-Transcript-
00:35 Amen, welcome to the cafe. Thank you for joining me. It’s good to be here today.
00:41 Hope you’re having a great week, great month, a great year, great everything. It’s just so good to be here today to have you with me to dive into God’s Word. Amen.
00:50 That’s what we’re here for and look we’ll get right to it. Amen. This week we’ve been in Ephesians chapter 1 looking at this idea of the down payment from God and the idea that we are bought with a price and the idea that we are bond slaves or prisoners of Christ and how Paul so elegantly helps us understand all these principles that God has us living today.
01:19 People say, oh the Bible was written so long ago. No, literally this is about today. It’s about today because if you’ve been saved you have Him, He, the Holy Spirit living within you and if you haven’t been saved you can have him, he, the Holy Spirit living within you and once you have that Holy Spirit your life will never be the same and God is telling you through his Word that look, I’m giving you a down payment of what’s to come.
01:43 Ephesians 1:13-14, in whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation in whom also after that ye believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto thepraise of his glory. And so we see that that Holy Spirit is the one that’s living within those that believe on Christ. We see that it is a good faith deposit.
02:10 Amen. It is a surety. It is a person that has made himself responsible for another.
02:15 That is what Christ did as a bondsman. Okay, a bondsman. And so He said I’m going to pay their sin debt that they can’t pay and a bondsman what they do is they’re covering that debtor’s failure and they are compelled to pay for that debt or damages and that’s what Father God sent Jesus Christ to do on the cross.
02:34 It’s what Christ did on the cross. Past tense. Amen.
02:39 He died for your sins. It’s already been done. He’s presenting a free gift of salvation.
02:43 You’re willing to accept it. You believe that you have a sin debt you can’t pay. You believe that you’re a sinner and that’s hard to admit.
02:48 Pride gets in the way. Arrogance gets in the way. The world gets in the way.
02:52 Family could get in the way. Even the church can get in the way of anyone thinking anything’s wrong with them. But if we don’t believe something is wrong with us we’ll never be saved.
03:00 And that is why there’s debate about things like the depravity of man. Are we depraved? Right? And some people say oh no no man is generally good and everything’s fine. Well if you believe man is generally good and everything’s fine you get in the Bible there I believe it’s the book of Isaiah where we’re told that our righteousness man’s righteousness is as filthy rags as dirty gauze pads to God.
03:24 The idea of the substitutionary death is debated. The idea that Christ actually had to die on the cross for mankind is debated. Which is ridiculous because if Christ is God He didn’t have to die on the cross.
03:36 He obediently did. Why would he offer his life if not for to save the lost? Amen. Which is clearly what he says throughout Scripture.
03:47 All Scripture is so clear once you simply believe it at face value and have faith that God is who he says He is and He’s a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. To quote Hebrews 11:6. And so we see that God has a plan for us. That we are bought by the blood of purchased.
04:06 And that He gives us the Holy Spirit as that down payment of what we will receive in heaven. And we see that the Holy Spirit is a He. He is the third part of the Holy Trinity.
04:14 The fullness of God. The Godhead. The three-in-one God.
04:17 The triune God. And that God has this great plan for us to take us out of darkness into light. And we see that while we’re saved oftentimes it’s difficult to reckon or calculate what on earth is going on.
04:31 Because you get saved. You believe on Christ. As I mentioned you realize your sin nature.
04:36 You realize your need for a Savior. You say okay fine Lord here it is. I believe on you.
04:42 I have faith on you. I have faith in you. And then what happens? The flesh starts warring against you.
04:45 The devil starts warring against you. It seems like your world’s collapsing. And you don’t understand.
04:50 You thought hey I got saved. I should be living in victory. Right? You hear preachers talk about that.
04:55 And that is a true thing. And I wish I had time to get into that. But living in victory is not how many Christians feel today.
05:02 Many Christians feel defeated. Pushed around. Condemned.
05:07 Ostracized. Depressed. Struggling.
05:10 Stressed. Sick. And all these things.
05:16 And you say oh my goodness what happened? Well first of all biblically historically when you read about those saints of God in the Bible many of them didn’t really have great cushy lives. I mean you read about David you know and especially when Saul was trying to kill him and all of the craziness that went on before he established the kingdom there. He didn’t exactly have a just buttery smooth ride.
05:35 He was living pretty harsh. And that’s a man after God’s own heart. Look at Job.
05:42 He had to face many difficulties and he was perfect before God. Look at all of the saints of God and what they suffered. Many of them suffered greatly.
05:51 And so we understand here that suffering is part of the Christian experience. And that Paul writes about this in Romans 8 that if we’re going to suffer with Christ we’ll then be rewarded with him. And we also see in Romans 8 that part of this that we can clear up today.
06:08 That we can help understand. That I could maybe help people understand here today. Is it’s normal to go through trials and tribulations and the Bible addresses that.
06:18 Romans 8:23 And not only they but ourselves also which have the firstfruits of the Spirit. That’s the Holy Spirit.
06:25 Even we ourselves grown within ourselves waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of our body. And so what I’m getting at here today is well at the end of the message I want to get at the praise that God is due for this plan. But right now what I want you to understand is that we get the Holy Spirit and yet we still have more to come.
06:44 And that more to come is that redemption of our body. And that is when we have as Elcott puts in his commentary complete and final salvation from sin and death. And so right now we’re still in a mortal body.
06:57 And so you have these two things that don’t mix. That are fighting with one another. You have oil and water.
07:05 You could put it like that. You have fire and ice. Whatever you want to say.
07:09 You have two things that don’t mix and they’re fighting with one another. The flesh and the Spirit. And we are we have the Holy Spirit which we are sealed into the day of redemption.
07:19 That’s the day we get our resurrected body. And we have this current shell if you will. This current body that we have.
07:29 That we wear. That we live in. And that one is mortal Amen.
07:33 I’m getting in my 40s now. A few years into my 40s. And it’s not as fun as my 30s.
07:40 And it’s not as fun as my 20s. And the just like the energy levels and and the aches and pains and the random stuff that goes on. And look I get it.
07:49 Some Saints of God are in their 60s 70s 80s and 90s. And I’m starting to get the picture that it doesn’t get any easier physically as we get older. And that we have to really take care of ourselves.
08:00 And that our body is a temple of the Lord. And so we need to take care of ourselves. And I’m starting to learn that lesson more and more as I get older.
08:13 And I understand that this body is not going to be in heaven. That this physical body is not. The spirit will be there.
08:17 My soul will be there. But this physical body will will be shed. This mortal body will be shed for an immortal body.
08:24 1 Corinthians 15: 42- 44. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption.
08:32 It is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor. It is raised in glory.
08:36 It is sown in weakness. It is raised in power. It is sown a natural body.
08:43 It is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body in a spiritual body. So Paul’s telling us in 1 Corinthians 15:42-44.
08:49 That there’s something we need to understand. There’s a principle we need to understand. That the natural body will be natural.
08:57 And will do what a natural body does. Which is decay for lack of a better word. And go downhill.
09:04 And there is a spiritual body that which will never do that. Philippians 3:21. Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body.
09:13 So see how it’s written in Philippians 3. We have a vile body. I mean I’m sure someone was listening to this. Maybe someone that’s very healthy thinking.
09:23 Oh speak for yourself. My body is great. You know or a bodybuilder or something.
09:27 Look it says here Philippians 3:21. We have a vile body. And that it may be fashioned unto us His glorious body.
09:34 According to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself. So this is through God’s power alone. That he is going to subdue the flesh and this mortal body.
09:45 And bring us into a glorious body as Christ has in his resurrected body. Matthew 22:30. For in the resurrection they neither they neither married nor given to marriage.
09:56 But are as the angels of God in heaven. So we will no longer be in a same mortal body that we are now. But we will be like an angel of God in heaven.
10:07 Who as I understand it never dies. Malachi 3:17. And they shall be mine sayeth the Lord of hosts.
10:13 In that day when I make up my jewels and I will spare them. As a man spareth His own Son that serveth Him. What we see here that God’s plan is that in that day we will be like a jewel to Him.
10:24 And we will be spared Amen. And a jewel isn’t going to be vile right. A jewel isn’t going to be broken.
10:31 You know a jewel isn’t going to be marred with imperfections. He’s God. And so the coming redemption of our body is a wonderful time.
10:38 And it will take place. And Lord knows I believe it’s going to take place very soon. And when it does take place we will shed this mortal decaying deteriorating body.
10:49 And we will shed this sinful flesh and those desires and those issues that we have for this immortal body for perfection. And I truly believe this because I don’t trust myself that much. You know I pray to God Lord you know I’m saved.
11:06 I’m going to be in your heaven. I really hope I don’t sin there Lord. I hope I don’t mess up.
11:10 You know I’m one of those that that that I doubt my even myself you know. And the Lord has comforted me letting me know that hey when you’re in heaven you have an immortal body it’s impossible for you to sin. That sin won’t even enter heaven.
11:22 That we won’t have that in our DNA because we’ve accepted Christ as Savior. And we are a new creature and the old things are passed away. And while we have that earnest of the inheritance and the Holy Spirit living within us today.
11:35 We will have that fullness or we will be fully God. Feel fully with God and like God in heaven. Amen.
11:43 And so what does this all mean? It means that we were purchased under God’s great plan. So we were literally bought by God. We were purchased by God.
11:51 And He wants us to know that that this wasn’t something that He gave us that’s frivolous. Salvation is something that’s very serious. That He had to send His only begotten Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.
12:03 And that when we accept Christ as Savior we are now his. We are owned by Him. Paul literally calls himself a prisoner of Christ or to Christ.
12:13 And when we look at ourselves in that light it should instill great meekness and humility in us. To realize that whatever God’s called us to do. And maybe it’s a small thing.
12:21 Maybe it’s a big thing. Whatever it is we should do it. And we should praise Him for it.
12:28 And we should show forth praise to Him for what he’s done for us. 1 Peter 2:9. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people. That ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
12:48 And so as we wrap up this third part of the three-part message on Ephesians 1 13- 14 and the idea of this earnest of the deposit of the Holy Spirit. The idea that we have the Holy Spirit as a sign of things to come. As a comforter.
13:03 As a way to live as a Christian. As a discerner. As one that is with us at all times and will never leave us nor forsake us.
13:11 As basically Christ. That’s how we have Christ. Remember the disciples are very sad when Christ had to go to heaven.
13:19 He said look you’ll be glad because when I go to heaven I’m gonna send you the comforter and it’s gonna be much better for you. So what should we do? We should praise God for His plan. You know we cannot praise God enough.
13:33 You know we need to praise God day and night. Psalm 22:3 tells us that God inhabits the praise of his people. So we need to praise God and thank Him for what He’s done for us and for His great plan and for what’s to come.
13:52 If we have the Holy Spirit now and it has literally changed our lives how much more so should we thank God for what is to come in the future. And for his word that explains this to us so clearly. Thank Him today.
14:00 Give Him praise. Give Him honor. Give Him glory.
14:04 And if you want to give Him praise, you want to show Him you love Him, live by how He’s called you to live. Get rid of that sin in your life and live for Him. Be sold out to God.
14:12 I thank you so much for listening. Take care. God bless and Amen.