1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:04,320 Father, we know You love us, and one of the reasons we know that 2 00:00:04,320 --> 00:00:06,960 is because You've chosen to speak to us through Your Word. 3 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:11,760 So we pray that we would receive this word from Ephesians 1, not 4 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:15,520 as the Word from man, but as a word from Your very mouth. 5 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:20,040 We pray this morning that You would do what I can never do in 6 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:25,880 opening eyes, drawing hearts to You and sanctifying us, making 7 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:30,240 us more and more like Jesus. So open our eyes now to see 8 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:34,400 wonderful things in your word. We pray in Jesus name, Amen. 9 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:38,600 Our reading this morning is from Ephesians one picking up in 10 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:42,680 verse 7 and reading to verse 10. Paul writes in him we have 11 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:45,920 redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our 12 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:49,720 trespasses according to the riches of His grace which He 13 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:54,120 lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight, making known to us 14 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:57,880 the mystery of His will according to His purpose, which 15 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:02,360 he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time to 16 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:07,240 unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth. 17 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:11,360 This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God, you may be 18 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:17,800 seated. Our first sermon in Ephesians 19 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:22,000 was on January 4th, and it was that morning that one of my sons 20 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:27,000 asked me why? How do you guys talk for so long 21 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,400 about just a few words in the Bible? 22 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:34,520 I'd like to think he was in awe of what we do, but I think he 23 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:38,000 had a little different angle. So because now we're here on 24 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:41,600 March 1st, 2 months later, and we've just about made it through 25 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:45,360 10 verses, which I think is about 1.5 verses a week. 26 00:01:45,960 --> 00:01:48,960 So you may have your own version of my son's question, but I 27 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:52,520 would encourage you not to ask the pastors a question, but to 28 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:56,080 ask Paul a question. Paul, why do you write such an 29 00:01:56,080 --> 00:02:00,360 intro that makes our pastors have to talk for so long about a 30 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:04,400 few words in the Bible? And if Paul could answer that 31 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:08,000 question with one of our hymns, I think he would say, Oh, the 32 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:13,480 deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free, 33 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:18,920 rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me, underneath me, 34 00:02:18,920 --> 00:02:24,320 all around me is the current of his love leading onward, leading 35 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:26,960 homeward to his glorious rest above. 36 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:30,960 When we read Ephesians one, it's clear Paul has been swimming in 37 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:33,880 the ocean of God's love that that hymn describes. 38 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:37,320 He's been diving in and exploring all that he has in 39 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:39,680 Christ. And this intro is basically his 40 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:44,360 invitation to us to do the same, to get beyond the surface, to 41 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:48,360 dive to the depths and to realize everything in this ocean 42 00:02:48,640 --> 00:02:53,400 is ours if we are his. My wife and some of you know, 43 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:55,560 loves the beach, loves the ocean. 44 00:02:55,920 --> 00:02:58,440 I was thinking this week I just hope that she don't need 45 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:00,480 sunscreen in the new heavens and the new earth. 46 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:06,480 She doesn't just want a few minutes out there on the beach, 47 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:10,640 She wants to linger there and soak up the sun and feel the 48 00:03:10,640 --> 00:03:12,920 sand between her toes and get in the ocean. 49 00:03:12,920 --> 00:03:16,760 She dives in because she loves it and her time there has 50 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:20,520 changed her. Paul writes like this for much 51 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:23,320 the same reason. He knows the Lord loved him. 52 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:25,080 He can't get to the bottom of it. 53 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:28,280 He can't stop thinking about it, so he won't stop writing about 54 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:33,000 it and he dives in because the Lord has loved him and so he 55 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:35,800 loves the Lord and it changes him. 56 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:41,240 Has it changed you? In verse 3, Paul says blessed be 57 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:44,520 the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us 58 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:48,920 in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. 59 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:53,680 Do you realize, friends, that every spiritual blessing in 60 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:57,200 Christ, if we have that, that means that God has blessed us 61 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:01,200 comprehensively from eternity to eternity. 62 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:04,720 In the last few weeks, we've seen how God has blessed us in 63 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:08,320 the past. He chose us in God in Christ 64 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:11,280 before the foundation of the world in love. 65 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:13,840 He predestined us for adoption as His children. 66 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:16,800 We've also seen how He has blessed us in the present. 67 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:20,880 We have right now redemption by his blood and the forgiveness of 68 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:23,120 our sins. And this morning we'll see how 69 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:26,560 God will bless us in the future as well. 70 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:31,000 Paul says God has made known to us the mystery of his will for 71 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:33,560 the future. And so today we're diving into 72 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:37,640 this ocean one more time to consider all that God has given 73 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:39,760 us in Christ and what it means for us. 74 00:04:40,280 --> 00:04:43,800 So as we think about the mystery of His will, first I want to ask 75 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:47,560 what is the mystery? You see, Paul starts to talk 76 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:50,240 about the mystery at the tail end of what he starts talking 77 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:52,640 about in verse 7. And that's why we started in 78 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:54,320 verse 7. So follow along. 79 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:57,560 In the text, Paul says we have redemption through Christ's 80 00:04:57,560 --> 00:04:59,920 blood. We have the forgiveness of our 81 00:04:59,920 --> 00:05:04,000 trespasses, and this is not because of us, as if we might 82 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:05,720 think that we somehow deserve that. 83 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:09,400 No, it's according to God's grace and he wasn't stingy with 84 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:12,480 His grace. It says He lavished it upon us. 85 00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:16,360 So in the process of redeeming us and forgiving us and 86 00:05:16,360 --> 00:05:20,960 lavishing His grace upon us, He has also made known to us the 87 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:24,000 mystery of His will. So what does Paul mean by the 88 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:26,560 word mystery? It's a Greek word that actually 89 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:29,400 looks like it's English translation, which is helpful. 90 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:32,480 It's mysterion. Even you could read it. 91 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:36,000 But what kind of mystery are we talking about? 92 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:38,440 It's not a mystery like a cold case. 93 00:05:38,440 --> 00:05:40,760 There are shows on TV about cold cases. 94 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:44,640 It's not a mystery like the abduction story that's been in 95 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:47,480 the news lately. These mysteries, they make us 96 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:50,040 think, well, if we could just get a few more clues, we could 97 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:53,400 figure it out on our own. It's not that kind of mystery. 98 00:05:53,840 --> 00:05:58,880 Paul means a secret that God knows, but we don't know, and we 99 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:01,960 can't know unless God chooses to reveal it to us. 100 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:06,000 Think of Daniel chapter 2. That's where Nebuchadnezzar has 101 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:08,960 his strange dream, and he needs an interpretation. 102 00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:12,920 And so all his wise men and magi are in trouble because they 103 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:15,520 can't guess it. He won't tell it to them, and so 104 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:17,520 they don't know it and they can't figure it out. 105 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:20,800 So Nebuchadnezzar asked Daniel, are you able to make known to me 106 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:23,760 the dream that I've seen and its interpretation? 107 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:27,680 And you remember Daniel's reply. No wise men, enchanters, 108 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:31,840 magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery 109 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:36,200 that the king has asked. But there is a God in heaven who 110 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:40,160 reveals mysteries, and he's made known to King Nebuchadnezzar 111 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:44,040 what will be in the latter days. And then Daniel says, this 112 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:48,840 mystery has been revealed to me. So Nebuchadnezzar's dream had to 113 00:06:48,840 --> 00:06:51,720 do with events in history that would happen in later days. 114 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:54,840 No one could know those things unless God revealed them to him. 115 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:58,320 And that's exactly what God did for Daniel. 116 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:01,800 So we bring the same perspective to the mystery of His will in 117 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:04,520 Ephesians 1. As God's great work of 118 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:08,960 redemption unfolds, He reveals the secret of his future plans 119 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:11,360 to his people. Things we never could have 120 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:15,800 guessed that God is up to, but now he's made it known. 121 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:19,680 Sinclair Ferguson has this image that God's Old Testament 122 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:23,000 revelation is like scaffolding around a building. 123 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:26,480 So you've probably seen that in Dallas or New York or wherever. 124 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:29,480 There's a massive building going up, but it's surrounded by 125 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:32,200 scaffolding and you know something significant is 126 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:34,920 happening there, but you just can't quite catch it. 127 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:38,680 But when the scaffolding is removed, the mystery is revealed 128 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:41,800 and the glorious plans of the architect are made. 129 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:44,680 Now. So in the New Testament, it's 130 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:48,160 like God is removing the scaffolding and we see the 131 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:52,160 glorious plans of the architect of our salvation are made known. 132 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:56,480 And at the center of the mystery is our Lord Jesus Christ. 133 00:07:56,680 --> 00:07:59,120 Think about the lyrics we sang this morning. 134 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:02,400 Come, behold the wondrous mystery in the dawning of the 135 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:04,840 King. He, the theme of heaven's 136 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:09,680 praises, robed in frail humanity, in our longing, in our 137 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:12,720 darkness. Now the light of life has come. 138 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:16,720 Look to Christ, who condescended, took on flesh to 139 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:19,720 ransom us. So we knew God was doing 140 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:21,440 something. You could see that in the Old 141 00:08:21,440 --> 00:08:23,680 Testament. But it was a wondrous mystery 142 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:28,600 that He would come like this and live and die and rise again for 143 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:30,960 us. Paul actually uses the word 144 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:33,360 mystery seven times in Ephesians. 145 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:37,039 The most he uses it is in chapter 3 and it's in chapter 3 146 00:08:37,039 --> 00:08:41,159 where he he says it's the union of Jews and Gentiles in in 147 00:08:41,159 --> 00:08:43,360 Christ in the church. That's the mystery. 148 00:08:43,559 --> 00:08:47,040 No one would have guessed that God would bring the Gentiles in 149 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:50,840 to join his people, the Jews. No one could imagine that God 150 00:08:50,840 --> 00:08:53,360 would want a people from every tribe, tongue and nation. 151 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:55,320 But that's what he's doing in Christ. 152 00:08:55,800 --> 00:08:58,600 It's a mystery now reveal in chapter 5. 153 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:00,960 It's the union of husband and wife in marriage. 154 00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:03,560 That's the mystery. Paul says this mystery is 155 00:09:03,560 --> 00:09:05,600 profound, that the two would become one. 156 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:09,640 But then he says, I'm saying it refers to Christ and the church. 157 00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:12,360 No one would have guessed that marriage was about more than 158 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:14,000 marriage. We tend to think marriage is the 159 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:18,720 ultimate, but no, it points to God's desire to be one with his 160 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:21,280 people forever. That's what he's doing in 161 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:23,560 Christ. A mystery reveal. 162 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:27,000 But the union of Jews and Gentiles and the union of 163 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:31,360 marriage are really just like the preview of this main mystery 164 00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:32,920 in chapter 1. So what is it? 165 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:37,120 Look with me at verse 9. He mentions making known to us 166 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:39,080 the mystery of His will in verse 9. 167 00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:43,600 But then he tells us what it is in verse 10 to unite all things 168 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:48,400 in Christ, things in heaven and on earth and in between, as Paul 169 00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:50,760 loves to do. He adds more phrases. 170 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:54,000 This is God's secret that we never would have guessed on our 171 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:55,960 own. Paul says it came to be 172 00:09:56,160 --> 00:10:00,920 according to God's purpose. It was the Father's pleasure to 173 00:10:00,920 --> 00:10:05,360 do this, and it was a plan that he set forth in Christ. 174 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:09,320 It wasn't something that we accomplished or that we did with 175 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:11,400 Him. At the center of the Father's 176 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:15,040 plan is the Son, and Paul says it was a plan for the fullness 177 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:17,880 of time. In Galatians we hear that in the 178 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:21,920 fullness of time, Jesus came to love us and give himself for us 179 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:25,120 to be born of a virgin. But now, in the fullness of 180 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:28,320 time, he'll come again to make all things new. 181 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:33,360 So friends, a day is coming when God will unite all things in 182 00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:36,160 Christ. This includes his chosen people, 183 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:41,320 His created world, even angels who didn't fall. 184 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:46,000 Romans 8 says the creation groans for this day, for this 185 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:48,880 day of redemption. Do we groan for it? 186 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:52,160 It's hard to imagine it because we haven't seen it. 187 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:56,080 But we know from Revelation 21 and other passages that when 188 00:10:56,080 --> 00:11:00,440 this day comes, God will dwell with us and we will be his 189 00:11:00,440 --> 00:11:04,160 people, and he will be with us as our God, and we'll be united 190 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:07,320 with him in the ultimate marriage, in the perfect place. 191 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:09,760 It'll be the new heavens and the new earth. 192 00:11:09,760 --> 00:11:11,520 It's the world we've always wanted. 193 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:16,320 And God, it says, we'll wipe away every tear from our eyes. 194 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:19,120 Imagine that the personal touch of that. 195 00:11:19,960 --> 00:11:24,480 And death shall be no more, and all that's broken apart will be 196 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:29,120 put back together, and Jesus Christ will be King over all. 197 00:11:29,400 --> 00:11:34,200 This is the mystery of his will to unite all things in Christ. 198 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:37,960 And if we see that now, we can ask a second question. 199 00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:40,720 So why is this mystery so important? 200 00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:44,480 Why does it matter what God is going to do in the future? 201 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:49,000 Well, in the world, it's natural to believe that history is going 202 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:51,320 nowhere. There's a view of history that 203 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:55,040 centuries roll on and on, and people really don't see any 204 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:59,480 overarching plan or purpose. But it's God's plan to unite all 205 00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:03,080 things in Christ that changes our perspective on history. 206 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:07,840 GN Clark was a history professor at Cambridge in the 1940s and in 207 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:10,320 his inaugural lecture, listen to what he said. 208 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:14,600 There is no secret and no plan in history to be discovered. 209 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:18,200 I don't think he read Ephesians 1, he says. 210 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:22,440 I do not believe that any future consummation could make sense of 211 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:25,280 the irrationalities of preceding ages. 212 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:30,560 Do you share that view? What's your view of history? 213 00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:34,320 When you think about wars and plagues and natural disasters 214 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:37,760 and genocide, or when you look around even today at recent 215 00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:41,280 history, you see war between Ukraine and Russia and new 216 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:44,880 conflict between the United States and Israel and Iran, the 217 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:48,760 Epstein files, human trafficking, the ways technology 218 00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:51,360 is impacting our world. It's easy just to look at 219 00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:54,440 history in the current day and just say this is the summary. 220 00:12:54,480 --> 00:12:59,080 Things are falling apart. Things are falling apart, so it 221 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:03,440 feels like we're lighting a candle in a hurricane to say one 222 00:13:03,440 --> 00:13:06,120 day God will unite all things in Christ. 223 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:09,680 But friends, this is what God's Word teaches us. 224 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:13,920 In the beginning, God made Adam a representative head over 225 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:17,560 creation. So when Adam fell in Genesis 3, 226 00:13:17,560 --> 00:13:20,320 it's like the contagion of sin touched everything. 227 00:13:20,520 --> 00:13:23,720 So things did begin to fall apart and death seemed to be 228 00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:26,040 winning. And that's the reality for so 229 00:13:26,040 --> 00:13:28,640 many people around us. That's what they think, but it's 230 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:32,560 not the whole story. God has done something in 231 00:13:32,560 --> 00:13:36,000 history to overthrow the reign of sin and death. 232 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:40,280 Think about first Corinthians 15 where Paul writes For as by a 233 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:45,640 man came, death by a man has come also the resurrection of 234 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:49,160 the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also 235 00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:51,840 in Christ all shall be made alive. 236 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:55,960 Adam failed as the head of humanity and we all feel that 237 00:13:55,960 --> 00:14:00,640 failure, but Christ succeeded as the last Adam, and that's 238 00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:03,440 massive. So if we're only united with 239 00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:07,640 Adam, we're stuck in that world of death and decay. 240 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:12,200 But if we're united with Christ, we've been brought into his 241 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:15,520 world, life and healing. Think about our profession of 242 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:18,280 faith from Colossians 1. You can look at it if you like. 243 00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:22,440 So we feel how things are falling apart, and it says in 244 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:26,800 Christ all things hold together. We feel like we lack a leader, 245 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:30,320 says he is the head of his body, the church. 246 00:14:30,680 --> 00:14:33,160 We're not sure sometimes what life is all about. 247 00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:37,680 And it says the risen Christ is preeminent in everything. 248 00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:41,920 And when all seems lost, it says Jesus poured out his blood on 249 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:46,760 the cross to reconcile what to himself all things, whether on 250 00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:49,480 earth or in heaven. So you can see the connection 251 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:53,320 between Colossians 1 and Ephesians 1, and you can see God 252 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:55,200 has actually already done the work. 253 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:58,680 Jesus has already died to reconcile to himself all things. 254 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:02,520 So when we look at the church or marriage, our own lives or even 255 00:15:02,520 --> 00:15:07,400 pockets of society now, we can catch glimpses of how God is 256 00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:09,960 bringing things together under Christ. 257 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:13,440 But a day is coming when we'll see the fullness of what it 258 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:16,600 means for God to unite all things in Christ. 259 00:15:17,560 --> 00:15:21,600 My wife loves to do needlepointing and history often 260 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:24,160 looks like the back of a needlepoint canvas. 261 00:15:24,160 --> 00:15:27,360 I don't know if you've seen this before and she actually does a 262 00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:29,600 beautiful job with the back. So I thought of bringing one of 263 00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:31,120 her canvases. So I was like, this is actually 264 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:33,680 too organized. So I'm just going to talk about, 265 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:38,120 but you see someone else's needlepoint and it's just knots 266 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:41,400 and mess and strings over here, and this is going under that and 267 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:43,320 you have no idea what's happening. 268 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:46,160 It's just confusion because you can't turn it over if you're 269 00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:49,320 just looking at the back and see the picture that's actually 270 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:52,640 coming together. And in life and in history, when 271 00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:55,720 we can't see the picture, there are really only two options. 272 00:15:55,880 --> 00:15:59,760 One is to conclude that there is no picture and just give in to 273 00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:02,400 despair. And the other option is to 274 00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:06,840 believe and trust that God is weaving it all together and lean 275 00:16:06,840 --> 00:16:10,360 into hope. So take this new conflict with 276 00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:14,400 Iran as an example. It's a scary situation, and 277 00:16:14,400 --> 00:16:18,240 we're right to pray for all the people involved for peace, for 278 00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:20,920 God's glory. We long for people who have 279 00:16:20,920 --> 00:16:24,480 lived in fear and been oppressed to experience freedom. 280 00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:28,320 We long for the gospel to run free in the Middle East, but 281 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:31,720 we're wrong to think about our Lord as if he's in heaven 282 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:34,320 wringing his hands and saying, Father, what are we going to do 283 00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:38,640 about this? Proverbs 21 one says the King's 284 00:16:38,640 --> 00:16:41,560 heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord. 285 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:46,680 He turns it wherever he will. Jesus, friends, is the King of 286 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:50,000 history and he's working everything together for his 287 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:52,640 glory, even when it doesn't make sense to us. 288 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:56,600 So big picture, the mystery of his will changes our perspective 289 00:16:56,600 --> 00:17:00,240 on history and that matters. But then smaller scale, it 290 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:02,360 changes our perspective on our lives. 291 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:07,040 In Shakespeare's play, Macbeth famously says life's but a 292 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:10,920 walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour 293 00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:13,480 upon the stage and then is heard no more. 294 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:17,400 It's a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury 295 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:22,160 signifying nothing. But we know in our hearts that 296 00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:26,400 this vision of life isn't true. God has written something into 297 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:28,319 our hearts. We know there is meaning. 298 00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:32,200 We long for meaning and the meaning big pictures. 299 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:36,240 God is uniting all things in Christ, and that means it 300 00:17:36,240 --> 00:17:40,520 includes our lives too. Think of the mosaic style of 301 00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:42,880 art. An artist will take these broken 302 00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:45,760 pieces of glass or stone and marble and you look at these 303 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:47,400 things and say this is insignificant. 304 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:49,600 Like this is for the the trash pile. 305 00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:52,480 Why would I even keep this? But then in the artist's hands, 306 00:17:52,480 --> 00:17:55,760 they take all these broken pieces and put together 307 00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:58,640 something beautiful, and you hold it in your hands or you see 308 00:17:58,640 --> 00:18:02,160 it on the ground. And in so many ways, as we look 309 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:05,040 at characters in the Bible, in our own lives, this is what 310 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:07,320 God's Word is telling us. This is how God works. 311 00:18:07,520 --> 00:18:10,800 We've sinned and we've been sinned against, but that doesn't 312 00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:13,560 mean that our lives are meaningless now. 313 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:15,840 It's not a tale told by an idiot. 314 00:18:16,120 --> 00:18:20,360 God doesn't throw away the broken pieces of our lives in 315 00:18:20,360 --> 00:18:23,680 his hands. These broken pieces can become 316 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:27,480 something beautiful. It's all part of his plan to 317 00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:31,440 make us more like Jesus. And so with Joseph in Genesis 318 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:34,640 5020, when he's talking to his brothers, we can say to those 319 00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:39,440 who've heard us, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for 320 00:18:39,440 --> 00:18:42,560 good. And with Paul in Romans 828, we 321 00:18:42,560 --> 00:18:48,520 can say in any situation, and we know, we know that for those who 322 00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:53,720 love God, all things, all things work together for good. 323 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:56,320 For those who are called according to His purpose. 324 00:18:57,160 --> 00:18:59,680 Think about that. Knowing that God is at work in 325 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:04,840 all things helps us to trust Him with anything that He sends our 326 00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:10,000 way in this life. New callings, closed doors, 327 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:15,840 afflictions, disappointments, deep losses. 328 00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:18,960 Are you going through any of these things? 329 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:24,520 If you are, do you believe that God is with you and not just 330 00:19:24,520 --> 00:19:27,600 that, That he's working in all things? 331 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:32,080 So life often feels like a song in a minor key. 332 00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:34,680 There's so much sadness and tension. 333 00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:39,720 You ache for the resolution, the mystery that God will unite all 334 00:19:39,720 --> 00:19:42,080 things in. Christ tells us that one day 335 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:46,280 that minor chord will be raised to major and that sadness will 336 00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:49,720 be turned to joy. And a resolution is coming that 337 00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:51,960 will thrill our hearts for eternity. 338 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:55,240 It's the kind of hope that changes everything. 339 00:19:56,200 --> 00:20:00,120 And so we ask one more question. What does this mystery mean for 340 00:20:00,120 --> 00:20:04,280 us today? So when we began this series, 341 00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:06,600 Mark shared a John Owen quotation with us. 342 00:20:06,760 --> 00:20:08,280 Do you remember what John Owen said? 343 00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:12,200 He said our greatest hindrance in the Christian life is not our 344 00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:16,120 lack of effort, but our lack of acquaintedness with our 345 00:20:16,120 --> 00:20:18,720 privileges. We don't understand all that we 346 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:21,520 have in Christ. We don't live in light of 347 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:24,440 Ephesians one. We're like the child of a 348 00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:26,880 billionaire who's living on the street. 349 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:32,280 But friends, if you are in Christ, you are the richest man 350 00:20:32,520 --> 00:20:36,880 or woman in the world. And this morning we've learned 351 00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:39,840 of yet another privilege we have that God has made known to us 352 00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:43,680 the mystery of his will to unite all things in Christ. 353 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:47,880 The problem is, feels like a future reality that doesn't mean 354 00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:51,480 much today. And there are privileges in life 355 00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:54,160 that are like this. So we can't ride the roller 356 00:20:54,160 --> 00:20:58,480 coaster until we're this tall. We can't drive until we're 15 or 357 00:20:58,480 --> 00:21:00,800 16. We can't vote until we're 18, 358 00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:04,920 can't get married until we get married, can't have kids until 359 00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:08,400 we have kids, can't withdraw from our retirement accounts 360 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:10,320 without a penalty until a certain age. 361 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:12,680 Some of those things are more fun than others. 362 00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:15,600 We look forward to these privileges. 363 00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:18,920 But the problem is, until we get there, all we hear is not yet, 364 00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:24,240 not yet, Can't have that yet. But this is where our privileges 365 00:21:24,240 --> 00:21:27,200 in Christ are different from our privileges in the world. 366 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:32,560 Because in Christ it's not just not yet, There's also an 367 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:36,520 already. Do we see all things united in 368 00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:40,680 Christ? Not yet, but we already see the 369 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:42,240 beautiful beginning of this work. 370 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:46,840 So when we turn to Jesus and put our faith in him, our lives that 371 00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:50,880 were once falling apart start coming together in him, and our 372 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:53,640 lives that were centered on money or work or pleasure or 373 00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:59,480 sports or whatever you you chase, they find a new center in 374 00:21:59,480 --> 00:22:02,280 Him. So one day we'll see that Jesus 375 00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:05,480 is the organizing principle of the whole universe. 376 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:10,240 But even this morning he can rearrange our lives under His 377 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:12,960 kind rule. So it's true in our individual 378 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:14,440 lives. It's also true in our life 379 00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:17,880 together as the church. On Sundays we gather as a church 380 00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:21,360 family to worship the Lord, to remember that He is our head and 381 00:22:21,360 --> 00:22:23,880 we are His body. And we're reminded that we're 382 00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:26,600 united with Him and He puts us back together. 383 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:28,800 He literally as members of his body. 384 00:22:28,800 --> 00:22:33,360 He remembers us. He unites us in Him. 385 00:22:33,800 --> 00:22:36,440 And that's a preview of what he'll do one day. 386 00:22:37,280 --> 00:22:39,240 We recently had this night of worship with the men of 387 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:40,840 Nehemiah. I know some of you men were 388 00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:42,560 there. And that night, a number of 389 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:45,040 those men stood up to share their testimonies. 390 00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:48,280 So through tears, they talked about how their lives had been 391 00:22:48,280 --> 00:22:50,600 falling apart. And we heard stories of 392 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:55,400 addiction and brokenness and disordered loves, how these men 393 00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:57,520 had lost all hope. And then they walked through the 394 00:22:57,520 --> 00:23:00,720 door of the men of Nehemiah, and they met Jesus. 395 00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:04,640 Jesus met them in that place and changed everything. 396 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:08,280 And it was so clear that night to all of us that only Jesus can 397 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:12,200 take our broken pieces and unite them together into this 398 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:16,440 beautiful mosaic of his grace. And friends, I will just tell 399 00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:19,160 you, we're not different from the men of Nehemiah. 400 00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:23,640 We have the same need, and God offers us the same provision. 401 00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:28,440 Have you looked to Jesus? Have you trusted in Him for your 402 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:31,320 salvation? Do you believe He's the only one 403 00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:34,360 who can hold your life together and give you what you've been 404 00:23:34,360 --> 00:23:36,880 looking for so many other places? 405 00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:40,960 The fact that God will make all things new one day should give 406 00:23:40,960 --> 00:23:43,800 us great hope. But it's not just a future hope, 407 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:47,000 because God can make us new even today. 408 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:50,640 So knowing the mystery of God's will should first of all give us 409 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:53,120 hope. It should also give us peace. 410 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:55,480 Sometimes people hear about what we're talking about in 411 00:23:55,480 --> 00:23:59,800 Ephesians, one God's sovereign plan, election, His plan for the 412 00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:02,960 future, and they say, how Can you believe this stuff? 413 00:24:04,120 --> 00:24:09,560 My response is, how can you not? If you don't believe God is in 414 00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:11,800 control, how can you even get out of bed? 415 00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:15,520 If you think life is meaningless, like why do 416 00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:19,120 anything at all? And if it's all dependent on 417 00:24:19,120 --> 00:24:22,640 you, if it's all up to you, how can you even take a step? 418 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:26,320 That's terrifying. How can you not be overwhelmed 419 00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:29,240 by work and school and sports and parenting? 420 00:24:30,120 --> 00:24:34,880 How can you not be anxious about politics and war and artificial 421 00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:38,400 intelligence? Without Jesus at the center of 422 00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:40,640 our lives, how could we ever have peace? 423 00:24:41,120 --> 00:24:44,000 But with Him, how can we not have peace? 424 00:24:44,560 --> 00:24:47,360 Because we don't know what to do without anything. 425 00:24:48,240 --> 00:24:50,360 But He knows what to do with everything. 426 00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:53,680 He doesn't promise to protect us from all the trouble and 427 00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:56,720 suffering that comes in this life, but in the midst of all of 428 00:24:56,720 --> 00:24:59,880 it, He gives us His presence and His peace. 429 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:04,080 So, knowing the mystery of His will, it should give us peace. 430 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:07,720 We can sing. This is my Father's world. 431 00:25:08,360 --> 00:25:12,360 Oh, let me never forget that though the wrong seems OFT so 432 00:25:12,360 --> 00:25:17,160 strong, God is the ruler. Yet finally knowing the mystery 433 00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:21,040 of his will helps us to live with passion for God's glory in 434 00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:24,000 all things. We don't always hear the message 435 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:26,920 that God cares about the whole world and he cares about our 436 00:25:26,920 --> 00:25:29,680 whole life. But when I read that he's going 437 00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:33,480 to unite all things in Christ, it sure seems like he cares 438 00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:37,720 about all things. Romans 1136 says. 439 00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:43,240 For from him and through him and to Him are all things. 440 00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:46,840 So of course God cares about our personal salvation. 441 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:50,480 What could be more important that than believing that God so 442 00:25:50,480 --> 00:25:54,520 loved the world that he sent his only Son, that we would not 443 00:25:54,520 --> 00:25:58,360 perish but have eternal life? But believing the gospel of 444 00:25:58,400 --> 00:26:01,800 Jesus Christ isn't the end. It's actually the beginning of a 445 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:06,160 whole new life, and this new life in Christ by his grace 446 00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:09,080 depending on him. It's about living through Him 447 00:26:09,360 --> 00:26:13,480 and for Him in all things. So if there's any part of your 448 00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:16,320 life where you don't want to live for His glory, you don't 449 00:26:16,320 --> 00:26:19,920 want Him to unite that part of your life under His headship. 450 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:24,800 Hear the call today to turn to Him and let Him bring it all 451 00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:28,560 together in Christ. Dive into the ocean of His love 452 00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:31,240 and consider all your privileges in Christ. 453 00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:35,280 If we're His, He's blessed us with every spiritual blessing in 454 00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:37,800 Christ. We've been chosen and adopted. 455 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:39,800 We've been redeemed and forgiven. 456 00:26:40,360 --> 00:26:44,760 We know the mystery of His will. And when we bring all of this 457 00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:47,520 into everything we do, what happens? 458 00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:52,680 We start to see Christ as Lord and King and head over every 459 00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:55,440 part of life. And we long to live for His 460 00:26:55,440 --> 00:27:00,280 glory in every part of life. Our public life and our private 461 00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:05,120 life, our work life and our home life, our church life and our 462 00:27:05,120 --> 00:27:08,600 community life. And so we see the joy that 463 00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:11,800 whatever is happening this afternoon, it's by his grace and 464 00:27:11,800 --> 00:27:14,280 for his glory. And we go to work tomorrow, 465 00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:17,840 we're caring for our family tomorrow it's by His grace and 466 00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:20,040 for his glory. And whether we're alone in our 467 00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:24,600 room or with people, we want to live for His glory in all 468 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:27,080 things. Paul writes in First Corinthians 469 00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:29,560 10/31. So whether you eat or drink or 470 00:27:29,560 --> 00:27:33,280 whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 471 00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:37,800 And in Colossians 317, he tells us, whatever you do in Word or 472 00:27:37,800 --> 00:27:42,000 deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks 473 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:46,600 to God the Father through him. So why can we live like this? 474 00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:48,920 Because we know the end of the story. 475 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:52,840 And knowing the end of the story gives us this invincible hope 476 00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:56,800 and also a peace that surpasses all understanding. 477 00:27:57,480 --> 00:28:01,800 And so we can run this race with joy and with passion. 478 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:06,440 Looking to Jesus, we know that this is our Father's world and 479 00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:11,040 we want to love it and live in it as Jesus did, until that 480 00:28:11,040 --> 00:28:15,760 sweet day when He unites all things in heaven and earth in 481 00:28:15,760 --> 00:28:16,880 him. Let's pray. 482 00:28:20,640 --> 00:28:23,040 Father, these are deep waters, and so we thank you for 483 00:28:23,040 --> 00:28:25,280 revealing to us the mystery of your will. 484 00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:29,160 We pray this morning that we would see how amazing it is that 485 00:28:29,160 --> 00:28:32,520 we know one day You will unite all things in Christ. 486 00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:35,920 We pray this morning for those who don't know You that they 487 00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:39,520 might be united with You today by faith, that they would look 488 00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:43,000 to Jesus, that they would trade their sin for your salvation, 489 00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:46,400 trade their brokenness for the beautiful work that you want to 490 00:28:46,400 --> 00:28:49,200 do in their lives. We pray for those who do know 491 00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:52,480 Jesus, Lord, that they would have the hope that comes from 492 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:56,360 knowing the end of the story and the peace that comes from being 493 00:28:56,360 --> 00:29:00,560 united with You now and forever. And Lord, I pray that you would 494 00:29:00,560 --> 00:29:03,560 give us grace to look to You this week and to realize how 495 00:29:03,560 --> 00:29:08,520 sweet it is to bring our whole lives under Your kind rule, that 496 00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:11,800 we might live for Your glory. Whatever we do, eating or 497 00:29:11,800 --> 00:29:15,920 drinking or whatever we do, that we would give it up to you and 498 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:18,280 we would give thanks in Jesus name. 499 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:20,880 This is your world. Lord, we pray that you would 500 00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:24,560 give us grace to be your ambassadors and your instruments 501 00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:26,840 in it. We pray in Jesus great name, 502 00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:27,680 Amen.