Being built up... (3)

Chosen...

I can only really speak for myself, so I’ll give you my thoughts. It’s easy to speak in general terms and say that most often or usually, this is how we think, but I’ll let you speak for yourself, and I’ll attempt to speak for myself.

Here’s my thoughts:

I find it hard to fathom what God thinks. I know that He loves me. As far as I can understand,

He is infinite

that means without limit

He is eternal

that means without beginning or end

He is omnipotent

which means all-powerful

He is omnipresent

There is no place where God cannot be except where He choses not to be. ie) Hell - probably the worst thing about Hell is not the flames, it is the absence of God and His love.

and

He is omniscient

which means that He knows all things.

Since I am only a human, and even the most intelligent of humans is still finite, I can only understand God to the amount that He has revealed to us in His word.

But Pastor Dave we have the Holy Spirit, so God can reveal Himself separate from His word.

Even though the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost and many were baptized or immersed in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will not add to the word of God. Any revelation that people receive from the Holy Spirit must be tested according to the word of God. God’s word is truth and the Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth.

When it comes to how God chooses us, predestines us, saves us, and makes us right in His sight, I really don’t understand apart from His word and what the Holy Spirit makes alive through His word.

As we look at God’s word this morning, let’s pray that it will come alive in our hearts and minds.

Ephesians 1:11–14 NIV

11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

In Him, we were also chosen...

If you notice the words in verses 11-14, Paul uses we and you. He is referring to Jews and Gentiles.

In this case, when Paul uses we, he is speaking to Israel.

If we go back to Genesis, we have the story of Abram. In chapter 12, we have the story of God’s call on his life.

In Genesis 12:1-3

Genesis 12:1–3 NIV

1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

God called Abram, and gave him the name Abraham. From Abraham were born several sons, but God chose Isaac to be the son from whom God’s promise would come.

Isaac had two sons: Jacob and Esau. Isaac loved Esau. He was a man of the field. Esau was a man’s man. That’s probably why Isaac loved him. While Esau loved to hunt, Jacob was one that stayed close to the tents.

Even though Esau was his father’s choice, he wasn’t God’s choice. God chose Jacob, who was a conniver. He was deceitful. Not only did he purchase his brother’s birthright, which was 2/3rds of the inheritance, he also stole Esau’s blessing as the older son.

This is what the Lord spoke through Malachi the prophet:

Malachi 1:1–3 NIV

1 A prophecy: The word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi. 2 “I have loved you,” says the Lord. “But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’ “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob, 3 but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.”

I don’t understand why God chose Abraham, and not somebody else. Why did he choose Isaac and not Ishmael or one of Keturah’s sons? Why did He call Jacob and not Esau? Then He changed Jacob’s name to Israel. We must let God be God, and He chose Israel to be His people.

Does this mean that all of Israel gets a free pass and everybody else goes to Hell, or has to figure out how to please God some other way?

Here’s the truth. Nobody whether Jew or Gentile gets to heaven because of their nationality or by their religion. There is only one way, and that is by the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

Galatians 2:15–16 NLT

15 “You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles. 16 Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”

Let’s read Ephesians 1:11-12 again, and see how it applies to us before we move on to verses 13-14

Ephesians 1:11–12 NIV

11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

God chose that all nations would be blessed through Abraham. At this point, Abram had no descendants, but God had already planned that the promise would come through Christ. You can refer to Galatians 3:15-17.

The Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world. We may find this hard to understand, but God knows the beginning from the end. He knew sin would enter into the world, and He made a plan that salvation would come through Jesus.

Why did He choose Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? I don’t know the answer to that, but I do know that God’s plan came through the Jews, and a Jewish carpenter, who was God in human flesh, died for our sins.

Ephesians 1:11 (NIV)

11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will

The gospel is very inclusive, “Whosoever will may come.” But it is very exclusive that it says that there is only one way.

John 14:6 NIV

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Does this make Christians intolerant. Not at all! Many would like to say that Christians are the most intolerant people on earth.

Matthew 5:11–12 NIV

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Does God have the right to do what He wants?

Romans 9:19–21 NIV

19 One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” 20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ ” 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?

Since God is our creator, He has the right to make us how He wants. God doesn’t make mistakes. Each person has been created in the image of God.

When Jesus came to earth, He came as a Jewish baby. He ministered predominantly to Jews but died for all. The Good news was given to the Jews, not for their glory or not even that they could boast in that.

When Jesus sent them out, He sent them to all nations.

Matthew 28:19–20 NIV

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Let’s turn our focus to

Gentiles

A Gentile is anybody that is not a Jew.

Here’s what Paul says as he changes the theme from the Jews to the Gentiles.

Ephesians 1:13–14 NIV

13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

You were included in Christ...

when you heard the message of truth.

Even the early church didn’t understand that the message was for all. They went to synagogues and shared the gospel that Jesus is the Messiah. He is the Christ. He is the One that we’ve been waiting for. As the Jews were dispersed to different cities in the Roman Empire, they shared to fellow Jews and Gentiles that had become Jewish converts that Jesus was the Hope of Israel...

But one day a Roman centurion was praying and God sent His angel to get a man that was staying in Joppa at Simon the Tanner’s. whose house is by the sea.

After Cornelius has sent for Peter, God spoke to Peter and the rest is history. Peter went against early church protocol and preached the gospel to Gentiles and as he was speaking the Holy Spirit came upon them.

I’m thankful that God chose to include us, and God will include anybody who will come. There is still room at the table.

The Scripture says, “Today is the day of salvation.” Maybe God has laid somebody on your heart, don’t put off for another day what God is calling you to do today. If Peter resisted God’s call, God could have raised somebody else to preach the gospel, but Peter would have missed out on the blessing.

God can use somebody else if we refuse to go, but how much more blessed will we be if we will go and be obedient to the call that God has placed on our lives.

God raised up Aaron to be the spokesman for Moses. God still used Moses, but God could have done so much more through Moses had he trusted God. I’m not sure why God wants to speak this today, but maybe there is somebody that God has spoken to and asked you to do something, but your faith is weak and you are afraid of what other people might think. God is not hindered by our weaknesses, in fact, He can use us in our weaknesses to show His strength.

When you believed,

You were marked in Him with a seal...

The promised Holy Spirit

Verses 13-14 should bring us encouragement. When we give our lives to Christ, He marks us with a seal. The promised Holy Spirit.

God the Father is on His throne. Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for us. He brings our requests to the Father. Holy Spirit comes and lives in us when we believe that Jesus died on the cross and the God the Father raised Him from the dead.

When we speak of

Baptism

the Greek word means

to immerse

That means to be fully immersed in water.

Romans 6:3–4 NIV

3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Baptism symbolizes or represents dying to our sinful nature and being raised new in Christ.

Baptism in the Holy Spirit...

represents being immersed in the Holy Spirit.

On the day of Pentecost, those who were in the upper room spoke in tongues, which means other languages as the Holy Spirit enabled them. It isn’t something that we can congure up. It isn’t a badge that you get for completing a step, but it is a work of the Holy Spirit that is intended to bring glory to God.

Sometimes, humans rate how spiritual somebody is because of what we do or don’t do. That’s not how God works. He works in us both to will and to do His good pleasure.

When Jesus marks us with His seal, the promised Holy Spirit, it should be noticeable. There should be fruit. Lots of times we look for gifts, and we need the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to work in us. The gifts of the spirit are to build up the body, but the fruit of the spirit is the mark that identifies God seal.

Galatians 5:22–23 NIV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

I’m glad that God is still working on us each and every day so that we become more and more like Him. He is love. The joy of the Lord is our strength. He gives us peace, not as the world does. He gives peace that surpasses all understanding. God is patient with us, and He gives us patient endurance to overcome. Kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control grow in us as we are rooted and grounded in Him.

Oh that each of us would be immersed in the Holy Spirit and continued to be filled as He works in and through us.

Ephesians 1:14 NIV

14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Paul closes this section by saying that the Holy Spirit, God’s seal, is the deposit guaranteeing that one day our redemption will be complete.

Just as we make down payments on houses or cars to ensure that we intend to purchase a capital investment, God has given His Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing that His promises are true. More is yet to come.

We can’t even begin to imagine the beauty of heaven when we will see Jesus face to face. We can’t even begin to imagine the glory of God in His fulness. We can’t experience God in all His fulness and live but one day we will be like Jesus for we will see Him as He is and we will glory in our Redeemer forever, and ever, and ever.

Those who will see this are God’s possession. Why? Because we have been purchased with His blood.

To the praise of His glory!

Let’s pray!