Read -Study Notes – Ephesians Chaper 1:1-10

Eph. 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus:
Eph. 1:2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

• Paul introduces himself in his customary fashion, identifying himself to his readers as an apostle by the will of God
  • You’ll almost always find Paul beginning his letters in this way
    • First, he identifies himself to his Greek audience by his Greek name
    • His Jewish name was Saul, which when translated into the Greek becomes Paul
    • Paul was the Jewish apostle sent by Christ to the Gentile world and Paul embraced his calling wholeheartedly
    • So he identified with his Greek audience by calling himself Paul
  • Next Paul reminds his audience that he possessed the authority of an apostle
    • An apostle is a special member of the body of Christ
    • He is a man commissioned by Christ personally, though a personal appearing of the Lord
    • Apostles had unique authority and power to bring the Gospel to unreached areas
    • They authored New Testament scripture and they could perform supernatural acts of healing as proof of their special calling
  • The first apostles were those who followed Jesus before He died, and then there were a few more who were commissioned by the risen Lord
    • Paul was one of those apostles commissioned by the risen Lord
    • Before Paul was commissioned and began to serve the Lord, he persecuted the church
    • And it was Paul’s history as a persecutor of the church that gave his critics opportunity to accuse him of being illegitimate
    • So Paul frequently defended his position of authority
• Furthermore, Paul adds that he is an apostle “by the will of God”
  • Remember how Paul was traveling to arrest Christians in Damascus when the Lord appeared before him
    • Jesus blinded Saul and sent him to a believer in Damascus
    • That believer, a man named Ananias, expressed concern to Jesus  about coming face-to-face with the man known to kill Christians
    • And to this Jesus replied:

Acts 9:15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;
Acts 9:16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

• So Paul didn’t volunteer for his job…God thrust it upon him
  • Jesus says Paul was a “chosen instrument”
  • Paul wasn’t a volunteer, Paul was recruited, Paul was chosen
• What’s more, Paul became a believer in Jesus Christ in this same way
  • Paul didn’t get a chance to choose to be a disciple of Christ
  • I imagine had someone asked Saul if he was interested in becoming a disciple of Jesus and suffering for the benefit of Gentiles, he would have spit in their face
  • God didn’t put the question to Saul because Saul would have refused
  • And so the Lord arrested Saul on the road, God gave Saul a debilitating condition and then sent Ananias to explain the situation
• Consequently, Paul often opened his letters by explaining his role and authority as something God has willed, not something Paul willed
  • It silenced those who claimed Paul wasn’t to be trusted since his ministry began after the other apostles and he was a persecutor of the church
    • Paul doesn’t defend himself on the basis of self-worth or merit
    • He doesn’t give excuse for his persecution of the church
    • Rather, he says the Lord selected him for the role and therefore the Lord was responsible for the timing of his conversion
  • This was an especially important point in light of Paul’s purpose for writing to Ephesus
    • He’s going to explain the Lord’s sovereign hand in our relationship with Christ
    • And what better way to prepare them to hear about God’s sovereignty than to remind them of how he himself entered into that relationship according to God’s choice
• At the end of v.1 Paul addresses the letter to those in Ephesus who are faithful and in Christ Jesus
  • They were “in Christ” which means they were a part of the family of God by faith
    • This was their true identity
    • Before they were Roman citizens or residents of Ephesus, their identity was found in Christ
  • And beyond their identity in Christ, they were faithful in Christ
    • To be faithful doesn’t mean to merely have faith
    • A Christian can fail to be faithful to the Lord
    • But those in Ephesus were faithful, as we learned last week
    • They remained faithful to the truth and to the apostles’ teaching
• Paul greets this church in v.2 with grace and peace from the Father and the Son
  • This is the classic greeting from Paul
    • He never failed to remind his readers that they were recipients of God’s grace and at eternal peace with God
    • Before faith they were due judgment, and so they knew the fear of death and what came afterward
    • But God’s favor, His grace, leads us to eternal peace
  • Of course, the church had grace and peace spiritually, but that doesn’t mean they experienced grace and peace in their lives
    • We’ve received God’s grace, but do we live knowing we are forgiven?
    • We have been reconciled to God in peace, but do we trouble ourselves with unnecessary fears and worries and struggles of this life?
    • Many Christians do by allowing the things of this world to determine our happiness, security, contentment and fulfillment
    • But we should seek all those things through our relationship with Christ
  • As I mentioned last week, this church was especially troubled by worldly temptations and distractions
    • They were leaning too heavily on earthly concerns for validation, for satisfaction
    • And they were overlooking the surpassing riches of God’s mercy which was already theirs by faith
    • So for them, Paul wishes they would experience the grace and peace they have received
• Paul then launches into one of the most power theological declarations in all the New Testament, intended to remind the church of all they received in Christ
  • The doctrine Paul will teach is found in Chapters 1-3
    • Remember, we study doctrine so we can know how to live in response to these truths
    • So in these chapters, we get a steady stream of truth by which we may live
    • Later in Chapters 4-6 we’ll receive the application of these truths
  • The chapters of doctrine take a unique form in Paul’s letters, reading almost like a prayer or a praise letter to God Himself
    • The teaching opens with a single Greek sentence running from Chapter 1:3-14
    • This sentence is a continuous praise to the Lord for all He’s given to the believer by His grace
  • So imagine you receive a letter informing you that you’ve been invited to join the most exclusive country club in town
    • You never applied, and you certainly didn’t pay the membership fee
    • Neither do you meet the qualifications for membership
  • Nevertheless, you received the acceptance letter, so you go to the club office to receive your welcome initiation
    • When you arrive, the club owner presents you with a list of the privileges enjoyed by club members
    • Imagine being overwhelmed by the many, many benefits that come from membership at this exclusive club
  • That’s one way to understand vs.3-14
    • Paul knows he’s writing to a group of status-conscious, wealth-seeking sophisticates living in worldly circumstances
    • They are Christians, and they are faithful to the true teachings of the church, but their affections are divided
    • So Paul is reminding them that membership in the family of God has privileges that far outweigh what they seek in Ephesus
• We’ll study these benefits one at a time, but since these verses (3-14) are one long sentence, we will have to divide it up as we go through it
  • By the way, I think Paul’s choice to write only one sentence is not an accident
    • It think it’s a result of Paul’s being carried forward quickly by the Spirit from one thought to another
    • As Paul considered one spiritual benefit, it led him to contemplate another and then another
    • Producing a chain of connected ideas
  • So we begin with v.3, which is an overview

Eph. 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

• Paul begins where all things begin: God the Father
  • Paul says the Father is “blessed,” and he uses the word in the sense of “speak well of”
  • So Paul says speak well of the Father
• And do so because He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
  • Jesus is a member of the Godhead, and His coming to dwell among men was the plan of the Father
  • In the mystery of the Trinity, we know the Lord Jesus Christ was not “created” by the Father
  • Nevertheless Jesus Christ came forth from the Father, taking the form of man
  • In that sense Paul is saying speak well of the Father for sending us our Lord Jesus Christ
• And furthermore, our Father has blessed His children by faith with “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”
  • Paul begins his list of privileges for those in the body of Christ with this general statement
    • There are three parts to the statement, so let’s look at them one at a time starting with the final thing Paul says
      • What we have we receive because we’re “in Christ”
  • Our opportunity for blessing is a result of our relationship with Christ by faith
    • Truly, nothing we’re going to discuss in this letter will make any sense for a person unless he or she is in Christ
    • Because Christ Himself is the Blessed One of God
    • You and I aren’t “blessing-worthy” based on our own merits
    • Our opportunity for blessing from the Father is entirely based on Christ’s work on our behalf
  • So whatever we receive from the Father comes because the Son deserves it, not because we do
    • It’s because the Father blessed the Son that we too are blessed
    • And that should give us great comfort
    • Knowing that your blessings are the result of Christ’s goodness and His work, not your own, gives us confidence in that future
• Also notice that v.3 is written in the past tense
  • The Father has already determined to bless us because of Christ
    • Yes, the Bible teaches of heavenly rewards based on our service to Christ
    • But it also teaches that our relationship with Christ alone assures us of unimaginable blessing apart from anything we do
    • Therefore great and eternal blessing will be ours as a result of our faith in Christ, and this is without question
  • We’ll talk more about these blessings as we go further in the letter
    • For now it’s enough to know that the Lord has plans to bless all his children because of Christ
    • On the other hand, if you have not yet placed your faith in Christ as your Savior, then nothing Paul’s talking about applies to you
    • These are things the Father has reserved for those who are in Christ, because Christ alone deserves them
    • Yet He shares them with those who are His by faith
• Which leads me to the second part of Paul’s statement:
  • We have received spiritual blessings
    • It’s become vogue in the church these days to talk about blessings, to claim blessings, to name blessings, etc.
    • Preachers and their congregations throw the word around frequently and casually these days
    • A new car is a blessing, a new job is a blessing, a tax refund is a blessing
    • A good hair day is a blessing
  • And the Lord certainly grants us earthly blessings in various forms, but Paul has spiritual things in mind
    • The kind of spiritual blessings we can experience today are benefits for our spiritual well-being
    • Things like peace, contentment, holiness, patience, sacrifice, courage, boldness, joy, compassion, humility and the like
    • The Bible calls spiritual blessings the fruit of the Spirit, and they are the manifestation of God’s love in our hearts
• Some Christians are so focused on gaining material blessings that they’re overlooking the superiority of the spiritual blessings found in Christ
  • Perhaps that’s you
    • Perhaps you have trouble understanding how spiritual blessings are of much value when you’re struggling just to pay the bills
    • Or you’re trying to survive the next layoff or repair a broken relationship, or fight an illness
  • If that’s you, then let me encourage you to talk to a Christian who has learned to value spiritual blessing in a fallen world
    • Talk to the one who knows true contentment in a world of keeping up with the Joneses
    • To someone who has learned to forgive in a world of hatred and vengeance
    • Talk to the Christian who has found peace in knowing Christ and waiting for the Kingdom
    • They’ll all tell you…they’ve gained something much more valuable by walking in the Spirit than anything they sought in this world
  • And remember Paul started the verse saying that we have received every spiritual blessing in Christ
    • In other words, you can’t find these blessings anywhere else
    • You may pursue peace on earth, but you won’t find it…you already have it available in Christ
    • You may seek contentment or security or love or joy or solace any number of ways, but none of those ways will work in the end
    • Whatever they give will be temporary at best
    • But true lasting spiritual blessing is found in walking with Christ by His Spirit
• Finally, Paul says these blessings are in the heavenly places
  • Beyond the spiritual benefits that we derive here on earth as a result of walking in Christ, there is even greater blessing awaiting in the heavenly realm
    • This will be a central tenet in Paul’s teaching to Ephesus
    • He’s going to tell them they are richer than they could possibly know
    • They possess more than their unbelieving neighbors ever will
    • While they were distracted trying to earn the wealth of Ephesus, the Father had reserved heavenly blessings for them like nothing else
  • The sooner you realize how rich you truly are in heaven, the sooner you relinquish the thought of gaining the wealth here
    • It reminds me of Aesop’s fable of the dog holding a bone in its mouth
    • It looks at its reflection in the river and thinks it sees another dog with another bone
    • It snaps at the other bone it sees in the reflection, only to lose the bone it was holding in its mouth
    • Likewise, Christians trying to grasp for this world are forgetting that they already hold heaven in their mouth, so to speak
• So in just v.3 Paul has established the thesis for the doctrine of his letter
  • That spiritual riches are assured for all who are in Christ, and these riches surpass all that the world holds
    • But this is merely Paul’s opening salvo
    • It’s not a recipe for Christian living, nor does Paul expect us to simply rest in this statement without support
  • Think of v.3 as Paul’s thesis statement, his overview
    • But we’ve just begun a sentence that runs for 11 more verses, so there’s much more coming
    • Next Paul begins to explain how each member of the Godhead worked to secure these blessings for us
    • Beginning with the Father

Eph. 1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love
Eph. 1:5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
Eph. 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

• The opening word in v.4 is translated “just as” in English, but that doesn’t really convey the Greek meaning well
  • The word in Greek is kathos, which is better translated “in as much as” or “accordingly“
    • The word means, here’s how we gained these heavenly blessings
    • So in vs.4-6 Paul explains the Father’s role
  • The Father’s role in assuring us heavenly blessing was choosing and predestining us to our relationship with Christ
    • Paul says the Father chose us in Him
    • The “Him” in this phrase is Christ, so Paul is saying the Father chose us to be in Christ
  • We know the term “in Christ” is a uniquely Pauline way of describing someone who is saved, a Christian
    • So without a doubt, Paul says the Father chose us to be saved by our faith in Christ
    • Paul says the same thing in numerous places including 1 Corinthians

1Cor. 1:30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,

• Paul says we are in Christ Jesus by the Father’s doing
• Because the Father chose us, we were found in Christ
• For many believers, the word “chose” causes us to pause
  • We ask what does it mean that the Father chose us?
    • Does it mean he chose us over someone else?
    • Does He choose everyone? Does He not choose some? Why?
  • I won’t try to address these questions here today, not now
    • But the Bible does answer these questions, patiently and specifically
    • And we will find our answers as we move through this study
• Meanwhile, we can’t let our questions lead us to change the basic meaning of words or ignore them altogether
  • Paul says plainly that the Father chose us to be in Christ
    • The words mean exactly what it seems to mean…God selected us to be followers of Jesus Christ
    • Just as He chose Paul to believe and follow Jesus
    • Just as Jesus chose His first disciples

John 6:66  As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.
John 6:67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?”
John 6:68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.
John 6:69 “We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”
John 6:70 Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?”

• While you may not yet understand all the implications of this statement
  • Don’t let your questions become reason to dismiss God’s words out of hand
  • You can accept the truth of what God’s word says even before you understand all it implies
• For example, can you understand that God is One and yet is also Three?
  • No one this side of Heaven can understand it adequately
  • Even as we try to explain it with analogies or other comparisons, our words inevitably fall short
  • But we can accept it as true
• Can you explain how God could exist from eternity? Or how God can become born of a woman?
  • Explanations of these things fail us, yet we still accept these things as true
  • Likewise, we accept the fact that the Father chose us even if this truth raises difficult questions
• If you’re tempted to think that God’s choice was for something less than our salvation, then Paul’s words at the end of v.4 end the argument
  • Paul says the Father made this choice on our behalf so that we would become holy, and blameless before Him
    • To be holy and blameless means to be without judgment for sin
    • To be justified by the atonement of Christ on our behalf
    • This detail eliminates any other interpretation of Paul’s words
  • If the result of the Father’s choosing us was that we would become holy and blameless, then we must say that the result of the Father’s choice was that we would be saved
    • We can’t conclude Paul is saying the Father merely chose to offer us the Gospel
    • Offering someone the Gospel doesn’t result in that person becoming holy and blameless
    • Many people are offered the Gospel in human terms, but most of them die in their sins
    • No, the only conclusion we can make is that the Father’s choice directly resulted in us being made holy and blameless in Christ
    • The Father chose us in Christ because this is the only way we could stand before a holy and just God
• And as it turns out, the timing of the Father’s decision is all-important
  • Did He choose us at some point during our life?
    • Was it the moment before we confessed Christ?
    • Was it the moment we confessed, or perhaps the moment immediately after?
    • Perhaps we did something extraordinarily good
    • Or perhaps those who God does not choose forfeited their opportunity to be in Christ because of some terrible sin
  • If He chose us at some point in our lifetime, then we might rightly conclude that His choice was a response to something that happened during our life
    • And the Lord didn’t want us to misunderstand how we found ourselves in Christ
    • It wasn’t something we did, whether good or bad, it was God’s choice alone
• So in v.4 Paul says the Father chose us before the foundations of the world
  • The foundations of the world refers to the start of God’s creative work in forming the universe
    • Paul imagines God’s creative work as a massive construction project
    • Before the superstructure of our skyscraper can begin to rise from the pit, a foundation must be laid
    • And even before that foundation is poured, an architect has drawn up the plans for every step of the construction
  • Those plans show in detail how the final work will appear, yet the plans themselves are not the work itself
    • They represent the mind of the architect prepared in advance of the construction project
    • But as time moves forward, the plans in that drawing will take shape as a building, beginning with a foundation
  • So Paul says that the Father had you and me in His architectural drawings for salvation in Christ
    • And He drew up these plans even before the Lord began the creation of the world
    • Go back to Genesis 1:1, read that verse, and then consider that the Lord had you on His mind even before that verse took place
    • Before the foundations of the earth were laid, the Lord had already placed a check mark next to your name: “Chosen for salvation”
    • Then on a day, in the course of time, God’s plan unfolded and you were born and then you were born again
• Why did the Lord make His choice before Creation itself?
  • So that we couldn’t attribute His choice to anything inside His creation
    • It wasn’t a result of your family line
    • It wasn’t the result of your parents
    • It wasn’t the result of your choices or decisions
    • You didn’t earn it,  you didn’t even know it was coming
  • Just as Paul wrote when he explained why God blessed one twin of Rebecca and not the other

Rom. 9:10 And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac;
Rom. 9:11 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls,
Rom. 9:12 it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.”
Rom. 9:13 Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, But Esau I hated.”

• God announced His choice of the younger son in Isaac’s family above the older son
  • And He announced it before either had been born to ensure that we couldn’t say it was the result of what they did
  • It wasn’t based on merit; it was based solely on God’s purposes in choosing
• It’s no different for us as believers in Jesus Christ
  • We were chosen by the Father and His decision came long before we were born
    • And though we’ve only just begun to understand this important point, we can already see why this point is important to Paul’s argument
    • We can be assured that we have spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm, because God has chosen us to have them
    • If God’s plan to bless us began even before the Creation itself was formed, then what could possible deny us our blessings?
    • What inside Creation can challenge a decision God made before Creation?
  • So the fact that we were chosen by the Father is immense comfort to every believer who has come to understand and rest in this truth
    • In coming weeks we’ll explore the concept of God choosing us in greater depth
    • But even now let the power of this truth begin to comfort you
    • As Paul says:

Rom. 8:31  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

• we’re barely four verses into Paul’s letter to Ephesus
  • There are 155 verses in this letter, so I’m 2.5% done
    • At this rate, we would finish the letter in Spring 2018
    • While some of you aren’t surprised to hear me say that, to the rest of you, let me assure you my intention is to pick up the pace eventually
    • But some parts of this letter require extra attention, so we’ll go slower than usual at times
    • Then in other places the material will permit a faster pace
  • As it turns out, the first three chapters, where the doctrine of the letter resides, will go more slowly
    • Doctrine can be tough to chew on, and there are few places in the New Testament with deeper doctrine than in Ephesians 1-3
    • We’ll speed up in later chapters where we’ll study Paul’s instructions for living in the light of this doctrine
    • So if you’re wondering whether you will live to see the end of this study, don’t worry
    • You will…probably
• Last week I ended our study at the beginning of a controversial passage, on the topic of God the Father choosing us for salvation
  • Let’s reread that passage

Eph. 1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love
Eph. 1:5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
Eph. 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

• There is hardly a topic more hotly debated in the church than the doctrine of predestination
  • Did God choose us to believe or did we choose to believe in the Gospel? Or is it some combination of the two?
  • Practically anyone whose been a Christian longer than about a day is at least aware of this debate
  • And most believers have planted their flag on one side of this divide or the other
• But this isn’t a sporting event, and we’re not rooting for a winning team
  • This is a question of truth, of knowing what the word of God truly says on important matters of faith
  • And clearly, one side of this debate is wrong
  • So let’s return to our study determined to hear from the Spirit and to set aside pride and preconceived ideas
• Last week Paul explained that we can be confident in our riches in Heaven because the Father has chosen us to receive them
  • He chose us to be in Christ, that is to be a born-again child of God
    • Today as we move forward to the next verse, v.5, we find Paul doubling-down on his statement that we were chosen
    • In v.4 he said we were chosen before the foundations of the earth
    • And now in v.5 he adds we were predestined to become a child of God
  • I wonder if there is any word in the Bible that causes more discontent, disagreement and dispute than the word predestined (or predestination)
    • It’s such a shame, because there is no more beautiful nor comforting word in all scripture
    • And the meaning of the Greek word is easy to define
    • The word in Greek is proorizo
    • The definition of proorizo – its only definition – is “to determine an outcome beforehand”
• So on the matter of our salvation, Paul says (twice now) that the Father determined beforehand, before the foundations of the earth, that we would be saved
  • That decision was specific to you…God chose you personally
    • And it was for the purpose of bringing you to salvation
    • Paul says you were predestined to adoption as sons and daughters of God
  • The Bible frequently uses the concept of adoption to explain our salvation
    • Adopting a child means taking someone who was not born naturally into your family and making them family
    • Before the adoption, they were strangers
    • After the adoption, they are equal in every way with natural children
  • This picture fits our situation perfectly
    • Later in Chapter 2 Paul will explain this idea further, reminding his readers that they were strangers to God and children of His wrath
    • Likewise, Peter says we were once not in the family of God

1Pet. 2:9  But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
1Pet. 2:10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

• But then the Lord adopted us into His family
  • Like all adoptions, the child doesn’t choose the parent
  • The parent chooses the child personally, just as the Father chose you personally to become His child by faith
  • And His choice of you had nothing to do with merit…children don’t audition for their adoptive parents
  • The child is simply the beneficiary of a decision made by the parent
• This is exactly what the Bible teaches happened to you and me
  • We were originally born into the family of Adam
  • But the Lord determined before the world began that in a day to come we would be adopted into His family by faith in Jesus Christ
  • And when that day came, the Father sent His Spirit to carry out that plan
• Still struggling with this concept? Then consider what Paul says in Romans:

Rom. 8:29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;

• In that verse, Paul introduces another controversial term: foreknew
  • In Greek it’s the word proginosko, which means to know beforehand
  • So the Lord had us on His mind before the first day of Creation
  • Having us in mind, He then determined that we should become His children
• Some Christians, who reject the idea that God chooses us for salvation, have tried to confuse the meaning of these two words
  • Some would tell you the word predestination means God knew beforehand that we would choose to believe in Christ
  • So then they say God simply confirmed our choice by predestining us
• As you can probably tell, this is circular logic
  • If God is merely confirming our own choice in advance, then He isn’t choosing us at all
  • Under that interpretation, the word predestination no longer means determining an outcome beforehand
  • They redefine the word predestination to mean the same thing as foreknowing…God knowing something we would do before we did it and then confirming it in some sense
  • It’s like taking the word “cat” and deciding it means “dog” instead
• In reality, to predestine means something different than to foreknow
  • And we can see these words mean different things by looking at Roman 8:29
  • Paul uses both words in the same verse to represent completely different yet complimentary ideas
  • Predestination means to decide the future in advance, to determine an outcome before it comes to pass
  • While foreknowing means to have a thought in advance of an action
  • So God had us on His mind before He acted to choose us
• More importantly, as a result of God’s choice to adopt us, we now have the promise of sharing in the riches of Christ’s inheritance
  • Notice Paul said in Romans 8:29 that we are predestined to follow in Christ’s footsteps, Who was the firstborn of many brethren
    • Jesus was the firstborn of Creation, meaning he was the first to resurrect into an eternal body
    • As children of God, we share this same future, to receive a new, eternal body that can never die
  • But more than that, as children of God we will share in God’s inheritance
    • The Bible says that Christ as the Son of God received an inheritance on the occasion of His own death
    • An inheritance is something a person receives on the occasion of a death
    • A person’s wealth is transferred to someone else at the moment they die
    • When your rich uncle dies, he leaves his inheritance to his heirs
    • That transfer of wealth couldn’t happen until he died
  • Normally when a person dies, his Last Will and Testament dictates that his wealth be transferred to a living relative
    • But in the case of Christ, He died but then He lived again
    • So at His resurrection, He received His own inheritance back
    • The irony is Christ’s own death produced His inheritance
• Paul says Christ is the firstborn of the Father, and we are likewise children of God by faith
  • So Christ’s inheritance will be shared among all the children of God
    • Because we are all children of God by faith, then we are also heirs who share in the inheritance of God
    • As Paul says in Galatians

Gal. 4:6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
Gal. 4:7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

• Notice, Paul says because you were already predestined to be a son or daughter of God, He sent His Spirit into our hearts leading us to confess Christ
  • And then as we confess, we realized God’s plan for our life
  • We ceased being a slave to sin and became an adopted son or daughter of God
  • And if we are a child of God, Paul says we are also an heir
• Hebrews explains how we can share in Christ’s inheritance

Heb. 9:15  For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
Heb. 9:16 For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it.

• The writer of Hebrews says that those who have been called (again, those chosen of God for salvation) receive the promise of an eternal inheritance
  • That inheritance is the consequence of a covenant
  • The word covenant in Greek can also be translated “testament” as in a Last Will and Testament
• When someone makes a Last Will and Testament, they specify who receives their wealth when they die
  • That’s why the writer of Hebrews says a covenant always necessitates a death
  • You can’t gain the inheritance of a covenant (or testament) until the one who made it dies
  • Jesus established His covenant (or we could say His Last Will and Testament) at the cross
• Jesus’ covenant comes with an inheritance to pass along to His heirs
  • God owns everything in Creation
  • So when God dies, the estate He passes along to His children is the Earth and all it contains
• Then God (Jesus) rose from the dead, and claimed the right to receive His own inheritance back
  • Since God’s children are also heirs with Christ, then we too share in the inheritance Christ gained by His death
  • So Hebrews says Jesus shares His inheritance with those who have been called to be like Christ, to be God’s children…you and me
• Now you see the significance of the Father choosing us before the foundations of the earth
  • Paul says we were chosen to receive a portion of God’s Creation as our  inheritance in the coming Kingdom
    • When God died on the cross in the Person of Christ, God’s riches were inherited by all God’s children
    • But you and I weren’t alive on the day Christ died, so does that mean we aren’t eligible to receive our portion?
    • We qualify to receive a portion of an inheritance only if we are specifically listed in deceased’s Last Will and Testament, in their covenant
  • That’s why Paul emphasizes that God foreknew and predestined us to be His child and heir before the foundations of the world
    • Paul is saying that Christ’s Last Will and Testament, His covenant, was written before the world began
    • So that covenant had the names of everyone predestined to become an heir from the very beginning
    • Even as Christ was dying on the cross, your name was already included in the covenant as an heir of Christ
    • You were chosen from the beginning to become a child of God so that your inheritance would be assured
    • Therefore, Paul says confidently we have already been blessed with spiritual blessings in heavenly places
• And finally, just in case there is still someone resisting the idea that God brought us into the family of God by His choice and not our own, Paul adds this plan was the kind intention of God’s will
  • In Greek, that phrase could be literally translated God’s good pleasure or desire
    • This entire plan is God’s desire for us, and it’s a good plan
    • Don’t let someone tell you that a “good” God wouldn’t dictate the outcome of salvation
    • That it would be “wrong” of God to determine to decide for us
    • That a loving God respects our right to choose or reject salvation
  • It’s a bizarre and nonsensical statement
    • Would you rather be assured of salvation by the kind intention of God’s will?
    • Or would you prefer to take your chances with your own fickle, sinful will?
    • I define a loving God the way the Bible does:

Col. 2:13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,

• A merciful God chose me before I knew I needed a Savior
  • Before I was even alive, before I had even sinned, He knew I would need the salvation He was prepared to grant me
• Finally in v.6, Paul says this predetermined plan of the Father was designed to ensure He would be praised for the glory of His grace
  • Now we come to the biblical definition of “grace”
    • I’m sure most of us already know the definition of the word itself: unmerited favor
    • But have you ever heard someone describe God’s grace as something that comes in the form of an offer?
    • They tell you God offers His grace to mankind in the form of the Gospel message
    • Like a wrapped present, you have to accept the gift, you have to receive God’s grace
  • That notion certainly seems to fit with our perception of how we came to believe in the Gospel of Christ
    • Someone delivered the Gospel message to us
    • We heard it, considered what it said and then accepted it
    • So to us it may seem that God’s grace comes as an offer, one we have to choose in order for His grace to manifest in our life
  • But now, by the word of God, we come to see that this is not the definition of grace
    • Grace is not an offer or an opportunity
    • God’s grace is the predestined and finished work of God choosing us for salvation
    • We didn’t merit God’s choice; we receive it purely as a matter of the kind intention of His will
    • Grace is not the offer…grace is God choosing us in Christ
• So as we come to understand the Father’s role in choosing us for salvation, we will find ourselves praising Him for His grace
  • Anyone who truly understands the sovereignty of God in our salvation will naturally feel even more desire to praise the Lord for His grace
    • God looked down the corridors of history and chose you from among the billions of people who walked the earth
    • He chose you, not because you deserved it, but because he determined to do it
  • Paul says the Father freely bestowed His grace upon us
    • He didn’t owe it to us
    • It wasn’t His obligation to grant us salvation because we said the sinner’s prayer
    • Or walked the aisle or got baptized
    • Nothing forces God’s hand or obligates Him to save anyone
    • He says those He predetermined to save, He does so freely by His grace
  • Understanding this truth rocks your theological world like nothing else
    • It turns everything upside down
    • It puts God where He deserves to be: in control of all things
    • And it puts us back where we always were: completely dependent on God’s mercy
• I wonder how these truths impacted that materialistic culture in Ephesus?
  • They were so busy at work to maintain their status in a status-conscious society
    • They were taken with doing work to earn the praise of their employer or neighbor
    • They left their first love, serving Christ
    • And they succumbed to the pressure of the rat race
  • But now they hear that they have a portion of the earth reserved for them
    • Without working for it, without deserving it
    • They have been saved from the penalty of their sin
    • And beyond that, the Father has reserved for them a share of the eternal inheritance
    • So then why work for things that perish? Why not redirect that effort to things that are eternal?
  • When you were a child, did you get excited for Christmas?
    • To see what presents your parents gave you?
    • You knew they would find a way to get you something special
  • Well then, can you imagine what the Father has in store for you in the Creation to come?
    • What part of this beautiful earth, what kind of home, of farm or hillside?
    • Maybe you’ll get an island all to yourself
    • Maybe a mountain top
    • Obviously, we don’t know what exactly the Lord has in store for His children, but do we expect it will be disappointing?
• As Jesus says:

Luke 11:11 “Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he?
Luke 11:12 “Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he?
Luke 11:13 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

• Our Father in Heaven is perfectly good
  • And by the kind intentions of His will, He has predestined you to share in the inheritance of Christ as a child of God
  • Knowing this gives us cause to praise Him for the incomparable glory of His grace
• This grace was bestowed upon us in the Beloved, Paul says at the end of v.6
  • The plan of the Father to extend us grace centers on the Person and work of Christ
  • So next week we move forward to the Second Person of the Godhead
• Each Person of God played a role in securing an inheritance for us
  • The Father chose us to be included in His plan
  • But without the obedience of the Son, the plan of the Father could never have come to pass
  • So it required Christ enact the plan for our behalf

We have addressed Paul’s comments on God choosing us

• • And I knew it was (pre)destined to be controversial
    • But the focus on that word also caused us to step away from the big picture of Paul’s teaching in Chapter 1
    • So today, we’re going to set that subject matter aside for a time
    • Because we need to consider other, equally important concepts that Paul raises next
  • So let’s remember where we’ve been going in this chapter
    • Paul is explaining how God has prepared a glorious future for believers
    • He has blessed us with spiritual blessings in heavenly places
    • These blessings are far greater than those to be found here in this life
    • Furthermore, the Lord has obtained them for us
    • We don’t earn them, we don’t secure them, we simply receive them
  • Then I said Paul goes forward to explain how each member of the Godhead works to assure us of these blessings
    • Over the past two weeks, we’ve been studying the role of the Father specifically
    • And in summary, Paul taught that the Father’s role in assuring us a place in the Son’s inheritance was by choosing us
    • The Father chose to adopt us, predestining us to our place in the family of God
  • Obviously, the Father’s role was pretty significant
    • Because without His decision in our favor, nothing else in the plan could work for us
    • So our assurance of heavenly glory, heavenly blessings, heavenly inheritance began with the Father’s choice
    • But it didn’t end there…

Eph. 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
Eph. 1:8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight
Eph. 1:9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him
Eph. 1:10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him