The Glorious Grace of the Father

Introduction: What does the First Advent of Christ teach us about the Father?

False Views People Have About God the Father

1. He is a lonely, singular God

2. He is an angry tyrant who is hard to please

3. He is passive and disengaged from creation

Four Truths that Will Transform the Way You Think About the Father ()

The Father Has Richly Blessed His People

The Father Has Lovingly Chosen His People

The Father Has Graciously Predestined His People

The Father Has Faithfully Secured An Eternal Inheritance for His People

The Father Has Richly Blessed His People ()

God has richly blessed us by sending His Son into the world.

We are blessed “in Christ” - this means by being united with Christ or having unity with Christ.

This is only possible because of the incarnation -

You shall call his name Jesus - For he shall save his people from their sins

You shall call his name Immanuel - God with us

God has richly blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

All the glory of heaven is the possession of all those who are followers of Jesus.

Some of these blessings we get a taste of now - some of these blessings we will have to wait to experience later.

But every blessing that belongs to heaven, belongs to every believer. Every blessing has been purchased for you by the blood of Christ that he shed on the cross.

Your sins have been forgiven and in heaven you will no longer sin, death has been conquered and so to die is gain, we experience pain and sorrow now, but heaven will be pain free and there will be no more sorrow. You may be poor today, but for eternity you will never want for food, or clothing, or shelter.

We take the Lord’s Supper this morning and remember what Jesus did and confess our faith in him, we believe he is with us, and in heaven our eyes will see the one who gave his life for us, who suffered hell for us.

So, you don’t have to live frustrated and angry when people wrong you - because Justice, pure justice is yours.

You don’t have to envy what other people possess - you have everything you need waiting for you.

You don’t have to live with bitterness and unforgiveness - God will wipe away every tear and heal every hurt

The Father Has Lovingly Chosen His People ()

The word for chosen means to choose for oneself - God has lovingly chosen a people for his very own possession.

- “You are a chosen race…a people for his own possession.

One of the beautiful things about marriage is that both bride and groom are chosen - this is what God has done, he has chosen his people, to set his unfailing love upon them forever.

Vs. 4 says that we are chosen, In Him - which means we are chosen to be redeemed by Christ. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem he entered the world on a personal rescue mission, not a theoretical mission. God sent Jesus to save all those whom he had already chosen before the foundation of the world.

God is telling us this in his word to encourage us, to help us to understand how gracious and loving he has been towards us. What if you are not a Christian? Does that mean that God didn’t choose you?

Let me let Jesus answer that, in he said, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” That means that everyone who comes to Jesus for salvation, turning away from their sins and trusting completely in Him, Jesus will save. Everyone who has faith in Jesus Christ will be saved, everyone. It also means that if you do come, its only because God chose you - it is his work from beginning and end. No one in heaven ever says, I am so great, isn’t wonderful how smart, and wise I was to trust in Jesus - No everyone in heaven praises God for loving them and choosing to save them by his grace alone. So if you are not a Christian - you need to receive Jesus as a gift from God to save you from hell and to give your new life as his follower. You need to surrender your life to him today and then you will know that God chose you.

Notice why he chooses His people - so that we can dwell in his presence as those who are holy and blameless! WOW - I can’t accomplish that! I am so glad he chose to give me the righteousness of his Son and the life changing power of the Holy Spirit!

This truth should really change the way we live - Andy Griffith Episode where Gomer thought Andy saved his life -Gomer was so eager to serve Andy, he was so grateful! How eager should we be to serve the one who chose to redeem us and rescue us form our sin!

The Father Has Graciously Predestined His People ()

Predestination is God’s determination to save those he has chosen. In other words God has decreed a plan that he is determined to carry out in history. Or we could say God’s plans are always definite.

What does this plan look like?

Love

Adoption - his desire is to make us his own children

Through Jesus - it is carried out through the sending of His Son

According to the Purpose of His Will

To the Praise of His glorious grace - How does this pan demonstrate the grace of God - How ought God’s plan cause us to praise?

He has blessed us in the Beloved - He has given us Jesus!

We have redemption through his blood - what God planned was to have his Son suffer hell in my place.

His grace was lavished on us - literally we are showered in his grace

In all wisdom and insight - who can question God’s plan?

Making known to us the mystery of His will (9-10)

If God did not decree a plan and determine to carry it out - the gospel would still be a mystery to us. The very fact that we can sit here this morning an spread the gospel out before us like a feast, literally in the Lord’s Supper, and that we can understand it and receive it by faith in our hearts is an absolute miracle of grace!

The Father Has Faithfully Secured An Eternal Inheritance for His People ()

The inheritance is secure because the paperwork is signed by the one who works all things according to the purpose of his will.

- “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

The inheritance is secure because Christ accomplished in History all that God decreed before the foundation of the world.

The inheritance is secure because the Holy Spirit has been given to us now as the guarantee of our inheritance until we take possession of it.

Conclusion: Christmas is to the Praise of His Glory

Mary’s song in and Zechariah’s prophecy in Luke 1:67-79 both echo the truths of

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.