God Keeps His Promises
By Pastor Matt Black
25
March 2007
Lord's Day morning
Ephesians 3:6
Open your Bible to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. The title of this morning’s message is “God Keeps His Promises”. Let’s stand together and read Ephesians chapter 3:1-6.
Ephesians 3:1-6, “For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, 2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you–ward: 3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5 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; 6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:”
Introduction: This morning is a precious time in the life of our church. We are gathering together as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ around the Lord’s Supper Table. Dinners are pretty special during our time on earth—we eat dinner with the people we love.
Illustration: I love to eat dinner with my family! How about you? Isn’t it great to gather around the table? Our son Will gets all excited when we come to the dinner table. He’s only three years old, but he knows he loves potatoes. Last night at dinner, guess what Jill served? Potatoes! Will was so excited! He said—“Potatoes, potatoes, I love potatoes!”
God’s not excited about Food, but about US!!
Little Will might get excited about food, but God gets excited about something else: The Lord gets excited not about WHAT’S on the Table, but WHO’S at the Table. He’s not so much interested in food, but rather fellowship. God is so glad you are there! He’s done so much for you to be there. God calls us around His Table this morning not simply to eat the bread and drink the cup. The Lord’s Table is not about food, but about us being nourished by His fellowship, His love, and His very presence. We’re just like Job! We need the nourishment of God’s presence more than our necessary food (Job 23:12)!
Our text this morning, Ephesians 3:6, is ALL about fellowship with God and with His people!! It’s all about God keeping His promise to fellowship with us even though we don’t deserve it.
I. As we come to our text, I want you to see first that God gives us Pictures.
Let’s read our text. The first thing we’re going to see is the fulfillment here of this great expectation and mystery of the fullness of the Gospel. Paul says I want you to understand this mystery in verses 4 and 5, “5 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”. Look at verse 6, what is this mystery that was hidden? “That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and [fellow members] of the same body, and [fellow] partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel”.
Explanation: What we are going to find out this morning is that…
· the earthly nation of Israel was a picture of God’s Kingdom, or His church. We are going to see this very plainly.
What we’re going to see is that…
· There are many pictures and types and shadows in the Old Testament that are really living illustrations of all the spiritual realities we have in the New Testament. The Old is just a foreshadowing of the New. Physical Israel is just a picture of God’s spiritual people of all ages and races and tongues and nations!
· I want you to listen closely, because you are going to see the Old Testament come ALIVE before your very eyes today! This teaching is so important.
Illustration: (Show picture). Look at these pictures that Katie and Kristen drew me yesterday. They are precious. They give me joy. Look at our house here. Many details are here. If you look closely, there is even a tree stump that is drawn right in front with all the rings in the stump there. There are details. Now look at this next one. It is of our family. It is precious. Every member is here. But listen to me. Why are these pictures precious? Because they remind me of the real thing! What is more important, the pictures or the reality? You know if I lose these pictures, that would be sad, but I’d get over it pretty quickly. But if I lost what these pictures represent, that would be a terrible tragedy!
Explanation: It is important that we let the pictures, types, and shadows of the Old Testament point us to the realities of the New, and that we not hang on to the earthly illustrations which are inferior! Let me tell you a story to illustrate this.
Illustration: When I was in college, I was in love with my future wife who was 400 miles away at another college. I had Jill’s picture, and I loved to look at it. Just ask my roommates at the time. In fact I had all kinds of pictures of her, and picture albums too. I carried her picture around with me. But there came a day when I married Jill. Wouldn’t it be strange if I was now more in love with her picture than I was in love with her? You would think I was strange if I brought that picture to church and showed her picture to our visitors and said, “I’d like you to meet my wife Jill!” That would be absurd! Why would I love her picture so much now that I have the real thing? Jill’s picture, as beautiful as it is, is infinitely inferior to Jill’s person!
That is what God has given us in the Old Testament—a picture album of what He’s going to do for not just Israel, but all nations in the New Testament. With Israel are all the beautiful pictures of Christ in the Old Testament. As beautiful as they are, we need to put them aside and focus our attention on Christ who is the fulfillment of all the types and shadows.
Now what Dispensationalism teaches is that we should hold the pictures and types and shadows of the Lord’s Kingdom in higher regard than the fulfillment of that picture! Strangely there are some Christians that put more emphasis on the picture than the fulfillment.
I’ve read several articles in which Christians are being encouraged to send money to Israel so that the Jews can return to Jerusalem and the Muslims can be driven out. Major Christian leaders are a part of this. In 2006 alone, Christians donated over 37 million dollars for the Jews to resettle Jerusalem!
Friends, God has a plan for Israel. He has a plan for the Jews. And it is not to repopulate the land! God has a remnant of the Jews that He wants to save before He comes back. One day we’ll go through Romans 11, but that is exactly what Paul says! Let’s look at it briefly:
Romans 11:1-2, “I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.” God’s plan for Israel is here and now—Paul sights his own salvation as proof!
He says in verse 5 speaking of ethnic Jews, “so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.”
Then look at verse 23 as he speaks of unbelieving Jews being cut off from the good olive tree (a picture of the elect of all ages), he says, “And they [the Jews] also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.” God’s plan for ethnic Israel today is to save them! And God is saving the Jews today. He has a remnant of Jews today just as He has a remnant of Gentiles.
But let’s be careful not to hold the shadow of the Jewish nation higher than the realities that we experience in Christ. The Jews are a picture of God’s elect people of all ages and today are taking part in the fullness of God’s Kingdom!
Transition: Aren’t you glad God gives us pictures to help us to see His plan more clearly? But God gives us something else this morning.
II. Secondly, there is something else that God gives us: His Promises.
He says we Gentiles are “fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel” (verse 6).
Three key words are in this passage.
· Fellowheirs
· Same body
· Partakers
All three are similar words and begin with the same prefix in Greek (su) which has the idea of “co” or fellow.
God has given us three simple promises in this amazing verse of the Holy Scriptures: Family Fortune, Family Fellowship, Family Food
A. First let’s realize that God has promised us an Inheritance—His Family Fortune. God has promised us the family fortune! We are fellowheirs together of everything that belongs to Christ! The Father has given you the family fortune! Romans 8:17 tells us that we are “heirs of God, and joint–heirs with Christ”. Our text says that we are “fellowheirs” with Israel. The Gentiles are joined to the Jews in the promises of Israel. What are we heirs to?
We let the Bible interpret the Bible. The New Testament tells us clearly that the ultimate fulfillment of this promise a seed to Abraham is not physical ethnic Israel, but the Lord’s church. Look at Romans 9:7-8, “Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.”
Let’s make this even more clear—who is the seed of Abraham? We need to go to Galatians for that. Galatians 3:16, “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” Jump down to verse 26, and ask who are the children of God? Ethnic Israel? Who is Abraham’s seed? The physical nation of Israel? Look at Galatians 3:26-29, “ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise”.
God gave these promises of a seed to Abraham. Look at Genesis 15:5, “And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.”
Genesis 22:17, “in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore”.
I want you to see the ultimate fulfillment of this promise in Revelation 7:9-10. John writes, “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”
God also made a promise about land. God gave a promise of this land to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) in Exodus 32:13. He said, “I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.”
We again let the Bible interpret the Bible. Look again at Romans 4:13, “For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.” It says not that Abraham should be heir only to Canaan, but to the whole created universe—the cosmos!
The land is of special significance because if you remember in Eden, Adam and Eve had to leave Paradise. They had to leave the Garden. Paradise was lost. The picture of the land to Abraham is that paradise will be regained through Christ.
Psalm 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth;
What did Jesus say to those who would inherit the kingdom? Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Peter says we have “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4).
Ephesians 1:10-11, God’s ultimate plan is that “in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:”
God has according to Ephesians 1:3-4, “blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world”.
Our inheritance goes far beyond earthly land that will pass away. As John says, in 1 John 2:17, “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”
Christ came to fulfill this kingdom. Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom”. He further said in Matthew 24:14 that “this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
2 Peter 1:11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Revelation 19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Jeremiah 7:23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people:
2 Corinthians 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
B. Second, God has promised us Intimacy—His Family Fellowship! We are fellow members of the same body—the family of God! “That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and [fellow members] of the same body, and [fellow] partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel”.
Even though we were once God’s enemies, He’s now seated us at the most intimate location in His house—His supper Table where only family are allowed.
Explanation: God’s people in the Old Testament –the nation of Israel was a picture. Salvation was never gained by being a Jew! Remember what Jesus said to the Jews in Luke 3:8, “Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.”
Salvation has always been by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone!
In the Old Testament, people had to do all these rituals to come near to the Lord. They had to have clean hands. They had to sacrifice an animal. Still only the high priest could enter into the Holy of Holies!
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Friends, today both Jew and Gentile are members of the same body. That is spiritual Israel of the Old Testament—all of the saved—we are JOINED to them! The church is a new expression of the same body, but let’s be clear, it is “of the SAME body”. And it is in that body, that family, where we come together to God.
Fellowshipping with Jesus Himself
We are coming to the Lord’s Table this morning to remember what made our fellowship possible. Let’s not take our salvation for granted! We were at one time enemies of God, but let me encourage you this morning. Dear brother and sister in Christ, if you have the faith of a little child, the faith of a mustard seed in Jesus Christ, you are saved! Your sins are forgiven! You can come to the Lord’s Table this morning and fellowship with Jesus Himself in full confidence.
C. Finally God has promised us His Integrity—the Family Trust. We are fellow partakers together of God’s promise in Christ. We are partakers all the promises in Christ.
Look again at our text (verse 6): “That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and [fellow members] of the same body, and [fellow] partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel”.
It is a shame today that many of God’s people are trying to live in the shadows when they could be living in the brightness of the mid-day sun! What do I mean? Today, people don’t understand their Bibles. They are confused. They don’t understand the key that unlocks the entire Bible. They’ve hidden the key. They’ve turned back to the shadows of the Old Testament.
Dear friends this morning I want you to see all the promises of the Bible in all their fullness. I am talking about the promise of all the ages coming to pass. I am talking about God the Son coming in the flesh and dwelling among us and giving His life as a substitute for His people—living and dying, rising from the dead, coming again, ruling and reigning as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, cleansing this dirty old earth with the fire of His holiness, and restoring Paradise—a new heaven, a new earth, a new Jerusalem. This morning I want you to look at God face to face. I want you to look into the brightness of the sun at high noon and we are going to see God in all of His blazing glory.
We are living in a time when all the darkness of the old covenant has been removed. No longer does God send prophets, but He has sent His own dear Son. The Spirit of the Living God takes up His residence in our hearts!! Listen we see through a glass darkly but then face to face.
There is a child’s chorus out there that really captures what we want to look into this morning:
Every promise in the Book is mine!
Every chapter, every verse, every line.
I am standing on His Word divine,
Every promise in the Book is mine!
Turn over to Luke 22:14, “And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. 15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: 16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: 18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”
Explanation (What is a Covenant?): I want you to think about your Bible. It is divided into two books, the Old and the New. The Old and the New what? The Old and the New Testaments. You learned very early on in your Christian life that God made a promise to the people of the Old Testament. The Word “testament” means a covenant, a contract, or a promise.
Illustration:
v Marriage: Marriage is a covenant. You have the marriage vows that can never be broken.
v Land: We are getting ready to sell our land. We didn’t just shake hands on it. What did we do? We made a contract—a covenant. We made promises that we would sell the land to the interested party. We were put under contract, or covenant.
So the whole point is that God made promises to Abraham—and to his decendents—Isaac and Jacob who is called Israel. God made vows; He made a covenant with them. Why is it important to us that God made promises to the Jews?
Abraham’s physical seed is a picture of the spiritual seed of Christ –the church. The promise wasn’t that only the Jews would be blessed but that “all the nations of the earth” would be blessed.
The covenant to Abraham was a picture of the New Covenant. Today we partake of the fullness of all God’s promises to us in Christ!
2 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
Conclusion:
Our Struggle vs. Christ’s Promise
So many times we struggle though. We struggle with the assurance of our salvation. Some of you may not even have the confidence to partake of the bread and the cup today. Most of the time it is because we sin, and then we feel unworthy. We feel unclean. We feel like God could never have fellowship with us. We feel like we’ve lost our salvation. Have you ever felt that way? This message is for you then. This message is for Christians who struggle and fight against sin.
The message for us this morning is this: God’s promise to fellowship with us is not based on our own victory or accomplishments, but on the work and accomplishment and victory that Christ alone has attained!!
We see this morning that God is a promise keeping God. Your righteousness is not based on what you have done, but what Christ has done. Christ says, “It is finished”! That is His promise for you. Rest your hope in Him!
Closing Hymn: 416 My Faith Has Found a Resting Place
Agape Sunday 25 March 2007 AM
Lord’s Table Observance
Pastor shares a meditation (2-3 minutes) on the Lord’s Table.
“this do ye in remembrance of me”
(1 Corinthians 11:25)
Some would excuse themselves for absenting the Lord’s Table because there is sin in their lives. While it is most unwise and unhealthy to remember the sacrifice for sin with unconfessed sin, the obligation remains. The answer is to deal with the sin which hinders and then come to God’s Table in forgiveness and obedience.
To fail to come is to disobey. It is to dishonor the Lord who died that may we may come!
Psalm 24:3-4 give us a reminder of who can come to the Lord’s presence, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.”
Ask the Lord, ‘Are my hands clean? Is my heart pure?’ Don’t delay! You can make things right at this moment. There is no reason if you are a Christian not to come to the Lord’s Table. Do you have sin? 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
CELEBRATION OF THE TABLE
___________________________
EMBLEM OF THE BREAD
___________________________
EMBLEM OF THE CUP
Pastor reads 1 Corinthians 11:25 “After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.”
Pastor: We see Jesus word’s in Matthew 26:28, “I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom. 30 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.”
Let us sing a hymn of thanks to the Lord as we remember His death and look forward to His coming!
Closing Hymn: 258 There is a Fountain Filled with Blood