Church, Praise God The Father!

Here are verses 4-6. One more time, our focus for today. Ephesians 1, 4-6.

Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.

In love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will,

to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved.

The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Please be seated.

The grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of the Lord stands forever.

Please pray with me.

Oh Lord, we praise You for revealing Yourself to us.

We praise You for the ministry of the Holy Spirit through whom You breathed out these words,

written down by the Apostle Paul, under divine inspiration.

And how You've preserved these words, Lord, for Your church, for our good, for our edification,

so that You can cause our faith to grasp hold of the triune God.

And even though our minds are limited, Lord, we can receive Your Word like a child, with childlike faith.

What You have made so clear and so simple, we pray that You'll cause us to understand this now, Lord.

I pray that as a minister of Your Word, I won't hinder Your people,

that I won't make it more complicated than it is.

I pray that You'll guide my words, Lord, through the preparation and now through the delivery,

to build Your people up.

But more than what may be visible, Lord,

we pray especially that Your Holy Spirit will take Your Word, Your truth,

that You've revealed and work it into our lives.

Work Christ into us.

Cause us to grasp You, Lord,

through the faith that Christ has opened up for us and that the Spirit applies to us.

Bring us, Lord, into the throne room of heaven.

From Your presence, help us to behold better today who You are.

And being in Your presence, Lord,

there will be no response for Your people other than to fall down on our faces before You

and praise You and glorify You.

We ask that You do this work in us, Lord.

Lord, maybe there are those who are lost in darkness still, Father.

We pray that You'll open up their ears to hear the good news of salvation from God,

our Creator, through Jesus Christ, His only Son.

And that they won't stay far away, Lord, that the enemy won't deceive them,

that You will draw them into Your presence, into Your kingdom,

that they can know this precious adoption that we have in Christ.

We ask all of this for the precious name of Jesus.

Amen.

It's the design of a clock to tell time.

It's the design of a chair to bear weight,

even that lawn chair that you're sitting in there.

It's God's design for the sun to cast forth light and warmth so that there can be light.

What's your design?

For what did God design you and me?

The Bible tells us it's the design of every person to give praise.

Many will reject the words of the Bible, the words of the Creator,

but we can also point out to the examples all around us.

Evaluate if this is true.

People can't help but praise.

Probably right now there's someone praising that peach,

that Palisade peach they got at the farmer's market.

They're praising the creature.

People love to flood into museums and praise artwork.

We flood into theaters and halls where we have musicians in the sympathy.

And what they're doing is they're praising the composer or the skill of the musicians.

We praise the food at a restaurant.

We praise athletes at a stadium.

We're created as people to praise.

I thought of one more example, and it's a fire hose.

A fire hose is designed to gush out water that can be aimed at the right target to put out a fire.

Every single human being, you and I, we look around, we're really like those fire hoses.

We are designed to gush out praise.

But these hoses are always pointed downward at earthly things.

And the Holy Spirit causes that to be steered in the right direction.

Here's one more example.

This letter comes to us from a church in the city called Ephesus.

And you remember what we read about the people of Ephesus.

The whole city, one of the biggest cities in Asia Minor, had gathered.

And they had erupted in the praise of a demon goddess named Artemis or Diana.

They have to praise something.

And here comes the gospel into a city like Ephesus, a city like Parker, Denver Metro, into lives like yours and mine.

And God calls us to worship him, the only worthy object of our praise.

This is how this letter begins.

Look at verse three.

Paul, writing to the church in Ephesus and to all churches who will receive this, including you and me.

Look at verse three.

Blessed be God.

Praise God.

And now he walks through each person of the Trinity.

He says, first, praise the triune God with me, focused on God the Father, from whom all spiritual blessings flow.

So that's our focus for today.

Church, praise God the Father.

Oh, church, praise God the Father today.

And I want to point out in verses four, five, and six, four reasons we should praise God the Father.

Number one, oh, church, praise God the Father, who, in verse four, look at the first few words.

God the Father chose us in Christ.

Praise God the Father.

Why?

Here's the first reason.

Because he chose us in Christ.

Verse four says that he, meaning God the Father, chose us, writing to a local church, in him, meaning God the Son, Jesus Christ.

Someone pointed out how an accurate understanding begins with accurate grammar.

So let's do some grammar for ourselves here.

What's the subject of that statement?

What's the subject of that statement?

The subject means it's the active agent, and it's God the Father.

What's the verb?

The verb is the action.

He chose.

That word means he picked out.

He selected.

He elected.

Who?

Who?

Us.

The object.

That's the person acted upon.

It's very clear and very simple, isn't it?

God chose us in Christ.

Yet our flesh and our fallen minds, many throughout church history have tried to twist the clear words of Scripture to say that it's fallen man who chooses God first.

That God chose those whom God knew would choose him.

They've said that election is based on God foreseeing a faith that certain people would have in the future and that others would not have.

The reason they give is because Jesus said, come unto me, whosoever will.

Well, how do we respond to that way of thinking, that way of interpreting this very clear statement?

Well, let's start with that reference to Scripture.

The Bible says, in the words of Jesus, come to me, whosoever will.

And our response is, yes, whosoever will.

But the question is, who does Jesus say will come to him?

Jesus said in John 6, 44, no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.

John 15, verse 16, Jesus said, you did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain.

John 15:16

You see, that's the problem.

Under the curse of Adam, we will never choose God.

We are imprisoned to our own sin.

That's why 1 Corinthians 2, 14 explains, the natural man born according to this fallen nature than Adam does not receive the things of the Spirit of God,

for they are foolishness to him, nor can they know them because they are spiritually discerned.

God has to reveal to fallen man the mystery of salvation in Jesus Christ.

So the real question is, who does God draw to himself?

And according to our passage in Ephesians 1, God draws to himself those God elected.

Outside of time and space, before the history of planet Earth began, the Lamb of God, we're told in the Bible,

the Lamb that was slain before the foundations of the world, has a book of life with names written on it,

not a hypothetical category, but names of those to whom he would give eternal life.

Titus 1, 2 says that eternal life comes from God, who cannot lie promised before time began.

Revelation 17, 8 says there are others whose names are not written in this book of life of the Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world,

who will receive judgment from God, whose names are not written in the book of life.

So the question is really, on what basis does God elect some sinners to be saved?

In Romans 9, 15, the Holy Spirit answers this exact question.

God says, I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy.

And I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.

Is this unjust of God?

By no means.

The Bible says, do not lean on your own understanding.

You and I will either receive God's grace in Jesus Christ,

or we will receive God's justice outside of Jesus Christ.

If election were based on God, forcing a future faith determined by a man,

then the final basis for salvation would be the man's choice, not God's.

Then at least part of the glory, in fact, the deciding part would rightly be claimed by the one who chose God.

But the Bible says, look for yourself.

Verse four.

We were chosen in him before the creation of the world.

Now look at verse six.

Why?

To the praise of his glorious grace, not for man's glory.

The one who chose God's grace, not for man's glory.

Loving this child based on something this child may or may not do in the future.

It's simply an expression of their love.

Because this baby is the fruit of their good pleasure.

And that's how God chose you before the foundation of the world in Christ.

You are the fruit of God's good pleasure in Christ.

Your salvation does not depend on anything you have done or will do in the future.

God loved you and picked you.

He elected you before you ever had a chance to earn even the smallest part of it.

2 Timothy 2.19 presses this glorious truth on us.

The solid foundation of God stands having this seal.

The Lord knows those who are his.

The Lord has known you who are his in Christ before the foundation of the world.

Why?

So that you as his church would praise God the Father for choosing you in Christ.

Here's the second reason to praise God.

O church, praise God the Father who purposed, look at the rest of verse four,

before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him.

Church, praise God the Father who purposed that you and I would be holy before him.

He's using a metaphor describing the cosmos, the whole world, being built like a big construction site.

The first thing you do in laying out a big construction project is to pour out the foundation.

Think about the church in Ephesus.

They're thinking of this magnificent building, this huge construction.

It's the temple to the goddess Diana.

And think of how that came to be.

All the work cutting the marble and laying the foundation and building it up.

The almighty God, way before that temple ever started to take shape.

He is the one who stood as the master architect of all the creation.

The entire world, including the spiritual realm.

And he pledged to build it from start to finish.

Every single detail.

Because he is God.

As we receive this glorious truth that God designed your salvation.

That you would be before him, holy and blameless.

From start to finish.

All his plan.

We need to remember which God it is that did this.

Who is this great God of our salvation?

I did a wonderful study.

I looked up, where does the Bible talk about what it was like and what happened before the foundations of the world?

What else does the Bible say about that?

That moment in eternity past, so to speak.

And here's a few of the wonderful truths we know from the Bible.

Number one.

Outside of time and space, before the history of planet Earth began,

the triune God has always existed as sovereign Lord over all.

Psalm 92 says,

God will do as God wills because he is the sovereign Lord.

God was, he is, and he forever shall be the almighty creator of all who reigns as absolute, undisputed Lord over all that is and all that ever shall be.

What else?

Number two.

Outside of time and space, before the history of planet Earth began,

God declared his wise counsel, his eternal decree to accomplish all that he pleased.

Isaiah 46 10 says,

God declared the end from the beginning and from ancient times, things that were not yet done, saying,

My counsel shall stand and I will do my pleasure.

This is the God who saves.

According to the counsel of his own infinite wisdom,

God's eternal decree was set to accomplish his good will.

Because he is God, he will do as he pleases.

Why else?

Number three.

Before time and space, God the Father purposed that his grace would be put on his elect in Christ.

In addition to verse four of our passage, 2 Timothy 1 9 and many other places testify to this.

It says,

Who has saved us?

This is God who 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 Christ Jesus before time began.

Before God said, let there be evening and let there be morning.

The very first time God had already locked his love upon his people in Christ.

The hope of our salvation rests upon God's sovereign purpose,

upon his divine decree that he has covenanted in Christ Jesus for you and me before the world began.

Our passage says,

God designed that we would be able to come before him.

And we would be able to stand before God in Christ as blameless and holy.

That word before God,

Corum Deo,

is the Latin.

And it means together with God or before the face of God,

in the presence of the holy God.

To be Corum God in that way.

It means that you're not just standing in front of them,

but that he is actively looking at you.

You're fully exposed before his holy gaze.

And that God foreordained that in Christ,

that's how we would be positionally before God in Christ.

God is all-knowing,

and he is all-seeing,

and God is everywhere present.

And still,

people like you and me with remaining sin,

if we are in Christ,

we already stand in his presence,

before his face,

without any blame.

He sees us as blameless,

as holy.

We are already set apart.

We're already blood-sprinkled vessels for his sacred purposes.

We are being sanctified for this special purpose he has for his people.

He causes us to live in accord with that purpose,

to live for his glory.

This is what it means that God purposed before the world began

for his church,

in verse 4,

to be holy and without blame before him.

We are set apart.

He considers us pure,

consecrated.

We're blameless.

He looks at us,

and he sees us as he sees his own son,

Jesus Christ.

He sees us as unblemished,

faultless,

unspotted before him.

It's very important that we,

we put this together.

So,

he chose us in Christ,

before the foundations of the world,

that we would be holy and blameless.

What's the relationship between him,

choosing us in Christ,

and being holy and blameless?

John Gill helpfully,

made the distinction.

God does not elect men

because they will believe

and be holy,

but they believe

and he makes them holy

because he elected them.

That's the relationship.

Faith and holiness

are the fruits

and the effects

of our being elected in Christ.

Therefore,

they cannot be the causes

or the conditions

of our election.

Would it be helpful

if I ran that one by you

one more time,

by John Gill?

God does not elect men

because they will believe

and be holy,

but you and I believe

and are made holy by God

because God elected us

in Christ.

Faith and holiness

are fruits

and effects of election,

and therefore cannot be

the causes

or conditions

of election.

Amen?

Amen?

This is confirmed

in God's word.

Receive this

as an encouragement

of your assurance

by God's grace alone.

2 Thessalonians 2.13

We are bound

to give thanks to God

always for you,

brethren,

beloved by the Lord,

because God

from the beginning

chose you

for salvation

through sanctification

by the Spirit

and belief

in the truth.

All glory be to God.

So church,

praise God the Father

who purposed

before the foundation

of the world

that we should be holy

and without blame

before Him.

Amen?

Here's our third reason

to praise God the Father

from our passage today.

O church,

praise God the Father

who loved

and predestined us

for adoption

as sons

by Jesus Christ

to Himself.

This is verse 5.

Church,

praise God

who in love

predestined us

to adoption

as sons

by Jesus Christ

to Himself.

As we speak

of this glorious

doctrine

of predestination

and election

before the foundations

of the world,

we need to be

just as careful

to be clear

and accurate

as we do

with the way

in which we talk

about this.

I love how our

confession of faith

actually warns us

that these are

high truths,

these are high mysteries

and doctrines

that must be handled

with good pastoral care.

they are to stir us

up to worship God

but never meant

to be destructive

or divisive

within the body.

If you and I

were brought

to help restore

the stained glass

inside of an old

beautiful church building,

it would be wrong

for one of us

to bring along

our sledgehammer

to do that delicate work,

right?

Let's let ourselves

meditate now

and bask

on the tone

of how God

describes this

wonderful doctrine

of choosing us.

In love,

we read in verse 5

at the end of verse 4,

it was in love

that God

predestined us,

that he chose us

in Christ

and he speaks of it

as being brought

into his family

as ones who were

orphaned,

alienated from God

but are now adopted

as sons

by Christ Jesus

to God himself.

It's language

of love

and family.

We must speak

of these glorious

truths

and we need

the Holy Spirit

to train our minds

and our hearts

and our attitudes

and even our voices

and our tone

as we do our best

to put words

to the great mystery

of our salvation.

It's a tone

of love,

of family,

of a generous,

free offer

to all who will

come to Christ.

Think of how

the rest of Scripture

talks about this

loving predestination

by God

for all who will

be adopted in Christ.

In love,

God the Father

was pleased

in the words

of Galatians 4

to send forth

his Son

when the fullness

of time had come

so that we might

receive adoption

as sons.

And because you

are sons,

God has sent

his Spirit,

the Spirit of his Son,

into your hearts

crying,

Abba, Father.

In love,

God the Father

is pleased

in the words

of John 1, 12

to give you

the right

to become

children of God

to as many

as who will

receive him

who believe

in his name.

In love,

God the Father

was pleased

to call you

and me

his children.

Romans 8, 17

presses this

on us even more.

And if children,

then heirs,

heirs of God

and joint heirs

with Christ

if indeed

we suffer

with him

that we may

also be glorified

together with him.

In love,

we have the words

of God

from 2 Corinthians 6, 18.

I will be

a father to you

and you shall be

my sons and daughters,

says the Lord

Almighty.

In love,

God the Father

was pleased

to answer

Christ's own prayer

in John 17, 24.

Jesus prayed,

Father,

I desire

that they also

whom you gave

me

may be with me

where I am

that they may

behold my glory

which you have

given me

for you have

loved me

before the

foundation

of the world.

And that's what

I want for my people,

my church,

those you have

given to me.

Our second

London Confession

of Faith,

chapter 3,

paragraph 7,

says,

this glorious

doctrine

deserves one

response from

God's people,

praise.

This should

stir us up

to revere

God,

to admire

our Savior,

and it should

also cause us

to be humble,

to be diligent

in studying

his word

and growing

in the faith,

and then to

rest in the

rich comfort

of his promises

to his church.

So church,

praise God

who in love

predestined us

for adoption

as sons

by Jesus Christ

to himself.

Here's the

fourth and final

reason the church

is called to

praise God

from our passage

today,

focused on

verse 6.

O church,

praise God

the Father

who authored

your salvation

according to

the good

pleasure of

his will

to the

praise of

the glory

of his

grace with

which he

has made

us accepted

in the

beloved.

Church,

praise God

the Father

who is the

author and

finisher of

your salvation

from start

to finish

for his

praise.

The word

in focus

in verses

5 and 6

is the

word

predestined,

predestined.

This word

means there

is a

destination,

but that

destination is

determined

beforehand,

in advance.

You have

been appointed

to end up

at a final

point,

a final

destination,

and it was

God the

Father who

predestined this

for you in

Jesus Christ.

Some of you

have gone to

Central Station

in Denver.

You can catch

a train and

go west,

or you could

go east.

The destination

of one train

is going to

take you to

the Atlantic

Ocean.

The destination

of another train

is going to

take you to

the Pacific

Ocean.

You are bound

for one

destination

or the

other.

Verses 5 and

6 tell us

that in

love,

God has

predestined

you,

church,

to be bound

for the

destination.

And the

final point

of this

destination

is you

belong in

the family

of God,

and you

live before

His face.

The other

destination is

you are

outside of

Christ.

You're

destined for

a life

now of

misery and

eternally for

judgment that

you deserve and

I deserve because

of our sin.

God has

predestined for

His people to

be with Him

forever and

ever,

adopted in

His family,

taken off of

that train,

so to speak,

and instead of

heading off of

a cliff of

eternal judgment

and torment,

you are put

now in

Christ.

And the

destination is

locked and

secure.

God

predestined

you,

and He did

all of this

for His

glory.

Because the

destination is

secure,

every step

along the

way to

accomplish

what He

has

predestined,

He also

controls,

He also

secures

forever.

Let your

eyes drop

down in

the passage

to verse

11.

Look at

Ephesians 1

Ephesians 1:11

verse 11.

Or this

word is

picked up

one more

time.

Ephesians

1 11 says

that God

predestined

you according

to the

purpose of

Him who

works all

things according

to the

counsel of

His own

will.

So the

Lord is

working all

things to

accomplish that

for which He

has predestined

you.

Think about

this.

You know you

are in Christ

now, but how

did that come

to be?

You were

born outside

of Christ,

headed toward

condemnation and

misery and

judgment.

How was it

that the

Lord brought

you now into

Christ?

In our flesh,

in our worldly

way of thinking,

we can twist it

this way.

We can say,

I must have

just gotten

lucky enough

to hear the

gospel preached

by a person

who was

persuasive enough

that I then

chose God,

and that's why

I'm in Christ.

That's not what

these verses

teach.

You and I

heard the

gospel,

and we

believed this

good news

for us

because God

works all

things according

to the counsel

of His will.

God was

working all

things so that

you would hear

the gospel.

No matter how

unclearly or

unpersuasively it

was preached,

He was working

it so that you

would believe in

Him according to

the counsel of

His own will.

And for what

purpose?

Why you?

It's simply

because God

the Father

predestined you

for adoption

to Himself

by Jesus

Christ,

that you

would be

considered

accepted in

the Beloved.

That word

accepted in

the Beloved,

it means God

would show you

His favor

in Christ.

God would

bestow His

grace upon

you in

Christ.

God would

consider you

one with

His beloved

one, His

highly honored

one, Jesus

Christ.

God holds

Jesus Christ

so dearly

in such

high esteem.

Jesus Christ

is the object

of divine

love and God

predestined you

to receive that

same love and

favor from

God the Father

in Jesus

Christ.

God is

working all

things so

that your

salvation and

mine will

come true.

My prayer

in preparing

for today

has simply

been that God

will stir us

up with these

simple truths

as much as

our minds

struggle to

receive it

or understand

it, that

we'll grab

hold of it

truly, if

not fully.

May His

grace stir

you to

praise Him

and fully

aware there

may be some,

very likely

are some,

that in God's

providence are

hearing the

gospel today

who do not

know salvation

in Christ.

If you're here

today and you

don't know

what is the

destination of

your life now

and for all

eternity,

or if there's

someone here

who is very

unsure of

what their

final destination

will be,

then we

pray that

the Lord

will draw

you to

Himself,

that you

will receive

Him by

faith.

Run to

Jesus Christ.

If He's

causing you to

believe this

and to

accept this,

it's because

His Spirit

has already

gone before

the word

that's being

preached today.

His Spirit

had already

arranged that

you would be

here today,

that this

would be our

sermon passage,

that you

would take

time to hear

this good

news of

your salvation

because God

is the one

who is working

all things

according to

the counsel

of His

will.

And to

those who

know this

loving God

the Father

through Jesus

Christ,

you need to

be reassured

that God

declares you

already,

right now,

this moment,

accepted in

the Beloved.

He views you

as blameless,

as holy in

His sight.

You can

praise the

glory of

God's grace

for your

salvation from

start to

finish.

That's the

response that

we owe Him.

We will

praise something.

Give Him the

praise today

that He is

due.

God the

Father adopts

you in

Christ.

Praise the

glory of

God's grace

for your

adoption.

Your salvation

is sure

because God

the Father

has pledged

Himself to

fulfill

your salvation

by His

unbreakable

oath-bound

covenant.

Praise the

glory of

God's grace.

God the

Father so

loves you

that He

sent His

beloved Son

to open up

this way

and bring you

directly into

the Holy of

Holies so

that there

you will

praise the

glory of

God's grace.

God the

Father unites

you and me

intimately to

Jesus Christ

and He

makes us

forever secure

in Christ

who is His

beloved.

Praise the

glory of

God's grace.

God the

Father actively

orchestrates

every detail

of history

to fulfill

His purpose

for you

and for all

those who

will trust

in Him

for life

to the

praise of

the glory

of God's

grace.

Do you

understand

what the

Bible says

about God's

great salvation?

On what

basis He

has lavished

this grace

on you

and me

in Christ?

It's

according to

the good

pleasure

of His

will.

Why?

For what

ultimate

end?

Look at

verse 6

to the

praise

of the

glory

of His

grace.

It is

God the

Father's

design

for us

as human

beings

to praise

Him.

Praise

His glorious

name,

the name

above

every

name,

the name

of God

the Father,

the Son,

and the Holy

Spirit.

Church,

praise God

for the

glory of

His grace.

Let's

pray.

Lord,

we give

you all

the glory.

There is

no glory

that man

can grab

for ourselves.

We repent

of this,

Lord.

We confess,

Lord,

that we

are lost

without

you.

You alone

are worthy

of all

praise.

Our

salvation,

Lord,

is your

design.

It's

your purpose

for your

people who

you chose

in Christ.

It's a

truth that's

too glorious

for us to

be able to

make up or

explain with

other words

beyond those

words of

the Bible.

And we

just pray,

Father,

that your

word will

run forth,

that you'll

press this

onto the

hearts and

the minds

of your

people,

that you

will seal

us again

in Christ,

Lord,

trusting your

promises,

that your

spirit will

let us know

we have this

assurance.

and I

pray,

Lord,

that those

who you

are drawing

to yourself,

you will

do that

more and

more powerfully.

Make it

so,

Lord,

that they

will run

to you

now,

that they

will look

back and

see your

good hand

of providence

leading them

all the

way and

give you

all the

praise for

this great

salvation.

Help us

as a church,

Lord,

to live lives

of humility

before you,

to speak of

our great

salvation with

the same

tone that you

have of love

for your

family.

And we

pray,

Lord,

that we

will get

to see

your family

grow,

one soul

at a time,

in a way

that brings

you all

the glory.

Amen.