Book of Ephesians, we're at Chapter 2 today. This is our second lesson here, Chapter 2. Last week we looked at Chapter 1, the contract salvation. And we noted the makers of the contract, the time of the making of that contract, the beneficiaries of the contract, the purpose of the contract, and the securitors of the contract. And the latter part of chapter 1 is where I want to begin to look at some words here. Verse 17 of chapter 1, Paul tells what he's praying, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. Wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ. As we learn more about Christ, study more about Him in His Word, we see the marvelous work of salvation that God has purposed for His people. He says in verse 18, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, it's not human reasoning, human logic, more education, humanly speaking, that we need. But to understand spiritual things, we need our spiritual eyes opened, and we need to pray the Holy Spirit of God would give us understanding. How many times it is that as we teach the Word of God, people will say, I just don't see that, I don't understand that. I can understand. All of us have that same problem, because the natural man receiveth not the things of God, neither are they spiritually understood. Well, I've started quoting that wrong. Let me get back to I Corinthians 2. I got off track there a little bit. The natural man receiveth not the things of God, neither can he know them, for they are spiritually discerned. Chapter 2, verse 14, The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolish unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. All of us need spiritual enlightenment to understand the truths that are set forth in the Word of God. And so we need to be praying that God may give us spiritual understanding, and He says that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches or the glory of his inheritance in the saints. And we noted last week, the reason why that we become discouraged, the reason why that Christians feel defeated at times is because we don't understand what God is doing. We're looking at things externally. We see the world around about us, and it just looks like that sin and the devil are triumphant, victorious over everything, and so we just become somewhat defeated, discouraged. It's a problem that we all have to time to time deal with, but the basis and the means whereby we are recovered from that is that we understand what God is doing, and we don't look at circumstances, but rather we look at the eternal purpose and plan of God. Paul writing in 2 Corinthians chapter 4 says, While we look not at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. And so here it is. We are looking at things temporal. We're looking at things which we can see. And God's purpose and plan is an eternal purpose and plan. We are just looking at a very small, microscopic aspect of God's eternal plan. I don't care how old you are or how long you've lived. It's just a short span. A day is but a thousand years of the Lord, and a thousand years is but one day. But when we understand what God's program is all about, It encourages us, and Paul says in verse 19 here of this first chapter, what is exceeding greatness of his power to usward. That power which God has manifested and demonstrates and is available and is in the heart and life of every child of God is the same power by which he raised up Christ from the dead. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit. Every born-again child of God has the indwelling Holy Spirit in them, and that same Holy Spirit that raised up Christ from the dead is the Holy Spirit that will empower, enable, and strengthen the saints of God. And so Paul says that Christ has been exalted far above all principality and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that's named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come, and put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head of all, to the church, the saints of God, which is the body, the fullness of him, that filleth all in all. Now he begins this contrast. the great contrast beginning in verse one. And he is doing this to show to us God's great grace and mercy toward us. And so beginning at verse one of the second chapter, and you who were dead in trespasses and sins. This is the condition of all persons born in the world. Ever since the days of Adam and Eve, every person's ever walked across the face of the earth except for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, have been born spiritually dead. We are conceived even in sin, David says, not that the act of conception is sin, but from the very time of our conception, we have this depraved nature, our spiritual nature, whereby, again, the Word of God says, the wicked go astray even from the womb. No, there is no age of accountability. There's no age of innocence. All of us are sinners by nature, and all of us are born spiritually dead in trespasses and sins. That means while we are walking around naturally and physically, we have no spiritual life, no spiritual discernment. We need that God would move upon us, and so here is our condition. First of all, Paul says, we are dead in trespasses and sins, spiritually dead, and not only are we dead, but you see our devilish nature. Verse 2, Wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. Here is where all of us were. We were born in this state, and this is the way we all walked and behaved and acted. So many times we as Christians want to point fingers and look at other people in the world and think about how bad they are, naughty, naughty, dirty, dirty. They are acting in such a wicked, wicked way, but the same spirit that is working in them is the same spirit that dominated our lives when we were apart from God's grace, and that's the way that we all will be going, and that's the way that we all will be conducting ourselves, were it not for God's grace and mercy that's been demonstrated in our lives. Now that means that we need to examine ourselves as to what standard we are going by. Born again child of God is a new creature in Christ Jesus. We've been born by the Holy Spirit of God. We've been born and regenerated by the grace of God's Holy Spirit for the very purpose that we would go contrary to the way in which the world is going. And so we need to have our priorities, our vision, our standards, our principles, our everything about us readjusted by the standards set forth with the Word of God. Paul writing in Colossians Says in chapter 2 of Colossians and verse 1. He says to us something like this If you then be risen with Christ, and really the word if then means that since you be risen with Christ, since you be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, for Christ sitteth at the right hand of the God, and set your affections on things above and not on the earth. Why should we be doing that? Verse three of Colossians, I'm reading chapter three of Colossians, I'm sorry. And verse 3, for ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall you also appear with him in glory. And so here is the characteristic of what we wear apart from God's grace. We have this devilish demeanor. We walk according to the course of this world, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedient. among whom also we all had our conduct in days past. This bottom line is, as we use this terminology, we were spiritually depraved. Now that means, and does not mean, that we were all indeed actively murderers and liars and thieves and so forth, but it means that this is the very nature that we have, the very potential that we have, the very heart that we have. The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, says the Word of God. And so among whom we also had our conduct in days past in the lust of flesh, fulfilling desires of the flesh and of the mind, and whereby nature That's the very nature that we have. We're aware by nature the children of death, even as others. Oh, what a black picture Paul paints here of our condition apart from God's grace. And he does that that we might be made to glory in God's grace and acknowledge that were it not for God's grace, we all would be hell-deserving sinners. And so he gives this bottom line here and says the sum total of it is that we are spiritually depraved. Then in verse 4, though, oh, the great statement here. In verse 4, he talks about our salvation. the contrast. Here's what we were. Here's where we were, dead spiritually. Here's what we were. We were controlled by demonic spirits. We were spiritually depraved. We were helpless, hopeless. Paul will speak about that later on in verse 12. At that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, having no hope, and without God in the world. That's our bottom line. condition. And if God had left us in that state, we all would experience eternal hell and damnation. But verse 4, and the word here in the Greek is very emphatic, but God, but God, emphatically he injects this word, but God. And the very author of our salvation is God. It all begins with God. It began with God in eternity past. That's what Paul even talks about in the fourth chapter, I mean the fourth verse, verses three and four of this first chapter. Blessed be the God and the Father, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings. according as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world. Our salvation has its origin with the Godhead, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and they in eternal covenant before the time ever began, they purpose to bring about the salvation of God's people. But God, and why and how does He do it? You have here, God is two reasons that he gives us, the genius of it. But God who is rich in mercy. What does hell-deserving sinners deserve, need? Mercy. Mercy. Our only hope for the condemned sinner is mercy. And that's what God would have us to understand, that we need His mercy. All grace, mercy comes to us because of God's grace. But the initial thing that we are to experience in our lives and to see is that we are well-deserving sinners worthy of God's wrath. And the only thing that we can pray for and plead for is for God's mercy. But God, who is rich in mercy, rich. A lot of people talk about heaven from the aspect of the streets of gold and the gates of peril, and they think about all the riches, maybe, that might be in the eternal city. But I'll tell you the thing that the saints of God need most of all is God to be rich in mercy. Why? Because our sins are so numerous. David there praying in Psalm 51, he prayed that God have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness, according to the multitude of thy tender mercies, according to the multitude. How many are your sins? They are beyond our number. We are not conscious of all of our sins. Our heart is deceitful. Psalms, David speaks in Psalms about our secret sins, sins that we are not even conscious of, that we, evil thoughts, purposes. Oh, we may have thought that we were doing this for the right purpose or reason. We might even be sitting in church. The question is why you're there. preacher friend of mine many years ago told me that the first time that he, one of the reasons why he was going to church, a particular place, because there was a certain pretty girl there. He said, I wasn't interested in one thing about what they were doing, why they were there. He said, I just went there to see this pretty girl. Well, maybe the right time and place, that was not wrong, but that was his purpose for being a church. Whatever the purpose is, God measures all of these things. He knows the secrets of our hearts. And so the great multitude of our sins, terrible, horrible sins, black as they were, God who is rich in his great mercy. Titus Paul says, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us. Everybody thinks that there's some merit that they can offer God, some promise they can give to God, something that they can do, and because God sees and hears and knows something that we're going to do favorably, therefore God will be favorable toward us. That's not what salvation's all about. That's not what the grace of God's all about. It's all because of God's mercy on undeserving individuals. who is rich in mercy. He is also a sovereign mercy. One of the things that people don't acknowledge and realize is that God, who is rich in mercy, He is also sovereign in how He bestows that mercy. God is not a Santa Claus that he just throws out a blanket and says, here it is, whoever wants it, come and take it. No, but mercy is this one. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and whom I will have compassion. And when God is pleased to manifest that mercy in the heart and life of an individual, there is a response whereby the Holy Spirit of God regenerates and brings us to the knowledge of Christ in repentance of sin. James talks about God who is of tender mercy. I've mentioned that phrase before to you, and I like to illustrate it by saying the best way I know to describe it is as an overripe tomato. It just, you just touch it and the juice comes out of it. It's tender, tender. the mercies of God. We don't have to beat on something. You go to these pagan countries and you see people doing things that are whereby that they want to show to God how repentant they are and that they can some way or another get him to bestow mercy upon them. One of the humorous things in India, pitiful but it was yet humorous, about a man in a certain religious feast they were having and he would break coconuts on his head. Coconut if you don't know it's very hard and you cut it open with a very hard blow of a sharp axe or knife But he was bursting colonists on his head others I've seen them walking down the streets and they would fillet themselves with a With some kind of a whip whipping themselves beating their backs and blood running down their back. I Others would do such things as walking on hot coals, and all of that they thought in some way or another in their depraved minds that they were some way or another compelling God to be merciful to them. That's not the mercy of our God. He's of tender mercy. And we think that God is moved because of the promises that we make to him, or the vows that we might make, or we think that God might be somewhat merciful because we make some promise that we're going to do such and such. No, that's not it. It's because he sovereignly is pleased to bestow mercy upon hell-deserving sinners, and it's not because of the degree of our repentance, it's not because of the amount of tears that flow down our eyes, but rather it's because he who is tender in mercy will bestow his mercy upon us. And so Paul says, but God, who is rich in his mercy, And the demonstration that he is rich in his mercy is also because of his great love. How great is God's love? It is beyond imagination. John 3, 16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. How can you measure that? How can you describe that? That the eternal, holy, righteous God would give his only begotten Son for undeserving sinners. So great is that love. 1 John 3, John says, Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. Oh, child of God, don't forget God's great love. It is the very foundation, the basis by which He has been pleased to save us and redeem us from our sins, because He so loved us. That love is immeasurable. It is immutable. It does not change. It is sovereign. It is a love that is effectual in the salvation of all of his people, and it is a love that will bring about his desired results. He brings us and draws us unto himself because of that love, and he brings us unto him in such a loving way that he embraces us in his arms, and we're there, kept by the love of God. And Paul describes in the 8th chapter of Romans, who can separate us from the love of God? Nor height, nor depth, nor principalities of power, the thing to come, even light, depth itself cannot do it. No power. It is a supreme love. Now Paul would also show us the means of that love in verse 5 of that salvation. Even when we were dead in sins, even when we were dead in sins, you don't have to take a first step. You don't have to take the first move. You don't have to give God anything. We can't do any of that. That's what we need to understand. We're dead. You cannot move. You cannot respond. You cannot do anything, hear or see anything about God until He moves upon us. And so even when we were dead in sins, He has quickened us. together with Christ. Made us alive, that's what it means. Quicken us, made you alive. Spiritually gave life into you, breathed into you spiritual life. Just as Christ said the Lazarus come forth and God by the Spirit of God commanded life to come to that dead body, so he comes to us dead in sins and spiritually speaks to us and we are resurrected from spiritual deadness. And the bottom line again, Paul says, here it is, verse 5, by grace are you saved. That's what he wants us to remember. That's what he wants us to be mindful of. That's the contrast. Here we were, dead in trespasses and sins. Here we were going to curse the world. Here's the way we were living. We had no hope. We were without God. We were dead. But God, who in his rich mercy and love toward us, he has quickened us even though we were dead in sins. And the bottom sum of it all is, by grace are you saved. And that raised us up. raised us up together, and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Here's the great blessings of this salvation. He didn't just make you alive, but in a spiritual sense, He has already planted you, us, in the heavenlies. That's where we are, in Christ, in the heavenlies. He is our Savior, our Redeemer, and we are in Christ, and we are in Him in the heavenlies. There's a word that's used in Hebrews chapter 6 here that I want you to see. Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 20. The word here is used here. I'll start at verse 19. which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, was entered into that within the veil. He's talking about an eternal veil, in the heavenly veil. Rather, the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus. That's where Christ is, seated at the right hand of the Father. And what is he referred to here? Paul says he is our forerunner. Now, you first would read that word in the New Testament about John the Baptist, who was the forerunner of Christ. He went before Him, declaring that Christ was coming, the Messiah is coming, the forerunner. It was one that would go before highly esteemed people in days past, and announcing You know, today we use loudspeakers and news media and various things and say such-and-such a person is coming to such-and-such a place. Well, they didn't have those means, and so what they had was a forerunner, and that forerunner would run ahead, and he would say, such-and-such a person is coming! He's coming! He's coming! And he was the forerunner. And what he said was sure and certain. And so Paul here describes Christ as being our forerunner, and He's already entered within the veil, and He is there as our surety that we also will be there and are coming to Him. In the 2nd chapter of Colossians, again, Paul makes reference to this, Colossians 2, verse 12. Paul says, "...bear with him in baptism, That's what happened. Christ's baptism and our baptism, we identified ourselves in his death. Bury with him in baptism, for also you are risen with him. That's the purpose of baptism is to declare our faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. That's the reason why no other mode of baptism will suit the purpose of the scriptures Sprinkling won't do it, it's only by immersion. Buried with him in baptism, wherein you are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins, and the uncircumcised in your flesh, have been quickened together with him, and have forgiven you all of your iniquities. We have been resurrected with Christ, and we are with him seated in the heavenly places." The child of God walks here on earth. but we are spiritually identified with Christ as our forerunner. In that sixth chapter of Hebrews, he also speaks about Christ as being the anchor. You go around places where ships come into the harbor. In olden times, this was the way in which they would do this. they would take the anchor and put it in a little boat, and they would carry it into the harbor, and they would drop the anchor inside the harbor. The boat would still be out here. And by so doing, they were assuring that the boat would be anchored within the harbor. And the way that they carried the anchor was in a little boat that they called the forerunner. And as the tide would come in and raise it up, the boat, they would pull the chain closer and closer so that the boat would come closer into the harbor. That was a surety whereby that the boat would be anchored there in the harbor. And you can understand that the waves, as they would tug on the, move the boat, that the anchor would be made to dig in deeper and hold the boat fast. So it is that we have an anchor within the veil. Paul again speaks about that as Christ in the fourth chapter of Hebrews as the throne of grace and mercy, who can be touched with the feelings of our infirmities. So this great salvation includes this anchor in the soul in the heavenlies. Now, that's not the end of it. Verse 7, that in the ages to come, you see, salvation is not just a time thing. It's not just what God is doing for us here. It's not just that we might escape hell even. God has a purpose for saving His people. That purpose is multiple. It is, as in Romans 8, that we might be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. In chapter 1, He has Chosen us in Him that we should be before Him holy and without blame. There is an eternal purpose wherein God has chosen His people. And here He says in verse 7, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. It doesn't stop in time. It doesn't stop with the grave. It doesn't stop even with our glorification. Oh, we have in Romans the eighth chapter that God has predestinated us to be conformed to the image of Christ, and he tells us that we shall be ultimately glorified and made like unto Christ Jesus. No more sinful bodies, but transformed, glorified bodies. But that's not the end of it. There's still revelation of the exceeding riches of his grace. that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace. And that exceeding riches is going to be manifested in the person of Christ. And then he tells us how all of this comes about. The purpose of it is that we might be saved by grace. For by grace are you saved. That's it. through faith. Now faith is not what saves us. A lot of people think that if I just have enough faith, exercise your faith, that's not what saves us. It's God that saves us, and it's all by grace. And even the faith that we would have is given to us by God. For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. That faith doesn't start with you, oh. You say, well, I believe in God, I believe about Jesus Christ. Well, James says that's good, the devils also believe in tremble. But what Paul here is talking about is not just a mental knowledge, not just agreeing with certain facts, but what Paul here is talking about is the kind of saving faith that God alone gives. It is the faith that lays hold upon Christ, and it comes by God's grace. For by grace are you saved through faith, and that knowledge of yourselves is the gift of God. Everything about salvation is God's free gift. Repentance is God-granted. Faith is God-given. All of that comes because of God's marvelous grace. And so then, verse 10, he tells us why we're saved. As I said a while ago, not just to escape hell. A lot of people think that that's all salvation is involved in, just to keep me from going to hell. Well, let me tell you, there's much more involved. He says that we are saved, for we are his workmanship, workmanship, product. Child of God, be mindful of this, that everything about us is being worked over by the Spirit of God that we would be conformed unto Christ. We are his workmanship, and whatever we are that's good, Everything that we have that's good about us is the product of God working in us. Paul asked the question in Corinthians, if we have received it, why boastest thou as though thou didst not receive it? Whatever it is that we have that's good, God honoring, God pleasing, whatever faculties we have, intellect, whatever traits we have, abilities that we have, whatever they are, they are the product of God working in us, and they have been bestowed upon us because God in His grace would use those things to motivate us to conform to the image of Christ. We are His workmanship, created new creatures. not in the same person, externally yes, but there is to be a different kind of person, different kind of walk, different kind of individual. We have different goals, different priorities created in Christ Jesus under good works, because God had before ordained that we should walk in that, before ordained. Our lives are not the products of just what I want to be, what I want to do. Now, I know that a lot of times people make bad decisions. I've made a lot of bad decisions. Fortunately, by God's grace and mercy, I've made a few good decisions. One of them was to marry my wife. That was a good decision. I didn't actually make the decision. She just so charmed me and moved me that I had no choice about the matter. That's the way I did her, too. But those decisions that we make that are good decisions, they are the product of God working in us. When we make bad decisions, When we make bad decisions, it is God allowing us to see how much we need Him. I've said I've made a lot of bad decisions, and every time I've made one of those bad decisions, I end up in a mud hole somewhere or another. I end up in a bad place. I end up with some grief. I end up with some sorrow. I end up maybe causing some others some grief and sorrow. Those are means whereby God would teach us that we need to seek His guidance, His wisdom, and get in tune with His program, so to speak. We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. In the parables of the talents that our Lord gave, he talked about a man that was given five talents, and a man that was given, I think, three talents, a man that was given one talent. The man that was given five talents, he went out and put it to good use. And the Lord, when it came time to reckon with him, he said, well done, thou good and faithful servant. You've been faithful over five talents. I'll give you ten talents. And the man, likewise, who was three talents, same thing. But the man who had only one talent, He said, I knew that you were indeed a hard taskmaster. And he said, I just took it and hid it and buried it someplace. The Lord said something to that wicked servant. That's what he called him. He said to that servant, take from that wicked servant and give to him that hath, because to him that hath is to be taken away. And I'm paraphrasing here. If they put it not to good use, I don't understand all about God's judgments, but I do understand this. There is an accountability that God makes with every individual, a reckoning. We are His workmanship, creating Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. The question is, what kind of person is it that God has purposed for me to be? What kind of good work has He purposed for me to do? When has God ordained that I would serve Him? And there are many, I'm afraid, that when the time of reckoning comes, there will be serious consequences, because they put not to use the talent and abilities that their Master gave to them. For we are his workmanship, creating Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. He begins to tell us here the great purpose of our salvation, verse 11. Now again, he draws a contrast. The conclusion of salvation is this. What do you think God saved us for? Why do you think that? Well, I've already mentioned one of them, that, you know, we are His workmanship, creating Christ unto good works. Now, what's those good works? Well, someone thinks it's, you know, giving money to the poor. Somebody thinks it's, you know, going visiting the sick and those things. Yes, those are things. But what is the ultimate end which God has saved His people? What's the ultimate? Well, someone say that we might be conformed to the image of His Son. Yes, that is only the part of it. Let me take you back to the third chapter of Exodus, Exodus chapter 3, and I'll give you some hint here to where we're going. God has appeared to Moses at the burning bush and gave him a commission to go to Pharaoh and to speak to Pharaoh and tell him to let my people go. Third chapter of Exodus and beginning at verse 11, And Moses said unto God, Who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh, that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, this is God speaking, Surely I will be with thee, and this shall be a token unto thee that I have sent thee. When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain." Now, a lot of things happened, God bringing Israel out of the land of Egypt. First of all, you know about the death of the firstborn. You know about passing through the Red Sea. Those are marvelous miracles and miracles that Moses performed while he was in the land of Egypt. God did not say that those miracles would be the proof that I am with you. Those are just instrumental to get you here. What was here? To the mountain where you are to worship me. The reason why God has predestined the salvation of his people is that he would have a people throughout all eternity who would worship Christ. And it begins in time. Worship. The primary reason why we are spiritually in existence is that we would worship Jesus Christ. And beginning in the 11th verse, Paul begins to develop Now it's more than I want to cover right now, because it gets into more detail. And I will conclude it, Lord's willing, in our next session together. But I will tell you the conclusion in this in verse 22. He says, And to whom all the building, in whom ye also are built together for a habitation of God through the Spirit. In the book of Revelation, there are a lot of things going on. We've gone through the Book of Revelation, and we've seen that the Book of Revelation is a panoramic view of things that even had their beginning in the Garden of Eden, and things that are going on even now in time. But in the Book of Revelation, there is a struggle going on, or there are contrasts, two contrasts. And those two contrasts are this. those that will worship Christ, and those that will worship the Antichrist. It's described in different ways. And the sum total is that every one of those, every person that has not the seal of God in their forehead, that means that they are identified with God, have been chosen in Christ, they all will worship the Antichrist. Fourteen times in the Book of Revelation the word worship is used. That's one of the themes of the Book of Revelation. And that's what you see that's going on in heaven today when you read through the Book of Revelation. For instance, the fourth chapter of Revelation, Paul gives us an insight to the activity going on in heaven. And he says in Revelation 4, he says, Verse 9, And when these living creatures give glory, and honor, and thanks to him that sat upon the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power. For thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. You'll find the same thing in the 5th chapter also, that they are worshiping the Lamb in verse 12, saying with a loud voice, with is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. For every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and unto the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them are heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth below the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts, and they said, Amen. And the four twinning elders fell down and worshiped him that liveth for ever and ever. You know what's going on today in heaven to the child of God? It is the worship of Jesus Christ. And what's going to be going on for our eternity is the worship of Jesus Christ. Let's understand what God's program is for us today. It is the worship of Jesus Christ. Oh, a lot of misconceptions are built around that idea about worship. And there's only two kinds of worship in the world, that which is false and that which is true. John, the fourth chapter, our Lord told us about true worship. God is spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Those two things are essential and they are never separated. Where one is, the other one is. The truth of God and the Holy Spirit of God. Apart from God's Holy Spirit, we cannot worship God. And where the Holy Spirit is, the truth of God has been taught and believed and practiced. The false worship. The world conducts its religious ceremonies and big cathedrals are built and big Programs are orchestrated. A lot of things that the world thinks is great and God must be impressed with. And the Word of God says that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination. You see, it's not what the world is doing. It's what would Christ have us to be doing. What is the kind of worship that God has ordained? Because that's what's going on in heaven today. A church service is just simply a little bit of heaven here on earth. And if it's not pleasing to God now, it never will be pleasing to God. And if the kind of activity we're engaged in is not God honoring, it's not the worship of Jesus Christ. See, all worship is measured by this, whether or not it honors Jesus Christ. And if worship today is a problem to you, if we just don't have time for worship today, I talk to a lot of people, ask them where you go to church, I don't go anywhere. I understand why, because they don't know Jesus Christ. But the tragic thing of it is that many professing Christians just want to give Christ just a little short time. of worship, as they call it. And we want to reduce it down. Here's all the time we can give you, God, just this little bit of time. Oh, you gave us your Son, you died to redeem us, and we are the heirs of eternal life, and we're going to be in glory forever and ever. But I'm sorry, God, I can just give you a little bit of time to worship you. and in God be pleased to teach us and show us the importance of what it's all about, the worship of Jesus Christ. Our Father, we come to you here this morning. Lord, I do pray that you would bless us that we, in all that we do, would exalt Christ and worship Him. You promised us even that we're two or three or together together. There are you, Christ, in the midst. And we pray that you might be pleased to have been here with us today, that the singing and the praying and the proclaiming of your word would be honoring and edifying unto Christ, edifying unto His people. Forgive us wherein that we've walked astray. Help us, dear Father, by your Spirit, that we will follow Christ and him alone. And I pray that you might be with those that are absent from us today, that you would guard over them, return them safely to us. I pray, heavenly Father, for those that are sick among us, that you would grant healing to their bodies, Father, I pray that you would guide us in all of our ways, that our hearts might be drawn closer to our Redeemer and Savior. In His name I pray and ask it. Amen.