Ephesians chapter 1. Now Paul is the man that God used
to write this epistle. Scripture says holy men of God
spake as they were moved upon by the Holy Spirit to write the
word. And in the opening statement,
verse 1, Paul magnifies his office. He said, I'm an apostle of Jesus
Christ. There were only 12 apostles.
Paul was one of the 12. We believe that he took the place
of Judas. I know the disciples cast lots
and selected a replacement for Judas, but I think they moved
a little hastily because Paul is an apostle. He said, I am
an apostle, and an apostle not by my will, but by the will of
God." See that? Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ
by the will of God. He said, when God revealed himself
to me, I didn't consult those who were apostles before me.
But I went into Arabia and I was taught the gospel by the Lord
himself. I saw the Lord as one born out
of due time, he said. And the people to whom he's writing The book of Ephesians is addressed
to believers. This is not a book thrown indiscriminately
out for the whole world. This is to the saints. Call an
apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, writing to the saints,
to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, which are at Ephesus,
and to the faithful. And believers are faithful. Believers
are faithful. They're faithful to God, they're
faithful to his word, they're faithful to the gospel. And they
remain faithful unto death. They continue in the faith, and
they die in the faith. That's a true believer. Now here's
his salutation, and you'll find this salutation is common to
most of the epistles that Paul wrote. He says, Grace be to you. and peace from God our Father. That's the way he begins 1 Corinthians
1, grace and peace be to you from God the Father and from
the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the way he begins 2 Corinthians,
that's the way he begins Galatians. But in Timothy, when he wrote
to young Timothy, he said grace, mercy, and peace from God the
Father. and from our Lord Jesus Christ.
And that's my common need every day. Grace, favor, the favor
of God. Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. And that's the way Abraham prayed.
He said, God, Lord, if I found grace in your eyes, would you
do this? Moses prayed that way. If I have
found grace, in your eyes. So I need grace. You need grace.
Daily grace. Sufficient grace. Prevenient
grace. Keeping grace. Continuing grace. Saving grace. Dying grace. Persevering grace. All grace. Need mercy. Forgiveness. Not
a day passes, hour passes that we don't need God's forgiveness.
Grace and mercy. Mercy. and peace, reconciled
by the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, our common everyday needs. That's what Paul says in this
salutation, grace, mercy, and peace be you, from God the Father,
from our Lord Jesus Christ. Then in verse 3, Paul says, blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul blesses
God, and we bless God. What does it mean to bless God?
Bless the Lord, O my soul. Bless God. Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. What is it to bless God? Well, I'll tell you what it is.
Some of the things, I can't exhaust the subject. But we honor Him,
and we worship Him. And we bow before Him and we
ascribe to Him all glory and all praise and all honor. That's
what it is to bless God. We bless God. We ascribe to Him
all glory and praise and we honor Him and worship Him and bow before
Him in awe and fear. And he says, bless God, blessed
be God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Why does he use
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ? Why didn't he just
say, well, blessed be the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ? The
Father said, this is my only begotten, my well-beloved Son.
Well, God is the God of Jesus Christ as a man and a mediator. Christ left heaven and came to
this earth and was made in the likeness of our flesh and walked
this earth as our representative, as our federal head, as our Redeemer. And as a man, God is the God
of Jesus Christ. That's the reason when he was
dying on the cross under the guilt of our sins, he cried, My God, why hast thou forsaken
me? And then when our Lord Jesus
Christ finished his meritorious work, vicarious suffering on
the cross, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.
He's the God. Jesus Christ as a man before
God walked for us, labored for us, worked for us, obeyed for
God for us did everything that God requires of a subject, completely
and perfectly. And that's the reason Paul makes
this distinction here. He's the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ as a man and mediator, but he's the Father, watch it
now, he's the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ as he is not the
Father of any person. Yes, our Lord said, I go to my
Father and your Father, but there's a sense in which Christ is the
Son of God that I'm not. He said, I and the Father are
one. He that hath seen me hath seen God. I can't say that. So as Dr. John Gill says, he's
the Father of our Lord by an eternal and unspeakable union. I and my Father. I and my father. But he had a human nature, a
human nature, as if he was not God. Just that human, an divine
nature, as if he had never assumed that human nature. He never ceased
to be Almighty God. Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty
God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, my God,
my Father. That's the reason Isaiah wrote
unto us, a child is born, a son is given. A child is born who
never lived on this earth before. A body, thou hast prepared me,
that never walked the earth before, was never seen on the earth before.
formed in the womb of a virgin and born into this world, a child. But a son was given. A son came
and inhabited the body of that child and grew to be a man, a
man of God. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, listen, who hath blessed us, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Now don't hurry
through that awesome declaration. You can just camp there a little
while. Blessed be the God and Father, He, of His own will and purpose,
the cause found only in Himself, He, He has blessed us. Who's us? To whom is Paul writing? Gentiles. Gentiles. People at Ephesus. Pagans. Healing at one time. He describes
them in the next chapter, chapter 2, verse 11, right across the
page there. He said, you folks remember Ephesians
2, 11, wherefore remember that in time past, you being in time
past, Gentiles in your flesh called uncircumcision by that
which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands. At
that time you were without Christ, you were aliens from the commonwealth
of Israel, you were strangers from the covenants of promise,
having no hope and without God in this world. But now he's blessed
you in Christ Jesus. You that were at one time so
far off are now made nigh by the blood of Christ. You pagan,
heathen, idolatrous Gentile. He has blessed us. No wonder we bless Him. Bless
God, O my soul. No wonder we bless Him. He blessed
us. What's He blessed us with? All
spiritual blessings. These are not physical blessings
or material blessings or temporal blessings or earthly blessings,
though he has blessed us. I get up in the morning in that
nice home over there that I have and go in and eat a fine meal
and sit down to offer thanks and say, He's just so good to
us. We just have so much. So many
comforts and blessings, material. Our children, our grandchildren,
our friends, this congregation. Oh my goodness. Scares you, doesn't
it? We've been blessed so much. Blessed
above all people. That's not what he's talking
about here. He's talking about he's blessed us with all spiritual
blessings. Something a lot better. Everything
we got here is going to fade away. Turn it loose. The passion
of this world fades away. That's right. Change and decay
and all around me I see. Oh thou that changest not. That's
what I need. Something that's unchanging.
Blessings that are unchanging. And these are spiritual blessings.
Spiritual blessings. These are not physical material
blessings. These are spiritual blessings.
This is forgiveness. Grace, peace, justification,
righteousness, sanctification, acceptance in Christ, spiritual
blessings, where are they? In the heavenlies! Not even down here. Not even
down here, they're in the heavens. That's what Peter said over here
in 1 Peter 1. In 1 Peter 1, he said, he has
begotten us again. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 1 verse 3, according to his abundant
mercy, not because of anything we've done or given or said or
produced, according to his own abundant mercy, he hath begotten
us again unto living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, that
paid it not away. reserved in heaven, already there. He has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, already there,
paid for. That's right, fully earned by
my Lord's obedience, fully paid for by my Lord's blood, fully
purchased and reserved for me in his name. I'm glad it's in
his name, too, aren't you? It's in his name. That's right. Reserved in heaven. He's blessed
us. And what's this word? All spiritual
blessings. A-L-L. All of them. My God shall
supply all your need according to his riches in glory through
Christ Jesus. Paul said to the believers at
Colossae, he said, giving thanks to the Father which hath already
made us qualified, sufficient, fit to be a partaker of the inheritance
of the saints in life." It's already there, incorruptible,
undefiled, laid up in heaven, reserved for you. Walk in and
sit down. Plenty of room in heaven, but
no vacancies. Every seat's a sign. Every place
has a name. That's right. He's blessed us. God blessed
us. The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has blessed us already,
paid for, purchased. There's no down payment now.
It's paid in full. All spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ. Now watch it. According as he
hath chosen us. in Christ before the foundation
of the world. My friends, believers love God. We love Him, whom we haven't
seen, but we love. But He loved us first. We love
Him because He loved us. Believers do call on the Father.
If you call on the Father past the time of your sojourning here
in fear, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall
be saved. You called Him because He called you first. That's right. You love Him because He loved
you first. You call on Him because He called you, and you choose
Christ. We used to sing a song, I Choose
Jesus, and I do. You know why? Because He chose
me. That's right. He chose me first. He chose us.
When did He choose us? He says, according as He had
chosen us. Now don't leave out these two
words. in Christ. He chose us in Christ. You see,
the everlasting covenant of grace is not made between you and God
Almighty, it's made between God and Christ on your behalf. The
covenant is made with Christ, the surety of the covenant, the
shepherd of the covenant, through the blood of the covenant. He
chose you in Him. Christ is God's first elect.
Christ be my first elect, God said, and then chose us in our
head. That's right. He's the head, we're the body.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
hath chosen us in Christ. When? Before the foundation of
the world. God never does anything in time,
he didn't do in eternity. He said, I'm the Lord, I don't
change. Known unto God all his works from the beginning. He
said, I declare the end from the beginning. Jesus knew from
the beginning who would believe on him and who would betray him.
Paul writing to the Thessalonians, he said, I'm bound to give thanks
for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from
the beginning chosen you for salvation. Christ was the Lamb
slain before the foundation of the world. For whom was he the
Lamb slain? He was slain for the sheep and
the chosen who were in him before the foundation of the world.
That's right. Turn to 2 Timothy chapter 1. Paul writing to the young preacher
Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 1, and he says in verse 8, Timothy, in verse 8 of 2 Timothy 1, he
said, Timothy, be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our
Lord, 2 Timothy 1.8, nor of me his prisoner. But be thou a partaker
of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God,
the power of God, God the Father, who hath 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 to us in Jesus Christ
before the world began. God said to Jeremiah, he said,
Jeremiah, before I formed you in the belly, I knew you. He
said, before you came from your mother's womb, I sanctified you
and set you apart. David wrote in Psalm 139, God
has possessed me. He has covered me in my mother's
womb. And in his book, all my members
were written when there wasn't any of them. You see, the book is the book
of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. God never learns
anything, never forgets anything, but our sins in Christ's blood. Paul wrote to the Roman Church,
and he said, Rebecca, the children had twins in her womb, the children
being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God, according to election, might stand. Not of
works, but of him that calleth. It was said to her, The elder
shall serve the younger, Jacob have a love, Esau have a hated. Blessed be the God and Father.
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, according as he
chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. Listen,
not because we were holy. What does that say? That we should
be holy. He intends to make us holy. That
we should be holy. and without blame before him
in love. He chose us not because we were
holy, he chose us in order to make us holy. We are predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son. Christ might be the
firstborn among many brethren, all just like him. Turn to Ephesians
5, Ephesians chapter 5. In Ephesians 5 verse 23, Here's Christ's work for and
on behalf of his dear bride, his church. Ephesians 5 verse
23, For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is
the head of the church, and he is the Savior of the body. Therefore
the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their
own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even
as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. that he
might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water with
the word, that he by himself might present that church, his
elect, his sheep, those people, his body, to himself, a glorious
church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it
should be holy and without blemish. That's why he chose us. that
we should be holy and without blemish before him in love. Paul, writing to the Corinthian
church, says, Of God are you in Christ, who is made unto us
wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. All right, look
back at my text. Ephesians 1, verse 4, "...he
chose us in him before the foundation of the world, in order that we
should be holy and without blame. And he will present us before
the Father's presence with exceeding joy, holy and without blame,
having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his own
will." Predestination, that's my subject. Predestination considered
in a general sense includes everything. There's nothing over which God
does not have the rule. There's no one over which God
does not have complete rule. God Almighty has purposed all
things concerning all men all angels, all creatures, and all
worlds. He works everything out according
to the purpose of his own will. He says that twice in here. According
to the good pleasure of his own will. Look at 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. Everything. Now let me show you
that in the scripture. Turn to Isaiah 46. Isaiah chapter
46. I'm saying that predestination,
considered in the general sense, includes all things, all angels,
all men, all creatures, all worlds, all events. You know, while you're
turning to Isaiah 46, you know what Solomon said about the heart
of the king, didn't you, in Proverbs 21? He said the heart of the
king, any king, any king, is in the hands of the Lord. He
turns it whether so ever he will. That's right. And listen to Isaiah 46, verse
9. Isaiah 46, and I remember the
former things of old. I'm God. There's none else. I'm God. There's none like me. I declare the end from the beginning. From ancient times of things
that are not yet done. Saying my counsel shall stand,
I'll do all my pleasure. Calling a ravenous bird from
the east, the man that executed my counsel from a far country,
yea, I've spoken it. I'll bring it to pass. I've purposed
it. Proverbs says, God has created
all things for himself, yea, even the wicked, for the day
of evil. Satan never makes a move without
God's permission. That's right, either directive
or permissive will. He couldn't touch Job, couldn't
touch him, until God gave him permission. He couldn't touch
Peter, until Christ gave him permission. Those demons asked
the Lord, it says, Let us go into those pigs." He let them
go into the pigs. Everything's under the hand and
control of God. All things. Everything. He works
all things after the counsel of his own will. Turn to Job
14. Every human life is in his hands.
Everybody will serve his purpose. Either glorify his grace or glorify
his justice. That's the truth. In Job 14,
listen to this. This is talking about everybody
now, Job 14. Man is born of a woman. Here's a few days full of trouble. He comes forth like a flower.
He's cut down. He fleeth also as a shadow, continuing
on. Lord, dost thou open thine eyes
upon such a one? Ye bring me into judgment with
thee. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean, not one? Man's days are determined, the
number of his months are with thee. Thou hast appointed his
bounds, he can't pass. Our Lord said, Father, thou hast
given me power over all flesh, that I should give eternal life
to as many as thou hast given me. And in order for all things
to work together for good to them who love God, God has to
control all things. all things that we encounter,
all things that we face, all things that come into our lives,
all people. God has made all things for himself,
to serve his purpose, even the wicked, for the day of evil.
But here in chapter 1 of Ephesians, verse 5, the word predestination,
we're not considering here in the general sense. But when you
consider the word predestination in a general sense, let me tell
you, there's nothing that wiggles or walks of which God doesn't
have control. That's just so. Everything and
everybody. And everyone will serve his purpose.
But here he says, talking about us, having predestinated us unto
the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according
to the good pleasure of his will. God has predestinated everyone
whom he saves to be like Christ. We're all going to be like Christ.
Let me read you that again in Romans 8, Romans chapter 8. Predestination in regard to his
people is the same thing as election. All who are foreknown All who
are elected are predestinated to be conformed to the image
of Christ. We're going to be like Christ.
Beloved, now we're sons of God. It does not yet appear what we
shall be, but when he shall appear, we shall be like him. For we
shall see him as he is. David said, I'll be satisfied
when I awake with your likeness. All of us are predestinated. God orders the steps of a righteous
man. He's predestinated to be like
Christ. That's the goal in the end of
redemption, to make us like his Son. Let me read that to you
here in Romans 8, verse 28. And we know that all things, all things, good, bad, in the
heaven or earth, under the earth, past, present and future, angels
or men, all things, are working together for good to them who
love God, for the eternal good. It's those who love God who are
called according to his purpose. Part. Whom he did foreknow, that
word is foreordained. He also did predestinate to be
conformed, perfectly conformed in the image and likeness of
his Son. Then he might be the firstborn
among many brethren. And whom he predestinated, he
called them. Hey, Abraham, get out of your
father's house. Zacchaeus, come on down. Matthew,
you follow me. He calls him. He calls him. And he justifies him. Christ
died for him. And he glorifies him. And Christ
said, not a one of them will be lost. All that my Father giveth
me will come to me. All of them will. See, my sheep hear my voice,
and they follow me, and I give them eternal life. My Father
gave them to me. And no man can pluck them out
of my Father's hand. I came down here not to do my
will, but the will of him that sent me. This is the will of
him that sent me, that all which he hath given me I lose, not
one of them, not one of them, but I raise them all. Yea, whom
he foreknew, foreordained." Let me show you this verse over in
Acts chapter 13. The apostle Paul was preaching
Acts chapter 13 to a bunch of religious Jews and Pharisees
and religious folks, and they just got Plum Cantankerous. And
they just refused to hear him anymore. In Acts 13, verse 40,
verse 45, listen, Acts 13, verse 45, listen to this. And when
the Jews saw the multitude that came to hear Paul, they were
filled with envy. And they speak against those things which were
spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. Paul's preaching. These fellows are contradicting
and blaspheming. Preaching Christ. So verse 46, So Paul and Barnabas
waxed bold and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first
have been spoken to you. But seeing you put it from you,
and judged yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn
to the Gentiles. Oh, aren't you glad? Me too.
For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to
be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation
to the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles heard Paul
say this, they were so glad, and they glorified the word of
the Lord, and as many as were ordained to eternal life, they
believed." It didn't say, as many as believed were ordained
to eternal life. It says, as many as were ordained
to eternal life believed. That's right, that's just so. Of his own will began he us with
the word of truth. The hymn writer wrote this, listen.
With sons of God, through God's election, who in Jesus Christ
believe, by eternal ordination, sovereign grace, we have received. Adore and wonder, why, O Lord,
why such love to me? You have put me in the number
of the Savior's family. With all thy mercies, O my God,
my grateful soul surveys, transported with the view I'm lost in wonder,
love, and praise. Why me?" David went into his
room, shut the door, sat down before God. And he said, Lord,
who am I that you show such mercy to me? It would be a good idea
for all of us to do that tonight, wouldn't it? Instead of arguing
against God's sovereignty and power and might and grace and
glory, just go sit down and say, Lord, why me? You could have
passed me by like you did a lot of other folks, and you'd have
been just and righteous. That's what David says. You condemn
me, Lord, you're just. You're righteous. You're righteous. He predestinated us to the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good
pleasure of his own will, to the praise of the glory of his
grace wherein he made us accept him in the beloved I want you
to look at that word just a minute. He made us accepted. I looked
that word up. Accepted. You know, the Bible
is written in Greek. I don't know a whole lot about
Greek, but I can look it up. Like I look up every word that
I don't know the meaning of in Webster's Dictionary. But I looked
up that word accepted. I hear these preachers say, won't
you accept Jesus as your personal Savior? Once you accept him,
accept him, accept him. I hear that. I don't read that
in the Bible anyway. I don't hear one of the apostles begging
people to accept Jesus. But I hear this apostle talking
about God has accepted me in Christ. So I looked it up. What
does it say? Accepted me. Here's what it means.
It means to endure with special honor. Accepting. But I don't endue God with any
special honor. But when he accepted me, son of Adam, in Christ, boy,
he endued me with a special honor. It means, secondly, to bestow
favor upon me. Now, the next time the preacher
says, won't you accept Jesus, you remember that's what he says,
to bestow favor on Jesus? He needs my favor? Nope, I need
his. And so it says here, the Father
hath accepted us. He has endued us with special
honor, like he said to Mary, you found favor in the eyes of
the Lord. Noah, you found grace in the
eyes of the Lord. God accepted Noah. God accepted him. The Father
hath accepted, he hath received our persons. through the blood
and righteousness of his beloved Son. Now watch, I won't give
you something here. It's worth listening to. The Father looks
upon us and loves us and is well pleased with us as he is with
his Son, Jesus Christ, because he's accepted us in him. That's
right. With his spotless garments on,
I'm as holy as his Son. And we'll show you a verse, you've
read it a hundred times, but let's read it again and see if
we can get something richer and more beautiful out of it. 2 Corinthians
5, verse 21. And we'll quit in a minute, but
I want you to see this. 2 Corinthians 5. Now, here's what
I'm saying. The Father has accepted us, received
our persons. in the blood and righteousness
of his beloved Son, and he looks upon us and loves us and is well
pleased with us as he is with Christ. Now listen to 2 Corinthians
5, verse 21. For God hath made him to be sin
for us. God made Jesus Christ to be sin. Our Lord Jesus Christ in his
human nature was literally made to be sin. He bore in his body
our sins. Not only bore them, but he was
made sin. Made sin to such an extent that
Almighty God turned his back away from him and poured out
his wrath and judgment on him. He became sin. He was made sin
by God for us. Now watch this. Who knew no sin. made the righteousness of God
in him. He was made sin to such an extent
that he had to bear all the wrath, all the wrath that sin deserves.
I am made holy and accepted in him and righteous to such an
extent that I bear all the favor that holiness deserves. Now boy,
that makes that verse really stand out. Well, as God said, it's not a
pasted on righteousness. It's not a play pretty. It's
not something that just, that God brought to pass. This is
real. He made him to be sin. Transferred our sins to him.
And he was made sin to such an extent that God Almighty turned
His back on him. And when he accepted me in Christ,
he made me so righteous that he embraced me and accepted me
in the Beloved. Whew! That sure beats walking out here
shaking somebody's hands. I decided to go to heaven. I decided to go to heaven. I
decided to accept Jesus. Well, accepted in the Beloved. Accept it.