Whom do you worship?

Introduction

Chosen by the Father

First, recognize that the great mystery of the doctrine of election.

God chose us “before the foundation of the world.” (v.5)

Deuteronomy 29:29 says “the secret things belong to…God.”

Second while we see mystery, there are some clear attributes of God in this text.

God is perfectly loving (v.4-5), Eternally sovereign (v.5), gloriously gracious (v.6-8), and infinitely wise (v.8). God can do whatever He pleases (Psalm 115:3), and whatever He does is always consistent with who He is.

God is loving: His election is an expression of His love for His children.

God is sovereign: God’s choosing is one expression of His eternal control over all things. God’s “favor” or “good pleasure”, God’s “will”, God’s “administration”, and God’s “purpose.”

God is gracious: God’s choosing is grace to sinners (Romans 11:6; 2 Timothy 1:9). God didn’t choose us because their was anything good in us but simply because he is a gracious God.

God is wise: God’s choosing is a part of His infinite wisdom.

Third the passage shows the necessity of personal belief in the gospel.

The invitation to believe in the gospel and God’s sovereignty are two things that people put against each other, but God has brought them together. We cannot fully comprehend how He weaves together faith and election but He does it and it is a beautiful thing. Our invitation to others is to come to Christ. God isn’t some crazy airline security guard waiving through the secretly chosen into heaven while sending others in another direction for further questioning. The invitation in Scripture is for ALL to come to Him and they will receive salvation. Our invitation should be “Come to Jesus and when you do, thank Him for drawing you near to Him.”

Many people see election and God’s choosing of others and turn to think that their is no need for evangelism (telling others about Jesus). But that is not true. In Acts 18:9-10 Paul was discouraged in Corinth but God said to him “Don’t be afraid, but keep on speaking and don’t be silent…because I have many people in this city.” God has chosen each person that comes to salvation in Him for a purpose and that is to share the gospel with all around you. God has many in this city of ours still to save and he desires to use each of you to accomplish that task. And God encourages us not to be afraid because our God is sovereign and he has a plan to save those around you through your testimony, your words, and His power that works through them both. God’s power is the working within us that makes evangelism successful. Our obedience but ultimately His power.

Finally, election should humble us.

This doctrine has no room for human pride. It should provoke and draw us to awe and wonder, worship, and obedience to God. We should have no arrogance within us when we understand the Father’s election of each of us individually. The pots do not talk back to the Potter. The creation doesn’t feel higher than the Creator. Election should drive us to our faces in worship to a sovereign, wise, loving, gracious, and mysterious God, who has chosen us in Christ.

God’s goal of election was holiness. Paul tells us that God chose us “to be holy and blameless in His sight.” (v.4) Romans 8:29-30 tells us that God’s purpose is to bring us into conformity to Jesus. But we must come to know that we are only holy when we are in Christ. In Christ our sins our removed, our blame is removed, our dirtiness is removed, and His righteousness is given. (PRAISE JESUS)

God chose us for adoption as sons and daughters. This means that we have all the rights and privileges that belong to the Father’s children. True adoption gives the one adopted everything that a real son and daughter receives. Nothing held back. Including new brothers and sisters. You not only have a heavenly Father but brothers and sisters to help you along the journey in your faith and relationship with Jesus.

We were chosen for a purpose. We were adopted through Jesus Christ. We are sons and daughters. Now we have a mission to make Christ known because of the magnitude of salvation.

Redeemed by the Son

We have redemption (v.7-8)

Redemption: something spoken of that we already have. We don’t hope for redemption, but we have redemption now. When Christ saves you you have been redeemed. Redemption is found in Christ to all who call upon His name. Colossians 1:13-14 says “He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves. We have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, in Him.” Paul says that redemption has come at a cost “through His blood.” (v. 7) 1 Corinthians 6:20 says “You were bought at a price.” and “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” (Galatians 3:13)

Forgiveness: Our redemption is linked to the forgiveness of sin that we receive from God by being in Christ too. Jesus told the paralyzed man in Mark 2 that his sins were forgiven. Jesus shows the importance of forgiveness over any physical healing. We grow in maturity in our faith the more we understand how much we have been forgiven. Jesus freely gives us redemption and forgiveness even though we have trespassed against Him and sinned against Him countless times. In Luke 7 an unknown woman poured out expensive oil to anoint Jesus. The pharisees were blind in their self-righteousness to seek Jesus for forgiveness and they grumbled at the woman. But she understood how much she had been forgiven and showed that adoration for Jesus through anointing Him with all she had. Psalm 130:3-4 is so good as it says “LORD, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive? But you offer forgiveness.”

Grace: Redemption and forgiveness are “according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us.”

Wisdom and Insight: God expresses His grace by giving us “wisdom and understanding”. Part of God’s grace towards us is the gift of wisdom to know how to live in light of His saving plan.

We have revelation (v.9-10)

God’s purpose for all of history is to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth. The world is divided and groaning for redemption. Now God’s people groan in the fallen world. Paradise was lost in Adam, but it will be restored in Christ.

Assured by the Spirit

We have been given the Holy Spirit as a seal or a promise of a future inheritance. The Holy Spirit is the firstfruits of our inheritance that we will receive in heaven. God gives us the Holy Spirit as a helper and a guide in our lives to lead us in the way the Lord would desire for us to walk. We walk in step with the Spirit when we walk in obedience to the Word. The Holy Spirit brings about conviction for our sins and draws us to repentance daily.

The seal of the Holy Spirit is a sign of ownership from the Lord. When you are given the Holy Spirit it is a sign that you are God’s adopted son or daughter. The seal is like a cattle brand. When a cattle is branded it keeps someone from stealing it and taking it as its own. Our seal is internal on our hearts but it prevents Satan from stealing us for himself. Romans 8:9 says “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” and v. 16 says “The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

The guarantee of the Holy Spirit is the down payment we receive as the hope for the promise of glory to come. The Holy Spirit is not just telling us about something in the future, He is bringing the future into the present so that we may taste what the future is like.

Conclusion

God the Father has chosen us, the Son redeemed us, and the Spirit assured us. This brings us to praise God. This passage is a praising passage. Paul is listing off so many reasons that God is glorious and why we should praise Him. God is so good because of His election, His grace, His wisdom, His sovereignty, and His love. This passage starts with praise and ends with praise.