In the Epistle of Ephesians, we have wonderful truth brought before us concerning the people of God and concerning the purpose of God, and indeed concerning the person of the Lord Jesus himself. Ephesians has often been compared with the Epistles of the Colossians, and I'm sure that you've noticed how that there is a lot of truth that is similar, and yet there are, of course, clear distinctions of truth as we come to the two letters. Both of them speak about the head, both of them speak about the body. But in Colossians, the emphasis is upon the head, whereas in Ephesians, the emphasis is upon the body. And so we find that the Spirit of God is in the Colossian epistle developing the truth concerning the person of the Lord Jesus. Those days, those early days were days when the person of Christ was being assailed by so many, and indeed that has happened down through the centuries, has it not? And is it not true that in our day too, we find the elements of the Colossian heresy, as the scholars speak of it, found on our doorsteps so often being propounded. We are glad to know from the officials of the Colossians that there is a wonder about the person of Christ that far transcends all that man will try to sow their evil seeds with. We know, for instance, when we come to that epistle, that in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. We know that he is the creator of all things. We know that he is the image of the invisible God. We know that he is the firstborn of all creation, and we know, of course, that he is the son of the Father's love. So that as we read the Epistle to the Colossians, the Apostle Paul makes so clear the glory of the Lord Jesus, his deity, and his position in respect of creation, and his position in respect of the new creation, what God has brought into being. So it is largely a development of the person of Christ in the Colossian epistle. But when we come to the epistles of the Ephesians, then the emphasis is not so much drawn upon the person of the Lord Jesus. Both are in both epistles, of course, but the emphasis is more upon the body and the development of the truth of the body. Now, when we turn to chapter on, we can see how that the Spirit of God has brought before us a great vista of the purposes of God. We are glad to remember that God is a God of eternal purpose. We are so often, because of our finite minds, we are circumscribed. We become so small in our thinking because we have only one perspective from which we can view things, and that is the perspective of time. But God is a God of eternal purpose, and so when we come to the epistles of Ephesians chapter one, we are soon introduced to that great truth that God is a God of eternal purpose. And when indeed you, having read the first two verses that introduce the letter, having come to verse three and reading right through to verse fourteen of chapter one, we find that it's all one big long sentence. And indeed, as we read that big long sentence, the scholars tell us that in the Greek it is only one sentence from three to fourteen, and in those verses we can see how that the Spirit of God hardly has time to pause in unfolding one truth after another, bringing before us eternal terms. We are directed back to the past, and our minds by faith will look away into the infinitude of eternity past, and then we are expected by the Spirit of God in that same passage to look on into eternity future and to see the wonderful purposes of God, bound us with his own blessed Son and in the power and energy of the Holy Spirit. Isn't it interesting to notice in that very statement, in that very paragraph of those verses from three to the end of verse number fourteen. most interesting to see that there is a little section that deals with the work of the Father, a section that deals with the work of the Son, and the section that deals with the work of the Holy Spirit. It's all one paragraph, as we said, but in the English, in the authorized version, you will notice that there are two full stops. Even, you know, the translators recognized that it was all one paragraph from three to fourteen, You can see that the way that they put it onto the page of our authorized version. Yet, uh, I suppose in the interest of grammar and in the interest of reading, they attempted in a- as they put it into the English language, they attempted to divide it up. And my, you know, so often we criticize the authorized version, and yet how accurate these men of God were as they put it upon the page of scripture. They put a full stop at the end of verse six, and they put a full stop at the end of verse twelve of chapter one. And if you look very carefully, you'll see just how absolutely, eh, fitting it was that those full stops could go in right at the end of verse six and right at the end of verse number twelve. In fact, if your Bible's near it, just notice how that at the end of verse six we are told it is to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he has made us accepted in the beloved. And then if you look at the end of verse twelve, you'll see that we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in. And then when you come to the end of the section at verse fourteen, he says, it goes to the praise of his glory. So you can see how that the paragraphs are absolutely accurate where the full stops lie at the end of six and the end of twelve. And then if you go back again and notice how that the first paragraph is the, is all the work of the Father, what God has done. He's blessed us, he's chosen us, he's predestinated us, he's brought us into the position of sonship, he's made us accepted in the beloved. It's all what the Father has done to the end of verse six. And from seven to twelve it's all about the Lord Jesus. And you can see how that is wonderfully brought out that the person of Christ is brought before us in that section, redemption, forgiveness, his inheritance, and so on. And then when you come to the closing little part of closing sub-paragraph, which commences there at verse thirteen, it's the work of the Holy Spirit. Seals, he's the seal, he's the earnest until the day of redemption. So you can see how the Spirit of God brings before us in those lovely verses from three to fourteen, the purpose of God. Now I'm not going to go right to the epistle, don't worry, but just when we, when we think of that, I just want to lead into chapter two, you see. When you come from verse twenty, which is a new section, you'll notice that from verse fifteen, to message reads, Paul starts to pray. And it's always interesting, isn't it, in the New Testament? I'm sure we've learned that. It's always of great interest to listen carefully when Paul the Apostle begins to pray in the scripture. There are many sections of the New Testament that would bring to us the prayers of the Apostle Paul in the New Testament, and every one of them are fruitful prayers. I'm sure that you've noticed in verse three of chapter one, before we just look at the prayer idea, I'm sure you've noticed in verse three of chapter one, God is spoken of in a twofold way. He's spoken of as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And isn't it interesting, and perhaps significant, that when Paul prays in this epistle, he prays in chapter one and he prays in chapter three. And in the prayer of chapter one, he addresses the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in the prayer of chapter three, he addresses the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, we haven't the time to stay with that today, but I think there is a significance there, and it's well worth looking at. It would be paid careful attention. Let me just draw a seed of thought for those who are younger in years. Perhaps the idea of the first title, The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, would remind us of the humanity of the Lord Jesus. There was a man he lived before his time. But then when you think of the second expression, The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, would that not throw an emphasis upon his deity? He's the eternal Son of the Father. So that we have the God of our Lord Jesus Christ emphasizing our Lord's humanity. We have the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ emphasizing his deity. We must not, eh, divide them, but we must distinguish at times so that we can understand and learn from them. And so we have these two thoughts. And I suggest that when you read the prayer of chapter one and see that it's addressed to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, you could then look for the evidences of our Lord's humility in the prayer, and you'll find the very clearly. God raised him from the dead, God set him at his own right hand, and it's a living exalted man who's come to God's right hand. You do believe that, don't you, my brother, my sister today, that seated in heaven today on a, on a throne there in heaven itself, is the Son of God, the one who died on the tree. He took man who had righted the very presence of God. How glad we are to know that today. That the Lord Jesus, isn't that Hebrews ten verse twelve? This man, this man, chapter one it's his emphasis upon his deity when he went back to the throne. For in chapter ten and verse twelve it says this man, when he had made one sacrifice for sin forever, sat down at the right hand of God. How do you grab to know that the man in God is at God's right hand? So all that comes out in the prayer of chapter One? His manhood is clearly there. Psalm 8. It's Psalm eight that's referred to in that section of the, of the Ephesians one. All things over his feet. Isn't Psalm 8 quoted in Hebrews two, to emphasize the manhood of the Lord Jesus? His humanity that's infused. When you come to the prayer of chapter three, he addresses the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And when you come to that lovely prayer, you can look for the evidences of his deity, but I'm not going with that because of the time. Let's come now into chapter two, which is what I want to look at with you for a few moments today, these first ten verses of chapter two. Notice Paul has been praying. He's been praying in chapter one, and his prayer, perhaps we should just mention that as we come to chapter two— his prayer, having been addressed to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, is desiring. Now, there are principles that guide us here, is prayer, in Paul's prayer, he is desiring that the Ephesian Christians will receive certain benefits from the hand of God. I hope when we pray, brothers and sisters, we are intelligent in our prayer. You know, sometimes we say we'll pray for the Lord's people, but we don't tell them what we'll pray. Now, Paul doesn't do that. Do you notice that in the New Testament? So often when Paul prays, he tells the Christians just exactly what he's praying for them. You'll find in Colossians one nine ten eleven and twelve. of Colossians one. he outlines at least four things he's praying for them at Colossians. He's doing it here in Ephesians. I'm sure you've noticed in chapter one, look what it says, I'm praying that the, he says that the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling. That's one thing he's praying for them, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints is. And thirdly, he says, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe. So there are certain things that Paul is praying that the Ephesian saints will appreciate. Now, beloved, I want to suggest to you that it would be a fruitful and helpful exercise for us to go back to that chapter at our leisure sometimes, and to say, now, I wonder if I learned these truths, because Paul wanted the Ephesian saints to know them. So if he wanted the Ephesian saints to know them, surely he wants the saints of Stocky and wherever else we gather, he wants us to know them too. You know, what I'm really saying is that it is God's intention that we may know what is the hope of his calling. That's interesting, isn't it? In the first section, you see, he's been talking more about our calling. We have been chosen in Christ. We have a wonderful inheritance. Ah, but when he comes to the second section of the chapter, Paul says, now I want you to understand that God doesn't only want you to be intelligent about the calling that God has for us, but I want you to see, says the apostle, that God has a wonderful future for his son, and I am praying that you will know what is the hope of his calling, and what is the exceeding greatness, and what is the, uh, the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us. So we pray that we will become more acquainted with the person of the Lord Jesus and with God's purposes and God's plans for him. So don't be too bound up with your own future, my brother, my sister. Do sometimes enlarge, let us enlarge our scanty thoughts, as the hymn writer has said, and see the wonders God has wrought in connection with the person of his son. And that's what he's praying. Now I judge, and I'm not really, I don't think I'm wasting my time talking about chapter one before I go to chapter two, because after all it does come in before it, doesn't it? And it forms a basis for it. And you see, I judge that really the statements of chapter two run out naturally from these closing statements of chapter one. After all, look at that third thing that he prays in verse number, uh, nineteen of chapter one. He said, I'm praying that you'll know what is the exceeding greatness of God's power toward us. I want you to bear that in mind as we go to chapter two because I don't think he developed it in chapter one. He's got to get to chapter two before he develops it. You say to me, but I thought that Paul spoke about the power which he wrought when he rose, raised Christ from the dead. Surely he did it in chapter 1. Surely he expounded it. Of course, he illustrated it in chapter one. He illustrated it in chapter one. He said, I'll show you what sort of power it is. Look to the tomb, said the, said the apostle. Get a look again at the tomb and see what God did with his own blessed son. He raised him up from the dead and set him at his own right hand, father of all principality and power. There's tremendous illustration of divine power. But I'm really saying, says Paul in chapter one, that you know that power to ward us. So you see, you've got to get to chapter two before you'll get to know the exposition of this statement. Chapter two brings in the power to ward us who believe. In chapter one, he's merely illustrating it by showing us how God wrought his mighty power in raising Christ from the dead. But says Paul, don't you see that that power has worked in your experience? We'll see that in a moment or two. Let's with that now rather lengthy background come to chapter two and to the first one. Notice that the apostle says, and you must be quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. And so in these early verses now, we are going to be reminded of what we were, and I'm not going to apologize in the conference this afternoon for us just to stop for a few moments and to think of what we were. Maybe we would be less proud and lifted up if we remembered a little bit more of what we were. You know, brothers and sisters, sometimes what happens amongst the people of God, and there's a great danger it happens amongst us, you know, that once we've been on the road a little time, and we've gained a little knowledge of our Bibles, and we think that we know more than some of our other brethren, pride enters in, and it stinks in the nostrils of God. God can't use you if you're a proud man. Now remember that, my brother, and remember it, my sister. Pride is a dreadful thing. And notice what the apostles, for the reminder, say to Ephesus, what we wear, we have no claim upon God. Look at verse one, we were dead. We were dead. And death always brings before the person abject and offer helplessness. This morning, I stood around the rock of grave, the way I was from an elderly sister to rest away there in trust. What a picture of death, what a picture of helplessness death is, that is the spirit of God in our structure. That's what we were. We were dead, dead to God. I don't need to itemize this afternoon to remind you that it is spiritual death that is in view. Perhaps I should for the sake of some, maybe it should be mentioned, but you remember, won't you, that spiritual death is separation from God. And that who did die, didn't he, in the Garden of Eden when he sinned? You remember that God had said, the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. And I judge that the day that he did eat of, that he did eat of that fruit, is the day when he did die, because he was put out from the presence of God, and spiritual death is separation from God. After all, brothers and sisters, we do believe, don't we, in the immortality of the soul. We do believe that the soul will live on for eternity, but it will either live in fellowship with God and in fellowship with Christ, or it will live in a place of eternal separation from God. Can I pause this afternoon and ask you, if you're in the meeting, and you wouldn't be the first person in a conference meeting to still be here and yet not saved? If you've never known the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior, if there's never been a moment in your experience when you came by simple trust and faith and looked to the Lord Jesus at the cross of Calvary and saw that his death condemned you and showed you to be a guilty sinner, and see that there on the cross he paid the great price that God demanded against sin. If you've never been there yet, friends, why not be there today? For the Bible says if you've never been saved, you're dead to God. You've been separated from God. You're estranged from God by sin, by wicked works. Look what our verse says. Dead in trespasses and sins. It's almost paradoxical in the sense, isn't it? Trespasses, plural, and sins, plural, indicates activity that's taking place. You see the point? Dead by he liveth is the language of the word of God, isn't it? You see? So you can be alive, and yet you can be dead. That's what we're learning in our birth, committing trespasses, committing sins, yet dead to God, says the apostle. That's exactly where we were. Dead in trespasses, aren't we? And of course, it has often been pointed out, and I fully realize that I'm not teaching you anything new this afternoon in pointing out that these verses will now go on to show that, in fact, the condition and the place of a man or woman who is estranged, separated from God by sin and wicked works is a position that is marked by the world and the flesh and the devil. Now, I know that's not new to you. It's maybe not so often spoken about in a conference meeting, but maybe it should be sometimes. Notice that, you'll notice how that in verse two, we walked according to the course of this world. I'm sure you often bear pointing out that there is more than one word for world in the New Testament, and this word is the word that indicates we walked according to the, to the age, the age of this cosmos. You see that actually that word course and that word world are sometimes in the authorized version translated world. In a sense, it could almost mean he walked according to the world of this world. But in fact, the reason why there is this word is one speaks of the age, the age in which we live. You see, can I remind you again today, friend, if you're not yet saved, that you're only here for a time. That's the idea of this word age in the Bible when it's used in the New Testament. It tells us that all the round of life is only limited. It's only for a little time. It might seem to be satisfactory. Now, I didn't come intending to preach the gospel, but if the Lord has put it on my heart, I'm going to do it for someone needs it maybe. And we want to tell you today, this afternoon in this meeting, dear friends, that life is only for a little time, but there's an eternity to follow. And he says he walks according to the age of this cosmos, this world in which we live. Why, says the apostle, according to the prince of the power of the air. Remember that while men may fear, the word of God is ever so dear upon the spiritual wickedness that exists in the unseen world, and that is what we are being introduced to in our passage, and indeed not to the merely to the multifarious host of demonic beings, but rather to the pen of the power of the air. We are being reminded of the power of Satan himself, and that is the course of life that we once were adopting. Or we may have been brought up in a Christian home. We may have been associated with believers, but remember now, before salvation came in, says the Spirit of God, the life that we lived was according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that worketh now in the sons of disobedience. Do you see what our passage is teaching? Sons of disobedience. That is how God looks upon an unsafe man or woman. And look at verse three. among whom also we all have our manner of life. The word conversation is manner of life, isn't it? We all have our manner of life in time past, in the lust of the flesh. Now, the Christian knows about this because when God saves you, he doesn't take away the old nature that resides within. But says the apostle here, he's speaking now about the unbridled, un- un- uh, controlled, ungoverned flesh that rests within the, the, the man of the world. And says the apostle, we all, all have our manner of life in time past in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires and pleasures of the mind, and by nature the children of wrath, even our brother. And so you will see that the apostle, and I don't want to stay with that now, because I want to come to these next verses, but notice that the apostle is pointing out the manner of life that characterizes the man of the world. You, my brother, my sister, she's little to be proud of. Absolutely. Little to be proud of. Absolutely. But now let us look at verse book. What's up? Is this one of these great books, books of the New Testament? The evangelists like to take up these expressions, don't they, after reading the gospel? What's up? What's up? Aren't we glad to know, brothers and sisters, that the truth of chapter one, where we have divine sovereignty being emphasized, is being reintroduced into chapter two? but God. We will remember, won't we, this afternoon, that there's not a man or woman in the gospel hall in Soggy today that would be here but for the activity of divine power and divine grace that reached us. For God, what a grand expression it is. For God who is rich in mercy. Oh, brothers and sisters, in chapter one the apostle has been speaking about the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, but now he says, remember, God is wealthy. All the wealth of our God. God who is rich in mercy, wealthy in his mercy. Oh, how we love to sing sometimes, pardon from an offended God, pardon for sins of people die, pardon bestowed through Jesus' blood, pardon that brings the rebel nigh. Who is a pardoning God like thee? Or who is great, so rich and free? Why, says the apostle, for God who is wealthy in mercy. Look what he says, for his great love. You'll notice the super- Paul can hardly find superlatives. They're adequate enough to express the sentiments that are in his heart. You're glad you're saved, my brother, this afternoon. Glad you know your sins forgiven. Remember the wealth of God, who is wealthy in mercy, and he's got great love, his great love. Where did he love us? Even when we were. Look what it says now. It says even when we were dead. Even when we were dead. Why, we haven't the time to look for all that kind of illustrations this afternoon, have we? But have we? Wouldn't we go back to second Samuel chapter nine and think about this fellowship? Who am I that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am, he said, but brought into the place of the game table? Well, he says, God of his wit and mercy, for his great love, over he loves us, even when we were dead in sins, he has quickened us together with Christ. Now I want to pause here and stay with that expression just for a moment. I, I believe it to be fundamental to the truth that we have been seeking to expound today. Shall we remember again, brothers and sisters, the empty tomb of the Lord Jesus? Shall we remember again the end of chapter one where Paul has been so strongly emphasizing that God demonstrated his mighty power, in that he raised his son from the dead? Shall we pause to remind ourselves of the words of the Lord Jesus who said, I have power to lay down my life. I have power to raise it up again. He has power to do that. We will, shall we remember, because these are fundamental things that we need to say sometimes. We will remember, won't we, that no man ever took his life from him. No man taketh it from me, he said. Now, those are the words not to be passed by quickly. No man ever took the life of the Lord Jesus. It wasn't the spear that went into his side that took the life of the Savior. You're quite clear on that, aren't you, my brother, my sister? It wasn't the wounds and the bruises that men inflicted that took away the life of the Savior. The Lord Jesus, the Bible says, upon that cross he bowed his head, and then he dismissed his spirit. Now that's important, that's significant, the order is most significant. For when a man dies, when a woman dies, the spirit goes, and then the head dies. Doesn't matter whichever way you're lying, you know, the person's lying, the head begins to slump in death because the spirit is gone and the power to control it is gone. But the Bible says he rested. The, in fact, in fact, Mr. Vine, I think it is in his dictionary of Greek words, points out that that word is the only word. He reclined, he bowed, he reclined, almost as though, you know, when you go to bed some night and you settle your head and you put it into the right position to make you comfortable before you go away to sleep. He placed his hand there, and then he dismissed his faith. You see, Philippians it doesn't mean when it says he became obedient unto death, it doesn't mean his obedience was to death itself. It means his whole path was obedience to his father up to the point of death. But that position indicates that, if you look at it carefully, he was obedient right up to the place of death, but death had no claim upon him. That's why he said in Revelation chapter one, I am he that never, and it's not just so much that was dead, but became dead. You couldn't, we never use language about men and women like that. We don't become dead. We don't voluntarily decide to die. But the Lord Jesus dismissed his own spirit. You got that now, my brother Mike? But listen, he had the same authority, the same power to raise himself as he had to dismiss his spirit, but God raised him from the dead. God raised him from the dead, for God was perfectly satisfied with the work that was done, and God raised, I, can I say it reverently today? The body of the Lord Jesus lay in earth, undead and lifeless for three days and three nights in a Palestine tomb. But on the third day, God raised him from the dead. Now, says Paul, I'm praying for these two people in churches that you will understand the greatness, the mighty power. Let's use the expression rightly, the exceeding greatness of his power towards all who believe according to the working. Look what it says, the working of his mighty power. Some have translated that into Darby from it, the might of his strength, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead. And I'm asking you, my brother, my sister, again, to take a little look at that eastern tomb and see it's empty now, for God demonstrated the greatest, the might of his strength when he raised him up from the dead and set him in his own right hand. For Luke of us reading now in our verse, come back to chapter two. When we were dead in sin, says Paul, he quickened us together with Christ. Have you got it now? The resurrection of Christ, says Paul in chapter two, is the basis for the bringing of life to a guilty, sinful soul. You see, if we went to other parts of the New Testament, we would see that because Christ is out from the tomb, are you listening? Because Christ is out from the tomb, every dead saint one day will come out from their tomb, 1 Corinthians fifteen. You see what I'm saying? Paul says in First Corinthians fifteen, the fact that Christ is out, he's the first fruit of them that slept, and first in the case of second and third and fourth and so on, for the harvest to follow. It's based upon the feast of Leviticus 23. The fact that Christ's out is evidence that we'll come out one day. That's physical resurrection. It's rooted in the fact that Christ is physically raised. Ah, but that's not the truth here. In Ephesians chapter two, I'm learning something else. My salvation depended upon his death and his resurrection. My salvation, and this fall we've been quickened together with Christ. When God brought life again into that body of the Savior, I say it reverently today. When God brought life into that body of the Savior again in the tomb, that was the basis upon which God can give life to guilty sinful men. And when as a boy of eight I bowed my head at my mother's bedside in the city of Liverpool and rested my all upon the Savior for salvation and told God I was a sinner, but that Christ had died for me. God did for me, in the language of Ephesians two what he did to his son at the open tomb. What he gave me, he quickened me with Christ. It's in association with Christ I have salvation today, but look what that says. It says, and he has, for by grace you are saved. By the way, did you notice, brothers and sisters, when it speaks of you and I being raised together with Christ, the word grace is introduced. Did you notice that? But if you go back to chapter one and read about God raising Christ from the dead, you will not find any hint of the word grace. It wasn't grace that God exercised when he raised his son from the dead. God was doing that which was righteous and just and equitable, for Christ never went into the tomb for sins his own. But you see, when, when God speaks about giving me life, and God went, when God speaks about bringing me up from the tomb, he must introduce grace into it. For by grace he has saved, he says. Look what he says now, and he's raised us up together. Oh, you say, but I'm down here. Yes, but Ephesian truth is spiritual truth. Haven't you been taught that before? You have, of course, haven't you? You remember being taught from early days that the counterpart of the Ephesian event in the Old Testament is the book of Joshua. And in the book of Joshua, it was when the people of God went into the land, and in chapter one, God said to Joshua, now look, when you put your foot forward, you take a piece of ground, I promise to hold on to you, but it only becomes yours when you tread on it. You enter into your possession. It's spiritual appropriation. It's yours already, but you've got to enter into it. It's spiritual appreciation. Now he says we've been raised with Christ. I'm not only quickened with Christ, but we've been raised. Notice the difference between quickening and raising. Quickened is given life, but raised is brought out from the old life, raised, and look what he says now, and made to sit together in heavenly places with Christ. The believer lives down here, but his spiritual life is up there. That right, my brother, my sister? You and I live today for God the religion in Saki, in Ottawa, wherever you live. Me and Bishopton, Jim there in Aberdeen, but the beauty of it is this, our lives are lived in association with the heavenly God in heavenly places, raised to sit together with him in heavenly places. My daughter, my sister, the sad thing is, isn't it, that so often our lives are lived down in the drench of divine when we should be living in a place of spiritual elevation. This is what God has done for us in the person of his son. He's quickened us together with Christ, and he's raised us together with Christ, and then he's made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ. Look what he says now. Look at verse seven, a very beautiful verse. That in the ages to come, that in the ages to come, that's prospective, of course, the ages to come, they haven't arrived yet, obviously, it's the future. That in the ages to come, all of this, says Paul, has taken place now. What God has done with me now is with a view to the future. That in the ages to come he might display. That word show is to display. He might display the exceeding riches, the exceeding wealth of his grace. Oh, brothers and sisters, look back to chapter one and notice he's talking about various ages. For instance, if you look at verse number twenty one, it says Christ has come now, father of all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this world, the word is age, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. I take it that's the millennial, eh, when Christ will have all things under his feet. Verse ten: in the dispensation of the fullness of time, he'll gather all things together for Christ. And the day is coming when Christ's visible, focused glory will be seen displayed to the world where once he was seen in his shame. We believe that, don't we? That Christ's glory will be seen throughout millennial days. Ah, but that now verse now goes far beyond millennial days. He doesn't talk about this age and the ages to come, but nobody says now he comes to another expression, and he says that in the ages to come, as age follows age, Paul is exhausted again for a word that can adequately describe it. How can you talk about eternity in terms of time? It's impossible. So he uses a word called ages, but it's not ages really, it's of eternity. What he's saying is this, that in the ages to come, he might display, he may unfold in the lawfulness of things ever since, eternal ages will never exhaust the display of the exceeding riches, the exceeding wealth of his grace, which he has shown to warn us. Look what it says, that in the ages to come he might display the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved. Oh, aren't we glad to be able to reach the middle of the gospel text, even though it's a conference of day. By grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Aren't we glad to remember today that we are the recipients of divine favor, and God has made available to us what we could never earn, what we could never overpay. Look at verse number nine. No one works, lest any man should boast. There's nothing of God in this path he gives us. I don't think we need tonight, today, it's not a Bible reading, and there isn't time. My time is really just about away already, but would we have the time to look at the construction of the verse? But I think there is enough in it to show us that it's not so much today in that verse that human responsibility is being emphasized. Faith is there, of course, and faith must be exercised by the sinner. But what we are being reminded of contextually within the passage is, of course, what God has done, what God has done. So we see not of worth that any man should boast. As we close today, let us look at verse ten. I just wanted to show that contextually the idea is not so much, uh, human responsibility, although it's there. Indeed, perhaps we should say that so we don't leave any false impression, but haven't you noticed that wherever you have an emphasis upon the one, you have reference to the other in the Bible? You know, it's really silly to try and throw all your weight upon, uh, uh, divine sovereignty and be committed to your responsibility, and it's just as silly to go the other way, for the Word of God always presents these things in an equal way. We'll only learn about that when we get home to heaven, how it really works out. But look at verse eleven and 3:12. For we are his. My brother, my sister, we should not be living lives that are low because we are the workmanship of God. What God has done in your experience is a divine activity. Divine grace has wrought, taught you and wrought for you, in you, a divine work. We are his workmanship. Look what it says. It says created in Christ Jesus. Created. Notice the expression that Paul uses, created in Christ Jesus. He's showing that divine activity has sold off. It's almost as though Paul says, for what did God do in the beginning? But look what he does now. Created in Christ Jesus. Look at the next expression and the verb in which was used. Onto good works. Onto good works. Man out there is putting the cart before the horse all the time, isn't he? Why does the word of God, when God saved you, it was with a view to good works. So you see, you can't live as you like. You can't pick the language of the, you know, the interrogative way in which Paul says in Romans six, shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? No room for that sort of attitude in a child of God, is there? Because it's with a view to good works that God saves you. He doesn't ask you for your good works to put a little input into the salvation. Why, that would be an insult to his grace. But God having saved us, he's made us new creation, created in Christ, with a view to good works, which God hath before ordained, God hath before proc prepared that we should walk in them, involved in the sovereign choice and will and, uh, uh, sovereignty of God was not only my salvation, but my walk. As I close my ministry today, can I emphasize that, my brother, my sister? When we think so often, and when we teach from the word of God the truth of election and the truth of divine choice, and when we introduce its counterpart, the truth of predestination, we always need to think of our position and our place. But do you notice how that the word of God in that verse as it closes shows that one of God's plans, one of the parts of God's plan for saving you and I, was with a view that we should walk in good works. So the way that you live in your village, and the way that you act to the saints in your assembly, and whether you visit them or not, and whether you're kind to them or not, is being assessed by God because he saved you to do that. That's what the letter is saying. He saved you so that you'll be a pattern of good works, if you take out the language of Paul, better than Titus, you see. How important for us to see that. We just must all reflect this way.