The Mystery Revealed

Well, the title of our sermon today, The Mystery Revealed. The Mystery Revealed. I invite you to open your Bibles with me to Ephesians chapter 3, if you will. Let's open together once again and begin to build our foundation of our study this morning. Ephesians chapter 3. We're going to take a look at verses 1 through 12 to begin. Now, in my New King James Bible here, in my version, it has chapter 1 broken up into three parts, and it may be broken up in your Bible as well. And you'll see different titles here. Now, the titles, of course, weren't part of the original scriptural text, but it can give us an idea of maybe what the chapter or the passage is speaking about. In my Bible, it says there, verses 1 through 7, the mystery revealed. And in verses 8 through 13, the purpose of the mystery. Then it goes on to speak about verses 14 through 21. The title says, the appreciation of the mystery. So, what do you think this passage is about? We're dealing with the mystery here as Paul describes it in his letter to the Ephesians here. So, let's begin reading together verses 1 through 12 here in chapter 3. Okay, the mystery.

Paul writes, For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles, if indeed you have heard the dispensation of the grace of God, which was given to me for you, how that by revelation he made known to me the mystery. As I have briefly written already, by which when you read you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it's now been revealed by the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets. And the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ through the gospel, of which I became a minister, Paul writes, according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of his power. Verse 8, To me, Paul says, who am less than the least of the saints this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ, to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in him. Well, let's stop there.

Quite a passage. What do we know? What do we have here? Well, we're told by Paul here in verse 7 and 8, first here in verse 7 and 8, he explains who he is. Who is Paul? Well, he says he's a minister of the riches of Christ, and he says these are unsearchable riches. In other words, these are riches that man of and by themselves could not find. They're unsearchable, he says. So, this is not some kind of mystery or mystery novel, if you will, to where if we were given just enough sufficient clues, you know, we could figure it out on our own. No, Paul says these are unsearchable, and these are things that only become ours as a result of God's revelation to us. All right, he makes that first known. What else are we told here? We're told that he's a minister of God by God's grace. He was made effective as a result of God's power. So, that's all there in these two powerful verses here, verse 7 and 8. I became a minister according to the gift of grace by God, given to me by the effective working of his power. He says to me, verse 8, and less than the least of the saints, this grace was given that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. So, there we have it. And Paul is saying it's a remarkable thing, you know, that by God's grace and by the effectual working of his power, that God would give me, Paul, the privilege and the ability, he's saying, of making known to the Gentiles that they hear of these unsearchable riches there. So, that, if you like, is the first of his responsibility. And then the second of his responsibility comes in verse 9. You'll notice, verse 9, he's also been given this responsibility to reveal a mystery. And it's a mystery that's been hidden through the ages. Verse 9 again. And to make all see, this is his responsibility God gave him. To make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ. So, his responsibility also here is to shed light to everyone what is the mystery hidden by God through the ages. And this is going to be our focus today, revealing all things and concerning this mystery that's been hidden. So, we're going to ask two simple questions. We're going to spend most of our time on the first question, most of all of our time on the second question, on the first question. And we'll hit the second question briefly. But the first of the questions is simply to ask and to answer what is the mystery? What is the mystery? And then we'll conclude with asking and answering, how does this affect my life? Once we've revealed it, how does this affect my life? So, again, the first question, obvious question, what is this mysterious plan that Paul has been given the responsibility in revealing? Well, Paul actually begins this letter here to the Ephesians by making the revelation of this mystery absolutely central to the purpose as to why he writes this letter. So, go back with me, if you will, just a couple of chapters to chapter one. Chapter one, he's going to explain and unravel the mystery very clearly to the readers here, very clearly stated. Look at chapter one. We're going to skip the introductions there and go to verses three through six. So, chapter one, verse three through six, in answering the question, what is the mystery? Here it is, the mystery revealed. Ephesians one, verse three through six.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. Having predestined us to the adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he has made us accepted in the beloved. So, what is the mystery? Well, at the core of the mystery is verse four and five. The core of the mystery is the fact that God's plan for humanity is a plan that involves him choosing individuals before the foundation of the world. In other words, the very essence of this mystery is that the plan involved God choosing individuals to have access to becoming sons and daughters of his, and he chose these individuals before they were even formed, before they were even created. Okay, that's the mystery. He reiterates it there in verse five, you'll see. He refers to the predestining of these individuals for this purpose. Verse five, having predestined us to adoption by sons as sons by Jesus Christ to himself. It's okay. It is a plan that involves the choosing and predestining of individuals for this purpose. That's the essence of the mystery.

Now, in saying that, it's important for us to be very clear what it means for someone to come to have access to becoming a son or daughter of God. So the question, how does someone come into this opportunity to be a son of God or a daughter of God? What awakens a person to this opportunity? Again, it's the question, how is it that we have this opportunity of entering into God's family as a son or daughter? How does this happen?

Well, the first thing to note in beginning to unravel this mystery is that it begins with God. It begins with God. It all begins with God. Very important to acknowledge and to understand. You'll notice again in verse 3, verse 3, Bless be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. So again, what's so striking about this mystery as it unravels is that it begins with God. Why is that striking? Why is that striking?

Well, so much of religion does not actually begin with God at all. In fact, it pays very little reference to God in this respect. What do you see when you open your computer or you flip through some pages of Christian literature? What are the titles you see? What are the titles? What are some examples of the titles you see?

Often, you will see titles that will say something to the effect of the search for God. The search for God. The search for God. Some title like that. And we're supposed to believe that everyone in the universe, every man or woman, is actually looking for God. Unfortunately, some find Him. Unfortunately, some do not. But they're all just desperately searching for God all over the place. And that's the story of religion. Man is trying to find God. But when you read the Bible, you find that the absolute reverse is true. The Bible says it begins with God calling out to man. You'll find that in the Bible. It begins with God taking the initiative with a man or a woman. And it's God who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Look at these verses. Look at these verses. Look at verse 3. We're going to go through some of these. Look at these words here. Very important. Look at verse 3. He has blessed us.

Then go down to verse 4. He chose us. Verse 5. He predestined us. Verse 7. We have redemption through Him. Forgiveness according to the riches of His grace. Verse 8. He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence.

So unraveling the mystery, it begins with God. All these things are in His plan. He has initiated this plan for men and women to join His family as sons and daughters. Again, verse 5. Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself. According to the good pleasure of His will. There in verse 5. So it's all wrapped up in the good pleasure of His will. So there it is. It's unmistakable. And again, in beginning to unravel this mystery, recognize it is God who initiates this opportunity to become a son or daughter. So if God is the initiator, who is the source of this blessing? You'll notice also who's the catalyst to making this blessing available to us. Who enables this blessing? Well, verse 3 it says, verse 3, God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. So how does this blessing become ours? There it's reiterated in verse 4 very clearly. Verse 4, God the Father chose us in Him, that's Christ, before the foundation of the world. So staggering thought. So God predestined in us in Christ. This is not some kind of afterthought. And actually it's God's resolve that goes back to the very beginning. It's very eternity, if you will, before creation. And Paul is just so overwhelmed by this revelation. And you'll see what it causes in him. When he's beginning to realize this, and as he's revealing it to others, as it was revealed to him, it causes in himself to recognize what a wretch he is and how much he doesn't deserve to have this mystery revealed to him, much less the responsibility of giving it to others. He was so prideful, so self-righteous, so convinced he had it right. And so that's why you see him in the opening verses that we read in chapter 3. You see him speaking of himself to be the less than the least of the saints. So throughout all of Paul's writings, you will see him recognize what a mystery it is that he would be chosen and predestined to have his eyes opened to this. And again, much less than the opportunity and responsibility to give this revelation to others, help God in this way.

And that's why you read, if you go through chapter 3 and verse 14, he just says, and for this reason I bow my knees. You know, there's the appreciation. That's his response, his appreciation to this revelation. So you think about what was going through his mind when he wrote this letter to the Ephesians here. He had, he who persecuted God, he who rebelled against a God and persecuted God's people, rejected God. He then, God, is the one who chose Paul since the foundation. Amazing revelation. Amazing revelation for Paul. It's amazing revelation for you and I today. Now almost inevitably, there will be the question of some that will say, well, now wait. I made a decision. There was a decision that I made. And that's true. You and I did make a decision at some point in our life. But just know, you would have never even been able to make that decision if God hadn't decided on you first before you were even ever created. Staggering to think about. This is the mystery revealed to Paul. And make no doubt, that truth right there that we just spoke about and read about, it's a mystery to so many. And it's a great mystery to many great, so-called great religious minds of the past and of today. The great religious thinkers were baffled by this. John Stott, who was an English Anglican priest, many give him credit for the worldwide evangelical movement. John Stott wrote, concerning this mystery, he called it the mystery of election, he wrote, scripture nowhere dispels the mystery of election. And it's not likely that we should discover a simple solution to a problem which has baffled the best brains of Christendom for centuries. It's right here. They can't read their Bibles without seeing it and dealing with it. But really, it's hidden in plain sight, we could say. Because unless God has taken the initiative with a man or a woman, it will always remain a mystery to them. Again, the best biblical minds, we could say, it will remain a knot that they can't unravel. So, simply stated, it's this. The mystery is that God has predestined and chosen only some to understand the riches of Jesus Christ at this time. God has only predestined and chosen some to understand the riches of Jesus Christ at this time. The mystery unraveled is that God is not calling all men and women to Himself at this time. He's only called and chosen and predestined some to understand at this time, to have knowledge of Him. He's only chosen some to have this mystery revealed, to have the understanding of God's purpose for mankind and for humanity. Now, you notice to whom Paul writes here. Who is Paul writing to here? Here, this letter of Ephesians to the Ephesians here. You'll notice chapter 1 verse 1 who he writes to. Who are these words going to? Chapter 1 verse 1, to the saints who are in Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus. So you see that. So it's to the saints to whom Paul is writing here. And he writes these things. Who are the saints?

Well, those who were predestined men and women chosen by God to have this revelation unraveled for them. So he writes to those, those who have been given the opportunity to understand now.

And you see this in verse 4 as Paul writes to the saints. You can see now who he's writing to. Verse 4, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestined us to the adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself. And later in verse 6, he made us accepted in the beloved. So it's a mystery again. It's baffled the great minds since the beginning. It's been a mystery that has baffled those even since the very beginning of Christ's public ministry. So you'll realize that Paul is only continuing this task of unraveling this mystery. He's only continuing these things because Jesus Christ himself began this unraveling when he began his ministry. And one of the most remarkable things and moments we have in the Bible is the moment in which Christ unlocked this very mystery to his disciples. It's a remarkable thing. We have that very moment in which he revealed this to his disciples, actually recorded for us. It's an exciting moment. Look at this. Matthew 13. Turn with me there. Matthew 13.

Matthew 13, and we'll begin in verse 10. Matthew 13 verse 10. Now as you turn there, let me set the scene here. This moment in which we're about to break into. This moment in which Jesus is about to reveal this mystery to his disciples. It occurs when Jesus Christ, he gets into a boat, he pushes off from shore slightly, he used this method to speak to the multitudes and speak to thousands even. And he used this technique. And this time, though, as Christ opened his mouth to speak these words, at this moment, though, the words that he was about to speak shocked the disciples. Blowing them away. Absolutely shocked them. Here's the background. Leading up to this moment, the disciples had forsaken so much to follow Jesus Christ. The recordings tell us that actually four of them literally just dropped their nets. You know, after Christ approached them and revealed to them their destiny and revealed them their purpose in life, they just dropped their nets. That symbolized letting go of an old way of life and beginning a new one there. So at this moment that we're about to break into, those disciples, along with others, watched with great excitement as he pushed off from shore. Because now is the time for Christ to reveal clearly to all the mysteries of the coming kingdom of God and the purposes of God to bring many sons and daughters to glory. This was the time they thought. Surely he'd be telling them the same message that changed their lives, the same message that caused them to drop their nets and follow. Ah, just the opposite occurs. Just the opposite as they found themselves now confused and frustrated with the words and the teaching methods that had seemingly changed, drastically changed as he spoke from the boat. Before we read this, here's the issue. Here's the issue. Jesus began to speak in parables. Parables. Parables. And the disciples were shocked because at the very essence of a parable is a way of communication that's designed to not make a message clear. Why wasn't Jesus speaking to the masses in the same way he had spoken to the disciples? Why wasn't he speaking as clearly to them as he spoke to the disciples which cut them to the heart? Matthew 13 verse 10. Here's the moment Jesus tells them why he's speaking in parables rather than speaking a direct message. Matthew 13. Let's read verses 10 through 13. Matthew 13 verse 10. And the disciples came and said to him, to Jesus, why do you speak to them in parables? Here it is. He answered and said to them, because it's been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. But to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Let's stop there. Wow! Imagine this. So many in the world that they read these words. They should be shocked. Shocked to consider what Jesus Christ is saying here.

It was not his intent to present salvation clearly to every person at that time. It was not his intent to present salvation clearly to every person then.

Likewise, it's not his intent to present salvation clearly to everyone today. It is a message to be understood only by those to whom God has chosen and predestined to have this mystery revealed.

How could verse 11 be true? Could it be true what Christ is saying here? That it's only be given given to some to hear, and it's only be given to some to understand the message at this time.

Now, it's important to note here that in teaching in parables, it was intended to not only cloak the message, but also came as a result of the spiritual condition of the people at that time. You'll notice in this next statement here, it's a quote from the prophet Isaiah. Look what he says here. So, Matthew 13 verses 14 and 15, he quotes Isaiah here. Matthew 13 verse 14. And in them, speaking about the multitude here that he's speaking to, in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive. For the hearts of the people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes have been closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears. Lest they should understand with their hearts in turn, so that I should heal them. Let's stop there. So, Christ is saying, for the most part, people have chosen to allow their hearts to grow dull here, and to where they cannot see, and they cannot hear, or they cannot truly know my Father at this time. In other words, the message of God can't even get through. And we know that. Even Jesus Christ, the Son of God, could not reach many of the people there. And they even killed Him for what He taught. So, then, God deliberately cloaks His message in parables. God allows them to cover their eyes and to plug their ears until the time is ready for the mystery to be revealed, for the veil to be lifted from the majority of mankind. But, notice, but, no, here it is, but to the disciples, but blessed are your eyes. That's verse 16. That's what I want to say to you today. This is to you. He says, verse 16 and 17, but blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear. For surely I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and didn't see it, and to hear what you hear, and didn't hear it. So, those closest to Jesus, His disciples, they were given to Him by His Father. They were given to Him to hear and to understand, chosen and predestined to receive His mentoring, chosen and predestined to receive His teaching, chosen and predestined to be spiritually healed at this time. As verse 15 said, the disciples had been healed so that they could understand Christ's teaching of the coming Kingdom of God. A message again, as verse 17 says, has not been understood by so many righteous men. We could say so many righteous women and prophets who desired to hear, desired to see. You know it. We meet people who are good people, righteous people. When you get to talking to them and speaking about Scripture, there's a blindness there. Why? Why can't they understand? Would you understand? Why can't they see what you see?

Well, they're not predestined at this time to understand. But so many of us sit here today, blessed today, because just like Christ's disciples, we have received this healing of our ears and of our eyes to understand Christ's words right now.

But we know then, we know the fact, though, that with all of this, that God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. We know that. We won't turn there, but that's exactly what 1 Timothy 2, verse 4, says. You can look that up later if you'd like. 1 Timothy 2, verse 4, God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, what we're talking about right now. So we can ask then, how do you reconcile that?

How can the cloaking of His message, how can the unhealing of so many ears and so many eyes then result in God bringing many sons and many daughters to the knowledge of truth and to eventually being saved? How can that happen? I'm glad you asked.

The answer is this. The answer is that God has ordered a step-by-step plan to offer salvation to all of mankind in the most extraordinary way. It is a plan that will give every person who's ever lived the best opportunity to fulfill the purpose of becoming a son and a daughter.

How will God bring about many sons and many daughters? Well, Paul, thankfully, brings us clarity to that question. In another letter that he penned, this was on Paul's... this was his purpose, you remember. This is one of the reasons he was brought. He was called by God and put in for this purpose to reveal these things. So when he's penning to the Corinthians now, he further reveals how God will bring many sons and many daughters to this purpose, to becoming sons and daughters. Let's turn to and see this revelation. To another letter that Paul wrote, 1 Corinthians 15. If you'll turn with me there. 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 22. Here in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 22, we're going to see that Paul, within just a few words, is able to further unravel this mystery. And to make clear how God is going to bring many to the knowledge of him and bring many to the opportunity of becoming a son or a daughter. Here's the further revelation. This right here, so many eyes remain closed to this truth. 1 Corinthians 15, verse 22 through 23. Just two verses. Two verses. What are two verses these are? 1 Corinthians 15, verse 22 and 23. Get this. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order. Christ the firstfruits, afterwards those who are Christ, and his coming. So there it is. Paul reveals it all. In Christ all shall be made alive. All. In Christ all shall be made alive. But then he says these next seven words, these next seven words should blow the roof off of this place. This revelation ring loudly. This clarity. What does he say? These seven words. But each one in his own order.

Each one in his own order. Again, verse 22. In Adam all die. Even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order. Incredible. So after this physical life, because of Christ, all shall be made alive. But each in his own order. Mind-boggling to see this. This mystery. The clarity in it. Unlocked for us. Let's read this again, but let's go up a few verses here. Read this totality here in Paul's words. Let's read verses 23-23. Here it is. 1 Corinthians 15, verse 23-23. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by man, capital M, also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each in his own order. Christ the firstfruits, afterwards those who are Christ and his coming.

So Paul describes it here. He describes the resurrections here. This truth. And an order of resurrections. Commencing with Christ was first, he rose. Of course, he died. Was the first of the firstfruits. And then verse 23 will be those who are Christ's at his coming. Those who are resurrected at his coming. Those are called firstfruits then.

So profound words. Paul speaks of a harvest scene. It's a first fruit harvest scene, a spiritual harvest that's occurring now. And if any of you are farmers, you'll understand this. A spiritual harvest that's occurring of the firstfruits that God has chosen and predestined at this time to call and to make known this mystery. So to those, Christ is likening to a spiritual harvest happening right now. He is the first of the firstfruits. Then those who are his, those who have an opportunity to hear and understand now, and those who respond properly to that hearing and that understanding, will then be resurrected at Christ's coming. Christ the first of the firstfruits, he has been raised first. Those other firstfruits will be raised at his coming. So God is only creating and or preparing a spiritual first harvest at this time, preparing for himself a first fruit harvest of his people.

And so let's turn to Revelation 20. Whenever you're speaking about this harvest and the order of resurrections, you got to go to Revelation 20 to get further clarity here as God brings the picture into full completion. These words in Revelation 20 and beginning in verse 4, we're going to see that God speaks of his firstfruits, but then he also speaks of this plan to bring mankind, everyone who's ever lived, an opportunity to be glorified, in what order? In his second resurrection to come. Let's see this. Revelation 20, verse 4 through 6, I just want to say God's faithful, when he said his will is that none should perish, that's his will.

And we see it here in all of its glory. Revelation 20, verse 4 through 6. And I saw thrones, and they that sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus, and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and who had not received the marks on their foreheads, or on their hands. This is the first fruits, those that had the opportunity to hear and understand and responded properly in this way. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years, but the rest of the dead did not live until the thousand years were finished.

What about those who were raised? This is the first resurrection. Verse 6, Bless and holy is he who has a part of the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with him a thousand years. So this speaks of a thousand year reign of Jesus Christ. Those in the first resurrection are given this vital part to play in God's great work, raised and glorified, to which the second death has no power. So they're going to be raised to spirit life, to edge Christ's coming, to reign with him a thousand years.

What about these described in verse 5? What about the rest of the dead? What about those who weren't in that first harvest, who did not live again until the thousand years were finished? They're in verse 5. Who are these? Well, the rest of the dead are those to whom were not chosen or predestined to understand in their physical lifetime. Those who were not chosen or predestined to have this mystery revealed so that they could respond. So the rest of the dead constitute those who were not Christ at his coming.

And most of these will be those who never truly knew Christ or God the Father. This group who died, many who never even known Christ, we have them pictured here standing at this second resurrection. This is their order. Go down to verse 12 here. Here's the picture of those. Verse 12. And I saw the dead, small and great. Here's the second harvest, the larger harvest. I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God. And the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life.

And the dead were judged according to their works by the things which are written in the books. So here's this group. And again, this group represents the majority of people who have ever lived. They're now standing before God in this second resurrection. Many who have never even heard the name Jesus Christ, much less believed in him.

Think about this. This is the truth that is not taught in many of our world's pulpits. The truth is this. And it answers this question. Here's the question that so many have that I think they push it down into their depths.

Here's the question. Do we think God is going to consign so many in their ignorance, God's going to consign them to some kind of never-ending punishment, some kind of ever-burning hellfire, if you will? Is that God's plan? No. That's not the God that we worship. God has a perfect plan. For those that come up in the second resurrection, this is not a second chance. It's actually their first real chance.

For billions of people, this will be their first opportunity to truly learn of God and learn of His truth and learn of His plan. A merciful God, not willing that any should perish, reaches out to those, those to whom the books of the Bible were never truly opened in terms of understanding. He brings them back to physical life, then to offer to them an opportunity to have a relationship with Him, and to know and to accept it, and to be born into His family. A powerful demonstration of a merciful God, unwilling that any should perish, He reaches His down into the grave to offer life to the unsaved masses. So let's make this as plain as we can. Those to whom it was not given to truly understand the riches of Jesus Christ, those that include the vast majority of humanity, they're not lost. But in fact, they've never had their first opportunity to understand. And this answers the questions that trouble so many. We need to be alight to this truth. How can God condemn billions of people, babies, children who've died, who never matured, those who were born and died who never even heard the name Jesus Christ? How could God condemn them? The answer's simple. The mystery revealed is this. God is not calling everyone now, and neither is He condemning them.

Everyone will have their fair and generous opportunity to turn to God the Father and Jesus Christ. The knowledge of this later, larger harvest, the second resurrection after this thousand years, it brings into clarity all this chaotic world presents. Gives us the answers.

Have we ever wondered, or so many have wondered, why Christian religion hasn't solved the world's problems? Why hasn't Christian religion prevailed over all these false philosophies? An even more important question. How could the coming of the Son of God, how could the coming of the Son of God not result in this great movement, in a great era of movement, to peace and prosperity in a time of bringing all to His Father? How could it not? Why hasn't that happened? That's the mystery revealed. It was not God's intention, and never was intention, to convert the world to Jesus Christ during this present evil age, as Paul describes it. Have you ever considered if that was God's intention, He would have succeeded in doing so? Make no doubt. The fact is, God intends to convert the world at large at a later time. That time is after Christ returned, after these thousand years spoken of here in Revelation. And so, it is to this knowledge, just like Paul, we bow our knees. We bow our knees to this mystery revealed. It makes us look inward and think, wow, how am I deserving of this revelation to me? God has reached out to so many here today, so we bow to this amazing fact that we are those in Christ. And we are in Christ now because before the dawn of time, He set His affection upon us to reveal and to open our eyes at this time. Why me, you may ask? Why me? Why has He chosen me to unravel this mystery? Why did He choose me to give me this understanding to hear and to see and the opportunity to respond and the opportunity to be part of this first harvest? Why me? Well, we are always looking for reasons in and of ourselves and why we might be part of this initial choosing here, this amazing initial choosing. But really, there's no answer to that, to that question. Why did He choose me? Well, why did He choose you? It's because He loved you. Why did He love me? Well, it's because He loved you. We won't turn there, but you remember Deuteronomy, you can write this down, Deuteronomy 7, verse 7 and 8. Deuteronomy 7, verse 7 and 8. And speaking of God's purpose for His people, Israel, let me read this to you. Deuteronomy 7, verse 7 and 8. The Lord did not set His love on you, nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people. It's not because you were more significant, for you were the least of all the peoples, it says. But He chose you because the Lord loves you. He loves you. Why did He love them? He loved them. Why does He love you? He loves you. Well, let's conclude today by allowing Paul to give us the totality of it all. Let's read in conclusion Ephesians 1, verse 9 and 10. Ephesians 1, verse 9 and 10 here.

Here it is. The mystery revealed before us in Scripture. Ephesians 1, verse 9 and 10. You'll turn back there with me. We'll have Paul sum it up for us as we bow to this truth.

Ephesians 1, verse 9. Having made known to us the mystery of His will according to the good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, and then quite gloriously here, verse 10, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ. Both which are in heaven and which are on earth in Him. So there it is. While the mystery revealed here is that only some now are called to an understanding. While that is true, there is coming a day in which the fullness of times He will gather together all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth. Ah, what a wonderful plan! What a profound mystery! This is what we're commemorating. The trumpets, Christ's return, the resurrection of the firstfruits, harvest, atonement, the ousting of Satan the devil, and the ushers in this thousand-year millennial reign, Christ and His saints, as we anticipate the final eighth day, the great last great day, when all will have their opportunity in that second harvest resurrection. So we should be humbled by this fact. Humbled that you've been chosen predestined to receive this revelation. And we pray that we will be humbled before this mystery. So quickly in conclusion, those who have grasped this in this way, how do we respond? How do you respond to this? Well, to answer that very quickly, how does this affect my life that I've been chosen since the foundation of the world to understand these things? It doesn't say that you've been chosen in this way to be happy, although you will be happy following God's way. There's no doubt you'll have an inner joy. What does it say? You've been chosen? Why? You've been chosen for this revelation so that you should be holy and blameless before Him. That's verse four. Go back up a few verses here. To those that have been chosen, verse four, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. So you'll notice that we haven't been chosen because we are holy. We've been chosen that we might become holy, not chosen because we are chosen so that you will become. All the difference in the world. Something's gone dreadfully wrong if someone takes this understanding of predestination of God's revelation and they take that to justify it to live any way they want to live.

If you live in sin and then you claim to be a saint, it's an obvious contradiction.

For one who consistently lives in sin to claim that they're one of the saints, it's a contradiction. It's an obvious contradiction. Think about this. Look at what the text is saying.

If holiness is the purpose of this revelation, then ultimately the only evidence of our understanding of this mystery is in our holiness, in our holy living. The indication that you've been chosen by God to understand the riches of Jesus Christ is ultimately in the fact that we're becoming holy, becoming blameless, dedicating our life to those things. Not perfect. We'll never be perfect. But the effect that this has on us, that we've been chosen since the foundation of the world, it drives me to become better and to repent and become stronger and to become more like the first of the first fruits, Jesus Christ. So how does it affect us? What response? Well, we bow before God. Submit your life to Him. Dedicate your life to becoming holy and blameless before Him in love. You're driven by love because you've been loved first. That's what drives you to living the way you do. Well, let this revelation of this mystery hit your heart today. Let this understanding that you've been chosen, predestined to understand the riches of Jesus Christ. Let that understanding then affect you in a way that your sole motivation is to fulfill this eternal purposes in your life. Let your life be an indication that you know that what are the riches of Jesus Christ. And so, in conclusion, may we all bow our knees tonight, pray these words. If you would like to, open up the Bible tonight here to verse 3, and pray these words. Maybe we could all pray this tonight as we reflect on what love and how we've been blessed by our Father, and we'll conclude with these words. Verse 3, Bless be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.