Sermon Tone Analysis

*Let Us Press On to Maturity (part 2): Consummation of Grace*

*Text*:  Eph.

1: 3 – 14,  Titus 1: 2,   2 Tim.

1: 9,   1 Cor.

15: 24

*Introduction*: Last week we learned God’s Grace by looking at 2 covenants.

The *Abrahamic* covenant taught us that God invoked on Himself a curse if He did not keep His promise.

He went through the bloody animals which were cut into two to show the nature of the *New* *Covenant* which He would bring forth through Jesus Christ His Son.

It is an Unilateral Covenant: God initiated and the Son fulfilled it.

We have absolutely nothing to *contribute* to it.

Then we learned from the Davidic covenant the preserving power of Grace that God established His Kingdom which will continue into eternity and *Jesus* is the King of this Kingdom.

The Grace reached us by God’s initiative and God will *consummate* it in His time.

This week I would like us to see this consummation of His Grace.

I trust we have laid a good *foundation* last week to build a solid structure with this message.

I also trust all what we heard will fall into a place this week and we would be able to *answer* the question, “Why did God save us?”

And understand the immeasurable and insurmountable Grace of God.

Now I don’t answer directly to the question, you have to draw your own, OK?*     Let’s Pray.*

We learned “/God’s Grace will accomplish what God has planned/!”

Our Salvation was based on the *precise* plan of God and carried out precisely by the Son of God and the Spirit of God.  *It will consummate precisely how God planned.*

So let us look at the plan and consummation of God’s Grace.

We will look at *various* Scriptures to see the *marvelous* grace of our God.

The best way to do this is to begin with the *Eph.

1*.

So please turn your Bible to *Ephesians 1**:  3** – 14*.

This passage is a grandiose of all the Scripture *informing* us the marvelous Grace of God.

Verses *3 to 14* are in *one* long sentence in original so it is quite difficult to understand but *richness* of this passage *transcends* its difficulty.

The heart of God *resonates* with those whose hearts are washed with the blood of Jesus, God’s Son.

So now, let us look at how the Grace of God converged on us.

*I.

**Convergence of Grace**           Eph.

1: 3*

Blessed /be /the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly /places /in Christ,

 

I do believe this is the *key verse* for this section.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every *spiritual* blessing in the *heavenly*/ places /in Christ.”

Then Paul continues in *verse 4*, with “*just as*” to describe this spiritual blessing.

What is the “every spiritual blessing”?

Verses, *4 to 14*, are the lists of the blessings.

*Vs.

4:* God *chose* us.

*Vs.

5:*  He *predestined* us to adoption.

*Vs.

6:* He freely *bestowed* on us His grace.

*Vs.

7: *He *redeemed* us through Jesus’ blood.

*Vs.

8:* He *lavished* us with *riches* of His grace.

*Vs.

9:* He *made known* to us the mystery of His will.

*Vs.

11: *He gave us *an inheritance*.

*Vs.

13:*  He *sealed us* with the Holy Spirit of the promise.

*Vs.

14: *He *gave us* the Holy Spirit  *as a pledge*.

*What a glorious blessing!*

God has given all these *spiritual blessings* to us who are redeemed by the blood of His Son.

What is taken place in heavenly realm is brought down by our Lord Jesus Christ.

This blessing belongs to the kingdom of *light*.

Notice all this has happened already, “*who has blessed us*.”

So we do not have to ask anymore.

We are to appropriate them and enjoy them.

*When did this happen?*

Verse 4 says,

*II.

**Chronology of Grace**    Eph.

1: 4*

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.

In love

 

“Before the foundation of the world.”

What does it mean by “Before the foundation of the world?”

Let’s look at this little more in details.  *Please turn your Bible to **Titus 1**: 1** **- 3**          *

          Paul, a bond-servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ,

for the faith of *those chosen* of God and the *knowledge* of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, /promised* long ages ago*/ [pro cronon aionion].

But at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior (Emphasis added).

Paul describes the hope of eternal life, affirming his apostleship that he was called for the faith of those who are chosen.

In *vs.

2*, he says, God promised this eternal life “*long ages ago*.”

Literally means, “*before times eternal*” (pro chronon aionion), which means “before time began.”

A Question comes to my minds is: *To whom was this promise given?

* Was it to *us*, to *Paul* or to the *Old* Testament *patriarchs* or *prophets*?

Now let’s go to *II Tim.

1*, verses *9*.

These verses give us little more light on the subject.

Who has *saved* us, and *called* us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but /according to His own *purpose* and *grace*/ /which was granted us in Christ Jesus *from all eternity*/ [pro cronon aionion], (emphasis added).

Here again, “from all eternity” literally means “*before times eternal*” (pro cronon aionion).

This expression is exactly the same as in *Titus 1:2**.*

We know that we are saved by His grace.

Here Paul says, God saved us by His own */purpose/* and */grace/*.

This salvation which God gave us was accomplished by His *grace alone* *with certain purpose*.

In that this was done before the beginning of the time.

God has done this before time existed.

Obviously, before the creation of the world, we did* not exist*.

Therefore, Paul says, this was *granted* to us “*in Christ*” before the beginning of the time.

Doesn’t it *blow* your mind?

Can you understand timeless world?

Illustration: <Ant and a grain of sand move to moon>

*But it will help us when we understand what “in Christ” mean.*

This promise of eternal life was made long before we existed, in fact, before even *time* *existed* and only */revealed/* through Jesus Christ at appointed time.

The *Abrahamic* covenant and the *Davidic* covenant are the *shadows*.

Now, the source of the shadow, the Light itself has appeared.

A Bible scholar *Lock* explains “in Christ” this way, “The grace of God is *embodied* in Christ Jesus: we only *gain* it through *union* with Him, and it was */given/*/ *to* *Him*/ by God *long* *before* we were born”  (Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol.

11, p. 396, emphasis added).

This gift of eternal life was granted to us by becoming one with Christ.