Well, grace and peace to you, brothers and sisters. It is my privilege to come back here and meet you all on the screen, that we may spend some time in the Word again together. Well, it's been a while since we had our last lesson, so today we thank God that we have the opportunity to come back and study the Word of God and then uh... meditator point the title for our study as you know is uh... i will build my church actually we will be looking at verse eighteen today again on a different angle uh... that will be uh... the eternal purpose of god the eternal purpose of god As we know, last time we looked at the passage we have at hand, which is a conversation between the Lord Jesus Christ and the disciples, which is in Matthew 16. Well, the Lord asked a question to the disciples, saying, Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? So, I am going to read this passage, just for the sake of context, and then we'll start our lesson for today. Well, verse 13. When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? So they said, Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. And he said to them, But who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. So Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. So this is the text that we've been looking at, but we've been looking at verse 18 The declaration the powerful and very authoritative declaration that the Lord Jesus Christ made that is I will build my church And the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Well, we saw that Christ is the Son of God the Messiah and he is the Savior he was the Redeemer of Israel and he came as the I am Yahweh and we saw that the text in Exodus 3 verse 14-15 when the Lord God Almighty was in conversation with Moses and he was sending Moses to the children of Israel and he said tell the children of Israel that I am has sent you he said this is his name forever so Christ in John chapter 8 at the end of the chapter says before Abraham was I am so he said clearly to the scribes and pharisees that he is Yahweh, the I Am. I would say also he is the God of Israel. But they couldn't see that at the time. They couldn't see that very clearly. So that's one of the reasons why they accused him of many things and because he made himself equal to God. him and he deserved to die. But he didn't make himself equal to God. He is God in the flesh. He is Emmanuel. And they thought that was the reason enough for him to be crucified. Also we talked about the authority of Christ. We said that he has all authority in heaven and on earth. And he has authority to save, to judge, to cast out demons over all unclean spirits, and he has authority to teach, authority over doctrine, like he didn't have to court people, ask people for permission for his ministry or for his teachings. So we saw all that, and we saw Christ also has authority to lay down his life and to take it back again. This is very powerful. And then we saw that Christ has authority to determine, that is a key word. And we said as the divine Son of God, He has the authority to predetermine. And I underlined this word last time for specific purposes. Well, today I'll be looking at the eternal purpose of God. Okay? What is the eternal purpose of God? God, in all creation and before creation, before anything was, God's eternal purpose is to glorify Himself. Okay? I don't say was to glorify himself because God is and his purpose is still for all eternity to glorify his name, glorify himself in the face of the Son Jesus Christ of Nazareth. That's not going to change. No matter what happens, the mountains move, the earth trembles, people live, people die. God is going to glorify himself no matter what and his will is perfect. holy will be done. So God is self-existent as we know and He is self-sufficient. And also He is self-glorifying. What do I mean by that? God does not need us or the angels to sing and praise Him and glorify His name. I say need. He does not have the necessity of that. You know, he might want that in his good pleasure, in his good, you know, in his perfect will, in his good pleasure, he wants that, but he doesn't have a necessity as if he's lacking. He wants more glory or he wants other human beings or supernatural beings like the angels, powerful beings to make him more glorious than he is or to make him grow in his glory. In all eternity, I would say specifically, the world God could stand by himself I think I said that before to say there's none like me in all the heavens above or on all the earth beneath because I am God Almighty and he could say I am and when he says I am and he declares himself to be glorious okay so the first passage will look in regard to that is Isaiah 44 the Lord says thus says the Lord the King of Israel and his Redeemer the Lord of hosts I am the first and the last besides me there is no God and who can proclaim as I do and in the verse 8 second part of verse 8 says is there a God besides me that is a good rhetorical question he knows there's no other one but he asked the question is there a God beside me indeed there is no other rock I know not one Know that one. Okay, that is that is glory given to himself and he is the only being that can glorify himself praise Himself in the communion the perfect communion in the Trinity God the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit Angels may not have been there men may not have been created yet, but God was glorious and sufficient in and out of himself That's the way God is. That is the God of the Earth. The God and the Father of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Okay? So, well, Christ is as well self-sufficient. Okay? Self-existent. And He is the One, the Son who shares the glory of God. Equal glory with the Father. He says in John chapter 17 and now father it's a quick verse that we all know Go find me together with yourself with the glory that I had with you before the world was That is to say before the foundation of the world So this Christ was speaking here He's about to die as we all know shortly after this prayer The high priestly prayer he made in John 17. He's gonna die Okay, that's the end of his life So he's gonna die, why? He's gonna die to give himself, to give his life a ransom for sinners. And he's gonna do this in obedience to the Father, in perfect obedience to the Father. Because what did he say in John 4? He says, my food is to do the will of the one who sent me. The one who sent him is the Father. So he takes great and infinite pleasure in doing the will of the Father. And He obeyed the Father. He ate that food which is obeying the Father. To the point of death. Even the death of the cross. Philippians 2. We know that pretty well. Okay? So, let me say now. Again, the eternal purpose of God is to have the Son die. Okay? Is to have the Son die and give His life a ransom for many. That was part of the eternal purpose of God. even before you and I were created so the Lord God Almighty when the Holy Spirit came down on the day of Pentecost and Peter was preaching and then what did he say he says men of Israel heed his words Jews of Nazareth and men attested by God to you by miracles and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst he said as you yourselves also know him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God. You have taken by lawless hands, have crucified and put to death by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God. Okay? So Christ, before the foundation of the world, God knew. And it was a done deal that Christ would die as a ransom for sinners unto the glory of God, the Father. There's a well-known verse that we know that says, the lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world, that is in, here we have Revelation 13. John was speaking here speaking about the beast that came out of the sea and he said those who worship him will be those who worship the beast you know all people on earth would worship him and then he says those whose names have not been written in the book of the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world Now, some translation would say, those whose names have not been written in the book of life of the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, like the New King James. But some others would say, those whose names have not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb slain. Okay? Some put before the foundation of the world either after the names or either after the Lamb that was slain. So that is to say, he was slain before the foundation of the world for the names that were written before the foundation of the world or the names that were written before the foundation of the world for those names the lamb was slain he was slain for these names for these people whose names were written in the book before the foundation of the world or For the names that were written in the Book of Life before the foundation of the world, the Lamb was slain. Either one is right. But more so, we see King James says, we see King James says, the Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world. But that is correct. That is correct to say. Yes, Christ was slain before the foundation of the world. What does that mean? wasn't done physically before the foundation of the world but in the Trinity it was decreed it was a done deal sealed by the Holy Spirit okay in the purpose in the eternal purpose of God Christ was the lamb that was slain done deal and in time it came to pass and time that is the thing so God did that Why? Why did that happen? That's because in His good pleasure, in the eternal purpose of God, in His preordained plan of salvation, He determined to call a people, to separate a people, and to gather them in the sun of His love unto His own glory. So, the eternal purpose of God is to glorify his name. It was that the son of God would die, and that was known and decreed before the foundation of the world. And also the eternal purpose of God is that he would also separate, summon a people to himself, cut a people out, out of the world to himself, unto his own glory, and the son of his love. Now in Ephesians 1.36 says, Blessed be 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 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 made us accepted and to belong. There's another verse where Paul makes the same connection. What does he say? Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner, but share with me in the suffering of the gospel according to the power of God. Now listen to verse nine, talking to Timothy, he said, God who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our words, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given in Christ Jesus before time began. Before time began, did you see that? So that was the purpose, the eternal purpose of God, even before time began. So when the Lord Jesus Christ says, He says, I will build my church. In other words, what he's trying to say is, I will separate a people out of the world to be mine. Or he can also say, I will call a people unto myself for holiness. Oh, that can also mean, that also means I will build myself a house of true worshipers. That is a call to holiness, a call to worship, a call to sanctification, to be set apart for the Lord. So what is it? The church has to be seen, to be viewed always, always in the light of God's eternal purpose. The church has to be viewed in light of God's eternal purposes. So we cannot see the church outside of God's eternal purpose, like as a plan B, as a solution plan. No, the church in all eternity was part of God's plan to separate the people unto himself in the son of his love, Jesus Christ. Again, as he declares, I will build my church That is a declaration that it resounds from eternity. But it is also a declaration that is heard and seen all through God's redemptive history in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament. And we also see imageries, prototypes of the church in the Old Testament. Yes. We see that. So let me tell you the word Ekklesia used in Matthew 16 when the Lord says I will build my Ekklesia. This word most early in the life of Jacob as his father was about to bless him in Genesis 28. We see this word the word Ekklesia. Actually it is the Greek word for the Hebrew word that means assembly. That means congregation. That means church. Or sometimes translated community. Yeah, community. So Isaac, the father of Jacob was blessing him. What did he say? May God bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you. And then He says, that you may be an assembly of peoples, and that God may give you the blessing of Abraham. You know what the blessing of Abraham is, right? The blessings of Abraham, you know what they are. So, here in Genesis 28, verse 3 to 4 the word assembly used here is the Hebrew word that translates the word Ekklesia it is a key word to see in the life of the people of God as they gather in Mount Sinai and I would go even before Mount Sinai the Lord called his people out of Egypt Now do you see something similar, do you see something familiar here? Out of Egypt I called my son. The Lord called his people out of Egypt to go and worship him and praise him in the wilderness. And to go elsewhere to be his people, his special people that he might bless them, that they might worship him. That is the term called out. And that is a very important term when you talk about, when you think about the word Ekklesia. Called out from, separate from, assemble from here to there. That's the perfect way to put it. To assemble apart. To assemble from here to there. That's what it is. So we see in Exodus 19 verse 5 to 6, as the Lord was talking to Moses and his people gathered at Sinai, you know, before the mountain at Sinai. He said, then you shall be special treasure to me above all people, for all the earth is mine. And you shall be to me, what? A kingdom of priests, a holy nation. Does that sound familiar to you? kingdom of priests a holy nation and we later see Israel gathered before the tabernacle or before the temple all throughout the Old Testament gathering to praise to worship to hear the word being read to them the Word of God to to glorify God you know to to read the Shabbat we know all of that as they get to worship the Lord God with Moses with you know later on with the Kings, with David, you know, with Solomon, we see the children of Israel gathered as a congregation. These are prototypes of the church. These are prototypes of the church. The assembly, the congregation, and in most of these places, the word being used there is the word that translates Ekklesia, the Hebrew word for the word Ekklesia. Okay, now as Israel was gathering for the temple or the tabernacle, the tabernacle and the temple themselves, it is very important to remember that. In John chapter 1 verse 14, it says, and the word became flesh and dwelled among us. And now you read it, it says the word became flesh and tabernacled among us literally tabernacled among us and later on in John chapter 2 around verse 19 20 you see the Lord Jesus Christ cleaned the temple and everything and they said oh what sign would you show us for the things doing here for what with what authority doing these things what sign would you show me and he says destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up They said, really? It took us 46 years to build this temple, and you think you can raise it up in three days? So now, he was speaking about, John says, the temple of his body. That is to say, he was the true temple of the Lord God Almighty. He was the true temple of God. And in John chapter one, we see him as the tabernacle of the Lord. The tabernacle, that means he was the one in whom, within whom the fullness of God dwelled. The one within whom, in whom the fullness of God is. That was who Christ was. That's who Christ was. And also in Revelation 21, verse 22, very important verse. What does it say? Talking about the New Jerusalem, John says, but I saw no temple in it for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it." Christ, the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb are the temple in the New Jerusalem. Didn't need for didn't need a temple like a physical. It didn't need a physical temple in the New Jerusalem now not Christ as the foundation the cornerstone the head of the church now we see I'm being pointed to as the Tabernacle of the Lord as the true temple of the Lord As we see also in Ephesians 2 verse 20 22 let me read this you know because I want I want to of 2022. Having been built on the foundation, we studied that verse before. Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone in whom the whole building being fitted together grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place in the Spirit. Now, Peter, after this verse, Peter makes the connection. He says something almost similar. He said, coming to Christ, to him as a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also as living stones are being built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up sacrifices, spiritual sacrifices, to God through Jesus Christ. Did you see the terms he's using? Being built up, we are being built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood. So, two important words, spiritual house and holy temple. Now, coming from Christ as the true tabernacle and the temple of the Lord, let me show you. In 2 Samuel 7, we have a very important passage. Well, now we see that David wanted to build a temple for the Lord, right? And he said, look where I'm living now as a king. Look at my house. I want to build a temple for the Lord. This is good intention. And what happened? Then he said that to Nathan, the prophet. Then Nathan said to the king, well, go do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you, O my king. That's what I would say. Because building a temple for the Lord, that sounds like a great idea. Glorifying God. But it happened that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, Thus says the Lord, Would you build a house for me to dwell in? For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I birthed the children of Israel from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about with all the children of Israel, have I spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commended to shepherd my people Israel, saying, Why have you not built me a house of Seder? Now, therefore, thus shall you say to my servant David, Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying, I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep to be ruler, my people over Israel and says and I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you and I've made you a great man a great name like the name of the great men who are on the earth moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel okay and we'll plant them and they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore as previously Since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people, Israel, and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. Also, the Lord tells you that he will make you a house. That is to say, I'm gonna make you a house, you're not gonna build me. Now let's read, I read this for context. Now let's read the verses I wanted to read. 2 Samuel 7, 12, 13. The Lord says to David, When your days are fulfilled, and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. Forever. Did you see that? The seed of David, the offspring of David, will build a house. for the Lord and his kingdom shall be established forever. Forever. So Christ is the seed of David. He is called the son of David. He is going to build a house for the Lord. And it is also the promise made to Abraham beforehand in the book of Genesis. In your seed, all the nations shall be blessed. As Galatians 3.16 says, he didn't refer to him as seeds as of many, but he says seed. He says seed, referring to Christ, Galatians 3.16. So, according to the eternal purpose of God, He has, again I say, chosen a people to give to the Son, according to John 6, you know, John 6, 35, 37, to give to the Son before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight, redeemed in time by the blood of the Lamb that was slain. That is the church that Jesus is building. He says, I will build my church. He says it now in time. But this is the fulfillment. This is the accomplishment. This is a declaration that resounds from and through eternity. That is, I will call a people together. I will summon a people. I will cut a people off to myself to be mine, to glorify my name. to bear my name forever and for holiness to the glory of the Father. And that started with Israel. And that is the house promised to David. The Lord says, your seed will build me a house, not you, and not you physically, okay? But your son, Christ, the son of David, the son of David. So God knew he was gonna call, summon the people to himself for glory. Okay, just as he says in Romans 8, and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he predestined, these he also called. Whom he called, these he also justified. And whom he justified, these he also glorified. And did you see that? Did you see that these verses are all in past tense? So it was, it was decreed. before the foundation of the world, that those who were called by God, summoned by God, redeemed by God, by the blood of the Lamb, by the blood of the Lamb slain for the foundation of the world, would be called, justified, sanctified, glorified. Glorified. So, that's because the ecclesia, the called out ones, You know, the term set apart, called out of, I always say that this is a call to holiness. When we say this is the church, it's not a group of people who are, I don't know, struggling to be saved. It is a group of people justified, justified, being sanctified, and glorified. That means being set apart by the Lord It is a call. It is an action that calls us to holiness, that demands holiness. Let me say it that way. That demands holiness. And it is a call of sanctification because the Lord has sanctified us. He cut us off the world, off of the world and put us apart to live differently, to live a transformed life, to be Conform the image of his son and all these aren't past tense. That's a done deal And now we're in the process of it. So this we know as part of the glorious eternal purpose of God that should Energize us to walk in holiness and in love and in joy in adoration Do you see that? So so we are standing living or sleeping every day waking up in the midst of an eternal eternal course of action in an eternal work that the Lord is doing. We're part of God's eternal purposes. And sometimes we take it so lightly. We don't remember that. That is glorious. That is supremely, no joke, that is glorious. If you understand that God before the foundation of the world was glorious in and out of himself, and now he's calling us to take part of this glory, like Christ says in John chapter 17, so that we may get to know his glory, the glory that he had before the foundation of the world. Don't you think that is glorious? I think it is. Okay, I think it is. So who are the called out ones? Those whom he called, those whom he has, uh, those whom he foreknew. Who are they? Who are they? It's good to know. I'm going to read a passage in, uh, Ephesians chapter two. It's a pretty long passage, but bear with me. Well, Ephesians two says it all. Okay. to 1118. Therefore remember that you once Gentiles in the flesh who are called uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision made in the flesh by hands that at the time you were without Christ being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world. Who's talking about? Talking about the Gentiles here. But now in Christ Jesus, you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And he came and preached peace to you who were afar off, and to those as well who were near. For through him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. the father and my friend that is that is that is both jews and gentiles right there what that couldn't be clear that is both jews and gentiles so those whom he called those who those whom he called to be apart to set apart those whom he foreknew that includes jews and gentiles as we know romans 10 12 13 for there is no distinction between jew and greek for the same lord All is rich to all who call upon him for whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved Galatians 3 29 26 29 for you are all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ for as many of you have were baptized into Christ have put on Christ I mean not water baptism here. I mean baptized into Christ means Put in Christ hide yourself in Christ bury yourself in Christ Okay, as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ, like put on Christ as the robe of righteousness, there is neither Jew nor Greek. Important verse, very important verse. There is neither slave nor free. There is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, as the heirs according to the promise. If you're Christ, if you've been baptized in Christ, and put on Christ, and believe in Christ, and born again, justified, and sanctified, and glorified in Christ, as whom he for a new predestined for the foundation of the world, then you are Abraham C. As heir as well, according to the promise that includes Jews, and Gentiles, and any nation in the world. That is the church of Jesus Christ. Everybody Jews and Gentiles and any nation that there is on the face of the earth whoever Calls upon the name of the Lord with faith in repentance shall be saved shall be saved and be part of the Church of Jesus Christ Let me tell you that from the garden and Noah's Ark The ark itself which is a type of Christ. I tell you, in the Old Testament you always, almost always see a type of Christ goes hand in hand with a prototype of the church. You never pay attention to that. A type of Christ goes hand in hand with a group of people. A group of people that is either believing in it, hiding in it, trusting in it, Either the bronze serpent that was raised up for the salvation of Israel, either the ark, either the sacrifices, either the temple, either the tabernacle. Everywhere you see a type of Christ, you see prototypes of the church. You see people, a congregation, an assembly of people, either trusting, hiding, going with it, always hand in hand, almost always. Now when Christ says, um, um, I will build my church. It's like the old Testament was fully pregnant with imageries and prototypes of the church. Now Christ announced it and then it is given birth to physically in the new Testament on the day of Pentecost. It's like a delivery. Now we can see it physically from now on on the day of Pentecost as Peter preached and the Holy Spirit came down on the Pentecost and Peter preached and 3,000 people came to repentance and faith and the church started Not only with the 120 in the upper room, but it started You know shortly with 3,000 people The way it is, I will build my church. That resounds, this declaration resounds from eternity. All throughout eternity before the foundation of the world that was part of God's eternal purpose. It is a declaration of eternal prospect in which God demonstrate the greatness, the magnanimity of his wisdom, of his power, his grace. that in Christ Jesus all nations would be blessed as he gave his people to himself for the glory of his name. So we pray that the Lord is being glorified in this little time we've been meditating on the word. So we'll see you next time but until then may the peace and the grace of God be with you all.