Hemet Conference: 2002, Revelation of the Mystery (16:24)
Address—C. Hendricks
Turn to Romans 16, please. To begin. Romans 16. Verse 25. Notice verse 24. Verse 20 ends the epistle. The God of peace shall brew Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. And again, verse 24, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. And then we have the third PSI. The second PS Now to him verse 25. That is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, or by the prophetic scriptures. Referring to the New Testament Scriptures according to the commandment of the everlasting God made known to all nations. For the obedience of faith. God only wise be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen. That's this last. Section of Romans. That I want to speak a little about. He prays that. He mentions that him to him that is of power. To establish you according to my Gospel, the Gospel of the glory. Which Paul preached, and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery. This mystery that he talks about was a secret never divulged and made known in the Old Testament. That's what mystery means, the secret not known until revealed, and it has been now revealed, he says, which was kept secret since the world began, never made known. The Jews didn't know this. The Old Testament Saints knew nothing of this mystery. The Saints that were accompanied the Lord when he was here on earth didn't know this mystery even after His resurrection, 40 days of His man here. They did not know this mystery. Then the Spirit of God was sent down after he ascended to heaven and 10 days later sent down the Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, 50 days after his resurrection, and then. The truth was brought out gradually, and finally the greatest enemy of the of the blessed Lord and his followers, Saul of Tarsus, was converted in the 9th chapter, and he began to preach. And he gained a knowledge of this mystery, and he was the vessel used of God. To give it to us in his writings. If we didn't have Paul's writings, we would not have the distinctive truth of Christianity which we have in his 14 epistles. Because he has given it to us. Peter didn't preach the mystery and James didn't preach it. John didn't preach it, but Paul did. And its most wonderful, it says they'd known to all nations for the obedience of faith. But now verse 26, it was kept secret, a mystery kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest and by the prophetic scriptures of the New Testament. The way it reads in our translation, you might think it was the scriptures of the Old Testament prophets. No, no, it was the New Testament prophets. Revealed by the apostles and prophets in the Spirit. According to the commandment of the everlasting, God made known to all nations, all Gentiles, not just something for Israel as the law was. But now this mystery is to be made known to all nations for the obedience of faith. So what we've learned about the mystery is it was a secret. It was not known before in the Old Testament. It wasn't known when the Lord was here on earth. Wasn't known until he ascended and sent down the Holy Spirit. And Saul of Tarsus was brought into the family of God. And then he was used to bring out this greatest truth, which characterizes the Christian. Testimony that we are part of.
We are at the end of it, the end of this period when the mystery has been revealed. Now turn to 1St Corinthians chapter 2. First Corinthians, chapter 2. I'll read from verse 1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with Excellency of speech or of wisdom. Declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you. Stressed that because he knew far more than what he says here among the Corinthians, he knew far more and he he preached it, administered it to others, but he says, I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. They were operating on the level of the first man saying I am of Paul, I am of Paulus, I am of Cephas, I am I am of Christ. They were making much of man and following man, and he had to speak of them as. As though they were babes, he says in verse 1 of chapter 3. And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as under spiritual. That is unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. And I fed you with milk, not with meat. For hitherto you were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal. For whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul, and another I am of Apollos, are ye not carnal making much of man? So he determined not to know anything among them but Jesus Christ and Christ. Crucified. We had a little of that. Before us earlier this time this day conference. Though he says, I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. Christ crucified brings before us the end of the first man, the end of the the man that is made so much of and promoted so strongly and highly in the world and even the Christian world. Sad to say that that's the case, but they're operating like the Corinthians did. They're on that level. So many Christians are on the level of. Corinthians. Carnal Christians. Not really understanding the true calling and destiny of the church. I was with you, he says, in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. He knew what they wanted to hear. And he didn't give it to them. He could have told them right at the beginning that I'm the one that was caught up into the 3rd heaven. And I saw and I heard things unspeakable, unutterable. But he doesn't tell them that in this first epistle. He goes all the way to the 12TH chapter of the second epistle before he even mentions it. I knew a man in Christ above 14 years ago. Such an one, whether in the body or out of the body. Cannot tell such an one caught up into paradise well. He knew what they would like to have heard that would have tickled their ears. It would have been something that they could get a hold of on the level of Christianity where they were. But he says I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified a person, not not just a mere man, but the God man, that Placid one who is now in the glory. Get a hold of him and be occupied with him and see him on the cross ending your history as. After the flesh, the end of that. So to act in the flesh is to act inconsistently with the cross. And so he says, I was with you in weakness, and in fear and much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom that would have, that would have. Been. Something that they could relish in man's wisdom. Eloquence. And man's wisdom, he said my speech and my preaching. Although he was the most easily, could have been the most eloquent of the apostles, he certainly was the most intellectual. He was the most learned. He had sat at the feet of Gamaliel. He was different than the 12 apostles who were just Galilean fishermen. They didn't have an education like he had, but he was the upper crust of society, and he had a mind that was. Very, very rich indeed. But it was all brought to be a servant to Christ. All being subject to him.
He says I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. He had Apostolic authority. He tells him in the second epistle he's going to come and use his Apostolic power to deal with the evil that was still unjudged in their midst. But he didn't do it. He didn't want to have to do it. He wanted to win them in the Spirit of Christ and direct them and guide them in the power of the Spirit of God. My speech in my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit. And of power. And then he gives why that your face should not stand in the wisdom of men. But in the power of God, one of the one of the. The things that's wrong about theological seminaries and that line of things. Is that their faith stands in the wisdom of men. But he didn't want to commit that command that, but he wanted it to stand in the power of God. Verse 6 Albeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect. They were not perfect. They were babes, they were carnal Christians. But he says we do speak. This hidden wisdom among them that are perfect, yet not the wisdom of this world, nor the Princess of this world that come to naughty. He is told these Corinthians in the 1St chapter that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. And you can never find him out. The world by its own wisdom cannot find God out with all the intellect and all the philosophy and all the professors that there are, they can't find him out. It has to be revealed to us and we have the revelation here. So he says we do speak wisdom among them that are perfect, yet not that's full grown mature Christians, which they were not. They were carnal, yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the Princess of this world that come to naughty. That's not the kind of wisdom he's talking about. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world. Unto our glory. Here is a wisdom that comes from God. It was a secret. It's the truth of the mystery we were seeing in Romans 16. And he says this hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory. Christ glorified as a bride. And that bride is composed of saved sinners like you and me. And of the Gentiles, not just of the Jews, Jews and Gentiles. The middle wall of partition has been removed and broken down. And there's no difference. There's no difference in our sinnership for all of sinned and come short of the glory of God. There's no difference in our saintship if we're Jews or Gentiles. It makes no difference. We're sinners saved by grace. So he says, I speak the wisdom of God in a mystery which they hit, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory, which none of the Princess of this world knew. What was it they didn't know? They didn't know the mystery. They didn't know that hidden wisdom, which he had not disclosed until he did it through the Apostle Paul. He did not know that. Had they known it? It's not saying had they known who he was. That's usually the way this verse is interpreted. That's not what it says. Had they known it, that hidden wisdom of God in a mystery, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. If they had only known. That when they were carrying out the eternal purpose and will of God, when they crucified the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. They were helping on the foundation to lay the foundation for the Church which would spring from the dead Christ and risen Christ and the the blessing, the unfolding of the mystery would follow his crucifixion. If they had known that, it says they would not have crucified him. They would have sought to thwart the will of God. Whose mystery was something unknown. Which none of the Princess of this world knew, or had they known it, they would not.
Have crucified the Lord of glory, but as it is written I hath not seen. Nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. The heart of man never dreamed that through the death and resurrection of Christ, all the purposes of God would be fulfilled and unfolded and accomplished, and without that death and resurrection all would have been thwarted. Had they known it, this says, they would not have crucified him. It's not because. They would have recognized who he was and bowed before him. Mark 12 is it? When? The Lord of the Vineyard said, Having therefore one son, his well beloved, he said, I will send him also. When he sent him, what did the what did the keepers of the vineyard do? What did they say? This is the air. Let us kill him and seize the inheritance. They knew who he was. And he tells us that in the Gospel of John, he says, Ye both know me, and you know whence I am. Their conscience told him who he was. Their will rejected it. And so they crucified him, and in so doing they laid the foundation for the. Building of the church. The Mystery. Which is his body. I have not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man. The things which God has prepared for them that love Him. These wonderful things that have flowed out of the death of Christ. The greatest sin that was ever committed by man. Was the nailing to that cross of ignominy and shame the Son of God? But that from that the greatest blessing has flowed. For what but God hath revealed them unto us? By his spirit never entered the heart of man, but now it's been revealed. Truth of the mystery unto us by His Spirit. Spirit searcheth all things. Yeah, the deep things of God. Wonderful truth, for what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him. Even so, the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of God has revealed these precious things to us. I don't want to take too much time on any of these passages. Turn to Ephesians one please. Ephesians One. I will begin in verse 7. Verse 6. To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted. In the Beloved more literal, he hath taken us into favor. In the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood. That's the gospel. In him we have redemption. We have been redeemed from the ******* of sin and from Satan's power and delivered from it through his blood. The forgiveness of sins. We have the forgiveness of all our sins according to the riches of His grace. His grace is rich in in the forgiveness of our sins and giving us redemption. And then He goes on, having made known to us the mystery of his will. According to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself. The mystery of His will. What is that? Well, he tells us what that is in verse 10. He has purposed it in himself, that in the dispensation or the administration. Or the economy of the fullness of times that will be the Millennium. When the Lord reigns here 1000 years, he might gather together in one. And if you read it in the new translation. It's more succinct and correct to head up to head up. All things in the Christ. In the Christ. What is the Christ? I believe it's Christ and his church, and we'll see that in other passages when we get to them.
That he might head up all things in the Christ, both which are in heaven. And which are on earth even in him in the Old Testament. They were looking forward to a king reigning in righteousness down here in this world. But the mystery of his will tells us he's going to head up all things, whether they're in heaven or on earth. Not angels he's not he's not 2 angels. Hath He committed the world to come. Whereof we speak we want in a certain place testified, saying, What is man that thou art mindful of him, or the Son of Man that thou visitest him that was put all things under his feet? The feet of a man Wonderful. And that man is our bridegroom. We are the bride, and He will not reign without us. We're going to sit there next to him and reign with him. Mystery of his will, the Christ. That's Christ and his Church sitting together and reigning through over the heavens and the earth. That's a mystery never hinted at in the Old Testament. Never hinted at in the Old Testament. It was given to Paul. To bring it out, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, that's the Millennium, you might gather together in one, or head up all things in the Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth. Even in Him 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. This chapter is just filled with the will of God, the counsel of God, the purpose of. God, it all is. It's a chapter all flowing from himself and for himself and through his beloved Son and for the glory of His Son. So oftentimes we're looking for ministry that speaks of us, and most of the ministry that's given in Christendom is centered around man, the wrong man, though it's us instead of the man, the Lord Jesus Christ. And this ministry that Paul gives has Christ as the center, the head. And he is the one in whom all of these councils and purposes will be fulfilled. And His will be accomplished, that we should be to the praise of His glory. Who first trusted in Christ? Now I think he's talking there to his Jewish brethren. He said he, we, we who believe in this present day have pre trusted first trusted in the Christ. It will come for the nation of Israel later, but not yet. But now in this present day, those who are Jews and brought into this wonderful mystery are embraced in that. And then he says in verse 13, in whom ye you Gentiles also trusted after that. The word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and whom also after that he believed you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. Now it's the Spirit of God that unites us to Christ. It's the Spirit of God that came down on the day of Pentecost and formed the one body by the baptism of the Spirit. And he indwells us, and he will never leave us. And we're sealed by the Spirit. And he forms that one body. He formed it on the day of Pentecost. Jews were brought in and then the Gentiles in Acts 10. And that embraces the baptism of the Spirit. For by 1 Spirit are you all baptized into one body. Whether you be Jews or Gentiles, bond or free, and of all been made to drink. Into one's spirit. So the baptism of the Spirit embraces Jews Acts 2 Gentiles Acts 10 and once that was completed, the baptism of the Spirit was completed. The baptism of the Spirit is not being repeated over and over again today every time a soul gets saved, but when he gets saved, the spirit of God takes up his dwelling in that person and brings him into. An already baptized and formed body. So we become members of the body of Christ. Well, these are wonderful, wonderful truths. Now let's go to the third chapter. The 3rd chapter of Ephesians. For this 'cause I call the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles. He doesn't say I'm the prisoner of Rome. No, he says I'm the prisoner of Jesus Christ. Or you Gentiles. His ministry was for the Gentiles. He appealed to Caesar. The Gentiles had put him in bonds. And yet he was not their prisoner, but he was the prisoner of Jesus Christ for the Gentiles to bring the gospel to them, and more than the gospel, if he have heard of the dispensation, the administration.
The economy of the grace of God, which has given me to Your Word. How that? By revelation? He made known unto me the mystery. There you have it again. He didn't learn it from the former apostles. They knew nothing about it. Peter didn't know anything. John didn't know anything until they were. Instructed by the Spirit. We'll read that in a moment. But it was given to Paul by revelation. He says in Galatians one that he learned the gospel that he preached by revelation. Now it's the revelation of the mystery. Held it by revelation He made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote a foreign few words, whereby when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men. Now that we we learned that from Romans 16. And here He repeats that as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. Now it wasn't given to the other holy apostles and prophets to bring this truth out. But it was revealed to them by the Spirit. So when Paul did bring it out, which was new truth, sometimes you hear it in our conferences. If you hear anything new, it's not true. That wasn't back. That wasn't true back then, because all the truth was not out yet. The truth of the mystery was given to the apostle Paul. So the Spirit of God. Brought the other apostles and prophets by the Spirit into the knowledge of it, though they were not the ones that brought it out. But when it was brought out, they didn't say, well, this is something new, and we don't find this in the Old Testament. That's right, it's not there. It was a mystery, it was a secret, though the Spirit of God revealed it to them so that when it was brought out through Paul. They could recognize it. Remember that expression in Peters epistle he says about Pauls writing some things hard to be understood. The truth of the mystery must have been very hard for him to understand. Because it wasn't anywhere in his scriptures. Nowhere. It was brand new truth, a secret. Revealed through by the Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, and by Revelation. Read it again, verse 3. How did by revelation He made known unto me the mystery? As I wrote a foreign few words, beloved, I can't help but think how little. Christians know this. Proving the world and all this, the level at which they're operating is like the Corinthians, Carmel. Babes and Paul's ministry was that they might be uninstructed in the truth of the mystery what the church really is. Much of the church doesn't know what the church really is. It's a heavenly entity. We're not here to correct things on earth. We're just passing through. We're strangers and pilgrims here, but our head is in heaven. And they've they've rejected him, They've cast him out, They mocked him, they spit upon him, they crowned him with a crown of thorns, they scourged him, they heaped all the anathemas they could upon him. He's now our head, and we're here to represent Him. And not to go about setting the world right, he'll do that when he returns. And only he can do it. We can't and we're not called to do it. So all the energy that is being expended to. Fix the sinking ship. Is not the will of God. Verse 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, here it is. Here's the mystery 3:00. That's three parts to it. Number one, that the Gentiles. To be fellow heirs. New translation that the gentiles should be joint heirs. Joint heirs with the Jews. Joint heirs. That's the first thing. No difference. No. Like it says in verse 15 of chapter 2, He has abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances, or to make in himself of twain of Jew and Gentile one new man so making peace, and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body, by the cross having slain the enmity thereby.
Joint heirs, Jews and Chantilles that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs. With the juice. And of the same body, joint body. That's something that was unthinkable, unheard of in the Old Testament. Absolutely, totally foreign to them. When Peter was instructed in Acts 10 to bring the gospel to the House of Cornelius. He was on the roof praying. You saw the sheet let down, filled with all kinds of animals, clean and unclean rice. Peters lay and eat. Not so Lord, I've never eaten anything common or unclean. What God hath cleansed called that not common and that that happened 3 * 3 times in the mouth of two or three witnesses. Every word was established. Peter was so Jewish oriented that he says I'm not going to go, I'm not going to have anything with these unclean Gentiles. And God told him you're going to you're going to go there. The Spirit of God said to him, Peter, three men secretly, they're at the door. Go on, go with them. Nothing doubting. He took 4 Dukes with him. He's 3. The Cornelius had sent. He went, came to the House of Cornelius. Cornelius fell down to worship Peter. Peter said stand up, I'm just a man. And Cornelius told him I was praying and I saw in the vision. I should send for thee. And thou has done well, that thou art come. There was his house, Cornelius household. They're all sitting, ready to hear what he had to say. And then Peter realized God is opening the door of grace to the Gentile. Tremendous. We take that so for granted, we know it. But at the end of the day of grace, that was brand new then. And that the Gentiles verse 6 should be fellow heirs. Fellow heirs, but the Jews joint heirs. Tremendous truth. And of the same body, joint body. And joint partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel everything. That is going to be fulfilled in Christ that was promised in the Old Testament is for us too. Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and joint partakers of his promise. In Christ, by the gospel whereof I was made a minister, Paul says according to the gift of the grace of God. Given unto me by the effectual working of his power unto me, he says, Who am less than the least of All Saints. Is this grace given? Remember what he had done. He had persecuted the Church of God. He had wasted it. He had letters from the chief priests to bind all that called in the name of Jesus on his way to Damascus. He calls himself here less than the least of All Saints. Is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ? And to make all men see. What is the fellowship or should read the administration? Of the mystery. The dispensation of the mystery. The economy of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God. Who created all things by Jesus Christ, to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places. The heavenly sphere, The angelic hosts in the heavenly places are in the heavenlies. That it might be made known by the church. Manifold wisdom of God. That was his secret. We belong to a heavenly company, united to a heavenly man and. The angels, seeing that he He has brought Jews and Gentiles together, united them into one body. And. We're fellow heirs. And a joint body and joint partakers of the promise of Christ by the gospel. And they have learned the manifold wisdom of God. The intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be made known, I should read by the Church. A manifold wisdom of God according to the eternal purpose. Which he purposed in Christ Jesus. Our Lord.
Precious. Now the fifth chapter. 5th chapter of Ephesians. Verse 22. Wives. Submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. Doesn't it strike you? We're here in the family sphere. And we're going to learn that the principle of the mystery. Of Christ in the Church. Is used to govern us in our family relationship. Between wives and husbands. And even children. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as. Christ is head of the Church. He is the Savior, the preserver of the body. Therefore, as the Church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands and everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church. And gave himself for it. Notice that's past. Christ loved the Church, gave himself forth. That was the cross. The 26th verse is what he's presently doing, that he might sanctify and cleanse it. You might sanctify it, cleansing it new translation, cleansing it with the washing of water. By the word, that's what he's doing right now. Right now, in this meeting, he is. Sanctifying the Church by the ministry of the Word. Ministry on the mystery. And cleansing it from earthly thoughts and. Wrong notions that we might have. And then in 27th 1, the future. That he might present it to himself a glorious church. Or a church glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy. And without blemish. I used to wonder about this passage as he's talking about the marriage relationship. Or is he talking about the truth of the one body? Well, he's talking about both. And there's only one type in Scripture that brings out both the truths that are in Ephesians 5. Which is the truth of the great mystery that verse 32 Says. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ in the church, and he's using the marriage relationship to illustrate it. But that type is the type in Genesis 2 when Jehovah God put Adam to sleep. He had brought all the animals to him, he had named them, but he didn't find any that was suitable to him that would have satisfied his heart. And. The Lord puts him to sleep. The picture of the death of Christ in type. And then he performs the first operation. Takes a rib out of Adam's side and builds a woman. And what? Adam wakes up. He sees Eve. Who was from himself, made from himself. He was part of him, all of his bones and flesh, of his flesh, and when he looked at Eve, he said. This is now bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh. That's what we have in verse 30. We are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. And if you look at a new translation. Even in Mr. Darby's translation, he brackets of his flesh and of his bones. Evidently some manuscripts didn't have it, but it should be there. King James is right. Take the bracket off. Many of the translations leave it out and all it reads is we are members of his body. That's true but others flesh and of his bones goes back to Genesis 2 where Adam saw when he saw his wife he said this is now a bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. Notice how he reasons on that truth. So he's looking. He's looking at. At the truth of the one body. And he's also looking at the truth of marriage. Because the first wife, the first woman that was made, was made from Adam's body. And so the church is made from Christ body. They plunge that spear into his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And that's the basis for the formation of the church.
Blood and water. And so we come from him. Were part of him. Paul says in First Corinthians. See that is joined to a harlot is 1 flesh, but either is joined to the Lord is 1 spirit. And seeing that him one spirit with the Lord, united to him, one with him. Verse 27, again, that he might present it to himself, a church glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. So the Lord is working as it says in the 26th verse, that he's sanctifying it and cleansing it by the washing of water, by the Word He's, He's working to remove the blemishes, to correct the wrongs, and that one day he will present to himself. His bride blameless, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. And then He applies this wonderful truth in verse 28. So ought men to love their wives. As their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. Now that was literally true of the first man, Adam. Because his wife was Eve and she came from his side, so when he loved her, he was loving himself because she was part of him. And that's the truth of the one body, and that's the truth of marriage too. The woman is. Part of the man, he's one with him. We are so admin to love their wives as their own bodies. Either loveth his wife, loveth himself, or no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord of Christ, the Church. So when you care for your wife and you care for our wives. Nourish them. And cherish them. It's as though they're part of us, and they are. The woman was taken from the man. She was not a separate creation like all the other animals. He created Adam out of the dust of the ground. He created all the animals out of the dust of the ground. But not Eve. No, she came from his side. And so the church is not an independent thing connected with Christ do we came from him. He's our head and we are the body. And the members that respond to the head, and we're also the bride. He's the bridegroom. That's all beautifully brought out in that first type of Adam and Eve. No other type includes both. No man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it Even so. The Lord, the Church, for we are members of His body, of his flesh. And of his bones such Genesis 2 isn't it in type. This is the fulfillment of it. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother shall be joined unto his wife. And they too shall be 1 flesh. So we have two. One flashes. Eve was 1 flesh with Adam by creation. And she's 1 flesh with Adam by the marriage union. This is a great mystery. He says that I speak concerning Christ. And the church. Nevertheless. Let everyone of you in particular so love his wife. Even as himself. And the wife see that she reverence her husband. She comes from him. And she's a part of him. So when he loves her, you know. Beautiful, beautiful picture. Of marriage. Picture of Christ in the church. The one with him. Well, this is a mystery never even hinted at in the Old Testament. Brand new. And knew. We know it. We've heard it. Many times, but has it had upon? Us as it had upon me. In fact, it should have had. In my marital relationship. Yours as it had the effect it should have. The very thought of when you look at it in the light of this mystery, the very thought of divorce is unthinkable. But it has happened among Christians. Expected to happen in the world.
But in the light of what we have here. Certainly. Not according. You see in the Old Testament if a man. Found something he didn't like in his wife. He had the option to just divorce her. The Muslim religion. All he has to say is to his wife. I divorce you, I divorce you, I divorce you 3 times and she's divorced. He has no say in it. Just like that. Well, the Old Testament was pretty much like that. Not so today. So today. Now let's look at First Corinthians 12. We have just a few more minutes. First Corinthians 12, I mentioned something before and I said I would show you the the basis for that, and it's in First Corinthians 12, I believe the baptism of the Spirit. What does it embrace? Umm, this is the chapter that just filled with the Holy Spirit. Verse 3 the Spirit of God. Verse again at the end, the Holy Ghost. And then the Spirit in verse 4, again in verse 7, the Spirit in verse 8, the Spirit in verse 9, the same Spirit. Well, that's still verse 8. And then the same Spirit in verse 9. And again the same Spirit. And then we come to verse 11. But all these worketh at one, and the self same Spirit dividing to every man severally as he will. Now here we have it. For as the body is 1. And hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body. So also is the Christ. It should read, I believe the Christ. It's not just him alone, but he and his members. You see, we would say so also is the church, because that's what the verse is talking about. It's talking about us as members. Of his body. But it says so also is the Christ gives us his name. And so when you sisters married your husband, you took on his name. That's scriptural. It says in Genesis he called their name Adam and Eve, Adam called their name Adam, it was Mrs. Adam. And so we are Mrs. Christ. If you look at it this way, the church. Christ. Or how did How did this come about? What brought this into existence? That there is an entity down here that is called the Christ. Members of his body. Next verse tells us 4 by 1 Spirit are we all baptized into one body. Now this is a doctrine in Christendom today that is really confused. They look at the baptism of the Spirit as sort of a second blessing, something like that. It's nothing of the kind. It's it's the formation of the body of Christ. When the Spirit of God came down in Acts 2 and brought him, the Gentiles, Acts 8, the Samaritans and Acts 10, the, excuse me, Acts 2, the Jews and then the Samaritans in Acts 8 and the Gentiles in Acts 10. That's because. Notice the baptism of the Spirit embraces, whether we be Jews or Gentiles. Use Acts 2, the Gentiles in Acts 10, whether we be bombed or free, and have been all made to drink into one's spirit. So it's the Spirit of God that has formed this one body. And has united us to the head in heaven and to one another. I remember. A brother used to be with the KLC brethren. This brother had been a Mennonite, and he had learned the truth of the one body. And then he learned that there were divisions among. The states that held that truth. And he just said that can't be. It's not possible that those that hold the truth of the one body could be divided. Couldn't understand that he couldn't. Really shook him. It should. To take all of us. It could cause us to weep. Causes to weep. Have you ever shed a tear over the divided state of the Saints? Have you ever done that? Have I done that? He died that he might gather together into one the children of God that were scattered above. He prayed in John 17 that they all may be one, if thou, Father, art in me, and I and thee they also may be one in us, that the world may believe.
Thou has sent me. Just think, if the Saints had gone on altogether in unity, that would have been the most powerful gospel testimony that you could ever think of. Are you a member of that one body? Are you united by the Spirit to the head in heaven and to all the other members, brothers and sisters in Christ? What happens to this body when some member decides to do its own thing? Doesn't act in harmony with the other members. The body is sick. Maybe a bone is broken and I can't use this body. As I should. Sometimes it's another member that's very vital and. Even exist without it functioning properly. What happens to the body of Christ practically when members are not walking in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit? Ephesians 4. Let's look at that. Ephesians 4 says. I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation of the calling, wherewith your call we are called. Into one body. Walk worthy of that, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love. How can you possibly walk in fellowship with one another with all the differences of views and the differences of backgrounds and nationalities and and even languages and all that? How can we do that? With all lowliness and meekness. With long-suffering for bearing one another in love, endeavoring using diligence to keep. The unity of the Spirit. In the bond of peace, the uniting bond of peace, there is. One body still true. With all the divisions, there still is only one body. And God sees it as such. And one day it's going to be displayed as one. He's saying that. In that verse soon shall come that glorious day when seated on my throne. Thou shalt. To Wondering World's display. Thee. Or what? That was seen in the early church. The heart and soul of them that believed was one. Either said any of them, the things that you possessed was his own, but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. What a wonderful day that was. Well, that's going to come again. When he takes us home. Of the divisions. All those things that have divided us will be gone forever. Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit and the uniting bond of peace. That's our responsibility right now. There is one body and one Spirit. Act upon this, each one of us, even as ye are called, in one hope of your calling. 1 Lord, 1 faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all. And in the world? Are you a member of that body? Are you saved by the grace of God? Have you been cleansed by the precious blood of Christ? You know you're on your way to heaven. Are these fellow Christians that are sitting here, are they your brothers and sisters in Christ? If you're not saved, they're not. Go outside. Of this precious body. Which is composed of members that are united to him. Wonderful to be one of them.