Transcript of message from TV Broadcast 821 -- taken from Closed Captioning Text

-- Brother Phil Enlow: Won't it be something to walk around the new earth that God has promised to create and run into Jesus, our elder brother. And yes, we will bow to Him, we will worship Him. We will love Him. We will recognize that it's because of Him and Him alone that we are there. We can take no credit, no glory whatsoever, but yet, in another sense, He will be our brother.

Even as He said in Hebrews in the midst of the congregation...or in the midst of all my brethren will I worship you. You remember the scripture I'm trying to imperfectly quote there. But He recognizes us as brethren. And it's together that we will worship the Father, and He will be by our side worshipping the Father with us.

Oh, I tell you, what a glorious end He's promised. It's like somebody quoted Jimmy Robbins this morning about how he's read the last chapter and it turns out real good. Thank God that He's set before us a clear and a solid hope in Jesus Christ.

But all of this is well and good, and it's a big picture. We see that Christ is indeed on a throne but what does that have to do with you and me? That's the real issue, because this is a doctrinal thing. We understand that there is a reign of Christ that's taking place right now. It's invisible to most men.

It's not for the purpose of bringing peace to this world. Jesus said, "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." (NIV). There are gonna be families who will be divided because some will follow me and some will not. Don't you suppose that I have come to bring peace on earth. There's so much muddiness in the teaching and the understanding of the kingdom of God that I feel it is necessary to say some of these things as we've been exposed to it and somebody else may see this, and needs to see the plainness of the truth here.

Keep your place here at 1st Corinthians 15 because that's a lot of truth there. I've sort of read over some things that I want to go back to. But let's just read a scripture that's familiar to us in Ephesians, chapter 2, I believe it is. No, it's in chapter 1. Paul is talking about the greatness of God's plan and how He's going to bring everything...there's gonna come a climax of fulfillment. God's gonna bring everything under Christ into one place together and from that point on it's gonna be eternity.

So now he prays and he says in verse 15, "For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better."

Praise God! I believe there's some hearts here that are crying out, God, I want to know you better. God, I can't understand spiritual truth. I'm not smart enough to read this book and figure it out. God, we need you to help us. We need you to deliver us, because religion is so subjected to traditions that have been handed down and handed down. God, deliver us and get us back to the faith once delivered to the saints.

( congregational amens ).

I'm a candidate for Him to open this book in a new and fresh way so that we can get past all that stuff and know what His mind is and what His heart is. That's the only thing that's gonna prevail in the end. I want to be part of that, don't you?

( congregational amens ).

I believe there's a company of people here that understand what I'm saying. But there's a prayer that that might happen. Interesting that he felt a need to pray for that. He just doesn't assume all this is gonna happen. There's a crying out and God wants us to do what we were doing this morning--to cry out and say, oh God, I want to know you better. I want to fulfill your purpose. God responds to that -- to the cry of His people, doesn't He?

( congregational amens ).

"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe."

( congregational amens ).

Boy, that gives me hope because I don't have any, do you? But His power is not just great, it's incomparably great. In other words, you can't compare His power to anything else. It's incomparable. It's unique. There's nothing else like it.

That power...and I believe that's what God is wanting us to come to an experience of, because if His reign is some doctrinal fact we believe in our minds, it doesn't do us any good. God's purpose is to bring a people under the righteous reign and rule of Jesus Christ.

If you're here today and you don't know Him and you've never come to a place where you bow to Jesus Christ as Lord and as King, then you are at this point in time in the camp of God's enemies. And God would reach out His hand to you. This is still a day of mercy. I don't know how long it will go on, but I tell you, this is the issue.

This is the issue that was laid before the people on the day of Pentecost. Here's the facts--you crucified Him. God put Him on a throne. How do you stand with respect to that? What's your position? He's on a throne. Are you gonna bow to Him or are you gonna continue in rebellion against Him? So that's the relevance--that's one aspect to the relevance of this truth today. It's personal.

( congregational amens ).

It's personal. Nobody slides in just by believing stuff and practicing religion. This is a personal thing between you and God--is bowing the knee to Jesus Christ. He has declared every tongue will confess, every knee will bow that Jesus Christ is Lord. I fear that so many are going to wait to the other side when they are forced to do it. There He is and they can't hide. It won't do any good on that day. This is the day of mercy.

( congregational amens ).

But now Paul is talking to the church. He says, I want you to know "...the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms...." Death itself couldn't stop the plan of God. God got Him out of there. God brought Him forth in eternal life and victory, and set Him on a throne, and all the devils in Hell couldn't stop Him. That's what we've got going for us, folks.

( congregational praise ).

We need to be rejoicing and getting our eyes off of us and our weaknesses and onto His power to help us. I need Him to help me.

( congregational amens ).

It's like we said in some of our conversations recently, we can't fix ourselves. My resolve will not work. My efforts to make myself more godly will not work--not if it's me trying to do it, trying to be something that I am not. I need God to come and perform a miracle of grace in my heart and to continue to do that every single day. There's changes that I need. There's changes that you need, but Jesus reigns for that purpose.

( congregational amens ).

"That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms..." Now where is this with respect to all other power? It says, "...far above..." Way up there, way "...above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come."

I mean He just covers it all. There ain't nothing that's not under Him except the Father, of course, we know from the other scripture. "And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything ..." Here's the key phrase, "... for the church." This is done for the church.

How many of you know the focus of God's purpose, God's eternal plan and purpose is His church, and I don't mean religion. I mean those who have been born of His Spirit and are a part of Him. There is such a union between the members of Christ's body and Christ that until the lowest member is fully redeemed, and fully brought to Him, and stands there in glorious victory the job is not done. God's job was not done simply by bringing Christ out of the grave and putting Him on a throne, He did that for us.

( congregational amens ).

Christ didn't need that. He had that before He ever started. When He prayed before the disciples He said, "Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began." He had it. He gave it up for us. He took it back again. He has it now, but now it's for us. There's a reign that affects you and me this morning.

( congregational amens ).

That's why this is relevant. We need to bow to it, we need to partake of the benefits of it every single day, and recognize how desperately we need it. That's what it's all about--His government in your life and in mine. This isn't just something for the preacher. It isn't something in some general sense. God wants to bring and wants to make the reality of the government of Jesus Christ a reality in every individual.

And to the extent that we experience His government over our lives--not just on Sunday morning but every day twenty-four seven, as the expression goes. As we experience his government over our lives, we will also experience the peace--the increase of His government and peace. Do you have peace this morning? Maybe there are issues with respect to His government. Every time we struggle and try to do it our way--anybody find peace that way? There's no peace doing it our way. But oh, He longs to bring us to that place of peace.

( congregational amens ).

He longs to bring us to a place where we're not struggling and striving, but there's no place other than surrender--other than saying, oh God, have your way. Just like Jesus, I didn't come here to do my will. We aren't here to do ours.

( congregational amens ).

There isn't anything else that qualifies as Christianity. This is reality. This is Biblical Christianity. Praise God! And so everything was for the church which is His body, praise God, "the fullness of him, who fills everything in every way." That means we're the rest of Him. He's the head. He always has the preeminence, but God does not see Him simply as an individual and us as a bunch of individuals. He sees a whole.

In the mind and the will and the purpose of God, God has already placed all these things under Him, and yet there is a rule that is taking place until all those enemies are under His feet. So you see on the one hand the decree of God, you see on the other hand the process by which that decree is fulfilled. That's what this is about.

And you see that...I think we brought this out of the same scripture--we used the scripture a while ago in Hebrews chapter 10. Now let's go back and see how this fits so perfectly. Verse 13 again, "Since that time..."--that He's offered the sacrifice, the once for all. "He waits for his enemies to be made his footstool..." Why? "Because by one sacrifice..." That's the provision. "...one sacrifice he has..." Past tense, "...made perfect forever..." That's all past tense isn't it? Do we have a foundation or do we have a hope so? We've got a historical foundation in the plan and the purpose of God. God has done something that is complete.

( congregational amens ).

And yet, listen to how He puts this. "Because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." Is that plain?

( congregational amens ).

Yeah. So we're undergoing that process. You and I today, the issues in your life right now are part of this. God is seeking to bring every enemy under His feet. You know the worst enemy that God's got with respect to me? Me. We think about, oh God, if you'd just straighten out this and straighten out that in my life everything would be just great. God, that's my trouble, this circumstance, that person did this or that. Do you know where God's rule needs to take place? It's right here.

( congregational amens ).

That's it. That's what God is seeking to do. Notice back in 1st Corinthians 15. "He must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet." So we see the Father putting them under there, then we see His reign in order that they actually might in an experiential way be placed under His feet. That means you. That means me.

Now what part of the body is the feet? I mean that's kind of the lowest part isn't it? And you might feel like that this morning. You know, if we have any kind of an honest self-appraisal and we have any kind of awareness of the greatness and the holiness of God, we don't feel very big do we, in our own eyes? If you do then you don't have the picture.

But God does not show us that in order to discourage us but that we might be honest before Him, and come to Him and say, oh God, I need you. Unless, as I said earlier, you perform a divine miracle in my life, nothing is going to change. I need the rule and the reign of Jesus Christ in my life right now so that I can rule over this guy right here. And that guy or gal, whatever the case may be, I need to have the dominion over this body that doesn't want me to serve God. And that's what the rule and the reign of Jesus Christ in your life and in mine is all about. It's bringing me into subjection.

God can deal with nations if He needs to. We've got a Bible full of examples. God knew that He was gonna take His people down to Egypt. He sent Joseph there by a strange set of circumstances as a slave, but God gave Him a faithful heart didn't He? And then later on He sent seven years of plenty which shows His compassion for people. He warned people but yet He brought a famine on the known world. Why? To get His people to come out to fulfill His plan--to move them from Canaan to Egypt.

Later on, He destroyed the mightiest empire of that day in order to get His people back out of Egypt. Don't you worry, this is not a contest between Jesus and the world as though He's just up there strategizing, trying to figure out how He's gonna get rid of the nations and how He's gonna overcome all this stuff. Oh my goodness, we're talking about somebody who holds everything in the entire universe in His hands.

( congregational amens ).

We're talking about somebody who can speak the word and everything will dissolve. Everything is upheld by the word of His power.

( congregational amens ).

The very atoms would fly apart if He said so. There's no contest out there. Everything is focused on you and me and the purpose for which He's working in your life and in mine today to bring us, in a practical sense, under the rule and reign of Christ. And as someone else said earlier, to work through us because if God has us, then He's got a vessel through which He can share his life with others.

Thank God. Thank God because there's people who need Him in this hour. I want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. I want to part of His kingdom and not outside it. There's no future for being outside of what we're talking about this morning. But oh, this should be an encouragement to you this morning. I started out talking about someone who just feels so down, so weak, so hopeless because of what you see in yourself. Well listen, if you had to depend upon what's in yourself, you are hopeless.

( congregational amens ).

That's the starting point--is being honest before God, but God brings us to that so that He can show us His all sufficiency. He "...is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us." (KJV). That same power that we spoke about earlier is there to work in us if we will call upon His name and look to Him with all of our hearts. His rule in our life will address the needs that exist.

I may be aware of needs in my life...well I am aware of some. God...if I saw it all at once I'd probably give up. But I tell you God knows how to put the finger on this one and that one and the other one. And all He's wanting from us is a heart that says, yes. I'll say yes, not my will Lord, but your will be done in my heart and in my life.

Oh God, I need you. You're the only one who can change this in my heart. Oh God, I feel this way, I think this way and I can't change it, but God, you can change me. I want your rule and your reign to come into my life. I want to experience the reign of Christ, not just read about it in the Bible and talk about it in a doctrinal sense, I want to experience the reign and the rule of Jesus Christ in my life.

( congregational amens ).

That's what it's about. Praise God! But oh, what a picture--under His feet. That means if you're the lowest member of the body of Christ...if you really were...He's not done until you're done and you're finished. Until He has finished the work in you, this kingdom is not done. God's not going to loose a one that has put their trust in Him.

( congregational amens ).

You can be the weakest person on the planet, but if you will humble yourself and put your entire trust in Jesus Christ, that trust will never be violated. He will take hold of you and He will bring you all the way through. Oh, there's no place, there's no way to live except by looking to Him every day and say oh God, I want your government in my life. The issues, the decisions that I make, the things that are important to me, I need you Lord, to come and change me and do the things in me that are necessary. Oh God, help me to fulfill your purpose. I tell you, a people like that God can use, because then it's not us anymore, because it doesn't matter who we are, it doesn't matter what we are, it matters who He is.

( congregational amens ).

Praise God! Paul said, it is not I who have lived, it is Christ that lives in me. Praise God! And you know in the light of the service that we watched once again last night, I tell you that's got to be one of the most powerful sermons I have ever heard recorded--"My House Shall Be Called the House of Prayer," Jim Cymbala--tremendous message.

But let's turn and look just for a moment at Hebrews chapter 4, because this absolutely is, I think, perhaps the capstone to this subject this morning. Hebrews chapter 4 we see Jesus being lifted up, and all that He's done, and his priestly ministry to bring us to God, and then in verse 14 of chapter 4. "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the..." What?

( congregational response ).

The what?

( congregational response ).

Throne. We're talking of ...you see He doesn't just say this is a place of justice. Come before the bench, come before...you know, let's go into counseling room here. This is a throne and that's why the throne has been established because we need everything from God. But there's a place where we go to get it.

( congregational amens ).

What do you need this morning? What do I need? There's a place where we can go to get it.

( congregational amens ).

There's a throne that's been established. God has established it. God knows what we need. Jesus knows what you need. He's felt your weaknesses. I need divine strength. I need divine grace in my life if I'm gonna succeed as a Christian. If I'm gonna walk under His headship and under His rule in my life, I need help that I don't have in myself.

But listen he says, "Let us then approach the throne of grace with..." fearfulness, worrying lest we be accepted, thinking about what we did yesterday, thinking about how hopeless our circumstances are. Oh God, I don't know if you're gonna hear me. He says, "...With confidence...."

( congregational amens ).

Why can we come with confidence? We can come with confidence because Jesus has blotted out our sins.

( congregational amens ).

What else is there? What else is there that would separate us from God but our sins. He has dealt with our sins.

( congregational amens ).

We can come to Him as if we had never sinned and stand before His throne and receive the strength and the grace that we need. Praise God!

( congregational amens ).

"...The throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy..." Oh that's what I need first. "... and find grace to help us in our time of need." This is the way of life we're talking about this morning. Yeah, we see the big picture. God promised a kingdom was going to be established in the days of the Roman Empire. It was. It was made known to everybody on the day of Pentecost.

The job is gonna be done when Christ comes. The kingdom is handed up to the Father. Jesus will then take his place among his brethren eternally. But right now we're in that part where we are being sanctified, set apart to God, made holy--the process of bringing every enemy, including this one, under His feet. And I tell you, He will not fail.

( congregational amens ).

He will not fail. He will not fail. That's the underlying truth here that this is His kingdom, this is His reign. Do you think God would set Him on a throne, give Him all authority in Heaven and earth and He not exercise it on the behalf of the weakest of His saints. So where-ever you're at today, you take courage. You lift your heart. This Christ reigns now. I don't care what you see in the world, God allows many wicked things to take place, but everything he allows is meant to work in us. We are the focus of history. If God has to move a mountain or God has to destroy a kingdom to save you, He'll do it.

( congregational amens ).

Because the issue is not the kingdom, the issue is you. He can do away with all that in a moment, in a blinding flash of light. But the wonderful process of changing us into the image of his Son and making us fit for eternity is what His reign and His rule is about this morning.

And whatever our need is, we have a throne we can go to at any time with confidence knowing there is One there who knows exactly what it's like, what's going on. We need to recognize Him for who He is and bow to Him every single day of our lives. And the more we do that, the more He reigns here, it'll be Him and not us. And I'll tell you, we'll see things that we have not imagined. The most wonderful thing is He'll be glorified.

( congregational amens ).

His purpose will be fulfilled, not only for us but in a general sense and I tell you we're gonna hasten the day of the coming of the Lord. It's coming. It's coming soon, but it'll be exactly when it's supposed to be. I'm not worried about that today. He's gonna take care of that.

But I have Him to look to. I have a throne I can go to and the One sitting on that throne is for me. He proved his love for me by dying on the cross to make it possible. What more would He withhold from anyone who puts their trust in Him. Praise God for his righteous reign!

( congregational amens ).

Praise the Lord!

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