Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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I'd like to turn first of all to a well known portion in Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1.
The ninth verse.
Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in Him.
Well, this precious verse is well known to many of us, and it brings before us these counsels and purposes of God. How wonderful it is, beloved brethren, that God has abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, that the very God who has made the universe is so interested in you and I His redeemed people, and that He has been pleased to unfold to us His counsels and His purposes.
1 is often remarked that.
Christian is the only one who has an intelligent outlook in what is going on in the world. How blessed it is that we, as far as the world is concerned, perhaps insignificant nobodies should know these counsels and purposes of God, and it's surely not because of any special wisdom of our own, but as it says here, that He has abounded toward us. That's the eighth verse.
In all wisdom and prudence.
He has made known to us the secret of His will.
And God has this supreme purpose that he is going to have a scene of glory.
Of which his beloved Son will be the center and head. And there will be two parts to that. There will be the earthly sphere and the heavenly. It wasn't my purpose this afternoon to speak about the earthly, except perhaps if you had just turned briefly with me to Isaiah and the 60th chapter.
Isaiah chapter 60.
Beginning at the 18th verse.
Violence shall no more be heard in thy land wasting, nor destruction within thy borders, but thou.
Shalt call thy walls salvation, and thy gates praise. The sun shall no more, as shall be no more thy light by day. Neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee, but the Lord shall be unto thee in everlasting light. And thy God, thy glory, thy Son, shall no more go down, neither shall I moon withdraw itself, For the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy.
Shall be ended, Thy people also shall be all righteous. They shall inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become 1000, and a small one a strong nation. I, the Lord, will hasten it in His time.
Well, this brings before us, and if you read the whole chapter, you'll see still more of the wonderful future that God has in store for that favored land. The nation of Israel, now torn with strife and the nations interfering and trying to settle their problems, but unable to do so because God has said that He would make Jerusalem a burdensome stone to all people.
All that burden themselves with it shall be broken in pieces. And isn't it true?
Those who have tried to burden themselves with the problems there in the Middle East have only found that it brings trouble upon themselves. Why? Well, because the Lord is the one who's going to do it. It's his land. He speaks of it as my land, and He is going to bring out, bring about his own purposes in connection with that land, and He is going to restore peace and blessing to this poor troubled earth.
All man's efforts won't do it, but God has won the man of His counsels, the one who will accomplish all His purposes. But as I said, it wasn't my thought to speak of the earthly sphere. And yet it is an encouragement amid all the trouble to know that God has His purposes and counsels, that He has made these things known to us, and that He is going to carry them out in His own time.
He is going to carry them out through his beloved son.
And you and I through grace will have part in the heavenly will reign over the earthly, because we shall reign over the earth by our particular sphere is in the heavenly.
And with this in mind, I had it in on my heart to speak of 6 times that we read about the work of God at Ephesus. It's very interesting to see this in the scripture because we know that the epistle to the Ephesians is addressed and brings before us this heavenly blessing. It tells us in that epistle that we are seated in the heavenlies in Christ. It shows us that.
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Portion is a heavenly 1 to enjoy that in relation to the Lord Jesus as part of His bride forever.
And I was very interested in noticing in the Scripture that as near as I can see, there are 6, perhaps more, but at least six instances where we find mention about the assembly at Ephesus. And I believe we can learn many instructive lessons because seeing this assembly was the one to whom this truth was communicated. I believe that what is brought before us in connection with them is very instructive for us.
Who have a trust in some measure laid hold of the heavenly calling of the Church, Know what it is to be a heavenly people waiting for God's Son from heaven.
So let us turn first of all to Acts and the 19th chapter. And there we read about Paul's visit to Ephesus. It's too long a chapter to read it all, but I'd like to read a few parts in this 19th chapter. This chapter of 41 verses has to do with Paul's visit there to Ephesus.
Beginning at the eighth verse. And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the Kingdom of God. But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them and separated the disciples. Disputing daily in the school of 1 Tyrannus.
And this continued by the space of two years.
So that all lay which dwelled in Asia heard the word of the Lord, the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
The 18th verse. And many that believed came and confessed, and showed their deeds. Many of them also, which used curious arts, brought their books together, and burned them before all men, and they counted the price of them.
And found it 50,000 pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God, and prevailed.
On the 27th verse.
So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at night, but also that the temple of the great Goddess Diana should be despised and her magnificence should be destroyed. Whom all Asia and the world worship us.
This is very interesting. In this chapter about Paul's visit to Ephesus, I didn't read the first part, but the first ones that he met there tells us where a group of people, a number of them, about 12, I just mentioned here. It's very interesting. In the Scripture, in the New Testament, God never gives us exact numbers. On the day of Pentecost, it says there were about 3000.
Here it tells us the number of the men were about 12. Surely you'd say, can't Paul count?
12 But he didn't, he didn't tell us the exact number because we should never be occupied with numbers. Brethren, it's a person to whom we're gathered. And so the number of the men were about 12. Now these men had known the baptism of John, They had been baptized with the baptism of John. And it's important in the introduction of this blessed truth we have that we should see it's something entirely distinct from Israel and Israel.
Blessing. So these who had been baptized with John's baptism are baptized with Christian baptism, baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Because baptism brings us into the sphere of Christianity, and that is the sphere of profession, and it's in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, because God has been fully revealed, revealed in Trinity, in Christianity.
And so these people enter a new position, and Christianity is a new position. It's not an extension of Judaism. It's not an improvement upon it. It's an entirely new thing. And so these ones that were baptized with John's baptism are baptized with Christian baptism. And then it's also very interesting to notice in this chapter, 2 Things here that we might see think somewhat surprising. It says they spoke with tongues.
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Now there's no mention of tongues in the Epistle to the Ephesians, but I believe that it is significant that it's brought in here because we're told in First Corinthians 14 that tongues are for a sign not to them that believe, but to them that believe not. And then it distinctly says there with men of other tongues and other lips, will I speak to this people that was to Israel, and yet for all that they will not hear.
Now that is the gift of tongues was a clear sign to Israel that God was going to reach beyond that nation and reach out and bless the Gentile. And that's what he's doing today. By 1 Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free. So these people with Jewish backgrounds who have been baptized by the baptism of John must see that.
There is something new now in Christianity. The gift of tongues in the Scripture was never.
As we hear of it today, a sort of a well, not a real earthly language at all about if you read carefully in the second of Acts, you will see that there were languages known and spoken in the world and was a sign, as it tells us there in First Corinthians 14, that God was going to reach out beyond Israel and so.
Most of us this afternoon are Gentiles, have proof that He has done this, that He has reached out and brought blessing to us. And then too, it was also necessary for them to realize that this one who was now associating them to come into the enjoyment of heavenly blessing is the same one who's going to set everything right in the earth another day. And so there were special miracles right there, and there were those who were healed in the most.
Miraculous way there at Ephesus to show, and it's very important that we should see that this one who is going to be the center of new creation is the one who is going to bring blessing to the earth. For it tells us in the Millennium the inhabitants shall not say in that day I am sick who forgiveth our light iniquities, who healeth our light diseases.
That blessing will come to the earth, the same one that's going to bring that blessing to the earth.
Has brought us into another sphere of blessing. That's why these sign gifts are not even mentioned in Ephesians, because we don't look for the deliverance from the results of sin and sickness. Here we wait for the redemption of the body. Our hope is that scene where there will be no more sickness, nor sorrow, nor crying or pain. But it won't be on earth, brethren. It'll be up there in heaven, but it's the same.
Who is going to bring that blessing to the earth? Who has promised that we are to be brought into a still more wonderful place in association with Christ, as we shall see, as part of his body and his bride? So it's very interesting to see this brought out in the beginning of the work here at Ephesus. And then we see at once the.
Opposition of Satan. Satan didn't want to.
This work and we see the power of the enemy manifested. God was showing that the enemy is always opposed to everything that's of God. Let us beware of all these things that we see today. There's quite a bit about exorcism today, and we need to be aware of this sort of thing that we see taking place where the enemy is seeking to intrude into the things of God.
But there was the evident power of God, because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world. How good it is to know that we have been delivered from the power of Satan, it says, Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son.
Well, then, the next thing is that we see separation. We find here immediately that there was opposition from the Jews to this precious development of truth, and it tells us that Paul separated the believers disputing daily in the school of 1 Tyrannus. Again I say Christianity is a new thing.
It's outside the camp. It's not mixing Judaism and Christian Christianity.
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Into a system it's a new thing a gathered to a rejected Christ and gathered to the one who another day is going to have his rightful place. But now we're gathered to him in his rejection. So they were separated and then we see a little evidence of this first love in the 18th verse it says here. And many that believed came and confessed and showed their deeds.
Many of them also which used curious arts.
Brought their books together and burned them before all men, and they counted the price of them and found that 50,000 pieces of silver so mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. Well, when we come later, if the Lord will to the letter to Ephesus in in the Book of Revelation, we'll see how the apostle John has to say.
That thou hast left thy first love. But here was an evidence of first.
Here were those who had been brought to this wonderful knowledge of the Lord and of the truth, and what effect does it have? And here comes the practical application to ourselves. We can speak of separation from the camp, but perhaps there are things that are hindering our enjoyment of Christ. Perhaps there are things like these people had and they said we just can't give up everything.
You know, these things are very, very valuable. We can't afford to.
Depart with them. But these people, in the freshness of first love, they didn't think of the value of these things as they were to the natural man. How about they thought of whether they were conducive to their growth in the things of God? Really harmful. Well, if they were harmful to them, they wouldn't do any good to anybody else, nor just giving them away, because they would just lead others astray.