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[9:59] the grace of God. Oh well he knew that if it had not been for that grace, he would still have pursued his former cause. He would have been found in it, yea, and he would never have left it.

[10:21] And there was only one that could make the difference. There was only one that could indeed change his heart and renew his will. And that was God in his mercy towards him, in that glorious person whose name he had formerly hated and opposed.

[10:49] It is a blessed thing when you can trace in your own life's experience a change from one position into another.

[11:03] When you can look and behold the former state and then having view that which has been wrought in you by no natural power by not the will of man but by that which has a heavenly birth that wherein God has been pleased to foothin your soul into new life to give you a spiritual nature and to give you that wherein you find the greatest happiness the most sublime joy that ever can be realized in this state and time upon us.

[11:56] Paul was never tired of glory in his law. He was always making his vote in the God of his salvation.

[12:07] it was his continual food nourished and strengthened by it he was never tired of so trippity unto the divine grace that wherein he had been he had been given a true religion a reality in those things wherein he now found his life to be in Christ and that wherein he experienced the power whereby he could so communicate unto others of those glorious things which he had received himself from God.

[12:59] Paul he said oh yes you all knew what I was before before I ever came to Ephesus you had heard somewhat of my history and you had heard somewhat of the remarkable and astonishing change that had taken place in my life and you know too how the by reason of that change the world crucified me and I was crucified unto the world yes I had to walk in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus friend I had to suffer affliction for his name's sake I was not exempted by reason of that which he had so wondrously done for me from that which related unto all the trials and the temptations and the satanic powers which he so had to contend with every day of his life

[14:13] I know that of some Christians when they speak they speak as though if they are indeed in Christ then they will never be molested they will never be tried or tempted by Satan they will never as it were be made to tremble they will never be shaken to the very death by reason of that which Satan so enslave in the corrupt nature no they think they can with all that my dear hearer as long as you are in this world you'll never be done with it it will always be present that vile foe will give you no rest and I am sure that in that wherein you may increase in the grace of God you will become more and more the subject of his satanic power so to overwhelm and to overcome you that though he knows that he cannot rest you out of the hand of God nevertheless he is going to give you no peace while you are here in this life you have to fill up the affliction of the body of strength he was in prison that is where his profession had landed him was he any poorer by reason of these things oh he had known what it was in previous days to have nothing to spare and now he is so found in a prison that he is so poor that he even has to ask that a cloak might be brought unto him so that the coldness of the jail might indeed be warded off yet he's come right down to it now

[16:22] Paul let's listen to your complaints let's listen as it were to all that where you will have to tell us of your misery and your wretchedness and all that your profession has brought you to Paul says not a bit of it you're never going to hear anything like that from my list you're never going as it were to hear my complaining of my rebellions against that which is relative to these things that have befallen me because if ever a man was rich he would say I am if ever a man was blessed he would say I am if ever a man was saved he would say I am why what does the prison mean to me what do these setters mean to me little or nothing at all why not

[17:27] Paul because of what God has done for me because of what he has wrought in me in the inward man because of the reality that he has given me of a substance of that divine truth in himself in his word in his promises in his assurances they stay my soul they uphold me they strengthen me yea and I delight in the presence of my God and as he sits there musing as it were within the soul he thinks about his old friends he thinks about the church of Galatia where he had been so blessed by God to the raising up of that church his mind goes to come and now he turns to everything and he says in effect what

[18:32] God has revealed to me what God has imprinted and cannot be eradicated out of my soul must be communicated unto others as the word of the Lord and in the inspiration of the divine spirit he so takes up his pen and he would rate unto these saints of faith and in Christ Jesus and tell them that they are to rejoice he would take them up unto heaven as it were he would say see how your names are written in the Lamb's book of life see how the before eternity before the world began in eternity God in his purpose and will of grace toward you fought upon you then and how that in time he has demonstrated it unto you by the gift of the

[19:37] Holy Spirit ah Paul when you begin to write the wondrous things that are contained in your epistles the things that God has revealed unto you by the Holy Spirit shall they not then be the food and the drink of every one of his saints and of every one of the faithful in Christ Jesus Christ we know then that Paul he says an apostle of Jesus Christ an apostle was one who had literally seen and spoken with the Lord Jesus Christ the days of the apostles are gone what a blessed thing it is that in that which relates unto

[20:47] Paul that he is one chosen as it were out a few times so to behold and serve it here from the Lord Jesus himself he doesn't trace then his apostleship unto man he doesn't trace it unto anything that regards unto his own will he beholds the whole operation the whole watchingship to have been derived from God sinner if you have an interest in these truths if you are ever brought and blessed be his name if you happen to believe the glorious things which Paul has so recorded for their instruction the certainty of them the assurance of them then you will have to say it was not the will of man that brought me to know these things he wasn't by their teaching he wasn't in that wherein

[22:08] I had a will unto these things because rather I was opposed unto them but it was that which was relative unto God of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ the one who looked down in the rich treasury of his grace and determined from before time began that he was going to bless you he knew all about you then he knew in his own arrangements and appointments that which was relative unto the time of your natural birth he knew all about your circumstances he knew all about the corrupt mixture of yours and he made a glorious provision for you in a precious right he had given you into his hands and in consequence of that everlasting salvation which he has brought out for you

[23:11] God in his infinite love has seen fit to send his spirit into your heart you have been quickened you have been renewed all things are passed away all things are become new you are a new creature in in in Christ Jesus you have no blessing outside of him there is no communication from God in mercy and in love to your soul outside of him it all comes through him because you are in him can you grasp that wondrous truth have you not known what it is for your soul to be to be blessedly stirred up at times it may be under the preaching of the word it may be in the reading of the word it may be in a hymn it may be in meditation it may have been upon your bed and your soul has been so blessedly stirred up that everything else is lost in you and all that you are enabled to embrace is that which is relative unto the wonder of the revelation of the grace and the mercy of God which is brought unto you in by

[24:50] Christ Jesus and what is more he's given you a believing heart to receive it oh yes it is the gift of God from beginning to end the work is his poor would never have believed these things if it had not been for that wondrous gift how did that wondrous gift come about what he told you although I must draw your attention first unto the names which he gives unto his Lord he says an apostle of Jesus Christ the end of this verse is to the faithful in Christ Jesus why the change why the reversal of the name because in the first place the revelation that had been given unto him was directly by Jesus who art thou

[26:02] I am Jesus whom thou persecutest he found in him his savior his found in him his wisdom he found in him his understanding he found in him everything the poor sinner needed pardon righteousness sanctification yes everything how that he dears the name of Jesus unto his soul oh that he should ever have fought that he should ever have rebelled against such a precious savior as this oh that he should ever have entertained such force within his heart of evil concerning him oh it all comes home unto his heart and in the pain and the agony of that wherein he has to make his confession there is the language of thanksgiving and praise hallelujah what a savior is that what he is to you you know you'll have to come like Paul if you come to that having nothing in yourself yet realizing the hypocrisy and the rottenness of all that which was relative unto your very religious nature in previous days yes and in all the pain that it brings to behold in that wondrous

[28:05] Jesus the one who was the man of sorrow and appointed with grief the one who suffered so much for you the one who hung upon the frost that he might bring you freedom and liberty and release from the wrath of God God ever shows you what a sinner you are and if he ever shows you the wonder of his divine grace you will never be tired of lording the name of Jesus to to you it will be the name that is above every other name but he says Jesus Christ yes he loved these two blessed names by experience you you asked how they signed him in the street straight it's a master and what do we have got to read concerning him the

[29:18] Lord is talking to Ananias about him see the Lord knows all about him and he can so order things for our good when we little know that the Lord is still appointing these things for our prophets he talks to Ananias ah says Ananias you say behold he prays but you know Lord I have heard so much of all the evil that he hath done unto the saints at Jerusalem eh said the Lord that he is a chosen a chosen vessel unto me you didn't expect to bind a chosen vessel there would you you say to yourself at times there never

[30:22] God drill in a heart like mine God in that wherein he reveals to you the nature of yourself that you may fall in love with Jesus oh he is the one who will teach you to the blessed meaning of the second name Christ go he says brother Ananias came to the room and he said brother brother Saul ah yes we're both sinners together you know even though Ananias is a Christian living at Damascus taught by the same blessed God but he comes and he goes and by his own name he says brother the law here is your body here is the power of the message which he has served to give unto

[31:33] Paul the Lord who appeared unto thee in the way that thou came is hath sent me that you may receive your thanks and receive what else the Holy Ghost the gift of the Holy Ghost Christ is the anointed one Christ signifies the one who is sent the anointed Jesus anointed that both as king and priest and prophet there may be communicated unto you out of his fullness all the fuels of birds in earth may need he was anointed and the anointing descended even unto the end of his garment ah lord

[32:51] I'm so worthless oh lord I have no claim upon thee lord thou must shut me out because I realized myself to be so vile and wicked and yet is there a gift given unto you is it a gift of faith faith that stands in the power of the holy ghost faith that reaches out after the hem of his garment faith that says within your heart if I may but judge to him of his garment I shall be made whole and wholeness was there for only the anointing wherewith he was anointed why when he writes unto the faithful he changes the word no rather the names and puts them in the reverse he says in the anointed saviour that's where all the fullness comes from oh that glorious anointed saviour sinner you've come here this morning what have you come for to hear a poor man try to preach the gospel

[34:25] I hope not that you come here with that desire in your heart prepared by the spirit to meet with God that you may hear his voice that you may be made a partaker of those spiritual blessings which are in Christ Jesus oh you say to the centurion I am not worthy but the word came nevertheless and the word came in all its healing power and is it that that you too are the recipient of the divine anointing the spirit taken of the things of Jesus and revealing them unto you the Holy Ghost in his enlightenment so bring that light and understanding into your heart wherein you say none but Jesus can do helpless sinners good oh Lamb of God

[35:40] I come I can't stay awake everything else is hope yea and you say as you look around upon the things of life I don't want them they don't mean anything to me apart from my Lord's presence and his blessing I must have him this is the importunity which is wrought in your hearts by prayer praying in the Holy Ghost Paul knew all about it you know about it and he says by the will of God oh yes he has to trace it all back to the fountainhead what is the origin of my religion does it stand in myself does it stand in my appearance in the cross of the Lord does it stand in my reading the Bible does it stand in my reading the Bible does it stand in my singing the songs of Zion

[36:49] I can do all that and have no part or interest in any of it but do I know what it is under the anointing of the precious Christ unto that office wherein he alone can't suffice for poor hell-deserving sinners that your heart by faith is exercised upon him because that is what is meant in the language of the text to the faith during Christ Jesus to you who exercise faith on him it's not a dead faith it's not an impotent faith it's a living it's powerful yea and notwithstanding all that you are and all that you know about yourself yet there is that within your poor soul that goes towards the Lord Jesus says Lord nothing but sin I thee can give nothing but love shall I receive you now you know this is what Paul wants these saints and these faiths in Christ Jesus to know and to be exceded in continually further down in this chapter as we've read this morning after he hath spoken of the glory of that wherein the will of God is pleased to make itself known unto a poor sinner he says oh he says I cease not to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation and the knowledge of him the eyes of your understanding being enlightened mind you I've heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love unto all the saints but I want you to know the exceeding riches of his grace the exceeding riches of his glory you read through this epistle read how that word constantly occurs riches, riches, riches and where they found in that in that where in the grace and the glory of God is made manifest in his son

[39:21] Jesus Christ oh he says I would have you to be enlightened in the knowledge of him that ye may know what is the hope of his calling and what the retusible glory of his inheritance in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us but who believes according to the working of his mighty power and he doesn't leave it there he says the mighty power which he wrought in Christ I want you said Paul to enter into these things to realize your privileges your blessings that wherein you shall be strengthened and able to endure unto the end yea that whereby you shall be able to take unto you the whole armor of God and in the evil day to stand because that power is omnipotent which is wrought in your soul by God you say how can that be because it is that which he wrought in strength when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places

[40:46] Paul says that's why I don't complain that's why I don't develop my circumstances and know that I am in the prison house and so on I only want to encourage you he said I want to strengthen you I want to help you so to realize the same blessings that I am enjoying and where are those blessings he says they're not down here they're in heaven he says they're reserved for me and I shall come to them assured he has shortened me and made my soul alive in a precious price so I shall come into the glory of the riches of that inheritance wherein I shall see him face to face where I shall be like him this is according and notice that word in this epistle you know you know there's so much we pass over in the word of God by England the very text that we have haven't you been guilty sometimes of passing over it while you've read it oh yes it's only an address it's only that wherein it explains the writer and the ones to whom he is writing you're not so concerned with that oh you know if you are a villainous structure after God you'll become aware of that word according that's in this epistle as well as the riches it's according to the riches and then you find that everything in your soul's experience is not yours

[42:41] I mean in the sense of anything that is brought forth by your eyes but it is brought forth by him who worketh and willeth within you to do of his good pleasure and then what is what you want outwardly you work out your own salvation with fear and with trembling you know in the first chapter here we have the doctrine in the second and the third chapters we have the experience we come then to the amen in the fourth chapter and to the end of the epistle you have the practical path of that which is wrought inwardly so in other words we have here the foundation Paul an apostle of Jesus right by the will of God the experience saints and faithfully

[43:52] Christ Jesus brought out in the second and third chapters yes and then the outworking of that which has been wrought in you but while he is the subject for the time may God bless that which we have sought so to speak to his honor and to his glory and may your souls be lifted up in the wonder of such grace that has been brought unto you in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ amen for the days Thank you.

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[49:50] May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the communion and fellowship of God the Holy Ghost, be with us now and evermore.

[50:14] Amen. Thank you.