I'm always interested in learning as much as I can about men that I admire, men who have been such a blessing to my life, especially the men of the past. I'd like to know how God dealt with them as much as I can. And it's always intriguing to me. John Gill heard a sermon by his pastor when he was just a young man. Adam, where art thou? And God came seeking John Gill, gave him life and faith in our Redeemer. Robert Hawker was an Anglican preacher, Anglican priest in Plymouth, England, an Arminian, just terribly Arminian. And I just found out last night, I was reading very late, actually very early this morning, reading William Romaine's biography, that Romaine came to Plymouth on one occasion preaching the gospel of God's grace, And Hawker was offended. He preached Christ way too high and man way too low. And he went and had an interview with the preacher. And he came away with a different opinion and realized that you can't preach Christ too high and you can't preach man too low. May God be pleased tonight to give me grace to do just that. Open your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 3. And as God will enable me, I want to speak to you about the manifold wisdom of God in redemption. The manifold wisdom of God in redemption. Now our text will be verse 10, but let's begin by reading Ephesians chapter 3 and the whole chapter together. Ephesians chapter 3. First one, for this cause, the apostle writes, for this cause, I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ, for you Gentiles, he says now, for the cause of the gospel, for which I was made a minister, I'm the prisoner of Christ for you Gentiles. If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which is given me to you, have it by revelation. He made known unto me the mystery. as I wrote afore in a few words, that is, as I wrote to you already in these first chapters of this epistle, these few words in which he gives us the summary of the whole work of our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. Read on. I've written afore in a few words, whereby when you read them, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ. which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ by the gospel. This is the mystery. Nobody could get figured out. It was always God's purpose. that God's elect, Jew and Gentile, should be one in Jesus Christ, saved by Christ, redeemed by Christ. Read on, verse seven. whereof I was made a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. God made me a preacher. He did this by the gift of his grace. He did this by the effectual working of his power unto me who am less than the least of all saints. is this grace given, that I, of all people, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ. to the intent that unto the principalities and powers in heaven, that is to the angels of God, might be made known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness, with access, boldness and access with confidence. We have freedom of speech and confident access by the faith of him, by Christ obedient faith as our substitute, by our faith in him, by the gift of faith he works in us. We have access to God and confidence with boldness to come to him. Wherefore, I desire that you think not at my tribulations for you. which is your glory. For this cause, I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. I'm astounded that Paul uses the kind of language he does because it just intrigues me. He said, I beseech you that the Lord Jesus would, that he would cause you to hear and believe and that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory. He's telling us, I'm asking God to do for you. what God is able to do for you because He is God our Savior by His bounty, riches, and glory. Read on now. That He might grant you the strength of His Spirit and might in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints What is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height? And to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge. I want you to be filled with all the fullness of God. I want you to know the length, and breadth, and depth, and height of the love of God. I want you to know the love of Christ that passes knowledge. Now watch this. Now unto him. I'm sorry, verse 19. Know the love of Christ which passes knowledge that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now all of this, in these three chapters, Paul had been describing for us God's grace, the redemption work of our Lord Jesus Christ, the deliverance of our souls, from sin and death and corruption, from the curse of the law, into the blessed, glorious liberty of the sons of God in complete salvation. This is Paul's subject in these three chapters. Redemption by Christ is much more than just his death. It is our complete, full salvation because of His blood atonement, the efficacy of His blood, and the power of His grace, so that Christ Himself is made of God unto us redemption. Oh, the fullness of our Redeemer. Oh, the fullness of this redemption. Now look at verse 10. Paul tells us that it is God's purpose in this redemption, in making known to us the mystery of Christ, to the intent that now under principalities and powers in heavenly places, to the angels of God, to the angels of God, might be known by the church, manifold wisdom of God, so that the angels of God learn from us, from our experience of redemption and grace, and learn from our proclamation of the gospel God has taught us by his grace and we've experienced. They learn the manifold wisdom of God in redemption. The angels of God look to you and me in our experience of grace to behold and observe and learn the wisdom of God in saving centers such as we are. Imagine that. I have before me a picture. I have before me the picture of the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies and the seraphim the cherubs on both ends of the mercy seat, facing one another, their wings touching, but looking down upon the mercy seat. as if to describe exactly what Paul is here stating. The angels of God looking steadily upon the sacrifice of Christ, seeking to know the mystery and the wisdom and the glory of God in redemption. Those cherubs representing, of course, gospel preachers constantly looking into this mystery. I'm asking God to give me grace in my maturity, I hope, maybe maturity, to give me grace in what should be mature years and mature knowledge and mature understanding, to focus my mind and my heart upon the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. That's enough to occupy our thoughts. Enough to motivate our hearts. Enough to inspire our souls. Enough to reprove our sin, our unbelief, and our indifference. Enough to inspire songs of relentless praise and thanksgiving to Him. This wonder of redemption is the display of God's manifold wisdom. Now the apostle speaks here and says this was hidden in ages past. That does not mean that it was not known. It was not made known as it is now made known. In the Old Testament, God's purpose of grace for his elect, scattered through all the earth, was hidden in types and shadows and commandments of the law. so that it was hidden there from the world, but was made manifest by those very types and shadows to folks who believed God. So that when men who believed God came to God with a sacrifice, they came to God with a Passover lamb, they came looking for Christ the Passover, trusting Christ, our Passover, who sacrificed for us. Have you noticed as you read through the Old Testament scriptures, Every believing woman in the Old Testament wanted one thing from God. Every believing woman in all the Old Testament wanted one thing from God above everything else. Every one of them wanted a man child. Every one of them wanted a man child because they who believed God understood God's promise in Genesis 3 15. There's one coming who himself will be God in human flesh, who is the seed of woman. I'd like to be his mother. I'd like to be his mother." Every one of them seeking a man-child from the Lord. Remember when Eve begat Seth, she thought she'd gotten a man from the Lord. She'd gotten this man-child from the Lord. When she had Cain, she thought, this is the one. This is the one God promised me. She was mistaken, but she was hoping for that one who would come, the woman seed, to crush the serpent's head. So those things were hidden under types and shadows of the law from the world. They were hidden from the world at large. God hid these things from the whole Gentile world. There were just a few here and there to whom he sent a messenger who heard the gospel and believed the gospel. The rest of the Gentile world worships rocks, and gold, and silver, and wood, and stumps, and the moon, and stars, and creeping things of the earth. Those are the things our wise forefathers worshiped, because God hid these things. He would not make them known to the Gentile world. Our Lord Jesus said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and has revealed them unto babes. And the gospel of God's grace, this mystery of redemption, is still hidden from men who will not believe. Hidden from men because of sin, depravity, darkness, and death. How often have you said to yourself, or to others. Shelby and I were just talking in this regard yesterday, last night. How can people believe that? How can people believe that? How can anybody believe that? The fact is, unless God gives light, you can't see. And you will fall for anything unless God prevents it. Me too. You understand that? These things are hid from the wise and prudent. And they are hidden by God from men who refuse to believe. And they're hidden by God in reprobation from men who have brought upon themselves God's everlasting damnation and judgment because of their unbelief. but they're revealed now by the gospel, revealed plainly in the word of God, so that there's no excuse for unbelief. He said, Pastor, you just told us men can't believe unless God gives them faith. Men can't see unless God gives them light. That's exactly right. But they're so plainly written out in the book of God that unbelief is inexcusable. Men who will not believe, believe not because they will not believe. Our Lord Jesus speaks of that as the very crux of Holy Ghost conviction. He will convince you of sin. because you believe not on me. This is the crux of the matter. Men will not believe, but believing on the Lord Jesus, trusting Christ, now we see. We see the manifold wisdom of God in giving us such a Savior as Christ is. And let me show it to you in five or six ways. First, what marvelous wisdom there is. in the Lord God choosing his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be our redeemer, our substitute, our savior. When we read the scriptures and read about God's covenant and his mercy in the scriptures, God Almighty, before the world was, ordered a covenant. I'm getting over my head when I start talking about this. It's far beyond my comprehension, but it's revealed in this fashion in Scripture. The Lord God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost entered into covenant agreement for the salvation of His people, for the glory of His name, to display His glory. God created the world. God chose to save sinners. chose the sinners He would save, and chose His Son to be our Savior for the praise of the glory of His name. Oh, what greatness there is in God. What majesty there must be in God that we haven't yet begun to grasp. As I sat here thinking about making this statement to you, The blasphemy ran through my mind that runs through the minds of men immediately. What egotism there must be in God to make everything just for his glory. It would be egotism for any of us. God's greatness, God's majesty, God's infinite goodness is such that it is His glory to show you His glory. It is His own honor to show you His honor. It is His own goodness to make us know His goodness. No, no, no egotism with God, but rather mercy and grace. God, before the world was, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, set Himself on us in affection and love and chose a people whom He would redeem and save by His grace for the glory of His name. And the Lord Jesus stood forth as our surety. Paul has described this for us in the opening verses of the first chapter of this epistle. He says, I've told you this mystery in a few words. And believe me, it's a few words. You go back and read Jeremiah 31, and Paul just gave us in three verses what Jeremiah gave us in the whole chapter. He gives us the whole thing revealed of God's covenant mercy, I've been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, God accepting his son as our mediator, redeemer, substitute, and sacrifice before the world was. He accepted us in his son before the world was and blessed us with all spiritual blessings in his son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. And then the apostle says he did all this that we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ, who first trusted in Christ. The Lord God accepted his son as our substitute and our surety, and trusted to his son, the God-man mediator, as the man of redemption, He trusted his son with his glory, his purpose, and our souls. In whom you also trusted after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Oh, what wisdom that God should contrive a scheme of redemption involving the gift of his own son and the sacrifice of his own darling son in our stead. This is a scheme no mortal would ever conceive. This is a plan no human being would ever imagine, that God should become one of us and God should sacrifice the son of his love for the saving of his people. But there was no other way for God to be just and yet justify the ungodly. The only way it could be done was by one who is himself God and one who is fully man. One who is God and could never die becomes man and dies in our stead to satisfy the justice of God for us. Oh, what blessedness. Lord God accepted his son and says concerning his elect, deliver him from going down to the pit. I have found a ransom. And that ransom is Jesus Christ the Lord. I just read Daniel chapter six just a few minutes ago before I came out here. And Nebuchadnezzar, you remember, was enticed by some of his servants. They said, King, not Nebuchadnezzar Darius, was enticed by servants. He said, you make a decree. You make a decree that for the next 30 days, anybody who prays to any god other than you, or asks anything of anybody except you, be thrown into the lion's den. Man, Darius thought that's a good thing to do. But these fellows were after Daniel. And Daniel was caught praying. Daniel was fully aware of it, and he could have hidden himself, but Daniel threw open his windows and prayed like he always did, worshiping God like he always did, publicly identifying with God, though God was despised by the people and by the king. And when Darius found out what had happened, the scripture tells us that Darius diligently sought to the going down of the sun a way to deliver Daniel. And all night long, he was troubled, studying, trying to find a way to deliver Daniel. And he couldn't find a way. And the time came and somehow Darius said, Daniel, your God is able to deliver you. I can't do it. I can't do it. How he knew that, I don't know. Whether he knew that or not, I don't know, but that's what he said. Your God is able to deliver you. How can that be? Only if God takes your place and steps into the fiery furnace in your place. And they threw Daniel in the furnace of fire. I'm sorry, not the furnace of fire, in the lion's den. Threw Daniel in the lion's den. And the Lord God stopped the mouths of the lions. Darius elevated Daniel and worshipped God because God found a way to deliver him from the lion's den. The Lord God Almighty has found a way to fully satisfy his justice, to magnify his law and make it honorable. and still forgive us of our sins. And that's in the person of his darling son. That wisdom of God is manifest in the substitutionary sacrifice of God's dear son. Our Lord Jesus came into this world in our nature. God became a man. He who is immortal became mortal. He who is infinite became an infant. He who is the bread of life hungered for bread. He who is the water of life thirsted for water. This one who is the everlasting I am sat on a whale's side and was weary with his journey. He really became one of us, bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. And while He walked on this earth, He endured everything you and I endure in this world. All the trials and temptations and woes and pains that affect us and break our hearts, our Savior endured. while he walked on this earth. Imagine that. Imagine that. You and I have some difficulties. We have some struggles. Each of us with certain difficulties and certain struggles as prescribed by our heavenly father to make us useful to others. And he makes those struggles and difficulties and trials beneficial to ourselves so that we might be a blessing to others. But none of us endures them all. None of us. God has graciously allowed me some experiences of pain so that I can help folks who go through the same thing. God has allowed you some difficulties, some painful experiences that I don't know anything about so that you can help folks who go through the same thing. God's darling son, our savior, by the infinite wisdom of God, lived in this world a real man and suffered everything human beings suffer. Every temptation, every emotion of the heart, every pain without sin. Why did he do that? because it was necessary if he would be a merciful and faithful high priest that he'd be made like unto his brethren. And since he's endured all this, now he is touched with the feeling of our infirmity and able to succor them that believe. He's able to help with compassion. our needy souls, whatever the need is, and He graciously condescends to do so. Our Lord Jesus, this suffering one, tempted at all points like as we are, yet without sin, in all His life was our substitute. And while He walked on this earth, He fulfilled God's law in every detail, living by faith. bringing in everlasting righteousness. Mr. Spurgeon put it this way, all the days of his earthly sojourn, he was weaving a spotless garment of perfect righteousness. And when he came to the end of his life on this earth, he said, Father, I have finished the work thou gavest me to do. seeming to make a distinction between his life of obedience actively and his life of obedience in the sacrifice of himself. Because in John 19 30, just the next evening, he says it is finished when he had put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. So that our Lord Jesus, while he walked on this earth, all the while was weaving a garment of righteousness, perfect righteousness. perfect righteousness such as God requires, perfect righteousness such as God alone can give, Jesus Christ is that righteousness. He is Jehovah Sidkenu, the Lord our righteousness. We remember when the prodigal came home, the father took the fatted calf and slaughtered it, and he commanded that they bring a ring and put it on his son's hand, and shoes and put them on his feet, and bring the best robe and put it on his back. That's what Christ is. He is our robe of righteousness, the perfect robe of righteousness, and just the right fit. I'm an odd-shaped fellow. I've never been able in my life to go to the store and buy something off the rack that fit me except underwear. Nothing else. None of the coats, none of the shirts, none of the pants, nothing fits me. I've got bulges where the folks don't have them and bumps where the folks don't have them, I reckon, but all of them have to be altered. Everything has to be altered to fit me except this one garment. Jesus Christ is the perfect fit for this sinner, the perfect fit. His righteousness was made just for me, just for you who believe, and he puts it on us by his grace. But our Lord Jesus was also our substitute when he hung upon the curse tree. Oh, what wisdom. what marvelous wisdom God Almighty took his son and gave him a sacrifice for sin. And he alone was able to bear our sin in his body on the tree, all our sin. This man who is God. This man who is God, able to bear our sin in his body on the tree, all our sin, and bear the weight of divine judgment, justly do our sin. All the fury of God's holy wrath. All the fury of hell. all the judgment of God, all the justice of God's holy law, he's able to bear all the penalty for this man is God. This man is God. And when he who knew no sin and did no sin and could not sin was made sin, the Lord God unleashed all his fury on his son, poured out all his wrath on his son. And the Lord Jesus voluntarily took the cup. And like a thirsty man drinking cold water, because of his infinite love for his elect, because of his infinite love for sinners, because of his infinite love for me, because of his infinite love for you, my sister, my brother. With one tremendous draft of love, he did what he alone could do. He drank damnation dry. No angel could have dreamed of such a thing. The angels stand in wonder. I can almost imagine their silence when first they heard that for which God had created the world. I can almost imagine their shouts of praise. when the Lord Jesus had finished that for which he came into this world in human flesh. And to this day, I can hardly imagine this, the angels of God, all the host of heavenly angels, gather with us Merle with indescribably more interest than we have. Isn't that amazing? Isn't that amazing? With indescribably more interest than we have, they look into the redemption of our souls by Christ. Oh, God, give me grace that I might compete with the angels to know my redeemer. that I might compete with the angels to know your goodness to me, etc. And that being made the recipient of grace, I might learn to trust you and adore you. This is the manifold wisdom of God by which God displays all his attributes, all his glory, all his majesty, all the wonder of his being in one thing, the salvation of sinners by the doing and dying of Jesus Christ. Now, one last thing. You can look at it later, Philippians chapter three. God's great wisdom is marvelously manifested in this blessed redemption by Christ in having exalted his son and seated him at his own right hand in heavenly places and having given him power over all flesh to give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. Like you, I follow some of the political stuff going on around us with concern. I fret about it far more than I ought to. If I fret about it at all, I fret about it more than I ought to, far more than I ought to. Because none of us, none of us, and none of the folks that I know running for political office, none of them are fit to do it. None of them are fit to handle the job. Not one of them. Not one of them. Oh, God Almighty, blessed be His name, put the universe in the hands of one who's fit to rule it and rule it right. And He does. He rules the universe for the praise of His glory. That one who is trusted of God to do it. In whom you also trust Him. Do you? Do I? Oh, God give us grace to trust Him. In whom you also trust Him. After that, you heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation. This is the wisdom of God. Jesus Christ is of God, made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Made of God unto us redemption, complete deliverance. Whatever's involved in the fall, Whatever's involved in sin, whatever's involved in the curse of God's holy law and justice, whatever's involved in God's requirements of righteousness and satisfaction, Whatever's involved in the new birth and the gift of life by God's grace, whatever's involved in resurrection of the body and everlasting glory, that's what Christ is made of God unto us. Complete deliverance. by the purchase of his blood, by the power of his grace, and by the purpose of his goodness. God make it yours for Christ's sake. Amen.