Will you please turn to the letter to
the Ephesians.
Letter to the Ephesians chapter 1 verses
9 and 10.
Ephesians chapter 1 verses 9 and 10.
Having made known to us the mystery of
his will according to his good pleasure which
he purposed in himself for the administration of
the fullness of times to head up all
things in the Christ the things in the
heavens and the things upon the earth.
Chapter 3.
We begin with verse 8.
To me less than the least of all
saints has this grace been given to announce
among the nations the glad tidings of the
unsearchable riches of the Christ and to enlighten
all with a knowledge of what is the
administration of the mystery hidden throughout the ages
in God who has created all things in
order that now to the principalities and authorities
in the heavenlies might be made known through
the church the all-various wisdom of God
according to the purpose of the ages which
he purpose in Christ Jesus our Lord in
whom we have boldness and access in confidence
by faith in him.
Let us have a further word of prayer.
Dear Lord we are glad to be in
thy presence we praise and thank thee because
thou has the word of life we have
believed in thee and there is no one
else we can turn to but to thee
our hearts do rejoice knowing that thou art
for us and if thou art for us
who can be against us we praise and
thank thee that as we come to thee
we know we believe that thou will speak
to us speak Lord thy servants hearing we
ask in thy precious name amen.
We all know that a theme of this
conference is the eternal purpose of God and
we are going to look at this subject
from three different directions.
First we will look at God's eternal purpose
as seen in Christ Jesus and
Colossians the letter to the Colossians will be
the background and our brother Lance has already
started on that last night.
Then we will look at God's eternal purpose
as seen in the church and the letter
to the Ephesians will be the background and
this will be my responsibility and then we
will look at God's eternal purpose as seen
in Christians and the book of Romans will
be the background for it and our brother
Dana will speak very soon.
God's eternal purpose we can look at it
from three different in three different dimensions there
is Christ there is church and there is
Christian and yet all these are one.
We read in the letter to the Ephesians
chapter 1 verses 9 and 10 that God
has made known to us the mystery of
his will according to his good pleasure in
other words even before the foundation of the
world God has exercised his own will according
to what pleases him and he purpose a
purpose in himself and that purpose is to
be fulfilled at the fullness of time and
we know that purpose is that one day
all things will be sum up headed up
in Christ Jesus the things in the heavens
and the things upon the earth.
In other words here we see the mystery
of God.
God has a secret and the secret of
God is a person his beloved son.
You know if you look into the heart
of God what will you see in God's
heart?
In God's heart you only see one person
that is his beloved son.
His son is his fullness.
His son is the mystery of God.
No one has ever seen God but the
one who is in the bosom of the
father he has declared him.
We say God is the greatest mystery in
the whole universe unless he reveals himself.
No one can know him but we praise
and thank God that he does reveal himself
in his son.
You remember our Lord Jesus said if you
see me you see my father because he
is the mystery of God.
He is what has been hidden in the
heart of God all since the foundation of
the world and he is the one who
reveals the father who reveals that secret of
the father.
Now our brother has already started last night
how Christ is the mystery of God.
How he is the heir of all things.
One day everything will be summed up in
Christ Jesus.
He will be the head over all things.
Everything will be under his feet and everything
will manifest Christ Jesus.
That is God's eternal purpose and how important
it is that we know him.
But when you turn to Ephesians chapter 3
from verse 9 to verse 11 and here
you'll find it is said and to enlighten
all with the knowledge of what is the
administration of the mystery hidden throughout the ages
who has created all things in order that
now to the principalities and authorities in the
heavenlies might be made known through the church
the all various wisdom of God according to
the purpose of the ages which he purposed
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
When you compare chapter 1 verses 9 and
10 with chapter 3 verses 9 to 11
you'll find there are lots of points of
similarity.
You'll find God purposed.
You'll find before the foundation of the world.
You'll find the administration of the fullness of
time.
You'll find God's counsel and you'll find God's
working to the accomplishment of what he has
purposed.
And yet you'll find there is a difference
here.
And the difference is in the first case
you'll find God has purposed in himself.
In other words, God exercised his free will
and he made a purpose.
It is a purpose that is purposed in
himself.
And so far as that purpose is concerned
it concerns his beloved son.
That is the purpose.
But then in the second case when you
come to Ephesians chapter 3 you'll find again
God purposed and it is before the foundation
of the world.
But it says he purposed in Christ Jesus.
First he purposed in himself and that is
concerning his son.
Then he purposed in Christ Jesus.
And what does he purpose in Christ Jesus?
Even before the foundation of the world you
will find it is the church.
Because there, before time begins, God purposed in
Christ Jesus that there will be a church.
And in that church he is to pour
forth all his grace.
Through that church he is to even teach
the principalities and authorities in the heavenlies the
manifold wisdom of God.
Brothers and sisters, the church is God's purpose
in Christ Jesus.
Or we may put it in another way.
The church is what God has purposed for
Christ Jesus.
And to that church he will pour forth
all his wisdom that even the principalities and
authorities in the heavenlies will see his manifold
wisdom.
So in other words, the testimony of the
church is not only just to this world,
but even to the unseen world.
That is what God has purposed in Christ
Jesus.
The letter to the Ephesians is focused on
the mystery of the Christ.
When you look at Colossians, in Colossians chapter
2 verses 2 and 3, you will find
the full knowledge of the mystery of God,
which is Christ Jesus.
If we want to know the mystery of
God, if we want to have any knowledge
of the secret of God, it is in
Christ Jesus.
But, here in Ephesians, you will find Paul
said, by reading you know that how I
know the mystery of the Christ that has
been hidden throughout the ages, but now has
been revealed to the apostles and the prophets,
and what is revealed is the church.
So the letter to the Ephesians is concerned
with the church.
But brothers and sisters, before we can deal
with this matter of the church in the
eternal purpose of God, we have to remember
that the church is not the center of
all things.
Christ is the center.
Without Christ, there would be no church.
The church has its origin in Christ Jesus.
Christ is the head.
The church is the body.
Christ is at the front.
The church serves the background.
We can never uplift the church above Christ,
because if you look into the heart of
God, you see only Christ Jesus, his beloved
son, nothing else.
If I may put it in such a
way, if it's not before because of Christ,
you cannot see in God's heart the church.
You cannot see in God's heart you and
me.
The reason why we are now in God's
heart is because we are in Christ Jesus.
So strictly speaking, in the heart of God,
you see only Christ.
He is everything to God.
As our brother already mentioned, all the fullness
of the Godhead dwells in him.
He is the fullness of God.
He is the mystery of God.
He is the manifestation, the revelation of the
secret of God.
That is our Lord Jesus.
But thank God, when you look into the
heart of Christ Jesus, you see the church.
He loved the church and gave himself for
it.
In the heart of Christ, you see the
church.
He so loved the church that he came
down from heaven.
He emptied himself of the glory and honor
that is his right as God, the Son
of God.
Ego with God, and yet he emptied himself
of all his honor and glory and position,
and he took upon himself the form of
a born slave.
Even the fashion of a man.
And he was born in a manger in
Bethlehem.
For the love of the church, he grew
up in Nazareth, hidden for 30 years.
For the love of the church, he came
out and preached the gospel of the kingdom.
For the love of the church, he went
to the cross and died for the church.
So, brothers and sisters, even though we have
to remember, we cannot emphasize the church more
than Christ himself.
And yet, on the other hand, we do
find that how the church is the darling
of our Lord.
And because of this, brothers and sisters, we
cannot neglect the church.
If our Lord Jesus loved the church so
much, could we love the church less?
Now, why is it the church is the
mystery of the Christ?
You remember in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verse
12, the apostle Paul says, there is one
body, but many members.
Many members, but one body.
So also is the Christ.
Now, probably when you first read that verse,
your first reaction will be, there's a mistake
there.
Because the body is one with many members.
The members are many, but only one body.
Well, that is the church.
So also is the church.
But the Holy Spirit makes no mistake.
Actually, he gave us the right interpretation.
The Bible make it very clear.
So also is the Christ.
Now, why is it?
Because the church is nothing but the corporate
expression of Christ himself.
It is nothing less than that, and nothing
other than that.
I believe, brothers and sisters, we all know
that that building at the corner of the
city square is not the church.
Now, even though we all have the habit
of saying, well, look at the corner of
the city square, and you can see maybe
more than one church, big buildings.
We go to church, which means that we
go to that building to worship the Lord.
But I believe, brothers and sisters, we all
know that church is not made of bricks,
or stone, or wood, or whatever material it
may be.
That's not the church.
That is just a physical building.
It can be used for the church to
meet, but it is not the church.
Sometimes people say, I left my umbrella in
the church.
Now, you can never leave your umbrella in
the church.
You can leave your umbrella in a building
where the church meets.
So we know this is not the church.
Now, what is the church?
We say the church is ecclesia, the called
out ones gathered together.
Where two or three are gathered together unto
my name, there am I in the midst
of them.
Matthew chapter 18, verse 20.
We find out that's the church.
The church is not the world.
The church are the people whom God has
called out from every nation, every tribe, every
tongue, every people.
God called out a people, gathered them together
unto himself.
That is under his name, under his authority,
under his headship.
And when there are two or three gathered
together under the authority of Christ, his presence
is there.
And we say now, this is the church.
But is this the church?
Why is it when God's people, those who
are called out of the world and gathered
together, supposed to be under the name of
Christ, and yet you find in the church
there are so much fighting against each other.
Can that be the church?
Many years ago, I had the privilege of
serving together with dear T.
Austin Sparks.
And I know Brother Sparks, he is so
spiritually minded, that if you mention anything
earthly, it bothers him.
So when we were ministering together, now I
tried to explain what the church is to
the people.
So I turned to Brother Sparks and said,
you have to forgive me, because I'm going
to use a formula.
Now if it is spiritual, there can be
no formula.
So I said, I feel sorry for it,
but in order to make it clear.
So I said, I will use a formula.
Now what is the church?
Suppose in the very beginning, there are only
three Christians called out once.
And these three are Peter, John, and James.
You cannot find a better gathering than these
three people.
So what is the church?
The church is Peter plus John plus James.
That's the church.
No, of course not.
Because Peter in his natural self, John and
James in their natural selves cannot be the
church.
They had to be called out.
So we will say, what is the church?
The church is Christ in Peter plus Christ
in John plus Christ in James equal church.
Ah, you got it.
No.
Why?
Because you know, Peter is a person who
wants to be the head.
And John and James are not more gentle
than Peter.
You know, even at the last moment, when
our Lord was going to Jerusalem, all the
disciples had been struggling against each other all
these years.
Who is the greatest?
Now the last chance.
And you'll find John and James are so
clever.
They got their mother out.
And the mother is our Lord's aunt.
And the word of the aunt has some
weight.
So here you'll find their mother took the
two sons to the Lord and said, Lord,
we want to ask you for one thing.
Promise you will give it.
I think probably they are too ashamed to
mention what that thing is.
Here is a blank check.
Sign it.
But our Lord Jesus never signed a blank
check.
So our Lord said, now what do you
want?
Speak it out.
Ah, my two sons, one on my right,
one on your right, one on your left.
And the Lord said, are you able to
drink the cup that I'm going to drink?
To be baptized with the baptism that I'm
going to be baptized?
Oh, they say we will.
They do not know even what it involves.
And the Lord said, you will.
But to sit on my right and left
is not for me to give.
It's for the Father to give.
And the other ten were indignant.
Why?
Because they were outmaneuvered.
Now, if you put Peter, John, and James
together, how they will fight?
And maybe two against one.
That's not the church.
Peace should be the church.
Brothers and sisters, you know, that's why you
and me and all of us, we are
the church.
And we fight against each other.
No peace.
No unity.
Where is Christ?
So I said, what is the church?
The church is Christ in Peter minus Peter
plus Christ in John minus John and plus
Christ in James minus James equal to the
church.
Now you get it.
And that's the reason why.
So also is the Christ.
In other words, the church is nothing but
the corporate expression of Christ.
You and I have to be eliminated by
the working of the cross in our lives.
So what's left is nothing but Christ himself.
It is his corporate expression.
He expresses himself, the fullness of Christ.
The church is the body of Christ, the
fullness of Christ, who feels all and in
all.
He feels you, he feels me, he feels
all and in all of us.
Nothing but Christ.
So anything that is not of Christ has
to be eliminated by the cross before you
enter into the reality of the church.
So dear brothers and sisters, what is the
church?
The church is the Christ.
The mystery of the Christ is the church.
When we talk about the church, usually we
begin with Pentecost.
Because on the day of Pentecost, two thousand
years ago, the Holy Spirit came down and
a hundred and twenty who gathered in that
upper room, they were baptized in the Spirit
into one body.
So we say that is the beginning of
the church.
Why?
The church begins before the foundation of the
world.
Even before the world was, is.
God has already purposed in Christ Jesus that
purpose, that he is going to have a
church for his son.
So actually you find the church is conceived
in the heart of God, even before the
ages began.
It has its origin in God.
The church is not a result, product of
history.
Today we look at the church as a
product of history.
So when we write church history, you'll find
we look at it from that viewpoint.
But we have to remember the church is
heavenly in its origin.
And therefore it is spiritual in nature.
It is conceived in the mind of God
before the foundation of the world.
But one day it appears upon the earth,
and that is the day of Pentecost.
When you look into the gospel according to
John, you know the whole gospel of John
tries to tell us that our Lord Jesus,
he came into this world for one reason.
Now if you read maybe Luke, you'll find
that he came to seek and to save
the lost.
Because the gospel according to Luke is the
gospel of grace.
But when you read the gospel of John,
you will find the reason why our Lord
Jesus came into this world.
Yes, he came to seek and try to
find, but it's more than the lost.
He came to seek for his bride.
That's the gospel of John.
That's the reason why the first miracle, first
sign he performed, is in a marriage feast.
See, as the bridegroom, he came into this
world, try to seek and find his bride.
John the Baptist understood that.
Because he said, he is the friend of
the bridegroom.
When he hears the voice of the bridegroom,
he's happy.
He, the bridegroom, must increase, and he, the
friend, must decrease.
So the purpose of our Lord Jesus coming
into this world is to find his bride.
You know, just like Adam, our brother mentioned
last night, God brought all the animals before
Adam.
Now, why God did that?
Because God knew Adam was lonely.
So he brought all the animals before Adam,
and Adam gave names to all these animals.
But he could not find his like.
And because of this, God put him to
sleep.
And out of his sight, God took out
something, and used that something that came out
of Adam to make a woman.
And the word make is an architectural word,
to construct.
And you remember, Adam woke up.
God brought that woman to Adam.
Adam looked at her and said, this is
me.
And they joined together in one.
You know, this is just a type.
The anti-type, the fulfillment of that type,
is Christ and the Church.
Because you'll find in Ephesians chapter 5, Paul
says, this mystery is great, but I'm speaking
of Christ and the Church.
So, brothers and sisters, when Christ came to
this earth, he's looking for his bride.
But you'll find not the animals passing before
him.
You'll find all the men, people, passing before
him.
The sick, the blind, the lame, even the
dead, passing before him.
He couldn't find his counterpart.
He couldn't find anyone that answers to his
heart.
Because man had fallen into sin, unfit to
be his bride.
And for that reason, he had to go.
He had to die.
And our brother mentioned also last night, the
soldier came and found the Lord has already
died.
To make sure that he did die, he
thrust a spear into his side.
And out of it comes a water and
blood.
And John was there.
And he make it very emphatic.
He said, I saw it.
I witnessed to it that out of that
side came a water and blood.
Now why he testified to it emphatically?
Mention it, because the blood for the remission
of all sins, the water is his life.
He gave us a new life, his own
life.
And with himself as the material, he built
the church.
Brothers and sisters, that is what the church
is.
How?
When our Lord Jesus was on earth, he
mentioned only twice about the church.
One in Matthew, chapter 16, verse 18.
You know, when he asked his disciples, who
do men say I am?
And they brought to our Lord all these
good reports.
They purposely withheld all the bad reports.
Try to please the Lord.
Oh, you are John the Baptist coming into
life.
You are the prophet.
You are Jeremiah because you wept a lot.
But the Lord was not satisfied.
The Lord said, whom do you say I,
the Son of Man is?
You who are with me, you who should
know me.
Who do you say I am?
And Simon Peter said, you are the Christ,
the Son of the living God.
And our Lord Jesus blessed on you, Simon
by Jonah, because this is not something shown
you by flesh and blood, but it is
my Father who is in heaven, who has
revealed it to you.
And I say unto you, you are Peter,
a little stone, a living stone.
I will build my church upon this massive
rock, myself, and the gates of Hades shall
not prevail against it.
That's the first mentioning from the mouth of
our Lord about the church.
Then the second mentioning is in Matthew chapter
18.
And they say, if your brother sin against
you, you go to him.
Try to restore him.
If he didn't listen to you, you get
another one or two brothers with you, and
try to convince him.
If he doesn't, then you tell the church,
and the church will have to deal with
him.
Now, of course, from these two mentionings, you
can see very clearly, in Matthew 16, it
gives us the spiritual principle of the church.
Because everything is spiritual there.
I will build my church.
It is my church.
Build on the rock, myself, that confession.
Build with living stones, like Peter.
And there will be spiritual conflict.
But Hades gates shall not prevail against it.
So you'll find everything is on a spiritual
realm.
That's the church universal.
And then in Matthew 18, you'll find it
is being condensed and applied practically on earth.
What happened where the churches are.
You will find there will be sin against
each other.
And there has to be forgiveness.
Has to be love.
Try to restore.
There has to be discipline.
And there has to be prayer together.
So, brothers and sisters, there you'll find it
is the practical application of the spiritual heavenly
principles.
Now, even though our Lord mentioned the church
only twice.
Now, why is it so?
Because there's no church.
He's not ready yet.
He has to die for the church.
And only after he died, then the church
becomes a reality.
Now, let us go to the beginning of
the history of the church on earth.
We say that it is Pentecost.
But actually, you'll find the birth of the
church.
We have to go back to the cross.
Because as we have already mentioned, that it
is on the cross that our Lord Jesus,
how he prevailed.
We notice how our Lord Jesus, knowing his
time, has now come.
So he set his face towards Jerusalem.
You know, his disciples were amazed, frightened, because
they knew that the Jews were going to
kill him.
But our Lord set his face towards Jerusalem.
And you remember that night, how he was
agonizing in the garden of Gethsemane.
He said, I was sorrowful even unto death.
He was oppressed in his spirit.
He told his three disciples, wait with me.
Watch with me.
And he went forward and he prayed, Father,
if it be possible, let this cup be
removed from me, but not my will.
Thy will be done.
Brothers and sisters, the scene in Gethsemane is
so sacred.
There you'll find our Lord Jesus, the Holy
One.
He who knows no sin.
He who pleases the Father, even from eternity.
And yet there you'll find he was going
to be the sin offering.
No wonder his holiness, his purity, his
righteousness, rebelled against all the awfulness, the wickedness,
the sinfulness of sin.
How could he be defiled?
He who knows no sin to be made
sin itself, as it were.
He could not bear it.
The temptation is tremendous.
He can ask the Father to remove that
cup, if he insists.
But he said, not my will, but thy
will be done.
And when he was praying, he agonized.
His sweat comes down like blood drop.
He was so weakened physically that an angel
has to appear to support him.
Brothers and sisters, we cannot understand how much
he loved us, how he gave himself so
much for us.
The travail of birth.
It is through his travail that the church
is born.
You remember on the cross, the first three
hours, he suffered from the hands of man
and of the enemy, Satan, and the evil
forces.
How he was surrounded by evil, seen and
unseen.
They attacked him, but the Father was with
him.
So he can pray, Father, forgive them, for
they know not what they do.
But then at 12 o'clock, suddenly the
sun was gone.
Darkness filled the place.
And for three hours, he was there alone.
Towards the end, he cried out, my God,
my God, why has thou forsaken me?
During those three hours, he tasted eternal death
for each one of us.
Separated from the Father, out of the travail
of his soul, he shall see a seed,
and he shall be satisfied.
Brothers and sisters, the church is not something
that man can make.
The church has to be born.
And it is born through the travail of
our Lord Jesus.
But sometimes, I think, when our Lord Jesus
was crying, my God, my God, why has
thou forsaken me?
Is he the only one who is in
travail?
No.
The Father is in travel too.
The Father had to hide his face.
He couldn't see his Son.
He had to give up his Son for
us.
What travail it must be to our Heavenly
Father.
On the day of Pentecost, when 120 were
there praying, suddenly a sound.
In the original, it says, like a wind.
But it is a hard breathing.
You know, when a woman is in travail
to give birth, she has to have hard
breathing.
It is the travail of the Holy Spirit,
the Triune God.
They travail together for the birth of the
church.
So how precious it must be to God.
You know, we today look at the church
as nothing.
We play the church.
But if you really see what the church
is, what a great price our God has
paid to bring it about.
And because of this, brothers and sisters, you'll
find, even in the early days, the 120,
they also travail with God for the birth
of the church.
They saw the Lord ascended, but the Lord
said, go to Jerusalem.
Wait.
So they went back to Jerusalem.
At one time, 500 saw our Lord Jesus.
But only 120 went back to Jerusalem.
And they spent 10 days praying, travailing, waiting.
And through the travail of these 120 early
believers, the church is born.
You know, wherever a church is born, it
has to come through travail.
Even in our time, there must be some
people who travail for the church, for the
testimony of Jesus.
And out of their travailing prayer, something is
born.
And that is the church.
The Apostle Paul, he knew what it means,
how he to travail, how he toil in
the power of the Holy Spirit.
And he is willing to fill up that
which is behind of the affliction of Christ
for the church, which is his body.
And because of this, you'll find the church
in Ephesus was born.
The church in other places are born.
And the same principle apply to us.
So dear brothers and sisters, first of all,
if God so loved the church, how about
you and me?
Do we love the church in the right
way?
Now, if our Lord Jesus himself is willing
to travail for the birth of the church,
then should we not also have fellowship with
his sufferings?
That we too are willing to travail, to
pay a price, to pray, so that the
church may become a reality, something that is
Christ, something that is his like, that can
be his helpmate.
So may the Lord help us.
Let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father, we do thank thee for
giving us thy beloved son.
He is everything to us.
Lord, we want to thank thee that you
are willing to give yourself, your own life
to the church, that it may be your
like, your helpmate.
Lord, pray that thou will open not only
our understanding, but that thou will touch our
heart.
That we may love what thou lovest, and
we may be willing to suffer for that
which thou dost suffer for.
And to thee be the glory.
We ask in thy precious name.
Amen.