It's nice to be in the presence of
God, isn't it?
I'm going to be sharing out of Ephesians
2.
We'll get to it for a couple of
minutes.
Every year, Mike comes up with these themes
for the conference.
This year, Prepared for the Master's Use.
It's actually a very fitting theme to look
at in today's world, isn't it?
And what I want to do is I
want to approach it differently.
I want to try to give kind of
a different take on it.
And that is of time.
There is a process of time.
You know, if Job's nightmare would have just
lasted one day, he probably would have been
okay.
But it seemingly went on for months, didn't
it?
I mean, that's kind of the way that
the book is written.
It feels like it takes months to read
the book of Job anyway.
But, you know, you can tell there's a
process.
He's sitting out on that mound and scraping
and, you know, just all that stuff.
And it takes time, doesn't it?
There's an element of time involved with not
just with trials but just the broader perspective,
really.
And so what I want to do is
take a bird's eye view, if I could
say it that way.
You know, you've got this trial or your
life or whatever.
I want to pull back and take more
of an eternal view of it actually even,
you know, just to get the wide-angle
lens look.
And any time you're talking about time, there
is a Greek term that you have to
consider.
And that Greek term is aeon, a-e
-o-n.
Aeon is one of the important terms that
biblical writers employed to describe this element of
time.
Now, you know, it has two basic usages.
First of all, just, you know, what we
expect it to mean, which is the way
it's usually translated as age.
You know, you've heard of the antediluvian age,
that period of time before the flood, and
the patriarchal age.
And, of course, we're living at the tail
end of the church age.
This age is 2,000 years.
So ages have something to do in the
whole biblical concept when you're looking at life
and so on.
And, of course, Jesus talked about this present
age.
He talked about the end of the age,
which we seemingly are in right now.
And he talked about the coming age.
So this whole concept of ages isn't confined
just to earth life.
It isn't confined just to mankind's history.
It goes beyond.
It extends past our day and age.
So, you know, when we're talking about the
term aeon, that's how it's usually used.
But there's another usage as well that I
want to just touch on real briefly, and
that is more of a spiritual implication.
The term aeon is also translated sometimes as
world.
There was this powerful book written about the
concept of cosmos.
Some of you may have read it or
run into it.
Man, only three people read the book in
this crowd.
That's not good, Jeff.
We need to ramp up the promotion there
a little.
But anyway, cosmos is talking about the spirit
of the world and the mindset of rebellious
mankind.
And, you know, we understand the worldliness.
We understand what that means, don't we?
But what is this word aeon connection with
age and cosmos?
You know, why world?
Why would it be translated as world in
some cases?
The reason is because there's a mindset.
You know, let's say that the history of
mankind is here.
This is the timeline of the history of
mankind, 6,000 years right here.
You know, and, well, 4,000 years into
it is the cross, so on.
Here's the history of mankind.
And wherever your timeline fits into that 6
,000 years, it just so happens that we're
all in this together right now at apparently
the end of the age, right?
Your timelines, our timelines are interacting with each
other, and we're right there, it seems as
though, right at the very end.
You know, so Jesus used the term, this
evil generation.
And what he's referring to is whatever your
spot is on that history of mankind, wherever
you got plopped and said, live it out
here, there is an evil generation, I guarantee
you, going on right then.
And that is behind that whole concept of
aeon, that it's the temporal mindset of the
day.
It's the live-for-now mentality that the
spirit of the world is constantly promoting.
Paul said about Jesus, he said that Jesus
gave himself for our sins, that he might
rescue us from this present evil age.
And in 2 Corinthians 4, the God of
this age, the God of this aeon has
blinded the minds of the unbelieving.
All those masses of people out there, their
minds have been blinded by this evil being
that Paul calls the God of this age,
this time period, the God of this temporal
realm.
Think about Demas, one of Paul's closest protégés,
right there with the apostle Paul.
Can you imagine?
But the final epitaph on this man's life,
this young man's life, was this is what
the Word of God, which is going to
endure for ages and ages off into the
future, this is the final word on this
young man's life.
Paul said that he loved his life in
this present age.
He deserted Paul because he loved what he
had in this period right now.
Okay, now I'm just sharing all that as
a backdrop for my message.
I'm just trying to establish kind of in
our minds this concept of time.
And what I want to talk about is,
it's never this neat, preachers always try to
force things, and I'm going to be one
of those preachers today, but I'm going to
break your life down into three stages.
Before Christ, okay, so that's a given.
That works pretty good.
But the next two are a little sloppy.
The next one is the transformation process, the
being prepared for the master's use.
That's the second point, that process of transformation.
And the third then is actually being used.
Well, the truth is, those two go concurrently
for the rest of your life.
You're always being processed.
You're always being transformed.
You're always being prepared for use later and
so on.
So that's why I'm saying it's a little
bit forced, but that's all right.
You'll forgive me.
All right, let's look here at Ephesians 2.
Now, I use the NAS, as some of
you know anyway.
I generally use it.
The NAS is, you know, one of those
literal type of translations, which is why I
use it.
So is the King James, New King James.
But in this case, I'm going to use
the Good News Bible because it says it
the way I want it to say it.
Now, actually, the truth is, I really looked
at it as to what the literal translation,
and it doesn't veer off.
You know, it just expresses, in this particular
passage, it expresses things more colorfully, and, you
know, just brings out the truth a little
bit better.
So I'm going to read, let's start with
these first three verses.
Now, here we're on the first point, life
before Christ.
All right, verse 1.
In the past, you were spiritually dead.
This was your life at one time, every
one of us.
And I'm hoping that everyone in here is
spiritually living now.
But there was a time when you were
spiritually dead because of your disobedience and sins.
At that time, here's the time frame, okay,
at that time, you followed the world's evil
way.
You obeyed the ruler of the spiritual powers
in space, the spirit who now controls the
people who disobey God.
Actually, all of us were like them and
lived according to our natural desires, doing whatever
suited the wishes of our own bodies and
minds.
All right, now, I'm going to go over
the second verse, just some phrases from some
other translations.
The Amplified says it this way.
You were following the course and fashion of
this world.
You were under the sway of the tendency
of this present age.
You were obedient to and under the control
of the demon spirit that still constantly works
in the careless, the rebellious, and the unbelieving
who go against the purposes of God.
The Phillips says it this way.
You drifted along on the stream of this
world's ideas of living and obeyed its unseen
ruler.
Wiest put it this way.
You were dominated by the spirit of the
age in this world's system.
The New English Bible said, When you obeyed
the commander of the spiritual powers of the
air, the spirit now at work among God's
rebel subjects.
And finally, the Net Bible, that last phrase,
The spirit that is now energizing the sons
of disobedience.
And that is the word.
The word energizing is the actual word.
You know, there was a time when we
were animated by the devil, by evil spirits.
See, animated has the sense of a compulsion
going through you.
How many of you men know what I'm
talking about?
Being driven by a spirit.
But the truth is all of us lived
our lives driven by a demon spirit.
And this phrase, according to the course of
this world, is how the NAS puts it.
And that word course is this word aeon.
So literally what it's saying is according to
the aeon of cosmos.
And if I could change it up a
little bit, I would say it this way.
According to the live for now temporal mindset
of the rebel spirit that is animating unredeemed
mankind.
Now take your typical heathen out there.
Let me put it this way.
You know, he's just doing life.
He's just trying to get by the best
as he can.
He's trying to have some pleasures, enjoy himself,
raise his family.
You know, I'm not talking about someone in
terrible sin or whatever.
Just your typical Joe Blow out there.
You know, your next door neighbor.
And he's a pretty decent guy, humanly speaking.
And he's just going through life.
Well, here's the picture that I get.
Is this guy is on the broad way,
isn't he?
And I have this picture in my mind.
All you guys from L.A., Greg and
some of you others, is the San Bernardino
Freeway.
It's like seven lanes wide.
And from San Bernardino all the way to
Los Angeles and to Santa Monica.
And, you know, it stops.
But just imagine for the sake of my
illustration here that it went right to the
Pacific Ocean.
But here is the mass of mankind trudging
along.
Just surrounded by people.
This mass of people going down seven lanes
of freeway.
And no one is thinking in terms of
getting outside of this.
Everything seems right because everybody's doing this.
Everyone's thinking this way.
It's a mindset.
It's a mentality.
And no one thinks to try to get
out of that because everyone's doing it.
This is the way you do life.
And they're just marching along and no one's
thinking about what's at the end of that
road.
And the way it is is people are
dropping off.
Now, instead of it being this nice little
smooth beach out there in Santa Monica where
I used to swim, imagine it just a
cliff falling into the abyss.
And that's the reality spiritually that all these
people are just going along and all of
a sudden just falling off into this terrible,
terrible abyss of darkness.
That's what's happening.
That's where you were at.
That's where I was at.
The problem we have a lot of times
is we see Joe Blow who lives next
door and everything always seems to go so
smoothly with him.
While you are facing trials.
You're facing tribulation.
You've got a devil trying to kill you
and destroy you.
You've got this flesh and you're trying to
fight against it.
And life is just this big struggle.
And the temptation is to envy that guy
because he's got what?
A carefree life.
You were going down this mass of mankind
and all of a sudden you were awakened.
What's going on here?
Wait a minute.
This isn't right.
You turn around and you start going against
the flow, against the course of this world.
And you start trying to fight your way
out of that.
And we can relate to what I'm saying.
But the temptation is to envy Joe Blow.
But I want to just fast forward to
the end of Joe's life.
He's had it kush.
He hasn't had to really face any real
hardships.
You know, because like I say, he hasn't
gotten off into any terrible sin.
And so life's been pretty good to Joe.
But fast forward to the end, his last
hours on earth.
Now where's the good times?
He can't drink and party.
He can't gamble.
He can't take a trip to Vegas now.
He is gasping for air.
He is at the end.
And all he has to look back upon
is 70 years of selfish living.
And all he has to look forward to
is the terror of what may be awaiting
him.
Jesus told the story about that rich guy
who had the attitude, you know, I've been
doing so good.
I'm going to build some extra barns and
just store my stuff.
Everything's going so great.
I'm just going to eat, drink, and be
merry.
And that was his mentality, you know.
And this is what God said to him.
You fool!
This very night, they are demanding your soul.
And some people think the they involved there
are demon spirits that have been awaiting this
moment.
They have been sitting there on the other
side of that final step when the last
gasp goes out of this man's lungs and
he steps across into the unknown realm of
the eternal.
And these devil spirits have been awaiting his
arrival.
And there's this terrifying verse in Job.
This comes out of the NAS.
He is torn from the security of his
tent and they march him before the king
of terrors.
That is what was awaiting you.
That is the life.
That is the flow that you were on.
You were living for this temporal world.
All the glitter, the glamour, the fun, the
sports, the cars, and just living for all
the stuff that you can see in this
seen realm.
But look at verse 4.
But God, right?
That's the way the NAS says it.
But God!
And this translation.
But God's mercy is so abundant and His
love for us is so great that while
we were spiritually dead in our disobedience, while
we were spiritually dead in our disobedience, He
brought us to life with Christ.
It is by God's grace that you have
been saved.
And the reality is you were there going
down the flow.
You were on the Broadway and all of
a sudden, the Holy Spirit started dealing with
your heart.
And He opened the eyes of your heart
so that you could see into this other
realm that you have been hearing about this
morning.
This unseen realm.
All of a sudden your eyes are opened
and you see for the first time in
your life this other realm.
Now it's interesting in Hebrews 11, it's kind
of the tail end of the definition on
faith.
The writer of Hebrews said, by faith, this
is NAS, by faith we understand that the
worlds, the aeons, it's not cosmos or something
else, planets or something, this is aeons.
By faith, what is faith?
Faith is when your eyes have been opened,
spiritually.
By faith we understand that the worlds, the
aeons, the ages were prepared by the Word
of God so that what is seen was
not made out of things which are visible.
And I've got to read the Phillips translation.
It's just so great.
It's just great the way he said it.
And it is after all only by faith
that our minds accept as fact the whole
scheme of time and space was created by
God's command.
That's just great.
So in other words, all of a sudden
your eyes were opened and you became aware
of eternity.
And what happened was when that happened, you
saw a different life.
You know, Jesus Christ was put before you
to emulate and you saw Him, His goodness,
His love, His mercy, His humility.
And then you looked at you, right?
And this distress overwhelmed you, the reality of
how far short you fall.
And you realize, you know, as much as
you want to live that way, that you're
a mess.
And something drastic needs to happen to change
your inside world.
All right, now I want to just read
Romans 12, 2 real quick because this just
says it.
And I'm going to read it out of
Phillips.
You know, these translations are a little different,
but they're right.
They're saying it right.
Don't let the world around you...
There's our term again.
Don't let this aeon, this age, this evil
generation that you are living within, don't let
the world around you squeeze you into its
own mold, but let God remold your minds
from within.
Now, why does it have to be remolded?
Because our minds are fallen.
Our minds fit perfectly in the broad way
going to destruction.
That's our natural thinking.
Fits right in with the course of this
world, doesn't it?
Someone say yes.
Act like you're listening.
So something has to happen to drastically change
it.
It has to be remolded, or as NAS
says, transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Transformed.
There's a process of transformation.
That is this whole thing that we're talking
about.
Being prepared for the Master's use.
There's a transformation that happens.
All right, let me get back to this.
But let God remold your minds from within.
Listen to this.
It's very wonderful the way he expressed it.
So that you may prove in practice that
the plan of God for you is good,
meets all His demands, and moves towards the
goal of true maturity.
That says it all right there.
That just says it all.
It sums up the whole process that we're
talking about.
It sums up the point of Job's life,
of his trials and that whole story.
It sums it up.
Now here's the deal.
Prepared for the Master's use, that means that
God wants to use you, right?
He does want to use you.
But to use you means...
Well, let me put it this way.
If you are going to be in the
position of being a spokesman for God and
His Kingdom, then you have to be able
to think His thoughts, don't you?
Your mind has to change.
A natural reasoning mind that goes right in
line with the broad way headed for destruction,
it has to be remolded.
There has to be a change.
If you're going to represent God's Kingdom, then
you have to have a complete change of
thinking.
You know, how are you going to speak
to people if you're just speaking earth language?
Folks, you have been destined for another world.
You have been destined to live in another
realm.
You have been destined for a whole different
kingdom.
You've been destined for another age.
If we're going to go to this place
called Heaven where God resides, where God dwells,
then probably what needs to happen is our
thinking needs to be changed so that we
are thinking in line with that kingdom instead
of where that one goes, right?
Here's the deal.
If you don't understand this process...
In fact, I'll even take it a step
further.
If you don't embrace it, what you are
going to do is you are going to
resist everything the Holy Spirit is trying to
bring into your life.
In fact, you are going to resent God's
working in your life.
You're going to resent it.
Well, anyway, that whole process, that transformation process
is taking us somewhere.
It's taking us into a new course.
Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord that we don't have to
live out our lives going this way and
talking the Christian talk and all that stuff.
We don't have to do that.
God has a new course.
And that is the point of all the
stuff that we go through that God brings
into our lives.
Listen, I am in the trial of my
life right now.
The trial from hell.
I shouldn't say that because it's not where
it's from.
Moving on.
Watch what I say.
Verse 10.
God has made us what we are.
And in our union with Christ Jesus, He
has created us for a life of good
deeds, which He has already prepared for us
to do.
We touched on Romans 12, 2 a minute
ago and talked about this wonderful plan that
God has for your life.
Jesus loves you and He has a plan
for your life.
It really is true.
It's not the way they think, but it
really is true.
He has got a plan for your life,
and it's a wonderful plan.
It is a plan where the noble live
out their lives.
It's a wonderful plan.
And this whole plan revolves around a life
of good deeds.
It revolves around a life of good deeds,
not necessarily prosperity.
Let me put it this way.
Paul used the term course.
And I want to tell you, folks, that
God has charted a course for your life.
And that course was charted way back before
the foundation of the world.
He charted a course for your life, a
specific course, not some general vague thing.
Oh, yeah, it's God's will, blah, blah, blah.
No, no, a very specific course for your
life.
Paul said to the Ephesians, he stopped off
in Ephesus, he was on his way to
Jerusalem, he was going to get arrested and
all that stuff.
This is what he said, I don't count
my life on earth, this temporal life, he
said, I don't count my life on earth
as dear to myself.
Why?
So that I might finish my course, my
course.
Paul had his own course, that I might
finish my course with joy.
Right when he was at the end of
his course, he told Timothy, the time of
my departure is at hand.
I have fought the good fight.
He could look back over his life and
he could see he had fought the good
fight.
I have finished my course.
I have kept the faith.
Man, I want to be able to say
that.
You know, Jesus said, it's those who endure
to the end who will be saved.
You have a destiny, a story, if I
could put it that way, has been written
already, transcribed in the book of life way
back before the foundation of the earth.
You have a story that was written and
that story has a definite course.
You know, when you think of course, you
think of like a ship's captain sets a
course and he's leaving Boston Harbor and he's
going to end up in London three days
later or whatever it is.
And there's a definite course that you take.
And that's what God has for each of
you.
The way it works out is your timeline.
Okay, here's the history of man.
6,000 years.
Apparently, we're right at the very end, the
end of the age of man.
I could put it that way, the end
of the age of man or the end
of the church age, however you want to
say it.
And there you are.
He chose you from way back when.
I want this one.
Bradley, since we've been picking on him today.
Bradley Furgus, this is your day.
You know, it's really a bad sign when
the preachers start telling you about trials and
stuff.
You know what's coming, right?
Bradley was chosen from before the foundation of
the earth to live his life right during
this specific time period.
This, Brad, listen, this is going to be
the hardest time ever in the history of
mankind to stand firm for the Gospel, to
live for Jesus Christ, to live an unflinching
life for God in a passion of holiness.
Brad, this is going to be the hardest
time, but I have chosen you because I
know you've got it in you.
You've got the fight in you.
You've got the love for me in you.
You can do this, Brad.
And this is where I want you to
live out your timeline.
Right now, at the end of the age,
He has chosen you, and He's got a
path set out, a very specific path.
After you get over to glory, okay?
You're already over in glory.
You get past all that.
And you look back on your time frame.
I'm going to tell you how your life
is going to be defined by good deeds.
That is going to be the defining of
your life.
Not who you knew, not what churches you
were at, or whatever.
None of that.
No, it's the little things usually.
Paul told Timothy, have a reputation for good
works.
Be rich in good works, he told him.
And he told Titus, be zealous for good
deeds.
Be ready for every good deed.
There's a mentality that goes with acts of
mercy.
You know, it's a ready mentality.
When you are in that kind of mindset
of not living for self with the masses
that are going down the broad way towards
destruction, that's not your life.
No, you have a different mindset.
You have a mindset that was changed over
here at the cross.
You have a different mindset.
And your mindset, your radar is constantly up
looking for needs to fill.
And you see that little old lady down
the street out there trying to mow her
yard, and you stop what you're doing on
a dime, and you go march right down
there immediately, and you mow her yard for
her.
Or you're at Walmart, and you're walking down
the parking lot, you're in a hurry, you've
got to go get your stuff, and you
see some old lady struggling to get some
Clorox into her car, and you rush over
there, and you say, let me help you,
ma'am.
And you just do that little kind thing.
In ten minutes you forgot all about it.
But see, it's the mindset, it's the heart
behind it that's the important thing.
And you forget it, but I want you
to know who doesn't forget it.
The God, the same God, who cannot remember
the sins that you have repented of.
Could you imagine the power it takes to
not remember something?
Now, for me, it's real easy.
It's called midlife crisis.
You forget everything.
In fact, I may forget what I'm doing
here in a minute.
No, but when you've been wronged, especially, can
you imagine the power it takes?
I can't remember.
I know something happened, but man, I just,
what was it?
Something happened, I can't remember.
That's God's memory, you know, about the things
you've repented of, but every tiny little act
of kindness, a kind word, a smile to
someone.
You don't feel like smiling.
You had a miserable, lousy day, but they
come to you and you just, you smile
to them.
Why are you doing that?
Because you want to be a blessing to
them.
And so you just do it and you
forgot it.
Ten minutes, it's gone.
You have forgotten it, but it has been
recorded in heaven.
And one day, you're going to stand in
the great Assisi.
How do you say that, Dave?
Is that right?
Assisi?
Never mind.
Judgment.
That was one of those John Wesley terms.
I don't know.
Never mind.
You had your chance.
One day, all you are going to have
to present to Jesus, Peggy, God bless you,
dear.
I just love you too.
Rich in good works.
Rich.
Your ship is heavy laden and it's heading
for the finish line.
Rich.
Adam, Shelly, out there by yourselves struggling along
in Atlanta.
Rich.
And none of it is missed by God.
Every time you press in and every time
you try to do the right thing, it
is duly recorded on the annals of heaven.
In 1 Corinthians 15, that wonderful chapter that
talks about the hereafter.
I think it's the last verse.
It's right at the end.
This is what Paul said, Therefore, my beloved
brethren, after 57 verses, I think.
This is verse 58.
This whole thing talking about putting off the
perishable for the imperishable.
And that whole thing.
Death has lost its sting.
Praise the Lord.
This is how he sums it up.
Therefore, my beloved brethren.
Bradley.
My beloved, beloved Bradley.
Get up here, man.
My beloved Bradley.
That will carry you through the trials that
are headed your way.
Therefore, my beloved brethren.
Gary and Peg and just all of you.
My beloved brethren.
Therefore, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the
work of the Lord, knowing there's one thing
that you can count on.
Knowing that your toil is not in vain
in the Lord.
Hallelujah!
The message says it this way.
Throw yourselves into the work of the Master
confident that nothing you do for Him is
a waste of time or effort.
Knox translation.
Doing your full share continually in the task
the Lord has given you since you know
that your labor in the Lord's service cannot,
cannot be spent in vain.
In the Philips, you can be sure that
nothing you do for Him is ever lost
or ever wasted.
Praise the Lord.
Dear ones, you have been created for another
day.
This is probation.
And it's hard down here, you know?
It can be hard down here at times.
But you have been created for another day.
I'm going to sum up by reading verse
7.
So that in the ages to come He
might show the surpassing riches of His grace
in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
We are at the tail end of one
age.
2,000 years.
The church age.
Think of it.
The early church and all that it went
through.
And then the persecution.
And then the dark ages.
Hundreds of years where the word of the
Lord you couldn't even find it.
And then the Reformation.
Martin Luther and all the great Reformers.
And then the missionary age.
And then we're up to the 20th century.
All that's just one age.
Okay, that's just one age.
Listen to how we set it.
In the ages that will pile themselves one
upon another in continuous succession.
What does that mean?
Hi, Rob.
Hi, Lucy.
I'm going to get you, Rob.
Big hug for you, buddy.
As soon as I get over there, you
had it.
Another one of my kids.
Where was I?
It's like Kathy and I go out and
get in the car and start to go.
Where are we going?
What are we doing?
So then in the ages to come, the
ages that will pile themselves one upon another
in continuous succession, He might show the surpassing
riches of His grace and kindness toward us
in Christ Jesus.
How can we complain?
We're in this little tiny speck.
This little tiny speck of time.
And sometimes we may have to face a
few trials.
I want to pray.
I'm going to close it right now.
Lord, teach us to see ourselves as pilgrims
passing through a foreign land.
Teach us to number our days so that
we might present to You a heart of
wisdom.
Teach us to redeem our time and to
use every opportunity to help others.
Lord, teach us to see the incalculable value
You place in people.
Teach us to think like You think, to
love what You love, to hate what You
hate.
Help us to break out of the suffocating
oppression of the spirit of this age.
Help us to have eyes for the eternal
realm in which You dwell.
Help us to see ourselves as citizens of
the heavenly Jerusalem, the city which has foundations,
whose architect and builder is God, the holy
dwelling place of the living God.
Give us eyes to see that realm, Lord.
To keep pressing on, to keep fighting, to
keep up the battle, to keep striving, to
live a life of holiness, a life pleasing
unto You, so that one day we might
present to You, oh God, a life rich
in good deeds.
A life that makes You glow with the
parental pride.
A life that glorifies You for endless ages,
the ages to come, that we would be
Your trophies of grace, that You can show
forth to the rulers of that incredible eternal
realm, the archangels, just all of them, that
we would be trophies of Your grace.
That we would have something to show for
our lives, that You could point at our
lives, our pathetic little lives, the little things
that we do, the little efforts that we
put forth to do the right thing.
Lord, give us eyes to see.
Give us eyes to see, so that when
those trials do come across our path, that
we wouldn't grumble and complain, but that it
would be firmly fixed in our hearts.
God is good and His mercies are forever.
Though You slay me, yet will I serve
You, oh God.
Give us a heart for Your realm, Lord,
in Jesus' name.