GOD’S HIDDEN ONES

Photo by B Smith from the patio

 

624-1 GOD’S HIDDEN ONES

August 2, 1981

Henry F. Kulp

 

 

Colossians 3: 1 - 4 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Here we have a truth that is absolutely thrilling, one that I want you to appreciate and understand in your everyday life.

1/  Here God takes that which is positional, and applies it to the experiential part of life. Experience and doctrine go hand in hand.

2/  He starts out by saying, we are risen with Christ. Here is our position, and the word, if, is a first class position. If, and it is true, you are risen with Christ. It is not conditional in any sense of the word. We are risen with Christ, because we believe in Christ. We were baptized into His death, burial and resurrection.

3/  The word, risen, SOON - A’GUY - ROW, and this Greek word is used for the believer in union with Christ, resurrected with Christ, but not in a resurrected body. Even though we are still living on earth, God counts us to be in Christ in the Heavens. 

Ephesians 2: 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Says we are seated in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus. This means every believer in this dispensation. The dispensation of the grace of God, is risen with Christ and seated with Christ in Heavenly places.

4/  PASSIVE VOICE is not our work, but God’s work. The subject of the sentence has the action of the verb produced in it. It is not something we can do, we cannot resurrect ourselves. We cannot place ourselves in union with Jesus Christ. 

5/  SEEK - ZAH - TET - O  means TO SEARCH FOR, DESIRE TO POSSES, TO KEEP ON PURSUING TO INVESTIGATE.

6/  ACTIVE VOICE this time the believer produces the action of the verb—he seeks, he investigates, he pursues, he desires, he searches for.  

7/  IMPERATIVE MOOD—it is the strongest command you can get in the Greek. Actually, it should be read, keen on desiring to possess, and endeavoring to obtain things from above.

8/  How do we keep pursuing and trying to obtain things from above?  —Only through the Bible. It is the only work we have—the only means we have of getting things from above. Remember, we are commanded to do this.

9/ Colossians 3: 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Here is a challenge to a good mental attitude. Set your affection—that means you’re thinking—on things above. Again this is active voice—the believer produces this action. It is again an imperative voice—it is a command. So it should read, keep on thinking about things above.

10/  Again the only way you can do this is by studying the Bible and hiding it in your heart, and your mind.

11/  Isaiah 55: 7 - 9 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

There is a principle here that we need to see as far as our thinking is concerned. My thoughts are not your thoughts. What we think normally is not what God thinks. Again, it is necessary that we go to the Word of God. 

Proverbs 23: 7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

What you think is what you are. It is not what you appear to be, but it is what you think that counts.

12/  Now I would like to look at some of the Scriptures that have to do with our mental outlook.

   1/  II Timothy 1: 7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

We are to have a sound mind. A believer does not automatically have a sound mind. He gets this sound mind by knowing Bible doctrine, and obeying it.

   2/  Philippians 4: 6, 7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Here is how you have stability of the mind.

   3/  Love is a mental attitude. 

I Corinthians 13: 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not   easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

   4/  Worldliness is a mental attitude. Evil is not something that you do, it is something that you think. When you do it, it is bad, when you think it, it is evil. 

Matthew 9: 4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

13/  Colossians 3: 3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Here is where we get our title, your life is hid with Christ in God. It is perfect tense in the Greek. Something that has happened in the past with results that are permanent, and of course it is the passive voice in the Greek—it means you didn’t hide yourself, but God hid you. Have you thought about this matter of being hidden in Christ with God? It is a permanent situation for we are members of His Body and we shall always be members of His Body. Not of a nation, not of a covenant people, but we are with Jesus Christ.

14/  This is PRESERVATION. Here we have preservation and eternal security. 

15/  Let us look in the Bible and see God’s Hidden Ones. 

Psalm 83: 3 - 5 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:

Of course, this is talking about the nation Israel—not the church the Body of Christ, but we have a beautiful truth here. Here Israel talks of the enemies of the nation of Israel, the Gentiles. They have taken crafty council against Thy people and have consulted against Thy hidden ones. 

Israel recognizes they are hidden in God and the enemies said, come and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. And you can see how successful the world has been in its hatred for Israel. Israel here was hidden in God and safe, and again we can say for Israel—it is preservation.

16/ Isaiah 32: 2  And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

Here it says, a man shall be in a hiding place from the wind. Of course, this man is no other than the Messiah-King, the Lord Jesus Christ. First of all, He brings salvation to Israel, He is the hiding place. Than He satisfied—rivers of water—then the shelters, the shadows He gives in a weary land. If only Israel had recognized that Jesus Christ the man was to be their hiding place, and will be in the future. 

17/  Psalm 143: 9  Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.

This is the Psalm of David. You miss something if you do not really look at this in Hebrew. David did not say, I flee unto Thee, hide me. David literally said, I flee unto Thee, hide me with Thee. So it means not hidden and forgotten, not hidden and forsaken, but hidden and consoled and protected. 

18/  But do you realize, what David cried for, we have. We flee to Jesus Christ, and we are hidden with Him in God—let the troubles and trials and tribulations of this life come, and we are secure and we are preserved in Jesus Christ.

19/  Psalm 32: 7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

The word, Selah, means STOP AND THINK OF THAT. So read this and stop and think. Thou art my hiding place, Thou shalt preserve me from trouble. Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. 

This is speaking of the coming tribulation, when the nation Israel shall see the wrath of God poured out upon it and upon the nations of this world as they rebelled against God, how will the Nation Israel ever survive the time of Jacob trouble? 

If you read, Revelations, Chapters 6 - 19 

You will never in the flesh, understand how Israel will ever go through it but she will.    

20/  Israel will say, because You are our hiding place, have preserved us from trouble, with songs of deliverance, we shall sing them.

21/  Do you realize, again, what Israel has talked about, we have in this present day of Grace? We have even that which is better than they will have.

22/  We are hidden in God in Christ, and the storms of life can beat down upon us , but we have songs of deliverance right now that we should  think about every day.

23/  Thessalonians 1: 10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

Let’s compare it with I Thessalonians 1: 3  Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;

Here He talks about your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope. In verse 9 He tells us you turned to God from idols, and that is a work of faith, and then he says, to serve the living and true God, that is a labor of love. Then he talks about waiting for His Son from Heaven, which is the patience of hope. So you see, verse 3 is illustrated in verse 9, 10. For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

24/  But let us see this waiting for His Son from Heaven, will deliver us from wrath to come. The word, from, is EK in the Greek, and it means out of. Who will deliver us out of the wrath to come? Again, the tribulation we just read about in the book of Psalms, and the church will not go through it. We will be delivered out of it. This is one of the songs of deliverance.

25/  I talked to a man not too long ago who said he got saved because he read about the Tribulation and it frightened him, and he said, I’d better be saved, so I will not have to go through it. So, you see, we have a song of deliverance that we can sing. We will not go through the tribulation—the day of wrath, because we are hid with Christ in God.

26/  Hebrews 2: 14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

Here is our second song of deliverance. We are delivered from the fear of death. It does not say we are delivered from death, but rather from the fear of death. When we sing this intelligently, we can face death and not be afraid. We may fear the way we are going to die, but we don’t fear death, because it means absent from the body, present with the Lord.

27/  Galatians 3: 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

Here we read, we have been delivered from the curse of the law. We realize the Mosaic Law, all 613 commands of the law, were not given to the Gentiles, but to the nation Israel, but the curse of the law is death, and we all have been delivered from that curse. The law was given that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may become guilty before God, but we know we have been delivered from the curse, and we can sing this song, day by day.  

28/ Galatians 1: 4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

Here we read that Jesus Christ gave Himself for our sins that He might deliver us from this present evil age. Have you ever thought how evil this age is? Look about you, the whole world is in turmoil, the whole world is rebelling, violence, hatred on every side. Is there any turning back from this situation we are in? Not at all, there is no way to turn back. 

I appreciate President Reagan, I think he’s been the first President we can look up to in a long time, and I certainly have appreciated what he is trying to do. It may help for a season but the die has been cast.  

29/  We praise God we have been delivered from this present evil age. This is one of our songs of deliverance.  

30/  We are hidden with Christ in God. This is a place of preservation, this is a place of security.

30/ Colossians 3: 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Here we have presentation—manifestation. We are going to appear with Him in Glory.

AMEN

Ref: 08/02/1981 / 624-1 GOD’S HIDDEN ONES / 01/23/2021 

REDEEMED

Photo by B Smith from the garden

344 - 2 REDEEMED

March 6, 1977

Henry F. Kulp

 

Colossians 1: 12 - 17 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: or by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

In verse 12 we have a wonderful truth. We constantly give thanks unto the Father who has made us qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. We have an inheritance the moment we are saved.

1/  Now let us take time and look at the doctrine of inheritance

    (1) Inheritance is based on sonship. When we believe in Jesus Christ, we become sons of God. 

Romans 8: 16, 17 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Galatians 3: 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

    (2) Heirship is based on the death of another. It takes the death of someone. 

Romans 5: 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

I Corinthians 15: 3, 4 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

We inherit on the basis of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of calvary.

    (3) Heirship demands we possess the life of God. If you are going to be the heir of God, you are going to have to have the life of God. That means God possess eternal life. And we do this at the moment of salvation.

Titus 3: 7  That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

    (4) Heirship is related to predestination. 

Ephesians 1: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

Heirship includes the sharing of the destiny of Christ.

  

    (5) Heirship is related to election. We share the election of Christ—He is the elected one of God.

    (6) Heirship means security. We are secure—eternally secure because we are heirs of God.

 

    (7) Heirship is provided on the basis of grace. 

Galatians 3: 29  And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Everything we have which is of any value is based on grace.

    (8) The indwelling of God the Holy Spirit is the down payment on the inheritance. 

Ephesians 1: 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

3/  The word, from, is EK and it means out from, and then the word, power is interesting. It is the Greek word, EX-DO- SEE’- AH and it means dictatorship in this case. Whenever this Greek word is translated it is usually power, and it doesn’t mean power—it means authority. Let us show you what I mean. 

John 1: 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

We were given the authority not the power—but the authority to be the sons of God.

4/  And now darkness—that refers to the kingdom of Satan. He is the authority of darkness. 

Notice Luke 1: 79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Here unbelievers as far as the kingdom is concerned are said to be sitting in darkness, and that is true today. All unsaved are in darkness. They are in the kingdom of Satan. 

I John 5: 19  And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

Here we read the whole world lieth in the lap of wickedness—in Satan’s kingdom, because that means in the wicked one—that means Satan. 

5/  Now we have the phrase, hath translated us, and MET-HISS-TAY-ME it means not to be translated, but to be transferred. When we think in our present day of the word, translated, we mean taking something from one language and translating it into another language. We can take something in Spanish and translate it over into English. Those who know English know what it means, but this word here means to be transferred.

 

6/  Not into the Kingdom of His dear Son, but OF THE SON OF  HIS LOVE. Jesus Christ is the object of the Father’s infinite love, that is why Ephesians 1: 6 he is called the beloved one. To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

7/  Notice this transfer has already taken place. It is not something to happen in the future for He hath transferred us. What a contrast between the kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of the Son of His love.

8/  What is the kingdom of the Son of His love? It is the Kingdom where everything is love for the Lord Jesus Christ. I meet  people who love their church, and it is not wrong to love their church, but that is what they love altogether. They talk about their church work, what their church is doing, but they do not say a word about the Lord Jesus Christ. One who is truly saved is one who loves to talk about the Lord Jesus Christ, and is one who shutters when the Lord’s Name is taken in vain. This is the Kingdom where everything is love for Christ. There are people who will talk to me if I talk about the church, or religion, but when I talk about the Lord Jesus Christ they turn away. So this is the Kingdom where Jesus Christ is loved, and when anyone says anything against Him it pierces you right to your heart.

9/  Verse 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

And here we have redemption. In whom, and of course that means Jesus Christ, we have redemption. The word redemption, in the Greek is OPP-O-LEW-TROW-SIS. It means deliverance on the basis of paying a ransom. It means to buy back a slave who is captive in the slave market, so we can say, redemption means to purchase the freedom of a slave.

10/  Every man is born inside the slave market. Every man is born into slavery. This is because we are born with an old sin nature and it is impossible for us to get out of the slave market. It takes a free person, one who is outside of the slave market to purchase our freedom, and no one born of woman, outside of the Lord Jesus Christ fits this category. He was born free, and He purchased our salvation.  

11/  Acts 20: 28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Here we read the Lord Jesus Christ redeemed us. He paid a price and that price was His own blood. He was outside of the slave market and he died and with His blood purchased us and now we are free men.  

12/  Psalm 49: 1 - 3 Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world: Both low and high, rich and poor, together. My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.

Here God is going to say something wonderful that has to be heard by all the world, and then He speaks about the world and its wealth in Verse 7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: 

Man cannot redeem a man from a slave market.

Psalm 49: 8 (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)

I went to a lot of trouble to find out the true meaning of the Hebrew word that is translated “ceaseth,” and it means to stop a thing or leave it alone, and what God is saying is—don’t meddle with redemption. If anybody preaches anything but redemption by blood, what can he offer to men? If Jesus Christ did not redeem us by blood how can a soul be redeemed? Where will you find the price? Because redemption is a costly thing and not to be trifled with. There are many preachers, preaching a bloodless religion, but there is no redemption in it. We have been redeemed by His blood.

13/  Then notice, even the forgiveness of sins. Now we have the forgiveness of sins, and that means of all our sins. Everything has been forgiven. Don’t you see you would not have a perfect redemption. You could not be complete if God held anything against you, and you have to see that God doesn’t hold anything against the believer. Then notice in Ephesians 4: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

We have been forgiven by God for Christ’s sake.

Ephesians 1: 17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

We have the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of God’s grace. Can you measure the grace of God? Not at all. But God has forgiven you, not according to your forgiveness of others, not according to how good you are, but according to the riches of His grace. Just try to measure that! And you will find that you cannot do it.

14/  Hebrews 9: 26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

When Jesus Christ died He put away sin. Sin is gone for the believer. He didn’t go back to Heaven until He had put away our sins.

AMEN

Ref: 03/06/1977 / 344 - 2 REDEEMED / 01/22/2021

KNOWING GOD’S WILL

Photo by B Smith from the kithen door

338 - 2 - KNOWING GOD’S WILL

February 6, 1977

Henry F. Kulp

 

Colossians 1: 1 - 8 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

Paul first of all greets the church in Colosse, and he gives gratitude for them because this is a unique assembly. Not at all like the church at Corinth. They had three graces, faith, love and hope. 

1/  Verse 5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;

This verse shows the folly of some in saying that the church started after Acts 28. These folks had their hope before Paul wrote to them. They had heard of this hope in the word of truth of the Gospel.  

2/  What Gospel is he talking about? You say, is there more than one Gospel? Absolutely. Those who fail to see there is more than one Gospel will find that they are in a confused state and are workmen who will be ashamed before God.

3/  First of all, the word, Gospel, comes from the Greek word, U-ON-GEHI-EE-ON. And the word originally meant, a reward given to a person for bringing good news. Later on the idea of reward was dropped out, and the word came to mean good news or good tidings. It is foolish to believe that the Bible only has one item of good news. There are many different gospels or items of good news in the Bible.

4/  The words, good news means nothing by itself. You need something to go along with it. Let me show you another word that is the same way. The word, law, most people when they read the word, law, think of the Mosaic law. And this is a mistake. The word, law, without qualification means nothing. In the book of Romans the word, law, is used in five different ways:  

This is the Mosaic law

Romans 5: 20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

The law of indwelling sin

Romans 7: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

Law of the renewed mind

Romans 7: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

Law of sin and death

Romans 8: 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Law of the spirit of life

Romans 8: 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

5/  It is the same with the word, good news, or Gospel. 

Matthew 4: 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

Here we read that Jesus Christ went about all of Galilee teaching in the synagogues and preaching the Gospel or the good news of the kingdom. What Gospel was He preaching? The Gospel of the kingdom. What is this? It is a kingdom that was promised in the Old Testament that was to be set up upon earth.     

6/  Matthew 6: 9, 10 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Here we have Him teaching the disciples about prayer. He told them to pray, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as in Heaven. So we see the Gospel of the kingdom was not on earth when Jesus Christ taught it, and then He taught His own to pray for it, and it is the will of God being done on earth as it is in Heaven. The key word, is the word, earth.

7/  Matthew 10: 5 - 7 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Here we have Jesus Christ instructing His Twelve Apostles to go only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and preach saying the kingdom of Heaven is at hand. The word, Heaven, is the Greek word, OO-RAIN-US and it is in the plural, so it should be read Heavens. Of is literally, from. So it is the kingdom from the Heavens, out of the Heavens.

8/  Matthew 5: 5 And here we read, Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Earth is the key—a kingdom on earth. 

9/  Another thing we have to see is that healing goes hand in hand with this Gospel, good news of the kingdom. 

Matthew 8: 14 - 16 And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them. When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:

If you want to understand the Gospel of the kingdom, you must go back to David—to the covenant that God made with David.

10/  Jeremiah 23: 5, 6 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord Our Righteousness.

The good news here is based on a promise made to King David. Here God says of your seed there is going to be a man sit upon your throne. And he is going to rule over the house of Israel and of the house of Judah. In this kingdom on earth, David is promised a king, a throne and a righteous government. We are not to proclaim, to preach the Gospel—that is not our hope. That is not what Paul is talking about in Galatians 1: 5, 6 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

11/  Matthew 6: 9, 10 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

All over our land this morning we have those who claim to be Christians who will be praying this prayer. 

Verse 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 

This prayer will be prayed during the tribulation as the nation longs for this earthly kingdom on earth, and as they are persecuted by the antiChrist they will pray this prayer. 

Revelations 13: 16 - 18 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Here we see the tribulation when the anti-Christ and the false prophet will cause all to receive the mark of the beast either in their right hand or in their forehead, and without this mark they cannot buy or sell. And those of Israel who are true Israel will not receive the mark and will not be able to buy food, so God will provide their daily bread as He did for Israel in the wilderness.

12/  Then we have the Gospel of circumcision. 

Galatians 2: 7 - 9 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.

The Gospel of circumcision was committed unto Peter and the rest of the Twelve. What is the Gospel of circumcision? If you want to know about the Gospel of circumcision you must go back to Genesis, you must go back past David to Abraham, to the covenant of circumcision. God made a covenant with Abraham in circumcision.

Genesis 17: 11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.

Circumcision was the token of the covenant. In this covenant Abraham’s seed, called the Circumcision was to be a blessing to all nations. Israel was to have a nation and the land. The Davidic covenant was the king and throne and a government, the Abrahamic covenant was a nation and land. The two are closely related.   

13/  Let us go back to Matthew 1: 1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Here we read the book of generations of Jesus Christ, The son of David and the son of Abraham. He is not the Son of David or the Son of Abraham to us. Jesus Christ is the Son of God to us, the Head of the body.

14/  Galatians 2: 7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;

The Gospel of uncircumcision. This goes back beyond David, beyond Abraham to Abram. 

Romans 4: 9 - 11  Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:

Abraham long before he was circumcised was justified by faith in uncircumcision. And he is the father of all who are justified by faith through Jesus Christ.

    

15/  The Gospel of the circumcision was exclusive to Israel only. But the Gospel of uncircumcision is inclusive, it includes everyone.

16/  Acts 20: 24  But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify of the gospel of the grace of God.

Here we read the Gospel of the grace of God. What is the Gospel of the grace of God? It goes back beyond David, beyond Abraham, beyond Abram to eternity past. And it incorporates the Gospel of reconciliation and the Gospel of the mystery. It is a combination of three Gospels. The combining of the Gospel of circumcision, reconciliation and the mystery.

17/  Colossians 1: 5, 6 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

What Gospel is this? Verse 6 says it is the grace of God in truth. So here is Paul in the Acts period presenting the message that we proclaim today—it is not repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, but that all have access to God the Father in Jesus Christ.

18/  Then we read, As it is in all the world, in all the earth. And  then in verse 23 that was preached to every creature which was under Heaven. So this Gospel in Paul’s day went throughout the world. Let us make another comparison. 

Matthew 24: 13, 14 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Here we see another comparison between the Gospel of the Kingdom and what we preach today. This Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations and then the end shall come. 

If this is the same Gospel that Paul preached then we have a big problem. Why didn’t the end come after Paul taught his message of the grace of God to all the then known world and every creature heard it?

For the simple reason it was a different Gospel from what we are preaching and it is to be preached during the tribulation.

AMEN

Ref: 02/06/1977 / KNOWING HIS WILL / 01/19/2021