Ephesians Lesson 23 of 39 part 5

Ephesians 3:11

"According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:"

What does that mean, "Why did Christ come?" We always teach that first and foremost, He came to the Nation of Israel to be their Messiah, and King. But the overall purpose was to die for the sin of mankind, and to be the Savior of the whole human race, and be our Lord for all eternity. But this was not all. He came as the end to the “everlasting” or conclusion, fulfillment, propitiation of the promises, covenants and the Law as the hidden unseen one to which they all pointed towards. As the “eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ” before the foundation of the world. This foundation took place in Genesis 3 because within it we find the first promise of restoration upon which all promises and covenants of the Old Testament speak. In verse 12 and remember when we started the book of Ephesians we told you there were over 90 times that we have the prepositional phrase "IN HIM, IN WHOM, IN CHRIST," because this little letter is positional! 

Where are we as believers? We are not just members of a local church on the corner, although that is certainly applicable for most of Christiandom as a religion. But we are members of the bigger universal picture, we are members of the One Body of Christ if we have believed and received the revelation of this Gospel for our salvation!  When we have been placed into the One Body of Christ as the condition of the Marriage Feast and the Passover for Paul tells us that Christ Jesus is our Passover just as in Exodus 12, this is found in 1Corinthians 5:7. In this revelation we have in effect been placed in union with Christ that the religionist and the world knows nothing of. We have to keep in mind that a lot of church members are not in the Body of Christ! Though they confess and profess that they are does not make it so. We mean a lot of them! We would hope with all our heart that we are wrong, but we do not think so. We have multitudes of church people who have never had this kind of a salvation experience where God places them into the Body.

Baptism has always been a controversy from the very onset of Christianity. People get all hung up if you do not practice it according their format of baptism. But listen, Paul puts baptism way down at the very bottom of everything, because that is not the important thing. The important thing is "are you in the One Body of Christ?" Listen, we do not care what denomination you belong to, we know as you look out over your congregation, that there are people who have been baptized that are no more saved than the dog out there on the street. You know that and we know that. They have no New Life in them, they have no love for the Word, and they have no love for the Lord, but they have been baptized in water. And just as the prophets told Israel, they serve God with empty words of lip service, with NO heart in them. So baptism is not what counts, what counts is, "are we in the One Body of Christ? Are we positioned where God wants to position us?"

Ephesians 3:12

"In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him." 

Ephesians Lesson 23 of 39 part 4

2Peter 1:20a

"Knowing this first, (and above everything) that no prophecy.…"

The word "prophecy" here in the New Testament, usually does not mean the telling of the future, it does mean speaking forth, proclaiming the Truth, this Gospel and the Christ of this Gospel. That is why in 1 Corinthians 14, the greatest gift was prophecy, the giving of the gift to speak forth the Word of God before it was printed. Remember, we are always emphasizing, there was about eighteen years from the time that Paul began his ministry among the Gentiles until he writes his first Epistle to the Hebrew-Christians. So, for eighteen years, what did the early believers depend on? Gifted men who could speak forth the Living Word of God, in Spirit and in Truth and that is why it was the primary gift. In verse 21 is the answer.

2Peter 1:21

"For the prophecy (the speaking forth) came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved (carried along) by the Holy Ghost." 

That is the inspiration of Scripture. We can pick it up all the way through the book. We do not ridicule very often, but when people will make foolish, stupid, statements like, "Luke must have been a tremendous keeper of a diary or he could have never written any of the four synoptic gospels or the book of Acts." To me that is ridiculous. No writer of scripture went back to notes in a diary. They did not write on what they had remembered. They did not write on the basis of hearsay. They wrote as the Holy Spirit funneled these thoughts through their hearts then into their minds. They were moved – that is the inspiration of the scripture.

Otherwise, how in the world could Moses write about creation, or Enoch of our present Age of Grace, which took place 2,500 to 5,000 years before? How in the world could Moses write about his own death, which was out in front of him? But he did. That is the inspiration of the Scriptures. And the same way with all of the writings of scripture. How could these men name King Cyrus 150 years before he was ever born? By inspiration. How could Daniel lay out so perfectly the coming Gentile empires, one after the other, long before they happened? Or the last of days, the end of Jesus' ministration and the destruction of the Temple and the city Jerusalem which happened as he wrote, in 66-70 AD. By inspiration. And so it is throughout this whole book, that which is still future, it is just as reliable as that which is past. The problem is that when mere men try to lead others who are also blind, they both fall into the ditch and suffer lose, lose of life eternal. So the Holy Spirit moved holy men, righteous and spiritual men to write the things that God wanted written and of course, as Paul puts it in 2Timothy:

2Timothy 3:16

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"

All right, now then guess we can go on into chapter 4, and verse 20. You know in the original there were no chapter breaks. But, horror of horrors, what has happened to the truth of the inspired scriptures? Oh, it has been attacked, undermined wrest and water down by writers and translators and by what kind of people? False teachers.

  

In verse 9 of 2 Timothy chapter 1 is the verse we want, and the verse starts off by referring to the power of of God.

2Timothy 1:9

" Who (God) has saved us (already), and called us with an holy calling*, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,"

*now holy doesn’t mean angelically pure or sinless, but rather we are set apart. Remember even the vessels in the temple were holy, because they were set apart only for temple use. So we are set apart for God’s purposes. Just as Israel was to have remained a holy nation, of set apart people.

This does not go back to the unsearchable again but does take us back to Genesis. How in the world can we comprehend that before anything was ever created, God already knew use for what are we, and where are we. He knew us the same way. There was absolutely nothing hidden from God, and it was all in His divine purposes, His whole scheme of things, as it was laid out from eternity past.

Back to Ephesians chapter 3. To look at verse 11 again. Remember everything that we comprehend of the mysteries are all part of His eternal purpose. Did we mention that there are at least seven revealed by Paul? 

Ephesians Lesson 23 of 39 part 3

2Timothy 1:8

"Be not thou ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; "

We can have all kinds of preaching and the world does not get upset with that but when Christ is proclaimed in His glory from within watch out all hell breaks loose. The only time the world will get upset with preaching is when the power of God begins to transform lives, now that the world does not want. The world is going to fight that tooth and toenail. Paul says even though the power of God is being exemplified, we still do not have to fear, because He is Sovereign. He is the One who is supreme. What Paul has here said could be said this way, “Be partakers of the afflictions of this Gospel according to the power of God because it is based on the sure word of Prophecy.” As Peter has recorded in 2Peter chapter 1 verses 19 through 21. This the unlearned have twisted and perverted. Lets look at it before going on to verse 9. 

2Peter 1:19-21

“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 

2Peter 1:19a

"We have also a more sure.…" 

What does that tell us? Do we have to have exhilarating experiences like the transfiguration to believe? No! We can take all this in by faith, we do not have to have sight. We don’t have to have experiences. We take it by faith. And that’s why we think in this Age of Grace we have so little of the supernatural, if any, because now God has given us the sure, tried and proven Word of God and He expects us to believe it, as Jesus said, eat my flesh and drink my blood, is figurative language for eating in the bread that sustains the heart and drink in the water of the word, receive of Me in this fashion. That is why it is going to be so awful for people of unbelief because after all, all that He expects the human race to do is to believe what He has said - and when they refuse to believe, it is almost a slap in the face, as it were, and telling Him, "But I don’t believe it."

The next verse - even as great as that transfiguration experience was, Peter can yet say, again by inspiration, never forget this. 

2Peter 1:19

"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:" 

Who is the Day Star? The Lord Christ Jesus. And how does He arise in our hearts? By faith! We take Him in by faith and He then becomes real to us, the secret of marriage in metaphoric language, the act of being conjoined through consummation, One Body. He is with us moment by moment.

Once in a while things will happen in families and we can appreciate when they begin to wonder, "Where is God’s grace?" when just one horrible thing after another can happen. And that’s a human reaction. But on the other hand, we have to come right back and claim the promises of God that are sure - that, in spite of whatever may happen, He is constantly aware of us. He knows. He is with us and He will never leave us nor forsake us. All right, and so He is already in our walk of faith; He is the Day Star that has already arisen in our hearts. Especially in those who have accepted His terms and conditions as revealed in the Lord's Last Supper. Because it holds the mystery hidden from view of all that is called an everlasting covenant under the Old Testament economy. In verse 20, is what is more sure than even the proof of His transfiguration.

2Peter 1:20

"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation." Or a better translation would be, of "human origin." We can look at this book and it is more a manifestation of Who God is and what He has done and what He is to us, than the transfiguration was to Peter, James and John. We know that is a strong statement. But listen, this book is so refined. It is so intricately put together that we never have to doubt it. And it just proves itself precept upon precept. Even though the scoffers may scream and ridicule it, yet, we who see the intricacy of it, we know it is the Life giving Word of God. We know it is true. We know that everything it says is going to happen, IS going to happen. The greatest stumbling block for us is within our own mind and our perception of what God has revealed to man.

We do not have to have any doubt whatsoever. We like to make that comparison. Yes, Peter, James and John saw Jesus Christ's transfiguration. They saw His Glory with their physical eyes. But we have got something that is even more sure, and that is the Living Word of God itself. That is exhilarating! Isn’t it? All right, let’s go on. Looking at the first part of that verse again. 

Ephesians Lesson 23 of 39 part 2

We had someone the other day that said, "Every time I go into a bookstore all I see are all these books on "how to.’" Hey, we don’t need books on how to. If you will just get into the book and begin to understand the manifold wisdom of God and all those things take care of themselves. We are being inundated by all those books that are keeping people from the Bible. We have never read one of those self help books that shows or even reveals the manifold wisdom of God in any of them. My wife has for many times sat in front of her computer and asked the Lord to reveal which book or books that He wanted her to copy and then would just wait on Him. Then shortly He would show her who and what book someone had written, that He wanted us to have and she would download it, then many of them would sit in her book list until such day and time that the Lord wanted us to learn something of Him from it. Authors from way back such as Jacob Behaem, Major W. Ian Thomas, Andrew Murray, William Law and others many of them we never heard of. But for this one thing, they all had Paul's mysteries in common. This revealed wisdom that we can acutely show to the principalities and powers in the heavenlies is going to be according to the eternal purpose. 

Ephesians 1:11

"According to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:"

What is the eternal purpose? The whole scheme of scripture is to see lost people saved. God does not want any person to go to Hell, but rather He wants everyone to be saved if that could only happen. But what is the second purpose of scripture? For us to be used of God to reveal these things that may spare someone from an eternal doom. This is our only purpose for doing what we do. We are all, to become stewards of the secrets and operate within God's manifold wisdom because Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 6 that we will be judging the angels, the nations and members of the Body. Is any of this happening? NO! Not as of yet because the worlds churches tell their people that we are NOT to judge, thusly distorting, twist, and wresting what the word tells us. God does place restrictions and conditions on this because not every one will be promoted to this understanding. We each have a special place or job to do under His headship and direction, for in this way He is glorified because we exhibit His Glory through our obedience.

Ephesians 3:11

"According to the eternal purpose which he (the God of verse 10) purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:"

Now that’s not the end of the sentence, but we're going to stop here for a moment, and we are going to have you turn with us to 2Timothy chapter 1. We are going to hone in on verse 9, but we want to begin in verse 7, and lead up to what Paul says in verse 9.

2Timothy 1:7

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind..."

That brings up a question that we don’t have to deliberate here. Should believers ever have mental problems? We are not saying could they, but should they? No, we really shouldn’t. We know it is a possibility, but really we shouldn’t have mental problems. We should never be plagued with depression, which is one of the forerunners of a lot of mental problems. Because what have we got going for us? And we have it so good here in America. Last night, for some reason we just weren’t sleeping very well, we were thinking of those people in Yugoslavia, and Albania, and we are so spoiled.

How could we handle it if all of a sudden Texas was a sovereign country, and they would just literally move up to the eastern half of Oklahoma, which looks like it is the size of Kosovo, all the way from I-35 to the Arkansas border, and would just literally cleanse the land of all of us? They would just literally over-run Texas, to where they would have to died or have to flee to Arkansas, Kansas, or Missouri, and leave everything behind. Have you ever thought of it that way? God loves them, and they hurt, tell you what it is absolutely awful, we can almost get emotional when we read and see the horrors of that situation. Anyway the scripture says we are not to fear, but to have power, and love, and a sound mind.

Ephesians Lesson 23 of 39 part 1

We are looking at why God is so mindful of man.

Psalm 8:3-6 "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man, that You are mindful of him? And the son of man (the seed of Adam), that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and have crowned him with glory and honor. You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet:" (Genesis 1:28, 9:1)

Psalms 4:2-5 "O sons of men, how long will you turn My glory into shame? How long will you love vanity, and seek after leasing (to lie, be deceitful)? Selah (consider this). But know that the LORD has set apart him that is godly for Himself: the LORD will hear when I call Him. Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD."

Looking at these verses, it comes back to me where, God in the garden, after Adam listened to the voice of his flesh, his wife, and ate the fruit that caused him to die spiritually to God and become one with Satan spiritually, God placed the SEED within woman (Adam's flesh and bone). God cannot look upon sin, so for us to call out to Him would be impossible. He provided us the way within our own flesh and that is the SEED or LORD. It is to Him we call upon and He hears us, breaks open the shell of that SEED and His Light and Life shines forth within us. 

 
So how do we know the deep things of God?

I Corinthians 2:11b

"...even so the (deep) things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God."

The Holy Spirit is the One that has to enlighten us, train and teach us, and direct us through the scriptures. It also helps in this kind of Bible study to have a good reference and cross index Bible, however most only do a word search style of linking. So we need the Holy Spirit as He will direct us to other areas that the average Bible index does not go. So we need to get a good Bible and hopefully one with some footnotes to clarify some words and meanings and other things that may be a little hard to understand, along with a good concordance other than the one in the back of most Bibles. Then ask the Holy Spirit for His help and it helps to request the Truth while we are at it. Then just learn to do Bible study, comparing scripture with scripture keeping in mind the Jesus said that the Spirit of Truth will assist us in our learning of Him. 

1Corinthians 2:12

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world*, but the spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God."

*we’re not looking at this from a secular point of few. We’re not looking at this from what we have learned from education and experience in the material world. In Other words we are not taking in all things spiritual by our literal senses but rather by Faith's trusting.

This is what we have to recognize. We can’t go into this and say, "Well I’m going to learn what this Bible says no matter what." It just won’t work that way, because we have to depend on the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Truth. An inspiration just came to me, tell the Lord that your willing to take His yoke upon yourself to learn of Him and that your willing to be receptive in child like trust and then thank Him for directing the Holy Spirits doing just that. As our being human, we like words of encouragement, and over and over people have said that they have prayed that God would open the scripture to them. And then the next day they found our blogspot on the net or have seen our posts on Face book, and we have had messages telling us that they have recognized what is going on, and say, "THANK YOU LORD THIS IS WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR" But we in and of ourselves can not do it alone, because it has to be the Spirit that opens our understanding.Other wise all we gain is the letter or the Law which only KILLs.

Ephesians Lesson 22 of 39 part 9

We are looking at why God is so mindful of man.

 

2 Peter 3:16b

"...which (speaking of Paul’s Epistles) they that are unlearned and unstable wrest*,  as they do also the other scriptures, (and what’s going to be their end results?) unto their own destruction."

* twist or wrest, the Judaizers and Hellenists of their day, no not only of their day but ours as well. For our religious institutions, those being denominations and non-denominational groups are guilty of doing the same, for their own advantage. Which is primarily to keep people in their organizations of mass deception. Which Paul tells us in Galatians and Hebrews is enmity to God, and John, the works of the harlot and whore in Revelation of mystery Babylon.

That’s tough language, but when people take the things of Paul and twist or wrest them, the only reason they do is to try to make them fit with Christ’s earthly ministry, and this is what they do all the time. And if they can’t twist them enough to make it fit, then they throw it aside and won’t have anything to do with his writings at all. And you see good old Peter saw that, as did Paul. They saw that people were twisting the writings of Paul, but when they do it their end is their own destruction. Their own eternal doom. Why? Because Paul's speaking and writings were all directed by the Godhead in him, just as it is for those who have willingly gone through the death of all self-will, the voice of the flesh and the reversal of what the first Adam did.

Back to Ephesians 3, so all of these revelations given Paul had been hid in the mind and heart of God. It’s the same God who created all things by (through) Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 3:9b

"...who created all things by Jesus Christ:"

Again the Old Testament never gives us a hint that it was Jesus the Lord, the Messiah Who is the Creator, but Paul repeats it over and over. When we get to the book of Colossians, my goodness he makes it as plain as day, that Christ was the visible manifestation of the invisible Godhead through Whom also He created the world. So this is not just a quirk of the pen or a translator’s mistake, because Paul makes it known. Then John comes back with this same statement in the book of Revelation, that Christ is the Creator of everything. So all of these mysteries that God has kept secret were revealed to this Apostle.

Ephesians 3:10

"To the intent that now* unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places (in the heavenlies) might be known by the church (the Body of Christ) the manifold wisdom of God."

* not going back to pre-Pauline time, but from Paul’s time forward to the intent that now the principalities and powers be known by the church, has this happened yet, not to my knowledge but with these things coming to light...who knows but God.

We have read that verse for years, and we dare say that almost every Bible reader has, and we do not really catch what it says. All of this has been revealed to us as a member of the Body of Christ with an intent, and what is it? That with our knowledge we can actually go unto the principalities and powers in the heavenlies which would be categorized in what type of being? The angels. Do you see that? So we being the ONE Body of Christ might let the angels know the manifold wisdom of God. Did you catch it? This is mind boggling, we know it is. Do you know that you sit there in your room, that when you get a comprehension of the mysteries of Paul then you know things that the angels do not know let alone understand. That is right, we are not stretching it. The angels never could comprehend the Grace of God or the need for God to save a people. But we now have a knowledge that can actually reveal to the angelic host in heaven what God has done in and through us. This wonderful thing that even our religious institutions do not know or proclaim because they want people to keep Jesus as a baby or on the cross and this is NOT to be. Listen, this is beyond their human understanding, and comprehension but that is what it says. Now read it again in that light.

Ephesians 3:10

"To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God."

What is the manifold wisdom of God? We trust each of you know what a manifold is. A manifold is on the engine of your car it is the one that has many ports or holes. However many cylinders you have got in your car, then you have that many holes in the manifold. So all manifold means is "many." In the various facets of the wisdom and knowledge of God, these have been imparted to us when we begin to comprehend these mysteries. The manifold wisdom is what God wants every believer to partake of and share it with others. We have shared so often, "Would to God that the church on the corner, the congregations, would teach their people, instead of just preaching at them." Many times with useless jargon in the wisdom NOT of God but rather of man.

Ephesians Lesson 22 of 39 part 8

We are looking at why God is so mindful of man.

Galatians 1:11-12

"But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, (by men) but by the revelation of Jesus Christ."

The first thing you have to ask yourself, "Where is Jesus Christ when Paul gets the revelations?" He’s in heaven, He’s already finished the work of the Cross, He’s already experienced the power of the resurrection, He’s already ascended back to the Father’s right hand. And He's been given the little book and has opened the seals of that book. As seen in Revelation chapter 5:1-4, 5-10, but be careful in reading. And now some years after Pentecost, He has saved this fellow on the road to Damascus, the ascended Lord reveals these things. Whether the Lord came down as a Person to held a person to person conversation or whether He taught this Apostle back there at Mt. Sinai, or whether it was through visions or illumination of revelation, the Bible doesn’t say. But this we do know, that all of the things that this man is now proclaiming and writing were revealed from the ascended Lord in Glory. In verse 16, we find Paul’s whole purpose for coming on the human scene was this.

Galatians 1:16-17

"To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen(nations, which includes Israel by now); immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus."

What is Paul saying? "I didn’t go up to Jerusalem and ask Peter, James, and John, ‘Hey fill me in. Tell me what you know about this Jesus of Nazareth.’" NO! That’s not what happened, because God did not want him to have any of their input whatsoever because they were still tainted with their Jewish legalism of religion. The Jews were now on the same ground level as any other nation for they had forsaken the faith of Abraham which we will see shortly here in Galatians. Thou the law was to bring them to righteousness they failed to apprehend that righteousness. When you are steeped in legalism as much as they were, you never get over it. In fact a verse we like to use to prove this is in the book of 2Peter. Remember Peter writes his two letters about the same time Paul writes these prison Epistles. It is just before both of them are martyred, and about 30 years after Pentecost. Peter is writing to believing Jews who are strangers scattered:

2Peter 3:15-16a

"And account (understand) that the long suffering of our Lord is salvation*; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles (Romans through Hebrews), speaking in them of these things; (of salvation) in which (in his Epistles) are some things hard to be understood,..."

*do you realize that the major purpose of this Bible from cover to cover is to bring lost people to a knowledge of The Lord's Redemption which is to bring us through to salvation. The promise first spoken to Adam as found in Genesis 3:15. For through Redemption all have been restored when it is known and accepted to the place which Adam first held in Genesis 2 after verse 23.

 

By now you would have thought that Peter would have been such a deep thinking theologian that he would not have had any problem. My he should have been able to discern what Paul was saying and writing about, and said "He’s telling you right because I have known all of this for years." But you see that is not the case. After all that time, Peter by inspiration still says, "that in Paul’s epistles are somethings (salvation) hard to be understood." That is quite an admission isn’t it? That is a lot more than most people will say today. Peter had to admit that after his legalistic, law keeping background, would to be able to read and understand, and yes, accept, some of these things was so hard for Peter to do. For if he had he would be sharing it with his fellow believing Jews. Peter does say that he agrees with Paul's Gospel by what he says in the last part of the verse.

2Peter 3:16

"As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."   

Ephesians Lesson 22 of 39 part 7

Covering our question; Why are You so mindful of man?

Ephesians 3:9a

"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery*, which from the beginning of the world (ages)** hath been hid..."

* these revealed Pauline truths ** This only goes back to Adam. The hidden reason of God's being mindful of man has the do solely with mans origin as revealed in Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7-8, 15-24, 3:1-15, 16-24. and the promised seed of woman which holds the ontological essence of the Spirit of Christ and the promise that some day that seed would come as mans redeemer. The revelation upon which this Gospel of God's Grace is seen in the face of Christ.

Have you noticed how often this word "mystery" is coming along? We know people think we repeat a lot, we do it purposely, because it is the only way we learn, and that is what the Bible does also. Do you realize how many times the scriptures repeat and repeat? Sometimes it is in a short span, and other times over a period of 4 or 5 different books, but it is still repeating, and repeating, and repeating. It is God's way of getting our attention and is for our learning. Why? Because it is the only way that the Truth soaks in. We are getting less apt to apologize for repeating. 

For a lot of us, we have heard it ever since we were little, but we also have to remember that there are a lot of people out there who have heard none of this. So all these revelations were hid in the heart and mind of God until He revealed them to this Apostle. God did not reveal the fulness of these things to the Old Testament prophets though some had a glimpse of it, nor did Jesus share these things with His disciples in His earthly ministry. He did not reveal it to Peter and the eleven because there is nothing of them in the book of Acts. It was not until God was ready to turn to the Gentile world, that He spoke of them to Paul. He chose to allow Israel go out into a dispersion, and into a spiritual blindness, and now He is revealing for His own intent and purposes things that had never been revealed before. And this is what we have to look for, and only Paul is the one to whom He reveals them.

In fact let’s go back to Galatians chapter 1 where Paul makes it so plain that it was a revelation from the ascended Lord and not from the twelve in Jerusalem. We know that when Paul first began his ministry and the missionary journeys and so forth, the only scriptures that he had to use were the Old Testament. Based in those Old Testament scriptures are found the promises, that Christ had to come and had to die, shed His blood. These things the Holy Spirit alone is the bearer of Truth and the revealer of Christ. It is only through the ontological essence of the Spirit of Truth, who is Christ restored that Paul or anyone else for that matter is able to speak, and now proclaim these mysteries. Paul's letters did not become a printed fact until Paul's church messages began to appear, and that is why we can stand without argument and say that you will not find these things written previously. Because they are not back there, and yet these things are all building on them, the Old Testament scriptures. Just as all the Covenants build upon the promise spoken to Adam. When the Holy Spirit says that He will put all things straight this is what He has done. He enables us to bring the scriptures together and in there proper order to make all this now visible for our understanding. We have to be first willing, willing to forsake all others and then cleave only onto Him to be receptive as a young child in order to receive. And this does cost us something for even Jesus said to count the cost before building a castle or entering a battle, then to become a doer and not a hearer only. Paul was a doer and he asks us all to do as he has done for he imitates Christ. 

Galatians 1:11-12

"But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." 

Ephesians Lesson 22 of 39 part 6

Why are You so mindful of Man?

The Old Testament does not tell us, but when we get into Romans chapter 5, and 1 Corinthians chapter 15, Paul reveals "that man is a created being who has fallen from his position of divine relationship in righteousness with the Creator, Christ." Only Paul points that out. Remember Jesus alluded to this in His earthly ministry by making the remarks that they were hypocrites, and sinful, but Jesus never really let them know why they were that way. Keep in mind also that God in Psalm 2 grouped the Hebrews and nations as one when He calls them heathen that rage and imagine a vain thing. This is further scene in scripture that tells us that "the heart is wicked," but how did the heart get that way? Come back to Romans chapter 5 because we like to use as much scripture as we can, we would rather you read it for yourself than listen or just read what we have written. As they say, the proof is in the pudding.

Romans 5:12a

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin;..."

That is the only place in scripture that we can find that sin and death are synonymous. Here Paul makes it so plain that they are. This is part of the revelation that we will not find anywhere else.

Romans 5:12b

"...and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."

All have sin did they do any thing wrong a crime of some sort? NO that is our very nature at birth, you might say that it is part of our gen pool. Flip over a few pages to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, and drop in at verse 45.

1Corinthians 15:45-47

"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made* a quickening spirit (describing Christ). Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man (Adam) is of the earth, earthy: the second man (the second Adam) is the Lord from heaven (Spirit, spiritual)."

*"was made" has been added, and should not have been. It should read, the last Adam a quickening spirit.

You see this is a concept that was never revealed before in scripture, at least not this clearly, and what does it tell us? That Adam, as the head of the federal race, the created one, was the one that plunged the whole human race into rebellion. For which there could only be one remedy, and that would be what? The second Adam, which we now know is Christ. This second Adam was not a created being as first Adam was, but rather this Adam is God Himself. And He came to set everything straight that the first Adam had corrupted, and you will not find that anywhere but in Paul’s writings. That all goes back to what we said in earlier on, "Searching out the unsearchable riches of Christ." We guess before Paul’s revelation it was unsearchable. They had no way of understanding everything that had unfolded, because God had been keeping all of this secret. (Deuteronomy 29:29 remember it?) Many to this very moment did not think of this though it has been before them all their lives. Even Paul's writings are glazed over and hidden from clear sight to them. It is just so much Bible is all it amounts to or so they think and say.

But now with the revelations that were given to this Apostle. We can do like we did earlier, and go all the way back and reconstruct how God has been unfolding everything, and will continue to unfold out into eternity. All because of these revelations of the mystery, the secret hidden from view. For this is what He had revealed to Moses when he encountered the burning bush, which was not consumed by the flames of fire which rested upon it. When He revealed to Moses another of His titles “I AM that I AM”. Which we pointed out means that I am ever revealing who I am or I am the progressive revelation of just who I am, in Exodus chapter 3.

Back to Ephesians chapter 3. Some of the other parts of this revelation were that God would justify sinful men. Those who would choose to by way of simply believing this Gospel would become His righteous ones, born again, recreated spiritually. Having their spirit eyes and ears opened to see and hear the Truth, which to the lost is and will remain veiled. Listen we can not find that any place else, it’s just not in there. But oh here Paul makes it all so plain, that in the revelation of the mystery, how Christ died for your sin nature, was buried and rose from the dead, and when we believe it then we can become all things in Christ. By simply placing our trust into His hands to do what He promised the first Adam. We are spending a lot of time on the mysteries, because they are of great importance and are referenced up through the scriptures though in veiled language. 

We will be held accountable for their revealing to others because God requires us all to know and understand them, as our foundation of trusting into Faith. Otherwise He would not have revealed them as He did. These have been veiled to most all the church world and will remain so because of what and who is it's head, the serpent of old. We can get a picture of it by remembering when Moses made the image of a serpent and placed it on a wooden double or triple cross in the wilderness. And the Israelites were to look on it for healing, if they were bitten by one. This is also the picture seen in Revelation 14-19, where the ever lasting gospel is spoken of and says that Babylon has fallen, this is the harlot that rides on the back of this serpent. We know her as religion because under the lips of her stewards is found the poison of an asp, just as Jesus and even John the Baptist said Matthew 12:34-35, 23:27-28; Romans 3:12-18, also Psalm 140:3.

 

Ephesians Lesson 22 of 39 part 5

Ephesians 3:9

"And to make all men* see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world (the ages) had been hid in God, who created all things by (through) Jesus Christ." 

* notice men is italicized so it wasn’t in the original, but rather has been added by the translators. So he’s writing "to make all to see".

Christ Jesus is the Light that was first called from out of the darkness as seen in Genesis chapter 1 verses 1-3 and John bears this out in chapter 1 of his synoptic gospel.

Most people have a hard time swallowing the fact that Christ created everything. But for now let’s go back up to the first part of the verse where Paul is now in his Apostleship, and by writing, his letters is reaching out. So that everybody might be able to understand what it is to come into this fellowship. This strange new revelation that had never been heard of before by anyone, not even in religious Israel, though the message had been hidden within the text of their Torah, Psalms and Prophets. Now when we speak of fellowship we think even the secular world speaks of it. You can have your various service and lodge organizations and after all, when everything is said and done, what is the purpose of their meetings? To fellowship one with another. It is the same way here. Paul is bring out the fact that to become a believer, of these Pauline truths, brings us into a fellowship, a very close relationship of like-minded people. Of one spirit within the Spirit.

Not by church attendance but by fellow-shipping with those of like mindsets, those who have acquired the mind of Christ. We all know that within each church group that there are many smaller groups some of mixed sexes others of just male and another of just females and there are some of just children. And at times these small groups can and do cause factions within each other. Then with any given city there are groups of churches labeled by a denominational or non-denominational title or name which is determined by their particular statement of faith. Much like the Hebrews had within their camp, of Pharisee's, Sadducees and scribes each having a statement of faith. The contention between each at times would heat up to a red hot crescendo and would boil over into the community and they would have riots between each organization sometimes to the point of blood shed. It could and often would cause family feuds and hardships unbearable at times, sometime these factions would destroy a family or church group and cause a dividing of them. By this we all should know who and what was behind it all, the Devil and Satan. Which is the lot of the worlds church mindset.

We have stressed, that when you are a true believer you can go a thousand miles from home, and get into a fellowship of like-minded believers and you are not a stranger for over 5 minutes. Why? Because we have that like-mindedness, we are of the One Spirit by who we are in Christ, by virtue of simply believing what He has done on our behalf. Coupled with the illumination of revelation which He imparts to each of us. All right now Paul is trying to help everyone see what is the fellowship of this mystery.

Ephesians 3:9a

"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery,..."

We said earlier that the Lord opened the sealed small book in order to reveal these things which had been hidden, of which a few of the Old Covenant people and prophets had by vision seen as only in the far off distance. Much like the small light at the far end of a long train tunnel. Not everyone is going to agree with me, and we don’t expect them too, and they don’t have to. But to us when Paul speaks of the mysteries, he is speaking about this whole volume of revealed Truths that had never been revealed before. And why, because it had been veiled as we have stated in the very text of scripture, that is what the idea of a mystery is. It was a secret, so that means no one knew the fullness about them except God Himself. Jesus said Himself told Peter that He had given him the keys of the kingdom and then in another place that there had been nothing hidden that would not be made known. But Jesus also stated that we have to have a clear eye in order to see and this is what is required of us all as we have stated elsewhere. This is the whole concept behind Paul’s teaching, that beginning with his revelations of the mysteries, God is now opening up to the human race, through this Apostle, concepts that had never been revealed before. We are not going to put the mysteries on just a singular mystery. We know some footnotes claim that the mystery was that God would make up the Body of Christ with Jews and Gentiles. We do not disagree with that, because that is only part of the mystery. The mystery is this whole volume of the Pauline Truths. And you can not start these mysteries out with, "What is man?" We have to start them with, Why are You so mindful of Man? Because many of church theologians have reproached it wrong and why should we do as they have done, this does not mean that we have too.

Ephesians Lesson 22 of 39 part 4

1 Corinthians 2:9

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."

And that’s about as much as it tells us what we’re going to enjoy in eternity. We don’t know because the Bible doesn’t tell us, but we know it’s going to be fabulous. At least on the surface but if we will just ask and wait on God He will reveal more. Why? because He wants us to know Him, Jesus asks us do you want to learn of Me in Matthew 11:29 to which we all should respond with a big, YES LORD! 

What God has in store for us is going to be a many times better than the things you and I like to do down here, and it’s all because of the "unsearchable riches of Christ." Oh, to have the knowledge that we can come into the very throne room of heaven in prayer with our petitions is simply incomprehensible. Isn’t it? Just think we can actually immediately come into the throne room, without having to go through any rituals. We don’t have to go into some prescribed place, at a prescribed time or God won’t hear us. As we sit here on earth and as we speak we can be in an attitude of prayer, and we are right at the throne. That’s all part of the "unsearchable riches of Christ."

Have you ever contemplated on what it was like for Adam as found in Genesis 2 after verse 7 when he was placed in the garden to care for it. Explore the richness of Christ in that atmosphere for a while, just soak it all in by looking at chapter 1 verses 26-29, then think on these things and then ask God is it to be again?

But we think the crowning act of His Redemption is that He will take a mere man with a sin nature, and bring him into Redemption, redeeming him by Grace. And then make him a brand new person. Totally new, totally different, with a changed appetite, a changed lifestyle, a clear eye and mind. The kind of a change that even the world around them can’t miss. This is what the Church family is all about doing when it is functioning as God intends. The family unit of God is to be the hospital where God restores health to our souls and mends us first from within and then outward. So many times husbands who have wives who are lost will ask, "Well what can I do to convince my wife that she needs God’s Redemption by saving Grace." Or wives will ask, "What can I do to convince my husband that he needs God’s Redemption?" Well invariably we will take them back to the little letter of Peter, for what did Peter say? "Don’t preach at them. Don’t try to drag them to church or drag them in front of the television, and say, "You have got to listen to so and so say" But rather what do you do? You just live, allowing God's restored Love from within, to come pouring out, like floods of living water. Get God’s love in front of that person, then sooner or later they will finally get the drift, "You’ve got something that I need!" It may take 6 months or a year or years, but you can rest assured that when you’ve done what God expects you to do, then that lost person is going to be faced with the reality of the Love of God. Now this is not a love for God or even Jesus, but is rather the character of Christ restored to our soul. For we are to reflect His Love and nature, and character to those around us and also back to Him as well. For it is the Spirit of Christ within that gives God Glory, not our flesh. This is all part of the "unsearchable riches of Christ."

Each denomination and the so called non-denominational have differing practices and believe different things, this is disbelief. This is not to be, as God and Jesus are One we are also to be One in spirit with clear eyes and unveiled ears. But when this is not the case then we have all kinds of dissension and factions, a work of the devil, AND Satan. The one thing each must believe is that our Lord Jesus Christ died for them, was buried and rose again. When we believe that for Redemption then God sees our trust, and places us into the One Body of Christ, as we see in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 and 1 Corinthians 12:13. We can tell that we are certainly reaching people from every imaginable background. Not by mail or phone calls or even by e-mail but by the Holy Spirits witness. Remember when we come before the throne, whether it’s the Great White throne for the lost, disbelieving and unbelieving people or the Beama seat in heaven for believers, the Lord isn’t going to ask you, "Well did you follow what your church taught?" But rather we are going to be judged on the basis of what does the Bible say. Is His Love working within as a restored receiver and then outward. Or are we just a dead lump of clay. Never lose sight of that because eternity is going to reveal what you have done with His Word!

Continuing on in Ephesians chapter 3, and coming down to verse 9, teaching that we are to be seeking out the unsearchable riches of Christ.

Ephesians Lesson 22 of 39 part 3

      Before I get into my thought please allow me this one indulgence, there at least three forms of unbelief, one outright unbelief, disbelief and belief with no substance of foundation. What I mean is this, there are many people who profess a belief in God, a belief in Jesus and even a love of Jesus but when they are asked upon what do you believe, or what is the bases of your belief statement, they do not know. They think I'm asking them a trick question and I am not! The usual answer comes as a quote of John 3:16 God loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son! This is not the bases or foundation upon which we are the have belief, this is not faith ground. But this is where most of our church world had led people to sand quick sand at best, because God can not build His Church or Family on sand or the dust of the ground of which He told the serpent he would eat. Are you getting my drift yet. the average church goer remains lost and bond by religion, the very thing that Jesus as the Son of man came to Redeem us from, our sin nature. So many do not know that they are in disbelief of the kingdom Gospel of God's Grace restored to them, in fact many know nothing of the mysteries of God.

Yesterday I got a call for help from a friend, he was in a hospital for dependency and abuse of drugs. On my way out I was guided by an intern who asked me where my church was because he was in his last year of ministry training at our local liberal "Christian based" university and was in hopes of being a pastor upon his graduation. I told him that is was a stewardship of God's mysteries, a ministry of reconciliation and preservation. And that I did not have a "church" building as is the custom of the world. He was puzzled by this and said that Jesus requires us to have a building, a church, to which my response was not so! I told him that when the Lord called me back in 1971 that He never mentions building a congregation or having a building, that all He told was to be instant in season and out of season and that no matter where we are we are the church when two or more become gathered in His name. That is church. And I left it with him at that, oh yes, I asked him if he understood the parable of Jesus dealing with vision and having a clear eye. To this he had no comment, so we went our ways. My wife told me later after I returned home that maybe just maybe I had not gone there for aid our friend but rather for this young man and this just maybe so. As the Lord has used us in this fashion may times over the past forty years or so. The fruit that was heard from this young mans mouth told me that he was full of pride and arrogance, in other words high minded, quite possibly because of his schooling. Even the way he carried himself and the way he phrased his words reminded me to the serpent in the garden with woman, just so slightly twisted and bitter. He is a reflection and the produce of his environment.

     When a true believer sins, those within the corral of our first estate, they are going to be convicted as David was. When David saw his sin, what does the book of Psalms say he did? He wept tears of repentance, and remorse and oh, how he bemoaned the fact that not only had he sinned against the people that were involved, but against God. And when we sin, this is what we have to come back to realize. This is all part of the "Unsearchable Riches of Christ." It’s beyond mere human comprehension. We can understand it, and we think everyone should be able to grab the weight of this Truth as well. But does that mean, they will? There are those who will just close their eyes, and say, "Forget it, I can’t understand it anyway?" Yes, there are those and sadly this is not to be so! God did not set the whole thing up for us to wonder in the wilderness of sin of doubt and disbelief, all of our natural days. But the thing is that there is a greater number in disbelief than unbelief. They are in that very state because the god of this world through religion keeps them in this state because of blindness, a lack of clear vision with a mind cluttered and miss directed and just full of unnecessary stuff. Just like our young man in university who wants to be a pastor, but what is his motivation? We do not know. But IF, They'll just keep digging, and learning, and keep getting more and more excited about what Christ has done for us. And not only just for the here and now, but for all of eternity to come. Then just maybe the veil will be lifted and they'll get their vision and a clear mind back, as Adam had in Genesis 2, like Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 2.

1 Corinthians 2:9

"But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him."

Ephesians Lesson 22 of 39 part 2

Romans 3:23-24

"For all have sinned*, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:"

*this is everyone of us, NO one is without this nature NO one!

       We all know what redemption means? That’s the process of God buying us back out of the slavery market of sin. When we were in Romans chapter 3 we used the analogy of the Roman slave market, and it’s a very appropriate one, because it was very real. The Romans would go out with their legions and would conquer other people, they would bring them back, especially the younger people (children and young boys) who were capable of slave duty, to Rome and they would end up in the slave market. We can drew the analogy, here we have a young blond, blue eyed fellow from northern Europe who finds himself in this market. The slave market was awful, because if you were bought out as a common slave you could end up doing any kind of horrible slave labor to include being sold to ship-masters to row their ships. It was awful, it was hot, and when they died, they just pitched them overboard. If these slaves were not bought they could end up in the coliseums as meat for the wild animals. So that was the prospect of a Roman slave market. 

       There was also the good side. There could be a benefactor some one who would come and buy them out of the slave market. Say a benevolent slave owner would buy a slave and clean him up, give him a whole new set of clothes, give him light duty around his estate of trimming the lawns and so forth, and remember the Romans lived sumptuously. So here’s this young slave who’s been bought out of that horrible situation, and given this beautiful place to work, and have all the best food. Then one day this benevolent Roman owner comes and says, "Young man! I’m going to go one step further, I’m going to give you your freedom. I have bought your citizenship. You are free to go and do whatever you want to do." Now the analogy we have used before is, "What is this young man going to say? ‘Listen you’ve done so much for me, and I have learned to love you so much, I don’t want my freedom, but rather I want to stay here and serve you the rest of my life.’

 

       That’s where we’ve left that analogy. You know what a lot of Christians are doing now? What if this same young man would say, 'I want to stay right here and serve you, but once a week can I go back into the slave market?' Isn’t that ridiculous? Isn’t that as ridiculous as you can get? Here he’s been spared the horrors of the slave market, and that’s where every lost person is, they’re in Satan’s slave market. Know it or not no one is exempt every one is born in sin with the sin nature. However, Christ paid the price of redemption, He bought us out of it, and then we have the audacity to say, 'But can’t I just go back and get a taste of that sweet candy, of the sinful world once in a while?' Listen that’s what Christians are doing when they go back into, heck I have to be Truthful many have never left, the world! And to me it just does not fit, it does not make since. I know and understand that we all have some kind of tunnel vision or as Jesus' parable, bad sight a blocked view and corrupted mind (Matthew 5:29, 6:22-23). All because of what we have been told, in ignorance by our parents, preachers, school teachers and the like, in other words because of what we are told someplace in our youth we have formed an opinion be it true or false and everything we see or think is based automatically because of it. We don't have a clear eye or good vision because of a blind spot unknown to us. Now this is the problem over and about the fact that many are in sin because of religion but that not withstanding, any claim to have the Holy Spirit who's job, by the way, it is to clean house, this includes our minds eye, our perception. If we do have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, His first job is to reveal to us Christ! To do this there has to be a house cleaning in which all trash is removed and discarded, sweep clean. This happens of all places within our mind because of the corruption of sin that it contains and has accumulated over the years. I mean our brains are cluttered with dirt, unless stuff, mans wisdom in the from of knowledge to start with. This one hidden fact causes us to see and hear in a twisted fashion, words and words get jumbled up like a log jam. We see but do not see we hear but do not hear, all because of this blockage or blindness in our brain. This is where He the Holy Spirit begins because to read and study God's Word we need clear vision and perception. Here is the key, we have to want Him to do it, we have to allow it. If we do not we return to our sin nature and stay in religion all the while believing we are doing God's Will.

We're not saying we’re going to be perfect, of course we’re not. We all fail, we all sin, but to go back into gross sin, and just glibly say, "Oh well, I’m saved and don’t have anything to worry about." We don’t think a true believer can look at it that way. Especially those to whom the revelation of the mysteries and meaning of the Lord's Supper, garden  prayers, the trail, crucifixion, and on through His ascension is all about. These people become immovable by His Faith working within them for they are the sanctified, holy ones. They have God's righteousness infused within them, they have been restored to Adam's Genesis 2 condition. That is why they have to come out from among them as seen in 2 Corinthians 6 through 7:1, the church with it's religion is corruption of mind and blind to clear vision of understanding in perception.

Ephesians Lesson 22 of 39 part 1

We shock people when we tell them that here humanity had come from Adam all the way up for 1600 years to Noah’s flood. There were just as many people on the planet then as there are now, and how many believers were spared? Eight! Isn’t that something. That’s all God had left after 1600 years. With an estimated population of 6-7 million. Then we come to the time of Elijah, and Elijah thought he was the only righteous one left at that time. But of course God knew better, because he told Elijah that He still had 7000 left that had not bowed their knee to Baal. Let’s say there was 7-8,000,000 Israelites at that time, but only 7000 were believers, counted as righteous, what percentage is that? 1/10 of 1 percent. The tithes, or remnant. All of this to show us the "unsearchable riches of Christ." We can go the other way using Abraham and Sarah remember they were in the later years of age when Isaac was received and the word tells us that their bodies were as new or like Adam and woman's in Genesis 2. Now is that a stretch? Don't think so for with God all, ALL! things are possible.

Let’s go on a little further to what Paul has been teaching here in Ephesians, and that is the moment we believe God, God does something else that’s beyond human understanding or comprehension. He places us into the Body of Christ in which we all become members around the world. This invisible, and yet visible consortium of believers, who have become receptive ones, and we are all made One within Christ. Hey that’s beyond most human understanding, why? because they rely upon mans intellectualism, the external, material realization. Not realizing that faith, simply trusting Him is all that is required of us. but again that’s all part of the "unsearchable riches of Christ."

How can He take a Hell-bound sinner, and by just the virtue of his trusting, make him a heaven-bound saint. Not that we become sinless, but oh listen, we completely have a change of appetite, a change of character, a change in natures. We have had so many say in the past how they fell into sin. I mean gross sin, and their argument always was, the individual with whom they experienced this fall was a professing believer, and this professing believer said, "Well after all, I’m saved, and didn’t have anything to worry about." To which we said, "That’s not what my Bible tells me." We don’t have that kind of license. You have heard me say it over and over that Grace is not license. Being able to do anything is not the unsearchable riches of Christ. It is just the opposite! If fact the taking of the Lord's Supper over and over again has the same effect, why? Because to do so in counted as unbelief! I mean just how many times can He be crucified any way? Or how many times can He be reborn? Ever think on those things?

Our Bible does not tell us that just because the Grace of God abounds, we can go out and do an immoral thing, and God’s going to wink at it. NO! The Scripture definitely warns us against those things. We have been trying to come up with an illustration of how can we put it that a true believer will never find themselves in that kind of a situation unless it is just a momentary lapse, a weakness of the flesh, which can happen. But to just deliberately walk into something like that and practice it over and over for a sustained period of time, we just can’t believe it. So we came up with this illustration, going back to the book of Romans chapter 3, and let’s look at verses 23 and 24.

Romans 3:23-26

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by His grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of him which believes into Jesus."  

Ephesians Lesson 21 of 39 part 8

Finishing up number 21.

Ephesians 3:8b
"...that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ:"
Do you know what that means, the unsearchable riches of Christ? That means that we could spend almost the rest of our lives digging through Scripture, and literally bring up the riches of Christ, and we could never exhaust them. What are the unsearchable riches of Christ? As I was mulling this over the last several days, we just had to go all the way back to eternity past. That was when the Triune God first came together in what the book of Acts calls "a counsel". At that counsel meeting of the Godhead they literally laid out the blueprint for the whole universe and the appearance of the planet earth to be inhabited, and the whole almost 6000 years of human history. This was all blueprinted way back there in eternity past, and became part of the "unsearchable riches of Christ."

As we follow all of that with what knowledge we have in the Scriptures, we’ve got enough that we can begin to think how that God in His foreknowledge formulated not only the appearance of man, Adam, and then Eve, but knowing that they would sin, set in motion immediately afterwards, the plan of redemption. And then that plan of redemption would demand that the Creator Himself, the One who called everything into being in the first place would send His only begotten Son to become flesh. Not created instantly as Adam was, but instead he goes through that whole human process of 9 months in the womb. He was born as a babe in the manger in Bethlehem. Because the inn keeper held no room for them. Then He goes through the normal growing up process as young man in Nazareth, until the age of 30. Then hardly anybody caught on to Who He was except that one instant when He was 12 years old, when He was left behind at the temple. Other than that, in Scripture at least, there’s no record that anybody had any idea, not just Who He was, but what He was. There was only those fleeting shadows, glimpses of His image known only by the prophets and the few righteous ones. Then there He was walking on those little dusty roads of Israel, and Who was He? The Creator God Himself! He was the very Light called to bring Life to an otherwise dead plant called earth covered by waters that were void of life or the power to produce life of any kind or description. That’s all part of the "unsearchable riches of Christ."

Listen, when we start mulling that all over and we can sort of say "Yeah I can believe that." But, to really comprehend how that God accomplished it all without a hitch, without any detours, and the day came when He came to the little Nation of Israel, and for 3 years or so presented Himself to that nation, with miracle after miracle. Showing and revealing His love and compassion for those people in spite of their hardness of heart and unbelief, He didn’t give up on them. Never once does the Scriptures say that He left in disgust, and thought "So what! They’ll never listen anyway." No, He never gave up on them. And then finally as Philippians tells us, "He so graphically died the death of the Cross, the most awful death ever invented." That’s all part of the "unsearchable riches of Christ."

It was all foreordained, it was all blueprinted. That through His death, and the shedding of His blood, the eternal Godhead could now reckon all of man’s sin as on Him and in Him even the judgment of God's wrath was laid on Him on that tree. Most people wont even take this in, it is beyond their comprehension and belief system. Let alone those who attempt to for they to can’t comprehend that, in total. Even today in any 24 hour period when we look at the mayhem that’s going on around the world like Yugoslavia, in Egypt and other places in the world that is in constant bloodshed. China in it's terrible persecution of believers, Russia where they’re under horrible pressure, the whole planet is at war. And yet in spite of all the suffering and the all the sin, we can stand here and tell you that all that sin that has ever been, that’s happening now, and will happen in the future was laid on Jesus Christ everyone was seen as being in Him. That’s the "unsearchable riches of Christ." When we have the Holy Spirit doing His works within us then all these things come to light and Life.

Jesus was able, by being the Creator God Himself, to take upon Himself all the sins of this world. We are just getting a little glimpse of it. We maintain without apology, after having just been shown the Truth. Listen, morality in America is still head and shoulders above the rest of the world. Even though it has been relegated to a false belief system, in a man made religious system, and the actions of a man made governmental regulations. As bad as we’re getting, and we’re getting worse by the day, but yet we maintain America is a long way from catching up with the rest of the world when it comes to immoral practices, though not far behind. When God was pushed out by the serpents actions long ages ago and told that he would only eat the dust of the ground, he has been devouring man ever since. And the major way is through the deception of religion not to leave out the governments of the world. Both work in consort under his devious plan and control, just as he had shown Jesus at the end of His forty days in the wilderness. But God in His Grace continues to look down on sinful men, having Redeemed them and is willing to save to the uttermost anyone that would just simply believe that He did all of this. The vast majority won’t believe, so don’t get discouraged, because they never have and according to scriptures never will. Neither the world or worldly will accept this Gospel. Now that’s all part of the "unsearchable riches of Christ."