THE CHURCH—GOD’S NEW SOCIETY
God has Taken Care of Everything
Ephesians 1:7-14
Jerry A Collins
SCC
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What does
Jesus blood do for us?
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What kind of
inheritance do we have?
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What has the
HS done for our future and us?
Christians
are the most fortunate people. God has determined that we would have every
conceivable blessing. God has taken care of everything. Nothing has been left
to chance. Our destiny is secure. Our lives changed. Our salvation certain. Our hope
real. I like it when everything has been taken
care of. I do not have to do anything but enjoy what has been provided. Sometimes I fantazise about a life like
that. When I turn into the driveway to see my lawn cut and beds trimmed.
To just call and have every little repair done. I do
not have to look at that bent pipe again or disorganized garage I am reminded
of every time I need to find a tool. The oil changed and car cleaned. All I
have to do is come home, park, get out, walk in, change my clothes and enjoy. Where everything is taken care of. Well, that is exactly
what God has done for us. We contributed nothing. God compelled us to be saved.
The greatest blessing we have is that God has chosen us for salvation vs 4. He made that choice before the world began. This
choice means that eventually we will stand before God without a single defect
or blemish. God alone is responsible for our salvation. He planned to adopt us
into His family simply for his own good pleasure. But God has also taken care
of some other things and that is the subject of these verses.
GOD HAS PROVIDED REDEMPTION IN CHRIST
7-8
Even
though we have a prepared destiny it is just as true that we are sinners
totally dependent on the redemption price paid by Christ’s blood. So understand
that your sin is real and will keep you from God and heaven without the
redemption of Christ.
First, our redemption is defined in
terms of forgiveness 7 The idea of
redeeming is delivering by ransom. The object of redeeming is sin—not Satan. We
have been delivered from slavery to sin not bondage to Satan. We have been
liberated by the paying of a ransom by Christ. Our redemption is further
defined by the forgiveness of our
trespasses. This is the immediate result. We are released from moral guilt
and just punishment for sins or here, trespasses, emphasizing the breaking of
God’s standard. We step over the righteous boundaries of God. So we are
forgiven that.
Second, the instrument of our
redemption is the blood of Jesus. Sin
cannot be set aside lightly. It requires sacrifice from heavens vantage point. So
Jesus became a substitute sacrifice and his blood refers to his death on the
cross as a sacrifice for sin. Paying for sin is a bloody thing.
Third, our redemption is by means of
our Father’s vast resources of grace. An
incredibly inexhaustible wealth of undeserved favor God has lavished upon us vs
8a makes our deliverance possible. So our redemption, which came at the
price of Christ’s blood, is evidence of God’s grace.
1.
Forgiveness is essential if we are to participate with God in eternity.
2.
Sin is costly and by nature sin is offensive and repugnant.
3.
Grace allows sin to be paid for and salvation to be received.
GOD IS GOING TO BRING ALL INTO HARMONY
WITH CHRIST
God
has told us the secret of what He intends to do.
First, the reason He reveals this
secret is because He is going to do something good for us 8-9. God’s grace extended to us brings with it insight
into God’s plan for the future. This is only possible because God revealed it
by special revelation. No one could have figured this out. God made known to us
the mystery of His will. He did not keep it to Himself. The whole point of
revealing this new information is for our benefit. It comes from the kind
intention of God’s heart. This intention was centered in Jesus Christ and is
fully occupied with Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the center of the Father’s
affection. Anyone associated with Christ is also at the center of the Father’s
affection.
Second, that secret is an arrangement
to unite everything together in Christ 10. So Christ will head the whole of creation, both in heaven and on
earth, both spiritual and material. The OT prophets described such a kingdom
regularly as a Jewish one ruled by the Messiah with justice and peace and
taught by the HS centered in the temple in
GOD HAS FUTURE INHERITANCE FOR US IN HEAVEN IN
CHRIST
Besides
a roll in the future earthly kingdom, we also have our own future heaven inheritance
as part of the glory of Christ.
First, we are one of the groups
destined to obtain an inheritance 11-13. The basis of this inheritance for all of us is the purposeful planning
of God 11a. God resolved to bring each person he purposed into this inheritance.
That includes Jews and Gentiles. God’s sovereign will sees to it that all
things are accomplished according to the counsel of His will. God appointed
each of us to be in His plan for the church. So Jewish believers
vs 12, those who were
the first to hope in Christ, (Acts 1-2), should come into this inheritance
not for their benefit, but for the glory of God—unto the praise of His glory. All of this is for the recognition or
approval of God’s perfect attributes or qualities. Isn’t it interesting that we
live in a world only interested of stripping God of any glory whatsoever. That is the kind of World Satan wants. If he
cannot get glory he will se to it as far as possible
that God gets none. But God has already predetermined that He will get it and so
will His Son, Jesus Christ. Gentiles also when they heard the gospel and
believed 13a, also were guaranteed an inheritance. We have equal privilege in
Christ.
Second, we can be confident we will
have this inheritance 13b-14. One
of the reasons we can be sure is that God has sealed the deal. When we heard
the gospel and believed we were then sealed—stamped as God’s property with the
HS. Listening would not be enough—there must be
believing. Then sealing by the promise of the HS (Jn