Ponder Your Wondrous Adoption

help, we'll be having six or seven sermons now on a new series called Life in the Father's House.

As we saw in Sunday school, this is a reference to what Jesus promised in John chapter 14. He said,

John 14 · chapter mention

in my Father's house are many rooms, and I'm going to prepare a place for you, that where I am,

there you may also be. And he says, I'm not leaving you as orphans. My Holy Spirit is with you.

And we'll see in Ephesians what else he says about this glorious promise. So biblical church,

Life in the Father's House. And our sermon text today is Ephesians chapter 1, starting at verse 3.

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

It's a longer passage. We're going to go all the way through chapter 2, verse 10.

As I read this, remember, this is God's inspired, inerrant, infallible, clear, and sufficient word.

This is God's very own word for you, his people. So when I'm done with the reading of scripture,

I'll say, this is the word of God, and you can respond with joy and gratitude. Thanks be to God.

Ephesians 1, starting at verse 3.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ.

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,

having predestined 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 has made us accepted in the beloved.

Verse 7.

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,

according to the riches of his grace, wherein he has 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 has purposed in himself.

Verse 10.

That in the dispensation of the fullness of times,

he might gather together in one all things in Christ,

both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him,

in whom also we have obtained an inheritance,

being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will,

that we should be to the praise of his glory,

who first trusted in Christ,

in whom you also trusted after you heard the word of truth,

the gospel of your salvation,

in whom after that you believed you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.

Verse 14.

Which is the earnest of our inheritance

until the redemption of the purchased possession

unto the praise of his glory.

Wherefore I also,

after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus

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.

Verse 18.

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened,

that you may know what is the hope of his calling,

and what are the riches of his glory

and his inheritance in the saints.

That is the exceeding greatness of his power toward 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 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 he has 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 filled up all in all.

Chapter 2.

And you,

he has 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 works in the children of disobedience,

among whom also we had our conversation in time past,

in the lusts of the flesh,

fulfilling the desires of the flesh

and of the mind,

and were by nature the children of wrath,

even as others.

Verse 4.

But God,

who is rich in mercy,

for his great love,

wherein he loved us,

even we who were dead in sins,

he has quickened us together with Christ.

By grace,

you are saved.

And he has raised us up together

and made us sit together

in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

That is,

in the age to come

that he might show the exceeding riches of his grace

in his kindness toward us through Jesus Christ.

For by grace you are saved through faith,

and that is not of yourselves,

it is 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 has before ordained,

that we should walk in them.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Thanks be to God.

You may be seated.

We read in Isaiah 40

that the grass withers and the flower fades,

but the word of the Lord,

it endures forever.

Would you pray with me?

Amen.

Amen.

Oh Lord,

cause us to behold Jesus Christ

and by seeing the work of Christ

as our mediator,

to understand

and to personally know

this great mystery

of our salvation

so that you will be glorified

in our lives,

we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, beloved congregation

of our Lord Jesus Christ,

I invite you today

to ponder

your wondrous adoption.

To ponder

means to consider,

to contemplate,

to bask

in your wondrous adoption.

Wondrous,

it means exceeding

and surprising good.

inspiring a feeling of wonder and delight.

That's what this glorious passage that Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus does.

It causes us to ponder our wondrous adoption.

Well, he says this in verse 5, chapter 1, verse 5,

that you were predestined by God to be adopted in Christ.

That's what he says to you who believe.

And the metaphor of adoption itself, it gets our attention.

It reminds you that had God not adopted you, look what you would have been.

The musical Annie describes a life before adoption.

The children in the orphanage, they say,

Don't it feel like the wind is always howling?

Don't it seem like there's never any light?

Once a day, don't you want to throw the towel in?

It's easier than putting up a fight.

Empty belly life, rotten, smelly life, full of sorrow life, no tomorrow life.

But Paul takes the church in Ephesus and says,

God predestined that you be adopted in Christ by God the Father.

That's not the type of life for you.

You get life in the Father's house.

That's what you get.

See, the Roman world had a very large percentage of their social demographic

that were orphans and slaves that were neglected.

So the church of Ephesus had a really weird mix.

You had slaves as part of the congregation.

You had literal orphans that were being brought in by the members of the church.

But Ephesus as a city was the wealthiest hub of Asia Minor.

And much of the wealth of Ephesus was kept at the temple of Diana.

So this temple was a place of horrible sin and vulgarity,

all kinds of pagan idolatry.

But it was also the treasury for the city of Ephesus

and really the financial capital of Asia Minor.

So within this church were those that were very successful in commerce,

and you had this great diversity within this little body.

There were some who were Jewish descent.

There were many who were Gentiles.

And Paul is writing to them from prison.

And the reason Paul is in prison is because he went out to take the gospel to the world,

to people like them.

If you've been neglected, hurt, or abused by a church,

then you need to hear what Paul says in this letter to the church in Ephesus.

If you are still deciding whether you will ever take the risk

of caring very much about people in church again,

then you need to hear what Paul says in this letter to the church in Ephesus.

And if you want to believe that a true biblical church that's fed on Scripture,

that's Spirit-filled, that's owned by Christ himself,

you want to believe that that is possible, maybe even right here,

then let's hear together what Paul writes in this letter to the church in Ephesus.

In this longer passage, I'm going to do my best to not skip any parts.

Five wondrous truths, and then what this means for us on how we need to live.

So number one, ponder with Paul the cause of your adoption.

Ponder the cause of your adoption.

If you are in God's family, if you can say,

I belong to the Father's house, why?

What caused that?

Look at verse 3.

So chapter 1, verse 3.

Paul begins by making it very clear.

Everything he's going to tell them about church,

it's to bring glory to one God.

Who gets all the glory in the church?

Look how he starts off.

Chapter 1, verse 3.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Yes, the church displays all these glorious blessings,

but it's God who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places.

How?

In Christ.

Now the next question is, why?

What is the cause?

Look at verse 4.

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.

He has predestined 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 has made us accepted in the beloved.

When you hear these truths, it truly is heavenly glory.

Because in our flesh, we're a lot like that little orphan Annie, aren't we?

We want to believe that maybe God will like my personality or my charm or the things I can do,

and that's why he'll show me his grace.

Maybe we can cause God to adopt us.

Thomas Brooks, one of the Puritans, he said,

until you have faith in Christ, your best services are but more glorious sins.

You're trying to be saved by your own goodness, by your own good works.

But this glorious passage, it tells us that if you are in God's family,

look again at verse 4.

If you're adopted, it's because God has chosen you in Christ.

Well, when did God do that?

When did God choose you personally?

Was it after God observed enough of me to decide that one's good?

No.

He says in verse 4,

it was before the foundation of the world.

So what does this tell us about God?

God wants you to enter into his holy throne room

and behold him, God the creator of all, Father.

And as you approach his throne room, he speaks to you and he says,

Dear child, because I am love, I made you, look at verse 4,

I made you holy and without blame as you stand here before me.

Verse 5, he answers the objection.

We want to say, hold on God, how can this even be possible?

The creator of all, your adoptive father in Christ.

He smiles at you and look at what he says in verse 4.

You are in God's family because I predestined you,

along with all those in my true church,

unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to myself.

And I did this, this is what it tells us about God.

He says he did this because it was the good pleasure of his will.

Why are you adopted?

What was the cause?

It is the good pleasure of the father's will to adopt you

before you did anything to deserve that.

The question was, ponder the cause of your adoption.

If you are in God's family, why is that?

Well, these verses tell us you were adopted in Christ freely

by God's good pleasure due to no merit of your own.

Some of you, that's what you need to hear this morning.

And that would be enough.

If we can truly embrace that and live in that.

I think for others of us, maybe for myself right now,

I need to remember that about every single Christian here,

but globally, if they belong to Christ,

it's because he showed them love.

He gave them a new heart.

He showed his favor to them and adopted them.

And they stand before him, and I stand before him,

warts and all.

And he says, you are holy and blameless in Christ.

Because I, in my good pleasure,

wanted to adopt you before the foundation of the world.

Ponder the cause of your adoption.

Number two, ponder your hopelessness

if God had left you dead in sin.

Ponder how hopeless you would be

if he had not adopted you who are Christians.

I'm going to have us bounce around a little bit

within this broader passage.

So look at chapter 2, verse 1.

Paul writes to the church,

this mixed church in Ephesus,

and he says,

you, God made alive.

And that verb, that God made you alive,

it could be translated that God quickened you

who were dead.

He regenerated you.

He breathed life over you and into you,

just like we read from Ezekiel 37.

What Paul is saying is that

every person in the church was dead.

We were dead in our trespasses and sins.

Now, notice how powerful was the bondage

before Christ adopted us.

Look at chapter 2, verse 2.

He says,

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 works in the children of disobedience,

among whom we also had our conversation in times past,

in the lusts of our own flesh,

fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.

And we were by nature children of wrath,

even as others.

Ponder your life

should God had left you to continue walking in that way.

You're walking without Christ's adoption

in the pattern of the world.

You are blown along

by whatever the godless world loves.

That's steering your path,

and you're fulfilling all those cravings and lusts

of your own flesh.

It's by the walk

that you know

who's your master.

Don't be deceived,

and also don't be hurt

by everything that slaps the label Christian on it.

You can tell by the way they walk.

Francis Schaeffer said,

he said this about those who claim to be Christians

that are whitewashed tombstones.

He said,

there is no such thing as a true church that's worldly.

He says of this, of the fake church,

tell me what the world says now,

and I'll tell you what false professors will say in seven years.

The church, the false church,

is just following the pattern of the world.

They're like a dead fish that just goes with the stream.

As someone said,

only a living fish that's been regenerated,

made alive,

can float against it.

What the world loves

is not neutral, Paul says.

So no matter what the coffee mugs

or the shirts you buy at Target are going to say,

it's not cute.

It's not innocent.

It's manipulated by Satan.

Look at what Paul says here

about the spirit that governs the world in verse 2.

He says,

it's the prince of the power of the air.

And if you are still a slave to sin,

you are a slave to disobedience,

verse 2 says that it is Satan's spirit

that works in you.

You think you're free.

You're a slave to your own sin

and you're a slave to Satan himself.

Let that thought scare you for a moment.

Ponder your hopelessness

if God had left you in that state.

The context and the metaphor in Paul's writing here

is adoption, remember?

Well, I looked this up this week

that the National Foster Youth Institute says,

this is sad.

One out of every two children

in the foster care system

will end up homeless and jobless

once they age out.

If God did not adopt you,

that's the walk you were headed on.

You would be eternally homeless.

Now go back to chapter 1, verse 7.

Paul says,

in Christ,

we have redemption

through His blood.

Chapter 1, verse 7.

How are you redeemed?

It's by the forgiveness of sins

according to the riches of His grace,

wherein He has abounded toward us

in all wisdom and prudence.

In the Roman world,

you could go to the market

and they would put one slave up

after another on the block

and there would be an auction

and the highest bidder gets the slave.

So a human being

had a price tag attached to them.

Now what someone could do

is pay that price,

win the bid,

that slave became their property,

their possession.

And once you had the title

to that slave,

you could release them

and set them free.

When that happened,

that was called being redeemed.

So that person would be considered

a redeemed slave.

Did you see what Paul writes

in chapter 1, verse 7?

He says,

in Christ,

we have redemption.

Well, what was the price?

It was the blood of Jesus

that purchased you.

And Jesus sets you free

from the bondage of Satan

with his precious blood.

Why did God do this?

It's to show you

the riches of God's grace.

He says they are overflowing.

They are abounding.

They abide fully to you

who Christ has purchased.

How could this be possible?

Only by the precious blood

of Jesus Christ himself,

being very God,

took on flesh

to ransom

and to redeem you.

Number three,

ponder

the finality

of this adoption.

Ponder how

this adoption

is done and over.

It's completed.

I just want to walk through

six reasons

in verses 9 through 14.

How is your adoption final?

It's over.

It's already happened.

Number one,

your adoption is final

because God

does not change.

You don't need to fear

God changing his mind

like an earthly father.

God chose you.

He will never unchoose you.

Look at verse 9.

Having made known to us

the mystery of his will

according to his good pleasure,

which he has purposed

in himself.

There's no greater place

to purpose your adoption

than in God's own pleasure.

He will not change.

Number two,

your adoption is final

because it is held

and accomplished

by Christ himself.

To doubt your adoption

is to doubt

whether Christ is capable of it.

Look at verse 10.

That in the fullness of time,

in the dispensation

of the fullness of time,

God might gather together

in one

all things,

notice the next two words,

in Christ,

in heaven

and which are on earth.

And if he needs to say it again,

even in him,

it's all held together

by Christ.

Number three,

your adoption is final

because God adopted you

in Christ already

because he's referring

to your adoption

in the past tense.

It's finished.

It's accomplished.

Look at verse 11.

In Christ,

there it is a third time,

also we have obtained

an inheritance,

being predestined

according to the purpose

of him

who worketh all things

after the counsel

of his own will.

He says in verse 11,

we have obtained.

You already have it.

It is already accomplished

by Christ.

It is already your adoption.

When a child does get adopted,

by a family,

there's a grace celebration

and it's called

their adoption day

and it's often celebrated.

Maybe like a birthday

for years to come

or the whole party,

the whole church

comes together

and celebrates.

Well, Paul is saying,

church,

you have already obtained

your adoption.

Your adoption day

was already accomplished

when the Spirit

applied the work

of Christ to you.

You are adopted

fully and finally.

And when we celebrate

your baptism,

we are celebrating

that fact as a church.

You have been adopted.

The fourth reason

that your adoption

is final

is because it's really

just evidenced

by trusting

in the active present tense,

trusting in God.

Look what he says

in verse 12.

He adopted you

that you should be

to the praise

of his glory.

Who is he talking about?

He's talking about

those who first

trusted in Christ.

Yes, there is a moment

in time

when you did not

trust in God,

now you first

trust in him.

But look at what he says

continuing on

in verse 13.

In whom you also trusted

after you heard

that the word of truth

and the gospel

of your salvation.

He goes on to say

you continue believing

in the scriptures

as you're taught

by the Holy Spirit.

See, if you are trusting

in Christ right now,

you don't need

to remember that day.

For some of you

it's more of a gradual

looking back on your life.

But you can have assurance

if you are trusting

fully in Christ now,

he has adopted you.

Because if he had not

worked in your heart,

you would not want

to trust him

for your salvation.

And if you are trusting him now,

it should encourage you,

your adoption is final.

You've been adopted.

Number five and six

will confirm this

further for you.

Number five is this,

your adoption is final

because you have

a certificate

or a seal,

like that poured wax

with the signet ring on it.

You have a seal

testifying that you are adopted.

This is in verse 13.

What is that seal?

After you believed,

he says you were,

in the past tense,

you were sealed

with that Holy Spirit

of promise.

You don't need to look

for a future feeling

feeling or a future experience.

If you believed,

you have been sealed already

by the Holy Spirit.

It is accomplished

and applied to you.

And then the sixth reason

that your adoption is final,

it's because the Holy Spirit

in you,

the Holy Spirit inside of you,

it's like an earnest

of your future inheritance.

Look at verse 14.

He says,

This Holy Spirit of promise

is the earnest

of our inheritance

until the redemption

of the purchased possession

unto the praise

of his glory.

There will be a great day

when our Lord Jesus

descends with the army

of angels from heaven.

And what we believe

by faith spiritually

is accomplished now,

he will reveal

this is finally,

physically,

consummately real.

The kingdom of heaven

is fully on this earth.

And until then,

he's left his Holy Spirit

dwelling inside you individually

who believe in us

as a body,

as a further encouragement

that you are adopted.

This picture of an earnest

or a deposit,

I think it's best illustrated

with a young man

who wants to marry

a young lady.

And so what does he give her?

The engagement ring.

Expensive diamond

made of gold

and it goes on the finger

until that day

where they will be married.

But in that meantime,

she has that ring

to remind her

of his great love.

She has that deposit,

that earnest.

Do you see how your adoption

is final

according to these verses?

And because your adoption

is final,

you can live in this world

with boldness.

You no longer will

go with the pattern

of the world.

You will be alive.

You will be going

against the stream.

You will be with

the army of King Jesus

marching out

with faith in the kingdom

to come

no matter what happens

on this earth.

G.K. Chesterton

pointed out,

we don't want,

as the newspapers say,

a church that will move

with the world.

What we want

is a church

that will move

the world.

The church moves

the world

when the church

trusts in Jesus Christ

and follows him.

It's King Jesus

who is storming

the gates of hell

and they will not

prevail against him.

Well, next,

I invite you to ponder

how your adoption

becomes true.

I know this might seem

a little bit out of order,

but I'm trying to follow

the flow of this passage.

And I think it's important

because he's writing

to the church

to begin with,

but he's correcting

probably some wrong

understandings

about how did I get adopted?

Can I know for sure?

Am I saved?

See, some of you

have been regenerated

by the power

of the Holy Spirit,

but you've probably

gotten some confused

teaching over the years.

I know I sure have

about how God

actually adopts people.

And then others of you,

you've been taught right,

but you need to know

for you personally.

I don't need to just know

theoretically in my head.

I need to know

whether I'm adopted.

And this,

I think these next verses

here can really help you

have correct understanding

of how God does this

and reform our thinking

in that way

and also personal assurance.

So how does this adoption

become true for you personally?

Well, let's look at

chapter 1, verse 15.

See, Paul is talking

about the church

and he's thinking about

how they've changed so much.

And he sees evidence

that they have been adopted

by God by their love,

by what's concerning them.

Look at what he says

in verse 15.

After I heard of your faith

in the Lord Jesus,

and your love

unto all the saints.

Verse 16,

Paul says,

now I can't stop

giving thanks to you

and making mention of you

in my prayers.

He sees their love,

now he wants to encourage them.

Just think about

how God saved you,

God adopted you.

Number one,

how does adoption become true?

Well, Paul is praying

for them to know this.

So we pray for adoption

to be true.

And there's that loved one

or that dear friend

or that family member.

You don't know

if they're saved yet.

And you want so much

for them to have that assurance

and that new life in Christ.

Do like Paul.

Remember them always,

making mention of them

in your prayers.

Number two,

trust that it is God

who gives understanding.

Look at verse 17.

The God of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of glory.

Paul is praying

that God himself

may give to them

the spirit of wisdom

and revelation

in the knowledge of him.

See, it's the spirit of God

in verse 18

who opens the eyes

of their understanding.

They were dead and darkened,

but it's the Holy Spirit

who enlightens them.

Ponder how this adoption

becomes true.

Number three,

it becomes true

because God personally

calls you

to know this truth.

Paul writes in verse 18

that you may know,

you personally,

you may know and trust

what is the hope

of Christ's calling

and what the riches

of the glory

of his inheritance

are to you

who he says

are my saints.

It's for you

to personally know that.

Number four,

adoption is accomplished

by God's power.

The same power

that raised Jesus

from the dead.

Look what he says.

Here's evidence

of your belief.

Verse 19,

you need to know

the exceeding greatness

of God's power

toward us who believe

according to the working

of his mighty power

which he wrought

in Christ Jesus.

He's saying,

do you believe in God?

Well, then it's because

God has worked

with such power

in your life

he's caused you

to believe

and it's the same power

he used to raise

his own son

from the dead

to give you newness

of life.

It's that power

that has caused you

to now believe.

So,

the fifth observation

is that your adoption

is just as true

as Christ's resurrection.

God raises you

from spiritual death

unto spiritual life

just as God,

he says,

in verse 20,

God has raised Christ

from the dead

and set him

at his own right hand

in the heavenly places.

So,

that same power

that raised God,

raised Christ

from the grave,

seated Christ

on the heavenly throne,

it becomes yours

through adoption.

It brings life to you

and it unites you

to Christ.

So,

I want you to look next

at chapter 2,

verse 4

to see how

all those

that God causes

to believe

he has adopted.

See,

God adopts

all those

that he regenerates.

Look at chapter 2,

verse 4.

He says,

God,

who is rich in mercy

for his great love,

wherein he has loved us

even while we were

dead in sins,

he has quickened us.

He has made us alive

together

with Christ.

If you believe

in Jesus Christ,

it's because he has

breathed

that same resurrection

life into you.

He has united you

to Jesus Christ

who sits at the

Father's right hand.

Ponder how this

adoption is true

for you personally.

The more you feel

and understand

that I do not

deserve such

powerful grace

poured out

in my life,

the more useful

Christ makes us

for his kingdom.

Charles Spurgeon

said,

the most useful

members of church

are usually those

who would be doing

harm if they were

not doing good.

We would have been

on that path

and we know it,

but God adopted me.

He brought me

into his father's house.

I will serve him.

I will be useful

for his kingdom

out of gratitude.

I warned you

against those

false labels.

They slap Christian

onto different things.

Here's what we just

saw in this passage,

that the true church

is made up

100%

of redeemed

slaves.

The true church

is made up

100%

of adopted

orphans.

If you belong

to Christ,

you are in his

father's house.

You never

have to fear

eternal

homelessness.

He puts his

name on you.

You have

been

adopted.

He will

not change

his mind

about you.

Number five,

ponder

what it means

to belong

to God's

family,

the heavenly

kingdom,

Christ's body

on earth.

A few

verses back,

I read for us

how Paul is

describing the

power of Satan

over this

present evil

age.

Doesn't that

give you the

chills up your

spine?

If we

understand what

the Bible

really says

is going on

in the

spiritual realm,

this present

evil age is

terrifying.

We need to

take up arms.

There's no

more time to

be drowsy

or distracted.

I know my

own weakness,

the remaining

flesh,

the battle,

and there

should be a

healthy fear,

a healthy zeal

in all of us

to depend on

God and to

keep trusting

him.

Don't trust

yourself for

one moment.

You should

fear that

relapse into

the pattern

of the

world.

We all

should.

But we

also should

not have

fear.

We need

to live

in light

of this

reality.

Christ

lives and

he rules

from heaven.

Look at

what Paul

says here

in chapter

1 verse

21.

He encourages

this church.

He says,

far above

all principality,

power,

might,

dominion,

and every

name that

is named,

far above

all those

is our

Lord Jesus

Christ,

the King

of kings

on his

throne of

glory.

What's

more,

it's not

only in

this world,

Paul wrote,

but also

in the

world which

is to

come.

If you

are adopted

into God's

family,

you already

belong to

that spiritual

heavenly

kingdom.

You belong

there now.

And be

encouraged with

verse 22,

Paul writes

that God

has put

all things

under the

feet of

Jesus.

Yes,

our King

Jesus is

already ruling

here now

spiritually,

and he

will come

one day

consummately.

We are in

that overlap

of the ages,

this present

evil age and

the age to

come which

is already

inaugurated.

We already

have been

adopted into

that kingdom.

His kingdom

on earth

right now

is a

spiritual

kingdom.

Look at

what he says

in the rest

of verse 2.

The Father

gave Jesus

Christ to be

the head

over all

things to

the church.

Verse 23,

the church

is his

body and

is the

fullness of

him that

fills all

in all.

How does

God rule

over this

whole world?

Well,

God never

stopped being

the creator

and the

sustainer of

everyone and

everything.

Yes,

he's preserving

the whole

world for

his purposes,

but it's

through the

church that

his spiritual

rule has

already begun.

And King

Jesus,

he rules

this entire

world through

his church

until every

last one who

will be joined

in to the

family of the

father believes.

That's how his

kingdom is coming.

What you enjoy

now by faith

belonging to

the spiritual

kingdom,

you trust by

faith,

one day you

will enjoy it

fully and

consummately.

Go back to

chapter 1 and

look at this

promise in

verse 7.

Ephesians

Ephesians 1:7

chapter 1

verse 7.

God wants

you to

believe that

in the age

to come,

he will show

you the

exceeding

riches of

his grace

in his

kindness toward

us who

through Christ

Jesus belong

to him.

He wants

you to see

now by faith

the exceeding

riches of

belonging to

the father's

house.

You already

have the

family name.

You're already

there.

And one

day all

will see the

riches,

the exceeding,

abounding,

overflowing

riches of

God's grace

and kindness.

So maybe God

needs to

reform and

heal our

view of

church itself

and who we

are.

The Bible

fed,

spirit filled,

Christ owned

church is

not a

depressing

foster shelter.

Church is

life giving

hospital for

souls.

The Bible

fed,

spirit filled,

Christ owned

church is

not your

temporary

orphanage.

It's your

forever family.

family.

Well those

are the

five things

I want you

to ponder

but we

also need

to see how

Paul ends

with an

exhortation.

If this

is true for

you, you

belong to

the family

of the

father, it

needs to

change our

walk.

Ponder what

your adoption

means for

your walk.

Look at

chapter 2

verse 8.

Paul said,

Paul couldn't

make it any

clearer here.

You are

not saved

by your

own works.

That's

good news.

You were

not adopted

based on

your good

works.

You know

what that

means?

God will

not unadopt

you based

on your

works.

Once adopted,

you're in

his house.

Is a

loving father

going to let

his adopted

child go

around with

lice in

the hair,

rashes all

over the

skin,

no deodorant?

Look what he

says here.

You're

adopted.

You're

going to have

the Holy

Spirit working

on you as

a masterpiece.

God is the

master craftsman

and you are

the project.

He loves to

work on you

and me.

He says we're

being crafted

by God

himself.

Look at

chapter 2

verse 10.

Paul says we

are his

workmanship.

Paul's in this

too.

The more God

works on him

the more he

says I'm

the worst

of sinners.

We are

his workmanship.

We are

created in

Christ Jesus

unto good

works.

Isn't that the

beauty of the

gospel?

Law and

gospel.

That's it

right there.

That's why I

jokingly say

Paul was a

reformed

Baptist.

He got it.

Well,

Sinclair Ferguson,

a Presbyterian,

the coolest

Presbyterian,

I love how

he put this

exact gospel

truth.

He said

this,

those Christ

adopts have

the Holy

Spirit and

the Holy

Spirit is

sent into

your life

to make

your life

the kind

of place

which the

Father can

say to

the Son,

I feel at

home here.

Don't you?

Remember how

Jesus said in

the gospel of

John,

my Father

is always

working?

This is how

the Father

is always

working.

He is

working in

you and

in me.

And he's

working through

the church

together to

accomplish his

purposes in

all the

world.

William Tyndale

understood this,

I believe.

He was the

Englishman who

first translated

the scripture

from the

Hebrew and

Greek into

the English

nation.

So he was

using his

own country as

a mission

field to

bring them

the word of

God and

the gospel.

Here's what

Tyndale said,

he said,

the church

is the

one institution

that exists

for those

outside of

it.

Why is

that?

Well,

because we're

in the

Father's

house.

And he's

working in

us and

through us

to bring

more sons

and daughters

into his

family.

And that's

what Paul

says here,

church,

that you

and I

and Paul

and all

those who

belong to

Christ,

we are the

body of

Jesus Christ

on earth.

that's our

mission.

And he

says we

will walk

as the

body of

Christ in

those good

works.

Notice what

he says at

the end of

verse 10,

those good

works which

God has

before ordained

that we

should walk

in them.

That steals

all the glory

out of anyone

wanting to

take credit

now for

walking in

good works.

Did you do

a good work

this past week?

Probably all

of us did.

Well,

God in

his infinite

wisdom,

he prepared

that good

work that

you did

this week.

He prepared

that you

would walk

and do

that.

You're his

hands and

feet,

his body

on this

earth.

Who gets

all the

glory for

your good

works?

It has

to be

God.

You would

have been

walking a

totally

different

path if

God had

not saved

you.

And he

foreordained

great works

for each

one of us

to walk

and accomplish

so that

he would

get the

glory in

all of

them.

Here's the

rest of

Sinclair Ferguson's

quote.

He confesses

what I feel

in his

words.

He says,

I look at

my life and

there's still

so much

that needs

to change.

Amen?

There's so

much that needs

to change in

my life to

make it a

place where

the Father

and the Son

feel at

home in

me.

Ferguson

encourages

us,

take comfort.

That is the

Holy Spirit's

ministry.

ministry.

Ponder

your wondrous

adoption in

Christ and

inevitably you

will walk in

the good works

that God has

already ordained

for you.

let's pray.

Let's pray.

Paul said that he

prayed for them

from prison and I

just want to read to

you Paul's prayer

and I join my

prayer, my thoughts

for you with his

before the Lord.

from Ephesians 3

starting at verse

16.

I pray that out

of his glorious

riches he may

strengthen you

with his power

through his

spirit in your

inner being so

that Christ may

dwell in your

hearts through

faith and I

pray that you

being rooted

and established

in love may

have power

together with

all the Lord's

holy people to

grasp how wide

and long and

high and deep

is the love of

Christ and to

know this love

that surpasses

knowledge that

you may be filled

to the measure

of all the

fullness of God.

Now to him who

is able to do

immeasurably more

than all we ask

or imagine

according to his

powerful work that

is at work within

us.

To him be glory

in the church

and in Christ

Jesus throughout

all generations

forever and

ever.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.