David penned those words over
3,000 years ago in Psalm 51. And while I was listening to
that, I was thinking how real this is. I'm saying the same
thing. Cast me not away from thy presence,
O Lord. Turn back to Ephesians chapter
one, and tonight we're going to observe the Lord's table together.
Ephesians chapter one, I've entitled this message, What
Friends Do. What friends do. Verse nine, having made known
unto us. That's what friends do. Abraham was called the friend
of God on three different occasions. Now, what could be more glorious
than having the living God deem you his friend? I don't know of anything more
glorious than that. For God, the living God, the
creator of the universe, to deem me his friend. Now, what do friends do? They
make themselves known one to another. If somebody's your friend, you
can bear your heart to them. You can let them know what's
most important to you. That's what friends do. They
make themselves known. They're open to one another.
They don't have to guard their words around one another. They
don't have to worry about what's being said being used against
them. They know that they can say something
wrong and their friends love them anyway. That's what friends
do. They make themselves known to
one another and they love one another. What a blessing it is
to have a friend. Turn with me to Genesis chapter
18 for just a moment. Verse 17. And the Lord said, shall I hide
from Abraham that thing which I do? You see, you don't do that with
friends, do you? And the Lord said, shall I hide
from Abraham that thing which I shall do seeing that Abraham
shall surely become a great and mighty nation and all the nations
of the earth shall be blessed in him for I know him. that he
will command his children and his household after him, and
they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment,
that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that thing which he hath
spoken of him." Now that's obviously not talking about national Israel.
That's talking about the spiritual seed, the elect, all of God's
people who will follow the faith of Abraham. But the Lord was
not going to hide that from Abraham because Abraham was his friend. Psalm 25 14 says, the secret
of the Lord, the intimate counsel of the Lord, those which he discloses
himself to. That's what the word means. The
secret of the Lord is within that fear him. This fear of the Lord makes them
afraid to look anywhere but Christ alone. That's what the fear of
God is, faith in Christ. Somebody that doesn't look to
Christ alone has no fear of the living God. But the secret of
the Lord, the intimate counsel of the Lord is with them that
fear him. To them, he'll show his covenant. Turn with me to John chapter
15. Verse 15. Henceforth, John 15, verse 15. Henceforth, I call you not servants. For the servant knoweth not what
his Lord doeth. Now, if somebody is your servant
and you feel no need to explain what you're doing, just do it.
Do it. I don't have to give you a reason.
You're going to do it because you're my servant. But I, for the servant knoweth
not what his Lord doeth, but I've called you friends, and
this is to every believer, for all things that I've heard of
my Father, I've made known unto you. That which is most important
to me, the things which I've heard of my Father, all things,
I have made known unto you. Now with all that in mind, let's
think about this amazing statement Paul makes in verse nine of Ephesians
chapter one, having made known unto us the mystery of his will. Revelation, having made known unto us the mystery of his will. Now, the only way we can know
him is if he is pleased to make himself known to us. Isn't that an amazing thought
that the Lord has made himself known to you? I don't know of anything more
Amazing than that, that the Lord, God of glory, has made himself
known, has disclosed himself, has revealed to any man, me,
I'm amazed, that which is most precious to himself. That's what
frames do. They make themselves known. When the Lord said to his disciples,
whom say men that I am? And they started saying, well,
good thing. Some say you're John the Baptist
or Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Whom say ye that I am? Thou art
the Christ, replied Peter, the son of the living God. The Lord
said, blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah. Flesh and blood didn't
reveal that to me. but my Father, which is in heaven. I thank thee, O Father, Lord
of heaven and earth, because you've hid these things. You've
done this. You've hid these things from the wise and the prudent
and revealed them. Revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed
good in thy sight, Paul said, when it pleased God, who separated
me from my mother's womb and called me by His grace to reveal,
to reveal, to make known His Son in me. Now, you will only
make yourself known to people that you can trust. Isn't that
so? You're not going to make known
the thoughts of your heart to somebody that you can't trust,
somebody that could use that information in a wrong way. You
only make yourself known. to people you can trust and confide
in. And that's what the Lord has
done with every one of His people. He's made them people He can
entrust that which is most precious to Himself and make it known
to them. He's caused them to be faithful. He's caused them to believe and
to receive what He says. Now, what a privilege, I repeat,
what a privilege for him to make you or me his friend, the friend
of God, where he can confide in me and entrust that which
is most precious to himself to me. Now that's what this thing
of revelation is. He gives you a new heart to receive
it and he makes himself known. Now, why is it that you believe
and somebody else doesn't? Because he's not made himself
known to them the way he has to you. They're not part of that us.
When he says, having made himself known unto us, the us of Romans
8 31, if God be for us. Who can be against us? But what
a blessed, blessed privilege to have God make himself known
to you. And if he has made himself known,
your heart cry is old to brace. How great a debtor daily I'm
constrained to be. Now notice in our text, having
made known unto us the mystery the mystery of his will. Now, a mystery is that which
could never have been known had not God made it known. The word is not like a murder
mystery, whodunit, Agatha Christie or the Hardy Boys or any of those
mysteries you're trying to figure out, whodunit. No, it's not like
that at all. A mystery in the scripture is
a transcendent, glorious truth that is beyond intellectual comprehension. You could never say regarding
the mysteries of the scripture, I got them down. I understand
them. The mystery of the Trinity. One
God in three distinct persons. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Somebody says, I comprehend that.
No, you don't. You believe it. You believe it,
but you don't comprehend it. What about the mystery of the
believer's eternal union with the Lord Jesus Christ? How I've
always been united to him. And God has never looked at me
independently of the Lord Jesus Christ. Mystery. I don't understand it, but I
believe it. The mystery of eternity. God does not dwell in time. He's
not bound by space or time the way you and I are. He's not bound
to see what's going to happen at a sequence of events. All
things are in the eternal now to him. Do I understand that? Not even vaguely, but I believe
it. If somebody says they understand
these mysteries, all they prove is what a big fool they are for
even saying something like that. These are mysteries that we believe. And while we are painfully aware
that we don't understand these mysteries, we believe them and
we know them. I love what the Lord said to
his disciples, it's given to you to know the mysteries of
the kingdom, but to them, it is not given. Now, if it's given
to you, he gave something to you that he didn't give to everybody
else. What are you going to say? Well, how could that be fair
or amazing grace? Why would he do that for me? When we preach the gospel, we
set forth the mysteries of God. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2,
7, we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden
mysteries. Wisdom. Who hid it? God did.
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery. Paul said in 1
Corinthians 4.2, let a man show account of us as stewards of
the mysteries of God. He said in Ephesians 6.19, pray
for me that utterance might be given me that I might open my
mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel. Look at Ephesians chapter three
for a moment. Verse one. For this cause I, Paul, the prisoner
of Jesus Christ. He was writing from a Roman prison,
and he didn't say the prisoner of Rome, but a prisoner of Jesus
Christ. For you Gentiles, If you've heard
of the dispensation of the stewardship of the grace of God, which is
given me to you, word how that by revelation he made known unto
me the mystery. As I wrote afore in a few words,
whereby when you read, you may understand my knowledge and the
mystery of Christ. He made known this mystery to
me and I'm making it known to you. And if you are made to see
this mystery, God's made it known to you just as much as he did
to Paul. Mystery. having made known to
us the mystery of his will. I think it's interesting. The word mystery is used in the
book of Ephesians more than any other book in the Bible. But
look at this mystery he speaks of in verse 32 of chapter five. Now, Paul had been giving instructions
on marriage. And look what he says in verse
32. This is a great mystery. But I speak concerning Christ
and the church. Now he'd been speaking of marriage.
Look in verse 25. Husbands, love your wives even
as Christ also loved the church. and gave himself forth that he
might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by
the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church,
not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should
be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives
as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth
himself. No man ever yet hated his own
flesh, but nourishes it and cherishes it even as the Lord the church
For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall
be joined unto his wife, and they too shall be one flesh. Now this is a great mystery,
and here's what I'm talking about. When I'm talking about marriage,
I'm talking about Christ and the church. Both he that sanctifieth Hebrews
2.11, Mitch just read it. Both he that sanctifyeth and
they who are sanctified are all of one. Now this is the truth concerning
Christ and the church. Eternally united. How close is this union? Well,
the Lord gives us the closest illustration And I don't even
know that it's well, yes, it's a great illustration because
the Lord gave it. I don't know whether it's possible to to give
the reality of this, but he gave the illustration of the vine
and the branches. I'm the vine. You are the branches. The same stem that runs through
the vine runs through the branches. And there's no connecting point. No connecting point. How real
is this union? Well, how really did he truly
take my sin and make it his own? My sin became his sin so that
he became guilty of that sin. And that's why the Lord killed
him on Calvary Street. That's how real this union is.
How real is this union? I am made the very righteousness
of God in him. How real is this union? Do I
understand this? How I've always been in Christ?
No, not at all. Do I believe it with all my heart
and with all my soul? And there's no truth of the scripture
that's understood apart from this thing of union with Christ.
Why did God choose me? Because I was in Christ. Why
did God love me? Because I was in Christ. Why
does God save me? Because I'm in Christ. Why does
God preserve me? Because I'm united to his son.
That's why. Oh, what a glorious mystery. Union with the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, when we're baptized,
all we're talking about is union with Christ. When he lived, I
lived. When he died, I died. When he was raised, I was raised. How close is this union? 1 John
4, 17 says, as he is. So are we in this world. Now, this is how close this union
is. However holy he is, however pleasing
to God he is, however beautiful he is to his father, that is
everyone who's united to him. Turn to Colossians 1. Verse 26, even the mystery, there's that
word, something we would never have known had not God made it
known and something that we really can't intellectually grasp. We
can only believe. Even the mystery which hath been
hid from the ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his
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. Now, the mystery
of union with Christ is you in Christ. And here we read of the
mystery of Christ in you, the hope of glory. In John 17, verse 23, the Lord
said, I in them and thou in me, that they be made perfect in
one in us. Paul said in Galatians 2.20,
I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me. And the life that I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me
and gave himself for me. Now, how mysterious. I know this. If I believe, it's
because he's in me. If I live before God, it's because
He's in me. If I exercise true repentance,
it ain't me. It's Him in me. I don't ascribe anything to myself. It's Him in me. Look in 1 Timothy chapter 3. This is talking about deacons,
but look what it describes concerning them. And it's true with regard
to every believer. Holding. Holding with a tight
grip. Holding so you won't let it go
by the grace of God. You realize it's only by the
grace of God you're doing this holding. Oh, you don't have any
question about that. I don't have to convince anybody
of that. Holding the mystery of the faith. in a pure conscience. That's talking about the pure
heart that God has given the new man, the new man in Christ
Jesus, that's who holds the mystery of the faith. Look in Titus chapter
one, we get some idea of what that mystery is. Verse one, Paul, a servant of
God, an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's
elect. the acknowledging, the full recognition
and embracing of the truth, which is after godliness. Now, the mystery of the faith
that we hold on to, the mystery of the fall. I was condemned
in somebody else. The mystery of the cross. I'm
saved in somebody else. All the mysteries of the gospel
that we hold on to. We don't want to let them go
because we find our only hope in the mysteries of the gospel.
Condemned in somebody else, saved in somebody else, God making
a way to be just and justify the ungodly. Turn to 1 Timothy
chapter 3, verse 16. Without controversy, great is
the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the
Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
Now great is this mystery. How infinitely great. God is
manifest in the flesh. Jesus Christ, the second person
of the Blessed Trinity, about 2,000 years ago, actually became
flesh. Became a man. What mystery. And he was justified in the Spirit.
He completed the great work of the justification of his people,
and God the Holy Spirit testified to it. Justified in the Spirit. scene of angels. I love to think
of angels watching him. You know, there's a lot of things
they're probably not much interested in going around this planet,
but here's something they were interested in. Can you imagine
how astonished they were when they saw him in Mary's womb? What is he doing? I'd love to
think of them just watching his childhood in amazement at his
perfections and thinking of his public ministry when he's being
mistreated. Now, but they're, what told us
back from Smytney's people who were mistreating him? How amazed
were they? Wouldn't they beheld him on the
cross? Oh, he was seen of angels. You can be sure that they watched
every second of his life. He was preached into the Gentiles.
You know, it's a mystery that you and I are hearing the gospel
right now. That's a great mystery. That you and I can hear and believe
and rejoice in the gospel. You know, you're getting right
now what many people have never heard. The hearing, the preaching
of the gospel. And then he says, believed on
in the world. This is a great mystery that
I believe. I really do. What I'm preaching to you, I
believe. You're hearing something you believe, and that's a great
mystery of God that you believe. And received up into glory, having
finished the work God gave him to do. Turn to Revelation 1. Verse 20. Now, there was seven candlesticks
and seven stars. And he tells us what this is,
the mystery of the seven stars, which thou sawest in my right
hand and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels
of the seven churches. That's actually talking about
the pastor, the messenger and the seven candlesticks, which
thou sawest are the seven churches. Now, what a mystery this is.
The church. where Christ walks and the pastors through whom
he speaks to his church. That's a mystery, isn't it? That's
a mystery. Look in Revelation 17, verse
five. Well, let's begin reading in
verse 30, verse three. So he carried me away in the
spirit into the wilderness and I saw a woman. sit upon a scarlet-collared
beast full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet collar and
decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden
cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication.
And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery. Babylon the
Great, the mother of harlots, and abominations of the earth. Do you see religion as a great
harlot? Do you see all these man-made
denominations as children of the harlot? You see what very few people
see. He's made this mystery known
to you, and you see religion for what it is, the child of
the great harlot of Babylon. And then in our text, and this
is what I'm gonna spend the last few moments on, having made known
unto us the mystery of His will. Having made known, having revealed,
that's what friends do. Having made known the mystery
of His will. Now, in some senses, knowing
God's will is sovereign is logical. It's logical. It's the only thing
that makes sense. To think of a God who is not
sovereign is illogical. It doesn't even make sense. God is all-powerful. He had to
be all-powerful to create the universe. Nature can see that.
Nature can see that. You don't have to have a revelation
from God to understand that God is all-powerful. And if He's
all-powerful, it's only logical to think that His will is always
done. I never will forget reading Stephen
Hawking on A Brief History of Time. He's a heathen, but he
said this, he said, if there is a God, I hate to tell you
this, but there's no such thing as free will. If there is a God,
His will is always done. And you know, the leper understood
this when he came up to the Lord, he knew who he was. How did he
know? He revealed himself to him. If
you know who the Lord Jesus Christ is, it's because he's revealed
himself to you. He knew the sovereignty of his will when he said, Lord,
if you will, you can make me clean. But then he knew the mystery
of his will when Christ said, I will. Be thou clean. Now here's the mystery of his
will. You know, Multiplied millions read the same Bible you read,
and they've never seen this. They've read over it and just
gone on to the next verse. The Lord said, I came down from
heaven not to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent
me. And this is the Father's will
which has sent me, that of all which He hath given me, I should
lose nothing. but raise it up again at the
last day. And this is the will of Him that
sent me, that everyone that seeth the Son, you see Him as all,
you see He's God. You see Him as all in your salvation. You won't look anywhere else.
And believeth on Him, hath everlasting life. And I'll raise Him up at
the last day. Hebrews 10.10 says, by the witch
will, we are sanctified. every believer by God's will.
He willed it. We are sanctified through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. He's made known to us the mystery
of his will. And why did he do this? We'll
turn back to our text in Ephesians chapter one. Have you ever in your heart thought,
why me? Why me? Why would he make known to me? When you were reading Mitch in
Ephesians chapter two, when the psalmist says, what is man? that thou art mindful of him.
Now, the natural man doesn't think that, does he? We ought
to be mindful of man. God ought to do this. God ought
to do that. But someone that knows who God is and who they
are, they say, what is man that thou art mindful of him? Why
me? Why would he make himself known
to me? Pass others by that are better
than me and make himself known to me? Why? Well, here's the
answer. Having made known unto us the
mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure. That's
why. It was his good pleasure to do
it. Which he had purposed in himself. Himself is why he does all he
does. And here's the big picture, that
in the dispensation, the stewardship, the administration of the fullness
of times, he might gather together in one. Now, the picture is,
things are fragmented now. There's separation. Your sins
have separated you. There's all kinds of separations. And, you know, when the when
the Lord comes where it says there'll be no more sea, that
means no more separation. How many how many times have
you looked out on the ocean and thought, what's on the other
side? What are they doing over there? There's a great separation. But at the end times, he's going
to be gathering together in one all things in Christ. And things
are going to be set perfect once again. There'll be no more sin.
There'll be no more opposition to Christ. All who are gathered
together, they're one in the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn to John 17. Verse 20, neither pray I for these alone,
but for them also, which shall believe on me through their word. Now note that he doesn't say
the ones I hope will end up believing in me. No, they shall believe.
Christ is representing them. They shall believe. No doubt
about this. that they all may be one. This is what Paul was talking
about. As thou, Father, art in me, and
I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the world
may believe that thou hast sent me, and the glory which thou
gavest me I've given them, that they may be one. Even as we are
one, I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect
in one. That the world may know that
thou hast sent me, and has loved them as thou has loved me. Now, one of the scripture, I
told you Ephesians one was the last one, but changed my mind. John chapter five, verse 20. For as the father love of the
son, and showeth him all things that
himself doeth." Now, that's what you think of the friendship between
the father and the son. And the father shows the son
everything. Everything. That's what prince
do. And He will show him greater
works than these that you may marvel. For as the Father raises
up the dead and quickens them and gives them life, even so
the Son quickens, gives life to whom He will. For the Father
judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son, that
all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father.
He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which
has sent me." Here's the Father's will. Everybody's going to honor
my son and they're going to give him equal honor as they do to
me. Now that's what's in God's heart. What's that do for you? What's that do for you? that
God's going to honor his son and that all men are to honor
the son just as they honor the father. Now, listen to me real
carefully. This God is going to meet you
on the ground that you come to him. If you come on the ground of
your own works, he'll meet you there. He'll meet you there, and He'll
give you exactly what you deserve. For you come on the ground of
the Son getting all the honor in your salvation, and none goes
to you. It all goes to Him. He'll meet
you there. He'll meet you on the ground
that you come. Now, right now, by His grace,
I'm coming on the ground of the Son, having all the honor, and
that's the Father's ultimate will. And if He's made that known
to you, you are His friend. Let's pray. Lord, how we're amazed that you
have been pleased to make known to us. The mystery of your will. In the glory of your son. And
that you would count us thy friends, Lord, we. can only give thanks, being amazed at thy grace. Lord, we thank you for the revelation
of thy son, and we ask that we might be shut up to him only. In his name we pray, amen.