Praise for God's Eternal Purpose in Christ

The Theme of Ephesians is Unity!

Ephesians 1:1–2 CSB

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will: To the faithful saints in Christ Jesus at Ephesus. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Uniting the Created work of Christ! All embracing from the entire universe down to the lone individual. Each piece is special and has purpose!

Listen to me this morning - if you have breath in your lungs you are loved and you have purpose! Ephesians is such a beautfil letter because it tells you so much about what God thinks about YOU and how much HE loves YOU! About how much He loves His church, Your family, His Creation! And our Father reveals so much to us in this beautiful work.

God’s Rich Blessings

Ephesians 1:3–14 CSB

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ as a plan for the right time—to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him. In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory. In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

It is very interesting to note that, unlike all other of Paul’s letters, this letter begins with a very traditional Jewish Berakah - a praise hymn to God!

Ephesians begins with a praise hymn to God!

This beautiful hymn sings of the Trinity!

3-6 the Father

7-12 the son

13-14 the Holy Spirit

The Father

Ephesians 1:3–6 CSB

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

Oh catch the words - Blessed, chosen, holy and blameless, loved, predestined, adopted, according to the good pleasure of His will to the praise of His glory! AMEN!

There is so much that I can be said for all this!

(Break it down)

God is blessed! He has blessed us - that is YOU and ME - that is both Jew and Gentile! He has blessed the believers!

With every spiritual blessing in the heavens.

(Take it futher). You, those who are saved in Christ, are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. What does that mean?

In Ephesians Heavens (or heavenly realms) is epouranioi - it describes the world of supreterrestrial beings - the realm of astral powers - the supernatural world. You see people in Paul’s day worried that these supernatural beings could control their fate, determine their destiny. This is so important in Ephesians that this word is used 5 times in the letter! God wants you to know that this is specific - you are totally secure and you need to fear nothing in the spiritual world!

Why?

To be Blessed in the heavens is to be caught up in God’s own being, far above every power - totally secure in God!

Chosen

Holy and blameless

loved

predestined

adopted

Why? According to the good pleasure of His will and to the Praise of His Gory!

Before all creation, God Chose us to be adopted as His children through Jesus Christ! Brothers and sisters, this language is important! Because it reminds us that our Salvation is God’s eternal choice and not dependent upon our own doing! It is totally of God’s grace! AMEN!

It reminds us that God’s redemptive work in Christ was not an after thought! God determined and decided to redeem humanity from all eternity!

I love the word Adopted. We are not, by nature, God’s children. If we were, then our nature would be like God’s. But we have a SIN nature. AND YET - despite our sin, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, and we BECAME God’s children through belonging to the one who is truly God’s beloved son, Jesus Christ!

And you are TOTALLY Secure in God!

The Son

Ephesians 1:7–12 CSB

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ as a plan for the right time—to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him. In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory.

In the Son we are redeemed, forgiven, according to the riches of His grace. How much grace?

John 1:16 CSB

Indeed, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness,

The grace that He RICHLY poured with all wisdom and understanding.

With ALL Wisdom and Understanding!

Listen - what Jesus did for you, for me, for us, for His church, was not foolish. There is no regret. There is no oversight, undersight, or overlooked part of this decision. So when Jesus went to the cross with you on His mind, pouring out His grace upon you, paying your sin debt - He did it will full understanding, full wisdom, full knowledge. He did not make a mistake!

SO DON’T YOU EVER THINK YOU ARE A MISTAKE!

Jesus Christ gave us redemption, liberation - freedom! From what? From SIN! Freedom from the PENALTY of Sin which is death. AND Freedom from its power over your life.

This was 100% the work of God’s lavish grace. Again - we didn’t earn it. Couldn’t earn it.

He made known to us the MYSTERY of His will.

Mystery refers to to God’s revelation of Himself.

In Christ God revealed His ultimate purpose for Creation!

Ephesians 1:10 CSB

as a plan for the right time—to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him.

to bring everything together in Christ, both the things in heaven and the things on earth in Him!

God says there will be a day when all is right in heaven and on earth and it will be a glorious day! Right now we have struggle, right now we have pain, right now we have illness; but there will be a day, and we can already see it, we can already experienece peace and all the blessings GOD has richly lavished upon us!

The beautiful thing about verse 10 is that it is reveals God’s great design in an unmistakable way! Our Father’s plan is a unity manifested in the coming otogether of Jew and Gentile in Christ, in the oneness of the body of Christ, in the bond of family relationships, in individuals armed against the evil powers that rebel against our Creator and threaten all unity! It is the Unifying of all things, and the reconciliation of all things!

Colossians 1:20 CSB

and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

AMEN!

The Holy Spirit

Ephesians 1:13–14 CSB

In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

Sealed! Deposite or down payment! Our salvation is guranteed! It’s a done deal! God has stamped His seal on us and He doesn’t make mistakes or change His mind. The moment you asked the Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, the Seal of the Holy Spirit was placed upon you and you within you and your days of worrying about what the future holds are over! Because you may not know what tomorrow holds, but the one who holds tomorrow is holding you today!

Were do you find your worth?

We struggle with this often -

This hymn praise God in the Trinity - Father, Son, Holy Spirit - and it says in each section “to the praise of His glory”

Ephesians 1:6 CSB

to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

Ephesians 1:12 CSB

so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory.

Ephesians 1:14 CSB

The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.