I'm going to ask you to take
your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 1. This evening, what I'd like to
do is I would like to just take and read this chapter and make
a few comments as we go. I have been thinking about this
particular chapter now for about two weeks. It has been on my
mind, and I felt as though a couple of weeks ago when I was really
thinking about it, I want to read this on the night that we
have the Lord's Supper. I have entitled this message,
The Foundation of Our Hope. So before we read, let's ask
our Lord's blessing. Our Father, thank You. for the
time we have to call upon You. Lord, it is so good to speak
to You in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and know that we
can draw near with a true heart, full assurance of faith. Lord,
I pray that You would bless the service tonight. Bless these
words. Oh, may Christ be exalted. What's in His name we pray. Amen. Ephesians chapter 1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ
by the will of God to the saints which are at Ephesus and to the
faithful in Christ Jesus. The apostle Paul wrote this letter
to this group of Gentiles. And these Gentiles were the ones
that the Lord was pleased to bless in the sending of this
letter that the Apostle Paul was moved upon by the Spirit
of God and taught these precious truths. He was an apostle of
Jesus Christ. Here's the key. By the will of
God. Not by Paul's will. Not by the
will of flesh. Not by blood. Not by the will
of man. But of God. To the church at
Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus. This is for us
tonight. This Word is alive. Grace. be to you and peace from
God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ." Notice the order,
grace and then peace. The grace of God to us in Christ
and the result of that, the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. Be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ." Spiritual blessings. That's what
this chapter is all about. The spiritual blessings of Almighty
God. Now, here's the first one, starting
in verse 4. Here is the blessing, the spiritual
blessing sent from God to the faithful in Christ Jesus. Now
listen to this spiritual blessing. According as He has chosen us
in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be
holy and without blame before Him in love. This is what the
Father did. He chose us in Christ. And listen to when He did it.
Before the foundation of the world. Before there ever was
a sinner. Before there was anything else
save God. He chose us. Why did He choose us? The Scripture
says that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. What a spiritual blessing! And why did He do this? I'm sorry, wait a minute. Verse
5. I almost jumped ahead of myself. Verse 5. Here's the continuation
of that spiritual blessing. Having predestinated us unto
the adoption of children by Jesus Christ. Now listen to this. This is what the Father did before
the foundation of the world in Christ. He chose us that we should
be holy and without blame before Him in love and predestinated
us unto the adoption of children. He predestinated us to be adopted
to Himself. Catch this. The Father did this
for Himself. to Himself, according to the
good pleasure of His will." Why did He do it? Verse 6, "...to
the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us
accepted in the Beloved." Now the spiritual blessings continue.
That's what the Father did. The Father chose us. Chose us
in Christ before the foundation of the world to Himself. Almighty God was going to have
a people for Himself. Now listen to this spiritual
blessing according to the Son. That was the Father. Now the
spiritual blessing according to the Son is this. Verse 7,
"...in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness
of sins according to the riches of His grace." What do we have? What is the spiritual blessing
that we have in the Son? Redemption. was demanded to buy us back,
Christ provided. We have redemption. How do we
have redemption? One way, through His blood. And the effect of that redemption? The forgiveness of sins. There is therefore now no condemnation.
to them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh
but after the Spirit and the reason that Christ redeemed us. Why? According to the riches
of His grace. The Father did this according
to His good pleasure for Himself and gave us to the Son and the
Son in whom we have redemption through His blood, forgiveness
of sins according to God's grace, God's mercy. There's the Father. There's the Son. Here's the Holy
Spirit. Verses 8 and 9, wherein He, I
want you to notice as He continues, It keeps referring to the Lord
and He and Him. It never changes as far as the
triunity of Almighty God. Here is the Spirit of God. Here
is the blessing that we have in God's Spirit, wherein He hath
abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known
unto us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure,
which He hath purposed in Himself. Try unity. God Almighty, the
Father, did this for Himself. The Son redeemed us according
to the good pleasure of His will. The Holy Spirit has made known
unto us. It is the work of the Holy Spirit
to take the things of God and to reveal them unto us. He'll take the things of Christ
and bring them back to our memory. And here He is. He makes known
unto us the mystery of God's will, God's purpose. It is the
Spirit of God tonight that is bringing back to our memory these
precious things. We're being reminded, refreshed,
this life that we live in Christ given us by the Holy Spirit in
regeneration. And here He is this evening teaching
us afresh. You think, I've read this before. Yes, I have too. Isn't it wonderful
to read it again and to behold the wonder of God's marvelous
grace, the Father, the Son, the Spirit. Now here is the opening
of the heart of Almighty God to His people. Here's the heart
of God, Father, Son, Spirit opened up. Verse 10, that in the dispensation
of the fullness of times. I mean, when time is no more
and eternity is only that which we have. 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 earth,
even in him, from all eternity." The mind of Jehovah has been
occupied with the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in the redemption
of his church. the honor that is given to the
Son, all centers on Him, in Him. Without the God-Man, we would
not have a place of meeting between God and man. Without the Mediator
Himself, no hope. Oh, the spiritual blessings!
Almighty God would justly have obliterated man in the garden. Here's the reason. Almighty God
is going to show us mercy that he might gather together in Christ,
one. Verse 11 and 12, 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, that we should be to the praise of His glory
who first trusted in Christ. What the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished,
our redemption, His glory, was the result of God's everlasting
love toward us in the Lord Jesus Christ. His work, His finished
work, is the hope of our salvation and the surety that His blood
has been applied to us. Now, the Scripture is saying
here, verse 7, in whom we have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of sins. according to the riches of His
grace. Verse 9, the Spirit of God having
made known unto us the mystery of His will according to His
good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself. Now here's my question. I see what these scriptures say. I know that according to this
word right here, this great mystery is God has a people. I know that
they're chosen in the Son. I know that the Son has redeemed
them. I know that. I know that the Spirit of God
is going to call them out of darkness. But here's my question. Has He
done that for me? Now, I think that's a good question,
don't you? Has He done it for me? Here's the assurance that
Almighty God has done something for me. Verse 13, "...in whom
ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that ye believed,
ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise." Hebrews 11.1
says faith is the evidence. of things not seen. You want
to know how a man or woman knows that they know God. They believe
God. That's what God says. That's
the evidence of salvation. A man believes God. He trusts
God Almighty. The Holy Spirit gives us faith
to believe. And the scripture says, in whom
we trusted after that ye heard the word of truth. Verse 12 tells
us right at last that God the Father, God Almighty, was the
first who trusted in Christ, who hoped in Christ, in whom
ye also trusted after you heard the gospel, the gospel that we're
not ashamed of, the gospel of Christ. And listen to this. Now here again, faith. Faith is the evidence of this. Someone says, well, how do you
know? The Scripture says in whom, middle of verse 13, in whom also
after that you believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit
of promise. Sealed. Sealed. The Spirit of God is
God's pledge, God's seal, God's stamp that our final and eternal
salvation is sure that when we take our last breath
in this world that we will be with Him. We've read to be absent from
the body, present with the Lord. We'll see Him as He is. Eye hath
not seen, ear hath not heard, neither hath entered into the
heart of man that which God hath prepared. Well done, thy good
and faithful servant." How do I know that that's so? The Spirit of God has sealed
us. And that we are sealed by His
Spirit Verse 14 says, which is the earnest, which is the pledge
of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession
unto the praise of His glory. Right now, this is what we have. We have God's Word that Almighty
God has given us His Spirit and sealed us holds us, marked us, keeps us. How do you know? Faith. Faith. By faith. When we get into chapter 11 of
Hebrews, by faith. By faith, Noah. By faith, Abraham.
By faith. By faith. By faith. Almighty
God gives His people the grace of faith. to believe Him. And they rest their soul on God's
Word. It's enough. It's enough. Boy,
I'll tell you, there's times that every believer is going
to admit, I don't feel myself to be worthy. I don't feel myself
say, I don't feel Abraham believed God. So does
every believer. That's the earnest. That's the
spirit. That's the evidence of God's
Spirit. A man believes God. And then finally, the Apostles'
prayer and thanksgiving for these spiritual blessings in Christ
Jesus. Verse 15 to the end of the chapter,
Paul the Apostle says, Wherefore, I also, after I heard of your
faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the saints. I cease
not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers,
that the God 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 ye may know what is the hope of His
calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance
in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power
to us who believe, according to the working of His mighty
power which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead,
and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly far above
all principality and power and might and dominion in every name
that is named, not only in this world but also in that which
is to come, and hath put all things under his feet, and gave
him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body,
the fullness of him that filleth all in all." Oh, the wonder just
to be able to read the Word of God and to have God's Spirit
teach us afresh the foundation of our hope. What is all of our
hope, all of our peace, all of our comfort? Here it is right
here. God Almighty chose to show mercy
to me. God the Father blessed me by choosing me in
Christ. God the Son has blessed me by
redeeming me according to the riches of His grace by His blood.
And God the Spirit has made known unto me the mystery of His will
according to His good pleasure. That in the dispensation of the
fullness of times, God Almighty might be magnified in His grace
and mercy and compassion to the salvation and redemption of a
people that is everlastingly loved. Oh, may the Lord take
these words tonight as we remember our Lord in the eating and the
drinking of His supper. May He bless these words to our
heart for Christ's sake. Amen.