Ephesians 1:3-14
To the Praise and Glory of God
Easter, in my opinion – Contrary to Andy Williams – Is the most wonderful time of the year because God the Father sent His Son to restore my broken relationship with Him. It reminds me that my hope and faith are not in vain for I have been redeemed by the risen Savior, Jesus Christ. The one who appeared to over 500 people at one time after His resurrection, 1 Corinthians 15:6, and most of them were still alive at the time of the writing of that specific passage. The God who created the world, both visible and invisible. The Savior who is before all things and who holds all things together, Colossians 1:15-17. It is this time of year that we celebrate the anniversary of Jesus Christ’s resurrection for He is Risen Indeed!!
As we are mindful of this Easter celebration, I’d like to turn our attention to another passage, try not to get caught up with the sovereignty of God and the free will of man conundrum, that can be another article. Today, however, we’re looking at a few byproducts of the Salvation that God has bestowed upon us through Jesus Christ and how it should impact us; His children: heirs to a future and eternal dwelling.
Ephesians 1:3-14 NIV –3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he[d] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
11 In him we were also chosen,[e] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
First, God the Father has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. Many times when we think of blessings we bring to mind things like good health, financial abundance, good looks, friends and even nice things such as cars, houses, boats, etc. The thing about those blessings is the fact that they’re temporal or temporary. Contrary to those blessings are the Spiritual blessings from God. Those are eternal.
The spiritual blessing of holiness is not just an external attribute so mankind can see how good we are. It is something that God the Father has made us on the inside. The one who is the seer of our heart’s motives and intentions – Hebrews 4:12-13. He has also enabled us to be blameless too. Some synonyms would be without guilt, uncondemned, upright and just. But you may think, "No way are those descriptors of me. I can’t go a year (or even a day) without sinning at least once! How can those definitions be applied to me?" I think the Apostle Paul helps bring home the understanding of how this is accomplished. In Romans 7, Paul reveals his personal battle with sin and his draw toward it. In verse 25, Paul reveals it’s Jesus Christ who delivers him but in Romans 8:1 we see how it is thoroughly accomplished, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” What a fantastic blessing!! It is not up to us to make ourselves innocent before a holy and totally perfect/unblemished God. It is by being found in His Son Jesus Christ. If you're not found in Jesus Christ and the finished work that He accomplished on the cross of Calvary, may I repeat what the Apostle Paul said so many years ago, "Now is the day of Salvation." Would you look to Him as the only one who can save you. The only one who you can have your sins forgiven by.
Second, back to Ephesians 1, Paul is saying that because of those spiritual blessings, for those very reasons, our holiness and being blameless, we ought to be Praising God continuously. And that was just the start of it. Paul goes on to explain that all of that was accomplished of God’s working in both “His pleasure and good will” through the work of Jesus Christ at His crucifixion and three days later, His resurrection from the dead. What a privilege it is to get up in the morning then go through the day and finally lay down at night with the knowledge that God the Father, before the world was created, chose to make us holy and blameless. How? Because of the reason we can call God Father, we have been adopted as His children though the work of Jesus Christ on that first Easter weekend. He chose to forgive us because Jesus Christ’s blood gave us redemption when we received Him as our Lord, Savior and Redeemer.
Thirdly, God has saved us for His praise and His glory, Ephesians 1:11-14. We have been saved for God’s glory and praise. In Isaiah 42:8 God emphatically states, "I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.” We all should be praising and glorifying God for the great work He has done for us through Jesus Christ. We should be praising and glorifying God because He as marked us with a seal, “the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.” In the past weeks, we have watched how the Corona Virus continues taking thousands and thousands of lives. Our hope is not built upon the temporal blessings such as good health or physical well being but upon the eternal blessings that God has shown us, given us and sealed us with.
I’d like to close this article with the lyrics of a familiar song.
The Solid Rock
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus' Name
(Chorus) On Christ the solid Rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand
When darkness seems to hide His face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil
(Chorus)
His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood
When all around my soul gives way
He then is all my Hope and Stay
(Chorus)
When He shall come with trumpet sound
Oh may I then in Him be found
Dressed in His righteousness alone
Faultless to stand before the throne
(Chorus)
May we all enjoy God's richest blessings,
Pastor Kelly Ryan
Unity Baptist Church