Ephesians chapter 1, I am taking
the title for the message from the phrase that's quoted three
times in this first 14 verses of this chapter, Ephesians chapter
1. And the repeated phrase is found
in verse 6, to the praise of the glory of His grace. You see
that? And then again in verse 12, that
we should be to the praise of His glory. who first trusted
in Christ. And then in verse 14, which is
the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased
possession, purchased possession, he bought the church with his
own blood, as we read in Acts 20, 28, unto the praise of his
glory. So when the salvation of sinners,
the whole Godhead is involved, In the salvation of the elect,
to the praise of the glory of His grace. To the praise of the
glory of His grace. The bottom line in the gospel
and the bottom line of redemption is this. God the Father is determined
to give the Lord Jesus Christ all the honor and the glory. Chapter of Ephesians, we see,
in verse three through verse six, we see God the Father choosing
and blessing his elect people. In verse seven, we see, through
verse seven through 12, we see God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ,
redeeming his church with his own blood. And then in verse
13 and 14, we see God the Holy Spirit regenerating Sealing is
elect people. There we see the work of the
Father, the work of the Son, and the work of the Holy Spirit.
When we finished our Bible study in the book of Matthew a couple
weeks ago, we read there that the Lord said, all power in heaven
and earth is given unto me. Go and preach the gospel to all
people, baptizing believers in the name of the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit. The God of Holy Scripture is
one God. One God. But manifested in three
distinct, glorious, eternal, holy, and sovereign persons. In the beginning, God created
the heaven and the earth. In Deuteronomy chapter 6, we
read, Here, O Israel, the Lord our God is one God. He's one God. But we know that
this one God is manifest in three distinct persons, as we just
read here in Ephesians chapter one. We're going to see in our
Bible study in 1 John chapter five, verse seven, there we read,
for there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father,
the Word, capital W-O-R-D, which is Logos, which is the Word of
God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Or there are three that bear
record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost,
these three are one. These three are one. Now, a lot
of people, we believe in what we call the Trinity, Father,
Son, Holy Spirit. And a lot of people who do not
believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, and who do not
believe in the Trinity of the Godhead, they would often use
an argument to say, well, you know, the word Trinity is not
in the Bible. Granted, the word Trinity is
not in the Bible, but the truth of it is, just like the word
sovereignty. Did you know the word sovereignty
is not in the Bible? But the truth of it is God reigns
over all things. God reigns over all things. On
the cover page, some of you who attended 13th Street when I was
there, Brother Lionel and Alvin and others, when we attended
13th Street years ago, Pastor Mahan had on the front of his
bulletin, and some of you will remember this. If you have some
of those old bulletins, you can read this, but here's what he
wrote. To the one God of heaven and
earth and the trinity of his sacred person, be all honor and
glory to the glorious father of the covenant God, to the gracious
son, the redeemer of his people, to the Holy Ghost, the author
of sanctification, be everlasting praise for the gospel that gospel
of the free grace of God. There's just one gospel. It's
the gospel of God, the gospel of His glory, and the gospel
of His grace. We can say with Paul, and identify
with this testimony as God who saved us and called us with a
holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His
own purpose and grace, which was given us in the Lord Jesus
Christ before the foundation of the world. So let's take a
look at these first 14 verses in Ephesians chapter 1. No clearer
chapter than this one to set forth the gospel of God's sovereign
grace. It's one of the clearest chapters
on the sovereign grace of God. Paul introduces himself in verse
1 as the Apostle of Jesus Christ, Apostle 1 chosen, ordained, and
sent of God with the gospel message, and it's by the will of God.
It's by the will of God. We read that several times in
this first chapter about the will of God. In verse 5, according
to the good pleasure of his will. Again, in verse 11, in whom also
we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according
to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel
of his own will. There is a will involved in salvation,
and it's not yours, it's his. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of his power. Paul was made an apostle by the
will of God, and he was sent with the gospel message. Turn
back to where we were last week, Galatians chapter one. Galatians
chapter one. And Paul defines the gospel here
in Galatians chapter 1 verse 1, Paul an apostle, not of men,
neither by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who
raised him from the dead. And all the brethren which are
with me unto the churches of Galatia, Grace be to you and
peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ who gave
himself for our sins that he might deliver us from this present
evil world according to the will of God. You see that? It's not
of him that willeth or him that runneth, but it's God that shows
mercy. To whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. You see the same
Holy Spirit that inspired Paul to write to the Galatians, the
same Holy Spirit that inspired him to write the letter to the
Ephesians, according to the will of God, to the praise of the
glory of his grace. So Paul, an apostle of Jesus
Christ by the will of God, said to the saints, those who are
sanctified in the Lord Jesus Christ, every believer is a sinner,
every believer is a saint. I'm a sinner and I'm a saint
in Christ. I'm a sinner in my flesh. I'm sanctified in Christ. And they live at Ephesus, just
like we live here at Zebulun. We meet here at Zebulun. And
to the faithful in Christ Jesus. God's people are faithful in
Christ. Grace be to you and peace from
God our Father, from the Lord Jesus Christ. In verse 3 down
to verse 6 we see the work of God the Father. Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places or heavenly things in
Christ according as he chose us in him before the foundation
of the world that we should be holy He didn't choose us because
we were holy, that we should be holy, holy in Him, without
blame, that is, without sin, in Him, before Him, in love,
having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made
us accepted in the Beloved. So believers, you will see the
work of God the Father. the work of God the Father. And
I thought about that after I wrote that down, the work of God the
Father. Salvation is not by our works, but it's by His doing,
His work, His working. And I thought about this, that
word work. It's the effectual work of God
the Father. It's the effectual actions of
God, the doing of God, the accomplishments of God, the decrees of God. Salvation by His doing. His accomplishment, His decrees. But He's blessed His people with
all spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in the Lord Jesus
Christ. We bless God who had blessed
us. We worship God who had blessed
us with all, not some, but all spiritual blessing. He that spared
not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall
He not with Him, with Him also freely give us all things? We
have all things in Christ. And this verse here, verse 3,
Ephesians 1-3, always reminds me of this psalm. You'll be familiar
with this because we've studied it several times. Don't turn,
let me just read it to you. Psalm 103. Verse 1-4, Bless the
Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless his holy
name. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Forget not all his benefits,
who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases,
who redeemeth thy life from destruction, who crowneth thee with loving
kindness and tender mercies, who satisfies thy mouth with
good things. You see, David's hope and Paul's
hope was the same hope. Christ is our hope. Christ in you is the hope of
glory. So believers have been blessed
with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies, and it's always
in Christ, by Him, in Him, and through Him. Now watch verse
4. We're blessed accordingly as
He chose us. He chose us. Now, when did God
choose His people? We know who did the choosing.
God the Father did the choosing. When did He choose us in Him?
According as He had chosen us in Him before the world was created. That's what we call the eternal
election of grace. The eternal election of God's
people. Now, we know from reading the
Scripture, the elect of God, the Lord Jesus Christ is the
elect. Isaiah 42 verse 1, the first
time that word's used in Scripture, God said, Behold My servant,
My elect, and whom My soul delighted. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ
is the elect. We're chosen in Him. We're chosen
in Him. Another song written by an old
preacher, Isaac Watts, born in 1647. He said, Christ, he wrote,
Christ be my first elect, he said, then chose us, chose our
souls and Christ our head. Before he gave the mountains
birth or laid the foundation for the earth, thus did love
begin to raise us up from death and sin. Our characters were
decreed and blameless in love. a holy seed in Christ Jesus. God be my first elect, he said,
and then he chose us in our head. You remember from reading John
15, our Lord said, you didn't choose me, I chose you. He said
in John 6, 37, all that the Father has given to me, God the Father
chose, elected the people and gave them to the Lord Jesus Christ
in that eternal electing love. Now let's turn over a couple
books and let's see if we can read that. 2 Thessalonians, this
is what we call the Bible doctrine of election. God choosing a people
unto salvation before the foundation of the world. This is 2 Thessalonians
2 verse 13. We are bound to give thanks always
to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God has
chosen from the beginning, God has chosen from the beginning,
chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit,
that's the new birth, which leads you to belief of the truth, whereunto
he called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Brethren, beloved of the Lord,
because God hath from beginning chosen you. Election is personal. God chooses whom he will. We are not chosen because of
any foreseen goodness in us, but rather elected in Christ
by his foreknowledge, foreordination, and decree, decree of God. If you turn over to 1 Peter,
Chapter 1, 1 Peter 1. Remember from our study in 1
Peter, I made this point here. In 1 Peter 1.1 and verse 2, Peter,
an apostle of Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 1.1, to the strangers scattered
throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia, elect according
to the foreknowledge of God. Election is based upon God's
foreordination. It's not God foreseeing down
through time what sinners would do. Elect according to the foreordination. the foreknowledge and decree
of God the Father through the sanctification of the Spirit,
and the obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.
Grace unto you and peace be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten
us again to a living hope, a lively hope. by the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible,
undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who
are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation,
ready to be revealed in the last time." Our names, the names of
God's people, the church He bought with His own blood, our names
were written in the Lamb's Book of Life from the foundation of
the world. We read that in the book of Revelation.
Now, according as He has blessed us, He chose us in Him, in Christ,
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy.
We are holy in Christ. We have no sin. And we are without
blame. He presents us faultless before
the presence of God's glory with exceeding joy. Having, verse
5, predestinated us. You see that? Ephesians 1, verse
5. Having predestinated us, it's
a predestination of love. Without blame before him in love,
having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will. Having predestinated us unto
the adoption of children according to his good pleasure. What does
that word predestination mean? It's a Bible word. Don't be afraid
of that word predestination. It's used in the word of God
four times. Twice here, and then in the book
of Romans chapter eight. So it's in the word four times,
and every time it's used, it's used to declare God's people
are predestinated to be conformed to the image of Christ. We are
predestinated to be just like Christ. God elected a people
and God determined that those people are gonna be just like
his son. Now who, a believer, every believer
believes in predestination because God determined to make and populate
heaven with a people just like Jesus Christ. Everybody, every
believer wants to be just like the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
what predestination is all about. As many as were ordained to eternal
life believe the gospel. Turn back over here to Romans
chapter 8. Romans chapter 8. Romans 8. And here we see this
word again. Romans 8, 28. And we know that
all things work together for good. Romans 8, 28. For good
to them that love God, to them who are called according to His
purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate." There's
that foreknowledge and there's that predestination. "...to be
conformed to the image of His Son." What is predestination
all about? It's God choosing a people and
determining to make them just like Christ. "...that He might
be the firstborn, or Lord, among many brethren. Moreover, whom
He did predestinate, them He called." And whom he called,
then he also justified. And whom he justified, then he
also glorified. Past tense, already done. What
shall we say then to these things? Well, if God be for us, who can
be against us? He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? We are predestinated to be conformed
to the image of Christ. When the Lord is pleased to raise
us up from the dead, we'll have a body just like his glorified
body. Having predestinated us, the
purpose of God according to election might stand. Jacob have I loved,
Esau have I hated, that the purpose of God, according to election,
might stand. Now, look at verse six. And all this, all that he does,
all that God the Father has decreed and carries out in time by His
sovereign providence, it's all working to the praise of the
glory of His grace. It's His grace. His grace, His
glory, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved. The only place that we can be
accepted of God who is holy is in the Lord Jesus Christ. We're
accepted in Him. It's not the question, well,
will you accept Jesus as your personal Savior? Don't even go
there. That's not biblical language. We are accepted in the Beloved. He accepts us in the Beloved. And the fruit of that is faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ. And it all works through the
praise and the glory of His grace. This is my Beloved Son, God said
twice from heaven, this is my Beloved Son in whom I am well
pleased, hear Him. Hear Him. We are accepted in
Christ Jesus. He's all of our acceptance before
God. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name we
give glory. So there's the work of the Father,
the Holy Father, the Eternal Father, the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Aren't you thankful? Had He not
chosen us, we'd never believe the Gospel. Had He not chosen
us, we never would submit, surrender to the Lord our righteousness.
Now in verse 7 down through verse 12, verse 7 down through verse
12, we see the effectual work and the effectual achievement,
action and accomplishment of the Lord Jesus Christ. You remember
what he said on Calvary Street? It's finished, right? What did
he finish? He said, Father, I finished the
work you gave me to do. He finished the work of redemption.
The finished work of redemption is an accomplishment by the Lord
Jesus Christ. He redeemed us from the curse
of the law. We are redeemed with His precious blood. Look what
it says there, in whom we have redemption. in whom we have. We have it right now. What do
we have? We have redemption. We are redeemed with His precious
blood. Redemption is deliverance from the penalty and guilt of
sin. He redeemed us. He's the Redeemer who really
redeems. He redeems us with His own blood. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses
us from all our sin. And we have redemption, deliverance,
and we have the forgiveness of sins according to the riches
of His grace. It all gets back to grace, isn't
it? You remember John 1.16? I love that sermon preached by
John the Baptist of his fullness. Have we all received grace for
grace? The Father loved the Son and
given all things into His hands. He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life. That's the sermon of John the
Baptist. Behold, O Lamb of God, according
to the riches of His grace. Now look at verse 8 and 9. Wherein He hath abounded toward
us. He abounded toward us. And he abounded toward us in
all wisdom. He's abounded toward us in all
prudence. And I take that word prudence
to mean power. The gospel of Christ is the power
of God and the salvation. He abounded toward us. He called
us out of darkness into his marvelous light. He abounded toward us.
He said, no man can come to me. except the Father which sent
me drawing." We don't naturally abound toward Him. We abound
toward sin and rebellion. But He abounded toward us. He's
made us new creatures in Christ. We are His workmanship, chapter
2, verse 10. We are His workmanship created
in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God had before ordained
that we should walk in them. He abounded toward us in all
wisdom. He is our wisdom, and he is the
power of God unto salvation. Now watch this, Christ has redeemed
us, he abounded toward us, and it says here, he enlightened
us, having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according
to his good pleasure, which he purposed in himself, that in
the dispensation of the fullness of times, He might gather together
in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, which
are on the earth, even in him. He's abounded toward us. He's
redeemed us. He's enlightened us. He's enriched
us. We have an inheritance, verse
11, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh
all things after the counsel of His own will, that we should
be to the praise of His glory. You see, everything is about
what Christ has done for us, isn't it? He's abounded toward
us, He's redeemed us, He's enlightened us to the mysteries of the gospel.
Did you notice that in the same chapter, verse 17? Ephesians
1, verse 17, that God, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened.
that you may know what is the hope of his calling. He abounded
toward us, that special call of the gospel, and what the riches
of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, what is exceeding
greatness of his power to us were to believe according to
the working of his mighty power. What kind of power is it? Which
he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and
set him at his own right hand in heavenly places. You see,
It's all the work of the triune God, the Father choosing and
blessing the Lord Jesus Christ, redeeming us with His own blood,
enlightening us, calling us out of darkness into His marvelous
light. He's enriched us. We have an inheritance, look
at verse 11, in whom we've obtained. We didn't attain unto it. We
didn't work for it. We obtained it by His free grace
and inheritance. You know, we've been made heirs
of God and joint heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ. We have an
inheritance that's incorruptible, undefiled, that fadeth not away,
that's reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power
of God, in whom we also have obtained an inheritance, being
predestinated. I love that word. That's the
gospel word, is it? Is it not? Being predestinated
according to the purpose of Him. God saves every sinner whom He
saves on purpose. Purpose. Purpose. When old Rock
Barnard came to Ashland back in 1950, and he preached from that Roman
date 28. And he made a lot of emphasis on this word purpose.
Purpose. God has an eternal purpose that
will be done. God saves every sinner whom he
wisely saves according to his purpose. We just read it, and
we know all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are called according to his purpose. And his purpose,
you know what his purpose is? Turn over here to, ah, look at
this. Ephesians, excuse me, Ephesians
3 verse 11. Look at this. This is good, right? This is good right here. According
to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our
Lord. His purpose is an eternal purpose
that He purposed in the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's all working
to what end? purpose of him who worketh all
things, all things are of God, who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will. Now I know whose will is going
to be done. I know whose will is going to be done. He doeth
according to His will in the army of heaven and among the
heavens of this earth, and no one can stay His hand or send
Him. Lord God Almighty, what doest
Thou? His will is being done according
to His eternal purpose that He purposed in the Lord Jesus Christ.
That we should be to the praise of His glory who first trusted
the Lord Jesus Christ. Who trusted the Lord Jesus Christ
first? God the Father put everything
in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Father loved the
Son and given all things into His hand to accomplish, to accomplish
for us. Now, in verse 13 and 14, we see
the effectual working of God the Holy Spirit making application
to the elect of God, in whom you also trusted after that you
heard the truth. You can't trust an unknown God,
an unknown Christ. You have to hear the truth, in
whom you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, which
is the gospel of your salvation, in whom also, after you believed,
you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the
earnest, the token, the pledge, the earnest of our inheritance,
until the redemption of the purchased possession. He bought us with
his own blood, the purchased redemption. And again, it works
to what end? To the praise of the glory, of
His grace. We've been enabled and blessed
to hear the true gospel. That's the power of God in the
salvation. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of the
Lord. It pleased God to preach Him the gospel, to call out His
people. Aren't you glad that in 1986,
God was pleased to send a gospel preacher here, Pastor Mahan,
to declare the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ? To us, it
pleased God who ordained the means that pleased God through
preaching the call of his people, and God's people were given faith
to believe the gospel. Faith, we know, look right across
the page. Ephesians 2, verse 8, for by grace are you
saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, It's a gift
of God, not of work, lest any man should boast. Faith is not
something that blooms in our wicked heart naturally. Faith
is the sovereign gift of God that he gives us, and it's the
result of the new birth. Whosoever believes that Jesus
is the Christ, he's born of God. We don't believe to be born,
we believe because we have been born of God. And when that happens,
it's evident that God the Holy Spirit has quickened us. God
the Holy Spirit has sealed us. Look at Ephesians chapter 2 verse
1. You have He quickened who were
dead in trespasses and sin. Of His own will begat He us with
the word of truth. Then you were sealed by God the
Holy Spirit, kept by the power of God. His sheep hear His voice,
they know Him, and He gives unto them eternal life, and they shall
never perish. He said, no man can pluck them
out of My hand. My Father which gave them is greater than all,
and no man can pluck them out of My Father's hand. We're in
Christ, in God. That's security, isn't it? No
one can pluck him out of his hand. Nothing can separate us
from the love of God, which is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now,
in closing, look at this. Turn over to 1 Thessalonians
1. Maybe you're sitting there thinking,
hmm, am I one of those elect? Am I one of those predestinated
to be conformed to the image of Christ? Am I one of those
whom God has granted me faith, life, Repentance toward God and
faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Am I one of those elect? How
can we know? Well, let's see if we can find
out. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, verse
4. Verse 4. Knowing, brethren, beloved,
your election of God. How do I know if I'm elected?
I can't look in that Lamb's Book of Life. If I could, I'd tell
you whose name I'd look for. Wouldn't be yours. Be mine. Knowing,
brethren, beloved, your election of God, how do I know if I am
one of God's chosen? For our gospel came not unto
you in word only. It came by word, but also in
power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as you
know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. And
you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received
the Word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Spirit. so that
you were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.
From you sounded out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia
and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God were
to spread abroad, so that we need not speak anything. For
they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had
unto you, how you turn to God, from your idols to serve a living
and true God. That's how you know. You turn
from your idols. You turn to God. Let me restate
that. You turn to God from your idols. You see what he says there? To
serve a living and true God, to wait for a son from heaven,
whom he raised from the dead, who delivered us. There's that
redemption. He delivered us. He delivered
us from the wrath to come. Oh, the wrath to come. All to
the praise and the glory of His grace. The bottom line. The grand
design of redemption is the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.