All right. If you want to turn
with me to Ephesians chapter one, Ephesians one, as soon as
I realized that this is how we would conduct our service tonight,
this verse of scripture came to my mind, Ephesians one verse
11. This verse came to my mind because
the end of it says. who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will." As soon as I realized that this
is how the Lord would have us to conduct worship tonight. That
scripture came into my mind, who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will. We are gathered together in this
way tonight because this was the will of the Lord concerning
us. That's why we're here like this.
This was the will of the Lord concerning us. He works all things
after the counsel of his own will Therefore, this was the
will of the Lord concerning us. And in knowing that we can be
thankful for this. And I am, I honestly am. I'm thankful for this. Two Sunday
nights ago, we looked at first Thessalonians five, verse 18,
which says in everything, give thanks. For this is the will
of God in Christ Jesus concerning you in everything. Give thanks. He said, this is God's will for
you. Give thanks for it. No matter
what it is, if it's his will for us. We give thanks for it. We truly do give thanks for it
because it is in Christ Jesus. That's what that verse said.
It's the will of God in Christ Jesus. The will of God concerning
his people is in Christ Jesus. That's wonderful to know. It's truly wonderful to know.
If we are in His will, then it means we are in Christ Jesus. The will of the Father concerning
us is in the Lord Jesus Christ. In everything give thanks for
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. So we can and we should give
thanks for this, this moment together, together in this way.
And we do. Now for tonight's message, I
want to, as briefly as I can, I honestly want to try to be
brief. I know that it's extra difficult.
with everybody being at home, sitting on the couch together,
especially if you have little ones. I know it's extra difficult
to stay focused. So I'm gonna try to be as brief
as I can tonight. And I pray that this will be
very simple to follow. That's my goal in this. My sincere
desire is that this will be brief, clear, and easy to follow. For tonight's message, I want
us to enter into Ephesians 1 verse 11. That's what we're going to
do. Ephesians 1 verse 11. And I pray the Lord will make
it a blessing to us and give us something to feed on. Let's
read it together. Ephesians 1 verse 11 says, 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." Verse 11 starts by saying, in
whom? In whom? Whom is he speaking
of? He's speaking of the Lord Jesus
Christ. In whom? In Christ. We are in Christ. And we can't really enter into
what all that means, but it's so. God said it's so, and it's
so. We are in the Lord Jesus Christ. In whom? Our lives are in Christ. Our hope is in Christ. Our hope of eternal life. is
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our salvation is in Christ. That's where it is. Our joy,
our happiness, is in Christ. Our peace and our security and
our safety and our rest and our comfort, it's in Christ. All of it is in Christ. Our perfection,
our goodness, our perfection, is in Christ. Our all is in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Everything that we are and have
and do, it is all in Christ. If we live, we live in Christ. And if we die, we die in Christ. Isn't that comforting? I don't
want to live through this life not being in Christ, and I sure
don't want to leave this world and die not being in Christ.
In whom? In whom? That's the message to
God's people. That's the glory of the gospel.
That's what Ephesians chapter one is all about. The whole chapter.
Look with me at verse one. We're not going to, uh, I'm not
going to turn to a bunch of places. We're going to stay pretty much
right here, but we're going to read some verses right here and
see if the Lord will let you focus on them and enter into
them. Ephesians one verse one. It says, 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. We're going to see how
often he mentions in Christ. Verse two says, grace be to you
and peace from God, our father, and from the Lord, Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places."
Where? In Christ. Everything. We're going to see a little bit
of what this means to be in Christ and to have the blessing in Him.
Verse 4 says, "...according as he hath chosen us in Christ."
In Him. before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him
in Christ, in love. Love is of God and all the love
of God is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse five says, 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 Christ the Beloved. Verse 7 says, In Christ, in whom
we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins
according to the riches of His grace, 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 Christ in himself. Verse 10 says that in the dispensation
of the fullness of times, he might to gather together in one
in Christ, all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and
which are on earth, even in Christ. How how often does he need to
say this? every verse look at verse 11
in Christ 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 verse 13 says
in Christ In whom you also trusted after
that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation
in Christ, in whom also after that you believed you were sealed
with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance
until the redemption of the purchase possession and to the praise
of his glory. Wherefore, I also, after I heard of your faith,
in the Lord Jesus Christ, and love unto all the saints. 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 you may know what is the hope of his
calling and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance
in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of his power
to us word 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 places,
far above all principality and power and might and dominion
and 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."
All of it is in Christ. Do we see that? All of it is
in the Lord Jesus Christ. So our text verse 11 says, in
whom also we, we, who is he talking about right
there? You know, I asked that question
a lot and we automatically answer in our hearts. Who is he talking about? You
know, the Lord has taught some who the we are, but a lot of
people don't know that. And we need to ask that question
every time we come to it. We need to know, is this word
to me? The promises of the scripture
are not to everybody, not to the whole world. And we need
to know, are they to me? Who is he talking about? He's talking
about every soul in Christ. Every soul in the Lord Jesus
Christ, every sinful soul that the Father chose to save by placing
them in Christ. Let me read a few more verses
to you. Ephesians 2 verse 1 says, and you, now this is who the
we are. Chapter 2 verse 1 says, and you
have the quickened who were dead. in trespasses and sins, wherein
in time past you walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit
that now worketh in the children of disobedience, among whom also
we all had our conversation in times past, in the lust of our
flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind,
and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. but
God who is rich in mercy for His great love wherewith He loved
us. Even when we were dead in sins
hath quickened us together with Christ by grace you are saved
and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus that in the ages to come he might show
the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us through
Christ Jesus for by grace are you saved through faith that
not of yourselves it's the gift of God not of works lest any
man should boast for we are his workmanship created in Christ
Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we
should walk in them." So the we that he's talking about in
this text is all the sinful souls that God the Father did the work
for of placing them in Christ, putting them in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Look back at our text. Chapter 1 verse 11 says, In whom
also we have obtained. Thank God, what wonderful news
that is. Have obtained, not will obtain,
not might obtain, Not, I sure hope they obtain in Christ. We have obtained what, what have
we attained obtained? Verse 11 says an inheritance. We've obtained an inheritance.
What is it? What is the inheritance? It's
Christ. It's the Lord Jesus Christ. It's
everything that He is and everything that He has in God. I'm going to repeat that just
in case, just in case we didn't really get ahold of that. It's
everything that Christ is. Let me backtrack. We have an inheritance. We have
obtained an inheritance. And what is it? It's Christ and
it's everything that He is and everything that He has in God. That is just amazing to me. Think about this. In Him, we
get to inherit the fullness of the Godhead with Him. Is that not amazing? That is
amazing to me. In Him, we get to inherit the
fullness of the Godhead. Our inheritance in Christ is
being made to be a joint heir of the Father. What would the
Father withhold from Christ His Son? What would God the Father
not give to Christ His Son? In Him, we're made to be a joint
heir with Him. He, the Father, who spared not
His own Son for us to put away our sin. How shall He, the Father,
not with Him, Christ, the One who the Father gave to us and
for us, how shall He not with Him also freely, graciously,
completely give us all things? All things. We have an inheritance. Isn't that wonderful news? Everything
that Christ has in God, we have in God, in Him, in His body,
in His blood, in His sacrifice, in His covenant. That is amazing.
I'm envisioning your facial responses, smiles on your faces. That makes
me want to smile. As He is, so are we. That's just everything in Him. All of our inheritance is being
perfectly preserved and reserved. It's being preserved and reserved
in heaven for us. Chapter 2, verse 11 says, Remember,
wherefore remember, You being in time past Gentiles in the
flesh who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision
in the flesh made by hands, that at that time you were without
Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers
from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God
in the world, but now in Christ Jesus. You who sometimes were
far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ, for he is our
peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle
wall of partition between us, having abolished in his flesh
the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances, for
to make in himself of twain one new man. so making peace and
that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross
having slain the enmity thereby and came and preached peace to
you which were afar off and to them that were not for through
him we both have access by one spirit unto the father through
him we both have access by one spirit unto the father now therefore
you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens
with the saints and of the household of God and are built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief cornerstone in whom all the building fitly framed
together grow with unto and holy temple in the Lord, in whom you
also are builded together for inhabitation of God through the
spirit. completely accepted into heaven
itself with Him, because of Him. That's our inheritance. He is
our inheritance, Christ Himself. All right, look back at chapter
one, verse 11, our text. In whom also we have obtained
an inheritance being predestinated. We are meeting this way tonight
because we were predestinated to it. We believe on Christ tonight
because we were predestinated to it. We were chosen to believe. We were pre-ordered, predetermined
to believe. Everything about God's people
was predetermined for them before the foundation of the world for
the purpose of bringing them to Christ. ultimately to conform them to
the image of Christ. David said, Lord, when I awake
in glory, I'll have your likeness. John said, when he appears and
we see him as he is, we'll be just like him. And everything
about our life on this earth is bringing us to that end. Everything
is. The steps of God's people are
ordered. This is all ordered. The circumstances
of God's people, they're all ordered. That's why first Thessalonians
five says that we can give thanks for every bit of it. Every step,
every circumstance, they are all ordered by our God. our good. Verse 11 says, "...in
whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated
according to the purpose." It's all on purpose. This moment right
now is on purpose. And Romans 8 28 says, "...the
purpose is good to them that love God who are the called according
to His purpose." Verse 11 says, In whom also we have obtained
an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him. It's His purpose, not mine, not
yours, His alone. Amen. To God be the glory, His
alone. Verse 7 says, In whom also we
have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according
to the purpose of him who worketh all things. He's the one who
does all the work and he works all things. Every single thing
that happens is of him. It's His doing. Good things,
bad things, happy things, sad things, all things are of Him. They are all on purpose according
to His purpose. And everything that He does,
every work that He performs shall stand forever. Everything that
he does, what God does is forever. The salvation that God accomplished
for his people in the blood of Christ is forever. It's forever. Our election in him is forever. Aren't you so glad if God chose
us, we're never going to be unchosen. God is never going to look at
us and say, ah, nevermind. Our election is forever. Our
salvation is forever. His blood is forever. Our inheritance
is forever. Inheriting Christ and all things
in Him, with Him, the fullness of the family of God is forever. It's forever. Verse 11 says,
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. Everything is according to the
counsel of his own will. And in Isaiah 46, we just read
it a minute ago for our scripture reading, he said, all my counsel
shall stand. Everything that's happening.
He's doing it. He's doing it according to the
council. That means according to the wisdom. And the knowledge
in the correct doing the right doing of his own will. And all
of his counsel shall stand. He said, I will do all my pleasure
and all my counsel shall stand. He will. That's good news. That
is good news. Our God. I'm going to leave you
with this. Our God. is sovereignly in control. God has put us in Christ and
that's where we're going to stay. All our hope is built on that.
And everything concerning everyone in Christ or out of Christ, our
God is sovereignly in control of it. He is sovereignly in control
today and every day, now and forever. Amen. Amen. All right, well, let's close
our service by singing, Come Thou Fount, hymn number 17.