If you would, turn over in your
Bibles to Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1, and I want
to read verses 10 through 14. Now if you're thinking, because I
said Ephesians 1 and verse 10, Did I just jumped over all that
predestination and God choosing us before the foundation of the
world? Well, we might go back to that. But Ephesians 1 verse
10, 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, 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. That we should be to the praise
of His glory, who first trusted in Christ, In whom ye also trusted,
after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation. In whom also, after that ye believed,
ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. Which is the
earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchase
possession unto the praise of his glory. Now my introduction is going
to be a little different this week because it actually involves
an English lesson. The one reason why I came to
this was what I'm titling this is In Whom, In Him. Because there's a rule about
using the words who and him. I mean, excuse me, who and whom. And Earl had a tendency to remind
me of this. And whenever I read In Whom,
I do think of Earl Cochran. But I do remember it from an
English teacher some years ago, way too many years ago. And Earl just reminded me of
it from time to time. Because the way you select whether
you use the word who or whom has to do with the subject. the
object and what word you're going to use. Now, if the answer to
the question or the subject is he or she or they, you use the
word who. Like, who is going? Well, the
answer is he is going or she is going or they are going. You use the word who there. Now,
if the answer is him, her, Or them, you use the word whom. So of whom is Paul writing? Paul is writing of him. So whenever Paul writes of whom
or in whom, he's saying in him. And I like that relationship
a lot. Because in him, in Christ and
that's what this means the subject the answer the object is in him
it's in Christ now verse 10 here starts off
with the word that that in the dispensation of the fullness
of times he might gather in one all things in Christ both which
are in heaven and which on Earth even in him Now this word that Is Let us know he is summing
up Or this is the result of what has gone before Which is the
first nine verses of Ephesians? This is the purpose to which
those nine verses were leading Now, I was reading in a book
the other day, and the one man wrote of this verse, he said
this, and I quote, we have in this verse the key to the understanding
of the chief practical purpose of this epistle to the Ephesians. And I can't really say that he's
wrong, because this is written after all spiritual blessings
in Christ. This is written after chosen
us in him before the foundation of the world. This is written
after we should be holy and without blame, having predestinated us
to the placement of sons. I do like that, Walter. The adoption
of sons. Our place by Jesus Christ. according to
his will In whom we have redemption forgiveness of sins made known
the mystery of his will as he purposed according to his good
pleasure Then he says this word that after all that When it pleases God He will gather
together in one all things in Christ And I read that, and I
thought, man, I should have mentioned this last week when I was talking
about Juan. God's plan is absolutely certain. I don't know what's going to
happen next week. I don't know what's going to happen this week.
I don't know what's going to happen next year, although I
still do predict unrest in the Middle East. Sorry, I can't get
away from that. Give me something hard to do,
all right? But I don't know. I don't know. But I do know this. God is going to gather all things
together in one, in Christ. That's certain. That's certain. Now this is not teaching universalism,
as some say. He's going to gather. Everything
that pertaineth to him because it's in Christ now the gathering
is in one Everything that belongs to Christ
is going to be gathered in one and I said last week in one unity
Now this fella pointed out, and I looked at the Greek and he
was right That that word where it says He might gather together in one.
Well, gather together in one is one big Greek verb, one big
Greek word. And at the very beginning of
that word is the word ana, A-N-A. Now, it doesn't say it here,
but it does say it in some other translations. And I'm not throwing
off on the King James, but sometimes you miss some stuff. But this
is gather together. That word ana means again. He is going to reunite all things
together in one. Because before the beginning
of the world, before everything, there was unity. Perfect unity
between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. And we were there
in Christ. Now can you see a little bit
of what this guy was saying? This is where this epistle may
Right it sits here. This is what all Paul is going
to be talking about when he goes after this into One body one
thing one Because God is going to Reunite all that pertaineth
to Christ in one and do that in Christ Man We got something to look
forward to if you believe Christ. We've got something to look forward
to now. I don't know what unity really
is. Not here. I mean, we do the best
we can with what we got. My wife and I agree on most things. That's about as close as I can
get. I mean, that's it. I'm not even
going to bring up work. And I'm not even going to talk
about unbelievers, because he's not talking to unbelievers, and
he's not talking about unbelievers. It's in Christ. And if you're
not in Christ, you're not going to be gathered together in one. There goes saying, oh, he's going
to gather. Well, no, I believe he is going to gather everything
that he wants. I have a saying. that I use when I tell people
at work or other places, I'm going home. Or I want to go home. When I was in Florida, I wanted
to come home. And then people, every now and
then, somebody will look at you trying to be funny and just kind
of joking or whatever. And they say, well, why? Why
do you want to go home? And I look at them. I tell them,
well, all my stuff is there. I try. My wife's there, my dog's
there, my two cats are there. And all my stuff is there. That's
what Christ is going to do. He's going to gather all his
stuff together in one. And that is heaven, earth, all. This earth is gonna pass. It's
gonna pass. It's gonna pass. In a fervent
heat. And the heavens too. And one
day there is going to be, it's written down, I'd say mark it
down, but it's written down here, there's gonna be a new heaven
and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. And I think that's
what Paul's referring to here. And there is going to be, not
should be, not might be, not could be, there is going to be
unity there as there was in the beginning. And guess what? From the beginning, he declared
this. He's declared the end from the
beginning. And this is part of the end. Unity in Christ Jesus. I like that. I like that. Now I do know this one thing
I wanted to bring up because of the word being used. dispensation. That word has been misused and
misapplied and extrapolated to death. They say there are seven major
dispensations. They have the dispensation of
this and that and the law and now we're in the dispensation
of grace and see people were saved different ways in those
dispensations. That's a lie. There's only one
salvation. There's only one way. The way. And if Christ didn't
save you in the Old Testament, you weren't saved. That's it. You're either looking forward
to him or now we're looking back that he came and that he is.
There's only one way of salvation. This word dispensation translates
administration. The administration of the fullness
of times. Guess what? If it's an administration,
somewhere, someplace, there's usually an administrator. And it ain't you. And it ain't
me. And it ain't anybody on this
planet. That's what we call an implication. There is an administrator who
handles the administration of the fullness of times. His name is God. In the fullness of time, he sent
his son made under a woman, made of a woman, made under the law
to redeem those that were under the law. Who is this administrator? He
is. He that is done, has done, is
doing, and shall do all of his good pleasure. He that worketh all things according
to the counsel of his own will. That's the next verse. That's
the administrator. of this administration of the
fullness of time. It's going to happen when God
says it's going to happen. And it's not going to happen
before then. And it's not going to happen after then. That's
what the fullness of time means. That word has implications that
mean like the ship hold, the hold of a ship full of grain
to where you can't put no more in. When that fullness of time
is, This gathering is going to happen. That's all we're waiting
for is his time. Like I said, I don't know what's
going to happen. Peace may break out next week, Mason. I don't
expect it. But it could happen. I'm not in charge of this plan.
I'm not in charge of this purpose. All I know is right now, and
that's only what I will allow myself to watch at CNN or BBC
or something like that. But I do know when the fullness
of time comes, the administrator of those fullness of times is
gonna make this gathering happen. His timing is perfect in everything
that he does. There is a time for every purpose
under the heaven. And this is a purpose of God
as revealed to us by the Apostle Paul. Unity is coming. And it's gonna be a unity of
the faith. And it's gonna be a unity of Christ. It's not gonna
be anywhere else. There is no unity outside of
Christ. I said it last week, I'll say it again, I'll say it
next week. There's only unity in Christ. In Him. God administrates, God dispenses
in time the fullness of time. Christ lived, Christ worked,
Christ walked, Christ preached, and Christ taught in the fullness
of His time. And Christ died in the fullness
of time. According to the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge, God They took him by wicked hands.
I heard Earl say it. I was listening to a tape on
the way up here They took him and their hands were wicked and
they are guilty and we are guilty Because it wasn't only the Jews
that did it it was the Gentiles and that's us and he died for
us We're guilty of so many things. Don't forget this one. The perfect,
holy son of God gave himself in a substitutionary sacrifice. Why that he might gather together
in one. We're guilty, but we're forgiven. In him. In whom? In him. Everything that is to be gathered
together is going to be gathered together in one in Christ Jesus
Well an altar I looked at that and it says in heaven and in
earth Both things that are in heaven and both things that are
in earth. That's pretty much everything That's pretty much
everything what's here and what's above I is going to be gathered together
in one. That excites me. That makes me
happy. It does. Why are these to be
gathered together? A, it was purposed, and B, it's
His plan. And C, you ain't got nothing
to say about it. Just be happy. Just be happy. Be blessed. Because you are blessed
if you are in Christ. To be gathered in one. Christ will gather together all
of his own. Not one is going to be left out.
Not one is going to be extra. But not one is going to be left
out. He shall get he might gather
together in one all things in Christ both which are in heaven
and which are on earth Does it in him? Just in case you weren't
sure who's doing this He's doing it in one in Christ in him That sounds secure to me that
sounds certain to me Well, it's because it is. God said it. He's going to do
it. He has declared this in from the beginning. And his word,
his voice, what he says will never return unto him void. It shall accomplish that to which
I said it. And it's going to. It's going
to. And I think we can rejoice in
that. This is part of the promises
of God that are in Christ, whom we are in. We're in Him. And I said, whom? Whom we are
in. In Him, in Christ, we are blessed
with all spiritual blessings. I think that's just what he said. In Christ Jesus, all of this, all of this, all
of this is in Him and has been promised to His people. Jew or Gentile, bond or free,
rich or poor, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. You're going
to be gathered together in one. In Christ. I think that's worth saying over
and over. I think that's worth rejoicing. It makes me happy. Because I see this world. Yeah. I see this world. I may not be of it, but I'm in
it. And I know you are too. But there's a better world coming. And we have been promised by
the Father, in the Son, and through the Holy Spirit, that we shall
be gathered together in one. And we are going to experience
the unity that was before. That unity that we didn't know
anything about, but we were made a part of in His purpose and
His plan in His Son. And that Christ purchased with
His own blood. We're going to experience this
re-uniting, this gathering together again in one. And I don't know what it's going
to be like, Mason, but I think I'm going to be rather happy
with it. I think I'm going to be pleased. I know I'm going
to be blessed, even more than I'm blessed now, because there
is a fulfillment of the redemption. To it What? The redemption of
the body. That's part of it. But also,
this gathering together again. In one. In Christ. Even in Him. I'm waiting for
it. Our Heavenly Father, thank you
for this time, this place. Lord, you have given us all things.
You have given us life and light and love and educated our ignorance. Give
us understanding in our hearts of your will and your way in
this world and in the world to come a bit. Thank you. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.