A Mystery Revealed: Ephesians 1:7-12

Sermon: FCC Marianna 4-18-2021 Ephesians 1:7-12: A Mystery Revealed Scripture: Ephesians 1:7-12 (HCSB) Recap: A survey of the New Testament, beginning with Ephesians, for the purpose of developing a Biblical worldview in you, individual believer, in this church and in your families, growing your understanding of your faith and how to approach daily life from a place of readiness and preparation. The book of Ephesians begins by laying out the basic, foundational truths that every Christian should know and be confident in, it addresses issues that are facing the Church and how we as Christians should respond to them, and then it ends with an examination of how we Christians are supposed to apply and live out these doctrinal truths in our daily lives. The Breakdown of Ephesians: -The Calling- Ch. 1-3 (Foundational Christianity/ The calling and purpose of the Church) -The Conduct of the Church- Ch. 4-6 (Individual Christian Lifestyle and Behavior/ The Family Unit/ Spiritual Warfare) Last week we discussed the fact that God is the source of all of our blessings, of our purpose, and of our salvation; that He is absolutely worthy of all of our praises and that our focus everyday should be giving everything that we are to Him. That He loves us so much that He gave the ultimate sacrifice for Him and simply expects for us to live in a way that shows that we love Him back. [PRAY HERE] -Main Idea: We are saved [we have the opportunity for glory in Christ] because of God's redemptive grace and sacrifice and God is glorified in the redemption that He provides for us. [Illustration: the judge who pays the penalty for the penitent father who stole bread for his child and now cannot pay for his crimes; the judge steps down and pays the penalty out of his own pocket so that justice may be served. Also, the honor that one gets when someone helps another simply out of the goodness of his own heart; if the deed were required, he might do it, but it would be a burden- but when able to do it freely and generously, the deed is done joyfully and it brings honor for the one who does it. {As an aside, there is a whole sermon that could be preached on serving generously and freely and without an expectation of anyone give you a slap on the back or an attaboy. Serve others well and joyfully, because it is a reflection on God and how He has served us first.} 1. We are redeemed in Jesus- God's justice is fulfilled by His gracious sacrifice. Eph. 1:7-8 "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that He richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding." Redemption- Greek: "Apolytrosin" - the word denotes the release or deliverance from the bondage of slavery- the idea here is one of a conquering army coming in and freeing those who have been held in oppression. The chains of slavery to sin have been unshackled; the chains that held us under the condemnation of the law have been broken. Romans 3:24 "are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:23 "Not only that, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." Col. 1:13-14 "He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Hebrews 9:15 "Therefore Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, now that He has died to redeem them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant." -This is redemption from our bondage to sin; the work of Christ is the deliverance of believers, of those who make themselves "slaves to Christ" or "slaves because of Christ" (2 Cor. 4:5) - this is literally the idea of being freed from a master over whom we had no say, being born into the slavery of sin, and then committing ourselves in surrender to a new Master, one whom we serve because we love. The means of redemption is the sacrificial substitutionary death of Jesus, through His blood that satisfied God's wrath and justice: (1 Peter 1:19) "with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot." -Christ paid the ransom that sin held over our account- sin held us in that bond. Now we are able to enter into right relationship with the Good Master, because Jesus has paid the debt and released us from sin's hold. -The satisfaction of His justice is done not only out of the riches of God's grace, but also because of the riches of God's grace that He has poured out on us. (Eph. 1:6) 2. God is pleased and glorified in revealing His will and plan to us and gives us the tools to comprehend as much as we will. [It is up to us to understand as much of it as we will!] Eph. 1:9-10 "He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ as a plan for the right time-to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him." God's grace is given to enable believers to understand His will. God gives us His wisdom (Greek: Sophia)- the objective insight into God's revelation- and His understanding (Greek: phronesei)- the subjective ability to comprehend it- in order to enable us to grasp God's divine purposes for humanity and for us as individuals. We are able to understand God's desire to bring humanity back into right relationship with Him because He has "made known to us the mysteries of His will" (Eph. 1:6). -God's reveals the mysteries of His purpose of bringing all things in heaven and on earth underneath His headship. The phrase "for the right time- to bring everything together in Christ" is literally until the dispensation of the fullness of the times; the term dispensation in Greek is "oikonomia" -or the arrangement of the administration. This is "He made known the mystery of His will... as a plan for the right time- to bring everything together in Christ," the arrangement of the millennial kingdom, when all of God's purposes will be completed- and all things, both spiritual and material, will be under Christ and His rule. -There is a foreshadowing here- God saying "I have made known to you all of these things and given you the wisdom to be able to understand what is coming. Can you see it yet? One day, you will be under my Son's dominion, whether you want to be or not. I'm giving you every opportunity to accept salvation and the love I have to offer; otherwise, you will spend eternity in hell and utterly away from me!" -This is the culmination of all things, of God bringing all things together under one Head, everything either restored and brought into the realized earthy Kingdom of Heaven or wrapped up with the disorder of sin and rebellion and cast out forever. Isaiah 2:2-4 "Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths." For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And He will judge between the nations and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks." -There is no excuse for you not knowing Christ or God's plan for you. You bear the responsibility to take the wisdom that God has offered you and to understand it! There is no "But I didn't know" card to play when we get to judgment. 3. God's will for humanity, the culmination of His plans, is redemption and adoption! (God's will for your life, the culmination of His plan for your life, is redemption and adoption!) Eph. 1:11-12 "In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory." -It may seem like I am covering this again, but this is a fundamental pillar of Christianity: that God's will for humanity is redemption- for each of us to be welcomed into the family of God, not as slaves, not as servants, but in adoption as heirs! -This passage includes a discussion of the two-fold inheritance of redemption: the first being the inclusion of Jewish believers in Christ- those predestined by God who also had put their hope in Christ; the second group, of course, is all of us who are not Jewish believers, the Gentile believers (v. 11- "we also have received"). As we know, all of us may participate in God's blessing of redemption, but the Jews, God's chosen people, were called first. Acts 3:26 "When God raised up His Servant, He sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways." Romans 1:16 "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek." In the NIV, verse 11 of Ephesians 1 is translated "we have also been chosen." The idea behind the phrase 'we have been chosen' means to be appointed or destined. The Jewish believers Paul is addressing would have intimately understood this idea, because they are God's chosen, or appointed or destined, people; they would have understood the idea of being "predestined" because of their place in God's purpose or plan for humanity [it may not have been the best or most honorable place in God's plan, by their own shortcomings, but overall, they were an integral part of the story God needed told in order for His rescue plan for humanity to begin.] It also would have been impactful for the Gentile believers that Paul addressed within the churches of Asia Minor. [Illustration: Tanner & Daniel, adoption parties- they have kids in a room with a room with double-sided mirrors where prospective families can watch how they interact with other kids, etc. It is terribly disheartening for the older kids who know what is going on, because they try to alter their personalities and do whatever they can to be attractive as an adoptee, but the longer they go unadopted, as well as the older they get, the likelihood of getting adopted grows smaller and smaller. With Daniel, at fourteen, had almost concluded that adoption was never going to happen, so when it did there was almost this disbelief of "You mean, you're taking me too?"] The Gentile believers would have had the same type of disbelief. They are not part of God's chosen people, but they get to be included in God's love and grace for His people? You mean, I can be part of the family of the God of the universe?? You mean, you're taking me too? Conclusion: God's plan for humanity, this plan that is worked out in conformity with His divine purposes (or His counsel or deliberation), is to save us and to redeem us from the bondage of sin that we are born into. It's a plan that He has revealed and made available to us, and it's a plan that allows us to be adopted into His family by His grace. (Romans 8:28-29 "And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.") (Eph. 3:11 "according to the eternal purpose that He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.") It includes an emphasis on God's sovereignty for those who put their hope in Jesus: He allows us to choose whether we will accept the gift of salvation and surrender our lives to Him, but He is still sovereign over all. Whether we take Him up on salvation or not, whether we surrender to Him or not, whether we strive to understand His revelation or not, in the end every knee will bow to glorify the Head over all things: Jesus. Question & Invitation: What are doing with the redemption that He has made available to you? You will kneel before Christ one day; will you be prepared?