Now let's turn in our Bible once
again to Ephesians chapter 3. Ephesians chapter 3. Let's read a couple verses here.
For this cause, for this cause, is there not a cause? Is there
not a purpose in what we do in preaching the gospel and ministering
to God's people? For this cause, the cause of
God and truth, the cause of the furtherance of the gospel cause
of God's eternal purpose as he says in verse 11 of this Ephesians
chapter 3 according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in
Christ Jesus our Lord for this cause this cause I Paul the prisoner
of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles prisoner of Jesus Christ for
you Gentiles now the Apostle Paul God's servant, servant of
Christ. He identifies himself throughout
the Scriptures, doesn't he? Paul, the servant of Jesus Christ,
a willing, loving, bond slave of Christ, God's apostle, God's
servant, given these words, inspired of Almighty God. has boldly declared
unto us the glorious mysteries of the gospel of God concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ. How He, in that eternal covenant
of grace, God chose a people. We call that electing love, electing
grace. He wrote about that in chapter
1, didn't He? How God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation. And then He told us about the
glorious work of God the Son. He did redeem and justify His
people with His own blood. Remember, chapter 1, verse 7,
in whom we have redemption, through His blood, the forgiveness of
sins, according to the riches of His grace, were accepted in
a beloved to the praise of the glory of His grace. He's written unto us these mighty
and glorious blessings of the gospel, how all believers in
Christ Jesus are one blessed family. He calls us believers,
one body, one Lord, under one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
He says in chapter 2, verse 19, we're fellow citizens, the household
of God. He says in verse 6, we're fellow
heirs, partakers of the same promise, the same body. Down
in verse 9, he says, We have this fellowship. Fellows in the
same ship in Christ Jesus. Fellows in the same shape. Sinners
saved by God's grace. He's redeemed us by His precious
blood. Called us and quickened and made
us alive in Christ Jesus. You remember chapter 2 verse
1, And you hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and
in sin. He says in verse 3, as I wrote
afore in few words, few words, referring back to what he has
just said, all believers, all believers of all ages, regardless
of station in life, regardless of national heritage, Jew or
Gentile, All one in Christ Jesus Fellows in the same ship They
make up the church of the Lord Jesus Christ his building fitly
framed together Living stones or build up a spiritual house
Put in there and fitted in there by God's purpose and God's grace
Build it together for habitation of God Through the indwelling
of the Holy Spirit as he says there in verse 21 and 22 of chapter
2, in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth, groweth
unto a holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye are also built together
for a habitation of God through the Spirit. He writes to us much
about the grace of God, the redeeming blood of Christ, the effectually
irresistible call of God the Holy Spirit, before he even mentions
his present circumstances of being a prisoner for the gospel
sake. In chapter 3, he begins this
way, "...for this cause I appalled a prisoner of Jesus Christ."
He says a whole lot before he gets around talking about his
particular circumstances and the reason that he's in jail
in Rome for the gospel's sake. Notice how much good news he
declares before he mentions his particular tribulation, as he
mentions there in verse 13, "...wherefore I desire that you faint not at
my trial." for you." He had a trial. Oh, he had many trials, didn't
he? But did you notice here that he doesn't call himself, or he
doesn't refer to himself, he doesn't say, I'm a prisoner of
those barbarians in Rome. If he said that, he'd been right.
But he said, I'm a prisoner of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, he
calls himself this repeatedly. Notice chapter 4, verse 1. He said, I therefore, the prisoner
of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation
wherewith you are called, with all lowliness and meekness and
longsuffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring
to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace, the prisoner
of the Lord. Turn over to chapter 6, he mentions
this at least one more time. He says in verse 19, he said,
you pray for me. chapter 6 verse 19, that utterance
may be given unto me that I may open my mouth boldly to make
known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador
in bonds. Notice the center reference there.
He said in chains. This man was chained. He spent
two years in prison in Rome, chained up in prison But he spent
two whole years preaching the gospel of Christ. For I am an
ambassador in bonds, that therefore I may speak boldly as I ought
to speak. Well, Paul just compromised a
little bit and will let you go. Oh, no. No way. No way. He wasn't about to compromise
for release. He'd rather give his life. And
he did. He did. We don't have a scriptural
record of it, other than the fact that he said in 2 Timothy
4, my departure is at hand. But notice how he refers to it,
he mentions, he doesn't say I'm about to be executed, he says
simply I'm going to depart and to be with the Lord, which is
far better. I've fought a good fight, I've kept the faith. Now,
how different the state between being the prisoner of Christ? You know, that's what believers
are. Believers are a captive to the Lord Jesus Christ. But
how different the state here in Paul's case between being
a prisoner and a captive of Christ, captive to His power, captive
to His grace, than being a prisoner and in bondage to sin and being
enslaved to self-righteousness. That's his case before he met
the Lord, is it not? breathing out slaughter and threatening
against the church, going about to persecute believers, bringing
them before the religious leaders of the day, having them sentenced
to death, and giving his full agreement to it. But now he says, I'm a captive
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Captive of Christ. being translated
out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear
son. How did that happen? Did he just decide one day to
turn over a leaf? Did he just decide one day, well,
you know, I think I'll just reform? Did he decide one day, well,
you know, I've been in this Jews religion, I've been successful
above many of my equals, and I have profited in the Jews religion. Did he one day decide, well,
I think I can be more profitable by following Christ? Oh, no. Remember what we read in Galatians
chapter 1? But when it pleased God who separated me from my
mother's womb and called me by His grace to reveal His Son in
me, He said immediately, I confer not with flesh and blood. The same time, you think about
this. And this is true believers. The same time that Paul was the
Lord's captive, the Lord's prisoner, and at the
same time, the Lord's free man. Now, that seems to be a paradox,
doesn't it? But it's true. Our Lord said, you shall know
the truth and the truth shall set you free. Every believer
in the Lord Jesus Christ is a loving, willing, bond servant to Christ. We're captive at His will, by
His power, by His grace. And at the same time, he set
us free. Free from the bondage of sin,
free from the curse of the law, stand fast therefore in the liberty
with which Christ has set us free. He's in prison indeed at
Rome, but not for crimes against the state. But he says for this
cause, this cause, the cause of God and truth, for preaching
the gospel of Christ to these heathen, that he's paid it, Gentiles
at Ephesus. He taught them as he did everywhere
he went. He taught these former idolaters,
salvation is not in an idol, salvation is in the living God.
He turned these people He turned their heart and their eyes and
their affection. He turned them away from idolatry. And by God's grace and with the
message of the gospel, their eyes and their heart and their
affection were turned to Christ. And that's what happens when
God saves us by His grace. He taught them the freedom of
salvation upon the merit of Christ. upon the sacrifice of the Lord
Jesus Christ alone. How that Christ the Lord Jesus
is the end of the law for righteous to everyone that believe it,
to the Jew and also to the Gentile. And those Judaizers who lived
in that area of Ephesus, they got very, very offended. So did the pagans. When Paul
put down the idol of Diana, and they had that big book burning,
that bomb fire, remember? They brought all them books together
and burned them. The believers did. They brought
all their literature of idolatry and put it in a big pile and
put a match to it. Put a match to it and burned
it up. Well, the pagans got upset, but so did the religious Jews.
They got upset. They stirred up the strife and
wrath of the Jews against Paul. When he said that Christ is the
end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth, they
got upset too. And between the combination of
the pagans getting upset about Paul putting down idolatry and
the Jews getting upset with Paul saying that Christ is the end
of the law, that put him in a bad situation. It put him in a place
of persecution, stirred up strife, wrath. Tell you what, you take
a stand for the truth and dare before this religious world and
this world of idolatry, you stand toe-to-toe with the pagans in
this day and declare the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace
in Christ Jesus, and you'll have a fight on your hands. I think if you can stand and
preach in the community and not be persecuted, you're not preaching
strong enough, bold enough, clear enough. Paul did. Got him in trouble. I want to get in trouble. I want
to so preach Christ so clearly and plainly that this religious
world gets very, very upset. They need to get upset. They
need to be, they need some what they call shock therapy. That's
what they need. They need to know by God's purpose
and grace that they're hiding in a refuge of lies that one
day when the wrath of God comes, it'll overflow that refuge. When
you stand before God in judgment, can you imagine facing Almighty
God in the puny, pitiful, religious experience that this world puts
forth as salvation? Pitiful. It's a pitiful thing.
God help us. God help us to stand for the
truth. In this community, wherever we stand, wherever we live, wherever
we go, take a stand for the gospel and don't back down. Never compromise
and get alone. Never. Now look at verse 2 in
our text. For this cause I, Paul, the prisoner
of Jesus Christ for you, for you, Gentiles. What a blessing. God sent these
pagan idolaters a God sent preacher. The gospel. What a blessing. Pastor Mahan used to make this
statement, and I believe it's true. One of the greatest blessings
that God can give to any community is a God sent, God called preacher
of God's truth. I believe that's so. I believe
that's so, and God sent these people here in Ephesus. Read
Acts chapter 20, how God raised up those elders and how their
heart was knit together when Paul left them to go to Rome. He said, you'll never see my
face again. They wept together. They were
so thankful in their heart that God had sent them a gospel preacher
and God had used that ministry and that word preached to liberate
their soul from paganism, idolatry, and dead works. He'd done the
same for us, has he not? Exactly, that's right. Now look
at verse 2, saying you've heard, and this is the way it reads,
saying you've heard of the stewardship seeing you've heard of the message
that God has given me, the stewardship, the dispensation of the grace
of God, which is given me to you work." These people, as Paul
writes back to these people, he spent three years with these
people. Three years he lived with them.
Three years they were blessed by hearing this man teach the
Word of God, to expound the unsearchable riches of Christ. What a blessing!
they were given. He says, you have acknowledged
that the stewardship of the gospel was given to me by the grace
of God. It was given to me for you, for
your benefit, and for God's glory. What a blessing. What a blessing. He says in verse 8, unto me,
who am less than the least. That's pretty low, isn't it?
That's humility, is it not? Less than the least. He called himself in another
place, the chief of sinners. He called himself in another
place, O wretched man that I am. Unto me who am the last and the
least of all the saints is this grace given. He said, I was made
a minister according to the gift of grace, that I should preach
among the heathen. Preach among the heathen. What
do you preach among the heathen? Do we have one message for the
sophisticated and for the upper class? Do we have another message?
Do we dumb down the gospel to another class? Or do we preach
the same message? No, my friend, it's the same
message. All people need to hear the unsearchable riches of Christ. The unsearchable richness of
His person, He's God, manifest in the flesh. The unsearchable
riches of His Mercy to sinners can exhaust that. We'll look
at this more closely when we get down to verse 8. But the
unsearchable riches. He mentioned this several times
back in chapter 1 of Ephesians. In whom we have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of sin according to the riches of
His grace. The riches of His grace. Now
you expound that for a while. You just work on that for a while.
You just think about that for a while. And then in chapter
2 verse 4 he mentions this, this richness of his mercy. But God
who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved
us. You talk about his grace, his redeeming grace, his electing
grace, his sovereign mercy. And then he says in chapter 3
verse 19, this love of God. this love of God in Christ which
passeth knowledge." Oh, the breadth, the length, the depth, the height
of God's love. Unsearchable. Unsearchable. This great love wherewith He
loved us even when we were dead in sin. He quickened us together
by His grace. These folks acknowledged that
God had given him this gift. that God had given him this message,
that God had given him this grace, this gospel, given to him for
them. God uses means. He uses the means
of the preaching of the gospel to call out his people, to bless
his people. Faith comes by hearing and hearing
by the Word of God. The Apostle said this in 1 Corinthians
4, he said, let a man so account of us as ministers, as the ministers
of Christ, as stewards of the mysteries of God. He's given us this ministry.
He's given us this message. God has given to us, as believers
right now, God has given to us this ministry. Now, I'm going
to shock you here. Every believer of God's grace
is in the ministry. They serve the purpose of God
and Christ somehow, some way. As one old fellow said, we're
to bloom where we're planted. Wherever God plants you, that's
where you ought to bloom. God has given to us this ministry.
God has given to us this ministry. He made us stewards of His gospel. Jude says we're to contend for
the faith that was once delivered unto the saints. Turn over here
to Philippians chapter 1, look at verse 17. Look what he says here. In Philippians
1, 17. But the other of love, knowing
that I am set for the defense of the gospel. I'm set to defend
the gospel. Not that the gospel is weak and
pitiful and needs our defending. But we take a stand and contend
for the gospel. And when it's challenged, we
don't back down. We don't back down. You've heard
of the grace of God, the message of God's grace was given to me,
given to me for you, for your salvation, for your salvation.
And then he mentions something about this in verses 3 and 4,
how that by revelation, how that by revelation, He made known
unto me the mystery, as I wrote a foreign few words, whereby
when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mysteries
of Christ." Now, he mentions that word two times there, mystery,
mystery, the mystery. How? That by revelation. The
gospel was made known to Paul by the sovereign revelation given
unto him. He said, I didn't receive it
of man, I wasn't taught of man, but by the revelation of God,
by the revelation of God. The gospel is a mystery, my friend,
that must be revealed. Eye hath not seen, ear hath not
heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man the things
which God hath prepared for them that love him, that he hath revealed
them unto us by his Spirit. His Spirit searches all things,
yea, the deep things of God. The gospel is often called a
mystery. We've seen this before. Look
back at chapter 1, verse 9. Look at verse 8 and 9, Ephesians
1, 8 and 9. He said, 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
purposed in himself, that in the fullness of time, the dispensation
of time, He might gather together in one all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven and which are on the 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 will, that we should be to the
praise of His glory." The mystery of His will, His redeeming will,
His sovereign will. In Mark chapter 4, don't turn,
let me just quote this to you, in Mark 4 11, Our Lord speaking
to His disciples, He said unto you, it is given to know the
mystery of the kingdom of God. It's given to you to know. It's
the sovereign revelation of God Almighty in the face of Jesus
Christ. The doctrine of the gospel or
the doctrines of the gospel are the mysteries of the kingdom
of heaven. And I jotted down five things. The mystery of the
Trinity of the Godhead. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. These three are one. It's a mystery that must be revealed. You'll never believe it and love
it and trust the God who is God unless He reveals this unto your
heart. Something else, the union of
two natures in Christ Jesus. The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us. And we beheld His glory, the
glory as of the own begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth." It must be revealed. You'll never trust the Lord Jesus
Christ as God, your Savior, until God reveals Christ unto your
heart. The mystery of the two natures
of Christ, totally, fully God, God our Savior, and yet fully
and totally man and one blessed person. The Apostle wrote about
it in 1 Timothy 3.16, he said, without controversy, "...great
is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, justified or vindicated
by the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed
on in the world, and received up into glory. God was manifest
in the flesh." Glorious mystery, but it's true. God must reveal
that to your heart. To your heart. Something else,
this glorious mystery, the saints' union to Christ and communion
with Him. Turn over to Colossians chapter
1. This is a mystery. Christ in you, the hope of glory,
is called a mystery. Look what it says here in Colossians
chapter 1, holy verse 25. Wherefore, I made a minister
according to the dispensation," that's the same word there, stewardship,
stewardship of God, which is given to me for you to fulfill
or to fully preach the Word of God, even the mystery which hath
been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to the
saints. It's now made revealed unto the
saints, manifest to the saints. And notice it's a sovereign revelation
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. That's a glorious
mystery. Glorious mystery. Turn to another
one. Find I Corinthians 15. I Corinthians
15. Here's another glorious mystery. the gospel of God in Christ Jesus. The resurrection of the dead
is called a mystery. First Corinthians 15, look at
verse 50. First Corinthians 15, verse 50.
And now, this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit
the kingdom of God, neither does corruption inherit incorruption,
but I shall show you, I show you a mystery. We shall not all
sleep. But we all shall be changed in
a moment. The twinkling of an eye, the
last trump, the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible
must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality."
It's the mystery, the resurrection from the dead. Our Lord said,
I'm he that liveth and was dead, behold, I'm alive forevermore.
I have the keys of hell and death. It's a mystery that must be revealed. The Trinity of His person, the
union of two natures, deity and humanity in one blessed person,
the saints' union to Christ in communion with Him, the resurrection
of the dead, and the whole doctrine of salvation by Christ Jesus,
of justification by His righteousness and pardon by His blood and atonement
by His sacrifice. It's a mystery that must be revealed.
Turn over here to Romans 16. Romans 16. It's a mystery. Well, Romans 16. Where's 25? Romans 16, 25. Now to him that is a power to establish
you according to my gospel, in the preaching of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret
since the world began, but now is made manifest. And by the
Scriptures, the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting
God, made known to all nations, for unto the obedience of faith,
to God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever and ever.
Amen. It's a mystery that must be revealed. I look back at the text again. Over here in chapter 5, he talks
about this mystery of the church and Christ in Ephesians chapter
5. He says in verse 25, Husband,
love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave
himself for it. 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 without blemish. Now
look at verse 32, and this is a great mystery. But I speak
concerning Christ and His church. Mystery. Oh, I tell you how He
loved us and how He died for us. These things are made known
unto us through the revelation of the written Word and the preached
word, Christ in you, the hope of glory." Now look back at the
text in verse 5, Ephesians 3 verse 5, "...which in other ages was
not made known unto the sons of God, as it is now revealed
unto His holy apostles and preachers, His servants by the Spirit, that
the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body, partakers
of His promise in Christ by the gospel. The gospel of God's grace
in Christ Jesus in past generations and even now is not understood
by men generally or universally, is it? Not at all. Which in other
ages was not made known. In the gospel, God leaving us
to ourselves, we'd never believe the gospel, never love the gospel. Now, we'd be religious, But we'd
never love the truth and believe the truth unless God is pleased
to send the truth to us and open it unto our heart. The gospel
of God's grace in Christ Jesus in past generations even now
was not understood by men generally or universally. It's only known
by the sovereign revelation of God the Holy Spirit taking the
Word of God and opening it unto us and showing us Christ. I've
said this before. It takes God to reveal God. Turn to Matthew chapter 11. You
see, in this revelation of the mystery of the gospel, you know
what? Christ is the revealer, and He's
the revelation. He's the revelation of the gospel.
The glory of God is revealed in the face of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 11. It's a sovereign revelation.
Matthew 11, 25. At that time, Jesus answered
and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because
thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and has
revealed them. Did what? Revealed them unto
his babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed
pleasing, good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto
me and my Father. And no man knoweth the Son, but
the Father, neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son.
And he to whom the Son, whomsoever the Son will, do what? Reveal
Him." Turn to Matthew 16. Here's another one. You remember
when the Lord asked the disciples, whom do men say that I am? Well, they said some are saying
that you're John the Baptist, some that you're Elijah, some
that you're Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. Matthew 16,
15, but he said unto them, Whom do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said,
Thou art the Christ. Thou art that Christ. He said
in John 6, 69, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And
Jesus answered and said, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah. Flesh
and blood didn't reveal that to you, but my Father which is
in heaven. I tell you, if you're a lover
of the Gospel, as it's revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ, it's
because He sovereignly revealed Christ to your heart. You'd never
see it. You'd never love it. And you'd
never love Him and believe Him if God didn't open your eyes.
"...which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men,
as it is now revealed to His apostles and to His people, and
to his servants by the Spirit of God, by the Spirit of God. Now look at verse 6, and I'll
quit with this, with particular regard to the promise of salvation
to the Gentiles. Even the apostles at first stumbled
over this, preaching to the Gentiles. At one point our Lord said, go
not unto the Gentiles, but to the house of Israel. But then
when he was raised from the dead, he said to go into all the world
and preach the gospel to every creature. Those apostles in the beginning
had difficulty with preaching the gospel to the Gentiles. That the Gentiles should be fellow
heirs of the same body, partakers of his promise in Christ by the
gospel. God had to give Peter a special
revelation. They're on the housetop, remember?
Peter said, I've never eaten anything clean or... What's that word? Common or uncommon? I can't remember. Common. But
he said, what I have cleaned call thou not common or unclean. You go preach to Cornelius in
his house that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of Christ, that
the Gentiles should be fellow heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ. What a blessing, what a blessing.
What God had cleansed that call not thou comet. That's what it
is. That the pagans, the heathen,
the Gentiles, sinners should be fellow heirs. Fellow heirs. I mentioned three things here.
Fellow heirs of the same body, partakers of His promise in Christ
by the gospel. Fellow heirs, we have obtained
an eternal inheritance in Christ Jesus. Remember we read that
just a minute ago. Being predestinated according to the purpose of Him
who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will,
that we should be the praise of His glory. Fellow heirs, fellow
heirs, being made so by His sovereign choice, His adopting love, His
regenerating grace, Turn over here to Titus. Can you find the
book of Titus? Timothy, first and second, and
then Titus, and then Hebrews. Philemon, then Hebrews. Titus
chapter 3, verse 5. Not by works of righteousness,
which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us by the
washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed
on us abundantly. Through Jesus Christ our Savior,
that being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according
to the hope of eternal life. By His grace. Heirs of God and
joint heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ. By His purpose, by His
grace. Turn to 1 Peter now, chapter
1. 1 Peter chapter 1. Of this inheritance
in Christ Jesus, He says of this inheritance in 1 Peter 1 verse
3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again into a
living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, that faith is not
a way reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power
of God through faith. Fellow heirs, fellow heirs. And then he mentions, secondly,
of the same body, of the same body, same body. You remember
in chapter 2, verse 16, that he might reconcile both unto
God in one body by the cross, Christ crucified in one body,
having slain the enmity of the law that was contrary to us,
that was against us. He took it out of the way and
nailed it to his cross. Being part of the same body, being
part of the same body, one Lord, one faith, one baptism. All under
one head, Christ at the head. All participate of the same grace.
We believe through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall
be saved as others. All make the drink of that same
spiritual drink, Christ the water of life. All enjoy the same privileges
of all grace now and all glory hereafter. that the Gentiles
should be fellow heirs, fellow citizens, the household of God,
and partakers of His promise in Christ only by the gospel,
only through the gospel, only through Christ's blood and righteousness. I turn to another scripture,
II Peter. II Peter. Partakers, partakers. Believers
are partakers of His promise. We participate. Enjoy the benefit
and the splendor of the blessings of grace. Partakers of His promise. All the promises of God in Christ
are yes and in Him, Amen. Unto the glory of God. Now I
told you to turn to 2 Peter chapter 1. 2 Peter chapter 1, verse 3. according as His divine power
hath given unto us all things, according as His divine power
hath given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness
as a gift, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to
glory and virtue, whereby are given unto us exceeding great
and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of
the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the
world through lust, partakers of His promise in Christ by the
gospel." Gospel is a declaration of what God has promised in the
covenant of grace and freely given unto us through Christ. As the old timers used to say,
all grace now and all glory hereafter. The whole inheritance of grace
by His sovereign purpose. by His sovereign will. Well,
Lord willing, we'll pick up there at verse 7 next week.