Past, Present and Future

Ephesians 1:3-14

His past creates our present to bring about His glory.

His past choosing and predestining of us, has already sealed us in Christ, lavishing His grace upon us, and He is even now working all things to bring about His purpose: all things as One in Christ Jesus to the Glory of God.

Our past belief and ongoing faithfulness in Christ somehow, by God’s action and not ours, result in our being united in Christ, destined then for a glorious inheritance.

God wrapping up the universe in Christ was always the plan.

His plan from the beginning transforming our present reality towards His (and our) total glory.

He chose us back when

for His glory then

and He’s now working all things

We heard and believed,

Holy Spirit received,

to inherit as His glorious beings.

His choosing vs. our choosing?

Beautiful Story

Do I have more past or future in front of me? I spend a week with middle schoolers talking about their self-identity. Their “I Ams.” It was a great week and often I found myself thinking: you barely know who you are. So much of your story and the shaping influences are to come.

Betty Moore.

Seeing her life in snapshots.

Epic life. At Pearl Harbor. 4 kids, tons of grandchildren, a room full of people remembering and celebrating her life.

And her body was there… and it could feel like an ending…

But it wasn’t. And all of those things I just said about the middle-schoolers are true of her.

Your greatest life is to come. Your story so far is the prelude, the opening chapter of what is to come.

I went home and hugged my Mom.

A Psalm of Praise – the World’s Longest Sentence

This might be the longest sentence of continuous discourse in existence.

Ephesians 1:3-14

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 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. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Summary

Last week we read this and pointed out that it isn’t about You, it is all about God. Blessed be God, it is a psalm of blessing, of praise, of thankfulness.

The whole Trinity is here: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. You and I are the object being acted upon, a part of the gift that God the Father is giving to God the Son, summing up everything by the power of God the Holy Spirit.

Past, Present and Future

In addition to spanning the whole Trinity, this one sentence spans all of space and time.

It tells us a bit of what happened before the cosmos, before the Creation of the world, probably before time itself.

It speaks of the present reality of believers in Christ.

It tells us of the future, the goal of all things, the perfecting of all things.

Past

He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places

He chose us before the foundation of the world

In love, He predestined us to adoption as sons in Jesus Christ.

He freely bestowed on us the glory of His grace.

He lavished (over abundance) the riches of His grace.

After listing… having also believed…

Were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit

God’s Sum: blessing, choosing, predestining, bestowing, lavishing grace, revealing, sealing

Our Sum: hearing and believing

Present

Bless God now...

Are faithful in Christ Jesus

In him we have redemption, forgiveness of sins

His is making known to us the mystery.

We have obtained an inheritance

He presently is working all things according to His plan (11)

Holy Spirit now as a pledge of our inheritance

God’s Sum: God is blessed and is blessing, presently working, presently pledging in the Spirit.

Our Sum: bless God, stay faithful, enjoy first-fruits of our inheritance

Future

That we would be holy and blameless before Him.

He purposed… to the fullness of times… the summing up of all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.

We would be to the praise of His glory

With a view to the redemption of God’s own possession… to the praise of His glory.

God’s Sum: Summing up all things in Christ, all about His glory

Our Sum: Holy and blameless, to the praise of His glory, redeemed as God’s own possession, come into full inheritance.

Sum

Vs. 11-12

He predestined (past) according to His purpose who (presently) works all things to His will, to the end that we in Christ would be (future) to the praise of His glory.

Vs. 13-14

13In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, (past)

14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance (present, ongoing pledge), with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory (future).

So Where Are We Now?

We are thankful in light of all that He has done, his blessing lavished upon us.

We are hopeful, confident and joyful in His coming glory that we get to be part of.

And in the present… well the second half of Ephesians is all about how we live in the present, in the tension between those two realities.

But God is making known to us the mystery of His will: we are learning more of Him.

He is

You

We