Calling
A Written compostion of the Heavenly Calling Network Study Group
Chapter
10
The will of God the Father.
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings ... That is their
character and that is their number. Every blessing that is spiritual.
And where? Why in heavenly places. And that is where the Savior is now
exalted. And they are safe because they are in Christ. Every thing that
is of value is found in Him. When we go to the epistle that is the
companion of this wonderful letter we'll find that even our life is hid
in God. So how secure is our position? All the blessings. Our life. Our
Salvation. Our heavenly destiny. Everything secure in Him. In Christ.
Then the Fathers choice. Ephesians 1:4 According as he has chosen us in
him ... With our poor finite minds we say that there is a contridiction
between election and free will. And of course there isn't. If we could
stand back like God we would find that there was no discrepency. Every
single member that constitutes this glorious company called the fulness
of Him that filleth all in all, every single member was elected, marked
... before the foundation of the world, ...before there was and earth
or heaven or any thing in creation at all God did some choosing. And He
chose in His Son every single member. And that should not ever be
watered down. If we want to be faithful we won't. Let us thank God for
His electing choice of us.
Of course one thing that we must not do is we must never let it make us
proud. Or we must not think that God has chosen us because He saw
something in us that other people haven't got. That would be entirely
untrue. God has never done any choosing because of human merrit. Not
because we were better. And God doesn't really reveal why He has
chosen. You remember how He chose His earthly people Israel. He picked
them out of all nations and lavished His truth, and His word, and His
laws, and His judgments, and His righteousness, and His statutes on
them, and on them alone. Moses had to remind them, God hasn't chosen
you because you were greater than all people. No, you were the fewest
He said of all people. There was nothing in you that was better than
the surrounding nations. Then he goes on to say, God loved you because
He loved you. It is almost a reasoning around in a circle. But all that
love of God. That love of Christ that this very letter of Ephesians is
going to pray that you may know this love that passes knowledge. That
is the motive that makes the Father choose.
Here we have this Father's choice in Christ before the foundation of
the world. The Father's choice was with His object. that we should be
holy and without blame ... or blemish.. Here is the great motive...
before him in love: ... We are not holy. We have plenty of blemishes.
We are full of them by nature and yet the Father has chosen and willed
that we have none. So something has got to be done about them. This
very letter tells us that glorious work of the Son that has taken all
the blemishes and all the sins upon Himself.
Holy and without blemish are the words used in verse 4. That He shall
present Himself a glourious church. Not having spot or wrinkle or any
such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish. So what the
Father willed the Son has made possible by the work on the cross. That
is the only way that we will ever attain holiness and to be without
blemish. Because He Himself has born our sins.
We have election in verse 4 and we have predestination in verse 5. What
does this word predestinate mean? We must not get into our minds
doctrine just from English words. God didn't write His word in English.
He wrote it in Hebrew, that is the Old Testament. He wrote it in Greek,
that is the New Testament. If we want a solid foundation we've got to
dig and fortunately we don't have to have a very great knowledge of
Greek or Hebrew. You only have to get a good concordance to find out
what the original meaning of some of these words are. This word means
to mark off before hand. The word destiny, rather has the idea of fate.
And we must not import that. This is not a question of settling your
fate. It is marking off before hand. And always with a purpose. God, is
the one that He has chosen, in the one that He has redeemed, says that
I am going to will and mark you off before hand to occupy this part of
My glorious inheritance. Or I take this company of My children and I
will or predestined that they shall occupy that part. And who can say
anything to that? God is soveriegn as to what He does with us. He
doesn't say to us, like some parents say to their children, you like to
do this? Or do you like to do that? No, He doesn't say that. He says, I
will that you shall go here. You shall be a part of my great purpose
for the heavens. Or if you belong to Israel, My redeemed in Israel, I
am working out a purpose in the earth. And all nations shall come to
the light and knowledge of the truth. A light for the end of the earth.
That is what He want's Israel to be. Israel didn't choose that. They
didn't take it upon themselves. God made it clear that was His will for
them.
God makes it clear then, as we go through this epistle as to what He is
going to do with this company. For He has marked them off before hand.
That is the word predestined. Now it is unto the adoption of children.
Again we must not import in to this modern western ideas of adopting a
child in to a family. That is not what it meant in Paul's day. It was a
legal term appointing the heir of the family. When a man drew up his
will it was called making the adoption. He was appointing, and usually
it was his elder son that had the inheritance. Not always, because
there were some case on record where a parent disapproved the way his
children lived. And he wasn't willing that his inheritance would go to
them. And so he disinherited his children and appointed an outsider.
That was called the adoption. If he chose to bring in an outsider and
to make the inheritance his that would be an equavilent to this
adoption of children. Now we wouldn't look at it quite like that.
There is another charactoristic that has already been mentioned in the
previous chapter that will making in the Apostle Paul's day was a
public thing. Legaly, there was no getting away from it. When every man
made a will it was a public document that had to be exibited on the
town hall. Everybody could read it. Everybody knew your will. You
couldn't make it secret. There was no secret will making in the
Apostle's day. And further more, there was this legal requirment that
once that will had been made it could not be undone. It could never be
revoked. So you see, a man thought a long time before he made his will
because he could never change it. He could not even add to it.
Galatians 3:15 Brothers, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be
but a man's covenant, ... the margin tells you that it is testament
.... yet if it be confirmed, no man cancels, or adds thereto. ... If
this will has been confirmed, publically that is, you can't add to it
and you can't disunal it. The Apostle Paul was just simply telling the
Galatians of something that they knew. It was obvious that it was the
requirements of his day.
The point is that the one who was adopted became the heir and was in
the position of the first born. Now was it possible for a man to have
more than one first born son? And of course the first thing that you
think to yourself is No. Of course it isn't possible. But of course it
is. It is possible if a man marries more than once. Say a man marries
three times, if he looses his two first wives and marries three times
he could have three first born sons. It may not be very probable. And
it possibly doesn't happen very often, but it could be done. And we are
going to learn that God had more than one first born company. More than
one company of children who He puts in the first place. You remember in
the old testament days that the eldest son, the first born, had the
privaledge position. He had the double portion. He was rather in the
position of the priest to the family.
Looking back to the old testament. Here is God's people Israel in Egypt
in bondage and God is sending Moses to deliver them and bring them out.
And Moses is bidden to say to pharoah Ex 4:22 And you shall say to
Pharaoh, Thus said the LORD, Israel is my son, ... A special son, even
my firstborn: 23 And I say to you, Let my son go, that he may serve me:
and if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay your son, even
your firstborn. ...You give my My first born or I will take your first
born. So Israel, in the plan of God, has the first place.
This word first born please becareful with it. It is a difficult word.
You know that word is used of the Lord Himself. Do you remember? He was
called the first born from the dead. He is called the first born of
every creature. Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible
God, the firstborn of every creature: And of course again we can reason
from our English word first born and go wrong. Because you think, oh
first born, is the one that ought to be born first. But you can't try
that with the Lord Jesus Christ. When was He born? You say, oh well He
was born at Bethlehem. But Colossians tells me He was called the first
born when He created, long before Bethlehem. He is called the first
born of all creation for all things by Him were created. Col 1:16 For
by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in
earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions,
or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for
him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. So
we have to be ever so careful with this word.
And if you go back again to Exodus, you will realize that Israel was
not the first nation born in time, there were nations before Israel. So
they weren't the first born in time. You see this word first is also
used in the English as first in dignity. First in position, as well as
first in time. And because of our ambiguaty of this word in English
often leads astray. Now in Greek it isn't so.
This means first in dignity and position. Israel is My first born and I
will that Israel will have the first place. Isn't that true? What does
the old testament say concerning this nation? God said, you shall be
the head and not the tail. You shall be above. You shall not be
beneath. And when He gave the Old Covanent, Testament, will, to them He
said that you shall be a peculiar people above all nations. In other
words, you shall be first. The first born has the premier position.
There are some that are subserviant in God's plan to Him.
In connection with God's earthly purpose it is Israel that has the
first position and the Gentile nations have the secondary position.
Have you ever thought why, until Israel was temporarily put aside at
the end of Acts, why you had to the Jew first? That is what the
scripture says. To the Jew first with the Gospel. To the Jew first with
judgment. Well that have to have this position because they are in the
position of the first born. And when at last they are redeemed at t he
second coming of our Lord, and the glowing prophecies of Isaiah are
fulfilled, you'll find then and there Israel will be first. And all
nations that will not serve thee will utterly perish. Isaiah chapter 60
and 61 are glowing chapters looking forward in this prophecy to the day
when this nation shall be born at a stroke. Will at last become usable
to God. And shall at last be in a position that God intended. They
shall be first. Then all the Gentile nations will become subserviant to
redeemed Israel. And God says if they don't do it they shall utterly
perish. I will make them come cringing to you, He even uses that figure
to this nation. This one company, Israel has the first place.
Abraham, not only had and earthly seed, which is the nation of Israel
after the flesh, but he had a heavenly seed. And the epistle to the
Hebrews is dealing with this heavenly seed. And we are told in Hebrews
that Abraham didn't just look for an earthly inheritance, although God
gave him one. Genesis 11:14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that
Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the
place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and
westward: 15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it,
and to thy seed for ever. 16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of
the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, [then]
shall thy seed also be numbered. But he looked for a better country,
that is heavenly. He looked for a heavenly city who's builder and maker
is God. And there are others who also looked by faith to something
higher than the earth. A better country. That is the theme of the
epistle to the Hebrews.
In chapter 12 of Hebrews this is what we are told. It first of all
states things negatively and then positively. Hebrews 12:18 For you are
not come to the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire,
... That is Sanai. With the giving of the law and the sound of trumpets
and its blackness and its darkness and its tempest. Your not come to
that. But now positively Hebrews 12:22 But you are come to mount Sion,
... This is no earthly Sion, or Zion.... and to the city of the living
God, the heavenly Jerusalem, ... This is the heavenly Zion. ... and to
an innumerable company of angels, ... Now note the terms ... To the
general assembly and church of ... of what? ... church of the
firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all,
and to the spirits of just men made perfect, ... So here is an assembly
which Abraham belongs to, and those who follow him by faith belong to.
And they will have the position of the first born. There are angels
here. And you remember there was an occasion when the Apostle Paul,
when he wrote to the church at Corninth, said 1 Corinthians 6:3 Know ye
not that we shall judge angels? ... That was an extraordinary thing
wasn't it. That we should judge angels. Those, that God redeemed to
this company, will be higher than the angels. Angels will be
subserviant to them. They will judge them in that day. Tremendous
thought isn't it. They have got the first born position. Just like
Israel on the earth, the nations are subservient to them. They have got
the first place. You've got the next geometry of blessing. Here is
another company that has the first place. And if anyone says, surely
you've gone to the limit, that must be the highest that God has
revealed. Well, by the time this book gets through Ephesians, that
there is even one better than that.
Why is that being said? Well, this heavenly Jerusalem, this heavenly
Zion, it is revealed very clearly in the last book in scriptures as not
abiding in heaven. It doesn't stay there. It is heavenly in character.
And it has all the marks of its heavenly character. It's streets and
its blaze of glory as John describes it in Revelation chapter 21. But
three times in that book we are told that this heavenly city descends
from heaven. So you see in this plan, God's great plan, that He is
working out won't finish until this city that He has made leaves heaven
and comes down, earthward. The goal of those who form this city won't
be up in heaven will it? It is going to be where it is finally going to
rest, where John sees it, in the new earth. So you see, there is still
the highest heavens yet which we haven't touched. And when we come to
this church, the fullest of Him that fillest all in all, we will find
it so linked with the ascended Savior, that is the figure of a body and
a head. Look where your head goes your body goes doesn't it? It would
be quite impossible for our bodies to go any where with out our heads
doesn't go. And it is quite impossible for this church to be anywhere
but where Christ is. It is so linked with Him, in death, crucifiction,
burial, quickening, raising, seating, and manifesting. We shall see
that it is all linked with Him. That is why God has used the term head
and body. Because where the head is the body must be.
And the Lord Jesus, at His enthronement now, is at the Father's right
hand. Far above all principality and all power. And He has willed that
there shall be a company linked with Him there. Seated together in
heavenly places. And He is the first born of all creation. And as
Colossians puts it, He is the first born from the dead as well. In two
ways, Christ is the first born. He was the first born when He created
and the first born of another creation that He created altogether. A
spiritial one when He rose from the dead. And this church is His body,
and where He is they must be. And if He is the first born, they must be
the first born. What ever He has is shared by them. The more we get to
know the glory of the exalted Savior the more we shall say, that is my
fortune. That is what grace has in mind. That is what the Father willed
and chose us before the over throw of the world that we shall have one
day. Oh the way we need our minds to be opened, don't we? Enlarged by
the Holy Spirit so that we can get some grasp of these tremendous
realities. This is what predestination has marked you off for. It
wouldn't be right to say that our hope is down here on earth because
Israel has got the first place position. God has never deligated that
to another company. And as far as you read the prison epistles of Paul,
you never read of the heavenly city mentioned once there. But we do
read of a secret company which is called the fullness.
Fullness is a tremendous word for it is a word that is linked with God
Himself in Christ. Paul quoted it in his prayer. Colossians 2:9 For in
him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. ...And all the
fulness of God is linked ti this company that is called the fulness of
Christ. And we are filled to the full. Colossians says complete in Him.
The trouble with this revelation is that it almost defies being talked
about. There can not be a thought about being a more exacting ministry
than to try and make known the glory's of this calling. If you ask for
a scripture reading on Israel or on prophecy to do with Israel well
that would be far simpliar because that would be dealing with earthly
terms, dealing with an earthly people. Those terms are what you know.
But if you ask for terms dealing with heavenly places, well what do we
know about that? We really don't do we. But it is here. And some how
God is helping us all as we seak to try to pass these glorious things
on to others. We've got to say Lord make us mighty enough so that we
might be able to comprehend grip with all saints, what is the length
and the breadth and the higth and the depth. Oh Father it is so great.
Just make us mighty enough to grip it. The hope of this church is
conected with the glory of Christ. The manifest glory of Christ. When
He is manifested in glory, says Colossians, this church will be
manifested with Him. Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the
glorious ... litarally ...appearing of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ; ...
And where ever you touch it, this word glory comes in. Eyes can't see
it, ears can't hear it, hands can't touch it, and your nose can't smell
it. And yet we know it's true because God reveals it. And it talks
about the riches of glory. What are they? This ministry, this company
is linked with the unlimeted riches of God. The Holy Spirit uses it
eight times and by the time that you have gotten to the eighth you will
be so over whelmed you won't be to say any more. Riches, that is what
He has poured out upon this company who has got this first borns
position in the glory. Not on earth. Not in this city that is coming
down to the earth. But up there. That is what the adoption of children
means. But you see if you just import our western and modern ideas of
adopting a poor stray just in to the family, oh it is something
infinately more than that. It's position of the first born son with a
glorious inheritance in view. This inheritance is at the right hand of
God. That is why the blessings are all spiritual because your in a
spiritual geometry at the right hand of God. Your linked with the
ascended Savior in the heavenly places far above all. The word adoption
and his sonship has a special referance to a first born son position.
And the Father has marked us off for that. And it is through Jesus
Christ. Nothing is apart from Him in this chapter. All links up with
Him. If all this was talked about with out mentioning Christ, then we
would just be
talking about a lie. These things just could not be possible without
the Lord Jesus and all He has done. So every time it is in Him, or
through Him, or by Him.
The Father has made His will and He has chosen you to be His heir.
Ephesians 1:5 according to the good pleasure of his will, ... Now that
is the Fa
ther. And He has lavished upon you, in Christ, if you believe this and
belong to this company, the best and the highest, the position of the
first born in heaven. We should always pray that the wonder of this
wonderful epislte never leaves us and those who we share it with. Don't
forget, don't forget. We are so frail and sinful creatures that are
taken by our selves. And these things are utterly beyond our copacity.
Yet the Holy Spirit had been given to bring these things to our
rememberance. You know that in the scriptures, that the Holy Spirit is
called the remembrance. The Savior said He would do that. He shall
bring all these things to your remembrance whatever I have told you.
John 14:26 But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the
Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring
all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you ... You
ask the Father for the Holy Spirit to do that. If you find yourself
forgetting say Lord, remind me. of what your word teaches concerning
this glorious company. Because we are all leaky vessles. We just simply
have wholes in our poor o'le brains that let things go out. But He is
so gracious and He never tires. He never wearies. He never gets out of
patience with us. In His love and mercy He does that.
There is the first great section, verse 3 to 6, a revelation of a
Father's will. Tremendous, over whelming and we will delving in to it
until traveling days are done and we will never get to the bottom of
it. And if Ephesians stopped at the end of verse five we would have
something that we never fully grown. But we have only just started. And
there is lots more to come yet.
The Father, His good pleasure and His love, that we shall be Ephesians
1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, ... Oh what shall we say
about grace? Grace is a charming sound that is harmonious to the ear.
It ought to be, if we have any conception what grace means. Grace mans
God's favor to those who don't deserve it. God's favor to the
undeserving. We know that because we use that term today. Because if a
person does us a wrong and we don't hit back and we do a kindness back,
well were being gracious. We are dealing graciously. And that is what
God has done with us, beyond all our dreams. We, who don't deserve
anything but His wrath and His judgment, have the riches of His
grace... To the praise of the glory of his grace, ... And we haven't
left grace because in this word made us accepted the word grace is
right in the middle of it. ... wherein he has made us accepted ... or
litarly graced us ... in the beloved. ... Who is the beloved one? Well
He is the Lord Jesus. 7 in whom we have our redemption through his
blood, ...
Here is another super word, graced us. Lets look at in one more
occurance where it is used. Where it is connected with the virgin Mary.
Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to
a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man
whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was
Mary. 28 And the angel came in to her, and said, Hail, you that are
highly favored, the Lord is with you: blessed are you among women.
...You see the word highly favored? That is the same word. Now look in
the margin. It says, graciously excepted. Or much graced. So you don't
have to take it from this book. Some examples of this is in some of our
own English translations.
1901 American Standard Version ... And he came in unto her, and said,
Hail, thou that art (1) highly favored, the Lord is with thee. (1) Or
endued with grace Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition ... And the angel
said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.
Green's Literal Translation ... And entering, the angel said to her,
Hail, one having received grace! The Lord is with you. You are blessed
among women! Green's Modern King James Version ... And the angel came
in to her and said, Hail, one receiving grace, the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women.1525/1530 William Tyndale Bible ... And ye
angell went in vnto her and sayde: Hayle full of grace ye Lorde is with
ye: blessed arte thou amonge wemen.1395 John Wycliffe Bible ... And the
aungel entride to hir, and seide, Heil, ful of grace; the Lord be with
thee; blessid be thou among wymmen.
In this word is the word grace. You are much graced. And think for a
moment what it meant to Mary. She was going to have the unique
privilege of becoming the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ. What an
honor to be the mother of the Son of God. Every Hebrew woman Hoped to
be the mother of the Messiah. And at last here is the one that God has
chosen. From you is the one who shall be called Jesus. He shall save
His people from there sins. She was unique. She had that unique
privilege that no other woman has had. Now that is the word that was
used of this company. We are a unique and privilege company. We are
graced with all the graces of the Lord Jesus Himself. Where in you are
much graced in the beloved one.
Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, ... Here is the first occurrence that we have
riches ... according to the riches of his grace; ... Redemption from
sin and again it is the pouring out of riches of His grace. In this
chapter there is another redemption that is also mentioned. And this
time it is connected with an inheritance. Ephesians 1:11 In whom ...
Here is Christ still ... also we have obtained an inheritance, ... Then
you find that the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 1:13 as the Ernest of our
inheritance. ... In whom you also trusted, after that you heard the
word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that
you believed, you were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, ...
Until the redemption of the purchase possession to the praise of His
glory. So scriptures are going to teach us that there are two aspects
of the glorious work of redemption. One deals with our sins and takes
them away. And the other deals with an inheritance that we would other
wise loose as sinners. He buys it back for us.
One is shown in the book of Exodus in type in the Old Testament.
Redemption from Egypt. The forgiveness and the setting free from sin.
There was God's earthly people and as God takes Israel up as they are
typical people and are tired of his dealings all the way through in
bondage to Pharoah. That is a picture of every one of us by nature as
we are born in to this creation. We come under two great enemies. Sin,
and death. And both of them reign. You remember how Romans puts it,
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and
death by sin; ... Death reigned from Adam to Moses and still is
reigning. And 1Corinthains 15:26 The last enemy [that] shall be
destroyed [is] death. ... Death is still reigning. Two things, sin and
death. Now redemption from Egypt gives you the end of that. And you
remember how by the blood of the Passover Lamb, by the mighty arm of
God Israel was redeemed from that bondage of Egypt. Deliverance.
That is the Evangelical aspect that we as faithful teachers of the
gospel, good tidings, seek to bring before men and woman today. We show
them that they are in a bondage just as real by nature as Israel was
with Egypt. They don't know it of course till God the Holy Spirit shows
them. For the terrible thing about this bondage is that they have all
these chains around them and they don't know it. The unsaved, their
going about thinking their doing what they like and what they choose to
do. But this very letter is going to tell them in Ephesians 2:2 Wherein
in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according
to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in
the children of disobedience: ... They are the sons of disobedience.
There is an awful power of satan working in them and they don't feel
it. They know nothing at all about it. It is true. They are just
slaves. Slaves until the Holy Spirit of God comes and convicts them of
sin and the redeeming power of Christ snaps the chains. That is the
aspect here. Deliverance.
The word forgiveness should have already come before us at some point
in our own studies by the usage of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself while
in the synagog at Nazareth. This is where He gets up to read from the
prophet Isaiah and reads from the 61st chapter. Luke 4:17 And there was
delivered to him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened
the book, he found the place where it was written, 18 The Spirit of the
Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the
poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance
to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at
liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the
Lord. This word deliverance and the word set at liberty is the word
forgive. It occurs twice in that verse and is translated differently,
but it is the same word in the Greek, and is the same word that you
have got in Ephesians 1:7 the forgiveness of sins ... The Greek word is
aphesis af'-es-is if you would like to search it out for your self. The
setting free from bondage, set a liberty, and deliverance. The bondage
of Eygpt. Setting free. What a position to be saved. And to realize
that what the Lord Jesus said, John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall
make you free, ye shall be free indeed. Oh it is real freedom. The only
freedom that is real is the freedom that comes when Christ saves. Now
that is what He has done to every member of this company. That precious
work on Calvary has snapped the chains.
And we can say, thank God we are free. And yet, if you were just to
stop there, it could be dangerous. Oh, I am free now to please my self.
You know there are people who talk like that and act like that. But
that isn't right. The man who championed freedom above all things,
which was the Apostle Paul, when those others tried to reimpose the
law. He was the great Apostle of Liberty. He said Gal 5:1 Stand fast
therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not
entangled again with the yoke of bondage. ... And yet he describes
himself as saved man, and calls himself a slave. Every time you get
that word from Paul, as a servant of Jesus Christ, which he starts his
epistles like that, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, the Greek says a
slave. A free man, yet a slave. But you know there isn't a
contradiction is there. We have been redeemed from the real tyrant,
which is satan. And sin and death. But we are only redeemed to
acknowledge His Lord ship. That is the point. Once a person is saved
they have got to learn that He is Lord. Oh yes, it is one thing to say
that He is our Savior, but yet not as many people have come to
acknowledged or got the point that the same one, The Savior, is the one
has got the controls. The Lordship of Christ. That means to say that
you are bought with a price and you are not your own. You belong to Him
and so you have no right to say that your going to do what I choose.
Your free, yes, but free to acknowledge His Lordship and to hand
yourself back to Him because He has bought you. Romans 12:1 I beseech
you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your
reasonable service.
Your doing nothing very special. Your only handing back to God what is
His. For He has redeemed
you. He has bought and paid for you for a price. You don't belong to
yourself. So you have this glorious sense of freedom but at the same
time remembering we are free to acknowledge His Lordship and to serve
Him. Thank God for that work on Calvary's Cross which made it possible.
But it His resurrection that made it all a live. For there is no power
in death with out life. If you believe in your heart that God has
raised Him from the dead you shall be saved. That is the fullness of
the gospel.
Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to
the riches of his grace; 8 Wherein he has abounded toward us ... This
word abounded is another character word that the Apostle Paul loved. In
the Greek it means just to overflow. And is used in scriptures as in
rivers over flowing. Do you remember when Jordan over flowed its banks.
In the Greek bible that the Lord Jesus Christ used this same word. It
just means to overflow. Oh we have got a God of overflowing grace. ...
riches of his grace; wherein he has overflowed toward us. ... And it
isn't a trickle that comes out is it. It's not even a stream. It is an
overflowing river. Overflowing for you and for me. Don't you think that
all that God is asking us now is to be just channels through which that
flowing grace can go on. Overflowed to us. We don't want to be just
containers only. We want to be channels where that grace can go on
flowing. And it touches someone else. Channels of blessing. Yes, it is
Lord Give Me so that I may pass on. Lord make it known to me that I may
be able to pass it on to others. The overflowing Savior. You are a
recipient of overflowing grace.
For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only [use] not liberty
for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.