went through the book of Galatians,
they kind of gave up when they got to chapter four, because
it was quite hard perhaps to understand and everything. And
I'm not intending in any way to try and go through chapter
four, but there's just one verse that I wanted to point out. which is the theme for today
and the theme is the fullness of God. And the verse is a very
familiar verse in chapter four, verse four of Galatians. But when the fullness of the
time was come, God sent forth his son made of a woman made
under the law. And we had sort of Three points
this morning and three this evening concerning the fullness of God. And this morning we had like
the fullness of God's creation and just one or two examples
were given. But there's so much more that
can be said of the complexity and the detail and the wonder
and the order of creation. It couldn't have evolved, but
it had to be a designer behind it. And then secondly, we had
like the fullness of God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was
fully God and fully man. And what condescension when the
Son of God came into this world and came and lived a perfect
life and then died that excruciating death on that cross for his people. And then thirdly, we had the
fullness of God's attributes and just thinking of attributes
of God and the qualities of God, his love and his wisdom and his
grace and his judgment and his knowledge. You know these things
sort of surpass our minds and our understanding. They're so
wonderful to us. And if we knew all there was
to know about God well God wouldn't be God. So we're thankful that
God is God. But we're thankful for what we
do know. can know of God but the fourth one of my six points
the fourth fullness is the fullness of God's ways and we kind of
sort of intimated that a bit this morning as well so some
of the points will perhaps overlap a bit fullness of God's way. Now 2
Peter 3 8 says, but beloved be not ignorant of this one thing
that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand
years as one day. So time for us is something that's
so important, isn't it? And it dictates very much our
lives, isn't it? We have appointments at a certain
time. We have to get a bus or a train
at a certain time. And our lives are dictated by
time. Yes, I've got a meeting at a
certain time or whatever. I've got to be at work. you know
our lives are dominated by time but we read in Galatians 4.4
there but when the fullness of the time was come so that fullness perhaps says
well eventually or after a long time Maybe, but really to think
of it as at just the right time. You think a fullness of time
is a long time, but no, at just the right time, God sent forth
his son made of a woman made under the law. Now this verse declares that
God the Father sent his son when the time, as I said, had fully
come, the fullness of time. And there were many things occurring
at the time of the first century that, at least by human reasoning,
seemed to make it ideal for Christ to come then. But that's just
from human reasoning. and there's about six things.
Firstly, there was a great anticipation among the Jews of that time that
the Messiah would come. The Roman rule over Israel made
the Jews hungry for the Messiah's coming. Secondly, Rome had unified much
of the world under its government. giving a sense of unity to the
various lands. Also, because the empire was
relatively peaceful, travel was possible, allowing the early
Christians to spread the gospel. Such freedom to travel would
have been impossible in other eras. And God willing, next week
at Market Street at Helsham, I'm sort of going to God-willing
speak on Paul's third missionary journey. I've done a summary
of the first and the second there, but I haven't done the third
yet. So I thought I'd wait until the new year and do that. And so there was a lot of travel,
wasn't there? You know, Paul and his companions,
they would travel a lot. Despite the fact they weren't
in cars in those days, they would travel a lot, wouldn't they? So there was the opportunity
of travel. And thirdly, while Rome had conquered
militarily, Greece had conquered culturally. A common form of
the Greek language, different from classical Greek, was a trade
language and was spoken throughout the empire, making it possible
to communicate the gospel to many different people groups
through one common language. Fourthly, the fact that the many
false idols had failed to give them victory over the Roman conquerors
caused many to abandon the worship of those idols. There was a lot
of idolatry, of course, we read that particularly like in Acts. At the same time, in the more
cultured cities, the Greek philosophy and science of the time left
others spiritually empty in the same way that the atheism of
communist governments leaves a spiritual void today. Fifthly, the mystery religions
of the time emphasised the saviour God and required worshippers
to offer blood sacrifices, thus making the Gospel of Christ,
which involved one ultimate sacrifice, believable to them. The Greeks also believed in the
immortality of the soul, but not the body. And sixthly, the
Roman army recruited soldiers from among the provinces, introducing
these men to Roman culture and to ideas such as the gospel that
had not reached those outlying provinces yet. So those are six
reasons I got them. I think it was got questions
or something. I didn't make, I didn't kind of, made that up or I got it from
that particular useful website. But those are some human reasoning,
human reasons why it was a good time for Christ to come then. But as as I've said this morning
and I'll say again about the Lord's ways they're not our ways
and his timings are not our timings and and so we have to factor
in isn't it you know this is God's work it's not about it's
not dictated by what's going on in the world either at that
time or now So these above, these statements
that I've read, they speculate about why that
was a particular time in history, a good time for Christ to come.
But let's remember God's ways are not our ways. And that's good, isn't it? And
that's sort of thinking today, isn't it? Thinking today of all
that's going on in the world and thinking about the Lord's
return. We don't know when the Lord will
come back again. But, you know, there's all these things
going on in the world and we are living in the last days,
but they've been going on for quite a long time and they might
still go on for quite a while yet. But the people say, well,
because this is happening, it's not long now until the law will
come back, because this is happening, and this is happening, and so
on. I'm sure we hear all these things. And I have a very simplistic
view about it all, because people have different views. And that
is, we don't know when the law is going to come again. And nor
do we know when he's going to call us, when the number of our
days upon the earth are over. So the important thing is, are
we ready? That's the question that we should,
are we ready to meet the Lord? Whether it's tomorrow or whether
it's 10 years time or 20 years time or whenever. Are we ready? Now from the context of Galatians
3 and 4 it is evident that God sought to lay a foundation through
the Jewish law that would prepare for the coming of the Messiah. The law was meant to help people
understand the depth of their sinfulness in that they were
incapable of keeping the law. That's so, isn't it? We can't keep the law. And we fail miserably, don't
we? It's our schoolmaster that we
read of. That's in chapter 3 in verse
25. And Paul's arguments. really in this book is the law
and grace and the law and the gospel. So the law was meant to help
people understand the depth of their sinfulness so that they
might more readily accept the cure for that sin
through Jesus the Messiah. The law was also put in place
to lead people to Jesus as a Messiah. And of course, we have, don't
we, the Old Testament scriptures and the prophecies. And the Old
Testament is wonderful because it speaks so much about the Lord,
doesn't it? The Lord Jesus Christ in a latent
sort of way. But it's wonderful how we see
much of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. We don't
just read about the Lord in the Gospels and that's sort of it. No, Christ is in all the scriptures,
right from Genesis all the way through to Revelation. And it's wonderful, isn't it,
to read of the sacrificial system to
read of certain characters in the scriptures and to finger and to read of certain
events that happen and they point to Christ don't they and they
point so much to the Lord Jesus Christ And just think of the
willingness of Abraham to offer up Isaac. And then you think
of the Passover and the character of Joseph.
I love the character of Joseph. And there's so much of a parallel
between Joseph and the Lord Jesus Christ. I think it was I think
it was, I don't know if it was Royal or Pink, I think it was
Arthur Pink who sort of did a comparison between Joseph and the Lord Jesus
Christ. And he came up with about a hundred
different sort of parallels between them. So it's tremendous, isn't
it, to think of these things. And it's a joy to read the Old
Testament. And somebody I heard recently
preaching elsewhere saying there's two words in in the Bible that should be taken
out and I think and he meant we're in the middle and that
is like New Testament because he said it's all one book isn't
it is I know it We read it and get his idea in a way. Yes, it's all, the whole, it's
not the Old Testament is about someone else or something else
and the New Testament is about something else. No, it's all
about Christ, isn't it? The whole of scripture. So there's a wonderful fullness
of God's ways and the timing there. And when we just think
of our own lives and the way that God works in our lives too. And I mentioned this morning
that verse in Jeremiah. about there how the Lord working
things to an expected end for us. His ways, the Lord is, the
Lord Jesus said that he is the way, not one of several ways,
he is the way. And may it be that we are walking
in his way, the way, the truth and the life. The fifth, fullness. Again, they sort of overlap a
little bit. But this is the fullness of God's
bounty. We have sort of attributes. It's
kind of following on a little bit from that. The fullness of God's bounty. John 1.16 says, and of his fullness
have all we received and grace for grace. And there is a generosity, isn't
there, about God? He gives grace upon grace. And the mercies that he gives,
and we read often in the scriptures about the mercies that God gives,
that they endure forever. And they're tender mercies, and
they're new every morning. not as though we have leftovers
from a previous day no, they're new every morning and Psalm 68, 19 said blessed
be the Lord who daily loatheth us with benefits even the God
of our salvation Selah and Selah is often in scriptures and don't ignore the word sila it
means sort of pause think of that and so many times that you
know we're reading a verse and then there is a sila and then
it's good to stop and just think about the words before it yeah
let's think of that let's pause and consider the greatness of
that So blessed be the Lord who daily
loatheth us with benefits. We read that as our days so shall
our strength be. And the Lord's Prayer says in
Matthew about the Lord giving us today our daily bread. and we can say that today and
say that tomorrow give us this day our daily bread and our God
who doesn't change will give and he will give and he will
give again and there's a hymn that speaks
about he gives more grace when the trials are stronger or harder. I can't exactly remember all
the words of that particular hymn but he giveth more grace
and There are times in life when we are particularly tried, going
through difficult times. But the Lord in those times can
really... I've known it and I'm sure we've
known it. Those tough times have been some
of our best times. because we've experienced something
of the abundant grace and mercy and help of God. Though he is
with us all the time to help us, these particular times, they
were tough times, but they were particularly blessed times. And, you know, one or two times
in the past when I sort of didn't have any, didn't have any work,
particularly when I was living in Portsmouth and things were
a bit difficult. And yet I look back to those
times and say, well, actually, they were, spiritually, they
were some of my best times, because really I was at the end of myself.
I didn't have any money, I didn't have a job. But I knew the Lord. I had the
Lord and he didn't let me go or fail me. So there's a there's a there's
a bounty, isn't it? God gives richly out of his riches
and according to not just out of his riches, but according
to his riches in glory he gives. You know, he's a generous God
indeed that we have and he knows what we need even before we ask or even if
we don't ask. He knows our needs. He knows all about us. And we
bless God that he does for he made us. We're fearfully and
wonderfully made. I mentioned this morning about
our blood vessels in an adult. The amount of miles you strung
them all together, the amount of miles that they would go on
for, staggering, isn't it, to think of that. And it's just
incredible, isn't it, to think of the makeup of the human body. And I guess if you were like
a brain surgeon, I mean, I guess you've got to be very, very clever
to be a brain surgeon. The complexities of the brain,
let alone other parts of the body. Incredible, isn't it, to consider
the greatness of God. So he's an abundant God giving
abundantly above all that we ask or think, which was in our reading, I believe,
this morning from Ephesians. And then sixthly, we have the
fullness of God's purpose. And just one or two scriptures
here. 1 Peter 1, 18 to 21 says, for as
much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible
things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received
by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, who
verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world,
but was manifest in these last times for you, who by him do
believe in God that raised him up from the dead gave him glory
that your faith and hope might be in God. So the purpose of God to redeem
people You know, it was when God created
the world, it was the first place, it was perfect, wonderful. And
then Adam and Eve fell. But then the purpose of God wasn't,
and it wasn't, it wasn't as a reaction to Adam and Eve falling. It was
before then God planned to save men and women from their sins. foreordained before the foundation
of the world. That was in the plan of God and
also the plan of God included in saving his people chosen before
the foundation of the world. And the Lord Jesus came into
the world, he lived and he died but then he rose again didn't
he and gave him glory and he's in glory now and will come again
won't he one day say we don't know when but it will be in great
glory won't come in humility but in great glory And everyone
will see it. Everyone will be made to bow
before the Lord, whether they want to or not. Every knee shall
bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. And in Ephesians 1, we have some
lovely verses. What is the exceeding greatness
of his power, verse 19. What is the exceeding greatness
of his power to us would we believe according to the working of his
mighty power, which he brought in Christ when he raised him
from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly
places, far above all principality, power, might, and dominion. and
every name that is named, not only in this world, but also
in that which is to come. And have put all things under
his feet, 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. So there's a fullness about the
church. The Lord will build his church. And when all those of his people are saved
well that then will bring the end and then we shall all be
forever then with the Lord. But the Lord will build his church
and is building his church and sometimes we get a bit discouraged
when we think oh there's not very many go into that church or that church
is closed. And we've been aware of churches
like that in recent times. It can be a bit discouraging,
can't it? But the Lord is building his
church and none of his people shall ever be lost. And God's purposes, you know,
will be fulfilled and nothing can stop it. And all that happened to the
Lord Jesus Christ was exactly according to scripture, wasn't
it? All the suffering and everything that he went through. It wasn't
as though it caught God out. And it wasn't as though God wasn't
expecting that to happen. No, the Lord was in control of
it all. And so it is perhaps a comfort
to us in our lives to know that God, may we know that the Lord
in control of our lives and all that happens in our own personal
lives. And it's wonderful, isn't it?
All the scriptures concerning the Lord and some of them are
quite, quite finite detail, and yet they've been wonderfully
fulfilled. particularly those concerning
obviously the Lord and his life and his death and his sufferings. And then sort of just finally
in 2 Peter chapter 3 we read and sort of quoted the start
of these verses before this evening, but beloved, be not ignorant
of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand
years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack
concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering
to usward, not willing that any should perish, that all should
come to repentance, and none of his people will. None will
be lost. And it's not for us to worry
about who are elect or not. But the thing for us is to realise
our need. We need a saviour. We're sinners
and we need a saviour. And then to call upon the Lord.
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night
in which the heaven shall pass away with a great noise And the
elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also and the
works that are in shall be burned up. There's a lot of talk about global
warming today, isn't there? And that will be global warming
on an amazing scale when the Lord comes again and this happens. And what then does it go on to
say? seeing then that all these things
shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in
all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto
the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on
fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat. Nevertheless, we according to his promise look for new heavens
and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. So may we, with
all that's going on in the world, may we seek the Lord, may we
know that the Lord is the only Savior, and may it
be that we know him as our Savior, and it's all his work, isn't
it, to save. It's not us sort of doing things
to sort of help our case or for us doing
things, contribute to my salvation in this or if I do this, that
will get me into heaven or something like that. None of that. It's
all the work of God, isn't it? And as I said earlier, we just
need to realise our need of Christ, that we are sinners and that
our only hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ and may we be helped
to live godly lives in these days. So God is in control, God has
his own timetable and his ways are perfect, his ways are best
and then we are the Lords then we will be forever with the Lord. And just a final verse that mentions
about fullness is Psalm 16, verse 11. Thou will
show me the path of life in thy presence is fullness of joy. At thy right hand there are pleasures
for evermore. So eternal pleasures for the
people of God and then joy in the presence of God then. But
we can know something, can't we, now of the joy? It's not obviously fulfilled
completely now, but may it be that we know something of the
joy of the Lord. in our hearts now. May we be
happy people as Christians and despite what perhaps is happening
in the world and in our lives, may we know the joy of the Lord.
Yeah, I'm somebody who's forgiven. I'm somebody who won't be going
to hell, I'll be going to heaven by the grace of God. I'm going
through this tough time but God is with me and he's strengthening
me and he will see me through and so may we encourage ourselves
with these things and have confidence in our God in whom there is great
fullness in so many ways or we can't Words fail to try and elaborate
on the fullness of God because we just can't. But may it be
that we know the Lord and know more and more of him as our life
goes by, that we want to know more of Jesus. More of Jesus
would I know. I think there's a children's
hymn or something with those words. More and more about Jesus
would I know. and may that be our desire that
we may know more about the Lord and if we don't know him for
ourselves as our saviour that perhaps even this night we might
but may if we are the Lord's may our desire be that we know
more and more of the joy of the Lord and be helped to serve him
in our days and trust him for all that's to come and praise
him too for all that has passed. May the Lord bless these few
thoughts to our hearts and help us in the coming days And may
indeed we know that enablance from our great full God, God
of great fullness. Amen. closing hymn. This service is
hymn number 583. O my soul, admire and wonder,
Jesus lived and died for thee. He has broke the bands asunder,
and from bondage set thee free. Sweet deliverance, Jesus Christ
has wrought for me. Hymn number 583, the tune 682.
? My soul adore and wonder ? ?
Jesus lived and died for thee ? ? He has broke the bands of
thunder ? ? And from bondage set thee free ? ? Sweet deliverance,
sweet deliverance ? did live and liked it were, but
the God of my salvation died to save my soul from her. Precious Savior, Precious Savior,
let me ever with thee dwell. And as I should be neglected,
Dominant is gracious God. Aid all churches, aid all churches,
Then and for the time to come. ? I want to see his glory ? ? And
with all the saints above ? ? Sing and tell the pleasing story ?
? In the highest strains of love ? ? And forever and forevermore
? Now unto him that is able to
do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according
to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the
church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.