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As you have now heard, this is the beginning of a series of studies on, uh, the letter which the Apostle Paul wrote from prison, we think, to the Christians in Ephesus and elsewhere. It's called the Epistle to the Ephesians. And tonight we're going to consider one or two of the phrases in the first great paragraph of that book. And the title I've given to the study is on page three of your, uh, notebook. It is God's cosmic purpose for you and for the universe. That is God's purpose in creating the universe. And the second question, and most important for us, is when God created the universe, what did he do it for, and what's that to do with me? Has God got a purpose for me and my life within this universe? Before we get down to that topic, however, we have some unfinished business to deal with, you see. And to be honest, I shall have to deal with it, or attempt to first. For last night, you may remember that you set me the question to the effect that if I believe in God, and I do, and this God is all-loving and all-powerful and all-wise, because he's all-powerful, he can do whatever he decides to do, because he's wise, he will do everything in wisdom for the best. How then can we believe in a God like that, when he appears to allow so many people to suffer, so many good people, as we count them, to suffer bad things. We noticed last night that to answer that question, we've got to, uh, split it into pieces. For the suffering that we human beings endure from time to time comes from two basic sources. There are the evil things that happen to human beings that are inflicted on them by their fellow human beings. Man's inhumanity to man. And there has been and still is a colossal amount of evil in this world, inflicted on human beings by their fellow human beings. And the question that they engaged us last night, therefore, was why does God allow evil like that to carry on and hurt people? But then we noticed that there is another source of suffering for which men, human beings, are not primarily responsible. And that's the suffering that comes through what we call natural disasters, volcanoes, earthquakes, mudslides, epidemics, hurricanes, tsunamis, and such like things. Man may be responsible in part for it, as now we begin to see the effect upon the universe and the environment by man's unwise behavior. But a lot of things man is not immediately responsible for. And therefore we say, why does the creator of the universe allow such things? You see. That is the question that I must now do, to be honest to you and keep my promise from yesterday, but we shall see in a moment how that fits in with our initial study of Ephesians, which is God's cosmic purpose for you and the universe. What purpose did God had in mind when he created the universe. And what purpose did God have in mind for us when he created this universe? As to the fact that it is this universe, this world in which we live, which God created, that from time to time inflicts suffering on individuals and sometimes on thousands of people all at once. What the Bible says about creation in another letter Paul wrote to the Roman believers is this, that creation has been subjected by God to frustration. And creation groans, the whole of creation groans. And we hear its groans, don't we? Very loudly from time to time. What does that mean? And why does- has God cre- uh, subjected creation to, to frustration. Well, the original story is given us in Genesis. How God created our world and put Adam and Eve in it and gave them the high honor, not of just being gardener in the Garden of Eden, but being God's viceroy. The Bible has a gigantically large sense of the importance of human beings. It's best expressed in, say, Psalm eight, where the psalmist is thinking and he's saying, oh Lord God, when I at nighttime, I, I consider the stars and the firmament and the sun and the moon and this vast universe that you has made. And I say to myself, what is man? And you might think at that point that the poet is going to say, what is man compared with this vast universe? Well, he's a tiny little worm, not much bigger than a mosquito or something. Instead, he says the very opposite. What is man in view of this vast universe? Oh, it says, thou hast created him and, and crowned him with honor and glory, and set him over the works of thy hands. That's God's idea for man. Not to be a slave within the universe, but to be God's viceroy, ruling it for God. So God said in the very first chapter of the Bible, when he made man, he made him to have dominion. That's God's idea. But then the book of Genesis tells us of what happened. God's viceroy man, had given, uh, uh, tempted by the devil himself, grasped that independence of God, and attempted to decide for himself what was good and what was bad, in spite of God and his word. That is still the trouble with humankind to this day. Independence in heart and spirit of God. And when God's vi- viceroy rebelled like that, then God didn't destroy him. God forgave him indeed, forthwith that particular man and woman. But God had a pro- a process and a purpose. And what he did next was not to destroy man. He turned him out of the Garden of Eden, but allowed him to continue his work of tilling the ground and so earning a living. But now man found that as he tilled the ground, yes, he got crops, and as well he got thorns and thistles. I used to work on a farm during the war, and the farmers decided that there would be more crops if they plowed a little bit more deeply, so they plow- plowed the ground a little bit more deeply. Yes, the crops came, but then the thistles came, such as they'd never known before, for years. Frustration. That marks us still, doesn't it? The farmers, to get more crops, spray the fields to stop the, uh, the the the midges that, uh, harm the crops. Good stuff. And then the birds don't have any midges to eat, so the birds die off. And when the birds die off, then caterpillars and other such things begin to proliferate, and you get a pest of them. The doctors invent some cure, don't they, for disease, penicillin or something, to kill the bugs that are causing the disease. And that's marvelous. And thirty years down the line, the old bugs get used to it, and they, uh, evolve a different form, and so now the drug doesn't work anymore. It's all a part of that frustration, isn't it? But then the Bible has a wonderful thing to say. That man has learned the error of his way in trying to live independently of God. God has a gospel. That this frustration built into creation by God since man fell is not going to last forever. Creation herself shall be delivered from its bondage to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. And I have to tell you, as a Christian, the glorious news that that process of restoring creation has already begun. It happened two thousand years ago. When our blessed Lord Jesus died on the cross that we might be forgiven, to bear the punishment due to our sin, that we might be reconciled to God and forgiven. He died on Calvary. He was buried. And then the Bible says, God intervened. So he never saw corruption. That holy body of Christ never saw corruption, didn't begin to disintegrate. The very process was stopped. The third day, he rose again with a body, a literal body, a body somewhat different from what it had been before. It could now come into a room, uh, while the doors were closed and could disappear, but a real body. And he said to his apostles, you handle me and see, it's, it's me. I'm not some disembodied spirit. It's me. Handle me and see. And when some of them doubted it was a real body, he said, have you got anything to eat here? And he said, we've got a bit of fish. So he said, righto. And they fed him some fish. I've often thought when he left the bones on the plate and disappeared, the apostles must have looked at those bones and said, was that real? Well, this was real. Look, look at those bones. Christ is risen. And the New Testament says that same Christ, our Lord Jesus, is coming again. And when he comes, creation shall be delivered from her bondage to corruption. Oh, it's a glorious thing, that is, do you see? God's purpose for the world and for the universe. Ha, says the critic. Ah yes, all pie in the sky tomorrow, but nothing today. That's how you Christians are. You promise us great things in the future, but what about today? Well, now that's a point. So let me tell you a story at this juncture. It concerns, uh, two Christian apostles. The one was Peter and the other was John. And this was soon after the resurrection of Christ, and they were preaching, you see, in Jerusalem. And, uh, one day they were going up to the temple... when there was, on the steps of the temple, so to speak, a man who'd been lame from his birth. Because he couldn't work, his friends had put him there. You see, they thought that when people were going into the temple, and when they were coming out more particularly, they might feel, uh, you know, in the mood to give some alms, you see, a few pennies or other to such a poor man who was born lame, you see, couldn't walk. Yes. That's a very poignant picture, isn't it? The temple of God, where inside people are singing his praises, and on the steps of it, a man lame from birth. How do you reconcile those two things? With the God of love. Well, here come Peter and John, and they're going up to the temple, and they saw this man, and the man was looking at them, you know, expecting to get a gift, you see, of money. And Peter, Peter rumbled in his pockets and found he didn't have any. He said, sorry, old fellow, he said, I, I, I, I, I don't have any money. I mean, I'd give it to you if I did, but I don't have any money on me, you see. Uh, do you see? For the church does believe in helping the poor, do they not? He said, I have something bigger than money to give you. In the name of Jesus, rise up and walk. And God was pleased to do a miracle to vindicate the name of Jesus, and the man got up and walked and went dancing and leaping into the temple. Well, of course, the crowd came round, all agog. How, how, how did he do it? What name did he do it in? And Peter stood among the crowd and told them very bluntly, this man has been healed in the name of Jesus Christ, whom you killed the Prince of Life. You see, this wasn't very much more than three months or five months after Christ had been crucified on a cross in that very city of Jerusalem. You killed him, the very Prince of Life, and you desired a murderer to be given to, didn't you? You called out for Barabbas, not this man, but Barabbas. Isn't that a funny attitude of a human heart faced with the Prince of Life himself? They not only refused him and crucified him, they preferred and asked for a murderer. He was a political insurgent, a terrorist, we should call him nowadays. They preferred him. So, what about that then? Well, Peter, as a Christian apostle, was prepared to do what all Christians do, to give help, money, and other kinds to the poor and the sick and the ill. They still do it all around this world. But there's something more important than that. What's the good of giving the church's shilling, euro, I'd better say. Euro. To men and women that have no time for Christ. Why is that important? Not a question of we shan't give money to you if you're not of our religion. Christians normally give to all sorts of people, whatever their religion is. But there's a more important question. This universe is not a slot machine where you put in your Euro and get your packet of whatnots out of the machine. It is a personal universe. And Jesus Christ, God's son, who died at Calvary, has been raised again, and God has set him at his own right hand in glory. He is the head of the universe. And what use the church's shilling if one is not prepared to submit to Christianity's savior? That's a big point, isn't it? For God has a program for this universe. It is delightful and gloriously wealthy and rich beyond description. We shall be looking at it, God willing, tomorrow and the days following. Incalculably rich. But it all depends on our relationship with God's Son, Jesus Christ. He is the son of the owner of the universe, and ultimately those who reject him cannot live within the same universe as is run by Christ. The critic says, hmm, so you say, but does that mean that you Christians, now you've been converted, as you call it, or born again or something, um, now you are, uh, free from all suffering? No, indeed not. Christians suffer just like unbelievers suffer. And the Bible makes the point, even we who have the first fruits of the Spirit within, we groan within ourselves, waiting for our adoption. That is the redemption of our bodies. But God goes on to explain that he allows believers to suffer different ways. One of its purposes is for the strengthening of our faith. Because when we get home to heaven, so far from faith being finished, faith will always be the link that links us to God. So God, it's easy to trust God, isn't it, when things go well? Ice cream with every meal. When things are difficult, it is then that faith gets tested. And God has promised he'll not test us beyond what we are able. What should we s- think then of suffering? Well, I'll tell you what I think, and it's not the whole answer to it, but in my little way, I sometimes think of suffering, you see? And I notice that we human beings don't regard all suffering as necessarily evil, do we? Have you noticed that? Would you agree? There are some people, now you can believe this or not as you please, but they are to be found, uh, fifteen were dressed up in one color shirts and fifteen in another color shirts, and they meet on a field, a rugby field, and they play rugby, and they know in advance they're going to get bruised and perhaps limbs broken and heads torn off, and I don't know what happens in the scrum. You say, why on earth do they do it and submit to all that pain? They do it for the fun of it, ladies and gentlemen. They enjoy the game so much. They think the pain is worth, the game is worth the pain, yes? Then we notice that pain has a very good effect. There's the nurse and the doctor in the hospital that diligently serve, often with self-denial, the ill. It produces them, in them, a character, doesn't it? Such as lolling around on the old sofa, indulging yourself, doesn't produce. And then, of course, pain can be a very good thing. If you get a pain in the chest and it warns you to go to the doctor and he says you've got a heart attack, well, the pain was jolly good, wasn't it? As a warning system. Then I've noticed something else. Mankind has made colossal progress, hasn't it, through the inventors and the scientists and what have you. Enormous progress. A lot of it's involved a lot of suffering and loss of life. For instance, what do you think about electricity? Should it ever have been invented? You say, are you saying electricity is wrong or something? No, no, no, electricity isn't wrong, of course not. But discovering electricity and how to apply it to serve us has involved the loss of hundreds, if not thousands of lives. What would you say about it? Has it been worthwhile? Ah. You could ask that to a lot of questions. Most people will say, but look at the good it does. And how people are helped through their illnesses on the operation table in the hospital, and the lights and everything else. So the result is worth it, worth the suffering involved. Now I want to talk to Christians. Well, first and foremost, this epistle to the Ephesians is addressed to Christians. Is there some great scheme of God for making this universe and putting you and me on it? A scheme so glorious that when it is achieved, you will say yourself, it was worth all the pain that happened incidentally. Any such scheme? I'm going to suggest, as we begin to turn to Ephesians, that Ephesians does talk to us throughout its chapters of this vast, magnificent scheme of God that is put in, in, in, in progress through Jesus Christ our Lord. That will be worth all the pain that would ever come to us in the process. What is that scheme? Well, it will take all of our studies this weekend to comprehend even a little bit of it. So I'm going to select one part of it tonight, and it comes from the early verses. I particularly appeal to verse four of chapter one. Even as God chose us in him. Now, your translation you have in front of you might not be that, you see, but I'm a very old man, and you'll have to forgive me for using a very old translation, you see. So never mind, we shall agree on what it says. This is chapter one and verse four, do you see? But God being rich in mercy, uh, do you see, he chose us before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love. He predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of his will. So this he decided before the foundation of the world. And the purpose he had in mind, that he should adopt us. And in the Greek, for our New Testament was written originally in Greek, was it not? And the Greek word behind this word adoption literally means placing as sons, or placing as sons and daughters, to adopt as a son or a daughter. And this, says this p- verse, was the scheme God had in mind, even before he made the world. So what are we to make out of that? He had this scheme before the foundation of the world. You say that's a long while ago, isn't it? The foundation of the world. Yes, a sizable wi- while ago, but it's not just a question of time, is it? It's what the philosophers would call logical priority, but let me try and explain that. God was thinking of the future idea and of all the steps that he would have to take if that idea was ever to be realized. So let me use a little illustration of what I mean by logical priority. Here is a good lady. Well, all of them are good on the whole. Uh, this is a good lady, you see. Shall we call her Anna? And Anna's been thinking, hmm, a year today my daughter will come of age, and I want to mark that great occasion, that milestone in her life. She's going to come of age. I'm going to put on a party, and it will be a most wonderful party. I'll invite the local TD and the mayor and the corporation and all my friends, and I'll hire some public place, and I'll have my daughter's coming of age recognized in the press and the photographs taken, you see. Oh, an idea she's got. And then she begins to scratch her head and think, now, now if I'm going to have a party like that, now, um, uh, what shall I do for it? Now she's, uh, I have to tell you, is very good at making cakes, and particularly the icing cake. She has very v- various diplomas in how to ice cakes. Huh. She determines she's going to make a cake such as never was, and it's going to be iced and everything else. Oh, it's going to be the center of attraction, and the press will have it, and the bride's mother made the cake, see. And then she thinks again, hmm, it's going to be the birthday, and I want to make a cake for it. Now, what I need to make the cake? Well, an oven, of course, my dear woman. Yes, I know, but my oven's old, and it's not like these modern tech, you know, modern ovens. I need a new oven. Do you see how she's thinking? She's got the, the end in view, but she's thinking of all the steps that she's got to take. I need a new oven. Well, how do I get a new oven? I can't afford to buy one, she says. Get my husband to do it. But how shall I, how shall I persuade him to buy a new oven? She says, I know, cook him a beautiful dinner. So she cooks a beautiful dinner, you see, for this husband, and says, I, I thought it about time we had a beautiful dinner, my dear. Uh, do they. So she makes a beautiful dinner, and when the husband bites into the meat, he says, my dear, don't like to disappoint you, but um, is this meat burnt or something? Yes, he says, I'm afraid it is. That's our old oven, you know. It does tend to burn things. I- I- I- I think we need a new one, wouldn't you agree? And of course, husband has to agree. She's thinking of all the steps, isn't- isn't she, to get that purpose. Before God founded this world, this universe, he had a purpose in mind. That you and I, as his creatures, should become sons and daughters of the living God. That's why he made the universe, and I'll tell you why he had to make it, uh, presently. But let's first get this thing right in our heads. It says here God predestined us, that was his purpose in all his plans, that we should become sons and daughters of God, to adopt us as such. We have now to ask what the Bible means by those. You'll see, to take the male line, if a man is going to be a son of his father, he has first of all to be born, doesn't he, as a child of his father. And then, after having born as a child of his father, he grows up to be a son like his father. Yes? That's the ideal process anyway. So first of all, in having us as sons of God, we have first of all to become children of God. Now it is a fact in many religious, uh, uh, people's minds that everybody is a child of God. Do you know what? That isn't true. God loves all his creatures. For we're all creatures of God. God loves his creatures. But not all God's human creatures are children of God. Not in the Bible sense of the term. And I tell you why. The Gospel of John and chapter one and verse twelve of that gospel, you can check on up on me when you have a time to read it, talks like this about Jesus Christ our Lord, how he came to our world. He came to his own, that is the Jewish people, and his own didn't receive him. But as many as did receive him, to them he gave the right and the power to become children of God. So says the Bible. You can't become what you already are, can you? A fish can't become a fish, it is a fish. I can't become a human being. I am a human being. If I would become a child of God, according to this verse, I have to become one. I don't start off by being a child of God. You think about the verse with me and see whether I'm exaggerating. To as many as received him, that is received God's son as their personal savior, to them he gave the power to become children of God. Even to them that believe on his name. And what was the process? It says here, who were begotten, do you see, which were born, or if you like, begotten, the Greek says, not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God. This is the beginnings of that marvelous scheme. That those who were mere creatures of God should, by God's tremendous grace, become children of God. You say, what's the difference between being a creature and a, a, a, and a creature of God and a child of God? The famous Irishman C. S. Lewis illustrated it like this, do you see? He said, take a carpenter, or cabinet maker, we better call him, and he designs a chair. Beautiful design, he's the world's best cabinet maker, and he designed this chair, you see, beautiful, beautiful to sit on, you know, and so on. Mm. He designed the chair, he makes the chair. And then he falls in love with a pretty young lady and marries, and eventually he has a son. Oh, how did he get the son? By the same process as he made the chair? No, you say, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Don't you know about these things? An altogether different process. The chair is wonderful, and when you look at the chair, you could say, I know that's a chair by so and so, that is a famous chair maker. But the chair doesn't have his life. The little child, little baby does has his life, doesn't it? When you see the little baby first, it's a funny looking thing, though you mustn't say that to the parents. You must say it looks marvelous, you see, but it's a funny looking thing, cool, wrinkled face and smells a bit, and and and you see, and all that, you see. The chair looks far superior, but no, no, no, it's the little baby that's far more significant than the chair, because it has the Father's life. We come into this world as God's creatures. He made us. Wonderful the design. But the purpose of making us and putting us on this universe, uh, in on this world, was that eventually we might not just be creatures of God, but become children of God. That is the scheme. And becoming children of God, then grow up spiritually to become full-grown sons and daughters of God, sharing the very character of God. On the subject of sons and daughters and things, I have to tell you once more, one other thing, you see. Here's a wealthy landowner, and he has a child. It happens to be a boy, you see. So the boy's only a baby. He's a child of his father. Ah, but then his father was very wealthy. And when he dies, this son will inherit his father's possessions. On what ground will he inherit it? The lawyers will say, on the ground that he is the father's son. You know, in England, forgive me for mentioning such a thing in this audience, but in England we have a queen. I'm in a club that supports our racehorses. They call it the income tax. Don't say it, but anyway, we have a queen, and the heir to her throne is a certain Prince Charles. Do you know how he became heir? Well, he became heir when he was born, as a little boy, being the firstborn son of his mum. He was already heir. The Bible has some wonderful things, and I quote you what Paul wrote in Galatians three. of every believer, man and woman, who has received Christ, has been born of God, begotten of God, given the very life of God, eternal life. And one day will grow up by under God's training and discipline to be a full-grown daughter and son of God. But already, because they are a son, born so, or daughter, they are heirs of God. That is magnificent, isn't it? The Bible phrases it this way, talking of believers. You are heirs of God, joint heirs along with Jesus Christ our Lord. That's worth a hallelujah in anybody's money. Just think of it. No wonder this epistle to the Ephesians will be full of mentions of the wealth of God's grace, the riches of God's grace. But that is the scheme. Before God founded this world, or even this universe, he had in mind the purpose that he should have one day... sons, daughters, if you like, grown up. Sons of God. And to get them... would mean instituting what our blessed Lord calls the new birth, being born again... of God's spirit. Why was it necessary, you say, for God then to go and create a whole world? Why couldn't he have proceeded forthwith and created sons like that? You know, when he created the world, he just said, woof, let the world be, and the world was. When he created the, the, uh, seas, he said, let the waters, and the waters were. And when he created man, he said, let's make man, and man was made. Why didn't he do that with sons? Well, it can't be done, you know. There are some things, uh, uh, uh, in life that... Well, let me illustrate what I mean. You can't be born married, can you? I never heard of anybody who was. I've heard of twins being born, but when they're born, they're not married. Why can't you be born married? Well, because in general reckoning, to get married, it means one man and one woman, and somehow or other they have to come to agreement, and as an act of will and choice, consent to marry the other. You can't be born married. You can't be born by physical birth as a child of God either. Why not? Well, did you listen? Oh, of course you were listening, but did you pick it up? How do you become a child of God? As many as received Christ. A lot didn't. But as many as received Christ, to them he gave the power to become children of God. And to become a child of God means receiving Christ personally, by free choice. You say you still haven't answered why God made a world anyway. Well, how would you begin? God made a world, and then he made us human creatures to put on it, you see. There he didn't have to ask our consent, did he? Tell me, when you were born, did you consent to be born? I, nobody ever asked me whether I wanted to be born, you know. I don't know about you. I just found I was here sometime after the event. Nobody asked my permission, or whether I consented, or whether I wanted to be born. No, for that purpose, as God just ordained it. And what is more, when God made us as his creatures, he didn't have to get our consent. And he put in us a moral sense. He didn't ask our consent of that either. So men and women have inside them a conscience and a sense of right and wrong that God put in them. So God made a world and made human creatures and put them on the world. He didn't have to ask their consent to do that. But when God did it, he had in mind his future plan. He'd make a world, he'd put men and women on it, he didn't have to ask their permission. Ah, but he did have a proposition that would demand their consent or refusal, and that was. he would propose to them to become children of God. That would demand their free choice. God will not force anybody to that. And the free choice is when God sent his son, as many as received him, to them he gave the power and still gives the power to become children of God. That's what this universe is about, you know. That's what this world is about. Oh, God has many experiences for us in this world that are natural and ordinary human and so forth, wonderful and good, and God maintains it. But the ultimate purpose is... that God had in mind even before he made the world to put us on it, is that eventually he would send us his son and commend his love to us in giving his son to s- die for our sins and our rebellions against God and our independences of God and offer us not only to forgive our sins, but that we should become... children of God, born of his spirit, born again, as Christ puts it. And from being born again as his children, eventually become his grown up sons. Sons. I can't talk about it to you. Forgive my exuberance, won't you? I can't talk about it without getting a little bit excited. Don't know about you. But other thing, and with this I cease. One other thing in this chapter, particularly this first chapter, but in the other chapters as well, is the constant repetition of the phrase in Christ, in Christ, in Christ. That's very interesting. If you want a little homework, only there won't be an exam tomorrow, but if you want a little homework, uh, take that passage in Ephesians and the first fourteen verses, or whole chapter one if you like, and a bit of chapter two, and mark the many times the phrase in Christ occurs. It's a very important, uh, idea in scripture. In the New Testament. For being born again as a child of God means, among other things, being in Christ. That's an extraordinary statement. You know, the great philosophers in the Greek world, heard of them? Oh, Plato and Socrates and Aristotle, they had many followers, but nowhere would you read that Mr. So-and-so was in Plato, nor in Socrates either. And Marx had millions of followers, but nobody talked about being in Marx. Still less of being in Adolf Hitler. The early Christians start using very early on, right from the very start, this idea of being in Christ. So what on earth does it mean? Well, take a little example from the Old Testament, if you like, in Noah's day, God sent a flood upon the world, didn't he? If you wanted to escape the flood, what had you to do? You had to not only know about the ark, you had to get in the ark. Yes? And so in Christ. It's not enough, is it, just to know about Christ. I have to ask myself, even as I sit in front of you and talk, am I in Christ? How do you get in Christ? When you receive him, he comes into you. But at the same time, when you receive him, the Holy Spirit puts you in him. That's a very important thing, you know, when the Lord Jesus comes again, we're told in one Thessalonians four, when the Lord Jesus comes from heaven, the dead in Christ shall rise first. You see, if in this life I trust the Savior, I receive him, and the Holy Spirit puts me in Christ, that's a distinction that not death itself will obliterate. Dead believers who have passed away through death, physical death, they're in Christ, and when he comes, they shall rise again. Two questions, therefore, arise in our minds, don't they? From considering our passage, we shall have more to say about them, God willing, and we'll get further into the epistle tomorrow and, uh, Saturday. But we made a start. The great cosmic purpose of God. Why did he make this universe? Why did he make this world? Why did he put us on it? His intention was eventually to have sons and daughters. That demanded their free choice. Therefore, he made a world and put them on it without asking their permission. He has creator right to do what he likes, and gave them a moral sense. But then came something that God could not do by his own power. He had to seek a consent of each individual. Will you accept my son as your savior? And as many as receive him, to them gives he power to become children of God, that can then grow up to be sons and daughters of the living God. But receiving him means that the Holy Spirit, when we receive Christ, he comes into our hearts, and the Holy Spirit puts us in him. And from now on, we're in Christ. It's a question why we have to ask ourselves, isn't it? Am I, in the Bible sense, a child of God? Have I received him and been born again of the Spirit of God. Am I in Christ, now in life, in death, and through eternity? But I've spoken too long. I did notice what some preachers do notice, that we didn't start on time. Well, there are all sorts of reasons for that, of course. Far be it from me to suggest, even to suggest a criticism. Don't mind when you come, so long as you come, but I haven't exceeded my hour, do you see? So I'm a moderately good boy tonight, and as you heard, we are to have a pause now, and then if you have some questions, I'll do my best to answer them.