1 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:33,600 The. Amen. 2 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:36,960 Praise the Lord, everybody. Amen. 3 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:38,640 Good to see each one of you, Asher. 4 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:41,120 He just had to take a lap. That's all there is to it. 5 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:42,680 He just had to take a lap. Amen. 6 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:45,520 Good to see each one of you today in the House of the Lord. 7 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:48,920 And as I was thinking about that song, he never gave up on me. 8 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:52,200 I started to sitting there thinking Bishop about other 9 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:56,440 people, Lord in this church, though that also haven't given 10 00:00:56,440 --> 00:01:01,280 up on him in the sense that you had moments of time of of 11 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:05,880 struggle and maybe doubts, conflicts that you ward with. 12 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:09,080 But you know what you stay tethered to him to the church 13 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:12,440 with all of your doubt, with all of your uncertainty, wasn't 14 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:15,560 saying that you just was always at the apex of your game, but 15 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:18,360 you went through your struggles, but you stay connected to him, 16 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:20,520 right? And so you never gave up on him 17 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:23,400 either in that respect. And so that's commendable this 18 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:24,480 morning. Amen. 19 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:25,760 We're thankful the Lord for that. 20 00:01:25,960 --> 00:01:28,400 And if I'm just give you a few thank yous today, I want to say 21 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:30,160 thank you to Tyler and Jen Crews. 22 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:34,960 He headed up the the game and also the door prizes for our 23 00:01:34,960 --> 00:01:38,520 adult Christmas dinner. This, this, this on Friday in my 24 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:40,480 wife's absence. So we appreciate that 25 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:43,880 wholeheartedly them doing that. And thankful also thankful for 26 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:47,280 brother Alex Mason. The past two Fridays we've put 27 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:51,280 up a a TV each one here. And so thankful for his aid and 28 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:53,200 help in ordering the materials that was needed. 29 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:56,520 And then I'm just going to tell I'm thankful for brother Reese. 30 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:59,440 I was leaving for study and he's out here vacuuming the carpets 31 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:01,880 last night. And so always thankful for 32 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:06,040 those, all those that work and clean and just help grease the 33 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:09,680 wheels, if you will, so to speak from time to time. 34 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:12,280 We're thankful today for that. I'm going to be turning to the 35 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:14,080 book of Ephesians. I'm in teaching mode this 36 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:15,520 morning. Usually, if you see this on the 37 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:17,400 side of my face, I'm in teaching mode. 38 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:19,040 Amen. And that's what I'm going to do 39 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:21,400 today. Ephesians chapter #1 We're glad 40 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:23,880 to have Katie with us this morning, All right? 41 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:30,400 Glad to have her sister Cox's back on this, You know, 42 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:34,320 instilling her face in the eyes of that grandchild. 43 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:36,880 They say their vision isn't totally developed then, but 44 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:39,280 she's trying to get an image imprinted there on a retina or 45 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:40,160 something. I don't know. 46 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:44,240 She says whenever she's not there the baby cries. 47 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:50,200 So I don't know the the jury's still out upon the the validity 48 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:53,240 of that statement, but nonetheless we're going to 49 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:56,160 support her and that say yes, that's I do know that's right. 50 00:02:56,560 --> 00:03:00,680 Absolutely Amen. Ephesians chapter #1 going to 51 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:05,200 read verses 12 through 14, just a few few verses of Scripture 52 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:09,560 here today. The Bible says, and you know, 53 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:12,920 almost with any time you jump into Scripture, like there's a 54 00:03:12,920 --> 00:03:16,960 much bigger setting, right? So it says in verse 12 that we 55 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:20,520 should be to the praise of his glory. 56 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:25,440 Who first, who first trusted in Christ, in whom you also 57 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:28,600 trusted? After that you heard the word of 58 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:33,640 truth, the gospel of your salvation, and whom also after 59 00:03:33,640 --> 00:03:38,440 that you believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of 60 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:43,520 promise which is the earnest of our inheritance, and to the 61 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:49,000 redemption of the purchased possession and to the praise of 62 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:51,800 his glory. Amen. 63 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:55,600 For a little while today I want to talk to us about this God's 64 00:03:55,600 --> 00:04:02,840 plan, our inheritance. All right, God's plan and our 65 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:05,400 inheritance. Let's pray this morning the Lord 66 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:08,480 would help us next little bit. Father, we need you today. 67 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:11,080 I pray, O Lord, you're able to touch every heart and every 68 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:12,480 mind. We're thankful, Lord, for the 69 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,640 songs that have been sung, the Lord, the lyrics. 70 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:18,880 God, how we have felt, Lord, your nearness and your presence. 71 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:22,240 Lord in this house, I pray open our hearts and our mind of our 72 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:25,160 understanding God to understand the scriptures. 73 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:29,240 You said that in them are life God and I pray Lord let that be 74 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:33,000 life God to the hearers today and will not Lord to forget to 75 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,960 praise you for what you accomplish and do in Jesus name 76 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:41,560 that I pray Amen and Amen the church say Amen Amen. 77 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:43,840 You may be see you today just from the start. 78 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:46,840 If after everything is done today, you're like, I would be 79 00:04:46,840 --> 00:04:50,600 more interested in Ephesians, well, I have good news for you. 80 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:54,400 Over 10 years ago ago, we did a series here on the book of 81 00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:57,800 Ephesians, about 14 parts, and that's still on our podcast. 82 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:01,280 So if you're interested more in Ephesians, I'd point you in that 83 00:05:01,280 --> 00:05:03,400 direction and go there. All right. 84 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:07,720 And so really I feel a little guilty this morning because I'm 85 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:12,360 just presenting 3 verses out of a book that has a much larger 86 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:16,160 context and we can't consider all Ephesians in this one 87 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:19,040 setting. You would not be able to endure 88 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:21,480 that. I could probably do it, but you 89 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:23,000 would not be able to endure that. 90 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:26,640 And the thing about Scripture, anytime you hear or you set in a 91 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:29,360 church setting and there's a minister or teacher that teaches 92 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:33,800 from the Scripture, the, the, the difficulty or the complexity 93 00:05:34,280 --> 00:05:36,200 of ministering, of teaching from Scripture. 94 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:39,160 Is this that reality? You, you need to take all of the 95 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:41,160 Bible import through those 3 verses. 96 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:44,360 That's really the complexity of it because this is attached to 97 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:48,000 something so much larger than just the book of Ephesians, the 98 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,520 New Testament, Old Testament, but the whole whole of 99 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:52,560 Scripture. And so no one get nervous today 100 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:53,880 because I'm not going to do that. 101 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:56,600 We'll do what we can with the allotted time this morning. 102 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:03,120 But there's this aspect here in Ephesians chapter #1 and the the 103 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:05,760 other difficulty is this. In our English Bibles, it's 104 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:10,560 presented in just a a couple of verses, but from Ephesians 3 to 105 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:13,720 Ephesians 14 in the Greek language from which this was 106 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,880 pulled from, is just one run on sentence. 107 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:19,800 From verse 13 to verse 14, it's just one sentence. 108 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:23,160 And so I'm really just taking a few phrases out of a Greek 109 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:25,480 sentence here. A man to be able to present to 110 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:30,040 you this morning the Epistle as it is with the epistles or what 111 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:33,720 we might also call letters, right, Several letters and 112 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:37,920 epistles in the New Testament Scripture, as with any letter 113 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:40,720 even that would be written today, although that's almost 114 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:44,600 something that's far gone in it. You just text or send Adm. 115 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:49,760 But back in the day when you wrote letters, and I did written 116 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:54,520 several letters in my lifetime. Ethan's back here like giving up 117 00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:56,680 Exhibit A or something he has in his hand. 118 00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:00,280 But nonetheless, you're going to identify typically who you're 119 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:03,160 who you're speaking to and who is the one speaking. 120 00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:06,440 And the apostle Paul does this often for us in the epistles. 121 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:11,440 In the opening verses almost of any epistle, we learn about who 122 00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:15,320 the author is and who it's being addressed to. 123 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:20,000 For instance, in Ephesians 1 and verse #1 it says Paul, an 124 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:25,800 apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God to the Saints which 125 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:30,800 are at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus. 126 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:35,080 Paul, of course, is the author. He's addressing this letter or 127 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:40,240 he is addressing this epistle to the Saints at Ephesus. 128 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:44,600 And this is important for us because as we read the old King 129 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:48,480 James of we and ye, you know, type stuff in Scripture of our 130 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:51,600 versus, it's important to know who he's talking to or who is 131 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:54,240 talking. And so Paul calls his readers 132 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:57,360 Saints, right? He calls them Saints. 133 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:00,480 As a matter of fact, 9 different times in the book of Ephesians, 134 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:05,280 he's calling the readers Saints. But what is a St.? 135 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:07,280 Someone's sitting here. Someone. 136 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:08,920 Professionally, I'm saying bless God. 137 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:14,920 You know, but what is a St. Not not what is a St. as it is 138 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:18,760 defined today, right? But what was a St. as it was 139 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:22,600 defined then? It comes from a Greek word which 140 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:27,840 means holy or holy. One, it's used for things with 141 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:30,600 that have particular distinction. 142 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:33,919 Things that were holy or things that were Saints were things 143 00:08:33,919 --> 00:08:38,440 that had distinction because they had some type of connection 144 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:41,320 with God. And so they were distinguishing 145 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:42,840 that way. And that was a holy or holy 146 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:46,680 wonder, if you will, a St. But Paul, what's interesting 147 00:08:46,680 --> 00:08:51,080 about this particular word is that Paul is using a Greek word. 148 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:56,040 From the culture of that day of the Greeks that they were 149 00:08:56,040 --> 00:08:58,200 familiar with, that they could identify with. 150 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:02,760 So he took one of their words and he basically introduced it 151 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:05,080 into Christianity. It was a word. 152 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:07,840 The word Saints of the Greek word that it comes from is a 153 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:10,520 word that they would have known for them. 154 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:15,320 Among the Greeks, a St. was someone devoted to the gods, 155 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:18,600 little GODS. Someone devoted to the gods. 156 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:21,880 We read in the book of Acts that we understand they had a 157 00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:25,920 devotion to gods. One of their primary ones was 158 00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:29,280 Diana. We read in Scripture how there's 159 00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:33,160 Demetrius the, the, the, the man that was the blacksmith, so to 160 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:34,960 speak. And that there was a time there 161 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:37,000 was a uproar in the city of Ephesus. 162 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:40,840 And for two hours they would cry out greatest Diana, greatest 163 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:44,760 Diana, greatest Diana. And so to the Greeks, a St. was 164 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:48,360 someone that was devoted or devout to the gods. 165 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:51,480 And it it meant holy for them too, but not in the sense 166 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:55,680 Brother Fred being holy as being pure all right or untainted as 167 00:09:55,680 --> 00:09:58,920 we think of it today, but holy in the sense, and this is their 168 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:02,760 the Greeks reasoning, not mine in the sense of being non 169 00:10:02,960 --> 00:10:08,280 secular or not worldly set apart. 170 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:11,560 Why would they think that? Because they're devoted to the 171 00:10:11,560 --> 00:10:15,360 gods. Worship is very spiritual 172 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:19,680 regardless of your object of worship. 173 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:25,880 Worship is very spiritual and so a St. that was devoted to the 174 00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:29,960 gods and that devotion off time expressing itself in worship. 175 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:31,840 Mike drought. That was something very 176 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:35,160 spiritual. It was non secular. 177 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:38,120 All right. And so Paul specifies though, as 178 00:10:38,120 --> 00:10:41,640 he's writing to the Church of Ephesus, he specifies the Saints 179 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:43,760 because he is using a word that's common. 180 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:48,480 Amen to them that he doesn't just call them Saints which are 181 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:51,240 Ephesus because that could include all these Greek people 182 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:56,320 that are devoted to God's little GODSS he goes on and says, and 183 00:10:56,320 --> 00:11:02,480 to the faithful in Christ Jesus, right to the faithful that were 184 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:05,920 in Christ Jesus. So he makes a distinguishment 185 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:10,440 about what Saints he's talking about or what Saints he is 186 00:11:10,440 --> 00:11:16,240 speaking to in Ephesus. You you had devoted Pagan 187 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:19,200 Saints, and you had devoted Christian. 188 00:11:19,200 --> 00:11:21,960 Saints. All right, so it was all about 189 00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:24,760 whoever you were devoted to and whenever you start to think 190 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:29,840 about it, it's a little bit mind blowing that a St. is holy or 191 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:32,960 non secular because think with me here for a moment. 192 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:40,760 You can be devoted to a secular item to the degree of 193 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:45,560 worshipping that item. It be an idol to you. 194 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:51,360 All right. And be a St. regarding how you 195 00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:54,680 reverence that thing. What I'm saying is this. 196 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:58,120 You can have something non secular and if it becomes your 197 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:03,760 object of worship that you give special devotion to, you're 198 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:06,520 doing something to something that's non secular. 199 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:08,440 You're doing something. Spiritual. 200 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:12,880 To something that is non secular because you've given your 201 00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:15,680 attention, perhaps more attention to it than what you've 202 00:12:15,680 --> 00:12:17,840 given to other things. And that might seem a little 203 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:19,240 weird for you to wrap your mind about. 204 00:12:19,240 --> 00:12:23,400 So how in the world can this be? But you, you, you, they were, 205 00:12:23,400 --> 00:12:27,920 some of them were involved in in a secular thing in a spiritual 206 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:32,240 way because they worship and devoted themselves to it. 207 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:34,200 And let me just say this morning, that's a dangerous 208 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:40,200 place to be in whenever you spiritualize the secular, huh. 209 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:43,920 It doesn't change the Sturmaya, We think, well, that was their 210 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:46,520 little GODSS of Woodstone and so on and so forth. 211 00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:49,160 We can still fall into that trap today. 212 00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:53,800 People have taken their careers something secular, but they've 213 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:57,320 made it their means of what they give their full attention and 214 00:12:57,320 --> 00:13:03,040 devotion to of greater importance than God. 215 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:07,160 There's a lot of things you can set on that pedestal of idultery 216 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:10,600 in your life that may be secular, but you spiritualize it 217 00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:15,000 when you begin to worship it. Amen, Amen. 218 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:17,800 And so they were spiritualized and very secular things. 219 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:21,160 And so whenever Paul dresses though then this letter, he then 220 00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:24,640 for sure says this to the Saints that are Ephesus and to the 221 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:27,200 faithful in Christ Jesus and that word. 222 00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:29,760 And there is not, it's not, we're not talking about two 223 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:32,200 different groups of people, the Saints of Ephesus and the 224 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:34,040 faithful to Christ Jesus the word. 225 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:38,080 And there can absolutely be translated even even to the 226 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:41,040 faithful in Christ Jesus, which is just given more flavor and 227 00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:44,640 more additional information about the same Saints at 228 00:13:44,680 --> 00:13:46,960 Ephesus. And so Paul is addressing a 229 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:51,600 group of people that's that's faithful or that are trusting in 230 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:53,720 the Lord. This word faithful is not the 231 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:56,280 faithful that we use in the sense that oh, Reese, he's so 232 00:13:56,280 --> 00:13:59,440 faithful to cleaning like he's true to it, but that he there, 233 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:02,040 it's a trust. It's a trust that we put in the 234 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:04,840 Lord. And so in chapter 1, Paul shares 235 00:14:04,840 --> 00:14:09,440 God's plan important today, God is sharing Paul sharing God's 236 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:13,040 plan for the Ephesian Saints. These are the Saints that you 237 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:14,560 read all throughout about Ephesians. 238 00:14:14,680 --> 00:14:17,080 They are the Saints. They are the ones that the Bible 239 00:14:17,080 --> 00:14:20,680 describes as in Christ. They are the in Christ group. 240 00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:22,840 You see that phraseology over and over again. 241 00:14:22,840 --> 00:14:26,200 Those that are in Christ. He was notably underscoring, 242 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:30,360 Sister Cox, those that were the church all right, those that 243 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:32,000 were a part of the body of believers. 244 00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:34,560 And so God had planned to redeem. 245 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:38,400 This is the plan of Ephesians chapter #1 God had a plan from 246 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:41,920 the foundation of the world. God had a plan. 247 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:44,200 God shared His plans being shared by Paul. 248 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:47,920 God had a plan to redeem his church. 249 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:54,160 God had a plan to forgive his church through his blood and by 250 00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:57,120 his grace. Please note this morning God 251 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:01,360 didn't come up with this plan. Just actor Adam and need failed. 252 00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:04,120 All right. It's not like there was the fall 253 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:06,520 in creation in the gardens. God like well, I guess I need to 254 00:15:06,520 --> 00:15:09,600 come up with a plan, you know, to no redeem people. 255 00:15:09,600 --> 00:15:13,240 No, God always had a plan. God always had a plan. 256 00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:16,240 Before the 1st failure in the first sin and Eden, God had a 257 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:17,880 plan. He's not scratching his head. 258 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:20,480 He's not at the drawing board trying to figure out what he's 259 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:22,000 going to do. He already knew what he was 260 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:24,120 going to do. God has always listen for you 261 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:26,040 this morning. That's good news because 262 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:28,560 wherever you find yourself in life, God always had a plan 263 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:32,840 already for you. What God already has it together 264 00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:36,440 and so he has a plan to redeem. He has a plan to forgive all by 265 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:40,280 his blood, all by his grace. Revelation, the last book of the 266 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:43,520 Bible tells us about the first part of of the beginning, that 267 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:48,280 he was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, right? 268 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:54,160 What is that God having a plan? And though it happens in the 269 00:15:54,160 --> 00:15:57,680 Gospels, I know we see Calvary there, but that's referring to 270 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:01,240 that God already had a plan. He had a plan. 271 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:04,240 That plan is for me. That plan is for you. 272 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:06,800 It's not that this whole sacrificial system, the Old 273 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:10,160 Testament of offering up lambs and bulls and all these things 274 00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:11,840 occurred. And then God's like, you know 275 00:16:11,840 --> 00:16:14,600 what, that's really never going to take care of what they need 276 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:16,400 taken care of. I'm I'm going to have to do. 277 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:20,080 No, he already had a plan. If anything the sacrificial 278 00:16:20,080 --> 00:16:24,120 system was just came along just to show how insufficient every 279 00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:29,000 other plan would be. God had the ultimate plan, but 280 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:32,800 he needed to prove to humanity, to you and I that all these 281 00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:37,120 other things that we would try to grab for to be our answer as 282 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:40,360 we're sinking in the sea called life that Nope that don't work 283 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:42,720 as humanity had to come to terms with themselves. 284 00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:45,440 Nope that didn't work. So that when Calvary happened, 285 00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:48,400 hopefully after after generations and generations of 286 00:16:48,400 --> 00:16:51,480 plan that went bad, that they would finally seek. 287 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:52,920 This is it. This is the. 288 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:56,200 One, this is the ultimate thing that can somehow bring 289 00:16:56,360 --> 00:16:59,640 restoration, put people back in good standing with God. 290 00:16:59,840 --> 00:17:05,560 This is the plan, Amen. So he had a plan from the very 291 00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:09,720 beginning. He had an inheritance even from 292 00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:13,240 the beginning that was planned for us, that was planned for 293 00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:17,599 them even in Ephesus. And He anticipated something 294 00:17:17,599 --> 00:17:21,319 there in verse #12 that I read in your hearing this morning, 295 00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:24,560 that we should be to the praise of his glory. 296 00:17:24,760 --> 00:17:27,480 The apostle Paul is speaking. He's speaking largely for 297 00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:30,920 himself and the other Jewish people that they would be, that 298 00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:34,240 they would be to the praise of God. 299 00:17:34,240 --> 00:17:39,600 'S glory, right? Isaiah 4321 even backs this up a 300 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:43,280 little bit more. The prophet says this people, 301 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:46,320 and he's speaking for God. He says this people have I 302 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:51,080 formed God? Says for myself, they shall shew 303 00:17:51,080 --> 00:17:54,960 forth my praise. I've made them for myself, they 304 00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:58,920 shall shew forth my praise. The question is, the question 305 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:02,200 that we got to ask ourselves is. Are we? 306 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:06,920 Falling into the plan of God in the instance and in the mode 307 00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:11,640 that we are then the praise of God's glory, right because. 308 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:15,120 Little little. Maybe you understand that you 309 00:18:15,120 --> 00:18:22,200 are meant to bring magnification and glorification to God that 310 00:18:22,520 --> 00:18:25,160 your life. Let's let's go there. 311 00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:29,200 Your life. God's plan was that your life 312 00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:32,320 would magnify and shine and bring glory to His. 313 00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:35,280 Work. And so we got to ask ourselves, 314 00:18:35,360 --> 00:18:38,400 is my life serving the plan of God? 315 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:42,880 Is my life serving to play showing his praise and notice, 316 00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:44,840 notice that they're the prophet in Isaiah. 317 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:48,040 He says that it shall shoot forth my praise. 318 00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:51,520 Whenever we talk about showing forth, I mean, that's something 319 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:54,560 observable. That's something that is seen 320 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:59,440 that that's more than that's more than a proclamation, right? 321 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:03,240 You, you don't see words unless words are written down, right? 322 00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:05,680 Or unless someone's deaf and their sign. 323 00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:08,120 I guess you can see those type of words, but you don't see 324 00:19:08,120 --> 00:19:11,480 words unless they're given some type of, you know, character, if 325 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:14,560 you will to them. So to choose to shoe forth that 326 00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:17,720 they might shoe forth my praise or that these things might be 327 00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:22,280 something that we can identify and look at and observe then 328 00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:25,440 what that praise and what we show in our life is more than 329 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:28,200 just a proclamation. It's more than just I believe 330 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:31,960 God, I love God and all of that. It is a demonstration. 331 00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:34,160 It is some it is, it is a demonstration. 332 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:36,320 It is something that's practice out in our lives. 333 00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:39,480 In other words, it takes us from the place of just being able to 334 00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:43,160 arbitrarily just say I love the Lord and then have a life that 335 00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:49,360 backs up that love. God says that was my plan for 336 00:19:49,360 --> 00:19:52,560 you. My plan for you was not just a a 337 00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:57,360 verbal proclamation, but a demonstration that would be 338 00:19:57,360 --> 00:20:02,440 observable, that would in turn magnify and glorify me. 339 00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:06,120 Amen. And so there was a group here 340 00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:11,120 Paul says in verse 12, he said we should be the praise of his 341 00:20:11,120 --> 00:20:13,840 glory who first trusted in Christ. 342 00:20:14,360 --> 00:20:16,520 Again, he's referring to the Jews, right? 343 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:18,800 The very. Oracles and the writings that we 344 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:21,600 have even today, that was passed down from generation to 345 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:24,360 generation in the Jewish people. Right. 346 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:27,720 And they were the ones we read of of Isaiah and we read of 347 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:30,840 Jeremiah and we read of all the prophets and they were the even 348 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:33,640 ones that were hoping for the coming of the Messiah. 349 00:20:33,960 --> 00:20:35,320 They. Prophesied about it. 350 00:20:35,560 --> 00:20:39,800 They talked about it before. Before Jesus's birth was ever 351 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:44,560 debuted in Bethlehem, there were some people already trusting. 352 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:49,600 Trusting in the Messiah that had not yet had his first cry in 353 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:52,880 Bethlehem. They trusted at first. 354 00:20:53,120 --> 00:20:56,640 And so even before His ministry began, imagine this, before the 355 00:20:56,640 --> 00:20:59,520 1st blind eye that Jesus error opened to raise the first person 356 00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:01,960 from the dead in his earthly ministry, there was a group of 357 00:21:01,960 --> 00:21:03,600 people that were already trusting. 358 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:08,800 The Jewish people were already trusting before He began His 359 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:11,240 ministry. They declared it from ages ago 360 00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:12,840 into the present. Amen. 361 00:21:12,960 --> 00:21:15,480 That, that wasn't the Gentiles, it was the Jews. 362 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:18,480 All right, We, we are among those of the race, if you will, 363 00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:22,240 or, or, or grouped into that group of Gentile people, that 364 00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:25,200 would be notably in the beginning, you know, the 365 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:28,560 unbelieving people, He said those that first trusted were 366 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:30,280 the Jews. That wasn't Gentiles. 367 00:21:30,560 --> 00:21:33,320 Because here's the fact of the matter, we don't until we get to 368 00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:38,760 the New Testament, the Gentiles had no idea whether upon who or 369 00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:41,040 what to put their hope or their trust in. 370 00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:43,400 Huh. They're they're kind of 371 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:45,840 separated from this whole thing. They, they don't know about 372 00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:48,800 putting their hope or their trust in Jesus until later. 373 00:21:49,400 --> 00:21:53,120 The book of Ephesians even tells us as Gentiles, Ephesians 2 and 374 00:21:53,120 --> 00:21:56,160 verse 12. He says that at that time, ye 375 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:59,800 the ye there he's he's talking to the Gentiles were without 376 00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:03,440 Christ. That's that's where their 377 00:22:03,440 --> 00:22:04,920 dilemma is. They're without Christ. 378 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:08,080 They're being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel. 379 00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:10,200 They're they're not a Jew. They don't have this history or 380 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:12,400 anything. They don't have the those were 381 00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:13,960 Jewish prophets. They didn't have Gentile 382 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:16,720 prophets talking about a Messiah coming all right. 383 00:22:16,880 --> 00:22:20,520 They were strangers from the covenants of promise, having no 384 00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:22,760 hope. I mean, for sure, how in the 385 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:24,840 world you know what to hope it when you don't have no hope to 386 00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:28,320 hope. I have no hope without God in 387 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:30,360 the world. But when we get in the New 388 00:22:30,360 --> 00:22:33,560 Testament Scripture, there's a door that swings wide open. 389 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:36,280 There's the mentality of earth. Everybody thinks salvation is of 390 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:37,960 the Jews. That only belongs to Jews. 391 00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:40,800 It's for the Jews. But a door swings open even 392 00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:43,560 through the Apostle Paul and some of the other apostles, the 393 00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:47,520 Bible speaks of how they were to be apostles or disciples unto 394 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:50,160 the Gentile nation. And so there's a whole door that 395 00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:55,040 opens up understanding that God's plan, God's plan from the 396 00:22:55,040 --> 00:22:57,960 very beginning, just wasn't for the Jew. 397 00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:02,840 God's plan from the beginning was for humanity. 398 00:23:03,120 --> 00:23:06,080 Jew, Gentile, Samaritan, it matters not. 399 00:23:06,280 --> 00:23:09,840 It was for humanity. It's like I said a few weeks 400 00:23:09,840 --> 00:23:11,720 ago, it might, it was last week. I don't know. 401 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:13,800 They all kind of blend together in the month of December. 402 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:17,560 You know, the Samaritan woman knew him as Sir to begin with. 403 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:20,960 Before it was over, though, it was, this is the Savior of the 404 00:23:20,960 --> 00:23:25,120 world, this is Christ the Lord. What happened door opened up 405 00:23:25,360 --> 00:23:29,760 that the Gentiles and even the Jews and even us today, if we 406 00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:33,720 can put our trust in Him and follow the plan. 407 00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:38,240 Hey ma'am, follow the plan. What is following the plan? 408 00:23:38,320 --> 00:23:42,920 Notice, notice in verse 13 he says in whom ye also he's 409 00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:46,640 speaking now to the Gentiles. He already talked about who 410 00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:49,360 first trusted, that's the Jews, but now he's talking to the 411 00:23:49,360 --> 00:23:51,840 Ephesians. This mixed bag here he said in 412 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:56,480 whom ye also trusted. Note after that ye heard the 413 00:23:56,480 --> 00:24:00,560 word of truth. You trusted after you heard 414 00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:03,880 because before you're alienated. From all this. 415 00:24:04,120 --> 00:24:05,920 You have no hope. You're without Christ. 416 00:24:05,920 --> 00:24:11,520 But once you heard, once you heard God's plan, he said, then 417 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:18,040 you trusted, you trusted in the word of truth after hearing note 418 00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:22,080 now he goes on to describe what that truth is, the gospel of 419 00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:25,480 your salvation. Not before. 420 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:29,680 After they heard the gospel they trusted, they put their 421 00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:32,600 dependence upon him. Let's just pause for a moment. 422 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:35,280 And say this is one of the reasons why it's so vitally 423 00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:38,720 important that we do what we do in this particular segment of 424 00:24:38,720 --> 00:24:41,040 the service. Or what we do on Wednesdays at 425 00:24:41,040 --> 00:24:45,600 that particular, because there is a proclamation of the gospel 426 00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:50,640 message that is going forth that may open up somebody's mindset 427 00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:54,880 in the Pew that the gospel plan or God's plan is for them. 428 00:24:55,480 --> 00:25:00,080 And so doesn't happen before, but it happened after they 429 00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:02,720 heard. That's the reason why we are, we 430 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:06,160 are stationed in a place today as a church and hopefully as a 431 00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:09,000 Christian Church that we're have the names that we do. 432 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:11,680 We pray for the evangelist because they're going into all 433 00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:13,120 the world. And we're praying for the 434 00:25:13,120 --> 00:25:15,800 missionary because they're going to those tribes and 3rd world 435 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:18,320 countries where, you know, not many people get to. 436 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:20,720 And we're praying for the home missionary that's going to a 437 00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:22,120 city that doesn't have the church. 438 00:25:22,120 --> 00:25:24,400 What are we doing? We want to make sure people 439 00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:26,840 know. We want to make sure people 440 00:25:26,840 --> 00:25:29,840 here, because otherwise they might not know where to put 441 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:32,280 their hope. Otherwise they might be without 442 00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:34,360 Christ. Otherwise they might feel as 443 00:25:34,360 --> 00:25:37,160 strange from the Commonwealth of what's provided for them. 444 00:25:37,320 --> 00:25:41,480 But God's plan is for all humanity, as they used to say to 445 00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:44,600 the uttermost to the guttermost His plan. 446 00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:49,440 It's for all humanity. But they got to hear. 447 00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:54,040 They got to hear. And so it's important. 448 00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:57,240 And that's the reason why we do some of the things that we do. 449 00:25:57,240 --> 00:26:01,280 They must, must hear. Gentile need to know. 450 00:26:01,280 --> 00:26:04,360 The Samaritan need to know. By and large, over the years, 451 00:26:04,360 --> 00:26:07,120 perhaps the world has become increasingly more religious. 452 00:26:07,360 --> 00:26:10,440 But we've become more religious without becoming increasingly 453 00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:15,200 Christian. Amen. 454 00:26:16,360 --> 00:26:20,920 And so their experience begin by hearing the word of truth. 455 00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:23,400 And so we got to be heralded, right? 456 00:26:23,840 --> 00:26:26,800 We are commissioned even as witnesses, we've got to be 457 00:26:26,800 --> 00:26:29,800 heralders of the truth. And there are various ways, more 458 00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:31,560 ways to do that than we ever had before. 459 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:35,080 You know, Paul had his quill and parchment, you know, writing on 460 00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:37,920 a scroll. And now people can type faster 461 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:39,560 with their two thumbs on the phone, you know. 462 00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:44,600 So there are ways and venues. My thumbs are too thick. 463 00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:47,320 I get like 3 letters and words I didn't mean to spell. 464 00:26:49,200 --> 00:26:52,520 Just glad I didn't send it before I edited it. 465 00:26:53,520 --> 00:26:55,000 And sometimes that's happened too. 466 00:26:56,600 --> 00:26:59,960 So we continue to preach the gospel because many don't know 467 00:26:59,960 --> 00:27:03,360 where to put their trust. We live in a world with a 468 00:27:03,360 --> 00:27:09,000 largely misplaced hope, and so our works cut out for us. 469 00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:12,800 The apostle Paul said in another place is the letter to the 470 00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:16,560 Corinthians of Second Corinthians 3-4 and verse #3 he 471 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:24,360 says, But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. 472 00:27:24,840 --> 00:27:27,520 And this is how this works. Verse 4 tells us how this works. 473 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:36,200 In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them 474 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:40,120 which believe not. The God of this world has 475 00:27:40,120 --> 00:27:45,000 blinded the minds of the laws. They believe not lest. 476 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:47,360 Why? Because the God of this world 477 00:27:47,360 --> 00:27:49,960 says. Lest the light of the glorious 478 00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:52,480 gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine into 479 00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:55,000 them. Why, why, why would that be? 480 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:58,560 Think with me for a moment, sister dogs, if the God of this 481 00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:04,400 world is so bent on blinding a lost person's life to the light 482 00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:07,880 of Christ. Lest that happens, he says, then 483 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:11,000 that should give you an indication of how powerful and 484 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:18,520 important that light of the Gospel is. 485 00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:23,400 If the adversary of the church, the adversary doesn't want them 486 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:27,920 to get that one thing, If I can just if I can blind, if I can 487 00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:31,960 blind their minds right, that they can't obtain it in their 488 00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:34,520 mind or they can't wrap their mind around or they can't ascend 489 00:28:34,760 --> 00:28:38,000 to believe it. If I can do that, then then that 490 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:42,320 gospel, that plan of God that's been ordained from the beginning 491 00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:46,280 of the world, if I can keep that in such a way that it's elusive 492 00:28:46,280 --> 00:28:51,520 to them, I can keep them in a in a treading pattern of having no 493 00:28:51,520 --> 00:28:57,160 hope, in a treading pattern of having misplaced hope, but less 494 00:28:57,160 --> 00:28:59,280 that less that should ever happen. 495 00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:01,560 If they ever grabbed a hold of the light, he's like, I'm 496 00:29:01,560 --> 00:29:03,160 tapping out because I know it's over. 497 00:29:03,480 --> 00:29:05,720 Because they're going to understand that is not just a 498 00:29:05,720 --> 00:29:07,760 plan for just this segment or that segment. 499 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:18,200 It is a plan for them, the praises of God's glory, then 500 00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:22,160 that they would be the praise of my glory in our lives. 501 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:24,520 It's got to be exemplified in our lives. 502 00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:26,800 Yes, also proclaimed with our lips. 503 00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:32,360 The gospel needs a voice. The gospel needs a voice, and 504 00:29:32,360 --> 00:29:34,040 the gospel needs an illustration. 505 00:29:35,120 --> 00:29:37,800 Yeah, I love those teachers that always gave illustrations to 506 00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:40,520 what they were talking about for all those visual learners that 507 00:29:40,520 --> 00:29:43,640 just couldn't get it from hearing it right, or the Bishop 508 00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:45,040 and the props and stuff. Right. 509 00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:48,000 Visual learners, sometimes you just don't get it to well, the 510 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:50,080 gospel sometimes need an illustration. 511 00:29:50,120 --> 00:29:53,160 And won't you know that your life sometimes is that 512 00:29:53,160 --> 00:29:58,120 illustration? Because people that know you 513 00:29:58,120 --> 00:30:04,440 knew you before the gospel, they knew you BC before Christ, 514 00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:06,640 right? They knew you before that and 515 00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:08,200 then they know your life after that. 516 00:30:08,520 --> 00:30:11,840 It's the story even with with Saul, if you'll remember him, 517 00:30:11,840 --> 00:30:14,520 and he got among the prophets and he prophesied and he was 518 00:30:14,520 --> 00:30:17,320 acting in such a way that was a little untypical. 519 00:30:17,320 --> 00:30:19,600 For him and. People that were observing that 520 00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:23,160 that knew him before time said, is not this Saul the son of 521 00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:24,240 Kish? What are they saying? 522 00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:27,200 This guy doesn't seem to be the same guy. 523 00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:29,720 Why? Because he's had an experience. 524 00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:32,400 With the Spirit. And the spirit now has caused 525 00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:36,040 him not to act like he used to act, huh. 526 00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:40,080 There was a, there was a before and after Christ moment, if you 527 00:30:40,080 --> 00:30:43,080 will, that took place that they were recognizing it was being 528 00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:47,440 exemplified a man in his life. And so the God of this world, 529 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:49,320 folks, he understands. I think that's important. 530 00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:52,040 The God of this world understands the impact of the 531 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:55,080 light. And if that's the case, we need 532 00:30:55,080 --> 00:31:00,120 as a church to understand the force that is behind the light 533 00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:03,280 as well, right? And understanding what it can do 534 00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:07,040 for an individual's life. We need to shine the the the 535 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:10,320 writer of the gospel said, let your light so shine before men 536 00:31:10,320 --> 00:31:13,480 that they may see your good works and glorify what, what? 537 00:31:13,480 --> 00:31:17,040 There goes that magnification. Glorify, magnify your Father 538 00:31:17,040 --> 00:31:22,440 which is in heaven, right? Listen, the gospel can change 539 00:31:22,440 --> 00:31:25,320 your life. Let me put it this way, the 540 00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:30,400 gospel will change your life. Romans 10 and verse 14 talking 541 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:33,880 about this whole thing, after they heard, after they heard, 542 00:31:33,880 --> 00:31:36,640 they trusted in Him as well, or also trusted in Him. 543 00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:40,440 Romans 10/14 asked us the question then though, but how 544 00:31:40,440 --> 00:31:44,000 shall they call on Him and whom they have not believed? 545 00:31:44,320 --> 00:31:46,920 But how should they believe in Him and whom they have not. 546 00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:51,960 We need we need somebody that has a voice, a witness, a 547 00:31:51,960 --> 00:31:54,480 preacher, a teacher, a conversation. 548 00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:57,320 Somebody's got to say something because they don't even know who 549 00:31:57,320 --> 00:31:59,120 to call. The Gentiles for sure was in 550 00:31:59,120 --> 00:32:02,000 that they didn't even know who to call on, huh. 551 00:32:02,640 --> 00:32:05,720 You want me to put my trust in who and what They have no 552 00:32:05,720 --> 00:32:07,800 connection with that. And we might think it's silly, 553 00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:11,320 but folks, there is probably a a greater number today, some that 554 00:32:11,320 --> 00:32:15,480 don't even know about the Lord never heard about Christ Jesus, 555 00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:20,000 never heard about the cross or the blood or never heard about a 556 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:23,520 resurrection just totally separated and removed from that. 557 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:28,440 They need a voice. So yeah, we we have the gospel. 558 00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:31,560 We told it all the time that Jesus Christ died for our sins 559 00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:35,440 and that that and through his burial and our burial with him 560 00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:39,400 that we identify right, We identify with him for as many 561 00:32:39,400 --> 00:32:41,560 are baptized into Christ have put. 562 00:32:41,560 --> 00:32:44,480 On. Right, We have identified 563 00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:48,360 ourself with him and, and that also then completes our, our 564 00:32:48,360 --> 00:32:51,640 remission, our removal of sins, because we repent and are 565 00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:54,000 baptized for the remission of sins, right? 566 00:32:54,200 --> 00:32:57,680 That's what Acts 238 tells us. We repent and, and, and, and, 567 00:32:57,680 --> 00:33:01,200 and, and all, right. And so together with that, it 568 00:33:01,200 --> 00:33:04,400 brings the removal of our sins. And then we have the 569 00:33:04,400 --> 00:33:08,520 resurrection of Christ, which makes way for our newness of 570 00:33:08,520 --> 00:33:10,840 life, right? The apostle Paul spoke in 571 00:33:10,840 --> 00:33:12,600 Scripture. He talked about the old man and 572 00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:15,600 the new man, the old man and the new man. 573 00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:19,720 The old man dies, the old man is buried, but there's a new, 574 00:33:19,720 --> 00:33:22,680 there's a new creature. Behold, old things are passed 575 00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:27,240 away and all everybody say all big three letter word, all 576 00:33:27,240 --> 00:33:31,040 things become new and we become a new creation. 577 00:33:31,160 --> 00:33:36,720 The Bible says that a new creation in Christ Jesus, that's 578 00:33:36,720 --> 00:33:40,040 the gospel. His death, his burial, his 579 00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:47,040 resurrection, that's the gospel, but that's God's plan for me. 580 00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:54,480 The gospel is God's plan for me. Look at it again. 581 00:33:54,480 --> 00:33:57,800 Looking at what the gospel is, in First Corinthians 15 verses 582 00:33:57,800 --> 00:34:00,760 one through 4, Paul says to the Church of Corinth, Moreover, 583 00:34:00,760 --> 00:34:04,480 brethren, I declare unto you the gospel. 584 00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:06,520 So let's see what he has to say about it. 585 00:34:06,840 --> 00:34:12,320 Which I preached unto you, which also you received, wherein you 586 00:34:12,320 --> 00:34:15,000 stand. And this gospel thing sounds 587 00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:18,960 pretty important. By which ye are saved. 588 00:34:19,639 --> 00:34:22,000 Wow. If you keep in memory what I 589 00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:24,480 preach unto you, unless you have believed in vain. 590 00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:27,360 He said for I verse 3. For I delivered unto you first 591 00:34:27,360 --> 00:34:29,679 of all that which also I received. 592 00:34:29,679 --> 00:34:32,400 How He's about ready to break down the gospel for us. 593 00:34:32,679 --> 00:34:37,600 How Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures and 594 00:34:37,600 --> 00:34:41,239 that he was buried and that he rose again the third day 595 00:34:41,239 --> 00:34:46,400 according to Scriptures, He died, he was buried and he rose 596 00:34:46,400 --> 00:34:49,040 again. The gospel all right. 597 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:53,920 But when we look at verse 13 in our text, the verse 13 of our 598 00:34:53,920 --> 00:35:01,480 text, they said, look now in whom he also trusted after he 599 00:35:01,640 --> 00:35:04,920 heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in 600 00:35:04,920 --> 00:35:10,840 whom also after ye believed, everybody say believed ye were 601 00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:14,960 sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. 602 00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:20,760 After they trusted, after they believed in Christ, they were. 603 00:35:20,760 --> 00:35:25,400 Sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. 604 00:35:26,440 --> 00:35:29,680 So there is a belief that must accompany our hearing. 605 00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:34,320 Not just that. After they heard yes, and 606 00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:36,040 they're after they heard they trusted. 607 00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:41,400 But there is also must be a belief that accompanies that 608 00:35:41,840 --> 00:35:44,080 right? Hebrews 4 two. 609 00:35:44,080 --> 00:35:45,760 Is it up there with Mace? I can't remember if I I 610 00:35:45,760 --> 00:35:51,600 submitted that one. The word preached did not profit 611 00:35:51,600 --> 00:35:58,960 them not being mixed with faith in them that heard it right. 612 00:35:59,800 --> 00:36:04,720 The word just being heard is great, but hearing and believing 613 00:36:04,720 --> 00:36:10,520 upon what you've heard changes the profitability of that word 614 00:36:10,520 --> 00:36:14,080 for your life. You can obtain knowledge from 615 00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:19,040 hearing, but you can obtain an experience from believing. 616 00:36:20,720 --> 00:36:22,600 Let let's break this down just a little bit. 617 00:36:23,080 --> 00:36:27,920 Believe though, it's just not some mental ascent of yeah, I 618 00:36:27,920 --> 00:36:29,360 believe in this or I believe in that. 619 00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:32,520 The Greek word for belief can be traced back to a primary verb, 620 00:36:32,520 --> 00:36:34,960 and I did it. It's like 2 branches back to a 621 00:36:34,960 --> 00:36:38,920 primary verb in the Greek, which among other things is defined 622 00:36:38,920 --> 00:36:42,040 even as obeyed. Because you see that a lot 623 00:36:42,040 --> 00:36:43,280 through the New Testament Scripture. 624 00:36:43,600 --> 00:36:48,440 Belief is not just belief as in a, a, a mental ascent or, or 625 00:36:48,440 --> 00:36:51,040 just a, you know, a faith upon or a belief upon. 626 00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:55,000 Belief has coupled with that, intermingled if you will, in the 627 00:36:55,000 --> 00:37:01,240 recipe of belief is a obedience, and that changes everything. 628 00:37:02,160 --> 00:37:04,920 Because he says after they believed in intermingling of 629 00:37:04,920 --> 00:37:09,520 that an obedience to what they heard and then they were sealed 630 00:37:09,760 --> 00:37:15,480 with the Spirit or with the Holy Spirit of promise, Amen. 631 00:37:15,920 --> 00:37:20,160 So in here in Ephesians, to believe in Christ is to obey 632 00:37:20,160 --> 00:37:23,560 Christ. To believe in God's plan is to 633 00:37:23,560 --> 00:37:27,840 obey God's plan, Amen. Particularly the gospel and then 634 00:37:27,840 --> 00:37:29,960 be sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. 635 00:37:29,960 --> 00:37:34,680 What is what is this Holy Spirit of promise that's only have so 636 00:37:34,680 --> 00:37:36,520 many days left in the year I got to declare it? 637 00:37:37,040 --> 00:37:39,160 What is this Holy Spirit of promise? 638 00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:42,640 It was the Holy Spirit or they're. 639 00:37:42,720 --> 00:37:45,000 Said in Scripture, you know, it's called the Holy Spirit, 640 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:47,560 it's called the Holy Ghost, it's called the Spirit of God, all 641 00:37:47,560 --> 00:37:50,000 these different things. The Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost 642 00:37:50,120 --> 00:37:55,880 that Jesus told them to wait for in Jerusalem before Jesus ever 643 00:37:55,880 --> 00:37:57,720 ascended, right? He's had his death, his burial, 644 00:37:57,720 --> 00:38:00,920 his resurrection, before he ever ascended and departed from them. 645 00:38:01,080 --> 00:38:03,720 The Bible says after he resurrection, he was with them 646 00:38:03,720 --> 00:38:06,600 forty days after his passion. He shewed them many things and 647 00:38:06,600 --> 00:38:10,120 explain many things to them. And before he ever ascended, the 648 00:38:10,120 --> 00:38:13,640 Bible says he spoke to them and told them about waiting in 649 00:38:13,640 --> 00:38:16,560 Jerusalem for this, for this promise. 650 00:38:17,160 --> 00:38:19,080 Now let's let's go somewhere here, just for a moment. 651 00:38:19,840 --> 00:38:26,680 First John chapter #3 and verse 24 First John 324 And he that 652 00:38:26,680 --> 00:38:30,880 keepeth his commandments, this first John that Saint John, he 653 00:38:30,880 --> 00:38:35,840 that keepeth his commandments, dwell in him beginning in the 654 00:38:35,840 --> 00:38:41,240 Lord, and he in him all right. So we have this this he and us 655 00:38:41,240 --> 00:38:47,680 us in him scenario and hereby or by say hereby and hereby we. 656 00:38:47,680 --> 00:38:57,600 Know that he abideth in. US by the Spirit which he hath 657 00:38:57,640 --> 00:39:04,640 given us. John says there is one way that 658 00:39:04,640 --> 00:39:09,400 I know unequivocally that he abides in me and that's by the 659 00:39:09,400 --> 00:39:15,000 Spirit which he has given me. We'll go step further here. 660 00:39:15,440 --> 00:39:19,920 I'll tell you there's a way for you to know that before the 661 00:39:19,920 --> 00:39:24,240 gifts of the the the fruits of the Spirit become to manifest in 662 00:39:24,240 --> 00:39:28,080 your life like in Galatians 5 that speak about love and joy 663 00:39:28,080 --> 00:39:30,840 and peace and goodness and gentleness and meekness and 664 00:39:30,840 --> 00:39:33,280 temperance right. Yeah. 665 00:39:33,280 --> 00:39:35,680 We understand those are fruits of the spirit. 666 00:39:35,680 --> 00:39:38,880 They belong to the spirit. Them being truly exemplified in 667 00:39:38,880 --> 00:39:41,480 the life is because that person must be operating with the 668 00:39:41,480 --> 00:39:43,800 spirit. But I'll tell you there's even 669 00:39:43,800 --> 00:39:48,200 something more instantaneous then. 670 00:39:48,200 --> 00:39:50,200 That. Maturing and taking place in 671 00:39:50,200 --> 00:39:54,160 your life hereby you know that He abideth in you because the 672 00:39:54,160 --> 00:39:56,600 spirit which he has given it abides in you. 673 00:39:57,960 --> 00:40:01,800 It's basically what he told them or what occurred in the book of 674 00:40:01,800 --> 00:40:04,560 Acts, which what we, what many would call would be the birth of 675 00:40:04,560 --> 00:40:10,000 the church in Acts 2. The Bible tells us, and I don't 676 00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:13,720 have this up there Brother Mason, but in Acts chapter 2 in 677 00:40:13,720 --> 00:40:18,320 the 1st 4 verses and maybe I should even go, let's go to Luke 678 00:40:18,320 --> 00:40:22,080 24 first. That is up there, Brother Mason. 679 00:40:22,200 --> 00:40:25,800 Luke 24 and verse 49. Again, before Jesus's ascension, 680 00:40:26,000 --> 00:40:30,520 he tells his disciples, he says, and behold, I send the promise 681 00:40:30,520 --> 00:40:33,960 of my father. Paul Speaking of Ephesians about 682 00:40:33,960 --> 00:40:37,560 the promise of the Holy Spirit. These are one and the same. 683 00:40:38,040 --> 00:40:43,480 He said, I send the promise of my Father upon you, but tarry ye 684 00:40:43,480 --> 00:40:48,720 in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on 685 00:40:48,720 --> 00:40:51,600 high. That was some of his final words 686 00:40:51,600 --> 00:40:55,040 before he ascended that this is important, right? 687 00:40:55,360 --> 00:40:59,360 His his fleshly ministry and and fleshly self is going to be with 688 00:40:59,360 --> 00:41:02,040 them no more. And this is, you know, like the 689 00:41:02,040 --> 00:41:04,400 last words, you know, grab a hold of those. 690 00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:07,680 He says, go to Jerusalem. The promise of the Father. 691 00:41:07,680 --> 00:41:10,040 It's going to come upon you, Terry, and Jerusalem till you be 692 00:41:10,040 --> 00:41:13,040 endued with that power from on high. 693 00:41:13,280 --> 00:41:16,480 Well, we see this play out in Acts chapter #2 they're in 694 00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:18,760 Jerusalem. It's the feast of Pentecost. 695 00:41:18,920 --> 00:41:21,120 There's all kinds of nations and peoples that is gathered 696 00:41:21,120 --> 00:41:24,160 together for this feast. That was typical, all right. 697 00:41:24,400 --> 00:41:27,640 And there's 120 of them, all right, that are gathered in the 698 00:41:27,640 --> 00:41:30,240 upper room. The disciples there, the, the, 699 00:41:30,320 --> 00:41:32,800 the mother of Jesus, Mary, she's there. 700 00:41:33,040 --> 00:41:35,480 They've been praying for several days, right? 701 00:41:35,680 --> 00:41:38,320 They're tarrying, if you will, for this promise of the Father. 702 00:41:38,560 --> 00:41:41,360 And the Bible tells us in Acts chapter #2 and verse one. 703 00:41:41,480 --> 00:41:43,960 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, what is 704 00:41:43,960 --> 00:41:48,520 happening right here in in chapter #2 is God's plan for 705 00:41:48,520 --> 00:41:54,840 humanity coming to fruition. And when the day of Pentecost 706 00:41:54,840 --> 00:41:58,320 was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 707 00:41:58,560 --> 00:42:01,360 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as a rushing mighty 708 00:42:01,360 --> 00:42:03,920 wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 709 00:42:04,120 --> 00:42:06,640 And there appeared in them clothing tongues like as fire, 710 00:42:06,640 --> 00:42:10,160 and it sat up on each of them, and they were all filled with 711 00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:13,560 the Holy Ghost. This is the Holy Ghost the the 712 00:42:13,560 --> 00:42:17,160 Holy Spirit of promise, the promise of the Father all right 713 00:42:17,400 --> 00:42:20,920 and begin to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them. 714 00:42:20,920 --> 00:42:24,280 Look at this as the spirit gave them utterance or gave them the 715 00:42:24,280 --> 00:42:29,160 ability to articulate. Now this is a marvel because you 716 00:42:29,160 --> 00:42:33,040 take that and you put that back with first John says hereby I 717 00:42:33,040 --> 00:42:38,520 know that the spirit abides in me by the spirit that abides in 718 00:42:38,520 --> 00:42:40,680 me. Well, these folks who knew the 719 00:42:40,680 --> 00:42:45,400 spirit of voting them. Because the Spirit was a witness 720 00:42:45,400 --> 00:42:47,160 to it. The Spirit of God was a witness 721 00:42:47,160 --> 00:42:53,840 to it, allowed utterance, right of a, what the Scripture calls 722 00:42:54,520 --> 00:42:59,040 a, another tongue, right, other tongues, Amen. 723 00:42:59,040 --> 00:43:02,160 That took place in their life. And you'll read further down 724 00:43:02,160 --> 00:43:04,200 that there were people from these different nations and 725 00:43:04,200 --> 00:43:09,000 groupings of people that said we hear some speak in our language, 726 00:43:09,360 --> 00:43:12,320 but they knew some of those people were all Galileans. 727 00:43:12,640 --> 00:43:15,400 They didn't know their language. How is this so? 728 00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:21,960 I tell you how the Spirit that they received where is given 729 00:43:21,960 --> 00:43:27,960 testimony that it was there. You'll have the Lovejoy peace, 730 00:43:27,960 --> 00:43:33,280 but the instantaneous, the instantaneous sign that the 731 00:43:33,280 --> 00:43:38,680 Spirit, the promise of the Father, God's plan has come to 732 00:43:38,680 --> 00:43:44,120 fruition and culmination in your life is that you will speak in 733 00:43:44,680 --> 00:43:46,640 of their tongues. Amen. 734 00:43:46,840 --> 00:43:50,640 This isn't a one time time occurrence in Acts chapter #2 We 735 00:43:50,640 --> 00:43:53,240 see this happen in Acts chapter 8 with the Samaritans. 736 00:43:53,400 --> 00:43:57,200 We see it happen in Acts chapter #10 Cornelius of the Italian 737 00:43:57,200 --> 00:43:59,800 band, a Gentile. We see it happen in Acts chapter 738 00:43:59,800 --> 00:44:04,280 #19 whenever, by the way, Paul went to a group of men that were 739 00:44:04,280 --> 00:44:07,080 from Ephesus and said, have you received the Holy Ghost since 740 00:44:07,080 --> 00:44:09,240 you believed and said, well, we didn't know. 741 00:44:09,240 --> 00:44:14,600 Look, look, evidently they had some belief, but what they were 742 00:44:14,600 --> 00:44:17,480 believing that they hadn't heard whether there was any Holy 743 00:44:17,480 --> 00:44:19,640 Ghost, what happened? They couldn't put their trust in 744 00:44:19,640 --> 00:44:21,080 something that they hadn't heard. 745 00:44:21,320 --> 00:44:23,200 He says, well, let me tell you about it. 746 00:44:23,440 --> 00:44:26,760 They heard about it. They trusted in it, and then 747 00:44:26,760 --> 00:44:31,000 they believed, which is mingled in with that obedience and acted 748 00:44:31,000 --> 00:44:32,720 upon it. And in Acts 19, guess what 749 00:44:32,720 --> 00:44:34,120 they're doing? They're speaking in other 750 00:44:34,120 --> 00:44:35,840 tongues. The spirit that they received 751 00:44:35,840 --> 00:44:39,160 hereby was acknowledging in them. 752 00:44:39,880 --> 00:44:42,720 They had received the promise of the Father, God's plan, from the 753 00:44:42,720 --> 00:44:46,320 very beginning. Amen, there was. 754 00:44:46,360 --> 00:44:47,800 Amen. Look at this in Acts. 755 00:44:47,800 --> 00:44:51,720 Two verse 33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, 756 00:44:51,720 --> 00:44:54,360 having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, 757 00:44:54,360 --> 00:44:57,680 he hath I love this, he hath shed forth this. 758 00:44:58,200 --> 00:45:01,160 The reference that that that Paul's Speaking of there or 759 00:45:01,160 --> 00:45:03,240 Peter rather is Speaking of there in Acts. 760 00:45:03,840 --> 00:45:06,880 Luke is the writer, but this is around the whole concept of 761 00:45:06,880 --> 00:45:09,800 Peter standing up with them and saying they're not drunk as ye 762 00:45:09,800 --> 00:45:13,040 suppose. He says they've received the 763 00:45:13,040 --> 00:45:17,640 promise of the Father right. The Holy Ghost, he said having 764 00:45:17,720 --> 00:45:22,000 being that they have being that they have received that he hath 765 00:45:22,000 --> 00:45:25,720 shed forth this. He's referring to what has just 766 00:45:25,720 --> 00:45:28,680 happened. This thing of people speaking in 767 00:45:28,680 --> 00:45:31,040 other tongues in the upper room, which the Bible says was noised 768 00:45:31,040 --> 00:45:33,600 abroad. He says, being that they have 769 00:45:33,600 --> 00:45:35,640 received it, this is what happened. 770 00:45:36,560 --> 00:45:44,960 He hath shed forth this, and ye now see, huh, what I say 771 00:45:44,960 --> 00:45:48,320 earlier, He said, in order to be to the praise of his glory, to 772 00:45:48,320 --> 00:45:51,600 shew that it's not just a proclamation, huh? 773 00:45:51,960 --> 00:45:59,080 It's a demonstration. He said Ye do see and hear UDC 774 00:45:59,080 --> 00:46:02,680 and here and at that moment what what does the book of Ephesians 775 00:46:02,680 --> 00:46:04,440 say? Paul said that they would be 776 00:46:04,440 --> 00:46:08,760 sealed after they believed ye were sealed. 777 00:46:08,920 --> 00:46:14,160 With that Holy Spirit of promise, everybody say sealed, 778 00:46:15,280 --> 00:46:17,760 sealed. That's a good a word for the 779 00:46:17,760 --> 00:46:21,120 Ephesians. They were in a hub of, of 780 00:46:21,120 --> 00:46:24,160 commerce. There was a lot of import export 781 00:46:24,160 --> 00:46:26,600 that happened in Ephesians. They were kind of a city that 782 00:46:26,600 --> 00:46:28,960 was a hub of commerce. So they understood that. 783 00:46:29,560 --> 00:46:34,960 And culturally in the ancient world, when a sack or a crate or 784 00:46:34,960 --> 00:46:40,480 a package was dispatched or received it many times in the 785 00:46:40,480 --> 00:46:42,600 ancient world had some type of seal on it. 786 00:46:42,880 --> 00:46:46,160 And that seal did a few different things #1 the seal 787 00:46:46,600 --> 00:46:50,640 guaranteed that it came from such and such cinder. 788 00:46:51,560 --> 00:46:55,520 All right. And that everything was intact. 789 00:46:55,520 --> 00:47:02,080 The seal also denoted again not just where it came from or whom 790 00:47:02,080 --> 00:47:05,600 it came from, but to whom it belonged. 791 00:47:06,920 --> 00:47:11,600 It denoted ownership. And so for Paul to use that word 792 00:47:11,600 --> 00:47:15,320 in particular, that you're sealed with the Holy Spirit of 793 00:47:15,320 --> 00:47:19,440 promise is really conveying that what you have received is 794 00:47:19,440 --> 00:47:22,720 guaranteed. It's intact. 795 00:47:22,960 --> 00:47:25,280 It it, it, it is a complete thing. 796 00:47:25,520 --> 00:47:28,640 Not only that, it. You're sealed with that. 797 00:47:28,880 --> 00:47:31,000 Now there is. Ownership that has happened. 798 00:47:31,680 --> 00:47:36,520 My life is not my own. My life is not my own. 799 00:47:37,040 --> 00:47:40,440 I've, I'm not, I've, I've switched scripture speaks of it. 800 00:47:40,600 --> 00:47:44,040 We might start out these lives sometimes being a slave unto the 801 00:47:44,040 --> 00:47:45,120 Lord. So it would seem. 802 00:47:45,320 --> 00:47:47,840 But somewhere along the line, the Bible says he's placed the 803 00:47:47,840 --> 00:47:52,640 spirit of adoption on us, right? I, I, I wasn't born in a Jewish 804 00:47:52,640 --> 00:47:57,480 family, but God placed his spirit of adoption on me and he 805 00:47:57,480 --> 00:48:01,760 adopted me into his family. And so I'm no longer a slave. 806 00:48:01,920 --> 00:48:07,400 He said, but you're a, a son. And if a son then an heir and 807 00:48:07,400 --> 00:48:10,280 that means what the father has is yours. 808 00:48:10,280 --> 00:48:14,720 You've been sealed with the Holy Spirit of that has been God's 809 00:48:14,760 --> 00:48:24,680 plan for us from the beginning, said Paul said the Holy Spirit 810 00:48:24,680 --> 00:48:27,680 of the Holy Ghost of promise. Look at it now, verse 14, I'm 811 00:48:27,680 --> 00:48:32,000 hurrying. I know we got to go, he says. 812 00:48:32,400 --> 00:48:34,640 Is that what we have received? That seal of the Holy Spirit of 813 00:48:34,640 --> 00:48:37,840 promise, he said, is the earnest of our inheritance. 814 00:48:40,680 --> 00:48:42,640 Anybody ever paid any earnest money around here? 815 00:48:44,520 --> 00:48:46,720 You ever had to do that? Go buy a house. 816 00:48:46,720 --> 00:48:47,760 I've put down some earnest money. 817 00:48:48,760 --> 00:48:50,480 Maybe they use different terminology now, and maybe 818 00:48:50,480 --> 00:48:52,640 because that's just too archaic. So earnest money. 819 00:48:53,080 --> 00:48:59,680 I know a guy named Earnest. Yeah, but but what is the whole 820 00:48:59,680 --> 00:49:04,440 point earnest, then, that that terminology isn't much different 821 00:49:04,440 --> 00:49:06,240 than the way that we'd still view it today. 822 00:49:06,640 --> 00:49:10,520 It's just a down payment to guarantee the final purchase of 823 00:49:10,520 --> 00:49:14,680 something. It's a down payment to guarantee 824 00:49:14,680 --> 00:49:18,520 the final purchase of something, a commodity, a piece of 825 00:49:18,520 --> 00:49:22,120 property, whatever it may be, He said. 826 00:49:22,120 --> 00:49:25,400 I've given you, I've sued with the Holy Spirit of promise, 827 00:49:25,720 --> 00:49:29,160 which is verse 14, the earnest of your inheritance. 828 00:49:30,440 --> 00:49:33,240 When I whenever you receive the gift that the Holy Ghost and 829 00:49:33,240 --> 00:49:36,600 that gift comes to you, that's the down payment for something 830 00:49:36,600 --> 00:49:40,800 that is still yet coming. No, no, no, watch with me 831 00:49:40,960 --> 00:49:43,480 because see, salvation, salvation is one of the most 832 00:49:43,480 --> 00:49:45,360 elastic words in all the scripture. 833 00:49:46,280 --> 00:49:49,120 All right, because whenever you go through your salvation 834 00:49:49,120 --> 00:49:53,960 experience in that moment, instantaneously, you are saved 835 00:49:54,680 --> 00:49:58,200 from the penalty of sin. You're saved from the penalty of 836 00:49:58,200 --> 00:50:00,600 sin. But as you walk through this 837 00:50:00,600 --> 00:50:04,320 life now with your salvation, there's a process fancy Bible 838 00:50:04,320 --> 00:50:05,840 word. It's called sanctification. 839 00:50:06,360 --> 00:50:09,360 It's about being separated unto God. 840 00:50:10,240 --> 00:50:12,680 The process between you receive the only goes to the day you 841 00:50:12,680 --> 00:50:15,000 leave this earth or rapture comes is a process 842 00:50:15,000 --> 00:50:17,560 sanctification. And in that moment you're still 843 00:50:17,560 --> 00:50:22,080 being saved. You are being saved all right 844 00:50:22,080 --> 00:50:25,560 from all these these problems and issues and power. 845 00:50:25,880 --> 00:50:30,520 You're being saved from the power of sin, but there's still 846 00:50:30,520 --> 00:50:34,720 salvation yet to come. Paul wrote about the redemption 847 00:50:34,720 --> 00:50:38,080 of his body. And so from the standpoint of 848 00:50:38,080 --> 00:50:43,480 now, I will be saved badly, my body will be redeemed, right? 849 00:50:43,720 --> 00:50:46,520 This corruptible will put on incorruption. 850 00:50:47,040 --> 00:50:51,280 This mortal, he said, will put on immortality. 851 00:50:51,600 --> 00:50:55,040 So we are in a mode of having been saved, being saved, and 852 00:50:55,040 --> 00:50:58,880 will be saved. Amen, Amen. 853 00:50:58,960 --> 00:51:02,080 And so that's the reason why he says I've given you right now at 854 00:51:02,080 --> 00:51:04,960 this point, I'm giving you just the down payment of even 855 00:51:04,960 --> 00:51:07,920 something that's that's going to come you you're saved right now 856 00:51:07,920 --> 00:51:10,960 from the penalty of sin. But if you stay with this thing, 857 00:51:11,080 --> 00:51:14,720 your body will be redeemed someday you will walk on streets 858 00:51:14,720 --> 00:51:18,280 of gold, go through gates of Pearl, a city that has 12 859 00:51:18,280 --> 00:51:21,280 foundations, huh. He says there's there's there's 860 00:51:21,280 --> 00:51:24,840 something else that that word earnest in the Greek sister cops 861 00:51:24,840 --> 00:51:33,600 can also mean engagement ring. The Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit 862 00:51:33,600 --> 00:51:37,040 of promise, is your engagement. You're sealed. 863 00:51:37,200 --> 00:51:40,120 It's your engagement ring. It's the earnestness. 864 00:51:40,160 --> 00:51:43,560 It's the earnest of your. The earnest of your. 865 00:51:43,560 --> 00:51:45,480 Inheritance. It's the engagement ring. 866 00:51:45,760 --> 00:51:48,720 What's that mean? That means today's fiance could 867 00:51:48,720 --> 00:51:53,400 be tomorrow's bride. You hear what I'm talking about? 868 00:51:53,600 --> 00:51:56,320 Today's fiance could be tomorrow's bride. 869 00:51:57,080 --> 00:51:58,720 Stand with me. I'll try to shut up here. 870 00:52:05,730 --> 00:52:08,810 So everything that God has postured then for that's been 871 00:52:08,810 --> 00:52:13,890 his plan for us really comes full circle to them becoming our 872 00:52:13,890 --> 00:52:17,730 inheritance, right? Our inheritance. 873 00:52:19,610 --> 00:52:23,890 Holy Ghost is the earnest It's sometimes it's just a little 874 00:52:23,890 --> 00:52:27,530 piece of heaven. It's just a little piece of 875 00:52:27,530 --> 00:52:30,080 heaven. And so when we talk about being 876 00:52:30,080 --> 00:52:33,280 St. being Saints more than more than a title, it's more than 877 00:52:33,560 --> 00:52:36,600 just being called to believe. It's being called to obey the 878 00:52:36,600 --> 00:52:38,240 gospel, right. This is the. 879 00:52:38,400 --> 00:52:42,520 Eternal plan of redemption. The eternal plan of salvation. 880 00:52:42,800 --> 00:52:47,320 And we respond to the gospel by aligning our lives with Christ, 881 00:52:47,320 --> 00:52:50,560 death and his burial and his resurrection. 882 00:52:50,760 --> 00:52:54,360 Talking about being planted or buried with him in baptism, 883 00:52:54,600 --> 00:52:56,720 right? A talking about dying, if you 884 00:52:56,720 --> 00:53:00,480 will, up on the cross with him. He was crucified, but we die out 885 00:53:00,480 --> 00:53:02,240 to these old selves in our flesh. 886 00:53:02,520 --> 00:53:05,760 And then that Holy Ghost, that rising up, that regeneration, 887 00:53:05,760 --> 00:53:10,240 that promise of the Spirit of the Father of promise, Amen. 888 00:53:10,240 --> 00:53:12,840 It's all there. It's all there. 889 00:53:13,560 --> 00:53:18,560 Obeying God's command then becomes nothing more given and 890 00:53:18,560 --> 00:53:24,520 receiving a down payment for our inheritance and all. 891 00:53:24,520 --> 00:53:26,040 Of that you. Know what it does? 892 00:53:26,400 --> 00:53:32,480 It testifies to God's greatness. It magnifies God's goodness. 893 00:53:32,960 --> 00:53:37,440 It causes us to reflect upon His grace and upon His glory. 894 00:53:37,760 --> 00:53:42,360 And so I want to walk then worthy to the calling that He is 895 00:53:42,360 --> 00:53:44,960 called unto me for. Why? 896 00:53:44,960 --> 00:53:46,880 So He can be glorified in everything. 897 00:53:47,720 --> 00:53:50,880 So God isn't, God is not trying to put together a plan for you 898 00:53:50,880 --> 00:53:53,360 today. God already has a plan for you 899 00:53:53,360 --> 00:53:58,240 today. And if you respond, I'm trying 900 00:53:58,240 --> 00:54:01,480 to vocalize it today. But if you'll trust in it, 901 00:54:01,480 --> 00:54:05,840 believe in it, with your obedience to it, you'll become 902 00:54:06,160 --> 00:54:10,160 your inheritance. You'll become your inheritance. 903 00:54:11,120 --> 00:54:14,760 And I don't know about you, but I think one that created the 904 00:54:14,760 --> 00:54:17,120 universe, he probably has plenty he could share. 905 00:54:20,400 --> 00:54:25,280 Bible talks about his infathomable riches, and he's 906 00:54:25,280 --> 00:54:29,240 the almighty God. So we're talking about no cap in 907 00:54:29,240 --> 00:54:32,040 power. Yeah. 908 00:54:32,560 --> 00:54:34,720 I would like to be adopted into that family. 909 00:54:36,640 --> 00:54:39,560 And we can be today. It's possible today if we could 910 00:54:39,560 --> 00:54:43,760 just bow our heads aiming across this place this morning Amen. 911 00:54:43,760 --> 00:54:48,000 God has a plan for you today. God has a plan it's been it's 912 00:54:48,000 --> 00:54:52,360 been written in time before time even began already the will and 913 00:54:52,360 --> 00:54:55,520 the purpose of God Lamb slain from the foundation of the 914 00:54:55,520 --> 00:54:57,560 world. If you've never repented of your 915 00:54:57,560 --> 00:55:01,600 sins this morning. I implore you today to repent. 916 00:55:01,960 --> 00:55:08,160 I implore you to to make a conscious mind shift choice that 917 00:55:08,160 --> 00:55:11,040 the the way that I have lived before and the way that I've 918 00:55:11,040 --> 00:55:16,280 done before, things that made be totally, totally appalling to 919 00:55:16,280 --> 00:55:17,720 God. I'm I'm going to make a 920 00:55:17,720 --> 00:55:21,440 conscious shift of mine and a conscious shift of action and 921 00:55:21,440 --> 00:55:24,800 behavior of turning this around. And you're, you're going to seek 922 00:55:24,800 --> 00:55:28,320 and confess your faults to the Lord and he's going to be a just 923 00:55:28,320 --> 00:55:31,080 God and he's going to begin to cleanse you and begin to help 924 00:55:31,080 --> 00:55:32,440 you. And if you've never been 925 00:55:32,440 --> 00:55:36,120 baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, if you've never taken 926 00:55:36,120 --> 00:55:41,280 His name on in baptism, listen. Baptism is so much more than 927 00:55:41,280 --> 00:55:43,000 just a sign to. The. 928 00:55:43,080 --> 00:55:46,040 The believers of the Church of so and so forth know there's 929 00:55:46,040 --> 00:55:50,080 something that happens, there's a remission, a removal of sins 930 00:55:50,080 --> 00:55:53,160 that you are, you are identifying yourself with the 931 00:55:53,160 --> 00:55:55,480 Lord in doing that. Amen. 932 00:55:55,480 --> 00:55:58,040 And if you've never received the gift of the Holy Ghost, it is 933 00:55:58,040 --> 00:55:59,800 for you. It is just that. 934 00:55:59,800 --> 00:56:03,080 It is a gift. And it's not just for the Jew or 935 00:56:03,080 --> 00:56:05,600 the Gentile or the Samaritan. It is for all. 936 00:56:05,600 --> 00:56:11,120 It is God's plan for you, God's plan for you. 937 00:56:11,960 --> 00:56:14,160 Why are you doing this teaching here in the month of December? 938 00:56:14,160 --> 00:56:16,880 I tell you why because I just have a few more days before 939 00:56:16,880 --> 00:56:21,080 another year turns around and I want to herald it. 940 00:56:22,400 --> 00:56:27,280 I want to be a witness about it in the hopes that if someone 941 00:56:27,280 --> 00:56:31,760 didn't know where to put their own, they had no connection. 942 00:56:31,760 --> 00:56:36,720 If they if they were without Christ, without God, that maybe 943 00:56:36,720 --> 00:56:42,240 up on hearing, they would trust and maybe they would mix along 944 00:56:42,240 --> 00:56:48,200 with that trust in that hearing a belief in the obedience to 945 00:56:48,200 --> 00:56:55,960 God's plan because it is again the ploy of the God of this 946 00:56:55,960 --> 00:56:58,040 world. Blind their minds. 947 00:56:58,640 --> 00:57:02,160 I just blind their minds. They won't understand if I'm 948 00:57:02,160 --> 00:57:04,360 just blind their minds. If they won't pick up on the 949 00:57:04,360 --> 00:57:07,160 concept or the reality of the truth of the promise, I just 950 00:57:07,160 --> 00:57:10,280 blind their minds. We'll just leave them in the 951 00:57:10,280 --> 00:57:13,880 state that they were born into, which was the state of being the 952 00:57:13,880 --> 00:57:18,080 center of the Adamic nature, He said Less. 953 00:57:18,120 --> 00:57:21,960 The glorious light shines. And if it does, it's so 954 00:57:21,960 --> 00:57:25,440 powerful, it's so powerful, it's so pertinent. 955 00:57:25,440 --> 00:57:29,800 It's so, it's so free and so liberating that it will 956 00:57:29,880 --> 00:57:33,880 absolutely impact and change and alter their lives. 957 00:57:34,160 --> 00:57:35,880 That's what's available here today. 958 00:57:36,240 --> 00:57:39,520 Something that can alter your life, something that a power 959 00:57:39,520 --> 00:57:43,040 that can change, a power that can come to bear when you feel 960 00:57:43,040 --> 00:57:45,040 weak and when you feel exasperated. 961 00:57:45,240 --> 00:57:50,040 That power, that endowment of power from on high is available 962 00:57:50,040 --> 00:57:53,120 here today. It's God's plan for you, Sir. 963 00:57:53,320 --> 00:57:56,560 It's God plan for you, ma'am. It doesn't matter what your age 964 00:57:56,560 --> 00:57:58,920 is, what your background has been, what your race or 965 00:57:58,920 --> 00:58:01,200 ethnicity it is. It doesn't matter what you've 966 00:58:01,200 --> 00:58:05,000 done in life up to this moment. It's God's plan for you, and He 967 00:58:05,000 --> 00:58:07,680 wants it to become your very inheritance. 968 00:58:08,080 --> 00:58:10,080 Hallelujah. Hallelujah, Brother Mason, if 969 00:58:10,080 --> 00:58:14,000 you take us a man by song today these altars are open. 970 00:58:14,120 --> 00:58:16,920 If you already know the Lord this morning, perhaps you're a 971 00:58:16,920 --> 00:58:20,400 St. today, right? Perhaps you're devoted to the 972 00:58:20,400 --> 00:58:23,080 Lord today. You're you're not not not 973 00:58:23,080 --> 00:58:25,760 secular, so to speak. If you're a St. today, but 974 00:58:25,760 --> 00:58:27,760 you're like, but McGee, I'm in a mode right now. 975 00:58:28,240 --> 00:58:30,760 There's there's some problems, traumatic areas of really 976 00:58:30,880 --> 00:58:35,400 showcasing forth the praise to his glory in my life for me to 977 00:58:35,400 --> 00:58:39,800 be one that could be a a an example to be looked to as not 978 00:58:39,800 --> 00:58:42,320 just what's proclaimed to what's demonstrated for others. 979 00:58:42,560 --> 00:58:44,960 Then maybe we need to have a little time of prayer with the 980 00:58:44,960 --> 00:58:47,320 Lord again. He's never gave up on you and 981 00:58:47,320 --> 00:58:51,240 maybe you're in a battle of doubting and disbelief and 982 00:58:51,240 --> 00:58:52,840 that's OK. If you're going to have doubts 983 00:58:52,840 --> 00:58:55,800 and disbelief, the best place to be is right here in God's house 984 00:58:56,000 --> 00:58:57,320 to struggle and move through that. 985 00:58:57,320 --> 00:59:00,640 Just don't step out on him and then just trusting, Amen. 986 00:59:00,640 --> 00:59:04,320 Walk alongside him, Amen, along that journey of confusion and 987 00:59:04,320 --> 00:59:06,360 conflicting thoughts and feelings, Amen. 988 00:59:06,360 --> 00:59:07,920 That's OK. He'll love you through it. 989 00:59:08,160 --> 00:59:10,720 He'll love you through it. And He'll, he'll come, Amen, to 990 00:59:10,720 --> 00:59:13,360 bear to give reasoning and understanding and helping 991 00:59:13,360 --> 00:59:15,400 guidance. He's here today for us. 992 00:59:15,400 --> 00:59:18,960 If you don't know him, Amen, like the Emesian Church knew 993 00:59:18,960 --> 00:59:22,880 him, or like Paul spoke of it, man, He wants you, Amen, to 994 00:59:22,880 --> 00:59:26,560 experience His plan and allow that to become something that 995 00:59:26,560 --> 00:59:28,960 you inherit today. He's wanting to give you just a 996 00:59:28,960 --> 00:59:32,480 little bit today, but he's going to make good on it in eternity. 997 00:59:32,640 --> 00:59:34,840 Hallelujah, Jesus. Brother Mason.