Good morning. Raise my thinking, raise my view, seated together with you, Lord. Raise my thinking, raise my view, seated together with you, Lord. You, Lord, the great creator, one God, a mediator, defending on my behalf, interceding in God's right hand, I'll be Free from fear and worry Not anxious or in a hurry When I set my mind on the things above Focused on your grace and love Grace my thinking, grace my view, seated together with you, Lord. Grace my thinking, grace my view, seated together with you, Lord. You, Lord, the great creator, one God, a mediator, depending on my behalf. In His seating, He does right, and I'll be free from fear. Fear and worry, not anxious or in a hurry When I set my mind on the things above Focused on your grace and love Faith and hope and love Good morning, everybody. Good morning, Les. Nice to see you. Matt, Greg, all you people. We're strangers and aliens in the earth. I could not feel more like one this morning. Pray for me. I had a bad night. Sick. I pray that it won't end in death. I feel like I'm gonna die sometimes. I think we all do, don't we? I think we are gonna die, most of us. Unless the Lord comes, takes us up all at once. Somebody said pray for a mass healing, because there's a lot of people that are sick. It's that time of year. You know, just before Thanksgiving and Christmas, you know. So let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father, we just thank you for each portion in the body of Christ, that we have the opportunity, the privilege to support one another, to pray for one another, to encourage one another. Father, thank you for this so great salvation and the treasure, the hidden treasure within. who is Christ himself living in us, indwelling us, who is the hope or expectation and anticipation of our glorification. Father, we thank you that you foreknew each one, predestinated each one to be conformed into the image of your Son, and He called us, justified us through faith alone in Christ alone, and will glorify us in the end. Not one escape your notice, not one from the beginning of history did you not track to the end, to bring them to yourself, to draw them by your Son. And we just thank you that we are those to whom all these things apply. Thank you for your word, blessed as it goes forth this morning, as you always do, as you must for it is the mind or thinking of your son, and our Savior, our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. In his name we pray, amen. I've entitled the message this morning, not that, All Israel Shall Be Saved. This is a mysterious thing in the scriptures. All Israel will be saved in Romans chapter 11, but we're gonna start with Colossians 1.24, Sunday, November 24th, 2019. Colossians 1.24, just some general comments about the spiritual life, about rejoicing. Paul says, now I rejoice in my sufferings. for your sake. What's that mean? That doesn't sound right, does it? I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake. My sufferings help you, your sufferings help me. So we're really helping each other this morning, aren't we? Suffering for each other. I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake. Paul says, and in my body, in my flesh, I do share. On behalf of his body, we're all in this thing together, the apostles, the pastors, the people, all of us in it together, I do share on behalf of his body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. That doesn't mean Christ did not suffer enough. What it means is there's things held over, identificational suffering, things you're going to go through as a Christian as you progress in the Christian spiritual life. These things are inevitable. Opposition, persecution, etc. Things appointed. for your growth, like suffering. Suffering will make you grow, because it makes you cleave to the Lord and to seek his power and his help at all times. In our weakness, we are made strong. And he says, my strength is perfected in your weakness. I don't know if you've experienced that personally. Uh-huh. Now? Yeah, right now. I'm experiencing that. So the Christian life's not a natural life, and it's certainly not a religion. Religion is man's attempt to please an angry God, and our God's not angry. He's been satisfied by Christ, and so he loves us, and has offered us the best life as possible this side of eternity, and then after, we leave the sod of this earth. a life that is beyond anything that we could think, ask, or imagine. It's not a natural life, and it's certainly not a religion. The things that occur are not natural occurrences, and nothing is without meaning. Nothing in your life is without meaning. Every day and everything each day that you do or encounter has meaning, and life lessons are abundant when the Word defines your circumstances or situations. Opportunities to trust God abound through adversity, through conflict, through unexpected things, even bizarre things. Nothing is everyday or mundane. Nothing is without purpose or meaning. Cleaning the house, washing the car, cutting the grass, shoveling snow, grocery shopping, babysitting, blow drying your hair, brushing your teeth, even going to the bathroom, are chock full of meaning. When your soul is filled overflowing with the word, and you're filled with the spirit, you start your day the Jesus way, all things are very, very meaningful. When Christ is the center of one's life, A bowl of cereal is a wonderful blessing. Paying the electric bill is a joyful occasion. Praying for your neighbors, greeting the mailman or garbage crew is a privilege of immense proportion. When Christ is your life, living is Christ, and dying is gain. When Christ is your life, You love and appreciate the members of your family. Men, you love and appreciate your wife and treat her tenderly even if she resists you. You're happy even when the car breaks down because you can take it to Les and he'll fix it for free. Right, Les? Something like that. More or less. And even if the bank forecloses on your mortgage, you can live with Dan and Judy. How wonderful is that? They'll build you up every day. And Dan will make waffles for you. And Keurig coffee. It's an open invitation, right? No, no, he said no, no it's not. They'll pick and choose. I'm kidding. That's just called levity. It worked for once. On gray days as well as on sunny days, God's gracious plan revealed in the word makes every day a special occasion. And we don't want to miss one of them. Verse 25, that was, I rejoice in my suffering. Verse 25, of this church, Paul says, the church which is his body, of this church, the church of Christ. I don't know why people name churches after themselves or ministries after themselves, they all and only belong to Christ. Christ's church, grace of truth that came by Jesus Christ, that's why we named it this, radically centered on the grace of God. and the truth of his word. It's all about Christ. Paul says, we preach Christ, warning every man, teaching every man, that we might present every man complete in Christ. Of this church, I was made a deacon, diakonos, the official use of the word, which means a minister, means a communicator, a pastor. In Paul's case, an apostle, with the message of Christ. the ministry of Christ, and the power of Christ working marvelously through him, the grace of Christ. I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit. So that I might, now when you read this in your Bible, it sounds like Paul says I preach the whole counsel of God, which he does, but that's not what he's saying here. He says that I might fill full the word of God. Preaching of is not in there, the preaching of is not in there, but fill full the word of God. Paul is on a mission from God with a message from God so fantastic that nothing that happens can mitigate his excitement and his personal sense of destiny. Paul gets to complete the revelation of God in Christ and put the capstone on the scriptures with his 13 epistles. And we get to learn them and live them out and are no less blessed than he is. See, the question is, do you know how blessed you are? Has it dawned yet? And another question is, that follows, is do you even know what you have? Well, we're gonna tell you what you have in verse 26. He says, I'll read 25 again. Of this church I was made a minister according to stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, that I might fill full, cap off the word of God. The final revelation. That is the mystery. musterion, mystery, that which was hidden and has now been revealed. That is, the mystery which has been hidden from past ages and generations, but has now been made manifest, unveiled to his saints to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, Gentiles, sometimes that throws us, and that's what we're talking about today. What is a Gentile? In the Hebrew they were goyim, just means nations. The riches of glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you. The hope, anticipation or expectation of glory or your glorification. It can happen at any moment. So you have a secret. A glorious one. Do you know what it is? Christ is in you. and you are hit with Christ in God. In Colossians 3.3, we'll get there eventually, fantastic portion of scripture. So, if this is true, and it is, oh how we need to know it. Part of it is this, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs with believing Jews. As a matter of fact, God populated the earth from the early centuries B.C., from 726 B.C. up through the birth of Christ, populated the earth with the seed of Abraham, through Isaac, who blessed Jacob, who was the younger of two twins, though only by minutes was he younger, The older twin, Esau, joined the other offspring of Abraham that would not be heir to the kingdom. Though they too are Abraham's descendants through Ishmael. See, it's about Abraham's descendants. Remember also that all men came from Adam in the first place. So is there any real distinction? Not at all. The only distinction is faith in the person of Christ. All men came from Adam. And then when one man named Noah and his family were spared, all others were spawned from him. And the blessing was passed to his son Shem. That is the right of primogenitor or the blessing of the firstborn. Though all were descendants, of Adam and Noah. From Ham and Japheth, the two other sons of Noah, the nations were formed, even the Canaanite people, who were destroyed when Israel re-entered the land. All of them direct relatives of Noah, most being disconnected from God by their unbelief and pagan worship that stemmed from the Tower of Babel. Remember the Tower of Babel? and that counterfeit system of religion that was crafted there that the rest of the world would pursue to the end of time. It's alive and well today, and it will be to the end of time, until it's suddenly and finally destroyed. That is mystery Babylon the Great, the mother of all harlots and every abomination on earth. It's right in the midst of us. Jesus talked about it in the parables of the kingdom of the heavens, in the mustard bush, and also in the three measures of meal, leavened, till all was leavened. From this satanic system, God called Abraham right from Babylon, that's where he was, in Ur the Chaldees, which is Babylon, and led him to a place where he could have his undivided attention. Abraham didn't do anything. He only was willing to listen and believe, to believe in Christ, and therefore he was the ideal candidate to head a new species of humanity, saved humanity, that God promised to bless and preserve to the end of time. Central to that blessing, right in the center of that blessing, of course, was the coming of the humanity of Jesus Christ, promised from the earliest time in the Garden, Genesis 3.15 in the Protoevangelium, that the seed of the woman would destroy the headship of the serpent. Central to the blessing was the coming of the humanity of Christ, who would be born from a female descendant of Abraham through Isaac, through Jacob, through Judah, through David. It was Joseph's, remember Joseph's in Egypt, he's the emperor except in title only, and Joseph's younger son, Ephraim, who Jacob adopted, he said, these two children, Ephraim and Manasseh, shall be mine, even as Reuben and Simeon are mine. That's his first two born, he replaced them with Joseph's two first born Egyptian born sons. Joseph's younger son, Ephraim, who was blessed first, he was the younger one. and had the blessing passed to him and then through him, down through all the peoples of Israel into the people of Europe, into the people of these United States of America. How blessed are we? So Ephraim, who Jacob adopted and conferred the right of primogenitor, who would after the death of Moses, rise to power by grace and through faith, and produce the leader who would take Israel into the promised land. He was an Ephraimite from Joseph's younger son, Ephraim. His name was Hoshea, but Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, that's N-U-N, like a nun, Joshua. That is the very namesake of our Lord and his humanity. Numbers 13.8, from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun, who Moses called Joshua. Hoshea means salvation. Joshua means Yahweh is our Savior. In Matthew 1.18, now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, Before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife of the child who has been conceived in her as of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son. and you shall call his name, this is our Christmas message, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Yeshua is Jesus. He will save his people from their sins. Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet Isaiah 7.14. Behold, Isaiah 7.14, behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son. and they shall call his name Immanuel, which translated means God among us or with us. Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a son. And he called his name Yahshua, Jesus. Under Joshua, the tribe of Ephraim would be blessed above the rest as the 13th tribe a new tribe, and the name by which all of Israel, the ten northern kingdoms, or the ten tribes of the northern kingdom, would be called. All of them together were called Ephraim, because it was the leading tribe. After Solomon's forty-year reign, you have to think back and you have to have a frame of reference in history, 930 B.C. David lived in 1000 B.C. and lived seventy years. And then Solomon took over 930 BC to 890 BC, reigned for 40 years. Rehoboam, Solomon's son, who followed him as king, you'll recall the story, alienated the people and 10 tribes, all but Judah and Benjamin, seceded from the union and a civil war broke out that would last 176 years. in a succession of evil kings. The northern tribes from Jeroboam, the first king, to another Hoshea, who was the final king in 726 BC, the northern kingdom of Israel called Ephraim would be conquered by the Assyrians and all of the people removed from the land of Israel and dispersed among the nations. That's what occurred. It's a beautiful thing God has done. In 2 Kings 17.22, I know I've said this and told you this and read this before, but I want it to sink in so that you can have the insight that you need to know who you are. and to look forward with great anticipation to your glorification. Second King, 1722, the sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam, which he did. They did not depart from them until the Lord removed Israel from his sight as he spoke through all of his servants of prophets. So Israel was carried away into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day. The king of Assyria brought men from Babylon and from Kuta and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. We used to say that the Samaritans were half-breeds. They weren't half-breeds. They were complete foreigners from other places that replaced the people of Israel in the territory of the northern kingdom. Then it says, so they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities. That's the prophecy of Jacob regarding Ephraim, this was done in Egypt when he blessed them, would come to pass. It's Genesis 48, verse 17. When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on Ephraim's head, it displeased him. He crossed his hands, so his right hand was on the head of the youngest. And he grasped his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. And Joseph said to his father, not so. Joseph said to his father, not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn. Place your right hand on his head. But his father refused and said, I know, my son, I know. He also will become a people, and he also will be great. However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of goyim. nations, a multitude of goyim, ethnos, gentiles, nations. He blessed them that day saying, by you Israel will pronounce blessings saying, may God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh. Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh. These are the goyim. That's what the Jews will call you, a goyim, a gentile, an ethnic, a Gentile from the stock of Ephraim, that's where they came from, and Israel, dispersed into all the world, who God would send Paul to gather up in Jesus Christ. That's who he sent him to gather. Granted, after a millennia, at the coming of Christ and in the first century, their identity as original Israelites was all but lost. God kept track of every one of them. It was after the Assyrian exile that many who had become citizens of Assyria, still bearing the stigma of their Jewish heritage, and also many of its dietary and sanitary practices, would cross over the Caucasus Mountains and thus be known as Caucasians. That's what Caucasians are, those who cross the Caucasus mountains. Not white people, Caucasians. And migrate throughout the European continent, mingle with the native populations, many of whom, of these people, were very gifted and savvy individuals, as most Jews are. Gifted by God in that way, right? You betcha. And, would become Christians. God targeted them. They'd become Christians. How? By the Western movement of the gospel. And to such remained objects, still objects, of satanic persecution. He would chase them all the way to the extremity. European continent. So you have to flee to a new promised land, a new world. Once they reach the extremity of the European continent, these would become the pilgrims and pioneers who would travel to the new world. How did they get there? They were inspired to go there by the 13 epistles of the 13th apostle. And when they got there, it would form 13 colonies. And unlike their forebears, who entered the promised land, who never possessed the full land, the land grant given to Abraham, these would do so in America and possess the land from sea to shining sea to become greater than their older brother, Great Britain, as America, the nation of many nationalities, gathered together by the glorious good news of Paul's preaching, to be the mystery entity called the Church. Not just Americans, but the Church, and all others everywhere who believe in Yahshua, Jesus Christ, as God and Savior. In my very long career, so far, not really long from God's perspective, but man's perspective, it's been a long career, of failure and studying the Scriptures, and correlating passages, studying prophecy, tracing these leads throughout scriptures, I come to no other conclusion but this, that all those people, in the end, are Jewish. You make up your own mind. And to see the consummation of the unilateral promise of Jesus Christ, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ephraim, and David, to bless all nations by his power and election, to die and rise, to purchase the field where he buried the treasure to keep it safe until the end, when all things will be gathered up in Christ, to the eternal praise of the glory of his grace for the spontaneous and never-ending worship of our awesome God and Savior, whose name is Yahshua, Jesus, God, our Savior. Deuteronomy 4.32, Moses told the children of Israel this before they went into the land. Indeed, ask now concerning the former days which were before you. since the day that God created man on the earth and inquire from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything been done like this great thing or has anything been heard like it? Has any people heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of a fire? As you have heard and survived, or as God tried to go and take for himself a nation from within another nation by trials, by signs and wonders, by war and by a mighty hand, by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors as the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes, to you it was shown that you might know that the Lord he is God and there is no other besides him. Out of the heavens he let you hear his voice, to discipline you, and on earth he let you see his great fire, and you heard his words from the midst of the fire. Because he loved your fathers, therefore he chose their descendants after them. And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power, driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in and to give you their land for an inheritance as it is today. Know therefore today and take it to your heart that the Lord, He is God, in heaven above and on earth below, and there is no other. Harkens back to our message last week. Isaiah 45, 18 says, For thus says the Lord who created the heavens. He is the God who formed the earth and made it. He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited. I am the Lord, and there is no one else. I have not spoken in secret in some dark land. I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, seek me in a waste place. I, the Lord, speak righteousness, declaring things that are upright. Gather yourselves and come. Draw near together, you fugitives of the nations. They have no knowledge who carry about their wooden idol and pray to a God who cannot save? Declare and set forth your case. Indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the Lord Yahweh, and there is no other God beside me, a righteous God and a Savior? There is none except me. Turn to me and be saved, O ye ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other. I have sworn by myself the word has gone forth from my mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to me every knee will bow and every tongue will swear allegiance. They will say of me only in the Lord are righteousness and strength. Men will come to him, and all who are angry at him will be put to shame. In the Lord, all the offspring of Israel, will be justified and will glory. This nation that we call home is the nation of many nationalities, blessed with an unprecedented abundance, raised up by Jesus Christ to evangelize the world like no other nation, including Israel, has ever done. Be a beacon of light and a preservative influence, to protect Israel and to be used to re-establish Israel once again as a nation, May 14, 1948, a nation of prominence after 1,878 years, 1,878 years of non-existence as a nation, which is required for the final fulfillment of end time events, to prepare the world for the events of the end The U.S. and Israel, just a little background, a little sociology and economics, the U.S. and Israel have the highest income per capita and the highest standard of living anywhere in the world, and it is nearly twice that of all other countries, which takes into account the poorest and the wealthiest combined. The U.S. mean income does not take into account the very rich, because we have so many billionaires. which if averaged in, Bill Gates isn't part of it, Donald Trump isn't part of it. But if averaged, would double the per capita income of Israel and certainly any other nation that could be named. So what does all this mean? What it means is this, we have the means to bless many others. We have the freedom to follow Christ and share his love with the world. We know his grace. And we do not think in any way that we're better than anybody else. Grace will do that, keep you grounded. But in our weakness, we're made strong. Our confidence in Christ gives us great boldness to proclaim the good news of eternal salvation and the reality of a new life through faith in him as God and our Savior. Can he make all things new? You bet he can. He specializes in it. to make you new and me new. We are ambassadors of Christ with the message of reconciliation and the means to take it to the world. Enfolded in the mystery is the strange and wonderful story that dawns that you come to after much study and learning and make sense of the scriptures both Old and New Testament regarding Israel and the church. Though human heritage does not matter, it will be seen in the end. I mean, it doesn't matter from the human side. And it just so happens, this is how God did it. Though human heritage does not matter, it will be seen in the end that God gave Abraham what was promised to him. What was that? A company of descendants. too great to count, more numerous than the sand of the sea and the stars of the heavens, from every tribe, every nation, every tongue, and every people. Everyone traced back to Abraham and tracked forward to the end of human history, or forwards this way, to the end of human history. How else can you figure that everyone who was foreknown, predestinated, called, justified, and glorified would get there in the end. How else? That wasn't something that happened once you were born, no, but happened before time and memoriam in the mind of God. In Matthew 13, Jesus tells a story under a special category of prophecy called, entitled, The Mystery of the Kingdom from the Heavens. Number one, we have the mystery of the sower, the seed and the soils. Number two, the mystery of the wheat and the tares. Number three, the mystery of the mustard tree. Number four, the mystery of the leaven in three measures of dough. And I've kind of changed my position on this one because leaven can stand for influence and effect, either good or evil. I understood before it was evil, but not necessarily. It could be good or evil. And then number five, the mystery of the treasure, which is hidden in the field. Number six, the mystery of the pearl of great price. And number seven, the mystery of the dragnet. All of these tell the story. of how God would draw men to Jesus Christ and bring to himself those he knew from all eternity would believe in Christ, and therefore, by his plan in history, ensuring that occurrence in individual lifetimes. He did it by the word, that's the seed of the sower, by planting and placing men, like in the wheat and tares, within borders and next to those who are not real as counterfeits, and in the end harvesting the true and destroying the false. That's how he would do it. By the growth and influence of the church, that is the mustard seed becomes the largest tree in the garden, and the birds of the air roost in its branches. By the growth and influence of the church, the evil and the good, the true and the false, You have to have both to find the truth. You have to know what's false if you're gonna find the truth. And you find the truth after you've looked through and sort out what is false. By hiding them, this is the treasure hidden in the field, by hiding his people in the world amidst the nations, and in the end, unearthing them and taking them up. by hiding them in the depths of the sea, crossing oceans where no one could find them, and by the extremity of Christ's sacrifice, selling all that he had, buying and owning them, making them, by his suffering, a priceless gem or pearl. And then by catching them with a net of gospel preaching, and in the end, separating the true from the false. That's how he does it. Verse 28 of our passage, back to Colossians 1.28, we proclaim him admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to his power, which mightily works within me. Here we have the mystery in Romans 11.25, for I do not want you to be uninformed or ignorant of this mystery, my brothers and sisters, so that you will not be wise in your own estimation that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the gloin, the Gentiles, has come in. And then what does he say in verse six? And so all Israel, will be saved. They're included in the hard-hearted Israel and the fullness of the Gentiles, and so all Israel will be saved. And thus, he says, literally, all Israel will be saved just as it stands written. He will come. Does that mean everyone who's of Israeli stock will be saved? No, but everyone who is saved will be from Israel. It stands written, he will come from Zion, who will? The Deliverer, the Rescuer, the Ruamai, Rumenos, and will turn away ungodliness from Jacob. Jacob and the 12 tribes. 13 with Ephraim. Just as it is written, the Deliverer will come from Zion, he will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is my covenant with them. when I take away their sins. From the standpoint of the gospel, they seem to be enemies. But that's for your sake, your benefit. But from the standpoint of God's choice, they're beloved. For the sake of the fathers, this is important. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. God said it, he'll do it. There's only 13 million Jews, people that know that there are Jews in the world today. That's far less than the sand on the seashores and the stars in the heavens, isn't it? Oh yes. Far, far less than that. That doesn't fulfill Abraham's, the promise made to Abraham. But this does. For the gifts of the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you once were disobedient to God, now you've been shown mercy. because of their disobedience. So these also now have been disobedient because of the mercy shown to you. They also may now be shown mercy, for God has shut up all in disobedience, that he may show mercy to all. Oh, the depths, Paul can't help but do this. He's flabbergasted. Oh, the depths of the riches of both the wisdom and the knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments, and unfathomable, untraceable, inscrutable are his ways. In Romans 16.25, Paul says, now to him who was able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the scripture of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all nations, leading to the obedience of faith, to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen. 1st Corinthians 2.7, we do speak wisdom in a mystery, that is, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory. The wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood, for if they'd understood it, they would not have crucified. The Lord of glory, But just as it is written, things which eye has not seen, ear has not heard, and have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him, for to us God revealed them through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. Those are the things that are freely given in Christ. 1 Corinthians 15.51, behold, I show you a mystery. We will not all sleep. but we will all be changed. In a moment, the twinkling of an eye, the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. Death will be swallowed up in victory. Oh, death, where is your sting? Oh, grave, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, the power of sin is in the law. Ephesians 1.9, He, Christ, made known to me, mystery of his will according to his kind intention which he purposed in him with a view to the administration suitable to the fullness of times that is we studied this last week the summing up of all things in Christ things in the heavens things on earth in him also we have obtained an inheritance having been predestined according to his purpose who works all things after the counsel of his will. He's able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. Ephesians 3.3, that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery as I wrote before in brief, 2 Corinthians 12. By referring to this, when you read, you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ. which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the spirit. To be specific, the nations are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel of which I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace which was given to me according to the working of his power. In Ephesians 5.32, this mystery is great, and I'm speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Our passage, Colossians 1.25, of this church I was made a minister, according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me, for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the word of God, or fill full the word of God. That is, the mystery which has been hidden from past ages and generations has now been manifest to his saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 2.1, for I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf. And for those who are at Laodicea, he must be talking to us. This is the Laodicean age. And for all those who have not personally seen my face, that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in the true knowledge of God's mystery, Christ himself, his condescension, his supereminent exaltation. Seated at the right hand of the Father, a man on the throne of the universe, glorified man. In 2 Thessalonians 2.7, he says, the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains will do so until he was taken out of the way. Jesus said in Matthew 16.18, I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Might seem like it is, but it's not. Not the true church. And he's gathering up all those that he scattered abroad. 1 Timothy 3.16, indisputably, without argument, inarguably, fantastic is the mystery of godliness. I told you Christ is the mystery of God. He who was revealed in the flesh was justified in the spirit seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations. believed on in the world, taken up in glory, even as we will be, as the church. All who are saved, I didn't say he'll save all Israel, all that are related to Abraham, but all who are saved are of Israel, all of them. Not by replacing Israel with the church, that's called replacement theology, which is gain new popularity, it's not so. not by replacing Israel with the church, but by making Israel the church, making Israel the church, as only God could do. Not at all as preterism espouses, cutting off Israel as a man would do, which is clearly and blatantly human viewpoint. God would never do that, can't. He can't change or change his mind. Not by the casting away of racial Israel, but by the sowing of Israel into the world, into the nations. Populating the world, the Gwim, the ethnos, the Gentile nations, mixed and mingled with the seed of Abraham. who is Christ, Christ in you, the hope of glory, indwelling each one, known of God from all eternity, kept by the power of God unto glorification in the end, hiding them there in Christ, taking them through the depths many by agency of America, protecting them, prospering them, and saving them in the end along with the entire surviving remnant, that is at the second coming of Christ through great tribulation. That's how the final block comes in. Causing them to survive every plague, every war, every holocaust, every assault, and gathering them up in Christ according to the irrevocable calling and election of God's grace for his glory. What a story, what a God, what a Savior. Now you know, should know, how to answer those who have taken the bait of late and left the truth of the mystery of Christ and His body, the church, which is the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. Before any of us were born, our names were written in heaven, weren't they? and he knew every one of Abraham's descendants. He traced them all the way back and all the way to the end of human history. Colossians 1.24, now I rejoice in my suffering for your sake and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of his body which is the church and filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit that I might fill full the word of God. that is the mystery which has been hidden from past ages, hidden in the earth, hidden in the sea, and generations, but has now been manifested to his saints, to whom God willed to make known what are the riches of glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him admonishing every man, teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to his power, which mightily works. within me. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for this amazing perspective that comes up and out from the scriptures when we see how magnificent you are and how powerful you are and how your purpose in world history must be according to your perfect essence and will stand in the end, in the end day when Christ stands upon the earth to show that all these things... Why would men be so absolutely flabbergasted and fall down before you. And since we do not see and do these things now or see how remarkable they truly are, but Father, open our hearts and open our eyes that we might behold wondrous things like these out of your word. They are so utterly and ultimately motivating. that we can see this and how you did all these things according to your perfect plan, purpose, and will for your glory, for the glory and honor of our great God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Vicki, if you would get ready, if I could have my ushers, please, Father. Bless the offering today and the final moments of our service, and singing praise to you, our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. In his name we pray, amen. We could all stand.