All Things Reunited in Christ
A Sermon on Ephesians 1:10
Originally preached Feb. 6, 1955
Scripture
10That in the dispensation of the fulness 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:
Sermon Description
How does one make sense of today’s world? What message do Christians have for those around them? According to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, Christians have been given the ultimate revelation that gives an unique, supernatural perspective of everything. What natural humanity cannot see or understand, God has revealed to the Christian this profound mystery: God is reuniting together all things in Christ. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:10 titled “All Things Reunited in Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expands upon this cosmic theme. While he maintains the orthodox position in rejecting universalism, Dr. Lloyd-Jones also pushes against the narrow view that only the redeemed and angels are part of God’s universal purpose. Instead, he argues, all of creation, excluding fallen people and fallen angels, will be united in Christ in perfect harmony at the end of the ages. Christians are face to face with a reality beyond personal salvation. Paul is taking the reader to a place finite minds can barely consider. Hear Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain this great truth and see what it means for engagement with the world.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon focuses on Ephesians 1:10 which talks about God's ultimate plan to reunite all things in Christ.
- The word "dispensation" refers to God's plan or economy. In this verse, it refers to God's ultimate plan.
- The "fullness of times" refers to the time following Jesus's incarnation. We are now in the last days where God's plan is being carried out.
- God's plan is to reunite all things in Christ, both in heaven and on earth. This means reuniting everything under Christ's headship.
- There are different views on what "all things" refers to. It does not refer to universal salvation of all beings or universal redemption of all intelligent beings. It also does not just refer to Jews and Gentiles or just the redeemed.
- The correct view is that "all things" refers to the good angels, the redeemed on earth, creation, and the earth itself.
- Originally, all things were under Christ's headship in perfect harmony. But this harmony was destroyed by the fall of angels and men.
- God's plan is to restore this original harmony. For men, this happens through redemption in Christ. For angels, the good angels will be brought into harmony but the fallen angels will remain outside. For creation, there will be a new heaven and new earth.
- We have the privilege of being part of this great plan of God. We should focus on these eternal truths rather than passing world events. God's plan will be carried out regardless of what happens on earth.
The Book of Ephesians
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.