Ephesians 1:11-14 - ”The Will of God” - Journey Through Ephesians

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your Lord and King

adore rejoice give thanks and sing and

triumph

every

more lift up your

hearts lift up your voice rejoice again

i say rejoice

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jesus the Savior

reigns the God of truth and

love when he has purged our stains he

took his seed

above lift up your

heart lift up your voice rejoice again I

say

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[Applause]

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rejoice his kingdom cannot

fail he rules over birth and

hell the keys of death and hell are to

our

Jesus king

lift up your

hearts lift up your voice rejoice again

i say

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rejoice rejoice in glorious

hope our Lord and God shall

come and take his servants up to their

eternal

home lift up your

hearts lift up your voice rejoice again

i say rejoice

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you may be seated

morning

i have some

announcements first is Circle of Friends

tomorrow at noon so that's uh um one

Monday every month and this month it's

tomorrow at noon please come and join us

and then we have uh Easter which Emry

has already said but I'll just quickly

remind anybody who's just a little late

uh Good Friday is at the church just a

little bit down the road at 10:00 a.m

kcrc and then uh Easter Sunday will be

back here as usual at 10 at Mountain

View and we will be sharing those

services with that other church

KCRC and then hymn sing also is coming

up Saturday the 26th of April at 2:30

p.m so come and join us for that and

sing some of the good old

tunes garage sale is now coming up save

the date May 3rd um Saturday uh you can

uh please reserve yourself a spot now

either a table or a spot for your car

because then you can lift your trunk or

spread out your blanket sell all your

wonderful wares um and if you don't have

anything to sell please come out and uh

see what everybody has there might be

some something special for you to to

take home um it's $10 will be collecting

the money on the day of and the money

that $10 will go to the startup of the

youth group which um Jason is going to

tell you a little bit more

about good morning yeah so uh Thomas um

is going to be kicking off our youth

group uh May 2nd at 6:30 here at the

church so anyone that is interested in

that come talk to me after the service

talk to Thomas but we're going to be

doing it every two weeks through the

summer and then we're going to go every

Friday night in September so any other

questions come talk to me after the

service why don't you talk about the age

group um uh whatever age is fine i'm

just kidding uh typically like 12 to 18

is kind of the what we're going what

we're going for so right was Am I right

yeah okay yeah 12 to 18 but we're Yeah

we have some other thoughts going on

about something to do with the the

younger kids that night as well as we're

considering doing a small group Friday

night for people whose kids will be

involved in the youth group so more of

that to come but yeah just come talk to

me right it's probably a good time to

tell you guys we have lots of problems

here and and you laugh sure go ahead

laugh um but the reality is they're good

problems um and we haven't had a reason

to have youth and now we do so figuring

out ages we're working on it um you know

what I mean we're asking for little

grace uh when I first arrived here Mike

was about the age of the youth group

here so um and uh so we we've actually

got babies now and I was having a

wonderful conversation with somebody who

goes into the baby room and says "Hey

Emry you can see right in there can we

get some?" And I'm like "Wow somebody's

talked about the baby room you know like

this is good stuff but it's new stuff."

So so think of us like a church plant

but that's been here a long time so

there's there's people who won't like it

but um we're working on it okay so it's

good just be happy as we try and figure

this stuff out the other thing I want to

mention is don't forget that on April

27th we're going to baptize five people

here isn't that great

five

that's Yes yes and I And if there's

anybody else I I can tell you that the

hitting their back of their head on the

thing I I've got way better at that so

you can feel good about that no more

concussions like that's my

promise all

right why don't we get the little fellas

to come down here

and if you're new just follow the the

horde all right as Henry's decided to go

the other way so we can pray here okay

thank you Father for these wonderful

children we thank you that you've

blessed us with them we pray a special

anointing on them as they go to learn

and they become more uh more like your

son Jesus Christ amen all right head on

down i don't see teachers oh there's

one yeah that doesn't make my day at

all who needs Prozac

all

right all right well now we're going to

um this is the part of the service that

I I actually take really seriously is

because um if there's one idol we just

love in our culture it's money right

whether we're struggling for money or

we're doing great in money that's the

one thing uh it was the great Martin

Luther said you're not truly converted

until your wallet's converted i don't

know if that's true but he made an

incredible point about uh that's the

part of ourselves that we like to own

ourselves and that's what makes so

important when we give because when we

give we're giving a part of ourselves or

truly worshiping God then and I'm going

to tell you right now never give if you

feel guilty never give because you're

trying to get something giving

biblically is always because of a

worship heart

always God loves a cheerful

cheerful cheerful

giver and so let us remind ourselves

that this is worship and we're going to

thank God for it and worship him with

this money and here's the irony of Vidal

everything we have he's given us and

then when we give him a little back he

says "Well done." It's crazy when you

think about it so let's pray

heavenly Father we thank you for your

amazing grace to us we thank you that

you have poured out yourself upon us

that you have given us tangible

blessings again and again

we ask you to take back these gifts

these tithes these offerings and we ask

you to from worshipful hearts to use it

to build up your kingdom to the glory of

your son Jesus Christ by the power of

your Holy Spirit amen

good

morning in the words of the prophet

Micah "What does the Lord require of you

but to do justice and to love kindness

and to walk humbly with your

God?" Let us now humble ourselves and

approach God through prayer let us pray

almighty God we seek to know your ways

and to be more like you you sent your

son to show us the way he came to us

humbly born in a

manger though he was in the form of God

he did not count equality with God a

thing to be grasped but emptied himself

by taking the form of a servant

being born in the likeness of men he

lived humbly walking from place to place

often without a roof over his head

teaching healing and

serving when he entered Jerusalem on

Palm Sunday he entered humbly riding on

a borrowed

donkey and on Good Friday he humbled

himself by becoming obedient to the

point of death even death on a cross

he who was without sin was crucified

between two criminals outside of the

city taking the sins of us all onto his

shoulders to the grave

using Christ's life as an example Paul

in his letter to the Philippians tells

us to do nothing from selfish ambition

or conceit but in humility count others

more significant than

ourselves and to look not only to our

own interests but also to the interests

of

others therefore Father at this time we

place before you the needs of others who

find themselves in difficult

circumstances

we pray for those without adequate

shelter in our community and in this

country and for the poor who lack

sufficient means to cope and

flourish we pray for those who live in

isolation and

loneliness strengthen them all in your

mercy and humble us lest we forget how

much we have to be grateful for

god of compassion and healing we pray

for those who've been humbled by life's

troubles we hold up to you those facing

illness injury and declining

health those touched by death disaster

fear and

failure and all who struggle with

anxiety uncertainty mood disorders or

addictions may they find rest in you

embrace them in your loving arms and

humble us lest we imagine we can live

lives untouched by

trouble loving father God we pray for

children jesus recognized their simple

honest faith saying "Whoever humbles

himself like this child is the greatest

in the kingdom of heaven."

We pray that children may have the

opportunity to learn about Jesus as they

grow up in an increasingly secular world

bless our children's and families

ministries here at Mountain View and the

Thrive Kids After School program as they

share the gospel with

children god of power and might we pray

that your will be done on earth relieve

those suffering from oppression

discrimination and

exploitation humble those who abuse

trust and power who betray others whose

interests are in their hands and those

who mislead others for personal

gain god of grace we humbly hold up to

you now in silent prayer people we know

and care for who need what only you can

provide

now let us pray in one voice that prayer

that Jesus taught us our Father who art

in heaven hallowed be thy name thy

kingdom come thy will be done on earth

as it is in heaven

give us this day our daily bread and

forgive us our debts as we forgive our

debtors and lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from evil for thine is

the kingdom and the power and the glory

forever and ever

amen the script excuse me the scripture

reading from the Old Testament today is

from Deuteronomy 4:es 1 through

20 mine's a little bit different from

what's on the board i don't know why but

I will read what I have may the Lord the

God of your fathers make you a thousand

times as many as you are and bless you

as he has promised you how can I bear by

myself the weight and burden of you and

your strife choose for your tribes wise

understanding and experienced men and I

will appoint them as your heads." And

you answered me "The thing that you have

spoken is good for us to do." So I took

the heads of your tribes wise and

experienced men and set them as heads

over you commanders of thousands

commanders of hundreds commanders of 50s

commanders of tens and officers

throughout your tribes and I charged

your judge at that time hear the cases

between your brothers and judge

righteously between a man and his

brother or the alien who is with

him you shall not be partial in judgment

you shall bear the hear the small and

the great alike you shall not be

intimidated by anyone for the judgment

is God's and the case that is too hard

for you you shall bring to me and I will

hear it and I commanded you at that time

all the things that you should do then

we set out from Horeb went through all

that great and terrifying wilderness

that you saw on the way to the hill

country of the Amorites as the Lord our

God commanded us and we came back to

Kadesh Barnea and I said to you you have

come to the hill country of the Amorites

which the Lord our God is giving

us the New Testament reading is from

Ephesians 1:es

11- 14

in him we have obtained an inheritance

having been predestined according to the

purpose of him who works all things

according to the counsel of his will so

that we who were the first to hope in

Christ might be the praise of his glory

in him you also when you heard the word

of truth the gospel of your salvation

and believed in him were sealed with the

promised Holy Spirit who is the

guarantee of our inheritance until we

acquire possession of it to the praise

of his glory this is the word of the

Lord

i think it's working again is it working

again awesome they knew they knew I

couldn't do anything without it so there

you

go so it's a famous story that came out

of when I Has anybody ever heard of the

vineyard church or the vineyard movement

raise your hand okay so there's a few of

you that have heard of this this was a

big movement that came out of California

in the

1960s uh famously it had um who was that

folk singer he was the most famous guy

uh

Bob Dylan bob Dylan was the guy and it

was they had the righteous brothers and

one of the guys so they it was a big

Jesus uh if you've ever met the Jesus

people they're pretty funny man like

Jesus dude like they're like California

surfers with Jesus right and what had

happened is there was a guy who was a

pianist at the time for the Righteous

Brothers who he and his wife um decided

to uh enjoy uh enjoy some of

recreational are you allowed to call

them to drugs i don't know anyways but

they were 60s so they weren't killing

you and um what happened was they found

upon a Bible and the Bible came alive

all right and so they decide well let's

go to church and so they have read this

Bible in and out and they walk down to

this local Quaker church it's the only

church in his neighborhood and he walks

in and he sits through the service and

people get up and sing their hymn and

sit down and he patiently just on edge

waiting waiting and then the sermon came

and he waited and he waited and then the

final hymn came and he was still

waiting what is going on so finally he

waits until everyone else has left the

church and the pastor back then used to

shake their hand at the door and he

walked up to him and said "Hey when are

we going to do the

stuff?" And the pastor looked

mesmerized he says "What do you mean?"

He goes "We didn't do any of the stuff

in this book." and he was holding the

Bible and it was fascinating because the

pastor goes "Well that's because," and

he didn't even know this guy's

name that stuff

ended when God came and now we're just

to sing and pray

together well John didn't agree and so

what started was a movement of where he

said "We're going to go do the stuff."

and they started to do this stuff and he

started getting these young adults these

60s '7s they're all 100 now but they

were 60s and 70s they were all young

people and they were getting together

and they started praying and they

started saying "God show us to do this

stuff." And they'd read Acts over and

over again cuz Acts has a lot of stuff

going

on and pretty soon they had thousands of

people in

stadiums and pretty soon you had crazy

things like people getting

healed you had people doing all of these

wondrous things tongues all of the

esoteric gifts were flying

around so was he

right how should that man have responded

when he said "When are we going to do

the

stuff?" This is a question you get has

anybody been in a charismatic

church yes you know what I'm talking

about

and if you've been in a charismatic

church sometimes can we all agree that

it can be a little

uh

exuberant hey enough of

you we are the church of the frozen

chosen but the question the reason I

bring that story up is he comes and asks

"When are we going to do this stuff how

do you answer that

how would the Bible answer

that right because we like to think we

have the answers but I would say that

the Bible shows us the answers we're

supposed to give and Paul here actually

lays out a great

theology about doing this stuff and what

is going to happen now let's pray

heavenly Father we thank you for your

living word we thank you for this uh

circular letter that went around Asia

Minor we thank you that it went to

Ephesus and we pray you'll teach us

through it you'll open our eyes and our

ears so we can understand what you're

saying to your church today amen

well first of all before we get into the

text itself I'm going to keep you're

going to some of you going to be here

the last few you know Emry we've heard

this but you cannot understand Ephesians

this circular letter without

understanding what they were dealing

with always remind yourself whenever

you're reading a scripture it wasn't

written to you it was written for you

but it was written to some somebody else

dealing with other issues in this case

people in Ephesus and Asia Minor okay

and here are the main issues and in the

New Testament the first issues the

biggest issue and it is simply this

Jewish or

Gentile which one's the right way okay

that was the debate the Jews had grown

up since they were little little kids to

think of Gentiles as outclass dogs and

pigs

and the Gentiles for what they cared

thought the Jews were this odd people

who didn't worship many gods and didn't

work on a Sunday or Saturday as the case

may be sorry so this world comes

together and now here's the problem in

all these letters now you've got people

who are believing in Jesus who are both

Jew and Gentile so the question is what

has to happen do the Gentiles have to

get circumcised and be like the Jews or

do the Jews have to start acting like

the Gentiles do you see how that works

anytime you clash two cultures together

you always end up with that fight who's

going to dominate the other and this is

the issue in the early

church main issue and he'll speak to it

again today if you have eyes to see

number

two paganism these people lived in a

world of pagan gods they believed in

gods that you had to have sex in front

of that you had to feed you had to do

all kinds of things to make them happy

so that you would be given the goods the

protection the winnings and wars that

was the gods they grew up in they were

fickle and they weren't in control and

they were as often fighting each other

that's what they believed before Jesus

comes before Paul comes I should say

then you've got this other group they're

called the mystery religions these are

your uh ancient Christian

scientists these are the guys who

believed that everything was spiritual

they had to have secret knowledge nosis

about the mysterion or mysterious world

of the heavenly realms they were the

guys that had the inner

knowledge and there was a few of them

and people were attracted because you

could join the secret sect

paul speaks against them too when he is

speaking against them look for words

like the heavenly places look for words

like

mystery but what he does is he flips it

all around Jesus and he undoes their

gods and finally there's the worship of

the Roman emperor and that's very

important he was known as Lord and

Savior son of God does that sound

familiar kirasyia Lord and Savior is on

his coin son of God on the other side

does that sound some like somebody

else's names that we're reading in the

New

Testament why is Paul doing that why

does Paul keep emphasizing Jesus Christ

not just

Jesus because Christ means

king so what Paul is doing is he's

undoing the imperial cult as well as he

writes this so both the mysteria the

pagan cult the mysterion cult and the

cult of the emperor all through

Ephesians is being taken down and at

different points I'll be able to show

you so keep your eye on that when you're

reading so we get to the text today and

he's been building up and he's just told

us to undo the mystery cults that God

has given us everything in the spiritual

realm in the heavenly realms he's given

us all oh po that popped the button of

the mysterian religions

and now today he's going on and he's

going to start by

dealing I'm convinced by

dealing with the Jewish Gentile issue

see because Paul's theology and I want

you to hear this paul was a Jew of Jews

and I'm going to get into that and since

Jesus Christ came and he has come as the

resurrected true Messiah his whole

world's been upside down and now he

believes Paul that true Israel is not a

bloodline national

system it is now a thing of anyone who

believes in Jesus who was the true

Israelite these are the people who like

Abraham had faith in God so they're

children of Abraham so whether you're

Gentile or if you're Jew you both are

now true Israel the people of God there

is no division anymore by

blood

okay so that means you guys out there

are Jews i want to see more what's the

hat they

wear i'm

joking i I'm joking don't change your

names but the truth is from a biblical

perspective we are the people of God we

are the people who are the children of

Abraham for Paul and we'll get into that

more he actually starts by using a word

here that really makes his point but you

have to know your Old Testament okay and

it says in our interpretation in him we

have attained an inheritance i think

that's not the best

interpretation now it can mean that but

it can mean something else it can also

mean in him we are God's

inheritance now why is that so important

so if it's in him we have obtained that

sounds like we get something but in the

other just as likely within the semantic

world where it says we are God's

inheritance well that changes everything

if that's what it means and I'm

convinced it is because these Jews in

that church knew something israel was

God's

inheritance okay let me show you what I

mean and and there's 50 texts after this

this is Exodus 19:5 now therefore if you

Exodus 19:5

will indeed obey my voice and keep my

covenant you shall be my treasured

possession my inheritance m I owe among

all peoples for the all the earth is

mine that's their inheritance that's

their possession it's God's who is God's

israel again Deuteronomy for you are a

people holy to the Lord your God the

Lord your God has chosen you to be a

people for his treasured

possession out of all the peoples who

are on the face of the earth he calls

Israel his inheritance his possession

his people 27 times i'm not going to

read 27 verses cuz I think you would

quit on

me but what I'm trying to say is Paul

uses this exact language to these

Ephesians who are doubting these gentile

Jew thing well what does he say back

there then if we go back and take it

seriously within that light in him we

are God's inheritance means we are

Israel we are his

people having been predestined that

language of predestined has to do all

with Israel that God always had a plan

and we're part of it how much that undo

the fickle pagan gods this God's always

been in

charge according to the purpose of him

who works all things according to the

counsel of his will so what he's saying

is always from the beginning God had a

plan for a people of God that has called

Israel that are children of Abraham and

guess what it always was Jew and Gentile

that's what he's

saying full

stop but he doesn't end there

then he goes into this very very

beautiful short section you say "Emmerry

you're only preaching four verses if

come try and preach Paul sometime it is

dense dense

dense." So that we who were first to

hope in Christ who's he talking about

there definitely

himself but he's speaking about Jew and

Gentile cornelius right anyone and he

doesn't say we who were the right

bloodline we who were the right Torah

observers he doesn't say that but we who

are the first to hope in Christ might be

to the praise of his glory because

that's why the people of God even exist

not so that we can be so wonderful but

that God's can be praised by the

people in him always in him 36 times

it's always in him and it's not about us

we're in him when we believe in him you

also you also when you heard the word of

God the truth the gospel of your

salvation and believed in him were

sealed with the promised Holy Spirit now

it's interesting how Paul does something

really fa fantastic here that makes

people uncomfortable because it pops

their little tight worlds he starts off

by saying "You are the people of God

you're predestined you were called."

Fair enough so it's all up to God right

oh hold on a sec in him also when you

heard the word of truth and the gospel

of salvation and believed in him that's

fully your agency isn't it so at first

it sounds like God always had it planned

and then next thing you know it says

"And when you made the

choice and people don't like tension

they don't." But Paul has no trouble

with it god's always been in charge and

guess what you have to say yes to his

yes and that's

Christianity

sorry and if you come and ask me well

how does that all work i'm going to say

I don't know um cuz I

don't who are sealed with the promised

holy believe me who are sealed with the

promised Holy Spirit now this is the

wonderful text i love this when you

would go and do business in the Roman

world and let's say you were going to go

and buy a uh cart off somebody and you

you had three shekels did they use

shekels in Rome i can't remember were

they in Rome whatever maybe you're a

Jewish Roman and you're using your three

coins a dinari thank you so you got your

three dinari i got smart people here

that's why I'm so lucky and you all of a

sudden realize "Oh my gosh this costs

300 dinari for this court cart." And so

what you would do is you would bring

your three dinari and what they would do

is the guy you would hand you a thing

they'd roll it over and you've seen how

they would take the the little wax right

and then you would take your seal it was

called and you would put it on top of

the contract and what you were saying

then is I no matter what will pay this

debt i guarantee

it now you say to me what if you didn't

pay the debt well guess what there was

no bankruptcy in

antiquity so what you would end up doing

is you would pay that debt or you would

go to debtor's jail until you could pay

the debt

what this is saying is

God saved us when we believed and he

made the seal of inheritance that we

will be saved

forever and he's put his mark on

that that's

incredible he's using this metaphor to

say "I'm the man who guarantees that I'm

going to finish this." Do you see that

i say that because pastorally so many

people think that when they have bad

days and guess what even I've had a bad

day it's a joke have a lot please don't

talk to my

wife but on those days you think of him

putting that seal when he gave me the

Holy Spirit and he says "I'm going to

finish this based on my character on

everything I owe

that's good news

man who is the guarantee now he goes to

our inheritance now he's into our

inheritance what is our inheritance he's

already said we're adopted as children

right he already says we've been

forgiven of our sins but the ultimate

thing is our inheritance is resurrection

kingdom life kingdom to

come now notice he says he gives us a

taste of the promised Holy Spirit he

doesn't give us it all in other words

there has to be a day where this is

fulfilled so that means that whatever is

going on now is not the fulfillment or

the truth that everything is right now

it means he's given us a taste with the

promise you will see the day when things

are right but right now you're not

living in the right but you've tasted

the right you see

that Paul talks in Romans that you are

the first fruits of God's

spirit first fruits is only 10% i don't

think he was using it for that reason

but what I'm telling you is this promise

this fruit this means that what you've

got now as a believer is guaranteed and

there's some there but it ain't anywhere

near what's

coming that he's

guaranteed our inheritance until we

acquire possession of it to the praise

of his glory what is that possession

resurrection life new kingdom he has

sealed us now with that we've been given

a

bit but not a

lot and then he just leaves us

hanging so what do we now take because

it wasn't written to us it was written

to them what do we take today as a

people first of all and I've heard some

people aren't happy with this that they

say this is this is a a kind of theology

that looks like the church is uh taking

over from

Israel well first of all

no because Israel was judged on the day

when Jesus came and said on the Mount of

Olive discourse that your day is now

here the day of the Lord has come and

I'm talking national Israel

and out of this this isn't a a some sort

of a taking over theology this is a

fulfillment theology promised in the Old

Testament the that the people of God

would be from the old and the new and it

would not be bound by tribes or

tongues and what Paul is saying to these

people is that being a Jew is not it

culturally or bloodline being a true Jew

is being faithful to Abraham and if it

isn't about culture or those markers

that means that I have to take in other

people who have the faith of Abraham do

you see even if they do things

different how many churches need to hear

this how many churches believe that it's

the right gift tongues that makes you

the in-group or the right clothing makes

you the in-group or some other thing

here's the truth paul's gospel says it

is faith in Jesus Christ that's it so if

you don't like someone sitting down the

pew because they don't dress like you

too bad for

you oh and they don't speak in

tongues it's a very strong argument I

just made

there how do I know listen to how

passionate Paul gets now I want you guys

to remember who Paul was he was once

Saul he believed as Saul that the only

people that are going to get resurrected

and be part of God's kingdom were

bloodline Jews who did it right who

obeyed the Torah and he was willing to

kill for it remember that and he hated

every Gentile and he hated most

Jews right

and then he gets converted and then he

writes one of the most profound letters

to the Philippians and listen to what he

says about being a bloodline Jew about

following those things like those

markers they have listen to Paul's words

and ask yourself does he think there's

two

ways look out for the dogs look out for

the evildoers now he flips the dogs

remember I told you the Gentiles were

called dogs now he's put them on the

Jews that's not that was not an

accident look out for the evil look out

those who mutilate the flesh that was

such a gangster in the Torah but who's

he talking about the mutilators of the

flesh here you guys can guess little

babies going for

it

circumcision because that was a marker

the Jews that said we are right and you

were wrong back then and he said beware

of these dogs they're more like the

pagans those who mutiflate the flesh

well those for we are the circumcision

who worship by

what not the tra not by bloodline not by

the temple but by the spirit of God

which we just heard about in Ephesians

and glory in what our

nationality our markings no they glory

in Jesus Christ christ Jesus and what

does he do with this part of himself

that's Jewish the flesh he says and put

no

confidence in the

flesh why is he saying all this because

when he put confidence in the flesh when

he worshiped himself in the flesh he was

killing people he didn't

like though I myself he says have reason

for confidence in the flesh also if

anyone else thinks he has reason for

confidence in the flesh and then he

gives his receipts about who he was i

have more circumcised on the eighth day

whoa of the people of Israel whoa of the

tribe of Benjamin whoa a Hebrew of

Hebrews whoa as to the law a Pharisee

wow

culturally this guy was

incredible and then watch how he plays

this and then he flips and he goes as to

zeal a persecutor of the church because

that's what all that stuff led

to when he hung up to his Israel

identity his national identity and yes I

could preach about Christian nationalism

right now but I'm not going

to as to righteousness under the law

blameless but whatever gain I had I

count it as a loss for the sake of

Christ because Christ sets us free from

our markers so we have to and we get to

worship with people who aren't like

us and then listen to this indeed I

count everything as loss because of the

surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus

my Lord for I for his sake I have

suffered the loss of all things meaning

all his Jewish

markers and count them as are you ready

for this i like our interpreters are

like "Oh rubbish." Rubbish is like what

an Englishman takes out and maybe a

piece of paper and a

napkin i love that cuz they downplay it

it actually means the feces I throw out

my window that the dogs eat that's the

literal meaning of that

text i wish they'd let Paul be Paul

because I'd really like to be able to

say feces in a sermon oh I just did

twice there you go

and count them as feces in order that I

may in Christ may gain Christ for Paul

my friends there is no longer Jew nor

Gentile there's no two ways to heaven

there are Jews and Gentiles in Christ

the people of God full stop

and if you're a Jew and you're not in

Christ sorry you're having no more luck

that if you're a Gentile and you're not

in

Christ how do I know i got more

receipts there is neither paul Galatians

there is neither how more clear can he

be there is neither Jew nor

Gentile slave nor free male and female

for you are all

what one in Christ Jesus i don't want to

have to talk about this anymore because

the truth is so obvious that for Paul

and the rest of the New Testament

writers something incredible has

happened god fulfilled his promises to

Israel and we Jews got grafted in

because he's a God who wants to bring

more and that's the people of God

and so when we think somebody in our

tradition doesn't quite fit because of

our markers we better come back and read

this and get to the point where the

stuff we're hanging on to that's making

other people look less we make it

feces that's my new word of the

day now what about the church today now

I've given you two words here that cuz I

know you guys like dinner parties and

you're going to look really smart so

here's my first

one underrealized

esquetology what do we do with why don't

we do the

stuff underrealized esquetology just

means this god came and saved us and now

let's hold our breath and tell heaven

because nothing can change in the here

and now okay what that means is people

who have underrealized esquetology or

sometimes they're known as

cessationists believe that God did his

thing he got us saved and he's out of

the pool looking down going "Okay I hope

they get through

this." Underrealized esquetology simply

means that God isn't moving like he

did and I'm sorry folks being a reformed

guy this is where we fall into this is

why they call us the frozen chosen

because it's a lot easier to believe

God's not moving and that our faith will

just hang on to us and that we're in

control of our lives than to put

ourselves under a living

God right it's much more easy because

we're in

control but biblically Paul has none of

that we have been given the promised

Holy Spirit which means the kingdom

that's coming has come from the future

and a bit of it has come to the now and

that means we should expect the

unbelievable

now and we should expect God to do

incredible

things paul certainly

does and we should expect to know God

more than a set of ideas that gets us to

heaven and rather get to know God

personally because he's personally here

by his

spirit jim Packer our aim in studying

the Godhead must be to know God

himself better our aim in studying the

Godhead must be to know God better

himself better our concern may be to

enlarge our acquaintance not simply with

the doctrine of God's attributes but

with the living God whose attributes

they are we must got get to know God who

he is he wants a relationship he doesn't

care if you've got the ideas of

him so we cannot sit back and say "I got

saved and I'm going to sit back because

God's

done." We need to walk in this world and

hit him and allow him to counter us and

expect him to do the impossible because

he's a God that likes to do the

impossible there's a reason there's

empty

tombs there's healings and I'll tell you

something i've been in the cuddly

charismatic circles and as crazy as they

can be God's done some things that I

will never forget and changed me because

it was God and it was

incredible okay and if that makes you

uncomfortable I'm sorry but I'm telling

you we waste ourselves if we deny he can

move because when he deny he can move we

don't get to know him cuz it's in moving

that we get to know him have you ever

been sitting there in a worship service

i'm sure you have and the worship has

hit you in a certain way maybe it's the

lyrics and you feel the tingles did

anybody get

that Holy

Spirit you ever gone out and ran into

somebody jason was telling me the other

day he ran into somebody out of the blue

and he goes "I I almost thought it was

like a divine encounter." Cuz it was cuz

he's the living

God so sitting around acting like God

can't move is a fool's game and it cuts

us

off in

fact it is that he has touched you by

the Holy Spirit that you're probably

even sitting here how many people can

honestly say sit here and say "I read

the whole Bible fully understood it

analyzed it and rationally read it and

then I read Calvin and I read Luther and

then I read this and then after seven

years I decided rationally that this was

the right faith."

Me

neither at some point in your life God

put his finger on you and you felt the

Holy

Spirit and at some point that brought

your faith

alive that's how it

works and unfortunately you can't

control that but that's real and that's

the same God who's here right now who

may put a finger on your shoulder again

right now and we should expect that

to quote my friend Alistister McB I

don't know him but I count him a friend

he may not be

mine the grace of God is not transferred

to us genetically through human blood it

is vital that individually we have a

personal

taste that we know for ourselves what it

means to be born again in the spirit of

God we must have a personal taste and

that's why you're sitting

Okay so we can't sit around and say

nothing's going to

happen because God's a living God and

he's going to make it happen and the

funniest part at the times of my life

when I want him to do nothing he shows

up and I'm like

"Oh." Cuz he's like "You're not sticking

me in a

box." But there's the other side

too that we're already there that all we

have to do is claim and name it and

everything good will come this is called

overrealized esquetology there's nothing

left to hope for there's nothing left

because we can just get it all now

healing money

power you heard of

this that anything we want we can have

now where nowhere in the New Testament

does it say

that paul talks about a taste in Romans

he talks about a little seal for the

promise to come he never says we get it

now he always says in our hope we are

saved not in what we have we are

saved and there's a whole theology out

there that is extremely dangerous that

if we name it and claim it or we have

power over God and it's paganism we make

a deal with God maybe give a little more

money we'll get some more back that's

just old paganism guys that somehow

we'll get everything unfortunately until

the resurrection we're going to live

lives that at times are going to suck

okay you're going to suffer

sorry I read it in this book

somewhere we're going to have times

where things don't go well and we must

look to the God at those times who is

alive but he is alive but he is going to

fulfill it but he's putting us through

sometimes and allowing things to

happen awtoer the greatest test of faith

is to wait on God not expecting to push

a button and get whatever we want

now the hardest thing I ever have as a

pastor is when I'm dealing with someone

in a word faith movement and they have

been told and they're the sick person

that everyone's saying "Well if you have

enough faith you'll get better

because you know what often happens they

die and what I see is guilt and

shame where the good pastor should have

said "Why aren't we do it why we let's

go do the stuff." But guess what

sometimes the stuff doesn't happen

because it's not God's time but the

stuff will happen at the resurrection

that's what they should be saying to

that dying

person yes maybe and we're going to pray

for your healing but I'm going to tell

you right now it is going to happen in

the resurrection all things work out for

good does not mean right

now sorry I'm getting Pentecostal up

here the vineyard's back

um this one's a very touchy one for me

because I'm a

pastor yeah God's alive but he has not

given us everything and we have to

humble ourselves pray and trust that he

will set things to right one day not cuz

we

say do you guys know the guy named Benny

Hinn he is a big prosperity guy he goes

around and says "If you put $5 in you're

going to get $50 out." He's the guy with

the jacket and I might try this sometime

and throws it and everybody falls back

you've seen it if you haven't don't

bother his nephew ministered in Suriri

the same time I was there great guy and

he was saved out of that movement and he

realized it was raw

paganism but what he what left him out

of it is all these people who they were

told they were going to get better and

how many died and he was a pastor and he

wrote these words that I want to share

with you

when we get the sovereignty of God wrong

we get God

wrong when we get the abundant life

wrong we get Jesus wrong when we get

faith and confession wrong we get

salvation wrong why is that a huge deal

because all roads that the prosperity

gospel paves lead to hell

how can we get sovereignty wrong by

saying we're in charge and our faith

will do

it how do we get abundant life wrong by

telling people being rich is an abundant

life how do we get faith and confession

wrong by believing stuff for ourselves

and confessing truths for ourselves

rather than confessing our sins and

faith in someone

else and I truly believe he's

right you continue on that and you'll

miss God as you are sitting there in

your

exuberance god

is already doing

stuff but he is not yet finished and we

have to live in that place

but the good news is our salvation is

guaranteed by God and that I can't speak

enough is what Christians need to

hear because every one of us do stupid

things and we wonder "Does God still

love us i'm sorry i

know we do stupid things we get away

from God and we think does he love us?"

Well that's because and then we question

our salvation because we think we own

our salvation not him

but it seems to me in this text it says

he puts the seal of the guarantee not me

not you he gave you the Holy

Spirit and that's why it's

guaranteed so in this text I guess I I'm

going to go to Tim Keller because it's

so good god's kingdom is present in its

beginnings for us but still future in

its fullness

this guards us from an underrealized

esquetology expecting no change now and

an overrealized esquetology expecting

all change

now in this stage we embrace the reality

that while we're not yet what we will be

we also are no longer what we used to be

amen

pentecostals we're going to get a few

more you wait then you'll be amening

this is good news

guys god has stepped in and he has given

us a taste and he has brought you all

here cuz he's touched

you and you know what that means you're

sealed you're sealed for

eternity so why not just keep seeking

after this God that's worth it keep

getting together keep worshiping because

this God's already laid his hand on you

why turn from such a God that has

guaranteed with his own

life your

salvation i guess I'll end with Papa

John now we shall possess a right

definition of faith if we call it a firm

and certain knowledge of God's

benevolence towards us founded upon the

truth of the freely given promise in

Christ both revealed to our minds and

sealed upon our hearts through his Holy

Spirit

my

friends you're

saved and it's going to be rough

sometimes but he has laid that in and in

some days you're going to be blown away

by how real he is and he is not a dead

God he's a living God and some days

you're going to say "Boy I guess I have

to wait for redemption on this one." But

that redemption's coming because he took

that seal

he put it on that paper he gave you his

spirit and he said "I guarantee

it i guarantee

it." That's something worth living for

that's something worth dying

for let's pray

heavenly Father thank you that you are

faithful that you come into our lives

and do the things you

do we recognize Father

that we have an amazing amazing truth to

live by that we who were not worthy were

chosen and blessed by your spirit and

that you have sealed us for eternity

help us then this day to live like you

are real because you are help us to be

expectant of you to move help us to keep

our eyes open for what you're doing in

our families in our friends in our

churches and give us the

patience in knowing that this isn't all

going to be done this side of the

resurrection and when it's rough and it

doesn't look like change is coming let

us put our faith in the right spot in

Jesus Christ the resurrected one who

said "It is

finished and I have sealed you with my

mark." In Jesus' name amen