I will read again the passages which are
basic to our present meditation.
In the eleventh chapter, the letter to the
Romans, and verse thirty-three, all the depth
of the riches, both of the wisdom and
the knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his
judgments and his ways past finding out.
Letter to the Ephesians, chapter three, verse eight.
Unto me, who am less than the least
of all saints, was this grace given to
preach the unsearchable riches of Christ?
And seeing that we have not yet said
all that we have to say for this
present time about the first context of riches,
that is, the riches of grace, we will
just look at one or two passages in
that connection.
In the Ephesian letter, chapter one, and verse
seventeen, that the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto
you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in
the knowledge of him.
Now that is following what we have in
verse seven of that chapter, in whom we
have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness
of our trespasses according to the riches of
his grace.
The apostle's prayer at the end of that
chapter for a spirit of wisdom and revelation
has to do with the apprehension of the
riches of his grace, according to the riches
of his grace.
Chapter two, and verse seven, that in the
ages to come he might show the exceeding
riches of his grace in kindness toward us
in Christ Jesus.
The exceeding riches of his grace.
We have already considered some things related
to this grace, which are the riches thereof.
We have seen the nature of grace.
We have seen God's work of grace.
And we have set grace over against our
own works for merit.
And we have seen that the great initial
of divine grace is in the free action
of the Holy Spirit to bring us into
that grace.
Before we go on to look still more
deeply into this fathomless, unsearchable ocean of divine
grace, let us remind ourselves that just as
grace is the beginning of everything for us
and with us, so grace is the continual
basis of everything to the end.
What is true of the beginning is true
throughout the whole life of the child of
God.
It sounds like a contradiction, but it is
not.
To say that the law of grace governs
the whole life of the people of God.
What grace begins, grace carries on, and grace
crowns.
We will never be off the basis of
grace.
And we shall discover as we go on
increasingly how we are bound, just bound to
grace for everything that comes to us from
God.
For everything that we know of God.
For everything that we can be or can
do, it will always be grace.
Nothing else.
We will never move from that grace, from
that ground, on to any other.
That sounds simple, but this is something which
confronts us every day of our life.
And all the way along, we shall be
simply compelled by the Holy Spirit to recognize
this and to accept it, to take this
position.
Now, this is all a matter of the
grace of God.
We will never get by this.
We will never get any farther.
Only by His grace.
So that we are steadily moving, but really
moving in a very practical way toward that
passage which we have just read, that in
the ages to come He may show the
exceeding riches of His grace toward us.
In the ages to come, the riches of
grace will be exceeding and displayed in us.
And I think we are beginning to realize
that that is a fact.
I think more and more we are becoming
aware that it's got to be more grace
and still more grace.
And if we have any difficulty about that,
I feel that that's rather difficult.
And it's going to be more and more
difficult.
It's going to require more and more grace.
Let's put this climactic statement over the whole
life in the ages to come to show
the exceeding riches of His grace toward us.
You can't get to that point where it's
so great, so complete, perfect, full and final.
You cannot leap there in one day or
in one experience.
The whole of the life of the people
of God is a pilgrimage of grace.
I expect you know, and it's worth our
pausing here to note it or remind ourselves
of it.
I expect you know that Peter's letters are
founded upon this one word, grace.
It's a great pity that the translators have
not given us the correct translation in every
case in Peter's letter.
But Peter, as you also know, represents the
church as in its pilgrimage.
Paul represents the church as in the heavenlies,
having arrived, very largely.
He is viewing it from above.
But Peter is viewing it here, and he
says, I beseech you as pilgrims and strangers.
Pilgrims.
That's Peter's standpoint.
The pilgrimage of the church.
And the great word of the pilgrimage with
Peter is the word grace.
Grace.
He has so much to say about grace.
When I referred to the unfortunate translation, you
will probably remember.
He said, if you take persecution, opposition, ill
-treatment, joyfully.
This is, and the translators have put the
word acceptable with God, but the real word
there is grace.
The word in the original is, this is
grace.
The pilgrimage contains persecution, opposition, misrepresentation, and what
not.
And if any man knew about that, Peter
did.
And if any man knew the meaning of
grace, it was that man who had denied
his Lord in such a way as to
feel he had sinned beyond the possibility of
forgiveness.
If ever you had done a thing like
that thrice, in a vehement, angry way, declared
that you didn't know Jesus Christ after having
been with him for three years, in the
closest contact, despair yourself so strongly, wrathfully
refused the suggestion that you had any association
with him at all.
If you'd done that, or I had done
that, I think that would be good ground
for believing in the unpardonable sin.
Don't you?
No wonder he went out and wept bitterly.
No wonder the Lord had to make a
special mention of him in recalling the scattered
disciples after his cross.
Go to my brethren, say unto them, and
to Peter, and to Peter, mentioning him by
name.
Well, that's old ground so familiar that we
can understand why Peter's great word was grace,
can't we?
Grace, yes.
Well, grace for the pilgrimage, and what Peter
is saying so much about in his letter
is the sufferings, the sufferings of this present
time, and it's grace all the way along.
Old Johnny calls for grace.
But, and this belongs to a further consideration,
it's grace unto glory.
Grace unto glory.
Well, I think it was worth reminding ourselves
of that.
What grace begins, and we all know that
it's through grace that we begin.
Grace of God that brings us into salvation.
But grace is going to perfect the works.
Going to carry it right through and crown
it at last.
Topstone will be brought forth with shoutings of
grace.
Grace unto it.
Now, when we talk about riches of grace,
we are in the realm of the unsearchable.
The inexhaustible.
And we shall never be able to fathom
these depths.
But, I think we can for a little
while go a little deeper this evening.
And I want you to come to this
first chapter, the letter to the Ephesians.
I'm not going to make anything of this.
It may be a coincidence, or there may
be really nothing in it.
But, you know that the number, in Bible
numbers, the number of grace is five.
Five.
And here in this chapter we have five
of the exceeding riches of his grace.
And when I say exceeding, I'm quite sure
that as we look at them, you will
say, that is beyond me.
I cannot comprehend that.
That's too big.
Nevertheless, you know, we're allowed to look at
big mountains even if we can't compass them.
And it sometimes does us good to look
at them.
But, thank God, these are not just objective
things that are presented to us here.
We are in them.
And so we just look at these five
great, I think the greatest, riches of his
grace.
Chapter four then.
Chapter one then.
Sorry.
Verse four.
Even as he chose us in him before
the foundation of the world, we should be
holy without blemish before him in love.
He chose us in him.
Before the foundation of the world.
Do you understand that?
Can you comprehend that?
This is election.
Very troublesome word in theology and doctrine.
But we are not at this moment interested
in theology.
Nor in Christian doctrine as such.
What we are concerned with is spiritual value.
Because we're talking about riches.
Riches.
I have studied a good deal of theology
in my time, but I can't say that
I've got much wealth out of it.
Many riches.
It's as dry as dust.
And studying the subject of election as a
doctrine.
Oh how arid it is.
How lifeless.
And yet here it is in the word.
It is definitely stated that he chose us
in Christ.
Before the foundation of the world.
There was an election which took place in
those eternal councils of God.
Which included us.
If we are today in Christ Jesus.
We are in Christ Jesus because we were
chosen in Christ Jesus.
Before the foundation of the world.
You see to begin with you're dealing with
a timeless God.
What was so far as time was concerned.
Four thousand years ahead was present with God.
Before time began.
Because he is timeless.
Everything which for us is future time is
always present time.
And so for him in effect Christ was
then.
We were then.
In effect we were then.
And God acted on eternal ground.
That may not be very helpful or interesting.
But let us look at this matter of
election.
I'm going to change the world.
I don't like that word election.
Although it in certain forms is in the
New Testament.
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the
Father.
That is Peter.
And the elect is there mentioned.
As a body.
But I say again I'm not fond of
this word election.
Because of it's associations.
So I'm going to change it.
And speak about selection.
It's the same thing in meaning and in
working.
Selection.
Now then.
When we get that word we are helped.
The nation of Israel was selected.
Out of all the nations.
Selected.
Chosen if you like.
Elected if you like.
But God looked on all the nations of
the earth.
And selected Israel among the nations.
Did that mean.
That God rejected all the other nations.
Because he selected this nation.
Did it mean that.
He.
Selected them to be saved.
And all the other nations to be lost.
Because they were not selected.
Well let us come into this room.
Here we are a little company of people.
Allow me.
Not to take the place of God.
But.
Just to take this place.
By way of argument.
Of wanting something done.
I want something done.
And I look over this company.
And of course this is not true.
I know everyone.
Fairly thoroughly.
But I look over.
And I say.
Brother.
I want you to come.
Alongside of me.
For this thing that I want done.
I select.
From this company.
For the thing that I want to do.
Now don't jump to conclusions.
Either you or the others.
Do not jump to the conclusion.
That you are more important than all the
others.
And that you are better than all the
others.
You are more worthy of this.
That is not true.
And you others.
Do not jump to the conclusion.
That because I don't select you.
Anyone or all.
That you.
Are.
Rejected by me.
And have no place.
In this plan of mine.
Don't conclude that.
That you are less worthwhile than this one.
Less worthy.
Because you are not selected for this thing.
Come to no such conclusion.
The Lord selected the nation of Israel.
And said.
I have chosen you.
Not because you are better than the other
nations.
Not because you are better.
Not because you are more worthy.
But I have acted sovereignly.
And chosen you.
Or selected you from among the nations.
Because I have a purpose.
That I want fulfilled.
Now my purpose is just this.
To use you to the good of all
the other nations.
All these other nations are going to come
into blessing.
Through my use of you.
My selection of you.
Let's go to the Bible.
What was the covenant with Abraham.
The first of this nation.
In thy seed shall all nations of the
earth be blessed.
That doesn't sound as though all the nations
were rejected.
And consigned to be lost.
Does it?
Because they were not the selected nations.
In thy seed.
Great illustration.
In history.
Joseph.
The beloved announced his brethren.
The beloved of the father.
Joseph.
Sold into Egypt.
Through Joseph.
Egypt was saved from death.
From famine and death.
Not only his brethren.
The children of Ishmael.
His father.
But through Joseph.
The blessing of life.
Salvation.
Came to the land of Egypt.
To the nation of Egypt.
A chosen one.
A selected one.
Of a nation.
To bring blessing.
To the nation of Israel.
Election.
Chosen.
Selected.
General word we like to use.
Just means the purpose.
To serve God in a purpose.
Not that you should be saved and the
others appointed to be loved.
See the twist that has been given to
this world.
How false it is.
And we know.
Right through their history.
That whenever Israel.
For God.
Must fight on.
And.
Fail.
To fulfill.
Their.
Vocation to the nations.
They were put under.
They were in the nations.
For the.
Shut up to themselves.
Despised the nation.
And called the Gentiles dogs.
And had no dealings with them.
And said we are the people and we
are the only people.
God so heartily disapproved.
That he withdrew their vocation.
And sent them into captivity.
And mark you dear friend.
The two thousand years.
Of Israel's history since.
Their rejection of the son of God.
Is because.
They failed to recognize their own calling.
That through.
Jesus Christ.
They could be made a blessing to all
the world.
They put a hedge around themselves.
Said we are the beginning and the end
of everything.
God is only interested in us.
The other nations are doomed.
Just the reverse of their very calling.
And I see.
And that seed says Polish Christ.
Shall all nations of the earth be blessed.
And when instead of being a blessing.
They became really a curse amongst the nations.
God said that's enough.
You have canceled out your own vocation.
Your own calling.
Your own election.
Canceled it out.
And Israel.
For these two thousand years.
Has been in the outer darkness.
With much weeping.
Wailing.
And gnashing of teeth.
That's how it is.
Isn't it?
Why?
Because in the son of God.
Their vocation for the whole world.
Was secure.
And they rejected.
Their own vocation.
When they rejected him.
That's history.
And that is the meaning of election.
Selected.
Not to be saved.
As over against all others to be lost.
But.
For a purpose.
The blessing of all others.
The salvation of all the others.
Who will be saved.
Now you see we come to Ephesians.
One fourth.
The church.
Chosen.
In him before the foundation.
Part four.
To be a blessing.
The vessel and instrument of God.
To be a blessing to the whole world.
Paul.
In his letter to the Galatians.
Speaks of the church.
As the Jerusalem which is above.
The Jerusalem which is above.
Which is our mother.
John.
In his vision.
Sees.
The holy city.
New Jerusalem.
Coming down.
From above.
Out of heaven.
From.
Paul has seen it there.
The new Jerusalem.
Our mother.
John sees.
The coming down of the new Jerusalem.
From above.
Our mother.
And.
He goes on.
To say.
The nation shall walk in the light thereof.
So there are nations.
Extra to this.
Selected nation.
And this selected nation.
Peter again.
Ye are a chosen nation.
This selected nation.
The church.
Has been selected.
To be a light to the nations.
In the ages to come.
The nation shall walk in the light thereof.
This is the.
As I see it.
The true doctrine.
Of election.
Now.
You and I.
In Christ.
As a part of that nation.
Of that Jerusalem which is above.
That holy city.
You and I.
Have been called.
And chosen in Christ.
To form.
This.
Body which is.
Symbolized as the city.
To diffuse.
The light of grace.
In the ages to come.
To the redeemed nation.
That they shall see.
The full manifestation.
Of.
The grace of God.
The exceeding riches of his grace.
To us what.
Now dear friends.
When I'm saying these things.
I'm all the time.
Catching my own breath.
I know quite well.
That I'm involving myself.
In something.
Which will be a very real test.
Ground of very deep testing.
And I say this.
That because of the greatness of the vocation.
Which is to display.
The exceeding riches of his grace.
Not only to angels.
But.
To nations.
Redeemed nations.
In the ages to come.
Because of that.
You and I.
Will have to learn.
The meaning of grace.
Very deeply.
If it's to be displayed in its fullness.
My.
How you and I are going to be.
Made to know.
The necessity of the grace.
The greatness of grace.
It's all grace.
May that not explain.
The fiery trial.
Which Peter speaks.
In connection with grace.
Think it not strange.
Concerning the fiery trial.
You are in heaviness.
For a season.
Through many foes.
Why?
He just says there.
Grace.
To know it.
And to show it.
Chosen.
Why?
He just says there.
Grace.
To know it.
And to show it.
Chosen.
What grace?
How deep is this grace?
If.
This is true.
Not imagination.
Under a beautiful idea.
That if.
We could see with John.
The nations.
Redeemed nations of the earth.
Walking in the light of what God has
done in us.
Deriving.
Their blessing.
Through this vessel.
If we could just see that.
Then we should bow and say.
Unsearchable.
Riches.
Oh the depth of it.
How great is grace.
That in the ages to come.
The ages to come.
He might show forth.
The exceeding riches of his grace.
In his kindness.
To us.
Well I've taken a lot of time on.
Only one of the five.
Of these riches of grace.
But it wants.
A great deal more doesn't it.
To explore.
That one realm.
Perhaps I might.
Take another this evening.
If we don't get farther it doesn't matter.
For the time being.
We go into the next verse.
Of Ephesians.
One.
Verse five.
Having foreordained us.
Unto adoption.
As sons.
Through Jesus Christ.
Unto himself.
According to the good pleasure of his will.
Foreordained us unto adoption.
As sons.
Unto himself.
Through Jesus Christ.
At all wants breaking up.
I will just be content.
With this.
Phrase.
This part of the whole.
Unto adoption.
As sons.
Selection.
Adoption.
What does that mean.
Paul has.
More to say about that in.
His letter to the Romans.
Chapter eight.
Where he is.
Defining.
Sonship.
He is saying.
These are the sons of God.
That are led by the spirit of God.
Any man have not the spirit.
He therefore is.
Not his.
None of his.
And he is explaining.
That it is by the spirit.
That we become sons of God.
Now here.
He goes right back.
Says foreordained.
Unto adoption.
And one meaning of adoption.
Is certainly this.
That.
An adopted one.
Does not stand on the natural ground of
sonship.
But is brought in from the outside.
This letter to the Ephesians as you know
was written.
Almost entirely if not entirely to Gentiles.
Brought in.
From the outside.
Called outsiders by the Jews.
But this goes far back before Israel.
Was a people.
Existed.
Foreordained.
To be brought in from the outside.
And made sons.
You are not sons by nature.
You are not sons or children of God.
On natural grounds at all.
It disposes of the whole theory.
That everybody by natural birth is a son
of God.
A child of God.
Not true.
Now.
Not true.
The sons of God are brought in on
other than natural grounds.
They are not the born ones.
They are the adopted ones.
The church is an adopted body.
We are not of the church by nature.
We are not.
You know this has been a controversy.
Both in the natural realm and in the
religious realm.
For hundreds of years.
In the natural scientific realm.
A controversy has raged for 300 years.
Or did rage for 300 years.
On the question of life.
Life.
The origin of life.
Now one side of the argument represented by
highly qualified intellectual scientists.
Argued.
Argued and tried to prove that life is
spontaneous.
It is there naturally.
And it just comes about of itself.
Comes about of itself.
And they wrote wonderfully highbrow books about this.
And argued and had their conferences.
Life is just there and it comes about
of itself.
The other side took this position.
No.
Not at all.
Life can only come from life.
It does not come from nothing.
It can only come from life.
And if life springs up.
Life comes into being.
You will track it down to some living
organism.
You see the whole science of microorganisms.
The very air.
The very dust of the air.
Is impregnated with some organism.
Minute.
Too minute for the natural eye to see.
But put under certain tests in the test
tube.
You will see.
You will discover there is a living organism
there.
But always life is coming out of life.
It does not come out of nothing.
It comes out of life.
Well in the end of course.
Second side won.
The great Lister proved it.
Wrote over the whole of the argument.
The theory of spontaneous.
Life is dead.
It's killed.
And he carried out all the experiments to
prove.
That if you bring sufficient heat.
Or cold.
To the nth degree.
To bear upon a substance.
So intense.
Far beyond normal heat.
You will never be able to prove use
life.
From that material.
Where it burns.
Now this same thing.
What I'm getting at.
This same kind of argument and contention.
Has gone on for hundreds of years.
In the religious world.
It's a very large school.
Of people.
Theologians.
Who say we are sons of God by
natural birth.
Humanism is built upon that.
Human good.
Natural good.
And you've only got to develop the natural
good in people.
And it may take a few millions of
years.
But in the end they'll become God.
The deification of humanity.
Is in the very nature of man.
How under the experiments of two world wars.
That theory can stand.
I don't know.
When we discovered what really is in man.
And what he can do.
When man has been developed to the highest
level.
Of education and civilization.
Then we know what man can do to
man.
And is doing today.
How you can speak about.
The natural sonship of God.
Inherent in man.
Without any special intervention.
Or operation.
Well.
There's the other side.
That comes to the Bible.
The word of God.
And says.
Only from him who has life.
Can life be derived.
Life.
Eternal life can never be.
Unless it comes from a living source.
There must be life.
Eternal life.
Somewhere before you can have it.
It must come from there.
It does not come.
Out of.
What is dead.
Simple inquiry of the angel.
Of the resurrection morning.
Has a profound meaning.
Why seek he the living.
Among the dead.
That's incongruous.
Contradictory.
Belongs to two worlds.
There is nothing of life.
Where there is death.
To what?
Are you seeking life amongst the dead?
You can only seek life.
Where life is.
In the living source.
The eternal life.
In him.
Was the life.
Now you see this.
Sonship.
Oh no.
We are not sons of children of God
by natural birth.
By adoption.
Being brought in from the outside.
And given life.
We haven't got it.
Of course you people don't need such an
argument do you?
But perhaps it's helpful.
For us to recognize.
That we are brought.
Out of nothingness.
So far as.
A relationship with God is concerned.
And given that.
Which makes us children of God.
Which we do not have.
Which we cannot have.
Only by adoption.
I know there are other fuller meanings of
adoption.
But this is its basic meaning.
Brought in.
From outside.
And made members of a family to which
we do not belong by nature.
Only by new birth.
Are we adopted and brought in.
What a wonderful thing.
This is the grace of God.
Ye who were once afar off.
Are now made nigh.
Who were not children.
Now made children.
Not sons.
Now made sons.
And what a terrible plight and state.
Is represented by that word not.
Not.
And were afar off.
God only knows the great chasm.
That was between.
Us and him and his family.
By nature.
And there is a terrible chasm.
Which has got to be bridged.
We've got to be brought over that chasm.
And that is the grace of God that
does that.
And the bridge.
In Christ Jesus.
Our adoption is in Christ.
As our election is in Christ.
He's the bridge.
Comes over.
And brings us across.
And brings us in.
How unsearchable.
Are his judgments.
Oh the depth of the riches.
The riches of his grace.
We are truly in deep waters.
We can only wonder.
And worship.
If this is true.
If this is what.
The word of God teaches.
I believe it does teach this.
If so.
How deep.
Are the wonders and the mysteries.
And the riches.
Of grace.
In his kindness.
Kindness to us.
He who were once a borrower.
By his kindness are made now.
In other words by his grace.
I think we must leave it there for
this evening.
Not overload.
Leave these other three things.
For any other time that the Lord may
choose.
We pray.