The Work of the Son Part 2

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Hebrew 12:18-9, 22-29

Hebrews 12:18-19

English Standard Version Chapter 12

A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken

18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them.

Hebrews 12:20–21 ESV

For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.”

Hebrews 12:22–29 ESV

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

Confession

Confession of Faith - Join me on pg 14 of your Hymnals as we read our Confession of faith, Traditional version

I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth;

And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church*, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Worship

Our music team is out of town this week, so I thought we might try something else new. In lieu of singing hymns, I want to read Psalms. We know the early church primarily used the Psalms as their worship songs just like the Jewish synagogues before them. However long gone is any understanding of how they did them, whether it was chanting, with music, or simply reading aloud. However, we do know in early worship there was usually only one copy od Scripture in the church, and that different persons at different times would read from the Scriptures. So I want to do that today. We will be reading Psalms that reflect the Kingly role of Christ.

Psalm 2

English Standard Version Psalm 2

Why do the nations rage

and the peoples plot in vain?

2  The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,

3  “Let us burst their bonds apart

and cast away their cords from us.”

4  He who sits in the heavens laughs;

the Lord holds them in derision.

5  Then he will speak to them in his wrath,

and terrify them in his fury, saying,

6  “As for me, I have set my King

on Zion, my holy hill.”

7  I will tell of the decree:

The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;

today I have begotten you.

8  Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,

and the ends of the earth your possession.

9  You shall break them with a rod of iron

and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

10  Now therefore, O kings, be wise;

be warned, O rulers of the earth.

11  Serve the LORD with fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

12  Kiss the Son,

lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,

for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 47

English Standard Version Psalm 47

Clap your hands, all peoples!

Shout to God with loud songs of joy!

2  For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared,

a great king over all the earth.

3  He subdued peoples under us,

and nations under our feet.

4  He chose our heritage for us,

the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah

5  God has gone up with a shout,

the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.

6  Sing praises to God, sing praises!

Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

7  For God is the King of all the earth;

sing praises with a psalm!

8  God reigns over the nations;

God sits on his holy throne.

9  The princes of the peoples gather

as the people of the God of Abraham.

For the shields of the earth belong to God;

he is highly exalted!

Psalm 110

English Standard Version Psalm 110

The LORD says to my Lord:

“Sit at my right hand,

until I make your enemies your footstool.”

2  The LORD sends forth from Zion

your mighty scepter.

Rule in the midst of your enemies!

3  Your people will offer themselves freely

on the day of your power,

in holy garments;

from the womb of the morning,

the dew of your youth will be yours.

4  The LORD has sworn

and will not change his mind,

“You are a priest forever

after the order of Melchizedek.”

5  The Lord is at your right hand;

he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.

6  He will execute judgment among the nations,

filling them with corpses;

he will shatter chiefs

over the wide earth.

7  He will drink from the brook by the way;

therefore he will lift up his head

Prayers of the People

Prayer Request

Work of The Son Part 2

So Far we have looked at the book of Ephesians and seen the nature of the Triune God revealed in the work of salvation. We See that the Father has chosen a people unto adoption as Sons, and that the Son has done the great work of redemption through His own shed blood to purchase those people and set them free from the sin to which they were captive. And we learned that grace was the key to all of this work, and in fact grace is defined by this salvific work of God in His people.

This week we look back at the fullness of the text

Eph 1:7-12

English Standard Version Chapter 1

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

In verse 7 and 8 it is told to us that the Son has done that great work of redemption. And we learned that this buying back was a defined process by God in the book of Leviticus. It images for us here the purchase of a relative out of slavery, or the purchase back of a land from someone who held it because of a debt owed. But in the bigger picture we learned that this work of redemption reflected what God had done for the nation of Israel in bringing them out of slavery from Egypt. And this imagery is seen in the work of Christ done on the Cross paying the debt for our sins so that we might have forgiveness, and be released from the bonds of those sins. We reflected upon the fact that this work was done “Sola Gratia” by grace alone.

So this week we look further at the work of the Son found in verses 9 thru 12. Here we find something profound revealed to the Ephesians and to us. We are given in these few verses we are given a much deeper understanding of what that Grace that was lavished upon us actually accomplishes in the work of redemption. Here we see the revelation of the outcome of full redemption.

We are told that we have redemption through the blood, which brings about the forgiveness of sins, according to God’s grace. And for most this is the fullness of the Gospel. Jesus died upon the cross so that my sins might be forgiven. That is the story. At least the beginning of the story. We have to read on, we have to see what is the full outcome of God “lavishing upon us, in all wisdom and insight” His grace. If the maker of the universe is pouring out His grace in such grand fashion, surely my forgiveness, your forgiveness, even the forgiveness of every saved person for all time cannot be the end all. Was this whole thing just to save a few people? Or does Scripture give us a far grander picture of what Christ’s blood accomplishes?

In verse 9-12 that through His “grace”

making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

The son accomplishes an amazing feat, uniting all things in Himself, giving it to us as an inheritance, making us His glory.

The Mystery of Unification

verse 9 starts out telling us that God’s grace makes know to us the “mystery of His will.” Having previously learned that grace was an active entity, an expression of the work done by God in believers and unbelievers alike, we can now look and ask what is this mystery that grace has revealed unto us.

Eph 3:4-6

English Standard Version Chapter 3

When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

So this “mystery at minimum is that the Gentiles get to be partakers of the promise of Christ, the promise of the Messiah, the saving figure that all believing Jews looked forward to throughout history. The “seed of the woman” promised in Genesis 3. The promised Son in Psalm 2. The Lord that sits next to my Lord in Psalm 110.

The Plan

But verse 9 and 10 go on to explain further. Paul tells us that grace has revealed the mystery of God’s will to us, and that that will which is “according to His purpose (again highlighting the sovereignty of GOd), “which He set forth in Christ (again highlighting the centrality of Jesus in all the plans of the world),” was to bring about a “plan for the fullness of time.”

Another way of reading that “plan for the fullness of time is “with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times.” The fullness, we see this word and idea used again by Paul in Galatians 4:4

English Standard Version Chapter 4

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons

So in understanding the plan for the fullness of time, we see that Paul does not understand this as some future time, but something that has commenced in His lifetime and in the life of those hearing this letter. Paul is telling us that the mystery of God’s will, set forth in Christ (the Messiah of the OT), has real and present implications, then and now. It is not something we merely hope for in the future, it is something that we experience in out lives. And something that affects us in real ways.

All Things United

But what are those real implications of this revelation of the Gospel. What is the redemptive work of Christ doing besides the forgiveness of sins in individuals. Paul continues on in His run on sentence manner, stating “that is the summing up of all things in Christ.” Your version probably read the uniting of all things in Christ. Either reading is useful. We se here the imagery, that the time of the Messiah has come upon the hearer of this letter. God’s plan laid down from eternity, in which the Messiah, would come and accomplish what man could not do on His own has arrived.

I point you to Mark 1:14-15

English Standard Version Chapter 1

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

The Messiah to the believing Jew was the savior who would bring about the Kingdom of God. That which is described in Isaiah 65, the new Heavens and new earth.

Most if not all of us have heard all through our lives that the Kingdom of God has not come, that it is a future thing that will only come to fruition at the Second coming in which Christ will set up an earthly Kingdom and rule from a physical throne in Jerusalem. However, that is not the picture that is given to us throughout Scripture. Jesus himself says that “ if I cast our demons by the name of God, the Kingdom has arrived,” He gave the command as we read earlier “repent and believe, for the Kingdom is at hand” not thousands of years in the future.

So Am I a madman, and am I telling you that we are living in the fullness of Isaiah 65? Are we in the final state of the Kingdom of God? Absolutely not. But what I am saying is that throughout the New Testament, it is attested to over and over that Jesu is the Christ, He is the promised Messiah, and that He has successfully set up His Kingdom, He sits upon His throne, and rules.

On Heaven and Earth

But what? What does He rule? In His own words from Matt 28

English Standard Version Chapter 28

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,

The same words we see used here by Paul “ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” Paul tells the reader that through God’s grace, by the redeeming work of Christ on the Cross, Jesus is now uniting all things together in Himself, things in heaven and on earth.

Later in this chapter we will see Eph 1:20-23

English Standard Version Chapter 1

that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all

Jesus not only serves as our Priest, going between us and the Father for forgiveness of our sins, but He sits in power and judgement as our King. This is the imagery in Psalm 2 and in Psalm 110. In fact in verse 22 we see a quote of Psalm 110:1, God’s favorite Bible verse.

The LORD says to my Lord:

“Sit at my right hand,

until I make your enemies your footstool.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ps 110:1). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

This is the role of the Messiah, to conquer all enemies, placing them below His feet, exercising that authority given unto Him.

The Long awaited Inheritance

But to what end? Verse 11 reads: In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

the sentence begins with a phrase “en hos kai,” which gets translated In Him, I think primarily for clarity as to whom we have obtained the inheritance from, but literally can read “by which also we have obtained an inheritance.” So by what? well the end of verse 10 is speaking of that uniting work of Christ, which brings all things together in heaven and earth. It seems to indicate that this is our inheritance. The united “new heavens and earth.”

The kinsman redeemer has come to redeem His adopted brothers and sisters so that we might obtain to the inheritance of the land which He has also redeemed.

The promise of a Land

To us today, that probably makes little to no sense. But to the early Christian, and especially the Jew who understood the land promise of the OT, this would have made perfect sense.

Look at the Apostles who asked Jesus about sitting at His right and Left in his coming Kingdom. They knew Him to be the Messiah, and from their understanding of the Scriptures, He was coming to set up a Kingdom. A kingdom in Jerusalem, a Kingdom in which the Jews would receive ultimate peace in their lands, and all the nations of the earth would come and bow before their King.

So the question remains? Were they wrong? In a way yes. And in a way No. They were right in the nature of the Messiah’s coming. What He was to accomplish in establishing a Kingdom, and the fact that all nations would come under His rule. But in their understanding of the nature of this Kingdom, and the means by which it would be conquered they were sorely wrong.

Their focus was on the redemption of Israel. They thought only in terms of the Messiah setting them free from their immediate bondage to the Roman empire. They though too small. Christ came not to save only the Jews, and only Israel, but to save mankind, and the entire world. “I came not to judge the world, but to save it.” “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,” “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

This inheritance that is obtained is the redeemed world, for all of the children of God.

The obtaining of the Land

So how is this land obtained. By the Messiah “uniting all things together, things in heaven and on earth.” But then we are left with an issue of timing and method. How exactly is this accomplished. While not directly addressed here, we will discuss briefly so I do not leave any confusion, with people thinking again that I am saying the work of Christ is complete and we are in the completed new Heavens and Earth now.

I point back to the verse I said was God’s favorite. Psalm 110:1. It says that he Lord will sit upon His throne “until” all enemies are placed beneath His feet. That seems to indicate that this will be an extended period of time. It is not a simple overnight conquest.

We must understand that the obtaining of “the land” our inheritance, does correspond to the original obtaining of the land by the nation of Israel. God did not miraculously transport His people out of Egypt into the land of Cannan, magically make all the enemies disappear, and bestow upon them a life of luxury. No, He first killed decimated the enemy that enslaved them, killing their firstborn, and ultimately destroying their Pharoah and His armies. Then because of the sinfulness of the generation to which salvation was delivered, He made them wander in the wilderness for 40 years, and then He sent the next generation into battle to defeat the people who inhabited the land. With instructions to destroy them completely.

We can see the metaphors, the parallel allegories in our individual lives, and in the life of the church. The salvation of enslaved people, the defeat of sin on the Cross, the periods of unfaithfulness causing wandering. But.....we as a people so focused on our own personal salvation, the gentle kindness of our Savor towards us, and our grand desire to see others experience that as well have neglected the fact that we have been sent into battle. In fact most of the sixth chapter of this book is just about that. We have an obligation to battle the enemies of God. While we do not have time to treat the full manner of the nature of that combat today, we must see that we are the means by which God puts all enemies into subjection.

Those enemies are numerous, they include all forms of sinful living in our lives, in our churches, and in our nations. They include false teaching, complacency, and fear of man. But also included in this list is disbelief itself. Disbelief in the truths of God set forth in His word. Those are but some of the enemies we are called to defeat, in ourselves, in our churches , and in the world around us. Because this is the world that Christ came to save.

Passing on the Land

Note the tense of the words used by Paul “in him we have obtained,” this was to the first Christians. They had obtained an inheritance already. Like us, it was not the completed work of a redeemed world, but Christ has given us an inheritance. An inheritance we are to continue to pass on. A world that is under the authority of Jesus Christ.

But, in order to pass on that inheritance to subsequent generations, we must first realized that we have obtained an inheritance. Beloved, as a believer you are wealthy beyond belief. You have freedom from the bondage of sin, and live under a benevolent King that has given you a new heart, made you a new creation, and given you the opportunity to live out a life obedient and loyal too Him. If we do so we will model for our children, and our children's children, the nature of their inheritance.

But if we live in a manner that tells them, this life is but a punishment, and our only reward is on the other side of glory, then what hope do we give them?

We are His Glory

Paul completes this thought with this statement: “so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.” I ask you to not dwell on the portion regarding “we who were the first” as we will deal with that next week. But rather see that those who had hope in Christ, those who had faith or trust in Christ were to the praise of His glory.

Literally, believers are His glory. Not their own, but they function as Jesus’ glory.

The glory from the Father, given to Christ Followers

John 17 is a profound passage of Scripture that reveals so much about the nature of our relationship with Christ. As the Son prays to the Father just before His death, first He prays for Himself:

English Standard Version Chapter 17

Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

He prays that the Father through the Death on the Cross glorifies Him. But later in the Passage we see where that glory is given to the Apostles first and through their preached word to the Church:

English Standard Version Chapter 17

I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them

English Standard Version Chapter 17

I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,

Those that the Father has given unto the Son, those who have been adopted and are now to recieve the inheritance, they are Christ’s glory, because the work He has done in them is perfect, and reflects His perfect character.

The glory of the Husband

But there is another aspect to the Church being the Glory of Christ. Throughout Scripture we see the Church referred to as the bride of Christ.

Cor 11 tells us that the wife is the glory of her husband. Likewise, the bride of Christ, the church, is the glory of her husband.

God’s perfect design for marriage is this. That a man and woman are cleave together and become one flesh. And the role for which God designed woman is to be the husbands Helpmeet. Later in Ephesians 5 we see Paul giving instructions for the function of the Christian household, and in doing so He points out the mysterious connection between the function of the Christian marriage and that of Christ and His bride, the church.

We as the church are to function as the helpmeet of Christ. Carrying out His perfect plan for not only our individual lives, but our collective purpose as a gathered body of believers. In doing so we reflect the glory of God into the world. This is our assigned role.

How Then Shall We Live?

God’s people are the recipients of the product of God's perfect plan for all of existence. When Jesus said the meek will inherit the earth, it was not purely a metaphor. God created this cosmos (the word translated world in Scripture), and He created it for mankind. Not as some form of temporary holding place, but rather as the place where God could dwell with man. In the end, like in the beginning heaven and earth will once again perfectly meet. But until that time the work of Christ is busy, the Gospel is being bought to bear on all existence. A people are being perfected by, for, and in Christ. A land is being redeemed through many means, but primarily through the work of the Church bringing the Gospel into all areas of life.

So earlier I said that Paul identified the mystery with which He was entrusted as the gospel of Christ, the good news that the gentiles were included in the promise along with the Jews. But later in chapter Eph 6:19-20

English Standard Version Chapter 6

and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

This is the importance of the Gospel. The full gospel, the understanding that Christ came to save far more than the lowly souls of men. Paul tells us that He is in chains for preaching this Gospel. The Roman empire could have cared less that you believed yourself to be going to Heaven with Jesus because He died for your sins. No the Gospel was far more controversial than that. The Gospel is that the King of the whole world had come, He was saving for Himself an Army, and that He was enthroned with authority over the entirety of the world and was putting into subjection all rulers and all nations would bow before Him. Psalm 2. This is the kind of Good news that gets you sacrificed. This is the gospel we must proclaim when we are faced with the fallen world demanding our conformance. My King lives now and I bow to Him and no one else.

My hope is that what you heard today resonates with you. But to emphasize the point, I leave you with this. Our hope is in the inheritance of God's kingdom secured by the work of the Son. It is not in the hope of future escape from the world, but rather a redeemed existence here and now. A life full of God’s grace right now. Freedom not only from the ultimate consequence of our sin in eternity (which we do have), but freedom from the enslaving power of sin in our lives now. The inheritance we possess is living in a Kingdom, indwelled by the King Himself, empowered to glorify Him through a life lived in light of His benevolent rule over our lives.

Doxology

Closing Prayer

If anyone has any questions or concerns feel free to catch me afterwards. And a quick reminder we do have plates in the back for anyone who desires to worship through giving today.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him all creatures here below, Praise Him above ye Heavenly Host, Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.