Joshua Shetter - Ephesians 1:9-14
All right, if you'll turn to Ephesians chapter 1.
Last week, we got to verse 8.
I'm going to pick up verse nine and go through verse 14.
What I didn't say last week is that.
In the original Greek verses 3 through 14 is one long sentence. So it makes it kind of tough to tell which part of which verse goes with which? So that's why there's some difficulty in verse 8-9. It says which he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight it could be, that all wisdom and insight goes with verse nine. So that's what I'm going to put it with. I'm going to put that in all wisdom and insight goes with verse nine because it's hard to tell in the English. What Paul meant to be where he meant to put a comma and all that, cuz it's all one sentence. But before we get to verse 9 , I went to do a bit of a recap for what we talked about last week. We talked about in verses 3 through 8, essentially three things that God works by his will through his grace for his glory. And if I got some slides up here, if you want to put those up, Tom this is essentially the difference. go to the next one. Between understanding salvation is the work of God, mostly or essentially, or solely or a work of man. So this is the Plan of Redemption, God's glory in Redemption. So election and Grace, and Glory are done in God, and then in the middle, you have little man and they have his faith and his will. And then you have Glory and Glorification this is God, bringing men back to himself reconciling them to himself. So, if you go to the next slide, it's probably better turned this way. Where man is running away from God, and God, in Grace adoption Redemption forgiveness in the cross. He turns, man back to himself and Reconciliation for his own Glory. So, The difference there. Go to the next slide.
in what sense do we view this? God's Plan of Redemption. How should we view this and see here? If we stand where we are? See the "I" above the little, man, if you stand there and look back. Which you say " Of course, that's all we can do we're humans we can't see from God's perspective" ah, but we can, how? Right here, Ephesians chapter 1, it gives us God's perspective. So if we're not careful and we stay here and we say I'm only going to understand this from this Viewpoint. Then what happens is those two, little things, under man become Paramount. They become the end-all. I am saved 100% because of my faith. God had nothing to do with it. If you're not careful. or I'm saved because it was an act of will. Yes, your faith had something to do with it, but what you don't understand, Is that Faith was given to you in election or because of election. It was given to you by God. It was granted to you. And your will was in bondage to sin until God freed it. So, yes, there is a sense that it's your faith. And, yes, there is a sense that it's your will. But your faith and your will will not act apart from the act of God. So if we're not careful. We make these two little things faith and will be the foundation of our Salvation. Really, and also, if you look in Ephesians chapter 2 its by grace that you were saved how? through faith. So Grace is the foundation of our Salvation. If you're not careful. Lot times in churches, they'll Preach. Like, faith is the foundation of our Salvation. It's Grace upon Grace, upon Grace. As we saw in John Chapter One, Faith is a means by which you lay hold of the grace. But even that faith is given to you by God. Because apart from him, you can do nothing. You have nothing to offer. You have no faith of your own. God has to give it to you. go to the next slide. This is how we should do it. You stand where God stands and you look at what God looks at. You see the world. You see salvation the way God sees it and again you say "well we're humans. We can't do that. We're finite," that's true. But God in his word Through The Inspiration of the Holy Spirit has given us the view of God. We were not there in the Heavenly places, were we? in a sense We were elected, then, but I wasn't standing there, watching this happen. But God through the Holy Spirit has revealed to us his Plan of Redemption. And notice that the top God is the agent. God is the activation God is the one acting. So in the Ephesians one, we can stand on this side with God and as the theologians say and I like it, think God's thoughts after him. Isn't that what being a Christian is to think God's thoughts after him? To do God's actions after him. To be creative as he is creator, to be Holy as he is Holy, To be gracefilled as He is gracefilled. So this is to stand in the right place and notice you see all the way to the end, where we share in God's glory for eternity. Now, we're going to see here and in verse ten of this chapter that, that is summing up another way to put that is to sum up all things in Christ. That Christ is the exact representation of his glory and his nature that God is displayed to the world in the face of his son, Jesus. And being in Christ as a new creation. And in Revelation, we see that the light of the glory of God is what we live in, there is no sun because we have the glory of God. That's what that means. Don't think that means that we somehow have our own Glory that we share with God, no that means that God, And His Grace has extended his plan of Glory, his plan to self glorification, to include you. Isn't that crazy? You think about the difference between us and God? God is pure perfect. He's pure, he's righteous, He's Holy he's just. What are we? The opposite. We're less than the opposite. We're sinners were selfish. full of impurities, adulteries all these things. And yet God has so ordained that he will glorify himself through sinful men and women. That's the glory of this passage. So far from standing, where man is in the middle and saying, oh, faith and will, is the Foundation of everything. No, it's the active election and grace of God in glorifying himself, and bringing many sons to repentance. So what this means, as you see that the overarching line God's glory in Redemption is that you as a human being as a child of God who have put your faith in Jesus Christ. This isn't every man woman and child. This is those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ and what he did on the cross, for their sin. That means that you are in this overall, plan of God that you are a passive agent. God is the active agent. He is actively bringing you to himself. Why for his own Glory. That's why we mess up the gospel when we bring our Glory into it. It is a heresy. To say that God looked down and saw us saw our value and said, you know what, I'm going to save them because of their wonderfulness. That's a heresy. And that is being taught in some circles. God's love is such that he saw us and he valued us and he saved us . No. God's love is such that He saw valueless People who could not offer themselves for salvation who had nothing to offer God. And yet, he still loved Sinners. God demonstrated His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. That's the glory of the Gospel. That's why the title at The top is God's glory. Not ours. So, that is a summation to up to verse 9 - by his will through his grace for his glory. So we saw his will in versus 5, 9, 11 verse five. He says he predestined us to adoption as Sons through Jesus Christ himself, according to the kind intention of his will, then in verse Nine "he made known to us The mystery of his will according to His Kind intention, which he purposed in him." Then in verse 11. Also, we have obtained, an inheritance having been predestined, according to his purpose who works all things after the counsel of his will. So, why does Paul keep repeating this?
Because this is something. That's hard for us as humans to understand because in verse 4 and verse 5, it says that he chose some. He predestined some. And why do I say some? Because not all are all are adopted as Sons. Not all are saved. So that means that God must have chosen some for salvation and not others. So that makes us think why? is this arbitrary? Does God Just get a dart and throw it at the Earth and whoever it hits he saves? does he roll a dice? Is it alphabetical? How does God determine who he will save and who he will not according to his gracious election? Well, I think over and over Paul says, it's by his will. We don't know, his will is in a sense a black box. We don't know why he chose to save some why he elected some, why he predestined some. But if you want to understand someone's will then, you look at their character.
How do we know why God chose some and why he did not? Well, we don't know precisely why he chose this person that person but we do know his character we can look at his character. And that's the second thing that Paul says emphasizes over and over again. So it's by his will through his grace. So Grace is an essential part of God's character. his grace we see in verse 3, 4, 5, 6 7, 8 11 13 and 14 in verse three He blessed us in the Heavenly places. That's Grace. Before we had done anything. But even in that he knew what we would do, he knew what we would become. God knew that we will become sinful selfish Rebels and he still blessed us in the Heavenly places. And then in verse 4 he chose us before the foundation of the world. The same thing. before we even had done anything good or bad. As it says in Romans 9, he chose us before we even sinned, But he knew we would. then in verse 5 he Predestined us - this is the same thing - to adoption as Sons with no payment of our own to contribute according to the kind intention of his will. Verse 6, it says explicitly "to the praise of the glory of his grace." Now, if you take that in verse 12 , go to verse 12, to the end, that we were the first to Hope in Christ will be to the praise of his glory. And then verse 14. It says to the praise of his glory as well. So I think what Paul's doing here in versus 6 and in verse 12 and 14 is to say that the praise of his glory and - the praise of the glory of his grace, are the same. That in a sense God is Grace. God is Grace.
so, our human minds are, especially shaped by our culture in our world is to say, God, must be fair. God, must be fair. But we don't understand because we're not standing from God's point of view. We're standing from our point of view that to be fair is to consign all men all women to hell.
Because we have all. Basically, shaken our fists at God and said, I don't need you. We've all turned aside. As Roman 3 Makes very clear. We are all together useless. We all serve ourselves. Judges phrased fits Rightly here - "We all do what is right in our own eyes." And so for God to be fair He would send us all to hell. So the fact that God chose to save some is an act of Grace? Now you can say why did he choose this? And why you choose that one? That's again in the will of God. We don't know. But we know from Romans chapter 12 that God's will is perfect and pleasing. That God's will is perfect. That he will do what he will do because he is God and again. Remember where you're standing? Your standing where God is and you're seeing the world as God sees it. He does what he does with his creation because he is creator. Acts chapter 17, Paul.
gives a good picture of this to the men at the areopagus on the hill, where they're debating New things.
And so Paul gets up to speak.
So Paul stood in the midst of the areopagus and said men of Athens. I observe that you are very religious in all respects for while I was passing through and examining the object of your worship. I found an altar with this inscription to an unknown God there for what you Worship in ignorance this, I Proclaim to you. Now. Listen what he says, The God Who made the world and all things in it, since he is, Lord of Heaven and Earth does not dwell in temples made with hands nor is He served by human hands as though he needed anything. Since he Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things and he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on the face of the Earth, having determine their appointed times and boundaries of their habitation. So Paul is saying he created you. And he appointed the time of your life, where you would live, how long you would live because he's your creator . He does with you what he wills. And then in verse 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for him, and find him, though He is not far from each one of us. for in him We live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, for We also are his children.
Being then the children of God. We ought not to think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone an image formed by the art and thought of man, therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance. God is now declaring to men that all People, everywhere should repent, why? Because he has fixed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness through a man whom he has appointed, having furnished, proof to all men by raising him from the dead. Who is that? It was Jesus, but notice Paul is securely standing on this side. God is the creator. He doesn't live in temples that men made. He's not fashioned from human hands. He is bigger than man. He is bigger than all of us because he created us. In him We move and have our being but now he's declaring that all men should repent because he has fixed the day of judgment and notice he says up here that they would seek God.
So God created, man and says find me, know me. But Paul makes clear that no man seeks after God. We've all turned aside to ourselves. We've all served ourselves and become in World grown. So what are we to do? They're not seeking me. Therefore they all deserve death and Hell.
But God being rich and mercy. And because of the great love with it with which he loved us, made us alive together with Christ. That's Ephesians 2. I've heard it said once and I think it's true that the gospel is in that in those two words, but God. He made man for himself, man, turned away in in unrighteousness and selfishness, is that I do not want God. I Will Not Bow, the knee to God. He is not, my owner is not my master. I am my own master.
But God. God says, despite that I will send my son to make the payment for these sinful men and women. I will draw them to myself and I will do this having established it, and Eternity past, these men and women will be mine. Why? Because I have, so chosen them to be, I have in Grace and Eternity past determined that they would be. So your salvation again, is not rooted in your faith. In your will, your salvation is rooted in the Eternal grace of God, that he showed you in eternity past, and now, and he will in eternity future. That is the grace of God for all time. Go back to chapter one.
We have his grace in 7 and 8 of course, made clear . We have Redemption through his blood, the Forgiveness of our trespasses according to The Riches of his grace, which he lavished on us.
Verse 11. We have obtained an inheritance having been predestined according to his purpose. who works all things after the counsel of his will. Number thirteen and in him you also, after listening to the message of Truth, The Gospel of your salvation having also believed you were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of Promise. So Grace here extends, even to the Holy Spirit given to us as a pledge verse 14 of our inheritance with a view to the Redemption of God's Own possession, to the praise of his glory. So God's grace is throughout from eternity to Eternity. And then finally, it's by his will through his grace for his glory. We see that in verse 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, we see it in verse 12, to the end that we were the first to hope in Christ will be to the praise of his glory and then verse 14, It ends with the phrase to the praise of his glory. That's why that's the title. God's glory in our Redemption. That's why he did it.
Paul is taking pains and therefore, I am to make clear to you. That salvation is wholly a work of God. 100%. And if we're not careful, we think that God has given us the pros and cons. He just came to us and said, okay. Here's Jesus here is hell. Which one do you want? And we said, let me think about it and we go into our room and we ponder it and we work out the figures and we say okay. I'm going to take Jesus because hell seems like a bad deal. Now, we have to be careful here because we do choose Christ. Yes, we do. There is an act of The will. There is an act of the faith, but we have to be clear. That faith is not in us to begin with. Our will is not free to choose him to begin with. It is only by God's grace poured out on us that we were able to choose Christ. That's what Paul is saying. If it wasn't for God's grace in eternity past, you will not be saved. So, some of y'all may be thinking, okay. Do I just sit around and wait till God Knocks on my door and says congratulations. You're one of the elect. You may now be saved. How do you know that you're able to be saved? because God has granted that to you. How do you know? Do you believe? If you believe in Jesus Christ, if you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, if you cashed, all your hope for salvation on him, then you are elect only. Those whom, God has given Grace, in Eternity past are able to accept and grab a hold of Grace. Now.
That is how you know that you are of God in Grace in eternity past. So let me, Look at 4 more things cuz we have, by his will through his grace for his glory. So, how is the question? How does this Glorify God? Verse 10, I think is the the biggest way.
He made known starting in verse nine. He made known to us The mystery of his will according to His Kind intention, which he purposed in him with a view to an Administration suitable to the fullness of times. That is the summing-up of all things, in Christ, things in heaven and things on the earth. So how does this glorify God?
Christ.
He's the glory of God. If you turn over to verse 19. Same chapter.
What is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe? These are in accordance with the working of the strength of his might which he brought about in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the Heavenly places, far above all rule and Authority, and power and dominion. And every name that is named not only in this age, but also in the one to come and he put all things in subjection under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body. Now, listen to this, phrase the fullness of him who fills all in all. So Christ is the perfect glory of God. So, how does God glorify himself in our salvation? By showing himself in the person and work of Jesus Christ. What does God look like you say, look at Christ? What is God's character, like look at Christ? Hebrews chapter 1, puts it beautifully.
God after he spoke long ago to the fathers and the prophets and many portions and in many ways. In these last days, has spoken to us in his son whom he appointed, heir of all things through him Also, he made the world. listen to this. He that is Christ, is the radiance of his glory, and the exact representation of his nature and upholds All Things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins. He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. having become as much better than the angels as he has inherited a more excellent Name than they, So it says that Jesus is the exact representation of his nature. He's the Radiance of his glory. What is it Say in the next phrase? It says he upholds all things by the word of his power, but then he says, when he had made purification of sins, he sat down at the right hand of majesty on high. So Christ Redemptive work on the cross. Shows us what?
God's character his gracious. His loving character. Remember that God has already shown his grace to us in eternity past. And that is pointing toward the cross of Jesus Christ, where Christ is the Fulfillment of the law and he's the payment for sin for our sin. Those who believe. And so God and His nature and his character is pointing to the ultimate show or display of who he is, in his son, Jesus the exact representation of his nature. So, if that's the case, then remember why Jesus came
He didn't come to stand on the street corner and say, hey everyone gather around and look at me. I look like God.
Well he did a little bit, but he mainly came to die. He was born to die. Jesus came to pay the penalty for sin and death. So what that means is that there is an inherit trait of God, that he is Mercy that he is Grace, that he is love that. He makes the payment for sin that as Josh point out. Truly he required.
That God says you are not holy as I want you to be holy. You were created to be holy, you were created as Mankind and womankind to reflect my nature, you are not doing it. You are running After your own ways. You're you're serving the world and you're serving Satan. You are not being mine and you were created to be mine. Therefore. I'm going to send my son to grab a hold of you. My grace is going to grab a hold of you. My salvation is going to grab a hold of you, and I'm going to change you Into my own possession. verse 14. You will be called by my name. Then don't you see Echoes of this in the Old Testament? My people who are called by my name. If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face. Then I will turn and heal their land. So God's still doing that. He's, he's claiming people for himself. And he says, if you are mine, you bear my picture, you are a representative of me.
I will not have Unholiness In My Kingdom because I am holy. I will not have un righteousness in My Kingdom because I am righteous. You all are Unholy, unrighteous people. I will make you holy. I will make you righteous in my son because he is righteous for you. That's how Christ is the exact representation or ultimate glory of God. The second thing. Is as we've seen Grace over and over and over in this passage God, pours out Grace on us. And they said, as we just said, in the person and work of Jesus Christ. God has shown himself to be all of Grace.
Number three is holiness. We don't want to rush past this verse 4. He chose us in him before the foundation of the world. Why? That we would be holy and blameless before him in love.
That is why he chose us. Those of us Who believe you believe, because you were chosen before the foundation of the world. You believe because you were predestined before the foundation of the world. Why? So that you would be holy and blameless. God requires Holiness and blamelessness. we have none of that. So Jesus comes and it's holy and blameless for us. And being in him. And by his Spirit, he's making us, holy. is making us blameless. Isn't that Grace? So grace is there, too. I require Holiness because I am Holy. So you can't be holy. I'm going to do it for you Ezequiel 36 - I will Put my spirit within you and he will do it in you. We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus. We are being formed by God to be with his people to be called by his name. And finally, I love this faithfulness , so if we're Looking at this. God is glorifying find himself in election in predestination by Christ, by showing his grace, by showing his Holiness. And finally, by showing his faithfulness. Look at verse 11. Also, we have obtained, an inheritance having been predestined according to his purpose, who works all things, after the counsel of his will. so in verse 5 were predestined for adoptions that sons. And as we talked about last week, that means an inheritance, the son's. Some of y'all ladies may be like "why doesn't it say son's and daughters?" because as son's you gain The Inheritance. You are in Christ as the firstborn. So you as a son, gain the inheritance of God in Christ. And inverse 11. We also have the inheritance.
Obtaining, an inheritance having been predestined. So we also are predestined to inherit What Christ inherited for us. What kind of Christ gained for us.
So, what does that mean? That means God is faithful.
He who began a good work in you will complete it.
So, he predestined you to be in Christ. And he pre destined you to receive the inheritance of eternal life at the end. So, what about all that space in between?
What if I believe when I'm 10? And I'm in Christ. And then between then and the end, when the end comes when Judgment Day comes, I sin? What if I'm not as holy? What if I? What if I? What if I don't live blamelessly? If he began the work, he will complete it. If he predestined you as a son, he predestined your inheritance. So what that is in between is the spirits working making you more like Christ. but because you cannot be like Christ, you cannot be perfect. You cannot be as holy As God is Holy, since you are in Christ. His righteousness, his Holiness counts to your account. God looks at you and sees his son. So if you are truly in Christ, his inheritance is guaranteed and that's what we see In verse 13. in him. You also after listening to the message of Truth, The Gospel of your salvation having also believed you were sealed in him. How? with the Holy Spirit of promise,
He will finish what he started. How do you know? The holy spirit is in you as a seal, or a guarantee, verse 14. The spirit is given as a pledge of our inheritance, or I would say, a down payment. I know that God will finish what he started in me. I know that he will make me holy and blameless before him because he has given me his spirit and I see his Spirit working in me. I don't have the anger problem I had 4 years ago. I don't have the last problem. I had a year ago. I don't have the laziness problem I had 10 years ago. So you see the spirit working in you? Not for your salvation for your admittance into Glory, that is bought for you by Jesus Christ Alone. But because you are in him, you start taking on him. That's why Paul says over and over put on Christ, put on Christ, put off, sin put on Christ, put on Christ. not so that you can be saved. But because he has saved you, because he has dumped his grace on you and now you see it's so much better than what you've been doing. Always hold up the sin of your life. Always hold up the sin in your life to the beauty. The glory of God in the face of Christ, and his grace shed on you. And you say, sin has to go. Because I am in Christ. I am a new creature. The old things have passed away. The new has come.
It doesn't happen, by vigorous effort. It happens by the spirit, working in you. It happens by the spirit bringing Christ to your mind and to your heart saying, look at Jesus. Look at how wonderful he is. Look at Jesus. Look how wonderful he is. Look at Jesus look How wonderful he is. That's what the spirit magnifies him over and over and over until Jesus blows everything away. I'm reminded of Paul Newman. Y'all know the actor? Paul Newman? Some of you young kids are like huh? He said someone asked him. He's been married to. I don't remember the name of his wife. Some of y'all may be able to tell me. But he's married to her for like, 40, 50 years and they said, were you ever tempted to go astray? And he said this. Why go out for burgers? When you can have steak at home. He's referring to his wife. She's better than anything. I'm going to find out there. That's essentially what happens between us and Christ. He is so wonderful and and see how you going to see this. If you just step over here away from the word. And you focus on your feelings and you read books that Jesus is just focused on your feelings and I Don't Feel Jesus and oh I don't know... you're not going to see this, but you have to stand there. You have to see God for who he is. You have to see Jesus for who he is and to see him rightly through his word will blow everything else away. Only. If the spirit has changed your heart to see his Beauty, apart from the spirit, changing your heart, you will not see his Beauty. You will turn away from him and say, I want my own desires. I want my own destiny. God will not put me anywhere. I'm in charge, but through the spirit, he changes your heart. That's where the election comes in. He has sent his Spirit to change your heart to see him. Then you exercise Faith because of that and your will is free to say, Jesus is better. Oh, he's wonderful.
So God is faithful. He's holy. He's full of grace and he has showed himself in the person, the work of Jesus Christ. And we see in verse.
Let's go on this part. So the next question.
How do I become a part of this? I'm the little man in the middle. How do I get taken back to God? How do I reconcile back to God, the answer is in verse 13.
In him, you also after listening to the message of the truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having also believed you were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of promise. You notice there are two things there. You listen to the message of Truth, The Gospel of your salvation. And then you believed it. So now we're back to the question of. How do I know that God has? Chosen me has predestined me. Did you hear the Gospel of Truth? Did you hear the message of Truth? The gospel of your salvation? Yes. What you do? Did you believe? Did you really believe? Or did you just believe that Jesus existed and that he was a nice guy and he died for your sins and then you went on. Or did you believe in the all-encompassing summing-up of everything in Christ that he is the end-all? And that only by having everything you are placed in him by putting all your hope and faith and trust in him for salvation from your personal sins who you see as you see yourself as guilty before a holy God. If that's what you mean by belief, if you believed. then God has chosen you, otherwise you would not believe. That's the question I pose to you today.
If you were to stand before a holy God right now, what would be your plea? What would you plead to allow him to enter into heaven?
I've been a good person. I've gone to church. I've avoided the main sins. I've tried but because you're a gracious, God, you'll overlook all the things that I didn't do, wont you? No, he won't. Cuz he has appointed one Man as Paul says in Acts 17 in which to judge the world. He's appointed one name by which men are saved. Jesus Christ. God has ordained that he save people only through his son, Jesus. Why? Because it was not through Christ then his glory, isn't there? If it's through Allah or Muhammad, or for being a good person or for going to church and doing all these things, then we can get up to heaven. We can talk to our friends and say, so, how'd you get to heaven ? O h I started an orphanage. All right. high five. How did you get to heaven. Oh I prayed a lot. We can boast. Where is God's glory in that? It's our Glory. It's only in Christ Do we understand ourselves in such a lowly State as so depraved And so lost that we need Jesus.
The Bible says over and over again. You cannot save yourself. Only Jesus can. So that's what it means. Have you heard the message of Truth, The Gospel of your salvation and then have you believed it. Have you put everything you are on Jesus Christ. Have you said, I trust in Christ alone for salvation. There's nothing in this world. That could save me, there's nothing in me. That could save me. In fact, everything in me condemns me. It's only by the gracious gift of his son Jesus am I saved. So Let me ask you. Have you done that?
I implore you do not trust in baptism. Do not trust in. Good Works. Do not trust being raised in the church. trust only in Jesus Christ and the grace that God has shown to us poured out on us in Jesus Christ. That's what it means. And if you believe you are sealed with that Holy Spirit of Promise, so just as an aside, I think this verse destroys, any idea of a second blessing or a baptism of the Holy Spirit when you believe you are given the spirit. You do not have to wait and then pray in tongues and then you get the spirit . No, when you believe you are given the spirit. Because he says that is a guarantee or down payment. It's proof that you're saved. God will finish what he has started, because he's begun it by his spirit, and you are not kept through your effort. You are kept by the glory of God, and the grace of God in the spirit of God. Let's pray.
Lord, don't let us trust in anything, but Jesus Christ. Don't let us look at anything to save ourselves. Give us a profound sense of our own sin. Help us see that it is only by your gracious election from eternity past to the Redemption that we find in Jesus Christ in human history. And then Grace again to hold us to the end to the Judgment Day. Lord, help us to see that it is grace upon Grace, upon Grace, upon Grace. We cannot bring anything. We cannot bring a baptismal certificate. We cannot bring perfect attendance in Sunday school. We cannot bring being good enough. Being Good. Ole Boys or good girls. It will not save us. Lord help us to cast all of our Hope on. Jesus Christ. understanding that he paid the penalty for our sin. Lord give us the grace to stand where you stand as far as you have reveal to us in your word. To see the gospel of Salvation from your perspective. Not ours. don't let us raise ourselves up. As a sovereign state that made a deal with you as another sovereign state, but help us to see that, we are not sovereign that we are lowly, and It is only by your gracious choice that you have made Faith and Grace available to those who believe.
Lord, we trust you. We look at hard things in your word and we gulp We don't know what they mean, but we want to take your word at your word.
We don't want to go further than it. We don't want to try to be smarter than it, helped us to live humbly on our knees Under it saying, we don't understand the mind of God in these areas, but we will follow him as far as he has revealed himself. And we will follow him because he is full of grace. Thank you, Lord, for your son. Thank you, Lord, for what you do in your spirit, holding us to the end. Lord if There's someone here who has not put their faith in Christ, con vict them of sin. Bring them to their knees. Show them that their trusting in something else Besides Jesus Christ. Don't let them trip over election. Lord. Don't let them say well I don't know If I'm elect, Lord just convicted them of sin, and if they are convicted of sin and if they cast selves on your mercy, they are elect. Save them, Lord. As I know you can. For Your Glory. In Jesus name I pray. Amen
