Gd s Master Plan Part One Electin in Eternity Past Last week if yu remember, we intrduced this bk - - and ne cmmentatr called it the GRAND CANYON OF SCRIPTURE And we imagined we were standing n the brink f the Grand Canyn like this: Really - - the beginning f a 4 part lk at Gd s Master Plan This week - - Gd s Master Plan Part One Electin in Eternity Past Listen, being a Christian is a super thing. Gd designed it befre the wrld began. And nce Paul gets this dxlgy rlling in verse 3 he can't stp and he rlls right n and never puts a perid in the Greek sentence until the end f verse 14, 202 wrds in a rw withut a perid. He just rlls just like a snwball ging dwnhill and it just picks up mre glistening glry as it ges. As he thinks abut this master-plan in eternity. Fr the next fur weeks we ll lk at Ephesians 1 divided int fur sectins: Verses 3-6: Electin in Eternity Past Verses 7-10: Redemptin in Histry Past Verses 11-14: Inheritance in the Future t Cme Verses 15-23: Pwer in the Here and Nw Electin Natinal Electin Israel Deuternmy 7:6 7 6 Fr yu are a peple hly t the Lrd yur Gd. The Lrd yur Gd has chsen yu t be a peple fr his treasured pssessin, ut f all the peples wh are n the face f the earth. 7 It was nt because yu were mre in number than any ther peple that the Lrd set his lve n yu and chse yu, fr yu were the fewest f all peples, Salvatin nt assured 1
Rmans 9:6 6 But it is nt as thugh the wrd f Gd has failed. Fr nt all wh are descended frm Israel belng t Israel, Vcatinal Electin Office r purpse Levites Deuternmy 18:5 5 Fr the Lrd yur Gd has chsen him ut f all yur tribes t stand and minister in the name f the Lrd, him and his sns fr all time. The Twelve Luke 6:13 16 13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chse frm them twelve, whm he named apstles: 14 Simn, whm he named Peter, and Andrew his brther, and James and Jhn, and Philip, and Barthlmew, 15 and Matthew, and Thmas, and James the sn f Alphaeus, and Simn wh was called the Zealt, 16 and Judas the sn f James, and Judas Iscarit, wh became a traitr. Salvatin nt assured Eli, Hphni, and Phinehas 1 Samuel 2:28 29 28 Did I chse him ut f all the tribes f Israel t be my priest, t g up t my altar, t burn incense, t wear an ephd befre me? I gave t the huse f yur father all my fferings by fire frm the peple f Israel. 29 Why then d yu scrn my sacrifices and my fferings that I cmmanded fr my dwelling, and hnr yur sns abve me by fattening yurselves n the chicest parts f every ffering f my peple Israel? Judas Jhn 6:70 70 Jesus answered them, Did I nt chse yu, the Twelve? And yet ne f yu is a devil. Angelic Electin Fallen angels - demns Elect angels 1 Timthy 5:21 21 In the presence f Gd and f Christ Jesus and f the elect angels I charge yu t keep these rules withut prejudging, ding nthing frm partiality. Salvatin nt in view 2
Hly angels did nt sin Fallen angels cannt be redeemed Saving Electin Old Testament and New Testament believers Salvatin assured Salvatin secured This is the electin that Paul has befre us in Ephesians. Let s lk at it in the text: Ephesians 1:1 6 1 Paul, an apstle f Christ Jesus by the will f Gd, T the saints wh are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace t yu and peace frm Gd ur Father and the Lrd Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the Gd and Father f ur Lrd Jesus Christ, wh has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chse us in him befre the fundatin f the wrld, that we shuld be hly and blameless befre him. In lve 5 he predestined us fr adptin as sns thrugh Jesus Christ, accrding t the purpse f his will, 6 t the praise f his glrius grace, with which he has blessed us in the Belved. Nw I wuld ask yu t cnstrain yur thinking - - we aren t taking an interest in the cntrversy surrunding the biblical principle f Gd s Electin - - and hw des that square with Man s Respnsibility - - we want t just stand here - - n the brink f this great Grand Canyn Letter t the church and see if we can understand what Paul is saying - - simply saying. Ephesians 1:1 6 Intrductin 1 Paul, an apstle f Christ Jesus by the will f Gd, T the saints wh are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace t yu and peace frm Gd ur Father and the Lrd Jesus Christ. Dxlgy 3 Blessed be the Gd and Father f ur Lrd Jesus Christ, wh has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chse (Hw Svereign Electin) us (Wh) in him befre the fundatin f the wrld (When), that we shuld be hly and blameless (What) befre him. In lve (Why) 5 he predestined us fr adptin as sns thrugh Jesus Christ, accrding t the purpse f his will, 3
6 t the praise f his glrius grace, with which he has blessed us in the Belved. Hw - - Gd s Svereign Electin the Gd and Father f ur Lrd Jesus Christ (v.3) he chse (v.4) he predestined (v.5) Wh us (v.3 & v.4 & v.5 & v.6) When befre the fundatin f the wrld (v.4) What Why hly and blameless (v.4) adptin as sns (v.5) The blessing has blessed us (v.3 & v.6) lve (v.4) the purpse f his will (v.5) (v.9 & v.11) Ephesians 1:9 9 making knwn t us the mystery f his will, accrding t his purpse, which he set frth in Christ Ephesians 1:11 11 In him we have btained an inheritance, having been predestined accrding t the purpse f him wh wrks all things accrding t the cunsel f his will, the praise f his glrius grace (v.6) The Tensin Imagined There is the false idea that sme Christians believe in Gd s svereignty in salvatin and thers dn t. Nt true. All Christians believe that Gd saves. They believe it in their experience. They believe it in their prayer. They believe it in their evangelism. They believe it in their hpe. 4
"What is true is that all Christians believe in divine svereignty but sme are nt aware they d. And mistakenly imagine and insist that they reject it. What causes this dd state f affair? "The rt cause is the same as in mst cases f errr in the church, the intrusin f ratinalistic speculatin, the passin fr systematic cnsistency, a reluctance t recgnize the existence f mystery and let Gd be wiser than men and a cnsequent subjecting f Scripture t the suppsed demands f human lgic." We ve seen already this mrning - - hw clearly the Bible declares Gd s svereignty in His chsing us - - saving us. But this bk will put us at the center as well Ephesians 1:15 16 15 Fr this reasn, because I have heard f yur faith in the Lrd Jesus and yur lve tward all the saints, 16 I d nt cease t give thanks fr yu, remembering yu in my prayers, Ephesians 4:1 3 1 I therefre, a prisner fr the Lrd, urge yu t walk in a manner wrthy f the calling t which yu have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with ne anther in lve, 3 eager t maintain the unity f the Spirit in the bnd f peace. Ephesians 4:17 17 Nw this I say and testify in the Lrd, that yu must n lnger walk as the Gentiles d, in the futility f their minds. Ephesians 5:1 2 1 Therefre be imitatrs f Gd, as belved children. 2 And walk in lve, as Christ lved us and gave himself up fr us, a fragrant ffering and sacrifice t Gd. But here is where we begin and it is simple and simply prfund! Ephesians 1:3 6 3 Blessed be the Gd and Father f ur Lrd Jesus Christ, wh has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chse us in him befre the fundatin f the wrld, that we shuld be hly and blameless befre him. In lve 5 he predestined us fr adptin as sns thrugh Jesus Christ, accrding t the purpse f his will, 6 t the praise f his glrius grace, with which he has blessed us in the Belved. 5