"A Kingdom of Kindness" Ephesians 2:7 Sunday Morning Worship Service

Ephesians 2, verse 7.

Ephesians 2:7

So that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

So reads the word of the living God.

Abraham lived in a tent.

For 75 years he had grown up in the city of Ur, but then God called him to leave there, and so he went to the land of Canaan where he dwelled in tents.

While he was there, he fought to defend his family.

And when he was 86 years old, God, though he had promised him many sons, Abraham tried to get a child by his own means, illegitimately, and he had a son.

A hundred years old, God gave him a miracle son named Isaac.

And some years after that, his wife, Sarah, died.

And when she died, he went to the people of the land of Canaan and asked if he could buy a plot of land, the cave of Machpalah, and they said yes, and so he bought it from them.

And in that conversation, he said to them, I am a sojourner here in this land.

Which is a strange statement to make if you think about it.

He'd been there at that point for over 25 years.

He had bought land there.

God had promised him that land.

He had buried his wife there.

And yet he called himself a sojourner in that land.

Why?

Well, the author of Hebrews helps us understand why Abraham thought this way, as well as all the men of faith who came before him.

Hebrews 11, 16, but as it is, they desire a better country.

That is a heavenly one.

Abraham lived in a tent.

And brothers and sisters, so do we.

Because we have a better country that we can call home.

It's heaven.

This mindset has marked every man and woman of faith from Abel all the way to today, and it is what the Puritans called heavenly mindedness.

It's this active heavenward gaze of the believer who recognizes, like Abraham, that we are sojourners and exiles and pilgrims here on this earth.

That's why Paul says in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 2, that we are in a tent.

2 Corinthians 5:2

We're groaning for the world to come, for heaven.

And when he talks about heaven, he's not thinking there about what theologians call the intermediate state of heaven, which would be if you were to die right now as a Christian, you would go to heaven, but that's a spiritual place.

No, what Paul is thinking about is the eternal state.

He's thinking about a physical place where you will be resurrected, the whole world will be resurrected, the new heavens and the new earth.

And that is the better country to which we belong.

Philippians chapter 3, verse 20.

Philippians 3:20

Our citizenship is in heaven.

You realize if you're an American citizen here today, that is just a tourist visa.

Matthew chapter 6, Jesus says, We store up our treasures in heaven.

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

Your 401k is just a short-term loan.

Our joys, our heart is in heaven.

We are heavenly minded.

Because our joy, our inheritance, our destiny is in Canaan's fair and happy land, we also put our minds there.

That's what Paul says in Colossians chapter 3, verse 2.

Colossians 3:2

Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things of earth.

Be heavenly minded.

Abraham lived in a tent, and so do we, and we ought to think like that.

We should be heavenly-minded people.

We walk, as it were, on streets of gold all day long.

We breathe in the fresh breeze of heaven with every breath.

Our society, our conversation is all by the light of the throne of the Lamb.

Friends, we should do our finances, we should cook dinner, we should discipline kids, we should brush our teeth in heaven.

We should be heavenly minded.

It's the opposite of being worldly minded.

We live with our eyes on paradise.

We stand on the brink of eternity, and it gives us profound perspective if we are heavenly minded.

Richard Baxter, a Puritan, early in his life in ministry, became very sick, almost to the point of death, and so he did what anyone would do.

He wrote a thousand-page book entitled The Saints' Everlasting Rest.

It's a book about heaven.

And on page 735, he said he was just getting to his main point, which was this: bend thy soul to study eternity.

Busy it about the life to come.

Habituate thyself to such contemplations.

Dwell here, bathe thy soul in heaven's delights, drench thine affections in these rivers of pleasure, and thou wilt then find thyself in the suburbs of heaven.

You know, the election this past week presents us a unique temptation and opportunity with respect to heavenly mindedness.

The temptation, of course, is that we would be too consumed with matters that, though important, will in the history of heaven be less than a footnote.

Ten thousand years from now, you will not care who won the popular vote.

It also presents us an opportunity to contrast this country, the United States of America, with our heavenly country, our better country to which we belong.

The election reminds us that in this country, there is still a very sharp and deep divide about who should be in charge.

But in heaven, there is just one chorus of harmonious voices singing, Worthy is the Lamb.

This election reminds us that in this country, politicians and leaders still take the Lord's name in vain to score political points.

In heaven, the saints only bless God sincerely.

In this country, the citizens elect their rulers.

In our heavenly country, the ruler elects his citizens.

And perhaps the greatest contrast, the one to which Paul would draw our eyes in Ephesians chapter 2, verse 7, is this glorious truth that heaven is a kingdom of kindness.

Ephesians 2:7

Heaven is a kingdom of kindness.

Let me read for us again Ephesians 2, 7, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Now, why settle on this verse to think about being heavenly-minded?

The answer is because that has been Paul's aim throughout the whole book of Ephesians up until this point.

Ephesians 1, verse 3.

Ephesians 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

Verse 4.

That's talking about heaven.

Chapter 1, verse 10, as a plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Chapter 1, verse 11.

In him we have obtained an inheritance.

That's talking about heaven.

Chapter 1, verse 14.

Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it?

And then he continues in chapter 1, verse 17, to actually pray that the Ephesian believers would be heavenly minded.

Look at it.

Chapter 1, verse 17.

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know what?

What is the hope to which he has called you?

What are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the states?

And what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might, that he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead and seated him at the right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come.

And then in the beginning of chapter 2, he doubles back and reminds you what your life was like when you were just the citizen of this earth.

You were dead in your trespasses and sins.

You were following the tune of Satan, who's the God of this age, and you were by nature a child of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

But then God intervened.

Being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us, he made us alive together with Christ.

By grace you have been saved.

And he raised us with Christ, and he has seated us with Christ in the heavenly places, meaning spiritually, he has made you like you will be that day in heaven.

And then, after all of that, he says it was so that in the coming ages he would show you kindness.

This has all been leading to this moment.

He says this will happen in the coming ages.

There are some commentators who, when they read this verse, they say this is talking about the church age, what's happening right now.

But it says the coming ages, not the ones that have already come.

It's the ones that are still to come.

This is future.

We're talking about heaven.

And what's at the heart of the activity of God in these coming ages?

Well, it's this little phrase in kindness.

Kindness is the goodness of God as he demonstrates it, shows it towards his people.

You are good and do good, that's kindness.

It's the generosity of God, his benevolence, his desire to bless, to benefit, to improve the life of another.

And it's what Paul says is right at the heart of heaven.

So, if heaven is a kingdom of kindness, and we want to be heavenly minded, then we need to wrap our minds around what it means for heaven to be a kingdom of kindness.

In what way?

And that's what this little verse teaches us.

What makes heaven a kingdom of kindness?

And here's the first reality that Paul shows us it Heaven is a kingdom of kindness because it fulfills the plan of God.

It fulfills the plan of God.

The summary of this whole text is that God has saved you in order to show you his character of grace through unending acts of kindness forever in heaven in Christ.

That's the summary of it.

And the first thing I want you to notice about that truth is that it means then that God has not saved you just to save you.

Your salvation is not the ultimate end of God's purposes for you, it is a means to an end.

That's all captured in this one little word, two in the English, verse 7, so that.

So that.

This means this is a purpose clause.

This was the intent of God.

He had planned this.

God did not save you just to save you.

He doesn't want to bring you to heaven just to bring you there.

God saves you, which is what he talks about in the previous verses, so that he will show you kindness.

In order to show you kindness.

This little single word, so that it bears the whole weight of redemptive history on its shoulders.

This, beloved, is the reason why God said, let there be light.

This is the reason why God called Abraham out of Ur.

This is the reason why God parted the Red Sea.

This is the reason why God established his king.

This is the reason why God sent his Messiah.

This is the reason why he died on a cross and raised.

This is the reason why he established the church.

This is the reason why that church came into your life and the gospel was preached to you, and you believed so that in the coming ages he would show kindness to you.

I mean, isn't it breathtaking?

This was God's plan all along.

And this is not the only place we see this in Ephesians, this planning kind of language.

Ephesians chapter 1, verse 5.

Ephesians 1:5

He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of his will.

Chapter 1, verse 9, making known to us the mystery of his will according to his purpose.

Chapter 1, verse 10, as a plan for the fullness of time.

Chapter 1, verse 11, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.

Orover, in chapter 3, verse 9, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, or chapter 3, verse 11.

This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You get the picture?

This was God's plan to save a people, to bring them to himself, to show them kindness.

And even this phrase in the coming ages implies the plan of God.

In the coming ages, says who?

Who says there's going to be more ages?

Well, God does, because he's planned them out.

And he's revealed that to us.

This was always God's plan.

God never took his eye off of heaven.

And if that's true, then friends, he will surely bring it to pass.

You may not know, but Pastor Juan, who serves in Hispanic Cristo here at Emanuel, is also an electrician.

And we had a dimmer switch that was broken at our house, and so I called him up and said, Would you come help me fix it?

And so he came over the other day and took a look at it, and he said, Yeah, you gotta replace that.

Why don't you go to Home Depot, get the replacement part, and then you can call me and I'll come back and I'll install it.

I said, Great.

So I went to Home Depot the other night.

And yesterday I was sitting at the kitchen table working on this sermon, and I looked over and I saw the replacement switch, and I thought, how hard can it be?

It's just wires.

Surely anyone could do this.

So I took it apart, installed the new switch, turned it on, lo and behold, it worked.

Except I somehow broke two other lights.

I don't know how that happened.

I don't know enough about how these things work.

And what that revealed to me is that when it comes to knowing who's able to fix the lights, there is only Juan.

I know.

I felt bad about it too.

I'm sorry.

Uh, you can direct your complaints to my email at hairgrove at ibc.church.

Brothers and sisters, oh, how we are tempted to help God out with his plan.

As if he needed it.

We think, well, if God's gonna be kind to me in eternity, then I really need to butter him up with some good works, don't I?

That'll make him happy with me.

That'll get me entrance into heaven if I just keep enough rules.

Beloved, this was God's design from the beginning.

He won't let you mess it up.

This was his plan all along, his eye has been on that day from before the first day.

The way we usually sing this, his grace has planned it all.

Tis mine, but to believe and recognize his work of love and Christ receive.

This was God's plan.

Heaven and all of its kindnesses.

Nothing can stop him, and nothing will.

God is determined to show his people kindness.

Secondly, not only does a kingdom of kindness fulfill the plan of God, but it also displays the wealth of God.

It displays the wealth of God.

What's at the heart of this eternal, unstoppable plan in heaven?

Look at verse 7.

So that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace and kindness.

Look at that word, that he might show.

It means to display, to prove, to reveal.

One commentator calls it God's publicity program.

It means to show outwardly what is already true inwardly.

God is already rich in grace, and he will bring his people to heaven to show them that for eternity.

This is the character of God.

He loves to show off.

He loves to show his people who he is.

And this is not the only passage we find this verb used in this way.

Romans chapter 3, verse 25, he says about the cross of Jesus Christ, that its purpose is to show the righteousness of God.

Romans 3:25

Or chapter, Romans chapter 9, verse 17, he says, He raised up Pharaoh and smote him with the plagues in order to show his power.

Romans 9:17

Or 1 Timothy chapter 1, verse 16, when God saves the Apostle Paul, the chief of sinners, it is to show his patience.

1 Timothy 1:16

So what is it that God is chiefly showing in heaven?

The immeasurable riches of his grace.

In other words, the surpassing wealth of unmerited favor.

This word immeasurable means going beyond.

It's the idea of someone chucking a spear, and then someone else comes along and they throw one further.

It's surpassing, it goes beyond.

This is used by the Caesars of the day.

To speak of their displays of wealth.

It was far beyond anyone else's.

And what are they?

Immeasurable riches?

Riches?

Just the word for money, for currency.

But you appreciate God is not so poor as to be rich in legal tender.

The US dollar will be worth nothing in heaven.

It's just terrible inflation.

No, God isn't rich in dollars and cents.

God has a divine affluence in his own character.

Chapter 1, verse 18, the riches of his glorious inheritance.

Chapter 2, verse 4, the riches of his mercy.

Chapter 3, verse 8, the immeasurable, unsearchable riches of Christ.

Chapter 3, verse 16, the riches of his glory.

And at the center of heaven, Paul says, chapter 2, verse 7, the immeasurable riches of his grace.

Grace meaning his disposition and desire to bless those who do not deserve it.

And Paul's point in piling up these words, immeasurable riches, is to say he's got a whole lot of that.

God's kindness toward the saints in heaven is the outward manifestation of his inward character of grace.

And God forever in heaven will be ceaselessly lavishing on his people kindness after kindness after kindness as a show of that grace.

And just when you think 7,000 years from now that you have seen the end of it, he will go beyond.

He's got more.

The language of this text gloriously requires that this kindness also includes future, ongoing acts of God toward us in heaven.

And this is a revelation to me when I was studying this verse, because I just don't think I'd ever ask the question what's God doing in heaven?

Like, is he just sitting up there on a throne and they start singing?

He's like, all right, go ahead.

What's his activity in heaven?

And part of the answer, according to the Apostle Paul, is that he is showing kindness to his people, showering redeemed sinners with kindness.

I just want to show you one passage.

Turn with me to Luke chapter 12.

Luke 12 · chapter mention

Luke chapter 12, where Jesus himself tells a very surprising parable to this effect.

Luke 12 · chapter mention

Luke chapter 12, Jesus tells this parable and he tells us afterwards that this is about the second coming.

Luke 12 · chapter mention

This is about going into heaven.

Luke chapter 12, verse 35, he says this.

Luke 12:35

Stay dressed for action, keep your lamps burning, be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.

So you've got the picture, right?

We're the servants, we're waiting for the master to come home, and we want to be ready.

Okay, verse 37.

Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes.

And then listen to this.

Truly I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.

I mean, I know the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many, but in heaven too?

What will that look like?

What will that be like?

We only get glimpses of it in the Bible, but what glorious glimpses they are.

Jesus says in John 14, I go to prepare a place for you.

It'd be a really nice place to live.

1 Corinthians 15, Paul says you're going to get a resurrected body, glorified like Christ.

No more aches and pains.

Nigel, no more knee replacements, you're done.

Revelation 21, 22 tells us this glorious city is a bride prepared for her husband.

Streets of gold, crystal everywhere.

The light is the Lamb Himself.

Kings coming in and out with their glory.

There's a tree of life with healing for the nations.

There's a river of life flowing from the throne, clear as crystal.

And you and I are there serving him, which is a kindness in itself.

And we get to see him face to face.

And then he says, Revelation chapter 22, 5 and 6, that we will reign with him.

Revelation 22 · chapter mention

Kind of like how Paul said, he seated us with Christ.

Where's Christ?

He's on the throne.

And when you get to heaven, he says, Come on up here.

I mean, I wouldn't believe that if the Bible didn't say it.

But he gives authority to reign to his people.

I mean, how do you apply something like this?

I think the only way really is just to enjoy it.

So would you enjoy this with me for a second?

I mean, think about all the wonderful good things that God has given you in this life, all the kindnesses that God has shown you that you enjoy.

And appreciate that all of those are just a preview of the world to come.

Every auburn sunset, every amber wave of grain, every newborn baby, every 50-year wedding anniversary, every good and glorious thing that you have experienced in this life, beloved, is just the appetizer.

And heaven is the meal.

And in heaven, all of the things that are obstacles to your joy will be gone.

In heaven, hospitals are museums.

Graveyards are empty.

The election cycle is mercifully over.

There is nothing boring in heaven.

Nothing to ever dull your delights.

There's no more goodbyes.

Only one sweet, glorious reunion.

And there's no more sin to spoil the good gifts of God.

And right at the center of all of it is God Himself.

The Lamb.

And you with Him face to face.

You don't see His glory anymore through a book, through preaching, means of grace.

You get it direct.

There's no more prayer, there's just talking.

It's what Jonathan Edwards called an intuitive view of God.

You see him like you see the sun.

And he went on to describe it this way.

This sight of God shall satisfy the soul with pleasure.

It shall be as full of grace as the large desires of the soul can receive.

So sweet shall it be that the soul will desire nothing sweeter.

You will not be able to outwant what God will give you.

The way Isaac Watts wrote it in his hymn, how sweet and awful is the place with Christ within the doors, where everlasting love displays the choicest of her stores.

Can you taste it?

Can you set your mind on that?

The immeasurable riches of his grace.

Well, this kingdom of kindness, it fulfills the plan of God, it displays the wealth of God.

But third, it exalts the Son of God.

This is where our verse ends and what all of eternity has been leading to.

Notice, back in Ephesians chapter 2, verse 7, the immeasurable riches of his grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:7

The kindness of the kingdom of heaven will all be funneled through one glorified man.

Man with feet of burnished bronze, whose voice is the roar of many waters, whose eyes are like the flame of fire, and whose robe is dipped in blood.

He will be at the center of all of it, and all of the kindness of God will be in him.

You say, how does that work?

I don't know.

I can guess.

We know that Jesus is the light source for all of heaven, so everything that you see will be by his light, maybe that way that you perceive everything.

It seems to reason that you'll still be united to Christ through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and so you'll be perfectly one with him.

John, 1 John chapter 3 says that when we see him, we'll be like him, because we'll see him as he is.

1 John 3 · chapter mention

So our desires will be his very desires.

But if it's none of that, it is at least this that our greatest joy and the delight of our hearts will supremely be in what it has been God's supreme delight for all of eternity and will be for eternity, which is to exalt and glorify Jesus Christ the Son.

Oh, how God loves to magnify his son, to display his glories, and so will we we will exalt the Son.

And again, this has been the burden of Ephesians so far.

Ephesians chapter 1, verse 6.

Ephesians 1:6

To the praise of his glorious grace with which he has blessed us in the beloved.

Chapter 1, verse 12, so that we who are the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

Or chapter 1, verse 14, the Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

That's what heaven's all about.

Worshiping Jesus.

If you don't believe me, turn to Revelation 5 and see what they're singing.

Worthy is the lamb who is slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.

I hope you like that song.

You're going to sing it for a while.

That's at the center of heaven.

God's kindness to you in Christ, which exalts him.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, to be heavenly minded is to be Christ exalting.

And of course, we know that earth is not heaven.

But we also know that heaven does have an outpost here on earth.

You're in it.

Every Sunday morning when we gather and exalt Jesus Christ, we are participating in and tasting of the eternal delight of heaven.

The very thing that will occupy us for ages and ages hence.

Because of the kindness of Almighty God.

If you're here this morning and you are not in Christ, you wouldn't call yourself a Christian.

You need to know that God has been showing kindness to you your whole life.

Every breath that you take, it's just his kindness.

Every good, sweet thing that you've enjoyed, that's God's kindness.

And God says, Romans chapter 2, verse 4, that that kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.

Romans 2:4

You are supposed to conclude from the kindness of God that this is a holy God deserving of my worship, and I have not worshipped him.

Instead, I've sinned against him, and I need to turn from that sin.

And the only way that I can be reconciled to this God is through his exalted Son, Jesus Christ, whom he sent to be crucified and resurrected, so that you could be brought into this heavenly kingdom clean and experience his kindness forever.

And so the call of God's kindness in heaven to you today is to repent and to trust in Jesus Christ.

And if you will not, then on the day that you die, God's kindness to you will end.

And instead you will be ushered into hell and eventually an eternal hell, a lake of fire where you will be tormented day and night with no kindness whatsoever from God.

Only justice, only what you deserve.

And I don't want that for you.

I want you to know Jesus.

I want you to be in heaven, experiencing the riches of his kindness forever.

And so I beg you today: place your trust in Jesus.

Know his kindness through the cross.

Believe in him and have your eternal faith secured such that you will drink in the river of the delights of the kindness of God rather than his wrath forever.

Do it today by faith.

Place your faith in him right now and be reconciled to this kind God who is offering paradise to you.

Brothers and sisters, I want to remind you Abraham lived in a tent.

And so do we.

Strengthen the weak.

And cause all of us to set our minds on that day.

Oh, what a day it will be.

Lord Jesus, please come quickly.

We pray this in your name.

Amen.

And now for a parting word from Pastor Jesse Johnson.

Thanks for joining us.

If you're in the Washington, D.C.

area, I would love to see you at Emmanuel Bible Church.

For more information on our church or our current service times, go to iBC.church.

For more information about the Master Seminary and their Washington, D.C.

location, go to TMS.edu.

I hope this resource has been a blessing to you and it helps you seek the Lord daily, serve others around you, and share the gospel with boldness.