Open your Bibles to the first
chapter of Ephesians. Mark your spot. If you'd like,
you can stop at Romans 9 and mark that too. Put a little envelope
or something in there, because we're going to go back and forth
between these two books. The God of Scriptures is a God
of purpose. That simply means that nothing
is done by chance. There's no such thing as luck.
Things don't just happen. All things have a purpose. And all things are under the
sovereign control of Him who works everything, everything,
everything, according to His own counsel. Are you with me
in Ephesians? Look at verse 11 of chapter 1. In whom, speaking of Christ as
it is mentioned in verse 10, in whom also we have obtained
an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. This will be our subject for
today's message, the purpose of Him. In the world today, as
it has been for years past, men believe that they rule their
own destiny. If you will only take charge of your position,
if you will only stop doing this or doing that. In many of the
churches today, people quit drinking and they think, oh, I'm saved,
I quit drinking. That's not necessarily true. Not if it was you who quit drinking. If you'll only take charge of
your life, if you can only be whatever you wish, accomplish
whatever your heart desires, become the greatness that is
in you. Have you ever heard that phrase? Become the greatness
that is in you? And most certainly, these statements can be a real
encouragement. We don't want to preach that
you sit back and do nothing. Do all that God has given you
the ability to do and do it for the glory of God. Most certainly these statements
can be an encouragement to reach for more than just mediocre status. Reach for the stars as they might
say. It is true to be great you must
reach for it. Rarely does greatness fall in
one's lap. But this greatness that we speak
of is only a greatness of this world. A greatness of the flesh. And what is the destiny of flesh?
Well, if you read 1 Peter 1.24, it says, for all flesh is as
grass, and all the glory of man is as the flower of grass. You
see, the grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away.
Isn't that what happens? Everything gets real green, flowers
pop up. I love it when the California
poppies come up. Isn't that just one of God's beautiful creations
right there? But eventually, those poppies
will dry up and die, just like everything else, huh? Well, that's
the glory of man. That's the greatness of men.
Surely, there are those, very few, we might consider great
in whatever it is they've done. Some say George Washington was
a great man. And maybe he was. It would seem,
being one of the leaders of this country in the beginning, he
wasn't a pretty great man. And his name goes on, doesn't
it? But what we really know about him hasn't traveled very far
at all, has it? We know what he did as a leader,
but as a person, we really don't know. So all of whatever he was
has really kind of faded away and dropped off, just like the
flower has in it. What is the destiny of flesh
but to turn to dust, to return to what it was made of? From
dust you have come, from dust you shall return. Mark your place
right here for a moment, if you would, and turn over to the book
of Romans, chapter 9. Flesh will burn up in the brightness
of His glory, it says in Scripture. He will come as a flaming fire,
taking vengeance on the wicked, for all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. All have earned eternal damnation. All deserve the wrath of God. Yet He who rules all things has
purposed to save a people unto Himself. Before a star ever twinkled
in the sky, God the Father gave God the Son of people chosen
to be vessels of honor, vessels of mercy. Not for what they would
do, but what for the Son of the living God would do. God chose
a people unto Himself. Are you with me in Romans 9?
Look at verse 11 if you would, we'll start there. For the children
being not yet born, that means these two young kids weren't
even born yet, neither having done any good
or evil before they could ever even have done anything. They
hadn't even been formed in the womb yet. That the purpose of God, according to election,
might stand not of works, but of him that calleth. You cannot
deny election in scripture. That is undeniable truth right
there. It just blows my mind that people
will read that and still think that they have a will that they
need to walk down the aisle and exercise in order to be saved. That the purpose of God, according
to election, might stand not of works but
of him that calleth, verse 12, it was said unto her, Elder shall
serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? God forbid! How dare you! Our Lord is perfect in every
way, in everything that He does. He has purposed this very thing,
that two children, before they were even born, that He would
love one and hate the other, just as He has purposed to love
each and every one of His people before the world began. That's
why the scripture refers to Him as the Lamb slain before the
foundation of the world. How could God call His Son, the
Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, if He hadn't already
purposed for Him to come and die for a people? It was purposed
before the world was ever made. His love for each and every one
of His children throughout time was purposed, and that means
through time they will be called according to His purpose at the
exact perfect time that He wanted them to be called. I was 40 years
old when the Lord first opened my ears to hear the gospel preached.
If you'd have seen me before then, you'd probably look at
me now and still wonder, you know, is that guy saved? But
if you'd have seen me then, you'd really know. Lord knows exactly the perfect
time when to call his people, when to make known the riches
of his glory. Verse 14, what shall we say then?
Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid, for he saith
to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. And I
will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then
it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but
of God that showeth mercy. For the scripture saith unto
Pharaoh, even for this same purpose, God's purpose. Don't let us miss
this, folks. The sons of Esau are purposed. Egypt was purposed. God raised
them up so that He could destroy them and show the world that
this is my people and I have delivered them from their sins
perfectly. I cannot fail, the Lord says. Even for this same purpose have
I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that
my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardeneth. Thou wilt
say then unto me, why didst thou yet found fault? For who hath
resisted his will? Nay, but, O man, who art thou
that replyest against God? Who are you to say, Why would
God make me thus? Shall the thing formed say to
him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the
potter power over the clay, The same lump to make one vessel
unto honour, And another unto dishonour? What if, what if,
what if God willing to show his wrath and to make his power known
endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to
destruction, did you catch that? Fitted to destruction that he
might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy
which he hath afore prepared unto glory. Even us, we are called
not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles, aforeprepared. Verse 23 tells us what the purpose
of him is. And that he might make known
the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy. We cry out,
thank You, O Lord. Praise the Lord for showing Your
mercy to me, for being merciful to me, because we know that we
don't deserve any of it. We have seen what our flesh is
to God. God has revealed the fact that
we are nothing but sin from the top of our heads to the bottom
of our toes. We are as Job was, covered, covered
with boils. The nastiness of sin. So much so that a perfect God
cannot even look upon us. Yet the Lord Jesus Christ shed
His blood for us. He purposed to make known the riches of His
glory. Now, we'll come back to Romans here in a moment. Go back
to Ephesians chapter 1 if you would please. As we read in verse
21 of Romans 9, the potter forms a vessel as it pleases him. Those
that he has purposed to be merciful to and those who he has purposed
to harden, he also hardens. He even gives warnings to be
watchful of some. Some who were predestined to
come into the church, to come into his people. and turn His
Word into evil, lasciviousness. In Jude 1.4, you don't need to
turn there, but it says, For there are certain men who crept
in unawares, who were before of old ordained. That's the same
thing. Purposed. Planned. Ordained to that condemnation. Ungodly men turning the grace
of God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God and
our Lord Jesus Christ. That's what free will does. That's
what saying God loves everybody. He's just waiting for you. That's
what that is. It's turning the blood of God
into lasciviousness. It's saying it's not worth anything.
I was mentioning that in the Bible study this morning. The sons of Esau are purposed
to serve the sons of Jacob. I know I use that a lot, Mike.
It's your fault. It's good stuff. The God of Purpose determined
before the world was to save his sheep, to call them from
the darkness that they were born into, to lift them from the miry
clay that bound them to the flesh, freeing them from the debt of
sin. His purpose is eternal. Look
over at verse 11 of chapter 3. It's just a couple pages to the
right. Chapter 3, verse 11. What does it say? According to
the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus, our
Lord. It was an eternal purpose. It's
a purpose that's been there from before anything was made, and
it'll be there for as long as anything is. Eternally. God has had one purpose that
whole time, and that is to save a people unto Himself, those
of us who He has loved with an eternal love. We who have been called, called
with an effectual calling, a calling with the power of God, sure to
accomplish its purpose. We have an inheritance laid up
in heaven because of our Savior and what He has done. He humbled
Himself and became flesh, not of the seed of the man, but of
the seed of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost fell upon Mary
and she bear a child, it says. She bear a child, God the Creator,
perfect as He is, walked amongst us, His creation is a man, 100%
man and 100% God. And this was all purpose before
time began. God the Father purposed to send
His Son, His only begotten Son, to be a propitiation, or in other
words, an atonement, a payment for those for whom the Father
had given Him. And His name is Jesus, for He
shall save His people. All that the Father giveth Me,
He says, shall come to Me. And He purposed His Son to die
on the cross, being made a curse for us, that there would be no
condemnation to those who are in Him. He paid the price in
full. Look at verse 4 of chapter 1
in Ephesians. according as He hath chosen us
in Him, speaking of chosen us in Christ, before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
Him. We should be holy and without
blame, right now, because of what Christ has done on the cross,
not because of what we have done, not because of any good works
that we might do, but because of what Christ has done. His
blood was shed effectually. And the purpose of it being shed
was accomplished. No ifs. No buts. No maybes. It is done. It is finished. That blesses me, a sinner, beyond
anything I can tell you in words. I know what I deserve. But I
also know the mercy and grace of my Lord Jesus Christ. in what
He has done for me, in love, in loving, 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, in
whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of
sins, according to the riches of His grace." Remember what
we read back there in number 9? What was His purpose? His
purpose was, and that He might make known the riches of His
glory on the vessels of mercy which He had before prepared
under glory. Vessels of mercy! Do we not see the glory in our
Savior? In His mercifulness to us? We
had to know that we don't deserve it first. We had to know that
it was grace. We had to know that we were chosen
before the foundation of the world to be the recipients of
His grace. Sovereign grace. We stand holy
and blameless before a thrice holy God. We stand on His righteousness
and His alone. All glory belongs to Him. Salvation
is of the Lord. And it was all purposed in Himself. Look at verse 8. wherein he hath
abounded to us 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 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. If it was purposed in Himself,
can anything turn the hand of God? Look at the bulletin. Look at the verse on the front
of today's bulletin, would you? Isaiah 14, 26-27, it says, He
is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth. He's the
Creator. Of course it's His purpose. If
He's all-powerful, and He is, then everything is purposed by
Him, is it not? The sooner we all get that in
our minds, the sooner we all can understand that we can trust
more on Him, even in the days when the clouds are dark around
us, when the storms are overwhelming us, when the hardships of this world
are encircling over us, we can trust in our Lord, because it
was His purpose, and all things are for the good to them that
love Him, to them that are called. He is the purpose that is purposed
upon the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched
out upon all the nations. For the Lord of hosts hath purposed,
and who shall disannul it? And his hand is stretched out,
and who shall turn it back?" If you're trusting in a God this
morning that is waiting for you to make a decision, or to get
baptized, or to walk the aisle, or anything else that your imagination
might come up with to earn your way into heaven, then you are
walking the wide path of destruction. There is only one narrow path. There is only one way into heaven
and that is through the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's according
to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself. My
prayer today is that He might reveal these truths to your heart
this day. For only God can speak to the
hearts of men. And I do pray this so for you
this day. Paul, a preacher of this very
same Gospel, had the same prayer. Look at verse 15. Wherefore I also, after I had
heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love of all the saints,
ceased not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in
my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit
of wisdom, and the revelation and the knowledge of Him. You
notice He didn't say anything about you getting smarter? You
notice He didn't say anything about you stop doing stupid things
in your life? That's what most of the churches
are doing today. It's all about you turning your life around
if you'll just start doing this. Say a prayer and you'll be saved
and then you can start doing the smart thing by going to church
every week. Stop doing those foolish things of drinking and
whatever you might think of it. You put any vice you want in
there. Turn your life around, that's what you'll hear from
the churches. No, this says that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory may give you the spirit of wisdom and
the revelation and the knowledge of Him. The eyes of your understanding
being enlightened, illuminated, opened up. Once I was blind, but now I see. Why? Why? Because of Him. Because of Him. The eyes of your understanding
being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his
calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance
in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power
to usward, who believe according to the working of whose power?
His mighty power. Not according to anything that
you have done. Not according to anything that
I have done. but according to His mighty power, which He wrought
in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and set Him on
His own right hand in the heavenly places. 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, and
hath put all things under His feet and gave Him to be the head
over all things to the church. which is the body, the fullness
of him that filleth all in all. Look back at Romans 9 again,
if you would, please. Beginning at verse 21, hath not
the potter power over the clay? The same lump to make one vessel
unto honor and the other unto dishonor? What if God, willing to show
his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering? Isn't that what God's doing right
now? This is the long-suffering. And
we don't know how much longer it's going to go. For some of
us, it may be the end of today. There is a day coming when the
Lord Jesus is going to return. And that's when His long suffering
will be over. And the glory of God will shine
forever in eternity in heaven. And that He might make known
the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy which He had
afforded, prepared unto glory. Even us, whom he hath called,
not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. Out of every
nation, every tongue, God has a remnant, a portion chosen before
the world was to be saved from their sins. He has loved us with
an everlasting love. Our sin debt is gone. We are
justified in Christ. And if we are in him, can anything
separate us from the love that is in him? That's why we sing,
He is Lord of all. For all things are according
to His will and His purpose. And that makes all things for
the good to them that love Christ and to them that are called.
Does that not bless you? That blesses me greatly because
it's according to His purpose. I remember what my purpose was
and it was a purpose of destruction. I was on the path of destroying
John. And the Lord said, that's not
the one path I want you on. I want you over here, and He
brought me by His purpose to hear His gospel preached. We are saved according to His
purpose and His purpose alone. I'd like to ask you to stand
with me, if you would, please.