THE BLESSINGS OF GRACE

Ephesians 1:4-6

Introduction:

Christianity is not about doing; it is about being. And Christianity is not something we can do but it is what Christ does in us and through us through the resources we have from being “iin Christ.”

The truths in this passage are eternal and they run deep. And what we have in Christ Jesus is all because of grace and to the praise of His glory. “to the praise of the glory of His grace” (v6); “that we should be to the praise of His glory” (v12); “unto the praise of His glory.” (v14).

Paul lays out what the Trinity has done for us by grace. Bill Stafford woud say “Salvation is not an arrival; it is a departure.” When God saves us He sets us on a journey.

This passage has three stanzas: the first one is from verses 4-6 and has to do with the blessing from God the Father; the second stanza is in verses 7-12 and has to do with the blessings of God the Son; and the third stanza is found in in verses 13-14 and has to do with the blessings of God the Holy Spirit.

And each stanza ends the same way: to the praise of His glory. Why? Because God saved us not just for our God but for His glory.

No matter what you have going on, this song of praise will lift you up because God that we sing about and praise is bigger than the sickenss and difficulty and problems we face.

Here are four contrasts that will help you being to undersand just how rich you are in the Christ Jesus.

These blessings we have are spiritual and not material. “all spiritual blessings.”

The blessings are heavenly and not earthly. The heavenlies represent that whole sphere of authority and blessing and victory that Jesus purchased through his death, burial and resurrection.

These blessings are permenent and not temporary. When we were saved, God gave us every spiritual blessing needed to live the Christian life.

These blessings are given to us by grace and not law. You weren’t saved by your good works; you can’t lose it by your bad works.

You will see in verses 4-6 three blessings that God has blessed us with by virtue of being “in Christ.

WE ARE CHOSEN (v4)

Paul tells us that God has chosen us, chose us in Christ, chose us before the foundation of the world and chose us to be holy and blameless.

Paul is not writing a gospel tract to unbelievers. He is writing to believers. Paul is not explaining the gospel to unbelievers. He is explaining the gospel to believers.

FOUR FACTS ABOUT ELECTION

God the Father chose us. The Trinity, each person of the Godhead is involved in your salvation.

1 Peter 1:2 “elect caccording to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ”

“As far as God the Father was concerned, I was saved when he chose me in Christ before the foundation of the world. As far as God the Son is concerned, I was saved when he died for me on the cross. As far as God the Holy Spirit is concerned, I was saved when the Spirit of God set me apart unto obedience, and I believed in Jesus Christ.” Wiersbe

It was God Himself who purposed my salvation in the past eternity. It is Jesus Christ who wrought out our salvation upon the cross when the fulness of time was come. It is God the Holy Spirit who convicts us and birngs ut to repentance and to a saving knowledge of the grace of God as revealed in Christ.

God chose us in Christ. He did not choose us in ourselves; He chose us in Christ.

Here is truth: God chose us in Christ. This is a mystery beyond our comprehension but it is a blessing within our apprehension. “If you try to explain election you may lose your mind. But if you try to explain it away you may lose your soul.” (Wiersbe, quoting a theology professor)

God does not chose us because we were something special: he’s reigioous, he’s exceptionally good natured. No: He chose us in Chirst. Christ had to die for us and we have to trust His finished work on Calvary.

Wait, you are talking about God’s divine sovereignty that operates from eternity and about human responsibility which operates in time. Someone ask Spurgeon: how dol you reconcile the tow? Spurgeon said “I never try to reconcile friends.” From our standpoint we don’t understand it but from God’s standpoint it is perfectly clear.

Harry Ironside “Here is a vast host of people hurrying down the broad road with their minds fixed upon their sins and one stands calling attention to yonder door and the entrance into the narrow way that leads to life eternal. On it is plainly depicted the text: whosoever will let him come. Every man is invited and no one need to hesistate. Some may say Well I may not be of the elect and so it would be useless for me to endeavor to come for the door will not open for me. But God’s invitation is absolutely sincere: whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely. If men refuse to come, if they pursue their own godless way down to the pit, whom can they blame but themselves for their eternal judgement? The messenger addressed himself to all, the door could entered by all, but many refused to come and perished in their sin. But the invitation goes forth. But one says “what is that?” The way to life. “Oh that I might find the way to life. I should like to know how to be free from my sin, how to be made fit for the presence of God. And such an one draws near and listens and the Spirit of God impresses the message upon his heart and conscience and he says “I am going inside. I will accept the invitation. I will enter the door” and he presses his way in and it shuts behind him. As he turns about he finds written on the inside of the door: chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.

You say preacher I don’t understand it. Stop trying to understand it and just enjoy it.

And He chose us before the foundation of the world. This means that my salvation is eternal. It is not tied to the created world.

This also means that your salvation was not an afterthougt for God. God did not create man and man sinned and then God said “Well Son and Holy Spirit what will we do now?” NO

This is exciting: to think that we were chosen before the foundation of the world and I am doing right now what God in His eternal council chose me to do.

God chose us to be holy anbd without blame.

We are chosen by God to be holy—saints—it is the same word. God chose us to be set apart ones.

When you are saved you don’t live the way you please. You live the way God pleases.

God has chosen us: that means we are not our own. My hands are not my own, my lips are not my own, my mind is not my own, my body is not my own. All of it belongs to HIm.

WE ARE ADOPTED (V 5)

Adoption: to place as a son.

Typically one becomes part of your family through the process of adoption. But you don’t get into God’s family by adoption; you get into God’s family by being born again. An adopted child does not have the nature of his parents. But when you born into the family of God you have the nature of your Father.

Adoption has two aspects: a present aspect and a future aspect.

Present Aspect

The word adoption means to place as an adult son.

When God saves us by His grace, we are infants as far as our spiritual life is concerned but, so we can access all the wealth we have in Christ, God treats us as adult sons.

God looks upon us as adult children. We have freedom and liberty but it must be used in service to our Lord. God says “you are adult sons; now act like it.”

Future Aspect

There is a future aspect to our adoption namely the changing of these bodies.

Romans 8:22-23 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.”

WE ARE ACCEPTED (6)

We have been accepted by God in Christ. What Paul is telling us is that God has welcomed us. Because of the grace of God I am welcomed to God. It is not something that I have done. It is what God does in Christ for us by grace.

Accepted in the Beloved.

We are not accepted in ourselves.

“Abraham was a good man. Abraham stood before God and said, I'm dust and ashes. But I've suffered so much. Well, Job suffered a great deal. And Job said, I am not worthy of anything that you've done for me. I am vile in my sight. Well, you said David was a good man. Yeah, but David said, in sin did my mother conceive me. But Isaiah was a good man. Isaiah said, I'm a man of unclean lips. I dwell with a people of unclean lips. Well, Peter was a good man. But Peter said, depart from me. I'm a sinful man, oh Lord. Well, Paul was a good man, yes, but Paul said, I'm the chief of sinners”

There is no room for human boasting. Our salvation is “according to the good pleasure of His will to the praise of the glory of His grace.

We are received by God just like He would receive His Son Jesus.

Accepted in the Beloved and when the saved sinner stands before God, he does not do so in his onw righteousness but clothed in the righteousness of God’s dear Son.

You may say “well I am not acceptable. There is nothing acceptable about me” That is why Jesus stepped us and said Father receive him as you would receive Me.

You may say “I sinned and what can I do to be at peace with God?” Nothing because it is already done. It has already been settled. We are accetped in the Beloved.

CONCLUSION:

God the Father accepted us in eternity past. God the Father has adopted us. That takes care of our eternal home.

Paul wrote that God “predestined us to the adoption of sons.”

Predestination in the Bible is never addressed to lost people. Only the saved people.

“Predestination is just simply God's plan for getting Christians to heaven. And God's plans always work. And so He has chosen me. He has accepted me. He has adopted me. And He did it all through Jesus Christ to the praise of the glory of His grace.