Meant for More [part 1]

Growing up here in Michigan, I have a few memories of early family vacations around the Midwest. High on my list was the family trip to Cedar Point when I was finally old enough that I measured 48 inches tall (the minimum height to ride many of the roller coasters at the park back in the early 1980s). That was my first experience of roller coasters; and, of course, back then the Gemini was the tallest roller coaster in the park—it’s still there at Cedar Point, but now one of the smallest coasters in the park.

Other vacation destinations stick out in my mind too, but not because of their awesomeness. I remember my family borrowing a motorhome and driving to the upper peninsula. There were a few stops on that trip which ten-year-old me did not understand or appreciate. Ten-year-old me was not impressed with Tahquamenon Falls. We drove forever and then hiked way up into the woods just to see a waterfall? It felt like there should have been more to it. Why can’t we get in a raft in the river and go over the waterfall? I expected more. Then there was Castle Rock—a tourist stop right off of I-75 in St Ignace. It features a 200-foot rock formation with an observation deck on top. Visitors can take a staircase trail from the visitor center all the way to the top. Ten-year-old me was not impressed. Why did we have to take the stairs? Why won’t they let us climb up to the top on the front side? I expected more. Then there was an entire day at Soo Locks in Sault Ste Marie. This one made no sense to me. So, we just sit here and watch boats go in, then the water slowly goes either up or down, and then the boat leaves. At least the campground by the Soo Locks had a playground.

There may be events in every one of our lives which left us wanting a bit more than what we got. You may have your own endeavors and experiences that left you wondering if this was it—is that all there is? Occasionally, life leaves us wondering if there should be something different than what we see and what we get. I wonder if our life of faith ever leaves us wondering the same thing every now and then. Are there moments when maybe we wonder if this is all that there is to being a Christian? I have faith and believe all the right things about Jesus—is that it? I attend church and maybe a Bible study—is that it? I volunteer to help other people—is that it? I just sit back and wait for eternity in heaven with Jesus—is that it? Is there a goal or a purpose or a reason for being a Christian that gives us anything more than just this?

My guess is that the Christians in Ephesus might have been asking those same questions. Because in the New Testament, the apostle Paul writes a letter to this church in Ephesus digging into that very issue. So, if you have ever had moments of wondering what the reason or purpose is for being a Christian, if you have ever felt like there maybe should be something more to the Christian life, I invite you to take up this reading through the book of Ephesians that we are beginning. Let’s start this week in chapter 1. Let me point out one feature before we read this in order to help see a little structure to Paul’s words here. There is a Trinitarian focus in this passage. I am going to point out a movement in these verses from God the Father to God the Son (Jesus) to God the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 1:3–14 (NIV)

Ephesians 1:3–14 NIV

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. 11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

God’s pre-ordaining gives us a reason (purpose) to live our faith in certain ways

This is one of those passages from the Bible that stands out to those of us in the Calvinist Reformed tradition because of its attention to predestination. The doctrine of election, or predestination, is one of those teachings in the Christian Reformed Church that can be rather confusing and hard to wrap our heads around in ways that make sense. And it is certainly not my intention today to preach a sermon about doctrine. If you are interested in learning doctrine, sign up for one of our Bible classes. I want us to see this somewhat ambiguous and contested idea of predestination not in light of what it is and how it works, but in light of what difference it makes in our everyday lives of faith. How do these words from Paul to us in the church make a difference in how we live our lives right now? How does this idea that God pre-ordains certain things give us reason and purpose for believing what we believe, and living the way we live? That’s what we’re after here.

Trinity in Ephesians 1 | vs 3-6 Father — vs 7-12 Son | vs 13-14 Holy Spirit

I don’t think it is coincidence that Paul opens his letter to the Christians at Ephesus with such a strong nod towards the Trinity. Every bit of who God is participates in the grace given to us. let’s look at that and see how it works into our lives.

God the Father’s plan for you from the beginning of time was to be holy and righteous | adopted to sonship

God the Father is the one who has chosen us before the creation of the universe. God the Father knew you and planned for you to be here before this world was here—before there was time. And God the Father’s plan for you from the beginning of time was to be holy and righteous. In other words, the Father has intended all along that we share in his perfect goodness. Paul says that in the Father we are adopted to sonship. This is a Roman term. When the head of a household in the Roman world has no children of their own, the roman citizen could choose someone else beyond the family to gain the inheritance. The Romans called this ‘adoption to sonship.’ Paul is borrowing that language here in Ephesians 1 to describe the way that the heavenly Father includes us in the inheritance of his holiness and righteousness.

God the Son puts our adoption into effect right now by coming to sacrifice himself on the cross on our behalf

presses us to consider the purpose that the cross and the resurrection have upon our lives right now

But we are not chosen because there is no other heir to receive the inheritance. In fact, it is through God the Son, Jesus, that we are adopted by the Father. So, what God the Father decrees from the very beginning of the world, God the Son puts into effect by coming to sacrifice himself on the cross on our behalf. It is the Son, Jesus, who brings these two worlds together—heaven and earth. Right here at the very beginning of this letter, Paul is pressing us to look just a bit further beyond the cross and beyond the empty tomb, he is pressing us to consider the purpose that the cross and the resurrection have upon our lives right now.

salvation is about more than souls getting to heaven

What does the death and resurrection of Jesus mean for your life right now?

I know the standard belief about salvation is that Jesus died to save me from my sin so that my soul can go to heaven. But here’s the problem with that statement; it completely leaves out the life that you and I live right now. If the reason that Jesus died and rose again is only so that your soul can get to heaven when you die, then this whole life of faith that we talk about as Christians has no real-world application in the day-to-day life we have right now. All you can do as a Christian once you accept Jesus into your heart and believe in faith is wait for your life to be over so your soul can be with Jesus in heaven. Don’t get me wrong, eternity with Jesus is the end goal that God has in mind—although our Reformed tradition would be quick to note that eternity in the Bible is characterized in Revelation as a resurrected and recreated physical world, not a spiritual heaven floating around in the clouds somewhere. But either way, we are still stuck with a gap if that’s what salvation means; it still leaves us wondering what salvation means right here today while we are still alive on this world. What does the death and resurrection of Jesus mean for your life right now?

verse 10 — “to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ”

a world getting ready right now to be brought into unity with heaven by Christ

Paul concludes his summary of what Jesus, the Son, does for us in this passage with this line at the end of verse 10, “to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” It is Jesus who brings these two worlds together—heaven and earth. Paul does not talk about salvation as a future event that will happen someday when you die and your soul goes to be with Jesus. Paul talks about salvation as present tense—we are saved right now, right here; our salvation is already in effect. It already bursts through into this world with glimpses of what is yet coming when Christ returns to make all things new again. The eternal destiny preplanned for us by the heavenly Father has already been connected into our lives right now by Christ the Son.

God the Holy Spirit — a guarantee that God’s purpose in your life will be completed all the way to the end when we will be made new and live with God forever

it is a recognition that a piece of that new resurrection life ought to be visible right now today

And here is where the Holy Spirit—the third person of the Trinity—comes in. In verse 13 Paul says that we are marked with a seal, that we have a guarantee in the Holy Spirit that God’s purpose in your life will be completed all the way to the end when we will be made new and live with God forever. In those moments when you see life around you in this world and think to yourself that there ought to be more to life than this, it is more than a recognition of the new resurrection life to come. It is a recognition that a piece of that new resurrection life ought to be visible right now today. The grace of God that we have been given in Jesus ought to be recognized in our lives right now. You are meant for so much more than what the sin of this broken world has pressed upon us. and every bit of God’s being—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—works to bring you back to the life you are pre-ordained by God to have.

verse 6, 12, 14 — “to the praise of his glory”

I am going to spend the next three weeks here in Ephesians going through some of the ways Paul describes this new life in Christ for us. Let me start that off by leaving us today with just one of those characteristics we see here in chapter 1. It shows up in a phrase that is repeated three times in these verses: to the praise of his glory. It is in verse 6, verse 12, and verse 14. With the salvation we have in Christ, we are meant for more. And the first thing we see in Ephesians is that we are meant for the praise of God’s glory. Let me explain that just a bit.

praise = to give recognition, to show, to make known

The Greek word for praise means to recognize, to show, to make known. You know how when you watch an awards show on television, and every time someone is called up on stage to receive their Grammy, or Oscar, or whatever award it is, they give a quick acceptance speech by recognizing all the other people who have been instrumental in their achievement. We may see them as celebrities, but they take a moment to give recognition to others because they know that these achievements do not really belong just to them alone. That’s the idea behind this Greek word for praise; it is a recognition that the achievement I have received really comes by the work of someone else.

glory = bright, shining, radiant

The Greek word for glory literally means bright, or shining, or radiant. The Greeks also took that to mean any instance in which humans were involved in transcendent circumstances. Whenever the transcendent world of the gods made connections with the mortal world of humans, the Greeks would see that as an example of glory. Christianity gives this a totally different spin, because the Greeks thought of the gods showing up with power and might, but Jesus shows up humble, and serving, and sacrificial.

my life is meant to provide recognition of what God has accomplished

Three times in these verses the Bible says that God’s divine work on our behalf is to the praise of his glory. In other words, our lives are meant to provide recognition of what God has accomplished. The grace of God we recognize in Jesus is now a life of grace that others recognize in us—his church. The forgiveness of God we recognize in Jesus is now a life of forgiveness that others recognize in us—his church. The humble service of God we recognize in Jesus is now a life of humble service that others recognize in us—his church. You get the idea; that’s what Ephesians 1 is talking about when it says we are meant for the praise of his glory.

every bit of God’s being—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—works to bring you back to the life you are pre-ordained by God to have

Christ died and rose again so that you are saved. Let God show his salvation through your life for others to see

You are meant for more. This week, listen to what God is saying about himself through his Word. And when you recognize the voice of God by listening to his word, find one way this week in which it can show up in your life for others to recognize the glory of God too. Christ died and rose again so that you are saved. Let God show his salvation through your life for others to see, that they may come to know his salvation too.