell the stars and the abode of the angels. All things were created that
are in heaven and that are in the earth, visible and invisible. That is, all things that we can
see and perceive by our senses, and all things that we can't,
like the souls of men. He made all things visible and
invisible. All things were created by Him
and for Him, for His glory. Everything was made. It was very
good. Right here we see the potter.
who hath power over the clay, who of the same lump has the
right to make one vessel unto honor and another vessel unto
dishonor. He made all things for Himself. Everything is made for Him, for
His honor, for His glory, to the praise of the honor of His
grace, to the praise of the honor of His justice. He made all things,
and determined all things, and set the boundaries of all things.
And He was pleased to show mercy to some. And He set them apart,
sanctified them. That is, set apart for His honor. And those that He chose to show
mercy, He did so according to the good pleasure of His will.
Everything that was created was good, very good. But something
happened. Something happened to this very
good creation. Sin entered the world. Scripture says, in death by sin. God Almighty who made man, woman,
created a garden. And in that garden, he placed
the man and the woman. And God's law was set forth. It wasn't written down, but it's
recorded. Here's where it is. The Lord
God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou
mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil thou mayest not eat of it. For in the day that thou
eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. There's the law. Do and live. That's the law. Man ate. And everything that
God had created that was very good was corrupted. Man who before was without sin
and without shame The scripture says in Genesis 2.25, they were
both naked, the man and his wife, they were not ashamed. No sin,
nothing to be ashamed of. But after they ate of the fruit
that God forbid, the scripture says that the eyes of them both
were opened and they knew that they were naked. They sewed fig
leaves together and made themselves aprons. Why? Now they're shamed. Corrupted. Man was guilty. And now that which was very good
has been tainted, polluted by sin. And now something was there
that was never there before. Enmity against God. Genesis chapter 3, I'm going
to read a few verses here. Just turn to Genesis 3 with me
for a second. I'll read two or three verses
here. Genesis chapter 3, verse 11 and
12. I want you to listen now. Here's
the enmity exhibited. Genesis 3, 11 and 12. He said,
Who told thee that thou wast naked as thou eaten of the tree
whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And here's
the enmity. The man said, the woman whom
thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I did
eat. He accused God. Eve accused the devil. Enmity. That enmity now demanded
something that was never there before. First there was enmity,
first there was sin, now there's resentment, enmity, oppression. Here's the next thing, separation. Genesis 3, 23, 24, Therefore
the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden to till the
ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man and he
placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubims and a flaming
sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of
life. Sin separates. Isaiah 59.2 says,
but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and
your sins have hid His face from you that He will not hear. Man deserved separation. He deserved to be cast out from
the presence of God. But Almighty God, even in the
punishment of that which was truly due, sin, remembered mercy. Scripture sets forth even before
God expelled Adam and Eve from the garden, Almighty God did
something for them and a glorious promise was revealed in this
act. The Lord promised to show mercy
to them and to deliver them, to cover them, and the nakedness
of their rebellion against God. He's going to do it in a substitute. The Scripture says in Genesis
3 verse 21, Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God
make coats of skins and clothed them. Oh, behold the beauty of having
the Lord Jesus Christ put on. the glorious robe of His righteousness
to cover our spirits of nakedness before God Almighty. That blood
that was going to have to be shed, God had to kill an animal.
Take that skin and cover them. Send them out. He gave them a
promise. It's going to show mercy. Sin
separates. Sin separated between God and
men and men and men. Separated. Enmity. Scripture
says in Genesis chapter 4, look at verse 8, Cain and Abel, brothers,
Cain talked with Abel, his brother. It came to pass when they were
in the field that Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and
slew him. And therefore God drove Cain
away. Genesis 4 and 14, the scripture
says, Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face
of the earth. From thy face shall I be hid,
and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth. It shall
come to pass that everyone that findeth me shall slay me. Sin entered this world, and death
by sin. It was enmity. And that enmity
demanded separation. God drove him out. Man could not stay in the presence
of God. Man couldn't stay in the presence
of man. Hatred, resentment. And then the scripture says that
man, because of his rebellion, look at Genesis 11. Man was going
to try to unite himself. Man was going to try to put himself
back together. And when man tried to put himself
back together, there still was a problem with sin. And the scripture
says man tried to get together, Genesis 11, 6-9, and what they
were going to do, they were going to build themselves a tower to
God. They were going to reconcile
themselves to God. And here's what the Lord said,
Genesis 11, 6-9, and the Lord said, Behold, the people is one.
They have all one language, and this they began to do, and now
nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined
to do. Go to, let us go down. There
confound their language that they may not understand one another's
speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad
from thence upon the face of all the earth, and they left
off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called
Babel. Because the Lord did there confound the language of all
the earth, and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad
upon the face of all the earth. Man, trying to gather himself
together, is going to still do one thing. He's going to rebel
against God. He has in his mind this thought,
I can reconcile myself back together. And if you want to know why all
of these languages are found throughout the earth, it's because
man is a rebel against God. Every time you hear someone speaking
another language, let that be the first thing we remember.
Man hates God. So God made all of these languages. God separated them again. Separation,
separation, separation. But almighty God again, who is
rich in mercy, for his great love, wherewith he loved his
people, loved us, has eternally purposed that he's gonna save
a people. And there's a people, according
to Revelation 5, 9, that Almighty God, in the glorious person of
his dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, redeemed. out of every kindred and tongue
and people and nation in all of this separation. And here
we're separated because of our rebellion. We're separated because
of sin. And in all of this separation,
throughout all the earth, Almighty God has a people. And the assurance of their salvation
was never left in their hands. Almighty God knows where every
one of them is. And the surety himself, the Lord
Jesus Christ, ever stood according to God's eternal covenant of
grace. And he would answer, and he would
bear their responsibility. That's beautifully set forth. Look at Genesis 43. I love this
passage of scripture. My heart just rejoices every
time I read this. When Judah was talking to his daddy. Judah had a younger brother. His dad, Jacob, loved that boy. You know how Joseph was put away
into Egypt. Joseph knew his brothers. They
didn't know him. He told them, he said, you go
back and you tell your daddy. He did your daddy well. He asked
him, yeah he's well. You got any other brothers? Yeah,
well we got a little one, a small one, Benjamin. And he said, well,
you go get him. You don't bring Benjamin. Your
youngest brother, you don't bring him back. Don't even show up.
Don't even show up. So they tell their daddy, you
know. Oh, how his dad's grieved. He said, oh, I've already lost
one boy. Animal killed him. And here's my youngest. Oh, I
just can't. And here, Judah. Listen to Judah. A beautiful picture of our precious
substitute and surety. In Judah, Genesis 43, verse 8
and 9. Judah and his brethren came to
Joseph's house, but he was yet there, and they fell before him
on the ground. And Joseph, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm in the
wrong chapter. I said 43 and I'm in 44. It's 43. I've got
it written down right. 43 verse 8 and 9, Judah said
unto Israel, Unto Jacob, Israel, God renamed
him his father. Send the lad with me, and we
will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and
thou, and also our little ones. I will be sure to... Now listen
to these beautiful words, and just think, these are the words,
perfectly, of our Lord Jesus Christ. for everyone that the
Father has given him in electing grace. This is our great Judah,
the one who has ever stood, and this is what he says to the Father,
I will be surety for him of my hand. shalt thou require him. If I bring him not unto thee
and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame forever. Oh, you think this is the great
conqueror. This is the mighty God who has
given his word. I will deliver everyone that
has been scattered. If I don't deliver everyone that
you, Father, have given me in that everlasting covenant of
grace, according to your good pleasure to entrust them to me,
you who first trusted in me, if I don't bring them to you,
redeemed, holy, Just, righteous, pure, no spot, no blemish. If I don't bring them to you,
I'll bear the blame forever. They gonna bring us. Now, here's where we get back,
turn back to Ephesians chapter 1. Here's where we're gonna get
to this great mystery revealed. Verses 8 to 10, Ephesians 1,
8 to 10, wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according
to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself, that
in the dispensation... Now listen, that word dispensation
has nothing to do with time. The word does not mean time.
I know we talk about a dispensation like it's a period, you know,
like a period of time. The word means suretyship, stewardship,
the one that sets the house in order, the one who has the responsibility
of making everything happen. Stewardship, a job, a calling,
an assignment. That's what he's talking about.
That word dispensation means the stewardship. That in the
stewardship, in the dispensation of the fullness of times, he
might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which
are in heaven, which are on earth, even in him. The Lord God of
heaven has purposed that all that were scattered because of
sin, because of man's rebellion, those that he chose in the Lord
Jesus Christ and is scattered because of their rebellion. And
that's the reason that they're here and there in every nation,
people, tribe, and tongue. They're scattered around. This
is the reason. Because of their sin, justly,
that's where they are. But here's a great mystery revealed. That according to the stewardship
of the fullness of times, when time shall be no more, He, the
Lord Jesus Christ, is going to gather together in one, in unity. all things in Christ, in heaven
and earth, even Him. This stewardship, it's by Him and for Him. I want you to look at Colossians.
Just turn a few pages over. Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians. Colossians 1, verse 19 to 22. This is a calling. Colossians 1 verse 19 to 22,
For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell. And having made peace through
the blood of His cross by Him, to reconcile all things unto
Himself, by Him I say whether they be things in earth or things
in heaven and you, that were sometime alienated and enemies
in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in
the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and
unblameable and unreprovable in his sight." This is what the
Apostle Paul, that everlasting covenant, Almighty God purposed. I'm going to put them back together.
Listen to this, Galatians 4, 4 and 5, When the fullness of
time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made
under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that
we might receive the adoption of sons. We're scattered because
of our rebellion. Man was ruined in the fall. Man rebelled against God. But
according to God's good pleasure, the Lord Jesus Christ was made
the surety. And he said, I'll answer. And
I'll accomplish the work that you've given me. That's what
he said at Calvary. It's finished. He humbled himself to his father's
will and put away his people's debt. That's what John 10, 15
says, I lay down my life for the sheep. 2 Corinthians, according to that
everlasting covenant of grace, 2 Corinthians 5.21, He hath made
him sin. That's what we considered last
week. He made him to be the one chargeable for missing the mark. Charged him with it. We missed
the mark. We missed the mark. and he made
him chargeable, made him sin, who knew no sin, that we might
be made the righteousness of God in him, paid their debt according to
his good pleasure, and promised that he was going to reconcile
his people. Let me read this to you, Nehemiah. 1 9. Nehemiah 1 9. Listen to this promise. But if you turn unto me and keep
my commandments, let me ask you this, which one would claim that
they're able to do that? Nobody. Nobody. Nobody. No believers going to claim this
right here. The Lord said, if you turn unto me and keep my
commandments, Lord, you turn me, I'll be turned. But Lord,
if you marked iniquity, who could stand? Do you know who answers for this
turning for us? Christ. Christ himself, his faith
counted to us his ability charged to us, his obedience charged
to us. If you turn unto me, and he did
always those things that pleased the father, and we did in him
the same. If you turn unto me and keep
my commandments, he always kept them, always faithful. And here's the one that will
readily admit right now, the most inconsistent, Rebel that
you've ever seen. I cannot not sin. And I realize more and more,
the older I get, the more I realize my inability. I cannot do it. I cannot. I want to. I want to. And I can't. Oh, wretched
man that I am. Let's just be honest about it.
But here's the word. If you turn unto me and keep
my commandments and do them, though there were of you cast
out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather
them from thence and will bring them unto the place that I've
chosen to set my name there. Lord, I can't meet the demands. for
the reconciliation, but he did. Lord, I can't meet the demand
for obedience, but he did. Oh, that I might be found in
him. That's what Paul said. That I
might know him. Lord, I deserve to be scattered
because I'm the rebel. I'm the sinner. I deserve to
be cast out, but Lord, you who have mercy, have mercy on me.
Lord, forgive me. The Lord Jesus Christ who paid
my debt. And now, according to that precious
mystery that's been revealed in the dispensation, in the stewardship
of the Lord Jesus Christ, according to His work, according to His
obedience, in the dispensation of the fullness of time, He might
gather together in one. all things in Christ, He whose
meat, His will to do the will of Him that sent Him. It was
finished. The Lord said, John 17, for I
have glorified Thee on the earth, I finished the work that Thou
gavest Me to do. Listen to this stewardship. This
stewardship is given to God's people. God, listen to this in
Colossians chapter 1, verse 25-27. Listen to this calling. This
is the same word. The Lord Jesus Christ had a calling,
a dispensation. He was the steward of it. Look at Colossians 1, 25-27. Paul the apostle says, whereof
I made a minister. according to the dispensation
of God. That's the same word, according
to the calling of God, the stewardship of God. Paul says, I made a minister
according to God's stewardship, demand for stewardship. Where
have I made a minister according to the dispensation of God which
is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God, even the mystery? which hath been hid from ages
and generations, but now is made manifest to the saints, to 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." This is a glorious revelation. We're scattered all over this
world. because of sin, because of rebellion,
and justly. But Almighty God, who is eternally
purposed to show mercy, is going to gather His people. He's going
to do it under the sound of the gospel. He's going to raise up
a preacher, and He's going to call them out. Christ is going
to be preached. The Spirit of God is going to
bless that message. That message that is the power
of God and salvation. He called you by our gospel.
That's what 2 Thessalonians 2.14 says. Called you by the gospel. And then I want you to listen
to this in closing. Look at James chapter 1 verse
1. Listen to this. Listen to the
sweetness of this. Precious. You know, this book,
this glorious book, this Bible right here, this is God's word
to God's people. God's word to God's people. Now
listen to this. Knowing, knowing the scattering,
knowing what we deserve, knowing where we put, knowing why he
put us there. Listen to this. James 1.1. James,
a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ to the 12 tribes
which are scattered abroad. Listen to this. Greetings. Greetings. Isn't that sweet? Greetings. Just turn over a few
pages there. Peter 1. First Peter 1, verse
1 and 2. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ
to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Asia, Bithynia, all but elect. according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience
and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Listen to this.
Grace unto you, and peace be multiplied. We got exactly what
we deserved. We rebelled against God. And
Almighty God, who is just, Our sins separated between us
and Him. Justly. Scattered us all throughout. But God Almighty, who is rich
in mercy, the scripture sets forth that He's going to gather
together in one. all things in Christ. This is
a great mystery that he told his elect. And here's how he's
going to do it. He's going to do it just like
he's doing it right now. We're going to preach the gospel, and
we're going to believe God. And when it pleases God, he's
going to call his elect out of darkness, and he's going to reveal
this to them, too. And he's going to bring us to
the Father. and he's going to present us
to the Father. He said in Hebrews, he said,
I and the children that you gave me, we're all here. This family, what a precious
promise. Lord, cause these words to burn
within our hearts for Christ's sake, amen.